Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Zelda characters, they are all property of Nintendo. I wouldn't have been writing this fic if I did own any of them, after all.

A/N: This is my second Zelda fic, and I have plans for this story... if the first chapter is short, it's because it's more a prologue than a chapter, so the other chapters will be longer. Please read and review!

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PART I

Chapter one: A child in the woods

The Lost Woods were silent and almost deserted, at least no sign of life could be spotted anywhere, though the forest was full of birds and animals – and Skull kids. Those were the children of the forest, always shy and reserved of humans and other people. It was just the Kokiri that the Skull kids weren't afraid of. The Skull kids loved to play their instruments and their playing could be heard everywhere in the woods, though they almost never showed themselves to people. They hid in the crowns of the trees, under the ground or in the shadows. Everywhere their beautiful tunes and their shrill laughter could be heard, but no one ever saw them.

No one exactly knew who the Skull kids were, but the legends told them that they were children, who had been lost in the maze that was Lost Woods. They had once been ordinary children, until they had gone astray in the forest and were never seen again.

The Skull kids were a mystery to the other races in Hyrule, because no one really knew who they were and whether they were friendly or not – and no one knew how to find out. But it all would change, however, when a human found her way through the woods...

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"Impa?"

The voice sounded eerie in the increasing darkness, and it sounded helpless and hoarse as well. It belonged to a young girl, about the age of ten years. She was lost and had tried to find her way home for hours now. She was looking for her nursemaid, a Sheikah woman called Impa. The young girl was scared, scared of the sounds in the woods, scared of the darkness, scared of being alone.

She squatted down beside a tree, and let out some silent sobs. She was lost, the forest was dark and cold and her father would be worried about her. She lay down in the soft moss and cried. Suddenly she felt someone slightly patting her shoulder.

"Leave me alone", she whispered and sobbed.

"Are you lost?" a strange voice said. The young girl jumped and yelped. She saw a strange being sitting next to her, with a concerned look in its face. The young girl wiped away her tears, though she maybe should have been scared of the creature. But she was only ten years and had no idea what dangerous animals and creatures that lived in the woods. She was just happy to see someone else; at least she wasn't alone anymore.

"Who are you?" she asked the odd being and watched it anxiously. The creature shrugged and sat down in the soft moss next to her.

"Once I was a sweet child, just like you", it said sadly. "I was a sweet little girl, just like you are. I liked to play, but I was scared of the forest. You see, I was a cute little child, but very incautious. One day I played by the edge of the forest, and I walked further into the woods, playing and singing to myself. That's all I can remember of my life as a human. Now I don't know what I am, less who I am. I can't remember my name, my age or my family. All I can recollect is what happened that day I came to the forest. If I had not, then I had been a young woman now."

The creature sobbed and started to cry loudly. The young girl tried to comfort it, but it was senseless, so she sat down and waited. Eventually the creature wiped away the tears and looked at the young girl with dark, glossy eyes.

"And may I ask you who you are?" The young girl jumped as she heard the question. She had been lost in her own thoughts.

"I am the Princess, Zelda", she explained. "I went to the forest with my nursemaid Impa to pick mushrooms, but now I can't find her... and it's dark and cold and..."

The creature hushed her and put an arm around her shoulders to comfort her. "Don't worry. I know a place where you can stay. And it's nice and warm, I assure you."

Zelda nodded slightly, and then she followed the creature through the forest and the increasing darkness. Sometimes she almost lost sight of it, but the creature murmured to itself and sometimes even laughed shrilly, so she had not any problems to follow it. She tripped over roots, got wet from stepping into creeks and her dress was torn by thorns, but she wouldn't give up. Finally, the creature stopped and waited. Zelda caught up with it, and the creature pointed to some lights between the trees. It looked like some kind of village, but Zelda had never heard of a village deep into the forest.

"There", the creature said, and to Zelda's surprise, it didn't even breathe hard from their trip through the woods. "It's called the Kokiri village, and I'm sure the Kokiri will help you. They're nice and friendly, the small people. Good luck then, Princess. I hope I'll see you again someday."

And before Zelda could say "thanks", the creature was gone and she was alone again. She somewhat hesitated, but she realized that she had no choice but to go to the village. She was cold, tired and hungry and the lights coming from the village looked very tempting. She headed for the village, yet she couldn't stop thinking of "the small people". Who were they?

Well, I'll soon find out, Zelda thought as the lights came closer.

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A/N: So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Anyway, I don't want to keep writing on this story if nobody reads it, so I want a few reviews for the first chapter before I'll write the next chapter. Review, please!

..::Hylian Heroine::..