"C'mon Link, don't be so down. You'll get him next time!" Kafei said before taking a bite of bread.
I just kept absentmindedly swirling my spoon around my bowl of soup and said "Oh yeah, sure. I haven't won a single match yet, but yeah, of course I can beat the best fighter in our class!" When I looked up from my soup to see Kafei's annoyed face I realized I was being a brat. "Sorry man, I'm just frustrated is all."
"Don't worry about it, I get it," Kafei said with a shrug. "What I don't get though is why you can't win any matches. I mean, your advice on everyone's weaknesses is the only reason I've been able to hold my own. You clearly know how to beat everyone."
"Yeah, believe me, it's even more frustrating for me than it is for you," I said. I was just about to get back to eating my poor excuse of a dinner when I heard my name being called.
"Forrester, get over here," Sergeant Finch called. I immediately rose from my seat and went over to the door where he was. "Captain Jeero wants to talk to you. Report to his quarters as soon as you finish dinner.
After a quick "yes sir" I hurried back to the table, shoveled the rest of my dinner into my mouth, and started towards Captain Jeero's quarters which was basically just an office with a bed shoved in one corner.
I knocked on the door and heard Captain Jeero say "Come in" before I pulled the door open. When I walked in he was bent over a stack of paperwork writing furiously with one hand and raking the other through his hair. Whatever he was doing clearly wasn't a stress reliever.
When he looked up and realized it was me he said "Oh Link, it's you! Please, have a seat."
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked as I took the seat opposite him, although I was fairly sure I knew what he wanted to talk about.
"I watched your match today," Captain Jeero said, and I could already feel the embarrassment. "Most of your movements were sharp, and you lasted quite a while without having any sort of offense. I'm assuming you know that you had him beat within the first few moments."
"I had an opening," I said plainly. "I'm not exactly sure you could say I had him beat."
"Oh believe me, the match was already won," he said. There was a relatively long pause before he spoke again. "Do you know what your problem is Link?" he asked.
I swallowed hard before replying "I'm afraid… I'm too afraid to take any risks." I braced myself for the harsh truth; for Captain Jeero to tell me that I was right, and that I wasn't fit to be a hero. It was the truth that I'd been trying to ignore, but it had always been at the back of my mind. I knew it, and Captain Jeero had to know it too.
"No Link, that's not it at all," Captain Jeero said both to my relief and my surprise. "Your problem is that you think courage is about not having fear at all."
"I'm sorry, what?" I asked. I was still kind of reeling from not having my biggest fears confirmed.
"I could go on, but I think there's someone who will be able to explain it better than I can," he said as he rose from his seat. "Princess Zelda heard that you've been struggling with your lessons lately so she was hoping to speak to you."
I felt a strange surge of guilt and excitement surge through me at the mention of Zelda. I felt bad about the fact that I was letting her down, but even that couldn't keep me from being at least a little bit excited at the prospect of seeing her again.
Captain Jeero made his way to the door and when he saw that I still hadn't stood to follow him he said "Link, are you coming?"
"Oh right, sorry," I said as I got up. I followed Captain Jeero out of his quarters and through a multitude of hallways that I was sure I'd never been through. It was pretty clear that we were moving away from the soldiers' area and getting dangerously close to the nobles' living quarters since the decorations were becoming more and more extravagant.
We came to the end of one hallway with a particularly large set of doors at the end before the captain stopped.
"This is the royal library. Go ahead and head on in, but Princess Zelda is inside so be on your best behavior," Captain Jeero said. I nodded and cautiously made my way into the library.
When I walked in I was almost surprised by the sheer volume of books and gargantuan size of the library, but by that point I'd pretty much stopped getting impressed by size alone since practically everything in the castle was monolithic. I still loved the smell of the library though. Some things never change.
I spotted Zelda sitting in a cozy looking reading chair with her nose buried in a book.
"Whatcha reading there?" I called out, and when Zelda turned around with an almost humorously shocked expression I realized that I'd completely forgotten my manners.
"Oh shoot, that's not what I'm supposed to do," I said in a panic and immediately dipped into a bow. "My a-apologies, your highness." I was nervous for a second, but all my worries went away as soon as I heard a giggle escape Zelda's lips.
"That's quite alright Link," she said with a playful smile. "There's no one around besides the books, and I don't think they'll tell anyone that you nearly gave me a heart attack."
