The sun beat down strongly on the grass, interrupted every so often by an errant cloud. It was a perfect day to tend to the ranch, and Link had finished herding the goats earlier than expected. He started dozing off in the grass, until the vibrations of a stern stride brought him to attention.
"LINK!"
He recognized that tone, and braced for the incoming lecture. It was Ilia, who managed to scare off even Fado and the nearby goats into a panic. Link was on his own.
"COME WITH ME, MISTER." A nimble hand darted out and grabbed Link's arm, dragging him down the path toward the village. Once the ranch was out of sight, Ilia stopped and helped Link up.
"What did I tell you about overworking Epona?" Ilia frowned, pointing to the horse that stood patiently nearby. "There was a scratch on her leg. If Fado is overworking you, speak up and tell him to use his own horse!"
Link bowed his head, keeping mum. Ilia immediately understood why. Link never spoke in front of anyone if he could help it, and there was an underlying reason.
"Link, you don't need to hide it. I know he wouldn't think any differently of you. No one would. We all love you for who you are inside, not on the outside. Come, let's go talk to my father."
Ilia pulled the reluctant Link into her home. Bo, the mayor of Ordon Village, smiled when he saw his daughter enter, dragging Link behind her. One look, and Bo knew what this was about. It seemed like they had this same conversation every week.
"Father, tell Link that the village won't care if they find out the secret."
Link squirmed. The secret Ilia was so fond of discussing was a sour point. Ilia was his best friend, but he hated when she brought it up. In fact, he had never wanted her to find out in the first place, but it couldn't be helped. Bo and Rusl, who took care of Link after his parents' death, decided that Link needed a confidant more his age. So they sat down with Ilia and explained the reason Link never talked- Link was actually a girl.
"Ilia, let Link tell everyone when he's ready." Bo always used male pronouns when discussing Link, as a way of ensuring that he never slipped up and revealed something by accident. It was upsetting to Ilia, because she felt Link was being oppressed.
"Father, she shouldn't have to hide who she really is! Why did you all decide this in the first place? Does it have something to do with that birthmark?"
Link glanced at the back of her hand, then shoved it in her pocket. No one in Ordon Village was very religious, but the significance of the mark did not escape her parents. Link's father had lived in Kakariko Village and knew the legends well. They told of a hero garbed in green, destined to use his courage to deliver the world from evil.
Link's father had the utmost faith in his child to embrace her destiny, but he did not have faith in the rest of Hyrule. The legends said a boy would save them, and that he would vanquish evil. Hyrule was a progressive land, but not even the mark of the Goddesses themselves would be enough to convince the people to put their trust in a little girl, especially if she grew to have her mother's figure. So Link's father, with the help of his old friend Rusl and the mayor, decided it was best for Link to live as a boy.
Link had a rough time coping with this decision as a child. At the age of three, her parents were taken from her in an accident and she no longer had them to confide in. On top of that, she was a very feminine little girl. Even rough hours spent learning ranch work, fishing, and swordplay couldn't hide her golden hair and rosy skin, and of course one word from her mezzo-soprano voice gave it all away.
But because her parents had so wished it, Link kept up the charade. She trimmed her hair short, and bound her chest every morning, a task that became more difficult as she developed. This was why she was grateful to have Ilia around, because she was someone who understood and who could help. Ilia would even fetch medicine and cottons from the midwife every month for when Link had her menstruation.
Link snapped out of her reverie and hugged Ilia. "I'm okay," she mumbled, voice soft and jagged from underuse. Ilia nodded and hugged back, though still angry at Bo for having a hand in Link's turmoil.
"...Fine. But don't stress yourself out. I don't want your spirit to break."