A/N: This chapter was revised as of 12/15/13 – Polished, minor errors and typos fixed.

What Makes a Hero

By: Selphie Kinneas 175

Chapter 37: A Cause

.:.

The time that had passed from when the children in Kakariko last saw their hero seemed to drag on endlessly.

The kids bugged Renado incessantly about when he anticipated Link's return, but he was never able to give them a decent answer. When the day came that marked the first week of Link being gone, the children took turns waiting at the north and south entrances to the village in order to greet their big brother when he would come back to them. They simply sat on the dirt in the farthest possible spot they were allowed to go, which was where Mister Renado could still keep an eye on them.

They went to their respective spots first thing in the morning, directly after lunch, and for a little bit after supper each and every day. But when the sun would finally set showing them that another day had passed without the return of their hero, their hearts ached a little more.

When the second week passed them by, the kids began to grow frantic. The kind, old shaman had done his best to remind the young ones that there were numerous occasions so far in which Link had taken much longer to return. That set their weary minds ablaze, though, thinking that he could take even longer this time around. Renado soothed them by telling them that he was sure that Link wouldn't be gone much longer, and he prayed to the Goddesses every evening that he was right.

On a certain chilly day in the middle of the third week of the hero's absence, the children were all gathered in the inn for their morning meal just as they usually were.

"Bread and cheese! Yeah!" Talo shouted enthusiastically as a wooden plate was placed before him by Ilia.

Beth rolled her eyes, "You get excited no matter what the food is, Talo."

"So what!" the boy yelled through a mouthful of bread.

"We've had this four times already this week," Malo muttered negatively, staring down at his plate of dark rye bread and cheddar cheese.

"Don't complain," Luda chimed in, "We could very well be without any food. I am grateful that I am able to eat."

Renado smiled as he approached the table and placed a hand on his daughter's back, "Luda is right – we are very fortunate that we have food. There are those in our great kingdom that go hungry every day."

"I feel sad for them," Colin said truthfully, "But I know that Link is helping them all while he's away!" he finished with a grin.

Malo raised his eyebrow, "He's not feeding the hungry, he's killing things."

Colin shot him an angry look, "He's doing everything he can to help everyone!"

"Just because he isn't literally handing food to the hungry doesn't mean that they aren't being touched by his deeds," Luda added wisely.

"Yeah!" Talo threw in despite his full mouth.

Malo simply rolled his eyes and returned to his plate without a word.

Mindless chatter continued on throughout their breakfast until everyone was done. The children all pitched in and helped Ilia clean up after their meal, even despite the littlest ones' protests.

Just as they were finishing up washing the last of the dishes, an approaching noise from just outside the inn caught everyone's attention.

"What was that?" Ilia asked nervously.

"Stay right there, children," Renado demanded as he went to the window beside the door and peered out of it.

At first, he saw nothing, but he could clearly hear the sounds of oncoming hoof beats. As he sat and waited, a familiar form came into his line of sight.

He turned to the children with a smile, "It's someone I think you'll be happy to see," he said as he looked directly at Colin.

Confused, but excited nonetheless, the blond-haired boy darted for the door, eager to see who was waiting on the other side of it. He whisked the door open, and at the bottom of the stairs dismounting his stallion was indeed someone he was happy to see.

"Dad!" Colin yelled as he dashed to his father and leapt into his arms.

Rusl laughed as he caught his boy and held onto him tightly, "Colin, my son! Are you well?" he asked as he pulled away a bit, only far enough so that he could look him over.

He nodded, a huge grin plastered on his young features.

By now, everyone else had filtered out of the inn and began surrounding the visitor.

"Uncle Rusl!" Talo shouted as he, too, jumped at the older man. Even though he wasn't their uncle by blood, it was an endearing term that the young ones had adopted when they were all very small due to everyone being so close with each other back in Ordon.

