A/N: Apologies for the delay in posting. Unfortunately, new chapters will likely be every other week, possibly monthly depending on how much time I have, as college is starting back up. I'm determined to see this story through to the end though, so please, enjoy and look forward to the coming chapters!


This time, Link and Navi were careful as they began their new attempt to enter the castle. The hardest guard to pass would be the first one on the bridge. Once they were down on the path on the other side, sneaking would be as easy as keeping to the shadows.

From the cliffside, Link crept forward, keeping as far back and out of sight as possible. The grass was cut short, leaving few spots to hide in, likely for the express purpose of keeping people from being able to sneak by. The guard from before was staring straight forward across the bridge, but in the distance, another one approached.

Link awaited his opportunity. As soon as the other guard arrived tapping the shoulder of the first one to catch his attention, Link made his attempt, dashing forward and jumping over the side at the edge of the bridge. Immediately, he zipped to the edge of the sheer dirt and rock wall, pressing close against the edge where the guards would find it hard to see.

He slid along that edge for some time, following the path that Navi instructed him. But soon, the wall began to shrink and shorten; he could hear a guard just above him tapping their feet. He froze. Up ahead around a slow curve, another guard stood in the middle of the path.

Navi fluttered back to hover in front of Link. "Stay still and watch for an opening," she murmured before flying back the way they had come. For several minutes, all Link heard was the sound of his own heavy breathing. Then finally, he heard the tell-tale sound of fairy flight up ahead. Carefully, he poked the top of his head around the corner to get a better look.

Navi was flying at the guard's eye level nearby, circling back every few seconds. Several tense minutes passed before the guard finally acknowledged her.

"Are you looking for the Fairy Fountain? I'm sorry to say that you won't be able to access it right now. Part of the wall collapsed over the entrance last week, and it will be some time before the guard can clear its entrance."

Navi flew closer, shaking her head. "No, I've been separated from my traveling companion. Have you seen any children around here recently?"

The guard turned his head so that he could look at her directly. Link, seeing the only opening he would likely get, zipped by to the side, hanging close to the wall. Beyond this guard, another set of guards blocked the path ahead, but they had yet to notice him. In the field, however, security seemed sparse up until the castle gates.

"No," the man finally said, turning to point back towards the gates. "This area is restricted to people on official business only, you would do better to search back towards the town."

Navi fluttered back and forth nervously. "Oh, okay… I do hope he's alright…" Leaving with those words, she flew away towards the gate until she was sure she was out of sight, before zipping back by high overhead.

While she had been busy making a distraction, Link had managed to scamper up into a nearby tree, blending in and attempting to get a better look at his surroundings. Surprisingly, he saw no guards off the path, only those blockading the path and gates.

Navi landed on his shoulder, speaking in a hushed whisper. "There's another vine wall you can climb over to the left. That will get you past the gates, at least, but the drawbridge is up. I didn't have time to search for another way in."

Link nodded in acknowledgement. It was a start, at least. Taking one last look around the field to make sure no more guards were watching, he quietly slid down from his perch, then made a made a mad dash for the far side of the field, scrambling up the vines like his life depended on it.

As soon as he reached the top, he flopped over to the side, taking a moment to catch his breath. For a moment, he listened for the sound of angry guards giving chase. But he could hea nothing but the sound of his own breathing and the rustling of foliage in the wind. Finally, after what felt like forever but was probably only a few minutes, he crawled to the far edge of the ledge he was on, checking the drop off for trouble. From what he could tell, the only guard was the one at the top of the stairwell at the entrance to the castle gates, which he had already managed to slip behind.

He began to slide down the side to the dirt and stone path beyond. As his feet skidded on the near vertical surface, a few loose rocks fell to the ground, clattering below. He landed with baited breath and turned his head to the side. The guard lifted his head, turning it to the left and right.

"Is someone there?"

Link froze, immediately pressed up against the wall, and closed his eyes, not even daring to breathe. He heard footsteps and the clanking of armor as the guard turned, moving closer and closer… the boy's hand cautiously slipped into his pocket...

