A/N: Okay, the 'great wall of author's note' here and at the end has been moved to profile. So, if you need a summary/explanation (a rather long one) on this story, read off my profile.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
A Normal Knight
Chapter 1- Routine
Hyrule Barracks, The 3rd of Spring, 10th year of King Lanster the First's reign
Dear Malon,
I miss you already, even though it's just been five days since I have been drafted. Everybody here is a conscript. Peasants from close by the ranch greet me nicely. Other men from that lived far away do not have my benefit. From Kakariko Village and the dwellers in Hyrule Field they came. Do you remember that close neighbor of yours, Hugi? We met on friendly terms. Other than that, I feel like a little kid again here among these men.
The Barracks of Hyrule is anything but what they said. Grand and known to produce fine soldiers? I feel so naïve. It's muck like that barn of the ranch. Everyday, it is nothing but the same. From morning, I had to wake up even earlier than you do, and build up stamina by running the muddy fields a dangerous amount of times. Then, before noon, we have to shower ourselves with shockingly cold water, together. I don't even think the water's clean, because my skin feels so raw after those showers. Noon, we ate nothing but a small cut of bread and cheese. Dirty water again, this time to water our throats.
Throughout the whole day, it's been nothing but fencing and maneuvering. I already know how to use a sword, but the instructors taught us like we were just born. I swear I would stab one of them if they make one more comment on my 'poor skills of curving the swipe of the sword.' Shielding is the same thing, only this time we have something to fear. Real swords banging against us, real swords hitting wooden shields! The instructors get to whip out their anger and frustration on us while we don't? I feel like a cow, just waiting. Maneuvering's awful. We had to use the goddessforsaken sword and shield and try to avoid the sword and get mine to hit the opponent. And the instructors yell insults at us no matter what end the recruits have come to. If you're hit by the sword, they said you're too fat to do anything. If you hit your opponent, they insulted your poor technique and said an old man can do better. I would like to see one of them try. I would hurt the living hell out of them.
We had barely a supper, which is a miniature of a lunch. Then, more practicing until sunset. After that, more running around the field until the moon comes out. We go to bed then, which I'm very much relieved to have ever taken such a soft object for granted. But, it's still the same thing over and over. We barely get a fair night's rest, and the commanders come through yelling to put on our already dirty training clothes.
Is this how the army of Hyrule shows their proud fame of being strong? No, I don't think so. All those years ago, remember, Malon? Remember when we travel up to the Market when your dad is making deliveries of milk? We saw all those soldiers standing guard, so magnificently. They wear shiny armors, bearing the honorable crest of the Royal Family. They held dangerous spears, but only to good use. They had big smiles, and were kind to fellow citizens. They kept unrest down like a foe, bringing peace throughout. We liked them, we admired them, but we were ten. That was so long ago. Is this what those soldiers went through, this torture of training in Hyrule?
I can only imagine what new ways the instructors will insult the recruits about tomorrow. I can only write to you before I sleep at night, so you're really torturing me yourself by making me think of you everyday, to write to you so that you won't worry. I can see your smile, your long red hair with the wind, you. I can hear your voice of that beyond an angel, singing that song of yours. I shall never forget those, for they keep me the memories of our time together back on the ranch.
Link.
--
"Wake up! You're all late past the sleeping hour, soldiers!"
Link squints his eyes. Another day of training, he remembers, and more days of training after that. He already feels sick to his stomach. And if that's not enough to make him miserable, he feels like he just had a minute's sleep.
His eyes open to the wooden ceilings above. Straight, though, as it was first constructed, it's now bending a bit unusually. The quarters of the recruits are far from the comfort of the world. Each quarter has two rows of beds, and that's it. It is sanity, but close to the line where it would be dismissed and closed off if it goes any dirtier. The only thing that is kept clean in there is the beds. Even though they are wired-frame beds with thin blankets and a bag full of light stuffing to call a mattress, it's still a sign of relief to the recruits. That, and the green chest each have, containing things from home. Now, Link has to separate himself from such relief… again. He quickly tosses the thin blanket off before his body could protest, and gives his eyes pain by staring at the clear light reflecting off the floor.
Damn the windows! He curses mentally as he tries to adjust his eyes.
He is seventeen. He is a peasant like everybody else. He had a happy life, with the girl he known since seven years ago. She's the only thing that's keeping Link from doing the insane things he said would happen in his letter.
Malon… the name echoes through Link's mind.
