Part of the SILENT PRINCESS BLOOMING Series

"The Trouble With Expectations"
Chapter 2: Suspect Smile

A/N: Here we are with the next chapter, as promised! It's a fun one. Next chapter will be out Tuesday 4/7. Review responses to last chapter are at the bottom. Thank you all for reading and commenting, and I hope you enjoy!

Brigo entered the guard's chambers through the large double doors shortly before lunch. The room was dim, as it often was; warm and a bit stuffy, filled with chatter and the clang and clatter of swords down in the practice arena. He'd hoped to get some practice in himself before heading up to the dining hall for lunch. With the quiet footfalls he'd become well known for amongst the other recruits he made his way to the far wall, weaving between worn wooden tables and chairs scattered about the upper recreation floor until he reached the weapon rack. His hand immediately grasped for a short sword. He didn't bother with a shield; he was still too green to feel confident sparring with one of the soldiers, and so the practice dummies which lined the edge of the arena, and which offered no threat that would require the defensive device, would suffice.

Murmured gossip and boisterous chatter echoed within the large, cavernous chamber as Brigo tested the sword's balance, resting its ricasso upon his fingers. The blade tilted downward; this one wouldn't do. He set it back on the rack, critically eying the other practice swords neatly arrayed as a barking laugh echoed over the thrum of chatter. Aside from training, the guards chambers were a popular place for the soldiers to share the latest castle news and rumors: who was seeing which maid or, on rare occasion, courtier. But Brigo, unlike many, was uninterested in such gossip. He wanted solely to train and to learn—to one day be as good as his idol, despite being several years his senior.

Link, the chosen of the Master Sword and the most talented swordsman in all of Hyrule—a right prodigy—embodied everything Brigo yearned to be. He had only met Link once, and seen him from a distance a mere handful of times. As the Princess' appointed knight he was usually in her company, and the Princess was often either traveling and away from the castle, or locked away in the castle shrine. The few times he had caught a glimpse, he was always so serious, so silent… so focused and committed to duty! He was the very reason Brigo had joined the guard, and was everything he was working so hard to one day become.

When planning his training regiment, Brigo modeled himself after the Hero as closely as he could in hopes that it might inspire within himself the same skill and dedication. Though he knew he still had a long way to go, his commanding officer had recently noted his improved skill with a shortsword—the weapon of choice for the Hero of Hyrule; and though he couldn't say if that was a result of his mimicry or his many hours down in the arena, he was thrilled to be improving, and moving closer to his goal of becoming a hero in his own right.

With careful consideration Brigo eyed the next sword balancing precariously upon his hand; no, too weighty at the handle. As he exchanged it for another, his pointed ears perked as the very subject of his musings was murmured about only a few feet away, at the table directly behind him.

"I saw 'im the other day smilin'—grin across 'is face! I ain't never seen Link smilin'!"

"Funny you should say—I did too. I thought maybe I'd just caught him at the right time, but… I thought it was strange."

"Same here! That boy is so serious all the time, It was almost eerie…"

"Why the sudden change, d'you think? What's got him so cheerful? Maybe some new secret to defeating the Calamity?"

One of the men snickered. "I know what would make me that cheerful…"

"Yeah, well… that would make anyone cheerful."

The table was silent for several moments, and Brigo tilted his head to hear a bit better. What were they talking about? What would make anyone that cheerful? Had he perhaps had recent success with a new training method? Was the Princess showing signs of unlocking her ancient sealing magic? Suddenly, one of the men spoke, his tone low and disbelieving.

"Wait—no, you don't think…?"

"Aw, shit, that's gotta be it!"

"He kept coming down here for a while, beatin' the shit out of those training dummies, and we were all makin' jokes. But I'd bet my left foot he's got himself a girl."

"Who d'you think he's seein'? One of the Princess' handmaids maybe?"

"Dunno, but whoever it is, she's doin' a good job of keepin' his master sword busy."

