Thanks as ever for all the reviews. I don't have a lot to say, today, so I won't.
Chapter 7
Hyrule Castle Town
His stay in Tarseth taught Link much of the geography of Hyrule, as well as its history. The borders of the Lost Woods stretched for many leagues in the south east of the land, and Link had emerged close to their most southern point. Tarseth was a little more than twenty leagues from the edge of the forest, but it was more than a hundred leagues again from there to Hyrule's capital.
The going was easier after he had left that first city. He knew what to expect more, was more prepared for the road. He had left the forest in such a state and with such haste that he had had nothing left to confront the difficulties of Hyrule's fields. Now, instead, he was ready for the privations of the journey. He was well rested and had provisions to keep him going for a long time.
Many nights were spent in the open, and Link did not follow roads all the time. The further north he travelled, though, the more he found civilisation and all its trappings. There were more towns, villages and homesteads where he was able to renew his supplies. As well as this, Archon had introduced him to the idea of cooking and preparing meat, so food was much easier than during that first stage of his journey.
The land was also more cultivated as his expedition progressed. He found himself walking through aggregated fields, passing hedgerows and jumping stiles, rather than crossing wide open plains as he had done in the south. The north of Hyrule was much more heavily populated.
He found it quite easy to rely on people's kindness and generosity once he overcame the memory of the baker's threats in Tarseth. Every night he spent in the open, especially in those early days, he played his ocarina as he watched the moon and stars before sleeping. It proved easy to get money when he reached places of habitation by playing for townsfolk. The diligent child on his dogged journey, though he always refused to explain his reasons, caused many to smile and spare him a green or blue rupee. When they heard the melodies of his ocarina, they were even more willing to give him money.
This was even more true of those who noticed Navi, though she always remained discreet and did not show herself often. Nonetheless, those who saw her and knew what a fairy meant thought they were aiding the ambassador of the Little People, and so hoped the goddesses would smile on them for their kindness.
After several weeks on the road, he knew he was finally drawing near to his destination. Smaller hamlets and villages were clustered much more intensely close to the seat of the royal family, and as he came into the environs of Castle Town, he found an abundance of places to stay.
The people he stayed with and who he met told him he was now barely eight leagues from the city walls. Hope burned strongly within him at the expectation of reaching the city as another day drew to a close. It was late afternoon and his shadow was beginning to lengthen. A dirt track turned off the road to his left, leading to a house in the distance. Tired after the day's exertions, he followed the track towards the house.
After a hundred yards, he could also see a barn and outbuildings as well as a paddock and a corral. Before he reached the house, he saw a girl skipping towards him. She had long, red hair that fell far down the back of her yellow, patterned dress, and could not have been older than ten or eleven. She giggled as she came towards him.
"Hello," she said, bright and smiling. Her enthusiasm was infectious. Link smiled, tired but hopeful, happy to meet her.
"Hi," he replied. "I'm Link."
"Link? That's a funny name! My name's Malon."
"Hello Malon. It's very nice to meet you." The little girl was distracted by Navi's words and her eyes went wide at the sight of the fairy. Navi's blue white light glowed more brightly at this vibrant child.
"Wow, is that a fairy?" asked Malon. "Are you from the forest, fairy boy?"
"Yes, she's my fairy," said Link.
"Is she your best friend?"
Link nodded, happily. "One of them."
"Who are the others?"
"The others are a long way from here."
"Are they from the forest, too?" Link nodded again. "Do you want to meet my best friend, fairy boy?" She did not wait for his response, but turned and moved away towards the paddock. Link followed after her.
She led him to the paddock and over to where a small foal was lying on the floor. It was a beautiful chestnut, with white mane, tail and fetlocks.
"This is Epona, fairy boy. She's very young, but she's already my best friend." Epona stood and whinnied, immediately recognising Malon. "My father gave her to me." Link went closer to the young horse and reached out a hand to stroke her. She whinnied again, shaking her head and shying away from him. He looked to Malon uncertainly.
"She's just being silly because she doesn't know you yet," Malon assured him. Determinedly, Link stepped forward and reached out to the horse, running his hand gently but firmly down her neck. The horse seemed to change her attitude immediately and nuzzled Link's shoulder with her nose. Malon giggled.
"I think Epona likes you, fairy boy!"
"Where is your father?" asked Navi.
