Author's Note: {French}

===== December 12, 2022 - Floor 3: Necluda City =====

Link had gotten dressed, while Zelda was in bed wrapped up as cozy as she could be. Kiwi was finally getting over her shock and embarrassment at what she had seen in the bathroom - even though she still had no idea what it was, she couldn't shake the feeling that it was something she wasn't supposed to see.

"Well, it's almost noon," Link declared. "Are we going to actually leave the inn at some point, or do you plan on staying in bed the rest of the day?"

"Aww... but it's so comfy in here," Zelda giggled. "But I suppose we should try to be somewhat productive, at least." She put some clothes on and hopped to her feet. "All right, Hero... where should we go?"

"I'm still stuck in this one book at the library-"

"Ugh!"

"-but we can go do something else in the meantime. Something... tourist-y. Besides, you said you wanted to ask Kiwi to show you around the city, right?"

"Umm, I don't mean to intrude," Kiwi said, with more than a hint of dejection in her voice, "but I get the feeling that you two... might enjoy some time... without me around."

Suddenly Zelda was mortified. The little Sheikah girl sounded hurt that her traveling companions had seemingly rejected her.

"Okay, I have an idea," Zelda said. "Why don't you go to the library and read your book? It sounds pretty important, like you're close to a big breakthrough."

"What about you?"

"Kiwi and I will go check out the city and have some 'girl time.' What do you say?"

"I'm fine with it. Kiwi?"

"If you insist..."

"All right. Let's meet up at 3:00 for lunch?"

"Sounds like a plan."

With that the trio went their separate ways, Link to the library and Zelda and Kiwi to check out the city. The two ladies walked for a while in total silence before Zelda finally asked Kiwi what was on her mind.

"I don't know... I just can't shake this feeling that you two would rather not have me around."

"That is absolutely not the case, Kiwi. While I admit we... should definitely act with more restraint when you're with us, we enjoy having you, I promise."

"You mean it?"

"Absolutely, and I'm sure Link feels the same way." She hugged Kiwi, which made her feel a little better, but not much. "I apologize for today, and last night. I sometimes act without thinking and let my... various instincts get the better of me. I never stopped to realize how uncomfortable I can make other people who don't really know me that well. I took things too far, and I'm sorry... can you forgive me?"

"I guess... but I still can't get out of my head what I saw today. I mean, what were you two even doing in there?"

"Oh, that? Umm..." Zelda hadn't anticipated having a "birds and the bees" talk, especially with a self-proclaimed adult, but here they were. "That is, umm..." She explained human sexuality and desire as best she could, trying to remember the version of the talk she'd had with her parents and then staying as far away from that as she could. Although she found the more she tried to explain, the more confused she herself got. Kiwi tried her best to absorb it all, but eventually it got so overwhelming that she couldn't process it all. Besides, there was something specific she wanted to know.

"So why do you and Master do it?"

"Among other reasons, because we love each other."

"Well, would you still do it even if you didn't?"

"I don't know... maybe, maybe not, but I do know it wouldn't be nearly as good."

"What do you mean?"

"Hmm... I know! Do you like ice cream?"

At the library, Link had once again buried his nose in the only book currently in front of him, Mythology of the Triforce. It was such a ridiculously fascinating and (he hoped) informative tome.

He had found a section dedicated to a certain green stone currently resting in his inventory, as well as the place he had found it. Apparently, in the Era of the Hero of Time, the Great Deku Tree had been the keeper of a Spiritual Stone called the Kokiri Emerald. Ganondorf, the King of Thieves, desired this stone, but the Deku Tree refused to surrender it and was cursed by Ganondorf as a result. The Hero of that era defeated the monsters responsible for the curse, and the Deku Tree used its last moments to present the gem to him, setting him on a quest that would lead him to eventually possess the Triforce of Courage and defeat the Evil King. To do so, he relied on a blade legends said was forged by the goddess Hylia herself.

A weapon that reappeared in every era, to be wielded by the Hero in his hour of darkest need.

A weapon that Link had already seen before, in the Monument of Heroes in Kakariko Village.

The Master Sword.

Suddenly, he closed the book and returned it to its place on the shelf. The stories inside were amazing and inspiring, but no amount of reading was going to change a simple inevitable truth, and the sooner he accepted it, the better off he would be in his mind.

He was going to have to find that sword.

Meanwhile, he decided to find the girls and have lunch early. As he walked through the streets of the city, he passed a shop with a very interesting set of armor in the window display. After inquiring with the shopkeeper about its utility, he purchased all five pieces before going on his way.

