Welcome back! I realized I didn't post the edited version of chapter 1 last time so I apologize for that. Anyway, chapter two starts to dive into more of the story. Welcome to grown up Link and a few familiar characters. If you like it, leave a like and please don't forget to review. I'd love to know what you think of where I'm taking this story.

Chapter 2

"Who's the new guy?" Groose asked the soldier sitting beside him in the mess hall as he ran a large hand gently over his signature red pompadour. The transferee had been going on, loudly, about all the thing's he had heard about their Princess Zelda. Most of the things he was saying were far from respectful. While Groose agreed that Princess Zelda was a fox, He knew better than to speak that way in this company.

"Can anyone confirm that?" The ginger new guy said, smirking. "I heard her ass is…"

Everyone was silent and staring at the doorway. The new guy turned to look and a young, blond haired, blue eyed knight stood in the doorway.

"I will not tolerate that kind of talk from my men." The blond youth said firmly.

The new guy felt cocky upon looking at this young man. He was clearly way too young to be of any authority. He lifted his chin at the younger man, "And what is it to you?"

The boy calmly stared down the newcomer. From the corner of his eye, the new guy could see a few of the other knights shaking their head as if to tell him to quit while he was ahead. Who did this guy think he was?

In the blink of an eye, the boy had a sword to the new guy's throat. "It is a matter of honour. I will not have my men speaking about any woman that way, much less our princess."

The new guy stood up in anger, knocking the bench he'd been sitting on over in the process. "What's your problem? I'll kick your ass!" The new guy went to pull his sword from his side.

The youth used the flat of the blade to knock his hand away from the pommel of his sword. "There will be no fighting in the mess. We will take this outside."

The boy turned on his heel and paced out the door to the practice yard. The new guy stood there stunned for a moment then turned to the soldier nearest him, "Who is that guy?"

"That's Link. He is the best fighter here… by far." The soldier responded.

"Well he has never fought me!" The new guy said stubbornly as he followed Link outside.

Out in the yard, Link was waiting with his sword in hand in the practice ring. Everyone in the mess hall followed the new guy outside. He took his spot across from Link and everyone formed a circle around the ring.

"You'll regret messing with the great Mido!" Said the new guy as he drew his sword. Link only held the sword at ready – an invitation to begin.

Mido launched forward in an assault slashing and bashing downward with his sword. Link blocked three attacks before pushing in and body checking Mido backwards to create some space between them. The two circled each other and Mido launched in again, this time with a horizontal strike. Link blocked it again and this time hit Mido with the flat of his sword in the side.

Mido smirked at what he thought was a missed opportunity for Link to finish the battle. He'd been clumsy but he'd been lucky. Everyone else watching was smirking for a different reason though. They all knew it had been done purposely.

Mido started to lunge to the side with a strike but deeked the other way last moment and did another horizontal slice. Link parried the blade and tapped Mido with the flat of the sword on his rear as he went by. The audience roared with laughter and Mido raged. He launched in with an all out offensive. Slash, strike, slash, swipe! One after another his attacks came. Somewhere in his flurry, he managed to hit Link in the gut with the pommel of his sword. Link grunted and bent over. This was his chance! He swung his sword in a downwards strike but Link shot to the side and came in with unbelievable speed with a flurry rush of his own. Mido was flat on his back, his sword on the other side of the ring before he even knew what happened. He did a mental check of his body – only bruises. Link had been careful to only use the flat of the blade during the entire fight.

The battle was over and Link sheathed his sword at his side as he turned to walk away. Mido wasn't done yet. He stood up then ran in and tackled Link. The two fell to the ground and Mido punched the back of Link's head repeatedly. Link bucked his back end up, throwing Mido's balance off and rolled out from under his opponent. Just then, two swords were at Mido's throat, effectively holding him in place.

Link looked to the two soldiers. Groose and Cawlin had gone from bullies to loyal friends over the years. When Link had come back from Zora's Domain, the next time they tried to beat him up, he'd been ready and was able to take all three of them down. They never messed with him again and eventually, they even came to like him even though he was younger and much more skilled than they were.

