Chapter 2: Celebration

Zelda was sitting at the table in the dining room at the castle. She had a depressed look on her face. In front of her was a bowl of oatmeal, but she just stirred it around with her spoon.
      "Are you feeling okay?" Impa asked Zelda. "You haven't even touched your breakfast."
      "I'm fine. I'm just not hungry," Zelda responded. She was still worried about that dream she had; she still couldn't understand it. Zelda tried to be more optimistic, but events lately had crushed most of her optimism.
      "You should cheer up," Impa recommended. "Your birthday is in a couple days, you should be happy." In two days, Princess Zelda was going to celebrate her tenth birthday.
      "I know. But birthday parties are always so boring. Nobody except stuck-up snobs come." She never liked being royalty and having to act like royalty. Zelda just wanted to be a regular kid.
      "Aren't there any friends you can invite?" Impa asked.
      "Well...." She thought for a moment. Maybe Link could come. He was the closest thing she'd had to a real friend. "How about Link?" Zelda asked.
      "Link.... He's the boy from the forest right?" Zelda nodded. "If it were up to me I'd say it was okay. But it's not really my decision. I don't have the authority to invite people into  the castle. You should ask your father."
      "Yay!" Zelda exclaimed as she ran to go find her father.
      "Wait...Zelda!" Impa yelled after her. "That doesn't mean for sure that he can come!" But her words fell on deaf ears. Zelda was already on her way to the throne room. Her father was usually meeting with various people in the government, but today he was pretty much free. The king saw Zelda running towards him and he opened his arms.
      "Daddy! Daddy!" Zelda said as she jumped onto his lap and hugged him. "You know that my birthday is in two days."
      "Yes honey."
      "Well I was kind of wondering..." Zelda said in the standard I-want-something voice. "If it's okay if I invite someone from outside the royal circle to my party." She gave him the cute puppy dog face.
      "Well, who were you thinking of?" he asked.
      "His name is Link. He lives in the Kokiri Forest. He was the one who found the Spiritual Stones, remember?" He acknowledged her question with a nod. "Well he's really my only friend. Can he come?"
      "Well...I don't know...." He said. Zelda's lip started to quiver as she prepared to start whining. "Of course he can come. We just need to make sure he gets an invitation so he can get into the castle."
      "Oh thank you, Daddy! This makes me so happy." Zelda then kissed her father on the cheek and ran off to her bedroom squealing with glee.
 
 

      There was a knock on the doorway to Link's tree house. "Link...Helllloooo?" said a Kokiri boy.
      "Uhhhhhh," Link mumbled, half asleep. He'd just started to relax and now this. "Who is it?" Link asked with his face still buried in his pillow.
      "It's me, Tarin," responded the boy. Tarin was the one in charge of guarding the entrance to Kokiri forest.
      "What do you want?" Link said as he sat up.
      "This came for you," Tarin said, holding up a gold-bordered envelope. "A man from the castle came to the forest and told me to give this to you." He handed the envelope to Link.
      "What is it?" Link asked. Tarin shrugged his shoulders and walked out. Curious to find out what was inside, Link tore open the envelope. Inside was a small folded card with colorful borders and the symbol of the Triforce embossed on the front. He opened the card and looked at the writing inside. It was scrawled on the card, clearly the writing of a child. He read the card.

