Link walked, with Navi floating and flying a foot or two above him, between two buildings, which were built into the back wall of the town itself. Then, they followed the road up a hill and to the right. They crested the hill, and walked fifty yards further down the road. They stood in front of a huge pine tree, where Kaepora Gabora hailed them.
"Ho, Link!" the huge owl said. "This is the road to the castle. I'm told the Princess expects you. But I also sense that no one else does. If you can't openly gain her audience, stealth is the best course. But the guards are much more attentive to their duties during hours of darkness. Be sure to watch out for them. Who-Hoot!" The owl flew away, leaving Link confused as to what it was up to. But he had more important things on his mind than giant talking owls.
He looked more intently at the tree in which the owl had been perched. He saw a golden sparkle. He also sensed the presence of a curse spider. He tackled the tree with all his might, and the curse spider fell from it! He struck two quick blows with his sword, and claimed the token the beast left behind.
He looked to his right, and saw Malon, standing by the wall of the ravine the road threaded through. She was facing toward the castle, and hadn't seen his approach, or the altercation he had with the spider. He walked up to her, and asked, "Are you still looking for your father?"
She answered, "Yes. So you're really going to the Castle, Fairy-Boy? Would you mind looking for my dad?"
Link answered "Sure. Like I said, if I see him, I'll let him know you're looking for him."
She replied, "He must have fallen asleep somewhere around the Castle. What a thing for an adult to do!" she laughed.
"Oh, yeah. If you'll look for him, I'll give this to you. I've been incubating this egg very carefully" she laughed again. She gave Link a large egg, about the size of three jumbo chicken eggs. She said, "When Dad falls asleep, sometimes the only thing that will wake him is the call of a cucco! This egg should hatch later today. It will definitely hatch before sunrise tomorrow. If you find him, use the chick from this egg to wake him!"
Link answered "Thanks, Malon. Do you want me to give the chick to your dad when he wakes up?"
"No" she answered. "You can keep it, or sell it if you want."
Link answered, "Thanks again, Malon!"
She answered, "You're welcome. By the way, Fairy-Boy, what's your name?"
"Link" he answered.
"Ok, Link. I'll see you later. Stop by the ranch sometime, and let me know how your visit with the Princess went!" She giggled, and walked down the hill towards Hyrule Castle Town. Link continued down the road, to try the 'honest' approach to entering the Castle first.
He walked another twenty yards down the road, and came to the closed outer gate to the Castle. He saw the gate was manned by at least one of the Hylean Royal Guard, the army of the King of the Hyleans and Sheikahs. This guard stood not quite five and a half feet tall, which was still a goodly height in that era, and appeared to weigh a muscular eleven stone. He wore the uniform well, that uniform being almost identical to that of a Roman soldier of the same rank, the only difference being the decorations in the armour, shield, and cloth. He was armed with a javelin that was the exact twin of any Roman spear.
Link walked up to the guard and introduced himself. "Hello, sir. My name is Link. I need to have an audience with Princess Zelda. It's very important."
The guard answered, "So you say you want to see Princess Zelda, eh? You probably heard about her in town and decided you had to meet her." Link started to say that he had travelled all the way from the distant forest to see her when the guard cut him off. "Well, go home! Get out of here! The Princess would never grant an audience to the likes of you!"
Link said, "I travelled all the way from the Kokiri Forest to see the Princess! This isn't child-romance! It is important business of my people."
The guard answered, "So, you really want to see the Princess that badly. Let me think about it." The guard stood silently a moment and continued speaking quietly. "I'll let you through the gate. But it will cost you! Give me ten rupees."
Navi said silently to Link "Go ahead and bribe the guard, Link. He is crooked, but will honour his deal. But we can't afford to bribe every guard!"
Link answered her silently "So we sneak from now on."
"Right!" the fairy replied in Link's thoughts.
Link quietly told the guard "Ok, sir. Here's your money." He discretely handed the guard the ten-rupee bribe. The guard pocketed the money, than pounded the ground once with the end of his spear. Another unseen guard opened the gate. The crooked guard said, "Go, quickly!" Link ran through the gate, and blended into some short bushes about ten feet down the road.
Ten feet further in front of him was a "wye" intersection. He asked silently "Navi? What can you see?"
