Authors Note: Here we go with another dedicated fiction … this one is rough, just so you know in advance. This one earns a solid M rating. Read the future chapters and you will see. This will be slightly even more active than Darkness of The Night. Or maybe they will be the same. Whatever, the point is, here is my third Zelda fan fiction, entitled:

The Reluctant Chief

Chapter one: Report to Daphnes

Chief of the Hylian Guard, Link, a warrior clad in a green tunic slung over barbaric chain mail, strode through the hallways of Hyrule Castle, headed up to King Daphnes' throne room to give him scout reports that they had very recently received from the far eastern forest.

Link had been made Chief of the Guard over five years ago. He was twenty–four years old, now, the youngest Chief in the entire history of Hyrule, and yet the most competent any had yet seen thus far. He was very often praised for his wonderful commandership over his troops, but had to wave this away, for he had always preferred a low profile. He did not want his publicity, he was happy to be the Chief, and the Chief alone, not a public icon. And that was why he kept his head bowed, his dirty blond hair hanging over his eyes as he strode purposefully down the hallway, past cooks, servants, maids, butlers, and all kinds of men who worked for Daphnes, and the highly esteemed princess Zelda … who he had always somehow thought higher of than even the king himself.

Guards that he himself commanded were stationed at almost ever door inside and out of the castle. The place was well fortified for maximum security. This had been done on Link's orders years previous, after a raid had been attempted on the king's life by a group of rebel stalfos. As Link walked, his mind drifted back to that unsuspecting morning.

The screeching was getting louder. Men and women alike were yelling in terror, feet were pounding everywhere. Link hurtled himself down the corridor, past hundreds of servants running in the opposite direction, his sword and shield finding themselves out and in his hands. He charged as fast as he could to the source of the noise.

He turned a corner, and saw two soldiers clad in their gleaming Hylian armor charging the same way that he was. He shouted to them, and they skidded to a halt, nearly sliding onto their backs as they twisted half around to their commander.

"Go protect the princess's room, now! I will deal with them!" he ordered swiftly, not slowing his pace. They immediately obeyed, and shouldered their way through a door to take a shortcut to Zelda's quarters. Link came to a stop at the end of the hallway, turned the corner … and a sword came down out of nowhere. His own sword whistled forward just in time to stop the blade above his skull. Using the open area in front of his face, Link jabbed his shield forcefully out at the bony rib cage of the stalfo. The metal tore through it like it was nothing, and it collapsed in a heap of dust, the sword clattering onto the stone at Link's feet.

He took off, searching for more of the skeletal fiends …

Link had several scars from that occasion, mostly down his arms and legs. Up until then it had just been trivial work as Chief of the Guard, ordering watches into place around the castle, going on minor scavenges into the northern mountains, but when the stalfos raid hit, they had gone high into the measures of unnecessary security. But he felt that as long as they stayed like this, at least it would be slightly safer if history were to repeat itself.

He turned left and headed up a random flight of stairs. Usually in Hyrule Castle he didn't memorize where he was going, he simply headed up whenever he saw a staircase. That usually led him to where he was supposed to go.

The stairs were winding around what must have been one of the southern towers ... he didn't know which one, nor did he care. His thoughts were drifting every which way. All he was going to say when he reached the king was that they had found strange markings on the trees in the eastern woods. Other than that, there was nothing to report. As usual. Daphnes would not be surprised.

He reached the top of the stairs and turned the corner in front of him ... to run straight into a woman in a pink dress. They toppled to the ground together in a tangle of arms. Gasping out multiple apologies, he helped the woman up as quickly as he could, searching for something she had dropped ... but she had been carrying nothing. He looked up at who it was he had run into, and saw the bright, beautiful face of princess Zelda, frames of shining blond hair curling around her face. She smiled warmly down at him, and pulled him upright, dusting him off.

"My apologies pri-"

"Don't call me princess, Link! You can call me Zelda, you know that."

"I am sorry, Zelda. I am simply on my w-way to go see your father ... for scout reports ..."

He trailed off into mumbling, exceptionally embarrassed and nervous. He always seemed to be around the princess. She giggled, and grabbed onto his arms. "Come," she said. "I'll guide you there. I know you don't know your way around here very well, there's no harm in helping now, is there?"

"No," he smiled, very happy that she didn't seem very angry about being knocked over in her own castle. He felt her small, warm arms around his, and his heart beat faster with their closer proximity. Unconsciously, he moved closer to her as they walked together, and heard her voice as the most angelic thing that had ever reached his ears.

"You know, father has been acting rather uneasy these days ... like he's been feeling some sort of problem with the Guard. I don't see or feel what he does, you seem to be guiding them perfectly, Link. Also, he seems to think that something is going on outside of Hylia City ... but I have not sensed any waves of evil yet. Have you, Link?" she added, looking over at him. He shot her a glance, and quickly looked away, not wanting to be caught staring at her deep, ocean blue eyes.

