After a few minutes of mindless running, Link and Airi finally came to a stop.

Airi put her hand to a small sapling, leaning over and forcing herself to catch her breath. Link tripped over a rock, falling flat on his face. Slowly, painfully, he pulled himself back up on his knees, and then on his feet again. Still a little wobbly, he reached inside his jacket, and was numbly grateful that he had not dropped the Sheikah Slate.

"What...what was that thing back there?"

"A Guardian, what do you think?" Airi huffed.

"Do they always do that?" Link was equal parts horrified and amazed by what the chunk of metal had been capable of. How it had launched that blue...whatever it was. Even without having fallen victim to a direct hit, he appreciated the fact that he would have been reduced to ash if things had gone worse than they already had.

Airi looked at him in disbelief. "Do they always...of course they do! Have you been living under a rock all your life?"

Link paused, but he had to say something...

"I was sleeping in a cave..."

Airi's mind raced through the possibilities of what she could next; slap him, turn her back, stomp her foot, shout...but she did not get a chance to do any such things. There was a low chuckle.

"You two look well, all things considered."

Airi and Link half-turned at the same time, aghast at the sight of the old man. It was as if he had materialized right beside them.

"At any rate..." The mirth vanished from the elder's face. "I imagine that the only thing that would shake you so would be a Guardian."

"What are they?" Link spoke up before Airi could make a move.

The old man shook his head. "This land was not such a barren one. This Kingdom of Hyrule..." His voice turned wistful. "...was once something close to paradise. But when tragedy was about to strike, the people thought that they could rely on these Guardians...an army of mechanical soldiers who fought autonomously. But thanks to the work of Ganon, everything that could go wrong did, indeed, go very wrong."

Airi squinted. This story was not a new one to her, and they would not shock anyone, besides the starstruck twig of a man beside her. But the old man's tone was...it was like he was drawing on personal memories. But the Kingdom of Hyrule had fallen a century before...surely he was not...

Link pursed his lips. "Can you tell me more?"

The old man pointed at Link.

"In fact, I need an audience."

Link nodded, but as the three began to move, he took another look at the distant castle.

"Hah! Hyah!"

The training ground for the knights was comprised of a large plot of land set outside the moat leading into Hyrule Castle itself. There were several skills to practice here; fencing, archery, bare-knuckle fighting, and swimming.

"Hah!"

For his part, Link had already found himself the target of the evil eye. It was not simply the fact that he failed most of the assigned tasks. His uncle had drilled in him the principals of the blade, and the exercises related to it. He was still nursing a black eye that he had recieved from a larger knight, for the ingrained maneuvers he was used to were of little use in strictly unarmed combat. He could not land a single bullesye on any target, and he had to be corrected multiple times on how to properly hold his bow. Swimming, too, was a chore for him.

On top of all that, he put up with the grumbles and the hushed whispers that were constantly sent his way.

"He takes down a few Bokoblins and gets to be knighted, what a joke..."

"This is why it takes years to make a knight, not days..."

"I'll bet he's just Her Majesty's plaything..."

Several times, he wanted to shout that he never really wanted to be a knight, and that it was his uncle who forced the work and duty upon him. However, he knew that "bellyaching," as Uncle Caryn liked to describe it, would do him no good. And besides, today was one where he could truly shine.

The knights were in pairs, facing off against one another in fencing matches. They combined parries, lunges, and feints as they sought to land their blows. The fact that they foils instead of swords was no remedy for pain. Each knight was stripped to his waist, and direct hits had to be avoided.

For his part, Link had gotten through the whole day without a single scratch. He remained confident as he sparred against his current opponent, Lolly. Lolly was a taller man, but his frame was relatively thin. Link's muscles were more developed, and they worked in tandem with his foil. The wooden training sword was long, with a lead core for extra durability. Link weaved back and forth, deftly avoiding Lolly's blows and parrying the occasional slash. He waited for an opportunity, found it, and lunged forward.

His timing was slightly off. Instead of hitting the center of Lolly's chest, the tip of the sword poked him in the forehead.

"Ah!" Lolly touched his forehead, then looked down at his fingers. Not needing a mirror to know he had a small cut on his face, he growled at Link. "Why, you..."

"Attention!" All at once, the knights assembled and formed a long horizontal line. Lolly had no choice but to stand silently besides Link. Master Renzo, the gruff and middle-aged instructor, walked from end to end, hands behind his back.

"Please pay respects to Her Majesty the Princess!"

Another split-second, and every knight was on his knee. Princess Zelda walked parallel to the line, accompanied by another young woman, one with white hair and dressed in a Sheikah robe.

The Princess was not dressed regally, having made herself content with a blue tunic and riding pants, but that did not detract from her radiance or poise. Some of the knights kept their gazes towards the ground, and others tried to sneak glances as she walked by.

