A/N: This chapter was revised as of 12/6/14 – Polished, minor errors and typos fixed.


What Makes a Hero

By: Selphie Kinneas 175

Chapter 55: See You Later

.:.

With the excitement of the recent events having died down a bit, Link was finally given the rest and recuperation he needed – and so deserved.

He slept through the majority of the next few days, mostly due to being completely physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted, but also because Renado continuously forced the young man to down the vile sleep inducing potion in order to ensure that he got the rest he needed to properly heal; the shaman knew exactly where Link was heading to next, and there was no way on Farore's green earth that he was going to let the hero leave even a hair's breadth shy of perfect health.

His dreams were unpleasant, as he had become accustomed to them being, and Renado was concerned to see the young man often tossing and turning in his sleep. The shaman knew there was nothing he could do about his nightmares, unfortunate as it was, but at least he was getting some rest – be it serene or otherwise.

Immediately after the surprise attack on the village a few days prior, Link's wound had reached a stalemate in its healing process. The strike he had sustained from the Bulblin had hit nearly square on his already prominent injury, causing a massive, purple bruise to form around and beneath his stab wound. With an extra dose of medicine that night as well as some remedial herbs held directly in the open flesh for an extended time, it had resumed its previous speed of healing, and he was once again on the mend.

Those short few days passed quickly for the hero, as he was unconscious almost throughout all of them. He awoke only when it was completely necessary, such as for a quick bite to eat or a drink of water.

He would have grown restless had he been awake, so the children grew restless for him. They were cooped up now permanently within the inn – as per the healer and resident guardian's orders; even though the Gorons stood constant watch, Renado simply would not take the risk of anything happening to them. The kids often pestered the shaman to let them see their big brother, but Renado knew that they would only wake him up and stint his healing process, so he declined every time the question arose.

One early afternoon, however, Renado was busy helping Ilia and his daughter clean up the kitchen and dining room after their late breakfast, giving the children the perfect opportunity to sneak into the hero's room unnoticed.

Upstairs, Link was deep in sleep. He did not hear the handle slowly turning or the door quietly creaking open; not even the whispers of his name or the pitter patter of little feet on the wooden floor approaching his bed reached his long ears.

"Link?"

He could hear the voice… but was it real or in his dream?

He moaned and rolled onto his back, the kids noticing that he was mumbling something incoherent all the while.

Beneath his closed lids, he could see dark storm clouds covering the whole of Hyrule in a thick, suffocating blanket. The castle was no longer the bright beacon of hope and purity that it had always been. It was, instead, a black, malevolent tower proclaiming nothing short of sheer wickedness. Every tree or shrub for as far as he could see was bare and lifeless, having borne not a single bloom or solitary leaf in what seemed like centuries. The once beautiful and ever glistening Lake Hylia was completely dried up – even more so than he had witnessed on his journey – the once-muddy lakebed was now dehydrated and cracked for going what seemed like years without seeing an ounce of moisture. The wind, though… the wind was bitter, angry, even painful. It was as if the wind was a malicious entity all on its own.

There was not a living soul in sight, but as his dream progressed, he saw him… Ganondorf. His evil face was glowering down at him, a menacing smile placed peculiarly on his lips. Link was lying on the ground, an all too familiar warmth drenching his entire body. He was covered in blood; he had failed and he was dying. That was why Ganondorf was grinning like a madman, as if he needed a reason.

Link tried to get up, but some inexplicable force held him down. The king of evil opened his mouth to spew some sinister words of intimidation, but Link couldn't make them out. Behind Ganon's head he could see the storm clouds opening up and thick torrents of rain suddenly began to pour upon them. Link closed his eyes as the wetness mixed with his own blood and stung his eyes, and he was surprised that he did not feel fear or regret. He almost felt… calm and accepting of what he knew was coming. When he reopened his eyes, he was able to just make out the Gerudo's sword plunging down into his stomach before he suddenly jolted up in bed.

"Whoa!" a little boy's voice could be heard exclaiming in shock beside him.

Link's throat was stinging something awful as he was starting to come back to consciousness, revealing that he had likely screamed when he awoke. He had also tried to involuntarily sit up when his body snapped awake, but his middle yelled at him to lie back down. He relaxed back down to his back as he tried to ease his tense muscles and tell himself that it was all just a dream. He rubbed his eyes, trying to get that image of Ganondorf sneering at him out of his mind's eye.