The fairy rose up about twenty feet, flew around, and returned to Link. She answered "At least four more guards. When I say go, run to the wye intersection, and go to the left. You will see two guards forty feet down the road. Go half the distance to the guards, and run up the left embankment. When you crest the hill, run to the right of the small pine tree, skirting around the third guard. You will see a rough spot in the side of the terrace wall at the other end of the lower yard. Run straight toward it. After you climb it, follow along the ravine wall to your left, and run to the moat. When you get to the moat, jump in, and swim quietly until the moat turns to the left, and avoiding the fourth guard on the drawbridge. You can climb out then without the guards being able to see you. Follow the walk to your left to its end. You will find the drain the kid in town mentioned, along with a large, sleeping Hylean who must be Malon's papa."
Link answered silently "Ok, Navi. I'm ready."
The fairy said loudly in Link's mind "Go!"
Link followed Navi's instructions perfectly! He quickly ran down the road, up the embankment, and across the lower yard. He climbed the terrace, followed the ravine side, and went down a short hill to a stone ledge by the moat itself. He silently entered the moat, and swam its length, coming up on a mini sandbar where the moat turned to his left. He climbed up onto the sand bar, and climbed from there onto the stone walkway next to the moat itself. He walked about one hundred feet down the walkway, and found Malon's dad, snoring loudly and dead to the world.
He also found two milk crates, and a locked stone shed. The milk crates were obviously thus, for they faint smell of fresh milk contained in fired clay amphorae came from within them, and the sides of the crates were branded with the head of what had to be a horned milk cow, and the Sheikah runes that proclaimed "Fresh Milk." They also hinted strongly of a wagon, as each one was a five foot cube, and could only be moved by wagon, even if they were empty.
Link looked across the moat. On the other side of the moat, was the drain opening the teen-ager in town had mentioned. And, it was large enough that he would fit easily. He looked into the opening, and saw that it opened into a small garden inside the wall! But, it was too far to jump, and the wall was so smooth that he had no chance of climbing it even without the water pouring down on his head. The crates looked like he might be able to push them down onto a ledge that was below the sleeping Hylean, to make a jumping platform. That would allow him to jump across easily to the drain. But first, he had to get the sleeping Hylean out of his way!
He tried to wake the man up. Link prodded him, and got no response. Link shook the man, and he mumbled about the ranch, and how wonderful it was. He even stuck the man gently with the point of his sword! The man moved, and then moved right back to where he was! He was unwakeable, and unmovable!
Link was almost at the point of tears! He silently asked "What can I do now, Navi? It's already mid-afternoon, and I can't get this lazy oaf out of our way! The longer we stay here, the greater chance we have of getting caught by the guards!"
Navi answered, "Don't worry, Link. If the guards patrolled this area, this man would already have been removed! If you go behind the milk crates, you can go to sleep for a while. You didn't get more than three hours of sleep on Hyrule Field, and you're tired! I'll watch for any guards that might show up. You've got the egg, right?"
He answered "Right under my jacket, Navi. It's still nice and warm, and I can feel movement inside the shell against my chest."
Navi looked into the egg with her fairy-sight. She said "It should hatch right before dawn tomorrow. If the cucco wakes the man like Malon said it would, we'll be able to see Princess Zelda first thing tomorrow morning." Link took Navi's advice. He went behind the milk crates, rolled out his bedroll, and slept. He was so tired, in fact, that he fell asleep right away, even though his bedroll, like everything else on him, was soaked from his swim in the moat!
Link was careful not to hurt the cucco egg, though. The cucco is know to modern times as the "Hyrulian Spring Chicken." Pure bread ones now are extremely rare, as they were interbred indiscriminately with other chickens, as trade opened up fully with the rest of the world. When of pure blood, they are valued for having slight magical power, growing quickly to a size half again larger than other chickens, and for the fact that both hens and roosters crow at the coming dawn, even from the first day they're hatched. Their call, though otherwise identical to that of other chickens, is also smoother, like unto that of a loud songbird.
Link dreamed of times in the past when he and Saria would sneak off to the Lost Woods together. As the night wore on, Saria joined him in his dream. She asked, "Where do you sleep tonight, beloved?"
He answered, "I sleep beside the wall of Hyrule Castle."
She said, "I missed you last night."
"I only slept for a couple of hours at the most. I didn't dream at all, I was so tired. There are monsters that rise up out of the ground at night in Hyrule Field! I had to camp in the middle of a road! Even with Navi standing watch, I was scared!"
"Navi?" Saria asked uneasily.
