I haven't being writing for more than two months if that much hasn't been obvious. I don't really have a good reason why I haven't updated for a long while. I really don't other than I guess it has lost my interest. I thought that my writing was sub-par at my highest and so I thought by reading fanfictions in my hiatus could help give me some pointers in what is needed in a great story. I think the answer is heart. And with that patience, please enjoy a well-deserved chapter.

I'll make up for it in some way, I promise. My work ethic needs alot of discipline.

Ch.3 A Girl's Vision

Link jerked his head away from a poorly-timed swipe from a wooden sword. Then backed away from it as it came back in the other direction, missing only to hit the dirt. The Hylian only could give a sly smile as Raphtalia gave a grunt of displeasure at her failure to strike him.

She calmly lifted her sword in a ready stance before lunging at him with a yell. Only for Link to parry with a wooden shield angling the blade to bounce off of it. The force of hitting the surface of his weapon at such a poor direction caused the sword to fly off the girl's arms. It was easy to predict her direction of attack.

Link gave an analytical look as Raphtalia scampered off to pick up her weapon with a disappointed look. Her breathing was tense as she had been training for than two hours. Should they take a break?

Raphtalia was a strange girl, very much different than anyone he met before. Well, that's possibly because he doesn't really remember many other people that stood out to him. Except Purah and Impa.

She was very friendly, based from her interactions with the twin demi-humans she had barely met. She always gave some of her food to the twins when they wanted more. He knew that he was a excellent cooker but it was certainly strange that every time he put a fire under his pot, all three children would patiently sit together waiting without a sound...

The now freed slave started to act like a big sister to the wolf brother and sister. She made sure that they followed Link's orders even lightly scolding them when they didn't. She also made time out of her day to play with the siblings. However, the two seemed to have accepted her as one of her own.

Once Raphtalia noticed the slave crests on Rean and Linde, she grew instantly worried for their safety knowing fully already what kind of experiences had led to it.

Link didn't noticed her when she stood behind him when they were getting ready to sleep. Rean and Linde were quietly snoring peacefully on a mat nearby the fire. Her hands clenched tightly as she turned back to him with her head looking down.

Her words while short had told Link that she was more than ready to be his partner.

"Please Link. Teach me to be as strong as you. I refuse to be powerless when I get into trouble or hurt. I want to protect others like you. I know my parents would have disapproved of me asking this but if I could have prevented the disaster that happened to my village, I would have looked to pick up a weapon a long time ago. To kill the monsters who hurt my family and my friends. And to punish the humans who-"

Her past declaration cleared away from his mind when Link saw that she was in front of him again in a ready stance. The wooden sword that was given to her was the Forest Dweller Sword. It should show to accommodate the girl's lightweight figure and stature.

"I'm ready, Link."

Link gave a nod at her statement before lifting up his shield. "When you go in for a strike, make sure you have a firm grip on your handle to make sure it doesn't go flying off when you hit something."

"It would also help you if your movements were less predictable. Against human opponents of course."

"How can I do that?" Raphtalia asked coming closer to the Hylian.

"When you want to try to land a hit, you shouldn't leave much of a large window for your opponent to counterattack or move out of the way. The way to minimize this is to make sure that you mask your direction of intent."

"Intent? What's that?"

"When you lunged at me, how did you feel when you did?" Link asked as he walked over to steady Raphtalia's stance with her sword.

"I felt like I was certain that I wasn't going to miss. I was focused on hitting you head-on." the raccoon girl admitted as she felt Link's hands move her palms further from to the pommel of the sword.

"That was your problem. You made it very obvious." Raphtalia was taking some time to register his words.

"Give it enough time, but if you keep practicing to become a knight, you start to hone on the intentions of others. Intentions of inflicting harm, or even killing someone become more visible." This revelation made Raphtalia's face shudder with anxiety. "But there are also good intentions. Like those with kindness and warmth. You'll learn to tell the difference soon enough."

They spent the whole afternoon together practicing. Link was barely breaking a sweat as he helped a exhausted Raphtalia off the ground. It had been two weeks after the incident in the watchtower, and by this time, the girl was making great strides with the sword. Maybe it was time to upgrade?

Fortunately for him and the others, Link didn't have any more conflicts with the king or the other Cardinal Heroes. That left plenty of time for Link to train Raphtalia in using a sword.

