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Elia crept silently through the house. She paused at the door to her sister's former room to see Link lying there, on top of the blue quilt, sleeping peacefully. Having heard him toss and turn for half the night, Elia was glad that he had finally dozed off.

Leaving a note on the table and a pot of porridge simmering over the fireplace, the girl made her way out into the chilly morning air. She headed straight to the marketplace, which was a small area of stalls set up around Kakariko's well.

She went about bartering for eggs, milk, wheat, and other items from the traders who visited every week. The girl even purchased some extra, wondering if Link would be staying with her or not, and for how long.

Link awoke in the middle of the morning, a bit drowsy still, but as rested as he got these days. Used to awakening in strange places (he rarely used his own home, but traveled Hyrule staying at inns), it took him a moment to remember saving the girl the night before and staying in her home.

He stretched his muscular arms into the air and yawned. Smelling something delicious, the hero stumbled his way wearily to the kitchen. Link picked up the scrap of yellowed paper and read, "Sir Link, I am out shopping. Please help yourself to porridge."

He found a wooden bowl in a stack on some shelves, which were not really shelves but holes in the wall. The people of Kakariko were very resourceful, he noted, and used the rock face for many purposes.

Link ladled some of the steaming hot porridge into his bowl and sat down to eat. Finding it too hot, he leaned back and thought.

That girl--what was her name? Elia? Yes, that had been it. Elia. She wasn't old enough to live alone like this. Where was the rest of her family? Link recalled her saying something about her sister when she'd showed him his room for the night. And there was another bedroom besides hers. Had something happened to her parents and sister?

The food was finally the right temperature to eat, and he dug in heartily. The morning was chilly and he was only dressed in his white tights. He found the porridge to be both filling and delicious, and went back for a second helping.

The door opened and Elia came inside, fighting to close it again against the chilly autumn wind. She came into the kitchen area, her pace slowed by the heavy baskets of groceries on either arm.

"Can I help you with those?" Link wanted to know, standing quickly to offer his services.

"I've got it, thank you," Elia said, blushing secretly at the man's sparse clothing. She quickly went about putting the food away.

"Can I have a third bowl?" Link asked, already waiting at the fireplace.

His appetite was as bad as her father's! Elia smiled and said, "Of course. It's an honor to know you can stand my cooking."

Link shook his head as he eagerly scooped more of the porridge into his bowl. "It's very good. Really. I don't think I've ever had such a good breakfast."

Elia blushed again. "Thank you," she murmured politely. She peeled off her knit shawl and hung it next to the front door, then sat down at the small, round dining table across from her guest.

Link seemed to pay her no heed until he was done. "Thank you very much," he said finally, wiping his mouth with the back of his bare hand.

Elia giggled. "We have napkins, you know."

Link chuckled a little, looking at his hand. "Did I offend you?"

"Oh, no," she said.

"Um…Elia, is it?"

She nodded, her brown hair bouncing up and down in its ponytail.

"Elia, I was just wondering where the rest of your family was?"

"They…they have better things to do then live her with me, I guess," she mumbled. Then she jumped. "It must be eleven by now!"

"What?" Link asked, watching her with curious eyes as she ran to her room. She emerged with a white apron and hood in her hands.

"I have to go to work," she explained quickly, fastening the apron with desperate fingers. As she put the hood on over her hair, she added, "I have the morning off today to shop, but I have to be there before lunch starts. Goddesses, Dain is going to kill me!" She groped for her shawl and ran for the door.

"Um, bye, I guess," Link called.

Elia stopped, turned, and looked at him. "I can't make you lunch or dinner, because I'll be working. But you're welcome to come to Dain's Tavern if you wish. That's where I'll be. Otherwise, help yourself to the groceries I bought--I got extra for you!" She waved and disappeared out the door.

Link was left to wonder after her in amazement.

"If those guys ever set one foot towards you, I'll kill them!" growled Dain after Elia had recounted her story of the night before. The woman looked down at the girl. "I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you!" Remorse filled her eyes.

"Dain, it's all right," Elia said, beginning to arrange dishes on the large round trays for the customers. "I got saved by the Hero of Time, did I not?"

"And a lucky thing it is, too," Dain murmured, clenching her fist. "I'm so frustrated with myself! That's it, I'm getting you out of here before seven every night."

"You don't have to," Elia said, worrying for her wages. "I'll be fine. I'm not going to trust anyone, okay?"

"But you're having the Hero of Time stay in your house?" Dain looked a bit more than suspicious as she heaved another log into the main fireplace.

"I trust him. He saved Hyrule, after all. Dain," she added, turning to face the big woman, "he saved me."

"He does anything to hurt you, hero or not, I'll have his insides for supper," her boss promised.

Elia shook her head, silently thanking Dain for her protectiveness. She then picked up one of the trays and carried it over to the first table, her afternoon's work begun in full swing.

Link brought the sword around in a high arc, crashing it down towards the ground with a grunt of effort and victory. He jumped around on the spot and began thrashing elegantly at another invisible enemy. He kept going and going, swinging his sword around the open room until he was too tired to go on.

