When Link spoke to the Captain of the Royal Guard about his concerns, he was surprised to discover the man agreed with him.

"Their resentment is, in a way, understandable. Truthfully, I was afraid this would be a problem, but The King had insisted I incorporate you into my guard as quickly as possible."

Link nodded; he knew. He'd gone from being a soldier in the barracks to a Royal Guardsman in the castle within a single day.

The Captain, Captain Remont, continued, "Perhaps it would alleviate some tensions among the others if you were to complete the initiation exam." He suggested, "I've no doubt you will succeed; I've witnessed your skill with a blade back when you were a mere solider." Captain Remont praised him.

Link forced a smile and nod, but secretly felt apprehensive. That's all he still was—a solider. A solider that happened to be chosen by the sword that seals the darkness and subsequently promoted in rank because of it. He'd skipped knighthood entirely, leaving a hole in his training.

What would happen if he failed to pass the test? Would he be demoted? What would his father think?

These questions plagued his mind up to the morning he was scheduled to complete the Royal Guard's test. Link envisioned himself being defeated almost immediately upon entering battle; the other Royal Guardsmen—those that actually belonged in the Royal Guard—laughing at his pathetic display of swordsmanship, while his father delt with the shame of having such a disappointment for a son.

The thought of disappointing his father after everything he'd done up until now was more painful than any injury he could think of.

The day of the test came up quick; and Link prepared himself best he could prior to meeting The Captain at the training grounds. Instead of his Royal Guard's uniform, he donned his soldier's armor. He didn't wish to wear his uniform again until he'd earned it.

His soldier's gear was much more familiar to him, anyway; the broadsword he'd used many times before fit comfortably in his hand, and the simple, round shield was lighter and easier to balance on his arm than the heavy, metal Royal Guard's shield.

Upon arriving at the training grounds, Link was greeted by The Captain, who then proceeded to explain to him how the test worked.

"Before you challenge me, you will duel three different men from the three divisions of the Royal Guard." He listed them off, "First, a Castle Patrolman. Next, a bodyguard. Then, a Senior Guard."

Link did not need to have the rules of a duel explained to him; he'd been in enough of them to know how they worked. But he was curious about the progression. He would have to fight four different people in succession to pass this test. He saw three figures standing several yards away, just outside the battleground, but they were far enough away he couldn't make out who they were.

He didn't have to wait long though, for one figure stepped forward short after he arrived.

The first fighter was a woman; she was about Link's height, if not a bit taller, and appeared to be middle-aged. Her dark hair was braided back so that it would not interfere with the duel, and she stood confidently across from him on their "battlefield."

"Link, this is Mable; she's one of the patrolmen that guards the perimeter of Hyrule Castle." Captain Remont introduced her, "She will be your first opponent."

He didn't bother introducing Link; it was a rarity for someone working at the castle to not know who he was.

Link didn't enjoy this lack of anonymity, nor the attention that came with it.

Captain Remont stepped away and, after a beat, barked, "Begin!"

As a patrolman, it was Mable's job to lure threats away from the castle, then dispatch them. This meant that her method of fighting was very mobile. Link picked up on this and used it to his advantage; when she moved back to draw him forward, Link also stepped back; throwing her off.

Seeing that her usual tactic wasn't working, Mable tried for a more head-on approach. This was the method Link was most familiar with, and soon they were clashing blades. Mable thrust her sword forward and Link flipped out of the way, performing a back-slice.

Mable quickly turned and put her shield up to block the blow. Link's sword hit her shield hard enough to knock her backwards, and she stumbled.

That was it—Link took the opening and knocked her flat on her back, sword pointed at her throat.

The woman spoke, "I yield."

Link sheathed his sword and immediately offered a hand to help her up.

Mable laughed, taking his hand, "Well, aren't you a gentleman!"

Link gave her a small smile, but said nothing.

The Captain congratulated him, beaming, "Good job, Mable's one of the tougher patrolmen. She's knocked many overconfident knights into their place over the years, but I can see that wasn't the case for you."

Mable scoffed, "Please, this boy's not cocky. He's a bold fighter, but he's not arrogant."

Captain Remont whistled to gather attention, then called out, "Kodah! Get over here!"

Link's ears perked up at the familiar name. Was he going to duel with Kodah next?

