Chapter 1- Run

Silence.

Complete and utter silence.

Sonya couldn't take it anymore. It was far too unnatural for her, and it was beginning to take its toll. She could feel it ebbing away at her sanity, slowly prying away all forms of her self-restraint. She knew that she would go berserk any moment now if she had to remain with the deafening silence hanging over her like this. If it weren't for the fact that an entire hoard of bulblins was readying an ambush just a stone's throw away from her hiding spot, she would've screamed right about now.

Due to an unfortunate case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, the young farm girl found herself situated amongst some recently deceased bushes, which still had the majority of its brown withered leaves clinging to their brittle branches. Her brown and blonde streaked hair combined with her tan skin served as a decent camouflage amongst her dead surroundings. Ever since Ganondorf had taken over Hyrule seven years ago, the land had basically been dying. The once lush and mighty green fields of Hyrule had been reduced to nothing more than parched expanses that were completely devoid of life. The only thing that seemed to flourish now, (other than the occasional weed) was death. Sonya remained motionless; one false move could easily shift the bulblins' attention from the road to her, and with this many bulblins around it would unquestionably be the end of the young farm girl.

Man my neck's sore, Sonya thought. She'd been sitting in the same position for what seemed like eons; crouched down low with her neck slightly craned so she could see what the bulblins were up to, her only companion being the constant silence. On top of it all, she'd also balanced herself precariously on the balls of her feet, which wasn't the best position for someone with her level of balance, but it was vital if she wished to continue spying. Sonya felt the soles of her feet and backs of her legs begin to tingle, most likely from the lack of blood. She attempted to relieve the uncomfortable sensation by shifting her weight onto her right foot, but to no avail. The tingle in her right leg had intensified into a mild pain, and her left burned as the much needed blood rushed back into her leg, causing her to gasp in pain. Realizing her mistake, she whipped her hands up to her mouth, causing her to lose her balance and tumble back into the dried bushes behind the astonished child.

It was more than enough to get the bulblins' attention. A handful of the pig-like monsters began to make their way over to investigate the abrupt commotion. Sonya's heart leapt up into her throat. She knew they would find her in a matter of moments. She had to do something, but what? She hadn't brought her quarterstaff with her, and even if she did she would easily be overcome by a single one of those horrid beasts. She could try running, but the surrounding areas were fairly open, making her easy and noticeable prey for a bulblin archer. Her mind racing and heart pounding, the farm girl was at loss. She could now hear the heavy breathing of the bulblins that were slowly closing in, the tops of their grotesque heads creeping into view. All she could do now was close her eyes and pray to the Three Goddesses for a miracle…

Out of the blue, a high pitch whistle sounded, and the atmosphere suddenly intensified. Most bulblins suddenly became eager, while others appeared a little on edge. Sonya could hear them all returning to their previous positions. It took her quite a few moments to fully absorb the previous events and realize that she was still alive, and then several more for her to actually sit up. Weak with relief, the girl prayed a silent thanks to the Goddesses, stood up and ran. She didn't care whether or not they saw her now. They'd probably return to the bushes once they were done with their business anyway, so it was best to run while their attention was elsewhere.

"Face it, we're lost,"

Two riders were making their way across one of the many parched plains of Hyrule, bickering as they did so. It had been a few days since they had escaped the Temple of Time, and Ganondorf's forces had been trailing them ever since. Well, it really wasn't much of an escape, considering neither of the riders knew exactly what had happened. All that could be remembered was Ganondorf's evil laugh, a blinding blue flash of light, the twisted man's scream of fury, and then somehow winding up right next to where their horse, Epona, was tethered. The event was slightly disturbing, but it worked to their advantage, none the less.

"We're not lost Zelda," the other rider replied bitterly. "I know exactly where we are."

"Oh, and where is that?"

"Well…"

"Well? Come on Link, you said you knew where we were, so please, do enlighten me. Where are we?"

The rider named Link winced slightly at the question. He knew that Zelda was right, they were indeed lost, and he hadn't the slightest clue as to where they were. They were supposed to be going to seek refuge in the Lost Woods so they could think of a new plan. Unfortunately, the constant attacks and the lack of the sun (thanks to the ceaseless cloud cover) to guide them had rendered the two completely disorientated, leaving the pair in a rather bitter mood.

