Hi everyone! This is my first fic, hope you all enjoy it!
Lying on the grass in the middle of his hometown looking at the bright blue sky as he always did just didn't feel the same this time even though everything looked the same. The golden sun beat down on him and his basked in its warmth. The goats were happily feeding in the pastures. The children were all as hyperactive as usual and enjoying their youth. The adults continued to make their modest living in the countryside, surviving peacefully in their little corner of the world. Everything was as carefree and relaxing as it had been before the Twilight War four years ago. But nothing felt the same for him. To him, it was too carefree and too relaxing.
"Something is wrong…" he thought to himself as he watched the clouds slowly pass by over his head and the wind blew briskly through his hair. There was a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he knew something was wrong in the world even though no official word had come from the Royal Family and even though everything seemed normal. Part of him thought he was being paranoid but then a larger part just couldn't shake this uneasy feeling.
"Still lazing around here then?" came the warm voice of his old friend and mentor. "Link, you really need to find something constructive to do with your time," Rusl smiled and took a seat next to him. Link sighed and sat up to face his friend.
"I came here to rest…" he whispered in reply.
"I know. We're happy to see you on one of your rare visits back to this village. But I suppose…" Rusl trailed and then looked to the children, who had half of their attention focused on their games and the other half focused on Link. "I suppose that we were expecting you to spend more time with us rather than hiding out up here." They were sat on the grass above Sera's shop where Link watched the birds fly above his head. It was like he was listening out for something, anything that the birds were doing that would signal something was wrong.
"I'm sorry…" Link sighed. "I'm just a little bit distracted I guess." He wasn't sure how he was supposed to tell anyone how he was feeling. After all, he shouldn't have been feeling anything was wrong. Everything was perfect as far as everyone else was concerned.
"You haven't spoken much about your travels this time around. Usually you have to tale to tell about some distant part of Hyrule or the monsters that needed clearing away," Rusl said. Link kept his eyes fixed to the birds in the sky while he thought of his response.
"Nothing special happened this time around," he mumbled.
"But?" Rusl then asked hopefully. Link was silent for a moment longer before finally saying anything.
"I really don't know," he laughed helplessly.
"If something is wrong please don't feel like you can't talk about it," Rusl said, encouraging the boy to open up about his worries.
"It's really not worth talking about," Link sighed. Rusl thought he had him figured out. He thought he knew exactly what was on the boy's mind.
"Who is she Link?" Rusl asked. Link's eyes snapped open and he stared at his friend in confusion.
"What?" he gaped. "What does that mean?"
"I know you're growing up and that you're not a child anymore. And I know that you must have met a lot of people in your travels. I'm sure there are many young women out there dying to get a look at the famous Hero of Hyrule," Rusl grinned. Link let out an exasperated sigh and looked back up in the sky, at the hawk circling the skies of Ordon.
"It's not like that at all," he said.
"Is it not? Four years ago you were a carefree 16 year old boy, content with your way of life and with modest dreams. You knew nothing of the outside world and you were happy to keep it that way. You had everything you needed here in Ordon. You had work to do and people to protect. You didn't even need to travel far if you wanted to find a wife," Rusl said and then looked in Ilia's direction. She too had been paying serious attention to Link and Rusl alongside the children.
"I wasn't looking for a wife then and I'm not looking for a wife now," Link stated.
"That may not have changed but you certainly have," Rusl said. "Now that you've seen the world out there and all the other people who you know need help, you can't stay here anymore. Before when you came to visit you still had that warm relationship with Ilia. Over time that changed. Every time you've come back over the last four years, you've grown more and more distant. This time you barely even greeted her. What's the matter Link?"
"I barely greeted anyone to be fair…" Link retorted and then sighed again. "It's nothing about a woman. It's… something else…"
"Is working for the Royal Family really that stressful?" Rusl laughed, trying to lighten his mood.
"No, I like it just fine," he replied. "But… well if I tell you it will sound stupid."
"Tell me," Rusl insisted. Link sat quietly for a moment more and then Ilia and the children finally caught his attention. It finally clicked in his mind just how distant he had been from everyone on this visit. It had been the first time he'd seen everyone in over five months and he had barely managed a 'hello' to them.
"I've been all around this world and it's more peaceful now than it's ever been," Link said as he stood up. Rusl noticed the dire expression on his face.
