Turns out it isn't a choice. Zelda practically forces me to join the Hylian Army, something I never thought I'd do. (Guess I'm more like the other Link than I'd thought)
I'm kicked out of Malon's house once I'm fully healed and am moved into a tent of my own by the other soldiers.
The first thing I'm forced to do is to "show my skills" for Dohean, so he can fit me into the army accordingly. Zelda actually took the time out of her busy strategizing to come and watch me. Great, now she'll see my embarrassing and nonexistent skills.
———
A small crowd is gathered around me and I can feel the sweat rolling down my neck. The day is hot and sultry with a cool breeze. I've already been outfitted in the soldier's uniform, a light blue sleeveless tunic with a collared white undershirt, a tawny pair of pants, and boots. Classy. I guess I'll get some armor later, because this barely counts as protection. At least I got my belt back.
I'm supposed to show my proficiency in melee combat and then with a bow.
Another soldier comes over to me, helping me strap on the shoulder guards and gauntlets. I'm honestly wondering where they're getting these tools from. I mean, their base of operations- the castle, has been completely decimated by Ganondorf's forces. Eh, probably from Kakariko and the Gorons.
I'm handed a sword and shield, fiddling with my grip on the sword. It's the right size for me, unlike the sword I've had before, which means I'll hopefully be able to do better than that failure two weeks ago.
Dohean comes over to me, and he already looks unimpressed... I haven't even done anything yet!
"You're to fight whoever I send out. Prove to me you know what you're doing, the princess has told me of your skills." I can almost hear the disdain in his voice, and I can't help when my face flushes with embarrassment. Why did Zelda have to give me a good rep? I'm going to do something stupid and get injured again, and not only am I going to make a fool of myself, but Zelda will too. And knowing her, she'll get mad at me.
Dohean steps away from me and nods to one of the soldiers in the crowd, someone of a higher rank than me. He's one of those elite that Malon told me about. They're called knights, and they're specially chosen apparently. I nervously gulp. What exactly did Zelda tell him about me?
He steps out from the group of onlookers (witnesses to my potential failure) and faces me.
I put on my best determined face, trying to get into a fighting stance. ... I feel really stupid. I feels so awkward and clumsy, holding my sword out in front of my body and my shield at my side. I've forgotten a lot, to say the least.
He grins and charges at me, and I can feel myself stumbling away, his sword smacking into my shield, which bites into my shoulder. Cute.
There's a long stretch of time where I can't get a hit in edgewise, forced to cower behind my shield. He's like a whirlwind, refusing to stop, unleashing an absolute flurry of attacks. It's mindboggling to me.
I've got to do something... all I'm doing is hiding and letting him chip away at me. At this rate, I'll be too exhausted to continue, it takes a lot of effort to heft up this piece of metal. And with the combined heat and nervousness, I'm sweating bottles over here.
As he continues to attack, I become more evasive, some long forgotten instinct returning to me. I look at his attacks, trying to find a space for me to counter him, anything would work. I'll play dirty if I hate to, although I doubt that'll sit well with Dohean.
There's one tiny falter, one little mistake made by my opponent that is my chance. I rush for my attack, slashing at his exposed side that he's neglected to guard from me. What an arrogant guy. Fighting like that is gonna get you killed, says the guy who almost died because of his carelessness a total of two times in the past week or two. And I doubt they'll be the last. Like I said, weird things happen to me.
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Written in Blood
FanfictionWritten in Blood . {After OoT/MM fic} Hyrule is on the brink of another bloody war when he returns, the hero that had slipped away to be forgotten by the land. No longer a hero, living a life of isolation far away from the land that had made him a l...