Hi. Keep reading and reviewing. Mention this story to any you think would like it and would possibly review it. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter. And I'd like to thank all those that reviewed this story. If not for them, I don't think I would be so willing to continue the story; so, everybody, please review, be it good or bad. Also, I realized recently that I was using the term 'thy' wrong. I found out it stands in place for the word 'your.' I just want to point this out so everyone understands the difference in use. I also apologize to any who understood what the word meant and had confusion about it. Delayed by hurricane Dennis. I do not own Zelda or the characters in the Zelda series. I own the characters I make up. Contact me if any author(s) wish to use my characters in their stories. If they do not, and they use my characters anyway, I will bring it up with the administrators of the site. Thank you. Enjoy.
Book One, Chapter Seven: The Delivery and The Castle
Saria's eyes were deep with absorption of what she was seeing. Never in all her life would she have been able to imagine such a place as the one she was passing through. From the men in armor, with sharp metal on the ends of their sticks, to the men trying to gather many patrons to his stand in the hope of selling or auctioning a few more heads of lettuce before nightfall came; from the many wealthy women, who's wallets have become obese and slightly torn open with rupees, to those few that had but tattered and dirtied cloths to cover their flesh, with outstretched arms and open hands, begging for a few rupees or something as common and rare as a piece of bread; from the many buildings that reached high into the sky, with bricks and rocks that were set almost perfectly in place, to the few that looked on the verge of collapsing from the slightest blow of wind. Everywhere she looked, from the back of the horse drawn milk-carriage, something new and wondrous was happening.
All was new to her. All was old to her. She never seen such excitement for mundane activities in all her life, yet she could recall the times when the Kokiri Shop was full of Kokiri and many had also been excited. These people, these Hylians, were different; not because they were much taller than the Kokiris, but because they were able to show a much broader range of excitement. A more sophisticated and mature level of excitement.
She wanted to jump out of the carriage. She wanted to see all that there was to see in this town of brick and wood and feel all the excitement that was felt in this town. All seemed good to her and all felt good to her.
This journey, however, will soon teach her many things; one of them being the hard facts of life and the difficulty of people rich and poor. She will learn that all wealthy kingdoms and towns, including Hyrule, did have much money, but only a select few would ever have a good portion of the wealth. She would learn that for everyplace that had a high standard of living, there would be a gap within the social class and as more money is put into these wealthy kingdoms or towns, be it by the wealthy kings and queens releasing more money or by the winning of a war, gaining territory and the spoils of victory, the gap shall grow ever larger. She will also learn that, even with the release of more money, the already wealthy will get most of it, leaving but the few remains of it for the poor. She will learn that this is true everywhere she goes.
She could not have noticed it in Hyrule, at least not at the moment, for she was traveling through the wealthy districts of the market where few poor people ever go except to beg for rupees and food. If she were to ever look hard enough, which wouldn't really be that hard, she would eventually come across the poor section, the slums, and see the depressing side of Hyrule where people had to wear worn out cloths that exposed much flesh to the hot days and cold nights. Where mothers and fathers, who could not find any work because of the fact that they were already poor and dirty, had to do anything they could to put what small pieces of food that they could buy, find or steal in their children's mouths.
She would also see the problems of the rich, which were slightly different and slightly similar to the poor. She would see that the poor worry about their ability to make money and improve their status within their town or community while the rich worry about their ability to keep their money and their status within their town or community. She would see the rich trying desperately to keep their standards and reputations high, so much so that they would turn down a poor person who wants to work for them because that person would have driven off customers with all the dirt and filth that they had. She would realize that she had to pity the poor person who is denied a job and has to do what they can for a living and also understand that the wealthy tavern owner had to let that poor person go to keep the tavern open and keep money in their pockets so that they could keep their family living as well as they were used to.
This journey would make Saria always think of the other side of something and make her realize that not everything is one-sided, something very few people ever truly realize. She would see wealthy districts and think about the slums that are somewhere close by and she would see slums and wonder about the wealthy districts. She would realize that, as different as the two districts are and as different as those who live in these districts are, they are all similar and have their own needs and worries all the time.
Saria turned to Link, with much eagerness and carefree in her mind and spirit, oblivious to the philosophical thoughts she would one day have. Link looked at Saria and a smile came to his face and, for just a brief moment, he forgot the reasons for his coming to Hyrule Castle.
