Yay a new chapter! I'm up at midnight writing this, what can go wrong?

-=]I[=-

Zelda trudged on for what seemed like hours, the crimson light fading gradually fading from the sky after midnight passed. She arrived at the stable, and politely asked if she could have her horse, Frost.

"That horse belongs to the Princess, miss. I don't know what you're playing at, but we know our horses." The man at the stable turned her out, so Zelda continued her long walk down south, traveling towards the Bridge of Hylia.

Well, if the stablehands didn't recognize her, she had a good chance at continuing to travel undetected. Still, nothing could mask the growing pit of anxiety in her stomach… or perhaps she was just hungry.

The road ahead of her was long, and it would be a chore to get through without a horse. Admittedly, Zelda hadn't walked much outside the castle, but if she could attend her father's galas wearing heels, she could make it to the Bridge and camp under one of the towers. Already the sun was rising. Zelda probably only had a couple of hours until the guards would become suspicious, find her note, and send a search party after her.

Zelda was so lost in her own thoughts, dreading the moment the knights caught up to her, that she didn't notice a stranger in front of her. She ended up bumping right into him, stumbling back and nearly falling into the dirt.

"I-I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't mean…"

"Hm? Oh, it's fine. Hardly saw you there… I'm a bit preoccupied. I… well, I got lost. Perhaps you can help me find my way?" asked the man, smiling at her reassuringly.

"Oh! Of course I can. I know these lands quite well. Where are you trying to go, exactly?" Zelda smiled at him warmly. He seemed nice enough, but something in the back of her mind screamed at her to run.

The man sighed. "Gerudo desert, if you can believe it. My organization wanted to meet there, for traditions sake. I simply have no idea where to go, and my horse seems to have run off with all of my food."

Zelda smiled sympathetically. "Well, Gerudo desert is southwest of here. See those mountains? That's the Gerudo highlands. Follow the path in that direction, and it will take you to the desert canyon. I think there's a stable in there, so you can get more food and rest."

The man nodded. "Thank you, my dear. You look familiar, by the way. Almost like… no, that can't be." He stared at her, scrutinizing her face and figure.

Zelda felt her heart pounding. "I guess I just have one of those faces." She smiled nervously, turning away a bit too quickly to play it off as normal behavior.

The man gave a small grunt of confirmation, then reached out to shake her hand. Zelda accepted, extending her own.

Something wasn't right. Zelda pulled her hand away as quickly as she could, but his reflexes were faster than her own. Without warning, the man grabbed her wrist and wrenched her hand so he could see the back of it.

"Well, well, well. The royal birthmark. I take it I'm meeting the Princess." A sick smile crossed his face, and Zelda could see insanity dancing in his eyes.

Zelda struggled. "Unhand me. My guards are right behind me. I'd release me if you want to live."

The man chuckled. "I think you're lying, Princess. Running around in disguise? Doesn't seem like you would want an escort."

Red smoke filled the air, and Zelda found herself coughing and gagging. When she looked back at the man, he was dressed in a white mask, with an upside-down Sheikah eye on the front. The symbol of the Yiga clan.

Something wasn't right in the wood. The animals felt it, they had all retreated back to their dens. But why? The lone hunter furrowed his brow, drawing his weapon.

The Yiga… that had died years ago, along with Ganon. But what were they doing...

"Any last words, Princess? Or do you just want to scream, and make it all the more satisfying for me?" The Yiga Clan member raised his weapon: an evil-looking sickle stained with something that looked suspiciously like blood.

Red smoke flowed through the trees like a beacon. The hunter smirked. All too easy. With expert movement, he slipped through the trees, undetected by any living creatures within the forest's canopy.

If she was going to die, she wasn't going to give him pleasure in it. Zelda kicked him in the stomach, causing him to release her briefly. She sprinted into the woods, hoping to lose him.

"Nice try." Somehow, he'd gotten in front of her. Did he teleport? Zelda turned to run the other way, but he just chuckled.

There were two of them: a man and a woman. She was being chased. She wouldn't make it very far on her own… they had too many tricks up their sleeves. But the hunter had the advantage of surprise…

"You can't outrun me. Accept your fate, Princess."

Zelda was trapped. She had nowhere else to turn, nobody was there to save her. The best weapon near her was a tree branch, and she wouldn't make it in time anyway. She looked the Yiga Clan member right in the huge, red eye. She wouldn't scream. She wouldn't give him that satisfaction. Zelda caught her breath, prepared for the killing blow.

The arrow was nocked, the deadly tip pointing towards his target. Branches obstructed an otherwise perfect shot. He had to wait. The hunter couldn't afford a mistake. Surprise was his only advantage.

"We are… alone, however. So I think I might play with you before I kill you. You like the sound of that?" Zelda's lip quivered as he said this, but she did her best to maintain composure. She wouldn't die screaming for help. That wasn't how she wanted to die. "Awww, you're cute when you're frightened for your life. I'll be sure to remember that expression."

