That night did not smile on the hero. Having left Epona behind, the two were cut off on access to food and water as Link suddenly found himself in un familiar wood. They wandered for hours, the night drenched trees slowly creeping up on them, and he could not make anything of their surroundings. They passed the same tree for what seemed like hours, and just when he thought he was going to make it out, he realized he was heading to the temple -a dead end- and would have to turn around and walk back many miles. Nani was cold, hungry, and needed shelter, but Link found that he could not give him any of that; all he could do was comfort him as he tirelessly searched for an exit.
Three hours before the rise of dawn, he suddenly found just that. A break in the woods where Hyrule field lay in the horizon appeared before, having been hidden from his eyes his whole struggle, and beckoned him passage. Link wasted no time in taking it and hurried through, the toxic and pine odors of the poisonous forest soon melting into the sweet smells of freedom and hay, and with it came the relieved sensation that he would finally be rid of his troubling past. That did not mean, however, that the fields that had blessed him with freedom on more than one occasion were an escape from the troubles of his future. He had come to understand that he would have to find a place where Nani would be accepted wholey, without fear of being hunted down, and if he couldn't...
Though, the more present troubles overcame his thoughts of what was to come; he had to find shelter and food fast, as his tiny infant was become increasing needing of it, as was he himself. He did more wandering through the fields, his feet aching from the hours he spent in the forest with improper footwear, but all around him he could see naught but the large expanse of dirt and long grass. Even so, he soldiered on, and he tried to search for the positive aspects of their ordeal. He tried to show Nani how the beetles and ants frolicked around in the grass and how the blue hue of the sky was slowly turning into the awakening of the day, naming all the colors around them, but Nani could only seem to pay attention to the rumbling in his own stomach. As much as he tried to keep their minds off of their situation, it was all for nothing.
The sun rose higher in the sky, ridding the air of the chill. Link looked onward, ignoring his worry that the heat of the noon and afternoon would be too much to bear. His treading was becoming slower and slower, the pains of restless wayfaring taking its toll on his body, and his legs were beginning to buckle. After a while, he had no choice but to stop and take a rest. He sat beside a small pond on a hill surrounded by a random fence and quenched his thirst for a small bit as he allowed the infant to lay in the grass beside him. Nani was captivated by a small red lady bug making its way up a leaf beside him, and Link was captivated by the way his son preciously laughed and cooed gibberish to his new friend. He managed to crack a smile- a real smile, not the ones he let go to put on a brave face for Uli. No, he couldn't think about her anymore.
He shook his head of the thought; he dunked his head in the water and came back up, feeling refreshed and awake from the coldness of it and flicking his hair back and forth. He hadn't realized it until then, but his hair had gotten a bit long for him- too long. Thoughts of cutting it gave him something to take his mind off his worries. After a small while, they headed out again for someplace to rest their weary heads. The sun went higher, and so did the temperature, but even as he sweat he went on. When Nani, too found the heat unbearable, he found a discarded leaf and fanned him with it, and he went on. When the afternoon came and pillaged Hyrule Field, Link was forced to remove his shirt and what kept Nani connected to him and hold the child himself, but he went on. The child was becoming an anchor, and Link's arms were beginning to quake from the pressure, but he went on. He had to keep going, for both their sakes. They wouldn't last much longer without the necessities, and Link needed to find a place soon, but the day became increasing hot and relentless.
Then, as if out of nowhere, it began pouring heavily on them. Link stopped in his tracks and looked up at the gray sky as it sobbed on to his face. Tears spilled down his face. In a way, the cool rain was a blessing from the heat, but the wetness would surely ruin their clothes and make the both of them sick and cold. He felt as if he didn't know the goddesses anymore- whether they wanted to help or hinder him. Either way, he decided as he continued on, come heaven or hell, he was going to protect his child from everything. They ambled on miserably as Nani started to ball in his arms. Link did nothing to stop his cries, as it was something he, too, wanted to do, and so he let him cry for the both of them.
