Link walked up the stairs of Telma's bar trying to make as little sound as posible, and aside from the squeaky step halfway through, he managed to do it. Telma wasn't in the business as an innkeeper per se, but seeing as Link had asked for a favor, Telma only rolled her eyes and gave an exaggerated sigh before accepting Robert as a guest.

Robert's blond mop of hair was peeking out from under the sheets and Link felt compelled to just let him rest. "You awake?" Link whispered.

Link had only gotten his head through the door, and seeing as Robert didn't move, Link started to retreat.

Robert moved his head and glared back, "Jeez, what time is it?"

Link beamed back and opened the door, "It's like 9 in the morning, Robert," a reasonable time, Link thought, but going by Robert's half-opened eyes Robert didn't think so.

Robert rubbed his eyes and blinked hard, "Did you just come back?"

"Nope, I arrived way earlier. I just came from the Castle, actually."

Link sat at the edge of the bed, almost bounced a little. Robert felt just little bit murderous, "Why are you so chipper?"

Link tried his best to look unaffected, "Well, it seems that someone's been helping others while I was gone-"

Robert kicked Link from the side, "That's your damn fault," Link laughed, "people came to look for you and since you were gone they looked at me like- like-" like Robert was needed, actually.

Link rested his hands on the bed, "You could have said no."

Robert had felt responsible for maintaining Link's hard earned resemblance of respect, he had known he could say no, he had known Link wouldn't fault him for it, "Well, I didn't. You're welcome."

Link gave Robert a soft smile, "You're right, I owe you one." Robert wanted to kick one of Link's shins and tell him that 'no, you don't owe me shit', but Link was already talking, "Which is why, and feel free to say no, I've asked the General and Princess Zelda to accept you in the army."

Robert felt his eyes widening, "What?"

Link remembered Telma's whispers. A man in a hood, Robert's obvious discomfort after, Robert starting to cope in the same way as Link's. "You can say no."

Robert tried to search for anything under Link's open disposition, anything, "I'm gonna look like your lapdog, following you around."

Link snorted, "If you don't want to, you don't have to."

There had to be something else going on with Link, Robert was sure, there was just no way that such a man, "Thanks, Link. I'll be happy to go there," even existed. No way.

Link could feel the stares already. General Glop had received Link with the same amount of excitement as he had always shown, so if anything, Link could stand in front of the many men and women who had been chosen by the General with confidence. The stares stayed the same, though.

General Glop greeted his soldiers and introduced Link as a seasoned warrior who was there to help the General with their training, "You may not know him, you may not trust him, but I have chosen him and as such you will show him the same respect as you would show me."

General Glop, Link noticed, lost all of his jolly behaviour when in front of his men and women, if it hadn't been for a cheerful wink the General gave Link after that speech, Link might have doubted the man he had known.

But even with that obvious display of support, Link could feel the air thick and tense, and there was only one solution, really. "Let's get this over with, General."

"Tim," the General admonished, but gladly gathered his people around. "Consider this the last chance you'll have to test this man, if you so much as give him the mean eyes after this you'll take that with me."

There was some mirth behind Tim's words, but the soldiers swallowed hard after the threat. One soldier raised his hand, "Are we allowed to choose whatever weapon?"

Tim gave the word to Link, "As long as you let me use my sword and shield, I don't really mind what you use."

If any fault could be found in Link's character, it would be his cockiness in battle. And the soldiers felt ready to bite back at such an attitude. The ground gave way to a dark-mist filled space, marked with lines made by shoes and body-produced roads on the ground - attempts at evading the accurate strikes of Link. The soldiers' sneers were replaced by awe and good-spirited mockery, Link's cockiness was backed up by his undisputable wins, and by the end of it all, though not respected by all, Link was at least acknowledged.

Even by people who hadn't fought him.

"You are cooped in here, in a dark place, when you could at least let your eyes feast on the hunk fighting outside."

Zelda tried her best to look calm, "I am in the middle of work, Dila."

Dilana, feeling her ship sinking looked at Mardean for help. "Zelda, dear, you do have a council for this type of things," Mardean eyed the tower of papers Zelda was working with, "You are shouldering too much of it, I'm sure anyone of your councilpeople would gladly he-"

"I am in the middle of work."

"-lp you." Mardean gave Zelda a mean look. "You didn't even let me finish."

"You did promise to have tea with us, though," backed Dilana.

Zelda closed her eyes and counted to ten, "As you only want me to go have tea with you to, what did you say? Feast my eyes?" Dilana nodded with force, "I think I'll say no."

Mardean rolled her eyes, "You're being stubborn."

"I have work," Zelda repeated.

"Yeah, I think we got that."

Dilana shrugged, she was not going to keep on fighting, "Fine, she can stay here and have fun with her papers, we can go and feast on that man's chiseled body."

Zelda breathed in, "He's not a thing for you to ogle at."

"If you are not going you can't complain," Dilana countered. Zelda cocked her head, bottling in the fight she was feeling. "Also? I get it, you are doing this whole 'I can take on the world' attitude to show your council that you're useful, but Zelda, dear, they need you way more than you need them, and the faster you recognize that the faster you'll be happy and have that blond perfect being in your hands."

Zelda blew on the tea between her hands, "For the record, I came because I needed a break."

Dilana bit her lips, "Sure, Zellie."

Link tackled a man in the distance, shield first. Mardean whistled in awe, "Where is Ashei when you need her to explain stuff?"

Dilana started to whisper some vague totally-impossible scenario for Ashei's absence when Zelda stiffened and raised her gloved hand in greeting.

In the distance, after making a turn to face a new opponent, Link stood with his arm raised, greeting Princess Zelda with a smile in place.

"Oh my, talk about being brave."

Dilana straightened, felt like shaking Zelda to see, "He has to be in love."

"Please shut up," muttered Zelda against her cup.

"He has to," Dilana looked at Mardean for support, but Mardean was hiding behind her cup with a smile so tight that hurt her cheeks.

Zelda wanted to hit her head against the table, there was no way a man could be this cute.