A/N: Hey! This is my first LoZ fanfic, so I hope it doesn’t suck. I feel bad starting this when I have others to finish…hehe…but this idea has been stuck in my head ever since I got Twilight Princess for Christmas and I must get it out!

This happens way before OoT and is based mainly on OoT (such as the map), but it will have elements of the other games drawn into it.

Thanks for reading!

Summary: Before the first Zelda was born, there was one Realm of the Living, and the Goddess of Time to rule it. Before Link and the Sages sealed Ganondorf in the Evil Realm, there were two Hylians on a quest to save their homeland…

There's music in the sighing of a reed;
There's music in the gushing of a rill;
There's music in all things, if men had ears:
Their earth is but an echo of the spheres.

-Lord Byron

Rain poured down in torrents, puddles growing larger into miniature ponds, mud turning softer and dissolving in the bitter, cold water.

The only sound that broke the monotony of the downpour was the steady canter of a horse.

“Tallan!”

A girl sloshed through an enormous puddle, her drenched silver gown clinging to her skin. Upon closer inspection, she was clearly a Hylian, dark hair cascading down to her waist, pale, ivory skin, and large, dark eyes that searched the gray, wet landscape for her horse.

“Tallan, where are you?” she hissed, fearful of attracting unwanted attention. She paused and listened, catching the sound of what might have been hooves meeting rock and mud. “Tallan!” She picked up the hem of her soaked and muddy gown, and hurried through the rain.

The horse whinnied in the distance. The dark-haired Hylian now increased her pace to an awkward jog, her pointed ears straining to catch another sound from her mare. Finally, Tallan came into view, on the verge of entering a gargantuan, sinister forest.

“Tallan, where are you going? Come back here!” cried the girl, throwing all caution to the rain as she broke into a sprint. “What’s the matter? Tallan!”

The mare in question disappeared into the shadows of the trees. The girl sobbed, catching her breath as she paused at the brink of the forest. “By the Goddess, love, what is wrong with you?”

Hitching up her gown once more, she continued on, her heart racing as she remembered the tales the elders told of the forest.

“Aye, monsters inhabit those evil trees, monsters unlike the risen corpses and Hylian-eating spiders you find out on Hyrule Field.”

“More than monsters—that forest is the territory of the…”

“Light Elves,” she whispered in terror, breaking into a clearing where a boy gently stroked her horse.

The boy looked up, startled, and they stared at each other for a long moment. The boy had fair hair, the color of the sun, and eyes as blue as the summer sky. He looked strong in his warrior’s tunic, his blue eyes gazing back like a hardened fighter.

“Is this your horse?” asked the boy, dropping his hand from Tallan’s cheek.

Attempting to ignore him, she clicked softly with her tongue, and Tallan plodded obediently back. Her arms wrapped themselves around the mare’s neck, and burying her face in her damp mane (for she was too frightened to look back at the boy), she whispered, “Why did you run away? You scared me so much.” Tallan whickered softly in reply.

“She’s beautiful,” said the boy awkwardly. “What’s her name?”

“Tallan,” answered the girl, still pressing her nose to the mare and inhaling deeply. It was good to smell the sweet, musky scent of her favorite horse, after all the trouble she had given, thought the dark-haired Hylian. Suddenly and sharply, she glanced up, matching his gaze with her own fierce glare. “What were you doing to her?”

The boy threw his hands up in an innocent gesture, a look of confusion on his face. “Nothing! I was merely resting here, enjoying the rain, and she walked up to me,” he explained, a pleading note in his voice.

The girl narrowed her eyes, glowering even more, if possible. “No one, not even you, Light Elf, ‘rests here’ innocently and pets a royal mare in complete virtuousness,” she snapped.

His eyes widened. “You’re Dark Elf royalty?” he asked.

She gasped and clapped a hand to her mouth, silently berating herself for being so absentminded. “No,” she said, her voice unsteady. “I work as a servant for the Royal Family, and I…I was caring for the horses when this one got away…”

The boy’s lips twitched upward in a half-smile. “As pretty as you are, royalty, you couldn’t fool a fish,” he said with a mere hint of a chuckle. “I am Arath, the Light Elf King’s champion warrior and personal bodyguard.”

She stared in surprise, barely managing to stammer out her own name. “Ma-Marollo…”

“A princess?”

Marollo nodded reluctantly.

Arath’s grin widened just the slightest bit, and his waist bent into a polite bow. “Your Majesty,” he said, a little teasingly.

She shifted weight, feeling uneasy. “Everyone will be really worried when they wake up and see I’m gone,” she told him, glancing up through the leaves. The sky had passed twilight and was now descending into a deeper blue, though it was barely discernible through the thick covering of rain clouds.

