THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: RE-IMAGINED
CHAPTER 36
"Bloodline of the Hero"
"My father's name was Corro. He came from Hyrule, where specifically I don't know. He initially came as a sojourner but ended up staying and becoming a member of the village. Why he came, I also don't know. From what I was told, he was hard-working and disciplined. He came with a sword in hand, but apparently he never used it any point after he arrived. No one ever saw him unsheathe it and he never brought it outdoors for any reason. He was kind and caring, but he had an air of stiffness around him. He'd be friendly with you, but would always keep everyone at arms length. Never letting anyone too far in... Or so I've been told. It doesn't need to be said that his walls came down when he somehow grew close to certain someone from this village."
The hero pointed to the woman in the family photograph.
"My mother's name was Elsi. She was the younger sister to Tarin, my uncle, whom was with the group that greeted us just outside. Elsi and Tarin were born to their parents, my grandparents, Smith and Bernice. Anyway, my father arrived here severely exhausted and malnourished from his travels. According to Mayor Bo, he hadn't even realized that he stumbled into this village. My mother was the one who nursed him back to health. She grew close to my father, and eventually they married. Soon a child was born with a second not too long after."
"What happened to them?" the princess asked.
"One year, when I was around 5 or so, we experienced a particularly harsh winter. During that season we saw a nasty disease roll through. Tarin's wife, Henna, grew ill with it. My mother tried to take care of her, but... Aunt Henna soon passed from the sickness. Shortly after, my mother came down with the same sickness. She too would pass away from it. Before she died, my father grew desperate. He had heard rumors of 'fairies in the woods' that could cure any form of sickness. I remember playing with Ilia in her room while hearing the arguing grow louder downstairs. From what I was told about it, my father was obstinate about going deep into the forest during this extra cold winter to look for fairies to heal my mother. All the elders of the village admonished him and warned him not to go looking for something he'll never find because fairies were notoriously elusive..."
The silence in the room signified that the girls were able to guess what happened next.
He merely shrugged and explained, "Of course my father went into the woods. He bade my grandparents farewell as they were to look after my sister and I, and off he went into the heart of the forest during the worst snowstorm this village has ever weathered. It didn't matter to him how difficult it would be, he wanted to save his wife. Three days later, the storm finally calmed enough for the sky to become visible again. Rusl, Tarin, and Jaggle had prepped to lead an expedition into the forest to find my father. Sadly, they didn't even need to go that far. They found him just outside the spirit's spring. When they examined him, they found he had been claimed by hypothermia. They surmised that he had gone into the forest, found nothing, and attempted to return to the village... but he was too late... for both himself, and my mother."
"Oh, Link... I am so sorry," Zelda tried.
"Don't be," he replied.
Xanthe piped up, "Not to be rude, but you sound so disconnected from the story you just told us."
"That's because I am," he admitted, "Like I said, I was 5 when both of my parents died. If not for this picture of them, I would've forgotten what they looked like years ago. And if we didn't have this picture, my sister would never even have known their faces. My grandparents, this village, they were the ones who raised us. They were our family. I'm not sad that I never really knew my parents, it's just a thing that happens. That's life. And I don't waste time thinking of what might've been had they both been here, how life would've been different or the same. That's not what happened, that isn't reality, and thinking about it benefits no one."
The man left an interval of silence for any of the ladies to say whatever was on their minds, but none spoke up so he continued talking.
"Anyway, after my father passed, his sword was formally passed to me," Link pointed to one of the swords that rested near Lana, specifically the one that the least extravagant in appearance. "I sharpened it as necessary from time to time, which was my way of honoring him. It worked out that when Agahnim broke my personal sword, I had a quick replacement sitting quietly in the basement. It has since come in very handy. Though when all is said and done, I intend to forge a new sword to replace my old one. After that, I'll put my father's sword away again."
"But until then you have these three special swords," Lana stated.
