"...It's like he's had to struggle every single day for his entire life," Mipha said, as they passed through the front gates of Hyrule Castle Town.

The trio of Zora - Mipha, Seggin, and Muzu - had finally arrived in the bustling city after several delays. A bit later than expected. Mipha thought. But at least we're finally here… Calm but curious, she scanned the bustling marketplace, quietly marvelling at the variety of Hylians around her.

"Master Link is one of the toughest Hylians I have ever met," replied Seggin. "I believe he thrives on struggle. Loves the challenge…I'm quite sure he's fine."

Muzu shrugged. "Well, when we see your little Hylian friend again, you shouldn't be surprised if he doesn't even remember us, Lady Mipha. Hylians are a terribly… unreliable sort. Remarkably ungrateful. Friendship means very little to them…"

Mipha resisted the urge to defend Link against Muzu. Her attendant was generally unaware of the extremely close bond that she and Link had shared, and overall he viewed Hylians as fickle and inconsequential people due to their relatively short life spans. She couldn't even imagine trying to explain to Muzu how she truly felt about Link. He'd positively blow the top off his flat head in sheer fury.

So she dropped the subject, continued to observe the curious scene around them. She had not been to the Castle Town since she was much younger, so her memory of its typical state was certainly lacking. But even to her, things seemed a bit… busier and more bustling than they perhaps should have been. Thousands of people from all over the country were flooding the marketplace, surrounding a large platform that had been assembled in the center of the town square. People milled about, gossiped, speculated…

"I hear the princess still cannot access her powers-"

"...How could we trust someone like her to lead us, if the Calamity actually does come back?"

"Do you think it's true? About the master sword?"

"-I guess we'll be finding out shortly, either way!"

The loud voices that swirled around her were a bit overwhelming, to say the least. It was all quite a bit much to take in. But she remained calm regardless.

Seggin seemed to share Mipha's curious sentiment, however.

"I wonder… just what in the world is going on here..." he said.

"A joke, that's what," scoffed a voice from nearby.

Mipha looked over.

The smiling face of a dark-blue Rito greeted her. She was familiar with the birdlike race, as their kind operated the most commonly-used postal service in the entire country. This particular Rito was quite tall, and wore a bright blue scarf with white accents around his neck. He was certainly handsome by Rito standards, she could admit that much. Yet all she could focus on was the set of bright red feathers under each of his eyes, which gave him the silly appearance of a permanent blush. She held back a giggle.

I really should not be analyzing others like this...

"Hello there," the Rito said, as he walked toward the Zora trio. "The name's Revali. Master Revali. The Champion of the Rito." He stopped in front of Mipha, looked her up and down. "And I can deduce… based on your… staggering beauty and your ornate jewelry and trident… that you are the Zora Princess and Champion, Lady Mipha. Am I correct? Of course I am." He bowed slowly and winked at her.

Mipha just stared back in confusion for a brief moment, then suddenly remembered her manners. She nodded back cordially. "Ah, yes, your... deduction is correct, Revali. May I call you Revali? " She found herself wanting to avoid addressing him as ' Master .' It didn't seem right. At all.

But Revali didn't get the hint. "Ah, we're on a first-name basis already. Excellent, Mipha- "

"'Lady Mipha' will do," she and Muzu said at the same time. She glanced over at Muzu, who seemed to be wearing a look of sheer disgust on his face. For the first time ever... Mipha actually appreciated his overbearing nature.

Revali grew mildly flustered. "Oh, I...well, do pardon me, I didn't mean to-"

WOOOOOOOO!

A loud chorus of cheering and clapping erupted from the crowd, as King Rhoam suddenly emerged on the stage in the middle of the town square. Immediately, most of the members of the crowd knelt in respect for their ruler. Only now did Mipha notice that there were also Gorons, Rito, and Gerudo numbered amongst them - as well as a few unfamiliar Zoras from distant domains.

Am I... missing something here? She wondered, as she also bowed her head in respect to the foreign ruler. Well, I suppose that's what I get for being late…

The King raised his hand to shush the crowd, and silence set in almost immediately. They all stood back up at once, and listened intently to Rhoam's words...

"Three days ago…" he began, "The legendary sword that seals the darkness… was finally drawn from its pedestal."

The public went absolutely insane at the news. The king raised a hand to shush them again.

"And the new master of the sword… your Hylian Champion… is none other than Captain Link of the Hylian Royal Guard."

Link!

