Chapter 3—To Hyrule Castle and Back Again...

Link watched the guard walk in his small square. Getting in was easy, getting out was harder. Navi floated low, hiding her light. …The guard made another pass.

Link suddenly realized Navi was right; he had not properly thought this through. How in the world was he supposed to "kidnap" the princess and expect to live peacefully? Where could they live? How long till her father found them? Hmm... Well, the Gerudos owed him something. Maybe they could stay there... maybe... few dared to venture there. No, staying put wouldn't do. They'd be sitting ducks.

Link jumped to his feet and ran through the bushes to the other side of the courtyard. Zelda was there, waiting, just as he'd told Navi to tell her. She looked worried, and with good reason, Link thought. He moved forward, coming from the shadows only slightly.

"Zelda," she turned.

"Link." She ran to him. They kissed. Link absorbed the moment, then pulled away.

"Will this outfit work? It's the best I could do,"

"It will have to do, then," Link said. He led her back to the bushes. Navi floated ahead of them, vanished over a wall and came back a moment later.

"They know she is gone," Navi said.

"Darn," he breathed. Link looked around carefully. They were pretty far inside the castle walls. Any attempt to just run out would be fatal. "The longer we stay, the tighter security becomes. We have to get out now. Navi, fly ahead, try to give us some direction, okay?"

"Okay," Navi flew off again.

Link took Zelda's hand, looked her in the eye. "Be brave, Zelda, and stay close," She nodded. He led her from the bushes.

"There are two guards beyond this bush," Navi said. "If you run across when I tell you, you might be able to make it,"

"Might?"

"No guarantees,"

Link sighed softly. "Okay, tell me when."

Navi hesitated for a few seconds. "Now."

Link flew from the bushed with a burst. Zelda was so close that he didn't have to pull on her arm to make her keep up. Hiding behind a wall this time, he forced himself to breath slowly. Navi looked around in front of them.

"There's only one this time," Navi said. "Go now!" Link ran around the wall, this time pulling Zelda. He came to the next wall.

"There's no one there," Navi said.

"They're probably tightening security closer to the princess's chambers,"

"Ex-princess," Zelda corrected him.

He smiled. "Ex, right," Peeking around the corner, he looked around, confirming Navi's words that no one was around. He ran. Navi said something. Zelda jerked him to a stop next to the fountain. "Why'd we stop?!"

She covered his mouth. Link listened and heard footsteps. His heart picked up an even faster pace when he realized that the steps were coming at them... from both sides of the fountain. "Navi?" she flew higher.

"I don't know, Link,"

"Link," Zelda said, dragging out his name with anxiety. Link pulled a bomb from his bomb bag and threw it as far as he could in front of them. It landed some twenty feet away. He pulled Zelda down and they hunched over behind the fountain's wall as a guard came from each side and ran to where the bomb was about to explode. Link saw yet another guard coming from where he planned to run, so he led them back around to the far end of the fountain.

"Now you are trapped, Link!"

"Don't remind me," he said. He looked around. They were now much closer to where the guards' chambers were.

"Hey, what if we were to dress up as guards?" he said. Zelda shook her head.

"We're both too short. Besides, they don't have face masks. We'd be picked out for sure."

"Not if they only get a glimpse of us," he said.

"What if we just go through the chambers?" Zelda said. "They're in the center, so the whole castle would have to be accessible from there,"

"You don't know?"

"I was never allowed back there,"

"Oh, what luck," he took her hand and led her into the chambers. It looked typical: beds made, dressers everywhere. Trinkets lying about, coats on wall hangers, boots lay unlaced along a wall. Link stopped. There were four doors. Link took the one to his left, since they'd been headed that direction. They ran through the dark hallway, slowed when they came to light. Navi flew ahead, then came back.

"It opens into the washroom," The washroom was a dead end.

"Not good," Link led back to the guards' chambers. They took the one to their left, had been forward and to the left when they'd first entered the chamber. They ran and came to a stop when they saw light. Again, Navi flew ahead. She came back.

"Looks like a gambling room," she said. Link scuffed, then turned and led back. Just before they came to the opening that led back to the bedchamber, he stopped. He heard voices. Navi went ahead, returning hastily.

"Four guards," she said. Link moved forward, keeping in the hall's shadows until he could see them. They were putting on armor and helmets and lacing boots. He watched three leave, one remain. He looked at a piece of paper that had two crease lines; it looked like a letter. His shoulders hunched over as the seconds ticked by. Finally, he stood, folded the letter and placed it on the pillow of the bed he'd been sitting on and followed the others out the door on the far end; one they'd yet to travel. Link listened for a few seconds more, then walked out and puzzled for a minute between the two remaining doors.

"Link," he turned. Zelda had picked up the letter.

"Zelda, that's rude to read someone else's letters."

"But it's from his wife... she misses him and their baby is sick," Link lifted the paper from her hand with his other arm around her shoulder. He folded it back, placed it back where it had been and led her to the next door in the puzzle. They ran, coming to an open court yard.

Link sighed. No cover at all. It was run or turn back... he took Zelda's hand. She still looked upset after reading the letter. He led her out into the open, the light hurting his eyes after having been hidden in the darkness...