"Link?" a little girl's voice was then heard timidly calling at his side, and he was reminded once again that he had company.

He opened his eyes and blinked the grogginess away a few times. He looked up to see that Beth and Talo stood to his left, shocked and saddened expressions on their adolescent faces.

"Are you okay?" Beth asked, a concerned look in her turquoise eyes, "You were having a scary dream…"

"Yeah, you… You screamed something about a… a cannon? Er… Ganon? What's a 'Ganon?'" Talo added, an almost frightened sound in his usually hyper tone.

Link cleared his throat before feigning a smile for their sake, "It's nothing you need to worry about."

"But… you seemed kinda scared, and you never get scared," Talo mumbled.

"It was just a nightmare, nothing more. So don't worry about it, okay?"

They were silent, so Link pressed, "Okay?"

Neither one seemed sure, but they reluctantly nodded and agreed nonetheless.

After a moment, Link realized something, "Where's Colin? He's almost always with you two nowadays."

"That's actually why we snuck in here," Talo admitted.

"Yeah, Colin hasn't been doing so good," Beth said.

Link furrowed his brow, automatically thinking the worst, "What's wrong?"

"Ever since the other day when he killed that ugly monster thing, he's been…" Beth paused, searching for the appropriate adjective.

"Sad and weird and won't talk to anyone," Talo finished for her, "He's got Mister Renado all worried, too."

"Yeah," Beth chimed in, "We knew he would talk to you, Link, but Mister Renado said we couldn't wake you up…"

"Yeah, so we're probably gonna get in big trouble," Talo added dejectedly.

Link sat up with a slight wince; despite having mostly healed, there was still a dull pain associated with any movement that involved his abdomen, which was almost any kind of movement at all. He reached for his off-white undershirt and threw it on as he tossed his legs over the side of the bed.

The children couldn't help but eyeball his bandages around his stomach before they were concealed by his shirt.

"Does it still hurt?" Talo asked, genuinely troubled.

Link gave him a crooked smile as he ruffled the boy's hair, "Nah," he answered as he got to his feet.

Talo grinned widely up at his hero, "Good! 'Cause it's been so sad and boring with both you and Colin in bed all the time!"

Beth squealed, "I'm just so happy that you're okay and can get up again!"

Link smiled, honestly so glad that he had these children in his life to keep him sane. He knew it was vital that he keep their spirits up, and so he quickly thought of something.

The big brother knelt down to the kids' level with a finger pressed against his lips as he whispered, "Shh… We're going to go see Colin, but we can't let Mister Renado see or hear us, or else we'll all be in big, big trouble!"

Talo gasped, immediately recognizing that Link was trying to make a game of it, "Is the ground lava? Is Mister Renado actually a huge, scary dragon? Is Colin the princess we have to save? Where's my horse and my pointy sword? I can't just be a hero without any preparations!"

Link couldn't help but laugh at how serious this was to them, but he quickly pushed aside the humor and tried to take it just as serious, "How about… The downstairs is all lava, Mister Renado is a nice dragon but if he sees us he'll make us stay for dinner and dragons eat gross stuff."

"Like what! Like what!"

"Worms and bugs and lots of other yucky stuff, and-"

"I thought dragons ate people and animals and burned down villages?" Talo wondered.

"Not the nice ones, stupid!" Beth yelped.

"Well, excuuuuse me-"

Link hastily cut the argument short, "Yes, Mister Renado is a nice dragon so he won't hurt us but we still don't want him to see us. And um, Colin is definitely not a princess but we still need to save him-"

"Pfft! Only princesses need saving!" Talo proclaimed, folding his arms over his chest in pride of his own gender.

Beth smacked the back of his head, "Boys need saving sometimes, too! You big, fat, stupid-"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Link called, drawing back their attention, "Remember, we're on a mission! We have to focus so we can save Prince Colin!"

"What about my horse and my pointy sword?" Talo asked seriously.

"Horses can't go across lava, Talo," Beth said.

"And we don't need pointy swords against nice dragons, right?" Link added.

Talo groaned, "But what's the fun if we aren't fighting bad guys?"

