notaname: yee

Chapter 28: The Beast of the Laboratory

"You're still healing - your ribs could definitely be in better shape, but… I suppose you'll be fine. You can go back to your duties."

Link nodded to the healer. He had tried to escape the watch of the healers, but because the princess had insisted he be healed back then, the medical personnel of the castle had kept him under their radar.

Finally, he was free. He could be useful. Or, at least as useful as a bodyguard could be in a high security castle.

So off he went, as far away from the infirmary as possible.

It was still early in the morning - the sun had barely risen. Those healers and their insane schedules… though he suspected that the healers dragged him to the infirmary so early just to make sure he didn't run off on them.

Because of the earliness of the day, that meant that breakfast was still being prepared, meaning the princess was still in her room. He would be able to switch with the guard, and all would finally go back to normal.

Except this time, I'll be better, Link told himself. I won't make the same mistakes again. He would take his duties more seriously now. No more slip ups.

Link resisted the urge to yawn and rub his eyes. Yes, he was tired, but he had spent too much time doing nothing. Besides… he wouldn't be getting much sleep anyways. He was weak to allow things as small as bad dreams to keep him from sleeping, but it was the way things were, and he was gradually starting to accept that. At least sleep (well, the lack thereof) did not keep him from doing his job.

It wasn't long before he reached the entrance to the princess's quarters. He nodded to the guard on duty, signaling, and they exchanged places in practiced silence. It was important to be silent when on duty unless spoken to. Guards could be intimidating to the residents, so it was best that they were quiet - that way, there was always less attention paid to them.

Link took up the post expertly, standing stiffly before the door. If he was being entirely honest, he would have never been able to stand guard duty if it weren't for his training with Impa. Despite her being young when she had started training him (though she certainly had help from Dame Rala), she had done so expertly. Impa was certainly a force to be reckoned with - she had successfully completed her warrior training by age fifteen.

She definitely hadn't gone easy on him, as he could recall. Sheikah training was… not for the faint hearted. He remembered with a shiver his first test - one he recalled regularly and vividly.

"This is your first test," the younger Impa had said sternly. "Are you prepared?"

The younger Link, so very enthusiastic and oblivious, had nodded eagerly.

"Stand up straight," Impa had ordered. The younger him obliged. "You are not to move from this spot until I come back to get you. If you slouch, you fail. If you shuffle your feet, you fail. If you leave before I come back to get you, you fail. Understood?"

She left him there at noon. She didn't return until the sun had risen the next day. And at midnight… it had begun to rain.

But he stayed there, cold and shivering. He had become grievously ill because of it, spending the next week sniffling and shivering, with a fever as fiery as Death Mountain. Because of that, however, he had definitely gotten bonus points.

At least he was good at one thing - standing in one place and doing nothing.

That morning, Zelda decided to rise early (it was long before breakfast), to visit Purah in the lab. She was often described as a morning person - she rose with the sun, sometimes before it, with as much energy as some would have after hours of wakefulness. So she got up, dressed, gathered some of her books, and made her way to the door.

The moment it opened properly, she nearly dropped her books.

There was Sir Link, who stepped stiffly to the side as she shuffled out of the doorway, blank as always and looking fine and healthy.

He's better already? He had to be - the healers wouldn't let him anywhere near his job until he had been sufficiently healed.

Zelda smiled at him as kindly as she could. "Feeling better, Sir Link?" she asked.

Her knight nodded emotionlessly in response. She had to force her smile to stay on her face as, with a pang, she recalled how he had acted before her just a week or so earlier.

"Well," she said, "I am heading to Purah's lab before going to breakfast. I suppose you will be accompanying me?"

He nodded silently.

"Very well, then," Zelda said, clearing her throat. "Let's be off, then."

When she turned away and began walking away, her face hidden from the knight that trailed behind her, she allowed herself to frown.

That night a week prior… though not nearly as much as some people, he had been far more open and talkative. And it wasn't like he had been talking about anything too important - he had been talking about spices. Spices! It was quite clear that he was fond of food, and experienced at preparing it, too. He not only talked about spices - he knew them.

