AN: So, slightly shorter chapter this week, but that's just how these things go, right? I'd like to say a great big thanks to RyoKushei, silverheartlugia2000, and Um I lost my name for being the first to review this story, as well as to those who favourited and/or followed. Thank you!
As a slight aside, I'm thinking of maybe changing my update schedule, because though I'm fond of updating on Wednesdays I'm not enjoying this whole fornightly updates thing. Would anyone be interested in weekly updates, instead?
But for now let's get on with the story. Here's chapter two, enjoy!

2- First Blood

Link was leaving Ordon. It was decided. He couldn't sit still any longer, waiting for the inevitable to happen. If he went now, he might be able to stop it before things got crazy, like they usually did. Maybe he'd be able to keep everyone from getting hurt this way.

So he was leaving, alone, in the dead of night. He'd been planning for a week, since that sunny day with Ilia and the slingshot, but now the moment had finally come. With his bag slung over a shoulder, a borrowed sword hanging heavy at his side, and a blanket bundled under his arm, he was ready to go. All he needed to do was find Ganondorf. Find him and kill him. He had done it before, countless times. It would be easy.

He could do it.

Faron Woods had never felt as intimidating as they did that night, full of deep blue shadows and the faint rustle of leaves like voices whispering to him. In fact, he had never felt so afraid of a forest as he did then, making his way slowly across the rope bridge leading out of Ordon. His hand felt clammy where he gripped the handle of his lantern, its light stretching no further than the edge of the bridge. Everything under him was darkness; he'd never been fond of the ravine.

He crept on, half expecting-or maybe hoping-someone would call after him, stopping him from going. He felt bad for not saying goodbye to anyone, but they'd just force him to stay.

Plus, he didn't plan on being gone for long. It would be simple. Find Ganondorf, kill him, come home.

Simple.

A gust of wind blew by, setting the bridge swaying, and Link cringed away from it, tightening his grip on the flimsy railing as his hair blew in his eyes. The lantern flickered wildly, until Link feared it would go out completely. This bridge was the worst.

But he persevered, putting one foot in front of the other till he reached the other side. He paused then, legs a little shaky, hoiking his bag up before settling his free hand on the pommel of his sword. He'd… borrowed it from Rusl earlier that day. It was big, and heavy. Almost too heavy. Link could honestly barely lift it. It made him feel lopsided where it hung against his hip, but he had no way to secure it across his back as he was used to, so he'd have to make do.

The woods were quiet as he walked. His only company was the wind, which brought with it the occasional faint cry of a monster, never near enough to be a threat. Link told himself he wasn't afraid. A walk in the woods at night was nothing compared to some of the things he'd seen.

Well, remembered seeing.

Somehow it wasn't quite the same.

Chewing the insides of his cheeks Link paced on, swinging his lantern as he hummed softly to distract himself, already missing his bed, his friends, his home. He bit down a little harder before he could start thinking about that, focusing instead on his path. He'd only gone past the bridge a few times; occasionally as a dare, more rarely to visit the abandoned house just before the fields. Link had heard talk of someone planning on setting up shop there, but as far as he knew no one had yet.

It might have been nice, to see at least one friendly face.

As it was, though, the house was silent, its windows dark and empty. As he passed Link peered up at them, lifting his lantern slightly to see better. The orange glow didn't reach far enough, though, so he gave up and walked on. With his free hand he rummaged in his bag, tugging out the map of Hyrule Jaggle had given him a while ago. He studied it for a moment, wondering how long it would take him to reach the next hamlet. If he could reach it by nightfall the next day that would be best…

But he couldn't work it out, so gave up after a minute. Better to put as much distance between him and Ordon as he could, before someone came looking for him. He could just see Rusl charging down a road after him, maybe throwing him bodily over a shoulder in order to drag him back to the village.

Link wouldn't allow it.

So he picked up the pace a little, striding past the old house along the somewhat narrow path to the world beyond. For a few metres the walls on either side pressed close before they abruptly fell away and he was out, making his way into the fields. A glance at his map told him they were vast, as did memories of previous Hyrules. In fact, when Link took another moment to study the map, he realised all at once that Hyrule was actually a pretty big place. It might take him months, years, to find Ganondorf.

