Author's note:

Here you are, the next chapter. All the boring stuff that happens between the Great Deku Tree and Dodongo's Cavern. Thank you for the really encouraging review, KarieLuisaSaja! Thank you for being patient! Been working all afternoon and all morning, and now I have to go to school so that I can work on the next one after I finish my math test!

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Chapter -2-

The Princess of Destiny

This log was longer than any other he had ever entered. It was dark as well, but Navi's blue light lit the interior with a soft, eerie glow. Link's mouth was dry. As far as he knew, he was the only one to ever have come this far into the outside world. What would it be like? Was it a dry, barren wasteland, without a tree in sight except for the forest from which he had come? Would it be cloudy and raining, or clear and sunny?

A light appeared at the end of the tunnel. It grew larger and brighter as he approached it, blocking out any view of what lay beyond.

"Is this it, Navi?" he asked tentatively.

"I… I think so," Navi said, sounding a little quivery. "I guess we'll have to find out."

Link covered his eyes with his arm as he reached the end of the log. To somebody accustomed to the dim light of the forest, bright sunlight was blinding. He only lowered it when he nearly tripped as he wood beneath his feet smoothly gave way to soft grass again. The singing of birds reached his ears, and he looked up in amazement.

He was in another canyon like the one leading to the Great Deku Tree, but this one had old trees on the sides. Beyond that, he could see a wide, grassy plain bordered by towering mountains.

"Look at that, Nav'!" he cried. "Have you ever seen so much open space in your life?"

"No," Navi said in awe. "This is amazing!"

They hurried toward the end of the canyon. They were nearly there when an oddly shaped shadow fell over them. They looked up quickly.

The largest bird Link had ever seen was perched on a branch, regarding them with bright, curious eyes. It was very fat, but that might have been its feathers. They stared at each other for a few seconds, and then the bird did something totally unexpected: it spoke to them.

"Hoo-Hoot! Out of the forest at last, little Kokiri?" it asked. "I was wondering when you would."

Link wanted to ask, "What do you mean?" but his throat seemed to have lost all power of speech. Finally, he regained his voice and asked, "Er… excuse me, sir, but... who are you?"

"Hoo, true, I forgot to introduce myself again," the bird said, clapping itself in the face with one of its massive wings. "I am Kaepora Gaebora the owl, at your service. And you are Link and Navi, unless I am very much mistaken."

Link nodded.

"The world outside the forest is not quite as safe as your little village," Kaepora Gaebora said, turning his head upside-down. "Hyrule Field is populated by many dangerous monsters, but so far they only come out at night. Now, the castle drawbridge closes at nightfall, so you're going to need to hurry to get there before then. The field is no great eagle, but it's no little sparrow, either."

Link and Navi glanced at each other, trying to figure this cryptic bit of advice out.

"You mean it's not too big and not too small, either?" Navi guessed, speaking up for the first time.

"Exactly. What a wise little fairy you are. Link, if you two ever need any help, I'll always be somewhere nearby. Trust to your courage. Hoo-hoo-hoot!"

And with that, the owl spread his wings and took off, heading for the mountains. They watched until he was little more than a small, black speck in the sky. Then they turned and exited the tunnel.

The field was even larger than it had first appeared. It wasn't entirely flat, but studded with small hills and a few trees here and there. There were bushes in random places, and dirt paths wound aimlessly around alongside low stone walls. A glimmer of water to the north told them that there was some sort of river or stream over that way. There was a large stone building about in the center of the field. Way off in the distance, they thought they could just see the walls of the castle, although they couldn't be entirely sure.

They strolled leisurely through the field for the next few hours, taking in the glorious scenery. Link told Navi all about his escapades with Nikol, Saria, and their friends, and she in turn told him about her life as a fairy. They stopped for a brief rest in the shadow of the large stone wall halfway through, Link munching happily on an apple he had plucked from a tree. Then they were off again, the towering castle growing steadily larger before them.

