Ocarina of Time II: Parallel Symphony

Standard disclaimer: I don't own any of these people, places or things. Heck, even most of the verbs belong to someone else. :-) All characters and settings © Nintendo. Hey, they've earned it.

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Part One: Boy

Interlude Three: A Day in the Life

Winter was slowly fading into spring. The land was returning to life throughout Hyrule. Farms began to emerge from hibernation, the bustle of Castle Town grew, and trade returned in earnest. For most people, it was a wonderful time.

Sheik, watching invisibly from a tree in the Kokiri Forest, knew that her subject was not so pleased to see the passing of ice and snow. With the thaw came Wolfos from the woods, Lizalfos from the desert and Stalfos from anywhere Ganondorf's magic could reach, but especially the mountains. Stalchildren would soon begin to rise from Hyrule Field at night. Worst of all were the gigantic Peahats, as much because they could arise anywhere in the field's great expanse as the sheer menace they represented. It was good that they were so rare, as few who encountered them lived to tell the tale.

I should have come here long ago. Sheik watched the Hero's home intently, a part of her wishing she could see into it, yet also partly glad she wasn't spying on him...any worse than she was, at least. On the other hand, I can feel the protective magic of the forest around me. Zelda would have to use all her power to ward that defense off. That selfsame defense simply did not notice the young Sheikah, but that was her only protection.

Before long, she heard Link puttering around his small treehouse. The Kokiri village below came to life. A moo echoed through the forest town. Sheik smiled faintly for a moment, then nearly stood in shock, Sheikah calm rippling within her. Wait, did that come from Link's house?

Just then, the Hero pushed his door curtain aside and stepped out, stretching lazily and looking across the village. "Good morning, sleepyhead!" Navi called cheerfully, circling around Link's head.

"Morning people," Link groused, then looked at the back of his left hand. "Why I bother coming back to bed is beyond me."

"Hey, you need your sleep, Triforce or no Triforce!" Navi replied firmly. What? Zelda thought in surprise. Sheik quieted her natural self and listened intently. "You don't recover mana naturally otherwise, and reaping those 'potions' from the grass is a poor substitute." The young Sheikah could almost feel Navi cross her arms. "That can't be healthy."

Link sighed and rolled his eyes. "Oh for the Love of Nayru, leave off." There was another moo, and the Hero looked into his house and smiled. "It's okay, Bess, I'll make sure Saria checks up on you." Sheik boggled, then shoved her curiosity aside. He slid down his ladder, waving jauntily to the Kokiri, found Saria and talked with her briefly as promised, then headed for the bridge leading to the outside world. Given his complaint, he woke up quickly. Sheik followed immediately.

Once Link was outside, the morning sun beaming down at them, he called forth the Ocarina of Time and played Epona's Song. In seconds, the great mare galloped up to him, fully saddled. Even as Sheik, she could feel the powerful magic that allowed her Ocarina to conjure the horse in that manner. He rubbed his friend's long nose. "Ready for our deliveries, Epona?" The mare snorted and nodded. Link mounted, and after that, Sheik could only keep up by darting through Shadow. He spent the rest of the morning making deliveries, riding towards Lon Lon after his final drop-off in Kakariko.

A cart tumbled wildly toward him a minute after he was across the bridge, a family holding on desperately as their cargo of wheat tottered in the rear. Loose grains flew off and scattered behind them. Then, with a frighteningly familiar whirling sound, a Peahat rose from the hills behind them. The deadly plant flew after its prey, mindlessly targeting those who had disturbed its rest. Its bloodstained leaf-blades spun with phenomenal speed.

Link sighed, turned Epona, and charged towards the cart. He nocked an Ice Arrow, Navi targeting for him, and fired at the monster. Its body shuddered, covered in frost, but approached more quickly. The Hero dismounted, Epona stamping nervously in place, and drew the almost comically small Gilded Sword. To an unfamiliar observer, the battle would have seemed like madness, the lone figure facing the deadly, bladed giant. Sheik called some needles into her hand and held herself ready to help if need be.

