Link waved to the people of Kakariko village as he left them on Epona. The one who stood out the most was not-so-little-anymore Colin.
Colin's post-pubescent voice rang out, "Bye Link! Win lots of fights for us!"
Link grinned and waved goodbye to him. Colin would grow up to be a strong young man someday, and Link would be proud of him. He thought of Colin as a younger brother, and had protected him when the Gerudo raiders on their savage boars took him. Ever since then, Colin had looked up to Link as one might a father or older brother.
He would miss him and the rest of the children. Barnes, who owned the village's bomb shop, would miss his business; the Gorons did not need to buy from him often because they grew their own bomb flowers. Renado and Shad were still working together on the project of relocating the Oocca from the dizzying heights of the City in the Sky. Link shuddered as he recalled the superterranean horrors he had experienced there, not to mention the dragon at the highest point of the temple. Renado was resourceful and wise and Shad was passionate and clever, so Link had faith that they would devise the solution without much further ado.
Ilia... Link still did not know what Ilia was to him. He would have to shake those thoughts now, regardless of his surety; internal distractions killed men in the midst of battle.
His new journey, given to him by her royal majesty Queen Zelda, was to exit Hyrule through the craggy pass that cut through the Gerudo Desert, past the Arbiter's Grounds. She had asked him to explore the lands beyond, as Hyrule would need allies if another evil power was to strike the Hylian throne again.
So Link had accepted this new assignment readily and eagerly, as he grew anxious when he stayed in one place. He was excited about new exploration, as he had already covered the entire area of Hyrule on foot and hoof.
Link wore his rugged tunic of forest green and his matching conical hat which covered most of his blonde head. The tunic had chain mail sewn into the bodice underneath, which saved his life more than a few times. He carried his baldric on his back with the Master Sword, his shield, his bow, and his quiver affixed to it. He had long grown used to the weight of them, and was uncomfortable without all of them. On his belt, he carried essential equipment: the clawshot, his lantern, the magically miniaturized ball and chain, and two special pouches to hold bottles full of red potion. The rest of his equipment resided in his leather pack. He did pack his bombs of course, and made sure to buy the water bombs in case of accidental exposure to excessive moisture.
His horse tossed her head as they made their way through Hyrule field. Link's trained eyes automatically scanned the area for monsters and other enemies. He found none. He scowled. At this rate, Link was going to grow out of practice. He had not had a fight in days. He hated conflict and fighting with his very core, but he needed his skills to stay alive.
As the day met the night, Link kept Epona at a steady trot. At the rate he was moving so far, Link would make it to the desert in about two more days; Zelda had, in addition to her gifts to him, gifted his horse with incredible speed and stamina, allowing her to keep speeds and go distances no other horse alive could. He found a tree, tied Epona to it, and settled down against it to sleep.
As Link's body required little sleep because of his almost superhuman stamina, he awoke in the next four hours feeling new. Epona appeared to be revitalized as well, and he untied her and they continued on their way.
As Link and Epona passed the entrance to his home, Ordon village, he dismounted and approached the tall, well-built man who lounged against a tree.
"Rusl!" Link exclaimed, embracing the man. "It has been a while. I must thank you for taking care of Epona while I'm away, as I'll be unable to bring her."
Rusl returned his smile. "I'm happy to, Link. It's the least I can do for the hero who saved Hyrule from Ganondorf."
Link's smile fell, but Rusl didn't notice, as he was already taking Epona's reins. He disliked being reminded of who he really was.
"Have you gotten everything you need from Epona?" Rusl inquired as he was leading Epona to the entrance to Faron Woods.
"Yes, everything," said Link with a smaller, and a bit forced smile. "Thank you again, Rusl."
Link patted Epona on her head and stroked her mane to say goodbye. When he had had the power to transform into a wolf, he had spent entire days talking to her. She had taken very interesting observations about the humans around her, including Link. "Goodbye for now, old friend. I'll be back." Link said.
Link said goodbye to Rusl and and began walking in the direction of the Gerudo Desert.