Chapter 5
Courtyard Brawl

"This is incredibly immature and stupid of you to have accepted, Link," Zelda glared at him as he accompanied her to the courtyard.

"You can't tell me you like this fool, can you?" he replied casually. "He's the idiot that talked me into it. Pin it all on him."

"You didn't have to invite the whole garrison to watch though," Zelda hissed, but quieted when Brayden joined her opposite side in an effort not to be outdone.

"Well princess, hopefully you won't be too faint of heart to watch as I beat your friend here senseless," Brayden said to her teasingly, but baited for a demeaning comment from Link.

Link smiled but held his silence and hooked his arm into Zelda's. Zelda jumped in surprise and looked at him with the obvious question in her eyes, but did not have a chance to look long as Brayden mirrored Link and laced his arm with her other, albeit jerkier than Link's fluid movement.

"I don't understand the point," Zelda said to Brayden. "Doesn't this seem a bit…much, considering that I have not the slightest idea what this is all about?" Now she was trying to lure him into admitting the truth to facts she already knew; although, Link had hidden something from her of their goal and that something she sensed had to deal with who turned out to be the victor.

"It is simply for sport, Princess. Besides, Link here will get a chance to put his abilities to the test against a worthy opponent such as myself."

"Well, my worthy opponent, it would seem you have already forgotten too easily how I was able to incapacitate you in one move yesterday…without my sword I might add, as today's challenge requires," Link interceded.

"What has gotten into you?" Zelda finally snapped. Before Link had seemed so serious and intent on maintaining a decent composure and keeping his distance, but today he acted much differently than he had since he had come back to Hyrule. She could not comprehend what would have made such a difference in his personality, but worry was beginning to set in. Surely Link's whole foolish purpose in this was not just to bring about the ridicule of someone he knew he could best? That would be downright mean, and though this was a childish thought, Zelda knew she was correct in her thinking.

He shrugged in response to her question and smiled at her. She found herself enjoying the way Link currently seemed prone to smiling, but it did not feel right. He had to be up to something.

"Hope you're not too nervous there, Link," Brayden offered in such a gentlemanly way that would have appealed to many of Hyrule's upper class female population, but Zelda paid no real attention to his endeavor.

"What does Impa have to say about all of this anyway?" Zelda put forth a question meant for both of them.

"She thinks it amusing," Link cast a sly wink at her and Zelda cringed at this uncharacteristic behavior. It was not that she found it unattractive on him, but not knowing what was behind it clawed more and more at her insides the longer Link kept it up.

Their destination was the guard's training grounds just off to the side of the courtyard. When they reached the place, a good number of soldiers decked out in grungy training uniforms were already there. The fight between Link and Brayden would allow them an extended break and some live entertainment. As far as Zelda knew, Link could have easily acquainted himself with some of the guards already and become the crowd favorite.

Zelda felt as though she were about to witness a massacre. The guards would love it when Brayden, a noble here to court their princess, was clobbered by one with similar social standings to themselves; though that was not something she often considered when she talked to people, especially Link.

The soldiers bowed their heads in respect as she stepped among their ranks. Impa appeared by her side the instant Link and Brayden left her to go stand in the center.

"Why are you allowing this idiocy to continue?" Zelda snapped at her caretaker.

"I think Brayden could use some humility, as could Link," she said evenly in return.

Zelda bit her lip at the thought of this, "Well…I think Brayden may end up with more than he can know how to handle."

"Just be quiet and watch."

Zelda immediately became suspicious as something crossed her mind. "You're not the one that put Brayden up to this, are you?"

Impa looked pointedly at her, but said nothing.

Both pairs of eyes turned their full attention to the center of the training grounds where Link and Brayden prepared for their face off. The contenders circled each other carefully and Link took Brayden's taunts with a calm facade. And then, an invisible signal seemed to begin the fight.

Link moved fast and struck quickly, leaving Brayden already winded from a punch to his stomach and sitting flat on his butt.

"You can't tell me that's all you've got in you," Link mocked, stepping back to allow Brayden a chance to get up. Confidence filled his every movement as he surveyed his opponent with attentive eyes.

"Yeah right," Brayden spat back breathlessly, and he threw himself into an aggressive charge at Link.

Link, being the more agile of the two, easily dodged the attack in one move, but Brayden unexpectedly reached out and caught Link by the back of his shirt on the way there and used the momentum of his weight to twist into Link and slam him into the ground. There was a distinct thud as Link's right side took the full force of the blow and Brayden fell down beside him, but came to his feet first.

Zelda stifled a gasp when Link rose with blood dripping from a small gash in the side of his head caused by the rock she pinpointed on the ground, "Link's fought big opponents before; this should be easy for him, shouldn't it?"

Impa nodded, "Normally, yes, but it's time his cockiness got shot down a level or two. He's also going into this feeling a bit sore; you don't recover that good from crushed bones."