Mipha's face lit up, but she quickly calmed down before Muzu could notice. She allowed herself to clap politely, though she wanted nothing more than to cheer and shout congratulations, as Link himself emerged onto the stage after his introduction. He was dressed in an Imperial Guard Captain's uniform, his pose was respectful, confident. She could see the blue hilt of a beautiful sword on his back - the Master Sword, which her father had told her about.

Mipha watched intently as Link knelt in front of the king. She couldn't help but feel so very proud of him, so happy for his accomplishment.

And yet… something was wrong. Something was off about him. Even at this distance, the stone-cold look on his face was evident. It was that same stoic demeanor that she'd only very rarely seen when he was living at the Domain. She recalled Link's last visit home, how he'd seemed just a little bit more aloof. A little bit colder. ...But still the same old Link in the end.

Maybe it's just a calm front he's putting on…

...Yes, I am sure that is the case.

Her intuition was sounding alarms through her mind. But she decided to be optimistic. After all, she hadn't seen him in nearly two years. This was a moment to savor and enjoy, to-

Silence set in again. A Royal Messenger had arrived on stage, whispering something in the King's ear. As he did so, he pointed directly at Mipha. Rhoam looked up, recognized the Zora princess, and smiled.

"It would seem that all of our great Champions have finally arrived!" He spread his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Would our dear friends kindly assemble themselves on the stage?"

Revali immediately grabbed Mipha's hand and pulled her through the crowd towards the stage, before Seggin and Muzu could do anything.

They arrived on the platform just as Princess Zelda, Lady Urbosa, and Daruk lined up next to Link, facing the crowd alongside King Rhoam. Mipha and Revali also found their places in the line, as King Rhoam's booming voice once again brought the crowd to silence.

"Ladies and gentlemen from across the world… it is my distinct honor to present to you… the chosen pilots of the four divine beasts, and the Champions who will beat back Calamity Ganon."

As the crowd erupted in more cheers, Mipha glanced around in awe at the strange scene. She really was not particularly fond of this loud spectacle. She dared to glance over at Link, and she could immediately tell that he shared the sentiment - even through his cold, detached look. Link briefly returned her glance and for only a short moment, the shine in his eyes returned. He fought off a grin, before quickly giving way to his stoic look again.

Mipha sighed internally. There was definitely something wrong with him. She knew him far too well... this wasn't just a simple front he was putting on after all...

And as she glanced around from atop the platform, saw the expecting, hoping, demanding faces of the thousands of people watching them, she felt she had a pretty good idea of what that something was.


After the presentation, the Champions were quickly summoned to the large dining hall of Hyrule Castle in order to get further acquainted. The King had arranged for an enormous variety of dishes to satiate the diverse tastes of all the Champions. Mipha lamented that she hadn't a single moment to catch up with Link, though she was sure she'd get a chance soon...

Just not right now, apparently.

As if deliberately, the two youths had been seated exactly on opposite ends of the dining table that was set out for the Champions. King Rhoam sat at the head, and Zelda alongside him. Link was seated to Zelda's left, followed by Daruk and Urbosa. On the other end, Impa, Revali, Muzu, and Mipha were seated to the King's right. Earlier, Sergeant Seggin had gotten himself reacquainted with some old war buddies from another domain, so he was absent from the congregation.

"It is a pleasure to finally have our Champions assembled today." King Rhoam began. A waiter knocked on a nearby door, poked his head in. The king beckoned. "I am quite certain that we're moving to an... adequately-prepared state to oppose Calamity Ganon," he continued, as a stream of waiters and waitresses began filing in with plate after plate of steaming food.

"Indeed." said Impa. "Though we would be wise to not get overconfident. There is still much to accomplish, according to prophecy."

Despite only being a few years older than Link and Zelda, Impa was incredibly wise. She was also rather tall for a Sheikah, and well-built as a warrior. She carried a calm but demanding presence, and every word she said seemed carefully thought-out beforehand. Rhoam found he had no problem heeding her advice when it was given.

"You are correct, Impa, there is still indeed much work to be done," said King Rhoam, as he bit into a piece of steak and began to chew quietly. He swallowed, continued, "But for a brief moment… let us have a short time to reflect on our success thus far." He wiped his face with his napkin, and spread his arms. "Don't be shy, everyone! Eat up!"

The Champions had all been waiting for the king to finish speaking, but didn't hesitate to dig in after hearing his invitation. They were absolutely famished.

