"Quick, your majesty, into this cave!"

The guards ushered Zelda into the dark tunnel, two of them staying at the entrance to guard it, and the rest running back to the carriage to protect it and chase after the dangerous creature that had slammed into its side, necessitating the evacuation of the queen in the first place. Near all of Hyrule had been on edge for months, after rumors that the queen had recently had a prophetic dream of Ganondorf's return. Though Zelda sent down many decrees that it had not been so, the people were still on edge, especially her guards. Because Zelda had, in fact, had a nightmare about his return, and the royal guard had immediately ramped up their defensive strategies.

Now, though, the small cluster of guards that had been surrounding her carriage as they trundled through the woods went back to her carriage and investigated. There were huge, cloven-hoof tracks in the soft muddy ground, and a select team of five followed it to a huge but harmless brown boar, which they quickly executed with their swords before returning to the cave.

"Nothing but a harmless brown boar, your majest—" the guard was cut off by the panicked expressions on the faces of those who watched the cave entrance.

"We heard her scream, sir, but when we went to investigate we couldn't find her," one rambled quickly.

The lead guard cursed and charged into the cave himself, stumbling about idiotically in the quick darkness. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" he cried. He nearly bashed his face open at the end of the cave, and to his alarm, there was no queen. He exited the cavern, shaken and worried.

"We shall return to the castle. Act as if all is ordinary. You swear she did not leave this cave?" He wheeled on the guards.

"Yes sir, she did not leave."

"Did you hear any sound from her?"

"No sir, not a one."

The lead guard frowned. "This may be part of his sorcery… we should get an expert in these matters."

Link stared into the cavern, the guards standing nervously behind him. It was mere hours after the queen's disappearance. He stared in silence a while, before straightening and striding into the cavern.

"Sir! Are you sure that's a wise course of action?"

Link turned back and shrugged. "There may be something you have… overlooked." He turned back towards the cavern entrance and produced a lantern, lighting it efficiently and holding it ahead of him as he walked in.

It was a very smooth cave, and the walls were dry; the floor was equally as smooth. Not even moss or animal leavings littered the ground, it was as if it had arisen from the earth simply to swallow the queen and dissolve again. Link got near to the end of the cave when he suddenly plummeted down into darkness.

He woke slowly, laying on cold hard ground. It was night time, and a breeze, hot and acrid-smelling, was ruffling his hair. He could hear whistling, screaming wind and strange shrieks, like instruments being blown all wrong. Slowly, Link opened his eyes, staring up at a sky that was cloudy and orange. Fire, was his first thought.

He sat up, and the world slowly settled in at a gentle spin around him, and his thoughts which had been trying to collect themselves scattered again.

Instead of the dirt floor of the cavern, instead of the hectic Castle Market, he was on a narrow stone path next to an even wider path, paved near black, with huge metallic monstrosities screaming along, lights shining on either end and—good goddesses there were people inside?

Link pushed himself up slowly, looking around at the brick buildings, then upwards; they towered taller than even the trees in the Lost Woods, brick and glass all the way up. Had Ganon put some sort of magic in that cavern to trap him in a nightmare world? What the hell was this place?

He got to his feet, finally, and approached the main road, looking back and forth. The blocky objects on the road had wheels, and they reminded him strongly of a failed horseless carriage prototype he had seen on display at a faire one year. Link picked the direction the carriages were going and started walking. Lanterns that changed colors blinked at the intersection he reached, and he crossed quickly, looking around and feeling helplessly confused, trying to get his bearings. He felt for his sword, and it calmed him to know it was still there.

"It's not Hallow's Eve!" someone shouted from one of the speeding carriages, laughing. Link whipped around in confusion, narrowing his eyes. Well of course it wasn't Hallow's Eve. His nerves tensed and he felt as if cold fingers were wriggling up his spine; this was a strange place.

He turned a corner, passing a large building that was all metal and glass, pausing when he read the name over the double doors: Hyrule First National Bank.

