Moving On
This is another one-shot about LinkXIlia. It has some LinkXMidna in it, but that's part of the story line. Hope you enjoy!
Kate :)
"Midna! Stop! Don't go!" he screamed. But it was too late. She was gone, and the only link to the Twilight Realm was destroyed. He'd never see her again. "Midna…" he whispered broken-heartedly. "Midna…"
Link woke up gasping for air. She really was gone, and he couldn't ever be with her. She had been gone for a year now, and he had the same dream every night. The dream of her disappearing forever into the depths of the Twilight Realm, never to return. Link knew why she had left, but he still didn't understand why she would just leave him in the dust. She could never love the world of light like he did. She would never understand the longing to see the sun dappling the leaf covered ground of Ordon. She longed to see the darkness of twilight, where gentle creatures never roamed and beasts of prey hunted their meals. She loved the unending nothingness of the dark. But he had still loved her. And perhaps she had loved him, too. But it didn't matter now. It would never matter, because she was gone. Forever.
Link fell on his knees, weeping. He knew he needed to get over her. She was gone, and that was it. But he couldn't. They had been through too much together. They had defeated so many gruesome monsters together. They had saved Hyrule together, and now she was gone. It just didn't seem real. She had destroyed the Mirror of Twilight so that the world of light could never be harmed from them again. But she had done it at a terrible cost. She could never see Link again, and Link could never see her. Why couldn't she have just left it? There was a one in a million chance that something would attack. But that chance had already been taken once. Zant had attacked. But there wasn't another Zant, and there wouldn't be another one. He thought all of this bitterly, even though he knew it was pointless. She was gone. And she was never, ever coming back.
Maybe if I go home then I can get over her. Maybe if I see my friends and family… no, it probably wouldn't make a difference. He missed Midna so much. Link pondered this for a while, then finally decided to go home. There was always a chance. Link pulled out his horse call that…well, maybe there was a reason to go home. There was Ilia. She was his best friend. She could help him get through this. He'd ride Epona home and forget about Midna. But it wasn't that simple. There were two reasons; one, he had been through too much with Midna to just forget her. Two, he was lost in the middle of the Gerudo desert, with no idea how to get home. This was really going to suck.
After Link had called Epona, he wandered around, searching for any sign that could give him a clue as to where he was. After riding for almost a day, he finally spotted the entrance to Arbiter's Grounds. He rode towards it, hoping there was something alive there, even if it was just some monsters. He just wanted to see something living in this godforsaken place. But when he arrived there was absolutely nothing at all. Not a single living creature, only some bones of an old Bulbin that he probably killed when he had first visited Arbiter's Grounds. He sighed and made his way through the robber's camp, looking at all the places he had been. Finally he made his way to the edge of the desert, where Lake Hylia laid hundreds of feet below. He equipped his Zora Armor and dove into the vast expanse of water that lay beneath him. If he had been in his normal hero's tunic the impact of the water would've killed him, but since he had the magical armor of the water dwellers he was fine. He swam up to the entrance to the spirit spring and sat there looking at the lake that he hadn't seen in a year. He had spent 365 days exactly in the desert, living off the dying plants that grew in some parts of it. He hadn't spoken except for the nights when he woke up screaming for Midna. Now he was going to be thrown back into the world of the living, breathing people.
He went up to Fyer's Cannon of Fascination, or whatever it was called, and asked to be shot up.
"Good sir, I haven't seen you in quite a while. Where've you been?" Fyer asked.
"Uh…on an important mission." Link lied.
"Ah…well, if it helps Hyrule, then who am I to question? It'll be 10 rupees for me to shoot you up there, okay?" Link handed him a yellow rupee and got inside the cannon. He was getting kind of used to the weird sensation of flying through the air by now, but not entirely. Fyer finally finished cranking the wheel thing and in a second Link was flying towards the target at Falbi's Fly by Fowl. After he landed, he dropped down the ladder and walked out into Hyrule Field. He knew that he should stop by Castle Town to check up on Zelda and others, but all he wanted to do was go home to his tree house in Ordon and rest.
