Chapter 6: Beware the Coming Storm

"You really think he's the one, don't you?"
"Yes, Gannon must think so too."
"What makes you think that?"
"They met, barely, and breifly, when you brought him here. Gannon stopped by, no doubt looking for the Sword's Sanctum."
"Should we be concerned?"
"Gannondorf may possess great power, greater than we could ever imagine, but it will not get him into the Sanctum."
"I see."
"Gannon left us when he saw Link, must've been a shock for him."
"Did you tell the boy?"
"No, Gannon's eyes are everywhere, even if he did leave the tower. Besides it is nothing more then a child's tale to most people; why bother him with such things as the sword of evil's bane? When the time comes, he will know, but no time before then."
"So what do you plan to do?"
"Be prepared for anything."

~*~

Link hurried through his chores the next morning.
"What's up Link?" Tomar wondered.
"I'm going down to the palace." he answered, shoving down his lunch.
"Oooh! Somebody's a celebritiy now!" Tomar gave him that sly look that Link had seen too much of. "Congradulations, looks like Zelda has taken a liking to you."
"Shaddap!" Link shouted, spraying Tomar with bits of soggy bread.
"Ewww!"
Link dashed toward the door before Tomar could throw something at him. A different voice rounded on him.
"Link!" He screech to a halt as Rosemary ran up to him.
"If you're going to the castle, can you give this to my sister?"
She handed him a package wrapped in brown paper. It was kind of heavy.
"Um... okay." maybe Zelda knew who Rosemary's sister was.
Link dashed off to the palace.

~*~

The front door were large and elegant, carved with stories and symbols. Iron clad guards stood like statues on either side, part of the decorations and personlessly cold. They turnned like clockwork as Link asended the white marble staircase towards them.
"May we help you?" One asked in monotone.
"I-I'm here to see Princess Zelda..."
"Now listen, kid." another guard started. Link could feel a lecture coming on. "You can't just-"
"State your name." The first said robotically, ignoring his coworker.
"Link."
"Acess granted." The guard hefted his spear and fitted the odd shaped spearhead into a large key hole, and turned it. The doors slowly began to inch inward.
The second guard seemed to be in a state of shock.
"W-what are you doing!? Isn't the palace quarantined to citizens?!"
"I have been given strict orders by Miss Impa that a young boy by the name of 'Link' is to be admitted."
The first pulled up his visor, revealing a intellegent, superior face full of laughter with sparkling eyes. "You should listen up better, cadet."
"Yes, sir." The seccond sagged.
"Have a good time." The first winked at Link as he trotted through the doors.
The room inside was the biggest room Link had ever laid his eyes on. Pillars thicker than thousand year old trees rose up into darkness. The maroon carpets, embroiderd in gold symbols, that paved the floor were inprinted by visions of light thrown out by tall stained glass windows. An even larger window stood at the back of the hall, above elegant double staircases and wreathed with hanging tapastries bearing the crest of Hyrule.
"May I help you?"
Startled, Link fell over, and nearly dropped his pakage.
"Are you alright?" the speaker was a friendly, huggable-looking maid.
Link quickly gathered himself up.
"Yes, I'm looking for Princess Zelda."
"Oh... Her majesty should be in her chambers. You go up the flight of stairs, than through the door in back, go down that hall and when the stairs go down into the courtyard. From there, go straight, into the Wing of Quarters. Then head to the second floor, go around, and down a short a hall. Her room is the one with the double doors."
Link wished he had taken notes. After forty-five minutes of wandering, trying to recall directions, searching and asking, he found what looked like Zelda's room.
Two more guards were serveying the double doors.
"Escuse me," Link panted at one.
"Yes, young man, how may I help you?"
"This is Zelda's room, right? May I see her?"
The guards looked at each other, than back at him.
"Sorry kid, the princess isn't feeling well."
"WHAT!? What happened to her?!" Link roared, a little louder than he ment to.
The guards looked at him, shocked and startled.
"Well, she collapsed again this morning. Sorry, kid, but she's in no shape to see visitors."
Link slumped against the wall. What a day!
"Is there anything else we can do for you?" The guard looked at him, sympathetically.
Link looked at the package in his hands.