I laughed sheepishly, thankful for Zelda's light-hearted nature, and got down to business.
"So, I guess you heard about how poorly I've been doing in training." I said. It was much easier to admit than I had expected, but I still felt a pang of guilt and embarrassment.
"You know, all of your instructors have told me that they feel you have great potential," she said with considerable care and caution. "Its just as if something is… holding you back."
I knew where the conversation was going, and I didn't like it. I couldn't even look Zelda in the eyes when I told her "It's because I'm afraid. I can't stop worrying about hurting someone, or getting hurt, or…"
"Or not being able to fulfill your duty as a hero," Zelda finished dejectedly. Something in the way she said it made it sound like Zelda wasn't a stranger to having trouble living up to expectations. I sensed that there might be more to Zelda than the confident, pleasant princess she appeared to be.
"Yeah, that," I said and I still couldn't meet her gaze. "I'm sorry, I just don't think I'm cut out to be a soldier, much less a hero."
A long silence fell over the room. I just stared at my shoes, or the books, or anything that could keep me from having to look into Zelda's disappointed expression. I didn't want to face the possibility of letting her down, and it was starting to seem like a reality.
"Link," she said, finally breaking the silence. "What do you think it means to be courageous?" Her question caught me off guard, so I couldn't really think of anything profound to say.
"I don't know… I guess it means that you don't get scared in the face of adversity," I said.
"That's not was courage is, Link," Zelda said, and then she lifted my chin and forced me to look her in those sparkling blue eyes. "Every one of us, even our most seasoned veterans, feels fear in times of danger. It's impossible not to. But courage is all about being able to set that fear aside, and to act in spite of your fear. To do what needs to be done for the greater good, even when every fiber of your being is begging you not to. And I know you have it Link."
Even with her eyes pleading with me to be brave I couldn't help but have my doubts, no matter how badly I wanted her to be right.
"What makes you so sure?" I asked. Surprisingly, she smiled warmly at my question.
"You're here," Zelda said simply. "You've agreed to leave everything behind and risk your life to save Hyrule. Strangers showed up on your doorway with a ridiculous request and you've answered the call. What could possibly be braver than that?"
"Alright soldiers, time for sparring!" Sergeant Finch yelled. "Our first matchup will be—"
"Actually sir, if it's alright I'd like to challenge Skye," I said. Practically everyone in the room did a double take once they realized just what I was saying. The worst fighter in the class openly challenging the best in the class. Groose almost immediately burst out laughing.
"Really Forrester? I knew you were stupid, but this is a little much. You must have a death wish," Groose said to the delight of pretty much all the other recruits.
"That's enough Skye," Sergeant Finch said. "Forrester if you're up for it I don't have any objections. It's about time someone in this class showed a little backbone!"
On the way to ring Groose bumped my shoulder and said "If you think you're on my level, you're not. I hope you're ready for a pummeling.
"Trash talk Groose?" I said. "What's the matter? You afraid someone might dethrone you?"
The two of us glared at each other all the way into the ring. As Sergeant Finch counted down I tried to remember all the words that Zelda had told me. I felt fear rising up, but instead of focusing on the fear I just thought about her. I focused on the strategies that I knew would beat Groose. I remembered the way Zelda told me she believed in me, and how much everyone depended on me. My fears had to come second to that.
"Ready… begin!" Finch yelled, and Groose and I both ran straight at each other. I could immediately tell that I had caught him off guard, and he took an off balance swing with his spear to try to slow me down. It was a weak attack so I kept running, knocking away his spear with my shield as I went. An instant was all it took to get in close enough to attack. I planted my right foot and drove my sword up and to the left with all my strength. I hit Groose in the ribs, denting his armor and sending him sprawling across the ring. There was a brief moment of silence as all of the recruits processed what had just happened, and then they all erupted in to cheers.
I smirked at the rest of the class, drinking in the sense of triumph and riding on the adrenaline rush from the match as I said "Alright, who's next?"
Author's note: Alright, chapter 5 is officially up! hopefully this chapter wasn't too short or anything. It took a little longer to write than I was hoping, but considering I just moved into college, I'll take it. Let me know what you thought of this chapter, or of the series as a whole so far. There's no such thing as bad feedback! Have a good one, and don't forget to check back regularly for updates. I just might surprise you.