#lu warrior

This is where the reader comes in! A face new to the castle yet well versed in this scene to help the stumbling hero. The reader acts as any secretary would, managing the hero and taking a portion of the weight off his back. No longer did he struggle to fit people into his schedule while finding time to finish stacks on stacks of reports- no no! With you around it all seems to slide into place oh so perfectly. To Warriors, you were a saint sent from Hylia herself!

Not only were you as efficient as a soldier on a battlefield, you held a level of confidence, grace and…sass that had the hero mesmerized.

Most were…unsure when speaking to Warriors. Almost all held an aura of uncertainty, stepping around him as if they were wearing red and he was the bull. Never once had he given these servants or nobles a reason to believe he would, but alas his title alone and the power it held was enough to strike fear into them- fear that they will meet his wrath as many enemies did in the past. This often filled the brief conversations he did have with said people with sugary praise and random apologies. It made him dread almost every conversation that wasnt with a Friend or Superior.

And yet…when you came into his office the first day, he did not see that same anxiety. You held yourself strongly, stating your position and how you will aid him. You did not back down when he pushed back on needing a secretary- even going so far to bring state moments where it was clear he would greatly benefit from someone of such a position. It had stunned him, having someone to push him when all did not dare to even look at him oddly. He fought back just a little more -to keep from seeming too much of a pushover, he has a reputation after all- before finally accepting his fate…but he was not reluctant. Not at all.

Exactly with how eye catching you were.

But your looks, attitude and performance were not the only thing that caught his eye.

One day when he had finally gotten a request to form a plan on a monster camp raid -that he could not attend for some stupid reason, but he’ll take what he can get-, he spent hours in his office…Stuck.

It made him want to pull out his hair!! What?! A few months cooped up in the castle and suddenly he's forgotten everything he’s learnt?! All the excitement he felt when General Impa handed him the map and reports has been drained from his body and into a black hole. He needed a break. A breather- something to get his mind moving! So THATS what he did, Warriors -with everything scattered over his desk- left his office to get a proper meal and fresh air.

When he came back though…He found his secretary in deep thought, hovering over his desk with new reports forgotten as your eyes took in everything infront of you. For a moment it reminded him of seeing another captain hunched over the war table- like seeing himself from a third person view.

In truth, he should scold you. Storm in and usher you away from looking at confidential information. But he didnt want to. No he wanted to see what you would do, what you would see if you stared for long enough. So he waited as quietly as he could, watching you so intently that he almost forgot he was even there to begin with. It isn’t until he sees an oh so familiar spark of understanding in your eyes that he finally steps forward, that same excitement from before climbing its way back up.

Obviously he startled you- much to his dismay- and before he knew it, you were just like everyone else for a moment. Shameful, scared, unsure. He didn’t like that look on you. He liked it when you challenged his gaze instead of running from it.

“What did you find?”

“Pardon?”

“I’ve witnessed countless soldiers stare at a map of war, seen countless look overwhelmed and scared. But it’s a rare delight to see someone get it. To see every piece click in place to a plan.”

He was by your side now, hovering over the map but eyes transfixed on you.

“So I ask again, what did you find?”

--

The next 20 minutes was one of the most memorable moments he had to have in his stuffy office.

You, his sassy, reliable and intelligent secretary, were running circles around him as you spoke of strategies and plans. It was enchanting to watch. Your brows furrowed and hands gestured as you slowly got back into that mindset before he made himself known. He, of course, challenged you on somethings- pointing out discrepancies or possible consequences- but you matched him so quickly. Taking everything in stride as you offered potential solutions and even turning to him for advice. Needless to say that block he was dealing with was gone once he had someone to bounce ideas off of.

It was…not how he expected this day to go. And goddesses above were he so happy for that.

By the time you two had a plan figured out, you were sat on his desk with camp reports in hand- having been cross checking the plan with all the known information they had. You looked…

Warriors will not go into how you looked sat atop his desk mere inches from his hands, uniform sat perfectly against your body as you leaned back to analyze the final play he had suggested. No. He will not go into detail of how his chest felt so airy while listening to you fight back against his ideas, or how he needed to busy his mouth with spewing nonsense so he did not break into a face splitting smile. He will not- he could not! You were his employee, his secretary. Someone he…now greatly admires-

He asks you where you got this training from, watching you squirm on his desk with your thighs almost brushing against his arm- you nervously told him about your parents, respectful soldiers who won medals for their services. Apparently their ideal way of teaching you day to day life skills was…more akin to that of a war strategy than a typical lesson. It became a way of thinking, how to solve problems from major to minor. Perhaps it complicated daily life but it made you a prime employee in your professional life.

That explained a lot to the Hero, but he did not linger on it for long.

