"A knight must hold firm to the highest standards of behavior. Relenting on this front may weaken the fabric of society down to its poorest citizens. We must set the example."

That was only the first virtue.

"Next, a knight must be willing to share his valuables - his material goods, yes, but also time, wisdom, attention, and energy."

That was a given. Knights tended to often give their lives to their charges. That was the most generous thing someone could do, wasn't it?

"A knight must have faith. A knight must have integrity, and must hold trust - both in their comrades and in themselves."

Yes, this is true.

"Knights are the safety net of our fair citizens. We must have hope. People should look at a knight and feel secure, protected. Knights should provide hope and never let go of it themselves."

Link knew the next one incredibly well.

"A knight must be courageous. The heart must be strong. Our tasks are difficult, tedious, and often unglamorous. But you must accept these sacrifices and face your enemies head-on."

If prompted, Link could recite the next one by memory. But he was not asked, and so he remained silent.

"Remember always the code of chivalry and honor - knights must be noble, even when no one is watching and perhaps especially so."

The next one recited was always a double-edged sword to Link.

"Knights must be merciful. We have strong weapons and stronger conviction - but it takes much strength to show an enemy mercy. Fighting only begets more fighting. Mercy is the path to peace."

To have mercy... but also to kill enemies when necessary... where was the line? What was the difference between an enemy that deserved mercy and one that did not?

Link didn't quite know the answer. And that, he feared, might get him into a lot of trouble someday.

—

The first bout I'd lost, I'd expected as much. I'd anticipated the same for the next bout, and then the next.

Honestly, when Link said that we were going to try sparring today, I hadn't had high hopes of my own performance. I knew Link's movements would be well-practiced, if perhaps slower than normal, considering I'd only fought what, twice now? Regardless, I didn't have anticipate anything other than my repeated defeat, and that's exactly what happened.

What I didn't expect was for Link's victories to be so quick. And they were, over and over again, as I made mistakes that must have seemed silly to him.

Perhaps I had been right to be hesitant, to not want to dive right into sparring so soon, but Link had insisted upon it. Maybe this was why? He wasn't a nasty, belligerent sort of guy. He was a bit of a show-off sure, but I always played along with it. But he wasn't the type to try to break me down repeatedly with no end in sight, right?

Maybe I didn't know him as well as I thought I was getting to.

Then again, maybe he really didn't want me to fight at all, maybe he hadn't budged on that and this was his way to beat me out of it, literally. Maybe this was just an elaborate way for me to give up and give in and say he was right, I should just stay on the sidelines, weaponless but safe.

Right now, honestly, that wasn't looking like the worst option.

When for the third time tonight Link knocked the weapon from my hand and won probably the twentieth time in a row, I watched the weapon fly. Link didn't bother closing the space between us to "kill" me and win. There was no point. I had lost once more.

I wondered what he might say I did wrong now. Echoes of his past words flashed through my mind: You reacted too slowly. You left yourself wide open. You weren't aware of your surroundings.

Oh, and when he'd knocked the stick from my hands and managed to catch it, flipping it in hand to then cross his "blades" over my neck? That had been the worst. Not good enough, he had said.

Not good enough, indeed.

I drew in a shaky breath, shaky from exertion and now plenty of welled-up emotions, too. All this time, all these attempts, and it was like he was toying with me. He wasn't that cruel, right? This was just to ensure I was ready for anything.

Dammit, and this is him holding back!

The stick - for we were practicing with those for now in place of real weapons - landed in the dirt a short ways away from me, useless and lifeless. It wasn't terribly far, but it was far enough that if this was a real fight, I wouldn't have had time to retrieve it before getting killed or injured or maimed or whatever else an enemy might decide to do to me.

"Again."

The one word sent a chill down my spine. Again? This had to be sad by now. It had to be. It was clear he was trained, and well trained at that. So for him to see me performing like this had to be embarrassing.

