Chapter 2 - Moving On
Ordon…
There was not another place in all of Hyrule that could make Link feel so welcome yet so hated at the very same time, all the time, than his home in Ordon.
Ordon hadn't changed much since the end of the war; the war never really managed to change Ordon to begin with, for that matter. Unlike the people of castle town, the Goron mines, and the Zoran kingdom, Ordon was one of the many rural areas throughout Hyrule that were not affected very much by Ganondorf. The fear was there, but the first-hand experiences were not.
Link passed through the gates to Ordon and was pleased to see that most of the townsfolk were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he could get in and get out without being seen. Too many people out and he would be more likely to be spotted. And if he was spotted, he presumed word would spread and everyone would slip inside their houses and lock the door.
It only took a few steps into Ordon when Link found himself face to face with one of the men he was looking for. Though by the look on this particular man's face, he did not seem to be thrilled to see Link.
"Bo." Link said simply, nodding.
Bo looked to be on some kind of errand. He was walking briskly on the only path Ordon had to offer when Link stopped him, and in his right hand was some parchment. Upon seeing Link, he immediately stopped in his tracks and put on a forced face of loathing.
"Link." Mayor Bo replied, putting his hand on his hips. His face simply shouted irritation as he waited impatiently for Link to speak.
"I need to tell you something."
Bo looked back at Link, eyes full of thought. For a moment he looked ready to turn his back on the Hero, but in the end, he simply said, "Make it quick."
Ah, so he was still afraid of Link. With Bo possessing the unnatural strength that he did, Link wasn't sure if he would be scared of him as well. They hadn't talked at all in about three months and Link still hadn't gotten a good picture of him up until this point. So he didn't flat out deny him at that moment for fear of his life, but he still maintained that obvious tone of not wanting to be there.
Not wanting to prolong Bo's suffering, Link made it short and sweet. "I'm leaving."
That apparently wasn't near the top of the list of things that Bo thought Link would say. Utterly perplexed, still vaguely afraid and perhaps even a little happy, Bo asked, "Why?"
"You all don't want me here and I don't want to be here. I don't think it can get any simpler than that." Link lied. In reality, this situation was anything but simple.
Becoming strictly authoritative and in no way personal, Bo responded, "No, I daresay it can't. That same decision probably could have been made months ago. But Link, as much as I don't want to say it, I feel obligated because of all that you have done for us to tell you that you are welcome back here anytime."
Link picked up the hint of displeasure in Bo's voice. "Thanks Bo, but no thanks. I will never come back here; unless, that is, you all decide that I am not such a bad guy after all. Like what you thought before, when there was no danger."
"Please don't lay any guilt trips on me, Link. You know as well as I that you can't be trusted." Bo responded, frowning.
Can't be trusted?
These words of fierce and harsh fear outlined the stark reality that now was Link's life. Trust was the basis for any friendship. It was the very quality that Hyrule had in Link that allowed him to emerge as the savior of Hyrule. It is the quality that strings groups of people together.
But with the fall of Ganondorf came the fall of the people's trust in Link. And with trust being so important in relationships, it was also the fall of Link's social life and his reputation as the Hero of Hyrule.
This was precisely why Link had to get out of here. It would be better to wander aimlessly than to stay here and continue to get ridiculed by everyone. They obviously weren't going to revert back to how it was before. For that to happen, Link would have to show them, once more, that he can be trusted; that he is the Hero of Hyrule and nothing less. As to how to go about doing that, Link did not have a clue. But it definitely wasn't going to happen here, in his home, in Ordon.
Link sighed and looked deeply into Bo's unmoving and indifferent glare. "I've come to accept my fate, Bo. You will never accept me again, I can see that. I've been a disillusioned fool not to realize it earlier."
"We'll miss you, Link." Bo replied, though his tone told Link that he didn't mean it.
"Just one last request, Bo?" Link asked.
Bo thought about it for a while. Again, he seemed to be considering whether or not to turn his back on the Hero. "I guess I owe you that much." He replied eventually.
"Please, let me…Bo, can I see Ilia? One last time?"
"Absolutely not!" Bo roared. A rosy shade of pink instantly covered his cheeks. "She will never be the same again, after what you've done to her! Oh, my poor, sweet, innocent Ilia…"
Not once had Link seen Ilia since the end of Ganondorf, not once. He had no idea what had become of his long-time childhood friend. He did now know how much more she could remember since her memory was restored. Bo had simply refused to tell Link anything about Ilia. And he simply had to talk to her one last time, for he may not get another chance for a long, long time.
"Bo, I never laid a hand on your daughter!" Link hollered back. As much as Link did not like violence and anger, he was grateful that he finally got a chance to release his on an emotional level. "I was the one who saved her! Her memory will come back with time, I promise."