The sun had already begun to sink below the line of the mountains as they reached the castle. They stared up at it in amazement. It wasn't quite as spectacular as the Great Deku Tree, but it was still very impressive. A broad, wooden drawbridge spanned a shallow moat running along the front side of the castle. On either side of the open gate were unlit torches, with windows next to them so that a guard could easily lean out and set fire to them. Above the gate was a decorative carving bearing the three triangles, which Link now recognized as the symbol of the Triforce.

A guard welcomed him as he walked through the gate and onto the cobblestones of a wide street.

"Hello there," he said brightly. "Cuttin' it a little close, dontcha think?"

As he spoke, there was a creaking and groaning, and the drawbridge was raised, shutting the gate to the field.

"Just in time," the guard commented. "The market'll still be crowded. Right down this street."

Link thanked the guard politely and went in the indicated direction. He and Navi came out from in between the wooden buildings and found themselves in a large, square marketplace. Lively music was being played at a puppet theater nearby, and people were crowded around to watch. Others wandered through the stalls and salesmen, looking very busy indeed. One little girl was chasing a white bird.

"A Cucco," Navi said. "They raise them all over Hyrule. It's nearly the national bird."

"What is the national bird?" Link asked curiously.

"Phoenix," Navi answered promptly. "You'll see it on the royal seal."

Link wove his way through the people and plants to reach a guard.

"Excuse me," he asked. "Which way to the castle?"

"Right up this road, little boy," the guard said stiffly. Obviously he wasn't quite as friendly as the other one. Link thanked him nevertheless and headed up the dirt road behind the guard and his partner. As he turned a corner, a familiar voice hailed him, prompting him to look up.

"Hoo-hoot! Well done, very well done indeed!"

It was the owl again, of course. He cocked his head and peered at Link intently.

"Ahead lies the famed Hyrule Castle, home of Princess Zelda and her father. The guards won't let even a charming young thing as yourself in, so you'd best sneak in using those vines there on the wall." He gestured with his pinfeathers. "Don't let them catch you, or you'll have to start all over again. Also… oh, it appears you have some company. Good luck seeing the princess, Link! Hoo-hoo-hoot!"

As he took flight, Link turned to see a small, red-haired girl regarding him. He'd never seen a girl with red hair before.

"Hello," he said after a moment. For some reason, the girl seemed to find this remarkably funny. She giggled.

"Hi," she said, grinning broadly. "I'm Malon from Lon Lon Ranch. What's your name?"

Link blinked once or twice. Malon seemed to be a bit odd, but definitely harmless. "I'm Link," he said finally. "I'm going to see the princess."

"Oh, you have a fairy!" Malon squealed. Navi blushed crimson and hid behind Link's cap. "You must be a fairy boy from the forest. You're going to sneak past all those guards just to see the princess, fairy boy? You must be pretty brave."

Link shrugged, not really knowing what to say.

"Hey, could you do me a favor?" Malon asked. "My father went in there to deliver some milk this morning and he hasn't come back. Knowing him, he's probably just fallen asleep somewhere. Could you find him for me?"

"Sure," Link said with another shrug. He didn't see why he shouldn't help her.

"Oh, and one more thing," Malon said with a rather wicked grin. "You'll need some help waking him up. Take this. I've been incubating it."

She pulled an egg out of the pocket of her dress and handed it to him. It was quite large and shook slightly.

"What is…"

"You'll see," she said with yet another giggle. "This'll get him up, all right."

"Okay," Link said uncertainly, placing it carefully in one of his own pockets.

"When you finish seeing the princess, come visit me at the ranch sometime," Malon said happily. "It's that big place in the middle of the field. We have all sorts of cool stuff there."

"Right, see you later, then," Link said, anxious to get going before the light vanished completely. He took hold of the vines and climbed up, just like he had in the Deku Tree. He pulled himself up onto a ledge several feet above the path. There was a strange-looking stone with an eye carved into it sitting next to him.

"That's interesting," Navi said, flying over to investigate it. "It almost feels like it's watching us."

As fascinating as the stone undoubtedly was, they left it behind and continued down the ledge until they were standing directly on top of the gate. There was a guard at the other side, but there was a small opening with a ladder in it next to them. Link slid down and emerged in some sort of gatehouse, which was luckily unoccupied. He opened the door and emerged back on the path, sneaking along so that the guards on the other side wouldn't hear him. Snickering quietly, he and Navi hurried up the path. They peeked around a corner to see more guards.