It had been easier, in his past lives. Ganondorf had always made a scene; he'd been easy to find.

This time though…

Squaring his jaw Link shoved the map into his pocket, refusing to let himself feel disheartened. He would find Ganondorf, no matter how long it took. If it meant he could protect Ordon, and maybe not have to go through what he'd gone through so many times before, then it was worth it. However long it took.

He ended up having to get his map out all over again a few minutes later, because he really didn't want to get lost in the darkness. The plains were big, and probably full to the brim with monsters too. For good measure Link patted his sword lightly, trying not to stray off the path he was following.

That was made easier by the fact that there was a small ditch on either side of it, though Link did stumble into them a good few times when he got distracted or his eyes strayed from his feet.

What could he say? It was dark, despite the lantern and the stars, which were bright that night. Everything was indistinct silhouettes, though occasionally Link thought he saw or heard movement, just outside the ring of light his lantern cast.

Really, then, he shouldn't have been surprised when the bokoblin ran at him. There suddenly came the thud of quickly approaching feet, which gave Link a few seconds' warning, and then it came careening out of the shadows, rusty machete held high. Its squawk mingled with Link's yelp of surprise as he stumbled back, fumbling for his blade, barely managing to unsheathe it as he staggered, nearly tripping. He raised it just in time for the bokoblin's machete to crash into it with a sharp clang and an even sharper jolt up his arm that sent him back another step.

Under the combined weight of the sword and the bokoblin's swing Link nearly dropped his weapon; in his desperation to not be sliced in half he abandoned his lantern to grip the weapon in both hands. It clattered to the ground but didn't go out, throwing strange shadows over the monster looming over him.

The bokoblin swung again. Its ear-piercing shriek made Link's ears ring as he just barely managed to deflect the attack, staggering under its force.

He started to panic. His mouth went dry, his heart sped up, his legs seemed torn between locking up or turning to water as he stumbled back again, with a jolt realising he was being driven away from his only light source.

This wasn't supposed to be happening. How many monsters had he killed, over his lifetimes? This should have been easy; it was basically the only thing he knew how to do.

But he could barely lift his sword. For all his memories of using weapons he himself didn't actually know how to use them. The muscle memory just wasn't there.

He'd never killed anything before.

As the bokoblin advanced again Link sucked in a sharp, vaguely hysterical breath, hefting his sword up and swinging haphazardly. He'd been relearning how to use a sword from Rusl, but in the face of an actual attack all his lessons had vanished, leaving him with little more than his frantic desire to not die.

There was another shriek as Link felt his blade connect, though barely, and he cringed back instinctively at the sound. His success only seemed to enrage the bokoblin as it towered over him, eyes burning in the lantern light.

Link swung again before the bokoblin could, mustering his strength to bring his sword down as hard as he was able, a weak battle cry leaving him as he did. By some pure stroke of luck his blade struck the bokoblin's shoulder; it hit something solid but Link drove it down, squeezing his eyes shut as his arms protested. The monster was screaming. Link felt like he might be screaming too. Something warm-he knew what it was-spattered his arms, his tunic, his face.

And then his sword was cutting through thin air. He stumbled from the sudden loss of resistance, eyes snapping open as he nearly ran into the bokoblin. He watched as it collapsed in on itself, crumbling to dust as monsters always did. First skin, then bone, then it was gone.

Swallowing Link took a deep breath, doubling over when a wave of nausea slammed into him. He retched, eyes watering as the acidic taste of bile filled his mouth, stumbling slightly as he coughed and spluttered. There was a soft clatter as he dropped his sword, leaning on his knees as he tried to breathe. He dug his fingers into the fabric of his trousers, head pounding, heart racing. Shutting his eyes again he tried to pull himself together.

This was supposed to be easy. He was supposed to know how to do this.

Clearly he didn't have the first clue. It occurred to him that remembering something and actually living through it were actually pretty different. Of course both of them were difficult, though. Of course they were.

