“Link.”

Link opened his eyes and looked around quickly. He had zoned out... again. He turned his attention to the board and knit his brows together. What the hell were they talking about?

Ms. Muller turned her attention to him. “Link?”

Link stared blankly at the board. She was waiting for an answer. “Seven?”

The class snickered. He turned his helpless gaze to Mipha and she rolled her eyes.

“Try to pay attention, Link,” Ms. Muller said in an exhausted tone. “This will be on the test at the end of the week.”

Link sighed lightly and let his chin rest in the palm of his hand. He stared at the board as the marker squeaked across it, but he could not focus on the equations.

“Link.”

Link straightened and looked around quickly, but all eyes were either focused on the board in front of the classroom, or glued to notebooks as their pens scribbled furiously to take notes. He turned once more to Mipha, but she, too, was being a model student. Her red bangs fell across her eyes as she took detailed notes, seemingly unaware of anyone calling his name.

“Link.”

“Shut up,” he hissed towards Mipha.

Mipha glanced at him quickly, her expression puzzled. “What?”

“Stop fucking with me.”

Mipha’s brows raised. “I’m not doing anything.”

Link slunk back against his seat. He peered around the room once more until his gaze fell upon Zelda’s from across the room. Her brows were knit furiously at him, as if he were the source of the disturbance. He ignored her, looking around one more time, but as the voice came again, it was clear to him that it wasn’t anyone in the room. Even more so, no one else seemed to have noticed. He returned his gaze to Zelda and she stuck her nose up at him and turned her attention back to her notes.

“Link.”

Link stood and Ms. Muller turned back towards him.

“Is there a problem?” she asked. She peered at him over her glasses.

“I…” Link started. “Bathroom,” he muttered, then made his way quickly out the door and into the empty hallway.

“Link.”

“What the fuck,” he muttered under his breath. He looked down the hall to his left, then to his right, but there was no one in sight. He made his way right and wandered the halls of the school until he arrived before his locker. He didn’t hear the voice again. He turned the dial to his locker until it clicked open and he stared inside. Except for his jacket, bag, and an old text book on the shelf that he had never opened, it was empty.

The phone in his pocket vibrated and he checked the message from Mipha. R u ok?

Link sighed and returned the phone. He swung the locker door closed and made his way back down the hall to his classroom. But as he turned the corner, the bell rang, and Zelda was first out the door. She caught Link’s gaze and her brows knit together angrily once more.

“What’s your problem?” she hissed at him.

“My problem?” Link said. “I didn’t do anything.”

“I don’t think you and your friends are funny,” she snapped at him.

“I didn’t do anything,” he repeated defensively.

Mipha emerged from the doorway next and the hall began to crowd quickly. She made her way to Link’s side and peered up at him in concern. “What’s wrong?”

“Someone kept saying my name,” Link muttered.

Mipha raised a brow. “I didn’t hear anything.”

“If this is some stupid joke,” Zelda said, “I don’t think it’s funny. Some of us want to pass this class.”

“You heard it,” Link said, more of a realization than a question.

“You heard it?” Mipha asked Zelda. Her eyes moved between Zelda and Link, puzzled by their interaction.

“I’m not an idiot,” she barked at him. “Stop pretending you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“You didn’t hear that?” Link asked, turning back to Mipha.

“Stop playing dumb,” Zelda said before turning her back to them dramatically, causing her long, blond hair to swoop around behind her. She pushed her way through the crowd and disappeared down the hallway.

Mipha watched her curiously before turning back to Link, still puzzled. “What is she so upset about?”

“I don’t know,” Link said slowly as he stared after Zelda.

“Are you feeling okay?” Mipha asked.

Link turned his gaze back to her. “Yeah,” he said. “Just tired.”

Mipha smiled. “You should really stop falling asleep in class.”

Link returned her smile and shrugged with one shoulder. “Maybe. Must have been a dream or something.”

“Lunch?” Mipha followed him as he made his way back to his locker.

Link spun the dial quickly and lifted up on the handle, opening the door. He pulled out his bag and swung it over his shoulder before pushing the locker door closed once more. “I could eat,” he said.

Mipha moved to her own locker a few doors down and put her books and notebooks onto the top shelf, exchanging them for her own bag. She blew her bangs out of her eyes and closed the locker door, then returned to Link's side with a smile.

“What are you doing after school?” Link asked her. They walked side by side through the loud, crowded hallways towards the senior courtyard at the other end of the building.

“You can't copy my notes,” Mipha said dryly. “I need them to study.”

Link groaned loudly. “Come on,” he practically whined. “I'm gonna fail this class.”

“Maybe you should put more effort in to it,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Maybe you should be a good friend and let me copy off your test.”

“Seriously?”

Link grinned at her.

“You're hopeless.”

Link nodded. “That's why I have you.”

“I don't support this carefree life style.” She sighed. “What's your plan, anyway? Everyone else has started looking into colleges except you.”

“I don't need a mother, thank you,” Link muttered. “We're only juniors, what does it matter?”

“We had an entire assembly about this, Link,” Mipha reminded him. “Did you sleep through that, too?”

Link looked up thoughtfully, then shrugged. “Probably.”

“Have you even met with your guidance counselor?”

“What's that?”

“What exactly do you think is going to happen after graduation?”

“I don't make it a habit of thinking that far ahead. Hell, I haven't even planned tomorrow's naps yet.” He grinned at her.

“You can't be serious about anything,” Mipha said, shaking her head.

“Life's too short.”

“For you, I'm sure it will be. You're gonna flip burgers, eat fried foods, and die before you hit thirty.”

“Sounds like a good plan.”

Mipha rolled her eyes and pushed open the double doors that opened into the senior courtyard. Across the way, lounging on one of the tables, was a small group of four seniors. The tall, gorgeous, dark skinned Urbosa sat on the edge of the bench with her legs crossed at the ankles, her skirt showing off her long legs. The incredibly buff Daruk wore his dark hair spiked as he typically did, his skin a few shades lighter compared to Urbosa. He stood before her with his arms crossed. And sitting on the table, their legs on the bench seat, were best friends Revali and Teba. Their lighter skin contrasted greatly against Urbosa and Daruk. Sunglasses shielded Revali's eyes, but Link could tell he was glaring at him the moment Mipha opened the doors. Teba, on the other hand, paid no mind to them, though Daruk and Urbosa turned to greet them, gesturing for them to approach.

“You know this is the senior courtyard,” Revali said with a slight snarl. “In other words, no juniors, no matter how special you think you are.”

Link ignored him and met Daruk's waiting fist bump. Revali and Teba parted slightly, allowing for Mipha to sit on the bench beside Urbosa, despite Revali's earlier comment.

“Give it a rest,” Urbosa said with a roll of her eyes. “Link and Mipha can hang out here whenever they want.”

Link grinned, then stuck his tongue out at Revali.

“That's so mature,” Revali muttered. He peered at Link over his sunglasses.

“Be nice to him,” Mipha said as she bit into her sandwich. “His usual fourth period nap was cut short today. He's a little cranky.”

“I'm not cranky,” Link said, folding his arms over his chest.

“He and Zelda had it out in the hallway.”

“Zelda?” Daruk repeated, turning to Link. “Since when do you talk to her?”

Link pulled his own sandwich out and took a bite. “I don't,” he said as he chewed.

“She was yelling at him for something,” Mipha explained.

“What did you do?” Urbosa asked Link, narrowing her eyes on him.

Link swallowed his bite. “Nothing!”

“Oh, I'm sure he did something,” Revali said. “This is Link we're talking about. He has such a way with the ladies, after all.”

Mipha giggled.

“I think I'd know if I did something wrong,” Link muttered.

“Men never do,” Urbosa said.

“Whatever,” Link said. “She's crazy.” Maybe just as crazy as he was, considering they were the only two that seemed to have heard the voice. He turned back to his sandwich, and to his relief, the conversation switched to a new topic.

“Have you heard from any schools yet?” Mipha asked, turning to Urbosa.

“A couple of my bottom choices,” Urbosa replied. “But it's still early.”

“I'm sure you won't get a single rejection,” Mipha said with a smile. “They'll all be fighting over you.”

“I don't know about that,” Urbosa said.

“You're one of the highest ranked students in the school,” Daruk pointed out. “Of course they're going to fight over you.”

Urbosa rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but look at my competition.” She threw a thumb over her shoulder towards Revali. “I bet even Link ranks higher than that.”

Revali scoffed. “Grades don't matter anymore,” he said. “It's all about who you know. And I know people.”

“Right,” Urbosa said. “We'll see how that plays out for you.”

“I've already gotten one acceptance letter,” he said as he pushed himself off the table. “Early submissions pay off.”

“So, who's dick did you have to blow for that?” Teba said.

“My father -”

“Woah!” Daruk yelled, his arms in the air.

Revali glared at him, then continued. “My father's friends with the Dean.”

“The Dean's gonna regret that decision real quick,” Urbosa said to Mipha.

“While you're off doing boring lawyer stuff,” Revali said, “I'll be playing the stock game with a babe on each arm. They'll wear coats made of hundos and we'll sail off into the sunset on my massive yacht.”

“I'd say he's overcompensating,” Mipha said. Urbosa nodded.

“Come on, Teba,” Revali said. “Let's smoke this joint.”

Teba sighed. “You have such a Napoleon complex.”

“A what?”

Teba smiled and followed Revali. “It's okay, man. Ladies don't want men with brains.”

“Why are we friends with him,” Mipha said.

“Well, I liked Teba,” Daruk said.

“Why is Teba friends with him?”

“Teba and Revali go way back,” Urbosa said. “I think Teba is just stuck with being friends with him at this point.”

“They're in love,” Link said.

Daruk snorted. “Probably the only action Revali will get.”

“He's supposedly dating this girl at another school,” Mipha said.

“How do you know?” Urbosa asked.

Mipha raised a brow. “He told us yesterday.”

“Oh.” Urbosa turned her gaze up in thought. “I don't usually listen to him.”

“Someone should warn her that Revali's got a side guy,” Link said.

“Someone should tell Saki, too,” Daruk said.

“Teba and Saki are so cute together,” Mipha said. “For someone who's friends with Revali, he's a good guy.”

“Guess someone should break the news to Revali, then,” Urbosa said. “Teba will never leave Saki for him.”

“They're totally gonna get married,” Mipha said dreamily.

“Revali and Teba?” Link asked with a grin. Mipha threw her waded up trash at him and it hit him square in the chest, then fell to the ground.

“Revali has a girl friend before me,” Daruk muttered. “What has this world come to?”

“You're a catch, Daruk,” Mipha said. “You'll find the perfect girl before you know it.”

“Thank you, Mipha,” Daruk said sincerely. “I hope she's half as sweet as you.”

Link scoffed.

“And as long as you don't land a guy like Revali or Link,” Urbosa said to her, “you'll be all set.”

Mipha blushed and turned away, busying herself with her bag.

“Hey, I can be a catch, too,” Link said.

“Yeah, real catch,” Daruk said. “Ladies love scrawny high school drop outs.”

“There's more to me than that,” Link said.

Urbosa stood and put her hand on Link's shoulder. “Of course there is, Sweetie. But ladies want more than a big dick.” She winked at him and walked back towards the school.

“I'll take that as a compliment,” Link said proudly. “She wants me. I could get her.”

“You're a pig,” Mipha muttered.

“Good luck with that,” Daruk said. “She gives zero shits about men right now. And she's way out of your league.”

Link shrugged. Mipha pushed passed him with her bag in hand and waved over her shoulder. “See ya later,” she called to them.

“Wait a sec,” Link said. “She owes me notes.”

“Link,” Daruk started. “You can't expect Mipha to be your brains for the rest of your life. I love you, man, but get your shit together. You're better than that.”

“Thanks for the pep talk,” Link muttered.

“And I can't keep beating up bullies for you.”

“That was one time.”

Daruk made a muscle with his arm. “Get on my level, bro.”

From inside the school, the bell rang, signaling the end of their lunch period. Link sighed and threw his bag over his shoulder. “See ya later.”

2: 2

Link was at his locker just seconds after the last bell rang. He tossed his bag over his shoulder and waited for Mipha as he typically did. They pushed through the end-of-the-day crowd as students milled about the halls. When they reached the front door, they spilled out with the other students, trotting down the front steps. Link turned when he heard his name and saw Daruk waving an arm. Link and Mipha walked over to the group of seniors that stood at the corner of the building. Urbosa greeted Link with a smile, her hand on her hip, as he and Mipha approached. Teba gave a short nod with his chin, and Revali turned his back, his arms crossed over his chest.

“What are you two doing tonight?” Daruk asked.

“Studying,” Mipha said with a slight groan.

“Sleeping,” Link said with a smirk.

Mipha rolled her eyes, turning around as she heard Riju’s voice. The freshman skipped towards them and waved enthusiastically.

“Can we go to the arcade?” she asked her sister.

“That depends,” Urbosa said. “Don’t you have homework?”

“Don’t you?” Riju said. She leaned forward, her hands on her hips.

“I don’t know how she does it,” Daruk said, “but she probably has homework finished for the next six weeks.”

Urbosa grinned down at her sister. “It’s true,” she said.

“Just because you’re already accepted into college doesn’t mean you don’t have to do work.”

“She could get zeros for the rest of the year and they would still fight over her,” Teba said.

“Because I did my homework,” Urbosa said.

“I always do my homework!” Riju whined.

“Don’t you think you’re a little old for arcades, now?”

Riju shook her head and grinned. “I gotta make sure I still have the high score.” She turned to Link. “Come on,” she said. “I’ll kick your ass at air hockey again.”

Revali snorted. “It’s not hard to kick his ass.”

“Shut up,” Daruk snapped at him.

“Link.”

Link looked around him. He noticed Zelda standing outside the black town car that always picked her up. Dorian opened the door for her. She peered at Link over her shoulder before she slid in.

“Um,” Link started. “Maybe tomorrow. I gotta go.” He glanced quickly at Daruk. “I’ll talk to you later.”

Daruk raised a brow but nodded. “See ya.”

He said good-bye to Mipha and waved a had over his shoulder as he made his way away from them. Normally, he and Mipha walked home together, but he didn’t question it when she did not follow him. He hadn’t planned on going straight home, anyway.

