A/N:

Wow, this took a while. Sorry about that.

What was initially supposed to be contained in one chapter will now be spread across three chapters, so this is part one of three.

Some content warnings: Some especially bad language, and references to alcoholism and child abuse.

The next two chapters will have similar warnings.

On a different note, the names of these next few chapters are named after songs from a game- bonus points if you guess the game.

Anyways, enjoy.

At first, things were dull. Images flashed in front of Link, and it took him too long to realize that it was the past.

Images, scenes of a young boy- of him. Link knew that it was him. The boy, born to two Hylians in the Hyrulian royal guard. He grew up with few friends, quickly taking to the blade, quickly becoming a skilled swordsman.

He lived in a city with technology and magic- streetlamps with never-ending fire, houses with electric lights, simple robots used in farming. The Sheikah helped run Hyrule side-by-side with the king, fighting off monsters and in constant contact with the other races- Hyrule City was an epicenter where the Zora, Gorons, Gerudo, Rito, and every single other peaceful being in Hyrule could gather and live.

Link was human. Living, with flesh, a young boy with hay blond hair and bright eyes and affinity for the sword. He was admitted to the Hyrulian army while he was young and worked as a squire under one of the soldiers and worked harder after his parents were killed by monsters. He drew himself into his training, ignoring the other squires, and by the time he was twelve, he rivaled the skills of some of the army's captains.

When he was fourteen, he was properly knighted by the young queen- Queen Zelda, the new leader of Hyrule after the death of her father. She was tall with long golden hair, ice blue eyes, and she was ready to handle diplomacy with the rest of the world.

The Yiga were peaceful, amending past errors, working alongside the Sheikah, taking on a role as assassins and spies spread across the vast, lush land. The Twili rarely visited at any time other than nighttime and entered the world of light through an ancient, magical mirror deep in the castle courtyards.

Link was fifteen when the signs began- more monsters, a three-day-long lightning storm, avalanches in the Rito's mountain range, Death Mountain threatening to erupt, the Zora discovering dead fish in their rivers. Sheikah fortune tellers decided that it was a sign of danger facing Hyrule. Zelda started the campaign to find the new Hero of Hyrule.

Link was sixteen years old when he was on an expedition to the Lost Woods and accidentally came across and obtained the Master Sword.

Link was marched back to the castle, and soon found himself with Zelda in her room.

The queen looked him over, a short boy clasping a sword that looked too big for him. To his surprise, she smiled. "All things considered, I'm happy that you're the hero. I've suspected it, anyways, since your name is Link."

Link blinked. "Why are you happy that it's me?"

"Well, you've always been rather courageous. You're good for morale because people can trust such a young face." Her smile faltered. "How do you feel about your fate?"

"I'll gladly play the role of hero. I'm skilled and the Sheikah can further train me if they need."

Zelda held out her right hand to his left. On the back of her hand, a glowing spot in the shape of the Triforce lit up. On the back of Link's own hand, a near-identical sign appeared. He flinched away. "I-I've never seen that before!"

"Once the omens of destruction appeared, I accessed the Sacred Realm in order to locate you and the holder of Power. Already, there are rumors that the current leader of the Yiga Clan has Power; a man named Ganondorf."

Zelda gave Link a new room in the castle, close to hers, and next to three other empty rooms. The young queen left him alone once he promised to set up his room. Link set the sword down on the bed. He had few belongings and tried to be scarce as he moved his stuff but still got cornered by congratulatory knights.

Thankfully, Zelda returned later in the evening. "Ganondorf will be willing to meet with me by next week- he's in the middle of a mission right now. Even then... the three of us won't be enough to hold off whatever's coming."

"But that's how it's been in all of the stories," Link protested. "The bearers of Wisdom and Courage defeating the forces of evil, and the more recent stories tell of Power joining them. How would you know that you need more people?"

Zelda shook her head. "It's mostly precaution, but in these dreams, there were three other people helping the hero. None of them had marks of the Triforce, but they are implied to be needed in order to fight off the coming storm."

"Well, how are we supposed to find these people?" Link asked, allowing annoyance to creep into his voice.

"I know that we need three people- a fighter, a magician, and an engineer, all extraordinary in their areas of expertise. My dreams have been more specific than the others'- and I already have someone in mind to fit the magician's place. I'll be sure to contact her soon, and if she agrees to help, I'll invite her to meet you."

"You could just find a really good Sheikah scientist to be the engineer," Link mumbled. "And why can't I just be the fighter? Or one of the other knights?"

Zelda shook her head. "No, that won't work. It's hard for Sheikah engineers to be properly extraordinary, since they only work with one material. We need someone who can work with any material. Someone unnaturally skilled. They'll be the hardest to look for, while an especially skilled fighter is easy to locate. We can't check among the knights or any other organization. It's hard to find someone just as skilled as you.

"The dream did provide me some details about the people, though. The magician should be from the Twili realm, the fighter is somewhat... demonic, if I remember correctly, and the engineer... I can't remember too much about them."

"Do you want me to help look for the engineer?" Link asked. "I'm known by a lot of people, even if I'm not friends with too many of them."

"Good idea. Take some time to pick up some rumors and stuff."

Link wandered through the outermost districts of Hyrule City, pausing to check the city map. It glowed when he interacted with it and was quick to help him pinpoint one of the outmost districts, mostly housing poorer citizens. Link used to have a few friends back there, but no one who was interested in engineering. He spent his mornings and afternoons wandering the city, then took a ride on the monorail to get back to the castle.

The monorails, created with a mixture of Sheikah technology and Zora design, were sleek and effective and comfortable to ride in, but they took up too much power.

"That's one of the reasons why we need to find that engineer," Zelda admitted. "We hope that they can help us figure out a better way to power the city."

"What about the fighter?"

Zelda only shrugged. "We need help with monster hordes, and it'd do well for you to have a skilled sparring partner."

At one point, while Link was out practicing, Zelda sent for him. He strode swiftly through the beautiful halls of the castle. Even now, after a few years of working in service to the royal family, the red-carpeted halls impressed him. The elaborate paintings and gleaming chandeliers always seemed like something out of a dream.

He found Zelda in her room, speaking with a tall Twili woman. Link recognized the Twili almost immediately- she was the princess of the Twilight realm, her father the king. If he remembered correctly, she was the same age as Zelda. She had long, fiery orange hair and bluish skin with black markings, wearing a carefully decorated cloak. She inspected Link once he entered the room.

Link immediately bowed to the Twili woman. "Z-Zelda called me here, I apologize if I'm interrupting anything. I'll leave if I must."

"You're good," the Twili woman responded, waving a hand. "I'm the reason Zelda called you here. I'm not really sure why, though."

