A/N: Sorry for the slight delay with this chapter! I had bad writer's block for a few days and I was crammed with finals last week, limiting my writing time. I hope you enjoy this eventful chapter though! As always, read and review? Thanks! Have wonderful days!

Kile attended to watching Impa's hand – her white knuckles encasing the small dagger, teeth clenched and brows scrunched. The woman's stance portrayed her anticipation to fight, adrenaline pulsing through her veins and fear striking her mind. The man could only see her feelings heighten as the light began to dim. Two silhouettes were revealed – one feminine figure much taller than the masculine shaped frame.

Eric lifted his head, keeping an eye on the two figures. Zelda had begun to lift her head, recovering from the drain of her magic. She, too, paid close attention to the unknown portraits that approached them from the mirror. Slowly, she rested her hand on Eric, silently asking for help up. Almost immediately, he helped the princess stand, granting her to lean on him until her head defogged.

All four pairs of eyes watched as the smaller shadow stumbled, the taller reacting by holding the other up. Zelda's eyes widened and she began to stand tall, inching away from Eric. "It's Link and Midna," she mumbled, just audible to Eric.

Raising one brow, the red head glanced down at the princess. "You're positive?" However, he was quickly shut up by the calling of his name by a mundane voice. At instant, a smile flourished on his cheeks.

As Eric began to take a step forward, he glimpsed back at Zelda, for approval to approach the two. Shyly, she nodded, making the red head glimmer in elation as he vanished from Zelda's side. He hurried himself past Kile and Impa, generating a nasty scowl from the older man. Eric wasn't bothered and continued to close the distance between he and Link.

The blonde who was leant up against the Twili held a grin that was spaciously spread across his flushed cheeks. Midna stared down at him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder, as he bounced a hyperactive toddler. She assumed the man approaching them was Link's friend, Eric. She had no other conclusion as to why he would be so happy.

"Eric?" The Twili asked, a smirk playing on her lips. The only response she received was the rapid nodding of his head before the blonde stepped away from her.

Link and the red head collided in a sloppy hug, the taller man's arms compassing the smaller and holding tightly. Midna watched as the blonde buried his head into the red head's chest, smiling like a maniac. The two's brother-like treatment just assured the Twili that this was Link's close friend. She felt no fear as she watched them share the moment.

The fading light from the mirror was gradually unveiling the faces of those standing before them. In the distance, she saw princess Zelda. Up in the foreground stood a Sheikah, and another man – a Hylian who looked similar to Link. Midna flickered her eyes between Link and the man, a farfetched idea coming to mind. Quickly, she shook it off, as if it never had been thought of.

As Eric and Link broke away from each other, the blonde turned about-face to the Twili. "Midna," he spoke with soft, charmed words. "This is Eric. He's a good friend of mine." Turning his face to Eric, he said, "Eric, this is Midna. She's my… my…"

"Girlfriend." The Twili smirked, exposing her white teeth from underneath lavender lips and periwinkle skin. Midna was pleased when the blonde shot his face to stare at her, his face glowing and a simper withheld in his lips.

Link raised a brow and laughed, "Yeah, I guess so!" The red head beside him patted his shoulder with a heavy hand; the blonde looked right by him, however, and stared at the man beside the Sheikah. "Who's that?"

Taking a step away from Link, Eric grinned sheepishly, chuckling questionably, gliding his hand along the nape of his neck. "Eh... heh, you'll figure it out later."

Crossing his arms, Link frowned at the taller, bitterly groaning, "Why can't I know now?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

Eric rolled his eyes turned away from the blonde. "Because I said so."

Link released an exasperated sigh, pursing his lips and scrunching his brows. Cracking a knuckle, he prepared to step up to Eric until a chilled hand rested on his shoulder, sending shivers down his spine. Peering back, his eyes met with Midna' – her red irises making his pride cower until it was almost nonexistent.

"Don't get too proud," she insinuated, a sprightly resonance given off.

Her words hit home. Link knew he was getting to be too proud. Hell, he just got angry at his friend for something he would find out sooner or later – he got angry for something stupid. Gallingly, the blonde shook his head and sighed. The Twili behind him smirked and pulled away once she was aware that he found his fault in action.

From the corner of his eye, however, he noted the way Eric gestured and cued the Sheikah and older man to approach. The platinum haired woman nodded, grabbed the older man's wrist, and dragged them up to the podium where they stood. Link scrutinized the older man. He seemed far too familiar to him. His face – he recognized it from somewhere. Where, though, he wouldn't have known.

