Here is chapter 3! Hope you're enjoying the story so far. I'm thinking about changing the date I post the story to Saturdays. Let me know what you think and don't forget to review or leave a like if you are enjoying the story!

Chapter 3

Link followed the little man through the halls of the castle. He had never been this deep inside and he wasn't quite sure where they were going. The man turned into a room filled with books. Every wall was covered in them and he wondered if anyone could have possibly read every book in here in their lifetime. His mouth fell open at the sheer volume of books but his attention was drawn back to his guide as he pushed a book case and it swung open to reveal a secret room within. Link went in before the guide at his gesture.

The king sat at his desk, writing in a small book. He looked up as Link entered. Link immediately dropped to one knee, head bowed.

"Rise."

Link stood, head still bowed.

"You may look up. You carry the Blade of Evil's Bane. It is I who should be bowing to you." And at that, the king lowered himself to one knee and bowed is head.

Link didn't know what to do. Before he could say or do anything though, the king spoke again.

"You, who are our saviour from the ancient evil that threatens this land. I had prayed that you would not need to appear but I am relieved that you have. You are destined to save us from the coming Calamity and deliver us to salvation."

Link scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. Thankfully, the king rose and faced him then.

"Tell me of how you acquired the Master Sword."

The king gestured to a chair that Link hadn't noticed before now and he took a seat when the king also sat.

"I…. ah…." Link started, not sure of where exactly to start. The king waited patiently. Link looked him in the eye, took a deep breath and spoke, "Well… a few weeks ago, I dreamed of the Lost Woods. There was someone there calling for me and I had to go to them. Even when I woke, that feeling of being summoned remained."

He told the king of how he'd gotten through the Lost Woods, the Great Deku Tree and the Trial of the Sword. King Rhoam listened patiently, hands folded on his lap, eyes unwavering upon his subject. When he finished his story, the king only studied him.

Just as Link was becoming even more uncomfortable at the intense scrutiny, the king spoke again. "My kingdom is indebted to you. Without the sword on your back, we wouldn't stand a chance against the great evil that looms over this land. Anything you want or need.. just ask and you shall receive. Tell me, boy… Link… Is there anything you want?"

Anything he wanted? Frankly, he wanted to put the sword right back where he'd found it and have someone else take it instead but it was too late for that. It had to be him now. The sword had chosen him as its master. Link shook his head in answer.

The king nodded in response. "I understand. You may return to your barracks and prepare for the upcoming tournament. I am looking forward to seeing your abilities in action."

Link stood, bowed and left the room. The guide closed the secret doorway again and led him back to the barracks.

He followed behind the much smaller man but barely noticed the turns and hallways they took. Link had seen the king before, of course, but never had he been summoned for a private audience. He hoped this wouldn't be a more frequent occurrence now that he carried the Master Sword but deep down, he knew that this change was just the tip of the iceberg.

The next morning, it seemed everyone knew of Link's acquisition. When he came to the mess for breakfast, all eyes were on him. He had left the sword in his room in an attempt to avoid attention but it had been inevitable.

When he sat down, a large man with a red pompadour sat down beside him. "So… where is it?" Groose asked.

Link shook his head. Cawlin sat down on the other side of him. "How did you find it?"

Link put his fork down and sighed. They weren't going to leave him alone.

Strich sat down across from him, "Can we see it?"

Link stood, picked up his plate and walked out of the mess back to his quarters leaving everyone speechless. He knew it was rude but he could feel the panic overtaking him again. He had to get better at controlling himself.

That night, he was plagued by nightmares. A darkness loomed over him and no matter how he swung his sword, it just went through he dark mist, never hitting home. He fought and fought but to no avail. The darkness kept creeping closer until it surrounded him and he began to drown in it. As he gasped for air, all the faces he had seen since he pulled the sword free flashed across his mind. Each of them was dead.

He woke up panting and sweaty. It was clear he wouldn't be getting any more sleep tonight so he picked up the sword and headed for the practice yard. At this hour, no one else would be about and he could practice in peace.

He went through the motions of swordplay. It was the only way he knew to clear his mind of unease and yet, still, the fear remained. He held the blade out in front of him and looked at it. The legends said the sword had been created by the goddess Hylia, not forged like a regular sword. Whatever hand had crafted it, had done so with great skill as no folds could be seen in the metal. It never seemed to lose its edge or shine, either. The cross guard opened upward like deep blue wings and a light blue leather strap criss crossed around the hilt. Link ran his fingers over the tri-force that was engraved just above the rain guard. Why had it chosen him? Had it called out to anyone else? The legend said that the blade would choose a courageous knight to wield it. He sure didn't feel courageous since he had pulled it free.

