Author's Notes: I found a website that is broadcasting (as far as I can tell legally) the Legend of Zelda cartoon from the 1980-90s. It is an excellent cartoon, but in episode 1 Link is already in service to Hyrule. I got to wondering how it was that Link came from the "Hero's Life" discussed in that episode ("The Ringer") to the castle life he has through the entire series. So, I wrote this story.

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Episode 1: Link's Origins

Zelda rushed through the hallways of the castle as fast as she could. She had been swimming in the falls by the lost mountains with some of the other girls from the kingdom, but news of the attack on Hyrule spread quickly. Her father had been wounded in battle, and she came to tend to his injuries.

As she approached her father's bedroom, she saw one of the Kingdom's magicians leaving the room. She ran up to him; maybe he could explain what was going on.

"How is my father doing?" Zelda inquired. "Can I see him?"

The magician didn't make eye contact with Zelda. "I'm sorry, but you can't see your father right now," he said to his feet. "He has been jinxed by the enemy. He's very contagious right now, and will die if we don't get the eye of a Zora within 24 hours."

Zelda stared blankly into the air in front of her. A slight tear was forming in her eye, but she paid no attention to it. "Didn't we have one of those in the castle storage?"

"About that, princess..." The magician was still talking to his feet. "I needed to cure myself after treating your father. After treating myself, we were out of Zora eyes."

Zelda was infuriated. "It's your job to treat my father!" she yelled.

"Well excuuuuuuse me, princess. I was on the brink of death in there."

"And on the brink of unemployment! You're fired! I don't ever want to see you near the castle again!"

The magician escorted himself out of the castle.

Zelda was no longer fighting her tears. She was letting them flow out of her eyes as rivers. She wailed, "Isn't there anyone who can help my father?"

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The Zora was spitting fireballs left and right. It was practically surrounded by a flaming inferno. But that did not stop Link. He was able to dodge everything the Zora threw at him. Eventually the Zora tired itself out and had to dive for air.

"Where do you think you're going?" Link said to the beast, pointing his sword at it. The Zora had never faced a foe this competent before. It was dumbfounded that anything could battle like that. It took a moment to analyze its worthy foe, but that was its fatal mistake. Link's sword fired a jet of light directly at it, dematerializing the beast so that only an eyeball remained.

Link picked up the eyeball, examining the treasure. "All right!" he screamed.

A fairy came out of the bushes. "Link," it said. "Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you."

The fairy's hair was a color that wasn't quite blonde, and wasn't quite brown. She wore a pink animal skin on her body that Link had made for her. Her real name was Miff, but Link had nicknamed her Spryte.

Link sheathed his sword. "I've been kicking butt, Spryte. There's nothing more rewarding than that on a day as lucky as today has been."

"Huh? What do you mean, Link?"

"Well I wake up from our campsite in the lost mountains, and there are all these girls swimming in the falls. So I watch them until they scatter, and try to follow them. But this Zora comes out. I slay it, saving all the girls, and getting one of these valuable Zora eyes as a reward. Not to mention all my adoring Lady fans."

"And where are those adoring Lady fans?" asked Spryte. Link looked around. She was right. All the girls had fled from the scene while Link was battling the Zora.

"Spryte," Link said seriously. "Please don't tell me these things."

"Don't worry Link," Spryte said, batting her eyes. "You've still got one."

"Your three inches tall, Spryte. It wouldn't work out."

Link sheathed his sword. He put the Zora's eye in a satchel tied to his belt. "You didn't happen to see a merchant's cave while you were looking for me, did you?" Link asked Spryte.

"No, but the Hyrule castle isn't too far from here. There is bound to be a merchant there somewhere."

"Which direction is it?"

"To the west a bit."

Link pointed his finger west. "Onward!" he shouted.

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The merchant smiled as his customer left. "A pleasure doing business," he said. "Next customer, please."

Link stepped up to the stall. The merchant greeted him. "How can I help you today?"

Link pulled the eye out of the satchel on his belt. "I'd like to sell today," he said to the merchant.

The merchant eyed the Zora eye patiently. This man obviously didn't know how much the eye was worth. The princess Zelda had set a reward of 900 rupees to whoever could deliver a Zora's eye to the castle. The merchant, trying not to reveal his thoughts, turned to Link and announced, "It is in a somewhat shabby condition. I suppose I can give you 10 rupees for it."

Link put the eye back in his satchel. "Spryte," he said to his fairy friend. "Let's go find a merchant who won't insult my intelligence."

The merchant screamed in desperation, "I'll give you 700 rupees for it!"

"Now that's more like it," Link said with a smile on his face. "Why the sudden increase?"

"Well, um..." The merchant tried his hardest to think of a reasonable excuse, but none came. Spryte, however, had been listening to a conversation two Hylians had been having not too far from the stall.

"Do you think anyone will get the eye?" one said.

"No. I hate to think it, but I believe we'll be getting a king soon," said the other.

"Bite your tongue," said the first. "The whole kingdom is praying for our beloved king. And I daresay, 900 rupees for a Zora's eye may be just the incentive needed to find some hero brave enough..." Spryte didn't listen to the rest of the conversation. She ran straight to Link and whispered the information about the eye to him.

