A/N: I apologize in advance for the delay in getting this up - I've been very busy as of late. Eh. Anyway, I want to thank everyone who took the time to review this story - you've really helped in getting me back on track. I'm also pleased that everyone seems to find this relatively steady, despite my certainty that the story is beginning to flake apart. Hopefully that's just me. Anyway, keep reading and reviewing - each and every one of you are my Chosen Heroes! dies at the cheesiness
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After a filling dinner of pumpkin soup and freshly made bread, Link and Sandhya were sitting together at the edge of Lake Hylia, watching the sun slowly set. Ever since Sandhya had been living with Link, she had an attraction to the twilight hour of the day. Even now, she enjoyed twilight, even though she had no idea as to why she would be attracted to it so. Link didn't feel that it was pertinent for her to know in just her fifth year of living - so for now, she just knew that the liked twilight, and that was that.
"Daddy?" Sandhya asked quietly, breaking the silence she and her father were sharing.
"Yes?" Link replied, looking off into the distance as the sun continued to set.
"Can we go into Castletown one day?" She asked innocently, her blue eyes wide - she had heard the stories from her nanny when she was young, and had not yet forgotten the tales of the great city surrounding Hyrule Castle.
Link smiled, still looking off towards the sunset. "One day, maybe. If you're good."
Sandhya grinned, turning to look towards the setting sun once more. "I'll be good, daddy - I promise." She said with determination.
Link turned to look at his daughter, a gentle smile warming his features. He knew that she would indeed be 'good' - she already developed manners well beyond others her age, and, like him, was not one to break a promise. For something so young, she had a sense of honor that could not be matched. This pleased Link, not only because it made it a heck of a lot easier to raise her, but it also served as a very prominent reminder to him that, despite her looks, this was his little girl. Shaking his head with a grin, he turned back to the horizon, watching the twilight hour approach. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the purple and orange hues overtook the sky, and a warm, gentle breeze came across the lake. Link turned back towards his daughter, watching with awe as she closed her eyes, letting the twilight wash over her. The strange white patterns in her fur seemed to glow in the thinning rays of sunlight, and for a moment, Link saw not a creature of the light, but a creature of the twilight sitting there. However, as soon as it had begun, it ended - the wind turned chilly, and the purples, pinks, and oranges that marked the twilight hour had faded to darkness. Sandhya opened her eyes once more, blinking as she looked at the fading line of the horizon.
"Daddy?" She said quietly, turning to look at her father.
"Yes?" Link asked, looking back at her.
"I wish twilight would last longer." She said simply, turning back towards where the sun had set.
Link sighed, sadness almost overwhelming him. "You and me both, pumpkin. You and me both."
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When Link woke up early the next morning, unable to explain the feeling of dread that seemed to wash over him. Confused, he looked around his room - hoping to find something amiss that would explain his feelings of panic. Satisfied that everything looked in order, and he slowly got up out of bed. He made his way out into the kitchen, surprised to find that the main door to the house was left ajar. Panic renewed, he slowly crept back into his room, grabbing the Master Sword, which he kept at his bed side. He crept through the house barefoot, making as little noise as possible. "What is going on here?" he thought to himself. He had not heard Sandhya awaken, and even so, she was responsible enough to not leave the door open if she went outside. "Wait - Sandhya!" his mind shouted, suddenly remembering that she could be the one in danger. He quickly made his way to her room, a cat-like stealth emanating from him. He heart nearly stopped when he saw her bedroom door ajar as well. "Goddesses, let her be safe..." He prayed, peeking into her room via the door crack. With a feral snarl, Link leapt into the room, sword drawn in response to what he had seen. There was a hooded stranger hovering over his daughter, and although Link could not tell what they were doing, whoever it was wasn't going to be doing it much longer. With a crash, Link slammed the stranger to the floor, flipping them over on their back and holding the Master Sword to their neck.
As Sandhya started screaming at the sudden scare, Link stared at the stranger who had entered his house, confusion and shock written all over his face. "Ilia?!"
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After calming his daughter down, and assuring her that everything was going to be alright, Link and Ilia had stepped outside onto the porch of the small house. Link looked at Ilia, his eyes slits, as he contemplated what to say to her.
Ilia looked back at him, her arms crossed, the hood of her dark cloak resting on her shoulders. With a sigh, she started, "Link - "
"What where you thinking?!" Link almost shouted, his normally calm exterior cracking. "Coming over here without warning, entering my house without knocking, entering my daughter's room uninvited, all while we were sleeping!? What in Din's name is wrong with you!?"
Ilia glared at the Hero, not fazed by his anger. "Calm down, Link. It's not that big a deal." She said, almost rolling her eyes.
Link looked away for a moment, his blood boiling. "Not that - not that big a deal?!" He yelled, staring her down with fiery blue eyes. "Ilia, I could have killed you! Do you realize that!?" He said, running a hand through his unkempt hair.
"But you didn't." Ilia said simply, her facial expression unchanging.
