OoT

[MistressofInk]

........  

[Triforce FTW]

Link smiled slightly as he passed through the gates to Castle Town and moved towards the marketplace. It had been a long time since he'd been back there and while some things had changed a lot, others clearly hadn't changed at all. The shops were still noisy and crowded and the people were all busy and rushing here and there. He'd been gone almost a year now traveling around most of Hyrule and it was a bit of a relief to see everything carrying on like always.

He passed through the marketplace quickly though, not bothering to pause and look at any of the shops much since he was in a bit of a hurry. He'd only come back to speak with Princess Zelda in the castle. There hadn't really been any signs yet but he felt like something was coming and he wanted to see if she felt it too or if she'd knew something he didn't. He caught himself smirking a bit as he passed through the castle gates, thinking that girl would always know something he didn't.

Link paused a moment, eyeing the guards wearily before they recognized him. He knew he'd been away a long time but he thought they could at least manage to remember his face. "I need to speak with her highness on an urgent matter." He stated firmly, not allowing his voice to waver when speaking to the older men. "Either fetch her or bring me to her quickly."  

[MistressofInk]

The guards both exchanged glances before they burst out in laughter. Just before their laughter had reached the height of nearly having fits, one of them finally responded, "And who do we have the pleasure of fetching her for?" The tone was clearly meant to mock the young hero, "Please, tell me, so that her highness at least manages to make time for someone so very clearly important,"

As Link stood, a poor boy from the forest with mud all over his boots and his garments tattered, dirtied and in some places slightly torn. Clearly, the guards were going to pay him no respect. The second guard stepped up, meeting Link nearly eye to eye.

"Sorry, lad but nobody gets to see the princess without a royal invitation or at least..." the guard said, flicking the floppy part of his collar, "Even a poor little forest fairy like yourself can understand that, right?"  

[Triforce FTW]

Link's eyebrow twitched as he glared the men down, recalling at least one reason he didn't come here often. He would have loved to argue or beat them around a bit but he was in a hurry to speak with Zelda so with an annoyed grunt he turned and walked away.

Once he was out of sight he stopped and climbed up the vine covered wall, relieved that they could still support his weight after so long. It was also a bit of a relief that his old path to the castle still worked so well though he figured he should probably inform Zelda of that gap in security. He had to be a bit more cautious of how quickly he moved through the grounds now that he was so much taller, it wasn't like he could get away with ducking behind bushes as easily as he used too.

When he finally came across Zelda in the same part of the courtyard he'd first met her in, he smiled for a moment before returning to a more serious expression. "Your highness." He called, for a moment wondering if she would recognize him. "I apologize for bursting in here but I have something urgent I need to discuss with you and your guards were being less than helpful..."  

[MistressofInk]

Just as Link was about to finish his sentence, he suddenly found himself pinned to the ground by a formidable force. Impa sat atop him, having pinned his arms to his back in an excruciatingly painful manner. As the boy grunted and wriggled beneath her experienced grasp, it was obvious the woman was ready to kill if need be.

Zelda, who had turned just as someone had said her name ran over, barely able to drag her dress along for the ride as she lowered herself to the boy. She motioned for Impa to let him go, "Impa, please!" she said to the older woman, who by now simply glared him daggers though Zelda had dismissed him, "This boy means no harm...don't you recognize him?"

"Yes, princess, this boy is Link," Impa replied coldly, her accent thick and brooding, "However his place is no longer in this castle, he should have requested an audience, as does anyone else in this kingdom."

Zelda frowned as she helped Link to his feet, ignoring Impa's cold sentiments, "Are you alright, Link?"  

[Triforce FTW]

"Anyone else in this kingdom wouldn't have gotten laughed at by the guards..." Link thought as he stood, a little insulted that Impa didn't seem to understand that he wouldn't have come for just anything. "Yeah, I'm fine..." He replied simply, choosing to ignore the older woman's comments since Zelda didn't seem to pay them any mind. "But I do need to speak with you, in private if possible."  

[MistressofInk]

"Certainly." Zelda said, nodding to Impa.

Though Impa didn't seem to like it much, she did vanish on the spot. Though it was certain she wasn't far away, they were at least alone for the moment. Zelda paced herself back to her flower bed after Impa vanished, picking away at the dead leaves on the flowers as she glanced up at Link, waiting for him to begin speaking. She smiled softly at one point, clearly having thought something but keeping it to herself.  

[Triforce FTW]

"There's... Something coming, something's going to happen in Hyrule..." Link said finally, unsure of his words now that he had to explain the feeling aloud. "I've felt it all through my travels but I've felt it the strongest here."  

[MistressofInk]

Zelda cocked her head slightly, not seeming to grasp what he was saying, "I don't understand..."  

[Triforce FTW]

Link's eyebrows furrowed slightly, having hoped that she had sensed it too and now wondering if he was just being paranoid. "I don't know what it is but there's some evil rising again." He frowned, glancing away from her. "I'm sorry... I don't know how else to explain it."  

[MistressofInk]

"No, it's alright." Zelda said as she stood, wiping the greenery away from her dress, noting that he seemed a bit frustrated, "I believe you."  

[Triforce FTW]

Link managed a small, relieved smile though his relief was short lived since it was obvious now that he was the only one sensing the evil. "I guess I was trying to see if you had felt anything strange or if you'd maybe heard something I hadn't.  

[MistressofInk]

"Unfortunately...I can't say that I have," Zelda said, "Everything has been peaceful here...since Ganon was sealed."  

[Triforce FTW]

"It's the same everywhere else too." Link replied, leaning against the wall. "At first I thought I was just imagining it but when it didn't go away...."

He trailed off for a moment, letting out a rough sigh as he looked at her. "There's no sign of it yet though... So, I guess all there is to do is wait..."  

[MistressofInk]

"I suppose so," Zelda said, settling down on the other side of her flower bed. She paused her actions only for a moment, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, "In the mean time, how have you been, Link?"