Chapter Three: Flicker

The two "Hylian Guards" quickly jumped back, drawing their blades as their disguises disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing the two masked Yiga Clan members. The Champions took similar precautions, drawing their weapons and adopting their own defensive stances. The whole while, "Link" was scanning the new arrivals, taking in the outfits and weapons that they had drawn.

Urbosa sneered. "Yiga clan members. And I was a fool to trust you two after sharing a few drinks."

Th two assassins glanced at each other. "We just thought it would be pertinent to take advantage of one of your weaknesses, Lady Urbosa. Sadly, you stubborn lot have dug up that useless piece of junk. Do you really believe that some substitute hero will be able to defeat our lord, Ganon? We'll send it to the scrap heap after we finish dealing with you lot!"

Link turned his head to the side, his bright blue eyes lighting up as he finished his scan. "Entry complete. New organization registered: Yiga Clan. Most likely a splinter group that broke off some point after Ganon's defeat 10,000 years ago, these Sheikah clan members seem to follow Ganon and are attempting to take down any who might pose a threat to his return. Yiga Clan have now been registered as enemies in database. Use of force, is authorized in protection. Overriding programming. King's Orders: Protect at All Costs enabled. Will use lethal force if necessary." Link raised his fists, dropping into a rigid combat stance himself. "Kenji and Sabren: enemies. Link established."

The two Yiga Assassins laughed. "Ha! You delusional robot, you think you can take us without any weapons? We'll gut you and then we'll gut your owners!" The left Yiga member, Kenji, lept forward, swinging his sickle down at Link's head. His attack never connected, as the constructs hand gripped Kenji's wrist, stopping the blade barely an inch from his shoulder. The construct turned his gaze toward the man's mask.

His grip tightened, causing the assassin to yelp out in pain. "Hostile, if you continue to engage, I will be forced to take actions towards halting said engagements. This is your final warning. Surrender at once."

Kenji glared at the robot from behind his mask, as he desperately tried to remove his hand from Link's grip. Sabren glanced between the two struggling on the right and the three watching the fight unfold. She tried to slowly approach the three, only to be met with a trident pointed towards her. "Don't even think about it. If you leave now, you two may leave here alive." Mipha warned.

Daruk nodded. "Best not to fight against three Champions and their new robo-buddy with just the two of ya!" He laughed at his own warning.

"We won't be intimidated by you pathetic lot! Our lord Ganon will come soon, and wipe you all out! We cannot show our weakness before him!" Kenji began to struggle against the automaton, pressing his foot against the robot as he tried to free himself. He swung his fist into Link's chest, pounding away in vain. "We won't give in! We won't stop! We will continue to fight until all of you, your kingdom, and your precious princess are all de...AHHH!"

The Yiga assassin screamed in pain as his wrist was broken, causing him to drop the blade he held and fall back to the ground, clutching his injured wrist. "Opponent disarmed. Please surrender in a formal and respectful manner. Failure to comply may result in more grievous injuries." The automaton explained, slowly approaching the downed Yiga member.

The two Yiga assassins looked towards each other, silently nodded, and turned back towards their targets. "This isn't over. Not by a long shot! We'll be back. And when he returns, you'll all be sorry!"

Sabren rushed to Kenji, before vanishing with him in a puff of smoke, leaving behind mighty bananas as well as a few rupees. The three Champions stood at the ready for a few more moments before finally being able to lower their guard, albeit slowly.

"I am confused. Are Yiga members made of bananas and currency?"

Mipha, Daruk, and Urbosa turned towards Link, silently taking in his observation. Mipha was the first to break out of her stupor with a quiet giggle. Daruk followed suit, letting out a hearty chuckle as he wrapped his arm around Mipha's shoulder, enjoying the comedy of the statement together. Urbosa could only smile and shake her head.

Mipha, suppressing her laughing for a few seconds, tried to correct him. "No no, Link, Yiga members are..."

Urbosa pressed her hand over Mipha's mouth, stopping her mid sentence. "Don't. Just this once, don't correct him. It's too good." Mipha looked over at Urbosa, then back to Link who was offering her a confused stare. Mipha giggled before shaking her head.

"It's nothing, Link. You're absolutely right."

Link nodded. "Understood. Logging new development away." He turned towards the rest of the group. "Considering the breach in security, as well as the enemy's ability to disguise themselves well enough to trick you, I suggest that I remain on guard in one of your quarters while you rest, in case of any more intrusions."

Urbosa looked to her fellow Champions. "Well, I suppose that means him being active the whole night. Is either one of you comfortable with him being awake the whole time you're trying to sleep? I'd personally rather him not be in my quarters."

Mipha spoke up as Daruk began to offer his room. "I'll still take him. I don't mind him watching over me. If anything, I may feel safer with him in my room after what just happened!" She laughed a bit, coming across more nervous than she meant to let on. She turned towards Link. "Link, would you mind if you stayed in my room with me tonight?"

Link tilted his head in confusion. "I apologize, Lady Mipha, but I do not 'mind' anything. I follow your orders, so if you wish for me to stay, please say so." He turned towards the other two. "That also goes for you two as well, Lady Urbosa and Daruk."

The two nodded before turning to leave. "Well then, Mipha, we leave him in your very capable hands. If he tries anything in the middle of the night, remember that he can be repaired so don't hold back!" She joked, giving a playful wave goodbye. As they turned the corner. Urbosa shot Daruk a look. "Wait, why did he emphasize your name!?"

Mipha softly laughed before turning back towards Link. "Well then, Link, you will accompany me to my room and watch over me tonight."

