The Eternal Game

by Lincoln859

Everything can change in an instant. Sometimes all it takes is that next step, and you're in a new world, a new body. OC Insert into Link, Blended World starting in Skyward Sword. OC MC x Harem, this will be a very long story.

3. CH III: Adjusting

The Eternal Game

Chapter III

Adjusting

The awakening of the Hero heralds the Beginning of the End…

Gaepora, King of Skyloft and Head of the Knight Academy, groaned. A long stretch and the crack of his back popping caused another groan, far more pleased, and a sigh. This was doing no good, despite hours of effort between last night and this morning to dig through the private records of the Royal Family. Dozens of journals skimmed through, several tomes older than his great grandfather, older than the living memory of his great great great grandfather's great grandfather. Tomes originating from just after the very first incursion, carefully stored and preserved, occasionally rewritten just to ensure that they survived. Sure, they had preserved the originals, but better safe than sorry.

A disgusted frown down at the most recent one, gently closing the book no matter how much he wanted to slam it. It, just like all barring one of the other books he had read, had proven to be useless. It was maddening, as well, because he knew that one of these books had more information for him, it was just a matter of finding it. Brown eyes took in the Royal Families Private Library, a quarter the size of the Grand Library of Skyloft. This…would not be a quick process. After all, he did not even let Zelda in here yet, despite how delighted she would be.

Some secrets must remain so, after all.

A heavy sigh, the weight of the crown he hated wearing heavy upon him, for all that he avoided wearing it with all he had. Too many secrets, too long ruling a nation balancing on the precipice of disaster at basically every waking moment. Too many nights without sleep, focused instead on trying to make sure his nation survived the fury that was coming. And it was coming, of that he had zero doubt.

Skyloft had existed for 30,000 years at this point, with 5,000 years of peace and prosperity before the monsters came. It had been, by all accounts, a most wonderful time, with all three Islands in perfect harmony under his ancestors. A time of peace, love, and prosperity unlike anything in living memory…or unliving, for that matter. For 25,000 of those years, roughly, they had been in an eternal war.

It was true that the worst of the war, the Incursions, averaged once every thousand years, but that did not change the fact that Skyloft had been at war every day of its existence since the first one came from nowhere and devastated the entire kingdom. Monsters never stopped appearing; never ceased raiding farms, villages, mines, or travelers. They never stopped draining the life from the Skylians, those blessed by the Goddess.

Everyone knew this; it was a fact of life, and had been for far longer than his great great grandfather's grandfather had been alive. It was something the average citizen acknowledged, something they knew, and something they moved on from. After all, they could not change it, they could not prevent it; all that they could do was live with it. As a whole, they lived with it admirably. There were those who would break down, of course, after traumatic events, but that was most understandable. Skyloft had been dealing with that for an age, after all.

What everybody did not know, however, was just how close Skyloft was to failure at any given point. If left unmolested, Skyloft could recover. It would take them thousands of years, but they could reach the heights they once had under the rule of the Goddess Hylia, and they would love to do it. However…well, that was not their fate. Their fate was to struggle, to be the last flickering candle of light in a world devoted to snuffing it out.

It had not been enough to devastate the surface world beyond any hope of recovery, no, the darkness also had to hunt down every living sentient and slaughter them. It was not enough to merely take an island from them, or take two islands; no, the monsters had to take it all. They were to rage against the dying of the light, against the eternal night, and hold out…though for what, exactly, he did not know.

Take now, for instance. The 26th Incursion had ended 115 years ago now, and through immense effort on the parts of every single Skylian alive, they were managing. They were recovering, admirably so, better than any time in history, for Gaepora had learned the lessons his ancestors left. He had learned from their successes as well as their failures, knew what tended to work and what did not, and had the wisdom to apply it rather than believing he knew better than generations of experienced leaders of a nation at war.

They were, truly, doing well. The Knights of the Sky had reached nearly a thousand Knights once more, and he hoped to see it expand under his leadership. The Army had reached 40,000 soldiers, 40,167 as of the last count in fact, and while that was not anywhere near where it needed to be should another incursion occur…well, it was beyond doubt the very best they could do. Better, in fact, considering that as of the last census Skyloft only had just over 500,000 Skylians within it.

Doubly so when one considered that the Supply Corp and Mages College amounted for over another 12,000 between them. Yes, Skyloft's military had done very well; their numbers were at record levels for a mere century after a major incursion, and if the population continued to recover at the rate it had so far, it was likely that within a mere 800 more years they would be back to pre-incursion levels! At least in population; hopefully, however, the military would be even larger than before. It would need to be, for what was coming…

Gaepora shook his head, frustratedly grabbing his tea. The problem, however, was that they would not make it another 800 years before the next incursion, far less the 900 and change it was supposed to be. He quite honestly doubted their luck in having another decade, truth be told. In a far darker truth…he would rather have it now, while he could keep his daughter out of the darkest days of it all, before the Hero managed to kill enough monsters that the Army could handle it.

In the darkest truth…Skyloft had never, not one single time, managed to handle an Incursion on its own. In every incursion barring the third one, it had been the Hero that saved them. Saved them from the Blight, saved them from the numbers, and saved them from the horrors. Every time, a handful of years before an Incursion, they were born, most often in some out of the way village that would never see them recognized until the war, and the draft to replace the initial casualties, came through. Every time the Hero made their entrance by slaughtering dozens, if not hundreds of monsters in their first battle, and was as baffled as everyone else to do so.

It had been the decision of the first Hero and the reigning Monarch of the time. Queen Zelda, to keep his existence as secret as possible. They did not deny their people the comfort of knowing he existed, nor did they try to hide him, they just neglected to record him. Even here, in the Private Library, there was not a single mention of the Hero's name. Not his name, not his appearance, nor even what he did after the war. Just the fact that he was a man the Queen cared for, perhaps even as much as her husband, King Link, if in a different way.

The trend continued every time the Hero popped up, as easily and regularly as the names of the Royal Family passed down. Every millenia or so a King or Queen looked at their ancestors' names and thought Zelda was a lovely name for a daughter, or Daphnes a strong name for a son; even he shared his name with no less than three Kings in the past. Just like that trend, every time the Hero popped up they failed to be mentioned in history, barring only the Seventh Incursion which…well, that one had been a nightmare beyond even the infamous Third Incursion.

The Hero, who still managed to avoid his name being enshrined in history by some means Gaepora would love to know, entered the realm of Legend by standing against an army alone and winning. By being the thing that single-handedly won the war for Skyloft, and allowed the Skylians to continue living. By being a Hero.

The recorded reason why the Hero was left out of history was because he did not want Skyloft to become reliant on him. Per the first Queen Zelda's words, the Hero may always be there, but it was better to treat things as if he would not be, and would never be again. That way Skyloft would never be caught unprepared, never be left open for a lethal blow from which they could not recover. It worked, too, for were it not for that tradition they would have been in a horrible place at the start of each incursion.

It did not stop it from being absolutely maddening.

The sheer dearth of information available on a phenomenon that had occurred twenty-five times was astounding. Even the most recent one, the one where he was a Prince for 5 out of the 7 years the war raged on for, a Hero had been there. He had just, somehow, never been allowed to meet the man, and then the man had died taking on the Blight and seven Lynel deep in enemy lines. He had slain them all, but between his wounds and the horde between him and reinforcements…well. His body had been unable to be located after the fight, and the waning years had been especially brutal.

It had been a victory however, due primarily to the fact that the Hero had taken down the Blight before his untimely death. The Blight, serving as the leader and an unstoppable force on the battlefield, were the single greatest threat in an incursion. The monsters could, with casualties and destruction, be handled. Even in their great numbers, bokoblins were only an issue because of how widespread they were. Moblins were a slightly bigger issue, but they could be handled by a squad in melee or taken down at range. Keese were only a threat in numbers anyways, and massed Keese made for excellent target practice for massed archers. Lizalfos started to become actually dangerous, especially in numbers, and Lynel's…well, they could destroy company's if not caught in time. When one got to the more dangerous variants…they stopped being Company killers and became Battalion Killers; Gaepora still had nightmares of the one and only Silver Lynel he had faced.

Other monsters existed, of course, but they were far less common and almost never joined the teeming hordes of an incursion. Those that did were handled as they came, but were never in numbers large enough to cause problems.

The Blight, however, was different. A shadow of malice and power, a remnant of the demise of all things that had cursed the land so long ago, it could single handedly destroy armies. 26 incursions they had faced, 26 blights they had faced, and not a single time had the foe been repeated.

They had faced foes with great speed, with great endurance, with great strength, with regeneration, and more abilities than he cared to name. Each and every time their entrance on a battlefield was carved out of the bodies of his people, leaving dozens dead at the very best of times. Thousands dead at worst. He could remember seeing it, one time. A small thing, the size of a Skylian, with glowing red eyes and a sword of pulsating evil in hand. Then he was whisked away by his Loftwing, by his wing, for they had a job to do. That day had seen 892 Skylians die.

The biggest problem, however, was that a Blight was intelligent. They commanded the horde of millions with tactics and skill, making a point to strike where the army was weak and to bring impossible force against where they were strong. They knew to avoid the Hero, knew to run when that legendary figure stepped upon the field, for an engagement would end in their demise. And, after the past ten years…Gaepora finally understood why.

It had always been an impossibility, that any Skylian could stand against such beasts. That anything in the world, even the legendary Crimson Loftwing, could stand against such malicious hate. Then…then his daughter had gone missing during a visit to Cerath city, the city farthest from the capital. Then he had discovered the dead bodies of guards from a monster attack.

Then he had discovered a five year old child, stained in the blood of beasts, standing over his daughter with a shattered blade.

His dear, sweet little Zelda, the girl who had stolen his heart even as it shattered from the knowledge that her mother had died in childbirth. She had been the only thing to keep his head above the waters of grief, and he had almost lost her. What man would fail to take an orphan under his roof at that point, when they had saved the life of their only child? The ulterior motives he had held brought him guilt, especially now, but on that first day he had been too grateful to even consider it.

It was not until later, when he realized that the servants were teaching Link to be little more than a servant to Zelda, that he finally began to consider things beyond just making sure the child was safe and happy as thanks. He put a stop towards the boy becoming a servant; his daughter's savior deserved better than that, but he had consented to him becoming a bodyguard. So training began; a child with no knowledge was thrown into lessons that Nobility had been having for two years by that point, and even then he was a year younger than everyone else in the class. It had put him even further behind.

Then came that fateful day. The first day Link picked up a wooden sword, and was told to swing it in training with the other nobles. The day he shattered a wooden shield, a wooden sword, and a child's arm in a show of strength most adults could not manage. Curiosity rose amongst those who knew, but none more so than Gaepora himself. After all, Gaepora did have what everyone else lacked.

A few records of the Hero stating what they had been able to do as a child. Nothing major, not truly, not something a child would consider odd. Any adult looking on, however, would find it strange indeed to watch a child carry a 10 month old calf, knowing that they weighed around 700 pounds. The hero in question had truly never thought twice about it until it had been pointed out to him that to try and stop a charging Moblin was suicide. The man had reacted with confusion that the average Skylian could not handle something that weak.

It did not take long to understand that if Link was not a hero, was not the newest incarnation of the Hero, Skyloft would have far bigger problems than ever before. For his own sake, for sanity's sake, he has quietly declared Link to be the reincarnation of the Hero of Legend to a few of his most trusted advisors, and ensured that the correct measures would be taken were Gaepora to die in the opening stages of whatever horrors awaited them. Thankfully, ten full years had passed and nothing had occurred. Unfortunately, ten full years had passed and nothing had occurred.

Link's oddities would not have been easy to hide, not now when he was in full view of so many people every day, so Gaepora did not even try. His strength, his speed, his skill; nothing came up, physically at least, that Link did not utterly dominate every single Skylian adult in, and that was at a mere five and six years old. By the time he was seven he was regularly beating platoons; by eight he could best a company. His Royal Guard, prideful as they had once been, had not made it longer than eight and a half before Link could take them all on at once and win.

Those early days of Link's training had been…interesting, to say the least. Back in those days Link had no real understanding of his own strength, had no idea how to hold back when adrenaline pounded and enemies approached. It had been traumatizing on all sides, really, but none were affected more than Link himself and a man named Acul, who had retired from the army as a Captain 8 years ago. Gaepora could understand his reasoning, and had wished him well, even making sure he had a more than generous severance package.

After all, it was not an everyday experience for you to nearly die to a child. It was not a standard experience of the army to be commanding your Company against a child and, when you attempted to lock a shield wall into place against said kid as an attempt to take it easy on him, the child then slammed his shield into yours so hard it shattered both your arms, your ribs, your spine, and collapsed your lungs.

Depressingly enough, it was also Link who saved his life, having known just from the sound that something was wrong. The moment the man stopped sliding across the ground Link had been there, forcing potions of healing down the man's throat even as some of the attending mages dashed towards them. One particularly panicked apprentice had rattled off all of the things he could detect wrong with the Captain, which, well…

Link had never again used his shield to attack anything. Within seven more engagements he had never asked for a shield again, for any reason, not until yesterday at least. Gaepora heaved out a sigh, shaking hands refilling his tea cup at the mere thought of the panic he had felt the day before. Landing, eager to see his boy in his element once more, only to see a shield carried so easily in his right hand, like it belonged there. Like Link had not been rendered unable to even look at shields for two months after that disastrous day, as if the trauma he had experienced just did not exist.

Gaepora thanked Hylia that he had been able to stop himself from displaying the panic; for as clouded as Link's mind often was, he had been remarkably sharp the past two days, and he had always been observant when it came to what he considered important. It was just that, until yesterday, the only thing Link truly considered important was Zelda.

A frown, a shift of his body, an uncertain drink. Gaepora had no idea what had happened, and it was a large part of the reason why he had spent last night and this morning searching through these old tomes. Link had always been…distant, was perhaps the best way to put it. He cared; oh, by Hylia did he care. He tried so hard to make Zelda happy, despite the mental toll it reaped from him, but he could only ever manage distance. For all of his jokes about Link and Zelda marrying, Gaepora had been certain that it would never occur. Not because they did not care for each other, but because Link was not capable of expressing himself in that manner.

It was not just that Link barely smiled or frowned. It was not just that Link spoke a handful of words in a month's time to anyone other than Zelda, and even she was lucky to get even ten words that were anything other than her name. Neither Gaepora nor his daughter cared for the fact that they had needed to learn an entire language of micro-expressions to understand what Link was thinking at any given moment; he himself was honestly rather happy for it now, because it made catching people who tried to exaggerate things remarkably easy. They did not care for the fact that Link could barely keep his attention on the present long enough to manage passing grades.

They definitely cared for the fact that Link only managed exceptional grades through nearly torturing himself to stay focused, but any attempt at talking to him about it only made things worse. Neither father nor daughter had ever minded that Link had muted emotions, that the only time he felt like himself was in the sky. It was just a part of Link, a part of what made him who he was, and they loved him. Link was the son of Gaepora, blood ties be damned, and the single most important person to Zelda. Gaepora, when teased by his friends after Zelda had been born, had thought that knowledge would hurt on the day it arrived. Instead it provided only relief; Zelda would have someone here for her, when he died.

Then came yesterday. Then came a Link with sharp, alert eyes whose attention was focused solely in the present and concerned about things. Not the distant care that he had always shown, but an active one. Not the care for Skylians as a whole, but as individuals. The entirety of the Knights of the Sky knew Link. They also knew that he did not know a single one of their names, and they forgave him for that, because they saw his struggles. Link had, apparently, been born to be a weapon, and the Goddess had shown mercy by not forcing him to get attached to every single person who would die around him, unable to keep up with a god on the battlefield.

They took humor in it, truthfully. Exaggerations, wagers on whether Link would ever learn one of their names, wagers on whether or not Link would call one of them by the wrong name; stuff even Gaepora participated in. He had a bet with long odds on Link eventually calling the Knight General something ridiculous rather than her name, something like General Castagor rather than General Teldi. Nevermind that Castagor was not even a Skylian name, and was a word he made up on the spot; it was as close as Link would get to their names.

There had been a few people hurt, admittedly, the first couple times it had happened. Nobody liked to understand that a kid who could obliterate you, your unit, and then quite likely the entire city you hailed from could not be bothered to learn your name. Then one of them happened to catch Link trying to read, and watched him struggle, and began to understand. It was not that Link was ungifted in intelligence; he could, and did, manage grades topped only by Zelda after all. It was simply that his mind was wired to work in a vastly different manner to anything they were familiar with.

A healer who had examined him at one point, 9 years ago, had stated that it was as if an energy was casting shadows on certain parts of Link's mind, and the other parts were radiating more light to make up for the lack. The man had said that, had he not known better, had not observed for himself how difficult it was for magic to stick to Link, he would have sworn it was a curse rather than something natural.

Gaepora had accepted it, had stepped in to help soothe the unintentional hurt caused, and the entirety of the Skylian military had shrugged and good-naturedly accepted it. Gaepora had never lacked for sources of pride in his people, but that easy-going acceptance of his son's disability warmed his heart to this day. At least, Gaepora had always believed it to be a disability.

Then came yesterday, where Link was alert. Then came yesterday, with Zelda excitedly talking about how beautifully Link was doing to the only person who would understand just how wonderful it was. With Link managing a shield bash without flinching, without hesitating, a feat that had everyone on the battlefield terrified for the boy considering the last time he had tried to even practice the movement he had not been able to move for nearly an hour. A day where Link actually expressed disappointment in the level of his training, when he had never once been present enough to care about that.

Then came yesterday, where Link displayed magic. He called upon the winds of the loftwings, struck with the fury of a storm, stood as strong as a mountain, and washed away wounds with a river. Gaepora had seen battle magic; he used battle magic. He could call upon fire, upon wind, upon thunder. He could match some of the strongest mages of the Skyloft, though the Archmage and her direct lieutenants outclassed him. He had witnessed healing staves being used to great effect, witnessed potions working miracles, witnessed barriers that withstood the strikes of Lynels.

Never in his life had he witnessed magic that commanded the elements of nature so easily.

Link used more magic in roughly ninety seconds than most mages did in an hour, in active combat. A gale strong enough to blow away arrows, strong enough to send him flying. Lightning striking down from the heavens, strong enough to kill a dozen times over yet controlled enough to never directly hit a soul. A shield, immovable as the mountains of Farore's Hope and yet countering harder than the greatest of Wing Charges. Then the healing, the soothing waters of a river washing away all wounds, a feat that would drain even the best. Link had used enough magic to kill a mage, for the first time in his life, and did not even seem to notice it.

Which…was so very Link, in truth, but that did not stop Gaepora from worrying. It did not stop his mind from making uneasy connections to half-remembered pieces of scattered lore, read over a century ago. Link throwing off the shadow he had been living under his entire life had Gaepora afraid he had missed something, afraid that the healer had been right and Link had been living under a curse.

He had found nothing to support that, not yet at least, but he was hardly close to finished. No, it would be much more accurate to say that he had barely begun, but he had already found enough to justify searching more. A fragment of a sentence, stored with a collection of prophetic writings by Royals with blessings from the Goddess.

The Awakening of the Hero heralds the Beginning of the End…

What it meant, he did not know. He had thought he did, all these years; that a hero being born, "awakening" to their powers meant that an Incursion was coming. What if's haunted him, however, dogging his every thought. What if the Awakening meant the throwing off of a curse that kept them sleeping, never to reach their full potential? The thought was driving him up the wall, for a lot of reasons. What if he could have helped Link earlier, by paying more attention? What if he could have made better preparations, if that was indeed a prophecy about this time?

Even without all of that, however, Gaepora knew Skyloft was in for terrible times. Link existing made sure of it. The Goddess did not make mistakes; she would not send a Hero if there was no need for one. If, however, the need was greater than just an incursion? If Link truly had been cursed, if every hero had been cursed, and only now had the Hero managed to get rid of it…What did that mean for Skyloft? What did it mean for Zelda?

Link was his son, and Gaepora would never regret his existence. He wanted nothing more than for both him and Zelda to be happy, to have a life free of the troubles that awaited them. He just wished that he could actually help. There had, so far, been nothing he could do except help them grow, in part because the only thing Link had ever asked for had been food. Everything else had been expected of him. He was expected to accompany the Princess, expected to train to fight. He was expected to learn, expected to become a Knight once it was revealed that the legendary Crimson Loftwing had chosen him; expectations tried to crush him under their weight every day of his life.

Link had wanted to draw, and to fly. Those were the only two things he took genuine interest in, well that and Zelda. His duties barely allowed him to draw, and the only flight he usually got was so slow and unsatisfying that Gaepora was relatively sure that Sylph hated his guts with a fiery passion. Then again, the only other human that bird liked was Zelda, and even there it was more a case of "my partner likes you, so I will accept you to avoid conflict" than anything else. Sylph did not mind Rin, either, but then it could be the same way. Even after all this time, he had no idea how the mind of a Loftwing worked.

Gaepora sighed, draining his cup once more. Many things weighed heavy on the mind of a King, but the weights on the mind of a father were far heavier, he had found. He was not able to spend anywhere near as much time with his children as he would like, he had failed them more times than he could count, and all of his preparations could very well end in failure as well.

Hopefully, however, things would go right. For Skyloft, but more importantly, for his kids. The world hated them, it had for a long time, but the Goddess was with them and always would be. Someday…someday there may be peace. It may not be in his generation, it may not be in his great grandchildrens generation, but maybe someday someone would discover the source of monsters in Skyloft and rid them all of it. Then they could reclaim their ancient homes; they could grow, they could have peace and prosperity the likes of which only existed on record. Someday, children might not have to be guarded just because their parents could not trust the world not to try and take them away.

A knock at the door, the voice of his guards breaking his peace.