With a grunt and a quick roll, Link darted around the whirling, steel-hard leaves and slashed at the roots. This gained the thing's attention, and it swivelled after the Hero. Sheik gritted her teeth and prepared to leap in when the blades threw the Hero aside once, but aside from that single blow, he made short work of the infamous behemoth. It exploded into Dark Fire, much to Sheik's surprise, though Link seemed only slightly taken aback by that. By the gods. Is Ganondorf spawning even those horrors? Her attention returned to the Hero, and she shook her head with a grin. He doesn't even look winded.

"Gods be praised!" the mother called out, driving the cart towards Link. He casually examined his wound, then nodded to himself and turned to look the family over. "May Farore bless you for your courage, young man!"

"Mommy, lookit his hat! Lookit!" One of the boys bounced excitedly. "That's the Hero! Link!"

Link rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly as the family headed towards him. "Easy, Mother," the father called from the back of the cart, "these poor bags are pretty banged up as it is."

"Oh hush," she admonished, then smiled gratefully at Link. "How can we ever repay you, young Hero?"

"I don't do things like this for reward, ma'am," he said shyly, helping the older man arrange the bags of grain. The father accepted the help until he realized that the Hero of Time was hauling grain with him. The yeoman stared, stunned, while Link finished getting the sacks together and leaped back down. "The gods have blessed me greatly to go with the job they've given me." He whistled, and Epona galloped over. "Now I'll accompany you to Castle Town -- that's where you were heading, right?" The mother nodded. "All right, then. The guards will be able to help you once we're there. The princess has a fund set up for things like this, and they should be able to get your cart fixed in no time."

"Ooo, the princess!" a girl called out, peeking over the cart's edge and grinning eagerly. "Is it true that you and Princess Zelda are wooing in secret?" Sheik winced even as the Hero hid his face with a duck of his head.

The girl's mother thumped the child on the head with her hat. "That's enough out of you, Beth. Even if they were, it'd be a secret, and he wouldn't be telling you, now would he?" She winked kindly at their rescuer. "I think we'll take you up on that offer, Master Link, most gratefully at that."

Link nodded, mounted Epona, and spurred her to a trot. They soon slowed to a brisk walk, keeping pace with the rickety cart until they reached the gates of Castle Town. "You'll be all right now," the Hero said as soldiers came out of the guardhouse to check on the commoners. "I have to be going, but you can send word to me through the guard if something serious comes up."

"Oh, I'm sure we'll be all right, young man," the father said kindly. "You've done enough."

"Indeed," a snooty, arrogant voice echoed down the cobblestone road. "If you are quite finished posing for the rabble, you can move along, little nonentity." Sheik gritted her teeth and forced herself to keep still, remaining invisibly in the shadow of the house next door.

The guards glared sullenly at the nobleman, but Link simply bowed. "Of course, Lord Purlo. If you'll excuse me, then." He started to walk past, but Purlo stepped in his way, staring balefully at the Hero's powerful figure.

"You gave in terribly easily, upstart," Purlo sneered. "What are you up to?"

"Excuse me, milord," the mother said coolly, "but have you some business with the Hero?"

Purlo glanced at the woman and snorted. "As if it were any business of yours, commoner." Sheik bared her teeth at that. Enough. She darted into the city, looking over the main square expertly. It took her only a few seconds to find what she sought. Go, friend. Face the man troubling the Hero.

Quickly returning to the road into the city, she found Purlo ranting at the Hero. "..and your hat! Clearly mimicking my style!"

"I'm sure no one would want to do that, Your Excellency," Link replied mildly. Navi giggled, a few of the guards and young Beth following suit.

The lord's eyes widened. "How -- how dare you!" He waggled his finger at the young Hero. "I should have a talk with the king about...ab...huh...hah...ahhHHH-CHOO!" Purlo's explosive sneeze left the others laughing in earnest. He looked around frantically, jumping away and cowering on one foot when he saw a dog running around his legs. "Ah! Dog! I'm -- I'm allergic to -- ah -- AH-CHOO!"

