Ok guys! Sorry this took so long to get up! Not only did I have my other stories to work on, but I've also been busy with midterms (which are now thankfully over!) But fear not! A new chapter has finally arrived! Huzzah! Now originally, I was going to have this chapter cover all of the first stage of the game, but i figured that I would just split it in half and give you guys something a lot quicker. And so, here it is. But before we begin, I would just like to thank all 64(!) of you who have followed and all 41(!) who have favorited! I'm not going to say everyone's names here cause that would take forever, but I just wanted to say THANKS SO MUCH! I still can't believe how popular this story has become already and we're only three chapters in! I am completely and utterly amazed, and I cannot say how much this warms my heart guys... especially the fact that this story has 41 REVIEWS! And so, let's get to them!

MeIIonCoIIie: Aw, thanks!

explodingbunnies52: You're welcome! :D

RyuAgeha: Thank you very much! I'm glad you're liking it!

Legendoffun: Yay! Thank you so much! You flatter me! :D

Zelda the Wise: Yeah, she is pretty adorable! And of course I had to give Link a rebellious side... I think its very sexy myself... ;D As far as my favorite character goes, I personally love playing as Sheik with her harp, Link with the fire rod or Master Sword, or Impa with her giant blade (I have a thing for ninja type fighting styles)

KPgirl1227: Don't worry! Zelda will take up her epic disguise soon! (I couldn't leave Sheik out of my story! She's one of my favorites!) And of course, I don't always plan on having the chapters focused on Link and Zelda (even if they are the main characters). There will be chapters focused on Impa, Lana, even Cia, as well as several others. After all, HW has such a great cast of characters and I plan on focusing on them all at some point!

TheJediAvenger: You already KNOW I want you to do more literalizing! :D

WHAM-Hope: I would say Impa (as far as this story goes) is about in her earlier 30's, since she doesn't really look that old (I guess white hair is a Sheikah heredity thing!) And no, my main ship here is Link/Zelda, but what I mean is that there will be one sided ones for the others, like in a way that Lana and Cia both love him, but they know he'll end up with Zelda so yeah. Though there will come some points in the story where the ship between either Link/Lana or Link/Cia will become more blatant, though no spoilers for now!

Marasia: Oh yes he is... :) Glad you like it!

CupcakePride101: Glad you liked little Zelda, as well as Link being defiant! And yeah, that was one of the most interesting things about Link in HW to me. I dunno, something about him being overconfident is really attractive to me, but not to the point that he's annoyingly stubborn or bullheaded. And yeah, I agree as far as shipping Zelda and Impa. The crazy ships that some people come up with... :P

RandomButLoved: Glad you liked how I developed Link, Zelda and Impa! And I think you'll like the battle with Volga in this chapter! :D

Multusvalde: I'm glad you like it! And Proxi is basically a fairy who serves as Link's "Navi" for this game, and she speaks for him in battle dialogues in the game, though of course, in this story he can speak for himself, she she'll just tag along as his companion.

Lovely girl 10: Glad you liked how I'm making Link here! He's only going to get better as we go along! :D

Flameshield: Yeah, Proxi enters the story in this chapter actually! I'm very glad you're enjoying the story so far!

Marina: Glad you like it! And while this chapter has them meeting towards the end, its kinda short, but don't worry! The chapter after this one is pretty much them interacting for the first half, so yay!

Sykdragon74193: It certainly does! :D

ultimateCC: Yeah, even crazy nuts like Cia! And indeed, Link is the hero! :D

ShadowNinja1011: Thank you!

Valkyrie Elysia: You're welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

GO ZeldaXLink: Glad you like him being a bit of a rebel, as well as everything else!

Nintendoman01: Thanks a ton!

mega-dark: Very pleased to know you like it and everything I added in! And yes, I do add on putting the extra weapons in, and I already have a few of their introductions planned already!

DarthPheonixFire: Hahaha, I bet they'll all be pretty surprised to see a new recruit suddenly be promoted to second of command (only behind Impa and Zelda) of the Hylian army! :D And I may be able to squeeze some MM and WW elements in here, since I was quite frankly disappointed that they were underrepresented (especially WW, I really wanted to play as Tetra!)

GerudoSpirit: Thanks! Glad you like it! :D

Beforethedawnbreaks: I put a lot of work into it, so I'm glad it shows! :D

Woo :P That was a TON of reviews! Like seriously, there were more than 20! I have honestly NEVER gotten so many reviews for one chapter before, and so all I can really say is keep em coming! Now, we can FINALLY get started!