Zelda grinned, and gestured for the two of them to sit on the couch. "Link. This woman is the magician we are looking for. She is the most skilled magic-user in the Twilight realm, and therefore more skilled than any magic user in the land."

The Twili woman grinned over at Link. "Zelda here tells me that you're the chosen hero- and I guess that cool-lookin' sword on your back really does mean that you're the hero. Your name's Link, huh? I'm Midna. I look forward to working with you."

Link sent out to once again gather rumors about a fighter or engineer, leaving Midna and Zelda at the castle. It'd been a week since the queen had introduced him to Midna. That day, Link decided to hang out with some Sheikah scientists. The Sheikah were a widespread organization, so he was sure that he could get valuable information from them.

Rumor-gathering turned out to be easy. He managed to hear rumors of an inventor in Hyrule City who anonymously repaired people's devices, created their own inventions, and sent in robots for each tournament. Whoever they were, they sounded talented- the Sheikah explained that they had managed to get a look at their work and found that this strange engineer could handle Sheikah tech, Goron tech, Rito tech... just about everything.

The next day, Link was summoned by Zelda.

He met with Midna and Zelda in the castle's laboratory- located near the library and packed with a myriad of Sheikah contraptions. Midna seemed to be teasing one of the functional robots, making its arms float up and undoing its bolts. Once she spotted Link, she sent a bolt of energy through the robot and left it trembling. Zelda gave her a half-hearted stern look. "That's a bit mean."

"It's a robot," Midna responded with a smile. "I'm sure if anything goes wrong, the engineers around here can fix it." She snapped her fingers and the robot stopped convulsing. "Hey, hero boy. Spar with me some time. I don't usually get a chance to fight against a good sword user. Besides, we might as well get to know each other. Zelda and I are already friends, and right now all I know about you is your name and that you're short."

Link's face reddened, and Zelda saved him from having to respond. "Anything to report?"

"Th-there were rumors of an anonymous, skilled engineer somewhere in Hryule Castle town," Link blurted. "The information is only that they can work with just about anything and that they're skilled. What did you two need?"

"We're going to summon a demon," Midna proudly declared.

"I take it you want me here to protect you."

"If you don't mind," Zelda murmured. "The Master Sword is specifically tuned for destroying evil, demons included. We've found writings of an ancient demon, along with ways to summon him- providing he still exists."

"I'd never heard of this guy," Midna sighed, snatching up a scroll. "But he sounds like a bastard. Some 'demon lord' who also happens to be a sword spirit."

"A sword spirit?"

"A spirit that inhabits a sword," Zelda briefly explained. "There aren't many in existence- there are myths that the Master Sword itself contains a sword spirit, but I don't have time to explain. Come on."

Link followed them out in the courtyard and was told to stand guard while they set up.

He remained at the area's perimeter while Midna and Zelda began the process of summoning. In the center of the courtyard lay what looked to be a splintered sword. Both women silently cast multiple spells, and the sword shattered, red and black and white fumes rising from its remains. Link settled into a fighting stance as those fumes gathered and solidified into a male figure- Link relaxed slightly as the figure staggered.

Midna and Zelda cut off their magic once the fumes dissipated, leaving a disoriented man standing above the sword. Link ran up to the figure, as Zelda gestured for him to. The man didn't look too demonic aside from his grayish skin and pure-white hair that covered one eye.

To get the man's attention, Link tugged on part of the man's cloak. He stumbled backwards as the man stared at him. "Y-you dare... touch me..." The man blinked; his eyes were black as obsidian but glazed over with confusion.

"Lord Ghirahim!" Zelda shouted, striding over to the demon, who glared at her. "To be fair, I doubted this would work. Now, then. We require your assistance."

"Why should I help you?" The demon spat, but there was a certain fear to his voice. "I must aid... my... my master! Yes. My master... Hmmm... who..." Horror dawned on the demon's face. "I can't remember."

A similar look of surprise came over Zelda. "What?"

Ghirahim straightened up, staring around. "I am Ghirahim, demon lord and sword spirit, a powerful fighter..." His dark eyes lingered on Link. "And that is all. I... have no memories of my master or... anything. Who are you, with that sword? You seem familiar to me."

"My name is Link, and I am the chosen hero of this era."

"Link... so familiar... and yet I can't place it... Ugh. All I know is that I m-must serve my master."

"Why not serve us?" Midna offered. Ghirahim shot her a suspicious look. "We are the ones who summoned you, and we need your help. Of course, we need the help of a very, very skilled fighter, so we're not sure if you are what we're looking for..."

"I'm the best fighter you'll ever find," Ghirahim suddenly declared, straightening up. "What do you need my help for? I have no ties... I desire to have some kind of purpose. I may be a servant, but I'll surpass any expectations you lay for me."

Amused, Zelda tilted her head. "This works out for us. Doom is on the horizon, and I, Zelda, Queen of Hyrule, am collecting four people to defend the world. Link here is the chosen hero, and Midna is the most skilled magician among the Twili. We think you are our fighter."

"Who is the fourth?"

"A good question," Zelda muttered. "We're trying to find a good engineer, and it's proving to be difficult. Do you agree to serve us? We can't do much to help you learn about your memories, since we don't know much, either. But it will be in everyone's favor if you agree to aid us."

Ghirahim scoffed, crossing his arms, but he nodded. "Fine. It's only natural that you should want my help. Now, then, where do we begin?"

"We've already begun, or we're trying to. Once we find our engineer, the four of you will begin preparing extensively in order to fight off the darkness. Until then, I will gladly show you around Hyrule. The world has changed much since you last existed in it."

"That was much easier than I expected," Midna laughed, walking ahead of Link. She wore a thick cloak with the hood pulled down over her head- direct sunlight would kill a Twili. They had left Zelda behind in the castle with Ghirahim and decided to search for the engineer. "The books that I found said that Ghirahim was rather ruthless, but there were never any specific details, just that at one point Ghirahim disappeared."

"I was worried he might try and kill us," Link admitted. "I'm glad that he agreed so quickly."

"Well, he has no memories. What was he supposed to do?"

Link and Midna paused at a cafe for a quick lunch, then discovered that the next day was one of the bimonthly robot tournaments. They gathered fliers; their anonymous engineer was most certainly going to enter and win. "That's one hell of a prize," Link mumbled, reading the flier. "Do they always have ten-thousand rupees as the prize?"

"Yup," Midna mumbled. "Always the same. The tournament is held at the coliseum. It's a quick monorail ride from the castle. I'll let Zelda know. If you want to look for a possible engineer, do it at tomorrow's tournament. We need to get back and help Ghirahim get situated. Maybe we can take him to the tournament!"

"Maybe... that's a good idea," Link muttered, still peering around. "Spar with me when we get back."