Having already been introduced to all of the Champions earlier, Mipha decided to study each of their mannerisms. She tended to do this with any new individuals she met, though as an introvert she found herself rather overwhelmed by the sheer number of large personalities surrounding her now. She nibbled quietly at the raw salmon on her plate as she analyzed the other champions...

Daruk and Urbosa appeared to be hearty eaters, enjoying their specially-prepared Rock Roasts and prime cut steaks respectively. It was almost a competition for them, and Mipha noticed they seemed quite comfortable with each other.

Revali and Impa were light eaters by contrast, preferring dishes of poultry and rice balls over the heartier selections available to them. The two were chatting a bit, and Mipha noticed, based on Revali's speech patterns and mannerisms, that he seemed to enjoy laying it on a little too thick with just about everyone he spoke to. She found she was not that fond of his personality, though she refrained from passing judgement on him without getting to know him first.

Across from them, Link was quietly enjoying his… well, Mipha actually had no idea. He'd apparently eaten all three plates of food he'd been given before the king even finished speaking. She smiled briefly. Glad to know that his appetite is still intact at the very least.

Next to Link, Princess Zelda ate absentmindedly, and seemed to prefer greens and salads for her meals rather than any form of meat. She didn't seem to be paying much attention to anyone around her. That is, until the King spoke up again.

"I do have an announcement to make, one that may come as a surprise to some of you…" he said.

Everyone paused immediately. Except for Link, who was in the middle of grabbing a couple of salted meat skewers from the center of the table…

"But as you may have heard in legend... there was a skilled warrior who fought at the side of nearly every princess who opposed the Calamity we may soon face…"

He gestured towards Zelda and Link. "As such… we have decided to adhere to prophecy by assigning our young Captain as Princess Zelda's appointed knight . I will make the assignment official tomorrow."

Urbosa, Impa, and Daruk clapped politely. But Revali and Zelda refrained. Mipha heard Muzu grumble something under his breath, but she ignored him and began to clap respectfully herself. Though it went unnoticed by others, Mipha noticed that Zelda's jaw clenched tightly, as if she were biting her tongue to prevent herself from lashing out. In fact, she almost appeared to be shaking and seething with restrained rage.

Meanwhile, Link sat unmoved next to her.

"Congratulations little guy!" said Daruk.

"Congratulations indeed." said Impa.

Link looked down the table, and caught sight of Mipha. She nodded cordially at him, and his eyes seemed to widen in joy - before his stoic persona quickly washed over yet again.

Mipha found that she just could not get used to seeing him like this. She wanted nothing more than to run up to him, embrace him, tell the boy she so deeply cared for that he didn't have to go it alone...

"I have an idea." said Daruk.

Revali rolled his eyes, but Daruk ignored this. "Why don't we recreate the ancient ceremony of legend, in honor of our new Champion? It couldn't hurt. I think his accomplishment is worthy of a heaping mountain of celebration!"

Zelda nearly dropped her fork, but King Rhoam laughed joyfully. "A splendid idea!" he said. He turned to Zelda. "I trust that you will have no problem memorizing the ancient verse?"

"...No father."

"Excellent! I will arrange to have the sacred grounds cleaned and polished in time for your ceremony."

Zelda sank deeper and deeper into her seat as the dinner wore on. Soon, the meal was finished and the group found themselves mingling about just outside the dining hall. Zelda and Impa had departed quickly to begin some late-night research into ancient technology they'd recently retrieved from an excavation.

Mipha and Link were standing on opposite sides of the large corridor. Both of them could sense each other's desire to draw closer, to catch up on their missing years… Yet they found themselves frozen in place, unsure of what to do. Around them, the other Champions mingled with ease, gave Revali some advice for his upcoming archery clinic with the Hylian Guard.

Urbosa suddenly turned her attention to the unassuming red Zora standing near her. "Ah, Lady Mipha, you're holding your spearmanship lessons tomorrow morning, is that right?" she asked.

Mipha nodded. "That is correct, Lady Urbosa. Six o'clock sharp at the imperial training grounds."

"I'm looking forward to that!" Daruk chimed in, "I'll bet there's some serious power in that little body of yours!" Mipha smiled at the two, nodding gratefully. She found them to be quite friendly, and naturally sincere. It helped to ease her strange nervousness, though she looked down at her feet and returned to her thoughts again. Link continued to stand on the opposite side of the hall, also staring at his feet. He massaged a small note between his thumb and index finger. The Champions around them continued to chatter incessantly...