The two ladies finished their ice cream, and their lessons along with it. "Thank you for taking the time to explain all of that to me, Mistress."

"You're welcome... I'm just glad I was able to help. But, can I ask you a favor?"

"Anything, Mistress."

"Call me Zelda, please. You're not my slave, you're not my pet, and you're not my servant. There's no need to be so formal."

"Oh... as you say, Mi- Zelda. But then, what am I if not your servant?"

"You're my party member, I think... and I would at least hope my friend."

"Thank you... should I do the same with Master?"

"Hmm... that's a tough question. If I'm being totally honest with you, I think he sees you as just part of the system, another character in this game."

"Oh... but you don't."

"...No, I don't."

"May I ask why?"

Zelda sighed. "I don't know. Something about you seems..." She struggled to find a word to describe how she saw Kiwi. Fortunately, Kiwi already had one teed up.

"Real?"

Zelda was stunned for a moment, but eventually found her tongue again. "Yeah... I guess 'real' is as good a word as any to describe it. Maybe it's because I don't know nearly as much about video games as Link does, which allows me to think and view things outside its constraints. Maybe the possibility of you being real only exists because I don't know any differently."

Zelda placed her hand gently on Kiwi's shoulder. "Someone once said that real is simply electrical impulses interpreted by the human brain. If that's the case, then at least for now, everything about Aincrad is real. You, me, this town, all of it. And for what it's worth, that's enough for me. I don't know if Link feels the same way, because quite honestly I've never felt the need to ask him about it."

Kiwi reached up and placed her hand on top of Zelda's. "Thank you... my friend."

"Come on... let's do some shopping before we have to meet up with Link."

"All right... as a matter of fact, there's an armor shop this way you might like."

Hmm... with my Royal Regalia, I don't really need armor for combat. But some new clothes would at least provide a new look. And it's not like we're strapped for cash...

She allowed Kiwi to lead the way to the shop in question, where she found a suit of armor that she could actually make decent use of. After inquiring with the shopkeeper about its utility, she purchased all five pieces before going on her way. As they window shopped through the merchant district, Zelda got a message from Link requesting she and Kiwi meet him at the fountain at the city's center.

Kiwi grabbed Zelda by the hand. "We ought not keep Master waiting, right? Come on, follow me."

Link sat on the edge of a giant marble fountain, carved in the shape of what he presumed were three goddesses holding three stone triangles above their heads.

The mystical Triforce... everywhere he saw it serving as a reminder of the destiny he and his chosen partner had been burdened with. But nowhere could they seem to find an answer to why. So try as he might not to dwell on it, every now and then when his mind was idle, it wandered in that direction. His eyes fell on his right hand, and the three hazy triangles permanently marked on it. He clasped his hands together in frustration, and he happened to touch on metal. He looked at his left hand and saw the silver ring that had made its home there.

Such a simple symbol, yet one that carried an immense amount of weight. It carried the hopes, dreams, and promises of two lifelong friends turned recent lovers to conquer this universe and return home to their own.

He kissed it ever so gently, repeating their covenant in a voice only he could hear:

"Get as strong as we can, and stay alive."

"Something on your mind, hero?"

Link almost fell into the fountain reaching for his sword when he heard the voice come from a place where mere moments ago, there existed only empty space. Yet the space next to him was no longer empty, but occupied by a woman. She had a green cursor above her head, marking her as a player. The only thing of any note about her was the polearm she carried. For whatever reason, she was fixated on him.

"I'm... sorry, can I help you?" he responded somewhat curtly.

"Actually, I'm hoping you can," she said, a little too sweetly for Link's liking. "My name is Rosalia, and I seem to have run into a bit of trouble out in the fields. One of my party members is injured and can't make it back to the safety of the town."

"I see... well, Rosalia, I really can't help you. I'm waiting for my wife, and we have plans for the afternoon."

"Oh, come on... it won't take long. In fact, you should bring her along. The more swords we have, the better."

"Hmm... I think I'll pass. Good luck to you and your party, though." He got up to leave, but Rosalia clung to his arm. She began to beg even more intensely, but was suddenly interrupted by a kick to the back of her knee and a chokehold applied almost immediately after. Link turned in her direction to see Zelda toss Rosalia's unconscious form in the fountain. "That didn't take long, did it, cunt?" she hissed before looking up at Link, who now had a quizzical expression on his face.

"What?" she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "You said no... she should have listened the first time."

"I did say no," Link said repeating her words and shoulder shrug. "She should have in fact listened the first time. Wait a sec... how long have you been here?"