“Link.”

It seemed to come from his left as he made his way down the road. Traffic passed lazily by in the school zone. He hesitated at the intersection, then opted to follow the direction of the voice to his left across the street. He followed the sidewalk as it moved down the next street, but the voice did not return. He continued on aimlessly as the road curved through the city until he heard the voice again, almost a half an hour later. This time, it came from his right.

Link looked in the direction of the voice. He was moving away from the center of the city, now, and the roads had started to grow narrower as they wound their way through suburban neighborhoods. He took one of the suburban roads to the right and followed it further towards the outskirts of the city. A bus turned onto the road behind him, chugging along before coming to a slow, squeaky stop just yards in front of him. A group of young children jumped off the last step, chasing each other across yards as they headed for their homes.

“Link.”

The voice moved towards another side street marked with a dead end sign. Link hesitated as he peered down the road. He couldn’t see the dead end from where he stood, but tall power lines loomed close by. He followed the dead end road as it twisted around, ending in a cul-de-sac. There were only two houses at the end, one on the left side, and one on the right. Before him was the start of the woods that would open up to where the power lines stood. And the voice seemed to call him forward into the trees.

He followed an overgrown path as it twisted through the forest, walking only a quarter of a mile where he stood in the tree line. The ground sloped upwards slightly to his left and was leveled off where he stood, and further on to his right until it met a small river. A narrow bridge crossed the river, and a lone car traveled across it. Across from where he stood was another tree line. The woods appeared to be much denser, and if he walked completely through it, he imagined he would come out by the interstate just outside the city. The voice beckoned him across the power lines and deeper into the woods.

“What are you doing here?”

He was halfway across the strip when he heard Zelda’s voice to his right. She made her way towards him, her gaze narrowed on him.

“I could ask you the same thing,” he said. “Were you following me?”

Zelda rolled her eyes. “Why the hell would I follow you?”

“So, why are you here?”

“Why are you here?”

Link hesitated. “Meeting my dealer.”

Zelda’s eyes narrowed further.

Link decided to ignore her and continued on toward the tree line, but Zelda trotted after him.

“You’re following the voice, too,” she said as she caught up to him.

Link paused and glanced at her. “Why are you following it?”

Zelda shrugged. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I wanted to know what the hell it was.” She followed Link as he walked forward once more and they stepped into the woods, following the sound of the voice in silence.

They walked for close to an hour before the trees began to thin around them. Before they knew it, there was a small clearing in the forest where a very large tree stood in the middle. The late afternoon sunlight streamed through its branches, casting the meadow in a golden glow. Before the tree, plunged into a stone pedestal, was an old sword. Though the blade appeared rusted, the hilt shone like new.

“Link.”

“What the hell?” Zelda muttered. “Is that a sword?”

Link ignored her and stepped forward, examining the sword. As he neared, he felt a strange sensation, a pull in his chest, as if the sword itself were calling him to it. He hesitated, peering at the sword, before finally closing the gap between him and it. He touched the hilt carefully with the tip of his finger, pushing against it lightly to see if it would move, but the sword seemed to be stuck in the pedestal.

“Don’t touch it,” Zelda whispered. “We should leave it alone.”

But Link’s curiosity peaked as his fingers wrapped around it. He was filled with a strange sense of power as he gripped the sword. It fit perfectly in his palm, and in one swift movement, he pulled the sword out of the stone pedestal. It gleamed in the sunlight, surprisingly lighter than it looked. Zelda hissed from behind him.

“What did you do that for?”

Link examined the sword closely. The voice had settled, seemingly satisfied that Link had retrieved it.

“What are you gonna do with it?”

Link turned to Zelda and shrugged. “Keep it.”

She narrowed her gaze on him. “Why? What do you want with that dirty old thing?”

“It’s cool.”

Zelda rolled her eyes and turned her back to him. “I don’t hear the voice anymore.” She peered over her shoulder, her gaze on the sword for a moment. She turned her gaze to meet Link’s. She opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it, turning away to walk back through the forest.

Link let the blade rest against his shoulder as he followed Zelda through the woods. He asked the question she had decided not to ask. “Do you think… Do you think the voice came from the sword?”

“You’re insane,” Zelda muttered. “Someone was just fucking with us.”

“Why would someone do that?”

Zelda shrugged. “Maybe they committed a murder with that thing and they wanted to frame you.”

They were both quite sure that that wasn’t the case, but neither particularly wanted to talk about the strange voice and the fact that it was only the two of them that could hear it.

“I can’t believe I wasted my afternoon coming out here,” Zelda muttered. “I should have been studying for that test.”

Link snorted, and Zelda narrowed her eyes at him over her shoulder, turning her nose up at him.

“Some of us actually want to have a future,” she said to him. She pushed herself gracefully over a large, fallen tree, while Link stumbled over clumsily behind her, dropping the sword in the old, rotted leaves.

“You're the princess of Hyrule,” he commented as he got back to his feet. He dusted himself off and picked up the sword, then continued to follow her out of the woods. “You can have any future you want.”

Zelda stopped and spun on her heels angrily. She opened her mouth, then closed it again as her gaze landed on the sword in his hand. She pinched her lips together, huffed through her nose, and turned around to continue through the woods. “I guess. Besides, you know, being expected to take the throne.”

“Doesn't sound like a bad deal to me.”

“Who said I even wanted any part of it?”

Link hesitated. He examined the ground as he walked, being careful not to trip on any hidden roots. “You don't?”

“I don't know,” Zelda muttered.

“We can trade.” He looked up and grinned at her as he met her gaze. “I'll drive all the nice cars and you can deal with my sister.”

Zelda raised a brow at him. “You have a sister?”

Link shrugged and kept walking, taking the lead. “You're too high maintenance for her.”

“Excuse me?” Zelda trotted to Link's side. “What's that supposed to mean?”

Link grinned, too happy to be getting under her skin. But instead of answering her, he just shrugged.

They stepped out of the tree line, the warmth of the sun greeting them. Link let the sword rest against his shoulder once more and waved to Zelda over his shoulder as he stepped away from her, moving across the field. “See ya.”

It didn't take him long to get home, but the sun had dipped below the distant mountains enough to cast their world in a quiet twilight. The air had cooled, the streetlights had turned on, and birds began their delicate, nightly calls to the emerging crickets. Link held the sword carefully behind his back as he slipped through the front door. To his relief, neither his sister nor his father were in the kitchen.

He closed the door softly behind him and made a quick stop at the fridge. He peered inside, searching for something to satisfy his grumbling stomach. He reached his arm in, jumping at a voice and bumping his head. He looked over the door of the fridge to the young girl that stood on the other side, a wide grin on her face.

“You missed dinner,” she teased.

“Did you save me any?”

She rolled her eyes. “Dad wouldn't let me. But...” She pulled a container from behind her back and held it out to him.

“I've trained you well,” Link said, straightening and closing the refrigerator door.

“Don't be late again or Dad will kick your butt.”

Link raised a brow as he peered into the container. “Is that what he said?”

Aryll giggled. “He said you're a no good lazy dumbass and he's gonna kick you to the curb.”

“Don't say dumbass, Ary.”

Aryll rolled her eyes. “Dad says you're gonna drop out of high school and do nothing with your life.”

“That doesn't sound like a bad thing. I like doing nothing.”

Aryll's face hardened in child-like seriousness. “Dad says -”

“Do you listen to everything Dad says? You know he hates me.”

Aryll crossed her arms. “No he doesn't, stupid. He just wants you to be a better person.”

“You sound just like him.”

Aryll peered around him curiously. “What's that?”

“Nothing.” Link pushed her aside and walked around her, being careful to keep the sword hidden from her.

“You're hiding something!”

Link walked backwards and grinned. “Non'ya business.”

“I'm gonna tell Dad!”

“Go head,” Link taunted. “And I'll tell him that you were the one that ate all the cookies.”

Aryll gasped as he rounded the corner into the hallway. He trotted hurriedly up the stairs, down the hall, and slipped behind the door into his bedroom. He tossed the sword carelessly into his closet, stripped out of his shirt, and dropped onto his bed with a heavy sigh. He tilted his head towards his alarm clock. It was only seven, which left plenty of time to ignore his homework and take a nap.

3: 3

Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, Link had spent most of the night playing foolishly with the sword, battling imaginary foes and breaking a few items in the process. It wasn't until he almost broke his laptop that he finally gave up with the idea that he'd ever be some hero with a sword and tossed it into his closet to be forgotten about. So when he found himself in his first period class the next morning, he was more tired than usual, and all he wanted to do was fall asleep in the back of the room. But as luck would have it, he would not be so fortunate.

Feeling a presence standing before him, Link lifted his head off his arms and looked up. There, in front of his desk, stood Zelda with her arms crossed. Clearly, she couldn't tell he was trying to take a nap.

“What?”

Her figure relaxed slightly, a wave of curiosity flashing across her face. “What did you do with the sword?” she asked.

He put his head back down on his arms and yawned. “It’s in my room.”

Zelda rolled her eyes and returned to her desk as Mipha approached. She glanced at Zelda before taking her seat beside Link.

“Copying her notes?” Mipha asked with a grin.

Link didn’t answer her. He straightened in his seat as the door opened and their teacher entered. She immediately began discussing the previous night's homework, and Link had quickly tuned her out as he usually did. He let his chin rest in his hand as he spaced out, staring blankly at the board, his thoughts wandering to the sword.

What was most peculiar about it was the familiarity he felt when he held it. The voice that called to him seemed to be one he had heard before, though of course that was impossible. The sword seemed to be an entity all on its own – as if a spirit lived inside of it, watching over it, luring Link to it. He felt a comfort being around the sword, as if he were in the presence of a friend.

He was so lost in thought that he hadn't even noticed the test that was passed out until the teacher came back around to collect the blank pages from him. He looked up at her sheepishly, meeting her disapproving gaze, and slouched pathetically when she told him to hang back after class. He caught Mipha's disapproving gaze as the teacher moved back to the front of the room and he rolled his eyes.

He tried to sneak out quickly at the sound of the bell, but Ms. Muller peered at him over her glasses and beckoned to him with a boney finger. He stepped away from the door like a guilty dog as the rest of the students filed out, leaving him alone to his inevitable death.

“I'm not going to sit here and lecture you, Link. I know you're better than this, and you know you're better than this. You may have been able to skate by with mediocre grades, but lately, you're not even doing that. You're failing, Link. At this rate, you won't even get to senior year.”

Link turned his gaze to the door. From the rectangular window, he could see Mipha on the other side, her arms crossed and her head shaking. He rolled his eyes and sighed again.

“I'll give you one last chance, Link. You can stay after school tomorrow, or come in during your lunch. Make up the test. Do some extra credit. Take advantage of this, because you won't get other chances in the future.”

Just enough time to get the answers from Mipha. “Thanks.” He hurried out of the room before she had a chance to lecture him further, breathing a sigh of relief when the door closed behind him.

“What the hell?” Mipha hissed at him.

“Get off my back,” he muttered.

“You're acting like a child. What's the matter with you? You spaced that entire test.”

Link gave her his best puppy-dog look. “Can I have your notes?”

“No!”

“Come on! I need to study for the make up!”

Mipha hesitated. “Are you ever going to take anything seriously?”

“Life's too short,” he said with a shrug.

Mipha narrowed her gaze on him. “Wrong answer.” She turned sharply on her heels, her red hair flying out behind her.

“Come on, Mipha,” he whined, but she ignored him as she disappeared in the crowd. Unwilling to chase her, he sighed and made his way to his locker. To his surprise, Zelda was there waiting for him, a wide grin on her face. Link eyed her suspiciously.

“What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted a chance to make fun of you.”

He spun the code to his locker quickly, opening the door and blocking her face from his view. “You've got some shit on your nose.”

“Too busy playing with your sword all night?” Zelda said, ignoring his comment.

Link shoved a textbook onto the messy shelf and grabbed the first notebook his hand landed on. He let the door swing shut and raised a brow to her. “No one else will.”

“Ugh! Really?” She rolled her eyes, turned her nose up at him, and left him alone at his locker. He scanned the crowd as students milled about, switching out books at their lockers and talking amongst one another. Through the windows, he could see his friends gathered in the courtyard between classes, but he didn't feel up for their interrogations.

Instead, he made his way to his next class, where he made a slight effort to stay awake. It was easier to do when he wasn't being forced to stare at math equations first thing in the morning, and even slightly more exciting when his chemistry teacher announced that they would be doing a lab. Link wasn't sure exactly what concoctions they were putting together, but the end result was cool enough to hold his interest. By third period, he was starting to grow hungry, and ignored most of the english lecture. What did he care about Romeo and Juliet, anyway?

At the sound of the bell, he found himself back at his locker, where he switched his notebook out for his lunch. Going against everything he had ever known, he made his way back to the empty math classroom to take the offered make-up test.

*****

Link trotted down the steps of the school with the rush of students eager for the end of the day. Mipha was not yet outside, and Link debated whether he should wait for her or not. He looked around, but his friends weren’t even gathered at the corner of the building like they usually did.

He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and strode across the school’s lot towards the road. A few cars were lined against the sidewalk, waiting to pick up students. One of the cars was a black town car that Link immediately recognized. Typically, Dorian stood outside of it, waiting to pick up Zelda, but this time, an older woman stood outside, and she was staring at Link, her brows knit together. He immediately recognized Paya, one of the sophomores in his math class, standing beside the woman, and she, too, turned her gaze to Link. Her eyes were hesitant, almost worried, before she tore her eyes away from him and onto the ground. The old woman beckoned to him with a bony finger and Link hesitated. He looked around him for a moment, hoping she was talking to someone else, but seeing no one else moving towards the car, he hesitantly obeyed.

“Where is the sword?” the woman asked.

Link blinked at her. How did she know about the sword? He glanced at Paya, but found no answers, which was almost expected. He didn't think he had ever heard her talk once.

“At home,” Link said slowly. He turned his gaze back to the woman and raised a brow.

