Something was different. The ground was becoming smoother, flatter. The heavy boughs of the trees were thinning out, allowing more light through.
When the soil beneath his running feet was free of roots, stones and undergrowth, he stopped, observing his new surroundings for the first time. They were like unlike anything he'd laid eyes on before.
Lush, green hills rippled out from the edge of the forest, rising and falling again and again. Sunlight bathed the land, transforming the plains into a beautiful collage of green and gold. Cradling the sun was a vibrant, gem-blue sky, polished by fluffy white clouds.
Link gaped at the surreal beauty of the land before him. It was so vivid, so full of life and prosperity. He hadn't expected that outside of the forest that something like this would await him. The forest was full of natural beauty and peace, and hosted the full spectrum of life.
He had heard from the other Kokiri that the outside world held dangerous things and dangerous people. But looking at the dazzling view, it was hard for him to imagine what his friends had described.
"Is this…Hyrule?" Link asked, still stunned.
Navi bobbed excitedly. "Yes! This is it. The land of Hyrule, blessed by the goddesses."
Link shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand. "Is it all like this?"
The fairy's blue light blinked in and out. "No. It's a very large country with many different places."
Curious, Link asked, "You've seen these places?"
"No," she replied. "The Great Deku Tree used to tell the fairies stories about Hyrule."
She fell silent, and Link sensed that she was grieving the loss of the forest's guardian as much as he was.
He decided to change the subject. "Where do we go now?"
Navi shook herself free of her memories. "We must go north. To my knowledge, Hyrule Castle lies in that direction."
"And at Hyrule Castle we will surely find the 'princess of destiny' the Great Deku Tree told me about," Link concluded. "Princesses live in castles, don't they?" he asked Navi.
She shrugged her tiny shoulders, her wings fluttering. The pair of them stepped out of the shade of the treeline, finding a worn road hidden in the grass. It curved north, leading their way to Hyrule's capital.
~oOo~
She wasn't often granted the chance to visit Hyrule's capital, Castle Town, despite its proximity to her home. Still, she relished the opportunity. She laid in the back of the wagon among the wisps of straw and hefty jars, full of fresh milk, singing softly.
The sound kept her occupied while on the road, but also ensured that her father, driving the wagon, was awake for the journey. Before too long, she heard the shouts of the town wall's guards, and the heavy groan as the drawbridge was lowered.
With a click of his tongue, her father urged the horses forward. The tempo of their hooves quickened, thudding against wood rather than dirt. Soon the clashing sounds of the busy marketplace greeted her ears, and she sat up in the back of the wagon. Her father halted the horses at the north end of the square, allowing her to hop out the back.
"I'll be back by the end of the day," he told her cheerfully. "Take care of yourself!"
As he trundled off towards the castle for his delivery, she waved goodbye. She was still a child, but she was used to fending for herself, and had been on her own in the market many times before.
She wandered the square idly, enjoying the crowds. It was such a change from her life on the quiet ranch.
"Malon!"
She glanced up to see who had called her, and her eyes landed on a young girl waving at her by the fountain. Malon smiled and rushed over.
"Sienna! It's been so long."
The girls hugged briefly, then sat together on the edge of the stone fountain. Sienna was another reason she enjoyed visiting Castle Town. The two had been friends for a long time.
Sienna was a young girl, a few years older than Malon, who had been orphaned like so many others during the war. Despite her misfortune, she had a kind-hearted nature and a shy disposition.
"Where's your friend?" Malon asked Sienna, slipping off her heavy ranch boots and dipping her feet in the fountain's refreshing pool.
Sienna giggled, her hazel eyes bright with amusement. "Dark? Getting into trouble somewhere else, no doubt. He's supposed to meet me here…"
Malon and Sienna had been fast friends, but Sienna's oldest and closest friend was Dark. They had known each other since they were mere toddlers living at the orphanage in Castle Town.
Sienna sighed. "He's running late again."
Malon smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure he'll turn up."
The other girl shook her head, her auburn curls swishing about her face. She turned to Malon. "How long are you staying?"
"We'll be leaving this afternoon, but we'll be back tomorrow with another delivery," Malon explained. "We didn't have a big enough wagon to hold everything."
The girls chatted for quite a while, but Dark did not show. Giving up on their meeting, Sienna announced her leave. She didn't want to risk the wrath of Mrs. Crowe if she stayed away from the orphanage too long.
Malon watched her go, waiting patiently in her place for her absent-minded father to return for her.
~oOo~
Link and Navi reached the end of the road just as night was falling. As he crested the last hill, the sight before him made him stop and take a step back.
A wooden gate…white stone…a crest carved into the stone.
It was exactly how he remembered from his nightmare.
