It was a dark night, and it had been four long years since Link had given his daughter his own childhood weapons. Unbeknownst to most Hyrulians, as they sat at home, without a care in the world, a dark shadow had begun to creep into Hyrule. It began in the bare sparse edges, beyond Gerudo Valley, past Death Mountain, and further back than the Sacred Forest Temple…But it was spreading none the less, and it continued to grow and spread, further and further each day, and along with the rest of Hyrule, Link, Ruto, and Nayru, were oblivious….

Link was getting on in his years now, though still strong in spirit, his body's strength had begun to fade. "I could still lift a Goron!" He'd claim, but he had a hard enough time lifting his slim fourteen year-old. Nayru was still happy, though the pangs of adolescence hit her hard, being as secluded as she was, she learned to manage. She hardly ever fought with her parents and this night was no exception, they sat and ate dinner, while a vicious storm raged outside. The dining room was lit and warmed by a cheery fire, and the house was cozy as always. Soon the family was beginning to yawn, and they all turned in. Nayru bid her parents goodnight, and went to her room, and Ruto and Link went to theirs. Ruto and Nayru fell asleep in short order, but Link lay tossing and turning. He was feeling, strange, uncomfortable, and, was it fear he felt? He tried to sleep, but found that he could not, so got up out of bed. He crept downstairs and sat at the kitchen table. The uneasy feeling he had did not leave him, and as the rain lashed cruelly at the window, Link shivered involuntarily, something was wrong. He then heard a creak from upstairs, and he sprung to his feet, he looked up, and then saw, it was only Nayru, looking sleepy and confused. She spotted her father, and went down the stairs. "Father?" Said Nayru, "What are you doing up?" "Nothing," Said Link offhandly, "I just couldn't sleep, that's all," "Oh," Said Nayru pulling up a chair and sitting down. Link sat too, and looked out the window warily. "Nayru?" Link said after a pause, "Yes father?" Said Nayru, "I just want you to know that no matter what happens, and wherever you are in life, your mother and I will always love you, and we'll always be with you," Said Link. Nayru seemed a little confused. "Here," said Link, pulling something from his tunic, "Your mother will be mad that I gave this to you, we were planning to save it for when it was your birthday, but oh well." He held out a little cedar box with intracate carvings all over it, and said, "Here, open it" She lifted the little box from his hand, and opened its lid. Inside was a small pendant on a chain. The pendant was a sapphire, an emrald, and a pearl set all together. The pearl was centered, and on the left side of the pearl was a sapphire, on the right an emerald, it was set in gold, and hung from a thin golden chain. "We had it made by the Gorons especially for you. See, the emerald stands for me, because I'm from the forest, and the sapphire stands for your mother, the Zora, and from us, came you, our pearl." Link took the pendant and fastened it around her neck gently. "Oh daddy, I don't know what to say!" cried Nayru. "Then say that whenever you wear this you'll think of your mother and I, and never forget us…." Said Link "Oh, daddy, of course, you silly, I could never forget you, or mommy!" She threw her arms around her father and whispered, "Thank you daddy, I love you," "I love you too Ru," Said Link affectionately, kissing his daughter's forehead. "Now off to bed with you," he said, and she dashed up the stairs, and at the top she turned and took a last look at her smiling father, before she ran off to bed.

Nayru woke up very late the next morning with a throbbing headache. She stood up and looked in the mirror on her dresser and soon saw why, she had a huge lump on her forehead, and it was swollen, purple and blue. She suddely realized how silent the house was. She threw open the door and gasped as she saw her house. It had been ransacked during the night, and everything was wrecked. Tables and chairs lay overturned and broken, and windows were shattered. Nayru hardly had time to take this all in, because she was rushing to her parent's room. It was a mess in there too, and empty and bare as can be. She saw the empty rack over the fire where her father's sword used to sit, and suddenly she began to cry. She curled up in a ball on the bare wood floor, her nightgown splayed out around her, and she sobbed. She didn't know how long she was there, when she finally stood up and tried to pull herself together. She ran her hand over the mantle where her father's sword was once sitting, and the tears flowed silently down her face. She ran her hands over the pillows and sheets of her parent's bed as she looked out the shattered window, and then recoiled as she had run her hand over something wet. She looked down and saw a small pool of red red blood lying there on the sheets, and she held up her hand and saw it there too, on her hand as clear as day, and she broke down again. She cried until she could cry no longer, and then she simply lay on the floor and whimpered, until her whimpering too subsided and she lay and listened to her own heart. She fell into dreamless and unsettling sleep, and awoke about and hour later. She sat up, and then realized that her father's chest seemed untouched. She crawled over to it and sat down in front of it, crossing her legs. She opened the chest slowly, and found it to be completely empty except for a small lump, wrapped in linen at the very bottom. She drew it out with shaky hands and set it on the floor. She unwrapped it slowly and found it to be a small greenish ocarina. There was a small folded piece of paper next to it. She picked up the paper and unfolded it gently. There in untidy scrawl was a disjointed sort of note written by her father.

Nayru, I'm sorry, I don't know what's happening. Ganondorf,

It's been so long—I can't take it back now, I love you sweetie

Never forget…they're coming now, remember these, and find a friend in the

forest using this, don't forget, we love you, our pearl, now there isn't much time—

Never forget

-Link

Below this was a list of all the songs Link had ever learned on the ocarina. By now tears were pouring down Nayru's face. He had known this was going to happen, that's why he was being so strange last night. She folded the note back up and picked up the ocarina. She walked into her room and got dressed deftly, thoughts still buzzing through her mind. She dug through her closet after dressing and pulled out her own little chest. She dragged it onto the floor of her room and opened it. There still sat the fairy slingshot, the boomerang, and the sword too. She picked these up, and found it was difficult to carry all the things at once. She walked into her parent's room and dug through her father's drawer. There she found a large heavy utility belt. She buckled it around her waist and then headed back to her room. In the belt she tucked the boomerang, slingshot, the ocarina, and the bag of deku seeds. She slung the sword over her shoulder, and then went downstairs. She walked over to the mantle and looked up. Her father's old Hylian shield had hung there for as long as she could remember. She dragged over a chair and lifted it off its hooks. It was surprisingly light and strong, she strapped it to her shoulders and then looked down at her feet. Her small leather thong sandals were comfortable, but were no good for walking. She slipped them off and went back upstairs. She went into her parents room and grabbed her father's old soft floppy leather boots and pulled them on, her feet slid around in their too big toes, but they were comfortable, and they'd have to do. She went back down stairs, and as she bounced down each step, she felt something going pat-pat-pat against her chest. She put her hand there, and felt a bump. She remembered the pendant. She pulled it out from behind her shirt and held it up. She looked at it and felt tears beginning to well up in her eyes, but she blinked them back furiously and tucked it back under her blouse, and then without looking back behind her ran out the door of her home and away from her old life. This was her new beginning.