~*~

The stable was in an odd corneer of the palace grounds. There were no horses and no people when Link got there. Hay particles blew in the breeze and the stench of manure marinated in the air, but there was no sign of life.
This is just my luck!
He climbed into a hay loft and reclined.
Now what? Zelda is ill. Rosemary's sister, Malon, is nowhere to be found.
Link dug into his pockets and pulled out Ayrll's ocarina. It had been days since he'd played it. Aryll use to play it everyday; she'd have cried if she'd known he wasn't.

"Big Brother, Grandma says our town use to be an island once. Back when it was a big ocean. Isn't that funny! I went up to the Hill yesterday - Don't worry! I didn't go into the Fairy Forest - and I almost saw the ocean! Don't laugh! It was the ocean, I know it! Big Brother, I'm going to go to that ocean! and I'm going to be a pirate and sail around! Hahahahaha!"

Her laughter still rang in his ears. Visions of her, and Grandma, drifted in and out of Link's concienceness. He put the ocarina to his lips and began to play. The same old sqeaky tune wafted across the empty stable.
There was a thud, Link stopped playing and looked around.
Nothing...
He put the ocarina to his lips again.
"EPONA!!"
Link fell over, surprised, burying himself in hay.
He looked up just in time to see a young, brown horse gallop in, followed closely by a maroon haired girl.
Maroon hair! That was just like Rosemary!
The girl chased the horse around the stable a couple before almost collapsing from fatigue. Link took the opportunity.
"Excuse me!" He jumped down from the loft.
"Hey you!" The girl pointed at him. "What were you doing up there!?"
"Are you Malon?"
"And what if I am?" She crossed her arms over her chest.
"This is for you."
Link handed her the package. Malon took it suspiciously, not wavering on her mistrust. She seemed to know what it was immediatly. Holding it like a loved one, she untangle the bundle.
Inside lay a harp or at least it looked like one, golden and bright, the oddest harp Link had ever seen. A shining golden mask made its base and faded, waxed wood handles curved, pulling the strings tight.
"How did you get thing?!" Suddenly her face was up in his. "Just who are you anyway?"
Link cowered. Her intense glare burned away at the ground around them.
"I-I'm Link." He squealed. "Rosemary sent me."
Her flames of suspicion ceased like a snuffed out candle.
"Oh," she said, nonchalantly. "Thanks."
Malon wheeled on the young horse that was still running around the stable.
Placing her hands on the harp, she began the weave a song. The note wrapped themselves around the stable and flowed through Link's ears. It was whimsical, yet calming and Link could see it was having such an effect on the pony.
The once ferocious, fatuous beast blew over to Malon like the wind.
"Amazing..." Link muttered.
"You think so?" Malon turned to him. "It's called Epona's song. It's the only thing the will calm her down. Luckily,when Sis came by the other night; I asked her to lend me the harp. I don't know how I would control Epona otherwise."
"Rosemary came here?"
"Yeah, usually she doesn't, but she said Zelda was ill and at the tavern." Malon made a disgruntled face.
"Um... why doesn't Rosemary work here? like you?" Link hurried to change the topic. He didn't know why the mention of Zelda made Malon mad, but he didn't want to whitness he fury again.
"She says she doesn't like it, but we don't think that's the reason." said Malon, still strumming the harp. "We think it's because she just likes the the Wind's Waker, but, personally, I think it's because of a boy."
"W-what?!" That was the last thought that would've occurred to Link.
"Just forget it, you'll never understand."
"Why not?"
"Because you're a boy, stupid!" and she concentrated on her song again.
It didn't look too difficult, the song. Link pulled out the ocarina again and tried to follow the beat.
"Ha, ha... Boys are so strange. That's not how it goes!."
She played a single note, and he copied it. They did the same for the next note and the next until Link had copied the entire song. It was easy to play after that.
"See, that wasn't so hard!." She teased.
It was fun, playing with Malon, listening to the music fill the air, but something disturbed their harmony.
"YO MALON!" A loud, high voice shattered the sweet melody.
"Ugh." Malon moaned.
Two girls Links age stampeded into the stable, one following the other.
The leader was deffinatly a Gerudo, her bronze skin gave that away immediately. She had unusual curly, golden-blonde hair and light eyes that flared in the sunlight.
The other walked silently behind her and was quite different. She was comlpetely blue in color and had a very slick, fishy appeal. Her coarse hair, which was a darker shade than her body, was tied back, cutely, in bundles. Link had never seen anything like her.
"Malon!" The blonde Gerudo pointed at her prey. "Where have you been? Everyone's been looking for you!"
"Oh! I'm so sorry, my lady, I know I should spend my every waking hour slaving around for your godliness." Malon grumbled.
"Damn straight!" The blonde teased, than she spotted Link.
"Kya! What's this?!" Both new girls crowded around him.
"A boyfriend?" The blue, fishy one asked.
"A male h-"
"Hold on a second!" Malon yelled, her hair and her face equal in color.
"Malon! You naughty girl! You leave the parade preperations for a romantic renedezvous!?" The blonde teased her again. "So who are you anyway?" She turned to Link.
"L-link..." He stuttered.
"Link? Link..." The blonde tapped her head. "I've heard that name somewhere..."
"It's the kid Zelda was talking about yesterday." The blue girl answered for her.
"Oh yeah! Well then, we must have a proper introduction! She's Ruto."
"That's PRINCESS Ruto of the Zoras. Nabooru, get it right!"
"Whatever! I'm Nabooru-"
"- the Supreme Idiot from the Dessert."
"Ruto! You little...!"
"Whatever!." Ruto imitated. Then the two busted up laughing.
