CHAPTER 10: FAULTS AND MISTAKES
"Down, one!"
"One!"
"Up, one!"
"One!"
"Down, two!"
"Two!"
"Up, two!"
"Two!"
Large groups of soldiers were spread around a wide courtyard. They were all participating in physical activities, clearly training for a possible situation of war. Each group of soldiers worked on different physical activities, each activity depending on which branch of the military they belonged to.
Link and Ralio walked through the courtyard. Ralio pointed out to Link what each branch was doing, and what level of physical fitness each branch was on.
"The training hasn't changed much since you were here, except for the fact that the training is way easier than it used to be," Ralio informed him. "The only massive change is how determined and fit each soldier is."
Link looked over at a certain solider in Branch A of the military. He was sweaty and out of breath, unable to even attempt at one more push-up. He was slight chubby and had a small beer-belly.
"Yeah, I know," Ralio said, following Link's gaze towards the slightly heavy-set soldier. "That guy is what most of our top-end soldiers look like now. It's an embarrassment."
The chubby soldier suddenly dropped to the ground, unable to keep going.
"Pathetic," Ralio stated, rolling his eyes. "These guys don't even know how rough it gets."
Ralio then led Link towards the back of the courtyard to a small group of around thirty soldiers.
"Soldiers, attention!" Ralio barked.
The group of soldiers suddenly saluted, their backs straight as a board.
"Link, this is Branch F," Ralio introduced, motioning his hands towards the soldiers. "These are the guys you're going to train. And I don't mean train like these other captains out here. I mean train. Train them like how you were trained back in the day."
A few of the soldiers gulped, a little nervous as to what Ralio exactly meant by trained back in the day.
Link studied each of the soldiers. Some soldiers were extremely overweight, making the previous soldier that Link saw look like a stud. Some of the other soldiers were extremely skinny and very young. They looked like they hadn't lifted a weight in their entire lifetime.
Boy, did Link have a lot of work to do.
"Well, I'll leave you to it," Ralio said, slapping Link hard on the back. "You've got a long road ahead of you."
With that, Ralio spun on his heel and took off, speed-walking towards his branch of soldiers.
Link turned towards his soldiers, studying each of them closely. Each soldier stood in silence, afraid to make one peep.
Link then took a step towards a small, skinny man, who looked around the age of twenty. He had short, spiky hair. He was extremely short, standing at about five feet and two inches.
The small man stared at Link with a terrified expression on his face.
"Don't look at me like that," Link stated, breaking the silence. "How are you going to go to war if you're afraid to even look at me?"
The small man's face reddened. Link laughed at the young man's face, noticing how terrified and embarrassed he looked.
"Would you calm down," Link said, laughing loudly. "I'm not going to scream at you or completely humiliate you. That's not how this works, at least with me."
Link's noticed the young man's shoulder's relax a bit.
"Wait, really?" he asked nervously. Link nodded his head in reply.
"Yup," he stated. "That doesn't mean that this is going to be easy, though. You're going to get the hardest training of your life with me."
Every single one of the soldiers gulped.
"What's your name, kid?" Link asked the small soldier.
"H-Hardy," the young man sputtered nervously.
Link nodded in approval and turned to the rest of his soldiers.
"You all are allowed to speak," Link said, laughing a bit. "Please don't be mute. It's weird. Introduce yourselves."
Long periods of silence passed between the soldiers, all afraid to speak a word. Finally, one soldier spoke up.
"My name is Billy," a tall, plump man said nervously, raising his right hand. "I'm thirty-one years old. I'm from the Ordonia province."
A large smile grew across Link's face.
"Me too," he said happily. "Now, was that so hard? Who's next?"
Slowly, but surely, each one of the soldiers began to step up and introduce themselves. They were all nervous, of course, having been used to their previous captain.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Link asked the soldiers.
The soldiers all slowly nodded in agreement.
"Captain Link," the soldier who introduced himself as Billy started. "Since you said we can talk, can I ask a question?"
Link nodded his head. "Go for it."
Billy took a deep breath, preparing himself to speak.
"Why'd you come back?"
Link's eyes widened at the boldness of his question. Although he was a little shocked that he even asked a question like that, he wasn't upset.
"Well, quite frankly, I was told that this army was a mess," Link told Billy. "So, I came back to whip you all into the best soldiers you can be."
Billy nodded in approval. Then, another soldier spoke up.
