Instructing the Art of the Sword

!Link Faron Grasslands

The woman whose tenderness has captured my heart has now requested that I be the one to toughen it.

Y/N's childlike sense of wonder is one of her many traits that I find alluring. I wish I too could witness the world through a lens of trust, as she does.

But I know better.

I can now understand Jerrin's concern and concur that it is completely warranted. Y/N may be highly intelligent, but much like Zelda, her diligence and dedication to her studies have made her a bottomless pit of knowledge. She remains gullible when it comes to her surroundings and the motives of others around her.

Take me, for instance.

She sees me as a dedicated knight who bleeds for Hyrule and its queen.

I know that caged within me is an animal who yearns for release.

Should he be liberated from the careful construct in which he is confined, she will learn why she should be more careful of who she trusts.

Especially when it comes to me.

So, I will grant her wish. I will teach her the ways of the knight.

I will show her how to see through the facades of the populace.

Even if it means she should finally see through my own.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

The Blood Moon's tyranny had been effaced by the dominion of the sun. The horror of last night's events was smudged out by the early morning mist. Boats scratched against the coastline until they met the sea with a series of slaps as they set forth into its mysterious waters. The sound made you squirm as you felt the phantom feeling of your flesh being scraped against the graininess of Lurelin's sands.

You continued to swathe the Bokoblin horse's leg. You hummed, your voice dipping every now and then as you concentrated on your four-legged patient. You may have been covering the horse's wound that leaked blood, but there was no way to cover the intrusive thoughts leaking from your mind. From the constant replay of the attack to the feeling of Link's strong body surrounding you to the odd outburst of anger he displayed.

Now what have I gotten myself into? I'm not a fighter. But I cannot expect Link to be my personal hero forever. That's a tall order. Especially for someone who must always protect Hyrule and the queen.

Never again will I be a burden to him. Not when his cross to bear is heavy enough.

Your mind briefly revisited the dream you had the other night. You thought of the Hero of Time.

He hadn't saved you in the dream. But he did perish beneath the moon's wrath alongside you. The magnitude of that realization made your chest constrict.

"The Dawn of the Final Day" wonder what that meant? Was it a reference to time? Why did he transform back into a child? Wasn't he a child when he stumbled upon Termina? There is just so much we don't know.

One thing was clear, he warned you to defeat the moon or suffer its fury. In his account of Termina, the Hero of Time was victorious. Did this mean he held you in the same esteem? That he believed you could be the one to oust the evil controlling the blood moon?

Now it seemed you had two heroes you couldn't let down.

The Bokoblin's horse huffed as you pinned the last clip onto the gauze, careful not to snag her sutures. "Ah, I know. My mind is preoccupied, isn't it? Well, good as new, young lady." You stood, fingering some of her matted strands of hair. "Now this won't do. Let's clean you up and give you a name. You can't be the 'Bokoblin horse' forever."

As you brushed out the horse's mane, you went back to the familiar chorus of the song you were humming, racking up suitable names in your mind. Your trance was disturbed by an absurd bark.

You turned to see your puppy champion prancing toward you. Her fur beneath the light of the sun reminded you of melted ice cream. Rich caramel started at her head, dripping into a light tone of butterscotch at her neck, melting into spackles of fudge at her chest and belly.

"Good morning, Carm." You had never called her that before, but she seemed pleased by the resonance of it. Link strolled not too far behind, his eyebrow raised in your direction. "Carm?"

You chuckled. "Yes, because she is sweet like ice cream and her fur reminds me of caramel. And this here is going to be Liberty." You nudged your head toward the completely made-over horse from last night. "She has been liberated after all."

"That is a befitting name. Although I would rethink Carm. Glutton is more appropriate."

Carm turned toward Link, glowering with disinterest. He had served his purpose as a designated feeder. Carm once again let her eyes flutter toward you, adoration apparent in her wagging tail and long, dripping tongue. She then released a whopper of a belch. "Link!" You began to laugh. "What in Hylia's name did you feed her!?"

Link couldn't help but laugh with you. "Only a meal fit for a champion. I made us omelets to eat before we hit the road. And Carm had some steak." He gave you a side eye, "I mean, the steak was for us, but she did do a good deed last night. How could I say no?"

You couldn't help but swelter beneath the charm of Link's penchant for animals. Animals were so precious to you, as they often felt like your only friends growing up. You wondered if Link befriended many creatures during his time in the wild, which explained his genteel nature with them. You gave Link an approving nod, noting the gray tugging on the skin beneath his eyes.

Something about his appearance looked unkempt.

He looks exhausted.

Last night was difficult, to say the least. With Link's help, you found that your ankle was the only real injury you sustained. There were some minor abrasions throughout your body, along with your ankle, a small price to pay compared to death. Link stopped the horse's leg from bleeding until you could stitch her up the next day. He noticed her ability to bear weight on her leg, concluding that it wasn't broken.

At least that was one less trauma to cry about.

Link then proceeded to examine Carm, who was also thankfully unscathed. By the time everyone was situated, he went to go hunt for Kilton's shop.

Only to return empty-handed.

Link couldn't continue at the rate he was going. You wanted to be his respite, not his turmoil.

"Y/N?" He waved his hand before your eyes. "Are you well enough to depart soon?"

"Huh? Yes, of course. I'm a little sore, but beyond that, I've never felt better."

Link's lips didn't move from the harsh line they were in. His disbelief caused an unpleasant frown that only served to exaggerate the exhaustion on his face. "Well, I'll go grab your breakfast. Then we'll tie up our loose ends and get ready to leave this village."

Carm howled in response. You knelt beside her, scratching the top of her head and massaging her temples. As you were doting on Carm, you noticed Link cautiously lingering by your side.

