Chapter Four:

Fire. Link could smell it. The heavy acrid smoke that choked his breathing. The smell of burning wood. Fire was something he feared. It was something that had consumed his home, the whole village and the outlaying farms, his parents. His entire life. In the hands of nameless, faceless soldiers, fire had been more powerful than swords an arrows. More devastating than any arcane magic or beast that wandered in from the darkest corners of the earth.

It was outside.

Link jolted upright in his bed, drenched with a cold sweat. He scrambled for the window and his eyes darted in the direction of the black, wispy cloud that flowed past. The corral was consumed by a tall wave of fire, quickly spreading and making it's way towards the barn.

He sprang up and jammed his feet into his boots, and threw on the closest articles of clothing he could find. As he was getting ready to rush out the door, he heard a low gurgling noise.

Link followed the noise to the space between the wall and his wardrobe. A pair of yellow glowing eyes was wedged in the small corner.

"Tiki." Link knelt down and held out his hand. "It's okay girl."

The remlit slowly came forward. Moonlight spilled onto her, and Link could tell something was wrong. Her ears were pinned down, and the hair on her back stood up like a spine. Her claws were out, clicking on the floorboards. She snarled, a white foam leaking out from the spaces between her sharp teeth.

Tiki lunged at him, digging her claws deep into the skin of Link's arm and trying to rip at his skin, closing her jaws around his wrist. The look in her eyes was mad. It was as if she was possessed.

Link cried out in pain and tried to shake the creature off. She held on tight, sinking her claws in even deeper. He could feel blood starting to drip from his arm. Link clamored to his feet and swung his arm wildly. In one last desperate attempt, he bashed his arm against the wardrobe. The remlit squealed and let go, falling to the ground. She was quick to race under his bed and continue growling.

There was no time to examine the damage. Link grabbed the Master Sword and the shield lying by his bedroom door and took off down the hall.

"Talon! There's a fire!"

Link's shouting had the house awake in seconds. Marin and Talon, both in their nightclothes, burst from their bedroom with frantic looks on their face, followed by Malon rushing out of her own bedroom.

"The animals!" she cried as she dashed down the stairs so fast she was a blur.

Talon and Marin went after her, Link close at their heels. As they reached the landing, they saw the door swing open as Malon took off into the night, towards the barn.

All three of them saw it. A shadow moved by the open door, the light of the moon catching on it for a brief moment. It let out a strange cry and ran back into the shadows. The only thing Link could see was that it was crawling on what looked like five misshapen legs, scurrying around the room so fast he couldn't pin it to one spot. What he imagined might be claws scraped against the stone floor of the kitchen. Link tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword, his instincts now guiding him.

"You two go. I'll take care of it."

Marin squeezed Link's shoulder before racing past him.

Link was alone in the dark. Sword brandished and shield raised, he took one small step forward. The floorboards creaked, and his breath caught in his throat. The creature, hiding out of sight, moved again with it's scratching noise. It had moved closer, nails on wood signaling that it was near. He dared himself to take another step, then another quicker one.

He wedged his boot between the frame and the door, kicking it wide open so moonlight spilled into the kitchen. He saw it again. As soon as the light hit it, an inhuman wail filled the house. The creature, some grotesque thing that looked like a dismembered hand, thrashed about in what Link could only assume was pain. It's skin was wrinkled and purple, the nails on each finger like limb long and black. It curled in on itself and burst into blue flame that consumed it completely within seconds. There wasn't a trace of the monster left.

Link scrambled backwards and into the night air, tainted with the smell of smoke. What was that thing? He'd known horrible monsters existed in places like cursed forests and deep lakes. They were creatures that rarely showed their faces. He'd never heard of a monster like that before: hands that looked like they belonged to demons, only sentient and able to move on their own? He swallowed the lump in his throat. He had a hunch that this was no natural fire.

By the time he reached the barn, Malon had thrown the doors open and freed the livestock. Cuccos flapped their wings in desperate attempts to escape. Horses, goats and cows cried out as they took off down the dirt path, many of them heading towards the ranch exit. If they wandered too far away, they would most likely be killed by predators.

Malon was standing with a pitchfork gripped in her hands and screaming. She was being swarmed by keese, screeching and barreling at her with their claws and teeth bared. With a powerful swing, she hit one of the monsters and sent it crashing into another, both of them flailing before they flew away. She caught another one between the prongs of her weapon and flung it away. She was panting with the effort. She let her guard down, and another keese swooped in and clipped the back of her head, leaving a bloody gash and taking a clump of hair with it.