You are invited to my birthday party!
It is a 1:00 on Tuesday in the castle.
Just show this to the guard and  he'll let you in.
I hope I see you there!
Signed:
Princess Zelda Link was bowled over by the fact that he was invited to a princess's birthday party. He didn't know that Zelda's birthday was coming up. He didn't think that Zelda would bother to invite him, she probably has other people to hang around with. It's not like they knew each other very well, they had only met a few times. Still, being invited would move him up the social ladder a few notches. His mind began racing with thoughts over what he should do. What should I wear? Should I buy something fancy? After all, I do wear the same clothes every single day; maybe it's time for something new. Then again, she might be expecting me to wear this. Should I get her a present? What if she doesn't like my present. Being a princess, she'll probably get gold and diamonds. I can't afford that. What do princesses like for gifts? What do girls like for gifts? I'll go ask Saria. She's a girl, she'll know what I should get her.
      Link decided to run to Saria's house for her advice. He ignored everyone and everything on his way to her house. When he walked through the door, she was mending one of her skirts. She paused and looked up to see Link in the doorway. He was holding some piece of paper in his hand and looked really excited. This was a total change from the mood he'd been in earlier. "Well, you're looking better sleepy-head," Saria said in a light-hearted tone. Link nodded his head and was smiling from ear to ear. "What are you so excited about?" she asked.
      "Zelda invited me to her birthday party," he answered.
      "Zelda? Princess Zelda?" He nodded. "Wow! It's so cool that a princess would invite you to her party. Maybe she likes you," Saria suggested. Link blushed at that.
      "I came over to ask your advice," he said. She nodded for him to go ahead. He often came over to ask her advice, and vice versa. "Well, I wanted to know...what should I get her for a birthday present? What do girls like to get for presents? Should I make her something?" He began to jabber endlessly. Saria was used to this. Link often went on and on when he was excited. "But what if she doesn't like what I get her? Do you have any ideas as to what she might want. After all, you're a girl and I figured that you'd have some insight on...."
      "Whoa, slow down," Saria interrupted. "Ask one question at a time, and try to take a breath."
      "Okay. Ummmm. What kind of gift should I give Zelda? You're a girl, what do girls like?" he asked.
      "Well...." Saria thought for a minute. He must really like her, Saria thought. I've never seen him so eager to impress someone. "Why don't you make her something?" she suggested. "It would be a lot more personal than just buying something."
      Link's eyes lit up. "That's a good idea!" he exclaimed. "But...what should I make?"
      "Hmmm. How about a necklace, or a bracelet, or maybe some earrings. Are her ears pierced?" Link shrugged his shoulders.
      "I'll figure something out," Link said. "Thanks for the advice." He smiled and walked out to go figure out what to make for Zelda.
 
 

      Kasuto walked into the cottage where he and the rest of the group ate and spent most of their time. The were sitting there waiting for Kasuto to return.
      "It's true," Kasuto said grimly. "The pyramid was dug up a week ago at an archaeological dig. Tomorrow I'm going to go and get it back. Including the Deku Tree, two signs have been fulfilled." He looked at the blonde haired woman. "Kira, what's next."
      "Well," she said, "according to the prophecies there will be 'a boy who remembers the future'. We should look for the so-called 'Hero of Time.' "
      "There have been plenty of those," Kasuto remarked.
      "Not like this one," Kira said. "This is the one who alters the future. Remember a few weeks ago?" she asked everyone. They all nodded. "There was a significant change to the timeline. The boy responsible for it is who we should be looking for."
      The bald man spoke up. "He's the one who fought Ganondorf, right?"
      "That's right, Dejaren," Kira answered. "And when he traveled back and forth through time, he changed the course of history. When he closed the Door of Time, he changed the future. He is the only one who remembers the alternate future, besides us, of course."
      "We have to look for him now because we don't have much time," Kasuto said. "Everybody start looking for him."
      "There's more," Kira said. "The fourth sign is a girl. She's a friend of the boy and she's of high social standing. This girl helped the boy to defeat Ganondorf in the alternate future."
      "Hmm. Princess Zelda's birthday party is in two days," Kasuto said. "There's bound to be plenty of socialites there. I can go there for a while and then go to the University to get the pyramid."
      "How old are these people? And how are we supposed to know them when we find them?" asked Dejaren.
      Kira answered. "They're both children. Unfortunately, we don't know exactly who they are. Since the future was changed, our knowledge of it became distorted. We know what happened, we just can't distinguish specific people. Believe me, when you find them, you'll know. Just trust your intuition."
 