"My father's, the arbiter's, and the hero's. There's probably somethin' poetic 'bout that, I guess."
Zelda added, "The history of your family, the dark history of Hyrule, and the light of Hyrule's hope. Yes, there is truly something special about the swords you have gathered."
"It was never meant to be so deep," Link commented, "two of these were necessary, and the third was taken to spite its original owner as the spoils of victory... and it was a nice sword. Although, now that I think about it, the Noble Sword technically belongs to the Royal Family, yeah?"
The princess pondered for a moment.
"I... suppose that is true. It was offered to the office of arbiter as a symbol of authority if I recall the history."
Link stood and walked over to his equipment, grabbed the sheathed blade, went back to Zelda and said, "Then this belongs to you."
Zelda gazed at the weapon for a few moments, then she placed her hands on it and pushed it towards Link as she shook her head in refusal.
"I... believe this sword will be better off in your hands."
Link looked confused.
Zelda explained, "The previous owners of this sword committed awful and wicked deeds, and so... perhaps, in some strange form of inanimate redemption or material purification, this blade will more likely fulfill its original purpose of protecting Hyrule by remaining with you."
Link received it back slowly, and a sorrowful look on his face as he focused on the sword.
"Is something the matter?" Zelda asked, concerned.
"You think too highly of me," he stated somberly.
"I thought you liked it when I thought highly of you?" Zelda said as she smiled playfully.
He cracked a smile for a moment and replied, "Well, I do but..." his smile vanished, "...Not for the wrong reasons."
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"When I sought to destroy Agahnim, I didn't do it to protect Hyrule... at least, not at first... Destroying the ghost of the Arbiter, fighting the master monster within the Eldin military base, claiming the Master Sword, none of it was for the sake of Hyrule... not originally. When I did all those things it was because I wanted revenge for what he did to me, for what he did to you, and even more to break the curse he put on you. Saving the kingdom just... happened to be an added bonus.. It wasn't something I strongly cared about until I found the Master Sword."
She sat quietly for a moment as she looked at him intently. Without a word, he re-extended his arm and held the sword out to her, to offer it to her for the second time.
She slowly reached her hands out to take the sword, but to Link's surprise she gently placed her hands upon his instead.
"Have you forgotten what you told me before? You said that a special person changes the world around them into a better place. You also said that I make you feel like you could become the man I see you to be. Well, I see you as the special person who can change the world around him for the better. And that includes Hyrule."
As Link opened his mouth to give a retort, Zelda felt a pulse of emotions from him. It came though so clearly it was almost as if she heard his thoughts, as if he were about to claim that he is 'undeserving of the sword'.
"'But I'm not deserving of it'," Zelda interjected before Link could get the words out, "That is what you were about to say, yes?"
Link's eyes widened in shock. The others weren't sure what just happened, and Link was also caught off-guard. This instance seemed familiar to him, and he pondered it.
The princess then employed the most gentle, caring, motherly smile she could wear and said, "One will find that throughout life they are often given things they do not deserve and have not earned. But as for this sword, I find no one more deserving than you, Link. Please take it, it is yours."
Silently, Link slowly took the sword back and gripped it firmly. With flushed cheeks, his expression one of bemusement before it quickly turned to one of delight.
"Well, gee Zel, if you wanted me to keep the sword, all you had to do was say so!" he gave with both an exaggerated tone and with an exaggerated swagger went to place the sheathed blade back by the others. All the ladies were amused by this gesture, and even Zelda let out a slight laugh at his sarcastic levity, having released the tension in the room. Though as he placed the sword by his bed, he hoped no one noticed the singular drop of sweat that slid down the side of his cherry-red face.
That got too real for a second there, Link said deep in his thoughts, She's not... flirting with me... is she? Was that flirting? Is that how she flirts?! If so, she's FREAKING GOOD AT IT... No, no, no, no that... that can't be it. I'm overthinking what's probably the simplest answer of 'she's being nice'... But I've never seen her 'be nice' like that to anyone else, yet... Oh crap...