After a few minutes of silence, Mipha was finally filled with resolve. She was going to go for it. She lifted up her head, and began to quietly march right over to where Link was standing-

"Lady Mipha."

Revali had stepped in between her and Link.

"I wish to… apologize for my behavior earlier." he said, bowing in respect. "It was rude of me to assume that I could just call you whatever I pleased…"

Mipha tilted her head. "Ah, well, no harm done Revali." She placed her hand on her chest. "I am certain you did not intend to be offensive or presumptuous."

"Indeed. I meant no ill will at all, madam."

Mipha shook her head. "...'Lady Mipha' will still do just fine…"

As Link overheard this conversation, he found himself relatively indifferent to Revali's typical efforts to charm. He was honestly just happy that Mipha was having no trouble making new friends in this foreign place. He decided he'd just give her his note later. He stuck it back in his pocket.

Mipha leaned over and stole a quick glance at Link. A half-smile spread on his face as he nodded in her direction, then began to make his way down the hall where a group of Hylian Guards were summoning him.

Mipha could barely contain the frown that spread on her face. She prepared to excuse herself from her conversation with Revali to catch up with Link, when Revali suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder. Behind them, Mipha heard a loud gasp from Muzu.

"What do you say we get further acquainted?" Revali offered. "There's an excellent tavern just outside Hyrule Castle that we could-"

"The answer is no!" snapped Muzu, from behind her.

Mipha relaxed. For only the second time ever, she was quite grateful for Muzu's nature. She shrugged at the now-shocked Rito Champion.

"I apologize Revali." she said. "It is quite late now, and we are rather tired from our travels. Perhaps next time? We could invite Link and the others…" Revali's eye twitched slightly as she nodded cordially to him and her fellow Champions.

"It was a pleasure meeting you all. I shall see you first thing in the morning." She departed with Muzu down the corridor, stopping only to ask a guard for directions to the guest chambers of Hyrule Castle.

Revali stared after them, shook his head-

CRUNCH!

A giant rocky hand slammed into the poor Rito's back. "Better luck next time, buddy !" said Daruk. " I'll be more than happy to accompany you though. What do you think Urbosa?"

Urbosa turned, paused for a minute to consider...

"All right, sure. I'm in." She grinned at Revali. "That is, if you think you can match me drink-for-drink tonight. Featherweight ."

Revali's competitive nature wouldn't possibly allow him to decline. He stretched his sore back, crossed his wings across his chest, and grinned.

"You're on."


That night, Zelda sat down to write in her diary. It wasn't something she did often, but she felt it was all the more necessary with the chaos surrounding her life at the moment. She found it easier to lay out her thoughts on paper…

...After meeting with the Champions, I left to research the ancient technology, but nothing of note came of my research. The return of Ganon looms—a dark force taunting us from afar. I must learn all I can about the relics so we can stop him. If the fortune-teller's prophecy is to be believed, there isn't much time left... Ah, but turning over these thoughts in my head puts me ill at ease. I suppose I should turn in for the night.

P.S. Tomorrow my father is assigning HIM as my appointed knight...

Zelda finished writing, sighed, closed her diary, and fell asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Outside her room, a mysterious stranger crept through the darkness along the rock wall below. Dressed in makeshift stealth gear, the figure made his way carefully towards the guest chambers of Hyrule Castle. His target: the room of the Zora Princess, Lady Mipha.

It was just after eleven-thirty that night, and well-past Link's curfew. He ordinarily would not go through such clandestine methods just to meet with someone. But this was Mipha. He knew that with their tight schedule for the next two days, this would be his only chance to see her alone. To meet with her outside the prying eyes of his peers and superiors. Besides, this was fun. He felt like he'd at least earned the right to goof around some - and sneaking around the castle to see Mipha seemed a good excuse to bend the rules just a little bit.

He was making good progress too. As the Captain, he'd memorized the patrol patterns of every guard in the entire castle, and he was closing in on what he knew to be the window of the common room of the chambers that Mipha would be staying in. And he hoped she'd be happy, if not pleasantly surprised , to see him suddenly drop in unannounced…

He climbed up towards the window, and peered inside. The common room was empty. Perfect.

Link slowly opened the windows - the guards never remembered to lock them, something he nagged them about constantly - and crept inside. If his assumptions were correct, she'd be staying inside the master bedroom of the chambers. As he walked through the darkness, he saw a light emanating from below the master bedroom's door. This was all the proof he needed. Muzu always went to bed early, while Mipha was more of a night owl. Seggin was probably still out and about with his old Zora friends. Which meant…

He knocked on the bedroom door.

