Rescue

Two weeks. Link only had two weeks to complete his training at the warrior academy in the basement of the castle. Two weeks before he and the queen's elite squad would set out to rescue the princess on a daring, and almost suicidal mission.

He didn't try to worry about it much, especially since many of the men on the team were masters at the art of swordplay. Learning how to fight came very easily to Link, which surprised him. He was never one for violence and preferred to only use force when absolutely necessary, but he figured that what he was training for was one of those times.

Including Link, there were twenty members of the rescue operation squad. All of them were older than Link, including the youngest, Howard, who was sixteen. Even Howard was years ahead of Link in combat experience, and would often display his superiority in the most arrogant and prideful ways. He was tall, muscular, and strong for his age, and it would be very easy for one to assume he was much older than he actually was. Still, there was no reason to believe he wasn't a skilled fighter either. Link didn't particularly like him very much, but he didn't want to make it very obvious in order to avoid any possible conflict.

The thing that irritated Link the most, however, was Howard constantly feeling the need to out-do Link at all times. Link was a fast learner, and felt that swordplay came naturally to him. Howard took offense to this and would often throw insults at the boy, invalidating his accomplishments.

Link tried not to let Howard get to him, though. He knew he was doing it because of pride and entitlement, because that's exactly what Howard was. Entitled.

For the most part, though, Link very much did enjoy the company of most of the group. They were quite welcoming, aside from the fact that they weren't very conversational. However, they did to as much as they could to teach him the ways of the sword, giving him useful tips and techniques for combat. Link hoped that he would never actually have to fight, though, and that the rest of the group would handle most of that on their own.

Hans, the oldest and most seasoned warrior of the entire group, was closest thing to a leader they had. He immediately took Link under his wing and made sure to give him the best training possible, which he was eternally grateful for.

Jon was the strategist and Hans' best friend. They often worked together on planning and organizing their team, and they were both very well respected in the group.

Each person in the group had matching uniforms except for Link. They had much trouble finding anything in his size, because people of his stature and build were not normally considered to go on such missions. Ramin and Howard found a dusty old trunk of outdated uniforms in a storage closet and found one outfit that roughly resembled theirs, except for the fact that it was not a dull grey and white at all.

The uniform they found for Link was the only thing they could find in his size. It included sturdy khaki pants, an ivory undershirt, Goron chainmail, brown leather gauntlets and matching boots, and a forest green tunic with a matching cone-shaped hat.

At first, Link thought it was a joke that he was being given this to wear on their mission.

He decided to suck up his pride and put the uniform on. Despite its ridiculousness, he found the outfit to be rather comfortable and easy to move around in. The chainmail was heavier than he anticipated, but he figured he would have to get used to wearing it often, and for long periods of time.

Howard and Ramin attempted to conceal their amusement at Link's obvious embarrassment. He knew he looked funny, but he did his best to ignore them.

Even Jon tried to stifle a small giggle at the boy, to which he finally responded.

"Alright, I get it. But I don't think it looks that bad."

"It's not that, really." Jon said, having a giggle fit. "You just look like a fairy."

Ramin spoke up from across the room, "I doubt you even know what a fairy looks like. No one's seen one for a hundred years."

"I've seen illustrations from books!"

Ramin scoffed, "Alright, Mr. Know-It-All."

Link rolled his eyes at this exchange and gave an amused scoff, folding his arms. He decided to keep the uniform, despite its ridiculousness. Hans told him that its forest green color would help camouflage him better than their grey and white uniforms, which would help keep the youngest member of the group out of harm's way.

The clothes were oddly comfortable, save for the slightly heavy chainmail. Link felt he could move around in it with ease. It just felt right.

As the days of rigorous training went by, Link could feel himself becoming a competent swordsman. In one of the one-on-one duel exercises, he even beat Howard, who was known for his great skill at duels. He didn't take his defeat well at all.

"That wasn't fair! I demand a rematch." He said, tossing off his protective helmet in his frustration and running his hand through his sweaty ginger hair.

Hans, who was overseeing the match, shook his head. "No, Howard. Link was clearly the winner of this round. Good work, lad."

