Finally got to see some of the memories last chapter! Also got to see more interactions with Link and Zelda to start fleshing out their relationship a bit better. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I think you'll see why. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. As always, please don't forget to like and review :)

Chapter 5

A letter arrived for Link one morning. It was sealed with the royal crest. The princess was away so it could only have come from the king himself. There was to be a ceremony for the Champions. Since he wielded the Master Sword, that meant that he was automatically one of them. Link sighed. Why did it need to be such a big deal? He hadn't done anything worthy of being called a hero yet.

Granted, people were still talking about how he'd taken down the guardian with nothing but a pot lid, but that was different. He hadn't even had the sacred blade with him at the time that happened.

He lay back on his bed and let the letter fall to the floor. I guess I better get used to this if I'm to be her appointed knight…

With a deep breath, he stood up and put the scabbard over his shoulder and set out to the practice grounds. It was still early so with any luck, no one would be there yet.

No such luck. He got there and the yard was filled with noble onlookers who wanted to catch a glimpse of the knight with the Sword that Seals the Darkness. After a few minutes of practice and the onlookers calling to him to get him to look up, he decided to find somewhere more secluded.

He knew some of the back hallways and hidden passages out of the castle and went out to a quieter part of Hyrule field. After looking around, he saw no one and took a deep breath. He took out the sword and looked at it. You've sure caused me a lot of trouble… Hope this is all worth it.

He heard nothing back but he wasn't really expecting it to grow a face and start talking to him. He lifted the blade and went through the motions of swordplay as he had every morning for years. The motions were so familiar to him that it felt as natural as breathing. The blade was merely an extension of his arm. When he finished, he brought the sword back to the centre and breathed out slowly. That's when he heard a shriek behind him. He turned and saw an older woman jumping up and down. He ran over to see what was wrong and quickly saw his mistake.

She grabbed him and tried to rip at his clothes, "Oh my god! You're so much hotter up close!"

"I – what? Ma'am… Ma'am!" He managed to pull her hands off him but that didn't stop her from planting a big, wet kiss on his cheek. He shoved her in alarm and turned to run. He silently cursed the sword for all this unwanted attention and raced toward the Lon Lon Ranch. Surely Malon would still treat him normally.

He jogged through the gates and bent over, hands on his knees as he caught his breath. Malon spotted him from the field, "Link? What on earth? Are you OK?"

She walked over to him, leading Epona.

He held up a hand to tell her both that he was ok and to give him a moment. She waited patiently. When he stood up, she burst out laughing.

Link frowned, "What?"

She pointed at his cheek still laughing. He touched his cheek and when he took his fingers away, he realized why she was laughing. Lipstick. Great.

He quickly wiped it off with his sleeve and impatiently waited for his friend to stop laughing at him.

"I'm sorry… your face…" she said between gales of laughter.

He put on the most pathetic puppy dog face he could manage, "You gotta help me, Malon. They won't leave me alone!"

That set her off again and she only laughed harder than before.

Link sighed, "Get it all out…"

Tears were rolling down her cheeks and she actually snorted while laughing before she was finally able to compose herself. Even the damn horse seemed amused.

"You done?" Link asked, clearly not sharing in the amusement.

Malon nodded and had to bite her lip to keep from laughing again. "Well… Epona is ready to go. If nothing else, she can run faster than any of those women." She said with a smirk.

"I'll take her." Link growled.

Link handed over the rupees and took the reins.

"You know, Link… You might want to check out the mounted archery course. Get to know your mount a bit better, you know?" Malon said while tilting her head.

Link smiled appreciatively and put a hand on his friend's arm. "Thank you, Malon." With that, he pulled himself into the saddle and trotted out the gate.

Several hours later, Link rode his horse back through Castle Town gate and headed towards the barracks stable.

It didn't take him long to realize something was wrong. The way the women – and some men for that matter – were scowling at him, he groaned internally knowing he was about to find out something he didn't want to hear. He handed the reigns to the stable hand and headed for the mess.

