AN: Hey readers! This is my first try at a Zelda fic, so I hope you enjoy. Oh well, I won't keep you. On with what you're here for.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything titled The Legend of Zelda. Well, I own copies of a few of the games, but other than that, I own nothing. Well… I do own a very nice clock, but it has nothing to do with The Legend of Zelda.

The Royal Guard

Ch.1 A Simple Ride Gone Sour

The wind howled in her face as she urged her horse to run faster. She had the whole day to herself and she wanted to get as far away from home as she could manage. She didn't want to go back. The world was vast and grand and she wanted to see it all. But that would never be. She knew that even after she assumed the throne of Hyrule she would never be permitted to go beyond the borders of her land. By then, she wouldn't even be able to leave the castle. She didn't want to think about this now however. She just wanted to ride as far as the lake. From there, she would have a quiet little picnic, and then she would have to go home.

"Princess!" came the call of her loyal caretaker. "If you continue at this pace for much longer, you'll tire out the horse."

She complied, slowing the horse to a more relaxed gallop. "Sorry Impa, I just wanted to get there sooner so I could stay longer."

"I know you enjoy the lake, but you must think for the horse also. If you work her to the bone now, she won't be able to run when you need her to."

"Alright, but I don't think we're going to be attacked out here."

"You might be surprised at how dangerous the plains can be. Only the strongest warriors, or the cruelest bandits can live long out here."

"Then why doesn't Father do something about it?"

"The king is a very powerful man, but I'm afraid that he can do nothing to rid the land of its evils."

"Then that will be the first thing I deal with as soon as I'm queen."

"I'll put that on your list. Maybe you can fit it in between making the knights carry flowers instead of spears and painting the palace pink."

"I was three when I was talking about those, and I was joking anyways. I'm being serious about this. People shouldn't have to worry about being attacked at random."

"I know, but it's just as unrealistic as the others. The fields aren't safe, it's that simple."

They continued at their leisurely pace until midday when they finally reached the lake. The scenery was as breathtaking as one you might find standing on a mountaintop, but in a different way. The lake was massive to say the least. Even on the clearest of days, she could never see the western shore that supposedly was under the domain of another kingdom. All she ever saw was the horizon where the sky and water met. She often looked out her chamber window near sunset to watch the sun sink into the water.

Looking at the far edge of her vision now, she thought of how glorious the land beyond the water might be. What beautiful sights there were to see, what adventures might await. Whatever it was, she would never see them. It was her blessing and her curse. She saw it more as the latter over the former, but she was told otherwise everyday.

"You have no idea what perils are out beyond these walls, why you could be killed just stepping outside the front gate!" she remembered her mother saying to her on one occasion when she had wanted to see the legendary Kokori Forest. Needless to say, that trip never happened.

After a filling lunch, she took a brief swim. She had taught herself on one of her previous free days, and was considerably skilled. She couldn't compare to a Zora, but that was because they were born to swim. She went twice around a small outcropping of rock that stuck out of the water only a few meters from shore.

Had her mother been there, she wouldn't have been aloud to even go out knee deep. That was why she was so glad that only Impa went with her. Impa would protect her if she were in serious trouble, but she also gave her a lot more freedom than her mother gave. Perhaps that was why her father had appointed Impa to her as her caretaker. He was always thinking about what everyone else wasn't. He probably realized that his daughter wouldn't want to be suffocated by walls and never take any chances.

The water was cool against her skin as she flowed through it. She liked the water; it was like a home that was everywhere. When she was swimming or even taking a bath in the royal bathhouse she could always find a way to relax and think about things, and contrary to popular belief, fifteen year-old girls had many things to think about.

After she got out of the water and dried off, it was time to go. It seemed like they had only arrived but she didn't argue. Even a short time was enough to let her unwind. They packed what was left of the lunch onto their saddlebags; perhaps the stable boys would like some, and rode east to the castle.

They were riding north and passing through a small pine grove when it happened. A creature that resembled a man's skeleton, wielding a round shield and a curved, rusty long sword, jumped down from the trees above and slashed out at the princess' mount. She reared her horse back, narrowly avoiding the attack.

"Stalfos!" Impa yelled with urgency. "Run, we must get out of here!"