He looked down the long stretch of road at the zipping lights of the horseless carriages, at the strange mutation of the country he called home.

Link stepped back and cautiously leaned against the building he was near, trying to gather his thoughts. He could survive this, he just had to find Zelda and get them back out. He tried to think where she would have gone, where she would have wandered. But he had no clues. He wished he at least had Epona here; a way to travel faster.

Link continued walking, keeping an eye on the buildings. He encountered almost nobody on the path. If Zelda had fallen into this same world, where would she be? Where would she have gone? Somewhere lit, inside, where she could get her bearings.

He went into the first well-lit place he could. It turned out to be a restaurant, with soft music playing and the quiet murmur of people. The host at the podium looked up and stared at Link wide-eyed, quickly leaving his station behind the podium. "Sir, is there a problem?"

Link felt relieved, for the moment. "I am looking for a woman, she would have come in some time ago—"

As people walked by him into the restaurant, they stared at him with wide eyes.

"Yes, of course, a woman," the host replied, nodding cautiously. "Does this woman have a name?"

Link hesitated. Obviously this man thought he was mad. Link tried it anyway. "Her name is Zelda. She has long blond hair, and—"

"Yes, yes, of course, sir. If you will just come with me to the management office?" The host gestured over a waiter refilling water, whispering quickly to him, then gesturing for Link to follow. They headed to the back of the restaurant, near the kitchen, and into a small, brightly lit room. The overhead light buzzed, and the manager, a sweaty red-faced man with a thick mustache, stared at Link.

"Sir, this… young man has lost his chaperone," the host explained wrongly. "I think he is mentally disturbed," he added in a not-so-soft whisper.

Link stood up furiously, grabbing his sword. "What was that?"

The manager stood up hastily. "Now now, we don't want any trouble. Just sit down and we'll call the home for you. Which one is it?"

Link turned to the door, the host standing in front of it. "Let me out, now," he growled. The host hesitated, staring at Link, his eyes widening as the point of Link's sword swung up to barely touch the end of his nose.

"Now."

The manager nodded and gestured feverishly, and the host stood to one side, rapidly unlocking the door. Even as he left, Link could hear the manager talking.

"Yes, police? There's a man with a sword in our restaurant. He's already threatened one of my employees and I fear…"

Link rushed out now, his sword in one hand. People started screaming as he went by the restaurant's main dining room and back out the front door. Link looked around desperately, picked a direction, and started walking. Faintly, he could hear the scream of sirens. He didn't get far before flashing blue and red lights assaulted his vision, and one of the screaming metal monstrosities pulled up to him.

"Get down on the ground!" screamed a man, climbing out of the vehicle. "Hands on your head!"

Link hesitated in a crouch, staring at the man. "I'm not the enemy!" he shouted back.

"Get down or I shoot!" the officer shouted again. Slowly, Link lowered to the hard ground, gritting his teeth. Best if he avoid making waves as much as possible at this point.

They took him to a building, his hands latched together with metal cuffs behind his back. His sword was confiscated, as was his belt. They felt into every small pouch of the belt, finding nothing. As they labeled and bagged his items, they interrogated him at a desk, filling out forms.

"Your name?"

"Link of Hyrule."

"Your last name?"

Link simply stared. The cop sighed and continued writing.

"Date of birth?"

Link gave it, and the cop paused and stared at him. "Sir. You realize that such a birthdate would make you over 400 years old?"

Link frowned. "What?"

The cop leaned back in his chair. "I suppose a slip of the tongue, right?"

Reluctantly, Link nodded. "I apologize," he added, after a moment.

"Your occupation?"

"S… swordsman."

This time, the cop threw down his pen and glowered at Link. "Are you fucking with me? It'll go a lot easier for you if you stop." He took up his pen again. "Occupation."

Link hesitated. He didn't want to be crazy, but he wanted the guard, or whatever this man was, to believe him.