“Link,” Paya said quickly. “This is my grandmother, Impa. She is -”

“Sheikah,” Link said simply. They weren’t typically easy to recognize, but he knew most of the Sheikah in the city had connections to Zelda and her father, the city’s king. The only reason he knew of Dorian was because he was close with his father. He wasn’t the smartest student in the school, but he had enough common sense to put the pieces together. The town car bore the crest of Zelda’s family, so it only made sense that Impa was someone of importance.

Impa raised a brow at Link. “You’re smarter than you look,” she said. “Get in.”

Paya took the opportunity to slide into the passenger's seat as Impa walked around the car. Link watched Impa carefully.

“I, uh, actually have to -”

“I said get in,” Impa barked at him. “We’ll have you home soon enough.”

His parents always taught him not to get into a car with strangers, but he got in, anyway. If he were being honest, the old woman kind of scared him. But what harm could she do to him? She was Paya’s grandmother, after all. He didn’t know what she wanted with him, but maybe this was just her way of inviting him for cookies and milk. He could go for some homemade grandmother-styled cookies.

With a small shrug, he got into the backseat of the car. He leaned forward towards Paya. “This isn’t a trap, right?”

Paya blushed and giggled. “No,” she said softly. “Grandmother only wants the sword.”

“She’s not going to kill me, is she?”

Paya grinned and shrugged. “I can’t make any promises.”

Link sat back against the seat. Paya was never much for conversation, so it surprised him that she knew how to even make a joke. At least, he hoped she was joking.

“So,” Link started as the car pulled away from the school. “Where are you two taking me?”

“We’re just going to the shrine,” Paya informed him.

“I need some answers from you,” Impa said matter of factly.

“Answers? You couldn’t just ask nicely?”

“Our questions for your are classified,” she said. “Strictly confidential. I cannot risk our conversation being overheard by the wrong people.”

“The wrong people?” Link muttered. What the hell had he gotten himself into? When no one offered any further explanation, he crossed his arms and muttered to himself. “Guess I am being framed for murder.”

The ride felt much longer than it really was as they sat in an uncomfortable silence. Link kept his gaze out the window, fully aware of Impa's hard stares at him in the rearview mirror every few minutes. He watched as the traffic thinned and the streets narrowed as they made their way to the outer edges of the city.

The land rose and fell more freely and the streets weaved themselves along. If they drove any further, they would have left the city completely and found themselves in Hyrule's more rural countryside. And even further still, the road would take one into other cities and eventually, the coast. It was a long drive to the coast, and Link had only been a few times before, but this would not be one of those times.

Instead, the car turned onto a dirt road shaded by trees on either side. The road made its way up and around until they were on top of a small hill where the shrine sat, just out of view of the road. Link gazed upon the shrine in surprise, never knowing for a moment such a building existed. When the car stopped, he stepped out with Paya and Impa and followed them inside.

Zelda was already inside the shrine when they entered. She turned and automatically frowned when she saw Link. “You’re here, too?”

“Not by choice,” Link muttered. “Why are you here?”

Zelda sighed lightly, clearly irritated. “That’s a good question.”

Paya moved across the room and through the doorway into another room. Impa strode in behind her and motioned for Link and Zelda to follow her. They glanced at each other for a moment before following behind the elderly Sheikah woman into another room. This room was large and open. A variety of weapons and practice weapons were lined up against the far side of the room. Impa strode towards a bokken, picking it up and tossing it at Link.

Link fumbled with the bokken and promptly dropped it to the floor at his feet. Impa rolled her eyes at him as he picked it up and studied it. “What’s this for?”

“Training,” Impa said simply.

“Training?” Link raised a brow. He swung the bokken clumsily in front of him. “For what?”

“Stop that,” Impa hissed as he continued to swing – then promptly drop – the practice weapon.

Paya entered with an old book in her arms. She made her way to Impa’s side, handing her the book carefully.

“The sword you found is the Master Sword,” Impa said in an almost bored tone as she opened the book and flipped through its pages. “It is a legendary sword that is over hundreds of thousands of years old created by our Goddess, Hylia. It is imbued with the power to vanquish all darkness and evil and is all that stands between Hyrule and our enemies.”

Zelda raised a brow. “Enemies?”

“Since the dawn of time, Hyrule has been cursed to repeat history, and it has become the responsibility of the Sheikah to prepare for the rise of our enemy, Ganondorf. It is he who holds the Triforce of Power which allows him to rise from Hylia’s seal time and time again. He seeks out the other two pieces of the Triforce, and if he obtains them, he will be granted absolute power and Hyrule will cease to exist as we know it.”

“The Triforce,” Zelda said thoughtfully. “That’s the symbol in our crest.”

Impa nodded. “The other two pieces, the Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of Courage, are said to be passed down through the ages. The descendant of Hylia is said to hold the Triforce of Wisdom, while the descendent of the great hero holds the Triforce of Courage.” Impa turned her gaze to Link. “Only the Chosen Hero – the one who possesses the Triforce of Courage – can pull the Master Sword from its pedestal and awaken the power that is inside of it.”

The bokken fell from Link’s hands and clattered loudly against the wood floor. He stared blankly at Impa for a moment before narrowing his gaze at her. “Excuse me?”

“It is your duty, Link, to save Hyrule from Ganondorf’s dark forces when he rises once more. It is only a matter of time before he does. That’s why the sword summoned you to the forest.”

Link laughed sharply and turned away. “Come on,” he said to Zelda. “Let’s get out of here.”

Zelda hesitated, her eyes moving from Link to Impa. “I think she’s serious,” Zelda said.

Link stood beside her and stared at her. “Are you kidding? You believe this bull shit?”

“Yes,” she said softly. “My mother always spoke of the legends. She always told me that we are descendants of Hylia. I never thought anything of it before…”

“Hylia’s power sleeps inside of you, Zelda,” Impa said. “That is why you could hear the voice from the sword, just as Link did.”

Link narrowed his gaze at Impa. “How do you know that?”

“I may have told her,” Paya said sheepishly. “Grandmother has been training me my whole life to carry on the duties of the Sheikah. When I heard you guys talking about a voice, I knew that that meant Ganondorf’s rise was imminent and that we must prepare for war.”

“The legends are real,” Impa said, passing the book to Link.

Link’s eyes scanned the pages of ancient Sheikah text, none of which he could understand. But there were various images through the pages. Images of the Triforce and the Master Sword. Images of a hero clad in green and a woman in white battling ferocious beasts. There were pictures of ancient technologies, ancient races that have long died out, and even old maps that depicted what Hyrule once looked like.

“It is the duty of the Sheikah to record history and to ensure that it is never forgotten the curse that Hyrule was put under. It is our duty to seek out and prepare the chosen heroes who must play their role in the oncoming war.”

Link closed the book and pushed it into Impa’s arms. “You have got to be kidding.”

Impa’s brows knit together fiercely. “Whether you like it or not, you have a duty to keep Hyrule from falling to Ganondorf. The Master Sword called for you and you responded. You must accept your responsibility in this war. I will train you to wield the sword to fight Ganondorf.” She turned her gaze to Zelda. “And I will help you awaken Hylia’s power that sleeps within you. Together, you must stop Ganondorf and bring peace to Hyrule.”

Link met Zelda’s gaze, hesitant, before turning back to Impa. He picked up the bokken and handed it to her. “I think you need to find yourself a new hero,” he said. He turned his back to her and left them alone in the shrine.

Zelda followed Link outside the shrine, jogging to keep up with him. “You can’t leave,” she hissed to him. “I need your help with this.”

“I can’t believe you’re buying this bull shit,” he snapped at her.

“This bull shit,” Zelda snarled, “is what I’ve been hearing my whole life.” She stopped walking and stared after Link. He hesitated and turned back to her as she continued. “I never knew it would happen in my lifetime, but I knew that I had to pass on the legends to my children, and my children to their children. It is the duty of the royal family as it is the Sheikah. That’s why we work so closely together. Whether you want to believe it or not, Link, it’s true. Ganondorf will rise, and it is our job to stop him. I cannot do it without you.”

Link studied her carefully as she spoke, still skeptical. Link had never seen her serious about anything besides school. For once, she didn’t sneer at him or roll her eyes at him. She looked concerned, but confident in her role. Ready to put her life on the line for some legend that was passed down through the ages.

A legend. And legends weren’t real.

But he had heard the voice. He had felt the power when he grasped the Master Sword. It was something he could not explain and would not have believed if it hadn’t happened to him.

He turned away from her. “Heroes don’t exist. Legends aren’t real.” He left her alone in front of the shrine and walked down the road, heading for home.

4: 4

Link sprinted through the forest, though he wasn't entirely sure where he was going. Yet something in his gut guided him over the fallen trees and rubble that littered the forest and he pressed on as fast as he could. Something was wrong, but he didn't know what. All he knew was that he needed to get somewhere. He needed to save something. He needed to save someone.

He caught a glimpse of something shining in the corner of his eye. It was a warm glow; a comforting glow. It was a sign of hope; a promise. He followed the glow. The Triforce was illuminated on the back of his left hand. The more he ran – the closer he got to his destination – the brighter it seemed to glow. But it didn't scare him. It encouraged him. It reminded him of who he was and what he had to do.

And suddenly, he remembered why he was running. He remembered his destiny. But more importantly, he remembered who he was fighting for. His family. His friends. The people he cherished most. The people he loved.

He would give his life for them if he had to.

The forest thinned suddenly and the world opened up to him. The rolling hills of Hyrule's old countryside stretched towards the horizon. An old, forgotten castle was all that marked the landscape, and it was shrouded in an unsettling darkness. The darkness moved about the castle, swirling through the air around it. The glow of the Triforce brightened significantly. His fingers tightened around the sword in his left hand, but he did not move further.

“Link! You are the light that shines upon Hyrule! Only you can save us!”

The darkness that surrounded the castle shot into the sky suddenly. It swirled and stretched until the sky was no more and the land was shrouded in an eerie, twilit haze. The darkness then shot across the sky towards him, and all he could do was brace himself.

 

Link awoke with a start, panting. He blinked in the darkness, waiting for his eyes to adjust and his pulse to slow. It was just a dream. He looked around his room, noticing then the glow that came from under his closet doors. He scrambled out of bed and across the room, pulling the doors open. The Master Sword leaned against the corner, a soft glow pulsing around it. Link stumbled backwards in surprise, falling to the floor as another glow came from his hand. He stared in horror as a piece of the Triforce showed itself on his hand. Link groaned loudly and buried his face in his hands.

“I’m not doing it,” he said loudly. “You can’t make me! It’s not real!”

“Link?” A soft voice spoke behind his bedroom door.

He got to his feet and slunk over to the door, opening it slightly. He peered down at his little sister who stood concerned on the other side. She cocked her head at him.

“Did you fall out of bed again?”

Link scratched at his head and looked quickly up and down the hallway. “Yeah. Sure.”

She smiled up at him. “Can I come in and sleep with you?”

“No,” he said quickly. “I… have to do homework.”

His sister giggled. “You never do homework.”

“Yeah, well,” he started. “If I want to graduate next year, I should probably start.”

Aryll peered around him. “Are you watching Netflix again?”

Link glanced over his shoulder. The Master Sword was still glowing faintly. He turned back to his sister. “Go back to bed, Ary,” he said sternly. “Dad’s gonna be mad if he hears you’re up.”

Aryll crossed her arms, sulking. “Fine,” she said. “But I’m telling Mipha you were mean to me.”

Link sighed. “I’ll tell Mipha that you still wet the bed.”

Aryll’s brows knit together and her mouth opened angrily. “I do not!”

Link grinned and pushed her away from the door. “Good night, Ary.” And he closed the door. He stood, listening as she muttered for a moment, then her little footsteps moved down the hallway. Her bedroom door closed softly.

Link moved across the room towards his bed, pausing in front of his closet. He glared at the sword for a moment, then sighed. “Fine,” he muttered. “Fine, fine, fine. Have it your way.” He pushed the doors closed forcefully and let himself fall face down onto his bed with a groan.

*****

“Link!”

Link pulled his eyes away from the back of his hand. He had been inspecting it most of the walk to school, completely ignoring whatever story Mipha was telling him.

“Yeah.”

“Yeah?” Mipha raised a brow at him and looked at his hand, still raised in front of him as they walked. “What's wrong with you?”

Link shoved his hands in his pockets. “Nothing.”

“Are you on drugs?”

“Yes.”

Mipha shifted her bag to the other shoulder. “You're not funny.”

“I was up late doing homework.”

“I'd believe the drug story before I believed that.”

They strode across the parking lot towards the corner of the building where Daruk, Teba, and Revali stood, too deep in conversation to notice the arrival of their friends.

“I'm telling you,” Revali said. “There is no definitive correlation between a man's car and the size of his dick. If that were the case, I'd be driving Ingo's stupid beefed up pick-up. Now that's overcompensation.”

“For you or Ingo?” Teba muttered.

“All I said was I wouldn't be caught dead in that chick car.” Daruk crossed his arms.

“Well, that's one way to start my morning,” Mipha said.

“Are we making fun of Revali?” Link grinned. “Daruk, you promised you wouldn't start without me.”

Revali snorted. “Oh, don't worry, we won't leave you out. Plenty of insults to go around.”

“Alright,” Link said. “Let's hear 'em.”

Revali hesitated, then turned to Teba, but his friend did not acknowledge him.

“What's the matter? Didn't have time to prep your daily insults this morning?” Link taunted. “Too busy measuring the size of your dick?”

“Goodbye,” Mipha said with a loud sigh. Without another look in their direction, she hurried towards the front doors of the school.

“Why does it always come down to dicks with you two?” Teba muttered. “C'mon, Daruk. Let's let them sort out their feelings towards one another.”

Daruk grinned down at Link. “Where were you yesterday, anyway?”

“Huh?”

“We were supposed to hang out.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Link shrugged. “Forgot. Muller gave me a ton of extra credit shit to do to catch up.”

“You went home and did extra credit?”

“Of course not,” Revali said. He smiled slyly at Link. “He didn't go home at all.”

Daruk looked between Revali and Link. “What do you mean?”

Link looked equally as confused.

“Link's totally banging Paya.”

Daruk raised a brow at Link. “Isn't she a sophomore?”

“I'm not banging Paya,” Link snarled.

“You two seemed awfully cozy yesterday.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Or was that a cover up? You did get in a marked car. Banging little miss Princess, are we?”