"Yes? Is that you Muzu? I'll be right out." Mipha.

Link's heart was pounding. In just a few seconds, he and Mipha would be-

CLOMP CLOMP CLOMP-

Footsteps. Outside of their guest chamber.

KNOCK KNOCK-

"Routine patrol, may we enter?"

Link groaned. He'd totally forgotten about the chamber patrol. Panicking, he felt around his pockets, produced the note he'd written for Mipha long ago. It was the best he could manage…

He quickly slipped the note under the door, quietly made his way to the window, and dove out-

-just as the chamber patrol burst into the common room.

Link plummeted down towards a tall tree below, grabbed a branch, swung around. He looked up behind him.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" he heard Mipha ask.

"Just a regular patrol madam, we - ah, looks like we forgot to lock the window…" The guard stuck his head out, nearly spotting Link sitting in the tree just below him. Seeing nothing amiss, he swung the windows shut and locked them with a loud click.

Link shook his head. Of course they'd suddenly remember to do their jobs correctly at the worst possible time…

Defeated, he climbed down from the tree and began to head back to the Royal Guard barracks, when suddenly the bright glow of a lantern lit up his face.

"You're getting sloppy, Captain Link."

Link sighed, straightened up and saluted in respect.

It was General Krant.

Of all the nights for him to be randomly patrolling…

"If I recall…" Krant said, "You're not scheduled for guard duty this week, Captain . And given that it is several hours past curfew… then I suppose you must have a very good reason for sneaking around out here in the darkness? No? Ah... well then it seems we have an issue…"

General Krant paused to consider his countless options for punishment.

"Ah, I know. Meet me at the training grounds tomorrow morning at four o'clock sharp. I expect no fewer than ten laps around the perimeter of the castle."

In spite of the relative cruelty of this punishment, Link really liked Krant. He was a fair man, and a great leader. He surely wouldn't report Link to his direct superiors... but that didn't mean he wasn't going to ensure that justice was served in this case.

"Champion or not," Krant said, "there are rules to abide by as an officer of the Royal Guard. I believe this is an adequate punishment for you."

Link sighed. A run like that would take him several hours to do. It would most certainly overlap with Mipha's planned spearmanship clinic tomorrow... Or worse - he could possibly miss the whole thing entirely. General Krant seemed to be quite aware of this. "And I suppose," he said, "if you end up late for your scheduled spearmanship clinic... then so be it." he grinned slyly. "I guess you'd better run fast. "


It was rare for Mipha to form any sort of dislike for anyone , but Revali was a rare exception. She could get past his self-absorbed nature and gratingly cocky attitude. And his advances were rather easy to turn away.

What she could not get over, however, was his incessant bad-mouthing of Link.

"Well well," Revali said, "it looks like our main character is absent today. I find that unbecoming of a Champion, wouldn't you agree, Zelda?" Below them, rows of Royal Guards were practicing their spear form on newly-repaired practice dummies.

Revali had attempted to say this out of her earshot, but Mipha could hear the Rito Champion's rude words quite clearly. It was raining heavily outside that morning, so the class had moved indoors to one of the training halls. As such, particularly loud voices echoed through the small chamber with distinct clarity...

Zelda did not respond to Revali's comment on Link's absence. The two of them had, after all, skipped out on Link's spearmanship clinic earlier that week. And Daruk didn't hesitate to remind Revali of this.

"That's a bit like the flint calling the coal black, isn't it, Revali?" Daruk said. "Didn't see you anywhere during Link's training session before."

"Well, that was hardly something worth attending." Revali replied. "Link was merely filling in for our Lady Mipha here. Why sit through a copycat when you can see the real thing?"

Ah, so Link has already trained them after all , Mipha thought, as she heard this. That explains why their form is already quite solid.

"Your form is impeccable." Mipha said to the guards, loud enough for Revali to hear. "I believe Captain Link has taught you quite well in my absence. Perhaps even better than I could. We may need to cut our training short." The Zora princess was really quite popular with the guards, and so they each took turns insisting that Mipha was a great teacher, and that they still had so much to learn. After much protest, she was convinced.

"Very well then," Mipha said. "I shall-"

SLAM.

The doors of the training hall swung open violently as a panting, drenched figure confidently strolled in. He was dressed in an officer's uniform, soaked to the bone, and carrying a familiar silver spear on his back.

It was Link.

