Hello all.

This is my first ever fanfic. Yikes! Not the first time I've ever written anything, natch, but definitely the first time I've shared anything I've written with an audience. Enjoy!

P.S. This takes place some years after The Ocarina of Time, I guess.

P.P.S. If I have anything wrong canon-wise, please let me know. It's been a little while since I've played OoT!

P.P.P.S. The rating is for some mild language and possible graphic (not sexual, unfortunately) content in future chapters.

P.P.P.P.S. Do I have enough postscripts?

Disclaimer: Any characters, places, events, etc. from the Legend of Zelda do not belong to me. As much as I wish I owned Link (who wouldn't? he's delicious) I don't own him either. Any copyrighted, trademarked stuff I mention (i.e. Medieval Times, The Princess Bride, etc.) do not belong to me either. Any characters, places, events, etc. you don't recognize are mine, all mine. Please, lawyers, don't sue me, I am but a poor college student!

Alright, that's it, now on with the show!

The Key

Chapter One:

"Smarty Tights"

MEEEEEEEEEEP. MEEEEEEEEEEP. MEEEEEEEEEEEP. THWACK.

Jennifer savagely hit the snooze button. Mondays were the worst. After giving a sleepy grunt, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. She padded to the bathroom, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Jennifer looked in the mirror. Not a good view. Her dirty blond hair was a wild mess, cowlicks galore. She turned on the shower and hopped in, letting the warm water slowly wake her up. She was definitely not a morning person.

She was late to her first class. Again. Jennifer sheepishly walked in and took a desk near the back. Her professor frowned at her, but this was college, after all. No one took roll anymore, for which Jennifer was truly grateful. In fact, no one ever really paid her attention. It was as if all that aggressive recruiting to get "diverse and unique students" was only to get butts in the seats. The university didn't care whether you went to class or not, just so long as you paid your tuition. But nevertheless, college was a rewarding and exciting experience to Jennifer. Though she had only been attending for a few months, it was if she had spent her whole life there. There were the cute boys, frat parties, interesting classes, and… cute boys. Jennifer was relishing in the college experience; she finally had her independence. Sweet, sweet independence. That, to her, was the icing on the cake… and most of the cake, too.

"Alright, I'll see you all on Wednesday," the professor called over the sudden din of students packing up and shuffling out. Jennifer grabbed her books and headed for the door.

She bumped into someone in the doorframe.

"Sorry," she said, and looked up. He stopped speaking in the middle of an apology as their eyes met. Jennifer got a very strange feeling of déjà vu. He looked very familiar, and very handsome, too. Jennifer flushed and continued on her way. Keeping her eyes down, she thought about how weird it was that she felt they had met before. She shrugged it off; they had probably met at a party somewhere.

By lunch, she still hadn't shaken the guy's image from her brain.

"Jen," a voice said from right next to her. Jennifer nearly leaped from the bench.

"Anna! Jeez, you scared the crap outta me." Jennifer rose from the bench.

"Hey, I called you, like, fifty times, and you didn't answer me," Anna said, exasperated. "You went all ADD on me."

"Sorry."

"What were you thinking about, anyway?" They started to make their way towards East Commons, and lunch.

"Nothing," Jennifer replied.

But it wasn't nothing. Jennifer was preoccupied all day. Anna finally gave up and chalked it up to her "being Jennifer". Jennifer, on the other hand, didn't give up. Even as she lay down to sleep, she still thought about that guy. Who was he? Why was he so familiar? She rolled over, annoyed, and closed her eyes.

----------

"…moving quicker than we thought."

"It is too soon."

"I know, but we have no choice."

"This complicates matters."

There were multiple sighs as three of the most beautiful women Jennifer had ever seen looked down at her. Jennifer took them in with half-open eyes. She felt groggy and strangely detached, like she was floating on a cloud. Around her, everything was hazy, though she could see the women clearly. One of the beautiful women frowned, noticing that she was awake.

"We must send her now."

And with that, Jennifer was wide awake, standing in the middle of wide, open field. A sea of grass surrounded her on all sides, blowing in a gentle wind. Just as she was getting her balance and her bearings, a horse suddenly ran past her, making her cry out.