"The slope's not so steep here," Navi observed. "You could walk up it to go around them."

Link slipped up the slope and appeared on a grassy lawn scattered with flowers, trees, and more guards. Sneaking from tree to tree, he eventually ended up in a corner next to a wall. It was rough enough to climb if he was careful, so he pulled himself up and found himself on the cobblestones next to a second moat. There were two guards posted next to the gate only a few feet away. He glanced around quickly, and, seeing no other way past, slipped noiselessly into the moat. He swam past the unsuspecting guards and picked up some random rupees floating in the water. Navi watched the guards until they were a safe distance away, then signaled to Link to climb up. He got out of the moat, dripping, and spotted some boxes he could hide behind.

As he slipped behind the boxes, he nearly tripped over somebody lying on the ground. It was a rather fat, balding man with a bushy brown moustache, wearing overalls and a red shirt.

"…finest Cuccos in Hyrule… come back again, now…" he muttered in his sleep. Link glanced at Navi.

"Do you think this is Malon's father?" he whispered.

"Probably. He mentioned Cuccos. Try the egg."

Link pulled the egg out of his pocket. It suddenly shook ferociously and a spiderweb of cracks appeared in the shell. It split open, revealing a baby Cucco. It crowed loudly, and Link winced, looking around for the guards. Apparently they didn't care, for nobody came running to kick him out. The man, however, shot upright.

"What in tarnation?" he cried. Spotting Link, he scratched his head. "That looks like Malon's Cucco. Do you know her?"

"Um… are you Malon's father?" Link asked.

"The name's Talon," the balding man said, shaking Link's hand vigorously. "Owner of Lon Lon Ranch and father of… oh, shoot! Malon's going to skelp the tail off of me! Oh, man, am I going to get it! I'll take that Cucco for you, my lad, but I've really got to be going!"

He snatched the Cucco and sped off, raising dust as he passed the staring guards. Link glanced at Navi.

"Now what?" he asked.

Navi flew over to an opening in the wall through which water was flowing into the moat.

"If you push those crates onto that little ledge, I'm sure you could make the jump and crawl through this duct," she suggested. Link put his back to one of the crates Talon had been sleeping behind, which he presumed was full of milk, and shoved it onto the ledge. He took a running leap and landed on the other ledge just outside of the hole. He ducked and crawled through it. It was a tight squeeze, but he could fit.

He and Navi came out of the hole in a grassy courtyard full of hedges, fountains, and still more guards.

"It looks like we'll have to be quiet again," Navi whispered. "Sneak by when they have their backs turned!"

They had a few very close shaves in the first few areas, but they managed to maneuver themselves to the final passage, which was patrolled by two guards. Link slipped out from behind the hedge and stopped in horror when he saw a guard at the other end. Both of them held absolutely still, not even daring to breathe, watching the guard look around. The green tunic must have provided some camouflage, for he didn't see them. Finally he turned and walked the other way.

Heaving identical sighs of relief, Link and Navi ran behind his back into a stone corridor. At the other end, they entered a small garden filled with bright flowers. Across the garden, before a large window, stood a girl in a pink dress. Cautiously, Link walked up behind her.

"Miss?"

The girl gave a small squeal and spun, and he saw that she had sky-blue eyes.

"Oh… who are you?" she asked in a small voice. She peered at him intently, surveying his clothes and Navi. "Your clothes… are you… from the forest?"

Link nodded, wondering is this girl was the Princess he was looking for. The girl clapped her hands together.

"Then… you wouldn't happen to have… the Spiritual Stone of the Forest? That green and sparkling stone?" she asked, sounding excited.

Link eyed her suspiciously. Was she the Princess or wasn't she? Then he noticed the familiar three triangles on her headdress. Who else could it be? He nodded again, and the princess laughed.

