To Capture the Heart of a Hero

Chapter 35 – Duel

Before long, Link and Zelda's largest crowd yet had assembled in front of the Hero's home. In addition to the children, a number of Ordon's menfolk had come to witness the duel, which included Mayor Bo, Rusl, and Talo and Malo's father, Jaggle. It didn't stop there either. Almost all of the soldiers that had accompanied the Princess on the tour came to watch as well. Not only would this be a rare opportunity to see the Princess's swordsmanship in action, but the Hero of Twilight's as well.

Last but not least was Minister Fost, who had picked up rumors of what was happening in this corner of the village, and quickly scuffled over to see what it was all about. Much like Link, he had taken some time to try and dissuade the Princess from partaking in something so borderline dangerous, but she simply refused to hear him out. She fully intended to commit to this harmless duel, and so she did.

When the frustrated Minister ended up storming off, Zelda couldn't help but give Link a suggestive look that almost seemed to say "see what I mean?". Link just rolled his eyes and shook his head. He would never admit to being as anxious as the Minister. Never.

Colin and Rusl ended up drawing a wide circle in the dirt that would serve as the stage for the two duelists. Beth had also returned with two wooden swords in hand, which she promptly handed to each of the combatants. Link had practiced with these weapons many times before, so he was already quite used to using them. Zelda, on the other hand, took a few moments to swing the wooden weapon through the air, trying to adjust to its weight and size. It was very different from the rapier that she was accustomed to, but she felt like she could easily acclimate to this sword in no time.

While Zelda took a few minutes to practice, Fost ended up making a return, this time pulling Link aside so he could have a private word with him. "Master Link, please be honest with me. The Princess has roped you into this scheme of hers, hasn't she?"

"Well…more or less," Link shrugged.

"And I suppose that there's no way you could talk her out of it?"

Link sighed, not even bothering to mention how he had already tried such a thing. "I'm afraid that I've already agreed to it. There's no way of backing out now."

Fost sighed in return. "I was afraid of that…Why must this foolish girl always insist on putting herself in danger?"

Link didn't really know what to say to this. A part of him felt inclined to agree with the Minister, but another part of him understood that he was needlessly worrying. After talking things through with Zelda, he was now confident that the two of them would complete this duel free of injury and harm. He trusted her, and she trusted him.

Not that Fost cared about any of that. He was still far too focused on what could potentially go wrong. Before long, he ended up giving Link a stern look. "Master Link, please do be careful with the Princess. I understand that this is just a duel for fun, but should anything happen to Her Highness, you would undoubtedly face incredibly harsh consequences."

Link just blinked, hardly believing what he had heard. Um…was that a threat?

Unfortunately, the Hero did not get his answer. Before he even had a chance to respond to such a passive-aggressive warning, the short Minister walked away, going to a shady spot in the glade where he could calm down and attempt to maintain what little composure he had left.

As Link watched him go, he ended up scanning the rest of the crowd as well, all while nervous and unwelcome thoughts started popping into his head. He honestly couldn't help but wonder if the soldiers had actually been assembled as a security measure rather than spectators. If by chance, Link did end up harming the Princess, would he be skewered by spears on the spot? Oh, he wasn't sure he felt so great about this anymore…

"Are you all right?"

Link blinked, a calm and concerned voice calling him out of his thoughts. He soon turned to find Zelda watching him with her bright, sapphire eyes. Before long, he took a deep breath as his nerves melted away. He wasn't sure why, but something about her concerned expression seemed to set him at ease.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said with a smile.

"Are you certain?" Zelda asked, stepping closer. "You seemed a bit worried there for a moment."

"It's nothing," Link insisted with a shake of his head. He then smiled some more as he took his wooden sword and gently knocked it against her own. "If anything, I'm just excited to see your excellent swordsmanship in action."

Zelda blinked, a bit surprised at his sudden confidence, but soon decided to play along. "As am I, Link. I know that your skill with the blade is quite commendable, and I'm rather interested to find out if I'm capable of matching it."

Link grinned. "Well, we both know that you're better than me at archery, but I wouldn't expect to go two for two."

Zelda simply smirked in response. "Don't you mean three for three?"

"Wait, what's the third?"

"Horseback-riding, of course."

Link couldn't help but smile as he gave her a disapproving shake of his head. "Right, and you think that your skills are superior to my own because…?"

Zelda shrugged. "I feel that my performance at the ranch should speak for itself."

"That was hardly a proper contest between us," he argued back.

"Fine, we'll consider that matter 'unsettled' for now," she replied offhandedly, as if she wasn't very concerned with proving her point. "Perhaps we can agree on a victor at another time. For now, we should simply focus on our duel."

"Agreed," Link said with a nod. He then stared out at the crowd, which had now started to gather around the dirt ring in anticipation of the event. With a small grin, he decided to walk forward. "Well, I guess we shouldn't keep them waiting any longer."