Link frowned, sincerely dismayed with how much their young lives had been so heavily influenced by recent violence.

"We're saving someone, that's fun isn't it?"

Talo didn't seem convinced.

Link elaborated, "We're saving someone that can't save themselves. Sometimes, people become weak and they need their friends and loved ones to save them so that they can find peace and happiness again. We're the only ones that can do that for Colin. What do you say?"

"Colin has been really sad…" Talo stated, hanging his head as he went on, "When my friends and family are sad it makes me sad."

"So, won't it be fun to make him happy again? Even if we aren't killing huge, scary dragons?" Link asked with a smile.

Talo suddenly nodded, that mischievous and spunky look back in his eyes, "YEAH! But, remember! Mister Renado is a nice dragon and we don't want him to see us 'cause he'll make us stay for dinner and we'll have to eat yucky stuff like bugs! We have to be super quiet and super quick! Got it?"

"Got it!" Beth and Link agreed in unison, happy to let the little boy think he came up with it on his own.

They followed Talo's lead as he opened the door and motioned for them to wait. He crawled forward on all fours and peered through the banisters to the downstairs area to check if it was clear. He could see Renado and Ilia at the sink while Luda swept up the floor right behind them.

"There's lots of lava down there, guys," Talo whispered in a deep, serious tone, "And I see three nice dragons! I can smell the nasty bug stew they're making from here! We need to move!"

The brunet boy motioned for Beth and Link to follow and they did just that, crawling on the ground just as the former had. They went noiselessly down the hallway, Talo stopping briefly every few seconds to check and make sure that the 'nice dragons' weren't looking their way.

When they passed by the room right before Link's, Malo poked his head out and said, "What in the world are you guys doing crawling on the floor like a bunch of monkeys?"

"SHH!" Talo hushed, "We're going to save Colin but we can't let them see us down there because they're dragons and they'll make us eat bugs and stuff!"

"Duh, Malo!" Beth barked.

Malo rolled his eyes, mostly angry that he was forced to stay indoors and unable to work his shop. He muttered something negative that none of them could make out before closing the door and pretending they were never there.

They eventually made their way crawling to the opposite end of the hall, to the first room at the top of the stairs that Renado usually kept empty for when guests came.

"Why is Colin in this room?" Link asked quietly.

Talo turned back to him and whispered, "I told you Colin hasn't been hanging out with us at all. He's just been cooped up in here the last few days. He won't even play our favorite 'Link versus the troll' game with us in our room before bedtime anymore."

Beth nodded to signify that he was being truthful.

Link furrowed his brow in confusion; it simply wasn't like his little brother to purposely detach himself and wish to be left alone. All his young life he had wanted nothing more than the acceptance and friendship of the other village kids. He had finally obtained that after the incident with Beth and King Bulblin, and ever since then the children had been inseparable – he must really be upset to not even want to play anymore.

Talo stood and opened the door, signaling to the other two that it was safe. Link got to his feet with a bit of a stumble, but he hid it well. As soon as the prone form of the small boy on the bed was in his sight he no longer was thinking of the game he was playing with the other two, and when he started speaking, truthfully, neither were they.

"Colin?" Link called, having made his way across the room.

The blond boy opened his eyes as his big brother sat on the bed beside him. Colin was lying on his belly, seemingly having been in a hypnopompic state. Link placed his hand gently on the boy's back, coaxing him softly to alertness.

When he saw Colin's eyes open and focus on his, he said, "Colin… The others tell me you haven't been playing with them and you won't talk to anyone. Will you talk to me?"

He was still.

Link sighed, not even noticing that Beth and Talo were now standing at the base of the bed, and no one at all noticing that Ilia was standing silently in the doorway.

"I know what's wrong… You're upset about what happened the other day when you killed the Bulblin, aren't you?"

He didn't say anything, but his eyes did all the answering that was necessary.

"I understand, believe me, I do. It's not an easy thing to take a life, even if it is just that of a monster. I don't want you to feel bad though, okay? That was a bad guy, and you saved us all with what you did."

Colin sat up slowly, facing his hero straight on as he rubbed his eyes and thought for a moment before saying, "I… Every time I close my eyes, I see that… thing dying right in front of me. I… I see it all bloody and spitting and," he shuddered, "It freaks me out – I hate it! I just want that picture to go away! It's almost like it's a-a-a… a bunch of pictographs that my brain won't stop replaying… Does that make any sense, Link?"

