A/N: Hello, and welcome to my first ever Legend of Zelda fanfic! If you're familiar with the Trigun section, you may have seen my other fics, if not, then, well, this is the first one you've seen. Which, depending on the quality of this story, may or may not be a good thing.

As for this story, it's, as I said before, my first LoZ fanfic, so please be gentle with the reviews. And, although it'll probably become evident in the story itself, this takes place about seven years after Majora's Mask.

Disclaimer: What part of 'fanfiction.net' do you money-hungry little baboons not understand? Suing me for violating copyright laws or claiming to be Shigeru Miyamoto will only lead to your own public ridicule and humiliation.

Chapter One: HER DISAPPEARANCE AND HIS RETURN

Another burst of lightning lit up the sky outside of Hyrule Castle and the following thunderclap shook the great building. The heavy downpour, which had started without any admonition moments before, left the midday sky as black as night, except for the many bolts of lightning that would illuminate it momentarily, only to thrust the land into shadows once again.

As Zelda, the Princess of Hyrule and Seventh Sage, made her way down one of the many corridors of the castle, she could not help but think that the storm, as eerie and foreboding as it was, was only a premonition of something dark to soon come. Although she had not had any visions recently, her intuition spoke to her, telling her that the sudden storm, as seemingly normal for that time of year as it was, was somehow not natural.

The woman shook her head, My nerves are shot; there is nothing more to this than a normal Spring storm. Despite what she told herself, Zelda still felt uncomfortable. "Your Highness." The sound of a voice made the Princess jump and turn in the direction it came from.

No more than a few feet away were three castle guards, in their usual stations, bowing. "I am sorry to startle you, Milady," The guard that had spoken to her in the first place said, and bowed again.

"No, I am fine. I've been a little on-edge lately, that is all," she said and nodded. The guard rose from his bow. "Was there something you needed to speak to me about, Captain?"

The captain of the castle guard nodded slightly. "I only wanted to ask if you would like an escort to wherever it may be that you are heading. This storm is quite…" he spent a moment thinking of the correct word, "Perturbing, and the halls of the castle can become quite uncomfortable in such a time."

Zelda smiled, "No, thank you. I am quite capable of finding my own bedroom."

"I meant no disrespect…"

"I know, and thank you. But there is no reason to waste a guard on my behalf to just bring me to my room."

The guard nodded, "As you wish, Your Highness." Before Zelda could continue her walk, the captain spoke up again, "This storm…it's strange, is it not? Do you possibly believe that it could…mean anything?"

The Sage spoke without turning back towards the man, "If you are asking me if I have had any visions, then no. Although I do agree that it is very unsettling, it is probably not anything more than a everyday storm. They are common this time of year, after all."

"Yes, you are right. Thank you, Your Highness."

After turning her head to give the guards one last nod, Zelda continued walking down the pitch-black halls. Another bolt shot through the sky, followed by the thunder. The constant pummeling of rain echoed throughout the entire castle, leaving no place in silence. A cold chill entered the hall, and the princess wrapped her arms around herself, but not only because of the cold.

A strange sound, one resembling a gurgled choke, sounded down the hall. If Zelda had not been so jumpy, she would have probably missed it. She turned around, towards where the sound came from. If she had to guess, it seemed like it had originated near the captain and the two other guards.

"Captain? Did you hear that?" Nothing. "Captain?" she said again. Another flash of lightning lit the sky and the hall. In the short burst of light, Zelda could see that the guards were no longer at their post. Deciding that it was unimportant at the moment, the woman frowned and turned back.

A dripping sound, one sounding heavier than the rain, and one of a much slower rhythm, echoed lightly far down the hall. It must be another leak, Zelda thought. She passed a large door that normally had a guard on each side at all times, but was oddly vacant at the moment. "The soldiers better not be shirking guard duty again," the princess said with a sigh and continued on her way.

As the chill continued to grow colder, Zelda wrapped her arms around herself tighter. The closer she got to the strange dripping sound, the colder she became. The royal dress she wore, normally more than warm enough for the climate of Hyrule, were inadequate in the unusually freezing weather.

Once the dripping sound seemed to be within reach, Zelda stopped in her tracks, looking ahead. The sound that she had thought to be the dripping of rain water making its way through a crack in the castle walls now sounded more of a loud, slow plop. She could not shake the feeling that something was out of place, even more so than before.

Another burst of lightning illuminated the hallway, and there, only a few yards before the Sage, was a figure, one so dark that it seemed that the shadows had taken human form. In his hand was a blade, a thick liquid dripped off the edge and formed a small puddle on the floor. Behind whoever it was, were two bodies on the floor where two guards once stood.

