THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: RE-IMAGINED
CHAPTER 35
"Homecoming"
As Link dedicated hours to his sword practice, though now with a shield in hand, the others rested around fire as night grew close once again.
Azura and Cerise scooted closer to Princess Zelda. Azura leaned in closely and whispered,
"Excuse me, Princess?"
"Yes, Azura? What do you need?" she replied.
"Would you be willing to talk about that thing now?"
Zelda looked and saw Cerise wear an inquisitive look on her face right behind Azura. She then further turned and looked over her shoulder to see Link kept at his practice.
"Please come with me," the princess gave as she stood and walked a short ways from the sitting area. The two maidens followed her.
Cerise quietly asked, "What happened earlier that made you cry, Your Highness? If you don't mind my asking, that is."
"I do not mind, in fact I am glad that you are expressing concern for me in this matter, even if I am not yet accustomed to it."
Zelda took a deeper breath and began to explain,
"Last night, Link and I came to an agreement. We would remain close friends, but the subject of 'love' was brought up between us. We even expressed that we... loved each other."
The two maidens were stunned, but at the same time were giddy about the idea. They tried to resist cracking a smile, though Cerise was the more successful of the two.
Zelda blushed, nervously grabbed one arm with her other arm, and asked, "Do you two believe that love can exist between friends?"
Azura didn't answer right away, but Cerise spoke up and said, "I... do think that love can exist in a friendship. I think love is necessary for all forms of relationships."
"I think so, too," Azura answered, "I mean, if you didn't love the other person, even to a small degree, could you call it a friendship?"
"I also agree," Zelda started, "but earlier today, when we were in the cart... when Link and I sat next to each other... when I rested against him... I... I have never felt so... safe... so... wanted."
Zelda looked towards the dirt at the maidens' feet, a strange melancholy was visible in her eyes.
"Yet, when I woke up... I realized just how difficult it might be for me to maintain a friendship with Link if I continue in this manner. If I keep spending my time with him like this... my affection for him will only grow, I know that it will."
Surprised by Zelda's openness and honesty, Azura stated, "From what I remember, it didn't seem to bother Link at all."
With a quick response, Zelda gave, "Link has always been comfortable in any sort of circumstance. An awkward moment will not put him off so easily."
Cerise had listened intently and finally took the moment to speak up,
"Princess Zelda, please remember that we were also present in the cart when this happened. Both Azura and I could see Link's face at that time. He didn't have the face of someone who was merely tolerating the moment as it happened, he looked happy. He looked like he was enjoying it just as much as you were."
"You truly think so?" the princess asked.
Azura tried, "Did you see his face when he remembered the proper technique for using that shield? How happy he looked to practice the proper form he was taught?"
"Yes," Zelda replied.
Cerise nodded and added, "That was the same look he had when you and he sat together in the carriage this morning."
"The very same look," Azura repeated, "and I don't think he's just 'tolerating' his practice right now. Do you, Your Highness?"
A smile peeked through onto Zelda's lips and she answered, "No."
"You see? There isn't anything to worry about," Azura tried.
"Yet, there very much is," Zelda stated.
Cerise asked, "What do you mean?"
"I want to keep what I have with Link a friendship... We both agreed on this. Even still, my thoughts turn to other things... things beyond friendship."
"Really? You both agreed to strictly keep it a friendship?" Azura asked.
Cerise quietly remarked, "From the short time I've known Link, he seems very relaxed, even when discussing important or serious matters. A 'strictly friendship' agreement seems a tad off for him, don't you think?"
Zelda merely shrugged and offered, "Well, to that end, he did say he would 'hate to ruin it by forcing an unnatural change'."
Azura grew somewhat annoyed, "Princess, I don't think falling for someone is an 'unnatural change'. If anything, I think trying to keep this special closeness you have with Link strictly a friendship is what is unnatural. If you feel, or even the both of you feel, that it's time for the relationship to progress into something more meaningful than what it is now then you should be free to do so. I don't think there is anything wrong with that."
"That is with the assumption that he wants our relationship to develop this way..." Zelda tried, her words followed by several moments of silence. Eventually she mumbled out, "But even then...He deserves better than me..."
