Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time belongs to Nintendo.

Author's note: A word about the setting and timeline of this fic. This story takes place after Ocarina of Time and follows the young Link who is sent back in time so he could have a childhood. He meets Princess Zelda in the courtyard (as seen in the end of the game) and they expose Ganondorf's evil plot to the Hylian King. After an epic battle or two that the readers shouldn't worry about, Ganondorf is imprisoned (but not vanquished), Hyrule is safe, and the King of Hyrule is alive. Thus, our small heroes are hailed as such by the kingdom, and grow up together as fast friends. That was more than a word, but hopefully this explanation will have answered many questions for the events on out.

It is important to note that Link has retained his memories of the Ocarina of Time events and because the seven years of Ganondorf haven't happened, Zelda has never become Sheik.

I would like to thank Dana, my fairy, for introducing me to the Legend of Zelda, and then having me murdered by a horde of angry chickens. This one's for you.

No Road of Flowers

Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
--Oliver Goldsmith

Chapter 1: This is where I'm meant to be

Link stood in front of the courtyard door, telling his feet to move. There was only so long he could get away with the excuse "I had to fight a Deku Baba on my way over" before Zelda could call him on it. His fingers flexed. What would she say? "You must be joking," or "thanks but no thanks"?

Link shuddered, and then took a deep breath. It was okay. This was just another adventure and this was the door to just another dungeon. He could do this. He would do this. Or die trying. He squared his shoulders and opened the door.

The castle courtyard was as beautiful as it had always been. Fluffy flowers in several pastel shades grew in glorious haphazardness inside a fairy ring of small shrubs, and the moat water made a gentle trickling noise as it wound its way along the walls. There was a young woman reclining on the stone dais, serenely strumming a lyre. Her silk dress rippled around her long legs and her eyes were closed.

Link waited for a couple minutes; her melody was a new one. After a several measures, he took his fairy ocarina out and began to play the counterpoint. Their polyphonic music weaved in and out of each other, a declaration and an affirmation, a question and a reply. The birds paused their chirping to listen as the melodies crescendoed, then died.

"That," said Link, lowering his ocarina, "was our best yet."

Zelda opened her eyes and smiled at him. "You always say that."

"I always mean it." Link watched as Zelda's legs slid smoothly under her body so she could stand. The sunlight trickled down her dark blonde hair and glimmered off the gem on her tiara. She stepped regally off the dais and Link held out his hand. Zelda lowered her eyes, paused, and then grabbed it and spun him around into a hug.

Link laughed and touched her cheek. "Are you sure this is ok?" he asked, glancing at the windows that led into the palace.

"It's fine; my father should be at a council meeting," answered Zelda. She covered his hand with hers and pressed it to her cheek. "Even if he isn't, it's been two weeks, and I've missed you!"

Link dipped his head and brushed his lips against hers. "I've missed you too."

Zelda nervously glanced at the three windows set in the walls of the courtyard. Once she was sure no one was there, she hugged him tightly again. "You have to tell me about your adventures at Death Mountain!' she said, taking his hand and leading him over to the stone dais. "A small Goron party came to the market to sell granite tables and some urns. There were more than usual; have the Gorons expanded their masonry base?"

"Um, they may have. I was in the forge most of the time, so I can't really say," said Link sheepishly, scratching the tip of one ear.

"The forge? I've never been in the forge, but I've heard stories. What's it like?"

"It's huge, at least twice the size of the throne room. There are all these litte hexagonal workstations set up, honeycomb style. When you see it while you're standing on one of the balconies, it looks like a beehive with glowing honey."

Zelda clasped her hands together in delight. "That sounds incredible! I'd love to see it sometime."

"You should; we can repair your plate armor there. The Gorons have techniques for compounding alloys that our Hylian smiths haven't even heard of. It'll be twice as strong once we're done!"

"'We?'" Zelda laughed. "Two weeks and you can repair my armor? Should I be calling you 'Master Smith?'"

"'Master' is just fine," said Link brightly. Zelda elbowed him none too gently in the ribs and he elbowed back.

"Wait," said Zelda, catching Link's elbow in her hand. "You never told me why you went to the smiths. Were you making those knives you were talking about during the Firefly Festival?"

"Which ones-Oh. No, I never got around those," said Link. His heart beat more forcefully in his chest.

Zelda stared at him inquisitively. "Well, then what were you doing?"

