AN: Dwanana!!! Revised version of Chapter Four!!! Woohoo!!!

Chapter Four: As Luck Would Have It.

Once outside the Forest Temple Zelda was greeted by a very anxious Saria. The little Kokiri girl was wringing her hands with worry but she saw Zelda she relaxed considerably.

"What happened? I lost control of the temple right when you were supposed to face Phantom Ganon."

"There was someone else there instead," Zelda replied calmly, though her heart was pounding.

"Who?"

"I don't know, but they knew who I was and what I'm trying to do." Quickly Zelda explained to Saria the events that had followed when she had entered the painting room. Saria's eyes widened through each passing minute until Zelda finished.

"Wow. What are you going to do? He must be strong if he could take over the control of the temple from me," the Forest Sage said in wonder.

"I need to find him. I have to know what he is," Zelda replied, with a tiny, resolute nod.

"So will you go to the fire temple to look for him?" Saria asked curiously.

"Yes. He was here, so I expect he'll be at the next place Link went, waiting for me. I think I'll talk to the Goron's first though, and see if they've seen or heard anything strange." Zelda took a deep breath, trying to slow the beating of her heart.

"Have you talked to the other Kokiri yet, or the Deku tree sprout?" the green-haired girl wanted to know.

The princess shook her head. "Not yet. But I intend to."

Zelda was safely in her room, away from it all, the guests, the presents, and Link. Though the ball was in her honor, she had left it early with the claim that she was tired. No one would really notice her absence anyway.

Her excuse was also only partially a lie. She was tired, but that wasn't entirely the reason why she had left; she had to limit her contact with Link.

After changing into a white silk nightgown, she brushed her now free-flowing hair, letting the golden locks fall smooth against her white shoulders.

A knock came suddenly at the door and Zelda froze; now remembering that Link had a gift for her that she had not yet received. She stood slowly, then moved to the door.

Silence.

There was no other knock.

She hesitated briefly before opening the door, and saw, frowning, that there was no one there. But then she saw the note pinned to her door. Zelda reached for it and unpinned it carefully, then glanced down and around the hall carefully.

Nothing, absolutely nothing and no one. Forever zero.

With a small sigh, she went back inside her room, closing the door behind her. Taking a seat on her bed, she read the note

'Zelda,' it began, and Zelda recognized the handwriting to be Link's.

'I'm sorry couldn't give you your gift before I left, but think there is a better time to give it to you now. But,' and Zelda could just picture the grin that the 'but' entailed.

'But, you're going to have to wait a bit longer. I'm leaving for Delina tomorrow morning along with your father. I know I was supposed to go the day after tomorrow, but his majesty decided that we should leave at once in order to obtain peace between kingdoms. Zelda.....' The note trailed off in a few spots of ink, as if Link was unsure of what to write.  'Please forgive me if I don't return.'

The note fell to the floor, slipping out of Zelda's limp fingers. i Please forgive me if I don't returni. What did he mean by that? He couldn't honestly believe that he would die; he would have informed her father if there was any danger. Or did he plan to stay? King Dremin had a sister....she was supposedly young, beautiful, and unwed. Her heart seized in panic, but then she calmed. No, that was unlike Link. He wouldn't do something like that. Would he?

Zelda looked up at her door, staring at the wood paneling, at the knob. Suddenly, she flung herself up off the bed and to the door, flinging it wide as she ran down the hallway, her bare feet padding against the dark red carpeting as she ran towards Link's bedroom. A door opened and Zelda crashed into the person that came out, barely apologizing to the confused noble woman as she raced past her and to the door at the end of the hall. The door knob turned easily in her hand-Link never locked it-and Zelda entered his room.

The bed was neatly made, and everything was tidily put away. A sudden thought made Zelda looked at the corner of the room where Link usually left his sword.

It wasn't there.

Beginning to panic now, Zelda flung wide the doors to his closet and saw that most of his travel clothes were gone. She opened the drawers to his bureau and found that majority of those clothes were gone as well. She knew then, that Link had left even earlier than he had said.

Why hadn't he told her? What was going on? Would she ever see him again?

She ran to the window and looked out at the stables. She saw no horse and rider, and no one entered. She had missed him.

The princess straightened, and backed up, until the backs of her knees hit the edge of the bed and she fell down on top of it. Lifting her legs, she curled up into a ball on top of the covers, and pressing the pillow to her head, breathed in the scent.

It smelt of fresh woods and pine, as well as a scent that was entirely Link's own. She breathed it in deeply, and suddenly, fresh tears began to flow, soaking the white cotton pillow. Her heart was filled with every emotion she had ever known, as well as a few more. Despair, sadness, regret, longing, love, pain.....They made her want to burst.

"Zelda?" Impa's voice made her sit up in surprise. Impa stood in the doorway, looking at her strangely. Zelda looked down, embarrassed. "What are you doing?"

