Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda does not belong to me
Link sat by the window and listened to the quiet tapping that was known as rain. Kada explained the concept to him; in essence, water fell from the sky. Truth be told, he did think it was a bit wasteful at first, but then he remembered how different home and Hyrule Castle was. According to Kada, it was drizzling, which was why it was so light. But even though it was just a drizzle, the sky was cloud filled and it had a slight tint of gray. Kada said that meant there was a chance the rain would get heavier. Which, to be honest, he didn't really mind. He may not have understood much about rain, but he did know one thing, he liked it.
As he let his mind wander, he remembered the royal guard's test he was taking later. He sighed, then rested his cheek on his hand. How in Din's name did he not realize that by doing the test of the royal guard he could possibly prove he was the Hero even more? But he wasn't going to back down. One, he had the pride of a Gerudo, two, he was far too competitive for his own good, and three, he'd do anything to wipe that smug look off Revali's face and tell him that he had what it took to be a Champion. There was a light knock at the door. With a sigh, Link got up to answer it; upon doing so, he saw a handmaiden who looked a bit annoyed.
"Are you Link?"
He nodded, but said nothing; evidently this was the wrong answer.
"Are you not well? What's wrong?"
"As far as I'm concerned, nothing. May I ask who you are?"
"I'm Coralyn. Princess Zelda's handmaiden."
"Okay…?" Link trailed off, confused as to why she was here.
"You have Her Highness worried sick about you."
"About what?"
"About taking the test of the royal guard. Do you have any idea what you're up against?"
"No, but I survived quite a lot. I'm pretty sure I can survive this."
Coralyn took a deep breath, "Link, you're going to fight a Stalnox."
"Is a Stalnox like a normal Stal but bigger?"
"Far bigger and far stronger. You have your whole life ahead of you, what were you thinking?"
That I really wanted to get out of a conversation, Link thought and shrugged. "It seemed interesting."
She groaned, "Well, you got Princess Zelda worked up, so if you're going to do this, at least do it right."
"Uh-huh."
Coralyn walked away and he closed the door. With a sigh, Link went back to the window and continued watching and listening to the rain. After a while, he guessed it wouldn't hurt him to actually train; he went to the bedside and started digging through his bag to retrieve his Gerudo scimitar, Gerudo shield, golden bow, and a quiver with about 50 arrows. Since it was drizzling, he decided to make his way to the barracks instead of the training grounds. As he entered, he saw there weren't many people. Some children were there, along with a few trainees and knights; fortunately for him, Satori was one of them.
Satori seemed bored as she messed with a bow. Link went over and the first thing she said was, "I'm stalling. Don't tell the commanders I'm here."
"Stalling what?"
"Training," she said and plucked the bowstring.
"Why would you do that?"
"I hate rain."
"…I like rain," Link said quietly.
Satori gave him a look before focusing on the bow again. "What a weirdo," she mumbled.
"Funny, since you wanted to talk to this weirdo."
"My friends wanted to talk to you."
"And where are they?"
"Outside."
"Training like they're supposed to, I'm guessing? Besides, it's only drizzling," Link said in an effort to calm her spiteful mood.
"So?" she looked at him before pointing to herself, "I was born in Faron. And in Faron, when it rains, it pours."
"Where?"
"What?"
"Where in Faron where you born? There aren't many settlements."
"Lurelin Village."
"Does it rain a lot there?"
"What do you not understand about Faron?"
"Everything, since I've never been there before."
"In Faron, every time it rains, there's a chance of a lightning storm. It's not fun."
"I've been struck with lightning before," he said without really thinking.
Satori loosened her grip on the bow and looked at Link for a moment. "How?"
"Incident with Lady Urbosa."
"How are you still alive?"
Link shrugged.
Suddenly Ryder's voice was heard, "Satori!" he said.
Satori flinched and looked at the man coming towards her.
"You were worried about a commander and instead you got a captain," Link muttered.
She smacked his arm.