"Alright, you dirty bags of filth!" the instructor of the day said as he walks down the aisle of beds. "You have exactly three minutes to prepare and march outside! Otherwise, I will have your neck to deal with!"
With the instructor leaving the quarter, the recruits start to put on their training clothes, which is only clean during the showering hour when they submit it to a scrubbing. Link scrambles to his chest. After a thorough searching, he finds and puts on the wheat-colored training tunic the army has given to each new men; its texture horrible when rubbing against skin. He's gotten used to the feel of it. Hated it, yes, but has gotten used to it. Grey pants of the same origin come on later, the filth the same color. It's very uncomfortable when such dirtiness reaches the groin. Link sometimes shudders when he feels it. And right now, he lets one out.
Boots, standard boots, just like the one he wore back at Kokiri Forest. Only this time, they're much larger, and have a wet padding when Link places his foot in it. Socks don't help; it makes the wetness crawl through it and touch every part of his foot. So, Link skips putting them on and proceeds to grab a boot off the ground.
"Hey, man! Those are my boots!"
Link looks up to the source of the voice. A young man, not much older or younger than he is, was halfway putting on his pants, but pauses to stop Link. A medium brunette, he has the face of hidden confidence and a thirst for adventure under the one that aches from days of training. He is built, too, to the exactness of Link. But, this is probably the training, Link figures.
"Oh, sorry," Link apologizes as he lets go of the boot.
"That's all right. I can't find which boot is whose most of the time."
"Ha ha! Barracks, right? They're screwed up despite what people say."
"I know. How about some respect around here?"
"Yeah, I like to see one of them take me on."
"Yep. If that happens, they'll be back in here with us for a week!"
They laugh to this. Link shakes his head, then continues to find his boots.
"I'm Zid, by the way," the recruit greets, extending his hand.
"Link." Link takes the hand and shakes it.
"Well, hey, Link, what say we put on our clothes before they come in and unleash the wrath of the goddesses?"
"Ha ha, good idea."
The running around the field around the Barracks is the first thing the recruits have to do first, every single day. The field consists of a wide dirt path dug around the Barracks. The Barracks itself is a large building, almost the same square area of Hyrule Castle. So, in this case, running around on the outer edge of this field once is a mild day of work. But, ten times, according to military standards, it's as strenuous as stretching a body apart. Not to mention the firm penalties of the exercise. If a guy falls, he gets mud on himself and has to run more laps around the field.
Link is already on his fourth lap when his mind is swooning. He has six more to go, around this enormous field. By the eighth lap, his body is already bending and threatening to collapse. Zid runs up and rears him back to standing position.
"Hey, we just got two more laps!" Zid reminds before giving a slap on Link's back. "It ain't that much!"
"Easy for you to say."
"Say, look, if you want some easy time, just go jog with the slow ones back there. They're a bit too heavy to carry on to even walking."
"And get myself a whole barrage of insults from the instructors? Not a chance."
With this motivation, Link sprints his way until he counts that he finishes his last lap. Zid comes up behind him, just in time to see Link fall down to the mud.
Panting, Zid coughs up the words, "You're… pretty motivated… you know that? And… too easy… to do…"
Showering hour is as horrible as Link describes it in his letter. The place is clean for some reason, but the anxiety of water is the true factor. A recruit doesn't know when the water would come out of those pipes. And, when they least expect it, a water so cold hits them, so cold that it could leave a sick person in a real shock. Link shaves off his clothes and puts it in the half-full cleaning basket at the entrance, where it'll be shift off to be cleaned. New clothes will be available later, when the recruits are done.
Picking a far pipe, Link gets under it, the only other person nearby to his right. Funny enough, he rather showers alone, so the last few showering periods had been him under a distant pipe with the nearest recruit about a pipe away, from a side only. But, that didn't concern him much. If somebody wants to shower next to him, he'd give the OK.
The main concern for now, Link and all the others, is the water. Link's used to the cold water, but he could never lift his own feeling of uneasiness. Everybody knows that the water can come at anytime. And when it does, it's like real pain itself. On the first day Link entered the shower room, he was a bit embarrassed and nauseous when every men has to show their nudity. But, as time progress, he figures that it will continue everyday, so he might as well get used to it.
"Hey, you don't mind if I take this pipe?" Zid's voice comes in.
"Oh, sure."
Zid stands under the pipe next to Link's.
"Sorry 'bout that," Zid said. "I came in kinda late and all the available pipes were taken 'cept this one."
"Hey, no problem. Same thing happened to me on the first day."
"Rig- DAMN!"