"Who are you?" Zelda asked straightforwardly. The light left the corridor once again, plunging the princess and the intruder into darkness again, making it difficult for Zelda to see the figure. She could see him know that she knew he was there, but only slightly, and she had to squint to do so.

"You do not recognize this face, Princess? Hehe, even the guards," he pointed over his shoulder to the two crumpled bodies behind him, "Had recognition in their eyes before they fell. Of all people, you should be most familiar with this face that I wear."

Princess Zelda stood silently, waiting for another chance to see the hall. Once the chance came, she still could not see the swordsman's face because of the angle that he stood away from the windows and the light. She could, however, see that the crumpled figures behind him were, in fact, that of the two guards that were placed in that spot. They were felled with one blow each, one strong enough to sever them, and yet silent enough that no sound, from neither the blow itself nor the victims, could be heard.

Thinking for a moment about who it could be that invaded the Castle of Hyrule on a night such as this, Zelda spoke, "Why are you here? What do you want?"

"Hehe. You, naturally. You think that I stood here waiting for so long, and the Princess of Hyrule just happened to stumble upon me coincidentally? Oh, no." The sound of metal upon metal, most likely the sheathing of the man's sword, was the only sound in the hall, minus that of the rain and thunder.

Bracing herself for an attack, Zelda waited for the intruder and kidnapper hopeful to strike first. And strike he did. Before she was aware of her opponent's movement, the Sage was struck with the shadowy man's attack, and her consciousness was quickly over come by darkness.

The last she heard was the echoing sound of the foreboding rain.

The bright light of the morning sun made its way through the branches and leaves of the countless many trees of a great forest. Glints of light sparkled in the droplets of fresh dew upon the many leaves of the trees like tiny jewels. The forest was serene and quiet, apparently absent of all movement, except for one figure atop a horse, with a bright shining ball of energy of light following them.

Link, the savior of two worlds, rode upon Epona, the horse that had been with him for many years, and journeyed with him to the far off land of Termina. The teenage boy, of about nineteen years, had left from that once doomed land many years ago, but never returned to his home, Hyrule.

The Hero's journey, one to find a friend that had weathered his quest against the Dark King Ganondorf, had eventually came to an end. The fairy that flew near his head, Navi, had been found. Which may or may not have been a good thing…

"Link, are we there yet?!" the tiny voice of the fairy squealed.

Link hummed to himself and nodded from time to time, a smile across his face. After a few moments he answered Navi, "Almost."

"You said that the last time I asked!"

"Yes, that's because you asked five minutes ago." From the corner of his eye, the boy could see the tiny form of the fairy, arms crossed impatiently and a small frown on her little face, and smiled, "Don't worry, we're not lost. I may be a Hylian, but I lived with the Kokiri long enough to know a forest like the back of my hand."

Navi looked at him, then to his gauntlets, stained with the blood of countless beasts and monsters. The tiny woman gestured to them, "When was the last time you even saw the back of your hands?"

Link's face turned to her and frowned, then he stared at the soiled gauntlets, trying to figure out what his friend could have meant. Instead, he returned his gave before him, "We're almost there."

The fairy let out a sigh, "If you say so, Link." She quickly spoke again, her demeanor suddenly changing, "I can't wait to get back! I can see all the Kokiri, the Deku Sprout, Saria, Mido…Well, maybe we don't have to see him, but we'll get to see everyone else!" The excited squeal of her voice brought the smile back to Link's face and he let out a laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing, Navi," Link said, smirking. For a long time all that could be heard were the clopping sound of Epona's hooves and the squishing sound of any wet plants she would happen to step on. From time to time, a small rodent or a bird would fly out of the horse's path, but other than that the forest was oddly vacant.

In the pit of his stomach, Link felt a strange sensation, as if something wrong had happened, Something seems…wrong… he took a deep breath, let it out and pushed the feeling away. It wasn't a time to worry. He had been gone from his forest home for about seven years, and he would soon be there again.

"Here we are, the edge of the Lost Woods," Link spoke to his two companions. He smirked at the smaller of the two, "I told you I wasn't lost."

The fairy looked insulted, "I'm shocked to believe that you thought I didn't trust you!" Link rolled his eyes. A few minutes later, the trio made their way through the final hollow log marking the exit of the Lost Woods and the entrance to the Kokiri Forest. Link brought Epona to a stop to look over his old home from the high vantage point that the path from the Lost Woods gave him.

Navi, though, ecstatic to see the familiar homes, flew in circles above Link's head. Moving back and forth as if she didn't know where to go first and talking quickly, "It's even better than I remember! I'm so happy! I wonder whom I should go see first? Maybe get something to eat?"