"Hey!"

At the one word, Link's eyes snapped open to see the armored man charging towards him from the stairwell. With almost no time to react, he whipped his hand out of his pocket, tossing one of his purchased deku nuts to the ground. It snapped, flashing a bright burst of light. Without giving the guard a chance to recover from the flash, he sped off, shoving past the man.

By the time the guard had recovered, he had already run down half the length of the castle walls. Ignoring the shouts calling for him to stop and for help to chase him down, he ran as fast as his scrawny legs would allow. As soon as he had reached the end, he skidded, turning to the left as quickly as possible, almost falling over in his sharp turn.

He was quickly running out of space. Up in front was a dead end, a doorway at the end. In front of it, several boxes of goods and… a sleeping man?

The man sprawled out on the stone walkway reminded him much of the description Malon had given him before. But he had no time to think about that; the guard would round that corner any minute, and he'd be forced to surrender or fight.

Before he could stop and decide, however, Navi darted out from his side. "Link, Look! There's a hole in the castle wall where the water is running out! It's a bit of a gap, but if you take a running start, maybe you can make it!"

The skull kid nodded, watching as Navi darted to point the spot out. … The man was sleeping almost directly in front of it. He could hear more yelling from behind. He only had one shot at this.

Deviating from his path slightly, he made an angle towards the gate almost directly in front of where the man was sleeping. As soon as he reached it, he spun, pushing off with one hand and a foot, and made a dash directly for who he suspected was Malon's sleeping father. Gathering every bit of strength he could muster, he sprang forward, one foot landing hard on the man's side, and sprang off of it, reaching out desperately to grab hold of the wooden planks on either side of the running water.

For a moment, he hung in the air, fingers just barely gripping hold of the wooden grain. His feet skidded on the slick stone walls. Behind him, he heard the man hiss in pain and sit up. Mustering the last of his strength, he pulled as hard as he could, and scrambled up and inside.

Despite how small the hole was, he had to stop inside for a moment to catch his breath, hoping he was no longer visible from the outside. The footsteps of several guards arriving outside sounded, slowing to a stop.

"What in tarnation is going on here?" One voice asked.

"Mister Talon? Why are you still here?" Another asked.

"That's not important," a third one said. "Have you seen a monster come through here? It was an ashy grey brown and wearing dirty green clothes."

The first voice grumbled for a moment. "Can't say that I did, as far as I can remember. But I reckon something fell on me or something a minute ago, m' side's hurtin something awful all of a sudden."

"The monster must have attacked him trying to find somewhere to hide. But where?"

Link sucked in a breath and held it. Navi pushed herself back inside his hat, only just barely poking out. "Keep moving," she hissed. "Before they figure it out!

The thought of being caught by the angry guardsmen was enough for Link to get going. He heard them continue talking, but their words faded as he moved further and further inside.

It felt like he crawled through the hole forever. Once he was further in, he rested again for a moment, but not for long. The damp little tunnel was no place for a wooden child; he quickly got on the move again.

Finally, he could see light at the other end. Navi popped out and flew ahead as he crawled, coming back a moment later to give him the okay to rush on ahead. As soon as he reached the end of the tunnel, he sprang to his feel, glad to finally be out of the water.

He found himself standing in a shallow pool of water that came up just a small bit above his ankles, a small waterfall splashing down from his right. Not wanting to be in the water any longer than he had to, he splashed over to the edge and stepped out, squeezing water out of the damp front edge of his tunic.

He was in a secluded corner of the castle, it seemed. A few barrels were stacked in front of him and to the side, and some mysterious door was to his right. Part of him wanted to open it and go running through the castle halls! But… that felt like it was probably a terrible, terrible idea.

Ahead, he could see a hedge beyond the partial wall in front of him. It seemed as good of a place as any to start his search for the princess. Satisfied with how much water he'd managed to get out of his tunic, he began to creep forward.

The bush was cut in an unnatural shape, perfectly rectangular. The perfect, unnatural hedge made him feel uneasy compared to the natural wilderness of the forest; he took a moment to rub his arm. Still, at least it provided cover. Cover that he desperately needed. He could hear footsteps not far in front of him.