"My lord," Link said quickly, making his escape. Sheik smiled triumphantly. Thank you. The dog expressed its satisfaction in the wordless empathy of all animals, continuing to run around Purlo's ankles.

Then Sheik looked up in alarm, realizing that Link was heading for the castle. I'd better hurry. With a handful of quick Sheikah dashes through Shadow, she was soon back in her room. One gesture later, the stealthy eye of the royal family was again a royal herself. Senza knocked mere seconds afterward. "Little Princess, the lad is here."

"One moment," Zelda replied lightly, composing herself. She stepped out to find her Hero smiling at her. "Link." He bowed with perfect grace, and the princess nodded back. "A delight, as always."

"No Hylian could receive higher praise," Link said. A deaf woman could have felt the sincerity in his voice. Light and Time, Zelda thought, pinned between giddiness and frustration, have you the slightest idea what that does to a woman? He rose and offered her a hand.

The princess accepted it, inspiration striking. "And here I thought the highest praise in the land was 'courage like the Hero's,'" she replied with a grin. As expected, he blushed magnificently. Take that.

With Link reduced to silence, she first guided him to the kitchens to pick up lunch, then to the garden to enjoy it with some privacy. Senza and Zuko quietly backed away when Impa arrived, the Sheikah leaping quietly to a corner on the wall. "So. How's your day been so far?" Zelda asked innocently.

"Kinda normal, I guess," the Hero replied with a shrug. "Busy for winter, slow for spring. Some poor family stumbled across a Peahat. Got scratched, but I took care of it. Ran into Purlo while I was leaving them with the guards." He grinned. "A dog decided to say hi to him then."

Zelda giggled. Link laughed at that. "The gods really do watch out for you," the princess insisted between sandwich bites.

"Actually, I think some of the locals were watching out for me," he said, smiling in faint embarrassment. "Purlo isn't anyone's favorite noble in the Market."

"Too tight-fisted," Zelda agreed, hiding her growing smile behind her sandwich. "How was that family doing?"

Link finished a bite of his cucco leg, then nodded. "Oh, they're fine. They were pretty shaken up, of course -- that Peahat was bigger than their whole cart -- but I caught up to them before it did." He gazed into the ground, and Zelda could feel him weighing what he'd seen. "I checked them over on the way here, and while that cart could use a little carpenter's love, that's the worst they got from the experience. With a Peahat, that's a lucky thing."

"Who names these monsters," Zelda muttered, toying with the grapes on her plate. Nayru. I didn't even realize what he was doing. I should have thought to look them over myself. She popped a grape into her mouth in a decidedly unrefined manner. I suppose I trusted him to do...what he was born to do. Which, of course, he did.

Nibbling on a carrot, Link looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he grinned at her. "Personally, I blame Navi."

Zelda nearly spluttered out a gulp of milk, just barely maintaining her composure. "Hey!" Navi objected, spinning out of the hat and whirling to glare at him. "What's the big idea?"

"What?" the princess finally blurted once she could safely respond.

"I knew you were awake in there!" the Hero laughed, grinning at his fairy companion. "How else do you know the names of all these things? You make 'em up!"

"Do not!" the fairy replied furiously, trying to stamp her foot -- but hitting only air, of course. Link only laughed harder at that, and Zelda found herself chuckling in spite of her best efforts. "For your information," Navi said grumpily, folding her arms, "we fairies are in tune with these things. That's how I target those monsters for you, which is why you're still around to make fun of me! Hmmph!" She darted over to Impa and landed next to the Sheikah, glowing by her feet.

After they finally stopped laughing, Zelda steered the discussion to lighter topics, discussing the latest court gossip and knightly tournaments. The princess took great pleasure in mentioning how Uli's daughter, Lina, was progressing (making sure to use the toddler's name at every opportunity). The Hero, once he was done fidgeting in embarrassment, responded with a list of new joys in the lives of the yeomen and peasants, all of which seemed to center around certain recent changes to Hylian law. Zelda forced herself not to blush. Turnabout, she thought with pleasant chagrin.