"Well…um." Link fidgeted. "We're still going to tell your father about us today, right?"

"Yes." Zelda looked a little troubled. "I'm worried though. I've only been of age to be courted for a week and my father is already lining up prospects."

"I knew we should have told him on your birthday!"

"I still think that would have been too sudden," said Zelda, shaking her head. "Now is probably the best time."

"Ok, good." Link took a deep breath. Just another dungeon. "Well, we've been together for a while, now, right?"

"Depends," Zelda said, poking him playfully. "Are you referring to the seven years we've been friends or the year we've been together?"

"Both, I guess," Link fiddled with the pouch on his sword strap. "Anyway, I know this is going to seem sudden, and I really, really don't want to make things weird between us, but we've known each other for a long time, right, so I thought it might be ok-"

Zelda touched his hand gently, but firmly. "What is it, Link?"

Link glanced into her kind blue eyes and then flipped open the lid of his sword strap pouch. He got down on one knee and opened his hands to reveal a small wooden box carved with fairies.

"Zelda, I love you. A lot. I've loved you for a long, long time. And I want to keep loving you. For a long, long time." Link opened the box. A crystal set in the white gold petals of a flower sparkled up at her. "So…will you marry me?"

Birds chirped. For a long, long time.

Link studied Zelda's face desperately. She looked stunned, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking. She didn't seem about to kick him out of the courtyard, or worse, regretfully decline, but she hadn't thrown her arms around him in utter joy, either. This silence needed to be broken.

"Um, this doesn't have to be now. I mean, you don't have to marry me yet," he said hurriedly. "This is…it's for when we're ready. I mean, since you're taking the throne soon, I thought I ought to make my intentions clear to your father, and well, I still need to talk to your father, and I would have done so before this, but, I thought the person who should have final say is you, so here I am. Asking you first."

Zelda tentatively reached out and scooped the little box out of his hands. She stared at it and gently touched the petals surrounding the crystal. Lowering the box, she looked up at Link and opened her mouth-

"No."

Link and Zelda's heads whipped toward the courtyard entrance. The Hylian King stood there, his eyes narrowed.

"Father…" Zelda said in the smallest voice Link had ever heard.

He stared at them for one agonizing moment, and then spoke in a quiet, lethal voice. "I heard everything."

Link didn't dare look at Zelda, but he could feel her shrinking next him.

"Never in my life have I been more disappointed in my daughter," he said, walking slowly forward to tower over the two of them. "You deceived me, Zelda. And you didn't just dishonor you father, you dishonored your king. I know you know better. Why did you do it?"

Zelda didn't say anything. Link suspected it was because her heart had failed.

"Can you answer me?"

Zelda lowered her head and stared at her lap.

The King turned to Link. "Perhaps you can explain this to me, Sir Link?" he asked dryly.

"We wanted to wait until I was worthy of her, your Majesty," said Link. The King blinked, he clearly didn't expect to be answered. Link clenched his fists to stop his hands from trembling. "This is my fault as well. I wanted to court her, but I am just an ordinary Hylian. I thought that after I finished my quest and gathered the three Spiritual Stones, I would be worthy of courting her."

"The kingdom appreciates your swordsmanship and valiance, Sir Link," said the King, inclining his head the slightest of degrees. "Because of you, Princess Zelda will take hold of the Triforce and her rule will be one of peace and prosperity. You have indeed earned your knighthood. But from the sounds of your conversation, you as well as the Princess have been hiding your courtship for a year."

Link stood up and knelt down at the foot of the King. "For that, I deeply apologize. We…have loved each other for a long time and did not begin seeing each other with the intention of breaking the rules regarding her courtship. Both Zelda, I mean, Princess Zelda and I wanted to tell you sooner, but we thought we should wait until after she was of age to be courted."

"This doesn't change the fact that the two of you continued to court behind my back for a year."

"No, your Majesty," said Link, dread like toxin in his mouth. "It doesn't. I truly apologize."

"And you proposed to her without asking for my permission."

"Yes I did, your Majesty," Link replied, wondering whether beheading was as quick as he hoped it was.

The King stared at Link for a moment, then said in an almost mild tone. "You know, I did hear everything. Including why you asked her first." Link blinked, but didn't dare raise his face. "It's untraditional to say the least, and some would call it disrespectful. But I understand why you would want to introduce a marriage proposal to the one whom you want to marry instead of her father."

