After Twilight
Chapter 1
Epona's hoof beats slowed from a heavy run to a soft and easy trot as we passed underneath the wooden arch above Ordon's village line. The birds were fluttering and twittering in the sky around my home village, creating a peaceful and serene afternoon. My neighbors hurried out of their homes, tailgating their precious children. Bo, the mayor, was the first Ordonian to greet me.
"Link m'boy. It's so good to see you again. I trust your final journey was pleasant?"
"Yes sir. The strange, evil creatures infesting Hyrule Field have fled. We can rest assured there will be nothing but safe travels from here to Hyrule Castle in the future." I replied as I dismounted.
"Oh Link! I'm so happy you're safe." Ilia cried as she flung herself into my arms. "I thought I asked you to return home safely."
"Um..I did. How did you and the kids make it home?"
"Renado dropped them off. Barnes had to man the bomb shop in Kakariko but Renado prepared a covered wagon for the children. The work you did in Hyrule cleared the way home. You've earned my deepest gratitude Link." Bo informed me. I strode to Bo and he grasped my hand and shook it as a sign of respect. Ilia clasped her hands together and smiled lovingly at her father and myself. Her gaze reminded me of Zelda; the thought of our goodbye to Midna and to each other surfaced in my foremost thoughts.
Midna, now in her true form since Ganondorf's defeat lifted her terrible curse, paused on the illusory steps of the Mirror of Twilight. She turned to me and said, "Link, thank you so much for your help. I don't know how any of this would've been possible without you."
I smiled warmly, "You're welcome Midna. I didn't appreciate you using me in the beginning but you grew on me you little imp."
She laughed hysterically. "Never fear Link. If you mess up the world again, I'll return the favor without hesitation and manipulation. I promise." She winked at me and turned once again to enter into the Twilight Realm. After she disappeared, Zelda turned to me and grabbed my hand. It felt so nice to see her alive again. Which reminded me.
"I'm sorry Zelda."
"There's no need to apologize for anything. You saved the entire kingdom, the entire world, and myself. You should not apologize."
"You're not mad that I launched your own electricity balls back at you?"
She looked at me completely confused. I guess she really was..dead at that point. After Midna released her from Ganondorf's possession, I assumed that she would have no memory of the fight in which Ganondorf's used her as his dark puppet. I was hoping she didn't remember so I'm glad she was looking at me like she had no idea what I was talking about.
"Link, you did what?" Now she seemed angry.
"It was to ward off Ganondorf. Midna freed you right after I weakened him enough for her to get him out of you."
She just rolled her eyes and kept a hold on my hand. "Let's just go back to the castle. I have some things to take care of and a few rewards for you."
"I don't need a reward. Your safety and the safety of the world is reward enough for me." I responded.
"Regardless, there are things I want to give you." She jerked me back towards the entrance to the Arbitor's Grounds. The way to the desert from Lake Hylia had been restored but the trek across the desert made me miss being able to warp with Midna. Traveling was so much easier when all you had to do was tell her where to go and she'd get you there in half a second. She was truly a reliable companion to help me on that dangerous mission. Zelda could only help me out so much due to her confinement and the sacrifice she made for Midna. I didn't love Zelda any less for it nor did I develop stronger feelings for Midna. With Midna, it was a mutual friendship.
We trekked across the desert and finally made it to Lake Hylia. The cool water of the lake was so inviting, I almost wanted to take time to relax and swim. After all, I had been on the move for days; trying to rid Hyrule of the cloak of twilight, to purify every temple in the kingdom and to defeat Zant and Ganondorf. Zelda kept pushing me onward until we finally reached Fyer's flying machine.
"Well hello there young fella and your highness." Fyer bowed politely. "How may I help you today?"
"We need the ride up to Falbi's Flight by Fowl. We need to get back to the castle." I ordered.
"For her highness, no charge. Step right on in and hold on."
She seemed uneasy and unsure; she looked back to me fear holding her gaze. "Is this safe?"
"I've done it plenty of times your highness. It is quite a rush; you'll be fine." I reassured her. Without any further argument, she stepped inside the cave like hatch and anxiously waited for Fyer to shut the door and turn the crank to launch her. I heard her scream as she hit the balcony floor unharmed. She called down to me, "Alright Link, I'm okay."
I was about to step into the hatch when Fyer's arm halted me. "That'll be ten rupees fella."
"Are you kidding me?"
"I couldn't very well charge the princess for a ride now could I? But you've been paying for my services the whole time." He smiled devilishly.
"You took enough of my money. I gave you three hundred rupees to fix my sky canon!" I still couldn't believe that he did that. Sure it took him three days to rebuild that canon but I only used it once to reach the City in the Sky to help the Ooccoo.