"Such excitement I see now that I have never seen in all my life," Saria said. "I am filled with a feeling of excitement and glee that my ability to contain myself is lost. I so wish to walk among these people and view their wares for myself."
"I can recall such a feeling," Link said. "Of such wonder and excitement that I first held when I saw all that there was within this market that I nearly had the urge to spend my rupees till I could feel the bottom of my wallet. With all that I saw and felt I forgot my reasons for leaving the Kokiri Forest for several hours and I only recalled my reasons when the stands emptied and the guards were posted. We may spend some time here and see all that there may be to view, maybe even buy some wears that we may need, but we must first speak to the princess Zelda."
"That is true," Saria said. "I just hope that the princess will be able to grant an audience with us and that we may not be thrown into whatever dungeon that may seal our quest."
"I do not fear the dungeons as much as I fear the sword, spear and arrow of the royal guards," Link said. "To meet the princess and learn more of our quest, we must first sneak into the royal castle and hope that we may not be seen by any guard that is allowed to slay anyone foolish enough to attempt such an act. If we are seen by any guard we must flee the castle and try to learn of our quest in another manner. If necessary, we may have to stain our swords."
"Do ye truly think it will come to that," Saria asked, concern and fear edging into her voice.
"I am unsure," Link said. "I just hope it doesn't come to that. And if it does, I fear of what may happen to the Lon-Lon Ranch. Talon brought us here and, if we are found within the castle, the castle guard and the king may wish to know why he brought us to the castle."
"I wish that not to happen," Saria said.
"Ye feel what I feel as well," Link said. "But we cannot avoid our actions at this point. We must reach the princess Zelda and we must not be seen. Let us not think of the 'what if' parts and focus on what we know."
"Agreed," Saria said.
"If worse comes to worse," Link said. "We would have to fight off the guards. I just hope that neither of us is slain if that does happen."
An uncomfortable silence was held between them after that. Neither spoke a word as the milk carriage made its way to the castle that overlooked the market of the wealthy. The only sounds to greet their ears during that time were the sound of the milk bottles hitting one another in their crates, producing a clanking sound, excited stand owners trying to urge other patrons to their stand and the sound of the horse hooves as they made their way from the stone-paved market to the dirt-covered path that lead to the entrance of the Castle Grounds.
xxxx
"What business do ye have at the castle at such an hour as this," the gate guard asked.
"I am Talon of the Lon-Lon Ranch," Talon said. "I have come on an errand to deliver to the castle the monthly supply of milk for the royal family and their servants and guards."
"I have heard word that a delivery was scheduled for the castle," the guard said. "But I must inspect thy carriage to make sure that ye speak the truth. If ye deny this search, then I cannot allow you or thy carriage to pass any further."
"I understand," Talon said. "Feel free to search the carriage and any crates that I have back there."
The guard left his post at the gate and made his way to the back of the carriage. The sound of armor clinking with every footstep put a feeling of worry and unease with Link and Saria. Only a short time ago did they realize the one flaw with their plan: their weapons. Certainly the castle guards would not allow any who bore tools for fighting to enter the castle grounds. If the guard did see their weapons, which were now hidden under the many crates, he may be forced to bear his weapons at the two heroes, and Talon as well, and bring them into the castle dungeon for questioning.
Link's mind was weighing the options he had carefully. He realized that he could not take his sword to the knight no matter what; not because he wished not to harm the knight, but he knew that, to strike this knight, would mean their deaths. He knew, even felt, that many hidden archers were poised and ready to send an arrow flying if anything were to happen and they would kill all three of them.
He also knew that, if the weapons were found, they would be confiscated while the two heroes were questioned. No doubt, even after the questioning, they would not get their swords or other weapons back. Link had grown too attached to his sword to give it up so easily.
'I suppose the only thing to do is let him search,' Link thought. 'If he doesn't find the weapons, then we will not get into trouble. And trying to act in any manner right now would seem too suspicious. Let us hope he doesn't find the weapons I and Saria brought.'
A spear was the first thing that came to the view of Link and Saria. Following the spear was a tall man clad in Hyrulian armor (armor that bore the symbol of the Triforce). A helmet shadowed his head above the nose and made it impossible to see his eyes, yet Link felt those eyes looking at him and Saria.
