The sun was bright and a warm breeze ruffled the grass. The snow-capped mountains were a perfect backdrop for this fine midsummer's day. Link peacefully dozed in the limitless fields of Hyrule, not a care in the world... until...

Then a horrible dream began. Link was standing in front of a bloodstained version of Hyrule Castle, and the drawbridge was broken and the torches were not lit. The ground of Hyrule Field was black and lifeless and blue droplets of something Link knew not of were falling from the thundering, troubled sky. And then Link looked at himself, and his flesh was vanishing, ripping away into nothingness painlessly, and soon he was but a skeleton. Before he could scream, he collapsed into a lifeless heap of bones. And then he awoke.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" he screamed. He drew his sword, waiting to stab at some nonexistent evil thing. Link sighed in relief when he realized it was all a dream, and that he was not dying a horrible death. He put away his sword and sat down. "What on earth was that?" he thought aloud.

Link heard a sound. He turned around, drawing his sword again and taking out his shield. He was not about to take risks. And there, in front of him was a scarecrow-like imp in a red tunic. Link sighed once again in relief and put away his sword.

"Oh, Skullkid! It's you!" Link greeted him.

"Hey, Link. I just found a cool m- " but Skullkid didn't finish what he was saying.

"Skullkid, I was just sleeping and I had an awful dream." interrupted Link.

"What happened? What was so awful?" asked Link's friend Skullkid.

"I don't think you want to know, Skullkid."

"Aw, comon, tell your old friend Skullkid."

"Well, it was a dark, stormy night, and strange rain was falling from the sky. I was near Hyrule Castle, and, and, um... "

"And what?"

"And it had blood all over it."

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Skullkid.

"It got worse. My flesh was being ripped away, but it didn't hurt, and then I collapsed into a pile of bones and then..."

"Then what?" asked Skullkid. He was scared now.

"And I think I died."

"Oh, no! Oh no! What could this mean? Quickly, we must talk to the king immediately. This dream could mean something very, very bad!"

"But Skullkid, the castle has been heavily guarded lately. And it would be hard to get an appointment to see the king, we would have to book it 24 hours in advance..."

"Then we'll sneak in." suggested Skullkid.

"Okay then. Let's go."

Skullkid and Link ran across the fields, sticking to the dirt paths in order to avoid dangerous monsters that were known to lurk around. When the castle was finally in sight, they heard a hideous, dumb sounding laugh. They turned around to face a Moblin. These spear-holding piggish thugs were minions of the Gerudo King, Ganondorf.

"Hullo, scarecrow boy and fairy boy," the Moblin teasingly grunted.

"Youse's trip's almost over, and you run into me. Har, har, har! You better watch where yer goin' these days, har, har. Youse don' know what kinds of thing youse might be runnin' inter, har, har, har! Master Ganondorf's got us on the ready, hardy, har, har. Yes he does. Youse better watcher out!"

The dim-witted pig warrior raised his wooden spear, but before it had a chance to come into contact with Link, Link had chopped the spear in two. Link put his sword to the Moblin's throat.

"Don't you mess with me, pig-faced scum. Now get away quickly, and I will spare your life." threatened Link.

"Sorry, kiddo, sorry, I'll get away right now, you watcher me. I would never 'urt a kiddo."

The Moblin ran off as fast as it could. Link and Skullkid crossed the drawbridge to the castle and entered.

Beyond the main walls they came into Hyrule Castle Town's market square, always a bustling and busy place. Today was no different. A beggar sat on the ground asking "Please, give me something. Please, with C." Link did not know what he meant by "with C". A man selling masks said to Link "We've got all kinds of masks here, I'm a collector, I've been all over the world! Buy our rare masks for good prices here and the Happy Mask Shop! Come inside for details!"

After a while, Link and Skullkid soon escaped the busy crowds of shoppers, merchants, and practically any other kind of people. They ascended the quiet road to Hyrule Castle. Before they reached the guard at the gate, they climbed up a slope and made their way to the top of the gate arch. They climbed down a ladder in the arch and exited a small room through a door. They now were on the other side of the gate. Link had done this a few times before, so he knew just how to avoid being seen by the guards.

