“Teach me how to swing a sword, daddy!”

“I could start you off with a dagger, but then again you might cut yourself.”

“I won’t! I promise!”

Mimi was five years old, wearing a small black tang and jeans: her normal get-up, and her black hair was in a braid. She was outside with Link watching him practice. She got bored just watching; she wanted to be in the action too.

“Promise?” Link asked her.

“I honestly promise!” Mimi said, smiling. Although Link allowed Mimi to spar, Zelda wouldn’t have it. She said that Mimi was a Princess, and should learn to act like one. Link was the influence, and Mimi was learning from him how to smile, laugh play and relax: just blowing off what she was supposed to be doing.

Link took down a dagger, and handed it to Mimi, who held it like a delicate piece of glass. She stared at the blade’s pointy edge, and looked at its hilt, which was bearing the Triforce mark. She held it at arm’s length.

“Alright, the first thing you need to do, is practice holding your sword, so you don’t kill yourself,” Link said to her. Mimi held her sword at her side, without it touching her.

“Like this?” she asked. Link nodded.

“Now, you can start swinging it,” he said. Mimi raised the sword, and tried to swipe down on the grass. The dagger slipped out of her hand, and landed inside of a tree stump.

“Oopsie,” she said, and ran over to the stump. Placing her hand on the handle, she pulled with all of her might. Seeing her do that reminded Link of the time he pulled the Master Sword out of its pedestal. Mimi pulled the blade as hard as she could, with no avail. She tried again, and the darned thing still wouldn’t budge.

“Get out of the stump now!” Mimi said, trying to pull harder. “Come on Mr. Dagger! Let me get you out! Aah!!” She then started to pull as hard as she was able to, straining herself till the vein nearly appeared on her forehead. She then gave up. It was no use.

“Would you like some help?” Link asked her. She shook her head.

“I want to do it!” she said, and pulled again. The dagger moved a bit, and she pulled it out. She fell back, and the dagger flew behind her. Link sidestepped it, and the dagger stuck itself in the soft grass. Mimi went and tried to pull it out there. She was too weak, so Link helped her. He pulled it out gently and handed it to Mimi.

“Thank you,” she said, and grabbed it irritably. She looked at her hands. “Why can’t you be strong and not weak?” she asked them. She sighed.

“Are you alright?” Link asked her. Mimi looked up.

“Huh? Oh, right! I’m fine!” she said. “Now, I’m going to try that slice one more time…” She sliced downwards, and this time the dagger sliced at the dirt, sending grass everywhere.

“That was pretty good,” Link said to her. “Now, try the horizontal slice.”

“Horizontal?” asked Mimi, walking to his side. In response, Link swung his sword across the air.

“Like that,” he said. “You try.” Mimi sliced across, sending her dagger right to the side, nearly cutting Link’s leg.

“Whoops,” Mimi ran over to her dagger that was on the ground. “Sorry, daddy!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Link said. “You should probably try and not release your grip when you swing. When you’re fighting someone, the opponent could take the opening and strike.” Mimi shivered. “I’m not trying to scare you, or anything,” Link said to her.

“I’m not scared,” Mimi said. “It’s just that it feels like there’s someone here. And that someone’s going to kill me if they find me here.” She turned around, and saw Zelda standing right behind her.

“What are you doing?” she asked. Mimi gave a weak smile.

“I was training her with a dagger,” Link answered, as Mimi nodded while he spoke.

“A dagger?” Zelda asked. “You’re training a five-year-old girl how to use a dagger?” Link and Mimi both gulped.

“Yes,” Link answered. Zelda then hit 100% rage.

“HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO TEACH HER HOW TO USE A DAGGER!!??”

“Sorry!” Link said.

“NEVER AGAIN!!” Zelda yelled. “SHE COULD HONESTLY KILL HERSELF!!”

“If I train her, then she won’t kill herself!” Link said back.

“Yes she will!” Zelda said. “You’re training her! You kill yourself half the time as it is!”

“I don’t kill myself!!” Link yelled.

“STOP!!!!!!!!!!” The two looked down at Mimi. “Stop fighting!! What’ll happen to everyone, if the King and Queen start arguing and break apart? What’ll happen to the kingdom?”

“She seems to worry about everyone,” Link said. “Much like you do.”

“That’s good,” Zelda said. “At least she’s learning how to care for others. Unlike you who was training her, without my permission, AND TRYING TO KILL HER!!”

“I WAS NOT TRYING TO KILL HER!!” Link yelled, and the argument started again.

“Why do I even bother?” Mimi asked herself. Just then, a guard walked to them.

“Is this a bad time?” he asked Mimi.

“Not at all,” Mimi said. “Give me your message.”

“Alright,” the guard said, glancing at the arguing rulers. “Talon and his daughter Romani are here delivering the milk. Would you like to go to them?”

“Romani’s with him?” Mimi asked joyfully. “Let’s go!” The guard escorted her out to the entrance. As they reached the door…

“Where are you taking our daughter??!!” Link and Zelda yelled. The guard stood still, trembling from head to foot.

“He’s taking me to Talon, and Romani,” Mimi answered. “They’re delivering the milk.”

“Talon?” asked Zelda. “Then we’ll come too.” The guard nodded briskly, and led them to the entrance. There, standing next to their wagon was Talon and Romani, each holding a bottle of milk in their arms.

“Hi Romani!” Mimi said to her friend. The five-year-old redhead looked around her bottle and saw Mimi.

“Hi!” she said. “How is everything?” Mimi looked at her parents, and back to Romani.

“Caught,” she said.

“Again?” Romani asked. “Where was the Queen hiding this time?”

“Against the wall in a dark corner,” Zelda answered her. Mimi nodded, as Romani looked back to her. Talon cleared his throat.