When noon rolled by, Link's body finally dropped. His muscles locked up as he lay on his back, the baby safely beside him, preventing him from moving no matter how hard he tried. He felt numb and sore beyond words all at the same time, and his mind desperately cursed his body for failing it. His vision was becoming blurry, and just before they closed, he caught sight of a moblin coming his way. Just before it sent its club down on the infant, Link's body miraculously found the strength to put itself over him like a bridge, his back receiving the blow instead of his child. He grunted as the blows kept coming without stop, the spikes digging into his skin. He could feel the blood on his back sliding down to the ground, and he drew closer to his child when he realized he might not be able to carry him to safety any longer. He kissed his cheek as he sobbed apologies for being so weak. The moblin lifted his club for the final time, slamming it down hard on his head and killing him. Yet, even in death he shielded the child from harm.
Then, Link opened his eyes to the realization that he was not dead, and moblin had not hit him. He turned around to what had happened, only to find a dead moblin laying on the floor before a tall man. For a moment, Link thought it was a god, but then, he examined the long black tresses the man had and the beige dress getup and realized it was just an old friend returning the favor.
"Ren... Ren... Renad- gah-" Link gasped as his wounds made it impossible to speak and he became speechless in agony. Even so, the dark man kneeled beside him and put his hand on his shoulder.
"My friend... We shall speak of this matter in due time, but for now, we must get you two out if the elements. Luna!" The shaman called. The now nearly fully grown woman hurried over to them. "Take the child and I shall carry Link, we must get to the village quickly. Obediantly, she went to reach for Nani, but as soon as she caught sight of his flaming red hair, she gasped and pulled away.
"Father... His hair... He is a Geru-" The young woman began. Her father raised his hand to silence her and she bit her lip, taking the child into her arms. Renado put Link's arm around his shoulder and helped him on to his feet. Ahead, they could see Darbus as he quickly rolled towards them.
"Link! What happened?" The patriarch gasped. The shaman shook his head.
"Nevermind what happened, we need to treat them as soon as possible. Carry him so that we may go faster to the village," He instructed. The goron nodded wilingly and, as gently as a goron his size could manage, he carried him in his strong arms. Link looked over at Renado as his vision became blurred once again. The man obviously knew the circumstances of Nani's birth, as he had been the one to deliver the boy, and yet he aided them without a second thought. He smiled. Maybe they had found the right place to stay.
When he regained conciousness, Link found himself laying on a comfortable bed inside a room laced in cheap, but nice regardless, knick-knacks and pleasant flower accents. The air smelled of warm, well-prepared food that was boiled to prefection, and awakening to such a smell made his stomach rumble. Then, the memories of wandering the forest and field came back to him and he burst up from the bed.
"Nani!" he yelled, too lost in his protection mode that he didn't realize he had opened some wounds again. A shadowy movement by the door frame caught his eye, and he moved his head to see Renado sporting a small smile as he strolled towards him. "Where's Nani?" Link asked worriedly.
"Luda, bring him in and close the door behind you," He called to his daughter. She appeared in the doorway, holding a bundle of cloth in her arms and closed the door. With a pleseant grin, she made her way to Link and held the bundle for him to see. It was his son, no doubt, except his hair was- BLACK?! Link was relieved to see his son out of harm, but the change in hair color still puzzled him. Then, after his instincts went away, the pain set in and he yelped, laying back down.
"What happened to his hair?" Link asked, holding his sides.
"That red hair is a dead give away, Mr. Link. Father and I knew if we showed him to the villagers, they wouldn't be so accepting, so I used some poisonous berries to temporarily dye his hair for the next two months," Luda replied. Before Link could gasp, she added, "Don't worry, they're unsafe to eat, but harmless on the skin." The teen was satisfied with this and closed his eyes. Then, he opened them and smirked.
