To Capture the Heart of a Hero

Chapter 8 – Guard Duty

A week had passed since Link returned to the castle. To be honest, it hadn't really felt like that much time for the young hero, but that was only because he was so busy. Just as Zelda had told him, there didn't seem to be any shortage of work around here.

As promised, Zelda had scheduled the meeting with the Hyrule Council so Link could properly have his title bestowed upon him. The Princess herself had conducted the ceremony, instructing Link to bow before taking her thin rapier and gently pressing it to each of his shoulders. Needless to say, Link had felt incredibly nervous about the whole thing. Having to act so proper and formal in front of all these nobles? It quickly set him on-edge, but he just tried to relax and follow Zelda's instructions. In the end, he managed to complete the ceremony without incident.

After that, the Council finished the proper documentation, and lo and behold, a new Hero was born. Word of this was quickly spread throughout the castle as well as the Kingdom beyond. Link had not expected the news to make much of an impact, but he was actually surprised to find out that it had caused a bit of a buzz. Within the castle walls, Link seemed to have become something of a celebrity. Whenever he walked throughout the stone hallways, he constantly noticed that people were staring at him with looks of admiration, as well as whispering to their neighbors. He often caught snippets of phrases like "Hero of Twilight" or "Link, the man who slayed Ganondorf".

One day, Link even happened to overhear a conversation between Ernest and some other men. Surprisingly enough, the head gardener seemed to be bragging about their first encounter; his voice oozing with pride.

"I've actually met the Hero, you know. He even came to visit my garden."

"Oh yeah, I heard something about that. Didn't you yell at him and put him to work?"

"Th-That was a misunderstanding!"

Link just shook his head and moved on.

To be honest, he didn't care for all the praise and attention. Sure, he had saved the Kingdom and all, but at the end of the day, he still felt like a normal guy that had just happened to pick up a sword…Well, just happened to pick up a sword, turn into a wolf, and be named as the Goddesses' chosen hero…but that was all beside the point.

Still, Link put up with the attention the best he could. He tried to ignore the comments and stares, which was simple enough, for all he had to do was keep moving until the onlookers were far behind him. However, it became much more difficult to ignore the attention when some people insisted on coming right up and talking to him.

The first time had been a surprise. Just some random man that Link didn't know that wanted to thank the Hero for his service to the Kingdom. He kept it brief before giving a bow and walking away. Link felt rather dumbfounded at this first exchange, but over the next few days, it seemed to become a frequently occurring event. His company would consist of just about anyone, from nobles that wanted to get to know him better, to guards that were impressed with the tales of his adventure. Nearly everyone had questions for the Hero, and they all insisted on shaking his hand. At times like this, Link would just awkwardly oblige, trying to accept their praise and thanks without getting too embarrassed. He knew they meant well, after all.

However, another surprise came in the form of how many women seemed to have started flocking to Link's side. From maids to nurses to cooks, they all approached him with an adoring smile. Link felt like they tended to behave excessively in front of him, oftentimes paying him way too many compliments, as well as being a bit too giggly. And was Link imagining things, or were they acting a little too familiar with him? And standing a little too close as well? At times like this, Link would have to excuse himself, claiming he was needed elsewhere in the castle before making a quick getaway. He could live with the general attention that came from his title, but the last thing he needed was all these women fawning over him.

Fortunately, not all of his encounters were awkward or unpleasant. One day, he had the pleasure of meeting Minister Enzo, a well-known member of the Hyrule Council as well as Link's fellow future member on the reconstruction council that was still under formation. The man was middle-aged, with dark hair and a black curly mustache beneath his nose. Link had recognized him from when he stood in front of the Council, but they didn't actually have a chance to meet and talk one-on-one.

Upon his introduction, Enzo greeted Link with a warm smile and a firm handshake. "It is truly an honor, Sir Link, truly an honor. I doubt that words can express how grateful I am to hear what you have done for our Kingdom. I am incredibly pleased to know that you will be standing alongside us as we tackle our future endeavors. Surely, a man of your talents will be a tremendous asset to us."

Much like Minister Fost, Link felt a bit surprised at how differently Enzo acted from what he had expected of a nobleman. Even though he seemed to be showering Link with compliments, his demeanor exuded such a natural warmth and friendliness that Link didn't actually feel all that nervous around him. If anything, it was almost like conversing with an old friend. He seemed to be just a genuinely nice guy.

Needless to say, the two of them got off to a good start, and they were both looking forward to working alongside each other. After that, they parted ways, for it seemed that Link wasn't the only one who was keeping busy. The Minister walked off, claiming to have numerous other affairs to attend to.

