Link bounced Ava on his lap. He wasn't paying full attention to her, until she grabbed his long, messy hair and yanked hard. "Ow!"

She giggled. "Meow!" He looked down at her and smiled slightly at her reaction.

"Do you take pleasure in my pain, crazy baby girl?"

"Meow!"

"Meow yourself." He sighed and smiled.

"Moo?"

"Moo what?"

She giggled again. "Moo, moo, moo, moo, moo!" Someone chuckled behind him. He turned around. His father was standing in the doorway. Rowan smiled and sat down next to Link. Link handed him Ava, who started chewing on her father's ear.

"So, Link," he began as he set his daughter in his lap and tickled her stomach. She giggled.

"Did you find out what you want to do for your birthday yet?"

Link hesitated, then nodded slowly.

"What is it?"

"I-" He paused.

"I-I want to go back to Ordon." He said quietly.

Rowan looked at him, surprised at first, then his face broke into a grin and he began to laugh. Link turned slightly red. "W-What?"

"I-I'm sorry. It's just that-" He continued to laugh. After a few minutes, he calmed down. "I'm sorry, m'boy. It's just that, last night, Maeri and I stayed up for several hours trying to figure out what you wanted, and that thought didn't even occur to us. It's so obvious, it's funny."

"Oh. So, does that mean...?"

"That it's a yes? Of course, Link. Of course it is." Link smiled with relief. He had been worried before that they would say no.

"In fact, because it's all the way on the other side of Hyrule, we can stay for at the least a month. Would you like that?"

Link smiled and nodded.

"Yes. Yes I would."

"Alright, then." A thought occurred to Rowan. It consisted of a girl that Rusl had told him about.

"Link."

"Yes?"

"Why do you want to go? Is it just because you miss the people, or...something else? Someone else?"

Link blushed. "Mostly the first. I do miss my friend, though."

Rowan nodded. He was in love, if only the slightest.

He was fourteen. Almost fifteen, but still.

It was early morning. Esmon had recovered quite well from the famine that had swept through the valley many years ago. The village itself wasn't exactly in Hyrule. More like along the border, like Ordon was. It was a small village, consisting of about five or six small houses or cabins. It was in a valley near the mountains, instead of actually in the mountains. It was too cold to raise crops in the mountains. The valley the village was found in was wooded with coniferous trees. There was the village common, which horses and cattle grazed in, and then there were the fields, in which grew wheat, barley, rice (if the climate would allow), and other grains. It wasn't bitterly cold, which surprised many visitors. The temperature tended to stay around 60 degrees (Fahrenheit). There was a river that ran about a hundred meters from the village common. Link realized how peaceful this village was, and felt the tiniest sting of pain for leaving. Maeri had put Ava's coat onto the energetic girl, and now she toddled over to her older brother. She tugged on his pant leg with her tiny hand, and, when she obtained his attention, held up her arms and bounced up and down. Link smiled and picked her up. She tried to kiss his cheek, but gave him a slobbery mess instead. Link chuckled lightly and wiped off his cheek. He knew that she loved him, and he loved this tiny, energetic girl. He carried her over to the wagon and placed her inside. Rowan put his arm on Link's shoulder.

"Remember the last time you were going to Ordon?"

Link laughed. "Yes. I was kicking and screaming, upset that you'd send me away like that."

Rowan laughed. "I didn't think that you were that smart."

"I thought you didn't love me anymore."

"Now you know you answer."

Link laughed again. "Yup. I do. I was right. You don't love me."

Rowan hit him playfully. "You're darn right I don't!" He started laughing, too.

"Alright, boys. If we want to get to Kakariko by tonight, we have to leave. Now." Maeri grabbed them both by the ear.

"Alright, alright! Mercy!"

She pushed them away, faking a scowl. They didn't know that, of course. She was careful to hid her amusement. They yelped when she started towards them again and scrambled into the wagon. She chuckled to herself and climbed into the wagon after them.

"Link?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"You're sitting in my spot."

