Chapter 9

Link would have two months as a royal guard—that was standard. Two months minimum. Then, as soon as possible, he would become a true soldier, and then three months later, could be promoted to full knight. After that, it required an additional six months of being a knight before one could apply to become a captain. So, at minimum, he would need to stick to the plan for nearly another year. He could do this. He had to. For his clan. For his family.

The royal guard was loosely defined as a trainee position. Once a recruit became a royal guard, he could specialize into a soldier or to a castle guard. Soldiers were the offensive part of the army, and the castle guard was the defensive, though Link didn't really know who Hyrule's enemies were. Probably the Yiga. Perhaps some rogue Gorons or Gerudo. The Rito and the Zora were much more peaceful. Then there were the guardians, though no one really knew whose side they were on. Down the castle guard path, one would then specialize further into the King's Guard, which Denne was supposed to aspire to as part of his assignment, or Intelligence. Link wished Denne all the best, but frankly, after being in the presence of both the king and the princess, he didn't envy the position in such an intimidating environment.

For the most part, Link kept the daily schedule he had during recruitment. The mornings consisted of conditioning, strength training, practicing other weapon types in the training arena, and making sure he had an ample breakfast. That one was important. The afternoons comprised combat training, drills, and formations. Evenings were freer time, and he liked to spend it either in the mess hall or the armory. Teak was becoming a valuable asset when Link wanted to practice with other weapons, and for being part of the castle guard, he sure had his know-how. He must have been working on becoming part of the Intelligence.

Link's sparring partner Garet wanted to be a soldier as well, so they saw each other often. It helped that they bunked near each other, and were in the same soldier class. It was still a struggle for Link to get to know more people. He just didn't have the social dream of becoming everyone's best friend. What he was most comfortable with was solitude, but he knew he would have to make friends with others if he wanted them to know and like him. That was the problem with this assignment: it required being a people person, which Link was not. He supposed it would just have to come naturally. So far, the only people he liked were Garet, who didn't talk Link's ear off, and Teak, who could fangirl over weapons with Link. The others in his class weren't bad men by any means. Abbott, Obi, and Brock seemed to be on a similar skill level to Link and Garet, so Link didn't mind sparring with them. Some of the others weren't as skilled at combat as they'd indicated in their recruitment form, but they were smart, so the captain let them stay. Link thought they were know-it-alls, and he hoped they'd be using their smart mouths for Intelligence rather than becoming soldiers. He wouldn't mind seeing less of them.

Just when Link's routine was becoming familiar, his two months trainee period was almost up. Before he knew it, his eligibility for becoming a true soldier would start in a week. He could theoretically take as long as he wanted. A few men in his class were waiting, since they still hadn't figured out whether to go the soldier route or the castle guard route. Link naturally knew before he'd even come to the castle which direction he'd wanted to take. Or rather, the direction his clan needed him to go.

The qualifications for becoming a soldier were fortunately cakewalks for Link. He had to have the drills memorized, which he had in the first week. Then he had to prove proficiency in at least three weapons. At this point, Link could claim proficiency in at least five — sword, spear, bow, knife, and greatsword. He didn't get as much time as he would have liked to practice with single-handed or two-handed axes, but they were next on his list. And once he became a knight, they would let him practice with the magical weapons like the thunderblade. He couldn't wait to be shocked speechless when he swung it around to make static noises and paralyze his opponent. He was especially excited to try the bomb arrows as well. He nearly exploded with anticipation when he thought of it. But first, he had to become a true soldier. Being simply a "royal guard" was nowhere near where he needed to be, and he needed to move up as quickly as possible.

In the few times he went into the library (looking at recipe books, of course), he never saw the princess in there again. She must have been as equally embarrassed to meet him there as he was her. Or she had other things to do. Probably the latter. He'd heard rumors that she was often out of the castle, doing who knows what, or stuck in her room studying. Either way, he didn't envy her or the king. He would absolutely hate to be royalty—always stuck in a position with no way out except death.

