"I can't believe you're finally back! Papa will be so happy to see you again!" Link had welcomed the girl in and I stayed upstairs, hidden among the shade.

Papa? Could this child be Link's sister? I glanced over the edge of the bed and over the balcony, noticing something that drastically set her apart from Link. Her ears were rounded.

"I'm glad to be back. How is everyone?" They continued talking regarding the townspeople, the local news, small talk really.

What was it? Envy? Certainly. Jealousy? That too. I get to take a peek into what a normal life looks like. Being able to be welcomed home with open arms, someone who is happy to see you and tell them they were missed by everyone.

"By the way, there's someone I want you to meet." My ears twitched as they picked up those words and my nerves began to grow. "Sheik?" I hesitated before responding or moving. I took a deep breath and stood, looking down at the two that were now sitting at the kitchen table.

"Y-Yes?" I stammered. Link smiled and motioned me to come down the stairs, the girl's green eyes on me. I made my way down and a sudden shyness took over. "Ilia, I would like to introduce you to my friend, Sheik. She's from Castle Town."

"H-Hi, nice to meet you." I stammered, offering her my hand. I believe the reason why I was so nervous as to meeting this child was because we were arm's length of each other- while at the castle, they were always many feet away.

The girl started at me, her green eyes examining me. I noticed she had focused her gaze on my ears and had glanced at Link's, before she took my hand with a smile. "Castle Town? What brings you to the our little village of ORdon?" She asked. I glanced over at Link, who just shrugged slightly.

"O-Oh, well, I bumped into Link during the Spring Festival, and when he said he traveled, I was interested and wanted to tag along.." I chuckled nervously. "S-Sorry, if I'm rambling." I apologized and she shook her head.

"How's Spring Fest? I've heard it's so much fun and that there's a ball at the end of the festival." She sighed, sounding disappointed but dreamily. She continued to ask me many questions about Castle town and I tried to answer as much as I could, without hinting that I didn't know much about Castle Town, or how I was the one who lived in the castle.

After a while, Link stopped her questions, mentioning why she had been coming down this way in the first place.

"Oh! I was supposed to be getting some berries from the spring! I'm sure Papa will be happy to hear that you've come back home." She stood, going to the door. "Come on, Link!"

"We'll catch up with you soon. Let us get ready and we will go into the village and meet up with you, okay?" She nodded, closing the door behind her and we could hear her running down the stairs. After some time and silence, I let out a sigh.

"Not bad. You did good." Link said.

"I was so nervous." I said, shaking my hands as if they were soaked with sweat.

"It's going to take some getting used to. Ilia is probably telling the whole village about the two of us being here." I groaned quietly and he chuckled. "Not a people person, are you?" I shook my head sadly.

"I'm only used to being with Impa and people always being a distance away."

"Well, what about Telma?" My find flashed back to the bartender of Castle Town. How did I befriend Telma? I shrugged.

"I don't know."

"What about Falbi, at the Spring Festival?" I remembered the round bellied man, manning some of the carnival rides.

"Maybe their personalities?"

"What about me? I remember you really creeping me out when you said I had been in your dreams." I stared at him, blinking several times.

"I feel like I've been acquainted with you for years on end. Is it my fault that I welcomed you in like an old friend?" He remained quiet.

"Well excuuuuuuse me, Princess." We both chuckled. "I can't argue against that." He smiled at me and I excused myself, going to the restroom. It was small, comparted to my oversized one, but it was nonetheless cozy.

After I redid my braid, I stepped out, finding the kitchen empty. The front door was slightly ajar, so I went towards it, poking my head out the door. I noticed Link was with Epona.

"Ready?" He asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I gave a smile and he motioned me towards the village entrance. We walked together and through the hills that lead into the village, seeing a handful of houses, a stream running through the village, that led to a small lake and fed a watermill.

"Welcome to Ordon Village." Link said, taking in a deep breath and gave a happy sigh. I tried the same, the smells of hay, pine and the different types of forestry filling my nose. I gave a happy sigh as well and not a second after the last breath left my lips, we were ambushed by what seemed, the whole village. Four children and twelve adults seemed to inhabit the small village of Ordon.