The worst part of it was that I willed myself to move. I actually went and retrieved my weapon, then readied up once more before him.

"Focus," he said. "Be sure to take your surroundings in, see if there isn't anything you can use to your advantage."

I clicked my tongue, looking around myself. We were back on that riverbank, the one that just yesterday had been a spot of great joy, but now was the scene of embarrassment after embarrassment on my end.

We were only still in the area because Link decided not to travel more today - to rest a bit. Only, this hadn't been restful for me, not exactly. Actually, that was about as far from the truth as was possible.

"I can jump in the river and float all the way back to Hateno, maybe," I mumbled, rolling my shoulder to relieve some of the tension from it. I could already tell I would be sore in the morning and I was definitely not looking forward to it.

If I had been expecting Link to respond to my words in any way, it hadn't been for his eyes to soften and his features to express something that might have been regret or some other kind of sadness. Perhaps it was apologetic, but no, that couldn't be. I had asked for this. I had quite literally wanted him to train me.

He hadn't wanted me to, but was just obliging me. I had wanted this.

But I hadn't expected to get beaten down so readily. I hadn't expected my confidence to waver, then dip lower and lower to nothing, and then less than nothing.

"Ready up," he said, and I did as instructed.

My body tensed in preparation for the fight, but I had only just engaged the muscles necessary to lift the weapon in order to swing it when Link was there just before me, crossing the space in what seemed like no time at all. I maneuvered the weapon to protect my torso, but I was unable to stand my ground when his weapon struck my own. My arms gave out, resulting in the blunt end of his weapon striking me in the stomach, and that sent me falling right to my ass in the dirt.

With a pained grunt I fell, and once more, Link didn't have to "kill" me to win. I had lost and...

Dammit, dammit, dammit!

My hands instinctively came to cradle my stomach, and though I knew it would likely only bruise, it hurt and I'm sure it showed on my face. It must have, because Link was there in a second, crouching down next to me and reaching for my stomach, only to retreat.

"(Y/n)," he said, "are you alright? I'm so sorry, I..."

He cut himself off when his eyes found mine, but I was already looking away, tears welling in my eyes. I hadn't willed it, and I didn't want to cry, but everything building up inside me came rushing out of my heart in a rush and it was a current I was powerless against.

I looked away so he might not see my tears, but more so because I didn't think I could look him in the eyes right now. I was too embarrassed. Too upset. Too disappointed in myself.

"Does it hurt that bad?"

I shook my head.

"Then why are you... Oh."

He seemed to figure it out, and he sat back on his heels, glancing away briefly. Actually, now I wondered if he really did figure it out, because when I peeked up at him, I could see nothing but regret and pain in his eyes. So did he think I was upset because of him? I suppose in a way that was true, but it wasn't because of him, it was because I felt so weak compared to him and I didn't want to be a waste of his time and energy and effort and...

Link stood.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking down at his hands as he took a step away, and then another. "I'm sorry, I... I should've gone easier, but I didn't mean to hurt you but I know I've probably shaken your trust in me and I-"

"Why are you sorry, Link?"

By then I stood, and stood before him and I could hardly stand the terrible sadness in his eyes. "All you got out of this was frustration," he said. "And I can see that you're upset - and because of me. If I'd have only gone easier on you, you'd have learned a lot more, and-"

"Link," I cut in once more, approaching him only to be shocked by him stepping away, keeping distance between us. He noticed this right away, and he looked down, but did not move any further.

"I hurt you," he said quietly.

"Because I wasn't quick enough to dodge," I assured him. "It wasn't your fault, really."

...He didn't look convinced. Not at all. He only looked off to the side, and... there were tears in his eyes.

"I'm frustrated with myself," I continued. "It's not your fault, Link. I asked to do this, and I was just upset because I wasn't progressing like I thought I would. That's all. It's not your fault."

"I should've gone easier on you."

"Monsters won't go easy on me," I argued gently. "Right? This is preparing me well, I just need to get better."