The table broke out into snickers, and Brigo dropped his short sword in shock as the meaning of their words sunk in. Suddenly the voices at the table stopped, and he heard the gruffest one turn to speak in his direction.

"Hey, newbie, you listening to our conversation?"

Slowly Brigo turned, cheeks flaming, finding a startlingly well-built but graying, bearded man watching him with narrowed eyes.

"Y-yes, sir, I overheard. I apologize, I—I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

The gruff man's stern expression slowly morphed into an amused smile, and after a moment he waved him over. "Ah, didn't mean to scare ya, kid. Come on over, sit down. Maybe you can solve the mystery 'ere."

Not wishing to offend the clearly more senior soldiers, Brigo picked up the sword and placed it warily back on the rack before awkwardly taking a seat at the table. The gruff man turned to him, extending a hand.

"I'm Sayk. This here is Carl," he said, pointing a thumb at a barrel chested man with fiery red hair leaning his elbows on the table. "And this is Benro." He pointed to a lithe, dark haired man sporting a ponytail sitting next to him. Brigo offered a small wave to both men.

"N-nice to meet you. I'm Brigo."

The dark haired man, Benro, leaned thoughtfully forward on one elbow, speaking lowly in his direction.

"So, Brigo, you got any idea what's goin' on with the lad? You seen 'im with any ladies lately?"

Brigo shook his head. "I—no, I've only ever seen him in the company of the Princess."

Carl crossed his arms over his chest, eying him thoughtfully as he rubbed his chin. "But you've seen him actin' all… happy, ain't ye? I mean, it ain't exactly his usual way…"

Brigo nodded. "I've only seen him once recently—from a distance; but… I suppose he did look very cheerful."

As the gruff man opened his mouth to speak, the groan of the double doors loudly announced a newcomer to the room; and as Brigo looked up to see who had entered, his mouth fell open in shock. The very subject of their conversation walked casually down the ramp and into the guards chamber; and, just as the men had described, he wore an infectious smile. Small though it was, the obvious happiness reached his eyes in a way Brigo had never seen before. He and the other men watched closely in rapt silence as the Hero walked across the room, towards a weapon rack which he began to thoughtfully peruse. Though most in the room took no notice of him, the other occupants at the table leaned forward eagerly, whispering excitedly to one another.

"Look, just like I said—smilin' like a fool!"

"Don't got doubts now!"

Slowly, Sayk leaned back, eying Link thoughtfully as Carl and Benro continued to speculate between one another. Brigo eyed the older man sidelong with curiosity, his own mind beginning to wonder at the Hero's strange behavior. After several moments of silent staring, without a word to any of the table's occupants Sayk swung his legs over the bench, standing to his full towering height. Carl and Benro immediately fell to silence, looking up at him curiously—but Sayk offered no explanation, merely turned and walked casually over to where Link was perusing the weapon rack.

Benro snickered. "Oh, I can't wait to see how this goes down."

With avid interest Brigo observed as Sayk leaned casually against the wall beside the Hero, attracting the young man's attention. Though they stood a good thirty feet away, Sayk's teasing tone carried easily over the distance.

"I only know one thing makes a man look like that. Who's the girl?"

Link turned, his smile fading as he eyed the man.

"I'm… sorry?"

"You know, the girl who's had you grinning from ear to ear all week?"

Link eyed Sayk impassively for several moments before returning his gaze to the weapon rack, hand once more dancing from halberd to broadsword to dagger and back. "I think you're mistaken."

"Aw, c'mon… The Princess is lovely and all, but do you really expect me to believe that spending all day in her company is that… ahem, fulfilling?" He let out a light chuckle, and with a gentle nudge to Link's shoulder, reiterated, "It's just us guys, here, and we're all curious—who's the girl lucky enough to hold the great Hero's attention?"

Link turned and observed the man, and though it could have been his imagination Brigo thought he saw the barest hint of amusement dancing in the boy's eyes as he answered calmly, "I'm sorry if it's not the answer you're looking for, but I assure you I am entirely focused on the needs of the Princess."

