The edge of Link's wooden blade swished in front of my eyes, whipping my hair as it went. I took the opportunity created by my narrow dodge to press the attack. My muscles were stiff and sore, but my mind felt somehow sharper. It didn't feel as hard to keep up with Link's movements as it had in the past.
Wow, to think that just a few instances of combat would hone my instincts this much! I feel like I'm noticing so much more; like the combat has slowed down. I just might be able to hold my own against Link. I'm as strong as a bull! I'm as quick as a cat! I'm as—WHACK!
The wind was knocked out of me as Link took advantage of my overly aggressive style, stepped expertly through my defense, and slammed the flat of his wooden sword into my exposed midsection. I was dropped to the grass and fell with a thud as my lungs began to struggle to take air in once again. As I impacted, fresh pangs of pain shot throughout my body, reminding me of the numerous injuries I had sustained not long ago.
"Din, sorry Link!" Link said as he walked towards me with an apologetic expression, his hand outstretched towards me. "You were coming at me so aggressively! My body reacted and I didn't really have time to pull my punch."
"It's alright," I wheezed as I reached out and grasped Link's hand. He hauled me up to my feet, but even the effort of standing up induced a lot of pain. "I think I got a little carried away."
"Well it is your first training session back," Link said. "Your body probably still has residual adrenaline to work out. It can be like that after coming back from a tough fight."
"You're the expert," I said. I reached down and touched my abdomen tentatively, and I could already tell that a bruise was forming. "But maybe it would do some good to remind you that I just got out of the infirmary this morning."
"Hey, the doctor said that you need to get plenty of exercise, even if it hurts."
"Yeah, too bad the princess is my doctor. I'm pretty sure she wants me to feel as much pain as I could without ending up back in the hospital wing." At that we both laughed, Link shaking his head slightly.
"Oh man, I would not let her catch you saying that," he said with a chuckle.
"I'm not worried about it," I said. "She pretty much told me so when I first got back."
"Oof," Link said simply. "But hey, at least she still treated your wounds. I'd say that counts for something."
"Was there a chance of someone not treating my wounds?" I said. "I mean, not to sound presumptuous or anything, I just figured that was standard procedure."
"You're right, it is. But you're pretty lucky that Princess Zelda was willing to treat you herself," Link said. "You'd be hard pressed to find a doctor better at treating combat wounds than her in the castle since most of them are at the front lines."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," I said, fresh feelings of gratitude washing over me.
"Not to mention how upset the Princess was when you left," he said. There was a moment of quiet that settled over the courtyard as the feelings of gratitude I felt towards the Princess of Hyrule were quickly accompanied by a sense of guilt. I still felt horrible about the whole Rivenport situation, and knowing that I had made Zelda cry made it all the worse.
"What…what exactly happened right after I left?" I asked. I had wanted to ask Zelda, but I had fallen asleep before I could work up the courage while she was treating my wounds, and she'd been in and out too quickly this morning.
"Well, the princess took off after you not too long after you left," Link said, although I could tell he felt a little uncomfortable talking about it. "The king eventually moved the meeting along to other topics. A little while passed, and then Princess Zelda came back into the war room. She looked pretty shaken up, and she said she thought you had run off. The advisor's didn't believe it. They thought there was no way you could've been that stupid."
"Gee thanks,"
"Hey, their words, not mine," Link said with his hands up in mock surrender. "You already know where I stand on this whole thing. But anyways, they didn't believe her immediately, but she convinced them to get a few people to search the castle for you and to check the armory and stables to see if anything was missing. Obviously she was right, so the King told me to gather up some soldiers and head out right then and there. I guess you know the rest."
"Right," I said, tightening my grip around the handle of my sword. "Thanks again for saving my ass."
"Don't mention it," Link said with a wave of his hand. "I get the feeling you'll return the favor soon. For all of us."
"Thank," I said and smiled at Link gratefully. He really was a great guy. He'd been a good teacher, and a better friend since I'd gotten here. I could see why everyone respected him and pinned their hopes on him so much. He was everything you'd expect a hero to be, and more. That being said, it was a little… challenging at times to be around him. I just couldn't help comparing myself to him. We looked almost identical, we had the same name, and everyone was expected us to be basically the same person and do the same things. The problem was that Link did everything that was expected of him. Meanwhile, my first attempt at heroics had been a complete disaster. All I'd done was put more people in danger. I could still remember the pain from each wound like it was fresh. I could still see the bodies in the streets. I could feel the despair setting in, the hopeless looks of all the villagers of Rivenport, the sneers of those Gerudo women. I'd been trying and failing to shake the feeling off since the nightmare had ended, but I just couldn't.
