II

Subservient Twilight

Twilight fell upon Faron Woods. Much like the spring outside of Ordon, there was a spring with crystal-clear waters fairly deep into the lush forest. Link sat there as the sun began to set on the area. Fado had made it back safely thanks to Link and San, and because of that, he had gotten a small break for the day. To his left sat another person who watched the twilight growing; though it was not the exact person he wished to be with at the moment, for she was still busy working, but it was a good friend none the less.

"Tell me... Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?" asked Rusl. Rusl was the father of one of the younger boys in the village, and was a great swordsman. He had been the one to teach both Link and San the ways of the sword. Since Link had no parents here, a part of him, especially while growing up, thought of Rusl as a father. Then again, nearly everyone in the village was like a family member to him. Not so much San any more. Yes, while they had been growing up, she felt like a sister to him. Now... Well, it just did not feel that way any longer.

Link nodded and stared at the waters as Rusl continued. "They say it's the only time our world intersects with theirs... The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world. That is why loneliness always pervades in the hour of twilight..." He sighed and shifted his weight slightly. "But enough talk of sadness... I have a favor to ask of you, Link."

Blinking, the young boy looked up from the waters to the older man. "I was supposed to deliver something to the royal family of Hyrule the day after tomorrow... Yes, it was a task set to me by the mayor," he answered before Link could ask anything, "but...would you go in my stead? You have...never been to Hyrule, right?" Link nodded and Rusl looked back out to the spring. "In the kingdom of Hyrule there is a great castle, and around it is Castle Town, a community far bigger than our little village." He laughed softly. "...And far bigger than Hyrule is the rest of the world the gods created. You should look upon it all with your own eyes. It is getting late..." Standing, the man dusted off his leggings.

Nodding, Link followed suit and headed over to Epona's side. He may have had a break from Fado that day, but instead it was Rusl that had gotten him to help with some tasks. The auburn mare gave a snort and shook her mane as Link neared. "We should head back to the village. I will talk to the mayor about this matter," sighed Rusl as he stretched. Nodding, Link took the mare's reins in his hands and the two headed back to Ordon.

The setting sun set the sky aflame and the valley below the bridge aglow. Clouds of pink, orange, purple and red swirled in the sky. Link permitted his gaze to wander, first following a bird that flew out in front of them and then lingered on the warm sky. Such a beautiful sight it was, though Rusl had been right: there was a certain type of sadness that seem to come with the dusk.

They made it safely back to Link's house where Rusl's son and wife were waiting, Colin and Uli. The kind-hearted Uli had a hand on her son's shoulder as well as on her stomach for she was with child. With a farewell pat on Link's shoulder, Rusl headed over to his family and began to lead them away back down to the village. As they left, Colin looked over his shoulder and waved at Link. Smiling, the farm boy waved back before he headed on inside his house.

Link barely had time to start cleaning up when someone began to call for him from outside.

"Hey! Link! You there?" came the voice of Fado. Scrambling up to the top of his house, Link looked out the window. "Hey, you mind helpin' me herd the goats? They ain't listenin' to me lately!" Nodding at Fado's request, the young farm boy raised his hand to show he would be right down. A warm smile met Link when he reached outside. That smile soon faded away with the question, "Hey, where's Epona?"

Gasping softly, Link looked around. Sure enough, his trusted mare was no where to be seen. It was not like her to go off on her own, so someone must have come and taken her. But who? He was not too worried, at least, for not many people came to Ordon, leading him to suspect one of the other villagers did something.

"C'mon, now, hurry up an' bring Epona with you," said Fado. He clapped Link on his back once before heading back off for his ranch.

For a few moments longer, Link stood there thinking of who may have done such a thing. An idea came into his head and he quickly sprinted off for the Ordon Spring.

Just as he suspected, there was Epona and the one who had taken her: Ilia. Not yet noticing his arrival, Ilia reached out to pet Epona who quickly snorted and shook her head. Frowning softly, the young girl looked to the gates and spotted Link. "Oh, hi, Link," she greeted warmly as he walked up. "I washed Epona for you!" she grinned, gesturing to the horse.