“We’ve brought the daily milk as you can see,” he said. “Where should we leave it?” Link beckoned a guard over, and he took the wagon around back with the milk.

“Can we stay a bit, daddy?” Romani asked her father. He looked from Romani to Mimi and back again. They both had a pleading look on their face.

“I guess so,” he said. The girls cheered, and ran outside to the market. “Be careful!”

“We will!” Mimi hollered over to him. “Promise!”

“Come on, Mimi!” Romani was already up the path. “I’ll get there first!”

“Not if I can help it!” Mimi ran and caught up with her. Once the girls were out of sight, Talon turned to Link and Zelda.

“I heard a rumor in town, and I just want to see if it’s true,” he said to them.

“What would that rumor be?” Zelda asked.

“Is it true that a Prince is coming to meet Mimi this afternoon?”

“That is true,” Link said. “We didn’t want her to know. We wanted it to be a surprise. I hope the Prince and her get along well.”

“As do I,” Zelda said. “Come in, Talon. We can catch up on things.” The three adults walked into the Castle.

In the market, Romani and Mimi were in the center of town. They walked down the cobblestone street, and walked up to a house. It had smoke rising from the chimney, so their friend was most likely out of bed. Mimi knocked on the door. A man of about 30 answered it, and looked down. He saw Mimi and Romani, and bowed to the Princess.

“Is Karen home?” Romani asked him.

“Yes,” the man answered, obviously Karen’s father. “Karen!! You’re friends are here!!”

“Alright! Alright!!” came Karen’s voice from upstairs. “You don’t have to yell!”  A five-year-old Karen ran down the stairs.

She was wearing overalls (she has tons) and a blue shirt that day. On her blue hair she wore a red bandana, the one Mimi and Romani put bought for her after putting their allowance together. Karen smiled to her friends.

“So, you’ve woken up have you?” her father asked.

“An hour ago,” she answered him.

“An hour?” her father asked. “I’ve been calling you down for breakfast the past half hour! What in Hyrule were you doing up there?”

“I was looking down on the town,” Karen said. “And I was listening to the street performers and watching them dance. I guess I got carried off to my “strange planet” again.”

“Yeah, the planet where plants can talk, people grow extra legs, and where hands grow on their chins,” her father teased. “You girls have fun.”

“We will,” the girls said together, and ran outside. They ran to the center of the market, and looked around.

“What do you guys want to do?” Mimi asked them.

“How about Follow the Leader?” asked Karen. “Romani can be the leader!” Romani cheered, and began to lead them on around the marketplace. When she was having them jump in the air and trying to jog while up in the air, Mimi tripped over a cucco. A girl of their age ran past, trying to catch it.

“Come back here!” she called. Her brown hair was under a bonnet, and she wore a green dress. “I have to get you back home!”

“Need help?” Karen asked the girl.

“You don’t know how much,” the girl said gratefully. So, they ran up to catch the bird. Romani reached it, and grabbed it. It squawked, and tried flying away. Flapping its wings hard, the bird tried to get out of Romani’s tight grip. It flapped harder, and Romani’s feet left the ground. She yelped, and the girls tried pulling her back down. Karen jumped in front of the bird and poked it under its wing. The cucco froze, and the girls fell to the ground.

“Ouch…” said the girl, rubbing her head.

“I can’t believe that cucco lifted you,” Karen said to Romani.

“I can’t believe it either,” Romani said.

“What are you made out of, air?” Mimi joked. The girls all laughed.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you my name!” said the girl. “I’m Samantha. My friends call me Sam or Sammy. What are your names?”

“I’m Romani!”

“Call me Karen!”

“And I’m Mimi!!” Sam smiled to them all.

“Thank you for helping me catch this bird,” she said to them, and picked up the sleeping cucco. “You’re all the best.”

“We try!” Karen said, laughing. The girls then played with their new friend Samantha: they played tag, Leap Frog and all of those. By noon the girls were wiped out, and lying on the ground.

“I’ve never been this tired,” Sam said, “other than chasing that bird.”

“I’m really wiped out!” Karen said. “I can hardly move another inch!”

“Me too,” Romani said. “It feels like I could just lay here on the ground.”

“Hey, what’s that?” Mimi asked, and sat up. She was looking beyond the hills, and there was a Royal carriage heading towards them. “It looks Royal-like.”

“It’s most likely headed for the Castle,” Sam said. The girls looked at her, and she looked back in surprise. “You mean you don’t know?”

“Know what?” asked Mimi.

“It’s going all around,” Sam said. “There’s a Prince coming to meet you, Mimi, today.” Mimi gaped.

“Me?” she asked. “Why didn’t my parents tell me?” Sam shrugged, and the carriage rode closer, and it was at the drawbridge.

“We should go,” Romani said. She walked to a back alley. “Come on, Mimi!” She ran down the road. Mimi waved to her friends, and followed Romani. The girls walked all the way to a dark corner where there was a small crawl-through tunnel just big enough for them to squeeze in to. They had found it the week before, and found out that it led to the Castle courtyard.

Mimi crawled in first, and Romani went after her. They crawled through what looked like pitch blackness for awhile, down winding tunnels and up steep parts of their found ‘path’. After awhile, a light shined up ahead of them and Mimi stepped out, and looked at the courtyard. Romani crawled out after her, and they looked at each other’s dirty selves. They ignored it, and went to the entrance where Link, Zelda and Talon were waiting.

“Romani!” Talon said, spotting them. “Mimi!”

“Glad you’re here,” Zelda said.

“We were just about to send a guard to get you,” Link said.

“Who is that?” Mimi asked, pointing to the carriage.

“It’s Prince Ark of Tolkein,” Zelda answered her. “He’s come to meet you.” Mimi looked back at the carriage as it stopped in front of the Castle’s drawbridge. The driver got off of his seat and opened the door.

