(A/N: In Chapter Two, I described a lot of the dungeon. Why? I wanted to show you guys how naïve and klutzy Link can be. Also, I wanted to impress the general feel of dungeons on you. I promise, the other dungeons won't be so detailed, especially the Water Temple, because I still don't know how I get through that one! And you all can relate to being locked out of the castle, right? I could never get there in time myself! Also, a cookie to anyone who can guess the chapter-naming pattern!)

Chapter Three

Twilight Falls Over the Princess

I wanted to get going right away, to see the princess like the Great Deku Tree had said. But it wasn't going to be that easy. Mido was still there, keeping guard, and he wouldn't let me by.

"Link! Did the Great Deku Tree…did he…die?" he demanded. If he could tell already, it would be better not to lie. I nodded.

"What did you do? I knew someone like you would mess everything up! Sheesh!" Then he went away, and I had a pretty good idea where he was going. I just stood there, not exactly sure what just happened. Did he just blame me for killing the Deku Tree? And now he would tell everyone else…

Hopefully Saria would believe me…but I didn't have time. I had to get to the castle before dark, and I didn't know how far it was. I ran to my house, grabbing a bag to hold all my things in. I dropped the Slingshot, the Deku Nuts, the Kokiri's Emerald, and the leaf that had fallen on me from the Great Deku Tree. I wished I had something else to bring, because I didn't know when I would be back.

Then I unsheathed the Kokiri Sword, thinking I would return it. I would keep the shield, since I had bought it…but I was only borrowing the sword. It belonged to the forest, in case something happened. But then I put it back. I might need it while I looked for the princess. No one would miss it. I held it in my hand for a minute--it was my sword, for now anyway. Then I put it back, tossed all of my rupees in my bag, and left, heading out the passage to the outside world before anyone could stop me.

I really wished I didn't have to leave without saying goodbye, but I would be back soon. Then I would prove to everyone that it wasn't me, that it was a man from the desert who cursed the Great Deku Tree. I ran across the bridge, still hoping no one would stop me. It would be easier that way.

But there was someone behind me, I could hear them…and when I turned around, Saria was there.

"Are you leaving, Link?" she said sadly. "I always knew…I knew you would someday. You're different from the rest of us…but that's okay, because we'll be friends forever, right?"

I nodded. She had her ocarina in her hand, and she held it out to me. "Take this, Link. And when you play it, you'll think of me, and remember to come back…won't you?"

I took it from her, not knowing what to say. That's her most treasured possession…she never went anywhere without it. So why was she giving it to me, just like that? I told myself I was just borrowing it, and I would bring it back. I'd see her again, and everyone else too. I turned it over in my hand, thinking that at least I got the souvenir I had wanted.

We just sat and looked at each other for a minute. I was afraid that she had heard the rumor Mido was spreading, and even though I didn't want her to believe it, I didn't want to explain. Maybe they would all understand someday. I hope so, anyway.

Without thinking, I turned and ran out of the forest, Saria watched me go--I could feel her eyes on me. I turned back, once, but when I looked she was gone again. "Bye, Saria," I said anyway, leaving Kokiri Forest for the first time in my life.

The sun was really bright outside. It was a few hours until dark, which was good, because I needed to get to the castle right away. But where was it? I followed the path, which was closed in by more trees like in the forest. When I turned the corner, the first thing I saw was a big owl on a branch above my head.

"Hoo, Link! I've been waiting for you!" It looked at me in a really weird way, its head turning almost all the way around. I wished it wouldn't. "I'm Kaepora Gaebora. I've heard a lot about you, Link--you're very courageous, very courageous indeed."

I really wished he'd stop moving his head around like that, it was making me feel a little sick.

"The princess is in Hyrule Castle, straight ahead. You can't miss it, hoo-oo! Better get there before they close the gates!"

And then he flew away. I watched him go, not exactly sure what he just said. Navi flew ahead, looking over the field. "Link, come on, he said it was this way--Wow! Link, come look at this!"

I followed her to a little rise in the ground. A huge field was in front of us, nothing but grass as far as we could see. It had to be at least twice as big as the Great Deku Tree's meadow, no, three times--forget that, it was bigger than Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods combined! I couldn't see anything but the field itself, except for a few trees, but there was something really far away that looked like a wall in the middle of nowhere. Navi flew higher to see it.

"It looks like a big house!" she told me. I wanted to see it, but we didn't have time. The owl said that the gates to the castle closed at dusk, so we had to move fast. Navi flew towards a sign nearby, stuck in the ground. The paint had washed off because of all the wind and rain, I guessed, but I could still read it.

