Author's Note
Okay. This is the first fan fiction I've written since I was thirteen. I am now nineteen. I hope my spelling and grammar skills have improved since then, hehe. Anywho, I hope for this to be a long and super-awesome LoZ fic. ^_^ I know the beginning seems to take a while, but everything will be explained later on, I promise.

DISCLAIMER- Legend of Zelda© Nintendo. I don't own anything having to do with Legend of Zelda. I bought the games and a few manga here and there, and that's about it. ;)

Prologue

A young woman of only twenty-three years of age awakened from a painful slumber. She sat upright, feeling dazed and rather light-headed. Glancing at her surroundings, the woman realized she was in an unfamiliar place- a cold, dark chamber lit by only a single window high up on the stone wall.

She began to cry. The poor woman had no idea where she was, why she was kidnapped, or how she would get out of that filthy prison chamber. But on top of everything else, she was worried sick about her newborn son. His father had been killed in combat months before, which left her devastated, both because she missed her husband, and now that she was being held in a musty old cell against her will, the infant had no parents to care for him. The woman sobbed even harder.

A tall, muscular man with darkish skin opened the door, carrying half a loaf of bread and a bowl of what appeared to be soup. "Eat," said the eerie-looking man as he handed her the food.

She took it slowly, studying the stranger's face the best she could through the darkness. "You..." she choked. She recognized him. He was the man who ordered her to be kidnapped. "Why did you do this?" she whispered through her sobs. "What do you want with me...?"

The man let out a short, dark laugh, then left the room, bolting the door behind him.

Twenty years later-

"I know he's out there somewhere, Tari," said a beautiful woman in her mid twenties, gazing mindlessly at her reflection in the mirror, running a brush through her long, chestnut colored hair. "I can feel it. And it's stronger than any feeling I've ever felt..."

A slightly younger female, fidgeting with her own hair of light auburn, turned to look at the older girl. "Even more than your raw hatred for that huge, muscular guy? The one trying to gain the king's trust?"

The brown haired woman scowled. "My father would be a fool to trust that man." She turned to look at the red haired girl. "I know he's up to something horrible. Tari... Do you remember that day, about eight years ago... when your father, among many other castle guards, was killed in battle?"

The young woman known as Tari sighed. "Very clearly," she replied, a solemn expression on her lightly freckled face. "I really miss him, Zel. He taught me everything I know. I mean... Mother taught me many things throughout the years... but Dad... He's the reason I'm the warrior I am today."

"And, as I recall," Princess Zelda began, "that bow of yours was once his as well."

"Yeah," Tari said softly, looking over to the side, where her bow rested on a small table against the wall of Zelda's bedroom. "But... what does that have to do with that man you hate?"

Zelda continued to brush her long, sleek hair. "I saw him that day," she said softly. "He was in charge of the whole army that attacked us. And I could swear that it was that very man who killed my mother on that day, too. I remember his face so clearly... It sometimes haunts my dreams... I just know he's going to start something terrible again."

Tari's green eyes widened for a split second. "You really think it was him?" she asked. "Why haven't you told your father?"

Zelda sighed. "He may be king, but I feel he's far too old for anymore worry like this. I'd rather us handle this ourselves."

"And by that, you mean I go search all of Hyrule for this 'hero' you feel will save us all?" Tari said with a smile, making a joke.

Zelda giggled. "Precisely. You are my favorite body guard."

Tari rolled her eyes. "That's mother's job," she laughed.

"Which is why she can't go find our hero, Tari," Zelda added, making a good point, once Tari thought about it. "And..." she added, "you have your father's..."

"Shhh..." Tari whispered, hushing her. "Nobody can know, other than you and mother..."

Zelda smiled. "I don't know why you keep it secret, Tari," she replied. "It's one of the most beautiful things about you." She stood up from her chair. "I know you're strong enough... even if that is what makes you strong. You can find the hero."

Tari exhaled an exasperated sigh. "Well, okay..." she began, "but... what makes you think he's really, truley out there?"

Zelda held out her hand, her palm facing down. "Remember that story I told you a while back about this?" she asked, motioning to the triangular shaped symbol on the back of her hand.

"Erm... It's a.. 'Triforce,' right?" Tari asked, a bit confused.

"Yes." Zelda continued, "There are three parts, as the story goes: Power, Wisdom, and Courage."

"Uh huh..."

"Each of them belonging to one person. As you can see, I am one of those three people."

"Okay..." Tari mumbled, slowly beginning to remember the tale Zelda told her when they were children. "So... the hero bears one as well...?"

Zelda smiled. "Exactly! I know it... It's what all the legends say!"

Tari sighed. "Well, you win, Zel." She picked up her bow, strapped her arrow filled quiver around her shoulder, and equipped her two trusty daggers her mother had given her. "I'll search."

Zelda smiled sweetly at her friend. "This really does mean a lot to me, Tari," she said softly. "Thank you."

Tari grinned, and gave the princess a hug. "Well... Wish me luck!" she said, making her way out of the room.

"Oh, Tari?" Zelda asked, before she'd left.

"Hm?"

"You should head through Faron Woods first, just south of here. It's a small area, so it would probably be good to get it out of the way, first."

Tari smiled confidently. "Will do," she replied.

"And bring him back to the castle as soon as you find him, please..." Zelda added, almost pleading. "We need help as fast as we can get it... I have an awful feeling..."