"I… I don't know". Link sighed in defeat, bracing himself for the whole 'I-told-you-we-should've-stopped-for-directions' lecture.

To his surprise (and relief), Zelda didn't comment. She just sat there and looked into the distance, motionless. Neither of the riders spoke for a several minutes, although Link was tempted numerous times to try strike up a conversation with his companion. He thought better of it, and decided it'd be best to leave Zelda to her own thoughts for now. She looked exhausted, and Link didn't want to disturb the little peace and quiet she had left.

Left with nothing but his own thoughts, Link's mind began to wonder, and before long it had made its way to memories of his fairy companion, Navi. Whatever had saved them at the Temple of Time had failed to save her as well, leaving Link worried and uncertain as to what fate had befallen her. Granted, Link did find her constant chattering annoying at times, but he still cared for her deeply, and would be at a loss if anything ever happened to her…

They rode on for at least another hour, the only noise being the rhythmic sound of Epona's hooves hitting the ground in that same, repetitive cycle. Not even the wind seemed to stir.

It wasn't long before another sound dared to defy the surrounding silence. It was a low rumble, yet it definitely wasn't thunder. No, this sound was no where near as deep and it most certainly didn't come from the bleak skies above. Rather, it originated from the dark and neglected depths of someone's empty stomach.

Link's stomach.

Zelda laughed at the sudden outburst, while Link sat there, rather dumbstruck, unsure that his stomach had actually produced such a loud and crude noise. Zelda, who was sitting in front of Link, gently took the reins from his hands.

"How about we stop for something to eat?" she asked, pulling up on the reins as she did so.

"What about the bulblins?" Link asked, a worried tone glazing his question. As hungry as he was, he didn't want to risk putting Zelda's life on the line just so he could grab a quick snack.

His blonde companion seemed to have expected Link's inquiry. She handed the reins back to Link and closed her eyes. Gathering all of the energy she had left, she began to focus her thoughts. Once Zelda had opened her eyes, she began to see things from a whole new perspective.

Everything was blue, but her vision had sharpened to match that of a dragon, who have been said to be able to trace the path of a lone beetle across Death Mountain with nothing more than their eyes. Everything she saw seemed to emit waves of energy, which took on the appearance of light. She quickly examined herself and her companion, getting an idea of how bright a living creature would appear to her in this current state. They were both close to white in colour, and the Triforce of Courage that Link bore upon his left hand shone a brilliant gold, the lower right of the three triangles being the brightest. Curious, Zelda decided to take a quick glance at her own piece of the sacred relic. Her Triforce of Wisdom appeared similar; the only difference was that the bottom left shone the brightest, not the right. She then scanned the surrounding horizon, searching for any signs of life. To her relief, she found none, and returned to her former state.

To Link, all of this had happened within the span of a few seconds. The only abnormalities he had witnessed were Zelda's Triforce begin to glow, and when she had turned to him her bright blue eyes seemed to glow ominously. Not long after this, his exhausted companion slumped back into him, completely drained from her efforts.

"Nothing," Zelda breathed, not being able to say much else.

Link slowed his loyal steed to a halt, quickly dismounted, and then proceeded to help Zelda off the chestnut mare before gravity got the better of her. After gently placing her down, he went over to Epona's saddle bag and hurriedly searched for their provisions, his hunger getting the better of him. He was well aware that he could just retrieve some from his bottomless pouch, but both Zelda and he had agreed that the food in there was solely for emergencies. It wasn't long before Link's hands clasped around two small loaves of bread and some berries. The blonde youth sat down next to his companion and handed her share of the basic meal, who accepted it weakly. Link wolfed down his portion in record time, his stomach thanking him graciously for remembering its existence. Zelda on the hand, ate slower, rather amused by how much food her companion seemed to be able to stuff into his mouth at once. Link seemed to notice this, and smiled sheepishly before continuing his onslaught.

Zelda began to feel a little guilty at making fun of her friend. He had been rationing a while before he had met up with her a the Temple of Time, and being number one on Gannondorf's hit list certainly hadn't allowed him much time for rest, let alone meals. At this thought, she noticed the dark circles beneath his brilliant blue eyes.