He let his arm drop to his side and looked up at the sky when he noticed a light on in one of the towers of the castle. This one was set away from the others. Zelda's study. She must know how he felt. She had a role in this as well and she had been struggling for years to acquire her power. He suddenly felt a sympathy for her that he'd never felt before. Frankly, he had never much thought about it before but now that their destinies were tied together, he understood how lonesome she must feel.

But you are not alone, Princess. I am with you now. You may not realize that yet, but we are in this together now.

The day of the tournament finally came and the king had demanded that Link use the Master Sword in the competition. As he walked out onto the field, the crowd gasped. It was still the opening ceremonies so he wasn't going to be fighting just yet but the sword on his back still brought about uncomfortable reactions. No one could deny the prophecy of the return of Calamity Ganon anymore.

The knights lined up along the field and faced where the king and princess would sit. A moment later, a horn announced their arrival. The king looked regal and all the knights fell to one knee, head bowed in honour of their royal highnesses.

When the king told them to rise, Link noticed Zelda sitting at his side. He hadn't noticed her following the king before he had bowed. He had seen her before from a great distance but the rumours were true of her beauty now that he could see her up close. Long, blond hair fell down her back while a braid circled her head like a crown. Her gown, though regal, was somehow still simplistic in its design. White with royal blue accents. He recognized it as the same blue as the hilt on the Master Sword and he briefly wondered if that's where the royal family had chosen that colour from. She looked straight at him and he looked down at the ground. He could still feel her gaze upon him despite avoiding meeting it.

Soon, they were commanded off the field and entertainers came out while the knights prepared for their matches.

First, the more experienced knights would joust to give the recent graduates time to warm up for swordplay.

Link sat in silence, running the cleaning rag over the Master Sword over and over. He barely heard when his name was called and he had to be called a second time before he looked up and realized it was his turn. He walked out onto the field and faced his opponent. What had been his name? Colin? Link hadn't known this student. He must have been from a different academy. By the look of his armour, he guessed he was from somewhere to the south. Link couldn't see much past the knight's armour but he had seen him before, warming up. He had a bit of a baby face and his sandy hair was cut simply, parted in the middle.

They touched blades in salute and began to circle one another when the flag dropped. Colin lunged suddenly at Link and he dodged to the side. The other man was fast but Link was faster. He waited for his opponent to face him again before Link made another move. Colin did a horizontal slice and Link backflipped out of the way. Time slowed down as it seemed to do sometimes and he saw an opening for a flurry attack. He hacked and slashed away at his opponent and when he backed away and time seemed to flow as normal again, Colin was holding his side. His armour had protected him from mortal wounds but the impact still caused pain. They circled again and Colin seemed more cautious than before. Link would need to force his hand. Link feigned a lunge and Colin guarded that side, exposing his flank and Link struck with a horizontal slice that caused Colin to stumble forward. Link continued his assault with this new advantage and with a few more attacks, the match was called. Link was the victor. Afterwards, the two shook hands and went their separate ways.

Link watched the other matches from the sidelines, trying to size up the other competitors. Many of them, he already knew but there were a few, like Colin, that he had never encountered. He glanced up towards where the Hyrulean Royal Family was sitting and saw the princess still staring at him. It made him uncomfortable to be under her cold gaze so he went into one of the tents setup nearby. He pretended to be cleaning his blade but really, he was just looking to hide for a little bit.

Soon, it was his turn again and the princess watched him coldly. She looked at him like she despised him. He wasn't sure what he had done to deserve such bitterness, but he did his best to ignore it. This opponent was a classmate named Pipit. While talented as a swordsman, Pipit had a bad habit of becoming easily distracted. Link knew how to win this match.

Several more matches went on before they proceeded to the next round. Sixteen knights remained and the Gorman Troupe performed while they set up the matches.

Link checked the board and saw that he would be facing Mido. He hadn't run into Mido since their encounter in the practice yard but he didn't trust his opponent to play fair so he would need to exercise caution.

Their match was called and the two young knights entered the arena. They touched blades in a salute and before the flag had fallen, Mido had launched into a full on offensive. Link moved quickly to block attacks and countered when he could but he realized he was moving backwards quickly and would soon run out of space. Link countered a vertical slice and shoulder checked his opponent off balance then continued past with a slice to the other man's side. Mido bent over in pain but spun quickly and recklessly launched into another attack. Link was ready for it this time though and backflipped to avoid an attack Mido had thrown his entire body weight into. Missing had thrown off his balance and Link used that momentum to create an opening. Time slowed again and Link launched in to deliver a series of blows that knocked the other man off balance. Link delivered a final bash over the shoulder of his opponent that sent him crashing to the ground. Link held the sword to the other man's throat and the match was called. Another victory for Link. He avoided looking at the princess as he walked off the field but he could sense her eyes on him.

