Disclaimer: WAAAAAAAAAH! I HATE THE DISCLAIMER! IT'S SO STUPID, AND DUMB, AND POINTLESS, AND I DON'T OWN ZELDA, AND IT'S RETARDED, AND MEAN, AND CRUEL....sniffle...

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A Beginning, An End

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A cloaked child slipped through the dark. Red hair peeked out from under her hood, which had been drawn closer to the girl's head because of chilly night winds.

The green grass bent only slightly under her light footsteps, quickening as the dawn approached. Tears rolling down her cheeks were starting to freeze from the cold breezes, and her blue eyes reflected deep sadness and pain. Her footfalls grew faster, faster. The moon fell faster, faster.

Memories were appearing, then fading. But one vivid one stayed in her mind and stuck obstinately.

A boy was standing in front of her. She kept singing, pretending not to notice him. He stuttered out a greeting, and her blue eyes opened slowly. She grinned happily, and giggled. He shifted nervously, adjusting his green tunic, and a fairy flew out of his hat. Throwing her red hair aside, she spoke for the first time. "Oh-it's the fairy boy!"

Shaking her small head, she started to hum a quiet tune to soothe herself. Looking ahead, she witnessed the drawbridge looming ahead. Stopping, she realized that she would have to wait until morning. Taking a small, sharp stone from the ground, she did the hardest thing that she had ever done. She gathered her copper hair in one hand...And cut it.

She glanced at the sky, and then at the drawbridge. It slowly started lowering, and then it hit the ground with a thud. The wooden planks that made it up creaked and groaned softly as the girl ran across it.

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The beauty of the town amazed her. The white cobblestones were littered with shops and stands, and people bustling about. And in the distance, the castle rose up, tall and magnificent. A sparkling fountain stood majestically in the middle of the town, it's crystalline waters shining in the sun. Then her eyes wandered over to a lone building...The fabled Temple of Time.

The first impression she got was awe. The second...fear. The size and magnificence of the sunny town made her want to run back to her humble, comfortable ranch home, were she could stay as dirty as she wanted and no one would care. But then horrible memories of the beatings swam in her head.

"YOU WERE LATE WITH MY SUPPER!" Screeched the ugly, pigeon-toed man in front of her. His dark brows were drawn together, making his red face look even more repulsive. A whip, originally for horses, was clenched in his hairy fists. He lashed out with it, and she screamed in pain. "Ingo, can you be more quiet up there? I'm tryin' to rest!" Her father called sleepily from downstairs. He had no idea...She thought miserably, causing several tears to roll down her face. "Why are you crying? It was your own fault, you piece of horse shit!" The evil man screamed. She closed her eyes and steeled herself as the whip struck her again.

Almost screaming in remembered pain, she bit her lip and strode forward. Ducking into a back alley, she knocked on a random door. A plump, kindly looking woman answered it. "Good heavens, child, where did you come from? What's your name?" The girl thought for a fleeting second. Come on, think up a name! She ordered herself. "My name is...Marin."

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