'Have you ever ridden before?' I ask Link as he swings himself up onto Epona's back.

'Not exactly. But how hard can it be?' I sigh, and pull myself up behind him. 'Do you know how to ride?' Link asks as I get comfortable. I think about it for a moment, then nod.

'It definitely feels familiar. I think I must have ridden a horse before. I can't remember anything specific, though.' Link shrugs noncommittally.

'It makes sense. A princess needs to know how to ride.'

'Yeah…' I murmur as we set off, waving to Malon one final time. 'Do you think I really could be a princess?' I ask after a few moments. 'It just seems too crazy to even think about.' Link shrugs again.

'I don't know. But I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. The way I see it, if you're not a princess, there's no problem, and if you are a princess, well, you've probably been trained to rule a country your entire life. You may not remember that training now, but you will in time. I have faith in you.' I smile and put my arms around him. It's mostly to keep myself from falling off Epona, but I have other reasons as well.

As I rest my head on Link's shoulder, I think about how glad I am that he came with me. Come to think of it, I'm glad it was Link who found me. I guess that, despite all the misfortune, the curse, the amnesia, and the fact that someone's trying to kill me, I really was lucky after all. I'm about to tell Link this when I hear something behind me. I frown, and turn around.

'Link! Look back there!' I yell, hurrying to ready the bow Malon gave me. Link turns as well, and immediately urges Epona into a gallop. I turn back, trying to aim an arrow through the wild jolting of the horse. Some way behind us, but catching up, is a figure on another horse. Their face is hidden by a golden bird mask, but the long pitchfork they carry is fully visible. As I watch, too stunned to react, they accelerate towards me and Link, raising the pitchfork and preparing to launch it at us.

'Zelda! Do something!' Link yells. He's too busy steering Epona to fend off our attacker, but I still have the bow in my hands. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I raise it once again and shoot an arrow straight at our pursuer. As Malon predicted, the headless arrow does no damage, but the impact is enough to knock the figure off-guard, and they slow down. But before long they're catching up to us again, and I prepare to fire another arrow.

'Do you think that's Ingo?' I ask Link.

'No idea! Whoever it is, they clearly don't want us to get to Castle Town!' I risk a look in front of us, where the town is still a grey smudge in the distance. It'll take us a long time to get there, even with Epona galloping at full speed, and I don't know if I'll have enough arrows to last that long. As I consider this, I fire at the attacker again, and once more they fall back. We keep this up for a while, the pursuer catching up, me firing an arrow, and them retreating slightly. But soon I reach back into my quiver and discover to my horror that I only have one arrow left.

I glance in front of us and frown. We're still only halfway to Castle Town, and the masked man shows no signs of giving up. Suddenly Epona stumbles slightly on a patch of loose stones, and I'm nearly shaken from her back. Fortunately Link grabs me just in time, but the near-miss gives me an idea. I nock the bow with my final arrow, and lower my aim. I offer up a quick prayer to the Goddesses for luck and to the attacker's horse for forgiveness, before I send my arrow flying straight at the horse's hooves. It just misses, plunging into the ground right in front of the animal, but it still has the desired effect.

The horse rears up in fright, throwing the man from its back. It then gallops off back towards Malon's ranch, where I know she'll take good care of it. That just leaves our pursuer lying in the dust, but as I watch he picks himself up and glares after us, knowing he has no way of catching us now. His mask came off in the fall, and I can see his curly moustache clearly from a distance.

'Looks like you were right,' I comment, turning back to Link and readjusting my hold. 'That was Ingo.' Link nods, waiting until we're a long way from the ranch-hand before allowing Epona to slacken her pace.

'Do you think he heard me before?' he asks.

'When?'

'When I told you to do something. I yelled your name. Do you think he heard? If he did, and he realises you're the princess, he could cause problems.' I bite my lip while I think about this, then shrug.

'How much of a problem can he cause? We'll get to Castle Town before he even makes it back to the ranch. At this point, when we're so close to our goal, I think we can finally stop worrying about someone else causing problems before we get there.' It feels crazy to even consider something like this, but I think we can actually relax for once. I readjust my position, putting my arms round Link again, and settle down for the journey as we ride steadily towards Castle Town.

