• CHAPTER 1: The Mysterious Girl Part 1:

    It all began one sunny day in Hyrule. Link was walking through Kakariko Graveyard, his fairy partner Navi flying next to him. He couldn't quit thinking about the strange dream he had the previous night. He kept looking over each gravestone. As he was about to walk by the royal familly's headstone, he heard a tiny squeak beside him.

    "Hey! Look over here Link!" Navi piped up. "What is it Navi?" he asked, looking around. "Over here! There's a strange light coming from near the Shadow Temple!" Navi replied anxiously. "I can feel an aura coming from that light." Link said calmly. He took out his ocarina and played the Nocturne of Shadow. He appeared next to the medallion warp point. Looking around, he saw a figure of someone laying on the medallion warp point.

    Link cautiously walked up to the person. "Look! What's this girl doing here?" Navi asked, turning a light blue. "I don't know Navi. There's something different about her." Link replied with a quick glance. He slowly placed his hand on the girl's shoulder and gently shook her.
    The girl slowly began to stir, rubbing her eyes with her free hand. "Hey, she's waking up!" Navi said anxiously. The girl finally opened her eyes and saw a fairy floating in front of her face. "Hello! My name is Navi, what's yours?" asked Navi. The girl looked at the fairy with confusion. She just stayed quiet.
    Link looked at the girl with concern. 'She doesn't seem to speak much, and she's quiet too.' Link thought. "This is my partner Link. I'm his guardian fairy." Navi told her. The girl looked over at Link who smiled kindly.
    'She seems scared, yet sad. Something seems to be bothering her.' Link thought worriedly. "She doesn't seem to speak Hylian." Link said to Navi. "Yeah, and she's not from around here either. Her ears are different too." Navi piped up. 'If only I could understand your language, but I don't.' the girl thought, tears begining to stream down her eyes. Link saw the sadness in her eyes, and embraced her in a gentle hug. "Shhh, it's alright. I promise I won't hurt you." he said soothingly.

    Mitako wrapped her arms around Link, burying her face in his chest. 'I wish there was some way we could talk to her.' Link thought. He gently rubbed her back in a slow rhythm, praying it would help. After a while, Mitako had fallen asleep, still holding onto him. "Maybe Zelda will give her a room. I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Navi suggested. Link nodded in agreement. He picked the girl up bridal style, careful not to wake her.
    Link summoned his horse Epona. He placed the girl in front, mounting the mare behind. He held on tight to her so she wouldn't fall. Link lightly snapped the reins, causing Epona to go into a canter across the field.

    Link arrived at the castle, stopping Epona abruptly. He dismounted the mare, still holding the girl. He carried her to the entrance.

    "Well hello there Link, going to see Princess Zelda today?" one of the guards asked. "Yes please, it's very important." he replied in a serious tone. "I'll escort you to her. Come with me." the guard said promptly. Link followed him in.

    Once inside, Link went directly to the throne room. "Link, what brings you here?" Zelda asked, surprised at his sudden appearance. "Zelda, do you have a guest room available?" Link whispered. Zelda was about to ask what for, when her gaze shifted from Link to the girl in his arms. "Dear goddesses, what happened to her?" she asked with worry. "I'll explain later." Link replied. Zelda nodded, and lead him to a nearby room. Link laid the girl down on the bed and pulled the covers onto her.

    A few hours later, Mitako woke up. She could hear a strange melody being played nearby. Slowly she sat up, letting out a yawn. "Good afternoon! Hope you slept well." said a female voice. Mitako looked around, her gaze stopping on the face of a woman wearing a beautiful pink dress, matching heels with gloves, and a gold headpiece with a ruby in the center. She too had pointed ears. "Ima nanji desuka?" Mitako asked, rubbing her eyes with her hand. The woman just gave her a curious look. "I am Princess Zelda. What is thy name?" Zelda asked kindly. "Watashi no namae Mitako." the girl replied shyly, yet still nervous. "It's a pleasure to meet you miss Mitako." Zelda said, smiling sweetly.

    Mitako gave a slight nervous smile, sighing wearily. "It's alright, you're safe here." Zelda assured her. Mitako slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes with her hand. She nodded in reply. Mitako could still hear the music playing. She looked around, trying to find out where it came from. Zelda saw Mitako avert her gaze from her, as if searching for something.
    "What's wrong Mitako?" Zelda asked curiously. Mitako closed her eyes, concentrating on the music. Zelda watched her closely, observing her actions. Mitako stared at the window, concentrating on the melody. She started humming the first few notes, then began to sing;

    "Natsuhiboshi naze akai?
    Yuube kanashii yume wo mita.
    Naite hanashita
    Akai me wo."
    Zelda could hear the sadness in Mitako's voice. 'Such a beautiful song. She must be very lonely.' she thought.

    "Natsuhiboshi naze mayou?
    Kieta warashi wa sou shitteru.
    Dakara kanashii yume wo miru."

    Zelda couldn't help but listen to the song. Mitako could feel fresh tears begin to slide down her face. Her suddenn lack of curiousness was quickly replaced with a look of longing.

    [Author's Note: The song Summer Star Lullaby comes from Naruto, so all credit goes to the original creator. No worries, I'm just using it for this story and nothing else.]

    Zelda walked over towards Mitako, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. Mitako looked up at Zelda, a look of uncertainty in her starry blue eyes. "Are you alright?" Zelda asked concerned. Mitako let out a sad sigh. She was still a bit shaky from before, yet something told her to trust Zelda. "No, I'm not alright." she replied, somewhat nervously. "Where am I?" Mitako asked shakily. "You're here in my castle. This is the land of Hyrule." Zelda replied, smiling kindly. Mitako gave Zelda a somewhat nervous smile. "It's not every day that someone like you comes around." Zelda said sweetly.

    "That is very true." said a second female voice. Both Zelda and Mitako turned their gaze towards the older woman. "Impa, what are you doing here?" Zelda asked. The older woman had gray hair tied back in a bun, soft brown eyes, and wore her usual Shiekan attire. "I heard Link come in the throne room not too long ago. So, I came to see what was going on." Impa replied. "Who is this?" she asked, her gaze shifting from Zelda to the other girl.

    "Watashi no namae Mitako." Mitako said, bowing slightly. "I am Impa, nursemaid to Princess Zelda. I am the Sage of Shadow, and a survivor of the Shiekah." Impa said, returning the bow. "I see this must be one of your customs." she said observantly. "I'm sorry for confusing you with my native language." Mitako said apologizing. "It is alright, I can tell you aren't used to ours yet." Impa replied.

    Mitako nodded in reply. The door to her room had opened, and in walked Link. He quickly shut the door behind him. "Hello, I was just coming to check in on our guest." he said, bowing to both Zelda and Impa. "That's very thoughtful of you Link!" Impa said with a small, kind smile.

    Link walked over to Mitako's bedside, sitting down in a nearby chair. "How are you doing?" Link asked. "I...I'm fine." she replied, still feeling a bit nervous.