"Oh, he's making sure the cows are all in their barn. He owns the whole of the ranch." From Malon's tone, it was obvious that the whole of the ranch was a pretty big place to own, in her opinion. "It's nearly evening. Will you stay here tonight?"
"Yes please," Link grinned, still stroking Epona's soft neck.
"Hey, Malon. Who've you got there with you?"
Link turned at the new voice and saw a large man coming towards them. He was dressed in a checked red shirt and dungarees which held in an ample stomach. A big black moustache bristled in his red face, beneath wiry hair that was clearly thinning.
Giggling once more, Malon ran to her father and he caught her beneath her arms, swinging her into the air.
"He's a fairy boy from the forest!" she exclaimed when he put her down again. The man looked at Link and Navi appraisingly.
"Is that so?" he said, coming closer. He stretched out a hand. Link shook it, tentatively. "Pleased to meet you. If you're from the forest, you're more than welcome at Lon Lon Ranch." Something in his tone suggested he did not totally believe Link was from the forest, fairy or not, but was happy to indulge him anyway. "The name's Talon."
"My name's Link," replied the kokiri.
"And I'm Navi," chipped in his companion.
"Well, it's very nice to have you here. Where are you folks making for?"
"Hyrule Castle Town," answered Link.
"Is that so? It's a bit late for you to be heading on tonight, but it just so happens I'll be taking a cart to Castle Town first thing in the morning. I've got some business there, and Malon will be going to. Fancy staying here tonight and joining us tomorrow?"
Link agreed readily. That evening was one of the most pleasant of his journey. The food Talon served was superb. Malon chattered incessantly, with her father happy to pitch in comments here and there. Link answered their questions but for the most part he was perfectly content just listening to them talk.
At the end of the evening, Talon took him up to Malon's little room and made up a bed on the floor. A full stomach and high hopes for the morning, after a more than enjoyable evening, meant it did not take him long to fall asleep.
It was still dark when Talon shook him awake. Malon was already pattering around the room, wide awake. Link rubbed the sleep from his eyes and dressed quickly before following them downstairs. Talon put breakfast in front of him and disappeared outside. Malon ate happily, but Link was still too asleep to properly notice his hunger. He steadily made his way through the meal.
Their food finished, Malon led him outside and to the barn. The cart was almost ready. A man named Ingo was fastening a horse into its harness while Talon loaded things onto the back. The crates of milk bottles and pallets of eggs were still fairly alien to the kokiri, although he had seen similar things on several ranches and in markets, now.
These preparations complete, Talon helped Link and his daughter onto the cart and then clambered up himself. Din's Fire was just pushing above the horizon when they rattled down the track and back onto the road.
The sun steadily rose higher, and after several hours Link's anticipation had grown even more now he knew he was on the verge of finishing his journey. The cart travelled along the Royal Road, passed several towns. They began to ascend a hill, and as they passed over its crest Hyrule Castle Town was revealed, lying before them and in the bright mid morning.
Link had espied Tarseth long before he had reached it, but Castle Town, approached from the south, was hidden from view by hills until any traveller was less than a league from its great drawbridge.
The city walls were as tall if not taller than the fortifications around Tarseth. The fast flowing river that ran from east to west had long ago had its course altered so it ran like a canal along the walls built on its northern bank. The threshold in the gates was heavily defended, and the drawbridge that was currently lowered to allow the daily traffic in and out closed every evening, only opening with the rising of the sun.
More impressive than the city walls, though, was the hill that could be seen beyond them. It stood in the centre of the city, and the entire urban sprawl was laid around. It was entirely bare of houses or other buildings, and seen from a distance appeared odd, a large empty space of green in the centre of the busy metropolis. Atop the hill, though, was the breath-taking sight of Hyrule Castle, shining in the morning sun. Its three great towers reared into the sky, clearly visible even from this distance, and it quite stunned Link. It made him flush now to remember he had thought the little temple in Tarseth could be this great castle.
As the cart rattled over the timbers of the drawbridge and passed under the arch, Link felt a thrill of excitement. The weeks had slowly firmed his resolve to fulfil his quest, and he also felt more able to do so now. Finally, he was close to that fulfilment.
Of course, that was not to say that he had been glad of the journey, but he had come to accept it and eventually even enjoy it. He could never consider leaving the forest to have been a good thing, and every five minutes as he had moved north, he found something reminding him or causing him to think of Saria or the Deku Tree, and each time his heart still leapt with an aching poignancy.
