Hello, Dreamingflower here. This is my first Zelda story, despite being a hardcore Zelda fan and having read quite some fanfics here... I'm such a lazy person. (Don't count crossovers) The idea for this one-shot came to life during my conversations with ShadowDeity'sFire, the great writer of The Legend of the Fierce Deity: Termina's Chosen One fanfic. I definitely advise you to read it because it's awesome, like her other Zelda stories.
it took me like two weeks. Or a bit more to finish it. It's pretty annoying when you have many ideas but you don't know which one to apply, what should I leave out and how will it happen? I spent hours doing the damn grammar and spelling check, also thanks to my sister for Betaing the story for me.
This one-shot is practically an AU/ what-if-story and I really wanted to write some OoT Zelda/ Link interaction. It's not really romance focused, but if you squint you can see some slight ZeLink in this story.
I also want to thank MaouVioletta656, ShadowDeity'sFire and my sister for helping me to come up with the title of this one-shot.
Anyway, enjoy.
Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda © Nintendo.
Misdemeanours Under a Starry Night Sky
Hyrule Field, the field which covered almost all of Hyrule's land. Separating the many lands like Kakariko Village, Zora's Domain, the Kokiri Forest and Lake Hylia, made this an important crossroad for many travellers. However, not long ago, the fields became infested with monsters, decreasing the number of travellers to a small group who were brave enough to risk a possible encounter with these dangerous creatures. During the nighttime, however, was a completely different story. Because of this Hyrule field would become dead silent and completely dark at night, making it impossible to detect danger on time. Only the sound of birds or monsters would be a normal occurrence to behold. Despite the desolation, somewhere in the southern parts of Hyrule Field, there was still a different form of life aside from the monsters and animals.
The sound of a howling wolf was the only sign that the day was nearing its end. Within the darkening of the twilight sky, the light of a small campfire was the only source of warmth within Hyrule's immense field. The sign of life near the campfire were the small forms of two children and a small fairy. One of them was a boy, blonde hair and clad in green wearing a Bunny hood while the other one was a young girl wearing a cape, it's dark red colours were great for camouflaging in the darkness. The boy was busy with the supplies while the girl was staring at the campfire.
"It's about time the Stalchildren emerge from the ground." The boy in green stated as he grabbed two blankets, handing one blanket to his travelling companion. "While my mask will ward them off, I'm not sure if they will leave you alone too, Princess Zelda. We should put out the fire just in case."
The girl who was referred as Princess Zelda shifted her attention towards the blanket, taking her cape off in response to revealing her beautiful blonde hair, clear blue coloured eyes and the simple short-sleeved dress she was wearing. While accepting the blanket, she mumbled a soft thank you.
"It does sound reasonable, however. I was wondering, we ought to change our location, don't you agree Link? It's a tad odd to just camp in the middle of the road, wouldn't this make us easy prey?"
"The weird thing is, Stalchildren don't approach paths for some reason," Link answered as he took out a pair of bottles and placed them on the ground. "It's our only option if we want a decent, safe night rest or we have to camp in the river which, trust me, is not the best thing to do. Navi and I tried it before."
"Camping in the river?" Zelda crooked her eyebrows in confusion. "What do you purport by that?"
"Stalchildren are weak against water. They collapse the moment they come into contact with it. That's what the water bottles are for." Link pointed towards the bottles of water.
"We splash them as a measure to defend ourselves, right?"
"Yup, while I can bring them down easily with my sword. They multiply after every kill and after a while, they increase in size too. A few days ago I spent the whole night swinging my sword at them until I had enough and decided to make a run for it. I hardly got any sleep that night."
"You got that right. Link was getting so desperate that he jumped into the moat and waited for dawn to arrive," Navi added in a teasing manner as she reminisced the event. "By the time dawn arrived, he was completely soaked and kept sneezing for hours. I never had such a good laugh in my life before."
A giggle escaped the princess' lips as she listened to Navi's and Link's story. "That sounds very amusing."
Link rubbed the back of his head awkwardly in response while grumbling in annoyance about Navi's unnecessary comment.
"Anyway, I'm grateful that you were willing to accept my selfish request. While I have snuck into town often, I've never gone outside of the city walls. This is the first time that I'm witnessing the outside world. I know that you had advised me not to come."
Link and Navi looked at the Princess in surprise.
"Ah, no it's nothing. I mean I can understand. As a Kokiri, I'm actually not allowed to leave the forest, but since the Great Deku Tree asked me... what I mean is, I can understand how you're feeling."
"She would have snuck out anyway. It's better to keep her close than have the Princess wander around with a huge chance for her to get ambushed by monsters." Navi snorted.