After that, Link spent some time picking up guard shifts, just as Zelda had requested of him. The work itself was fairly boring, usually just involving standing in place all day while nothing happened. However, the changing positions did allow him to see different parts of the castle, and before long, Link was able to start finding his way around the halls of this massive structure without getting lost. At least not too often, anyway.

Today, Link had the surprising honor of working alongside Ashei, a female Knight and member of the Resistance, as well as someone Link considered a friend. Like usual, she wore a mishmash of armor: large metallic greaves and gauntlets as well as a single piece covering her midsection. She had brown eyes and two locks of dark hair that fell to her shoulders. At her waist, she carried a sword.

The two of them were currently standing at the castle gate, having been stationed there to stand guard all day. Ahead of them, Link could glimpse the main square of Castle Town, as well as hear the distant chatter of its citizens. He had to admit this was better than keeping watch in some dusty hallway, although not by much. Fortunately, it helped to have Ashei by his side, who was more than willing to converse with him as the hours ticked away.

"Excuse me if I'm wrong, but I thought you were a highly-ranked Knight around here," Link said to her. "How'd you get stuck doing guard duty?"

Ashei glanced over at him. "It's not just any old guard duty, Link. The castle gate is a rather important position. The first line of defense against someone trying to break in, yeah?"

There it was, that familiar "yeah?", the usual way that Ashei ended her sentences. She claimed that her father (who had also been a Knight) had never taught her any manners, so it seemed she had gotten used to talking in a casual sort of way. Which, truth be told, Link didn't mind. He was a commoner too after all. He could understand her way of speaking perfectly.

"I suppose," Link answered with a shrug. "I just thought you might be doing something more important."

Ashei just scowled. "Oh? I believe I could ask you the same thing. Eh, 'Hero of Twilight'?"

Link frowned back at her. She was trying to use his title to unnerve him, and he hated to admit it, but it did prove somewhat effective. "Er…I'm only out here because Zelda said it would be a good idea."

"Oh, standing guard at the castle gate under the direct command of the Royal Princess? My, what a diligent soldier you are," Ashei responded, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Link just shook his head. He knew that she was joking, but her words still made him feel a little uncomfortable. "Please, it's nothing that serious. You're blowing things way out of proportion."

"But surely a great Hero would settle for nothing less, yeah? After all, it is just 'plain old guard duty'." Link was about to interject and deny her claims, but she suddenly stood up straight and continued. "I, on the other hand, am more than happy to step in where needed. I don't mind taking up guard duty, because I tend to feel more relaxed when a Knight as competent as myself has the position under control. Wish I could say the same for the rest of the soldiers in the barracks though. Have you seen them lately? They might have started training harder, but I still struggle to believe that they'd be able to defend this castle from anything, even something as harmless as a Bokoblin."

Link just closed his eyes and gave a tired nod. This was another one of Ashei's tendencies: ridiculing the current state of Hyrule's army. He had already heard a speech similar to this one on a number of different occasions. Still, he felt inclined to listen as the Knight continued.

"But that will all change soon enough," Ashei said with a grin. "As part of the reconstruction effort, I plan to start forging these sad excuses for men into actual soldiers. I'm talking about strict training regiments, and actually getting these louts outside the castle walls for a change. Right now, they're too narrow-minded, and they feel too safe here as well. We need to get them outside of their comfort zone; get them out in the field and see what they can really achieve. And then hopefully, by the time we're done, we'll be a force to be reckoned with. Mark my words, Hyrule will not crumble so easily the next time an invasion shows up on our doorstep."

While Link felt that Ashei was a bit too harsh towards the current soldiers of Hyrule, he did admit that he felt a bit of admiration for her goal. When she spoke of such things, she often spoke with the same conviction as the Princess while speaking of Hyrule's recovery. The matters of the military clearly meant a lot to Ashei, and Link respected that.

Still, he couldn't resist prodding her back with a small dose of reality. "I see. That's very impressive. And how does Captain Zander feel about all of this?"

Ashei quickly frowned at the mention of this name. Captain Zander was the current leader of the castle guard, and subsequently, someone that held much more control over the Kingdom's soldiers than Ashei did. Ultimately, he had the final say in how the men should be trained.

"He doesn't see nearly as many issues with the soldiers as I do," she said with a voice full of disdain. "Believes that the men are fine the way they are, and that improvement should be done at a slower and steadier pace." She paused, before mimicking the Captain's deep voice. "'Practice makes perfect, no need to throw them into the belly of the beast, Ashei.' Bah! What a fool. Doesn't he realize nothing will improve like that?"

Link just grinned at his friend's exasperation. That was something he appreciated about Ashei: she was never afraid to speak her mind. "Well, maybe things won't change overnight, but there's nothing wrong with some steady improvement."