` His dirty blonde hair hung in his face in matted bangs, the rest of his hair tied back with a small braid. His eyes were a piercing blue – a pale, icy color that gave chills to those who dared to look into them. And his pupils, they were dark – from Link's view, they looked like bottomless pits in his eyes.

The man's face though. His jaw squared, and covered with faint amounts of stubble. His skin was tanned and wrinkled, showing his age with the crow's feet around his eyes. The man's ears were long, like Link's, proving that he had Hylian blood in him. The man also didn't have a tall stature like Eric, but rather he was only an inch or two taller than Link. His body had the same build, too, besides the fact that Link hadn't regained all that he had been yet.

Before the blonde realized it, both the Sheikah and the man stood before him. The man looked down at Link, his arms tucked to his sides, and a scowl oscillating on his lips. Link looked over the man, up and down, from the top of his head to the tips of his toes, and gave an abhorred sneer up at him, raising a brow subsequently.

The older man rolled his eyes, releasing a hot mouthful of air in a perceptible format. "Well, that's a nice way of greeting me, son," the man grumbled the sibilance from his lips.

The words halted Link in his tracks, Midna's eyes widened, and Eric couldn't stand it look at the boy, and so he turned his face from the inevitable fracas that was about to blossom in the chamber.

Link stared wide eyed at the man's feet, hands by his sides in fists, trembling as he growled, "Who the fuck are you?" The words barely escaped from between his teeth. It was all too clear the blonde was trying to suppress his urge just to slap the man in the face. Even Zelda, who stood from a distance, noticed Link's subdued frustration.

"Well, if you would listen, dumbass, I called you my son. So, logically, that would mean I'm your father." Kile crossed his arms, tapping his foot while giving off an askew frown and apathetic moods.

Link's eyes widened, but he didn't look up at the man. He was boiling over with hatred – a mixture of emotions. He wanted vengeance for his mother's death – if his father hadn't had left, his mother wouldn't have had to been the Ordon nurse. She wouldn't have had to take care of sickly Seth. She wouldn't have gotten sick. And ultimately, she wouldn't have died. And the whole root of the problem was the man before him.

Oh how he wanted to take his fist to the man's face, break a jaw, knock out a few teeth. But he couldn't; Link couldn't get the nerve to lift his fist and do such a thing. Sure he had killed tons of monsters and beasts, shed their blood and his, but, not with his fists. And never had it been another human, heck, it had never been some man claiming to be his father.

And then the idea sprung to him. His mother's name; Annamarie. Among Hylians, it was a rather uncommon name. The only person Link knew with the name was dead – his mother. If this so called father of his was the real deal, he would at least have known her name. He hoped. Link knew that it wasn't some drunken night where they hooked up – he had known her for some time before they settled in Ordon. Surely, his real father would remember her name.

Lifting his head to face the claiming father, Link glared him in the eye. "What was my mother's name?"

The man snorted, rolling his eyes and sarcastically grinning. "Annamarie Wellen. That was her surname; Wellen." Taking a breath, he poked Link in the forehead with his index finger, amusing himself with the boy's flustered reaction. "Now, your last name is mine, since you're my son. You want to know what my last name is, Mr. Hero?"

"Don't fucking call me that," Link grumbled shooting a glare.

"I'm pretty sure my last name isn't 'don't-fucking-call-me-that', but oh well." The man patted the top of Link's head as if he were a toddler, and quick enough, the blonde swatted away the man's hand.

"I'm not dumb."

"Well, then you would have known that your last name is Rinku, and so is mine." The man smirked. "Kile Rinku. That's me. Father of the Hero of Twilight, Link Rinku. Now come and give me a hug." Kile stretched his arms out, a hint of sarcastic parental care of his voice.

"Why in Ganon's name would I do that?" Link spat, swinging his arms to his sides, releasing his hands from their balled up fists. "You left as soon as you learned of me! What the hell was wrong with me? I wasn't even born yet you decided I was nuisance and you just picked up and left! Now, oh now, you come and act like mister good guy and come back in my life. Well, you know what Kile? You're nineteen years late."

The older man retracted his arms. "You want to try me, boy? I wouldn't suggest it."