Out stepped a six-year-old boy, most likely Prince Ark. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and to Mimi, seemed…sweet. Her wore a blue shirt and a red cape. He wore white pants, and over them gold boots. His crown wasn’t like the one a Prince wears. Instead, it was a gold colored band wrapped around his head. On it bore a symbol but Mimi couldn’t tell what it was.

After Ark stepped out was a man, Ark’s father and the King of Tolkein. He had on a crown, and a gray beard, and grayed hair. He wore red robes, and under it a decorated blue shirt. He had on white pants, like his son, and brown boots.

The two walked forward, and greeted them.

“Hello,” said the King. “Pleased to meet you, I am King Darius, ruler of Tolkein and father to this here Prince Ark.” He motioned to his son, who looked away from them, and looked at the moat. He looks lonely, Mimi thought to herself. I bet he doesn’t want to see me. She hmphed. Much like I don’t want to see him!

“Good afternoon, King Darius,” Zelda said.

“Afternoon,” Link said.

“To you too,” the King said. “Well, how about we have these two children meet, eh?” He pushed Ark closer to Mimi. “Go on,” the King said. Ark glanced at Mimi out of the corner of his eye, and looked away, uninterested. Mimi glared at him. She tried to be nice and make conversation.

“Hi,” she said. Ark didn’t respond to her. “Are you listening to me? I said hi!!” This guy’s attitude was annoying Mimi, and she was liking him less and less.

“Don’t get mad,” Romani said. “Try to calm down.”

“Perhaps we should leave them alone,” King Darius suggested. So, the three adults left, and entered the next room. Romani looked at the two, and followed her father, wondering if Ark and Mimi would get along. After the door shut behind them, Ark looked at Mimi.

“Where’s the Princess?” he asked her. Mimi was taken aback.

“What?” Mimi asked.

“The Princess,” Ark repeated. “You look like a peasant, not a bit of royalty. You almost look like a stray dog that just jumped out of the dumpster. Have you been doing the Princess’s laundry or something?”

“The eye can deceive!” Mimi said. “I am the Princess! Princess Mimi, that’s my name!!”

“You don’t act like one,” Ark said haughtily. Mimi was red in the face.

“Listen you…you…” she was at a loss of words. “I hate people like you! Why do you treat me like this? I hate you!!” She sobbed, and ran up to her room, feeling hurt. Romani came back out with Link, Zelda and Talon along with King Darius.

“What happened?” The King asked Ark. He shrugged.

“I asked her where the Princess was and she told me she was the Princess. I didn’t believe her, and asked again then she got upset.”

“She’s very sensitive,” Zelda said to him. Ark looked at her, and then away again. “I’ll go and talk to her. Zelda left, and headed to Mimi’s room.

“You should be ashamed of yourself!” Romani said to Ark angrily. He looked at her in surprise. “You hurt her feelings, and you aren’t even sad! What will you say for yourself?” Ark shrugged again.

“I just say what I think,” he said.

“Well, you don’t think much,” Romani said to him. “From what I can tell, you’re just a conceited little boy who doesn’t care for anyone’s feelings but his own!”

“And can you change that?” Ark asked her. “You can’t, because you’re just a filthy ranch girl, poor and uneducated.” Romani’s eyes filled with tears.

“I am educated! Daddy taught me!” she cried, trying not to cry while speaking. “I’m not poor, and I’m not filthy! I’m a smart girl who actually cares about her friends!!” She turned to the King. “How can you put up with this?” she asked him, and cried, running to the wagon.

“We should go,” Talon said. “When Romani starts crying, it takes a long time for her to get back to her cheery self. Well, ‘bye.” He walked to the wagon, and rode it back to the ranch. Darius looked at Ark.

“I raised you better than this, young man,” he said angrily. “You made two girls cry, and one of them being the Princess! That redhead was right; you should be ashamed of yourself.” He turned to Link. “I’m really sorry about this,” he said to him. “My son and I will leave, right away.”

“Not yet,” Link said. “Your son has to make an apology to my daughter when she comes back down.” He looked at Ark, who shifted with unease.

 

 

 

“Mimi?” Zelda said, knocking on the girl’s door. “Mimi, open this door!”

“Go away!” came Mimi’s sorrowful reply. “I don’t want…any company right…now…!” She began to cry again. Zelda opened the door, and walked inside. Mimi was crying on the bed, her face buried in her pillow.

“Mimi,” Zelda put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. Mimi looked up. “I know that the Prince hurt your feelings, but can’t you forgive him?”

“No!!” Mimi buried her face in her pillow again, and when her voice sounded, it sounded muffled. “I don’t want to see that boy, ever again! I don’t want to hear of him, or even speak his name!” Zelda frowned, thinking.

“How about I help you into a different outfit, and you and Ark can restart your introductions to each other?” she suggested. Mimi sniffed, and looked at her, still teary-eyed.

“Do you promise that he won’t be mean anymore?” she asked.

“I promise.” Mimi sniffed again, and sat up. Zelda walked into her closet, and searched through her dresses. She came back out with a pink one. It had long sleeves, and was ankle-length. It had a yellow binding on the shoulders, to make it look better. Mimi took the dress, and, sniffing one last time, changed into it. After she did, Zelda took out her braid, and brushed it out. Her hair was a bit curly, but looked much better. Zelda then washed Mimi’s face with some water that was in a bin next to her bed. The last of the dirt was wiped off of Mimi’s face, and she looked like the Princess that she was. She went into her closet, and pulled out some pink shoes.

“Do you feel better?” Zelda asked her, as they walked down the hall.

“I can hardly walk in these shoes,” Mimi said, “but I feel better.” Zelda smiled. That’s good, she thought, the last thing I want is for Mimi to have her feelings crushed. The two reached the huge oak door that was right before the entrance room.

