A/N: Alright, here's another chapter of the story! Sorry I'm taking so long, but college is VERY stressful, and my creative process is working a bit slower than usual. Anyway, for those of you who reviewed, congratulations, you won a dozen invisible cookies. Enjoy!

First month of Farore, 5th day, 10:00 A.M., two years later...

It was a beautiful spring day in Hyrule. The snow had nearly completed its process of vanishing into nothing more than remnants, and the sunshine was adorning all of Hyrule with its warmth and beauty. Well, almost all of it.

Zelda looked from the window to the nobles all sitting in the Council Room. Today was one of the days that the nobles of the Hylian court came to discuss important issues. The reason that Zelda was having to listen to this endless torture was because her parents decided that it was time for Zelda to learn about how to handle court matters. Right now, one of the nobles was trying to convince her father the necessity of raising taxes. He wasn't doing a very good job of it, though, because he kept droning on and on and citing statistics that really weren't needed. "Besides, my Liege, the peasants have plenty enough money anyway."

What a load of bullshit.

My, I pray your mother doesn't hear that kind of language. She'd have your hide if she did, since it is not ladylike to say such things.

Oh, be quiet.

Just so that Zelda didn't have to suffer alone, Aril decided that all the other children be forced to listen in as well. Which meant Brandon was lounging up in the support beams out of sight and to no one's, except Zelda's and certain other people's, knowledge. For all that most of the nobles knew, Brandon was waiting outside the doors like a good little servant, waiting for his mistress's call.

The noble kept going on, and Zelda rested her head on her hand and let out a quiet sigh. I hate this.

Who doesn't? I'm surprised your parents haven't lost their minds already. Being one of royalty or nobility must be one of the most boring jobs I ever did see.

Zelda scowled on the inside. It's not like you're forced to be here. You could teleport right out of here in the blink of an eye.

True, but then that wouldn't be very fair to you, would it, Arameni?

Zelda blushed, though no one was really looking, much to her relief. No, it wouldn't. Titalus.

Zelda couldn't hear him, but she was more than sure that Brandon was chuckling to himself.

She sighed in relief as Harkinian then said, "Lord Ulitzky, I don't think that it would be smart to raise taxes at the moment."

ULITZKY? Damn, his mother must have hated him!

Zelda covered her mouth to hide the smile on her face. Yes, very much so. Besides, the Royal Treasuries are at a moderate level. There's no immediate need to raise taxes right now.

How very true.

The said noble sat down, and Harkinian then said, "Is there anything else that we need to discuss?"

FINALLY! I'm bored out of my mind.

Penelope stood and said, "Yes. We need to talk about the Gerudo forces that are amassing."

Brandon's ears perked up at this bit of information, and he leaned forward to get a better view point. He could see Harkinian rub his temples and say, "Ah, yes. Well, the forces have been growing at a rather steady rate, although there are many who oppose this invasion. The problem is how to counter this threat. We have considered sending someone in, but there is no one who could get out alive with the information we need."

Just then, a noble stood up, a child a year older than Zelda named Falkner, and said, "I have an idea, my Liege. You could send in Princess Zelda's little pet into there."

Brandon could feel Zelda suddenly boil with rage, but she replied in a rather calm voice, "Because my 'pet', as you put it, is very valuable to me. I would never endanger his life in such a way because he is so."

Falkner laughed. "You mustn't be so loving of a mere servant, my Lady, especially a Sheikah. He is nothing more than an animal meant to follow orders."

Before he knew what he was doing, Brandon had thrown a long silver throwing needle at Falkner, knicking his cheek with it before embedding itself into the back of a chair.

Everyone in the room, except for those who knew of Brandon's presence, looked around in surprise. Brandon descended down from the support beams, saying, "An animal, am I?"

He landed right next to Zelda and then looked at her with a smile. He caressed her cheek with his index finger, and she smiled in return, all the while adoring the attention. The smile vanished when Brandon looked at Falkner.

Blood was coming out of the scar on Falkner's cheek, and he seemed quite angry. He then said with a growl, "How dare you, servant! How dare you strike at-"

"Oh, shut up."

Falkner was boiling with even more rage than Zelda was. "You insolent dog! You are nothing more than a weakling in this room!"

Brandon crossed his arms. "A weakling, am I? What gives you the right to say that?"

Falkner smirked. "If you're so high and mighty, then why don't you go and find what King Harkinian wants?"