Ignoring the antics of his tiny friend, Link looked over the home of the Kokiri. Other than the loud ramblings of Navi, there was complete silence. The entire area was empty. Looking up towards the sky, Link could see the sun directly above him. It's about noontime…

"Navi."

"Maybe we'll go find Saria!"

"Navi."

"I wonder if the fairies have any news?"

"Navi!"

Finally, the excited little nymph noticed that Link was addressing her, "What is it, Link?"

"Listen."

Sighing from confusion and grumpiness out from Link's odd request, Navi closed her mouth to listen. After a few minutes she gave up, "I don't hear anything. It sounds nice and peaceful to me."

"What do you normally think of when you think about the Kokiri Forest at noon?"

"The Kokiri yelling, running around, everyone having fun…" then it hit her, "Where is everybody?"

Link shrugged. "Let's go find out." Link led Epona down the path, which was easy enough for the horse to negotiate. As they got closer to the homes, they could see that they had their doors shut, which was an odd thing, considering that, when Link had last been there, they never had doors. But now, for whatever reason, they did, and not only that, but they were also locked.

"Link, I'm scared; Where is everyone?" the fairy flew closer to the boy's shoulder, looking around for a sign of anyone. Link did not answer. He had a strange feeling, not the same one as before, though. This gave him the sensation that he was being watched…

Link turned his head, and he saw a quick glimpse of someone's cap in the window of the Know-it-All Brother's home. As soon as the wearer realized he had been spotted, the cap disappeared from view and was replaced by a curtain. With his brow furrowed in confusion, and more than a little curious, Link gently tugged the reigns to make Epona move up the hill to the Brothers' home.

"Where are you going, Link?" Navi asked, but he didn't answer. The boy hopped off of his steed, and went to the door of the Brother's home. Epona walked away to chew on one of the bushes that grew nearby.

"Hello?" Link called out. He knocked on the door, "I know you're in there. Can someone tell me where everyone is?"

"Go away!" a voice shouted from inside.

"What?"

"Yeah, leave!"

"You guys, it's me, Link…" Link said in confusion, thinking that they may not have recognized him.

"We know who you are!" Link turned and saw Mido standing outside of his home, "We just don't want to talk to some murderer and thief!"

"Thief…Murderer," Link repeated, "What are you talking about, Mido?"

The leader of the Kokiri frowned and glared at the much taller boy, "You should know; and don't think you can trick us, Hylian! We've heard about what you've done, even here!"

Link looked to Navi, who could only shrug and look away. "Where's Saria?"

The forest child snorted, "You're lucky I haven't told her about what you did, but that's only because I didn't want her to feel hurt. And, no, I doubt she knows you're back."

"Mido, what is it that you think I've done? I have only been in Hyrule for a short time."

"Sure you have, liar. Everyone from the Kokiri to the Gerudos have probably heard about what you did by now! You should just leave while you can, Link, before you get us mad."

Standing agape, Link did not move for a moment. This was not the welcome he had wanted, much less expected. "I don't understand, Mido, what's happened?" Link began to walk towards the Kokiri.

"Stay away!" Mido shouted, and ran into his home, the rough wooden door slamming and being locked behind him. Still confused and in a bit of shock, Link stared at the door.

"Link, maybe we should leave…" Navi's normally excited and happy voice was filled with concern as she landed on Link's shoulder. The Hero nodded slowly and whistled for Epona, who trotted over quietly. Even the horse could sense the disappointment coming off of Link.

After giving the empty village one more look-over, Link slowly rode Epona out of the Kokiri forest and across the bridge that Saria had once, long ago, given him a present the first time he was forced to part with his home. This time, though, there was no one to help him.

Soon, Link had crossed Hyrule Field, and made it to the drawbridge in front of Hyrule Castle Town. If anyone could possibly explain to him what may have scared Mido and the Kokiri, it would be Zelda. Thinking it best not to bring too much attention upon himself, the swordsman left Epona to graze outside of the town.

After crossing the large wooden bridge, Link could not shake the same feeling that he had when entering Kokiri Forest. As he entered the main area of the town, he was relieved to see that it looked as he remembered; groups of people covering the street, the shouts of people bargaining, dogs the occasional cucco running around.

A slight smile crossed his lips, and he began to cross through the mobs of shoppers and children. Navi, who didn't enjoy gigantic crowds of Hylians all that much, was making herself comfortable under Link's cap and atop his hair. Even with his strange outfit, Link was able to blend in easily with the locals. Most were too obsessed with the outdoor shops or just trying to make their own way through the horde to notice him.

Once Link made it to the fountain in the center of town, he heard a child's voice. "Mommy, look, it's the man from the pictures!"

"What pictures, honey?" the mother paid more attention to the cloth a salesman was trying to con her into paying much too many rupees for than to her daughter.