"My King, it is almost time for Link to spar against the Knight Wings. If you wish to watch, you need to leave within the next few minutes." A heavy sigh, an acknowledging call. Hopefully Link would be slightly less disappointed with this group, but somehow he doubted it. Even before the magic, they were nothing to him, so he would no doubt set a new record again today. No matter; seeing Link was always a pleasure, and if Link was still awake it would be even more of one. Who knows, perhaps the boy would surprise him and tell him he had finally asked Zelda out! That would make all this stress worth it; Link was his son in all but blood, and he could only hope for the day it became official. With how his daughter had been reacting to a Link actually showing interest in things, he did not think it would be long at all until she lost all control and started the relationship herself.

Gaepora, King of Skyloft and Headmaster of the Knight Academy, heaved himself to his feet with a sigh. Nearly a century and a half of life tended to result in a body that was not exactly up to moving around quickly and easily, even if he still had another 50 years at least in him. At minimum, he wanted to live long enough to see his grandchildren, hopefully see them married to and receive great grandchildren, but he was not about to hold his breath for that. Not with how difficult it could be for Skylians to conceive. Still, his mind and body were old, perhaps his thoughts could be a bit scattered and meandering, but he was still sharp. Still strong enough that he was a Champion level fighter, as he had proven just last week in regular training. It did not change the fact that on days like today, he could feel his age.

No matter. He had a bright spot in his morning, then a bright spot at his lunch to spend with his darling daughter, then a day full of work. Might as well enjoy what he could.

~~The Eternal Game~~

Arrows rained down at a single target, 72 in the air before the first one even hit the target. 36 massive birds carved their way through the air, blue eyes looking up at them in idle curiosity.

Link hoped backwards, arrows hitting the ground all around him. Wind licked at the palms of his hands, eager to be used, but he held off. A sword and shield on his back, neither drawn yet, as he watched a Talon work. 36 Knights working in unison, 6 Wings of Six; according to King Gaepora, this was the type of deployment used most often in times of war or emergency, with an undercurrent to his voice that Link couldn't quite identify.

He knew why there wasn't more, however, even beyond the fact that Knights were busy. Zelda had gotten sidetracked reading to him this morning, after reaching the third incursion and the foundation of the Knights of the Sky. In those days it had been a mess, and the concept of the freshly named Skylians being worthy enough to ride Loftwings had been dismissed entirely. It was not until the new Queen, a thirteen year old girl by the name of Dinae after both parents had died in the war, had been bound to a Loftwing by a method the Skylians still did not understand that the idea took hold.

It took a century; a hundred years of people slowly becoming bound partners to the Miracle Birds, but the Knights of the Sky had slowly become real. It began under an apprentice system, more experienced riders teaching the new ones what to do and how to do it. They had some success, forming up Wings and Talons and exterminating monsters. It was not until the next Incursion, the Fourth, that things changed and the Knights enshrined themselves as Skylofts greatest protectors.

Link dodged more arrows, mind on the revelations from the morning rather than what he was doing. It wasn't like this needed his focus; he was waiting to see if the Knights would do anything more than just fire arrows down at him while he figured out the best way to get up there. Revali's Gale was an option, but it would be a bit boring to rely on just that, right?

Regardless, the Fourth Incursion started off poorly for Skyloft…though, admittedly, that was the case for all of them. It didn't matter how much they prepared, there were always weak spots in the defenses when you were facing an opponent in enough numbers. Knights fell, soldiers fell; it was a horrible event, leading up to a battle known as the Wake of Wings; over six hundred loftwings died that day, fighting to protect the Skylians.

The Knighthood fell, with every experienced Knight dying trying to hold the line fighting in ways they weren't suited for. All that was left was the apprentices, a mere 216 out of a core that had numbered over two thousand in those early days, back before the Knights of the Sky had been turned purely into a combat force rather than halving a full half its number be noncombatants, and the slaughter that said souls had brought upon themselves by trying to fight regardless.

216 Apprentice Knights flew, desperate to stop the bleeding, flying over the corpses of their allies. They looked down upon their brothers, their sisters, their family; they looked down upon the broken bodies of the Goddess's last gift, and said no more. As they flew, one of the apprentices spoke. The exact words had been lost to time, but the effect boiled down to something simple, a message that resulted in a restructuring of the Knighthood.

So many dead, and we can't even bury the bodies. So many have died, trying to keep the flickering light burning in our hearts. So many dead, to staunch a wound pouring toxin into the world…and we go to our deaths too.

Fine then.

Let this be our last act; our wake, our vigil over our fallen family. Let us be the rearguard and let what is left escape. And maybe, when they are safe and the dawn has arrived after this endless nightmare, may they remember us.

One word out of it stuck; Wake. A vigil over the dead, until the morning comes. A tradition in Skyloft, when they had the luxury of it. Family members guarded the body of the fallen for a night, sharing memories and grief alike, and they were buried with the rising dawn. Zelda's voice had been so very quiet, when she relayed that to him. Her father had held her, freshly born, all through her Mother's wake, and even now they carried on the tradition on the anniversary of her mothers death, sharing memories of Queen Sonia, of a woman who had been waiting so long to meet her yet never had the privilege.

The word held a meaning to the survivors; a grim privilege, a grim requirement in those times. A time when the idea of actually being able to guard the fallen's last sleep before cremation was a luxury that none could afford. And so, when the Knighthood was reforged after the war from the shattered remnants and handful of survivors, the word stuck.

The Wake of Knights; the single largest deployment of Knights at any given time. 216 souls, flying out to guide the fallen into the afterlife, and to send the monsters after them. Half superstition, half ritual, entirely grim and somber. To deploy a Wake was acknowledging that Skyloft's forces could not survive without significant backup, and to commit a horrendous level of military power to a single fight. 216 Knights could turn the tide of anything, had turned the tide of every battle that they had been sent to.

The other deployments were, while not minor, represented far less of a commitment and carried fewer memories of tragedy within them. A Wing, six Knights led by a Wing Commander, named as such simply because it had felt right. A Talon, six Wings, 36 Knights commanded by a Talon Commander; a noticeable military deployment that concentrated a great deal of firepower in one place…theoretically at least, Link was so far not impressed.

Honestly, if all that the Knights were capable of were flying around and launching arrows down at their enemies…well, cruel as it was to say it, he could understand why the greatest deployment was treated so gravely. Mounted archers were great, truly they were…but there was a difference between several thousand horses able to obliterate infantry and a few hundred massive birds in the sky. It was a waste of what Loftwings could do, really, even if they were lesser versions of Sylph. And that was a really arrogant thought to have; perhaps Sylph's contempt for the other loftwings was spreading.

It took a little over a minute for the Knights to get impatient with his casual dodging, and they changed their approach. The first he knew of it was the crackle of electricity, yellow lightning blasting towards him. Something inside him felt amusement, a slow moving ball of electricity being the closest they could get to real lightning; Link ignored Urbosa, choosing to dodge the ball instead. Fitting that the Talon above him took the moment to strike.

A blue loftwing flew down to the ground even as the ball approached; the moment he dodged, the bird flew at him. Blue wings began to fold close to its body after one final flap, accelerating faster than before and spinning, the knight's spear ready to strike. Link moved, legs pushing off the ground harder than ever before, a backflip taking him above the low spinning bird. The knight didn't even have time to register it, the world slowing, one hand reaching out and pulling the man off the bird even as it spun.

Link landed, the knight slammed into the ground beneath him, blue eyes staring into panicked hazel. The man didn't even try to move, his partner shrieking out a harsh and angry protest. The few onlookers, Gaepora and a few other Knights, looked on in shock and awe at the feat that, quite honestly, had barely taken him any effort.

It did, however, serve to piss the Knights off.

The teen stepped off the fallen knight, walking steadily forward as a full wing flew down. They didn't land, stopping at about stomach height, and all six began to power towards him. A spread of six loftwings, each with wingspans longer than he was tall, and less than a second later the wings began to glow slightly. Not as strong as Sylphs the day before, but noticeable all the same. Two pulled back bow strings, two others collecting energy in their hands, the final two leveling spears.

From two other sides came something similar; eight on each side sweeping lower and hovering at varying altitudes, preparing ranged attacks in a blend of arrow and magic. The final ten knights remained above, the hail of arrows continuing. More impressive; a four sided attack, only not boxing him in entirely to allow the charging birds somewhere to go. It allowed every knight to strike a single target, ensured that no missed attacks would hit an ally so long as they were careful, and theoretically boxed him in.

Theoretically.

Even as his body moved, hand finally drawing his sword in a single motion to strike away several arrows, his mind puzzled over it all. He had multiple ways to deal with this, the only problem was most of them would be lethal. He didn't even have the benefit of knowing what he had done in the past to serve as a guide. Revali's gale could counter the arrows and get him to them, but if he wasn't careful it had the potential to knock the knights off. Urbosa's fury…no, he didn't want to fry them, frying the birds was something he wanted even less. Daruk's protection would see them break upon him, and Mipha's grace would hopefully see no use in this fight.

Then he gave up, going with what seemed the simplest. Arrows launched from the front, he charged forth; two loftwings began to spin, fire and lightning alike coursing towards him. Wind lifted him above them, sword being sheathed once more, and his hands grabbed another knight. Another slam, another stare; this was going to take forever.

There had to be something else; something that didn't rely upon them getting closer to him. Something he could use without killing them. A frustrated exhale, stepping away from the Knight. Zelda had always been a game about problem solving as much as it had been about fighting, and he was good at Zelda games. Surely he could manage a little problem solving!

So, first off, what he had. Urbosa's Fury, Mipha's Grace, Daruk's Protection, Revali's Gale; mostly useless. A sword and a shield; he wasn't Captain America, he wasn't going to be chucking his shield at the knights, and they outranged him anyways. How did a knight even use a sword on a loftwing anyways? The wingspan, neck length, and body length ensured that they wouldn't even get close enough. A spear was barely long enough to manage…thoughts for later.

His head tilted left, ignoring the arrow that whistled by on his right. A hand lashed out, catching an arrow in midair and, with a considering hum, he threw it back at the origin with a little bit of wind behind it. It struck the woman in the chest, making her wheeze, and a call by Gaepora had her marked as out, her bird breaking formation to land. Not a bad option, there were plenty on the ground, but he wanted something more than that.

His head turned to the right as another arrow whistled by, eyes almost blankly taking them in. Staggered at different heights to avoid the ones on the other size, each one little more than one loftwing length away from each other; a sizable margin, but still in a fairly tight formation for birds. Actually…

A thought began to form in his mind, a thought that was stupid on the surface, and probably all the way through, but one he was considering. That…could be fun. Worst came to worse he was back at square one, so why not try it?

Link exploded into motion, going from minimal movements to full speed in half a second. It took another full second for the knights to realize it, another after that for startled cries to sound out, but by that point Link was level with the formation that had been to his right. Winds roared to life, aiding a jump that powered him all the way to the top of the formation, wide yellow eyes all that the knight in question had time to do before a sword tapped their neck.

Brown boots landed on green feathers for just a moment before their owner leapt, landing lightly on black feathers a moment later, sword tapping the neck of another knight. Surprised and frustrated curses followed his movements, a handful of seconds passing before his feet were on solid ground once more, eight knights flying off to land with the other. A grin crossed his features as he watched the other formation frantically break off, the remaining 26 Knights readjusting their approach.

Link couldn't quite hear the orders, but he could see the frustration as several different voices shouted out thoughts and were shut down, sometimes even by themselves. This…honestly this was probably more frustrating for them than him, in truth. For all that they had a much higher mobility, nothing they had at range could hit him, even with the introduction of magic. So they had to get close…but they couldn't hit him up close. Combine that with the fact that he was one person rather than an enemy force composed of dozens that they could cut through with the wing strikes, combine that with the fact that he was a lot smaller than the loftwings…

Honestly, the army stood a better chance against him. This would be a very different story if he was a Blight, when those things were apparently most often massive, but with it being just him…he shook his head, looking at King Gaepora.

"They would have better luck on the ground." The man, once more in a dark orange robe and still having the most ridiculous unibrow, nodded, lips twitching in amusement. He spoke back, every bit as calmly as he had, still able to be heard somehow despite many feet between them. Skylian hearing, or some kind of magic?

"In my defense, every other time they have approached you on the ground. I believe that this was a result of a bet between them and a few of the 32nd company about how even with their Loftwings aiding them they would do no better." That…huh. It made sense, but at the same time didn't. Why was the bet now, unless they were drinking together last night or something? Actually, no, hold on…did Skyloft have alcohol? That…he had found no record of it, but he was rooming with the Princess and known to have close relations with the King. Not to mention Link had never been the type to smuggle illicit goods, in any incarnation.

The Knights soon came to a similar realization, and all but two of them landed. Spears were put aside for sword and shield, and Link gave them the time. The final two knights took to the sky once more, hanging close and waiting for something. Link didn't waste his time thinking about it, instead taking on the approaching Knights.

A sword sung at his chest, far faster than Groose. About on par with Captain Byna as well, which was impressive considering she was the best of the group from yesterday. He stepped back, letting the world slow, eyes noticing how the other knights were working together in an impressive offense. Four other knights were running around the first, legs ever so slowly coming down, eyes on where he had been. Where was this going?

He let the world resume, the knights promptly surrounding him on all sides, and interest finally sparked in Link. His sword began to move, blocking and parrying, blocking and blocking and blocking and blocking. It took him a few seconds to adjust to the momentum, to understand all that his senses were telling him; too much, so much, all at once.

Ears twitch as they hear a strike coming from behind, his eyes seeing three more from the front and sides. A mind unconsciously decides which one to go for, a metric the conscious has no understanding of as his left hand strikes, first to the left to knock the sword away, then arching oddly to slap away the assault from behind. No time to rest, no time to stop, only to turn that arch into a spin to stop the other two blades.

A third force slammed into his blade nearly the moment he catches two swords with his, three separate blades trying to pin him there while two more and a spear try to strike him. Link couldn't stop himself from smiling, red flakes glowing around him as a warm voice rumbled in his ear.

Getting sloppy, little buddy.

No, Daruk, he was just having fun. He stepped back, the knights stumbling away from blows smacked away with double the force, and let the three press the attack. Left and right, left right and center, left left right left, dodge the thrust while slapping his palm against the overhead strike, spin his sword to counter all three strikes in a single movement. Defending was so much harder than attacking, at least when his opponents were working as one.

Metal rang against metal as the fight continued, Link happy to give ground and the knights eager to take it. Each was a match for Captain Byna's speed and strength, each was better than any of the regular soldiers from the day before, and they were putting their all into it. Boots against the ground herald more enemies surrounding him again, but something pricks his mind with danger. Blue eyes flashed, legs tensing, and he jumped, once more into a perfect backflip higher than ever before, one that had the world slowing.

Beneath him, mid spin, was the triumphant face of a mounted knight, certain of his victory; far be it from Link to deny him his desire to meet the ground. The world moved slowly, Link moving normally, and he plucked a third knight from their mount. This one he didn't slam; no, horizontal as he was, he could see the knights behind him, and he threw the man at them with a ridiculous level of ease. The world resumed its pace, the three in front of him stopping their charge as a scream sounded out from behind a landing Link. He heard the clatter of armor against armor, and then armor against the ground, and finally drew his shield from his back.

"Well?" His voice was calm, sword and shield held in a ready position; this was just getting fun. The Skylians across from him tensed, sweat dripping from faces and teeth grit. The charge came from behind, however, boots hitting the ground harshly, and Link kept eye contact with the three until the very last moment. He spun to meet the charge, shield knocking aside the blade thrusting at his back, and before panicking eyes he went on the offensive once more.

His sword struck an armored chest, and then another; it slipped through a thirds guard to stab gently into a thigh, and Link only upped the pace. His body became a blur once more, shield smacking aside weapons and sword finishing the job. In a matter of moments the entirety of the forces that had been behind him were hitting the ground, and he turned to the final foes. Seven men who had remained on that side of him, and one left in the sky.

He could hear nervous swallows from here, could feel their tension in ways he didn't have words to explain. His eyes found his sword, chipped and cracked, and he set it gently on the ground. Mipha's grace flowed forth from his soul, his hand touching a woman who was breathing harshly. No actual wounds, according to whatever it was that guided the magic, but it eased her breathing nonetheless.

"I need this." He said, hand grabbing her sword. She let it go without a fuss, just nodding, and was the first one from the group to stand and get out of the way. Link let them all get clear, and gave the three winded soldiers the time they needed.

"Ready?" Link's voice was still calm, still quiet, yet somehow it caused all seven of them to flinch. He wasn't quite sure why; for all of Link's feats, he had never exactly struck an intimidating feature. This body was more feral goblin than dark shadow, especially…

The knights took umbrage to their own fear, and charged forth once more. This time there they made a larger circle, four women and three men surrounding him, and Link had no more time for thought. Metal against metal, metal against wood, high and low and middle and low and middle and high. Muscle memory that trumped conscious thought, Link spinning a full circle every few seconds as he reacted to each and every attack the moment it started.

He could hear the movement of an arm through the air, even as metal crashed against metal. Odd, though; he had always thought sword fighting would cause vibrations through your hand and arm, but he had yet to feel anything of the sort. He could hear an arrow whistling through the air above him, knew to push forward with his shield leading the way to dodge it. The circle followed him, pushing harder and harder, and he let them.

Link could move faster; he could amp himself up to the level of a minute ago, when he had taken down 17 of them faster than they could react. He could blitz them, could do what all the random power scalers online had called speed blitzing and put them down faster than they could react. That wouldn't help him, however. It wouldn't teach him the limits of his skill, would do nothing to help him learn where his ability failed and he had to rely upon natural gifts.

So he kept his speed to around theirs, restrained his strength to just enough to knock their swords off course, both things astounding him with how easy they were to do. Link had spent his entire life living in a world of tissue paper, and never before had it been more apparent than when an outsider possessed his body and found it more difficult to break the mold than to keep to it.

One minute passed, one and a half, two, but then the knights began to flag. The arrows from above were still coming at a rapid pace, but the sword strikes began to slow. Lungs ached for breath, sword arms tired, sweat stung at eyes; it was time to end this. Link's feet set, sword in hand and grip changing, and he spun, the pool draining slightly. The sword hit them all, lengthened by magic, and to a knight they all went flying backward. Wind exploded into life beneath him before the spin had even finished, his body rocketing upwards even as the loftwing squawked in surprise. Blue eyes met green, panic flashing on the man's face, but neither he nor his partner were fast enough to stop Link from holding his sword to his neck.

The winds didn't lessen, the drain not picking up; Link hovered there, at the height of a gale, neither rising nor falling. The game would have never allowed for this, and if he thought about how he was doing this for too long he was afraid it would stop working.

My power is the best, isn't it?

Sadly enough…it kind of was. Revali's presence felt smug, more so than ever before, and Link couldn't stop himself from being amused. The Knight's hands rose slowly, in the universal sign of surrender, and Gaepora's voice rang out, a bit louder than before.

"Winner is Link! With a new record at that, as seems to be the case recently." Link let the winds die down, slowly falling to the island once more as the gale lost power. The knight descended as well, still pale. The seven he had hit last were still on the ground, panting heavily, even as his feet lightly touched down on the ground, the last of the wind fading away. Calm pride in his soul, amused indulgence from another, warm care from the third. Then their presence faded once more; he really needed to do something about that. How were they here? Perhaps they knew something, he knew they could talk. It was just a matter of how to talk to them when he wasn't busy fighting.

"Well done, Link. Your control over your internal magic is quite something." Gaepora's voice, warm and gentle, full of pride. It was almost enough to make him wince; he hadn't earned a single bit of praise, with Link's body and the magic of the Champions doing every ounce of the work.

"I must also say you nearly gave us all a panic attack when you decided to play stepping stones with loftwings." It wasn't chiding, not really; it was the words of a man who knew that there had been no danger, but felt the need to remind him to be careful nonetheless. A sentiment only reinforced with his next words.

"I know that you are fully capable of doing that in your sleep, dear boy, but please remember that some of us are rather old and our hearts are getting a bit weak. I would appreciate a warning next time, but failing that I do ask that you be careful." Link nodded, warmth pooling in his stomach. An adult actually caring about his well being was not something he was used to, after all.

"Is there a reason that you let it go the way you did, however?" Link looked up at him curiously; had he missed something? Had he acted differently than in the past? Gaepora continued, not so much as a single note of censure in his voice.

"You actually let them surround you this time; every previous occasion, no matter who you were fighting, you put a stop to that immediately." Well…yeah, that made sense. The previous Link didn't have Daruk standing by ready to punish anyone who slipped through his guard.

"I wanted to see how much I could handle." Daruk had only had to protect him once, when all he had been using was a sword. It was a good sign; could be better, could always be better, but it was good nonetheless.

"Compared to yesterday, was today better or worse?" Link frowned, considering. The beginning of it was honestly worse, but it got better after they landed. Seven on one had probably been as close to perfect as he was likely to get, as well.

"First part was worse, the second part was better." Gaepora smiled, looking genuinely pleased on his behalf.

"I am glad that you got something out of today's match, then." He had, hadn't he? He knew that he could handle seven fighters on Captain Byna's level, something that was useful to know. He knew what level to ask for in the future, if he wanted to have the chance to improve. So he nodded, Gaepora's smile widening just a touch.

"Tomorrow will be better then, as well. The Royal Guard are better fighters than even the Knights, and while you have been winning against them for years, if you let them surround you like Knights did you may even lose." His voice was humored, amused at the thought of it. Link couldn't help but wonder just how invincible he was…and how much today would add to that myth.

"Are they stronger and faster than Captain Byna?" Gaepora paused, amusement shifting into shock, brown eyes swirling with something Link didn't recognize. It took the man a moment to recover, before he properly registered the question.