When Link had obtained the Spiritual Stone of Fire, he returned to Hyrule Castle Market to visit the Happy Mask Shop, only to bump into Princess Zelda who was in disguise. After a short exchange of words, she was able to convince Link to escort her out of Hyrule Castle Town.
"But is Impa really alright with this?" Link asked.
"Actually, I've sent Impa to Kakariko to perform a few errands for me. She would definitely bring me back to the castle if she becomes aware of what I've done, but at this moment, I cannot go back. After you told me what happened to the Gorons I was certain that there's more occurring than what meets the eye."
"Navi, what does she mean with meets the eye? Does she want to meet an eye?" Link whispered softly.
"No, it's a matter of speech. It means that there's something fishy." The Guardian fairy explained.
"While you were looking for the Spiritual Stone of Fire, I kept a close look on Ganondorf's movements during his stay at the castle. However, I could not detect anything out of the ordinary. I even asked Impa to inspect the desert, but there was nothing suspicious either. My father still refuses to listen to me and despite the peaceful period, I still have the feeling as if something is about to happen. Which is why I decided to inspect the other parts of Hyrule. After hearing the unfortunate fate of your guardian Deity and the crisis at Goron city, I became certain that something was wrong. For the Gorons to not inform my father about the plight they were enduring, is odd considering the ties the royal family and the Gorons have formed over the years."
"Maybe they didn't want to bother your father with their troubles," Navi suggested. "Do the Goron's know about Ganondorf's relationship with your father?"
"No, they don't."
"If that's the case then Darunia probably saw it as a problem that concerned the Gorons and had no reason to bother your father with it."
"I believe so, but isn't that all the more reason to take action. While you're collecting the Spiritual Stones, Ganondorf could be planning something that could catch us off guard."
"You have a point," Link spoke up as he finally approached the campfire and sat down next to Princess Zelda. "But as long as I have two of the three stones in my possession, he won't be able to do a thing, right?" A goofy grin appeared on his face.
"Yes." Was all Zelda could give as an answer.
"See, there's no need to be worried. For now, let's relax. It's the first time you're camping outside and ate an evening meal in the open air, right?"
"Indeed and it was quite delicious I have to admit. Enjoying supper outside under the night sky." Zelda lay down as she began to admire the night sky. "Is certainly beautiful."
"Yeah, there are so many stars up there and they look so small. How many do you think are up there?"
"Thousands? Maybe millions of stars."
"Do you really think that there are that many?" Link eyed the princess curiously.
"Who knows. The world is so big and there's so much that we haven't seen. Compared to all that, our Hyrule is just a small grain of sand in a vast desert."
"A small grain, huh?" Link's attention returned to the sky, curiosity growing.
"If you think about it, we're pretty small, aren't we?" Navi commented as she laid down next to Link.
"Yeah, but... Even if I'm small, I want to see it all. Plains, mountains forests. It would be pretty amazing, right?"
"Yes." The similar answer of both girls was the only answer they gave Link.
"Say Link," Zelda called out as she turned around to lay on her stomach. "What is the Kokiri Forest like?"
The princess' question surprised both the young boy and his fairy.
"Princess, why do you want to know that?"
"Well, the only thing I've become accustomed to are the castle walls. My father did not allow me to leave the grounds unless Impa was there to escort me, but I've never witnessed anything else aside from Hyrule Market Town. After my mother passed away he became even stricter. The only moments of freedom that I could enjoy were whenever I sneaked out of the castle. I've always dreamed of seeing more of Hyrule, I wanted to see how the other races are faring, how different their lifestyle is from mine, do they have the same laws? Do they have different ones?"
Zelda's sudden enthusiasm surprised Link, having grown in the Kokiri Forest, the young boy had no idea about the situation outside of the forest. Nor about the structure of society that the Hylian established. It was only now, during his journey, that he learnt about it.
"Ah well, there's not much to tell. The Kokiri are a tribe of children. We don't age or die and each of us has a guardian fairy who watches over us. We have a shop which is run by one of the Kokiri, Miso. He has to jump because he can't reach the counter, but otherwise, he's pretty good at his job."
Zelda blinked a few times in surprise. "A Kokiri running a shop? What does he sell and with what would you pay? Is there even any necessity to pay? Or do you trade?"
"Yes, he sells Deku Sticks, Deku Nuts, shields, Deku Seeds and Arrows. We just pay with rupees that we find laying around and what's the point in it..." While Link answered all of Zelda's questions honestly there was one that got him thinking for an answer. He rubbing his temple as he still couldn't come up with a way to answer Zelda. "Hey Navi, what's the point of us paying for the things Miso sells?"