It was over a half an hour later when Impa darted to the ground beside them, but it seemed far too soon to the Sage of Time. "I am glad you've enjoyed lunch," her true bodyguard said gently, "but Master Lenzo would like to see the Hero at his earliest opportunity." She nodded to Link, who stood and bowed back.

Zelda rolled her eyes. "Not the Hover Boots again," she said, a touch of pique mixed with her wry humor.

"Maybe he's finally worked something out," Link said seriously. "I fear that may be important all too soon."

"Link, my Hero," the princess said fondly, "you're not afraid of anything."

That stopped her friend in his verbal tracks. He performed his familiar neck rub, smiling shyly. "Um, let's go find Lenzo, okay?"

"I thought that's what we were doing," Zelda replied with a grin, taking his free hand and towing him along before he could respond. As he always did, her Hero followed obediently.

When she saw the gold-white glow from beneath the wizard's door, Zelda knew she'd been right. The moment she opened the door, however, the princess was forced to stifle a chuckle. Link, nearly plowing into her when she stopped, gulped, probably doing the same thing.

Doc Bandam was standing three inches in the air, arms folded and with a look of rapidly fraying patience on his face. Lenzo was laying on his side next to the Hover Boots Bandam wore, doing something with a tool that looked like a shining golden fork. "Just hold still a few moment longer..."

"That's what you said fifteen minutes ago," Bandam grumbled. Zelda couldn't help it; she laughed. Link was trying to hide his face behind a hand without looking like he was hiding, and failing at both from Zelda's perspective. Lenzo, however, hadn't even seen them yet. Oh, it's a tuning fork, the princess realized. I see...he tunes magic. It exploits sympathies and similarities between sound, Light and mana.

"Well I have fifteen minutes of additional data to work from then, don't I?" Lenzo replied testily. He tapped each boot three times with the tuning fork. "There! Now, jump." The wizard stood clumsily, looking at the boots with satisfaction.

"Do I look insane to you?" Doc asked caustically, arms still folded. "Besides, they're here. Let the Hero try 'em on."

The large wizard leaped in place and looked around a touch wildly, eyes eventually landing on the nearly-composed princess and her increasingly disconcerted Hero. "Ah!" He pointed the fork at the boots, which deactivated. Bandam landed with a thud, and the alchemist quickly set about removing the enchanted footgear. "Master Link! Excellent, you're just in time." The moment the boots were off Bandam's feet, Lenzo snatched them from the alchemist's hands (albeit with very little resistance from the good doctor) and handed them to the Hero. "I believe I have solved the traction problem after a fashion, the solution to which has in fact lent a hand in the matter of their limited duration."

Zelda's case of the giggles died quickly as she watched Link slowly put on the Hover Boots. "Um, Lenzo, what exactly do you mean by 'after a fashion'?" the Hero asked.

"Well, you mentioned that the sliding nature of the Hover Boots is in fact beneficial in certain situations," Lenzo explained, stroking his thick gray beard thoughtfully. "The activation and deactivation of the traction function is far more problematic than I would like, requiring both time and some expertise with the Light Tuner." He held up his golden device. "I recommend leaving the Hover Boots in their natural state for the next several months, as you gave me the impression that the Temple you will need them the most in is likely to be your next challenge."

Link nodded, fitting the Boots on carefully. "According to Impa, little has changed in the Shadow Temple." He waggled his feet, looking satisfied with the fit, if not the footwear.

The powerful wizard nodded in kind. "Just so, just so. Nevertheless, I believe that I am close to a breakthrough, and would appreciate your assistance in testing the stabilization technique." He waved upward at Link's feet. "Now jump in place, if you please."

"Link--" Zelda began, but her Hero had already leaped nearly a foot into the air. The fields of Light appeared beneath his feet, and he stayed where he was for several seconds. Fearless, the princess thought with a touch of exasperation.

