A/N this is my first fanfic (yay!) let me know what you think!

Fado tromped toward the goat barn, yawning slightly. It was getting late, and he figured he might as well get a head start on herding the goats, so Link didn't have to do all of the work. Walking into the barn, he opened the goat's stalls, so they could run straight into their pens. He winced slightly as a sliver of wood got caught on his finger from the rough stall door. Absently, he pulled it out and sucked on his finger, used to getting splinters. All of a sudden, he tripped backwards over a warm squishy something. Picking himself up, Fado peered in the dim light. A figure, wearing bright white and red clothing was crouching on the ground, examining a letter. It was the postman.

"What are you doing in my barn?" Fado asked him. The man completely ignored him, attention completely glued to a grimy letter he was holding. It looked like it had been dropped in goat manure several times. He was muttering something, but so quietly that Fado only caught a few words.

"Letter… water?... got to… something…" the postman muttered. Then he turned to Fado, acknowledging him for the first time. "Do you think rinsing this very important letter with water would help clean it?" The strange postman asked intensely.

"What?" Fado asked, taken aback by the seriousness of the question.

"Do you think rinsing this very important letter with water would help clean it?" He repeated earnestly.

"I'm… not sure, to be truthful," Fado said. "It might help, but it might also ruin it completely,"

"What am I to do?" The postman asked dramatically, "I cannot deliver a soiled letter!"

"You could rewrite it on another piece of paper," Fado suggested.

"Oh no!" I was told to never open this letter under any circumstances! I will not break my client's trust! What am I to do?" The postman cried horrified at the idea of reading the letter, and not realizing he had accidentally thrown the note, which fatefully sailed into the goat's feeding bucket. Meanwhile, a goat had wandered leisurely into the barn, searching for food. It spied the pail and trotted purposefully to its dinner, giving a small bleat of welcome at its master. The two Hylians turned to watch as if in slow motion, as the goat reached with its teeth, for the small piece of paper lying temptingly on top of the food.

"Noooo!" The postman screamed and lunged for the soiled letter. He smacked the unsuspecting goat's head with his hand as he snatched his precious mail out of danger. The goat bleated in fright and bolted out of the barn, flinging hay and dirt into the air as it retreated. Uh oh, Fado thought, he knew where this was going. Bolting out of the barn, he yelled frantically at the frightened goat, which was charging down the field, straight towards the open gate that led to the main village.

"Not again," Fado groaned. He was famous for losing goats. Raising his voice and waving his arms in the air, he shouted as loud as he could down the dirt path. "LOOK OUT! HE'S GETTING AWAY!"

Thankfully, Link was talking to the mayor at the bottom of the hill. They both glanced up, unsurprised, as the goat pounded towards them. Link speedily got into a stout crouch, following the goat's movements. When the frightened animal reached him, he grabbed its horns and grunted as he flung it to one side. Link dusted off his hands and made sure the goat went home. The animal walked dejectedly, head down, back up the path it had only recently run down. It bleated halfheartedly as it passed it's master and back into the field with the other goats, keeping well out of the way of the postman, who had followed Fado across the field.

"Need some help?" Link shouted up the path.

"Sure! Help me herd the goats up for the night!" Fado shouted back. Link galloped up the hill shortly after, riding his horse, Epona. Fado set Link to herding the goats, this time remembering to carefully close the gate.

After the task was done and the goats settled in for the night, Link strode up to the postman and Fado. "What are you doing here?" he asked the postman.

"I have a terrible problem!" He cried, in the same dramatic voice as before. "I have a very important letter, but the paper is ruined!"

"why don't you rewrite it on a new piece of paper?" Link asked.

"I was explicitly told not to look at it under any circumstances," He replied mournfully.

"Well," Link thought for a moment, "did they say if anyone else could look at it or not?"

"No, they didn't," The postman said hopefully, "Could you rewrite it on clean paper for me?" he asked Fado.

"Well, you see, I'm not sure if I-" he was interrupted.

"You will rewrite this letter for me," the postman ordered. "I must deliver it," Fado sighed in resignation and took the note, a spare sheet of paper, a pen, and some ink from the postman. Carefully, he opened the soiled letter and started copying it down. it turned out to be a horribly written love letter which read:

Dear Alice,

Your face as beautiful as the sun,

Your hair as fine as silk

Or water, or a drop of milk

My heart brightens to see your face,

And your dainty grace

It pains me whenever we are apart,

You, the love of my heart

With love, Torrin.

Fado finished copying, and folded the new letter, and handed both letters to the gleeful postman.

"There you go," Fado said.

"Oh thank you!" The postman was almost skipping. "I will deliver it without further ado!" and just like that, he was gone. Fado turned to Link.

"Well, that was an interesting day," he said. "Come on, let's get to bed." The two ambled back into the village. As Link dropped Fado off at his house, he stopped.

"Fado," Link began, "What was in the letter?"

Fado chuckled merrily. "It was the worst love letter I've ever seen," he answered brightly, "Now get on to bed, it's late," Link chuckled and nodded.

"See you tomorrow, then," he said, "Goodnight," Link strolled leisurely off to his house, got Epona settled for the night, and went to bed.

~/_\~

Alice shifted her basket of supplies to her right hip so she could grab her small satchel of rupees. In front of her, a long line of townsfolk stood waiting for their fresh springwater. The large Goron, who was dishing out the water with a giant brass spoon, was somehow managing to haggle prices with people in line, as well as advertise his supplies in a deep booming voice that spread out all over Castle Town. Alice wished the line was not so long, for she was tired and wanted to get home to make dinner. All of a sudden, a red and white blur charged up to her. The gleeful Postman hummed his usual triumphant "da du dee doo du dee dee!" and handed her a small neat letter. Surprised, she took it and placed it in her basket, unable to read it at the moment because her hands were full.

"Thank you-" She started, but the postman interrupted her

"Onward to mail!" he shouted, giving her a salute. Then he turned on his heels, and raced back down the cobbled stone path of Castle Town.

After she had gotten her water and supplies back home and started dinner, she picked up the letter and gently opened it. Alice's eyes widened and she giggled at the failed attempts of the love poem. After her dinner, she strode to Telma's bar, where she knew her lover would be. Entering the crowded building, she scanned the dirty tables for Torrin. He was sitting in the back, his guard armor still on, though he had taken his helmet off to drink his beer. Striding over, she kissed the unsuspecting man on the cheek ,and left the noisy bar, leaving Torrin with a dreamy smile on his face. Then, she retired for the night, knowing that she would see Torrin again tomorrow.

~/_\~

Fado sat in his house, finishing his late-night snack. He was pondering the strange events of the evening, and wondering if the postman had managed to deliver his letter without any other misfortunes. He shrugged to himself, and polished off his last bit of slightly stale bread. This has been an interesting day, he thought to himself, as he got up from the worn table. He snuffed the candle sitting on it, and carried another one to his bed. after he was settled, he snuffed that one too and fell into a peaceful sleep.

Little did he know at the time, stranger things were yet to come.