"You can't stop thinking about it, can you?" Link said, pulling me out of my thoughts. I breathed a laugh morosely and shook my head.
"No, I can't," I said. "Those people were depending on me, pinning all of their hopes on me. I can only imagine how their hearts must have plummeted when the saw me get beaten so easily."
"Is that what you think they saw?"
"Well… yeah. What else would they—"
"You know what I saw?" Link said as he placed his hand on my shoulder. He gave me a strong reassuring look, and his blue eyes gleamed with determination. "I saw someone who was willing to lay down their life for people they had never met. I saw someone who, even when they were covered in their own blood, still raised up their sword and was ready to defend others to the bitter end. I saw someone who, even though I knew they couldn't win the fight, I couldn't help but think that they just might pull it off. And I think the people of Rivenport saw it too."
"That's not really how I felt," I said. I was grateful for what Link was saying, but he was painting too bright of a picture. As much as I wanted to, I just couldn't believe what he was saying.
"Well, whether you believe it or not doesn't matter," Link said resolutely. "You may not be the best swordsman in Hyrule, but you've got what it takes Link."
"You really think so?" I asked. I wanted so desperately the be the hero that Hyrule needed, but it was just so hard to believe. I needed to know that he wasn't bullshitting me, or just trying to make me feel better.
"I know so," Link said before giving me a friendly slug on the arm (which hurt like hell). With that, I gripped my sword a little tighter. I couldn't keep letting my inhibitions get in the way of things. It was hard to make the transition from regular teenager to hero of prophecy in just a handful of weeks, but my own feelings were irrelevant. There were too many lives at stake to get stage fright.
"Come on," I said as I raised my shield arm and held my sword at the ready. "Why don't you get back to kicking my ass. I think I can make you break a sweat before sundown." And with that we resumed our daily training. My muscles screamed with every block, parry, and swing, but I could feel myself growing stronger bit by bit. The difference might have been minuscule, but I wanted every advantage that I could get.
The next few days passed more slowly than I expected. I guess the tension from knowing that we would be heading for the front at the end of the week was getting too me, but somehow the days felt longer. I was forbidden from going to any more war meetings, so instead I spent pretty much all of my days honing my skills. With the added time I worked on my archery and horseback riding a lot more as well. I ate my stale bread and slept in my itchy cot without complaining, and finally, after what felt like an eternity, the last night before we were supposed to leave for battle arrived.
I was walking towards the mess hall from the barracks where I'd just been outfitted with all new gear. They'd taken all of my measurements and made sure I had top of the line gear of my choosing that fit perfectly. I had a nice, lightweight chain shirt, leather gauntlets and bracers, a leather shoulder pad, and strong but flexible steel toed boots. Overtop of the chain shirt I'd been given a blue, battle ready tunic that was similar to Link's own green one, although I decided against the floppy green hat. I'd taken to tying most of my hair back in a pony tail, although the bangs and some hair here and there still fell around my face loosely.
I'd gotten a new sword and shield as well. The shield was a small but sturdy wooden shield with metal plating. The face was brown with a white Hyrulian crest and of course the golden Triforce. My sword was simple but effective, although I still had trouble finding one that felt just right. Remembering the fatigue I felt from my night of fighting in Rivenport, I opted for a blade that felt just slightly too light yet again. After being given a supple new bow, a quiver, and some arrows, I felt good to go. Most of my gear would be waiting for me when we gathered up to leave tomorrow, but I'd decided the wear the tunic around for the remainder of the day. Something about it just felt right. As I rounded the corner to the mess hall entrance, I noticed that the door was blocked by a familiar, blonde haired soldier in a floppy green hat
"There you are! I've been waiting for you," Link said with a smile on his face.
"Oh, uh, sorry. I didn't know I was gonna have a guest," I replied. I didn't exactly know what Link's housing deal was like while he was staying here, but I certainly never seen him eating the terrible food that they served me and all of the cadets.