"Thank you, sir." Link bowed his head, cracking a small satisfied smile. It was nice to feel a small bit of pride in himself for once.

Howard, being the short-tempered teenager that he was, was not pleased. "Yeah? We'll see how talented you are during a surprise attack!" He lunged at the younger boy while he wasn't looking, with Link only being able to defend himself from the blunt attack from Howard's shield with his arm, almost knocking himself backwards to the ground in the process.

Hans almost protested at Howard's arrogance, but he held himself back to see what Link would do. He wanted to test him.

Link recoiled from the sudden attack from his opponent, grasping his forearm with a tight grimace. That'll bruise, he thought. He took a step back to brace himself for the next attack, planting his feet firmly on the ground to avoid stumbling. He noticed the overconfidence in Howard's swings, leaving a wide open weak spot that was easily exploitable.

Though Howard was a skilled swordsman, his one weakness was his overconfidence. He thought he could win every battle with his immense physical strength. Link noticed an open spot with every swing and fully intended to take advantage of it.

He quickly deflected a blow from Howard's sword with his own shield, sending him recoiling backwards to give Link enough time to duck, roll, and knock his opponent down with one fell swoop.

Howard hadn't realized what had thrown him to the ground before seeing Link's sword pointed at him, and the boy standing over him with a grin plastered onto his face.

"How did you…"

"I think I did pretty well against your surprise attack, huh?" Link said, offering Howard a hand to get him back on his feet.

Grumbling angrily, Howard did not accept his assistance.

Link's success in combat training only gave him a temporary feeling of safety. He felt confident in the mission to come. As long as all of the combat was left to the experts, Link felt that he had the best chance of survival. However, if situations had come to one-on-one combat, he felt that he would surely be prepared.

The night before the mission, Link could not free himself of all of his worst anxieties. He felt as if his chest was about to burst. He felt nauseous, like he was about to be sick. He couldn't stop shaking. Simply going to sleep was not an option.

He was afraid that if he did manage to fall asleep, his dreams would be unpleasant.

Morning arrived and Link did not get a wink of sleep. However, he was used to being constantly fatigued from a lack of proper rest.

Morning preparation was a blur. He didn't process everything that had happened that morning prior to setting out on horseback other than being too anxious to eat a sufficient meal and donning his ridiculous green outfit.

Hans sat the team down to go over their plan of action one more time before leaving the castle. "I sent riders to scout the wilderness all over the Lanayru province." He said, leaning over a map of the kingdom of Hyrule. "There has been suspicious activity and evidence that the group has set up camp near the cliff region, using the river as a convenient water source. It is likely that they are a very sizable legion that is heavily armed."

Link couldn't remember every single detail because of stress, but he perked up when he heard his name being called.

Hans had addressed him to give him instruction, "If it comes to battle, you must lay low and be near me at all times." He then addressed the entire group. "All past negotiation has failed. We must retrieve our princess with force. We will ambush them during the night."

Hans went on to explain the plan in great detail, and Link forgot most of what he heard. All he knew for certain was that he had to navigate, stay near Hans at all times, and remain unseen and out of battle.

Traveling Hyrule's grasslands on horseback proved to be much quicker than he expected it to be. Two days after leaving the castle, the team discovered what appeared to be horse tracks hastily covered up by loose foliage. They were fresh. Link tensed up as Hans confirmed that they had found a solid lead to the enemy camp, and possibly a lead to the princess and her captors.

Hans sent out scouts that were skilled in tracking. They had never failed him before. Within a few hours the scouts returned, confirming the whereabouts of the camp and that it belonged to the enemy-the men who rode under the sigil of a red lion.

This had all happened so fast. Link didn't feel prepared. By nightfall they would begin raiding the camp, using their small numbers to their advantage by increasing stealth.

Stay with Hans. Don't be seen. Link told himself inwardly on repeat. No amount of self-encouragement seemed to calm his overbearing anxiety.

They reached the enemy camp on foot, in the dead of night. The tall grass that helped to shroud the team was becoming more and more sparse as the terrain became more mountainous and rocky. Their only shield was the darkness.