Link nodded. "Of course, Lady Mipha. Order recognized." The pair began to make their way down the corridor, finally making it to her room. Upon entering, Link made his way next to the unlit fireplace before standing at attention next to it. Mipha glanced over at him out of the corner of her eye as she removed her Champion's sash as well as resting her trident against the frame of her bed. As she climbed in, she nestled into the pillows, before fully acknowledging her guest. He had a questioning look on his face. "Would you not be more comfortable in water? The Zora are not known for resting in dry locations, thus a standard bed would most likely not be the most comfortable setting for your rest."

Mipha shook her head. "While water is the best place for a Zora to sleep, it is not the only place. I'm sure the water would be more comfortable, but I can still sleep in a regular bed. Thank you for your concern though." She offered a small smile to the stoic robot, eyeing him for any trace of emotions. "Well...goodnight then, Link."

Link nodded. "Good night, Lady Mipha."

Mipha closed her eyes, desperately trying to drift off to sleep after the eventful day she had had. After trying for a few minutes (at least, she thought it was a few minutes) she tried to change positions, resting on her right side, with her legs curled up against her chest and an arm beneath the pillow. She sighed contently and closed her eyes.

Why can't I sleep!?

Mipha frowned as her eyes snapped open once more. She couldn't figure out whether it was the day's events, the bed, or her guest that was causing her restlessness, but whatever it was, it was refusing to let her sleep. As she laid back in the bed, staring straight up at the ceiling, she huffed before shifting her gaze over to the glowing blue orbs softly illuminating the room. The light would be calming if it weren't coming from the strange robot she had met just this afternoon. She examined him, looking for anything that could give away his intentions, any change in expression, anything that might present a threat. Finding none, she sighed, groaning as her head fell back against the pillow.

"Is there something wrong, Lady Mipha?"

She propped herself up against the backboard with a grunt, leaning back against it as she met her gaze with the other being in the room. "No, nothing is wrong, Link. Thank you for asking."

"No problem. It is my objective to make sure you remain in good health."

Mipha sighed. "Hey, Link...can I...ask you something?"

"Lady Mipha, you know that you are my operat..."

"Yes yes, I know I am your operator and can ask you anything. Sorry. So...umm..." she glanced around, trying to find a question. "Do you, have any favorite foods?"

Link shook his head. "Negative. I do not consume food as I do not need the energy from food to function. I can eat, and process food, but I do not need to. Therefore, I do not have a 'favorite food'"

Mipha frowned. "Well, um, do you have a favorite season?" she questioned, hoping to find something to relate to in him.

Link once again shook his head. "Negative, I can operate in any season or condition, though I do cease to function when subjected to lava for any extended amount of time, so I recommend we avoid operating in lava zones for extended periods of time."

Mipha grumbled at the robot failing to show any evidence that he held any sort of emotion or feelings inside of his outer shell. She had hoped that, if she got some alone time with him, she may be able to probe his brain a little and see what he was like. Sadly, her results thus far have been fruitless, leading her to believe that Link had nothing going on inside, and that he was just a robot to be used for their purposes. A small look of disappointment flashed across her face as she stared down at her hands. "Right, silly me. It's not like you have favorites. You are just a piece of technology, after all..." She laughed half heartedly. "It's not like you have a favorite color or anything like that..."

Link opened his mouth to respond to her statement, before retracting his own. Link wandered his archives, trying to find information on how to best resolve her sorrow. While looking through files on comforting people and a list of emotions, he eventually gave up. Without the ability to feel anything, he would be quite unable to assist in making Lady Mipha feel "better" as he struggled with what it would take to bring her out of her current state. He could help with stress, as he knew how to bring down higher heart rates and lower anxiety with common treatments. But sadness? Sorrow? He was lost on the subject, struggling with the idea of empathy. As he was brought out of his archives, he looked back at Mipha, a clear look of sadness still evident on her face. His eyes scanned around her, taking in her features. As he fell upon her skin, his eyes flickered slightly. The event was lost on Mipha, who was still staring down. But after a few second of flickering, his eyes once again lit up, not with the dull glow they usually gave off, but with a light shine to them, as the moonlight glinted off of them. As his gaze softened, he gave the smallest, almost undetectable smile. "My favorite...color?"

Mipha snapped out of her melancholy, her eyes rising to meet his. "What...? O..oh yeah, your favorite color...sorry, I thought you might have one..." she muttered, her eyes lowering to her feet.

"It's red."

Mipha gasped, snapping her attention back up to him at the sound of his voice. It sounded so...soft, caring, full of feeling. As her eyes met his, she found no emotion, the dull glow having returned to his eyes, the same stoic expression as always. "Did...did you say your favorite color was red?" Mipha asked carefully.

Link grew a confused expression. "Favorite color? I cannot have a favorite color, Lady Mipha."

Mipha shook her head, trying to shake them memory from her mind. "You...you're right. My mistake. Goodnight, Link."

"Goodnight, Lady Mipha."

As she laid back down on her side, a single thought drifted into her mind before sleep finally came for her. I didn't imagine it. At least, I don't think I did. Does he actually have a favorite color? As another thought passed through, her consciousness fading from her, her eyes fell upon her hand. And it's...red?

AN: Hey! Writer (Not Writer) here! Hope you've been enjoying the story so far! So, a mysterious flicker? A favorite COLOR? What's happening? We'll just have to find out. As for you guys, I hope to hear from you on how you like the story so far! Have a good day/night/existence, until next time!