I don't own Legend of Zelda. Enjoy! :)

Chapter Ten

A lone barwoman washed the mugs, business being slow. Her mind often wondered to her friend and her daughter and how they are surviving without any men in the house. The men were called away on duty, leaving their young sister and seventh-month pregnant mother alone. Sighing for the nth time, the barwoman decided to take a small walk and leave her assistant to run the tavern for a bit when the front doors burst opening, the said young daughter standing there, breathing hard.

"Telma! My mother needs help; the baby is here!" Telma immediately barked orders to her assistant and quickly followed the young girl to her mother.

Samantha nervously stood beside the bed while Telma washed the new born babe. The little baby came early, and she knew that only a few babies survived when born too early—she hoped her new sibling would live.

"Don't worry Samantha; your sister will be fine. Now hand me that blanket." Samantha did as she told and watched the innkeeper wrapped the blanket around her small sister. "There we go. Rhinna, here's your new daughter." Samantha watched as her sister was placed in her mother's arms and saw her deep-gray eyes growing soft.

"She's beautiful… Samantha, come see your new sister." Samantha crawled onto the bed and curled next to her dampen mother, watching her sister look around with crystal-blue eyes. "She has pretty eyes Mother." Her mother nodded and held both her daughters close.

"So, what's the child's name Rhinna?" The busty woman spoke, her amber eyes filled with happiness. Rhinna looked upon her new daughter, a sweet smile blossoming on her face. "Aryll. Her name shall be Aryll."

Saria kept smiling as she watched the two men below, looking at the natural grove the tress created. It was strange for her to see the familiar faces after so long, especially the Hylian's. She wondered what life he led now, how it would differ from when she first met him. She shook her head—she couldn't think of the past now.

Hoping to keep her emotions hidden, Saria spoke down to them.

Sheik's head spun as the world around him slowly came to a stop. He winced as he tried to sit up, feeling Link's knee jabbing into his back. Realizing the compromising position he and the Hylian were in, he scrambled to stand, but soon fell in Link's lap as the world decided to spin again.

"Sheik… You ok?" He felt the strong hands of the Hylian steading him. Sheik slowly nodded. "Yeah… Just my head spinning. I'm fine now."

With the help of Link, Sheik stood up and looked around their surrounds. Huge roots intertwined, creating a small grove, with gigantic trees stretching towards the sky.

"I'm guessing we're in the Lost Woods…" He glanced back at Link, seeing his blue eyes stare at the trees. "How old are these trees?"

"A few centuries, give or take."

Sheik reacted, unsheathing a knife and posed to throw, but stop when he saw a little girl, her blue eyes staring back, with a smile on her face. Short green hair framed her face, held back with a black band; green clothing adorned her body, a long-sleeved shirt and shorts with a belt wrapped around her waist, holding a few pouches; a green cape draped over her shoulders, reaching her calves; and green knee-high boots covered her legs.

Sheik lowered his weapon. "Who are you?" The girl smiled and jumped down, easily landing on her feet. "Saria, Forest Sage of the Lost Woods and Protector of the Kokiri."

"Kokiri?" Sheik was puzzled about the strange word. He heard of the Gerudos, Gorons, Zoras, Fairies; even Humans. But Kokiri? Seemed something out of folklore.

"I've heard of you! Or, of your kind that is. You protect the forest and help wayward travelers to the right path. You're also called the Eternal Children." Sheik was shocked that the Hylian knew of this girl and her race. The girl seemed surprised as well, but she hid her shock behind a smile.

"You're correct Hylian, though it is only I that help the wayward—the others only protect the forest. I would like to know how you came across this piece of knowledge, especially about the Eternal Children part." Link grinned. "My father. He used to travel around when he was younger and he came across this woods. Said he wouldn't have made it out if wasn't for a little girl clad in green helping her."

Shiek noticed the brief relief shown on the girl's face, before the friendly smile returned. "I see. Usually, when travelers exited the forest, their memories are tampered, so they don't remember me; your father must an exception." Link opened his mouth to comment, but Sheik cut him off.

"It's nice what you do and all, but I have a feeling we were sent here for a reason." The girl nodded. "Yes. There's a power here that he needs to find, and you are to guide him."

She giggled at their confusion, which added to Sheik's irritation. "Why do you immortal beings always give riddles? Also, why is this war important for you to stop? You're immortal, you've probably seen hundreds of wars, why is this one special?" The girl sighed. "True, I've seen many wars, but there are wars that threaten the peace of the world, evils that desire power over all and chaos to be brewed in every heart. Because of that, we intervene when we can. But it's in only small amounts. We too have the power to tip the world into chaos, so we choose those who can house the power but not unbalance the world. But enough of this talk; you must be weary." She turned around and started climbing.