"These two children that have been brought here with you," the guard yelled to Talon. "For what reasons are they here for? I was not informed of thou needing any assistance to deliver milk."
"Talon is delivering a much larger quantity of milk today," Link interrupted, masking his voice, which was often strong and somewhat cold from many battles, with the voice of an innocent child with much excitement; his smile matched how he sounded. "He said he could not deliver the crates in time on his own and he needed two hands to deliver all the crates. Me and Saria agreed to go with him to the castle so that we would have the chance to see the king and princess."
"Yeah," Saria said, catching on to what Link was trying to do. "I have always wanted to see the king and princess of Hyrule and was ever so happy when Talon said he needed help delivering the milk. I hope ever so much to see them."
"It does my heart and mind well to see young children taking on responsibilities," the guard said. "But I doubt that ye two shall meet the king or princess. The king is in the neighboring land of Torral to sign a peace treaty and the princess should be within the inner castle, which grants admittance only to those that are members of the royal family, the royal and castle guards, diplomats from other kingdoms and those of the noble class. As farm hands, I doubt ye two shall be allowed an audience with Lady Zelda."
"I understand," Link said, allowing depression to enter his voice. "But I do hope to catch just a small sighting of her from the castle windows."
"I'm sure ye will," the guard said, though only to humor the two children. He did not believe they would see the princess at all. "I see not any weapons within this carriage and it is rather clear that the crates are filled with many bottles of milk."
The guard looked back to his post where another guard had been waiting quietly and patiently for any sign of trouble. "The carriage is clean of weapons and danger. Open the gates and allow the three ranch hands to enter."
The second guard left the post he was standing at and walked to the other side of the gate. After reaching the other side he looked to his right and reached down to his hip. From his hip he removed a large key, too big to open an average door. He took the key and unlocked gate; the gate unlocking sounded loud. He grabbed hold of the gate and pulled it back in the direction of his post, making the gate vanish into a hidden part of the guard post. Upon reaching his post again the second guard gave the sign to enter the castle grounds.
Talon grabbed hold of the reigns and led his horses forward. The carriage started to slowly pick up speed until it reached the speed it was traveling at earlier. Once the carriage passed the guard post the first guard gave a silent signal to the second guard. The second guard started to pull the gate back to its original place. Link and Saria lost sight of the guards before the gate was back to where it originally rests.
Link and Saria both let out a sigh of relief. They had made it to the Castle Grounds and were now heading to the castle. All they would have to do now was help Talon deliver the milk and try to find a way into the castle itself and find Zelda. Link was glad that he spoke to the guard. After all, he did say the king was in a neighboring country and the princess was indeed within the castle. With the king gone, the guard around and within the castle would no doubt have been made smaller in number and would be somewhat easier to penetrate. The castle would, of course, not be easy to enter or leave, but the leaving of the king would make things easier nonetheless.
xxxx
"This be the last milk crate that needs delivering," Talon said from within the milk carriage, not noticing the exhaustion Link and Saria felt.
Link and Saria couldn't be happier with hearing those words that came from Talon, but the aching of their muscles and the sweat that covered their bodies made the showing of enjoyment almost impossible. For nearly an hour they had been laboring with the milk crates and now had a true feeling of what a 'hard day's work' meant. Each crate that was given from Talon to the two children had unimaginable weight to it and took all the strength that Link and Saria had to lift and move it. Talon, however, showed only the smallest amount of sweat and wasn't even breathing hard from lifting the crates. He was able to lift the crates, which probably weighed about two-hundred pounds each, as if he was lifting an empty bucket that would soon be filled with water.
Link found new respect for the large ranch owner that evening. Whenever he saw Talon sleeping in a large pile of hay (or anything else he could find that would put him to sleep) while Malon and Ingo worked hard on the ranch, which was pretty much every time he did see him, Link always thought 'I do hope I never end up that lazy. Seems a sin to be as lazy as Talon, even if he is a generous man.' Now though, seeing Talon lift those heavy crates with ease while he and Saria struggled to lift the crates that were handed to them, Link felt he had mistaken his impression on the ranch hand. After all, nobody ever gets strong by sleeping all the time.