Carefully, he peeked around the corner. The guard was further down the path, back turned as he slowly strolled down the path along a second hedge. His pace slowed to a stop at the corner, and he looked left, right, and backwards before turning and hurrying around the corner.

With no other guards in sight, Link rushed forward, skidding to a stop right in front of a third hedge, and looked around the corner again. This time, two guards patrolled around two large stone fountains. Link darted past these, too.

Now he found himself in a predicament. Another guard ahead strode around a large, wooden structure with vines growing up and around it, leaving nowhere to take cover from the man's sight. Nowhere except up, at least. He approached one post in a side, tightly wrapped his hands around the post and began to pull himself up. This was much, much harder than scaling a tree; trees typically had a rough texture that he could use to support himself. This, on the other hand, was sanded and smooth. Once again, he found himself wishing he had been able to master the warping magic of his kind often used.

As the man turned his direction, he finally got hold of the top, scrambling up with a grunt. The man started to inch closer, swearing something under his breath. No time to lose, Link scrambled along the beam overhead, hoping he was being quiet enough and that he blended in enough with the wood and plants to slip by unnoticed.

"Is someone there?" The man asked, both hands gripping his weapon. Link didn't answer, freezing. The man began to loop around to the backside where he had climbed up. No time left, Link jumped down as soon as the man's back was turned and dashed ahead.

There was no time left to sneak; He dashed around past a large statue, past the next hedge, and pushed himself into the bushes in the middle. The man came around the same way, and Link found himself squeezing his eyes shut, holding a breath. The guard walked by once, twice, a third time, before finally giving up and returning to his post. "Dumb animals," he mumbled, shaking his head. "They got to do something about these damn squirrels."

Link finally let out his breath, sighing in relief. Slowly, he pulled himself out of the bushes, then hurried along up the path. There were no guards in this last portion, fortunately.

After a moment of walking, the path opened into a small courtyard, decorated with bushes and flowers, and with a small stream wrapping around the sides. At the far end, a regally dressed child stood, back turned.

Link began to inch his way forward, crouched slightly. Before he could reach the child, however, his eyes were caught by something glimmering in the sunlight. He turned, finding himself facing a window.

He glanced to the window in front of him, then to the handle of his slingshot sticking out of his pockets. It's times like these that Link had to stop, to dig down deep inside himself and think.

What would Skull Kid do?

Slowly, his hand reached down into his pocket, emerging with the slingshot and a single deku seed. He placed the ammo and slowly lifted the small weapon. Navi, sensing they had stopped moving, popped out from under Link's hat.

"Link what are you-" Navi started in a quiet, hissing voice. Then she realized. "Oh no, Link no, no, no, you're going to get yourself caught!"

But Link wasn't listening, he pulled the slingshot back and released. There was a crash, the shattering of glass, and Link let out a mischievous little cackle.

Navi sighed in defeat. Skull kids. Always getting into trouble.

The boy's mischievous laugh cut off when he heard a startled cry. Slowly, Link raised his head and jumped back in surprise when he saw the girl from before staring at him. His eyes darted to the slingshot in his hands, and he quickly attempted to hide the incriminating evidence behind his back.

For several minutes, the two stared at each other in a tense silence. But finally, the girl broke the silence, bringing her hand up towards her chest, taking a step back.

"Who Are you?" The girl demanded. "How did you get past the guards?"

The girl's dress was a combination of pure white and royal purple. Her hair was covered by a hat of the same colors, adorned with a golden emblem.

Navi zipped out in front of Link, a nervous jingle following behind. "No, please wait before you call anyone, we can explain!"

Suddenly, it was like something clicked with the girl, her eyes lighting up in recognition. "Wait, is that… are you a fairy? I mean… of course you are, so that must mean… are you two from the forest?"

Navi was quiet for a moment, processing the sudden change. But finally, she bobbed up and down in the air in confirmation.