Link answered, "She's my guardian fairy, Saria! The Deku tree was so weak, he couldn't make a new fairy for me, so he gave me the old battle fairy, as I'm told you once tried having done."
Saria exclaimed "Navi the Battle Fairy? What have you gotten us into, Beloved?"
Link replied hurt, "It's not like I asked for this, or that I asked specifically for her! I would have thought…"
Saria answered as she held Link in her arms, "And if you did, Link, you thought right. Please forgive me. I'm just so scared for us…" Saria started to cry softly as she and Link held each other.
Navi entered their shared dream at this point. "Calm down, you two!" she exclaimed. "I was bonded with Link because there was no other fairy, and the Deku Tree lacked the strength to make another! If you're that uncomfortable with me, I can have the new Deku Tree make you another fairy when it sprouts!"
Link replied "No, Navi. You're a great guardian fairy!"
Saria added, "And I still mean those words I said then, when you refused to do what you've done now. But I'm still scared, Navi."
The fairy spoke soothingly. "And you shouldn't be, Saria. If anything, I'm overkill! Even as weak as it was, The Great Deku Tree wouldn't have sent Link on this quest if he couldn't handle it! Having me for a guardian fairy will make Link's quest just that much less dangerous." Saria was not completely convinced. But she accepted things as they were.
She said "Ok, Navi. How soon will the two of you return to the Forest?"
Navi answered, "I don't know. If we can, we'll return as soon as we see the Princess. If we see her tomorrow, we'll be back tomorrow night." Navi left the lovers' dream.
Saria said, "You will be careful, won't you, beloved?"
Link answered "Of course, beloved. I want to spend the rest of my life with you! That means I've got to keep living, doesn't it?" Saria laughed. The two lovers embraced again, and kissed in their dream. They then shared endearments, as lovers will do, until Link was awakened by the hatching of the cucco chick.
Link sat up and looked around. It was almost dawn. He took the chick out of his jacket and looked at it. It was about six inches tall, and bright yellow. It clucked at him, as if Link were its mother! Link took the eggshells out of his jacket, and threw them into the moat. He put the chick gently back into his jacket, and put on his boots. He then repacked his bedroll, and walked over to the sleeping Hylean, just as the sun broke over the horizon.
Link took the chick out of his jacket, and held it right next to the ear of the sleeping Hylean. The chick crowed loudly at the sight of the sun's first light. The Hylean was startled, and instantly awake!
He got up and looked bemusedly at the Kokiri who stood before him holding the newly hatched chick. Malon, for that was the name of Malon's father stood five feet and three inches tall, and weighed a slightly gone to seed fifteen stone. He was bald on the top of his head, but his dark brown hair grew profusely elsewhere; he wore his head in a ponytail that reached just below his armpits, and his profuse body hair grew thickly from his arms and out of the collar of his shirt. His beard grew slowly but formed a distinct shadow. Thick brown eyebrows, brown eyes, an average chin, and a "Burnside" moustache that was well kept finished off his slightly corpulent but not un-comely face. He was dressed as any working freeman of the era who rode horses would be dressed, though this was slightly below his station for he was a "Franklin," the lowest ranking nobleman, and the only nobleman not required to bear arms.
As a form of introduction Talon bellowed, "What in tarnation! Can't a person get a little shut-eye around here?" The Hylean's eyes cleared, and he looked down at Link.
He asked civilly, "Hello, and who might you be?"
Link answered "I'm Link, sir. Are you Malon's Dad?"
The Hylean answered, "Yep, I'm Talon, the owner of Lon-Lon Ranch. I went to the Castle to deliver some milk, but I sat down here to rest, and I guess I fell asleep."
Link said, "That's fine with me, sir. But Malon is in town looking for you."
Talon was shocked at hearing this! He exclaimed "What? Malon was looking for me? I'm gonna catch it from her now! I messed up bad, leaving Malon behind to wait for me! She's really gonna let me have it!" Link barely had time to hand the cucco chick to Talon as the rancher ran in a panic towards the road back to Hyrule Castle Town! Talon left Link behind in a cloud of dust!
Navi said, "Ok, Link! Now, Talon is out of our way, and it's the top of the morning! Let's get those milk crates pushed down so we can get into that drain!" Link grabbed and dragged each crate in turn until he had formed a platform. He climbed onto the top milk crate, and jumped across. He easily made the jump, and landed in the stone opening around the drain. He crawled through the drain, and into the castle itself.