"By a significant margin, to my knowledge. Do you not remember the rankings, Link?" Despite the question about what was no doubt obvious and known information, Gaepora didn't sound upset or disappointed. Even when he shook his head, those eyes reflected amusement more than anything else.

"That does not surprise me, as they do not really apply to you. You have a tendency to break the standards, in truth. Besides that, I suppose it would be hard to judge levels when you are that strong. Let me see if I can explain it to you." He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts.

"Skyloft has the capability of a fighter ranked on one of six levels. Each of these are based upon the monsters that can be matched or surpassed at each level, with all but the last two ranks being based upon the most common variant of each one. Red bokoblins, for example, as well as green Lizalfos. The basic one is the level of soldier; fairly self explanatory. It is the baseline level of competence that we expect from anyone who carries a weapon in the defense of Skyloft, whether they are drafted or professional. It is the level at which a Skylian can kill a bokoblin without facing life threatening danger, and is far and above the most common level of competence." That made sense. It also fit with what he would expect from a basic soldier; if you can't expect them to kill the most common foe, your army was already doomed to defeat.

"Then you have the level of Sergeant. Before you ask, yes, these are all basically ranked upon military ranks, because to even be considered for those ranks you have to have this level of skill in combat. The reason for this is because your fellow Skylians will look to you to guide them in combat as well as take on the greater foes. There is no greater burden than that of command, so one must be ready to meet the challenges inherent to it. The combat level of sergeant is one where you should be able to reliably take on up to five bokoblins at once and stand a chance against a moblin in a fair fight." That…felt a bit low. Gaepora saw something in his face, because he gave a grim nod.

"To those who are not you, Link, that is a notable feat. Not, however, as notable as those at the rank of Captain…or at the rank of a Knight. To graduate from the Knight Academy you must have combat skills on par with those of a Captain in the army, for as a Knight you are called upon to target stronger foes. To reach this rank, you must be able to best a Moblin in single combat; you must have either the strength to parry their blows or the speed to dodge them, as well as the power to put them down. Considering that it usually takes a full squad of soldiers to fight a moblin in melee, and often results in deaths, I take it you can understand why this is a notable feat." Unfortunately, yes, with that perspective.

If it took the leader of a company just to match a moblin in single combat…it was a wonder that Skyloft was still standing. Moblins were everywhere in Breath of the Wild; not as prevalent as bokoblins, but more common than Lizalfos overall. Speaking of which, where did they fall?

"To be at this rank you must also be capable of matching the faster Lizalfos; in truth, fighters at this rank are usually capable of fighting two Lizalfos at a time. They are faster than moblins, but then so are we, even when we focus on strength. They are notably more skilled than all but the highest ranked Bokoblins, however, and are a far greater threat than moblins due to their speed, intelligence, natural armor, and skill." That answered that, but also filled him with concern. Lizalfos weren't exactly rare.

"Before I forget, a sergeant can usually match a Lizalfos one on one, and soldiers can team up against them to pull off a victory. I got slightly side tracked, for which I apologize." Link nodded, accepting it, but didn't feel as though the man needed to make any kind of apology. After all, if whatever had forced him here had given him the memories of the body he was in they wouldn't be in this situation.

"Next up is Commander; these are the leaders of a Battalion or a Talon, as you know. They are roughly at the level of a Darknut; I am uncertain if you are familiar with them?" He raised an eyebrow, Link casting his mind over what he remembered. He hadn't gotten around to reading the Monster Compendium just yet, and he didn't really remember those from the game. Gaepora nodded.

"I know that the Academy did not cover them this year, as they are thankfully an uncommon monster, but I was uncertain if Zelda had mentioned them around you. Essentially, they are heavily armored monsters, though we do not know how they are forged or how they come to exist. Usually white armor, with only one confirmed sighting of a blue one, they are a terrifying foe to face. Highly skilled in combat, heavily armored and shielded, the only weak point being at the small of their back. To fight them you have to be beyond them in skill and speed by a noticeable margin." Gaeopra's eyes were grim, a downward tilt to his mouth.

The description rang a bell, less about the skill and more that last touch; the weak point being the small of their back. That sounded like that one enemy from Wind Waker that dropped the Knights Crest, the dog like things. You had to counter them or catch them from behind just to do damage to them, and the first blow never actually did damage since it was severing armor from their body. Without that as a handy mechanic, however, and with armor that didn't fall off…it would be a nightmare.

"Following up with that is the second highest level, that of General or Knight Commander. We are usually lucky to have three fighters of this level active in times of peace; due to the relatively recent incursion, we actually have 36 incredible individuals who sit at this level, though most of them are in the Royal Guard. To sit at this level is to reach the peak of what a Skylian can do naturally, without a blessing from the Goddess. This is the first level where, rather than differentiate with a new monster, we do it with an old one." Gaepora paused, hand reaching down to his pouch and pulling out a glass bottle of water. The cork came out, and the man extended it to him first. Link shook his head, and the man took a long drink.

"Mm, my apologies." One more sip, a recork and replace, and the Headmaster continued.

"To reach this level one must be able to match a Silver monster in single combat. Most specifically, a silver lizalfos." A grimace crossed the man's face, displeasure clear to see. Link found his interest rising; what was it about a silver lizalfos that put it above even the Darknut?

"A lizalfos on its own is nothing special. Fast and strong enough to kill a soldier, true, and the elemental variants are genuinely quite nasty, but the standard is set. Primarily speed, enough strength to be a problem, and a solid amount of skill with a weapon. A silver variant however, much like the silver variant of any monster, is a force to be reckoned with. As fast on the ground as the average loftwing is in the air, enough strength to carve through steel, enough skill to match a darknut…to face a silver lizalfos is to face death." That…felt a bit dramatic. Really?

Really, if the monsters were so deadly, Skyloft wouldn't exist anymore. There was no way for a standard Hylian…Skylian to match that level of power. Enough strength to go through steel? He was fairly sure he was using less with each strike and he hadn't found anyone even close to being able to counter that level of force. Then again, if there had been a Commander in this fight, he'd most likely taken them down without realizing it.

"Finally, we have the last level, a level that used to be called Royalty." Link looked up at him, feeling a bit judgemental, and Gaepora chuckled.

"I assure you, I did not name it. Nor did my ancestors, for that matter. It was referred to as that by the people of Hyrule originally, way back in ancient times when the Kingdom of our forefathers actually existed. The name stuck, all the way until the Incursions started, for one simple reason. You see my boy, up until that point the only people to reach this level were the members of the Royal Family with martial leanings.

It is now called Champion, and it is the only officially recognized rank that can reliably face a Lynel one on one." Link had been wondering when those would come up. It made sense that they were so deadly, however. For all that he had loved to outclass them while playing the game, the simple fact of the matter was a Lynel would be terrifying in reality.

In the game they were limited. Sure, they hit hard and had a decent move pool, but…well. They were underwhelming once you had the move set down, because every move had a large windup and could be predicted a mile away. In a real world, however? That strength and speed would see them wreaking havoc upon the battlefield. Even before one considered the fireballs they could spit out, the shockwaves knocking down entire platoons, and the ridiculously accurate archery. In a world without them being limited by mechanics…they would likely be the stuff of nightmares.

"I do not believe I need to explain why that is such an impressive feat?" The Headmaster's voice was calm, not even truly questioning, and Link shook his head. No, out of all of this, that one at least made sense. It also, vaguely, put into perspective a few things.

"Skyloft currently has three Champions, in case you were curious. Now, there does exist one other rank, unofficial of course, but within it sit exactly two people." A smile, warm and kind and proud, Gaepora reaching over to clasp him on the shoulder.

"That classification is known as Hero, and it is given to people who can take on anything of the previous classes with ease, or in your case, take down anyone in the previous ranks with ease." A chuckle, somewhat embarrassed for some reason.

"I still remember the day you bested myself, Archmage Hinea, and General Ita in five minutes. It was a remarkable showing, and at that point you did not even possess those remarkable inner magics." A squeeze, the smile still present, before the man let him go. A Knight came up, finally taking Link's weapons from him, and another man came up.

"Your Majesty, my apologies, but you will be needed for a meeting at the Capital in an hour." Gaepora frowned, voice a bit quiet.

"Already? Pity, I had thought I had more time. Thank you for the reminder, Numas." A bow, the man stepping back away. Gaepora turned back to Link, stretching himself slightly.

"What do you have planned for the rest of the day, Link? It is still quite early, not even…" A look at his wrist, a golden bracelet there that pressed things against his mind he couldn't understand.

"8 in the morning yet. Are you going to go ahead and go flying now, or do you have something else planned?" Link looked at the bracelet once more, disbelieving. There was no screen there, not a single hint of a number anywhere to be found. How did he get the time from that? Or had he got it a different way and just felt something on his hand?

"I had planned on looking at the bounty board." Gaepora paused, eyes refocusing on him entirely.

"For a little extra money, for lack of something to do, or for training?" That…was not the expected reaction, but Link rolled with it easily enough.

"The last one, mainly. Why?" Brown eyes evaluated him, weighing him for something. What it could be, he didn't know.

"Why the sudden concern with training, Link? You have been the best in Skyloft for years, yet these past few days have seen a level of focus I am unfamiliar with from you." Link felt the urge to shift awkwardly, but for once the mannerisms of this body worked in his favor. His body didn't move, his face didn't change, despite the sudden reminder of the fate that awaited him.

So he shrugged instead, brown eyes comparing his actions to something he didn't know. A minute passed in silence, intense and focused, before Gaepora came to a decision.

"Come along with me for a quick flight to the Academy, Link. I have something to provide you." The man didn't wait for a response, instead whistling for his loftwing, an action Link was quick to mirror. Happiness surged through the bond, Sylph landing a minute later and eagerly soaking up affection. Another minute later the partner of the King came gliding down, and Link got a closer look at it.

The impressions from the day before remained; serenity and contentment, feelings that only increased as Gaepora raised a hand to its crest and stroked. It was smaller than Sylph by a full third; still more than large enough to carry a fully armored Knight, but serving as a reminder of just how much more Sylph was than other Loftwings. Green feathers speckled with age, transitioning to a gorgeous silver at the edges of the wings, the top of the legs, and right around the beak. Amber eyes flicked to him, warming over in acknowledgement, a pock-marked beak parting long enough to warble gently in greeting.

An old bird, a battle-scarred bird as well, for Link could just make out a growth of feathers different from the rest over its chest hiding an old scar. A bird that, like its rider, had lived a long and productive life and felt like it too. Gaepora's voice took on a gentler quality as he spoke once more.

"Let us be off, Link. Gwyn and I may not be able to match the speeds you and Sylph so enjoy, but there is something to be said for a more leisurely cruise I feel." Sylph clacked her beak, but unlike with the knights there was no actual displeasure inside her. Not then, and not when they fell into line alongside the King, both loftwings doing exactly what the King had said. Cruising leisurely through the air towards the academy, at a slower pace than he had ever flown before so far.

Despite that, however, the flight once again ended far too quickly, Sylph butting up against him for one last caress before she stalked over to a nearby water trough against the Academy building. He hadn't paid much mind to those before, even if they made sense, but Gaepora's steady strides forced him to walk or be left behind. They entered the dormitory, Gaepora nodding to the few students who were there that acknowledged them. For the first time, Link didn't head straight to his own quarters, instead stopping at the ostentatious nameplate.

The Headmaster, and King, opened the door, gesturing for Link to enter first. He did, his body significantly more comfortable than his mind, eyes taking in the room even as Gaepora walked to his desk. It was of decent size, but was clearly an office area rather than a bedroom, even if it did have a door leading to the left. Shelves on the walls holding books, a desk in the middle with an armchair behind it and a rug beneath it, the wood made of a lighter brown he didn't recognize. Then again, it wasn't like he was an expert on wood.

Two bookshelves flanked the desk, pressed against the wall, and there were four paintings throughout the room with one on each wall. On the entry wall, the one Gaepora would look at the most, there was a rather astonishingly done painting of two teenagers and two loftwings; Link, Zelda, Corrin, and Rin, painted in a style that matched perfectly the artwork in Link's quarters. That…Link was touched, mainly by the fact that the King cared about the original Link enough to have him in the painting. On the right was a painting of Farore's hope from the air, the left held a painting of a thunderstorm over the clouds. Behind the desk, the only painting Gaepora would not often look at, was a painting of a beautiful woman that looked too much like Zelda to be anyone other than her mother.

There was a sword rack on one wall, an armor stand next to it, both empty. Perhaps for times of war? A tea set on the desk, ignored for the moment, right next to a stack of thick paper several inches high. Gaepora was seated, writing something with delicate motions that his original body would never be capable of, beautiful calligraphy coming from a quill of silvery green. Link knew they had fountain pens, of a sort at least, but Gaepora apparently preferred to write with a quill, its nib scratching against the paper in a surprisingly soothing fashion.

The man finished up quickly, a hand gesture sending heat forth, the ink drying far faster than was natural. A movement, a large spoon tipped enough to drool wax down onto the bottom of the page. A ring taken off of his finger, pressed into the wax for several seconds before he pulled it away, another hand gesture cleaning up the ring. Magic was so very interesting…he shook it off. Nerd out later, accept the paper being handed to him now. His eyes took it in, reading over a surprisingly official missive.

To Quartermaster Casa,

I, Gaepora Vinceros Skyloft, hereby grant Trainee Link of the Knight Academy the right to take on jobs of any rank, including A-Rank missions that have been labeled as suicidal for any group of less than thirty. Furthermore, he is to be issued with a full-formed Map and A-Level Compass, an A-Level Messenger Bag, an A-Level Saddle, any shield or armor he requests, and up to five weapons of his choice from the Academy Armory. Replacement weapons are to be provided as needed. Any additional and relevant tools required for the jobs he undertakes are to be provided on loan, to be returned at the completion of the job.

~Gaepora, Headmaster of the Knight Academy, King of Skyloft

Link wasn't entirely sure how to feel about this. On the one hand, if he hadn't been allowed to take A-rank Jobs, this would have served no purpose. On the other hand, getting a whole bunch of items for free seemed…odd, to say the least. Also what was this about an A-Level Messenger Bag? What was that supposed to be? Gaepora, naturally, explained nothing.

"I know that you do your best to avoid causing damage, but please try to be careful with the weapons, Link. They take far more time to make than it takes for you to break them." Link winced, mind flashing to the sword and multiple spears he had shattered over the past few days. Gaepora reassuringly clasped his shoulder.

"I am neither upset nor disappointed, my boy, just advising caution. As I said, I am fully aware that you do your best. Now, as much as I would love to speak with you in more depth regarding the Bounty Board, I am afraid I really must head out to the capital. Quartermaster Casa will be able to answer any questions you have, and she will be able to explain the requirements for working with the Supply Corps." The man stopped, taking a moment, squeezing his shoulder and smiling down at him.

"Have fun, be careful, and do try to return to the Academy before dark. I imagine my daughter will be quite cross with me if she believes me to be working you too hard on your week off." His voice was amused, but there was an undertone of truth to it. Link nodded, trying to force that into his head. Leave enough time to return to the Academy; better early than late. After all, Zelda deserved to come home to a good meal.

The two separated, Gaepora making the same motions as Knight Rorak the other day and getting the same screen, and Link spent some time locating the Quartermaster in question. Thankfully, there were signs; clearly they came prepared for random intruders who have definitely lived here their entire lives!

~~The Eternal Game~~

The Academy Supply Depot was a sleepy little place.

In the basement of the main building, something Link wasn't entirely certain he would risk given the fact that they were on an island in the sky, rested the Academy Supply Depot. It was the only other building on the grounds with two floors, mostly full of classrooms. It also had a large cafeteria and kitchen, but those were empty at the moment.

The depot was, for the most part, empty of people, though there were quite a few crates, racks, shelves, and other assorted items that Link didn't take the time to nose through. A door at the far end, and a door on both the left and right walls. Instead, he walked forward from the stairs towards a desk, a pretty young woman sitting at it and filling out some kind of form. She was writing with a fountain pen rather than a quill, which he supposed showed that he wasn't misremembering the one in his room. Link stopped before the desk, pretty emerald eyes following his feet up to his eyes.

"Oh, hello. Bit early in the morning for requests, but what are you here for?" Link held out the letter, and she smiled.

"Oh, not one for speaking hmm? That's fine, I like the strong and silent type. Explains why I haven't seen you before, which is a shame." Her eyes traced him from head to toe once more, a smirk on her face. Link, to his own surprise, didn't start blushing heavily. His face remained calm, even as his mind melted.

Another first, and this one far more surprising than the others. A girl, a beautiful woman at that, hitting on him. Three days ago, at this time, Link would have given quite a bit to have this situation happen. Had imagined a ridiculous variety of situations where it would happen, with a different girl every time. Some real, some imagined, many from various works of fiction.

Now that it happened, he honestly didn't know how to react. Link wasn't in his previous body, was in a body that was pretty and, in truth, fairly feminine, simply due to the nature of elves by a different name. Despite that, despite whatever idle thoughts he'd had of that new reality and what his more interesting thoughts painted within them…Link hadn't even considered that he would ever get hit on.

He hadn't thought about what might happen if, now that he was attractive, people would find him attractive and act upon it. His focus had solely been upon whether or not Zelda, who had been so beautifully clear about how much she cared for him, would act upon her desires. Or if he would be able to get away with acting on his own, which had been equally cherished thoughts during late night readings or early morning breakfasts.

"Alright pretty boy, let's see what you need, hmm?" Perfectly white teeth flashed in a smile, the woman leaning back slightly even as she brought the letter up. Oddly enough, even with the way her tunic swelled out against the curve of her chest and hinted at the size underneath, Link didn't feel the urge to look. A moment that he, quite literally, used to dream about and yet…he felt nothing. Not desire, not heat, not embarrassment.

Why was it then, that Zelda could affect him so easily? No more than a few minutes went by without him being drawn into her eyes, not a step went by that his eyes didn't follow her. He wanted Zelda so badly it ached inside him, but this Quartermaster, despite being very nearly as beautiful and clearly interested, did nothing for him.

His eyes returned to the girl as a soft "what?" left her lips. Her eyes went from left to right, rereading the first line, and she paled. Then she read past the name of the King, and paled further. Emerald eyes flashed back up to him, a tongue dashing out to wet ruby lips, and she shook her head. She looked back to the paper, finishing her read through, and then she spoke once more, no longer flirtatious.

"Look, Link, right? I don't know what kind of game you think you're playing, but this isn't funny. Forging an order to get access to a weapon is one thing, and is already going to see you kicked out of the Knight Academy, but this? Forging the King's writing, stealing his signet ring long enough to make a seal, and for what? To commit suicide?" She shook her head, those raven locks flowing in the motion, and stood up. Fire burned in her eyes, passion filling her words and irritation moving from every movement.

Her hand moved, the exact same movements that Gaepora had made just a few minutes ago, though she stopped before the screen appeared. Green eyes had never left his, fiery anger burning within, and Link found his thoughts crystal clear.

'Oh. That's where the attraction is.' People hitting on him wasn't real, not yet, not truly, but people had been angry with him his entire life. Anger was real in a way that attraction wasn't, and this was hardly the first time a girl had been angry with him. Existing in their presence had been enough for that, some days. Then what he had just realized hit him with a second realization; he really wasn't handling this well, was he?

Part of him was still waiting for this to prove itself false, for this wonderful, glorious chance to be ripped away from him. To be woken up by angry yelling, or a thrown object. To have to deal with people once more not giving him so much as a second glance unless it was to start trouble with him or he did something to draw attention. To once again be ugly, to be tall, to be fat and disliked because no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get words to work.

It was a sobering realization, made only worse by the fact that, with that understanding in his head…Link couldn't understand why he didn't feel that way around Zelda. Or Gaepora, for that matter. Zelda was an outpouring of kindness and unconditional affection, for all that he was buying it with food. She was happy to see him even before the food. Honest care, care enough to want to spend time with him no matter what he was doing, even to the point of unpleasant things like washing dishes or cooking. Things a Princess should never do.

The stormy expression on Casa, Quartermaster of the Academy Supply Depot and an exceptionally attractive woman, only drove that jarring disconnect further. She was hot like this; she had been beautiful before, but this felt real enough to be genuinely attractive. Less like a painting and more like a person. Why did he not feel like that with Zelda? Or her father? Gaepora's kindness and understanding made manifest as well, and Link had no clue why he could so easily accept and interact with those two but no one else. Casa's voice drew him from the spiral.

"I'm going to give you once chance to leave, on the assumption that this was either a joke in horrible taste or a prank you decided to pull in what was, in all honesty, even worse taste. Maybe some of your buddies decided to dare you to do something stupid, I don't know and I'm not going to ask. But if you're still here in ten seconds, I'm going to take this all the way up to Master Quartermaster Moga. If he gets involved, it's entirely likely you'll be working off your stupidity in the mines or the farms for the rest of your life." Link's head tilted, surprised at the threat. Not the anger, but the escalation; how important was this Master Quartermaster?

Then again…well, he supposed it made sense. No security was perfect, and in an academy of stupid kids doing stupid things, having a Quartermaster who wouldn't hesitate to call them out on their bullshit was no doubt highly valued. Especially when the woman in question was attractive enough to hide the fangs. So he nodded, and waited for her to call the man. This would escalate right back up to King Gaepora, who had written the letter, so it just meant the man's flight would be interrupted. Casa, or at least he assumed it was Casa, frowned darkly at him. It really shouldn't be as attractive as it was, either.

"I'm not joking. Leave, or I will contact him." Link nodded once more. Contacting whoever this Moga was would see this being dealt with far quicker.

"Please do." The girl's expression only darkened further, but she very visibly washed her hands of the consequences and made one final motion. A screen appeared, and a second later the girl spoke.