"LINK!" A voice yelled which rapidly pulled Link from his train of thought. He suddenly stood at attention and looked over to see it was Ilia who had called his name.
"Finally, I was starting to think you had gone deaf or something with all the times I just said your name!" she stated with a chuckle.
"What do you need so badly that you have to yell?"
"I was wondering if, you know, you could maybe, sorta, make some of your grandma's famous soup?"
Thrown for a moment, Link eventually regained himself as his composure fully returned. He then placed his hands on his hips, put an incredulous look on his face and with obvious playfulness, exaggeratedly said, "First you break into my house without permission while I'm out bathing and now you expect me to cook for you after I get back?! How entitled can you get?!"
The girls chuckled and giggled at how over the top he played it. He then chuckled softly and with a much warmer tone offered, "Sure, I'd love to. Be right back."
He then quickly disappeared out the door.
"Well then!" Ilia started as she slyly looked over to the princess, a smug look on her face. "If you don't mind my asking, your highness, could you explain what that was all about, hmm?"
Zelda didn't understand what Ilia meant and nervously replied, "Forgive me but... to what are you referring?"
"Look, Princess, I've only seen one person have that sort of effect on Link. You are officially the second person to do that, and I've been trying my whole life to be the second! What sort of relationship do you and he have that makes this possible, hmm?"
"I... admire him greatly. And despite how little time we have actually spent together, we have been through a lot so there is a mote of kinship present between us..."
"No no, Your Highness; Colin, Malo, Talo, and Beth all admire Link."
"Hey!" Beth embarrassedly interjected with a pout.
Ilia just ignored her and continued, "What you just showed wasn't admiration. And even then, if you know him as well as you claim you do, then I'm sure you understand that admiration doesn't have all that great of an effect on him. He has this... 'wall of ego' that requires something more substantial than measly admiration to punch through it. And I have the kinship on my end, considering what he and I have experienced together but that still isn't enough for me to get through to him as easily as you just did."
Azura saw an opportunity and gleefully jumped on it, saying, "Ms. Ilia, surely you're not suggesting that Link and our dear princess have... feelings for each other, are you?"
After she said this, Azura could immediately feel the daggers from Zelda's red-faced stare.
"That's exactly what I'm suggesting!" Ilia exclaimed, catching Zelda by surprise.
Instead of trying to hide the idea, Zelda played along and offered, "Suppose it is true, then, that I had feelings for him. How could you possibly know how he felt for me?"
"Because when Link puts his mind to something or when he makes a firm decision, especially for something he feels strongly about, he adamantly and stubbornly commits to it. It takes A WHOLE LOT to persuade him out of it! And within the short hour since you've arrived, I've watched you persuade him out of a decision not once, but TWICE! Sure that second time may have been slightly more minor in importance, but to convince him on holding off on running to his sister's rescue?! Even if for only a few hours, do you have any idea how huge that is?! Aryll wasn't even able to do that when the two of them were both here!"
Zelda remained quiet, a bright blush burned on her cheeks. The silence was broken by Xanthe, whom had picked up the picture of Aryll that Link used to carry around with him.
"Speaking of Aryll," Xanthe started, "from your explanation I'm assuming she is the first person to have that special effect on Link that you mentioned?"
Ilia's countenance turned crestfallen and Beth's expression mirrored Ilia's. Her gaze fell to the floor as she replied, "Yes."
"Can you tell us more about her?" Cerise asked politely.
A weak smile slid across the Ordonian girl's mouth as she began with, "She was the sweetest little thing."
The young woman looked up and gazed about the house they all sat in.
"Back then when we were all still kids, Link was more often than not a troublemaker. He'd show a softer, warmer, less troublesome side from time to time, but typically treated everyone rather harshly or inconsiderately. Everyone got the brunt of it, even me... except for Aryll. Despite his daily decision of being a dislikable person, he never once acted that way toward his kid sister. He was protective of her, kind and caring to her, and showed her a lot of love. He would still tease her from time to time, which she hated, but he never did it to make her upset."
