2nd Draft
Anticipating how sore he would be this time, Link woke up early allowing himself more time to hobble over to his and Impa's training spot. He noticed that the shack under his porch did not look like it had been getting much use. He also noticed that someone had built an impressive stable behind his tree where the three horses were staying.
"I must have been too exhausted to notice," Link said to Navi.
"I heard the Know-It-All brothers working on it the night before last. Really Link, you ought to pay better attention to your surroundings," Navi lectured.
Link stretched his sore arms and back then let out a massive yawn. "That's what I have you for," he said scratching his chest. He was more than a little pleased with the muscle growth he felt under his tunic.
"Shall we go take our beatings today?" Link asked only half joking. Navi gave him an affirmative bob through the air, and the two set out.
Visibly less annoyed, Impa was waiting for him as stoic as ever. Without any ceremony the two began training. The lessons were similar to the first two days, and continued to be for the next week.
Impa taught swordplay in a very evolving manner. After training stances and footwork for the first hour they would get into the actual striking, or in Link's case frantically defending. Whenever Impa felt that Link understood the basics of a certain defense technique she would change her striking technique to something Link was unfamiliar with.
For example, over the past two days Link realized he had an incredibly difficult time parrying thrusts with the over-sized sword. With the Kokiri sword and shield it had been as simple as raising his shield or a simple downward flick of his wrist. That being said Lizalfos did not have incredibly accurate or powerful thrusts. Against Impa, while he was wielding Din's Wrath, Link had to rely on moving his hips and shoulders much more. Multiple times Link would attempt to parry a thrust only to be too late or to maneuver so poorly he would plant the tip of his sword into the earth. At which point Impa would punish him with a fore-handed swing or a front snap kick.
It wasn't until hours into their second day of training that Link had managed to properly parry a thrust. The moment he had, Impa changed from a simple thrust to one that came over her shoulder then downward after making contact. Link's inability to adjust quickly nearly cost him an eye.
But as the week went by Link was getting better and better and saw true improvement in his swordsmanship. He was still not at a point where he could feasibly go on the offensive against Impa, but he no longer thrashed and swung like a hooligan.
Besides sparring he and Impa spoke very little, which disappointed Link. He was very curious about the mysterious woman and her people. During their meal and water breaks Link had tried asking more about her family, or the Prava family, or the history of Hyrule. Questions were met with either blank stares or "we shall discuss it on a later date." They would then promptly resume training giving Link no more time to pester her with questions.
At the end of the day Link was typically covered head to toe in new bruises and cuts. Impa no longer walked back with him, instead she took off into the woods every afternoon. With no small amount of amazement Link noticed that she had yet to really break a sweat during any of their sparring sessions. On his walk back Link would talk about what he had learned with Navi, going over strategies and how he compared now with Din's Wrath to opponents he had faced in the past.
To Link's delight Saria was now in the habit of meeting him at the edge of the village. Every night she would throw a fit over the quantity of cuts and bruises all over Link's body, then she would practice her new found abilities and heal the boy. After that the two would stop by the spring to rinse off (for Link's sake mostly) then they would enjoy dinner together in the meadow. Saria would bring an assortment of fruits, nuts, and vegetables for the two to share. While Link stuffed his face Saria played the ocarina Link had returned. The songs she played were all original pieces but they differed slightly from what she used to play. Saria dabbled in the minor keys much more now, giving her songs a sorrowful expression. After Link was sufficiently full the two would end the night talking. They kept the conversation light, for which Link was grateful. They talked about how this coming winter would affect the forest. They told each other jokes about the forest imps and deku shrubs.
Eventually the conversation would work its way to the kokiri children and how they were faring. The Know-It-All brothers were training villagers on scouting tactics and behavior as well as implementing mandatory slingshot training. Mido was rarely seen. Saria said that when he wasn't sleeping he was deep in the forest. She said that she had gone to see him multiple times, to treat minor wounds and lecture him about the dangers of working alone. Stubborn as always Mido refused to listen and even that very night was out by himself. Saria mentioned nothing about seeing him with the Kokiri sword or Link's Deku shield. Link wondered at her opinion on the matter.
