First off, I want to say that I do not except bashing reviews. If you don't like my story or my style, then either write a review with some respect or don't write one at all. If you do bash my story, I will find a way to get the review removed.

Thank you :)

Yes, I know this story marks my third active story on this site, but after the release of OoT3D, I couldn't help myself any longer. This is actually my original Maple/Leah story, the one I've worked on since I was about nine. As such, this story will mainly take place in the perspective of Maple, not Link (maybe a chapter or two from his, but no promises).

Hope you enjoy :)

A/N: I do not take credit for all the original Zelda material. The characters and events that I add on to the story are the only things that I take credit for. Basically, anything that you recognize is not mine and anything that you don't recognize is.I'm not going to write this note every chapter! This is the only chapter that I will state this!

It was hot. Very hot. I knew instantly that the heat meant the fires were getting closer. The air was thick and heavy from ash and debris. Almost all of the green life was shriveled from the lack of moisture in the air.

It was the worst war I had ever seen in Hyrule.

I knew that staying where I was, wasn't safe. But something inside of me told me to stay. I wasn't supposed to leave... yet. The boulder I was hidden behind, coupled with my small spell, was enough to keep me safe for awhile.

Speaking of which, a small shudder spread through my body to inform me that my spell was weakening, due to a lack of concentration. Instantly I strengthened it.

The spell was simple, but very affective and useful. It was one that a dear friend of mine had taught me, one that hid me from anyone wishing to do me harm. My learning it had actually come at a good time, too.

Before the war, I had been good friends with the royal family (and still was, matter of fact). As such, I was often seen roaming freely around the castle and its grounds. One man, the man who was essentially the cause of the civil war, began to notice how I never grew older, despite knowing me for five years. After a while, he began to wonder just what I was, and eventually declared war. Now, I wasn't safe. He had used the excuse of the war to come after me, and this spell was the only thing that had kept me safe over the last few months.

A snapping twig on the other side of the boulder told me that I was no longer alone. I reacted by going completely still and making sure that my spell was in full effect.

Seconds later, a pair of striking blue eyes appeared around the corner. It took me a few moments to focus on the face behind the eyes, and when I was able to, I realized that this person wasn't a threat.

For one, this person could see me. It was a nice twist to my spell, keeping me from being seen by only people who wished me harm. Anyone who wasn't a threat would be able to see me. It allowed me to distinguish between my enemies and friends easier. Second, the person behind the eyes was young (maybe in her early twenties) and she was badly wounded.

As we stared at each other, I knew what this woman would see. A seemingly normal eleven or twelve year old, with floor length black hair and eyes that were two different colors (one dark brown and the other a bright blue). But what she wouldn't know was that the wisdom held in the eyes staring at her had come from centuries of experience, and that I was anything but normal.

"P-please..." She said, her voice extremely weak. I saw her move her arms slightly, and realized that she was holding a bundle of blankets in her arms. "P-please, my s-son."

I reached her just as she collasped.

"Ma'am?" I said, checking the pulse at her throat. It was present, but thready. She was going to die soon. The bundle was still wrapped in her arms, although now it was slightly twitching.

"Ma'am?" I repeated. She finally moaned and sat up, pulling her bundles closer to her.

"H-help me. He's...not...safe."

"Do you... want me to take him somewhere safe?"

She nodded.

I knew instantly where to take them. I pulled her to her feet and spread my spell around the three of us, hiding us from hostile eyes. I then started to guide her south, where I knew there was a safe-haven not far.

Because of her injuries, it took us twice as long as I expected to reach the forest. Never once did I see what the boy in the bundles looked like as we walked, not even when she gave him to me so she could drink some of my water. I felt as if it wasn't my place to see or pry.

Finally, we reached the Meadow.

In front of us was the Great Deku Tree, an old friend of mine who had guided me for years. He was the friend who had taught me the spell I had been using earlier, and many more that I knew as well.

"What is this?" He asked in his wise, deep voice as he woke.

"Please, this woman needs help," I said to him.

"Have you tried to heal her?"

"Yes, but her injuries are far beyond my abilities."

The Deku Tree turned his great, wood eyes on the woman.

"What is this you have with thee?" He asked her.

"My son," She managed to say.

"What is his name?"

"L-link."

"Can you help her?" I asked in the brief silence.

He contemplated for a moment. And then sighed. "No. She will die."

My heart fell. This woman... the thought of her death made me sad. I looked at her, really seeing her for the first time now that we were out of the clouds of ash and dust. She was extremely pretty, with blonde hair and light skin. And she was young, about twenty-one.

"I can take him and raise him as one of us," the Deku Tree said after some contemplation. The woman looked up at him and smiled. She then looked at me.

"Y-you s-saved h-him," She said. "P-please, if something h-happens to this guardian, l-look after him."

I hesitated. "Nothing will happen to the Great Deku Tree. Your son will be safe here."

"B-but, in case... P-please."

I looked down to see that she was now holding out the bundle to me. It was wiggling slightly, and I could hear small whimpers coming from it.

He knows. I couldn't help but think to myself. He knows that his mother is dying.

I looked up at the Deku Tree. I knew that if I took the bundle from her, I was agreeing to her wish. Would he want me to?

I saw him smile.

Looking back down, I took the bundle for the last time. The mother smiled, patted me on the cheek, and pulled back the blankets.

A small boy, about one year old, looked out from the bundle. His eyes and hair were the same color as his mother's, his skin only slightly darker although still fair. The mother then leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

She then fell down, dead.

Instantly, a couple of small children wearing green garbs came out of the trees and took her body to prepare it for burial. Another child appeared and stood in front of me, holding out her arms for the bundle.

"Don't worry, he will be safe here," The Deku Tree said when he saw my hesitation.

"I know that," I replied. "I just... I feel as if..."

I couldn't take my eyes off of the boy, and he couldn't take his eyes off of me. He kept moving his stubby little hand so that it rested on one of my cheeks. His skin was soft and warm from the blankets.

"This boy is special. His destiny is intertwined with that of Hyrule," The Deku Tree said. "You probably feel this knowledge."

I nodded, and then handed the boy to the child, feeling oddly sad as she disappeared with him.

"Don't be sad. You will see him again. You made a promise, remember? Your destinies are now intertwined as well."

I stayed for a few hours, watching over the boy as they cared for him. He cried little, even though his mother was no longer there. When it was time for me to leave, I had a hard time. I kept finding myself turning back around to look back in the direction of the forest.

But eventually, I was too far away to worry any longer. The boy was safe. I would probably see him again.

The boy named Link.

It took about another year for the war to settle. I spent that time wandering around Hyrule, keeping just far enough away that I was safe, but never wandering too far from the forest. Everyday I thought about Link, and how he was adjusting. I knew now that he probably knew how to say a few words, knew how to walk and run. He even was probably friends with the other children of the forest that were his age. But he was safe. He always would be.

Weeks turned into months, months into years. After the war ended I went back to spending my time with the royal family, and I all but forgot the boy I had left in the forest. But I couldn't forget for long. For seven years later, I suddenly felt that something was wrong.

The Great Deku Tree was going to die. Which meant that the time for my promise to be fulfilled was coming.

I set out immediately.