Author's Note: Just restarted Twilight Princess (I finished it a few months ago) and realised I needed to rewrite this chapter a bit. I'm playing the game as I write this so I don't miss any story points.

I do not own Zelda or any of its elements. That is a privilege bestowed upon Nintendo.

Reviews most welcome, flames not. Inputs and suggestions will also be appreciated.

Chapter Two: Ordon Day

As twilight fell, casting its orange and golden rays on to our land, covering the forests beyond Ordon in shadow and preventing us from seeing what lay there, I sat with Rusl at the spring in Faron Woods.

It was a sacred, peaceful place. The water was shallow, no more than a few inches, and covered nearly the entire clearing. A small waterfall flowed at the end of the clearing, fed by water flowing down the cliffs behind it.

"The hour of twilight is when we feel the loneliest," Rusl said to me. It was true. The orange and yellow light evoked strange feelings, as day faded away into night but left us with this eerie, yet beautiful in-between time.

Twilight. How well I would know that word later on.

"It is the time when our world and their world meet," he continued. I didn't get to ask him what he meant, but clearly the Goddesses intended for me to find out, as I later realised.

Rusl also told me that he had prepared gifts for our ruler, Princess Zelda: a sword and a shield. Although the Princess probably had a sword of her own, it would not be half as good as one made by Rusl. Only the legendary Master Sword, which had faded into the mysteries of time and history, would be better, I thought. An Ordon Shield, made of hard wood and engraved with a goat's horns, would be no mean offering either. The Princess would be pleased.

Then Rusl pulled out the real shocker. He told me that he wanted me to deliver the gifts.

"It isn't a safe world out there," I said.

"That's all right, Link. You're a good enough swordsman, you're good with a horse – mind you, you have the best horse I have seen – and you keep your wits about you always. You'll be fine. Besides," he added, "you might even get to meet Princess Zelda." He winked.

For some reason I wasn't as thrilled as most of the men in Hyrule would have been. Suffice to say I had eyes only for Ilia.

"So when do I leave?" I asked.

"The day after tomorrow."

Ilia was not pleased when I told her that night.

***

The ranch owner, Fado, wanted me to get his goats herded back, but there was no sign of Epona.

I found her, and Ilia, at the spirit spring just outside the village.

"I washed Epona for you, Link." I didn't know what to say. A smile was all that showed up.

***

I helped get the goats on the ranch back into the corral that evening, and returned back home.

In my house, built on a large tree, I slept peacefully, but my dreams were…varied. I saw Ilia with Epona, then twilight fell and I heard Rusl saying "when we feel the loneliest", then they were gone and I was running through a shadowy land…no, they were not true shadows, it was twilight. Then I saw an Ordonian Sword in my hand, which changed shape and became the Master Sword, as I had seen it from books.

***

The town children: Beth, daughter of the shopkeeper, Colin, Rusl's son, Malo and Talo, whose father owned the village waterwheel, woke me up early in the morning, their voices carrying through my open window.

I had the day off from my work at the ranch, and so I left Epona tethered beside my house. The kids told me that Beth's mom had a slingshot in her shop, but it was too expensive for them to buy. Going into Ordon, I found Beth's mom, Sera, morose because her cat had run away, her husband Hanch trying to knock down a huge beehive and Rusl's wife Uli near the stream: the cradle she had made (she was expecting a baby soon) had been taken away by a monkey.

With some help from the local hawk, I got the cradle back, and Uli gave me a fishing rod, which Colin had made for me. I got the cat back (all he wanted was a bit of fish), getting half a bottle of milk in return. I knocked down the beehive. All in a day's work.

There was no sign of Ilia. On inquiry, the mayor, Bo, her father, said she had locked herself in her room, and was making something for me. I was happy, but I really wanted to see her.

I got some money and bought the slingshot, then showed the kids how to use it. Rusl also gave me my wooden sword, repaired (our last training session had left it a bit chipped). I showed the kids some sword fighting skills, and then the monkey showed up again. They chased after it, into the woods.

I took Epona and pursued them. Some of the children –Beth, Malo and Colin, I found on the way. They couldn't keep up with the monkey. But Malo's brother Talo had gone deep into the forest, into the next province, Faron.

***

I crossed into Faron, and bought a lantern from Coro, the man who lived at the edge of the woods. Epona refused to go any further. I dismounted and walked towards the cave leading into Faron, and was attacked by a massive plant: a Deku Baba.

Rusl's training paid off. I made short work of the Baba, as well as the dozen or so Keese and Bokoblins I met as I made my way into the woods. Coro's pet parrot, Trill, was in this lonely place, selling oil and potion, but I didn't buy any just yet. Starting up a long sloping path, I reached a massive, decayed tree. Around it was a gorge, hundreds of feet deep, swirling with mists and incredibly dark. A small platform was visible past it, however. The signs around said "Forest Temple".

My attention was diverted from the gorge and the platform by two more goblins attacking me. I killed them, and found Talo and the monkey in a cage, which also fell to my wooden sword. Talo told me how the monkey had tried to protect him, and she went away while I took Talo home.

The woods had always been a safe place. Now they were dark, imposing, threatening and quiet.

***