Cerise suddenly spoke up and gave, "Your Highness, I mean no offense when I ask this, but... why do you try so hard to deny yourself? Do you not want your own happiness?"
"...I..." was all Zelda could say before she froze in thought, her eyes locked onto Cerise' matching gaze.
Cerise continued and became more forceful in her tone, "I don't understand. How is it that, after all this heartache and effort, now is when you reach the point where you lose the will to take a risk and push forward? I understand that matters of the heart are a very different beast, but... let's not pretend we didn't just open a door to another world to save that man right over there! Surely, there must be something you wanted out of his return, yes? Because, from where I'm standing, you don't seem satisfied with what you have right now."
Azura looked at Cerise, shocked. She had never seen the red-head talk like that before. And even further, Zelda had no response. She couldn't formulate the words, she couldn't formulate a reason, she couldn't formulate a justification. In a game of mental chess, Zelda would have just been placed in checkmate. She didn't grow emotional from this conversation; if anything it merely caused the inner-workings of her mind to kick into overtime. Despite the sullen demeanor, Zelda managed a weak smile and said,
"Cerise, your words are full of wisdom and understanding. You have challenged me in a way that only Link ever has, and yet... I do not have an answer. I... need time to think."
"We're right here if you need us, Your Highness," Azura commented.
"Thank you, both," Zelda gave as she smiled at them. The Princess then started her way back to the fire, the other two maidens in tow. After a short while at the sitting area, Link finally came by and sat down. He rested all his swords and his new shield on the ground next to him, having finally finished his practice session.
"Hoo, I needed that," he added as he pulled off his cloak to reveal his completely topless, muscular torso as it glistened in the firelight with sweat. However, the most notable part of his torso was the massive shooting-star-shaped scar on his chest. Inevitably, all eyes were drawn to it.
And as one might expect, the first to ask about it was Emerald.
"Hey, Link, how did you get that scar?"
"It's a long story, but I'll sum it up for you. Evil wizard came to my village to kill Zelda with a curse. I tried to stop it. First I used my sword to try and cut it, but instead my sword was the thing that was cut. And then, because I didn't have a shield, I used my body. I managed to stop it for a moment before getting tossed aside like some doll. This was the mark it left on me."
"That sounds like it must've hurt a whole lot," Emmy indicated.
"It did, but not as much as seeing Zel get consumed by the curse and collapse to the ground. That part stung something fierce."
The group remained quiet, yet they all turned to Zelda, whom blushed at the moment.
Link continued, "I remember seeing that, and feeling all these negative emotions... and something within me just snapped. I charged at Agahnim like some sort of wild animal. I didn't even have a weapon! The next thing I know, I wake up in my bed six days later, covered in bandages. That last spell of his was somethin' else."
Zelda was amazed, as this was new information to her. She hadn't spoken with anyone about the exact incident of her curse, not even the people of Ordon who were witnesses to the event. The others were impressed by this new information as well, they were understandably ignorant to these events.
"I can fill in the gaps," Viscen said as he entered the conversation and sat himself on a stone near the fire, "I remember it clearly."
Agahnim had just cast his wicked hex as the princess slumped to the ground. In shock and horror, Viscen burst out from the house he hid in to run over to Zelda's limp body.
"No, you fool wait!" Auru called out.
Viscen skidded to a halt and froze as he soon as he heard Auru's call. It was entirely instinct that pushed him through the door, but he had forgotten the reason he hid in the first place. There was a very real chance, and a high likelihood, that Agahnim might kill them all. Fortunately, there was some tall grass, a waist-high fence, and a stream that cut between where Viscen was and where Zelda, Link, and Agahnim all were. Viscen quickly ducked into the grass and watched through the fence to assess the situation.
"Zel! Zelda! ZEL! ZEL!" was heard repeatedly. Viscen quickly ascertained that Link had been calling the princess' name nonstop after she fell. He broke into a cold sweat as Agahnim laughed loudly and with pride. In no time at all, Link was back up on his feet. He then blindly rushed towards Agahnim and attempted to use his fist to cave the wizard's face in. This effort was only met by bolts of lightning which flew from the wizard's fingers. Link was hurled through the air which culminated into a big splash as he hit the pond. At that moment, Viscen knew it was now or never.