“You're full of shit, Revali,” Daruk said. “There's no way Zelda would have any interest in Link.”

“Thanks, man,” Link muttered.

“I'm just saying what I saw. Link and Paya got into one of those fancy town cars and took off.”

“We're doing a project together, alright?”

“Right,” Revali said with a grin. “A project.”

“Dude, she's a sophomore,” Daruk said disapprovingly.

“I'm not screwing her! I'm failing and she's smart. It's an easy A and it gets me through the stupid class.”

“That sounds believable,” Daruk said with a nod. Then, to Revali, “He is an idiot.”

“And balance has been restored once more,” Revali said. “Let the Link-bashing continue.”

“Whatever,” Link muttered. Not in the mood to deal with Revali's relentless teasing, Link made his way into the school. Mipha was already long gone, leaving him no choice but to trudge to his first class. It should have been illegal to make biology his first class of the day.

5: 5

Link spent the majority of his first class staring at the back of his hand, occasionally turning it over, curiously, but there was no sign of the Triforce that had appeared in his dream. If what Impa had said was true, then he was in possession of a piece of it, which would have explained why he heard the mysterious voice that lead him to the sword in the first place. Still, as much as he turned it over in his head, he couldn't bring himself to believe it. Why would Hylia choose him, of all people? In no way did he embody the image of a hero. Courageous he was definitely not. He could barely stay awake through his classes. What business did a failing high schooler have saving the world?

He felt exhausted thinking of it all by the time his math class came around, and his brows seemed to be permanently furrowed together. He had drifted through the morning, lost in a daze, and didn't even notice when Mipha sat beside him. He jumped when she snapped her fingers in front of her face.

“What is with you today?”

Link dragged his palms down his face. “Tired,” he said simply.

Mipha rolled her eyes. “You're always tired.”

“Hm.” He desperately wanted to tell her about what had happened. Mipha always had good advice, even if he didn't necessarily want to hear it. But he didn't know if she would even believe him, or if he should even drag her into anything in the first place.

“Oh!” Mipha said suddenly, then lowered her voice. “It's today, isn't it? The anniversary?”

Link turned to her, brow cocked in confusion. “Huh? What anniversary?”

Mipha looked around for a moment, her voice lowering further. “You know. The day your mother died?”

His brows furrowed further. “What? No. Why do you...” He hesitated, thinking for a moment. She was right, as she usually was. He didn't even remember. “Oh. Sure.”

Mipha narrowed his eyes at him. “Did you forget?”

“Yeah,” he admitted, then shrugged. “So what?”

“So what?” Her brows knit together. “That's kind of a big deal.”

“Mipha, it was forever ago.”

“It wasn't forever ago.”

Link rolled his eyes. His head was pounding, now, and he was simply too tired to make it through the rest of the day. “Please stop breathing down my neck.”

Mipha turned away from him and leaned back in her seat. “Fine,” she muttered. “I was just trying to help.”

“I don't need help.” He yawned. “I need a nap.”

Mipha leaned forward and let her chin rest in her palm, her elbow on the desk. She tilted her head to the side and smiled at him. “Good thing you have all weekend to nap.”

This brought the life back into his eyes. He had completely it was Friday, his second favorite day of the week. Saturday, of course, being his first. And Monday his least. “Shit, yeah,” he said, grinning.

*****

By the time lunch came around, Link had managed to forget about the sword and the Triforce, but he still felt too tired – too tired to even find the energy to annoy Revali as he usually did during their shared lunch period. Instead, he folded his arms on the table and lay his head against them, closing his eyes. He was sure Revali would try to take advantage of his vulnerable state, but his attempts were thwarted by Urbosa as she batted his hand away from Link.

By some miracle, Link made it through the rest of his classes and to the final bell signaling the end of the day and thus the end of his week. He couldn't be more eager to get home and fall onto his bed. With a little luck, Aryll wouldn't bother him, and he'd sleep through the evening and well into Saturday morning.

He made his way out the front doors of the school with the rest of the students. Just as he expected, his group of friends were outside standing by the edge of the building, hanging out and making plans before parting for the evening. Cars lined up to pick up students, and the buses pulled in and around the building to let other students board. As he made his way towards his friends, he even caught a glance of the black town car with the royal crest that waited for Zelda, with Dorian standing at the door. Today, however, there was something different. Beside Dorian stood Paya, and beside her, her grandmother, Impa. Link had never seen Dorian and Impa together before. Paya spoke softly with her grandmother before turning her gaze to Link. There was concern written on her face. Impa met Link’s gaze and gestured for him to approach.

“Hey,” Daruk said as Link walked towards them. “I told Riju she could come to the arcades with us.” He raised a brow when Link did not turn to him. “We're still on, right?”

“Um,” Link started. “Maybe tomorrow. I gotta go.” He glanced quickly at Daruk. “I’ll talk to you later.”

Daruk raised a brow and smirked. “Afraid of losing all your money to Riju again?”

“You're letting her bet?” Urbosa asked, frowning. She folded her arms over her chest. “Seriously, Daruk?”

“Are you seriously leaving?” Daruk called after Link as he left his friends alone.

Link made his way to Paya and Impa curiously, but before he could think to say anything, Impa was barking orders at him.

“Get in,” Impa said simply. “You’re coming with us today.”

Link blinked at the old woman. He hardly knew her and Dorian. What could they possibly want with him again? He turned to Dorian, then back to Impa. “I… kinda have a test to study for,” he said slowly. It wasn’t a lie, anyway.

Impa smiled at him. “We won’t be long,” she said. “The king has requested to speak with you.”

“What?” Zelda barked out from inside the car, just as Link stuttered out his own similar response.

“What?” he repeated, his pulse quickening. “Why?”

“Get in,” Dorian growled.

Link hesitated a moment, turning to Paya who offered a reassuring smile. He muttered under his breath as he slid into the car beside Zelda, and Paya slid in after him, leaving him uncomfortably squished in the middle.

“Get off of me,” Zelda growled, pushing at him. Then, as Dorian and Impa got in, she barked, “What is the meaning of this? This is a town car, not a damn party bus.”

“Get over it,” Link muttered.

“Both of you, shut up,” Impa said with annoyance.

Link crossed his arms and leaned back against the seat. Zelda turned her back to him with a “hmph” and gazed out the window.

The car pulled away from the school, merged into traffic on the main road, and moved slowly through the city in silence. Dorian pulled up to the palace gates, flashed a badge, and the gates opened, allowing them entry. They drove up the road as it twisted this way and that before circling around the front of the palace where Dorian pulled up and parked. He got out and opened Zelda’s door and she stepped out quickly. Without looking back, she marched up the steps and inside the extravagant building.

Link stepped out after her, his gaze on the building in awe. He had never been this close to it before. It only seemed appropriate, however, that the King’s daughter would be raised in such an environment. It certainly explained her spoiled, bitchy personality.

“This way,” Dorian said, motioning for Link to follow him as Impa and Paya trailed slightly behind. They made their way through the elegant double doors, which opened up into a large room with cathedral ceilings. The large windows along the wall let in the light from the afternoon sun, casting long stretches of light along the marble floor. Oversized banners hung from the walls between the windows and around the large room. On the far side of the room against either wall were a wide set of stairs that moved up to an exposed second level that stretched across the room and disappeared to the right and to the left down hallways that stretched through the rest of the palace.

Link followed Dorian as he moved to the right, through a large archway that brought them out of the central room and into another open room, though this one was much smaller. Their footsteps echoed off the walls as they moved across the room and towards a door on the other side. Dorian waved his badge across the lock and the door opened, bringing them into a hallway that stretched to their left and seemed to move behind the central room they were first at. Dorian followed the hallway this way, stopping before a set of large, double doors. Dorian knocked quickly, then waved his badge across another reader and the doors opened.

Link stepped in behind Dorian into what appeared to be a large office. King Rhoam’s office, to be exact. The king stood behind his large, mahogany desk, and his eyes moved towards his guests. A large window behind him let in the only light in the room. In front of the king stood another man, his back to them.

“Dorian,” the king said in greeting. “Thank you.” He gestured to a seat beside the man. “Link. Have a seat.”

Link hesitated, his gaze turning from the king, to the strange man, then to Dorian. He stepped forward slowly and made his way to the chair. Only then did he recognize the man that stood before the king; his father.

6: 6

Link narrowed his eyes on him, but his father did not turn to look at his son. Link moved his gaze to the king, but did not sit. “What is this?” he asked. “What’s going on?” But his father said nothing, his eyes on his feet.

The door behind him opened, and Link turned to see Zelda enter, clearly aggravated with her father. Her mouth was open to speak, but it snapped shut when her eyes fell onto Link.

“What is the meaning of this?” she said, her gaze narrowing on her father, but he ignored her, his gaze hard on Link.

The king gestured towards a man that stood to his left, and the man stepped forward, placing the Master Sword on the king's desk.

Link's eyes moved to his father once more, then to Impa and Paya standing by the door, over to Zelda, and back to the king. “Where did you get that?”

“Your father brought it to me,” the king said. “And it seems my advisor, Impa, has gotten to you first.”

Link turned his gaze to Impa once more, but her cold eyes were fixed on the king's, and she did not seem to try to hide her disdain as her lips twitched at the corners.

“Father,” Zelda started. “It is just as the legends say. The Master Sword has been hidden for all these years, but it called to us.”

“You are foolish, Zelda,” the king hissed at his daughter. “The legends are from an ancient time. A time where civilization was not as advanced as it is today. If any war is on our horizon, it will not be stopped my a rusty old sword.” He turned his eyes back to Link. “You and my daughter will have no part in these legends. You have no business fighting in any war.”

“Ganondorf and his army cannot be stopped by modern weaponry,” Impa hissed at the king. “It is in their blood to fulfill their duty to Goddess Hylia.”

“They are children,” the king snapped at his advisor. “I will not send my daughter out with a fool and a sword to fight against a villain from a damned movie.”

“I guess I'm the fool?” Link muttered.

“We're not children,” Zelda shouted to her father. She opened her mouth to speak further, but stopped as Impa's hand rested on her shoulder. She was, however, visibly fuming at her father's stubborn behavior.

“You will have no part of this sword,” the king growled fiercely. “That is an order.”

Zelda held her ground angrily a moment longer before turning her attention to Link. She pulled at his arm and spun on her heels, leading him out of the office.

“Wait,” Link said, pulling his arm out of her grip. “What are you doing?” But she was persistent, and she pulled at him once more, leading him through the long halls until they were alone in a library.

“Dear Penthouse Forum,” Link said with a grin.

“Shut up,” Zelda barked at him. “We need to talk about how we're getting the sword back.”

Link blinked at her. “Excuse me?”

“We need to break into his office and get it back.” She turned her eyes up in thought casually, as if breaking into her father's – the king's – office was just another day in her life.

“You want me to help you break into your father's office,” Link said. “Is this a joke?”

“It will be easy,” she said. “We can pretend we're friends. Study buddies.”

Link snorted. “Everyone knows that's code for fuck buddies.”

Zelda punched his arm. Link stepped backwards, wincing, and rubbed at his arm.

“You punch like a dude.” He crossed his arms. “I don't see why we need the stupid sword anyway. He's right; if there is some kind of war coming, we'd be much better off blowing them to bits with something a thousand years more modern.”

Zelda shook her head. “Impa is right. Modern technology won't work. In the end, it comes down to you and I and that sword.”

“This is crazy,” he muttered. “Why do you believe this shit?”

Zelda's expression softened. She searched his eyes for a moment. “Why don't you?”

“Uh, because it sounds like something out of a video game.”

“It's not,” she said, a hint of determination in her voice. “My mother told me the legends when I was little. Every night, she would tell me another piece of it. I knew that I, too, would need to pass on these stories to my children. And even though she did not know I would be next in line, a part of me knew, and I knew I needed to prepare.” She turned her eyes towards the window, watching the sun begin its descent. “When she died, I approached him about it. My father wanted none of it. He said I had a wild imagination. But Impa. Impa listened to me. Impa knew. It is the job of the Sheikah, after all.” She shook her head. “There was no convincing him then, and there's no convincing him now, even with the Master Sword right before him. He won't let me do what needs to be done.”

“Can you blame him?”

She sighed. “I guess not. But as Hyrule's ruler, it is his duty not to let the legends die. It is his duty to work closely with the Sheikah in preparation for Ganondorf's revival. And it is his duty to let me do what I was born to do, as Hylia's descendent, to protect all of Hyrule from the darkness.”

“Good story,” Link said. “But I don't have anything like that. My biggest concern is who I can cheat off of next week.”

Zelda rolled her eyes. “You put up a good front,” she said, “but I know you're attached to that sword.”

“I found the stupid thing two days ago.”

“And you're pissed that your dad took it behind your back.”

Link considered this a moment. He wouldn't admit it to her, but it seemed Zelda wasn't far from the truth. He did feel a sense of familiarity with the sword. To suggest he was attached to it seemed a stretch, but when he saw the sword in the king's office, he couldn't help the pang in his gut, and he wanted nothing more than to get it back. “Yeah, what's up with that? What's his problem?”

Zelda shrugged. “He realizes his son will only chop his own arm off with it.”

Link nodded. “Most likely.”

“Why did you let him see it?”

“I didn't,” Link hissed. He paused for a moment. “I didn't think he knew I had it.”

Zelda shook her head. “Well, regardless, he knows, and it doesn't seem like anyone is going to make this easy for us.”

“Alright,” Link said slowly. “Let's say I help you get it back. How do you think we're going to do that?”

“Leave it to me. Give me your phone.”Link raised a brow, hesitant. He pulled his phone out of his pocket automatically, but did not give it to her.

“Why?”

Zelda rolled her eyes and took it from him. She tapped on the screen, smiled when she realized it had no lock on it, then navigated through quickly, adding her number into his contacts. When she was finished, she handed it back to him. “Text me tonight. Eight o'clock.”

Link looked through his phone, expecting to see something changed, but all he found was her name in his contact list. “If this is your way to extort a date out of me -”

“Shut up,” Zelda hissed. She turned her nose up at him and turned away, marching down the hallway.