"She lost her memory! She will never be the same again…" Bo sobbed. "But, I swear, if she did have her memory, we'd finally have enough evidence to lock you up for good, you crazed psychopath! Get out of my sight!"
Link sighed again. "Fine, fine. You win; I'll leave your daughter alone. Please, though, at least tell her that I said goodbye."
"I will do no such thing. I believe we are done here." He said professionally. "Goodbye, Link. I hope you find whatever it is you are looking for."
Link sighed and looked into the mayor's eyes one last time before turning his back and walking back down the path. He could still feel Bo's cold stare on his back as he walked back down the path. He knew that Bo would refuse, but if all worked out the way Link had planned, he would get to see Ilia again, albeit without her father's permission.
Down another path Link walked, knowing that Bo was watching him closely along the way. It didn't take long for Link to reach the house that he was looking for, that of Rusl and Uli.
Link knocked at the door and didn't have to wait long for Rusl to open the door, revealing himself, Uli, and a two-month old boy cradled in her mother's arms.
"Hello Rusl." Link said quickly before Rusl could speak. "I need to ask you for a favor."
Rusl furrowed his brow and glanced quickly at his wife before replying, "What kind of favor?"
"Bo is watching me." Link said quickly. "He won't stop until I am out of sight. He doesn't trust me, he thinks I plan to break into his house and talk to Ilia." He paused. "Well, that is exactly what I plan to do, actually."
Rusl glanced over Link's shoulder and saw that, sure enough, Bo was looking this way.
"Well, what do you expect me to do?" Rusl frowned. "'Cuz I'm not sticking my neck out for you if that's what you want."
Link sighed. "No it's nothing like that. If you will allow me to come inside your house for no more than a minute or so, Bo will move on and continue whatever it is that he is doing. Once that happens, I will leave your house, never to return."
"What do you mean, 'never to return'?"
"I'll explain inside, please just let me in your house." Link said impatiently. "He's going to get suspicious if I stand here for too long."
Rusl needed only another moment's thought before he said, "Alright, fine. Come in." He stepped back, as did Uli, to allow Link to walk in.
"Thank you." Link said quickly, then walked in and closed the door behind him.
As hard as he tried, Link couldn't remember the last time he was in this house. It had not changed a bit after all this time, but the sight was still unique in Link's eye.
"Is he still there?" Link asked quietly.
Rusl peeked out the window near the front door. A few seconds past before he said, "Yes, but he has turned away and is walking towards the ranch."
"Alright good, I'll have plenty of time if he is going there." Link said with a sigh of relief.
"So," Rusl said quietly. "You're leaving Ordon, is that what you plan to do?"
"Yes." Link replied. "And I don't intend on returning anytime soon."
Rusl studied Link for a moment. "But where will you go?"
Link paused. He hadn't really thought on that one too much, but in his view, anywhere was better than here. "Only the goddesses know what's in store for me." Link replied finally. "They created me, and now they will lead me to where I can be happy."
Rusl frowned. Link was never the most religious man in Hyrule, so such an answer certainly surprised him. "Wherever you go," He said apathetically. "Best of luck."
Link nodded and then glanced out the window. Bo was nowhere in sight, it was now or never. "Thanks for everything Rusl, I hope to see you again sometime."
Link then turned and opened the door and walked out the house. Even if Rusl responded, which he doubted, Link never heard it for he closed the door again quickly and traveled as fast as he could without making too much noise down the path to the mayor's house.
A few of the townsfolk were out and about by now. It was midafternoon, and there was much for them to do before the sun disappeared into darkness. Many of them saw Link and walked back into their houses, but perhaps that was for the best. Link didn't want all eyes on him while he broke into the mayor's house.
In better times, this trek was always a carefree one. He went to Bo's house all the time to play with Ilia back before Ganondorf, and the front door was usually unlocked even. But this was not the case anymore; Link knew this from previous experience. He had tried once before to get to Ilia, but Bo always locks the front door now.
But there was more than one way into the mayor's house.
Link made his way around back. He passed into the backyard, through the fenced-off field he had come to know very well. Childhood memories littered this area, after all the times he had spent with Ilia.
It did not take long for Link to find what he was looking for. There it was, resting on the backside of the mayor's house; an old wooden ladder. It seemed foolish to Link that Bo, who had already gone to such lengths to keep Link from his daughter, would turn a blind eye to something as simple as a rooftop break-in. Nevertheless, Link was still grateful, and quickly he climbed up the ladder.
Again, Link trekked into familiar territory as he clambered up onto the roof. He had been up here a few times before, and those times had always been without Bo's knowing as well.
"No..." Link whispered quietly to himself.
