Over the next several days, fresh new recruits began trickling steadily in, almost invariably on horseback. They were a mixed bunch, both in origin and in age; one of the first to arrive was a young lad who couldn't have been any older than fifteen years old. Anywhere between ten and twenty newcomers would arrive each day, to be issued with the gear they would be using.

I hadn't really given much thought to what the horse archers would use, besides a horse and a bow. It was Impa, Azeru, and Nabooru who drew up what gear would be issued to the new recruits. This consisted of a short recurve bow, a case of arrows that could be slung over the back, another two arrow cases that were slung over the saddle (according to Nabooru, these saddle-cases were a Gerudo invention), a iron-studded leather cuirass, a simple iron helm – which covered the head, cheeks, and neck in one continuous piece of metal, leaving holes for the Hylians' characteristically long, pointed ears, as well as the entire face uncovered – and the standard purple cloak and broadsword of a Hylian soldier.

With this new equipment came new training for the recruits. They were, of course, taught swordsmanship by a tag-team of Hylian knights and Gerudo. But they also were trained in archery by Azeru and her people. Those who showed an inherent talent for the art quickly graduated to learning how to fire while mounted.

After a week, we had about a hundred and fifty recruits, with more coming in daily. I was mostly busy with my own training. My routine was basically the same as before Link's rescue; I did push-ups and sit-ups, ran laps around the ranch, and practiced my combat skills with the other soldiers. The few times I wasn't training intensely were usually spent taking photos on my cell phone; I did this sparingly, of course, so as not to run down the battery.

Once, I saw Link sitting by himself, watching one of the knights train a group of recruits. I went over and sat by him. After a friendly greeting between us, I asked him, "You want to see something cool?"

He nodded to this, so I took out my phone and turned its camera on. I held it out in front of us and said, "Smile." This Link did, and I got a perfect selfie of the two of us – well, almost perfect; Malon, as we found out afterward, had been walking by and looked at us, trying to figure out what we were doing. But, needless to say, the photo impressed Link.

I continued taking pictures throughout the first two weeks since the first recruits arrived. I figured I would have a great deal to show Kaylee upon my return, on top of all I would have to tell her about this place.

On the eighth night since we arrived back at the ranch, I walked into the barrack I slept in, tired from training. Zelda was seated on her bed, writing with a quill in a small, leather-bound book with tan pages. She looked up as I came in. "How is training going, Brian?"

"Fine," I answered, setting my shield down beside my own bed. "How's your day been?"

"Good, just like every other day since Link's been rescued," she replied. Then she went back to writing, somewhat abruptly, which puzzled me. But I didn't think too much of it, as I began to hone my sword with a flat iron.

Zelda didn't continue writing for very long. I heard her quill stop scratching after only twenty seconds. Then came a long silence, broken only by the gentle scrape of the iron going over the edge of my blade. After I noticed this silence (which, admittedly, wasn't until after a good minute and a half had passed), I paused and looked back. She was staring at me, with a rather pensive look about her. My brows went up a bit. "Am I doing this wrong?" I asked.

"Oh, no," Zelda replied, "at least I wouldn't know. I mostly fight with my bare hands anyway. But there's something I have to tell you. I don't think you're going to like it, though."

At this, I began to get concerned. "Is there no way home?" I asked, standing up from the bed and hoping desperately that this wasn't the case.

To my relief, Zelda shook her head, though her warning made me doubtful that whatever she was about to say would be much better. "I have a bit of a dilemma," she said.

"And that is?" I prompted, wishing she'd just gotten straight to the point instead of prefacing it.

I didn't have to wait long before I got it. "My family line has been destined to rule Hyrule since we descended to the land and the kingdom was founded," she explained. "And our family's destiny is such that there will always be, in every generation, a Zelda to bear the Triforce of Wisdom. Since I am the latest of my line, destiny dictates that I am to have a daughter sometime in my life."

I looked quizzically at her. "You sound as though you didn't wish this destiny on yourself," I said. "Surely you can try to change it."

She looked at me, suddenly very serious. "This destiny is for the benefit of Hyrule. If I do not have a daughter, there will be no one to possess the Triforce of Wisdom after my death."

"There might be," I replied. "I mean, it happened with the Triforce of Courage, and Link didn't even die. It could go out of the family, couldn't it?"

Zelda sighed; clearly I was not getting the point. "The Triforce of Wisdom is not like the Triforce of Courage," she told me. "Long ago, before our people descended to Hyrule, a legendary hero helped one of my ancestors to destroy a demon called Demise. In the throes of his death, he placed a curse that his hatred would constantly re-awaken to trouble those in that ancestor's family line, as well as those with the Hero's spirit. The Triforce is inextricably linked with that curse. The Triforce of Courage follows the spirit of the Hero. The Triforce of Wisdom follows the family line of the first Zelda, of which I am the latest. It will have no other bearer. That means, if I am to ensure the Triforce of Wisdom continues to have a bearer, I must find someone's hand to receive."

Gradually, I began to realize what Zelda was about to say. "I'm nervous about where this is going," I said after her explanation.

"Well who else is it going to be? I had my eye on Link, but he was already engaged to Ruto, and they married last year."

"What about one of the knights?" I asked.

"Maybe," she replied. "But for all their courage, there's one thing they don't have, that only two people in Hyrule do. None of them have the spirit of the Hero. Link has it. You have it. Why do you think the Triforce of Courage sought you out when it was fleeing from misuse?"

"I did not ask for this mark on my hand," I countered, showing the glowing Triforce on my hand as I did so.

"Neither did Link," Zelda responded. "The spirit of the Hero goes to whom it chooses. No one asks for it. Just like no one asks to be a Triforce bearer. But still we are. And that binds our fates together. Not every Hero has been wed to one of my ancestors. And not all who follow will marry my descendants. But it is common. And it would be a feat indeed to find someone in Hyrule to match a spirit-bearer for that. You and Link are the only ones in Hyrule."

I was already shaking my head. "I've been here just over two weeks. I don't know you as well as I know my family and friends back home. And I want to return home. I belong there, not here. I have a friend who has so many questions she wanted me to find out the answers to. I'd be failing her if I didn't return and give her those answers." With that, I abruptly sat back on my bed.

There was a few seconds of silence before Zelda said, "You wish now that your friend had been chosen to come with us instead of you, don't you?"

I turned back and gave her a look that was not so much angry as desperate, trying to say, What do you think? In all reality, I was torn. On one hand, Zelda was a kind soul, and friendly, and – I forced myself to admit – she was definitely quite pretty, certainly someone who I knew I would be happy to tie the knot with. But on the other, I had a life elsewhere, one that I had to get back to; I was not made for Hyrule, and binding myself to the blonde queen would force me to stay, unable to return to where I belonged.

She walked over and sat beside me, her hand going to my shoulder. "Don't worry yet," she said. "If you don't want to do this, I will stand by that."

I looked back at her, making eye contact. I had never noticed before, but her eyes were the color of battle-ready steel. One could get lost in their blueness, never to be seen or heard from again. I saw in them that she was speaking truthfully. Giving a little smile, I nodded my thanks to her. She returned the smile, a sweet, sympathetic smile, clapped me on the shoulder, much like a sports coach would do, and went over to the changing room, her nightgown in hand. I immediately blew out my candle and lay down in my own bed.

Sleep did not come to me that night. Sometime – I don't know when, but I imagined it might have been 2:00 in the morning – I finally gave up trying to fall asleep. I quietly rolled out of bed and, careful not to wake the gently slumbering Zelda, crept out of the barrack, still fully clothed.