"What are you doing here?" Ryder asked. "You haven't finished your training, much less started."
Satori didn't answer, not that Ryder gave her much of a chance to.
"Go and start your training now before I tell Commander Eagus to start adding hours," he said, pointing towards the door.
Satori looked miserable, but did what she was told; Ryder left with her, probably to make sure she actually went to the training grounds. Link got his bow and decided to start target practicing. A few minutes, Mipha and Daruk came by to see him; when he asked how they knew he was there, they said Ryder told them. As he continued his target practicing, Mipha and Daruk talked to him and both suggested he come visit their home. Link wanted to see Goron City first. He liked Daruk, and Daruk said that if he visited, he would make Link an official Goron Blood Brother. It sounded painful but he wanted to do it.
While Link was repairing, or remaking, arrows, he decided he wanted to know exactly what a Stalnox was.
Mipha answered him, "A Stalnox is quite similar to a Hinox. D-do you have those in the desert?"
Link shook his head.
"Oh. Well, then this will prove to be quite the challenge for you. A Hinox is a gigantic, powerful one-eyed beast. A Stalnox is that, but Stal. Like their Hinox counterparts, they're quite dull at first. But when they realize that you're attacking their weak point—their eye—they cover it. The major difference is that Stalnox throw their bones at you, and after enough damage, their eye falls out."
"What?!" Daruk exclaimed, "Their eye falls out?"
Mipha nodded, "After that, it starts to bounce around and quickly finds its way back to the body."
Link shuddered a little, "Ugh. That sounds disgusting."
"It really is."
"Have you defeated a Stalnox?" Daruk asked.
Mipha shook her head. "I'm only skilled in the art of the spear. I'm very unskilled in other forms of weaponry."
Link thought that being unable to use multiple weapons was…stupid, for a lack of a better term. He knew how to use bows, swords, clubs, spears, and some. He hated the thought of being trapped and only having access to a weapon he didn't know how to use. So while most Gerudo focused on spears, he focused on everything. He didn't want to say anything about the princess being so single minded in her fighting skills and asked, "Can you tell me more about Zora's Domain?"
Mipha then started describing Zora's Domain and its people. After a few hours—yes, Mipha can talk about the domain for that long—Revali dropped by. Link suppressed a frown and picked up his bow as he went back to a target.
"Hello, Link," Revali said.
Link could hear the smugness in his voice, not that Revali tried to hide it. "Sav'aaq, you overgrown vure," he mumbled the last part and got an arrow.
"'Sav'aaq'? What does that mean?"
For a moment, Link considered telling Revali the truth, then said, "I forgot."
Revali didn't seem to believe him but said, "I hope you're ready for the test."
"Trust me, I am." Link drew his bow.
"What are you doing?!" Revali blurted out, causing Link to prematurely fire his arrow. The arrow missed the bullseye and hit one of the outer rings. Revali pushed off Link's reaction and pulled his bow off his back. He swiped an arrow from Link's quiver. He aimed and fired his bow, hitting the bullseye he made Link missed. "That's how it's done."
"I know how to fire a bow," Link stated.
"Not correctly," Revali retorted and started to demonstrate. "You see, you're supposed to—"
"I don't need your help."
"Link, Revali specializes in the bow, he's trying to help you," Mipha said.
"If I wanted his help, I would've asked," Link said before going to retrieve his arrows.
"Then best of luck defeating the Stalnox, with that form," Revali spat.
Link looked at Revali, "There's nothing wrong with my form."
"Are you sure about that?"
"I'll prove it to you. I just need something to jump off of."
"You need to jump off something?"
"It'll make sense soon."
"I can be your stand, little guy," Daruk said, pointing to himself.
Link felt hesitant to accept the offer but Daruk was twice his height, so this could work. Link unhooked his quiver from his belt and took three arrows from it. Mipha was kind enough to hold the quiver for him.
"Tell us, what exactly are you going to do?" Revali asked as he watched Daruk help Link onto his shoulder.