"...But I'm not a monster."

Those words were uttered quietly, and though a statement, it sounded more like he was asking me to confirm it. And so I did.

"Of course you're not," I said surely. "Why do you say that? You know you're not a monster. I don't... I don't blame you. I wanted to be trained, and I still do, so please don't think this is your fault. And please don't give up on me, ok?"

His eyes met mine, but they were uncertain, disbelieving, and altogether dejected.

I already knew there was lots to this boy I didn't know about - but I had no idea the sea of his turmoils was so vast, the tragedies of his past still so prevalent, his regrets so painful to bear.

And I didn't know how to help.

All I did know was that when we went back to camp, we did end up traveling some more, growing ever closer to Kakariko. And I also knew that since our journey together began, that was the first night Link and I did not say goodnight to each other.

—

That next morning, I woke up first. The sun had not yet peeked up over the horizon - not that we could see it here in the canyon - but I was up and getting started on my day as Link continued to slumber on the other side of our humble camp.

I fed the horses and started to pack up quietly, wondering just how today might go. Would we spar more? Would we even talk? We'd argued before yes, but not like this, not so badly that we hadn't talked it out and certainly not so badly that we hadn't even said goodnight to each other.

So, this was a first. I figured that perhaps sleeping it off might have helped somewhat - with a clear head, maybe we would attempt that conversation again, because at least from my end, it wasn't an argument, not really. He'd just felt himself to be a monster.

Perhaps it was a mistake on my part to bring monsters up at all, but I really hadn't been comparing him to one. If anything, he was better than a monster, far better, because he was training me, and wasn't hurting me. A monster would have. But for whatever reason, he clung to that word in particular and I unfortunately had been unable to get through to him, at least not yet.

Because of all this, I had no idea how today would go, what his mood would be, or if he wouldn't just turn us around and escort me back to Hateno. But he wouldn't do that, would he? No, he was too charitable, too kind and too selfless to do that.

Maybe that was why he clung to that word so readily. His heart must be so incredibly sensitive, more sensitive than I had anticipated. Maybe even just alluding to him being one - which I hadn't done - was enough for him to doubt himself. Maybe just the word alone... maybe he'd been compared to one before.

I just didn't know.

Like so much about him, I just didn't know. I didn't know a damn thing.

And now, as I gazed at him as he remained fast asleep, I wondered if I ever would know him.

—

Knights must have mercy. He had not. How could she still trust him, then? She did not know him as a knight, only as Link - but she already had her suspicions about him. She knew he had been trained and suspected already that it was professional or at least formal, for as well-trained and dutiful as he was.

Even if she hadn't put the dots together yet, she was working on it and he didn't put it past her to figure it out, and soon.

He could only hide who he was for so long. Already, parts of him were peeking through, trying so earnestly to get to know the girl he was traveling with. He wanted to give in, he knew who he was and he hated hiding so much from her. But how could he tell her? How could he possibly tell her that the boy she was traveling with was over a century old, and had been the very reason Hyrule fell to calamity?

She wanted to know the truth of the Champions, the truth of the fallen hero and the forlorn princess. She wanted to know it all, see it all, experience it all. He wanted to provide that for her, but... had this all been a mistake? He was in no shape to train someone, let alone journey with someone.

The last time he'd traveled with others, they all...

He didn't want her to get hurt. She trusted him, that was clear. But that was a painful burden, because his fellow Champions had trusted him too. So had the princess.

And look what happened to them. The result of that trust, the result of them trusting him and him deciding to trust them...

They had fallen in battle. Every last one of them. And the princess too, she was still fighting, waiting because she so trusted him to return to her, to save Hyrule as he was destined to do.

(Y/n) still trusted him. That was clear after their conversation last night.

He could only hope, as he finally rose from sleep, that her fate would not match the others who had so foolishly placed their trust in him.

