A Couple of Trials (ZeLink)

Chapter 30: So Close

"J-Jules? What are you doing here?" he asked, lowering his sword.

"Is it wrong of me to visit a friend?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Did you think I was the Yiga?"

Link seemed taken aback for a moment as if he needed to remember that there truly was a person in Hateno that believed him.

"Y-yeah, I did. Sorry, about that," he said, bringing his free hand up to the back of his head in guilt. "It's kind of a natural reaction at this point."

"I see..." Jules said, now inspecting his features closely. "Still, even though you know it's me now, you still seem nervous. What's with you?"

"I... Well, it's not really about you," he said. "It's more so..."

Guiltily, he looked down at the curved blade in his hand. Upon closer inspection, Jules could see burns that stained the blade, covering the silver parts in a faint pink. Still, this didn't answer her question.

"It's more so what?" she prompted.

Link frowned, as if not wanting to admit his intentions. After a moment though, he sighed.

"I'm trying to stay in shape and in practice," he began to explain. "For whenever this Yiga decides to show himself. The thing is, Zelda doesn't really like me holding a weapon these days—"

"Wait, is she forcing you not to take one in hand?" Jules asked, furrowing her brow in frustration.

"She's not forcing me to do anything," Link said. "I can do whatever I want, but it does worry her a lot, and it usually does lead to an argument. She barely even likes me taking a bow to go hunting with. So, I train when she's not around in order to keep the peace."

"Well, if you're afraid I'll say something to her, you don't have to be," Jules assured him. "I won't say anything. I think she's being a bit too protective of you in my opinion."

"You know, that's the first time anyone has said that," Link chuckled. "Usually it's the other way around."

"Yeah, well, you are her knight after all," she sighed.

"It's more than just that," Link said, taking a few steps away. He raised the sword in the air and watched as its blade gleamed in the little sunlight that shone through the gray clouds above. "She's the one I love, and I'd do anything to protect her... Even if she hates me for it."

"The one you love, huh," Jules said quietly. Confused at the sudden shift in her tone, Link turned around to face her with a raised eyebrow.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked. After a second of hesitancy, Jules smiled.

"No," she sighed. "That's just the... That's the first time you've actually said that you were in love with her. I'm happy for you, I guess, despite what's going on."

"Thanks?" Link said, clearly a bit confused. But before he could make sense of her words, she took a step forward.

"Your bags," she said, changing the topic as quickly as she could. "They haven't gone away."

"Y-yeah, well..." Link stuttered guiltily. "I never actually promised, did I?"

"You said you train when Zelda isn't around... Have you been training throughout the night?" she interrogated. Unable to deny it, Link simply averted his eyes, something that made the answer very clear to Jules. "You have. No wonder you're so tired. Is training during her work day not enough?"

"I don't just train during the night simply to stay in practice," Link murmured. "It's for... other reasons, alongside that."

Jules continued to inspect his features, taking note of the fact that he was refusing to look at her. The words Zelda spoke before began to echo in her mind, and at this, she couldn't help but agree: if Link kept this up, he really wouldn't be ready to face the Yiga. Despite this revelation coming from Zelda's words, Jules refused to believe that meant everything the princess was doing was right. Contemplating what to do, the visitor looked around before her eyes landed on the bridge. Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind.