Link groaned, massaging his temple. The headache from his hangover was still there, but thanks to Telma's ice-water treatment, he was able to function somewhat better. He also noticed each member of the group had a different method of dealing with drunkenness. Shan took off his glasses, and walked around, slamming into things until he deemed himself fit for duty. Rusl merely slapped himself, and seemed fine after that.
Auru's method, however, was definitely the most entertaining. He took a small amount of ground hot pepper, made a small line, and snorted it. After about fifteen minutes of hysterical sneezing, Auru was able to think clearly.
The mood in the bar was somewhat more somber. Ilia's funeral was scheduled for that day, her body having arrived back at Ordon Village. Link and Rusl quietly excused themselves and made their way back to Ordon, Link riding Epona, and Rusl riding a gray mare from the stables. In accordance with custom, they both rode bareback the entire way, heedless of the discomfort.
When they finally arrived back at the village, Link went into his house, where he exchanged his green hero's tunic for a plain black robe. Glancing at the scars on his hand, he considered reopening them to remind himself of what he was fighting against, but decided against it. It would not do to bleed all over Ilia at her funeral.
Sighing, he stood up, leaving his gear at home. He slowly walked over to the segregated part of the village used for a graveyard, stopping to admire a flower along the way. He knew he was just stalling, however; putting off the inevitable pain that would come with seeing Ilia again.
Link finally arrived at the scheduled spot. Renado was there to perform the final rites. Seeing everyone there, he began. He spoke of Ilia's life, her accomplishments, reminding everyone of the good times. He made no mention of her suicide, or circumstances thereof, referring to it simply as an unspeakable tragedy. Link bowed his head respectfully as Ilia's body was brought in, draped in a thin shroud.
When it became time for her to become "one with the earth," as they said in Link's village, Link stepped forward. The other villagers gasped at this breach of custom, but Link paid them no heed. He bent over and gently kissed Ilia's closed eyes. He then brought a bracelet from his pouch. The completed wool band, semiprecious stones woven into the material with painstaking care, glimmered in the sunlight. Link gently grasped Ilia's hand, sliding the bracelet onto her wrist. That done, he backed up to where he was supposed to be during the ritual, tears now dropping to the ground.
Throughout the entire ceremony, Midna watched Link, her heart constricting as she tried to imagine his pain. She wanted nothing more than to go over, kiss him gently, provide a small measure of warmth in the freezing blizzard his life had become. But she couldn't. It was not to be, and besides, this was neither the time nor the place for such a display. It would taint Ilia's memory, never mind that it would reveal Midna to the villagers. She could only imagine their reaction. No, she couldn't do this to him. She could only hide in the shadows and weep with him, for an entirely different reason.
Link slowly walked back to his house. He felt empty inside, cleared out of all emotion. Even the fifty Rupees he found in his basement failed to cheer him. He just felt…numb. Glancing at the scars on his hand, he unsheathed his belt knife yet again. Tracing the scars with the blade, Link finally felt something again. No matter how hard he tried to reopen the scars, he couldn't apply enough pressure. Confused, he sharpened the knife, thinking it was just dull, then tried again. Again, he couldn't make the cuts that would reunite him with his beloved.
Dropping the knife, Link backed away. It would seem there was still something keeping him here. It couldn't be responsibility, he'd shrugged that off when Ilia died. All this, he thought in a strange, detached manner. I don't understand, he thought. The love of my life is dead. Dead! I'll never hear her voice again, never have the chance to kiss her, never ride with her on Epona again. Why do I not feel anything?
He paused. Nothing. Not a twinge of loss, not a hint of the indescribable agony that had ripped him to pieces inside before. He sighed, his thoughts once again turning to her. I'll never even see the expression on her face when I gave her the bracelet…
The bracelet was not just a random gift. With it would come a question, one Link wanted to ask her as soon as he brought back her memory. He was going to ask her to marry him. Just then, the dam inside him broke. All of his pent-up loss, rage and pain poured into him However, instead of letting it consume him, he redirected it, forging it into a blade of purest wrath. Link screamed, a wild, mindless howl of pure animal intent, the wolf awakening once again. Yet this time, it didn't take over, and Link didn't force it down. The wolf and Link merged into one being, fully and completely. He did not merely accept it, like he did so long ago beside the river. He welcomed it, drawing it from the shadows of his mind.
The two halves of his mind fused into one, human intelligence and logic meeting a wolf's instinct and animal power, tempered by a bath of white-hot rage. Link knew exactly what to do. Screw the Mirror. Screw Midna's plans. It was too late for that. The time had come to throw caution to the wind, make a preemptive strike. Link drew his sword, holding it to the fading light as if seeing it for the first time.
Sword in hand, he strode into the twilight, purpose written into his features.
It would rain blood tonight.