"Everything ok, Link?"

His tone changed. "I heard you humming earlier..."

You tried to lighten the mood with a joke. "My voice is that bad, eh?" You chuckled at yourself as you observed the lack of humor on Link's face.

"Where did you learn that melody?"

You finished the last of a snazzy French braid you put in Liberty's mane and tail. " It is a song that has been passed down through generations of my family. It's really the only thing that connects me to my bloodline. It was said to be calming to animals, especially horses."

You peered over at Link to see a vacant stare on his face. He blinked a few times; it was apparent he was trying to recall something. He finally gave up, walking a few feet away, but unwilling to completely let go.

"I just feel like I've heard it before, that's all." His voice was wistful. You could see the disappointment oozing from him. Much like the nagging sensation of a word on the tip of your tongue, you knew Link was really bothered by the melody's familiarity.

"Get ready, Y/N. Our next location is going to be quite hot. But we must cross Faron's stormy grasslands first." His face finally succumbed to a cheeky grin. "Don't think I forgot about your knight training either."

Ugh. Of course, you didn't.

You stood, observing your two new animal friends. You simultaneously patted Carm's head while you nuzzled your forehead against Liberty's snout. "I promise to come visit. With treats, of course."

You were ready to leave Lurelin and all of your newfound trauma to be rolled away with the riptides.

❤️❤️❤️

"Link!!!" Your dour groans did little to deter Link from your training.

If you could call it that.

You were somewhere in Faron. Hylia forbid someone ask you where you were; all you could say was around trees.

Miles and miles of trees.

You weren't even sure how Link was able to follow directions. Unless his Shiekah Slate acted as a compass, you were utterly lost. The tropical temperature of Faron made for a sultry setting. The mercurial storms that pass through on a whim were absent from today's forecast. But you couldn't complain.

Especially when your next location is Gerudo Town. You were trying to hide it from Link, but you were inwardly geeking out. Gerudo Town was steeped in so much lore and history. It was also home to Naboru, the sacred sage, and the King of Thieves, Ganondorf. The trials of the Spirit Temple were your favorite among all the temples the Hero of Time had conquered.

Ok, and maybe you were curious about all the goods that the merchants had for sale. After all, you were a girl.

"Are you whining? Knights don't whine." Link was taunting you from behind. His body was pressed into yours as he once again held your hands to show you how to grip your weapon properly.

"You are holding the stick too tightly, Y/N. You're going to splinter your hands. Your weapon is an extension of you. The power comes from you, not the weapon."

His hands were slightly sweaty as they continued to grip around your own. You grunted, "Link, you've had me practice gripping for an hour now. Can't I learn moves?"

Link's breath trickled out into your ear, causing your stance to go rigid. "No. You are injured. Let's start with simple techniques before we do the more grueling work. You need to let your body heal."

"Well, can't I at least hold your sword?"

Link's body tautened behind you. You heard a slight chortle suppressed in his throat. "You're not ready to wield my sword."

You turned; your mouth hung open so wide it could scrape the dirt at your feet. "Did you just make an inappropriate joke?"

Link's eyes couldn't match the uncontrollable tremble of his lips. "I was simply answering your question. Ahem..."

The same chortle returned, only it came out as a snort that slowly seeped into laughter.

"Link!" You playfully swatted him with the branch you held. Maybe you didn't completely hate knight training. You got to have Link pressed against you. Although you had a suspicion, this wasn't how they trained the knights at Hyrule Castle.

There was still this tug of guilt that would play on your conscience. You had an important mission cut out for you- a decree from the queen. And here you were having the time of your life with Link. Your laughter began to dry out when you allowed yourself to entertain the thought.

From beside you, Epona and Reisz grazed, until Epona made a slight neigh, alerting you both. The distant sound of whistling seemed to penetrate through the thick forestation. "Hm, Epona, what is it, girl?" Link walked over to Epona and Reisz, his eyes still scouring their surroundings.

"Are there normally travelers around these woods?" You questioned in concern. You were definitely not at a spot a pedestrian should hike into. It was too easy to get lost.

Link shook his head. "Every now and then I'd see some people poaching or wandering about, but it's unusual for this area. Faron also gets terrible storms; we just so happen to be lucky today."

The whistling became louder until the sound of a tree branch cracking made you and Link both jump. A young man with kinky tufts of hair and smooth, dark skin broke through some of the shrubbery. "Ah, hello there! I'm surprised to see some folks out this way. I was just passing through."

"Ah, you're not lost, are you?" Link stood at your side, suspiciously quiet.

"No. I travel through here often. I am a merchant. Say, I have some bananas that are ripe. They may go bad. Would you take them off my hands?"

"Really? For free? Sure!"  You reached your hand toward the merchant's. A pair of slightly bruised bananas hung off the tips of his fingers.

"Y/N, don't!"

As you took the dangling bananas, the merchant began to howl with laughter.

"Yes, you fool. The bananas are free, just like your death!"

Talismans flew like confetti from the merchant's backpack. You caught notice of the inverted Shiekah symbol scrawled upon them. The man with the healthy skin of obsidian was no longer. There stood a replica of a human, hunched over with a white mask and the same reversed Shiekah symbol.

He began to spin, and a fury of wind whipped leaves around him into a barrier through which he could abscond. Instead of fleeing, however, he appeared once again, only to bump into Link's sword with his abdomen."

"Gah, insolent trash! Wait and witness the takeover of the Yiga!" Just as quick as he appeared, he vanished, a lone leaf fluttered to the ground where he stood.

Link sheathed his sword, giving you a cockeyed look.

"Rule one of knight training. Trust no one."

Edited: 7/18/23