- "Hey, Link! This way! The princess is inside the castle just ahead. Be careful not to get caught by the guards! Ho ho ho hoot! On this ground, time flows normally."
- — Kaepora Gaebora
The Castle Grounds is a location from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It is a large enclosed field situated near Hyrule Castle, and passage through the area is required in order to enter the castle itself. The area is patrolled by Hyrulean Soldiers, and stealth is required to pass through the area without being detected.
The path is blocked by a huge gate; this structure is one of the few landmarks from the area shown to have survived the destruction of the area caused by Ganondorf in order to construct his own evil stronghold in the place of Hyrule Castle. To the east of this gate is a dead end which holds the entrance to a Great Fairy Fountain where the Great Fairy of Magic resides.
Story[]
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
At the behest of the Great Deku Tree, the youth Link is attempting to meet with Princess Zelda inside Hyrule Castle to discuss the impending threat of Ganondorf. At the Castle Grounds, Link meets the young girl Malon, whose father, Talon the rancher, was hired to deliver Lon Lon Milk to the castle, but who has not yet returned. Malon gives Link a Weird Egg, which she has been incubating carefully. Sneaking past the Hyrulean Soldiers, Link eventually finds his way to the western wall of the castle, where he finds Talon sleeping. Link uses the newly hatched Cucco to awaken the sleeping Talon, who speeds home post-haste to apologize to Malon for making her worry. Moving some nearby crates, Link manages to access a small drain and enter the Castle Courtyard. After sneaking past the soldiers inside, Link meets Princess Zelda in the central courtyard, where she recognizes him as the savior of Hyrule envisioned in her prophetic dreams, and the two begin a campaign to obtain the powerful Triforce and use it to prevent Ganondorf's evil plans from coming to pass.
Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.
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