The girls mouth twisted into a smile, eyes lighting up as her stance relaxed. "Then… You wouldn't happen to have the Spiritual Stone of the forest, would you?"

Link hesitated for a moment, looking to Navi for guidance. The fairy looked to him and gave him a small nod. With her go ahead, he eagerly reached his hands into a pouch around his belt, fingers wrapping around the beautiful emerald the Deku Tree had entrusted him with, and carefully pulled it out to present to the girl.

Her smile broadened. Clasping her hands together in front of her face, her eyes squinted. "Just as I thought!" But then then her smile faltered, her hands falling to her side. Link tilted his head. Did all humans change demeanor this quickly?

"I had a dream…" she started. "In the dream, dark storm clouds were billowing over the land of Hyrule… But then, suddenly a ray of light shot out of the forest, parted the clouds, and lit up the ground… And then, the light turns into a figure holding a green shining stone – just like this one." She paused to gesture to the emerald in Link's hands. "And they're followed by a fairy."

She raised a hand up to her face, tilting it upwards slightly, eyes raising up to the sky in thought. "I knew this had to be a prophecy that someone would come from the forest… So… when I saw your fairy, I thought you might be the one."

Link blinked, not quite following. He returned the Kokiri Emerald back to its place in his bag.

Suddenly, the girl's face lit up in surprise. "Oh! I got so carried away with my story, I didn't even properly introduce myself! I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule. What is your name?"

Finally, Link perked, recognizing the title. "Link," he answered quietly.

"And I'm Navi," the fairy cut in. "We were sent by the Deku Tree to find you. There are… an evil man cursed the Deku Tree, the spirit of the forest, all for the stone. He… the Great Deku Tree, he passed on."

The princess's smile faltered. "I'm… I'm sorry to hear that." Her gaze shifted to the side, before she quickly jumped subjects. "Can… can I tell you a secret? It's a secret of the royal family. So if I tell you, you can't tell anyone!" Zelda scrunched her face up and held up a fist in a very 'unprincess-like' manner, leaving Link with nothing to do but quickly nod in agreement.

The girl smiled, and took a seat on the stone path, legs to the side, then patted the ground beside her, an invitation that Link gratefully accepted.

"They say the three goddesses hid the Triforce containing the power of the gods somewhere in Hyrule," Zelda began with a deep breath. "The power to grant the wish of the one who holds the Triforce in his hands. If someone with a righteous heart makes a wish, it will lead Hyrule to a golden age of prosperity..."

The girl's gaze shifted to the side, looking back at something unseen through the window behind her. "However, if someone with an evil mind has his wish granted, the world will be consumed by evil... So, the ancient Sages built the Temple of Time to protect the Triforce from evil ones. Does that all make sense?"

Link stared blankly for a moment, before finally shrugging. "I don't know anything about any temples or sages, or much about this Triforce thing. I don't really know anything outside of what I've seen in the forest. Until just a couple days ago, the only things I was worried about was food and having fun with my best friend."

Zelda sighed, shaking her head. "Sorry, I don't really know much about the culture of the forest, so perhaps I am the one assuming too much." A pause, while she tilted her head. "Maybe I can at least explain why that stone you have is important.

"The Temple of Time is the entrance through which you can enter the Sacred Realm from

our world. But the entrance is sealed with a stone wall called the Door of Time. It makes it sound pretty safe, but obviously there has to be some way to open the door, right? And the way to do so, to open the door, it is said that you need to collect three Spiritual Stones. Like that one you brought, that's one of them." She turned her gaze to the bag holding the beautiful emerald.

"There is one other thing that you would need... A treasure that the Royal Family keeps along with this legend. Does that make a little more sense?"

Link nodded slowly with a blank expression. He still did not completely understand. But he understood the important parts. There was something very powerful out there, something that someone evil was trying to get their hands on. And in his satchel was one of the things that evil needed.

The princess seemed to perk up at his affirmation. "That's Great! Now, about what you were saying earlier. Let me explain what I was doing before your… um… interruption. I was spying through this window, you see. Do you remember the dream I was telling you about? The other element in my dreams, the dark clouds, I believe they symbolize that man in there."