The young boy looked up at him with bloodshot eyes and a downright disturbing look on his face. His appearance was disconcerting to Link because it was an expression of despair, terror, and downright anguish; a combination that he never thought he would ever have to experience seeing on his innocent brother.

"It makes perfect sense to me, Colin, because I have 'a bunch of pictographs that my brain won't stop replaying' all the time, too. I see all kinds of scary things when I close my eyes or go to sleep; it most times even makes its way into my dreams. But you know what always helps me?"

Colin looked up at him intrigued.

"Being around my friends and family. Being around you. You all lift my spirits and make my mind forget about all that scary stuff, even if only for a little bit."

The timid lad looked down at his hands in his lap, seemingly contemplating it, before returning his gaze to Link. He almost whispered, "You think… the scary pictures will go away if I play with my friends?"

He nodded with a smile, "I know they will. Being with people you love… it takes your mind off of the bad stuff and lets you focus on the happy things."

The room was quiet, and Link watched as Colin appeared to be seriously considering it. He just needed one last push.

"It doesn't do any good for you to coop yourself up in here and be all alone. So, promise me you're going to get out of bed and go play with Talo and Beth. They've really missed having you play with them."

Colin seemed shocked. He turned to them, "Really?"

Beth nodded, "Yeah! Malo never wants to play 'cause he's just a stick in the mud! And Talo's not as much fun 'cause he's so darn bossy!"

"HEY! I'm right here, ya know!"

Colin laughed, "Okay… I will go play! I'll admit that even though I've been kind of sad, I have really missed playing with you guys."

"FINALLY! Let's go already!" Talo shouted impatiently.

As they were about to turn around and leave, however, Link stopped them.

"Wait, Colin. I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it, Link?"

The hero paused, debating how he would word his question, "The other day when you did what you did and saved my life… You used my sword."

Colin nodded nervously, thinking at first that he was going to be scolded for using the hero's mystical blade.

Link could read that exact feeling on his face, "You aren't in trouble, I just… Well, uh…" he paused; he had no idea how to go about asking without having to go into a long explanation. He decided to just spit it out and hope that none of them asked too many questions, "No one but me has been able to pick it up before. Was it… heavy? Or hard to hold?"

"It was super heavy! But… I picked it up okay, didn't I? Why can't anyone but you pick it up?"

"It's kind of like… the Triforce on my hand – it just means that the Goddesses like me. That sword is from the Goddesses, too, so only I can wield it. I was just surprised that you could pick it up is all."

He got that look of anxiety again, "Was I not supposed to? I'm sorry, Link, I was just-"

"No, Colin, you did the right thing. I was just curious. Don't worry about it," he smiled, "Go on, go play."

Colin nodded and gave him a wide grin of his own before scrambling happily off the bed towards the other kids.

"Let's go!" Beth yelled, and when they turned to leave they practically plowed into Ilia in the doorway.

"Whoa! Sorry!" Talo shrieked, the three of them quickly darting around her to get out.

She giggled as they fled into the hallway and down the stairs before she turned to look at Link who was now approaching her.

"How long have you been there?" he asked as he stopped before her.

"Long enough," she answered in a bit of a teasing manner.

Link shrugged it off and was about to walk past her to go back to his room. He had actually grown quite tired again and his middle was beginning to ache something fierce. Before he could do that, however, she halted him in his tracks, placing a dainty hand on his chest to stop him.

"You really are amazing with those kids; they really look up to you and love you very much."

He gave a weak, forced smile and nodded, trying again to pass her but she then stepped in front of him, almost entirely closing the gap between them.

"You'll make a great father someday, Link. Have you… ever thought about that… with me?"

Link was frozen, and he was almost positive that his heart had reacted just the same as he knew his lungs had. When her gaze did not falter, he found himself completely livid that she would even bring up such a thing right now.

He didn't say anything as he moved her aside and pushed out into the hallway. He could hear her scoff and follow him, and her words stopped him abruptly before he could enter his chambers.

