Link sighed as he stared down at the crystal blue water that splashed against the tall rock he stood upon. The kids, his dear friends, were off playing in the field near his house and he could hear their laughter echo across the open plain. He vaguely remembered a time when he used to take part in that laughter, take part in playing with the young children as if they were his own siblings. In a sense, they almost were. It was not like Link had real parents, or real siblings, but these were the only kids he had ever gotten to know in his life. The thought only made the growth of loneliness in Link's chest expand. All that he knew was, in essence, fake.

Feeling dejected, Link tore his eyes away from the calm waters. He forced his ears to block out the sound of the children's joy as he felt tears well up behind his eyes. Some hero he was. Link, the great summoned hero of many legends that all have been told about at least once in their life, was not as great as the legends told. Sure, he had saved a royal kingdom, and his own little town, but he did not feel as though he had done anything that particularly deserved any reward. He only did as the legend stated, nothing less and nothing more.

Link grasped at his sword, still resting on his hip, and unsheathed it, touching the cool, deadly metal that had taken the lives of thousands of monsters. A strange, warm serenity overcame him. This was calm, this was peace. He lived solely to fight off and kill the monsters in this world, to protect and cradle the needs of all in danger. And the citizens, they were in danger.

"I'm sorry." Link spoke, his voice even startled himself, being as he never spoke unless absolutely necessary. Tears began to roll down the young hero's cheeks as he held the sword out farther, over the edge of the rock he stood on. "The village who took me in and catered to me for years on end does not deserve to witness the monster I have become."

Link took one last look around Ordon, taking in the familiar and homely sights that had once made him feel loved and nurtured. He could see the kids off in the distance, smiles graced upon their faces as they chased each other with a wooden sword Link had constructed for them upon request. They were fine without him, they did not need him.

He then trailed his gaze to across the creek, out into the rolling hills where he spent most of his time herding the rams with Fado. He could hear their gentle bleating echoing from their stalls and the sound broke his heart. The rams were herded, without his help, and therefore he was not needed.

The next sight made Link's heart ache the most. It was Rusl and Uli's house, a small cottage next to the creek. It was the first house Link had ever resided in ever since his parent's death. Rusl and Uli took Link in as their own child until Colin was conceived, and Link then persuaded them to let him live on his own while they took care of their new baby.

Rusl and Uli's house still looked the same as it had fifteen years ago. Rusl had done a few repairs on the roof, but aside from small renovations it was exactly as Link had found it. He vaguely remembers extending his small fist to knock on the door for the first time, and recalls the fear he felt, knowing he was about to ask strangers for a place to live. But they happily complied, and Link could not have been more thankful.

Now Rusl stood outside with Uli, who was cradling her new baby girl. While Link was away on his adventure, their lives had continued. He was not there for the birth of the baby girl, as he had hoped to be. He was not there to see Colin hold a real sword for the first time. He was not there to see the young boy progress with his skills. He was away fighting monsters, protecting those he loved and he had sacrificed for that.

Rusl had his arms wrapped lovingly around his wife Uli, and the petite blonde woman was smiling in content. She felt on top of the world, with her beautiful new infant in her arms, and her strong, brave husband cradling her. Link could tell from the pleased look on their faces that things had returned to normal. But again, Link was not needed.

He remembered times when Rusl used to call on him to help rid the village of a wild bobcat here and again, because there was no one else to do the job. He remembered when Fado used to wake him up at ungodly hours to herd the rams, because they had escaped for the eight time that week. He remembered when Colin would ask for private swordsmanship lessons, tutoring in how to be as good as Link in just about everything. And he remembers when the other children asked him to play, and the townspeople would ask him to do silly little odd jobs around the village.

He was needed then. And all it took were a few long months of blood, sweat and tears, of worrying about the children, and of worrying about the state of Hyrule as well as their own town to forget just how badly they needed Link. They had adapted. The smaller children helped out around town now, and proceeded to take part in the silly jobs Link used to.

He was no longer an essential part of the village. He was just Link, the boy who burdened the town when his parents died. Link, the foolish teenager who set off on an adventure to save their world.

And Link could stand that no longer.

The young hero tightened his grasp on the sword, his hands beginning to shake. He held the sword high in the air, catching the attention of Rusl who was silently observing the hero's strange behavior. Slowly, he turned the blade so it was facing his chest, pulled it back as far as he could and held it there while he let some more tears fall.

"I am so, so sorry."

And he plunged the sword deep into his chest, falling into a quick oblivion where he could not hear the screams of agony from Rusl and Uli echo far beyond the Ordon hills.

Ah, well that was depressing, yeah? I've got a second part to this half way finished. The only way you get a second part is if you want it though, so if you want it please tell me what you thought of this J No matter if you loved it, just liked it, or hated it. Thank you!