After beating Groose, I proceeded to win ten straight matches against all the best fighters in our class. It was tiring for sure, but my adrenaline was running so high that I barely noticed. It almost goes without saying that Captain Jeero immediately told me that I was ready to move on to more advanced training. I'd be doing mostly one on one classes with the best instructors that Hyrule had to offer. It was daunting, but so was everything else up to that point.

"I still can't believe it," Kafei said excitedly. "I mean, ten matches in a row! That's unheard of. That has to be some kind of record or something."

"Well, let's not get too carried away," I said as I finished packing up the last of my few belongings. I would be moving out of the recruits' barracks the next morning, so I had to be ready to go. "I've still got a long ways to go."

I was trying my best to be modest, but in all honesty I couldn't help but be a little bit excited. I had never thought of myself as a fighter, but I was beginning to think that it could be a reality.

"Well, you looked like a top notch soldier to me," Kafei said. "I am a little surprised that they're bumping you up to advanced training so quickly though. Usually you spend a little bit of time working guard duty or some other grunt work after graduating from training. I know we're in the middle of a war, but that still seems a little hasty to me."

"I guess it never really occurred to me," I lied. I figured it was best not to let him know that the fate of his whole homeland kind of depended on me.

Instead, I just tried to play the whole thing off, saying "I'm sure it's happened before."

"Yeah right," my purple haired friend said before smacking me in the face with a pillow. "Just make sure you don't forget about us when you become the youngest captain in Hyrule's history, OK?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm going to erase you from my memory the second I leave this goddess damned dungeon," I said, throwing a grin Kafei's way. I hadn't been in "Old Hyrule" for very long, but Kafei had grown on me pretty quickly. He was basically my only friend out of our whole squad, and had helped me a lot throughout basic training. He was yet another reason why I couldn't afford to fail as a hero.

I awoke early the next morning and had everything ready to go when some guards showed up to take me to my new quarters. I was staying in a nicer wing of the castle that was usually reserved for high ranking members of the military, and I even had a room all to myself. The rules were still fairly strict about where I could and couldn't go in the castle, but I had earned at least a little bit of freedom. Most importantly, I was allowed to go to the library.

As soon as I was settled, Captain Jeero showed up to give me a tour of the newly accessible areas that I had yet to visit. He explained how my training would be changing along the way.

"From now on you'll have two, high intensity one-on-one lessons each day. One in the morning and one right after lunch," Captain Jeero explained. "The morning will be advanced foot soldier training while you'll practice advanced mounted combat training in the afternoon. Don't expect to do mounted training once a day for too long, though. We'll be moving you on to two daily sessions of swordplay as soon as we can."

I nodded as we went, simultaneously taking in all the new surroundings and making note of important areas.

"We'll expect you to be proficient with a multitude of weapons, but you'll primarily focus on sword and shield combat. Also, your instructors will be prone to change so don't be surprised when it happens," he said. "When you're not eating or training you'll be attending classes about military tactics. It's not as exciting but it's just as important as anything else, if not more so."

Captain Jeero paused in the middle of his monologue and look me so hard in the eyes that I almost instinctively backed up.

"You've done an excellent job thus far, but things are about to get much more difficult. You've got to keep up. We want you ready for the field in one month," he said, all business. His eyes challenged me, demanded me to rise to the challenge.

"Hyrule hasn't got much time left, Link. Ganondorf's forces advance further each day. The soldiers are beginning to spread rumors of the Demon King being in two places at once, and the other Link can only devote his efforts to one front at a time. They need someone else to rally behind."

I could feel fear welling up within me, but I remembered Zelda's words and pushed it back down. I had a duty to fulfill. Something greater to achieve. I met Jeero's gaze and tried to match his intensity.

"I'm being sent back to the frontline tomorrow, but I've already been away for far too long. The men need me," Captain Jeero said, and I could sense his desperation. "One month Link. I'm going to buy you one month. I need you to be ready by then. Can I count on you?"

"One month?" I said, trying my best to bestow some confidence into the Captain. "I'll see you in the three weeks."