Brandon raised an eyebrow. "Wonderful countering for someone as "witty" as you, but anyway, is that a challenge? What happens when I win?"

Falkner scratched his head. "Don't you mean 'IF you win'?"

Brandon smiled evilly. "No, I mean 'when'."

Falkner glowered, and Aril decided to then step in before Falkner could say anything. "I might have a rather good idea for that, Brandon."

Brandon looked at her in surprise. "Well then, tell us."

Aril tapped her finger upon her chin in thought. "Well, should you succeed, Brandon, you will have high honors bestowed upon you. Should you lose, which therefore means death in your case..." Aril looked at Zelda, a smile forming on her lips. "...then Zelda gets to decide what happens to Falkner, whether it be good or bad."

This brought a smile to Zelda's surprised face, and she narrowed her eyes and smiled evilly at Falkner, causing him to swallow in fear. He then stammered out, "We-Well then, um, uh, maybe then he shouldn't go." His eyes then flashed with anger. "But he still has no right to act like he is my equal. He's still nothing more than a servant."

Brandon laughed and replied as he walked towards the door, "Who made you ruler of the universe? I'm just as human as you, which means I can act as I wish."

There was then silence in the room. But, just before Brandon reached the doorway, Falkner called out, "Your mother was a whore!"

This produced several gasps from the other nobles, and Brandon stopped dead in his tracks.

Falkner smirked. "That's right. You heard me. She had to have been, to produce such a worthless piece of crap like you."

Brandon gripped his hands, turning them white, and he slowly turned his head to Falkner. A low whisper came out of his mouth. "How...dare...you!"

Falkner then suddenly fell forward screaming aloud as his mind exploded in pain. Brandon walked towards him, his eyes glowing, and he yelled, "Say it again! Say it again, you bastard! I dare you!"

Falkner just thrashed on the floor in agony, and Brandon screamed, "What do you know about pain! You didn't lose your mother when you were young! Your race didn't abandon you! What do you know about ANYTHING!"

Lightning shot forth from his hands, and they tore through Falkner. Falkner screamed harder from the searing heat, and Aril cried out, "Brandon, please stop!"

Brandon snapped his head up as if broken out of a trance, and Falkner's screaming ceased.

He turned his head to Aril. She was clutching Zelda, who had tears coming out of her eyes, and Harkinian had a shocked look upon his face.

Bowing his head in shame and saying nothing, Brandon ran towards the door. Zelda cried out, "Brandon!"

He didn't stop, and the door was then closed seconds later.

Brandon ran from the castle as soon as he had left the Council Room. He didn't mean for this to happen. Falkner provoked him, and he just...lashed out. He ran towards the Temple of Time, where he hoped to think.

As soon as he got there, he knelt before the altar and cried out loud, "Oh, dear Goddesses, please help me!"

Good grief, Brandon, there's no need to shout. We can hear you just fine.

Brandon smiled as Farore appeared, hands on her hips and a worried frown on her face.

She walked towards him, and he was about to start talking, when she said, "I already know what happened."

Brandon's eyes fell to the floor in front of him. "Why does it have to be so hard? Why can't I just be accepted by the Hylian nobles? They know they can't force me to leave, yet they still try."

"People are like that. Some of the other noble children will always hate either you or Zelda."

Brandon looked at her, confused. "Why Zelda? She hasn't done anything."

Farore smiled and winked at him, saying, "Do you remember the pictograph that was taken of you and Zelda making out?"

Brandon still looked confused. "Yes, but Aril was only joking when she said she would show it to the Council. They would have never found out."

"But you must still remember that some things don't have to be proven for some people. The Council heard rumors of such a picture, and therefore, the other children heard of it and became jealous. They figured that it must be true if such a rumor existed. So, now, some of the noble boys hate you because they think you love Zelda, and some of the noble girls hate Zelda because they think she loves you. They figure that if you two love each other, then you two will most likely stay in love forever. Childish, yes, but also possible."

She put her finger to her lips and tapped them with it. "Tell me, Brandon, DO you love Zelda?"

Brandon's head shot up in surprise, but he then softened his face and replied, "Yes, I do."

Farore leaned towards him with a twinkle in her eyes. "How far would you be willing to go to show her how much you love her?"

Brandon ran back to the castle. He knew what he had to do, and he couldn't afford to have anyone try to talk him out of it.

