Disclaimer: I do not own any part of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, including, but not limited to, characters, locations, themes, plots, or anything of the sort. If I did, I would not be writing this.
Forward:
After I finished playing Twilight Princess, like when you finish a good book, I didn't want the story to end. I wanted to see what would happen to Link after he finished his quest. I decided to look up a fanfiction to see what other people came up with. I wasn't satisfied with any of them. They were either too short, too sexual, too unoriginal, or just boring. I don't mean to be picky, but I felt that Link's relationship with Ilia should be expanded upon, but I haven't come across a fanfic that does it for me. Instead of giving up, I decided to write my own. This story will be long, perhaps a bit tedious at times, detailed, slow, and fairly innocent. I feel that this is a reflection on the relationship that Link and Ilia would share. There will be no lemons, limes, or any other citrus fruit you can think of. This is purely a story of friendship, adventure, and love. That being said, this is also my first attempt at writing a fanfic, so please comment, praise, or critique my work when you're done. Enjoy!
Prologue
Link sat under a tree, just west of Hyrule Castle Town. The memories of the past weeks swirled around in his mind, but one of them stood out among the rest. He couldn't shake the feeling of loss from his final farewell to Midna. He recalled it with perfect precision.
. . .
Midna approached the Twilight Mirror, the gate between her kingdom, the Twilight Realm, and Hyrule. A quiet gust of wind filled the silent of the arbiter's grounds. Midna turned to face him and Zelda as the glowing staircase materialized from the platform on which they stood.
"Thank you..." Midna said solemnly, "Well, the princess spoke truly: as long as that mirror's around, we could meet again..." A glowing yellow tear appeared on her pale face. "Link... I..." she started. The tear rose off her cheek and began floating towards him and Zelda. Midna gently pushed the tear away from her. It continued to float away, slowly bobbing up and down. It sparkled with a gentle magic. "See you later..." she said, finally.
The tear flowed through the air for what seemed like an eternity. Link stared, wondering why Midna had propelled the tear towards him. But he soon realized that it was not headed for him, or even Zelda, but rather towards the Twilight Mirror. It slowly passed through it, directly through the Triforce symbol in the center of its beautiful surface. A faint purple splotch appeared where the tear hit the mirror, and it expanded towards the outer edges. Following the expanding ring was an ever-growing series of cracks on its crystal surface. Link and Zelda gasped before turning to Midna once again.
She was already halfway up the staircase before he realized what was happening. He tried to say something, but he caught his breath as she turned and looked him in the eyes. He saw not anger, nor joy. He only saw strength. Strength, and a deep pain. She smiled as the mirror's magic began to form around her. Its light transformed her tall figure into a bright mist before it entered the portal. Link could only stare as his guide, his companion, his friend, was whisked away before his eyes. He wanted to call out to her, to just say goodbye, but he couldn't move a muscle. The light receded back into the Twilight Mirror, and with a heart-wrenching crash, it shattered into a thousand tiny shards, forever breaking his only link to Midna.
. . .
And so here he sat. The moon's light illuminated the vast expanse of Hyrule Field. Zelda's magic had returned them to Lake Hylia, and they exchanged few words as they walked back to Castle Town. They parted, and Link took a seat against a large tree. Epona, his horse, stood a few feet away, grazing on the lush grass. His back against the trunk of the tree, his shield and sheath at his side, and his mind in the clouds, Link sat in confusion and sadness.
"Why did she have to shatter the mirror?" he said out loud, to nobody in particular. Epona gave a muffled grunt and shook her mane, as if in response. Link smiled, cleared his head, and picked himself up off the ground. He reattached his sheath to his back and mounted Epona. He couldn't mope around any longer. He had work to do.
Chapter 1: Loose Ends
As the first hints of dawn started creeping over the mountains, Link arrived at the site of his final battle with the demon lord Ganondorf. Link still needed to retrieve the Master Sword and return it to its pedestal in the Sacred Grove. He found the haunting silhouette of his adversary against the horizon. His body stood upright, with the blade that had slain him still within his chest. The flesh and bones were gone, but something still held the armor in place. Wearily, Link dismounted his horse and approached the ghostly carcass. He placed his hand on the hilt of the blade and pulled, but it wouldn't budge. He put his other hand on it and yanked it free. The Master Sword flew out of the chest plate as the armor began to crumble. The dark metal collapsed into a pile on the ground before a black flame consumed what was left of Ganondorf. The armor disintegrated into the air, and Link thought he could hear the dying cry of the bearer of the Triforce of power passing over the wind.
He reexamined his sacred blade, but something was amiss. It didn't seem right. He lifted it up with his left arm until the tip of the blade pointed outwards from his body, perpendicular to the ground. It seemed... heavier?
His quest was over. He had served his role as the Hero of Time. He was still able to wield the sacred blade, but he was no longer its chosen master. He placed it back in his sheath, climbed into Epona's saddle, and set off for the Sacred Grove.
