I'm still smiling as we jog back into the village, but it slowly fades from my cheeks.

'So… Hyrule Castle?' I ask tentatively. I have no idea where it is, but it's the first proper lead we've had, and I'm determined to go there, whether or not Link is willing to come with me. I hope he will, though. Having him around makes me feel stronger, like maybe having amnesia isn't the end for me after all. While I'm with him, I have hope. I need him to come with me for that reason if nothing else.

'Yeah, I guess we should get going,' Link says to my immense relief. But he seems nervous, making me frown.

'Are you alright? Do you know something about this castle?'

'No, that's the point. I've… I've actually never left the forest before,' he says, looking down at the ground. I smile, and can't hold back a small laugh. 'What's so funny?' he asks, slightly reproachfully.

'Nothing. Just that, now we're in the same position: I'm sure I have been outside this forest before, but I have no memory of it. And you've never left it. So really, we're both equally inexperienced, aren't we? I've spent the past hour or so feeling completely lost, and I still do, but at least now you're lost with me!' Link laughs too at my sudden enthusiasm.

'Yeah, I guess when you put it that way, it is funny.' By now we've walked back to Link's treehouse, where Saria and Mido are still arguing. Well, Saria is arguing. Mido is mostly blushing. But when the little green-haired girl sees us, she immediately switches her attention from Mido to us, leaving the Kokiri boy to slink off with one last glare back at Link.

'Did the Great Deku Tree tell you anything?' she asks hopefully.

'Sort of. He told us that Zelda is somehow connected to Hyrule Castle, so we're going to head over there and see if we can find out anything else.'

'That's great! Oh, but wait…' Saria says, suddenly looking disappointed. Link looks downcast too, and ruffles her hair sadly.

'Sorry Saria. We'll have to say goodbye for now.'

'What? Why?' I ask. I was looking forward to having the cheerful little girl with us on our journey.

'The Kokiri can't leave the forest. According to legend, they die if they set foot outside,' Link explains. 'So Saria can't come with us.'

'That's a shame,' I tell her, putting a consoling hand on her shoulder. 'But I'm sure we won't be gone long. And when I regain my memories, I promise I'll come straight back here, okay?' Saria nods without meeting my eyes.

'We should probably leave,' Link tells me. 'I don't know exactly how far away Hyrule Castle is, but it may well take us all day to get there. I don't think I want to spend a night out in the open on Hyrule Field.' I nod in agreement, even though I have no idea what Hyrule Field is like. 'Great. I'll just get my things,' Link says, quickly climbing the ladder to his treehouse and leaving me and Saria alone. I stand there awkwardly, unsure what to say. But Saria fills the silence for me, suddenly looking straight at me with her clear green eyes. I'm surprised to see tears gathering at the corners, and I realise how worried she is about her friend.

'Take care of Link for me!' she tells me, her voice cracking slightly. 'You have to promise me, Zelda! Promise me you'll take care of him!'

'I promise,' I whisper, feeling terrible for taking Link away from her. I just hope nothing happens to him on our journey. I'll never be able to explain that to Saria. 'I'll take care of him,' I repeat, stronger this time. Saria gives me one last brave smile before running off to her own house. A few moments later Link returns, looking around.

'Where'd Saria go?' he asks.

'She went home. I think… it was a bit much for her.' Link nods sadly. I realise it must be hard on him too, leaving all his friends and the only home he's ever known. As we walk towards the other end of the village, where a rope bridge leads to the outside world, I sigh.

'Everything alright?' Link asks.

'I'm fine,' I reply, 'but I feel terrible for you. You know, you don't have to come with me. You don't have to leave Saria and all your other friends.'

'Yes, I do,' he tells me. 'You can't do this by yourself. And you have to do it. It's my duty to help a person in need, and besides, it's not like I'm leaving Saria and the others forever. Like you said, we'll be back here soon. Well, I'll be back here. Who knows where you'll be?'

I wonder. Where will I be, when this journey's over? Will I be back with a loving family? A group of friends as close to me as Link and Saria are to each other? The uncertainty both thrills and terrifies me. Do I even have anything to go back to? That thought doesn't thrill me one bit. But as I look back at the Kokiri in the village behind us, and at Link beside me, I smile. If all else fails, I've got them.

-o-

Soon we step out from under the trees, and we both get our first look at Hyrule.

'Not bad,' Link comments, making me laugh.

'You could say that.' My entire vision, from horizon to horizon, is filled with lush, green grass. In the distance a few mountains rise high into the sky, and I think I can make out the gleam of a river, but that's it. Everything else is green. 'Right. Lead on,' I tell Link, but when he doesn't move I turn to him.

