Link
Link turned to follow Ilia as she guided him, forging a path deeper into the forest. Despite her grace and appearance, Ilia was not a delicate girl. While Ordon was not poor, it was not abounding in wealth either, and when they were both young she had done just as much work as the other children. Possibly more, considering that her mother had died when she was small.
She led him to a small streambank, and they sat down on a fallen log, the vibrant green of the moss gleaming in the sparse sunbeams that pierced the canopy. The air was cool, the leaves on the trees just beginning to turn. Winter was coming. Ilia turned to face Link, emerald green and cobalt blue meeting uncertainly. Link sighed and turned away, and Ilia leaned in and placed her hand on his knee.
"I'm sorry to take you away from your training, but I can't bear it any longer!" Link looked back at her and blinked in surprise, questions in his eyes, but they faded as he saw the pain in hers. "I just wanted to talk to you about…" Her eyes left his, and she searched for the right word. She seemed to find the one she was looking for. She looked back to him, eyes narrowed in determination. She stated softly. "Us." Link looked up to her, his face grim. Her expression fell, and she dropped her gaze.
"Oh, Link. I don't know what to say. I know you don't want to talk about it… I thought and thought about what I would say…" She reached up and with a hand covered the tears that had begun to gather, Link sighed and his expression softened, and he took her other hand in his. She continued, voice fervent, willing herself to speak through her tears.
"Ever since you stopped the Dark Lord, you haven't been the same! You came back with that woman from Twilight, and I-" She stopped cold. Link bent to catch her eyes, and she averted hers. There was a pause.
"I know you loved her." She stated finally, voice steady.
Midna. The Twilight Princess. Link tried not to dwell on thoughts of her, but he knew he would never forget that strange girl. He fingered his necklace, but he had taken the emerald bead off years ago. Memories came back, thoughts about those days not too far past, when it had been only he and Midna facing the powers of darkness. While they had not always gotten along, there at the end he had been willing to sacrifice his life for her. No, he would never forget Midna.
Ilia spoke again. "But… she is gone." Link shut his eyes as more memories returned of the day when a mirror had shattered, glass mixing with the pieces of his heart. She had abandoned him. He had forgiven her long ago, but the memories still pained him.
Ilia continued. "But when you fought to restore my memory to me, in those days when I knew you as nothing more than a kind young man…" Link almost shivered at the memory of when he had looked to the face of his oldest friend, and in Ilia's gaze Link had seen something utterly alien in those eyes. Unrecognition. He had been forgotten.
Her voice grew stronger, and he met her eyes again, shining with tears but narrowed in resolve to bear her feeling. "Those were the days here you showed me, proved to me, that you loved Ilia. Not Ilia, the mayor's daughter, not Ilia, the girl who had forgotten who she was. But Ilia," She reached out and took his hand in both of hers. "Somebody worth sacrificing for." He gazed deep into those emerald eyes, her heart bared before him. He had planned to do this later, but he supposed now would do. He didn't make a single noise or indication. Ilia wiped the tears from her eyes, but stated simply.
"I love you, Link." He looked back at her, not showing any surprise. They sat there, the long moment of silence only broken by the gurgling stream and the songs of birds.
"Aren't you going to nod… or grunt, or something?" She asked, with a hint of frustration in her voice. He looked to her, stood up, and knelt on one knee. Her breath caught in her throat. He pulled out a small polished metal box, and opened it without a sound. Her eyes flashed in surprise. Within lay a simple band of gold, a small diamond set into the center, flanked by two smaller uncut emeralds. Her hand flew to her mouth and she looked like she would fall off the log in shock.
"Link!? Is that… is that…" He nodded, smile growing. It was replaced by a look of surprise as Ilia stumbled to kneel beside him, throwing her arms around his neck, and burying her head in his wide chest. He hesitantly set the box on the ground, and put his arms around her, drawing her in. She was warm. She turned her head, shoulders heaving quietly. He held her for long seconds before she spoke again. "Yes, Link. Yes."
RONE
Rone stumbled through the twisting passageways, the only light coming from the occasional glowing mushroom on the walls and glimpses of bokoblin torches that he deftly avoided. His hand pulsed where the dark gauntlet gripped him, fear pounding through his veins. He had meddled with darkness and paid the price, and now he simply hoped to survive his foolishness. Tremors still struck the cavers, rocks and dust falling from the ceiling as he searched for a way out. The bokoblins were on the rampage, Rone thinking that he had stolen the object of their worship, and it was getting harder and harder to evade them.
