"This is the Goddess of Power." Her mother's whisper echoed slightly in the dimly lit shrine. "Din."

Zelda's toes caught on the stone floor, but she lifted them up higher, grabbing her skirts in her fists as well. She took a few steps closer to the statue, hesitant. The monument towered over her. The rain pounded against the roof, testifying of the Goddess's power.

The little princess knelt near the statue's strong, stone calves. She had to crane her neck to stare up at its rigid face. Her eyes raked across the Goddess's clenched fists, high cheekbones, and curiously round ears. The blank irises seemed bright and hard. Zelda shivered as she bowed her head in obeisance to the Goddess who had created the land. She was beautiful. Zelda hated her.

Funny, that of the three – Wisdom, Courage and Power – the final should strike her so deeply. She didn't remember at all her first sight of the other two Goddesses. Ironic, considering the connection to one of them that she had had since birth. Her fated bond to Nayru's wisdom would come to transcend time and legend, as it had for those before her.

But it was Din that she first remembered. Din who first struck that unknowable tremor into her heart. Young Zelda rode away from the temple that day, settling as close as she could to the bulk of her father's warmth. She shivered, leaning to him for comfort against the rain and cold – but from something else, too. From fear…fear of power.

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS

Chapter One

Ordon

I heard voices. Some indistinct and soft, others sharp. They pounded inside my skull. I squinted enough to open my eyes, and the light pounded at my sockets. "Ugh…"

The voices went quiet. "Don't try to move," I heard a male voice say, as his gentle hands supported my head. I gasped and jerked up out of his grasp. Don't try to move? Was I really that hurt?

"You're fine," the same voice said, now holding my head with a firm grip. "Just keep still."

I settled on my back, stiff, and bit by bit registered different sensations of pain all over my body. My chest felt tight. My leg ached with a sharper pain, down in my calf. "Wha's going on?" I slurred.

"You rode into town last night," a feminine voice started. "You seemed ready to pass out right on your horse."

Epona.

"You did pass out," the masculine voice added. "Once you saw us."

I remembered now. Everything was dark until I saw the glowing orange of lantern and torch light. A town, a village…somewhere to stop.

I heard a clinking noise and some rustling as others pressed in closer.

"Where am I?" I mumbled, putting my hand over my eyes. My head started to pound.

"Ordon."

I blinked, and saw thick eyebrows, a square jaw, and kind eyes leaning over me. They were the last thing I saw before my vision went black.

I dreamt of my mother.

"Come on, Link," she whispered. She shook me by the shoulder. "Wake up. You ready to go?"

"Again?" I grumbled, shaking the sleep from my eyes.

"Yes, son." She moved off to stuff a spare tunic in my travel pack. I sat up and brushed my hand through my hair, blinking the bleariness from my eyes.

"Where we going now?"

She let out her breath and dropped her hands, setting a pair of soft sleep-pants in the bag atop the tunic. She turned to the window and scanned the skies. The barely risen sun shone through the clouds, reflecting in her eyes.

"Wherever it takes," she murmured. "To find him…"

I stirred in my sleep.

"Look at his ears," someone whispered.

"They're pointed. He must be Hylian, right?"

"Got to be," the familiar male voice grunted. "Never heard of anyone else with ears like that."

"How old d'you think he is?"

"How many times have you asked in the time he's been asleep?" another one said in exasperation. "Just hush, he needs rest!"

"Just a kid," the other one mumbled. "Can't be older than fifteen…"

"F-fourteen," I mumbled.

The people gasped, and a few backed away to give me space. I blinked, and the room didn't spin this time. I opened my eyes. A crowd, all dressed in similar homespun garments, stood around me. I was on a couch, in some kind fire-lit home.

I focused on the people, all of whom stared at me. A woman with a squash-shaped head dropped her jaw, small eyes bugging. A frail man stood beside her, nervousness written across his features. Another woman, large and hulking, watched from behind a short and stocky man's shoulder. I looked to each of them, one by one.

"Epona…?" My voice rasped in my throat. I swallowed.

"Who's Epona?" someone whispered. Indistinguishable, breathy mumblings ensued.

