Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda series, especially Spirit Tracks.
AN: I've been wanting to write a new Zelda story for a while now. I've also had a recent interest in Spirit Tracks, so I thought I would do a story based on it. With this new fic comes a goal. I know I have a habit of starting stories and taking forever to finish them. So, I decided to start a new story, with the goal of finishing it within a year. Thanks goes to Awesome Rapidash for helping me with this chapter!
I will admit that the commercial for the game inspired the beginning. There will be spoilers for Spirit Tracks in later chapters.
A slender young brunette descended the stairway and stepped out onto the crowded subway platform. She moaned softly, holding her head in obvious discomfort. With what little strength she had remaining in her petite form, she moved through the crowd. She sighed, trying to ignore the throbbing in her head and focus on the task at hand, getting on the subway and returning home.
The day had started out well enough; her mother had asked her to go to the city and run a couple of errands for her. Since she didn't have a car and the train would take too long, she had decided to ride the subway. It was actually pretty exciting for her; after all, it would be her first time on the underground train!
However, things seemed to go wrong almost as soon as she'd stepped out into the noise and rush of the city. First she'd got lost and couldn't find the store, then the noise and crowds of the city had caused the young brunette to develop a throbbing headache that made it hard for her to focus.
Christy managed a small sigh as she continued to move forward. She knew that her mom would be disappointed, but she was pretty sure she that once she explained what happened, her mom would understand. Right now the brown haired girl knew that going home and getting some rest was the best thing for her.
The girl made her way over to an automated ticket machine and paused for a moment, looking at the many buttons on the panel. Her mind felt foggy and she was having a hard time concentrating. Trying to focus as best she could, she reached into her pocket and removed some money. Carefully she put each dollar into the slot in the machine, one at a time and selected a destination. A ticket was ejected a moment later and Christy took hold of it. She looked closely at the small yellow colored piece of paper, trying to focus her blurry vision on the writing.
Christy slowly nodded as she read the words on the ticket. She then headed carefully over to where the train was scheduled to arrive. She closed her eyes for a moment. Her head hurt so much, and all she really wanted was to go home right now.
Most of the subway trains looked the same, constantly arriving and departing. Christy watched as the trains rolled past her, looking for the one that she thought was right. She headed toward it and stepped inside the car. There were many empty seats so she quickly chose a place and sat down. Even though the seats were simple molded plastic and not very comfy, it felt so good to get to sit down and take the load of her feet.
After a few minutes the train began to move, leaving the lighted platform and heading into the darkness of the tunnel. As the train rumbled along its subterranean route at times the lights in the car would flicker on and off. Christy shook her head and closed her eyes, feeling that the blinking lights would not help her condition right now. When she heard a voice asking to see her ticket, she held it up, but kept her head lowered.
Time passed and Christy didn't know how long she'd been on the train. For the most part, she'd kept her eyes closed, trying to ignore the flickering lights and the noise of the train. After a while a man shuffled towards her. "Can I sit here?" he asked, noticing the empty seat beside her.
Christy managed to look up briefly; her mind was still somewhat hazy so she didn't even notice the clothes he was wearing. She lowered her head again and tugged on the short sleeve of her pink shirt. "Yeah, sure," she murmured.
"Thanks," the man said as he took his place next to her. He looked the girl and noticed the way she held her head. "Hey are you alright?"
The brown eyed girl slowly shook her head as the lights flickered on and off again. "I… I just have a headache," she admitted weakly.
The man nodded slowly and started to rub his chin. "Do you expect to see someone, then?" he asked the girl.
Christy gazed at the man beside her, and despite the way she felt, confusion could clearly be seen in her eyes. "N… no, unless you mean my mom. I thought this was the train home…"
"Well for many people, it would be home," the man replied. "I'm sure you know the destination already. After all, why would you have boarded a train to Hyrule?"
The haziness lifted from her mind and shock could clearly be seen in her brown eyes. "W… what? Did you just say Hyrule?"
