Chapter 3: Destined to Meet
Zelda swept her long blonde hair back into a loose ponytail, slipped her only pair of comfortable shoes on and proceeded quietly to the doorway. When she was satisfied that no-one was around, she shut the door again, hefted open the large window at the other side of her room and stuck her head out into the summery air. Blossom twirled lazily in spiralling circles as the breeze swept it from the tree close to the Princess' window. Zelda grinned, and swung herself carefully up onto the sill, feeling rather exhilarated as she always did when she snuck off.
Impa had found out once, and Zelda had received such a scolding that she had, for a while, refrained from escaping the castle walls. But the urge to see what was going on beyond the palace was too strong, and soon she was slipping out again, though through the window now, since Impa had told the guards to be extra watchful at the doors.
Zelda sighed as she thought of that. She was the Princess, and surely she should be allowed to leave the castle once in a while? Without a huge escort. She found it so much more exciting when there was that little flicker of danger in the back of her mind. But she knew she wouldn't get caught. She was far too good at disguising herself for that.
She was wearing a simple white dress and a dark cloak, and in this garb, she fit in perfectly the other merchants and locals that came to barter or trade. Noone would ever suspect she was Zelda, princess and Heir to the Throne of Hyrule.
Chuckling to herself, congratulating herself on her ingenuity, the thirteen year old edged along the sill, and jumped, hands outstretched.
She caught the nearest tree branch expertly, swung there for a moment, then dropped, landing neatly on the grass. With a swift glance around the Palace garden, she ran softly to the steps leading down to the paved courtyard, and sidled along the wall, diving behind a clump of laurel bushes when the honorary guard marched through the gates of the castle. She wasn't heading for the gates, however, she was aiming for the little sidedoor that was quite hidden by vines on the left wall. It was quite hard to see unless you looked carefully, and Zelda knew that Impa thought it was locked.
Two weeks ago, the princess had stolen, or as she preferred to call it, 'borrowed' the key from the big bunch that Mrs Timms, the jovial housekeeper kept, and then proceeded to hide it behind a loose stone in the wall.
Taking it out from its hiding place, she unlocked the little door, and was soon racing down the dirt track towards the Market Town.
Link, meanwhile, had woken to find himself face-down in the grass, his head feeling as though it had been hit repeatedly with a hammer. The pain in his ankle flared up again as he struggling into a sitting position. He fingered the cuts on his chest gingerly - he was lucky that no more of the creatures had attacked him while he lay unconscious. Ryelle, who had been nestled beside him, woke up and blinked sleepily. Then she seemed to remember what had happened and flew up into the air, like an arrow from a bow.
She came fluttering down again though, and said urgently,
"Link, someone's coming. Should we hide?"
"I don't think I could move if a hundred of those monsters were coming right at me," Link replied wearily. "I'm sure that..." he trailed off, as a girl about his own age, her blonde hair just covered by the hood of her dark-blue cloak, came racing up towards him, a concerned expression on her face.
Zelda had decided that she would head towards Lon-Lon Ranch, wondering whether Malon, the red-haired, cheerful little ranch-owner's daughter would let her ride one of the ranch's many horses again. Malon thought it was great that Zelda sneaked out, and kept promising to come and find her in the Market one day, but they had never got round to arranging it, and Malon had said that she wouldn't want to be caught skipping her chores.
"Are you all right?" The princess asked breathlessly, as she skidded to a halt in front of Link. She eyed him curiously.
"Was it the Wolfos?"
"I don't know," Link replied truthfully; he had no idea what she was talking about, but then he realised she was probably referring to his scratches and torn tunic. He sat there, sizing the girl up. He wondered if she could help him find the king. He was about to ask when Zelda interrupted his thoughts.
"Is that a fairy?"
"Yeah, that's Ryelle," Link answered, distracted from his musings, giving the girl a smile.
"So, you're Kokiri, then?" The girl asked, a puzzled frown crossed her face. "But I thought Kokiri never left the Forest!"
"They don't," Link said miserably. "I'm not a Kokiri. At least, I thought I was, but I'm not, I'm Hylian. The Kokiri brought me up."