Chapter 2: Under Siege

With deft, swift movements, Impa tore her giant blade through another crowd of bokoblins, slaughtering them all instantly. Her skill with the oversized weapon that she had bought from the Goron tribe baffled every one of the soldiers who served under her; she wielded into battle as if it were as light as a dagger, despite the fact that the thing weighed what felt like a ton to everyone but the Sheikah guardian. But what made Impa an even more deadly combatant was not just her prowess with a blade; it was also her mastery over the ancient art of Sheikah magic, a skill that very few knew how to defend against or fight off.

As Impa clicked her hefty knife back into its sheath as was her habit after each strike, she glared at the enemy forces that were still alive, having slipped past the faltering elite troops and heading her way. The skirmish had been raging on for at least a few hours now, though it was hard to tell time precisely in the heat of battle, and it was clear that the invading monsters were starting to gain the upper hand over the Hylian troops, much to Impa's aggravation. It was for this reason that Zelda had taken the soldiers fighting under her charge and headed towards the southwestern portion of Hyrule Field in order to defend the outposts and keeps there, while Impa stayed behind to defend the castle keep with her troops. Of course, when the princess had suggested this plan, the Sheikah guardian had her reservations about allowing her young ward to go off on her own, but at the same time, Impa also knew that Zelda was quite the competent fighter in her own regard as well. And so, the two women split up, hoping that they could cover more ground apart and rid the land of this threat before it got out of hand.

Upon having just torn her way through another horde of monsters, Impa let out an aggravated sigh to see that more were headed her way in their mindless pursuit to infiltrate the castle. She had no idea what their motive was for attacking, or even who was leading them, but one thing was certain: they were seemingly innumerable.

"Where did all these monsters come from?" the Sheikah guardian whispered to herself under her breath as she cast some Sheikah water magic upon her blade before taking a broad swipe at more of the creatures. However, upon clearing them out of the way, her attention was caught by one of the elite captains several yards away, standing near an entrance to a keep that happened to be blocked by large boulders.

"Lady Impa!" the captain shouted. "Princess Zelda headed this way, but the path is impassible!"

"Curses!" Impa scowled as she looked over and watched the meager attempt of some of the soldiers to push the heavy rocks out of the way. "We can't get to Princess Zelda with those boulders in the way! We'll have to find some way to get rid of them…"

However, the Sheikah guardian's focus was once again diverted as she picked up on the dying shrieks of several monsters coming from several feet behind her. She knew well that her troops were supposed to be guarding the bridge that led to the castle keep, as its protection was integral to making sure the castle did not fall into the hands of the enemy, but as she glanced behind her, she saw none of them fighting. She only saw one young man whom she had never seen before, clad in the uniform of a mere trainee and tearing through the intruding beasts such speed and skill that Impa had to do a double take to make sure that her eyes were not deceiving her.

"Commander?" the Sheikah leader asked the officer closest to her, still watching the young man as he plowed through every beast in his way. "Who is that soldier over there?" she asked, nodding her head in his direction.

The commander shook his head with a frown. "I don't know, milady," he said, pausing to watch the young knight as well. "I've never seen him before. But from the looks of it… I think he might be a new recruit…"

"I thought I told the trainee captain to keep all of the recruits out of this battle!" Impa growled, though the last thing she had time for was to reprimand a simple recruit for not following her orders. "Just who is this soldier anyway…?" she muttered to herself as the commander went back into the outlying fray. However, the Sheikah guardian only had a moment more to watch the clearly talented young trainee before she found herself surrounded by monsters once more. Impa merely rolled her eyes at the pests before drawing her massive blade and cleaving through them once more.

With a swift swipe, Link cleanly cut his blade across several of the bokoblins in front of him, ending their lives instantly. While some fresh soldiers might have had some reservations about taking down even as crude of creatures such as these, it didn't bother the young recruit whatsoever as he continued to tear through their forces, adrenaline and excitement flowed through his veins, filling him with electrifying energy. Though Link had never been in an actual battle before, he already knew that if this was like, he could certainly stand to fight in one again once this ordeal was over. Swordplay had always come easy to him ever since he was lad, and there was nothing more gratifying than being able to put his skills to use for the first time ever in an actual fray, as opposed to the limiting skirmishes he had been forced to fight during training.

