A/N: Link's journey begins. I am aware that the start of his journey is similar to how Twilight Princess started. That said, this is NOT a novelization of Twilight Princess. Midna will NOT be mentioned or referenced in this story. Well... probably not, anyway.

So, Link's journey begins, and we get to see a bit more of the dislike that Marril has for Link. I should note that I haven't named Link's home village for the simple fact that I honestly haven't thought of one yet. Not that it'll matter a whole lot, considering what I have planned for the next few chapters. The same goes for Farron's mother.

Disclaimer: I don't own LoZ, though I do own some of the games!

Chapter 2 – Setting Out

Link sighed as he entered the village. The village was small, less than fifty people occupied it. Most of the houses were built with a combination of wood from the forest that surrounded them and brick brought in from Castle Town. As he made his way down the main path of the village, he looked around to the residents. Most of them ignored his passing, of the few did look at him, some smiled, others looked as if they would rather attack him. Link had become used to this by now, it didn't bother him. Instead he simply made his way to the home of Farron and her family.

It wasn't long after he knocked on the door that a middle-aged woman opened it. She immediately recognized Link and her smile turned into a frown quickly upon doing so.

"May I come in, ma'am?" Link bowed slightly to the woman, who sighed and stepped aside, allowing Link access.

"She's upstairs. Don't bother her too much."

"I won't." Link reassured the woman, then headed up the stairs. He knocked on a closed door on his left once he reached the hallway. A soft voice within gave him permission to enter, and he did.

Once inside the room, Link paused, gasping slightly. Laying on the bed was a woman around his age. However, she looked extremely pale and tired. The woman smiled when she saw Link, however and moved so that there was room on the bed for him to sit down. "Please?"

Link nodded, removing his hat and sitting next to her. "Farron." He looked her over with a sad look on his face. "What happened?"

"I don't know, Link. I just..." Before she could finish, she began coughing. Link's concern for his friend grew at this. "I'm all right. It's just a cold."

"All right, Farron. If you say so." He smiled to her, and she relaxed a little in her bed. "Your father asked me to take the package to the Castle."

"You said yes?"

"I said I would if I could talk to you first."

"Why did you want to do that?"

Link smiled at her question. "Many reasons, Farron." He reached down and touched her cheek. "You're a little hot. You should get some rest. I'll be back in less than a week, and I want to take you hunting when I return."

Farron smiled at his words. "I look forward to it." She began coughing again, and Link stood up, his smile turning once more into concern. The young man turned around to leave, and saw that the woman who'd answered the door was standing there.

"Uh..." Link wasn't sure what to say to her.

"She's been like that all day." The woman seemed almost as tired as Farron was. "I'm worried about her."

"So am I, ma'am." Link sighed slightly. "I wish I could say or do more, but I have to go. Marril has a job for me."

"Ah, so you're taking her place? I hope you don't screw it up." There was a bit of anger in the woman's voice as she spoke, which made Link cringe slightly.

"I won't. If it's all right with you and Marril, I'd like to see her again when I return."

"I heard, we'll see." The woman nodded to Link, who excused himself and left the house.

Link made his way over to the largest building in the village. He knew this is where the Mayor and the various other VIPs of the village met. Marril, the village's mayor, was almost always in his office if he wasn't at home. The building itself was more than the mayor's office, however. It was also a barracks and motel for visiting soldiers and other travelers passing through. Behind the building was a stable for horses. Link had left Epona at his house because he knew as his horse, she wouldn't be any more welcome in the village than he was.

Upon entering the meeting area, Link walked over to the closed door on the far side of the room. When he knocked, he was immediately told to enter by Marril, to which Link complied. "Sir?"

Marril stared at Link for a few minutes, studying the young man. Eventually he sighed, and began speaking. "You know, I don't like asking you to do something this important, but right now, I don't have anyone else available who can pull it off. Fact is, everyone else is needed to help with the harvest which is starting this week."

Many of the villagers were farmers by trade. They'd established a handful of fields in the forest, and this time of year, the wheat and corn was ready to be picked. Link, like everything else that happened in the village, wasn't allowed to help with the harvest, which suited him fine, as he preferred to use the forest's natural gifts instead.

"Is there something you'd like to say?" Marril's voice cut into Link's thoughts.

"Sorry, sir. What do I need to do?"

"This package is to be taken to the king in Hyrule Castle. You have an audience with him at noon on Friday. Do not be late." As he spoke, Marril produced an oddly shaped object wrapped in deerskin. When he sat it down on the desk, there was a metallic thud, which told Link what the material of the object was. Link took the object and looked at it. "And don't unwrap it, either. It is a gift for the royal family and ONLY the royal family." Marril sighed and looked out the window. "You'd better get going of you want to make it to Darma by nightfall."