Link looked back towards the way they came as voices came out of the king's office. He listened as the door closed and a lone set of footsteps moved through the hallway. His father rounded the corner, meeting Link's gaze briefly. He walked briskly past his son without a word.

Link jogged down the hallway to catch up with his father.

“What the hell? Do you plan on telling me what you think you're doing, snooping around my room?”

“It's my job to snoop,” he said simply.

“Find anything good?”

“A pitiful collection of porn under your bed.”

Link ignored him. “Why did you take the sword?”

“Because it's not yours.”

“I've heard otherwise.”

His father stopped suddenly and faced him. “That thing is garbage. Forget about it.” He hesitated a moment before continuing out of the building. Link watched him for a moment, then broke into a jog to catch up to him again.

“What do you know about it?”

“Nothing.”

“You're lying.” Link stepped in front of him and he stopped walking. He held his gaze on his son for a moment.

“What do you want?” his father sneered.

“The truth.”

His father hesitated. “Fine.” He let out a short breath. “I know the legends. I know everything. And I knew that my son would be Hylia's chosen hero. I knew this well before I even met your mother. I knew that you would come into the world, destined to find the Master Sword and stop Ganondorf.”

Link practically choked on the air. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He stared blankly at his father as he desperately tried to put the pieces together. “How did you know this?”

“The same way you figured it all out, I'm sure.”

Link raised a brow. “A rusted sword hidden in some woods called to you in a dream?”

“Something like that.”

“So, someone told you that your son would save the world, and you felt it in your duty to fuck the next woman you saw, bring that poor bastard into the world so that he could clean up everyone else's shit? I bet you feel real fucking proud, huh?”

“Is that what you fucking think?” his father hissed at him. “I did everything I could to keep you away from that life. I knew you found the sword, and I brought it here to destroy it once and for all.”

“Who do you think would save the world then?”

“The sword is ancient technology,” he said. “It's obsolete. We have other means of stopping any enemy should they rise.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“You will have no part in this.”

“It doesn't seem like I have much of a choice.”

“The king has made his orders.” He turned away from his son and walked towards his car. “And you have a test to study for.”

Link watched his father walk away. He was sure that there was more he was hiding, but he wasn't going to get anymore information out of him in that moment. He looked back over his shoulder, then pulled his phone out once more and stared at Zelda's name on his screen. He didn't want to believe any of it any more than his father did, but that sense of longing for the sword returned to him. A wave of remembrance – memories he never had – seemed to wash through him, and he knew what needed to be done.

7: 7

His father's car was gone when Link made his way home, but Link still locked himself away in his room, ignoring Aryll's whining on the other side of the door. Aryll pressed her cheek against the door as she called to him in a sing-song voice.

“Come on, Link,” she said, her fingers rapping against the wood. “I know you're not really doing homework in there.”

“Go away, Ary,” Link said once more. He hung upside down on his bed, Switch controller in hand in an attempt to navigate a race course upside down.

“But I want to play your games!”

Link sighed. “I'm going to bed soon.”

“No, you're not! Liar!”

“Goodbye, Ary.” He grinned when he heard her push herself off the door. Her mumbling was muffled, but he was sure he was calling some kind of childish insult. Stupidhead was her favorite. After a moment more, he heard her bedroom door close. He let the controller drop from his hands onto the carpet the moment he crossed the finish line in the game and he stretched his arms out. He let himself hang for a moment before pulling himself upright. The blood drained from his head quickly, making him dizzy for a moment, and he lay flat across his bed.

At that moment, his phone buzzed on his desk, and he reached over to check it. He held the phone high above him, squinting at the name that appeared on the screen. He groaned slightly and opened Zelda's text.

Meet me at the coffee shop near the park. Now.

She sure was persistent. He moved his fingers to type a reply, but as he did so, the phone slipped from his hands and landed on his forehead. He barked in surprise and rubbed the red mark that appeared. With a grunt, he reached for the phone, turning over onto his stomach as he did so to finish his reply.

Its a little late for coffee for me.

It didn't take long for her reply. NOW.

Link rolled his eyes and blew his hair out of his eyes. He pocketed his phone, then moved across the room, opening the door quietly and poking his nose out slightly. He was sure his father was still up, and considering the fact that his bedroom door was open, he wouldn't be in for a bit. He closed the door softly, then moved back to his bed to open the window against the wall. He pushed out the screen, then pulled himself through clumsily. He landed on the roof top below his window more loudly than he expected, and froze for a moment, listening for any sign of his father. When nothing followed after a few moments, he replaced the screen, leaving the glass open, and moved carefully along the slope of the roof. He sat on the edge, letting his legs dangle for a moment before jumping down onto the grass.

Link jogged across the moonlight yard, his shadow stretching away from him, then jumped the fence on the other side. Back on his feet, he hesitated, looking over his shoulder, but there was no one following him, and he was now out of sight of every window in the house. It was a mile walk to the coffee shop, but Link knew he could make it there in a few minutes if he felt like being hasty.

He opted out of putting any effort into his travel, and it took him twenty minutes to get there. Zelda was waiting impatiently outside on the sidewalk, her arms crossed and her foot tapping. When she turned and saw Link, she rolled her eyes and sighed, her foot tapping faster.

“Please, take your time,” she said.

“I'm enjoying the nice night.”

“You have the rest of your life to enjoy things,” she hissed.

“Well, that all depends on how successful we are in our quest.”

“Quest? What is this, World of Warcraft?”

Link ignored her comment. “What's the plan?”

“My father moved the sword out of his office,” she said. “It's in Dorian's possession.”

“Great,” Link said dryly. “Sneaking around Sheikahs is just what I want to be doing.”

“I know Dorian has it in his office,” Zelda continued. “He's keeping it out of Impa's reach.”

“We're not breaking in to a Sheikah's office,” Link said, but Zelda was not listening.

“We can pick the lock no problem.”

“You know what Sheikah are, right?” Link said, narrowing his eyes on her. “You know, magical ass-kicking ninjas? There's no sneaking around them.”

“The sword won't be hard to find. We can get in and out in just a few minutes.”

“There's no chance in hell that Dorian is leaving that thing unguarded.”

Zelda sighed, growing frustrated with him. “Will you just listen?” she barked.

Link raised his hands in the air defensively. “Fine, fine. This is suicide, but I'm listening.”

Zelda rolled her eyes. “Impa's got them distracted.”

“You dragged her into this, too?”

Zelda shrugged. “It was her idea.”

“Are you sure this is going to work?”

“Maybe. Maybe not, if you insist on continuing to waste our time.”

“Fine. Are we doing this or what?”

“Fine. Let's go.”

Rather begrudgingly, Link followed Zelda to the town car that waited on the narrow street behind the coffee shop. She stopped at the driver side, her hand on the handle, regarding Link over her shoulder.

“Get in the back.”

Link raised a brow. “Seriously? You're driving?”

“Don't make me throw you into the trunk,” she snarled at him.

Link sighed and obeyed, climbing into the back seat.

“Stay down and keep quiet,” Zelda instructed. “My father suspects we'll try to get the sword back. It won't go over well if he finds out you're with me.”

“Great plan,” Link muttered. “Why don't you just give me a fake mustache, too? He'll never recognize me then.”

Zelda peeled away from the curb in response. She navigated the low traffic streets through the city until they arrived at the palace. The car slowed to a stop at the front gate, and Zelda chatted casually with the guard at the station. Link kept himself hidden as they conversed, and after a few more moments, the gates open and the car moved forward, following the winding path. He didn't move until the car came to a stop once more and Zelda cut the engine.

“Come on,” she said to him as she stepped out.

Link climbed out of the car behind her, looking around as he did so. Though it was dark, the grounds around the palace were rather brightly lit. Lights were set into the outer walls along the building, and decorated street lamps lined the drive they drove up. There were other various forms of lighting set back in manicured gardens and circled around lively fountains. The town car was parked on the side of a building which Link guessed to be some sort of garage based on the other vehicles lined around the circular drive. All were marked with the Hyrulian Crest. Peering into the windows of the garage showed Link that they were much nicer cars in the protection of the walls. He moaned lightly as his eyes moved over each vehicle in the dim light.

“Are you finished, or do you need another minute?” Zelda said, rolling her eyes. “We don't have a lot of time.”

“Do you have a less annoying sister or cousin or something so I can marry into this?”

Zelda snorted and turned her back on him. “Even my father doesn't drive those,” she said. She moved across the drive and away from the front of the palace. Link hesitated, stealing one last glance at the protected vehicles before jogging to catch up with the princess. He continued to look around as he followed her, wondering where she could be taking him.

After a few minutes more of following her blindly, Zelda stopped. They were behind the palace, almost a quarter of a mile away, to Link's surprise. High walls surrounded the property of the palace, towers at each corner. Bushes, small trees, and other various shrubberies and plans were decorated along the walls. Link also spotted a variety of security cameras. Zelda pressed her body against the wall and moved quickly along it, instructing Link to do the same. They hurried through the bushes and flowers, and after a few moments more, she stopped again. She got to her knees and lifted a door hidden behind a bush and she took the steps down underground.

The pathway under ground was completely dark, but Zelda and Link lit their way with the lights on their phones. Link kept close to her side, just at her heels as she lead the way through the secret passage ways.

“This is where you kill me, isn't it?” Link muttered.

“These passage ways have been here for thousands of years,” Zelda said. “You know, in case we ever need to make a quick and stealthy escape.”

“Or if you need to sneak it or out to see your boyfriends.”

Zelda shrugged. “I have gotten pretty good at that.”
Link barked a sharp laugh, not believing for a second that she ever had any kind of love life. She was far too high maintenance. And kind of a bitch.

Zelda rolled her eyes. “I will kill you, though, if you tell anyone of this.”

Link crossed his heart with his finger. “You're sex secrets are safe with me.”

Zelda ignored his comment as they moved further through, taking various turns as the path wound its way under the palace. After what felt like an endless amount of time, they finally neared the end of the path, climbing up another set of stairs. Zelda pressed a finger to a spot on the wall, though it was too dark for Link to see clearly. Based on what happened next, he suspected it to be some sort of finger print scanner, because the wall slid effortlessly open. Walking through brought Link and Zelda into some sort of storage room, and the wall slid closed behind them.

“This is some serious shit,” Link muttered.

They continued onward, moving across the storage room and out the door on the other side. This door brought them into a dark, empty hallway. Zelda moved down the hallway, and Link quickly became aware that they were not even in the palace. The Sheikah symbol marked various draperies that lined the walls, and Link suspected that they were in some sort of building off of the palace meant for the Sheikah.

They climbed a spiral staircase, moving quickly and quietly. Zelda checked around each corner before moving onward until they finally stopped before a large, clearly secure door. Link guessed the keyhole in the knob was merely for show as there were far more advanced mechanisms that secured their entry. A keypad on the wall suggested a password or code was needed. A fingerprint scanner told him that only a certain individual could gain access. And if anyone asked, he would have said he was certain that the door was also boobytrapped.

But none of this fazed Zelda.

“Looks like you didn't plan for Secret Agent Man's top notch security system,” Link said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Zelda tapped her fingers against the keypad, however, and the edges of the pad flashed green, signaling a correct code.

“Hacker.”

“Hardly,” Zelda said. “As leader of the Sheikah, Impa has access to everything the Sheikah do, including passwords, codes, you name it.”

“Sheikah told you how to break into Dorian's office?”

“She is on our side, you know.”

“Why couldn't she just get the stupid sword, then?”

“She's distracting them, remember?”

Link shrugged. “What about that fingerprint scanner?”

Zelda grinned. She pulled a piece of tape out of her pocket and carefully placed it on the scanner. After a few moments, it, too, lit green, and the door beeped lightly, allowing them entrance.

“Damn,” Link said. “Does all this come with the territory of being princess?”

Zelda laughed lightly. “Please. As far as my father is concerned, I should just stand next to him and look pretty.” She shook her head. “No, Impa has taught me everything I know.”

“Your father sounds like he's stuck in the stone ages,” Link said.

“Yeah. Well.” Zelda did not continue, however. She opened the door and stepped through into Dorian's office. Just as she suspected, the sword lay across his desk, but it was sheathed in a hilt she had not seen before. She moved to the desk, inspecting it carefully.

“You know,” Link started, looking around. “If he has this place so secure, there's probably some traps or something in here.” He pointed to the security camera in the corner of the room. “Or, you know, security cameras.”

Zelda shrugged. “We got this far. By the time he gets here, we'll be gone.”

“I wouldn't be so sure of that."

8: 8

Link and Zelda spun around, shocked to see King Roham standing in the doorway. His brows were narrowed on them, but to Link's surprise, he didn't look particularly angry.

“She made me do it,” Link said quickly, pointing a finger at Zelda, who sighed and rolled her eyes at him.

“Dorian has been alerted,” King Roham said sternly. “You understand that nothing gets by the Sheikah, Zelda.”

Zelda crossed her arms. “The Sheikah are on my side.”

“Impa is,” King Roham corrected his daughter.

“Dorian should be taking orders from -”

“Dorian was working under my orders,” King Roham interrupted loudly. “Not that it is any of your concern.”

“You're working behind Impa's back?” Zelda hissed.

“Dorian will be replacing Impa soon enough. Her time as leader of the Sheikah has come to an end.”

“No,” Zelda barked. “Impa is the only one keeping our history alive. You cannot ignore the signs!”

King Roham was quiet for a moment as he regarded his daughter, however he did not move from the doorway. Link moved his gaze to the camera in the corner of the room, then back to the king. He was making it a point not to step in the light of sight. Link turned to move toward the desk, grabbing the sword and turning back to the camera, flipping the bird at it with a grin.

“Hylia help this moron,” King Roham said, shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“What are you doing?” Zelda hissed.

“Come on,” Link said. “He's not here to stop us.”

Zelda moved her gaze to her father.

“He's smarter than he looks,” King Roham said. “If you don't hurry, Dorian will catch you, and I'll have no choice but to tell him that I stalled you.”

“Why the change of heart?” Zelda said, narrowing her eyes at her father.

“Are you going to question me are you going to get out of here?”

“Fine,” Zelda muttered. Her father stepped aside into the hallway, allowing them to pass through and closing the door behind them. He watched as they hurried down the hall, disappearing around the corner, and sighed. He turned away from the office in the opposite direction and made his way out of the Sheikah headquarters and into the palace.

