Author's Note: Well, here's Chapter 3! Thank goodness for summer vacation XD I would've never finished it this fast if it were the school year! But when it does get to school, then it might be tough... But I'll do my best! Now, for reviews!
To All: Thanks for reviewing!! :D
Lady Akhisane: Hm, I suppose this is self-insert... The story was supposed to be told through the main character's POV, and I based her personality and actions on what I would do... Omg it's accidental self-insert! XD
SkittyStarikova: Thankies! I'll do the best I can to update the story fast!
Angela: Chocolate Chop Cookies? O.o lolz jk I know whatcha mean. Hm, I thought I gave you chocolate chip *thinks* I blame my oven! O_O
DantesArdor: Well, I started a Zelda fanfic on another site and discontinued it ;_; So technically, this is my 2nd fanfic ever. I've been a LoZ fan ever since I was 6 (that was when I got Ocarina of Time)! Glad to see that there's so many ppl who still love Link.
And without further ado, here's Chapter 3!
Chapter 3 – Meeting the Residents of Ordon Village
Everything became clearer as my eyes adjusted to the lighting. Wow, everything's so bright! Maybe I just got used to sleeping... Ilia took my hand unexpectedly and walked down the wooden steps of her house. Turning to me, she said,
"Okay, right here to my left is the ranch. This is where Link and his friend Fado works, so we can't go up there now during their work hours." I only nodded to make her think that I didn't know the whole structure of the village. Seriously, after beating the game a couple of times, you get to know your way around. She continued to lead me through the village.
We turned to the right and passed a small stream, and headed towards Rusl, Uli, and Colin's house. It looks MUCH bigger in reality than the game! Was everything enlarged or something? Uli was sitting just a few feet outside her door, gently rocking a baby back and forth. Oh I remember! During the credits of the game, she had a new child in a cradle! Aw, how cute! Uli looked up and noticed us, flashing me and Ilia a tender grin.
"Why, hello there Ilia!" she greeted, "Oh! Is this the girl that Link found outside the village?"
"Yeah," Ilia replied, "Her name's Theresa. Thankfully, she's feeling much better now." Is she going to tell my name to the whole world without letting me say a word? Maybe I'll just let her handle all the introductions... "Theresa, this is Uli."
"Nice to meet you, Uli," I said. Well, scratch that suspicion.
"Hello. I'm sorry my husband can't be here right now. He's on an errand." Her voice was so soft and kind. She almost reminded me of my own mother. In fact, when will I get to see Mom and the rest of the family again? As much as I would love to stay here, I have too close a bond with my own family. This isn't where I'm supposed to be anyway.
Wait a sec! I can't meet Rusl?! Aw, come on! I wanted to meet the guy who taught Link how to fight! I was also hoping that I could learn a few moves from him... He's probably with that group of people in Telma's Bar or something.
I seemed to drift off somewhat, but we were still able to give each other smiles; though Uli looked concerned for a moment. "If you are taking her around the houses," she continued, looking at the mayor's daughter, "Then you should continue before the end of the day."
"Oh, right! Theresa, we'd better---" But I was already sitting next to Uli, staring at her little child with soft eyes.
"Aawww!" I whispered, "Such a cute baby!" She held her calm, happy expression towards me as I continued to look at her child.
"Thank you. Her name is---"
"Come on, Theresa!" Ilia interrupted in a hushed tone, pulling me up to my feet. Actually, she was dragging me. Great, not even in real life can I discover her name... Well, at least I found out that she's a girl; hence the pink blanket neatly tucked around the delicate little kid. Hopefully I'll be able to find out her name later.
We continued to walk until we stopped at a tall pillar-like piece of land covered in ivy. This is the place where Link climbed for the first time in Twilight Princess!
"Good afternoon, Jaggle!" the teen yelled. It's the afternoon?! I must've woken up late.
"Afternoon, Ilia!" he yelled back, "Say, is that the lil' girl that was knocked out?" Did he just call me "little?!" Ah whatever, I'll let it slide just this once.
"Yes! This is---"
"Theresa!" I added quickly. Ilia turned to me looking confused, but a little annoyed as well. I smirked at her, trying to tell her that I can introduce myself without her help. But I must admit, I'm shy when meeting new people. Of course, all my shyness disappeared since I'm talking to the characters of Twilight Princess!