Link clenched his teeth, brought his fists up to cover his face, and began to bounce on the tips of his toes. "Hell, I saved Hyrule from Ganondorf – you're nothing, old man." The blonde was allowing his pride to enter back into his heart – circling bravery and stupidity around his blood stream. Worried, Zelda rushed over to Midna as the Twili reached out her hand to Link. Before her cold skin met with his, he turned his head back to her. "I know you don't want me to fight, but his is personal matters."

With that, he whipped his head back around to Kile, and began to encircle his way around the man, ignoring the pulsing pain from his rib and the aching the flooded his muscles. Before the older man could even strategize a move, Link jammed his knee into Kile's crotch, causing him to double over and moan. In the next second, he took his elbow and wacked it into the man's head, sending him to the dusty ground.

Dropping to his knees, Link raised his left fist in the air, wincing, and dropped it with full force on the man's chest, a loud pop satisfying his blow. He continued with weakening hits, small punches that would only result in bruises. Both Zelda and Midna watched as the tears in Link's eyes began to flow down his cheeks, leaving a trail of cleaner skin against his dirt caked face.

As the boy lightly dropped his fist on Kile, who lay on the ground, panting, and clutching his abdomen, he yelled repeatedly, "I hate you. I fucking hate you. I hate you so much. I don't ever want to see you again. I hate you. Why did you do this to me? I hate you. I fucking hate you." His voice cracked with his final words, all of them decreasing in volume as he went on.

Link sat there on his knees, head pounding, breathing heavy, as he stared down at Kile. The tears were still running down his face. "I told you, old man, you're no match for me." He bent his head down, holding himself up with his hands. Midna wanted to take a step forward and approach him, but Zelda held her back. Impa stood across from them, holding Eric back as well.

Out of the blue, Kile raised his head. "I want some goddess's damned respect, Link."

Lifting his head from his hands, he returned the man a betwixt twist to his face. "Why should I give you respect? You didn't respect that you gave me life, and yet left my mother alone to raise me? Why should I respect you? She went through so much more pain than you just did because you gave me life. And in the end she died. You didn't respect my life. You didn't respect my mother. You deserve no respect, asshole."

Turning his head away from Link, Kile sighed. He rested his head on the sand, feeling the black look that was given to him burn into the back of his head. Link didn't bother to speak, nor did Kile. Zelda felt the urge to step her foot in and speak, but she knew it would cause more harm than good. Kile and Link's relationship was like the savage burning of a home.

But the home that was crumbling wasn't even a real home. It was all in their heads. Link wanted justice for his mother's death and his troubled childhood. Kile apparently wanted to make things right, but his actions told otherwise. He seemed far too harsh to want to make up. The way he was acting, it seemed as if he came here just to pick a fight.

Link's attention turned to the man when he exhaled a distinct sigh, giving Kile a questionable glare. The man turned over from his side to lie on his back, angling his vision toward the blonde. "You want the truth?" Kile took a breath, playing that the topic was rather heartfelt. "I was scared."

Link snorted and crossed his arms, retorting, "Oh, so you were scared of a toddler? I see how it is."

At instant, Kile grabbed the collar of Link's shirt and sat upright, tugging the boy closer to his face. "No. That's now how it was. Just give me time to explain and you'll understand."

Rolling his eyes, Link shrugged. "Go ahead. It's not like you've wasted enough of my time with your sudden intrusion."

"I wanted to make things right, thank you very much," Kile growled, an icy whisper across the scorching desert.

"Didn't look like it."

Frustrated, the man ignored the younger's last comment and began with his monologue of thought. "So, you know who we are descendants of, correct? The Hero of Time. And he is descendant of the Chosen Hero. Back in the Chosen Hero's time, he was placed under a curse that would be passed down with each generation. All the descendants of the Chosen Hero would go through hell to save Hyrule, but suffer at the same time."

"I knew of the Hero of Time, his frivolous pain created by the seven years he missed, but tried to make up. I shrugged it off, though. I figured, he was a far ancestor of mine and the curse wasn't likely active – Hyrule was flourishing. In the meantime, I found Annamarie. We settled into Ordon, talked about getting married. And then one night, I received a vision from a ghastly soldier who made himself known as the Hero's Shade."

"That's Kokau," Link whispered to himself. "That was the Hero of Time. I know him, too."