Eventually, every night, heavy eyelids would tell Link that it was time to go home and prepare for the next day. He and his oldest friend would walk home, and say goodnight. Like that first night, Link would wait until Saria disappeared over the hill before turning to go home.
"Goodnight Navi," Link would say every night.
"Goodnight Link," his companion would reply.
"Sheik!" Link said surprised to see the princess-in-disguise instead of Impa. "Are you training with Impa and me today?" he asked. He realized it was the first time he'd seen her in a week. The boy felt a tinge of guilt for not finding a moment to say "hi" or making sure she was adjusting to the village well.
Sheik smiled but shook her head. "No, Impa has to run an errand and will be gone for the next few days. While she is gone she asked me to train with you in the mornings, then have you meet with the Know-It-All brothers in the afternoon."
"What sort of errand?" Link asked "And what sort of training will we be doing?" He did not see a sword anywhere on Sheik, who was wearing very tight fitting clothes. He averted his gaze slightly when he noticed her outfit. She wore long, skin tight, royal blue pants and a blouse. She had her golden blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, secured with a simple white strip of fabric.
"She would not say." Sheik said, then with a mischievous smile "We will be training hand-to-hand combat."
Link raised an eyebrow and reexamined the princess. She was about three years older, but even though she was 5' 4" to his 5' she looked to be the same weight, if not lighter due to Link's new build. Especially since she had not reached womanhood, although truth be told Link wasn't sure what that meant, Sheik was thin and lanky. Her incredibly pale skin and big, kind eyes only made her appear even more fragile.
"YOU are going to teach ME hand-to-hand combat?" Link asked clearly skeptical.
Zelda furrowed her brow, an expression that gave the pretty young girl an adult demeanor. "You aren't being sexist now are you?" she asked hands across her chest. It was the same stance Impa often took. "Surely you and Impa don't just come out here to weave baskets and play dress-up."
"Fine," Link said unbuckling his half-sheath and setting Din's Wrath on the ground. "Impa said not to treat you like a princess anyway!"
With that he lowered his shoulder and charged at her. The attack was really meant as a show. Link would never dream of going all out against a dainty girl like Zelda. Sheik's response, was not for show. Just as Link was about to make contact with her, she grabbed him by the shoulders, maneuvered her foot into the middle of his stomach, then sat backwards. Link's forward momentum carried him over Sheik. While he was directly over her, hands and feet off the ground, she launched him with the leg in his stomach sending him flying over her head. Link landed flat on his back more than six feet away from Sheik. As jolting as the landing had been Link did not hesitate in jumping back to his feet. When he wheeled around he saw that Sheik was already standing, relaxed hands held up in a fighting position.
"What the hell was that?" Link asked rubbing the back of his head.
There was that mischievous smile again. "It's called tomoe nage, a technique Impa taught me when I was eight." Sheik was obviously delighted she had surprised the boy. "Care to try again?"
Link smiled, ready to challenge the girl with new found respect.
For the rest of the morning Link and his pride were thrown around and knocked around every which way. He was amazed at the power behind the petite girl's attacks. Link, knowing he was stronger, had thrown jabs and crosses that would have knocked Mido or any other child on their ass. Sheik moved side to side knocking Link's arms aside, across his own body. Using her hips as a fulcrum Sheik would then close the distance and strike with her own palms. A blow to the nose sent Link wheeling backwards, temporarily blinding him. He brought his arms up to his face in an attempt to protect himself. A sharp knee caught him in the stomach robbing him of his oxygen. Sheik ended the combo by sweeping inside Link's leg with her own, while simultaneously pulling down on the back of his head. Link landed flat on his face behind her in more than a little bit of pain.
Growling through the pain Link planted his hands on the ground and climbed back to his feet. Sheik was bouncing from foot to foot ready for more. Link planned a more measured assault this time. He threw a jab, reset his fighting stance then threw another. If I fight more defensively I will leave less holes for her to take advantage of he thought. As if guessing his plan Sheik pressed forward offensively.