That pain was less, now, though. Both he and Navi had found that the further they had travelled, the harder they sought to do as the Deku Tree had commanded them, the better they were able to endure their grief. It had hardened into steely resolve.
Now, finally, he was inside Hyrule Castle Town itself. Once he was inside the walls, he could see Castle Hill rising up in the centre of the city, and the home of the Hyrulian royal family shone white and blue in the bright sun.
Needing to make their deliveries, Malon and Talon deposited Link on the busy main road that led straight to the castle, and went about their business. Shouldering his pack, with Navi hovering close to his shoulder, he began to walk along the road.
In itself, the city was not unlike Tarseth in its display of the trappings and glamour of any urban centre. What struck Link, as he steadily made his way along the busy street, was how much grander Castle Town seemed, compared to any of the other places he had seen. The buildings, at least on the heavily populated thoroughfare, were beautiful and elegant, and the people who bustled to and fro were dressed in better and more impressive clothes and colours than in other places.
Link also noticed that, if it was possible, Castle Town was even busier than Tarseth had been. The throngs of people came and went and barely noticed anything except finding the quickest way through the crowd to their destination.
He also noticed that if the business and grandeur of the city was proportionately greater than in other places, so was the poverty. There were more beggars on the street, more people asking for spare rupees, more people who looked as it they had nowhere to go when the shoppers went to their warm homes. Link noticed several, sat at the edge of the road calling to passers by with thin baskets or hats before them. Overcome with pity at one point, Link bought a beggar a fish from a nearby stall. He found it did not help, though, as all those who saw him do it wanted him to help them as well. Eventually he had to turn his back on their pleas just to get away.
After following the busy road for some while, Link found the famous Market of the Castle Town. This was a large square, and if Link had thought the road was busy he realised now he had been quite mistaken. It was almost dead compared to the Market. The rupees in his wallet – a gift from Archon – seemed to be burning to be spent on the strange paraphernalia on the various stalls, as people shouted and bellowed that theirs were the best oranges or fish or spices in all Castle Town.
In the centre of the Market was a great fountain, with a wide pool. From the centre, three entwined women rose up with their hands held up to the heavens. They were clearly a depiction of the three goddesses, and before them, facing the Royal Road and seen by all entering this hub of activity, stood the now familiar image of the Triforce.
Link walked to the fountain and stood for a moment to offer a prayer to the goddesses and drop a blue rupee into the basin. There it joined the prayers and offerings of countless other travellers and pilgrims who had found their way to the Market.
Smaller roads than the one Link had followed led away from the Market, but he had eyes only for the northern side of the square. Here, the Royal Road continued to run straight, but it now sloped upwards as it began to ascend Castle Hill. The houses of the lords, ladies and the most elite people of Hyrule were nestled around the foot of the hill, but a third of the way up a wall ran all round the tor. There were no homes, shops or buildings of any kind on the far side of the wall, and the only passage was the road. It was guarded at all times, and led all the way to the front gate of the castle itself.
With a now familiar feeling of being out of place, Link left the Market and continued following his course. The hill was not steep to begin with, but he quickly found it tough work. After toiling up the slope, he found himself stood before the wall that separated the town from the clear space of the hill. In the centre of the wall stood a gateway, and hylian knights in full armour, holding spears, stood on either side. Just beyond the gateway to the right of the road stood a small watch house. Link passed between the guards, unable to prevent himself from averting his eyes to avoid their gaze, and continued his ascent. For their part, the guards watched him with curiosity, but did not see him as any sort of threat.
His trepidation rising with every moment, Link continued to walk, until finally he reached the second wall. The manner in which the city had been built centuries ago had caused the top of the hill to be flattened in order to support the foundations of the great building, and at this point the earth had been raised up in order to create a plateau. As a result, a wall had been formed, and it had been built up to ensure strength and stability, and also served the purpose of deterring intruders. Following the road, a flight of stairs was in place at this point, wide and broad to ensure horses could easily get up and down. Here, there was a further gateway in the wall, where more guards were stationed. Beyond this point there was a walkway and then a moat, the final defences before the castle walls.
Once within its limits, it was not a high wall, no more than two foot tall, and the castle's inhabitants would often walk here to look beyond it at their realm. From where Link stood, though, it was very high, and as he was not himself tall it seemed at least three times his own height. This was as far as people were allowed to go on their own, though, and he found his way barred. The guards would by no means allow him past this point and he was forced to leave before they escorted him back down to the city.