Walking up to his horse's side, Link gave her a loving pat on the neck. "Epona is a girl too, so you have to treat her like one!" voiced the mayor's daughter as she placed a hand on her hip. Looking over at her, he nodded. "Oh, but listen, Link... Could you do something for me?" Raising his eyebrows at her, her awaited her request. "Can you use a piece of grass to play that song for me? You know. The one that Epona likes?"

Tapping a finger on his chin, Link looked about for a grass he could use. Sure enough, a patch of the right type was growing just at the edge of the springs. Giving another pat, he went on over to the grass.

"I tried to play it for Epona," continued Ilia, "but I just can't seem to play it the way you can, Link."

A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he bent down to pluck a blade. Standing, he brought it to his mouth and blew across it softly, able to create three notes and turn it into a soft melody. When he finished, Epona bobbed her head up and down in approval and walked over to his side.

"It's such a nice melody..." muttered Ilia, her eyes closed from when she listened. Smiling softly, she gazed at Epona as Link mounted on up. "Epona looks happy." Tilting her head, she laughed softly. "Well, she's all prettied up now, so I suppose you can ride her back. But don't make her do too much, okay?"

Smiling down at her, Link gave a firm nod at his friend before he headed on off to Fado's ranch. He paused several times to talk with some of the other villagers, and stopped in his tracks to look up to the blacksmith when he passed it. A light train of smoke came up from the forge. Turning Epona to face it, he started towards San's place to tell her about him getting to go to Hyrule. But then he stopped Epona and, watching the forge for a moment longer, headed off to the ranch. There would be time later to talk with San.

With the sun setting behind the hills, Link rode into Fado's Ranch and headed up to the farmer.

Fado gave a hearty wave at the young man. "Sorry to get you over here in such a hurry, Link! These guys have been awful skittish lately. They won't listen to a word I say," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry to ask, bud, but how's about you an' Epona herd 'em into the barn real quick?" Raising a hand to block the glare, the farmer looked out and judged the time left in the day. "We ain't got much time, so you think you can do it for me?" Smiling, Link nodded at the request. "Much obliged there, bud! Okay, then, go on an' herd all these little scamps into the barn for me!"

Without waiting for further instructions, Link reared Epona about and headed off to herd the goats back into the barn. Within a few minutes of wooping and galloping around the field to make sure all were in, Link had Epona trot back up to Fado who whisted in approval.

"Link, Epona... Much obliged to both of y'all! I can cover everythin' tomorrow without havin' to trouble you, so just sit back an' relax, bud. Oh..." He tapped his finger on his chin. "But, uh, how 'bout today? Wanna practice with fences?" Link took a moment to double-check how much time there was left in the day before he shook his head. With the time it took to set up, he would barely have more than a couple minutes. As fun as it was to end the day off on that note, he just did not have the time to make it worth it. "Ah, alright then, bud. Have a good night, Link!" Raising a hand in farewell, Fado headed off to the barn.

Taking a moment to soak in the beauty of the land, Link breathed in deeply. Rusl was right, there is a strange sadness that covers the land in the time of twilight. Sad...yet also beautiful. He watched the sun set as he headed back out of the ranch. Traveling along the path back to his house, Link looked out to the blacksmith. There was no more smoke. He sighed softly. That meant San and Derak were finishing up for the day. Link never liked to disturb them during that time, and so he decided he would tell San about going to Hyrule tomorrow. Yes, he would have time tomorrow.

:::

"Hey, wake up, Link! It's morning already!" called out a voice that woke Link up. Rubbing his eyes, he headed to his window and looked down below. There stood three of his other friends from the village, Talo (the one who had called out), Malo, and Beth. Faces bright, they all waved up at him. Link waved back and promptly headed outside where his friends waited for him.

"Oh, Link! Didja hear?" asked Talo before Link had even gotten both feet on the ground after climbing down his ladder. "They're selling a slingshot at the store right now! A SLINGSHOT!" The young boy cheered in delight. Link laughed lightly as he rubbed the back of his neck, always amazed at Talo's enthusiasm.

"I wonder how powerful it is... I...I need... I must try it..." muttered Malo. The youngest one there cast his eyes down. Had he been older, Link was certain it would have been a sinister look.

Beth placed her hands on her hips and sighed at the younger boys. "Talo, if you and Malo want it so badly, just buy it at my parents' shop!"