-o-

The town slowly comes into focus, and before too long we reach the drawbridge resting on the grass of Hyrule Field. It's nearly sunset, and I can see guards standing by the winch at the top of the bridge. As we ride over it, one of them yells down to us,

'You're just in time! We're pulling it up any minute now!' I sigh in relief, glad that we made it. Up ahead of us the street widens into a large marketplace, and I'm eager to get my first look at the town, but Link pulls me back.

'Zelda, I had a thought. Even if you're not the princess, according to Malon you still lived in the castle. Which means that there's a very good chance that someone in this town will know you. Malon and Anju may not have recognised you immediately, since they haven't seen you for years, but as far as these people are concerned you've only been gone a few days. If they see you, they'll recognise you, and that means that word of your arrival could get to whoever's trying to get rid of you.' I sigh, annoyed.

'How am I going to find anything out if I don't reveal my face? That's the whole point, remember? To get to Hyrule Castle and find someone, hopefully this Impa woman, so that we can find out who I am?'

'I know, but let's wait until we can actually get into Hyrule Castle and meet Impa. Look over there.' I follow his gaze, and gasp as I see the castle itself looming over the town. It's separated from the market by a large green field with a winding path through it, but it won't take long to cross that. But then I see what Link was actually pointing to. Two guards, armed with spears, stand at the gates to the path, and they don't look like they'd let just anyone get past them.

'Until we can find some way to get you inside without being noticed, let's try not to draw attention to ourselves. And that means you can't just walk up to the guards, or any of the other people, and start asking questions.'

'Then what do you suggest?' I ask.

'It's late. Let's find somewhere to stay the night, for a start. Then maybe at some point during the night the guards will fall asleep or something and we'll be able to sneak in.'

'Don't you think it would be simplest to just go up to the guards and ask to be let into the castle? If they recognise me, that would solve the problem, wouldn't it?'

'Don't forget, whoever's trying to kill you might be in the castle itself,' Link mutters. 'I know I'm probably being over-cautious, but I really don't want anything to happen to you.' I sigh, but his concern gives me a small warm glow inside.

'Fine, we'll do it your way. One more night of sneaking around.' Link smiles, and leads me round the edge of the market to one of the side streets. I keep Epona between me and the open square, staying in the shadows. Soon we find an inn, and I wait outside while Link gets a room. Once the landlady is distracted and the coast is clear, I rush up the stairs after Link and lock the door.

'There, that wasn't so hard, was it?' Link asks with a grin. I return his smile, and move cautiously over to the single window. It gives me a good view of the market, and the roads leading in and out of it. From here I can see from the drawbridge – which the guards have now drawn up – all the way to the path leading towards Hyrule Castle. I can also see the guards standing by the path, so we should be able to spot any opportunity to slip past them.

Satisfied, I relax on one of the beds. Hopefully I can get a few hours sleep before we need to sneak past the guards, and Link apparently has the same idea. But just as I'm about to close my eyes, I hear a loud creaking sound. I rush back to the window but Link beats me to it, frowning.

'They're lowering the drawbridge again! Why are they doing that?'

'To let someone in?' I guess, but Link shakes his head.

'They wouldn't do it for just anybody – if we were stuck outside, they wouldn't lower it for us. Whoever's coming in must be important.' I crane my neck to see them, but a dense crowd has gathered in the marketplace, blocking my view.

'We need to get closer,' I mutter, and Link nods.

'Ready to sneak past the landlady again?' I grin, and we run downstairs and out the door before the innkeeper can register our presence, never mind recognise me. Outside I hover at the edge of the crowd, not wanting to be seen, but soon I realise that the attention of the people is entirely taken up with whoever is coming in, so there's little chance of anyone noticing me. Link and I duck and dodge our way through the throng, and finally we're close enough to see what's going on.

When the drawbridge is fully lowered, two white horses ride across and into the town. The second horse carries an old, weathered woman, but the first horse carries a much younger woman, about my age. She's blonde like me too, but that's all I can register before the person in front of me shifts position and my view is blocked again. I consider asking them to move but decide against it, not wanting to draw attention to myself.