The sun had just peaked over the tips of the mountains by the time he entered the Ordona province. He reached where the paths split to Faron Woods and back to Ordon village. He left Epona at the crossroads and entered the dark cave that lead deep into the woods. Since peace had been restored to Hyrule, the level of monster activity had significantly decreased. The Keese were no longer as bold, and the Bokoblins had retreated into the furthest stretches of the kingdom. He walked through Faron woods with lantern in hand, ready to defend himself, but there was never a need. He reached the shack that served as the bird's store in a few minutes. He approached the ravine that lay between Faron Woods and the Sacred Grove, wishing that Midna could have just used her magic to teleport him there. Instead, with some skillful use of his claw shots, he entered the home of the Master Sword with relative ease.
As Link traversed through the various paths, he kept an eye out for the skull kid that had given him such a hard time on his last few trips there. There was no sign of any danger, and before long he was standing in the clearing where he had first found the Master Sword. The temple that had once guarded this heavenly blade was long gone, but it was still safe. No evil could ever touch it. He slowly walked to the center of the clearing where the empty pedestal lay. He drew the sword from his back and let the light glint off its illustrious surface. He held it high above his head, grasped it with both hands, turned its point towards the ground, and plunged it into its slot.
Nothing. Not even a sound. It just fit snuggly into its place, as if it had just collapsed into its bed after a long days' work. Link marveled at the unceremonious farewell to his weapon as he walked away from the clearing. It seemed like his allies on his adventure all felt like no words needed to be exchanged. Link returned to Faron woods, solemnly and silently.
. . .
As Link entered the cave that connected Faron Woods to the clearing that lead to Ordon village, he heard the unmistakable cries of a swarm of Keese. He readied his slingshot for the coming attack. The glowing eyes of a dozen flying beasts appeared from around a dark corner, but they paid him no attention. Instead, they flew far above his head and scattered into the morning sky. Link quickly turned his attention back to the mouth of the cave. Something had scared those Keese. Something big. He reached for his blade, but quickly realized that he had already left it behind. Instead, he pulled out his bow and quickly notched an arrow.
Link listened patiently, waiting for whatever was lurking in the cave to reveal itself. He heard the sound of footsteps approaching, but they weren't human. No, this beast was much larger. It was walking on at least four legs. A dark shadow rounded the bend quickly. Link quickly drew back his bow, ready to fire. The figure saw him, and rushed towards him. Link began to let his fingers release the arrow, but quickly stopped when he heard a whinny. Epona had come through the cave in search for him. Link let out a sigh of relief before putting away his bow and walking over to comfort his anxious horse. She was so close to home, and she wanted to get back to her village.
Unfortunately for Epona, Link wasn't ready to head home yet. As the pair walked out of the other side of the cave, Link steered Epona away from the entrance to Ordon village. With a reluctant snort, Epona followed the orders of her master. Link climbed into the saddle and spurred her on towards Hyrule Field. He still had to retrieve the children from Kakariko village.
By the time Link had crossed the bridge that spanned Kakariko Gorge, it was nearly noon. He entered Kakariko village, eager to see his friends again. But unlike other visits, he didn't see any of them playing in the street, climbing the tower on the far side of town, or playing in the spring. Link brought Epona to a steady trot as he scanned the town for any residents. The "Malo Mart" that Malo had set up in the abandoned store was completely empty. Even his silly posters had been taken down.
"Hello?" Link shouted into the quiet village.
"Link? What are you doing here?" said a voice from behind his back. Link turned to see Luda, the daughter of the village shaman, Renado, standing in the doorway to the hotel.
"Well... I'm here to bring the Ordon children home." Link stuttered.
"But they... maybe you should speak with my father," she replied meekly.
Link dismounted Epona and walked with Luda to her house. Once inside, Renado approached Link with a confused but gentle expression.
"Hello Link! Nice of you to stop by! What brings you to Kakariko village this time?" he boomed.
"I came to bring Ilia and the rest of the children home, sir." Link said.
"Well, I'm afraid your work has already been done! Telma, the woman Castle Town, came here just yesterday to bring them all home in her wagon. I imagine that they are already safe back in Ordon village by now."
Link sighed, "Well that's good, I guess. Thank you, Renaldo, for taking care of them while they were here. I'll just be going home than."
"It was my pleasure. Please, do visit us again some time!"
Link exited Renaldo's home and called Epona over to him. She was tired, and so was he. He whispered softly into her ear, "Don't worry, we're going home now." She let out a soft whinny of pleasure at the thought of her comfy spot by Link's house. Link mounted her once again and rode out of Kakariko village, eager to see his friends again.
Especially Ilia.
It's kind of slow going. Don't worry, the story will pick up soon. I just have a lot of details I'd like to get down.