"Very well, sir." Link nodded and stood up, grabbing the package. "I should be back within a week." He turned to leave but was stopped by Marril's voice.

"Link." The young man turned to look at the mayor. "Don't forget, you must be in the castle by Friday at noon."

"I know." Link smiled and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

It only took him half an hour to return to his home. Once there, he got Epona saddled and tied the package to the back of it, where there was space to do so. Undoing Epona's reigns, he mounted his mare. With a short kick of his heels, they were off.

It took twenty minutes to get to the trail that led from Link's home village to Darma. Link knew that during the day, there wouldn't be any problems getting from place to place. At night, however, Stalfos and other creatures roamed Hyrule Field, and Poes were occasionally seen in the forest. When he reached the trail, Link paused, holding Epona. The trail was mostly straight between the two villages, and was the only clear path that existed. All the same, Link had acquired a sense of foreboding during the ride. Because of this, he'd decided to listen to his instincts and run near the trail, not on it. The reason for this was that even someone who'd lived in the forest their entire life, as Link had, could easily get lost in the thick woods. By keeping the trail in sight, he would be able to get to Darma, but stay out of view of anyone on the trail.

Link knew that staying off the trail would slow him down. He also knew that he was actually ahead of schedule, and should be able to reach Darma by nightfall. And so, he took her through the woods, staying within sight of the trail, but going slow enough, and quiet enough, that anyone on the trail wouldn't be able to see him.

The sun was starting to dip below the horizon when Link was able to see Darma in the distance. He had seen a few travelers on his way to Darma, but none that he hadn't expected. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was coming. He started Epona toward their destination once more.

As the sun continued to sink and darkness began to claim the forest, Link stopped her once again. He listened to the forest, and after a few seconds, he heard a sound that made his heart go cold. A disembodied laugh came from seemingly all around him, a sign that Poes were out and about. "Hya!" Link kicked his mount into high speed toward Darma, knowing that fighting a Poe with his current equipment wasn't a good idea. As they sped toward the town, Link had to force Epona to bank hard to the left as one of the large ghosts suddenly appeared directly in their path. The ghost gave chase, but as the light of Darma began to shine brighter, the Poe backed off. Sighing in relief, Link slowed his horse back down and headed for the village proper.

The first stop Link made was to the local motel. This time of year, there were usually one or two rooms open, though sometimes travelers heading into the forest for hunting would spend the night in Darma, so Link had to make sure before putting Epona in the stables. Thus, he took the package with him as he entered the small two-story building and approached the counter.

"Oh, hello, Link." The old lady behind the desk greeted him with a smile. "Heading out into Hyrule Field?"

"Yes, Mona. Are there any rooms left?" Link frequently stayed in Mona's inn when he was travelling out of the forest. She was always kind and courteous to him, and her rates were quite reasonable. Because of the frequency of his stays, he'd come to know her, and to some extent, her family as well. Mona had a son who was in the Hyrule Army, currently stationed in Kakariko village, where he, his wife, and their two children lived. She had once been an innkeeper in Castle Town, but had grown tired of the city life and moved to Darma to take over the inn there when the previous owner, who was a close friend of hers, had passed.

"Of course, Link. There's always a room for you." Mona smiled and handed Link a key. Then she noticed the package he carried. "What do you have there?"

"It's a delivery for the royal family." Link turned slightly red as he mentioned this. "I'm sorry, but that's all I'm able to say about it. Thank you, Mona."

"All right. There's still some dinner left, if you're hungry." She usually fed those who stayed at her inn, and often had leftovers, just in case someone would come in late.

"Thanks again, Mona. I'll take some once I get Epona settled." He smiled and headed for his room, deciding that it was better to hide the package first, then take care of Epona. She was used to staying in the stables by now, and after Link paid for her boarding for the night, he returned to the inn to have his dinner. During the dinner, he spoke at length with the elderly woman, asking about her son and his family, and how she was doing. Once dinner was over, he thanked his host once more, he then decided it was time for bed. After all, he was going to be riding nearly nonstop for the next two days in order to keep the Stalfos away and reach Castle Town in time.

A/N: So Link made it to Darma safely. Too bad the rest of his journey won't be as easy. Then again, if it was, the story would be pretty boring, wouldn't it? Next chapter, I intend to get into Link's history with Marril, as well as show the first big bump in the road for our hero. Zelda's first appearance isn't too far off, only a few more chapters!

As always, please review or comment!