"Do you see any Rupees in my hand?" asked Talo, holding out his hands palm-up. "I can't afford that thing! C'mon, Beth, can't you just loan it to us for a while?"

"You know I'd get in trouble for that! If you two want it, save up your allowances or something."

"But...our allowances are terrible..." mumbled Malo. "Aww, I wish I was born into a family with a slingshot instead of one with a waterwheel."

Chuckling nervously, Link backed away and headed for the rest of Ordon while the three continued to argue. "KNOCK IT OFF!" shouted Beth and Link was glad to have gotten away.

"Hi, Link..." came a soft voice, stopping Link in his tracks. In front of him was Colin. "You have the day off work today, right?" Link smiled and nodded at the young boy. "So...I just finished the fishing rod I was making. Link, I figured I'd give it to you first thing in the morning but..." He looked down and sighed. "My dad said, 'You just wait until Link comes to get it!' So I didn't bring it to you..." Link waved his hand to dismiss the matter. "It's also the first day off in a while for Epona, right? She must be happy... Link, my mom has the fishing rod I made you for." He kicked a pebble in front of his foot. "Aww, I wish I'd brought it with me..."

Link smiled down at the young boy and ruffled up his hair to show it was nothing to worry about. With a wave, he headed on down to the village, that slingshot on the back of his mind.

:::

After a series of...interesting events (from goat-stopping to cat-chasing), Link returned to his place by mid-afternoon, the newly-acquired slingshot at his side. Just as he was reaching the top of the small hill, Rusl came walking to him from his house.

"Ah, just in time, Link!" he greeted. "I just delivered something to your room! Oh, I see you got that fishing rod" Rusl nodded. "Colin will be pleased. And it works better than you would think, right?" Link laughed lightly. To be able to chase the cat, Link first had to catch a fish. It was...something out of the ordinary for him. "Well, have a good one." Giving a curt nod, the swordsman headed back off down to the village.

A grin still playing on his face, and now wondering about what was awaiting him, Link headed to his house...only to have his three friends still waiting there.

"Link has a slingshot! WHOA!" praised Talo, eying the simple invention.

"Wow! You had the money to buy it, Link?" asked Beth, giggling at him.

"Preparations complete..." murmured Malo.

"Okay, wow, this is great! Let's see how powerful that slingshot is! Hit the targets AND those scarecrows!" Moving closer, Talo beamed up at Link. For being so much younger and so much shorter than Link was, Talo still managed to make him feel a little uneasy. But he was not about to pass up a chance at using his new slingshot. In a fluid motion, he brought it forward and proceeded to shoot down the targets that were set up in branches and the scarecrows he kept ready to practice sword fighting when he had the time. In nearly no time, he shot down all he had to.

"Whoa! Amazing, Link!" cheered the three of them all at once. Grinning at his accomplishment, Link put the slingshot away.

"By the way, Link..." started Beth. "Were you expecting Colin's dad to bring you something here? 'Cause he did."

"Oh, yeah! That's right... What was that, anyway?" questioned Talo.

"I command you to tell us..." finished off Malo.

Chuckling, Link quickly headed into his house and brought out what Rusl had delivered.

"Ooh, my! Isn't that a wooden sword, Link?" squealed Beth.

Talo's jaw dropped open. "Whoa... She's right! Hey, can I see that for a sec?" Link raised an eyebrow at him. "Seriously! Lately these monkeys have been coming out of the woods and playing tricks on us! We want to get them GOOD! C'mon, teach us how to use a sword!" he begged. Link, being barely able to get a single-syllable word in, nodded at the request. Talo jumped up and cheered, "YES!"

Laughing lightly, Link moved off to one of the scarecrows, his three fans close behind and awaited for him to show them some moves. They asked for specific moves, like a normal stab, a jump attack, horizontal slice, all fairly straight forward. With barely breaking a sweat, Link demonstrated all the moves with ease, the three kids cheering at each strike. To finish off his demonstration, Link was asked to perform his spin attack. Breathing out slowly, he moved forward, drew his wooden blade back, then let all his power loose.

A loud cheer erupted from the three kids, but this time a calm applause was added in the mix. Breathing heavily from that one move, Link looked over his shoulder and quickly, and somewhat flustered, went to greet the person who had been silently watching.