Link began to hear Zelda breathing again.

"Rise, Sir Link," the King commanded. Link stood swiftly. "In accordance to your dishonorable actions, I remove your knighthood and banish you from this court for a year." Zelda sucked in her breath sharply, but Link continued to respectfully hold his gaze. "A year from today, I will welcome you back to earn your knighthood once more."

Link bowed his head. "I understand and will humbly comply with your decree, your Majesty."

"You are a gifted swordsman and a good man. I do believe you will earn your knighthood again, and swiftly," the King said softly. "But you will never marry the Princess Zelda."

Dead silence.

"I acknowledge and appreciate your honorable intentions towards my daughter," said the King, almost paternally. "I believe you will be a fine husband someday. But Princess Zelda is royalty and she needs a King who is trained as such to rule by her side."

"Father-" Zelda cried. The King held up a hand to silence her. "You too must understand this, Princess Zelda. It is for the good of the kingdom."

The King took the small, lovingly-carved box firmly from his daughter's hands and handed it back to him. Link took it helplessly.

"You are dismissed, Link," said the King. Although the King's voice was even, the absence of Link's title was uncomfortably tangible. "May you learn many valuable lessons during your exile and reclaim your knighthood with honor."

Link bowed automatically. He watched numbly as the King led Zelda out of the courtyard. He wanted to call her name and stop her. He wanted to run after her and wrap her in his arms. He wanted to say good-bye.

Before Zelda disappeared around the corner of the courtyard wall, she looked over her shoulder and mouthed "midnight."

As Link watched the last strands of golden hair vanish behind her, he was already thinking about which tree under Zelda's window would be the perfect place to hide in.

There were times when Link wished the three Spiritual Stones were still safe in the bellies of a tree, a mountain and a fish. Then at least he would have some company, even if it was hiding under his hat. But he had gathered them, and now that peace seemed imminent in Hyrule, his tiny blue companion had declared him a hero and flittered off into the forest. He had been sad to see her go, but he had never missed her high-pitched little voice as much as he did now. Sitting in a tree for four hours was numbing his brain as well as his lower half.

He sighed quietly and looked at the sky. It must be midnight by now. He was about to edge towards a ledge where a Gossip Stone sat and strike it for the time, when the window a few feet away from his tree opened a sliver.

Link immediately scanned the ground under her window. There were guards, but only a couple, and Link knew they would begin to start another round and would be replaced with new guards soon. Evidently the King hadn't expected Link to come back. Whether it was because the King trusted him to honor his decree (Link felt a slight pang of guilt), or whether it was because he didn't think they would need one last good-bye (the pang subsided), Link didn't know. But he was grateful for the moment the guards walked away and left the Princess's window unmonitored so he could leap from his tree over to the next tree and grab the rope Zelda hurriedly threw him. For one adrenaline-soaked moment, he scrambled up the window and tumbled into her chamber. The rope slithered swiftly and silently back up the wall and the princess's window shut with the tiniest of clicks.

Link and Zelda let out a sigh of relief, then simultaneously shot looks at her closed door to make sure guards didn't come bursting through to arrest the intruder. Their eyes met for a split second, and then Zelda was in Link's arms and they were squeezing each other tight. Apologies were whispered frantically as Zelda buried her head in his chest and Link ran his fingers through her silky hair.

"Oh Link," said Zelda, tears at the edge of her voice. "Your knighthood…I'm so sorry!"

"That's not your fault," Link said earnestly. "I should have waited until you were of age. Plus, look at us now! It's just way too easy to see you in secret," he said, trying to make Zelda smile. "We were going to tell him anyway, and what was sneaking past a couple of guards compared to asking your father to change a law so you could be courted early?"

"Besides your title?" said Zelda bitterly. "I don't believe this…a whole year…"

"Is Impa ok?" Link asked. Aside from the two of them, the room was empty, but he didn't know if it was of the Sheikah's own accord, or the King's.

"She's fine. The King knows she doesn't follow me everywhere, and I told him we saw each other while she was taking a break, or when I snuck away from her." Zelda sighed. "Impa was right. I should have spoken to my father about us. Even if he said no…at least we would have known where we stood."

"I know where we stand," said Link, tilting her face up to his. "A year's a long time, but I won't be gone forever, Zelda. I'll earn my title back, and more, and your father will be proud to give his permission to court you."