Unable to prevent himself feeling slightly dejected by this dashing of his hopes, Link walked quickly back down the road until his was again amongst the buildings of Castle Town.
He was determined not to give up, though, and Navi's encouragement compelled him to seek another entrance. For several hours, he devoted himself to diligently wandering the little alleys and streets of Castle Hill. These wound up and down, amongst the houses that had been thrown up in a somewhat haphazard fashion long ago. The Royal Road had been built very deliberately and ran straight down Castle Hill and out of the city; the rest of the streets of the capital were not so neatly ordered. Laneways ran between houses, and paths turned off from their original course constantly.
At the end of the day, though, Link found what he was seeking. He had already circled the whole of the hill once and was on the north west side of its slopes, looking up at the castle, when he found a point where he was able to scramble up onto a low roof. From there, he was able to get onto the adjoining building, and this he found backed onto the high wall that he was seeking to get over. It would be easy from this point to jump the last little bit and climb over.
Delighted with his discovery, Link checked that no one was watching him and jumped back down into the street. He made his way quickly back to the Market, and here met Malon. She smiled when she saw him coming towards her through the crowd.
"Hello, fairy boy," she said, happily. Link had tried and failed the previous evening to convince her she should call him Link, and she insisted on continuously referring to him in such a fashion. "Did you go and see the princess?" She giggled, and Link tried to quickly change the subject while hoping she would not notice him colouring at how close to the mark her joke was.
"Where's your father?" he asked.
"Oh, he went to do some more deliveries, but I think he's ended up sitting in a milk bar somewhere. He's very forgetful and he'll be there for a while, I expect!" She giggled again. "What a thing for a grown up to do, don't you think, fairy boy?"
Link smiled. Malon's enthusiasm and light-heartedness was infectious.
"What are you going to do, then? How will you get home?"
"Oh, we won't go home tonight. It's the same every time we come into town. Father expects to get everything done, and we always end up having to take a room at the Stock Pot Inn. I've already booked it for us, actually. I haven't told him yet!"
"Why did you book it if you might not need it?"
"I did it this afternoon. I knew Father would overrun. He always does!" Link smiled again, but it disappeared as his stomach gave a loud, discontented rumble. Malon's expression of childish happiness disappeared and was replaced by one of stern reprimand. "Have you had anything to eat, fairy boy? That's really bad, you should have something. Have you ever eaten anything from the Market before?"
Of course, Link had never even been to Castle Town before, so he had never had the opportunity to buy food from Hyrule's most famous places to eat. Shocked at this news, and with rupees from her father's wallet to aid them, Malon bought them both some food, and they sat on the steps before the fountain and ate their meals.
They continued to talk while they ate, and it became apparent that Malon had also booked a bed for him that evening. Link felt a glow of warmth towards her for her kindness. It was nothing more than the conscientiousness of a child, but he appreciated it very deeply. He had always had Saria to look after him in the forest, and had found facing the wide world on his own to be a daunting task.
As the light faded in the sky, Talon appeared from a side road. The crowd that had pressed into the Market all day was finally thinning and many of the stalls had already closed for the night and were being packed away. Talon was a large man, who seemed even bigger than he really was. His stomach bulged in his dungarees and he gave a sensation of occupying more space than was normal. A bumbling and slightly clumsy manner did nothing to minimise this impression.
Catching sight of the two children sat by the fountain, his thick black moustache quivered. He walked quickly over to them and began spouting apologies to Malon about losing track of time and forgetting himself. She giggled even while he was speaking and Link could not decide if she was being disrespectful or if her humour was justified in her father's self-conscious protestations.
All was quickly explained, and Talon grinned widely. The lamps in the square had been lit and Link could see that he was very red in the face, and indeed all over his mostly bald head. His thinning hair was as black as his moustache, though, making Link suspect that Malon must have inherited her bright red hair from her mother. Malon had talked of her rapturously, but Link knew from their earlier conversations that she had died several years previously.
The two from the ranch, accompanied by their young companion, walked quickly from the Market and in five minutes came to the Stock Pot Inn, in the east of the city. It was not an impressive establishment, looking slightly run down both inside and out, but it was more than enough for Link, and for Malon and Talon as well.