He moved in the shadows towards his room, avoiding everyone. Not that they would have noticed him anyway. His ability to blend in completely with the shadows had been practiced to perfection, and whatever rooms that didn't have shadows, he had a handy little psychic ability that made people not see him. Only a few people weren't affected by this, and they were attending to their own affairs right now.

Brandon soon got to his room and started to make preparations for his journey.

He still remembered his conversation with Farore all too clearly...

Flashback

"If you truly love Zelda, Brandon, then you must do this for her. Do not let doubt come into your mind even once, for if you do, then you will not come home to her. If you do not do this task, then matters will grow too large to be handled and all will be lost."

Brandon nodded his head. "I understand. I will do what I must."

Farore smiled. "Good. Now we have one more matter to discuss."

Brandon tilted his head. "What might that be?"

"The next wielder of the Master Sword."

End Flashback

Farore soon explained to Brandon what she was talking about, but also said that Brandon wasn't the one to wield the legendary sword, which Brandon didn't really care about. However, what he did care about was alerting the rightful wielder of his destiny.

However, before he left, Farore told him to check his mother's dual swords for a mark of the Triforce on the blades near the hilt, which he thought was rather weird.

But, refocusing back onto the task at hand, Brandon started to look through his things. This wasn't going to be a long trip, but he still decided to grab a few days' worth of food and water on his way here.

He opened up a cabinet next to the wall, and it opened to display all the weapons that Brandon owned. Various daggers and swords hung on one of the doors, and on the other door hung throwing projectiles, like stars, needles, knives, and the like. But what was really amazing were the two swords in the middle under a cloak bearing the royal seal of his mother.

He held one of the swords up, and, deciding that it wouldn't hurt, removed it from its sheath and examined the blade. True to Farore's inquiry, there was a small Triforce on it, but still Brandon shrugged it off. It had to be coincidence.

He strapped the swords to his back and went over to his desk. Writing two letters, he addressed one to the Royal Family, and the other to the next wielder.

Just then, his door opened and Impa stepped in, though Brandon already knew she would be coming. Impa closed the door behind her and said, "Brandon, I-"

"Don't bother. I'm leaving to deal with this problem."

Impa's eyes widened. "You can't be serious!"

Brandon still didn't look at her. "I am, and no matter how much you try to talk me out of it, I'm still going."

Impa scowled and planted her fists on her hips. "This is foolish, Brandon! You-"

"Are the heir to the Sheikah throne. I know. But, I am the only one who could survive this, and you know it. The only thing you can do is help."

"What makes you think-"

Brandon whirled around and said, "I command it, Impa! As your prince and future king!"

Zelda sat there still in the Council Room some hours later, waiting for the nobles to wrap up their pathetic meeting. Honestly, these people have nothing better to do but try and gain more power and money. Pigs.

Falkner had been taken to another room so that he could rest and be healed. But, she didn't know where Brandon had run off to, and she was anxious to try and find him.

Just when she was sure that she would be let out of this hellhole, Impa burst into the room, frantically saying, "My Lord, my Lady! I found these two messages in Brandon's room, and one was addressed to you!"

Aril, concerned, stood up, snatched the letter from Impa's hand, and tore it open. After reading it for a moment, her eyes were widened with shock, and she started to tremble violently. She fell to her knees, and Harkinian knelt by her side to pick up the letter and read it. He paled and read the letter aloud.

"If you are reading this, then I am miles away by now. I have left to take up the task of securing the intelligence needed to fight the Gerudo invaders back. I also plan to contact the rebels and release them so that the main force will be lessened.

I realize that in doing this task, I am risking my very life for my beloved king and queen. I hope that this is not my last service to you, but in case it is, it has been an honor to serve under you, Your Highnesses.

Zelda, if you are listening to this, then there is something that I want you to know. I love you, my Princess, and I always will. I hope that with this task, I will prove that I am willing to spill my blood for your safety. To give up my life so that you may live yours. Take care, my beloved. May the Goddesses always guide your path.

Brandon"

Harkinian then let the letter fall from his hands, suddenly not looking too well himself. He slowly turned his head to Impa and said, "For whom was the other letter addressed to?"

Impa turned to the nobles and walked until she came to a particular one. She then held out the letter in her hand. "This is for you, Link."

Link looked at Impa's hand in disbelief. Why would Brandon leave him a letter? What was so important that he couldn't mention it in the first?

He took the letter and held it, unsure of whether or not to read it in front of all these people. Figuring that whatever it was was important enough that Brandon needed to write to him privately, he walked off so he could read it in peace. He thumbed open the wax and started to read.