He sighed. "Good point. But I'm still going to need those ten rupees. I don't want Falbi thinking I'm giving away free rides." He held out his hand. I yanked into my pocket and pulled out ten rupees. I dropped them into his waiting hand and stepped into the hatch.
"Pleasure doing business with you bud." He smiled and closed the door. If I knew one thing, it's that I would avoid Lake Hylia as much as possible unless I had Midna with me. I launched onto the balcony; after brushing off the dirt, I looked up to find Zelda waiting in the doorway to Falbi's Flight by Fowl. I grabbed her hand and led her down the ladder and out the back door.
I stopped by some reeds that grew up the hill underneath the sign. "Link, what are you doing?" Zelda asked.
"Remembering that I have a charm to call Epona." I pulled it out of my pocket and played Epona's favorite, sweet tune. I waited to see from which direction she would come; sure enough, she came over the west bridge and stopped in front of me. I helped Zelda onto her back and we rode up the road towards Hyrule Castle. Epona obviously couldn't carry us into the gates so Zelda and I had to walk the rest of the way to her castle. Zelda didn't seem to mind, she seemed content to casually walk hand in hand through Castle Town.
We made it to her main ballroom where the townsfolk eagerly waited for the good news. Zelda took her place on the balcony above the ballroom as I stood next to her secretly still keeping a hold of her hand. "My people. The evil Ganondorf has been vanquished. Link has endangered his own safety for the safety of Hyrule. From this day forward, Link's bravery will forever be recognized and praised. On behalf of all of Hyrule, Link I thank you."
She bowed to me; her people followed her example and bowed before me as well. I had to admit, being a hero had so many perks other than risking your life. The people rose and cheered for me as Zelda whisked me away from the balcony to the hallway.
"Oh Link. How can I ever thank you?" She asked me as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
"I can think of one thing." I leaned towards her hoping she would receive my kiss. She kissed me back for a moment; her sweet, warm lips reminded me of the beautiful fields in Ordon. I suddenly remembered Ilia; I had risked my life to save her and regain her memory. She has always been my best friend and I trusted her more than anyone else back home. What would she say if she could see me now? How would she feel? I reluctantly pulled away from Zelda.
"Link, what's wrong?" She asked me. Hurt was blaring out of her eyes; I had really offended her by pulling away.
"Ilia." I simply said.
"Who's Ilia?"
"She's a girl from my village. She…she's my best friend. And I saved her life and I think she has feelings for me." I told her.
"And…and you have feelings for her?" She asked. I could swear tears were going to fall from her beautiful eyes.
"No! No, but I feel that before I can be with you I need to tell her that her and I will never be."
A look of relief washed over her face. I placed my hand lovingly on her cheek. She smiled and placed her hand over mine, longing in her eyes. I kissed her once more and turned to head for home.
"Link, why don't we go to the spring? We have so much to talk about and I want to hear all about your adventures since the last time I saw you." Poor Ilia, she had no idea that I'm in love with the princess; she would be heartbroken and Bo might break me. It's a good thing I kept his iron boots I guess. I pulled on Epona's reigns and led her towards the spring just outside of the village. Ilia chatted about Talo and Malo's mischief on the way home from Kakariko. She giggled and tried to wrap her arm through mine. I had to let her because after I tell her she'll never want to see me again. We reached the spring; I led Epona to its healing waters and let her drink. I turned to Ilia. She seemed so happy.
"So Link, how did you save the kingdom?" she asked me abruptly. I owed her something so I might as well humor her before I break her heart. After I restored her memory, I traveled all over Hyrule in search of sky book characters to uncover a sky canon. I took it back to Lake Hylia and asked Fyer to repair it for me. Once I reached the City in the Sky, I defeated the evil Argorok and launched back to Lake Hylia. Argorok possessed the final piece of the Mirror of Twilight Midna and I had set out to retrieve. After we collected the three missing pieces, Midna and I headed into the Twilight Realm where I defeated Zant. It was there that Zant told us that Ganondorf had been resurrected and was waiting in the Castle. We hurried there as fast as we could and lo and behold, Ganondorf sat in Zelda's throne. A long battle ensued and my sword finally defeated Ganondorf. I had purposefully left out the part of Zelda and the farewells because now was the time I had to tell Ilia.
"Link, your adventures sound so amazing." She inched closer to me. "I wish I could've been there too." She hugged me so abruptly I had no time to stop her. She held onto me tightly and yet affectionately. She finally pulled away but let her arms rest around my neck. She slowly leaned forward and closed her eyes. I pulled away as quickly as I could without hurting her feelings.
"What's wrong?" she asked me. "Don't you like me?"