"Is it awkward for you to be near the Queen?" a soldier named Dejon asked, his eyes wide in curiosity.
"That's a pretty personal question," Hardy said to Dejon.
Link laughed and scratched the back of his head.
"Yes, it's probably the most awkward thing I've ever experienced," he replied. Some of the soldiers laughed, chuckling under their breaths.
Another soldier decided to speak up as well.
"Are you cool with just being a captain now?" he asked. "Since you were like, king-"
"Alright, that's enough," Link ordered, laughing a little bit. "We need to get to work. I'm going to take you all on a little trip with me into the forest. You got that?"
"Sir, yes sir!" the soldiers said in unison, saluting together.
Link nodded in approval.
"Alright, let's get going then."
Branch F of the military was completely done for when they arrived back at the courtyard. The soldiers were all out of breath, panting heavily and dropping to the ground. They hadn't been worked this much in ages.
The soldiers' little 'trip' to the forest consisted of a fifteen mile run. Some soldiers collapsed halfway through the run, while others vomited to the side. Despite this, Link pushed them to keep running.
Although the soldiers felt like they were all going to drop dead, Link hadn't even broken a sweat. He ran ahead of them, leading them through the forest so they wouldn't get lost. The soldiers marveled on how someone could physically even be able to keep going.
"Alright you guys!" Link chirped cheerfully, clapping his hands together. "Great work."
The soldiers only groaned in reply, too out of breath to even talk.
"If you think that was awful, you don't even want to know what's coming to you in the future," Link stated, a small smirk growing across his face.
The soldiers groaned again.
Suddenly, a horn blew in the distance. Branch F immediately picked themselves up off her ground and began walking towards the middle of the courtyard.
Link looked around in confusion, confused as to why all of the soldiers in the courtyard were beginning to meet each other in the middle.
"What's this all about?" Link whispered to Hardy.
"Everyday we meet in the middle of the courtyard to spar," Hardy explained. "Two soldiers get randomly picked to spar each other. It's basically like a test of strength."
Link nodded in understanding. Last time he was here, this was not a part of the military's daily routine.
Link walked with his branch and sat down with them against a wall. He studied the soldiers conversing with each other around them. Most of the soldiers had beer-bellies and big, meaty arms. The strongest looking soldiers were tall, but still had beer-bellies like the rest of the soldiers.
"Attention, soldiers!" a man in the middle of the circle of soldiers yelled. Link looked up and studied the man's face, recognizing him as Barnes.
On the courtyard, Barnes seemed much tougher and bolder then when he was in social settings. While he was awkward and clumsy in social settings, he seemed strong and smart in a military setting. No wonder he was a captain.
"The two soldiers who will spar today have been picked," Barnes announced. "One is from Branch F, and the other is from Branch A."
The soldiers from Branch A cheered loudly. They pumped their fists in the air and yelled manically, clearly excited for the fight.
The soldiers from Branch F all glanced at each other nervously. Link raised an eyebrow at Barnes, shocked that they would pick two men to spar one another who were at such different skill levels of fighting.
"The men who will spar one another are Hardy Blacksmith and Gordy Newton," Barnes announced. "Please come to the middle with your weapons."
Link and his soldiers shot their heads towards Hardy in shock. Hardy looked completely terrified, his face white as a ghost. Link reached over and patted him on the back, attempting to reassure the poor young man.
"It'll be alright," he said softly. "Just do what you know. Go with your gut. Don't hesitate for one second."
Hardy nodded timidly and scrambled up from where he was sitting. He slowly walked towards the middle of the circle with his dagger in hand, trembling nervously.
Gordy walked to the middle of the sparring circle, his sword clutched tightly in his hand. He was an enormous man, towering completely over Hardy. He wasn't just tall, but he was also quite overweight. Although he was extremely out of shape, Hardy was evidently no match for the massive soldier in from of him.
A devilish smile grew across Gordy's face as he sized up the small soldier.
"A little one, aren't ya?" Gordy growled, staring down at the completely terrified soldier below him. Hardy gulped, completely unprepared for what was about to happen to him.
Another horn blew in the distance, indicating for the fight to begin.
As the horn blew, Gordy immediately crouched down and pounced towards Hardy. Hardy ducked out of the way, narrowly dodging Gordy's attempts to tackle him.
Gordy then swung his sword hard at Hardy's head. Hardy blocked his blow with his small dagger and immediately recoiled away.
