A/N Before the chapter, I just really wanted to thank users ornamental-reciprocity and Leina16 for their very encouraging and helpful reviews. It means a lot.

Sheik's POV

"I have your answer."

The general looked from his drink to me with expectant eyes. Interesting. While he had clearly been getting use out of his unlimited tab, his eyes were not nearly as red or unfocused as they had been two days previous. Maybe he took this opportunity more seriously than he originally let on.

He grunted. "Well get on with it."

"It was right before the siege. You were being sent on assignment, presumably so as not to be in the way." His eyes hardened, so I quickly continued. "You saw the princess on your way out and said, 'Don't trust him.' Then you went to leave, but turned once more and said, 'And be better.' The first part was directed at Ganondorf, and the second was in regards to her father, the king."

He let out a big sigh before he nodded.

"When she gave me the information, she also gave me a message for you."

He tried to look uninterested, but his eager eyes showed me the truth. "Her message is, 'I never did. And I'm trying. I'm trying with all my heart.'"

He gave a quick nod and swallowed hard. "Fine you have me. I don't know why you want me, but you have me."

I motioned over the bartender to settle the general's tab. "There are some conditions of course."

The general let out a gruff laugh. "Leave it to a sneak to add in clauses after the other party has already agreed."

I tried not to flinch at his remark as I handed the bartender the rupees. "As long as you do not let it affect your teaching, I do not care how you drink. If you can get the job done while blind drunk, then be my guest. However," I said, narrowing my eyes, "if you let it affect your work for even a second, I will drop you without hesitation."

He glared at me, but his face slowly softened to a reluctant acceptance. "Anything else?"

I pulled out a knife and set it on the counter. "Take this in the bathroom and make yourself look presentable."

He raised an eyebrow like he thought I was joking, but I stared him down until he finally looked away and grabbed the knife. He got up and walked away slowly.

"She wanted me to tell you one other thing," I called out stopping him in his tracks. "'Thank you and I'm sorry.' That's it, but she wanted you to know that she means it."

Link's POV

"Thank you, thank you so much, Link. We won't forget you."

I awkwardly waved back at the young couple we had just helped, feeling uncomfortable with what I felt was undue praise as I walked back to my companions. My companions seemed confused as well, but they soon forgot all about it when I gave them the money Sheik gave me for the job.

I had found a note in my room earlier that told me to make my way to the outskirts of town when the sun hit its peak in the sky. It was right around that time, so we gathered up our things and headed towards the gate. I was sad to leave this town. It was small and ordinary, but I enjoyed the company, work, food, and having a bed. And the way the people carried on with their day-to-day lives made it almost possible to pretend the world hadn't gone to hell.

Just past the gate, I could make out Sheik standing next to his black horse and an unfamiliar man. As we got closer, I was able to make out some of his features. He was tall and broad, similar to my build except his gut was starting to protrude. His hair was a mixture of brown and gray cut short, and he had a thick goatee that swirled around to the top of his mouth. His clothes weren't quite as neat, but they seemed durable enough in their plainness.

I jumped off Epona, nodded to Sheik in greeting before raising my eyebrows in regards to the stranger.

"This is your new swordfighting teacher." Sheik said nothing more, leaving me without a name to use in greeting.

The stranger quickly remedied that. "Conrad," he said, sticking out a hand. I grasped it and noted his strong grip. I also couldn't help but notice the alcohol that was prominent on his breath. Not really the best confidence builder, especially at the early hour. I gave him my own name, but he seemed equally unimpressed.

"Him? Why in Nayru's name would the princess go to such lengths to train him?" Conrad asked Sheik, acting like I wasn't even there.

My fists clenched, and I wanted to hit him even though I myself had had those very same thoughts many times before. I saw one of the twins at my side, about to explain that I bore the mark of the goddesses on my hand, but Sheik stepped in before he could.

"Does it matter? You are getting paid regardless."

He looked at Sheik hard before shrugging. "I guess she has her reasons. Should we get started now?"

Interesting. Sheik clearly didn't want the guy to know about my supposed position. Did he not trust the man? Then a depressing thought hit me. What if he just didn't want him to see what a sorry excuse for a hero the man with the Triforce on the back of his hand really was?

Sheik shook his head. "No let's ride until we find a clearing a little further past the town. You can share my horse until we find a place where we can pick you up one of your own."

"Absolutely not!" Conrad spat. "I'd rather walk than share a horse with a sneak."

