Authors Note: Due to the comments of Teddy-the-Bear, I have changed the ending of this story. Teddy informed me that the point of MM was that Link was searching for Navi. I have changed the story accordingly. Hope you enjoy!

"Hurry Sheik! You're falling behind!" Link laughed as he pushed Epona harder.

"Oh come on! My horse is still learning! Not everyone has a Super Steed!" Sheik complained as he pushed his horse to its very limits.

Three years had passed since Link and Sheik made the promise to always stay together; and they had. Link taught Sheik everything he knew about sword fighting and Sheik taught Link everything he knew about stealth and acrobatics. Together they grew strong and fearless. The years of training and friendship had changed them both very much in the past three years. Link had grown taller and his voice began to change. Sheik didn't grow much but his arms and legs were much more muscular; both boys were growing into very handsome young men. The young girls they passed would always swoon and giggle and speak of how attractive they were which always caused the boys to blush.

Their personalities had changed as well. Link was still "the hero", always wanting to help people whenever he came across them, but now he did it with a much more realistic smile. During the war against Ganondorf, he had almost become emotionless in his expressions. Now he was much more natural – or human, as Zelda said. Sheik had begun to fall into a mysterious mask. To the people in the village, he was a stranger; to the young girls, he was tall, dark and handsome; but to Link and Zelda, he was happy-go-lucky and friendly.

Link's feelings for Zelda grew in a somewhat childish manner. He could still remember the feelings he had for her as an adult but now when he was around her he felt awkward and self conscious. She seemed much more at ease, and if he wasn't so concerned with her opinion of him, he would have asked how she did it.

Zelda had also grown. She was taller and was beginning to develop (a fact that did not go unnoticed to Link and Sheik). Her childish musings of Link began to develop into a deeper feeling; One that she remembered from adulthood but had been locked away by the power of the Ocarina. She and Link spent a great deal of time with one another, which only solidified their feelings for each other. Zelda had even presented Link with the Ocarina of Time as a gift of their friendship and – one day – their love.

Sheik, too, had begun to develop certain romantic feelings for the opposite sex. He was quite fond of Malon, but enjoyed his time with Saria as well. It was difficult for him to think that Saria would never grow older with him, but he comforted himself with the thought that Malon would. He often spoke to Link and Zelda about Malon's beauty, but when asked to confront her and confess his feelings, he would close his mouth and remain silent for the remainder of the conversation. His skills in battle had not combated his shyness.

Navi had been summoned by the Great Deku Tree a year after Link's great adventure in time. She didn't want to leave Link, but he convinced her that she needed to. He told her that he was not a Kokiri and that somewhere, someday, there may be a new Kokiri who is in need of her services. She reluctantly agreed with the exception that Link visit the forest frequently. However, only a few weeks ago, Navi and the Kokiri she was protecting had gone missing. The Great Deku Tree had asked Link and Sheik to seek her out.

Now the two friends were riding their steeds through the Lost Woods in a race to see who would get to the Sacred Forest Meadow first. They had received an anonymous tip that Navi could be found there. Link was currently in the lead; then again, he had an advantage. After everything Epona had seen, she wasn't frightened by the dark tunnels at random unlike Sheik's young stallion. Link soon left Sheik far behind and he laughed to himself as he thought of his friend trying to comfort his frightened horse. He decided to slow and allow Sheik to catch up.

"We owe him that much at least." Link chuckled to Epona, who whinnied in agreement.

They slowed to a walk and Link enjoyed the scenery around him. It had been a while since he had been in the Lost Woods. He had been so busy in his search for Navi that he hadn't had time to come here. When the tip came in that Navi was in the Sacred Forest Meadow, Link had relaxed. He should have realized she was there. She loved that place. He loved the silence that the forest provided and the calm that surrounded him. It was because of this that the sudden movement behind him caught his attention. He pulled Epona to a stop and listened. The woods were silent but Link could feel eyes on him. The foreboding feeling that crept into his soul began to make him question Navi's safety. Suddenly, in front of him, two fairies appeared out of no where. Epona started and reared back in shock, knocking Link to the ground. As the young Hylian fell, he thought he heard the fairies laughing. He hit the ground hard and groaned feeling the world around him blackening as his head fell to the ground.

He awoke a few minutes later to the sound of voices.

"You can't, Tael!" He heard a voice say.

Opening his eyes he saw the two fairies hovering near him. Standing with them was a Skull Kid with an unusual mask on.

"What would we do if you dropped it and broke it? No way! You can't touch it!" The white fairy was saying.

"Aww, but sis…W…Why can't I touch it too?" The purple fairy whined.

Link sat up and shook his head to steady his vision. He turned to the fairies and the Skull Kid and glared. The fairies gasped and cowered. The Skull Kid slowly turned around and gasped when he saw Link. He looked down to his hands and Link saw the Ocarina of Time in his hands. The Skull Kid quickly tucked the Ocarina behind his back and Link glared.

"Give it back!" He shouted and lunged at the kid.

The Skull Kid jumped over him and landed hard on Epona, causing her to run.

Oh great…Link groaned inwardly and tried to jump onto Epona's back. He missed but managed to grab the side of her saddle as she ran off.

"Ahh!" He shouted as his feet and legs dragged along the ground. He looked up to the Skull Kid who was desperately trying to buck him off. Link reached his hands up and tried to grab the kid's leg. The Skull Kid swatted at him and Link nearly lost his grip on Epona's saddle. He held on tighter with both hands and tried to pull himself up. Every time he began to make a little progress, The Skull Kid kicked him in the face.

Link was beginning to get quite aggravated and his efforts began to increase. Up ahead, he noticed one of the random tunnels and felt panicked. If Epona went through there, there was no telling where she'd end up. He could loose her! He tried again to pull himself up but another kick to the face brought him back down. The Skull Kid slapped Epona hard and she turned sharply around a tree trunk. The force of the turn knocked the saddle from Link's grasp and he tumbled away from the fleeing trio. He groaned and rubbed his head, looking up just in time to watch the assailants escape through the tunnel.

He stood up and looked around him. Sheik was no where to be seen, and with how long he was dragged, he wasn't sure how far he was from his normal trail. He turned back to the tunnel and stared at it. He couldn't abandon Epona, even if there was only the slightest chance that the Lost Woods would send him to her. Resigned to his decision, Link pulled his sword and sighed.

"Here we go again…" he moaned before charging into the tunnel after his old friend. Navi would just have to wait.

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