Link rushed to her side and began fighting the beasts off. The sword was heavy in his palm and awkward to slice with, but luckily the bats were stupid. He was able to kill and scare off the remainder of the horde within seconds.

"Malon!" Link had to shout over the sound of animal cries and roaring fire. "Where are Marin and Talon?"

"They went to try to put the fire out!" Malon was holding the back of her head where she was hit, tears streaming down her face. "Something's happening, Link. The animals were all spooked when I opened the barn. They nearly trampled me trying to escape."

Link moved to inspect her injury. "There was a monster in the house." It wasn't deep, but it would get infected if it wasn't treated soon. "You're lucky it didn't find you."

"There was one in the barn too. I thought it was a person at first, but it moved so horribly, like a zombie. It screamed and I couldn't move."

"Is it still in there?"

Malon shook her head. Blood dribbled from the wound and down her neck. "Whatever it was, it died as soon as the light hit it."

"I'm going to find Talon and Marin. Find somewhere safe to hide."

Without a word, Malon headed back towards the house. Link's focus returned to the towering wall of fire that was moving closer with each passing second. He started for the well. It was the only source of water close by, Talon and Marin had to be there. Link went as fast as his feet could carry him, past the burning corral and to the little dip in the land where the well had been situated.

He came to a halt, breathless, before the scene. The well had been destroyed, bricks and shattered stone lying about. Talon was on the ground, clutching something in his arms. As Link drew nearer, he realized it was Marin. Link stumbled to his knees at Talon's side.

Blood spilled from a wound he couldn't see. Marin's chest still rose and fell, but the look on her face was one of agony. Her breathing was ragged and labored.

Talon looked up at him. "Link, you have to go."

"Marin..."

The woman that had taken him in when he was orphaned, now laying in her husbands arms, and it was possible that she was dying.

"Link," Talon snapped. "Go find the princess and tell her what happened here. We'll be fine."

"What about the ranch? All the livestock is gone. What are you going to do?"

"We'll figure it out." His tone was resolute. "Go."

With a tremendous effort, Link pushed himself into a standing position. A heavy weight pressed down on his chest and shoulders, and it felt like a boulder had settled in his stomach. Him and Talon exchanged one last glance.

"Stay safe," The rancher, his father, said.

"You too."

Link's mind was weighed down with questions as he made his way to the exit of the ranch. What had attacked his home? Why had they in the first place? His thoughts fell on Marin. With a solemn bow of his head, Link found himself actually praying. Please, let her be okay. Keep all of them safe. If there was a goddess, let her protect them when he couldn't.

"Link?"

He turned to find Malon standing behind him. She'd found a cloth to wrap around her head to staunch the bleeding.

"Make sure you treat that soon, okay?"

"Where are you going?"

"I have to meet with the princess again." He reached out his hand and took Malon's, squeezing it gently. "I'll be back soon though. I promise."

Small tears pricked at her eyes. Malon gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "You better. I don't want to be stuck doing chores by myself." She punctuated the remark with a forced giggle.

He didn't dare tell her about Marin's condition right now. If she raced off to find her parents, she might get attacked again. She'd proven tonight that she was capable of defending herself against small, less dangerous creatures, but whatever had attacked Marin and Talon wasn't small.

Link looked back to the little footpath leading out of the ranch. Without a horse, it would take the whole day to reach Castle Town. If he didn't sleep tonight, maybe he could make it. With nothing more than a sword, shield and the clothes on his back, Link continued on.

Now he focused entirely on getting as far away from that fire as he possibly could.

He wasn't sure how much longer he could go on. The sky had turned bruise blue and one by one the stars petered out. Morning was coming, and Link was dragging his feet down the trail. The soles of his feet ached, and his boots pinched his feet. His ankles felt like they'd been reduced to powder. His knees shook with every step. If he wasn't afraid of being attacked by predators, he would fall down and sleep where he stood. He had to press on, though. If he reached Castle Town, he'd be able to send someone to help at the ranch.

Link could feel the layer of sweat, dirt and ashes that coated his skin. His clothes were tattered and worn out. How would he even get into the castle, much less get to Zelda? Hopefully she'd thought this through, being as rash as she was. Link certainly hadn't. Oh goddess, he wished more than anything that he could sleep right now. This was the longest he'd probably ever stayed up in his life...

A grove of trees split up the path ahead of him. Without thinking, Link wandered into the center of them and sat at the base of the largest tree he could find.