—

"Since you're probably sore from sparring," Link said, now seated comfortably at my side before a now-roaring fire, "I figure we can take it easy today." I nodded even as I took a bite of my breakfast, and Link turned his head to smile at me. "We'll travel for a bit, but we won't push it, today."

"I'm fine, I promise," I said, meeting his gaze after swallowing down my food.

"You're not sore?"

"Well, I didn't say that," I said sheepishly, "but I'm definitely able to travel if that's what you want us to do today."

Link considered it, and only after taking another contemplative bite of his meal and chasing it down with a swig of water did he reply to me. "No, I know how intense sparring sessions can be, and I bet you're in more pain than you're letting on."

"No, really, I-"

"You don't have to lie, you know," Link said, and I snapped my mouth shut because I honestly thought I'd covered it quite well... but not well enough to be missed by his piercing, though incredibly caring eyes, the ones he directed towards my own and the ones I almost had a hard time looking into.

"I just... didn't want you to worry about me, I guess."

Link's eyes softened, and he lowered his food, giving me his full attention. He didn't respond to my last words - he likely thought I was silly to suggest such a thing - and instead gestured with a movement of his head towards my stomach. "And your stomach? Are you in any pain?"

"No," I answered, and that was honest. My limbs were sore, and I had a lingering headache, but that was nothing I couldn't handle. But my stomach was fine. "I checked when I woke up," I told him, "and it didn't even bruise."

"Good, then," he breathed out, sounding incredibly relieved, and I smiled at him.

"See? I told you, nothing to worry about."

"You're sure you want to keep training?"

"Absolutely," I said surely, nodding excitedly. "I'll beat you one day, I'm sure of it!"

Link laughed lightly, accepting my challenge readily. "Looking forward to it. Now then, about today."

"Mm-hm?"

"I know we keep taking detours down by the river," he said, "but I know this area well and there are lots of pretty things to see that I think you'll love. As a matter of fact, there's a nice area not far from where we are. It's a bit of a ride further up towards Kakariko, but once we're there, you'll see what I mean."

"Looking forward to it," I said, and together we continued to eat. When we were done, we packed everything up, saddled up the horses, and took off before the day's heat could catch us.

—

Link had been right. I did love this view.

After riding for a few hours further through the canyon leading to Kakariko, we veered off and hitched the horses. Hiking the rest of the way along thin, rocky outcrops and hopping from landing to landing, we made our way up and out, and then back down. By mid-afternoon, we reached the destination he had in mind and it only after fording the river at its shallowest point and clambering up the bank on the other side into a lush forest of emerald greens.

With the sun filtering in through the trees, everything seemed to glow here, and I seemed to be experiencing everything in a state of hyper-sensationalized detail - or perhaps that had nothing at all to do with how I was actually seeing everything, but everything to do with who I was with.

Link was looking around at everything as we walked through the forest with a sense of childlike wonder, and for a boy so troubled, I almost vocalized how strange it was for him to go from so downtrodden to so at peace with himself and his surroundings but I did not voice it.

How could I possibly do that here, when he looked so content? He was so happy, so peaceful here, so calm and blissful that it would have been cruel to yank him down from this high and back down to reality, especially with the sad reality that seemed to encapsulate his entire being.

So, I stayed quiet, taking in the surroundings as we passed them. A group of birds would have been easy to miss with their earthen colors if they had not burst into flight as we passed under the tree they were perched in, and the same went for deer that bounded along the trail before us, surprised by our presence here.

The scent of nature was intoxicating, and the sounds of nature came from every angle all at once in an unfollowable but ultimately beautiful melody. Melodic in itself was the birdsong, but the babbling brooks, rustling of the leaves, and our very own footsteps kept time and became the other instruments.

Eventually, we came upon a pond, not a large one but it was certainly big enough to wade into and be able to swim comfortably. By then, the sun was setting and from its far-off position settled on the horizon, it streamed through the tree trunks like water through a river, slipping through where it could and rushing forth so readily.

