The next day, I was woken up before the sun had even risen. Rusl was up and about, making breakfast. I'm a light sleeper, so what little noise he was making woke me. I yawned as I sat up on the couch. My hair was a mess already. One of the curses of having long hair, I suppose. I hoped I could borrow somebody's brush. As I threw my hair over my shoulders, Rusl looked back at me. "Ah. Gilda. Sorry to wake you."

I just waved him off as I got up. "No worries. If it wasn't you, it was gonna be the birds at sunrise. I'm a light sleeper. What are ya making?" I kept making an effort to get my hair under control.

"Pumpkin soup. I know it may not be what you're used to, but you could say it's a signature dish here in Ordon." Rusl replied as he returned to stirring his pot. I chuckled as I finally wrangled the mess if my hair into a semi ponytail behind me.

"Sounds delicious. I'm no stranger to trying foods from other cultures. I should show you how to make Burritos some time. We could trade recipes." I offered. Rusl laughed.

"That sounds like a fine idea. Of course you'll need to gather the ingredients. But given the work you put in last night after that whole light debacle, I have no doubt you'll fit right in here." He said with a jolly tone. I smiled, before frowning as I look around for a brush.

"Hey, do you have a brush lying around or something? I gotta tame this wild mess of hair sooner or later." I asked, gesturing to my hair, held in my hands.

"You should ask Uli. She may have something." Rusl responded.

"Alright, thanks." Seeing as Uli was still asleep, I just let my hair fall. I supposed I'd have to just deal with it for now. Rusl started to pour his pumpkin soup into some bowls. Outside, I saw the sun just beginning to rise, and my stomach growled. Maybe after breakfast, I could explore Ordon a bit. I knew some spots that had hidden secrets. I could totally rake in some cash just by visiting them. Then again, I'd probably need a wallet to hold more than I can fit in my pockets.

Rusl then set a bowl on the table in front of the couch. "Here you go, Gilda. Eat up." I smiled, picking it up. I frowned at the wooden spoon, but shrugged in response.

"I'm guessing you guys don't have metal spoons? I'm a bit more used to silverware." I told him.

"Silver, huh? I'm guessing your family was a bit more upper class then." Rusl guessed. "My son Colin helped my wife make these spoons."

"That's nice…" I sighed. "And no, my family was more or less middle class. Silverware is relatively cheap in my world."

Rusl frowned thoughtfully. Then he seemed to look elsewhere. I turned too when I heard footsteps. Colin was up and about. When he saw me, he stopped, and covered his mouth. I could read the amusement a mile away. I gave him a sort of half amused face myself.

"I know, my hair looks like a rat's nest." I pointed out, making him laugh. Rusl joined the laughter, but went back to the kitchen.

"Colin, could you wake your mother for me? Breakfast is ready." Rusl requested. I smiled as he nodded and went to do just that. I started eating my soup then, and I rather enjoyed the taste. It wasn't as seasoned as I'd hoped, but I suppose that wasn't the worst thing someone could forget in a soup. Otherwise though, it was pretty delicious.

"Mmm… This is good stuff." I commented after I finished my bite. Rusl smiled.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I was honestly concerned my cooking couldn't compare to whatever you have in your world." He then chuckled. "Granted, I'm more of a swordsman than a cook. My wife normally handles the food while I train. But I thought I'd surprise her this morning."

I smile at him. "Heh. My dad was the same way. Although I ended up being the one who cooked everything for various reasons. Still, it's a thoughtful gesture. Your wife is a lucky woman."

"I'm glad you think so." A woman's tired voice spoke from a hallway. From it, I saw Uli step through. The pregnancy was obvious, and I could tell it put a strain on her. But she stood strong. Uli looked at Rusl with a pleasant smile. "Thank you for this, honey." Rusl smiled as he lovingly pulled her into a gentle hug.

"I love you, Uli." Rusl responded. Colin sat down next to me at the table with his bowl of soup. I decided to introduce myself to him while his parents hugged it out.

"Heya. I'm Gilda. Nice to meet you." I held out a hand to him. He seemed pretty shy, but after a short second of hesitation, he shook it.

"I'm Colin. It's nice to meet you too, miss Gilda." He introduced himself. Smiling, I returned to eating. He started eating too. Though he was rather quiet after that, not offering much to speak about.

"Oh yeah. Colin, how is that spare fishing rod coming along?" Rusl suddenly asked. I perked up as I listened in. Colin seemed to get pretty excited by that.

"Oh yeah! It's almost done. I just need to add the finishing touches, and then it should be ready for Link's birthday!"

"Now now, don't be too hasty. I'm sure Link can come get the rod himself. He can be a busy man, so it's best not to get in his way." Rusl warned. I kinda figured that'd make sense. Though it did calm Colin a bit.

