Legend of Zelda
The Hidden Princess
Chapter 1
"Achoo!" I cried. Sniffing, I grabbed my handkerchief and blew my nose. Shoveling hay was the hardest job I've ever had, especially when some gets in my nose. The sound of crunching footsteps crept behind me. Slowly and carefully, I unsheathed my hidden sword. As soon as the footsteps stopped, I suddenly turned around in time to see a wooden sword come down towards me. Reacting to it, I raised my sword, and batted it away. Taking the chance, I dropped down to the ground, rapped my foot around the attacker's ankle, and pulled. He fell down and dropped his sword. I grabbed it, pressed a foot on his chest, and pointed the sword towards his throat. "I win again," I triumphantly proclaimed. "Fine, you win, now get off me!" my old friend responded. I got off of him, and then extended a hand. He grabbed it and hoisted himself up. I helped brush the dust and hay off him. Once again, some got in my nose. "Achoo!" I sneezed. Laughing, my friend handed me his handkerchief. "Thanks," I said, while using it. "Aren't you supposed to be watching the goats?" I asked him. "What's going to happen if you leave a few goats alone?" he asked. There was a sudden cry from the village. "GOAT!!" He turned back to me with a sheepish smile. "Better hurry!" I told him. He hurried through the gate towards the town. Laughing at him, I continued shoveling hay. After a few minutes, I noticed the hay, the pitchfork, and myself were shaking and trembling! Suddenly, there was a terrible rumbling coming from the ground. The ground shook so much that a crack formed on the surface. Finally, what seemed like hours, it stopped. I took a few deep breathes, and then sprinted towards the village. Something could've happened to it. When I go down the hill, I noticed that everything was normal. As if the earthquake never happened. Across the river, there stood Otis, the mayor of the village. I jumped over the river to get to him. "Did you feel that?" I asked breathlessly. He stared at me. "Feel what?" "The earthquake! It was huge and it made a hole the middle of the ranch!" I explained. He just continued to stare at me. "There was no earthquake. I'll check out the ranch, if it'll make you feel better," he told me and headed up the hill. I spotted my friend over by the scarecrow patch trying to calm the goat. "Tell me you felt that!" I told him. He turned towards me. "What? What are you talking about?" It was the same as the mayor. Was I the only one to feel the earthquake? Or, was it a warning? Without another word, I ran away from the village into the near woods. I needed to see someone. Someone that lived deep in the forest. She was shunned by our village because she told them that she had special powers. Nobody believed her, so she left and now lives in the forest. One day on a walk, I found her on the ground. Startled, I helped her get to her little hut in the middle of a clearing. When we got there, she showed much gratitude and explained that she simply fell. Still, I stayed with her until her foot healed from the fall. Soon we became fast friends. Now, whenever I feel alone, I just go to her. She always helps. Her name is…Impa. Forcing my way to the clearing, I spotted the hut, ran up to it, and started to knock. "Coming," an elderly voice called from inside. A few minutes later, the door opened. There stood my friend Impa. "My dear child, what is wrong?" she asked, taking my hand and pulling me inside. "Impa, something happened and I don't know how to explain it," I told her. She seated me on a small stole, and then took her place in a big chair. "Tell me what is bothering you," she said calmly. Taking a deep breath, I told her about the earthquake and how nobody noticed it. She just sat there, nodding her head. When I was done, she got up, went to a small chest, and opened it. "Come here child," she whispered. When I approached, a golden light started to form from the inside. Drawn to the light, I got down and looked inside the chest. Something was in there that made the light. Reaching in it, my hands grasped something. I pulled it out. It was a necklace with a jewel on the end. The jewel was a golden triangle and gave off a luminous light. "What is it?" I whispered. "Something your mother left you," she told me. I suddenly snapped back to reality. "My mother?" I cried. Impa nodded her aging head. "It was her dying wish that I would keep this safe until you were ready to receive it." I turned back to the gem. My mother died from an illness when I was really little. I could only remember her smiling face, her cheerful laugh, and her long yellow hair. The villagers said that I resemble her so much. I don't see how. I have a boyish figure, and short, messy, pale hair. I'd often ask people where my father was. The only thing they would say was 'He loved you,' and the subject was changed. Impa broke my thoughts. "Child, the earthquake and the whole were signs of something terrible about to happen. It is time for you to leave this village," she told me. My eyes grew wide. "Leave the village? But it's my home! I grew up here and I have friends! Why would I leave it?" I cried. "You must go, and find someone out there. Her name is the Luna Fairy. You will find her in the temple near Lake Hylia. She will explain everything to you," she told me. "I've never left my home before," I confessed. Impa smiled. "That's why I asked someone to go with you," she said. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. "Can you get that?" she asked me. I thought it was weird that someone was knocking. I mean, nobody but me visits Impa. I opened to door and stared face to face with the person in the doorway. "Ready to go?" my friend asked. He was carrying two backpacks, and was wearing a green tunic over brown pants. "Huh?" I chocked. Impa placed a hand on my shoulder. "I've asked your friend here, if he could go with you" she explained. I turned towards him. "I've been out of the village, so I can be your guide." It was all too much for me. I just sat on the floor. "Why, Impa? Why do I have to go on a journey away from my home to find a fairy?" "If you stay here, only destruction will come. It is what your mother would want you to do," she told me. Gripping the necklace in my hand, I pulled it around my neck and fastened the chain. My friend extended a hand. I took it, and he hoisted me up. "Are you ready?" he asked. Swallowing hard, I nodded my head. "Let's go!" he exclaimed and pulled me from the house and through the woods. I turned my head back to see Impa waving goodbye. "Thank-you" I whispered. After a while of hiking, we came to a giant tree with a hole cut in it for people to pass by. "This is it! If we step through that hole, we will be out of the village," he explained. I took a deep breath. He turned towards me. "Are you ready, Zelda?" "I'm ready Link." We both stepped through the hole.