A/N: Progress is coming along smoothly. It definitely helps that I've set myself two designated times a day for writing. I wish I could put my finger on what I don't like about my writing… Let me know if you can.
The rays of the rising sun peeked over the treeline, gently filtering through Link's loft window before alighting softly on his face. He squinted, groaned and squirmed into a seated position. Midna yawned loudly and stretched next to him before pulling the blanket over her head. "I forgot how much I hate your sun," she grunted. "Make it go awaaaay…" The Twili lazily melded into Link's shadow, like chuchu jelly seeping into the ground.
The Ordonian youth stiffly got up, tossed the pillow and blanket on top of the bookshelf below, and clambered down the ladders to the ground floor. With a yawn he kindled the hearth and cracked some eggs onto the skillet.
After he and Midna ate breakfast, Link opened his door to see the babbling children rounding the bend to his house. Their faces lit up and they all dashed to greet him.
Link smiled and waved before hopping to the ground.
"Link! Are we gonna get back to training today?!" asked Talo. "Colin and I both brought our swords!"
The troop leader laughed and rubbed their heads. "Maybe in a bit, but I've gotta talk to Colin's dad."
"Wow! You're talking now, Link? You should do this more often~!" Beth swooned.
"Alright, but you have to promise, okay? Colin and I've had to train with his dad for the past ten days! He always makes us do that really hard working out stuff…"
"My dad says it'll make us really strong, though. He says it takes a lot of strength to wield a sword for a long time! Tell him, Link!"
The young Hero quickly backed up Colin. "He's right, Talo. Believe me, Rusl's training has got nothing on the wide, wild world out there. You never know when you're gonna be pushed to your limits."
"See, I told you, Talo! My dad's been training me ever since we got back. Look, I can even keep up with you now!"
"Wanna bet?! First one to Beth's mom's shop wins!" Two tiny dust clouds sped off towards town, with a very flustered Beth hollering after them.
Link looked up to meet Malo's poker face as the latter was just starting back to the village. "Hey Malo, about business…"
A glint appeared in the toddler's eyes. Link had grown to mentally calling him Ordon's little tyke-oon. "Yes?"
"You know the green tunic and armor I had?"
"You had me take down the make and measurements in case you ever needed it replaced."
"Yeah. Any chance you, uhh… have a replacement ready to go right now?"
"500 rupees. Pick it up at the Castle Town branch." Malo handed Link a small envelope from somewhere within his shirt. "This is your special access voucher. Don't lose it."
"You're a lifesaver."
Link jogged into the main drag of the village, past the dueling pair of boys outside of Sera's Sundries. A very annoyed Beth chided them from the sidelines for fighting like little kids. The Ordonian teenager glanced at them, thankful that they were too distracted with the competition of the day. Seeing Colin neck-and-neck with Talo brought a smile to his face. A year ago, Colin was a timid little boy who was always forgotten and left in the dust. Ever since the children were abducted by King Bulblin's roving bands, the boy had grown braver by the day. And now that bravery was turning into confidence.
Caught in his own thoughts, Link didn't even notice that he was at Uli's and Rusl's house, just stepping up the porch. He gave the door a gentle rapping.
"Come in!" came Rusl's and Uli's voices, followed by the murmuring of their baby girl Sophia.
Link cracked the door open and peeped his head in.
"Ahh, Link! Good to see you!" said Rusl, holding his arms out. The two swordsmen exchanged handshakes and pats on the back.
"Link, dear, have you eaten already? I just finished some sausage and grits," Uli offered.
"Nah, thanks. Had some eggs a bit ago myself."
"Well, the silent one speaks! How long have you been hiding that wonderful voice of yours?" she asked.
"Let's just say the last ten days have been very interesting for me."
"Don't tell me you got it back by getting knocked really hard on the head," teased Rusl.
"Well, you're right there. It's not all that interesting of a story, anyway."
A brief silence fell over the three of them, only punctuated with the sounds of the river, the distant ruckus of the children and Sophia's gentle kicking in her cradle near the couch.
"I take it Talo and Colin are back at it?"
"Yep. You know it."
Rusl laughed and shook his head. "Well, I'm just glad you're the one watching them while I'm off training the military at Hyrule Castle. Which brings me to why I wanted to speak with you…"
The former Resistance fighter pulled out a letter from his back pocket. It was an elegant piece of stationery with the seal of the Hyrule Royal Family. "This came in. It was addressed to you, but the postman gave me permission to open it in case you weren't around."
Removing the letter from the envelope, Rusl handed it to Link.
"To the swordsmen Link and Rusl of Ordon Village, greetings and salutations.
I have seen a strange, black cloud forming over Faron Woods, in the direction of the Sacred Grove. You have doubtlessly seen it yourself. Your presence at the castle is requested as soon as possible for a briefing as to the nature of this phenomenon. In the event that you are unable to make the journey, then I address the following to Hyrulean Army Colonel Rusl.
