A Minor Test of Strength

Errands

My sister and I were playing with our Echo Dots and we told it to play Zelda music. It started playing an album called Zelda and Chill, which takes sound from the games and makes an electro version of it. We thought it was pretty fun, and then I saw the album cover. It reminded me of "Errands" even though Link wasn't with Zelda. Even so, the art was really cute. Enjoy the next chapter!

"Well. That was...convoluted."

The King let out a boisterous guffaw. "I'm glad you passed, because I don't even know what that means!"

I couldn't help but smile at that.

"Come. You have two escorts waiting to take you home. You will start training in two days, as I know that Roham is not finished with his assignments for you all before you're all sent away."

We ascended the regal silver stairs to the throne room above the shrine. There, waiting for me in all my glory, was the princess herself.

Not to mention the knight beside her. It was very sweet of them to come and pick me up.

Both of them were in pristine condition. I subconsciously started brushing dust off of my tunic.

"Oh come here Mipha! I'm so happy for you!" Zelda squealed, pulling me into an embrace. Blue eyes locked with steely gray over her shoulder. Link's mouth quirked up a tiny bit and he flashed a subtle thumbs up. All I could do was put on a feeble smile.

"All right. Let's get back to our horses. You need some serious R and R." She turned to the king. "Thank you, your highness for this opportunity."

"Of course, Princess. Thank you for such a strong warrior to defend my people."

The three of us mounted and rode back to the castle, Zelda pestering me to tell her everything about the trial. It proved to be almost as exhausting to relive every moment as to live it the first time.

I made a mad dash towards my quarters to get into the wash basin, but a servant stopped me and redirected me towards the throne room.

"The king has requested your presence immediately upon your return." She bowed, and we made eye contact. I gestured to my outfit and she nodded in understanding. At least I'd have a bath ready for me after my meeting with the king.

Link was ready to receive orders as well. For once I was grateful that he didn't look at me as I entered the hall and dropped to my knee.

"Link has already updated me on your status. Since we have that out of the way, you two have a new assignment before you start specialized training." Roham said. I wondered if he had asked Link to share my story or if he had done so unprovoked.

"Yes sir. At the ready, sir."

"Good. You and Link are to go into Hyrule Castle Town and deliver this package to the mayor. Be back by 5:00 like usual." He slipped the box into a messenger satchel and passed it to me. That meant we had to go now. Just my luck.

We decided to walk instead of take horses since the town was so close. As we approached the town hall, the sky darkened and the air thickened with the threat of rain. The exchange proved to be quick and diplomatic, and we had some extra time before dinner would be served at the castle. Walking through the tidy streets of town brought back the nostalgia  of my life before becoming a Champion. I remembered playing in the perfectly pruned park in elementary school, and studying at Central Cafe. I could practically taste of my favorite coffee and chocolate danish. All of a sudden I longed to go back.

"Link? Can we make one quick stop?" I asked. He nodded and followed me into the cozy shop. I told him to sit down by the window, close his eyes, and wait. Then I ordered two of my usual drink and dessert and curled one of the cups into Link's fingers. He took a tentative sip, and I watched as his entire face uplifted into a grin. We each downed our cups. The rain began to pour outside.

"Oh my goddess." Link said. "That was better than any coffee they serve at the castle."

"I know! Speaking of which, we should probably start heading back there. We don't have time to wait out this storm."

And so, in addition to every other odor, I picked up the worm scent that comes with rain. We ran along the trail back home, ducking under trees whenever we could. I laughed, Link smiled, and it couldn't have been any more perfect.