It was now late spring, and in the blazing sun, Link passed his tests to become a true soldier with flying colors. There was another ceremony, where he got a crest engraved on his armor. Garet was present to cheer him on, and he joined the ranks with Link a week later. Teak was in the process of preparing for his exams and physical tests to join the Intelligence, which Link admired. Both men deserved to go far in their careers. Link was naturally qualified, but how much did he truly deserve any of the praise he was receiving? He didn't always feel right about any accolades, since his heart was largely in it for the good of his clan.

Three more months until he was a knight. He could do this. One day at a time.

Those three months went by quicker than Link could follow, even though he'd made himself ready for a long time now. Summer was now giving way for fall. It was still way too hot outside, and for being a desert dweller all his life, he almost dreaded the cold he knew was coming. Not for a while, but soon enough.

He passed into knighthood after a duel and more weapons proficiency tests. He could recite from memory all the mottoes and codes of the Knights of Hyrule. After yet another ceremony in the Throne Room and an evening full of butterflies in his stomach, Link was a knight.

"We will have a special guest tomorrow," Captain Arken said. "If any of you are not present, then I will take an extra hour out of your evening time from all of you. This is the princess we're talking about. Show your respect."

Technically, everyone had met the princess at this point, through one ceremony or another; however, Link doubted if any of the other knights had discussed cake with her in the library. That was sure to be one of her stranger meetings. He wondered why she was visiting the knights tomorrow. Did she just want to see their progress? She was normally out and about doing... princess things. Link had heard that she went to holy springs and prayed, but what she prayed for, he couldn't fathom. For the good of the kingdom? Who knew? As a knight, Link was only privy to so much information. He just did his duty without needing to ask a bunch of questions. That was, after all, an important code of the knights of Hyrule. Duty before doubt. She often walked around with some of the Sheikah scholars. So, in addition to cake, she must have enjoyed studying as well.

The men in his group didn't seem too excited. More annoyed that they had to "put on a show." Apparently, she wasn't all that interested in the knights, so attempting to impress her was often futile. Link didn't really think that way. He would just do what he was told, regardless of whether the princess was there. He didn't need to impress her, per se; he just wanted to impress his superiors so that he could become a captain after his months of knighthood were up. If the princess wanted to be present for training, then so be it.

Mild grunting echoed through the arena, but the knights accepted the captain's challenge. Some of Link's cohort were irreverent when it came to talking about the princess, which usually disgusted Link. Sure, she was pretty, youthful, and smart. But if the others weren't more careful about what they said about her behind her back, then they would eventually need to answer to somebody. Probably the king. And that would be the least pleasant thing Link could think of. You did not want to be on the king's bad side, because then you would end up dead.

"All right. Back to it," the captain said.

They continued on as if nothing had interrupted them. Link actually enjoyed being in the arena, practicing sparring and combat drills. He had to wear his heavy armor, which he had gotten used to already, and he got to swing his new sword. Well, new was relative. At this point, it had been six months, but the sword was to him a symbol of his diligence in this assignment. He knew that without this sword, he wouldn't get very far.

The evening came and went, and before he knew it, Link was back in the arena with the other knights. Princess Zelda was already there, standing to the side talking with the captain. The knights bowed to her as they walked in and waited for a command. She was wearing a blue shirt and trousers this time, which surprised them all. Her hair was tied back, and she gracefully accepted a sword the captain handed her. Was she going to fight with them?

Captain Arken counted heads and then whistled his ridiculously deafening whistle. Link wondered how he did that. At the sound, the knights lined up.

"Men, your respect please," the captain said.

The knights all bowed in unison to the princess.

"Her Highness Princess Zelda is not here just to watch you train. No, there are a plethora of reasons she doesn't come here on a regular basis." He held out an arm towards her and presented her. Link could tell that he had to strain to sound formal. "She would like to train with you today. After a recent visit from the esteemed Urbosa of the Gerudo, the princess has decided to learn some combat techniques. Can I trust you knights to teach her well?"

