The moment we walk through the gates, it strikes me how much I do not belong. I should be at my stall, selling my goods, and after a long day of grumpy men and sour women, I would return home, alone. Again. But I wouldn't be here.

The Princess leads me into the Castle, and again I feel curious gazes on my back. I duck my head and pick up my pace, stopping by Zelda's elbow.

"Your Highness," I start, "I really think that I should be heading back. I wouldn't want to inconvenience you."

"Nonsense," she says, giving me a smile. We continue through the courtyard, which I assume leads into the main hall, but take a left instead of heading through the grand doors, down a separate path that winds around the side of the castle.

The path leads into another courtyard, this one perhaps reserved as a garden, with a wide expanse of grass and flowers between the stone walls of the castle. A small dais stands at the opposite side, in front of a window that looks into a hall with a thick carpet and marble floors. The Princess steps up, gathering her skirts as she goes, and peers through the window.

She throws me a glance over her shoulder, expression radiant. "Come here. I'd like to introduce you to someone."

"Your Highness, you surely have something of greater importance than keeping company with me," I say, but nonetheless join her, glad to be in comfortable boots and tunic and not a dress.

"I do," she says, looking back through the window.

"I don't mean to question Your Highness's choices, but shouldn't you be doing whatever that is at the moment?"

She smiles at me. "My nursemaid told me to go outside for the day. She said I'd been stressing myself too much."

"And Impa is correct, Princess."

The new voice nearly makes my heart beat free from my chest. I almost jump from my skin. But it's a man, behind us, sitting by the wall with his arms crossed.

The Princess has a hand to her chest and her face flushes indignantly. "Link! Your nearly gave me a heart attack!" she says, sighing slightly. "Dear Hylia, please don't do that ever again."

He laughs brightly, getting to his feet, and gives a bow more suited to the field than royal court. "My apologies, Princess." He gives me a curious look. "And you might be?"

I hurry a bow, which is stiff with embarrassment. "Ara. Pleasure to meet you."

"I wouldn't say cardiac arrest could be considered pleasurable," he laughs, walking up to the dais, stopping with one foot on the first step.

"No, I suppose not, sir," I mumble, blushing as I bow again.

"Oh, please don't call me that," he says, pulling a face. "Makes me feel old. Call me Link." Link turns his attention to the Princess, who had been watching us with a reserved smile. His eyes sparkle. "I see you're out and about, Princess."

She laughs after lowering her hand. "Yes, I suppose so." Her brow creases. "Was there something you wanted?"

"Oh," Link says, frowning slightly. "Am I being a nuisance? I'll just leave, Your Highness."

"You're not being a nuisance," the Princess says, lifting a hand as if to reach out and stop him. "I was just wondering if there had been a reason for your visit. Usually you're busy with training."

"And usually you're busy with the kingdom."

"But today I'm not."

He laughs. "So I've heard."

There's silence for a moment. The Princess frowns again. "So?"

Link's sort of staring absently at her face, and when she speaks, he shakes his head as if to shoo away thoughts. "What?"

"So why are you here?"

He blushes slightly. "Oh, right." He clears his throat. "It's nothing of importance, really; I just wanted to see you."

The Princess smiles. "Oh, thank you."

Link grins and turns to empty air, mouth open as if ready to say something, but then an expression of realization dawns in his eyes and his shoulders slump.

"What's wrong?" the Princess says, brow furrowing in concern.

"The...usual. I'm still not used to Navi not being here, I guess."

With a quiet laugh, the Princess says, "If you miss your partner so much, why not take Ara here as replacement?"

Of course she's joking; the tone of her voice is all that's needed to know. But my face flushes, hard, and I'm left staring down at the ground.

"Why not?"

I look up violently, eyes wide. I squeak, "What?"

"I mean, you seem good with a sword," Link says.

"Bow," I correct, adding, "Can't hold a sword to save my life."

"Right, bow," he says easily, "and how are you with blood?"

"Decent, I suppose," I say. "I don't faint, if that's what you're asking. Wait, what's happening?"

"Yes, I'm confused as well," Princess Zelda says. "I was joking, Link."

"Joke or not, it's good advice, don't you think?"