'Wait… you do know where Hyrule Castle is, right?'

'Not exactly,' he says, rubbing the back of his neck. 'I mean, I've heard of it. But like I said, I've never left the forest before.'

'Haven't you even seen a map?' I ask incredulously. Then again, I guess I'm not one to talk.

'No. All I know is that the Kokiri Forest is right in the south of Hyrule. So it follows that if we head north, we'll eventually find something. It may not be the castle, but it might be some people who can point us in the right direction.' I sigh, but nod. I suppose that is our best plan.

'Alright then. So which way is north?' Link turns around a few times, finally aligning himself with the forest behind him and the morning sun on his left.

'This way?' I sigh again.

'You're probably close enough. Let's go.'

-o-

After an hour or so, we come across a path and wordlessly decide to follow that instead of Link's admittedly terrible sense of direction. Eventually the path leads us closer to the river, and when it peters out into dirt we trudge along the banks, too exhausted by the sun beating down overhead to talk. Finally Link calls a halt, and I gratefully sink down by the water and splash my face with it. Link does the same, and we simultaneously sigh in contentment, before both breaking into laughter.

'This isn't working, is it?' Link says after a while. 'I'm pretty sure we're still going north, but we haven't seen anyone else yet, nor any signs of civilisation. I'm starting to question my strategy.' I politely refrain from telling him that I've been questioning his strategy all morning. Instead I reply,

'Well, we're probably going the right way. People make settlements along rivers. There's a village near it, closer to the mountains.' Link looks sidelong at me.

'How do you know that?' he asks. I'm about to answer, when I pause. How do I know that?

'I guess it's just common sense? If I was going to settle somewhere around here, a place with a constant water supply and good natural fortifications from the mountains would be my pick.'

'Yeah, but you sounded so sure. You didn't say it would make sense for there to be a village near here, you said there is a village near here. Like you knew it for certain.' I sit in silence for a while. He's right, I did sound certain. I felt certain, too. I can't quite place the feeling, but I somehow know that there's a village in the mountains by the river.

'The name of the vilage starts with K,' I announce, furrowing my brow. Link opens his mouth to ask me something, but I raise a hand to stall him. I can feel the cotton wool clearing from my mind. Only a little, but it's more than I've felt since I woke up this morning and first discovered my amnesia. I close my eyes and focus. Images dart across my darkened vision, and snatches of long-forgotten sound reach my ears. I frown in concentration, trying to make something out.

'I was here. Not recently. When I was a kid, I think. I… was going to the village. And it was hot, and I stopped to play in the water.' Suddenly I gasp as a voice flashes through the darkness like a lightning strike.

'Zelda! Stop that! Come here, this instant!' My frown deepens as I try to place the voice. It's definitely familiar, deep and slow. A man's voice. And the sound of it comforts me somehow, although I can't work out why. At the same time as the voice comes the pain, at the back of my head. Did the man hit me there? No, it doesn't feel like that sort of pain, it's sharper.

'Zelda! Now!' I listen intently to the scene in my min, trying to make out more, but the memory fades as quickly as it appeared.

'Did you see anything?' Link asks, and I jump. I'd forgotten he was sitting there.

'Yes! I remembered something! I was playing happily in this river, then a man told me to stop it. He called me Zelda, as well! That must be my name, I'm sure of it! I know I remember it!' Link smiles at my joy.

'I'm glad your memories are returning. And much more quickly than the Great Deku Tree predicted, too! Maybe this won't be so hard after all.' I smile back at him, feeling proud of myself. I know I didn't really do anything, but I'm still happy.

Maybe I really will get rid of this amnesia, I think hopefully.

'And your memory tells us something else,' Link continues, and I turn back to him. 'Now you've remembered playing in this river, we know why you sounded so sure about this nearby village. It must be because you've been there before, on the day you remember. When that man told you to stop playing, you must have left the river and continued on to the village. And that means it definitely exists!' We smile at this ray of hope and set off again, our strength renewed.

-o-

The sun passes its zenith and keeps falling, and to our relief the scorching heat of midday is eventually replaced with a fiery pink sky and a cool evening breeze. But, pleasant though this is, I realise that darkness will fall soon, and we don't want to be out in the open when that happens. Every so often I think I hear movement behind me and spin round, only to be confronted with the wide, empty view of Hyrule Field.

'You're jumpy,' Link comments.

'It's not my fault! You'd be nervous too if you couldn't remember anything, and even the most harmless person you encounter could in fact be your worst enemy. I just feel vulnerable. I don't like that.' Link smiles and puts an arm around my shoulders.

