The Silence Between Them | ✔

11) Knight

⚔ In which Link learns more about his duty, and his princess ⚔

Link

A living reminder of her own failures.

Urbosa's words ring in my head as I enter the throne room, dressed in the royal guard's uniform, ready to be sworn to the princess.

I walk in, eyes stuck to the princess and the glare she shoots my way as I walk. The king stands, and her eyes bore into me. I reach the pedestal and kneel in front of it.

"Sir Link. You have been chosen as the crown princess's appointed knight. You will have to be diligent, unyielding, and steadfast to protect her highness. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"So, what do you swear it on, Sir Link?"

I've thought about this. What I'll swear to the princess. I take a breath.

"I swear it on my sword, on my life, on my soul to protect the crown princess of Hyrule, until my dying breath."

The king nods. "Then let it be known. Rise, Sir Link." I stand slowly. "You start tomorrow."

I nod and walk out of the room. When the door closes, I sigh deeply. I walk back to the barracks to change out of this uniform and into something more comfortable.

The walk there seems to be longer. Maybe I'm slower, tired from the night before with the Champions. They left early in the morning, Urbosa and Revali with a hangover. I wanted to drink, and I almost asked for a glass after the princess assured me it was alright. But I decided against it. When I get drunk, I've learned I get more rambunctious. And I talk more. It just didn't feel like the right time or place. At a tavern in the middle of Castle Town with my friends, sure. But not in front of the warriors and rulers of regions, and especially not in front of the rulers of all Hyrule.

When I'm changed, I decide training might not be the best thing for my nerves. Instead, I opt for the library. The king has said it's open for me to use since I've been back. I plan to take full advantage of that.

I can't stop thinking about what Urbosa said during the ceremony. A living reminder of her own failures. I didn't show it, but it was upsetting. I certainly don't mean to seem that way. I wonder what exactly she meant by that. If anything, the princess is much more accomplished than I am. She's smarter, friendlier, and an heir to a whole fucking kingdom. All I did was pull a sword from a rock. I just so happen to be good at swinging the damned thing around. Maybe that's what the princess does really think. Urbosa seems to know the princess more than anyone else. Perhaps that's why the princess seems to dislike me.

I walk into the library, and the smell and feel of familiarity of the place push any other thought from my mind. I walk in, walking up the stairs to the books of legends.

You can find any book in this library. Most of it was filled by the queen of Hyrule, the princess's mother. I heard she was a sweet soul. I've been told I met the queen before she died. I was tiny, though. Maybe five or six. It was right before she died. I remember her watching me as I practiced, and then my father introduced me to her. I was too shy to speak to her at the time. I do remember her smile, though. It was lovely and reminds me of the princess.

I pick up a book that catches my eye. It's about the dragons that roam certain regions of Hyrule. There are three in total. The Springs keepers spread across Hyrule, each the spirit of a different goddess. My favorite has always been Farosh. He's stunning, shimmering, and the most dangerous out of the three. Most people believe the dragons are a myth, just a legend, because they live around the Springs. Most Hylians believe the Springs are sacred and don't go there at all. But I know the dragons are real because my father took me to see each of them when I turned ten. I loved them from then on.