A/N: This chapter came out a lot later than I planned but at least it's out! Thank you for all the views and reviews! Hopefully this chapter is a lot more enjoyable than the first (I wouldn't blame any of you if you had skimmed through the first chapter because I certainly did lmao). First chapters seem to always be boring for me :c I think it's due to the fact that the first chapters sometimes have to cover a lot of ground before things can actually get interesting. Though, in my opinion, I might have gone a tad bit overboard with the details aha. Aye, but you know? It's a good lesson to learn from! You can have too much detail! I'll try to aim for a simple but not too simple story telling style.
Disclaimer: I do not own the LoZ series or its characters. It belongs to Nintendo. I only own the right to the story's book cover and the plot idea.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-Chapter 2-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Link stared down at the bowl of pumpkin soup in front of him. Sleep had decided to not grace him with its presence last night and the hero was beginning to feel the full effects of it. The blonde lazily stirred the wooden spoon in the orange liquid and brought it up to his lips. Wow...was pumpkin always this bitter? Wrinkling his nose in distaste, Link decided he could live with skipping breakfast for the day and stood from his seat to get dressed. He slipped on his old Ordonian outfit with ease and sighed at how nice the familiar cotton felt against his skin. The outfit held many good memories; memories that made him smile. It was an outfit the entire village had put together in celebration of him reaching his age of "maturity". To Link, it also became a symbol of how he truly saw himself as an Ordonian; part of a family that wasn't defined by blood but by hardships, open arms, and open hearts.
Link glanced at the mirror that rested against the wall; concealed by a thin drape of fabric. His discomfort with the object in the room was obvious but the hero knew that putting the mirror back in the basement would do him no good. It wasn't like he could put it back, even if he wanted to. When Link came close to the mirror, the Triforce on his hand would glow once more. Attempting to move it resulted in a terrible burning sensation that lasted for minutes. It seemed like the mirror would only allow him to do what it wanted and hence he was able to bring it upstairs without any issues. He didn't understand why the triforce was reacting in such a way but Link guessed that it had something to do with Zant. That or...it had to do with Midna. What if she was trying to contact him through the mirror? What if she needed help? Link was never good with understanding the things that his former descendants knew so well. He was simply a farmer boy; a former hero who followed the commands that were given to him and trusted his gut when situations took a turn for the worse. He knew he would have to discuss the issue with Princess Zelda and Link chose to put that priority at the top of his list. Without another moment of hesitation, Link grabbed his wooden sword resting by the door and descended the ladder to the forest floor.
Link stuck the wooden sword in the space between his obi and his shirt, glancing up at the dark sky before jogging back into the village. It sure did seem to be storming a lot, lately...
"Oh, Link! Is that you? Good morning sweetheart!" Uli chimed. Link waved hello and paused in his early morning jog to converse with the young woman.. "Are you on your way to the ranch?" She asked as she reached into the stream to fill a bucket with water. Beside her laid a wicker basket padded with blankets. Inside the basket was the youngest of her two children, a newborn baby girl.
"Not today." Link replied. "I wanted to talk with Rusl before I leave for castle town, just in case he has any deliveries for me." The baby cooed at him from her basket. Link reached down, cooing back as he let the baby grab ahold of his finger. She was a cute little thing and Link had no doubt she would grow up to be as beautiful as her mother.
Uli sat the bucket down, sweeping her palm across her forehead. "Oh don't bother yourself with work! You should relax, go for a stroll, maybe meet someone..."
"Meet someone?" He chuckled. Link raised a brow, watching as Uli's expression shifted from shock to embarrassment.
"Did I say that aloud?" Uli clasped her hands together and smiled. "You know, I hear the princess is very knowledgeable and pretty, though I think you already know that~...or perhaps there's someone else in the village who may have caught your eye?"
"Caught my- No no," Link laughed, quickly shaking his head. "I'm not interested in dating-"
"That's a shame.." She interrupted with a sigh. "You've grown to be a fine young man, Link. I just want to see my boy find someone to happily settle down with!" Uli reached out to brush back Link's hair, frowning when it flopped back into place. While the hero only continued to laugh, gently taking ahold of Uli's wrists and lowering her arms, the woman's expression grew soft though her eyes showed sadness. "It's been too long since I've heard you laugh; I was afraid that we might have lost you..." She murmured. Link looked away with a reply of silence. He was riddled with guilt on the inside; many of those thoughts revolving around the fact that he avoided contact with anyone unless forced to. He felt guilty for keeping quiet and hiding away in his home. He felt guilty for letting everyone worry.
"It's nice to forget about all the terrible things, even if just for a few minutes." Link spoke. Uli nodded in understanding. Thunder boomed above them and Link tried his best not to laugh when Uli had jumped back out of fright. She placed her hand over her heart, heaved a sigh, and bent down to console the crying baby in the basket. "If I had a rupee for every time it rained...well, I think I'll head back inside before the storm hits. Just do me a favor and be careful on your way to town." Uli pleaded. Once Link replied with a simple nod of his head, she lifted the basket with both hands.