Sheik didn't trust her and didn't make a move, but he saw Link starting to follow her. He quickly grabbed his shoulder and held him back. "I don't like this. We shouldn't follow her." Link shrugged him off. "I think she's trustworthy. If she wanted to harm us, she would've done something by now or leave us here without help. We should follow her." Sheik shook his head. "No we shouldn't. Why do you trust her?" Link looked back at the girl, who was waiting for them at the top of the roots. "Because, I feel a familiar sense of comfort and friendship coming from her, that I can trust her." He looked back at Sheik. "Do you trust me?" Sheik didn't hesitate in answering. "I do." And together they followed the Kokiri girl.

Saria watched over the two blonds as they slept under a tree-hollow. They weren't far from their destination, but with the forest growing dark and the risk of the creatures that live in the woods attacking, she thought it best for them to camp. She knew the Sheikah distrust her, which came as a surprise to her—though she shouldn't expect for him to be the same. Then there's the Hylian, who trusted fully without knowing truly why. It broke her heart to see him and not tell him that they were already longtime friends.

"Saria, there's no need to remember." She looked her fairy companion and weakly smiled. "I know Lalette, but it's hard. It's the same soul within him, it's him. Someone I will never forget." She heard Lalette sighed. "Saria… You can't let your feelings interfere with your duties. As a Sage, you have to guide the ones the Three Golden Goddesses chose. You can't do what you did three hundred years ago; you know the punishment would be." Saria nodded, remembering what she did.

Saria watched the village of Ordon from her perch in her tree. They moved here twenty-some years ago, away from city life and dangers. They weren't far from where her kin lived, but seeing their rounded ears, she knew they won't stumble upon her people's home, since Humans don't have magic in their blood.

There are a few kids, young adults really. She liked the young man Rusl tempting to court the young woman Uli as she playful denies him. But the girl finally gave in and gave the boy a kiss on the lips. A grin slowly spread on his face and he spun his girl around. Saria was happy for them, seeing them together in the near future.

A cry in the air tore through the peaceful town. Saris looked towards the entrance of the village, seeing a small buddle of cloth on the dirt path. She jumped from tree to tree to get a better look as the villager rushed towards the crying heap. Seeing what was all wrapped in the cloth, Saria gasped.

A small baby cried; its chubby face tear-streaked. A woman picked it up and tried to calm it down, but to no avail. The baby kept shrieking and was passed from to woman to woman to try and settle its racking. It wasn't 'til the baby was passed to Uli that it began shimmer down. A great relief passed through the crowd and as a group of men went in search of the mother, Uli and the women cooed over the baby.

"It's so precious!"

"What an adorable baby!"

"Uli, it's so fond of you!"

Saria saw her smile, seeing the usual glow between a mother and a child—the girl Uli would be a great mother for this child. Seeing that there's nothing else for her to see, Saria prepared to return home when one of the woman squealed.

"Oh, look ladies! It's boy! And seeing the pointy ears, it's a Hylian boy!"

Freezing in place, Saria slowly turned and looked at the baby, but closer this time. She saw it was indeed a Hylian boy, but what her heart stop was the bright-blue eyes staring at her. She knew, she knew then that baby was her friend Link, reborn again into the world. Tears filled her eyes as she looked upon baby Link and she couldn't but help whisper his name. "Link…"

"That shall be his name! Link!" Saria blinked as her voiced was carried on the wind to the girl Uli's ears, therefore naming the baby. Saria silently laughed, but stopped as she realized something. The Link she befriended almost a thousand years ago was picked on by her Kokiri kin because he was different. And now, here he is again in a village as the only Hylian. Will the humans pick on him just like the Kokiri? Not waiting for it to happen again, Saria quickly left for home and devised a plan.

It was later that evening Saria returned to Ordon Village. She silently slipped by the houses and stopped before the biggest one. Taking a breath, the Kokiri Sage quietly opened a window and sneaked inside. She listened for the owners of the house as she crept around to the room where Link was being taken care of. Careful not wake the nearby Human Uli, Saria peeked into the crib.

Her heart melted as she saw Little Link sleeping peaceful. She lightly brushed her fingers against his soft face, whispering into his ear. "Don't worry Link, we'll be friends soon." Gently kissing his head, Saria proceed to the upstairs room.