He'd just finished his ten rain-drenched laps around the perimeter of Hyrule Castle - in record time.

And he was grinning.

His eyes met Mipha's, a brief memory flashed before her eyes. Link's rainy-season run. His boyish grin. The innocence of younger days. 'We….have….not…...been spending much time together…..lately.'

Mipha returned his grin, briefly, before her own serious persona immediately returned to her.

Link took his place in the row of knights, his grin disappearing quickly as well.

Mipha began to pace the floor in front of them. "...As I was saying… I shall continue with the lessons." The soldiers cheered.

Mipha stood up straight, planted the end of her trident into the ground.
"Has your Captain taught you... how to properly lunge?"

The training continued, as guard after guard ran down the length of the training room floor, stabbed their spear out at the target with one outstretched arm, then spun quickly to their feet. Each of them used the new prototype Royal Guard spears, and Mipha found she quite liked the black aesthetic. As Link lined up to demonstrate the technique to his peers again, Mipha's eyes brightened as she saw the weapon he wielded up-close. Despite the assignment of the prototype spears, he still chose to use the Silverscale Spear she'd gifted to him years ago. She found herself fighting off another grin, as Link lunged down the hall with the weapon. Perfect technique, just as she'd first taught him when he was only a child.

From the viewing area above, the Champions continued to observe the lessons below. They seemed mostly oblivious to the extremely subtle interaction between the young Captain and Zora princess.

Except for Revali. He had long known of Link's extended stays at Zora's Domain, and of his unique connection to its people. He certainly noticed Link's spear as well.

And he was quickly putting two and two together.


"Since you seem to think you've got it all down pat, perhaps you'd like to have go… against me. " Revali glared at Link with a wide grin plastered across his face.

Link nodded in acceptance, and Revali continued.

"Excellent! Then I shall assemble the target immediately."

It was late in the afternoon, and Revali had just wrapped up his indoor archery clinic. All four other champions had stayed to observe, along with Princess Zelda. Link had remained long, long after his peers had departed, getting a bit of extra practice in to hone his skills. Not to be outdone, Revali had also stayed to get in some practice of his own. Not that he needed it.

After setting up the target, which swung back and forth in the distance like a pendulum, Revali flew back to Link. "I shall explain the rules." he said. "The winner will be whoever has the most arrows in the bullseye by the end of our contest. We each will receive ten arrows apiece. It's really quite simple. Any questions? Oh that's right, you don't talk. Let's get started."

The Champions all moved down from the viewing area to get a closer look. They stared intently as Link and Revali took turns nailing the bullseye of the distant target. As expected, Revali wasn't missing a single shot.

But surprisingly, neither was Link .

Revali grew irritated. Link was a mediocre archer at best - at least according to his skills from before the start of his clinic. Yet here he was, seemingly replicating Revali's own technique with relative ease. He dared to wonder if he'd underestimated him, but quickly shook the thought from his brain.

The Champions continued to keep their eyes glued to the contest at-hand, their expectation of Revali's most certain victory gave way to the possibility that Link might actually pull this one out…

Finally, the pair came to their last arrows. Link went first, letting his shot fly towards the distant target…

… and nailing it dead-center of the bullseye. All of the Champions - Zelda included - found themselves cheering involuntarily at Link's success. Mipha also cheered a bit too loud, in spite of herself. Revali scoffed at their reaction and grinned to himself. He closed his eyes, turned his head, and let his final arrow fly.

His arrow also hit dead-center, splitting Link's arrow right in half. It fell to the ground in pieces.

Game over.

Revali didn't even glance at the target. "Looks like I win." he said, gloating. "You know the rules…"

Link nodded, walked up to Revali. He shook his hand politely, then began to clean up his station.

"Better luck next time Link. Perhaps some day, when you're half as skilled as me, you'll find victory-"

"Winning… is overrated," Link said abruptly.

Revali scowled. Daruk grinned. Mipha's face lit up, though she immediately regained her composure. Zelda's eyes widened in shock.

And Link continued. "How can you expect to get any better... if you're always victorious?" He smiled, turned, and left the room, tilting his head at Mipha respectfully on his way out. " Lady." He opened the training room door and shut it quietly behind him.

Mipha smiled widely in her heart. This was classic Link...

Revali seemed taken aback. This was the first time he'd actually heard Link speak. Ever .

"I… well, it... hardly matters." He turned to face Mipha. "When you're unmatched in skill like me, you're always ahead of the curve anyway."