"You've got more than one guest for dinner tonight! Come on, follow me," he said before turning and marching down the hallway, leaving me to jog after him. "You didn't really think they'd let you eat some stale bread and cold soup on your last day in the castle did you? We want to make sure you're in tip top shape!"
"That's never stopped anyone before," I said with a laugh as I finally caught up to Link. He was walking with purpose, and a he seemed to be in a pretty good mood. Link was usually the type to stroll, so his attitude was throwing me off. "So who are these other guests?"
"I think I'll just let it be a surprise."
"People just love keeping me in the dark around here."
"Have you always been this grumpy?"
"No, I just look grumpier next to you since you're practically glowing today," I said. "What in Hylia happened? Did you get laid or something?"
"I don't even know what that means, and you know what?" Link said as he stopped in front of a set of double doors. There were too Sheikah guards on either side of the door, but they didn't seem to be paying much attention to us. "I don't even care, because tonight we get to dine on food prepared by the royal chefs. It's a commoner's dream come true, and none of your weird future speech or anything else can get me down right now." Before I had time to ask any questions, Link flung the doors open and my senses were immediately bombarded with too much to take in all at once.
I could smell seasoned meets, steamed vegetables, fresh fruit, and baked bread. I saw an opulently decorated room with a long dining table as the centerpiece, a number of platters laid out on it, and all of it illuminated by gorgeous crystal chandeliers. I could hear the beautiful, harmonious sound of a harp being plucked and a gentle but somewhat familiar voice dancing around my ears. I could feel my heart skip a beat as I saw Zelda sitting at said harp, her eyes closed serenely as she sang, dressed in an elegant blue and white dress with gold trim. Her eyes shot open and she stopped her song mid performance when she heard us come in. She smiled warmly in our direction as the booming voice of the King broke the silence.
"Link, and Link! It' good to see the two you!" He said from his seat at the head of the table. It was now that I realized that though the table was quite long, it was only set for four. "Please come in, take a seat." Although this situation was a bit intimidating, I could already feel my stomach rumbling just from smelling all of the food. Link and I both bowed quickly before entering the room. Zelda had already moved and taken the seat at her father's right hand, which left two seats on his left. As we got closer to sitting down, I started to realize the dilemma we were about to encounter: neither of us wanted to sit next to the king. Or maybe it'd be more accurate to say neither of us was sure if we should sit next to him. I mean, he is the king after all.
"Bah, Link, no not you the other Link, come and sit at my side," King Cepheus said looking at me. "As I've said before, you have no bindings of knightly propriety here."
"Uh, thank you, your majesty," I said awkwardly as I took my seat. Link sat down to my side and a bit of quiet settled over the room.
"We have much to discuss, but first we should eat," King Cepheus said. "I thought it'd be appropriate to give you all a proper send off before you head to the frontlines. Unfortunately we can't really do anything high profile, so this was the best I could do."
"It's more than enough your majesty," Link said and I nodded in agreement. I couldn't help but notice Zelda fighting off a small smirk. Apparently she thought it was funny to watch us squirm in the presence of royalty. After giving thanks to the Goddesses, we all began to dig in. Link was wolfing down his food so fast that I was surprised he actually managed to keep food from getting all over the place. Still, I have to give him credit, he maintained pretty much all of the table manners that I had never paid attention to in my life. I mostly watched Zelda to make sure I wasn't doing anything wrong. The food was to die for, and the width of the selection was even more impressive. King Cepheus kept up most of the small talk at the table, with everyone else chiming in occasionally. It was a pleasant, satisfying, but oddly tense environment. Something about being around the King just felt so much more intimidating than being around Zelda.
"So, how has training gone these past few days?" Zelda said. There was a certain pointedness to her question and a mischievous undertone in the way she fixed her gaze on me and smiled when she asked it. I read the subtext loud and clear: "I hope it hurt, idiot."
"It was great!" Link chirped before digging into his third slice of pie. Zelda raised her eyebrows and looked at me inquisitively. Finally I relented and decided to give her what she wanted.
"It did go well. I think I'm improving a lot every day… but, I have to admit it's been five times as painful since I returned from Rivenport," I said. The tiniest of smiles flashed across Zelda's face before she quickly reigned it in and regained her regal composure.