Link nodded to them and Groose turned to Mido. "This is finished." There was no arguing with the statement. When Mido looked around, he saw all of the onlookers ready to charge in – hands on pommels. This really was over. He looked to Link and bowed his head in defeat.

"If I hear you speaking that way again, I won't go easy on you." Link said flatly once he was standing. At that, he turned and walked back into the mess hall.

Morning class started with an announcement. Those graduating the knight's academy at the end of the week were invited to a ball in their honour. The king and princess would be there so they were to be on their best behaviour. The instructor read off a list of names of those graduating.

"Link, Groose, Cawlin, Strich, Mido…" He went on listing the names but Groose, Cawlin and Strich all looked to each other grinning, then over to Link. At long last! They were graduating and would be knighted!

Link looked over to Mido who only scowled at him back. The others who were graduating were all looking around still. About half of the class would be graduating. The academy was well known for being the toughest in all of Hyrule to graduate from but those who did, would almost be assured a spot in the Royal Guard.

"There will also be a tournament." The instructor announced to the class. That brought everyone's attention back to him. "The winner shall become Princess Zelda's appointed knight."

A murmur went over the students gathered. That was a lifetime appointment. The only one who would rank higher was the King's appointed knight. The stakes were high.

"The tournament will be held in three week's time. The ball shall be held on the last day of the tournament. Do not miss it. Instead of class, you may use the rest of the week to practice. Dismissed."

At the end of the week, the graduation ceremony was a non-event. Those graduating were given a Hylian shield and a certificate. Upon receiving it, there was no further honours held for the graduates until the tournament and the ball. The next two weeks were their own.

Link quickly stowed his certificate in his room, packed his things and set out to find his father.

Of course, his father already knew he was graduating but he still wanted to see him before he set out. Link found him in his room. When Link was 10 years old, they had assigned him his own quarters so he rarely saw his father. As fortune had it, today was his father's day off.

The older man sat in his chair, icing his shoulder. Years of swordplay had worn away at the joint and though he could still fight like any royal guard, the damage seemed to stick with him longer than it had in his youth. He looked up to his son as he came in. "So, you're leaving."

Link nodded.

"Where do you plan to go?" He could wager some guesses but the answer surprised him more than he had expected it to.

"The Lost Woods." He said. As usual, he didn't offer up much more than the basics.

The older man blinked in surprise. "The Lost Woods? Why?"

Link looked down. He'd never been great at expressing himself. "I… feel I've been summoned there."

"Summoned? What do you mean?" His father was confused and alarmed. The stories of those who couldn't find their way out of the Lost Woods were… disturbing. Even if he did find his way out, would he be back in time for the tournament and ball?

Link shook his head. He couldn't explain it but he looked his father in the eyes, "I will be back in time for the tournament. I promise."

There was a surety in his voice that his father hadn't heard before. He only nodded, forced to trust that his son was capable of what he said he would do.

With that, the boy left.

Link took the East road from Castle Town and followed the road North at the fork. Shortly, he passed a stable bustling with activity from mostly travelling merchants. He kept his distance, not wanting to delay his journey any more than was necessesary and continued along the road North.

Soon, he came to a wooded area. After a few steps, the fog became thick. When it cleared, he was not where he had been before. The path was lighted by torches and trees with ominous faces carved into them surrounded him. He looked behind him and it was more of the same. This must be the Lost Woods.

He walked to the torches and stopped. He looked to his right and saw another set of torches. He walked toward them and to the left, he saw another set of torches. So far so good so he followed the torches until there were no more. He was deep in the woods at this point. He could no longer see where the path led and he could understand how people became lost here. He looked down and saw a tree branch. He picked it up and lit the end before walking further into the woods. There was no wind and yet the flames seemed to blow in a certain direction. He followed where the flames blew then stopped when they appeared to blow in a new direction. He followed along where the flames showed him. He wasn't sure how long it took for people to turn into stal monsters in the Lost Woods but with no other indications of how to navigate the woods, he continued to follow the flames.