Twin torches flanked the drawbridge, burning away the shadow of approaching night. His eyes landed on the crest: three triangles, upheld by a bird's spread wings.
"This is Hyrule Castle?" Link asked. The imposing white wall stretched as far as he could see in both directions.
"Not yet," Navi corrected. "Beyond the wall lies Castle Town. The castle sits just north of the town."
A wolf howled somewhere nearby. Link glanced over his shoulder. The rolling plains he had so admired were colder without the sun's touch. A shout sounded from above them, and the chains of the drawbridge creaked.
"Link, hurry!" Navi trilled.
The drawbridge was closing. Link leaped the gap and landed on the wooden planks, rolling safely to the inside as the bridge groaned shut. At least he would be safe inside the town tonight. Who knew what lurked outside these walls when the sun went down. His Kokiri friends had spoken about all manners of beasties that roamed the outside world.
The cobblestone street he found himself on was empty, which confused him. He thought towns were supposed to be full of people.
"You there!"
"Huh?"
A man wearing metal clothes had emerged from a side street. He carried a spear in one hand, and his face and head were covered by a matching metal helmet. The front of his armor sported the crest carved into the wall above the drawbridge.
"It's nighttime," the man stated. "Get inside, kid. It's past curfew for you."
Link frowned, not understanding. "Curfew?"
The guard snapped his fingers, getting impatient. "Where do you live, kid?"
"Um…" Link looked around. The empty street held no lit windows of refuge. The guard fixed him with a scowl, taking a step closer. Not knowing what else to do, Link bolted.
"Hey! Get back here!"
Racing down the street, Link turned a sharp corner, losing the metal man. Down the second street, it was still dark, but there were houses on both sides. There was a diminutive shack nearby, leaning wearily against the house next to it. Link darted for its door, turned the knob and ducked inside fast as a Skullkid's disappearing act. The guard, still shouting, ran straight past.
Link leaned against the close door and heaved a sigh. Navi, who had hidden in his hat the moment the soldier appeared, floated around the room.
"It's some kind of storehouse," she announced, locating the torches on the wall and lighting them with a wisp of her magic.
With the small room illuminated, Link could see it was made entirely of stone, and contained a variety of crates and clay pots. Definitely not someone's house.
He sat down on a low crate, deciding that it would be alright to spend the night here. It wouldn't hurt anyone, and although the metal man outside hadn't seemed very malicious, there was much Link did not yet understand about the outside world.
The box wasn't as comfortable to sleep on as the forest floor, but in the absence of a warm bed it was better than the cold floor. Even so, he passed the night fitfully, the images from his old nightmare haunting his sleep.
The next morning, Link could hardly contain his excitement. A clamor of strange new sounds had awoken him—a small taste of what the town would be like.
His meager belongings he opted to bring with him rather than stash in the storeroom. So far he hadn't been discovered, but the owners could come by for a check at any time.
With Navi safely under his hat, his sword and Deku shield strapped to his back, Link left his sanctuary.
Avoiding the drawbridge, Link ventured further east, following the white stone wall. As he ambled along, passersby eyed his bright green clothes, so different from their plain, practical shirts and trousers. Navi commented from inside his hat, mostly tidbits of information she'd gathered from the Great Deku Tree.
Aside from the wall, which slowly slid into worse and worse decay, the streets were lined with humble shops and small homes, none over two storeys tall. There didn't seem to be any organization to the street layout, which was oddly comforting. Link was used to the twisting green passages of the forest, and the dusty grey alleys reminded him of home.
Swallowing a lump in his throat at the thought of the forest, he forced himself to listen to Navi's voice.
"Sorry, Navi, what did you say?"
"I don't think the Castle will be found in this area. We should head north."
With his acute sense of direction, Link turned down a side street, passing loiterers and other shady characters. Within a few minutes he emerged into a bright, open, green space, and his heart leapt.
There were trees everywhere, sprouting from beds of bright flowers and gently swaying grasses. The paradise appeared to be deserted, so Link excitedly darted through the rows and over the beaten-in dirt pathways.
A stone building, bigger than any he had seen so far, bloomed into view between the trees.
"That must be the castle!" Link exclaimed, making a beeline for it.
He hopped up the stone steps, wondering what the identical shallow glass pools on either side were for. His hopes were dashed when the heavy door wouldn't open.
"There's no one here," Navi pointed out. "No soldiers. This might not be the castle."
Link sighed, disappointed. He looked up at the tall, pointed building. It had a strange calm hovering over; it coexisted with the natural scenery as if it had sprung from the earth rather than been built.
Turning away from the mysterious building, Link felt a distinctive shiver climb up the back of his neck. The courtyard was no longer empty.