"Why are you so heartless to me, Link? I was just asking a simple question. I don't understand why that would upset you-"

He whirled around on his heel, an inexplicable anger boiling over and erupting suddenly that he had never before felt towards this girl. The horrible timing of her question had upset him, sure, but normally it would not affect him to this extent. Now, though, he felt as if he could just explode with rage towards her. Rage for her being completely oblivious. Rage for her being completely ignorant. Rage for her being completely and utterly selfish and insensitive. He wanted to scream it all at her, but at the same time he wanted to just get away from everyone and go back to sleep.

He decided to go with the former – and he didn't hold back.

"I'm heartless? Surely you must be joking. You start trying to have some… romance with me and asking me about kids for Din's sake? Now? Now of all Goddess-damned times! Do you even have any idea what's actually going on in our world right now? Clearly you must not have any idea if you think asking me about some delusional future right now is a good idea."

She looked almost appalled as she stared him down from across the hall, and Link could just barely make out the forms of Renado and the children staring at them from the stairs, clearly having become worried when they heard screaming, but he paid them no mind.

"The world is being threatened, Ilia! Our world is being threatened by Ganondorf, maybe you've heard of him? The evil man that likes to try to destroy Hyrule over and over again and wants the Triforce for himself? This thing, right here," he lifted his left hand and pointed to the triangle on the back of it, "You can't honestly tell me you've been blind to all of this! Have you really changed that much from when we were children together? You never used to be so selfish! You have only been focusing on your own wants and desires! Meanwhile, everyone else is at least concerned with what's going on! But you! You don't even have any… any idea! Y-You… you… ugh," he came to a slow stop and lurched forward a bit as he wrapped his arm around his throbbing stomach, his heightened anger having worn him out and taken a toll on his weary body.

"Well what about you, Mister Perfect? Huh?" she took his moment of silence to get her words out, "You go and get yourself hurt all the time! Did you ever stop to think how that makes all of us feel when you stumble in here half dead all the time? Like right now! You got stabbed for Din's sake! How did that even happen if you weren't being completely careless, huh? It's not like that was from Ganondorf, right? So what, then? Just some mindless creature did that to you and you think you can defeat Ganondorf? You can't honestly think getting yourself killed is going to help Hyrule at all!" Ilia spat viciously.

Link noticed Renado trying to make his way to him from behind Ilia, but the hero raised his hand in his direction to signal that he was fine as the pain subsided and he stood upright again.

"It's up to me to end him, do you get that?" he spoke up again, now sounding a bit quiet and frail, Ilia's words having hurt him more than she would probably ever know, "Everything I've been doing for the past year has been leading up to this. This," he motioned to the wound in his abdomen, "was from… a puppet of Ganondorf's. Basically right beneath him in terms of power and one of the main reasons our world is in danger. So no, Ilia, it wasn't just some 'mindless creature' and I wasn't being 'completely careless.' You have no idea the demons I've fought and the beasts I've defeated. I don't care if you don't think I can face down Ganondorf… because I know I can."

The entire inn was silent, and he could see in Ilia's now-watery eyes that she was beginning to realize what she had said and was already regretting it. She never meant to hurt his feelings, it was truly the last thing she wanted.

He decided to continue before she could muster a single word, "I'm honestly completely shocked and hurt that you would say what you said to me just now, and I… I don't know. I just… I just want to go back to bed and I'll be gone before you even wake up."

He turned to head into his room, but her upset voice stilled him in his tracks.

"Link!" she yelled, her voice quivering through uncontrollable tears, "I'm sorry for what I said! It was cruel and awful, okay! But you were yelling at me for not being understanding of what you're going through and yet… you never told me about any of it! How was I supposed to know? No one ever told me the extent of what's going on!" she turned to look at everyone in turn, mainly Link and Renado before focusing back on Link, "I don't know why in all of Hyrule everyone would choose to keep me out of the loop, but I had no idea, Link! I just saw you come back hurt all the time, and all anyone would tell me was that you were fighting for our kingdom. What does that tell me? I didn't know, Link," she went on, her tone lowering to a whimper, "How can you blame me for not being a mind reader?"

Link almost scoffed aloud at the irony of this argument; surely Midna was getting a kick out of it in his shadow. He had been the one telling his partner that very same thing just the other day, and now he was hearing it from Ilia.

