Chapter 4: Hyrule Castle

The journey to Hyrule Castle Town in the cart full of milk was uneventful; Talon, Malon, Zelda, and Navi left at dawn so that they would make it in the evening, thus no Stal Children showed up to scare Zelda once again. Zelda and Malon constantly talked about Epona, The forest, and Zelda's ocarina, but Zelda tried to avoid the latter. Zelda didn't like to talk about Saria's ocarina, it reminded her of Saria's caretaker, Fami. Fami was said have disappeared on her way to the Forest Temple, so many were scared to go try and find the temple again; but Saria found the way safely. After a long silence, Zelda saw Malon look ahead after a conversation about to Kokiri tribe as a whole; she smiled. Zelda looked at her, confused, until she turned to head in front of her and saw what she saw; a huge stonewall, surrounded by a moat. A Bridge was currently down over the moat, but Zelda saw that there were chains attached to it. Many people were coming in and out of the opening the bridge provided in a big hustle and bustle.

"There it is; Hyrule Castle Town!" Malon said in glee. Zelda was confused and intrigued; this was something completely new! She had never seen buildings of this scale, only in her dream. She then put two and two together and figured this was the place in her dream; she knew she was going the right way to see the Prince of Destiny.

They went across the bridge and they soon found themselves surrounded by many people in a huge plaza. Many were already standing still around merchants but many were also making their way to many shops surrounding the plaza. Thankfully guards helped carts make their way to where they were going. On their way through the hustle and bustle, Zelda looked off to the right of the cart to see a huge building, she never saw anything like it before; it was huge. Her thoughts were soon distracted by Talon talking with some guard that was watching the way to the castle.

"So, you've bringing milk up to the castle?" the guard asked, inspecting the milk bottles. Talon nodded, "Same as always,"

"Well ok then," The guards said, satisfied with them passing through to the castle, "You know the drill then Talon, just had to check you this time because of that newcomer with the sword,"

"Oh Zelda?" Talon said, "She said she had some business up at the castle so we let her come along,"

The guard shrugged, "I dunno anything about it, but I'm never really told anything anymore, so go ahead on your way,"

Talon nodded and went up to the castle, arriving at the entrance at dusk. Talon and Zelda were starting to get tired but Malon kept reminding them that they have a job to do. Talon finally stopped the cart at the entrance to the palace, way past the gate, and they started unloading the milk.

"We need to get some crates to the guard tower," Malon said, "Zelda, you help me get them there,"

Zelda looked at her weirdly but then she decided to help anyway so they each took a crate and pushed them all the way to the guard tower. They put them next to the entrance then stopped, satisfied with their work.

"I'm gonna go up ahead," Malon said, "You tell the guards in the tower that their milk is out here. And what ever you do, don't put them in the river."

Zelda nodded as Malon went away, back to her father at the entrance. Zelda noticed something in Malon's voice, like she knew they didn't have any appointment with anyone in the castle, but she was helping. Zelda then noticed a hole and whispered to Navi, "I think we can get in through there."

"Go for it," Navi said quietly, hidden in Zelda's hair. Zelda nodded then started to push the milk towards the river. She then realized Malon wanted these on the side to help Zelda out. It was kind of weird how she knew so she decided to ask Navi about it, "Do you think she knows?"

"Yea, she does," Navi said bluntly, "She's helping because she knows in some way it's for the best."

"Then let's not fail her, or the Deku Tree," Zelda said in quiet determination as she continued to pull the boxes towards the river.

It took until a bit after dark, but Zelda finally pushed both boxes into the river, stacked onto each other so she could jump into a water drainage pipe. She jumped off the top box and made it, so she couched down and crawled into the hole. She saw more walls on the other side while she was wet inside a pond. There were no guards around the pond, but she saw someone as a shadow; she then heard a sword being unsheathed and knew she was in trouble.

"Don't you dare move, thief," The person was defiantly young and male, but it was still a strong voice. She couldn't see any of his features, nor see any of his clothing. She began to wonder why this place was so dark; they could always light a fire to see things. But while these thoughts went inside her head, Navi flew out of her hair and knocked the shadowed boy down.

"We need to see someone and if your gonna get in the way then I'm gonna make you pay!" Navi decided to go for the low, quiet, but menacing voice; she frightened many other fairies with this voice, but something surprised her. She wasn't met with eyes full of fear; from her glow she could see blue eyes full of curiosity and slight shock.

The blue-eyed boy then spoke, "A fairy?"

