Soft footsteps echoed as a young man with a green tunic and cap walked down the long stone hall, his Persian blue eyes focused sharply at the large double doors ahead. The white walls were lined with pink flags, each baring the Royal Crest of Hyrule. They always reminded the teenager where he was; not that he would ever forget.
When the blond-haired boy finally got to the end of the hall, two guards stood in front of him at either side, both of them bearing Triforces on their chain mail covered black uniforms. One of them stepped in front of the teen defensively and frowned. "Who are you?" the guard asked, his gravelly voice hot with hostility.
"I'm here on Princess Zelda's orders," the boy replied calmly.
"Ha!" the other guard laughed. He looked up and down the boy. The kid certainly looked strange! "What would the princess want with a boy wearing a green elf hat, eh?" he lifted the green cap off of the boy's head with the tip of his spear, "You don't look like much to me!"
The boy stayed calm and collected, but irritation edged his voice. "If you don't believe me, then go ask Princess Zelda yourself. Tell her that Link is ready to receive his mission."
The first guard snorted in both amusement and dislike. "You mean you really think we would let you in, let alone ask if it's alright? You'd best be joking, pal!" he said as he laughed at Link.
Link nodded, grabbing his hat off the second guard's spear as he spoke. "I do. May I see the princess now? She told me it was urgent." He sighed when the guards glared at him. "Here's proof that the princess would like my presence." Link handed the two guards a paper that was handwritten by Zelda, and the pair glanced at each other.
"If you're a fake," the second guard warned, "then you just remember that I knew it." He then opened the double doors behind him and stepped out of the way to let the new comer through.
Link smirked and made his way into the royal family's throne room. "I'll take note of that," he said in passing.
Laid in front of Link was a dark violet-pink carpet that lead to the three thrones; the one at the left being the queen's, the right one being the kings, and the one in the middle being the princess's. The king and queen's thrones were empty, but the princess sat on her throne with pride and poise, her blue eyes focused on the doorway.
Link approached the princess slowly and kneeled onto one knee once he was a yard away from her. "Princess," he began formally, "I believe you called me for another mission. Has more trouble befallen Hyrule?"
Princess Zelda shook her head. "Not quite," she replied. "There is always trouble in Hyrule, Link, as there is everywhere else. But they're just little problems that could be solved by anyone."
"Then why am I here?" Link asked, clearly baffled. He certainly hoped that he wasn't told to come all the way to Hyrule from his home in Kokiri Forest, which takes hours, just to get lectured about everyone having problems that he can't solve.
"Well, Link, many of the people in the villages agreed that you've been pretty… 'lost' ever since your quest was over," Zelda started slowly. "You didn't seem to have much to do since Ganondorf was locked away, besides wandering around and doing small tasks of course. So, the townspeople and I decided that we're to give you chores!"
"C-chores?!" Link stammered. "But-! Zelda! I'm a warrior, not a servant! And besides, whether I'm bored or not is not any of your concern!"
Zelda frowned. "Link, don't be like that…" Link pouted almost child-like. "Oh come on!" the princess sighed. "You can defeat horrible monsters, sure no problem, but you can't just do some chores?"
"That's not what I said!" Link growled.
Zelda put her hands to her hips. "Then do them," she shrugged. The boy was about to argue when the princess interrupted him. "Do you have anything better to do?" she asked in a taunting tone.
Link raised his hand to object, but then looked down in defeat. "Fine!" Link sighed, "How many do I have to do?"
Zelda took out a scroll of paper and handed it to Link. Link took the scroll from her and started to unravel it; all four feet of it. "You have to do one-hundred and one chores," the princess informed him, her voice faltering as she spoke.
Link looked up at Princess Zelda, then down at the scroll. He looked back up at her, then back at the scroll. "Are you kidding?" Link asked. "Because I hope you are…"
"We may have over did it…" she said uneasily.
"Just maybe," Link agreed.
"But only a little," Princess Zelda added sarcastically.