"Got it. I'll invite Ghirahim, too. We might as well get to know each other."

Midna managed to find seats that were located underneath an overhang and sighed happily as she took off her hood. "Oh, I love this stuff. I'm so happy that you Hylians have been making it easier for the Twili to find places like this." Link settled into the seat next to her, Ghirahim next to him. "The tournament should start in about ten minutes."

Ghirahim leaned forward. "This is a good-looking area. Lots of space for people to have a good, long fight. How do these robot tournaments usually turn out?"

"Depends on the subject," Midna sighed. "But this time, it's a collection-type tournament. There's two tournaments every month, giving engineers time to make something to fit that month's game."

"I take it the Sheikah always win, then," Ghirahim muttered, crossing his arms. "Zelda showed me a few of their robots. They move almost as fluidly as a human."

"Actually, some anonymous engineer wins almost every time. Their stuff always looks ugly and patchwork, but it works."

Link squirmed in his seat, then leapt up. "I'm going to take a walk," he announced. "Do you guys want me to pick up any food for you?"

"I'm fine," Midna replied. "Besides, why should you have to get us food? Ghirahim and I are the adults here."

Link pouted. "Yeah, well, I'm the hero, and I need to move around a bit. I'll be back when the tournament starts."

It wasn't hard to weave his way through the tournament seats and then down into the shadowy halls. The prep room was said to be opposite the entrance, so Link headed down that way. Most engineers prepared early, so that room was sometimes filled with waiting robots. That was the situation when Link peeked in, a shiver running down his spine as he stared at the unmoving shapes.

"You're not allowed to look in there unless you're one of the engineers," a voice said from behind Link.

Link flinched, and pulled the door shut. "Sorry. I was just curious." He turned and found himself face to face with a tired-looking guy. "Nice to meet you. What's your name?"

He supposed that the guy was a teenager like him, but he was already a few inches taller than Link, and had faint gray circles under his eyes. He gave Link a suspicious look. "Uh. Hi. I'm Linebeck."

Up close, Linebeck certainly did look a bit odd. He was almost gaunt, wearing a soot-stained dress shirt and some slacks that were tightened around his waist with a belt that looked to have five extra holes cut into it. The nicest thing he wore was a red silk scarf tied around his neck. Linebeck's fingers were long and thin, shifting up and down as he fiddled with a Rubik's cube. His dark, almost green-colored hair reached his shoulders and stuck out in odd places. Linebeck looked Link up and down and sat on a bench nearby. "You shouldn't be back here."

The look that Linebeck gave Link was sullen. Link stared at Linebeck's eyes- pale green lines curled in a symmetrical pattern in the whites of his eyes. They seemed to glow faintly. "I-I didn't mean to insult you or anything, I just... got curious. I'm looking for someone."

"Who?" Linebeck sighed. "If you don't know who you're looking for, what's the point? You're that hero, right? I didn't expect to meet you. I saw you're with that Twili princess, too. She a friend or something?"

"She's helping me!" Link answered. "Same with the pale guy. Are you here to watch the tournament?"

Linebeck grinned. In the darkness, with his angular face, it almost looked threatening. "Yeah, kinda. I've always liked the subject. I entered a robot of my own! I'm the best engineer you'll find in all of Hyrule, and I'd bet actual money on that. Now, leave me alone. I'd rather not talk to you any longer."

Link stifled a scowl. "Friendly guy," he muttered under his breath. As he walked away, he could've sworn he heard Linebeck start talking to someone who wasn't there, holding a one-sided conversation. Link found himself questioning Linebeck's sanity all the way back to Midna and Ghirahim.

"So, how was it?" Ghirahim asked, giving Link a sly smile. "That was fast."

"I ran into Linebeck," Link bluntly said. Midna raised an eyebrow. "An engineer. He's not very nice, but he's worth keeping an eye on. He said he entered a robot of his own into the tournament."

The tournament started quickly, the premise being that the robots' task was to collect as many colored balls as possible. The most successful robot was a patchwork mess, made up of all kinds of materials.

"That thing looks like hell," Ghirahim grunted. "But it gets the work done. Still, where's the elegance? The beauty to it? If I were judging, I say the Zora robot wins."

Midna smacked Ghirahim in the back of the head. "This ain't a beauty pageant, buddy."

Link hugged his knees to his chest. "It looks dangerous and unfinished. Look at the broken wires and sharp edges. There are a few beams that look like they don't belong- see the bent one with the sharp edge? But it's moving steadily and carefully detecting the balls. It's programmed really well."

"Still looks as ugly as a bokoblin."

As expected, the patchwork robot won, and the three of them left for the castle. "Of course, that robot's creator doesn't show up," Midna muttered. "Can't stay anonymous if you show your face at every tournament."

Back at the castle, Zelda rounded up the three of them. "I take it you're adjusting quickly, Ghirahim? Link, I found that guy's folder. Linebeck's last name is Lancrester, and he has no living family. His mother was of Gerudo descent while his father was Hylian, and his mother divorced his father when he was very young. The father was later killed in a mugging." Zelda handed the folder over to Link. "There's not much recorded after the father was kicked out, aside from some notes about the mother and brother dying. Why are you so interested in this guy again?"

"I'm thinking he's the engineer we're looking for," Link mused, peering at the papers. "He's fourteen years old? Goddesses, he's taller than me by, like, half a foot."

Zelde shrugged. "Like I said, his mother was of predominantly Gerudo descent. Based off the pictures, he takes more after his mother than his father, the same for his late brother."

Link shut the folder and handed it back to Zelda. Ghirahim was the one to break the brief silence. "So now what? We corner the brat and force him to tell us whether or not he makes patchwork robots on the side? He's fourteen. His voice probably still cracks. I don't think he's old enough to have the experience needed for this stuff."

"Well..." Zelda pursed her lips, looking back at the folder. "There isn't much about the brothers' time at school, but it seems that Linebeck was in and out of school a lot, and actually got sub-par grades, but his teachers made notes that he was really interested in the engineering field. They all said that there was no way he could do well because he didn't like to follow rules and couldn't work in a group."

"Are we cornering this kid or not?" Midna asked. "If he does end up being our engineer, I'm sure he'll be happy to move into the castle with the rest of us, though I dunno if he'll want to hang around us. He seems pretty antisocial."

"We'll go tomorrow," Zelda decided. "I know where he lived before the rest of his family died, and though it seems that he abandoned it, that's a good place to check."

"Good!" Midna chirped. "Ghirahim and I will do some magic practice for the rest of today. I'll bring him to the Twilight realm for a bit so we can get the best results." She gave the demon a hearty slap on the back, and all he did was sigh, hands on his hips. "If negotiations with Linebeck work out, I say we go and celebrate, Zelda."