“Alright,” Zelda said. “Here we are. Now, after you introduce yourself, you curtsy to Ark, and he should bow back. That kid has no manner of kindness, but he should know respect.” Mimi tried to curtsy, but fell over.

“Ow,” she whispered to herself. This is hopeless, Zelda thought, she’s been hanging around Link so much that she doesn’t even know a proper curtsy!

“Do it like this,” Zelda said, and curtsied to show her. Mimi did the same as her mother. “There,” Zelda said. “That wasn’t so hard, now was it?”

“No,” Mimi said, “I guess not…”

“Now, let’s go,” Zelda said, and opened the door. On the other side was Ark, standing in front of the doorway. His father stood behind him, and leaning against the wall of the next room was Link. Mimi approached Ark, and he watched her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Link, and bowed.

“Hello, Princess,” he said to her. “I am Prince Ark, of Tolkein. Pleased to meet you.” Mimi was stunned at his sudden kindness, then returned the honor.

“Hello, Prince,” she said. “I am Princess Mimi as you know of Hyrule. Pleased to meet you.” She curtsied to him, and felt herself grow warm in her face. She actually felt quite idiotic, talking like this.

“That wasn’t too hard,” Link said to Ark, “was it?” Ark shook his head, and turned back to Mimi.

“Sorry about my behavior earlier,” he said. “I was…a bit snobbish. Will you forgive me?” He actually sounded like he meant it. Mimi stared at him, trying her best not to have her jaw drop in awe. Was it possible for a kid like Ark to have a soft side? Mimi looked at her mom, and she nodded slowly. Mimi turned back to Ark.

“I forgive you!” she said happily. Ark stared at her sudden impulse of her fun side coming back. “Sure, you were a bit of a butt-head,” Mimi said, “but that’s no reason for me to continue being upset at you, right?” Ark was stunned for a moment, and then replied.

“I guess so,” he said.

“Great!” Mimi held out her hand. “So we’re friends?” Ark looked at her hand, and shook it.

“Friends,” he said.

“Awesome!!” Mimi dragged him to the courtyard. “So tell me about yourself!”

“Is she always like that?” Darius asked.

“Every day,” Link answered, putting his hands behind his head. “Guess you could say she inherited it from her friend, Karen, who’s always smiling and never frowns.” Darius smiled.

“It’s actually quite nice,” he said. Zelda and Link looked at him. “For Ark, to suddenly have a new friend. He acted like that to her because he didn’t have many back in Tolkein. The kids stayed away from him, because he was the Prince. I felt a bit sorry for him. I always found him outside, playing ball with himself, and watching other kids play. He grew like that for a year, and so that’s why he was so mean earlier. But, I believe that your daughter may wipe that clean off of his personality.”

“Probably,” Zelda said. “Everyone she encounters can’t be around her without laughing. It makes me proud to have her as a daughter.”

“Same here,” Link said. “So, how is things in Tolkein?”

“Pretty good,” Darius said. “Just last night our guards caught a robber in the act of stealing rupees from a shop.”

“Really?” asked Zelda.

 

Mimi picked a daisy from the field. She had led Ark to a different courtyard, the garden one. Mimi loved it, and visited it after a visit to the Lake. She peeked through the petals and looked over to Ark. He was staring at a stone that was on top of lily. He bent down, and removed the stone, letting the lily rise to its full potential.

“Ark’s personality,” Mimi whispered to herself, “is just like that stone that was on top of that lily. He seems so lonely, and he’s the only one who can move the rock holding him down. After that, he can shine brightly like the sun, or even glisten like Lake Hylia’s water…” She blushed slightly, just noticing what she just said. Then, she relaxed. “…Ark is the only one who can remove the stone, and be a gentle, caring person… I guess he’s…kind of cute…once you get to know him…” A quick shade of pink passed through her cheeks. She shook her head, and walked over to a guard that was watching the two of them. She handed him her flower. He looked at it, and smiled to her. Ark watched all of it.

“Why can’t I be like that?” he asked himself. “I’m always mean to everyone, and Mimi is here in her kingdom, treating everyone with kindness. I bet she’d even help those who don’t want to be her friends. I’d just watch those people and grow up to think that I’m the best, and that’s the reason why no one plays with me…” Ark continued to watch as Mimi said something to the guard, and they both laughed.

The guard looked over to Ark, and Mimi looked to him too. As soon as Ark saw her smile, he looked away so quickly that his head hurt. Then, the guard spoke to Mimi, and she smiled to him. She turned, and walked towards Ark. Ark had no idea if he should run with his tail between his legs, or just talk to the girl. But it was too late for him to think: Mimi was standing in front of him.

“Hey, Ark!” she said. How can she stay so happy? Ark asked himself. “Would you like a tour?”

“What?” Ark hadn’t heard her, for he was in his thoughts.

“A tour,” Mimi said. “The guard here was just wondering if you would.” Ark began to think.

“No thanks,” he said. “That’s a nice offer, but I don’t want to accept it.”

“Alright,” Mimi said. At that moment, King Darius approached them.

“Sorry you two,” he said. “Ark, I’m sorry. Completely lost track of time so, we have to go home. You’re mother is probably worrying and you still have to apologize to the ranch girl.”

“Her name is Romani,” Mimi said to Ark. “When you make your apology, remember that her name is Romani.”

“Right,” Ark said. “ ‘Bye.”

“Bye-bye!” Mimi called joyfully. Ark and the King left, and Mimi walked back to the guard, shaking her head no. He nodded to her. Mimi nodded back and turned, bumping into Zelda.

“How was it?” she asked, taking Mimi’s hand.

“It was better then our first encounter,” Mimi answered her, smiling.

“What do you think of Prince Ark?” Zelda asked. It was a long time before Mimi responded, and when she answered, she chose her words carefully.