Link got the impression that whatever Talon had had that afternoon in the milk bars - so called in reference to an age of greater abstinence in Hyrule - had put him in quite a jolly mood, but also made him very drowsy. Once they entered their room, he sat down on the closest bed and very nearly went to sleep there and then, but was once again rescued by his daughter. Malon forced him to undress and get into bed, and within five minutes his loud snores filled the little room.
It would have been understandable for any daughter to be frustrated by such behaviour, but Malon continued to giggle constantly. Link, who had never previously had any real experience of families or domestic situations, could see how happy they were and how deeply they cared for each other.
The young girl continued to talk freely to her new friend for some minutes over her father's snores. Link listened with great pleasure to her anecdotes and tales about both the ranch and Castle Town, before she extinguished the lamp and got into her own bed. Link pulled off his tunic, got under the covers and fell quickly to sleep. His journey had taught him the value of good sleep, and he had learnt to sleep deeply but to rouse himself quickly. As a result, his rest in the comfortable bed was easy and contented.
Fairies, though, do not need sleep in the way other people do. Navi rested as deeply as her companion, but without being truly asleep, and it was still several hours before dawn when she woke Link. Their minds, used to each other now, were in total harmony, and so he woke easily at her wordless and motionless signal and sat up. He stayed for several minutes on the edge of the bed before rising, both he and his fey occupied with their own thoughts and feelings.
He then dressed himself quickly, searching in the dark for his tunic and his boots. As he fastened his belt, his hand ran lightly over the pouch where he could feel the outline of the Kokiri's Emerald and Saria's ocarina. Putting on his sword and his hood, he silently left the room and left his sleeping friends. He hoped they would not worry when they awoke and found him gone. Leaving the inn, he stepped out into the fresh night air, and turned once more towards Hyrule Castle.
He walked quickly through the silent and deserted streets of Castle Town. When he came to the Market, he could not help finding it strange that the busy hub was now so empty. Night guards stood on the Royal Road, and a stray dog disappeared down a side street. Moving quickly, Link took the road that led to the castle, following it until he found the turning he was looking for. Five minutes later, he was at the north west corner he had located earlier, and it took only seconds to climb onto the low roof, up a little further, and then to jump over the wall.
He dropped lightly to the grass and stayed hunched over, surveying the empty grounds for any sign that his intrusion had been noted. Nothing moved. So far, he had managed to elude the guards, and he had made it inside the wall. That was the easy part.
Quickly and quietly, he padded up the hill. There were, it seemed, more guards than there had been in the day, and he had a few hair raising moments when he was forced to crouch down, waiting silently and hoping he had not been sighted, or found himself needing to move quickly off course to escape a patrolling sentry. However, he still found himself slipping into the shadow of the second wall atop the hill without anyone seeing him or halting him.
This wall, he now found, was impossible to scale. There were no possible places to get a grip and pull himself up, even with his small hands. Hoping there would be an easier point, he quietly scurried along the perimeter of the fortification, but no good place to climb became apparent.
He was in sight of the road he had used during the day when he finally found something. There were trees dotted intermittently all over the hill, but about twenty feet to the left of the road there was one close to the wall, and Link saw in the moonlight that its branches extended over the walkway on the other side. For someone who had lived all his young life in the Lost Woods, it was the work of mere moments to shimmy up the tree, grab the lower branches, and pull himself into the foliage.
Here, he paused for a moment, and surveyed the hill. He could see the guards he had eluded, and looked over to the gate where they had blocked him earlier. The guards there had not heard him climbing, but he nonetheless stayed still for a minute and more to allow his heartbeat to calm.
When he was ready, he climbed a little higher, and selected a suitable branch that reached over the wall. As quietly as he could, he edged along it until he was over the wall.
Then he really did get a shock, for there was a guard right below him. Stifling a yell, he clung fervently to the branch and felt as if he might never move again. Thankfully, though, the guard had not noticed him, and the branch to which he clung was sturdy; it did not move or sway enough to give him away. Link waited until the watchman carried on his patrol, walking slowly towards the gate. To the sentry, it was merely an amiable pace, but to Link, it seemed he took forever to move away.
The intruder dropped down from the tree, inside the wall, and silently followed the track away from the gate. His hope was to find another way into the castle, other than over the drawbridge at the main gate. He stopped constantly to listen and look around for more guards, but he didn't see any. He hoped that had been the only one patrolling this part of the grounds.
