"Tell me... Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?"
Rusl had asked Link that question almost a year ago, and Link had to say, yes, he did feel a strange sadness when dusk would fall, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel that strange sadness from the moment he woke up until his eyelids fluttered closed; even then he was not free from the nightmares and horrors he would endure in his sleep.
Link was almost a shadow of who he once was, while he tried his best to readjust to village life in Ordon, he struggled greatly. When he helped herd the goats on horseback, he would have flashbacks of having to battle against King Bulblin and Ganondorf himself. The environment itself was no longer safe or secure to him anymore, instead Link felt himself constantly in fear, his sword never leaving his side. The paranoia he felt would sometimes fade when he was with the children of the village, however the boy found that seeing the children play with toy swords would bring back the painful memories of fighting with countless monsters. He had numerous scars from all the battles he had endured, and everyday he was forced to remember each one as if it was happening all over again.
The young farm boy from Ordon Village was gone, he never truly thought he would feel so completely empty when coming home. He pictured himself finally at peace, being able to surround himself with the ones he loved, but the torturous events he had to face would never let him feel at peace.
He even thought perhaps serving the kingdom would help ease his suffering, after all, he saved Hyrule once, maybe becoming a knight could make him feel like he was of some use, to never let Hyrule succumb to that sort of darkness again. However, it was of no use, the training awakened even more suffering for the hero, feeling as if he was in all those dungeons and in combat once more. The princess herself saw his pain, and did her best to try and help him, but to no avail. He was no longer the carefree boy he once was, but a veteran warrior who could find no peace.
The worst part, Link decided, was that he could not escape the thought of the one who helped him the most throughout his journey. When he woke up and saw his shadow, he thought of her and even expected her to come out to talk to him. Throughout the day, he'd see something or hear something that reminded him of her, only to realize she was not there. And of course, the hour of twilight itself was when he felt her absence the most. The striking pitch black against the warm orange sunset made his heart stop. They were her colors. He could hear her lighthearted laugh, asking him if the stunning image reminded him of a certain stunning Princess of Twilight. A tear fell, just one, because he knew this was his life now, and he must save the rest of his tears for each night for as long as he lived. He would continue to wake up and stare at his own shadow, knowing full well who was missing, he would do his best to help the village, and spend time with the children. But he always saved time for when dusk would fall, so he could sit by the spring and watch as the sun would sink. "They saw it's the only time when our world intersects with theirs… The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world." Link contemplated the words Rusl had chosen when telling him of Twilight, that those who lived in light felt the regrets of spirits in what he now knew was the Twilight Realm. His eyes, now glazed over with bags under them, thought of Midna, and wondered if she had thought of him as much as he thought of her. After all, if the world did intersect at that time, perhaps their lingering regrets became intertwined. Midna, wanting to have left a way to return to the light world, and Link, wishing he had stopped Midna when he had the chance. The lament he had, it was far too great to think it could not reach her, and yet, it would never be enough to bring them together. He recalled every time she left his side, how she would giggle and say, "See ya later!" But the last time, she knew, she knew that she would never see him again, and it haunted him every single moment. His grief, his sorrow, his regret, they all seemed to melt together, and it was as if they were all he knew now. Finally though, he realized Midna left out of something he and her had dealt with throughout their journey, and she just did not overcome it. She was so strong, so stubborn, and yet in the end, her fear got the best of her. He wished, he begged, he prayed for her to have the peace he did not have. While he had the hope for the future before she shattered that mirror, he now used that hope as if he could will her to feel serenity, something he would never have. He recalled her telling him of how Twilight held a "serene beauty," and he could only dream of her finding her home as tranquil as he hoped.
That was it. That was the only thing that could bring him any sense of peace, the mere thought of Midna finding her own peacefulness. And that was enough for him. His many sacrifices, his sheer selflessness, even in this dark suffering, his light was and would always be Midna. He would always awake expecting to see her, he would always realize he would never see her again with the same heartbreak as the day before, and loneliness would always pervade the hour of twilight.