"Ilia..."
She turned and smiled when she saw who it was.
"Hi, Link!"
"Umm..."
She cocked her head to the side. "Somethin' wrong?"
"I-"
"What?"
"I-I'm leaving."
She stared at him in shock. "What? No, you can't leave. You can't. You can't. You can't."
"Ilia..."
"No!" She was crying. "No, No No!"
"Rusl said that I'm too young to live alone."
"But can't you stay with someone here?"
"Jaggle and Pergie have Talo, Rusl and Uli have Colin, and Sera and Hanch have Beth. They're all toddlers, and their parents are busy enough."
She stared at him once again. "But..."
"Where will you go?"
"Back to my dad. The famine is over, now."
"Are you coming back to see me again?"
Link paused. She had just stopped crying, and he didn't want her to start crying again because of his answer. He hated it when she cried. So he gave a different one.
"Yes."
Maybe that answer was true. But he didn't know that.
Ilia hugged him gently. "I'm gonna miss you."
She let go. "You better come back, ya hear me? You better!"
Link nodded sadly. "O-Okay."
The next day, Rusl loaded the supplies for the trip onto the wagon. It had been a year since the war ended. Link was ten, now. He watched Rusl as he strapped Luna to the wagon. To a stranger, his face was impassive, as if he didn't care that he was leaving. But Ilia knew better. Behind the mask that Link was wearing were feelings of anger, sadness, and loneliness. She could see it in his eyes, He had done the same when his uncle had died.
"Link? You ready?"
Rusl had finished packing. Link nodded slowly.
"Alright."
Before Link climbed into the cart, Ilia ran up and hugged him " Ya better come back!You promised!" Link smiled and nodded. He blushed slightly, hoping no one noticed.
"I'll come back." he said. Ilia smiled sadly and let go.
"B-Bye."
Colin ran up to Link, crying. Link bent down and hugged him.
"Bye, Colin. I'll miss you."
Talo and Beth, realizing what was going on, started crying with Colin. Link hugged them both and bid farewell to the rest of the villagers before climbing back into the cart. Ilia watched as the cart disapeared into the trees. She was the last to leave.
"So, Link. How do you feel about leaving?"
"Well..."
Link looked out at the horizon. It was streaked with orange light, signifying twilight.
"I guess I have mixed feelings about it. Like,"
"Like when you have a friend who is really smart but kinda weird. Right?"
Link laughed. "Right. I'm really excited that I get to see my Dad again, but to do that, I have to leave Ordon."
"And Ilia?"
Link turned red. "W-What about her?"
"You like her, don't you?"
"N-No I don't."
Rusl smiled and punched him gently in the arm. "She's nine. You're ten. She's a girl. You're a boy. And-"
"Rusl!" Link said, embarrassed.
"And she's cute."
Link turned away.
"Not just that, I saw you blush when she hugged you this morning."
Link sighed. He knew better than to talk back at Rusl. It would only make the situation worse. Rusl smiled, knowing he was victorious.
They arrived at Esmon the next day. Rowan was waiting, and there was a woman standing next to him.
"Dad!"
Link ran up and hugged him. "Link! It's good to see you again! My goodness, you've grown!"
Link nodded happily. "So, dad. When I was in Ordon, Rusl was teaching me how to use a sword!"
"Really?"
"Mm-hm!"
Rowan turned to Rusl. "Is that true?"
He nodded. "Yep. He has a natural talent."
Rowan held out his hand. "I'm sorry. My name's Rowan, and-"
"Dad, who's that?" Link said, looking at the lady next to his father.
Rowan looked down at his son. "That, my boy, is Maeri. She's your Future Stepmom."
"What's a Stepmom?" Link asked.
Rowan sighed. "So… do you know how your real mother died?"
"You said she died when I was born."
"Yes...well...sometimes the daddy gets lonely, so he gets married again. Maeri is kinda like your replacement mom."
"Oh. Ok."
Link stayed with his father for five years. Rusl had to leave after a week, and by the end of that week, he and Rowan were talking and laughing like brothers. Maeri and Link grew to be very close, and when Link was thirteen, she had a baby girl. Maeri named her Ava. Link was a good older brother, and he was happy. But the entire time he was at Esmon, he felt slightly lonely. Maybe he missed Ordon. Or maybe Rusl. Maybe he wanted to see how much Colin, Malo, Talo and Beth had grown while he was in this village in the mountains caring for his half-sister. Or maybe he wanted to see…Ilia?