Captain Jeero smiled at me before leading me to my first advanced training session of many to come.

Before I knew it, roughly two and a half weeks had passed since my new training regimen had begun. The food was mercifully a little bit better, and the bed was much more comfortable than the old cot that I had been stuck in beforehand. Things were a bit lonelier since I didn't really have anyone to hang out with or eat with anymore, but I was so busy that I hardly even noticed.

I was constantly training and learning, sometimes even through meals. The first week had been the worst as I tried to get used to having even less rest and less time to eat. Having to switch which weapon I was training with roughly every other day certainly didn't make things much easier. I had to be an above average soldier with every weapon in the arsenal so that I could be ready for anything.

Thankfully, I was allowed to train in chainmail and my blue tunic instead of all that heavy training armor. I was much faster and fighting felt more natural without as much dead weight. Instructors came and went faster than I could learn their names. Some were better than others at actually teaching me how to use each weapon, but their skill was always topnotch.

I got the hang of mounted combat after just a week so I could practice normal fighting twice as much. It was rough, but thanks to eight hours of focused training a day I was pretty good with just about every weapon by the end of two weeks. There were certainly areas where I was a little rough around the edges due to the accelerated nature of my training, but I could at least get the job done. I was finally back to training almost exclusively with a sword and shield, which felt like a blessing after weeks of awkwardly flailing around clunkier weapons.

The classes were relatively easy and I found them to usually be a nice break from the extreme physical labor I was being put through. I'm not sure why, but there just didn't seem to be anything exceptionally complicated about military tactics when you had teachers and books breaking them down step by step.

One night in the middle of my third week of new training, I had finished class early and decided to go to the library. I didn't get much free time, but whenever I did I usually went to the library. It was a nice distraction whenever my training became a little too taxing, and if I'm being totally honest I was usually hoping to run into Zelda. I hadn't seen her since my advanced training had started, but I figured it was my best shot of finding her without roaming into the restricted areas of the castle.

I usually read the history books about the heroes of legend whenever I went to the library. They had been my favorite stories growing up, and the books from the past had way more detail. Despite everything that had transpired, it was still impossible to picture myself as one of their equals.

I was deeply invested in the story of the Hero of the Skies, when a voice yelled "boo!" roughly two inches away from my ear. I hadn't even heard anyone walk into the library, so I may have let out a less than manly noise when I was caught off guard.

I whirled around feeling both irritated and embarrassed, but both of those feelings melted away when I heard the telltale giggle of the Princess of Hyrule.

"You should have seen the look on your face!" Zelda said smiling ear to ear. "I suppose that makes us even now doesn't it." I tried to look annoyed, but I couldn't keep a smile from creeping onto my face.

"Actually Princess, when I scared you it was on accident," I said. "That was on purpose, which means that we're far from even."

"Oh is that so?" Zelda said, and her eyes were challenging me. "Well you can frighten me all you like, but I doubt you'll be able to make me shriek in as feminine a manner as you just did."

"You'd better be careful Your Highness, I just might surprise you," I said with a smirk. We were staring at each other, both of us trying our best to seem intimidating, neither one of us wanting to be the first to break eye contact. I could tell that there was a laugh trying to escape Zelda's lips, and I was having trouble holding back the laughter myself. I'm not sure who broke first, but it wasn't long until we were both laughing at our own stupid jokes.

"So, to what do I owe this pleasure, Princess?" I asked as soon as we had stopped laughing.

"Well, I came looking for you in your quarters but you were nowhere to be found, so I asked around and was told that you frequently visit the library in your time off," she said. "There are few people who would very much like to meet you. They're waiting for us in the throne room as we speak."

"Oh, really? Who wants to meet me?" I asked. "Also, no offense but why didn't you just send a servant to come get me? Is it normal for the princess to go around summoning people herself?"

"No, I suppose it isn't exactly common, but then neither is our current situation. We have to make sure as few people as possible know of your true origins," Zelda said. "It's not normal for recruits to be summoned to the throne room at all really, and many of the servants have already met the Link from our time. We have to avoid arousing suspicion, so here I am."