The two then went back to their campsite in the forest where Rean and Linde were. The two were busy gathering ingredients and put them in a pile as they returned. Raphtalia gave them a warm smile as she approached the two.

"I'm back. After we eat, we should play hide-and-seek." she suggested receiving nods of agreement from the two. Link started to kneel down their cooking pot to start putting what the twins collected. He sweatdropped as the three sat across him with their tails swaying excitedly. A couple of minutes later, they were all eating mushroom rice balls and carrot stew.

"Come on, let's go play hide and seek!" Raphtalia exclaimed with glee as she grabbed the children's hands. Link had suggested before that she should carry her sword now that she was training to fight. He only watched as they walked until they were out of eyesight.

It was approaching sunset meaning that there was a low chance that they would be seen outside. The reason was because of the number of monsters present at night which intimidate soldiers and any other normal passerby from seeing deeper.

Thankfully, because of Link, many of the monsters in the nearby vicinity have been taken care of. He had done this in the early morning as well as to gather more materials to sell. Speaking of said materials, they were under a tarp in the campsite. Maybe Raphtalia could come with him when he goes to sell them.

The Hylian sat on a round rock looking over the remaining Ancient Arrows at his disposal. There was ten in his hand, powerful to rend any beast or opponent to a critical state. His hands clenched with worry he put his head down.

He'll be back...yeah, he'll be back to save the girl. No, his friend. Worry panged his heart as he was starting to imagine that Zelda's magic over the castle would have faded away. Then what would stand between Hyrule being taken over by Ganon. He would have failed his duty as a knight.

Would she ever come back...or would she leave the world forever? He didn't know. No! It is time to focus on what he could do to rid of the challenges ahead now. Maybe then, he would have found a way back home.

A light breeze past Link's hair as he put back the Ancient Arrows into his quiver. His eyes narrowed as he felt a callous presence. He stood up from the rock before feeling the temperature grow hotter behind him. Pulling his shield in one motion, he used it to stop a fireball from burning him. In front of him, was a silver-haired teen carrying a spellbook. Who was he?

However, his senses were now distracted by another being above him. He turned his shield to hit with something sharp before launching whoever was trying to stab him to a nearby tree. A blonde man wearing a green cape wore a curse as he collided with the wood. Another adventurer.

They were from the Sword Hero's, no, Ren's party. He had recognized them from his second day in the palace. Were they looking for him? And where was Ren?

"Dammit, Ren-sama isn't going to be happy." the silver-haired man said. "We lost our element of surprise."

"We can still take him on. It's 4-on-1!" A feminine voice called out from behind him before a teen of the same age jumped into the foray. A green haired girl launched herself at Link with a flying kick to the face, expecting to catch him off guard. A melee brawler.

Link's instincts kicked to crouch under the blow before jumping back when the same leg came down to stomp on his body. Ren's party had experience in fighting ever since they left in their adventure. However, it didn't mean much when it came to the near-death battles and knowledge that he has under his belt.

"Hmph, it doesn't matter where you go, you crook! If Ren wants to take you in, so be it. Stand back, everyone!" a much gruffer voice came from the direction as the brawler. A hooded man with a large beard appeared wielding a hefty hammer dashing up to Link. He wore a grin as he was preparing for a vertical swing.

Even if they had some experience fighting monsters, it was very obvious that they were green when it came to fighting human opponents. So, when the hammer came down for him, his shield moved to bash the man first knocking him back a few feet away.

However, he could not see the outcome of his counterattack as the blonde man with a dagger came to swipe him near his torso. Link twisted his body to avoid the blow before grabbing his Giant Boomerang and using it to slice into the assassin's leg.

"Ahh!" he cried out before Link was able to take advantage of his confusion and knock him out with a blow from his shield. The other party members froze at seeing one of their own fall by the Shield Hero's hands.

"But that's not possible..." the female brawler said with befuddlement as her expression turned to determination. "You are coming with us, even if you like it or not, Shield Hero! Our leader has some business with you!"

Link was caught unaware about what things could Ren want with him. He was the one that did look the most sympathetic to his situation before he left the palace. However, he didn't lift a finger when they tried to apprehend him unjustly. But he was still working with the king, wasn't he?

"Grab that weird tablet of his. That was how he was able to beat the Spear Hero." the spell-caster from the back called out to his two comrades.

"I'll distract him! You can sneak up behind him when he is focused on me!" the hammer adventurer said with glee.