"Link's gone," the princess replied quietly.

"What?"

"Link left. There was a note on my door...."

"Where did he go?" Impa asked.

"To Delina."

"Yes, well that was the plan," Impa confirmed, giving her a curious look.

"He wasn't supposed to go until the day after tomorrow and he left tonight," Zelda said, staring down at her hands self-consciously.

Her guardian frowned. "I still don't understand why you're upset, princess."

"In the note he said he would be leaving in the morning, and he left now. Why? He also wrote to please forgive him if he didn't return," Zelda choked on the last word, and Impa moved to her side.

"I don't know what this all means, Zelda, but rest assured that Link will be fine."

"Will he?"

The Kokiri knew nothing, and neither did the Deku tree sprout. Mostly, they asked her questions about who she was and where she had come from. Zelda told them that she didn't know; that she was lost herself. Which was mostly true. The Kokiri were not even aware of the takeover of the forest temple, and were of no help at all.

Zelda decided to move on, playing the Bolero of Fire to bring her to fire temple without the need of travel.

IT'S TOO HOT TO STAY HERE FOR TOO LONG, HURRY ZELDA! A high, bell-like voice called out, and Zelda swiveled at the words. Navi was flying high above her head behind her.

"Navi? What are you doing here?" Zelda asked, deeply surprised. It had been years since she had seen the fairy.  Link had gone looking for her once, but had not found her. Where had the fairy been all this time?

I WANT TO HELP YOU, I CAME AS SOON AS I HEARD ABOUT LINK. BUT FIRST YOU NEED A RED TUNIC TO KEEP YOU SAFE FROM THE HEAT. DO YOU HAVE LINK'S?

Zelda nodded and brought it out quickly, the heat from the volcano almost blistering her bare skin. She put it on, sliding it over the tight shirt she already wore.

NOW WHAT?

"We complete the temple," Zelda replied, and headed for the ladder leading down inside the fire temple. The time for questioning Navi would come later.

Zelda waited impatiently while Impa went to get her father. Zelda knew that the king would not leave that night, like Link. He would never desert the party. Finally, Impa returned, the king close behind her, looking confused.

"What is it Zelda? Why are you in your nightgown?" he asked.

"Where's Link?" she asked in return.

Her father seemed relieved. "Where's Link? That's what this is about? He went to Delina."

"Weren't you supposed to go with him?" Zelda questioned.

"I'm going to follow after him in the morning," the king replied, giving her an odd look.

"He told me he was leaving in the morning, but when I went to his room he was gone. His stuff was gone," she explained.

Her father stared at her, wondering why she was going to Link's room in her night clothes. "It was a last minute thing. He was all ready to go, but I saw him a few minutes ago, and he was anxious to leave, so I told him to go on out ahead."

"During the night?" Zelda asked incredulously.

"He can take care of himself," Impa reminded her.

Zelda ignored her guardian and looked to her father with pleading eyes. "Father, may I go to Delina in your place?"

The king raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Zelda handed him the note. "Read this."

The king began to read, a little annoyed. When he finished, he quoted, "Please forgive me if I do not return." He frowned. "What does that mean?"

"I was hoping you'd know," Zelda replied, wringing her hands anxiously.

"Well, when I saw him, he seemed a little preoccupied, and I asked him if anything was wrong. He said he had a bad feeling. I made light of it, but told him he could go early. Maybe I shouldn't have…" the king said thoughtfully.

"May I go in your place father?" Zelda asked again. 

"Zelda...If Link felt that there was something wrong, how can I let you go into danger?"

"At least I have the power to take care of myself, father, and Hyrule needs your supervision right now, not mine," Zelda pointed out, praying to the goddesses that he would let her go in his stead.

"Very well, Zelda," he relented, "but I will double the number of guards accompanying you." He knew that there was no arguing with Zelda when she got like this, when she was worried about Link.

"Thank you father. I shall leave right away." Zelda quickly stood up and made to leave, but her father stopped her.

"No you won't. I thought you were tired daughter, as you did leave the ball early, and," he added, "the guards are not prepared yet."

Zelda's shoulders fell and she sighed. "Very well. In the morning then."

Link had just saddled Epona when he realized what he had forgotten. It had been bothering him ever since he had left his room, though he had checked and rechecked it twice already.

He had forgotten the sapphire amulet that Zelda had given him so many years ago. He always left it on the end table beside his bed, but now he remembered that he had put it in the draw so it would be safe when he had torn his room apart searching for his cap. The amulet was supposed to bring him good luck, but he didn't care; it had come from Zelda. It was just a stone, no string, so Link didn't carry it around a lot for fear of losing it. One of these days he'd find a way to make it into a necklace without damaging it.

Leaving Epona where she was, Link hurried back into the palace. The dark feeling that something was going to go wrong had not left him, and he figured he needed the luck, plus, it would be safe inside the special pouch he'd prepared for it.

