It's finally here!!! Yah!! Enjoy! Bluedove, sorry for the wait and thx for being so very patient. :)
So, a quick note before this chapter. I was playing Twilight Princess at my friends house, and I noticed that there are not two sections of the faron woods, rather the section on which there was ordon village and links house wason one side, and just the faron woods were on the other. I dont know how i got the idea that there two sections....but anyways in this land of hyrule theres gonna be two sections of the faron woods. if anyone has clarification on this tho, if you would be so kind as to tell me when u review...?? oh and im sorry that it took so long for third chapter. i kinda forgot....but now i have the whole summer to write so no worries. one more thing...does anyone know the names of those three kids from ordon village? the girls name is beth....and then theres that blonde kid thats like the son of the mayor of o.v. and that strange little guy that looks more like a man than a boy. does abyone know there names...?? and is the blonde kid and illia brother and sister? im so lost.... sorry its been a while since i actually played played the game.
Chapter 4-Illia
The week passed by without anything of consequence occuring. Link carried with his life, the thoughts of the evening at the spring in a dusty corner in the back of his mind. There were one or two times when he ventured back there to pull them out and shift through them again, but his thoughts always followed the same pattern afterward. He soon grew tired of pondering and let the small inspiration float back out the way it had come in, forgetting completely.
Sunday came. Link woke to a soft tapping at the door. he knew instantly who it was.
He hurried down the ladder to the landing, then opened the door.
A slender girl with short, close cropped slightly wavy blonde hair stood outside. She wore a white, sleeveless tunic decorated with blue embroidery, and pale green loose fitting pants, cut just below her knee. Knowing, sparkling green eyes peered under her eyelashes, a small smile on her lips.
Illia, his best friend.
Link smiled. He had known Illia ever since he was a kid. She was quiet and softspoken, and normally spent most if her time in deep thought rather than speaking. But there was no taming the rage that could be unleashed when she was mad. Her father was the mayor of Ordon Village. Her mother had died when she was very young, and she didn't talk about it much, simply because she didn't remember. Every Sunday, they spent the day together, as it being the only day that Link was free.
"Hey," she said, leaning against the side of the door frame, arms crossed.
"Hey," Link replied, smiling back.
Illia's glance trailed down to Link's bare chest, eyes lingering a moment too long before giving him a questioning look.
"Oh, give me a second..."
Link hurried back inside, feeling the heat rise to his face. It wasn't that Illia hadn't seen him shirtless, they had gone swimming together several times. But it almost seemed as if....Illia was...checking him out?
Link dug out a shirt from the trunk where he kept his clothes, shrugging into it as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. His hair was in slight disarray, golden locks sticking striaght up or out to the side. He bent in close, his nose almost brushing the cold surface of the mirror. He dipped his hand in a nearby basin of water, smoothing out the stray pieces of hair. He stood back, taking in his reflection. He looked okay, didn't he? Good enough?
He shook himself, small beads of water spraying from his hair. Why was he caring so much about about his appearence? It was just Illia, it wasn't like she was anything special. Just his best friend, the one person who knew him better than he knew himself. Appearences didn't matter. They weren't like that with each other.
Link grabbed his boots, hopping into them as he ran out the door. Illia was down in the clearing, standing next to Epona, cooing softly to him and stroking his mane. Illia loved horses, Epona in particular. There were times when Link wondered if the only reason Illia hung around was because of Epona, but deep down inside he knew better.
Link climbed down the ladder, standing beside Illia.
'So....how are you?"
Illia turned, glancing up at him. Link was three years older than Illia, and a good foot taller than her.
"I've been alright. Pretty bored, actually."
Link smiled, climbing onto Epona putting out his hand to help her on.
"Then come on. We only got one day."
She smiled, grabbing his hand as he pulled her up.
"So, where to?"
He felt Illia shrug. "I don't care. Wherever you want."
"Okay."
Link set out at a slow trot, headung down the path that lead into the forest. He jostled from side to side with every step, but he was used to that. He crossed the bridge in into Southern Faron, riding along the banks of the spring then heading into the entrance to a large stone cave. The cave was a short tunnel, about only ten feet in length, and it was the only way to further into the southern woods. They came out to a small path. The way straight ahead lead to a small, suspicious looking opening, with a wooden fence that swayed half open. Everyone in Ordon Village new that the area beyond the gate was full of monsters and toxic green waste. Link had been in once before, just out of curiosity. It was a foggy, moss covered place with vines and branches and overgrowth everywhere. It was the sort of place that you didn't want to walk to far into, for fear that if you turned around you would find that you couldn't find the way you had come. Link had only lingered in the entrance though. Part of him had wanted to proceed in and look around, but another part screamed at him to not be an idiot and turn around. Link hated the logical conscience that always seemed to be aroused when he was about to do something dangerous.
The other path just lead into a large, if rather drab looking, clearing. A small hut made of wood sat in the center. Outside of the hut sat a small strange looking man. He wore a strange red cap that slightly resembled the head of a mushroom. He sat hunched over on a log, tending to a pot of greenish stew. In the far side of the clearing, an opening led into more forest.
Upon seeing Link and Illia, the man waved them over. Link had no choice but to see what he wanted. He led Epona into the clearing, stopping by the man's small encampment.
Once they were close, he hurriedly began speaking in a jumbled awkward way.
"Hey, you young'ns! Are you looking to buy anything? I have some good latern oil, right here, if you need any of that."
Link smiled, trying to be polite. "I'm quite alright, thank you. I just bought some in town a couple days ago."
