A//N: Part 3 of 4
Three more years passed. During that time, Midna and Lin grew closer.
Midna didn't know how to explain her relationship with Lin. It was complicated. She thought of Lin as a boy, but never struggled with using female pronouns. They acted like female best friends, but never changed clothes in front of each other.
It was very complicated.
That didn't stop them, though. Their connection was made strong through the secret they shared.
Midna helped advise Lin on what to wear in order to pass as an underdeveloped girl. At fifteen, though, it was getting nearly impossible. Midna herself was very well developed into a beautiful young woman. Her skin pattern had changed drastically over the years. As the only Twilian around, she could only assume it was normal. Now her skin was a pattern of black and white, with green lines accenting it. When she asked Lin her opinion, Lin had muttered an "I like it", before rushing to sword lessons.
Lin had to shave her face every day and night to keep anyone from suspecting. She also had to raise her voice constantly, to the point where it was normal. It could be much worse, though. She hadn't hit her growth spurt yet. When that happened, the two friends didn't know what they would do. Until then, they planned on having as much fun as possible.
The Academy started a new phase of lessons a few months previous. Now that most of the girls were skilled at their weapons, they moved on to real-world application of those skills. At least, as close to real-world as they could get without going to war. The girls were put through monthly exams that tested individual skill, strength, and endurance as well as strategy and wisdom.
"They're trying to find Captains, most likely." Midna remarked to Lin one day. "They rate us on who is the best suited to lead."
Lin simply nodded, sticking to her quiet phase. Midna sighed. "...I thought you were over your shyness."
"It's not that, Midna." Lin responded quietly. "I'm just really worried."
Midna grabbed Lin's shoulders. "Hey. It'll be okay. We can get through this. Just trust me, and smile a bit."
Lin smiled. "Thank you, Midna."
That night, the teachers announced the latest test-Capture the Flag.
"We will split all of you into two teams." Mrs Flint announced. "We will announce those teams at breakfast. Then you will have two hours to prepare a strategy. A teacher will be present at these to make sure nothing gets out of hand. They cannot help you with the actual strategy. You will then have two hours to train individually. The teams will practice in separate rooms. This will not have anything to do with the actual game, but we want to separate you to avoid traitors." She looked at the girls sternly. "You will then have a break for an early lunch, once again separate from the other team. After lunch will be a short briefing session to go over your plans again. You will have an hour to do that and to take your positions. When you hear a whistle, that means we have begun. The teachers will be spread through the field to watch you fight. Do not engage them." She paused again. "Normal fights will not be as carefully planned as this, girls. However, we are using this as a training exercise and as a way to observe your skills outside of class. Do your best."
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A//N:
I'm going to change to present tense from now on. To me, everything before this was backstory and info. From here on, it is all linear storyline.
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"Well, we should obviously just run around and try to find their flag before they find ours. If we hide it well, it shouldn't be a problem." Alyssa, the lead popular, says.
Lin groans beside me. I send her a sympathetic look. These girls are really stupid, and obviously bad at strategy.
"No! We should all stay in a group around the flag. If we stay together in an open area, they can swarm us. When we defeat them, it will be easy to grab their flag." Another girl suggests.
That strategy at least makes some sense, but what happens when we are all searching for their flag? The 'defeated' girls could easily get up and steal our flag. I sigh.
More and more stupid ideas float around until my head starts spinning. Lin doesn't look much better off. She groans again, this time into a pause in the conversation.
"What? Do you have a better idea, you flat-chested freak?" Alyssa asks Lin scornfully.
I nearly boil over with rage, but neither Lin nor I can think of a response. In the corner of my eye, I see our supervisor, Mr Edwards, start to stand up in protest.
"It's okay." Lin says, both to me and Mr Edwards. "And yes, Alyssa, I do have an idea. Thanks for asking."
With that, Lin walks up to the round table that we have been using. On it is a map, marked with the forest, our "base" area, and their "base" area. Lin eyes it quickly before pointing to a tower on our side. "We can put our flag at the top of this tower. If we protect it with five to ten of our best soldiers, then it won't be a problem. Climbing the stairs will be much harder for the other group if we are there, waiting for them." Lin pauses again to think. I look around and see most of the girls are staring in shock. Mr Edwards is smiling in his corner. "That leaves us with about thirty girls. I say we have twenty or more girls in the open area, similar to Emily's idea."
Emily seems surprised that Lin even knows her name. Most people don't know Lin or me, because we are both separate from the others normally. We both try very hard to learn everyone else's names, though.