He made his way to his room, hearing the distant sounds of music and laughter from the ball, which would carry on for some time yet. He went inside and moved quickly to the end table, pulling open the top draw to find the amulet sparkling merrily at him. He grabbed it, put it in his pocket, shut the draw, then made for the door. And stopped.

The room smelt of roses. More precisely- of pink roses. He knew only one person who had that scent; Zelda. She'd been in his room. She had probably started a search for him after reading the note, and of course, not found him. She would be confused of course now, but that couldn't he helped.

He couldn't help but smile at the thought. It took a lot of work to confuse the girl who possessed the Tri-force of Wisdom. Link yawned suddenly, and frowned. He should be in bed at this time, but that had never stopped him from riding at night before. He was never tired, at least, not until he actually went to sleep. But he hadn't been sleeping much lately, so this was probably the result.

Abruptly, his knees buckled underneath him and he caught himself on the edge of the bed just before he fell. He blinked. That had never happened before. Shrugging, Link sat down on the bed. Well, if sleep wanted to claim him he would have to unsaddle Epona first. He took a deep breath and stood up, intent for the door. He had only taken one step before he passed out.

Zelda took a deep breath and jumped across to the door that led to where Volvagia once reigned. Navi at once told her to be careful. Well, duh. She opened the door, wondering what new enemy she would face and if she'd see the stranger again. She was greeted by a stronger wave of heat then she had previously experienced, and sweat immediately begun to run down her face in beads. She wiped her brow with her sleeve, and then stepped forward.

"So you made it, congratulations," the voice came, making Zelda jump. That was weird, she thought, she hadn't even sensed his presence, whoever and whatever he was.

"Thanks, I guess. Any vague words of wisdom for me?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I've kind of taken a liking to you, princess, you're more courageous and sharp-witted than I previously gave you credit for. I've done some hunting around, went to Delina, went to this beautiful cemetery, you'd like it, it was very nice."

"Get on with it. Delina?" Zelda prodded anxiously. Delina?

"Yes. An old hermit lives there. It took some searching; people had forgotten he was still alive. I did a bit of spying and found he was very good with potions. You might want to go there and check him out."

"Thank you." Zelda was actually heart-felt in her gratitude. She was actually grateful to whoever this person was, though he tended to annoy her sometimes.

"Don't thank me, thank Link," replied the voice.

Her breath caught. "What?"

"Never mind. I spent a little bit of time using my imagination and came up with a monster I think you'll love. Ready?"

"I'm ready," Zelda answered, gripping her sword and shield tightly.

"Here you go." There was a sudden flash of red light and when Zelda opened her eyes, a huge fiery dragon was flying before her.

"What imagination? It looks like Volvagia!" Zelda called.

"Feh, so I lied. But you don't need the megaton hammer. A good thing too, considering you can barely even lift it." The voice chuckled.

The dragon went flying towards her head and Zelda ducked, the flame from it singeing her hair. So that's why Link wears that cap, Zelda thought briefly, before yelling, "How do I fight this thing then?"

"How is the world going to end? Some say fire, some say- ."

"Ice!" Zelda yelled, finishing his sentence. The voice laughed.

"Glad to see that Tri-force piece is kicking in."

Zelda brought out her bow and fitted it with and ice arrow, taking aim at the fiery dragon. Letting loose the arrow she hit it square in the face.

The ice immediately took hold of the flame, and Zelda was able to get close to the dragon without burning herself. She hit it with the sword as many times as she could before the ice arrow's magic wore off, and then shot another one to send the dragon tumbling down again, avoiding the spurts of flame it shot at her. She hit it three more times before having to repeat the process, and soon the dragon was down, falling to the ground in a burst of flame.

When the smoke cleared, Zelda heard a cooing sound. Moving her arm away from her eyes, she peered through the remnants of the smoke to see a small red animal. She stepped closer.

There on the ground was a tiny little baby dragon.

She dropped to her knees at once and the dragon wobbled up to her, beating it's wings to no effect. Zelda held out her hand and the dragon licked it. The sensation tickled.

"It's so cute!" Zelda said out loud, and she heard a low chuckle.

"I thought you'd say that. You can keep it, if you want it. That little dragon survived a batch of crushed eggs back in Delina. I used my magic to make it big. Don't worry, he's not hurt, and he's harmless. Now anyway."

"Keep him? Where would I put him?" Zelda asked in surprise.

"I don't know princess, but he won't survive on his own."

Zelda sighed, then smiled at the baby before her, and picked it up gently. It buried its head in her arms. "Now tell me, where does the hermit live?"

"There's a passageway in that cemetery I mentioned. It leads to the Dark Woods. He's in there somewhere."

Zelda nodded, her heart burning once more with hope. "Alright. That's where I'll go."

AN: Hey, don't mind the dragon, it serves a purpose later on and I was a little hyper on ice coffee when I added him in.