-Come Back When You're Older-

-A Promise-

BlindAcquiescence

Floating down a river of emotion on a boat of memories. You dip your hand into the moments that made life what it is; you wash away the worries of today with the feelings of yesteryear. Overwhelmed by the feeling of a love lost, you stand at the prow of your vessel, stay your breath, and take the plunge. As you submerge yourself in days gone by, guilt and regret begin to pull your head below the surface, threatening to drown. With your last ounce of strength, will you reach for the feeling that brought you down here? Will it reach out in return?

A glowing orb, hanging high above in the azure night sky, stood still, never turning its watchful gaze from the land that was Hyrule. The water below churned and undulated with the steady flow of the river, obscuring the reflection of the heavenly bodies above. The air was alive with fluttering balls of light, the fairies native to the Lost Woods. They bounced and rode the soft currents of the warm summer air in sporadic and random paths. Crickets chirped and wind blew through the trees, rustling the leaves, creating a living symphony, adding to the surreal nature of the scene.

Link lay on the riverbank with his feet submerged in the cool, refreshing water. His boots, along with his sword and shield, lay next to him. But he had no need for his tools of war now; he was basking in the peaceful orchestra that was his home, the forest. His long ears tingled with the sounds of the living woods as he closed his eyes and tried to listen to what the forest had to tell him.

Relax, the evergreens seemed to say. Enjoy, the daisies cried.

"Don't mind if I do…" Link muttered as he pulled his cap over his eyes. The small gully where the river narrowed to almost a large creek was the hero's favored place to rest and think. As a young boy living with the Kokiri, he and his best friend, Saria, had found this place together. But his destiny would soon pull him away from the forest that had raised him, and would thrust him into a world of conflict, suffering, and tribulation.

But Link wasn't alone in his journey; his fairy partner, Navi, a gift from the Deku Tree to every Kokiri, accompanied him. In their travels the pair had made many friends, and learned many things about Link. He had learned that, despite the way in which he was raised, he was not a member of the Kokiri, Elvin forest children that never aged. Link was in fact, a Hylian, whose mother had entrusted him to the forest with her last, dying breath. What's more, the young boy would soon learn that his fate was intertwined with that of the entire land. Link was to be the savior of Hyrule.

In the past five years since he defeated Ganondorf, the King of Thieves, and returned Hyrule to its former splendor, much had happened. Done with the fighting and the conflict that had consumed his short stay seven years in the future, he was sent back through the void, to regain his lost childhood.

As the blue light of the chamber of sages slowly dissipated around Link, he was left in his ten year old, childish form. Slowly, he released his death grip on the blade that had made him a legend. The blue hilt shone brilliantly in the light of his fairy companion, who floated around the pedestal in which the Blade of Evil's Bane would forever be lodged.

"We did it, Navi. It's over." Link sighed. His companion didn't reply, but began to flutter her wings and rise into the air, towards the open window high above. "Wait! Where are you going?" Link yelled. The fairy slowed to a stop and turned herself towards Link.

"I will cherish the time we spent together, Link. But you know this cannot endure, it is the way of things…" A friendship forged in fire, ice, the forest, the desert, and most terrifying of all, the shadow. Turning back towards the window, she flew off at full speed, leaving Link alone with his thoughts.

Adjusting to life was nothing like he had planned. Regaining his childhood did not bring back the thoughts that he once had, nor the pleasures he once indulged in. Simple Kokiri games no longer held his interest, and even Saria began to worry.

Mido, the de facto leader among the forest folk and long time bully, had a field day. The fairy Link had received was now gone, a testament to the fact that Link was still not one of their own. He was still an outsider, now even more so. He had left the forest, a forbidden act among the children of the Deku Tree. Some of the Kokiri were astounded by his adventures, others shunned him, but the overall feeling was the same, Link wasn't normal.

There was nothing that would satisfy Link's crave for adventure. The forest that once held so much wonder and greatness now seemed like just another region of a world brimming with mysteries yet to be discovered. Thoughts of the people he had met, the gentle Gorons, the enigmatic Zoras and the beautiful Gerudos, all the people of Hyrule, amazed and mystified him. But above all, he thought most often of his friend, Navi.

Saria knew what was troubling her friend and tried to convey to him the reality of the situation. "Link, you're not a Kokiri, you know she couldn't remain your companion forever." Link was silent for a few moments, until Saria continued. "But… it is said that when a Kokiri passes from this world to the next, his or her guardian fairy returns to the source of their kind, deep in the Lost Woods." Link took this information to heart and soon began packing.

Shouldering the Kokiri Sword, Link readied himself for his new journey.

"You're leaving again… aren't you?" Saria whispered, standing in the doorway of Link's tree house. "You're leaving because of what I told you." Link turned to her and only nodded. A single tear formed at the corner of her eye, but she quickly wiped it away.

Link pulled his best friend of fifteen years close and hugged her tightly. "I'll be back soon I promise. I need to do this… for me." If not only to find Navi, Link had to leave and find himself, something he couldn't do in Kokiri forest, surrounded by all his memories.

So Link left Hyrule. Indeed, leaving the land that had made him the legendary Hero of Time; he traveled beyond the borders of the Lost Woods, not far from where he lay now, in search of a friend.