He was greeted by laughter and Groose walked up to him, "Heard you have a new girlfriend. Possibly a wife?"

This was certainly news to him. Link frowned in confusion.

"Some woman came running into the town saying she you're the father of her babies and that you're getting married." Groose said before bursting out laughing.

Link just buried his face in his hands. How humiliating…

Looking up at everyone laughing, there wasn't much point in trying to say what really did happen. Instead, he just grabbed himself a plate of food and headed to his father's quarters.

His father just watched as Link came in, and slumped against the door as it closed. When Link looked up at him, the older man just raised an eyebrow in question.

"I don't want to talk about it." Link said bluntly.

His father just raised his eyebrows and went back to his own meal as if to say "Suit yourself."

The two ate their meals in silence before Link finally looked up at his dad. "Will people ever forget about me? I can't even walk through the streets anymore without getting mauled."

His father looked mildly amused but was charitable enough to not laugh outright. "I can't say, son. I think the excitement will die down eventually and it'll definitely help once you become her appointed knight… but you'll just have to grin and bear it until then."

Link sighed and set his plate on the table beside him but stayed seated on the floor, leaning up against the door. The ceremony was in a week to give time for all the Champions to arrive. He already knew two of them so that was a bonus.

"The princess got back this morning with news that all of the Champions had agreed to the roles. I'm sure you got the letter as well. Once that ceremony is done, you'll be appointed her personal knight." His father announced.

"Great…" Link said. He tried to sound happier about it but it was tough. He would have to work for someone who hated him… but at least it would get him away from the crazy people he ran into in Castle Town… Hopefully…

"Don't sound so glum. It's a huge honour." His dad scolded.

Link sighed again, "I know… and don't get me wrong, I appreciate it… but I know she isn't happy about it."

Link's dad looked up, "She is strong willed, that's for sure. But she is kind as well. Give her time and show her kindness because she is under a lot of pressure, too. I think she will come around."

Link nodded.

The day of the ceremony arrived. Link hadn't had a chance to see the other Champions until he walked into the great hall. There they all were. Mipha and Daruk both wore their ceremonial garments as sashes. The other two he hadn't met yet but the Rito, Revali wore his as a scarf and the Gerudo, Urbosa wore hers as a skirt. Link had been presented a blue tunic to wear that was to be his ceremonial garment as "the Hero's Tunic" to wear in general. Underneath was a layer of chain mail. He was told that the princess had made it herself though Link suspected she had some help… at least with the chain mail.

They all stood in a semi-circle facing the balcony where the king stood. Zelda stood directly in front of Link who stood in the middle of the other Champions. Revali and Urbosa were to his left and Mipha and Daruk were to his right.

The ceremony started suddenly with the king's booming voice, "Welcome, warriors! I'd like to thank you for joining me here today, and for your bravery in accepting this… fateful task." He looked to each of the Champions gathered before continuing. "I officially appoint you Hyrule's Champions and bestow upon you this sacred garb. That blue is a symbol of the Royal Family, one that has been passed down for countless generations. Those garments you now wear were all crafted by my daughter, Zelda."

Link looked ahead to the princess and noticed the same blue sewn into her own dress.

The king looked down to her as well, "Zelda. I trust you with the task only a daughter of the royal family can fulfill. Lead our Champions, Princess. And together, protect our kingdom from the threat of Calamity Ganon." He spread his hands for emphasis and outside, fireworks began shooting off in celebration.

Link felt like the whole thing was kind of gaudy. He wasn't sure why a ceremony was needed but as a soldier, it wasn't his job to question things.

Later on, they all gathered outside for a small reception.

Link stood near Daruk who also felt a bit like an outsider at this gathering.

The big Goron was stretching his arms around, "I tell ya, those formal shindigs really take it outta me."