The water comes rushing down like needles on the recruits. Link shakes his head to keep the cold from reaching his brain. Cold, dirty water. It's a nightmare. Then, it's over. The water stops. An instructor's voice commands the usage of the soap bars the recruits have to carry into the shower room. Link starts to rub the substance all over his body, an unusual feeling of clean. His eyes wander for a bit, then lands on Zid's body. Same built as Link's, as he notices before, but… his groin…
Ah-hem! It's rude to do that, you know! Link's mind reminds as his eyes are averted back to his own body. Looking down there of a man's body… even if he does have some naturally larger man parts than you… Nothing to be jealous about. You have your own unique way… What am I saying, that's a load of crap.
"Hey…" Link thinks of another subject, "you got drafted in here, didn't you?"
"Sure did," Zid answers as he scrubs his armpit. "Though, I have to admit, I do like the idea of being a soldier."
"What, with all of this?"
"Well, not this. I mean, fighting on the battlefield. I feel the rush of courage and honor and duty and all that other crap. And I like it."
"Well, maybe," Link said after careful thinking. "But, what about dying?"
"Heh, yeah, right. Like I'm going to die out there. People who are scared of death die, if you think about it."
"I guess."
"So, nothing much for you? Just got drafted into the army forcefully?"
"Yeah. The usual banging on the door and calling me 'to perform my duty to Mother Hyrule.'"
"Ha ha! I got the same service."
"The same threat of calling a refused recruit a traitor and dragging him to the Barracks despite his refusal?"
"Mmm-hmm." Zid sighs. "Not that much to think about when I think of home. Just my family working hard. I think they're better off without me to consume some more food. But, one hand short of a worker. What about you? Anything you miss at home?"
Link pauses his scrubbing. Zid notices this, and slows down his own.
"Whoa, is that a bad question?" Zid finishes off hastily. "Sorry, then."
"No, no." Link shakes his head. "I'm just remembering… her…"
"Ah, so you have a girl you miss back home." Zid chuckles a bit. "This sounds like those old romance tales, where this man in the army fights everyday, just the hope to see his lover once again. You're a living reincarnation."
"Shut up. I'm not really comfortable about all of that."
"You have to admit, though, right?"
"Well, I guess. It does sound lik- AH!"
The water comes again, no mercy or warning. Shock comes in with the cleaning of the body. But, at least Link feels clean. His skin feels like breathing, even though it's breathing in dirty water. Link lets his head soak in the water, the many filth running down through his blonde hair. In moments, the water shuts off again, leaving him without the source of cleanliness. Lather the hair, the instructor yells. Getting a bottle of watery, green shampoo from the man nearest him, Link applies and forms the white foam in his hair, amassing it to a large proportion.
"I wonder if soldiers can become knights," Zid said. "That would be so great. I'll have respect, I'll have the skills, everything."
"I don't know," Link answers. "I heard that sometimes some exceptional soldiers are pulled out of the army and dubbed knights."
"Well, I'll just have to work hard, then."
"Really hard."
"A knight. Yeah… What about you?"
"Being one? Well… I don't know…"
"Don't tell me you don't like that! They have all the adventure, tales, and skills. They're heroes."
"Well, I would like that. Being something like that was a dream of mine when I was little. But, a knight… I… I just want to go back home after I've done what's necessary, you know?"
"I don't, not that much. I understand you, though. Just wanting to go home to her, that love of yours. It's okay."
"I could… But, you made the knight thing look a bit great… and it would be nice to go home looking like the 'knight in shining armor' and 'sweeping her off her feet.'"
"Nah, she said that?"
"No, but I heard it from somebody else."
Zid gives a small punch to Link's arm. "So, you and I, just two soldiers, will work hard to become knights, eh?"
"Ha ha! Yep. To be a knight." Link punches back. "The two of us becom- ARGH!"
Cold, dirty water. Maybe Link isn't used to its coldness as he thought.
The day is all the same. Next is lunch, then practicing, after that supper. Practicing again, then more running. Link flops down on his bed, exhausted like it's limitless. He hears a bed next to him creak, signaling that Zid takes his own love of the bed against his body. After a while, Link sits up. He goes over to his chest and pulls out a parchment, a small quill pen, and a bottle of ink. Cracking his neck to relax himself, he begins writing his letter.
"Just keep writing letters to her, eh, Link?" Zid asks a moment later.
"It's the only way to keep me from going crazy."
"Has she ever responded?"
"She can't. The military won't let letters in. Only out."
"Oh, that sucks."
Link sighs. "Yeah."