"Right! Mage, turn me invisible!" the girl said as Link's brows were perplexed at the level of naivety by Ren's party for telling him their plans right in front of him. Regardless, he grabbed his Lynel Shield in case of either one of the two got too close to him.

"On it!" A few seconds later, the brawler was no longer visible to him and the hooded man with the hammer attacked him with upward blow to knock his shield away from him. Link simply backflipped out of the way before tossing a bomb in the man's face. With a click of his Sheikah Slate, his front was consumed by blue energy.

Upon landing, Link felt the grass behind him getting trampled on. Turning back, he swept his foot in the space in front of him before feeling something topple over.

"Ghh!" a feminine voice called out from below him. With a smirk, Link grabbed the presumed feet of the figure before twirling the poor girl in a circular motion. Even though he didn't plan to hurt Ren's teammates badly, he would still insure that he wouldn't be trifled with, Master Sword or not.

Seeing the mage's eyes widen in fear of witnessing that one of his own was in Link's hands, the silver-haired man was not prepared when she was thrown at him with such force to render them both to weak to continue fighting.

The only person standing was the bearded man with the hammer who had recovered from the explosion. He hadn't expected that their ambush could have backfired so he was only able to let out a curse as Link now took the offensive.

First, he clanged the Lynel Shield to the man's side before nearly toppling him over. However, using the weight of his hammer, he was able to correct his balance. He yelled as he came back at Link with a battering blow to his side.

The hammer glanced off the shield's surface, with Link grimacing from the force of the blow before kneading the hammer user's gut with his knee. Giving a sympathetic look to the man who was trying to recover from the Hylian's hit, he slammed the face of his shield to his head, leaving him on the grass knocked out for the meantime.

If they didn't exactly put up a fight to him, what would that say about Ren's experience. He doubted the young man had even held a sword in his whole entire life before being sent to this world. Link would soon need to find him before any more trouble arises.

However, he needed to find Raphtalia and the twins. He started to turn back to where they went to play together. But Ren was standing near a few trees with a knocked out Raphtalia with Rean and Linde nowhere in sight. He wore an annoyed look as he had a bloody gash on his face.

"You're coming with me, Link."

"Where are you two?" Raphtalia said with a teasing smile as she sought to find Rean and Linde out in the forest. It was very relaxing to play a short game after training with Link all day. Had she been alone, it would have been awkward to have fun with the guy that trained her.

Of course, she knew that Link was a kind-hearted person. After all, he had bought her freedom and saved the lives of the two "siblings" of hers. He had even fought against that scary-looking monster in the watchtower that took people's souls and defeated it.

His food was exquisite, her mouth and stomach would very much agree with that statement. And he told her the other day, that he would see that the next time he goes to the market, he will take her with him.

But besides the training and care-taking that Link had given her and the others, his response to her asseveration was not what she had expected.

"Please Link. Teach me to be as strong as you. I refuse to be powerless when I get into trouble or hurt. I want to protect others like you. I know my parents would have disapproved of me asking this but if I could have prevented the disaster that happened to my village, I would have looked to pick up a weapon a long time ago. To kill the monsters who hurt my family and my friends. And to punish the humans who took over my village. They were the ones who forced me to being a slave."

"Is that what you want?" Link had asked with a sympathetic look as he kneeled to reach her eye level.

"Yes." she said clenching her dress in frustration at the many times where she was whipped. Where she was mocked for her birth. Where she barely ate enough not to die of starvation. She no longer wanted to be powerless in the face of her oppressors.

"Then I'm afraid that I can't teach you then." Link's eyes shut in a firm but quiet way.

"Wh-what? W-what do you mean you can't teach me?" Raphtalia stuttered as she tried to collect herself into speaking. Her expression was in a mix of confusion and anger as she glared at Link.

"I know this may not make any sense but you should never fight for some kind of ill intent." the Hylian sighed as he continued to explain himself. Raphtalia still looked irritated by his response but before she could speak, Link held her hands in his own.

"I want to teach you. I really do. But the moment you go killing someone with hate, there's no turning back." His eyes opened again looking straight at the girl with a determined look. Raphtalia still was very reluctant to let go of her idea.

"B-but if they did something wrong, shouldn't somebody stop them from doing it again!?" she asked.

"That is something that is certain but killing someone doesn't have its own consequences itself." Link said as he let go of her hands. "And I don't believe that you would have enough malice in your heart to do that."