 

       Link walked through the forest looking for things to make jewelry out of. Instead of making one thing for Zelda, he decided to make three. He was going to make a necklace, a bracelet, and a pair of earrings. He looked at the ground to find things to use as decorations. He already had string to make the necklace and bracelet out of. It was made from a vine commonly found in the forest. When it dried, it was soft, smooth and flexible as well as strong. He also had the materials for the necklace and bracelet, now he needed something nice for the earrings. He looked at the ground and saw some nuts piled up. These must belong to a squirrel. It didn't really matter, though. These nuts were perfect for the earrings. They came from a bush that grew near the bases of trees. The nuts were round with stems sticking out of the top. The best part was the color. They were pure white. This meant that Link could use some plant dyes to make the nuts all sorts of beautiful colors.
      He walked back to his house so he could make the jewelry. He didn't have all the tools he needed so he borrowed some from the shop. He made the bracelet first. Actually, he made two. Saria recommended that he make friendship bracelets. He made the bracelet out of leaves from a tree. To keep them from drying out, he soaked the in the sap of a milkweed. When it dried it became clear and flexible like plastic. When he dried the leaves, he glued them end to end, except for overlapping them slightly. He used the tools to punch holes in the various nuts, seeds, and fruits he found. After he put them into an order that looked nice, he ran the string through them. The last thing to do was to make the earrings. He had a brush and on the table in front of him lay five small jars filled with dyes. He made them all from plants he got from the forest. He had red, yellow, indigo, violet, and green. He gently painted the small nuts with the colors. When Link was finished, he looked at his work. The earrings had brilliant splashes and swirls of color. He thought everything looked good, but needed a second opinion.
      Link, of course, went to Saria again. Even though there were other people in the forest that he could talk to, he was worried that they would make fun of him. He gently placed the jewelry in a small box and carried it over to Saria's house for her opinion. "Saria," Link said as he walked into her house, "what do you think of these things I made for Zelda?"
      She took the box an examined the contents. She first looked at the necklace. Then she examined the earrings. And finally, she looked at the bracelets. "Wow, these are really nice," she said. Link smiled. "I didn't know you were so creative." Even though they'd known each other all their lives, Saria still found out new things about Link every day. "How come you never make these things for me?" she asked sarcastically.
      "Well...I," he mumbled. "I didn't know you wanted...if you want one I can...."
      "Oh I'm just kidding, silly. Don't get all upset," she said. "I think she'll like them. I think it's cute that you went through all this trouble to make these for her." Link scowled jokingly and Saria giggled. She knew he didn't like it when she called him cute. Link decided to put a few finishing touches on the jewelry, so he told Saria good-bye and went back to his house. He couldn't wait until tomorrow. He hoped that Zelda would like his gifts.
 
 