Zelda's beautiful blue eyes lowered, and Link's heart thudded. "Don't you think I can do it?"

"It's nothing to do with your abilities, Link," said Zelda dully. "If your plan was possible, I'm sure you could do it. But it's not."

"What? Why?"

"I'm 'royalty'," said Zelda with an unwilling sort of contempt. "It is a law that I must marry at least a nobleman who is trained in governing a domain."

"But…we talked…you said it would be all right," said Link, grasping her hand. "We were going to show your father that my origins don't matter, right?"

Zelda turned away from him. "After you left, the King told me that I need to marry from one of the eligible noblemen. I have to make sacrifices so the country will prosper."

Link stared at her, mouth ajar. Her words were clearly not her own, but he could tell that deep down, she believed them. She turned back to him, eyes pleading.

"Link, I love Hyrule. If there's anything I can do to ensure it's safety, I will. I love you, I love you so much, but I'd never forgive myself if I brought harm to you or this country because I didn't think things through again."

Link stepped toward her. "But we'll do things right this time, Zelda. I love Hyrule too and we'll take care of it. Together."

Zelda flinched and her eyes were filled with longing. Link placed his hands on her upper arms and soothingly ran them up and down. "From the moment I saw you as a child, I wanted to protect you. You've got the most selfless heart of anyone I've ever known. You make me want to live up every adventure I set out upon and win every fight. You make me laugh and pull the best pranks ever. I love you, not because you are a princess and not because you'll be a queen, but because you're Zelda. So…wait for me? Please?"

Zelda opened her mouth, but she was trembling badly and no words came out. A spark of hope lit in Link's chest and he leaned in for a kiss…

But she gently put her hands over his…

Removed them…

And stepped away.

Link felt like dying.

"I'm sorry, Link," said Zelda. Her voice wavered, but she did her best to return his gaze. "I wish I could. I really wish I could."

Link managed to nod. He reached out, took one of her hands, and pressed something into it.

"Wha-Link, I can't accept this-"

"I made it for you," he said quietly. "It's yours."

He turned and opened the window carefully. Zelda watched as he lowered the rope and swung himself over the side. Before he lowered himself down, he and Zelda stared at each other one last time. Zelda stood straight with her head held high, every inch a royal Princess instead of a grieving girl. But Link knew better.

"I'll be there," he blurted out. "Anytime you need me, I'll be there. And I'll fight for you."

And he would. Because he didn't want her to cry.

Zelda nodded, and murmured her thanks. A pause. Neither one of them wanted to say good-bye, so Link slid down without another word and Zelda shut the window silently.

Link would never remember how he managed to successfully sneak out of the castle grounds that night. What he did remember was saddling Epona and tearing like a keese out of hell for the horizon. The wind whipped through his clothing and he rode, rode, rode as hard as he could.

It was all right. It was going to be all right. He had broken records, weapons, and bones for the Princess Zelda.

His heart could break for her too.

Zelda leaned against the window frame and stared at the outlines of a few trees and the tip of a Gossip Stone. Link was long gone, but she knew that if she turned around and went to sleep, she would wake up to the first day of her new life without him.

When the sky began to turn a mellow medium blue she spoke in a hoarse voice. "Impa."

"Yes, my princess?" The tall, stoic Sheikah materialized from the shadows of her chamber.

"Did I…" Zelda dreaded asking, but she needed to. "Did I do the right thing?"

The Sheikah was silent for such a long time that Zelda actually turned away from the window to stare at her. Those who didn't know Impa would have said her face was expressionless, but Zelda could see something; regret, concern, or pity tracing her features.

"I think," Impa said quietly, "that what you did was smart. I know you are trying to make up for your mistakes and act in the best interests of your future kingdom. I commend you for that."

"But…?" prompted Zelda.

"But nothing," answered Impa, not unkindly. "It is up to you to make your own decisions regarding your future. You are an intelligent young woman and I know you will do your best for your people. That is all anyone can ask of a monarch."

"Thank you," Zelda whispered. She turned back to the window and lifted the small wooden box up to her face. The little fairies, exquisite in their workmanship, were flitting around little momentos of the times the two of them had shared. There was a Gossip Stone, for the time they discovered a statue that had urgently revealed that the Princess was a tomboy. It wasn't aware that Link had known that for years. There was a bunny hood, which Link had bought when they were children running around Hyrule Castle Town. Zelda had loved the bunny hood so much that Link had cheerfully plopped it on her head and declared it hers. Zelda had been delighted, but when she tried to pay him back, Link had squeezed her tight and said that anything she asked of him, he would always give to her.