"I suppose that makes sense," I said. I didn't usually go around saying things like "I suppose", but I was trying to get with the times and I think Zelda's elegant way of speaking was starting to rub off on me. "I have no complaints though. It's nice to have some company that isn't swinging a weapon at my head or making me a read a textbook."

Zelda smiled as she rolled her eyes at my comment and went on speaking like I hadn't said a word.

"As for who you shall be meeting tonight, most importantly will be my father so be sure to use your manners," she said. I liked the way she could say something mature and motherly like "use your manners" without making it sound like she was nagging.

"So, I'll be meeting the King of Hyrule?" I said.

"That is correct. You aren't nervous, are you?" she asked with genuine concern.

I thought about it for a moment, and I was glad that I could confidently reply "No, not really."

"Excellent!" Zelda said excitedly. "There a few other guests but I think I'll leave their identities as a surprise. We wouldn't want to spoil the fun would we?"

Zelda definitely seemed like she knew something I didn't, which was nothing new but slightly intimidating none the less. Whoever I was meeting, I could tell she was excited about it.

As we made our way to the throne room, Zelda asked me how my training was going. I was thankful that I actually had some good news to report, and I could tell that Zelda felt the same way. I was content as we walked through the halls, not even the slightest bit afraid to meet the King. I had gotten used to the uncommon recently, and I doubted there was much that could happen to really throw me off now.

When we reached the throne room I noticed that there were two sheikah guarding the door as opposed to the common soldiers that guarded most rooms. I figured it was all a part of keeping the number of people who knew anything about me to a minimum.

There were maybe ten people waiting in the throne room when I walked in. Every head turned my way and watched me approach with intrigue. It was odd to be getting so much attention.

I spotted the King almost immediately, standing directly ahead of me with everyone else positioned around him in a venerating kind of way. It was clear just how much stock people placed in the royalty.

I approached him swiftly but calmly, stopping maybe ten feet short and kneeling.

"It is an honor, my king," I said in my most chivalrous voice.

"Please my boy, stand. This is no formal occasion," he said, and I was pleasantly surprised by how gentle his voice was. "Neither myself nor anyone here is a stranger to your origins. Truthfully, you have no obligations of knightly propriety in this world in the first place."

I quickly stood and nodded my thanks. I looked the king in the eyes, finally getting a good look at him. He cut an imposing figure, standing quite tall and sporting a massive frame. He had short gray hair that poked out from beneath his crown and a well kept gray beard. His eyes were soft though and his face showed wrinkles from smiling too much.

"I am King Cepheus Harkinian III. It is a pleasure to meet you, Link," he said before continuing with a loud clap. "Well then, let us not waste time. We've many introductions to get through."

A portly old man in a orange robe stepped forward to begin speaking, but was cut off by the sound of pounding footsteps coming from the doorway. We all turned just as a figure in green rounded the corner into the room and slowed to a jog.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Zelda's eyes light up as she failed to reign in a smile.

"Sorry I'm late everyone," the figure called out. "I was exhausted from the journey back and I fell asleep as soon as I reached my bed."

As the newcomer got closer I could see him more and more clearly. He was almost my exact height and build. His messy, brownish blonde hair was just a shade lighter than mine and poked out from underneath his floppy green hat, falling into his eyes. It wasn't long before I started to notice just how similar we both looked, and it became obvious who this guy was.

"You weren't kidding in your letter Princess, it's like looking into a mirror," he said as he walked right up to me and stuck out his hand for me to shake. "My name's Link. It's a pleasure to meet you Link."

Author's note: Din does it feel good to be done with that chapter! The setup is basically done, so now is where the story really begins. No more week long training skips, just lots of action and drama. Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter if you want. What you liked, what you didn't like, the works! I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, or reviewed this story thus far. Every single time I see something like that it seriously makes my day. I'll try to update as frequently as I can, and I promise that the next chapter won't take too long. Until then, stay safe kids. Peace.

P.S. I am totally aware that I used LOZ terminology in an author's note