Talon handed the crate to Link and Saria. The weight of the crate pulled Link and Saria towards the ground with great force, yet they gained control of the crate just as their fingers brushed the brick ground beneath them. Using what little strength they had left, they carried the crate over with the other crates that were delivered that evening. Even though carrying this last crate felt like an eternity to Link and Saria it only took about half a minute.
They let the crate rest on the ground once it had reached its destination. Link and Saria, tired and exhausted, let themselves drop to the ground and rest. For nearly fifteen minutes Link and Saria rested, the only sounds ever greeting their ears being the large mouthfuls of air that they were taking in and their shields which scratched the ground they were now lying on (Link and Saria put their equipment back on after the carriage made its final stop to the side of the castle).
Link was the first to stand up and look around. The sun had nearly vanished beyond the horizon and the first stars began appearing in the twilight sky. He looked back at the carriage and saw that Talon had fallen asleep within the carriage, his snores finally reaching Link's ears. His head hanged over the carriage end and the sight was so funny that Link had to keep himself from laughing; he didn't want to attract any guards that may be within range of hearing.
He suddenly saw the benefit of the situation. If Talon did sleep the whole night and left in the morning the guards at the entrance to the Castle Grounds wouldn't be the same as the ones they had met earlier and, therefore, would not feel that something was wrong with Link and Saria not being in the carriage. He was glad that Talon had fallen asleep; it would finally be of use to him and not something he would have to overcome so that he could continue with his journey.
Saria had gotten up just as Link noticed the benefits of Talon being asleep. She noticed Talon being asleep but thought nothing of it. She understood the feeling and wished she could fall asleep right there as well, but she and Link couldn't do that. There was work to be done.
The two made their way quietly to the spot where the moat made a turn at the corner of the castle. Two guards were standing in front of the Castle Entrance. The drawbridge was up and nobody could get into the castle unless the drawbridge was down (the waterway at the side of the castle had been covered by bars a while back and nobody could get through it now). The leaver to open the drawbridge was on the other side of the castle, past the two guards. Link saw no way around it. He and Saria would have to fight off the two guards and open the drawbridge. This would bring attention to them, but he saw little else they could do.
"Saria," Link said in a whisper. "We are going to have to fight the two guards who are standing in front of the drawbridge. Draw thy blade and move fast; we can't risk drawing more attention to us than we are going to by lowering the drawbridge. I know all the entrances to the castle have been sealed long ago and the drawbridge is the only means of entering the castle."
"I do not believe that to be the only entrance to the castle young Link and Saria," a voice said to them, which Link recognized immediately.
Link turned around to face the woman who had startled him and frightened Saria.
"What do thou mean," Link asked. "Is there a way in the castle that I have overlooked?"
"Indeed there is, but I would not expect you and thy companion to know of such an entrance. Few people have learned such a thing and those that do know of it are sworn to never say a word, let alone show the entrance to outsiders of the royal family. The situation, however, demands that I show the hidden passage so that thy meeting with Princess Zelda may be kept secret from the castle guards and any who wish to do harm to the quest that you must accomplish."
Saria turned around and stared at the woman in front of her. In her mind and memory, she knew not the person. She could never recall meeting this woman in all her years, not once. And yet, for some odd reason, she felt she knew her name.
"Come," the woman said. "Follow me. The princess is waiting for thy arrival inside the castle and it would be most inappropriate to keep her waiting any longer then deemed necessary."
Link and Saria followed the woman back to the far end of the right side of the castle. As they walked Saria noticed that this woman, who she knew was named Impa, was a dangerous person. It was more than just a feeling; she knew Impa was dangerous. Everything about her was silent: her walk, her breathing. Everything. She also knew that this woman had killed before. Killed many to protect the Royal Family.
'Why is it that I know this much of her' Saria thought. 'Never have I seen this woman and never had I heard her name. Yet I know her. How can such a thing be?'
Impa stopped walking. In front of her stood the castle walls that lay next to the castle gate that surrounded the castle. This section of wall seemed more worn than the rest of the castle walls. The bricks were chipped in many spots and many spiders have filled the space between the castle wall and the gate with webs that seemed ancient. Further ahead, a rat squeaked in fear as one of the many spiders jumped on its back and injected the tiny rodent with a large amount of poison, which would paralyze the creature and then kill it.
