Link's disappointed gaze fell on the wood practice sword. His lips twisted to the side. "Seriously? That thing? It's a piece of wood."

Impa snarled at him. "That blade is sharper than it looks," she said. "You have a ways to go before you will be able to use it properly. Can't have you cutting your own arm off, now, can we?"

"How incapable do you think I am?"

Impa smiled and shoved the bokken into his chest. "You don't want me to answer that."

Link sighed, taking the bokken from her. "Fine." He swung the bokken around and promptly dropped it onto the floor. Zelda snickered from behind him.

"Don't make me hit you," Impa said.

Link laughed sharply. "Is that a threat?"

Without hesitation, Impa scooped up the bokken and swung it around herself impressively. Before Link could react, the bokken came down hard across the back of his legs, knocking him to the ground. Impa thrust the bokken down against his chest, and Link fell onto his back with a grunt. Impa stood over him with the tip of the wooden sword against his throat.

"That's a promise," she sneered to him.

"Alright," Link barked at her. He pushed the bokken aside with his arm and sat up. "You're crazy."

Impa let the bokken drop into his lap and made her way across the room, picking up another bokken for herself. "Get used to it," she said. "There's a lot riding on this. No pressure."

Link grunted in response. He stood, taking the bokken in hand, and waited for Impa to return.

"Don't think I'm going easy on you," she said. She used the bokken as a tool, hitting Link between his knees. "Stance. Balance. Move your damn legs."

Link sighed. He watched as Impa demonstrated, then she hit his legs again.

"Will you quit it?" he barked at her.

"Stance!" She hit him again.

"Okay!"

Zelda turned to Paya. "This is going to be tedious to watch," she said.

Paya nodded and grinned. "I almost feel bad for him."

Zelda laughed. "I don't. He could use a little discipline for once in his life." They continued to watch as Impa barked orders at Link, and Link tried desperately – and clumsily – to keep up with her pace, adjusting his stance as instructed.

After a moment, Zelda frowned. "I'm not going to have to do this, am I?"

Paya shrugged. "I don't know how Grandmother plans to help you with your power," she admitted.

"As long as I don't have to swing a sword around," Zelda muttered.

"It couldn't hurt to learn a little," Paya offered.

"Maybe," Zelda said. Truth be told, she wasn't feeling very confident in her ability to awaken her power. It didn't matter how good Link was with a sword; if she couldn't get control of her power, they wouldn't be able to seal Ganondorf away, and the war would be lost before it even began.

"There's no need to worry about it," Paya said when Zelda grew quiet. "Everything will come together."

Zelda continued to watch Link as he was knocked back by Impa. "I hope so."

His father was still not home when Link got home, despite the late hour, but it came as no surprise. In fact, Link expected him not to be home. He wasn't around through most of the weekend, despite their encounter in King Roham's office. He was sure his father had much more to say to him, but his anger was subdued by the anniversary of his wife's death. And Link was quite certain his father would be absent over the next few days as a result. Perhaps working late to avoid his feelings like he usually did, or maybe simply wallowing in self-pity at one of the bars downtown.

Link supposed he couldn't be too upset with his father. It was preferable to him drinking at home and otherwise being antisocial, but either way, it upset Aryll, and she spent the nights their father was out sleeping in his bed or generally hanging out in his bedroom. More often than not, she would dig out the old photos of their mother that were buried deep in their father's closet and peruse through them curiously, admiring the mother she never knew. To Link's relief, she never inquired about their mother, to him or their father; there wasn't much to say about her, anyway.

But for the next few days, it would become his responsibility to keep an eye on his little sister, to fill the shoes of his father until his return to duty. On the plus side, his returns were mostly cheerful, and he always greeted Aryll enthusiastically, and all would be right in the world once more. Link didn't make the best replacement – he was sure if he ever had a child, he would kill it by accident – but Aryll seemed content on his sloppy sandwiches for dinner, the hastily made cereal for breakfast after he slept through his alarm, and the walk with him and Mipha to school. Really, what more could a little girl ask for?

Aryll was still up when Link got home, waiting patiently for him at the kitchen table. Her legs swung in and out under her chair as she doodled on her sheets of homework. She smiled when Link walked in.

"You're extra late today," she noted.

"I know, sorry." He dropped his bag on the floor and sat across from her. "I won't be able to come home right after school for a while." He frowned at her, but she turned her attention back to her doodles.

"That's okay," she said. "I'm old enough to be home by myself, you know."

"I hope you don't tell anyone that at school," Link said. "They would disagree."