It felt strange admitting that, and he watched the blonde haired girl for her reaction, but it didn't seem to bother her, she just nodded, and stared at Ryelle again, a delighted smile curving her lips.
"I wish I had a fairy," she said absently. Then she seemed to come out of her reverie, and asked, "what's your name, then, fairy-boy?"
"Link," he answered. "Who're you?"
"My name's Zelda."
Link stood up to offer his hand, and then almost fell over again as his ankle protested.
"Oh!" Zelda exclaimed. "I forgot, you're hurt, come on, I'll take you to the Palace and we can get you cleaned up."
"The Palace?" Link echoed, enquiringly.
"Yeah, I live there. I told you, I'm Zelda, Princess of Hyrule."
"Princess?!" Link repeated, incredulous. "You never told me you were a princess!"
He looked at her appraisingly. "You don't look like a princess. Are you sure?"
Zelda laughed. "Of course I'm sure, silly. I'm in disguise - I snuck off - I was so sick of staying inside, so I climbed out the window."
"That doesn't sound very princess-like," Link grinned.
Zelda grinned back.
"Come on, fairy-boy. Let's go - you're lucky I found you."
"My name is not fairy-boy," Link called indignantly as she started off back down towards the open drawbridge that led into the town.
"Whatever, fairy-boy," she yelled back, cloak swirling in the wind. She stopped and waited for him to limp after her.
"Hey, Link," Ryelle said quietly, alighting on his shoulder and surprising him. She had been very quiet for a while, since Zelda had arrived. "Do you think we can trust her?"
"Why not?" Link asked, "she's going to help us, and she's a princess, or she says she is, so she can bring us to the king, just like the Great Deku Tree wanted."
"Well, if you're sure," Ryelle cautioned, flying up again.
Link joined Zelda and together they walked, or in Link's case, hobbled, towards the Market Town.
"I had a dream last night," Zelda said, as they neared the drawbridge. She paused, to pull her hood over her hair again, and they walked past the guard without being stopped. "It had a fairy in it - I remember that much. Maybe it was a prophecy! Perhaps we were destined to meet."
Zelda swept her long blonde hair back into a loose ponytail, slipped her only pair of comfortable shoes on and proceeded quietly to the doorway. When she was satisfied that no-one was around, she shut the door again, hefted open the large window at the other side of her room and stuck her head out into the summery air. Blossom twirled lazily in spiralling circles as the breeze swept it from the tree close to the Princess' window. Zelda grinned, and swung herself carefully up onto the sill, feeling rather exhilarated as she always did when she snuck off.
Impa had found out once, and Zelda had received such a scolding that she had, for a while, refrained from escaping the castle walls. But the urge to see what was going on beyond the palace was too strong, and soon she was slipping out again, though through the window now, since Impa had told the guards to be extra watchful at the doors.
Zelda sighed as she thought of that. She was the Princess, and surely she should be allowed to leave the castle once in a while? Without a huge escort. She found it so much more exciting when there was that little flicker of danger in the back of her mind. But she knew she wouldn't get caught. She was far too good at disguising herself for that.
She was wearing a simple white dress and a dark cloak, and in this garb, she fit in perfectly the other merchants and locals that came to barter or trade. Noone would ever suspect she was Zelda, princess and Heir to the Throne of Hyrule.
Chuckling to herself, congratulating herself on her ingenuity, the thirteen year old edged along the sill, and jumped, hands outstretched.
She caught the nearest tree branch expertly, swung there for a moment, then dropped, landing neatly on the grass. With a swift glance around the Palace garden, she ran softly to the steps leading down to the paved courtyard, and sidled along the wall, diving behind a clump of laurel bushes when the honorary guard marched through the gates of the castle. She wasn't heading for the gates, however, she was aiming for the little sidedoor that was quite hidden by vines on the left wall. It was quite hard to see unless you looked carefully, and Zelda knew that Impa thought it was locked.
Two weeks ago, the princess had stolen, or as she preferred to call it, 'borrowed' the key from the big bunch that Mrs Timms, the jovial housekeeper kept, and then proceeded to hide it behind a loose stone in the wall.
