When I think of LoZ fanfiction, the one idea that always comes into my mind first is to write a story about what happened in Hyrule during the seven years in OoT when Link was locked away in the Sacred Realm - specifically, a story about the origin of Sheik, my favorite character of all the Zelda games. So, now that it's been seven years since I first beat Ocarina, why is it that I'm only just now starting to write this story? Is it because I, too, was locked away in the Sacred Realm for seven years with Link, biding my time until I was finally re-released into the realm of Fanfiction Writing?

...Yes.

(It certainly has nothing to do with the fact that I just finished Twilight Princess three days ago, and was going stir-crazy until I decided to finally sit down and try to write this.) So without further ado, I give you my own interpretation of the events surrounding the origin of the mysterious "Survivor of the Sheikah."

Disclaimer: I am not Shigeru Miyamoto, Koji Kondo, or any other member of the mighty Pantheon of Hyrule. Sorry to disappoint.

Prologue

The darkness was so complete that the ocarina was barely visible as it spun through the air toward the river, with only the chime of splashing water to tell her it had found its mark.

Now all that was left was to trust in the forest boy. She knew that her trust was well-placed: she could see the determination, the strength and intelligence in his eyes. And her visions had never yet proven false.

Zelda tore her gaze from the receding spectacle of the castle's outer wall, huge and black in the stormy half-light, and turned in the saddle so that she was facing forward again, Impa's presence behind her lending her strength. The white mare galloped onward tirelessly, driven by fear of their pursuers. Zelda knew what she was feeling, for the black steed behind them was no natural beast, and even less so its master. The nightmarish aura that surrounded those two was almost tangible.

She was leaving behind the only home she had ever known, the people she cherished, the father she loved dearly. She fled as much for the good of Hyrule as for herself, for she could not let the terrible desert king find the sacred artifact he sought. But as a member of the royal family, she couldn't help but feel that she was abandoning her duty to stand with her people in this time of danger.

All of her hopes, her fears and dreams for the future, together with the last of her strength had been contained in the fateful toss that sent the ocarina arcing gracefully across the distance between herself and the forest boy, Link. Once he received the message she had attached to the ocarina, he would know what to do, and she was confident that he would be able to fulfill his task successfully. He had already proven his capability by defeating three powerful curses to recover the Spiritual Stones that protected the Door of Time. The future of Hyrule was in his hands now.

But if that was so, then why, by the goddesses, did she feel so apprehensive?

Behind them, in the gathering storm, blacker than night with the sounds of pouring rain and crashing thunder filling their ears, they did not notice that the sound of the hoofbeats of the pursuing steed had long since died off.

Author's Note: Next chapter will be longer. :)