HYRULE FIELD LON LON RANCH à HYRULE CASTLE à

"This way, Link!" Navi called, flying the way the sign pointed. I followed her, looking around Hyrule Field. I felt so tiny…there's so much space there. "Navi, what's a castle?" I asked her.

"It's like a big, stone house…I'll show you when we get there, if we reach it in time!"

I ran as fast as I could, Navi flying in front of me. But soon I had to stop. I couldn't run for a long time anymore. We were so far from the forest…

This didn't feel right. I was a Kokiri--I was never supposed to leave. I would, if the Great Deku Tree wanted me to…but did this mean I wasn't a Kokiri anymore? I hoped not, because outsiders aren't allowed in the forest, and I promised I'd be back.

We made it just in time. By the time we could see the gate, it was almost dark. We ran up to it, and when I saw it up close, it felt really familiar. But I had never been there before…I was just being weird again. This is what got the Great Deku Tree in so much trouble, I reminded myself. I still swear to the Goddesses we were actually standing on the gate when the gateman started to close it. I jumped backwards as the drawbridge started to lift, locking us out of the castle for the night. "Hey!" Navi yelled. "Wait"
The gateman said something about the gate opening at dawn, but he didn't let us in. Navi flew about, furious at him, but I was looking at the walled house, far away from the castle. "Navi, can we stay at the big house over there?" I asked her. There was another sign nearby that she was looking at. "Lon Lon Ranch?" she read, "No, it's probably closed too. Let's just sleep out here."

"Okay…do you hear something?" There was a rustling noise, like something was dragging through the grass. It was coming from behind me. I turned around and came face-to-face with a walking skeleton.

"A Stalchild!" Navi cried, hiding in my hat. I pulled out my sword, swinging it at the creature. Its head fell off, but it didn't seem to mind. I attacked the body, and it fell apart, the bones collapsing in a pile on the grass. I was about to put up my sword when two more popped up from the ground, dragging their feet bones on the ground.

"Quick! In the moat!" Navi told me, still inside my hat.

"What's a moat?"

"The water over there, go!"

Wondering why water was right outside the gate's wall, I jumped into the water. Navi flew out of my hat, still dry. The Stalchildren were still after us, not bothered by the water. But when one fell in, only a couple of feet away from me, it howled and fell apart. The other one didn't seem to notice, and it fell in the water too. And there were still more…didn't they ever give up?

I swam around the moat, hoping to get away from the monsters. They kept coming out of the ground, falling into the water and coming apart. How stupid were they? I was just about to get out again and go somewhere else, when a cuckoo crowed somewhere (I guessed it was in the castle) and all the Stalchildren howled and disappeared underground. The sun was up, and before long the gate was open again. I didn't say anything to the gateman--I wasn't sure it was still him--and followed the stone path to the tower sticking up in the sky.

This couldn't be the castle--there were shops everywhere, and a couple of streets led off of here. There were lots of people around, all big and grown-up, and all wearing really funny clothes. I looked around for someone my size. A little girl was chasing a cuckoo, around and around, running into people all over the place. I ran after her, but she was fast, and I was tires, so I couldn't catch her until she stopped, out of breath. "That cuckoo is fast!" was all she said to me. She wasn't a Kokiri at all. She was too little. All the Kokiri were my size, at least. I searched around the big place, but everyone else was tall, old, and busy-looking.

"Navi, is this the castle?" I asked her.

"No, this is just the marketplace! Come on, the castle is up there!" I followed her to a path that led out of the marketplace, but there was someone else there. It was a girl with red hair, just my size. I'd never seen anyone with red hair, but Saria had green hair, so I guessed that it wasn't anything strange. She was dressed funny, too, but different from the others. "Are you a Kokiri?" I asked her. She giggled.

"No, what's that? I'm Malon, from Lon Lon Ranch near here. Nice to meet you!" She had a nice voice, I thought. "Are you from the forest? You're dressed funny, like the forest people are!"

Navi was waiting for me up the path, but I wanted to talk to Malon, so I stayed. Malon kept talking to me, sounding bored by all the people in the marketplace. "My dad went to go bring milk to the castle, but he's not back yet…"

"I'm going to the castle," I told her. She clapped her hands together happily.

"Good, I'm glad! If you see him, will you tell him that I'm waiting for him? Thanks!"