"What I am about to tell you is something you must not tell anyone just yet. Destroy this letter after reading it.

Link, I have been told by Farore herself that some certain things are meant to happen in your life. This might seem quite ridiculous, but you must believe me.

You are the chosen one to wield the legendary Master Sword. You will not be able to deny it, for if you do, then you will compromise everyone's life. Malon's, Zelda's, mine, even yours. You must accept this. It is part of your destiny.

At the current moment, though, you will not be able to even obtain the Master Sword. In order to do so, you must collect the three Spiritual Stones. One is in possession of the Kokiri race, one in Goron's, and the last in the Zora's. Once you collect all of them, hurry back to the Temple of Time and put them in their appropriate places on the Altar. When you do that, the Ocarina of Time will appear to you. You will have to ask Zelda for the Song of Time. When the song is played, the Door will then open up to you and reveal your destiny.

You have today and two more days to retrieve the sword, for on the fourth, expect all hell to break loose in Gerudo Valley. If you do not have the sword by the morning of the fourth day, then I will surely die.

Godspeed, my friend. Godspeed."

Link looked up from the letter to find everyone staring at him. Aril could look at nothing but the floor and Zelda looked quite faint. Aril's voice trembled with emotion as she said, " W-What did B-Brandon say in your letter?"

Link looked at the letter, and, nodding his head, shredded it while saying, "We have three days, including today, to get some forces to the entrance to Gerudo Valley. On the fourth, all hell's going to break loose, and if Brandon doesn't have enough help, he's going to die."

It was then that both Zelda and Aril fainted.

Brandon flew all the way across Hyrule Field to Gerudo Valley, since he couldn't risk accidentally losing his horse, Tai'jin. The name was actually very unusual, because "Tai'jin" was actually an ancient Sheikah name which meant "companion of the dragon warrior". He didn't actually pick out the name when he got the steed. He let Zelda do so, and she only picked the name out because of an odd vision that she had had...

Flashback

It was Brandon's fourteenth birthday, and they were all at LonLon Ranch picking out a horse as his gift. He had finally picked one out, a rather unruly horse that hated all human contact except for Malon's.

When Brandon picked it out, the horse reared back and tried to get away from him. Only, when Brandon walked up to it with an outstretched hand, and looked at it straight in the eye, the horse settled down and, cautious yet curious, walked over to him and let him pet it. After doing so, the horse bonded with Brandon almost instantly.

Malon was reluctant to let it go, since she felt its twin sister, Epona, would be very lonely. It was only until Brandon promised to take care of it very well and bring it out for visits every once in a while did she cheer up again.

Unable to think of a name, he let Zelda decide, who merely replied with the word "Tai'jin."

Brandon looked at Zelda with a questioning look. "Tai'jin? Why do you pick that name?"

Zelda shrugged her shoulders and merely replied, "I don't know."

Brandon smiled and shook his head. "Yes, you do. Don't lie to me."

Zelda frowned and said, "Okay, but don't laugh."

The black colt began to prance a bit, and Brandon settled it with a soothing hand. "I won't laugh. Tell me."

Zelda shifted a little uncomfortably on her feet, for she knew that others were watching. Taking a deep breath, she spoke, "I had this odd vision only last night. In it, there stood this huge beast that looked like a demon. In the demon's hands was something special to you, something that I could not really recognize but knew was important to you. You yelled at it to give it back to you, but the demon only laughed and shook it in front of your face mockingly.

Suddenly, your soul began to burn like an inferno of some sort, and you began to change, and when your transformation was complete, you had turned into this gigantic dragon. The scales on most of your body were black, except on your chest, which was golden, and the insides of your wings, which were red and some other colors.

Your mouth began to fill with light and in one huge blast, you blew away the demon yet spared whatever was so special to you.

A flash of light then appeared, and when I saw you again, there were multitudes of dragons behind you, all bowing to you, and you yourself wore something like a suit of armor made of dragon's scales and a crown on your head. You also had a black tail with a golden tip, and it looked like it was real.

In one loud voice, all of dragon kind then cried out, 'Hail to the Dragon King! Hail to the Wielder of the Power of Unity!' "

Zelda then looked down and mumbled something else out, and Brandon asked, "What was that?"

She looked up again and whispered the last part into his ear.

End Flashback

Since this wasn't the first time that Zelda had had these prophetic dreams, everyone who heard her wondered what she could have meant.