Looking down in amazement, the Hero leaned on his knees to examine his miniature platforms. "It works!" he blurted.

Lenzo cleared his throat. "Of course," he replied, his voice less certain than his words. "Now, take a few steps. Walk around the table, perhaps."

The Hero nodded. His leg twitched. The other leg twitched twice. Link looked down with concern. "Um...Master Lenzo? I can't move."

Doc Bandam snickered. Zelda's humor, however, had vanished entirely. "Master Lenzo," she said softly.

Nodding quickly, the wizard knelt to examine the Hover Boots. "At once, Your Highness," he muttered, ringing the Light Tuner against his bracelet and waving it over the golden wings on the heels. "Mmm. A bit too much stability..." He moved behind the Hero, placed the Tuner between the heels and tapped both Hover Boots rapidly.

A few seconds later, Link landed with a grunt. "Thanks." He looked down, wiggling his toes. Relieved, Zelda felt like chuckling again, but quashed the impulse with a flicker of Sheikah resolve. "They're not going to do that again, are they?"

"They have been fully reset to their original state," Lenzo explained mildly, pacing around the workbench and rearranging his various magical tools with a touch of mind over matter. "I went to some lengths, given their importance, to ensure that you would have no difficulties related to my experiments in your travels." Link nodded. "Naturally, once you have met your next challenge, I would appreciate your assistance in resuming my examination of those magnificent Light projectors."

The alchemist leaned over to the Hero. "Run while you still can," Bandam quipped sotto voce.

"Thanks, Lenzo," Link said quickly, willing his sturdy Kokiri boots to replace the enchanted ones. "I'll be in touch." The wizard nodded absently, turning his attention to a strange mask, and the two teens retreated while Bandam quietly approached Master Lenzo.

Once they were outside, Link closed the door, switched back to the Hover Boots, then leaped onto a nearby box. He ran off, sliding in the air while he turned, platforms of Light appearing beneath his feet. After a few seconds, he fell to the ground near Zelda. "If there's any difference," he said after a moment's thought, "I can't see it."

Zelda nodded in relief. "Good." She cocked her head to one side. "Why didn't you do that before, though?"

"I didn't want to insult Master Lenzo," Link replied, blinking in mild surprise.

For the love of Nayru. Zelda grinned fondly even as she shook her head. "Come on, Hero," she said, grabbing his hand again. "Switch back. There's one more thing I want to do before you escape the castle."

Link, immediately catching her intent, returned to wearing his regular boots and followed. "What's that?"

"Sheik is a skilled warrior," Zelda explained, leading him through corridors and down staircases, "which is all well and good when I can be Sheik." Her Hero nodded in apparent understanding as they approached a training room familiar to them both. When she opened the door, though, he was surprised at the sight of her long, slender blade resting in its open case. "Marth gave me that sword years ago. I mean to learn to use it properly."

"For the love of Nayru, Zel," Link said fondly as they entered, "you don't have to be good at everything."

"Maybe not, but 'Zelda' should have some sort of physical defense, and the Altean enchanters did superior work with this sword," Zelda explained. "It channels and focuses certain types of magic." On a whim, she winked at him. "Besides, what are you afraid of? Think I'll get better than you?"

Link's expression went flat instantly. So there is some male pride deep down in there, the princess thought, not sure whether to be amused by that, while he strode into the room and drew his Gilded Sword. He looked intently at the sword resting in the case, then took a few experimental swings with his own blade. Or...is that it? Zelda wondered, feeling bad suddenly. "All right," he finally said, voice even, "let's get started." He gestured to the weapon on the bench. "We'll begin by seeing what you already know. I take it you've done some training with the knights."

"Well, yes," the Sage replied with a subdued tone, "but they use much larger weapons and fight with a more straightforward style. I need someone who parries, dodges and thrusts." She smiled at him. "Make no mistake, our knights are very skilled, but their style involves a lot of sweeping motions and power before precision. A knight aims for the enemy's head, not the slot in the grill." Zelda picked up the sword and held it up, examining the edge carefully.