"I knew it was you!" she cried. Seeing the puzzled look on his face, she explained. "I had a dream a few nights ago that storm clouds were rolling over Hyrule. Then a light came out of the forest, parting the clouds. It turned into a boy in green carrying a green stone and followed by a ball of light."

She stopped talking and blinked. "I'm sorry," she said. "I haven't even properly introduced myself. I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule." She bent her head slightly and smiled, looking up at him through long blonde lashes.

"I'm Link," the boy said, scuffing a foot along the ground. It felt odd to be meeting a princess.

Zelda frowned delicately. "Link… that's odd… it sounds somehow… familiar."

"What were you doing over here, anyway?" Link asked. "Shouldn't you be inside, or something?"

The young princess shook her head. "I come out here all the time. It's my private garden. But… I was looking through this window just now and I saw… You know the other element of my dream, the storm clouds…" She lowered her voice to a whisper, and he had to step closer just to hear. "I think it's that man in there! Take a look."

Link obediently stepped up to the window and peered inside. He saw a dark-skinned man with orange hair kneeling, presumably before the King of Hyrule. Something about him was familiar, but Link couldn't quite place it.

"He claims he's come to pay homage to my father, but I don't believe a word of it! I know what he's really up to. He's come to try to steal the Triforce!"

The red-haired man suddenly looked straight at the window they were spying through. They ducked hurriedly out of sight. After a few breathless seconds, during which Zelda held onto Link's hand so hard it hurt, they peeked over the sill. The man was gone.

"Do you think he saw us?" Link asked.

"It's all right," Zelda assured him. "Even if he did, he doesn't know what we're planning yet."

Link was about to ask, rather indignantly, what she meant by "we," but she interrupted him smoothly.

"You know about the Triforce, right?"

Link nodded vigorously.

"Long ago, the Hylian people built the Door of Time, which is inside the Temple of Time, to guard the entrance to the Sacred Realm. The only way to open the Door is to collect the three Spiritual Stones: the Kokiri's Emerald, the Goron's Ruby, and Zora's Sapphire. That man in there has been searching for the stones, I just know it!"

"He is," Link said sadly. "He killed the Great Deku Tree to try and get the emerald."

Zelda stared at him. "Oh…" she said at last. "I'm so sorry. But that's why we must find them all before he does and keep them safe! Or rather, you have to find them. I need to stay here to keep an eye on Father."

She fixed Link with her penetrating blue gaze.

"Will you do it for me, Link? Will you find the other Spiritual Stones before the man from the desert?"

Link suddenly remembered the Deku Tree's dying words.

Link… thou must never suffer the wicked man to lay his hands on the sacred Triforce…

"I'll do it," he said decidedly.

Zelda clapped her hands together in delight.

"Wonderful! Now, the best place to start would have to be the Goron's Ruby. I only hope we're not too late… you need to go to Death Mountain and speak to the leader of the Gorons, Big Brother Darunia. Oh… but the guard won't let you up unless…"

She pulled a scrap of paper and some sort of convenient writing utensil out of her dress pocket and scribbled a little note. She folded it up neatly, signed the front, and gave it to him.

"There. Just give that to the guard at the entrance to Death Mountain Trail. Now go see my caretaker, Impa. She said she had something to teach you. Good luck!"

Link returned to the entrance of the garden and nearly ran into a tall, silver-haired woman with blood-red eyes. Light armor covered her chest and wrists. She looked down at him quizzically.

"I am Impa, the last of the Sheikah and Princess Zelda's caretaker," she said, in a strong voice. "I have a song to teach you. Get out that ocarina of yours."

Wondering how she possibly knew about his ocarina, Link took it out. Impa put her fingers to her lips and whistled a little bit of a song. She repeated it again to make sure that he remembered it.

"Just play by ear. The Kokiri have always had a way with music," Impa said, nodding at him. He obligingly raised the ocarina and tried copying the song. Impa had to help him once or twice, but after a few tries he had it down nicely.

"Very good," Impa commented. "Now, as the guards will get suspicious if they see you roaming the gardens on your own, I will escort you down to the market."

As he followed Impa away, Link took one last looks at Zelda. He had a funny feeling that he wouldn't be seeing her for quite a while.