Ch 1

Giggles echoed in the dark, the warm, child-like laughter Link could not forget. Link ran for it, chased it, fumbling as his feet betrayed him, stumbling in the darkness so black he could not even make out his hand in front of his face. He chased and chased, unable to grasp the owner of the laughter as the voice seemed to travel just out of his reach then seemingly worlds away. His agitation grew as his footsteps turned clumsier, and the giggling now became taunts as the black loomed and thickened as if to engulf him completely. But he could not stop, he needed it, that voice, that laughter in all its mockery, that voice he held so dear. His chest heaved and heart pounded as he ran, his legs aching and body now suddenly too sore to hold his weight.

But the giggling was all he heard, all around him as if she was everywhere. His body now refused to move for him even as his mind told him to continue. Instead he slumped, and he found himself on his knees in the dark. The noise of the giggles and laughter grew until he could no longer stand it; he clenched his eyes shut, teeth barred as he clasped his hands to his ears.

"Midna, please!"

The noise then stopped entirely. He panted, hesitantly removing his hands from his ears, his eyes scanning the dark, but he could not make out a shadow, not the one he sought.

"I'm already gone." Her voice was a whisper in his ear, and he felt not the warmth of her breath, not a sign that showed that she had existed at all. Link shouted her name, angry, bitter, and then again in desperation as he frantically attempted to deny the truth, to scream for her again as if saying her name would summon her back for good.

Yet he knew his calls were useless. She would not return, she never has.

And as he sat on cold ground, his knees recognizing the hard stone, he struggled to bury once again those emotions clawing inside his chest. He breathed heavily in an attempt to calm himself, but her name rang in his mind, the giggling fresh in his ears, and the emotions tore harder. He was sure they would rip a hole through him if he let them. And he wanted to let them, to give in and let those feelings consume him. Tears brimmed, pricking his eyes.

From out of the corner of his eye he saw a soft light appear. That light was the glow of a newly bloomed flower, an iris growing out between the cracks of concrete, its petals deep purple that faded to the lightest shade of yellow at its center. The light seemed to emit from the flower itself, and Link felt a comfort in its gentle glow. He crawled to it and stared; he made no attempt to neither understand or rationalize the iris's existence, nor question himself as to why he found relief from it. Instead he smiled at it, thoughts of Midna far away, and sitting by his tiny companion the dark could no longer consume him.

Link awoke numb as he usually did when he woke from his dreams of her. But unlike the others, this time he felt an odd sense of calm, and the headaches that usually followed were not present. He rose from his bed, his heart heavy and limbs stiff as his mind drifted back to the dream, to Midna, the dark, the iris that had stirred him to wake. Why an iris? And why did his dream self feel so drawn to it? Flowers hold no power, but still it hindered his sleep.

Apathy sunk into his bones as he dressed, and the weight of his sore, sluggish body fought him with every movement he made. His eyes were vacant, his mind empty as he quickly forgot his dream, thinking of nothing. He glanced at his bed, and he wanted to crawl back into it, to sink into the softness and disappear. But Fado needed him at the ranch. The village loved him, needed him, and he could not let them see his troubles.

Down on the first floor Link's heavy lids struggled to remain open as he scratched his arms, neck, and the back of his head in a feeble attempt to stimulate himself to fully wake and move. But instead he found himself looking at the rucksack he had packed full of clothes, water containers, and other provisions. His book of sketches sat on top of it, and his sword and shield rested against the wall beside the bag. For a few moments he stared at the bag, a little longer this time until he turned away and left his house.

Link trod down the path through the little village and watched as Colin carried his baby sister from his house—Uli was keeping a careful eye on her son from her small porch—to the stream. On the other side of it Talon was swinging his wooden sword at a dummy as Beth watched. He glanced at the faces that smiled warmly at him, and he smiled back to mask his disinterest. The morning was cool, and the sun had already begun to break the gentle mist that had settled. A lazy morning, Link thought dully.

He crossed the bridge, his eyes following the path up the hill to the ranch until the sound of a door closing caught his attention. Rusl and Ilia had stepped out of Mayor Bo's house, concern evident in Ilia's expression while Rusl's was unreadable.

"How is he?" Link asked.

Rusl crossed his arms, "He isn't much better."

"But he isn't any worse either." Ilia's features shifted to stubborn determination; Link admired her for it, but the worry had not escaped her tone.

"Should we send for a doctor?" Link asked.

"Yesterday I sent a raven to one of the larger villages just outside of Faron Woods. I'm sure the doctor there has received the message by now," the blacksmith said. "All we can do now is wait."

"Father doesn't have time to wait," Ilia mumbled. "He needs someone now."

"There is nothing to be done about it now. Have patience child and some faith in your father." Rusl said, his tone stern with impatience that quickly stilled Ilia. She looked down, avoiding the stare he gave her. Sixteen, yes she was still a child. Though he wasn't much older, only a year, Link felt he'd aged too much since his journey.

"Link," his eyes left Ilia to look up at Rusl, "Bo has asked of you."

Link nodded and walked up to the mayor's house and with neither a knock nor parting glance to his friends, he entered the house. Upstairs he found the mayor abed in his chamber. A damp cloth covered his forehead, and Link watched as the round of the old man's belly rose and fell beneath the blankets.

"You wanted to see me," he said.

Bo turned his head, face pale and clammy with sweat, "Ah, my boy come take a seat."

Link did so, sitting in the chair beside the bed.

"How have you been feeling?" Link asked politely.

He took a few breaths before answering, "I'm sure you heard from my daughter and Rusl."

"I have."