"She would play with me all the time," Beth added. "She loved flowers and would sing with the birds, feed the fish and cuccos, she always asked if there was anything she could do to help around the village. She would happily gather wood or fruits, and did every tasks asked of her without complaining or whining."
"Quite honestly," Ilia admitted, "Aryll was just about everything Link wasn't. Though, that isn't to say she was without her fair share of struggles. She unexpectedly developed a stutter in her teen years, something that made it difficult for her to speak her mind as easily as she used to. It bothered her so much that she became shy and reserved, too embarrassed to talk out of fear of messing up her sentences or not be understood clearly."
She continued, "And after Link turned over a new leaf, he became a stronger and a much more welcomed presence in the village than anyone had anticipated, whereas Aryll would begin to spend more of her time alone in this house and much less time with others. She would go to the elders' house each day as Mr. Sturgeon tried to counsel her through it up until he passed away. But by then, Link had already left the village to travel the world... Aryll became so sad, it was hard to ever catch her in a positive mood. Things became so very different after Link left, I doubt he even knows how she felt after he was gone..."
"What happened after Link left?" Emerald asked.
"At first," Ilia explained, "Aryll had hope that Link would come back soon, but within a couple months she became rather despondent. The only person who could cheer her up was Nick, but even that lasted only a short time. He would tell her a joke, or pretend to fall on his face, or some other thing... which would all work for a little while until eventually it had no effect any more. And then the day came where..."
The other girls watched as Ilia started to tear up a bit.
"I... I'm not sure I want to talk about this next part..."
Zelda intervened and said, "What happened after that is what Link is trying to fix next. And he will bring Aryll back home. He will."
Ilia wiped off her face a bit and said, "I know, thank you."
After a few more moments of silence, Xanthe asked, "So, Aryll lived here with Link?"
"Yes, she did," Ilia replied.
"Well, I only see one bed, and it looks like it's Link's. Where is Aryll's?"
"Up there," Ilia said as she pointed upwards towards a loft platform only reachable by ladder. The upper level was adjacent to the highest window in the whole house. At first, if someone noticed that upper level, it looked like a small, but open attic space. Zelda herself had noticed it the very first time she visited the house. And then her memory flashed back to that night, when Link pulled out a mat out from under his bed and called it the "spare bed" even though there was another bed up on the loft above them. It was then that it clicked.
Link never considered Aryl''s bed to be something he could use, Zelda thought, He probably never touched it, waiting for the day she would come home and use it herself.
She felt a little emotional but resisted the urge to cry, though her eyes watered a bit.
"Link told me once," the princess started, catching the other ladies' attention, "he began to change his behavior when he was asked if he was able to treat others as well as he would treat his sister. He said showing love to his sister was something he did not have to think about doing, it just made sense to him... so that is what he did. His way of becoming a better person relied on seeing the world through the lens of treating others the way he would treat Aryll. From everything I have seen and heard thus far, his new outlook has brought him great success since then."
"Wait, that's why?!" Ilia gasped.
Zelda turned to Ilia, shocked at her response.
"I had always assumed it was him getting badly hurt that changed him for the better! Who challenged his way of thinking, my father? Rusl?!"
"I believe he told me it was Uli, as she nursed him back to strength after his injuries," the princess answered.
"Oh... huh," Ilia expressed, surprised.
Zelda then reassured her by saying, "Of course, I am certain there is more to it than just that. Someone as strong as him does not just change their entire way of thinking based on a single question. If that had been the case, I believe he would have been a different person many years ago. It was his entire collective experience that helped him make better decisions. Ilia, I think you are part of that."
Ilia blushed and smiled as she let out out a small, "Thank you."
Suddenly, the door swung open as the young hero stepped in only briefly to say, "Change of plans, ladies! We've got company."