Kile shrugged. "Nice to know, I don't care, though. All he told me was that I underestimated the evil in my time, and that my firstborn son would be the one to save Hyrule. After that I was scared. I didn't want my son to go through that hell." He took a sigh, closing his eyes and recollecting his thoughts in an organized train. "And then we found out about you. I panicked, left. I couldn't bear to see you go through crap."

"And yet I still did," Link spoke with bitter chills. He placed his hand against his forehead and dragged it down his face. "Do you know how alone I felt as a child? Do you know how much I felt so unloved when I was the only kid without parents? I assume you don't, because you're stupid enough to believe I'm just oh-fucking-kay."

"I know you had it rough,'' Kile murmured, facing the ground. "I resent the decisions of my younger self so much."

"Is that why you came back now? To make things right, plead to the goddesses to keep you from going to hell just because you tried to make right with me?" Link snorted, shaking his head disappointedly.

"I know what's happened to you, over the past year and a half." Kile leaned in closer to Link, loosening his face and appearing less frustrated, and more… concerned.

"Like you'd care. You didn't care about the first eighteen years; why would you, of all people, suddenly care now?" the shorter rebutted, beginning to stand to his feet and brush the sand from his clothes.

Kile followed, despite the pains that battered him from the quarrel. He stood in front of Link and grabbed his shoulders, provoking an angered character to form on his face. "When I heard you wished death upon yourself, it hurt."

The blonde's eyes widened as his breathing quickened. Standing motionless, the reel of the events portrayed in his head of that hell played over and over in his head. Link had begun to panic – Eric and Zelda were the first to notice, with Midna right beside them. The shaking of his limbs and the trembling of his lips – it seemed that Kile picked up on the hints, too.

"W-well if you knew how I-I had felt th-then you would have agreed," Link stammered, blinking his eyes quickly to rid of the tears that had begun to form. The idea of thinking the misfortunate events brought him down quickly.

The blonde reopened his mouth to speak again, but he was swiftly cut off by long arms embracing his body. Startled, his eyes were wide and mouth formed a small 'o'. He stood still as the arms pulled him close, held him tightly. Link was in as much shock as those standing around them. Gradually, one of the hands crept up to the back of the blonde's head, and pushed his into Kile's shoulder. Instinctively, Link raised his arms up and wrapped them around the other, lightly – without love or purpose, they were just there.

"This doesn't feel right," Link whispered, only clear enough for Kile to listen in. "This isn't right. I don't consider you my father."

Kile pulled away and sighed, staring down at Link, looking right into his eyes. "I know," he said, a pensive strain to his words. "But, I'm trying. I hope you appreciate that, because otherwise, I'm just an ass."

Link nodded. "Indeed." Pulling away from the man, he turned to Midna and Zelda and Eric and Impa, who all stood and had watched him with wide eyes. To their amusement, he gave a sarcastic grin as he approached them, leaving his father standing there with drooping eyes and melancholy air.

Turning to Kile, Link motioned for him to follow with his hand. "We're going back to the castle with the only way out; I suggest you come as well."

Staring at the ground, the man loosened himself and walked over to the small group. They all stood in a circle, close to Midna, as she recited old Twili proverbs. Link knew what she was doing – the portal above their heads began to reveal itself, and soon enough, the six of them were sucked up into it, and relocated in the castle yard. Kile and Eric were knocked to their knees on the impact, the rest however just wobbled uneasily.

As Zelda brushed the remnants of Gerudo dust off her gown, and grinned at the group that stood before her. "Well, it's been a long day for us all, hasn't it?" With the return of no feedback, the princess turned her head to Eric. "Could you show them all to their rooms? Use any spares that we have."

Eric nodded, and waved his hand, gesticulating for the others to follow. Midna, Link, and Kile all followed the red head, leaving Zelda alone with Impa. Once the castle doors closed, confirming the privacy of the two, Impa turned to the princess with grievous eyes and pursed lips.

"How are we going to improve those two?" the Sheikah asked, impatiently waiting for an answer. "In all honesty, my grace, I don't want to be staying in the castle if Link and Kile are going to be holding scream festivals all the time."

Zelda furrowed her brows and thought. There wasn't much she could do. She had never seen a situation as such, as Link would be the only chosen hero in her life time. "I'll figure something out. It may be a few days, but I'll fix it."

Impa nodded. "We shall see to it be done, then." The Sheikah offered her arm to the princess, who took it. As the approached the castle, the two could hear Eric's voice echo from a window above.