"Bye," I said, following Navi up the hill to the castle. The path went straight ahead, then it turned to the right. Around the corner was another gate, with a man in armor guarding it. I went up to him and asked him if I could see the princess. He started laughing.

"Hahaha! You want to see the princess? Hahaha! A kid like you?" He stopped, turning serious. "Sorry, little guy. Someone tried to sneak in, so the security's tight now. I couldn't even let a dog in. So go on, go back home."

I went back down the path, thinking that I could sneak in somehow. Around the corner, I nearly ran into Malon, who was humming a song and looking around the corner at the guard. "So you are from the forest!" she said happily, looking at Navi. "Dad says that people form the forest have fairies and wear green clothes, but I didn't see your fairy! Fairy Boy, do you need to get in the castle?"

I nodded. She pointed to some vines on the wall. "This is a secret way. No one knows it's here, hee hee hee! Oh, here, take this, in case you find my dad!" She gave me an egg, stepping back so I could climb up the wall. I put the egg in my bag, hoping I had enough rupees to keep it safe, and started to climb.

From here, I could see everything. I just sat and stared at the castle, amazed at how big it was. The castle was white, tall and really pretty, There were towers and windows and even little flags with a weird symbol on them waving everywhere. I hadn't ever seen anything so big, except the Great Deku Tree. Did the princess really live here? If she did, she must be really important.

I kept my eyes on the castle as I jumped down on the other side of the gate. The guard never even saw me there. But around the corner were more…I dodged them and found a place where I could jump over the other gate, right in front of the castle. There was another moat, and another bridge, but it was up. I realized that the only way in was to swim up the moat, so I jumped in. There were a couple of rupees at the bottom, which I grabbed before the current started to push me. I swam against it, coming out on another side of the castle. A man was sleeping nearby, blocking the way. If he would move, I could jump to a tiny hole I could see in the wall nearest me.

I took a good look at him, deciding he must be Malon's dad. I took out her egg and set it by his head. Nothing happened. Navi flew into my hat again. "Link, why don't we rest here until morning? Aren't you tired?"

I kind of was--the Stalchildren wouldn't let me sleep last night. It was already late afternoon, and I couldn't see the sun anymore. I found some soft grass under a tree and fell asleep.

A loud crowing noise woke me up. Then I heard a man's voice shout, "What in tarnation!" I opened my eyes and saw a baby cuckoo running around, and the man sitting up. Some broken eggshells were on the ground next to him. I went over to him, feeling much less tired now. "Hello, and who might you be?" the man said. "Well, I'm Talon," he said, introducing himself first. Say--is that one of my cuckoos?"

I nodded. "Malon gave it to me. She's waiting for you."

The man gasped. "Malon's waiting for me? Oh no! How long was I gone? She's going to be so mad…I have to go!"

He ran off, faster than I thought he could run. I wondered why he was so worried--Malon didn't seem too upset--but I didn't have time to go find him and ask. I jumped across the moat, crawling into the little hole in the wall. This was a garden, of some kind. And there were guards everywhere. I still don't know how I ever got past them all, but after dodging a lot of guards I found an open place around the corner. Navi said it was called a courtyard. I saw a girl inside--could that be the princess?

The girl was looking through a window, and she didn't hear me come up behind her. Wondering what she was looking at, I stood on my toes to see over her head. All I could see were a few guards and a lot of stone. She must have seen my reflection move, though, because she gasped and turned around.

"Oh--sorry--who are you? Are you…is that…" She has spotted Navi now. "Is that a fairy?" I nodded, thinking that this was a very strange way to meet someone. But then, so had every other meeting so far. Her eyes got really round, and she put her hands together, looking, for some reason, hopeful about something.

"Then, by any chance, would you happen to have…the Spiritual Stone of the Forest? That green and shining stone…" I nodded again, though I didn't want to show it to her. I had to keep it safe until I found the princess, so I could give it to her.

"I knew it!" the girl said happily. "You see?I havd a strange dream last night. Twilight fell over our land, and dark clouds gathered over all of Hyrule, evil clouds that would destroy us all. But the a bright ray of light came from the forest, and a figure with a green and shining stone and a fairy came out of the darkness, and the clouds disappeared. I knew that this was a prophecy that someone would come from the forest, someone with a fairy and the Spiritual Stone, so I was waiting for you! Oh, I'm sorry," she said suddenly. "I've been rambling on about my dream, I completely forgot to introduce myself!" She looked at the ground, as if she was embarrassed. "I'm Zelda, Princess of Hyrule."