The raven-haired, red-eyed young man slowly wandered over to the training area. He had dark rings under his eyes and a sour expression on his face.

"That's right," Link remembered, "he always sleeps during the mornings after his night shift."

No doubt Kodah had just finished guarding Princess Zelda the entire night prior, only to be dragged into a duel with Link immediately after his shift.

Link felt guilty; that wasn't fair.

Captain Remont took no pity. Instead, he growled, "Wake up!"

Kodah drew his sword shook his head, trying to wake himself. He yawned; his efforts proving unsuccessful.

Link drew his weapon, but glanced back at the captain; was this truly going to be a fair fight? He supposed Kodah might be the only available bodyguard, given that both Princess Zelda and King Rhoam's appointed knights would be on duty during the day. But still…

Before he could question it further, the battle began.

Link hesitated for just a moment, then swung the flat of his blade at his opponent. Kodah threw up his shield with surprising speed, blocking the blow. When he put his shield down to retaliate, he looked wide awake—all traces of exhaustion were gone from his eyes.

Link caught the blow with his own shield, and took a vertical strike at Kodah.

Kodah parried the strike—with his sword, oddly enough—then pushed forward, aiming to throw Link off balance in a similar manner he'd done to Mable.

Link used the backwards momentum to execute a backflip, landing safely on his feet a few paces away.

Kodah stood still and watched him, a smirk on his lips.

"Nice." He said.

Link ignored this and charged forward, shield up and his sword ready for a horizontal strike, when suddenly Kodah slammed his shield into his, hard.

Link winced when he heard the wooden center of his soldier's shield splinter and crack. That was a disadvantage to wooden shields; they simply weren't as sturdy as metal. He didn't have time to assess the damage though, for Kodah was already on the offence.

Kodah leaped forward and thrust his sword in a downward stab. Link rolled out of the way at the last moment, only to bite back a yelp when a large fracture of wood from his shield cut into his arm, just above his metal gauntlet.

Kodah was preoccupied with trying to pry his blade free from in-between the cobblestone they were fighting on, and Link took this time to carefully remove his wounded arm from his shield, throwing the useless hindrance aside.

Kodah managed to pull his sword loose just as Link attacked him. Standing up and blocking the blow with his shield, Kodah prepared to execute a shield bash—only this time, Link was ready, and dodged it.

Switching tactics, Kodah dove forward, slash after slash, trying to hit Link. Link dodged each attack skillfully, and retaliated with a well-placed strike of his own. Link's sword hit its mark and Kodah grimaced when the flat of Link's broadsword struck him on the shoulder. Unlike Link, Kodah was not wearing heavy metal armor and chainmail, that blow would likely bruise.

In an unconventional moment of thinking, Kodah kicked Link square in the chest.

Link stumbled backwards and coughed, giving Kodah a confused look. This was supposed to be a swordfight.

Shaking his head, Link recovered swiftly—faster than Kodah was expecting—and in one clean strike managed to smack his opponent's sword out of his hand before he even had a chance to raise his shield.

Kodah stared at him, wide-eyed, and for the briefest of moments, Link thought he saw something akin to nervousness in his eyes. But as quickly as it had come, it was gone—replaced by a tired grin.

Seeing how his opponent was disarmed, Link sheathed his sword.

"I yield." Kodah admitted his defeat, slightly breathless. "Congrats."

Link took a moment to catch his breath, also sparing a glance at his arm, which still throbbed painfully. It didn't appear to be bleeding, though. Good; he could ignore it.

Captain Remont appeared and gave him his praise, but not without reprimanding Kodah,

"Excellent work, Link. You triumphed nobly even when faced with an opponent that fought ignobly." He said the last part with glare directed at Kodah, who seemed oblivious.

Kodah wished him luck before hurrying over to where Mable was standing; interested in watching the rest of the match. The Captain retrieved a spare shield from the training ground armory and handed it to Link.

Link accepted it gratefully, albeit a little embarrassed his shield had broken.

"Your next opponent will be a Senior Guardsman." Captain Remont said, motioning towards the last figure standing outside the grounds.

It was the captain's next words that made Link's blood run cold.

"Alger! You're up next!"

At Captain Remont's command, Link's father—Senior Guardsman Alger of Hateno—stepped forward, weapon drawn.