Two Years… Had it really been two years… Two Years since the Thief King had been defeated for good? Two years since the Triforce of Power had returned to the Sacred Realm to await its new wielder? Two years since Hyrule Castle had been blown up by that tempestuous little Imp in an attempt to kill Ganondorf? Two years since the woman he loved had left him, and shattered his heart just as effectively as she had shattered the Mirror? He couldn't believe it had been that long… Sure, he had been busy… The repair and restoration of Hyrule and its castle, the whipping into shape the pathetic excuse of an army, the fallout of the Twilight War… All of those had taken time… But two years? He stroked the necklace beneath his tunic. Zelda had always said that time wound heal his wounds… She was right, of course. That woman was almost never wrong… His body had healed from the trials he had been through… the scars were still there but they always would be… He was fine, physically… For Din's sake, he had had more than enough time for his body to heal… His heart, however, was still as broken as the day the Mirror was rendered into millions of pieces… She had said that it would take a long time, but he would begin to see that Her choice was the right one… She had said this as she held him tight to her, in the room on top of the ancient desert prison… And he hoped she was right… Zelda was almost never wrong… But in those hours, the hours where Her world intersected with his, he often prayed to the Goddesses that She would find a way back to him… He turned away from the Obsidian Shrine that Zelda had ordered to be erected in front of the Castle; the one in honor of those who gave everything in the Twilight War. As he walked through the streets of Castle Town, he continued to stroke the Necklace under his tunic. He had moved on and was now the General of Hyrule's Armed Forces. The men whom had cowered when Zant had attacked now stood proudly on guard by the gate to Hyrule field, saluting him as he walked by into the darkening plain. He had turned the joke of the Kingdom into something to be proud of. Their gleaming armor with the golden wolf Etched onto the surface was a beacon in the darkness. But even after all he had done, it didn't soothe the aching of his rendered heart…
He continued out into the field, occasionally looking around him. After the King Bulblin had chosen to serve Link over Ganondorf, Hyrule field had become far safer to wander at night. Only the occasional creature tried to attack a night time traveler. Any creature that tried usually didn't last long. His patrol's all had at least one archer equipped with a Hawkeye. But he knew where they went and where they didn't. The men at the gates had a running pool with the Field Patrol as to where he went on nights with this. Smart money said that the General was sweet on a girl from his home town. He allowed the betting to think that and had only minor scolded Captain Fado about starting that rumor. He and Illa was many thing but Lovers wasn't one of them. She had been asked by Prince Ralis to be an Advisor on his Conceal, the only human given such an Honor. She was exceedingly happy there.
He created a hill and finally dropped out of sight of the Guards on the walls. He sighed and pulled a golden chain from under his tunic, looking at the black and orange crystal hanging in a golden frame. This had been the only thing She had left to remind him of those times… well, his pack that she had enchanted to, but that wasn't such a big deal. The Wolf Stone, as he called it, was something only he could use… Zelda had removed the evil influence from it as well as tuning it to him. He had then taken it to a jeweler to get it mounted… along with a little something he had been carrying since that day… Making sure there was nobody else around, he grabbed the stone and activated it. With a swirl of black energy, he changed back into the Wolf. He leaned back and howled up at the moon before taking off running down across the field. He rarely used the Wolf stone these days, being far too busy with his other duties to get away. But tonight was special… Tonight, he would run free and be one with the only thing that allowed him to remember Her and not immediately want to curl up in a ball and sob his heart out. He kept running, care free but hurting, missing the weight that would have filled the space on his back. For hours he ran, eventually stopping on the edge of Lake Hylia. He looked over towards the pathway Zelda and the King Bulblin had designed… The one that allowed easier access into the Gerudo Desert… This was as far as he ever went. But tonight felt different… Tonight, he felt like something was finally beginning to change. HE sat on the sandy shore of the Lake and looked up at the moon… Maybe Zelda had been right… Maybe it was time to let go… He Changed back into his normal form and drew his sword from the sheath on his back. After defeating Ganondorf, he had returned the Master Sword to its rightful place… It would finally have the chance to rest in peace. Zelda had then commissioned a new blade for him. She named it the Blade of Courage and had used it to Knight him as well as make him general of her Armies. Spinning the blade in his hand, he stabbed it into the shore in front of him and gave a long, drawn out cry of pain, venting all of his pent up anger, hurt and loss in one feral yell… When he had finished, Link drew the sword from the ground, carefully wiped it off on the green tunic he had inherited from the Hero who came before him, and sheathed it. Before turning back into a wolf, he glanced in the direction where he knew the arbiter's grounds to be and whispered, "Good Bye, Midna." Silently, he turned back into the wolf and ran off, back towards the Castle, back home.
Link didn't know it, but his heartfelt scene had been witnessed by two others. Neither of the watchers knew the other was there, but both saw his good bye. One was sitting in a tree, her arm wrapped around the sturdy branch she was sitting on… She wore a bow across her back, a katana on her hip, a full quiver of barbed arrows slung on her shoulder. Her blood red eyes, so adapted to the dark the she could see as clearly now as during high noon, saw his entire scene. As the cry echoed through the night, a single tear ran down her face, seeming to stop for a moment on the tattooed tear on her cheek before continuing its path, getting absorbed by the thick white cloth covering the lower half of her face. She silently stood and walked down the branch, landing noiselessly on the ground. Her garb was that of the Shiekah, her hair, tied up in a ponytail running down her back, shimmered silver in the moonlight. Her hands were covered in leather gauntlets but the backs of her hands were still visible. On the back of her Left hand was the traditional mark of the Shiekah. Her name was Cleah, and she had a mission given to her by Impaz herself. Find the Hero and help him with the dangers that were coming… With a subtle flicker of gold, she faded from sight completely and took off after the Hero of Twilight.
The other watcher had watched the scene from the shadow of a rock on the shore. She changed back from the shadow to her normal form, her Twil markings a blue blaze of power. She watched as Link charged off into the night, her smile wide as she watched him. She knew where he was heading… And he would arrive there just in time for her little surprise to meet him. Her smile grew wider as she pulled a small red stone out of her Twil pocket. A face appeared on it, awaiting instruction. "Once you see the hero arrive, begin your assault." The face smiled and nodded before vanishing from the stone. The Twil changed back into a shadow and took flight, slowly headed in the general Direction of Castle town. If her calculations were right, and they were never wrong, she would arrive in the air space of Castle town just in time for the fireworks to begin. She smiled again. Her plans for the revenge of her Master was just about to come to fruition. She couldn't wait for the fun to start.