"Something that Brayden of all people seems to have happened upon in that last move? …Or did you inform him of that?" Zelda asked with a slight note of agitation.

Impa ignored her charge and Zelda sighed in frustration at this and returned her focus on the battle. Her caretaker could be stubborn and it was simply not worth the effort.

Link shook his head to clear his newfound dizziness and barely avoided Brayden's incoming fist. Reacting swiftly, Link crouched low and bowled into Brayden's legs. Although the tactic worked to take Brayden to the ground once more, Brayden managed to get a good grip on Link in the process so Link went tumbling into a painful heap with him and the two had to fight for separation.

"Not doing so bad now, am I Link?" Brayden huffed as they faced each other.

"Better than I thought," Link growled reluctantly, "but this is getting old."

The two combatants stood and Link braced himself for the sturdy body that charged towards him. As Brayden neared him, Link threw himself slightly forward, appearing about to meet this charge with a ramming of his own. Instead, he propelled himself into the air with a massive effort from the strength in his legs and managed to avoid harm as he performed a front handspring using Brayden's shoulders as a brace and landed behind him. Completely taken off guard by the acrobatic feat, Brayden could not avoid the heavily booted feet that assailed his head with two sharp kicks following the flip, and he collapsed to the ground flickering in and out of consciousness.

A raucous cheer rose up from some of the guards as Link turned to face his fallen opponent. Zelda stood rooted, unsure of what to do in the situation. Should she help Brayden, or would that be encouraging the unruly conception of the fight?

Impa stepped forward and with her cool demeanor intact, pulled Brayden to his feet as Link easily moved to support his other side. The surrounding men began to disperse, though several stepped forward to claim Brayden under Impa's instructions to return him to the castle doctors for the necessary minor treatment.

Upon the soldiers' departure, Zelda strode to Link and asked quite angrily, "So Link, what's the prize? Whatever it was, was it really worth all this foolishness…or was that the point-to make a fool out of Brayden when you knew you could beat him?"

Link cringed at the venom in her voice and Impa motioned in his defense, "Now Princess, the point of this was not mere foolery--…"

"Fight me then, why not?" Zelda spat as a different gleam sparkled in her eyes. "Why not continue the idiocy of this day?"

"Zelda--…" Link exclaimed and easily caught her arm just as it curled into a hard fist that flew in his direction.

"Was the prize a kiss, a kiss for the lovely princess?" she hissed. "Kiss me then, I know you want to. I can sense the love you feel for her, though you try to push it away. She's all yours now. I certainly won't stop you."

Link stared dumbfounded at her for a second and that was all it took as she lunged into him and both fell to the ground. Her lips immediately found his, but Impa jerked her off of him in a heartbeat and held the hair at the base of her neck in a painfully tight knot in her hand.

She shrieked at the suddenness of the pain and threw her elbows into Impa vehemently as Link stood, the spell broken. "Who are you, cruel spirit, to do this to Zelda? I do not love her in such a way and it is not fair of you to throw about her body like that. I care for her as a friend, and that is all."

Her struggles were calming, though she still twisted relentlessly, refusing to make things easy for Impa, and sneered at him. "Oh, I could do much worse with the body of a pretty girl such as her, but my purpose is to make use of what she puts to waste. All the power of her position and yet there are those that hide in alleyways rotting their lives away because the royalty hides in an elaborate castle so richly furnished. While the farm girl at Lon Lon Ranch toils away, you have this snotty princess with a closet full of fine dresses at her disposal. And then of course, there is you. The idiot boy that pitifully attempts to hide his emotions and make himself seem cool and in control of his surroundings. While you're off playing the wounded hero card, the people of Hyrule have been suffering. Well you know what, you're just pathetic!" she vented at him; all the while Impa's grip remained strong and unforgiving.

Link did not know what to make of any of this, but retorted with instead, "Who are you?"

"I was once a disguise but the princess's choice to alter time gave my creators a way to offer me life. For now I exist only in spirit, but soon I will have a capable body once their bidding is done. I was a part of her; for seven years she masqueraded trying to be good. If she had only kept things as they were she would have remained a constant vigilante fighting for the good of her people and I would not have my miserable existence, fighting for a chance at life in another's body."

"What might I call you, spirit?" Link hissed; her words did not bring anyone to mind.

Zelda's body went limp and Impa had to hurry to catch her, but the spirit had planned this and pulled free. She shoved Impa into a nearby wall with an uncanny agility and then turned on Link, once again pushing him to the ground and straddling his chest as he stared up at her face in befuddlement.

Her eyes burned with anger as she screamed, "Sheik, they called me Sheik you idiot boy!" She threw a bony fist into the gash on his forehead before collapsing yet again, but this time without any pretense.

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Well, that was a fun chapter to write. I was feeling pretty sick throughout the editing process so here's hoping I patched it up ok. Link's perspective is going to start coming in soon, I will say that much. He's much more fun to center on. Sunday night updates are still set so be on the lookout next week.

-blondie91