Everything I have is yours. Many times he had told her that and everytime he meant it. He had given her stories, sword lessons, jokes, love. Over and over again. And now, when she couldn't give him the one thing he asked of her, he still offered his best.

Zelda couldn't help it. Tears cascaded down her cheeks and fell to her dress, dampening the crest of the Royal Family. She tried to stop them, but then Impa's strong hand gently squeezed her shoulder, and Zelda lowered her face into her hands. Her slender frame shuddered with sobs and wouldn't stop.

The council chamber was entirely too warm and Princess Zelda's water goblet was already empty. She would have given anything to leave this stuffy room, saddle Alabaster, and gallop off to Hyrule Field to enjoy the day. Maybe she could go visit Malon, or see how Kakariko Village was doing. Maybe she could go find Link. She hadn't heard from him in over two weeks, and while that was not at all surprising given the circumstances, this unfamiliar void in her life made her wildly restless. She toyed with a necklace that she wore under her dress.

One of the council members stood. "Your Majesty, I strongly advocate Prince Siegfried as the new King of Hyrule."

"Strongly, you say?" the King asked casually. His fingers idly twirled a falcon feather quill. "Siegfried has a tenacious will, but does not seem fully aware of his capabilities. Hyrule needs a leader that knows how to use all of its resources to keep the peace."

"Prince Raphael, then?"

"Raphael? That man is arrogance personified. I have also heard rumors of a young daughter, and I will not have a bastard as the heir to throne."

Princess Zelda looked up sharply, outraged to hear her father speak so harshly of a little girl.

"Excuse me," she said icily. The council fell silent as she stood up and placed her hands firmly on the table in front of her. "The identity of the Royal Heir is my and my husband's decision alone. As many of our knights and merchants and farmers have demonstrated, bloodlines mean nothing in the face of hard work and talent."

"You would abdicate the throne to a girl with no connection to the Royal Family?" gasped an advisor. The King narrowed his eyes at the princess.

"If that girl became my adopted daughter, she would have a connection to the Royal Family, and she would inherit the throne," said Princess Zelda coolly.

"Well then, Princess Zelda," the King said, a slightly sardonic note in his voice. "Are you planning to take Prince Raphael as your King then?"

The princess turned to her father. "No."

"Who then?" the King asked lightly, resting the tips of his fingers together complacently.

Princess Zelda stared at the expectant faces in the council chamber.

"Me," she said simply.

Each of her audience had the exact same look of confusion on his or her face.

"What?"

"The one who is going to govern Hyrule," Princess Zelda said clearly, "is me."

"My dear daughter," said the King quickly. "Of course you're going to take care of Hyrule. But you need a husband and as the King, he will handle the difficult decisions and keep you and Hyrule safe."

"I have been training as this kingdom's leader since the age of four," said Princess Zelda steadily. "I am more qualified than any of the princes you have introduced me to. Not to mention," she said with a sideways glance at her father. "My great-great-grandmother was the dominant ruler in her time and worked hard to maintain peace before her son usurped her and laid waste to most of Hyrule."

"So you intend to rule an entire kingdom all by yourself?" inquired the King skeptically.

Princess Zelda touched the necklace under her dress. We'll take care of it. Together.

"No Father," she answered. "Not all by myself."

Princess Zelda was fastening a cloak over her shoulders when the King opened the door.

"Princess Zelda, you cannot do this."

"Father," sighed the princess. "I respect your authority as my King and your counsel means a great deal to me. But I must go."

"You respect my authority? Like the way you didn't tell me about your affair for a year?"

Princess Zelda's fingers slowed. "I was stupid to do that," she said quietly. "And I have apologized. But if I do not do this, I remain the fool I was, the fool who was too afraid of the consequences to even try."

The King walked towards her. "A commoner like him without a drop of royal blood in his veins cannot possibly become the King of Hyrule!"

"Then he won't!" exclaimed Princess Zelda exasperatedly. "He'll be the Royal Regent! The Royal Consort! The Royal Concubine if need be, but as long as he'll have me, he will be my husband."