Link nodded, whatever mood had taken him vanishing. "And the latter is definitely more the fighting style you should adopt, particularly with a blade like this. It's very much like a saber -- almost a rapier, really -- which makes it much more of a finesse weapon than what you're talking about." He pulled out his shield. "Okay, come at me."

"Come at -- with live steel?" Zelda blurted. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

The Hero grinned. "I think I can survive a few minutes of you showing me what you've learned. Besides, I have a bottled fairy on me just in case." He motioned for her to attack.

This time, the princess' expression hardened. "Suit yourself." Quickly, she moved in. You should know better than... the thought trailed off as he blocked and parried her first several attacks with casual ease. By the gods. Increasing her speed, she started thrusting and slicing with alacrity, sliding around in an attempt to at least leave a mark on Link's tunic. Tracking her unfailingly, he watched her movements with care and deliberation. Nothing she did came close.

"Very good," Link said after about a minute. "You're fast, agile, and have a natural talent. You're instincts are good, and you already think in three dimensions -- that Sheikah training, most likely."

Zelda dropped back, lowering the sword and taking deep breaths. "Good? I never even came close. It was like attacking a wall."

"Zel, you're new at this, and I started training when I was five," Link explained gently. "Remember, I've been through a lot of this twice. If there's one fighting style I've become competent at, it's sword and shield."

"Competent, he says," Zelda replied sardonically. She let the sword go, and it hung in the air next to her. "Okay, what wasn't I doing?"

"Everything you were doing was straightforward, direct," Link said. "That's fine when you're an unseen Sheikah or fighting so close to your foe that they can't see your blades until it's too late, but I knew where your sword was going pretty much the same time you did." He stepped next to her, taking her sword arm in one hand and her opposite hip in the other. Zelda willed the blade back to her hand and nodded. "You're still trying to power through," he explained, guiding her through one of her own thrusts. "You know how to maximize your speed and force, but when you're fighting a duelist head-on, there's more to it than that."

He moved their bodies as one then, shifting her hips with a twist of his and turning her arm gently with his hand. "You said it yourself -- you want to get the blade past armor, not through it. The style is different from Sheikah arts, but the purpose is the same. Conceal your movements," he continued, then leaned them forward, "then slide in. Broad motions also take longer and leave you open. You don't need force, just timing."

"I think I get it," she replied, shifting back. Her arm stopped against his chest. In a rush, Zelda suddenly realized how much...contact...they were making. "Ah -- I -- you -- is this a feint?" she asked in nearly a whisper. Din sear you, Link, why don't you notice how close you are?! the princess thought, not sure who she was really frustrated with.

"The start of one, yes," he explained, still completely unselfconscious about the situation. "You come in from one direction..." he turned her body very slightly, changing the angle of her wrist a few degrees at most, "then strike from another."

The princess stepped away quickly. "I-I think I get the idea," she stammered quickly, holding the sword out as if to examine it. "Let's do a few...katas? What do swordsmen call them?"

"Drills," Link said, looking her over quizzically. "Zel, is something wrong?"

Farore. The princess applied her Mind Katas forcefully, regaining her self-control, then turned to face the Hero placidly. "Nothing, just...accepting a lesson in humility," she explained. Well, at least that's true, Zelda added, a rueful tinge to the thought. If you didn't think the Hero knew a little more about swordplay than you, why would you ask him for help? She bowed then, grinning. "So, sensei, how should your humble student begin?"

"Let's start where you never call me that again," Link said with a faint blush along the bridge of his nose. Zelda giggled. "Um, how about the feint? That should come naturally to you."

For the next several minutes, Link walked her through several different attack drills. This is fun! the princess decided when they went through one particular sequence of feints and lunges, and she matched his movements perfectly.

"Excellent," Link said finally, sheathing his short sword and nodding. "Now, let's grab a couple of practice swords and get serious."