"Link," she said in her most adult voice. She rolled her eyes before regarding him. "I'm six! I think I can handle it."

Link smiled, but it didn't change the guilt he felt. Maybe if he asked Impa nicely, she wouldn't keep him so late. Six hours of swinging a stick around was a bit overkill, really. And he had other responsibilities. Surely she couldn't be upset with him for that.

Link stood and moved to the counter, gathering the ingredients for his go-to dinner. Aryll hurried to his side and stood on her tiptoes at the counter as Link made his sandwich.

"Whatcha makin'?"

"A sandwich," he said simply as he spread the peanut butter across two slices of bread.

"What kinda sandwich?"

"Peanut butter and banana." He proceeded to slide up a banana, placing the pieces in little rows across a slice of bread. He met her gaze for a moment. "Oh, are you hungry or something?" he teased.

"Make me one!"

Link finished his sandwich, then pulled out two more slices of bread. "You might not like it."

"I'll like it," she said, still watching him as he constructed her after school snack.

Link finished it quietly, then handed it to his sister. Aryll followed him to the table, peering curiously at the sandwich. She pushed herself onto the chair and eagerly took a bite. She chewed thoughtfully for a moment, then grinned.

"I like it," she said as she ripped off another bite with her teeth.

"Clearly," Link muttered.

Aryll turned to greet her father as he came in through the door. His tie was already loose around his neck and his face looked tired, but he smiled as his daughter greeted him cheerily.

"What's going on here?" he asked. He let himself fall into a chair at the table tiredly.

"Link made me a peanut butter and banana sandwich," Aryll said proudly.

"Oh, yeah? Your mother used to love those."

Aryll beamed at her father. "Me too!" She took another thoughtful bite. "What else did she like?"

He leaned back in his chair, thoughtful for a moment. "Oh, I don't know," he started. "I guess she liked lots of things."

"What's her favorite color?" Aryll pressed.

"Green."

"Juice?"

He scratched his head and mouthed the word, as if baffled by such a question. He shrugged. "Orange?"

"Mine too!" Aryll chewed for another moment, thinking of more questions to ask. "What's her favorite animal?"

"Dogs."

"I like dogs," Aryll said with a nod. "So does Link. Can we get a dog?"

"Don't you think I have enough to do around here?"

Aryll dropped her sandwich and stood in her chair. "I'll do everything, I promise! I'll feed it and walk it and love it!"

Link snorted, but made no other comment. His father regarded him with a smirk before turning back to his youngest child.

"Are you going to buy the food for it?"

"I don't have any money!"

"Guess you ain't getting a dog, huh?"

Aryll crossed her arms and slouched back in her chair. "Hmph."

Their father stood with a sigh. He pointed a finger from Link to Aryll, gesturing to the both of them. "Be good children and go to bed."

"Alright, Daddy," Aryll said as she finished her sandwich. "Night." She watched as he disappeared around the corner, then shot her gaze towards Link. "Do you have money?"

"Nope," Link said, not meeting her gaze.

Aryll whined loudly. "But I want a dog!"

"I want a sister that isn't annoying," he sneered toward her.

"Don't be mean!"

Link grinned at her. "But its my job, and you make it so easy."

"Its your job to love me and protect me forever and ever," Aryll said, crossing her arms.

Link put a finger to his chin, as if he were thinking long and hard about what she said, then shook his head. "No, that doesn't sound right."

Aryll frowned at him, her bottom lip quivering. "You're not gonna protect me?"

Link rolled his eyes and sighed. "Stop it. I'm not falling for your act."

"I thought you loved me!"

"Not enough to get you a dog."

"Link!" She pounded her fist against the table. "That's not it!"

Link narrowed his eyes at her. "What's not?"

Aryll leaned back against her chair, her shoulders hunched over. "I dunno," she said.

"We're not talking about dogs anymore?"

Aryll sighed. "No." She rubbed at her eyes. "Sometimes I have these bad dreams."

"They're just dreams," Link said.

Aryll shook her head.

Link sighed. "I'll always protect you," he reassured her.

Aryll smiled. "And get me a dog?"

"You're a little shit!"

Aryll giggled and jumped out of her chair. "I'm telling Dad!" She turned and stuck her tongue out at him, then ran off down the hall giggling when he jumped out of his chair.

After a moment, Link poked his head around the corner, but Aryll had already made her way upstairs and to her bedroom. He followed suit with a yawn, dragging his feet to his own bedroom, where the Master Sword waited, leaning against the wall. He frowned as he looked at it, Aryll's words echoing in his mind. It was then that he realized that he had a lot more at stake than just simply saving the world.