"You hardly know me," I remind him. "In fact, Her Highness hardly knows me." Why would she even bring me here to begin with?

"I didn't know Navi when she became my partner. Besides, I'm in need of a partner, actually..."

The Princess says, "Is something wrong, Link?" She looks like she's dreading the answer.

Link pulls a face. "Well, I suppose, yes, there is. But I thought you'd—"

"I do," she says quickly. "I was just making certain. If it has anything to do with my dream..."

"A dream?" Link asks, eyes widening in what seems like fear. "When you sent me back, before I told you, you said you had a dream, of dark clouds gathering on Hyrule's horizon."

"That's what I saw," Princess Zelda says, brow furrowing. "Oh, Hylia, are we doomed to live this no matter what we do?"

"I'm confused," I say, and both jump a little, as if they had forgotten I was there to begin with. "What are you talking about, Your Highness?"

Link and the Princess exchange glances. "Should we tell her?" he asks, picking nervously at his gauntlet. The edge has been worn thin and threadbare, though at least the back is made of leather.

Princess Zelda frowns slightly. "You said you'd take her on as your partner, so shouldn't we?"

"I guess." He turns to me, expression grave. "When I was younger, I was called on by fate to save Hyrule. Her Highness had had a dream and told me about it when we met; it foretold that an evil man of the desert would come seeking a certain power."

"You wouldn't know about that power, right?" the Princess says. When I shake my head, she sighs. "I suppose you wouldn't. The Triforce is a highly guarded secret, usually kept to the Royal Family and legends."

"The Triforce?" I parrot back. "Isn't that all it is? Simply a legend?"

"No, it's very much real, Ara."

"But," Link continues, "when I defeated him, seven years after I was charged to do so, Her Highness sent me back to warn herself, her younger self, and here we are."

"You...did defeat him, right?" I say. His face twists a bit, and I quickly add, "I was asking because I was confused. Why is Her Highness having this dream if he's been defeated?"

"That, we don't know," the Princess says. "And so this is why Link will need your help, correct, Link?"

He nods. "I couldn't have done what I'd done without Navi, and now that she's gone—" He chokes here, stops a moment, looking furious with himself, before continuing, "I need help."

"Certainly there's someone else better than me," I protest. "I'm a merchant—I only know how to use a bow to protect my wares and I, that's it—"

"No," he insists, "you're better suited to this than anyone else I've met, I can tell."

"Her Highness would be more helpful than me, surely!"

The Princess shrugs. "I must stay here to help my father with the kingdom."

Desperately, feeling like I'm being choked, I splutter, "But why me?"

Link considers me for a few seconds before admitting, "I don't know why I think so, but I just do."

"You...won't accept anyone else, then?" I ask uncertainly.

"Well, of course you can refuse," he says, "but, yes, I doubt there'd be anyone else. I just...this might sound silly and like a flimsy reason, but I have this...feeling."

"Feelings haven't led us astray yet, Link," the Princess says. She looks at me. "So, will you?"

I give a jerking, halting nod, then force a laugh. "I suppose I have no choice, in the grand scheme of things."

Link grins for a moment. "So, then, how decent of a shot are you with a bow?" He points to a crate left near the entrance of the garden. "Can you shoot that from where you stand, at the very least?"

"I-I don't have it with me."

He nods, holds up a finger, and digs through a bag I hadn't realized he is holding. He pulls a bow from it, waving away my gaping stare with a hand, and gives it to me. "Now, try."

"That bag's not big enough—"

Link laughs and smiles, and I drop the subject, for now.

And I aim.

Tempest Bound: Dear God, that took much longer than I wanted it to. So sorry for the wait! Writer's block likes to strike at these times, sadly.

BlueBoxTimeParadox: It doesn't seem like writer's block hit you, although I know for a fact it did. Am I the only one who can see this playing out in one of the games? *cough cough* Get on this, Nintendo! *cough cough* On another note, have any of our readers decided to venture into the abyss that is "My Inner Life"? I read more of the first chapter (apparently it's incredibly long) and it just gets worse and worse. Regardless, next chapter is written by yours truly, and I can't wait to give it to you.