"Beautiful," I had breathed out, and at that, Link had torn his eyes from the scene before us and looked at me, instead. I did not turn his way, because I wasn't sure if I could handle being his sole focus here.

My heart might have skipped a beat or two, and in the serenity of this area and the calmness we'd settled into, I'm more than sure he'd have been able to hear it.

—

Though we set up camp elsewhere, I returned to that pond not long after we'd seen it. While Link found what was needed for a fire and scrounged up some things for a quick meal, I took a set of clean underclothes and made my way back there with the plan of bathing. I undressed, content with where I was - there was no one else here, and only nature was around to watch.

I waded into the water after folding my laundry and laying it upon a rock nearby, and though the water was cold, it was not an unwelcome chill. I walked right in with even, measured strides and ran my fingers along the surface of the water as I did. When the water was up to my chest, I ducked beneath the water, untying my hair and running my fingers along my scalp.

I surfaced, beginning to work tangles from my hair and massage my head with a gentle touch. I then turned my attention to my skin, most notably of my arms, first. In the clear water, it was obvious that I was filthy; days of being faced with weather and the elements would do that to someone, I supposed.

I scrubbed the muck from my skin, watching the water grow muddied as I took care to clean all that had been dirtied by adventure.

I never in so many years would have guessed that one day I would be bathing in the golden light of sunset, listening to birdsong in a pond. I lingered longer than I originally meant to, but ensured I was out before my skin would start to prune. I dried myself off, got dressed into my clean underclothes, then made my way back to camp, refreshed and cleansed and serene, very serene.

It was a feeling I was not used to, but it was a welcome one.

It was just like the sight I returned to when I finally made my way back to Link. He'd cleared out a space for our small encampment, there was a roaring fire before him, and... he was attempting to cook something. It was a sight I was not used to, but it was a welcome one.

I smiled as I entered the space, ducking under a branch to step into the camp and my smile only grew when Link glanced my way, his eyes meeting my own. "Done already?"

"Mm-hm," I hummed simply, because the answer was obvious. Link looked back at the pot suspended over the flames, peeking into it before sitting back on his heels with a huff. "Link? Is something the matter?"

"I was hoping to have this done before you got back," he admitted, looking up at me sheepishly. He added a few more ingredients to the pot, a few root vegetables if I wasn't mistaken, and I figured he was making a stew of some kind.

"Well," I said, kneeling at his side, "it certainly smells good."

"Does it? That's great," he said, smiling widely now and looking more than a bit proud of himself, and maybe even a bit relieved.

"I must admit," I began, "I wasn't expecting to see this."

"I knew it would surprise you," he said, sounding incredibly pleased. "But is it a good one?"

"Yes," I answered honestly. "It's a great surprise. But can I ask why you decided to do this?"

"Oh, sure," he replied. He lowered himself to sit next to me, watching the flames lick at the pot. "I just wanted to do something nice for you, considering we'll likely reach Kakariko tomorrow."

"Ah," I breathed out, unsure of how else to respond. The idea of him doing something nice for me, something he thought I might enjoy, was wonderful - but the mood grew solemn then, if only because of the event that incited it.

"You don't... You don't seem excited," he noted right away, peering into my eyes curiously.

"It's not that," I told him. "I just... Link, look out!"

I scooted back across the dirt, dragging him with me as the contents of the pot went up in a puff of black, putrid smoke, one that had all the birds in the surrounding trees alighting to get as far away from here as possible. Now that the immediate danger was over, Link eased back towards the pot, peeked inside, then let all his disappointment become visible in his body language and face. He sighed, his shoulders slumping and his head dropping.

"Dubious meal," Link muttered sadly. "I'm sorry, (Y/n). I'm no good at this."

I knelt at his side then, looking into the pot as well. Everything had coalesced into this black sludge, one that was disgusting to look at, disgusting to smell, and certainly disgusting to taste. "You're not good at it yet," I assured him. "I'll teach you, sometime. But for now... ah, this was the problem."