She was nervous as she stood naked before the couple lying in bed. They were wedded a few months before and the husband became the mayor a month after. Saria quietly walked towards the wife's side of the bed, seeing her breathe deeply. She took a breath and lightly touched the woman's stomach. She watched as she saw green light coming from her body and absorbing into the woman's abdomen and bit by bit, she too was absorbed into the woman…

Ilia stood waiting by her father the Mayor as she watched her best friend ride up the path with Epona, prepared to deliver the sword to Princess Zelda. She remembered the first time they saw each other, all the games they played, staying out late; they were thick as thieves. But she had feeling that they knew each other longer than their eighteen years of life. But she brushed it off as them really good friends since childhood. Though being great friends, they do fight sometimes and seeing Epona injured, Ilia immediately shouted at Link and his carelessness and took Epona to the spring outside the village. She cleaned up Epona as her cousin, Colin, followed her to the spring and explained why Epona was injured. She immediately felt guilt for yelling at Link before hearing his side of the story. Seeing him enter the spring, she apologized and made him promised to come home safely. Then the gate to the spring burst opened as Bulblins charged in on Bullbos. Ilia tried to get away but was hit in the head and she blacked out…

She had no memory of who she was, but a young Hylian named Link promised her to help regain it and she trusted him. But something in her heart told her she was more than she seems, but she couldn't figure it out. It wasn't 'til Link brought her a flute-like object that her memories came rushing back—all her memories. She realized herself as a Kokiri named Saria and is far older than the people standing in the room with her and she let her soul be absorbed into a Human's body so that she can protect Link from cruelty of others teasing. She quickly smiled at Link and told him she remembered him. Seeing his smile brought tears to her eyes and they hugged briefly before he set out to save Hyrule. She helped prepare a wagon back to Ordon for her and the children and said her goodbyes to the Gorons, Renado and his daughter, Luda…

Back at the village, she eagerly awaited Link's return, feeling the evil that plagued Hyrule again was gone. Hearing the hoofs pounding against the ground and seeing the familiar russet color of Epona, Ilia ran to Link as he dismounted and gave him a tackle-hug. He easily stood against her momentum and wrapped his arms around her waist. They stared into each other's eyes, and slowly leaned to touch lips…

Gloom fell over Ilia; the past two months were hard on her. The year before, Link and she kissed for the first time and a happy, bubbly feeling filled her. She never knew love like this, a Kokiri only experiences friendship love. But having this feeling illuminated her very soul and as the months passed their love grew and soon they were to be wed… But an epidemic passed through the village and many got sick, including Link. She tried to heal him with everything she knew of plants and their properties. But it wasn't enough. He was the only one to die. Now, with Link gone, Ilia's mood turned dark and a dark cloud followed her. She walked around the village with no light in her eyes. Her father became very worried and had many healers visit her to see if they can heal her. But nothing can heal a broken heart. Twice she had Link in her life and twice he was taken away. She understood when he first died years ago that it was his time. But this time, this time it's too soon. She knew now why immortals don't love a mortal—they die and take your heart with them. Knowing what she wanted, she headed towards the spring in the middle of the night and begged the Light Spirit of the spring, Ordona, to give back her immortality…

Saria opened her eyes and noticed she was shorter than before. They clothing she wore as Ilia were now too big for her and were draped around her. She looked up to the Spirit and thanked him. He nodded his head and gave her a warning. "Heed this, O Forest Sage. To use your powers on thyself to make thy mortal again shall forever be." He then disappeared into the spring.

Saria looked up to the sky, seeing a few stars poke through. She knows the warning from the Light Spirit would come true if she did become a mortal again. She believed she would never have to, making sure she stayed away from the world outside of the woods. But now, seeing Link again, it made her think of the option to be mortal again.

Meekah crouched high in the rafters, watching over the party below. From what he heard from the Princess, this party was put on for the celebration of the alliance between the Hylians and the Desertdwellers. Meekah only came to watch over the Princess; he knew of the sand people and of their conniving ways and didn't trust this party. His red eyes searched the mass, trying to discover any threats. So far none revealed themselves, but he kept a wary eye from above.

Hearing the huge, pine doors open, Meekah focused his eyes on the party guest arriving. He hissed as he saw a Gerudo man enter with two females flanking him; each a capable warrior. The male strutted towards where the King and his daughter were sitting, on high chairs overlooking the ballroom. The Gerudos kneeled.

"My Liege, I thank you for the alliance. With our help, you'll be able to wipe out the Sheikah shits." Meekah clenched his fists, but kept silent and watched the scene below him.