"They ain't wrong." Bo said simply before turning his head to cough.

Link waited patiently, the mayor's coughs turning to a fit of hacking before he could calm down. Link attempted to hand him the cup of water on the nightstand beside them, and his eyes caught sight of an envelope with the Royal Family's sigil on it. His eyes lingered on it for a moment before he glanced back at the mayor. He denied the water Link forgot he was offering, sensing the worst of the coughs were over and his breathing regulated.

"I don't have time for courtesies, son. I do appreciate 'em though." He said, his smile feeble. "I have things to say that need to be said in case things don't turn out well."

Link wanted to protest the idea but stayed silent instead, waiting for him to continue.

"Link, before you went away, before all that madness," Bo began, his words slow and heavy, "You had feelin's for my daughter."

Link said nothing, and Bo took it as a sign to continue.

"She had 'em just the same. Still has 'em, she isn't good at hidin' her feelin's." The man smiled and chuckled weakly, "She may get nasty sometimes, but she has a heart of gold."

At this Link smiled too, for all her feistiness Ilia was always a kind and loving girl. But his heart didn't thump rapidly at the thought of her, not now, not anymore.

The mayor's smile then melted into a line, his features serious to match his tone, "I don't know if you still hold those same feelin's for my girl. You changed since the bad times. Don't think I don't see it."

"Bo…" Link's voice was lost to him, and he could not bring himself to continue.

"I know you care for Ilia. I know you mean well, son. If you do still have those feelin's for her, then marry her. But if not, I don't need you making too much trouble for her either. Just be gentle with her."

Link blinked, unable to keep the confusion from his face, "Mayor?"

"Marry Ilia out of the love you bare for her and take up my title or not. But after I'm gone this village still needs a mayor. You have time to decide, but don't linger on it too long lad."Link sat silently for a moment, his mind working to process what exactly it was Mayor Bo was asking of him. He stared at his hands in his lap as if they held the answer for him, and when they did not yield what he sought he stared at the wood floor instead, folding his arms across his chest.

"You won't die from this—whatever it is that's made you sick," Link said, "It'll pass. You are our mayor."

"I am the mayor for now, yes. But I very well may die from this." Bo said, his voice firm, "And I need to know I count on you if the time comes."

Link hesitated before speaking, before giving his answer, allowing himself to consider what his life would be like as mayor of Ordon. He thought of his rucksack waiting for him at home. He quickly pushed the thought away, promising he would give Mayor Bo the courtesy of thinking it over.

"Is that all you require of me?" Link asked.

The mayor turned to stare up at the ceiling. Link could easily see something else was weighing on the man's mind, his expression softening into something almost sad. Bo then looked back at him and said, "At dawn I received a letter from the Princess. She will be arrivin' here in two days."

He found himself unfolding his arms, "The Princess is coming here? Why?" Link hid the surprise in his tone but could not keep his eyes from brightening.

"She has plans to speak with me on matters she briefly revealed in her letter. She asked me not to disclose anything, that she will do it herself," Bo replied plainly, his voice becoming hoarser, "The letter you were spyin' is addressed to you. It came with mine this mornin'."

Link took it from the nightstand, the front of the envelop bared his name in the elegance of the princess's handwriting. On the back the envelop Royal Family's seal was left unbroken. Link so intrigued by the unexpected envelop took steps to leave before the sick man called back his attention. He looked much frailer now, Link noticed, as if speaking had taken its toll on the old man.

"Before you go Link, don't forget our little talk," Bo said.

He nodded and gave him a parting smile before leaving, closing the bedroom door behind him as Mayor Bo began to cough again. Link left the house and found that Ilia and Rusl had not left their position, Ilia too distraught and Rusl struggling to console her. When Ilia looked up to see Link, her eyes lightened.

"What did he say?"

Link hesitated, guilt seeping into his heart like a poison at the sight of her. He would consider the arrangement he made with her father, he reminded himself.

Turning to Rusl, he said, "The Princess is on her way here. She will be arriving in two days."

"Hmm," the older man replied, "it's a surprise the Princess decides to pay us a visit. What could she want from us?"

Link shrugged, "To thank you for your services to Hyrule possibly."

"Or yours Link, don't think so little of yourself." Ilia sent a smile meant to reassure him, but Link found it difficult to smile back at her.

"And maybe she will bring with her a doctor for Father!" She said, her grin widened with hope.

Rusl nodded in agreement. "I'll inform the rest of the village of the Princess's arrival. We will begin preparations immediately," he said and took his leave.

Link watched him go, the mayor's words at the forefront of his mind, and he clutched the Princess's letter tighter.

"What do you have there, Link?" Ilia asked, eyes flashing with sly interest.

He glanced at the letter before looking back at Ilia almost defiantly. "It's a letter."

"An unopened one." Ilia said with a small amount of playfulness. "You will tell me what it is when you decide to open it, won't you?"

Link frowned, irritated by her sudden prying. He hadn't heard from Princess Zelda since his return to Ordon. This was his letter from her, and it may contain contents that Ilia would not understand. This was something she did not need to know, and he didn't want her to.

"Fine then." Ilia crossed her arms, feeling slighted. "What else did my father tell you?"

He paused a moment before answering. "Nothing that needs to be discussed now. Your father needs you, and Fado needs my help at the ranch."

Her eyes did not meet his. She nodded and quickly brushed passed him and headed into her house. Link glanced at the ground apprehensive of what needed to be done. Tomorrow, he would tell her tomorrow. He then turned his attention to the hill that led up to the ranch, the hill that somehow looked much larger than it ever had. Gripping his letter, he could not help but dread the tedious climb.