They came across the camp, which was lined with the red lion banner. They had found what they had long been searching for. The team spread out into groups of two to silently and stealthily search the camp for the princess.

Things seemed to be going well. They all went by unnoticed, weaving through tents and avoiding being seen by lookouts. The camp was not well lit at night at all. The mission seemed to be going so well, they hadn't seen a single enemy soldier.

Tension filled the air as more and more time passed, no sign of the princess had been found.

In fact, the camp seemed to be abandoned by the soldiers too.

Hans grew increasingly agitated as the mission progressed. They had still not found anyone at all in the camp.

As Hans was about to call his men off, he heard the faint sounds of muffled yells, tearing flesh, bodies hitting the ground, and silence.

Link now realized what was happening. They had been lured into the camp. It was all a trap.

Hans had no time to react before an arrow pierced him in the back of his left thigh. He doubled over as Link caught him before falling straight to the ground, face first.

"Are you alright?" Link knew the answer before the words even came out of his mouth. Of course not. There was an arrow in his leg, possibly severing a vital artery or vein. He put his hand on the arrow protruding from Hans' leg, about to attempt to pull it out, not giving it a second thought.

"Don't-" Hans stopped him, "Do not… I could bleed out if you remove that now."

"I-I'm sorry."

"We have no time for apologies. We must get to safety."

Link nodded, terrified. Hans was right. Whoever had hit him with that arrow could strike again at any moment. They could still hear the dying screams of their teammates as they were slaughtered nearby, not in any position to save them. Link helped Hans behind a tent, finding a place to gather their bearings, hoping to find somewhere safe. The darkness had turned from a blessing to a nightmare.

They suddenly heard footsteps coming closer, they were being followed. Hans knew that this was it. He couldn't use one of his legs and couldn't bring himself to be responsible for the horrible death of a fourteen-year-old.

"I will not let you die." Hans told Link through gritted teeth. The boy was afraid. So afraid. He didn't understand why Hans cared more about his safety than his own.

Hans took out a knife and cut a hole in the nearest tent, then he took Link by the shoulders and shoved him out of sight of the attackers, hoping that no one would look for him or notice him.

Link fell backwards onto his back, all of the air leaving his lungs upon impact with the ground.

He could think of nothing else before he heard the sound of multiple stabs and Hans screaming in terror, struggling to fight back, until one final stab made him go silent. Link froze in fear. He heard what sounded like two men who killed Hans walk away, saying something like "Find and kill the others," or "Let none of them get away". Link couldn't process anything that was going on around him. He felt like he couldn't breathe. No amount of one-on-one combat training could have prepared him for any of this.

He saw blood splattered all over the other side of the tent. Hans' blood. He felt sick. He couldn't focus. He couldn't remember to get up and get away. He wasn't sure if he wanted to or if he was able to.

I am going to die, he thought.

His mind was racing, but at the same time, he felt like he couldn't think at all. He couldn't move.

The tent he hid in was full of supplies and food. He hid behind one of the giant barrels of what he assumed to be an ale of some kind, closing his eyes and covering his ears, attempting to block out the horrific sounds of his teammates meeting their end.

Coward. Coward. Coward. Why aren't you saving them? Link's intrusive thoughts were returning at the absolute worst time possible.

They are dying and you are cowering. You are useless.

He felt as if there was a dark entity shouting at him in the back of his mind. All he could hear was death, and his own thoughts, relentlessly taunting him. Shaming him.

I'm dying, he thought. I'm dying.

For a moment, he opened his eyes to find someone standing in front of him. He nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" A trembling but demanding voice asked. He noticed that the person was a young girl, about his age, holding a kitchen knife as some sort of a self defense. She wore a tattered shirt and brown pants that almost looked as if they were made out of potato sacks, dirtied with who knows what all over. Above all other things, she looked terrified. She must have been a captive.

He didn't answer at first. He couldn't find the words that he wanted to say. He didn't even know what he wanted to say.

"Are you a part of the rescue mission?" She asked, pointing the knife at him.

