A/N:

Lalalala. Oh hello, didn't see you there :P

Haha, ooooh that wasn't funny at all, so I'm not sure why I typed it. Anywhoooo, welcome my friends to chapter one! Yay, aren't we all just SO excited?

As fanfiction custom dictates, I must now insert a disclaimer- although the name of this website is FANficiton, meaning everyone here is a fan and would therefore not own anything. I mean, if owned the Zelda series, I would just make this a game instead of writing a crappy story about it. Sorry to take my rant out on you guys, it's not anyone's fault I just hate pointing out the obvious. But if we're gonna do this, we may as well have a little fun with it, right? So here to do my disclaimer is- da da dadaaa- Slenderman!

Slenderman: Helloooo wooorld. I demannd you bring me your childrennn.

Not now! What am I paying you for.

Slenderman: This better be worth the twenty dolllars…. The does not own Zelda or anything related to it. She also does not own me, although she wished she does.

Silence! Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

The Hour of Twilight.

They say that it's the time of day when you can feel most connected to their world; the world of those who were lost. At least, that's what Rusl had told him once.

Link knew better. He'd tried feeling a connection to that other world, her world. He knew it was stupid, maybe even pathetic, to try to feel her presence. There was only one way into the Twilight Realm and that was through the mirror, the one she'd shattered into nothing. He'd spent hours wishing things could've ended differently. She could've left the mirror intact and they'd still be able to see each other again. Was the world of light really that repulsive to her?

No, she did it to protect both their worlds. Link knew this, and he knew it was for the best. That still didn't change how he felt, how much he missed his companion. Rusl had been right about one thing, this hour always brought him loneliness. It was weird, being with someone every second for a long period of time, and then suddenly, you can never see each other again. It was like having one of your appendages suddenly chopped off.

She'd become part of him, as much as he'd hate to admit it. He occasionally found himself struggling to hold his tongue around the villagers or wondering what Midna would say if she were in his everyday situations. She plagued his thoughts like a stubborn virus.

If he wasn't thinking about Midna, he was thinking about his adventures-which, much to his dismay, still included her- and how his old/new farm hand life was rather boring. Day after day he woke up, only to do the same thing; help Fado with the goats, sword training with Colin, and whatever else the village needed done that day. Sometimes, they would have gatherings in town where he would tell his stories, but that was the most excitement there was in this slow little village. He ached to go back out in the fields, to be able to roam free, but there were people that needed him here. He couldn't just up and leave, he would break their hearts.

"HEY! ! I'VE GOT YOUR MAIL!" called a familiar voice from outside.

"Oh jeez," he groaned to himself, slinking further into the chair he's set up by his main level window to watch the beauty of the sunset. It had been his daily routine since he returned. Despite his better judgment, he still hoped he might get somehow reach the Twilight Realm if he tried hard enough. Even so, he didn't appreciate his reveries being interrupted, especially not by the mailman. Although most people didn't know that it was he who'd saved them from the darkness six months ago, there were those he'd rescued from hordes of monsters or had heard of his heroic deeds and constantly contacted him to express their gratitude. He would occasionally get mail from Telma or Renado, but most of his mail came from a group of young girls in castle town that usually just squealed when they saw him. Plus, the mail carrier kind of freaked him out, not that he would ever say so out loud.

Reluctantly, he got to his feet and made his way down from his tree house. He smiled politely at the mail carrier who told him he had three letters- as if he couldn't count them himself- and proceeded to salute him before taking off into the village with that ridiculous run of his. Link let out a huge sigh and climbed back up safety before the odd man finished his rounds and came back through.

Once inside, he went through his letters. The first was from Ooccoo, telling him that he should come up and visit sometime. He always wondered how she was able to send letters, being, basically, a chicken with a human face and not technically having hands to write with. Not to mention the fact that her entire race lived in the sky and, last he checked, the mail carrier didn't have wings.

He shook those thoughts away and continued looking. The next was- surprise, surprise- from one of his fans. He threw it on the table with a few others to look at later, being too polite to just throw it away.

The final letter had no return address, but was in a fancy envelope sealed with the intricate crest of the royal family. His eyes widened with surprise as he popped it open.

Link, it read

It has been a while since I've heard from you, and I sincerely hope you're doing well and have enjoyed your time back home. After all you've done for Hyrule, you deserve it and I cannot thank you enough. However, I must ask you to return to Castle Town, at your earliest convenience of course. I was going through some old documents when I found some information about the Twilight that I believe you'll find interesting.

Please consider it. I hope to see you soon.

Sincerely,

Zelda

He set the letter down on the table and smiled. "This may be just what I needed," he said. Was he not just thinking about how he wished to be back in the fields? Sure, he couldn't just leave the villagers without a good reason, but he certainly couldn't refuse an invitation from the Princess. So, with a new zip in his step, he made his way to the basement where he kept his old things.