When he was certain he'd become hopelessly lost, the flames changed direction again and he looked toward where they pointed and saw that the woods seemed to open up and a different sort of light shone through. He walked towards the new area and spotted little creatures peeking at him from behind leaves but as he drew closer, they disappeared. Soon, they became more brazen and he could see that the leaves were actually their faces. What were these creatures? They seemed more curious than threatening so he pretended not to notice them.

Soon, he came to a clearing with a massive tree in the center. More of those little creatures scuttled about and a few didn't bother hiding from him. When he got near to them, he could hear a rattling sound that seemed to come from them but couldn't quite figure out what the exact source of the noise was.

Right before the tree was what had summoned him here.

A stone triangle pedestal was elevated from the surrounding grass and in the center of it was a blade.

He walked slowly up to it. It was finely crafted – the best he had ever seen. The pommel was a deep purple with a winglike cross guard and the Triforce emblazoned on the hilt. As he reached out to touch it, he heard a creaking sound and a deep voice.

"Hmmm… Who have we here? Ahhh…. You've returned, Young Hero."

Link looked up, startled to see the source of the voice. The enormous tree seemed to be looking down at him. What did he mean that he had returned? Link had never been here before.

"Oh… what's this? You are not the same one as before. Tell me, what is your name?" The tree questioned. Link got a sense of awe from the tree. One this size must be ancient. What had this tree seen before? Had he seen the Calamity Ganon from 10,000 years ago as the legend told?

"My name is Link, Great Tree." Link responded with a bow.

The tree seemed to chuckle and the leaves shook as he did so. Link noticed more of the little creatures peeking out at him. "I've not been called that in a long, long time. Many have called me the Great Deku Tree. I even watched over a lad just like you once who called me that." The tree spoke fondly of the memory. His face then grew serious. "You are here because the sword calls you. Only one worthy of becoming it's master can pull it from the pedestal. A few have come before you and challenged the trial of the sword. As you can see, the sword still remains in its resting spot."

Link looked down at the sword before him. "What happened to those who tried and failed?"

The tree was silent for a moment before answering gravely, "The sword took their lives. It is the price of failure."

Link nodded. These were the stakes. Was he worthy of the blade? It had called him here so surely it must have seen something in him.

He carefully took hold of the pommel and just as he was about to pull, he was transported to a new area. He looked around and spotted three red bokoblins in the distance. He then looked down at himself. He was in only his undergarments with the sword in his hands. Had he pulled the sword out? Did this mean he had been found worthy?

Suddenly, a soft, feminine voice cut through his mind. The Trial of the Sword will test your worthiness. Survive the trial and you shall become my master.

Link looked down at the sword in his hand and nodded. He looked up at the bokoblins as they turned and noticed him and lifted the blade to defend himself. As the first one swung a primitive wooden club at him, he blocked the attack easily and sliced the bokoblin clear in two. He turned to face the other two. One had a bow and the other had another club. Link dodged an arrow from the far one and narrowly avoided being hit with the club by the closer one. Link ducked and stabbed at the nearest bokoblin and it cried out as it died. He pulled the blade from the body just as an arrow pierced the dying creatures flesh. Ducking down, he sprinted to the remaining bokoblin before it could string another arrow and buried the blade into it's heart. The creature died quickly and disappeared in a puff of smoke along with the other two bodies. A circle in the ground lit up nearby.

Cautiously, Link walked towards it and stepped into it. The room melted away and reformed with new monsters. These ones stronger than the last. He worked his way through each of the challenges, each one becoming more difficult until at last, he faced a lynel.

As he stepped off the glowing circle, he couldn't help noticing the skeletons of warriors who had come previously. He bowed his head in respect then looked up to face his foe.

The lynel seemed to wait for him, eyeing Link down as Link also sized up the creature. It's horselike body was golden with brown stripes running down its sides. Where the neck would have been on a horse, a similarly patterned, muscular human-like torso stood upwards finished with a small, catlike face framed by a majestic white mane. Two vicious looking black horns protruded from the beast's forehead.