Eric looked over his shoulder, confirming all three still stood by his tail. First was Kile directly to his left, a rather downcast wave of emotion crashing over his face. Behind him stood Link and Midna side by side, fingers intertwined and hands locked together. A palpable smile was framed across the blonde's face – it pleased Eric. He hadn't seen his friend in such a purely happy mood in forever.

Slowly, he stopped walking at the door to his right. He turned about face and grinned at the duo that had been behind him. "Link, Midna – your room." He nudged his shoulder to direct them to the gaping door to his left.

"This is the same room I had before." Link grinned, recognizing the layout of the room.

The red head nodded. "Yeah, all your stuff's still in there, too. I washed all your clothes while you were away, as well."

Staring blankly at Eric, Link flushed a light hue of pink. Quickly, he reached out to the man and hugged him. "Thank you."

Patting the boy's back, he chuckled, "It's no problem." Separating from Link, he looked in the room as the two entered. "Zelda will send somebody down to fetch you and bring you to the dining hall when supper is ready."

Midna turned to Eric and nodded her head to him as Link collapsed on the bed. Silently, he shut the door behind. Goddesses, who knows what they'd be doing in their free time? Rolling his eyes, the red head turned back to Kile. He was met with a miffed snarl, however.

"Why are you letting them stay together? They're not married. He's still a teenager. I won't allow it," the man grumbled stamping his foot.

Eric groaned and began to walk down the hall, with Kile surprisingly on his tail. "Well, sir, you weren't married either when you hooked up with his mom so, eh. You shouldn't have a say in it. And that you were gone for the first nineteen years of his life." Eric turned while he walked, facing Kile, and heading down the hall backwards. "You have no say in what he does with her. It's none of your business, it's not mine – it's his."

"Tch. You guys have no sense of morality," Kile grumbled underneath his breath.

"Says the man who left his fiancé with her unborn child." Eric rolled his eyes and reached for a doorknob, yanking a door open. "Here's your damned room. Now leave me alone."

"Fuck you." Kile flipped the red head off, entering his room. In return, Eric slammed the man's door shut as he left.

"I don't understand how those two are related," he groaned, leaned up against the wall out of pure exhaustion.

Link lay sprawled out the bed as an ogling mess, tiny snores resonating from his throat. Midna had gone through the pile of his things that sat on the dresser. They were strewn about, but she knew somebody had invaded his things. She was only glad the dark shard was still wrapped in its cloth, if it had not been, dangerous things would have happened to whoever had rummaged through the bag.

Glancing back at Link, she smiled. The wolf boy was always exhausted; she didn't meet a day where he hadn't said that he was tired twenty times, at the least. Remembering of the old times, she giggled. Although those days held a dark veil around them – the memories together were fun at least. From falling in Lake Hylia while fishing, to the cold nights in the Gerudo Desert where they had to stay close just to retain heat. Thinking of such made her cheeks flush red.

Then the question popped to her mind. She didn't know how or when to ask. She had brought it up before, but never in a serious manner. Would Link even believe her? She was unsure. Instead of calmly thinking it out, Midna paced the room with worried quivers.

"Would I ask him tonight? If so, how?" Glancing back at Link, she sighed. "Why must I be so afraid?"

And to her surprise, he replied, "Afraid of what?"

"N-n-nothing! Yes! Nothing at all!" Midna jumped, giving the least plausible smile. She only hoped it would stray off the concern of the still groggy Link.

To her misfortune, however, he smirked and crossed his arms behind his head. "You know you're a terrible liar, right?"

Turning around, she faced the mirror, looking at Link from the reflection it gave. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

Slowly, Link stretched his arms up and sat himself up, looking over at Midna. "So what's troubling you? Something important you have to ask somebody?"

Quickly, she nodded. "Exactly. And I'm just nervous about it."

Link shook his head and raised his brows. "Don't fret it, you're fine. You're good with talking anyway – you're the most vocal person I know."

"And is that a bad thing?"

The blonde grinned and bushed. "Nope!"

Both of them turned their heads to the door when the repeated knocks were heard. Midna opened the door to see Eric waiting for them.

"Time to go down to the dining hall guys," Eric whispered.

Midna nodded her head in thanks, helping Link stand, and closing the door after them once they exited. As they followed Eric through the halls of the castle, the Twili was taking several deep breaths – calming herself. She needed confidence to do what she was about to.

And she was ready. She was going to ask.