The four children came running to Link, followed by Ilia and a man who was round and bald, the rest, adults. They all welcomed him with open arms, talking about many things at once.

Eventually, one of the children, a little girl with freckles and a perky nose, noticed me. She tugged on my shirt and I looked down at her.

"Are you Link's friend?" She asked. I was relieved that she didn't call me his girlfriend, but I'm sure she's the only one who's going to call me his friend.

I nodded and smiled softly at her. "Yes, my name is Sheik." I said, kneeling down to the floor. "What's your name?" I asked.

"My name is Beth." She said with a smile, by this time, the three other children, boys, had noticed me too and were standing around me.

"Are you Link's girlfriend?" Asked a boy with brown hair. I blushed and started stammering for words, when Beth sucked her teeth in annoyance.

"Talo! Don't just blurt stuff out! She's just Link's friend!" A smaller boy who looked like Talo gave a huff, his arms crossed.

"Well, she blushed pretty brightly for only being his friend." He muttered.

"What's your name? Where are you coming from?" Talo began to bombard me with many questions.

"Talo! Slow down!" Beth scolded him. I couldn't help but laugh. The way they bickered and their curiosity was adorable.

"My name is Sheik and I come from Castle Town." They all gasped, they eyes brightening. I began to tell them what I could about Castle Town and before I realized it, we were all sitting on the ground, the children around me in a circle, even the adults standing behind them, listening too.

"I've never really gone outside of Castle Town before, so when Link said he traveled, it spiked my curiosity and.. He talked me into going to travel with him." I finished, standing now.

"Well, as the Mayor of Ordon Village, I welcome you! Make yourself at home!" The man who had been with Ilia came forward and offered me his hand. I smiled, shaking his hand.

"Thank you so much, sir. Your village is very beautiful." He chuckled.

"Thank you, ma'am. We do our best around here." He smiled.

"Are you hungry?" Link popped up besides me. "We were invited to eat over at Rusl's house for breakfast, but I didn't want to interrupt your story time." He gave a chuckle and I blushed slightly.

"S-Sorry." I said, nodding to his first question.

"It's alright. Let's go." He motioned me down a path and I said goodbye to the Mayor and Ilia. Many of the villagers smiled and welcomed me, going to their own homes. The children followed halfway, asking if we could play after breakfast, then headed their way back home, except for one blond boy, who followed. He quickened his pace to stay besides Link, eagerly asking Link about his adventures. I smiled, following behind them.

We got to a small house that was right besides a small waterfall, the start of the river. Once we went inside the house, we were welcomed by a built man with blond hair and brown facial hair, and a small woman with blonde hair who was carrying a pink bundle across her chest as she was serving plates of breakfast.

"Colin, please wash your hands, dear." The woman said to the little boy. "Link, you and your companion as well."

"Yes, yes." Link said.

"Yes, ma'am." Colin lead us to the restroom, where we all took our turns washing out hands. By the time we came back, the woman had already set plates for the three of us and was sitting down in a chair, feeding a bottle to her little pink bundle.

"Sheik, this is Rusl, and this is his wife, Uli. This is Colin, their son, and their new baby." Link said, before taking a seat. I bowed slightly.

"Thank you so much for having me." Uli chuckled slightly.

"It's my pleasure, dear. Any friend of Link is a friend of ours." Her voice was gentle and she smiled. I nodded back, a slight flush on my cheeks as I took a seat besides her and Link. Colin at Link's other side, while Rusl took the seat between Colin and Uli.

"It's great to have you back, son. How have your travels been going?" Rusl asked. They then started talking about Link's travels and anything he's encountered, Colin listening with bright eyes, Uli completely oblivious to them, cooing to her baby gently. I ate my breakfast quietly, a simple breakfast, consisting of eggs, some bacon and toast, but it was quite delicious. They continued talking until everyone was done with breakfast, Uli stood up and Colin insisted that he would help his mama with the dishes. I tried to help too, but Uli insisted I stay seated as I was a guest.