He drew his sword and rushed out of the grass, all the way around the fence and over to Zelda's body. As he did, Rusl also burst forth from the house, hopped the fence and dove into the pond. Soon, Rusl breached the surface with an unconscious hero in his arms. Viscen, now at Zelda's body, quickly knelt down and placed his fingers on her neck to ensure her condition.
He felt a pulse. The princess was alive! But then he turned and saw that Agahnim still stood near the village entrance. The prince's horses and men, including the prince himself, collapsed on the ground behind him. At this moment it was made clear that Agahnim saw Viscen.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the captain of the guard!" Agahnim sneered from a distance.
"Why have you done this?!" Viscen yelled out, careful as to what he might say or do at this moment.
"Why does it matter to mewling sheep like you?"
Viscen eyes turned to Rusl as he dragged Link to the shoreline nearest the captain.
"It matters because you just snuffed out the lives of the princess and this village boy!"
Rusl turned to Viscen almost as if to correct him on something, but Viscen quickly point the tip of his blade at Rusl. The Ordonian man quickly understood the message, this was a ploy by Viscen to deceive Agahnim into believing he had successfully killed both Zelda and Link.
"And more will join them, yours included!"
Viscen gritted his teeth, and readied himself for combat.
"However, I am feeling rather merciful today," Agahnim snidely remarked, "After all, there are none left who have the ability to stop me anymore. Oh, I know! I have decided on a wonderful present for you! Instead of killing you now, I'll let you live. That way, you can bear witness to a fate far worse than death: a world swallowed by shadow. Yes, that is what I'll do. In the meantime, I'll bid you farewell. After all, you need to have your time to grieve. My condolences, Captain Viscen."
And with that, the wizard laughed and turned towards the village exit and disappeared.
With this, Rusl quickly worked to resuscitate Link, which he did successfully after a short period. this was when the rest of the village appeared from the house and rushed towards the two unconscious individuals. Before they could exclaim the survival of both people, Viscen and Rusl both shushed them, saying, "Keep quiet! We fooled him into thinking he killed them."
And with that, the people of the village began to tend to the wounds of Link, and provide accommodations for the comatose princess of Hyrule.
"And that is what happened," Viscen finished.
Zelda tried to sort out her thoughts as she stared into the fire, "I... had never been told the finer details of what happened that day. That must have been so difficult for you two," she gave as her saddened eyes darted between Link and Viscen.
Viscen nodded in understanding but said nothing, his eyes betrayed a look of melancholy.
"I don't know how Viscen handled it, but for me," Link gave as he twiddled his thumbs as he looked into the fire briefly and then back at the princess, "For me... it felt the same as when I failed to protect my sister. When I saw you collapse, I hated myself. I hated my failure to keep you safe... Fortunately for me, I hated Agahnim more. And even though Agahnim is dead and the whole matter resolved, I... still haven't been able to find it within me to forgive myself."
The rest of the members of the campsite didn't know what to say or to add.
Link continued, "I don't feel I can... Not yet. Not until my sister is safe and sound. Maybe then I can move on. It's funny, because I haven't had to think about it for the last 3 years since survival and training had been my sole focus... But now that I'm back, it's been shoved to the forefront of my mind."
"Link..." Zelda inserted, "I do not have a better way to say this but... I owe you my life."
Link gave a sheepish smile and looked at the sand between his boots, "Thanks, Zel."
"I mean it," she gave further. His gaze returned to her face. Her eyes were so serious, it captivated his attention.
She continued, "I'm certain you believe us to be on equal footing now, Link. You saved my life, and I saved yours. Do you not think so?"
He tried to restrain a facial expression that might reveal how correct she was.
"Link, you did more for me than just save my life in the literal sense. Since I awoke, I have found myself vying to accomplish tasks and perform deeds that I felt you would do. Things that brought happiness to others in ways that I normally could not, or would not."
