It was another calm summer evening that saw Rusl and Link quietly sitting by the Faron Woods spring and enjoying the peace of the moment. Link had spent much of the day helping Fado with the ranch, and he was glad to have some time to rest.
"Tell me... Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls?" Link kept his gaze on the water in front of him. 'Seems he's in one of his philosophical moods again. This is new, though.' He knew that, in these types of moods, Rusl was in a way talking to himself rather than to Link.
"They say it's the only time when our world intersects with theirs." Link's expression became quizzical. 'Whose? Whose world? Who's they?'
"... The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world." Link, uncertain as to what Rusl was referring to, could only wait for the older man to elaborate. Instead, Rusl fell silent for several moments. 'Maybe he can tell I'm confused.'
"That is why loneliness always pervades the hour of twilight." An inaudible sigh from Link. 'Nevermind.'
Another pause in the conversation brought Link to his own form of contemplation. 'I wonder who told him all this. Was it anybody in the village?'
"But enough talk of sadness... I have a favor to ask of you, Link." Curious, Link turned to look at him. 'A favor?'
"I was supposed to deliver something to the royal family of Hyrule the day after tomorrow. Yes, it was a task set to me by the mayor, but… would you go in my stead?" Link raised an eyebrow. 'Rusl, why are you asking me to be your little errand boy? Didn't you hear about Fado deciding to have me help him herd the goats?'
"You have... never been to Hyrule, right?" Link fought back the urge to roll his eyes. 'No, I go there all the time Rusl, haven't you heard me talk about my summer house there? Honestly... One minute you're talking about why people feel sad when it's dark out, and the next you're asking silly questions you already know the answer to.' Link turned back to facing the spring.
"In the kingdom of Hyrule there is a great castle, and around it is Castle Town, a community far bigger than our little village. And far bigger than Hyrule is the rest of the world the gods have created." Link smirked to himself. 'Well I'd sure hope that the world out there is bigger than Ordon Village. If not I'd worry that the gods lost their creative spark once they were done with the village.'
"You should look upon it all with your own eyes." Link scoffed internally. 'Why? I've got a nice life here. I have a house, I have a horse, I have a job. I mean sure the job is making goats go back into their barn because Fado seems incapable sometimes, but hey it gets me Rupees.' Rusl turned to look at Link once more, before moving to stand up from the spring's edge.
"It is getting late... We should head back to the village. I will talk to the mayor about this matter." Sighing, Link rose to his feet. 'He'll probably say it's a great idea and a great experience for me.'
Link walked over to Epona and assured himself that everything on her back was secured enough for the walk back to the village. He gently scratched her nose, then her cheek, smiling at her. 'Well, Epona, it looks like we'll be going on a field trip soon, eh? I guess that's exciting, though I doubt we'll have time for sightseeing like Rusl thinks. From what I've heard, Hyrule Castle is a long distance away, which means a long ride both ways. We should probably pack a lot of food, so you don't get hungry. Maybe I should buy one of those slingshots I saw Sera carrying into her store a while back, so I can defend myself from anything that might be out there?'
As they walked back to the village, Link found himself still lost in thought. 'I wonder what the gift to the royal family is, and why we're giving it. Maybe it's a birthday, or some other special occasion. Still, though, birthdays are usually a family and close friends kind of thing. Probably not a birthday, then.'
Link watched as Rusl carefully locked the gate by the bridge. 'Honestly I'm not sure why we even have this gate. The village has been safe for all the years I've been here, and not to mention this gate doesn't look like it would be able to keep anybody or anything out. If anything it's more for decoration.'
Before long, Link found himself standing at his house, with Rusl bidding him a goodnight as he walked towards Colin and Uli. Link couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy as Rusl gently patted the top of Colin's head before the trio walked back to their home.
Colin turned back to Link, smiling awkwardly and offering a small wave. Link smiled back at Colin, giving him a small wave of his own. 'Poor kid's so shy... It's probably because Talo and Beth give him such a hard time. He's a good kid, though.' With that, Link allowed Epona to meander over to the clearing between his house and the entrance to the forest. She sleepily lay down in the soft grass, and was soon fast asleep. Link smiled as he brought the equipment up the ladder and into his house.
As Link lay in his bed for the night, his mind was once again brought to Rusl's request. 'If I'm going to be going to the royal family in a few days, I'll need to be all caught up on sleep so I don't fall asleep on Epona. Poor girl, she's smart, but I doubt she knows the way to the castle.' Link frowned to himself. 'Then again, neither do I.'