Navi, who had returned to her place inside of Link's hat, appeared upon hearing her protége calling for her.
"Nothing really, but I doubt any of you would want to trade your stuff for things you use only once, right? And with the exception of the Deku Shield, everything else can be found in the forest. If you were to trade all your belongings in order to get something from Miso's shop, that you can easily find for free, would you buy it?"
"No..."
"While the rupees don't mean much to you, it's a fairer way to get whatever you need. Miso can continue with his shop game and you guys don't need to give away any of your belongings. Both sides will be satisfied."
"Eheh, well there is your explanation."
Link quickly pulled over his blanket in order to hide his embarrassment from Princess Zelda, who in return chuckled upon witnessing the boy's reaction.
"That's pretty interesting. You have a shop in the forest but it has no commercial purposes?"
"Uh yeah, well we mostly play all day anyway and eat the fruits we find. When someone spots a dead Wolfos, we all have a feast together since we don't eat meat very often. This one time, when I was with my best friend Saria, we..." Noticing the speechless expression of Zelda upon mentioning the Wolfos, Link scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Ah, I mean, well, the Lost Woods is filled with monsters so we practically don't come there often, unless we go as a group and sometimes we encounter the corpses of monsters which were killed by other monsters or Skull Kids..." Zelda still seemed confused, which made Link slightly panic. His face turned slightly pink as he began to mumble. "I haven't explained what Skull Kids are, ah they're creatures that live in the Lost Woods. They're pretty nice, but they hate adults... Uh, I mean... Ah... I'm getting completely off-topic now..."
The boy finally gave up and covered his face with the blanket again when he heard the girl next to him laugh, wishing he could just disappear.
"Sorry, I know I suck at explaining." Link muttered softly underneath his blanket.
"Ah no, that is not true. I-hehe hehe, I was just astounded with how ebullient you were while explaining everything to me. I have to profess that you have quite embroiled it all, but I was certainly intrigued."
While slowly poking his head out of the blanket, Link eyed the Princess from his spot, feeling slightly sour over her enjoyment for his awkwardness.
"Well, you're sometimes hard to understand too," He commented before quickly regretting it. "Not that I mean it in any offensive way."
"I know, it's just hard for me to get rid of my speaking manner. I've learnt a bit how to speak casually with the children at the Castle Town, but customs die hard."
A playful smirk appeared on Link's face as he came up with an idea. "Then how about I teach you? In return, you can tell me all about your customs!"
"I'd be more than pleased to do that, but you have to finish your story first."
"Sure, I was explaining the Skull Kids. According to Navi, kids who enter the Lost Woods become Skull Kids when they get lost. Kokiri are an exception because we have Fairies guiding us. The Skull Kids are friendly towards children, but they despise adults for some reason. They sometimes attack monsters that bother them, which for us brings some rare meals. We also have Business Scrubs visiting, some of them sell edible goods, which we buy, but our diet is mainly fruits."
"I see, that is fascinating and you mentioned this friend of yours?"
"Ah, yes, Saria!" Upon mentioning his best friend's name, Link forgot the awkwardness he felt minutes ago and emerged from his hiding spot. "She's my best friend. Well, my only friend, since I was viewed as an outcast by the others until recently."
"An outcast? Why?" Zelda asked surprised. She couldn't understand why Link would be considered an outcast.
"Because he didn't have a fairy until recently," Navi answered. "Despite the many years, no fairy had been assigned to him until the Great Deku Tree finally summoned me and assigned me to Link."
"Why haven't you been assigned to a fairy sooner."
Navi and Link both looked at each other before answering simultaneously. "We don't know."
"Just because you had no fairy, gives them no reason to treat you like that. You're a gentle and courageous person and you have a gentle heart that should count much more than having a fairy. You're a great friend, they should realise what a wonderful person you are."
Zelda's words made Link blush in embarrassment. "Um, thank you. Well, it's not that I was treated badly by everyone... Mido is the only one who acts like a jerk to me for some reason. Fado and the others are pretty nice."
"Well then, if I could say a piece of my mind to this Mido, I would tell him to not judge a book by its cover!"
Zelda's claim left Link puzzled, making him blink a few times to register her words. "... a what?"
"It's a figure of speech," Navi explained. "It means that you can't judge someone without knowing them better."
"Oh." Another idea popped into Link's head. "Maybe you should!"
"I should what?" Zelda asked.
"I could take you to Kokiri Forest sometime so that you can meet everyone! I'm sure you and Saria will get along very well and Mido..."
