"Ok, Link, steady yourself" Mitsuko Kokori said softly as she held on to her child's shoulders.
"Keep your stance wide, first, find the target with the tip of your arrow".
She guided Link's arms, aiming their bow at the wooden target nailed onto the tree.
"Close one eye, it'll make your aim more precise. When you find the target, pull back on the string, and when it's nice and taught, release"
With their mother's guidance, Link took aim, pulled back, and released the arrow. The bow string made an unfortunate twanging sound as the arrow dropped down to the ground.
"I'm never going to get this" the young Link complained as they dropped their bow.
"It's ok, Link, you just need more practice" the Sheikah woman said as she picked up the discarded arrow.
She held her open hand out to Link.
"Here, let me show you".
Link handed the bow back to their mother. Mitsuko took the bow, held it aloft in front of her, closed one of her bright red eyes, pulled back on the string arrow in hand. She blew the soft white hairs out of her eyes before releasing the bow. Before Link knew it, the arrow was embedded into the very center of the target.
"So...just do exactly that?" Link asked.
Mitsuko took the arrow out of the target as she replied.
"Don't do it exactly how I did it, you have to find your own way. Every arrow travels along a different path, what matters is that they're all aiming for the same thing".
She handed the bow back to Link.
"Here, try it by yourself".
Link grabbed the bow and arrow. They assumed the same position that their mother had taken. Closed one eye, took aim, and pulled back. But something didn't feel right. Link was holding the arrow in their right hand and the bow in their left. It was the exact same way their mother had always done it but it somehow felt wrong to Link. Link switched the bow to their right hand and the arrow to their left, essentially doing a mirrored version of their mother's stance. This felt so much more natural to Link. They pulled back and released the arrow.
"You did it!" Mitsuko shouted.
Link put their bow down to see where the arrow had ended up. They had missed the target completely, but the arrow was firmly planted in the tree just below.
"But I missed".
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Link, you're just starting out. Just a few more tries and I bet you'll be a master at this. Ok, now try a few more like that and then we'll work on your aim".
Mitsuko continued to train Link until the day of her untimely demise. A part of Link's world ended that day, and they couldn't bring themselves to pick up their Sheikah bow ever since. Those memories were happy ones, but still oddly painful as if they had been corrupted. These thoughts now flooded Link's mind as they began their legendary journey. In order to defeat Aganihm, they would need more than just a dinky little sword. So, before setting off to the Eastern Palace, where the Pendant of Courage was located, they stopped by their house to pick up some supplies, including their bow and quiver of arrows.
Link stepped outside, bow in hand and quiver slung around their back. They hadn't touched the bow in a while, so they figured they should practice a bit before setting off. They took the stance that had always been the most comfortable to them and aimed the arrow at the old, worn out target set up in the backyard. Link fired. It wasn't a perfect bullseye, but it did hit the target. Link figured that they should practice a bit more while on the road in order to get back to where they were before.
Just as Link was putting their bow away, they heard a loud rustling from the woods. Link went closer to investigate. After taking a few steps, the creature, a wolf, came barreling out of the woods. This was no ordinary wolf, however. It's fur was black as twilight, with patches of gray creating what looked like arcane symbols. The eyes were the strangest part, they were bright red and seemed to be glowing. The beast was also massive, meeting Link's height while on all fours. Link froze, and as too did the canine. The wolf then cocked its head sideways, as if it was trying to communicate something to Link, some sort of message. As Link took another step back and began to draw their sword, the wolf quickly bolted back into the woods, leaving Link alone and confused.
Link took a deep breath and gathered their thoughts. They figured that this was something they'd have to deal with eventually but now, they were off to the Eastern Palace, where they would become one step closer to obtaining the Master Sword.