Link smiled and bowed to the merchant. "I'm sorry," he said, "but a more enticing offer than yours has presented itself. I'm meeting the princess tonight."

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"Princess," said the man knocking on Zelda's door. "Princess, there is someone who wishes to meet with you."

Zelda left her bedroom, thanked the man for his information, and went to the front door of the keep. There, a guard introduced the man who wanted to meet with her as Link. He wore a green tunic and hat. The hat looked like a sleeping cap. Underneath his tunic were the normal brown clothes of a peasant. His pupils were completely black, a color matching his hair perfectly. His face, although very dirty, shined.

Link removed the Zora's eye from his satchel. Zelda reached to get it. Link noticed her long, golden hair fly over her shoulder as she extended her hand. Her magical green eyes glowed with excitement over the package. He could feel her smooth hand as it brushed him. Link could tell he was going to like this girl.

"Oh, right," Zelda said after taking the eye. "I owe you 900 rupees."

Link shook his head. "Keep it princess." That was all he said.

It confused Spryte. This wasn't the aggressive Link she'd known from childhood. She rushed up to Link's ear and said, half screaming, half whispering in his ear, "What are you doing, Link? Didn't we come here to get paid?"

"Will you excuse me a second, princess," Link said. "I'll be right back."

He turned to Spryte, and in a similar half whisper, half scream told her, "Spryte, I've got a plan for something better." Spryte was confused. "We need that money to buy food, Link."

Link was glanced back at the princess to ensure she was still there. She was still there. She was giving the eye to one of her servants, who immediately left to treat the king. Link turned back to Spryte and said, "I'm going to try and get us a job here. We may even be able to live here, getting fed with the royals, and never even worrying about getting food again."

Link didn't wait for Spryte's response.

"Well princess," Link said turning to Zelda, "I had better be off. Unless there is something else I can do for you."

"I'm sorry, I don't believe a caught your name," Zelda said.

"Link's the name. I'm a wandering hero by profession, but would like some steady employment."

"I have one thing you might be able to help with, Link. But you must be warned of the job conditions."

"Fire away," said Link. A smile was creeping its way up his face.

"Any dishonorable discharge, and your title will be changed to 'The Evil.' Anyone with this title can be legally hunted by all bounty hunters in Hyrule."

"Okay," Link said. The smile hadn't faded.

"You will live in the castle, and respond to my every order and command."

Zelda closed her eyes, as if trying to acess the back regions of her mind to remember all the essential info. Link started leaning closer to the princess.

"For your main assignment, you will be required to lose your life fulfilling it if needs be."

Links lips were a mere inch away from Zelda's. Then Spryte flew between them, shocking Link and making him pull his face away. Zelda opened her eyes.

"Hey," Spryte said. "What about me? I'm not sure the princess will want me hanging around."

"Well then," said Link. "I guess you'll have to leave Spryte."

Zelda turned to the fairy. "You could probably do some maid work around the keep to justify your staying here."

"Thank you princess," said Spryte. She smiled and flew over to Link, who didn't share her joy.

"Follow me," Zelda said to Link. She started walking down one of the larger hallways, with Link and Spryte following behind. "Not too long before you got here, Link," said Zelda, never slowing her walking pace, "I fired a wizard named Gannon for saving his own life at the expense of my father's. That's why I even needed the Zora's eye from you."

"So you want me to assassinate him?" Link said hopefully.

"Not exactly. He stole something very precious to the royal family."

"So, you want me to retrieve it."

They had reached their desired destination, a room at the highest tower, guarded only by a wooden door. "Maybe this will explain better," Zelda said, opening the door.

The room was empty, except for a single pedestal. On that pedestal lied a green triangle. It glowed, filling the room with a dim green light. The sun that came in through the window, though, provided more light.

"This is the triforce of wisdom, Link," said Zelda. "The evil wizard, Gannon, has the triforce of power." She looked out the window. "Whoever gets both triforces will rule this land forever. You must help me Link."

Link turned to Zelda. "Hey, for you, Zelda, anything."

Zelda smiled.

"So, I suppose you want me to guard this thing?" Link said, pointing to the Triforce of Wisdom.

"Yes, Link; that's exactly what I want," Zelda replied.

"May I have a kiss for my trouble?"

He had asked it so quick, Zelda didn't know how to respond. She quickly evaluated the circumstance quickly in her head. He had given her the eye, not to mention committed to protecting the triforce.

"All right," she said. She closed her eyes, and Link closed his. The two of them leaned in closer to each other. Their lips were a mere quarter of an inch away.

"Your highness!" The servant Zelda had given the Zora's eye to earlier came bursting into the room. Zelda turned her attention away from Link, and ran to the servant. Link, however, continued moving forward until falling to the floor.

"The eye worked! The king is back to normal!"

The servant and Zelda ran out of the room, back to the king. Link gave a tremendous yelp of pain, followed by a loud "Excuuuuuuuuuse me, princess!"

"Aww, poor Link," said Spryte. Then she flew over and kissed Link on the forehead.

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Well, there's the end. I hope you all liked it. I know I ended with a lot of gaps left between this story and "The Ringer," but that's because I'll keep on writing if this is popular. Review, and tell me what you think! I would like to write more. (Potential Episode 2: Gannon's Origins)