He came out of the drain in a small pool in a small garden, which was about thirty feet long by forty-five feet wide, including the terraced pool Link was standing in. There was a decorative walkway that alternated between squares of four large square flagstones, totalling three feet square, and gaps of two feet of grass. Navi silently asked Link "I wonder where we'll find the Princess in this big, old castle?"
Link replied in his mind, "Hopefully somewhere before we're caught by those guards!" He was able to see into the next garden, where a guard patrolled.
This next garden was forty feet long by thirty feet wide, and was set in a stone walled alcove of forty by twenty feet to Link's right. The guard was walking his post clockwise around a rectangular box hedge in the middle of the garden. There were two other hedges in the garden. The closest one to Link was halfway between the near wall of the garden and the twelve-foot square hedge, and ran parallel with the short wall and side of the alcove. Its far end was even with the side of the box hedge, and the near side went four feet further to Link's left than the box hedge did. The other hedge ran along the entire length of the far alcove wall. All three hedges were just a little bit taller than Link himself. There was a solid flagstone walk, halfway between the box hedge and the wrought iron rail and canal to Link's left. Link waited until the guard was walking towards the wall to Link's right, then quietly sprinted the length of the garden. He waited there, watching the guard in the second garden.
The third garden was the same size and shape as the first. But it contained two fountains, two 'wall' hedges, and two guards! The nearer one walked clockwise around the nearer of the two ten foot square fountains. The other guard walked counter-clockwise around the other fountain. Both fountains were to Link's right, one further away than the other. Link waited until both guards walked towards the right wall, and sprinted the length of the third garden.
The fourth garden was divided into two sections. The first section was the easiest one of the guarded sections to cross to that point. It was fifty feet long, and just as wide as the others. And only one guard patrolled it. But this guard walked his post underneath a vine-covered 'I' shaped trellis. The trellis was ten feet tall, thirty feet long, and each end beam was fifteen feet long. The 'I' shaped walkway formed was four feet wide, and looked sturdy enough to silently support a walking Kokiri. It was standing between two hedges, each one being five feet tall and twenty feet long. They in fact formed two walls, which the guard couldn't see through. This section was separated from the other section of the garden by a six-foot tall wall, which was twenty feet long and ran from the large stone wall on Link's right to a point even with the end of the far left upright of the trellis.
There was a stone stairway, with three steps, set against the nearest of the five huge timber uprights for the trellis. Each of the three steps was two feet tall, and the stairway itself, at four feet wide, was just as wide as the upright itself. Link climbed up the stairway, climbed onto the trellis, and walked across the trellis over the guard's head! He jumped down behind the left upright on the far side of the garden when the guard's back was turned. He approached the left end of the short wall, and looked at the second half of the garden.
The second part of the fourth garden was thirty feet square. It had a ten-foot wide by twelve-foot long pedestal in the middle, which was circled by two patrolling guards. The pedestal itself stood four feet tall, and had a life-sized statue of a woman surrounded by five small children. Both of the guards patrolled clockwise. First, one would walk one leg of their post while the other watched. Then, the other would walk while the first one watched. Link waited until the first was walking the far end of the garden, to Link's right, and the other stood watching there. He ran the length of the garden, pausing while the second guard started walking to his right, and ran behind a hedge in the next garden.
Two guards patrolled this fifth garden. It was also a change of pace because it extended to Link's right. Link turned and surveyed it. It was thirty feet wide like the others, but walled with tall stone walls on both sides, instead of having the wrought iron fence and decorative stone canal on the left like the other ones did. It was sixty feet long, and had a series of decorative hedges and walkways. The hedge he hid behind was twenty feet wide. Five feet down the length of the garden there were two short hedges, each one extending five feet from the wall. Forty-five feet further down there was a matching pair of hedges. Between the two pairs of hedges was a fifteen-foot wide by forty-foot long box hedge. Two guards patrolled the garden, each one walking clockwise around the central hedge. Each one would briskly walk one long leg and one short leg of the hedge, and then stop. With one guard in the closer right corner and the other one in the far-left corner, each guard would look around.
Link waited until the guards turned and were walking the long leg of the hedge. Then, he silently followed the one walking away from him, no more than three feet behind him! When this guard finished looking around, and started to walk to his right, Link passed behind him, ran behind the far hedge, and kept walking to his left. He walked through a arch-roofed corridor, that was twenty feet wide, thirty feet tall, and sixty feet long. This opened into the Castle Courtyard.