“Will you tell them you met a Light Elf warrior?” One eyebrow cocked up jokingly. “Are you frightened of me?”

Marollo shook her head vigorously. “You’re not fearsome at all,” she said, and he laughed.

“I’ve killed many of your kind, those that tried to assassinate my King and those who were drafted onto the battlefield,” said Arath. “You still aren’t frightened?”

“This war is foolish and pointless, anyway,” Marollo answered, fire burning in her night-colored eyes. “If you killed me, you’d accomplish nothing, princess or not.”

Arath’s smile faded and his voice grew serious again. “What do you mean?”

“The only reason everyone’s pointing fingers and killing each other is that the Phoenix is gone, right?” Marollo concluded triumphantly, “The only way to stop the bloodshed is to bring the Phoenix back!”

“Easy for you to say, princess,” said Arath. “Don’t you think countless numbers have already tried?” But he waited almost eagerly for her answer, as if he was expecting a specific reply.

“The roost of the Phoenix, according to the legends, is supposed to touch the Sacred Realm, correct? So the Phoenix probably flew into the Sacred Realm, back where it came from!”

Arath walked over to her through the mud, and raised a hand towards her. Marollo held her breath in apprehension, but he was merely reaching to pet Tallan’s neck. “I have been thinking about the Phoenix for the past few months,” he told her. “I have reached the same conclusion as well. I suggested the idea to my King and the Council a few days ago, but they rejected it as nonsense. ‘Warriors are only hired to fight,’ they said. ‘You are out of your place in this Council.’”

Marollo brightened immediately. “That’s what I’ve been telling Father, too!” she exclaimed. “I can’t tell if he agrees with me or not, though. All he cares about is killing off you Light Elves.”

“I’m afraid that’s the mindset of all my people, too,” replied Arath, smiling dryly. “I have been considering a course of action recently.”

“As in…a plan to get the Phoenix back?” asked Marollo.

“Yes,” he said, slightly impatient. “As I was saying, I decided to slip away from my King and travel on myself to the roost. Would you like to accompany me?”

She breathed in excitement, “So you’re really going to go?”

“Your words have proved to me that I should, that my theory isn’t just ‘nonsense’.”

“I’d love to go!” Marollo paused in thought. “But…what would I tell my parents? And won’t I be more of a hindrance to you? I really have no talents to offer.”

“You’re a princess. Surely you have the qualities of your father, a King,” said Arath.

“Qualities…?” asked Marollo, confused.

“For instance, the Royal Houses are supposedly skilled in magic, more so than the commoners.”

“Oh! Like magic! I suppose so…a little…”

Arath suddenly extended his hand. “Marollo, I’m a warrior, not a sorcerer. Your magic and other gifts will probably help a lot on the journey,” he said. “If you don’t mind, would you like to meet here again in three days’ twilight, to discuss further plans?”

“Will we leave then?”

“Most likely. You should bring a change of clothes, rations, and a sleeping mat. I’ll provide the rest.”

“Three days is such a short time…” Marollo trailed off. She suddenly grinned at him and cheerfully accepted his hand. “I’ll see you then, Arath.”

He squeezed her fingers in a final handshake. She noticed briefly that his hands were rough and calloused, a swordsman’s hand. “So you will come?” he asked.

“Of course! I don’t go back on my word.” She mounted Tallan nimbly just as the rain ceased. “Arath…”

“Yes?” The warrior had been walking away in the other direction, but he turned at his name.

“What were you really doing here before Tallan and I met you?”

Arath smiled mysteriously back. “Just what I told you. Resting here and enjoying the rain,” he answered.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Sure you were. Well, good-bye!”

“Farewell.”

Smiling to herself, Marollo prodded Tallan into a comfortable trot home.

“Where have you been?” demanded her father as she entered the castle gates. “Everyone was so worried about you!”

Marollo looked down at him from Tallan’s back, rain and mud still dripping from her clothes. “I got up early to let Tallan out of the stables, when she ran away,” answered his daughter, dismounting and spraying rainwater onto his velveteen robes. “Whoops, sorry, Father.”

Marollo’s mother emerged from the castle, flustered as she hurried to see what the commotion was all about. “Oh my goodness, Marollo, where in the name of the Goddess have you been?” she said as she rushed across the courtyard. She was about to give the girl a hug until she got a really good look at her. “What happened to you?”

The Dark Elf King said matter-of-factly, “She ‘got up early to let Tallan out of the stables, when the horse ran away.’”

“You get yourself inside and cleaned up right now,” ordered the Queen, regaining her composure. “You should know better than to run after the beast, and get one of the trackers to hunt it down.”

“Yes, Mother,” answered Marollo meekly, squelching past her and into the castle. “And ‘it’ is not a ‘beast’, she is a mare,” she muttered darkly.

