A/N: Is anybody else still confused? Then, just read the author's notes in the profile before you get even more confused.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
A Normal Knight
Chapter 2- Newer RCT
Hyrule Barracks, The 12th of Spring, 10th year of King Lanster the First's reign
Dear Malon,
How are you? I still miss you, with each day hurting my heart even more. I cannot believe how not seeing you can put such pain on me. I just hope the war would be over soon.
Training is still the same, I'm afraid. Luckily, Zid and I managed to hold each other's mentality by insulting each other. He keeps me alive through the day like you, Malon, and I do the same for him. He's a good fencer, I tell you. He dispatched my sword away and touched his blade against me numerous amount of times. But, I guess I'm going too easy on him. Why? Because instructors tend to make me less motivated to do anything. Next time, I'm sure to get Zid.
Eating and showering has become much more bearable as I get used to them and have Zid to talk to. His family is not very interesting, he told me, but during his youth, he did a good number of things on what he called 'the young days of his adventure.' Interesting little stories of escapade compiled up into a large one. I told him about my life, too. How it all started out with the Great Deku Tree, then Navi, then killing the monster inside the fatherly tree. I told him about my end of that adventure. You remember, don't you? I finally got to meet with Princess Zelda in Hyrule Castle, in the Courtyard. But, she said I wasn't the hero she was expecting, and that I'm just a plain Hylian. I was forced to give her the Kokiri's Emerald, and got kicked out. What she told me back in the Courtyard… I knew it was true. The Great Deku Tree lied to me… Even Navi. She flew away with nothing more than, 'I'm sorry, Link, but… you're not the hero, then…' I felt broken. I had nowhere else to go, not even Kokiri Forest, for I now hated that place of the Great Deku Tree. But, you, Malon, you gave me a home to live in, Lon Lon Ranch. I knew it was a good thing when I first met you in the Market. I worked for my rent, if not, my home. And we grew up together, through those seven years… and grew close, to where… to where we finally loved each other. But, it was all too soon, no? The war dragged me away just as our love began to blossom. And now, here I am, writing to you my love through this piece of parchment. Why did Fate do this to us? Why does Fate forced me to fight for Hyrule? I can only wonder.
But, I feel I should not end the letter this way. Not with the current mood I'm in. My time here at the Barracks hasn't changed much. All that's changed is that we moved the beds around, because many of the recruits were sick of a recently spreading disease. Either that, or were sent home by special permission. Damn those permissions. I desire one badly, just to see you. I could get ill, by this disease going around infecting the healthy. But, I haven't had the luck. They moved the sickliest to the nursing area, so I'm also not sure about being ill. Because of this, more new faces came to live in the old's quarters. These recruits, many young men around my age, are as nervous as I was when I experienced it the first time. Zid and I are separated by one bed, belonging to one of these recruits, a purpled hair and quiet person. His face shows uneasiness and lack of self-confidence. I can see it written all over him. Me and Zid tried to bring him to a talkative mood, but all he mutters are, 'No thanks.' If we plan to have contact with each other, we must at least give this rookie some reason to talk, too. Then again, I can talk to Zid any other time besides in the quarters. I hope for a day of good luck.
Link.
--
The new recruit, however, feels a bit more attached to Link and Zid. During the morning jog, many of the others insult him with comments of weakness and lack of social skills. Zid and Link don't do a thing. It's bad overall to the insulter and the insulted one. The purpled hair recruit, hoping, jogs up, and keeps close to Link and Zid.
"So, you think they'll ever give us anything besides moldy bread and cheese for lunch?" Zid asks.
"No, I don't think so," Link replies. "The military do seem to like to starve us, and bland our tongues."
"Thought so. Just wait, when I have higher respect than them, I'm gonna cut their servings to what we have. Let's see how they like it."
"Hey…" Link notices the purpled hair person, "are you tagging along for some reason?"
"Um… no," he said timidly.
"Don't tell me," Zid said with false irritation. "You feel better with us than with those guys up ahead, right?"
"Oh, I'm sorry." His tone keeps its shyness. "Maybe I shouldn't-"
"That's all right. You can jog along with us."
The two slows themselves down, to where the purpled hair person is now between them.
"You now feel like talking for some reason?" Link asks.
"Uh, yeah." He nods. "You guys tried to talk to me last night, and I felt ru… bad for not responding."
"Must be that new rookies' homesickness," Zid said.
"Yeah." Link nods. "You start to think of home, and you won't talk to anybody about it. You'll get over it."
"Thanks, uh… for the tip," the new recruit said.
"What's your name?"
"Miru."
"Miru?" Zid repeats. "What kind of name is that?"
"Well…"
"Lay off of it, Zid," Link slightly glares at him. "Well, welcome to the army, Miru. My name's Link, and that funky guy over there is Zid."
"Funky? I whooped your ass so many times in fencing you should call yourself that."
"Whatever. Okay, Miru, after the running, we go to the shower room next.'
"What?" Miru suddenly feels alarmed.
"Don't worry," Zid reassures. "You'll get used to it. Bad as it is to see other guys in the nude, but you just have to ignore it."
Which is definitely very hard for Miru for some reason. He is much more nervous than the new recruits to stripping off their clothes.
"Look, if you don't like the nudity," Link notices his expression, "you don't have to shower."
