Chapter Five

A Man Hunting for Revenge

At that moment, it seemed everything would be alright. Of course, it was far from such. I kissed Ilia on the cheek, and then returned home, only to remember that I had to somehow write Zelda and tell her that I didn't love her. If only there was some easier way out. If I had to get this over with, I would. I sat down at the table and began to write.

Zelda,

True, I haven't been away from Hyrule for more than a few days, yet you have already managed to write me a letter with some concern for me. The fact is, Zelda, that your love for me cannot be returned. I say this simply for there is no other way. I don't truly love you as you love me, and I don't want to try and pretend such for fear of hurting you even more. I hope you won't be too saddened by this, but I have found someone else. I write this painfully, yet believing that you won't worry too much about it. I never meant to seem like I had any affection for you, and I'm sorry if I ever did.

Link

Well, it was hard writing something like that, but I didn't love Zelda and I wasn't about to pretend. I sent the letter to her the next day, and I actually told Ilia about it. Ilia and I spent many an afternoon at the Ordon Spring, talking about every subject under the sun. And that was where we were one evening when the strangest feeling came over me.

I wanted to kiss her. I really did. And I didn't know why. She looked at me and smiled, her green eyes sparkling. "Link?" she asked, as she edged closer to me.

"What?" I replied, shaken from my thoughts. I mentally scolded myself for thinking something so strange.

"Do you ever think about the future? Like beyond when we're both just kids?"

"A little," I replied. "Why, do you?"

"Sometimes," she sighed, and looked up at the sky. "Sometimes I wonder what will happen in the future."

"You shouldn't do that too often," I chided gently. "Don't worry about the future when the present is there too." We both stood, knowing that it was time to leave, when something tugged at my heart. I still wanted to kiss her. That's what I'd been thinking about all night. And so I did.

I don't truly know how it happened, but one second I was thinking about kissing her, and the next… I was. It lasted a long time, too. But eventually we parted, both smiling and blushing. And I knew, for once in my life, I could call a moment perfect. We began walking back home, still silent. I knew she was a bit shocked, as was I. It wasn't like I meant to do it, it just… happened.

"Ilia… are you mad about that?" I asked. She laughed.

"A little surprised," she admitted, "But no, I'm not angry with you. I actually kind of liked it."

"Me too," I admitted. Well, I had. I felt my face go red at the thought.

"Link," said Ilia, in a much different tone, "You're walking past your house." I looked back behind me, where she had stopped.

"So I am," I replied, and then tried to make it seem like I'd meant to do that. "I was going to walk you home, if you like." Her house was a bit of a way from mine, and it did seem like a good idea.

"Oh," she said, seeming surprised again. "Thanks." I didn't know why she was so startled by that, I'd done it before. It was about thirty seconds of silence before she spoke again. "Link…" she trailed off, as her little hand found mine, and her fingers closed around my palm. "I love you."

I knew that she meant it, and I smiled.

Ilia

The next day dawned cold and rainy once more. I was peeking out the window near my bed when I noticed exactly how dreary it was. Trust an April day to be so wet. I opened the window just a little and stuck my hand out, feeling the slight drizzling of rain trickling over my fingers after sliding off the eaves of the roof. I turned my hand over and glanced at it. The back of my right hand kept itching these days, although whenever I looked at it, there wasn't anything wrong. Ever since Link had gotten back, however, there'd been an odd mark appearing and disappearing on my hand, and I had absolutely no clue as to what it was. As soon as I tried to make out the shape of the mark, it disappeared.

I should have asked Link about it by now, but I'd been much to preoccupied with my affections for him. Somehow I felt as though my friendship for him was slipping away, only to be replaced with that strange feeling called love. And the way he'd kissed me last night… I trailed my fingers along the edge of the windowpane and sighed, remembering the moment I'd savored so.

"Ilia!" my father's voice called from downstairs. "Are you up yet?" I leaned over the railing that was the only thing which divided my room from the rest of the house.

"Yes!" I called back down. "I'll be downstairs in a second!" I ran my brush through my blond hair and thumped down the stairs, only to find my father gone. "Dad? Where'd you go?" It wasn't unordinary for him to go running off without reason, but this was even stranger than that. The only noise was the rain pattering on the roof, the rest of the house left in silence. "Dad?"

"Where," a cool, icy voice from behind me said, "is the Hero of Light?"

"Hero of what!?" I squeaked. Was this mysterious voice referring to Link?

"Light," said a man appearing from nowhere. He looked down at me, his red eyes gleaming, which perfectly matched his fire-colored hair. He leaned over and stroked my chin. "Tell me, where is my father's murderer?"

"Murderer? Here? What are you talking about!?" I demanded, my temper rising. He clasped my shoulders and leaned over in my face.

"You know what I'm talking about!" he shouted, loosing his cool demeanor. But truly, I didn't. "Where is that blue-eyed beast!?" he spat. Blue-eyed… I thought of Link. His eyes were so blue that it sometimes distracted me from anything else I was doing. Beast. The wolf. He was talking about Link.

"I'll only speak if you tell me who you are," I said, raising my voice.

"My name is Dragmire. And my father… he is Ganondorf," he said, resuming his ice-cold sharpness. He began to pace around the room. "I will tell you this, for I don't plan on letting you live. I am after my father's Triforce. No one knows who it went to after he was killed by the Hero of Light. The only way to find out is to have the other two shards of the Triforce in the same area, and then… kill the people who hold them. Princess Zelda… and Link."