The Legend of Zelda: Heart of the Heroine

Link woke up slowly, and stared out the window. It was about 8'o'clock in the morning, and rose himself in the covers. There was something off this morning, and it took a few moments for his groggy head to put it together. Then he realized what it was.

1st: He had woken up late (Late for an Ordanian anyways)

2nd: The goats at the ranch were irritable on days leading to the festival

3rd: Fado hadn't bothered to wake him up today.

Link put on his working clothes, and walked down his ladder, and grabbed his horse's reigns, and headed to the Ranch to see if the Goats had already killed Fado.

-----

By the time Link got there, it seemed crazier than anything Link had ever seen, and that was saying alot. Goats were running everywhere, this way and that, and they were all at the same person; Fado. And what's worse was that everyone child in the village, Ilia, Colin, Beth, Talo, Malo, and even Colins little brother Mark, were all laughing and pointing at the show.

Link slowly walked towards the children, and as Talo noticed him first and noticed his confused expression, and explained for him.

"Fado said he wanted to actually give you a day off, so he tried to herd the Goats himself." Talo told him. "I think he's been doing well considering."

"YEEOWIEE-HOO-HOO-HOW!!!" Link jerked his head in the direction of the scream of pain and saw Fado being headbutted by a goat in the rear-end, and being launched seven feet.

Link saddled up on Epona and immediately set to taming the goats and, saving Fado's rear-end from more suffering. He was able to herd the goats in near record time.

Fado slowly, and painfully made his way off of the ground, and turned to look at Link. He made his way, rather limped his way towards, Link to give him a proper conversation.

"Link, It's tomorrow's supposed to be the festival, and I just wanted to give you some time to relax is all... and you still came here to save my behind from being trampled... again." Fado said, seemingly ashamed.

Link simply dismounted from Epona, gave Fado a pat on the back and gave him a knowing look. Link knew better than anyone else that sometimes the best thing to say is nothing.

"You know what." Fado told Link "I'm not simply giving you what I normally pay you, but more than that, 60 Ruppee's no complaints, I'm giving this to you because you deserve it Link." Link looked as if he was to protest anyways, but Fado told him "besides, you should get something to finally win over that sweetheart of yours, over there." Fado whispered, nodding at Ilia.

Link blushed slightly at this, and furiously tried to think of a comeback, but was failing miserably.

"Hah, sorry about that, here, just take the money, kay?" Fado told him as he placed the money into Link's palm and patted him on the back.

Link decided not to argue, and walked his way back to the children.

"That was awesome the way you saved Fado like that, 'Hiyah' and such" Talo said.

"It was impressive" Malo agreed nodding his head.

Link gave a chuckle at the praise he was receiving for simply doing his job.

"Come on, let's head back down to the village okay?" Ilia told them.

As they were walking down, Link leading Epona by her reigns, and Colin holding his little brother on his back, Colin and Talo got into an argument over what kind of weapon was better, a slingshot or a sword. Colin was telling Talo that a sword takes skill, as opposed to luck, but Talo told him that a sword wasn't necessary if you had something you can shoot.

Beth told both of them: "Why don't you hold a contest, see who can do better with a sword or a slingshot?"

"Colin will beat Talo!" little Mark commented

"Hey, I've been practicing with this slingshot ever since we Link gave it to me in Kakariko!" Talo told him.

"But Colin's dad was a swordsman before either of us were born." Malo pointed out.

"He's right you know." Colin said.

"I thought you were supposed to be on my side?" Talo grumbled.

"I'm on no one's side but my own." Malo said.

"And aren't I supposed to be the smarter one?" Talo said.

"Point is your not." Beth pointed out.

"Oh shut up. Anyway, who should judge the contest?" Talo asked.

"Well Link would be a good choice." Colin suggested. But as he turned around he noticed that Link, Ilia, and Epona were gone.

-----

5 minutes earlier

-----

As Colin and Talo started their argument, Ilia pulled up her courage to talk to Link.

"Hey Link, do you think we could go to the woods together, like we used to?" She asked.

"Huh. Oh sure, but should we tell the rest of the kids?" Link responded.

"Ah, there too caught up in their arguments, come on." Ilia said as she took Epona's reigns from Link and led her down the path, going unnoticed by the kids.

Link paused for a moment, and decided to follow his best friend down the forest.

-----

Ilia loved the forest during the fall, seeing as the leaves fell, and changed colors, and the feeling the animals gave off as they were bunkering down for the winter.

Link followed Ilia, wondering what she wanted. She wasn't one to do something without a good reason. Though he had to admit, he always enjoyed spending time with her.

Ilia decided it was best for them to stop at Faron Spring. As they neared the pond filled with crystal clear waters, Ilia motioned for Link to sit down water's edge with her. Epona knelt on Ilias' left side and took a drink from the water, as link sat to her right.