My head buzzed for a moment. It took a few moments for the buzzing to recede. "M-my horse," I said, working through a clenched jaw. Tremors started through my body, down to my tight chest and pained leg. I blinked, and felt wetness trail down my temples.

"Shh," a woman's voice soothed. She knelt by the couch and placed a cool cloth on my forehead. "It's okay." I felt soft fingers wipe my eyes, though my tears kept flowing. "It's safe here."

The others had the decency to look away, turning to gather on the opposite side of the room for my privacy. All, that is, except the square-jawed man I recognized from before. He stepped closer, arms crossed, and sat in the chair beside me.

"My name's Rusl," he said, once I had calmed down. "I'm the town's swordsman." He gestured to the kind, blond woman. "This is my wife, Uli." She smiled so warmly that her eyes crinkled up.

I looked between them and nodded. "H-hi," I said, reaching out my hand. "I'm Link."

Rusl shook my hand firmly, a smile breaking out on his face for the first time I had seen. "Well met, Link."

I nodded and smiled. My hand started to tremble in his grip. He set it back down, and stood. "I'll draw up a bath while Uli looks to your leg."

"Do you know what happened to it?" Uli asked gently, touching my swollen calf. I felt a fresh surge of pain, as if the injury had only just remembered itself.

"I fell off my horse…" In the rain. I'd been running.

She paused, a puzzled expression crossing her features. "You came in still on the saddle."

"I…got back on…" The night's events emerged from the fog filling my mind. "I…" But my throat swelled up, and I felt more warmth trailing down the sides of my eyes.

"It's okay," Uli hushed, putting a damp cloth on my forehead. It felt cool. "You're still healing. You just need rest."

I let my neck go slack, and my head fell back on its cushion. In a house, with people who'd bandaged and cared for me...

I closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep as the group continued low murmured discussions behind me.

The next morning, Uli wrapped my calf in long, white bandages to hold the fracture in place. The room was empty now except for her and her husband, and the three-year-old blond boy that had finally been willing to peek out over the couch's arm only after the crowd had disappeared this morning.

"Were you traveling alone?" Uli asked, her eyes trained on each fold of fabric as she placed them.

"Yes," I answered, still a little hoarse. I cleared my throat again. "Yeah."

"Where are your parents?" she asked curiously.

"Not our place to ask, Uli," Rusl rumbled from the chair by the fire, where he carved a set of crutches piece by piece.

"No," I said, "no, it's okay. They're gone."

Uli's brows drew up in concern. "Oh, you poor thing…"

I shifted, uncomfortable with her pity, but figured I might as well get it all out. "My mom and I, we traveled together. She got attacked," I said. My voice got stuck. "She didn't make it."

"Oh, you poor dear!" Uli blinked sudden tears away and leapt up to gather me into a hug. "And you've been alone since then?"

I shifted to get looser in her hug, since my chest was still tight and it was awkward. But still. It felt nice.

"Uh, yeah," I said, and closed my eyes so I didn't have to register Rusl over by the fire, watching me. "Just traveling."

She squeezed me gently and let go, wiping her eyes and smiling at me. "Where are you headed?" Uli asked. "Is there anything we can do?" Her little boy came out and crawled into her lap.

I didn't know how to answer either of those questions. Headed? Nowhere. I found what we were looking for, and found that it was nothing at all. Anything they could do?

"I'm okay," I answered.

"You're welcome to stay with us," Rusl said, shifting to wipe his brow before he fit two pieces of the crutch together. "If your traveling days are done."

For a moment I balked, but then I thought about it. Mom would be happier to know I was somewhere with good people. "Thanks," I said, and shrugged to make it look more casual. Staying in a town for good…that felt good.

The little boy started to cry and Uli stood, moving off to a corner of the room to soothe him. "Colin doesn't like strangers," she explained, rocking him and speaking softly. "But he'll warm up to you." She smiled.

I smiled back, and carefully lifted my now-wrapped leg back up onto the couch. Stay in Ordon. I'd made my decision already. It felt like home here.