Instead he thanked you generously, praising your sharp mind and very helpful opinions. He asked if you ever saw yourself becoming a consultant and much to his surprise you said no. Warriors insisted that it could make a brilliant career path and would be much more rewarding than simple clerk work. Yet you still denied. You were happy with this life. Yes it was fun and stimulating to use your brain for what your parents wired it to do but…you choose to become a secretary. To live as normally as your brain would allow it.

Warriors understood. And he didn’t push…other than making a half joke about coming to find you if he needed help again.

And strangely enough, your eyes lit up at the idea and said that he knew where to find you before finally taking your leave. You had much to do as his secretary and he kept you long enough.

The Hero’s eyes fell back to the map, hand sliding across his desk to where you left your warmth and he couldn’t help but hum as his fingertips greedily soaked up that heat.

Oh, how many wars he would wage to keep you by his side—

Twilight

Something kicked you.

You woke up in a start, gasping and sitting up at once. It was a harsh kick to the side that could have knocked the wind out of you if it was any harder.

You sat up and rubbed your abused side. Looking around, you tried to find the culprit that woke you up as suddenly and as brutally as they had.

Twilight was curled up beside you. His back was to you and he was shaking.

You hit his shoulder for good measure before thumping back down into your bed roll, putting more space between the two of you so he would be unable to kick you again. It was frustrating. By the looks of it, he was still sleeping. So you’re aware that it wasn’t something he did on purpose.

He kicked like a horse.

Not a fun way to wake up. It was going to bruise. You just knew it.

Grumbling, you tossed the blanket over your head and tried to go back to sleep.

Your eyes felt heavy and you blearily realized that your consciousness was beginning to fade as well. Darkness fell around you. A peaceful void-like cloud descended over you and covered you-

He kicks you again.

You sat up like a whip, turning to your side to face him head-on. You tossed the blanket off of you and moved back over, shaking Twilight in irritation.

He whimpers and it snaps you out of your rage.

You notice that he’s still asleep and that there’s a pained, almost horrified look on his expression. Nightmare, you think to yourself and sigh. You shake him again, gently this time, but it still doesn’t seem to do the trick.

You look around camp for Wolfie, but there doesn’t seem to be sight of the four-legged companion of the group. “The one time you’re not here,” You say under your breath. With a shake of your head, you take it upon yourself to be the help that Wolfie cannot give. “Move over Twilight.”

Turning him on his back, you grab your blanket and drape it over yourself. In turn, you drape yourself over Twilight, taking the place of his blanket for the night. At once his expression changes and you can see him compensate for the added weight by taking deeper breaths. His expression softens and his muscles relax. You shift as carefully as you can, making yourself comfortable on top of him.

With a deep breath, you tuck yourself under his chin and adjust the blanket as needed around both of you. Twilight’s arms come up and wrap around you. His grip is firm but comfortable.

He is very warm.

You put your ear on his chest, listening to his heartbeat and letting the warmth of your body and his combine into one. The heat, the steady drum, and the plushness of the fur and the blanket settle your mind and body. Your eyes get heavy at once.

You both sleep uninterrupted after that.

Time

You awoke to something amiss.

You weren’t sure what it was. You were still covered in the blanket. There was no fire outside of the pit. There was no sound of battle or clashing steel. Everything was quiet. Calm.

You sit up. Rubbing your eyes, you decide to look around.

Something was nagging you in the back of your head. You weren’t sure what it was, but you didn’t like the implications. Unable to shake off the unpleasant feeling, you stand up and begin to look over the boys around the camp.

They were all sound asleep, curled up into their bed rolls. Some were curled up tighter than others but that was beside the point.

Someone gasped.

It was short. The sound spiked your heartrate, instilling a sense of urgency and panic into your already heightened anxiety.

Spinning on your heel, you tried to find the source of the sound.

Time was lying down on his back, arms over his face. Because of that, it was hard to see his expression. You thought he was awake. You knew he had trouble sleeping on most nights.

“Time?” You whispered, not wanting to wake anyone else up. “Link? You ok?”

He didn’t answer and instead shivered something fierce. His breath hitched again and he turned around and curled up into himself. He looked like he was in pain. You doubted he was awake at once and frowned.

“Link?” You bent down next to him and shook his shoulder. “Time? Old Man, wake up.”

He groaned and gasped again. You frown harder. You didn’t like the look of this. Whatever he was dreaming about was doing him no favors. You tried to shake him with a little more fuss whatever had plagued his mind was not letting him go.

“No-!” He groaned and tried to fight you off.

“Stop it,” You begged. You weren’t sure who you were asking but the words slipped past your mouth anyway. Time whined and your heart broke with him.

“It’s ok,” You say instead. You rub soothing circles onto his back. “You’re safe here. We won’t let them hurt you.”

He takes a breath, waking up somewhat. His eyes blink open. You would have thought that he would have been more distraught given whatever nightmare he was trapped in. But he doesn’t open them all the way. Instead, his eyes catch you and he reaches his hand out to you.

Something tight clenches around your heart as you let him take your hand. His grip is brutal and you think there’s a tear in the one eye he’s allowed you to see.