Ilia gathered up her courage, and tried to start her journey to finally tell Link her feelings, and put her heart to rest.

"Hey, Ilia." Link said. "Why did you ask me to walk in the forest with you? Not that I don't enjoy it, but it's been a long time since we've done something like this, you know?"

"Well, It's just that I wanted to talk to you, and it has been awhile since we just hung out together." Ilia told him.

"Well, what do you want to talk about then?" Link asked her.

"I dunno, just talk. I remember that one of last things I said to you before the kidnappings happened, was me yelling at you. I don't want something like that to happen again, we're supposed to be best friends, right?" Ilia told him.

'There's more to than that, but I'll let her tell me when she wants to.' Link thought.

"Come on, what are the chances of something like that happening twice? Nothing important ever happens in Ordon, I don't even know why they did that in the first place." Link reassured her.

Ilia looked into the ponds waters. It was hard to believe that a light spirit in the form of a monkey lived in them. She sure hoped he wasn't watching.

"Link why do you put up with me?" Ilia asked him. Link seemed a little confused by her answer, but she continued anyway. "I always take my anger out on you, even for really stupid stuff, and you never deserve it."

"Because your the only person who puts up with me." Link immediately answered. "I'm incompetent, stubborn, silent, thick headed, and I mess up almost everything. Fado once told me that you like someone for their good qualities, and love them for their faults. I've always believed that in my heart of hearts."

"Incompetent, you say you've saved Hyrule, a realm of light and shadows, four light spirits, and ensured that all of us got home safely, and that your Incompetent! Link I'll tell you this much, you were spot on about being thick-headed." Ilia told him.

Link seemed a little saddened by her comment, but as Ilia noticed this, she quickly tried to fix her mistake.

"Sorry, what I meant was, that you have such redeeming qualities, your kind-hearted, brave, strong, and you only do what you think is right. Me, I just yell." She said.

"Ilia, now your talking nonsense." Link told her with a slight blush on his face, which Ilia didn't see as they both were looking straight ahead. "Your the nicest person there is to know, you only get angry when someone is wrong is being done, there's nothing wrong with that. Your also loyal to all your friends, remember the time when we were playing that game of soccer in the village, I was the only person on my team, and you joined me, even though you knew that we'd get clobbered. Your smart, independent, and beautiful too."

"What was that last part?" Ilia asked, turning her head towards him, sure she had misheard him.

'Can't believe I let that slip.' Link thought to himself.

"I said your smart, independent, and resourceful too." He said. 'Dodged a bullet there.' He thought.

"Ah." Ilia said in response. 'Wishful thinking.' She thought looking back into the waters.

After a few moments of silence between the two, Ilia finally tried to tell Link the real reason she brought him here.

"Link," She said turning her head to look at him "I had another reason I brought you here," Link turned his head to look Ilia, and there eyes seemed to be magnetically drawn to each other's.

"What was that?" Link asked.

"I wanted... I wanted to tell you something." She said "Something I've wanted to tell you about for a really long time, but was... too afraid to tell you."

"Why would you be afraid to ask me something?" Link asked leaning in slightly closer.

"I... was afraid of what you might think, or say if I told you." Ilia said, trying to concentrate despite the way her heart was pounding in her chest, or the way Link eye's seemed to mesmarize her thoughts.

"Ilia, nothing you say, or do could possibly change my feelings for you, we're best friends, and we always will be." Link said with complete sincerity.

Ilia felt emboldened by his comment, and tried her best to continue. It was hard to believe how she felt this anxious , while they had been having a normal conversation a few minutes earlier. "Link, I want you to know... that for the longest time..." As Ilia stared into Link's eyes, one thought was going through her mind ' Damn he's cute' "Link I want you to know, I-"

"Link, Ilia, there you are!" Both Link and Ilia jumped out of there skins, and turned to see Rusl heading towards them. "I interrupt something?" he asked.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Ilia said rather hastily.

"Hmm, well." Rusl said rather unconvinced. "Anyways, we seem to have a slight problem concerning Talo and Colin, and they don't seem to be listening to reason, and we think that they might listen to Link." Rusl explained.

The two teens reluctantly got up, and followed Rusl, Epona following the behind them.

'I was so close!' Ilia thought furiously 'I take so long to gather up my courage to confess, and I get interrupted! This worse part is, I can't stop thinking about how close his face was to mine, we could have kissed.'

"What's the problem about anyways?" Ilia asked.

-----

25 minutes earlier

-----

"Okay, on your marks, get set, GO!" With that Beth waved her arms with a finish, as both Colin and Talo started a running battle, Talo was using his Slingshot to pelt Colin's feet, which Colin was trying to dodge and make his way to Talo.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Malo asked Beth.

"What could go wrong?" Beth responded.