"The picture…the posters all ova' the place! He looks just like the bad man everyone is talkin' 'bout." Link could feel himself beginning to sweat. After the incident with Mido, this did not seem very good.

The mother frowned and looked to the person her daughter was referring to…who of which happened to be Link. She screamed, and grabbed her child, making a run through the crowds shouting, "It's him!"

Link jumped and looked around, watching as the people, after getting a good look at him, turned from a normal mob to an angry mob. They ran everywhere shouting for the Castle Guards and Knights. After a few moments, Link was left alone in the center of Castle Town.

From the direction of the castle, Link heard people coming. He turned, and there, rushing into town, was a group of Castle Guards, their light armor and spears clanging against themselves as the walked. "Halt, stop right there!" the apparent leader shouted to Link.

The boy looked around in confusion, since he wasn't too sure how to halt and stop himself when he was not moving in the first place. "What's going on?"

"You're under…under…" the leader looked around on his armor for something, then looked to the wall of a nearby building. He tore off a paper hanging there, and he, along with the others, made their way to him.

The man held out the paper, showing it to Link. It appeared to be a wanted poster, and the face on it made the blood leave his face. "By word of the King of Hyrule, we have been ordered to capture and arrest a Hylian boy matching the description given by witnesses within that castle for the illegal entering of the Castle of Hyrule, the endangerment of the Royal Family, the murder of eight guards, the wounding of seven others, and the disappearance of Princess Zelda."

His mouth hanging open and his eyes wide, the normally calm and collected boy could not help but stare in shock at the guard before him. "But…how…" Link softly mumbled.

"Come in quietly, tell what became of the princess, and you may earn some sort of mercy. Otherwise we will be forced to detain you through force, and with the help of the Royal Knights, if it comes down to it."

Letting out a sigh, Link gathered all the nerve he had and stood straight before the men. Going from a fearful boy to a man readying himself for battle put the guards on edge. "I am sorry, but I will not be blamed for something I know nothing about, much less did not commit."

The leader of the group of guards shook his head in pity, and was about to say something when the fugitive boy pulled what looked like a large nut out of seemingly no where. The other guards looked at one another, and all they could do was shrug. "You are under ar—" the guard was cut off as Link tossed the Deku Nut at the group. As it hit the ground, it splintered open, letting out a bright burst of light. "What the Hell?!"

As the guards did their best to recover from their confused stupor and blindness, the leader felt the paper he was holding leave his grasp. Even after rubbing his eyes in an attempt to regain his momentarily lost sight, the man could barely make out the shape of Link rushing off, with paper in hand, towards the alley that would lead to the exit of town and Hyrule Field.

"You didn't have to attack them and run away like that!" Navi shouted at Link when they were far from Hyrule Castle Town. The boy, and apparent fugitive, was once again on Epona's back wandering aimlessly across Hyrule Field.

"I don't think I had much of a choice, Navi," Link responded without removing his gaze from the wanted poster that he held in his right hand, while his left held Epona's reigns. MY wanted poster…he thought sadly.

"They are going to think you're guilty now! If you had just went along with them and explained to them that you couldn't have done it, this whole thing could have been cleared up!"

"Maybe…you're right," Link conceded with a sigh, "but it's too late now." His eyes closed and he felt pain in his chest. After wandering and being homesick for seven years, this sudden problem at the moment of his return was hurting him.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Link," Navi said sadly and sat on the boy's shoulder. "I know how you feel, and I feel the same way about all this. I shouldn't be yelling at you."

A smile crossed his face and Link tapped the fairy on her tiny head, "It's okay, Navi, I understand" this made Navi smile, "Besides, I'm used to it by now," this made Navi glare and smack Link lightly on the side of the head. He laughed and looked up towards the setting sun. "It's getting late, we should find someplace to stay."

"What place would possibly allow us to stay? If the Kokiri know about whatever it was that happened at the castle, then everyone in Hyrule must know."

As if in answer to the fairy's question, the horse let out a neigh and shook her head. "Oh, that's right Epona!" Link said and petted her mane. "We completely forgot how homesick you must be." He smiled to Navi and the shining girl nodded.

"If anyone would believe you, it would be her, Link," Navi said. Link nodded and tugged on the reigns to turn Epona towards a new direction. The horse trotted happily in the direction of Lon Lon Ranch.

A/N: Gah, it took me forever to get around to writing this. I've had the idea for this story in me head for two months. Oh, well. As you can see I am one for writing long chapters (or 'insanely long' as a few people have dubbed them), so I hope it wasn't too much. I also know the idea of Zelda being captured is cliché, but trust me, there's much more to it.

Remember, with this being my first Zelda fic, I'd appreciate if you reading this would go easy in the reviews that I hope you'll be leaving.