Gordy's attacks were strong, for sure, but were very slow and sluggish. Hardy had a clear advantage.
"He's slow!" Link shouted from the side, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Use that to your advantage!"
Gordy growled, insulted at the fact that Link had called him slow. He then immediately swung his sword at Hardy, narrowly missing his head. Hardy ducked under the attack and kicked Gordy's left leg, causing him to lose his balance and fall backwards.
Link cheered loudly as Gordy collapsed into the dirt.
"Yeah, Hardy!" he shouted, pumping his fist in the air.
Gordy scrambled to his feet, now seemingly fuming. His face was bright red in rage and his fists shook aggressively.
"You'll pay for that, you little twerp," Gordy hissed. Hardy immediately gulped, now regretting knocking him over.
Gordy lunged at Hardy, throwing a punch at his face. The punch, unlike Gordy's other attacks, was quick and sudden. Hardy had no time to react, letting himself get slugged across the face.
The crowd of onlookers cringed at the blow to Hardy's face. Hardy's face whipped to the side as he crumpled to the ground.
Gordy then jumped up with his sword in the air and attempted to plunge it into Hardy's armed chest. Hardy rolled over to the side, narrowly missing one of his attacks again.
Hardy then scrambled to his feet, backing away from him quickly. Gordy got up on his feet and inched slowly towards him. He then suddenly swung his sword powerfully towards the small man. Hardy quickly blocked his attack with his dagger, causing him to fall back a bit. Gordy recovered quickly and immediately attacked again, swinging his swords towards Hardy. Hardy narrowly blocked his attack again, now being backed into a corner. Gordy continued to attack Hardy, swinging down on his dagger repeatedly.
Suddenly, Hardy's dagger snapped in half, unable to withstand Gordy's powerful blows from his sword. Hardy looked up at Gordy with terror in his eyes, helplessly standing there with no weapon to protect him.
Gordy then swung his foot around and powerfully kicked Hardy in the face. Hardy flew to the other side of the spar circle and collapsed to the ground.
Gordy laughed manically and walked slowly towards Hardy. Hardy was unmoving, laying there in the dirt motionlessly.
"Get up kid, get up," Link thought hopelessly.
Hardy remained motionless, seemingly knocked out from Gordy's harsh kick.
"Spar is over," Barnes announced, looking at Hardy's unconscious body sprawled across the dirt. "Gordy is the proclaimed winner. You all may leave and enjoy the rest of your day."
Branch A cheered obnoxiously, chanting Gordy's name repeatedly. Gordy raised his sword in the air and roared.
Link rolled his eyes at Branch A's obnoxious victory cheers and walked over to Hardy. He knelt down and placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking him slightly.
"Hardy?" Link asked. "Hardy? Are you alright?"
Hardy groaned and rolled his head towards Link. He had a bloody nose and a large, red bump forming on his right cheekbone.
"I-I'm alright," he mumbled, shaking his head a bit. "I think I blacked out though. That wasn't fun."
Link laughed and grabbed Hardy's arm, helping him to his feet. Hardy brushed some dust off his pants and shook his head slightly.
"That was so…embarrassing!" Hardy suddenly blurted, his face reddening. "I can't believe that just happened to me-"
"You were completely outmatched," Link interrupted. "It's not your fault. And, you knocked him over! I count that as a win."
Hardy half-smiled to himself, his confidence boosting a bit.
"I see some potential all of you guys, and you especially," Link continued, smiling at him. "You held your own, even though you knew you were outmatched. You're going to be a great soldier someday. I know it."
Hardy's smile grew even wider.
"Thank you, Captain Link," Hardy said. He then saluted and scurried away, catching up with the rest of the Branch F soldiers.
Link smiled as he watched the soldiers walk away into the castle. He suddenly felt glad that he had came back. He missed being in a military environment, around people that he could relate to. He was eager to spend more time with the soldiers, eager to make them into better soldiers than ever before.
"Dad."
Link whirled around, confused at the voice behind him. There stood Jack, his cloak blowing graciously in the wind.
Link's eyes widened in shock. Now that he was much closer to Jack than the night of his return, he could really see how much Jack had changed. He was very tall, now standing a couple inches above Link. His hair was thick and wavy, and was parted neatly down the side of his head. He had a very muscular build, possibly even more muscular than his father's.
