Chapter Two
Returning Home
Something sounded from inside the forest. It was like a horse's hooves thumping in the mud. A traveler? A merchant? Who would be all of the way out here in Ordon, anyway? That's what I'd like to know. The sound grew louder, and I turned toward the gate, watching. In the distance, a brown shape appeared.
It was a horse, most likely, and as it grew closer, I could make out the features of the rider. He was tall, with long blond hair that was rather messy and bright blue eyes. He was wearing all green, just like the hero of old was supposed to… Only one thought began to course through my head.
It was Link. It was Link. It had to be, that was the only explanation for this. The rider slowed his horse awhile before he reached the place where I was standing, and started to run, colliding into me and embracing me warmly. Yep. Link, for sure. I hugged him back, and we were both laughing.
"I thought you wouldn't come back!" I said. He let go of me and stared at me strangely with his head tilted to the side.
"You're kidding," he said. Link was the most sarcastic person I'd ever met, and it would probably take me a short while to get that straight again. "Of course I'd come back!" he nearly shouted, and hugged me again.
"I've missed you like crazy," I said. He smiled. His entire body was warm all over, and his smile was genuine.
He was just as happy as I was. We were best friends, there was no denial, and we'd been separated nearly a year, with only the occasional meeting cut short by the fact that he had to go and do something else of apparent importance. He pressed his lips to my cheek, and then took a step back, looking at me and grinning widely. His eyes sparkled like they never had before.
Link
The very second I looked at her, something happened. I can't explain it, something inside of me just changed. White-hot fire leapt inside of my chest, and I could feel myself blush as she stared back, her green eyes bright and happy. She held my hands for a moment longer, and then let go. Nothing could express how happy both of us were, no action, no depth of words, nothing. Nothing but that smile that was on her face.
She turned a little, and then left me standing there. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Come on! Everyone else will be waiting for you!" Though I desperately wanted to still stay with her, alone, I followed her into the village where everyone I'd ever known was standing, waiting for me. It was quite a sight. They all didn't seem to realize at first that I was exactly the same person as I'd been before. They just didn't know how to thank me. Sure, I'd done a lot, but it all had a point behind it. I hadn't done it for the glory of being a hero. It was because I was the only one who could. If I didn't, no one else would.
But I hadn't changed in the least. I was still the same person I had been, except much better in the ways of swordfighting things that are rather large and bent on killing me. As is obvious, I retained my sense of humor, and my love for doing nothing at all. I'd also come back with a good deal more interesting things to talk about, which was precisely what was going on that evening.
We were all up at the ranch that night, Talon, Colin, Beth, Malo, and I. Well, Ilia was nowhere to be seen. She'd had something to do, apparently. It was rather odd of her not to hang around with us, but it wasn't like I should have cared. But I did.
Anyhow, Talon wanted to know all about my adventures, and so I obliged in telling them. They were all revolted when I explained about the giant spiders, though I had been much more disgusted upon actually seeing them. It was only when I told someone else about my journey when I realized exactly how dangerous it had been. When I'd been fighting something, it didn't seem quite as risky as it did telling someone, and actually having a split second to think about it. I never even imagined what would have happened if the living skeletons that I'd been up against couldn't be killed. They were already dead. But I'd done it anyway. When I thought about it, the whole thing sounded rather stupid.
Suddenly, as I was sitting there, someone walked up behind me and poked me in the back, and I promptly fell over. "Ilia!" I shouted, knowing that only she would think of something like that. She grinned, and I stood.
"Gotcha," she said. "Anyhow, I just stopped by wondering why in all Hyrule someone's sent you a letter. You've only been back a day." She handed me a sealed letter, and I opened it. "Who's it from?" she asked curiously.
"Zelda," I replied, and started reading it. She tried to peer over my shoulder and get a glance at the letter, so I folded it up and put it in my pocket, thinking I'd read it later.
"Zelda!?" asked Talon, "Ooh, Link's got a girlfriend!"
"I DO NOT!" I roared, and he only grinned. Ilia looked a little… odd. It was about halfway between surprised and angry, and I wasn't sure what to say. She immediately left.