The venom in his tone surprised me. How did Sheik get the man to agree to train me, if Conrad clearly hated him that much? And why would he want him to? Then again, maybe Sheik took that kind of attitude as friendliness. In that case, I must have been his best friend.

"You can take mine," Trenton said. "I'll share with Landon." His brother looked accusingly at him, but after a minute of communicating in their silent way, he resigned himself with a nod.

Conrad grunted his thanks, obviously finding that much more acceptable. Sheik's face was blank-he hadn't shown any emotion over the outburst-but he signaled for us to leave. Before mounting, I leaned over to the brothers to let them know how grateful I was for them defusing the situation.

Once we were all riding, I had a thought and slowed Epona so she was in stride with Sheik's black steed. For whatever reason, he still insisted on riding significantly behind the rest of us. "Hey, I know a place not too far from here that has a good selection of horses," I said.

"How far?"

"A little two day's ride. Probably three and half days when you include our training stops."

His crimson eyes looked thoughtful before he nodded his agreement. "What's the town's name?"

"Lon Lon."

Footing, footing, footing. That word had been screamed at me countless times in the past hour.

"What sorry excuse for a man taught you how to wield a blade?" Conrad had yelled at me not very long after we begun.

"I mostly had to teach myself," I had said. I received a snort and a 'that figures' from him, before he started yelling about my footwork again. His instruction style was much different from Sheik's, and I'm not sure which one I preferred. Conrad liked to yell and hit me a lot, but he clearly knew what he was doing, and he was willing to give me praise when managed to do something right. Shiek, on the other hand, never really raised his voice much, and he rarely touched me, excluding the hand-to-hand training. But his insults tended to be much more biting, and I don't think he had ever uttered so much as a 'good job' to me.

When I first started, I was surprised by Conrad's skill. He certainly didn't look like much, but it soon became clear that he was a master swordsman after he shook off the rust. He might even be better than Sheik. I'd like to see them in a match, but I was a little afraid that one of them would kill the other. I thought the relationship between Sheik and me was antagonistic, but it was nothing compared to the hate the two of them shared.

After I felt ready to drop, I was finally allowed to rest while the others set up camp for the night. The area we were in was pretty safe, so we were even able to make a fire. When we were all gathered around it (with the exception of Sheik who had gone off to do goddess knows what) I couldn't help but ask Conrad, "Why does Sheik call you General?"

"As a way to insult me."

"How is that an insult?" Trenton asked.

He looked about ready to tell us we should mind our business, but then a glint of-I'm not sure what, loneliness maybe- took over his expression. He pulled a flask from his tunic and took a swig before answering. "Because that's who I used to be. General of all the armies of Hyrule."

My mouth dropped in shock. How could this sorry man have once held one of the most prominent positions in all of the kingdom? Though it did make Sheik's choice and tolerance of the man make more sense now.

"I was a little young for the position, but I did a good job. I treated my men well while still commanding their respect. But then I was demoted," he said, his expression turning sour.

"Why?" Landon asked.

Conrad let out a bitter laugh. "Because I didn't trust Ganondorf, and I was vocal about it. But the snake had the king wrapped in delusion. It didn't take him long to get me fired. As a final insult, the king offered me the position of weapons instructor. I don't think he ever thought I'd take it, but I had a wife and daughter to support. Besides it was the best way to keep an eye on Ganondorf. Fat lot of good that did though. He sent me on some bogus mission the day before the invasion." He looked down at his knees when he said the last part.

I saw Trenton stop his brother before he could say anything. Given his tact, Landon was probably going to ask about the wife and daughter. But if he thought about it, the answer was obvious. At least it was obvious to me. I had been there in Castletown when it burned. I was one of the few to escape with my life. My best hope was that his wife and daughter met their end quickly. I still carried the weight of the torment of those who hadn't. Their screams still haunted my dreams.

"Well it's an honor to have you as a teacher then," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

He barked out a laugh. "Maybe ten years ago, but now, well, now I'm as hopeless as the rest of this goddess forsaken land. So here's a toast," he said as he raised his flask into the air. "To the hopeless." He laughed again before downing the contents of his flask.

A/N I'm sure most of you can guess the upcoming character after the mention of Lon Lon. I'm a little nervous about writing Malon's character as I know she's a favorite in the LoZ community. So if any of you have any part of her character you'd really like to see, or you have something about her you'd like me to keep in mind, I'd love to hear from you. Feedback in any other area is also appreciated. Thanks for reading.