"Ohhhhhh... long enough."

"Long enough to do what, exactly?" he said with a piercing glare.

"She said she was going to sneak up behind you and throw you in the fountain," Kiwi said with a wicked grin.

"You little - I can't believe you! Get back here!"

Zelda spent several futile moments chasing Kiwi around the fountain while Link just sat back, watching and laughing.

As they walked through the city, Kiwi asked Link why he hadn't wanted to help Rosalia. "You and Zelda help everyone you come across... why not her?"

"Because, Kiwi," Zelda spoke up, taking it upon herself to answer for him, "she was a no-good, lying bitch."

"While I appreciate and wholeheartedly agree with my companion's assessment," Link replied through attempts to avoid laughing, "the truth is, there was just something off about her. I couldn't put my finger on it, but my instincts told me she was trouble. She made the hair on the back of my neck stand up."

"I see... but what if she was telling the truth, and someone in her party really is hurt?"

"Then I hope she's able to find someone else to help her, but that simply isn't a gamble I'm willing to take. To be someone looking for help for an injured party member, she seemed way too calm. Not to mention flirtatious... if one of you was hurt and needed help, I wouldn't be trying to seduce someone into helping."

"That does make sense... I didn't hear that part."

Zelda attached herself to Link's arm. "Well, I hope that if I were ever hurt, my husband wouldn't run to the nearest town to flirt with some random hussy."

"I would in fact not," Link said matter-of-factly, trying his best not to laugh. Suddenly, the Sheikah Slate on his hip vibrated. He picked it up and saw a radar-like icon pulsing faintly on the screen. He took a few steps in each direction to determine where the signal was strongest, and it seemed to glow brightest and ping loudest when he moved north. Eventually they reached the northernmost gate of the city, and they could clearly see a shrine about 150 yards beyond the walls. They equipped their armor and weapons and made their way out to the landmark. They were greeted by that same haunting yet amicable voice from the Maz Koshia shrine:

To you who sets foot in this shrine, I am Myahm Agana.

In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial.

===== Myahm Agana Apparatus =====

The trio climbed a stairwell and approached a platform with a strange gyroscopic apparatus hovering over it. Across from the platform was a giant maze with a ball inside, suspended magically over an infinite abyss. To the left of the maze was a simple ramp that led to a giant spherical pit.

"Okay, this seems easy enough," Link assessed as he tapped the Sheikah Slate to the pedestal, turning it into a 'controller' for the midair maze. "Looks like we have to get that ball through the maze and onto that ramp."

As it turned out, 'seems' was the operative word. Try as he might, he couldn't get the ball through the maze without it falling off the edge, only to respawn from a ceiling chute. On his last attempt, he managed to get the ball to the exit, but there was a slight gap between it and the ramp and he misjudged it just enough to have the ball plummet into the abyss once more.

The obvious solution was clearly frustrating Link to no end, but what other alternatives were there?

Luckily for him, Zelda had been silently observing to figure one out.

She took the Slate from him and advised him and Kiwi to wait below near the ramp, where a locked gate separated them from the exit. She maneuvered the ball through the maze carefully, paying close attention to its travels. She lost it once, then cranked it 90 degrees counterclockwise from its starting position. This time, the ball dropped into the final stretch to the exit. She finessed it over the gap and watched it roll down the ramp, paragliding down to her companions and landing just as the gate opened.

Link was grateful, if not a little surprised. "How'd you do it?"

"I noticed where the ball dropped and how the maze moved. I realized that I could turn the maze to catch the ball along the exit path, so that's what I did."

"Wow, that's... that's actually pretty brilliant," he shrugged as they walked over to the exit platform, collected another Spirit Orb and went back to the surface. Kiwi took a step forward off the platform, but Zelda quickly snatched her back.

"What's wr-"

"Shh." She apprehensively drew her sword, causing Link and Kiwi to draw their weapons as well. She made some hand signals which Link interpreted as two players, orange cursors, to the seven and nine o'clock on the other side of the shrine monolith.

{Got it. We'll move wide, you take the right flank. I'll take the left.}

Link knelt down in front of Kiwi and spoke as softly as he could. "Listen, I need you to not panic right now, okay? We've got some bad guys surrounding us, but they're players so we can't fight them like we would normal enemies. We're going to run for the gate as fast as we can. I'll be on your left, Zelda will be on your right, and you stay between us. If anything happens to us, you keep running. Got it?"

"But what if they catch us and we have to fight them?"