Now it made sense as to why the ladder had been un-guarded. Now it made sense why Ilia had not been out in months.
From his position at the top of the ladder, Link traveled to the side of the roof that faced Fado's ranch. There he expected to find the window to Ilia's room, but there was more than just that. Sturdy, iron bars secured the window in place and made it impossible for anyone to get in-or out.
Link covered the remaining space between himself and the window in a single stride. He flung himself at the bars and, twisting and jerking, tried to rip the wretched captors from their holsters on the house. But it was no good; Bo obviously put them in place without the intention of their removal.
"Ilia!" Link screamed. He soon gave up trying to remove the bars and instead started tapping noisily on the window, hoping beyond hope that the one inside could hear.
He would not be disappointed. Very soon, Ilia's pleading face showed up behind the bars. There was no doubt she could remember her old friend now; she was yelling something but Link didn't have the slightest idea as to what it was.
Link couldn't help but feel a strong sense of pity toward her as she tried desperately to convey something to him. Her hair was on edge and her clothes looked as though they had not been washed in weeks. She also seemed quite a bit thinner than he could ever remember. Link doubted that this because Bo didn't feed her. No, Bo still loved his daughter.
"LINK!" somebody roared from behind him.
Link turned around despite his strong urge to keep looking at Ilia. There stood Bo at the gates to Fado's ranch. His face's color had evolved into a strong cherry red and he glared at Link with a hatred that Link had never seen.
"I told you; no, you can't see my daughter!"
"How could you do this to her, Bo?" Link shouted, overcome with his own rage. "She doesn't want to spend her days cooped up in her room, she deserves so much more than that!"
"She deserves a life without you in it, which I intend to give her!" Bo yelled, advancing to the base of the house. "And don't try to tell me what's best for my daughter!"
"Yeah well, I'm looking at your daughter's face now and it certainly seems as if she could do better" Link muttered loud enough for Bo to hear.
"Go Link, just go." Bo said quietly. "Without you here, she will finally be able to recover."
"Bo, I urge you to see sense." Link said with a sigh. "Your daughter is dying. She looks as if she has not eaten in days. She is slowly losing the urge to stay alive. Keep her in their too much longer and one day, you'll walk into her room and find a rope around her neck."
Bo's response, loud as it was, was not heard by Link. He had turned away from the mayor to face the mayor's daughter once more. She was still looking up at him, apparently perplexed that he was yelling at something that she could not see herself.
Link slowly put the palm of his hand to the outside of the window, and Ilia did the same on the inside. "I'll come back soon." Link said very quietly, though he knew that she could not hear a word he said.
"Link," Bo roared. "Get off my roof!"
Link took one last look at Ilia before he finally complied. Without so much as a glance at Bo, Link made his way back to the ladder and climbed down. He ran through the town back to the gates before he finally looked back. He would not see this place, these people for a long time, Link knew that much.
He could feel a single tear rolling down his cheeks as he whispered for the final time, "Good-bye."
Every bird leaves its nest sooner or later.
Where was a good place to go?
A couple of places came to mind. They were peaceful places that held were held with the utmost respect by Link. Special, important places that Link would never forget about in his entire life. But they were memorials, not suited for curing the loneliness he was currently experiencing.
The sacred grove was a nice quiet place. Link could probably feel at home there. But going there would cut him off completely from society. He wanted to stay a little attached to the society that rejected because there was a small chance, indeed just a sliver of hope, that his society may once again accept him.
With too many places to choose from and no conclusive reason to go to any one of them before another, Link decided to do what he told Rusl he would do.
And so, Link, instead of picking a certain place to go, let Epona steer herself. He basically rode around wearily on her back for the afternoon and lost any sense of direction, because he wasn't really focused on where Epona was taking him.
He didn't do much on the journey, but he had plenty to think about. He wanted to believe that, with his absence, Bo would let Ilia out once more and she would start living again. He wanted to, but his gut told him she would not. And there was nothing he could do for her because Bo would only lock her up again if he returned. All he could do for now was spend time away and hope for the best.
By nightfall, when Link got off Epona to give her a break and call it a day, he finally found where he was. Epona had led him to the small little lakes in southern Hyrule field. No longer full of goblins and those menacing birds, Hyrule field had actually become a serene setting. It was becoming fall and the tree's leaves were beginning to change color and fall harmlessly to the ground.
Link set up a humble tent on the shore of the shallow lake while Epona stood ankle-deep in the water and lapped up a well-earned drink after a long day. It wasn't hard to set a tent, he had gotten used to it in all those days when he and Midna stopped and needed rest. And that was often with all the travelling they did.