He jumped out of the spot next to his father and offered it to her. She smiled and slapped him playfully, then pecked him on the cheek.

"Hey..."

He wiped the spot she had kissed. She laughed at his reaction and sat next to her husband. She kissed him, too. Ava climbed into Link's lap.

"Alright. You ready?" Rowan asked his family. They nodded, and the wagon set off for Kakariko.

It was late afternoon when they arrived in Ordon the next day. Maeri and Ava looked around them, Maeri fascinated because she had never seen so many deciduous trees before. Ava because everything fascinated her. A few minutes after they crossed the bridge, they saw a boy standing in front of them. He was standing with a woman. He had straight, blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked to be about seven years old. When he saw them, he gasped and hid behind his mother. Just like Ilia had done. The woman's eyes studied the approaching wagon, and when she saw Link, her face lit up.

"Link!" She called to him. He instantly recognized her voice. He jumped down from the wagon and smiled.

"Link! Oh my goodness, look at you!"

"Hello, Uli. I take it this is Colin?" She nodded. Link looked at him, shocked. "I swear, he's grown three feet!"

Uli laughed. "Just wait until you see Ilia. She's very pretty, although her fire hasn't lessened one bit." Rowan and Maeri came up to him. Uli looked at Rowan, then at Link. "I take it this is your father?" Link smiled and nodded. He noted that Colin was slowly emerging from behind his mother. He pretended he didn't notice. "Maeri. This is Uli, Rusl's wife, and Colin, her son. Uli, this is my stepmother, Maeri, and my father, Rowan. Oh, and baby Ava."

Uli smiled and tickled the baby in his arms. "No!" Ava said, smiling.

Uli laughed. "First word?"

"Third and favorite." She looked up at him and smiled.

"What?"

"Ilia will be so excited to see you. Here she comes."

Ilia came up the path. "Uli, Rusl wants to-" She stared at Link, then at Ava. Link handed Ava to his father. Ilia ran up to him and hugged him as hard as she could. After she let him go, she slapped him. Link smiled.

"You promised that you would come back!" she said angrily Link put his hands up in defense. "Yes, I did, and look! I'm back!"

Ilia scoffed. "Yeah, five years later, you jerk."

"Hey!"

"What? It's true." Link sighed. "Yeah, I know. Sorry for leaving you here alone."

"You better be." She leaned over and whispered into his ear. "You know, I have to endure Beth's constant chattering every day. Talo is getting in more trouble that you can imagine, and Malo is a business mastermind. He got Sera to sell him two bags of candy for a quarter of the price. The kid's five!" Then she looked over at Colin. "The other kids tease him a lot. He's a little timid, but once you know him better, he'll open up to you. He has some very faint memories of you. Rusl's gonna be glad to see ya," she added. Rowan came up to them. "This your girlfriend, Link?" Link glared at him. "Whaddya think?"

"Yes."

"No."

Ilia looked at Link, then at Rowan. "Is that your dad?" she asked Link. He nodded. "Then that would be Maeri, and OH MY GOSH." she said, pointing to Ava.

"She's sooo cute!" a voice behind them said. Link jumped, and when he turned around, a girl stood behind him, laughing.

"Beth!" Ilia said sternly. "Don't laugh."

"He-He just j-jumped-" she laughed harder when she saw Link's amazed expression.

"That's Beth?" he asked Ilia. She nodded. She was holding Ava now, and the little girl wasn't crying, which was amazing. Ilia looked at him. "You want to say something, don't you?"

"Yes. One, Beth and Colin both grew like, what, three feet? Two, you look older, but I seriously doubt you actually are, and-" he held up his arms in self-defense. "Three, Ava isn't crying, which is amazing because she doesn't even know you. Normally, she starts bawling when someone she doesn't know picks her up."

Uli smiled. "Well, Ilia was right when she said that Rusl would miss you, Link. Not just Rusl, but everyone else, too. Why don't we all go down to the main village and say hi?"

Everyone nodded.

"Moo!"