"Hmph…" Link's attention turned to the Rito, "This is the Sheikah Slate, eh?" He plucked the little tablet out of Zelda's hands, much to her surprise, and examined it closely.

He could hear the steel in the princess's voice, "It is. Apparently there are more uses for it than we originally thought. Sadly, we've yet to decipher all of its secrets."

The Rito seemed to lose interest and seemed to drop it on Mipha, she had to scramble to catch it. That irritated Link.

Urbosa leaned over to look at the tablet as well, "The princess showed me something strange recently. Somehow it can create true-to-life images."

"Oh, wow…" Mipha breathed, barely audibly. "I would love to see it." She said looking up. "Um… Princess…" She said, turning to Zelda, "May I ask a special favour of you?" She turned and looked at Link.

A few moments later, Purah, one of the Sheikah researchers, had them all gathered on one side of the gazebo.

"All right! This spot should work nicely!" The quirky young Sheikah stated as she held the Sheikah Slate up. "Keep your eyes on the Sheikah Slate, everyone!" She seemed to be making some adjustments, "Daruk, can you crouch down a bit? You're as big as Death Mountain!" She laughed.

"Huh? Oh." Daruk hunkered down a little bit behind them.

"What's with the glum face, Princess? Gimme a big smile!" The Sheikah grinned big as if to model what the princess was to do.

Link looked at her and didn't see her expression change very much even when Urbosa put a comforting hand on her back. Link could sense that these two were very close.

"Revali, move your tail closer to the group." She waved a hand to indicate for him to get closer.

"Ugh, fine." Revali seemed like he would rather be anywhere but here. Link saw Urbosa roll her eyes.

The Sheikah laughed again, "Mipha, you look so tense. Deep breaths, ok?"

"Right!" She said nodding and seemed to shake out some of the tenseness.

They all seemed to be ready now.

"Stay just like that! Here we go! Smiiiile… Click, snap!" Just then, Daruk squeezed them all in a big bear hug and surprised the life out of Revali and Mipha who were on the outside.

When they looked at the picture, they all got a good laugh out of it and with that, the ice was broken for the group.

"Say, I have an idea! Since Link is to be appointed as your personal knight tomorrow, why don't we make a ceremony out of it?" Daruk said with a big grin.

Link immediately wished he hadn't said anything but Mipha agreed and no one disagreed and so it was decided.

The next morning, they all gathered on the Sacred Grounds. The Champions all stood off to the side and Link kneeled before Zelda who was to officiate the ceremony. She held her hand up to him as though bestowing a blessing, "Hero of Hyrule, chosen by the sword that seals the darkness." She already sounded like she didn't want to be there and Link's heart went out to her. "You have shown unflinching bravery and skill in the face of darkness and adversity." Link had a hard time agreeing with that statement. "And have proven yourself worthy of the blessings of the Goddess Hylia. Whether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight, the sacred blade is forever bound to the soul of the hero. We pray for your protection… and we hope that – that the two of you will grow stronger together, as one." Her hand dropped to her side and she took a deep breath, readying herself to continue. After a deep breath, she raised her hand again and continued speaking.

To the side, he could hear Daruk speaking quietly, "Gee, this is uplifting. She's making it sound like we've already lost."

"Wasn't this your idea?" Came Revali's condescending voice, "You're the one who wanted to designate the appointed knight with all the ceremonial pomp, grandeur and nonsense we could muster! And if you ask me, the whole thing does seem to be overkill!" Link actually found himself agreeing with that statement. "I think I'm on the same page as the princess regarding… this boy."

"Oh, give it a rest." Urbosa chimed in. "That boy is a living reminder of her own failures. Well, at least that's how the princess sees him."

The princess looked at her own hand and made a fist before looking down. She no doubt heard the conversation too.