He pulled out his horse call and played the little melody that Epona loved. In seconds, she was skidding to a halt in front of him. How she got down from the Gerudo desert, he would never know. He climbed on to her back and slightly tapped her sides with his heels, indicating for her to gallop. He closed his eyes and let the wind blowing in his face take him away to happy memories of times before he met Midna or anyone else; times of playing in the spring or racing with his best friend, Ilia. Epona knew that he wanted to go home, so he didn't have to worry about guiding her. When she walked into the majestic forest of Faron, he told Epona to slow down to a walk. He took in the sight before him. The tranquil of the forest was beautiful. There was a greenish light coming from the treetop covered sky, and here and there was a long ray of golden light shining on the forest floor where the trees weren't blocking the sun. Leaves were scattered across the ground and the only sound was the clip, clop of Epona's hooves. Link closed his eyes and breathed deeply of the sweet smell of the forest. Smells of pine, cedar, flowers, and fresh spring water wafted over to him. His pointed ears twitched and he heard the soft voice of a gentle breeze flowing through the woods. He turned Epona towards the Faron Spring, and he saw all the fairies he had restored to it lounging around quietly. When they saw him, a few came buzzing up and chattered to him in some odd language that he didn't understand. He just nodded and smiled. They swirled around him, restoring his energy and strength, and he thanked them, hoping they understood. He wandered around looking at the familiar spring. It hadn't change in the slightest. If at all, it had grown more beautiful. He sighed happily. He still missed Midna deeply, but being home did help the ache in his heart a little bit. He started walking towards home, with Epona walking slowly beside him, and when he saw Coro's shack, there was the little guy sitting by his fire as usual. Link waved as he passed by. He crossed the long bridge that led to the Ordon Province and he felt his heart leap in anticipation. He hadn't been home for months. He saw more fairies at the Ordon Spring before he went into where his house was he walked into the spring. The fairies here just ignored him, but he was fine with that. He sat at the water's edge, thinking about all the days he had spent here when he was younger. He remembered having water fights with Ilia and Colin, and he remembered that he'd always come here when he was feeling down. The glittering water and smell of the trees always made him feel better. And they did right now. Midna didn't have any memories with him of this spring. Only Colin and Ilia could ever share the same memories of this spring. But mostly just Ilia. She'd been there for him for everything. They'd always sit by the spring and talk about something, or watch the stars, or play in the water. They'd had fights and laughs here. He missed her. Suddenly he broke into a run and ran into the clearing to his house. He climbed up the ladder, and to his surprise, the door was opened slightly. He pushed it open more, and he stepped inside. He was about to climb the ladder up to his bed when he heard a shriek.
"LINK!" he was suddenly tackled into a big bear hug by Ilia. Though she was small, she had a strong grip. She buried her head into his chest and sighed happily. "Where were you?" she finally asked, looking up at him with her beautiful green eyes. They were swimming with tears. He smiled at her.
"The question is, why are you in my house?" he retorted.
"Dad's been getting on my nerves lately, always pacing back and forth and muttering about 'that stupid boy' I think he means you. So I like to escape to here. And tree houses are so much nicer than normal houses. Also, I've been waiting for you to come home. Where were you?" she repeated after she finished her explanation. Suddenly, all of the memories of his grieving in the desert came back to him and his eyes filled with tears. He didn't try to hide his emotions with Ilia. She understood him. He fell to his knees in front of the fire she had made earlier and buried his head in his hands.
"I—I…." he hoarsely let out. He couldn't say anything. Ilia knelt next to him and wrapped her arms around him comfortingly.
"Shh…it's okay. Zelda told us in person about Midna. She told us how attached you were to her. Don't worry, it'll be okay." She whispered compassionately. Link laid his head against her shoulder and wept. She held him closely, whispering condolences as he told her about how much he missed Midna. Inside though, her heart was broken. He loved this Midna, and he would never love her the same way. But he was still her best friend, and she would never leave him. She led him over to the bed and they sat there for a few hours; Ilia just comforting him. Finally, he fell asleep and she gently laid him down on the bed and draped one of his flannel blankets over him. She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead.
"Goodnight Link. I love you," She added, barely audible. Then she left, and went back home to her house.
When Link woke that morning the sun was already up in the sky. He'd been home for almost a year now. He talked to Ilia every night, and she helped him get over Midna. He climbed up to the high window in his house and looked out. The village children were all staring up at the house, waiting for him to come out. He couldn't help but smile when he saw them. Some things would never change. He jumped down to the main floor and walked outside, leaping off the edge. All the children crowded around him, asking about his journey for the hundredth time and asking if he could show them some sword moves. He smiled and shook his head in amusement. They were still the same. He went up to the scarecrow and showed them the back slice and helm splitter. They cheered and clapped and begged him to show them more. Talo came up and asked to borrow his sword. Link laughed at this.