Navi backed off the boy, letting her light show him; he was a young boy with dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and skin slightly darker than Zelda's. He wore a fancy blue and red outfit, lined with gold. On the shirt of the outfit lay a gold emblem, three triangles that made a triangle being held by what looked to be a large bird. The boy then looked at Zelda and put his sword away, seeing her from Navi's glow, "Are you from the forest?"

Zelda stood up in the water then answered, "Yes,"

Navi flew back to her side and stayed silent until the boy's next question, "Do you have the Kokiri Emerald?"

Zelda was silent, not knowing what he meant, so Navi answered, "He means the stone the Deku Tree gave you, but why should we give it to you? Who are you?"

The boy sighed, "You're right to not trust me, I attacked you after all. But you are who I think you are so I know it's safe; I'm Prince Link."

Zelda became wide eyed, "You're the Prince of Destiny!"

Prince Link then quickly covered her mouth and shushed her, "Not so loud, the guards will come."

Zelda nodded then Prince Link uncovered her mouth then spoke, "Come with me, we have much to discuss,"

Zelda nodded again and followed Prince Link into the castle. They passed by many servants along the way, bidding Prince Link goodnight and not minding Zelda, thinking she was just another servant. They eventually made their way to a room that Prince Link locked once they were inside. The room was not too decorative; the only decorated thing in the room was the lavish bed, filled with blue and gold. There were a couple of chairs in the room as well as a desk, a wardrobe, and a pan filled with cool water on top of a nightstand. The desk was near an open hole in the wall, a window that let in the light of the moon to see there were a few unlit candles on the desk and nightstand. Zelda quickly sat down in one of the chairs as Link was locking the door. Navi sat down on Zelda's shoulders, waiting for the Prince to speak; he did so after he sat down on one of the other chairs, "You might not realize this, but you are a very important person. What you do from now on will effect the whole kingdom."

"The whole kingdom?" Zelda asked, "The Deku Tree said I could save the forest,"

The Prince looked like he was becoming more relaxed, "He probably told you that to keep you calm, in truth, what you are about to embark on effects all of the land of Hyrule,"

Link got up as Zelda questioned what Hyrule was, as if he knew what she was going to ask. He reached under his bed and pulled out a huge sheet of paper, half as long as Zelda was tall. He laid it out in front of her and it turned out to be a map of Hyrule.

"This, and probably more, is what your journeying to save," Link said then pointed over the map as he spoke, "I need you two gather the two other Sacred Stones. The Goron Ruby is on top of Death Moutain in the care of the Goron leader, and the Zora Sapphire is within Zora's Domain with their king."

"Why do I need these Sacred Stones?" Zelda asked, tempted to take the Kokiri Emerald out of her sack. Navi noticed this and pinched her quickly, in which she did nothing.

"You'll need these to open a door," Link sighed, "Listen well to what I have to say, I hate to repeat myself."

Zelda nodded before Link continued, "The leader of the Gerudo people is here to negotiate a treaty and allegiance. I believe it's all a fraud and they intend to overthrow the king. In truth, the leader seeks a sacred power called the Triforce. The Triforce is said to be the remnants of when the three goddesses created our world and returned to the heavens. Din created the earth we stand on, Nayru created the laws of the world, and Farore created our ancestors whom uphold those laws. The Triforce is merely a fraction of their power, but it is immense. The only way to get to the Triforce is to enter the Sacred Realm; and an entrance is just south of here, inside the town. Do you remember seeing a large building in the town?"

Zelda thought back to the huge building on the right side of town, "Yea, it was on the right side out town,"

Link nodded, "That is the Temple of Time, which holds the Door of Time; the door to the Sacred Realm. The door is in the back of the church along with an altar for the Sacred Stones. Even if the door was forced open, the entrance to the Sacred Realm is said to only open when the stones are there."

"So, we're gathering the stones in one place?" Navi asked, "Isn't that kind of redundant?"

"No," Link replied quickly, "I want you two to go inside the Sacred Realm and guard the Triforce, warn any of the Sages that still are there."

"Ok, gather stones, go to the Temple of Time, and then guard the Sacred Realm from the Gerudo leader." Zelda made a list of things to do out loud.

Link then walked up to his bed, seemed to grab something and come back as he said, "There is one more thing you'll need,"

Link then sat down and revealed a blue seven-hole ocarina with a one gold lining. Zelda also saw that the three triangles was on the ocarina was well, "Well I'm set because I already have an ocarina." Zelda said as she revealed Saria's Ocarina. Link then shook his head, "No, you'll need this specific one. This is the Ocarina of Time, an heirloom passed down in my family. You'll need to play a specific song on this ocarina while the stones are on the altar to open the Door of Time."

"What song?" Zelda asked, gazing at the beautiful ocarina.