The last thing Link regretted was willingly walking out of the army, knowing that their ways were cowardly and selfish. All his former peers were concerned with was their own safety, hardly even giving a second thought to the danger that Hyrule was in as a whole. But Link was different; his first instinct was to help others, no matter what the cost to himself. Others had called him out about this before in the past, calling it a fault and a weakness, but his uncle, who had basically raised him from the time his parents had died when he was very young, never thought so. He had always told Link that being willing to act in the face of danger was anything but a weakness; it was courage.

The young recruit remembered these words as he tore through another group of nearby monsters, moving deftly and quickly so he could advance onto the next pod of foes. However, as he fought, he happened to glance over and spot a set of discerning red eyes staring at him from across the battlefield. Link almost stopped in his tracks when he realized that Impa, the general of the Hylian army herself, watching him as he fought, shocked that he was garnishing her attention and wondering if she was going to scold him for disobeying orders and not staying with the rest of the recruits. And yet, she didn't; she simply stared piercingly at him for another moment or two before she was swept up into the fight once more, and before a sudden, nearby plea for aid reached the recruit's ears.

"Someone! Please, help!" the tiny, high-pitched voice called out, though from where, Link was unable to immediately determine. "I'm too little to fight monsters!"

For a moment, the recruit thought that he was hearing the cries of a small child based on that comment, until he finally spotted its source only a few feet away from his position: a tiny blue fairy, less than the size of a human fist, flittering in a panic as she was bombarded by a band of attacking monsters. For a brief second, Link glanced around at the other nearby soldiers, wondering why they weren't trying to aid the helpless fairy or even pay her any mind at all while they were all engrossed in their own battles. But nonetheless, the recruit wasn't about to let her cries go unanswered. As the fairy called for help once more, Link quickly cut into the circle of creatures that were attacking her, cutting them all down in one fell swoop and saving the tiny creature from her plight.

The fairy simply stared agape in awe at the recruit for a moment as he glanced up in her direction. "Are you ok?" he asked her with concern, something that absolutely shocked the fairy.

"You… you can understand me?!" she asked in astonishment.

"Well, yeah," Link said in confusion, wondering what she meant by that. "Why wouldn't I have?"

"Well… it's just that fairies and humans speak different languages…" the fairy said with a bewildered frown. "All except for the Great Fairies, who can speak both… How can you do that anyway?"

Link simply shrugged, equally as unknowing as she was. "Your guess is as good as mine," he said, giving the fairy a small, cordial grin.

"Huh… Well, anyway, thanks a lot for saving me! I was in quite a pinch there!" the fairy said thankfully as she flew down closer to him. "Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Proxi! What's yours?"

"I'm Link," the recruit answered, but before he could say anything else, the spirited, energetic fairy was already talking a mile a minute.

"Link, huh?" she asked, her wings beating quickly as she circled around him quickly. "Unusual name! What's it mean? Where are you from? Oh, nice sword you got there! Looks like you're pretty good at using it too! What do you-"

"Ok, ok, calm down," Link interrupted her with a good-natured laugh. "You really like to talk, don't you?"

"Yeah… a little…" Proxi said with a bashful giggle. "Say, you're one of those knights, aren't you?"

"Not really," the recruit said with a somewhat aloof shrug. "I kind of quit or got kicked out of the army. It depends on how you look at it."

"Oh, a rebel, huh?" the fairy said with a teasing laugh. "I like that! So… do you mind having some company as you fight? I could tag along with you if you'd like. We could even be partners! What do you say?"

Link couldn't help but smile kindly at the sweet, though somewhat hyperactive fairy, knowing that he wouldn't mind having her company at all. "Sure, Proxi," he said, much to the tiny fairy's delight.

"Yay!" she exclaimed, clasping her little hands together with excitement. "Now, come on! Let's go beat some monsters!"

Link simply nodded in agreement with this as he held onto his sword tightly and raced off towards the nearest cluster of monsters, plowing through them with ease just like before as Proxi called encouragements to him all the while.

"Everyone!" Impa called out a few moments later to all of the nearby soldiers, catching Link's attention as well. "Advance towards the Abandoned Fort immediately! We'll have to go the long way to rendezvous with Princess Zelda!"

Since Link was relatively close to the fort that Impa had pointed out, he didn't waste any time following her orders. He rushed for the keep with Proxi in tow, clearing the path of monsters so that the other soldiers could follow, but since they were all caught up in their own battles, few of them did. However, the moment the young recruit stepped foot into the empty fort, he was met with the last thing he could have ever expected.

