Disclaimer: A funny thing happened recently; I deleted this story due a personal lack of interest and a myriad of distractions. But I brought it back up to be continued regardless of how many or few review it ever receives.

A certain beta-reader of mine inspired me to continue.

I don't own the rights to the Legend of Zelda.


Chapter VIII

Night fell on Lon Lon Ranch, meaning that the journey to Kokiri Forest would unfortunately have to be postponed until the following morning. It also meant that, until then, Zelda no choice but to take temporary residents in Link's quaint home. It wasn't exactly something the Princess was used to since she had lived her whole life in the vast halls of her father's castle rather than a somewhat more confined space like Link's home. The house itself was something of a hobble than a real home in her opinion, but she wasn't going to say that to Link's face. She needed to be gracious that he was even allowing her to stay the night, especially since she knew that the two of them weren't on the best of terms, being that he unintentionally broke into her room; at least, she hoped it was unintentional. Also, she was sure that one wrong word about his home would land her a bed in the stables with the horses.

Zelda made sure to not utter a negative word about him home and, surprisingly, there wasn't as much tension between them as she thought there would be. It was actually relatively peaceful. Something else surprised her about Link that night. As he busied himself in the kitchen, she found that he was actually a pretty decent cook. Not as extravagant or as graceful as her palace chefs, but he showed enough skill to prove that he knew what he was doing, so she kept her mouth shut. Once he was done, he handed the Princess a plate of food that was mix of bright fruits and vegetables with a side of fresh milk. It wasn't quite the feast that the ill-fated banquet was, but it was at least something that would fill her growling stomach.

The sound of an owl hooting just outside the house startled Zelda a bit. According to Link, the Great Plains tended to get very dangerous at night, beginning to trail on about the various creatures he encountered when he was younger. As Link took a few supple bites from his plate of food, Zelda couldn't help, but wonder if there was actually more to this boy than she first thought. All she really knew about him was the he was very stubborn and sarcastic, two personality types that tended to irk her the most; but, for a moment, she saw something different in him. He actually appeared more personable than when they first met, even though that occurence was questionable.

After a couple long minutes, Link glanced up at the Princess, discovering her quizzical gaze focused on him. "What?"

Her eyes widened as she quickly averted her gaze by taking a bite of her food, replying with a short, "Nothing."

Link still produced a small chuckle, finding amusement in her unusual, almost nervous mannerisms. "Not used to these sorts of living conditions, huh?"

"It's… a stark contrast to living in the castle; not quite as glamorous or regal or well kept or…"

"…big?" He added with a cocked eyebrow, causing Zelda to laugh a bit; it was a light and welcomed sound that softly reverberated off the walls of the nearly silent house. "You know, I didn't always live here. I actually, kind of, broke in one night; in fact, it was this very room," He chuckled before adding, "I've been overstaying my welcome ever since."

"Did you," Zelda replied almost unsurprised; considering how she met Link, she wondered if he ever met anyone in a proper manner. "If you don't mind my asking, where were you parents at the time? I'm sure thy wouldn't have approved."

Link fell completely silent to her statement and Zelda knew she stepped into forbidden territory. For awhile, she didn't think he was going to reply to her. "Um, well, I don't really remember my parents. I... I've been an orphan for a long time."

"Oh, I see." The Princess looked away, taking a sip of her milk.

Link took another small bite of his meal before rising from of his seat. "Yeah," he said. "I'd rather not talk about it."

Taking his plate, Link briskly rushed up the stairs to his room, giving off the sence that he to be alone for the remainder of the evening. When a door shut on the floor above, Zelda felt regrettably foolish. She really should've known better than to inquire about Link's childhood the way she did. But she would argue with herself on how was she supposed to know that was an orphan? It wasn't like he advertised that he didn't have a family; in fact, she thought that the Malon girl he often talked about was his sister or something. That thought was thrown out the window with his orphan statement. Zelda considered going up to his room to apologize to Link for her baseless assumptions, but really, she had nothing to offer. She knew that wouldn't make him feel any better with an old wound beginning to fester. That made her feel even more of the fool that she wanted to admit, but couldn't.

