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Chapter 24: I will not fail

Link leaned back on the bench in the courtyard, relishing the breeze and the fresh air. However, he had come for other things.

Calamity Ganon, Calamity Ganon, Calamity Ganon… he thought as he scanned the table of contents of the thick tome in his lap.

"Ah ha," he whispered triumphantly as he found it. Page 87 - Calamity Ganon.

He thumbed through the pages until he reached the desired point in the book.

"Calamity Ganon is a chaotic being, said to be the pure incarnation of Demise's malice (see page 12). It has appeared time and time again, always in a different form. Some say that it seeks revenge on the Spirit of the Hero (see page 27), due to the hero's vital part in sealing it away."

Spirit of the Hero? Link thought. That sounded important… yet he hadn't read the term in any other book. A lead? he thought excitedly.

Link began to flip the pages back, when suddenly, a familiar, foreboding voice interrupted.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Link drew in the deepest breath possible while remaining indiscrete. He steeled his gaze, and turned his head to the voice.

"I am reading, Sir," Link said blankly to Captain Arduum.

"I can see that," the captain said coldly. "Why are you doing that rather than train?"

Link held up the book, gesturing to the title. "I am researching the Calamity," he explained. It wasn't a complete lie. "After all, knowing your enemy can lead to their downfall."

The captain scoffed, pulling the book from his grasp. "Legends and stories will do nothing to prepare you, boy." The captain waved the book in Link's face. "You will never find first hand accounts of the Calamity in nonsense books like this. First you nearly get the princess killed, and now this? There is nothing to prepare you besides training!"

And with that, the captain tore the book along its spine, slowly and painfully, each rip sending a pang of guilt through Link.

However, the knight showed nothing. The captain saw nothing but the cold and unfeeling exterior.

The captain tossed the book onto the ground, pages scattering. Link met his eyes as blankly as he could, struggling to maintain his emotionless mask. Yet, after years of molding and shaping, the mask would not fall apart so easily.

The captain grabbed Link's shoulders and shoved him to the ground head first, pushing the metal heel of his boot into Link's back. There was no point in fighting it, Link knew. If he tried to stop it, he would only find himself even more bloodied and bruised.

He heard the metal of the captain's armor clank as he leaned down to Link's ear, his heel remaining firm. "You're no scholar or a historian," the captain hissed. "You are a knight. A weapon. Nothing more, nothing less. Understood?"

Link knew that if he spoke, he would break down. He had to maintain his mask of composure at all costs.

So he grunted slightly, incapable of nodding.

"Speak to me, boy!" the captain growled, stabbing his heel into Link's back.

"Understood... Sir," Link breathed through the pain.

The captain raised his heel, leaving something warm and sticky behind on his back. He didn't dare move until ordered to do so, however - that would only cause more pain.

After a strong kick met his side, a large crack ensuing, the captain seemed to be satisfied.

"Stand, Soldier!" the captain barked.

Link pushed himself to his feet, doing his best not to tremble. His side ached something awful, his back and his face not much better.

"Now look me in the eye," the captain ordered.

Link obliged, keeping his face clean of emotion. The captain was a tall man, easily a few feet taller than Link. His piercing eyes, one gray as stone and the other crimson as blood, stared, narrowed, at Link's own. Heterochromia, Link recalled. The trait of two differently colored eyes, normally created by a genetic mutation.

Link winced inwardly, though externally he remained blank as fresh parchment. Stop pretending to sound like you're smart!

The captain grabbed Link's shoulders, his mismatched eyes narrowed and piercing into his very soul. "You will not be found researching again, or so help me, we will have to find a new wielder for the Master Sword. Is that clear, boy?" Boy. Of course. He has never addressed me by name - didn't he say that I was unworthy of such just the other day?

"Very clear, Sir," Link droned.

The captain released his vice grip on Link's shoulders and turned away. "Good. Now get out of my sight, soldier."

"Yes, Sir," Link said blankly, dipping his head.

And so, ignoring the ache all over his body and the flare of pain that shot through his ribs, he forced his legs to carry him towards the training yard.

I will not fail. I will not fail. I will not fail.