He just couldn't catch a break.

Maybe he should go back. Obviously he was in way over his head. If he gave it a few years, trained with Rusl some more…

Link straightened. No. He couldn't. It had barely been an hour yet, but he was already having doubts? He didn't have the Triforce of Courage for nothing, after all. It had to mean something, right? His courage was his own, not the Triforce's, right?

So he'd keep going. He would.

Scrubbing the back of a hand against his mouth fiercely Link gulped a few more deep breaths, his stomach thankfully settled now. He hadn't expected to react so badly to killing that bokoblin. But the feeling of slicing through its bones, it shrill screams of pain…

He wouldn't think about it. It had attacked him, after all. What else could he have done?

Bending Link picked up his sword gingerly, then went to collect his lantern. Its flickering light revealed his hands now free of the blood that had splattered on them; it always disappeared when the monster it belonged to did. Weird as it was, it made sword maintenance a lot easier.

With a soft sigh Link sheathed his weapon, still hating how lopsided it made him feel. It had to be almost half his height. Not exactly meant to be wielded by a kid.

Link glared at it for a moment before he started walking again, sticking to the ditch on the left-hand side of the road. To prevent any more mishaps with the lantern he tied it to his belt, where it bumped against his thigh as he walked. The constant soft clanks it made were weirdly calming, as was the faint warmth it emanated.

The rest of the night passed uneventfully, much to Link's relief. It didn't take long for his legs to start aching, or his boots to start rubbing, but he persevered, following the road as it wound its way through the fields. He took a few breaks here and there, ever on the lookout for another attack, but none came. The only monsters he saw were bombskits, but they just ran off whenever he got near. The rest stayed in the shadows, occasionally screeching or growling and making Link jump.

At least summer was approaching, which meant the nights were getting shorter. When the sun finally began to rise Link realised he could make out the next civilisation in the distance; a small cluster of buildings surrounded, unsurprisingly, by fields.

As the sun climbed higher and the word started to brighten Link blew out the lantern, noting with some displeasure how little oil was left in it. He probably should have stocked up on that.

Well, it didn't matter now that the sun was coming up. Hopefully the hamlet up ahead would have some to spare, not that he really planned on travelling by night again, unless he had to. That had just been to prevent anyone from Ordon trying to stop him.

When Link drew closer he found that the hamlet, named 'Field's End' according to his map, was just that; a hamlet. There was a large farm and a tavern for passing travellers, surrounded a handful of houses. And fields. There were a lot of fields. Why it was called Field's End when, clearly, the fields continued on all around it, Link didn't know.

It was bigger than Ordon, and Link wasn't sure how to feel about that. It was true that he had memories of big cities, bigger villages-it wasn't all that hard for a place to be bigger than Ordon-but all he'd ever known was Ordon. Its seven houses, its ranch, its river, all nestled in a little valley. The rest of the world was so big, in comparison.

Though he wouldn't admit it, Link felt almost intimidated as he passed into the village, skirting around a pair of hooded, cloaked travellers walking in the opposite direction. He turned to watch them go, wondering who they were, where they were headed. They could probably handle the outside world a lot better than him. For a moment he considered tagging along with someone, but the thought made him uncomfortable so he cast it aside.

So, tired and battered as he was, there was only one logical place for him to head.

The inn was warm when he finally managed to shoulder open its heavy front door, and quiet. There were still traces of sunrise in the sky, after all. They were probably just opening for business.

Taking a second to catch his breath from his battle with the door Link looked around; he'd never seen an inn with his own two eyes before. It was warm and dark in a cosy kind of way, with a low, beamed ceiling and small windows set at intervals along its pale walls. There was a smouldering fireplace on the back wall and a shiny bar opposite it, with a row of low tables in between. A couple of other people were already there; a postman slumped in a corner, a pair of Gorons seeming to take up half the room, a Hylian reclining on one of the benches.

Link made his way to the bar, clambering onto one of the stools when he realised he couldn't see over the top of it. Rising onto his knees he waited for what he assumed was the innkeeper to notice him. When she did she drifted over, a friendly smile on her face.

