They could not help but laugh. Here they were, nearly a century forward in time, and they still had their family. The sisters hugged again, crying tears of happiness. Raiquen could not understand for the life of him why his mother was crying and hugging a complete stranger. Begonia laughed and suddenly noticed her son scowling at her.

"Oh! Come here, Raiquen. I want you to meet somebody!" She sniffed. Lear stared incredulously at the boy as he stared back, slowly walking over to his mother's arms. "Raiquen, this is my sister, Lear! She met you once, when you were barely a couple of days old."

Raiquen continued to stare, blinking a few times until his straight face broke into a smile.

"...So...Aunt Lear?" Lear nodded with a smile.

"You've grown so much, Raiquen! I can't believe how handsome you are!" she said as she hugged her nephew. Raiquen smiled, yet slightly winced at his aunt's touch. He could tell that she had the water ability; he wasn't too fond of water. All three stood up from the floor, brushing the dirt from themselves. Raiquen looked at his mother, her faced beamed with happiness. However, just by looking in her eyes, you knew that something was still missing in her life. His thoughts were broken by Lear's voice.

"So Raiquen, what element can you control?" she asked with excitement in her voice. He considered her for a moment, but then stood up tall and grinned.

"The fire! Watch this!" He clicked his knuckles together and sparks fell from his hands. As they hit the earth, birds emerged from the flames and flapped their wings before the fire died down and became ash. His mom looked around with a worried look and scolded him for using the fire around other people. He looked up to see Lear staring in wonder at the place where the birds had been, with a smile on her face.

"That's fantastic, Raiquen! You're already ahead in the skill level of your age. You keep practicing! But remember, fire has an insatiable appetite, and you've got to learn what to expect from it!" She continued to smile at him, but when she turned her back at the mention of her name, he frowned at her. He knew how to control fire, he didn't need a water bearer to tell him how to control it! Begonia, however, noticed his glare and frowned at him once again.

Link made his way towards them, happy that they had saved the village. He stopped abruptly when he saw Begonia standing there. He was taken aback when he looked at the eyes of the young man standing next to her. Was he the only one who noticed the similarities?

"Link! You're here too?" Begonia exclaimed. Link gave her a half-smile as she gave him a short hug. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually happy to see you!" Raiquen stood there dumbfounded. 'Why on earth is my mother hugging random people?' he thought to himself. He then noticed that Link was extending his hand towards him; he shook it hesitantly and Begonia smiled.

Link noticed the boy eyeing his blade. "Would you like to see it?" Link said as he unsheathed his blade. Raiquen only raised an eyebrow in response, and Link cleared his throat in the awkward silence. "Do you know how to use a sword?"

Raiquen wasn't too interested in being talked to as if he were a little child. Link's tone of voice implied that he thought he was weak, at least, that's what it seemed to Raiquen. Begonia spoke up for Raiquen, whom kept his scowl.

"Actually, he does, Link!" She said with a smile. "I taught him the Glaicien way of swordplay." Lear smiled at this, then got an idea.

"Hey Link, why don't you and Raiquen have a practice fight?" This aroused many different facial expressions. Link was grinning, Begonia frowned, and Raiquen only raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if you insist! Raiquen, whadda ya say? Want to have a little practice?" Lear walked over to Link and rested her elbow on his shoulder. They both smiled at him. He rolled his eyes and looked at his mother. Begonia twiddled her fingers. She knew how good Link was with a sword, he was the best she'd ever seen. But she also knew that he would never hurt her son. It was Raiquen she worried about. As a fire, his temper was always un-stable. But the boy grabbed his mother's swords lying nearby and walked off a little ways into the village, looking back at the others.

"Well?" He called. Lear looked at Link and he drew his sword with a shrug.

"I guess that's a yes...?" He said as he walked towards Raiquen.

Raiquen crossed his blades in front of him as Link called out the rule. "The first person to fall to the floor loses!"

Raiquen nodded and waited for Link to make the first move. He watched Link shuffle his feet, then he dashed forward and lunged his sword in a straight attack. Until the very last moment, Raiquen remained immobile. He caught Link's blade with his own and pushed him back. Begonia watched intently, trying to imagine Raiquen practicing with his father, rather than Link. The two continued to fight, catching each other's strikes perfectly. Raiquen did a back flip directly over Link's head, lunging at him when he landed. It frustrated him when Link blocked his attacks again; he glared at Link as they were only inches apart, pushing against each other with crossed blades.

Link gave him a smile, apparently under no stress at all. "

You're quite skilled, Raiquen!" The boy glared at him when he said this and tried to shove Link to the ground. Link however, just stepped to the side and Raiquen yelled as he fell to the ground. A whistle was heard from the villagers on the sidelines.

"Game, match!"

There was clapping and cheers heard from around the ring, including a very enthusiastic Lear. Link held his hand out to Raiquen.