Maybe he had overreacted…

He sighed, "I want to say I'm sorry, too, Ilia, but… I just can't right now. I can't get your words out of my head and I need to go back to sleep before I pass out right here and Renado has to lift me up for the, like, hundredth time. Good night," he finished bitterly with a sarcastic wave as he turned the doorknob and crossed the threshold into his room, closing the door behind him.

Ilia called his name and tried to dart after him, but the shaman grabbed her wrist and held her back, whispering, "Let him rest. He has a lot on his mind right now."

Link fell asleep instantly without any difficulty in doing so whatsoever. His shadow had probably tried to talk to him and question his outburst, but he was in no frame of mind for talking. He let sleep take him the remainder of the day into the night, and was woken up the next morning by the healer removing his bandages.

"Ah… I had hoped I wouldn't wake you, but it seems you no longer need to wear these," he greeted soothingly, taking the bindings and tossing them into a nearby waste bin.

Link rubbed his eyes as he fully awoke and glanced about the room, finding no one else with them and the door shut – clearly Renado wanted to have a talk with him.

"Do you think I overreacted with Ilia yesterday?" he asked right away, not wanting to beat around the bush.

Renado thought on it a moment, "I think you are under an immense amount of pressure and it is expected of anyone to crack under such extremes."

"So, you do think so," Link sighed, "I didn't mean to get so irate with her. She just… made me so angry with how she's been acting as if everything that's going on is just… nothing. She probably won't talk to me for a while."

"You two had a simple argument, a quarrel, nothing more. Everyone's tensions are high these days – every single person is on edge whether they realize it or not. We're all worried, we're all near our wit's end, some more than others."

"Meaning me."

"But you have just cause to be."

"I don't have just cause to lash out at my best friend. For Din's sake, Renado… I spent the majority of this past year wishing nothing more than to just be able to talk to her again, and now I have that privilege and I treat her like that."

"I promise you, she isn't angry at you any longer. I explained everything to her last night."

Link looked up at him with a furrowed brow, his curiosity piqued, "…Everything?"

He simply nodded, "Everything."

The hero gazed over at the window, contemplating how he felt about that. On one hand, he had just been yelling at her the day prior for being ignorant to the whole situation, but on the other hand, he wanted to keep her innocent and worry free. He didn't want her to think differently of him or treat him differently.

"She had to be told eventually, Link," Renado spoke up, knowing exactly what he was thinking, "I think we've all kept her in the dark for far too long, and that was unfair to her. We were treating her like one of the children. She is deserving of the truth, don't you think?"

Link turned back to him and was quiet for a moment before uttering, "She asked me about kids, Renado. Kids! For Din's sake! We aren't even married, let alone in a relationship or a… geez, I don't know what we are. It's so awkward."

The shaman couldn't hold back the laughter that ensued, "She is quite fond of you."

"Maybe if she had known everything that's going on she wouldn't have said that. Ugh… I just don't even know anymore. I don't think I want that even when this is all done."

"No children? But I do think you would make an excellent father someday."

Link frowned, "I don't think I could, not after everything I've done. I can't imagine settling down, getting married, having kids… I can't picture that anymore like I used to."

"Then what do you picture?"

"I-…" he stopped, realizing that that was an excellent question that he had no answer to – he was dumbstruck, "I honestly don't know. I… I can't picture my future anymore."

Renado looked sincerely disheartened. He couldn't stand to hear Link speak so negatively about his future, but he also knew that he had given him enough pep talks already and that he was not in need of another one. Instead, he changed the subject to something a bit more positive.

"Well… Your wound is healed enough for you to travel again, if you wish to. It will still be a tad sore, but it has at least fully sealed up and should be mostly painless."

"That's great," Link smiled, "Thank you, Renado. I… I think I'm ready to go then."

By the surprised look on the shaman's face, Link could tell he hadn't been expecting that response.

"Oh?" Renado began, "So soon? I thought you would take at least one more day to be with the children before leaving, seeing as you might be gone for quite some time."

Link shook his head, "I don't want to draw out long farewells – I don't want them to think I'm planning on dying or never seeing them again. They need to be optimistic, for their own sake and mine."

"I see…" Renado stated, trying to sound optimistic as well but failing quite horribly, "Well, if I've learned anything about you this past year it's that you don't like to wait. I assume you'll be taking your leave today?"