'Well hello there, child,' she said, her airy voice feeling kind of condescending. 'How can I help? Are you lost?'

Shaking his head Link explained he was just passing through, wondering how anyone could get lost in such a small place, before being distracted by the amusement on the innkeeper's face. Somehow, for whatever reason, he was being laughed at.

Was it because he was a kid? How rude.

'You're very brave, to be travelling on your own,' the innkeeper commented, in that same soft voice. 'The plains are no place for a child such as yourself.'

Link resisted the urge to say something rude, instead opting to tell her he was looking for someone, and that it was super important that he find them. She seemed interested at first, but when he asked her if she'd seen any Gerudo passing through her expression turned blank, confused.

'Ge-ru-do? What's a Gerudo?' She blinked, then smiled, laughing softly. 'Oh, do you mean Gorons? We see them all the time in these parts! A lot of them are travelling salesmen.'

To mask his surprise, and his disappointment, Link smiled weakly. She didn't know who the Gerudo were? Did rural Hylians not know about them anymore? He wasn't sure how long it had been since his last lifetime, but he was pretty sure most Hylians had at least known of the Gerudo, even if it was just from stories or history books.

They couldn't have vanished since then, surely?

If they had, then… things suddenly seemed a whole lot more complicated.

Well, he could handle that. He was used to things being difficult. It seemed to just be one of those things that came with being the reincarnation of the legendary hero.

All the same it didn't stop him from slumping a little where he sat, unable to help a sigh. That, at the very least, earned him the sympathy of the innkeeper, who offered him a glass of milk on the house to 'ease some of his worries'. He took it gratefully, shifting about until he could swing his legs lightly as they dangled from the stool.

He decided, then, to head to the city next. It would take a while, but if Ganondorf was likely to be anywhere, it would be there. That or the desert, but Link didn't even want to think about how he was supposed to get there just yet. If he had to scour all the little villages and hamlets that were scattered all over his map he would, but he'd much rather avoid that if he could. Ganondorf didn't strike him as the type to settle for a life in the country.

No, he was more suited to invading castles and using those.

Link tightened his grip on his small wooden cup, scowling down at its contents. He'd make sure it didn't happen this time. He would.

Determined and set on his next destination Link wasted as little time as he could at Field's End. Even though the people were friendly, and he could have happily found a place to rest in its peaceful atmosphere, he didn't want to waste a single minute. Sure, he was tired and his feet hurt, but he could handle it. He needed to press on. He needed to find Ganondorf.

So with that in mind he finished his milk and set out. He wound his way through the little hamlet, looking around at the cluster of houses, every so often stopping to pet a few of the sheep he passed. They were everywhere, dotted around most of the fields that weren't full of crops or cows, some clustered close enough to the fences that he could angle a hand through to stroke their noses without having to go out of his way to reach them.

It made him think of Ordon, of helping Fado up at the ranch. He couldn't believe he was already so homesick.

To distract himself he fished an apple from his bag, not wanting to make the next leg of his journey on nothing but a glass of milk. He ate as he walked, sometimes tilting his head back to watch the clouds, very occasionally passing another traveller. He got a few funny looks, probably because he was a kid, but offered nothing more than slight nods in return. There was no point in getting worked up. He knew he probably shouldn't be out travelling on his own, but he didn't have a choice. It was that or carry on just waiting for Ganondorf to appear.

And he couldn't do that. It was exhausting.

He'd definitely need to work on his swordsmanship, though. Last night had been way, way too close. Thinking about it made his stomach clench uncomfortably. He could still hear the bokoblin's screams, feel its blood on his skin. Feel the jarring sensation in his arms as his sword met bone.

Link stopped walking as a wave of nausea rolled over him and he leant on his knees, holding his breath while he waited for it to pass.

Why was he reacting so badly? He'd killed hundreds, thousands of monsters over his lives. Some of them while he'd been the same age as he was now. He was being ridiculous. It had just been a bokoblin. And it had run at him. He'd just been protecting himself.

Swallowing he straightened, rubbing his eyes as he walked on. He got the feeling it was going to be a long day.