Link and Zelda quickly retraced their steps, making their way back through the secret passageways until they were outside of the palace once more. They strolled across the grounds and toward the garage with the sword now in their possession. Link swung it around him enthusiastically as they walked before returning it to the sheath.

“Where did this thing come from, anyway?” He asked as he swung it over his shoulder. He took a moment to pause and crane his neck around to try to see the sword on his back.

“That is the hilt that belongs to the Master Sword. It's been passed down by the Sheikah for many years.”

“Do I get a cool shield, too?”

Zelda shook her head. “There is a shield that was once passed on to the heroes of Hyrule, but it has long since been retired.”

“That's cool,” Link muttered. “I don't need to protect myself.”

“You have a hard enough time wielding that sword,” Zelda said, narrowing her eyes on him.

“How else am I going to protect myself?”

“Get good.”

Link smiled and Zelda continued.

“The shield will only be a hinderance. Other than being an iconic item of our history, it has no use now. It should be properly preserved.”

Link frowned as they continued to walk. “If this is as you say it is, it would be stupid to go in without some kind of defense.”

“I agree,” Zelda said with a nod. “But until we know exactly what we're up against, it will be difficult to know how to protect ourselves. We won't know what kind of magic we could be dealing with, and it may only do more harm than good to slow ourselves down.”

“With what, chain mail? I think we can get something a few hundred years more modern.”

“What do you suggest?” Zelda said. “A bullet proof vest? We're not exactly going up against some modern day army. We're talking possible magic monsters here.”

“Sounds like fun,” Link mumbled.

“In any case,” Zelda continued. “We should be more focused on our own training right now. We don't know when Ganondorf's forces will strike. We need to be as prepared as possible. You need to learn how to fight with that sword.”

“And you?”

Zelda hesitated. “I need to find how to use my own power,” she said.

“And who's going to help us with that?”

“Impa will,” Zelda said. “She knows everything we need to know.”

They stopped at the garage and Link turned to her. “You're not driving me home, are you?”

Zelda smiled and shook her head. “Impa will let you out.”

Link folded his hands behind his head and gazed up at the moon. “And here I was thinking we had something. But no, you just kick me to the curb after you have your way with me.”

Zelda rolled her eyes and made her way towards the front of the palace. “Goodbye, Link,” she said over her shoulder, leaving him alone.

Link sighed, scratched at his head, and followed the drive to the front gates where Impa was in fact waiting for him. She nodded to him as he passed, opening the gates and allowing him through. He waved over his shoulder at her, passing under the street lights until he disappeared around the corner into the night.

*****

It was almost midnight when Link made it back home. He unlocked the back door as quietly as he could, opening it just enough to peek inside. The room was dark, and that was enough for him to decide that the coast was clear. He slipped in quickly, closing the door slowly behind him and turning the deadbolt. He stiffened, sensing he was no actually alone in the room.

“How do you expect to save the world when you can't even get through high school?”

Link turned and faced his father. He was sitting at the table, his face lit by the light of his phone, but he did not look up at his son.

“I was hoping it would get me a free pass in life.”

“Your mother always said I'd raise an incompetent idiot.”

“I'm sure she would have done better.”

“Probably.” He placed his phone on the table and reached into his pocket, pulling out a horseshoe shaped charm on a string. He slid it across the table towards Link.

“She believed that shit, too,” he continued. “She'd want you to have that. It's been passed down in her family or something.” He shrugged. “It makes noise if you blow into it, but it's annoying. Don't let your sister touch it.” He returned to his phone.

Link picked up the item and inspected it. He recalled seeing his mother wearing it a few times, but never thought much about it. “You must have won her over with your charm.”

“Lucky for you, you've inherited my charm,” his father said dryly. “Don't get any ideas on that princess, though.”

“She hates me, anyway.”

“Heroes never get the girl.”

“What movies are you watching? Heroes always get the girl.”

His father stood and regarded Link for a moment. “If you're going to do this, please don't die, or your mother will kill me herself.”

Link strung the charm around the sword and smiled. “Okay, Dad.”

9: 9

Link pressed his back against the wall. He held his gun up close to him, ready to fire at a moment's notice. He pressed his cheek against the cold surface of the wall as he neared the corner and peered around carefully. The room was dark and quiet. Too quiet. Though it seemed empty, his instincts told him he was not alone; someone else was on the other side of the wall, watching him, waiting for him to make a move.

Link stepped back from the corner, holding his breath. Most of his comrades were already eliminated. Only one other remained, and he hadn't the slightest idea where she had run off to. He muttered under his breath, cursing her name. He had warned her not to be so foolish, and for all he knew, she got herself eliminated as well.

It was up to him, now, to finish what they had started. His enemies were cunning, and though he had managed to avoid their shots, it was time to go in guns blazing. It was all or nothing if he wanted to finish this. He would go down trying if he had to. He would bring them all down with him.

Link sucked in a breath and reloaded his weapon. He stepped around the corner, gun raised, and grinned wickedly. “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” he taunted.

He heard the voice before he saw the dark figure. “Die!” it shouted to him as it leapt out from its cover behind the wall.

Link didn't hesitate to shoot, dodging out of the way as he did so and narrowly missing the oncoming attack. The figure was running toward him now, and he shot twice more before throwing himself in the protection behind another wall. But it was coming at him quickly. They were coming at him quickly. He had stupidly miscalculated the remaining survivors, and they were surrounding him.

“Shit,” he spat.

“You swore!”

“I'm telling!”

“Get him!”

Link jumped out from the wall as they rushed in towards him, shooting off twice more. He hurried backwards, desperately dodging their attacks, but in his panic, he tripped and fell to his knees.

“You're finished!”

This voice was one he recognized, and when he looked up, Riju stood before him, two guns in hand. She shot them one after another, her accurate aim hitting each targets, and within moments, the children whined and threw their guns to the ground as the lights came on.

Riju jumped, thrusting a fist in the air. “In yo face with a can 'o mace! Make you cry all over the place!”

“Get a life, Riju!” one of the young boys barked at her. “Stop ruining all our fun!”

Riju put her hands on her hips and leaned forward. “Get good, son!”

They rolled their eyes at her as they filed out of the room. Satisfied, Riju turned her attention to Link and crossed her arms.

“What the fuck, man? You almost lost us the game!”

Link pushed himself to his feet and dusted off his pants. “They came at me!”

“They're ten year-olds! Damn!”

“They're evil!”

“Get your shit together or you're off my team!”

From around the corner, the rest of their team members came, heads hung low as they awaited their captain's wrath.

“What's with you losers?” Riju barked. “We're better than this! We can't be beat by Bobby's birthday party!”

“We had a plan,” one of the freshman hissed at her. “And you abandoned us!”

“You were dragging me down!”

“Help us out here, man,” he said, turning his gaze to Link.

Link shrugged. “Hey, you knew what you were getting into.”

Riju fished her phone out of her pocket when it rang. She frowned when she saw her sister's name on the screen. “I'm in trouble,” she muttered as she answered it.

“What?” Her shoulders hunched over slightly as Urbosa spoke loudly on the other end. “I didn't do anything! ... I can't help it if I'm better than them... Link did it, too!”

“Come on,” Link groaned. He didn't need Urbosa's wrath, too.

“Whatever,” Riju continued. “We're done. We already won... Why should I let them win?!... Shut up, Urbosa!” Frustrated, she tried desperately to slam her finger on the hang up button, but the screen didn't recognize the force, and she slammed her index finger against the screen over and over before finally succeeding and shoving her phone back in her pocket. She crossed her arms and stormed out of the laser tag course. She ignored the bald man behind the counter as he glowered at her.

“Watch yourself, Riju,” he warned. “Or I'll take away your pass.”

“You already texted my sister,” she hissed. “You're such a tattle!”

“I do run this place,” he reminded her. “And everyone has to follow the rules.”

“I didn't do anything wrong!”

He stepped aside to reveal one of the security cameras. Riju was frozen on the screen, standing over one of the younger boys with one of the laser guns pointed at his chest.

“I get results!”

“You're crazy!”

Riju slammed her pass onto the counter. “You can take my badge, but you can't-” Her mouth snapped shut as the man took the pass from her. He held it between his fingers.

“Suspended.”

“Come on!” Riju whined.

The man grinned at her. “You're gonna have to earn this back.”

“Whatever,” Riju muttered. “Let's go, Link.”

But Link had his face pressed against the glass of the counter. “Wait,” he said. “I want candy!”

“You need tickets, dumbass,” Riju said. “Get candy at the store like an adult.”

The man leaned on the counter towards Link. “I'll give you five free coins to play the games here and buy this candy.”

Link leaned back and rubbed his chin. “Riju's right,” he said. “This place is a rip off.”

The man sneered at Link and snatched his badge from him. “You're suspended, too.”

Link shrugged, not as fazed by the situation as Riju was. “Fine, suspend your best customers,” he said. “See how business does without us around here.”

“You two are a liability!”

Link turned and lead the way out of the arcade. “See ya next week, Gus.”

“He's never gonna give me my pass back,” Riju whined, catching up to him.

“Maybe if you weren't so freaking insane.”

“Whatever,” Riju muttered.

Link patted the top of her head playfully. “Didn't Urbosa ever teach you how to play nice?”

“Playing nice is for losers,” Riju said. “Nice guys finish last.”

“So that's why I'm single,” he said thoughtfully.

Riju snorted. “You're single because you're just an idiot.”

Link shrugged. “So, what's your excuse?”

Riju hip checked him hard and jogged ahead as he swung his arms out to grab her. He missed and stumbled forward. Riju giggled.

“I have high standards,” she said, turning around and walking down the sidewalk once more. “And I ain't got time for no man.”

“Right,” Link said, rolling his eyes and catching up to her. But instead of following her across the intersection, he stopped to cross the street, checking both ways before breaking into a jog.

“Hey!” Riju shouted, turning around when she saw him take off. “Where you going?”

Link paused in the middle of the street. “To get ice cream or commit a felony. I'll decide on the way.”

“Wait!” she shouted to him, sprinting across the road to catch up and ignoring the cars as they screeched to a stop. “I want to commit a felony too!” When they reached the other side, she turned around to stick her tongue out at the cars that honked at her as they drove by.

“Don't you have to go home and get yelled at?” Link said.

“Oh, I have the rest of my life for that,” she said, waving a hand at him. She looked down the next block, spying her favorite ice cream store. She grabbed Link's arm and pulled him along. “And you're buying me a sundae.”

“Buy your own,” Link said, pulling his arm out of her grip.

Riju shook her head. “Uh-uh,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him. “You owe me for losing me my pass.”

“I didn't do shit!”

“You abandoned me! I had no choice but to murder those kids!”

“You're crazy!”

“You want crazy? I'll show you crazy!” She waited for Link to pass, then leapt onto his back, her arms wrapping around her neck and nearly choking him. She shimmied up his back, readjusted her grip on him, and leaned forward over his head. “Onward, noble steed!”

“I hate you,” Link muttered.

Riju messed his hair with her hand. “No you don't,” she sang. “We're best friends!”

Link sighed. He bounced lightly, readjusting her on his back, and grabbed hold of her legs. “Fine,” he said. “But only 'cause you're cute.”

“Keep it in your pants, loser,” Riju hissed. “Or I'll kick your ass.”

Link nodded and smiled up at her. “Kinky.”

She hit him on top of his head and kicked at his sides. “Go, steed! To ice cream!”

10: 10

Mondays. The worst day of the week. This Monday was particularly shitty. Instead of going right home after school, Link apparently had other obligations, as per Impa's orders. From now on, he was expected at the shrine every day after school, and he had a feeling she'd want to take up his weekends, too. It was for the greater good of Hyrule, Impa would say; he needed to properly learn how to fight and defend himself with only an ancient sword. Of course, there were plenty of other things he would rather be doing. Hanging out with Zelda and Impa were definitely not on his to-do list.

He had managed to shove the sword into his backpack, arranging it carefully on his back so that his hoodie covered the rest of the hilt that stuck out. When Mipha inquired, he simply explained it was an umbrella, though the forecast did not predict rain. Mipha, however, was too focused on the test they had in first period to care about Link's poor judgement of weather.

The sword remained hidden in his locker through the day and he made sure to be extra vigilant in keeping it out of sight every time he opened the door. He dropped his books off just before lunch, jumping when Zelda appeared at his side once he swung the door closed.

“What are you so jumpy for?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Maybe because you're creepy,” Link sneered.

“Whatcha hiding in there?”

“What do you think?” he muttered.

“You're just going to bring it every day?”

“I don't have much of a choice,” he said. “Besides, what if I need it during class?”

Zelda considered this for a moment. “My school attendance is going to suck, isn't it?”

Link shrugged. “So much for that perfect streak.”

Zelda rolled her eyes at him. Without another word, she turned her back and disappeared in the crowd.

Link found his way into the courtyard where his friends sat, as they usually did on the nicer days. He preferred it over the loud, dirty cafeteria. He was not greeted warmly, however. Urbosa immediately crossed her arms when he came through the doors, and Revali snickered, all to eager to see him suffer Urbosa's wrath.

“Do you want to explain to me why Gus was texting me Saturday?”

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Link said, avoiding her gaze.

“Don't play dumb, Link. You and Riju are a nightmare.”

“Really,” Revali chimed in. “You're such a child.”

“I have a record to hold.”

“Riju doesn't need you egging her on.”

“Everything we do is always Riju's idea.”

Urbosa sighed. “Yeah, you're probably right there.” She straightened and her face hardened again. “But that doesn't mean you need to go along with it!”

“She's fun. And she's a good laser tag partner,” Link said defensively. “She's tiny, so she's allowed to push kids.”

Urbosa rolled her eyes. “You're a bad influence.”

“Yeah, but that isn't news to you.”

“That's how you spend your time?” Mipha said. “You knew we had a test today.”

“Aced it,” Link said.

“No, you didn't.”

Link shrugged. “But at least I had fun. What did you do over the weekend?”

Mipha hesitated. “Studied like everyone else.”

Revali raised a hand in the air. “I didn't study for anything.” He threw a thumb towards Teba. “Neither did he.”