"Because the best way to defeat your oppressor is being there for their people." The Hylian gave a jovial smile to Raphtalia, reflecting on his own experience of defeating the Divine Beasts and solving the major issue of each region.

Hearing a feminine giggle nearby, Raphtalia turned to see a moving bush nearby. She ran over to it before peeking a eye inside. "Gotcha!"

"Awe, Raphtalia-san!" Linde weakly protested as she got out the bush. Raphtalia grabbed her hand as they went to look for Rean who was still hiding.

"It's your fault that you giggled." she chided lightly as they continued to walk together. A few minutes passed where they were walking to find Linde's brother but to no reception. Could have something happened to him?

A few footsteps closeby seemed to answer that question behind a big fruit tree. Picking up their pace, Raphtalia and Linde went to look closer. It was the older girl who got to see what was behind the tree first.

"Rean! We found you!" she said happily before her eyes grew wary of the person in front of her. She took a few steps back as they looked at her a second later.

He was a raven-haired man with blue eyes. His outfit consisted of an coat with black sleeves with a black shoulder guard laced with spikes for some added intimidation. He also wore a blue scarf over his head with dark blue pants giving him a calm-looking appearance.

However, the most intimidating part about him was the weapon in his right hand. A fancy-looking sword with a blue orb in the middle of the cross-guard of it.

"Hmm, what are kids doing here? My name is Ren, but it's close." the man said with a sincere tone but kept a cool expression on his face. "But it's nice that some demi-humans know me."

Raphtalia's mind told her that this man was not lost when he came to the forest. However, before she could have made another decision, Ren started to talk again.

"I can take you back home when I'm done in the forest over here. I'm currently looking for somebody." he said as he turned to look at her and Linde.

Oh, he must have been looking for his friend. Well, that's okay, Raphtalia supposed, seeing no harm in helping him find them. She turned to greet the man with a smile present before giving her own two cents.

"I haven't seen anybody here, sir. I've been in the forest all day but I haven't seen anyone else here."

"That's alright. Although, there was another demi-human here so I came to investigate. He was hiding someplace nearby though." Ren explained.

"Oh, that's my brother! Rean!" Linde answered with glee in her voice at her brother being present. "We were playing hide-and-seek together."

"I see. So that's where the name confusion was." Rean said warmly as it had clicked in his head why they were close to his name. "Who's responsible for watching you?"

Seeing that he didn't mean any harm when asking the question, Raphtalia decided to tell him about her caretaker. What happened next was not what she expected.

"The Shield Hero."

"The Shield Hero..." Ren's voice trailed off as his eyes turned stern. "So then you are familiar with the name 'Link'?"

Feeling the atmosphere around them turn cold, Raphtalia started to regret telling him about who their caretaker was. She looked to her side to see that Linde's tail was curled up seeing the expression of the sword wielder in front of them.

"We-we will be out of your way, sir. We were just looking for our sibling, I'm sorry." With that, Raphtalia took Linde's hand before running away from Ren. They were still looking for Rean but now it was just to go back to Link.

As they bolted from the direction they came from, their ears heard a sharp sound pierce the air before something dashed in front of them. It was Ren.

"I'm not going to hurt some NPC's to get my answers but I need to know. So you better trying to get away. Are you accomplices of his? I don't see any slave crests on you. But what about you?" Ren started to make his way to Linde but was stopped when Raphtalia stood in front of her.

"You better leave her alone if you know what is good for you!" Raphtalia warned grabbing her wooden sword from her sheath and wielding it in front of her menancingly. Her eyes were livid with fury as she growled at Ren.

But Ren didn't find the display anyway intimidating as what he saw was a small child trying to defend her friend. A noble action but she didn't know any better about him. Even if he did have his own doubts that Link was guilty of trying to rape then kill Myne, he still had something to gain from capturing Link.

The king had promised a wild boon of gold if they were able to capture the Shield Hero alive or dead or even his tablet device. Of course, if Ren was able to grab him or the slate, he would have more of the King's trust to use as leverage to maybe even help Link.

But of course, the gold would help him the far future when it came to getting better things for himself like new armor or even his own place. Wait...what was more important to him, the king's trust or the money reward? Nevermind! He was frustrated that this girl was stopping him from getting to Link!

"It's best that you lower that sword before you do something that you regret." Ren said sternly. He took a step forward before feeling a strong pressure punch his gut. Not strong enough to knock the air out of him but enough to wince from the hit.