The fearsome beast roared in fury and charged towards him with a savage blade. As it swept across the ground where Link had been standing, he timed his backflip perfectly to dodge the hit. Time seemed to slow down as an opening appeared and he rushed in for a flurry attack, slashing and stabbing at the muscular midsection of the humanlike torso. The beast roared again in rage and reared back. Link saw another opportunity and leaped onto the creature's back slashing away as it bucked and reared to try to throw him off. Soon, he was tossed to the ground but not until after he'd left the beast bleeding from the front and back. As he landed, the beast shot a fireball at him. Heat seared his tunic as he narrowly escaped the flames. The beast charged again and Link managed to backflip out of harms way. Yet again, time seemed to slow and an opening appeared. Link leaped and stabbed the blade deep into the creature's eye. He pulled the blade out, using his feet for leverage and leaped back prepared to continue the battle but the beast collapsed, defeated. It disappeared in a puff of dark smoke and the now familiar circle lit up.

As Link stood up straight to walk to the circle, the voice returned to him. You've proven your worth, Hero. Return to the forest and pull free the Master Sword.

That was it? He'd completed the trial. Link walked towards the circle and found himself back where he'd stood originally with his hands on the pommel. He lifted the sword and felt his energy draining as the sword inched free. Just as he felt that he was about to drop, the blade slipped free and he stumbled backwards. As he regained his composure, straightened and looked at the blade in his hands. In triumph, he lifted the sword skyward.

"Master of the Sword that Seals the Darkness, you shall face many trials. When the reincarnation of the demon Demise returns, you will need to face him. Prepare yourself. Rest here before you continue on." The Great Deku Tree said.

Link nodded and saw an opening in the tree trunk. He could see a light inside and some of those little creatures inside. He walked up the stairs that led to the opening and the little creatures didn't run hiding. They came up to him, surrounding his feet, "Hero! You've returned! You pulled the blade free! We're saved!"

"Not yet we're not. He still has to face the ancient evil before we can be saved!" Another responded.

"Quit smothering him! Give him some room! Hero, we have a bed for you to sleep in. We Koroks have been waiting a very long time for you to return." A third one said. Link looked beyond this one and spotted a leafy spot that they had referred to. This is what constituted a bed for these creatures but was much too small for Link. Regardless, he was thankful as he was exhausted from the trial and whatever the sword had done when he pulled it free. He sat down on the pile of leaves and examined the blade. It was a flawless design and despite all the fighting he had done with it already and the centuries it had rested in the pedestal, there didn't appear to be a mark on it.

"I brought you more leaves! You're so big, we didn't expect to need a bigger bed, Mr. Hero."

Link looked at the little creature and smiled as it lay down the leaves. "Hey, what do you mean when you say I've returned? I have never been here before."

The creature tilted it's head at him quizzically. It didn't appear to have eyes or a mouth so it was hard to decipher it's expression, "You're the hero. You always return. Maybe not in this life, but your soul always returns for the sword."

"My soul?" Link looked down at his hands. Was that what made him worthy?

Once the pile of leaves was made big enough for him, he lay down and was surprised at how comfortable it was. He rested the blade against the wall and quickly fell asleep.

When he woke, he found a scabbard beside him that perfectly fit the sword.

A nearby Korok spotted him awake and waddled over, "We made this scabbard for you, Mr. Hero, to protect the blade."

Link smiled in return. "Thank you."

He lifted it up and swung it over his shoulder. It fit him perfectly too. He stood up and stretched. He felt renewed! After testing out pulling the blade free of the scabbard and sheathing it again a few times, he was satisfied and anxious to move on. As he started walking towards the path to the Lost Woods, the Great Deku Tree's deep voice stopped him.

"Hero of Hyrule, I pray that time is on our side but I sense an impending evil soon to break loose. Be prepared and seek out the descendant of Hylia. The two of you together must seal away the forces of darkness."