"Yeah…"
"Well," the princess piped up brightly, "You have plenty of work ahead of you, so I suggest you get to it." She prodded Link delicately toward the door, but he didn't budge. She then started shoving him toward the doorway, but the heels of his feet dragging on the floor reluctantly. "This is going to be a long day!" Zelda huffed.
Link stood in front of the drawbridge that led to Hyrule Castle Town, and just below the large drawbridge was a moat that surrounded Hyrule Castle. The sun was high and the sky was speckled with fluffy white clouds, an occasional breeze stirring the green grass on the ground. Nothing seemed wrong or out-of-place, and everyone was enjoying the peace.
The young hero stepped onto the flat dirt trail and followed it as he read the first chore on the list; go to the Lon Lon Ranch and help take care of the farm animals. "Simple enough," Link shrugged. He already helped with the farm before, and feeding the cows didn't take that long, so how hard could it be?
Before he knew it he was in front of the Lon Lon Ranch, which sat on a tall plateau in the center of Hyrule. The only way to reach the large farm on the top of the plateau was by going up the slope that split into the plateau to the farm.
Link smiled and ran up the slope toward the Lon Lon Ranch, which was made up of two wooden houses, one for the livestock and one for the family who worked there. The young hero trotted past the houses and hurried to the enormous corral that made up most of the Lon Lon Ranch. Several yellow horses with black hooves, manes, and tails wandered around the corral, occasionally running around and jumping the two fences that was set inside the corral for the horses.
"Link, is that you? Over here!" called a female voice cheerfully. Link turned towards the voice to see a young woman about his age with amber hair. She wore a familiar tan dress.
"Malon!" the blond-haired teen greeted happily. He walked toward her and smiled cheerfully. "I believe there's some chores here that has to be done, correct?"
Malon nodded. "I need you to get the cows outside, feed and groom the horses, and then I would like you to round-up the cuccos and put them in the crate next to the corral," she gestured toward the tall wooden crate directly next to the iron gates of the corral. "Also, if you're done with that before dinner, you can take each horse for a ride, but only one at a time. After dinner you can close the farm. Any questions?"
"Just one," Link replied. "You have to do this everyday?"
Malon smiled. "Yep. And those aren't all the chores. In the meanwhile I'm going to clean the stalls, milk the cows, cook dinner, and other household chores."
The teen's ears lowered as she listed the additional chores. "You sure are busy, huh?"
"Yeah," the farm girl shrugged. "But I usually don't do all the chores in one day, I just plan to do some each day." She gave him a large smile, "But since you're helping with chores today, I thought we should just do them all."
Link looked up at the rising sun. "And it seems we don't have all day to do this, so let's get started!"
"Okay! Just hold on one moment…"
Inside the livestock house were two rows of pens; half of the pens full of cows and the other half were empty. Malon walked up to one of the cow pens and opened the gate. "There's a small latch that keeps the pens close. Just lift it to unlock the gate. If you have any questions you can come to me, okay?" Link nodded and entered the pre-opened pen.
Inside the pen was a large white cow with black patches. It had tiny black horns protruding from its large head, its droopy eyes about the same size as its horns. Link's face dropped the instant his eyes fell on the cow. If there was one thing he couldn't deal with, it was cows. They didn't do anything other than give him a free supply of milk, and no matter what he knew one thing; he couldn't move cattle.
Hesitantly, Link went behind the cow and gave it a small, but strong, tap from behind. The cow didn't even twitch. Link frowned. He then started shoving it from behind, but his efforts were void. The blond-haired boy growled and stomped in front of the cow before giving it a harsh kick in the chest. The cow didn't seem hurt, let alone phased by the blow to the chest, but it did look up at Link. Its lazy eyes opened to reveal alert black eyes, which soon burned with rage as it glared at him. Link backed away from the cow sheepishly before sprinting out of the house, the cow right on his heels.
Link raced toward the corral before taking a quick right, the cow racing behind him. That's when he stopped; ahead of him was a large group cuccos, all of them blocking the only direction Link could go. The green-clothed teen turned around to see the cow standing a few yards away from him. It had stopped completely, but it was slowly dragging its front hoof on the ground. Link looked back and forth, desperately trying to find a way out of this situation.
