A/N: Hello dear readers. I finally found the time to start a new story that has been floating around in my head for some months now. Although it seems a little Zelda centered until now, I can assure you, it is not. The story takes place in the settings of Twilight Princess, but there will be elements and characters from other games as well, such as Ocarina Of Time and Skyward Sword. I suck at writing summaries, and luckily, I can say that the story will be more interesting than those boring few lines (well, at least I hope it will be!). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story and please review~ thanks so much!

02Escape

The princess woke when the first warming rays of sunlight shone through the treetops and gently tickled her cold skin. She sat up and couldn't suppress a painful moan. Her limbs were aching as a consequence of last night's actions, and felt dull from the cold at the same time. She rubbed her arms in order to get back some warmth in the numb limbs, and looked around. The forest was completely unknown to her, even though she was the daughter of the ruler of all these lands. However, her duty as a princess hadn't allowed her to stroll through the woods. In fact, she had not seen much of the world outside Castle Town and the castle itself. She stood up and pulled the cape tighter around her body, hands buried deep in the pockets as she decided to walk around. The forest seemed to be vast with huge trees framing the clearing she was standing in. She tried to remember what her father had once told her about the secret passage and where it was leading to, but her memories were blurred by the events of last night. Recurring images of fire, dead bodies and blood appeared before her inner eye, images of ill-natured destruction. She supported herself with one palm against a tree trunk while the other covered her eyes. Had the castle really fallen to the enemy's hands? Was her father even still alive? Her eyes burned so she kept them shut. No, this isn't the time to fall into despair. I must get out of this forest. I have to find father, she told herself, and wiped the tears away from her face. She looked around once again. Even though the trees were aligned in a dense way, there seemed to be some kind of system. If she was right and followed the row of pine trees, she might end up finding the path.

By the time she finally set foot on a path, that was clearly human-made, the sun was already high in the sky. Her feet were aching from the long walk, and she was tired and hungry. She regretted refusing dinner last night. Her pockets were empty, and she had to shamefully admit that her knowledge of edible food outside the castle was pretty limited. The mushrooms next to her feet looked delicious but she was afraid that they could be poisonous. The path gave her hope though. If she followed it, she would find a village, where she could get food and help. Feeling somewhat reassured, she continued walking until she found a small stream where she satisfied her thirst, and took her first break after hours. She stretched her legs and removed her boots in order to let her feet dangle into the cool water. Her stomach rumbled but she paid no attention to it. Certainly the forest couldn't be that vast, and when nightfall came, she would already be safe in the warmth of a villager's house. She was the princess of Hyrule after all. Who could refuse her hospitality?

She picked herself up and continued following the path, which led into a darker passage soon. Unsure of stepping inside, she halted in front of the tunnel. Her determination suddenly faltered. What if she had taken the wrong direction and this path didn't lead her to a village but instead only led her away from it? What if there was danger awaiting her in this dark tunnel?

She looked back but mentally slapped herself after a few minutes.

You're not a baby! What do you have to lose? You already lost your home, how worse could it possibly get? And so she stepped inside.

The further she walked, the more her surroundings changed. The faint odour of rot and humidity grew stronger the closer she came to what she rightly identified as a swamp. It made her feel slightly nauseous. Her foot sunk a few centimetres into moist earth as she left the dark passage behind. The landscape before her eyes was a contrast to the sunny woods at the other side of the passage. It was as if she had stepped into another world once she had left the tunnel. The warming rays of sunlight did not make their way down here and she suddenly froze again, though she was not sure, if the lack of sun warmth was the only reason.

Doubts about her decision filled her at the sight of the swamp. Maybe it was better to turn back and walk into the other direction after all. It would probably take her all day to march through the swamp, if she didn't get stuck in a slough. She was just about to turn around and walk back through the tunnel, when she suddenly heard noises coming out of it. She winced. The noises grew louder and she identified them as voices, though they were, by no means, human at all. She started to panic when she realised that she was completely defenceless. And while she was considering whether it would be best to run or to hide, the silhouettes of five creatures emerged from the passage. They were about the size of an adult man, with reddish or blueish skin and grey hair. Their huge ears were pointed while their small round eyes sparkled mischievously in the gloominess of the swamp area. Their chattering stopped when they saw the young Hylian woman, and they stared at her with an uncanny hunger in their eyes. The princess took a few steps backwards, her heart pounding in her chest. One of the red Boklobins shrieked amusedly and they started walking towards her waving about with their daggers. Her survival instinct took over and erased every sense of pain and tiredness. She dashed off, hunted by the group of Boklobins who chased her across the swamp.

The swamp was an invidious terrain and made the chase even more dangerous. The princess' foot got stuck more than once in the muddy ground, and she had to struggle to pull it out again. On the other hand, the mud made it hard for her pursuer to follow her as they were taller and heavier. She heard them curse when they got stuck in the moist earth as well. Compared to her slim and lithe body, they seemed like Bullbos trying to walk over glass without breaking it. The advantage of her weight eventually enabled her escape. Her feet suddenly touched safe ground and she continued running, until she left the swamp behind. Upon realising that she was no longer being followed by the Boklobins, she fell to her knees and breathed heavily.

She remained sitting on her knees in the middle of the forest, her boots and legs covered in mud, her lungs aching with every breath she took. She was at the end of her tether. If the Boklobins make it out of the swamp and find me here, I'll be done, she thought, and wiped away the sweat from her forehead. But the creatures never came. A ray of sunlight hit her face and warmed her just enough to give her back a little bit of hope. Daylight was sharing its last resources before it would hide behind the mountains in the distance. She would never make it to a village before nightfall, but at least she was alive.

The young woman's strength had faded and by now she was only a mere shadow of her former self. Bent and covered in dirt like a beggar, she sat in the clearing of an unknown forest, hungry and desperate like a lost child. Somewhere in the distance, she heard the sound of hooves but she was too tired to even care. Her eyes burned with tears again but this time she didn't hold them back. If she was to die here and now, so be it.

However, it seemed that the Goddesses had other plans in mind. From afar, a carriage hauled by two Ordon goats was approaching the princess and stopped a mere metres away from her. She tiredly lifted her head, her blue eyes pleading the man sitting on the carriage to spare her life. The man's green eyes widened upon seeing that the beggar was a young woman, and swiftly jumped from the seat of his carriage. Unlike the princess, he was not Hylian but belonged to the race of humans. His stature reminded her of a closet, with long, muscular arms and a broad chest. He seemed to be in his early twenties and, contrary to his appearance, had a rather sheepish look on his face. By now, she realised that he would be her saviour.