Was that it then? She didn't necessarily despise him… just what he stood for. Well if it's any consolation, Princess, I despise what I stand for too but here we are… Link thought. His father's advice came back to him. He would do everything he could to show the princess kindness and try to show her she didn't need to feel alone.

After the ceremony, Zelda went back to her room to enjoy the last bit of freedom she had. Starting tomorrow, Zelda would not be able to go anywhere without HIM. She sobbed into her pillow. He would no doubt make sure she didn't forget to do her morning and night time prayers only to be ignored by the Goddess again and again.

She rolled to her side, gasping for air and trying to compose herself. Tomorrow they would head out for the Rito Village again so she could check on the divine beast. Impa had petitioned her father on her behalf that perhaps some travel may be good for her to help with unlocking her powers. She was grateful to the Sheikah.

Her research journal sat on her desk beside her diary. Tomorrow, before she left, she would put her journal in her study. For some reason, she felt that if the two were next to one another, the sadness of her diary might seep into her journal. The research was the one thing that really brought her any joy. She picked up the book and read through her notes, trying to calm her nerves.

After the ceremony, Link had seen Zelda bee-line for her bedroom. Link had hoped to get the chance to talk to her so after a moment of hesitation he followed her. When he got to her door, however, he stopped, hearing the sobbing within. He placed a hand on the door, wanting to go to her but he also knew he was the cause of her pain. He looked down, hurting for her then turned and made his way back to the barracks. He would keep his distance for now and he prayed that she would come around.

The next morning, Link was up before dawn to make sure the horses were prepared for their journey. Link brought an apple for each of their mounts and fed it to them before going to check on Zelda.

She was awake and nearly ready to go. He waited outside her bedroom and as she walked out, she dropped her bags into his arms and continued walking. He waited for her to walk past and followed at a respectable distance. When they arrived at the stable, Link tied her bag to his saddle and led the horses outside. He helped her mount up and she immediately started off, not waiting for him to mount. He had to trot to catch up to her.

As they rode their horses through Castle Town, a woman yelled from the crowd, "LINK HAVE MY BABIES!"

Link cringed and Zelda looked sideways at him with a raised eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. He did his best to ignore it.

Soon they were out the gates into Central Hyrule field and following the road along to the North West toward Tabantha. They crossed through the Ridgelands and over the canyon to Hebra Frontier. From there, they followed the road North.

The journey was fairly uneventful, which was ok with Link. Though when it did start to rain, Link suggested they find somewhere to take cover and Zelda only kicked her horse faster.

Link clenched his jaw. Pushing the horse in the rain like this was a good way to end up with a lame horse but he had no choice but to go after her.

By the end of the day, they finally reached the stable just outside Rito Village. They hadn't spoken to each other in hours and that was just fine with Link. He brought the horses to the stablehand and noticed Zelda walking off towards the village without waiting for him so he tossed a bag of rupees to the stable hand and jogged after her.

It was dark by the time they reached the village and Zelda was forced to wait out the night. She paid for a room in the inn and settled in for the night. She was perfectly safe in Rito Village so no need for Link to keep such close watch of her.

Link got his own room next to hers so he could be close in case anything happened.

In the morning, Zelda woke early and set out to find Revali. Link let her go. She clearly needed some space from him and Zelda was happy for the reprieve.

"Princess, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you here? Where is your appointed knight?" Revali said as she approached the launch pad.

"I've come to check on Vah Medoh." She paused, feeling a little guilty for how she had been treating Link, "He is staying at the inn. I am perfectly safe here and have no need of his protection."

Revali eyed her sidelong but didn't argue. "Well, if you need a lift up to the divine beast, I'd be happy to oblige."

Zelda hadn't thought about how she would reach the divine beast. Last time she had seen it, it was perched on the ground but way up in the air… she had no choice but to accept his invitation.

He crouched down to allow her to climb onto his back and she was suddenly thankful for her travelling trousers. This sort of maneuver in a dress would not have been proper.