He was mentally and physically exhausted. So much weighed on his mind. His body was sore and aching. His stomach growled, begging for food. His eyelids felt so heavy. As soon as his bottom hit the ground they fell closed. Only a short nap, he thought, then he'd continue to Castle Town.

His sleep was plagued with nightmares of fire.

In her nervousness, Zelda resorted to twisting her hair around her fingers. At this rate, she might go bald. Of course, today of all days, the day she was planning on taking a little 'unplanned excursion' as she called it, was the day her father had to invite her fiance to to castle. To just imagine King Daphnes face when he discovered that his daughter had gone missing. Now to imagine it when he found out she'd vanished on the day her future husband was coming to see her. Oh, there would be search parties. They'd tear apart Castle Town and the surrounding area. They'd eventually search for her in Kakariko, the tiny, budding village at the foot of the mountains. Her father would turn all of Hyrule upside down himself to find her.

How mad could he be though, when she returned a hero to her people? She thought of how she'd lecture her father on how right she was and how wrong he was, and how it would be so satisfying...

"Princess, the face you're making is rather unbecoming of a lady."

Zelda snapped out of her daydream, roused by her caretaker's voice. It was a joke, of course. Mocking something her father had once said to her when she was seven and Zelda had tasted Goat Cheese Pumpkin Fish Soup for the first time. Who in their right mind thought that combination was a good idea?

"I'm just worried."

"I'll keep the search parties off your trail for as long as I can."

"Did you make sure the stable will be empty?"

"Yes, Princess."

"What about-"

"Everything is in place and going as planned." Impa put a hand on Zelda's shoulder. "We just have to wait for the boy to show up."

Easier said than done. Minutes ticked by and turned into hours. The sun rose up in the sky, and baked the dry, cracked earth. Clouds formed, blew across the sky and scattered. Impa was sent to wait for Link by the town gates, but never returned.

Before she knew it, a servant was knocking at her door.

"Princess, Master Groose has arrived."

Oh Goddess.

"Just a minute." Zelda's voice trembled under her nerves.

In preparation for her escape, Zelda had worn a pale blue tunic and tights, not exactly what her father wanted her to be in when she presented herself to her fiance. She pulled the tunic off and threw a white gown on. She removed her hair from it's ponytail and brushed through it, leaving it down. Hopefully she could get away with looking plain. Just to be sure, she perched a small tiara on her head.

Where was he? Had he slept in or something? Zelda furrowed her brow at her reflection in the vanity mirror. Could the fate of Hyrule really depend on such a lazy boy?

"Your Highness?"

"Y-yes, yes. I'm coming."

Oh, he'd pay for this. He'd pay dearly.

Something nudged Link's shoulder. He opened his eyes and stretched. Besides his hunger, he felt great. He was refreshed and ready to continue on.

He screamed and scrambled backwards, against the trunk of the tree. He'd just realized that a pair of droopy purple eyes had been watching him. His heart calmed when he saw that it was just a young girl, probably only fourteen or fifteen. Her face was painted with three colored dots under her eyes, and her lips were colored bright pink.

Her outfit was rather unsuitable for the hike she must have had to take to get out this far. Her hair was done up in two blonde pigtails, and she was wearing some sort of strange, frilly headpiece. Her dress was green and white with big, pink fake butterflies attached to it, and on her feet were dress shoes. She was carrying a picnic basket with her, a lace napkin covering it's contents.

"Are you lost?" Her voice is high pitched and airy.

"No. Are you?" What would a little girl be doing out in the middle of Hyrule Field?

The little girl giggled. "Nope. I come out here to catch bugs." She cocked her head. "You hungry, Mister? Would you like something?"

Strange, but Link went with it. He was starving. "Sure."

The little girl procured from her basket an ornate teapot, two saucers, cups and plates. Link examined his empty tea cup. It was painted with detailed motifs of blue sacred butterflies. The tea was poured, and a slice of sticky bread with raisins baked into it was placed on the plate in front of him. Before he could eat, the young girl set up another plate and dropped some bread on it.

Link watched in half amusement, half horror as the girl took a bottle out of her basket and dumped it's contents onto the plate. Lanayru ants. Live Lanayru ants. She set the now empty bottle down and clapped her hands.

"Princess Agitha of the Bug Kingdom would like to announce that we have a special guest joining us for breakfast today." She pointed to him. "Please, tell us your name."

"...Link."

"Sir Link. Please enjoy your meal."

He hesitated, but snatched the bread off the plate and ate. Something was rather disturbing about watching as the girl who called herself Princess Agitha began sprinkling sugar onto the plate of squirming ants.