He fell back into one of the wooden chairs with a sigh. Perhaps, he thought tiredly, practicing swordplay indoors was not the smartest thing. What the man had done was clear the furniture from the main room of Elia's house so he could have plenty of room to practice.

It had been a long while since Link had fought more than a rabbit he needed for summer or the castle's skeleton guard dogs. At only twenty-seven years old, he thought that it wasn't time for him to retire yet. He still needed to be in shape for when the time to be the hero. Last night had proved that.

Link gave another long sigh. He thought it must be at least two o'clock, and he was hungry. He pulled on a fresh white tunic that was lying on the dresser in 'his' room. It was a bit big for him, but Elia had gotten it for him. Was it her father's?

As an after thought, Link grabbed his knife and stuck in inside of his belt, letting the folds of the thick fabric conceal it. His shield, sword, and other weapons he left safely under the bed he'd used. Now he looked like an ordinary citizen. Just a normal man with shaggy blond-orange hair and lost sapphire eyes.

In his muscular hand was a chunk of stiff bread. He didn't really want more than that. He made his way through the crowds, unnoticed. When no one was looking, he slipped into the potion shop and out the back door to go to the old hag's place. But she wasn't there.

"Gone on Vacation. Oh-ho-ho!" read the sign, and Link could just imagine her cackling. Great. Just great. He'd come all the way to Kakariko to find that she wasn't there. Was there no one who could help him now?

Sighing, Link leapt off the platform and climbed up the ladder that led to the only vacant spot in Kakariko: the grassy area around the windmill. Lovers often spent their afternoons here, giggling and kissing together. Link was glad of the chilly wind, because he didn't want to glimpse anyone in love. It hurt.

He sat and leaned against the windmill, out of sight. And was he out of mind? Probably.

Link had just started to eat his food when another appeared next to him. Who else was foolish enough to sit out in the cold?

"Elia?" Link asked, a bit surprised.

"What are you doing out here, Sir Link?" Elia knelt down, setting her own piece of bread into her lap as she went to undo her hood. She also had two small red apples, one of which she offered to Link.

He took it. "Thank you."

"I'm on my break," she explained, stretching slightly. "I'll have to be back in a bit to go get ready for dinner."

"Oh." He looked at her, realizing that she was still kneeling. "Um, you can join me if you want."

She nodded and sat down fully, now, leaning against the wall right next to him. She waited patiently for him to take a bite, and then began eating.

"Do you come up here often?" Link asked, setting down the remaining half of his bread. He stretched out his legs so his feet pointed towards the large wooden fence before them.

"I usually go in the windmill itself, actually," she admitted sheepishly. "But I only sneak up there when no one's around, and since I have a job I can't spend my days there anymore."

"You did?"

"Oh, yes, I would sit up there all day long…" She looked a bit wistful. "I would watch over the people of Kakariko… What a silly girl I am!" she exclaimed, wiping her mouth with her small white handkerchief.

"I wish I could have done that," Link said. "I don't think it's silly at all."

She smiled at him, kindly. "Sir Link…"

"Eh," he groaned. "Enough with this 'Sir' stuff. I'm Link, just Link. I might be a knight, but what does that matter in the long run?"

Elia gave him a thoughtful silence in reply. "You saved Hyrule," she said finally. "You're a hero. You should be treated as one."

To her great surprise, he chuckled. "You should try telling the rest of the world that."

Elia frowned. "What do you mean by that? Doesn't everyone treat you well?"

He laughed again. "You are so naïve. Goddesses… I wish what you believed was true, though."

She didn't know what to say, so she resigned herself to finishing her small afternoon meal.

Sensing her confusion and uncertainty, Link was also at a loss. But he got sick of the apprehensive feeling soon enough. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call you names or anything."

"It's all right."

"Yeah," he said, not believing her.

"May I… May I intrude, though?" Her voice was meek and she folded her hands tightly in her little lap. "Why do you feel that way? Have people been cruel to you?"

He shrugged his big, strong shoulders. "I don't know. It's like I'm supposed to do things without a reason, except for I'm the hero. Sure, I didn't want the world to be taken over by Ganondorf--who did? But I had seen little kindness from the world. And then I meet a princess I've never heard of before, and she just sends me on my merry way. And then she proceeds to throw me back and forth through time…"

Elia waited as he paused. She had never known he had felt that way. "Link, maybe Zelda didn't know--"

He scoffed. "And does that make it right for her to treat me as a tool, a thing that's meant to be used?"

"Well, no," she had to admit. "But you saved Hyrule…"

"Indeed, and I'm glad," Link said in a very miffed voice. He shook his head. "What am I saying? Hyrule wouldn't be here without what I did. Really," he insisted, "I am happy. I love Hyrule and its people, even if none of them feel the same about me." He looked into her wide brown eyes, his own sapphire ones filling with regret. "I am sorry, Elia. I didn't mean to worry you. Please, I am just rambling. Forget about it."