An old memory passed through Link's thoughts with the words of Uli echoing in his mind. He interjected and said softly, yet firmly, "You shouldn't do good deeds because I would do them... You do them because they are the right thing to do."
There was a short pause.
After a moment of silence, Zelda asked sweetly and sincerely, "Are they not the same thing?"
Link's eyes widened. He was certain he felt his heart skip a beat. His vision returned to Zelda once more as he broke into a sweat. He was completely enamored with this woman. Her response was so heartfelt, and she wore an adorable smile after having said it, too. The urge to cry welled up within him, but the urge to laugh came with it. He began to chuckle, and he continued laughing softly until he deemed it uncontrollable. It was hard to notice as he release laughter as, once or twice, a tear would stream down his cheeks. If one saw it, it would have been safe to assume that they were merely tears from the laughter.
After a minute or two of this, Link managed to regain his composure and say, "You win, Zel."
"It isn't about winning," she gave as she leaned in and—in a bold move—placed her hand on top of his, "it is about the impact you've had on me. I always believed good things had to be done because a good princess would do those things. Now, I wish to do good things because it is good for those who do them and good for those who are on the receiving end. My outlook has changed. And it wouldn't have if it weren't for you."
Link found himself starting to swirl into the whirlpool of the princess' pristine, ocean-colored eyes. If he didn't pull himself away, he would get lost in them. Whatever it was she was attempting to do was working. It was as if everything around him other than the princess became swallowed by a dark void. He quickly recovered himself and stared back at the fire, the only form of safety he could find from the gravitational pull of Zelda's passionate charm.
His heart raced, his face flushed crimson, and he released a heavy sigh before he said jokingly said, "Alright, that's enough of that. I can only take so much sweetness before I pass out."
The others laughed at the remark. Zelda laughed as well, but as she did, he could still feel her hand rest on his. After a short time of discussion and chatter, Link decided to he wanted to announce something that he had spent a bit of time considering. He stood up, breaking the hold the princess had with his hand, and raised his voice loud and clear.
"Everyone, I'd like to make a humble request!"
Curious to hear what he had to say, they listened intently.
He continued, "As we make our way to Hyrule, I want everyone present to keep the mention of me being the Hero of Light to an absolute minimum. Not at all, if possible."
Viscen spoke up, "How do you know everyone in Hyrule isn't already aware of who the hero is?"
Link replied, "Because I trust Zel. Out of consideration for me and my village, I'm certain she did her best to keep that a secret."
Zelda blushed and averted her eyes the moment Link's gaze met hers.
Azura chimed in, saying, "Your secret is safe with us! After all, we didn't really know who the hero was until we met you."
"Good," Link said, "I don't want that title to be something that gets thrown around all willy nilly. I'd rather I use it only in moments where it truly matters."
The group agreed and confirmed to the young man that they would keep his identity secret, at least until he gave the go ahead to reveal it.
Soon, the night would pass. The group went to rest as the moon sailed overhead, the signal of the day's end. As dawn came, the group once again packed up their things, supplies slightly refreshed, and once more were on their way; though the cart-seating arrangements varied as the days went on. This process continued for several weeks before the caravan finally grew close to Hyrule's borders; which now included the entire Ordona province. At that point, Viscen felt it pertinent that they send a soldier on ahead towards Hyrule Castle with a message that they accomplished their mission to bring back the long lost hero of Hyrule. It would be a day or two more before they reached Ordon, but eventually, the familiar sights and smells of the forest and hillside flooded Link's senses.
For the first time in years, he felt that he was finally back home. He didn't admit it, but he missed it so much more than he though he would. However, he steeled himself for the reality that he would soon leave again. He could not let himself grow comfortable yet, as there was still work to do. His thoughts turned to that of his sister, Aryll. They would joined by the thoughts of his cousin, Nickolas, whom had gone out of his way to find her. Link would have them both again. His hands trembled with excitement, his heart raced at the thought. And it was at this final stretch of the journey that it quickly felt that it had taken too long. Soon, the dark thoughts of running out of time began to plague Link's mind. He was filled with concern, and daresay, fear that he might be too late. He forced these musings into the back of his mind, unable to quell them completely. Regardless, one thing became clear: the clock was ticking.