Link flicked the blanket off of the top of him and swung his legs over the side of the bed as he said, "I'll leave now."

Renado stood from his seat and proceeded to the door so as to be out of the young man's way. Link began methodically gathering his things and strapping each effect on in its proper turn; clearly it was a routine that the hero could do in his sleep.

"Do make sure you say goodbye to Ilia, won't you? I think she wants to give you a sincere apology. She really cares a lot about you," Renado said.

"I know…" Link sighed, wishing sometimes that certain aspects of his life could simply be put on hold, "And I will."

With all of his gear in place and everything packed and ready to go, Link stood beside the bed he had come so close to dying in on so many occasions, simply staring across the room at the man that had kept him alive. He didn't know if this was the last time he was going to see him or not… How could he ever really justify his thanks?

They stood in silence for what felt like forever, before Link finally asked with a touch of humor, "How many times can I say 'thank you'?"

Renado shook his head, "There is no need, my son. You have touched my life in more ways than could ever be known to you. You have opened my eyes to what it takes to be that hero in fairytales, and you have shown me what we, as the children of the Goddesses, are truly capable of when we simply care enough to try. You are more remarkable than words allow me to express, but… just know that you have forever changed my life, and no doubt countless others. This is not goodbye. We will see each other again, after you defeat Ganondorf and Hyrule is at peace. Isn't that right?"

Link fought back the tears with a smile, "That's right."

Renado nodded and gave a smile in return, stepping to the side so as to grant the hero permission to leave. Link took it, the shaman clapping him on the shoulder as he passed. He followed him down the stairs where Ilia and the children were spending their early afternoon. They all looked at him a bit shocked as he rushed down the staircase in his full hero's garb.

"Link! Are you all better?" Colin asked as he ran up and wrapped his arms around him.

"Yeah, I'm all better," he replied with a smile.

"Why are you all dressed up? Are you leaving already?" Beth questioned as she and Talo approached him next.

"I am," he answered bluntly.

"Oh…" Beth mumbled, not having anticipated that reply.

"When will you be back, Link?" Talo asked.

"Um, well-" Link paused as he tried to think of an answer that would both be hopeful and truthful.

Noticing he was on the spot without a good response, Ilia stepped forward and stated with a grin, "He'll be back as soon as he's able. But, the sooner he leaves, the sooner he can come back! Right, Link?"

He looked at her a bit puzzled, but played along flawlessly as he said, "Right."

"But… You said yesterday that you had to fight an evil man named… um…" Colin tried.

"Ganondork."

"No, Talo! It's Ganondwarf! Stupid!" Beth bellowed.

"It's Ganondorf, you bunch of idiots. Haven't you ever read a single book in this kingdom?" Malo muttered under his breath, mostly everyone paying him no mind.

"Ganondorf," Link corrected, "Yes, I do… But it's going to be okay. I'll be back before you know it, and there won't be any more monsters or attacks on the village. You'll be able to go outside, and you'll be able to go back to Ordon."

The children seemed to gasp in perfect unison before leaping up and down in sheer joy.

"Really, Link! You mean I'll finally get to meet my sister?" Colin exclaimed excitedly.

Link chuckled, "Yes. Maybe not right away, but very, very soon."

"YES! I've been craving my mom's pumpkin soup SO BAD!" Talo shouted, proceeding to run around in circles with a sudden overflow of energy.

Link couldn't help but smile; he loved seeing the children acting like they used to: cheerful and completely carefree.

"But…" Beth suddenly calmed down as she realized the unhappy side of this happy news, "What about Luda and Mister Renado? Will they come, too?"

Link looked to the shaman as he couldn't answer that for him, and honestly, he didn't want to. He knew what the answer was and he didn't want to be the one to tell them as he knew very well that they had all grown to be so attached to the healer and his daughter. He had been a father to them for the past year, and she their sister.

Renado looked distraught to have to tell them, "I'm afraid not, my children. But do not fret – with the fields free of monsters after Link defeats this evil, we will be able to travel and visit often."

"That's not the same…" Beth mumbled sadly.

"That's in the future," Ilia suddenly interjected, "Let's not worry about parting in the days to come, let's just make sure we spend as much time together as we can until then, okay?"