By the end of the meal, Link had eaten at least five squares of the sticky bread. It was surprisingly good. He just hoped that it really was raisins in that bread, and not bugs.

Agitha hummed and used sugar to lure the ants back into the jar. A whole slice of bread still remained on the plate. What a shame good food went to waste like that. Agitha tossed it aside without a second thought and returned the china to her basket. She stood and dusted herself off.

"You going to Castle Town?"

Agitha nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"I'm heading the same way. I'll go with you."

For the most part, she was quiet, except for the occasional off key humming. She wasn't alert or afraid of any threat that might possibly show itself. Maybe it was just because of his presence, but something told Link that wasn't quite it.

"Where are your parents?"

"Gone."

Agithat didn't even look up. She watched her feet as she walked, taking light, bouncy steps. Was she making sure she didn't step on any bugs?

"Traveling?"

"Maybe. I haven't seen them in a long time."

A sort of gloom fell on Link. What in the world did that mean? Were they dead? Missing? How long had she been alone? There was some comfort in knowing that his parents were dead. He didn't have to wonder if they'd ever come back. To him, not knowing would be far worse than what he had.

"Is someone taking care of you while they're gone?"

"I live by myself, in my castle. My bugs take care of me."

Link nodded, not really sure what to say. The two of them went back to walking together in silence.

The sky was turning pink, and beginning to cloud over, threatening rain.

Zelda curled a loose lock of hair around her finger and uncurled it again. She sipped her wine. She poked at the pumpkin pudding that was laid out in front of her for dessert. She did anything to distract herself. Things were looking bad, very bad. Impa was still gone, waiting by the castle gates for Link to show up. Her carefully laid escape plan was falling apart in front of her eyes, and there was nothing Zelda could do about it. She was stuck in the dining hall from lunch until dinner while her father sat and planned out her future in front of her without letting her have a say.

"Perhaps something closer to the evening. We could have a grand fireworks display to celebrate."

"Oh, but without the light, how will anyone see her dress?"

"You're right. Maybe in the afternoon."

"But if it's too warm she might faint."

"Yes, yes. That too."

"What if we use lanterns to light the temple gardens? Then there can be fireworks and everyone will be able to see the dress."

What about the girl in the dress? Or was she just supposed to be some living mannequin to show of how much money the King could spend on imported silk and lace?

"Zelda, Darling." Groose leaned in and squinted at her forehead. "You'll have to pluck your eyebrows before the ceremony. They're a bit too thick."

Leave my eyebrows out of this! She wanted to yell. Who cares? If everyone was going to be so focused on the dress who would even bother looking at her face?

She plastered on a fake smile and nodded. "Of course."

Where was Link? Zelda could only take so much Groose before she wanted to choke him.

Something caught her eye from across the room. The door to the dining hall opened just a crack, and Impa peeked inside. When her and Zelda met gazes, she nodded. Zelda felt a sudden rush of adrenaline pump through her veins. Finally.

"Excuse me, Father, Master Groose."

Zelda stood and half walked, half ran out of the hall. She met up with Impa and without a word, they continued to her chamber.

She flung the doors of her bedroom open with such force she startled herself. Link was standing in her room, dirty and tired looking. Before he could greet her, Zelda breezed past him and grabbed the folded stack of clothes off her bed and shoved them into his chest.

"Put those on. Hurry up."

Impa lead him to her sitting room to change. Zelda herself scrambled out of her gown as fast as she could, tearing a sleeve while she was at it. Her blue tunic was back on, her hair done up in a ponytail and her quiver and bag slung over her shoulder. Her sword was strapped to her waist in its sheath.

Link returned, dressed in a green, short sleeved tunic with a white undershirt and baggy pants.

"Where's the cap?"

"I'm not wearing that."

Zelda narrowed her eyes. "It's part of the outfit. You know the trouble I went through to get it? It's the exact same tunic the hero wore."

"So it's really old."

Zelda gave him a light push on the shoulders. "Hurry up, or we're going to get caught."

As they passed through the sitting room, Zelda grabbed the green pointed cap off of the table Link had left it on and stuffed it in her bag. If she was forced to wear that dress and sit with Groose and his stupid pompadour, then it was only fair that he'd wear the hat.

A/N: Ugh, this one was a pain to write. I just really, really don't like it. It sat on my hard drive for weeks, and I tried to make it better, but no. It just won't co-operate. So here is chapter four, in all it's dumb dumbness.