"Yes, Captain," the line of knights replied.

"Good. Sparring positions now. Go."

Though Link usually sparred with Garet, today they were practicing with other partners. This time, Link faced off against Pevin, who was older than him by a few years. He was easygoing, which was often a breath of fresh air during the harsh training days of the knights getting yelled at by the captains. One day, that will have to be me.

After about a half hour, the captain, with the princess in tow, interrupted Link and Pevin's sparring. They stopped what they were doing and bowed to her again. The other knights were still in the middle of their own spars. "Link. Pevin. Demonstrate to the princess and I the way of the sword," the captain said.

So, they did. Pevin recited the theory of the sword, and he showed them his own sword. The fine lines and edges. The symbolism of the designs on the guard and the handle. The purpose of the sword. Then, with Link, he demonstrated how to hold it properly and how to distribute its weight along the arm.

Link could swear that the princess was watching him more than Pevin's sword instruction. But she held out her own sword, gave it a onceover, practiced holding it the way Pevin had instructed. "Like this?"

"Yes, actually," Pevin said. "You've picked it up quite quickly, if I may be so bold."

She twirled the sword in her palm, which must have been something she'd picked up from watching the knights. They liked to do that. It made them feel like they had command of the weapon. She started swinging it around, but after a few swings, she slowly let the tip rest on the ground. "It's heavy."

Pevin gave a small lighthearted laugh, and Link smirked. "Yes. It does take some getting used to. Right, Link?"

Link had hoped he wouldn't have to interact much, but Pevin had put him on the spot, and the princess was watching him expectantly. "Yes."

The princess rested her sword perpendicularly to the ground and rested her small hands on the pommel. "Pevin, was it?"

"Yes, Your Highness. At your service," Pevin answered with a small bow.

"How goes your training today, Pevin?" She was all business. Link didn't think she had any authority over the army, but it was a treat to watch her interact this way.

"Well, thank you. In fact, Link here is quite the formidable partner. He fights left-handed," he said, giving Link a subtle wink.

The princess looked pleasantly surprised. "Does he?" she asked as she gave Link a small smile.

"Yes, Your Highness," Pevin repeated.

In a way, Link wished he would stop. This praise was giving him the strangest attention, and he didn't think he liked it. It was one thing to prove yourself in battle, but to have someone vouch for you (let alone in front of the princess!) was too foreign.

Link nodded his acceptance of the statement. He could be all business, too.

"We must be fortunate indeed to have him among our ranks," she said, her eyes glinting with amusement. Then she turned to Captain Arken. "Very well, Captain. Let us proceed. Pevin. Link," she said as a goodbye.

"Your Highness," Pevin and Link said at the same time with small bows. The princess gave them one last glance before turning away with the captain and heading over to another pair of sparring knights.

Link relaxed his stiff posture, and the rest of the training session went smoothly. Luckily for his empty stomach, everyone had showed up to training, so he got to eat at a normal time. (He had legitimately gotten worried earlier when the captain threatened the squad. Meal time was sacred.)

Later, in the normal hustle and bustle of men getting ready for bed in the guard house, Link had an uncanny ability to fall asleep. Even with noise going on, his brain obeyed the commands of his body, and he was usually able to get some good shut-eye. And, since his bunk was closer to the edge of the room, he wasn't surrounded all the time. Less was more when it came to people.

But this night, for some reason, he was having more trouble sleeping. Something was different.

Sleep finally came, though not for long—a soldier was soon by his side handing him a note, awakening him. Other knights in the room were sleepily watching the interaction. He took the note and read it, then scrambled to pack his things (making sure to tidy his bed, of course). He quietly left the room with some weapons and his pack of armor. The men that were awake watched curiously as he passed by them in a hurry. He stopped by the mess hall to pack some snacks, and he was on his way.