"You've grown a lot since I first met you," Link mumbled. Luda blushed and looked away as she fiddled in her boots.
"Well... That was over three years ago, Mr. Hero... People change a lot in that time," She stammered.
"Still, it amazes me how able you are... I can bet your father is proud," Link continued. Renado closed his eyes and nodded with a nostalgic smile.
"She grows more into a remarkable women each day," He agreed. Luda giggled and rubbed the back of her neck. They spoke for a while about topics like how the gorons had been doing and how many people had moved back to the now-bustling village since the troubles went away. Link learned that the gorons had a special contract with Kakariko that insured the protection of the village by the tribe, and the two would forever be binded as one; with the contract, Kakariko would share its prospers with the gorons, and in turn would be granted a great force at their disposal- tribal matters would involve both peoples.
After that passed, Luda took her leave to continue on to her other duties, handing the child over to Renado. As soon as the door closed, the shaman and hero met intense eyes.
"What did they do?" Renado asked venomously.
"You can't blame them, Ren..." Link began.
"Maybe not for sending you away, but you were left out to the elements like a wounded animal- horseless, defensless, and bleeding to death. Did they try to kill you?" He snapped. Link nodded, causing Renado to sigh and curse them under his breath. "What has gotten into Bo- he owes you for his and his daughter's life."
"Rusl didn't have the heart to do it, though, and banished me instead," Link finished.
The shaman looked down at the baby's face and smiled, smoothing his hand over the small face. "Well, as a shaman, I can see the light of Farore shining brightly in your child... Therefor, I will do all I can to protect the child of our mother. Ah, he also has Din's might... That was... Expected," He went on.
"Yeah... I felt that even when he was in me that he has a piece, I just never thought of him as deadly... I mean, he's just a baby," Link replied.
"He will grow older... You can only hide his power from the citizens for so long before they, too, feel it," Renado explained. "And you know as well as I do the hatred that the people for all things having to do with the Evil King." Link nodded.
After he came back from his capture, Link spent almost all his time in his house, wanting nothing more than to distance himself from the people he had once swore to protect; yet, even then, he could feel the hatred they had for the now deceased man. The strangest thing, though, was that Link had been done the most wrong by the man, and still he could not bring himself to hate him. Before his capture, he almost empathized with the man who filled a hole in his heart with destruction and chaos; afterall, both he and Ganondorf were kindred spirits, people who were cut from a different cloth than the listless people who occupied Hyrule. He could imagine that the man felt as out of place and lonely as he did- that "final" battle in Hyrule gave him an exhilerating feeling, and he felt as if he had finally found what he had been searching for toset him free. Then, he was on his own for a small while, and everything he did felt meaningless. After he was captured, it nearly destroyed his spirit, but Ganon gave him a gift: a tiny boy who gave him purpose once more. All-in-all, he almost thanked him for the ordreal, as if it had not had happened, he would still be wandering the realm, aimless and hollow.
Renado Tickled the boy's stomach with a tender smile, both men's heart warming when the babe let out a giggle. The five-month-old reached up for him and grabbed his hair; he was always a gentle child, and so he did not pull, rather held, his long black locks- fascinated. "For now, though, you may stay here and raise your child with my blessing. At least for a few years, you two should be safe," The shaman assured him. Link breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Renado- I owe you one," He inwardly cheered. The older man gave a bow.
"This is but a small payment to the debt that we have to you," he replied. "Now, I've had our friends in the mountains make a cradle for the child and we are currently preparing a permanant residence for you."
Link gave no reply, and instead gave him a look that expressed his thanks better than his words ever could. With that, Renado took his leave, placing the baby in the rock-fashioned cradle stuffed with blankets. Link layed back fully on the bed and smiled. He trusted the man- he knew his words were true, and while they would have to worry about better concealing the child, for now they had at least six years of refuge. For this, he was eternally greatful. He closed his eyes and caught up on his much-needed sleep.