The next round pitted him against another knight he hadn't yet encountered. He had been watching his opponent's battles though and already knew the other man's weaknesses. Link was easily able to defeat this opponent and on he went to the next round.

Link looked at the board for the next round. He was up against Groose. The bigger man was strong but he was slow and Link had defeated him many times in the practice yard.

Groose approached him with a grin. "Guess it's you and me, Link! May the best man win! I know you've beaten me before but I've gotten better since then and I'd do anything to be Princess Zelda's appointed knight!"

Link nodded and glanced over his shoulder at his sword. Before, he'd wanted the position out of honour but now… there was much more at stake.

When their match was called, the two entered the arena. Groose was nearly twice the size of Link but he was also several years older. The two of them had been through a lot together and they knew each other's fighting styles. Link hoped to surprise his opponent with some of the moves he had picked up from the Zora.

When the match started, Link prepared to do what he normally did against Groose which was wait for him to tire himself out before rushing in to finish the battle but it seemed that Groose had learned patience.

Link circled and when no opening presented itself, Link decided to make an opening. He rushed in to attack but Groose held up his shield to block. Link leaped instead, using the shield as a springboard and did a flip over the larger man, landing in a skyward strike. Groose howled in pain as the sword sliced down his back. Again, the armour only prevented fatalities, but not injuries.

Link saw his opening and rushed in delivering another series of blows. Groose stepped back away from the attacks and held up his shield, ending the onslaught. Unexpectedly, Groose shoved Link with his shield and followed with a stab that Link narrowly avoided. That was a new move from Groose!

Link parried the attack and saw another opening as time slowed. He rushed in for another flurry of blows that left Groose doubled over. Time went back to flowing normally and Link jumped back, prepared to attack again but Groose dropped to his knees. The match was called and Link was again named the victor.

The final round the next day was him versus a newcomer named Rusl. This was an older man who had seen combat before as a regular soldier and had enrolled in a southern academy later in life. He must have been quite skilled to have been accepted since most academies only accepted children who could be easily trained. When monsters had invaded his village, however, he had felt a responsibility to do more.

The two entered the arena and touched swords in a salute to each other. Link sized up his opponent. The other man was slightly taller than Link but had a slim build. Armour hid any clear weaknesses but Link could remember seeing the man limp slightly while walking off the field from a previous match. Which leg had been injured?

When the flag dropped, Rusl rushed in with an attack. His swordsmanship was flawless. He would attack and leave no opening. Link was able to return the odd blow but blocking and parrying did little to create a significant opening. The two circled each other, engaged in attack and counter attack. Link noticed him favouring one of his legs. It was subtle but Rusl put far less weight and time on that leg than the other. A direct attack on the leg was illegal in the competition, but there were other ways to take advantage of this weakness.

Link rushed in with a body slam forcing his opponent to put weight on his injured leg. The man winced and Link took the opening. He rushed in again and sliced across his opponent's body causing the man to double over. Link spun and knocked the other man again onto his injured leg. His stance wobbled but he was able to right himself. Link would have to act fast to keep up the advantage. The two clashed, shield to shield, but Link had a new trick up his sleeve. He shoved his shield into his opponent and stabbed at the same time pushing his opponent off balance onto his bad leg. One more slash and the injured leg gave out and Rusl fell. Link put his sword to his opponent's throat and the match was called.

Link shook hands with Rusl and walked off the field. He sat down to wipe his blade clean again, though it didn't need it. He was amazed that the blade hadn't dulled at all during the entire tournament and it still shone as though it was new.

Groose walked up to him, grinning. "I tried my best but you still won. I knew you would. Congrats, Link! All your hard work finally paid off!"

Link nodded to his friend and a few minutes later, he was called back out for the victory ceremony. Link had won first and so won the trophy as well as the coveted position as the princess's appointed knight.

The princess herself came down from the stands to give him the trophy. She looked as though she would rather have been anywhere else and his heart went out to her. "Congratulations, champion Link. You've demonstrated great skill during this tournament and I present you with the champion's trophy." She mentioned nothing of the appointed knight position and Link wondered if that was still part of the prize. He would find out later, he was sure.

With that, she walked off the field and away from the tournament. Though the crowd cheered, Link just continued to gaze after her.