Life in Zora's Domain - Part Two

Chapter 53 - Combat Training Plans

Summary: In the Calamity timeline, Astra faces her mother's concern over the Crenel Peak incident. Astra agrees to help Fallon with combat training.

As the setting sun painted the sky with hues of orange and pink, Astra, Fallon, and their three bitter captives galloped toward Hyrule Castle. The memories of their Crenel Peak adventure were still fresh in their minds, and Fallon was still in awe, trying to come to terms with Astra's exceptional combat ability. He was still amazed by what he saw happen in almost the blink of an eye. This Princess was far from the sheltered royalty people might have expected. What she did was almost beyond belief, and she must be the greatest sword fighter in all of Hyrule! It suddenly reminded him of a conversation he once had with his former platoon leader, Lieutenant Wilson.

"It's been an honor serving under you, Sir," said Fallon as Wilson made the rounds at his retirement party and shook hands with everyone.

"I've loved being here and getting to know all of you," said Wilson. "But Lieutenant Allan is a great leader, and I know you'll be in good hands."

"I still feel I have much to learn from you, Sir," said Fallon. "Your swordsmanship is amazing."

"Keep training hard, and you'll get there, Fallon," said Wilson. "But I can share a little secret that helped me master the art of swordsmanship. Back when I was starting out, many years ago now, I had the privilege of serving under Lieutenant Link before he became Captain and Princess Zelda's knight. One day, he saw me practicing and stopped to give me some combat tips and how best to train, which he did for all of his subordinates. He would also check up on me occasionally, and we would spar a bit – although he would go easy on me! In actual battle with monsters, though, it was another story entirely – it was like poetry in motion; he fought with such grace and accuracy that no enemy could stand against him. Though I could never hope to match his proficiency, those lessons stayed with me throughout my career."

"Good to know, Sir," said Fallon. "And here's to a healthy and fulfilling retirement."

"Thanks! I'm looking forward to spending time with my grandchildren and helping out at my son-in-law's ranch with my wife," said Wilson. "Keep working hard, Fallon. I think you have a promising career ahead of you."

"You know," began Fallon as his mind returned to the present, "I learned how to use a sword, of course. But I should probably take some sword-fighting lessons from you. Your precision is unmatched, even if I can't match your speed."

Astra chuckled, "Sounds like a fun date idea. But if you're serious, I can definitely share some tips."

Fallon looked at her earnestly, "I truly mean it. Call me old-fashioned, but I felt I should have been defending you or, at the very least, standing beside you in battle."

"And if I thought I needed your help, you would have been," said Astra. "But we can start doing some combat training next time we're together. Assuming Her Majesty doesn't lock me up, that is, for being so reckless. Our misadventure will not sit well with her."

"I can see that," nodded Fallon. "You don't know how much your presence brought new hope to our kingdom. When we learned Her Majesty could not have children, it seemed Hyrule was doomed to be without any royal successor. And then, when Her Majesty's husband was killed, it only made matters worse - that our enemies were triumphing over us. Your arrival, seemingly from nowhere, brought cheers and tears of joy to so many people. I should have realized how risky it was for us to ride alone and blame myself, too."

"Don't feel bad, Fallon. I'm the one who should have realized it but thought no bad would come of it. I grew careless, something that should never happen. But lesson learned."