"Uh…no, I don't think so, buddy. I don't trust you with a sword yet." He said, ruffling Talo's hair. "Maybe in a few years. I got to go now, okay. See you guys later." He went into town, heading towards the mayor's house. Going home had definitely been a good idea. He still felt a deep pang in his heart, like something was missing, but he was much better and he smiled and laughed now. He loved talking with Ilia. She was always optimistic and whenever he needed to cry, she'd always understand. He wanted to talk to her now. He knocked on the mayor's door, and Bo answered.
"Link, my boy! How are you this fine morning?" Bo greeted, clapping him on the shoulder roughly. Link gave a little smile.
"Good. Is Ilia home?" he asked, causing the mayor to laugh.
"Of course you want to see Ilia. You never want to visit good ole' me, do you? Ah…well, she's in the spring, since you're wondering. She said she wanted to think. You should visit her; I don't think she's been feeling too happy lately. She's been looking really downcast and heartbroken. She'd probably be happy to see you." Link looked down guiltily when he heard this. Ilia had put all of her feelings aside so he'd be happy. He hadn't thought about what she was feeling.
"Thanks, Bo. I'll go visit her." He gave a fake smile and walked off. He headed towards the spring. When he got there, he saw Ilia sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest and her face looked so sad. He felt really bad. He walked over and sat down next to her.
"Hey." He said as he sat down. She glanced in his direction then went back to staring into space. "Look, I'm really sorry that I haven't asked about how you're feeling lately. I've been so wrapped up in my own troubles that I haven't thought about how you felt about all this. I feel really guilty because you've been helping me so much." Ilia blinked, indicating that she'd heard, but she didn't say anything.
"Did you love her?" she suddenly asked in a quiet whisper. She still didn't turn towards him. He was lost for words.
"I…I uh…I don't know." He answered truthfully. He had thought he did, but now he doubted himself. He had cared for her deeply, but maybe she was just a really good friend.
"Link…I don't know how to say this," she continued in her barely audible voice, "but ever since we were little, all I can think about is you. I've had so much fun with you over the years. Playing in the spring, dodging goats," she gave a shaky laugh. "climbing trees, watching stars, racing, taking care of Epona, and sometimes even arguing. Even when I lost my memory, I always knew something was there when you told me your name when you escorted us to Kakariko. When my mother died, you were there with me, trying to make me laugh, or just sitting patiently while I cried on your shoulder. You were and still are so sweet to me, all the time. You never said anything mean to me, even though I sometimes yelled at you unfairly. I have this feeling of unending joy whenever I'm around you. You always brighten up my day. And honestly Link…I don't think I can hold that feeling in any longer." With this, she turned towards him, her green eyes filled with tears. "Link…I love you. I always have, and I always will." He stared at her.
"Ilia…I…" he started to say, but she got up.
"It's okay, Link. I know you love Midna. She's much more incredible than I am. She's a beautiful, exotic, courageous princess. She's been on all your journeys with you. She helped you defeat the most gruesome monsters Hyrule has ever known. I've just been a burden to you. You've had to save me more than twice and you wasted your time trying to regain my memory. I'm not worth it. I just had to get that off my chest. Now that you know…I don't know what I'll do. Goodbye, Link." She looked at him, and her eyes were filled with so much pain that he felt the impulse to hold her. But then she looked away quickly and walked off, her bare feet leaving a trail of footprints in the sand.
Link lay awake all night that night. He thought about Midna, and how much he missed her, but he thought of other things, too. How harsh she had been to him at the start of their journey, thinking of him as only a tool. Even when she told him about this, she was still indifferent, and cold. Only at the end, in Hyrule Castle against Ganondorf, had she shown any sort of affection. The only time he ever felt that she had feelings for him was when she disappeared into the Twilight Realm. He had sort of fallen for her, liking her sarcastic and energetic personality. But she hadn't helped him in some places when he had to defeat certain creatures. She had just laughed. Then he thought of Ilia. How they had played in the spring together as kids, how they swam in the river even though they had been strictly forbidden, how they had rode Epona together, and how they had sat up on the high ledges in the river, just talking. He remembered the day when her mother had died from a deathly disease that no one knew of. She had been so broken-hearted. But he had helped her get through it, and they were even closer. They had never kept secrets, and they would spend whole days just hanging out at his tree house or washing Epona. And he remembered that past year. Ilia had spent every night comforting him, helping him get over Midna even though she was heart broken that he loved her. She had put aside all of her feelings so that he would feel better. The he compared both of them. Midna had been cold and distant, hardly ever doing anything for others. She had helped save Hyrule, but in a way, that was because she needed to kill Zant to get rid of her curse. She had a good heart in the end, but it wasn't the same. Ilia was completely selfless. She had loved him and when he had lamented over losing Midna, instead of leaving him, she had helped him get through it as much as it pained her. He almost hit himself. He didn't love Midna, though she meant a lot to him. No…he loved someone else, someone much more giving and caring than her…
Link got up that morning, planning on going to Ilia's to confess his love for her, and he heard a shout. It was the mayor. Link opened the door and climbed down to where Bo was. He seemed in a panic.