"Did something happen?" Zelda asked as she stood to her feet as he came in to grab the noble sword and moved back toward the door.
Link looked at the princess and replied with, "A large group of people is headed our way. I already warned Viscen so he and the other soldiers could get into ready positions. I'm gonna stand guard here to make sure y'all are safe."
All the girls looked back and forth at each other in concern, but they felt safe as Link stood at the doorway. Link could see the town gate as a number of the Hylian soldiers gathered around it with Viscen towards the back, ready to give the attack order. As the soldiers readied for combat, colors began to shine from beyond the trees on the other side of the gate. Viscen saw them and quickly discerned the brand of the Hyrulean Royal Family.
"HOLD!" Viscen called as he stepped forward to the front of the group, "LOWER YOUR WEAPONS!"
The soldiers entered relaxed positions as their general moved to unlatch the gate to let in a new caravan of Hylian soldiers. Zelda and the other maidens moved towards the door and windows to see the commotion outside. The banners of Hyrule flew overhead as regiment on horseback entered Ordon Village. With a carriage among them, the door to the carriage opened and out stepped an elderly gentleman.
"Auru!" Zelda said from over Link's shoulder, surprised. Link lead the group towards the men to greet them.
After he greeted Viscen, he turned and saw the others headed his way and called out, "Your highness! I am glad to see you're well!"
"Auru, what brings you here?" the princess asked, "We are not so far from the castle that we could not have made it in another day of travel."
"I am here on official business, milady. For you see, I am here at the behest of your father, the King of Hyrule. He wishes you to return to the castle as soon as possible," Auru then looked at Link and continued, "and with you accompanying her."
The whole group was stunned, Link most of all.
Zelda asked, "My father wants the both of us?"
"Yes, he wishes to finally meet the hero after all this time. Once we received word that you had nearly made it to Ordona, the king was informed and made immediate plans for this special occasion. I believe many congratulations and thank-you's are long overdue from His Majesty's point of view," the old man reported with a smile.
Emerald exclaimed, "Can you believe it, Link? An audience with the king! That's so cool!"
Link stood silent for a moment, his face wore no expression of joy or happiness. If anything, he wore a cold, concerned look. This made everyone else uneasy and confused.
"Link?" Zelda tried.
Link spoke, "Sorry, but the king'll have to wait."
A look of shock and disbelief his everyone's faces, across the soldiers, Viscen, Auru, Zelda and the maidens.
"I have more important things to do and can't waste my time going to the castle," Link offered before he calmly turned away and began toward his house.
"Y-you cannot just say 'no' to the summons of a king, boy!" Auru yelled out.
Link stopped, looked over his shoulder and said, "I just did."
Flabbergasted, Auru had no words as Link disappeared from the group back into his home. The old man grew frustrated but calmed down.
"I see he hasn't changed over the last 3 years," Auru gave with a huff as he rubbed his temples.
"Auru," Zelda started, " is there someway we could hold off on this for the time being? Link had not even planned to stay here as long as he has today. He is headed for Calatia, to continue his search for his sister."
"Princess, my hands are tied," Auru gave with a look of sadness, "this is His Majesty we are talking about! There's nothing more I can do. If Link doesn't arrive with you, I can only imagine what that would say to the king."
"Suppose then this were to happen," Zelda started, "and the time it takes for Link to meet with my father is the amount of time he needed to save his sister's life, what then?"
"What, are you suggesting that his sister will perish if he meets with the king?"
"There is a possibility that such a thing may occur as there appears to be a time constraint within the matter. I only just managed to convince Link to stay until nightfall to allow for a little more time for him to rest. Otherwise, he would have departed in short order after our arrival."
"Always on the move, that one," Auru gave, "Still, imagine what the king would do if he were disrespected in such a way?"
Zelda sullenly looked at the dirt at Auru's feet, "I do not wish to discover what my father would do if his summons was rejected like this..."
"So, then you see—" Auru tried.