"Ah, do you want me to bring the bucket-"
"Huh? Oh no," Uli shook her head. "Originally, I was going to wash the floors with that but now that it's going to rain, muddy floors are inevitable. I'll have Colin or Rusl bring it in later." She turned around and began slowly making her way back to her home. "No need to talk to Rusl! Go on and make your way to town before the storm hits!" She shouted. Link opened his mouth to argue but another boom of thunder quickly had him turning heel. Oh well, maybe he was better off staying away from anymore tasks...
By noon, a light shower of rain had made it's way across most of Hyrule. Link sat upon Epona as he galloped out of Ordon and made his way towards Castle Town. The trip was a good two hours and Link made sure to stock up on food, water, lantern oil, and his weapons. He pulled his raincoat tighter around his body, leaning forward to keep himself from falling backwards. Epona's hooves clopped against the wet grass and dirt road as she slowed to a trot. "We could have been there already if Lila hadn't held me up to bite my head off." He muttered. Epona huffed, flicking her head to the right which elicited a light laugh from the hero. "I know, I know. She means well." He gently patted the side of her neck, looking off into the distance at the tall, stone bricked walls surrounding the castle and it's citizens. A part of him hoped that Zelda would be too busy to talk with him today. How would she react knowing that Zant is still alive? That Ganondorf might be behind this? That this war wasn't between worlds wasn't over yet. She definitely would not break into a panic. The princess was perhaps the most calm person he had ever met, and above all, the most wise. Link could remember when he had last spoken with her she had told him that a hero's work was never done. As long as there was evil in the world, there would be a hero to rise up against it. Those words surely hit home. He was a hero and always would be no matter what life he was in. That was made clear after meeting the hero's shade. This was a fate he had been entrusted to fulfill by the Goddess's. The proof was in the many gifts they had laid upon him and his path. Zelda's words only emphasized that truth even more, but they seemed to lack an honesty that Link had to discover all on his own. There was no reward in a hero's work. He never truly felt appreciated for the work he did and the pain he suffered. No one told him that being hero meant losing everything to save everything. There were times he even felt that this fate of his was a trap and that he, being the naive boy that he was, carelessly fell right into it. Those times were usually the toughest to get through, but at the end of the day, Link came to an understanding that by taking these hardships head on, no one else had to suffer through them.
He was the only one strong enough to handle what no one else could.
That one thought was all he needed to push through his troubles and carry on, even when the days seem unfair.
Link rubbed his left hand, a small grin gracing his lips. "When we get to Castle Town, let's stop for lunch, yeah?" He spoke to Epona who replied back with an equally excited snort. The blonde looked up at the sky, not minding the droplets that lightly pelted his face. He stared at the clouds for quite some time, fixated on the grey and white swirls that plaqued the once blue sky. For a moment, the world was silent and still. It was the first time in a long while that he had been able to bring his focus out from the back of his foggy mind. When was the last time be sat outside and actually enjoyed nature?
His contentment was brief and in a matter of seconds the world flew by so fast that Link hadn't realized that Epona had thrown him off of her back. He could here his horse neighing loudly, standing up on her rear legs while she kicked her front limbs. The blonde grunted, blinking his eyes a few times and forced himself to sit up. First came confusion and second came defensiveness. Epona wasn't easily spooked so whatever had caused her to jump up like that was certainly not a friend of the hero. Assuming that the creature was a bokoblin, Link was mere seconds from drawing his weapon before ghastly black fingers wrapped around his torso and lifted him off the ground. He struggled furiously to get out of its strong grip, but once he heard that chilling roar, Link froze. The creature was a shadow beast; terrifying creatures of twilight with shield shaped faces and black tendrils protruding from their heads. More importantly, why was it here?! Link had no time to think of an escape plan because the tighter the creatures grip became, the more black spots that began to cloud his vision. Struggling became to tiresome for his limbs and in a matter of seconds, Link fell limp.
The creature shook the blonde, tilting it's head in amusement. It dropped the hero onto the ground, poking and pushing the man to see if he was still awake. The shadow beast let out another ear piercing roar, summoning two other beasts to it's position. They pushed against one another, surrounding Link as they awaited further instructions.
"That took longer than it should have." Zant stepped forward to peer down at the unconscious blonde. "To think he would be so dumb as to walk right into the enemies hands." He tapped his foot against the ground. "We're running out of time..." With his foot, he lifted Link's hand into view. "Oh?" He mumbled to himself, cautiously examining the glowing symbol on his hand. "This again? She's becoming frantic, isn't she? Well, grab him and let's go." He demanded with a crooked grin. "And leave his sword. He won't need a weapon where we're going~"