"Just the two of us? Sure."

Zelda tentatively knocked on the door, and after about a minute, to their surprise, the door opened just a bit. Link, Zelda, Ghirahim, and Midna all stepped back. Zelda gave the glowering teenager a smile. "Hello." Linebeck glared at the four of them from the thin space between the door and the doorway. "We just want to talk to you for a bit."

"You're the queen."

"Yeah. May we come in?"

There was a long pause. Linebeck glanced to the side, as if listening to someone else talk, then nodded. "...Fine. Please try to be quick. I'm in the middle of something." He opened the door and allowed the visitors into the room. It was dark and muggy, but a small fan hummed in the corner.

"I thought you no longer lived here," Zelda commented, peering around the room. It was small, with nothing but a single table and a few chairs in the middle a few doors leading to other rooms. "No one has seen you enter this building in a while."

"There's more than one entrance," Linebeck muttered, picking a mug up off the table. "What do you want from me? Your hero's been tailing me for the past few days."

"Are you an engineer?" Zelda asked, cutting right to the chase. "We're in need of a skilled engineer."

Linebeck raised an eyebrow in interest. "Why not hire one of your Sheikah guys, then? Why go for some shitty gutter rat like me?"

"We have reason to believe that your skills are much more diverse and much more honed than that of a strictly trained Sheikah engineer. If you're the one we're looking for, then you're very open-minded with your work and can somehow crank out high-quality products in a limited amount of time." Zelda glanced around the mostly bare room. "Would you like to show us around?"

"...I'll show you my workshop."

The door furthest to the right led to a basement of sorts. Linebeck led them down the steps, carefully sipping whatever he was drinking. Ghirahim cursed under his breath, sneezing on some dust. "You don't clean down here often, do ya?" he growled.

Linebeck glanced back at Ghirahim. "I keep my workplace clean. I don't care about dust, though, so that's your problem, not mine." He took another sip of his drink, then switched on some lights. "Don't touch anything."

Link stared in awe at the three rows of tables. Myriad inventions littered the tables. "You made all of this?"

"Of course. I'm very skilled."

"And that's what we're looking for," Zelda said. She placed a hand on Linebeck's shoulder, only to have it roughly slapped away.

"Don't touch me," Linebeck mumbled.

"Apologies. You're fourteen, correct?"

"Yup." Linebeck took another sip of his drink- Zelda was now close enough to smell it. Black coffee, probably. "I've always liked building stuff. Had lots of time to. Screw up a kid enough, and he'll spend all his time studying engineering." Linebeck turned his wary gaze onto Zelda. "You said you needed my help? What do you need my help with?"

He was amusingly businesslike. Zelda forced herself not to smile. "We need four people to help us protect against some evil down the line, and you're the fourth person we need."

Skepticism was clear in Linebeck's eyes. "What do I get out of this, if I agree to help?"

"You'll be given a room at the castle, and as many supplies and tools that you want to work on your projects in return for your help."

"Okay. What exactly will I be helping with? I understand the others, helping fight off monsters and shit, but what about me?"

"You'll take a support role," Zelda explained. "I'd say that works for you, since you're younger than the others and have an expertise with engineering."

"Will I get to keep all of my stuff? Can I take it to the castle?"

"Of course. You can either bring it yourself or you can let some Sheikah carry it."

"I'll take it myself. Seems like you guys need some intelligence in this group." Linebeck flinched as Link and Ghirahim burst out in indignant shouting. Midna only sighed. Linebeck glanced over his shoulder, glowering at Link specifically. "Oh, please, you come off as nothing but an idiot with a cool sword. You don't need brains to swing a sword well."

"Let's go and get you set up at the castle," Zelda quickly said, pressing her hands together. "I assume you'll want to take your own stuff. Go ahead and grab as much as you can right now, and I'll take you to your room."

Linebeck tilted his head to the side. "I want Ghirahim to carry some of my stuff. He can take my tools."

"Why me?"

"'Cuz I want you to. We're gonna be working together; might as well start now." Linebeck flashed a sly smile, and they all immediately knew that he was going to be a pain in the ass.

The monorail ride to the castle was silent, save for the muted clicking and scraping of Linebeck's Rubik's cube. Ghrahim was stuck sitting next to him, the worn tool bag on his lap. Zelda and Midna sat on the other end of the car, sitting close together. Link made sure to sit as far from Linebeck as possible. Then again, on the way to the monorail station, a dog had barked and Linebeck had reacted by yelping and hiding behind Ghirahim.

"All four of your rooms are lined up in this hall," Zelda explained, walking by the first three doors. "Yours is the last one, and you'll be next to Ghirahim. Link's is the first, Midna's the second. My room is down the hall, up the stairs, and through the big gates. You can talk to me almost whenever you need."

Linebeck stared owlishly at her. "You're treating me like a kid."

"I told the others the exact same thing."

"You're treating me like a kid. I'll set my stuff up on my own. I don't have to pay rent or anything, right?"

"No, you don't-"

"Cool. Don't bother me unless you need to." With that, Linebeck snatched the tool bag and Ghirahim and disappeared into his room, locking the door.

"Goddamn brat," Ghirahim growled under his breath.

Linebeck somehow managed to bring all his personal items into his room without a single other member of the group seeing him. He didn't even open his door for the next few days. Link decided to ignore the young engineer and decided to spend those days practicing his swordsmanship with Ghirahim. Midna occasionally joined, and at one point they decided to practice out on Hyrule Field.

They returned to the castle and discovered that Linebeck was sneaking out of his room through the window, using a rope. "That kid's mental," Ghirahim muttered, scowling up at the open window. "It'd be easier for him to just walk down the hall."

"Let him adjust," Link mumbled. "Besides, it's not bothering us. Let's go. Zelda will deal with him if he becomes a problem."

For the next two weeks, Linebeck avoided them like the plague- ducking into nearby rooms if he ran into them in the halls, locking himself in his room at night or while working, and refusing any help from the other engineers at the castle. Perhaps the most unfortunate consequence of his antisocial nature was his lack of friends.

Once the third week began, Ghirahim told the others of his plan to try and gain Linebeck's trust. He set off in the morning, greeting Linebeck outside his door while Link and Midna watched from around the corner. Most of the time, he was working on a project, but other times he was wandering around and minding his business, avoiding human interaction. Ghirahim was the only one that Linebeck tolerated for longer than a few seconds, and he went quiet and allowed the demon to talk to him.

To everyone's surprise, Linebeck let Ghirahim shadow him for the day. He even said that he was making stuff for the three of them with the help of a friend.

Who that friend was, Link had no idea. Neither did Midna, because she later asked him while they were in the library.

"I don't think he's ever had any friends," was Link's half-joking response.