"W-wait a minute." Link said. "You're Princess Ruto? and you're Lady Nabooru?"
"Didn't we just go over that?" Ruto inquired.
What a week! First Zelda, then Gannondorf, now these two! Link wouldn't have been surprised if the goddesses, Farore, Nayru and Din, walked in right now!
"Hey, let me tell your fortune!" Ruto sprang at Link, interrupting his thoughts.
"I wouldn't let her if I were you." Nabooru warned. "She said Malon was a duck in a past life."
Malon, who was being quiet, ground her teeth.
Ruto pulled a marble out of her pocket. It was a deep blue and seemed to emit somekind of power.
"Ok, now hold it like this." Ruto intructed him to hold it between his index fingers. She, slowly, waved her hands around the jewel and it started to glow.
"Let's see." She peered, mutating her face to change perspectives.
"Wierd..." She said and the stone stopped glowing. "It's like... your past, present and future are all mixed up..."
"Maybe your rock's broken. Let's hit it against something." Nabooru suggested.
"Maybe we should hit YOU against something." Ruto added. "Acctually, this has happened before, with Zelda. I thought her powers were interferring..."
"You never know. Link might have powers too."
Link blushed and looked away, in fact, at Epona. The wild horse was nibbling on bits of grass, looking bored. Suddenly, her head shot up, ears twitching. Then Link felt it to, the change of the wind, the slight pressure in the back of his mind.
"Malon, look out!." His voice left his throat on its own. He ran and tackled her, toppling them both over in the dirt, and just in time. Where Malon had been standing was a long knife, thrust into the ground by the arm of Impa, Zelda's nursemaid.
"What the..?" Link picked himself off the ground and helped Malon up.
"Not bad." Impa said, straightening up as well. She unsheathed another blade from her belt and tossed it causually at Link. It landed with a thunk at Link's feet.
"Let's see what you've got." she said taking a fighting stance.
The girls quickly climbed up into the loft to avoid causualties. Impa stabbed at Link He dodged to the right, just barely missing her blade. She stabbed again; he dodged again.
"You can't win by dodging." She taunted after a couple more stab-n-dodges.
He tried to attack her, but met her blade instead. She threw off his attack easily and sent him rolling into the dirt.
"Use your head!"
They continued on like this for at least an hour, non-stop. Sweat drobbled down Link's face. He couldn't hit her and could barely dodge her blows. Fatigue was starting to make him sloppy.
Suddenly, Impa appeared by his side. She yanked his sword arm over and down and he summer-saulted on to his back, his blade sent flying.
She snatched his knife out of the air.
"that's enough for today." she said mildly sheathing both knives at her sides.
Link lay on the ground, pant, not knowing, or caring, which way was up. The pull of the earth siezed him with all its dramatic force and he surrendered. He couldn't find the strength to resist.
"Girls." Impa looked up at the peanut gallery. "Aren't you suppose to be helping with the festival preperations?"
"Oh yeah!" All three of them jumped up and climbed out of the loft. Nabooru and Ruto each grabbed one of Link's hands.
"C'mon!" They pulled him across the ground. "Come see our float."
"Let him rest, girls." Impa smiled. "He'll be there in aminute."
"He'd better!" They both threatened and gleefully skipped off.
As Malon was Playing Epona into a stable condition, Impa reached a hand down to help Link up. He wearily took it.
She pulled him close.
"Beware the coming storm." She whipsered dangerously and swiftly disappeared.
What was that about? Link wondered.
"C'mon, I'll show you to the floats." Malon came up behind him, dragging Epona behind her.
He waddled after her.
"Is something wrong Malon?" Link asked. He realized she had been silent for quite a while now.
"Don't they annoy you."
"Who?"
"Nabooru and Ruto." She glared off into an invisible evil.
"Why?"
"Ugh! How can you stand them, with their stupid 'greater-than-thou' attitudes. I hate princesses."
She paused.
"They get everything they. They boss people around. And they never have to work a day in their life, ever! Not to mention everyone does everything they say 'Princess Zelda, let me scrub your shoes.' 'Princess Zelda, let me clean your toe nails' 'Princess Zelda, let me lay in a puddle so you don't get you royal feet wet.' Ugh! I can't stand her! Why do people even like her!? She's conceided!"
Link could see the yearning in her face and he could feel that passion in her voice, but he had never thought of Zelda as even remotely self-centered. He remebered the way she had been when he had first met her.
Thank you... for letting me spend a day like... a normal girl, She had said. He couldn't forget the longing look in her eyes, and the way she had laughed and smiled as they raomed around the market place...
Be he didn't say anything to Malon.
The ebtered a large room, not a big as the palace's entry hall, but large. It appeared that this was were all the occupants of the stable had gathered. Large, powerful horses were tied to the large floats that garnished the room. The floats were each decorated in a different way. One was covered with Gerudo rocks and jewels, one was carved like a Zora ice sculpture, and one bore the Hylian coat of arms all around the sides.
"Malon! Where the heck have you been?!" A voice called from the Hylian float. "We only have one day to finish these and you're off dwaddling! Did you bring Epona?"
"Yes!" She called back and started to drag Epona off in that direction.
"Link!" Both Ruto and Nabooru came at him, yelling at the same time.
"Come look at our float!"
"Look at the pretty dress I get to wear!."
"C'mon Link!"
Link looked anxiously back to where Malon was, but could barely see her in all the chaos of decoration.
Ruto and Nabooru grabbed his arms, forcing him to look away. It was either follow or be dragged and Link had had enough beatings for one day.