"Well, nice to meet'cha, Theresa!" he said, "Hey! You two girls skedaddle now! That is, if ya wanna see everybody else!" Not that Jaggle would be busy just standing on that piece of earth or anything... Oh well, I began to cooperate with Ilia by just lifting my arm out and letting her take it. I wonder if she really likes to take control of things.
"Oh, by the way," Ilia said, stopping and turning to me again, "Jaggle's wife is Pergie. But sorry, you can't see her since she's always doing housework. Some other time would be nice, 'kay?" And without letting me answer, Ilia resumed in dragging me and my poor arm. Hm, Pergie? I don't remember her being in the game... I was probably too lazy to actually search Jaggle's house in the game anyway.
She and I walked over to a store near where Jaggle stood and entered. It's Sera's Sundries!
A tiny bell rang above our heads as we walked inside, causing Sera and her thin husband, Hanch, to turn their attention to the two of us. Even their cat seemed to want to look.
"Well, if it isn't the mayor's daughter showin' the new girl around!" Sera piped up, "How're ya feelin', m'dear?"
"Fine, thank you." I answered. I have no intention of Ilia acting as my voice! She seemed to get the idea anyway since she didn't speak up. Or at least I think she did.
"That's a relief! I'm Sera, and this is my husband, Hanch!" Hanch only waved to me; he didn't make a sound! Not only is he timid, but he must be really shy with new people. At least we have one thing in common. "Hanch!" Sera yelled, slapping his back. "Where are your manners? We have guests here!"
"Oh, um, hello there..." he said, waving again. I waved back, but I felt somewhat awkward. He must have a hard time with Sera, just as Mayor Bo does with his daughter. Poor guys.
"We just wanted to drop by and say 'hello,'" Ilia finally spoke, "I'd better introduce Theresa to the kids."
"Bye!" I said, being pulled out of the door before the couple could reply. She's really rushing through this isn't she? We walked up through a narrow path; I recognized this. This is the way towards Link's house! Nervousness was taking over me, even though I probably wouldn't enter it, or Link wouldn't even be in there. Like Ilia said, he's working at the ranch, so why am I getting so worked up about this?
"Hi kids!" she called to four children: Talo, Malo, Beth, and Colin. Hey, Colin finally isn't looking so withdrawn anymore! Good thing he got braver throughout his little "journey." They stopped playing with each other and saw us.
"Hey, Ilia!" Talo and Colin said in unison, each holding their own wooden sword.
"Hello..." said the creepy little brother of Talo. The list of characters in the Twilight Princess guide wasn't joking when it said that he speaks so quietly!
"Hi there, Ilia!" Beth finally said, "Who's that?"
"I'd like you all to meet Theresa. Theresa, this is Talo, Malo, Beth, and Colin." As she spoke their names, she pointed to whichever child was which.
"Must you do the introductions for me?" I muttered. But she didn't seem to hear since she didn't react in any way. Guess she really didn't get the idea that I can do things on my own! All the kids stared at me blankly, especially Talo. I just know he's gonna burst out with something, I just know it!
"Your clothes are WEIRD!" Talo bellowed, pointing his fake sword towards me. I swore my eye twitched as I crossed my arms.
"Excuse me?" I asked, trying to contain my annoyance and anger. Hey, I'm a sensitive girl, y'know?
"Talo, just stop it..." Malo commanded. But of course, knowing Talo, he's brutally honest and straightforward. And most importantly, he can't keep his stupid mouth shut!
"I said 'Your. Clothes. Are. W-E-I-R-D!'" he repeated slowly like I'm some sort of retard. I snapped.
"Look here, you little---"
"Wait! Wait!" Ilia came in between us, keeping me from strangling his tiny neck. She turned to him and sternly said, "Talo, it's not nice to say that to anybody, especially someone new to our village. Now apologize to her!" Keeping my arms crossed over my chest, I waited for his apology. Talo put his arms behind his back.
"I'm sorry." It took me a while to accept it; really, dealing with an immature boy calling you "weird" doesn't get me on my good side. Besides, my uniform isn't THAT bad! But eventually, I said,
"It's fine." Hopefully, Talo isn't just waiting to do some prank on me. I know how immature he is... He instantly looked happier, regaining his enthusiasm, and asked,
"Do you know how to use any weapon?!" That was sudden. I blinked a couple times, feeling a little awkward. Tch, I wish!
"No." I bluntly answered. The young boy smiled proudly.
"Well, I'm learning how to use a sword! See? Watch me!" He ran over to a scarecrow and got into a fighting stance.
