loz-soh chp2

Finally it was the day of the festival. Burly Hylians were just some among the many contestants for tournament. Civilians and citizens from all over Hyrule came to watch, eat, and play carnival games before the tournament. The air was full of excitement and anticipation for the spars to begin, and the Composer brothers sang songs of bravery and played joyful music. Link looked around at the competitors. "I am now thoroughly nervous," he told his aunt as they walked past men who wore suits of armor twice as large as Link. Safi laughed as she registered Link for the tournament.
"It's called 'anticipation', Link. Your senses have been heightened so that you're much more aware of your surroundings then the average man. And you will harness that to help you fight more efficiently, alright? Good, now let's go to the practice rings and warm up quickly."
"I'm pretty sure it's nervousness, not 'anticipation.'"
"Oh, you'll be fine," Aunt Safi smiled.

A Hylian man much larger then Link himself threw an even larger man from the ring. Shouts rose from the competitors who watched. "Who's next?" the man roared, throwing his arms into the air. The spectators continued to yell in approval, but no one stepped up. "Anyone? Or am I to go unchallenged?" he demanded. Link felt a firm grip on his wrist, and found that Safi was dragging him up.
"What are you doing?" Link whispered fiercely.
"You need to warm up, right?"
"The man's twice as large as me!"
"You'll have plenty more opponents much larger than this man in the future."
"But!"
"Shh, don't worry, okay?" she whispered back. Safi's attention turned towards the man as they stepped onto the ring. The crowd had quieted down and had turned from howling in excitement to murmuring to each other. What were Sheikah doing here? the crowd asked itself.
"My nephew shall be your next challenger," Aunt Safi proclaimed. Link looked at her uneasily. Her grip still had yet to loosen from his wrist. The man smirked.
"So, the Sheikah have come to honor us with their presence today, is that right?" the man sneered. Safi spread her arms and bowed at the waist, a traditional Sheikah sign of respect.
"We only come to test his strength and wits in battle. The question is, will you be a challenge?" Safi smiled politely. The man growled.
"Sheikah, especially their women, should know their place," he snarled.
"So do you accept?"
"All of your kind should be banished from Hyrule!" he spat contemptuously.
"Do you accept the challenge?" Safi pressed. He paused. The atmosphere grew tenser.
"Only if your nephew agrees to the terms I set for the both of us," he finally answered, and the tension broke into shouts. The Hylians were always eager to see a Sheikah brought to his knees, even if there was a royal proclamation that the Sheikah were to be respected as the Hylians equals. The naturally secretive tribe was almost as mysterious as the three goddesses themselves, but a lot less respected. The Hylians never did like the mysterious or potentially dangerous; it put them on edge. For many, this fear had turned to hatred of the cryptic people, and what little respect there was of the Sheikah was out of fear.
Link felt a million hands at his back, pushing him into the ring. He stepped closer to the muscular man, who looked at Link with sadistic eyes. "We both will be limited to two weapons of our choice and one shield. Is that fine with the Sheikah boy?" he asked mockingly. Link panicked a little. The Sheikah usually had no shields and little armor. After all, shields were cumbersome, and it was harder to move agilely with armor on. He glanced at Aunt Safi, who gestured him to continue. He turned around, and took a deep breath.
"I have no need for a shield. My weapons will consist of a knife and... and deku nuts," Link said bravely. Everyone laughed.
"Nuts and a knife? What could anyone accomplish with that?" Link's opponent roared. "Fine! Then I will also fight with no shield! My weapons will be using my ax and spear. Now fight me!"
The two began circling each other. Link was planning on close combat, but it would be harder with the man's long range spear. Link would need to get it out of his hands first. "Is the Sheikah not brave enough to attack first? Or are you afraid to lose, and prolonging your defeat?" the man taunted. Link stayed silent. Boos came from the crowd, already bored of the lack of eventfulness.
He threw his ax at Link's feet. Link dodged, and stomped onto the ax, forcing it down into the surface of the ring. Link closed in, and his opponent was forced to leave the ax stuck in the floor of the ring. Now, with one weapon left, he was at a disadvantage. Once more the two circled each other. His opponent would be more cautious now; since he only had the spear he would need to make sure he hit Link. Link rushed forward, knife in hand. The man swung the spear at him, and Link was sent sliding to the edge of the ring. His opponent ran towards him, bellowing. Link closed his eyes and threw the deku nuts.
A brilliant light filled the air and blinded the man. He felt a jab at his chest, and fell back. Another jab to his stomach, and he hit the floor with a thud. A hand grabbed his neck, pushing the rest of him to the ground. A cool edge slid next to his throat. When he could see again, there was the young Sheikah man in front of him. The crowd had gone silent in disbelief. A Sheikah had taken out a man who was twice as large as him? A Sheikah? Link got up. "I am not 'afraid to lose', as you put it," Link said quietly, "Just wary enough to not act rashly and underestimate my opponent."

Trumpets in the distance sounded the start of the tournament. Cheers of excitement rose from the civilians outside, and the silent spell among the competitors was broken as everyone rushed for the opening ceremony. The man that Link fought gave Link one last look of contempt before rushing off.

---
When the king spoke, the crowd quieted. "My dear citizens," he called, "today is a great day! For today, the strong and the mighty of Hyrule have gathered to display their strength." The crowd cheered. The king spoke again. "Let the tournament begin!"
---
Link found out that this was a lot easier than he expected. For what seemed to be the first half of the tournament, he waited impatiently for his first matches, where he easily beat his opponents in a matter of minutes. Clearly there was no screening process beforehand. Soon, Link found himself finished with the semifinals, not as bored as before, but still not as nervous as he expected himself to be. He looked in the direction of the royal family.
The princess, who sat to the left of the king, looked rather bored. She wore a navy blue dress which complemented her long black hair. A silver tiara adorned her head, and white gloves protected her fidgeting hands. Her blue eyes panned the scene in front of her, looking for something to entertain herself with. The king watched the matches with his authoritative gaze and graying hair. He had a golden crown and a determined aura around him, and he wore his red royal robes powerfully. Right of the king sat a man in his late twenties. He wore power like a cloak, and his skin, dark from the desert, contrasted against his orange hair. An orange jewel lay set in his forehead, and on his strong build he wore clothes that were clearly not Hylian.
Link tilted his head to the side, a habit he had whenever he was confused or curious. Who was this foreign man? Someone who held high status wherever he came from, that was certain. But...
He was driven out of his thoughts at the sound of his name. Link jumped up and pulled himself into the roped off area that represented the boundaries of the ring. A knight stepped in from the other side. Link sighed, and the final match began.