"Oh, I'm quite sorry to hear that," she said. Her face was the picture of withdrawn concern, but her eyes sparkled with humor. It was the kind of thing that might have made me mad, but something about Zelda made it easy to laugh with her even if you were the butt of the joke. I knew that she didn't wish me any ill will. I knew how she really felt, and the fact that she could joke around about it was how I knew that things were okay between us. I'd been a bit worried since I hadn't seen her in a while, so having her make fun of me a bit was actually a relief.
"That must make training ever so difficult," she said, a smile turning up at the corner of her mouth.
"Well," I said, unable to fend off my own smirk. "I've had worse."
"Yes, quite the unfortunate turn of events indeed," the King said morosely. Apparently he hadn't detected the sarcasm coming off of his own daughter, thankfully. "That's actually what I wished to speak with you about Link. We can't have another scenario like that again."
"I know your majesty," I said with a nod. "I won't let it happen again."
"You have my thanks," he said before continuing. "You'll be in far more danger once you all begin traveling south. Zelda will be in command of your unit as you all travel. I don't want you taking any unnecessary risks until you're able to meet up with Captain Jeero. He's been working on a plan to draw out both holder's of Power once you all reach the frontline. Just make it safely to him, and I'm sure he'll be able to take care of the rest. He's one of my finest commanding officers."
I remembered the last conversation I'd had with Captain Jeero. He'd promised me that he could buy Hyrule a few weeks. He said that I had to be ready to face Ganondorf by then. I had done everything I could to prepare. I just hoped it was enough. Still, I felt better knowing that Jeero had been on the case. I'd never seen him fight or even strategize, but the guy had presence. Something about him made me feel confident that he was a capable guy.
"That being said, there is only so much that the common man can do against a wielder of the Triforce," King Cepheus said gravely. "You three are the only ones who can hope to stand against this great evil. I hate shifting this heavy burden onto your shoulders, but even as king all I can do is support you." He then shifted his gaze over to Zelda and placed his hand overtop of hers.
"My daughter, I know you will do me proud." King Cepheus said and then fixed his steely gaze on myself and Link (who by this point had thankfully finished eating). "You two, I'm confident that you'll do everything in your power to protect Hyrule, but if I may make a request as a father rather than a king: please keep my daughter safe."
"We will," Link said firmly before I had a chance to speak up, but I met the King's gaze and nodded.
"To my last breath," I said. The words had fallen out of my mouth before I'd even had time to think about it. I almost felt embarrassed, saying something so serious and formal, but I found that everyone was taking me at my word. This wasn't the time for jokes, after all, and I was glad. As crazy as what I had said was, I meant it.
"You have my thanks," King Cepheus said before slowly rising out of his seat. "I think I'm going to retire for the night, but I'll be sure to see your party off tomorrow. Rest well, you have a long journey ahead of you."
"Goodnight father," Zelda called as the King left the dining room. A moment later Zelda rose out of her seat as well and fixed her gaze on me. "Link, would you come with me for a moment." I felt my heart rate pick up a bit and I looked over at Link questioningly. He gave a small shrug before giving me a "well don't just sit there!" kind of look.
"Um yeah, sure thing," I said and followed Zelda who was already making her way out of the room through a door off to the side. Soon we were winding our way through the hallways of the castle, Zelda leading me although she had a bit less pep in her step than usual. Perhaps for the first time I'd known her Princess Zelda was just… strolling.
"So, what's this all about?" I asked. Zelda simply smiled.
"You'll see," she said.
"It must be a past thing."
"What must be a past thing?"
"None of you ever tell me where you're leading me," I said with a laugh. "You all just tote me around and let me figure it out when we get there."
"Don't you think life is more fun that way?" Zelda said. "Besides, I really do want this to be a surprise."
"Alright, I guess I don't mind," I said. "It's just that I feel like my life is nothing but surprises these days. And today has already had so many good ones."
"There's already been more than one today?"
"There's been three, in fact."
"Oh?" Zelda said as she quirked an eyebrow playfully. "Care to enlighten me?"
"First was this morning," I said. "I accidentally slept in and rushed to our morning swordplay lesson, but it turns out that Link slept in even more so I wasn't actually late." At that Zelda laughed.
"Yes, that sounds like Link," she said as we rounded a corner that felt vaguely familiar, although the castle was so big that I was still had trouble getting the lay of the land. "Well what was the next one?"