“Marollo,” called her father warningly, but the princess had disappeared inside.

Rhosyn was waiting for her, a duster in hand as she stood by the stairwell, and hands perched on plump hips. “Missy…” she began.

Marollo gave her nursemaid the absolutely fiercest glare she had.

The middle-aged Sheikah grinned in reply. “If you really don’t want the lecture I have in mind, you’d better get up to your bath.”

Upstairs, a rose-water bath was indeed waiting for her in her bathroom. Marollo made sure the door was locked behind her before throwing off her gown and sinking into the warm, fragrant water.

A Light Elf. What would her parents say about that? She sighed deeply as she wriggled comfortably in the tub, sending ripples around her body. If everything went according to plan, it would be strange traveling with a Light Elf. While they awoke during the day and rested during the night, Dark Elves did the exact opposite. Light Elves can see wonderfully during the day, while Dark Elves see best during the night. How could two peoples so different be a part of the same species?

How could they hate each other so much?

The Flight of the Phoenix, as many called it, had occurred before Marollo was born…fifteen years ago. She had never been taught anything but hatred for her Hylian counterparts. And only a few hours ago, she had been conversing with one, agreeing to meet him again.

“Don’t think you can take all day, missy, breakfast will be in half an hour.”

Marollo looked up to find Rhosyn looming ominously over her tub. “I thought I locked the door,” said the princess.

“I’ve been taking care of you your entire life,” said Rhosyn teasingly. “You still underestimate my Sheikah abilities?”

Marollo splashed water on her nursemaid in playfulness. “It was cold out there. I’m enjoying myself.”

“Well, you can ‘enjoy yourself’ for only five more minutes, young miss. You know the Queen is waiting downstairs to give you a decent scolding.” Rhosyn bent down and picked up the ruined gown. “Though all the scolding they’ve given you over the years haven’t bred the boyishness out of you, has it? Still running around in the mud like a right man, aren’t you, princess?”

She scowled, “I was trying to find Tallan. I wasn’t worried about something as trivial as keeping my clothes clean. And it was raining. Besides, leave the reprimanding to Mother.”

Marollo climbed out of the bath and dried herself briefly with a towel. Rhosyn thrust a dress at her, a deep red satin, rubies embroidered around the neckline. “You’d better wear this,” said the Sheikah. “You know how the Queen loves this dress. This might placate her a bit tonight.”

The princess began slipping into the dress when she exclaimed, “You enchanted it!”

Rhosyn chuckled, “Don’t complain, missy. It’s going to save your skin, you know.”

And so, Marollo found herself dragging the long hem down the stairs, Rhosyn at her heels, dreading the battle to come and hoping the enchantment would work. Servants waiting at the door to the dining hall bowed low, before beckoning her inside.

“Marollo, sit down,” said her father, the Royal Family already seated around a breakfast feast. No one, not Father, Mother, or her younger brother Geric had started eating yet. The atmosphere was grim…and the princess obeyed warily.

“You lied to us,” said the Queen harshly, immediately.

“I—I didn’t—what do you mean? No! Why would I lie to you?” said Marollo, very confused and very offended.

Father spoke, and the cold note in his voice commanded absolute silence. “We sent out trackers to make sure you had been true to your word,” he explained icily.

“I was trying to find Tallan!” she defended herself, but felt dread sinking deep into her gut. “Besides, why were you so paranoid? You didn’t trust me?”

“These are evil times, Marollo. We were worried that something may have happened that we needed to know about,” said her mother.

“Which was the case, “said the King. “The trackers brought back…startling information.”

Her brother, Geric, sneered, “You met a Light Elf.”

“Geric!” admonished Mother.

“No, Geric is correct. Judging from the deepness of your footprints, you stood there with him for nearly twenty minutes.” The King’s eyes were positively glacial as they gazed levelly at his daughter. His voice grew as hard as flint. “What information did you reveal to him?”

“N—Nothing, Father,” she stammered. “I was looking for Tallan and when I found her, he was petting her, and we talked about horses. I didn’t reveal anything! I—I don’t even know his name!” She prayed silently, Why isn’t my enchanted dress working? Goddess, help me!

The Dark Elf King narrowed his eyes. “You had better be right—for your sake. We have recorded his scent, and our best wolf-dog pack will be released after lunch. Until we have captured the Light Elf and tortured all information from him, you will remain in your room, only to be let out for relieving yourself and for meals. And now, we may eat.” He picked up a scone and turned to smile sadly at her. “Daughter, it could’ve been much worse.”

Marollo decided that it was the most dismal breakfast she had ever had.

Hehe had to edit this. This is kind of a boring start...hopefully, it'll get better. Sorry about that! (ergh I hate first chapters)