There, ahead. Light. He raced towards the narrow exit dodging rock outcrops and tree roots. He burst out of the narrow cave, and drew his dagger, favoring his good leg. No hostiles. He recognized the hills in the distance and the massive southern mountains, and immediately began running back to Ordon. It wasn't long before he heard shouts and the crash of blades. And a high-pitched scream.
Tali. He forced his weakened body to run faster, tree branches whipping into him as he crashed through the undergrowth, alarms flashing through his mind. He broke into the clearing, eyes flashing around the area to gain information. Colin was at the far end of the clearing, desperately holding off three ugly blue-skinned creatures. The flat-faced bokoblins swung their rough blades clumsily and wore no armor, but they had advantage in numbers.
"Where's Tali!?" Rone shouted as he ran to help his friend.
"Rone!" Colin looked to him in surprise, but was forced to dodge a series of irregular swings. "Over there!" Colin slashed down an opponent, and pointed his weapon to Rone's right. He turned his head, red hair whipping, as his golden eyes caught the tail end of the small band of bokoblins, one of them hefting a sack.
"I got her, you stay alive!" Rone shouted as he sprinted after them. He didn't have enough time to grab a better weapon, so he gripped the long knife. He closed the gap on the slow creatures swiftly, but two of their number broke off to content with him, Tali's muffled screams still emerging from the bag carried by the retreating company. Rone could see where they were headed. Emerging from the grassy ground was a koblin warren, the disguised entrance open. Rone knew that if they made it in there with Tali, she was as good as cooked and eaten. Nobody was dumb enough to fight Bokoblin gangs underground.
The first approached him with triangular blade raised, a foul screech coming from between its cracked teeth. He didn't stop and dove into the strike, trusting his timing. He guessed correctly, and his knife took the creature in the throat as its blade descended behind him. He threw off the choking monster, trying to ignore the foul purple blood staining his clothing. The second did not wait for him to get untangled, and leaped in with the same overhand strike as the first. He blocked roughly, his smaller blade twisting the strike away from him. The blade still sliced a gash on his arm, further staining his light tunic. He gasped in pain, but spun around and drove the point of his knife into the bokoblins ribs. He did not wait to check if it survived, again taking off after the retreating group.
They had gained much ground. But he could not give up. He forced his muscles into a frantic beat, his leg paining him with every step, his arm throbbing violently. Another koblin turned to engage him, and Rone's face twisted in anguish as he realized he would not make it in time. Against his will his legs slowed, and his eyes began to dull with pain and exhaustion. He tripped and landed hard, his knife bouncing from his grasp. He looked up through blurry eyes. He saw the lead bokoblin strike the moving bag with the haft of his weapon, and the strugglings ceased.
"NO! Tali!" He screamed in desperation. He had to do something, anything, but what!? He raised himself off the ground, muscles screaming, then fell back to the ground. Why was he so tired? The blade, he realized. The blade had stolen his life energy.
"Forget something?" The dark voice stated wryly in his head.
"No! You weakened me! I don't need your-" Rone stopped and realized something.
Because he had not stayed in the clearing, Tali would die. And because he had failed, he would die.
"Use my power, Son of Darkness. Take vengeance on your enemies." Rone's eyes narrowed as the approaching koblin raised its blade to remove his head from his body. He would not fail again. Rone would not fail his family. He couldn't.
"Yes."
"As you wish." A flood of power surged through his veins, and his eyes were sharpened. His pain faded, and in his left hand the great black sword appeared. He leapt to his feet, the single koblin falling effortlessly before him, and he dashed towards the open warren. Darkness spread around the edges of his vision, and all of a sudden the surrounding trees and rocks began to blur around him. He moved faster than he had ever imagined he could, adrenaline rushing in his mind, beating in time to his thundering heart.
He was soon right behind them. He jumped into the air with a shout, bringing his sword down on the nearest monster, black energy streaming from the blade. It fell without a sound, and he swung the blade around him, beheading two more koblins. He felt invincible. The leader dropped the bag, dull eyes wide in astonishment, and swung his weapon in a sideways swing. The large sword felt weightless as he raised it to block the attack, and the rough iron of the homemade weapon shattered as it struck the bar of darkness. Rone cut down the koblin, and reached down to open the bag.
Red-stained blonde curls were the first thing he saw. His eyes widened in horror and he frantically tore open the bag, the darkness fading from his mind, leaving only energy behind. The small girl lay, unmoving, but breathing. The only visible wound was on the crown of her head. It bled profusely, but it was not deep. Tali would live, and Rone breathed a sigh in relief. He had been forced to use the dark power. But that doesn't matter, he thought to himself as he pulled the small girl close to him. Tali would live. Then he heard familiar shouts. Master Link.