Epona whinnied as Link threw his equipment bag over her back. "Sorry girl," he murmured, rubbing her nose. She nuzzled him back, accepting his apology. Like her master, she seemed thrilled to be heading out on the road again. Link had never considered it until now, but after months of seemingly nonstop travel, it must've been a drastic change for her to suddenly be back in the forest where there was hardly any room to run save for when he went to herd the goats for Fado. She probably craved the exercise.

Once both his pack and saddle were comfortably secured around Epona, he stepped back and made a mental checklist of everything he needed. He was just going to the castle, so he didn't need all of the fancy weapons he'd obtained on his travels. He had only his sword and shield, bow, a few potions in case he met monsters along the way, and whatever food he needed for the journey there and back. He'd already spent the last few days explaining to the villagers where he'd be and said his goodbyes. They'd taken this news much better than he expected- except for the children who'd, predictably, put up a fuss at this new development, but they eventually got over it. Some of them had even noticed his discontentment and had expected him to leave sooner. That's not to say they didn't care, they loved him and just wanted him to be happy. There was, however, one person that wasn't too keen on the idea of his departure.

"Link?" Ilia stood, hands entangled nervously at her front. She'd been avoiding him since he'd decided to leave for the castle, only ever showing her face when she'd take Epona down to the spirit spring for a bath and even then she ignored his attempts at conversation. She looked over Link and Epona now, he dressed in his Hero's garb and his horse clad in traveling equipment. "Guess I made it just in time to say goodbye, huh?"

He shrugged. "I wouldn't have left without saying goodbye to you, even if I had to bust down your door to do it."

She giggled, glaring at him mockingly. "You wouldn't dare!" His only response was a mischievous grin, which caused her to break into another fit of giggles. But afterwards, her smile faded. She went to go pet her friend's patiently waiting mare, feeling the need to do something productive in the silence. Epona nudged her back affectionately as Link watched the two of them, waiting for Ilia to continue.

"So," she finally said, "Are you and Princess Zelda, you know, close?"

It took him a second to realize what she was asking, but when he did, he burst into laughter. "You mean love?" He'd never even considered it. Sure, he'd rescued her from Ganondorf, but that was mainly to save Hyrule. That didn't mean he was in love with her, or that she would return such feelings. He wasn't even sure what their relationship was at this point. "No, of course not. What would give you that idea?"

Ilia had turned red, embarrassed at voicing her incorrect assumptions. "I hear the villagers talk all the time. They think that's why you've been so distant lately. And… it's not like we know what's going on if you don't tell us. You never talk to us Link."

He frowned. Had he been distant lately? He hadn't noticed it before, but now it seemed so obvious. Holing himself up every day to watch the sunset was never something he'd done before. He used to play with the children all of the time, but now he usually tried to avoid it. Then there was Ilia. They used to tell each other everything; jokes, secrets. But when was the last time they'd had a conversation with just the two of them? He couldn't remember.

"I'm sorry, I just…" He struggled to find the right words, not really thinking out what he was going to say before he started his sentence. "It's all been so complicated. One day I'm a simple goat herder, the next I'm some legendary hero charged with saving the world." Not to mention a whole other world that nobody but he and Zelda knew about that he'll never be able to visit again anyway, but he wasn't about to go into that at the moment. "Now all of a sudden I'm back to leading a normal life again. As much as I wanted this back during my journeys, I can't just forget all I've seen and done."

"You can always talk to us, we just want to help."

He smiled at her. "I know, but… part of me is still out there. I feel there's something I still need to do, and if I don't get that out of my system I might not ever be rid of this restless feeling."

Ilia closed her eyes, letting his confessions sink in. She stepped away from the horse and turned to Link. "You will come back, right? And you won't hide things anymore?"

He took her hands in his own. "Of course. You're my family, all of you, and Ordon will always be my home. I will never leave you behind."

Ilia freed her hands from his grip and hugged him tight. "Be safe, okay?" He hugged her back and nodded. The two stayed like that for a minute, taking in each other's presence before they let go. Ilia turned to the horse by her side. "And you don't let Link push you too hard, otherwise he's going to get it."

Epona seemed to snort in response. The hero laughed as he climbed into the saddle, glad that his best friend was no longer mad at him. "I'll see you later, Ilia." He said. She smiled and nodded in response as Link prodded Epona toward the forest.

"Oh, and Link." Ilia called as she waved as his receding figure. "Say hi to Telma for me!"

A/N: Aaaaaand, that's a wrap. Jeez that took me a while. I really hate doing these emotional scenes- especially with Ilia as I am not too fond of her- but I felt that this one had to be done.

Anyway… rate and review! It is always greatly appreciated! :P