"She must be that important to you if you can keep writing with no word from her."
"I know she responds to me, by heart."
Zid rolls his eyes in exasperation. "Yep, important… Strike me rich on the love train, they say. What a piece of crap… Love… Romance… It's nothing more than a guy and a girl getting together to become happy." Zid waves his hand dismissively. "That's about it. Because of that, there are better things in life than love, I say. Don't have time for it, don't need it at all."
Link sighs again, then takes out a small grey picture out of his green chest nearby. He hands it to Zid.
"What's this?" Zid asks as he takes the black and white photo in his hand.
"A photo of her."
"Why are you showing me this?"
"Just so you get part of the idea, the importance, the 'piece of crap' love you're talking about."
"Dude, I told you, I don't really care much about it…"
"Well, unless you want me to knack you for disrespect of my personal life, just look at it."
"Eh… Hmm, so this is her…" Zid looks closely at the figure, using the candlelight. "Whoa, I can see why you won't forget her." He notices her hardened body, her smooth, long, red hair, the ranch-appropriate clothes, and her soothing face.
"She looks more beautiful than this picture," Link contrasts. "And her voice… her voice I just can't forget, even if I wanted to."
"So, what's her name?"
"Malon."
"Malon? What a pretty name. But, it sounds familiar…"
"Hyrule's milkman's daughter?"
Zid snaps his fingers. "Oh, that's right. She's that redhead I sometimes see when her dad's delivering milk." Zid goes back to the photo. "This is her? Wow… You're a lucky man, Link." Zid lays the photo next to Link.
"Uh… yeah…"
"She's that girl worth fighting for, isn't she?"
"I guess… I guess she is." Link then chuckles. "Change your mind on the love thing, now?"
"No," Zid answers firmly. "I'm just complimenting, that's all. I know a good-looking girl when I see one. But, I ain't about to fall in love with one."
"Well, fine, then." Link puts the photo back.
"So, back to that question. If Malon is really worth fighting for, well… that can be your slogan as a knight." Zid then puts on a heavy tone. "'I'm fighting for that fair maiden, a daughter of a peasant, who's fairer and more beautiful than any other lady in this forsaken world.'"
"Crappy."
Zid reverts back to his normal voice. "Yeah, well, you get the idea." Zid shakes his head. "How much are you writing?"
"A lot of things."
"About what?"
"Writing to her that I met this guy who's crazy for knighthood, and wouldn't get off my back about it."
"Oh, hah hah, Mr. Funny Guy. You're just sore 'cause I'm better."
"No, I'm really writing down what I'm thinking. Besides, it's nothing personal. Just a joke, right?"
"You better hope it's a joke. Write that down."
"Ha ha. Sure, whatever… And here's another one. Zid just happens to a rookie when it comes to love."
"I'm no rookie, man. I just don't get into the love idea. Write that down, too."
"Sure, sure… Anyway, I'm also writing that I'll come back home as her knight in shining armor."
"Aw, how romantic." Zid fakes a rubbing of his eyes. "I think I'm gonna cry."
"Oh, shut up."
"You just want that coming back a bit more emotional by just making her wait for that knight."
"I'm not gonna make her wait. I will come back as a knight."
"Yeah? Well, if you can do that, then me becoming a knight is gonna be easy."
"Oh, sure… Just go to sleep, wannabe."
"I ain't no wannabe, because I don't want. Instead, I'll have."
"Whatever…"
--
Not much has been going around in Lon Lon Ranch. Talon, Malon, and Ingo still do their work, despite the declaration of war days before. The only problem is that since Link is gone, Malon has to do more work, his own.
She misses him, just as his first letter said back, his eyes for adventure, his personality, and his company. She finishes the letter sent home today, late at night. By the candlelight on the main table, everybody asleep except her, she rereads the letter, noting everything that went on. Link says he's in a horrible world, but he seems to write okay. So, nothing's wrong. This letter is the same as every other before, but in this one, he writes two paragraphs, describing this young man about his age, who now seems like a war buddy, or something similar. Link's writing is more relaxed now, and more on happier terms.
This Zid… Malon thought. He sure is making Link's days easier. I'm happy for that. At least fairy boy will have somebody to keep him alive in there. An energetic guy, Link said, wanting to be a knight, and adventures… I can see why it keeps Link company. Malon puts down the letter. But me… I'm so lonely at the ranch here. Dad and Mr. Ingo are okay, but… I miss you, Link… I hope what you said is true… that you'll… come back as my knight in shining armor…