"Link!" he yelled.
"Yeah?" Link answered, instantly worried. "What's wrong?"
"It's Ilia! She's up and gone! She left me a note. Read it." Bo handed him a crumpled piece of paper and he unfolded it. Ilia's neat, beautiful handwriting covered the small page. It read: Dear Father, I'm sorry I can't tell you in person, but I have to leave. I can't take it anymore. I can't take this life. I'm going to go somewhere else, maybe somewhere that I can start over. Please don't try and find me. I love you so much, and I'll miss you.
Ilia
"I don't know where she's gone!" Bo wailed.
"It's okay. I'll find her, Bo. Don't worry. And she's not in any danger for now, okay? Just let me grab my things." Link climbed up the vines into his house and collected some of his items. The Master Sword, of course, the Hero's Bow, his clawshots, a bag of bombs, and a bottle of blue potion. He also grabbed the Boomerang, just because it was light and could be useful. He didn't really need the Spinner or Ball and Chain. He grabbed his wallet and headed out the door. After he mounted Epona, he waved goodbye and trotted out to the Faron Woods. After he was out of sight, he reached into his pocket and felt a rock that held extreme power. The shard of twilight. He climbed off of Epona, strung a piece of chain to it so he could wear it as a necklace, and placed it around his bare neck. He immediately transformed into a wolf. The shard was still touching his skin, so he would stay a twilight beast. He got the horse-call which he had left on the ground and sniffed it, giving him a scent of Ilia. Sure enough, she had headed towards Hyrule Field. He ran along following the trail of shimmering pink. After a while, it led into Castle Town. Just as he figured. She'd probably gone to Telma's. He pawed the shard of twilight off his neck and he transformed back into human. With his gloved hand he placed the shard back into his pocket. Then he walked into the city.
Castle Town was buzzing with energy, as always. Men, women, and children all bustled around, oblivious to everyone around them. He started along the back pathway towards Telma's bar when he ran into his fan club. The three girls outside of the Star Tent screamed when they saw him and started chasing him. Shoot. He turned around and fled into the safety of bunches of people, losing the three lunatic teens. He took the other way to Telma's bar, and when he climbed down the stairs towards the doorway, he heard voices. His ears flickered and picked up the sounds like a radar.
"Honey, don't you be worrying about some boy. A handsome and brave one, though, I must admit. He's not worth your time." He heard Telma tell someone. Then he heard the person sigh.
"I know, but I love him Telma. You don't understand. He was my best friend. Now he loves that Midna girl. I don't think I can get over him." Link's ears pricked up when he heard Ilia's melancholy tone. He felt terrible, even more now since he had accepted his feelings. He set his face in a mask of determination and walked into the bar. Ilia gasped when she saw him and Telma's eyes narrowed in anger.
"You have some nerve coming in here, boy." She said menacingly. Link ignored her.
"Ilia, your father's worried sick," he told her in a soft tone. "Please come home." Her eyes filled with tears, and she hugged herself.
"I don't want to talk to you." She turned away from him, and when he tried to approach, she stood up abruptly and stalked towards the door. Link caught her arm and said one word.
"Wait." Her eyes fill with anger at this one syllable.
"Wait?" she cried out hysterically. "Wait? For what? Wait for years until you get over Midna and finally accept me? I don't think so!" she snapped and shook her arm free. She walked out the door and slammed it in his face. He looked startled for a second, and then he sunk to his knees and buried his head in his hands. Telma understood what he had wanted to say.