Soon, the caravan reached the crossroads that lead further into the Ordona province. Just as noon passed, Link's eyes lit up as his old homeland came into view. Through rocky passes, tunnels, brief glimpses of forest, and soon a massive ravine with a sprawling bridge across it. The gate on the other end was open, and thus the caravan passed through. Past the Spirit Spring, and through one more, smaller gate and suddenly the company had arrived into the central area of Ordon village. Due to the commotion, all of the villagers, including Mayor Bo, stepped outside to witness the events unfolding. Link gazed out the window and didn't see Ilia anywhere. Still, the time came. With the carriage door opened, Link stepped out into full view, with the princess right behind him.
"LINK!", the crowd yelled as they all rushed to him. The maidens and Shadowlanders all watched as a small horde of townsfolk swarmed to him and embraced him together.
There were a few minutes of meet and greet between them. Link was impressed to see the kids, Beth, Malo, Talo, and Colin, each one 3 years taller. Colin and Beth now reached Ilia's height. This of course didn't mean much since Link had also gotten slightly taller since they last saw him. Many questions were asked, most of them were answered. However, the hero was given a big surprise when he saw Uli approach as she held in her arms an infant girl.
Link's eyes widened in amazement, "Who's this little one?"
The maidens all melted at the sight of the babe.
Uli introduced her daughter, "This is Yeila."
An adorable, blonde haired baby girl with gray-blue eyes was held before him.
"She's so tiny," he commented.
"Would you like to hold her?"
Link nodded slowly, still reeling from the shock. The little one was gently placed into his arms as he, almost instinctually, stiffened up and cradled the young girl with his arms in such a way as if to overcompensate for her seeming "lack-of-safety."
"That's not how you hold her. Here, let me show you," Uli stated as she helped Link place his arms into better, more natural positions. Once his arms were placed properly, Link's body froze that way so as to not break his hold.
From a distance, Zelda, the maidens and the others all watched amusedly as this happened.
Azura, who made sure not to say it too loudly, said, "I can't tell you how many men in Kakariko do that exact thing the first time they hold a baby. They can never get it quite right on the first try."
Xanthe commented, "Despite everything we've seen, it's clear that he's still just a normal guy. A normal guy with an outstanding list of accomplishments, but a normal guy nonetheless."
Link quickly grew comfortable enough to try and rock the baby back and forth slowly, and softly said, "Hello, Yeila. I'm Link."
This continued for several minutes until...
"Link," Bo started as he stepped forth from the group, letter in hand. Link saw it and understood. He carefully gave the baby back to Uli. Bo handed him the letter, but before he could open it up he heard his name called once more. From down the hill, he saw his horse Epona gallop at full speed.
"Whoa!" he gave as he stepped back as Epona halted right in front of him. The horse nudged her head into Link as he wrapped his arms around her and said, "Oh, I missed you, girl."
"What about me?" a feminine voice asked.
The man leaned back and saw Ilia on Epona's back. The woman hopped off the horse and stepped up to him with hands on hips.
"Ilia, you been taking good care of Epona for me?"
She put on a strong face and said, "Yes, I have! I had to take care of her because you weren't here to do that, you jerk!"
Immediately that brave facade she put up crumbled. As tears began to stream down she embraced him yelling, "How could you do that to us, you idiot?! Do you know how worried sick we were?!"
"Sorry Ilia," Link tried as he was slightly overwhelmed by the young woman's response, "it wasn't on purpose!"
As Ilia burst into uncontrollable crying, Bo commented, "It... just hasn't been the same without you these last few years."
The young man's response was to pat Ilia on the head to help console her.
"But," Bo continued, "in regards to that letter..."
"Yeah," Link said as he gently pushed Ilia away, "I have to leave again."
Another wave of sadness washed over the Ordonians. All this was too good to be true, an honest-to-goddess miracle. But at the same time, it was short-lived. The bittersweetness being especially strong.