Perhaps what Link had noticed the most about his son was his eyes. Rather than the big, emotional eyes he was used to looking at, Jack's eyes were empty. They were void of any emotion, lacking the mischievous sparkle that they used to have. They were dark and cold. Emotionless.
"Jack," Link breathed out, marveled at the presence of his son. "I-I-"
"I wish to speak with you tonight," Jack cut in, his face stoic. "Meet me back here around seven."
With that, Jack spun on his heel and walked away, leaving a shocked Link behind.
"Darrien, with all due respect, Jack is the only one who ever reported to be in that room-"
"Enough!" Darrien shouted. "How dare you blame the general for a murder? How dare you be suspicious of him?"
Darrien and another court member had been arguing for about an hour, much to the court's annoyance. They were trying to find possible suspects for the murder, but were not coming up with anyone except for Zelda and Jack.
"He and the Queen are our only suspects," the court member argued. "I am not trying to blame him. I am simply just going with the protocol."
"Yes, a protocol that can possibly throw the Queen or the General in jail for life. I know it's tradition to question anyone, even people of high status for a crime, but this is ridiculous!"
The court member dragged hand down his face in stress.
"I say we call off the questioning," Darrien continued, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly. "The people will be in complete chaos if they hear that their Queen and General are being questioned for possible murder."
Some of the court members observing the argument nodded in agreement.
"Let's have a vote, shall we," a court member spoke up. "Raise your hand if you agree to call off the questioning."
Seven of the court members raised their hands, while three of the court members kept their hands down.
"Then it's settled," Darrien said, clapping his hands together. "There will be no questioning."
The court member sighed and sat back in his seat, defeated.
"We now have no suspects," Darrien continued. "Our soldiers are still investigating the situation, but seem to come up with nothing. This case may take a long, long time to actually be solved."
Some of the court members sighed in frustration.
"How come our soldiers are taking so long to even find evidence?" a small, weaselly man named Eddie spoke up.
"I was thinking the same thing," another court member said. "Our soldiers are not as strong and smart as they used to be. Maybe we need to find someone else to investigate this situation."
Darrien sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in stress.
"That's what Link is here for," he stated. "To help get our army back together. He will probably be a big help to our investigation."
The court members nodded in understanding.
"Maybe Jack isn't the best person to be general," a court member suddenly mumbled. A few court members snapped their heads towards the man, his bold words shocking them.
"I agree," Eddie said boldly. "He clearly has let our military go to rubbish. Maybe we should not have made Ralio step down in the first place."
Darrien's eyebrows shot up.
"Do not say such things about the general," Darrien scolded defensively. "He is going to be on the throne soon, after all. Keep those crude thoughts to yourself."
Eddie and the rest of the court members immediately shut their mouths, not daring to speak another word on that topic.
Moonlight shone all around the courtyard, brightening the green grass. There was not a single cloud in the sky to cover the moon or the stars. A soft, night breeze ghosted through the air, rustling the trees and grass in the courtyard.
Without the moonlight, Link would be unable to even find his way around the courtyard. It would have been too dark for him to even see.
Another soft breeze ghosted through the air, ruffling Link's long, golden locks on his head. He brushed his bangs out of his face, running his hand through his hair nervously.
Link looked around the courtyard, searching for his son. He was so nervous that his hands were trembling. He didn't even know what he was going to say to him.
Finally, a man standing in the distance caught Link's eyes. His long, black cloak blew softly around him, ruffling in the breeze. Link took a deep breath and began to walk towards him.
Leaves and grass crunched under Link's feet, causing Jack to turn around. Link stopped in his tracks, making intense eye contact with his son. For a few moments, they said nothing and just stared at each other in awe.
Finally, Jack cleared his throat, interrupting the tense silence between them. Link swallowed nervously and averted his gaze towards the grass under them.
"You've gotten bigger," Link said softly, still staring at the ground.
Jack just stared at his father, showing no emotion whatsoever, his facial expression completely blank. On the inside, however, he was boiling with rage. He wanted him dead.
"Good evening," Jack stated flatly, trying his best to conceal his anger.
Link looked up at his son from under his eyelashes, making intense eye contact once again.
"You wanted to, um, speak with me, correct?" Link asked nervously.
"I just wanted to ask you a question."
Link held his breath, attempting to mentally prepare himself for whatever his son was about to ask him. He stared into Jack's dark eyes, searching for any emotion inside of them. There was none.