Within the next week my leg started healing enough that I could get up and around town. With a lot of exploring and wandering, I started to attach more names to faces. Besides Rusl, Uli and Colin, I met Sera the shopkeeper, her husband Hanch, the nervous one, a short and stocky guy named Jaggle, and a few others whose names I couldn't remember. The village was the smallest I had ever seen. Just a few families gathered together in a settlement. But it was peaceful, and happy, especially judging by the kids. The families' toddlers followed me around with giggles abounding, and kept running around my crutches as I tried to navigate the village.

When I had come into town that first night, the rancher and a few other men caught Epona by the reins and led her through the rain to the town ranch. As soon as I could get around I visited her often, sometimes twice a day.

"Hey, girl." I shifted my crutch and stroked her muzzle. It was so soft. She nudged my midsection, sniffing around. "Sorry," I murmured, patting her neck. "I don't have a snack today."

"Heads up!"

Thunk.

"Ow!"

I heard something roll in the dust. I looked up, rubbing my head and wincing when I touched the tender spot.

"What's this?" I grabbed the apple from the ground as a stout man strolled up the hill.

"For yer pony!" the rancher called back, grinning through his squinting in the sun. He sauntered closer. I rubbed my head, then held out the fruit for Epona. She sniffed it, then closed her lips around my fingers, smacking and snorting in her efforts to chew the treat.

"Have a good day, Fable?" I asked. I had to squint beneath my own, longer hair as the sun rose higher.

"Fado," he corrected, then shrugged. "Eh, good as any."

He slung himself against one of the stable's few empty wall spots. "Sometimes," he sighed, "I feel like those goats understand me more than you people do."

I laughed. Fado sent a crooked smile my way, then crossed his bristly arms.

"Gets a little difficult chasin' cows around myself." He raised his eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah?" I ran my fingers through Epona's mane.

"'Smatter of fact," he continued, "I sure could use your help, if you'd like! A real, bona-fide job."

"Me?"

"Heck, sure! You're sure strong enough, and you've done good for this town a'ready. Stopped all the babies' squabblin', since all they wanna do is follow you around, anyway. And everyone's been pulling together to get you all situated – I mean, you've seen them workin' on your house."

It was true. It seemed like everyone had bonded together to make me welcome in Ordon. A treehouse already stood half-constructed in the small clearing just outside of town.

"And your pony'd be a great help," he continued. "Our old town mare Strawberry's getting old and no good for roundin' up the herd anymore. But roundin' up with a horse…so much easier," he sighed.

"When can I start?" I asked eagerly.

"Well shoot, soon as you're up off those crutches we can get going, huh?"

"Yeah!" I pumped my fists on my crutches and followed him out into the sunshine. "Wanna show me the ropes?"

"Right now?" he asked in surprise.

"Sure, why not?" I dug my crutches in the dirt and propelled myself forward.

"Wha – well hang on, kid, hang on!" He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me up short.

"What? Come on!"

"Okay…" He followed me out of the stable. "Just keep outta the way, y'hear?"

"Sure thing," I said, leaning against the fences. I put my crutches aside and hefted myself up to sit on the rail, letting my wrapped leg dangle carefully.

"Awright!" Fado called from the barn. "Let 'er rip!"

The barn door creaked open and a dozen large, blue goats with distinct circular horns charged onto the field. Each animal slowed to a stop after just a minute and grazed in the pasture.

"S'all there is to it!" Fado called, tossing his key ring in the air and then stuffing it loosely in his waist-sash. "Let 'em out, let 'em eat, and round 'em back in." He patted his keys. "Hardest part's the rounding. Well, besides the feeding and cleaning and upkeep, that is." He winked.

"How do you do that without a horse?" I asked, curious. I leaned forward, watching one of the large goats wander toward us.

"Whelp," Fado started, and rested his hands on his hips. "It's a lot longer process, since I've gotta lead them in one by one. Usually I just approach 'em nice and easy and lead the little things by the horns. S'a bit of a different story if they're mad," he said, chuckling.

Little things? The one approaching Fado, at least, didn't look like anything I'd call little. The goat lifted its head and flicked out its upper lip toward me.