"We're still two people short of a village," Link explained, "and that's not something I'm willing to let slide."
"Nor should you," Rusl interjected, "this visit should not last beyond this day. You need to be gone before sundown if you wish to make it in time."
"Right," Link affirmed as he quickly pulled out the letter and began to read it. "Calatia? And here I thought that there was no chance Calatia would be the place," he remarked.
"Yes," Rusl confirmed.
"I need to prepare. I need a change of clothes, a quick wash..." he then placed a hand up to his chin, "...maybe a shave?... I can skip the shave. I will need a bite to eat, though. After that I'm headed out."
"You really need to do all those things?" Bo asked.
"I don't want to walk into Calatia looking like a barbarian," besides, I've been wearing these same tattered pants for over three years. I'll head to my house real quick, grab some rags, and head downstream to clean myself off."
Link quickly shifted into his get-it-done mode, stuffed the letter into his satchel and promptly began his march towards his home. As Link did, the princess stepped forward and grabbed his wrist with both her hands. Startled, he stopped and looked at Zelda who kept him from going forward.
"Zel," he tried.
"Link, I think you need to take a moment to rest properly before you leave again," the princess said. "Spend a few hours here recuperating for the journey ahead."
"Zelda, Aryll needs me! Nick needs me! I have to go!"
"Haste makes waste!"
He paused for a moment.
She continued, "You have been going without rest for the last 3 years. You have not seemed to have a true moment of rest since I met you, even. Please, take a moment to rest in your home before going off again."
"Zel, I—" he tried.
"They can wait a few more hours!"
Link was stunned.
Zelda spoke once more, "They can wait a few more hours. Nick had to have known that sending you a message would carry the risk of taking longer than he would plan for. Whether or not you received it in time or had to travel from halfway across the world. He must have planned for the time it would take for you to arrive. He must have!"
Link remained silent. He gaze dropped to the ground for a moment. His eyes slowly guided towards the stream of water that ran through Ordon.
"Link, you are so strong... but how long until exhaustion overtakes you? When will burning the candle at both ends take its toll?"
As upset as he was about her assertiveness in this moment, especially since to him it felt as though she didn't care about Aryll and Nick in this moment—even though that wasn't true—Link suddenly had to come to terms with the truth: he was tired. He didn't show it, but he was wearing down. He had gotten partial rest on the journey back to Ordon, but it wasn't a full, complete rest since they were still traveling for extended periods of time. His thoughts then were, how did Zelda know how tired he had been?
Zelda stepped slightly closer and said, "Look I will stay here with you, to ensure you get the rest you need before you go."
He gave her a look of uncertainty which also hinted that her idea of "sweetening the deal" wasn't quite enough to change his mind.
She then leaned into him and looked right into his eyes and made the sweetest puppy dog face she could muster and said,
"Please? For me?"
Feeling unfairly targeted, he took in a deep breath and released a weary sigh with his shoulders slumping slightly as he hung his head in defeat. He finally, in front of everyone, displayed vulnerability.
"Fine," he conceded with a weak smile, "I'll leave at sundown."
With that, she released him from her gentle grip and he slowly made his way over to his home to grab a change of clothes.
Princess Zelda then turned and saw that the Ordonians each wore expressions of shock and amazement.
Ilia asked, to no one in particular, "Did she just... change Link's mind?"
The rest of them nodded. Upon hearing this question, Zelda looked somewhat bashful.
"I-is that uncommon?"
Rusl responded with, "In all of the years of Link's life, I can count on one hand the amount of times someone convinced him to take a different course of action from what he set out to do. And each of those times was due to his sister asking him. But now, you convinced him to delay going to help his sister? Your Highness, there must be some sort of magic you have that works on him, because it is unheard of to us."
Before Zelda could respond to his remark, a large white wolf suddenly appeared from behind the carriages and quickly startled the villagers.
"MONSTER!" Beth's father, Hanch, yelled out in terror.
Rusl quickly drew his sword from his back.
"No no, wait!" Zelda shouted as she stepped in front of Ash, the white wolfos.
"Princess, come here! It's dangerous!"
"No, please! Listen! This monster is not an average monster!"