'You're not that vulnerable. You seem like you can take care of yourself. Alright, you don't have much worldly knowledge, but if someone attacked you out of the blue I'm pretty sure you'd manage to defend yourself.' I nod slightly, looking down at myself and wondering if he's right.

I'm athletically built, and I've managed to keep walking at a fair pace all day with few breaks, so clearly I wasn't bone idle before. But I'm not heavily muscled, and I'm not carrying a weapon, so I probably wasn't a soldier or a warrior either. In fact, I'm not carrying a sword, shield, or any other item. I wonder if whoever cursed me removed anything that might help me regain my memories, or if I chose to travel light. I bring my hand up in front of my face and examine it carefully. Soft, but with some scrapes and callouses. Which suggests that I wasn't a labourer, working with my hands all day every day, but I did sometimes use them for hard work.

'How's the analysis going?' Link asks dryly.

'Not great. I can really only guess at this point. It's just so frustrating, not knowing anything about myself!'

'Well, you might find something out soon,' Link says, pointing ahead of us. 'Look over there.' I follow his gaze, and smile as I see a set of steps carved into the rocky mountainside.

'That must be where the village is!' I say excitedly, glad that it still exists. The fact that I had a vague memory of it was no guarantee; a lot can change in a few years, and I don't even know how long ago I came here. I stop for a moment and look all around us, trying to match my surroundings to my memories.

'Anything?' Link asks after a few minutes.

'…I'm not sure,' I admit. 'It feels familiar, but that might just be because right now I'm so desperate to recognise the village. I think the best thing to do would be to go into the village and see if I remember anything else, or if anyone there recognises me.'

'Yeah, about that,' Link says. 'I've been thinking. We know your name's Zelda, but we don't know who Zelda is. What if you're someone important, or dangerous? What if you're an enemy of everyone in that village? Maybe going in there and announcing your presence isn't the best idea.'

'Then what do you suggest?' I ask, frustrated. I haven't come all this way just to give up at the last minute.

'I think we should keep your identity as quiet as possible. Don't mention your name when there are other people around, and even if you do remember someone, maybe wait to see whether we can trust them before you reveal yourself. I know it's going to be hard on you, but we shouldn't take any chances. The last thing we want is for whoever cast that curse to realise you're here. And if we go about announcing that a girl called Zelda just turned up in this village, that's very likely to happen.' I sigh, but I can see Link's point.

'Fine,' I reply. 'Now let's go!' Without waiting for Link, I run towards the steps and up into the village, leaving my companion to chase after me.

-o-

I stop as I reach the entrance of the village, a large wooden arch. There's an armoured man standing to one side of it, and I'm about to go up to him when I take in the long spear he holds. I pause, wondering if he's dangerous. But by this time Link has caught up to me, so together we approach the man.

'Excuse me,' Link asks, but before he can get any further the man interrupts.

'The time now is 8:37 p.m.!' he says smartly, addressing his speech to a point exactly three inches above and two inches to the left of my ear. Link and I look at each other, and he tries again.

'Um… thanks. What village is this?' The soldier looks directly at Link and seems to see him for the first time.

'You don't know?' he asks incredulously.

'No, we're from a village in the south of Hyrule and we've never left before,' I say quickly. Well, it's sort of true. 'And your village is the first one we came to.' The guard's chest inflates with pride, and fortunately he seems not to question my story.

'This is Kakariko Village,' he informs us, completely missing the look that shoots between me and Link.

The name of the village does begin with K! This is the place I remember!

'Thank you for your help,' I say politely, and we leave him at his post. As we walk further into the village Link whispers,

'Do you recognise anything yet?' I shake my head slowly.

'No, I-' I stop suddenly as a large white bird runs across our path, nearly crashing into Link. 'Why are there Cuccos running around?' I wonder.

'Wait, you know what that thing was?' Link asks, and turning to him I see that he's pale. Clearly he's not a fan of the birds.

'Yeah, they're called Cuccos. I… remember that…' I trail off, then close my eyes tightly. Another memory is resurfacing, I can feel it. 'Ah!' I say suddenly, surprising Link.

'What is it?' he asks.

'There's a woman here! The Cucco Lady! I don't know her real name, that's all I ever called her…'

In my mind I'm a child, chasing the Cuccos all around the village while a slender red-haired woman stands by the empty pen, wringing her hands.

'Why don't you catch them yourself?' I ask her, pausing in my furious pursuit of the birds.