Zelda gestured to the window, and Link took the invitation to stand up and step forward, standing on his tip toes to get a good look. Several guards lined the far wall of the room through the glass, and he had a feeling that they were on his side too, out of sight. But the guards were not the point of interest. Another man came into view, a man that was a stark contrast in appearance. His skin was a dark brown, and his armor an even darker shade. His hair was a brilliant, flaming orange, contrasting the blacks and browns and dark golds of the rest of him. A single, vibrant gemstone adorned his forehead, although other smaller gems also were placed at certain parts of his armor.

"That is Ganondorf," Zelda whispered to his side. "He is the leader of the Gerudo. They hail from a desert far to the west of Hyrule. He says he swears allegiance to my father, but I do not think he is sincere."

"What makes you so certain?" Link retorted quietly.

"… I don't know," Zelda admitted. "I really am sure that he represents the dark clouds in my dream, and the way he speaks, the way he is always prying for information, it makes me suspicious. But I cannot prove it."

Link gave a small nod, keeping a careful eye on the way the man walked and moved. Suddenly, the man's head turned, and Link found himself frozen in place, eyes locked with the mysterious man. It took him several seconds to rip his gaze away, but for some reason, he felt more vulnerable than he ever had before.

He took several steps back, out of sight of the window. He had been seen by that man. He had to leave he needed to get out before –

"What's wrong?" Zelda's words cut through his stream of thought. "Did he see you?" It took Link everything he had at the moment to calm down and nod his head. Fortunately, Zelda had an answer. "Don't worry, he doesn't have any idea what we're planning… yet."

Link nodded at first, but when he stopped to consider Zelda's words, he startled, taking a step back and tilting his head. They are…planning something?

Zelda sensed his confusion and hesitance. "You will help me, right?" When Link did not quickly respond, she clasped her hands together, desperation in her voice. "When I told my dad about my dream, he didn't believe it was a prophecy. But… but I can sense that man's evil intentions!" She lowered her gaze, voice softening. "What Ganondorf is after must be nothing less than the Triforce of the Sacred Realm... He must have come to Hyrule to obtain it, to conquer Hyrule… No, to conquer the whole world!"

She turned her gaze back to Link. "That's why I need your help. I cannot leave to gather the Sacred Stones. But you could! And I can protect the royal treasure at the same time. Once you have all three, we could get the Triforce for ourselves and defeat Ganondorf! You will help me, won't you?".

Link hesitated. When the Deku Tree had sent him on this journey, he had expected to deliver the stone and be done with it, returning home to go back to playing with Skull Kid and Saria like nothing happened. But now, he was finding himself thrust into a new, difficult choice. A choice that would send him who knows where on his journey.

"I will follow whatever choice you make, Link," Navi mumbled to the child, fluttering close before speaking louder towards Zelda. "Please, consider what you are asking of Link, though. Link is a skull kid, a type of forest spirit. His body is specialized for forest life. You're asking him to venture into a world unknown to him, around people and places hostile to forest spirits."

"I understand your hesitance," Zelda admitted, head low and hands to her side. "But… I have no one else to turn to. My own father does not believe me, and the guard will follow his order. I know that it's scary, but please consider. If that evil man is not stopped, then the whole world will be in peril. You even said before that he is responsible for the great forest spirit's death. If he isn't stopped, your home will be in danger!"

Link let out a quiet sigh, lowering his head. She had a point… what choice did he have, really? He thought to Saria and Skull Kid, and the danger they would be in if the forest was invaded. Skull Kid could hold his own in a fight; he'd seen that first hand. But the other skull kids, the kokiri… If this was something that could happen, that could be prevented or at least stopped, and he did nothing to stop it… He'd never be able to forgive himself.

Link finally nodded. "I'm In."

Zelda smiled, and clapped her hands together. "Excellent! We can get started right away. My attendant knows where the first stone is, I'll have her give you directions."