"Talo! Beth!" he acknowledged them one by one as he saw them, "How great it is to see you all!" he turned to the shaman standing tall at the top of the small staircase, "Thank you, Renado, for taking such good care of Ordon's children."

Renado shook his head, "It is my pleasure. They bring me great joy each and every day."

He smiled and then turned to Ilia who was standing quite a ways behind, still partially inside the inn, "Ilia, I take it you have also been well?"

She furrowed her brow and took a protective step back, "How… How do you know my name?"

He scolded himself mentally; he had forgotten that she had no idea who he was, "I, uh," he stammered as he quickly came up with something to say, "Telma has told me a lot about you."

"Oh, I see…" she said quietly, "Yes, I have been well."

"That is good to hear," he said with a smile before glancing around the village in every direction. He then looked back to the shaman, "Is Link not here?"

The children all frowned and Renado shook his head, "I'm afraid not. Come, let us go inside where we can talk more comfortably."

Everyone followed Renado into the inn and the adults found a seat. The young ones bickered about wanting to go outside to play, but they were told they needed to stay indoors where the older men could keep watch over them; with monsters roaming freely and everything else going on, there was no way they were going to let the children outside unsupervised.

"Renado, friend, how long has it been?" Rusl asked as he got comfortable in his seat and positioned it so that he could see both the shaman and the children. The kids all played with their various toys on the floor, but Ilia sat away from the group under the staircase with a book while Rusl and Renado sat at the table.

"It has been too long. Tell me, how is my old friend, Bo?"

Rusl chuckled, "He's the same as ever."

Renado smiled as he thought of his comrade, but he decided to change the subject, "I know you have not travelled such a distance to engage in small talk, Rusl. So, tell me, why is it you have come?"

"Well," he began, "I've been needing to see my boy, first off. But also, Ashei has been worried sick about Link."

"Ashei?"

"She's a young woman in the resistance. Her and Link travelled to Snowpeak some weeks ago, and she's been hysterical in thinking he's gotten himself killed ever since. Telma asked me if I would come to Kakariko and see if he was here. Have you seen him?"

"He left here nearly three and a half weeks ago, I'm afraid."

"Hm," Rusl thought as he folded his arms over his chest, "I'm worried for him."

"As am I."

The two fell quiet after that, each in deep thought for quite some time. The only sound in the room was that of the children playing their silly games. However, when Colin stood up and looked out the window, he shouted loudly when he spotted something, or someone, in the distance.

"Hey! I see something out there!" the timid boy yelled as he raced for the door.

"Colin! Stay inside!" his father barked as he chased after his son, but he did not listen.

Once he was just outside the inn, he stared long and hard at the figure by the spring. He could make out a vibrantly reddish colored horse with a white mane, and he instantly recognized it to be Epona. As he examined her, though, he didn't see Link at first. After a moment, the small, hunched-over form of his hero could just barely be seen on top of his mount.

Colin glanced over his shoulder to the rest of the group behind him and shouted, "It's Link, everyone!"

The rest of the kids squealed in excitement and they all raced through the dusty village towards the spirit's spring. Ilia began following them until she heard Renado utter something from behind her.

"Something isn't right," the shaman said worriedly as he watched the hero's strange position from afar.

Ilia and Rusl turned to him, "What do you mean? Is he hurt?" the girl asked frantically.

Renado didn't answer, he simply began walking at a fast pace towards the southern end of the village, Rusl and Ilia following quickly at his sides.

"Link!" Colin bellowed with a huge grin as he passed by Malo's shop, all the other kids soon following suit as they, too, called out their big brother's name in sheer excitement.

Something happened at that moment that froze the young ones' hearts in their chests. Just as they were nearing their hero, only a mere dozen feet away, they watched him tumble from the top of his mare and land with a thud on the ground. They all halted instantly in their tracks as they watched the dirt fly up from all around him and Epona rear up and neigh.