Taking it out from its hiding place, she unlocked the little door, and was soon racing down the dirt track towards the Market Town.
Link, meanwhile, had woken to find himself face-down in the grass, his head feeling as though it had been hit repeatedly with a hammer. The pain in his ankle flared up again as he struggling into a sitting position. He fingered the cuts on his chest gingerly - he was lucky that no more of the creatures had attacked him while he lay unconscious. Ryelle, who had been nestled beside him, woke up and blinked sleepily. Then she seemed to remember what had happened and flew up into the air, like an arrow from a bow.
She came fluttering down again though, and said urgently,
"Link, someone's coming. Should we hide?"
"I don't think I could move if a hundred of those monsters were coming right at me," Link replied wearily. "I'm sure that..." he trailed off, as a girl about his own age, her blonde hair just covered by the hood of her dark-blue cloak, came racing up towards him, a concerned expression on her face.
Zelda had decided that she would head towards Lon-Lon Ranch, wondering whether Malon, the red-haired, cheerful little ranch-owner's daughter would let her ride one of the ranch's many horses again. Malon thought it was great that Zelda sneaked out, and kept promising to come and find her in the Market one day, but they had never got round to arranging it, and Malon had said that she wouldn't want to be caught skipping her chores.
"Are you all right?" The princess asked breathlessly, as she skidded to a halt in front of Link. She eyed him curiously.
"Was it the Wolfos?"
"I don't know," Link replied truthfully; he had no idea what she was talking about, but then he realised she was probably referring to his scratches and torn tunic. He sat there, sizing the girl up. He wondered if she could help him find the king. He was about to ask when Zelda interrupted his thoughts.
"Is that a fairy?"
"Yeah, that's Ryelle," Link answered, distracted from his musings, giving the girl a smile.
"So, you're Kokiri, then?" The girl asked, a puzzled frown crossed her face. "But I thought Kokiri never left the Forest!"
"They don't," Link said miserably. "I'm not a Kokiri. At least, I thought I was, but I'm not, I'm Hylian. The Kokiri brought me up."
It felt strange admitting that, and he watched the blonde haired girl for her reaction, but it didn't seem to bother her, she just nodded, and stared at Ryelle again, a delighted smile curving her lips.
"I wish I had a fairy," she said absently. Then she seemed to come out of her reverie, and asked, "what's your name, then, fairy-boy?"
"Link," he answered. "Who're you?"
"My name's Zelda."
Link stood up to offer his hand, and then almost fell over again as his ankle protested.
"Oh!" Zelda exclaimed. "I forgot, you're hurt, come on, I'll take you to the Palace and we can get you cleaned up."
"The Palace?" Link echoed, enquiringly.
"Yeah, I live there. I told you, I'm Zelda, Princess of Hyrule."
"Princess?!" Link repeated, incredulous. "You never told me you were a princess!"
He looked at her appraisingly. "You don't look like a princess. Are you sure?"
Zelda laughed. "Of course I'm sure, silly. I'm in disguise - I snuck off - I was so sick of staying inside, so I climbed out the window."
"That doesn't sound very princess-like," Link grinned.
Zelda grinned back.
"Come on, fairy-boy. Let's go - you're lucky I found you."
"My name is not fairy-boy," Link called indignantly as she started off back down towards the open drawbridge that led into the town.
"Whatever, fairy-boy," she yelled back, cloak swirling in the wind. She stopped and waited for him to limp after her.
"Hey, Link," Ryelle said quietly, alighting on his shoulder and surprising him. She had been very quiet for a while, since Zelda had arrived. "Do you think we can trust her?"
"Why not?" Link asked, "she's going to help us, and she's a princess, or she says she is, so she can bring us to the king, just like the Great Deku Tree wanted."
"Well, if you're sure," Ryelle cautioned, flying up again.
Link joined Zelda and together they walked, or in Link's case, hobbled, towards the Market Town.
"I had a dream last night," Zelda said, as they neared the drawbridge. She paused, to pull her hood over her hair again, and they walked past the guard without being stopped. "It had a fairy in it - I remember that much. Maybe it was a prophecy! Perhaps we were destined to meet."