"It's not going to charge me or anything, right?" I asked warily, reaching for my crutches just in case.

"No! Naw, no, these goats are the gentlest creatures you ever saw!" He patted its large head just to prove it. The goat nuzzled its master's waist. "See?" Fado beamed. "Nicest things – HEY!"

The goat's tongue curled around the rancher's key ring, and pulled it out of Fado's belt.

"Gimme that!" Fado hollered, and leapt after the goat. The animal clenched the metal ring in its teeth and made a dash for the fence where I sat. I jumped to the ground with my crutches in hand, barely managing to use them to break my fall instead of landing on my injured leg.

"HEY YOU GOAT! WHOOOAA!" Fado shouted, running after the thing. The goat barreled back towards the herd, bellowing in distress. The whole herd started to move, following the large goat's lead. By the time I steadied myself with a crutch under each arm the whole herd was churning in a mass of bluish gray.

"I gotta get those keys back!" Fado said, eyes wide and frantic. "I didn't lock the gate and those buggers know how'da push it open!" He lumbered towards the animals, but I shot past him.

"What in Ordona's name are you – LINK?"

I pumped my crutches faster across the field, gaining momentum. A goat from the mass of blue veered my direction. I pivoted on one crutch and took the opening it left, straight into the riot of surging animal bodies.

Snorts and grunts sounded around me, but I kept my eyes peeled for a glint of metal amidst the dull fur and bone. The crutches creaked in protest when I made a wild spin on one axis to avoid a charging goat. Right in the middle of the chaos, I caught a glimpse of something shiny. Bingo.

I zig-zagged between two crossing goats, shifting from crutch to crutch in the churned-up mud to keep on track with the shifting pathway in my vision. I kept my hurt leg tensed up from the ground, relying wholly on the other leg and the crutches under my arms instead. Goats veered left and right and the line I envisioned shifted with each motion, but always leading me towards my goal.

The goat with the keys suddenly changed paths and cut in front of its fellow to charge towards me. I stopped for a moment and faced the massive animal. I had to make a split-second decision. Sit still and get crushed, or try something crazy.

I tried something crazy.

"Hyah!" I lunged for the goat's massive circular horn, abandoning my crutches to be crushed beneath several dozen hooves in the mud. Somewhere in my focus I registered another distressed yell from Fado.

I held onto the goat's massive horn and flapped in the wind like a flag as the goat threw its head up and down. My injured leg jerked in the air, and my other leg banged hard against the goat's side. I yelled in reaction to the pain, but kept my focus, and my grip.

I relied on the strength of my arms to pull myself closer to the goat's head. My good leg reached out, against the wind resistance, attempting to hook around the animal's back or neck so I could find myself a solid position.

The goat stopped suddenly and tossed its head again. My momentum crashed me right into its horns as I held onto them tightly, but the rebound left me right where I wanted to be – one leg on each side of his neck – before the goat took off again.

I linked my ankles beneath the goat's thick neck, locking myself in place, despite the animal's frantic motion. I leaned forward through the hoop of its great horn, then let go of them and reached down for the keys instead. The question, do goats bite? crossed my mind just as my fingers gripped the ring, and pulled.

The goat resisted, then found itself distracted when my elbow accidentally slipped over its eyelid. I yanked the saliva-covered key ring up and out, and pulled myself back to grip the goat's horn again with my other hand.

"O'er here, kiddo!" I caught a glimpse of Fado standing in position to block any goats from escaping at the gate, just as my goat barreled past. I let my ankles go and hurtled off the goat, rolling in the grass till I came to a stop.

"What in tarnation - kid!" Fado rushed up to me. I sat up, adrenaline still rushing. I hadn't felt any in days. "You okay?" he asked. "Craziest thing I ever saw! Don't you go trying that kind of thing again, y'hear me?"

I beamed, pleased. Fado stopped his tirade, bewildered.

"Got your keys," I said, holding up the green foam-covered metal ring. A lop-sided grin spread over my face as Fado, disbelieving, reached to take the key ring from my hand. He pulled me to my feet.

