Chapter 2
A Lost Princess
When Zelda woke up she found she was alone in the slightly small, one room house.Shaking the sleep off, sheventured outside to find Link or Saria.
When she was outside she now noticed the breathtaking sight it was.
The trees were unlike the ones near her home. These trees were weeping willows. Dew made the grass look like silver string had been draped across it. There was a stream and a small pond at the end of it.
The sunrise had made the water an orange color. Fireflies flew around even though it was morning. The fireflies were bright too, due to the lack of light because of the trees' shadows.
Something landed on her shoulder. She expected it to be a bug and went to slap it off, but when she looked at it she shrieked.
It was a little person with wings that had a white glow to her.
Out of nowhere Link lifted the creature from her shoulder. Zelda gaped at it. "Wh-… what... Is that?!", she asked hysterical.
"It's a fairy. ", he said simply. "Her name is Navi"
Zelda got up close to it and stared in wonder. She had never seen anything like this before. Only in storybooks.
"So they are real." , she whispered in wonder. He looked at her oddly.
"You don't have fairies?", he asked with a raised eyebrow.
She shook her head, looking around the village. Those fireflies she saw weren't fireflies, they were allfairies.
The hottie of a guy she was sitting next to looked at her oddly. "Do I know you?", he asked, trying to find a familarity.
Her heart stopped for a moment. Possiblyhe knew who she really was. Goddesses, why did she have to be known through Hyrule so well?
"Um...", Zelda hesitated. "No, you must be mistaken."
But then again, when she thought about it, she could have sworn she had seen him before also.
He seemed to let it go, finding it not important.
She noticedthat there were only children walking around. The only teens had been her and Link. Finding it odd, she had to ask.
"Why are there only kids here?", she asked, curious.
"Well, its kind of hard to explain, but I'll try. You see there is this.. Err, spirit called the Great Deku Tree. He watches over these kids. This place is magical I guess and no evil can ever step foot here. They aren't Hylian . They're a separate race called the Kokiri. They never grow up. Plus if they ventured out of the forest they will die. That's why you've never seen them before.", he ended.
"Why aren't you still a child?", Zelda asked.
"That is because I'm not a Kokiri. My mother left me here when I was just a baby. She was dieing and handed me over to the Deku Tree. Saria has taken care of me and been my friend since then.", he answered.
"Wow, I'm sorry that your mother died.", she said solemnly.She knew exactly what that was like.
Link smiled at her. "Why do you have to be sorry? I didn't know her anyway and Saria's more of a mother to me than anyone else.", he said.
"We..", she was cut off by loud horns from the distance.
Her heartinstantlysped up. She knew those horns. Those were the horns of the Hylian guards!
Quickly, she grabbed Link's wrist and hurried into the house.
He looked at her puzzled. "What're you doing?", he asked as he looked outside the window.
Zelda took a look and saw guards entering the village. "And who are they?"
Sheignored his questions, franticly looking for a place to hide herself.
She jumped under the bed and looked up from under the sheets that were dangling to the floor.
There was a loud knock on the door. Link went to answer it.
A tall, large man was at the doorway. "Yes?", Link asked still confused.
"Hello Sir. We were wondering if you've seen this young woman.", he said pulling out a piece of parchment with a portrait of Zelda on it. Link blinked and stared at it for a moment. "Her name is Princess Zelda. She has been kidnapped."
Link glanced at the spot Zelda was hiding. She sucked in all her breath.
Oh goddesses! Please help me! Please Link, don't tell them, she thought.
"No Sir, No Hylians have ever really set foot in Kokiri Forest except me.", answered Link.
Zelda sighed in relief. Bless him, she thought.
"Very well then. If you do see her I suggest you inform the royal guards immediately.", huffed the man, walking away.
Zelda waited until she heard no signs of the guards and crept from her hiding place. When she got from under the bed she looked up to see Link staring at with his arms crossed. He looked almost amused.
"Princess Zelda.", he started. "Maybe that's why you sounded familiar."
Although he looked it, he was not amused at all. He sat down on the bed. "Is now a good time to explain why you ran away?"
Zelda sat next to him. "It's a very good reason, it really is.", she said.
"Oh so when the guards find you and convict me for your kidnapping, I'll use 'it was a good reason' for my plead.", he said annoyed having been dragged into something serious.
"Just let me explain.", Zelda said quickly. She wasn't ready to go home. Not after all this.