"You do love her, don't you?" she asked with a pitying smile. He nodded, his head still hidden. She came over and put an arm comfortingly around his shoulder. "It'll be alright. You'll just have to win her back. And be confident about it. She loves you deeply, but she upset right now. You'll have to be careful." She gave him an encouraging smile and stood up, wiping her dress off. When he still sat there, she asked impatiently, "Well? What are you waiting for? Go get her! Come on now! Shoo!" she pushed him out the door and he was filled with determination. Telma was right. He'd have to win her back the hard way. He spotted her weaving through the streets, and he ran towards her. He stepped in front of her and crossed his arms.
"What are you doing?" she hissed angrily. Instead of a reply, he grabbed her and flung her across his shoulder, making her emit a yelp. "Link! Link, put me down this second or I swear to Nayru…" she growled, furious. He just stalked towards the entrance, and walked out with her into Hyrule Field. He grabbed his horse-call from his bag and played Epona's song. "Hey! You can't use that! That was a gift from me, and you can't use it against me! Put me down!" she screamed. Epona came running up, and instead of protecting Ilia, she gave a snort that sounded like she was laughing. "Epona!" she yelled at the horse. Link slung her over Epona's back and climbed on just behind her. He gave a shout and Epona broke into a full fledged gallop.
In about an hour they were running through the Faron Woods. They crossed the long bridge into Ordon and they arrived at the Ordon Spring. Link pulled Ilia off as Epona took a long gulp of water. She crossed her arms and glared at him.
"Now that you've kidnapped me, what do you want to say?"
"That I'm sorry." He whispered sincerely.
"Yeah, sorry isn't gonna cut it." She said bitterly. He stared at her.
"I know. I wanted to tell you something else, and I wanted to tell you here, since this is kind of our special place. I don't love Midna, Ilia. I thought I did, but she was just a good friend. You kind of get a bond with someone when you save Hyrule with them. No…I don't love Midna as anything other than a special friend." Ilia's heart quickened when she saw the way he was looking at her. Like he actually…no…but he said he didn't love Midna…maybe, just maybe…
"Ilia, I love you. I always have, I just didn't realize it until you confessed your feelings for me last night. You're my best friend. We grew up together, and you never judged me on how I could get work done for you, or how useful I was to you. You loved me for myself. And that's why I love you. Because you understand me. Because you're like me. Because you've always loved me for what I am." He looked straight into her eyes, and his blue ones held so much emotion and yes, love. His face inched closer, and closer, and he pulled her in for a kiss. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling. He kissed her softly, and lovingly, and she knew he really did love her. They broke apart and she buried her head in his chest.
"Promise you'll never leave me again, okay Link?" he smiled against her hair.
"I promise."
"Grandpa! Grandpa! Tell us the story of how you killed the big dragon!" Link and Ilia's 3 great-grandchildren yelled in unison. "Please?" they begged. Link couldn't help but chuckle at their antics.
"You've heard it a thousand times!" he protested. But they kept begging, so he finally told the story. They clapped and cheered when he ended, telling them how he had stabbed down on the beast's eye and it had exploded into a thousand little pieces. He still missed Midna, and his adventures, but he was okay now. It had been almost 50 years since she had disappeared, and he had his lovely great-grandchildren to entertain him. Ilia came up and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Dinner's ready, children." They whooped and they all ran towards the kitchen, making Link chuckle again.
"Ah…what I'd give to be young again, fighting some good ole' dragons. Oh well…I guess I had my glory. He stared at the triforce insignia that was still imprinted on his hand. Ilia put her arm around him.
"Don't worry. In the Spirit Realm you'll be able to enjoy killing monsters all you want." He had never really thought about dying, and where he'd go. Maybe he'd join the gods. He knew his days were coming to an end, and there was something he wanted to do before he got too old. He stood up abruptly and walked outside. Ilia started to follow him, but he told her to stop. This was something he needed to do alone. He walked down to where his old tree house stood. It was now covered in plants of all kind after being unoccupied for 40 years. He climbed up the vines and walked into the house. He may be old, but he was still very healthy. He took all of his weapons and put them into a magical pack that made the pack incredibly light. The he walked outside and headed towards the bridge separating the Ordon and Faron provinces. Ilia caught up with him.
"Where are you going?" she asked, concern filling her still beautiful green eyes. He smiled at her.
"Something very important. I'll see you when I get back." With that he walked across the bridge, Ilia staring at him in worry.