"But you still think something is wrong?" Rusl asked. Link slowly nodded.
"For now I had better make it up to everyone," he said and then turned to descend the ledge.
"Link," Rusl called before he leapt down. "I'll contact our old friends. They may know something you don't." Link smiled in thanks and then jumped down to face the children. Even though they had grown, they still joyfully surrounded him and idealized him just as they did before. They hadn't noticed the change in him. To them he was just tired from his travels and needed some rest. To them he was still their Link, their big brother and hero. The adults decided to leave it that way. They decided to preserve their memory of the kind, loving boy who always had time for them and cared for them. All of them watched as he smiled and greeted the children, apologising for being tired and promising to tell the stories of his adventures. In an instant he was forgiven and the children forgot all about his distant attitude.
"The joys of being a child," Ilia whispered as she watched the children excitedly tell Link all that had been going on in his months away, such as Talo growing an extra two inches, Malo's every growing chain of Malo Marts, Colin's new skills with his sword, the new words Colin's younger sister had learned or Beth's new hairstyles.
"Be patient with him," Bo smiled to Ilia as he took her side. "You know everything that boy has done for this village and indeed for the whole of Hyrule. It's quite possible he's seen some horrible things that have disturbed him. You must give him some time to overcome any feelings of sadness he may have, as well as any feelings of tiredness."
"I know…" Ilia smiled. "I know all of that. But I don't think any of that is the problem…" Bo nodded silently in agreement. The mask Link was wearing for the children was flawless. Had he walked in the village with such an expression he would have fooled everyone into thinking everything was okay. She worried greatly about him and what exactly it was that was on his mind. Epona was stood nearby them at the water's edge, relaxing after their long journey. Ilia wished the horse could talk. She wished she could understand exactly what he had seen in the world that had disturbed him so much. She hoped she would get an opportunity to speak to him before the day was out but for now she had to loan him out to the children. He had given his attention to them for the time being and that was how it was going to stay.
Nighttime in Ordon was always a very peaceful time. The owls cooed, the crickets chirped, the sound of the river was unpolluted with children's laughs and you could almost hear the goats settling down to sleep. Link sat on the edge of the ladder to his home looking up at the stars.
"It's so quiet out there Epona," he muttered to his horse. "Why can't I shake this feeling?" Epona's eyes bore into him and she felt her master's uneasiness. In a strange way she too felt the invisible disruption in the air. The night was just as peaceful as the day with no disturbance to be had. Soon enough, the sound of nature was interrupted by footsteps approaching Link's house. He sensed no danger from those footsteps and neither did Epona. It was almost as though he knew exactly who was approaching without having to look.
"I thought you'd be awake," Ilia smiled as she approached. Link looked to her and softly smiled. Ilia stared back at him and felt a moment of happiness. It had been so long since it had just been the two of them smiling together and keeping each other company.
"It's late. You should be asleep," Link said. Ilia laughed and climbed the ladder to join him.
"You can talk," she grinned. Link smiled once more before turning away and looking back up at the stars.
"It's so quiet…" he said again and a look of sadness shot into his eyes.
"What's the matter Link?" Ilia asked. "What happened out there? Why are you in so much pain?" Link closed his eyes and sighed at the sound of her words. Once again his feelings were being misunderstood but while he trusted Rusl to understand his feelings of uneasiness, he did not believe Ilia would.
"Nothing happened out there," he replied and it was the truth.
"You're lying," she whispered. "I've never seen you so sad or so troubled. Something must have happened to you out in that world. What was it? What can I do to help you?" she pleaded, begging him to let her into his world that she was no longer part of.
"The worst of it happened four years ago but then you already know that part of the story," he replied, attempting to ease her worries. "You also experienced a great deal of pain in that time."
"Are you… troubled by something that happened during the Twilight War?" she asked. Link closed his eyes and thought back to all that had happened during the Twilight War. The people he'd helped, the new friends he made, the evils he faced and the close friend he would never see again. None of it troubled him. He was the type of guy that would help out a person in need with no questions asked. He cherished the new friends he made, whether they were villagers of Hyrule, Gorons, Zoras or Princesses. He had long accepted his role of the chosen hero and the responsibility he had. He had no problem with it. And his close friend did what was necessary for both worlds. Of course he missed his old companion but he knew she had done what was best.
