I changed the summary, has anyone noticed? Oh well... anyway... let's start with the fic!

Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda...

Chapter 3: Rescue

Staring out at the seemingly endless plain of grass that was Hyrule Field, the girl sighed and pulled herself closer to the tree trunk, just as another violent vibration threatened to knock her off her perch. The Stalchildren, their newfound thinking ability only used on the process of chasing and nothing else, were much less of a threat than she had originally thought.

I'm so happy that they're not Stalfos... But if no one comes to help me soon...

At that thought, she shuddered and blinked away a tear. Not wanting to think further about what would happen if that scenario were to take place, the girl glanced out at the field again, and was just about to turn around and examine the tree's "fascinating" bark for the 100th time before two rapidly approaching dots caught her attention. The first dot was Areon, identifiable by his silvery gray color and wild white mane. But the second dot... The girl could barely make out an unfamiliar horse, with a rusty red coat and also a white mane, and its rider, a blond boy wearing a green tunic and a floppy green hat to match. She grabbed the bark again to counter another vibration, and turned back to study her soon-would-be rescuer.

Is he... really coming to save me?

The boy apparently was stringing an arrow to his bow. Excited by that, the girl let go of the tree for a second to wave. A particularly violent vibration made her lose her balance, and she fell off, into the awaiting arms of the Stalchildren.

Link cursed under his breath. His supposedly foolproof plan had just been ruined. Escape was still possible, but since when has the Hero of Time run from his duty? He had no choice now but to follow the example set by the gray horse, and charge into the fray with sword and shield flashing under the sun.

Stalchildren flew left and right, each disappearing in a cloud of black smoke. Link plunged his sword into the rib cage of one of the skeletons that Epona had missed, and, with practiced timing, blocked the attack of another. Using his shield, he smashed his assailant in the head and then finished it off with a sword slash.

Without any more Stalchildren springing from the ground, a detail that went unnoticed by Link, the numbers of the previously large squadron decreased dramatically. A few more minutes of warfare drained the total number of Stalchildren to one, a piteous looking skeleton that was whimpering at Link's feet. "Please no hurt me! Please no hurt me! She evil! Evil! She took something from us and we wanted it back!"

Link arched an eyebrow suspiciously. "Are you sure you didn't steal it from her first?"

The Stalchild hissed. "No no. We no steal! Boss said 'Go get shiny treasure!' so we did! We not bad! We do what Boss said!"

"Oh. And who might your boss be?" Link asked, trying to hide the eagerness in his voice.

"No tell. No tell. Boss will kill!" The skeleton cackled obnoxiously.

"I'll let you go if you tell me, and I'll make sure that your boss doesn't kill you. Now will you talk?"

Shaking its head vigorously, the Stalchild growled, "No no. Boss too powerful for you. Me no tell!"

Unable to get any more information out of the monster, the Hero of Time sighed, drew his blade, and freed the Stalchild from its future unavoidable misery. Sheathing the Gilded Sword, Link turned to the prone form of the girl, whose only wounds appeared to be shallow cuts and bruises on her arms and legs. He was about to walk over to her side, but a nagging feeling in the back of his mind held him back.

Something's not right here... I know that I'm forgetting something...

He took a wary step toward the girl and was immediately greeted by a giant Stalchild. Link shot two arrows at the monstrosity and then charged at it with sword and shield drawn, but all of his attacks simply bounced off. He dodged a wild swing from the skeleton, and dove out of the way of the next swing, a bit close to his head for comfort.

Link whistled for Epona, who ran to him obediently, taking care to dodge the stomping feet of the Stalchild. Mounting his mare, the now very annoyed hero stared at the tantrum-throwing monster, searching for a weakness.

I wish Navi were here. Either her or the Captain's Hat. This thing wouldn't be this much of a problem if only I had one of them with me.

But no matter how much he stared, he could only see rows and rows of dirty white bones, glowing red eyes, yellow teeth, and a strange black jewel in the rib cage.

Wait a second... that- that jewel thing must be its weakness!

Link raised his Longshot and urged Epona a little bit closer, taking care to keep out of the line of sight of the Stalchild, which was still stomping around on the ground. From the corner of his eye, he could see the gray horse diligently tending to the fallen girl. So she was its master. Link trained his weapon on the black jewel. Just a little bit more...

"NOW!" he suddenly yelled and fired the Longshot. The Stalchild shrieked as the sharp hook struck the jewel. Link flew through the air, keeping his sword extended in front of him. The blade hit its target, shattering it into millions of pieces, each one dissolving into black smoke. The skeleton uttered a final groan, collapsing to the ground, nearly crushing Link in the process. Its body exploded into flames, leaving nothing behind.

Picking himself up carefully, Link brushed the dust and dirt off his clothes as well as he could, and checked himself for wounds. A few scratches and bruises here and there, nothing horrible. A wet nose nudged him in the cheek, and Link laughed. "I'm fine, Epona! I don't die that easily!"

He turned around to pet her, but the mare gently pushed him towards the still unconscious form of the girl. Link nodded and gently lifted the Hylian onto Epona's back, revealing two larger wounds on each of her arms. He'd have to get her to Zelda before they became infected. A small glint of light near the tree attracted his attention. It was a small pendant with a broken cord, half buried in the dirt. Link stashed it in his pouch, mounted up behind the girl, and rode toward Hyrule Castle, closely followed by the gray horse.

Epona was moving at a good pace; they would make it at around lunch, leaving Link with more than enough time to reflect upon the day's events. He looked at his rescuee. She was so thin! No doubt a result of undernourishment. Nothing that a week of Hyrule's finest meals couldn't fix.

As the two horses galloped through the marketplace, Link could hear girls gasping around him, jealous of the newcomer who their beloved hero was so gently holding. He smiled slyly.

This'll keep their minds off me for a couple of months.

The castle guard opened the gates for Link as he came barreling through. "Back so soon?" he shouted.

"It's an emergency!" Link yelled back. He left Epona and the gray horse at the stable entrance. The stablehand would have to find an empty stall for the new resident. At least the horse was cooperative. Link lifted the girl onto his back and ran towards the castle to look for Zelda.

I go out for Guay hunting, and instead I rescue a girl from a bunch of Stalchildren. Well, I got my excitement, but I guess it's back to the boring old peaceful life. If only I could go on another adventure...

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit hall, a figure laughed manically. "So, the girl has been saved by a blond-haired brat. And the treasure with her. Go my Stalfos! Go my Poe! Take back what rightfully belongs to me!"

"Don't you mean, 'us'?" another figure purred.

Be careful what you wish for, Link, because it might just come true.

A/N: How was it? PLEASE REVIEW!