Robin walked forth cautiously, his loaded bow in his hands. Every so often he'd stop, look around, and continue to move across the top of the academy wall. He was looking for his brother, Ze. They were in training, something that their father had suggested due to the fact that Ganondorf could attack any day. But with the coming battle, nobody expected another attack on Hyrule Market.

Robin saw a flash of movement in the darkness. He unleashed his not-even-deadly, padded tip arrow in the direction, but it bounced off the wall. Quickly he loaded his bow again.

Suddenly he was knocked to his feet, and he could feel someone's arms wrapped around him. Ze had tackled him. Robin threw his elbow back and it connected with his brother's chest. His grip weakened, and this gave Robin the chance to scramble up and load his bow. But by the time he got the arrow on the string, his brother was gone.

He kept wheeling this direction and that, looking around corners and pillars for any hint of movement.

Robin heard the loud sound of leather on stone. He quickly whipped around and unleashed the arrow without looking. It sailed forth and made contact with Ze's shoulder. It didn't puncture of course, but the force of it completely knocked him down from his leap. Robin drew another arrow and aimed it downward, at Ze's heart.

Ze smiled. That wasn't good. Robin looked down to see Ze draw a wooden dagger from his side. He lashed out and it smacked into Robin's arm. It felt bruised.

Without another second to spare, Ze drew his wooden sword from his back and swung at Robin. Robin abandoned his bow and drew his own sword, and it became a twelve-year-old, but far from childish wooden swordfight.

Wood cracked against each other again and again. These two children would grow up to be far better swordsmen than their father ever was due to their early training. Already they could fight like a rookie soldier, or better.

But since Robin focused more on long-range weapons than swords, he was at a disadvantage. Ze focused on nothing but blades. Therefore, he was a far better swordsman than Robin.

Ze slashed up and down and all around, doing everything in his power to land a hit on Robin. Robin barely had the time to parry Ze's attacks. The swordfight only lasted about five minutes until Ze made a crushing blow to Robin's sword that sent it flying. Ze then gently touched his brother's neck with his sword.

"You're dead," he said. Robin smiled and Ze dropped his sword, an identical smile spread across his cheeks. The two brothers embraced and left the training room.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Lance closed his letter of love to Marin and gently poured red wax over the envelope, sealing it with a stamp. Throughout the letter, his intentions grew more and more, and now he had every intention of giving it to her. He just didn't know when… he had to get her back. As soon as his father announced that they'd be attacking Gerudo Valley, Lance knew that he would have to sneak into the ranks.

Someone knocked on the door. Quickly he stashed the envelope in one of his desk drawers. "Come in," he said.

It was Rachel and her fiancé, Prince Matthew of Hanial. Matthew had just proposed the previous week, and he and Lance already had a nice friendship. It was never good to have an idiot as a brother-in-law.

"Hey, how's the troublemaker?" Matthew asked. Lance smiled and shook Matthew's hand. "We just came to see how you were doing."

"Oh, I'm fantastic, thanks," Lance said. Matthew laughed. "It's probably miserable, eh?"

"Well, I've found ways to entertain myself, but it is starting to get rather dull," Lance said.

"So who's this Marin I've been hearing about?" Matthew asked with a smile.

"Oh she's—" Lance began, but then he realized something. He hadn't told anyone in his family about her! He began to panic. "How'd you find out?" he whispered. Matthew chuckled.

"Rachel told me. Don't ask me how she knows," Matthew replied. Lance turned to his older sister.

"How did you find out?"

"I saw you two in the Market about a month ago. I realized that she wasn't royalty, so I didn't utter a word to the family 'cause I love ya," she said. Lance couldn't help but smile.

"But how do you know her name?"

"I heard you talking to her, and you said her name. You're not the only one who likes to go out without guards," she said. It was true. Lance's parents were always wondering where Lance and Rachel were going, and their reply would be, "I just took some guards with me to go get a drink at the ranch."

The three talked for a while about everything. Mainly the war, and how excited they were for it to be over but nervous because their father (and future father-in-law) would be in it. Matthew was part of the Hylian army as well, top rank. In fact, he was one of Link's head captains. He had moved over here from Hanial a few years ago, and, they being royalty, Link immediately ordered for there to be a residential building placed in Hyrule Market for he and his brother, who would return to Hanial as soon as each of them found a wife. Matthew enlisted in the army the year after moving, and Link had set him up with his daughter shortly thereafter.

Lance had always been a little bit jealous of Matthew, since he was able to fight in the army due to the fact it was not of his own nation. But he liked him all the same.

They talked until it was almost bedtime. Matthew announced that it was getting late and that he should head home. He kissed Rachel goodbye. Twice. Three times. Four. Lance began to lose track of the amount of time their lips touched, and finally Matthew pulled away with a laugh, saying that he really had to get home.

"Could you cut back on the mushiness while I'm around?" Lance asked, a disgusted look on his face. Rachel laughed.

"Good night, little brother," she said, leaving his room. And so, Lance was left alone in his bedchamber to think of nothing but how he would be able to save Marin.

A/N:

This was longer than the last one, but it's still short by my standards. Thanks again to BabyGurl278 for her reviews. And I've decided that now is the time to announce that I will be posting yet another Zelda story that has nothing to do with this and Link's Legacy. Of course, I will give people time to read my sequel before I start working on the other one. A brief synopsis will be given at the end of my final chapter.