Dawn was in the sky now, and the sky was beginning to lighten. With every step, Link's hope of getting into the castle sank lower, and he did not see how he could possibly get out without being caught, even if he had managed to get in. He passed stables and buildings on the west side of the castle, but they offered no way inside the walls.
As he approached the south east corner of the castle, though, he found what he was looking for: there was a small opening in the wall, an outlet where water was flowing into the moat. It was not a big gap, but Link was not a big person. It took him some moments to work up the courage for the jump across the moat, though. Finally, he took a run and leapt from the edge. If it did not work, he knew he would make a colossal splash when he landed in the water, and that would be the end of everything.
He cleared the water but missed his footing on the little ledge, and began falling backwards. Scrabbling madly with his arms, he just managed to get a hold on the opening. He hung for several long moments, clinging desperately to the gap with the rest of his body hanging down, hoping fervently that his slip had not been heard. No guards came to investigate the noise, though.
Thanking the goddesses profusely but silently, Link gave an almighty heave and pulled his torso through the gap, then forced the rest of himself through as well. Damp and breathing heavily, he pulled himself to his feet, and looked around the gardens of Hyrule Castle.
The sun was not far from rising now, and he felt as if it would shine all the more brightly, for he had successfully made it into the castle, and the princess could not be far away.
Looking around, though, he realised he was not quite right. He was now inside the inner gardens of the castle, and the wall of the castle itself was in front of him. He was now near the south east corner of the outer wall, and from here he could see the drawbridge in the centre of the southern wall.
The drawbridge had been part of the fortifications of the castle when it had been built, designed at the top of this hill with so many walls and defences, but it now remained lowered almost constantly. Castle Town had not been attacked for many, many years, and it was longer still since any invader had successfully reached the top of Castle Hill.
Link knew none of this except what he had heard in rumour and legend on his journey north. He still felt a surge of pride that he had done what no army could do, and broken the leaguer of the castle.
The courtyard was beautiful. Castle Hill was an empty space of grass and peace in the centre of the hubbub thrown up by the city and the Market. This, though, was a place where grace and serenity had been nurtured and encouraged, so that it flourished.
Link stood near a fountain, smaller than the one in the Market and more ornately formed. Water clung to the sides of the sculpture and gathered in a basin. In turn, the basin overflowed and ran through the gap by which Link had entered. Narrow paths ran between budding flowerbeds, filled with blooms Link had never encountered before. The flowers were all blossoming in the spring, and as the first rays of Din's Fire began to peer over the horizon, they seemed to teem with life and vibrancy. The colours and hues astonished Link as he made his way between them.
It was lucky for him that the hour was still early, for few people were up and most of these were only servants about their early chores. Had it been otherwise, he would quickly have been spotted from a window in the castle, for he had quite forgotten his earlier caution amongst the beauty of the courtyards.
He walked slowly, away from the drawbridge, past small trees and more fountains and sculptures. As he meandered amongst the flowerbeds, he was rudely reminded of where he was by the sound of a door opening.
Link's head moved so fast he hurt his neck, and he saw a door he had not noticed in the wall of the castle open. He cursed his foolishness in not being more careful, but had no time to move.
A young girl emerged, no older than himself, dressed in fine clothes. She was alone. She closed the door carefully and took a moment to survey the garden.
She gasped as soon as she saw him and her smile turned to a look of shock and confusion, but not of fear. He realised he must have looked comical to her rather than threatening. His mouth was open and he was once more grubby and also somewhat damp.
They stood for a long moment gazing at each other, before she noticed a movement by his shoulder. Her eyes glanced away from his and she saw the ball of light hovering beside him.
"Are you from the forest?" she asked. Her voice was not afraid, but instead contained some kind of certainty, a familiarity with asking questions and receiving answers. The confusion had entirely vanished from her face, and it was filled instead with curiosity and some kind of understanding that was beyond Link. It seemed as if as she looked from Link to Navi she realised something, though he knew not what.
He did not think hard on it, though, for as soon as she spoke it was for Link as if a veil was lifted. There was no question that this girl was a princess who lived in the castle, and her finding him here could be no coincidence. Doubtless, Link knew that this was the princess of destiny he had been sent by the Deku Tree to meet. More than that, though, he recognised her voice as one recognises a once intimate friend they have not seen in years.
It was a voice he had heard many times, and had wracked his mind trying to place, for it was the girl who had called to him almost nightly, as she disappeared upon a horse in a deluge of rain.
It was the girl from his dream.