Hey y'all

So, I'm giving another whack at an Ilink fanfic. Now, my last story, True Bonds Never Break, didn't really analyze what happened to Link after he returned from his journey. How his quest had changed him, what the wolf's blood does to him, and so on. Because of that, I feel like True Bonds Never Break is missing key, nay critical information and concepts. So, this is my way of going about it a second time. It will include fluff, violence, adventure, possible sexual themes, and so on, so all the stuff you guys love, yes? If you want a pure, short love story and fluff, check out my original story True Bonds Never Break, but if you want the REAL story, how Link REALLY felt after his journey, and how he REALLY wins Ilia (in my opinion) then stick around, cause this is gonna be a bumpy roller coaster ride of excitement. As always reviews help, any and all of them! Enjoy the story, folks!

I do not own, nor ever will own, the rights to the Legend of Zelda or any of the characters, objects, creatures, etc. Nintendo owns all rights to this franchise.

Preliminary Edits: 03/09/2018

Prologue: The Pain Inside

Year of 531 of the Twilight Era

The proclaimed "Hero of Twilight", Link

It has been nearly two years since I left Ordon Village. Weird, huh? Two whole years since I had left the village to begin my journey that would ultimately end up with me saving Hyrule. I mean, I've come and gone, but I never stayed put in the place that I call 'home' for more than a day or two. And honestly, I miss it. I miss the peaceful life and chasing after the goats Fado accidently let loose. I miss watching over the kids and teaching them everyday lessons. Fencing with Rusl, wrestling with Mayor Bo, and helping around the village, aiding others in their simple daily chores. I miss it all. But I miss her the most.

Ilia.

That's really how my journey began, if I'm going to be honest. It all started because I wanted to save her and the village kids. All I wanted to do was protect them and keep them out of harm's way. But right from the beginning, I got sidetracked, tricked into some scheme to help an imp named Midna reclaim her kingdom. I was disgusted by how she used me at first, by how she controlled me using images of Ilia and Colin to provoke me. In the end, however, we became the closest of friends, near inseparable as we always had each other's backs. Then, she left, leaving me with the fallout left by the 'Twilight War'.

I'm losing track here. Anyway, I did it all for her, Ilia (not Midna). When I couldn't find her and believed she was dead, I almost gave up. But Midna's constant pestering forced me out of my slump. The fact that the world would be covered in twilight if I didn't do something also pushed me to continue my quest. Still, worry hid in the back of my mind. It affected everything I did, fueling me to keep on searching for Ilia and save Hyrule, but it also brought me to my lowest of lows. Eventually, I found Ilia's satchel in the Twilight Realm. It made my heart skip a beat and I followed its scent without a moment's hesitation. A small hope, but a hope nonetheless. Finally, still as a wolf, I entered Castle Town while following the satchel's smell into an unassuming bar.

And there she was.

Ilia sat there in front of me, tending to a young Zora boy – who I later found out to be Prince Ralis, the Zora's prince – not paying attention to me in the slightest. And of course Midna mocked that fact, but retracted it just as quickly after seeing how irritated and saddened I looked. Once I finished collecting the lights for Lanayru, I made my way to Ilia as fast as I could. I could finally see her again and hold her – no – embrace her. I wouldn't miss this opportunity, I would tell her how I felt. When I found my way back to Telma's Bar, I learned she had lost her memory.

Then, all that anger, all that depression, worry, and doubt returned. She was lost to me. Again. Everything I had been fighting for, saving the Light Spirits and collecting the Fused Shadows, it all seemed meaningless then. But I didn't let any of my true feelings show and instead relied on my determination. If there was a way to bring her memory back, I would find it. After I escorted her to Kakariko Village, I continued my journey knowing that she was at least safe.

It took me longer than I thought, but I finally found a way to bring back her memory. Clue after clue led me to a forgotten village hidden in Eldin Pass. There, I found a way to return her memory and bring her back to me. I rode Epona as fast as she could go towards Kakariko Village. I prayed to every goddess that this would work and it seemed my prayers paid off. Once I gave Ilia her charm back, her memory returned. She remembered my face and all the memories we had made together. I was ecstatic, but by then I knew I needed to save Hyrule, so telling her how I felt had to hold off for a while longer. Though, when she gave me her charm, it felt as if she had the same feelings for me. It appeared to have taken hours, maybe days to make, and I thought she would only make it for someone she truly cared for. For me. Or maybe it was just my imagination. I might never know.

Through my many trials, I have received several scars, physically as well as emotionally. I felt as though this quest had changed me in both amazing and terrible ways. So much blood… I fought many enemies in my quest to rescue Hyrule from destruction. Nightmarish creatures that still haunt my waking days and slumbering nights. Several times I have dreamt of these monsters harming everyone in Ordon Village. Sometimes I still do. This quest – this war – had taken its toll on me. With Midna gone, my only confidant that had experienced this journey alongside me, I was left with no one that knew what I knew, that had gone through what I had gone through. Even Ilia could only provide so much help.

That's why I left Ordon Village as soon as I returned. I snuck away at dawn on Epona only to look back and see Ilia chasing after me, tears streaming down her face as she saw me leave. I couldn't face her. My outlook on life had changed after saving Hyrule. I don't know if she would like what that change had brought. Not to mention the blood of the wolf still courses through my veins. I find it difficult to control. Even now as I write this, the dark crystal I carry in my satchel wants me to grasp it, to change into the dark creature that saved Hyrule. If I couldn't control it around Ilia… Goddesses, I don't even want to think of what would happen. Rejection, terrible injury, death, any and all of it could happen. The only way to save not only Ilia, but the entire village from myself was to leave. Reluctantly, I did just that.

Still, even as I shut myself off from the rest of the world, I have nightmares of my quest. The wolf still calls to me, and sometimes I answer, grasping the dark crystal to turn into that beast. It feels good, but I need to keep it under control. Spending time alone has not helped me, it has only hindered my recovery. I don't know what else to do. Epona sees my pain, and listens, but even when I'm a wolf she has very little to say to me and tells me to go back to Ordon Village, to seek help from everyone. She's one of my best friends, both in my life as a Hylian and as a wolf. She's most likely right.

She and this journal have helped me in more ways than I can imagine. It's funny, I grabbed this journal on one of my short visits back to Ordon Village. I still don't know why I did either, and I thought it was a frivolous reminder of home after I left. But now, I know it has helped me in more ways than I can imagine; it has helped me figure things out and has been an unbiased companion to hear my thoughts. And it even helps me now… As I write these words, the solution to my problem is becoming clearer and clearer.

It's time to return home, to Ordon Village. Time to throw off these shackles of solitude and seek out help. After all, I'm not alone and it's taken me until now to realize that isn't such a bad thing. So much has changed and nothing will be the same, but I hope I can control my bestial urge. I hope that people will still see me as me. But I can only hope…

Ilia, I'm coming home.

More than One Hero can Mend