Fortune Favors the Courageous

Chapter 1: Failure

Very few, if any, of the knights stopped to watch the princess approach. One distracted moment could mean being knocked flat on your back. And in a real battle, they were taught, it would cost them much more.

Besides, the princess visited often enough it was hardly a special occasion. She actually liked the way she was given no special treatment here. The training yard was her one safe space in a kingdom full of critical eyes. A place where she could let her posture slip or drop her formal lexicon and not face reprimand.

But where was he? He should be easy to spot—the most skilled swordsman out of everyone in Hyrule. He was the chosen one, after all.

Emerald eyes scanned a sea of silver armor. Around the weapons storage containers more men sparred out of the sight. One more corner, and—

There he was, the man she'd be looking forward to seeing all day—Hyrule's fated hero. He had the princess beat in height by several inches, lean but in a muscular way, and swinging his training sword with controlled, precise strokes. The practiced movements were hypnotic, coaxing Zelda's legs to head towards him.

Meanwhile, a pair of sparring swordsmen glided backwards in their practice, and one of them crashed into the princess. Perhaps she would've stabilized herself if it weren't for some discarded equipment in the grass that sent Zelda sprawling into the mud.

The boy who had bumped her reached to haul the princess back onto her feet as if she were a sparring partner. "Are you alright, Princess?"

For the first time ever, the knights stopped and observed the fallen monarch amongst them. The security of anonymity shattered, embarrassment roiled in her gut, and she shook the boy off roughly. "Don't touch me!" she barked.

He recoiled. Apology halted behind tight lips.

"What neophyte deems it wise to disregard their training equipment in the middle of the grounds!?" Zelda rose to her feet and kicked the training claymores. "Are you bovine? Is it not the objective of your training to attune yourselves with your surroundings?"

An army of judging eyes bored into the princess from every angle, a full on enemy assault, and she felt her defenses rising. She whirled on the boy, holding simmering eye contact. "Colliding with your princess!? What good will you be in a real battle? I should have you excommunicated!"

His face remained void of fear, seemingly immune to her diatribe. Blue eyes casually fixed on her hair, and Zelda instinctively reached to discover a twig tangled amongst the muddy tresses. She tore it quickly from her head, ignoring the fact that it certainly didn't serve to mend her image as was intended.

"What is your name?" she hissed.

"Link Aleron, Your Highness."

The princess assessed the boy in front of her. His round eyes held some reverence, but his expression was otherwise unwisely nonchalant. She glared down her nose at him. He was shorter than her, she realized. Scrawny upon first glance, but with a hint of muscle if anyone cared to look. Sandy-blond hair stuck up at funny angles if it wasn't a part of the half-ponytail or the freakishly long side-bangs.

"Link Aleron..." she repeated, hating the sound of it immediately. The name of the boy with the gall to humiliate her in front of every one of her knights in the training yard.

"What are you all gawking at?" boomed a familiar voice. A strong hand appeared on the princess's shoulder. Her gaze trailed to the source of the arm and her heart skipped a beat.

Mido Equestor.

The fated hero of Hyrule.

"This ain't no dog and pony show!" he exclaimed. "Get back to your training or I'm making everyone restart their sets!"