"I told you to leave us alone!" Raphtalia shouted menacingly as she got into a battle stance that Link had taught her. One hand was at the pommel of the blade and the other above it to amplify force. The Forest Dweller Sword was not meant to be used to deal heavy blows but thanks to her physique she was able to land hits, quick ones at that.

"Raphtalia-san..." she heard Linde whimper behind her. Turning back, Raphtalia gave her a comforting look before looking to face Ren once again.

"Linde-chan! Go find Rean-kun and go back to Link! I'll try to hold him off!" the raccoon girl said firmly as Ren grimaced at the display. He wasn't the bad guy!

"Right! I'll be back, Raphtalia! I promise!" the wolf girl shouted before going to opposite direction to go find her brother. Ren was starting to get peeved that his answer of where Link is was ignored.

"You're just a kid. You don't know Link as you would want to think, even without a slave crest." Ren said as he started to tense for a small battle. It is not like this girl could oppose a challenge to him as much as the Hylian. He was soon proven wrong.

Raphtalia made the first move by making a swipe at his exposed side before feeling her blade get glanced off by Ren's weapon. Refusing to use his sword to hurt the girl, he countered by trying to use his other hand to disarm her.

However, Raphtalia moved her arm away from his grasp before using it to swipe near his face. Ren simply tilted his head to dodge the blow but what he hadn't expected was the speed that it came at him.

The wooden sword pushed against his temple but before he was able to register the pain, Raphtalia made her next attack. She pulled her sword back for a blow at his midsection but was stopped when Ren moved his leg to kick her head.

Raphtalia flipped backwards to avoid the blow before landing to hurt Ren some more. The swordsman grew nervous at the girl's efforts as she was able to weave through his defense able to give him a few hits in his front. Thankfully, his armor was able to blunt the pain.

Fortunately, it was thanks to her getting so close to him that he was able to push her back with enough force to cause her to topple to the floor. However, Raphtalia immediately got up and avoided a blow to her head by Ren's pommel before using to opportunity to swing at his shoulder.

Ren was met with a searing pain that he had not experienced since getting this world. It seemed that she was not as easy to take down as he would have liked. But before he could counter her next move, she jumped at him before moving her sword behind her.

Ren moved his sword to stop her from hitting him again but it was too late. She slammed the side of the wooden sword at his chest, causing him to let out a groan of pain as he felt it go through his armor, even cutting into the metal. But how was that possible, how was she so strong with such a small body?

He had enough, he thought to himself. If this girl wanted to stop him from meeting Link, then let her feel his power. With a small sigh, Ren let his sword do the talking for him.

"Hide Sword!" Ren's sword and body suddenly vanished from Raphtalia's vision. Her hands held the wooden Kokiri sword close to her. A second past when she felt a pressure hit her in the gut. She flew back and fell to the floor unceremoniously. Bile was stuck in her throat when she got up.

"I had enough of this. You are going to tell me where Link is and that's final. I don't care if you want to protect him, he is still wanted by the king." Ren's voice came from in front of her.

"No! You are cruel! Link is a good person! He bought my freedom when I was a slave!" Raphtalia argued as he tried to look for Ren but to no avail.

"Hmph! You put a lot of trust in him! You are just a kid though, I guess you don't know any better." Ren's voice called out but from another direction. To her right, but Raphtalia was too late. She was hit in the face by Ren's pommel, but tried to counter just to hit the air.

"Link may have bought your freedom, but for all you know, you could have just been manipulated by him. You should no better than trust strangers!"

"My parents are dead! My village was taken away from me!" Raphtalia's feelings went out to the open as she was reminded of that serious conversation with Link before she started to train with him. Her eyes started to tear up, much to the pain that Ren did to her as well as being reminded by her past. "I don't care if Link is a bad guy, he taught me to trust my heart! He taught me to fight against my fears!"

"So be it, don't blame me if I end up having to hurt you badly. Just know, I didn't want to do this." Ren's voice ended with that statement leaving Raphtalia with no clue where he could be.

Her tail started to raise up in anticipation of his next attack. She may not be able to see him but maybe there was something else that could help her. Wait...was that what Link was trying to teach her today? Was it intent...

Suddenly, her mind started to focus on the surroundings around her. There were alot of spaces for him to be possibly. But intention was not about seeing someone with your eyes. It was their the direction of their emotions that told you of her location.

A aura of frustration and anger welled up at a spot in front of her. It was at 10 o'clock of her but Raphtalia couldn't see anything there. She would have to trust her heart again that this is where Ren is now.

The aura changed to boldness in an instant, and that was where Raphtalia was able to act upon it. Her stance was already perfect enough to land a strong hit when he came to attack her again. Raphtalia's strike landed first.

Ren was caught off guard when he felt the girl's sword slam into his face with enough force to rattle his teeth. It was enough for him to stop in place as he felt something break...but thankfully Raphtalia was out for the count by fault of him slamming his pommel to the girl's forehead. She was bleeding. Crap he hit way too hard.

Grabbing his cheek, the swordsman winced when he felt there was a wide cut from Raphtalia's sword which layed on the floor broken. If that had been a real sword...could that have killed him...the thought was too scary to continue.

One of the bones in his cheek was badly fractured but it could be easily fixed by his mage. They probably have found the Shield Hero by now, but he had his doubts that they could have taken them down on their own. Thankfully, he had a backup.

"You're coming with me, Link." he said sternly to the Hylian. Sure, he was a little worse for wear due to the pain in his cheek but he was still more than ready to take on the Hylian if he refused. After all, he was the one with the sword.

"Raphtalia." Link whispered past his lips at seeing the poor girl lay in the floor with some blood in her forehead. Regardless, of how he felt, he stood looking at Ren with a disapproving look.

"Oh, you decided to talk again." Ren chided lightly not to make him too mad. "The King is now looking for you and even tasked the three of us to do that. I don't want to bring you in, but if I do, there is a chance I can convince him to get you off the death list."

"What is the value of it to you?" Link asked looking away from Ren's serious stare.

"That doesn't matter, what does matter is that even if you didn't rape the princess, you still have something to explain to the king. At the very least, you would be given a lighter verdict." Ren said with a shake of his head.

"I'm going to have to decline." Link said firmly as he felt Ren start to tense up from his words. "I refuse to work with a king that condones the slavery of a race of individuals. To me, that is far too wrong."

"You don't get it, do you? Everyone here will be looking for you. And that would include Itsuki and Motoyasu, and they won't be as half as sincere as me when it comes to taking you to the king. I'm giving you the ideal option of getting off light." Ren tried to explain but made no progress to convince the hero.

"No deal." Link said with a grimace as he tried to approach Raphtalia but Ren stopped him pointing his blade onto him.

"I gave you the option to come with me peacefully. Either you or the slate is coming with me by force now." Link looked back at the said possession of his and pulled out his Hylian Shield from his back.

His breathing became steady as he waited for Ren to move first but he didn't muster an inch at first before Link could sense a smile, one of greed. Link was forced to jump backwards as the swordsman lunged at him first.

Link landed but got no relief as Ren had started his assault. A series of heavy swings came from Link at many angles but due to the width of Link's own shield and his reflexes he was able to block each one.

However, Ren did not let up as tried to stab him past his shield sometimes getting past, grazing Link's guard but did not make a sound acknowledging it. He could see the young swordsman becoming more irritated that he couldn't land a proper hit before he shouted a command.

"Flashing Sword!" A strong light suddenly was emitted from Ren's sword blinding Link enough to confuse him. However, even confused, Link was able to feel the wind above him grow heavy, so he jumped backwards just in time to avoid a downwards cut from Ren.

He continued to be on the offensive with Link keeping up with every hit. Occasionally, Ren would let out another flash of light from his sword but was not able to hit the Hylian as he was able to predict where he was just like how Raphtalia had done previously. He was frustrated at his results, he didn't realize that his mana and stamina were starting to become low.

As much as Link wanted to attack back, he knew the best thing he could do was wait for Ren to tire himself. As he craned his neck to avoid a severe cut, Link pondered what the power of the Legendary Weapons was.

If they were to enhance the skill of the wielders, then shouldn't have Ren landed a solid hit into him? It seems as much of their use is to be tools of the actual skill of the user. Which would explain the lack of expertise from Ren who was panting at his efforts. He was just a teenager with no battle experience before this, after all.

He was too reliant on his weapon to do most of the work, Link frowned. Another flash took away his sense of sight momentarily. Feeling a sense of harm coming from his right, Link crouched before rolling away, just to stand up a moment later for his shield to meet with Ren's sword.

"Why won't you stand down?" Ren growled as Link's expression only showed that he was calm at the fact that he is threatened at being taken to the king. "I'm doing this for your own good."