"I'm going to jump off Daruk, and fire these three arrows into the bullseye of each target."
"So how exactly are ya gonna pull off this stunt of yours, little guy?"
"You'll see."
"You break your arm? Yeah, we're definitely going to see that," Revali said.
"Please be careful, Link," Mipha said quietly.
"I will." Link now stood on Daruk's shoulder. He took a breath before focusing on the first target and jumping down. He fired the three arrows and successfully hit the bulls-eyes. His feet hit the floor and he turned around to face Revali, "I have what it takes to defeat a Stalnox."
Revali seemed a bit at a loss for words.
"And I have an ounce of a Champion in me."
"Kid," a voice said.
Link turned his head and saw Lord Cyrill, who made a gesture for him to follow.
"Hang on, can I come?" Daruk asked.
Cyrill looked at the three Champions before looking at Link. "Do you mind them watching you take the test?"
Link nodded. Part of him didn't want Revali to come along, but he also kind of wanted to rub his victory in the vure's face. They soon made it to an area known as the lockup; there were tiny water channels carved into the ground. Why were these needed? Who knew. Some prisoners were quiet and others were quite loud; one insulted Lord Cyrill, who although seemed agitated, refused to react to the prisoner directly. Link then noticed that Cyrill had a royal broadsword attached to his belt.
Huh. Who knew Lord Cyrill could use a sword, Link thought.
Although the water channels took a turn, they didn't. They passed through two sets of large bars before standing in front of another one that had part of a gate at the top; Link saw that the cell behind the third set was large and circular with a pile of large bones. Lady Urbosa and a royal guard—probably Captain Garren—were waiting for them there.
"Lady Elfrida's not here?" Mipha asked.
"No one's been able to find her," Cyrill answered as they made it to the end.
"Hang on," the guard started, "who's taking the test?"
"Him," Cyrill said as he pointed at Link.
The guard didn't seem to believe Cyrill. "How old are you?"
"16," Link answered.
The guard looked at Cyrill, slightly surprised. "We're letting a kid take the test? I'm sure his seventeenth birthday is close."
"Captain Garren, he's a soldier," Cyrill said, "he'll complete the test." Garren didn't say anything and Cyrill went to a small rack with weapons. "Your goal is to defeat the Stalnox. However, there are some things you need to be aware of. First off, you're only allowed to use the weapons we give you, so…"
Link sighed and took off his weapons and gave them to Urbosa, who offered to hold them. Mipha still had his quiver.
"When you break these weapons, you'll be given weaker ones."
"If," Garren said. "Only a certain family with a bloodline of royal guards managed to do so."
Cyrill ignored him. "And if you break the new weapons, you'll get even weaker ones. If you manage to break those, you'll just get more of the same weapon. Understand?" he said as he handed the equipment over.
Link nodded as he took the royal broadsword, shield, and bow.
Cyrill held a quiver full of arrows. "This quiver has 30 normal arrows, five bomb arrows, and an experimental arrow that will destroy the Stalnox instantaneously if you decide you want to quit."
"'Experimental'…?" Link said as he hesitantly accepted the quiver.
"Dr. Robbie made it."
"Oh."
"Should you need more arrows, you'll get them in bundles of ten. Whenever you're ready."
Link took a breath and entered the cell. He heard creaking and a thud behind him. He turned around and saw the top was actually designed like the prison doors.
"Relax," Garren said, "It's just part of the test."
"It's also to make sure you don't run away," Cyrill added. "Now just read the inscription on the slab aloud, and the test will start."
Link nodded and went over to the stone slab, "'- Test of the Royal Guard - Strike down the giant foe to become recognized as a knight of the kingdom.'" Link heard shifting and turned around. He watched as the pile of bones came together and became living once again. The Stalnox fixed its head before turning around to face Link; weapons were lodged in its bones. A small part of Link thought it was funny, because he had seen something in the desert with weapons stuck in it, too. He forced himself to focus on the task at hand and took out his bow and an arrow.