"If the other girls are looking for a fight, we can give them one." Lin continues. "Lastly, we need a stealth team. Again, four or five of the quietest girls will sneak through the forest into their territory. If they are quiet enough, they may get the flag without a fight. But if it is well defended, they also have to fight well."
The room is silent for a moment. Then Alyssa snorts. "Are we really gonna listen to this girl? Does she even count as a girl?"
That hits a little too close to home for Lin, who pales. I step forward, but pause when I notice Mr Edwards is still sitting. He seems curious as to how Lin will handle this.
A girl with tan skin steps forward. I don't know her name, but I know that her skill with a bow is wonderful and terrifying. The other girls stop giggling when she approaches.
"I would much rather listen to someone noble than someone conceited." The girl says, placing a hand on Lin's shoulder. Her gaze dares Alyssa to protest. "Why don't you go sit with your friends while we discuss the important things?"
I struggle to conceal my laughter as Alyssa's face reddens. She stubbornly stays put, but her mouth stays in a firmly sealed frown.
Lin looks back at her savior gratefully. The girl smiles in return and drops her hand.
Lin then starts assigning parts, taking recommendations from the group on their strengths and weaknesses. The few on the stairwell have to be skilled fighters in close-quarters. Lin picks the best of the daggers to get that job. She picks Dani, a very large-framed axe-wielder, to guard the door to the tower. Lastly, she puts me in charge of the tower group, above them with the flag. My job is to watch their approach and warn the other girls. If it comes to it, I am also the final defense. No one argued this point, since I am easily the best fighter.
"Rei, I want you to lead our main fighting team." Lin says, turning to her tanned savior. I make a mental note to memorize that name. "Does anyone disagree?"
No one speaks up. They are rather sedate now that Lin has taken charge. I look back and see Mr Edwards grinning.
"As for our stealth team...." Lin mutters, looking around the room. She picks four girls of different weapon denominations, but all are known for their silence. One with a bow, two with daggers, and one with a short sword. "Now who should lead....?"
Rei clears her throat before I can speak up. Lin looks at her expectantly.
"I think you should lead them, Lin." Rei says. "I've seen you train. You are silent, and deadly accurate. That's perfect for stealth."
Lin blushes, but nods. "Is anyone against that?"
No one speaks up. "All right. If your name was not mentioned, then you are part of the main battalion. Please listen to Rei."
A few people scoff.
"I'm serious. We are all training to be soldiers. If you cannot follow orders, then you will not make it in Ganon's army." Lin says, her face deadpan. I raise my eyebrows, wondering about her point. We have both discussed the evils of Ganon and how we despise our situations.
Unless...she is moralizing her troops. Very smart.
"I believe it is time for individual training now, right, Mr Edwards?" Lin asks, looking past the girls in his direction. All of the girls turn to look at him. By their expressions, they forgot he was here.
"It is probably close, yes." He responds. "We might be a bit early, but there's no reason for me not letting you train for a bit longer." He smiles. "We get the field today, and the other team gets the gym. Let's head over."
The tense silence stays with us for the next two hours. We all pair up to spar, but the usual gossip is absent. I feel a lot of eyes on Lin and I as we spar. She, as always, is oblivious. She continues to flip around me and swing at my legs. It's an annoying tactic, but I luckily have a weapon well-suited to defend against it. I simply have to swing my halberd around myself to the right position to protect my legs.
After awhile, she stops and takes a deep breath. "Okay. Your turn for offense."
I grin wickedly, and she smiles back nervously. No matter how long we spar against each other, my grin always freaks her out.
I lash out, twirling with the blow. She deflects with one sword, keeping the other behind her back. She knows my next move then. Crap. Instead of spinning around her like I usually do, I flip backwards and land a few feet away. She shifts nervously, trying to determine my next move. I rush her suddenly, causing her to protect with both swords. Then I disengage and twirl around her, the blade on the end of my weapon resting against her throat.
"You've gotten better, but offense is still definitely your strong suit." I comment, pulling away. She turns to me, panting.
"I need a break now."
I giggle. Looking around, the other girls are already taking a break. Most of them look away, embarrassed, when they see my face.
"Looks like they enjoyed the show." I tell Lin, who looks up. Her face flushes.
An hour or so later, Mr Edwards calls for us to stop. Then he leads us through some hallways to the dining room. I assume that the other group is eating in the gym.
As we are eating, I notice Lin's expression seems concerned.
"What is it?" I ask. She looks up, her eyes wide.
"What?" She asks innocently.
I raise an eyebrow.
"I'm just worried, I guess." Lin answers, sighing. "What if my plan doesn't work? Everyone will blame me."
