Chapter Three
"I wondered where this went," he gasped out, staring transfixed at it. "Do you know what it is?"
Zelda shrugged. "Frankly, I have no clue. It's black and orange, that's all I know…and Midna also told me it's dangerous," she added quietly.
"No, no, it's not!" Link replied earnestly. "It's the Twilight Gemstone. If I touch it, I turn into a wolf."
"How do you return to human form?" asked Zelda, perplexed.
"As long as it touched my skin, I can be a wolf. Oh!" A sudden idea lit him. "If I could string it onto something, I could wear it 'round my neck…and I'd wear it between my shirt and tunic, and when I needed or wanted to be a wolf, I could just move it inside my shirt! It's brilliant!"
"But are you sure that's safe?" She looked anxious. "It's a link to the Twilight Realm. If there's Twilight in the Light, or even Light in the Twilight, then it could be a serious breach…"
"The Mirror of Twilight is broken," he reminded her dully, staring at the Gemstone with glee. "Midna completely destroyed it. Remember?"
"Of course," she replied faintly. "But it can't be totally broken, can it? Things can't just burst into smoke and disappear."
'Stop putting these ideas into my head,' thought Link giddily. He did not speak those words, however. "Look, Princess, I will take good care of this. I will not do anything stupid." He turned to leave once again, but Zelda grabbed his hand and forced him to face her.
"I know you want to see her, but you can't," whispered Zelda gently. "You're my friend, Link, and I don't want you to believe in some silly notion. The Mirror of Twilight may not be completely destroyed, but it cannot – must not – be fixed. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am," returned Link, saluting her. "But I'll have to use it sometimes, won't I?"
Zelda shook her head exasperatedly. "Fine, Link. Do whatever you want; just don't complain when your hopes are shattered." She walked with Link to the door. "Let me escort you out of the Castle."
"Won't the guards get suspicious?" asked Link, surprised. "I could just go out the way I came – "
"I'm their Princess," replied Zelda irritably. "I can do whatever I want. Come on, Link. Let's go."
OoO
He returned to Ordon Village the next day. He took his time returning; he could have easily been home in an hour, but instead he walked Epona across Hyrule Field, and it took him three hours. By the time he arrived, it was past lunchtime, and his stomach was sharply reminding him to eat.
He took his meal in the Ordon Spring after buying it from Sera's Sundries. He sat down at the edge of the water, sipping milk from a bottle and eating fried fish. To keep his mind from thinking about the impossible, he pulled a piece of rope from his equipment bag, drew his sword, and began slimming it down until it could fit safely around the Twilight Crystal. He tied it as tightly as he could and looped it over his head, careful to place it between his tunic and his shirt. He was glad he constantly wore his gloves, otherwise this would be a very tedious task indeed.
"L-Link?"
He looked around to see his cousin, Colin, peering at him nervously. Link smiled and gestured for Colin to join, and he did, settling down next to Link.
"I just heard from Beth that you came back," he explained, "because her mom was going on about how—how thin you look…" Colin smiled weakly. "So…I just wanted to see you, say hi. How was your trip?"
"Very satisfying," replied Link, his grin widening. Giddy thoughts of the Twilight Crystal and its potential streamed through his mind, but he quickly shunted them to one side.
"Really?" Colin looked both surprised and pleased. "That's good. What did you do? Who did you meet?"
Link gazed upon his cousin. Even though he was fourteen-years-old, he still seemed so young and innocent. Link could not tell Colin what had happened while he explored. He could not talk about the Twilight Crystal and his broken love. He could not tell anyone.
"I…went to Castle Town," he replied simply. This was half-true; he had also visited Prince Ralis in Zora's Domain. While Colin knew the young Zora, Link felt it odd to tell him that he visited frequently. From Colin's view, Link had simply helped the boy reach Kakariko Village for help. However, they had a stronger bond than that.
"Did you go to that woman's bar? What's her name…Thelma?" Colin guessed.
"Telma," Link corrected. "But close enough." He wondered if Colin knew that his father was friends with Telma.
"That sounds like fun. Hey," he perked up, as though suddenly remembering something, "you ought to visit Ilia. She's been down lately." He looked around furtively, lowering his voice. "Don't tell anyone this, but I heard that something was wrong with Mayor Bo. My parents were talking about it when they thought I was asleep." His voice returned to normal tones. "So you should check in on her, just make sure she's doing okay."
Link nodded. "Thanks, Colin. I will."
Colin left after a few minutes of small talk, and Link lapsed into thinking about what his next adventure would be. 'To Snowpeak,' he thought happily. 'I'll visit Yeto and Yeta! I can just run up the mountain…oh, I need to relearn the Reekfish Scent, of course…'
Link lay back, gazing at the sky. His mind wandered, thinking about the splendid possibilities, and he drifted off into a gentle sleep, momentarily forgetting all of the worries and pains.
I read a rumor that Link and Colin were cousins. I thought this was pretty interesting, so I included it in my story. It had neither been proven or denied, but I like it.
