Five Years Later…
I inhaled the cool, fresh air of the Ordon Spring as the touch of the cold, soothing waters lapped against my bare feet and calves. The sound of the rushing spring water entered my ears as I stood at the water's edge. My hands were behind my back as a small breeze brushed against my cream-colored skin, my long auburn colored hair swaying along with it. For a long while, I simply stood there, enjoying the sounds of the forest and the spring, almost as if I had been in this same spot forever, much like a statue standing in one place for several centuries. This place was almost like a sanctuary to me, especially during the time of the twilight. It was strange for me to feel at ease whenever twilight arrived, but I did not pay much attention to it. It had been five years since I had felt this way, and I actually enjoyed it.
Five years, I thought. I still could not believe five years had passed since the day I had arrived in Ordon Village as a frightened young girl of twelve, unsure of what to do or where to go and afraid of who lived in such a small place. However, once I became used to everything around me, things just seemed to fall into place perfectly for my life. Everyone had enjoyed and welcomed my company. They thought I was the sweetest young girl they had ever met. It felt too perfect a place to live in for me, almost making me forget about my forgotten past altogether. I did not worry about that cold, rainy day very much, not wanting to dwell on the past I no longer remember and simply enjoyed life as it was. I never complained about the lifestyle of the small village and simply become accustomed to it all. Everyone enjoyed my presence and treated me like family, especially Link.
I opened my forest green eyes as the blue-eyed teenager came to mind. Just like I had predicted (and wanted), Link and I had become close friends since our childhood. He brought me back to the village, back to Illia and the two older men and explained my situation. They seemed worried for a moment due to my inability to remember my past, but welcomed me very quickly. Since then, he showed me all of the basics of living in a small village like Ordon, introducing me to the villagers that inhabited this nice place. Every day, we would go on little adventures around the village, and sometimes in the forest. He would show me all of the secret spots he found while exploring and showed them to me. As we got older, we started training with Rusl, the man who was with me after I woke up from my nap. We grew stronger and stronger every day, strong enough to look out for each other and go outside of the familiar Ordon grounds. We helped each other when one needed it most, both in training and assisting around the village. Everyone said we were like two peas in a pod and nothing would be able to separate us. Inseparable was a more appropriate term to consider the two of us.
I stared at the sky as the sun began to set in, a small smile forming on my lips. Twilight was on its way, just like every other night before this one. As much as I loved the twilight, Rusl said it reminded people of sadness. I became honest with him and told him it did just the opposite for me. It calmed my nerves whenever it arrived and I was not having a good day. I was not sure why, but I did not worry too much about it. As I said, twilight seemed to take my mind off the life I knew, not that anything was wrong with it. For some reason, the twilight seemed to take me to a completely different world, away from the perfect life I knew so well. It made me feel calm, but it also made me feel…strange. I did not know what kind of strange it was, but it was there. At first, I did not worry too much about it, but after awhile it started to bother me. What was this feeling? Why did it happen only when the twilight had come?
Suddenly, young familiar voices entered my ears. Blinking once, I turned around to find the owners before smiling warmly. They were three of the village children I met back when I first arrived in Ordon. Talo, a brown haired boy of about seven or eight with an adventurous personality almost matching Link's in his childhood; Malo, Talo's younger brother who had the face of an infant, but the brain of an adult most of the time; and Beth, a young, sweet girl with orange hair plus a short temper when it came to the two boys. They stood there watching me with smiles on their faces. Talo was waving his hands in the air and trying to get my attention, which he already had, while Malo kept a regular, blank expression like he always did. Beth tried to calm down the overly excited boy, but smiled at me nonetheless.
"Celia! Hey, Celia," called Talo, "Do you know when Link and Rusl are coming back?"
"Talo, stop waving your hands in the air," Beth snapped, taking a hold of Talo's arms and placing them back to his sides. "You already have her attention!" I laughed as I exited the water.
"I'm not sure," I replied as I picked up my brown scandals. "I was thinking about going out to find them myself." Beth looked up at me, with a worried expression on her face. She seemed to become worried at the strangest times.