'Did you have any luck this time?' someone shouts from the crowd shouts at the riders, and I can't see or hear the girl's response. I assume the answer is no though, since a sigh ripples through the crowd. The man in front of me shifts slightly, and my view clears just as the second rider passes. The old woman turns in my direction, and for a moment I think I can see her eyes widen very slightly. I turn away instantly, praying to the Goddesses that she didn't see me. But she doesn't stop, continuing calmly after the blonde girl, so I think I'm safe.

'Can you see anything?' I ask Link, but he shakes his head. Instead he nudges the man next to him, and I quickly hide my face.

'Who's that?' Link asks the man.

'Oh, that's Impa,' the man says dismissively, gesturing to the old woman.

'No, I meant the girl,' Link says, and the man turns to him incredulously.

'Are you serious? You don't know who that is? That's Princess Zelda!' He turns away again, watching as the two horses and their riders disappear up the path to the castle, so he misses my look of utter shock.

'Wait…' Link says, frowning. 'If that's Zelda…' I finish his sentence for him.

'Then who am I?'

-o-

The crowd slowly starts to disperse, and I realise that if I stay where I am I'm going to be exposed at any moment. But I can't remember how to move my feet. Fortunately Link has slightly more presence of mind, and drags me away back to the safety of the side street.

'Focus, Zelda!' he tells me firmly. 'We'll think about this when we're back in our room at the inn. But until then, you need to concentrate on not being spotted.' But I'm not sure it matters anymore. I'm not the princess. Maybe I'm not even Zelda. After all, it's hardly a common name, so the chances of both me and the princess having it are slim. But then why do I remember it? Link keeps towing me towards the inn, and luckily the landlady isn't around when we head back up to our room. Once the door is safely locked behind us, I let out a long breath.

'Everything I thought I knew about myself is wrong.' I say flatly.

'That's not true!' Link protests. 'We know from Malon that you lived in the castle, and we know from Anju that you had a father and that Impa probably knows who you are. And now, we know that Impa is definitely in the castle. Once we find her, we'll find out everything!' he finishes brightly, ignoring my expression.

'But now we don't even know my name! And we don't know why I remember the name Zelda!'

'Maybe you were really, really loyal to your princess,' Link suggests, and I glare at him.

'I doubt that. I don't even remember my father's name, so why would I remember the name of some random princess?'

'Maybe she was the person with you in the Lost Woods, the one whose voice you heard. The one who tried to help you,' Link says, and I think about this.

'You know, that's actually a possibility,' I tell him, excitement rising in my voice. 'So now we have to speak to Zelda!'

'What?' Link asks, confused. 'What good is that going to do? That was just a guess! We don't know for sure that she actually knows you!'

'Yes, but I must remember her name for some reason! We have to sneak into the castle now, so that we can find her!' Link sighs.

'That's a bad idea. What we should do is wait until the morning, then ask to speak to Impa. No-one should get too suspicious if we just want to speak to the Princess' advisor, and she should definitely be able to tell us something useful, unlike Zelda.

'But what if Zelda really is the person from the Lost Woods? She'd still be in just as much danger as I am! It's our duty to find her!' I insist, hoping this will slip by Link. It doesn't.

'She's a princess, she's got people to take care of her. You don't. It's too dangerous to do it your way. I know you're impatient to find some answers but we have to wait. Just until the morning.' I sigh, frustrated. 'Promise me you'll wait,' Link says, and I look away from him. 'Promise me,' he repeats, and looking back I can see the concern in his eyes.

He's only doing this because he's worried about you, I remind myself. I sigh again.

'Fine. I promise.' Satisfied, Link lies down in his bed and soon falls asleep. I lie down in my own bed, but sleep doesn't come to me. Instead I stare out the window at the moon, my mind buzzing.

-o-

I can just feel my eyes finally drifting shut when voices float in through the window. I frown, and look over at the other bed. Link is still sound asleep, so I make my way over to the window as quietly as I can. Peering out, at first I don't see anything, but then my eyes fall on the guards standing by the path to the castle. I open the window a tiny fraction and press my ear to the gap, straining to hear what they're saying. Fortunately the town is otherwise completely silent, so I can just make out their words.