"Very nice! I can teach you-" He withdrew his hand with a startled flinch, however, when his glove caught fire. The boy glared daggers at him as he helped himself up and stalked back to his mother. Link shook his hand repeatedly, trying to extinguish the flames. No one else had noticed the fire, and he glanced down at his burned hand.

Lear ran over to him with a smile on her face, but frowned a little. "I smell smoke...is everything all right?" Link nodded with a smile but commented that he needed to sit down for a bit.

"That boy's good, I'm going to go sit in the Inn for a minute or two." Lear watched him with concern as he walked off, trying to hide his injury. He walked into the Inn and placed his hand under the sink, allowing the icy water to cool his burn. He wasn't angry at all, but worried about how much of his father was truly in the boy. He jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to face Lear.

"I didn't hear you come in..." He said with a bashful smile. She didn't say anything, but took his hand out of the water and examined it with a frown.

"Link..." She sighed. He just gave his half-smile and turned the water off.

"Nothing to worry about, Lear. Raiquen knows how to defend himself well." He didn't want Lear upset at the boy, but she seemed more upset at him for not telling her about his hand. She shoved a seat over to him.

"Sit."

He did as he was told as she pulled his glove off of his hand and applied burn ointment to the blisters. They were silent as she produced gauze and began to slowly wrap up his injury.

"Lear...how are they still alive?" He asked thoughtfully, watching Lear finish.

"I...don't know...all I do know, is that I'm happy to see my sister and my nephew." Lear said as she let go of Link's hand. He balled his hand into a fist, making sure the bandage didn't hinder his hand's movements. Link and Lear sat there quietly, enjoying their moments together. They haven't had the chance to sit and do nothing for quite a while. However, such a moment would never last long. They both turned their heads to the door as they heard a loud rumble outside. They quickly made their way outside and found a group of boblins riding large boars. The leader had taken Colin and stampeded away. Link quickly jumped onto Epona's back, spurring away before Lear had the chance to join him.

He raced after the boblins, turning his head when he saw Raiquen racing his large steed after the boblins as well. When they made eye contact, they nodded and separated: Link taking out the boblins on the right, Raiquen on the left.

Link whispered ancient Hylian into Epona's ears, willing her to go faster. Her hooves flew faster and faster as they caught up to the King Boblin, holding Colin captive atop a pole. Link and Epona ran around the giant boar as his sword sliced back and forth, making King Boblin roar with pain. He slumped over in the saddle of Lord Bulbo as they galloped slowly towards Eldin Bridge. Link followed them out upon the bridge but Epona whinnied as bucked as fire suddenly sprang up on either entrance, leaving no exit. King Boblin had recovered and he snarled at Link as he kicked at Lord Bulbo's sides, urging the giant boar to leap forward and run at top speeds towards their prey. Epona cantered forward, and Link stroked her neck.

"Steady girl...steady..." He said as the boar continued to barrel towards them. The rumbling and vibrations of the hooves grew immensely as the monster drew closer. Raiquen watched from outside the flames. Try as he may, the boy couldn't control the fire enough to let him through. He watched in horror as the boar charged towards the walking Epona and Link.

"Link, LOOK OUT!" He shouted. Link turned Epona to the side at the last moment, and the startled King Boblin rode by without the pleasure of crushing the horse and rider beneath him. Link struck just as the King was by his side, and the monster roared in pain for the last time as he fell from his steed and off of the bridge, tumbling into the depths below.

Raiquen tried and tried again to control the fire. If he couldn't put it out, then Link would be trapped on the bridge. He dismounted Kivuli and approached the fire. The fire beckoned him to dance within the flames, and being the teenager that he is, he jumped right into the fire. Link watched him do this and yelled out, only to stop and watch him disperse the flames. Raiquen was in full control now, and the fire danced away into ash and smoke. Link spurred Epona through the smoke, finding Raiquen on his steed once again, smirking.

"Nice going there...did you get Colin?" he asked. Link stared at Raiquen, he wasn't burned at all! He nodded and turned his attention towards the boy in his arms.

"I'll race you back to the village!" Raiquen said as he spurred Kivuli into a gallop.

Link rolled his eyes at he boy and laughed freely, allowing Epona to take off after the steed in front of her. They galloped into the village and were met with worried glances which quickly turned to smiles. Soon the entire village was cheering as the horses slowed to a stop. Raiquen dismounted and scoffed as his mom took him in her arms and scolded him while praising him at the same time. Link dismounted, with Colin in his arms, and the village children surrounded him as he walked over to the spring. Lear watched and slowly made her way over also, not wanting to disturb the chatter that resounded around the children and their hero. Link was injured once again, she noted with worry, as she looked at his ash-strewn face. Though he was covered in cuts, bumps, and bruises, he was smiling as he tipped the healing spring water into Colin's mouth. The kids watched as Colin slowly opened his eyes.