What could she do? "If you say so," she mumbled, standing. She pulled back on her apron and hood, bidding him good afternoon.

Elia wished that she had her cloak as she walked hurriedly home from the tavern. The wind was picking up, and thick gray clouds started congealing ominously in the sky. It would still be another month until snow hit the ground, but the weather seemed impatient to get the bitter season underway.

She was nearing home, groping in her small handbag for her key, when she heard it. Some kind of cry or shout, but not human, arose. When she heard the snapping of jaws she knew that she was in danger. Scampering up the steps to Kakariko was a large, gray-white wolf creature Elia had been fortunate enough to encounter only in books. That was, until now.

The knob refused to turn in her sweaty grasp. She kicked the door with her booted foot. In another moment or so she would be supper for the approaching wolfos. Then, she remembered that she was fortunate enough to have a hero around.

"Link!" she yelled, hoping the sound would travel through the wood and stone that separated her from him. When no answer came, she could have cried. Had Link moved on, without telling her? Was a note or something indoors explaining that he took his leave?

And then, the door swung open and she fell inside. She crawled in, bunching up the woven rug beneath her. Then she reached out with her leg and kicked the door closed.

"My sword!" Link was standing now in front of the door, holding it shut against the clawing beast on the other side.

Elia could only blink at him.

"Under the bed! Hurry!"

She scrambled to her feet and ran for the bedroom. However, because of her nervousness, she tripped at least three times, and then couldn't find the weapon. In anger, she cried out and realized that she had gone into her own room and not her sister's.

After a few frustrating, tense moments, Elia arrived in the main room. However, the door was wide open and Link was nowhere in sight. She heard the trademark snapping of jaws. Was he fighting barehanded?

To her great worry, she had been right. Link was dodging and kicking the wolfos, who was diving and blocking in return.

"Link!" she shouted.

He reached up into the air to catch the sword. "Throw it!" he demanded when she only stood there.

Elia gulped. She grabbed the hilt, turned, twisted, and heaved the blade through the air. It landed, to her great disappointment, at least two yards away from her target. Link cursed audibly and dove for it.

"Watch out!" she screamed.

It was too late.

The wolfos had taken up the opportunity and pounced on top of the man. He had rolled over on his back to try and block it, but there wasn't enough time. The claws ripped through his tunic as if it were not even there, and dug into his chest.

Just then, from wherever they had been, the Kakariko guards came out and made short work of the creature. Each one of them jabbed into it with their spears, making five huge holes in it's back. With a yelp, it melted into green smoke and was gone.

"Call a doctor!" one of the guards yelled, and another one ran off to do so. The five men had been celebrating, for just a moment, until they saw Link lying on the ground in a growing pool of his own blood.

"Goddesses--!" Elia knelt at his side, not caring that her skirts were getting stained a deep red. She was about to touch him, but she quickly pulled her hand away when Link moaned in pain.

"Is this the Hero of Time?" wondered one of the guards, setting his spear firmly onto the ground. The men were standing over the victim, concerned.

Elia tried speaking, but found she could only nod her head yes.

"Give him some air!" A cranky old man in his pajamas was walking over quickly, at the same time trying to put on a robe. He fumbled for his spectacles and put them on as well. "We need to get him to a bed. But don't move him anymore than absolutely necessary."

The four guards who had waited each took a limb and gently raised Link off the ground. When Link did not move, Elia knew that he was unconscious. She quietly walked at his side, leading them indoors to her sister's bedroom.

"Soak some washcloths in boiling water and get me lots of bandages," ordered the doctor, already starting to peel Link's clothes off of his motionless body.

Elia nodded and ran out to comply. When she returned, a bucket of steaming water in one hand and bandages and clothes in the other, the guards had left and only the doctor was keeping vigil.

"Hold that here," he instructed, hanging the bandages off the bedpost and starting to dip his wrinkled hands in the boiling hot water. "Damn, I forgot. We'll need soap too." He yanked the bucket from her arm and set it clumsily on the bed.

The evening went a lot like that. Elia had to keep running to get things, and sometimes people. It was about three in the morning when the doctor pronounced he could do no more.

"Girl," he said. "My eyes grow weak. We need someone to change his bandages throughout the night."

"I can do that," she volunteered quickly. "I've seen how you do it."

"That's a good child," the man said, putting a hand worriedly on his bald scalp.

"Should I get the potions woman?" Elia asked. She had noticed that the doctor had given no potions at all to Link, and said so.

"For one thing," the doctor said, "that crone is out of the country for at least another year. And another thing," he added, looking sympathetically at Link, "wounds like those can't be healed by potions, you see. A few red potions might ease his pain but a little, but only time will cure him. Only the Hero of Time could have survived such a direct attack on his vital organs."

"So…he'll be all right then?"

"Yes, in a few months time. By spring he should be well. Until then, he should not travel farther than the chamber pot," the old man advised, thoughtful. "Well, good night then."

"Good night," Elia mumbled. "Thank you."

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