A dragon, large and fearsome, swooped into the keep from out of nowhere, it's large, sharp wings allowing it to dive down towards the open keep at a frightening speed. Both Link and Proxi watched with both awe and trepidation as the dragon flew right over their heads, before it suddenly vanished from sight altogether. However, as they turned towards the center of the courtyard once more, they were just as confused to see a man land squarely upon the ground, as if he had jumped off the dragon's back, or, an even more outlandish though, had transformed from dragon to human.

But all the same, Link held onto his sword tightly as the man rose to stand, revealing that he certainly had a dragon-like appearance to him. He appeared to be some sort of knight, muscular and strongly built, and clad in thick red armor that was certainly stylized to a dragon motif. His eyes were obscured by the metal helmet he wore, which was, of course, in the shape of the dragon, with a long tuft of crimson hair gliding out behind it in a ponytail. But what seemed to absolutely confirm that this man and the dragon were one and a same was the fact that as he stood, a burst of fire seemed to come out on his breath, as well as the flames that surrounded the pointed staff that he wielded. For a moment, the knight simply stood in place, looking around the keep that he believed to have conquered with a haughty expression of satisfaction, before noticing the young recruit who stood within its entryway, taking up a pose of opposition against him.

"What are you?" the dragon knight asked with clear disgust on his deep tone as he glowered with displeasure.

"I could ask you the same thing," Link said with a hint of defiance, ready to take on this new foe, even despite his lack of relative experience.

"You foolish little brat!" the knight hissed with simmering fury. "I am Volga, the dreaded dragon knight! Feared and immensely more powerful than any of your kind. And if you knew what was good for you, child, you would flee from my sight before I incinerate you to a crisp!"

Link simply shook his head as he stood his ground and remained resolute. He was tired of people, from his commanding officers to his peers to the intimidating knight before him now, underestimating him because of his youth, and because of that he had every intention of proving them all wrong.

"Very well then," Volga said darkly, his scowl still apparent as he raised his staff in preparation for battle. "If you are ready to join your ancestors in the grave, then I will accept your challenge!"

Without any other words, the dragon knight rushed for the recruit, who was quick to dodge out of the way of the path of his staff. Link retaliated with a quick, decisive swipe towards Volga's exposed side, one that did little to hurt him because of his armor. With an aggravated growl, the dragon knight sucked in his breath before letting out a large plume of hot flames. Like any soldier would, the recruit used his metal shield to block the fire, though the force of it pushed him back several feet. Seeing that he had a moment of advantage, Volga rushed towards his opponent, but Link wasn't about to be caught with his guard down for a second. Skillfully defending and deflecting the knight's aggressive strikes, the recruit managed to avoid any serious injuries, though as they dueled and Volga began to grow even more angry and aggressive, Link steadily began to grow more and more fatigued. All of the energy he had while fighting the vast numbers of monsters earlier was starting to drain as he battled the dragon knight, who was by far a more experienced, much physically stronger warrior than he was. And yet, the young recruit was not about to give up or retreat now, and it was this enduring resolve that gave him enough strength to somehow break through Volga's defenses and land a powerful thrust across the dragon knight's chest, hitting him hard and squarely and pushing him back several feet.

Link took this as a chance to catch his breath, which was quickly starting to run out, but he held his sword and shield at the ready nonetheless, just in case Volga decided to land a sneak attack. However, the dragon knight was only off his feet for a moment, and when he rose to stand, the steam of another flame attack was already rising from his mouth and his vicious glare was directly set upon the young recruit.

"Enough of these games…" Volga growled menacingly, flames surrounding his clenched fist. "Get out of my way, boy!"

The dragon knight didn't even wait for Link to respond, especially since he could tell that the recruit was nearing exhaustion, and therefore, vulnerability. The flames converged around Volga's outstretched hand until they enshrouded it completely, transforming it into a large draconian appendage, complete with sharp, deadly claws. With an enraged shout, he rushed towards the young recruit with every intention of ending this battle once and for all.

