A Champion's Love |Sidon x Reader|

48. What Is Best

Um. Strap in y'all. This one is a doozy

And I am not sorry :)

...

Your fingers drum against the wood of the railing. The sun is high and hot today, enough to make your tunic stick to your back. Your eyes are trained on your soldiers who are practicing their sparring once more, but they've graduated from wooden sticks to using metal swords. You lock your gaze onto them, carefully assessing their movements and techniques.

Currently, you watched as Link sparred with a fellow trainee, a darker-skinned Hylian named Hoz. Both he and Link were soldiers who were showing great promise, though there were always improvements to be made. For example, the miscalculation Link had just made with his attempt to parry.

Hoz had lifted his right hand, swinging his traveler's sword in a vertical motion. Link blocks the slash with his own blade, but rather than dodging to either side he attempts to step backwards. In a real battle, this mistake could result in grievous wounds. Even while sparring you watch him realize his error, eyes widening as his arm is forced back.

"Stop!" you shout, drawing the attention of all the soldiers, "you're still mixing up your defensive movements. Here-"

You walk to the makeshift arena, which was really just a small section of the fields surrounding Lookout Landing. You grab one of the weaker swords that were available to practice with, not daring to use the Master Sword on one of your own trainees. You balance the hilt in your hand, testing its weight.

"Hoz, step out," you instruct, "I'll have to drill you all on parrying myself."

The brunette walks away, leaving you face-to-face with Link. You take ten paces back and bow your head, as is customary in sparring duels. "Ready..." you announce, narrowing your eyes, "and... set!"

You dash forward, kicking up the dirt beneath your boots as you sprint towards the blond. He reciprocates and you meet in the middle of the arena with a clash, the shrill sound of metal ringing as you each swing your blades. With a grunt you push against him, taking advantage of his foot placement to knock him off balance.

"If I swing down-" you shout out, accentuating the words with movements of your sword, "you must jump to the left or right to avoid being hit!"

Link seems to listen to the advice this time and huffs as he side-steps your attack. He seems to think that your downward swing leaves you open and he attempts to take advantage of this, but you predict the attack and swing your sword around. You jab the hilt of it into his chest, knocking the wind out of him momentarily.

As he staggers back to catch his breath you continue the lesson. "Now, if my swing is horizontal-" you explain, adjusting your grasp and swinging once more, "you'll need to jump backward!"

You're impressed with how quickly he regains his footing, fast enough to jump out of the range of your attack. The sparring continues, your blows easily matched as you dodge around one another. In your mind, these sparring duels are akin to dances. Swift, calculated movements where you move around a partner- rather like a waltz. It was invigorating, and it helped to distract you.

Burying yourself in your work was the only way you'd been able to take your mind off of Sidon, after all.

At the thought of the prince, your footing appears to falter noticeably. Link is able to take advantage of this, angling his sword in such a way that he's able to reflect the light of the sun onto your face. You flinch, using your free hand to cover your eyes, and in that moment the Hylian man juts his foot out and swipes it behind your legs.

You fall backward onto the dirt with a groan. When you open your eyes once more you're met with the pointed end of Link's blade. He quirks a brow at you.