Zelda considered the wooden swords on the racks dubiously, leaving her blade floating in the air again when she approached them. "They're...rather bulkier than what we're practicing for, aren't they?" Picking one up, she swung it more clumsily than she would have liked. "Pheh, and the balance is atrocious."

"Hm. You have a point." He picked a practice 'blade' and went through a few drills quickly. "It's not that they're poorly balanced, though -- they're just designed to mimic those broadswords you were talking about earlier." Link grinned and flipped the sword into the air, easily catching it by the hilt. "They're good weapons, just...not fencing material."

"Hmph," Zelda mock-huffed, grinning back to take the edge off. "You look like you could fence with it. It makes that...that dagger you wield even more frustrating," the princess added, eyes sliding to the small hilt on his back. "It was embarrassing how easily you parried me with it."

"Heh." Link smiled sheepishly, then drew the Gilded Sword again. "It is kind of short, isn't it?" He looked it over fondly. "Of course, this little guy has saved my life more times than I can count. Besides, it's not like even I find enchanted swords under every bush."

"Yeah, just life energy," Navi quipped. Link rolled his eyes. "Or fairies," she added helpfully.

"Navi, I have never found a fairy under..." he trailed off. "Hey, wait a minute." Rummaging through his fairy pouch, Link pulled out a bottle of Red Potion, his Hookshot, and his slingshot before finally summoning a sheathed longsword with a purple crossguard. "Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about this!"

Navi zipped around to hover in front of his face. "You forgot about the Great Fairy's Sword?" she asked caustically, arms folded.

Link grinned sheepishly. "You know I like having my shield handy, Navi." The fairy didn't move except to bob slightly in front of him. "It used to be too big to use with one hand..."

Zelda looked at the weapon with curiosity. It seemed broader than the Master Sword, the sheath hinting at a leaf blade and an odd thickness, but it was certainly of comparable length with the legendary weapon. "I imagine that has changed, my Hero, particularly considering your Golden Gauntlets."

Giving up on her glare, Navi darted to one side, and the Hero drew the magical sword. Its blade was the same vivid violet as the guard, widening dramatically just inside the edge, but the interior was thinner and bright green. He tested it with a few swings, looking at it in amazement. "I don't think I'll need the Gauntlets to use it, Zel..." he said quietly.

"Hm." Zelda smiled. "Why don't we run through some more drills together?" She pointed at his sword with her free hand. "You can get used to that while you train me." With a gesture, she called her own blade back to her hand. "We can spar again when we have practice weapons made." The princess chuckled. "Maybe Lenzo can work something up for us."

Link looked at her uncertainly. "Well, maybe, but as much as I respect Master Lenzo, I think plain old practice swords will work fine."

Zelda nodded. "I defer to the expert." They spent the next hour becoming accustomed to their respective weapons. Link focused on parrying, though the Sage was more interested in the riposte later on in the lesson.

Almost immediately after they stopped to rest, Zelda looked at the Hero seriously. "Link? What are you going to do when we're done?"

"The usual, I guess," he replied with a shrug. "Do the rounds across Hyrule Field and make sure Ganondorf isn't up to anything, then head to Kakariko and make sure the Shadow Temple's quiet. That ought to do it." He rubbed his chin briefly. "You don't think I missed anything, do you?"

Tossing her sword aside (where it once again hung obediently in the air), Zelda threw her arms around Link and hugged him fiercely. The Hero swallowed and hugged her back gently, careful of both sword and shield. "Um, Zel? What was that for?"

"Don't ever change, Link," she replied, then let him go quickly and willed her sword back into its case. "Why don't I 'path to the kitchen for a snack? We've been at this hard for a while."

As the Hero nodded, his stomach growling in agreement, Zelda let her mind wander briefly to take in the boy...man, in truth...who was giving so much to her land, asking so little. Well, maybe you can change a little, she decided, hoping he would spare more of a thought for himself some day, but never lose your Hero's heart. Don't let anyone ever take that away from you.