"Link! Watch out!" Proxi shouted fearfully, floating near the recruit as she watched the dragon knight's fast approach. However, even though Link was keeping a close watch on his opponent, nothing could have prepared him for the sheer amount of incredible force that Volga struck his shield with. The blunt force of it all was so strong that it knocked the shield right out of the recruit's hand, leaving him completely open to the dragon knight's next attack; with a quick, heavy swipe of his dragon-like hand, Volga cut Link squarely across the chest, tearing through his uniform chainmail and eliciting a cry of pain from the youth, who was sent flying back several feet and landed on the ground semi-conscious from the strike.

However, before Volga could even revel in his victory for a single moment, someone else intervened, someone who had been watching the battle all along. Impa rushed into the keep and quickly stood between the dragon knight and the fallen recruit, her hand already on her sheathed blade as she stood ready to fight Volga herself.

"Enough of this!" the Sheikah guardian shouted firmly. "You and your foul beasts will leave this place immediately, or else!"

Volga simply scowled at her, not taking her threat seriously. "How noble," he scoffed with an air of superiority. "You wish to protect that foolish boy and this kingdom from my mistress's desires? Very well, then. Have it your way. Enjoy your shared grave."

The dragon knight let out a powerful shout as flames surrounded him once more, showing that he was preparing for a deadly attack, one that Impa, even with her Sheikah magic on her side, knew that she would not be able to defend against or evade. With wide eyes, the Sheikah guardian quickly turned around and knelt down near the injured recruit, refusing to leave any of her soldiers behind, no matter what rank they were. However, it was in that moment that everything happened so fast that Impa had no time to register any of it. With another shout, Volga let his charged-up breath go, unleashing a devastating fiery inferno upon Impa and Link, one that they were both powerless to survive against.

Or so Volga thought.

The dragon knight was somewhat disappointed that neither one of his foes screamed or cried out in pain as the fire struck them. He could not even see them being incinerated, destroyed by his incredible power; all he could see were the burning flames covering the lower half of the keep, creating thick, black plumes of smoke that rose up into the cloudy skies above. But all the same, Volga grinned with devious satisfaction, knowing that he had put both that meddlesome recruit and the Sheikah leader in their place once and for all. Without even giving them a second thought, he turned to head off and claim the castle itself, but it was at that moment that something happened that he could have never expected.

A golden glow began to emit from courtyard behind the dragon knight, one that grew ever brighter with each passing second. In confusion, Volga spun around, his jaw dropping in shock at what he saw.

All at once, the flames the dragon knight had conjured vanished into thin air, revealing the source of the sacred light that had driven them away and protected both the recruit and the Sheikah guardian.

Impa blinked in disbelief as she looked up at Link, who stood before her, his sword and shield held aloft, strong and completely unphased from the attack that had brought him down, save for the fact that only his uniform was form from Volga's claws, though no wound remained. Neither of them appeared to be harmed by the flames that had surrounded them whatsoever, but what shocked the Sheikah leader the most was the source of the light that had protected them, the mark of the three golden triangles brilliantly shining on the back of the young recruit's left hand.

Link hardly seemed to pay any mind to the mark as he kept up his focused stance, still ready to fight off the dragon knight if needed. But all Impa could do was stare at him with wide eyes, a million thoughts running through her mind at once. "Impossible…" she whispered in stunned awe. "Could you be…?"

"Loathsome child!" Volga shouted in absolute rage, though he knew that he could not stand up to the recruit with the sort of power that he apparently wielded at the moment. "You haven't beaten me. You have merely hidden behind your shields, human and otherwise. But be warned, boy: we will meet in battle again!"

With one more bitter glare of defeat, the dragon knight surrounded himself with flames once more, taking on the shape of the dragon and confirming that they truly were one and the same. And, with a heavy flap of his large wings, Volga flew off, retreating from the battlefield and leaving Link and Impa alone.

Since they were out of harm's way, the Sheikah guardian didn't hesitate in rising to her feet and bombarding the young recruit with questions as he put his sword in its sheath. "How in Nayru's name did you do that?!" she demanded, glancing down at his hand, where the mark of the triangles now only dimly glowed. "Where did you get that from?"

"I don't know," Link said with honestly, looking down at the mark on his hand in obvious confusion. "I've never even seen it before until now."

Impa raised a suspicious eyebrow at him, crossing her arms and frowning doubtfully as she sized him up. The young recruit knew who the Sheikah guardian was, of course; all of the trainees knew to respect her as the head of the Hylian army, but, just like the princess earlier, Link never thought that he would actually ever encounter the esteemed general herself.

"Who are you anyway, recruit?" she asked, still staring piercingly at him. "And who told you that you could come out here and fight with the elite troops?"