Link nodded and turned to walk out of the forest.

The path out was just the opposite of the way he had come and he found himself back where he'd started. He followed the path back to where he'd seen the stable. When he got there, he found that only one day had passed. He still had plenty of time before the tournament. Perhaps it was time to see some of the world. He was at the foot of Death Mountain and Zora's Domain wasn't that much further either… He forked over 50 rupees to rent a horse from the stable, tied his belongings to the saddle and headed off towards Death Mountain.

The road took him a great deal of the way but soon, it became too hot for the horse's hooves. He dismounted and let the horse roam. It might stay nearby but if not, the stable keeper had assured him the horses know their way back. He took his belongings from the saddle, drank down a flame-proof elixir and continued up the mountain. The heat was intense but the elixir made it bearable for him. As he proceeded up the mountain, little lizards started darting along the path before him. He heard a strange sound and when he rounded the corner, he came face to face with several monsters with piglike faces.

He pulled his sword free of the scabbard and swung at the first red bokoblin to get to him. He severed it's head in one blow and the next one was right behind it. He ducked under it's swinging sword and drove the blade up under it's rib cage. The creature croaked and dropped when he pulled the blade free. He spun to avoid another attack from a blue bokoblin and sliced the blade through it's spine. More of the creatures rushed him then and he quickly dispersed of them with a spin attack. One of the blue creatures remained and before it could attack him, he defeated it with a jump attack, piercing the blade down the creature's neck.

The blade was covered in purple blood and Link realized he didn't have anything to clean it off with. Just then, a voice caught his attention.

"Way to go, little guy! Wow! I didn't think a Hylian could get that strong! Come with me! I'll make you the best roast you've ever had! I can't believe what I just saw! We should be Brothers!" The big, white bearded Goron chattered on. Link smirked and nodded. He was hungry so he wouldn't turn down a free meal.

Link followed the Goron back to his house. The big, brown Goron was a more or less rounded creature like many of his race with a disproportionately small, round head, though his beard gave the impression of a larger head than he really had. He had massive arms and hands and tiny legs. A chain wrapped from shoulder to hip and held an enormous stone crusher to his back. He learned the Goron's name was Daruk and that he was a well respected Goron warrior. Link had met a few Gorons over time but they had mostly been travelling merchants. He liked Daruk immediately though.

Link sat down on the floor in Daruk's house as Gorons weren't big on chairs and listened to his new friend chatter on. "Wow, little guy, that was really impressive! I've never met a Hylian who could fight like that. Hey, what's that sword you're carrying?" He looked closer at it with his beady black eyes and he gasped, "Could it be…. The Master Sword?"

The Goron came closer to inspect it. "Gee, it sure is dirty! Here, use this to clean it off!" He handed Link some sort of flameproof sponge and Link set to cleaning off the blade. Soon, it was good as new and he placed it back in the scabbard.

"That's pretty neat, little guy! Oh! The roast is almost ready! Dig in!" Daruk lifted the roast onto the counter and to Link's dismay, it was a rock roast. He should have known. He didn't want to offend his host though so he took a little piece and swallowed the pebble whole. He did his best not to grimace and Daruk just laughed.

"That's the way, little guy! Say, what's your name anyway?"

Link swallowed another pebble and was glad to get to chat instead of eat. "I'm Link."

The Goron took a big bite of the rock roast and with a full mouth, asked, "So tell me the story of how you got that blade!"

Link went on to tell him of his journey into the lost woods, then meeting the Great Deku Tree, the trial of the sword, the little Koroks and their leaf bed and finally, making his way here. He made sure not to leave out any details for by the time he was finished, Daruk had eaten the whole rock roast.

"Gee, sorry little guy! I didn't mean to eat it all! Are you still hungry?" He scratched the back of his head looking around for something to feed him.

Link just laughed, "It's ok. I have provisions." He pulled out a sandwich he'd grabbed from the kitchen before he left and started chomping into that. He saw the horrified look on the Goron's face and just laughed, "Hylians can eat things other than rocks."