"Do you have a fear of taking off your clothes or something?" Zid asks as he pulls down his pants.
A lengthy pause follows after the question and when Zid released himself from his dirty pair of pants. "No, no. I don't," Miru said finally.
"Then, what's the hold up?" Zid questions as he tosses the garments into the clothing basket.
"Nothing. Just… not used to it, I guess."
Link chooses the same spot. Zid chooses the pipe next to his usual one, to leave some room for Miru. After all, why shower nervously with strangers when you can shower nervously with your friends?
"So, what's your story, Miru?" Zid asks.
"Oh, uh, just a peasant." Miru tries hard to stare straight ahead. "Drafted."
"You know, maybe if the military offered money or something for people to join, it wouldn't come to this," Link suggests.
"Yep," Zid agrees. "Nothing like risking your butt for a good amount of money."
"But…" Miru starts, "what about fighting for your home? That patriotism I heard so much about?"
"You kidding? This Barracks will definitely make you eat those words!"
"Patriotism is about- YIKES!"
Water, water everywhere. Miru shivers madly from the freeze. Zid laughs to this. Soon, the cold onslaught stops.
"Oh, goddess…" Miru said, still shivering.
"Cold, no?" Link comments.
"New rookies…" Zid shakes his head. "Hah! I just love the way they react to these things for the first time."
"Alright. Let's get our soap bars ready," Link mentions as he gropes around for his.
Cleaning the grime off with the soap bar, Miru's eyes do the same thing as Link's and wanders over to Zid, and downward. Now, instead of shaking the thought out, Miru immediately turns his head up, deep red on his face. Very deep. He just keeps scrubbing his own manly part, erasing his mind of the large-
WHAP! Zid slaps Miru's rear hard enough to where Link could say it definitely can be heard outside.
"Whoa!" Miru's hands goes over the sharp painful spot.
"Hah hah hah!" Zid bends over in laughter. "Loosen up, will ya? I did that because you're blushing real red there."
"Were you, now?" Link asks.
"Ow…" Miru rubs his rear. "That hurts…"
"You know, the way you're rubbing your rear is kind of… girlish there," Zid points out.
"Oh! Er, this is an all man's world, right? I can do whatever here."
Zid shrugs. "Guess so."
Nothing's new at lunch, except that there's now Miru to join the two for company. Practice is the same as always. And this time, Link proves he's more worth a challenge to Zid. Now, half of the time, Link stands out as the victorious. However, a third member of the fencing group joins Link and Zid. Miru himself is a natural somehow. He gives them a hard time with the matches, quickly learning the techniques and effectively using them.
"Looks like we have some competition, Link." Zid pants a bit.
"Yeah. I say we do."
"Competition in what?" Miru asks.
"Oh, something. Can't tell you right now, though, or else those instructors will come and kick us to the ground."
Again, Link and Zid find comfort in their beds, along with Miru, giving out deep breaths to each second.
"New rookies…" Zid repeats the phrase. "You just gotta love them."
"You like everything way too much," Link responds.
"What can I say? I feel good with the world."
"Even in times of war?"
"Well, maybe not that…"
Link chuckles, then pulls out a parchment and writing equipments for the letter of the day. Dipping the quill, he slowly writes down his first sentence.
"What's that?" Miru asks a while later.
"A letter I'm writing. I always write to… well…"
"His love beyond Hyrule Barracks," Zid completes.
"Really?" Miru seems interested. "Who is this girl he's writing to?"
"Malon, the daughter of the milkman," Zid replies.
"The Malon?"
"Oh, yeah. If you want to check, Link has her photo in his chest."
"Hey, what's the big idea?" Link said as Miru opens his chest. "You two are talking about something personal and private of mine, and you think that I-"
"Oh, this is her…" Miru cuts him off as he holds up the photo. "Lucky guy, Link, you're a lucky guy."
"You know, that's exactly what Zid said when he saw that photo."
"And you're writing to her everyday?" Miru said. "How… interesting."
"Hey, we're gonna be knights," Zid explains. "Link just wanna be that knight that only cares for Malon. And this is the smallest way he can do a thing, writing."
"Knights?" One of Miru's eyebrows lifts. "You two?"
"Zid's crazy idea of being a knight," Link clarifies.
"Is that so?" Zid said obstinately. "Crazy as in… oh, let me repeat it… as in you're going to be a knight, too, so you can impress that 'heavenly farm girl'?"
"Will you shut up about that?" Link growls.
"You two are very idealistic," Miru compliments.
"Anyway…" Zid clears the point, "we, Link and I, are going to be knights, not soldiers. We want that fame of the knights they so proudly carry."
"Well… um… seeing as I have nothing better to do after the war…" Miru thoughtfully said, "being a knight won't be so bad."
"You, becoming one?" Zid points at him. "Hah hah… I mean, I find you good at fencing and all, but, with that attitude, it won't get you anywhere."
"What attitude?"
"The shy guy attitude."
"That's being nervous on the first day. I got through, didn't I?"
"Oh, fine. You want to become one, that's fine by us. Right, Link?"
Link sighs. "Right… The three of us striving to become knights. Yay, and I suppose something lives inside the bread we eat."
"I think there is," Miru answers after a moment of thinking.