"My name is Link," he answered, giving her the traditional nod of respect that was due to the highest ranking officers in the army. "And… well, no one really told me I could come and fight. I just decided to come on my own."

"You mean you blatantly disobeyed the orders of your commanding officer? You disobeyed my personal orders?" Impa asked, sending him a critical glare.

"I'm sorry," Link said with slight frustration, not wanting to put up with this again. "But I had to. I couldn't just do nothing while Hyrule was in danger."

Though she was trying to maintain a front of seriousness, the Sheikah guardian couldn't help but smirk upon hearing this. "A noble intention, I suppose…" she mused thoughtfully, turning her attention towards the gate that led to the northern field. "I can't get too upset about something like that. And as far as I'm concerned, you've already proved your worth on the battlefield against that dragon knight. But as I'm sure you've noticed, the monsters still aren't gone, which means there must be someone else behind this attack as well. For now, I suggest that we clear the path to Princess Zelda and meet up with her troops, and then formulate a plan from there. What do you say?"

"Wait… you mean, I get to fight alongside you?" the recruit asked with wide eyes, amazed that he was actually being permitted to battle with the honorable general of the army, despite the fact that he had just been expelled from it.

"Yes," Impa said, already turning towards the battlefield once more. "What of it?"

"Well, it's just that-" Before Link could say anything else however, he was abruptly cut off by Proxi, who flew in close to his face with what she considered to be an important announcement.

"Hey, Link!" she exclaimed brightly. "I just got an idea about how we can clear those boulders blocking the path to the princess!"

"Really?" the recruit asked, glad that the fairy's assistance was already proving useful. "That's great, Proxi! What is it?"

In curiosity, Impa turned around when she head Link say something, believing him to be talking to himself until she saw the fairy flittering near him. "You can speak to fairies?" she asked in disbelief, wondering just where this recruit, who apparently had so many unique talents and abilities, came from.

"Yeah," Link said with a nod, almost asking the Sheikah guardian why she bothered asking before he remembered what Proxi had told him earlier. "I guess so."

"You are just getting more and more interesting with each passing minute, recruit…" Impa said with a small grin as she shook her head and turned to head off into the fray of battle, with Link following not too far behind as he listened to Proxi's idea, which was to head to the nearby mine and gather some bombs to destroy the boulders. Upon relaying this plan to Impa, she agreed with both the recruit and the fairy and commanded her troops to take a path towards the mine. The trip there was short and simple, even if the way was littered with monsters, though Link and Impa easily took them down together. And, sure enough, Proxi's advice worked, as the bombs managed to completely obliterate the obstacle that the boulders posed, opening the pathway to Princess Zelda at last.

With a graceful slice, Zelda tore her thin rapier through another set of monsters, wasting no time moving onto the next group. Despite her elegant appearance and regal manner, the princess of Hyrule was incredibly talented on the battlefield, having been trained in swordplay by Impa from the time was she was young. She fought passionately no matter what the occasion, especially when her kingdom's safety was on the line, like it was now.

"Princess!" Zelda's focused expression brightened upon hearing Impa calling out to her from behind. As she finished off another bokoblin, she turned around to watch her guardian approaching, glad to see that both her and her troops were alright.

"Impa!" the princess exclaimed with a smile. "I'm glad that you were able to find a way through! I was starting to think that I would have to break through those boulders myself."

"My apologies, princess," Impa said, giving the royal a respectful nod of the head. "But thank the goddesses that you are safe! I feared that I'd have never reached you if not for this brave trainee." She gave a slight glance a few feet behind her at Link, who was still busy taking down a ground of monsters all on his own.

"A trainee, huh?" Zelda asked, though she was admittedly distracted as she took down the last few enemies in her way. "Well, from the smallest seed comes the biggest tree I suppose." However, it was at that moment that both the princess and the recruit finished off the foes that they were respectively battling, and happing to turn and face one another at the same time, their eyes meeting even though there were several feet away. "You!" Zelda exclaimed, admittedly surprised but pleased to see the skilled recruit from earlier. "I saw you in the training yard earlier!"

Since the area around them was relatively free of monsters, Link bowed before the princess like any loyal soldier would, still amazed that she was even talking to him at all. However, as much as he knew that he shouldn't have, he couldn't help but glance up at her as she stood before him and realize that she was even lovelier up close, especially as she smiled warmly at him, making his cheeks burn a flustered red.