"Nah, he doesn't actually know how to use it," Beth whispered to me, "He's just being stupid."
"He's still trying to get his form right. Right now you can consider him to be an amateur," Colin added. Since Colin is the son of a master swordsman, I assumed that he would be much better than Talo by now. Then again, Rusl might've refused to teach him anything. But during the credits, Colin was walking with a sword and shield behind his back just like Link, so perhaps he learned a couple tricks.
Talo raised his wooden sword, and slashed as hard as he could at the scarecrow. I could barely contain my laughter. That hit barely made a scratch! Not even a little mark was made! Or at least any mark that was visible.
"See what I mean?" Beth continued to whisper. I nodded, stifling my chuckle.
"That was just a warm-up!" he yelled, pointing his toy sword to the sky, "I'll get better, you'll see!" And at that, he sliced away, still failing in causing any damage. Malo just stared, Beth shook her head, Colin watched intently as though he wanted to correct any mistakes that he might make himself, and Ilia and I silently walked away.
"Talo is overconfident and cocky," explained Ilia, "But he's very determined, and a good kid once you get to know him well." We both walked towards the spring, and my suspicion of going there was confirmed as she said, "Oh! Let me show you my favorite place here!" Ilia led me through a long path that I easily identified. This was obviously the only way to exit Ordon Village and the path to Ordon Spring. That is where the Light Spirit, Ordona, resides. I wonder if I'll be able to see at least one of the Light Spirits before I leave... If I leave...
As we walked, Ilia and I saw a dried, vertical blood trail on a nearby wall. It freaked me out at first, but then I realized that that was left from when I slid down the wall and rested. I was bleeding that badly?! Ilia wasn't lying! We said nothing as we moved away from it and entered a small clearing.
It was absolutely beautiful!
There was an opening in the leaves that allowed sunlight to shine down upon the cool clear water. The grass stopped growing where there was pure white sand, and rocks were decorated nicely over the water as it fell down like tiny falls. The surface seemed to glisten as the sun shone, and the sounds of it falling were calming and peaceful.
"It's pretty, isn't it?" Ilia asked, interrupting my thoughts.
"Yeah!" I replied. This was like playing Twilight Princess in HD! Except that I know it's real life! Of course, there's the possibility that it's a really, really long dream, but I really doubt it now.
Then, I remembered something about the spring water. Whenever Link would go in it, he'd recover hearts. I began to take off my shirt, giving Ilia a puzzled look.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm..." I tried to think of a quick reason to show that I don't know of its healing abilities. "I'm going for a swim!" Yup, good one. She shrugged and said,
"Go ahead, I guess. But aren't you going to get your clothes wet?"
"Eh, just the back." I was already slipping off my shoes and knee highs. What the heck? I took off my gray skirt as well. But I was wearing a pair of black short shorts underneath it, so there's nothing to worry about! So I was once again wearing only my light blue undershirt with small, black shorts, along with my undergarments underneath the clothing.
I walked over to the water and felt it on my toes. Oh, the water is just the right temperature; not too hot and not too cold! I didn't hesitate to stand over it, and rest. I began to float over at the deep side, immersing my back and cuts to the water. Hm, it's deeper than it looks, but that just makes it even better! A creepy feeling went over me; the cuts all over my back were closing! It felt weird to have them close like that, but once I felt that they were gone, it made me more relaxed than ever. This is way better than being in a jacuzzi!
"I'll be right back with Link's horse; he should be done with work by now. I'll give her a bath too!" Ilia said. I turned my head to her, but found that she was already running. Was it because I started swimming? Oh well.
My black hair drifted in the water in different directions, and my arms were spread out, making my body look like a cross. The sun wasn't in my sight so I wasn't blinded, and the heat of the light wasn't very hot either. Everything was just perfect and silent. I wanted to sleep here, but then my fingers and toes would prune. And as much as I would love to fully immerse my body in the spring, I don't want to get my undergarments wet!
Soon enough, light hooves were slowly coming my way. Ilia must be back with Epona! I lifted my head from the water, and gazed in awe at Link's horse.
Epona's coat was a cross between a light brown and a bright chestnut color; and it looked ever so smooth! Her hair, along with her tail, was a pure white hue, and she had the deepest, darkest eyes. I only stared at her amazing form. The only thing that bothered me was that she's much bigger in reality. I forgot how big horses can grow... Seeing me looking at Epona, Ilia giggled at my silence. I glared at her.
"What's so funny?"