He aimed and fired his arrow and it pierced the Stalnox's eye. It fell, and although its eye was covered, Link could still take advantage. He swung at the Stalnox, cutting bone, but it wasn't long before the Stalnox was up again. Link only succeeded at this two more times; the Stalnox slammed its fist on the ground, forcing Link to roll out of the way. He drew his bow, aimed, and fired, but the Stalnox covered its eye. Regardless, Link tried to do this a few more times before deciding it was useless. He needed to find a way to hit the Stalnox fast enough to the point where it wouldn't be able to block him.
As he thought of a way to do this, the Stalnox grabbed a pair of ribs and tugged them a few times before they broke off; Link heard a few comments from the group, but couldn't bother focusing on them as the Stalnox threw the ribs at him. He ducked, took out his bow and fired; the Stalnox fell this time.
Oh, Link thought, so that's how you do it. The eye fell out the body like Mipha said it would. "Oh, gods!" Link yelped, the bizarre sight startling him a bit. Link subconsciously took a step back before remembering the eye determined whether or not he passed; he gripped the hilt of the sword and swung it at the eye. It broke upon contact, and Link had never felt more screwed in his life.
"Kid," he heard Cyrill say.
Link saw Cyrill holding a knight's broadsword and ran over to take it. In that time, the Stalnox had its eye back in place. Link ducked under another pair of ribs and quickly fired his bow. He repeated this two more times, and on the third time the Stalnox was finally out of ribs to throw.
What're going to do now, you undead freak? Link thought with a smile as he gripped his bow. The Stalnox then detached its arm and Link lowered his bow. "Did it…did it just—ugh!" Link grunted as the arm knocked him into the ground. He saw the Stalnox's fist coming down and barely managed to scramble to his feet and run. He got his bow and fired an arrow; he quickly swung his sword at the eye the moment it fell out. Although the sword broke, the eyeball did as well, and the fight was over.
Link sighed, relieved; he heard creaking followed by a heavy thud. Turning around, he saw that a treasure chest had appeared in front of the slab. He went over to the chest and open it; his prize for defeating the Stalnox was a royal shield. He had a few of these back home, but he saw no scratches on it, or any indication that it had been used before. Maybe this one was new?
"Link," Cyrill said.
Link paused for a moment, realizing that this was the first time he had heard Lord Cyrill actually say his name. "Yes?"
"I would like to congratulate you for completing the test. However, seeing how quickly you completed it, the shield you received isn't the appropriate prize. You can keep it, but I need to talk to someone before you can get the proper award."
Link nodded and started following him out of the lockup.
"Nice job, little guy!" Daruk said, patting Link's back.
Link smiled.
"You did well, Link," Urbosa said.
"Sarqso, Chief."
"What's wrong, Revali? Got nothing to say?"
Revali scoffed.
"Be a good sport, Revali," Mipha said.
"Yeah," Urbosa started, "it's not Link's fault that you wouldn't survive that test."
"Please, I fought a black Hinox before," Revali huffed pridefully, "A Stalnox would be nothing."
"Well, have you fought a Molduga before?" Link asked.
"I've never been to the desert."
"That means you never encountered a Molduking either then. Lady Urbosa has and she survived fighting it."
Revali looked at Urbosa, "Have you?"
Urbosa nodded.
Mipha then asked, "Link, how difficult did you find the test?"
"Truth be told, I was expecting something much harder."
Revali's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "You found the test easy…?"
Link nodded.
"How?"
"I've just faced worse," he said with a shrug.
Mipha was going to ask another question but Cyrill said, "Link, if you want to put your shield in your room before we go to dinner, you're more than welcome to."
Link nodded before gathering his items back and retiring to his room. As he put everything on the bed, he spotted a letter on the desk. He opened it, removing the photos Kada took. Was he supposed to give these to King Rhoam or Lady Elfrida? How exactly did Lady Elfrida know Gerudo Desert so well? She said she had her ways, but that didn't explain anything. Regardless, he took the letter with him and went to the dining hall for a well deserved dinner.