The other Champions slowly departed, but Revali suddenly blocked off Mipha's exit. "Lady Mipha… perhaps you'd be interested in staying for some extra lessons? I'm certain you could learn a thing or two…"

Despite his cockiness, Mipha knew that Revali had no real sinister intent with his offer. She decided to be polite. "Very well, Revali. Let's give it a go."

His face lit up with joy at her acceptance. He hadn't expected that...

Revali started his lesson by demonstrating his own technique with his bow. "This...is the Great Eagle Bow. It takes a great deal of strength to draw it, though I can now do so with relative ease. I'd like to see that silly Hylian captain wield a bow of this caliber…"

Mipha's eyes narrowed slightly.

If all Revali was going to do here was cut Link down in front of her... then he was simply wasting her time.

"Anyway," Revali said, "Let's see your form with the bow."

Mipha shrugged, picked up her bow, and held it in front of her - with the string facing forward.

Revali stared for a minute, then shook his head in disbelief. "No, no…" he said. "Turn it around the other way." Mipha did as she was told.

"Okay, now grab an arrow, nock it right here." he pointed to the notch at the end of her bow. Mipha reached down and picked up an arrow out of the bin nearby. She swung the arrow at the notch, "knocking" it gently with its shaft, then dropped the arrow.

She looked up at Revali. "I knocked it."

Revali took a deep breath, rubbed his eyebrows with his fingers.

"...okay… I can see we have a ways to go here." He posed with his bow, nocked an arrow. "Do precisely as I do." He pulled the arrow back on his string, let it fly. Bullseye.

He faced Mipha, gave her a thumbs-up, winked. " Perfect shot. "

Mipha slowly recreated Revali's movements, drew the arrow back, and struck the ceiling.

She faced Revali, gave him a thumbs-up, winked. " Perfect shot."

Revali paused and stared, then walked towards the wall behind them. "Please excuse me a minute." He fought off his frustration, his profound confusion.

Either I'm missing something here… he thought, or she's truly this much of an airhead-

SHUNK. SHUNK. SHUNK. SHUNK. SHUNK. SHUNK.

Revali turned around. Mipha was nailing the target's bullseye with arrow after arrow after arrow - and with nearly flawless form. She nodded gracefully, tilted her head at Revali. "I think I got it. Thank you for your time." She mounted the bow on the wall and calmly exited the room.

The Rito Champion just stood there for a while, awestruck. He wasn't sure whether to be angry… or impressed.

Mipha headed back to the guest chambers to check in with Muzu, musing about Revali's presumptuous attitude about her archery skills. She had, after all, been trained with the bow by the Demon Sergeant Seggin himself. One of the greatest archers who ever lived.


The next morning, the Champions gathered in one of the castle chambers for a divine beast presentation lead by Impa and Purah of the Sheikah tribe. The pair had unlocked functionality in a mysterious tablet they'd discovered - the Sheikah Slate - which had provided them with schematics of each of the divine beasts. This knowledge had allowed them to recreate the controls for each beast as a physical simulation for training purposes. The simulated controls they developed were synced with the slate, and could control a virtual version of each divine beast within the slate itself. This allowed the two Sheikah tribe to easily monitor the progress of each champion's familiarity with the controls using this equipment.

Link and Zelda sat in on the meeting, though the princess was incredibly cold to her newly-assigned personal knight. It wasn't that she hated him. Not at all. But she found herself resenting his success. Resenting the fact that her father found it necessary for her to have protection at all - especially from this silent, unreadable, incorruptible young Captain…

"Our intent," said Impa, "Is to streamline the process of getting accustomed to your divine beast."

"And I'm pretty sure we ~ nailed it!" said Purah. "I mean, even Impa here found it easy to master the controls. It's gotta be easy!" Impa didn't react to Purah's teasing, instead, turning to demonstrate the control arrangement for Vah Rudania, the lizard-like divine beast that was assigned to the gorons.

"Each leg can be controlled separately, or in-sync." Impa explained. "There is also an auto-walking mode, but you will want to ensure that you set the boundaries properly using this dial…"

Impa completed her walkthrough, then summoned Daruk up to try it out first. He struggled quite a bit with the controls, but eventually got the technique down.

Revali and Urbosa were up next, and they easily understood the controls. This didn't surprise Zelda much at all.

But what did surprise Zelda… was how quickly Mipha seemed to master them.

"I'm sort of shocked that it's come so easy to her." Zelda muttered. "She seemed a bit... fragile, to be honest."