Though it was intended to be joking, the two of them kept that possibility in the backs of their minds.

Later that night, Ghirahim came to them with the news that Linebeck had allowed him to stick by him while he was working. "He's still a little shit, but he's a bit nicer. The other engineers don't seem to like me much. They keep their distance."

"What was he working on?" Midna asked.

"I dunno. But he kept talking to himself under his breath. Whaddya think's up with his eyes, too? I've never heard of anyone, human or otherwise, with eyes like that. It's clearly not natural."

"Add that to the list of things that don't make sense with this kid."

Not a single one of those things were explained until a month after all four of the started living at the castle.

Link tidied up his bed, as he always did before turning in for the night. He left the lamp on the desk on, but kept the curtains covering the windows and every other light off. It was often quiet in the castle, but, for now, Link could hear Midna practicing magic.

It was quiet up until ten at night. Link was wrapped up in his blankets when a scream shattered the silence. He leapt out of bed without a second thought, grabbing the Master Sword and bursting out of his room, still in his pajamas. The screaming devolved into panicked shouting and begging, and Link quickly realized that both Ghirahim and Midna had also abandoned their rooms. They all met eyes and simultaneously looked to Linebeck's room.

Ghirahim beat them to it and threw the door open with a bit more force than was needed. Link and Midna hesitated outside the doorway while Ghirahim, the only person that Linebeck trusted, strode in. They were all relieved to find him alone in his room, but he was thrashing in his bed, locked in a nightmare of some sorts. Ghirahim sighed heavily and cursed under his breath. Without any care, he tore the blankets off the writhing teen, and grabbed him by the shoulder.

The sudden contact must've snapped Linebeck awake, because he hastily grabbed something from under his pillow and swung it at Ghirahim. Blood dripped down Ghirahim's arm from a new cut, and he stared at the knife in Linebeck's hand. "You sleep with a knife under your pillow?"

"P-piss off," Linebeck snapped. He held the knife out in front of him, which would've been mildly threatening if his hand weren't shaking so badly. Actually, he looked pitiful enough that Link and Midna walked into the room and Ghirahim sat down at a desk. Linebeck sat with his back to the wall, blankets still draped over his shoulders. He was trembling and practically gasping for air, having forgotten that he was still crying. He looked nothing like the eclectic engineer they'd grown to recognize him as that past month.

"Nightmare?" Link asked, setting his sword down on the desk. "Are you alright-"

"I'm fine!" Linebeck rasped. "Go away!"

"You were screaming in your sleep," Midna retorted. "Normally, we'd leave you alone by now, but I'm concerned."

Linebeck shifted, and his open dress shirt shifted with him, too. Link, Ghirahim, and Midna all saw the pale, blotchy scar the covered half of Linebeck's chest.

Linebeck seemed aware at they'd seen it, too, and hastily buttoned his shirt up. "Y-you're not going to leave me alone, are you?"

Ghirahim shrugged. "Not until you give us some kind of explanation."

"Fine," Linebeck muttered, but the relief in his eyes was obvious. "I'm not going to back to sleep any time soon. Are we allowed to go down to the kitchen this late at night?"

"Yeah, why?"

Linebeck shrugged, avoiding Midna's gave. "I'm a bit hungry," he mumbled. "I'll talk if you're willing to make something for me to eat. I haven't eaten since Wednesday."

It was Friday night. They had to oblige if he wasn't lying. "Fine. Come on, let's get you to the kitchen." Ghirahim reached out towards Linebeck, but the teen barely gave him a second glance as he hopped out of bed and walked past him.

"If you're going to touch me, ask first."

"You were asleep!" Ghirahim wryly snapped, taking up the rear of the group. "I couldn't ask you."

Midna kept lights in the kitchen dim, and she and Ghirahim checked the cupboards and ice boxes for food. Link checked for pots and pans, and Linebeck sat sullenly at the countertop, saying, "I've only been in the labs and the library."

"You're missing out, then!" Link set a frying pan on the stove. "There are some really pretty rooms around the castle!"

"Maybe." Linebeck shifted, his strange eyes darting around. He murmured something under his breath, then, more loudly, asked, "Can you guys make crab cakes? And rice?"

Ghirahim let out an irritated groan, and Midna couldn't even hide the way her eye twitched. "Yeah, sure. We'll make white rice."

Link decided to make the rice, getting a pot out, and Ghirahim tossed him a pack of rice. "So," Link began, filling the pot with water. "What's your deal? My parents are dead, and I don't have many friends, Midna is... fine, as far as I know, and Ghirahim is an amnesiac. What's your baggage?"

Linebeck stared blankly back at him. "Are you sure you want to hear all of my issues?"

"We've got until morning," Link brightly replied.

Linebeck shifted, glanced over his shoulder out of the kitchen, then got off his chair. He shut the door to the kitchen and returned to his seat. "Okay. Don't tell anyone anything you hear unless I let you."

"Got it," Midna agreed. "I'm good with secrets, trust me."

"Okay. Okay, okay, okay." Linebeck flapped his hands for a few seconds, clearly psyching himself up. "Okay. So. I grew up with my mom, my brother, and that other guy."

"You mean... your father?" Ghirahim dryly asked, dumping a bunch of crab meat into a bowl.

"I never had a father," Linebeck spat. "And no commentary until I'm done, got it?"

Ghirahim only shrugged.

Linebeck took a deep breath. "By the time I was born, he... my father, was an alcoholic. It was the worst by the time I came around, and my mom was already thinking of divorcing him. He'd only been verbally harsh and often didn't come home at night. He only became violent after I was born."

Link froze, his hand still on the stovetop's knobs. The burner clicked over and over again as it lit itself. Ghirahim stared silently down at the crab and vegetable mixture, still, and Midna was staring silently at Linebeck.

"...I've always been a bit... different in ways that I don't fully understand. According to my mom, it took a while for me to talk or smile. I didn't start talking until I was about a year and a half old, and I was five when I could form full sentences. My father clearly hated that- as far as he was concerned, I was lower than dirt. My mom always cared about me and protected me, though, and my brother was the same.

"When I was four, though, one night my father was especially drunk. My brother was in a different room and my mom was checking something outside. I had accidentally bumped into a table and the vase on it fell off and shattered."

Linebeck stopped again, staring down at his hands. Link carefully poured the rice into the boiling water, his chest tightening in apprehension.

"...That... set my father off. I don't remember it too well." Linebeck's hand drifted up to his right cheek. There was a pale, faded scar running from where his jaw connected with rest of his skull, down to just below the edge of his lips. "He tore my cheek open at one point while attacking me, cutting my chest open, too. That's... about when my brother saw it. He ran off to get our mom." Linebeck gave a sad smile. "My mom ran in and tore my father away, and my brother helped drag me into our room while our mom dealt with him. That was the last time I saw him- mom had thrown him out and then divorced him a few days later without trouble."