Now, the next bit was a kind of tricky. They had to run right between two guards in just the right place when the guards were looking away and they could get through unseen. Link and Skullkid got right on the corner of a hill just as the guards were moving away and made a break for it. They hid behind the nearest bush as quickly and silently as possible.

"Phew, that was close!" sighed Skullkid.

"Shhhhh!" commanded Link.

One guard said to the other "Did you hear something?"

"Nah, probably just the wind." replied the other.

Link and Skullkid dashed past the entrance to the drawbridge, for guards were there, too. There was a little stone wall hidden out of the guards' view that Link had used last time, but before they got there, they hid behind a tree. Even his secret way through was guarded. The King was very cautious for some reason.

"What will we do now?" whispered Skullkid.

But Link didn't need to answer.

One of the guards that they had already passed was calling this guard.

"Yo, we've got some trouble over here! There are a bunch of Skulltulas causing trouble here. Come help us remove them!"

The guard in front of the little brick wall came over to help the other guards.

Link and Skullkid climbed up the little wall and jumped into the castle's moat. They swam around past the guards at the front and past the closed drawbridge and got out, sopping. However, they were not cold due to the summer warmth.

They followed the edge of the moat and hopped from some boxes Link had previously pushed into place and crawled through a small hole in the wall.

Link and Skullkid emerged from a small river in the castle garden entrance. They were about to enter the main castle garden when they spotted two more guards blocking the path ahead.

"Let's go in that door." Skullkid whispered to Link, pointing to a little side door that Link had never entered before in previous times. They turned the doorknob and opened the door as quietly as they could, so not to let the guards hear.

They came into a small toolshed that seemed not to go anywhere but the way they came.

"What now?" wondered Link.

"Hey Link, this wall looks weird!" Skullkid pointed out. He was right. A normal looking wooden wall with brooms propped against it was in front of them, but on closer inspection, it had a wooden knob, the same color as the wall. They opened this hidden door and entered the castle.

They now came into a storage area full of wooden crates and with many weapons hanging from the walls.

They entered the exit door and came into a hallway. A guard was patrolling back and forth aimlessly. Thankfully, there was a wooden crate randomly sitting in the hallway. The two friends ducked behind it as the guard passed by them and entered the storage area.

Link ran to the end of the hallway and came into the entrance hall of the Hyrule Castle. Skullkid followed closely. They ran up a flight of big stairs and entered a big door just as a patrol of guards marched in. Luckily, the friends escaped unseen.

In the hallway ahead, they could go left, right, or forward. Link already knew that forward was the way to the throne room, so they quickly dashed for another big door. As they were about to open it, they heard people coming out of it from the other side, and they hid in a nearby closet. Inside, it was dusty and it was filled with brooms and tools, like the hidden entrance in the Castle Garden.

Link and Skullkid heard voices.

"Ganondorf, for the hundredth time I will not let you have even a fragment of the Triforce of Wisdom. I know what you are planning..." said the voice of an old man. This was the king.

"Actually, you don't. And don't worry, Daphnes, it is nothing to worry about. It is not me trying to take over Hyrule this time!" This was the deep, sinister voice of Ganondorf Dragmire, King of the Gerudo.

"Then why, Dragmire, are you sending these Moblins to patrol the field? It seems as if you are trying to take over Hyrule a second time." said King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule.

"Don't be a fool, Nohansen. Anyone could outsmart those dim-witted hog-like filth. I'm just letting them have their fun."

The voices died away. Just as Link move his hand, about to open the door of the closet, a side door opened and a few guards stepped out, so Link's hand shot back. He heard one of the guards saying "I'll need to get a spare hammer to do that. I think there's one in this cupboard."

*Help!* Thought Link and Skullkid at the same time. They would get caught, and they had almost reached there goal. The guard's hand was coming closer to the doorknob, closer...

"Hey! Spies of Ganondorf, I bet!" exclaimed the guard as he opened the door.

"Look at the intruders I found hiding in the closet!" he said to the other guard.

"Heh, heh, heh. Off to the dungeon with you!" laughed the guard. Link and Skullkid heard a thump, and then it all went black.