Meanwhile, Link was up in his room and had set his plate down on the modest sized table by the window. He sat down at the edge of his bed and thought long and hard about a myriad of things. Most of those thoughts were centered on how the past 24 hours had gone so very wrong, worse than anything he could've imagined. He knew the moment that Talon said they were going to be on cleanup duty for that castle that it was going to be a bad day, but not as bad as it turned out to be. He still figuratively kicked himself for leaving Malon behind at the castle at the mercy of that madman. Link wouldn't dare say it, but he seriously considered handing Zelda over to Ganondorf in exchange for Malon, but it wasn't in him to do that. Link might've spent his adolescent years as a thieving street urchin, but wasn't callous enough to hand over the Princess of Hyrule to a psychopath like Ganondorf; even if it ment Malon would be safe. Besides, he doubted that a madman like Ganondorf would actually meet his end of any bargain.

Looking down at his hand at the currently faint Triforce symbol, Link pondered just how and why he, out of all the living Hylians of the realm, was chosen to go serve the Goddesses by holding one of the piece of the fabled Triforce. Zelda was probably-had been wondering the same thing from the moment they first met. Link kept telling himself that he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time for whatever stupid reason; and the reason was that he was being his very stupid self. Seeing the Triforce symbol on his hand, Link really couldn't help thinking it was random that he had it at all. So why was it that he felt like it was anything but random?


((He was running as fast as his feet could carry him, lightening streaking out from the morbidly dark clouds that hung high above. He was beginning to tire, but he wasn't about to let that thing catch him.

Do not look back, he told himself as he forced his legs to move faster. Despite that thought being chanted repetitively, but he did and he saw… it. That Great Beast from before and it was chasing him again, snarling and snorting as it charged faster towards him. He could almost smell its foul breath wrapping around his body, as if it was right on top of him at all times. No matter where he ran, the Great Beast seemed to always be right there biting at his heels. It was never anywhere, but on him,;chasing and hunting him no matter where he went. Then, as he looked back again, the Great Beast was suddenly gone.

That's when something felt wrong to him. Why would the Great Beast suddenly stop pursuing him? Without warning, he was thrown off his feet by a flash of yellow light. The ground felt like concrete, cold and hard as it refused to cushion his fall. He was slow to recover as he caught the sight of something else. A lone figure on a black steed made entirely of shadows loomed over him. The figure's face was concealed by a mask that resembled a skull with horns on either side. The eyes glowed a sickly yellow hue; it was like a Phantom of shadows and it was staring straight through him to see into his very soul.

The Phantom laughed at its prey and made him stand up, forcing him into running for his life once more. Just as it was before, the Phantom kept an even pace with him. It was utterly relentless in its pursuit. He tried and tried, running as fast as he possibly could, but he simply couldn't outrun the Phantom. Try as he might and struggle as he did, the Phantom wouldn't be denied. It laughed as it continued to pursue its target, who'd finally fell to his knees exhausted. The Phantom circled around him like a vulture of darkness. Then, for the first time, the Phantom spoke…

"You will never escape me." In the next moment, the Phantom hurled a huge ball of grim, yellow energy at him. All was dark.))


Link sat straight up out of bed, breathing rapid and shallow huffs. Beads of sweat were running down the side of his face which he wiped away after registering that he was in his room as he had been before that horrid nightmare. Looking around, Link noticed the only remaining scraps of food on his plate and realized that he must've fallen asleep without finishing it. But his unfinished meal was the least of his worries; it was that dreaded nightmare again. Link was still trying to figure out what it meant and why he was having the same for who knew how long…

Then it occurred to him that it was morning of the following day, roughly twenty-four hours since the banquet begun. Had it really been that long? The half-eaten meal indicated as much to him. But then something else had occurred to the reluctant youth; Zelda. Where was Zelda? He thought for sure that the impatient Princess would've woken him up by now with a screaming fit, accusing him of one thing or another.

