Zelda's Tale

Link stood staring at the girl, Navi floated above his head doing the same. The princess laughed at the look on his face. "I look really different don't I?" Link suddenly realized with a start that those beautiful round blue eyes were the same eyes that belonged to the girl from the festival. He nodded still staring.

"You still don't like to talk do you." She said bluntly but with good humor. "My caretaker Impa takes me into the town sometimes. But I must disguise myself so that no one knows it is me." Link nodded again and the moment grew into silence. The princess took the moment to look once again through the window. When she looked back at Link her face was solemn.

"I knew you would come," She sighed and smiled slightly. "I have been dreaming of you since I was very little."

Link cocked his head to the side. "Dreaming of me?"

Zelda smiled fully again, "Yes. In my dream everything is dark and the sky if full of stormy clouds and lighting. I am standing in the fields of Hyrule on the edge of the forest, and I am cold." Her eyes grew animated and she lifted her arms to the sky staring at something that only she could see. "Suddenly a light burst from the forest and in the light stood a boy dressed in green like a forest child and holding a great green stone shining in his hand. Behind the boy was a fairy." She looked back at Link smiling radiantly. Link dipped his hand slowly into his pouch and withdrew the green stone. When Zelda saw the stone she closed her eyes and sighed, smile still playing at her lips. "Yes, I knew you were the one." Suddenly she opened her eyes and looked at him curiously.

"I am sorry, I was so caught up in my story I forgot to ask your name."

"Link," he said, more forcefully that he had intended. He cleared his throat and said more softly, "Its Link."

"Odd, I feel that I have heard that name before." She waved the thought away and beckoned to Link. "Come here, I must show you the reason I believe you have come."

Link approached the princess and was led to the window. The window opened into a large throne room. Many courtly dressed people stood about a throne in which sat the king, clothed in royal red. As his eyes roamed the room, he began to feel a cold feeling creeping into his stomach growing more intense when his eyes strayed upon the figure kneeling at the foot of the throne.

The man had the look of the western tribes about him: olive skin, red hair, and amber eyes. His clothes were a sandy color and he was heavily laid with armor. Link did not like the look of him.

"You feel it too." Zelda said softly. Link looked at her and realized she had been watching him. "That man is Gannondorf, king of the Gerudos." she said looking back out the window. "He has come to create a pact of peace between the Gerudos and the Hylians, but I feel an evil in him." Link nodded and felt Navi wobble on his head.

The three sat and watched the events that transpired in the throne room. There were unable to hear what was said but could tell by actions of the men that the negotiations were going well. Zelda's face was growing darker and darker and Link began to feel a horrible sense of foreboding. Suddenly, as though he had always known they were there, the cruel amber eyes of the Gerudo man turned toward them. Link and Zelda ducked out of the window quickly.

"Link, we must do something." The young boy turned to his new friend and saw the fear in her eyes. "I am afraid that this peace will not last long."

Link swallowed roughly then finally spoke, his voice small, "The Great Deku, the father of the kokiri, told me that a man from the west was being used by a great darkness to seek the triforce. The man tried to steal the stone from The Great Deku, but could not. He poisoned him instead."

Zelda's hand flew to her mouth in horror. "No!" Link nodded his head sadly. Zelda's horrified eyes grew stern and she balled her hand into a fist. "That is why he is here, to steal the triforce. We must keep it from him."

"We don't even know where it is." Link argued.

Zelda shook her head. "I think I do. My mother used to tell me stories about Old Hyrule." She adjusted her hair thinking hard, then looked at Link seriously. "Link you have to swear to me that you won't tell a soul want I am about to tell you." Links eyes grew wide and he nodded vigorously. "A long time ago there was a huge temple that spread over the land of Hyrule,"

"Yes! Talon told me about that!" Link said suddenly. Zelda merely nodded.

"The temple was ruled and guarded by three Keepers: the Keeper of Wisdom, the Keeper of Power, and the Keeper of Courage. These three Keepers, protected the triforce of the Goddesses and gave counsel to the King of Hyrule."

"Where did the Keepers come from?" Link found himself asking. He reached up to brush lightly at Navi who was pulling hard on his hair unconsciously, her attention fixed on the princess.

"Well my mother told me that each temple would host a school where the children of Hyrule would be taught of the nature of our world. My mother told me that in the event that one of the Keepers should die, the children from the schools would be brought to the temple of light where they would be presented with the Attribute stone of the dead keeper?"

"Attribute stone?" Link lowered his eyebrows in confusion. Zelda was patient with him however and explained.

"The three Atributes are the three powers the Goddesses used to create the world. Wisdom, Power, and Courage. In order to determine who would be keeper, three stones were forged and placed into a great statue of the three Goddesses. These stones were the keys to the vault in which the triforce was held. I believe you hold the Stone of Courage in your hand now."

"Wait their the keys to the triforce?"