Linebeck, finished with his story, shifted again, looking rather relieved. Link could barely focus on the rice, and nearly forgot to keep stirring it. Midna was moving slowly, but Ghirahim was still unmoving. The demon eventually moved, glancing back at Linebeck. "...How did you survive that?"

"My family was quick- My brother got me out of harm's way, and my mom dealt with my father quick enough so she could stop my bleeding. Of course, it must've been hard to wrap the wounds of a writhing four-year-old, but I had passed out by that point. I was sick for a while afterwards. My cheek needed to be stitched up and I needed almost constant supervision. It was rough, and I can barely remember it."

"You said your father was later killed in a mugging," Midna said. "I hope that bastard's death was painful."

Linebeck gave a small smile. "Based off what I heard about the state his body was in, I assume it was. I still wish I'd been the one to kill him, but it can't be helped. My mom also literally attacked my father if he got too close to us afterwards, and she's not weak by any means."

"Yeah," Midna mused. "We heard she was of Gerudo descent."

Linebeck laughed. "'Of Gerudo descent'? She was a true Gerudo woman. Her father was Hylian, but she was still Gerudo. A bit on the short side and all, some of her traits leaning into the Hylian side of things, but she had that red hair and the dark skin and was over seven and a half feet tall."

"I wish I could've met her," Midna admitted. "She sounded great."

"She was," Linebeck quietly murmured. "Same goes for my brother. He and I had the same hair and eye color, but he ended up be slightly shorter than me. Both he and my mother had bits of hair that stuck out, much like the bit on top of my head. The only physical trait I got from my father was my hair color, and even that barely counts- he had brown hair."

"Where is he buried?" Ghirahim demanded. "I'd like to vandalize any gravestone he got."

"Oh, please, I'd pay you to take a piss on his grave. No one takes care of it because everyone knows he was a piece of shit. That whole... incident is one of the biggest reasons why being touched makes me uncomfortable, and why the smell of alcohol makes me feel sick."

Link turned off the burner beneath the rice and glanced back at Linebeck. "That implies that there are other reasons."

The teen only shrugged. "I was bullied in school, and I ended up getting sick a lot due to stress and my weak immune system. Some kids once set a pack of dogs on me as a joke, and one of the dogs ended up taking a chunk out of my right leg. People have marked me as a cryptid, so they avoid or annoy me." Linebeck waved a hand. "I got into engineering when I was younger and ended up taking to it. I started entering robots into competitions and doing anonymous repairs soon after the rest of my family died."

"A good way to make money, especially in this city," Ghirahim replied. "You're pretty good at what you do. Why did Zelda have you work on prosthetics?"

Link seemed to be the only one surprised to finally find out what Linebeck was working on. "I've done prosthetics before, and I've studied anatomy. I can make stuff faster than the Sheikah, and I have freedom since I don't only work with Sheikah material. I dunno what seems to have happened to the Sheikah, but they were apparently a lot more efficient and specialized a few centuries ago."

"They've been on a slow downward spiral?" Link asked, amazed. "Really? The Sheikah? But... they're the best at everything!"

"Ever since the Yiga switched sides and began taking the Sheikah's place as widespread watchers, the Sheikah has been declining." Linebeck started tugging at his sleeves. "Like the Sheikah don't know how to find a new job. They're not as important any more since technology is becoming more accessible and the Yiga is taking their other role."

"Yikes," Ghirahim muttered. "Scary thought, if you're the Sheikah. I've passed a few of them in the halls- they always give me dirty looks. Actually, everyone gives me dirty looks."

"Yeah," Linebeck added. "It's a bit scary. People glare at me, too, but I've heard people planning to attack Ghirahim." He hesitated. "M-my hearing is p-pretty good, 's all."

"You keep talking to yourself," Ghirahim accused, whipping around and jabbing a finger at the teen. "Or you keep talking to someone that's not there."

Linebeck's face reddened. "W-we're here to talk about my trauma, not other things!"

"Then talk about that scarf of yours," Ghirahim snapped. "You fold that thing up and keep it in a little box when you're not wearing it. Damn thing is silk, too! It's the nicest thing you own. I want to hear about that."

"It was my brother's," Linebeck sighed. "I kept it after he died. That's all. It's a keepsake, one of my favorite things. It's got a lot of sentimental value, so I'm careful not to make it really dirty. That's all there is."

The next few minutes passed in silence, and Link got out four shallow bowls. Link spooned rice into each bowl, flattening it out for when the rest of the food would be ready. Linebeck had brought his Rubik's cube with him and was now toying with it.

Link glanced over at Midna, who was almost finished. "Hey," he whispered. She peered down at him. "What, uh, should we do about this?"

"About what?"

"Y-you know. Linebeck's, um, history."

Midna sighed. "There's nothing we really can do. It's all in the past; there's nothing we can do to change that, aside from support him. We don't know what it's like to grow up with memories of trauma. All we can do is be his friend. Granted he actually allows us to." She and Link peered back at Linebeck. "We should just talk with him more."

Link set the bowls on the counter and let Midna set each of the admittedly misshapen crab cakes on the rice. Linebeck stared over at each of them, then at Midna. "You've never done this before, have you?"

"Have you?"

"Mmm. Fair point." Linebeck put the Rubik's cube into a pocket. "I'll eat this in my room," he decided, picking up a bowl. He flinched when Midna set a hand on his shoulder.

"Stay down here." Midna tightened her grip in his shoulder. "Let's not leave this meeting with a bad taste in our mouths. Tell us more about yourself, and we'll tell us more about us, alright?" The glare she got as a reply was borderline murderous, but Linebeck took a seat at the counter. "Good. You start. Give us something that you think we should know about you."

Linebeck rolled his eyes and poked at his food. He then glanced at each of them in turn, lingering the most on Ghirahim. "I'm gay. Hence why I'm tolerating Ghirahim the most."

The second part gave everyone pause, and then Ghirahim choked on his food. After a good bit of coughing, Ghirahim stammered, "W-what? S-so... A-are you saying you're willing to deal with me because you think I'm hot!?"

Linebeck forked some food into his mouth and gave a short nod.

"You're fourteen!"

"Yeah. I'm not flirting with you or anything. You just happen to be my type, so I'm the most comfortable around you."

Ghirahim scowled. "Well, that de-values our relationship a bit."

"Hardly. I do consider you to be a decent friend."

"Am I your type, too?" Link asked, sheepishly pointing at himself.

Linebeck shot him a steely look. "I'm not into twinks."

This time, it was Midna's turn to choke. "Kid, you're fourteen," she managed out.