"It's not that bad, really," Link said, seeming to read her thoughts. "I've been through worse."

Zelda nodded solemnly in reply. They ate the rest of their food in silence, which was only disturbed once or twice when Link decided to pull out his Fairy ocarina and play a few tunes to brighten the mood.

As Link prepared to mount Epona, he was given a firm tug on the back of his tunic, forcing him to abandon the task.

"Hood," Zelda said simply, holding out a black piece of fabric.

Link scrutinized the fabric with disdain; he didn't particularly like the colour black, and much preferred the forest green that was present in his usual garb. The hooded-cape also had a habit of getting in his face and tangled around his arms while riding fending off attackers, especially on horseback. However, it did conceal their identities to some extent, and with all of Ganondorf's minions on high alert anything that could help to keep the two safe was considered a must, even if it only offered little protection.

"Here," Zelda said as she fastened the hood's clasp around Link's neck, and then pulled it up over his head.

"Thanks," Link muttered. She then proceeded to put on her own her, smiling as she pulled it down over her face.

"Mind if I sit behind you this time?" Zelda asked as Link mounted his horse. Link gave a curt nod in reply, still a little peeved about having to wear the hood.

They rode on for about another hour, chatting every now and then to pass the time. The ride had been fairly uneventful, but the scenery had changed. They were now making their way through the remnants of a recently deceased forest. It was fairly open, which made navigating a lot easier then they had guessed, and the discovery of an old trail had shifted the pair's mood from rather bored to ecstatic.

"By the Three Goddesses… finally… a guide!" Link exclaimed, overjoyed that they no longer had to wonder aimlessly until they wound up only Nayru knew where. Zelda hugged Link in delight, causing him to blush at the sudden show of affection.

"It has to lead somewhere!" Zelda said, her voice teeming with excitement.

"Only one way to find out," Link stated, and with a quick flick of the reins, they were off.

However, during their celebrations, neither Link nor Zelda picked up the high pitched whistle that had sounded shortly before their departure…

It wasn't long before their targets were in sight. They were riding upon a chestnut mare, just as their master had said. Both Hylian, one female and the other male, he could tell by their voices. Both of them looked relatively harmless, but his master had told him to bring his best men if he wished to successfully intercept them. He wanted them both, the Hero of Time and Princess of Destiny, alive.

The leading bulblin raised his right hand, signaling for his archers to ready their bows and poison tipped arrows. The poison wouldn't kill them; just merely paralyze and knock them out long enough for his men to bind them properly. The only risk in the plan was hitting any vital organs or having either of them bleed to death, which their master would have their necks for.

The bulblin grinned evilly, waiting for the right moment to strike…

With a quick flick of his wrist, the first volley of arrows was fired.

"Get down!"

The two companions barely had time to react, and if Link hadn't spotted a glint of silver out of the corner of his eye they would've been skewered where they sat. Link summoned the power of Nayru's Love, which formed a crystalline shield around the small party. The arrows bounced off the shield like rain off a window pane, leaving them unscathed. Epona reared up, taken off guard by the assault. Link urged the startled horse forward, barely escaping another small volley. Zelda managed to catch a glimpse of their attackers before Link veered Epona to the right in an attempt to get out of firing range.

Bulblin riders.

Her beliefs where proved true as the sound of thundering hooves began to trail them, accompanied by grunts and battle cries of the bulblins and their bulbos. It wasn't long before they had reappeared around the corner from which they had come, brandishing weapons of all shapes and sizes. The effects of their long and tiresome journey were beginning to show as the bulblins began to close the gap between them.

"Come on Epona, don't give up, just a little more,"

Link's words of encouragement didn't go unnoticed, and Epona pushed herself even harder.

The bulbos exceeded the tired mare's speed, bringing their rider's up to her flanks. Link unsheathed the Master Sword, the legendary Blade of Evil's Bane, the weapon that had saved his hide on so many accounts, knowing that he would not be able to run for much longer. The bulblin riders pulled up alongside Link, one of them slashing Zelda across the side as it advanced. Being defenseless while clinging to her friend's waist, the princess could do no more than receive the blow. She cried out in pain, and that was all the motivation Link needed to start his retaliation.