       The day finally came. Today was Zelda's birthday. Link chose to wear his regular clothes, nobody would care what he wore. When he went home the previous night he decided to paint the box that he put the jewelry in. he used the same paints as the earrings and the box ended up with a similar design. The box could also double as a fourth gift. Link left early for the party at a quarter after twelve. He was nervous the whole time he walked to the castle. His mind raced with thoughts about what he should do and how he should act. He finally arrived at the drawbridge. He weaved through the usual hustle and bustle of the market and to the gates of the castle.
      Link handed his invitation to the guard. The guard looked at the invitation and then looked a Link. Link hoped that this wasn't one of the guards that had thrown him out of the castle before. "Follow me," the guard said as he handed the invitation back to Link. The gate opened and Link followed the guard into the castle. Link felt weird being escorted into the castle; he was used to being thrown out of the castle. The guard showed him through the main entrance, and then left. A servant then welcomed Link and led him through the castle. As he walked, he heard noise and talking getting steadily louder. The servant then led him into a huge ballroom. It was colorfully decorated with streamers and signs that read "Happy Birthday." Link had never been in this part of the castle before. He turned around and saw that the servant had left. He clutched his gift box nervously. He didn't know anyone here. Everybody was dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry. Link felt a little out of place. He walked around searching for Zelda. She had to be there somewhere. A few people stared at Link, and that just made him more nervous. Then he saw Zelda. She saw Link and ran over to him. She was wearing a sky-blue dress with purple flowers printed on it. It looked a little plain for a princess. She wasn't wearing a tiara or anything that indicated that she was royalty. If he hadn't of known her, he would've never guessed she was a princess.
      "I'm so glad you came!" she said. "It was getting a little boring." She smiled and looked down at the box Link was holding. "What's that?" she asked.
      Link was so anxious that he could barely speak. Finally, some words managed to come out. "It's...for you. Happy birthday." His hands shook as he handed the box to Zelda.
      "Oh what a pretty jewelry box!" she exclaimed.
      She likes it, he thought. That took a load of his mind. He instantly felt more comfortable. "Open it up," he said. "There's more inside." She opened up the box and her face beamed as she looked at the jewelry he made.
      "Oh I just love these!" She looked at the necklace. "This is so pretty. And I love the earrings. Where did you get these?" she asked.
      "Well," Link replied, "I made them. Myself. For you."
      "Oh thank you! Why are there two bracelets?"
      "They're friendship bracelets. I wear one and you wear one. That way no matter where we are we'll always be friends." He took one of the bracelets and put it on his wrist. Zelda then put on her bracelet.
      "This is so thoughtful of you." She then put on the necklace and the earrings. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. His face turned beet red and he rubbed the spot where she kissed him. Inside his head, Link was secretly cheering. He had a crush on Zelda since he first saw her. What he didn't know was that she felt the same way about him. "Come on. Let's go over there. I want to introduce you to my father." She grabbed his hand a dragged him to the other side of the room.
      The king was a relatively normal sized person with a closely trimmed beard and short brown hair. The king looked a lot different than Link had expected. He wasn't wearing a crown, just his violet robe indicated that he was royalty. He was conversing with some people when Zelda walked up to him. She tugged on his robe to get his attention. He looked down. "What is it honey?" he asked.
      "Daddy," Zelda responded. "I want you to meet my friend Link."
      The king smiled at Link. "Well hello, Link," he said. Link was at a loss for words. He just smiled back. If someone had told him a few weeks ago that he would be talking to the king of Hyrule, he would've called him crazy. This man didn't make Link feel like he was inferior, he seemed like just a regular guy.
      "Daddy, look what Link made for me!" Zelda said. She showed off the jewelry to her father.
      "That's really nice," he said. "You're a very talented young man, Link."
      "Umm...thank you...your majesty," Link mumbled.
      "Oh, you don't have to call me that. You are a friend of the family now," the king said. Link secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
     "Come on," Zelda said to Link, "let's go over there and get something to eat." She grabbed Link's hand again and dragged him to the other side of the room. Link sat down next to Zelda in the middle of a long table. To his far left lay a pile of boxes, torn wrapping paper, and an assortment of gifts. There were dresses of all colors and an assortment of jewelry piled next to the boxes.
      "Are those your other birthday presents?" Link asked.
      "Yes," she answered. "But I don't like them very much. I always get the same things every year. It gets kind of boring after a while. I like your gifts the best. No one's ever made a gift by hand for me." She smiled at him. He smiled back. "Do you want something to eat?" she asked. Link nodded. Zelda motioned to one of the servants. She whispered to him and he nodded. The servant brought over two plates with cake on them. He place one I front of Link and one in front of Zelda. "Here," Zelda said, "have some of my birthday cake. It's really good."
      Link looked at the piece of cake in front of  him. He grabbed a fork and ate a piece of it. He'd never had a dessert like this before. It was so sweet. They never made cakes like this in Kokiri Forest. He took another bite. Then another and another. He couldn't get enough of it.
      "Slow down," Zelda giggled. "Don't eat it so fast or you'll choke. You really like that don't you?" Link nodded. He tried to speak, but his mouth was full. He just nodded. Over the next half hour, servants brought Link and Zelda various courses in the meals. Link decided to try a little bit of everything. He'd never seen so many different kinds of food in his life. After a while, though, he couldn't eat any more.
      "Are you full now?" Zelda asked.
      "Um...yes," Link answered. He felt more comfortable now. Zelda had treated him like a regular person and so had everyone else. "I've never had so many kinds of food before."
      "You tried a little bit of everything. I'm so glad you're happy."
      "What else can we do now?" Link asked.
      "Well.... I have an idea," Zelda said. She leaned over and began to whisper into Link's ear. "This party is so boring. How about we go somewhere else?"
      "Like where?" he asked.
      "I was thinking that we could escape."
      "Escape? What do you  mean escape?" he asked.
      "We could sneak out of the party and out of the castle. I never go anywhere, and I want to do some exploring."
      "But won't we get in trouble?" This worried Link. He didn't want the king of Hyrule mad at him. What if they chopped off his head? "I don't want to make your father mad."
      "Oh he won't get mad. He let's me do whatever I want. I just want to get out without a guard following me everywhere. The guards are so boring. They never let me do anything. I just want to walk around like a regular kid."
      "Is that why you're wearing regular clothes?" Link asked. She smiled and nodded. "I guess we could go." Link had been in much worse situations than this. Getting into a little mischief was a lot safer than some of the things he'd done.
      "Good, come on," Zelda said. They quietly walked out of the ballroom without attracting any attention. Then she led him on a weird winding path through the castle. They snuck past guards and then finally out the back door of the castle. It was like she'd planned this route in detail ahead of time.
      They were standing outside the castle in a meadow full of wildflowers. "What do you want to do now?" Link asked.
      She thought for a moment. "Let's go wander around the market and see what they've got there."
      "Aren't you afraid that someone'll recognize you?"
      "No," Zelda answered. "Nobody knows what I look like. They'll just think we're regular kids."
      "Okay," Link submitted. He followed her lead and hoped he wouldn't regret this.
 