"Well done, Link," grinned San. Her sapphire hair was free at the moment since she was not working over the forge. He smiled in thanks at her compliment. "You certainly have been practicing. And good timing, too. Now you're all warmed up." A hint of a smirk tugged at her lips. "I actually came here to ask if you'd like to spar." Link blinked and then he noticed she was carrying her own wooden sword. The two friends would often spar together. In all their matches, Link had never won. He had tied with her, yes, but he had never won. "Well?"

He looked back up to her eyes, almost getting lost in the depths of their forests. He nodded. Hopefully today would be a new day and he would win a match. There was a first time for everything. The three other kids noticed a sparring match was starting and quickly fixed their attention upon the two older people there.

"C'mon, Link!" cheered the boys.

"Teach him a thing or two, San!" called out Beth. Though she nearly always swooned when Link did something, she would prefer San winning in a match any day. Not to mention it was the safer bet to be correct.

San and Link chuckled at their audience.

"Go Link!" Colin silently cheered as he came out from the far sidelines.

"You ready?" asked San, an eyebrow rising in question as she quickly tied her hair up. Grinning, he gave a firm nod. San nodded and, without waiting another second, dashed for Link.

The farm boy barely had time to raise his sword in defence. He grunted, pushing San back and moving to the side. But he was not fast enough. As San was pushed back, she spun around and ended up behind him, smacking him lightly on his back with the flat side of her sword. Link grunted out in surprise and quickly performed a spin attack. While the longer he held it to gather up his strength the more powerful it was, a hasty attack was still effective. Gasping in surprise, San managed to roll to the side and found safety from his attack.

Their fluid movements made the small audience cheer. San laughed lightly as she pushed herself back onto her feet, and just in time, too. Link had now performed one of his jump attacks, leaving San barely enough time to dash out of the way. She sighed in relief for she felt the wind made by his sword as it nearly hit her. The nearness of the attack produced a gasp from the four watchers.

"Close one, Link!" laughed San, moving in for another attack. It was a high blow, she knew, but sometimes the simplest attacks could be the most effective. Not this time. Link ducked and kicked her legs. San cried out in surprise as she landed on her back. She blinked and saw the playful smirk dancing on Link's face. His move caused the rest of the boys there to cheer. "Not bad," murmured San. Confident, Link moved in to deal what they considered a winning blow, but San was too fast. She rolled out of the way and using her sword, swung at Link's knees, causing him to fall back to the ground and a gasp from their audience.

Before Link could even open his eyes, San was above him, the tip of the wooden sword at his neck. "But not good enough," she grinned. The blue-haired girl kept the practice sword there for a moment longer, showing that her victory was complete. Beth cheered loudly, while the boys groaned then grudgingly clapped for the victor. Chuckling, San helped Link to his feet. "Y'know," muttered San once Link was standing in front of her. "I'd like to have at least one spar with you where you're not holding back."

Link blinked in confusion as she pulled away. How long had she known that he held back in their matches?

"Thanks, Link! San!" cheered Talo, coming forward. "So, uh, I...I think I get it... Kinda... Hmm..." His brow furrowed. "Maybe not..." He swung the stick he had picked up a couple times. "So this means that anytime one of those naughty monkeys shows up... WAH!" After his battle cry, Talo gave a mighty slice with the stick as though it were a sword. Both San and Link chuckled at his attempts. He still had much to learn if he wanted to become a swordsman.

Out of no where, a monkey came dashing in and headed for the woods. The six of them stared after it in surprise.

"C'MERE, YOU!" shouted Talo. Without any warning, Talo, Malo, and Beth went chasing after it.

"Hey, guys!" yelled out San. She reached out as if to stop them, but they were long gone from sight when she did.

"Everyone went into the woods... I wonder if they're okay..." said Colin, his expression falling. Link leaned down a little and placed a hand on the young blond's shoulder. That was enough to reassure Colin...for now.

"Link," came San. Standing back up, the farm boy looked to the apprentice blacksmith. It took one look from her and then the two friends were off. They would find their other friends.

:::

They had found Beth and Malo quickly enough, just by the Ordon Springs, and so it was left to finding Talo before he got hurt. They went all the way into Faron Woods in search of him (after meeting a guy that gave them a free lantern). Along their way they had found the stick Talo had taken with him as a sword when he chased after the monkey. At least they knew the two of them were still on the right track.