They turned their horses and dashed away to the south. As they raced along the dirt path of the grove, more and more Stalfos appeared, dropping from trees and jumping from bushes. It was as though they were hiding in wait, expecting them.

When they burst forth from the grove, they thought they had escaped. But to their dismay, more Stalfos awaited them outside, and had them surrounded. They encircled them, loosely at first, but closing in, the circle growing tighter and tighter. They had no hope of escape.

Impa stepped off her horse and drew her dagger, which she kept on her back at all times. "I'll give you an opening. Make use of it and get home before the drawbridge rises."

"Are you mad?" the princess protested. "You won't survive!"

"I'm not important!" she snapped back. "I am prepared for this."

"I'm not leaving you!"

"This is no time for being a stubborn fool, it's better that I die and not you."

"I'm not leaving!"

"When you make up your mind…" Impa muttered. "Fine, but if I die, you run."

"Deal."

Impa charged forward, knife at the ready, and then… she disappeared. She reemerged with a flash, in front of one of them. She took a large chunk out of its head with her knife and disappeared again. She jumped from one to the other, cutting many Stalfos to ribbons. She was quick and efficient, but she was doomed.

Impa looked into her satchel she used to carry her flash powder, she was on her last bits. She didn't even have enough for a proper flash, and there were still many Stalfos. She looked over her options, and decided.

With a final flash of light she appeared in the center of the circle. "Run!" she yelled to the princess.

She didn't argue this time; she knew hope was lost for them both escaping, but she still had a chance. She rode past Impa and out the gaping hole she'd created in the circle. When she was out she turned and watched, hoping beyond hope that things would change. The Stalfos charged toward Impa all at once and attacked.

She held her ground bravely, fighting with a mastery that came to her naturally. Thrusting, slashing, swiping, and all the while dodging the rusted blades. But the inevitable happened. One blade got lucky. She was about to down another, but a blade came from nowhere, and cleaved off her knife hand. She fell to the ground, clutching her bleeding stump in agony. The Stalfos mobbed around her and started kicking her for sport. She was doomed and they were celebrating.

The princess stayed and watched it all. The hoarse cackling, the cruel beating. Then, when the Stalfos were done with their game and one of them raised its sword to finish the kill… a miracle happened. Its hand shattered, and the blade fell.

The princess thought she had seen something hit the creature's hand, only an instant before it broke away. She looked in the direction from which she thought the thing may have come from, and there he was. He was a young man of Hylian decent. He wore a simple, green tunic with a cap matching in color, and rode on a brown horse that looked stronger than even her father's steed. His hair was blonde and his eyes were blue; they matched her own perfectly. Upon his back, he bore a steel sword, and a wooden shield. And in his hand, with a fresh arrow already notched in place, was a composite bow. He let the arrow fly toward the small horde of Stalfos, and charged.

His horse crashed through the mass of bones, and he emerged from them with Impa hanging onto him for dear life. He slowed his horse to a halt, dismounted, laid Impa onto the grass, and ran headlong back into the Stalfos, his sword drawn and shield at the ready. He crashed into them with ferocity unlike anything she had seen. His blade became a shimmering whirlwind of death on his one side, and his shield on the other was bashing anything foolish enough to try and advance on that side. In the end, he was standing in the middle of a ring of normal, lifeless bones that had once been a horde of fifty Stalfos.

The princess ran to Impa's side, and stared at her wound in horror. She had truly lost her right hand. The young man ran over to her side and looked at the injury also. "This is bad," he muttered.

"She is a servant to the royal family, will she survive long enough to get her to the palace?" she asked him. "We have some of the finest doctors there, surely they could heal her."

"They might, but the palace is too far, we'd never make it before sundown when the bridge rises. If you'll allow me, I can take you both to my home. I have the means to heal her and you can stay the night without worry."

"If it will save her."

"Then we can't waste any time."

"Wait! May I ask your name?"

"You may. My name is Link, I suppose you could call me a ranger."

"And I am Zelda, the Princess of Hyrule."

"It's an honor to serve, my lady. Now we must go!"

AN: That is Chapter 1! I hope you enjoyed. Now please review. If you liked it, tell me what you liked. If you didn't like it, tell me how I can improve, or at least what you didn't like. If I get at least a few good reviews I'll keep going with this. Hope to see you next time at Chapter 2: The Restless Night and A Rangers Reward. Laters!