Link accidentally rolled his eyes. Fragile was the last word he would use to describe the Zora princess…

"You got it, Mipha!" shouted Purah. "Pretty easy. Though we shouldn't be surprised, after all the time you spent studying Vah Ruta with us!" Link found himself feeling incredibly proud of Mipha, as she returned to her seat. He slipped her a grin as she sat down, and she discreetly returned the favor.

"And that… is a wrap!" Purah said, with a thumbs-up. "Thank you all for joining us today, I'm glad we were able to sneak in a brief little primer here, while you were all still in the same place."

Impa nodded. "As you all depart from the castle tonight, please begin preparations for our imminent arrival at your divine beasts. We will start hands-on training with each of you in the coming weeks. Princess Zelda and Captain Link will be on-hand to help with oversight."

"It's been a ~pleasure !" Purah said. "See you soon!"

And that was it. The Champions all departed from the room, one after another. But Revali and Zelda remained in the room, long after it had emptied. "Well, Princess Zelda," Revali said, "are you ready for our little spectacle this afternoon?"

Zelda grinned bitterly. "As unnecessary as I feel it will be… it will do my father some good to see us doing our best to follow in the footsteps of our predecessors." She shrugged. "Nevertheless, it is my intention that this would be a rather… subdued ceremony."


"Hero of Hyrule, chosen by the sword that seals the darkness...you have shown unflinching bravery and skill in the face of darkness and adversity. And have proven yourself worthy of the blessings of the Goddess Hylia…"

The Champions stood around the perimeter of the Sacred Grounds, as Princess Zelda recited the ancient verse that told the tale of generations of Hylian heroes. Link knelt in front of her, eyes closed for the ritual. He had finally been given the Champion's tunic, which he now wore in place of his old Captain's uniform. He found that the tunic didn't really suit him, however.

Mipha had also finally been given her own blue Champion scarf. She wore it on her shoulder, draping it across her body like a robe as she stood alongside her fellow Champions.

"Whether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight, the sacred blade is forever bound to the soul of the Hero. We pray for your protection… And we hope that- ….that the two of you will grow stronger together as one." She paused briefly and took a deep breath, before continuing.

Link noted the detached, sad tone of Zelda's voice as she recited the verse.

She's making it sound like we already lost… he thought.

"She's making it sound like we already lost." said Daruk, a little bit too loudly.

SNRRRRKKKK-

Link barely suppressed a laugh, and was thankful that Zelda seemed to ignore his loud snort…

"Wasn't this your idea?" scoffed Rivali. Mipha glanced at the Rito out of the corner of her eye.

He continued. "You're the one who wanted to designate the appointed knight with all the ceremonial pomp, grandeur, and nonsense we could muster!"

Mipha rolled her eyes at Revali as he said this, focused her attention back on Link. She felt incredibly proud for him, and she was not about to let some arrogant Rito spoil this precious moment for her...

"And if you ask me," Revali said, "the whole thing does seem to be overkill. I think I'm on the same page as the princess regarding… this boy."

"Oh, give it a rest." said Urbosa. "That boy is a living reminder of her own failures. Well… at least that's how the princess sees him." They all shrugged, and before long the ceremony had abruptly ended.

The Champions picked up their gear and began to depart one after another, saying their goodbyes as they did. Zelda took a picture of the site using the Sheikah Slate's camera, then walked briskly to a waiting carriage nearby…And finally, after all this time, Link and Mipha found themselves with a moment alone.

...Or so they thought. Muzu and Seggin suddenly approached them from nearby, ready to accompany Mipha on the two-week long trek back to Zora's Domain.

They looked at each other, laughed, and cordially shook each other's hands… then Mipha suddenly pulled Link into a brief hug. It was warm, powerful, loving. Even in its brevity. They pulled away, nodded at each other, and went their separate ways as well.

When they'd traveled far enough away, Mipha allowed herself some time to reflect on the note that Link had snuck into her room a couple of nights ago:

'You never did answer my question about how your healing powers improved so quickly,' the note had said.

Sitting in the carriage with Zelda as they made their way back to Hyrule Castle, Link unfolded the small note that Mipha had slipped into his hand as they shook just moments ago. He carefully read the note...and quickly turned his face away from Zelda. Barely hiding the enormous grin that spread uncontrollably on his face. Barely restraining the tears that threatened to spill forth as he replayed the words over and over in his mind:

Oh, it is quite simple really.

All I had to do was think of you.


Next is Chapter 12: In Return