"Attendant? Where…" Link looked up and let out a gasp when he noticed the woman standing nearby. She had not been there before, had she? He quickly stood up, feeling far too vulnerable sitting on the ground near the strange adult.

The woman stood proud with arms crossed. Her clothing was black and dark blue, with bits of grey and silver. Her hair was a similar silver color. Her eyes glanced towards the window Link had broken, one brow raised, then back to Link. Link gave a toothy, sheepish grin.

"I, uh…"

The woman held up a hand to silence Link. "Do not worry about it for now, child. There are more important matters to discuss."

Link started to open his mouth again, but thought better of it, nodding and putting on the most serious look he could muster.

The woman's lips curled back into the beginning of a smile. "I am Impa of the Sheikahs," she began with a small bow. "I am responsible for protecting Princess Zelda. Everything is exactly as the Princess foretold. You are a courageous young skull kid - venturing out of the forest only to head out on another big adventure."

"What is a skull kid anyways, Impa?"

Link glanced back towards Zelda, who had stood now, and was holding a paper in her hands. Impa closed her eyes.

"That is a discussion for another time. You will learn more about them someday, Zelda; You will have to, if you wish to keep Hyrule whole and unified. But for now, do not worry about it." She nodded to the paper. "I believe you have something you needed to finish for your friend, anyways.

Zelda nodded, then went back to the paper in her hands, finishing writing something with a quill. She then folded it and held it out for Link. "This is a letter from me, I'm sure it will be helpful to you - there are some areas that guards would not let you pass otherwise."

Link looked over the fancy paper and elegant handwriting. It was far better than anything he could do… In fact, he did not understand a word of it. The temptation to eat the nice-looking paper was very, very strong. But Navi clearing her throat snapped him back to reality. He quickly stuffed the letter away.

Satisfied, Impa gave the children a nod, then continued her speech to Link. "I, too, had a role in the Princess's dream: to teach a melody to the one who came from the forest." Link held a finger up to point at his chest. The woman nodded again. "Listen carefully, the song I am about to teach you is an ancient melody passed down by the Royal Family." She held a hand up to her chest. "I have played this song for Princess Zelda as a lullaby ever since she was a baby… There is mysterious power in these notes."

The woman held fingers up to her mouth and began to whistle a simple, three note melody. Link considered reaching for his flute, but instead went for the fairy ocarina instead. He gave it a couple experimental blows, picking out notes, then slowly repeated the three notes Impa had sang, repeating it a few times until he had it down.

As soon as he appeared to have the three down, the woman continued with a few more notes, completing the melody. For good measure, she repeated the entire song. Link fumbled with the holes, placing slender wooden fingers over them as he carefully picked out the remaining notes and played them over, until satisfied.

When he finished, he found both Zelda and Impa clapping for him.

"Wow, you learned that so fast!" Zelda exclaimed, laughing. "You must be a natural musician."

Link sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "One of my friends taught me the flute. We play together a lot. Another recently gave me this ocarina. They play different, but the concepts are the same."

Zelda looked ready to say more, but a commotion in the castle distracted her.

"You're sure you saw something in the courtyard?" One voice said

"Not completely… but there's a chance that I did." Another responded.

"With that thing Charles saw outside, it's worth investigating. What if it got into the castle? The royal family could be in danger!"

"Hey, look over here, this window has been busted!"

Impa turned her attention to Link and offered out a hand. "If the castle soldiers find you, there will be trouble. Let me lead you out of the castle."

Link looked to the woman's hand skeptically. But he took a deep breath and accepted it. As untrustworthy as adults were in his eyes, he was quickly realizing that he would have to make compromises on his journey.

The woman gave him a warm smile; Link blinked once, and gave a wide, nervous, toothy grin in response. But before he could say anything, Impa's face once again became cold and stony, and he found himself being almost dragged as she took off and a brisk pace.

They were somewhere beneath the castle.

Impa had led him at first back the way they had come but had pulled him into an inconspicuous door along the way, into an old, dank room with a trap door that led down. She'd struck a match and lit a torch and, taking great care to keep it away from the skull kid, had led him to a second door, hidden in the walls of the cellar they'd found themselves in.