Daruk cleared his throat and did his best not to look so disturbed but that news clearly didn't sit well with him.

The rest of the evening was spent with the two sharing stories with each other of their pasts. Link's time in the academy as well as his time in Zora's Domain. The friends he'd met there and his time in the Big Bad Bazz Brigade… it made him want to go there even more. He wondered if they would remember him. Daruk told him about his childhood and how he was afraid of dogs. The two were fast friends and Daruk insisted they become sworn brothers. Link didn't really understand it but he got the idea it was a pretty big deal amongst the Gorons and took it as an honour. He stayed the night at Daruk's house and in the morning, the two headed down the side of the mountain. Daruk insisted he knew a shortcut to the domain and wanted to show him the way.

At the foot of the mountain, they parted ways, waving good bye and Link promising to visit his new friend again some day.

Before him was Zora's Domain and his old friends were somewhere in there.

As he walked along the Great Zora Bridge, some of the elders eyes bugged out at the sight of the blade on his back. He could hear them whispering in awe, "Could it be?" "Is that the sacred blade?"

He suddenly became self-conscious about it. Sealing the darkness would be a great task but… was he up to it?

Soon he spotted a familiar red-scaled Zora and though he was happy to see her, his previous thoughts made it hard to smile.

"Link! Is it really you? My you have grown!" Mipha smiled warmly at him. She was shorter than him now and though she didn't look like she had aged a day since the last time he saw her, he did take notice of her more feminine qualities that he hadn't had as much of an eye for as a child. "The others will be so happy to see you!"

She took his hand and led him towards where a bunch more familiar youths gathered. "Bazz, Rivan, Gaddison, look who is here!"

It took a moment for Link to recognize them since they had grown since Link last saw them. Gaddison was more of a silvery, grey than the other two and wore a more feminine chest plate than the other two had. The fishlike tail on the back of her head hung lower down her back than the others as well. Rivan was a darker blue, nearly black with a lighter blue webbing on the fins on his forearms. Bazz was similar in colour to Rivan but had fins that were more transparent and was clearly the more accomplished warrior with more ornamental armour.

The three blue Zora looked up and grinned their pointy-toothed grins at him, "You're back! The brigade is finally reunited!" Bazz said.

"It's so good to see you! You got big!" Rivan exclaimed, taking a step back.

Gaddison was behind him examining the sword on his back. "Hey, what's this, Link? What a fine sword!"

Link looked down at the ground, suddenly uncomfortable.

Mipha noticed the change in Link from the last time he was here and frowned with concern. She looked at the blade and suddenly realized what may have caused the change in her friend. "Link… Is that…. The Master Sword? How did you find it?"

Link hadn't thought much about the consequences of having the legendary sword. When the blade had summoned him, he hadn't even really known it was the blade calling out to him – only that he had to go to it. Once he saw it resting in the pedestal before him, he had thought only of claiming it for himself. It wasn't until he'd come to the domain and felt all the eyes on him that he realized that he would be responsible for saving them. The blade reminded them of the return of a great evil. If he failed…

Mipha quickly realized this wasn't something Link was prepared to talk about and changed the subject. "Link, you have grown. It must have been… at least 15 years since you were last here. Tell me, are you a knight yet?"

Link nodded, more comfortable with this subject. The tournament was coming fast so he was hoping to do some training with his Zora friends beforehand.

"I see…" Said Mipha looking down. "So I guess you won't be staying for long…"

Link felt sad at the realization as well and just shook his head.

Mipha nodded. "I understand." She paused then looked up smiling sweetly, "Well, I guess we might as well make the most of it then!"

A shadow of a smile crossed Link's face and was gone just as quickly as it had come. He felt such a weight on his shoulders that he hadn't expected. He barely heard his friends as they drew him toward the practice yard.

That evening after a day of practice, Link walked towards the inn. Mipha caught up to him and put a hand on his arm. Her comforting touch stopped him and he looked into her sad eyes. "Link… Did something happen? You seem different… Distant even."