"How did you – where on earth did you learn crazy moves like that?" Fado asked, still in shock as he locked the gate, allowing the goats to slow down on their own time now that we were both out of the fray.

I shrugged. "Active childhood?" Mom always encouraged me to let loose in play time.

He stared for a moment, then gave up and shook his head. He wouldn't show it for the world, but I could tell that somewhere behind his shock and feigned disapproval, he was pleased, too.

"So I get the job, right?" I asked eagerly.

Fado let out a grunt of a laugh. "Heh. Yeah, kid, you get the job."

I beamed again, too excited even to worry yet how I'd explain my new set of scratches and bumps to Uli, or the loss of my crutches to Rusl.

"Come on," Fado said, laughing again. He pounded my back and wound his arm beneath my shoulder to support me. "Let's get you something to walk with, so you can head home."

I started down from the ranch toward the village again, a broad grin on my face. I didn't even notice the cane I used for a walking stick slip in a patch of mud till I started wobbling on my way down the hill.

"Need help with that?" I heard someone ask. I looked up, expecting despite the girlish voice to see Rusl offer his helping hand.

Instead I saw a smiling girl my age, with dirty blond hair curving gently around her neck. With a lithe movement she put her hand on her hip and tilted her head. "Well?" she asked, giggling a little.

"Uh…"

She laughed, then snatched away my cane.

"Hey! What are you – "

Before I could lose my balance, she slipped under my shoulder and slung my arm around her neck. "Hold on!"

My stomach did a flip as she began to lead me haltingly down the hill. Who iwas/i this girl? She was awfully close. Thankfully, I had my own footing to focus on, if I wanted to avoid stumbling and dragging is both down to the ground.

"No need to be shy," she said with a burst of breath once we reached even grass. She handed my walking stick back and pushed her bangs out of her face. "I'm Ilia," she added, a little flushed, but with bright eyes.

"Link," I answered, too surprised to say much else. My mouth worked for a second. "Uh, are you – "

"I live right up there," she said, pointing to a circular hut by the path we'd just come down. "My dad's the mayor."

"Oh." That big bull of a man? Oh, Goddesses. But she was cute, and nice, so... "I just moved in," I explained. "Staying with Uli and Rusl back down by the stream – " I started to point, but she cut me off.

"Oh, I know!" she said. "I was there! The first night you came in, I mean," she amended. "I helped bring your mare into the stable. Epona, right?"

"Yeah," I said, caught off-guard that she knew it. "Yeah, that's her."

"Right." She beamed. "She's a beautiful horse."

"Yeah," I said again. "Yeah…"

After a moment's awkward pause, she gave me back my walking stick. "See you around," she said with a little smile, turning to run back up the path.

"See you!" I called.

Hm.

Ilia.

I practically shoveled my stew down that night, hungrier then after the goat-and-keys incident than I had been in days, lying on Rusl and Uli's couch.

"Have a good day?" Uli asked pleasantly, serving up a second bowl with a warm smile.

"Yeah," I answered, gulping down another spoonful.

"I heard about your day," Rusl said from the opposite side of the table. Uli fed baby Colin spoonful by spoonful at his other side.

I nearly coughed into my bowl. "Yeah?" The last thing I wanted Rusl to hear was about me causing a ruckus at the ranch before I even started work there.

"Yeah," he grunted. He didn't ask, so I didn't volunteer any information.

After dinner, he took me aside. "That must have taken a great deal of strength, and agility," he said, meeting my eyes directly. "Not to mention bravery."

I shifted my eyes towards the fireplace, waiting for him to go on. Not a reprimand, at least. And though his praise was barely less embarrassing, I felt a quiet rush of pride.

"Do you have any experience with a sword?" he asked.

"Me? No," I admitted.

"I'm Ordon's swordsman," Rusl said. "I need someone to practice with; someone to train. Would you allow me to train you, Link?"

The fire's light reflected off his skin and his eyes, serious as I had ever seen them in my short stay with his family.

"Yes," I answered simply.

Rusl's face broke out in a wide smile. He pounded my back. "Good man," he said, and stood. "Welcome to Ordon." He went to Colin and his wife, and left me by the fire.