But she only approached Link.

"..."

At first, he could not hear the words coming out of her mouth, thanks to his sheer anxiety. Finally, she knelt down and stuck a small parchment scroll into his hand. The white-haired girl giggled in amusement.

Link knew that as soon as the Princess left, he would have to deal with yet more complaints and insults from the other knights. But that did not matter. He was struck with the conviction that he would have to fulfill an important task.

The old man walked at a brisk pace through the Temple of Time, with Airi and Link following close behind. The trio passed a few rooms until they came across a spiraling staircase. When the sunlight hit them again, it occured to Link that they were in a small, open-air room on top of the tallest spire of the building. There were pillars supporting the roof over their heads. The old man walked to one of the empty spaces between the pillars, waving a hand through it. He let out a forced impression of a chuckle.

"I remember when my daughter helped choose the stained glass designs for these windows...just another memory, I suppose."

Link took a few more steps. Airi remained behind. For reasons she could not articulate, their guide unsettled her.

"How long ago was that?" Link asked. He watched as the old man turned around, pulling back his hood. He rubbed his hairless scalp, and then shrugged.

"To be honest, I've lost the exact count myself. Only certain facts have to be certain." He jerked a thumb backwards, at the dim shadow of the castle in the distance. "That was my home."

"Your home? But..." Link stopped suddenly. Even from his perch in the tower, he saw that a change had come over the castle. A long column of smoke rose from it. But it did not dissipiate as it moved upwards, no. It began to circle the castle, writhing like a worm.

Link gulped in his throat. An image flashed before his eyes; a flying monster, a half-dragon, half-boar thing with yellow eyes, and a body made out of black ash...

Airi's eyes went wide, but not from fear. Emotions surged through her heart...awe, wonder, religious rapture. It was the god of the Yiga Clan...

"Ganon..."

The old man nodded. "Calamity Ganon, yes. The one who laid waste to the kingdom, the one who turned the Guardians against the people...that monster is the cause of of it all."

Link did not turn to catch Airi's downcast expression. "What kind of creature is Ganon?" The old man's eyes narrrowed.

"To understand Calamity Ganon, one must know the story from an age long past. The demon king was born into this kingdom, but his transformation into Malice created the horror you see now. Stories of Ganon were passed from generation to generation in the form of legends and fairy tales. It was understood that he would consume anything and everything if he could. But apart from that story, there was also...a legend."

Link's ears perked up.

"When the demon king first rose, ten thousand years ago, he was opposed by a princess with a sacred power and her appointed knight, chosen by the sword that seals the darkness. It was they who sealed Ganon, and it was they who would pass on their gifts. One hundred years ago, there was another princess set to inherit a sacred power and another skilled knight at her side."

The old man ran a hand through his beard.

"It was hoped that the new princess and the new knight would save Hyrule from Ganon forever, but fate...was not on their side. The appointed knight, gravely wounded, collapsed while defending the princess, who disappeared thereafter."

The old man walked forward, putting a hand on Link's shoulder.

"The courageous knight who protected her right up to the very end...that knight was none other than you, Link."

Link's eyes went wide. "You...can't be serious...this is insane, this..."

"The Sheikah Slate you carry would not be for anybody else."

The girl behind Link was boiling.

Him!? He's the Hylian Champion? How could he be? How could he still be alive? Why does he look so young? How could I have found myself...helping him!?

But Airi had no time for questions she would not get answers for. She shifted. She no longer had her kodachi, true, and her bow was secured across the small of her back, but there was still the quiver on her back. She could take one of the arrows. It would take only a second for her to whip the cloak out of the way to reach it. The metal arrowhead would be small, but that would not matter if it was sent straight to the neck. A quick stab, a twist, and then a yank. Link's neck would be ruined beyond any hope of saving, and he would choke to death on his own blood.

It suddenly occured to her that the old man was looking straight past Link and directly at her. No, that plan would not work. He was already suspicious, and he almost certainly anticipated her move. He could not have forgotten about her quiver.

Thinking fast, Airi bent on her left knee and began to swing her right leg. At the same time, she reached for the bow at her back. If she could give the Hylian Champion a solid kick, it would be easy enough to rip the bow free, throw it over his head, and twist it to wrap the bowstring around his neck.

"Watch out, Link!"

The only thing Airi's foot hit was empty air. Link swerved and turned back. He must have intended to punch his attacker in the face. Instead, his fist struck Airi on the neck. She stumbled back, choking. It was a weak punch, but that did not matter.

The old man scowled, standing side-by-side with the confused Link.

"A follower of Ganon, I assume?"

Airi wanted to throw out a witty remark, or a condemnation towards the Hylian Champion, but she did not have the strength. She was down the stairs in a flash.

Annnnd...Link's secret (that he didn't know about) is out...