"Link, wait a moment," Zelda soon called out to him.

The Hero just paused and glanced back to find her bright eyes carefully watching him once again. He stood there in silence, refusing to move as he stared back. It was almost as if her soft gaze was holding him in place.

Zelda then blinked, replacing her innocent stare with one that was full of determination. "Promise me that you will give it your all," she requested sincerely.

Link nodded and flashed her a confident grin. "Of course. I know that you won't settle for anything less."

Zelda produced a smile in return, one that was full of gratitude. "Thank you, Link."

With that finally settled, the two duelists felt any remaining sense of hesitation or doubt fade away from their hearts. They stepped into the dirt ring, taking opposite positions as they faced each other. The crowd that surrounded them hummed with a buzz of excitement, eager to see the main event finally unfold. They soon quieted down however, when Rusl stepped into the ring as well, and called for their attention.

"I shall be officiating this duel between Princess Zelda of Hyrule and Link, the Hero of Twilight. Do the two of you have any objections to this?"

They both shook their heads, offering him their acceptance.

"Very well. The terms of the duel are as follows. Both combatants will spar until one of them is disarmed or has the blade pointed at the other's throat. Do the two of you agree to these conditions?"

They both nodded.

"In that case, please take your positions."

Link and Zelda both raised their swords, cautiously pointing them towards each other. Their eyes soon narrowed in sync, the two of them focusing on nothing else but their opponent and the weapons between them.

The crowd went silent as they watched with bated breath. Rusl just smiled before taking a few steps back and rejoining them outside the ring. Once he was satisfied, he then raised his hands into the air for a moment before giving the final call.

"And…begin!"

Zelda was the first to make a move. She rushed forward, brandishing the wooden blade in hand, and attempted to thrust it towards the Hero's chest. However, Link was immediately aware of this, and safely managed to knock her sword aside using his own. Zelda then quickly brought the sword back up, throwing out two swift swipes that Link managed to block. This wooden weapon might not have been a rapier, but she fully intended to use it as such.

As Link withstood the incoming attacks, he tried to remain patient as he assessed the situation. This was his first time truly crossing blades with Zelda, so he wanted to discover her strategy before he began making any definitive moves. Her reflexes were quick and her senses were sharp. Link knew that even a single opening might cost him the victory.

Zelda whipped her blade through the air, fervently swinging at Link from a variety of angles. As Link continued to study her, he noticed that she was quite proficient with using only one hand to wield her weapon. He quickly understood why. The Princess was able to invest more speed into her swings if she only focused on controlling one side. This meant that her free hand would be useless, but it strengthened the dominant hand all the same. It was a very interesting battle style.

Link was naturally used to fighting one-handed as well, but he was also used to having a shield in his free hand. This meant that he was currently at a disadvantage, as he had nothing but his own weapon to defend himself. And defend himself he did, for Zelda refused to relent.

The Princess went for another thrust towards his chest, forcing Link to knock the blade away just as he had before. However, Zelda followed it up with another swing, this one traveling even faster than the last. Link barely managed to block in time, the sound of the two swords echoing out in the forest.

He had to admit, he was impressed. Zelda had quickly proven herself to be one of the swiftest opponents he had ever faced. She never relented, and her blade, despite being a hefty piece of wood, was almost too fast to see.

But it was in that impressive speed that Link confirmed what Zelda's strategy was. She wasn't trying to disarm him. She was simply trying to overwhelm him with attacks. To force an opening with her quick strikes. To leave Link defenseless as she went for his throat.

Link just smiled, the realization helping him stay calm. He had fought many battles before now, and he knew that as long as he could understand how his opponent fought, he could overcome them.

The Hero patiently waited for Zelda's next strike. It came just as swiftly as the others, cutting horizontally. As soon as Link managed to block the strike, he took a daring step forward, and decided to give a swing of his own. It was his first attack of the duel.

Zelda had been intending to follow up her endless flurry of attacks with yet another one, but her eyes just went wide as she watched Link raise his sword. Reacting instantly, she firmly held her own sword vertically in front of her.

Whack!

The sound of this blow was louder than any of the ones that Zelda had produced. That was because Link had decided to focus on strength rather than speed. He knew that he could never hope to outspeed the Princess. That would just be a lost cause. However, he could potentially overpower her, and it was from this angle that Link chose to form his battle plan.

Zelda managed to quickly recover, and wasted no time in retaliating. She released two swift swings, hoping to prevent Link from gaining any momentum. However, Link was no longer willing to remain on the receiving end of her attacks. Taking another daring step forward, Link swung back in unison, fending off both of her strikes with his own.

Zelda just paused for a second as she watched him. She could tell that his demeanor had changed. He was no longer content to sit and endure her endless attacks. He was going on the offensive, and she would need to be cautious.