The man's face fell. He scratched the back of his neck, looking as if he was in deep thought.
"Well, alright. If you ever do need latern oil in the future, please remember me. I know it's a bit of a hike, and this isn't exactly the safest area of the forest, but business has been terrible lately. There haven't been many visitors lately coming in from Hyrule Town and Karkariko Village, so I haven't been able to sell anything."
Link looked at him, feeling bad for not buying anything. Illia, who seemed to have read his thoughts, leaned in and whispered in his ear, discreetly enough so that the man didn't hear.
"He wants you to feel bad for him Link. He's trying to get you to feel sorry for him so that you'll buy."
Link turned his head slightly, enough so that he could make eye contact with her. She nodded, not moving her gaze. She has very pretty eyes, Link thought suddenly. Kind of like a moss green, but more muted...
Link realized that he was staring longer than was comfortable, and Illia was eyeing him strangly. He turned his head back to the man adruptly, slightly embarrassed.
"I'll see you around. I'll stop by sometime," he said, polite enough but not inviting in anymore conversation. And with that, he entered the path further into the woods.
The woods grew more open, rays of sunlight now penetrating through the branches and spillling out onto the grassy ground. Ahead, another pathway was visible. Illia adruptly turned to face Link.
"Link, we can't go into Hyrule Field! What are you thinking?"
Link turned around, surprised that she had figured out his plan so quickly. "Sure we can. I've been out there lots of times."
Illia stared at him, shaking her head, eyes wide. "But Link, there's monsters out there. And my father! What if he found out? He trusts you Link, you know that? And what if we got attacked...?"
Link smiled to himself. Illia was very practical, and it was like her to worry about everything.
"Link, what's out there anyway?" she asked, glancing at the distant light.
Link turned to face her."Illia, have you ever really rode a horse?" he asked, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Well, yeah. I've rode Epona plenty of times..."
"No, no." Link shook his head, the smile spreading wider. She stared at him in confusion.
"I mean, galloping in an open field, with the sun beating down..." Link shook his head in frustration. "It's not something that you can describe, it's something you have to experience."
Illia looked skeptical.
Link continued. "You can't ride here! Except maybe on the ranch, but it's not the same. Out there, there's...there's..."
He struggled to think of the word, staring at the ground while he thought.
He looked up, looking Illia straight in the eye. "There's freedom."
Illia glanced skeptically ahead, but Link could tell that she was the tiniest bit interested. She sighed heavily.
"Link, I'm warning you, if we get in any sort of trouble, we are never doing this again."
Link noticed that her eyes were shining brightly. They only did that when she was happy, excited, or about to cry. He guessed It was the second.
With a flick of the reins, and a nudge in Epona's side, he started towards Hyrule Field. He wasn't nervous; he had done this plenty of times by himself. He never went too far out, so he never encountered any monsters or anything. He was excited for Illia. He had wanted to do this for ages.
He noticed that Illia had wrapped her arms around his waist. her head resting against his back. The physical contact caught him off guard, but it wasn't awkward.
Epona now stood at the edge of the path, Link and Illia staring out across the landscape.
Hyrule Field. Green plains, stretched across a slightly mountainous terrain. Latge outcroppings of rock formed small gorges and valleys, bridges connected opposing sides of deep ravines. On the horizon, the reddish brown mountains marked Karkariko Village, the burning top of the Death Mountain was visible, towering above all the others. In the other direction, a large mark cutting vertically into the sky showed Hyrule Castle, and Castle Town surrounding it. Pathways had been drawn into the land by travelers, a way to almost anywhere. The sun burned down on the ground, illuminating everything from it's place in the perfectly blue open sky.
Link heard Illia's breath catch behind him. She had been out of the forest before, as far as Karkariko Village, but it had been years ago. At the traveling had been mostly at night, so she hadn't seen Hyrule Field for what it was.
"Link?" she said softly.
"Yeah?" He turned around to face her, eager to see her expression.
"Never listen to anything I say." Her eyes were wide.
He started at a slow trot, then continued to gain speed. Illia's arms tightened around Link's waist.
Link tore across the field, the wind whipping his hair back. The ground below flew by underneath, the sun glared down from above. The exhileration of the speed without barriers was satisfying. Link felt as if his heart was going to burst out of his chest. A quick look behind him told him that Illia was experiencing the same thing.
They rode for hours, occasionally stopping to let Epona rest. They laid down on a large flat rock, Epona trotting around nearby. Staring at the sky, Link said dreamily."This is the perfect day."
Illia smiled too. "Perhaps."
Later, they rode back home through the forest. Stopping at his home, Link dismounted and offered his hand to Illia. Illia slid off, turning to say goodbye.
Link stared at her. Their hands were still intertwined, and Link felt extremely aware of the fact. Normally Link let go once Illia was down off Epona, but something possessed him to hold on. The warmth of her hand in his was nice. He saw that she was slightly startled by the gesture, but she became comfortable in a matter of seconds. Her eyes were still wary.
"Umm..." she looked down at the ground. Link felt bad, realizing that he was probably making her uncomfortable. He shuffled uncomfortably and said goodbye, turning around and gently pulled his hand from hers. To his surprise, she held on. He slowly turned around. She had her small signature smile playing on her lips. "See ya around, Link," she said. Link smiled, thinking that maybe this was a good thing. The feeling was good. He turned, hands lingering a moment longer before he headed up the ladder. It was already twilight, and falling asleep, he wondered what exactly had happened.