“He’s OK,” she said. “I think he has a wonderful personality, but he’s hiding it from everyone. He needs to remove the stone covering his lily.”

“Remove the what covering his what?” Zelda was confused.

“The stone,” Mimi answered, “is the burden. The lily is his true personality that he’s hiding. And Ark is the only one who can remove the stone covering his personality, or his lily. That way, he’ll shine like the sun, and glisten like the Lake’s water…” She trailed off like she had before, going a bit pink.

“Do you like him?”

“I like him,” Mimi answered, “as a friend.”

“That’s good,” Zelda said, and took her back to her room. There, Mimi changed into her nightgown, and Link came in after Zelda tucked her into bed.

“Time for you to go to sleep,” Zelda was saying.

“I don’t want to!” Mimi pleaded. “Just one time? Please?” Zelda turned to Link, who had just entered. Mimi turned to him.

“Can you play me mom’s Lullaby?” she asked him. “On your Ocarina? Please? I promise I’ll fall asleep!” Link looked to Zelda, and then back to Mimi.

“Sure,” he said. “Why not?” He pulled his Fairy Ocarina out of his pocket, and began to play Zelda’s Lullaby. Mimi rested her head on the pillow, and felt herself drift off to sleep. She heard the tune in her dreams, dreams of her friends, Ark, and if he would ever remove the stone covering his lily, and of what the next day would bring.

    *                                                      *                                              *

Mimi awoke the next morning with the sun shining through her window. It was bright, and Mimi could almost still hear the tune of Zelda’s Lullaby ringing in her ears.

She sat up, and climbed out of bed. She looked in the mirror to see what she looked like. Her hair was wavy, like the night before, and her eyes looked sleepy. She went back to her bed, and pulled her teddy bear off of it. She opened up her bedroom door, and walked out into the cold halls.

Mimi rubbed one eye, holding one of her bear’s arms in her hand, and dragged it alongside her. The halls were large, at least, because of the height she was at being so small. She made her way down to the kitchens, and yawned. Then she sneezed.

“They say you sneeze when someone’s talking about you,” Mimi said to herself, rubbing an eye wearily, and walking on. “Maybe Romani already woke up.”

She walked into the kitchen and opened up a cabinet that was being kept cold. She reached into it, and pulled out a jar of milk. She took a chair, and, using it as a boost, reached into the cabinet above to get a cup. She poured milk in it, and put the jar back. She walked over to a small table, and put her glass of milk on it. Then, she pulled up a stool, sat on it, and drank the milk.

It refreshed her, at least until breakfast would start, and she put the cup on the counter. Mimi opened the door to the kitchen, and walked all the way back to her room. She was in the second to last hall to her room when she looked out the window. She looked out at the lush, green fields below, and sighed.

I’m glad that mom and dad let me play outside, she thought, at least they let me play with my friends.

She stood straighter, and leaned her head out the window to let the wind blow in her face. Then, something more than wind hit her. It was a sharp object that nearly scraped her chin. Mimi jumped back in alarm, and something jumped in through the open window.

It was a moblin, snarling and growling in the hall. Mimi stared at it, and started to run away. She ran far, but the moblin had already spotted her, and once spotting a victim was on Mimi’s trail and followed her.

Then, Mimi reached a dead end. She looked at the wall, trembling from head to the tip of her freezing toes. She turned back around, and saw the moblin come towards her, and she backed to the wall.

“Stay back!” she said, trying to hide the fear in her voice. She held her hand out, the one holding her teddy bear. “I’m warning you!”

The moblin snarled, and with one swipe of its spear cut the bear to bits. Mimi watched as the fluff and fur fell to the ground.

“Teddy…” she whispered. Tears formed in her eyes. The moblin moved forward again, and Mimi brought up the breath to scream at the top of her lungs. Link sat up in bed, and Zelda next to him.

“Mimi!” they both said. They ran out in their robes towards their terrified daughter.

“Someone help me!!” Mimi sobbed. “Help!!!!”

“We’re coming Mimi!” Link called. The two ran around the next bend, and spotted Mimi backed up in the corner with the moblin standing in front of her, its spear high in an attempt to slash Mimi in half.

The moblin spotted them, and growled. Link pulled out the dagger on his side, and ran towards the moblin. It slashed across, with its spear, and Link dodged to the side, and rolled around it. Link did a jump attack on the moblin’s back, and it howled in pain, and hit the ground. Mimi trembled, and Zelda ran to her side.

“It’s alright, Mimi,” she said. “You’re safe, now.” Tears formed in the young girl’s eyes, and she sobbed as Zelda held her close.

“It was so scary,” Mimi said in between chokes and tears. “I was so scared… Mommy!” She began to cry again. Link looked over to them, and then saw the fluff of Mimi’s teddy bear.

 

 

“So, it just jumped out at you?” Link asked. Mimi nodded, and sniffed.

“I don’t know why it came,” she said, and tried to hold back her tears, but it didn’t work. She was scared out of her wits!

“A moblin came into the Castle,” Zelda said. “How? We have guards patrolling everywhere. How could this have happened?” A maid then came down, and opened Mimi’s door. It was her nursemaid, Betty.

“Oh!” she said, and spotted the crying Princess, the King, and the Queen. “What happened?”

“It was a moblin,” Zelda answered. “It somehow made its way into the Castle, and we’re trying to figure out how it got in.”

“That’s what I came to ask about,” Betty said, and walked over to Mimi. “I heard Mimi scream and came down to see what was the matter.” Mimi choked and hugged her nursemaid.

“There’s nothing to worry about now,” Link said, standing up. “I’ll go to the guards and ask why they were off duty.” He walked out of the room and headed to his own. There, he changed into a green T-shirt and jeans, leaving behind his floppy hat and letting his blonde hair out. He headed downstairs and out onto the field.