"However," Zelda interjected, "tell me this, Auru. Which should I fear more? The wrath of my father? Or the wrath of the one who saved him?"
Auru looked shocked, amazed and dumbstruck. Zelda's question burned in his mind. As Auru gazed toward Link's home, it was then that he finally realized how dangerous this had become. Link, the Hero of Light, had surely grown very powerful. What were to happen if Hyrule chose to make an enemy of Link? Surely that's what would happen if Aryll died because her brother was forced to participate in an audience with the king. Zelda too considered this whole scenario. It was then that she decided on a gambit. A gambit so risky, that she decided then and there what she would do if the worst came to worst.
"I will try to persuade him to come with us," Zelda offered.
Auru's eyes widened, "Your highness, please, you shouldn't have to—"
"I must be the one to do this, Auru," she gave, "I am placing faith in Link... My hope is that even if things were to go wrong, he would not seek revenge."
Ilia lost color in her face after she heard this, fully aware of what Zelda meant. The princess then turned and headed towards Link's home. The others stayed silent as she went. Almost out of nowhere, the situation became incredibly tense. Lives were in the balance, and many hearts were about to be tested.
Link shuffled together his equipment and readied up a different set of riders boots and a brown mantle that cloaked his shoulders but could not reach down to his elbows. It seemed that he already changed his mind on the agreement he made with the princess. He had his back turned to the door as he heard it open behind him.
"Get out! I'm not talking to you!" he yelled reactively.
"Link, it is only me," the voice of the princess revealed.
He looked over his shoulder to see Zelda by herself, she could see the anger and frustration on his face as it gave way to sudden remorse. He then turned back to what he was doing.
"Oh. I'm sorry, Zel... I-I thought you were..."
"It is alright," she offered as she closed the door behind her. She then walked over to him. She stood silent for a short time.
Suddenly, he spoke, his back still to her, "I know you understand how mad I am right now."
"I do," she replied.
"And you know that I would gladly go along with this in any other circumstance."
"I do."
"Tell me then, is it fair?"
She said nothing.
"is it fair that I have to risk my sister's life just to acquiesce to this trivial request?"
"I do not see it as fair, no."
Her reply left him silent.
"If you were to go... and as a result, your sister were to die... what then? What would you do?"
He stopped all motion.
"Would you forgive? Or... would you seek revenge?"
He remained still and silent.
"If you were to take revenge, you would be justified in doing so... yet, I believe you would be giving in to darkness that you are supposed to destroy..."
He still said nothing... and suddenly he felt her arms gently wrap around his arms and his front as she hugged him from behind. She lightly buried her face into his back.
"But even then... I would still be on your side."
Link swallowed a lump in his throat as he tried to turn around to face the princess, which prompted her to release her grip on him. They stared into each other's eyes for several moments. There was a strange enchantment as he felt slowly drawn towards her, but he resisted its pull... at first. He saw the look of wanting in her deep, ocean-blue eyes. Then his eyes broke from hers and lowered as his gaze fell to her pillowy lips. Unsure of what this urge was, he decided to give himself to the pull, at least a little bit. He steadily leaned toward her, but to his surprise, she drew closer as well.
"Zel..." he said quietly.
With a tight embrace as their arms entangled around the other's body, their lips met. All tension released as safety and warmth filled the room at the arrival of this show of affection. Lost in their own menagerie of pleasure, it seemed liked hours when it only lasted mere moments. The kiss quickly became more passionate between the two for every second that passed. However, in line with their better judgement, the two of them pulled away before it could escalate to something even more intense.
As he looked at the woman before him, he noticed that her lips had turned a fervent red. Increasingly attracted by her, he quickly turned away, red faced, and then cleared his throat.
"So, uh..." he tried as he took a peek at her one more time.
She wore a smile that likened her to a blossoming field of flowers, it was as if she was the most beautiful thing he could lay eyes on. He had thought her to be beautiful already, but something between them had just changed how he saw her. He nervously scratched the back of his head, unsure how to address the situation. He decided on an alternate route.