"Why did you do it?" Jack asked.
Link furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"Do what, exactly?"
Anger flashed across Jack's face. Link noticed his angry expression. It was the first emotion that he had shown him all day.
"Everything," Jack said lowly, almost growling at him. "Everything you did. Why you left, why you treated me the way you did. Why on Earth you're actually here right now. Because I know for a fact you didn't come back just to get the army together."
Link sucked in a breath, unsure of what to even say. He couldn't even put into his own words how sorry he was. He couldn't even begin to describe to him how much guilt gnawed at him every second of the day for six years straight.
"J-Jack," Link stammered. "I-I…I am so sorry for what I put you and your mother through. I was wrong to leave you both. I was angry at the time and wasn't thinking of the consequences-"
"So your excuse is that you weren't thinking of the consequences," Jack suddenly snarled, his eyes darkening in anger. Link took a step back, a little intimidated by Jack's behavior. He had never seen his son like this before.
"I have never heard something more idiotic in my entire lifetime," Jack spat, now glaring daggers at his father.
Link squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to block off his tears forming in his eyes. He felt horrible.
"You wanna know what mom is like now?" Jack continued. "She's a fucking drunk. And I mean, a huge drunk. Fucking can't even run her own country anymore without her pathetic court."
Tears began to spill from Link's eyes. He wiped them quickly in attempt to hide his tears from his son.
"For gods sake, save your tears," Jack spat, rolling his eyes to the back of his head. "This is all your doing. It was your choice to leave us that day. And now all of the sudden you want to come back? Like nothing ever happened? I call bullshit."
Jack then took a bold step towards his father, completely invading his personal space. Link flinched from the close contact, but he didn't back away.
"I know what you're truly here for," he growled in his face. "You want to rebuild a relationship with us. With your family. Well guess fucking what? That's not happening."
Link flinched at his son's harsh words. He should have expected this reaction. What did he think would happen? That he would have a nice, long chat with his son after leaving him for six years?
"I don't ever want to see your face again," Jack said angrily, jabbing a finger in Link's face. "You leave us alone, you understand me? You especially need to back off from mom. She does not need you screwing with her life again. You already fucked her up once, and I don't want to see you do it again. Don't ever, ever come near me and mom again."
Tears spilled down Link's face uncontrollably.
"Jackie, please-"
"Don't call me that," Jack interrupted. "You don't get to call me that anymore."
Jack's then backed away from his father. His angry scowl fell off his face, returning to the same emotionless expression that he usually had on.
"I'm going to retire to my chambers," Jack stated flatly, suddenly void of any emotion. "Goodnight."
Jack brushed past his father, leaving him all alone in the moonlight.
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I actually enjoyed writing it. It was interesting writing out Jack and Link's encounter. I also tried to throw a little action in this chapter. I'm honestly not too great at writing action, but oh well. I tried. It's kind of hard to be honest.
I also will now most definitely be writing another story after this one, like I said in the last chapter. It's a Modern AU, and it won't be dark like this story. It'll be a little more light-hearted and funny. I think you guys would definitely enjoy it. I already have the idea of what it's going to be about in my head. I will start to write it once I finish this story, because there's no possible way I'd be able to write two stories at once.
Anyways, please review! I appreciate seeing all of the comments, really. It makes my day. See you all soon!
Review Responses:
Guest: Thank you!
Raven Harkinian: Hey, totally understand if you don't want to continue reading. Cheating in stories just sometimes isn't everybody's cup of tea, which is perfectly fine. And yes, Zelda will be redeemed, since this is a Zelink, after all. I hope you like the redemption I have planned out for her. If you don't that's alright. I appreciate you reading my story nevertheless.
Soledge1: I know, right? Crazy stuff. She kind of just says things in the heat of the moment, stuff she doesn't really mean. By, the way, thanks for reviewing every time I update this story. It's nice to know that somebody's following along.
NTDOFAnonymous: First and foremost, I will not abandon this fic. I agree, I hate it when stories are super good and they end up being abandoned. It sucks. Also, some of the things you mentioned will be covered later in this book. For instance, why Link blew up on Jack so badly. On the subject of Edward, you will have to just wait and see how he ties into things.
Guest: Thank you! I'm glad you're looking forward to the next chapter and you're enjoying it. And yes, I feel bad for Link too. He's got a lot of odds stacked against him.