The Origin of a Champion

Chapter 11- A Journey to Kakariko

"Zarya! Am I healed yet?"

"No! You're not healed yet and if you ask me one more time today I swear to Hylia I'm personally moving you and your couch outside!"

Alvar and Link snickered from the living room at Zarya's flustered reaction. It was seven days in their long overdue break, and Alvar was getting restless. Thanks to Zarya's dedication his state had improved greatly. The color had returned to his face and many of his cuts and wounds had turned to scars or disappeared completely. He could walk much better, and the bruises on his face had faded away. Although he was healed up for the most part, Zarya was taking no chances. She wanted him to have one more day to make sure, and Alvar had been constantly asking her throughout the week if he was healed yet to simply poke fun at her.

Zarya forbade him any training of any kind, unless he was helping Link practice. Since both his parents were at home, Link enjoyed the extra attention. He loved having his daily school lesson, piano lesson, and training season with his father all in one day. On some occasions, one of his parents would be too busy or tired on certain days, and he'd have to go without one of his lessons or skip a training session for the day. But with them both at home he was able to complete a lot more, and loved every second of it. His father also appreciated having the chance to hone in on Link's great skill and talent, which was greatly improving with every passing week.

Since she had finished all her daily chores Zarya decided she would check and clean Alvar's bandages. She brought her supplies over to him and started unwrapping the white cloth around his legs. Alvar watched her work with his usual curiosity.

"Have you gotten a letter back from Cato or Akilah yet?" he asked hopefully. Now the truth was that Zarya had gotten a letter back the day before, but she never told him about it because she knew that it would only make Alvar more excited and restless. But she never did open it up, Zarya wanted to wait for Alvar to be fully healed, and to be the one to read it first.

"That answer depends on how healed you appear today," she replied in a teasing tone of voice. Alvar looked at her with great eagerness.

"Wait a minute. Oh Zarya, you got the response letter from them already didn't you?"

Zarya looked up to him and playfully shrugged, but looked back down at the bandages she was unraveling to hide her growing smile.

"Well Hylia seemed to have smiled down on you my dear hylian hot mess, because I deem you officially recovered and healed!" Zarya exclaimed proudly as she finished taking off the last of the bandages Alvar wore. He inspected his previous wounds and grinned.

"You truly do work wonders. You know, if you ever get fired from being the queen's personal servant, you should most definitely become a nurse for the Hylian knights' force," Alvar declared as he pulled Zarya into a hug. Zarya blushed and tried to escape, but to no avail.

"Well, wouldn't you like to read the letter?" Zarya questioned, still trying to get out of Alvar's embrace. He grinned, and eagerly nodded his head.

"Hey Link, where are you? Would you like to come and hear about the letter your mother got from our friends in Kakariko?" Alvar called out. A few seconds after, Link came running in from his room, where he was previously sharpening one of his wooden sparring swords. He tripped over his own feet in his rush, but quickly bounced back up.

"They sent a letter back already? What's it say? What's it say? Can we visit them?" Link exclaimed excitedly. His parents grinned at his enthusiasm.

Zarya handed Alvar the white envelope from her trouser pocket and Alvar opened the envelope that contained two pieces of paper. One was covered in neat, formal handwriting on both sides of the page, while the second paper was clearly meant for Link, written by little Impa and Purah, with much messier handwriting, complete with the drawn picture of a Sheikah made guardian on the back. Alvar handed the second letter to Link telling him it was for him from Purah and Impa. Link eagerly grabbed the paper and sat down on one of the chairs of the living room to read it.