"Well, the way you're looking at her is like how you would look at one of the three goddesses!" And she continued to giggle softly. Was my face really that surprised? But seriously, Epona's not just a horse to me; she's Link's horse! Besides, Epona's been featured in so many Legend of Zelda games, it's like she's immortal!
I swam back to land to continue to admire the stunning mare. Ilia already brought her closer to be able to wash her thoroughly, so I didn't have to walk that much. A small breeze made it a bit cold for my back since I got soaked, but I didn't mind. I held up my hand slowly to pet Epona's head, and she gladly accepted. She already likes me? Or is it just that she likes being petted? Either way, Epona neighed softly, and closed her eyes as my hand delicately moved up and down her face. I couldn't help but smile. Now, I feel like I don't regret coming here. It made me feel as though I didn't want to leave. Even though the monsters are too realistic and freaky for my taste, just about everything else here in Hyrule was amazing.
"Get a hold of yourself!" I yelled to myself inside my head, "You've gotta go back to your family! They're probably worried sick about you! You absolutely CANNOT stay here!" My smile faded at these thoughts. That's true; I can't stay here and admire every single thing in Hyrule. Everyone is most likely searching for me, so I have to get back home as soon as possible. Noticing my sudden melancholy, Ilia asked if there was something wrong. I turned to her.
"I... I guess I'm just feeling homesick." I answered, "Everybody back home is probably worried..." Ilia paused in washing the horse and looked at me with sympathetic eyes. She walked over to me as I lowered my head, thinking of all ways my family and friends could be looking for me.
"Theresa," she said, putting a reassuring hand on my shoulder, "Don't worry about it. I'm sure that if you explain everything that's happened to you, they'll understand." Pfft! Yeah, right! 'Hey Mom, hey Dad! Sorry I was gone for so long, I somehow got to the land of Hyrule and got attacked by a humungous monster bird!' But I nodded anyway, and regained my serene grin. Ilia gave another one of her comforting smiles and resumed in washing Epona. At least she's doing her best to make me feel better.
"So what's your home like?" she asked, pouring water over the horse's back with a bucket she brought. I sat down, cross-legged, next to the clothes I lazily tossed. I rested my chin on a hand before answering.
"Hm, do you mean what it looks like or how it is to live there?" Ilia shrugged.
"How it is to live there." My eyes lowered to stare at the ground in thought.
"Well, my house is on a large hill overlooking much of the land. I don't have many neighbors since their houses are on hills also, but we say 'hi' to each other every now and then. But it's usually nice and peaceful there; the view of the land is nice, even though most of it is covered by buildings. There are hardly any vehicles passing by as well, so there's not much noise. But other than that it's a really great place!" As I began to feel more homesick, Ilia eyed me curiously.
"What 'vehicles' are you talking about?" Oh right, they don't have cars here!
"Um, where I live, technology is more... advanced, so to speak. So we have ways of traveling that are much faster than horseback. But it's noisy when they pass by you so it's not all that good." She looked like she was just more confused, but only continued with the questions.
"Okay... Do you live in a village as well?"
"Actually, it's called a 'city.' It's almost like Castle Town, except bigger than that."
"Ooooh," she said, nodding. But then she stopped herself. "Wait, you know about Castle Town?" I think I stopped breathing for a moment. Aw great, I just revealed a bit more about how I'm from a different world! Or did I? Ilia continued to speak. "If you do, then you must live nearby!" In my mind, I sighed in relief. Good, she still doesn't suspect anything!
"Y-Yeah! Sort of..." I stuttered.
"I'd love to visit sometime and see what these 'vehicles' are."
"NO!" Ilia jumped from my sudden protest. My widened eyes became smaller until I finally returned to being cool and collected. "I m-mean, you wouldn't really want to visit, heh heh heh..." Stopping Epona's bath, she crossed her arms and leaned on one hip.
"Why not? I wanna see all the good things about your home!" I sighed, though obviously not from relief this time.
"Where I come from... Eh, it's not as great as you may think it is."
"Well, you described it to be, quote and quote, 'a really great place.'"
"... But I never mentioned all the negative qualities of my home..." Ilia's eyes held a look of slight worry, but she sat down in front of me and prepared to listen. I continued.