He was smarter than she had once believed. She had once thought his silence to be because of a lack of intelligence… but now, after allowing herself to open her eyes and truly see him, she could see that, even now, quiet intellect simmered behind his eyes.

There was so much she didn't know about him, she realized. He followed her and protected her daily (well, not so much in the last couple weeks) with the dedication of a loyal canine. He heard her constant ramblings to herself, might know her better than her own father, and yet… she didn't even know that much about him.

As she made her way to the lab, her silent guardian's presence reassuring her that she was completely safe, she reviewed everything she knew about him.

Before becoming her appointed knight, Sir Link had been a member of the Royal Guard. His rank within it, how long he'd been a member, and his relationship with the other royal guards was unknown to her.

He was a student of Lady Impa, and one of her favorites. Impa rarely favored anyone over another, so that was definitely something to his name. He wasn't even a Sheikah… which begged the question of how he came to be under Impa's mentorship. He could have Sheikah blood in him - it wasn't strange for someone to be half Sheikah or quarter Sheikah and still look Hylian. Rarer, yes, but not impossible.

None of that was particularly interesting to Zelda. It was all the "Typical of a hero" nonsense that had caused her to shun and verbally abuse him out of jealousy. No, she wasn't proud of that act of childish envy and resentment, but it was in the past now.

The most interesting thing she knew about him would have to be his hobby of cooking. As that cook, Athi, had told her… Link had risked getting in trouble with Captain Arduum just to spend a few hours cooking every night. And then there was...

"They want someone stoic and strong. Ensuring their faith is my duty to the kingdom. I will not fail."

She shook her head with a sigh, continuing down the halls. While she had moped about not finding her powers… while she had pranced about, researching and doing whatever she pleased… her knight had taken on the burden of having all eyes upon him. The people had long since accepted that their princess was failing at her duty, but Link… he had succeeded right away. Because of that, he was, as of then, the sole form of insurance that they would defeat the Calamity.

Yet another reason to unlock her powers soon.

/

It wasn't long before they reached Purah's lab. Zelda was a bit concerned, however - from inside, she could hear muffled enraged shouting.

Zelda glanced back at Link - er, Sir Link, who stood stiffly behind her. She shot him a hesitant smile, before turning to the door.

"...GET AWAY FROM MY SUPPLIES, YOU VICIOUS BEAST!"

"I think that now may not be the best time to come in…" Zelda mused aloud as she watched Purah pluck the black poof from the table from the scruff.

The kitten did not take kindly to being treated so roughly, flailing its tiny paws in the air and growling in protest.

Purah only then noticed her guests. "Oh, hello, Zellie, Linky," she greeted. "This little - monster," she grunted as it flailed harder, "-has been causing me some issues." Purah dropped the flailing kitten onto the floor, where it quickly darted for the open door.

Zelda moved to close the door, but she stopped halfway into the action.

The kitten was twining itself around her knight's legs, purring in contentment as it brushed his boots. Then it parted, looking up at him with its big yellow eyes, and mewed feebly.

The scene was too cute not to smile at.

Giving into the little feline's plees, Sir Link bent down and gently brought it into his arms before standing again.

"It still favors you, eh?" Purah asked suddenly, causing Zelda to glance between the scientist and her knight in confusion.

Link glanced up at Purah. Zelda could be wrong… but she thought that his left eyebrow raised slightly.

Purah waved her hand, as if she were waving off her own question. "Eh, Not important. Just keep the beast occupied while I talk with Zelda - you're good at that sort of thing."

Link - Sir Link - nodded before looking back down at the floof purring in his arms, gently brushing its fur with his fingers.

Seeing him like this reminded her, once again, that there was little she knew about him. The image of the Hylian Champion cradling a kitten in his arms was definitely not one she wanted to forget anytime soon.

She stared a moment, committing the scene to memory, before Purah dragged her towards her messy workspace excitedly.

"Come on, you have to see what I found out!" Purah said eagerly. "I was up all night putting it together!"

Zelda looked over the notes that Purah threw down in front of her. At first, they seemed relatively normal… but then she got to the newest notes, all scribbled down in a quick, excited scrawl.