"Guard," he answered quickly.

"Okay." The cop muttered darkly to himself as he kept writing. "Any previous arrests against you?"

Link frowned. "N… no."

"Next of kin."

Link hesitated. He could tell that this futuristic guard was growing weary of his attitude, and who knew what response could draw ire? Wincing, he took a leap of faith.

"Zelda, the princess."

"Zelda," the cop replied. "The mayor's daughter. Single. Daughter." He tapped the end of his pen on the desk. Link ran his fingers through his hair. Who else could he say? Who could he say? At least now he knew there was a possibility the people he knew existed here as well.

"Saria."

"Saria…?"

Greenleaf, whispered a voice in Link's mind. He knew the urges of Farore when he felt them.

"Saria Greenleaf."

"Aaalright. See, if you participate like this, maybe we can get through this a little faster, alright?" The cop sighed. "Take him to get his headshots, please," he called out. Two other cops grabbed Link by the arms and hauled him to another, small room, taking his pictures and noting his measurements.

Link was thrown quickly into a cell, his hat removed and his tunic hanging to his knees. The other men in the holding cell stared at him, at his odd clothes, but said nothing. Most of them looked as if they just needed to sleep off their afflictions. One man had a bandaged head wound and ugly purple bruising around his face. Link rubbed his hands together, frowning, and could only hope that he would be able to find his way back. Already, he was looking rapidly around, trying to figure a way out. The window was too small to wiggle through, and barred over. The cell bars were a massive grid, both vertical and horizontal bars intersecting.

"You can keep trying, man, but they build these things a little solidly," piped up one of the drunks.

"And what's with the dress?" another added snarkily. "You going to a dance?"

"Let me alone," Link snarled in return, waving them off.

"The fuck did you just say to me?" a third man said, standing up and wavering in his place.

"I said, let me off," Link responded. He looked around; he could see there was no way to simply have these men off his back without some bloodshed. He admitted he was glad he had none of his weapons.

The hulking drunk stumbled towards Link, baring his teeth. Link cracked his knuckles and waited. The drunk swung his fist, and Link dodged easily, pushing the man over into the cell bars. He groaned and pushed himself back to his feet, lunging after Link.

"Hold still, you fuck!"

Link was shoved towards him from behind, the other drunks laughing. The drunk managed to get him, punching Link in the gut. Link was nearly bowled over by the force of it. He coughed once, and shoved the man back. He rocked back, wobbling, and Link pushed him again, hoping to knock him off balance and get the man off his feet. It didn't quite work, but it didn't have to. Two cops were running to the cell doors, shouting. Link turned around and lifted his hands on instinct, but the drunk was down on the ground, snoring.

The cops groaned in disgust. "It's just Mutoh starting shit like usual. Is anyone hurt?"

"He punched the dresswearer pretty good," piped up a bone-thin, pale man hunched in the corner.

"I'm alright," Link said quickly. "Really." He moved slowly backward, sitting back down. Mutoh stayed on the ground, snoring.

In the morning, Link was pulled out of the cell and shuffled down a long corridor, where he was let into a huge room. There were… pews separated from one half of the room behind a gate, and the half he was in, there was a towering desk behind which a stern man sat in long black robes.

"Case number 75032289, Sakon's Restaurant versus Link Nobel," announced an officer standing just to the left of the judge on the main floor.

Link was stood next to a frowning man with a grand white beard and long eyebrows; he looked towards Link and nodded once.

"Mr. Gaebora, do you waive the reading of the formal charges against your client today?" the officer continued.

"Yes, I –

"No!" Link shouted. "I've no idea what I'm being accused of!"

The judge banged his gavel once, sharply. "Mr. Nobel, are you saying that you were not read your rights during your arrest?"

Link hesitated. "I was, Your Honor, but I do not understand the charges."

"Well that is why we are here today," the judge replied. "Can we continue, Mr. Gaebora?"