After hearing that, Rusl looked at the beast to see that it... wasn't attacking anyone. A look of confusion shot across the man's face.
"Huh...?"
The princess stepped towards it and began to pet it gently. It responded as if it were a dog and leaned into the princess and nudged her for more scratches, its tail wagging excitedly.
Shen then looked back at Rusl and said, "Meet Ash, a purified beast that was once a monster."
The villagers gave stupefied looks until Viscen stepped around into view with several other soldiers and the dark world refugees.
"We didn't believe it either," the general spoke gruffly, "but after a few weeks of watching it act like a trained animal convinced us enough."
Viscen stepped forward and gave a courteous nod to Bo and said, "I apologize for the intrusion, Mayor, but it seems our dear princess has just volunteered that we stay just a bit longer. If it is no trouble, my men would like to camp out nearby. If we could purchase supplies and stock up on fresh food for the rest of the trip home, we'll gladly to pay for it."
"That's my cue," the portly woman Sera, the wife of Hanch and mother of Beth, said as she stepped forward and guided Viscen over to her house which doubled as her shop.
As this happened, some of the maidens stepped forward and introduced themselves to the kind villagers, which prompted the dark world refugees to strike up some conversation as well. Emerald got it in her head that they should have a "girl hang out time" and tried to rope in the other maidens, the princess, Beth and Ilia.
"C'mon! What's the harm?" she egged on as Zelda shrugged at the idea, not really sold on it.
"What would we talk about?" Beth asked, interested in the idea.
"Anything! Whatever we girls like! OH! We should do this again when Link's sister gets back! It'll be fun!"
As the commotion started to grow loud, Uli handed her baby over to her husband, Rusl, whom gladly received the child into his arms. She motioned that she'd be right back and headed over to Link's house.
In his dwelling, Link pulled out several drawers in an attempt to find clothing that he deemed practical for his various needs. He had put aside all his equipment, weapons, and shield, which included his satchel as they rested against other furniture. He pulled out his old ranch hand garb, which was a sleeveless white shirt with a goat horn pattern and lined with a gentle yellow across the collar, "sleeve" and waist sections. It draped just past the waist. He hadn't worn his ranching clothes since he left, so it was possible they still fit... maybe. As he went through his memory-filled belongings, he heard the door to his home open up behind him. He instinctually kicked in his magical senses and detected a human life-force. It gave off a gentle signature, like a ripple tossed in a warm pool of sun-soaked water. He looked over his shoulder to see Uli had walked in. He smiled to acknowledge her presence and turned back to his dresser.
He started with, "I noticed that everything in my house isn't covered in 8 layers of dust. In fact, I recall it was this clean when I came back with Zelda three years prior, despite my having been gone for several months."
She gently folded her hands and held them near her waist as she explained, "I've taken upon myself to take care of your home while you were gone. Sometimes, ilia does it with me. I hope you don't mind."
"I appreciate it. It's one less thing for me to do now that I'm sticking around for a little bit today. It would've sucked if the first thing Aryll said to me after she comes back is 'You couldn't even clean the house for my return?'... Not that she would do that... but I considered it just in case."
There was a moment of silence.
She took a couple steps forward and said, "What an incredibly interesting group you've brought with you."
"Ha! If anything, they brought me!" he offered as he rifled through more of his things.
She let out a giggle at his reply, and gave a very motherly smile to him, though he did not see it.
"There are so many people out there willing to help you with almost anything it seems. One of them is the Princess of Hyrule, herself!"
Link merely nodded and smiled as he kept through his things.
"All I came in here to say was... I'm... so proud of you, Link."
He paused.
She continued, "I know that your parents weren't here to see it, your grandparents weren't here to see it, and even Orca and Sturgeon weren't here to see it through to the end but..."
She had to cease for a moment to not lose her composure.
"...but I'm so glad that I was able to watch your journey. I'm glad to know who you were, and to see the man you've become... To see who you've had an impact on... and to know that I got to be a part of it."
He neither moved nor said anything.