Over the next couple of months Link went back to all the temples, returning the ancient weapons to their sacred prisons by defeating the creatures that used to guard them again. He started with the City and the Sky, skipped the Temple of Time and returned all of them by going back the way he had collected them. When he was at Arbiter's Grounds, he stopped by the Mirror Chamber, where the now empty frame lay, with the old shattered pieces of mirror still lying around it.
"Midna…I hope you're doing all right there in the Twilight Realm. I still miss you…but I'm better now. Who knows? Maybe we will see each other again sometime." He smiled ruefully, and left a lone, black and blue flower lying on the stone before he went on. After he finally defeated the last creature and left the Gale Boomerang in the room filled with pillars, he returned to the little ledge that led to the Sacred Grove. The golden chicken was still there, flapping its wings. He grabbed it and flew over to the moving bridges. As if welcoming him, the wind blew them towards him. He walked across and finally arrived in the Sacred Grove. His little friend was there to meet him. After running around and killing puppets, he finally defeated the Skull Kid for a third time. The Skull Kid bowed to him then spun around and disappeared. Link entered the Temple of Time and returned the Dominion Rod to its place after he defeated the heavily armored warrior, Darknut. Then he returned outside to the ruins. He slowly walked over to the stone in which he had pulled out the Master Sword 51 years previous, remembering all the times in which he'd been here. How he had come here when he was trapped in the body of a wolf, doing all of this to help Midna. He lifted the Master Sword, and closed his eyes. Then he plunged it downwards. It slid in perfectly, not to be touched for hundreds of years. As Link turned around to go home, a giant beast stood in front of him. It lunged at him and he dove out of the way. He pulled out his old Ordon sword and fought bravely, even though his strength was completely sapped. With one last yell, he jumped over it, and brought his sword down on its head. It gave a loud shriek and then exploded. Link staggered and fell. He knew he wouldn't survive. One of its claws had been imbedded in his heart. The second he removed it, he would die. Before that minute came, Link recounted all of his adventures from when he was young. Escaping the dungeon, defeating Diababa at the Forest Temple, saving Colin, restoring peace to the Goron Mines and Kakariko, saving Ralis and Ilia, destroying Morpheel and getting the last Fused Shadow, Zant almost killing Midna, saving her and getting the Master Sword, and on and on. He remembered marrying Ilia, and that year in the desert after he had lost one of his greatest and closest friends, and then returning all the items for the next hero to come. Then, with a contented sigh and smile, Link pulled out the claw and all the life was extinguished from him.
He awoke in a beautiful forest with a gurgling stream. Twilight was falling over the woods, and the whole world was bathed in pink and orange. He sighed. It was majestic. He heard a high-pitched giggle and started. He turned, and there behind him floated Midna in her imp form.
"So you finally admit the twilight's beautiful, huh?" she asked. He stared at her for a few seconds. Here she was, like they hadn't been separated for 50 years. She gave a melancholy sigh that was very unlike her. "I missed you, you know. A lot. What I would've given to stay. But I don't work well with the light. And if the Mirror was kept open, who knows what could've come through. Not only would the world of light be harmed, but the Twilight could've been, too. Well, it's good to see you." She smiled her impish smile and transformed into her true form. Link had to admit she was still beautiful. He had missed her too, but as a friend.
"How long have you been here?" he asked, indicating to the magnificent forest beyond. Midna sighed.
"Ten lonely years. I was murdered by my own people. A few of them were still loyal, but others thought that with my talk of the light world I was some sort of traitor to them. They even tried to get into the world of light before they murdered me, but thankfully the Mirror of Twilight was the only link, and I destroyed that." She turned and gazed longingly at the world of twilight around them. "I loved my people so much, and then they betrayed me. And I've been stuck here by myself for a decade." Link was surprised when he heard that. Weren't there other people who had died in the Sacred Realm? Midna seemed to read his thoughts.