“I... opened a textbook,” Teba said with a shrug. “And then I decided to have a life.”

“I have senioritis,” Daruk said. “But in my defense, all of my teachers have basically given up with the year. We're not doing shit.”

“Well,” Mipha started. “Some of us still have another year left to survive.” She glared at Link, but he was ignoring her, already diving into his sandwich. 

“You're not hanging out with her again, are you?” Urbosa said in a defeated tone.

Link shook his head. “Nope.”

“Good,” Mipha said. “I'm coming over and letting you copy my notes.” She rolled her eyes. “At least I can say I tried to help you.”

“Actually,” Link said, hesitant. “I, uh, have plans after school.”

“Oh,” Mipha said softly.

Revali snorted. “You? Plans? Like what?”

Link shrugged. “Stuff. What's it to you?”

“You're right,” Revali said in a moment of revelation. “I don't care.”

“Fine,” Mipha said. “Don't come crying to me when you fail another class.”

Link patted Mipha's head. “Don't worry, I will.” He batted his eyelashes at her. “And you'll come to my rescue.”

Mipha sighed and rolled her eyes, but smiled down at her lunch.

To Link's relief, that was the end of their usual nagging, and the conversation moved on as Mipha inquired about Suki. Revali's attempts to tease Teba about his relationship were cut short as they usually were when Teba ignored him, and Revali finally gave up talking all together, at least for the time being.

Link wouldn't see them again until the end of the day, and when that time came around, he chose to ignore his friends all together. Zelda and Paya were already standing beside the town car which was sent to send her, Paya, and Link to the shrine where Impa waited. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for Link. Link ducked his head as he attempt to blend in with the crowd of students exiting the school and avoid being seen by his friends. At the car, he shoved his hands in his pockets and met Zelda’s gaze.

“Time to learn some karate shit?” he asked with a raised brow.

Zelda glanced at Paya, then rolled her eyes. “So, you’re on board, I take it? What changed your mind?”

Link shrugged. “Figured even if it is bullshit, it’s another excuse to avoid doing homework.”

Zelda put a hand on her hip. “I couldn’t care less if you drop out, but don’t think being a hero is gonna pay the bills in your future.”

Link grinned. “Maybe not. But it’s a great pick-up line.”

Zelda rolled her eyes and without another word, slid into the backseat of the car. Paya followed suit, leaving Link to get in last, thankful not to be stuck in the middle. The drive to the shrine was uneventful, and uncomfortably quiet. Link kept his gaze out the window, watching as the city passed before him. When they arrived at the shrine, the three of them climbed out of the car, and without a word, Dorian took off, leaving them alone.

“He's butthurt,” Zelda said.

“Butthurt?” Paya echoed.

Zelda nodded. “My father had our backs and told him we were gone before he got there, but I think Dorian suspects that he's lying. They had a long meeting about everything. Father isn't any more thrilled about the situation as he was earlier, but he seems to have come around and accepted that this is what needs to be done. Impa must have convinced him to let us do this. He hasn't argued with me anymore about it.”

“I don't like him,” Link said in regards to Dorian. “I get bad vibes from him.”

Zelda rolled her eyes. “Impa is still the leader of the Sheikah, and my father is still the king. As long as they are on the same page, he can't do anything about it, whether he agrees with it or not.”

“If he's Sheikah, shouldn't he be trying to convince your father to let us do this?”

Zelda hesitated and turned her gaze to Paya.

“He has different ideas about how Ganondorf should be dealt with,” Paya said.

Link raised a brow at her. “That's it?”

Paya shrugged. “It's not like he's very vocal about his opinions. Clearly he disagrees. I couldn't tell you why that is.”

Link dropped his back on the ground and retrieved the sword. “Well, are we going to do this or what?”

Zelda peered at the charm on the sword. “What's that?”

Link shrugged as he inspected it more closely than he had when his father gave it to him. “I don't know. Something that belonged to my mom I guess. My dad gave it to me.”

“A good luck charm, I bet,” Zelda said with a grin. “Hylia knows you'll need it.”

“Yeah, I think he had the same idea,” Link muttered.

“He knows you got the sword back?”

“I guess I'm not as stealthy as I thought.”

Zelda crossed her arms. “Clearly. Hyrule is doomed under your protection.”

“It's not like I volunteered,” Link said.

“We would be in better hands with a squirrel.”

“At least I won't have to get my ass kicked.”

“Death would be too easy for you,” Zelda snarled.

“So hostile.”

“Are you always this annoying?”

“Are you?”

Zelda sighed, exasperated. “Why does it have to be me stuck with you? What in the world was Hylia thinking? Clearly this is where the world as we know it ends.”

“We can only hope.”

“Are you two done bickering?”

They turned to see Impa standing in the doorway.

“Hyrule will be doomed if you can't learn to get alone.” Without another word, she turned back into the shrine.

Paya laughed lightly as she followed her grandmother, and with a glance to one another, Link and Zelda followed suit to begin their training.

11: 11

Link's disappointed gaze fell on the wood practice sword. His lips twisted to the side. “Seriously? That thing? It's a piece of wood.”

Impa snarled at him. “That blade is sharper than it looks,” she said. “You have a ways to go before you will be able to use it properly. Can't have you cutting your own arm off, now, can we?”

“How incapable do you think I am?”

Impa smiled and shoved the bokken into his chest. “You don't want me to answer that.”

Link sighed, taking the bokken from her. “Fine.” He swung the bokken around and promptly dropped it onto the floor. Zelda snickered from behind him.

“Don't make me hit you,” Impa said.

Link laughed sharply. “Is that a threat?”

Without hesitation, Impa scooped up the bokken and swung it around herself impressively. Before Link could react, the bokken came down hard across the back of his legs, knocking him to the ground. Impa thrust the bokken down against his chest, and Link fell onto his back with a grunt. Impa stood over him with the tip of the wooden sword against his throat.

“That's a promise,” she sneered to him.

“Alright,” Link barked at her. He pushed the bokken aside with his arm and sat up. “You're crazy.”

Impa let the bokken drop into his lap and made her way across the room, picking up another bokken for herself. “Get used to it,” she said. “There's a lot riding on this. No pressure.”

Link grunted in response. He stood, taking the bokken in hand, and waited for Impa to return.

“Don't think I'm going easy on you,” she said. She used the bokken as a tool, hitting Link between his knees. “Stance. Balance. Move your damn legs.”

Link sighed. He watched as Impa demonstrated, then she hit his legs again.

“Will you quit it?” he barked at her.

“Stance!” She hit him again.

“Okay!”

Zelda turned to Paya. “This is going to be tedious to watch,” she said.

Paya nodded and grinned. “I almost feel bad for him.”

Zelda laughed. “I don't. He could use a little discipline for once in his life.” They continued to watch as Impa barked orders at Link, and Link tried desperately – and clumsily – to keep up with her pace, adjusting his stance as instructed.

After a moment, Zelda frowned. “I'm not going to have to do this, am I?”

Paya shrugged. “I don't know how Grandmother plans to help you with your power,” she admitted.

“As long as I don't have to swing a sword around,” Zelda muttered.

“It couldn't hurt to learn a little,” Paya offered.

“Maybe,” Zelda said. Truth be told, she wasn't feeling very confident in her ability to awaken her power. It didn't matter how good Link was with a sword; if she couldn't get control of her power, they wouldn't be able to seal Ganondorf away, and the war would be lost before it even began.

“There's no need to worry about it,” Paya said when Zelda grew quiet. “Everything will come together.”

Zelda continued to watch Link as he was knocked back by Impa. “I hope so.”

******

His father was still not home when Link got home, despite the late hour, but it came as no surprise. In fact, Link expected him not to be home. He wasn't around through most of the weekend, despite their encounter in King Roham's office. He was sure his father had much more to say to him, but his anger was subdued by the anniversary of his wife's death. And Link was quite certain his father would be absent over the next few days as a result. Perhaps working late to avoid his feelings like he usually did, or maybe simply wallowing in self-pity at one of the bars downtown.

Link supposed he couldn't be too upset with his father. It was preferable to him drinking at home and otherwise being antisocial, but either way, it upset Aryll, and she spent the nights their father was out sleeping in his bed or generally hanging out in his bedroom. More often than not, she would dig out the old photos of their mother that were buried deep in their father's closet and peruse through them curiously, admiring the mother she never knew. To Link's relief, she never inquired about their mother, to him or their father; there wasn't much to say about her, anyway.

But for the next few days, it would become his responsibility to keep an eye on his little sister, to fill the shoes of his father until his return to duty. On the plus side, his returns were mostly cheerful, and he always greeted Aryll enthusiastically, and all would be right in the world once more. Link didn't make the best replacement – he was sure if he ever had a child, he would kill it by accident – but Aryll seemed content on his sloppy sandwiches for dinner, the hastily made cereal for breakfast after he slept through his alarm, and the walk with him and Mipha to school. Really, what more could a little girl ask for?

Aryll was still up when Link got home, waiting patiently for him at the kitchen table. Her legs swung in and out under her chair as she doodled on her sheets of homework. She smiled when Link walked in.

“You're extra late today,” she noted.

“I know, sorry.” He dropped his bag on the floor and sat across from her. “I won't be able to come home right after school for a while.” He frowned at her, but she turned her attention back to her doodles.

“That's okay,” she said. “I'm old enough to be home by myself, you know.”

“I hope you don't tell anyone that at school,” Link said. “They would disagree.”

“Link,” she said in her most adult voice. She rolled her eyes before regarding him. “I'm six! I think I can handle it.”

Link smiled, but it didn't change the guilt he felt. Maybe if he asked Impa nicely, she wouldn't keep him so late. Six hours of swinging a stick around was a bit overkill, really. And he had other responsibilities. Surely she couldn't be upset with him for that.

Link stood and moved to the counter, gathering the ingredients for his go-to dinner. Aryll hurried to his side and stood on her tiptoes at the counter as Link made his sandwich.

“Whatcha makin’?”

“A sandwich,” he said simply as he spread the peanut butter across two slices of bread.

“What kinda sandwich?”

“Peanut butter and banana.” He proceeded to slide up a banana, placing the pieces in little rows across a slice of bread. He met her gaze for a moment. “Oh, are you hungry or something?” he teased.

“Make me one!”

Link finished his sandwich, then pulled out two more slices of bread. “You might not like it.”

“I’ll like it,” she said, still watching him as he constructed her after school snack.

Link finished it quietly, then handed it to his sister. Aryll followed him to the table, peering curiously at the sandwich. She pushed herself onto the chair and eagerly took a bite. She chewed thoughtfully for a moment, then grinned.

“I like it,” she said as she ripped off another bite with her teeth.

“Clearly,” Link muttered.

Aryll turned to greet her father as he came in through the door. His tie was already loose around his neck and his face looked tired, but he smiled as his daughter greeted him cheerily.

“What’s going on here?” he asked. He let himself fall into a chair at the table tiredly.

“Link made me a peanut butter and banana sandwich,” Aryll said proudly.

“Oh, yeah? Your mother used to love those.”

Aryll beamed at her father. “Me too!” She took another thoughtful bite. “What else did she like?”

He leaned back in his chair, thoughtful for a moment. “Oh, I don't know,” he started. “I guess she liked lots of things.”

“What's her favorite color?” Aryll pressed.

“Green.”

“Juice?”

He scratched his head and mouthed the word, as if baffled by such a question. He shrugged. “Orange?”

“Mine too!” Aryll chewed for another moment, thinking of more questions to ask. “What's her favorite animal?”

“Dogs.”

“I like dogs,” Aryll said with a nod. “So does Link. Can we get a dog?”

“Don't you think I have enough to do around here?”

Aryll dropped her sandwich and stood in her chair. “I'll do everything, I promise! I'll feed it and walk it and love it!”

Link snorted, but made no other comment. His father regarded him with a smirk before turning back to his youngest child.

“Are you going to buy the food for it?”

“I don't have any money!”

“Guess you ain't getting a dog, huh?”

Aryll crossed her arms and slouched back in her chair. “Hmph.”

Their father stood with a sigh. He pointed a finger from Link to Aryll, gesturing to the both of them. “Be good children and go to bed.”

“Alright, Daddy,” Aryll said as she finished her sandwich. “Night.” She watched as he disappeared around the corner, then shot her gaze towards Link. “Do you have money?”

“Nope,” Link said, not meeting her gaze.

Aryll whined loudly. “But I want a dog!”

“I want a sister that isn't annoying,” he sneered toward her.

“Don't be mean!”

Link grinned at her. “But its my job, and you make it so easy.”

“Its your job to love me and protect me forever and ever,” Aryll said, crossing her arms.

Link put a finger to his chin, as if he were thinking long and hard about what she said, then shook his head. “No, that doesn't sound right.”

Aryll frowned at him, her bottom lip quivering. “You're not gonna protect me?”

Link rolled his eyes and sighed. “Stop it. I'm not falling for your act.”

“I thought you loved me!”

“Not enough to get you a dog.”

“Link!” She pounded her fist against the table. “That's not it!”

Link narrowed his eyes at her. “What's not?”

Aryll leaned back against her chair, her shoulders hunched over. “I dunno,” she said.

“We're not talking about dogs anymore?”

Aryll sighed. “No.” She rubbed at her eyes. “Sometimes I have these bad dreams.”

“They're just dreams,” Link said.

Aryll shook her head.

Link sighed. “I'll always protect you,” he reassured her.

Aryll smiled. “And get me a dog?”

“You're a little shit!”

Aryll giggled and jumped out of her chair. “I'm telling Dad!” She turned and stuck her tongue out at him, then ran off down the hall giggling when he jumped out of his chair.

After a moment, Link poked his head around the corner, but Aryll had already made her way upstairs and to her bedroom. He followed suit with a yawn, dragging his feet to his own bedroom, where the Master Sword waited, leaning against the wall. He frowned as he looked at it, Aryll's words echoing in his mind. It was then that he realized that he had a lot more at stake than just simply saving the world.

12: 12

Link's body ached in places he didn't even know could ache. His legs in particular. There were light bruises in the places where Impa hit him, and his thighs burned from the seemingly endless squats she made him do. He could barely get himself out of bed the next morning, and the walk to school was unbearable as he dragged his feet along. During first period, he let his head rest on the desk, sighing dramatically when Mipha pressed him for information.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You've been whining all morning about being sore."