"You probably should, Celia," she said. "We wouldn't want anything to happen to them." I smiled and pat her head. Such a sweet little girl Beth was…when she was not scolding Talo and Malo.
"I'll be right back, guys. Head back to the village so your parents won't get worried about you," I told them after I slipped on my scandals and began walking towards the bridge. Talo seemed a little upset of my departure, but Beth simply dragged him back to village, ignoring his pleads to release him. Malo wanted to go with me as well, but she dragged him away as well. I smiled to myself as I watched them for a moment. Those kids enjoyed my company much like they enjoyed the company of Link. They wanted us to be their mentors, as Rusl was for us. They looked up to us, saw us as role models, and I actually felt honored to know the young generation looked up to me.
As I began walking across the bridge, I noticed the sky darkening. It turned into a dark orange color as twilight fully began to take over. 'I better hurry,' I told myself. At that moment, I burst into a run to search for Link and Rusl, not wanting it to become too late for them to be out here. Besides, I wanted to make sure Beth did not worry about the two very much. I ran into Faron Woods as fast as I could and leapt over the gate with a single leap. With as much training as I had, I was able to sprint pretty fast across the woods, fast enough to almost catch up with Epona if I actually tried. It was still sunset by the time I had found the two sitting near the Faron Spring. I began to slow down as I spotted them, speaking to each other while sitting close to the edge of spring. Epona turned her head and noticed me, her tail swaying once, but kept quiet as not alert the two as they spoke. I slowly walked over to the young horse and pat her head before listening to what they were saying.
"Tell me," said Rusl, "Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?"
"A little bit…" Link responded, clearly watching the waters of the spring as if he were waiting for something to happen.
"They say it's the only time when our world intersects with theirs…" Rusl continued. I blinked once. Theirs? Who was he talking about? I tried not to worry about it as he continued, "…The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world." I blinked again at his words. Link did not respond. Instead, he continued to stare at the following water. Rusl sighed, but not because of Link's silence. "That is why loneliness always pervades the hour of twilight…" He said. I looked away from the two, staring at the ground.
'I don't feel lonely in the hour of twilight,' I thought to myself. Did that make me different from the others? I did not want to feel like an outcast compared to the villagers. I wanted to be equal with the others, be just like them. But was it really a bad thing to enjoy the twilight as much as I did?
"But enough talk of sadness…" Rusl spoke, bringing my attention back to him, "I have a favor to ask of you, Link." Link looked up at him. Just like the past, I noticed his eyes glisten in the setting sunlight. It was a trait I loved most about him.
"Sure. What is it," he asked.
"I was supposed to deliver something to the royal family of Hyrule the day after tomorrow…" Rusl started. Link stared at him, confused.
"Wait, didn't Mayor Bo…" he started, but trailed off. Rusl chuckled.
"Yes, it was a task set to me by the mayor, but…"-He looked at Link with a smile-"would you go in my stead?" Without a second thought in his mind, Link nodded and returned the smile. I continued to watch them for another moment as my face turned into sadness. Link was leaving to Hyrule? Without me? I did not want him to go out and see the land of Hyrule without bringing a friend along with him. Although I loved the village as much as the next person did, I wanted to explore the land all the same. If Link left, I would bug him about it until the end of time. Besides, descriptions were not enough for me. I wanted to see the beautiful land for myself and make my own opinions about it.
Rusl stared at Link for a long moment. "You have…never been to Hyrule, right?" He asked. Link smiled sheepishly.
"Nope…" He responded, making me smile.
"In the kingdom of Hyrule," Rusl started, looking back at the waters, "there is a great castle, and around it is Castle Town, a community far bigger than our little village. And far bigger than Hyrule is the rest of the world the gods created. You should look upon it with your own eyes." I smiled as an image of Castle Town entered my mind. The streets filled with bustling people scurrying around to get from place to place. Songs playing in the background with others sang and danced around them for the amusement of others. At every turn there would be shops filled with assortments ranging from plants to food. That is where I wanted to be someday, I thought to myself, my smile growing. I want to see it all. "It is getting late…" said Rusl as he got up off the ground. "We should head back to the village. I will talk to the mayor about this matter." Link got up as Rusl turned around. Once he noticed me, he looked somewhat shocked at my presence. Link noticed me next as he turned around.