Link felt no fear of this place; he had been in much scarier places than this. Saria, however, felt terrified and could hardly breathe.
Impa pushed on of the many cracked bricks. A section of the wall fell back and slowly rested itself on the ground, spilling much dust in the air and filling the area around the three people with the sound that a draw bridge would make after coming down.
Without saying a word or looking back, Impa walked inside the hidden passage and down the steps that lay beyond the fallen section of wall. Link and Saria followed the woman down the steps. The section of wall started to upright itself and returned to its original spot, bringing total darkness to the passage-way.
Saria grabbed Link's shoulder in a tight grip. She grabbed him out of the fear that she now felt and the desire to not get lost in this dark place that she could not see within.
"Link," Saria whispered. "What place is this?"
"This is the hidden passage of the castle," Impa said. "This passage was built secretly within the castle during its construction over three-thousand years ago. Its purpose was to be used mainly by the royal family incase any army or rebellion were to overtake the castle and claim it as their own. Few people outside the royal family know of it and those that do know must keep watch over it. I was never supposed to know of this passage, as my duties are to aid and watch over Princess Zelda for the remainder of my life, but when Ganondorf ordered his army to attack the castle I was told by the princess to use this passage and help her sneak out of the castle. When Zelda knew of the hardship thou were about to attempt in order to enter the castle she ordered me to show you this entrance."
"Zelda knew what we were planning," Saria asked.
"Zelda knew for quite some time," Impa said. "She knew of Link's plan before he even thought of it. It is fortunate that she saw what it was you were planning. Had thou attempted to open the drawbridge you and thy companion would have been shot by the archers before either of you reached the guards."
"How foolish of me," Link said. "I can't believe I didn't remember the archers and put Saria's life at risk just to enter the castle."
"Do not worry," Impa said. "Thou are not dead or captured. All reminiscing of such matters are not necessary at this point. Thou have entered the castle and thou shall speak with the princess."
As they walked further in the passage, which was surprisingly long, Link and Saria both nearly tripped over something. Saria knew not what it was. Link, however, did know. It was one of the guards that were assigned to protect the castle passage. Impa, however, had to use the secret passage-way to bring Link and Saria through, so she had no choice but to shoot the guard with one of her poison needles so that he may not attack the two heroes. The poison is not fatal and within a few hours he shall wake from his long nap. He would never tell of his falling asleep inside the passage. The punishment for falling asleep while guarding the passage is death and he will not wish for that to happen.
Link did not tell Saria what it was they stepped over.
"Do thou know what it is we will be speaking of when we meet the princess," Saria asked Impa.
"That I do not know," Impa said. "As far as knowing it involves something to do with thy quest and the missing piece of the Triforce, I am unable to know. The princess has said nothing about what it is that must be done or where it is that thou must go.
"We have reached the end of this passage. I shall open the hidden door and let thee through."
A light, which seemed too bright for Link and Saria's eyes after the pitch darkness from the passage that they went through, greeted them as the wall opened in front of them. Instead of dropping to the floor, as the entrance to the passage did, the exiting door acted as any other door would: swinging towards the one opening the door. Impa's eyes were unaffected by the sudden change in light.
Link and Saria walked through the hidden doorway. The room that they were now in was unlike any room they had ever seen. The room was as large as most rooms of the many dungeons Link had entered. The entire floor of the room was covered by a beautiful white carpet that portrayed a large Triforce at the center of it. The walls of the room were made of marble that was polished well and brought from an unknown place of old. In the far back of the room, which was where they now stood, was a large bed that had a beautiful crimson colored cover on top of it and many different colored pillows that showed at the head of the bed. At each of the corners of the room were marble statues of Hylian kings of old with their names etched at the base. Several windows (three of them stain-glass windows) showed the outside world to Link and Saria and they were amazed to see that night had already come to the land of Hyrule. The ceiling showed an image of spectacular wonder: the three golden goddesses, each handing a piece of the Triforce to a great hero in the midst of a great battle.
"Where are we," Saria asked, her attention fixated upon the beauty of the room that she stood in.
"This is the King's chamber," Impa said. "As the king is away on official business, of which we have not the time to speak of, this room is the safest to enter at the moment, but ye cannot stay here for long. The maids of this castle are ordered to keep this room in perfect condition while the king is away and I fear one may enter at any given time."