Powerful high kicks, the sort Link couldn't imagine being flexible enough to pull off, assailed he from each side. His reflexes allowed him to get his forearms up around his face in time but they were taking a beating. Doubtful he could keep up his defenses much longer he succumbed to what was no doubt her plan and went back on the attack. He had hoped he could steadily press his heavier body into her to get rid of some space but it did not work out. Sheik grabbed Link's outstretched arm by the wrist, spun rapidly putting her back against his chest and her shoulder under his armpit, then yanked her upper body forward pulling on Link's wrist with her opposite arm all the while. Seconds went by while Link was weightless, flying directly over Sheik's head. The ground met him suddenly and mercilessly.
"That," Link moaned from the ground. "I need to learn that!"
"Seo nage," Sheik said offering a hand to help Link up. "A powerful throw when your opponent puts too much of his weight forward and leaves an arm isolated."
"I thought your hobby was cooking." Link said taking the hand and coming to his feet. His head ached fiercely but he would survive.
Sheik giggled. "I DO enjoy cooking but it is not my only hobby. I saw Impa training with one of the other bodyguards when I was younger and asked her if a little girl could do the same moves. Sure enough, the next week she was teaching me all of her techniques."
Link rubbed his forearms. "Consider me impressed."
Sheik smiled at the compliment and gave a short curtsy. "Let us continue?"
They sparred off and on for the rest of the morning. Sheik paused, usually after dropping Link, to show him the finer points to a strike or throw. At which point she would allow Link to practice the technique on her. Just as Link suspected she was incredibly light but far more nimble than he was.
By noon Link felt as though his eyes had been opened to a whole new world of combat.
"Same time tomorrow," Sheik finally said. She was stretching and cooling down after the workout. Unlike Impa she was indeed sweating from the morning's training. "You will keep working with me until Impa comes back."
"Fine with me. I have a lot to learn."
Sheik smiled, and the two headed back together.
"Is it normal for princesses to know how to fight?" Link asked on the walk back. "Princess Ruto didn't look like she could fight. She certainly didn't act like it." Carrying the water princess had been one of the most ridiculous ordeals in Link's career as a hero.
Laughing Sheik shook her head. "Not typically no. Especially not amongst Hylian royalty. I guess technically Impa is a princess, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Gerudo queen could fight so there are two."
"Who is the Gerudo queen?" Link asked. He had never made it over to the Gerudo Desert in the west due to his rush to collect the spiritual stones.
"A woman named Nabooru I believe but I could be wrong. Impa would know."
Link nodded but said nothing. As they approached the village the two saw that the Kokiri were very much awake and active. Besides a few that were no doubt out scouting or playing in the woods, everyone seemed to be doing what they always did. Ania was sitting high up on her overlook. Danook was practicing his boxing near the gardens. Ryen and Latia were doing somersaults through the streets. A couple Kokiri, including Pete, gave the two a look as they walked by. I suppose I haven't been up at a reasonable hour to see anyone have I? Link thought.
"Well I am going to check on Saria, have fun with the brothers," Sheik said patting Link on the shoulder. She took off at a jog headed for Saria's house.
"Link!" Navi cried out, bopping him on the head. "Shame on you!"
Link waved his hand at her. "What!? I didn't do anything!" he cried defensively.
"You were watching her butt weren't you!"
"Shut up!" he said swinging at her again. She weaved out of reach and made her dinging noise at him. "I was not. Come on we need to grab some lunch and go see the brothers." Damn nosy fairy Link thought, and not for the first time.
Author's note: Another slow chapter plot wise. The good stuff is right around the corner I promise. For any of my judoka or martial arts fans out there, yes those are the Japanese names for two Judo throws. If you want to actually see what they look like, how that sparring match might have gone down go ahead and youtube "Seo Nage" or "Tomoe Nage". I am not clever enough to come up with original names or an original language for things like that so using the Japanese names will have to do for right now. Anyway if you have come this far I implore you to stick with it for at least one more chapter. Also if you have any advice, critiques, or comments; harsh, friendly, or helpful feel free to leave a review or PM me. Thank you!