Esteemed Colonel Rusl, I request that you report as soon as possible to Hyrule Castle, should there be no immediate risks to your home that require your urgent attention. Should you have any information to volunteer about the dark cloud over Faron Woods or Link's current condition, I would be immensely grateful.
May the light of Hylia shine upon you.
-Princess Zelda"
"Now, I did have to make the journey to the castle. I didn't know what that black cloud was, but I reported you missing and requested a search party. Ashei and Shad came down with reconnaissance units, but of course we couldn't find you. That said, I take it you know a lot more about what was going on that day," Rusl said, smiling. "I think you should go and brief the Princess. I'll be coming along too. By the time we arrive, my leave will have ended." He chuckled a bit. "Looks like the boys will have to wait a few weeks for more swordplay lessons."
"Yeah…" Link fidgeted a little. He was planning to just have Midna teleport him to Castle Town, but if Rusl was going to be coming along, too, then he'd have to ditch the fast-travel option for a multiple-day ride on horseback.
"Well, we'd best be off! No need to keep Her Highness waiting, after all." Rusl stood up to kiss his wife good-bye. She smiled back at him. "Be safe, love."
After stooping down to kiss Sophia's forehead, Rusl grabbed his gear and put on his helmet. "I'll go grab my horse from Fado's stable. You get Epona ready."
Link nodded and said goodbye to Uli before exiting the house.
He marched away from the main drag of the village, reaching the clearing with his own dwelling. Epona stood at her post, and she nickered at his presence.
Grabbing the mare's saddle and bridle, Link readied her for the trip to Castle Town, more than a little disappointed that he would have to spend extra time on the road. All the meanwhile, Demise was gathering strength…
"Link."
Ripped from his thoughts, Link answered with a note of surprise in his voice. "Yeah?"
Midna floated up from below him in her shadow form. "Look, I know we have to take the long road to Castle Town. But maybe when you get away from Rusl for a bit to take a pee break or go number two or something, we can strategize on where to head next or how to rally Hyrule against this Demise guy."
Link's face flushed, and he responded in a low voice through gritted teeth, hopefully loud enough for only her to hear. "Midna, that kinda time is where a man's supposed to have some damned privacy. How about we wait until we get to the Princess to talk about what to do? After all, she's in charge, not me."
Midna gave a small gasp and dove into Link's shadow. He acted natural and continued checking the saddle straps like he hadn't seen or heard anything, until another voice spoke from further away. "Hey, Link?"
He turned to see Ilia and smile. "Hey, Ilia. What's up?"
She looked down at the ground, hands folded behind her back, gently turning her hips back and forth. "Rusl told my father that you two would be leaving for the castle. Something really important."
"Yeah. That's right. Hopefully we'll be back soon."
The young girl glanced back up at him, smiling wistfully. "And what do you mean by hopefully, mister?"
Link chuckled and sighed. "As in, hopefully business up there won't take too long and we'll be back soon. Don't worry, we're definitely coming back in one piece."
Ilia stepped forward until she was only an arm's length away from her childhood friend, her smile now teasing. "Good. Just know, if you come back and I find you've been working Epona too hard and she's hurt, you won't be in one piece for very long. That's a promise, not a threat," she finished with a brief, motherly glare.
Link put his hands up in defense. "Hey, hey, no need to worry."
The short-haired girl's smile returned, and she wrapped her arms around Link, putting her head on his shoulder. "I will anyway." She looked him in the eye, and hesitated for a moment before giving him a quick peck on the cheek.
Link stumbled back, suddenly tongue-tied. He tried to say something, anything intelligent, but she had completely caught him off-guard and all he could do was stand there and stammer like a buffoon. Flustered and flushed, he scratched his head, avoiding her gaze. Ilia put a hand to her mouth and stifled a giggle.
"WHOA! See Beth, I told you!"
Both Link and Ilia's heads whipped around to find the children ducking back around the corner.
"Talo, you idiot! You blew our cover!" "Nice going, loudmouth…" "Ummm… Shouldn't we run…?"
"YOU STUPID KIDS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, SPYING ON US LIKE THAT?! GET OVER HERE!" Ilia stormed after them, and a chorus of screams came from the four Ordonian youths as they tore off and ran for their lives.
Link collapsed against Epona, clutching his pounding heart. Those kids just saved my bacon, he thought.
A cackle echoed over the ambience of soft breezes, rustling trees and birdsong. "Smooth, Mr. Triforce of Courage! Real smooth!"
"Shut up, Midna," Link growled.
"Aww, don't sound so mad! You were adorkable. Girls like that, you know… Eee hee hee!"
The Hero of Twilight refused to dignify that comment with a response, but he couldn't stop his cheeks from turning a light pink. Don't feed the troll and it will go away, he told himself.
Rusl rounded the bend on his own steed, waving. "Ready to go, Link?"
The latter nodded and mounted Epona, and together they set off for Castle Town.
Over the next four days that it took to cross through Faron Woods and Hyrule Field, Link and Rusl passed the time by killing monsters and swapping stories. There were only a few more monsters than usual, but it was enough to set Link on edge.