With a loud grunt, the blonde youth released a vicious kick at the bulblin to his right, knocking it clean off its grotesque steed, and then swung his sword at a bulblin to his left, inflicting a fatal wound across its chest. Seizing his chance, Link struck at its bulbos' legs, causing it to fall, bringing its rider and a few of his comrades down with it. Avoiding the pile up of his fallen companions, another bulblin rider pulled up to the right of Link and swung its rusty blade at the young warrior. Link parried, and then drove his sword deep into the monster's neck, black blood now staining the once untarnished blade. The youth continued to strike down his enemies, but every time one fell, another would pull up alongside him to take its place. Curse it, Link thought as he knocked yet another bulblin rider off its steed. Another bulblin pulled up alongside him, this one wielding a rusty serrated sword. The young hero thrust his blade at the creature's neck, but to his surprise it ducked, evading his attack. Link continued to slash at him with his sword, but each of his assaults were either parried or evaded by his new opponent. The bulblin shrieked, and then began to pull back. Link turned his head to the left to see what the bulblins were up to, and soon found that half of the hoard was following suite. He turned to the right, and saw why they had pulled back. Just a short distance away, a bulblin rider had aligned himself with the youth, a brown crossbow trained at his chest. Link couldn't do anything as the bulblin pulled the trigger, launching the bolt at its target with deadly accuracy.

The bolt struck him in his right shoulder, driving itself deep into his flesh. Pain seared across Link's chest, causing him to cry out, unable to do much to try and soothe the wound. He brought his left hand, which was still holding the Master Sword, up to the protrusion in a feeble attempt stop the blood that was now gushing from the wound.

Screeching in triumph, the bulblins advanced on them yet again, this time in greater numbers. Zelda watched in horror as the monsters surrounded her and Link, who was now slightly doubled over from the blow he'd taken.

"Zelda, take the reins!"

She complied, allowing her blood to run freely from the gash in her side. Link was the one who needed more help now, not her.

Nodding thanks to his companion, he awkwardly held his right hand over the wound and began to slash at the monsters with his sword, depending on Zelda to keep him and Epona steady. Pain continued to course through his veins as he swung his sword, and with each movement came another wave of pain. Link's movements began to get a little groggy and awkward, which Zelda picked up on almost instantly. Praying that it wasn't due to blood loss, the princess continued to steer Epona and keep her friend upright.

Link's vision was getting blurry, and he seemed to be on the verge of unconsciousness. The dazed youth could no longer move his legs, and the sensation was slowly creeping up into his torso. He felt his grip loosen on his sword, but he couldn't do anything to stop it from slipping from his hand. Seeing the blade slip from her friend's fingertips, Zelda kicked out her leg in a desperate attempt to catch the weapon by its ornate hilt.

The princess' stomach dropped as she missed, watching the blade disappear beneath the clamoring of bulbos hooves, swallowed up by the chaos that threatened to consume them.

Knowing that his weapon had been lost, the young hero slumped onto Epona's neck, nearly driving the bolt even further into his chest. He could no longer fight, and in the corner of his mind he knew that the bolt had been tipped. He allowed himself to drift into unconsciousness, watching everything turn to black.

The last things he saw were a blue flash, a flurry of scales and the ground rushing towards him…

A/N: Yay! Chapter 1 is finished! (Is very tired and it is quite late at the moment, but I was determined to get this up ASAP.) Yes, this chapter is a lot longer than the prologue, but I wanted to try keep these events together, and it's all going to be posted sooner or later, so I just did it together (was on a roll this arvo). This is also the first fight scene that I've written, so I hope that turned out all right. Please, tell me what you think, I'd love to get some feed back!

P.S. Thanks spyrolink and Skywing Flame for the reviews! You guys are awesome!

Disclaimer:I do not own any of the LoZ or LoS worlds, concepts, characters, etc.
I only own Sonya, the Hylian in the beginning of the chapter, for she is my OC.

Edits:
- Acknowledged Navi's existence (something I failed to address prior to this)
- Ditched the black garb in the original for their usual clothing and hooded-capes
- Fixed up the fight scene so that it could be more easily followed
- Added the part where Zelda looses the Master Sword: the two losing the sword has always been a plot point, however I felt that the event taking place here would be better than where I'd originally intended
- Minor grammatical, phrasing and formatting corrections