Mist slowly drizzled over the quiet land; it was light and sweet, like most morning-mists. The small drops of dew gleamed in the rising sunlight; if it had not been for the uneasy wind blowing, the morning was wonderful. She sensed the awkwardness from the moment she woke up; and it showed in each swipe of the paintbrush she made.       Hyrule was a beauteous land; and the young musician took note of that in each of her paintings. Yet the painting, as she well knew; would never be as wonderful as the land itself. Why she painted the landscapes; she never knew. But something told her that perhaps one day something was going to happen… And it wasn’t for the good.

      Melody finally put down her paintbrush and let out a calming breath; leaning on the balcony railing. She carefully pushed her soft golden hair out of her eyes and stared back down at the paints with her grey-blue eyes. She stood up and gathered the paints and brushes, bringing them back into the small room. For a moment she paused, looking at the bed. Had she been seeing things again?       For a couple months now; she kept seeing a shadow made from nothing, yet it was oddly shaped like a Hylean such as herself… she went back to tidying her paints and canvas, pushing the thought back into her mind. After a few moments of walking back and fourth; the paints had been put away, and canvas set up to dry; leaning against the wall.       She sat down on the bed, looking around the tidy room. In the one corner there was an old, but well-kept piano, she was one of the very few people in Hyrule to own one; then again, it wasn’t really hers… A knock at the door brought her attention to the other side of the room. “Madam Melody?” a shy, feminine voice came. Melody smiled, shaking her head. “Ikhasis, I told you to just call me Melody” she said, walking to the door; letting in a girl almost three years younger than her.       The girl was almost white-skinned and had shorter ears compared to most Hyleans. She was short for her age as well, but was strongly-built; she even looked strong, but one look at her soft face told you she wouldn’t harm a fly. Her eyes always looked wide with innocence, and shone gold like a rising sun. She had blue aqua blue hair, which matched rather oddly with her gold eyes. Her lips were set in a never-fading pout, which could make almost any person’s heart melt.       “So what brings you up here?” Melody asked calmly. “Uh… I was ordered to give you a notice on the upcoming ball… They want you to-“ “Be the musician?” ”Again” Ikhasis said, like it was a routine. “Well… I’ve been practicing all my life; and you’ll get as good as me if you keep practicing too.” “I know, but you’re good at everything!” She exclaimed, “You can be good at anything you want, as long as you give it your best shot” Melody smiled at her. Ikhasis like how Melody could always make her feel better.       “So what songs does her majesty request?” Melody cocked her head, a slight grin on her face. Ikhasis nodded in realization and pulled a letter from her pocket. “Is that all?” Ikhasis blinked, and took a quick breath, remembering another message. “Jake wanted to know what you wanted for breakfast; and if you will be dining here or with everyone else” she spoke like she had said the sentence a thousand times before. “I’ll be eating here, and tell him that he knows what I like for breakfast” Ikhasis nodded, giving a curt bow before backing out of the room.

      Melody finally brought the letter over to the bed and peeled the seal off; opening it. She reached for the set of glasses on her bedside table; placing them on her nose so she could read.

‘Melody,      I hope Ikhasis told you about the ball. Maybe you haven’t realized, but in two weeks time, it will be someone’s birthday.’ “The king?” ‘If you’re thinking that it is my –or the king’s birthday- you’re wrong. In three days the Legendary Hero of Time will be coming back home, and it will be his birthday soon. I have enclosed a list of songs that I hope you know, and wish of you to play at the ball.       As musician of the Royal family; I give you full access to the castle’s libraries. Thank you so much for doing this.

