A Princess's Problem.

Silent Knight

The King walked ahead of his daughter towards the training area in the grounds of the castle. He held his head high, confident that his decision was in the best interest of the Princess. Zelda however, hung her head and looked at the floor the entire time. She didn't need any help with her training! She didn't need to be guarded twenty four hours a day!

When her father reached over the ledge, down to the training arena, Zelda heard sword on sword and the clang of metal. Forcing herself to straighten up, she peered over the wall herself.

It looked like a battle scenario, one against ten. There was a single man in the middle, well, if you could say 'man', he looked extremely young compared to any other palace guard she had ever known, he was a boy. He had his shirt off, obviously the heat from the sun and the activity had made him sweaty. His lush blonde hair was strung up in a short pony tail and his sideburns were flowing down the sides of his face. He carried the legendary Mastersword that the king had bestowed upon him in his right hand, held up in defense position as the other ten trainies ran at him from their protective shelters. The boy in the centre dropped to his knees at the last second when all the trainies came close enough and they started to lift their swords to strike. Obviously, he had anticipated this and had dropped to his knees with a plan. Which he did. The blonde haired boy rolled underneath one of the trainies and exited the circle they had created on their way to him. He pulled the Mastersword up and swiped it down on to one of the trainies back, stopping right before he did any real harm so as not to wound them. The boy dropped to the ground and sat still, playing dead. The swordsman didn't stop there, he swung his sword over the head of the next trainie, causing them to duck which he used to his advantage. The shirtless boy jumped over the cowering man and swiped at the surprised man next to him. Both fell to the ground playing dead. It wasn't long before the activity was over and all ten trainies were getting up from the ground to clean themselves up. It was then that Link looked up at the king and the Princess.

Zelda stood in awe of this boy's skill of the blade. But when he was finished, she found him looking up at her. She finally managed to get a decent look at his features... His hair was a dark blonde and his sideburns were magnificent. He was too far down for her to see his eyes.

Zelda huffed, she hated soldiers. It didn't mean to say that she was oblivious to her new Knight's skill. She had never seen someone that talented before. But that didn't mean she had to like him. He was a soldier! She hated the thought of being followed by this boy twenty four seven! He would just be there to see the Princess of Hyrule fail in her duty to protect her kingdom. He would see her as unworthy to have the sacred blood of the Goddess flowing through her. Zelda sighed again...

Link was at a loss of what to do, he thought he was to meet with the King and the Princess at Lunch. If he had known that they had arrived at his training session, he would have at the very least kept his shirt on. He silently shouted at himself in his head as he walked over to the changing rooms and slipped on his green tunic and put on his green pointed cap.

After he had secured his belt and Mastersword on his shoulders, Link made his way up towards the barracks where he had seen the King and the Princess.

"Ah, Link, that was excellent!" King Roahm exclaimed.

Link kept his face blank, like he always did and he never said a word.

The king motioned for Zelda to step forward and she did reluctantly. She held her head high and slowly shuffled into their mist.

"Zelda, this is Link, tomorrow at the ceremony, I will appoint him as your appointed knight but I thought you should meet before so you can get to know each other..." Zelda huffed "I'll leave you to it then..."

Her father left her with the boy soldier. She was livid but tried not to show it.

"Boy" she glared at Link, "I have been asked to show you to your new room in the castle. Follow me, and keep up!" She snapped.

Link, his face showing none of the irritation he felt from him being called 'boy', followed the Princess silently. She sped off, utterly frustrated with her father for leaving her with him, towards Link's new room. Incidentally, her room was the one next to his so that in a hurry, Link could defend her room in any amount of warning. She still didn't agree with it. What if he heard her during one of her nightmares? He would hear the essteamed Princess of Hyrule cry out in the night over a bad dream...

Neither of them spoke as they neared his room. Link, of course was used to being silent, but Zelda chose not to talk because she was afraid she would sound worried, especially since the subject of her nightly happenings came up in her mind.

When she saw her door and then the next door along, she stopped and pointed to it. "There, now I suggest you familiarise yourself with it as it is considered your new home. I must attend to other matters right now. Goodbye, boy"

Link hated being called 'boy'. It was meant as an insult usually. Many people he had sparred with in his training had called him 'boy'. They didn't want to admit that he was more skilled than them and they would call him that so as to define that they still had more respect than him because they were 'The Grown Ups'. Just because you have more in years, does not mean you have more in knowledge, Link would sulk quietly everytime they called him 'boy'.

Link entered the room and marveled at the sight. He had been used to hard wooden beds, not soft king beds. He had been used to simple stools, not squishy arm chairs. He had been used to limited personal attire and possessions, not an entire cupboard full of different clothes, each suited to different environments. Link saw a small note on his new bed. He picked it up silently and began to read.

"Link, I knew your father, he was a good man. I know that you don't like such treatment but your father was always a close advisor and one of the best guards I have ever had, therefore, I have instructed that your room be decorated with the finest furniture and accessories. I'm sorry for your loss. - King Roahm"

Link let a smile sneak into his face. Finally, someone who knows respect, he mused.

It wasn't long before night fell and Link settled down for his first night in the castle. He smiled as he heard the silent hum of the night.