Link put the Ocarina of Time near his lips and shook his head; "I'll play it for you when you get the stones, but you will need one song on your journey, listen well."

He started to play a beautiful and slow song to Zelda, a song that Zelda thought was familiar. She ended up putting Saria's Ocarina to her lips and played the song with the Prince. In that moment she felt a bond with the Prince and wished that the moment would not end, but it did; there was a knock at the door. Link calmly got up and unlocked the door to reveal a tall, strong looking woman mostly dressed in purple.

"It's not like you to lock your door," The woman said, "Is the one from your dreams here?"

Link nodded, "Yes, come in and meet her."

The woman walked in the room and gazed at Zelda; she was exactly as the Prince described her, but there still seemed to be some disappointment. She shrugged it off and sat down in the third chair so she could talk to Zelda. Link returned to his chair as soon as the woman was situated.

The woman was the first to talk, "It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Impa; Link's caretaker and bodyguard."

Zelda suddenly felt intimidated by Impa; she was a strong woman that devoted herself to guard Link. She hid her slight fear away and gave an accidental nervous smile, "Nice to meet you, I'm Zelda."

Impa gave out a laugh, "You don't need to be scared of me,"

Zelda, embarrassed, looked to the ground and tried to resituate herself. She only perked her head once Link spoke, "Take it easy, almost everyone is intimidated by you the first time they see you,"

"Zelda's just not use to this," Navi said in a relaxed tone, "don't you two worry, I'll shape her up,"

Impa stared in disbelief, even though she shouldn't, at the fairy "You?"

If there was one thing that pissed off Navi, it was that people doubted she could do something because of her size, "You got a problem with that?"

Everyone in the room was taken a back by Navi's aggression towards Impa's reaction; it was at that point they knew they had to take her seriously or face the consequences. Navi steamed in silence as Impa continued the conversation, "We'll prepare something better for you to carry your items in, I suppose you could say it's bottomless."

Zelda titled her head, "Then how am I suppose to get things out of it?"

Immediately the Prince and his bodyguard burst into laugher at Zelda's innocence, this made Zelda even more confused. She poked Navi to see if she knew why they were laughing, but Navi was still steaming so she doubted she heard the last few seconds of the conversation.

It took about ten seconds for Link and Impa to calm down from Zelda's reaction before Link finally explained himself, "Sorry, but that's not a problem, if you know what you want you can get it from this sack. I believe we stuffed a cartful of items in it and not only did it weigh like a small sack of Rupees, but we could get any item from it,"

Zelda blinked her eyes, trying to imagine what great magic could have created this sack. She mulled over the thought and knew it would be of great use in her journey.

Impa then turned to Link, "Did you teach her your lullaby?"

Link nodded, "Just before you came in."

Zelda then automatically knew that the song she played with Link was a lullaby; she would call it Link's Lullaby from now on. Imp then stood up and looked at Zelda, "Then there is nothing else that needs to be done tonight. I'll show you to the nearest guest room, you will need your rest."

Zelda thanked Impa before she stood up herself and looked at Link kindly, "Goodnight, Prince Link,"

Link smiled, "Goodnight, Hero Zelda."

Zelda let out a giggle before Impa escorted her out of the room, leaving the Prince to sleep peacefully at long last.

Zelda, Navi (who was now sleeping in Zelda's hair), and Impa left the room and climbed down the stairs until they finally reached a hallway in which only one person was still awake; a Gerudo woman. She was dressed in their ware but it looked more formal and it was a coal black. She also seemed to have a yellow gem on her forehead. Impa regarded the woman calmly, "Gallendora, why are you still up?"

The woman regarded Impa with a smirk, "Just a walk in the gardens, it's so green here, unlike the desert."

Zelda noticed that this woman had a silky voice, but behind the silk she could heard the poison she used in her words. Zelda then hid behind Impa, scared of the Gerudo woman. She started to wonder if this was the person she was up against; if this is the Gerudo leader, Zelda thought, then I'm in for a fight.

Impa smiled, seeming not to notice the venom, "Just don't stay up too late, there is still much to discuss these next few days,"

Gallendora's smile then descended to a small frown, "Indeed there is, I look forward to it,"

Gallendora then pushed aside Impa and Zelda, leaving them to go about their way.

Zelda looked at Impa with a hint of fear in her eyes and voice, "Was that the Gerudo Leader?"

Impa nodded with a serious look on her face, "Yes, that is Gallendora, leader of the Gerudo tribe."

They then started walking as Impa explained, "The leader is suppose to be a man, for the Gerudo are a predominantly a female race. The rumor is that Gallendora was the leader's twin and she killed him in secret, making her leader."

