Chapter 6- First Encounter

Link and Jayde awoke to Bel nudging their heads and the sun beginning its trek into the sky. The forest was bathed in a soft orange glow, highlighting the morning dew.

"Thanks boy," Link said, patting the horse's neck. "I guess you want to get an early start."

Bel threw back his head in agreement and Jayde laughed. "Even Epona couldn't understand the language of man, but this horse is surely something special."

Link smiled, and Bel seemed to, at the compliment. "I know he is. He's been with me since I started working as a hunter for the Royal Family. The nurse-maid, Impa, gave him to me personally."

Jayde smiled inwardly, pleased that the Sheikah had also survived the Ages. The battle would be so much easier with such powerful allies still around.

"Come on," Link called, putting on his gear. "We have business in Kakariko today."

Jayde walked up to where Link stood next to Bel, and the young man took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. "After being alone most of my life, it feels so good to have someone like you by my side," Link whispered in her ear after they separated.

"I know," came her simple reply.

The two mounted Bel and rode out through the forest towards Kakariko, a bustling city at the feet of the great mountain chain that encircled most of Hyrule. The ride through the forest was uneventful, Jayde had her arms around Link's waist and her head upon his shoulder most of the time. When they came out, however, it was a different story.

Before the two was a great owl, one wing pierced through with an arrow. He lay on the ground, unmoving, as two figures in dark armor approached him. One of the figures had a bow strapped to its back, both held rusted swords. Neither of the armor clad beings had seen or heard the two approaching companions.

"Jayde," Link whispered. "Take Bel to Kakariko. I'll meet you there within an hour." Without waiting for a response, Link dismounted Bel and landed softly on the ground, bow already drawn and arrow set. Jayde, realizing Link knew exactly what he was doing, turned Bel and set off toward the nearby Kakariko.

Link managed to fire two arrows before his string broke, but the shots were from such a distance that they only managed to make the two figures turn around to search out the irritation. Seeing him, they both began to ran.

Link drew his sword, a long and slightly curved blade etched with ancient runes, and ran to meet the attack. He ran straight between the pair and flipped over their blades as they swung horizontally to meet him. He was up in a flash and turned to see that his opponents had also turned and were circling to either side.

Normally, two opponents would be no trouble for Link but both of these were armored. He decided that rather than waiting for an attack, he would start it and hopefully draw himself away from one of the men. Thus, he charged the attacker on his right, bringing his sword up in a vertical slash that his opponent easily parried. He spun himself around towards his attacker's back and swung his curved blade into unarmored area at the neck, neatly severing through the neck.

Link had no time to celebrate his victory because he had felt the other attacker close upon his back. Without giving the man a second of warning, Link twirled around and struck again at his attackers neck, bloodlessly severing the head.

"That was too easy," Link said aloud, puzzled by his attackers' incompetence. "They looked to be seasoned warriors, but they fought like they've never held a blade."

Link shrugged and then bent to wipe his blade off, only to discover that it was bloodless. No enemy ever fell without shedding a drop of blood. He sheathed his sword and went back to the bodies and examined them, only to find skeletons with rotting flesh hanging loosely from the bone.

"What in the name of the Goddesses are these things," he wondered aloud.

"They are Stalfos," a voice replied. "And you had best grab their skulls before you have to kill them both again."

Link didn't have time to wonder where the words came from: the two skulls were slowly rolling towards their respective bodies. Link snatched both of the heads up and tied them together with a strip of hide from his pack, dangling the skulls from his belt. He then went over to the owl, removed the arrow from its wings, and gently picked the large creature up. In this way, with the large bird in his arms and skulls dangling from his hip, he met Jayde and Bel at the gates of Kakariko.