"Master Quartermaster Moga, I'm sorry to bother you, but I have a Knight Trainee Link here, in the gear of the 1st ranked Student of the year, who has brought a letter that is supposedly from King Gaepora himself allowing the Trainee access to Suicidal A's. I am requesting a deployment of Knights to take him into custody." Complete silence, but Casa was apparently both seeing and hearing something that Link could not.

Her eyes turned to the screen, widening in shock. The stormy expression changed to shocked disbelief, and her head shook in denial. She nodded, taking the letter and turning it so that it faced the screen, then she turned her hand so that the other side of the screen faced him. He could still see nothing, but she turned it back and spoke once more.

"How is this real, sir?" Another period of silence, Casa attentively listening. She slowly nodded, then nodded with more confidence a moment later. Then she paled once more, going so white he prepared himself to move in case she fainted, but she eventually recovered enough to stutter out a question, eyes flashing between the screen and him.

"Th…that…that was h…h…him?" The final word was almost shouted, and her disbelief only grew as she recovered.

"He did what?" Even louder, but the words were finally sinking in. Whoever was on the other side of the communication spell was clearly listing off at least some of the ridiculous things he had done. Whether that was actually him, or the original Link however, he didn't know.

"He has how many types of internal magic?" Oh, no, wait, that one was about him. The one-sided call continued on for several minutes, Casa slowly regaining color, and finally she nodded.

"Yes sir, I will do so. I apologize for wasting your time." Link frowned, and apparently he wasn't the only one to disagree with those words because her face took on a tinge of surprise, before a pleased and satisfied smile crossed her face.

"Yes sir, thank you sir." A final goodbye was exchanged before the screen vanished, green eyes turning back to him before she inhaled deeply, exhaling just as deeply, and then repeated it several times before speaking once more.

"So…I apologize for that. In my defense, this is a bit unbelievable." Link shook his head, finding the will to actually speak.

"I understand. No worries." Four words. Four words was all he could manage? Sure, it made Casa's personality flip right back to cheerful girl, but four words? He wasn't expecting the easy compliments that flowed forth when talking to Zelda, and didn't expect the easy camaraderie either, but surely he could manage a proper sentence! Casa didn't seem to mind, however.

"Alright then, let's…let's get started." A fortifying breath, regaining a bit of the energy she had started with. She spread the missive out on the desk, pulling out a massive tome from underneath it, and flipped open to a page filled with incredibly neat writing in a list of columns. Dipping her pen into an inkwell, she began to write in the same clean script that filled the page.

"So, that is a fully-formed map and A-Level Compass, an A-Level Messenger Bag, an A-Level Saddle, and five weapons of your choice." Each item was neatly listed, his name being written next to it and Gaepora's in a column next to that. She flipped to another page, made a notation, then repeated the process twice more. Each time she lowered a quantity by one, writing both his name and the King's name, followed by her own. One final page, but then she stopped, setting the pen down.

"If you don't mind my asking, why do you need five weapons?" Her words were hesitant, as though unsure whether or not she was overstepping her bounds. He opened his mouth to respond, but she jumped ahead of him.

"You don't have to answer! Please don't think I'm criticizing it, you were authorized by King Gaepora himself, but…it's a bit odd, you know?" Link nodded; it would be a bit odd. He could easily imagine that a sword would last most people years if properly maintained, barring an encounter with an overly powerful monster. He was…well, fortunately and unfortunately, he wasn't most people.

"I break them." Casa's eyes closed and reopened in a slow, incredibly dramatic blink. Visibly trying to stifle disbelief, she questioned it.

"You…you break them? Solid steel swords? Or more like spear hafts?" Link, amused, promptly squashed the note of hope that had entered her voice in the last sentence.

"Swords, spear tips, bows; I am…a bit strong." A huff, a shake of the head. Green eyes shined with something he couldn't recognize as she stood, pulling out a key from her pocket.

"A bit strong, he says. Link, I just learned about the fact that you took down an entire talon something like half an hour ago. Ignoring the fact that I had thought that to be impossible for a single person a few minutes ago, that puts you more than a bit strong." Link shrugged, wanting to smile ruefully but his body not cooperating. The gorgeous girl shook her head once more and motioned for him to follow her.

She took him to a large door, the one on the left wall, Casa opening it up to reveal an armory. She waved an arm at it, his nostrils breathing deep of the scent of oil and steel. Link took in the sight of dozens of spears, swords, axes, halberds, bows, quivers stuffed to the brim, two handed swords, knives, shields, and even armors. The room was massive, with likely over two hundred weapons within it. In addition to that were sheathes, straps, cleaning supplies, and more things he didn't even know the name of.

"Have at it, just take your pick of five weapons and bring them out. You are also welcome to take the other stuff you need; sheathes, straps, oil…basic maintenance. Just because you apparently break them easily doesn't mean you don't take care of them while they last. Also, a shield does not count towards the weapon count, and I do not believe the King or the Master Quartermaster will begrudge you two or three of them if you desire. If you want armor, you can find a set that fits you easily enough. I am going to go and collect your other stuff; you're getting the good stuff I don't get to give out that often, so it's locked up pretty tightly. Take your time, it will take me a few minutes." Link nodded, and Casa left, evidently trusting him to only take the stuff he was supposed to.

Considering he had a letter from the King, one that she had verified with someone important enough to know about his most recent fight and know that the King had apparently sent him, he couldn't blame her. She'd relaxed a little, but was still being careful. Not that he could blame her; one of his jobs had been retail, and it had sucked when you offended a customer unintentionally. It didn't matter that you didn't see them there because your back was turned and you were actively putting something on the highest shelf, how dare you not greet them the moment you saw them? How dare you make them wait to be helped?

Link shook his head, forcing the remaining fears of this being false down once more. His eyes instead turned towards the armory, taking it all in. There was a lot of gear here, of varying quality too, but he actually recognized some of it. Sure, he could recognize a sword when he saw it, and the same for a lot of medieval weaponry. He was a teenage boy, and weapons were cool, after all. Combine that with the fact that fantasy books were some of his only escapes from his life and he could actually recognize even some of the less common ones.

He didn't recognize these from the books, whether fiction or nonfiction, however. No, he recognized these from a game. The same game as his body, in fact. The Knights Sword, Bow, Claymore, Halberd, Bow, and Shield were the most common weapons here, with over two dozen copies of each one present. The Knight class of weapons were some of the better ones in the game; reliable and dealt pretty good damage. It wasn't royal guard equipment, which was the best barring a few outliers, but it was the next step down. Unlike in the game, however, there was a second weapon in the spear category as part of this set; an actual, standard, spear. Not a halberd, where game mechanics would only see you poking at enemies with the spear tip, but an actual spear.

Interestingly enough, as he picked up one of the broadswords, they were also noticeably better quality than any weapon he had gotten his hands on so far. Everything he had used was blunted training gear, which did make sense. They were crafted well enough, but were not meant to last significant periods of time on the battlefield. Link set it back down, weighing his options. He knew, theoretically, how to use any of the weapons here. Practically speaking, he knew he knew how to use the sword and the bow to great effect.

Sword, shield, and bow were the staples of Link's image, present in essentially every game and every incarnation he was pretty sure. There might be one or two where he didn't use a bow, but the sword and shield he knew had been in every variant. The other weapons had only come about in recent times, in the most recent game, with Breath of the Wild breaking the mold in a lot of wonderful ways. He knew he would be able to use a spear as well, even if he didn't have the practical experience from yesterday; pointy end goes here was perhaps the simplest and most efficient of all of the infinite tools of murder humans had created, after all.

He walked over to the claymore, the behemoth of a steel blade larger than any practical human weapon would ever be. A solid slab of metal, wider than the human variant by over three times. Likely more than three times thicker too, for any race not from fantasy it would likely be exceptionally impractical. Even for Skylians, fantasy elves that they were, this was likely heavy, requiring both hands to wield with any degree of quickness.

Link lifted it with one hand, stepping away from anything breakable and giving it a few test swings. It whistled through the air as quickly and cleanly as a broadsword did, if requiring a little bit more effort to swing. It was enough to be noticeable, but not enough to be straining, which…well, it made sense. As his thoughts had gone over fairly frequently, Link did stop the strongest enemies in the game with ludicrous ease, only ever so much as sliding back a couple of inches at worst if he was set. At best, however, Link was sending the strongest and heaviest beasts in the game stumbling. Beasts such as the Lynel, the Hinox, the Molduga, and the incredibly solid stone talus. Him wielding a claymore, or in fact any weapon, slowly and requiring two hands was purely game mechanics in action.

He set it back down a few seconds later, not really feeling it. He wasn't sure if he should take one or not…a shake of the head, irritation flaring. This was a lot more difficult than he had thought. What did he know he was taking? He didn't even need to think for the first few choices. A broadsword, bow, and shield were all placed onto one of the empty tables, soon followed with a sheath and strap, a full quiver, and a maintenance kit of various oils, polish, and a few rags. That was two weapons, and he made it three by grabbing a back up sword. Then four, by grabbing a decent sized knife, because knives were a glorious tool that didn't get enough respect.

Then, finally, just because he had already used it, he grabbed a spear. He was tempted to grab the halberd, but transporting that would be a pain if the strange magic that made pouches bigger on the inside wasn't applied. The spear would likely be the first thing to break, however; wood was a lot weaker in his hands than metal, after all. He would try to baby it as best he could; not using it as a lance, for starters. That had seen the other spear shatter incredibly quickly, after all.

The next question was armor; a moment of thought had him grabbing a second shield, just in case, but armor? He didn't know. Daruk's protection was better than any armor, and not limited in the way that the game had done, but magic could also run out. Every time he used it there was a drain, after all, even if small. In the end, after a little bit of wandering around, he decided not to get any. He would run a few tests with whatever monsters he wound up fighting, with Mipha's Grace to ensure any wounds wouldn't be too big of a deal, and if he needed it he would come back.

A few more minutes passed, and Casa's head popped in. A quick question to see if he was done, and upon him stating that he was she told him to bring everything out to her desk. It took two trips, but not much effort.

One of the tables was covered with supplies; a massive thing composed of straps, leather, cloth, and more leather dominated a sizable portion of it. A golden bracelet and a folded up piece of parchment took up a corner, a sizable leather bag next to them. Casa smiled, a little closer to what it had been when he came in, and started talking after she took a minute to write down more things in the inventory book. His weapon choices, presumably.

While she did, his eyes turned back to the equipment. Impressions pressed against his mind, things he couldn't quite understand. There was no sense of time to them, no sense of age, but there were feelings bubbling u regardless. The bag and saddle both felt like the open sky, for whatever reason, with the saddle also inspiring the same feeling of security he got while riding Sylph. There was no fear of heights when he was on her back, no fear at all in truth.

The bracelet, however, was different. Much like Gaepora's from earlier, Link couldn't quite identify what it felt like, not really. Concepts he didn't have words for passed through his mind with no way to be explained, the simplest of which was just…frustration bubbled up within him at his failure. The closest thing he could link to it was being with Zelda, but even that was only a single aspect of both things.

"Alright, Link, you're all set. Now, for explanations. Are you familiar with the Bounty Board ranking system, how to take quests, the equipment system, or basically anything?" He shook his head, the woman nodding.

"That's what I figured, most first year students aren't. The ones that are only are because of running jobs before they started the Academy. After all, your first year doesn't leave you much free time; it isn't until second and third year that students are normally available and trusted enough to wander off on jobs alone." Understandable and respectable, really. The first year was, if he had to guess, basic information, how to fight, and possibly getting your body into shape depending on how things went. If only he had the memories…

"So, would you rather go over the equipment or the jobs first?" Link thought about it, but there was only one real answer.

"Equipment." What, exactly, was A-Level gear? Why was it A-Level gear? Why did his Legend of Zelda reincarnation have isekai terms getting applied to it? Casa answered only two of the three unvoiced questions, so he considered himself to be doing great.

"Equipment it is! Alright, as you have probably heard, this is A-Level gear, and what that means is fairly simple. It means it's been enchanted by the Mages, which makes it pretty valuable. There's only so many mages able to do enchantments, and only so many enchantments they can reasonably do, so A-Level gear is usually reserved for people who have earned it. Which…well, considering the things Master Moga told me, you've earned it too." Enchanted gear. Why did that make so much sense? A-level and B-Level, enchanted and unenchanted.

"The special thing about A-level, however, is the strength of the enchantments. B-level stuff is enchanted as well, but that's a lot more common and easier to put out. Stuff like expanded pouches, for example, are B-level. C-level is, as you can imagine, unenchanted, and is what the vast majority of people use. To compare the two, however…a B-level expanded pouch the size of your hand could probably hold…hmm, let's say a glass bottle of milk and your rupee wallet. An A-level pouch the size of your hand could hold both of those things, a second bottle of milk, four full meals, and a sword. And when I say sword, I mean one of those claymores." Link blinked, both at his assumption being instantly refuted and the sheer difference between the two. Also, wait, hold on; the pouches Zelda had were A-level. The pouches he had were A-level!

"As such, when you have been given an A-level Messenger bag…well. You can fit a lot in here, to say the least, and it will never weigh more than about 10 pounds. You'll know when it's full too, because you won't be able to put anything else into it. I mean that literally; a barrier will block your attempt. Roughly speaking, however, it holds about six hundred pounds worth of stuff of most sizes. You do have to be able to fit it into the opening though." So…a D&D bag of holding then. Fair enough, the Legend of Zelda had always featured Link being able to carry a variety of tools without any kind of bag or storage, so a bag of holding worked.

"Next up, an A-Level Compass! Now this is a lovely tool, I'm rather jealous you're getting one. I'm only rated for B, after all." Casa was fully in the swing of things now, picking up the golden bracelet. She gestured for him to hold out his arm, and he did, and a moment later she was fitting it onto his right wrist. Something pricked; not at his flesh, but at the pool inside him he was calling his magic, and a moment later several things appeared to him.

First, and honestly most valuable, was a clock. It was 8:37 A.M., apparently, and he was delighted to know that. It was honestly earlier than he expected it to be; what time did he even get up? He'd been up for several hours now, had fought against a Talon and taken a leisurely flight with Gaepora, yet it wasn't even noon. Then his eyes took in the compass, the basic cardinal directions shown in full view, with a map. Currently there was a little dot, symbolizing him, hovering inside a building labeled "Knight Academy".

"This is your Compass and fully formed map, the map part of which is linked to this." His eyes left the display that, judging from Gaepora earlier, only he could see to watch Casa as she unfolded the small piece of parchment into a much larger one and revealed a fairly detailed map of the Island. There were five cities and something like 20 towns, alongside a sizable number of dots that represented various villages, outposts, forts, watchtowers, and who knew what else.

"This is your basic map; so long as it is within about 30 yards of your bracelet, the magic linking them will allow you to see a more detailed variant there. You can look here for a wider overview, or have the intent of seeing this from your bracelet and you will see it there." Link blinked, thinking about the map before him. From the corner of his eye the bracelet display changed, and looking at it showed an exact replica of what was on the parchment, with a small dot labeled "Me" on the map close to the Capital.

"Any changes made to this map will be reflected on the bracelet there, so if you set markers for yourself you will be able to follow them." Even better, he got the magical map and compass from the game. No complaints here; this was likely little more than nepotism on Gaepora's part, either that or an outright bribe, and he would take either one because this would be useful.

"Finally, you have the saddle." Her hands pointed to the mess of cloth, leather, and strap that took up most of the table.

"This is the largest size we carry, per the records it is the only one you can use due to your Loftwing being larger than all the others." It didn't look like any saddle he'd ever seen, though truthfully he had never seen one in person. Several in movies and games, however, and this resembled those only vaguely. Thinking about it, however, it didn't surprise him. After all, a loftwing was notably different from a horse, so it only made sense for it to be different.

For starters, there was no actual "seat". What leather was there was primarily flat, serving the main purpose of providing cushion between your body and the loftwing. Cloth, leather atop it, and enough straps to secure it: what was honestly more interesting was the eight bags attached to it, each the size of the Messenger Bag he'd been given. If those were enchanted to the same level, that was a lot of storage space. Casa's voice drew him back to her explanation.

"So, by this point in your life you have spent hours saddling and unsaddling your loftwing, and I'm sure you can do it in your sleep. What makes this different than the basic saddles you've worked with is, naturally, magic." She let her voice raise in pitch on the final word, amusement bubbling forth.

"As you can probably guess, the pouches are as expanded as the messenger bag. It's a bit much, really, the only time these get used are for major supply runs to an outpost or something like that. Most people can make do with regular saddlebags, or B-Level at most. Still, it's what I was told to give you, so here it is." That smacked of nepotism. Well, either that or the Link from before he took over was as ludicrously productive as the games made out.

"Still, an A-Level saddle is more than just expanded space. It has straps to hold you in place, magic to help ensure your safety at high speeds and strong impacts, and is a lot more comfortable than it seems. You probably won't be willing to get off your partner after an afternoon on this, whereas normally I bet your legs start getting stiff." She would be wrong, at least based off of yesterday's experience. He'd flown for hours and had been perfectly fine when he'd finally landed on solid ground. Not stiff, not sore, not even tired from all the heavy winds.

"Furthermore, the saddle will help you guide your partner a little better, due to several enchantments I honestly don't understand. I do know they enhance communication, however." Link wasn't sure why that was needed, since the bond between loftwing and rider was so strong it transcended the need for words or commands, but sure. He nodded, and Casa looked around, making sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

The woman promptly made a noise, moving the saddle slightly to reveal a journal, a fountain pen, and an inkwell. She grabbed it and motioned him over, flipping it open to the first page. Link's eyes took it in: most of the page was set up like a table. Columns, rows, with several inches in length and width for each cell. The top part was the only part that wasn't part of it, a blank line long enough to write a word on followed by the rest of a title.

Job Tracker

"This, as the title suggests, is a Job Tracker. Essentially, when you go to take a job from the board, you write down the job and get it approved from the Supply Corps member running it. They will sign off on it in this book and on their own records, and when you complete the task it will be signed off on as well, to ensure you get paid." Simple enough, he supposed. A bit more paperwork than he expected, but not unmanageable. After all, it wasn't a dozen forms in triplicate for every job.

"Which leads us into the next part, the jobs! Listen up, cause this is a lot and I'm only going over it once." Casa proceeded to spend, according to his newly found clock that he still couldn't get over, thirty three minutes explaining the bounty board in detail. She went over it so thoroughly and completely that a five year old would have no questions about it.

In essence, how it worked was simple. The Supply Corps ran the supplies of Skyloft: they functioned as the tax collectors, the IRS, the budget makers, the source of paychecks, and so much more. They kept inventory on every supply the Kingdom needed to continue running smoothly, kept an eye on every luxury good, and did everything they could to ensure that the world kept spinning. These were the Skylians who weren't talented at fighting or a normal trade, or interested in swinging an age or working on a farm, but wanted to help anyways.

Their duties ensured that every single village and town throughout Skyloft had at least one member, usually more for all but the sleepiest of small hamlets. While there, anything that the people wanted or needed that couldn't be done there was recorded and submitted. A lot was handled on site, or between the members of the Corps, but there was still a fair bit that slipped through the gaps. Skyloft was large, and even with the numbers they had people couldn't be everywhere, to say nothing of luxuries.

So, the job board was started. It started in one town as something simple; a few busy parents needed baby sitters, a few elders were sick and still needed groceries, and there were all sorts of little maintenence tasks that people all over the village needed doing that they hadn't found the time for. So, the thought was had to make a board in the town center. Post your request and what information was needed, post a small reward for the time it saved you, and see if anybody else had the time.

Hylians, and as such Skylians, were naturally community oriented people. Their entire recorded history was of banding together to fight against a recurring apocalypse, after all, so helping out their neighbors proved to be a remarkably popular thing to do. It also, perhaps more importantly, saved people from getting asked while they were busy doing something else, and saved people from feeling awkward about having to ask for help. No shame to be felt about hiring people to do things you couldn't get around to, but bothering your equally busy neighbors wasn't a nice thing to do.

It grew from there, the idea becoming more and more popular. When off duty soldiers took the time to purge a group of bokoblins that were too close to a village for peace of mind, it grew. When a young Knight agreed to carry mail to an old man's only living relative, his granddaughter, it grew. When the Princess of Skyloft had some time off from her time leading a Wing and dedicated an entire afternoon to helping a family bring in the harvest, it grew.

The Bounty Board grew and grew, over the course of years, until suddenly nobody questioned its presence in every settlement. Kids had minot tasks they could do to earn pocket money, teenagers had guaranteed experience with every trade, and Skyloft could run a little smoother thanks to the fact that everybody was so eager to pitch in. It wasn't until somebody got hurt taking a job they were ill suited for that things started to change.

The Grade System came into play a few years later, after a very long look at the role it played. A to G, each having its purpose. G, F, and E rank jobs were simple: a few minutes to a few hours, serving as errands more than anything. Little ways for kids to earn pocket money, or for adults to make up a shortfall they didn't expect for the month. Community focused, as was the original intent.

D rank jobs were the first ones to take you outside the place of origin, and were mostly courier type. Mail, for example, was a big one. Sometimes people didn't want to wait for the once a week mail sending and receiving, and sometimes letters were urgent. Sometimes a birthday was coming up and you didn't want the gift, or the food, to spoil or run the risk of being damaged. Sometimes you just wanted company on a trip. Safe trips, between patrolled routes mainly, but D ranks always involved a short journey.

C-ranks were that, but scaled up. Areas where the army wasn't as present and there was a danger, however slim, of monster presence. Crossing Skyloft with messages or gifts, helping out with merchant caravans, moving from village to village to help with things simply because the village had had an unfortunate loss. Maybe someone moved, maybe something less kind happened, but they needed the help and there weren't enough hands to do it.

