All they were was enemies. That was how it was, and that was how it would always be. Eternally, they fought against each other on opposite sides of the yin-yang- The maniacal warthog and the resolute wolf. There were a plethora of differences binding them to their roles as rivals: The warthog was from the harsh desert while the wolf domiciled in the soft vegetation of the forest; The warthog was a king, while the wolf was a mere commoner; The warthog hated humanity and sought its damnation, while the wolf loved and cherished life and sought to preserve it. However, there was, yet, a single similarity that bound them even greater than any difference could:
One was nothing without the other.
Indeed it was true. Without the wolf, the warthog would have no one to use as its sole purpose of living- the sole purpose of reincarnating just to thwart the menace. Likewise, without the warthog, the wolf would be trapped in isolation from the world- A free bird held fast by chains. They needed eachother. They were each other's reason for being.
This could not have been more clear to either of them than after they completed their desires; when the other had perished, it left the last one standing alone and without purpose...
Merely a year after the death of Ganondorf, Link found himself pondering his life. He felt like there was nothing left for him, like his life was over. He tried to move back to Ordan, to continue the life he had left behind, but he couldn't bring himself to do it any longer: there was nothing for him there. The same day-to-day, week-to-week idle chores weighed him down even more than the realization that his purpose was over. After a while, he stopped coming out of his house, even when coaxed by Rusl. One night found him contemplating suicide. It seemed like a plausible option, given that he was no longer needed anymore; though, he just could not bring himself to do it, and so he let himself rot in bed for six months. All that echoed through his head was Ganondorf's voice.
"My country lay within a vast desert. When the sun rose into the sky, a burning wind punished my lands, searing the world. And when the moon climbed into the dark of night, a frigid gale pierced our homes. No matter when it came, the wind carried the same thing... Death."
Those words... They were of truth, a bitter truth that a learned man had gathered in resentment for the gods that punished his people who did naught but try to survive. Of all the blessed areas of Hyrule- The forests that oozed fresh due upon healthy green leaves every morning, the lakeside with an ever-gentle breeze that seemed to kiss its inhabitants, the rich and wealthy prosper of Hyrule Castle Town- why was the desert the single wasteland? Why were the desert people so condemned with an arid landscape too harsh for comfortable living? How could the goddesses be so cruel to people who could do nothing against it?
Where they the same gods that chose him?
The same gods that now left him in his own depression, a monument left to rust now that its use has run out?
The ones who...
The ones who took Midna from him...
With a sudden spark of rage, Link kicked his diningroom table over, all the glass on top smashing onto the floor with a merciless explosion. He stood there, gazing at what he had done as he panted heavily. Finally, he dropped to his knees and began to shake with impudent rage. There was nothing he could do about anyway. Whether they were cruel gods or not, they were not accessible- He couldn't do anything about them.
"But... Curse them!" He spat. He ran his fingers through his darkening blonde hair. How he hated this.
How he hated the loneliness. Sure, he had his friends and family, but he lacked anyone who truly understood him. Midna understood him, and so did Ganondorf. Now they were both gone, and he had no one to look at him with those eyes- Those knowing eyes that invigorated him with the igniting excitement that he was understood.
How he hated this helplessness. He was truly helpless to save himself... From himself... He could feel himself sinking further and further into the darkness, and it was beginning to suffocate him.
After eight months of wasting in Ordan, he finally decided to hop on Epona in the middle of the night and rode away. He didn't quite know where he was going, but he had to go somewhere. Days went on, and he could find nowhere to rest himself. He and Epona pressed on for what seemed weeks, trying to find the one place that they could be happy. Their journey took them all over the large fields of Hyrule once more, yet Link couldn't bring himself to venture near the castle, or to the villages where people he once saved would look upon him with pity. He knew the many sleepless nights of restlessness had taken a toll on his body, and he knew that it was quite evident.
Finally, they found themselves too tired to continue on. They had been traveling for so long without rest, had not eaten much since they left, and blistering summer sun put all its might on them; it was too much to bear, and even as Link walked beside his horse to give her a break, they still fell to their knees. Epona had suddenly collapsed on to the floor, and all Link could do was follow her lead as he, too, felt his legs give out and fell to his knees. He lay against the dirt ground, his mind spinning emptily. He wasn't quite sure where he was, nor did he care. It didn't matter anymore. Everything just floated above him. Everything just spilled from his mind, all over the ground around him. There were no thoughts left to think, and he settled upon looking at the orange-coloured dirt as it was wisped away by the unwilling breeze.
"My country lay within a vast desert."
"You are Link, the Hero of Light!"
"Tell me… Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?"
"When the sun rose into the sky, a burning wind punished my lands, searing the world."
"Well, she's all prettied up now, so I suppose you can ride her back. But don't you make her do too much, okay?"
"Please… I am but a lowly soldier. Please… someone save me from these evil creatures… Ahhh!"
"And when the moon climbed into the dark of night, a frigid gale pierced our homes."
"A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage."
"Let's go, Link! For Zelda! For all of this world!"
"No matter when it came, the wind carried the same thing... Death."
"Although I accepted life as the hero, I could not convey the lessons of that life to those who came after. At last, I have eased my regrets. You who have marched through countless foes, each mightier the last… You, who now gaze to the future with vision unclouded… Surely you can restore Hyrule to its stature of yore as the chosen land of the gods. …Farewell! Go and do not falter, my child!"
...
The golden wolf...
Surely he would have felt this pain...
...
Just as his eyes shut, he saw a soft golden light pass over him, and it resonated over his body.