“I’ve got you,” You whispered and settled down next to him. “You’re ok. Everything’s ok.”

Time says your name. It’s faint. It’s a whisper.

“Shh…” You run your hands over his hair, brushing it gently over his scar and behind his ear. “Sleep. I’m here this time. I won’t let them hurt you.”

His eye gets heavy but he listens and falls asleep again.

Warrior

Warrior shot up in a flash. His chest was heaving and his heart was pounding. He had woken up in a cold sweat, his blanket and layers pooling around his hips as he ran his hands through his hair. He pulled, relishing in the pain, in the distraction it provided from the images in his head.

You groaned and rolled over, blearily looking over at him. You sat up as well, looking around the group. Everyone else was still asleep. No one seemed to have heard him.

“Warrior?” You rubbed your eyes. “Captain? You ok?”

He was panting, hand over heart with his eyes shut tight. You struggled to wake up faster to help him. You still felt so tired. You’re entirely sure why you had woken up with him. You’re not the closest one to him. Wind and Sky were between you but they were still dead to the world around them.

Warrior didn’t answer you. You grunted and got up, keeping your blanket slung around your shoulders as you tried to not trip over the other two heroes. You might have kicked Sky in the foot, but he didn’t wake up so you elected to pretend nothing happened.

You dropped heavily next to Warrior and slung part of the blanket around his back.

“Link?” Your voice was groggy from disuse and your tongue was slow. You hoped that calling him by his name would get through to him better than any other thing he’s been called in his life. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” He says at once. His own voice isn’t as groggy as yours, but rather it’s haunted and strained. He sounds as if he’s in physical pain and biting the bullet to keep from screaming. “It’s… It’s nothing. It’s nothing. I’ll be alright. Go back to bed.”

You grunt again. You’ve never known him to be a horrible liar. Warrior must be shaken up worse than you thought. You huff and drop your body weight onto his side. The physical contact is enough to shock back into reality for a moment. He goes still and audible gulps. You say nothing and slowly can feel the pull of sleep dragging you under once more.

“...What are you doing?”

You jolt awake again and take a deep breath. “Helping. Shush. Bedtime.”

“That’s not-”

“Shush,” You lean over, putting a finger to his lips. You can feel the light trembling of his body. It’s annoying. How dare this happen?! At this hour?! To Warrior of all people! You scowl and it catches Warrior’s attention. “We’re going back to bed. This is over.”

“But-”

“Shush,” You stress again and push him back down to his bed roll. You instinctively snuggle closer and flop your limbs on top of him. Warrior grunts but doesn’t attempt to push you off.

“Is this allowed-?”

“You’re going to wake up the others,” You lift your hand up and drop it onto his chest, smacking him using only the force of gravity. “No more words. Sleep only. Now hush, the monsters in your head can’t get you here.”

Warrior tenses for a moment and you think you might have overstepped your bounds. Your eyes grow heavy once more, locking you in place without the intention of letting you go anytime soon.

He’s cold from the sweat that had chilled him to the bone. His heartbeat is strong and still a tad panicked. You center yourself on it and take a deep breath. The Hero of Eras is actually quite comfortable if you had to admit it to yourself.

Slowly, his arms come up to wrap around you and keep you close. You can vaguely feel his nose in your hair as he curls around you. Limbs intertwine with one another, like puzzle pieces fitting into place. You shift to make yourself comfortable as well, tucking him into the crook of your neck as your arms come around him.

You struggle to lift the falling blanket back around your bodies as your limbs get heavier and heavier. You can hear Warrior sigh beneath you. His heart rate begins to calm down and you think you can feel his hand in your hair, carding his fingers through it gently.

You pass out in an instant.

You wake up less than three hours later. Someone else was shaking you. You look up as much as you can. Even in his sleep, Warrior continues to have a death grip over you and it makes it difficult to see the offender to your sleep schedule.

Wild hisses softly when he sees you and winces. “...Sorry. I was trying to wake up Warrior for his shift. I didn’t know you were there.”

You say nothing and glare at the champion until he gets the message to leave the two of you alone.

Wild, not getting the message, looks over to see if any of his efforts have woken the captain up. You reach up and bat at his hand. The action was cat-like in nature, but one solid swipe to the back of his hand had Wild backing up and stepping away from Warrior.

To his credit, Warrior continued to soundly sleep through the movement. Exhaustion weighed heavy on him even now and you were certain that he still needed as much as he could get until the sun came up.

“I’ll do it,” You mutter and try to wiggle your way away from Warrior.

No dice.

If anything, despite his unconsciousness, Warrior tightens his grip around you and snuggles close in his sleep.

You huff and look back up at Wild. He’s biting his lip and you’re not sure if it’s a nervous tick that he’s always had, or if he’s trying to keep from laughing at your predicament.

“Not one word,” You grumble and plop back over Warrior, accepting your fate for the remaining hours of the night.

