"Mira!" Link cried, as he dived to the left, avoiding a carefully thrown shuriken thrown by Samguard. Link spun round as the Gerudo warrior caught the metal disk on her sword, sending sparks of alluminium onto the red floor, and the shuriken cascaded away and stuck in the side of the throne in its soft cushion.

"A trained ninja, certainly, but unfortunately for you, the Gerudo is top on my hit list. I suppose now, I'd better get the battle started properly. Link, if you'd kindly stand just there whilst I kill your bitchy little friend- nobody'll defend my weapons like that when all of you Sheikas are gone."

Link stepped back into the way of Samguard. "I'll not have you touch her- I want a fair fight. No trickery, or ranged weapons- hand to hand combat- or not at all." Link said thickly, eyeing Samguard's belt, where a sheath lay.

"Alright then." He spoke, solemnly. "But if you lose, your little friend can clean up the mess. And I ain't going down without a good clean hit."

Link stepped backwards, uncertainly. The man was too big-headed for Link's liking.

Mira leaned against Link for comfort, then assumed her fighting stance to the right of Link.

Silence. Nobody moved.

A sound; Samguard's purple veined blade being withdrawn from its sheath.

No more movement. Silence.

FLASHBACK:

Saria stands next to Link with a grin on her face. "Come on, Link! Don't you know how to fight with sticks?"

Link shakes his head.

"Well, grab one and I'll show you!"

Link picked up a large, pointed stick and waved it in a large arc. It hit the ground and partially snapped, the only sound audible in the desolate woods.

"Link, you have a long way to go!" Saria laughed and tapped Link's leg with her stick.

Link shrugged and attempted to tap Saria's leg, but Link's 9-year old counterpart was defeated as his tap was parried and he was forced to the ground by Saria.

From that day onwards, he'd strove to become better.

END OF FLASHBACK

Link eyed Samguard's stance. Feet shoulder width apart, right foot slightly forward; left handed.

He held the blade with a firm grip. Link could tell Samguard had the upper hand during the fight. Link was right handed.

Samguard grinned, a twisted, evil grimace.

Link frowned back, concentrating on the right side of his chest, where his heart lay.

Link jabbed forward, but as he went, Samguard reached for his harp, and brought it up like a shield. Link's face hardened as he came face to face with the man, his blade forced against his own chest. The man pushed Link away with a harsh shove of the harp, and Link almost fell. He traveled approximately four metres in total, sliding on the balls of his feet, spinning towards one of the paintings at the back of the circular room.

Samguard took notice of Link's absence from the battle as he watched him struggle to regain control of his feet.

Then Samguard had a wicked idea. He stepped backwards and leaped back onto the throne. He drew his heart to his chest, took a deep breath, and played.

The melody caused Link to stop in his tracks. The song was so crystal, liquid, and he was mesmerized by the hypnotic rhythm of the man's fingers over the body of the harp.

Mira punched Link on the shoulder.

"Link! Listen to me! Block your ears! Now! It's a trap!"

Mira knew it was futile. Link was completely zoned out, in a trance.

"LINK! Gah!" She cried, and faced the anti-Sheika.

She walked speedily towards him, her swords poised at 180 degree angles around her body. "Cut it out, or I'll chop you in half!" She called up to the throne, and Samguard sneered at her.

"Oh, lady. You just made one bloody hell of a mistake." The evil man cried, dropping the harp with a quick change of temper, before somersaulting over Mira and landing facing her.

"I don't care whether you're an acrobat or not. You called me a lady, git!"

"I don't appreciate being called a 'git' Sheika, and for that insult, I'll be strapping you to that throne and showing you-"

"Step aside." Link shouted, and Mira saw Link's sword raise above Samguard's head.

Samguard spun quickly, and his sword nicked Mira slightly below the neck, and she collapsed, clutching her collarbone.

Link jumped backwards a little too late as the sharp metal point dug into Link's lower leg and cut his tunic and a huge chunk of flesh.

"Oh, you arsehole!" Link cried, clutching his leg with his left hand. "You swine!"

"Your insults do little but determine your fate." Samguard said, readying his sword against the back of his right arm to strike again, this time aiming for Link's opposite arm.

Blood dripped over the floor as Link quickly dived with his shield to defend his unprotected side.

The sword clashed against the wooden surface, but Link could feel the pressure mounting against it. He was trying to break it.

"Goddess!", Link cried as he struggled against the man.

"LINK!" A distant voice cried. It sounded vaguely familiar. Link's vision was beginning to falter.

He suddenly had a wicked idea.

He pushed as hard as he could against the shield, and the pressure left the slab.

A clatter was audible as, no doubt, Samguard's sword- and possibly Samguard himself- were sent skidding across the polished red floor.

Link reached for his right pocket, and drew out his ocarina.

A perfect replica of the anti-Sheika's song drifted out from behind Link's shield, and unseen to Link, Samguard reeled in terror. He began to wretch on the floor, his own melody poisoning him.

A bright blueness flared from behind Link's shield. He lowered it to see a man. A man convulsing on the floor, with Mira's sword sticking straight up from his chest. A bright blue light that made the ground seem dull in comparison shone from his burning heart.

"That'll... Teach... You..."

"Link!"

He phased out, not knowing when or how he'd wake up.

Author's notes:

Just to confirm- the story does not end here, I was just attempting to create some tension before the big battle. And I hope I did a good job with the fight scene- it may have been a little bit lackluster as it was just under 1000 words long.

And the battle was a bit less of a challenge as I previously anticipated, so, who knows, maybe this boss will come back in the future.

Link's first challenge, and he almost died- what will become of this teenager now? Stay tuned, as this certainly isn't the final installment.