Link looked towards the heavens and let out a frustrated grunt as he slammed his hand down on the railing that he was leaning on. He looked at her again, suddenly turning fearful at her lack of concern. Something was not right. This was not the Ilia he had grown up with. Something had changed - but what? Deciding that he wasn't going to get through to her with anger, he sighed, calming himself. Closing his eyes for a moment, he thought of how he should approach the situation. He slowly opened his troubled blue eyes, meeting her cold green ones. "Ilia... please - what's going on?" He asked, his voice gentle.
Ilia raised an eyebrow, her arms still crossed as she stared at the Hero before her. With a snort she answered, "There are rumors, Link." She said, leaving it at that.
Link closed his eyes once more, willing himself not to strangle the girl in front of him. Reopening his eyes, he couldn't help the bit of sarcasm that dripped into his voice. "'Rumors' - what kind of rumors?" He asked.
Ilia rolled her eyes. "Watch the attitude 'hero'." She mocked. "Rumors about the heritage of that little freak in there." She sneered. Her posture stayed steady as Link almost pounced upon her.
With a low growl, Link spoke to Ilia, his voice disturbingly calm. "For your sake, I hope you had a slip of the tongue just now." He asked, daring Ilia to claim otherwise.
Ilia chose to ignore Link, and continued on with her previous chain of thought. "It is being said that her mother is not of this world - not of our realm. Is it true?" She asked as Link back away, a shocked expression on his face.
"Who told you that?" He asked, his anger being overrun by fear. The common folk of the kingdom of Hyrule were to have no idea that Sandhya was of Twili origin - if they knew, he feared that she would become the sole target of a massive witch hunt. After Link had restored the Light Realm to it's previous state, it had been fruitless to try and convince the residents of Hyrule that the Twili, as a whole, were not their enemy. The common misconception stated that the Twili were a corrupt and evil race, bent on destroying the light. The people had seen first-hand the damage Zant and Ganondorf had caused, and made a horrible generalization. This being said, Link had to be extremely careful to not raise the suspicion that Sandhya was half Twili. Although questions had arisen in the past about her strange features, Queen Zelda had quelled all by making an announcement that Link's child was a gift from the Goddesses, and her appearance would surely be explained in time. Everyone, though reluctant at first, eventually accepted this and the questions were dropped. At least, this was what Link had believed.
"People... here and there." Ilia replied, studying her fingernails. "There are the occasional whispers of a Twili child in our midst... how true is that?" She asked coolly, still not looking at him.
Link glared daggers at the girl before him. "Truth or not, it is no ones business." He said with a snarl. Ilia turned to him, a fire in her green eyes.
"No ones business? We could have a traitor in our realm - one who could possibly destroy our world, and it's 'no ones business'?" She retorted, hands clenched at her sides.
"Sandhya is no traitor!" Link hissed. "She's my daughter - a five year old girl, without a corrupted bone in her body! She is honorable to a point hat astounds even me!" He shouted. "Sandhya is a dweller of the light! I never want to hear you speak of her 'rumored heritage' again!"
Ilia let out a dark chuckle. "Oh Link..." She said with a sigh. "You always were a horrible liar..." She said, cupping his cheek as he quickly jerked away.
"Don't - touch me." He hissed, backing away from Ilia, as though she were plagued.
Ilia glared at him. "Your daughter is a Twili." She said with determination. "And I intend to let the entire populous of Hyrule know!"
Link roughly grabbed her arm as she tried to turn away. "You do anything that would hurt my daughter, and I swear - "
"What? What will you do Link? Kill me? Like any other enemy you've faced in the past?" She asked, an amused look on her face, knowing she had the hero in quite a quandary.
Link looked at Ilia, his features becoming saddened, yet surprised. "What's happened to you, Ilia? You're not the girl I remember." He said softly.
Ilia wrenched her arm out of his grasp. "And you're not the boy I grew up with - the boy I fell in love with. You've become a monster - a monster who raises demons!" She hissed.
Link looked at Ilia, his eyebrow raised, perplexed. "Ilia, look. I'm sorry that I hurt you, but you're not the one I fell in love - " He was cut off by the enraged girl.
"No! No, because that 'Twilight Princess' poisoned you!" She shouted, getting close to his face. "And that, that monster - is a result of your union with her!"
"Enough!" Link roared, grabbing her arm once again. "This ends now - you will not discuss this with anyone, do you understand me?" He threatened. "I swear, Ilia, if one - just one - person comes here with the intent to hurt my baby girl, I'll kill them - and then I'll be coming after you." He said, his voice low.
Ilia smiled evilly. "Oh Link - I look forward to it." She hissed into his face, slipping her arm from his grasp and stalking off. Link followed her with his cold, hard stare, until she disappeared into the distance. With a shaky sigh, Link collapsed onto the ground, tears forming around the edge of his cerulean eyes. "Goddesses, why?"
"Daddy?" A small, shaky voice asked. "Why are you crying?"
Link turned to look towards the doorway, where Sandhya had been standing, silently crying as well as she clutched a small stuffed animal. Link did not know how long she had been standing there, but he was certain that she had heard too much. Without a word, Link enveloped her into a hug, as though he were holding onto her for dear life. "I cry because I love you, Sandhya. Don't ever forget that." He said quietly through his tears, letting his little girl sob into his shoulder.