Recalling those events in his past, Link couldn't help but smile. He received no help now, just as he received no help back then. It was laughable to think that Midna would be kind enough to help with his tent. She refused to because she claimed that she didn't sleep in the tent and therefore, did not need to help set the tent.
At night, just like much of the day, Midna would be in his shadow. So technically, she was in the tent, because that is where Link's shadow was. But she would just find other lame excuses to get out of physical labor. Link was the brawn and Midna was the commanding force, or so she claimed.
Though there was some times that she slept in the tents at night. Mainly on dark, dismal, rainy nights, Midna would sometimes come out of her shadow and seek refuge next to him in the tent. Though, Link figured, that was just for comfort in dark times. She would have done the same had it been any other person.
Though, Link thought looking back, she did, rarely, show some signs of affection. But that had to be her trying to manipulate him. She was trying to bend him to her will to get her kingdom back. Not that it really mattered anymore, anyway. She was gone from his life; with the mirror shattered, there was no remaining connection between the worlds of light and twilight.
Link had fought the evil king, Ganondorf with the intention of protecting her and Zelda. And he had succeeded. But at what cost? Ganondorf and his tyranny and made it impossible for any shred of a relationship to blossom between him and either Midna or Zelda. Two close friends had been the sacrifice for Hyrule to get back on its feet.
And though Midna never really slept with him, rather in his shadow, Link had always felt certain at ease sleeping seemingly alone in the tent because he knew Midna would be watching. He knew that he could call her at a moment's notice if danger showed up, as it frequently did during their adventure. She could be counted on to help him out of sticky situations.
And so, for the very first time in the wilderness, Link slept alone. Alone and scared.
Link woke the next morning very late. It was getting close to midday by the time that Link had packed up the tent, and that seemed to be no problem for Epona. She, too, had slept in late, even later than Link. She was still curled up outside the tent and gently snoring in her sleep. And when asleep, a horse could be very stubborn, especially this horse.
Instead of trying to wake up the beast, Link went to find some food. Of course, he had packed food, but he had no idea where he was travelling or how long he would be travelling, so he thought it would be best to save that food for a time when it would be harder to find food, if there was such a time. It was best to be prepared.
Near his camp location, Link found a big apple tree. He grabbed a few of the ones on the lower branches and headed back to camp. And, not to his great surprise, Epona was still snoring away. Good thing he had found apples. She was a sucker for apples.
All he had to do was put one in front of her nose and she popped right up and swallowed the thing whole. Never before had he seen a horse move quicker than Epona when she found apples. She soon realized that Link was eating another one. She nudged him with her nose in his shoulder and neighed expectantly.
Link laughed. "At least you will never leave me, girl." He said, stroking her neck. "Though I do get the sneaking suspicion that you only like me for my apples…"
Epona neighed once more and Link laughed again. "Fine, take it." Link said, throwing the half-eaten up in the air. Epona lunged at it and caught it her mouth. "I'll just go get some more." He muttered in defeat. Grabbing two more off the tree, Link handed one more to Epona before putting the other in his bag, so Epona wouldn't go after that one as well.
"Alright, girl," Link said, jumping on her back. "Let's go!"
Making sure that he had a good grip on her neck, Link laid his head down on her neck and drifted off to sleep while Epona took lead again.
Link awoke at a dead stop. Epona was no longer moving; rather, she seemed to be trying to get his attention. Link got off her back, still drowsy, and tried to calm Epona down.
"Shh, girl, it's alright." Link said.
It was barely past midday, they couldn't have been riding but for maybe two hours. But when he tried to get back on Epona, she refused.
"What's the matter, Epona?" Link asked, perplexed.
He took a look around at the setting. Epona had travelled right up the little pass that led to the southern entrance of Hyrule castle town. They were now at the foot of the staircase that led up to the hustle and bustle of city life, Hyrule Castle Town.
"What, is this where you want me to go?" Link asked, amused.
Epona neighed, as if saying that it was. Smiling, Link gave her the core of the apple that he had eaten this morning as a reward. "Thanks, girl." He said.
Epona, as only Link would know, was a very smart horse. She seemed to be able to sense things. She had an uncanny awareness about her. She was always able to warn Link of danger far before it hit and had the ability to know where to go to get a good shot at the enemy before they could get a good shot at him.
And here was a good example of that awareness. She must know that Link is being called here, and so she led him here. What he told Rusl was wrong. He was going where Epona, not the goddesses, was leading him.
Grabbing her reins, Link led her up the small flight of stairs and found a stable for her to stay a while.
But why Castle Town?
Did it have something to do with Zelda? Was he supposed to make amends with her? That seemed plausible. But it also seemed highly unlikely to happen. What else was there is Castle Town, though?
Shrugging, Link walked across the drawbridge and into the town, where his fate waited for him.