B-ranks were jobs with a guarantee of combat. Merchant guard jobs, escort, ingredient hunting; nothing horrible, nothing that would pit you up against anything worse than a lizalfos or three, but still incredibly dangerous for one person. B ranks were usually taken in small groups, or large ones as the circumstances may be, and paid enough that each person in a six man group still made out like they'd worked a c rank. That was, of course, without counting any extra loot one gained. Monsters dissolved, even in this world, and left parts full of magic behind that were useful for many different purposes. Then you had various plants or animals you could gather or hunt from, and as such B ranks tended to gain a fair amount of money.

The final rank was, of course, A-rank. The domain of the exceptionally dangerous, as well as the most valuable rewards. These were the likes of monster extermination, monster part hunting, high risk raids on monster fortifications, or searches for the incredibly valuable materials. There was a standing A rank job out for star fragments, for example, seeing as those held a lot of magic and tended to fall most around high concentrations of monsters. There was the occasional rare one that landed where people could get to them safely, resulting in a hefty pay for nothing, but by and large if one was found it was around monsters.

A-ranks were unique in that they were funded from two sources. First was the person, or people, requesting it, having to put up a significant quantity of Rupees in order to even request the mission. Then, because A-ranks were so incredibly dangerous, the Supply Corps put up a second quantity of Rupees depending on what, exactly, the request was. It was the main reason they were so lucrative, in fact, yet that price came at the cost of incredible danger.

There was also another rank, though this one was unofficial and more of a slang rank. Suicidal A's, the term Casa had used when calling Master Quartermaster Moga. It was the term used amongst the Supply Corps in regards to the A rank jobs with the highest attrition rates, jobs where taking them on in numbers less than 40 were nothing more than group suicide. Jobs like putting down a Lynel or a Darknut that had come too close to civilization, or trying to cleanse monster forts. Forts of tens to hundreds of monsters, taken from Skyloft during the most recent incursion, where the Skylians just didn't have the numbers to hold the fort even if they did take it back.

That didn't stop the higher ups in the Kingdom from posting the missions, funded from their own pockets usually, to cleanse the ones closest to Skylian forces. Just because they couldn't hold them didn't mean that they couldn't clean them out and stop whatever the creatures were doing, after all. Suicidal A's boasted the single highest reward of any job, because to get them done you needed either a lot of really strong people or a lot of strong people.

Anything less was suicide.

Missions also had a time frame, though said frame varied from type to type. Mail carrying missions, for example, depended on the type, but overall you had a few days to deliver the message. For the most part, however, it was fairly forgiving; most things had grace periods of a week or more when you weren't directly helping someone, and even those had time frames where they were able to accept help. A-rank missions, however, had no time frame, and it was made quite clear that there was no shame in turning them back in incomplete.

Confirmation of the mission was also covered; she had already explained how they knew he'd taken it, but how they knew he'd finished one was fairly simple. For any mission involving a direct client, said individual signed off on the mission in your journal as well as letting the Corps member know the job was complete. The first part was what mattered when it came to getting paid, but if the second part hadn't happened they would be asking the requester to make sure it was all above board.

Monster exterminations were a little more difficult, apparently, as few were the Supply Corps members who wanted to travel with a group that was potentially about to die. Instead, however, the missions he took would be linked to his compass through some kind of magic, allowing conditions to be met. Slay X monster near X location; fully autonomous, apparently, once he'd accepted the mission. It smacked of Isekai Guild chicanery, but he wasn't going to ask questions about it. Chances were if he poked too much at it he would wind up having to do something unpleasant in order to confirm things.

Link was given a few minutes to digest the onslaught, then a few more minutes to answer any questions, of which he had none. After that, however, Casa continued.

"So, with all of that said, it's time to finally get to what you're here for!" She smiled, wide and pretty, beaming down at him with ridiculous levels of excitement.

"It's time to pick a job!" The words were said with such ridiculous enthusiasm that, combined with what they were, broke even his unintentional poker face. His lips let him smile, Casa beaming that little bit brighter at the sight.

"There we go, Link, I was beginning to wonder if you were carved from stone! You look much prettier when you smile." His mind melted, his body remaining the same even as she brought out a list of outstanding tasks. An entire book, in fact, that she opened up to the D rank jobs.

"So, what are you looking for?" An excellent question, really, but he knew it wasn't a D rank. Sure, Link of the games was absolutely someone who completed every side quest, but there were too many things to do in one day. So, for now…well, he hadn't lied to Gaepora. He was more interested in being able to let loose, to train against monsters than he was in making money or killing time. Time, after all, was an incredibly precious thing to him. This was day three of being here, day two of the ten days until the end. Seven days off, three days for the festival, and from that point on he wouldn't have the luxury of training.

"Start with A." Casa frowned momentarily before catching herself, visibly remembering both the letter and the call from earlier, and obligingly flipped to it. She turned the book to face him, showing off a lot more A-rank missions than he had expected. There were a lot of monster extermination requests, outpost clearing, fort clearing, Lynel Hunting, Darknut hunting, and standing jobs for more materials than he thought were even in Zelda. The rather clear proof of which being a request for mythril ore if it was found, which…yeah. Last time he'd bothered to check, Mythril hadn't existed in any Legend of Zelda content that he was aware of.

Just another sign that the games were only a small piece of the universe, he guessed. It made sense, though. Fantasy elves by a different name, fantasy metal to match, though the lack of a different name didn't surprise him all that much. After all, he was speaking English. Somehow. Everybody had, even the writing was in English for some reason. But none of those thoughts would help him.

"How do I know where these are?" The requests in the book were just that; a list of requests to be perused. Casa made a noise, her hand grabbing the paper of his map, making a number of hand motions before red dots filled in on the map. All over the map, and some of them were a lot closer to settled areas than he would have hoped for.

"Why are they so close?" Casa giggled, shaking her head, black hair swaying from the motion.

"They aren't; this map has a scale of miles to the inch, you know. The closest they are allowed to get is 15 miles, which is a little further than the normal monster can march in a single day. It gives us time to react." Link frowned, lips actually moving downward as displeasure overruled the apathetic expression. 15 miles? That was barely anything, that was fifteen minutes of travel…

Oh. He was being stupid. Most monsters couldn't fly, and on top of that they didn't have access to vehicles. At most they would have horses, but he hadn't heard anything about a horse yet. If they existed up here, the army would have a mounted unit, or mounted messengers. Loftwings were faster, but a cavalry charge hit hard, especially when flanking. Fifteen miles was, assuming they were walking pretty fast, about a five hour effort, and that assumed you didn't slow down at all. It could be done, and Link really didn't like so many monsters being so close…but five hours of warning was better than nothing.

It made it incredibly easy to make a decision, however. There was one point on the map, near the far edge of what seemed to be Skylian "territory" despite the entire island being known as Skyloft, that had more red dots than any other. He imagined it was difficult to get enough forces out there to purge it, at least when you considered both the logistics involved and the fact that monsters were apparently everywhere. Little wonder every soldier carried a bow; they were vastly outnumbered even in a time of "peace".

His hand came up, finger drawing a circle around that area of the map. Seven red dots, two villages. A Talus hunt, a Darknut hunt, two outpost clearings, a cave extermination, a request for big hearty truffles that apparently only grew in that area for some noble, and a scouting and extermination if necessary for a reported Lizalfos group.

"I'll take these." Casa sputtered for a moment, incredulous.

"I get that you're allowed to run suicidal A's, Link, but seven A-ranks on your first day is a bit much, don't you think?" Her words were focused on the effort, but her voice relayed the truth; an unhidden current of concern that sent warmth running through him. Even despite the explanation she had been given earlier, she was still worried about him, a stranger. A stranger she apparently considered attractive, apparently, but a stranger nonetheless.

He really hoped this was real, because he wanted to get used to that.

He nodded, certain. It wasn't like it would be that big of an issue, after all; even if he had bitten off more than he could chew, he had back up almost nobody else had. The abilities of the Champions were well suited for getting him out of trouble, as well as helping him solve it. Daruk's Protection would see him defended, Urbosa's Fury would see to his offense, Revali's Gale to an easy escape route, and Mipha's Grace as the back up should he get overwhelmed and injured. And, while he had exactly zero desire to test it, possibly a similar effect to what it did in the game, healing him automatically when he was about to die.

Seven A-ranks wouldn't be that big of a deal, he didn't think. It couldn't be that much harder than taking down 192 soldiers, after all. And, again, even if it was, he had options. Then a thought occurred; there were two villages in that area, alongside a small military outpost.

"Are there any lower ranked missions involving things being sent to these areas?" Casa blinked, confused at the sudden change, but obligingly checked anyway. It turned out that yes, there were. Three C-rank mail runs, one to each place, and two B-rank ingredient collection tasks for the Amoranths and Iron Shrooms. The first was to make a dye, the second was for a restaurant. He took all of them, Casa's eyes wide with shock.

"Are…why are you taking so many?" Link shrugged. He was going to be in the area today, why not do it? It's not like it would take long to do any of them. The mail was, apparently, to be delivered to the Supply Corps member on duty in the villages and outpost, who would then pass it out. He was just taking it from the Capital, where he had to pick it up at, to a location a few hundred miles away. Then he was going to be all over the area anyways, killing monsters, so…why not? What were the chances he could go all over the area and not see them? Unlikely, that's what they were.

It took him a few minutes to get it all settled, Casa trying to talk him down from taking so many, to which he just stared at her until she relented. She filled out all of the information, telling him where to go and who to talk to at each place, as well as giving some basic information on what he was trying to do. He then recorded it himself, in Link's Job Tracker, and got her signature in the appropriate place. It takes him a few more minutes to pack everything away; the weapons and equipment all go into the messenger bag, a green and brown one with the Hylian Crest embroidered in gold upon it. A crest that bears great resemblance to a loftwing, now that he was looking at it in person. He supposed it made sense, so the strap went over his shoulder and it settled comfortably at his hip. Carrying the saddle was awkward, but easy enough.

He was all set to leave when Casa stopped him, perfect teeth worrying at her lower lip for a moment before she visibly came to a decision and smiled at him, all sorts of emotions swirling in those emerald eyes. He could only identify a few of them, and that was only because Zelda had been looking at him with similar eyes.

"Hey, before you go…I know we didn't exactly have the best start, but you are quite cute, and I wasn't joking about liking the strong silent type. So many Trainees come through here boasting about their great deeds and the greater ones they are going to do, and here you are." A helpless laugh, a shake of her head. She leaned down slightly, the swell of her chest pressing against her tunic.

"You've taken down entire companies of men, repeatedly taken down Talons, and fought the Royal Guard all at once and won, yet you don't boast about any of it. You stay low enough that it's a myth despite the fact that you could earn an immense amount of respect for it, and, well…" The smile widened, her hand coming out to rub against his.

"Maybe it's just the Supply Corps part of me, but that is hot. We don't get as much acclaim as the other branches, despite the fact that everybody in the Kingdom relies upon us, and seeing someone as cute as you be so humble does things to a girl, you know? So…the Festival of Wings starts in five more days, and I have it off. What do you say we spend the day together, get to know each other, and I can make up for my rudeness earlier if we get along?" The words were practically purred out, Casa swaying close enough that he had to tilt his head back to keep looking her in the eyes. Want heated up those orbs, dripped from her lips like warm honey, promises made and guaranteed to be fulfilled all on one.

He wanted to. Goddess did he want to. If this had been three days ago, this wouldn't even be in question, it would be a yes please and, assuming he could reassure himself that it wasn't a prank, he would be bending over backwards to accept her offer. There weren't many things he wouldn't do, in fact, to have a woman this beautiful be this visibly interested in him. Three days ago, just three days ago…this never would have happened.

This wasn't three days ago. This was three days, a new body, a new world, and a new reality later. Three days of unconditional affection from a woman who very visibly adored him, one he had fantasized about more than a few times. Three days of wondrous abilities from a body that didn't belong in this place, in this era, but he adored the fact that it was. Three days of mourning the fact that he didn't have the memories of Link, because he couldn't fit in…but also because it meant he had missed sixteen years of this wondrous world, and who knew how many years of Zelda.

Three days ago, he didn't have swiftly growing feelings for a woman who was in love with him. Three days ago he didn't have hope for the future, even though he knew it would be horrible. Three days ago, he had been an entirely different person.

This moment was the reality of so many fantasies it wasn't even funny. A gorgeous woman, a gorgeous black haired woman, a gorgeous elf, wanted him. Wanted him enough to make the first move even though she felt she had offended him. Desired him, wanted him enough that she was willing to risk rejection just to have the chance at spending a day with him. Three days ago the idea of saying no wouldn't have crossed his mind.

Three days ago the thought of saying no to his, almost literal, walking fantasy would have crushed his heart. The thought of having his dreams come to life and saying no to them wouldn't have crossed his mind, but if it did he would have been furious enough to beat himself nearly to death. After all, when a gorgeous elf with big breasts came onto you, you did not waste time with thoughts, you agreed!

"No, though I am very flattered. I am waiting for someone." His thoughts and Link's voice worked as one, for the first time outside of Zelda's presence, and he despised the fact that it was hurting a gorgeous woman. Casa flinched, taking a deep breath and a step back while letting go of his hand, but rallied admirably. The flash of hurt and disappointment in her eyes was covered up with cheerfulness, a playful shrug causing her tunic to rise and fall.

"Well, that's how it goes, I suppose. Let me know if that changes though, alright cutie? If she doesn't get it together soon, you should take opportunities that come your way." Link smiled, but it wasn't happy. No, his mind and body were still acting as one, a mind wanting to display something and the body managing it perfectly unlike his original body ever could.

Kindness, gentle comfort, and solid reassurance, even as he shook his head slowly. Casa's face flickered once more, but his voice was soft and so very warm when he spoke.

"No, Casa, I won't. You deserve better than to be someone's second choice, no matter who that person is." Red rose upon that pretty face, Casa having not expected that. It was the truth, however; even beyond her beauty, she was kind and energetic and had fangs. She had passion, and the will to stand up when she felt she needed to; combine that with the kindness and care she had displayed and you had a woman that was better than any he'd ever met in his original world. Even if, in truth, it felt cheap to compare her to them, false and vapid as his classmates were.

"I mean it. You are kind, you are beautiful, and you have no problems with standing up for yourself." Kind blue eyes met stunned green, an idle part of Link's mind reflecting on how easy these words were flowing. Where had this ease of speech been earlier?

"You deserve to be the first pick for the person you decide to date, and don't let anyone make you think any differently. Alright?" A shaky exhale, a nod, Casa looking at him like she was seeing him for the first time. Link wasn't sure why, but wasn't about to question it. Instead he nodded, unsure if he should leave it there, but equally unsure as to what else to add. Instead he wished her well, wished that she would enjoy the festival, and took his leave with a final thanks for helping him.

It was with a melancholy mood that he left the Academy; Sylph stalked over to him the moment he got outside into the early afternoon sun. She greeted him with a soft warble, a gentle headbutt and concerned yellow eyes looking down at him. He smiled, soft and gentle, hands coming up to rub across cool keratin, the saddle falling to the ground.

"It's alright girl, just…just a bit sad is all." Concern, protectiveness, and a flash of fury came through the bond in his soul, and the warmth that flared within him did a great deal to banish most of the malaise. A tender chuckle, his forehead pressing to her beak and hands finding soft feathers.

"No, you don't need to fight for me. I just…I just had a dream come true, and had to deny it, is all." Another warble, a soft clack of her beak, affection pouring through the bond. He didn't know how smart Sylph was, not truly, but at this point he was reasonably sure she was as smart as he was. Definitely smarter than some of his classmates had been, that was for sure. He soaked in warm affection for a few minutes before pulling back, Sylph's eyes finding his once more. Lingering concern, but now with curiosity and excitement. She knew what the saddle was, after all, and knew it meant flying.

"We have a few jobs to do, Sylph. We have to fly halfway across Farore's hope for them, after a trip to the Capital." A trill, pleased, followed by a strange sense of disappointment. A vague sense of 'is that it' that had him giggling.

"Well, it depends on how fast we can do them I suppose. A trip to the capital, the long flight, three stops at two villages and an outpost, and then some monster hunting." Yellow eyes turned sharp, intrigued and eager. She'd slaughtered everything in their way yesterday, but she was clearly down for more. It made him laugh again.

"No, these I need to fight. I need the experience, I need to know what I can do when I'm not holding back. You helping me find them, and the resources I will need to find, will make sure we can finish quicker, and therefore fly more before we have to turn all the jobs in and head home." The Crimson Loftwing, creature of myth, nodded eagerly, clear questions of what she needed to look for coming through the bond.

"Amaranth plants, Ironshrooms, and then the monsters. A talus that lurks around a certain location, two old outposts that need clearing, a Darknut apparently, a pack of Lizalfos, and then a cave of sorts. Also big hearty truffles, but I'm not sure if you'll be able to see them." A squawk that came across quite clearly as a scoff, a challenge in her eyes. Link just kept running his fingers through her feathers, amused.

"It's less me doubting you and more the fact that I feel like they're underground, my dear." Yellow eyes blinked, the challenge not lessening in the slightest. Link just shrugged, a smile playing around his lips.

"Prove me wrong then, I won't mind. Flying with you is delightful, and the more time I have for that the better." An agreeing warble, Sylph taking that as a sign to get moving. She stepped back, his fingers trailing across her beak, and her wings flared. He had a moment to appreciate the sheer size of her, a wingspan at least two and half times the length of his body spreading out before she promptly lowered to the ground. It said a lot that she was still taller than him despite that, both about her size and his lack of it.

He didn't have to guess that she had done so to make putting the saddle on easier for him, and he gave her a thankful rub after he'd picked it up. He looked at her, then looked at the saddle, mind reflecting the fact that he had no clue how to do any of this even as his body once again proved itself to be hundreds of times more useful than his brain. It was the work of just a minute or two to get the saddle on, fitting right behind her flared wings and strapping around her stomach. His eyes watched his hands work, committing his own actions to memory so that he wouldn't have to rely on the providence of his body acting independently of his mind.

Interestingly enough, it had padding over the stomach; not much, but enough to help stave off a glancing blow from an arrow. He was glad for that, considering they were likely to run into at least one archer today.

Then he prepared himself, Sylph seamlessly standing and testing the saddle, chirping in approval of his work. His hand dipped into the messenger bag, an odd sensation of everything within it popping into his head. All at once, every option, yet somehow not overwhelming or distracting. Impossibility aside, thinking about the sword and strap brought out a sheathed Knight's Broadsword. The same was done for the bow and quiver, along with the shield, and his body once again did everything for him as it all went onto his back. A few testing stretches and movements showed that, just like in the game, it all fit perfectly and was easily accessible, despite how wrong that was. A quiver should not fit so comfortably across the back of his waist, the bow and sword and shield somehow not getting in each other's way.

He had no clue how it worked, still. Oh, sure, the sword had a strap on it, and the quiver attached to his belt. The shield and the bow, however? Floating free, unanchored by anything, yet perfectly stable and moving with his movements without risk of falling. Somehow. Thinking about it promptly irritated him. After all, much like his ability to draw the broadsword out without the tip of it getting stuck in its sheath, it shouldn't be possible. The sword, after all, was longer than his torso; longer than his arms. It would be one thing to have it at his waist, where he could draw it across the body and extend his own reach, but it was a completely different thing to be able to do it from his back despite that not making any sense whatsoever.

Link shook his head, turning his attention back to Sylph upon a curious trill. Concern and care floated across the bond, and with a smile he returned the care along with assurance. His brain was just being dumb, no need to worry about it. Surely there was some perfectly magical explanation for all of this that had already been told to him, and nobody would bother repeating the same information twice without being asked about it.

So he mounted Sylph, an excited tremor running through her body, and his right arm rose, the map lighting up. It was still on the "world" map, with seven red lights and four blue ones. The monster locations and the mail locations. It was time to get to work; he was, after all, Link. In Breath of the Wild he had made it a point to 100% the game, the one and only game he had ever done that with, and while he still mourned the loss of his free time to Korok Seeds considering how that turned out…it had left an impression. Link was a helpful guy; he could be too. It was just a matter of doing it.

A moment later they were in the sky, Sylph powering her way towards the Capital. He had a lot to do, and preferably an afternoon to do it in. Time to get to work!

~~The Eternal Game~~

Delivering mail took almost no time

Vintin village was a fairly busy place, all things considered. When the word village was said, Link's mind most often went to the smaller idea of it. A handful of people and houses, 20-30 at most. Games hadn't helped change that opinion, either, seeing as even "cities" would only have a few dozen people. Often less, in truth.

Vintin, village of the odd name that reminded him of Lurelin, had a hundred people living in it. More interesting, and concerning, however, was the fact that almost all of them were adults in the prime of their lives. Sure, there were some kids around, some playing and some doing chores, but…

There were no elderly.

Perhaps the thing he imagined most when he thought of a village was a group of older folk, having grown up there and lived there their entire lives. God help you if you tried to convince them to move, as well, because come hell and high water they were staying right there. After all, they had been born there and they were going to die there.

Perhaps it was due to how new everything here was. This village gave him that impression at least, despite the buildings already looking weathered. The other sense, whatever it was, that let him glean more from various things gave him the sense of fresh, of newness and lack of character. It was difficult to categorize even in his own thoughts, much like everything else the sense gave him, yet he knew what it meant regardless. Just another maddening thing to add to the list, he supposed.

The people at least were interesting. Warm nods, greetings, several kids coming up to look at Sylph in awe. The adults, flashes of recognition crossing their faces as they looked at Sylph, his remarkable hearing picking up mutters of myth and legend and the bird of the Hero. They were interesting, but they weren't what he was here for, so he asked one of the people where the Supply Corps member was. Much like Totill Village and Totin Outpost, he was in front of the person just a couple of minutes later, one Corpswoman Thipia looking up at him oddly as the brunette woman reacted in surprise.