"So why do thou not have us leave this room immediately," Link asked. "Is there something that we must do in this room before we are to walk about the castle freely?"
"I see that thy mind is as strong as ever," Impa said. "Indeed there is something that must be done here. Although ye two are now within the castle, this does not mean that ye shall be able to walk freely. Only a select few groups of people are given permission to enter the royal castle. Neither of thou look noble enough to wonder the halls freely. If any of the guards were to see the two of you as ye are now thou would be sent to the dungeon for questioning. I have with me two outfits that should make ye look as that of the Hylian nobles. However, I must ask to take thy weapons for now. Even the highest ranking noble is not permitted to bear a weapon upon them while in the castle."
Impa reached within her armor and brought out two Hylian noble-class attire. The suit and dress were for children and looked to be made of a very expensive fabric.
The suit was dark blue and had a button-up collar shirt to go with it. The pants were dark blue and seemed to be made of the same material that the suit was made of. Gloves, made of silk, were handed to Link. A pair of socks was with the suit and Impa revealed dress-shoes from under the king's bed.
The gown was a gorgeous pink and was long enough to hang down to just above Saria's ankles. The straps on it were broad and were designed to cling to whoever wore it. The fabric was made mostly out of silk and would feel more comfortable than the tunic Saria always wore. Long, white gloves, made of silk, were handed to Saria and she noticed that the gloves were designed to reach to just below her elbow. A pair of socks and elegant shoes, which were black with small gems near the tips of where the toes would be, was added to the attire.
"I shall be just outside of the room," Impa said. "Dress quickly and I'll show thee to the guest quarters that shall be thy place of rest for the night. Hand me thy tunics and weapons when ye leave the room. Tomorrow shall be the day ye shall palaver with Princess Zelda."
Impa turned and reached the door of the king's chamber. Without saying another word or looking back, Impa left the room to let Link and Saria change into their noble attire.
xxxx
The door of the King's Chamber opened several minutes after Impa left. Through the doors passed Link and Saria, dressed as nobles, with their Kokiri cloths and weapons in their hands.
Impa looked at the two heroes and saw how different they looked within noble attire. She also noticed that, although they were now dressed as nobles, they did not look very noble in many ways.
Link's hair, free from his hat, was wild, long and untamed. Impa doubted if Link ever used a comb in his life. His face had a long, vertical scar just under his right eye, even though nobles were not prone to do many things that would cause bodily harm. The suit, although fitting well enough, exposed some of his arms just above the wrist.
Saria's gown had fit perfectly, yet the markings of other cloths, especially cloths with sleeves, were apparent on her body from the tanned parts of her skin contrasting with the pale parts of her skin. This would seem strange as sleeved cloths were very unpopular with noble women. Other than that, though, Saria looked as if she had been a noble her whole life.
"Do we look noble enough Impa," Link said.
"I do believe so," Impa said. "I shall now guide thee to the guest's quarters so ye two shall have enough time to rest before thy meeting with Zelda. I must take thy weapons for now. Ye shall have them returned before thy departure."
Link and Saria handed over their clothing to Impa, who put it under her armor. They began to hand over their weapons to Impa, Link more hesitantly than Saria, when the sound of clinking armor began to reach their ears.
While Link and Saria had been giving Impa their clothing and weapons, a guard had started back to the armory to put up his weapons and armor. His shift at guarding the castle had ended and he now had a great desire to return his suit of armor to the armory and go to the town market to see if any of the Gerudo was still around. Although it was his job to keep the castle and town safe from the Gerudo, they occasionally came to the town market to have their way with strong men. Because of that, the Gerudo had become fairly fond of the town guards that were patrolling the area. If there was an advantage to guarding the town market at night it was for the chance to run into a Gerudo when she was looking for a man to spend the night with. Many guards had a tendency to take advantage of this situation, even if they were supposed to be guarding the town at the moment. Some of the palace guards, who were to never leave the castle walls, would sneak out of the castle after their shift was over to find a Gerudo.
Link and Saria turned their heads to see a fully clad palace knight coming their way. Impa, with her back to him, knew of the knight's coming before Link and Saria left the King's Chamber's. She had preparations for the knight and thought it best to not be seen.