"Cyrill told me you passed. Good job, kid," Ryder said, patting Link's back.
King Rhoam nodded, smiling warmly. "Congratulations, Link."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I, uh, I found this letter in my room. It's the photos."
"You can give those to Lady Elfrida when she gets here."
Lady Elfrida isn't here and neither is Princess Zelda. What's up with people and not being around today? After a few more minutes of eating, Princess Zelda arrived, wearing a white strapless dress and a pair of bracelets; a necklace with the Hylian crest on it completed the ensemble.
"How was prayer?" Rhoam asked.
Zelda shook her head; she seemed to be expecting something unpleasant.
"Don't worry, Your Highness, there's always next time," Elfrida said as she sat down at the table.
Ryder started choking on his drink and Link looked at Lady Elfrida. Instead of wearing a dress, she was wearing a tunic with a pair of pants underneath and also a pair of boots. Who would've guessed she had clothing that wasn't dress oriented. Once Link saw her face, however, he knew why Ryder was so surprised: she looked like she'd been in a fight. There was a bruise on her cheek, her lip was busted, and her sleeves were rolled up, showing an arm that had bandaging on it. Cyrill pat Ryder's back as the latter started coughing.
Rhoam frowned before saying, "What happened, Lady Elfrida?"
"An incident, Your Majesty," she said simply.
"What kind of incident?"
"I tripped." Lady Elfrida didn't sound the way she usually did; she wasn't being loud, and didn't have any sign of enthusiasm in her voice. She also looked anxious. Although her hands were folded neatly in her lap and her hair was done, she was quickly bouncing her foot and she didn't seem up to holding a conversation.
"Link has the photos for you."
"Oh. May I see them?" She took the photos and looked at them for a minute before smiling. "That's everything," she said quietly, placing the letter on the table. "I guess that solves every—what are you doing?" She saw Ryder holding Cyrill's fist near her face.
"Comparing his fist to your injury," Ryder answered. "It kind of lines ups. Were you punched?"
"I tripped."
"Then how did you get the knuckle impression on your face?" Cyrill asked.
"I fell onto the vanity."
"That doesn't explain the knuckle impression."
"I tripped and I fell onto my vanity. It's as simple as that."
"Are you okay?" Zelda asked.
Elfrida nodded, "I'm fine."
"And your arm?" Cyrill pointed at her arm.
"It hit the vanity too."
"Everything involves the vanity, doesn't it—ow!" Ryder hissed as Cyrill smacked him upside the head.
"More or less. Um, let's just eat, okay?" Elfrida's request struck everyone as a bit ironic; she had barely touched her food, having spent most of her time just poking at it with her fork.
Midway through the rest of dinner, Aryll showed up and gave her father and uncle a heart attack by bringing her pet cucco, prompting Ryder to say something about hating it when Kagami allowed the girl to bring her cucco inside the castle. A short while later, dinner was finished, and everyone left for their rooms. Before Link went to his, he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see Princess Zelda.
"Your Highness," Link said with a slight bow.
"Link, Mipha told me what you said after you defeated the Stalnox. Is it true that you've faced worse than a Stalnox?"
Link nodded.
"What was it? There aren't many major monsters in Gerudo. Only Moldugas, Stone Taluses, and Lynels; if you're like most of the population."
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Why not? Whatever you faced must be something worth being proud of if you defeated it."
Link pressed his lips and looked at the royal and sighed. He had to give her some kind of answer. "Nothing major really. Just a really big monster camp."
Zelda put her hands on her hips and started glaring at him.
"Fine. I have fought a major monster before."
"Which one?"
"A Stone Talus," Link said slowly.
"Was that the only one?"
"No."
"Well, what else did you fight?"
"I'll tell you if you don't tell anyone else."
Zelda nodded, "I promise."
"I've fought white-maned Lynels before, and I've fought a Molduga before…"
"You have?" Judging from the look in her eye, she found this amazing.