Link groaned and closed his eyes. "Please kill me."

"What did you do last night? Run three miles?"

"I wish."

Mipha narrowed her eyes at him. "Were you playing laser tag with Riju again?"

Link sighed and shook his head.

"You did," she accused. "You totally pulled a muscle playing laser tag. That's so lame."

Link smiled. "I swear, I wasn't playing laser tag."

"Then what's wrong with you?"

Link opened his eyes and hesitated. Perhaps he should have used Riju as an excuse. He didn't really think that through. To his relief, however, their teacher entered, calling for their attention and offering him just the distraction he needed.

The day continued on without further interrogation from Mipha, and he was too tired to keep up with his usual antics, particularly annoying Revali. His behavior, however, did not seem to strike his friends as unusual. In fact, they seemed relieved that he and Revali were not bickering, and no one cared to indulge Link by addressing his complaining about his sore body. He didn't feel like coming up with a lie, but he would have appreciated some sympathy from them.

His sore body made for a perfect excuse when it came to the end of the day, however. He found Mipha in the hallway after the last bell of the day, standing at her locker as she retrieved her bag.

"What's your plan?" she said as she swung the bag over her shoulder.

"Going to bed," Link said with a yawn. "And icing my thighs."

Mipha rolled her eyes. "If it wasn't Riju, it must have been Aryll."

Link nodded. "Yup. She kicked my ass."

"She's a little girl."

"She has a hard kick."

Mipha grinned. "Alright," she said with a shrug. "See you tomorrow."

With a perfect cover in place, Link was able to sneak out the back of the school and make his way around to where Zelda and Paya waited. Like his friends, Impa had no sympathy for his deteriorated condition and showed him no mercy as they continued his training. When she wasn't hitting his legs and correcting his stand, she was making him do squats and lunges. He lifted weights and did more push-ups and pull-ups than he ever imagined. It seemed he was doing everything but learning how to fight with a sword.

To his relief, however, their training session was shorter than the previous one, but he couldn't help but notice that Zelda had done nothing but watch and laugh at him.

"Why am I the only one suffering?" he hissed at her as they left the shrine for the night.

"Because you're the one with the sword," she reminded him.

"So? What's your deal?"

Zelda shrugged. "I'm sure Impa has her own plans in mind for me."

"I hope you suffer," Link sneered.

"Hylia forbid you have to do a little exercise." Zelda rolled her eyes.

"I've never lift more than a pencil," Link said. "And even that's a bit much for my liking."

Zelda pressed her palm against her forehead and shook her head, smiling. "I'm sure all the other heroes weren't nearly as lazy as you are."

"You know what?" Link started. "I bet they were. I bet they were too busy sleeping and eating and fucking around to give a shit about some stupid destiny."

"I'm sure that's exactly what happened," Zelda said.

"Yeah." Link nodded and grinned. "Hyrule needs a hero? Too bad; I'm going fishing!"

"That's the spirit," Zelda muttered.

"Princess kidnapped? I'll get to her after I bowl a perfect game."

"Great."

"No one wanted to get involved in that shit. Ganondorf? No thanks."

"Guess we'll need to put out a new ad," Zelda said. She moved her hands across her as she spoke. "Wanted: Hero. Requirements: Must possess Triforce of Courage and know how to wield a sword. Duties include, but are not limited to, fighting monsters and defeating Ganondorf. Must not die. Payment: bragging rights. Please send resume to Zelda, Princess of Hyrule."

"I don't think you'll get a lot of takers for that."

Zelda smiled and shrugged. "Anything's gotta be better than you."

"Touché."

Back at home, Link noticed the light on in his father's bedroom. When he peered around the corner, it was Aryll he saw, laying on his bed with her feet in the air and a picture frame in her hands. She was singing to herself, and Link recognized it as the song their mother used to sing to them. It was the same song that played in her musicbox.

"What are you doing in here?"

Aryll pointed at the picture, not looking up. "I like to look at this picture," she said happily. "See how happy they are?"

"That's because you weren't born yet," Link said with a grin.

"Be quiet," Aryll hissed at him. She fell silent for a moment. "Daddy doesn't get happy like that anymore."

"That's because you were -"

"Shut up, Link!" Aryll snapped at him.

Link put his hands up defensively. "I'm just kidding, okay?"

Aryll sighed and turned back to the picture. "When is Daddy coming home?"

"I dunno," Link said softly. "I'll come home early tomorrow, okay?"

"It's okay," Aryll said. "I know you're busy with stuff."

Link pinched his lips together. "I can take the night off tomorrow."

Aryll put the picture frame down on the bed and turned to him with a smile. "Okay."

"Come on," Link said, waving her forward. "Go to bed."

"Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Link sighed. "Fine," he said, turning down the hall towards his room.

Aryll replaced the picture frame on the nightstand and jumped off the bed, hurrying after Link into his bedroom. She jumped onto his bed and shimmied under the blankets with a sigh as Link crawled over her, laying on top of the blankets with his hands behind his head.

"So," Aryll started. "I was thinking we should name our dog Richard."

Link raised a brow. "That's a weird name."

Aryll giggled.

"We're not getting a dog!"

"But!"

"Don't make me kick you out," he warned her.

Aryll made a zipping motion over her lips. She turned over without another word and closed her eyes.

Aryll was awoken by two sounds; Link's snoring, and his phone vibrating on the desk nearby. She elbowed Link annoyingly, but all he did was turn over in his sleep, his limbs sprawled in every direction. She got up and looked at the phone, smiling when she saw Mipha's name on the screen. She slid her finger across to answer it.

"Hi, Mipha."

Mipha checked the clock on her nightstand. It was only eleven, but she didn't expect Aryll to answer. "Hey, Ary," she said.

"Link's sleeping."

"Of course he is," she said with a sigh. He was not one to stay up late doing homework like she was, but she had at least hoped to catch him in the middle of a late night video game marathon. But it didn't matter; she really didn't have a good reason for calling. She would have said something about their assignment, but he would not have any answers for her. Mostly, she just wanted to hear his voice.

"Guess what I had for dinner every day?" Aryll said.

Mipha smiled. "What?"

"A peanut butter and banana sandwich!"

"That sounds… weird. Was it good?"

Aryll nodded. "Link made it for me. Daddy said it was Mom's favorite."

"Oh, yeah?" Mipha hesitated, wondering how much she remembered of her mother, or if she even knew of the anniversary of her death. "Do you miss her?"

"No, I don't miss her," she said. "I don't remember her. But I know Daddy and Link do."

"Yeah," Mipha said, frowning. "I'm sure they do." She leaned against the wall on her bed and turned her gaze to the full moon out hr window.

"It's okay, though," Aryll continued. "I don't need a mom. I have you to do all the things moms do."

Mipha smiled. "Of course you do," she said.

"Yeah. You told me boys have cooties, remember?"

Mipha laughed, and Aryll continued on.

"And I have Urbosa and Riju. I have, like, three moms! That's way better. And Urbosa can do my hair like her's and Riju's. I want my hair to look pretty like their's."

"I think we can arrange for that," Mipha said. "How about Saturday? You can hang with us girls."

Aryll grinned excitedly. "Okay! Me and you and Urbosa and Riju." She paused. "And maybe Link, too? So he doesn't feel left out."

"I guess Link can tag along," Mipha said playfully.

"Okay, good. Mipha?"

"Yes, Ary?"

"I'm glad you're friends with Link. We're friends too, right?"

"Of course we are, silly. I like you better than Link."

Aryll grinned. "Good, because I love you, Mipha. And I love Urbosa and Riju and Daruk and Link and Daddy."

"I know, Aryll."

"And don't forget Link loves you too."

Mipha blushed. "I'm sure."

"And he loves everyone and Daddy loves everyone and I bet Mommy did."

"The world is full of love, Ary."

"Yeah!"

Mipha laughed. "Go to sleep, now, okay? Its pretty late. But I'll see you Saturday."

Aryll nodded her head. "Okay! Bye!" She pressed the red button on the screen and placed the phone back down on the desk, humming the song from her music box once more. She jumped back onto the bed, taking a moment to yank the blankets out from under her brother, and settled in beside him. Her voice was soft as she sang in the darkness.

"Youth, guided by the servant of the goddess, unite earth and sky..." Her voice trailed off and she yawned.

Link watched as his sister fell asleep beside him. Her breathing slowed into a steady rhythm, and after a few moments, she turned over and snored lightly. Her hand moved across the bed, resting on top of his, and she sighed softly.

13: 13

Link yawned loudly as Aryll skipped ahead of him and Mipha. Walking her to school meant he had to get up earlier than usual since her school was in the opposite direction of the high school. Fortunately for him, Mipha was always up early and eager to accompany them, which made the morning a little more tolerable.

"Catch up, lazy bones," Aryll called to him. "I'm gonna be late!"

"No, you won't," Link muttered. In fact, she would be one of the first kids at the school, considering they started later than the high schoolers. Aryll never seemed to mind, though.

"You're going to be there before the other kids," Mipha said. "What are you doing to do with all that extra time?"

"The janitors let me help clean the boards," she said cheerfully.

Link snorted. "Free child labor."

"And sometimes I get a snack in the cafeteria," Aryll continued. "The lunch ladies are so nice!"

"That's because they feel bad for you," Link said.

Aryll stopped skipping and turned to him. "Why?"

"Because you look like a little homeless girl."

Mipha smiled and used her thumb to wipe dirt off her cheek. "How did you manage to get dirty already?"

Aryll scrunched her nose and wiped her hand across her cheek, then shrugged. "I dunno." She turned and skipped around the corner, cutting across the grass towards the school building. She waved a hand over her shoulder, shouting her goodbyes to her brother and Mipha. Once she was inside, Link and Mipha turned back around to make their way towards their own school.

"Did she tell you we have a date planned?" Mipha asked.

"Huh? What?" He turned to her, hesitant.

"A date," Mipha said slowly. "To the park?"

"Me?"

"Us."

"Us?"

Mipha narrowed her gaze on him. "Aryll, you, and me." She smiled and shrugged. "Clearly she didn't tell you."

"Oh." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Wait. When?"

"Saturday."

Link's brows furrowed together. "And when did you guys plan that?"

Mipha rolled her eyes. "I called you last night, Link. You were sleeping, as usual, so I talked to Aryll."

Link nodded. "Right. Yeah. I heard her talking."

"You did?" Mipha glanced at him quickly.

"Yeah. Something about sandwiches and cooties." He shrugged, feigning disinterest.

"Oh. Yeah." Mipha looked ahead as they walked. "You know, if you keep making peanut butter and banana sandwiches for her, someone's gonna call child services on you."

Link grinned. "Sorry, I slept through Home Ec."

"But there was food in that class!"

"Oh, I ate all the food," Link said with a nod. "Just don't ask me to cook anything."

Mipha rolled her eyes. "How are you such an incapable person?"

"It's a gift."

"You'll never survive after high school."

Link shrugged. "I figured I could find myself a woman who cooks and cleans and takes care of me."

"You're sexist."

"I prefer lazy."

"You're going to be single forever."

Link considered this with a thoughtful nod. "That's probably for the best."

"Oh, poor Link," Mipha said. "Life must be so terrible for you." She shook her head and crossed her arms. "You're not getting any pity from me." She stole a glance at him when he did not offer a rebuttal, but he was not paying attention to her, his eyes on his phone. Mipha dared a glance at his screen, craning her neck slightly and spying the text that came in from Zelda.

Dont bother coming tonight. You get the next few days off. See you next week.

Mipha's brows furrowed as he locked the screen and slipped the phone into his pocket. She looked away quickly, pretending she wasn't snooping, but she couldn't help but to wonder what he and Zelda were doing together.

"You say something?"

Mipha did not meet his gaze. "You were ignoring me."

Link grinned. "Yeah, I tried."

Mipha huffed. "Sure."

They walked in silence for a few moments. She stole another glance when she heard his phone vibrate. She watched as he checked the message, then smiled to himself.

"What's up with you?" she dared to ask.

"Huh?"

"You're boyfriend Revali texting you or something?"

"Oh." He slipped the phone in his pocket. "Jealous?"

Mipha hesitated, quiet literally stopping in her tracks for a moment. Link paused, looking over his shoulder. "What?"

Mipha cleared her throat and rolled her eyes. She quickened her pace as she walked ahead of him. "I dunno. Nothing."

Link raised a brow. "You're weird."

"You're weird!"

Link grinned and jogged to her side. "So, date on Saturday."

"Mhm."

"I guess I can make some time for you and Aryll."

"Because you're so busy these days," Mipha said. She meant it sarcastically, but there seemed to be some truth to it. What the hell had he been doing with Zelda? Is that where he was sneaking off to every day after school?

Link shrugged. "I'm a popular guy."

"Leading some double life, are we?"

"If I tell ya, I'd have to kill ya."

"Oh, I'm so scared."

Link glanced at her, but she was avoiding his gaze. He draped his arm around her shoulders, and she stiffened slightly. He leaned in. "You should be," he said with a teasing grin. He straightened and let his arm fall away from her. "But don't worry – I'll take care of everything."

"Thanks," Mipha muttered. She rolled her eyes. "You're such a hero, Link."

An engine revved behind them, and they turned as Revali and Teba pulled up to the curb beside them.

"Hey, losers," Revali said, regarding them over his sunglasses.

"Hey, douchebag," Link said.

Revali ignored him. "When are you going to ditch this guy?" he said to Mipha.

"Blink twice if he's holding you against your will," Teba said.

"You know he's helpless, Revali," Mipha said. "He can't do anything for himself."

"I take it back," Link said. "I'll let you suffer."

Mipha shrugged. "Good thing I can take care of myself, huh?" Without another word to either of them, she made her way across the parking lot and toward the school.

"Smell ya later," Revali said, revving the engine to his sports car before pulling away from the curb.

Link stood for a moment, racking his brain for a good comeback, but nothing came to him, and he was too tired to put any effort into it. He followed in Mipha's wake, but she had already disappeared inside the building. And unfortunately for Link, he had no time to goof off outside before his first period. He could already hear the first bell ringing.