“I’ll wake up the Rancher,” Wild snickers. “He’s usually up before the sunrise anyway.”

“Yeah, yeah we’re all heard the story, not what I meant.” Wind grabbed Artemis’ arm pleadingly. “C’mon, Artie, tell Wars dancing is stupid, and that you’ll do it with him!”

Artemis dropped a vial’s worth of chu jelly into the potion. “If it’s stupid, why should I have to do it?”

“Because… uh…” He screwed his face up in concentration. “Because we’re finding that shard of darkness you released?”

“Really? Because you’ve made no progress on that at all.” Artemis stirred her potion. “I’m starting to think you’re just dragging things out so I’ll keep making you potions.”

“No, Wars is dragging it out so he still has an excuse to see y—mmph!” Wind’s voice was smothered by Warriors’ scarf. 

“Artie doesn’t need to practice dancing. I’m sure a princess gets plenty of that sort of education.” Warriors leaned on Wind’s head. “Honestly, Wind, don’t you know a thing about Princesses? Tell him, Artie. Tell him about Princesses and how dancing is basically Princess 101.”

“Stop saying Princess. That’s supposed to be secret.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “That said, I did take six years of ballet as a child.” Warriors’ expression of joy was short lived. “But I was terrible at it. Accidentally-on-purpose kicked a girl.” Warriors and Wind both took a step back. “After that, I got put in martial arts instead. Impa said if I was going to be kicking people I better learn discipline, and how to do it right.”

“Ah. Well. I’m sure. You’ve got the basics at least.” Warriors cleared his throat. “But for other princesses, dancing is essential. And many other fair maidens besides find dancing to be the height of gallantry.”

Wind cast about for a new ally. “Four, you don’t know how to dance, do you?”

Four blinked at him a few times, then somberly stood, hands clasped in front of him. “Dancing is incredibly easy once you understand the basic physics and anatomy behind each motion. Maybe you would learn better if Wars taught you about anatomy—“

“Four!”

“What?” Four smiled sweetly. “Isn’t knowing about muscles important?” He walked over to Time, who was clearly still thinking about the moon, and scooped him up. “See? This is called an over-head lift. Classic ballet move. Would have been even more impressive if Time had jumped into my arms. But I think our en pointe is made.”

“You’re not en pointe.” Legend pointed out. “You’re flatfooted.” 

It took a few minutes for the commotion to die down, for Time to be checked for injury from being thrown, and Legend to be revived. Wind took advantage of the commotion to slip out of the club room, leaving Warriors to fume.

“He says he wants me to teach him, but he doesn’t actually want to learn!” He swooned dramatically onto a couch. “Why do I bother? The kid is hopeless!”

“It is super weird.” Four hung over the back of the couch, legs kicking. “Why does Wind even want hero lessons?”

“Well, the world is pretty dangerous. It’s smart to train with people with sword skills, right?” Artie stood, stretching. 

“Yeah, but Wind’s already good with his sword!” Four rolled his eyes. “He killed a demon before he came to this school. Not many people do that.”

“He came scrambling in here one day, no uniform, hair all over the place, and demanded we teach him to be a ‘proper hero.’” Wars’ face softened slightly. “His family isn’t well connected, so he didn’t even know how to apply to attend. But he was dead set on being a hero.” He flopped back into the couch. “Or so he claimed! Clearly he doesn’t care much, or he wouldn’t scorn my advice!”

Four grinned. “Maybe you should teach him to not blow himself up with bombs then.”

“If not blowing yourself up with bombs was a requirement to be a hero, Wild wouldn’t be one.” 

Artemis frowned to herself. “It is odd. I wonder why he wants to be a hero.”

“Why did you say it like that.” Warriors pulled a face. “Like it’s weird to want to be a hero.”

“Well, look at you all.” She gestured to the far side of the room, where Wild was practicing juggling with bombs, Sky was snoring and drooling a puddle onto the couch, and Twilight was staring intently out the broken window at a squirrel running back and forth on the lawn. “This isn’t exactly a high class group.”

“What? We’re very high class! Look at Legend!” Warriors grabbed Legend by the shoulder. “He’s got bling! He wears fancy clothes!” 

“Let go!” Legend shoved Warriors off with a grunt, pointing at them all. “None of you have any class! And furthermore, it’s very heroic to know how to dance, but you’re all terrible at it!” He paused. “... except for Time.”

“Time can dance?” 

Time nodded. “Learned a hot dance while fighting the moon.”

Legend huffed. “... point is, if Wind needed to learn to dance, you shouldn’t be the one to teach him. It should be someone with real panache.”

“Ok then.” Artemis stood, stretching. “Well while you all argue over panache, I’m heading home.” She glared at them. “I can see you’re all plotting some hare-brained scheme to follow Wind, possibly in disguise, to find out why he’s so eager to be a hero, and I want no part in that.”

