Author's Note: Replaying TP really helps. This chapter is mostly a narration of what happens in the beginning of the game, but I do not plan for this story to be a complete retelling of the plot (see the summary). After this it will skip a bit, to Link's thoughts and crucial plot points. However, I still plan to include major portions of the storyline so that those who haven't (and in fact, even those who have) played Twilight Princess will be able to understand it better.

I do not own Zelda or any element related to the franchise, except for the idea for this story, and my TP game.

Please review if you like it, review if you don't like it, just review. All writers need to know how their stories are being received. If there are any changes I need to make, do let me know!

On to the story.

Chapter Three: Twilight

Hailed as a hero of sorts when I got home, I packed whatever I needed: a small leather pouch, the bottle of milk, waterskins and some food. I turned in for the night.

The next morning, after putting the goats back in the corral, with my wooden sword in a sheath on my back, and Epona saddled and ready to leave, I said my goodbyes to the townspeople and went to take the gifts for the Princess from the mayor.

Ilia came out with her father. The sunlight shone off her brown hair. Just managing to drag my eyes away towards Bo, I tried to keep up with what he was saying. Then Ilia noticed a wound on Epona's leg. Apparently in the previous day's chase I had injured her, or perhaps while jumping hurdles that morning. After giving us a serious dressing down, she led Epona away to the spirit spring nearby to heal her.

I cursed and ran to the spring, but not before Talo accosted me and forced me to give him my sword. Ilia refused to let me in. She locked the gates of the spring. Colin took up my case and made his way in, after showing me a side tunnel into the clearing.

"He pushes her too hard! Look at this!" Ilia said. I felt stung.

"Ilia, you don't know what he did yesterday! Talo got kidnapped!"

"What?"

"A monkey showed up, while you were inside your house making that present for Link," Colin said.

Present?

"Then all of us chased after it, and we ended up in the woods. Only Talo could keep up, and then both he and the monkey disappeared. Link chased after them and fought off the goblins that had taken them, and brought them back."

"I hadn't heard about Talo's rescue. I'm sorry Colin, it's just…"

Colin motioned, and I crawled through the tunnel and reached him and Ilia.

"I'm sorry, Ilia. And to you, Epona." Ilia turned towards the horse, who whinnied in reply and reared. She seemed fine.

"So you still prefer your master over me, huh? Well, that's all right. Link, that was, very brave. What you did," Ilia said, eyes lowered.

"Um, thanks?"

"Promise me just this one thing," she said, still not looking at me. "Promise me you won't try to anything out of your league. Just…come back home safe," she pleaded, eyes wide. I smiled and walked up to her. I would have promised her anything just then.

"I'll come back to you, Ilia. I promise."

Hoofbeats. Roars.

Two green goblins – Bulbins, they were called - , mounted on a boar, broke through the gates. They clubbed Colin and hit Ilia with an arrow.

No!

I reached for my sword, which was…in the village with Talo. The club found me next. Before blackness descended, I saw a massive Bulblin on a bluish white boar enter and blow a horn. Strange darkness – like unnatural twilight – fell.

Ilia, I thought, before falling.

***

The rest was a daze. I woke up, found no one, and ran out into Faron. A black wall of twilight loomed there, and a monster pulled me in. I screamed, and my body began to change. Three golden triangles glowed on my left hand, the bottom right one brightest. The Triforce of old. The beast let me go, but its work was done. I was now a wolf.

Exhausted, I fell, and it dragged me away into the fields.

***

I woke up in a cell, where I met the imp, Midna. After some initial disagreement, we decided to help each other, and we made our way out of the eerie dungeons to the roof level.

Hyrule Castle. The world covered in twilight.

Midna led me to a tower, where we met…Princess Zelda. Rusl didn't know how right he would be. But strangely, though I was in the same room as one of the most beautiful people in Hyrule, I only thought of Ilia.

Zelda told me how the twilight had fallen: its king had attacked and forced her to surrender, the people had become spirits and the land was cloaked in darkness. We left.

Midna said I had forgotten something. She turned into an image of Colin, and then Ilia. But I had not forgotten.

"You want to rescue them? Then you'll have to come with me."

And so I did. Midna warped us back to Ordon.

***

There were Bulblins in the woods, one outside the village and one in front of my house. I attacked. A squirrel, which I had noticed while leaving the woods – as a human – thanked me and brought me up to speed with the happenings. The Bulblins had attacked Ordon and kidnapped the other children.

Midna wanted weapons, and so, hiding around the village and gleaning information from the villagers' talk, I found out where the gifts were stored: the shield was in Talo and Malo's house while Rusl had the sword in his living room. He himself had been badly injured by the monsters. Midna and I quickly retrieved both items, and I left Ordon, desperate to find the children, and Ilia.

At the spring – where this entire mess began – a strange voice stopped me. I entered, and a shadow being attacked me. Rage filled me: it was identical to that which turned me into a wolf. I made short work of it.

I met the Light Spirit Ordona then. She said she was one of four light spirits that protected Hyrule, and that the other three had been stripped of their light by the twilight's monsters. She said that I was the chosen Hero of the land; hence I had not been changed into a spirit like the rest of the citizens. Ordon remained shadow free, as I had killed the beast that intended to attack Ordona.

And so my quest began. I was to go to each province, and free the spirit there of the darkness. Off we went into Faron.

***

Shadow Beasts and other monsters attacked us on the way, but I soon got used to my form and fought them as easily as I would in human shape. The spirit Faron gave us a Vessel of Light to store its stolen power, which was vested in numerous shadow insects that were scattered across the woods.

I found the insects, and restored light to Faron. And then the real surprise: I looked entirely different. I was back in human form, but Faron had given me the clothes of the Hero of Time.

Faron said the only way to defeat the king of twilight was to find the dark powers hidden across the land. One was in the Forest Temple: the immense, old tree near which Talo and the monkey had been held prisoner. I went there, spurred on by Midna's affirmations that Ilia and the children might be near.

***