So this was the princess! I never guessed that she would be out here.g on smiled at me. "What's your name?"

"Link," I answered, and she got a strange look on her face.

"Link…strange, it sounds so…familiar…" I wanted to tell her that she looked familiar too?I hwas getting the feeling that I'd seen her before. But I wasn't sure exactly how I would tell her. Suddenly, I just felt like keeping my mouth shut in front of her. She's a princess, after all. "I was spying through this window when you came," she told me. "Do you want to look?"

She was asking me to eavesdrop?Ion someone in her own house! Well, castle. But I still didn't want to open my mouth, so I went up to the window and looked inside. A man in black armor that I couldn't see before was kneeling in front of, I guessed, the throne. I couldn't see the king. I watched the man, thinking that he looked familiar too. For my first time outside the forest, I was sure meeting a lot of people I already knew.

"See the man with the black armor and the evil eyes?" I saw black armor and nothing else, but I nodded anyway. "That is Ganondorf Dragmire, the Gerudo King." What was a Gerudo? "He pledges loyalty to my father, but I am sure he is not sincere. The dark clouds in my dream?I hbelieve that they symbolize that man in there!"

How did I get wrapped up in this again? All I came here to do was give the princess the Kokiri's Emerald, not help her figure out what her dreams meant. Still, the man did look pretty evil…

And then suddenly he looked right at me. I ducked, and Zelda did too, but he had seen me. After a few seconds, Zelda peeked over the windowsill. She stood up, and so did I.

"Did he see you?" I nodded. "Don't worry, he has no idea what we're planning."

Since when were we planning anything? Zelda continued, looking really happy, but for some reason I knew this would include me, and I didn't want it to. "Link, first, let me tell you a story passed down through my family…you won't tell, will you?"

More stories? They aren't fun to listen to if you can't tell them to someone else, I wanted to tell her, but I nodded anyway.

"When the Goddesses left the newly created world, they left behind the TriForce and the Sacred Realm. The TriForce, infused with the Goddesses' power, was separated into three parts; Power, Wisdom, and Courage. It is said that whoever holds the TriForce in their hands will be granted their heart's desire. To guard the TriForce's otherworldly power, the Hylians of old built the Temple of Time. Only one with all three Spiritual Stones, and one other treasure passed down through the Royal Family, could enter."

Zelda's eyes were shining. "Don't you see, Link? Ganondorf must be after the TriForce itself, and will destroy all of Hyrule to get to it! But if we can get it before he does…"

What exactly was she saying? Was it possible for us to get the TriForce? Were we allowed to? And what would we do with it when we got it?

"Link," Zelda said excitedly, "I have the final key to the TriForce. The Ocarina of Time, in my possession. I will guard it with all my power. Ganondorf shall not have it! But I need you to find the other two Spiritual Stones right away! Will you do it?"

For a minute I wanted to say no. All I was supposed to do was give her the Kokiri Emerald, like the Great Deku Tree said, and go back to the forest. But it looked like I wouldn't be going back for a while. I nodded, thinking about the TriForce. If I got a wish, could I make the Deku Tree alive again…?

Zelda laughed and clapped her hands together happily. "Good! That's good! My attendant, Impa, will lead you out of here, so the castle guards don't catch you. Good luck! I'll be waiting here for you!"

I waved to her, but she was already spying through the window again. Her attendant was in front of the entrance to the courtyard. She was tall, and she had red eyes and a strange symbol on the front of her outfit. She nodded to me. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Link. I am Impa, of the Shiekahs, and Princess Zelda's guardian. Your journey will often be difficult, so if you are ever in need of the power of the Royal Family, you should play this song. I used to sing it to Zelda before she went to sleep when she was a baby."

Zelda was a baby once? Then she can't be a Kokiri. I did think it was strange that a Kokiri princess would live so far from the forest, but if she wasn't one of us, how could the Great Deku Tree have known her, then? But before I could ask, Impa put two fingers to her mouth and whistled a tune. It was slow and pretty, a good lullaby, I guess. I found Saria's ocarina and tried to play along with her. She whistled it again, and I got it right. Impa smiled.

"That is called Zelda's Lullaby. I hope it will be of use to you. Now come, and I'll lead you out of the castle. It won't do for the guards to catch you on your way out."

I looked back at Zelda, still spying on Ganondorf through the window. And I thought, as I left, that the Gerudo King really did have evil eyes.

(A/N again: I know, really long. I didn't know it would be, this is a really short part of the game. Oh, well. Hope you liked it!)