“Wait.” Sky tapped his chin thoughtfully. “That actually sounds like a good idea.”

“No it doesn’t, I just said it was—“

“I have a disguise to make me look like a Gerudo.” 

“I can look like a Moblin, or an Octarok, or a LikeLike—“

“Why do you even have those, Legend?”

“I also can make myself look like you, Hyrule.”

Wild snatched the ring. “Nuh uh uh! Only one Hyrule twin allowed!”

Legend grabbed it back. “The idea is to not look like ourselves. Wind would get suspicious if he saw Hyrule following him.”

Time was pulling out some simplistic masks. “Goron. Deku Scrub. Zora.” He held one up—it barely reached his cheeks, designed for a smaller child.

Sky had pulled his sailcloth up over his head like a hood. “There, perfect.”

Warriors waved a hand. “I can still see your face.” 

“Not if I do this.” Sky lifted one corner up and held it over his mouth.

Artemis grimaced. “How are all of you so bad at this?”

“Courage doesn’t have to disguise itself!” Warriors struck a pose.

She grumbled, letting go of the door handle. “At least call Ravio to get some proper disguises? Two Hyrules, a LikeLike, a way-too-tall Deku Scrub, and Sky dressed poorly is only going to attract a ton of attention.”

“Well it’s not like you’re much better at disguises!” Four had attempted to hide his identity by changing his multi-colored tunic for a purple one. 

“Actually, Artie has been in disguise the whole time they’ve been here.” Hyrule tilted his head.

Wild mirrored the motion. “Yeah, some people don’t even know she’s a girl, much less a princess.”

“Those people are kinda dumb though.” Artemis threw a pencil at the twins as they both ducked. “Now if you don’t mind—“

“Artie please!” Warriors fell to his knees and grabbed her feet in supplication. “You and Wind are the club’s rookies. You should want to help him, you should want to stick together!”

“Wind is like six years younger than me and he technically outranks me in the heroic act department. I don’t think he needs my help.” She kicked Warriors off. “… But since I know you’re going to embarrass him otherwise, I guess I’ll help.”

She regretted offering.

Ravio had hooked them up with a disguise for a “very reasonable rate,” yet somehow, her disguise was the only one designed for a woman. Ravio had insisted it had been his idea—a group of strange men wandering around would attract attention, but adding a girl would make them seem like a normal class. The extra rupees he was hastily scooping into his wallet were unrelated. He would not make eye contact. Neither would Warriors, now that she thought on it.

The uniform wasn’t actually uncomfortable. It was unflattering and brown, made for easy movement. Artemis was reminded of the dresses Impa had her wear as a child to avoid messing up her “nice” clothes (which she had only later realized were the historical regalia of her family). Still, she was a teen, wearing what looked like a larger version of a child’s dress. 

Yeah, she was going to get Ravio for this. And Warriors too.

The middle school was similar to the high school, wide bright halls and chattering students ambling from class to class. The boys’ disguises—the same earth tones as Artie’s dress—did nothing to hide their identities. Several kids recognized Twilight.

“How did they know you?” Artemis smiled a little as Twilight waved off yet another eager child.

“Oh, I tutor here in the evenings. They’re my students.”

“… Why didn’t you just dress normal and act like you were here for a session, instead of all of this?”

Everyone looked at her. Four actually slapped his forehead.

“Let’s just find Wind.” Warriors was the only one trying to sneak, sidling along walls and ducking behind potted plants. His height combined with his bright blue scarf still pinned on his shoulders made him all the more obvious. The only one who actually blended in was Four, mostly due to being the right size to be a middle schooler. The effect was ruined by him sitting on Time’s shoulders, who was so tall the uniform Ravio had sourced for him was straining under the pressure of keeping together. 

“Legend, why does Ravio have teen-sized middle school uniforms?” Sky had insisted on wearing his sailcloth over his head.

“It’s nothing weird, he assures me.” Legend’s lip curled. “I think they’re actually from the drama club’s production last fall. At least that’s what he told me.”

“But how did he get them?”

“I think that’s enough questions, Sky.”

Artemis rolled her eyes, scanning the halls for any sign of Wind. Instead her eyes landed on a girl, leaning against the lockers and giving dirty looks to everyone who got too close. Very few did, creating a bubble around the girl. Her uniform’s sleeves had been cut off, her hair was neon yellow, her leggings were adorned with skulls and crossbones and certainly did not match the brown skirt. But what caught Artemis’ attention, more than anything, was the girl’s earrings. They were delicate little hoops, decorated with pink and blue butterflies.

A feeling wrenched through Artemis’ gut. This girl… she was—

“Get back!” The twins yanked Artemis back from her subconscious approach of the girl. “Don’t blow our cover!”

Artemis had barely hidden around the corner with the twins when a familiar figure appeared, pattering up to the girl without a hint of hesitance. “That’s Wind!”