"Link!" exclaimed San, pointing to the far side of the small clearing they had entered. Ahead of them was an ancient tree, one that appeared to have been carved out and made into some sort of building. Taking a quick look around, the two decided that was the only reasonable place left for them to check. As quickly as possible, San and Link headed up the path. Hopefully Talo was up there.

"HEEEEELP!" Called out a voice when they neared the door. Sure enough, the voice belonged to Talo. But, since it was a cry for help, they picked up their pace. "Lemme out of here, please!" cried out the young boy.

"Talo! Hold on a sec!" said San when they reached the top. Talo was there, and so too was the monkey he had chased after. Both of them gasped when they saw Talo and the monkey had been put in a wooden cage. Guarding them were two moblins, which were quickly taken care of by San and Link.

"Lower your head and cover your eyes," commanded San. Nodding, the young boy followed her instructions and Link broke the wooden cage. As soon as the last piece of wood fell, the monkey went into ecstatics and cheered at them. The creature stayed only a moment before heading back on its own way.

"If you hadn't come, Link, San..." Talo meekly rubbed his arm as the three of them headed back for Ordon. "Gee, me and that monkey would've gotten eaten, probably! She's a pretty nice gal, that monkey... She tried to protect me, so we got captured together. Um, Link, San..." They all stopped as Talo looked up at them. "You're not gonna mention this to my dad, are you? He's always telling me to never, EVER go into the forest, 'cause he says it's so dangerous... So you really can't tell him! Really! You have to promise!" Link nodded while San sighed and chuckled before nodding. Talo was still Talo.

Twilight was falling as they neared the Faron Springs and two figures came running at them from the forest. San and Link tensed for a moment, thinking it was more trouble from the forest, but quickly relaxed once they saw who it was. Rusl and San's father, Derak, stopped in front of them. A sigh of relief escaped the burly, dark-haired blacksmith as he moved forward to give San a hug.

"Link! San!" greeted Rusl, a smile of relief on his face. "My son told me Talo disappeared into the woods and had not returned. We came as soon as we heard..." His eyes studied the three children. "But it looks like you have brought him home already... I apologize. Such a task should not fall to you."

"Still, well done, you two," praised Derak. "But next time, leave it to us." Moving from San to Talo, Derak placed a large hand on the young boy's shoulder and led him off in front of them and back to Ordon, San on her father's heels. Rusl and Link brought up the rear of the small group.

"Tell me, have you noticed how strange this wood seems lately?" asked Rusl quietly. His eyes looked from the forest floor to the canopy and swept about. "I feel...uneasy about what may lie in wait..." His look became distant for a moment before he shook his head and focused back on Link. "Anyway, Link... Tomorrow is finally the day. You will be departing for Hyrule. I think it is a good thing I have given this task to you..." Smiling, Rusl clapped Link on his back. "Good luck! And return safely! If you are lucky, you may even get to meet Princess Zelda!" He gave a hearty laugh.

When they reached the edge of Ordon, the adults and Talo went on ahead, San lingered back a moment, and Link headed for his house. He wanted to get to sleep early, tomorrow would be a big day for him.

"So, you're heading to Hyrule tomorrow, huh?" asked San. Link blinked and turned around. She let her blue hair down as she watched the setting sun. "The gift...it's a sword my dad just made. I thought Rusl was going to take it..." She gave a wry chuckle. "Guess plans can change." Link walked towards her, but stopped when she turned around, jade orbs locking on him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

The farm boy shuffled his feet in embarrassment. Silence hung in the air for a moment. When he opened his mouth to answer, San raised her hand to cut him off.

"Lemme guess...you forgot?" Sheepishly, Link nodded. He could not even look San in the eye. It was the first time he had ever forgotten to tell her something. With knowing each other practically all their lives, forgetting something for the first time was a harsh blow. "Well...I doubt I'd catch you before you left tomorrow... So...goodbye." He nodded to show he heard, but could not bring himself to look up.

A few moments passed and he finally glanced back up. His sapphire-haired friend was long gone, leaving him alone in the dusk. The farm boy pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. How could he have forgotten to tell her? When he headed for his ladder, Epona nickered at him. He sighed and nodded to himself. He was going to have to make it up to San sometime, he just wondered how.