Ilia gasped and covered her mouth with her hands in shock. Renado stopped briefly as well, but Rusl was purely petrified. In all the years that he had watched the boy he considered to be his son ride his horse, only once did he ever see him fall from her back. That one time was also the very first time he had met him, when he stumbled into Ordon as a mere child. He had seen Link ride Epona while he was sick, while it was raining, no matter the circumstance, never did he ever lose his balance and slide right off the saddle. That simple fact stopped the beating of his heart and planted his feet into the ground.

Ilia was the first to regain control of her body, doing so as soon as she could. She ran up to the motionless form on the ground and simply sat beside him and looked him over; she was too afraid to touch him in fear that she would do more damage. Renado went to him next, kneeling down to his level to quickly examine him and determine if he was safe to move. He had landed on the hard ground on his right shoulder before toppling over onto his back, giving everyone a good look at him.

He was wet and freezing – his clothes were slightly damp, his hair was frosted at the ends, and his purple lips were chattering relentlessly. A bloodied cloth was tied messily around his skull mostly under his cap and a number of small, red scratches and teeth marks adorned the side of his head and his ear. There were large, bloody scrapes on his shins and on his knees. His broken arm, however, drew the most attention as it sat beside him bent in a gruesome fashion.

The children had all approached him slowly by now as well, all looking down at him with worry in their young eyes, for they also had never lived to see a day in which Link had fallen from Epona's back.

Ilia noticed the disturbing twist of the bones in Link's right arm and asked to no one in particular, "Is his arm broken?"

Renado sighed as he slipped his arms underneath the hero's body with care, "It appears so."

The kids watched as the shaman lifted their hero up into his strong arms and headed back towards Elde Inn. Ilia got up from her seat on the ground and after giving Epona a loving pat, she quickly followed at Renado's heels along with the other kids. Rusl, however, didn't break from his trance until they were already ascending the small steps, and he then subconsciously made his way after them.

The shaman realized that it had almost become routine by now – as saddening a discovery as it was – as he carried the young Hylian up the staircase and into the farthest room at the end of the hall where he always stayed during times like this. He set Link down on the clean cot and as soon as Rusl made his appearance, the children were promptly told to leave the room for a few minutes. The hero's temperature was drastically low and Renado knew that he could not warm him up as long as he remained in his wet clothing.

The two older men removed all of Link's damp layers and hung them out the window to dry. Once he was covered with a thin blanket from just above his knees to his stomach, the kids were brought back inside.

With his bare skin exposed, all of his previous and current damage was clearly visible. Immediately overwhelmed, Rusl fell back into a nearby chair and wiped his palms down his face; he had no idea of the physical toll that had been taken on Link's young body. Numerous scars were scattered about his arms, legs, and chest, some minor while some were massive – the older man could only imagine what had inflicted the worst of them.

Renado, however, seemed as if the situation didn't even faze him as he walked calmly about the room gathering his necessary tools before returning to a chair at the hero's bedside. Rusl could only watch from a few feet away.

While the shaman began wrapping Link's arm in a cast, his daughter was working diligently on bandaging his scraped shins and kneecaps. Ilia, Colin, and the other children observed quietly from opposite Renado, most of them being afraid to break the silence.

Colin was the first to take the leap, "Is he okay?"

Renado nodded, not looking up from his work, "I believe he will be."

The young, blond boy's gaze flickered between his brother and his caretaker, "His… arm is broken?"

"It is."

Beth cringed and turned slightly away when she noticed the disturbing bend of Link's wrist.

"You really think he's okay, though?"

Renado looked up into Colin's eyes, "Yes."

"Then… why isn't he waking up?" Talo ventured to ask.

Renado's hands stopped in their motions as he paused to consider the boy's words. It was true, Link usually came to alertness by now, so why hadn't he this time? After all, a broken arm and a few cuts and scrapes were not enough to warrant an extended unconsciousness.