"C-Celia," Link exclaimed, surprised to find me. "What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you guys," I simply said with a small smile. "The children got worried, so I told them I would come and get you guys." He smiled and shook his head.
"That's very nice of you to come find us, Celia." Rusl said. "But you know Link and I would be okay on our own." I shrugged.
"Hey, a woman has to worry sometime in her life." I stated. "Clearly, Beth has started worrying a little too early for her age." Rusl laughed as he began walking over to Epona and I.
After getting the stuff they needed all packed and ready to go, Link, Rusl, and I began our way back to Ordon. We talked about many things, such as how clumsy I used to be when I was young. I was always a klutz when I was young, since I was still getting used to the new life style. Most of my clumsiness was because I was around Link, but I did not blame him. I blamed myself, since I started to get used to being around him and other people as well. Not only that, but I recalled a moment when I went fishing for the first time with Link when I was only fourteen. He was showing me how to hold the rod and what to do if I actually caught some local fish. The first time a fish got hooked onto my line, it turned out to be pretty big. Link actually had to help me out, but failed as the fish pulled us both into the water. Fortunately, I knew how to swim, as did Link, but the fish literally began to pull us both in. Not willing to give up (and with Link's help), we were able to pull it right out of the water. I did not recall how big it actually was, but it was big enough to feed a family…that is until the cat took it right out from under us. I had to hold back the urge to kick it.
As time went on, Link and I became closer and closer. I tried to talk about my past a lot more with him, attempting to remember the past I had no recollection of even to this day. There were times when I would become upset about it, only for Link to find some way to cheer me up and make me smile even if it was a small smile. There were times when he told me my smile made the rest of his day even better, and I would blush every time he said those words. Rusl commented on our friendship once, claiming we were so close he almost thought we were together. Instantly, we both blushed simultaneously and looked away, smiling and laughing at his comment. There was no way the two of us could ever be together. We were good friends and he helped me through a lot since I had arrived in Ordon. It did not mean we were going to be together some day in the future ahead of us.
…Right?
Later…
After we returned to our home, Rusl waved to us goodbye and walked over to his wife, who was pregnant with another child (their second to be exact), and his son, Colin. As they were walking away, the young blonde looked back at us and gave us a smile. We both returned it. Out of the village children, Colin had to be the sweetest out of them all. I always enjoyed seeing the young blonde haired, blue-eyed boy smile. It seemed to make my day occasionally when I was feeling down and Link was busy doing something. It looked so innocent and so kind. That was what I loved about the young child. Not only that, but he wanted to be just like Link when he grew up. He wanted to be able to fend for himself and fight just like him in order to protect the people he loved. That was what he told me one day, and I promised to keep a secret from Link. He did not want him to know just yet.
Before I knew it, I found myself staring out the window of the home I shared along with Link, since he was the only person in the whole village I trusted the most. I had lived with Link since I arrived. He did not mind me being around. In fact, he was almost happy to have me around. He always enjoyed my company, and vice versa. That was one reason why we became so close so fast. We would always see one another and have many conversations about anything, whether it was talk about what happened that day or more personal things, like moments when I tried to figure out my past. Once in a while, I would stand at the window and watch the twilit sky come and go, and Link would sometimes watch it with me. From time to time, I would sneak a glance at him just to see what he looked like when the hour of twilight would come. Clearly, since I told him about how peaceful the twilight was to me, he would wear an expression of confusion. I assumed he did not understand what it felt like to be at peace during the twilight.
I could not blame him. I thought I was the most different out of the citizens of Ordon.
"Hey! Link! Celia! You guys there?" My chain of thought was broken before I glanced down to see Fado, Ordon's farmer, calling for us. I smiled as Link came over and stood next to me after hearing his voice.
"Yeah, we're here," I responded.
"Hey, you guys mind helping me herd the goats?" Fado asked. "They ain't listenin' to me lately!"