"Your Honor, I agree with my client and think it would be best he was read his charges," Gaebora answered, wiping his glasses.

"The accused is being charged with aggravated assault against another human being. He ran into a crowded restaurant and threatened several customers as well as staff with a deadly weapon. I see this is your first offense, Mr. Nobel, how do you plead?"

"Not guilty," Link answered, holding up his chin.

The judge nodded once and continued. "Does the prosecutor have notices for the court?"

"None, Your Honor."

Link felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up and he turned his head. The prosecuting attorney shuffled some papers around on the table before him, his attention elsewhere. This gave Link a few precious seconds to take in his olive complexion and bright red hair. He was wrapped in a modern-day suit, but the man was the same. Ganondorf.

"Very well." The judge shifted his weight. "What do the people want for bail?"

Ganondorf straightened. "The people find bail should be set at $2500. Mr. Nobel clearly was capable of doing some harm with his weapon, and it is only through his inability to pick a target that no one was hurt. I was also informed he started a fight in his cell the night previous."

The judge turned to Link. "Is this true, Mr. Nobel?"

Reluctantly, Link nodded.

"And you, Gaebora?"

"Your Honor, I find that this was a first offense, and that many of the events were misconstrued. The fight in the cells, I have it on good authority and from watching video footage that my client acted purely in self-defense. From the last night previous when the event took place, I heard he also seemed disoriented, and unsure of where he was, and that he surrendered quickly to the cops. I believe that the events of last night could have been little more than a reaction to an undiagnosed blood sugar condition, and request that there be no bail, and in fact be released to return on his scheduled court date."

The judge sighed and lifted his gavel. "Very well. In light of a first offense, but a rather serious one, bail is set at $250, and Mr. Nobel, you would do well to return for your court date for a preliminary hearing, which will be in one month, on the 18th of Augiste. A time will be determined and you will receive a reminder notice in the mail later this week."

And with that, Link was returned to the cells to wait.

After a few hours, a cop again approached the cell. Link opened his eyes when he heard the echoey steps; he'd only been dozing, wary of this place and these strange people.

"Link? Link Nobel?"

Link hurriedly stood up, approaching the cell doors. The cop held up one hand to stop him.

"You've had bail posted."

Link suddenly noticed the petite brunette standing near the cop, her green eyes worried and her arms folded. She smiled weakly at him, her lip trembling. "Hey, Link."

"Hello, Saria."

Link followed Saria (but wasn't she a little tall and looking a little older than he remembered?) out of the station, and to the street where one of those metal creations was waiting, steam pluming softly from one end and the engine growling. He hesitated at one side while she went to the other, fiddling with the door. The machine clicked softly.

"Get in," Saria called to him over the sound of the roaring vehicles. "It's unlocked."

Link fumbled with the door, finding the little handle latch and climbing in. By its general condition on the outside and the interior, it was a little old.

"Yes, I still have the Green Machine," Saria said, grinning and nudging him with her elbow. "Come on, like I can afford a new car on my income?"

Carr, so that's what they called these things. Link nodded and offered Saria an uncomfortable smile. She looked normal but not. The hair color mostly, and that she looked… aged. He clenched and unclenched his hands, looking out the windshield in curiosity and not a little apprehension as she pulled the car smoothly into the wailing traffic.

"So why were you all dressed up, anyway?"

Link looked over at Saria, then he realized what she was wearing; a dark green jacket over a lighter green tunic shirt, and dark laymen's pants. How could he have ever recognized her?

"What?"

Saria glanced back to the road, then back to him, and back to the road again. "You look like some sort of medieval knight or something. Costume party?"

Link took a deep breath. "Saria, you sound and act like the girl I know, but you aren't her. I've been trying to find Zelda, the queen, and I fell through a… like a hole…"

"Oh, Link!" Saria shouted angrily. "Are you tripping? No wonder you were flipping out in a restaurant! And with a sword? I thought you knew better than to carry around weapons when you went on!"