"Well, if they do blame you, they'd be wrong." I say comfortingly. "We all agreed on the plan together. Sure, you came up with it. But we go down as a team. Besides, if we lose, it doesn't mean your plan sucked. It just means the other side had a better one."
"Thank you, Midna." Lin says with her quiet voice.
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"Fight fairly, girls." Mrs Flint says, standing in between the two opposing armies. "And remember, don't fight the teachers." She steps away, and Mr Edwards blows a whistle.
On top of the tower, I have a perfect vantage point. I can see Lin and her team hiding in the trees to the left, waiting for the right time to sneak behind enemy lines. To my right, I can see down the spiral stairs. Just barely in my sights, a girl named Anna stands waiting. Below her are the other six close-combat fighters. If I were to peer over the railing, I would see Dani standing guard with her formidable axe.
Across the expanse of grass, Rei's large team is fighting off the other team. They are outnumbered, but not necessarily outmatched. I notice with a start that none of the enemy army are fighting long-range. My mind spins, connecting the dots.
I run to the left side of the tower, and wait for Lin to glance my way. I just hope that she looks before she leaves. I don't want to shout and give her position away.
She finally looks up at me, and I put up a hand to keep her attention. With a glance to the battle, I make sure none of them are looking my way. There are always those in the trees, but they would have to give themselves away to react to my next actions.
I imitate pulling back a bow. Lin nods. Then I point upwards. In an automatic response, Lin looks up above her, then back at me. She seems confused. I repeat the action, then imitate a bow again. She looks back up, then back at me. This time, she nods with a smile. Then she motions to her team to follow her.
My job done, I walk back to my post to watch for enemies. Down below, the large fight is getting louder and louder. Many of the teachers stand nearby, pulling out girls that are deemed "dead". Mr Edwards walks into the forest, seeming to know that a large fight will happen there.
Finally the fighting dies down enough for a girl to look up and notice me on top of the tower. She points, and the other girls around her turn from the battle to look.
Oh, well. It's not like we were hiding anyway.
I turn and pick up the flag and wave it at them tauntingly. Its red and black shades wave in front of me. Then I put it back into its holder.
When I turn back, the enemy army is running full sprint towards us. Our army is following closely behind them, but it doesn't matter. There are enough of them that at least a few will make it up the staircase.
"They're coming." I call down to Anna. Her pale face appears for a moment, and she nods. I hear her pass it on to the next girl. I look down and see Dani ready her battle axe.
I count the oncoming horde. About fifteen. Which means Rei's team took out over half of them.
They reach the tower, and Dani keeps them away from the door until Rei can catch up. Soon, it is a loud battle again. I see Dani "die" after she has defeated three girls. Then they come pouring up the stairs. Rei looks up at me apologetically. It's my turf now.
"Stay strong, girls." I call down the stairs. I hear a few replies, as well as the sound of the first girl engaging in combat.
Looking below again, I see a group huddled near the entrance. Rei's army, unsure of what to do, stands with their weapons against their sides, watching the entrance. A few teachers also huddle there to make sure the girls who "die" don't rejoin the game.
With our defenses getting slimmer, I look towards the trees. I don't see anything, and there is no sign of a fight.
The next time that Rei looks up, I motion towards the forest. If she understands correctly, then her team could be a great distraction. She nods and immediately commands her few remaining soldiers to follow her.
The sudden noise makes the teachers turn. They look first at Rei, then up at me. I turn away from them and ready myself at the top of the stairs. The battle below is getting steadily louder as the enemy progresses upwards.
Before I know it, they are upon me. I make sure to keep them in the stairwell. There is no way that I will let them past me to the flag.
There are three of them total, but they only fight me one at a time because if the space provided. The first one puts up a great fight, blocking all of my attacks. I finally get past her defenses though, and kick her down the stairs. The second one quickly follows her. The third backs up in an attempt to taunt me into the smaller space. I ignore her, twirling my halberd around in a flaunting manner. From the corner of my eye, I see movement. I spare a moment to glance.
Two of the teachers are leading my recent enemies to the medics on the side of the field. The other, defeated, girls are standing around, talking or watching my fights. And coming from the forest.....
Rei proudly holds the banner, surrounded by Lin's entire team and a few of her own. They run across the field towards our side without any resistance. Our team erupts into cheers.
Immense joy overcomes me, and I brush past my previous enemy to meet my victorious friends.
If only I knew how dark the days to come would be.
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A//N: Wow. That was a really long chapter, guys! Over 3,000 words. Idk how long the next one will be, but I'm trying to do the least amount of chapters possible. I should really call this a short story instead of a one-shot.