"The second surprise of the day was being invited to dinner."
"There was a third surprise after dinner?" Zelda said. "But before now?"
"Well, I guess it was right before dinner," I said, and I could feel a small blush rise to my cheeks. "It'd been so long since I heard music."
"You mean—you mean me?" Zelda asked, her own cheeks turning scarlet. We finally stopped in front of an ostentatious set of double doors. Zelda looked away bashfully as she nervously ran her fingers through her hair. She looked beautiful. "Oh I'd hardly consider myself a musician. I was just passing the time before you and Link arrived. It's nothing really."
"I'd have loved to hear more," I said sincerely and Zelda finally met my gaze, her expression soft. "I think you could go toe to toe with any musician I've ever heard."
"Thank you Link, that's very kind," she said warmly before turning her attention to the double doors. "Well we've arrive at our destination, so how's about we get on with surprise number four then?" Without waiting for my confirmation, Zelda opened the doors which I realized were side doors into a familiar chamber. There were massively high vaulted ceilings, a long red carpet extending up the center, and two high backed thrones that stood front and center.
"Umm, Princess," I said.
"Yes Link?"
"This is the throne room,"
"My, how astute of you good sir," she said with a wink before walking briskly towards the center of the room. "Come on Link, we haven't got all night." From there she stepped onto the raised platform that her own throne sat upon. She pulled out a ceremonial, gold handled sword that seemed to have been placed nearby and held it graciously in front of her.
I stepped forward with trepidation, finally beginning to understand exactly what was going on. Feelings of pride, embarrassment, fear, and gratitude all welled up within me at once. When I looked at Zelda, however, she merely looked back at me with a hint of a challenge in her eyes. I understood now what she was doing. This would be the last chance to go back. The point of no return. Although I'd stumbled along the way, I'd made my mind up to follow this through since the moment Zelda had first asked me to trust her. Going back had never really been in the equation.
I positioned myself in front of Zelda, placed my right hand over my heart, and kneeled down in front of her with my head bowed. She began to speak, her voice reverberating throughout the empty space. You'd have thought she was giving a presentation before hundreds of important people, but it was just the two of us.
"Hero of Hyrule, chosen by those who serve Hyrule from the shadows… You have shown unflinching bravery and skill in the face of darkness and adversity, and have proven yourself worthy of the blessings of the Goddess Hylia. Whether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight, you have bared the soul of the Hero. We pray for your protection and trust you shall defend our blessed land Hyrule with your life. In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I bless you. Over the seas of time and distance, when we need the golden power of the Goddess, our hope rests in you. I pray that your endeavors be successful, and hereby charge and trust you with service to the royal family, and dub thee Sir Link, Knight of Hyrule."
With those last few words, Zelda placed her sword upon my left shoulder and then my right before returning it to it's place in front of her. I raised my head and met her gaze. She was smiling at me warmly, and I saw reflected in her gaze all of the loftiest expectations I had ever dared to hold for myself.
She held her hand out to me and said "Let's go save my people, shall we." I returned her smile and grasped her hand in mine.
Author's Note: Whew boy, guess who just cranked out this chapter in the last three hours and didn't even check it for grammar once? If you guessed me, you guessed right! I'll probably come back and edit it later this week, but for now I'm just gonna post it as is. I haven't worked on this story in so long, it felt good to just crank this chapter out. So good in fact that I just want to put it out into the world with no regard for how terrible it probably is. Anyways, next chapter is the real nitty gritty stuff. I spent a lot of time building up my characters and their relationships with one another. I'm sorry if it got repetitive, but a big reason that I write this is just to play around with things that I want to try out in more "professional" pieces. So, again, sorry if it's bad. Please, let me know what you think! I always love trying to improve as a writer, and feedback can be a huge help. I've said it once and I'll say it again, no matter how far apart the updates become I will finish this story. It might take me a decade, but I'll do it. So for those of you who've been following it for a while, you have my sincerest thanks. I promise that it'll all come to fruition eventually. It just might take a while. Anyways, this note is too long. Enjoy turkey day! But don't forget how actually messed up America's history is. We owe it to the people our ancestors screwed over to at least respect their memory and not water down the hardships they faced. But don't let that stop you from being thankful and loving your family either. Stay safe, peeps! Wear those masks, and keep it cool! PWC