There, by that tree. He spun, catching the eyes of a small figure watching him curiously from the second row of trees.
"Hello?" he called. He hurried down the steps, anxious to ask someone more knowledgeable about this peculiar place.
The figure retreated. "Wait, come back!" he shouted, peering around the tree's wide trunk.
The person, clearly a child like him from the height, was covered in a long, dark shawl despite the warm day. Hesitantly, they turned to face Link.
Link's eyes flew wide. A girl around his own age stared back at him from under the shawl. She pushed it back, revealing short, golden blonde hair and long, pointed ears. Her eyes were deep blue, just like his.
Link was too stunned to speak. There was something so wondrously familiar about her face, in her eyes, that his heart ached to recall memories long lost in the river of time.
The instant felt more like a long-awaited reunion—one that made his head whirl.
"Hello," she murmured, eyes dropping shyly.
Link opened and closed his mouth, searching for words. Her voice…where had he heard that voice before?
"H-hi…" he replied lamely. "I'm Link," he added, thinking that politeness might go a long way in the outside world.
The girl smiled widely. "What a strange name," she said. She laughed. "Sorry, I don't mean to be rude…just, it sounds familiar…" she trailed off.
"I know what you mean," he said, glad he wasn't the only one feeling it. "What's your name?" he asked.
Her smile dwindled. She hesitated to answer. "Zelda," she answered.
Link smiled. "I've never heard a name like that. It's nice."
Surprise turned to laughter and she clutched her sides. "You're a very strange boy, Link."
He wasn't sure what made him so strange, but it seemed to make her smile.
"Link," she said, her voice dropping low and her eyes widening. "Are you from the forest?"
Link's shock made his jaw drop. "How do you know?"
Zelda shrugged. "I read that the Kokiri children who live in the forest wear green clothes and are always accompanied by a guardian fairy."
"There are books about the Kokiri?" Link gasped.
She grinned. "Of course. Though not many. Most people think the Kokiri are a myth. And there have been so many strange things that happen in the forest. That's why no one ventures there."
That bit of information was comforting. It also explained the odd looks he'd been given.
"Do you…do you have a fairy?"
He snapped his attention back to Zelda. "Ah…"
On cue, Navi zipped out from under his hat. Zelda's eyes widened in awe.
"She's beautiful!"
Link grinned. "Her name is Navi. I'm guessing you don't speak fairy?"
Zelda giggled. "No, I don't. There's no books on that." She reached out a tentative hand, letting Navi float over her palm.
"We can trust her," Navi announced. "But I think I'll stay hidden the rest of the time. The outside world isn't safe for fairies."
"She likes you," Link said to Zelda, watching the blue glow of Navi's wings play across her nose.
"My nursemaid told me that fairies can see into the hearts of people," Zelda said. "That fairies are the ancient spirits of our ancestors, come back to watch over us."
Smiling wistfully, Zelda dropped her hand, letting Navi float back to Link's side.
"Ask her about the castle and the princess," Navi urged. To Zelda, her speech sounded like the tinkle of small bells.
"Zelda, do you know where I can find the castle?" Link asked hopefully.
Her expression froze. "The castle?" she asked slowly. "Yes…I-I know where it is. Why do you want to go there?"
Link dug the toe of his boot into the dirt. "I need to find the princess…it's important." He rubbed self-consciously at the back of his neck. "I'm sort of on a quest."
Rather than laughing, like he'd expected, she brightened. "Really? What's your quest for?"
Link avoided her eager gaze. "Sorry, I can't really say. I just know I need to find the princess at Hyrule Castle. But I don't know what the castle looks like, and I don't want to run into anymore of those metal soldiers."
Zelda considered him. "I'll make a bargain with you, Link," she said importantly.
"What's that?" he asked, curious.
"It's when two people both need something to complete their quest, so they agree to help each other," she explained. "I'll tell you how to get into the castle and past the guards so you can meet the princess, if you meet me here again tomorrow."
The hopeful look on her face melted Link, despite Navi's admonishment that they needed to find the castle as soon as possible.
"That sounds fair," he said. "What quest am I helping you with?"
Zelda chuckled. "You'll have to wait until tomorrow."
Link gave her a silly grin in reply.
"I have to leave," Zelda said. "I'll be missed. We'll meet here again tomorrow!"
Replacing her shawl over her head, she darted back into the winding streets, breaking the spell. The neat, green courtyard suddenly seemed less bright. Link stared after Zelda's retreating form until Navi tugged insistently on his hat.
"We should go, Link," she said. She clearly disapproved of his bargaining with near-strangers.
"Okay," he agreed, casting one last look up at the odd stone building and its serene vigil.