He had a bad feeling in his gut as he grabbed his gear from off the floor, rushing out of his room and down the stairs to the kitchen. Zelda wasn't there and her plate of food was entirely cleaned. Link rushed outside, needing to squint his eyes amid the morning sun. His first instinct was to check out the fenced area where the horses were usually to gallop, but then it hit Link and he bolted into the horse stables.

Just as he thought, Zelda wasn't there; neither was Epona. The pen where Epona was usually kept was left open while the rest where secured, the horses still resting. Link was on the verge of tearing his own hair out knowing that that stubborn Princess just absconded with Epona , not even bothering to drag him with her. Heck, if anything happened to her, he knew that her bodyguard would have his head on a platter. In his haste to catch up to her, Link picked out the second most reliable horse in the stable, a strong male stallion named Ingo, through the saddle on the horse's back and unlocked the gate.

As he took Ingo outside to the field, Link was muttering, "Of all the stupid, idiotic, irresponsible, bone-headed…" Link hopped onto Ingo and continued his diatribe with an angered scowl. "…childish, reckless, stubborn and asinine stunts that girl could've pulled. Let's go, Ingo. Yah!"

In a heartbeat, Link rode Ingo out of the front entrance of the ranch and out into Hyrule Field. The first thing that hit Link was a brisk, warm breeze coming from the west. Link stopped Ingo for a split second to think about where Zelda had gone. It wasn't that hard to figure out that she was headed for Kokiri Forest, south-east of the ranch, so Link reared Ingo around and bolted in that direction. It didn't take as long as Link thought it would, spotting a distant object in the distant ahead of him after only a few minutes. The sunlight shimmered on a sparkling white object that was waving back and forth.

Epona! Link pressed forward with Ingo as they raced across the field. Epona was still well ahead of them, but Link could tell she wasn't alone. Zelda was clearly riding her on towards Kokiri Forest. Link was fuming over Epona being taken by a Princess as he drove Ingo faster. The minute, the second he caught up to Zelda, Link knew he was going to be relentless about giving her an earful.

Still well up ahead, Zelda rode atop of Epona as the young mare galloped across Hyrule Field. She was still so intent on not wasting time, that she didn't even bother to wait for Link to awaken this morning. He would've slowed her down anyway whether he possessed the Crest of Courage or not. She still refused to acknowledge that he was one of the Crest bearers, like it was some sick joke. It was then that Zelda could hear the faint cries of Link from well behind her. She looked back and saw the boy riding after her on his own horse. Instinctively, Zelda reared Epona back to a slow walk and allowed for Link to catch up with her, glaring at him. He glared back. A stare down ensued as Link caught up to her, stopping Ingo right beside Epona.

"Okay, Princess, what in the blazes are you doing?!" he demanded.

"What does it look like?" Zelda replied flatly." I'm going to Kokiri Forest, with or without you. Is that acceptable to you?"

"No, it's not acceptable to me, and neither is stealing my horse from my ranch." Link snapped.

Zelda laughed out loud, "Your horse? I didn't see your name branded on her backside. Besides; she doesn't really like that well, does she?"

"That's beside the point. I let you spend the night at my ranch where I grew up, even though you've proven to be nothing but a thorn in my side," He stated even more incredulously than normal. "And you repay me by absconding with Epona while I'm asleep!"

"The way I see; we're even. You broke into my castle, into my bedroom no less, and may have stolen something that wasn't yours. How do I know you didn't take something from there?"

"I didn't steal anything from your stupid bedroom. How could I steal anything with all the craziness that was happening in there to begin with?" Link asked rather matter-of-factly.

"It's not impossible to use all that confusion to abscond with something that wasn't yours. Honestly, I've seen it more times than I'd care to remember." She snapped.

"If that's the case, you're welcome to search for whatever I didn't steal," Link snapped back and then added, "You'll have to be very thorough."

"Ugh, I wouldn't lay one finger on your filthy person." Zelda cringed. "I bet you haven't bathed in days!"