Rusl filled Link in on how the restructuring of the Hyrulean army was coming along; Zelda had stripped most of the surviving officers and soldiers of their ranks for incompetence in the aftermath of the Twilight invasion, after receiving numerous complaints from the citizenry, and had ordered that every single person in the military re-undergo basic training and engage in construction, engineering and community service tasks. Only the fighting members of the now-defunct Resistance and the most grizzled, disciplined veterans of the army were given officer-level ranking, whereas nearly everyone else was stripped of their rank and demoted to the lowest rank of soldier. Link had to laugh at Rusl's impression of many victims of this policy, and he had more than a few to offer in return.
When the men gave their horses a rest, the two also clashed swords in intense sparring matches. Link had learned a lot from the Hero's Shade, but even still he was only on par with Rusl's swordplay. They traded blows more than the Hero would have liked, but he had to hand it to his mentor: there were still some tricks that the old dog had been holding out on him. Rusl taught his younger counterpart a few things about binding, winding and pommel strikes, but he clearly thought Link capable enough to try and figure out the others on his own.
At the end of one such bout in the middle of the Faronian Hyrule Field, Link and Rusl collapsed back on the ground, both heaving for air and giving their limbs a much-needed rest. Without warning, Fi popped out of the Master Sword's hilt.
"Master Link, I have a report. After analyzing your combat style, I have concluded that you rely primarily on using overwhelming force at carefully timed intervals to win against your opponent. Despite your youth and vigor, it would be wise to ascertain how to use the minimal amount of energy needed to create the same amount of leverage against your opponent and deal the most damage. This will lower your risk of hyperextension and muscular strain by thirty percent. Continuing your training with Rusl is likely the best course of action available to you at the present time. I will inform you when I receive information which would be of further assistance."
Link was mortified. He looked to Rusl, whose jaw was hanging open. Looking back up at Fi, he whispered harshly, "What the hell are you thinking, just popping out like that?!"
Fi tilted her head curiously. "My presence is a problem, Master?"
"Yes! It's a big problem! You're supposed to remain hidden!"
"Uhh, Link, not to interrupt, but… Who is this? And how did she just do that?"
The sword spirit turned to face Rusl. "Fi is the name I was given. I am the spirit who has inhabited the sacred blade of the goddess since millennia long past. And I believe your name is Rusl. Is this correct?"
"Y-yes. Pleased to meet you... Is it just Fi? How should I address you?"
"Fi will suffice. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Your training has served Link well."
"The honor's all mine, Fi." Rusl looked at Link cautiously. "So… how long have you two known each other?"
Link sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "She was dormant until the black cloud, and a secret until now."
"Master Link, I feel obligated to inform you that I often appeared to advise the first Master in the company of many others over the course of his journey. None of these observers ever once questioned my presence or otherwise showed signs of alienation. Especially in this dire time, I will not hesitate to appear with any important information, regardless of present company. To quote a human adage, 'honesty is the best policy'. I believe it would be best if you not keep secrets such as these from those who have proven themselves trustworthy. Doing so only creates complications that hinder effective communication and planning. If I am no longer of assistance to you at this present time, then I shall return to the sword."
Without another word, Fi reverted to an orb of light and flew back into the Master Sword with enough force to shake Link's grip.
Silence fell. Fi's words stung, and Link felt like a scolded child. Rusl's voice only added to the feeling of shame. "Well… The cat's out of the bag, then." He paused briefly. "But… Fi, is it? I think Fi's right." A smile spread across the man's stubble. "Frankly, with everything that's happened in these parts over the last year, I don't think anything can surprise me anymore!" He let out a hearty laugh. "Don't worry about it, Link. I'm sure you had your reasons." Rusl stood up and stooped down in front of Link, resting a hand on his shoulder. "But there's no need to keep any more secrets. I, Shad, Ashei, Auru, Telma, the Princess, everyone back at the village… We're all on the same side, Link. We all have your back, just like we know you have ours. I want to make sure you understand that."
Link offered a small smile in return. "Thanks, Rusl. I'm… sorry for not telling you. Ilia chewed me out for much the same reason."
"And yet you're still in one piece."
The young man chuckled through his nose. "Yeah. Surprisingly."
"Well, we're almost to town. We should be arriving in the late afternoon..." Rusl shaded his eyes and measured where the sun was in its arc across the sky. "Once we get to the pass leading to the field south of Castle Town, it'll be smooth sailing from there."
He glanced at the horses, idling contently in the field, grass in their mouths and water in their bellies from a nearby stream. "Shall we be off, then?"
Link nodded. The two of them saddled up and continued their journey. Behind him, Link could hear Midna and Fi whispering back and forth. The day's light breeze was enough to cover their voices from Rusl's ears, and not even Link could make out what the pair of them were discussing. The spires of Hyrule Castle peaked above the pass ahead.
A/N: Not sure how I feel about this chapter, honestly. But boy oh boy oh boy have I been DYING to write what's coming up in the next chapter or two. What's that? Wait and find out! :D