"...perhaps if we rewire these areas here," Zelda continued, pointing to a wiring among the contraption scattered about the table. "

"Already tried that," Purah grumbled. "That area seems to have no difficulty - I've been troubleshooting it for weeks. The area I'm not so sure about is - hey!"

Zelda watched as a black ball of fluff seemed to suddenly materialize on the table, tiny paws playing with the wires.

"Kitten, I said no!" Purah groaned. She picked up the tiny creature and dropped it to the floor, where it proceeded to totter quickly towards a string that had fallen from the counters. "Stupid cat," she mumbled.

Zelda laughed. "Since when did you have a kitten, Purah?"

"Why does everyone assume it's mine?" Purah huffed dramatically, throwing her arms in the air for greater effect. "Do I really seem that crazy? No! I don't think so!"

"Well…" Zelda said slowly, an amused smile remaining on her face. "Whose is it?"

"Purah says she can't tell," came a new voice, drawing Zelda's attention to the door of the lab, swinging closed behind Purah's apprentice, Liari. "Said it's a secret or whatever."

"The person I'm watching it for was busy," Purah said, sounding exasperated. "Though I suppose he's back now. I'll have to give it back."

"'He?'" both Liari and Zelda echoed at the same time.

"Yes, 'he,'" Purah mumbled, going back to her work. "Why? Were you convinced that Impa was secretly hiding kittens in her closet?"

Liari laughed heartily. "Impa hates cats with a passion! Why would we think that?" After Liari regained control, she gave Purah a sort of teasing look. "Is he, like, your boyfriend or something?"

At that, Purah shot Liari a disgusted look. "Absolutely not! That boy is like a younger brother to me. I'm already married, anyway."

"Really?" Zelda asked curiously.

"Wait, what?"

Purah pulled her glasses down over her eyes. "Yes, I'm married…" Her arm shot into the air dramatically. "...to science!"

There was silence for a moment.

"Of course," Zelda laughed. It was so obvious. Purah wasn't one to settle down - she would be a scientist and a scholar forever.

Then Zelda heard something. It was akin to a shout or battle cry… but why…?

"Snap," Purah muttered, glancing at the window that was open a few feet away. "I left the window open again."

"What's out there?" Zelda asked inquisitively as Purah made her way to the window.

Purah glanced out the window. "One of the training grounds," she said plainly. "It's a weekend, so we usually don't have anyone out there. A certain appointed knight must be getting bored." Purah gave Zelda a pointed look.

"Sir Link?" Zelda questioned, confused.

Purah nodded.

Zelda frowned and walked to stand beside Purah at the window. Sure enough, there, training fiercely, was a sky-blue clothed Sir Link, swinging the Master Sword at an imaginary foe. "That's strange. He was injured in Gerudo Desert. It's only been a few days - it can't be healed by now."

Purah shrugged. "Why don't you try telling him that?" Purah asked sarcastically.

Zelda turned towards the door. "I think I will," she said, seeming to shock Purah into silence.

By the time Purah had regained her ability to speak, Zelda was long gone.

Purah looked at Liari, who seemed just as confused. "Didn't she hate Link's guts a few weeks ago?" Purah asked.

Liari nodded, but a small smile crept onto her features. "It looks like that's going to change, doesn't it?"

Sorry the chapter is shorter - it was longer before, but I cut it off for the sake of lengthening the next chapter. HOPEFULLY it'll be longer next week.

I'm a bit behind schedule, DESPITE it taking two weeks for this chapter to come out. I was taken on a surprise trip last week, which may or may not have sucked. But I'm back now, and I hate traveling more than ever! Yay... SO ANYWAY, if I delay updating next week, a surprise trip that I'm taken on against my will is most likely going to be the cause. You'd think I'd have MORE freetime now that it's summer...

This chapter is a bit rough - I didn't do a ton of revising over the last couple of weeks, so it's still in earlier stages of development. Hopefully I'll be able to come back and fix it up later, but that's only if I can manage to finish next chapter and write another in the next two days. Woo... SO, if you see any problems or have any suggestions, it would be absolutely WONDERFUL if you could put 'em in a review/pm!

Thank you for all of your support, y'all!

Sincerely (or maybe that's just the exhaustion talking),

Ari