"It is I who thank you, Zourkam-" Meekah didn't fail to notice the small flinch the Gerudo made. "-and I am happy to hear you'll help in the purging of the Sheikah devil." The Gerudo smiled and looked towards the Princess. "You have a beautiful daughter; a worthy treasure to protect." The King chuckled. "Yes she is. And she'll make a fine queen and she'll have a fine husband." Meekah saw a glint in the Gerudo's eyes. "Yes, perhaps that can be arranged." The King leaned forward. "What are you proposing?" The Gerudo nodded towards the side doors. "May we discuss this in private?" The King nodded. "Of course, follow me to my study. Zelda, you come too."

Meekah moved as the Desertdweller and the Royal Family headed towards the King's study. Great thing about rafters is that they're under or near an attic, easy places to move about. Stepping through the hole he made, Meekah quickly ran through the attic and through another and onto the rafters above the King's study. He found a spot where he could easily jump down and protect the Princess if need be.

The door opened and the King invited the Gerudo man in with his guards guarding outside; Zelda followed through.

"So Zourkam, as I said before, what are you proposing?" The Gerudo slowly walked around the study as he spoke. "Well my King, you said that your daughter will be a fine queen someday and that, as I've heard, she'll have a fine husband. Do tell me, how do you Hylians find worthy partners?"

"When Zelda comes of age, letters will be sent out to every lord and duke throughout Hyrule. From there, each will visit for a week for her and the intended husband to get to know each other. She'll have 'til she's the age of sixteen to choose her husband." The Gerudo nodded and stopped before the fireplace, watching the wood burn.

"What about you choose her husband now?" The King sputtered "W-what." The Gerudo turned to him. "You can choose a husband for her now. Think about it. We just made an alliance; we can make the alliance stronger if you promise your daughter's hand to me."

Both the King and the Princess—Meekah included—had shocked faces. The King squared his shoulders. "I don't know what brought you to the conclusion, but my daughter will follow tradition, and when she turns fourteen in six years, lords and dukes from Hyrule will come asking for her hand. Now if you're done spewing this nonsense, my daughter and I shall return to the party."

Meekah could feel the hate rolling of the Desertdweller. "Then I'm afraid, my King, you'll never see your daughter marry." In a blink of an eye, the Gerudo pulled out a dagger and plunged it into the King's heart. Meekah swiftly leaped down and landed beside the Princess, pulling her behind him as the Gerudo turned towards them. He laughed.

"Who knew the little stock-up brat has a little Sheikah shit for a pet." Meekah unsheathed his short sword and point it at the Gerudo, which made him chuckle. "A child brandishing an adult's weapon; how cute. Too bad it won't do you much good!"

He struck his dagger with speed, but Meekah easily deflected it. The man snarled and swung back, but the Sheikah dodged it, grabbing the man's dark-tan wrist and disarmed him, pushing him back. Meekah held both weapons at the Gerudo's throat.

"What was the comment about me being a child?" Meekah smirked, seeing the hint of surprise on the Desertdweller's glaring face; he was glad the Princess taught him the Hylian tongue. But victory was too soon as he saw the glare transformed into a cruel smile.

"You have surprised me with your skills, boy, but you haven't won yet." Meekah was caught off guard as the Gerudo lunged at him, cutting himself with the dagger, before retreating to the King's body as the study doors flung opened.

"What's going o—my King!" Meekah cursed as he saw the Royal Advisor staring at King's cold corpse, seeing the large gash on the Gerudo's arm, and noticing the bloody dagger in his hand. "Murderer! King killer! Guards, guards! A Sheikah devil has murdered the King!"

Meekah reacted quickly. He dropped the dagger, grabbed the Princess's hand, and darted to the servant doors, pushing it open and running down the narrow hallway. His mind was super alerted, remembering which passageway was used by which servant and at what time. He pushed opened a door, revealing the laundry room. He pulled the Princess inside and quickly searched the large baskets for any peasant clothing, but he stopped as he heard the girl softly gasping; he forgot she didn't go through training like he did. He kneeled beside her, rubbing her shoulder.

"Princess, I know you saw your father murdered in front of you, but now is not the time to mourn. We have to hurry; help me find some clothing for you. I think adding ash will make your ha-"

"Get away from me!" Meekah blinked at the outburst of the Princss; she never yelled at him before, though he can understand why she is now.

"Prin-"

"Get away!"

"Listen t-"

"Leave me! Guards! Gua-"

"Zelda!"

At her name, she stopped her yelling, but still cried tears. Meekah slowly put his arms around her, holding her. "I'm sorry for what happened; I truly am. But I need you to take a deep breath; can you do that for me?" The girl nodded and took a few breaths; her tears slowed down. Meekah smiled. "Good. Now, will you help me find some servant clothing for you?" She nodded again and both quickly searched for size. Finding a simple dress and shoes and a couple of children-size cloaks, dumping her royal dress and headdress in a hamper, Meekah took her hand again and led for through the servant passageways, finding the door that opened to the kitchen.

