AN: I couldn't hold off on releasing this chapter. It's about time that things got rolling the way it should...


Chapter 3: Just About Time…


Link smiled and waved as he had finished dropping off a few things to Rusl and his family. He gave Rusl an invitation from the Princess for the group that whenever they feel ready, they too will be thanked for the work they've done to save Hyrule.

The day passed as Link went around meeting new people one by one on a personal encounter, whilst he still feared having large groups of people who he felt melted his exterior. And the training classes were different since they were small groups of people and he did something that came to him naturally now, sword fighting.

The evening drew closer as Link dreaded what Bo did. Bo gathered everybody and hung brightly lit lanterns around the houses as a large table, which were actually small tables aligned together, was placed in the field where people gathered to celebrate the return of their now famous friend.

"He's always been like the son that anybody would ever want!" Bo bragged a bit holding a large cup of grog.

Link blushed sitting near Bo and Ilia who sat across him. She gave him a kind smile as she wore a nice vanilla sun dress that had decorations of yellow flowers on the hem of the skirt. Link wore a new style that came from over seas that Zelda gave him. It was a collard shirt with no sleeves as he wore his regular pants and a cloth still around his waist. He just smiled nervously as out of nowhere Bo grabbed Link hugging him close and patting the young man's shoulders painfully. Link was still in pain from the months of training so it hurt with each hard pat from Bo's large hard hands. Bo was like a Hume version of a hard rock Goron. Everybody celebrated that evening by cooking a pot luck style dinner, everybody bringing to the table a specialty of their own. It ranged from main courses like cucco pot pies, pumpkin soup, baked beans, corn on the cob, and freshly baked bread to desserts like assorted pies and candied fruit. Link grabbed quite a bit on his plate as everybody seemed to watch him eat. He paused a bit nervously as his wolf habits died hard. This wasn't the first time either. How he'd barely use his utensils and just dive in with his face. He has a bit of mashed potatoes stuck to his nose as a fried cucco bone stuck out of his mouth. He smiled nervously and laughed saying how he was so hungry and how tasty everybody's food was he had to just dig in head first. The people wondered if their food was that good or if though the months of working at the castle they poorly fed the soldiers. Whatever it was, the people felt a bit flattered that he ate their food with such gusto. Ilia looked at Link with a smile and giggled. She took her napkin and reached across the table and wiped his race off as he took the bone out of his mouth.

"Awe Link, you're so silly," Ilia said with a sigh not knowing whether to reprimand him or laugh along.

The kids began to get a bit rowdy copying him as Colin sat pretty close to Beth talking to her and asking her about the work. She just talked upset at how hard it is at her age and people's demands as Colin just nodded looking more at her than listening. Link tilted his head curiously not understanding what was going on as others did. Link sighed finished and stretched. He was tired and the food was making him even more drowsy. He began to get out of his chair until Bo grabbed him.

"Aren't 'cha goin to dance now?" Bo said gripping Link's shoulders.

"Eh?!" Link said shocked.

Their heads were low on the side of the table as Bo made Link face this way uncomfortably.

"Y'know… ask my daughter to dance," Bow said trying to entice Link.

This would've been a good moment, if it weren't for the fact that Link didn't really know how to dance. Even at the previous harvest festivals, Link had always hid from everybody not wanting to be in the crowd and didn't even bother to try dancing.

"Bo," Rusl said coming up patting the large man's shoulder, "Stop pushing the boy."

"Well, it's only fair," Bo started, "because you know he's considered a young man now and people are…"

"Ah, ah, ah," Rusl said pausing Bo, "I think we ought to talk to this with Link ourselves…"

"Huh," Link said lost and confused.

Bo looked around and looked at Ilia, he put his hand gently behind his daughter's head and said, "Why don't you go and keep everybody company… Daddy's gotta talk with Rusl and Link about something important. Y'know, man stuff."

"Ok daddy," Ilia said with a shrug finding her dad odd. Maybe he was a little drunk already from the bit he drank, even if he is a large man.

Link was lead away by Rusl and Bo over to Bo's house as everybody still partied. Link was glad that the people here were surprisingly tamer than those at the castle party who all tried to approach him to talk to him and cornering him everywhere he had walked. Bo closed the door as Rusl took a seat at the large table in the main room.

"What's going on? What are people saying?" Link asked a bit confused.

"Link... You're a young man now and, well, people are expecting you to court a lady real soon," Rusl said honestly shrugging his shoulder and lifting on hand off the table in a casual motion.

Link's eye suddenly twitched. He could handle monsters, training rookies, herding sheep and goats around, but now this. This was all on another level with trying to handle large groups of people. Bo then slammed his hand down on the table.

"Link, you've been like… a son almost to me. I always tried to keep a bit of a gap between you and I because," Bo began to tear up wiping away the tears that formed. Link felt his stomach turn nervously. "Well you've always been such a good boy. A great boy who grew up into a wonderful heroic man. Now you know Ilia is my precious daughter, my one and only. She reminds me of her beautiful mother each and every day. So sad the season and her health took her at such a young age and when Ilia too was at tender age. Well I trust you the most out of any man that I have ever come across and I approve and give blessing to you and Ilia."