A guard was standing next to a tree, and seemed motionless. Link walked up to him.

“Hey!” he said, and knocked on the guard’s helmet. “Why’d you let that moblin in?” The guard didn’t respond. “Answer me when I’m—” Link turned the guard around, and forgot to finish his sentence.

The guard was as pale as ghost, and his helmet fell off of his head. There was a bit of blood coming out of his nose and mouth and his eyes possessed no cornea or pupil. The guard had obviously been killed. On his forehead was a giant C carved into his skin. Link stood there, and let go of the guard, and the body fell to the ground.

“Wh-what happened?” Link asked himself. He walked down the remainder of the field seeing all of the other guards, on the ground, against the wall, all having the same look on their face and the letter C carved into their forehead. What’s up with the letter C? Link thought, and heard a rustling in the bushes.

“Who’s there?” he asked, and drew a knife. “Show yourself!” Out of the bushes came out another guard, trembling head to foot. The guard looked at him. Link could see, on his forehead a scar, and blood on his cheek.

“Your Highness!” the guard said, and crawled over to Link, who stepped back a bit. “It was terrifying!”

“What happened?” Link asked him. “Why are all the guards dead?”

“It was his beast!” the guard stuttered. “His pet!!”
“What are you talking about? Who’s pet?”

“Ganondorf.” That one name chilled their very blood in Link’s veins.

“What did his pet look like?” Link managed to say, after a long moment.

“It was a snarling, huge, terrifying dog!” said the guard. “It had huge black wings, and horns! I’ve never seen such a monster!”

“Black wings?” Link asked. “What about the C’s carved into everyone’s skulls?”

“That was the dog, after he killed them,” the guard said, standing up.

“It stands for Catherine, the dog’s name,” the guard said.

“Strange,” said Link. “That name sounds normal, but it poses as a huge threat.

“It does!” yelled the guard, and then cowered down before the King again. “The thing came with a moblin. I think it was sent to kill you and her Majesty.”

“What about, Mimi?”

“I don’t think that Ganondorf knows of your daughter,” the guard said, “but if he finds her, she would also be killed.”

“So Ganon has sent one of his pets to kill me and my family?” Link asked. The guard nodded.

“We tried to fight them,” he said, “but the beast was too strong. It was as silent as the night and as quick as sound! We were no match and I was able to escape before I too was killed.”

“Good thing, too,” Link said. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have known about this.” The guard then winced, and his eyes lolled up into his head. He fell over, and died on the spot. Link bent down, and saw a dagger in the guard’s back. He looked up, and saw a small boy in a brown robe, covering his face and body. He held out a hand, and his dagger flew back to him. He saw Link watching, and ran away.

“Hey!” Link called after him, and ran. “Come back here!” The boy kept running, and headed for the Temple of Time.

Up in her house, Karen looked out. She turned and called Sammy over to the window. Karen pointed and Sam covered her mouth.

The boy in the brown robe was running at top speed to the Temple of Time, with Link chasing after him, yelling for him to stop. They then vanished into the Temple.

The boy ran down the red rug, and walked straight through the Door of Time. Link ran up to it, and banged on it. When he couldn’t budge it, he cursed under his breath.

“Who was that kid?” he asked, and looked the Door up and down. “And how did he manage to get through the Door of Time…?” Link pressed his ear to the wall. He could hear voices behind it.

“…Yes, sir,” came a child’s reply. It was most likely the boy.

“Good,” came a voice. “You can ride Catherine”—Link shivered—“there. Make sure you get what you’re after, and kill any who get in your way. Don’t come back until the King and Queen are dead!”

“Is that Ganondorf?” Link asked, and pressed his ear harder, straining to listen to the two.

“I learned something,” the boy said. “Something that you’d like to know.”
            “And what would that be?” asked Ganon. He sounded interested.

“The King and Queen have a daughter,” the boy said. “I’m not sure of her name, though.”

“You might as well kill her too,” said Ganon. “If I ever come back, she could be a burden.”

“Yes,” the boy answered. There was a rustle of movement as the child got on Catherine’s back.

“And remember,” Ganon said to him, “that once Link and Zelda are killed, give me their piece of the Triforce. Don’t disappoint me!”

“Yes,” the boy said. Link heard a low rumble and at first he thought it was the ground, but he then realized that it was Catherine. The boy was riding her towards the Door, right where Link was. He hesitated, then went and hid behind a pillar. He looked around to the Door of Time, and there came out the dog, Catherine exactly as the guard had described her.

Link trembled at the sight of it. Catherine was nearly sucking the life out of him. She growled, and looked in his direction.

“What is it, Catherine?” the boy asked. He looked over to Link, and Link met his eyes for a moment. The boy didn’t notice, but Link caught a glimpse of cerulean blue eyes, just like his. They weren’t all the same, but they looked distant and lonely, wondering what was right and wasn’t. The boy almost looked brainwashed. Link held his breath as the boy kicked Catherine’s sides.

“It was nothing,” he said, and they walked forward, vanishing into thin air. Link ran to the spot that they were just at, and looked around.

“Where did they go?” he asked, and searched around. “…And why did that boy seem so…familiar?”

 

 

 *                                                *                                             *

“Where’s dad, mom?” Mimi asked. She and her mother were on the highest tower of the Castle, looking down on the fields.

“I don’t know,” Zelda said. “He said he’d go to the guards, but he’s been gone long.”

“Why are the guards all down there motionless?” Mimi asked. “They haven’t budged an inch…”

“I don’t know,” Zelda said again. “They might be…” She didn’t continue, in fear of worrying her daughter. Mimi looked up at her with troubled eyes, and then looked back down, and spotted Link running towards the Castle.