"Sure! We'll be down in a sec!" Link told him. I quickly moved away from the window and made my way over to the ladder. Link followed me as we heard Fado speak again.
"Hey! Where's Epona?" He asked. I sighed and smiled just as I reached the bottom of the ladder.
"Illia…" I muttered to myself. "She always has to take Epona behind our backs." Link chuckled as he, too, reached the bottom of the ladder.
"She does care a lot about her," he told me. I shrugged.
"I know that," I said as I reached the door. "But one of these days, we're going to need Epona, and she's not gonna be there." Link walked up to me and placed a hand on my shoulder, wearing his usual smile I had grown to love.
"Then, we'll just have to go look for them," he simply said before opening the door and exiting our home. I simply smiled before following him out.
After we left, Link and I quickly went searching for Epona. However, we both knew exactly where she went. When she first disappeared, I thought evil creatures had abducted her. For a good thirty minutes, I ran around the village in hysterics with nothing but a stick in my hand. Unfortunately, no one (other than the children) had listened to me, since they all knew the truth. They tried to tell me, but I was too frightened to actually hear them. Link, who actually caught me in time before I ran into the woods in order to find our beloved horse, eventually explained everything to me. It was somewhat embarrassing to hear, knowing I made a complete fool of myself by running around with a stick, but how was I supposed to know Illia came around to take Epona after she arrived home? By now, I had all ready gotten used to Epona's disappearances.
Before I knew it, we arrived at the Ordon Spring, only this time, Epona was there. Not only that, but Illia, the Mayor's daughter, was there along with the large horse. She was a teenager, about sixteen like me, with blonde hair and green eyes. She wore a pale shirt with orange pants and a small pouch attached to her left leg. Her scandals were left on the edge to keep them dry. She cleaned up Epona after a long day of traveling with Link and Rusl. She was a very nice and sweet girl, and I learned that after Link brought me back into the village after running away in terror. She apologized for frightening me, claiming she did not mean for her father and Rusl to scare me. I accepted the apology and became fast friends. As time went on, I could easily see she was really good friends with Link, much longer than myself. In fact, it was good to know there were no enemies within the village.
Illia noticed us after a moment of watching Epona and gave us a kind smile. "Oh, hi, Link, Celia…" She said. She looked at Epona, and then back at us. "I washed Epona for you," she quickly added.
"Thanks, Illia." Link said. I simply smiled in response.
"Epona is a girl too, so you have to treat her nice like one!" Illia continued. Link scratched the back of his head and gave innocent smile.
"I know, I know." He responded. I rolled my eyes playfully.
"Of course you do," I muttered, nudging him a bit and giggling.
"Oh, but listen, Link…Could you do something for me?" Illia asked.
"Sure. What is it?" He said.
"Can you use a piece of grass to play that song for me?" She asked innocently. "You know the one that Epona likes?" Link smiled and nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. He walked over to some grass and picked one. He placed it to his lips and blew, bringing forth the sound of peaceful music. I closed my eyes and smiled, listening to the notes as it entered my ears and filled my soul. I always enjoyed the music he played using the grass. He showed me how to use it, and I have been pretty good at it. However, I knew I would not be as good as Link. Even if I tried my best, I still would not be like him. It only lasted about seven seconds before the song ended. Once the song had finished, Epona quickly came over to Link right. He pat her head lightly and smiled. "It's such a nice melody…" She said with a smile on her face. "Epona looks happy."
"It's no surprise," I said, walking over and patting Epona's head. "Who wouldn't be happy to hear a pretty song like that?" Illia nodded in response before placing her hands behind her back.
"Well, she's all prettied up now, so I suppose you can ride her back," she said to Link. "But don't make her do too much, okay?" Link nodded to her.
"Alright," he said. Before he could move, I quickly walked over and hopped onto Epona's back, smiling triumphantly. Link noticed me on the horse and shook his head, but smiled as he got on after me. I looked over at Illia.
"We'll see you later, Illia!" I said and waved goodbye to her. She smiled and waved back as Link and I rode away with Epona back to the village.