They were hardly convinced, but they nodded and feigned smiles even so.

"You should go, Link, so that you can come back sooner!" Talo declared.

"You're right, I should," he said with a chuckle, ruffling the boy's hair as he did so.

He knelt down and grabbed the brunet boy in a tight hug, "Be good for Mister Renado while I'm gone, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said unenthusiastically before the hero pulled away and embraced Beth.

"Don't be too mean to the boys, alright?"

She sighed, "If you say so, Link. They're just so dumb sometimes."

He laughed, pulled away, and grabbed Colin for a hug next.

"Don't get into any trouble, you hear me? Listen to Mister Renado and just keep playing inside and being happy, okay?"

"Really? You don't want me to protect everyone while you're gone?" the blond boy asked a bit confusedly as he pulled away, thinking that he had maybe let his hero down before and so that was why he wasn't asking that of him this time.

"I just want you to be a kid forever. I want you to have fun and not worry about what's going on elsewhere. Promise me."

He seemed a bit confused, and he was apprehensive about making such a promise, but he did so nonetheless, "I promise, Link."

He gave him a nod before turning to Luda and hugging her just as he had his own.

"Thank you for being such a good friend to my family, and for putting up with Talo."

"HEY!"

She giggled as they separated, "Of course! I think he's funny."

Talo smirked, running a hand through his hair as he said smoothly, "Ohh yeah…"

Link then turned to Malo who was standing a bit farther away. He smiled at the youngest boy and motioned for him to come to him. The boy heaved a sigh but he was able to persuade him begrudgingly into embracing him just as the others had.

"Same goes for you as what I told Colin. Don't stay so isolated. Play with your brothers and sisters more, okay?"

"I'll try," he murmured as the hero pulled away and got to his feet.

When he rose, Ilia was already standing there awaiting what he had to say to her. They were silently just staring for what felt like an eternity before the young girl finally took the initiative.

"I'm sorry for what happened yesterday, Link. You know I have a temper and I just… I let my emotions take control of me sometimes. Renado told me everything, though, and I understand now. Whether there's something between us or not, now's not the time. I wish I had known before… I wouldn't have bothered you with it at all. I shouldn't have pressured you about telling me you loved me and I shouldn't have kissed you. I probably just made everything you're going through that much more difficult with trying to please me, too. I really am sorry, Link."

He shook his head, "I'm sorry, too. I should have told you. I shouldn't have just expected you to know how I was feeling. I'm just so stressed… everything kind of boiled over yesterday. You're too important to me for me to talk to you the way I did."

"I feel the same," she said honestly with an apologetic smile.

Without another word, he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and pulled her into him for a tight hug. She closed her eyes, a couple of tears escaping her lashes as she did so. She placed her arms around his neck and just took in the embrace. His scent, his hair against her cheek, his breath against her neck… Farore, if he didn't come back to her…

He pulled away and she wiped the back of her hand across her now-runny nose. He smiled at her and ran a thumb across her cheek, whisking away the stray tears.

"Why are you so sad, Ilia?" Beth asked.

She forced a smile, "I'm just going to miss Link, that's all."

"But he leaves all the time and you didn't cry before…" Talo pointed out.

"He will be back… won't he?" Colin questioned, not at all blind to the fact that this was not the typical, run of the mill goodbye.

"Yes, of course I will," Link jumped in to cover for her, "She's just crying because she's happy that we made up after our fight yesterday."

"Yes, that's right," Ilia nodded in agreement.

With that, Link headed to the door, and before taking his leave he turned for one last look.

He knew he either would not live to see them again, or that this would simply be the last time he would have to leave them on such sad terms. The latter was what he prayed to the Goddesses for. The children seemed slightly perplexed at the unusual goodbyes, but overall they looked happy and optimistic, which was what Link needed to see. Renado and Ilia appeared to be more uneasy and anxious of the circumstances in which they would next see their hero, as they actually knew the severity of what he was going up against. They were afraid they either would not see him ever again, or that the next time they saw him he would be too near death to rescue.

He gave his loved ones one more smile and said, "I love you all. I'll be back before you can even start to miss me," he then winked and gave a smirk to try and lift their spirits before saying at last, "See you later!"


When saying goodbye, seeing that person again is never a guarantee.