"And? I'm not trying anything. I'm just secure in my sexuality and I know what I do and don't like."

"Fine, that's fair," Midna sighed. "Well, I owe you something about myself. I'm a lesbian."

"Cool. Are you dating Zelda?"

"Yes, have been for about a week now."

"You didn't tell us!" Link accused, jabbing a finger at Midna. "How dare you? You can't just date the queen of Hyrule and keep it a secret from us!"

"Not my fault you guys didn't notice. Anything else, Linebeck?"

"Not really. Nothing too big."

"Well, uh, in return... something about me... I like dogs a lot!" Link offered.

"I hate dogs," Linebeck dryly responded. "I'm more of a cat person. Dogs make me uncomfortable."

"Cats are nice," Ghirahim sighed. "I've been able to play with some of the strays down in the city. Beautiful little creatures."

Link got up and placed his empty dish into the sink besides Linebeck. He held out a hand to him. "Are we friends now? Or can you at least trust us? We need to trust each other, since we're supposed to be able to save the world at some point. I'll tell you more about myself if you want."

Linebeck looked at Link's outstretched hand for a moment, then hesitantly took it. "...Right." He turned his gaze onto Ghirahim and Midna. "I... trust you two, too. I guess we're friends now. I'll have to think about it. Thanks for listening to me." He said the last part in a whisper, glancing downwards again. He jerked his hand away from Link. "I'm going to go back to my room. I have a lot of work to do tomorrow."

After that midnight heart-to-heart, Link could tell that Linebeck had managed to loosen up a considerable amount, especially around the three of them. He was still paranoid and antisocial but after a week they managed to get Linebeck to take a break from his work and explore the castle grounds. It took coercing, bribing with money, and finally, a promise from Ghirahim that Linebeck's work would remain untouched in the lab.

"It's a nice day out!" Link exclaimed as they exited the castle gates. He held up a hand to guard his eyes from the sun. "Blue skies, hardly any clouds, and it's even a little cool out. Have you been out to the courtyards yet, Linebeck?"

"I haven't left the castle much since I got here," Linebeck admitted. "I've been too busy."

"It's good to spar out here." Ghirahim gave Link a not-so-gentle slap on the back. "We should bring some weapons out here for practice. Maybe on a cloudier day. The sun gets in my eyes."

"It's nice to feel the sun on my skin on days like these," Midna sighed.

Everyone else froze and turned to look at Midna. Her hood was down and she was missing the gloves that she normally wore outside. For a moment, Link was terrified- contact with sunlight was said to be fatal to the Twili. But Midna just gave the three of them a mischievous smile and glanced up at the sun. She immediately regretted it. "Damn, that's bright."

"How are you out here..?" Link rasped, both terrified and relived.

Midna grinned. "Zelda and I have been spending the last few days crafting a spell to protect me from the sun. We got it to work today- It should persist indefinitely."

"Indefinitely?" Ghirahim looked impressed. "That means that that's an incredibly powerful spell... how did you two manage that? And in such a short amount of time?"

"Well, we're powerful magic-users, and it turns out that charging a spell with certain strong emotions makes it even more powerful."

"That's sweet," Linebeck said. "I assume you're talking about love, since you're dating Zelda and all."

"Yup. It was scary to test the spell out, but Zelda knew she could heal me if needed."

"Good for you!" Link exclaimed. "It's been hard to do stuff with you, since we had to be careful to make sure you didn't get exposed to the sun. Now we can do more stuff with you!"

Midna gave Link an amused smile. "I keep forgetting that you're sixteen. It's good for you to set that sword down and relax for a bit. It's good for all of us, really. I haven't seen this courtyard in the daytime yet. Zelda has taken me out on a few nighttime walks. It certainly looks very different in the daylight."

Midna looked back at Linebeck "What are you doing?" He had a notepad out and was writing on it.

"Practicing writing the Sheikah language," Linebeck mumbled. "It's really good for secret messages and stuff. You guys should learn it."

Link scowled. "Nah, I'll just leave it to you engineer nerds. All I need to learn is Hylian."

"Yeah, but what if we need to send each other secret messages?"

"Then we'll come up with our own code," Ghirahim suggested. "We'll make our own language, and it'll be easier to learn because we made it. How about that?"

"That sounds like a good idea! Let's meet up in the library tonight; I know a few good books on coming up with secret codes." Midna clapped her hands together. "We can share more stuff about ourselves, too!"

They all glanced over at Linebeck, expecting him to have an opinion, but he was glancing slightly to the side. "I know, right?" Linebeck mumbled. His face reddened as he realized that everyone else was staring at him. "Wh-what?"

"You're talking to yourself again," Ghirahim pointed out.

"I-I'm not- Oh, for Farore's sake... I'll explain it tonight, as long as you promise to believe me."

"Promise."

Sneaking down to the castle's library was easy, especially since Midna could scout ahead without being seen by melding into the shadows. They found a table to sit at and made sure that they only had one lamp on. Midna and Ghirahim set off to find good books, and Link got stuck with Linebeck. "Why do you want to learn the Sheikah language?" Link asked, unnerved by Linebeck's silence.

"Because I like it. And one sentence written in it can have two different meanings."

"Really?"

"Yup. There are a few different words for the same things in the Sheikah language, so say you want to write 'cat'. You've got about three different choices. One is just 'cat'. Another can mean 'big cat'. The last can mean 'cat', and then you can subtly change the shape to make it also mean a different word, like 'bird'. With the third one, the word still means 'cat', but its secondary meaning is 'bird'. This can be used to write secret messages, or it can be used to write two different sentences in the space of one." Linebeck twirled his pencil in one hand with a contented smile on his face.

"I didn't know that the Sheikah language could do that."

"Well, the Sheikah used to specialize in espionage, so it only makes sense that their language would evolve to incorporate the ability to handle secret messages. Anyone who knows the Sheikah language can read the base message; only someone who's studied the subtleties of the language can see if a second one has been added. Therefore, someone can read a passage and say that it says one thing, and another person can read it and say that it says something else."

Ghirahim and Midna returned, and Link handed each of them sheets of paper, and they got to work. Linebeck passed out soon after midnight, and Midna opted to carry him back to his room. It was a bit silly, the fact that the stubborn and workaholic engineer had fallen asleep in the middle of work and had been carried to his room like a child.

But Linebeck technically still was a child. Midna returned quickly enough, but after having done little work, they gathered up the papers and entrusted them to Ghirahim, who was trusted with keeping them secret.

Link handed the rest of their materials over to the demon, and then mused, "Do you think he gets lonely? You know, since he really only trusts Ghirahim but barely talks to him."