Link signed, as they had yet to fight any players in the open field up until now. "We fight them as best we can, but we try not to kill them. At the end of the day, they're still human and we want them to make it out of here alive." He gave the Sheikah girl a kiss on the forehead as he stood back up, which Zelda definitely took notice of, but decided now was not the time to press the issue. {All right, which way are the gates?}

{Four o'clock.}

Link grimaced; they couldn't turn directly into the field or the other players would be able to use the shrine as cover to take them by surprise. {All right, move out, twenty-five at twelve.}

Zelda understood the instructions clearly enough - twenty-five meters straight ahead - but was uncertain as to their effectiveness. {You sure that's far enough?}

{The farther we go, the more we have to double back.}

{Okay, twenty-five at twelve... then what?}

{Run.}

{Okay... I'll flash three when I'm about to run for it.}

They sheathed their weapons and walked straight ahead for a few tense seconds, at which point Zelda began counting down with her fingers.

Three... two... one... go!

Suddenly Link, Kiwi and Zelda all broke into a dead sprint towards the city gates. Sure enough, two players gave chase from behind the shrine, just as Zelda had predicted.

Unfortunately, they hadn't predicted a tripwire running across the tall grass.

Zelda crossed it without noticing it, and Link noticed it just in time to clear it.

Kiwi, however, was not so lucky.

Her trail foot caught just enough of the trap to send her sprawling with a thud. She screamed the only word her instincts could summon at that moment.

"MASTERRRRRR!"

The scream sent chills up Link's spine. He slid to a stop and whipped around, but it was too late. Their pursuers had caught up with them, and one of them was now holding a knife to Kiwi's throat.

Link drew his bow while Zelda flanked him with her sword. {What do we do now?} she asked him.

{Get Kiwi away from them, unharmed. At least it's only two of them.}

{Umm, about that...}

Four more players were now appearing from a nearby patch of trees. All of them had orange cursors, weapons out, and menacing looks on their faces.

{Oh well... at least there's only six of them?}

{Not funny...}

They were now truly surrounded, but no one made a move for a few tense moments. On his tracker, Link spotted a green cursor coming up from the direction of the city. Could they be lucky enough to maybe get some help?

His hopes were dashed when he heard a familiar, sickeningly sweet voice say "Nicely done, boys... right where I said you'd find them."

Neither he nor Zelda had to turn around to confirm who the voice belonged to.

Rosalia.

"Well, well, well... had I known you'd be out in the field so soon, I wouldn't have bothered with the sad puppy dog routine," she said with a tone that balanced between sarcastic and sinister.

{Link, please... give me the word and I'll chop this bitch into a million crystal shards,} Zelda seethed with a malice Link rarely heard in her voice.

{Not yet. We make one wrong move, they'll kill Kiwi. Her safety should be priority number one right now.}

Zelda was shocked; why would he be so concerned about the death of an NPC? Whatever... they could discuss that later. Right now, the important thing was getting out of this situation alive. "What do you want, Rosalia?" she spat.

"Simple: your money and your items. Drop everything and we'll let you go."

"Oh, so you're trying to rob us? That's cute."

While Zelda and Rosalia went back and forth, Link kept his focus on the player holding Kiwi hostage. He was naturally several inches taller than her, so he was crouching down behind her as a human shield. He slowly raised his bow and took aim. "Kiwi, I really need you to listen to me right now, okay? I promise you, absolutely nothing bad will happen if you hold still and don't move."

Kiwi was clearly terrified, but she did as Link suggested and went completely still.

"Link? What are you doing?" Zelda asked, not daring to turn around.

{You know the fucked-up thing about using someone smaller than you as a human shield?} he said as his targeting reticle moved around.

{What?}

As he settled on his target, he said, {There's always a part of you left uncovered.} He let loose and an arrow flew into the player's knee. He screamed out in pain, which Kiwi took as her cue to fight her way loose. She then produced several small spheres from her pouch, tossing them around the field before taking off running. Rosalia barely had time to order her goons to stop her before several blinding flashes of light stopped them all in their tracks. Zelda intended to capitalize, but Link snatched her by the hand and sprinted toward the gate, where Kiwi was ahead of them by a good fifty yards.

They didn't stop running until they were safely back at the inn. As they caught their breath, Zelda fumed at the opportunity they had missed. "We should have taken those guys out for daring to try to rob us!"

"Maybe... but we got away in one piece, and that's all I'm really concerned about."

"Well, what happens when they try to do it again?"

Link sighed in resignation. "Hopefully, they'll pick people who are capable of defending themselves. That's really all I can say."

Zelda was now furious. "That's it? That's all you have to say? Well, when they kill someone that blood will be on your hands!"

