New Home - BotW Link x Reader (Undergoing Revisions)

Chapter 21 - The Road at the End

"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.