Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or Twilight Princess.
"Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls? They say it's the only time when our world intersects with theirs… the only time we can feel the lingering regrets of people who have left our world. That is why loneliness always pervades the hour of twilight."
Rusl's words continued to echo through Link's mind as he slowly made his way up a large grassy hill at the far edge of the village boundaries. From his vantage point, Link could look across all of Ordon and he wondered for a moment if he could see beyond the borders of the wooded province that he called home. After everything he had been through, after seeing the things he did, and traveling across the entire kingdom, it almost seemed strange returning to this quiet secluded place. It felt like a lifetime ago when Link had been content to simply spend his days working the ranch and herding the goats, blissfully unaware of the real dangers and monstrosities that had descended upon the land of Hyrule. But now it was all over. The demon king Ganon had been slain, the kingdom was restored, and the Twili...
The Hero of Twilight winced again and dismissed the thought as he reached the top of the lonely vista and looked out over the wooded meadows of Ordona Province, now bathed in the gentle orange and golden rays of the fading sunlight. As the shadows of dusk approached and slowly crept over the horizon, Link could feel the ripple of the cool evening air upon his neck. Before he left on his journey, there might have been a time when the dying light and looming shadows made Link feel uneasy. He had learned to accept the gentler aspects of the darkness, and with the help of the Twilight Princess... perhaps even embrace it. But now that she was gone, Link was reminded once more of his mentor's words, finally understanding them while he continued looking out toward the setting sun with a feeling of melancholy.
"A wonderful thing to finally be home, isn't it?" a voice came from behind.
Link whirled around in surprise and began to reach for his sword when he paused, realizing who it was who had addressed him. Standing before him was the familiar sight of the Hero's Shade. The tall ghostly warrior clad in ancient tarnished armor regarded him with a calm appraising air. Like the darkness of Twilight, Link had once dreaded this ancient being's skeletal visage, but in time he had come to accept the Shade's presence and even welcome the warrior's sage advice during his most trying times.
"I didn't expect to see you again," Link replied greeting the wraith with a quiet nod, "After everything that happened, you should probably know that the things you taught me came in handy during battle... so, thank you for that."
"To know that Ganondorf was finally vanquished by your hand is thanks enough," the Shade replied with an almost imperceptible smile of satisfaction, "Of that, I am glad."
He paused a moment and studied the young Hero of Twilight who looked distractedly out toward the sunset, "Yet here you stand... alone and away from your village when you should be among your people celebrating your victory tonight."
"In some ways, it hardly feels like a victory," Link admitted with a slight grimace.
The Shade tilted his head before nodding in quiet understanding, "I see. The one called Midna is no longer here. You feel lost without your companion."
"More than a companion," Link insisted narrowing his eyes, "A friend... a friend who stood beside me through this entire ordeal and even risked herself to save my home too."
Link paused for a moment and spoke in a quieter voice as he wistfully looked out over the valley, "I never thought I'd grow to care so much about that little imp..."
"You mean the Princess of Twilight," the Shade corrected him.
Link gave a deep sigh of resignation, "Whatever you want to call her, I just wish I could have thanked Midna... for everything, you know?"
"I'm sure she knows," the Shade answered in a surprisingly gentle tone as he continued to fix his gaze upon the young hero.
"You sound so sure of yourself," Link challenged him gently, "How would you possibly know?"
The Shade turned his head and gazed longingly toward the sunset, "Because I also know what it was like to have a trusted friend and companion... someone as close as family who you'd do anything for. I know what it was like to see them leave before you can tell them how much they meant to you... and the torture of always asking yourself why they had to go."
Link pursed his lips thoughtfully and relented, "I forgot... you must have seen your own share of troubles, maybe worse than mine. I'm sorry."
"You should not be," the Shade answered as he slowly turned to face the hero again, "Your friend Midna may be gone, but she left you something very important. She's given you the strength to face the unknown and an opportunity at a new start."
Link raised an eyebrow and met the gaze of his ghostly teacher, "Is that the reason you came all the way out here tonight? Just to tell me that?"
The Shade gave what almost sounded like a sigh and patiently shook his head, "No. I came here to impart one final lesson... so that you don't end up making the same mistakes that I did."
"I don't understand..." Link interjected but he was silenced as the Shade raised a spectral hand.