Link looked into her concerned eyes. He wanted to tell her but she didn't deserve to have him put his burden on her so he just shook his head and continued towards the inn. It was better if she didn't have to think about it as he did.

After a week of training with the Zora, he felt that it was time to return to Castle Town and train with the others for the tournament. He waved his good byes and set out. He hoped he would get the chance to see them all again soon but he didn't know when he would get another chance.

The way back had more monsters on it than he remembered encountering as a child. Then again, he was travelling alone so perhaps they were just more ballsy than before. He dispensed of them easily and continued on his way. Soon, he was on the road in Central Hyrule. He made a minor detour to pass the Lon Lon Ranch.

He walked through the gate and saw Malon out by the horses. Her red hair was unmistakeable and she was standing by a fine horse with a chestnut coat and white mane and tail.

"Who is this beauty?" Link asked as he approached. Malon turned, red hair waving over her shoulder at the sudden movement.

"Link! You startled me!" She smacked him in the arm lightly. "This is Epona. Isn't she beautiful? And such a sweet girl. She likes it when I sing to her."

He put his hand up where the mare could sniff it and he looked into her big brown eyes. He reached down and pulled an apple out of his pouch and offered it to her. She happily munched on the apple and when she finished, she nudged him as though asking for another.

"Now Epona, don't get greedy!" Malon laughed. "She seems to like you!"

Link smiled. Horses always seemed to sooth his spirits. His smile quickly faded as he looked up at the castle in the distance. The sword on his back weighed heavy on him.

"Will she be for sale soon?" Link asked, still staring off towards the castle.

Malon smiled, "I was hoping you would ask! Yes, in about a month, she will be ready to go. She still needs a little more training but I was actually training her with you in mind! I knew you two would get along great!"

Link nodded and headed out to continue his journey back towards the castle.

When he arrived, he made the mistake of going through the main gate of Castle Town. All eyes were on the sword on his back and it stopped people in their tracks. Muttering and whispers about the sword reached his ears and he picked up the pace to get back to the barracks as quickly as possible. By the time he got to his room, he was sweating. He'd never felt so afraid before in his life. Everyone knew what this sword meant. All the excavating the king had commanded had exposed a few small machines they called Guardians but it hadn't quite solidified the prophecy in a lot of people's minds. The sword on his back was undeniable though. Calamity Ganon would return… and soon.

Link hadn't lost a battle since he'd been outnumbered by Groose and the others as a child. He was the most skilled swordsman in his class and his mentors even thought he might be the most skilled in all of Hyrule but did that mean he could defeat the ancient evil as he was destined to do?

He felt panic starting to come over him but suddenly the door to his room swung open and his father stood in the doorway. "Son, I heard – Are you ok?"

Link blinked and despite the storm going on inside him, his face suddenly went neutral and he nodded.

His father seemed sceptical but didn't push the matter. "I heard you found it… is it true?"

Link removed the scabbard from his back and held it in front of him, drawing the blade. His father looked on, his expression serious. Finally he looked at his son again, "This is a great responsibility. The king needs to know immediately. Excuse me. I will come see you later." At that, his father left the room, and thank Hylia he closed the door behind him and Link proceeded with his panic attack.

"Are you quite certain, sir knight?" The king demanded.

The knight nodded, "Yes, my liege. It is the Master Sword the boy carries."

The king sighed. The signs were becoming more visible. The Sheikah prophet had been right. He had died shortly after delivering his message but they knew enough now to get started. Several guardians had been unearthed and so had the Divine Beasts but that hadn't been solid evidence of the truth of the prophecy. His heart broke for his daughter. He had pushed her so hard to unlock her sealing power but since his wife had died… She would have to work harder at unlocking her birthright.

"Thank you, sir knight. You are dismissed." The knight bowed and walked from the room.

The king's assistant opened the door to let the knight out and started to follow him out the door. The king halted him. "Bring me the boy with the Sword that Seals the Darkness."