"No. I'm at peace with all of it," he replied. Ilia bit her lip in frustration and groaned. Link felt a knot in his stomach as he felt guilty for what he was putting his dear friend through. He didn't mean to make her feel like she couldn't help him or that he was pushing her out of his life.
"Then what's the matter?" she once again asked. "Is it your line of work? Is your boss overworking you? Are you sick?" Link chuckled to himself at her words. Ilia was never comfortable about who his boss was. She assumed he was pretty good friends with his boss and it made her uneasy. But with all that aside, he knew he needed to tell her the truth. He knew he needed to put her mind at ease.
"It's like I keep saying: Nothing is wrong. But that's the problem," he sighed.
"W-what?" she stuttered, failing to understand him.
"This village is peaceful. The world is peaceful. But my mind and my heart are not. I just… keeping feeling something is wrong. It's almost like it's too peaceful," he told her. Ilia stared at him and tried to understand what he was saying.
"So you're saying… Nothing happened out there? There no trauma or sadness or any painful feelings within you?" she said.
"I will never forget the things that I have seen in this world," Link clarified. He couldn't say he didn't feel any sadness or pain for the people in Hyrule who had suffered over the years. "But it's not what's happened over the years that is disturbing me. It's what's happening now. I just can't escape this feeling of uneasiness. Something is going on out there. I can feel it."
"Whenever you visit us here, you never stay long. You come and go as fast as the wind blows," Ilia whispered. Link looked at her again and saw that seething anger in her eyes.
"What do you mean?" he asked, wondering what he'd said that had upset her.
"You've always got some excuse to leave. There's always someone in need, some great monster that needs to be subdued, some big errand Her Majesty needs you to run for her…" Ilia said. Link caught on to what she was saying.
"This will always be my home Ilia," he quickly said.
"You say that…" she said. "But you never seem to want to be here. Even now when the danger is the world is practically gone and you could return home to us you're still looking for a reason to go!" Link was shocked to hear her words. He had no idea where she would get an idea like that from.
"What are you talking about? It's not like that at all!" he protested.
"You said it yourself! Nothing is going on in the world! Why are you wishing something would go wrong?" she demanded. Epona soon let out a shriek to stop their argument. Ilia was breathless after her outburst while Link just stared at her in surprise.
"How can you say I'm wishing for something to go wrong?" Link whispered, looking to the ground in disgust. "I would never wish the pain and suffering from the past on anyone ever again…" Ilia lost her breath at the sound of the those and realised what she had just accused him of.
"I-I'm sorry!" she stammered. "I just… I just thought when peace returned that you would come back to us… That you would… Come back to me…" she said and then looked at him hopefully. She wanted him to react to that, she wanted him to tell her he would be back in her arms again and that he would never leave again and he knew that was what she wanted. He closed his eyes in regret and let out a deep sigh.
"I understand," he murmured and then opened his eyes and looked deep in hers. Her heart skipped a beat as she waited for him to say something more. "But I'm sorry." He couldn't find anything else in his mind to say. He didn't know what else to say. He didn't know how to explain that he for now he couldn't stay with her and that he didn't know if he'd ever be able to. He watched as her heart beat out in pain but didn't quite break. She was angry, she was disappointed but she wasn't heartbroken. Somehow she thought that the day of peace she spoke of would still come and that he would still return home. She had to keep that hope. But she could say nothing more to him for tonight. She scuttled down the ladder and ran home, fighting back the tears while doing so. Link watched her run and buried his face in his hands. He wished he could go back to being the person he was four years ago, the person that she wanted him to be but the Twilight War had changed him beyond repair. He would never be that person again. His world was never going to be the same again.
While he slept through the night, an odd sensation came over him. He wasn't sure what it was but then he thought he had felt it before. He swiftly sat up when he heard a faint noise in his home and wondered who had come in.
"Ilia wouldn't come in now… Would she? No, not after what happened… Then who is in here?" he thought and lay back down on his bed. It definitely felt like someone was in the room with him. He didn't sense enough danger to react and tried to go back to sleep but he wasn't able to drift back into a peaceful sleep after that.
First chapter over! Tell me what you think? :D
Until next time!