Link knew better, though. Ren's eyes were full of desire. It wasn't exactly to help him but to look for himself. The way he threatened him was not completely out of concern. But he had no way to fix his way of thinking right now. He had plenty more problems to deal with. With this, he took his opportunity against Ren.

After seeing the raven-haired teen exhaust himself, Link switched to his Lynel Shield and slammed his already hurt cheek with it. Ren cried out in pain as he felt one of the blades bite into his shoulder. Moving his arm to counterattack, he was caught off guard that Link grabbed it with his free arm and forced him down on the floor.

He couldn't fight back as he felt his sword being wrenched from his hand to clang onto the grass. Most of his energy has left his body at the amount of exertion he put out when it came to taking on Link. He cursed to himself as he held down by the Hylian.

"Hmph...so it's true you really do come from another world other than Japan. Regardless, it seems like you wasted your time with me." Ren said with a smirk as Link was caught unaware by a large broad sword that slammed into his front.

He flew back with a few speck of blood flying out of his mouth as he landed. He stood up to see a burly man in knight's armor sneer at him for attacking their leader. It failed Link's attention that there was actually five members in Ren's party. This was the final one. However...

"Hyah!" Using the Sheikah Slate, Link was able to pick up Ren's remaining teammate by his armor and throw him at the immobile swordsman. He gasped in pain from moving his arm but that was nothing to what some food can fix.

"You really are full of surprises, aren't you? Your stats must outmatch the rest of us..." Ren said sternly to the Hylian as his last backup plan had failed abruptly. Link walked towards him giving a peculiar look at his statement about 'stats', not giving a dignified response. Ren after a few moments passed out by exhaustion.

The hero let him be, returning back to Raphtalia before picking her up gently. He then made his way back to camp where she laid her near the campfire. It was now dusk when Rean and Linde came back, no worse for wear, to Link's relief.

"She must have been exhausted after fighting Ren..." Link said, feeling bad about the fact that Ren should have fought with him instead of hurting her. He turned back to the wolf siblings who looked at their older 'sister' with pity. "I think its time to move."

The next day, Raphtalia recovered from the previous night, feeling a cloth over her body. But she was no longer surrounded by the wilderness. Instead above her was a wooden ceiling as she looked under her. Was this hay...

A door creaked open near her as Raphtalia looked around for her sword, but was pleased it was Linde who was carrying a bowl of porridge to her. The younger girl didn't look like she was surprised about her new arrangement. What had happened last night?

Yesterday's events flowed into her mind after a few seconds, to the point where she instinctively started to stand up before Linde stopped her with a chastising tone. "No, Raphtalia-san, Link said your injuries would heal after you ate."

"Link doesn't make porridges though." the raccoon girl said with a confused look.

"I know, Anne made it." Linde responded. Before Raphtalia could ask, the door creaked open once more with Rean appearing carrying one of Raphtalia's favorite desserts from Link, honeyed apples.

"I'm sorry Nii-san!" Rean shouted as he put down the apples in front of the girl. And with that, Raphtalia couldn't resist the food in front of her. Thankfully, as she continued to eat, her questions were being answered by the two wolf siblings.

After fighting Ren, Link, in his second day in Melromarc helped a farmer named Anne, by taking her milk to Lute Village. She was the sole owner of the farm only owning a couple of cows and handful of crops that she took to sell the nearby town. Link's belief in making a good relationship with nearby inhabitants seemed to help them as last night, Link came here with Raphtalia on his shoulder.

Even though reluctant to help Link after the news got out that he had raped the princess, she wouldn't let Raphtalia stay outside. He was able to convince her to allow him to settle down for now in her farm. They placed Raphtalia in the nearby barn so she could have rested. The Hylian in return was willing to help her to deliver her vegetables to Lute Village for no charge which was why he wasn't there.

"Thank you for telling me. I'm glad that you two are safe." the raccoon girl replied with a grateful smile as she turned to look at a large sack of items nearby. Moving away from the dishes, she started to stand up, feeling a little tired as she tried to walk.

She moved her hand to touch her forehead where Ren hit her but felt no pain. But that came to no surprise as when eating any of Link's food, she always felt better.

She walked up to the doors of the barn to see the sun was still barely rising when she woke up Opening the doors to the outside, she was able to see the rural setting placed in front of her. Cows roamed around in a large pen, paying no mind to the young girl who put her hands on the fence to see them.