"Tch, I'm sure they said the exact same thing before the Twilight Invasion, and look what happened there. All the soldiers, running around and getting lost in the Twilight. Meanwhile, the Resistance had to actually get stuff done from behind the scenes."

"They did keep Castle Town safe," Link pointed out.

"Yeah, at the expense of the castle," Ashei said, rolling her eyes.

"Well…"

"I'm telling you, Link, all Captain Zander needs to do is let me train a small group of them. Just put them through a few weeks of my training regiment, and he'll see the results. It'll be like night and day, with men turned into actual reliable soldiers. I think I can manage it. I really do."

Link gave a small laugh. "I might not mind seeing your results…if any of the men actually come back alive, that is."

Ashei just ignored his comment and turned to him with a curious gaze. "How about you, Link? Any interest in helping out? I'm sure you're tough enough to teach them a thing or two, yeah?"

Link jumped a bit in surprise. Now she was roping him into this? He tried to think of a quick excuse. "Um…I don't know, Ashei. I think I've got a lot of other things keeping me busy."

The Knight just stared at him, trying to pressure him further. "Come on, Link. Don't be so stubborn. I will gladly let you in on the training too."

Link shook his head. "I, uh…I think I'd rather just let you handle it."

Ashei soon scowled at him, displeased with this answer. Naturally, she returned to teasing him. "Hmph, of course. I forgot that you only help out when the Princess orders you to."

Link sighed. How had they circled back to this again? "That's not true, Ashei. Believe it or not, I actually feel the same way as you do about these things. I don't mind doing menial tasks if they are required of me."

Ashei blinked in surprise, but soon smiled. "I see. Much like your recent visit to the castle garden, yeah?"

Link nearly groaned at this. An unexpected response, but one that nevertheless hit him right in the heart of his embarrassment. "You heard about that?"

Ashei smirked. "Who hasn't heard about it? It's practically been the talk of the castle: the famous, newly named Hero, toiling about in the flowerbeds of all places. I must say, it's one of the more interesting rumors I've heard about you."

Link sighed. "Seriously? The talk of the castle…" He then paused before shooting up straight. "Wait, what other rumors are there?"

"You mean you haven't heard?" Ashei asked with an amused expression. "Feels like most of the guards have been spreading them like wildfire."

Link just gulped, preparing for the worst. "Tell me…What have they been saying?"

"Well, let's see. First there's the generic stuff, which is mostly true. Talk about how you defeated Ganondorf and saved the Princess and whatnot. Then there's the more exaggerated tales. Rumors of you being able to lift a Goron clear over your head, or taking on a hundred Bulblins all at once. I must say, I had no idea you were quite so capable…"

Link's face just slowly turned to a shade of red. How did people even come up with this stuff? Sure, he had accomplished feats similar to these, but the way the general populace expressed them seemed so much more exaggerative. Would the constant praise for him ever cease?

Watching his embarrassed expression, Ashei just gave a laugh. "Not what you expected, yeah? You'll soon learn that word travels quickly around this castle. Especially if it's gossip."

Link just sighed as he took a second to compose himself. "Anything else?"

"I suppose there's been some more mundane rumors as well. Stuff like 'he hails from Ordon Village' or 'he fights left-handed'…"

"Well, at least those rumors are true."

To Link's surprise, Ashei soon whipped her head towards him. "Hmm? Which one?"

The Hero raised his eyebrows at this. "Both."

Ashei stared at him for a second, her gaze suddenly becoming more skeptical. "Who are you kidding? I know you're from Ordon, but the other one certainly isn't true."

Link just stared back, dumbfounded. Was she serious? "Ashei, I do fight left-handed."

"Come on."

"I'm serious." To prove it, Link drew his sword (from his left side, by the way) and threw out a few casual swipes through the air. Naturally, he carried the form of someone who was clearly accustomed to fighting with his left hand.

Ashei just gawked at him. "Wait, seriously? But I would've sworn you wielded your sword in your right hand!"

Link shook his head. "No, why would you even think that?"

"Am I really mistaken? I'm almost certain I saw you use your right hand in a battle before…Did you switch it at some point?"

"No," Link asserted again. "Believe it or not, I don't just casually 'flip' my dominant hand back and forth…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Well…why don't you just do a quick demonstration with your right hand. You know, just to see if it looks familiar, yeah?"

"Ashei…" Link said with a sigh.

Just then, a third voice joined the conversation. "Having fun, you two?"