"A mail delivery already? We just got one last week, normally we have to wait another week for anything to show up." Link nodded, pulling out the journal. Thipia made a sound of realization, nodding even as she signed for a set of twelve letters and one care package. He found it kind of interesting that what Casa had so confidently told him, that mail was delivered weekly, was wrong. For the outposts, maybe, but villages took a bit longer. At least for the ones all the way out here.

"I see. Well, thanks for flying out here. Most knights, or even supply corps members blessed to have Loftwings, don't like to because of how far the journey was." Link smiled softly, nodding, and closed the book, turning to leave with little more than a gently spoken farewell and a standard well wishing. A few moments later Sylph was taking off with a cry, powerful muscles not even tired from the sheer amount of power she had put into flying here. Sylph was, to put it simply, stupidly fast when she wanted to be. They'd set off around 9 thirty in the morning, and here it was merely 10:37; she had crossed half the island in less than an hour.

Crimson Loftwings were legendary for a reason, and he was rather humbled to know she was his partner.

Finding raw materials was ridiculously easy

A triumphant squawk, a satisfied clacking, a bird too smug for her own good making a remarkable approximation of laughing in his face. Link looked down at the base of a tree, sizable white mushrooms that looked exactly like the image of Big Hearty Truffles from the Breath of the Wild sitting there like they had done nothing wrong. Like their mere existence wasn't resulting in him readjusting his world view and having his partner laugh at him.

Link found himself chuckling helplessly as he looked around, twelve of the mushrooms having grown large and a further twenty small ones. He could have sworn he'd read something online about how truffles grow underground, and were rare at that, but here they were at the base of trees. The area was remarkably damp, the grass almost squelching under his feet, but there they were. Sitting there, mockingly.

"Well, I apologize for doubting you, Sylph. I'm wrong, and I will not doubt your eyesight again." A pleased warble, yellow eyes dancing in amusement, and Link set to gathering. He'd gotten a brief explanation of how to harvest them, and a lecture about which saddlebag to store perishables in; truffles apparently had a very short shelf life, and if he wasn't careful they'd spoil before he got them back. Admittedly, Casa had said that they were never found by knights on loftwing, so he had a lot more leeway than the average person finding these. That didn't mean he was going to be less than careful, however; haste made waste, and all that.

He really hadn't expected this when Sylph had suddenly dived. He'd noticed her keeping an eye on the ground, and they'd been flying much lower than she had seemed to prefer, but they had dived and Sylph had been so very pleased with herself. She deserved some kind of treat, in truth, though he had no idea what to get her. Perhaps that book, Loftwing Care, would have something?

After all, with this done that was all of the material finding finished in such a short period of time. He'd even gone a bit overboard and gotten other things. Hyrule, in Breath of the Wild, had been ridiculously abundant with natural resources, and so too was Skyloft, or perhaps rather Farore's Home. Flush with life and natural ingredients, Link had found a variety of materials in a short period of time. Iron shrooms, amaranths, and truffles were just the start. Apples, Hylian Shrooms, Durians and wild Radishes, wild Hylian Herbs, Mighty Thistle, Razor Shrooms, and amusingly enough, Silent Princesses. He hadn't grabbed much, all things considered. For starters he didn't even know if the various stat boosting ingredients even worked here, he would have to look into that, but he suspected they did.

After all, looking at the durians and radishes, and even these truffles, that extra sense gave him an impression of vitality, of a young person in the prime of their life. It might not be extra health, as that was a game mechanic, but they were clearly better for you than their variants in the real world. Mighty Thistle and Razor Shrooms gave off the feeling of power and the edge of a blade respectively, the Iron Shrooms feeling like an odd mixture between a shield and armor.

Grabbing Silent Princesses had been, in all honesty, a spur of the moment thing. They were pretty in the game, but much like everything, were far more so in real life. Five blue petals folded out in the shape of a star, a yellow center providing a slight contrast. They smelled lovely as well; distinctly floral, in a way that defied description as anything else, but…pleasant. Far better than most flowers he'd smelled over the years, having never seen the appeal of them. Sure, they looked pretty, but they were high maintenance.

He didn't expect this flower to be this Zelda's favorite; after all, her circumstances were vastly different from Breath of the Wild. He did hope she liked them, however; putting them in a vase for a few days would be a nice little touch of color and scent for their rooms, he felt. Besides, at worst he would have to get rid of them. How terrible.

A shake of the head, Link carefully putting the truffles into the bag that was designed for ingredient and food storage. Sylph trilled once more, still smug, and he spent a few minutes running his fingers through her feathers. He was making even better time than he'd expected, and he'd expected something rather unrealistic when one thought about everything involved. By all rights this all should have taken at least two days, just from what he already had done. But it wasn't, and he was ready for a fight now. A look at his compass, and the map therein, showed that the Lizalfos were the closest.

That made things simple, at least. He honestly wasn't sure how much of a threat they would be, in truth. In the game, one Lizalfos would never hit him. Three had better chances, but more often than not he got away uninjured. This, however, very much wasn't a game.

Breath of the Wild, for as remarkable as it was, crippled Link. He could move faster than the game would ever allow, no matter how ridiculous the stuff people came up with got. It had been pretty clear that Link could do more, and faster, if he wasn't in the game.

There had been a cutscene, where Zelda had been telling Link to be more careful because he'd gotten injured. Said injury had been a cut on his hand; it seemed to be somewhat deep, but genuinely nothing major. Meanwhile, they had been surrounded by the corpses of monsters. Dozens of bokoblins, moblins, and even several Lynel. All slaughtered while protecting a civilian in the form of Zelda, with nothing more than the Master Sword. No bow, no shield, no sheikah runes or magical equipment: just a sword.

That had all been accomplished in an unknowable time frame, admittedly, but completing an even remotely similar feat in the game would result in burning through an ungodly amount of resources. Bomb arrows, elemental arrows, runes, weapons, and likely the stat boosting food. Link did it casually, without hesitation or anything worse than a single scratch, if admittedly somewhat deep. It hadn't been deep enough to warrant more than a bandage, however, so it couldn't have been that bad.

Then you had Age of Calamity, the same Link but weaker, less experience fighting alone and with a shield, taking on all four boosted blights at the same time and not exactly losing. Zelda had interfered before a result could be gained, but he wasn't about to bet against the Hero. Not when he didn't even seem to be struggling, not when Link had risen to every occasion and triumphed even when he absolutely shouldn't. Not when he was now living as that same hero, if in a different time. Possibly world, too, because the Zelda timeline was weird to say the least.

Well, no point in waiting around thinking about it. He had Lizalfos to fight, and he was on a time limit. He'd gotten a bit distracted gathering stuff; it had taken reminding himself that he was absolutely in the real world to stop himself from going full resource hunter and killing a lot of deer. Prime and Gourmet meat sounded good after all…

The Lizalfos were disappointing

Shrieks rang out in challenge, large lizard heads thrown back with ear-piercing fury. Green scales rippled and flexed as bodies moved, some grabbing weapons from nearby and others charging forth. Blue eyes followed them all, a head count revealing 26 green monsters, 5 blues whose weapons were visibly better, and a single black whose red eyes glared at him with malice. Link found, for the first time since he arrived here, his heart starting to pound. Not in fear, no; somehow, even seeing these monsters in person with lithe muscles and serpentine grace did nothing to make him fear them.

No, for the first time his heart beat in excitement. Flying with Sylph had been the only other source of true excitement, even if the Knights had been challenging. Link was ready. Lizalfos were a challenge in the games, and there were 32 of them here! His hand drew his sword, his right claiming the shield off his back, just as the first two charging lizards came close enough to strike.

A boomerang went high, a spear went low; a hop to the side, the world slowing down and Link advancing. Steel sliced through scale and muscle like it was nothing, a body cut clean in half without intending it, green blood spraying through the air. Link didn't stop moving, even as his mind ever so slowly realized how easy it had been to slice through a body, bones and natural armor and all. He should probably be more careful, however. Knight broadsword or not, he wasn't sure how long the steel would last.

Those idle musings didn't stop him from decapitating the second Lizalfos, however, the first body still in the air and the world still slowed. Once again unintentional, once again without even trying. Irritation flared, the sword being sheathed and his hand catching the slow-moving boomerang from the air. An arm tensed, body moving to commands in a way that wasn't intended, and the boomerang flew.

He let go of the magic, red eyes and a panicked screech as the closest blue was carved through. From three different sources line-green blood sprayed out, five different body parts hitting the ground in the same few seconds as one blue and two greens died horribly. It didn't slow the others down, many more of the creatures charging at him as the black roared in fury. It didn't sound like any sound the game Lizalfos had ever made, far more bestial and angry.

A second spear lanced towards him, his shield slapping against it and the world slowing again momentarily before he could cancel it. Link's left hand came up, palm slapping against the hilt, and out came the sword once more. Green blood splattered against his face as the lizard's chest was cut open, Link being careful to not cut straight through the creature this time. It still fell, shrieking horrifically in agony, the noise hurting his ears.

There was no time to finish it, however, for the others were on him. A claymore, not the stupidly thick Knight's variant but the much more reasonable soldier's variant, came crashing down towards him from a monster in the air, a tongue lancing out from another with the force of a spear thrust. His body moved, tilting to the side even as his shield came up. The first blue to attack him met his shield with the full force of a gravity and weight assisted swing, a claymore held in both its powerful arms, and was found wanting. Link felt the impact, but his arm didn't shake. It didn't go numb, or shiver, or give off any kind of protest or struggle like in his original body when he had tried to do something straining.

Link was a bit disappointed, but it didn't matter. Out came the sword, stabbing the falling lizard through the stomach, and he was moving. Green after green fell in a blur of motion, weapons of varying quality hitting the ground followed swiftly by bodies. Blood spilled upon the grass, a far more toxic color compared to the more natural green, and Link found himself almost idly wondering why the bodies weren't dissolving. Casa had said they did, after all.

The remaining blues charged forth, Link barely noticing them as he carved through them. A shield bash was spun around, blade stabbing through a throat. His own shield edge slammed into a second throat, blade ripped free in a visceral tear that he could feel and his body spinning, the same move that barely hurt the Knights cutting through everything surrounding him like a flameblade would butter.

Link straightened up, eyes flicking around for an enemy, any enemy, but only one remained. The lone Black Lizalfos, the biggest threat here, holding a Knight's Broadsword and what looked to be a steel lizal shield, was shivering. Shaking like a leaf in the wind, red eyes no longer filled with malice but with fear. Link's held tilted in curiosity, observing something that hadn't really existed in the game. Monsters could be scared; bees, for example, would often make monsters panic. Being lit on fire would do it, as would a few other things, but to stand there and shake?

He'd never seen that. Never once had anything in the game been so afraid of Link that it ran from you, no matter what you did. The monsters didn't seem to feel fear, but here and now? The black lizalfos, the strongest outside of silver, was shaking. A moment later its weapons were hitting the ground and it was fleeing, zig-zagging around in a desperate attempt to get away from the monster that had carved through its comrades so quickly it hadn't even been able to register most of its movements.

The blade and shield were dropped, the bow drawn for the first time. The quiver at his hip worked remarkably well to pull an arrow from in a single smooth motion, nocked to the bow and drawn in the same movement that had to have been practiced with how perfectly his body did it. The bow drew tense, creaking, his eye following the shaft of the arrow and arm unerringly moving with the Lizalfos's own actions. An inhale, an exhale, loose; the arrow struck home with a sound so meaty he could hear it from where he stood, a thwack that wasn't quite that yet not something else either as the arrow pierced through the monster's skull.

As one, suddenly every monster on the ground suddenly poofed, whatever magic keeping them present in the world fading instantly with the death of the Black. Weapons, shields, materials all landed in the grass, his eyes taking it all in. This…this had been too easy.

32 monsters, six of which had been above the baseline green. A reasonably dangerous monster in the game, one that could hurt you if you weren't paying attention, and yet all of them were slaughtered so easily. His eyes turned to the sword, coated in lime-green blood. A downward slash, strong enough to sling the blood from it, and his eyes took in the steel. No warping, no chips or cracks despite cutting through bone and "natural armor" that hadn't done a damn thing. He hadn't even felt it. At least he hadn't broken a weapon already, he mused, sheathing it.

Even the black had died to a single arrow, despite being the most advanced variant. It wasn't even like the Knights Bow had that strong of a draw…no, that probably wasn't accurate. Link had no idea how strong the draw weight was, he couldn't feel it. His fingers landed on the bowstring, idly pulling it back. No, it took him about the same effort as breathing to pull it back, which…well, made sense.

He had just blocked a full-strength blow with the force of speed and gravity behind it. Caught it on a shield and barely felt it. He needed to ask about that…then again there were a lot of things he needed to ask about. He sighed, picking up the shield and returning the weapons to his back even as happiness rang through his soul and Sylph landed. Link couldn't stop the smile even with his disappointment present; Sylph was too happy.

It takes a few minutes to gather up everything. 30 rupees were "dropped" when the monsters dissolved, with 32 horns and talons and 20 tails. 12 lizal boomerangs, 14 lizal spears, two soldiers claymores, three enhanced lizal spears, a single tri-boomerang dropped by the black, and 12 shields, one of which was steel. There were also seven bows that hadn't been grabbed in the scrum, one of which was steel and the others were the basic lizal bows, with a rather lovely set of arrows. His eyes took them in; he didn't count them, not consciously, but the number 67 appeared in his mind anyways.

Unlike in the game he didn't have to leave anything behind, and he had always been something of a hoarder when it came to games. Several of the weapons went into his belt pouches, upwards of a dozen fitting there alongside the shields, bows, and arrows. His knight broadsword went in there, the boomerang he'd impaled a blue with taking its place. Just because he didn't want to break that sword so early on, and had no idea how much it could actually take.

A few more minutes of looking around revealed a few other things as well. There were no chests of loot like in the game, but what did exist was several rough sacks of random stuff. A ruby, strangely enough, 13 blue rupees, and a fair amount of food. Raw fish that hadn't begun to spoil, presumably fished out from brooks and a nearby river. Fruits, cuts of meat that were rather jagged yet didn't seem to be despoiled in any way.

He claimed it all, wondering why the Lizalfos had so much money. 30 green rupees, and then a further value of 65 that weren't being carried on them. He palmed one, the blue gem cool and smooth, not quite as long and wide as his palm. How did money work here? He hadn't exactly had to spend anything yet, even though he'd had money in a wallet even before now. Over a thousand rupees, in fact, with one of them being gold, which…how?

He sighed, shaking his head and picking up more blues and stacking them in his hand. No point in worrying about it, it wasn't like he could…

The slightest of drains, weight decreasing in his hand by a margin so small he almost didn't notice it.

Blue eyes flicked back to his hand, disbelief rising as a red rupee sat there, glittering innocently in the afternoon sun. How? What just happened? Why did he have red rather than blues? Did…they had just combined, what the heck? His attention caught fully, Link started playing around with the rupees.

A few minutes of experimentation had him with three red rupees and a blue; a bit more had him with 13 blues again. No amount of poking, prodding, or looking at them revealed the gems to be hollow or changed in any way, yet they could merge so easily and seamlessly that he didn't even see it happening. More fiddling gave him six yellows and a blue; even more gave him a purple, a yellow, and a blue. More still gave him a purple, two blues, and five greens; he couldn't go past sixty five in value with just these, but he could make up any combination of them.

Why was this happening? How was this happening? Why did every change cause a tiny drain in his magic? Why did…what…a groan, pained and irritated. This was a terrible thing to happen while he was trying to get things done, because he was in the middle of the wilds with nobody to ask and not a single book on the topic. Something to ask Zelda later tonight, it seemed, even if it would bug him for the rest of the day. Link shook his head, packed up the rest of his spoils and remounted Sylph. He still had a lot to get done, and he was not about to fail his self-imposed mission of getting it all done today to puzzle over Rupees.

Clearing caves was stupid

A boomerang shattered into shards of metal, pieces carving through red flesh. Link moved, ducking down and grabbing up a wooden club and slamming it into the face of a bokoblin. Screams of pain and fear surrounded him, the sound becoming increasingly familiar as he blitzed his way through the cave. Bones crunched beneath the club as another monster was hit hard enough to send it flying, a strange sound echoing from the club.

A gentle toss was a throw hard enough to shatter the wood, another monster hitting the stone cavern hard from the force. His body dipped again, picking up the wooden stick that was the boko spear and using it as more of a blunt object than a poking tool. Red monsters were sent flying, pained shrieks sounding out as Link kept moving. One, two, three; faces smashed beneath the force of solid wood, thicker than any spear haft and nowhere near as quick to shatter. A few more enemies, however, and the wood began to break off in pieces.

A moment later it was thrown, spearing through red flesh and muscle like nothing, and Link was forced to duck down yet again. Two sizable clubs found his hands, and the beating began anew. It was far more visceral than any other fight so far, bones and flesh crunching beneath raw force and bodies flying, red blood spewed from fresh corpses as they landed on the ground.

It was the matter of seconds to end the rest of them, both clubs shattering from the force of the final blow. The bodies didn't dissolve yet; going off of the single example he had, it likely meant that he hadn't killed the boss yet. Which was fine, really, but he couldn't help but wonder what it would be. A higher ranked bokoblin, or something more? Link shook his head; it wasn't like it mattered, not really. He would kill it all the same.

Looting the room made him feel like he was playing a game once more; weapons mainly, with no monster parts just yet. He would have to collect those on the way out, apparently. None of the weapons were really good, however. The entire group had nothing more than Boko Clubs and Boko spears, and he had broken a boomerang for this. Disgusting.

A boko spear went on his back, another in his hands; unlike the games he could do that, and in truth none of these were worth pouch space. Figuring out how weapons went into belt pouches when the much larger messenger bag had been specified that only things that could fit into the opening would work was a thought process he wasn't willing to consider, but it was better than storing them in the messenger bag. That was for loot.

Link went to leave that part of the cave, hearing more bokoblins further ahead, when something caught his eye. A rock formation, glittering in the firelight. He turned to face it, blue sparkling so very pleasantly, and his face went even blanker than the usual apathy upon it. Surely this wasn't the case. Skyloft had mines, it had multiple mines where gems would be found. There was no possible way that the ore deposits of Breath of the Wild, which existed pretty much solely as resource and rupee farms, were here.

His disbelief didn't stop him from approaching. Didn't stop him from setting down the spear and grabbing up the much larger and heavier bat, the bokoblin form of a two handed hammer. It didn't stop him from hitting the chunk of rock hard enough to shatter the bat into splinters in a single blow, the rock exploding into dust. Bouncing against the ground, impossibly, was a glimmering blue gem and three pink chunks of rock.

Link dropped the handle, sighing heavily. Of course. Why wouldn't this land of insanity also somehow grow rocks in caves that provided gems bigger than his hand. He knelt down, picking it up, the sapphire half again bigger than the hand grabbing it. Cool to the touch, gleaming in the dancing light and giving off an impression of cool air and snow like it wasn't utterly impossible in every possible way. This didn't make any sense.

He could forgive the rupee thing as something the Goddess created. He could forgive the monsters dissolving as something relating to how they were created. He could forgive a lot. Sapphires being in random ore deposits were pushing his suspension of disbelief, however, and it took him several seconds to realize that the pain in his arm was from pinching himself harder than even the first morning. It took him several more seconds to stop.

Sapphires, gems in general, formed underground. From pressure, from chemicals mixing, from a variety of things they'd gone over in class that he couldn't remember. Not sticking out of a rock formation in a random cave in the sky. How many years did it even take to form one? It felt like it should take millions, in all truth, but he had no idea if he could even rely on that.

Then there was the size of it. The only sapphires he'd ever seen in life had been, assuming they were real, had been tiny things. Cut small to fit into rings, necklaces, or earrings, none larger than a fingernail. Most often rings, in truth, though television and the internet had a variety displayed. To have a sapphire larger than his hand though…how much was this even worth? They sold 260 Rupees, if he remembered right; he'd better be remembering right considering how many of the blasted things he'd sold.

His eyes finally left it, looking at the equally large pink rocks. Rock salt, the only form of salt in Breath of the Wild. Quite likely the only type of salt in Skyloft, for that matter. It had been used for cooking in the game, and no doubt was here as well, but…well. For all that magic was a thing that existed, preserving food was no doubt still an issue. Only so many mages, only so many of which could enchant, and all that. As such, salted food was probably fairly common…which meant these were valuable.

Then Link sighed, shaking his head. It wasn't like it mattered; he hadn't spent any money since he got here, and he was going to be earning a lot today. Still…waste not, and all that. There were several more similar rock formations, and no doubt would be scattered throughout the cave if this truly was following the game method. What he would do with them all, he didn't know, but why not?

So he did. More rocks were broken, more monsters slain, more loot obtained. Link cleared out the cave in a short time, almost too quickly. Gems such as amber were in high abundance, even though that made even less sense than the sapphire, and he gained a fair number of opals as well. Amber was a resin, hardened over time, yet here it was coming from a rock rather than a tree. Perhaps it was just similar? It didn't seem to look quite the same as he'd seen online, at least, though he wasn't sure what that meant. It felt more like a rock than a resin, but once again he had no idea what that would mean.

Link moved on, returning to Sylph and offloading a fair amount of the spoils into the saddlebags before they moved on. The cave was, essentially, pointless. The only threat to them was the number of monsters within; he didn't feel like forty bokoblins warranted an A-Rank, but who was he to judge? One thing he did know, however, was that this was stupid. None of it made any sense, and he had had quite enough of it for one day.