Unfortunately, Link had already noticed her moment of hesitation, and decided to capitalize on it. Now that he had a proper strategy in mind, there was no need to stop and think. He just had to see his plan through. Taking yet another step forward, Link swung vertically down, forcing the Princess to take a defensive stance once again. Another loud crack rang out through the air as the wooden weapons collided.

Zelda just clenched her teeth a bit as she planted her feet firmly in the dirt and went to retaliate once again. However, as soon as she raised her sword, she was surprised to see that Link had disappeared.

He was gone. Completely gone.

Or so it seemed…

With wide eyes, Zelda immediately glanced down, realizing far too late what was happening. The Hero's downward swing had been nothing more than a distraction. He had simply used the momentum of his attack to allow himself to fall as well. Link ended up rolling onto his shoulders and back, quickly circumventing the Princess's position. Zelda just gasped as she turned, her eyes trying to lock onto him.

But it was too late. By the time she properly faced him, Link was already springing to his feet, swinging his sword in a circular motion as he did so. Zelda just responded in the only way she could. She threw out a quick slash of her own. But it unfortunately lacked any sense of power or finesse. It was a weak swing, one born of desperation. It was no match for Link's perfectly calculated attack.

"Hyah!"

With a loud cry, Link swung his sword, knocking Zelda's weapon clean out of her grasp. Before she even had a chance to move, Link then brought his weapon back around, pointing its end straight at her throat.

It was checkmate. The duel was over.

Zelda, still wide-eyed, just slowly raised her open palms into the air. "I concede," she said breathlessly.

Link just smiled before retracting his weapon. At this point, the crowd was completely silent, having been stunned by what they had witnessed. However, Rusl soon emerged from their ranks, and called out in a loud, clear voice.

"The winner of this duel is Link, the Hero of Twilight!"

Finally, the crowd erupted into their long-anticipated applause. The kids jumped up and down in excitement. The soldiers gave a few impressed nods. Fost breathed a sigh of relief now that this whole thing was finally over.

Link just bashfully smiled as he heard the crowds cheering his name. It wasn't like he had done any of this to earn their admiration, but it was still nice to know that his friends and neighbors supported his victory.

He soon turned to Zelda, and she smiled as well. "Well done, Hero. It seems that your skill with the sword is still unmatched."

"In all of Ordon, at least," he agreed with a grin.

Zelda just shook her head, partially at his sense of humor, and partially in disapproval. "I must say, that last tactic of yours seemed a bit unfair though. Rolling through the dirt and striking from behind? What was that all about?"

"That was completely fair," Link insisted, suddenly looking smug. "You never declared that the both of us must remain upright during the duel. Besides, you were equally as welcome to use the technique against me."

Zelda scoffed before crossing her arms. "As if I would ever roll around in the dirt like that."

"Why not? The tactic proved successful, didn't it?"

"Yes, but I must say, the state of your attire leaves much to be desired."

Zelda then smirked as she pointed at the Hero's green tunic. Link just glanced down, suddenly realizing that he was covered in a thin layer of dusty earth. There was no doubt that it was a remnant of his little stunt back there.

"I can't help but feel reminded of a recent memory where I stumbled upon you in the castle garden," Zelda added, her smirk growing wider.

Link just frowned. He knew that she was exaggerating, for his current status was a far cry from that muddy disaster in the garden, but he still didn't like giving her the satisfaction of teasing him. Especially when he was supposed to be the victor here. He soon patted the dusty dirt off of himself, looking fresh and clean once again.

"No scars left behind," he said, gesturing to his tunic with another grin. "And I have a victory to boot."

Zelda shook her head before sighing. "Very well. Just as I conceded the duel, so too do I concede this argument. The victory is completely yours, Hero."

"Ah, you have my utmost thanks, Princess," Link replied, before giving her a bow.

Zelda just giggled, amused at his sudden formality. However, before she had a chance to comment on how exaggerated his behavior was, the children suddenly began to swarm him. Each one of them was still jumping up and down, excited to praise his amazing display of swordsmanship.

"That was awesome!"

"You've never shown us anything like that before, Link!"

"How could you move so fast?"

Link just backed up a bit as the children continued to rush him, but he soon released a happy laugh. Zelda simply smiled as she watched the Hero bask in his moment of victory alongside his young audience. It was clear that the children were not only impressed, but also incredibly proud of the swordsman that hailed from their tiny village. And of course, they weren't the only ones who felt this way…

Secretly, Zelda was proud of him too.

If I had to split my story into arcs, I wouldn't refer to this stretch of chapters as the "Ordon Arc". I think I would actually call it "The Longest Day Arc", because I've decided to fit so many events into one single day lmao. But hey, I'm having fun here in Ordon. I hope you are too.