He sighed and asked, "Zel, what do you think I should do?"
She knew he tried to avoid the most obvious conversation, but felt satisfied to answer him anyway.
She folded her hands together and said, "I wish for my father to be pleased. I wish for my father to meet the one who saved Hyrule. I wish for the one who saved Hyrule to be recognized for what he has accomplished. I want him to see how happy I am that he saved me."
"I think you just showed me that last one," he commented.
She giggled and replied, "But even though these are the things I want... even more than that, I want you to be happy. Regardless of the choice you make and the consequences that follow, please know that I will stand by you, no matter what."
He shook his head, grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a hug. Surprised, but pleased, she hugged him back.
As they embraced again, he said, "Tell Auru I'll meet with the king."
She pulled back and said, "You will?!"
"But we'll have to leave now...which means I won't get the rest you wanted for me."
"It will be fine, I am certain you will make do with what rest you received here thus far... And hopefully these last few moments were able to energize you a bit," she stated playfully.
He chuckled then said, "Oh, trust me, I definitely have an abundance of energy after that! Oh, but don't tell Auru what happened."
She pulled away to the door and offered, "I did not plan on telling him. Quite frankly, what he does not know will not hurt him."
And she quickly opened the door and walked out, it closed behind her. After she shut the door, she faced the door, took a deep breath and thought to herself,
...We kissed... That was not a part of the plan, but... I am so glad it happened!
She tried to regain her composure and clean her face up a tad before she would make her way over to Auru to tell him the good news. As she did she held her hand up to her face and gently traced her fingers along her lips, the experience still fresh in her mind. Meanwhile, back in the house, Link buried his face in his hands and then raised his hands through his hair as he paced about the room.
"I just kissed Zel... Oh man, Nick's never gonna believe this. Heck, I don't believe it!"
He stopped and gazed back to the dresser with his framed picture of Aryll.
"Please be safe, sis... Just a little longer, please hold on just a little bit longer. Nick, you better hold on, too."
He then went as quickly as he could to finish the prep-work of his things. As he did, Zelda returned to the others whom hadn't moved far from where they were. Auru had taken a seat on a stool provided for him by Viscen's men. When he saw the princess approaching he still, ready to hear the bad news. He was surprised to find the princess wore a face not of disappointment, but of joy. She beamed brightly, in fact.
Auru asked, "What happened?"
"Link has agreed to meet with my father," Zelda replied.
Everyone's heads turned.
"HE WHAT?!" several called out in unison.
Nearly running out of breath, Auru asked, "He's going?! Of his own free will?!"
"Of his own free will," Zelda reassured, "But we leave as soon as he is finished getting ready."
"Good good, this means I can stop having a heart attack."
"You can rest easy, Auru, the world has not met its end yet."
With that, Auru went over to his carriage and told the men to ready up for departure. The regiment responded and prepped their horses. Meanwhile, Cerise and Azura pulled Zelda aside to talk quietly.
Azura asked, "OK, what happened in there?"
"You looked elated when you came back, your highness! Something must have happened!" Cerise tried.
"My apologies, you two, but it is a private matter," Zelda expressed with a smirk on her face.
"No, no! Don't give me that!" Azura tried, "I wanna know the details, please?!"
Zelda merely shook her head with a playful smile and said nothing more.
Outside of that conversation, there was much discussion between Mayor Bo, Viscen, and the "shadowlanders" group that accompanied Link in the dark world. Most of them expressed the sentiment of a shared interest in staying in Ordon. As a place to help return to normalcy, if not a permanent dwelling place. It seemed that due to the King's involvement, none of Hyrule's military could bring anyone to their original dwelling places, as they are all expected to return to the castle with Link and the princess without any other stops or detours. When asked about it, the other Ordonians were not opposed tot he idea and were willing to welcome new members to the community, provided they share their part of the work.