Talus Hunting was rewarding, yet so very fast

Stone ground against stone, a beast rising up with a groan. Link smiled, Sylph flying off; this was a test for him, not for her. A Talus was massive; they had been bosses in the game. Well, sub-bosses really, they hadn't been challenging. Perhaps this one would defy that mold.

Massive boulders rumbled, a giant golem several times his own height assembled before him, a small ore deposit stone on its back. Striking it was the only way to damage the Talus in game, but Link found himself wondering if that was still the case. Regardless, it wasn't the time to speculate, because the Talus moved.

Less than five seconds from its arm starting to move there was a massive boulder flying at him, Link running out of the way. Rock crashed against the earth with a thunderous boom, the Talus grinding to motion once more. Its other arm slammed down, only Link's sudden stop preventing him from being pancaked, shockwaves rocking the earth. His footing stayed steady, steady enough to leap atop the arm and be atop its back a few seconds later. His hands gripped the boko bat from his back, slamming against the deposit with harsh cracks.

The Talus had no mouth, but it roared regardless. The entire body shook, nearly knocking Link off even as he got in one final hit, hard enough to shatter the bat. The ore deposit had been cracked in two with his efforts, but it wasn't over yet.

The Talus slammed itself forward, its entire body slamming the ground and sending Link flying. It didn't live to regret the action, Link's bow coming out in midair and the world slowing. Lightning crackled to life along the arrow, more magic pumped into it than he had put into anything yet. Wood began to smoke, green electricity sparking off the bow and engulfing the arrow, and Link let it fly. The world sped up, the arrow finding its target almost immediately even as Link looked to his landing.

Lightning boomed, a bolt striking from a cloudless sky to shatter and melt stone in a single strike. Stone crumbled, body falling to pieces as the magic animating it dissipated, the entirety of the rock dissolving moments later. Link's feet finally hit the ground, body immediately rolling to bleed off some of the force, and even then his feet still slid across the ground for several yards. He shook himself, testing his body; there was no pain, thankfully. He hadn't been sure after that.

Blue eyes looked to where Sylph had dropped him, a gouge torn up from the ground, but no rock where it would have stopped. He found himself wondering if, had the Talus lived long enough to try and replace its arm, whether it would have ripped a crater from the ground or not. He would like to think so, but in all honesty with the level of ridiculousness he was experiencing today, it probably wouldn't.

He'd just killed a Talus in a minute. Sure, in the game, that was honestly about par for the course for the non-special ones, because they were slow and useless but…he didn't expect that here. Sure, Urbosa's Fury did a sizable chunk of the work, but even without it he would have only needed one more climb. Maybe, it wasn't like the monster had a health bar. Point was, that was incredibly easy.

Gemstones glittered on the ground; a ruby, four opals, and several pieces of flint, because why not. He was quick to gather them, unimpressed by the fight. It would probably have been difficult for someone slower, and definitely would be a challenge for an army of regular soldiers, but honestly this was barely worth the time. Even though the thrown boulders could no doubt obliterate homes, walls, and defenses, it didn't seem to be a threat to him.

Well, so long as it didn't hit him at least. Was he becoming arrogant? He felt like that had been an arrogant thought. He would have to watch that, all it took was something of that strength getting a single hit in and the fight would change dramatically. He also needed to find a hammer or a pickaxe if he was going to fight it again; it was a miracle he could hit hard enough to damage stone, and a greater one that the boko bats were tough enough to do so. Or, perhaps more likely, the ore deposit was weaker than normal stone. Most monsters had a weak point of sorts, after all.

No matter. Link looked up, Sylph's rapidly descending form catching his eye, and a second later she was before him. He took a few moments to pet her again, unable to stop himself. Her presence in his soul was every bit as wonderful as Zelda's easy affection, after all. A sigh, a mental running through of his tasks for the day.

Cave clearing, finished. Lizalfos and Talus, finished. Mail delivered, Amaranths and Truffles found. Iron Shrooms obtained. That left…the Darknut and two outposts, his right hand rising and the map appearing like the magical hologram it was. That was still ridiculous, so convenient and yet everybody didn't have one. He knew that Skyloft had regressed, but it was a very clear symbol of what had been lost sitting plainly on his wrist.

The outposts weren't far away, and neither was where the Darknut had been sighted. Might as well hit the outposts first; more weapons for the shattering, and perhaps some good stuff to find. He couldn't keep getting this lucky, after all. Besides…might as well end the day on a good note.

Outposts were fun…but a Darknut is more so

A moblin roared, a massive blue monster charging towards a small boy. Blue eyes watched calmly, a boomerang in one hand and a steel shield in the other, the full force and mass of a monster over twice his height focused on the tip of a spear and thrusting towards him. A single movement, body reacting while the mind watched, and the spear was knocked to the side with ease. Over seven hundred charging pounds of force, denied with ease.

Shrieks of fury sounded out, alarms raised and calls sounding out in grunts and howls. Link ignored them for the moment, moving forward in a world at normal speed and slicing the boomerang through the moblins leg. It screamed in agony, falling to one knee, and Link was quick to take advantage. The other leg, weight crashing ponderously to the ground, one shoulder than the next, a spear joining the body in clattering to the ground. The tip of the boomerang impaled through a monstrous eye in a leap, extended snout of the monster flailing as it hit the ground, dead.

The spear ripped out, red blood coating it, and Link looked around at his enemies consideringly. A bokoblin at the back was drawing back a bow, and so his left hand lashed out, boomerang spinning through the sky. Before the monster could even prepare to loose the arrow the blade hit, carving through its neck and maintaining the spin. A second later had Link extending his hand, the handle smacking into his palm. Blue eyes blinked, impressed despite himself, and the battle started in earnest.

Red and blue bodies leapt through the air, weapons rocketing downwards as they tried to murder him. A backwards jump, shield slamming into the stomach of one airborne monster and bringing it to the ground. Air whooshed out, the edge of the boomerang claiming another life, and then it was too fast to pay much attention. A stab towards his stomach, a slice with the blade, a dancing form amongst a riot of colors. It didn't last long, the final bokoblin trying to run and the boomerang shattering as it took the beast's life.

A pleased sigh, Link looking down in delight at the Knight's Broadsword that one of the blues had had. Then the delight turned to dismay as he realized how the blue that had wielded it had most likely obtained it. Still…needs must. He leaned down and picked it up, something causing him to leap forward the second his hand closed around the hilt. A large black blade cleaved through the air where he had been standing, Link turning around in surprise.

For the first time since he'd appeared in this world, Link didn't have time for observations. He didn't have time to waste, the blade slashing towards him once more. Parried, his own counter strike being smacked away by a shield in turn. Blue eyes narrowed, a black helmet exuding malice, and the fight began.

Thrust, cut, parry, dodge; the world never slowed, his mind not even remembering that it was an option for several minutes as the fight continued. For the first time his opponent was strong enough for Link to register the blows. For the first time his opponent was fast enough that Link's mind was on the fight entirely. It was, in a word, delightful.

One second, two, three, metal clashing against metal. Four seconds, five, six, Link's skill enough to disarm the Knight fighting him entirely. It backed away immediately, shield raised in preparation for the attacks that weren't coming, Link instead choosing to look at it properly at last.

Tall, taller than the moblin, entirely encased within magnificently crafted black armor to look like a medieval knight in full plate armor. Link didn't want to know how much effort that took, even as the creature took up its blade again. It stopped, however, not attacking immediately, and took a moment to incline its head at him. Link returned it, not entirely sure why, and the fight began anew.

Fast, it charged forth, blade crashing down upon Link's shield. Strong, enough so that Link actually felt his body exert effort to keep the blade away. Skilled, enough so that when Link started to attack rather than purely defend it could keep up. Up, down, left, thrust, backstep slash; it defended against all of it, even as strain began to visibly mount upon it to do so.

His body began to warm up, to actually get into the fight. A broadsword crashed against the Knight's hard enough to send the much larger and far more armored fighter sliding back. His shield slammed into it, driving it back a second time. Its counter was dodged, the world slowing, and Link slipped around behind it. His eyes found a single weak point in the entirety of the armor; little more than a single gap at the back where straps came together. His blade cut them, time slipping back into place, and the Darknut leapt away in a panic…leaving most of its armor behind.

The monster was still armored, primarily with chainmail now though it still had some plate. The helmet remained for a moment, but the monster impaled its blade into the earth. Link didn't push, the monster removing the elegant helmet to reveal a different one beneath it. Smaller, tighter against the skull, covering only the face. Two pointed ears rose up beneath the chainmail, the helm extending out just enough to give an impression of a snout. The monster took up its sword again and charged, far far faster this time.

It wasn't fast enough.

Link met every strike, body pushing further and further than it had since he'd suddenly possessed it. Not enough to strain, but enough to notice, and for that Link found himself smiling slightly, almost against his will. Blade crashed against blade with more force than anything he'd expected; blade crashed against shield with more speed than anything he'd noticed moving at so far against any previous opponent. He still wasn't quite as fast as the exercises had been at, but he was closer than ever before.

The fight could have continued for a while, just like that; Link was in no hurry to end it, too busy marveling at what his body could do. But then metal screamed in protest, a black shield crashing against silver steel and both found wanting as they shattered as one. Link and the Darknut both leapt back, one weaponless and the other shieldless, staring at each other for a moment.

The monster's foot moved, Link preparing for it to charge once more, but instead it found the only other sword on the battlefield. A soldier's broadsword, small enough in comparison to it that it barely had the ability to slip an armored boot beneath it. Up kicked the foot and the leg, the weapon rocketed through the air towards him so very fast…

Yet slower than they had been moving.

Link caught the sword with ease, and was the one to nod this time even as he replaced the Steel Lizalfos Shield upon his back. He wasn't sure why, but as the knight nodded back it felt right. The two charged as one, and Link found himself moving even faster now. His blows held less force, mindful of the limits of the weaker weapon, but for every one that had come before there were now four. His attacks finally reached the level of the first morning, of his training while preparing to fight the company. Attacks began to get through, the edge of the blade slicing through chainmail like it wasn't there.

Black blood sprayed, an arm nicked. Blood bubbled, a strike to the leg. Blood gushed, a slice across the stomach. An agony filled scream as the monster's knee was sliced, the beast dropping to one knee, and the pain ended as the soldier's broadsword impaled it through the neck. Link drew back, the monster falling to the ground and bursting into black smoke, all of the other monsters doing the same. All that was left of the beast was the massive black sword, a nearly as large shield, a Knight's Crest, and a Golden Rupee.

Link wasn't panting, his heart wasn't pounding, but he did notice the fact that his body was ready for more. This single Darknut had been the greatest challenge so far, beyond any possible doubt, but it seemed it wasn't enough to push the Hero. Which made sense; Link in the games and in lore would kill many of these on his way to the current variant of Ganon, after all. If one was enough to wipe him out, he would have a long way to go, and that was even before accounting for the fact that apparently a Silver Lizalfos was above this beast.

That really didn't make sense to him, but he would withhold judgment until he met one. If it truly was that skilled, as well as faster and hard enough scales to match the armor of the monster he'd just fought…well, he could see it, he supposed. It just felt wrong that a mere Lizalfos could reach that high. They'd been dangerous in the game, sure, but more so because they had a high health pool and because of the damage they could output if you screwed up and got hit.

He looked at the blade the Darknut had been fighting with; unlike his own broadsword, it had survived the encounter and only had a few chips in it. The weapon gave off a strange sense, as if there was more to it, but obviously there wasn't. It was really big though; a broadsword with a flared head in the hands of the monster, slightly bigger than a claymore in his own. He picked it up regardless; he was getting something out of this.

A drain, stronger than anything barring his own time altering magic

The blade shrank, going from claymore to broadsword in a moment before Link's disbelieving eyes. His hand fit the hilt perfectly, the length of the blade now perfect for his use. The hilt creaked, knuckles turning white from the strength of his grip, eyebrow twitching. Another thing that didn't make sense. Maybe he had wanted it bigger!

The drain returned

The blade lengthened as easily as it had shrunk, returning to the size the Darknut had wielded it at. A frown, a considering thought; what if the darknut had required a claymore? Another drain, the weapon getting much larger until it was the size of a claymore to a monster that was over ten feet tall. For the first time, however, damage showed on the blade. Not much; chips and nicks, primarily, but it hadn't shown in any other form.

Link found himself with a theory rapidly developing, and it was one he found rather believable the more he thought about it. The weapon was no longer giving off that strange sense of more, rather it was giving off an equally strange sense that it could fit his hand, if he so chose. He thought, running purely off of assumptions, that the weapon had been forged as a claymore to start, and through a similar type of magic as to his pouches, it could shrink to be whatever the Darknut wielding it preferred to use. A longsword, or a broadsword. With a smaller wielder, however, it could become even smaller, though it likely took more magic.

Delight ran through him; if he got a few dozen potions that Knight Kalph had had yesterday, he could have a weapon that didn't break on him regularly! He had been hitting this sword hard, and the Darknut was no slouch when it came to strength either. He would be able to fight for a lot longer, and fight a lot harder, without having to worry about his weapon shattering.

Onto his back it went, happiness running through him. This alone had made it all worthwhile, and he still had another Darknut to kill! He would get two weapons! Then his excitement faded, a somewhat sinking feeling rising in his gut, and his right arm rose. The map appeared, and to his disappointment the Darknut's dot had vanished alongside the outposts. A disappointment, but at least he'd gotten this one.

A moment later the shield was in his hand, and a moment after that it had shrunken down to the same usable size. Expanding it all the way out forced him to hold it horizontally in the air; the thing was a tower shield for a beast over twice his size, if still circular. He was rather happy with this too, honestly. Perhaps he should make a point to hunt these things.

Then he paused; something wasn't right there. He had shattered the Darknut's shield in the fight. Doing so had also shattered his own blade. How was it possible for the monster to have dropped a second one? He knew it hadn't been carrying one! It took him a few minutes of puzzling, but he eventually forced it to the back of his mind.

The Knight's Crest was grabbed, the Golden Rupee as well. The latter gave off a sensation of power, somehow. A feeling of magic, in a way that was utterly indescribable. The Crest, on the other hand, gave off a sense of honor, of fighting your hardest for the Lord you have chosen. It explained, at least somewhat, why the Darknut had acted the way it had. If it truly had any honor at all, his holding back long enough for it to grab its sword once more had to be repaid, even if it knew it couldn't win. Honor was stupid, but it was something that humanity had glorified to a ridiculous extent.

It didn't surprise him that a force serving the dark would have it, oddly enough. Evil didn't mean honorless; it didn't even mean heartless, as much as some people wished it was different. A darknut dressed as a knight, and quite visibly took inspiration from that ideal. In their time, Knights often weren't exactly honorable themselves, but they also weren't human. He shouldn't expect it, however; one example did not make a race. It was entirely possible other members would be more akin to actual knights of history.

Link looted the outpost; a few spears, a few clubs, some more rupees and food supplies. An old armory, much to his delight; the weapons were rusty, but that could be fixed. Five rusty swords, three rusty shields, and two rusty spears. All of them went into the messenger bag to be cleaned up later, alongside a set of letters yellowed with age. Skimming over them revealed them to be letters from a father named Li to his son Iboll and his wife Ashe. About anything and everything, one unfinished letter having been hastily stowed away. He didn't know if any of the family were still alive, but he could give it to Casa. Maybe she could do something with it.

The second outpost was cleared even quicker than the first, without a Darknut to cause issues for him. The black sword performed admirably, carving through the foes with ease and not shattering. Extending it to its full size didn't even reveal a new nick, either, which made it even better.

Soon enough, however, it was all finished. Seven A-Ranked missions, three B-ranks, all within the course of a day. A look at his clock told him that it was only 2:42 P.M., a ridiculous time. He had done all of that in a couple of hours, thanks in large part to Sylph's sheer speed and efficiency in finding his targets. He still didn't know how in the world she could see Truffles from the sky, but after the day he'd had he was very much done with questioning it.

No, far better to fly with Sylph for an hour or two, probably an hour before he returned to Casa to turn it all in and provide whatever proof of his deeds the compass gave, get his rewards, fly for longer, then go home. It had been a bit after dark when Zelda had come back yesterday, and from his eyes he still had several hours before it was time to be back. No matter, he had plenty to occupy his time.

~~The Eternal Game~~

Zelda had had a rather bad day. Her second bad day in a row, in truth, even if the morning and evening had been great yesterday and the morning had been wonderful once more. Her Link, once again shirtless, once again waking her up with cooking…it was enough to make her shiver even now, hours later.

Spending the day without him had been a most unpleasant adjustment, however. They had not been separated for longer than an hour or two for longer than she cared to remember, and yet now they had to spend most of the day apart. So many times had she turned to him only to remember that he was not there. He was never far from her mind, never more than when they were apart.

It had been odd as well; a strange drain in her soul that she had never experienced as she weaved today. She had changed her entire plan for the item overnight, but thankfully had not been so far along the process that she would not be able to do it. Even more thankfully, what she wanted to do was not so great a task that she would not be able to finish it by the end of the week. Her Link deserved the best, and he was right when he had said that a cloak would be nice.

Honestly, Link had far too much faith in her. Her magic potential being close to his was a generous way of saying she had magic potential. Sure, she had it, and sure, it was a lot…but she was not the one who had broken the scale. Then again it was just like Link to forget the details and undervalue himself; for the living and breathing reincarnation of the Hero of Myth, he was incredibly humble. He never talked about how he could cut through chunks of the Skylian Army and Knights, never bragged about the fact that he could take on the entirety of the Royal Guard and win without even being out of breath.

Yet…well, when someone capable of that much had unshakable faith in you, what else could you do but try to rise to the challenge? So she had started in on the cloak properly, and found the day speeding by even as she missed him terribly. Fitting, of course; she loved him, and while working on something for him to use made the day go by, not having him there by her side made it far less pleasant than it could have been otherwise.

A heavy sigh, even as she approached the dormitory, damp hair clinging to her neck. She should not be so possessive. Her Link deserved the chance to have his own experiences, his own free time, even if he never asked for it. In truth, however, he likely never would, and this week was…well, it was likely good for him. It was slightly concerning that two days into having free time without her he was already going after monsters, however.

She wondered what he had decided to do; bokoblins, maybe? As concerned as she was, she knew he could handle it. He had trained with her, after all, had gotten her to the level of a Knight according to her father. She had been able to best every other student of the Academy as well, and she was quite proud of that feat, and she knew Link was so much better in combat than her that it was not even funny. It did not keep her from worrying about him.

Knowing him he would jump straight into the deep end and hunt down Lizalfos or Moblins. It was not like he had anything to fear from them; even in vast numbers they would not be able to harm him. They were not even close to a threat to him unless he was distracted, and without her there for him to worry about…well.

Guilt flared up within her at the knowledge that she held him back, tempered only by the knowledge that he very visibly enjoyed her company. Now more than ever, after the past two days, and the memories of those lovely moments were more than enough to squash the guilt. So, buoyed by the wondrous feeling that came with the knowledge that the person she loved felt the same way, she finally made it to their rooms.

Her key unlocked the door, the door opening and the smell of cooking food washed over her. Roasted meat, spices, pumpkin, fresh bread and honey all had her pausing right there, door open and eyes closed, just breathing it all in. She heard several jealous proclamations from nearby students, the only thing that jolted her from her thoughts. She stepped in, closing the door behind her, hearing a pleasant humming from the kitchen.

Her ears twitched in interest, even as she knelt down to take off her shoes. Not boots, not like she was used to; no, part of the ritual demanded that she wear actual shoes. She was not one to question the Goddess, but they seemed rather impractical. No ankle support, for starters.

The humming matched no tune she had ever heard, and she had heard as many as Link, yet she knew that it was not something random either. It had a rhythm to it, a repeated line that transitioned into something more. She listened for several moments, still unable to place it, until her Link called out to her.

"Are you going to stand there all night, or are you going to come eat?" Embarrassment flared, but there was no censure in his voice. Simply amusement, and she was so very grateful for it. Not just because she had not upset him, but because he was displaying the emotion in his voice. She had yet to become used to it, but she was delighted by the opportunity to do so. It was not something she had ever expected; his eyes had been the only place to display emotions.

"Apologies, Link. I was simply enjoying your humming." She had no desire to discourage him, nor to embarrass him, but between the two she would take the latter. He had been making her blush so very much recently, after all, and she was not above wanting a little payback. Link hummed in acknowledgment, almost teasingly with the timing, and nodded.

"How was your day?" Care, sweet and earnest, shined in his eyes. He did not ask because he felt it required, did not ask because it was the standard; he asked because he wanted to know.

"Long and boring without you, in truth." She did not want to spoil her decision to make him a cloak just yet, but looking at him would see her spilling it all so quickly, so she looked around the room for a moment. Then she paused, confusion running through her as she stared at all of the things that had not been here this morning.

It started with the coffee table. It was normally empty, at most a few books or drinks upon it, but today it had something that had her knees going weak upon the sight of it. Big Platinum Rupees. Not one, but two, and a further eleven regular platinum rupees, and multiple golds alongside that! That was a minimum of 211,000 Rupees, before counting the gold! What in the Goddess's name had Link been doing?

There was no mercy to be had, either, for that was not even close to the end of it all. Two broadswords, a bow, a spear, and a knife, all of which she recognized as the standard issue gear for Knights. Then there was a black broadsword, recognizable from her studies as a Darknut's Sword due to the expanding tip, sitting casually next to three dozen glowing potions that she recognized as the weapon repair potion. Another empty bottle was with them, showing he had likely already repaired something. She was not sure what, however, as it could not be the black blade; never on record had one of those broken in an enemies hand, despite the strength of the Darknuts.