Wind was eagerly telling the girl something, which made her roll her eyes. But she was also smiling, Artemis noticed. Her posture had loosened from her intimidating glare into something much more relaxed. The pair set off down the hall to the swordsmanship classroom, Wind chattering the whole way while the girl listened.

“Who is that?” Hyrule squinted. “She hasn’t come to the club room, has she?”

“She certainly stands out.” Wild nodded.

Artemis was still reeling. “Guys, she’s…”

“Clearly Wind has a little crush, and is trying to impress her with his heroics.” Warriors was beaming. Artemis thought he might be tearing up. “A rough and tough girl like that, no wonder he thought she wouldn’t like dancing.”

“Yeah, she doesn’t seem like the type to enjoy something frivolous like that.” Legend had borrowed Twilight’s Hawkeye mask to watch them.  

“Wait, but dancing isn’t frivolous!” Warriors’ voice rose in pitch. “You were the one making a big deal about it and saying you needed panache to be a good dancer!”

“Which you still don’t have!”

Artemis shushed them, finger to her lips. “You’re attracting too much attention!” She looked back at the girl, who Wind was offering a choice of blades for sparring practice. The girl picked one, spinning it casually in her hand before gesturing for Wind to do the same. He hemmed and hawed, testing the weight of each.

“C’mon, small fry. Pick one!” The girl gave a snort. “We haven’t got all day!”

Wind flushed and scooped one up, taking a ready stance. The girl didn’t wait, her blade flashing out and clashing against his. He awkwardly tried to press the deadlock, but she was stepped back, unbalancing him. Wind stumbled, and her follow-up blow knocked his blade away.  

“Are you even trying?”

Wind grinned sheepishly. “Guess you keep your crown another day.”

The girl socked him playfully in the shoulder, her expression of annoyance fading as she picked the sword back up. “Honestly, what good is that club if they can’t even teach you to best me?”

“Pardon me?” The voice behind the club made them all turn with varying expressions of guilt. A girl wearing a middle school uniform and a lacy headscarf over two curly pigtails eyed them critically. “Who are you?”

“We, uh—“

“Pardon our intrusion.” Warriors bowed, positively glittering. “We were just wondering what you might tell us about that girl over there?”

The student peeked around them into the classroom. “Oh, that’s Tetra. She’s in Class C and the grade’s sparring champion.” The girl sighed daintily. “She’s going to be moving soon. So don’t fall in love with her.”

“We aren’t in love—“ Hyrule spluttered.

“Well we were watching her creepily from behind a door.” Four tapped his cheek. “Does Tetra spend a lot of time with Wind?”

The girl giggled. “Yes. They are two ladybugs on a leaf, always together. Though Wind used to win a lot more when they sparred. I wonder what changed?”

“We thank you so much, little princess.” Warriors bowed again, kissing the girl’s hand. She gave him a regal expression that even Artemis wasn’t sure she could pull off. “We will take our leave. I trust you won’t tell Lady Tetra we were here?”

The girl curtsied. “She won’t hear a cricket chirp from me~” 

—

“So that’s it. He’s letting this Tetra girl win before she leaves so she can keep the title.” Warriors flipped onto a couch, hand over his eyes. “The little gentleman is trying to make her feel special, probably because he’s got a crush on her. So precious!”

“Not really.” Artemis stuffed her things into her bag. “I don’t think it’s a good thing, what he’s doing.”

“Whatever do you mean, Artemis?” Warriors blinked. “He’s swallowing his pride, isn’t that good?”

“I actually agree with Artie.” Legend huffed. “It’s one thing to lose fairly, but you saw Wind. He never fights like that with us, trying to throw his weight around. He’s throwing the fights. If this girl knew, she’d be insulted he wasn’t giving it his all.”

“I could see in her face, she knows. She’s not stupid.” Artemis stared at the zipper on her backpack, morosely closing it. “She wants him to give it his all. And given what she is, she probably won’t find many others willing to spar, much less give her an actual challenge.”

Sky yawned. “What she is?” 

“Couldn’t you guys tell? Tetra’s a princess. Like me.”

The words set off a minor commotion, The twins both reeled back, Time stood up a little too quickly, sending Four toppling off his shoulders, and Twilight yelped as Legend jumped and trod on his foot.

“Wait, really?!”

“Yes really.” They all turned to the door, where Wind stood, arms crossed. “And it’s a secret, so don’t say anything.”

“Wind! What are you doing here?”

“I thought I was part of the Hero Club.” Wind stomped in. “And also, I saw you guys spying on me today during sparring practice.”

“Whaaat? We weren’t there.” Twilight tugged his collar. “Must have been. The bushes.”

“Swordfighting Club is inside, Twi.” Wind glowered. “Why were you following me?” Warriors opened his mouth. “Not! You. Someone who won’t say a bunch of pretty nonsense.” He scanned the group. “Time. Why were you guys following me in ridiculous costumes.”