"Like most areas, there's a lot of crimes that happen where I come from. There's kidnappings, murder, deception, and much more. We don't have as much peace as you do, moreover live such a simple lifestyle. We have wars going on between nations from the lies of our leaders. And people cut down the tallest trees and replace them with buildings and businesses, whose leaders only care for money. Then they end up wanting to expand later on. So you'd see more buildings at my home much more than what you'd ever see. And some certain buildings cause a lot of pollution, and kills the earth. You're lucky to live such a simple life and remain happy..."
Now that I thought about it, home isn't all that great. Sure, family and friends make everything better and easier to deal with, but when you truly think about the real problems of the world, then it doesn't really sound like somewhere you'd want to go to...
Ilia looked at me intently as she listened, giving gestures showing that she's paying attention. She'd enlarge her eyes, nod, or just remain silent, and rarely includes a tiny gasp. Hopefully, I've convinced her to not come.
"I'm sorry..." she said in a hushed tone. I was surprised. Why would she apologize? "I'm sorry for asking and making you bring up a bad subject... Either making you homesick or---" I moved my hand up to silence her.
"No, you don't need to be sorry for anything. It's not your fault for anything; that's just how life is at my home. We just deal with it and move on." A tongue-tied moment of silence came upon us that lasted a couple seconds. After a bit longer, Ilia spoke up.
"We should go now. I said that it's back to bed for you when we're done, didn't I?" Oh right, she said that earlier. Forgot about that!
"But I'm feeling better!"
"No buts!" she said playfully, "I'm done cleaning Epona anyway." Doesn't she know about the spring's healing powers and that all my scratches and bruises should be gone by now? Hasn't she been paying attention? What's more, isn't that why Ilia took Epona to the spring when her leg was injured in the game? Eh, whatever. I looked over to the spring again. Oh! The sun was setting anyway! Wow, we've been out this long? Surprisingly, I skipped lunch and I'm not hungry!
"Fine, fine," I finally supposed, "Let's go." A triumphant smile spread across Ilia's face as she turned to pull Epona by the reins. I put on my clothes again and walked with her down the path. Good thing we're getting along well! As we reached Link's house, I saw Link helping Talo with his 'training.' All this time the kids were still here... Wow, Talo really is determined... Link turned to us and waved.
"Hey! You're finally done with Epona?" he asked.
"Yeah, we just got caught up in a conversation!" Ilia replied. Link only smirked and walked over to us. Oh man! How do I look? Sheesh, how should I know? There's no mirror or anything. Oh well, at least my hair is dry and so are my clothes... Sort of...
"I'll take it from here. Thanks for washing her," he said, taking Epona's reins from Ilia. He glanced at me and said, "So, you took a dip in the spring?"
"Is it that obvious?" I asked. Link gave me a playful smile.
"Yeah, it is. Your clothes are a little wet." I started to blush. Damn, my undershirt and short shorts must've been making my polo shirt and skirt wet as well! How embarrassing. Link chuckled as he walked his horse over to where she usually slept.
"Oh!" Ilia chimed, "Link, would you like to join us for dinner tonight?" What?! I'm going to have dinner with Link?! Unbelievable! Well, that is if I'm invited.
"Sure! I'll be at your house when I'm done with Talo!" The mayor's daughter nodded and we walked towards the village.
"So, where do I stay?" I asked. She turned to me with the 'You don't know?' look.
"You're staying at my house, of course!" she said, "Besides, nobody else has an extra bed other than Father and I. And don't worry, adding one person to our house won't be any trouble." I thanked her afterwards. Well, it makes sense now that Link's house is only for one resident. And Ilia's house is bigger anyway, what with the wrestling ring in the back and all.
But then a new thought came into my mind. What about that one part in my wish? Would Link really be the love of my life? I looked down at the ground as we sauntered through the wooden houses. Who am I kidding? The game makers included Ilia as Link's childhood friend to get some romantic relationship between the two of them, if not a very close friendship. How would he like me back by the time I return home?
"Theresa!" a voice called. My head jerked up in surprise as I twirled towards Ilia's direction.
"Yeah?"
"The house is right here!" I looked around. Oh, I passed her house and was already starting to enter the ranch where Fado and Link work.
"Oops," I muttered. I quickly jogged to the door of her house and entered. I have to stop daydreaming like that! But how can I not daydream when I'm in the world of my favorite game? And besides, it's what I usually do anyway!
Alrighty, I forgot to mention a problem: one of my computers is broken ;_; So I might not be able to update as quickly. This is pretty much an early apology just in case I keep ya guys waiting for a while. And I was also a bit lazy in editing this chapter so, sorry if there were any errors... Laterz!