"Lady Urbosa's fought the Molduking, so it's not much," Link mumbled.
"Link, I never met someone who has fought a Molduga before."
"There's Lady Urbosa."
"I know. But as far as I'm concerned, you don't have a special ability like her. That's what makes it so incredible." The way she said it was so matter-of-fact.
"I'm sure Lady Urbosa could've survived fighting the Molduking without her lightning."
"I know she could've too… Have you fought more than one?"
Link slowly nodded.
Zelda gasped, "How many?"
Link shrugged, "A few…?"
"That sounds like a question."
"I don't remember. I know it's more than three."
"How difficult was it?"
"Um, can we talk more about this tomorrow? It's late."
Zelda nodded, "Of course. Meet me in the garden after breakfast." She then turned to go to her own room.
Link entered his room and sighed. Princess Zelda; her enthusiasm when she showed interest in something was one-of-a-kind.
After a few more days at Hyrule Castle, Link and Urbosa prepared to journey back to Gerudo Town. Link was glad; Hyrule Castle had been an up and down experience for him. He'd met both pleasant and not so pleasant people, but more importantly, he missed his family. He stretched before placing the last of his items back in his backpack, putting it on and heading to Lady Urbosa's room to wait for her.
They went to the sanctum to say a final good-bye; besides, Rhoam, Zelda, and the other Champions, Elfrida, Cyrill, Ryder, and Aryll were there as well. Cyrill held something large that was wrapped in heavy cloth, and Aryll stood beside him with her cucco. Something Link noticed was that Mipha had an escort with her. Where in Hyrule was he this past week? Another thing he noticed was that everyone was on the first floor, save for two guards positioned by the throne.
"Champions," Rhoam started, "thank you for coming. I'm looking forward to your next visit in a few months. And Link, Lady Elfrida has something for you."
"Thank you," Elfrida said, "Link, I would like to give you your reward for defeating the Stalnox." She took the item from Cyrill, then came up to him and took off the wrapping. "This is the Hylian Shield. You defeated the Stalnox in the time required to get a Hylian Shield, so I hope you like it."
How long does it take for someone who's not me to defeat a Stalnox, then? Link thought. He hesitantly took it from her. He heard small remarks coming from others in the room but focused on the shield. The most notable feature was a yellow Triforce above a red Hylian crest; this type of shield was mentioned a few times while he was doing research, but he never thought he would own one himself.
"And this…" she took out a small orb, "is a Spirit Orb."
Link carefully took it from her. It was a deep purple, its sheen mostly lilac colored but occasionally changed color depending on the lighting. A violet colored Hylia crest was in the orb.
"Pretty, isn't it? I made it myself. Think of it as an early birthday gift, since your seventeenth birthday is coming up soon."
Link would correct her, because he had a wet season birthday not a dry season birthday, but he was distracted by the Hylian Shield and Spirit Orb.
"Well, if you ever want to come back, you know you have friends at Hyrule Castle. Safe travels."
Urbosa nodded, then turned to leave the sanctum as Link followed her. A mix of good-byes followed and Link turned around to wave a good-bye in return.
"Sav'orq, Link!"
The voices were overlapping so much that it was a miracle he heard the sentence alone. Link couldn't tell if it belonged to a girl or a vai. He turned around and said, "Farewell!"
"'Farewell'?" Urbosa said.
"She said it in Gerudo, so I said it in Hylian. Seems fair."
Urbosa nodded slightly.
Link took a breath, "It feels good to finally go back home."
AriTheDoggo: Link is a mix of smart and absolutely, without a doubt, 100% clueless. He can solve puzzles and get himself out of tough situations in battles, but he's also fantastic at overlooking details. For the most part though, he follows his instincts; so if they tell him to leave, he wants to leave. Also, thank you for liking the story!
I hoped you enjoyed this chapter of The Hylian Child. And now's the part where I semi-promote myself. Feel free to leave a review, ask a question, or something. I don't know. You do you. Until next time. Bye~