Sayk let out an exasperated breath before turning to the weapon rack himself. "Alright, I'll make you a deal. You've been comin' down here to train a lot lately—how about a little sparring? But with a catch—I win, you spill the beans. You win, I won't ask again. Deal?"

Link eyed the man thoughtfully a moment before returning his gaze to the weapon he had selected from the rack as he turned for the arena. "I think I'll stick with a training dummy today."

Sayk let out a hearty guffaw, calling after him: "Oh, don't tell me the chosen Hero is afraid of sparring with the famed 'Serpent of the Citadel'?!"

Sayk's echoing voice turned the heads of several nearby soldiers—likely by intention, stopping Link mid-step. Turning, he eying the man up and down a moment. Then, he shrugged, pausing to grab a shield from a nearby rack. "Alright."

Without another word Link headed down into the arena and Sayk grinned, stopping to grab two long daggers from a weapon rack nearby. With a quick glance to the table, he jerked his head towards the arena in gesture, then turned and followed after Link.

Beside him, Benro began shaking his head, a low chuckle rumbling in his throat. "The damned fool is going to get his ass handed to him."

Carl cocked his head, standing from his chair. "I dunno, Ben, Sayk's pretty good. He ain't called the Serpent of the Citadel for nothin'."

Brigo rose from the table as well, eying the exchange between the two men with excited interest. He'd heard tales of the Serpent of the Citadel in training—how he'd fought off twenty Lizalfos with nothing more than two steak knives during a surprise attack on the Citadel in Akkala almost a decade ago. Then again, he'd also heard similar stories extolling extraordinary feats about Link. Having seen neither man fight in person, he couldn't begin to speculate on who would be the victor.

Benro chuckled. "Clearly you haven't seen the lad fight. When they say he was chosen by the Goddess—well, there's a reason."

The two men departed the table for the second floor railing—a good vantage from which to (safely) observe the fight in the arena below. Brigo followed quietly after, feeling excitement bubble up within him. This was an incredible opportunity to not only study the hero's fighting form, but another accomplished soldier's as well! It was likely to be an incredible spectacle, and one from which there was plenty to learn.

As the three men reached the banister they leaned over it eagerly. Link and Sayk were beginning to take up position opposite each other in the arena below. The other combatants had cleared out, and a collection of curious onlookers were gathering along the edges of the ring, murmuring excitedly amongst themselves. Someone had already selected a referee; an older man, wiry and clad in armor, walked into the center of the arena, eying the two men sternly as he spoke loudly to the room at large.

"First to achieve what would be a disabling blow is the victor. Standard arena rules apply. On my mark, gentleman… three, two, one… fight!"

The referee hurriedly backed out of the ring, and once the space was clear, Link and Sayk began to circle each other. After several tense moments, Sayk's grip tightened on his twin daggers, eyes narrowed and sharp—and in a flash he lunged at Link, faster than Brigo had seen any man move; however Link was faster, leaping up as Sayk barreled forward, vaulting right over the top of him and landing neatly on his feet behind him. Sayk skidded to a halt, whirling around and assuming a defensive position as once more the two men faced off, each eying the other for an opening.

Brigo held his breath. It had all happened so fast… both men were unbelievably quick on their feet! How could either possibly get the upper hand?

Once more they circled each other, their breathing and the excited murmurs of onlookers the only sounds in the room. After what seemed a tense eternity, Sayk began to slowly approach, one small step at a time, nearing his target. Much to Brigo's surprise Link did not retreat, merely eyed the man carefully as he closed in. Then, with a sudden whirl, Sayk struck with both daggers, spinning like a deadly top—a flurry of blows Link blocked with his shield. Taking advantage of Sayk's momentary distraction, he lunged with his shortsword; but Sayk managed to dodge the attack, spinning around again to Link's side and kicking the shield from his hand with a grunt.

