Well I tried to make this chapter slightly longer, and I was slightly successful. 400 words at a time eh? Not much action going on right now and there won't be for a little while since I want to get everything set up just right. Bear with me and I will do my best to create a great story.

Chapter 2- Troubled Homecomings

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Link stared up absently at his old house. Any visitor from Castletown might mistake it for a large tree. In fact it had been created out of the base of one of the larger trees on the farthest outskirts of the Faron Forest. The house had been built for him at his coming of age. He smiled half heartedly at his home. It was one of his brighter memories of his life in Ordon.

"Move your scrawny arse Hanch, I want to have this place done for Link before the day is out! I'm not sure how much longer Ilia can hold that boy." The rest of the villagers chuckled at the poor boys misfortune. Ilia had captured Link after he was done herding goats for the day. Originally Fado had been supposed to delay Link, but as usual he had botched the job.

"Come on Ilia I need to go wash up at the springs!" Link said exasperated.

"But I need your help cooking dinner for my father, and we also need some more firewood. You wouldn't make me cut up firewood would you Linky?" Ilia pouted. Link shuddered at the nickname on the inside.

"I'll do it after I get cleaned up, really I promise. Or do you want me to help cook with goat dung all over me?"Link yelled back as he started to run up the path to the springs. The mayor's daughter tried to catch up, but she was no match for Link's speed.

"Well I tried" she muttered as she trudged up the path following Link.

Link grinned as he ditched Ilia. She was his best friend, but she could be so clingy. As he approached clearing before the spring he heard the Mayors booming voice shouting orders.

"Don't drop that log Jaggle!" Bo shouted as the resounding crack of the aforementioned log fell to the earth. "You almost dropped that on my foot, pay attention!"

"Sir yes sir" Jaggle muttered under his breath.

Link stared at the construction with a dumbfounded expression. The village had seemed to be a little empty, but he hadn't given it much thought at the time. The workers turned to face Link and shuffled nervously. Mayor Bo stepped forward and scratched his head with a guilty expression on his face. "Link my boy, done with work already?"

"Yes sir I was just about to get washed up. I uh noticed you guys working here though…" Link trailed off.

"Well we had hoped to delay you a bit longer, but you caught us red handed. As you know, young men come of age once they reach their 16th birthday here in Ordon. It is tradition for the village to build a house for the boy when his birthday arrives." Bo started. Confused Link waited for an explanation. He didn't know anyone turning 16 today. Whoever it was, Link envied him. The house or more of a treehouse looked amazing, different from the other houses in the village proper. Bo cleared his throat. "We still need to put up a few finishing touches, but other than that…" Bo turned to the other villagers "Just like we practiced boys."

Happy Birthday Link!" The men of the village cried out. This sentiment was echoed by Ilia who took the opportunity to jump on Link's back as she arrived to the scene. Links jaw dropped, he had completely forgotten his birthday was today. He stared at the nearly finished treehouse, no his treehouse and his face split into a huge grin.

"This is the villages gift to you my boy…"

Had it only been two year ago? It seemed so far away now. The adventures with…her…had aged him. Not because of her, but because of what they had gone through together. A growl escaped his lips as he shook away his memories before they had a chance to engulf him.

Link led Epona to his side yard such as it was, and proceed to take her tack off. Making sure to comb the snags out her matted coat occupied his mind for a short time. Link continued his inspection of Epona cleaning out her hooves and dabbing the few wounds that she had acquired on the journey back to his home town with red potion. His concentration on Epona was so fixed that he didn't notice Ilia walk up slowly behind him.

"Link" she whispered softly. Link turned his head sharply and had the Master Sword half out of its sheath before realizing who it was in front of him.

"Ilia! I'm sorry I didn't know it was you" Link apologized sheathing his sword.

Ilia was taken aback by his face, and most importantly his eyes. This was not the man that had left Ordon a year ago. He had changed. His carefree personality had been stripped of him. It left the look of a warrior, a ragged, broken warrior. To mask her surprise at this new Link she approached Epona. Aside from the sweat of a long ride she was practically spotless. "I see you've taken care of Epona in your travels. A far cry from when I had to scold you for not taking better care of her.

Link gave Ilia a tired smile. In that smile she saw a fragment of the old Link. It was good to know he hadn't completely changed. "I guess your scoldings finally sunk in."

Ilia stepped forward and put her arms around Link. She felt him stiffen in her embrace, and he did not return it. "Oh Link…Whats happened to you" she spoke into his shoulder. Links smile had disappeared the moment Ilia had touched him. The warrior stood there with his childhood friend latched onto him. They had practically been promised to one another before the invasion of Twilight. Now he felt nothing for her aside from his feelings as a friend. He knew what Ilia wanted, but he saw now that it was never meant to be. His heart shattered though it was belonged to a blue skinned being in another world.

Link took a moment before replying, choosing his words carefully. "I loved…and I lost, nothing more, nothing less" he spoke in a monotone. Ilia's arms dragged down Link's side and he felt hot tears soak through soak through his tunic and chainmail.

"I…sorry" he heard her mutter. Before he could react Ilia turned and ran down the path to the village proper. He didn't turn to look after. It was necessary Link told himself. Its not as if he wanted to hurt her, but he couldn't keep letting her believe that they could have something. Link started to make shapes in the dirt with the toe of his boot. The subtle hint that he no longer loved her was the easiest way he could have told her. She was a stubborn woman though. Tomorrow she would continue to try for him. There were just some things that could not be fixed, and Ilia had not yet realized his brutal truth. Soon enough the lesson would strike home though.

Turning to face his house once more, he decided against going in. Te memories were not worth a night in a bed. Luckily the sun was fading though. If he made his way through the village now, no one would be out to see him. The end of light meant the end of the day to the simple farmers. Wearily he dropped all of the various tools he had acquired in his journey in a sloppy pile just out of Epona's reach. Here in Ordon there was no fear of thieves. Slowly he walked down to the main village. Link wandered past Sera's shop and the other villager's homes reveling in his childhood memories that kept his darker thoughts at bay. Coming upon Rusl's modest home his brightest memories sparked. Rusl was Link's foster father. When Link's parents had died during one of the worst winters the Ordona Province had ever known, Rusl and Uli had taken him in and raised him as their own son. That was before Colin had come along of course.

Link turned away from his own home and made for the lake. Uncaring of the freezing water Link jumped in and swam across the small body of water to a little shelf of land. This had always been his special spot simply for the fact that it was quiet, and no one else had the will or desire to swim over to it. A darker mood slipped over his mind as the sun slowly faded over the horizon making way for Twilight. Rusl had said that this was the time of day in which the two worlds merged. If he stared hard enough into the sky, he could almost believe that he saw her face. Midnas. Link's fist clenched and he turned to grab the rock next to him throwing it violently against the jutting stone in the middle of the lake. The shattering of the stone and the memory of the Mirror of Twilight were his last thoughts before Link collapsed out of sheer exhaustion into a troubled slumber.

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Thanks to Eragon250 for my one review lol Many more will be appreciated so I can get a feel for how well I am doing or sucking Ha