"You don't have to bow, you know…" she whispered so only he could hear her, knowing that Impa was a stickler for everyone and everyone showing the princess the proper respects. Zelda held out a hand to help him up, one that Link hesitantly accepted, not even realizing that he was staring at her in awe. "What is your name, soldier?" she asked, knowing that she had heard it earlier, but she couldn't exactly remember it thanks to the sudden outbreak of the battle.

"Link," the recruit answered somewhat shyly, his former confidence somehow gone in the presence of Hyrule's refined, elegant ruler, though he wasn't sure why.

"It's very nice to meet you, Link," Zelda said with a smile. "I am grateful for your aid in this battle. I wish there was more time to talk, but for now, I think we need to clear the field of these beasts first and foremost."

"Princess, we encountered one of their commanders and managed to drive him off," Impa reported dutifully. "But I theorize that he wasn't alone. If we can quell these monsters at their source, then maybe Hyrule will be save from further invasion."

"I agree," the princess said with a nod. "But I've seen no signs of any other commander anywhere. He must be hiding somewhere amidst their ranks. If only there was a way to lure him out into the open…"

"What if we forced all of the monsters into one part of the field?" Link spoke up as a sudden idea came to him. "Then we could take them all out at once. Without an army, the enemy commander would have to come out and fight."

"That's a brilliant idea, Link!" Zelda exclaimed, smiling brightly at him with encouragement as he bashfully grinned back. "And I just so happen to know of a way for us to wipe them all out in one fell swoop. We shall call upon the Great Fairy to the south for assistance." With confidence in this plan, the princess turned towards her guardian, ready to put it to action. "Impa, I need you and your troops to round up all of the enemies towards the northern fields, and whatever you do, do not let them take the castle. If it falls, then so do we."

"As you command, princess," Impa nodded, a hand already on the hilt of her blade in preparation to fight against the hordes as she ran off, leading her troops off towards the north and leaving Link and Zelda behind.

"Everyone, listen!" the princess shouted to her own nearby troops. "We need to advance towards the southern fairy fountain at once! We have a strategy that, if successful, can greatly damage our foes! Now move out!"

The soldiers all didn't hesitate to follow the commands of their ruler, but Zelda was quick to stop Link before he could head off into battle with them. "Hold on a minute, Link," she stopped him in his tracks, instantly catching his attention as he turned around to face her, knowing that whatever the princess had to say to him would be of the upmost importance. Even though he had no discrepancies against disobeying the orders of a commanding officer if they infringed on his ideals, he didn't feel the same sort of defiance towards Zelda, who seemed to be openly inviting to fight alongside her in this battle. Even though Link had literally just met her, he already respected her and was ready to follow her to the ends of the world if he had to. She just had a certain way about her that commanded both power and authority, and yet she did not abuse either of those things; even from their brief conversation so far, she had already shown herself to be refined, kind, and deadly in battle all at once, traits that the young recruit couldn't help but admire. "I have a very special mission for you," Zelda said with a small, somewhat coy grin.

"What is it, your highness?" Link asked, knowing that he should refer to her using the proper title.

The princess's smile widened as she detected the readiness for whatever task she gave him in his tone. Their eyes met for another brief moment, and in that moment, she was able to see the firm determination in his sky blue eyes, something that instantly told her that he was already more than prepared to fight for Hyrule. But there was something else about him too, something that filled her with a feeling of hope, even despite the danger the kingdom was currently in. It was something she had noticed from the moment she first saw him fighting in the training yard that morning, and it was something that made her believe that her search for a savior for her kingdom had already come to an end. And yet, Zelda knew that she couldn't be too hasty; she wanted to test him first, to make sure that his resolve, strength, and courage were genuine. And the best way for her to do that was to watch him in action first hand. And so, gripping her rapier, she began to lead the way towards the fairy fountain, but not before looking back to the recruit one last time with a determined smile. "You're coming with me."

Yay! Next chapter will have some early Zelink! Plus more action from both the princess and the hero, tag teaming to take down the foes! Yes! Anyway, I hope you all really liked that! I put a TON of time into it (by watching and playing HW cause yes) I have really high hopes for this story thanks to you guys, and so I promise that I won't let you down! For now though, I must be off so I can check and see if I can download the villain DLC pack! I just can't wait to play as Cia! :D Anyway, don't forget to leave a REVIEW! Until next time!