'The next shift should be here by now,' one of the guards complains.

'They're probably lying in a pool of beer in the guardhouse,' the other one replies.

'Why should we have to stick around all night while they get to sleep in their warm beds?' the first guard asks. 'Our shift's over. And I'm not going to freeze to death out here if I'm not getting paid for it.' The second guard looks sidelong at the first, and asks,

'You're not leaving, are you?'

'Well, why not? It's not our fault the next shift didn't turn up.'

'Yeah, but if we go and the next guys don't come, we'll be leaving the castle unguarded. You know we'll get in trouble for that.'

'Not as much trouble as I'll be in with my wife if I don't go home soon,' the other guard mutters. 'Besides, it's the middle of the night. Who's going to break into the castle now?' The second guard looks torn between his duty and his bed, and finally nods.

'Fine. Let's go.' To my joy, they leave their posts by the path and head off into the town.

There's no-one guarding the castle! I can get in there and find Zelda! I think ecstatically. But then I remember my promise to Link, and glance back at him. Still asleep. I stand by the window, conflicted. I know I don't have long to think about this. The next guard shift could arrive at any moment, and if that happens my opportunity will vanish.

I promised him. I can't break that promise, not when it's Link. But… I turn back to the window. The path looks invitingly open. If I leave now, I'm sure I'll be back by the time he wakes up. And think how happy he'll be when I tell him all I've learnt from Zelda! I'm sure he'll forgive me… Actually, I'm not so sure about that last one. But my mind is made up. Whispering one last 'sorry' to Link, I slip out the door into the night.

-o-

Link is startled awake by a soft knock on the door. He mumbles something and turns over, but as he does so he catches sight of the other bed – empty. He frowns and sits up, fully awake now. Only then does he hear the knock. Hoping it's me, he quickly gets up and tries to unlock it, stopping when he realises that it's already unlocked.

Where did Zelda go? he wonders. And who's outside now? Are they on our side, or not? Deciding that there's only one way to find out, he opens the door. To his disappointment and shock, it's not me but Impa, the old lady from before. She gives the room a cursory glance, frowning when she sees that Link is alone.

'Where is your friend?' she asks, and Link shrugs.

'I don't know. But what are you doing here? It's the middle of the night!' he says, hiding a yawn.

'I need to speak with her, urgently. I recognised her in the crowd earlier as I returned to town, but I could not leave the castle unnoticed before now.'

Why did the Princess' advisor have to sneak out of the castle? Link wonders, but suddenly he thinks of something else. Wait… what if Zelda went… But surely she wouldn't, she promised!

'Is something the matter?' Impa asks, seeing the change in Link's expression.

'I think Zelda went to the castle.'

'Why would she do that, at this time?'

'She was desperate to see the Princess. You see, Zelda – my Zelda – lost all her memories. When she first woke up, the only thing she remembered was that name. All along we assumed it was her name, but now we think that for some reason, she must have remembered the Princess instead. I wanted to wait until morning and talk to you about it, since we heard that you might know more about Zelda, for instance if that's even her name. But she wanted to go see the Princess as soon as we could. I made her promise to wait, but it seems as though she broke that.' He looks away for a moment, wondering why I decided to betray him like this.

The sun will be up soon, we could nearly have gone to see Impa. Why couldn't you just have waited a few more hours? he thinks. Why was that so hard? But he looks back to Impa when he realises that the old woman hasn't moved.

'So… as we speak… your friend is in the castle with the Princess,' she says slowly.

'I think so,' Link replies, unsure what Impa is implying.

'Then we need to go, right now,' she says, and Link frowns.

'Why? What's wrong? Do you think the Princess will be annoyed that Zelda woke her up in the middle of the night?'

'Far from it,' Impa says grimly. 'I will explain everything on the way. But we need to get to Hyrule Castle as quickly as we can. Your friend is in grave danger.'

-o-

A/N: Ooh, suspense. So what do you think is going to happen to Zelda? And is that even her real name? Next chapter up tomorrow!