The men continued talking until the sun was high and bright in the sky, Uli and the baby had gone to take a nap in one of the bedrooms, and the other children had now come to call us out to play. I stood, getting Link's attention and I motioned to him that I was going to go outside with the other children. He nodded, not stopping his conversation with Rusl. I went outside and Beth, Talo and his little brother were standing outside.

"Hey Sheik! Can you come and play?" Beth asked. I nodded, walking down the porch steps to stand with them.

"Are they still talking?" Talo asked.

"If you mean Rusl and Link, yes." Talo chuckled.

"Any time Link comes home, he always spends hours talking with Rusl and Colin won't come out until they've finished talking." Beth explained.

"Colin wants to be a traveler like Link, but he doesn't have the guts to do it." The little boy mumbled. Beth turned to him, her hands on her hips.

"That's rude of you to say, Malo! Colin does have the guts! Just you wait!" I smiled and they invited me to go walk around small village. Beth and Talo asked me questions about the castle, which I was able to answer and asked me if I ever met the princess. It was hard to not laugh nervously and give myself away. They showed me around towards the lake, to the cucco farm by the waterwell, Link the cat and a puppy. They even showed me to ranch and I was able to meet a gentleman named Fado, who was resting in the shade with a couple of the Ordon goats.

We wandered around some more and the children took me to Ordon Spring, where we bumped into Ilia, who was giving Epona a bath with the spring water. We sat by the water's edge and I took my shoes off, dipping them into the water.

•Ordon Spring - Ordona Province

As I dipped my feet into the water, my mind was filled by a voice.

"I am one of four light spirits that protect Hyrule at the behest of the gods. I am Ordona." The light around me suddenly darkened and a large orb appeared among the waters. A form started to appear around the orb and out of the water came a light goat, that was similar to the goats we had seen in Fado's farm. The large goat then shrunk to an original goat's size and came to stand before me, kneeling on it's front legs. "Welcome to my province, Princess Zelda."

"I see that the spirits aren't easily fooled." The goat stood upright now, looking at me with curious eyes.

"What kind of spirit would I be if I cannot tell apart the Princess from a regular human being?" The spirit questioned. I chuckled.

"Right you are." I said softly.

"However Princess, I see that you are in disguise. Tell me, has Hyrule fallen under the cursed power of darkness? Have you fled from your castle and have come to seek refuge in my land from the evil?" I shook my head.

"Ordona, be at peace. Hyrule has not been overtaken by darkness. I... I am just taking a slight leave from the castle. Please, won't you keep this a secret, Ordona?" I asked. The goat nodded.

"Everyone deserves a time of relaxation. Do not worry, I will keep this information private." I smiled.

"Thank you. And also, thank you for taking care of this land, Ordona."

"It is my duty, Princess." It spoke. "If you would excuse me." The goat bowed his head before slowly disappearing back into the spring.

"Sheik? Sheik?" I opened my eyes and I saw Beth sitting besides me with a worried expression on her face. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." I smiled. "I just dozed off for a second, sorry." She giggled slightly.

"This is the spring of the Ordona light spirit!" Talo said excitedly.

"Every province has it's own spirit. I do wonder where the came from." Malo mumbled. Talo and Malo were sitting to my other side.

"Ordona, Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru." I spoke. "These are the four light spirits that were placed on this land by the three guardian dragons- Faron, Eldin and Lanayru. These three dragons are from the Sky Era, protectors of the Surface Goddess Hylia had left behind when she created the land of Skyloft."

"Skyloft? What's Skyloft?" Beth asked.

And that's where they lost me, when I began to explain the history of the sky village named Skyloft and the forbidden Surface of Goddess Hylia, the reincarnated mortal goddess and the hero. Of the large birds that flew through the skies and the sacred sword.

"You seem to know a lot about the past, don't you?"

"When I had nothing else to do, I would read history books. Also, these were the stories I would go to bed to when I was younger." I smiled softly, turning to look at who had spoken. My smile faded and I grew startled as I had realized it who it was. "L-Link! When did you get here?" I stammered. He was sitting on top of a large rock, looking up at the now setting sun.

"I've been here for a while now." He said, before looking towards the children and I. "It's going to get dark soon. You should start heading home, kids." The children whined and begged if they could stay and learn more about history, but Ilia and Link refused.