They let out excited cheers as Colin came around. Begonia and Raiquen joined in their circle as Link told Colin how Raiquen had helped saving him. Colin quietly spoke about how he wanted to be strong, just like Link. Lear smiled, he was still the great hero that everyone saw him being. After Colin had passed out again, from fatigue, Renado picked him up from Link's arms.

"I will care for the boy. Thank you Link, for saving him." The children followed him into the sanctuary, leaving the four to talk amongst themselves. Begonia checked her son for wounds, not finding any, she turned to Link.

"You both had us worried when you rushed out like that! Here...let me heal your wounds." She said as she walked over to Link. Lear had almost forgotten about her healing ability!

Begonia placed her hand on the cut on Link's arm. Her hand glowed slightly as she healed his injury. When she removed her hand, the cut was gone. To Raiquen, this was normal for him to see, however, it was nothing but shocking to both Lear and Link. When Begonia removed the bandage on Link's hand, she gasped at seeing the burn. Raiquen spoke up before his mom exploded.

"Listen…I'm sorry I burned your hand…Link…" Link nodded with a smile.

"Hey, it's fine! I know you didn't mean it." With this, Begonia healed his burns, and Link patted Raiquen on the back.

Lear beamed. Everything seemed so bright and well. Link turned to her with a smile on his face and they met each other's eyes, gazing at each other for a short moment. Lear found herself wanting to talk to him alone, to spend a peaceful moment with just him. She felt her heart drop as he turned his head while Raiquen spoke to him again, exclaiming how awesome it'd been to be galloping along fighting the monsters. She sighed a little and heard Navi whisper in her ear.

"What's the matter, are you sick?" Lear couldn't help but smile at his and whispered back.

"Not quite the sick you think I am, but sick enough..." Navi's wings fluttered as she hid in Lear's hat.

Begonia noticed the change in Lear. One moment she was beaming, and the next she looked sad. She left the two boys to their chatting about fighting monsters and riding across Hyrule, to walk over by her sister. She gave her a smile as she grabbed her by her arm, pulling her away from the spring.

"Come, Lear! Talk to me...we haven't talked in so long!" Lear took this opportunity to ask her some questions.

"Begonia...how long has it been?" Begonia smiled sadly and sighed.

"It's been 100 years since you and Link disappeared...It's amazing, isn't it?" Lear stopped in her tracks.

"100 years? How on earth are you and Raiquen still alive?" she asked incredulously. Begonia turned towards her sister and frowned.

"That...I do not know for sure. Raiquen and I stopped aging after he turned 10. But only 5 years ago…we started aging again."

Lear pondered this for a moment and frowned slightly. She wondered if this meant the return of her husband...Begonia spoke again.

"Those shadows that attacked our village, am I wrong in guessing that you've encountered them before?" Lear shook her head.

"No...when Twilight falls across the land, those shadows are usually near the darkness, if not the ones bringing it." Begonia looked confused at this, and Lear wondered if her sister would believe that she was able to transform into a wolf. She was suddenly tired, however, and decided not to try to explain to her sister what happened when Twilight fell and took over the land. The village itself was slowly turning orange as the sun set. She wearily hugged her sister again as they went their separate ways; Begonia to the sanctuary and Lear to the inn.

Lear made her way to her room in the inn. The moment she walked into the room, she found a pair of lips that attacked her face. When they broke away, she found Link grinning at her and blushed furiously.

"W-what was that all about??" Lear asked him, he only laughed.

"Ah, I'm just in a really good mood right now, that's all!" Lear sad down on the couch by the window.

"Oh really? Why's that?" Link took a seat next to hear and began talking about her nephew.

"Raiquen's a good boy, your sister raised him well! Hey, he might even help us!" he said as he wrapped his arm around Lear's shoulders. Lear cuddled up against him and smiled.

"You see? I told you he would be..." she said with a yawn.

He rested his cheek on her head with a grin. He didn't want to break the moment to tell her that they needed to go into the heart of a volcano tomorrow, and he chuckled a little at this thought.

"What are you laughing at...?" Her voice came sleepily from under his chin. He drew her closer and laughed again.

"Oh...nothing. Nothing at all. Some day, huh?" She snorted quietly.

"Yeah...you were nearly burned to ashes by my nephew that you now adore, Colin was kidnapped by a giant...thing, and you brushed death yet again to survive another day..." She suddenly felt fear grip like a vice, making it hard to speak. She wondered how many times Link would be able to outsmart death before it finally...but she tried to force the thought away.

Her thoughts seemed to drift away as her eyes slowly closed. She fell asleep next to Link, whom, stayed awake much longer than Lear. He held her close, not wanting to move from this position. In the morning they would have to prepare for the next part of their quest. It would be dangerous, and he had thoughts about leaving Lear behind. In time, he too fell victim of the night, drifting away into sleep.