Her eyes widened as she realized what it was. "You mean… you've actually figured out what we need to control them?"

Purah nodded in delight. "Yes! All we need is this mineral, which can be added to a certain area within the guardian's infrastructure to boost its command taking process." her demeanour fell, leaving her a bit saddened. "But the lab ran out of this mineral when we made more ancient cores - it seems the ancient Sheikah were quite fond of it, so their technology practically ran on the stuff."

"Where is this mineral found?" Zelda asked.

Purah shot her a suspicious look. "The last time I told you the location of something, you ran off, by yourself, and nearly got yourself killed. I'm not falling for that a second time, Princess."

"I promise that I won't go on my own," Zelda said sincerely. She had learned her lesson - last time she had nearly met her death at the hands of the Yiga. Besides… what was the point of running when she had a knight who was perfectly capable of protecting her? "You want the mineral as much as I do, don't you?"

Purah groaned. "Yes, but I can send anyone else to get it. If you get hurt out there, I will be the one who gets in trouble."

"I'll be fine," Zelda insisted. "I haven't been able to get out in weeks. This'll be good for me!" It wasn't in any way a lie. She longed to be outside - she had hardly seen the sun since returning from the Gerudo, and she was becoming a bit restless.

"Fine," Purah huffed. "The mineral is found around the base of Death Mountain, along the path Northeast from Woodland Stable."

Woodland Stable… the last time she had been there... Zelda shook her head, quickly forced away the guilt inducing memories. "That won't be too long," Zelda mused aloud. "I doubt my father would mind too much."

Purah sighed. "Alright then." The Sheikah scientist turned to Link. "Linky, you up for a trip?"

The knight in question, who was still absently stroking the kitten in his arms, looked up at Purah. He tilted his head.

"Were you not listening?" Purah asked with a teasing annoyance. "That's unlike you. Something on your mind?"

Link quickly shook his head. "What was the question?" he asked.

"The princess is going to retrieve some materials for me over by Woodland Stable," Purah explained. "Are you up for it?"

Link nodded without hesitation. "When?" he asked, much too Zelda's surprise.

"Hmm…" Purah turned back to Zelda. "When would you like to leave? I'm sure the servants could have you packed up by tomorrow morning."

Zelda nodded. "That ought to be fine." She looked towards Link. "Is that alright with you, Sir Link?"

Link - Sir Link - nodded silently.

"It's settled then!" Zelda said, clapping her hands together. "Tomorrow, we're off to Woodland Stable!"

Settled, Zelda? You sure about that? Y'all know what's coming. ;)

Oof. Sorry for the late chapter! I had some difficulties getting this chapter out, for those of you who didn't see the note (should be deleted by now). I have no guarantees that it won't happen again, but (this is going to sound insane) with school coming back up, I'll probably be able to maintain a stable schedule from here on out. Why? Because no one can drag me anywhere on a school night! MUAHAHAHAHAAAaaaa...

Speaking of oofs with chapters... it turns out that chapter 28 is bad luck. I saw in my doc manager that the original chapter 28 (for the original Before) was titled, and I quote: "Before Chapter 28: PLZ WORK, I'M BEGGING YOU." So... yeah. Oof.

If you haven't already, I do have a oneshot that is (by the looks of it) going to become a short, three or so chapter story. It's based solely around pre-Before (The rewrite, because the original... not even I understand the original anymore :/), so it might be interesting to you readers. I might have to make it required reading for Before (The Rewrite) at some point, because I have too much backstory for Link, gosh darn it! I am planning a much longer pre-Before (The Better One) story focusing on his backstory, but that story won't cover the period of time the oneshot/short story is based around, nor will it come out before Before (The Rewrite) is completed.

Haven't edited this chapter a ton (At all. I usually look over it before uploading, but I'm tired from traveling/being lazy), so if you catch any errors, it would be GREAT if you pointed them out!

Thank you all for your support! You're all way too kind to me! (No, seriously! My cat is meaner than you! Well... bad comparison, but STILL)

Don't forget to review! :)

Sincerely (maybe),

Ari~