To add insult to injury, the horses' hooves sprinkled her with mud. She looked down; the mud was everywhere, and the hem of her jeans was coated in it.

"Thanks a lot, jerk-off!" She called after the rider of the horse, who, she noticed, had slowed the horse down and was turning it back towards her.

Jennifer wrung her hands, fuming. They were in a huge ass field, and he had to run his damn horse right next to her! And who rides a horse anymore anyways!

"I am so very sorry," the rider said, dismounting.

"Yeah, well, you should be. Ugh! I hate mud."

"I apologize. I did not see you."

"Didn't see me, are you—" Jennifer looked up into a very male face, a very handsome male face. The young man seemed startled by her sudden silence.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" he asked, all concern.

"No, I'm fine," she said, a little sulkily. "Just muddy."

He turned, and Jennifer thought she saw a small twinkle of amusement in his eye. She narrowed her eyes at him, but the look of anger was replaced by one of puzzlement. She noticed that he appeared to be wearing some very strange clothes. He had a long green shirt, what looked like white pantyhose, and a sword buckled at his waist.

"Where are you going?" His voice broke her from her perplexed examination of him. She realized that he was looking her up and down as well, though he managed to hide most of his confusion at her attire. Most of it, anyways.

"Uh… that's a good question," she said, biting her lower lip. "You see, it might be helpful if I knew where I was first."

He looked at her with large blue eyes filled with bewilderment. "You are in the land of Hyrule."

"Ah, I see. Well, where are you going?"

"To the village of Kakariko."

"And where is that?"

He pointed in the direction he was originally heading. "The sun is beginning to set. If you wish, I could take you to Kakariko."

"What happens when the sun sets?" Jennifer asked, more than a little wary of hopping on the horse of a strange guy in tights—even if he was handsome.

"It is dark."

She rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Captain Obvious."

He looked very puzzled by her. "When darkness falls in Hyrule Field, monsters appear. I could not leave you to their mercy."

"Oh."

"Please, I insist." He motioned towards his horse. "It is the very least I can do."

He proffered his hand. Jennifer looked warily at his hand, then his face. He seemed sincere enough. Realizing she could be standing here all day if she didn't make a decision, Jennifer decided to trust him.

"Alright, but you better not take me to the Overlook Hotel," she said.

Jennifer had very little experience his horses, but at least she vaguely recalled how to mount one. She stuck a foot in the saddle, and with a little help from the young man, was able to scramble onto the horse reasonably well. She squirmed a little in her seat as he mounted in front of her.

"Hold tightly," he said, and the horse suddenly jumped into a gallop.

Jennifer nearly tumbled off the back of the horse, but managed to throw her arms around the man's midriff just in time. Hyrule Field flew by. Jennifer held on for dear life as the horse sped across the field.

----------

"Jeez, you scared the crap outta me."

The young man finally slowed down when they reached the entrance to the village. The sun had nearly set by that time. Kakariko was a fairly large village in Jennifer's estimation. Men, women, and children were milling about, wrapping up their days and preparing for the evening. Light spilled out of the windows and doors of the houses. Chickens ran about, villagers frantically trying to catch them. Jennifer, still behind the young man on the horse, watched all this with fascination. It was all so—she couldn't find a better word—quaint. When the young man finally stopped in front of an inn, Jennifer quickly slid down the side of the horse, not even bothering to wait for the young man to help.

"Do you have a place to stay?" he asked.

"Um, no."

"As I thought." He sighed.

"Hey, don't sigh at me." She waved a finger in the air. "This isn't my fault, you know. I've just had the worst day of my life. I don't know where I am or how I got here and I'm covered in mud and—"

"Alright," he said soothingly. "Forgive me if I have caused you distress." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Please, go inside, and I will see what I can do."

He gestured to the door to the inn and Jennifer stamped inside. A boy came to take the young man's horse. He flipped the boy a coin and followed her inside, where they sat down at the bar. Jennifer looked around, staring. Everything about this place, from the buildings to the clothing, seemed so off. Not to mention the fact that everything was a Medieval Times rip-off.