"We should ask him about his friend," Ghirahim sighed. "I think the friend he's mentioned is whoever he talks to like that. I doubt it's a hallucination- he doesn't fit any symptoms of any illnesses that cause hallucinations. Besides, we still don't know what the point is to the weird lines in his eyes."

Midna winced. "Well, we might have to corner him about it. I did try and ask him about the lines in his eyes, and he ended up doing everything in his power to avoid answering."

Link brought up his sword and blocked a soldier's attack. He roughly pushed back, unbalancing them, and struck them across the chest. Across the grounds, Ghirahim shouted, "And that's, what, twenty straight wins? Impressive, for a boy who's not even five and a half feet tall."

Link, still panting, shot Ghirahim an indignant look. It had been weeks since they started on their code. Ghirahim accompanied Link down to the training grounds, while Midna had a date scheduled with Zelda, and Linebeck offered to help her prepare.

Link slid the Master Sword back into his scabbard, giving the knights a nod. "That's good enough for today. Ghirahim, we should find the others, at least to talk to them."

Linebeck and Midna were found lingering in the hallway, not too far from Zelda's room. They didn't notice Link and Ghirahim right away.

Midna ran her hands through her hair. "Should I be wearing something nicer? I don't think I can just go in my normal stuff."

Linebeck sighed. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and looking bored. "You'll be fine. You don't need to look extravagant or something. Zelda already loves you, right? Besides, you look fine at any time."

Midna shot him a suspicious look. "You're gay. You're not attracted to women, so how do I know that what you say about my appearance really means anything?"

Linebeck rolled his eyes. "I'm gay, not blind. If anything, my assessment means more than that of someone who would be attracted to you, because it's not distorted by the rose-tinted filter of lust and attraction. You're beautiful, got it? Fucking stunning. Just head in there and tell her you want to go on a quick date."

"She won't be done with her work for a few more minutes."

"Then just wait a bit longer. Easy." Linebeck lowered himself to the floor and glanced to the side. He flinched upon spotting Link and Ghirahim. "Hey. Want to join us? Or are you going to keep skulking around the corner?"

Link glanced over at Midna. "You look nice." She barely acknowledged him. "So, uh, Ghirahim and I got a mission for us."

"Really?" Linebeck grinned thinly. "What do we get in return?"

"Just renown." The smile dropped from Linebeck's face. Link ignored his reaction. "We've got to help the Zora with a monster problem of theirs, that's all. The monsters are getting organized."

"Should be easy," Ghirahim sighed. "and we can talk about it later. Linebeck. Tell us about your friend."

Linebeck peered around the hall before answering. "...We're alone."

"You're sure?"

"Obviously. Now, you need to promise to believe me, no matter how insane this sounds."

"Yeah, sure. Just explain this stuff."

"O-okay. I'm sure you've all seen the mechanical chip behind my ear. It connects directly to my brain. It was a difficult process," Linebeck continued. "I designed the piece in secrecy and managed to get a surgeon to connect it without killing me. It's the reason why my eyes look like this- put simply, the chip alters my vision. I can faintly see fingerprints, I can see better in the dark, my vision is practically perfect. You guys know what AI is, right?"

"Artificial Intelligence," Link answered. "When a robot has a personality or something, right?"

"Yeah," Linebeck quietly responded. "I created an AI with his own personality, shape, and abilities. He can phase through walls and report back to me and see in the dark and can hold long conversations with me. However, he's directly connected to my brain, and all of his programming is located in the chip. Meaning that I am the only one who can see or hear him. He's a little bastard. I've named him Bellum, and even designed him after the demon he's named after."

"You created your own imaginary friend," Ghirahim dryly rasped. He held up his hands in response to the teen's reproachful glare. "I believe you. You know stuff that you really shouldn't, and I've heard you talk to him. I think it's impressive."

"Is there a way we could possibly see him?" Link asked, intrigued.

"I could try to create a headset to let you temporarily see him, but it'll take a while."

Link frowned. "But you can make things really quickly."

"Simple things that don't require much programming."

"Then get someone to help."

"Those other engineers here all suck! They're still learning. The guards aren't much help either, and those guards they recruited off the streets scare me."

"Why should they scare you? You're with Ghirahim all the time."

Linebeck shifted. "I don't like the way one of them looks at me. The girl with the black hair."

Ghirahim's eyes flashed. "You don't need to worry about them. Besides, I've seen you practicing with your knife."

"You should still protect me," Linebeck snapped. He looked over at Link "You too, since that's your job."

"What?"

"You're the hero. You should be down for protecting anyone, right? Not that I've seen you do anything hero-like, so I don't see why you're so respected right now."

"Are you kidding? I have the Master Sword! Zelda's going to make me a captain of a section of the army! I'm the hero!"

"Like you've done anything to prove it. You're still a kid, like me. You haven't really had the chance-"

"You bastard!" Link spat, leaping to his feet. "I'm the damn hero, and you have no right to say otherwise. I've drawn the Master Sword- that's proof enough!"

Linebeck flinched away, averting his gaze. "Yeesh. Calm down. But-"

"But nothing! Midna and Ghirahim and I can actually do things- all you've done is lock yourself in your room and make a bunch of worthless lumps of metal! I'm the damned hero, and you can't say otherwise!"

Midna stiffened. "Link-"

"Don't," he hissed. "You can't say I'm not a damned hero. I'm more of a hero then you could possibly hope to be. I'm going to protect all of Hyrule, not you alone."

Midna grabbed Link by the arm, jerking him back. Too caught up in his anger, Link didn't notice how Linebeck scrambled to his feet and dashed away down the hall. "Watch it, jackass," she hissed. "Actually, you know what? You and are I going to have a talk after my date with Zelda. Don't leave the castle."

Link felt his face flushed and he clenched his fists. "...fine."

The mission down by Zora's domain was dealt with quickly, but it resulted in Linebeck wrapping some bandages around Link's arm. "You're pretty reckless," he sighed. "Ghirahim didn't get hurt because he predicted their movements, and Midna didn't just sit around like a statue." Link glanced over at the mentioned two, sitting under another tree to hide from the rain. "But you're still a teenager," Linebeck admitted. "I'm done with the bandage."

"Thanks," Link murmured, rubbing his bandaged wound. "Did you teach yourself to do this?"

"Yeah."

Link kicked at the Master Sword at his feet. "Sorry for snapping at you a few days ago. Midna told me you almost went into... I think she called it a panic attack."

"I was fine," Linebeck mused. "It's okay. You didn't mean it." He elbowed Link in the side. "At least you didn't hurt me." He grinned. "You did a good job protecting me today, too."

"You can't fight like us." Link replied and was glad to see that his comment didn't spark anger. "We work well as a team. All of us. We'll definitely be able to stop whatever is threatening Hyrule at this rate."