He peeked inside, seeing no one, and brought Zelda to the fireplace. He dabbed some ash on her face and smeared it in her hair, making her look like a commoner. "There. Now all we ha-"

"There they are!"

Both Hylian and Sheikah turned to see guards coming at them. Meekah turned to escape through the servant door, but it was blocked by a couple guards that sneaked by. With options of escaping running out, Meeakh noticed the open window, big enough for him and Zelda to slip through.

Acting quickly, Meekah grabbed two handfuls of ashes and flung it at the guards, blinding them temporary. He grabbed Zelda's hand and pulled her towards the window. Catching onto the idea, Zelda climbed the counter and slipped through, with Meekah following. Both fell into the small river moat and swam to the swear tunnels that led to the old dungeons below. As they squeezed through the bars, they heard the loud bells ringing, echoing all over the castle and the town.

Careful to go down the slimy steps, Meekah led Zelda through the swears to the old dungeons where he lived before the Princess found him months ago. Winding through the maze-like passageways, they found an exit that led to an alleyway. To the left of them, the noises of the crowd could be heard from around the corner; to their right was a makeshift shelter, with tattered cloth covering the leaning wooden poles and rotting wood planks making a roof. Meekah pulled aside some cloth and led Zelda inside. Knowing she was used to big fluffy beds and warm comforters, Meekah piled most of the dirty blankets he had in one spot and laid her down. Her eyes instantly closed, exhaustion taking over. He covered her with his cloak and another worn-down blanket; hopefully she'll be warm.

He hissed as he felt pain register from his leg. Looking down, he saw his calf had a small cut; a guard nicked him when he climbed through the window. Tearing off a piece of his cloak, he bandaged his wound. He'll have to find cleaner cloth later, but for now, sleep was all he wanted to do and he lay next to Zelda and succumbed to his sleep.

A groan echoed through the room as the advisor, now appointed Regent of the Throne, sat behind the late King's desk. He knew there would be tons of confusion and chaos among the councilors, but having them all in the same room repeating the questions over and over again—it gave him a headache. How did the Sheikah get in? Who was watching the King? Which guard wasn't on duty? Why did the Sheikah kidnapped the Princess? Is she alive? The list keeps going. He knew the answers to most the important questions, though he didn't gave them. He knew for a while the Princess was keeping the Sheikah in castle without anyone knowing, which it become a delightful pawn on his board. It was easy for Zourkam to make the alliance and get the King and his daughter alone, so the Sheikah would be blamed for the King's death. He had planned for the Gerudo to kill the girl too, but the Sheikah jumped in—though he liked the idea of the Sheikah kidnapping the Princess; it was a great fuel and made for an interesting game.

His brown eyes looked up as Zourkam entered with a bored-to-death look on his face. "Zourkam! How is our Gerudo Thief King doing?" He snorted. "Don't call me by that name. And second, when do I get Hyrule? I've helped you take the king out; you promised me the land of Hyrule." The advisor waved him off. "I will call you by whatever your desert mother named you. Second, you will get the kingdom; just not yet. The Princess is missing and there's a funeral to run—not to mention, you just made the treaty. It'll look bad if you take over now; the land you want will be in ruins if you do. Just leave everything to me and you'll get your land as I've promised."

The Gerudo sneered but kept his mouth shut; he knew better than to speak out. It pleased the advisor to see the Gerudo struggle to obey; he knew he wanted nothing else but power.

To keep his desert pawn busy, the advisor handed him a piece of paper. "On that paper is my seal. You are now the Royal Headguard. You have access to all areas and order anyone to do your bidden—but please use your power wisely." Zourkam grinned from ear to ear, basking in the power he now holds. "Thank you. Though, why bestow this power on me?"

"Because the Sheikah and the Princess are still here; either in the castle or the town. Find the girl and the Sheikah and bring them to me."

"Can't I just kill them both when I find them?" The advisor shook his head. "No. The Princess needs to be alive so the townspeople and the dimwitted councilors see that she returned home safe and sound. As for the Sheikah, it will be publically executed. After all that is done and everything settled down, then the Princess can die." Zourkam nodded and left the study, but not before adding, "Though, I have to wonder; why such a grudge against the Sheikah?"

The advisor stared at the door where the Gerudo left. A smile slipped on his face as red eyes looked out the window. "Why indeed, Zourkam, why indeed."