I have to get out of here! Link thought urgently. Otherwise the cow's going to knock me into the… He glanced at the cuccos behind him. Oh Din.
Suddenly he felt a harsh blow ram into his stomach, all the air getting knocked right out of him in the mean while. It all went so slow; first Link saw a large white blur with some black patches stop in front of him, then he was staring at the blue sky. Next thing he knew he smacked into the hard ground with a sickening thud, the cuccos underneath him only softening the blow slightly. Link heard uproarious noises after he was safely on the ground, caws and disgruntled screeches filling the air. The blue-eyed boy didn't know what was happening until it all hit him at once. Link gasped for air, curling into a feeble position on the grass in pain. A malice-filled caw rang through the air, almost as if it was calling something. A large shadow loomed over Link's body, and when he looked up he saw a wall of enraged cuccos fluttering over his head. The teen's ears went down in horror and his eyes widened in fear. The Cuccos Revenge Squad!
"MALON!" The door slammed shut as Link charged into the room, covered with scratches and feathers.
Malon jumped up from her chore and looked at him. "Link…?" Link raced behind the blue-eyed girl and hid. Malon blinked and looked up and down him. "What happened to you?" she asked, her voice full of concern and surprise.
Link looked up at Malon and frowned. "I was rammed by a cow, and I just so happened to land in a group of cuccos in the process."
"Aw, I'm sorry!" Malon sympathized as she rubbed his head gently. "Why don't you put the cuccos in the crate, and I can put the cows outside. That way we don't get into anymore 'accidents', OK?"
"…OK," the teenager agreed slowly. He got out from his hiding place behind Malon and headed for the door cautiously, his leather boots hardly making a sound on the wooden floor. Link poked his head out from behind the door, peering at the clearing ahead.
The cuccos were back in their original spot next to the wooden house, which sat parallel to the young man. The cow, which was a raging behemoth last time he checked, was standing peacefully near the cuccos, its tail waving back and forth slowly. Once Link assured himself that the animals were calm, he approached the cuccos without a bit of hesitation.
The young Hylian scooped up five of the eleven cuccos ad headed toward the crate that sat by the corral gate. This is easy enough! Link thought cheerfully. I'll be fine, at least if I don't hurt any of them, that is. That's when he paused. He saw an egg in the crate. The egg was about the size of his head, and it had pastel-colored strips along its side.
Link tilted his head in confusion and lightly placed the cuccos on the ground, whom in which scurried away indignantly. The green-clothed boy approached the egg warily and scanned it suspiciously. The egg rocked back and forth suddenly, causing Link to jump back in surprise. It moved?! Link thought, baffled and confused. The colorful egg rocked again, this time followed by a muffled voice. He squinted. The blond-haired young man unsheathed his sword, the Master Sword, and slashed at the egg. A cuccos came out of the egg; or that's what he thought at first.
The creature was very chicken-like, having yellow feathers and two rough, pink, clawed feet. However much it looked like a cuccos, it was definitely not one, as it did have some "unattractive features" as well that made it very definable. Its large human-like head, which was that of a bald person's, only ruined the bird's chicken-like demeanor. Also, its light magenta eyes, which seemed to stare into nothingness, didn't necessarily scream "cuccos", either.
The creature turned to Link and cheered. "Hello, young man! Thank you for saving me from that prison! My name is Cooca. May I ask you a favor?" Link opened his mouth to object, but she continued. "There's a bunch of other multicolored eggs lying around Hyrule Castle Town. Could you please gather them and give them to the girl running the bombchu game shop? Don't worry, there's only three eggs."
Link smiled at Cooca sheepishly. "Well, OK, but can I-"
"You'll do it? Oh, thank you!"
Link's eyes widened in alarm, and he shook his head quickly. "What? N-no! That's not what I meant!"
"I might see you later. Bye!" With that, Cooca hopped out of the wooden crate and scurried away. Link watched the creature as she ran past the houses and out of sight. He could easily catch up to the "bird", but he didn't. He didn't want to.
