A/N: Thanks so much to guest user James Birdsong for the review.

The next couple of days were interesting if nothing else. Sheik took care of my training in the morning, while Conrad recovered from the night before. We'd ride for a few hours, then I'd have afternoon training with the General. Then we rode for a few more hours before I had nightly training, which consisted of whatever Sheik thought I needed the most. The last couple days had been more swordsmanship.

When we were about to embark on our last leg before we reached Lon Lon, Sheik asked me to hang back and ride with him. He had never done that before, so I quickly accepted, curious as to what he needed to talk to me about.

"Once we reach the town, I will stay long enough to make sure we get a good horse. After that I am not sure how much you will see of me until we depart."

"Where are you always going off to?" I couldn't help but ask.

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you really miss me that much when I go? I would have thought you would be happy being out of my presence as long as you could."

I gave him a look. "That's not what I meant and you know it. Does Zelda really ask that much of you? While we all rest, you take off to do her work. You go to sleep later than the rest of us, and no matter how early I rise, you always beat me to it. How can your body stand it?"

He looked at me hard. "I can stand it because that's what is asked and needed of me. Do not concern yourself with my wellbeing."

I shook my head. That'd teach me to try and be nice to him. "Thanks for asking me back here. I do so enjoy our conversations."

He breathed out in frustration. "That is not what I wished to speak to you about. I wanted to give you this." He held out his hand which contained a small object. Attached to a thin piece of cord, was a small clear diamond-shaped crystal. I took it by the cord, and held it to the light.

"A necklace? Thanks Sheik, but I think of you as more of a friend."

He glared at me until I broke eye contact. "That crystal is known as a whispering stone." He pulled a similar necklace from under his armor. "With it, you will always be able to communicate with me, no matter the distance that separates us."

I examined the stone with more interest. "How does it work?"

"Bring it to your lips and speak my name."

I did as he asked and felt the stone hum in my hands. Then the crystal he held glowed yellow in his hand. He blew softly on it. "That's how you answer," he said. I could hear his voice echo through my stone. Then he said, "Done," and both of our stones dimmed.

"That's incredible. How did you come by these?" I asked as I looped the cord around my neck and slipped the stone underneath my tunic.

"The crystals themselves are unremarkable. I worked a simple spell on them."

"You can do magic?" Maybe we should talk more.

"Not much. I do not have a very great capacity for it. However, I have enough ability to accomplish some of the basics."

"Could you teach me?"

He shook his head. "We have no idea whether you have any aptitude for magic, and I would rather we did not waste training time."

"We wouldn't have to. I'd be willing to do that on top of my existing training. We could do it during times like this, or during meals, or late at night. And it's not like it would be a total waste of time. I'm sure there are spells I could learn that could help me with my fighting. Please?"

The corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement. "Let me think on it for a few days. As for right now, I think it is time to start on the mental component of your training." He reached into one of the bags that rested against the side of his horse and pulled out a scroll. "I want you to memorize the first six paragraphs before we begin training tomorrow," he said as he handed me the scroll.

"What is this?" I asked as I opened and scanned it.

"A brief history of Hyrule. The document itself is unimportant, at least in terms of your training. I care much more about the memorization and recitation." I opened my mouth to complain, now that I'd seen how much work that entailed, but he stopped me. "I will not hear your objections. You may not understand it, but I give you my word that it is necessary for what Princess Zelda has planned for you."

I swallowed my complaint as I looked down at Epona's mane. "When can I see her?"

"The princess' elusiveness for the past seven years is the only reason she is still alive. Ganondorf is absolutely obsessed with her capture, and he will seize even the slightest opportunity given to fulfill this desire. I will not jeopardize her safety for what would only prove to be a distraction to you both."

I clenched my fists. "If she's in that much danger, I should be with her! I could protect her."

Sheik laughed. Condescending as it was, I think I truly managed to surprise him because it was also the most genuine laugh I had ever heard from him. "Just how weak do you believe the princess to be? Are you planning to offer me protection next? Because I find that equally preposterous."

My brow furrowed as I tried to internalize his words. Thinking of Zelda as any kind of fighter went against every memory I had of her. "You aren't saying..."

"That she could beat you in a fight?" Sheik finished for me. "Yes I am. Princess Zelda is nearly identical to me in terms of skill. I have a slight advantage in strength, but she can easily compensate with her far superior aptitude for magic." Sheik tilted his head slightly and locked his cold crimson eyes to mine. "Does it burn to realize that the princess can protect herself better than you, the supposed hero, could?"

My cheeks burned red, but I gave him no response. Instead, I spurred Epona forward to catch up to my other companions. I angled it so that I cut them off, forcing them to stop.

"What's the problem?" Trenton asked. "We only have a few more hours before we reach town."

"Lon Lon Ranch can wait," I said as I dismounted. "Right now, I intend to get Sheik's money's worth from the General." I drew my sword, impatient to begin.

None of the three of them made any move to dismount, and they all shared confused expressions. "Did the sneak put you up to this?" Conrad asked.

My voice was low as I said, "You can either get down and teach me, or start looking for new employment. I'm sure it won't be too hard to find another washed up soldier to train me."

He looked down at me through slanted eyes for a moment. Then he started laughing. "So the boy's got spirit, eh? Always nice to see." He jumped down from his borrowed mount and unsheathed his own sword. The twins still wore a look of confusion. They had rarely seen me take initiative like that.