Then…then…then there were the gemstones. Massive jewels, uncut and fresh from the wilds, each and every one larger than her hand and gleaming in the luminous stone lighting. A sapphire, a ruby, two topaz, a few opals and amber rocks, all waiting to be refined and put to use, whether that was for magic, jewelry, or something in between. Zelda found herself whimpering as yet more things caught her eye in the form of Lizal Weapons, and not a small number of them either.

Then even more; a saddle that radiated magic, a parchment that gave off more. A bag full of enchantments she could not even start to recognize. She turned to Link, mouth opening and closing in incredulity, spotting blue eyes that were far too amused by her shock. She also spotted a golden bracelet, one she did recognize as the same type of bracelet her father wore, and that she had inherited from her mother even if she rarely wore it. An A-Level Compass.

"Link…what…how…why…" Her head was spinning, Link looking concerned as he strode towards her. She waved him off; she was hardly going to faint over a simple shock like this, but she felt she deserved an explanation.

"I believe that details of my…of my day can wait until you have explained, Link." Her voice was firm despite her own internal shakiness, and Link nodded agreeably. Because no doubt he did not see so much as a single thing wrong with what he had done today, did not see so much as a single impossibility with his actions today.

"Alright, but you need to sit down first. I'm sorry, if I'd known it would shock you that badly I would have made sure to put them up first, I just wanted to have dinner almost ready when you got back." And oh, those blue eyes looked so guilty even as he stood before her; not touching her despite clearly wanting to, but close enough to catch her should she fall. Uncertain whether his single mistake rendered her unwilling or unwanting to touch him, fear and uncertainty in those beautiful eyes. She could not take it a moment longer.

A moment later she was wrapping him in her arms, her precious Link eagerly seeking reassurance in her touch. She needed to be far more careful; she needed to encourage emotions and responses, not the opposite as she had just done. He may not blame her for a moment of shock, may not realize just how ridiculous this all was, but she certainly blamed herself. All these years of being with him and still she was astounded by the things he could do.

"It is alright, Link. I am not upset, I am not hurt or saddened or any other thing you have spinning in your mind. I was merely surprised by how above and beyond you have gone with your Bounty Board Jobs today." Indeed, with her mind returning to her that was the only possible explanation for this. Just what kind of missions he had undertaken, however, she did not know. She was unaware of any mission type that granted this much reward, and she knew that it was against the Supply Corps rules to let newcomers take A-Rank Missions, or indeed any mission that even came close to a Darknut. The monster that, supposedly, she would be just good enough to beat were she to encounter one. She doubted it, however.

Link nodded, beginning to pull away, but she did not let him. Her arms tightened and he stopped before he could even truly begin; one hand began to rub at his back and the other rose up to tangle in his hair. Tension drained from him as the most intimate hug they had shared so far continued, and she allowed her voice to quiet.

"I am sorry for my reaction, Link. I did not mean to distress you, and most certainly did not mean for you to think I would not want to touch you." She always wanted to touch him after all. Link's own apology was muffled by her neck, warm air sending pleasant shivers racing down her spine.

"'M sorry too. Didn't mean to upset you…" The first syllable was nearly unintelligible, but his apologizing at all displeased her. An inhale, an exhale, breathing deep of hair that was still the slightest bit damp and smelled strongly of safflina. He had had a bath before she returned home, then. A pity, she would not mind a third one with him…

No, bad Zelda. Comfort her distressed Link now, think the thoughts that belonged to her novels later. No matter how distracting his warm, soft body was in her arms.

"I am sorry, and you are sorry. I believe that we have apologized enough for my mistake, and please know that I am quite proud of your efforts, no matter my shock because of them." She pulled away; not much, just enough that the hand in his hair could slip down to his chin and tilt his head up just far enough to look her in the eyes. She needed to make sure this got through.

"I am not upset, I am not mad." It took him a moment, looking into her eyes, but the last remnants of tension drained away from him. His confidence returned enough to ask her a question.

"What caused it? I didn't think anything was too much…" Fondness, rising up within her like a summer storm. Of course not. Her Link was not the type to intentionally upset anyone. His sense, however, both common and of normal things, was a bit off. Always had been, but it was one of the things she adored about him.

"Link…seeing giant platinum rupees has usually been something relegated to the Royal Treasury. Very few places need to combine enough rupees to store a hundred thousand of them, after all. Gold rupees are more common, but not something anyone outside of merchants or the supply corps deals with on a day to day basis. Sure, when soldiers are paid it might be in those, but it may also be in smaller denominations." Link nodded slowly, not looking away from her.

"Then you had a Darknut Sword Link. Then you had raw gemstones. Then you had multiple weapons. Then you had A-Level gear. It was a bit much, all at once." Another slow nod, mind visibly racing.

"It felt like a lot as it all happened, but I didn't expect it to shock you so. I'm…" Zelda's fingers found his lip, resisting the urge to silence him with something far more appealing. She hushed him like a child, making sure to call upon every ounce of command she had practiced to gain over her life.

"You have apologized already, Link. There is no need to do so again; let us move on." A start of a nod, only to freeze against her finger. She smiled down at him, dropping the aura of command, and pulled him towards the kitchen.

"Now, I trust that you have made a large amount of food? Whatever you have done to earn so many rupees no doubt means you need a lot of food tonight." He kept looking at her, almost as though he could not believe she existed, but that was silly. She had been like this for as long as he had known her. Being so shocked by her forgiveness was natural, however; few and far between were the times Link had even had to apologize to her, and never had there been a time it was needed. Not even this time, if she was being truthful, but it was nice to have.

"I have. I was hungry, and if you were using a lot of magic with the weaving I figured you would be too." A thrum of warmth at his thoughtfulness, and even some at his absentmindedness. Trust him to forget about a, to him, minor thing in favor of the far more important thing; taking care of her. He also was not wrong; her stomach had been growling at her for some time. The mushroom skewers he had prepared for lunch, while delicious, were long gone.

"I did, and I am, so I am grateful for it. What are we having, and is there anything I can do to help?" She moved to wash her hands even as she asked that, despite having bathed right before coming here. She remembered his lessons from two nights ago, and would show it to him. Blue eyes watched her, still not entirely sure what to make of her, but her Link fell back into an easy camaraderie with her soon enough.

Even as they worked together to finish the massive meal, she pondered it. A single moment of distress on her part and Link was this concerned. Was this why it had taken him so long to open up? To express emotion so openly? What had happened in the orphanage, all those years ago? Had it even been that, or had it been something she had just missed in their childhood?

It was something to think upon, but for now she put it to the back of her mind. Her Link deserved her full attention, even without the fact that he was teaching her things, and the rich meat curry, mushroom rice balls, glazed veggies, meat skewers, steamed fish, and pumpkin pie definitely deserved her full attention as well. Enough attention, in fact, that when he handed her a plate with over half again what she normally ate she could not help herself.

"Link, I am trying to avoid getting fat! I know that we have been over this, but this is too much!" Her whining was playful, but inside she flinched the moment she realized she had said it. It was so easy to relax in his presence, to enjoy the now and ignore the realities of the world that it had just slipped out. Any other day it would not be an issue, but on any other day she had not accidentally hurt him.

Fortunately, however, his laughter was warm and relaxed, not a hint of tension or hurt within it. She could have slumped bonelessly onto the floor in sheer relief from that alone. Forget it not being suitable for a princess, forget it not being suitable for a lady, she would have done it without regret if she would not have then had to explain it.

"You gaining some weight would hardly be the end of the world, Zelda, and I'm pretty sure you would look amazing regardless." His teasing her right back with compliments as he had done two nights ago relieved her further; him following it up with more, with actual reasons, just warmed her right through.

"More importantly, you said that weaving was using your magic yesterday. That burns a lot of energy, energy that needs to be replaced." She looked at his tray, piled high with everything, and nodded in agreement. A most pleasant meal began soon after that, and she made it a point to sit beside Link tonight, so close he could not use his left arm to eat and she could not use her right. It was fine; his reassurance that she still very much wanted to be close to him was more important than facilitating easy conversation like she had done last night.

There was no speaking tonight during the meal, and that was fine. Link was eating even faster than normal, and in truth she was too. Weaving a cloak, imbuing it with enchantments, was not an easy task, as much as she might wish it to be otherwise. Especially when she was trying to weave multiple enchantments upon it without having the training or the natural inclination, praying to the Goddess to make up for her shortcomings.

Eventually, however, the meal was over and both of them were reclined back. She pulled Link into her, gently yet insistently, and all too soon she was cheering inside as he cuddled with her. Her fingers found his hair, adoring the soft waves, and he chuckled.

"You like my hair too much, I think." She frowned down at him, even if he could not see it.

"I like your hair a perfectly normal amount, thank you. It is hardly my fault it is so soft and easy to play with." The easy laughter they shared was a relief, and she finally broached the topic once more.

"So, how was your day today, Link? What all did you do?" He smiled, the gesture just barely visible against her shoulder, and spoke.

"I had a remarkably good day." Pleasure and sorrow lanced through her in equal measure. She was happy he had had a good day, of course she was…but her own emotions let her down as a small tinge of hurt welled up.

"It would have been a lot better if you'd been there, but other than that it really was good overall." Then the hurt vanished, all happiness and sunshine in her heart, and Zelda was left wondering whether he had felt the hurt within her or if he was just continuing the thought.

His story started fairly simple, and with what she had known. A pleasant morning with her, followed by a knight fetching him for the training exercise. Her father had pitted him against a Talon, of all things. Not the first time, likely not the last, but he had had fun with it for once. He expressed disappointment in the first part, the failings of Loftwing tactics against a single opponent fast enough to deny them. Some enjoyment with the middle of the fight, and actual contentment with the finale of it.

Only her Link would find joy in facing seven knights at once. Few were the people or monsters who could face that kind of onslaught and survive it; Link had not only managed but was eagerly looking for more tomorrow. Anticipating better foes in the form of the Royal Guard who were Knight Commander level surrounding him and fighting him. She could not stop herself from expressing it, and the smile he gave her was both happy and blissfully free of guilt.

He did not notice the butterflies that smile left her with, instead moving on with his story. Of talking with her father, of telling the King and the man who saw him as a son that his plans were to take missions today. Of a gift that, while reeking of nepotism and one that she really wanted to have words with him on considering her Link immediately went on A-Ranks…a gift she could not blame him for.

Link was special, in so very many ways, after all. He would be utterly wasted doing G, F, E, or D rank missions. His talents were beyond C and B rank missions, and in truth that only left A's for him…but Goddess her father did not have to do that on the first day! At least give him a day or two to get used to the system! Alas, that was not what her father had done.

No, instead he had given Link the best gear possible, let him pick out his preferred weapons in amounts that would have any other Knight looking in disbelief, and asked him to be careful. It was, in truth, probably the best way to approach it, but still! Her father was the King of Skyloft, he should be able to manage his words a bit better! Should have at least thought to advise him not to go out and fight a Darknut on his first day fighting monsters in ten years!

Link explained meeting Quartermaster Casa; his voice was entirely amused as he relayed how the woman flipped out on him, contacting the Head of the Supply Corps in an attempt to have Link sentenced to hard labor in the minds for the rest of his life for the high crime of having the King's permission. The logical part of her acknowledged that it was the right thing to do, but it was drowned out by the far larger part of her that was offended on Link's behalf. He did not even know how to lie, had barely started speaking regularly, and she dared?

Link's delight in the armory calmed her down, to an extent at least, and his happiness explaining his equipment. She knew all of it already, and truthfully he should too because he had had the same lessons…but they had also happened very early on, back when he had no idea what any of the words even meant. They had been lessons of history, of the development of them, rather than anything else. As such, it was little wonder he had no idea how it worked.

His missions had her sighing, wanting nothing more than to flop her head against the couch. So she did, part of her amused at the amusement she caused in him, part delighted at the fact that she could do little things like that without a lecture, and part of her exasperated beyond belief. Of course he would take 7 A-Rank missions to start. Of course he would take a further three mail deliveries for the area, because he would be in the area.

Of course Link would complete all ten missions with time to spare and return to Casa and see her flip out. Why ever would he not? Link, of course, would find over 30 Lizalfos an interesting diversion rather than a deadly challenge. Link would find clearing out a cave, where the only light was fires made by the monsters, to be a boring diversion more interesting because of the gems than anything else.

Naturally, her Link would find clearing two entire outposts of monsters to be a feat barely worth mentioning, because did she not know about Darknut's? About how amazing they were to fight, about their skill and surprising honor? In his defense, no, she did not. Darknut's were not an honorable foe; countless times in history they had cared through defenseless civilians, but of course Link would find the one that kicked him a blade because he shattered a knight broadsword.

Link would, against all odds, find the uncommon truffles and impossibly rare Big Truffles with ease. Of course he would complete ten quests in less than a full afternoon, when a full company of the Skylian Army would die trying. A few more minutes passed, Link drinking some water and continuing to explain, before he brought up the first thing that gave her pause.

"Oh, did you know that Darknut Blades can expand?" Zelda's brain chewed that over for a moment, then every part of her froze. She had been too shocked to notice it before, but the black blade had been small. It had been Link's size, and her eyes flicked over to it and no, no her memories were not playing tricks on her. Darknuts were famed for their size, strength, speed, and skill; the first one should have clued her into the fact that something was not quite right.

"How did you find that out?" And so came the simple story; a darknut wielding a broadsword, and Link's insistence that no matter how hilariously large it would be for him, he would get something out of it. How his magic drained a bit, and so too did the black blade. How it expanded out to as large as a claymore for a darknut, and how it had been chipped. Damaged to the point it took an entire bottle of weapon repair potion to fix it, in fact, and that set her mind to spinning once more.

Soon enough, however, conversation ended, and the pair found themselves snuggling rather than speaking. Zelda enjoyed it; she mourned the fact that his head would not be on her lap tonight, but she adored the fact that his body was pressed against hers and his head was on her shoulder. She did not even have to sneak her face to his head; it was simply a natural position, a comfortable one.

"What do you think I should do with the rupees?" His voice was quiet, many minutes after they had last spoken. It took Zelda a few moments to even realize he had spoken, drifting pleasantly in fields of safflina as she was.

"Apologies, but I did not catch that." He repeated it obligingly, voice tinged with apology for drawing her from her daze. What should he do with the rupees…well, she did not know. They were, after all, his.

"I do not know. Perhaps you should look into getting some armor…considering how many of them you have, enchanted armor at that. I know that the Mage's College offers that for those willing to pay. You could also get some enchanted weapons. I would suggest drawing supplies, but that will not take up more than a hundred or so." A laugh, gentle and kind, her hand tapping lightly against his head.

"You could get higher quality supplies, for once. Do not think that I am unaware of how you skimp when it comes to your luxuries. Our allowance is given to us for a reason, and it is specifically for that purpose." He deserved to have quality drawing tools and paper, rather than the basic stuff he used. He made wonders with it, but he deserved access to quality.

Link hummed, considering. No doubt he was dismissing the last part and focusing on the first two, but she could not prevent that. It was simply him. The two lapsed into a most pleasant silence once again, but all too soon it was time for bed. The pair reluctantly parted, wishing each other a good night, and Zelda retreated to her rooms, idly tapping the crystal lights to turn them off as she went. They had forgotten last night, after all.

It was then, as she opened the door, that the last and perhaps most thoughtful of Link's surprises was revealed. Sitting in a vase on her nightstand was a softly glowing bouquet of flowers, blue stars swaying in the night. A beautiful scent caressed her, her favorite flower sitting so easily there. Not wilting, not drooping; happy, facing the door despite now being inside and away from the sun and glowing a beautiful blue.

Silent Princesses.

A flower that would not, could not, bloom anywhere except for the wild. A flower that wilted within an hour of it being cut, that lost the signature scent within thirty minutes of it. Somehow, impossibly, thoughtfully sitting atop her night stand, simply because her Link knew she liked it. The impossible made manifest, and if there was one thing, just one thing that described Link, it was that. She stepped towards it, slowly and carefully, and a few moments later she was touching the bloom.

They did not bloom in daylight, not properly. It required starlight and moonlight to get a glow like this, which meant that these had just been put here not long before she had arrived. It meant that Link had failed to clean up the things that surprised her not because of his cooking, but because he was setting up a vase of her favorite flowers to somehow still be in full bloom when she entered her room. Because he was breaking the rules of reality to be thoughtful.

She would not put it past him to not even know all of those things about the flower, either. To have simply noticed that it did not glow as she had told him it did, so he put it where it would absorb the moonlight until right before she would come home to him. To be entirely unaware of the magic he had wrought with such a simple, thoughtful gift. The petals felt soft, like his hair, and it was to her surprise that she felt something running down her cheek.

One hand came up, catching a liquid, and in the soft blue glow it revealed itself as a tear. Not sad, but so very, very happy. Of course Link would be so thoughtful. Of course he would think about her even as he wandered the wilderness, miles and miles and miles away from her while she was feeling sorry for herself. Of course he would be so kind, to get her something that showed beyond any possible doubt his care for her, rather than mope about like a child because she was not with him.

Guilt and love fought in her chest, and the love won by a massive margin. She spun on her heel, walking to Link's door and knocking gently on it. He opened it, concerned and confused, that beautiful face oh so worried because she was breaking their pattern. Her arms were around him and pulling him tight before he could even open his mouth, hugging him tightly and her lips pressing to his head.

It took everything she had not to seek more, not to claim more. Her Link was so precious, so wonderful, and yet just a few short hours earlier he had been concerned he had upset her. Zelda did not deserve him; it was a truth she knew, in her heart and her soul, but she would do everything she could to be worthy of him and his simple kindness.

"Thank you."

Her voice was a whisper, spoken into his hair, but his concern vanished as he seemingly realized what had triggered this. He hugged her in return, and they stood in each other's arms for far longer than was wise. The entire time Zelda was fighting her desire for more, fighting her desire to push him further into the room and onto his bed and show him just how much it meant to her that he would commit to such a simple kindness.

It was funny; Link had had access to her room for as long as she could remember. It had started with her dragging him in, ten years ago, and insistently telling him that he could come in whenever. He never had; never once, on any occasion, had he entered her room for any reason unless she was both there and invited him in. He had made it clear that she was welcome in his space, and she had not the strength to deny herself that, but he had never granted himself the same luxury.

Then, after three beautiful days, where he had done so wonderfully, where he had shown so much of himself to her without needing to rely upon the micro expressions she had learned to read, he finally let himself into her space. Not to wake her, or to speak to her, or because he was bored or tired or any of the hundreds of petty reasons Zelda had bothered him.

No, Link let himself into her space for the sole purpose of giving her an impossible gift. He spent what was likely five whole entire seconds in her room, entering without her direct acknowledgement for the first time in her life, to surprise her with a gift. To grant her something she never expected to have, to allow her something that vanishingly few other woman in Skyloft had ever been given.

To be given blooming Silent Princesses was, while not quite a declaration of love, still a gift that showed how much someone meant to you. It was to find incredibly rare flowers that bloomed most in the hidden areas of the world, to return to your home, to let them soak in the night air long enough to glow, and only then locate the one you cared for. It was only not a declaration of love because too many people would die trying to achieve it, and it would be an impossible standard.

So, little wonder then, that it had been the remit of romance novels, where the hero gave unto his beloved a blooming bouquet. A memory that set that lovely molten warmth pooling in her belly again, that had blood rising to her face and ears. That had her holding him even tighter, breathing deeply of safflina and steel and oil and the odd scent that her mind would always attribute to Link that did not quite match anything else.

It took Zelda everything she had not to go further. To not draw her head back, lean down, and start kissing him. There were several seconds, in fact, where she did not even know why she was trying to stop herself. Then the fact that she would have to separate from him once again tomorrow, and then again, and then again. Were she to begin kissing him, to fulfill the dreams that had been claiming her nights, she would not have the strength to leave him.

She had duties, responsibilities, and Link should not have to sacrifice his equally limited free time because she would not be able to part from him. Were she to kiss him it would all be over. He would not stop her, she was sure of that; they would be in his room and on his bed in mere moments, and she would be enthusiastically doing everything she had ever wanted to.

Zelda did not have the strength for this. Not to let him go, now or tomorrow, and most certainly not to push forward even with how much she wanted to. The thought of finally claiming him as hers, completely and utterly, and then having to leave him afterwards? Of not spending the entirety of the next day with him, settling and cementing the newest and most wonderful step in their relationship…it hurt. It hurt more than she could describe.

So she held him, breathing deep of his scent and imprinting it in her mind. She held her Link, delighting in the fact that he did not even try to pull away. He was every bit as greedy for contact with her as she was for him, and it was only that knowledge that soothed the need within her.

It would be a long time before she let him go, and her body would regret staying up so late when she awoke to the scent of Link's incredible cooking in the morning. Zelda, however, would breathe deeply of Silent Princess, still impossibly blooming, and promptly melt all over again, never able to regret expressing her gratitude. Wishing, in truth, to have expressed it in a rather different way.

She dreamt of him; dreamt of Link and her, of Sylph and Rin, of flying. Of the emotions that flight inspired in her, and how similar they were to merely his presence. She dreamed of a life with him, of marriage and children with his hair and her face, of their blue eyes and between their heights. Taller than their father, shorter than their mother. She dreamed of happiness, and as she lay there in the morning, a molten puddle of a young woman, her resolve would grow stronger than ever.

Link was her happiness, and she would claim it

~~End~~

Betad partially by LuluViB|99th. Read and feedback given by Chojo and Slothful.

AN: This will be the last post of the year for me, it's looking like. I hate the fact that I've made it through 6 weeks and 3 chapters and already have to put a temporary hiatus on this, but life is a bitch sometimes. For example, I haven't had a single day off since the last chapter, and am likely to only have two for the rest of the year. So…yeah, no time to write. Sure, I have the backlog, but this one is already denting it since chapter 6 is sitting at about 200 words. Expect chapter 4 sometime within the first two to three weeks of January.