 

       Kasuto decided to take the brunette haired woman along with him to go looking for the two prophesied children. All seven of them were frequent visitors to the castle and close friends with the king; so getting in would be no problem. They walked into the ballroom and saw a lot of familiar faces. But none of them were the children they were looking for. The king saw them and yelled over to them. "Kasuto! Kayla! Come over here!" He waved his hand and motioned for them to walk over to him. They walked to the king and greeted him. "How are you guys?" the king asked as he hugged each of them.
      "Oh we're doing okay," Kasuto answered. "So how's everything with you? I heard that Ganondorf gave you guys quite a scare a few weeks ago." Kasuto was trying to make small talk.
      "You're tellin' me, that was pretty scary for a while. It's so weird that he just disappeared all of a sudden," said the king. As far as everyone else was concerned, Ganondorf had vanished suddenly. But Kasuto knew the truth. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell the king, or anyone else. "That was a little tense. It's a good thing that's over with."
      "Are you sure he's gone?" Kayla asked. She knew the truth also, but she was making small talk.
      "Oh yes," the king answered. "All of my intelligence officers and army outposts haven't reported anything at all." This particular king of Hyrule was a skilled tactician. He knew how to conduct military campaigns and intelligence operations. "We've even got operatives within the Gerudo's society. None of them report Ganondorf being there either. In fact, the Gerudos are just as confounded as we are. I really wouldn't worry about it anymore. He's gone."
      "Well, we just wanted to drop in and say hi," said Kasuto. They could tell that the children they were looking for weren't here. "We should get going. Let's go Kayla."
      "You two have a  good day!" the king yelled as he waved them off.
      When Kasuto and Kayla were out of the castle, they found a spot where they could talk in private. "They're not here," Kasuto said. "I can feel it. We should at least go to the University to get the pyramid."
      "Are we just going to go in and grab it?" Kayla asked.
      "No. that would arouse suspicion," Kasuto said. "We should go in and tell him we know how to translate it. Then we'll translate it for him."
      "That might tell him too much," Kayla said. "We'll have to make him forget it. We'll have to use some serious magic on this guy."
      "Let's just be careful. If we play it right, we should be able to get this away from him without using too much magic. The more spells we use on him, the greater chance he has of getting seriously injured. Let's go and get this over with." They turned and began to walk towards the University. This is going to be a dangerous job, thought Kasuto. He knew what was coming.
 
 

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