"You see when a princess becomes a certain age, she must marry to become queen and fill her duties to her land. My mother had believed in marring for love and not politics... On the other hand my father wished to make allies through marriage. The plan was for me to be free to love whoever I wished, but when she died, after my birth, everything changed."
"My father took it as an advantage and betrothed me to a prince when I was five. Just a month ago the prince came to live with us at the castle. He is an awful man and I had no interest whatsoever in him. Just yesterday, my father revealed this news to me and I was heartbroken. I'm not ready to get married. I'm only sixteen.", silent tears fell down her face.
"He's a horrible person.", explained Zelda, trying to justify her run away. "He does sneaky things behind everyone's back. Even my father's. Last night he came into my room and tried to... to..", her voice trailed off. It was too devastating to say.
Link put a comforting arm around her. "I'm sorry.", he said somewhat apologizing for being a smart with her, and for her sadness.
"I escaped from him though. I ran as fast as I could and as far away as possible. He probably made that whole kidnapping incident up to save his own skin. I never want to see their ugly faces again!", she spat.
"How dare my father go against my dead mother's word and betroth me to such scum" Her voice had all disgust possible in it. "I hate being a princess. You never have freedom. You have to live without showing your true feelings.."
"I never thought of it that way."
Zelda jumped. That wasn't Link's voice, it was something high pitched.
She looked up and found the glowing orb, she saw earlier, hovering over Link's head.
Link also looked surprised to see that the fairy had been there listening to them all along. Zelda wiped the tears from her face, glaring at the fairy.
"Well that was very rude!", she commented. "Link and I were having a conversation. It was very personal too."
"Well, excuse me!", the fairy shot back. Her glow turned crimson. "I was nicely taking a nap in Link's cap when your pouting woke me up!", she defended.
"I didn't think fairies were so impolite to eavesdrop on people. I mean you could have quietly snuck out!", her voice was intensifying.
Link just sat back and sighed. He was not at all disturbed by this fight. Navi was always annoying and she didn't happen to be on everyone's good side, even Saria's. He was used to all the bickering Saria and Navi did.
"Well I was right when I thought princess's were a bunch of snob nosed brats!", squeaked Navi angrily.
At the same time Link and Zelda spoke. "I'm no brat!" and "She's no brat" combined into one.
Navi turned t him. A confused orange glow surrounded her now. Did Link just defend this… this girl, over her. He didn't even know her! Navi was his companion not her. Link had never taken sides when she and Saria fought.
Navi busting with anger, flew out the window and into the forest somewhere.
Zelda calmed down and sat next to Link again. She sighed.
"Sorry about that. She's always that way. You can ask Saria; they always fight.", Link apologized, embaressed.
"That's okay..", said Zelda. She stared at a point in the room.
She was thinking hard about her situation. Link waited patiently for her to speak.
"..um.. Can I ask you a really big favor?", she asked sheepishly. She couldn't belive she was about to ask him this.
Link shrugged. "Sure, I guess so. Shoot.", he said.
"Can you…", she sighed. "..oh, never mind"
Link looked her strait in the eyes. "No, ask me.", he said interested, sounding as if he was a child, waiting to hear a secret.
"Well…", she started. Zelda bit her lip. She knew very well thatthis was a bad idea, but she went on anyway. "You know that guards are going to be everywhere until they find me… I really don't want to go back... ever...So I was wondering… if you could… maybe… take me to Termina?", she asked, making sure to say the last part really fast.
He looked at her in shock. "You can't do that! You're the PRINCESS!"
She winced at the word. How she hated to be called that.
"I've decided that I'm retiring.", she said.
Link still had the shocked face."You can't just leave. Don't you have to take care of Hyrule?", he asked.
Zelda shrugged. "After my mother died my father remarried. The new queen can have a son or daughter, I suppose."
Yes, she had to admit. That was truly being selfish. Putting herself beofre her people...but it was true. The king could have another kid.
Link thought for a second and sighed. "Why not? I haven't been adventuring for a while now, and I've got nothing to lose. Would be pretty fun to go with a cute girl like you. Okay.", he agreed.
Zelda blushed intensely. How charming.
She couldn't believe that his answer was yes though. What a great guy.
"I guess we can leave tomorrow.", he suggested. "I can't believe I'm gonna do this...Well, your going to have to pack some cloths. Maybe Saria can make you some Kokiri cloths for you to wear."
He looked at her cloths. Her silk, white, and purple dress had been stained from mud and such while she was running last night. If you looked at her you wouldn't think she was the princess.
"I've got a better idea..", said Zelda with a sly smile.