Yours truly, Queen Zelda‘

      Melody blinked at the letter; “The Hero of Time?!” she said to herself in disbelief. After a moment of silent shock; Melody picked up the envelope and pulled out the list. Most of the songs were easy, and she knew them very well. “Time’s Shadow? I’ve never heard of that one before…” she mumbled, going over the list.       She gathered the letter and walked to her shelf, looking to see if she had anything on the subject. Melody had a knack for finding books, even if the title had nothing to do with what she was looking for. “Nothing… I’ll have to look in the library after breakfast.” She sighed.       A knock at the door told her that Jake was there to deliver her breakfast. “Come in” she straightened herself and looked at the door. “Jake?” she put her hand on the doorknob, turning it slowly. No one stood in the hallway, and not a sound was heard. “Odd…” she closed the door but felt an odd shiver down her spine. She glanced around the room, and for a moment; the shadow flickered into sight. Blinking, she leaned against the door; letting out a sigh. “I’ve got to get more rest…” she mumbled. She took a step away from the door, and her heart skipped a beat as another knock came to the door. Again, she opened the door and smiled, letting Jake in. “Good morn- whoa, are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” John set the tray down, looking at Melody with worry. “I’m fine. I was just… surprised because it was so quiet.”       Jake walked across the room towards her, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. “If something’s bothering you, you can always tell me, and I’ll understand.” Melody smiled up at him, “I know you would, Jake. But I’m fine. I just need to get a little more sleep.” He nodded with a smile, “Well I have a few more orders to fill… Be careful for me.” Jake backed towards the door, “I will” she responded with a curt nod. He closed the door and she let out a small breath of relief.       Jake was a nice guy, maybe a little too nice… He was always making sure Melody was okay, and counseled her when something was wrong. She usually came to him with most problems… But the weird shadow… it wasn’t anything, really. But he still was a very good person. He was even fortunate to be handsome; his hair was mid-length and dusty-brown, his eyes were grey that glinted softly a hue of silver. He was rather tall as well; almost five inches taller then Melody’s five-foot, five-inch height. He had extremely long ears, like his fathers; who had fought in the war before the Hero banished Ganon.       In a way, she was fond of him, but she never really did want a relationship. She wanted it to stay as a friendship. But the one thing that drew her to him was how his eyes always had an adventurous and daring glint in them. She could always tell when he was going to do something stupid because of that silvery glimmer in his eyes.       She sat down at the small table and ate her food quietly. She flicked through the pages of a song book; wondering where she would find such a song. She had never even heard of the title, which was odd; because Melody knew so many different songs, that it was hard for her not to know one. She finished her breakfast and went to dress in more appropriate clothing. On her way down, she dropped the tray off at the kitchen as she made her way down the many hallways of Hyrule castle. She looked around, as the shadow crossed her mind again. Was it an omen? She thought. She pushed the thought away and came to the great-oak doors of the library. The heavy doors were not easy to open, and she realized it from the very first time she came to the library. She shoved the door open, peering into the dusty room. It had a nice atmosphere; the air was thick with floating dust which was most noticeable in the daytime; when the light shone off of it. It was morning, so the sunlight flooded the room, casting shadows in each of the rows of shelves. “Good morning dear,” came a soft, old voice. “Oh, hello Rrashi” she smiled at the old librarian. “I’m just looking around.” The woman chuckled softly, “as always my dear.”       Melody made her way across the room to the shelves, and began scanning the rows of old books. Slowly, she made her way to the back of the room where the oldest books sat on their untouched blanket of dust. She was about to move on, when something caught her eye. A small piece of ancient paper stuck out from between two books. She pulled it out and unfolded it; putting her glasses on.       “The pages you seek lie not far from where you began.” Was someone trying to tell her something? She took the paper and continued looking along the rows; finding it harder to read ash she moved further back where the light was little.       “Melody…” she whipped around; staring at nothing. Someone had just whispered her name; she was sure of it. She glanced back down the dark aisle, but tried to forget the voice. It was a man’s if she was not mistaken. She picked a book off of the shelve and opened it’s frayed pages. She thumbed trough the pages and suddenly a cold hand traveled up her spine to her neck. She shivered, turning around. The cold faded suddenly, like something pulled back. “What’s wrong with me?” she whispered. “Paranoia, that’s it; just a little case of paranoia…”       She glanced back down the aisle, and walked down towards the front of the library, nervous of whatever it was back there. She smiled kindly to Rrashi and opened the door; quickly making her way up to her room. She flung the door open and closed it carefully behind her leaning on it; like she was trying not to wake someone. “I’ve gone mad… that’s what’s happening…” she slid down onto the floor and held her head in her hands. “Mad? What do you mean, gone mad?” Ikhasis’ voice came from the bed. She looked up and saw her sitting there. “I was waiting for you to come back… Are you okay?” Melody blinked and the smile came back to her face. “Yes, I’m fine- I’m just frustrated because I can’t find this one song…” Ikhasis giggled, “And what song can the great Melody not find?” She said with a false adult voice. “I don’t know… I’ve never heard of this one…” She got up, walking to the bed and sitting beside Ikhasis.       “Time’s Shadow...” Melody whispered as if Ikhasis had not been in the room. Ikhasis glanced at the pondering Melody. “Time’s…” she started. “Wasn’t that a legend?” Ikhasis paused, “I think I remember that name from a story my mother told me… Something about awakening the shadow of some person…” she mumbled half-heartedly. Melody suddenly gasped. That shadow, may be…