Zelda shivered, "That's mean,"

Impa continued, "It's more than mean, it's evil. Hopefully all this will end soon and she will be brought to justice before the deed is done,"

They then came upon a door that Impa opened for her, "Here is your room, I'll bring your breakfast an hour after sunrise; goodnight, Young Hero."

Zelda then stepped into the room and immediately fell asleep as soon as she found the bed; for the first time in weeks she did not dream.

Navi was the first to awaken, the sun was just barely peaking up from the horizon and she could still hear owls and crickets in the distance. Navi left Zelda's comfortable hair and sat on the windowsill and looked towards the south. She sighed, it was now the third day of their journey and although they reached the objective, Navi could tell this was going to be a long journey. She also knew that if she wasn't there Zelda probably would never make it much farther than this, after all, they were suppose to make a journey to Death Mountain and Zora's Domain. Another particular thought came through Navi's head; can Zelda even swim? She made a note to find a pond and test that quickly.

She then thought of Death Mountain, and how a wooden shield won't survive for long there, even if it was from the Deku Tree's bark! Navi made another note to ask Impa about a proper shield. Navi sighed; she might have to make a list of things to do before they leave the castle.

Zelda awoke not even five minutes before Impa walked into her room with a tray of juice, milk, pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Zelda and Navi took the food gratefully; once again Zelda tasted one of the best things she ever eaten and Navi agreed with her, especially on the pancakes when they had syrup on them.

"That was fantastic!" Zelda exclaimed, "There are a lot more things outside the forest that are delicious!"

Impa smiled, "Glad you've enjoyed yourself, sadly you'll only be taking bread on this journey,"

"Because it last longer than most foods?" Navi asked, Impa nodded then responded, "Just don't eat it when it has green in it, but by then you could find enough rupees to by some more."

"Rupees?" Zelda asked before Impa drew out s simple green gem from her pocket, "This is a green Rupee, worth one Rupee,"

Zelda gazed at the shining stone, attracted by it's shininess before Impa put it away, "Blue are worth five, red are worth twenty, other currencies are rare but believe there is a rupee that is worth one hundred."

Zelda nodded, thankfully she knew how to count, "that'll help, I guess,"

Impa replied swiftly, "Trust me, it will,"

Zelda and Impa heard the door open once more and they saw Prince Link come inside with a strange sack that had straps, "This is the sack we told you about, we call it a 'backpack' because you can hang it on your back,"

Link then offered the backpack to Zelda who saw there was still a regular way to open the sack, so she proceeded to open it and saw a huge void with random items floating within it. She started to wonder how far down it goes. Link noticed this, "Don't fall it, we don't know what happens to living things yet, but we assume you'll be trapped until someone wants you out,"

Navi raised an eyebrow, "So your saying this thing could become a portable prison… interesting."

Link blinked his eyes, realizing what his words meant and let out a nervous laugh, "When you put it that way I suppose it can be."

Zelda smiled then emptied her current sack into the backpack; it made her smile when she saw Saria's Ocarina float inside. Link then closed the backpack to Zelda who fitted it onto her back with her sword and shield.

"Oh! Before I forget, where can we get a proper shield?" Navi asked. Impa answered this, "Right down in the town, I shall buy one on the way out for you."

Link nodded, "Right then, you have a week's worth of food in there but I suggest restocking in Kakriko Village as soon as you're done with Death Mountain; that's where you'll be heading first."

Zelda became a little nervous about the name, hopefully it will be more friendly than it's title suggests.

Link then spoke once more, "I have much work to do so I cannot accompany you, not to mention someone has to keep an eye on Gallendora. Impa shall escort you to the river near Kakriko Village; you'll go through the village and exit to the north to get to Death Mountain."

Zelda nodded, "North exit, got it. Thank you for everything Prince Link."

Link smiled, "You'll pay me back for it all soon enough, goodbye Zelda. May the Goddesses smile upon your journey."

Link then gave Zelda a quick bow and left the room, leaving Zelda, Navi, and Impa to leave at their leisure a few minutes later.

This is the part where you kill me for making Gannon a woman (hides behind many boxes, surrounded by guard dogs, surrounded by many cannons, and surrounded by a moat of lava) in all honesty, I didn't want to make him a woman at first; it was an idea my friend pitched to me when I told him about this story. I mulled over it for a bit and I decided "Why not? I have ideas that can make it work!" and here we are; with lots of Zelda fans hunting me down with torches, pitchforks, and who knows what else 0.0 Hopefully I'll survive long enough to complete this story.