"So, you do bite. This is going to be a fun ride to Kokiri Forest." Link snapped and then rode off south east to where Kokiri Forest was located, while Zelda remained where she had Epona stopped. Apparently, taking the horse the way she did without asking wasn't the wisest move; too late to change course now.


The forthcoming gallop to Kokiri Forest was long and somewhat awkward. Neither Zelda nor Link had spoken a single word since the early morning hours of the journey. Link seemed to still be annoyed with the Princess for taking Epona without permission, especially with Epona being Malon's favorite. Zelda figured that with her being royalty, she didn't have to ask for permission. But she had to accept that things were different outside of her home, which now was under the control of Ganondorf. Zelda's father was dead, her bodyguard captured and maybe also dead. Link had his own stake in the situation with his friend Malon and her father prisoners of Ganondorf, along with any surviving prisoners from the banquet.

She didn't try to show it, but Zelda felt like a fool for stealing Link's horse and forcing him to try to track her down. It wasn't like she planned it; it was out of desperation. The longer she waited, the more control Ganondorf would and could exert over the Royal City and possibly all of Hyrule if he ever achieved his mad goals. Zelda wasn't even sure if Link was aware of such an issue, or if he even cared. Clearly, there was a certain lack of continuity between them; a lack of trust. They simply didn't even like each other, as if that wasn't obvious enough. To imply that the two thoroughly despised the other was a gigantic understatement.

As much as Zelda loathed Link, Link felt almost exactly the same way. He still felt like he shouldn't even be involved in all of this, stuck on the thought that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Zelda still dismissed him as some lowly thief who may or may not have stolen something from the castle before the siege started, yet there she was was riding Epona, Link's and Malon's horse, without permission. Link was about a heartbeat away from dismissing Zelda as a hypocrite. He had half-a-mind to throw Zelda off of Epona, take Epona back to the ranch, and abandon this stupid journey he was unwillingly set on in the first place.

There were still certain stake involved; Zelda wanted to save her kingdom, her home, and Link wanted to rescue Malon, his childhood friend. There was no way either of them would be able to accomplish their individual goals alone. Hence as much it made them collectively cringe, they had to work together, like it or not. And neither of them liked it one bit.

Only after a long ride did the pair come to a stop near of archway composed of two trees standing side by side. A path ran between them into a stone alcove leading… somewhere. Dismounting from Epona, Zelda approached the path to examine it. Link followed suit only because he didn't trust Zelda with Epona. At least Ingo didn't try to eat his hair. Since he had the compass in hand, Link held it up to the path. The compass was pointing directly into the path, which meant that Kokiri Forest was just beyond.

"I guess we're walking from here," he put the compass back in the satchel. Then glancing at Zelda, he cleared his throat and said, "Ladies first."

Zelda glared menacingly at Link for his comment, to which Link simply grinned right back at her mockingly. She suddenly replied childishly, "Peasants last." Then she took Epona and walked up the path.

Link's grin was wiped from his face as he followed with Ingo. He then muttered, "Stuck up Princess!"

"Childish miscreant."

"Arrow-touting teacher's pet." Link snapped.

"Ranch hand drop-out." Zelda snapped back.

"Self-loving know-it-all."

"Self-serving malcontent."

They went on and on with the banter as they entered the forest with the horses in tow. Neither of them were aware of a large, dark brown feathered owl atop one of the trees, watching them with it amber eyes intently and almost… thoughtfully.


Author's note: I'm a stop there for now. Not sure if this will get any reviews or not, but I'm not going to give up on this story… not this time.

So anyway, I've made a couple references to the games, including the Phantom in Link's dream which was a reference to Phantom Ganon in Ocarina of Time. The horse that Link rides is named Ingo, which is a reference to a character also in Ocarina of Time.

Speaking of horses, Zelda is the one riding on Epona which is sort of a departure from the games. Finally, the bickering between Link and Zelda was inspired by an actual love/hate relationship I have with a friend. No comment.