~*~

"Is that you, Onox?"
"It is I, my lord."
"Good, we need to talk about tomorrow."
"What can I do for you, my lord?"
"I want you 'deal' witha certin boy. He has blonde hair and wears green; he should make himnself apparent."
"Kwahahaha... Excellent, my lord."
"One more thing, Onox."
"Yes, my lord?"
"Do not kill him."
"EH?!"
"If he is dead, the Triforce will never be mine. No, just cripple him. Maim him so he can never fight, then bring him to me."

----
Aurthor's Notes: Man, that took for ever to type! This is the longest chapter yet. I hope you didn't get too bored. I promise, this is the last "action-less" chapter; things really start to pick up in the next chapter, so bear with me. Sorry, I haven't been able to respond to reviews. I, honestly, don't have a ton of time on my hands, and I'm trying to pump out these chapters as fast as possible. If you have something to say to me directly, or want a reply about something, please email or IM me. I do read reviews and I really appriciate them, but I don't have time to respond to them all :( sorry. Anyway, about this chapter... well, if you can't tell, I've tried really hard to add old characters into the story on both good and evil sides, however, I have my own takes on how they look. In my mind, Nabooru looks like Mini Urd from Ah! My Goddess and Ruto resembles a young version of Shiva the Aeon from FFX (minus the thong of course P ). I also thought that Malon was a lot like Medli from the Wind Waker (hence the "duck in a past life") but others are free to disagree with me. Pretty soon I'm going to put up pictures of the characters on my site, so you might want to check that out if your a bored person. :P Once again, thanks for reading my Fic ^^ - Fuuko-chan
P.S. Sorry for all the typos ^^;