Chapter 4 – Confession

When Rusl had arrived at the Faron Spring, he saw Link standing by the water's edge, staring at it in thought. Rusl walked over to the young man and stood next to him. He glanced at Link and studied his eyes; they were zoned out, as if he were reliving a memory. Rusl looked at the water again, then up at the twilight sky.

"Remember what I said about this time of day?" asked Rusl. Link snapped out of whatever trance he was in and looked at his friend. "It's the time when our world connects with theirs." Link frowned and looked down at the water again.

"I didn't understand back then," started Link softly, "but I do now. And…I've been to that world." Rusl blinked and looked at Link in surprise. Link looked at Rusl, then up at the sky. "The realm of Twilight…I've been there."

"What was it like?" interrogated Rusl, very curious about Link's travels. Link closed his eyes and smiled slightly.

"Kind of dark, but the sky there was actually very beautiful," admitted Link. "And the Twili were actually pretty nice—Zant excluded. He was one of the ones responsible for what happened in Hyrule and in the Twilight Realm."

"I see," breathed Rusl. "You've been to a lot of places, haven't you?" Link nodded. "I'm still amazed, Link. You did so much for Ordon and for Hyrule by yourself without asking for anything in return."

"I wasn't alone," confessed Link. "You, Auru, Ashei, Shad, Mayor Bo, Renado, Telma…there are so many people that helped me out. But…" He frowned as Rusl looked at his friend in worry. "…Midna was always there."

"Who's Midna?" asked Rusl. "I've never seen or heard of her." Link closed his eyes sadly.

"When Ilia and Colin were taken," began Link, "I was knocked unconscious. When I came to, they were gone. I ran towards the woods to try and catch up with them, but there was this giant gate blocking my way. A large, black hand reached out and grabbed me, pulling me in. It let go of me for some reason and went away. I felt really weird after that, I don't remember much of what happened. The next thing I knew, I was in a dungeon…as a wolf." Rusl's eyes widened.

"A wolf!?" cried out Rusl. Link quickly gave him the sign to be quiet. Rusl gave him an apologetic look.

"Please keep it down!" begged Link quietly. "I don't want anyone else to hear this and scare them." Rusl nodded slowly in understanding. "Anyway, when I was trying to break out, this imp girl named Midna appeared and helped me escape in exchange that I be her slave and help her out." Rusl frowned deeply; he had no idea Link had gone through this kind of torture. "I didn't like her at first. She was rude, condescending, domineering, and just all-around nasty. But as we traveled together, she changed and I got to see the real her. She's kind, thoughtful, and caring, albeit sarcastic and headstrong. She's actually the Twilight Princess."

"A princess, you say?" commented Rusl. Link nodded, then frowned sadly.

"After I defeated Ganondorf, and her true form was restored—Gods, she was beautiful!" exclaimed Link. "She, Princess Zelda, and I went back to the Twilight Mirror to say our good-byes to Midna before she returned to the Twilight Realm. I thought I'd be able to see her again, since the Twilight Mirror would be there, but…she broke it when she left." Rusl put a hand on Link's shoulder when he saw how this tale was upsetting the boy.

"You cared a lot about her, didn't you?" asked Rusl. Link nodded.

"I know this sounds wrong, falling for someone who treated you like a slave at first…" stated Link quietly.

"From what you told me about her, it doesn't sound wrong," explained Rusl. "But I don't know if there's a way for you to see her again or not. I don't know much about the Twilight Realm." Link's frown deepened. "So this is what has been bothering you for so long…the loss of Midna. And here I thought you loved Ilia all this time."

"I did…Rusl, please don't tell anyone else about what I told you," begged Link, facing Rusl with a pleading look on his face. "If anyone else finds out, especially Ilia, I…I don't know what I'd do. I'm afraid of how they'll react. I don't know if they'd accept it, or if they'd be afraid of me, or…"

"Calm down, Link," ordered Rusl, putting his hands on Link's shoulders and looking him in the eye. He then smiled. "I won't tell a soul. It's not my place to. But now that I know what happened, you know who to come to if you need to talk to someone about this matter." Link smiled slightly, a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Rusl," said Link softly.

"I'll see what I can do to help you find a way to see Midna again," declared Rusl. Link's face brightened up a bit. "Auru might know something. I'll send him a letter and see what he comes up with." Link's soft smile grew into a large, excited one. "Don't get your hopes up, though; there may be nothing we can do. But just know that we are trying."

"That's all I wanted to hear," exclaimed Link. The starts began to show themselves, signaling the men to head back to the village. Rusl walked Link back to his house. The two said their good-nights, then Link went into his house. Rusl watched him until he closed the door, then turned to walk back to his own home.

You're not alone, Link, thought Rusl. I'll do what I can to help you. I just hope we find something, for your sake.