And evil grin appeared as he remembered his rival. "I'll make him regret treating me badly!"
Navi sighed as she and Zelda looked at a scheming Link. "I'm not sure if this is a good idea. The Kokiri are always cautious of strangers, but since Link would be bringing you, I guess they'd be fine... Hopefully, he won't do anything stupid."
"I... find this... a splendid idea!" Zelda finally answered as she clapped her hands together. "This could be a great opportunity to see how far Ganondorf's actions have influenced the Forest and I'd love to see the place where Link grew up and to meet his friends."
"... Are you... serious? What about your father? And Impa? Wouldn't they be worried if you stayed away for too long? What about watching Ganondorf's movements."
"As long as he hasn't acquired the relics required to open the Door of a Time, Hyrule will be safe. Besides, I made sure to bring the Ocarina of Time with me." The princess exclaimed proudly as she took out a beautiful blue coloured ocarina, receiving the full attention of both Link and Navi.
"Oohhh."
"So, this is one of the other relics needed to open the door to the Triforce," Navi commented as she admired the sacred instrument.
"Yes, you need to play a certain song which only the royal family knows. Even if he had all three Spiritual Stone. Without the correct song or the Ocarina of Time, the stones will be useless."
"That's a smart counter measurement to keep evil away from the Triforce." Link commented.
"Yes, but it would be troublesome if Ganondorf somehow found a way into the Sacred Realm, which is why I requested for you to collect the remaining Spiritual Stones." Zelda murmured. She hid the ocarina back in her pockets.
"I don't think there's any need to hurry and be concerned," Navi reassured her. "I doubt there would be another method to open the Door of Time. What would be the point of the stones and the Ocarina if there was another method?"
"Princess," Link called out as he suddenly remembered something. "With you having secretly snuck away from the castle... Wouldn't Ganondorf maybe, conclude that you have gone to the Temple of Time if they are aware of your disappearance?"
"Seriously?" Navi almost couldn't contain her laughter. "The stones wouldn't even be on the pedestal and the door is still closed. Do you honestly think, that he'd be banging on the door right now, hoping it would miraculously open because he thinks we're playing some kind of trick on him?"
At the Temple of Time...
"Damnit!"
The noise of the Gerudo King's fist banging against the Door of Time echoed through the Temple of Time. The King of Hyrule had recently heard the news that Princess Zelda had gone missing. The only message she left was a note. This gave the king no other option but to end his negotiations with Ganondorf sooner than anticipated.
Assuming that Princess Zelda had somehow collected the Stones, the Gerudo King hurried towards the Temple of Time to confirm his suspicions. However, when he arrived, the Temple had not changed. The Spiritual Stones were not present and the Door of Time was still sealed, leaving the Gerudo King in complete confusion and frustration.
"That accursed princess, what is she planning?!"
He collected his magic to his fingertips and unleashed an energy ball at the door, however, the wall stayed unscathed and closed and the only sign of his attack was the echo which coursed through the large building. Acknowledging that his rage was reaching its limits, the Gerudo King let out a frustrated roar.
"The door is still closed, the stones are not present. If the princess didn't leave the Castle grounds to open the Door of Time where else would she be?!"
Ganondorf began to pace in front of the Door of Time. Trying to recall any moments when he spotted the Princess in the castle and if her behaviour could have given away any clue about her current whereabouts. Nothing came to mind, however.
"Did she go after the Spiritual Stones herself? But that would be too irresponsible and dangerous for that little girl."
An image of a few days ago suddenly crossed the Gerudo's mind. He had an audience with the King of Hyrule. During the audience, he noticed someone watching him.
"That boy..."
The child from the courtyard, the boy in green with the deep blue eyes. Ganondorf noticed the boy observing him through the window while they were the eyes of a child he felt something strange from that boy, something he couldn't put his fingers on. It was as if he was glaring at him. It was the first time he saw someone showing that much disdain in their eyes.
"Has the boy something to do with this? Did that little Princess convinced a mere child to help her?"
The idea of being outsmarted by two children sounded preposterous to him. Ganondorf shot one more look at the door, teeth and fists clenched. He accumulated his power one more time and threw a punch against the Door of Time. The loud sound of the impact echoing through the large space.
"Heheheheh... As if I, the Gerudo King Ganondorf will allow myself to be fooled by mere brats! Just wait, young Princess, the Triforce will be mine!"