-----

"Oh, well, from what Beth told us, the two boys had a contest, and it escalated into an all out duel between the two." Rusl answered carefully. He knew he was in hot water, as he apparently interrupted an intimate moment between the two. 'between the time those two spend together, it's a wonder why Bo hasn't suspected anything. I guess I'm lucky I hadn't interrupted them while they were in the middle of sex.' Rusl thought.

"Why do you need Link anyway?" Ilia inquired.

"I'd do it, but the injury to my arm I got from fixing the roof last week hasn't healed yet, and everyone else seems to be in a panic." Rusl said, pointing out the fact he was wearing his right arm in a sling. 'By the fury that's boiling over her head, they must've been half-way through getting there cloth's off anyway. I must've been around the same age as them, when I had my first time with Uli.' Rusl thought to himself.

As they made their way into the village, they could see that Colin was defending himself with his shield near the bridge, as Talo was using his Slingshot, along with a Hawkeye he had bought from Malo, to pelt the young boy from on top of one of the natural stone columns near the stream.

Colin then tried running towards were Malo was standing, his shield in front of him, so Malo couldn't hit him. The tactic worked, and Colin was soon climbing up the Ivy, and as he made his way to the top, he started slashing at Talo.

Link rushed to where the two boy's were tussle-ing at.

Ilia simply watched, and grabbed Epona's reigns.

"You know, I was so close, girl." Ilia murmured to the horse.

"I almost got to tell my feelings for Link, but then... I he probably only thinks of me as a friend." She said dejectedly.

Epona gave off a snort, which would have translated as: "Of course he loves you, the only person who doesn't know that he's crazy in love with you, is you."

Ilia gave off a gasp, as she say that while Link was trying to get the two of them to calm down, Talo fell down into the waters, and Link immediately dove in to keep the small boy from drowning.

Ilia ran up to the waters' edge and saw a canoe. She got in the small vessel, and paddled her way to Link and Talo.

Link set Talo on the boat first, and Ilia helped pull Link on the boat herself.

"Thanks." Link muttered.

Ilia paddled them back to shore, and saw Colin climbing down, with his sword sheathed, and his shield on his back. Talo climbed off the boat and looked at Colin in the eyes.

"Tie?" Colin asked.

Malo put his hand in front of Colin. "Tie." with that the two of them shook hands and forgot the incident had ever happened.

Ilia smiled at the two. Apparently they did have some maturity in them after all.

Ilia decided that it would be best if she headed home for the moment, Link would no doubt want to ask her about what she was talking about earlier, and it would only be awkward at the moment.

-----

After the contest Incident, Ilia decided to go home for a while, and read a book, pondering her conversation with Link.

After she came up with the same dead ends as always, she decided it might be better if she went to the Ordon Spring, it was always easier for her to think there.

She made her way down the path, and past Link's house, lost in her thought's. As she rounded the corner, she failed to notice the presence of another person in the Spring, until what she saw attacked her eye's.

What she saw was a body that had been carved by the God's, one that would drive any woman mad with desire. Every detail was perfect, absolutely perfect. Broad shoulder's, toned muscle's, not ripped, just enough to be absolutely gorgeous, and... unmentionables.

Ilia ran back behind the corner, and crouched behind the natural stone wall. She didn't think she was noticed, as the boy had his eye's closed, and was in middle of giving his wet hair a flip, looking as though he was the picture of what it was to be desirable.

Her heart was beating out of her chest, and her body felt numb at the feelings it was receiving from the visual she just saw.

"I saw, Link... NAKED! I just saw Link naked!' The thought echoed through her head. She immediately ran back to her house.

-----

5 minutes earlier

-----

Link was trying to dry himself off from the soaking he had just taken. Link turned her head and saw that Ilia was heading back to her house.

'Must have embarrassed myself in front of her again' Link thought dismally.

He saw Fado calling for him to come over to him. Link made his way towards Fado, but a Cuccoo stepped infront of him, and tripped him. Link fell into the dirt path, and was covered in dirt, which turned into mud when it made contact with his soaking wet skin.

Fado cringed as he saw how dirty Link had just gotten. He decided to walk over to him.

"Hey, Link, I just wanted to ask what was going on with the kids over there." Link explained to him about what happened "Oh... oh I see. Okay, well Link, I'd take a bath, you don't want to be caked in mud tomorrow."

-----

Ilia ran up to her room, before her father even had a chance to say hello.

She jumped into her bed, and buried her face in her pillow, desperately trying to rid her mind of the full profile of a naked Link.

It wasn't like it was the first time she had seen Link naked, just the last time in close to ten year's. Link had changed rather drastically in that time. Ilia was supprised how hard it was NOT to think about the view she had gotten. One thing was sure though.

'This isn't going to help those dreams.' She thought.