Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Zelda or any of the characters in the Zelda series (if I did, I wouldn't waste my time here). I'm not making any money of this and if I forgot anything else in this disclaimer I did or didn't do that as well.

*/*

Chapter 7 – Princess Zelda

That guy in the market square had been right, there were a lot of guards around. Link used the guidance of Navi and the cover of darkness to make his way across the garden, carefully dodging the guards. He reached another wall and used a patch with bare bricks to climb over. On the other side, he could see two guards walking their round, following the large moat.

"Get into the water," Navi whispered.

Link slowly lowered himself in the water and swam, out of sight of the guards, alongside them. After Navi checked to see if there were any guards around, Link got out of the water again, and looked around.

"Someone's there," Navi warned him, "it looks like he's sleeping."

"That must be Malon's dad," Link whispered back and slowly made his way to the sleeping man.

A large man, with a big moustache, was sleeping against some crates, with a case of empty milk bottles next to him. He was snoring so loudly it surprised Link the guards hadn't spotted him yet.

"Hey, Talon!" Link hissed as he shook Talon, "wake up!"

"Hmpf, just a second, Malon, go check the cows," Talon grunted, but continued sleeping.

"He's even worse than you," Navi giggled.

"Shut up," Link scowled, and took one of the empty milk bottles.

"What are you gonna do?" Navi asked as Link lowered himself to a ridge a bit lower.

"Something I once did with Mido," Link grinned as he filled the bottle with water from the moat.

Link quickly climbed up again and emptied the bottle on Talon's face.

"Humpfrbgh," Talon sputtered as he rose, flaying wildly, "what! Where!"

Talon blinked as he looked around in the darkness, and found a snickering Link.

"Hey!" Talon grunted, "that wasn't nice."

"I'm sorry," Link said, trying to hold back laughter, "but I didn't know another way to wake you."

"I wasn't sleeping," Talon muttered as he took the milk bottle back from Link, "I was just resting my eyes a bit."

"Well, Malon said I had to wake you," Link said.

"Malon?" Talon blinked, "oh crap, she's waiting for me, and it's already dark! I'm gonna hear it now. I'm in heaps of trouble."

"Yeah, she's pretty mad," Link nodded as Talon got up and grabbed the milk case, "hey, think you could help me inside the castle?"

Talon ignored him and ran off to check on his daughter.

"Hey!" Link blinked as Talon disappeared behind a corner, "what about me?"

"Link!" Navi said, "look over there!"

Link peered into the darkness to where Navi was hovering. On the other side of the moat, he could see a small hole in the wall.

"I think that's that watering hole that guy was talking about," Navi said, "I think you'll fit."

"Yeah, maybe," Link yawned, "but it's getting late, and I already did a lot today… think I'll find some safe place to sleep."

"Good idea," Navi said after some thinking, "it's indeed been a full day. Think we best go find a place to sleep."

"Well, Talon slept here," Link said as he lowered himself back onto the ridge, "I'm thinking, if I sleep here, they won't spot me."

Link laid himself on the cold stone and tried to close his eyes. He opened them again and took off his shirt to use as a pillow.

"My first night outside the forest," he muttered as he drifted to sleep, "and I'm sleeping on a rock…"

*/*

Loud laughter woke Link up abruptly. He pressed himself against the wall, as he quickly rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Without a sound, he nodded to Navi to take a look what was happening on the side of the moat.

"It's two kitchen helps," Navi whispered when she returned, "they haven't seen you and gone into that door over there."

Link peered over the wall, and saw no one. He splashed some water on his face to wake up, put on his tunic and quickly climbed up the wall. He tried the door, but it was closed. It seemed that the kitchen helps had locked it from the inside.

"Guess we have to try that watering hole then," Link sighed.

"How are you gonna get up there?" Navi asked, "it's too high to climb up from the water."

"Yep," Link nodded, "and too far to jump. If only the moat had been a bit narrower, or that platform a bit higher."

"Link!" Navi suddenly thought of something, "those crates are still there. You could push them on the platform, and then you'd be able to reach it."

"How come I always have to push things," Link grumbled as he pushed the first crate closer to the platform.

"Well, I'd do it," Navi replied, "but it seems they're a bit too big for me."

The first crate fell down and landed on the platform. Link winced a bit at the sound it made, afraid it would attract one of the guards who were still patrolling. No one seemed to come, so he pushed the second crate on top of the first. Navi had been right. With the help of the crates, he'd be able to jump the gap to the watering hole. He took a small running start, and landed on the small ledge in front of the watering hole.

"Okay," Link said as he crawled into the hole, "now what?"

"We go find someone of the royal family," Navi replied.

"How are we gonna recognise them?" Link asked as he reached the other side.