“It’s dad!” she said happily. “Dad’s back! Come on mom, let’s go to him!”

“Alright,” Zelda said, as Mimi grabbed her hand and led her down the steps. Before long they had reached the first floor, and Link was at the drawbridge gasping for air.

“Dad!!” Mimi ran up to him. Before she wrapped her arms around him, she looked at his face. Her look went to fear as she saw the same look on her father’s face. He looked over to her, and she just stood there, the hugest hint of fear in her eyes.

“Everything OK?” Zelda asked, walking towards him.

“Everything,” Link said, “is not OK.” Mimi looked from one adult to the next, like watching a tennis match. “I have to talk to you, Zelda.” Mimi didn’t like the sound of that. Her father usually called her mom Zel or Queenie. When he called her by her full name, it meant trouble. Zelda nodded, and called Betty downstairs.

“Yes?” Betty asked, coming down.

“Take Mimi anywhere she wants,” Link said, “as long as it’s out of the Castle.”

“But I want to stay!” Mimi said pleadingly. “I want to stay with you and mom!”

“Go, Mimi!” Zelda said to her. “That’s an order!” Mimi’s eyes slightly filled with tears, then she drooped her head.

“Yes, ma’am,” she said slowly, and Betty took Mimi to a horse. Mimi sat on it, and Betty behind her. She yanked on the reins, and headed a course for Mimi’s favorite spot to visit: Lake Hylia.

They rode through the market and down the fields towards the Lake. Once there, Betty got down and helped Mimi off of the horse. She jumped down, sobbed, and ran towards the Lake, plunging herself into it.

“Mimi!” Betty called, and ran to the spot she jumped into. She looked in the water and for a moment all that she saw was her own reflection, but then something swished down to the Lake’s bottom. Betty looked closer and saw a small Mimi bubbles arising from her mouth. “Mimi!” Betty called again, and jumped in after the Princess.

She swam down, and picked Mimi off the ground. She then swam her up to the surface and back to shore. Mimi coughed on the ground.

“I’m sorry, Betty,” she managed to say between her coughs and gasps for air. “I really am.”

“What were you thinking?!” Betty asked her. She held back her hand to slap some sense into the girl, but remembered: she wasn’t the mom, but the nursemaid.

“I don’t know,” Mimi answered her. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I was driven mad by remembering the fear that was in daddy’s eyes… He called her Zelda, not Zel or Queenie, like he usually does.”

“That is troubling news,” Betty said. “But it was no reason for you to try and drown yourself! You would have been killed! Think of all the people who would be upset!”

Mimi choked, and sobbed into her caretaker’s chest. She continued to cry forever as it seemed to Betty.

“You can be such a crybaby sometimes,” Betty said to her. “You’re always crying. And when you’re not doing that you’re smiling and laughing with your friends.” Mimi looked up, tearstained. Betty wiped them away with her hand, and wrapped her jacket around the tiny girl.

“Do you forgive me, Betty?” Mimi asked. After a long time, Betty answered.

“As long as you promise not to jump into a huge Lake again,” she said. “Other than that, yes. I forgive you.” Mimi looked at the Lake, and walked to the edge of it. She looked deep into the waters, and for a moment, saw a face.

It was the face of a Zora woman, about her parents’ age. She smiled at Mimi, and vanished. Mimi slapped the water with her hand, sending ripples across the Lake.

“Who are you?” she called. But when the water returned normal, all she saw was her own reflection. She sat up, and could have sworn that she heard a voice in her head. It said to her, ‘Head back to the Castle, Mimi. Your parents, and your people need you.’

Mimi stood up, motionless, until Betty jolted her out of her trance.

“Mimi!” she said. “Are you alright?”

“I think so,” Mimi said, and turned, facing the direction of the field. Then, they both heard a huge roar that seemed to crawl its way into Mimi and Betty’s hearts, powering the fear in them. Right after the roar there was a scream. Birds flew out of their trees, and rabbits and all sorts of tiny little animals crawled and ran and hopped and flew away from the sound.

“What was that?” Mimi asked.

“We should stay here,” Betty said. “You have to stay safe.” Then Mimi remembered the voice, and shook her head.

“No!” she said. “We have to go back! Mom and Dad need us!!” She ran up to the horse, and tried to climb on its back. She couldn’t reach it, and Betty grabbed her, and put her on it. She then jumped on behind her.

“As you wish,” she said, and urged the horse forward.

 

 

It took longer than ever before they reached the market. As they went to it, Mimi jumped off and ran towards a man. He looked down at her, fear showing clearly in his eyes.

“What happened?” Mimi asked him. Her voice was stern, but the man was far to terrified to answer. Then, he gulped and pointed to the Castle, where Mimi caught a glimpse of a black wing.

“It’s there!” the man shouted. “A huge demon! The market’s in an uproar!!” Mimi ran towards the Castle.

“Mimi!!” Betty rode after her.

Mimi stopped on the spot, seeing the huge dog that was in her front yard. It felt as if it was sucking the life out of her, and leaving fear behind. On top of the dog’s back was a small ten-year-old boy in a brown robe. Mimi watched as the boy jumped off the dog’s back and into the Castle walls. He sank right through it, like a ghost. The huge beast was left behind, and began to create a ruckus among the guards. Mimi summoned up the rest of her courage, and ran to the castle.

 

 

Inside, Link was pacing his bedroom, going back and forth to get his weapons. He was wearing his green tunic, floppy hat, brown boots, and tights. He looked up, and spotted something seeping through his wall.

In came the boy in a brown robe. His face was hidden in shadow, but Link sensed something familiar about the boy.

“Hello,” the child said to him.

“Why are you here?” Link asked him. “What’s that dog?”

“Her name is Catherine,” the boy answered. His voice sounded distant, but familiar as well. “I was given orders to kill you and your family.”

