A/N: Hi guys! Again, just letting you know these two chapters are just extra and for fun. They give a little bit of background on what goes on during training, but if you want to skip them, you won't miss out on much. Just bonus material that I wasn't able to fit into an actual chapter but that I thought added to the overall story. Hope you enjoy!
Link watched as Leof and Fina danced around in the clearing. Ernald was playing a wooden flute, and accompanying his melody was Baldric with a mandolin and Hilly with a vielle. The music was lively and fast paced, and soon, Nigel and Lora joined the dancing, along with Pepin and Sabina. Link tapped his foot to the beat of the music, enjoying the show. They were celebrating the Prince's sixth birthday. Of course, they weren't officially celebrating the birthday of Hyrule's ruler, no; that grand festivity was being held in the castle and only the rich and noble were attending, along with prominent people of the different tribes of the land. But even if the ball was reserved for the upper crust of Hyrule, it was tradition that the whole of castle town celebrated in their own way anyway. They had been allowed to visit the festivities in town and Link had witnessed all manner of entertainment. Jousting matches by the town's men, and dancing and singing by the women. They had played games and watched silly plays with silly marionettes. Link had particularly liked the way a man had taught his dog to dance to the beat of the music. Some of the town's best cooks had prepared delicious foods of all kinds and Link and the rest had tasted almost everything. An elderly woman had let them taste some of her famous honey wine with cinnamon and it was the most delicious drink Link had ever tasted.
It was a rare treat to have a day of celebration but Link loved it because it alleviated the stress and strain of their hard training. They had returned to their barracks before dinner, but the celebration wasn't over yet, despite the fact that the sun had begun to sink in the horizon.
Gerard sat next to Link, his plate laden with potatoes and roast moink.
"Aren't you gonna dance?" he asked Link as he shoveled potatoes into his mouth.
"Eh? No… I don't know how" Link said. It was perfectly true. Ma had told him Knights of Hyrule attended balls and were supposed to be good at dancing ("Your da was a great dancer!") but he didn't care. He didn't know how to dance and he wasn't about to start practicing now. At least, that wasn't his plan until he felt a tap on the shoulder and looked up into Rigs's pretty face. She held out her hand for him. Link shook his head, his heart hammering. Rigs's lifted her brow and grabbed him by the back of his shirt, pulling him to his feet, dragging him into the clearing where the others were dancing.
"Oi! I don't know how to dance!" Link protested, but it was too late.
"But it's so easy!" she said happily. She smiled widely at him and began to steer him around the campfire. Link felt like a rag doll as Rigs twirled him and steered him this way and that. He bumped into Pepin, making him stumble and crash into Sabina who laughed as she twirled in time with the music. Through the corner of his eye he caught Warin grinning, giving him a thumbs-up. Milo was next to him, looking bored. With his chin propped on the palm of his hand, he rolled his eyes as the other children danced around them. And then Fina was upon Warin, dragging him out into the open as Leof sat down next to Gerard, immediately picking food off his plate.
"You're a good dancer Link" Rigs said with a smile.
"I don't think I'm doing much dancing. I feel like your puppet" Link mumbled as Rigs hooked her elbow with his and they began to dance in circles. Before he even knew what was happening, they had all switched partners and he found his elbow hooked with Sabina's.
"Faster!" Nigel called out.
The music picked up pace and Link knew that if he kept this up he was bound to throw up all the food he had wolfed down earlier.
"Keep pace, Link!" Sabina said cheerfully.
"I… I can't" Link mumbled.
Finally, mercifully, the music stopped.
"Alright… I think that's enough fun for tonight" Baldric said.
"Hurry up and help clean up. After that it's lights out for everybody" Godwin said.
"That was fun!" Fina said happily. Link had to disagree.
"You're pretty light on your feet, Link!" Gerard laughed, smacking Link on the back.
"Pepin, I didn't know you could dance" Rigs said to the shy boy.
"Oh… y-yes, we l-learn to dance a-at a v-very early age in m-my t-town" Pepin said, turning pink.
"Well I thought it was boring" Milo snorted, shoving past Link.
"Only because you didn't dance, Milo" Sabina retorted.
"Don't be a sour-puss Milo" Warin said. Milo ignored them.
"We need more days like this, don't we?" Rigs yawned.
"Oh yeah… I could get used to this" Leof said as he poured sand over the campfire.
"Quiet down. Hurry and get to bed!" Godwin roared. Whispering among themselves about the day's event, they finished cleaning up.
"Good night everyone!" Fina said as the girls went inside their cabin.
"Night" the others replied.
Link smiled to himself. Yes, it had been a fun day. It was nice to know that even the Knights of Hyrule had days like these once in a while.