Brandon didn't really understand any of it. Him transform into a dragon? All of dragon kind bowing to him? A demon taking away whatever was so special to him? Most of Zelda's dreams were very hard to decipher, but usually what she dreamed of came true.

But the most odd thing was that these dreams didn't usually come forward unless there was something big that was going to happen.

Well, whatever happens, happens, I guess. But I really wish I knew WHAT was going to happen so I could be a little more prepared. It was bad enough that Brandon was going to have to probably face a rather endless tide of Gerudo, but a demon thrown into the fray was much more worse.

As he neared the entrance to Gerudo Valley, he landed nearby so as to not attract attention and started to walk to the ravine separating the Valley from the Field.

Link ran to his rooms once the nobles let the children loose from the meeting. Some nobles would have wanted to see what was actually on his letter, so Link needed to get to his room quickly and dispose of it properly.

Some of the other children tried to stop him so that they could talk to him, but he just kept on running, ignoring them for the most part. He only looked back when Malon and Zelda (who had been quickly revived from her unconciousness) called out his name. But even then, he did not stop. He, like Brandon, knew what he had to do, and he couldn't afford to have anyone talk him out of it.

Once he arrived at his room, he locked the door and threw the letter pieces into the fire. Once they were nothing more than ash, he went over to his opened trunk and pulled out the sword and shield that his father had given to him. He then pulled out some simple pants and a green tunic and changed into them, muttering, "I don't know what this is about, Brandon, but you had better be right about this."

He then quickly left the room, and headed for the stables.

Link moved quickly once he got to the stables. He needed to find a horse that was small enough so that he wouldn't fall off while riding it.

When he finally found one, he grabbed a saddle and bridle, but then stopped in his tracks when he saw a familiar person standing in the doorway.

Malon walked over to him and asked, "What are you doing?"

Link went to the horse and put on the saddle. "I have to go, Mal. There's something I need to do."

Malon shook her head. "You're going after him, aren't you? Typical, considering he's our friend. But listen, just wait for one day. Queen Aril will have the entire Hylian army ready to go-"

"By the time she has everything ready, Brandon will already be dead or captured, which is pretty much the same thing. No, I have to do something Brandon asked me to do, and I have to leave now in order to do it."

Malon waved her hands in frustration at him and said, "Why won't you listen to me! We'll-"

Link quickly turned towards her and yelled, "If I don't do this, then everyone is going die!"

Malon stepped back in surprise and whispered, "What?"

Link lowered his gaze and replied, "Brandon told me something in his letter. He said if I didn't do this, then everyone is going to die. That's why I need to leave."

Silence could be heard for several seconds, until Malon held out her hand and said, "I-I want to give you something for your journey."

Link nodded his head and took her hand, and she led him to a stall. However, inside the stall was something that Link wasn't expecting. His eyes widened and he said, "But...Mal...Are you sure?"

Malon went into the stall and pulled out her horse, Epona. She petted the horse on the nose and said, "Yes, I'm sure."

She turned to him and said, "Now, listen well. Epona will only trust a person who plays a particular song." She smiled a small smile. "You've heard me sing it a lot..."

Link thought for a bit before the answer came to him. He pulled out the ocarina his mother had given him and played the song perfectly.

When he finished, Epona cocked her head towards Link and walked over to him, where she then stretched her neck towards him and grabbed his hat playfully. Link held onto it, but smiled all the same. He then said, "But why?"

He looked at Malon and saw that she was blushing. He walked over towards her, but she refused to look at him.

Smiling, Link took her head into his hands and gently lifted it up. Malon's eyes were brimming with tears, and she looked down again. "I don't want you to go, because..."

She then trailed off and began to step away, but Link grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him. He leaned towards her and kissed her on the cheek. When he then whispered in her ear, she gasped at what he said.

"I love you too, Mal. I love you too."

She just stared into his eyes, her own widened, and Link then kissed her on the lips. It was a short kiss, but she felt the passion all the same.

When he pulled away, she grabbed his tunic and pulled him back to her so that she could savor the sensation one more time. When she stopped, she whispered, "Go now before I change my mind."

She finally let him go, and he hopped onto Epona. He then said, "Wait for me in the Temple of Time two days from now."

She nodded her head, and Link then said, "I'll come back, Mal. I promise."

He then kicked Epona's flanks, and he took off into the late morning light.

I really do think that this chapter could have been better, but oh well. It gets the point across. Review please!