[h2][color=6ecff6]Navi the Fairy[/color] and [color=FF69B4]Princess Zelda[/color] - Old Cart[/h2]
Navi watched Link play the Ocarina of Time with perfect clarity. The song he played Navi knew well, to the mortals it was called the song of the royal family or Zelda's Lullaby. But Navi knew it was much older than that. When Robin Goodfellow, sometimes called Puck, had given the Ocarina as a gift to the first king and queen of Hyrule he'd also taught them that melody. 

In the fairy kingdom song was taken much more seriously than it was in the human world. It was more than an art form, it was a way of life. Each major house in the Fairy Kingdom had a melody much like the human nobles had a coat of arms. Zelda's Lullaby had been the one that symbolized King Oberon and Queen Titania. Puck had thought it hilarious to see the first Hyleans playing that song with no idea what it meant. The Fairy Royals were less than amused.

Navi was shaken out of her revery when Zelda asked a question of her. Who was the Shadow. That was a complicated question. As Navi started to answer Link drifted off to sleep. "My people call him the Hero's Shadow." It used to be Hero's Shade but after the appearance of a skeletal warrior bearing that title it became confusing. "There are a number of different legends about his origins. He predates even me by decades. My people believe that long ago the Triforce of Courage was hidden away. 

One of the heroes had to prove himself worthy of it. He underwent many challenges. The final of which was that being. The protector of the Triforce summoned up a great spell that brought the Hero's Shadow to life. It had his abilities, his weaknesses and his strengths. In order to be worthy of the Triforce the hero had to conquer himself."

Navi sighed and climbed into the back of the wagon, this was looking to be a very long story. "That was supposed to be it but by some fluke of the spell the shadow stayed sentient even after returning to its owner. When that Hero died the Shadow lived on. In order to give him purpose he was tasked by the Goddesses to assist the Hero but he had a very unique way of doing so. He may have had all the Hero's strengths but he was still a pale reflection created by the sun. 

He didn't understand the mission. He grew unstable and violent. Then a Wind Sorcerer by the name of Vaati used the darkness within the Mirror of Twilight to corrupt him. It instilled within him all the shattered dreams and bitter defeats of Ganondorf when he was sealed in the Twilight Realm. It also gave the Shadow the ability to copy himself innumerable times. Now that its dormant he can only make pale clones and not full copies but he is still dangerous." Navi looked at the setting sun and all the shadows it brought to the world.

"I don't know how much of what I told you is true but enough of it is that I know he's a threat. He was on the right side once and I think is still trying to be but whatever he says you can't trust him. He has darkness in his heart and black magic in his hands. Before I met you he told me he intended to take your life. That was the reason I was at the castle earlier today. To warn you of him."

Zelda took this information in stride, it was a lot, and when she heard that the Shadow had threatened to kill her it made her heart skip a beat. She'd prepared herself for the fact that great evil would attempt to kidnap her, possibly kill her. Hearing about a threat to your life from someone else though was a different feeling all together. 

From what she'd seen of the Shadow, she'd gathered that he was not the great evil that threatened all of Hyrule, he was hardly a man. Still the shadow was a potential threat none the less. 

Finally, Zelda just nodded, "Thank you, that clears up a lot. I'm afraid however, that the Hero's Shadow is the least of our worries right now. There is an evil far greater coming, in fact he is already here in the city. The wielder of the Triforce of power." 

It had all been building to this. Navi had known it, the reappearance of Shadow Link, the calling of the new Hero, the summoning of the the Triforce of Wisdom and Courage. It had all been spelling out Ganondorf's return. Navi had known that from the moment she realized who Link was. Yet to hear it spoken so plainly as fact somehow brought it out of Navi's mind and into the real world were it could do immeasurable harm.

With a heavy heart Navi said "I suspected as much. Be wary of him. I know this land is full of the cruel and evil deeds of Ganondorf the first holder of the Triforce of Power, they talk of his armies and his battles with the Great Hero of Time. Don't let those tales fool you. The King of Evil is never what he seems and never makes his plans obvious. Whatever happens he won't attack Hyrule directly. He'll be devious and you may not see his schemes come to fruition till it is too late. Be careful."

Zelda nodded, not taking anything the ancient fairy said lightly, it would be foolish to do so. "That's why I must leave the castle, I don't know what Ganondorf is planning, but I cannot simply sit in the castle and wait for it to happen." Somehow saying Ganondorf's name brought a chill to her spine. She looked back towards Link, who seemed to be sleeping soundly. "I don't believe even the Hero should face this threat alone." 

"That [i]is[/i] a first." seconds after she said it Navi clapped a hand to her mouth. This was the Princess of Hyrule. Regardless of Navi's personal feelings about her or her past incarnations she could not insult the girl to her face. "My apologies, I meant that the previous bearers of the Triforce of Wisdom have all been good and wise leaders but few of them have been fighters." 

The first Zelda Navi had known had become Sheik and fought against Ganondorf while Link was locked away. The Princess that had lived during the reign of Twilight had taken up arms when it appeared the Goddesses would not send help. That however was as long as the list of Zelda's heroic deeds went. Most of those that carried Naryu's power had been kidnapped by Ganon or turned to stone by Vaati or imprisoned in the Dark World by Agahnim or trapped in crystal by Shadow LInk. 

The list of the prisons that had held Zelda over the centuries was far longer than the list of times she had personally taken up the fight. This however was not something that Navi was willing to share with Zelda. The Princess had long ago banished Navi from Hyrule and though there was no way for [i]this[/i] Zelda to know that nor was this the same woman Navi still hesitated to get on her bad side. 

The last time she had gotten Zelda angry Navi had been forced to hid herself away in the Temple of Time till that Zelda had died and all those who knew her name in Hyrule were gone or senile. Those years in isolation had not been enjoyable and Navi was not eager to repeat them. Instead she said to the Princess. "I did not mean to offend you. As a fairy of knowledge my greatest skill lies in my words, sometimes my tongue works more quickly than my mind."

"No offense taken." Zelda said calmly, though she was curious to what Ciela had meant by it. "I know many of the wielders of the Triforce before me were often victims of Ganondorf's schemes, often kidnapped or worse...but I don't intent for that to happen to me. Not this time. I'm going to fight him with everything I have." There was intent in her eyes, conviction. 

Navi smiled slightly. All or at least most of the Princesses of Hyrule had been strong willed, clear in there convictions, it was one of the things that made them good leaders but very few of them were willing to throw themselves into the conflict themselves straight on. The power the Triforce of Wisdom instilled in its bearer was not a combative one, the Wisdom of ages gave strategy and clear judgement not courage or battle skills. It made Navi happy to know that this Zelda at least would not be treating Link like her soldier in the field as many of the others had done.

Navi moved up to the front of the cart seating herself between Zelda and the unconscious Link. She took the reins and directed Epona deeper into town. "I have a room above one of Castle Town's Bakers. It is only a single bed but you are welcome to it. I will stay in the cart with Link. Just tell the baker that you are a friend of the fairy girl. Few people know my true nature so this should suffice to prove you know me." Navi nodded to Zelda who soon disembarked the cart headed for the Bakers across the street.

Navi parked in a side alley and looked on at the sleeping Link. As a fairy Navi still possessed a mortal body. She required sleep to replenish herself. If she had access to the fairy fountains across Hyrule neither sleep nor food would she need but as it was Navi had to get at least four hours rest to shake off the trials of the day. She still had some time to herself though. Navi watched Link sleep thinking on all the missed opportunities, the misses moments, the forgotten and severed friendships. The fairy girl didn't notice when she nodded off to sleep. It was morning when she and Link woke to the sound of Cuccos.