The next morning found Link well rested. The sun peaking through the large windows of his room woke him, and he got out of bed slowly. There would be plenty to do today, he was sure, but for now it was nice to take things slow.
No doubt his emergence as the Hero of Time had spread throughout the city, and he'd likely receive invites to meet the nobles. Throughout all his travels, Link had consistently been amazed at how universal the nobility's actions were. They constantly had an ear to the ground, scouting out anything that could help them improve their social standing. Link had serious suspicions that they'd see him as a pawn to use in political maneuverings.
As he finished dressing, strapping the Master Sword to his back, he was at a loss as to what he should do first. Zelda had rushed out last night before he could ask what he needed to do today, not that he'd been thinking about it at the time. As he stepped out into the empty and silent hallway, his mind was firmly locked onto the princess.
It was hard to get a grip on how he really felt about her. They'd developed some form of camaraderie when they'd been forced to work together against Ganondorf. But it had never progressed beyond that. Link wasn't sure if Zelda even wanted it to, and after so many years it was hard to say whether or not they could even be as close as they once were.
At least we'll get to spend some time together on the way to the Gerudo Desert, Link thought hopefully.
Link shook himself out of his ponderings to realize he'd somehow exited the castle and was currently standing on the edge of one of the training fields the guards used. It was a flat open area with a dirt ground, waist high stone walls lining the edges. A few dozen men were scattered around, some practicing forms against straw dummies, some actively fighting each other. The clang of metal resounded in a not unpleasant manner. On the far side, Link could see a few men and women on the far side who were watching one of the duels closely, their fine clothes marking them as nobles or rich merchants.
Link gave a brief smile to no one in particular. With so much of his life shrouded in mystery at the moment, it was nice to be in a place where things made sense. He was most comfortable with a sword and shield in hand.
He couldn't see anyone that seemed to be in charge, so Link made his way towards one of the unused training dummies. It was little more than a wooden cross with a burlap sack of straw fastened around it and a red bulls-eye painted on the chest. It had an old iron helmet sitting on its 'head'. Link chuckled at it, but it would serve its purpose.
He drew his sword, loving the gentle ring of the metal against the sheath. The Master Sword was glowing bright, its polished blade reflecting the morning sunlight. Link took a ready position, the sword held loosely in two hands and his feet spread shoulder-width.
He pivoted, closing the distance between him and the dummy and bringing the sword down in a vertical chop. He stopped just short of the dummy, and quickly spun around in a full spin to perform a horizontal chop with one hand. He pivoted back, increasing the distance between him and the dummy as he spun the sword around and back to the two-handed grip of his ready position.
It felt right. He'd been using whatever sword he could find on his travels, but the Master Sword was his sword and it just felt right in his hands.
He changed his grip, holding it backwards in one hand so that he could quickly cut across the dummy's chest with a punching motion. Normally that was a move for a dagger, but this was just training and Link was beginning to feel the dense knots of muscle in his back loosen. He pushed himself harder, spinning around, chaining blows together. Some of his strikes would cause brief memories to flash in his mind of real instances where he'd used them: fighting Dark Link in the Water Temple, slicing the whips Majora had used against him all those years ago. Some of the strikes felt familiar even though he was sure he'd never used them.
It was always that way when he fought. Zelda had long ago told him that the blood of other Heroes flowed through his veins, that he was a reincarnation of a long line of boys who had saved Hyrule. Link assumed that was why he'd been able to pick up the intricacies of sword fighting so quickly.
He lost himself to his training, not noticing the crowd of soldiers and nobles that had gathered around him once they realized who he was. When he finally stopped, panting slightly, he was surprised to hear a smattering of applause. Startled, he looked around and took in the few dozen people around him. He scratched the back of his neck in mild embarrassment.
One of men Link recognized as a participant of the duel the nobles had been watching walked up to him, all smiles. Link noticed it didn't reach his cold, dark eyes. Although he was dressed in simple clothes appropriate for training, there was no doubt he was nobility. There were little touches everywhere that named him: the ruby on the pommel of the sword at his side, the high quality of his clothes, and the clean, filed nails on the hand he extended to Link.
Link shook the proffered hand hesitantly. The man's overly-amicable expression seemed to be hiding something dark, although Link couldn't be sure.
"Hello Hero of Time," the man said loudly, clearly wanting this to be a public conversation. "I am Fabius. Impressive work against the dummy, would you care to try your luck against something a bit more challenging?"
Link ignored the subtle dig. "What do you have in mind?" He asked with as much calm in his voice as he could manage.
"A duel," Fabius proclaimed, "Me and you, to first blood."
Link could hear the murmurs in the surrounding crowd, and he didn't blame them. To call for a duel to first blood was a serious thing, and challenging a stranger to one could be seen as an insult. Normally a shallow nick was the goal, but accidents happened and the duel could end badly. If Link was reading the man right, Fabius liked having eyes on him. Fabius wanted the glory of defeating the Hero of Time, and Link could appreciate that. He didn't take offense at Fabian's challenge, but he didn't intend to let it lie either.