'I'm allergic to them! They give me goosebumps!' she says wretchedly. I just smile and laugh, and run off after her birds again. Eventually I manage to grab one, and return to the Cucco Lady, holding the bird proudly over my head. I hurl it into the pen and head for the next one, but when I come back with it I stop.

'Where did the Cucco go?' I ask, disappointed. 'The one I just caught?'

'I'm sorry,' the lady says. 'I turned my back for just a minute to watch you, and when I turned back it was gone!'

But how? Surely the Cuccos can't get over the fence by themselves?'

'No, they can't. Someone must be throwing them out of the pen as quickly as you throw them in. And come to think of it, someone must have let them all out in the first place. I don't know who it is, but clearly they're a troublemaker.' I stand there for a few moments, before a particularly vigorous wriggle from the bird above my head makes me remember my task.

'Well, it doesn't matter! We'll just have to try harder! I'll keep chasing down the birds, and you keep a really close eye on that pen and make sure no-one lets the Cuccos out again!' The Cucco Lady smiles and nods. I smile too, and open my eyes.

'Another memory?' Link asks hopefully.

'Yes, of someone who used to live here. If we're lucky, they might still be here!'

'Do you think they'll recognise you?' Link asks, and I pause. That could be a problem. But I shrug it off.

'I think it's been a long time since I last saw her. I've probably changed so much that she won't remember me.' Link nods reluctantly, and we set off through the village. Over to the left is a steep path which leads up the mountain, but it's guarded by another man armed with a spear. 'I think the Cucco pen was near the back of the village…' I mutter, trying to cling on to my memories. We go round the corner of a building, and to my surprise and delight find the pen just as I remember it: empty. There's a slim, red-haired woman standing next to it too, and I'm halfway towards her before I realise what I'm doing.

'Oh, have you seen my Cuccos?' she asks dismally, and I stop, unsure what to say. Link nudges me and shakes his head almost imperceptibly.

'Yeah, one of them was running around the village a minute ago,' he answers the woman, who looks disappointed.

'Oh dear. I'd catch them myself, but I'm allergic.'

'You get goosebumps,' I murmur to myself, unable to believe that this is the same woman I met years ago. But the woman looks at me suddenly, and I realise she heard me.

'Yes! How do you know that?' she asks, and I panic. Link looks as though he's about to lie for me, but I come to a decision. We're never going to get anywhere if we keep playing it safe, so I'm going to have to take the risk.

'I think I met you a long time ago. I remember, I helped you catch your Cuccos even though someone else kept throwing them out of the pen.'

'I remember that day too!' the woman says, and my heart leaps in my chest. 'But it's been years! You've grown a lot since then. I can hardly believe you're the same person!' The woman looks as though she's about to say more, but suddenly she sees something behind me and Link and frowns. I spin round, and just catch sight of a bearded man perching on a roof before he slips off the other side and disappears.

'Who was that?' I ask, wondering why the Cucco Lady seems worried.

'I think you should come inside,' the woman says, and we follow her in. I take one last look back at the roof, but the man is gone.

-o-

'I don't trust that man,' the woman says once the door has shut behind us. 'He claims to be a resident of the village, but no-one had ever seen him around before a few months ago. None of us even know his name. According to local gossip, he's a spy.'

'A spy? Who for?' I ask, worried now. I'm sure that man saw us talking to this lady, and the idea that he might be reporting back to someone who wants to hurt me and Link is not a pleasant one.

'I don't know. Maybe the Gerudo in the desert, or the Zoras or the Gorons, or maybe even the Royal Family themselves. All I know is that he was watching you, and the fact that he ran off when I spotted him is very suspicious.' I have to agree with her. Now I really wish we'd gone after that man when we saw him. He's probably long gone by now. 'But let's not worry about that,' the lady continues. 'First of all, I think some introductions are in order, since you probably don't remember me very well. My name is Anju.' She looks expectantly at us, but we just share a look.

This woman may well know my real name, since I don't remember if I told her when I met her years ago. Should I lie and make up a fake name? Or should I say Zelda? In the end I decide that honesty has to be the best policy.

'This is Link. And… I'm not sure who I am.' When Anju frowns, I explain, 'I lost my memory because of a curse, so now Link and I are travelling to Hyrule Castle to try and break that curse. But we stopped here along the way because I remember this village, and I remember helping you catch those birds. But I don't remember anything else, not even my name.'

'That's awful!' Anju says sadly. 'I wish I could help you, I really do. But I can't tell you very much.'

'Well, you know her name at least… don't you?' Link asks hopefully. But for what feels like the thousandth time today, I'm disappointed as Anju shakes her head.