"It's funny you should say that," Link replied in as calm a voice as he could muster. "Say we let them go tonight, and as a result they never try to rob anyone ever again."

"You know tha-"

"OR, we let them go tonight and they decide to rob someone else before the end of the night. How would that be on our heads when we did nothing different?"

"Yeah, but still..."

"And not only that, say we had fought and killed them tonight. Would you want that blood on your hands? Knowing you took a life when there was another way?"

"But... how can you say that after that night?"

"That night, there was no other way. I did what I could to ensure our safety, and I at least hope he learned from that experience."

"Umm, Master," Kiwi interrupted, "what night are you talking about?"

"One night, your Mistress and I were out on the town. Some guy ran up to us with a knife and demanded our wallets. We tossed them to the ground, but as he bent down to pick them up I body-slammed him as hard as I could on the concrete. I dropped him right on the top of his head, and he suffered a broken neck as a result. I made a decision that night, and to this day I believe my decision was... justified. At the very least, I can live with it."

Link scratched his head while Zelda eyed him warily. "Make no mistake about it: I was fully prepared to fight all of them if we had to. Fortunately, Kiwi's grenades gave us another option, so I took it. Again, I believe that decision was justified, and I'll have to live with the results."

He gazed out the window into the night sky. "Courage means being able to fight when one must, but also knowing when not to fight." He gave Kiwi a hug around the shoulders. "Consider that lesson number four, my young apprentice," he said with a chuckle. "Where'd you get those grenades, anyway?"

"Oh, I make them. That's one of the things I can do with the materials I hunt for in the fields, aside from cooking that is."

"You can make grenades? That's brilliant!" Zelda marveled. "Those could come in really handy."

"Thank you, Zelda," Kiwi beamed. "So far I can only make flash grenades, but as my crafting and gathering skills increase I should be able to learn all sorts of different ones."

"That's awesome," Link said as he looked around the room. "All right, let's go."

"Let's go? Go where?" Zelda inquired.

"I think it would be a good idea to stay somewhere other than in the city in case those thugs try to hunt us down again."

"But they could still be out in the fields hunting players down... what do we do if we run into them again?" Kiwi asked timidly.

"That could be a problem... except it's a good thing we're not traveling through the fields."

"What do you- ohhhh!"

Moments later, the party appeared on the platform of the Monument of Heroes overlooking Kakariko Village. Kiwi's eyes adjusted, and then brightened at the sight of her hometown. She sprinted off towards the house she shared with her grandmother while Link and Zelda used their paragliders to make the descent. Kiwi couldn't contain her excitement, bursting in the front door screaming, "Grandma, Grandma! I'm home!"

"So I see and hear, fortunately enough for my age... welcome home, child," the Sheikah elder said as she embraced her grandchild. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, Lady Impa, everything is fine," Zelda said as she bowed gracefully. "We'll be spending the night at the inn."

"Ahh... and you supposed that it would do an old lady well to see her grandchild?"

"Of course." More like Kiwi might be more comfortable and sleep more soundly at home than on the edge of the bed with us...

"I appreciate your concern, heroes. But look at the hour; I certainly won't keep you."

"Thank you, Lady Impa... we will speak in the morning."

"Good night, Lady Impa... Kiwi, we'll be back for you in the morning. Have a good night."

"I will. Good night, Master. Zelda, be sure to enjoy your ice cream."

"What are you... oh... ohhhhhh! Thank you, I'm sure I will! Good night!" Zelda winked, recalling their conversation earlier in the afternoon. Link was confused, but decided not to press the issue at the moment.

As they lay in bed after another night of deep, steamy and sensual lovemaking, Link was fast asleep with his arms wrapped tightly around Zelda. Zelda, meanwhile, was wide awake with her mind a buzzing hornet's nest of questions. Kiwi's presence as a part of their team created some obvious benefits, but she was now starting to see some drawbacks. Had it not been for her getting captured by those orange players, Link and Zelda would certainly have slaughtered them all and not left them as a problem for others to deal with. Then there was the fact that he had even cared enough to play it safe for her sake to begin with... but why would he do that for an NPC, an entity built into the system? And what the hell was up with that forehead kiss?

But hadn't she herself come to accept the fact that she wasn't? Hadn't she acknowledged Kiwi as real - for whatever that word meant or didn't mean inside Aincrad - earlier that day?

If Kiwi was in fact real, why did the concept of Link caring about her bother Zelda so much?

And if she wasn't, why did she care about her so much?

That was the question that dogged Zelda until she finally fell asleep.