The shield went flying across the arena, landing with a thump on the ground some twenty feet away, rocking slowly on its arch. Then, before Brigo could properly process what had just happened, the two men became a blur. Sayk lunged, Link parried, Sayk struck, Link countered, Link lunged, Sayk dodged… It went on like that in a flurry of blows for several minutes, the sound of metal striking metal ringing loudly throughout the arena, interspersed only with the grunts and shouts and heavy breathing of the two mens' exertion. Each possessed incredible precision and agility, nimbly dodging the other's attacks as they slowly pushed one another about the ring.

Whether through intentioned effort or chance, an opening appeared—and with a shout Sayk sent Link's shortsword flying across the room. A gasp erupted from the gathered spectators, and despite himself Brigo felt his heart fall. Was this it—had Link, the great hero chosen by the Goddess been so easily beaten by an ordinary soldier?

With inhuman speed, Link reacted—taking advantage of the exertion of Sayk's disarming strike, leaning back to land a well placed kick to the man's abdomen, sending him stumbling backwards—right on to Link's abandoned shield. With a shout Sayk slipped and fell, one of the man's daggers flying from his hand, landing with a clattering thump several feet away; and once more Link was a blur of motion. In a flash, and to the shock of all watching, Link suddenly knelt over Sayk, holding two long, thin daggers across his neck, the handles of each featuring a distinct silver serpent winding around polished walnut. Sayk stared up at Link, wide-eyed and panting, the remaining dagger in his hand falling to the floor with a clatter.

"That—those are… his boots! Holy hell, 'is boots!" exclaimed Carl.

Brigo pulled his eyes from the riveting fight, feeling himself finally take a breath now that it was over, only to find Carl pointing excitedly at Link. Confused, Brigo returned his attention to the boots in question, but could discern nothing significant about them. Turning back to the barrel-chested man, he queried: "What about his boots? And… where in the world did Master Link get those daggers? Was he hiding them?"

Carl turned excitably to him, gesticulating wildly with his hands. "No—Sayk's boots! Those'r the daggers 'e keeps in 'is boots! Link must have grabbed 'em when Sayk fell. Ah, damn, he had it all planned out from the very beginning! I knew he wouldn't let his shield be disarmed right from the get-go without a good reason!"

From his other side, Benro chuckled, and Brigo turned a wondering eye back to the arena, where Link was shaking hands with a now-standing but utterly bewildered Sayk.

"What did I tell you," Benro mused as the trio turned back for the table. "Got his ass handed to him."

As the three settled back down into their seats, Link walked up the steps from the arena, exhibiting nary a sign of the exertion expended in the fight, neatly placing his short sword back on its rack before continuing on up the ramp to the guards chamber doors. The same infectious smile was once more present upon his face, and as he tucked his hands into his pockets Brigo watched him go with wonder, and a newfound respect. Truly, he was the chosen of the Goddess Hylia herself.

With a sudden thump, Sayk took his seat at the table, still breathing heavily from the fight as he wiped sweat from his brow. Brigo's attention turned from the Hero as he disappeared through the double doors, and towards the exhausted man who now leaned back in his chair. Running a hand absently through sweat-matted hair, Sayk chuckled.

"The damned fool was smiling through the whole fight…" he panted, leaning back with a bark of a laugh, "Whoever he's seeing… they've got him on Goddess-damned cloud nine."

A/N: Fun side-note, I was struggling to come up with names for these OC's, and so their names were ultimately derived from objects I saw in my office while writing. Benro is the brand of my monopod (for photography), Sayk was a slight shift off of Snake (from Metal Gear Solid), and Carl came from the name of my neighbor's cat who seems to have taken up residence in our yard.

Review Responses for Chapter 1

CoOpGame: I'm really happy to return to this series as well! I've been enthused about it for half a year I've just been stuck on a chapter I couldn't seem to break through. Glad you're enjoying it so far. I'm keeping well, and I hope you are too!

Queen Emily the Diligent: Yay! I am! Hope you're enjoying it so far, thanks for commenting!

Oracle of Hylia: I'm glad! It is good to be back, let me tell you!

Guest: Saucy as always, with this series ;)