"I don't know," Navi answered, "but I'm sure we'll be able to recognise them when the time comes."

*/*

Link found himself in a large garden, but he could see the feathers on guard's helmets just over high bushes.

"Poop, there are guards here too," he muttered, and silently crept through the garden.

Link had no longer the advantage of darkness, as he dodged the guards, but luckily Navi was able to warn him when a guard came too close or if he nearly got spotted. He didn't dare go in any of the doors he encountered, afraid there might be a guard on the other side, and finally, after a few hours of exploring the garden while dodging the guards, he made his way to a small patio, surrounded by the walls of the castle. There, peering at a window, he saw a small girl, wearing a beautiful dress and a silk headdress.

"Think she knows where I can find the royal family?" Link whispered to Navi.

"I don't know," Navi replied, "but at least she's not one of the guards, so it might be safe to ask her."

"Excuse me," Link said loudly, causing the girl to jump up.

"Who are you?" she asked as she turned around to look at him, with a slight hint of panic in her eyes.

"I'm Link," Link replied, "I've come from the forest."

"How did you get here?" she asked, her eyes narrowing a bit.

"I snuck past the guards," Link shrugged, "I need to find the royal family. I have something for them."

"Well Link," the girl smiled as she did a small curtsy, "I am princess Zelda, daughter of the king of Hyrule, future queen of Hyrule. It seems your quest is at an end."

"Really?" Link smiled, "that's great! I've come to give you this, then."

Link took out the Forest Emerald and presented it to Zelda.

"What is it?" Zelda asked as she took the small item.

"It's the Kokiri treasure," Link shrugged, "the Great Deku Tree said you'd know what to do with it."

"Who's the Great Deku Tree?" Zelda asked.

"Are you sure this is the one we need?" Navi whispered to Link.

"He's the guardian of the Kokiri, and of the Lost Woods," Link ignored Navi, "he said a bad man wanted it, and now he's dead. But before he died, he asked me to bring this to you."

"That bad man…" Zelda thought a bit, "do you know who he is?"

"No, I don't," Link shook his head.

"I think I do," Zelda replied and motioned him closer, "take a peek through that window, and you'll see him."

Link peered through the window, and saw the inside of a small hall. On one side, he could see a large man with a white beard and a golden crown sitting on a large wooden chair, heavily decorated, while on the other, he saw the women from the previous day. In front of them, he saw the tanned, redheaded man, dressed in a black silken outfit, kneel.

"That is Ganondorf," Zelda whispered, "he's from the desert and he's a bad man. He says he wants to pledge allegiance to my father, but no one trusts the Gerudo. They're all thieves, you know. They're a tribe of women who live in the desert, and apparently only one man is born every thousand years, who's made king. And Ganondorf is their king."

Suddenly Ganondorf looked to the side, straight to the window and spotted Link. His eyes narrowed, but turned to the king again as Link ducked down.

"Did he see you?" Zelda whispered.

"I'm not sure," Link replied, "if that's the bad man that killed the Deku Tree, then what does he want with our treasure?"

"I think this is one of the spiritual stones," Zelda explained as she looked closer to the emerald, "it is said there are only two ways to gain access to the inner chamber of the Temple of Time, and one is by the hand of the Hero of Hyrule, and the other by collecting the three spiritual stones. In that inner chamber lies the Master Sword, a very powerful weapon that can only be wielded by the Hero of Hyrule. It's also the doorway to the Tri-Force."

*/*

"The Tri-Force!" Link interrupted Zelda, "the Deku Tree said that the bad man wanted the Tri-Force!"

"Then he must be stopped," Zelda said resolute, "the Tri-Force was left here by the Goddesses, and has the ability to grant the wish of anyone who touches it. If the wish is done by someone with a pure heart, Hyrule will enter a golden age of prosperity, but if it's done by a man with evil in his heart, the world will have a dark shadow cast over it."

"So, we have to warn your father," Link said, "and make sure that Ganondorf doesn't get to the Tri-Force."

"No," Zelda shook her head, "I already tried to warn my father about Ganondorf, how I think he has evil intentions, but he refuses to believe me. Even Impa, my guardian, doesn't believe me, and says I shouldn't believe all those stories about the Gerudo. No, if Ganondorf is to be stopped, it is by us. He'll never know what hit him."

Zelda looked at Link and tilted her head a bit.

"You're the new Hero of Hyrule," she said, "you have brought the spiritual stone of the forest, and you will find the other two stones as well. And then you will wield the Master Sword against Ganondorf."

"Me?" Link blinked.

"Him?" Navi blinked.

"Yes," Zelda nodded, "you. I feel you have the courage to do so. You must gather the two other stones and unlock the Master Sword so you can use it to fight Ganondorf. And I'll prove to my father I will indeed be a great queen."