Link walked toward the cuccos, who returned to their spot near the house, and scooped up all eleven of them at the same time. The teenager didn't mind that the cuccos tried to hop over his head or scramble out of his arms. He would just nudge them back into his arms until he finally dropped the birds into the crate. The rest of his chores were done in the same stunned silence.
"Link? Link!" Link heard a female voice calling him from below. At the moment the sword-wielding boy was sprawled on top of Malon's house, staring at the night sky. How did he get there? Link himself didn't completely know, but it definitely had to do something with a horse, a cow, and a bomb. "Link, come out!" the voice called again. "It's dinner time!"
Link groaned. After a few moments he pulled himself to his feet and dusted himself off. "There you are!" the voice sighed. The young man peered over the terra-cotta roof to see Malon smiling at him. "How did you get up on the roof?"
Link grinned at her. "Malon, that's a very funny story. I just wish I knew it."
"Alright…. Well, dinner's ready, if you would like any."
"Sorry, I have to go to Hyrule Castle Town to do something." He smiled at her sheepishly. "Maybe next time."
"If you insist." She then giggled at him. "See you later!" Link watched Malon walk inside before he turned his head toward Hyrule Castle, its silhouette in the distance.
"…."
"Link?"
The blond-haired boy looked down to see Malon's head poking out from her window. "Yes?" he replied politely.
"Would you please get off my roof? I don't think that's very good for it."
The boy's blue eyes fell on the roof. "Oh! Sure, just give me a moment." Malon nodded before disappearing into her house. Link leaned forward to peer past the roof. "OK, that's not that bad. I could probably jump-"
CLANK!
One clay brick slid out from underneath Link; and he went with it.
Link slid off the roof with a yelp, which was quickly followed by a harsh thud. Malon stuck her head back out of the window and gasped. "Link?!"
Link sat up quickly and rubbed the back of his head, a wide smile across his face. "Heehee…. Heh…"
"Are you still going to Hyrule Castle Town?" she asked politely, her voice laced with giggles. "Its dangerous at night!"
"Yep!" Link chirped happily.
Malon smiled and shook her head. "Good luck, Fairy Boy!"
Author's Notes
Hello, Readers! Brightpaw speaking!
This is my new story I'm writing for the Legend of Zelda fandom! I hope you all like the idea of having Link do many odd-jobs for your entertainment! However, this is not what I'm here to talk about (or write about, in this case). In all my stories I like to put the readers into it as well! Do you have a job, chore, or dare you want Link to do? Ask! Just put it into your Review, and I'll see what I can do. Remember, I will do your request, but only if I FEEL LIKE IT. My story, I say if you participate or not, so please only give me ideas but not demands.
Also, I'd like to propose a special every ten chapters called Link Reacts! In every tenth chapter, Link will react to what you readers give him! Let it be a video on Youtube, a book/story, a video game you like, a song, whatever! He will also read letters if you send them to him, just be sure to note that it's a letter. Of course, there's rules to these things;
1) Make sure it's T rated, and if it's not, then I may not write it in my story.
2) If it's a book/story, make sure I can look it up on the Internet (please include page limit and section for Link to read).
3) It can NOT include other fandoms (say, an anime or television show) UNLESS you want Link to look into said fandom.
4) Only refer to Twilight Princess or Majora's Mask when talking about other Zelda games.
5) You MAY ask/give/etc. Link inappropriate things, just don't expect him to respond or do any of them (please don't go overboard guys!).
Remember, this is just for fun! If you want me to do something in detail or have any questions/concerns, please PM me!
(P.S. Twilight Link (TP Link) may make an appearance along with other non-Ocarina characters. If you have any you would like to see, please ask!)
This is Blackshadow the Fangirl, Brightpaw's editor speaking! I'd just like to say that we do not own Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time nor do we own the characters! We do pwn him a lot though... Not the point. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Constructive criticism is welcome!
Paths are as Bright as we make them ~Brightpaw