"Oh, okay. I'll keep it in the Chest when it's done. That way it'll be like opening a secret treasure!" He seemed so excited, it was adorable. I couldn't help but smile. I let them all chat as we ate. Once I finished, what with me being the first to do so, I stood up.

"So then. I'm gonna go ahead and explore the village a little bit. And if I see the mayor, I'll go ahead and say hi to him." I tell the family. Rusl smiles.

"Just meet up with me after you finish chatting, and we'll get started testing how you fight." Rusl stated. I gave him a nod as I headed out.

"See you soon!" I said. Once I closed the door behind me, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was a little stressful to hold back and watch what I say, considering my mouth is normally running a mile a minute about this and that. But… It was nice to at least live through the first peaceful days of the game. Of course now that I was free to roam… I had a few places to search for rupees at.

~Link's POV~

Another nightmare. This was starting to get concerning. Nightmares don't get this frequent. The strangest part was what they were about. That man… he looked like the depictions in old texts about the king of evil. Ganondorf...

"Hey! Link! Are you there?!" I heard the familiar voice of Fado call out to me. Welcoming the distraction, I climbed up to my window to actually get a look at his face. Once he saw me, he spoke again. "You mind helping me with the goats again? Lately they just ain't listenin' to me!" I rolled my eyes. Of course they weren't.

"I'll be right down." I called back. I made it down rather quickly, all things considered. Jumping from the window to the ground floor hasn't bothered me in a while now. I've forgotten when I stopped being so scared of heights. At this point, I'm intimately familiar with the heights I can or shouldn't jump from. As soon as I stepped out of the front door though, I realized something. Epona wasn't where I left her. I chuckled. "Ah. I guess Illia took her to the Spring. I'll be right back, Fado." And with that, I left for the spirit's spring.

It didn't take me long to get there. It wasn't very far from my house. Just a quick jog was all it took. When I got there, I slowed down a little though. I knew how excitable Epona was. Looking into the Spring, I saw Illia trying to pet Epona… poor girl. For all the love and care she put into Epona, she could never seem to fully earn her trust. I'm always rooting for it to happen though. I at least helped Epona get used to her care.

Illia turned as my feet hit the water. "Oh, Link! I washed Epona for you." I couldn't help but smile as I stepped up to greet Epona myself. "Epona works so hard, I thought she could use a treat." Illia added as her hand came up to join mine on Epona's head. Epona whinnied softly in joy.

"I think she says thanks." I told Illia. Illia seemed to appreciate that.

"You've always had such a close bond with this horse, Link. I can't help but be jealous. Remember back when you first rode her? It was like you'd tamed an untamable fire. Epona's always had such a free spirit, it shocked us all when you just climbed on and started riding like a master." Illia said, lost in memories. I let myself journey through memory lane as well. I remember well what happened. And it always felt surreal how natural it felt. It was like we were born for each other. Of course the Horseshoe grass made things easier.

"Yeah. But I need to bring Epona to the ranch. Fado's having trouble again." I told Illia to break up the moment. Illia frowned.

"Again? You don't suppose it has anything to do with the growing monster population, do you?" Illia asked, concerned as I climbed up on Epona.

"Whatever it is… I'm sure I can handle it." I assured Illia. With that, I started to usher Epona towards the ranch.

"Just be careful, Link." Illia called after me. I flashed her a thumbs up as I rounded the corner. As I rode into the village, I saw the usual routine for the end of the day. Although… I noted Gilda was by Rusl. Gilda seemed to be sparring with Rusl, though Gilda didn't have a weapon. Despite that, she appeared to be winning. Once I rode up to the two, Gilda completely knocked Rusl's sword out of his hand. The two stopped when that happened.

"Goodness, Gilda! You're really good at this. Even if I have the advantage with my weapon, you still managed to overpower me." Rusl commented.

Gilda smirked in reply. "It's just a simple martial art. Martial arts back home teaches you the versatility of your own body, helping you grow more flexible and capable of defending yourself. I'm not quite there yet, but I've heard some people who train as monks can catch projectiles out of the air and throw it right back at the one who shot at them."

"I see. Perhaps you'd be willing to train with a few of my friends in Castle town? Maybe you can learn a few tricks from them." Rusl proposed as he picked his sword back up.

"Not a bad idea. Oh, hey Link." Gilda looked up at me as I watched, impressed.

"Ah, Link. Headed up to help Fado? I can only imagine the trouble he's gotten himself into. Hey, listen. I know tomorrow is your birthday. Colin's been preparing a fishing pole for you. You should stop by our house when it's ready, and see how you like it." Rusl told me. I nodded with a small smile on my face.

"Will do. Thanks, Colin." I said to Colin, who was watching at the time. He smiled, and with that I headed to the Ranch. Maybe the more I get to know Gilda, the more things will start to feel normal.