"If he really was doing that at the moment, I'd die from laughter." Navi jokingly commented. "I mean, just because you sneaked out of the castle for the umpteenth time, doesn't mean you'd go to the Temple of Time without any sort of protection. That's the dumbest thing you could do. Then again, bringing guards won't make a difference either, what a bunch of incompetent people. Not even noticing when a kid sneaks into the courtyard."
"Actually," Zelda counteracted. "I recall Impa telling me that the guards caught a man trying to trespass into the castle."
"You mean that drunk weirdo who keeps laughing about random things with his friend? Yeah, what a hard catch." Navi snorted as she recalled the encounter with the strange man who bumped into Link during their first visit. "That's no big feat. Admit it, Princess Zelda, you need better-trained guards, I bet that even Link can beat them all."
The bragging comments of his fairy hardly reached Link's ears. His attention clearly on something else. "Uh, Navi?"
"Despite Link's talent with the sword, there's a large age gap between him and the soldiers in physical strength. They have more experience in combat compared to Link. A match like that would be inequitable."
"Princess?"
"What he lacks in strength, is what he makes up in speed and his height. His body is smaller and lighter, which makes it easier for him to get away from his attackers and slips between them and not to forget wits. Those guards are easy to fool, Link can lead them to a trap and beat them with ease."
"Someone?"
"But numbers prevail, how is one child supposed to go up against a whole army of adults?"
"WILL YOU LISTEN FOR A SECOND!?"
The two girls halted their discussion as they both glanced expectantly at Link.
"Um, please?" Link softly added, realising his rude behaviour.
"What's wrong?" Navi asked.
"Do tell." The princes added.
"Well, those guys have been surrounding us for a while..." Link declared, lifting his finger to make his point clear.
It was then when Navi and Princess Zelda finally noticed that they had been surrounded by Stall Children while they were further away from the road, it was clear that the group of monsters had taken an interest in the two kids and the fairy.
"Didn't you mentioned that Stall Children wouldn't come near the road?" Zelda asked, recalling the fact Link told her not long ago.
"Yeah, that's probably why they haven't approached us yet," There was a slight tone of uncertainty in Link's voice. Grabbing his sword, the young child took a defensive stance. "I think it's better if we keep an eye on them... I don't want to have another sleepless night, but it's better than getting ambushed. We have to get up early if we don't want to run into Peahats. That's why, please Princess, get some rest, I'll make sure nothing will happen."
Despite her protests and hesitation, Zelda had no choice but to comply with Link's request and covered herself in the blankets. But it was no guarantee that would have a decent rest.
"They must have been attracted by the light of the campfire." Navi pointed out. "Geez, Link didn't you say that you'd put it out?"
"I forgot, alright..." Link mumbled in frustration. "It's the first time I get to have a meaningful conversation that doesn't involve monsters I've defeated or what to expect at our destination."
"Well, we have a few hours left until sunrise. You can choose, endure this or play the sun song and risk the chance that you will suffer from insomnia."
"... Can't we camp at the river? I'm even fine with getting a cold-"
"LINK!"
"Ugh fine, I'll wait! As long as they won't approach us there won't be a need to fight."
"Don't be stupid! This is the perfect way to prove how much better you are than those useless Knights. I don't see them beating a bunch of Stall Children the whole night. I don't even see them outside of Hyrule Castle Market at all, what a bunch of cowards!"
"They are supposed to guard the citizens, Royal family and maintain the bridge, of course, they won't go out at night..." Letting out a tired sigh, Link glanced at the group of Stall Children. "This is going to be a long night..."
That was the story. I really hope you liked it. I really had no idea how I wanted to finish this. So many scenarios and it all didn't sound fitting. The issue with the guards' incompetence is another topic I discussed with ShadowDeity'sFire because we all know how useless they've been in the games. I wonder what's the point of having them in the first place since it's easy for Ganondorf to get rid of them.
Anyway, writing this piece was a blast. I loved coming up with the whole Kokiri culture thing because many things have not been explained at all. What's the point of having a shop in the Kokiri forest, that sells shields, nuts, sticks, but no food? Why would kids need money? Where do they get their food from? And I love to elaborate some more about it. As for the Kokiri running the shop. I did some research on the Kokiri names and apparently, they're related to music. Saria's name coming from Aria and Fado and Mido from the Solfège musical scale. That's why I decided to name that Kokiri Miso... Sure you all will think about the Japanese Miso soup, or it's only me because of the glutton that I am.
I'll probably write another one-shot about Link taking Zelda to the Kokiri forest. If there is demand for it.
Thanks for reading and if you have some time, please leave some feedback. I'm going to rest a bit. I finished this story yesterday, but I didn't have time to publish it because I had to work today. my body feels so exhausted.