Disclaimer: I wish I owned Legend of Zelda, but sadly I don't, nor do I have the brains to come up with it's amazing story and plot.

Prologue

"Zelda why don't you go on a vacation?"

Such a simple offer brought confusion to Zelda. Having her father just pass away, she was the only one to take her father's place. How could she just take a vacation?

The young monarch was currently in her spacious office, working hard for the majority of the day, skipping lunch in the process. She was working at her desk, a giant window right behind her showing a grand view of Castletown.

Her usual bright eyes were replaced with bags underneath, and the barely noticeable red lines in the white of her eyes. She was still in her blue nightgown, not bothering to change to proper attire for the day. She was slightly paler than normal as well, that much was for certain, and seeing her like this crushed Impa.

"I beg your pardon Impa?" Zelda started. "I am too busy to even start thinking of all the things. We have to plan the ceremony where I am crowned, finish the legalities of the new taxes-"

"I am well aware of what must be done," Impa interrupted. "But you must worry about your health as well. A kingdom can only be run by one that is healthy."

"I am fine Impa," Zelda protested.

"You were coughing out blood only last week."

"It's a minor set back! The people need me!"

"The people can wait!"

The older woman rarely raised her voice. Whenever she did, Zelda would always become silent, and now was no exception. There was an awkward silence between the two, before Impa walked behind Zelda and embraced her.

Impa sighed, hating the stubbornness that the princess had. Much like her late father, Zelda was too hard working, enough to not care about her own health.

"Since you have yet to come of age," Impa started, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Legally as your guardian I have the right to dismiss you from your work until your coronation."

Zelda's eyes widened, before dropping her quill.

"Impa ple-"

"Which is why," Impa interrupted. "I hereby dismiss you from your duties until your coronation. Fear not princess, for I will see to the plans for the ceremony, you merely need to arrive back home for your birthday next year."

Zelda stayed silent, slumping her shoulders, defenseless and at a loss.

"Then all the work that my father left behind?"

"I'm not saying don't do it," Impa answered, stepping back from the embrace and looking out the window. "I'm saying, take a well deserved break."

"For a year," Zelda muttered under her breath.

"A well deserved break."

There was another silence between the two of them, before Impa was lost in thought again.

"That reminds me, you are going to need an escort," the sheikah woman stated, tapping her chin once more, before a smile crept onto her face. "Take your personal guard with you. He's traveled a lot and knows Hyrule well. Surely he would be a good escort."

"You mean Link?" Zelda asked.

"Is there another personal guard you can think off?" Impa teased, noticing that the princess's face had reddened slightly in embarrassment.

"I understand…I don't actually have a say in this matter do I?"

Impa smirked as she shook her head.

'That's how it had started. So how…how in Naryu's name did it become like this?'

Zelda and Link were currently in Faron woods, after a day's journey on Epona, the two were under the pretense of a couple. They were both young, and if Zelda had used her own horse, they would have been found out immediately, so this was the most believable story.

They were both dressed out of their normal attire, with Zelda in a common blue dress and brown cloak covering her, while Link had a simple white shirt and brown pants, his sword however was still strapped to his back. Zelda had her rapier by her side as well, since she had insisted as it wasn't too uncommon for a woman to have her own weapon.

The two 'lovers' finally agreed on a destination, being Ordon as it was Link's hometown, and a peaceful place to rest according to the knight in question.

Traveling through Faron woods, the two came across the sound of a baby crying.

Which was the current situation at hand.

The two had gotten off Epona, and found the baby wrapped in cloth held tightly in the arms of their dead mother.

"Bandits," Link had said, judging by the conditions on the mothers clothing as it was definitely slashed by a blade. "We should leave, no doubt the bandits have horses. Since the mother ran here on foot, the cries of the baby would no doubt have reached them."

Zelda nodded, and the two quickly ran back to Epona, with Zelda in front, cradling the crying child. Link looked back into the woods once more, before urging Epona into a quick gallop.

It wasn't long before an arrow had been shot. Link forcefully lowered Zelda's head, as he scanned the forest above.

He cursed.

"Epona can't out run them," Link stated. "Not when she is carrying the luggage and us. I'll lead them on a diversion somehow…there!"

Link pointed at one of the river streams, stopping Epona.

"Your highness take the baby and quickly dive into the stream. It leads right to Ordon."

"I beg your pardon?" Zelda hissed. "I'm the princess. I do not do this sort of thing."

"Right," Link stated. "I advise you to consider taking the stream towards Ordon for your personal safety in case they block the roads up ahead, unless you want to die by bandits. Which is perfectly fine for the people of Hyrule to lose their new monarch before she is crowned. Any questions?"

Zelda muttered some unroyal like curses under her breath, as she clumsily got off Epona, careful not to hurt the baby in her arms.

"I'm not forgetting your rudeness Link," Zelda glared.

"Nor do I ask you too," Link smirked, which disappeared almost immediately. "Now move along."

He looked back across his shoulder, turning Epona around. He galloped back towards the direction of the bandits withdrawing his blade. Seeing no option, Zelda unstrapped the rapier from her waist, holding it with her left, while cradling the baby with her right.

She leapt into the river stream hissing at the cold water.

Together with the child, she let the river push her along. Now how should she stop the baby from crying? She tried rocking, though it was difficult when trying to stay afloat. Despite Zelda's best attempts at cooing the baby, it refused to quieten it's cries. What could she do? She has no experience with these kinds of things.

"Did you hear that?"

Zelda gasped, clamping her hand gently around the baby's mouth. The cries were muffled, but nonetheless the baby cries were still loud. Loud enough for whoever it was to hear.

Suddenly a looming figure appeared above her. Judging by their torn clothing and weapons by their sides, Zelda immediately came to the conclusion that they were bandits. She kicked against the water, and started swimming away.

"She saw you idiot. Kill her!"

Zelda dared not look back, focusing only on getting the child to safety. Following the stream, there was a shallow dropped, and Zelda tumbled off and into deeper water. Not expecting that, she became totally drenched and her wet hair began to cloud her vision.

She could hear the sounds of the bandits closing in on her. She desperately swam, and she couldn't hear the bandit's voices anymore. She smiled. She was losing the bandits. Then a sudden sharp pain entered her shoulder. She cried out, as she gently placed her hand on it, feeling the wooden shaft of an arrow.

Zelda couldn't help but release her rapier from the pain. She cursed, but decided to keep swimming. But with her left arm in pain, and cradling the child in her other, the current became stronger. The water's caused Zelda to crash against a rock, smacking her head on the hard surface. She became tired and drowsy, as she desperate tried to stay afloat for the baby's sake. But it wasn't long before the world slowly caved in and turned black.

The village of Ordon was a peaceful one. Outside a house on the outskirts of the village was Collin, using a wooden sword on one of the training dummies. Everyday he would use the dummies, as if waiting for Link to come home. He missed the older boy, as it was like he had an older brother that looked after him and played with him.

He wondered if Link was well, if he had found a new home or maybe if he had found someone to life with for the rest of his life.

The day was getting darker as the sun was setting, and Collin called it a day. Walking back towards the village, he came across the river, seeing a limp body floating gently across it. An arrow was embedded in her left shoulder, and in her other arm there was a baby crying.

Collin's eyes widened. He took a step back, before running to his parents house.

"DAD! THERE'S A DEAD BODY IN THE RIVER!"