Time blinked. He looked at Four, then at Wind. Then cleared his throat. Then looked around for anyone to interrupt him. Then back at the ground. Then at Wind again. “You wouldn’t learn to dance.”

“Ok, that’s enough of that.” Artemis dropped her bag. “Wind, these bozos wanted to know why you wanted to become a hero. And I let myself get dragged along with it.” She sighed. “I just don’t get it. You’re smart, you’re kind, you’re a crack shot with a catapult. Why even join the hero club? You already know plenty, and you don’t seem like you enjoy the stuff Warriors is teaching you.”

Wind turned red. “I…” He looked at his feet.

“Was it because of Tetra?”

Wind’s expression bled alarm. “No! No, she doesn’t need me to help her. I joined because… well…”

Warriors took a step towards him. “Wind…”

“Big brother?”

Sky flinched, but the voice wasn’t Kukiel. A small blonde girl was hiding behind the door, peering in. She saw Wind and visibly relaxed, coming to stand by him.

“Who are these people, big brother?”

Wind took the girl’s hand, sighing. “These are my friends I told you about, Aryll. If you’re ever in trouble, you can ask any of them for help, ok? They’ll be sure you’re safe.”

Aryll was wearing a brand new skirt and slightly too large elementary uniform jacket, the tag still attached. Her huge, sea-green eyes seemed to stare right through them all. “That lady is like Tetra.”

“Yeah.” Wind gave Artemis a little smile. “She’s cool like Tetra.”

Aryll gave her a wave, her sleeve sliding down, and Artemis had to hide a gasp. Her right arm was covered in scars, what looked like claws had dug into the girl’s skin and left bright red markings. But Aryll was all smiles, dragging Wind over to exclaim over her uniform (which Artemis realized was still the middle school one) and ask if she liked swimming and a dozen other questions. Within two minutes Aryll had released Wind’s hand so she could greet all the others, and within the half hour she was preparing to attempt to join Four on Time’s shoulders while Legend gave them pointers on keeping their balance.

Wind sat by Artemis, sighing slightly.

“Your sister seems sweet.” Artemis could see the way Wind’s eyes followed Aryll with barely hidden concern. It made him look much older.

“She is. She’s always nice and friendly, everyone loves her.” 

“And she’s why you..?”

He took a shuddering breath. “When she was three, a bird demon tried to steal her. I was… I was eight. I didn’t know what was going on. I just grabbed a kitchen knife and I chased the bird and–” He looked at his boots. “I wasn’t a hero. I’m not like the others, who had experience or training or a family who worked in heroism. I got lucky–but not till after I got a concussion and Aryll got those scars. That’s why I wanted to join the hero club originally. And now I can do the swordfighting, thanks to Warriors. I can track people, thanks to Twilight. I can manage my magic thanks to Hyrule and I’m mostly not even scared of birds anymore thanks to Sky. But if something happened to Aryll again, I want to know that there’s… there’s real heroes, who can save her. I want to be like those heroes.”

Artemis nodded. “Does Tetra help you look out for her?”

“Yeah. But now Tetra’s moving.” He looked sad. “You know, I bet Aryll would love if I learned to dance.”

Artemis watched the girl giggle as she stood on Four’s shoulders. “I bet she would.” She hummed. “So why did you throw the fight with Tetra?”

Wind jumped up. “It’s creepy you guys were spying on me. Creepy!” He pointed at her. “And I didn’t throw the fight! I just lost!”

“No you did not.” Wild scoffed. “I’ve seen you take down a moblin using a stick. You basically threw yourself on the ground.”

“Wild, that was you who did that.”

Wild blinked. “Oh right.”

Warriors appeared to catch Wind’s arm before he could run, scarf fluttering. “Now, Wind. I watched your fight and I have to agree with Wild. You weren’t using the skills we taught you. Either you were throwing the fight… or you were distracted and forgot everything you’ve learned.” His expression softened. “That girl… I could tell by looking at her, she wanted nothing more than to have a fair spar with you.”

“I… I do… fight fair. I just… I don’t know!”

Aryll perked up from atop her teetering tower of heroes. “It’s because he’s in looooove–”

“Shh! Aryll!” Wind turned bright red. “Maybe I got distracted because Tetra was wearing the earrings I made for her. Th-that’s all.”

Legend blinked. “You can make jewelry?”

The twins honed in on a different admission. “You made jewelry for a giiiiirl?”

“They’re so we can talk! I made them out of some gossip stones she gave me.” He sheepishly removed a pendant from his shirt, a pink and blue butterfly to match Tetra’s earrings. “She’s going on an expedition with her family, s-so I made these so we could stay in contact. Aryll has one too, she asked for the butterfly design.”

“Is that really all?” Everyone whirled to face the door again.

“We should really close that when we’re talking,” muttered Artemis.

Tetra smirked, sauntering in. “These the guys who are teaching you, swabbie?”

Wind straightened, face turning an even more impossible shade of scarlet. “Y-yes, Captain! These are my friends.”