"Would you like anything?" the young man asked.

"Diet Soda, please."

Both the bartender and the young man looked quizzically at her.

"Regular's alright, then." The bartender looked at Jennifer like she was a madwoman. She slumped her shoulders. "Water's fine," she said dejectedly. How could they not have heard of soda?

The young man nodded at the bartender and turned towards her. "I have told you we are in Hyrule—"

"That's the problem, I have never heard of Hyrule. Ever," she said.

"Then, how did you get here?"

"I dunno."

"How could you not know?"

"I dunno!"

The young man sighed.

"There you are sighing again," she said, annoyed. "Look, I went to sleep in my room and then, all of the sudden, I was standing out there in that damn field of yours, almost being run over by horses." She crossed her arms. "Try to explain that, smarty tights."

He seemed puzzled by the last comment, or maybe it was just because of Jennifer in general. "I cannot explain that."

"Exactly." She turned back towards the bar, and took a big gulp of water. She suddenly felt exhausted with the whole ordeal.

"At least let me help you."

"Please. I don't even know your name."

"I am Link."

"Link? Your name is Link?" she asked, disbelieving.

"Yes," he said, drawing out the word long and slow as if she was a dolt.

"It's, uh, a, um… very unusual name."

"What is your name?"

"Jennifer."

"That is—as you would say—an unusual name, as well."

Jennifer frowned. "It's not that unusual, actually, it's quite popular for kids my age." Where was she?

They both stared at each other for a long moment, both sets of eyes cautiously sizing up their owners. Jennifer turned away from his gaze.

"Where are you from?" Link asked curiously.

"San Diego," she said. He raised his eyebrows slightly. "It's in California." He still didn't appear to get it. "Um, The United States… North America, Planet Earth." He still looked confused. "Have you been living under a rock your whole life?" She raised an eyebrow. "Or just a Renaissance Faire?"

"I have never heard of these places," he said finally.

"Neither have I," the bartender chimed in, surprising both Jennifer and Link. He continued solemnly, "And I thought I had heard everything." With that, he shook his head and walked into a back room behind the bar, leaving the Jennifer starting after him.

"What odd people," she murmured under her breath.

"You need help," Link said firmly. "That much I see."

"Hey, I am perfectly sane," Jennifer shot back. "At least I'm not wearing a skirt."

This seemed to convince Link of exactly the opposite she intended. He called for the bartender, who stuck his head out from the doorway.

"Two rooms, please." Link grabbed her arm, and began to lead her up the stairs. "You need rest. Tomorrow, I will take you to see the queen. Perhaps she will see something I cannot."

Jennifer's eyebrows furrowed at the mention of a queen. These people truly were odd, but she was too exhausted with everything to protest.

Link opened the door to her room and she brushed past him to walk into the room. It was simple—a bed, a side table, and an armoire. Jennifer relaxed her shoulders and exhaled deeply.

"Good night," Link said, closing the door.

"Hey, Link," Jennifer said, turning towards him. His ears perked up. They were pointed. Jennifer shrugged this tidbit off for the moment. He deserved a thank you—and an apology—first.

"Thanks," she said finally. "You know, for everything…. Well, except the mud." Jennifer paused. "And sorry for being, you know… difficult."

Link smiled. "Do not give it another thought," he said and closed the door.

Jennifer exhaled again, and then popped her lips. She looked out the window. Children were being called by their mothers. The chickens had finally been rounded up. The day was ending.

Jennifer sat heavily on the bed, thinking. She had convinced herself that if she just went to sleep, she would wake up tomorrow in her own bed, and everything would be better. This would all be just a strange, if very vivid, dream. Yes, that's all this was: a dream. Of that, Jennifer was certain.

She was very wrong.

Whoo! Now, that's over with. Long first chapter, at least for me. I doubt that all my chapters will be this long.

So, what do you guys think? PLEASE tell me what you think! This is my first fic, so I appreciate all types of encouragement and constructive criticism.

Thank you so much for checking this out.

Catch ya on the flipside.

BB