Link could feel it. His nerves were wrecked and he felt like as if a goat just slammed into his chest hard. Everything was caving in.

"Now… Now Mayor Bo," Link said nervously not knowing where to go. He was being expected to court Ilia?! He knew he had feelings for her but to bring something like this so radically soon. "Ilia and I are still pretty young you know. I'm only 19 now and she's still, like what, 17? You don't want to waste our youth so soon…"

"Nonsense," Rusl said once again lifting his arm off the table with a motion, "Uli and I were just about your age when we first started courting, married two years afterwards!"

Not helping, Link thought to himself.

"Anyways," Rusl said putting his hand down and rising out of his chair to put his hands on Link's shoulders, "what everybody is expecting is you to settle down soon and find a nice girl. They want the hero blood line to continue. Since the Princess Zelda announced you as the Legendary Hero your blood is valuable. Women will be falling over you wanting you but the one woman who you chose to be with will be the one who will…"

Link held his hands up not wanting to hear it. It was too early in his career as a part time knight and was too young in his eyes to be hearing this. He shook his head feeling the queasiness as a something scarier burst suddenly.

"Why?! Is my darling Ilia not good enough for ya?! Did you get some sort of fancy offer from some noble lady out there?! Did the Princess Zelda even offer herself to yas?!" Bo ranted.

Outside Ilia and Colin laughed with everybody, but they looked at Ilia's house feeling something strange going on. They watched the silhouettes of the three bursting around the house. Bo trying to grab Link into a tight embrace to beg forgiveness then changing moods in a drunken sway to try to kill him for not wanting Ilia. Then Rusl's shadow grabbing Bo's arms or trying to hold Bo back as Link was jumping all over the scene running and ducking from Bo's outbursts.

It's more like the father that wants more to have a hero in the family more than the girl! Link thought to himself dodging a flying wooden spoon. Suddenly Rusl was flung from Bo as Link came into impact with Rusl to catch him but both landing a bit hard against the wall.

"DADDY!" Ilia shouted stomping her foot as she and Colin slammed the door opened busting in on the trio.

"Great ghosts what's going on in here?!" Colin said as Link and Rusl got up dusting themselves off.

"Uh… uh…" Bo stuttered his face red from the excitement, the alcohol, and the embarrassment.

"You know he just got back after working so hard! And what kind of example are you setting as Mayor to this place! Go cool off with some cold water!" Ilia shouted pointing at her father's quarters.

Bo hung his head in shame not wanting to tell his daughter what the ruckus was about as Rusl rubbed his shoulders and Link helped Ilia set order back to the house.

"Daddy sometimes, what was going on?" Ilia asked looking at Link with a soft face curious of the events.

"Uh," Link said nervously beginning to blush at the look she gave him. She was quite pretty now and it was natural sense as well. "Well your dad was," Link trailed off.

"He got over excited and wanted to wrestle Link in a private congratulatory manner but a bit too much grog for him got him a bit over the edge," Rusl said with a smile.

He's such a great cover up. I guess it's from being in the hidden militia. Link thought again as he nodded in agreement.

"Oh, daddy sometimes is just too much," Ilia looked at Link and looked down. "Shall we go back?" She asked.

"Ah, yeah," Link said nodding his head beginning to walk.

Suddenly Ilia took his arm and he grew stiff for a moment. Bo looked around the corner as a smile crept across his face as Rusl looked behind him and motioned for Bo to shoo and mind his own business. Colin ran ahead of Link and Ilia back to the party.

"That boy is able to make his own decisions as to who is a good woman or not Bo, you know that," Rusl said smacking Bo in the back of the head.

"Ow! Gosh… you just know. Link had always been looked up to by the new generations in our village. And with it growing bigger we always talked about how Link would make a great mayor. I just hoped that if he does become something along those lines it'd be with my Ilia. I know at first when he was a kid he was a trouble maker, scarin' Ilia and all with frogs and toads, but now he's such a great man. And I can see in her eyes how Ilia stares at him. Gosh, reminds me on how I used to stare at the wife before she left," Bo said tearing up again.

"Uhnmm… I better," Rusl started having a feeling where it'd go.

But he couldn't escape. Rusl was embraced in the big man's arm having him cry into his shoulder. Rusl just patted the big man who just bawled out as the kid and the two young adults walked off to enjoy the rest of the night.


AN: In all honesty, I do not support Link x Ilia. In fact, that dreamy horse whistle scene actually broke my heart and I did not feel comfortable with it... But to build up I have to put up some Link x Ilia. Also to satisfy Link x Ilia fans, I decided thanks to rylasasin to place in multiple endings. But they won't be the true ending in my eyes until I get to my personal chosen girl P But if you can't tell by this message already, it's not Link x Ilia! Hu hu huu!