Link awoke in his own bed. He had returned via the secret tunnel after he and Zelda had exhausted themselves the night before. Shortly after getting out of bed, Serana and Zoey were there to help him get ready for the day. He considered politely declining their assistance, but remembered that Zelda wanted him to maintain an image so he allowed the chambermaids to perform their duties.
He caught a glimpse of Zelda as she was walking briskly surrounded by advisors. Her face lit up with an ear-to-ear grin when she spotted him. She turned back to her advisors and said a few words to them to excuse herself. She then walked away from the group of advisors and went towards Link.
"Hi there" she said. "I didn't get much sleep last night thanks to you."
"Me either" said Link. "But you're glowing like you're well-rested."
"I was 'well-somethinged' last night" she whispered.
"Anything to serve my Queen" said Link.
"Well as much as I enjoyed your method of service last night, there's something almost as exciting you can do for me right now. I want to practice swordfighting with you in the West Courtyard."
"That sounds like fun" said Link. "Lets go."
Link followed closely beside Zelda as she led the way. The West Courtyard contained a training area for the Royal Guard. It wasn't currently in use so Zelda hopped over the waist-high wall. Link followed closely behind.
"Please let me see your sword" said Link.
Zelda drew the rapier with the ornate hilt and handed it to Link. He swished the rapier around in the air and performed a few practice stabs.
"This rapier has some advantages and disadvantages" he said. "It's very fast and manueverable. The blade is hard to see clearly when you swish it around. It just appears as a blur, making it hard for your enemies to see its exact position. Unfortunately, it's meant for stabbing, not slashing. Furthermore, it's terrible at being used defensively. If you use it, you will have to be aggressively pressing the attack. This sword can be very effective when used against single enemies, but I wouldn't try it against groups in large open spaces."
"This sword is mainly ceremonial though. I don't know how suitable it is as a weapon."
"It didn't seem ceremonial when it was flying mere inches from my face" muttered Link. "But you're right. This sword appears to be made more for aesthetics than function. That doesn't mean that it can't kill. It just means it requires precision to use."
"Then let's work on my precision. I think I would like to master the rapier first and then expand my skills to other swords. I know I will often have my rapier with me so it makes sense to know how to use it. There are some training swords over there in that barrel. Let's grab two rapiers from there."
Zelda grabbed a training rapier and handed a second one to Link. It appeared to be made of wood and coated with rubber at the tip. Zelda swished it around.
"Hmm... this feels familiar" she said. "Handling this training rapier feels like handling the cane I use for Serana and Zoey."
"You do what?!" asked Link.
"Oh..." Zelda said, blushing. "Well, I am generally lenient with them, but occasionally they require discipline on rare occasions. I know how it sounds, but I'm really not that harsh with them though. Please don't mention this to them. It will just embarrass them."
"So... yeah" said Link. "That secret is safe with me. Let's get started with some mild-paced sparring. You attack, and I will defend."
Link was glad for the distraction. Thinking about Zelda caning her chambermaids wasn't going to do him any favors right then. Zelda lunged forward and thrust the rapier towards his chest. He easily redirected the thrust harmlessly to the side as he casually pressed the rubber tip of his own rapier against the underside of Zelda's chin.
Zelda backed up and then attacked again. This thrust was a lot more controlled. Link pivoted on one foot as he spun out of the way. After completing his turn, Link stuck the rapier point against Zelda's chest.
"You're signaling your moves" he told Zelda. "Remember what I told you about what advantages rapiers have. Try to make your next moves harder for me to predict."
This time, Zelda ran towards him while swirling her rapier around in random directions. It looked like just a blur to Link. Not even her body language gave away the angle of attack. Link had much greater difficulty countering that attack."
"You're a fast learner" said Link. "Now it's my turn. Prepare to defend yourself!"
Link charged forward. He held his rapier out to his right side, pointed at Zelda from an angle. As she readied her defensive stance, he sidestepped to the opposite side. He spun his rapier around so that the blade was on the opposite side of his fist from his thumb. He used a backhand motion to poke Zelda's neck with the rapier.
"Did you see the maneuver I just used?" he asked her. "Yes" replied Zelda. "That was a clever trick but it won't work on me again."
"That's fine with me" said Link. "I have plenty of other tricks."
Link and Zelda continued to spar. They gradually increased the pace until they were both furiously thrusting, parrying, and dodging. Eventually Zelda dropped to one knee panting.
"OK, Link... I'm done for today. I don't think I can spar anymore. In fact, I think I need another bath, and I want you to join me. No chambermaids this time, just you and me."
Link grinned. "I can help take care of all of your hard-to-reach places."
"No need for euphemisms" said Zelda. "I want to try the octo position with you. Let's hurry. I'm eager to try it."