The shaman pressed two fingers to the young man's wrist, noticing immediately that his heart rate was abnormally slow. He then pressed the back of his hand against Link's forehead – it felt almost like touching an icicle. His lips hadn't returned to their normal color, just the same as the rest of his pale skin and his shivering had yet to lessen.

"He's still freezing," Renado whispered to himself as he hastily turned to his daughter, "Luda, are you done with those bandages yet?"

She looked at him, noticing the worried look in his mature eyes immediately, "Um, yes, just about, Father."

"Hurry. We need to wrap him up in blankets," he stated simply as he rushed to a nearby cabinet and took from it at least three or four large quilts. He hurried back to the bed and just after Luda finished by tying off the ends of the last bandage, he laid all of the blankets in his hands on top of the hero, leaving only his mangled arm out in the open so that he could finish his work on it.

"Why is he so cold?" Beth asked.

Renado finished tucking the covers securely around him on all sides to make sure that he was warm before taking a seat and resuming his work, "I do not know why, but he is in a hypothermic state."

"It is because he was on the snowy mountain," Rusl answered quietly, still in a bit of a daze, "He must have been in the snow and blizzard all this time… It's a miracle that he made it to us without freezing to death on the peak."

Renado sighed, not enjoying the pessimistic tone of his words, "Well, he has made it to us, and we all must pray to the Goddesses that he has. Now, as long as we all think positively and as long as he stays warm, he should be just fine."

"Are you sure?" Talo asked as he looked down at Link who lay motionless on the cot. His face was as white as a ghost, making his dark, blue lips stand out even brighter.

The shaman's gaze lingered on the young man's lifeless features as well before returning it to the bandaging of his arm, "Yes, I am."

Ilia, who had been seated in a chair on the opposite side of the bed from Renado, began stroking Link's hair. Bits of frost and clumps of snow fell from his strands as she moved her delicate hand through his damp locks. Colin soon pulled up a seat of his own and sat beside Ilia, resting his head on his arms at Link's side. Luda stood next to her father as she removed the damp, old cloth that was wrapped hastily around the hero's wounded head and replaced it with fresh, clean bandages. Malo sat near the door; he was always the type to not involve himself in many matters that did not concern him, but he found himself worried for their hero – he just didn't want anyone in the room to know it. Lastly, Beth and Talo found seats on the floor near Rusl, for no one wanted to leave Link until they were sure in their hearts that he was alright.

"Renado," Rusl's voice called out, ending the bitter silence.

"Yes?" the shaman responded as he continued his effort.

"Is this… typical?"

Renado glanced up at his old friend, "I do not know what you mean."

"This," Rusl gestured towards the form on the bed, having trouble finding the words, "Link returning this way. This is… normal?"

"I'm afraid so," Renado replied simply.

Rusl leaned forward to rest his elbows on the tops of his knees, "Does he usually take such a long time to return?"

"Most times, no. But the time before this he was gone for four weeks."

Rusl sighed, "I can't even imagine what it is that he's dealing with out there."

"Seeing the horrible state he always returns to us in, I would rather not think about what he's forced to endure."

The room fell quiet for a few moments, everyone collectively contemplating the last statement made by the shaman – even the littlest ones could understand and relate as they had seen him broken too many times already.

Rusl hung his head, "I only wish I could help him more. He's always travelling to every corner of Hyrule, getting himself hurt for the good of our kingdom, and I'm just… here," he let out a long exhale, "I feel so useless. I just want to help more."

Renado nodded, "I know how you feel. When he returns to the village in a mangled state such as this, I can't help but feel as if he is carrying a weight that exceeds that of one hundred men. I only wish I could share in the load and ease it a bit from his weary shoulders."

After another long bout of silence, Ilia said barely above a whisper, "Link is foolish."

They all turned at her sudden words and stared at her blankly, expecting her to continue. When no such thing occurred, Renado spoke up.

"And why is that?"

