Story Title: Into the Castle

Fan Fiction from: Games, The Legend of Zelda; A Link to the Past

Does the author have any idea what it's doing?: Nope.

Disclaimers: All disclaimers apply. (so far)

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Rain poured down from the sky with a vengeance. Link tightened his cloak around his collar and nodded to Kale and Dash to follow him. The trio made their way through the woods that dotted the landscape next to the castle. It was easy to actually get into the castle. Link gathered both Kale and Dash behind the last tree in the small forest, explaining what they would do. There was a bush on the other side of the castle in the garden, under the bush was a stairwell that lead right into the lesser dungeons inside. Kale nodded and walked out of the woods, playing his flute. The tune was haunting, a spell song that allowed him to walk unseen and unheard past the guards. Dash shifted in his boots and ran past the guards, unheard through the falling rains hitting the stone walkways and splashing into the mud. Link took up the rear, checking his magic bag and activating his invisibility cloak. Link slowly made his way to the outer garden and deactivated his spell. Kale and Dash were already there, waiting for Link to show them the way into the castle.

"Are you ready?" Link whispered.

Dash and Kale nodded. Link mumbled an "ok" and drew his blade. He swiftly swung the blade around in an arch and cut down the bush. Kale looked around to make sure they weren't heard. Link dropped into the stairwell first and walked down slowly in the dark. Dash muttered something about hating the dark but Kale hissed at him to keep quiet. Link remembered this stairwell very well. Some time ago he had found his uncle here, just inside the stairwell, hurt and unable to continue his quest. Luckily when Link returned home his uncle was alright.

"Come on," Link whispered softly to his friends. "We have a little ways to go and it's mostly dark, best to my recollections there is a chest in the next room; there should be a chest in there."

Again Dash and Kale nodded. Link shuttered slightly, the silence was killing him. The trio continued on their way, they picked up a torch in the chest that Link had pointed out and then picked up a boomerang in another. Link and his two comrades did their best to avoid the guards but there was a couple they could not. They did their best just to knock the guards unconscious and continued on their way. Link poked his head out the door and looked around a bit, then Kale and Dash poked their heads out of the corridor to see as well. The three pulled back into the empty hall.

"OK, we're almost done. The princess's room is to our right, the throne room is to the left." Link explained. "This is what we're going to do; grab Zelda and make our way, as quietly as possible, to the throne room. There is a secret door behind the throne, it'll take us to the Sanctuary-"

"The one just north of the castle?" Dashed asked.

"Is there any other sanctuary that you know of?" Link asked. He turned his attention to Kale, ignoring Dashes mutterings. "Kale, did you bring the record book?"

Kale nodded his head and thumbed his back satchel.

"Good," Link replied. "We'll give that to the priest in the Sanctuary, he can explain all this to Zelda better then we can."

"You saved her butt last time right?" Dashed asked, then continued before he could get his answer out of Link. "Why not just explain while we're in the castle? She knows you."

"Because," Link started. "how many guards did we knock out? We had to have knocked out four or five of them! If we hang around here they are sure to catch us and throw us in the dungeons before Zelda can explain it to them! Got it?"

Dash nodded quickly. "Got it boss. But what are we going to do with her once we get out of the castle?"

Link brought his hand to rest under his chin to think. "We can't stay in the Sanctuary too long. We can't take her to the village; someone will recognize her."

"The old hideout?" Dash offered when Kale pointed to the north west. Link smiled.

"Perfect." He said. "No one hangs out there anymore and with it so deep in the forest no one will find the doorway."

"After all," Dash smiled. "The Hidden Forest is haunted."

"Exactly." Link smiled.

Kale tugged on Link's sleeve and pointed out, towards the main hall. The sound of metal scratching against metal reached their pointed ears. Dash's eyes widened and the three tried to back down the corridor. Two guards walked past slowly, talking about something that none of them could catch. One of the guards was smoking a pipe, the smoke wafted its way down the corridor. Link could hear Kale smack a hand over Dash's mouth, making sure he didn't sneeze. Link held his breath, hoping the guards would leave without discovering the boys. The guard that was smoking dropped his pipe into his pocket and the two walked away. Kale carefully made his way back to the top of the steps and peaked out of the corridor, Dash was second and Link fell from the ceiling and onto his friends. They cursed wordlessly and got up, dusting the dirt off. Link looked out and then back into the corridor, nodding to his friends.

"Lets go."

---

Kale, Dash, and Link slowly made their way to Zelda's chambers. She was at her desk writing. Link told his friends to wait behind him and walked into the room. Zelda looked up and gasped quietly. She was about to call the guards when she really settled her gaze on Link.

"Link!" Zelda smiled. "What are you doing here? Come to think of it, how'd you get in here?"