Before too long, Link would once again emerge from his dwelling, fully-equipped and ready to go. He walked up the princess and the others and gave them a nod as he passed by. He tossed a few things onto Epona, whom had patiently waited in the center of the village, with Ash right nearby at rest in the grass. The young man felt a pat on his shoulder and saw Rusl right beside him.
"Why does it feel like every time you arrive, you leave again not long after?" Rusl asked, a proud smile on his face.
"Because... that's what's been happening?" Link replied with uncertainty.
Rusl chuckled and pulled his arm back, but before he could say anything else, Link started,
"You know, Rus', the reason why I left Ordon roughly 4 years back was because I wanted to go out and see the world, adventure and explore every place I could. Meet new people, see things, learn new information. You know, traveler stuff."
"Right," Rusl affirmed.
"But I gotta tell ya, nothing has made me miss home more than these last 3 years in a not-so-happy place. My hope is that... when we get Aryll back, I'll stick around for a much longer period of time. If you guys are willing to put up with me, of course."
"Anytime and always, Link. You know that."
Rusl gave Link one more pat on the shoulder and stepped away to go be with his wife and children. Link hopped up onto Epona and saw as the maidens were led into their carriages and all the other horse riders had finished with their preparations. Before they could depart once again, Ilia ran up to Link and said,
"Link, promise me something!"
"What is it?"
"Promise me... you'll actually come back this time!"
"Cross my heart and hope to die."
Ilia then stepped backward and felt her father place his arm around her shoulders. Link then raised his hand to his mouth and whistled which prompted Ash to spring up onto its feet, stretch, and then moved to stand beside its master, ready for travel. The order was given and all the men began forward out of the village.
"Let's ride, Epona!" Link called as his mare reared up with a loud neigh to swiftly trot forward, Ash beside them. The people of Ordon gave their waves and shouts of farewell as men of Hyrule left the village, the hero in tow. In moments, they were gone and the quiet was restored. A bittersweetness arose, but with it, expectations and hopes for the future.
End of Chapter
Author's Notes: All right, all right, I have to admit that the kiss scene was not something I initially planned on including at all. However, I am practicing a writing-style that allows for what feels to be the natural order of things to occur. If a character does something or doesn't do something, it should fall in line with who they are, or at least some sort of character flaw. It's supposed to be realistic and believable this way.
The kiss felt truly like it was a spur of the moment sort of thing, something neither of them intended to do but would realistically end up doing anyway.
My original plan for this storyline years ago was for Link to maintain a solid friendship with most characters he met, but this was supposed be even more so with Zelda whom he might at most be somewhat flirtatious with though would absolutely give his life to protect. However, with this writing-style I ended up bringing out a lot of the chemistry between the two, regardless of how fitting or unfitting their deepening relationship might be in the grand scheme (in universe, of course). I even included that Link refused relationships until he reached sword mastery. Lo and behold, I ended up letting him be acknowledged as a sword master and thus his self-limitation on relationships was lifted. Yay me.
And oh in case anyone was wondering, which I doubt, the 3 year time skip had been planned for a long time.
Other bits of trivia: this was originally going to be a Twilight Princess continuation (hence the heavy Twilight Princess influences), but I couldn't reconcile Link acting differently than in the game. Then I was going to write an original academy-type of story, where my own original Link enters a knight's academy as a confident, powerful swordsman. I retained that concept of Link for this storyline. Though I have somewhat toned him down, mostly by accident. He was supposed to be almost over-the-top cocky but with the ability to back it up. However, I realized that he definitely needed to be humbled, otherwise the Master Sword wouldn't have accepted him as its master and a bunch of the other characters probably wouldn't like him. This would also make it harder to belief that the Zelda of this story could actually be good friends with that kind of Link. (See also, the Legend of Zelda Cartoon.) Funnily enough, this ended up being retained as a part of his backstory.
Just thought I'd share a little more about the story I had planned a long time back and how it has changed as I write it.