“Why?”

“I was given orders from Ganon.”

“You trust that wretch?” Link asked the child. “He could have you killed once you do his bidding!” The child merely looked at him, his face still hidden behind the hood of his cloak.

“I was given orders,” he said again, and out of his back pocket pulled out a black knife. “I will not hesitate to fulfill my master’s wish.”

“Your master?” Link asked. The boy didn’t answer but in reply swung forward with his knife. “Who are you?!” Link yanked the hood off of the boy’s head, and the boy fell to the floor. Link could only gape at the boy’s features.

He had blonde hair, and distant blue eyes. You could hardly tell what the eyes were feeling. Hatred, loneliness, sadness, or even no sense of what was right and wrong.

All Link knew was that he was staring at his younger self.

At that moment, a maid walked in, slamming the door open.

“Your Highness!” she called, and froze. She looked back and forth between Link and young Link, and rubbed her eyes, wondering if the hallucination would disappear. It didn’t.

“I should be way more freaked out than this,” the maid said, holding her head. Young Link turned to her.

“Hello,” he said. The maid screamed at the top of her lungs, and ran and backed up against the wall.

“I’m now at the correct freaked out level, thank you!!” she said. “Who in Hyrule are you?! A copy of the King turned young?!?!” The boy didn’t answer. He lunged forward with his knife towards Link, and Link drew his sword.

When he was about to swipe his slice hit midair, and the boy was against the wall with Mimi on her knees in front of him.

“Are you OK?” she asked. He nodded.

“Why did you save him?” Link asked. “He’s trying to kill all of us!”

“He’s your younger self!!” Mimi said, rounding on her father. “Don’t you get it? This is you as a ten-year-old. If you kill him, your younger self will never exist! And if he doesn’t, then there will be no past self for you!!”

“What do you mean?” Link asked. Mimi sighed.

“You’re not thinking!” the five-year-old said. “If you kill this kid, you’ll vanish!” Young Link jumped towards Mimi, and held her on the ground, knife at her throat. She gasped for her breath.

“Don’t move an inch,” the boy said. “Otherwise, she dies.” Link didn’t move at all. Then, a low growl came from the door. Turning, Link saw the dog, Catherine, her face in front of the doorway. Then, Link remembered her description from the guard.

“As silent as the night, and as quick as sound!”

Catherine growled, and reached her paw in. She pushed young Link off of Mimi, and picked her up and out of the place. It waited, and the young boy took the chance to jump onto the beast’s back.

“I’ll kill the girl first,” young Link called to his older self. “Then you and your wife will die.”

“She’s your future wife!” Link said up to him. The boy grimaced, and vanished. Link assumed they were outside, and ran to the front yard.

“Just in time!” the boy called from his place atop the back of Catherine. “Your daughter’s death is at hand!”

Mimi was knocked unconscious, and was in the dog’s paw. She tossed her in the air, and opened her mouth to catch her. Mimi fell right in, and Catherine chewed happily.

“You’ll have to do better than that,” came Zelda’s voice from the doorway. She was holding a sleeping Mimi in her arms, and was smiling.

“What the?” Young Link looked at Catherine, who looked down. In her mouth, something exploded, and it destroyed her inside out. Young Link fell to the ground, and a small dog fell from the sky, landing on the soft grass. Catherine. The spell that was put on her was obviously lifted.

Zelda shook Mimi awake, as Link went to the small boy. Mimi looked around quickly, and spotted the dog on the ground.

“Puppy!” she said, and ran towards it. She picked it up, and rubbed its back. “I’ll call you Rose,” she said. “That’s just what you should be called. Rose.” Zelda walked over to Link, and looked at him.

“Who’s that?” she asked.

“Just a past memory,” Link answered.

 

 

 

Young Link awoke in the Temple of Time. He looked around, and saw Zelda and his older self in front of the Door of Time.

“What happened?” he asked.

“You were brainwashed,” Zelda said. “You shouldn’t remember anything. But, you should head back to your own time.” The boy looked at her, and turned around. There was a blue light right behind him, ready for his journey back home. He nodded to himself. That was the most sensible thing to do. Go back home. He stood up, and brushed himself off. He then turned to the King and Queen.

“Did I cause any trouble?” he asked them.

“You don’t know how much,” Link said.

“Then, I guess I’m sorry,” the boy said. “I didn’t mean to do anything that I did and ask for forgiveness.”

“You weren’t this polite when you were young, Link,” Zelda said to him. Link looked away, annoyed.

“I should be headed back, now,” the boy said, and stepped into the light. “Saria’s probably wondering where I am.” The light shined, and he vanished.

 

 

“So, what was that thing, Mimi?” Sam asked her new friend.

“A giant dog with black wings!!” Mimi answered. “After it exploded inside-out, it turned into a wonderful little puppy!”

“Are you going to keep it?” Romani asked.

“Yes,” Mimi said, happily.

“What’s the name?” Karen asked.

“Rose.”

“That’s a nice name,” Sam said.

“I’ve had a thought,” Mimi said to her friends. They all looked at her.

“What would that be?” Karen asked.

“I want to see the world,” Mimi answered. “I want an adventure. That creature made me wonder if there are more strange monsters and people out there, and I want to meet ‘em.”

“You’re crazy!!” Romani said. “You can’t!”

“Not yet,” Mimi said. “I’m only five, so I’ll have to wait. When the time comes, I’ll see to it that I’ll get an adventure!!”

“What will it be about?” Sam asked.

“I haven’t figured it out yet,” Mimi said. “But when I’m older, it’ll come to me! I just know it.”
            “Well, think about it,” Karen said. “It will come to you.”

“I hope so,” Mimi said, and the girls watched the sun set behind the hills.

 

 

To Be Continued…

   

          
  

    

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