Link nodded slowly.

"They knew you would come. This whole mission is a disaster and now they're killing you all. How am I ever going to get out of here?" The girl sounded more and more hysterical with each sentence. It was clear that she was in a heap of distress, probably even more so than Link.

"Do you know how long I've been here? The things I have been through? I successfully escaped but now I can't get away because you fools ruined my only chance. They are going to kill me! Or worse! Do you understand?!"

Link then understood exactly who this girl was and empathized with her immediately. He couldn't imagine what she had been going through just from the sound of her talking. This was the person they had been looking for this whole time.

"You're Princess Zelda," he whispered.

"Yes… and I am going to die alone here." Her voice shook as she choked back tears. It was clear that she was beginning to lose hope. Link couldn't help but feel for her and her situation. He hated seeing people despair, even if he barely knew them. He decided to pull himself together, knowing that he wasn't alone.

He exhaled, "No, we're going to get out of here. Alive. Together." He didn't know how, he didn't have a plan. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking, but it was enough to keep him from going back into a panic.

He extended his hand to her, and she looked at him with eyes filled with doubt. Link gave her a reassuring nod and she reluctantly took his hand. He was not usually optimistic, but if it meant that he could help someone else, he dropped his own feelings of self-doubt in a heartbeat. He needed to be strong for her.

He drew his sword for the first time, peeking his head out of the tent. He hoped that they would be harder to track down in the darkness because of how small both of them were. Zelda had already managed to escape from their clutches for the time being, and all they had to do was leave the camp, leaving no tracks behind.

Link could still hear the struggles of his friends as they fought for their lives. He had lost count of how many of them were already dead. He didn't want to know, or it would send him into another panic. He tried blocking their screams from his mind. Just focus. He held onto Zelda's hand tighter.

They were deep inside the camp, which made navigation difficult, especially considering that there was no way to tell which direction they were going. Link tried asking Zelda if she knew her way around, and which way was the fastest way out, but she had no idea. She had been isolated in one area for the duration of her being in captivity.

They noticed that her captors quickly figured out that the princess was missing. Alarm bells began to sound. Torches were lit. They began to run faster. Link could hear the princess cry quietly, "What are we going to do? They know. They know." He squeezed her hand in reassurance. "We're going to run for it." He said.

He dashed towards a clearing with Zelda close behind him. They seemed to have reached the end of the camp, but they were not home free yet.

Link hadn't seen the giant ravine in front of him, with violent, turbulent waters flowing below. He nearly tripped over the rocky edge from the running momentum before Zelda pulled him backwards, preventing him from tumbling off the cliff.

Link cursed inwardly. Just as they turned around in an attempt to run a different direction, they found that they were completely surrounded by dozens of heavily armed enemy soldiers.

Sword drawn and shield raised, Link immediately put himself between the princess and the surrounding horde. For a moment, there was a standoff. He knew they wouldn't hesitate to kill both of them, so why were they hesitating now?

Link and Zelda were cornered against the cliff. Fear raced through their veins and all was silent for what seemed like an eternity. The night was now lit with torches that stood bright and made their eyes burn. At least a hundred, maybe more, eyes were locked on them. There was no way out.

Link heard men whispering out of view, but he couldn't hear much of what they were discussing. All he could make out was "Kill the boy. Take her alive."

Everything happened so quickly, but Link felt as if everything was moving in slow motion.

A single arrow flew and lodged itself in his right shoulder, just beneath his collarbone. The pain was sharp and quick, but gods, did it hurt. The impact of the arrow sent him stumbling backwards, knocking Zelda over the cliff in the process. She had nothing to hold onto except Link, resulting in her dragging him over the cliff with her.

Zelda's horrified screams drowned everything else out as the both of them plummeted into the ravine below.

Author's Notes

Yes. Hello. Sorry for being absent for a while. Being home for the summer has not given me as much time for writing as I expected. Being a nurse for three people is difficult.

But look! Things are finally starting to pick up in the story. You have finally met our princess Zelda. There's a lot you still don't know yet, though. ;)