"Of course I did," the man answered with a smile. "Where else?"
A sickening feeling entered the girl's stomach, and it wasn't because of her earlier condition. Either she boarded the wrong train or this strange man was messing with her head! "But Hyrule only exists in a game!"
"A game?" the man repeated. "That's just absurd. Hyrule is a real place, after all!"
Finding that she couldn't figure out what to say, she fell silent. How could Hyrule be a real place? It was just a made up kingdom in a series of games known as the Legend of Zelda. In fact, she was pretty sure of that. Yet, this strange man told her that it was real.
Actually, now that she got a good look at him, there was something different about his clothes. He wore a simple shirt and a vest and a pair of pants. The way they looked almost reminded her of old fashioned clothes. Those made her feel out of place with her shirt and sweat pants.
And was it her imagination, or did the train suddenly look different than it was when she came in? Instead of the cold seats she was sitting on before, she found that each seat was now covered in red cushions, and the lights were not blinking on and off anymore.
A look of panic suddenly filled her eyes as she realized the truth. "Oh, no, I got on the wrong train!"
The man grabbed the girl's shoulders and started to shake her. "Hey, snap out of it," he told her as the door to the train car opened. "We have arrived!"
The bright sunlight came in through the open doorway which told the girl they were outside of the tunnels. A gasp escaped her lips as the brunette walked toward it and headed outside. The fresh air felt really good and the sun was bright enough to cause the girl to shield her eyes. She could see some trees, a grassy field, and a castle in the distance.
Christy walked a couple of steps on the lush green grass, unaware of her mistake until she heard the sound of the whistle, and the train wheels moving on the tracks! She spun around just in time to see the train heading out of sight.
"This isn't good! Now what do I do?"
"Are you lost, child?" a mysterious voice asked behind the girl.
Christy turned toward the sound of the voice, surprised to see someone that was covered in a blue robe. She could tell the mystery person was a girl because of the voice and the face that was under the hood. Eyes that were as black as coal seemed to stare at her, and that made the brunette very nervous.
"Are you lost, child?" the woman repeated.
The girl slowly nodded her head. "Yeah, I boarded the wrong train on accident…"
The woman held up a hand to silence the brunette. "You don't have to say more." She stared into the girl's brown eyes, which caused her to step a back a bit. "Because of your mistake, you wound up here. And now, at the moment, you do not have a way home. However, there is something you can do."
The mysterious woman turned toward the horizon and pointed to the castle. "If it is answers you need, to find your way home, then you should make a trip to Hyrule Castle. It is there that you will meet Princess Zelda."
"P… Princess Zelda?" Christy repeated in surprise. But after she asked that question, she slowly shook her head. Of course she heard this woman right. If Hyrule existed, the Princess Zelda would as well.
"That's right," the woman replied as she looked toward the brown haired girl. "But heed my words child. This journey will be a difficult one for you. But, if you manage to get through it, then you will be where you want to be. However, should you fail…?"
"Why are you talking like that?" Christy questioned, interrupting the woman. "You're really creeping me out."
The woman chuckled slightly. "Am I?" she questioned. "Well, you will soon see what I am talking about, child. If you wish to know more, seek help from Princess Zelda at Hyrule Castle." The woman turned around and started to walk away, leaving the girl alone.
Christy shook her head and crossed her arms. "I'm not sure if I trust that woman," she said to no one in particular. "But, I do have nowhere to go right now. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to meet with Zelda." Then a frown crossed her face. "How am I going to get in there to see her though? It won't be easy to get into the castle with all those guards around. And it's not like I'm anyone important, so I can't go through the front door…"
The brunette sighed, but turned her attention to the castle in the distance. She would have to think of something by the time she got there. After all, it wouldn't do her any good to stand around and do nothing. And now that she thought about it, it sounded pretty exciting to meet Princess Zelda in person! Even if she was only here for a little while, she didn't want to pass up that chance!
But little did she know that as soon as she took her first step toward the castle, that she set the gears of fate in motion.