The sun was shining bright over Hyrule Castle’s garden as Link crept carefully through the trimmed hedges, his heart pounding in his chest. His boots barely made a sound on the soft grass as he darted from one bush to another, narrowly avoiding the wandering eyes of the guards. The faint sound of birds chirping did little to calm his nerves. Every step felt like an eternity—he couldn’t mess this up. Zelda was waiting.

He crouched low, peeking around a corner to spot a guard leaning lazily on his spear. Okay…wait for him to look away…now! Link sprinted across the open space and dove behind a large fountain. He exhaled sharply, clutching his chest. That was too close.

As he moved to round another corner, his focus squarely on his surroundings, he didn’t see the small figure until it was too late. His shoulder slammed into someone—another kid! They both stumbled back, Link nearly falling onto his backside.

“Hey!” The other kid hissed, brushing off their fancy-looking tunic.

Link froze. His mind raced. Who is this kid? What they're doing here? Wait, why does they look so fancy? But before he could react further, the sound of heavy boots on the stone pathway caught his attention. A guard rounded the corner, his stern gaze locking onto Link.

“You there!” the guard barked, marching toward him. Link’s blood ran cold. He wasn’t supposed to be seen. “What are you doing here? This area is off-limits! You’re trespassing, kid!”

The guard loomed over Link, already halfway through his lecture about "rules" and "not wandering where you don’t belong." Link opened his mouth, fumbling for an excuse—something, anything—when the kid he’d bumped into stepped forward, their expression oddly calm.

Were they going to defend him? Or they were going to say the truth?