Link smiled back, he had never noticed it before but he and Princess Zelda did look a lot alike. Zelda stood from the desk and hugged Link.

"It's so good to see you again." Zelda said through the hug.

"Princess, I have some news for you, but you have to come with us." Link took Zelda by the arm and pulled her towards the door.

"'Us?' Who else is with you?" Zelda paused at the door.

Just then, Kale and Dash fell into the room in a pile. Dash grumbled for Kale to get off him, pushing him off instead.

"Just some friends." Link answered and helped Kale off the floor. "Zelda, this is Kale and Dash."

"And we're here to kidnap you, Highness." Dash smiled brightly.

"Kidnap me?" Zelda bit her lip to keep from laughing at the comic trio. "Am I kidnapping material?"

"For us?" Dash asked. "Yes."

"Come on, we'll explain later." Link took Zelda by the arm again and the four made their way to the throne room, Zelda was better at evading the guards then the boys had thought. Zelda's grandfather, the current king of Hyrule, was just leaving the throne room when they arrived. They narrowly avoided being stopped by slipping behind one of the curtained walls.

"Come," Zelda bid them. "Behind the throne, push from the right side."

The four all collected themselves on the right side of the throne and pushed. Dash questioned Zelda about the throne. "Won't someone see that the throne has moved?"

"No," Zelda shook her head. "The throne moves back into place once you step through the passage. Do you have a light? It's dark down there."

"Yeah, I got one." Link answered.

The four piled into the passage way and, as Zelda said, the throne slid back into place. Link held up the lantern while Kale lit it. Zelda was telling Dash about the bats, snakes, and rats that were in the sewers under the castle. Link told her to stop because she was scaring Dash; whom was beginning to shake. Zelda smiled and shrugged innocently. Kale bit his cheek and raised an eyebrow before taking the lead through the maze of the sewers. Kale may have been in the front of the troop but Link was giving directions. He figured it was because Dash was driving Kale nuts and Zelda was having fun torturing him. Kale seemed to know where he was going. The troupe schlepped through ankle deep water, killed giant snakes and ran past rats big enough to eat the castle's cat. They finally came to a room that was made of wood panels. Two leavers stuck out of the wall.

"Do you remember what leaver?" Dash asked.

"Of course," Zelda cut in. "This one over here."

Zelda marched over to the leaver on the west wall and grabbed it, tugging down as hard as she could. A loud buzz cut through the stuffy air.

"I don't think that was the right one-" Link began and then dodged the falling snakes. "Ok! That wasn't the right one!"

Kale and Dash both pulled their weapons and helped Link dispatch the serpents.

"Try the other leaver." Dash said as he wiped the snake gore from his blade.

Link shrugged and tried the eastern leaver, memory sparked and he remembered this was the right leaver. The door opened and the sound of the sanctuary music drifted in. Zelda lead the boys through the door and greeted the priest.

"Sir," Link began. "Might we rest here for a time?"

"Of course son," the priest nodded. "The night is late and day comes early these days."

The four sighed with relief and dropped onto the benches in the church. They talked idly for a few minutes before Kale remembered the record book and handed it to the priest.

"Sir, we have come upon some startling news." Link began. "I understand the meaning of these things, as do my fellow friends, but the Princess Zelda knows nothing about it. Might you explain it to her for us?"

"We figure," Dash volunteered. "That it would sound better coming from you."

The priest nodded and opened the book to the marked section of the book. He read through the page and looked up, settling his gaze on both Link and Zelda.

"I will do as you ask, son." the priest nodded. "Princess, my dear, come with me, we have much to discuss."

"As you wish." Zelda bowed slightly and followed the old man to his desk to talk.

"How do you think she'll react?" Dash asked Link.

"I don't know," Link shrugged. "How did I act?

Dash and Link both looked over at the conversing princess and priest. Zelda seemed hurt then she brightened. The three boys watched Zelda hug the priest then walked back over to the group. Zelda curtsied before Link then hugged him tightly.

"I knew there was something." Zelda's voice broke with tears. "I just didn't know what it was."

Link hugged his sister in return, Dash and Kale both gave Zelda a hug also. "Welcome to the 'family' Zelly." Dash smiled. "Oh, you should know - or figured out by now - that Kale doesn't talk. We don't know why."

"We mostly figure he just doesn't have anything to say." Link helped to explain.

"Understood." Zelda nodded. "So, where are we going now that I'm 'free' from the castle?"

"To the hideout!" Dash exclaimed and dashed out of the sanctuary.

"What he said." Link answered. "Sir, if anyone comes looking for us; we were never here."

"I never seen you before." the priest said with a smile, waving to the children.

Kale squeaked pathetically and ran after Dash, Link and Zelda, towards the Forest.