Brushing a lock of blonde hair from his eyes, he yawned and rested his gazed on his silvery companion high above. As peaceful and serene as it looked, Link often feared it would dislodge itself from its heavenly moorings and come crashing down.

"You stay… right where you are…" He quietly breathed. His fears were not so unjustified, though. His search for Navi had led him to Termina, a land equal to Hyrule in both beauty and diversity. Unfortunately, it was just as equally wrought with evil and tragedy. A Lost Child, controlled by the powerful Majora's mask, had cursed the moon and brought it crashing down on the central settlement, Clock Town.

Link had only three short days to free the four guardian spirits of the land and save it from utter destruction. But with the help of Princess Zelda and the Ocarina of Time, Link was given the ability to repeat the same three days over again until he had freed the spirits and could take on Majora's mask.

Though his adventure to save Termina would end in success, his search for Navi would not have the same luck, she had returned to the earth, and would be called upon again only when a Kokiri was in need of a fairy. His failed search had left him with only the choice to relent and be content with life as it was.

Upon returning to Hyrule, Link found himself again feeling alone and out of place. His body would soon mature past those of the Kokiri, which prompted him to pack up and leave the woods he had called home. None of the Kokiri, save Saria, were very upset about his leaving. His very presence threatened the status quo. So, packing his belongings on this faithful steed, Epona, Link set off for Kakariko Village.

Though he had spent much time in Kakariko during his quest to defeat Gannondorf, Link was unprepared to live there. The life of the city folk was so fast paced, Link struggled to keep up. He took a job as an apprentice to the master carpenter, helping to expand the growing village. The hard work and constant physical stress had hardened his young body and helped with his sword practice.

But the move to a Hylian town had yet to erase the empty feeling Link held inside of himself. Often times he would lay on the roof of his house, staring up at the night sky, wondering where he fit in. But the stars had no answers for him.

And as Link lay in his secluded hideaway, he asked the same questions. The moon, in turn, yielded the same silence.

The moon. Link thought. Visions of the great blue mountain ranges of Termina, Great Bay Ocean, the haunting beauty of Ikana Canyon, all flew threw his mind. He thought about Termina often. It had, in his short stay there, given him a feeling of community and belonging, something he had been searching high and low for in Hyrule. The denizens of Termina had no belief in the Goddesses, they put no faith in destiny or fate, two forces, which Link felt, had controlled most of his life. The people had welcomed him with kind words and a place to sleep. Mayor Dotour, Anju the innkeeper, Viscen the defense corp. recruiter, Cremia and Romani…

"Romani." Link croaked. She was the younger sister of Cremia, the owner of Romani Ranch. They had taken Link in and treated him like a member of their family. In the three days he spent with them, he had grown affectionate towards Romani, whose fiery red hair and sapphire eyes framed a perfect smile. Romani had taught Link to find the constellations in the sky, and Link had in turn played his ocarina to the sound of her beautiful voice.

Link hadn't taken much interest in the sky before he met Romani, but now he found himself picking out all the clusters of stars and reciting the names she had given them. Pointing a finger in the air, Link traced out an image in the sky.

"That's the great Octorok! Then that cluster of stars to the left, that's the rock he spits out…" Romani took hold of young Link's hand and, ever so slowly, pointed further to the left. …right at the giant Goron." The entire sky was as a play, with all the characters drawn out on the parchment of the heavens. The constellations mapped out before Link's eyes, but Romani's hand never let his go. They lay on the roof of the house, taking in the beauty of the starscape, until Cremia yelled up to them, scolding them for being up so late.

A smile creased Link's lips at the thought of the nights he had spent with Romani.

"But why? Why must you leave?" Link bolted up from his prone position, regret filling his heart. "Was it something I said?" Link had destroyed Majora's mask, but his journey was not over. He would have to leave Termina, and he wasn't sure when he would return. With the Dawn of a new day in Termina, Link had made his way to the ranch before he left to return to the forest and continue his search for Navi. Romani's eyes glistened with the promise of tears, and her hands trembled with the thought of his departure.

Link explained to her why he had left in the first place, that he needed to find his friend. A tone of anger accompanied her response, "Well what's so important about this friend?" Link wanted to tell her everything, about Ganondorf, about the Master Sword, about the sages, but he didn't think she would understand, Link himself was still unsure about all that had transpired. Without speaking, he reached into his tunic and pulled out a gold necklace, at the end of which was tied a green emerald fitted in a gold frame, a miniature version of the Kokiri Emerald.

Placing the necklace in her hands, she understood that Link had to leave, but with the understanding that he would be back. Holding back the tears, Romani leaned in and kissed Link gently on the cheek.

"See you later… Little hero." And with that, she ran off down Milk road, past Cremia, and off to the Ranch. Cremia, dressed in her Ranch duds, waved to Link.

"You travel safe, y'hear? Come back when you're older! There'll be work aplenty!"

Pulling his boots on, Link grabbed his satchel and gear. He had made a promise. And it was high time he made good on it.

A/N

So what do you think? I've always thought of what a Romani/Link romance would be like. I guess we're all going to find out! Please read and review!