"No, I have not so far," he replied. "Not much has been happening with the Guard. Only minor things since the stalfos incident, of course. Shift changes, marches into the eastern woods and the northern range ... just normal stuff, you know ..."

"Boring shit," corrected the princess. Link raised his eyebrows, surprised to hear her speak such words. She had never cursed in front of him. He mostly heard that talk either from his own mouth, or the troops that he commanded. Although he knew it must be normal, he was still surprised, but listened raptly as she continued with reverence.

"Yes ... all this talk has raised several ridiculous rumors around the castle. Why, you can't even go through the kitchen without hearing someone whispering about moblins revolting! It's ridiculous ... the moblins died out with Ganondorf."

Link bowed his head slightly. Ever since they had returned to their normal time, they had avoided talking about the alternate future they had narrowly avoided ... the one where the King of Evil took over Hyrule. They had reached an unspoken agreement to make it a subject to be discussed sparsely, and only in private. He saw nobody on the same corridor as them, and in the hallway they turned down even as he thought this.

"Yes, very ridiculous ..." said Link. "Ganondorf seemed to keep them as his own personal militia," he said wisely.

"Indeed," she replied softly. "This present day Ganondorf ... the one we stopped when he attacked the castle when we were just children, he is in a jail cell somewhere far out across the southern desert, beyond the colossus. I do not even know if he still lives."

"He always had the will to live," noted Link. They turned right, Zelda's hands still wrapped around his arms (not that he minded) and ascended another very long flight of stone steps. "I doubt that he is deceased."

"You know ..." whispered Zelda, "Maybe he is behind all of this uncertainty! He always was very proficient with the mind touch ... he could be recruiting with his mind only, speaking to those in Hyrule, gathering an army while sitting in his jail cell. He might even be planning to break out!"

Link found this unlikely, but knew he could not rule out the possibility. Years had passed since he had heard anything about the jail cell and its inhabitant, but the thought immediately occured to him that ... if Ganondorf was indeed planning something of the sort, perhaps he had waited these many years to do just that ... trick them into thinking that he was either dead, or had given up completely in his quest to rule all before him.

"I do not mean to frighten you, princess ..." muttered Link, as they reached the top of the steps and walked swiftly down a red carpeted hall, "but that is a very distinct possibility."

The odd couple stopped at last, at a large, round pair of double doors, inches thick.

"I would like to accompany you," said Zelda firmly. Link smiled, rubbing her own arms in return, and nodded. He was perfectly fine with that ... he privately felt that any moment with Zelda was a good moment.

He pushed hard at the doors, and Zelda detached herself from Link ... reluctantly, it seemed. His heart leapt at the thought that she might not want to stop being close to him. But even as this warm thought came to him, he had to force it away and get down to business. Before the two stretched a long, marble hall, and at the very end, sat King Daphnes IV, on his hard golden throne, hands on both arms of the chair. He stared seriously at his daughter and the Chief of the Guard, standing together.

"King Daphnes IV of Hyrule, news from the Hylian Guard!" called Link, descending to a knee and crossing an arm in front of his chest.

"Rise, Link," commanded Daphnes in a strong voice. Link obeyed, and strode down the hall, his footsteps echoing off the walls uncomfortably. But he saw Zelda out of the corner of his eye, walking with him, and felt slightly more comforted, even though Daphnes was an old friend. When they were ten feet away, they stopped short, allowing the King to speak.

"What news do you bring from the Guard, Chief Link?" inquired Daphnes in an equally strong voice, his face rustling behind his long, white beard.

"There is not much to report, sir," began Link, but Daphnes cut him off.

"Do not call me sir, Link, please," said Daphnes with a smile. Link returned the smile, and felt even more comforted when Zelda gave him a pat on the back, which, thankfully, Daphnes did not notice.

"Very well." Link started over. "There is not much to report. All new news that we bring is there are strange scratch marks on many of the trees in the eastern forest."

"Kokiri Forest," confirmed the King. He stroked his beard thoughtfully. After a minute of quiet thought, he turned back to face Link.

"Thank you for this news. It will be taken into account, and thought shall be put into it. You are dismissed."

Link nodded, uttered a quick "thank you," and turned to leave, when he heard Daphnes speak again.

"Link, if you would like to join the council meeting tonight down in the court room, we would be honored to have you there discussing our matters with us."

Link turned back to him, his smile evident even from the distance. He said "The honor would be mine, sir - I mean, the honor would be mine. Thank you for this great privilege, I do not deserve it."

"Oh, yes you do," smiled the King. "Go now, do what you would like. We do not meet for several hours. Zelda will know when to come, she will tell you."

Zelda nodded in confirmation, and she and Link strode out of the hall together.