Chapter 10: Alone in Thought
I stood outside the princess' room all night. Mipha offered me a place to sleep, "Come on, Link. She'll be fine! You can sleep on the floor in my room! Just like old times." I simply shook my head at her, "I would, Mipha, but I've been too relaxed with my duty. I need to protect her, wherever she is." It's not like I really needed sleep anyway. I had hardly even slept the night we started our journey, by the campfire. The Master Sword was clearly at work again. Is there anything this sword can't do? I thought to myself, alone on the balcony. The light rain from earlier had long ceased, I could almost hear the light snores through the guest bedroom door. The soft rush of the water flowing from the domain down below and the starlit sky was beautiful. But the night had only just begun. With many hours to go on my watch, I leaned against the railing. It's gonna be a long night tonight, huh?
With no desire to sleep, all I had were thoughts and memories to focus on. Looking out over the water far below, I saw the spot where I had my first kiss. It wasn't really up to me, to be honest. Mipha tricked me that day we played hide-and-seek. I swam all over looking for her, I must have been ten at the time. I remember hearing her snicker and my keen ears picked it up. Seeing a flash of red shoot behind the pillar, I knew I'd won. "Here I come, Mipha!" She started giggling more audibly now, now I knew for sure I had it in the bag. I climbed up on the foundation by the pillar and quickly peeked around to catch her. That's when I caught a mouthful of Zoran princess. She was already puckered up when I rounded the corner and our faces collided, unceremoniously. It hardly counted as far as kisses go, but she took what she could get, "Eww, Mipha! Gross! You're a girl that's totally nasty!" I turned away to hide the red on my cheeks and she simply giggled at me, "Got you, Link! Don't act like you didn't like kissing a princess!" She always got cocky when she tricked me like that. It certainly wasn't her only try over the years to get to me.
I sighed as the memory faded, the rest of that day nothing but a blur. That got me thinking about us, Mipha and I. Was I wrong to reject her like that? Did I really need to go so far as to tell her about my true feelings? Why do I feel this way? It's wrong to feel this way, right? I'm just a dumb knight, she's a beautiful genius and a princess! Why do I feel like this? The question rang in my head over and over, Why? Why? I smacked my cheeks and shook my head. Now wasn't the time, I was on duty. Not today, not right now. My sword hummed to life, "If not now, then when, master? Clearly your strong attraction clouds your judgement. You know just as well as I do a warrior has no room for a lapse in focus during a fight." There she went again, being right. "I know Fi. It just isn't easy admitting something like that, what if she doesn't feel that way toward me? I know you said she was looking at me once, but that's nothing more than looks. I get that from time to time from other girls, and it doesn't mean anything. How do I know this is any different?" I could feel the rumble on my back again, "You don't, master. You and your past lives wield the Triforce of Courage. So have a little courage, that's all it takes, master." I sighed again, turning and sliding down the railing. I leaned back a let my eyes fall on the door. Fi sure was making a lot of sense. It's just a leap of faith then, huh? If only it were that easy, Fi.
A few hours passed as I thought about what to say to the princess, how to say it. I tried to focus, taking in my surroundings constantly, but I couldn't. I needed to take my mind off the subject so I asked Fi, "Hey, Fi?" The Master Sword hummed to life, "Yes, master?" I thought about my questions a bit then asked, "What was I like before? My past lives? Was I always the same?" After a brief pause, Fi responded, "Your spirit has lived many adventurous lives, some more so than others, master. Were you different? Sometimes you led the fight against Ganon as a young boy, sometimes a young man. On the waves of a great sea, through time, and even through the darkness of the twilight realm. But you always came out victorious. Sometimes you were lighthearted and fun-loving, others you were bold and brash, but always courageous in the face of any danger. No man, monster, or demon could stand before you without fear in their eyes." One particular word caught my attention, "Did you say, demon?" Again Fi paused, then spoke, "Yes, master, that adventure is where our journey together began. Would you like to hear some stories about your past?" I simply nodded, and Fi obliged.
After a little over an hour, the sun began to rise. Its yellows and oranges glowed over the water in a beautiful mixture as I stared over the water, "Then you allowed the lightning to strike the Master Sword, and delivered a finishing blow to the demon king. That's when he cursed you and the princess for eternity. After millennia, you still stand undefeated against Demise's evil reincarnation. Myself and the Master Sword intend to keep it that way, master." It sure was a lot to take in, but it was a welcome change of subject. I'd always wondered about the heroes of the past, how could I ever compare? They all had such great feats of strength, even at a young age. Fi told me all about the hero of the winds and the hero of time as well during our talk. I'll never be as powerful as them. They took on so many trials, even before drawing the Master Sword. All I did was become a knight and pull the sword. I've fought small groups of monsters, but the hero of time took on a giant spider monster as a kid! How could I ever do something like that? How could I ever hope to live up to the legends of these great heroes?
My concentration broke again and someone almost slipped by me, going straight to the princess' door. "Hey, who are you?" I tried not to sound rude, but I put enough intensity into my voice to get the point across. The young lady turned around, a Hylian with blonde hair and travel gear, "Oh, no one important. Someone asked me to bring something for the princess is all." Her smile was oddly wide, almost scary looking. I wasn't buying it, "How about you give me whatever it is and I'll give it to the princess when she wakes?" Her smile started to fade, "I was told, very specifically I might add, to bring this directly to the princess. Her hands only." She was a little demanding at this point. There was a flash of red in her eyes and I knew something was about to happen, "Well I guess you'll have to wait till she wakes up, there's no way I'm letting you in there." The girl straightened up and grabbed the straps of her bag, "Very well, the hard way it is." With a flash of red smoke and strange paper ribbon-like things she was gone, replaced by a slender figure carrying a sickle. The figure had a strange mask that had, the Sheikah symbol? No, it was upside down. The new voice was more masculine, "The Yiga will not let the princess stop our plans! Let's go, idiot!" I drew the Master Sword, which began to glow bright in the dim sunlight, "Bring it, asshole."