"Alright," Link nodded. The mumbling in the crowd grew louder, as the people backed up to give the two men a circle in which to duel.
Link looked around, taking in the people's reactions. Clearly they had some respect for this Fabius's abilities, and Link wondered whether he'd made a mistake. Either way he was stuck in this duel.
Fabius drew his sword and adopted a loose ready stance. Link followed suit, taking hold of the hilt of his sword with both hands.
"Are you ready?" Fabius asked with a smirk, and Link nodded. Without another word, Fabius rushed him, a cold look of concentration etched on his face.
Link brought his sword up quickly, blocking the first few strikes as he was forced to step back. It was clear that Fabius was extremely talented with a sword.
As they locked swords, Link used the close proximity to push back, shoving Fabius to give himself some more space. He pushed forward on the offensive, but Fabius turned his blows aside. Link wasn't used to fighting other swordsman. Most of his fighting was done against giant monsters. They were difficult, but they didn't require quite the finesse that a skilled duelist required.
Back and forth they went, Link refusing to give up as Fabius pushed him to his limit. If he'd been able to look around, he might have seen a pair of women watching him from a window in the castle. Impa and Zelda stood, observing the duel from a distance.
"He looks a little rusty," Impa said stoically. Zelda knew Impa was teasing her, even though the large Sheikah woman's face betrayed no hint of smile.
"Fabius is a duelist," Zelda shrugged, "He spends almost as much time fighting on the training grounds as he does sleeping."
"You know he doesn't do that just to train," Impa said, "He's trying to catch your eye. How was your date with him yesterday?"
"It wasn't a date," Zelda said brusquely, "He wanted to talk business, and then when I met with him all he wanted to do was talk about himself."
Impa gave her a pointed look that quite clearly said she should have expected it. Zelda ignored the look.
"Besides," Zelda continued, "I left as soon as a servant brought news of Link's arrival. If Fabius can't take the hint, it's not my problem."
"So you spurned his advances and ran after Link instead?" Impa asked.
"I didn't run after Link," Zelda said with a hint of childishness, "I did my duty as Princess of Hyrule."
For a long moment, Impa did not reply, instead looking out the window at the duel below.
"I wonder how Link would feel if he knew this duel was personal."
"What?" Zelda asked, surprised.
"Think about it Zelda," Impa explained, "Fabius probably thinks you've chosen Link over him, and he's going to win you back through this duel."
"That's stupid," Zelda scoffed. "I'm not a prize to be handed around to the winner of some fight."
"Men can be stupid," Impa shrugged. She shot Zelda a sidelong glance. "Besides, I'm sure you'd find it endearing if someone else was willing to fight for you."
Zelda didn't reply, but her cheeks turned red. She was more than aware who Impa was referring to. Impa had been her closest confidant and friend for her entire life, and there were few things they did not share with each other.
"Either way," Impa continued, sparing Zelda anymore needling, "Hopefully Link can beat him. It wouldn't do for the Hero of Time to lose so quickly into his tenure."
Zelda nodded in agreement.
Down below in the training ground, the two combatants were panting heavily. They'd disengaged momentarily, both fighting for air. Neither had been able to score a blow, but Link was clearly losing. He'd barely held off the last flurry of strikes. Fabius was once again coming after him, his sword raised in the air. Link adopted a ready pose, lifting the Master Sword high enough to stop the downward slash. Fabius spun with the rebound of his sword, spinning into a diagonal cut aimed at Link's shoulder. Link sidestepped, allowing the blade to chop down at the ground. He followed it up with a horizontal slash of his own, and Fabius had to lean backwards to dodge it. Fabius smirked at him as he did so, and Link felt his blood began to boil.
Fabius backed up a step, raising his sword once again. He swung again, forcing Link back once more.
"Is this it?" Fabius smirked. "This is all it takes to be the Hero of Time?"
Fabius was taunting him, hoping to lure him into making a mistake. But Link's felt the rage growing in him anyway. He fought the urge to snarl as furious adrenaline gave new life to his weary limbs.
"I've killed monsters you couldn't even imagine," Link yelled out, his voice thick with rage. Fabius seemed uncertain for a moment, but steeled his features quickly. Link pushed forward, swinging his sword faster than before, each slash turned away but quickly chaining into another.
"I've faced evil you wouldn't find in your worst nightmares," Link yelled as he continued his onslaught, picking up his speed. "And I won't be defeated by the likes of you!"
Link slashed once more, a horizontal strike that knocked Fabius's sword from his hand, and he stabbed forward, catching the young nobleman's cheek with the edge of his blade. A red line appeared, and a drop of blood dripped out as Fabius fell backwards onto the ground with a look of fear and hatred etched on his face.
The people around him burst into applause, amazed at the duel. Link mostly ignored them, a sudden feeling of weariness flooding his system. He gave Fabius a curt nod that was ignored before turning and trudging back towards the castle. No doubt there would be consequences from this, but Link took solace in the fact that he'd come out on top.