"Yes now don't get ahead of me. Anyway, when the child touched the Attribute stone they somehow knew that that child would be the new Keeper. Understand now?" Link nodded but was not quite sure that he was. "Well a long time ago, thousands of years," she exaggerated throwing her arms wide, "one of the Keepers went bad. He demanded the triforce for himself, commanding that he alone was worthy of its full power. For it is said that he who holds the triforce commands the very nature of our world." Links eyes grew more wide as he listened. "There was a horrible fight and the keeper of power killed the keeper courage."

Link gasped. "But why?" Zelda gave a slight smile, obviously enjoying the telling of her tail.

"Because he was an evil horrible man." She replied as though it were obvious.

"Oh." Link said slightly deflated.

"Anyway when Gannon was not allowed the triforce he began destroying the temple tearing it apart to find the triforce. In a last attempt to keep it safe the Keeper of Knowledge cast a great spell and sealed up one room of the temple keeping it safe while the rest of the temple fell, and banishing the stones to the three corners of hyrule."

By this time Link and Navi's mouths were hanging open and their eyes were fixed on the princess who looked slightly smug. A moment whent by and Link asked, "What happened to the two Keepers?"

Zelda suddenly turned and looked down at the ground seriously. "No one knows. The sealed room still stands here in Hyrule town but no one can get into it. It is sealed by magic and can only be opened with the keys." Her head lifted and her blue eyes settled upon Links meaningfully.

"The keys?" He then looked down at the stone in his hand and looked back up excitedly. "You mean the stones?"

Zelda nodded. "I think the room that was sealed is where the triforce is hidden." She was suddenly very serious once more, all signs of childish excitement gone from her face. "We need to get to it before Gannondorf does. And if he went after that stone," she said pointing at the green gem in Links hand. "then he knows how to open the door as well."

Link nodded. "We have to get to the stones before he does." Zelda looked suddenly nervous. "Link, I am the princess. I cannot leave these walls." The boy looked around and realized the truth of this. "Im afraid, if this is to be done, you must do it on your own." Link suddenly looked scared. Zelda put a hand on his shoulder. "Please Link, I need your help."

Link looked down to the grass and flours of the garden. He wanted to go home to his tree house and do as he always had before. He wanted to find Saria and listen to her play her ocarina and to her stories.

Link, I believe this is why the Great Deku sent you here. Navi's mind voice surprised the boy. She had not spoken in quite some time.

I am afraid.

So are we all I think. Look at the Princess. Link looked up and saw that there was a small tear in her eye. She was staring at him in earnest. With that one tear Link suddenly had all the courage in the world. He stood up straighter and nodded.

"I will go." Zelda laughed with relief and Link smiles crookedly in return.

"Wonderful! You must go quickly!" She took him by the hand and began leading him through the garden.

"But I don't know where I'm going."

Zelda suddenly stopped. She thought for a moment then turned to the boy. "I don't know either." Then her eyes became large and round and she cried. "The Great Fairy!"

"The what?"

"The Great Fairy!" Link stepped backwards from Zelda's sudden excitement and the force of Navi's voice in his head. They had both said 'the Great Fairy' in unison the second time and it had give the small boy quite a shock.

"The Great Fairy is the messenger of the Goddesses."

She is a servant much like the Great Deku.

"She is ancient and full of wisdom. Kings and Queens of old would go to her shrine to ask for her guidance."

"You have spoken to her?"

"Well no."

"How do you know she will talk to me?"

Zelda bit her lip thinking hard again. "I do not know but it is worth a try."

"How do I find her?"

Zelda looked suddenly woeful. "I don't know, she had a shrine here but no one knows where it is." She looked up, "I believe there may be a shrine somewhere on Death Mountain, but it is so dangerous. Perhaps if you were to ask the Gorons, they could help you to see her."

Link nodded his head trying to remember all that the princess had said so far.

"But no one will just let you in. The Gorons are very cautious and I have heard the Great Fairy rarely speaks to any but royalty." She reached into a pocket of her dress and withdrew the beautiful ocarina she had showed him at the festival. "I must play you the song."

"The song?"

"Yes, the royal lullaby. It has been played to the royal children for generations and was used in times of war to prove loyalty. If you play this song no one will question you sent you."

Zelda put the stone flute to her lips and blew softly through the mouth piece. A pure sweet note graced the air and swelled into song. Link's breath caught in his throat and he felt like he had never heard music before this. It was not the song, but the sweet sound of Zelda's ocarina. It was like nothing Link had ever heard before. When the princess had finished the song, Link suddenly remembered to breath. Zelda looked at him confused, and then smiled. "Yes this ocarina had a habit of doing that to people. It has been passed down through the royal family for generation, since before the great fall of the temple. Will you remember the song?" Link felt that he would never in his life forget the song. A deep magic from the ocarina had cast a spell on him, to never forget. He nodded his head reverently.

"Good. Now please hurry, Impa will take you out of the castle safely." She gestured and Link was surprised to see that the tall silver haired woman stood in the arched entrance to the garden. "Please return as soon as you can. Much depends on you Link." The boy nodded and began to walk away with the woman, staring nervously at the eye that was tattooed to her chest as well as embroidered upon her clothing.

"And Link, thank you." Link tried to look back, but was being ushered away too quickly.