Before I moved to follow Conrad to a more desirable training area, I dared a look back at Sheik. He stared back at me, his eyes marked with approval for the first time since we had met.

Sheik's P.O.V.

Had I known revealing the princess' fighting prowess would spur Link into this kind of action, I would have mentioned it long ago. The determination that fueled his new attitude was nearly tangible. That first day he had trained until exhaustion meant he could no longer raise his shield.

Even more surprising, the next morning he came to me without prompting, and recited the passage I had asked him to memorize. His recall was not perfect, but it was close enough for my purposes.

His new work ethic was definitely an improvement, but it had yet to be inspired by the correct reason. I knew this for certain when on the second day of our halted progress, he challenged me to a match. I defeated him without terrible strain, though it was clear he had improved immensely since our first bout. But seeing as how that was the first time he ever wished to fight me, it seemed obvious where his mind was. He thought if he could beat me, then it meant he could protect Princess Zelda if the need ever arose.

A noble sentiment perhaps, but he was meant to do much more than just protect the princess. He was marked to save all of Hyrule. The time was soon coming where he would need to accept his calling. In order to truly convince the people of who he was, he needed to believe it himself. Without the people's hearts and strength behind him, he was doomed to fail, no matter what the legends or prophesies of old said.

But I still had some time and a few hidden weapons in my arsenal to convince him of his destiny. Until the situation became more urgent, there were many priorities to be taken care of first. For now, I could just be happy with the new fire that burned within Link.

After the third day of camping in that same spot, I finally suggested we move on to Lon Lon. Link needed to keep that fire going no matter where we went instead of relegating his progress to this one spot.

Though I must admit, I had some strange apprehension about continuing on to town. The name Lon Lon struck a chord of familiarity that I could not quite place. Like a name remembered from a dream. Hopefully my worry was misplaced, but as a caution I might stay with Link while there. Unfortunate, since town visits gave me time to leave and take care of my other responsibilities. I sighed as I thought of a week with even fewer hours of sleep than usual.

I looked to Link who had seemed drained the whole ride, but now that we had almost reached our destination, a bit of energy seemed to creep back into him. He obviously did not share any of my apprehension towards the town.

Once we passed the gate, our path was lined with little houses and shops. The area was crowded with people, so we dismounted and led our horses by hand. Our progress was slowed considerably by numerous people stopping Link to say hello and chat once they recognized him. I was surprised by just how many friends Link had in this village. Sure, he was easy enough to get along with, but from what I had heard and observed, he mostly kept to himself and didn't say much around strangers.

As his brief conversations continued, I noticed that he increasingly shifted his weight from foot to foot. I was familiar with his impatient motions, but there was another emotion he was trying to hide. Eagerness, perhaps. Though for what or whom, I could not say.

Just when I thought his frustration would best him, a voice called from behind.

"Hey Fairy Boy!"

For a brief instance, pain danced across Link's face, but it was immediately replaced by a look of pure excitement as he whirled around to find the speaker. My positioning was better, and I spotted her first. In the sunlight, her red hair shone like fire. My first thought was that she was kind. I could see it in her large sparkling blue eyes. Though they also housed just a spark of mischief. She wore a simple white blouse with a short yellow scarf tied around her neck and a long purple skirt. The clothing was functional-clearly she was no stranger to manual labor-but she wore it well, in a way that emphasized her nice figure.

Link ran to her, grabbed her, and twirled her around. She laughed, looking absolutely thrilled to see him again. I narrowed my eyes in thought. This could prove to be an unforeseen complication. Stupidly, I had never considered a romantic entanglement as a possibility. Romance was something that had not even crossed my mind in the last seven years. I would need time to alter my strategy and make contingency plans if something like this were ever to prove to be a problem.

I focused my attention back on the two friends and caught that the girl's name was Malon. "Here I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me," she said.

"You?" Link said with a mischievous smile. "Never."

The girl giggled, and I had to restrain myself from rolling my eyes. I now felt it was very important to keep a close eye on Link while we were here, but I was not sure I could take multiple days of that.

"Who are your friends?" she asked, as if she suddenly realized the two of them were not alone.

He introduced the twins and they exchanged pleasantries. Link looked around for the General, but he had escaped to the local tavern early on. His eyes landed on me, and I could see his dismay at having to introduce me. I decided to save him the trouble and take the initiative.

"I am Sheik, sent to train Link by the rightful heir to the throne." I usually tried to hide any connection I had to the princess, but I had a test in mind.

Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened as she turned to Link. "You found her?" she asked with awe in her voice. "You finally found your princess?"

Link swallowed hard and nodded with a slight smile. Malon squealed in delight and embraced Link, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm so happy for you!"

So he had told her of his association to the princess. Given that he had not even shared that with the two companions he journeyed with for a year, this girl must have been incredibly important to Link. I made a mental note to talk to Impa about sending a trusted warrior or two here to watch over her in secret. Were any harm to come to her, Link would not be able to keep the focus he needed to be successful.

Link cleared his throat after the two of them parted. "I guess technically she found me. I haven't been able to see her yet, but she's alive. She sends instructions through Sheik."

Malon looked at me suspiciously. "I guess we have a lot to talk about. But not here. Let's go back to my house on the ranch."

A/N: Sorry this chapter kind of ended in a weird place. I didn't plan it out very well. I'm hoping to maybe release another chapter this week because of that, but I just started school so I don't want to make any promises. Also I know I teased Malon's appearance even though she was barely in this chapter, but I promise she'll be the focus of the next one. Let me know if you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks for reading.