"I can already see the regrets in your eyes and in your heart... the regrets of innocence lost, and the loneliness from those who are no longer with you," the ghostly warrior said, "You want to look for answers that aren't there, ones perhaps you're never meant to know. In that vain search, you'll almost forget the things that really matter, and the people around you who do care about you... because you've helped them so much already."
Link fell silent as he thought of everyone back in his village, Rusl, Colin, the other children... and Ilia. The Hero's Shade continued, "You have a choice to make. You can accept what's happened and start anew. Accept yourself for the man you've become. Build your home here. Raise your family, and guide Hyrule in an era of peace..."
"Or linger with the burden of regrets and past mistakes... like you did?" Link inferred solemnly.
"Until now," the Shade answered as he took a few steps past his younger charge, "Like yourself, my journey draws to an end. Now that Hyrule is in safe hands, I can finally rest knowing that my legacy... and the bloodline of the Hero will carry on through you."
At those words, Link blinked in surprise, "Wait! I meant to ask you about that before I went off to face Ganon. You had told me 'Do not falter, my child.' I need to ask... who are you?"
The Shade stopped for a long moment and began to turn slowly. Amid the glare of setting sun, Link stared in wonder as he looked upon the figure before him. In place of the skeletal wraith in ancient rusted armor now stood a handsome young man with fair hair, blue eyes, and features that bore a startling resemblance to the younger Hero of Twilight. His predecessor wore the same green tunic and hat and he stood as tall and proud as a legendary Hylian Knight of old. The original Hero looked upon Link and answered with a serene otherworldly smile, "Just a relic of the past, but someone who still knows you... maybe better than you know yourself."
Despite the cryptic answer, Link smiled in quiet understanding watching the rays of the setting sun form a golden halo around the old Hero's head. Within the nimbus of golden orange light filling the vista, Link spotted another ethereal figure standing in the near distant horizon. Although he could not make out the person's face in the light, he could see that it looked like a young woman with long red hair and a purple peasant dress gently beckoning to them.
"It's time for me to go now," the Hero said to Link apologetically, "I've been away from her for long enough."
Link gave a quiet nod of understanding, "Do you think I'll ever see you again?"
The Hero smiled and gave a quiet laugh, "After everything you've seen on your last adventure? I think you already know the answer to that."
He strode out toward the gateway of light on the horizon and took the hands of the woman who was waiting for him. Before the Hero could depart, Link called out loudly and gave a wave, "Wait! I... thank you again... for everything."
The two figures waved back to him before walking off into the last rays of reddish orange sunlight clinging to the skies. Even as the glare faded from his eyes, Link continued to wave with a serene smile of his own. As he began to lower his hand, he heard the sounds of quiet footsteps on the grass as someone approached from behind. Link turned and to his surprise, he saw the familiar face of Ilia coming up the hill. The young Ordon woman met his eyes and fixed him with a curious look.
"Link? What are you doing out here? And were you just talking to someone right now?"
Even if he had saved the entire kingdom of Hyrule, Link knew better than to lie to his childhood friend. He decided to go with a half-truth. "I was just paying respect to an old friend."
Ilia studied him for a moment longer before she shrugged and touched his wrist, "We should head back to the village. The homecoming festival will be starting soon and my father will want you to be there..."
She paused in surprise as Link gently put an arm around her and held her near while looking out to the dusk lit skies, "Let's just stay here a little while longer?"
Ilia remained quiet and contently nodded as she rested her head against his shoulder. Link simply smiled and turned his eyes to the sky reminding himself of the calm and comfort that the darkness of night could also bring. As sad as he was to see the Shade leave, he was glad they had one last meeting. He was grateful for the Shade's words and glad that he could do his own part to help the old Hero's spirit finally find peace.
Even now in the gathering twilight, Link no longer felt the loneliness or melancholy that he once did. In time this darkness would pass and when it did, he knew that he could look forward to the coming dawn... the dawn of a new life with Ilia in Ordon Village, and a promise of peace for all the people of Hyrule.
A/N:
Hopefully you enjoyed this little alternate epilogue to Twilight Princess. I wanted to expand on the relationship between Link and the Hero's Shade from the game. Working under the Child Timeline theory and the headcanon that OoT Link and Malon settled down to found Ordon I like to think TP Link was their direct descendant. Maybe one day I'll write a story about how the Shade came to be but until then, we can only guess, right? Thanks again for reading!