She added, "Just before I came in, one of those young ladies was going on about how they wanted to have a 'girl hang out time'. She said that they should have fun... and that they should do it again once your sister came back. They wanted include her, too."
She turned towards the door, took a few steps and opened it before looking over her shoulder with mist in her eyes and said, "Everyone's waiting for you to bring her back. We know you will."
With that, she departed and closed the door behind her. Still frozen, Link found himself with quivering lips and watering eyes. His breathing became irregular and he tried to hold himself together. He then remembered something, and saw on top of the dresser was an empty picture frame. He stood up briefly and reached into his satchel and pulled out a a picture with torn edges and somewhat faded colors. It was his picture of Aryll. He took a moment to place it into the empty frame and set it back where it was. He smiled and felt a tear run down his cheek.
"Ugh, crap, man! I've become a big baby since this whole thing started!" he grumbled as he aggressively wiped his face on.
He shook his head and tried to tough it out. He put his focus back on the task ahead, and tried not to focus on the simple goal of finding usable clothing. It took all of his willpower just to accomplish that much without breaking down. Eventually, he found garments he found suitable which included his old ranch shirt. He also grabbed a long cloth to dry himself off with and exited his house. He saw the happy commotion outside as the different groups mingled in very natural way. The young swordsman then turned sharply to go around his house and followed the pond to the end where it flowed into a creak. There he washed himself and felt refreshed to a degree, he then changed his clothes and felt even more refreshed.
He put on his ranch shirt, a set of tan pants that extended down to his shins, which would expose his skin. He put on a pair of common sandals lined with fur. He then placed white wraps around his wrists and tied a slate blue sash around his waist to complete the look. Not necessarily the look of a legendary hero, but it was comfortable and by this point, Link could make any sort of clothing work for him if they were practical enough. Though what he now wore weren't suited to colder weather or perilous travels, but he could pull them off in almost any scenario. He then make his trek back with his dirtied clothes and boots in hand. He disappeared back into his house only to quickly discover all the young ladies were in his home: Zelda, Ilia, Beth, Emerald, Xanthe, Azura, Cerise, Lana, and Cia.
He froze as he saw them, and they froze as he entered. He rolled his eyes and sarcastically offered, "No, please, come on in."
All of them were quickly embarrassed and felt ashamed that they had invaded his house without his permission.
Ilia tried, "No, Link, we're sorry! I thought you'd be out longer! See, Emmy wanted a place for us to all sit and chat for a bit, but she also wanted to see what your house looked like and...well..."
"No, no, it's fine," he gave as he walked through the middle of the room all the way to the other side, "I'm just glad I hadn't walked in naked."
He then stopped on one foot as he reached a wide, wooden bucket, slowly turned around and slyly remarked, "Or... is that what y'all wanted to see?"
There were a few looks of surprise and embarrassment until Ilia started to laugh, which prompted a laugh from Link as well.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding" Link stated as he tossed his dirty clothes into the bucket. He then stopped and looked up at the ceiling in an exaggerated fashion and tried, "Or am I?"
With the joking aside, Emerald leaned forward and offered, "You have a very nice house, Link! It's pleasant and makes me feel relaxed!"
"Thank you kindly. My father built this house from a large, hollowed-out tree when he came to live in Ordon," Link explained.
"'Came to'?" Zelda asked, "Your father isn't from Ordon, Link?"
"No, he wasn't. You guys notice that all of the villagers have rounded ears?" Link then held a finger up to one of his pointed ears and said, "My father came from Hyrule. My mother came from Ordon. But both my sister and I inherited the Hylian ears."
"Wait, you're not originally from Hyrule?! I could've sworn with those ears..." Emerald blurted out.
"Nope, Ordonian born and raised. I guess Hylian ears are a dominant trait."
"I am surprised, you've never mentioned your parents before," Zelda stated.
"Didn't feel the need to. That and nobody ever asks."
Zelda then inquired, "Would you be willing to tell us about them now?"
He exhaled and walked over to his dresser and grabbed one of the picture frames. In it was a picture of a Hylian man, an Ordonian woman, and two small Hylian children in their arms.
"Sure, why not?"
End of Chapter