Grabbing the ladle he'd used to stir, I reached into the pot with it and scooped out a burned mass of what was at one point a mushroom. "Hm? I thought those were edible."

"They are," I confirmed, "if prepared properly. Even if it was, adding it with this vegetable here is never a good idea."

"I see," he said. "Guess I don't know much about cooking at all..."

"As I said, I'll teach you sometime," I repeated. "Sometimes I forget this rule too, so don't feel bad." I turned to look at him, smiling in a way I hoped was reassuring. It must have been, for his sad eyes grew more hopeful, and some of the disappointment seemed to lift away from his shoulders. "I appreciate the thought, Link. And it was a damn good effort. But how about I take care of the meal tonight?"

Link finally allowed himself to smile sheepishly, reaching up with one hand to scratch his cheek. "How about every night?"

"I'll make a chef out of you yet," I said proudly, hefting the pot off the heat. "You were going for a stew, right?"

"Right."

"So, a stew we'll have," I said. "It'll take a while though, and we'll need some new ingredients."

"The forest is overloaded with them," Link told me, getting to his feet. "Come on, let's go get some!" He reached for my hand, and I allowed him to take it in his own. He helped me to my feet and left speechless, I could only follow after him as he led me back into the woods. "And while we wait for it to cook, you can tell me stories!"

I laughed openly at the ridiculousness of it all. "I'll be the one cooking, and I have to tell you a story? That's not fair!"

"It's perfectly fair," he argued, glancing back at me. "I said it before, right? I like listening to you and besides, it'll help make me feel better!"

I didn't even have it in me to argue anything back. Honestly, this boy.

—

"Inside the Temple of Time, the hero used his ocarina - a gift from the princess - and the three Spiritual Stones to open the door to the Sacred Realm. Inside, he finds the Master Sword. But what he didn' know was that Ganandorf had snuck in after him and just as the hero lifted the sword from the pedestal, Ganondorf struck and with the hero out of the way, claimed the Triforce for himself."

The food was long gone, all traces of it gone even from the scent of the air. Everything was cleaned away, and the roaring fire kept time as I went through story after story, all on Hyrule's history. I was sitting before the fire, my legs outstretched in front of me and I was leaning back, my weight against my hands behind me. Link was lying nearby on his side, his chin resting in his palm and all of his focus was centered on me.

"Seven years passed," I continued. "Only then did the hero awaken in the Sacred Realm, and he meets one of the seven sages who protects it. The hero's spirit was sealed in place and in time, until he was old and strong enough to wield the Master Sword properly, because only with that sword could he hope to defeat Ganondorf, who had taken over Hyrule."

"He seems to enjoy doing that," Link remarked, and I fought the urge to laugh.

"He does," I agreed, then went right along. "The hero and his fairy left the temple with their tasks in mind: awaken the remaining six sages, seal Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm, and save Hyrule."

"Fairy," Link repeated.

"That's right," I affirmed. "As the story gets told, the Hero of Time had a fairy companion named Navi. She helped him on his journey and was there with him every step of the way."

"Did all the heroes have companions?"

"Well," I said, thinking it over, "let's see. The Hero of Time, yes. The Hero of the Skies, yes... Um, I believe the Hero of the Minish did too. Oh, and so did the Heroes of the Four Sword, Twilight, Winds... Actually, I think the only one who didn't was our own hero, from a century ago. No stories ever mentioned..."

"He had the other Champions," Link supplied.

"Right," I agreed, "but as for a constant companion, there's nothing. Everyone else came and went. They had their own assignments, their own duties."

"I see," he said quietly, looking away.

"It's sad," I said, figuring that's what he was thinking. "Maybe that's why he, unlike the other heroes, fell. He was there ultimately to protect the princess, but maybe no one was there for him. Not until it was too late."

—

Link was stunned, really.

This girl had no idea how close to the truth she was.