"He's always running off and getting himself hurt for no good reason. And that poor horse of his! Always pushing her to her limits! I just…" she sighed, staring down at Link's closed lids as she continued to stroke his hair, "I worry for him as if he's someone very dear to me, but I hardly know him."

It was silent yet again, everyone in the room struggling to keep the words they all wanted so badly to say locked within their throats.

"Well," the shaman began, once again ending the harsh quiet, "You are correct in the sense that getting himself hurt could be considered foolish, but that is only because he is bravely fighting for our kingdom – every minute of every day that he is gone from us he is protecting us from evil."

"Evil?" Colin asked, looking over at the wise man with a hint of fear in his cerulean eyes.

Renado paused, reminding himself that there were many young ears listening and he didn't want to frighten them any more than they already were.

Instead, Rusl took it upon himself to answer, "Our kingdom is one that is rich in resources and vast in nature, making it appealing to many people far and wide. One such being has cloaked our Hyrule in a dark veil in hopes to take it for his own," he explained slowly and calmly, the children all leaning in and listening attentively, "Link battles this evil in many ways and in many forms. With each passing day he is lessening the malevolent forces that have been working so hard at seizing our land. It is because of Link being 'foolish' and 'getting himself hurt for no good reason' that we all are safe."

The room took on yet another long silence after that; those that did not know about what Rusl spoke of were simply dumbfounded. They knew that Link was off doing good for the kingdom, but they thought it was simply helping people and nothing more, they didn't know the severity of the situation – after all, how could they, being mere children?

"I…" Ilia stammered after several moments of quiet pondering, "I'm sorry… I didn't know."

Rusl nodded in her direction, signaling that it was alright; he knew that she didn't know better at the time, but on the same hand, it did sound like something the Ilia he knew would say, and that let him know that there was hope in her recovery.

A couple of hours passed by in which everyone mostly kept to themselves. There was light chatter, but nothing of importance. Luda had gone downstairs around midday and gathered a bushel of apples from the kitchen to feed everyone for lunch. The kids gobbled their portions down in no time, but Rusl, Renado, and Ilia found themselves unable to eat. When even more hours ticked away slowly, the children began to grow restless. By the time the sun began to set, the young ones were already nodding off one by one. Usually they were able to stay awake a good two or three hours later than dusk, but with nothing to do but sitting and waiting, their adolescent minds most likely grew tired of the boredom and drifted off.

Throughout the day, Link's shivering diminished slowly, and around the time that the moon and the sun traded places in the sky, his shivers had come to a complete stop. Renado noticed this and removed the now-unnecessary extra blankets that were on top of him, leaving only a single quilt to cover his still-chilled body.

After the shaman placed the unneeded blankets back into the nearby armoire and retook his seat beside the bed, Rusl said something that caught him off guard.

"How many times has this happened?" he spoke quietly so as to not awaken the sleeping ones in the room.

"What?" Renado asked confusedly.

He gestured to Link lying on the bed, "How many times have you had to put him back together?"

The shaman sighed, averting the other man's gaze momentarily, "Do you really need to know?"

"Yes," his answer was sharp and instantaneous.

Renado hung his head and thought on the number before saying, "I'm not exactly sure. Six… maybe seven times thus far."

Rusl got to his feet in a huff and walked over to the open window, interlacing his fingers behind his head as he did so, "I don't understand…"

The shaman turned and looked at his friend, his back to him as he looked through the window. Rusl could feel his eyes staring at the back of his head so he went on, "I don't understand why he has to go through this."

Renado exhaled again, "I've pondered that very thing myself, but do you know what I've come to realize?"

Rusl turned around and met his stare, signifying that he was interested in what he was going to say next.

"It is him simply because it can only be him. He is the only one that can do it."

The Ordonian threw his hands down to his sides in anger, "But why? He's still so young, why should he have to put his life in danger constantly? Why not someone older who has lived and doesn't have as much to lose?"