There was also several rows of corn, carrots, lettuce, and other plants out nearby the actual homestead. It looked very plain, in Raphtalia's mind. But in the windows, she could see a variety of herbs flourishing inside. Looking around some more she was able to see the forest was not exactly too far way from them, only being at least two miles away from them.

But of course in the opposite end, was a bigger town that could only be Lute Village, she supposed.

"Do you like the place, Raphtalia-san?" Linde asked curiously seeing the raccoon girl look around the farm.

"Of course. But do you like it?" Raphtalia asked as she patted her younger "sister's" head. Linde glowed under her attention as she answered.

"Yeah!"

"So she is finally awake, isn't she?" a soft girlish voice came from behind them. Raphtalia turned to see a young blonde with short hair that had four green braid look back at them with sharp purple eyes. She had a sprig of rosemary attached on the right side of her hair.

Her apparel was very appropriate for a farm setting as it was a pair of overalls over a rustic tunic that had a golden color at the ends. Instead of wearing any kind of normal shoes, she went for low-cut boots made out of wool and cotton which helped complement her plain but casual appearance of working at a farm.

Behind her, Raphtalia was able to see Link carrying empty boxes but he gave the raccoon girl a warm look now that she was awake. But before she could have said anything else to him, the woman spoke once more.

"So tell me your story. Did Link actually buy your freedom? I didn't see a slave crest on you, but in case he did anything, you can tell me. Truthfully, even if he is not a rapist, that doesn't mean he didn't lead to you coming here with a bleeding forehead." As Anne said this, Link frowned from her possible accusation that he would have hurt Raphtalia, but accepted it nevertheless, letting the girl speak for herself.

If there was one thing that she found very interesting about the farmgirl was that she was very direct in what she wanted to know. She didn't beat around the bush when she asked him about doing something in return for her for giving the wanted Hylian a place to stay...for now. Link had to pick the best vegetables of the garden, load them up in cartons, carry most of the cartons to Lute Village, and put them out for people to see.

"No, Link didn't do anything wrong. I got hurt from fighting someone else, I swear. Link has always taken care of me, please don't punish him, miss." Raphtalia said causing the blonde to give her a consoling look.

"Hey now, I always treat my guests right and proper. Link already told me he had been training you in fighting so I guess that would explain that." Relief filled the demi-human's body as she said this. "I appreciate the help, Link. You folks do what you will in your time. I'll be inside." With this, Anne went back inside the homestead.

Raphtalia ran up to Link to give him a hug which he responded too by patting her head before the two separated to speak to each other.

"We can't train no longer in the forest. Forgive me." Link started to say before Raphtalia gave her a pouty look that he was slowly getting accustomed too.

She decided to say her peace before she said anything else. "It doesn't matter where we train. But it is obvious that you are hiding something. Tell me!"

"It isn't something that a person your age should know." Link told her half-serious. He of course considered telling Raphtalia why the king wanted him, but she was still a kid. Even if she proved to have a lot of maturity for someone her age, she shouldn't be prepared to know what he was being accused of.

"Link..." Her voice trailed off, her temper slowly losing patience.

"Very well. I'll tell you." Link said as he sat down alone with the girl near the cow fence. Rean and Linde were looking at the cows more directly, away from them.

"You don't want to talk alot, do you, Link?" Raphtalia asked noticing the Hylian's pensive expression.

"No, only when I need to. I let my actions speak for me." Link said trying to explain himself a little further. Raphtalia seemed to understand as she beamed with agreement before nodding. Link then started to tell the young girl about his first two days in Melromarc, carefully choosing his words to not confuse or disturb her too much.

Y'know I wonder, how does a person exactly begin to hold themselves back. That's what I've been doing in this two-month long hiatus, and I don't exactly plan on leaving a dead story. During that time, I have been reading alot of RWBY fanfictions and picking some inspiration and ideas from them, I hope I let them shine in my own way. Speaking of which, I'm making plans in my head for one about a particular indie game...named Ib. If you heard of it, then I'm glowing but if not, it's a psychological horror game about a young girl trapped in a art museum. But its free and was pretty special for me. Yah, I think I scared a lot of you. But who knows, I might make a poll to choose between it and another idea for a short story. If you want to find out what happened to Ren, find out next chapter. I got too lazy to continue writing. But the next chapter should be out in two weeks. MercyChimes out!