"You cannot marry him, Princess Zelda," the King said doggedly. "This kingdom deserves the best!"

"Link is the best," said Princess Zelda quietly. "He is the bravest man in Hyrule and he will fight with all his strength for it and its people. And for me."

The King stared at her, and then something in his countenance seemed to subside. Maybe it was a resignation to something he'd always known, or a submission to something far more powerful than a throne. Maybe it was simply a recognition of himself in his daughter. "You are really going, aren't you?"

"Yes, Father."

"And if I try to detain you, you will try to escape, won't you?"

"Yes, Father."

The King heaved a mighty sigh. "Then go, Princess Zelda. Be safe and come back soon. I can't give him his knighthood back, but go find him and tell him what you need to tell him. Once you return to the castle with Link, we will discuss this further."

He held out his arms and Princess Zelda embraced him. "Thank you," she whispered. "I love you."

"Of course you do," said the King gruffly. "Try to make it back at least a week before your coronation. We still need to get him cleaned up."

Princess Zelda cracked a smile, then picked up her saddlebag and her traveling case. As she headed for the door, her father called out to her.

"A kingdom is a tremendous weight. You and Link have very different abilities. How can a Princess and a champion carry it together?"

Princess Zelda lifted her hood up over her head. "We both want to care for Hyrule and that makes us the same. One will govern and one will protect, but we are still a team."

And perhaps not a bad one at that, thought the King as the edge of her cloak vanished through the door. Perhaps not a bad one at all.

The princess was almost out of the castle when she stopped abruptly in her tracks. "Impa."

"Yes, my princess?" the Sheikah answered, smoothly materialzing from behind a column.

Zelda knew, but she wanted to ask anyway. She looked her attendant straight in the eye. "Am I doing the right thing?"

Impa smiled, and it was the best sight Zelda had seen all day. "I think," she said, "that what you are doing is wise."

And that was all she needed to hear. Zelda hugged Impa tight and Impa stroked her golden hair. "I've saddled Alabaster and packed some rations and money. Use them cautiously."

"I will. Thank you!" Zelda called as she flew toward the stables.

At the best of times, dungeons are not comfortable. When one has spent seven years in a dungeon, they are downright nasty.

The prisoner was laying on his side on his cot. The dull monotony of jail life no longer drove him mad, but when possible, he preferred to sleep. In dreams he could believe he was somewhere else, anywhere else. In dreams he could speak to two twin spheres of fire and ice and begin to hope for freedom.

Through the bars of his jail cell, the moon had risen to its peak. The prisoner didn't get up, but he opened his eyes and kept them open. Every sound of the dungeon seemed magnified and he waited patiently. Patience had never been his forte, but seven years in a dungeon can change a man in drastic ways.

The gurgling voice of a man whose throat had been slit broke the murky silence. An evil smile split his swarthy face and he ventured a glance toward the entrance of his cell. Two short, cloaked figures stared at him from behind the bars. In the moonlight, he could see the whites of their enormous eyes.

"Lord Ganondorf," said one of the witches in excitement. Koume, he thought. "We have waited so long!"

"You have had your vision, then?" Ganondorf asked, sitting up. "Otherwise you have raised suspicion for nothing!"

"Of course we have had our vision, my lord," answered the other witch, Kotake. She seemed slightly affronted. "We don't want to delay our moment of power for another seven years, either. And our spell to open the Door of Time is complete!"

"Tell me who it is, then," commanded Ganondorf, stalking towards the entrance of his cell. "Tell me the name of the Hero of Time!"

The sisters exchanged a delicious glance, and then spoke gleefully in perfect unison. "His name is Link and he lives in the Kokiri Forest!"

"At last," breathed Ganondorf. An energy blast of ice and fire demolished the lock on his door and a flare of silvery magic flickered and died. "At last." The twins threw a heavy black cloak over his shoulders and buckled a sword belt around his waist.

Ganondorf unsheathed a sword with a vicious-looking edge. "At last I shall take my revenge upon the Hero of Time. LINK!"

He ascended swiftly up the stairs with his two loyal servants on his tail, their demented, high-pitched cackling echoing through the night.

Author's note: For those who are wondering about the inconsistency of when Zelda's title of Princess is used in the narration, observe whom she is with at the time. In this story, I see Zelda and her father being fairly formal with one another, being royalty and all.

Reviews are always read and greatly appreciated!