He moved towards Zelda, pinning her to a tree. Drawing with his blade, he traced her throat with his sickle, causing a tiny drop of blood to appear. Zelda whimpered, seemingly helpless to fight him off.

Damn. He was moving away from the zone. A few steps back. If she managed to push him backwards, even by a few feet, that would be enough.

As the assassin laughed and advanced, Zelda's hands found the jagged end of a broken branch. She clutched her fingers around it, finally gaining a firm grasp. She plunged the splintered edge into the assassin's thigh, causing him to roar in agony. Seizing the opportunity, Zelda threw him off of her, gasping in horror as the smell of blood penetrated the forest air.

Well, she was resourceful. And now, now he had the perfect shot. His fingers slowly slid off the bowstring, the arrow quivering as it prepared for its flight.

"You bitch!" The assassin tried to staunch the flow of blood pouring out of his leg, still clutching his sickle in his free hand. "You're going to die for that."

There was no point in running anymore. Zelda knew that she was trapped, but at least she'd drawn blood. At least she wasn't going to die in shame. The assassin advanced towards her, his blade raised mercilessly.

The arrow flew from his fingertips, soaring through the air at an alarming speed.

Without any sort of warning, the swish of a blade broke the silence in the forest. Warm blood coated Zelda's clothes as she screamed out of shock. The Yiga Clan assassin dropped his sickle and fell to the floor, dead. An arrow stuck out of his throat, coated in the assassin's blood.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" A voice was trying to reach Zelda through the fog of shock and confusion. She nodded dumbly, still not understanding what was going on. She could barely make out any words, and the scent of death had already begun to fill the clearing.

"Hey, you're in shock right now. Do you need to sit down? Here, take a few deep breaths."

Zelda felt a hand on her back, guiding her onto the forest floor. With a few rattling breaths, the world shifted into focus, out of the haze she was trapped in.

"What… what happened?" She managed to get out.

"You were being attacked by a member of the Yiga Clan. I killed him."

Zelda finally looked up. She was met by a young man, with scruffy blonde hair and a somewhat scrawny build. Meeting his eyes, she found herself looking into deep blue pools, the same color as a clear sky or as Lake Hylia on a sunny day. She smiled at this welcoming sight, relieved to finally be in friendly company once again

"Thank you. I owe you my life."

"Don't mention it. The more of the bastards I can kill, the better."

Zelda arched an eyebrow. "You're hunting them, then?"

Her rescuer smiled slightly. "The Yiga, Lynels, corrupted guardians, you name it. I'm trying to rid Hyrule of it. Of course, there are some who want me doing… other things. Less useful things."

"Such as..?"

"Eh, they want me to be some sort of watchdog who isn't allowed to choose his own path in love or life."

"I know exactly how you feel," Zelda said, looking back down at the ground. Who knew that she and this stranger had so much in common regarding their destinies. Or rather, lack thereof.

"Link."

Zelda glanced back up at him. "Hmm?"

"My name. It's Link. And you are..?"

"I'm…" Zelda thought for a minute. If he knew her name, her identity, he'd give her right back to her father. "I'm Lana." A name from a book. If he had ever read it, he'd see right through her. She waited with baited breath for his reaction.

"Lana. Huh. I've seen that name before. She was the only weirder of the Triforce of Power not to get corrupted, or so it says in Hyrule Warriors. Seems like a pretty powerful name."

Zelda laughed hollowly. "I'm not powerful in the slightest. I've lived most of my life sheltered, and just now you had to rescue me from him." She gestured to the Yiga Clan member. "Not to mention you're named Link. After the reincarnated Hero of Legend."

Link smiled at her in his odd, half smiling manner. "You know, part of being strong is knowing when to ask for help. Refusing to admit your faults is one of the biggest signs of weakness."

"Really?"

"Really." Link reached for his arrow, but pulled his hand away as he noticed a crack in the shaft. "Come on then. We've got a lot of work ahead of us."

Zelda was confused. "We?"

"You've got to learn how to defend yourself if you're journeying alone. I'll teach you and keep you safe until then." He started walking off, towards the Great Plateau. "You coming?"

Zelda had two options. The first, run like mad in the other direction. She's been attacked since today already, and Link had already demonstrated a willingness to kill. On the other hand, he had a point. She wasn't equipped for travel yet, especially what had happened with the Yiga.

"Wait for me!" Zelda picked herself off the ground and jogged after Link.

He was mysterious, and potentially dangerous. But he was her best shot at starting anew. She didn't have a choice.

-=]I[=-

Alright! Chapter two is done! It'll take longer for the other chapters to come out; I already had this one drafted when I published the first one. But now we have Link! Hurray! Neither of them are hiding anything at all. No secrets whatsoever. Nope.

That's all I wanted to say! Thank you for reading this! Leave a review if you liked it or want me to change anything.

~Silver