Link stared. She was using phrases he didn't understand the context of. "Saria, look, I'm not the Link you know. I came here from somewhere else!"

"Look, we know you moved to Termina, and maybe you changed, but I didn't think it was this bad!" she retorted. "And when did you plan on telling me you were visiting? Or was bailing you out of jail at two in the morning a creative way of saying hello?"

"Saria, I came back from Termina years ago! I didn't stay!"

"Yes you did! You got a new job and everything!"

"Saria, I swear on the three goddesses that I am not this other Link. I came from Hyrule, old Hyrule. I need your help."

They slowed down at a red light, and Saria really looked at him. Link set his jaw, staring into her eyes, willing her to believe him. She frowned, and her eyes softened.

"You're telling the truth? You really think you came from another plane of existence or something?"

"Yes, I absolutely do."

Saria clamped her hands around the wheel, the faux leather creaking under her fingers. She chewed at her lower lip as the light turned green, and they puttered through it.

They stayed silent as the buildings around them turned into aged and slightly crumbly apartments, until Saria pulled into the lot of one, parking. They climbed out, she locked her car and Link followed her inside as she unlocked a door, leading them to a hall and a stairwell full of other doors. They went up three flights of the stairs, unlocking the one labeled 6C. Saria locked the door after Link and he took a look around; the room was small, and a little hallway led him to a toilet room (he presumed, and he marveled at the technology in that) and a bedroom. Back in the main space was a small window, the sill cluttered with potted plants.

Saria tossed her set of keys down on a little table stacked with papers and books. Looking at the titles, Link could see that most of them were about plant life and advanced scientific research, far too advanced for old Hyrule, from what he could tell.

"You hungry?" Saria called from the kitchen. He could see her opening another door, a white one cluttered with notepads and little carved figures that held to it like magic.

"Ah, maybe just some milk, please," Link called, removing his sheath and cautiously exploring the apartment, sitting down on the couch. Saria reappeared with a glass of milk for him and some water for herself, sitting down next to him.

"So," she started, "who are you? If you're not the Link I know."

"I'm a different Link, I guess," he started, taking a small sip. The milk was cold and refreshing, but tasted flat and watery. He frowned and looked at it.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot you hate skim. Or rather, I guess I couldn't have known," Saria said, shrugging. "So, different Link, how did you get here, if you didn't drive or fly?"

"The queen Zelda was lost in a cave in the Deep Woods near Hyrule Castle—"

Saria held up one hand. "The queen? Queen Zelda? I mean I guess it fits as she's studying law, but…"

Link cleared his throat. "Can I finish?"

"Yes, of course, I'm sorry." Saria took a small sip of water. "Just a lot to take in, you know?"

Link rubbed his hands together. "Anyway, she had gotten lost in a cave in the Deep Woods, and when I went in to find her, I… fell, and woke up out on the road near the restaurant."

Saria chewed on her nails. "This sounds like some sort of existential thing, like a ripple in space and time or something. You'd have to talk to Professor Rauru about this, I'm sure he'd be fascinated… as long as he didn't think you were crazy."

"Professor…?" The equivalent of a sage in his world? "Are you one of these professors?"

Saria laughed. "I'm flattered but no, I'm still working on my Masters. I've done a little student teaching, but not much."

Link nodded. "In my world, you're a Sage. That must be similar to a professor. Rauru was one as well."

Saria tilted her head, surprised and a little flattered. "Really? So, you know a lot of the people that I know?"

Link shrugged. "Some variety of them, I guess."

Saria leaned back and rubbed her eyes. "I feel like I should be high to really understand this conversation." She sighed. "Well, it's late, and I have class early tomorrow. If you want, I can leave my apartment key under the door, and you can explore the city and maybe see if you can find your Zelda."

"I would really appreciate that, Saria."

She smiled at him warmly, and he felt some comfort that she was almost exactly the Saria he'd grown up with.

"Come on, let's get some blankets for the couch."