Once she had a tight grip, he created an updraft and shot them both into the sky. Zelda shrieked as they took off, not expecting the velocity of their takeoff.

"Be calm, Princess. I'll not allow any harm to befall you." Revali said confidently.

Zelda clamped her mouth shut but couldn't keep her heart from pounding. When they landed on the divine beast, she had never been so happy to have something firm under her feet.

Revali gazed at her for a moment, "I'll leave you to your work and come fetch you in a little while. Enjoy your freedom while you can."

"Thank you, Revali." Zelda nodded to him as he took off again and she turned to set to work.

It was around mid-day when Link found himself on the launch pad. It worried him seeing Vah Medoh so high up knowing the princess was up there. The wind could blow powerful gusts the higher up you were and she was so small… it wouldn't take much to –

A sudden updraft interrupted his worries and to his chagrin, Revali perched upon the rail before him.

"Impressive, I know." The bird preened, "Very few can achieve a mastery of the sky, yet I have made an art of creating an updraft that allows me to soar. It's considered quite the masterpiece of aerial techniques, even among the Rito." He looked sidelong at Link. "With proper utilization of my superior skills, I see no reason we couldn't easily dispense with Ganon." He hopped down from the rail and walked towards Link, circling him. "Now then, my ability to explore the firmament is certainly of note… But let's not – pardon me for being so blunt – let's not forget the fact that I am the most skilled archer of all the Rito. Yet despite these truths, it seems that I have been tapped to merely assist you," He stopped right in front of Link, "All because you have that little darkness-sealing sword on your back."

Link looked over his shoulder at the blade and it was all he could do to keep from taking it off and handing it to the bird and just being done with it. However, he knew the blade would not accept a new master.

"I mean, it's just… asinine." He looked up to the sky then looked sidelong at Link again, "Unless… you think you can prove me wrong?" He got right up in Link's face, "Maybe we should just settle this one on one?" He walked away scratching his chin, "But where…? Oh, I know! How about up there?!" He extended a blue wing up towards the bird-like divine beast circling above them. He turned back to Link, laughing cruelly, "Oh, you must pardon me, I forgot you have no way of making it up to that divine beast on your own!" He growled the last few words before taking off into the sky, "Good luck sealing the darkness!" He called back as he flew up to Vah Medoh.

Link clenched and unclenched his fists. One day, he'd teach that little bird-brain about humility but until Calamity Ganon was sealed away, they still had need of him.

Zelda had walked through he divine beast three times already and made a few minor adjustments. She also wrote some notes about the inner workings of the ancient technology. She came back up to the surface of the divine beast and found Revali waiting for her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I hope I haven't kept you waiting for long." Zelda said as she walked over to the Rito warrior.

Revali looked over to her sidelong, "How do you tolerate that knight? Does he ever say anything? Is he mute or just stupid?"

Zelda shut her own mouth before she said something she would regret. To be honest, it bothered her that he was so quiet all the time. He had said a few things to her but she could probably count on one hand the number of words he had ever spoken to her and they had all been strictly business. That shut out the possibility of him being mute but she wouldn't have gone so far as to call him stupid, either. Then again, that woman in the street as they were leaving Castle Town did give her pause about her appointed knight.

"Well, whatever his problem is, hopefully we won't have to deal with it for long. Hop on." The Rito crouched down and allowed her to climb on.

This time she tried to prepare herself for the sudden feeling of her stomach being left behind but still didn't quite manage. The sudden jolt up into the air terrified her and the dive downward made her dizzy for how high up they were. Fortunately, Revali was fast and they ended up back on the launching pad before she'd really had time to freak out. When she stepped off the Rito's back, she stumbled backwards but strong arms caught her and helped to steady her. She looked over her shoulder to see that her stoic knight was the one to keep her from falling. Once she was firmly upright, he let go and stepped back.

She cleared her throat, "Thank you, once again, Revali. I'm sure we shall see you again soon."