"Of course I do but I need to tell you something."
"Okay." She pulled away, patiently waiting for my explanation of my rejection.
"I'm in love with Princess Zelda. I needed you to know that before I got together with her that I loved her and…I only have feelings of friendship for you."
She got really angry. "Is it because I'm a lowly village girl? Is it because she's the Princess?"
"No! I've known her as long as I have known you but…I fell in love with her a long time ago. My feelings for her never went away. Can you understand? Can we still be friends?"
She pondered that for a moment and she finally smiled as warmly as she could and said, "Of course. You'll always be my best friend."
I smiled and thanked her. I walked her back to the village; we had just reached her house when Fado ran from the Ordon Ranch screaming my name.
"Link! I need you and Epona. Can you please herd the goats for me?" He desperately plead.
"I suppose I can spare a few minutes. Why does it seem that you can never get them herded yourself?"
"I don't know; they seem to like you more than they like me. So you think you and Epona can herd 'em up for me?"
I gave one look to Ilia and agreed. I boarded Epona and headed up to the ranch. The gleam from the setting sun surrounded the entire ranch with a gorgeous orange aura. Just beauty and serenity was the thing I was longing to share with Princess Zelda. For too long, our beautiful kingdom had been plagued by darkness and in-betweens. The evil spread of twilight turned a beautiful spring into a realm from nightmares' past. But now, we could finally prosper in the light, without any more interference from twilight.
"Come on buddy. The faster we herd these little scamps into the barn, the quicker you can relax from your journey." Fado interrupted from the hill. He really had bad timing, especially when it comes to morning shifts.
"If you were so worried about me resting up from my journey then why are you asking me to do your work?" I snapped back.
"I already told you. The goats haven't been listening to me."
I knew there was no point in arguing the matter further so I pulled on Epona's reigns and trotted around the field. Epona's hoof beats against the grass frightened the goats. I yelled and screamed frantically waving my arms around scaring the goats into the barn. As the last goat brought its leg into the barn, I pulled Epona onto her two back legs and turned her to face my employer. He seemed very pleased with me and dismissed me from the field. I was stopped at the village gate by Talo, Malo, Beth, and Colin. They moved aside as I slowed to a steady walk.
"Thanks again for saving us Link." Beth thanked me.
"It was no problem Beth. You all mean a lot to me. I couldn't just let you guys stay stranded in Kakariko."
"Hey Link, we heard about what you said to Ilia." Talo said. "How come you don't like her?"
I was really surprised by Talo's question. Was that what Ilia was telling everybody? Why would she say that? She specifically told me that she didn't mind us not being a couple. "I didn't say I didn't like her. I...you know what? You're a kid; you can't understand these problems. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a meeting with Princess Zelda and I have to talk to Ilia before I leave." Epona and I rode off towards the Ordona Spring, where Ilia still sat. "Ilia, why are you telling everyone in our village that I'm a monster that just doesn't like you?" I asked. Yeah it was kind of harsh but I was in no mood for this.
"I'm sorry Link. It's just that...when you fought so hard to restore my memory, it was because you loved me; not that you just needed me to tell you about something to get you to the City in the Sky." she explained.
"Ilia, that's not the only reason. I do care about you, but only as a friend. I'm in love with Princess Zelda. I have been from the beginning. Do you understand?" I asked.
"Yes." And with that, Epona and I headed back to the Faron Woods to once again make the trip to Hyrule Castle. Zelda waited anxiously for me to return. I burst through the castle doors and ran right into her waiting arms. She hugged me so tightly; she really missed me.
"I thought you changed your mind." Zelda mumbled into the top of my tunic. I pulled her lips to mine and kissed her gently.
"I could change my mind about anything else, but I can't change my heart and how I feel about you. Nor do I want to. You're the only one I've ever loved and it's going to stay that way." She kissed me enthusiastically and lovingly.
We made our way to her bed chamber. She let go of my hand and dimmed the lights. She strode over to me and kissed me once more once the lights flickered. "You should rest my love."
"I think I will. I've been non-stop running all over Hyrule; it has left me exhausted." I said. "But I can't take your bed, where would you sleep?"
She laughed. "With you of course. I have some old clothes for you to change into if you'd like to wear them to bed."
"Oh. Oh yeah of course. Sure I'll...take those...night clothes." We changed into suitable nightwear and we crawled into bed. At first, she laid on the other side, allowing me room to sleep I guessed. I scooted closer to her and rested my arm over her waist and pecked her neck. She giggled and rolled over to face me wrapping her arm around my waist. She gave me a sweet goodnight kiss before closing her eyes and resting her head against my chest. I kissed the top of her head before laying my head on hers and fell asleep.