The arrival of this third voice was so sudden, that it caught the two swordsmen completely off guard. Link nearly dropped his sword as he jumped in surprise. Meanwhile, Ashei just shot up straight and stared ahead, appearing as if she was giving her guard duty the full attention it deserved. Before long, a quiet giggle sounded in response to their reactions.

"Goodness, what exactly have I stumbled upon today?"

Link and Ashei turned to find Zelda standing there, greeting them both with an amused smile. She seemed more than happy to witness their shocked expressions.

Link just froze for a second. What was the Princess doing here? "We were just…um…" He paused, suddenly noticing that his sword was still drawn. Wasting no time, he went to sheath it. "Uh...keeping watch," he finished.

"Yes," Ashei quickly agreed. "Fortunately, there is nothing to report today."

Zelda walked a bit closer to the Hero and the Knight, taking a second to eye each of them closely. "Oh, is that so? Then can you enlighten me on why you had your sword drawn, Link? Was there danger about?"

"N-No," Link stuttered. He watched as Zelda continued to approach him, her notoriously playful smile appearing on her lips. Link knew that she was going to enjoy teasing him about this. He quickly tried to think of an excuse for why his sword was drawn, but his mind came up blank, so he eventually just blurted out the truth. "I was just…um, giving a demonstration."

"Oh, a demonstration of your skill with the sword?" Zelda asked innocently, although her expression itself seemed anything but innocent. "Might I ask, who were you demonstrating for?"

"Ashei…"

As soon as he said this, Ashei shot Link a fiery glare of death. She clearly had not appreciated being sold out like that. Link felt bad about it, but he knew that lying at this point would be the same as digging himself into a hole that he honestly didn't care to be in.

Zelda soon turned her attention to the female Knight. "Ashei, surely you weren't goofing off on the job? I would have expected better from you, considering how often you like to give passionate speeches about how the guards here are so lackluster."

Ashei just frowned the biggest, grumpiest frown she could muster. "What are you doing here, Zelda?" was all she said in response.

The Princess just giggled some more, as if pleased that she had managed to strike a nerve. She then dropped her mischievous smile for a gentler one. "Forgive my intrusion. I actually need to borrow Link for something, so I came by to collect him."

"Wait, you need me?" Link asked in surprise.

"Yes. Someone has requested an audience with you, so I'm afraid your shift here will have to be cut short. I hope you don't mind."

Link's mind quickly started racing, trying to think of who would have requested a meeting with him out of the blue like this. Nevertheless, he found himself absentmindedly giving a nod. "S-Sure, that's fine."

"Great, we can set off in just a moment," Zelda said with a smile. She then turned to Ashei once more. "I talked to the Captain, and he's planning to send another guard here to replace Link, so you won't be shorthanded."

Ashei just scoffed. "Tch, I can handle this position just fine on my own."

Zelda's smile quickly turned back into an expression of amusement. "Yes, perhaps you can, now that I'm removing your playmate from the picture. There will no longer be anything to distract you, yes?"

Ashei growled at this. "We were doing just fine here, Zelda. I take this job very seriously. Never forget that."

"Yes, yes, I understand," Zelda said with a few nods. "I leave this gate in your capable hands."

As they conversed, Link just watched the two of them with a surprised look. It felt good to know that he wasn't the only one that the Princess liked to tease. Ashei seemed to be a valuable target for her playfulness as well.

Zelda soon turned back to the Hero. "Ready to go, Link?"

He gave a nod. "Yes."

"Then come along. I'll see you later, Ashei."

Zelda gave a small wave to the Knight as they walked away, and Link did the same. Ashei just returned the gesture with a halfhearted obligatory wave to the Princess, and another scowl complete with clenched teeth for the Hero. Link winced a bit when he saw that. He had a feeling she was going to chew him out later for throwing her under the carriage like that.

Still, Link pushed these thoughts from his mind. He currently had other questions that concerned him as he and the Princess walked through the castle's main courtyard. "Um, so who am I having an audience with?"

Zelda glanced back at him. "You will be meeting with my father, the King of Hyrule himself."

Link blinked. "Your father?" A second passed. "The King!?"

Zelda just giggled as she watched his face contort in surprise. "I had a feeling you would react like that."

I was pretty amused with myself for coming up with that left hand vs right hand bit. To this day, I'm still dumbfounded that the developers decided to mirror the entire game just so Link's sword hand would match the Wii remote. You'd think they would just flip Link's character, but no, they had to flip the entire landscape itself. I can kind of understand why, since all of the enemies and environments would've had to adhere to Link's flipped playstyle, but it still just boggles my mind.

I originally played Twilight Princess on the Wii, so the "wrong" version of the map will always look correct to me. Needless to say, when I eventually played the HD remake on the Wii U, I felt like I was directionally challenged lol.