"I don't even know where the other two stones are!" Link shook his head, "and using a big sword? I'm too small!"

"I'm sure the goddesses will help you with it," Zelda reassured him, "if Ganondorf is indeed the evil man that killed the Deku Tree, then you can only beat him with the Master Sword."

"Well… okay…" Link agreed, "but where can I find the other stones?"

"It is said one of the stones is in the forest," Zelda said as she gave the emerald back to Link, "this is the one. The other stones are the fire stone and the water stone. I believe the Gorons, they're big people who eat rocks and live in caves, like animals, in Death Mountain, have the fire stone. And the Zora, some sort of fishpeople who smell funny, at Zora's domain have the other. You must go them, and ask them to give you the stone, if Ganondorf hasn't stolen them yet."

"You think he has stolen them?" Link frowned.

"He tried the same with the Forest Emerald, did he not?" Zelda asked, "and he just got back from a trip along Hyrule. No doubt did he try to steal the spiritual stones. You must go there and get them, so you can defeat Ganondorf. Wait here."

Zelda left Link for a moment as she ran to a door and opened it. She went inside for a few minutes and came back out, with a tall woman closely behind her. Link gulped as he saw her.

"I'll give you this letter," Zelda said as she passed link a piece of paper, "it should help you in case you get stopped by a guard. Impa will bring you to the castle gates and help you with further information."

Zelda glanced at Impa for a moment and then turned to Link.

"It's best you don't talk about Ganondorf to Impa," Zelda whispered, "I don't want anyone to know about him yet."

"Okay," Link nodded as he put away the piece of paper, and looked wearily at Impa.

The Sheikah tilted her head a bit and narrowed her eyes as she looked Link up and down, as if she tried to remember him from somewhere. She shook her head and bowed for the princess.

"Come with me, boy," she told Link and turned away.

Link took one last look at Zelda and then followed Impa.

Impa hadn't said a word while she escorted Link outside. When they reached the drawbridge of Castletown, she turned to Link.

"Princess Zelda has told me she wants you to get the spiritual stones," Impa said, "to help defeat a great evil. I personally do not understand yet who or what that evil is, but Zelda says it is necessary."

Impa sighed.

"At times like this," she stared into the distance, towards the Lost Woods, "I wish Kaepora was still alive."

"Well, someone tried to kill the Great Deku Tree," Link told her, "to try and take the treasure of the Kokiri. And the Deku Tree said that man was after the Tri-Force."

"No one can reach the Tri-Force," Impa shook her head, but seemed a bit uncertain, "still, I'm sure the princess has a plan. She is very wise for her age. She is already certain it is her destiny to become a great queen."

"I'll get the stones right away," Link assured her, and then looked around, "uhm… which way are they?"

"The path to Death Mountain and Zora's domain are both to the east," Impa told him.

"Okay, thanks!" Link smiled, and then frowned, "uhm… which way is east?"

"That way," Impa pointed to him with a blank stare, "just follow the river until you reach a bridge. Over that bridge you'll find the path to Kakariko Village, in the mountains, where I'm from. There you'll find the trail to Death Mountain."

"Okay, thanks!" Link smiled again.

"Before you go," Impa stopped him, "I must make you an official messenger of the royal family."

"Oh?" Link frowned.

"It is not that easy to come in contact with the Zora's and the Gorons," Impa explained, as she produced a small ocarina, "our messengers identify themselves with this tune."

She played a small tune on her ocarina, which Link was able to learn quickly.

"Play this," Impa said, "and they will grant you audience."

"Okay," Link nodded, "what's an audience?"

Impa's hand went up, and quickly came down, throwing a Deku nut at the ground. The flash blinded Link and when he could see again, the Sheikah was vanished.

"Wow…" Link whistled, "that was cool…"

*/*

"Okay, let's go to Kakariko Village," Navi said.

"No way," Link frowned, and looked up at the sun, "it's almost noon, and I still haven't eaten yet."

"We can eat the left over of the berries on our way there," Navi said.

"Nah, let's go to Lon Lon Ranch," Link smiled, "I promised Malon I'd go visit her after I've been to the castle, and I'm sure she'll give me food for waking up Talon."

"That… sounds like a good idea," Navi nodded.

"And then," Link continued as he started to run towards Lon Lon Ranch, "we can go back to the Lost Woods and see if Mido is still mad at me."

"Why go to the Lost Woods?" Navi asked, "that's further away from where we have to go."

"Because near the edge of the Lost Woods, there's a tunnel, leading into a big rock, called the Goron Tunnel," Link explained, "and a pond that's called Zora's pond."

"And they're named like that for a reason… right…" Navi understood his meaning, "I must say, you're not as dumb as I first thought."

"Thanks," Link smiled, and then frowned, "I guess…"