The knight saw Link and Saria holding their swords in their hands. His shift was over, but he still had a duty to protect the castle. Forgetting his plans to sneak out of the castle, the knight began to reach for his sword, preparing to kill the two intruders.
Impa acted. She turned quickly and ran at the guard with unmatched speed. Before the guard was even aware of the attack that was to be set against him, Impa had already run behind him; while she ran past the guard she took his sword from his scabbard. She took the weapon, which should have been too heavy for anyone other than a knight, and struck him at the back of his head with a broad side of the sword, cracking his helmet and knocking him unconscious. He would stay unconscious the rest of the night and wake up in his bed the next day, believing the whole thing was nothing more than a dream. He would, however, wonder as to how his helmet got cracked.
Link and Saria watched all this and were amazed as to how fast Impa was. Never had either of the two heroes seen any man or beast run with such speed in their lives.
Impa took the unconscious knight and dragged him into the King's Chambers, placing him just left of the door. She picked up the knight's sword and returned it to his scabbard. After leaving the room she closed the door.
"I apologize for the incident," Impa said. "I could not risk him capturing or killing thee. Nor could I risk having him signal other guards to this area, but let us not think of what just happened. Give me thy weapons before other knights come."
"Will thou get in any trouble," Saria asked.
"Do not worry Saria," Impa said. "I am one of the shadow folk and I can avoid being seen by anyone. He saw thee and thy weapons, yet he did not see me."
"Can all the shadow folk do that," Saria asked.
"I have not the time to answer all thy questions," Impa asked. "Thou must hurry and give me thy weapons before any other knights come."
Link and Saria gave Impa their swords and shields. She equipped their swords and Link's mirror shield. She held onto Saria's Hylian shield.
"Follow me to the guest quarters," Impa said. "Once we reach the room I will have to depart from thy side. I ask thee not to exit the room for any reason as I will not be able to guarantee thy safety."
Link and Saria followed Impa down the hallway they were standing in. As they walked towards the room, Link and Saria began to marvel at the castle interior. The long stretch of red carpet that they walked on was very beautiful. Occasionally they would walk past a vase that seemed as tall as them and with beautiful designs on them, giving them a foreign beauty that could not be found in Hyrule. The candles that illuminated the hallway were held upon golden candle holders that were attached to the wall. Sometimes they would pass a guard or servant of the castle and they would not take any notice of the three that were walking the hallways at night.
It seemed that the hallways went on forever, yet they soon reached their destination. Impa opened the door and revealed another large room. Although it was not nearly as splendid as the King's Chambers, it did have a vast beauty to it. The carpeting within this room was red and there were several vacant beds within this room, lined near the walls, without a wrinkle or stain on any sheet or fabric. At the corner of the room was a tray with a plate of meat, vegetables, golden pitchers full of water and cake. Seeing the food reminded Link and Saria of how hungry they were.
"I figured ye would be hungry after such a day," Impa said. "Eat to your full and get some sleep afterward. This is where we must part ways for now."
"What about the guard that ye have knocked out," Link asked.
"Do not worry," Impa said. "I will take him to the knight's quarters and lay him to rest at his bed."
"When do ye think we shall see each other again," Saria asked.
"I must admit that thy curiosity is very apparent," Impa told Saria. "Do not worry over such matters. When the time is right I shall reveal myself to ye again.
"I must leave now. I cannot allow myself to leave the princess' side for long. Farewell young heroes."
Impa raced down the hallway. Saria ran to the doorway to see her, but she was no longer able to be seen.
Saria closed the door and looked at the room, which now seemed bigger than it really was. She was not used to such large places and it scared her a little. Link, however, seemed perfectly relaxed with this setting.
"Are ye hungry Saria," Link asked.
"I do believe so," Saria said. "Such hunger I have never experienced in all my life and now I wish to eat to my fill."
"I share this feeling with thee," Link said. "Let us eat and rest our tired limbs for the night. Tomorrow we shall finally be able to speak with the princess."
Link and Saria ate to their fill and, for the first time in a long time, felt comfortable. They talked about many things that they experienced during their quest so far and also of many other things that didn't seem to matter. Many times they laughed.
After eating their food, which was delicious, they picked their beds and rested on them. It did not take long for them to fall asleep.