"When you die, the Sacred Realm only shows you the people who have passed on that you want to see. I haven't wanted to see anyone but you. You were my greatest friend, even after I used you like that. I realized when you saved me and helped me find the mirror shards that you were an amazing person. You are completely selfless. And I couldn't help but love you for that. Not in a romantic sense, of course. Just as a great and true friend." She smiled sadly. "I almost killed myself in those 40 years without you. I had no friends that understood me like you do. But now I'm here with you. You'll probably be seeing people that you know who have passed on pretty soon. They'll be looking for you once they've heard you're dead." Sure enough, Bo, Rusl, Uli, and various other townspeople he had befriended came to greet him. Bo gave him a loving lecture about leaving Ilia. But they all looked different. They looked younger. Bo was a lot thinner and muscular. He had a mop of messy brown hair on his head. Ilia's mother, Isidel, was with him. She looked just like Ilia, except that she had long, pointed ears instead of Ilia's small, slightly pointed ones. Rusl looked about the same, just a few less wrinkles. Same with Uli. Link guessed that he probably looked younger, too. He walked over to the stream and looked in the water. He was dressed in his hero's garb and he looked just like he had when he had restored light to Faron Spring. He had no wrinkles around his startling blue eyes, and his ears were strong and pointed, not drooping like they had been in the light world.
Over the next few decades, Link talked with Midna and others. But he felt a sharp pang in his heart the whole time. There was no Ilia. He wondered when she was ever going to get here. He didn't want her to die, but he also wanted to see her badly. Zelda had joined a couple of months ago. She was just a royal and magnificent looking as she had when he had met her in wolf form that one fateful day. He turned around quickly when he heard a cry from Bo.
"My baby girl's sick! Link, Isidel, come quick!" Link dashed quickly over to where Bo and Isidel were standing. They were around a swirling pool of clouds that showed whatever you like. There was a picture of Ilia on her deathbed, looking pale and surrounded by her great-grandchildren. They were weeping for her to stay with them but she gently rebuked them.
"It's my time. I'm going to see Link. I'm going to give him a good earful when I meet him. Just leaving us out of nowhere. The nerve!" she told them playfully. They cheered up a bit at her smile.
"I love you guys so much, and I'll miss you." Her eyes filled with tears. "But I think I'll be happy where I'm going. There'll be others I love there. I guess…See you later." She closed her eyes and drew one last, shaky breath. Then all the life drained out of her. The children sobbed hysterically. Their mother came in to comfort them, but she was crying, too. The heard footsteps approach them from behind. They turned to see Ilia walking towards them. She was back to her old teenage form like Link. Link took off running and picked her up in a giant hug, tears of happiness streaming down his face. He finally set her down, and rested his head against her shoulder.
"I missed you so much, Ilia." He mumbled to her. "I'm so sorry for leaving you. I had to return some stuff. A monster caught me by surprise at the end. I wasn't strong enough to defeat it without getting a few fatal scratches myself." She smiled at him.
"I guess I won't lecture you this time." Isidel and Bo ran up to them, too, and embraced Ilia. She held on tight to her mother. She hadn't seen her in almost 90 years. After many tearful hellos they finally all sat down and Link told Ilia his story of what had happened after he left. She nodded in understanding.
"You had to do it. But I did miss you. One year was bad enough. But 30 years? I almost died. Well, actually I guess I did." She laughed. She was introduced to Zelda and Midna. When she met Midna, she said.
"So I finally meet the girl who broke Link's heart, huh?" when Midna looked extremely confused by this she just shook her head.
"Never mind. He was really sad when you left. You probably missed him too." Midna nodded.
"Yeah. But that's life. Oh well. Shall we show you the forest? It's beautiful." Ilia smiled and agreed. They explored the forest for awhile, and dusk fell on the Sacred Realm. Ilia and Midna sat down at a random spring that was in the forest.
"Beautiful, isn't it? No wonder Link always sat outside watching the twilight. I usually left him alone. It was his time to be with you I guess." Ilia sighed. "What I would've given to be on that journey with him. It must've been amazing." Midna nodded.
"It was. But it was frightening, too. I had to bring Link back from the brink of death multiple times. I don't know if you'd like to be there." Ilia just sighed.
"I guess I just missed him over the years. There was always this part of him unknown to me. He had killed hundreds of creatures and seen horrific things that I couldn't even imagine. I didn't really want to know that side of him. And when he came back from the desert, he was so broken that I thought any tiny touch would shatter him. I helped him get through it, and he became the happy, loving Link I knew again. But there was always this look in his eyes. Like something was missing. I knew that look. I had the same thing when my mother died. The look of not being able to see someone you love. But now we're all here, and his eyes are full and contented. I missed that Link, and I'm glad he's back."
"Me, too." Midna commented. "Me, too…"
So I hope you enjoyed that. It had a lot of LinkXMidna in it, but it turned out LinkXIlia at the end. I just made up the name Isidel. It sounded cool.