For some time, he'd been led along in silence, taking so many twists and turns that he was quite certain that he would never be able to find his way back through if he wanted. He had no clue how Impa could even make sense of where they were going. More than once, they had stopped at a branching path briefly, only for her to take a route with certainty.

Navi flew along behind, offering little more in the way of light alongside the torch. Still, to her, the silence was like agony. She was the first to break it. She flew forward to fly beside Impa's head.

"So," She started. "You are Zelda's guardian, or caretaker of sorts?"

"You could call me a nanny," Impa responded simply. "But guardian or attendant would be more proper terms. It's my job to keep her safe and give her guidance. I suppose I could say the same of you?"

Navi jingled in the darkness. "I suppose. My duty is to help Link and see him through his journey safe."

The corner of the woman's mouth twitched. "I find it strange though. Everything I have read and experienced suggest that only Kokiri receive a guardian fairy. Yet here you are, guiding a skull kid."

"He's adopted," Navi joked.

Apparently, there was something funny about the response that Link did not understand, because he could only tilt his head when Impa leaned her head back and let out a hearty laugh.

"Fairy, I do not know your name, but it is good to see you can have a sense of humor in these trying times."

"It's Navi. And thank you. Though to be honest, it is not entirely a joke. The Great Deku Tree's final request to me was to help Link."

The woman chuckled one more time, but when she spoke again, her voice had become sober. "And what of when the journey is finished? What will you do then?"

Navi was silent for a moment. "Well, I suppose we will return to the forest. No, I know we will. Link has friends to return to. Right Link?

The two turned back, and Link, tuning back in once he heard his name, nodded enthusiastically.

The group was quiet again for a while, until the path they were following came to an end. Impa paused at the edge, feeling her hand around for something. Her hand gripped hold of a handle before she pushed with a shoulder.

Slowly, the wall seemed to give way, sunlight seeping through. Link pushed ahead, excited to be out of the cramped stone tunnels, and found himself back outside in the field outside the castle. Impa put out the torch and followed behind. Navi came out last, fluttering over to Link and nestling in his cap.

Impa took hold of his hand once more, leading him back towards the town and back through back alleys, keeping a tight grip to make sure he did not cause any more mischief than he already had.

The sun was starting to set by the time they reached Castle Town's outer gates. Only once they were across the bridge did Impa let the boy's hand go.

Link could not say why exactly, but he had never felt so relieved to be on grass again. Almost a whole day, gone already. And yet it sounded like it would be the first of many exhausting days on the road now.

"You are a brave lad," Impa spoke up, turning Link's attention away from the ground below. "We must protect this land. You, Navi, myself and Zelda."

She raised a hand and pointed it to her left. Link followed it, finding a huge mountain in that direction, the top stretching up into the clouds.

"Take a good look at that mountain. That is Death Mountain, home of the Gorons. They hold the Spiritual Stone of Fire."

Link couldn't help but gulp at the thought of a fiery spiritual stone. Suddenly, this quest was sounding just a bit more daunting. Just a bit.

Link's finger lowered pointing towards a path ahead of them. "At the foot of Death Mountain, you will find my village, Kakariko. That is where I was born and raised." A thin smile set into her lips. "You should talk to some of the villagers there before you go up Death Mountain. Although you are not human like them, Kakariko is known to be far more accepting than their Castle Town counterparts. You should have no trouble, so long as you behave."

Link nodded slowly, though, if he was honest, he doubted it would be as easy as she made it seem.

"Remember the song I taught you. It is a special song that only those with close ties to the royal family are allowed to learn. It will prove your connection to them."

She took a single step back. "You should be able to reach Kakariko Villiage by not long after nightfall. Remember, we are all counting on you."

There was a snap, and a flash. Link yelped and tried to shield his eyes from the bright light. By the time he was able to see again, the shekiah was gone.

Link stood silently for a moment, processing the new information. After what felt like some time, though, he finally adjusted his belt, and began the walk down the path. His first journey may have ended, but now, a new, even more daunting task had begun.