"I understand your frustration…" Renado paused, thinking of what to say, "I think you should speak with him about it when he wakes up, maybe hearing the words from his mouth will give you a better understanding."

Rusl's eyes remained on those of the healer, considering his words long and hard before giving in, "Alright."

Only minutes later, Link began to stir. Renado quickly turned to face him and Rusl made his way to the side of the bed next to the shaman. The hero grumbled a bit before his eyes began slowly fluttering open.

"Link," Rusl called quietly, "Can you hear me?"

"Give him a moment," Renado whispered.

His eyes, which were barely open a slit, glanced around the room. His brow was tight when his vision finally locked on that of his father-figure. His mouth opened slightly to say something but only quiet mumbling escaped his lips. He then proceeded to try and sit up, the covers falling from his torso as he did so. He looked around the room at the children, at the two older men, even down at himself as if he was completely lost.

"Lay back down, Link," Renado said calmly as he placed a gentle hand on the hero's chest, trying to ease him back down to the cot.

Link did so without protest, staring back at him through glassy eyes as if in a stupor.

"Link, can you talk to me?" Rusl asked anxiously.

"Rusl, I don't think he's-"

"R…Rusl?" the young man muttered almost inaudibly.

Rusl nodded, "It's me, my boy. Are you feeling alright?"

Link looked back at him with blankness on his tired features; he appeared as if he wasn't present in his own body. After a few moments of silence, his eyes began to flicker shut and he was soon after yanked back into unconsciousness.

"What's wrong? Is he alright?" Rusl questioned desperately.

"His mind and body both are just simply exhausted. He has clearly undergone some great ordeal and needs his rest," Renado answered. When he noticed that the other man still didn't seem entirely comforted, he added, "He is going to be just fine. He merely sleeps, that is all."

It was quiet for quite some time after that. The shaman could tell, though, that Rusl's worries had decreased greatly with his last words. Finally breaking the silence, the Ordonian decided he had something important to say to his friend.

"Thank you."

Renado turned to him, "Whatever for? I already told you that caring for the children is a pleasure."

He shook his head, "I am thankful for that, but what I'm referring to this time is Link. If you hadn't been here time and time again to fix him up and mend him when he's broken…" he stopped to ponder it, "I don't even want to think about what would have happened to him if you weren't always here for him."

The wise healer shook his head and tried to protest, but Rusl continued.

"There truly aren't enough words to say my thanks to you."

Renado smiled warmly, "I appreciate your words, but I want you to know that I have grown deeply fond of the boy myself. If anything were to happen to him before he could get to me or while he was under my care, I don't think I could live with myself."

The two men were noiseless for a moment, each one contemplating their thoughts.

"Knowing that he is constantly putting his life on the line in order to save everyone in Hyrule, it only feels right that I do whatever I possibly can for him while he's here," Renado explained, "He is always so selflessly doing for others what others rarely ever do for him. It puts my heart at ease knowing that he can come here for at least a day's respite, a day of love and comfort from all who simply adore him in this village. I feel that it is the absolute least I can do for such a brave and noble hero."

Rusl smiled – he only hoped that Link's father and mother could hear from the heavens just how much their son was cherished.

"What I am saying is…" the shaman began, "Although your thanks are appreciated, they are not needed. It gives me such joy to care for Link and to know that I am doing my part. All I ask of you is this: find your part, and play it to the best of your abilities."

The other man fell silent, a serious look on his mature features as he thought long and hard on what his old friend had said. He knew it was imperative that he find his place, a place in which he could come to the aid of his beautiful Hyrule. The kingdom was in a dire situation, there was no doubt about it; he simply did not know where to begin. It was true, he had been feeling useless; he knew he needed to find something, anything, that he could do to help not only the cause, but to help Link.

He would stop at nothing to do all that he possibly could to help the hero - no, to help his son.

Something worth fighting for.