I would like to start be saying happy holidays to everyone who reads my fic. (All five of them.)

Tymaporer: Thanks for adding me into your C2 Community. I feel that since you take the time to review, the least can do is take some time to reply. I'm hoping to get back to the fight by the end of the next chapter, hoping. That's what was aiming for; so that people who don't have a great understanding of Zelda can enjoy it. (It does help if you've played Ocarina of Time though.)

Ganondorf, Wesker 'n Tyranids: Yep, always the hat. I hope the suspense isn't causing you too much stress. I promise the battle will continue...eventualy.

After his near escape Link left the village joining the survivors of the battle, and the fire which followed, as they set off to find refuge. The journey was not long, only three days and nights, but it was a hard one. Due to the fire people had left the village with little or no food and with nothing to wear apart from the clothes they were wearing.

Fortunately many had taken weapons their weapons with them, those with bows made make shift arrows from whittled down branches and those with swords, and spears protected the camp at night and were always on high alert.

During the journey Link kept feeling he had to something to prove, his parents were killed ad he could do nothing about it because he was a child. He wanted to change that, the child in the tales, told to him by his parents, was his age when he embarked on a quest to save Hyrule. He decided that he needed to prove to himself, and others, that he was capable of looking after himself and that he could help.

Such was his determination and persistence that they allowed him to help in the protection of the camp while they stopped to hunt for food, he was given a job as a lookout and was given some brief tuition in how to wield his sword. It was too big for him to hold as it was intended so held it with two hands and he refused to have any other. It was his father's sword.

On the second day of the journey Link went into a nearby forest to collect wood, like the other children were encouraged to do, for the fires they needed to keep warm and cook the food, which mainly consisted of fish and wild Cuccos. Other children stayed near the edge of the woods so they didn't have far to carry the wood and were always close to camp. Link, however, walked deep into the woods in order to collect more wood and to show that he wasn't just another kid.

He walked deep into the woods, deep enough so the camp could just be seen and the light was dappled through the branches of the trees. Once there he started to pick up sticks and small logs which littered the ground.

As he filled his arms with wood, he heard noises coming from the surrounding woodland he didn't take much notice at first, but the longer he stayed the closer the noise seem to appear. He thought it was just his mind paying tricks on him, but just as he was going to pick up a final log the creature emerged from the woods with a howl.

There before him stood a Wolfos growling and baring its teeth. Link dropped his bundle of sticks and logs and clumsily unsheathed his sword keeping eye contact as it began to circle around him.

The Wolfos charged at him, it then stopped and stood on its hind legs as it slashed at him with its front paws. Caught off guard by the creatures strange method of attack, Link stepped back as the claws cut through his shirt and the second swipe scratched his face before the Wolfos started to run around him again. Getting hit caused him to flinch and lost him his chance to attack. Knowing the creature's pattern he jumped back of the way of its attack as the creature turned its back on him he jumped with the sword held above his head bringing it down on the creature. It howled in pain and then began to burn away in blue flames, leaving the surrounding grass and woodland untouched.

He then sheathed his sword and picked up the wood he dropped and began walking back to the camp. Knowing that he would be asked questions about where he went and what happened to his face and clothes so he started preparing some answers for when he would be asked.

Sure enough his was asked those questions and he simply said was picking up wood and didn't realise how far he had gone and the scratches on his face were from him walking into a low hanging branch. The cuts in his shirt he blamed on the sticks he was carrying, he said that they must have caught his clothes while he was carrying them. They knew he wasn't telling the whole truth but they didn't question him any further but warned him not to wander so far away from the camp in the future.

On the third day they finally made it to their destination, they had lost a few of their village elders due to the cold nights with no shelter, but the majority made the journey although they were hungry after three days without a proper meal. As they walked into the town people couldn't help but asked what had happened and upon hearing their tale they were more than welcome to offer them food and accommodation.

The villagers were accepted into people's homes until the time their houses would be ready for them to move into, and Link was taken by taken in by a blacksmith and his wife he was distant from them not talking and only coming out of his room to eat or walk around town. After a while he grew interested in the blacksmiths work and could often be found admiring and handling the swords he made, the man noticed this and decided to give him a present when he came home one day.

Link was sitting at the table like normal, eating his food as he always did, in a quiet, deliberately slow way, answering any questions with disinterested grunts. Then as he finished his meal and was about to leave the table his gift was placed on the table in front of him. His eyes widened at what he saw.

There in front of him in plain leather scabbard was a sword. The handle had leather coiled around it for grip and the length of the sword was onlytwo foot long, not the right size for a normal man, but the perfect size for him. He drew the sword out of its cover admiring the highly polished blade as he did so. He got off his chair and stepped back from the table and took some practice swings. He found the sword was also lighter than a normal sword, meaning that he could easily wield it with one hand. This sword had been made with him in mind.

The woman stood by her husband, 'Do you think it's a good idea to give him a sword?' she asked quietly.

'Well,' the man responded 'it's not something I would like to make a habit of, but I think he is responsible enough and it looks like it's not the first time he has handled a sword.' Watching as Link slowly swings the sword in various cutting motions.

As Link slides the sword back into its scabbard, the man approaches him. 'It looks like your no novice when it comes to swords. How about I teach you some of the more advanced moves?'

'I would like that.' Link said with a smile on his face.