Tetra’s eyes skimmed them all, dismissing them each in rapid succession. They lingered a moment on Legend, but then returned to Wind. “I wanted a rematch. A real rematch, Windbag.”

“Aye, aye!” He scrambled off to the weapons rack in the next room. Tetra’s gaze returned to the others. Aryll waved at her cheerfully.

“So. You’re the ones who stuffed his head with all the heroic nonsense?”

Warriors bristled like a wet cat. “It’s not nonsense! We have helped people! We have slain enemies! We work hard to protect this school and–”

“Oh save it, pretty boy. It’s all well and good you’re allegedly great swordsmen, but you keep telling Wind he needs to be all genteel and polite and do the right thing.”

“And what’s wrong with that?”

Tetra’s gaze swung to Artemis, who was surprised to find herself standing. 

“The world is full of monsters and people who are possibly even worse. Demons attack and dark entities struggle to get free. Things can be grim… but a real hero doesn’t sink to that level. They strive not just to be a fighter, but to be someone who people can look up to, can want to emulate.” She deliberately didn’t look at Warriors, knowing he was making a stupidly soppy expression. “A hero is someone who can slay the monster, but still make a little girl laugh or a child feel safe. And while your rough and tough style might work to push people away, it’s people like Wind, who are kind and friendly and can be polite when he tries, that draws people to him and makes them feel safe.”

Tetra snorted, but her expression had shifted. “Very wise. The Hero Club’s resident princess is more than just a pretty face after all.” She laughed again at Artemis’ stunned expression. “Hey, I’m a princess in disguise too. I can just… feel it, you know?” She put a fist over her heart. “I push people away to keep it hidden. It’s what my mother taught me. ‘Be tough and be unapproachable, and no one will hurt you.’ Wind and Aryll were just too nice to see me trying to push them away.” Tetra smiled up at Aryll.

Wind came running back in, two training swords in hand. He threw one to Tetra, who caught it one-handed without a flinch. She gave Artemis a cocky salute then took up a ready stance.

“Wait, this is the regular club room–”

–

The fight took several minutes, Wind and Tetra both dancing around each other like leaves driven before a gale. Tetra was fast, aggressive, willing to flip tables or pick up objects to throw as a distraction. By comparison Wind’s movements were dance-like, always just barely not in the place Tetra attacked, smoothly avoiding and forcing her to wheel back to avoid spin attacks and lightning-quick jabs.

The rest of the club was kept very busy preventing anything from breaking. At one point Time had to toss Aryll and Four up high to free his hands to catch a vase, tucking it under his arm just in time to snatch the falling hero and child from the air. A deflected jab tore through the cardboard covering the broken window, letting in the squirrel Twilight had been keeping eyes on. Sky had to catch a chandelier that Tetra had attempted to swing on and sent crashing to the floor, grunting about irony the whole time. Warriors, for his part, stood stock still in the middle, hands over his mouth and pride positively radiating off him.

There was a final clang, and Wind’s practice blade went flying. Tetra smirked in triumph, moving her sword to rest against Wind’s chest, but he already wasn’t there. She barely had time to turn before his foot connected with her ankle, throwing her balance and knocking her to the floor. Her blade went flipping through the air before getting stuck in the ceiling overhead. Wind caught her by the hand before she could fully fall, his other hand wrapping her waist and pulling her closer so she couldn’t escape. 

“I think that’s my win?” He grinned. Tetra, to Artemis’ surprise, blushed before pushing Wind away.

“Whatever. Not a regulation match, so I get to keep my title when I leave.”

“Of course, Captain~” Wind finally let go. “We will be sure to take good care of the school while you’re gone.”

“You better. I’m counting on you to look out for things.” She turned to go, then lowered her voice. “And Artie? Look after Wind for me.”

Then she hurried out. Everyone was congratulating Wind on his win, but based on the way he was staring at the door, Artemis suspected he missed Tetra already.

–

“So have you been able to keep in touch with Tetra?” Maple giggled at Wind’s expression as he looked into his tea and stammered. Aryll, who was sitting by Wind, smiled brightly.

“Yes! He and Miss Tetra talk to each other every night. Big brother’s going to go visit her this summer!”

“How adorable! I bet she’s counting down the days till she sees you again.” Illia covered her chuckle. “Are you training to be a hero too, Aryll?”

Aryll nodded even as Wind shook his head. “Yeah! I’m gonna be a princess hero, just like Miss Ar–”

“Oh! Aryll!” Four was suddenly next to her. “Aryll, Shadow and I need your help to eat some cake. Right away!”

“That kid…” Wild shook his head.

“... is gonna give everything away in no time.” Hyrule sighed. 

Legend rolled his eyes. “I don’t think anyone would take an elementary student seriously. Besides, the guests seem to like her, and she’s so… what was it you said in your dramatic speech, Artie? ‘Kind and friendly and can be polite when she tries.’”