Castle Grounds

The Castle Grounds is a location from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. A large enclosed field situated near Hyrule Castle, passage through the area is required in order to actually enter the castle. The area is patrolled by Hyrulean Soldiers, and stealth is required to pass through the area. The path is blocked by a huge gate. To the east of the gate is a dead end which holds the entrance a Great Fairy Fountain where the Great Fairy of Magic resides.

Story
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 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.