"Home. All of you." Ilia said. They all whined and said good night to Link and I. Ilia said she would take Epona back to the treehouse and that she would be sure the children made it home safely. We said our good nights to her as well, but we stayed where we were.

"You have to be careful, Zelda." Link spoke softly after a long period of silence. "The children don't know much about history or the luxuries provided at Castle Town. For all they know, all this is just studies you've done as a regular resident at Castle Town. " He was looking back up at the skies again.

"I'm sorry." Twilight had set upon us. The skies became filled with mixtures of pinks, purples and blues.

"Hungry? Uli made us some sandwiches." I shook my head.

"I got to taste some cheese, Ordona goat milk, even got to eat some of the berries." Link chuckled.

"You really do get along with the children." I couldn't help but smile as I looked up at the skies.

"I like them. They're really sweet and their curiosity is so... Pure." Link nodded, going silent again.

"Hey." I hummed questioningly, looking from the skies to him. "Want to see something interesting?"

"What is it?" I asked. He finally looked at me, a wolfish grin on his face and a glint in his eyes.

"I can't really tell you." He replied. "But I can show you. Come on." He hopped off his rock and I slipped my shoes back on. We exit the spring, bidding farewell to the Ordona spirit and lock the gates. Instead of taking a left to go back to the village, we took a right, crossing a long bridge that went over a canyon.

•Faron Woods - Faron Province

There was a path between the mountains that led out into a clearing. We continued walking silently, until we made it to another spring. Link continued walking, but I stopped.

"Link, wait." Link turned around, looking at me curiously.

"What?" He asked, coming to stand next to me.

"I would like to pay my respects." I walk to the water's edge and dip my fingers in, letting the water run in between my fingers as I raise my hand. All the rocks and the water started to glow, light concentrating in a ball in the pool of the spring and forming around it was a monkey.

"I am one of four light spirits that protect Hyrule at the behest of the gods. I am Faron." The monkey shrank down to size and made it's way to us, kneeling before me. "Welcome to my province, Princess Zelda."

"Good evening, Faron and thank you for the welcome." The spirit straightened, looking at me.

"I have heard from our neighbor Ordona, that the Princess has taken a leave." I nodded and the spirit looked at Link. "I would hope that you are taking care of the Princess as she travels, yes?" Link nodded.

"Of course. I won't let any harm come to the Princess." Link bowed his head and I started blushing. Faron nodded towards Link before looking back at me.

"What brings you to my spring, Princess? Are you in any sort of predicament?" I shook my head.

"I have come to pay my respects." I bowed. "Thank you, Faron, for watching over this land."

"It is my sworn duty, Princess." Said the spirit as I straightened. "If you would excuse me." We bid farewell to the spirit as it began to disappear, the glow of the water and the rocks dimming, showing us the darkness of the night, the moonlight reflecting off the water.

"Now we can go." I said to Link with a smile. He nodded and he led the way. We continued walking until we reached a fork. At the fork, there was a sign.

There was an arrow pointing to the right of the fork that read "Forest Temple path". There was an arrow pointing to the left that read "Coro's Lantern House and Hyrule Field".

"It's going to be dark, so we should go get a lantern." Link said, going towards the left of the fork. I followed and I could see a tanned, skinny boy with big, curly hair sitting in front of a fire. Besides him was a great cauldron, a couple lanterns sitting in front of it. The boy heard us approaching and looked up at us, the light of the fire dancing on his face as he smiled at us.

"Heya Link! Gonna wander into the woods again?" Link nodded.

"Yup. Can we borrow a lantern?"

"Just one? Would you like to give your friend one too?"

"We'll be fine with one." Link fished out a red rupee and gave it to the boy, the boy taking the rupee into his pocket and handing Link a lantern full of oil.

"Thanks and be safe!" I noticed that at the top of the boy's hair, it was flattened and a bird's nest was settled in it, with two birds nestled close. I giggled slightly and thanked the boy, before we started making our way back to the fork.

A/N: Stopping here because if I continued, this chapter would be too long. Stay tuned for another chapter!