Two years. It had been two years since the end of the Twilight Invasion. Two years since Zant and Ganondorf were defeated. And it had been two years since Midna left. Within the first half year, Hyrule Castle had been under endless construction as was part of the city. Within that time, the Hero of Twilight, Link had been endlessly riding back and forth between Ordon and Hyrul Castle to assist wherever he could, occasionally staying over for weeks at a time when the situation called. It had been difficult at first as news of what had happened, minus a few...details, spread like wildfire among all of Hyrule. People flocked from everywhere to meet him on the streets, in person, or in hopes of attending some sort of party that he was too reluctant to attend. Zelda, now queen after her coronation, handled everything for him as best as possible. Though they sometimes met during meetings, they had not had much time to really get to know each other and talk. There was the brief time where he was able to tell her bits and pieces of his journey, but certainly not all of it. And once the repairs had been finished, they no longer met for any reason, though she had given him an open invitation for tea anytime he visited Castle Town.

Since then, the hero had resettled back into his quiet village...or as quiet as any village with several children who always found trouble and pestered him constantly. He returned to working at the ranch, taking care of Epona, and playing with the children. They'd bombard him with questions of his journey and ask him how he defeated the usurper king Zant. At night, he dreamed many times of his adventures and of Midna. Some dreams turned to nightmares where Ganondorf had somehow returned and Link was forced to watch as all he loved was destroyed and turned to ash while he helplessly ran to protect them, never moving more than a few inches if at all. He'd wake of screaming many times and felt grateful he lived alone to save him the embarrassment of explaining his nightmare to someone who couldn't understand what he had been through. Sometimes he'd feel lonley even when surrounded by people. One such person, Ilia always seemed to be by his side whenever possible. He felt grateful to her for her kindness and understanding, even if she did sometimes pry too much or scold him whenever he mentioned the dangers he put Epona through on his journey.

After more than a year since the invasion, things had fully settled back to normal and it was on such a normal day after he and Ilia had hung out, that her father had pulled him aside to discuss his future...and Ilia's future. Link was never one to be good at talking or voicing his deeper thoughts, often winding up in odd situations because of it. He was more of an action kind of guy. Always has been. So when Bo began talking of possibilities, Link found himself going along with it, even if he was unsure of himself. Ilia had been his childhood friend. They grew up together and in the earlier years, he felt like she was a sister to him. As they grew older, however, he had developed a crush on her though he never showed much of the feeling in any obvious way, especially to her. He found her beautiful, kind, and motherly. After she was taken during the Twilight Invasion, he was thrown all around Hyrule where he met many different people, including Hyrule's princess who made him, for a moment, believe that Ilia was simply pretty in comparison. He slowly grew to know Midna, an annoying, commanding, and cunning imp who cared for certain people more than she let on. And when Link finally found the missing girl, she could not remember him, her name, or where she came from. He felt a sharp pain in his chest when she did not remember him, and sadness when he feared she never would. That pain and sadness helped him to focus on his journey to rid Hyrule of the Twilight, defeat Zant, and save the princess. Though many things did not go exactly as expected, the world was safe, Ilia had her memory returned, and they were now-somehow-engaged.

He had wondered if she somehow knew what Bo was going to talk to him about, because she seemed incredibly excited, and minimally surprised as she hugged an hour later. He felt her lips press against his for the first time and everyone in the village celebrated joyously. Link too felt happy...but, not for the same reason. ...He felt happy that Ilia was happy. That the villagers were happy. But he did not feel happy for himself. A little inkling feeling of dread grew in the pit of his stomach. The feelings he had for Ilia...were different than before. Before the invasion, he would have been ecstatic to have been kissed by her. He would have been beyond overjoyed to find that they would marry and start a family. But when she kissed him all happy and blushing, he just felt...okay. There was the slight increase in his heartbeat that anyone would have for being kissed for the first time, but he did not gush with excitement like she did. And when the villagers patted his back and playfully joked about his soon-to-be marriage life, he blushed...with embarrassment. He wasn't ashamed that he was marrying Ilia or anything. The moment simply felt like unreal...detached from him.

But he did not decline. He did not change his mind days, weeks, or months later. Link was determined that if he had feelings for her before, that he could feel them again! There wasn't anyone else he felt he loved like a man loves a woman. Link only knew a few women personally, and that was mostly from his journey. He loved Midna as an important friend, not as a lover. She was very beautiful, he'd admit, but the hero had no intention of moving to the Twilight Relm to turn the feeling of friendship into love. Agitha was too young and too into bugs. Telma was too old and already had a crush on Renado, much to the other man's annoyance. Ashei was too much into her duties to focus on love. And then there was Zelda. Link didn't even want to think about any possibilities of a future with her because none existed. Even if he did admit to the strange, pulling sensation he got when he saw her, or how his pulse would quicken when they were in the same room, or how he noticed every slight emotion she carefully hid by the slight crease in her brow or the tiny curve of her lips, there was no way it could ever work out...or even happen...or be a remote possibility. Hero or not, he was a stable-hand and she was Hyrule's new queen. So he chose instead to settle with what he had. Ilia would make a great wife and a wonderful mother, he was sure. He'd do everything he could for her to make her happy and hope that one day, if he pretended long enough, that he would love her again.

And so, two years had passed since the invasion. And in another two weeks, he would be a married man. Two more weeks and the unease in his chest would go away. He would think only of Ilia. He would not think of Midna, or Zelda as anything other than unique friends from an adventure that was over and done with. He would never see Midna again, and it was unlikely he would ever see Zelda on a personal note.

A rapid knock came from his door.