'I never found out. No-one did. You only came here once, the day you helped me with my Cuccos. You came with a man, your father, who wanted to see Impa. She's our village's leader and a Sheikah, the race of people who traditionally serve the Royal Family. I don't know who your father was either. All we were told was that he and Impa were old friends. They spent the whole day here talking, so you got bored.

At first I was surprised to see you; Impa hadn't mentioned anything about your father bringing children with him. But you offered to help round up my Cuccos, so I let you run about doing that until your father came to collect you. Then you went back home, wherever that was, and I never saw you again.'

-o-

Beside me, Link sighs.

'Another dead end,' he mutters. But I shake my head.

'Not entirely! We may not know much more about me, but I had a father! He must be the one from my other memory, who told me to stop playing in the river. And we know about this woman, Impa! Now we've got a name, we might be able to find her, and if we find her we can find my father!' Link smiles at my enthusiasm.

'I'm sorry not to be of more help,' Anju says despondently, but I smile at her.

'Don't worry about it! You've helped us a lot. There's just one more thing: does Impa still live in this village?'

'No, she has a house here but she spends most of her time in Hyrule Castle.'

'Well, we were heading there anyway,' Link says. 'So I guess this works out for the best.' I nod, turning back to Anju.

'Thanks for everything!' I tell her. 'We should probably leave now. Do you mind telling us which way Hyrule Castle is?' Anju laughs when she hears me.

'You can't go there tonight! It'll take you half a day to get there, at least, and it's already sunset! Trust me, you don't want to go out on Hyrule Field at night. According to the stories, skeletal monsters burst up out of the ground and attack travellers!' I shudder at the thought. Turns out Link and I were right to be wary of travelling at night. 'And anyway, the drawbridge leading into Castle Town is raised at sunset. You wouldn't be able to get in, even if you somehow made it before the monsters come out.' I sigh. Another setback.

'I suppose we should probably find somewhere to stay for the night, then,' I tell Link, and he nods.

'You can stay here, if you want,' Anju offers. 'I've got some spare beds.'

'You'd really let us do that?' I ask, my eyes lighting up. I can't believe this woman is being so friendly to people she barely knows.

'Of course! You've had a hard enough time of it as it is,' Anju says kindly. 'It's the least I can do, especially since I was so little help!'

'Thank you,' Link says with a warm smile. Soon we're resting on the soft beds, and I can feel my eyelids drifting shut.

'This is your first night away from the forest, isn't it?' I ask Link quietly.

'Yes. It feels weird not being able to hear the leaves rustling.' There's a pause, then he asks, 'Does it feel weird for you? What noises do you normally hear at night?' I shake my head in the darkness.

'I have no idea. I guess… It feels a bit quiet. I think I usually hear more noise. People's voices, that sort of thing.'

'Hmm…' Link says, but I can tell he's too tired to think this through properly. 'Well, we'll find out tomorrow when we get to Hyrule Castle.'

'Hopefully,' I reply, and yawn. Before long I'm fast asleep.

-o-

The bearded man bows low before the tall figure who lazily waves their hand, signalling him to rise.

'I trust you have information to report?' they ask, and the man nods.

I've found her. She's in Kakariko Village with a boy, whose identity I don't know. They were talking to the woman who keeps the Cuccos there.'

'Hmm… Cuccos?' the figure says thoughtfully.

'Is there a problem?' the man asks.

'It seems as though her memories are returning more quickly than anticipated…' the other person muses. 'This could prove problematic. And this boy, the one with her, does he know who she is?'

'He doesn't appear to, but I couldn't tell very much. I was spotted before I could find out anything else.' The figure nods.

'So she was in Kakariko…?'

'This evening,' the man finishes. 'I left straight away and rode here as quickly as I could. I expect the two of them will wait until the morning before they leave.'

'If they come straight here they could arrive as soon as tomorrow afternoon,' the figure mutters, and their face darkens. 'This changes things. You have new orders,' they say, turning back to the man. 'You still have to track her. But now, you must do everything in your power to slow her and her friend down. If possible, separate them. She will be far easier to trick if she's alone. And if you fail, and they do make it here…'

The man cringes, not needing to hear the end of the sentence. He, like all the other agents the figure employs, knows the punishment for failure. But their words aren't what he expects.

'If she makes it here, with or without that boy, I will deal with her. My plan may not have worked before, but I'll make sure next time. No more tricks, no more fooling around with curses or trying to make it look like an accident. If she crosses my path again, I will get rid of her once and for all.'