“Hm.”

Link nodded, arms crossed, as you parried the imaginary attack from the dummy you were practicing with; swinging down diagonally with both hands on the sword, stepping back to dodge whenever an opponent may have had the chance to counter. He walked over to you and handed you a water flask, which you drank from gratefully—you’d been out in the sun training for a while now, and desperately needed the break it was clear he was giving you.

He. As in, Link, as in, the guy who saved all of Hyrule not a year earlier. And he was standing in front of you, waiting for you to sit in the shade so he could go over your technique and give you advice. He was a living legend, Link, didn’t even need a last name; people knew who you meant. And he was training you.

After the fall of Ganon, repairs had begun all over Hyrule, and people whose parents and grandparents who had moved from Castle Town to “safer” places like Hateno Village were starting to move back. Your family included. Incidentally, the Princess was also looking to recruit new soldiers to help restore peace and safety to Hyrule, and you’d volunteered. Why not.

Which is how you ended up here, sitting under a tree with the Hero of the Wild himself as he signed to you. “You did well today,” he was saying. “You still need to work on your posture and stance.”