(I do not own any of the characters or world. This is just a work of fiction written by a fan for fun.)

Chapter 1

"Are you sure you want to leave? This soon?"

Rusl, one of Link's closest friends, asked as he followed the younger man around the small treehouse. The young hero was busy packing essentials. He was packing light and only taking the bare minimum. The Hylian only spared him a short glance before turning right back to his task at hand. He stuffed a light blanket into his animal hide duffle bag.

"I have to, Rusl." He said to him, simple and short.

The older soldier sighed softly and moved closer. He took the blanket from his hands and began to roll it up properly to help it fit better. "You will be missed here, you know. The princess offered you a position at the castle. It would be an honor to work for her."

Link hesitated a moment, his ears twitched slightly at his words. He shook his head and turned to pack something else, "I don't need fancy titles or any of that sort."

He grumbled softly under his breath. He was a farmer kid, not some fancy dancy knight or captain or whatever. Though he had grown fond of the princess, not even their friendship would make him stay. His feet were itching for another adventure. An adventure to find someone dear.

"Besides," Link said with a slight huff in his tone, "I don't want to deal with those damned soldiers at the castle. Bunch of cowardly pansies, the lot of them."

Rusl snorted, not expecting the snide remark at all, "Hey, watch yourself. I'm a soldier, you ass."

Link turned his face away to hide his slightly amused smile. Rusl was always like a big brother to him. He would definitely miss him and the other members of the Resistance that he had grown close with.

He jumped slightly when feeling a smack against his back. Rusl gave him a lightly chuckle as he came up behind him, "Have a safe journey, my friend…"

Link stared at him a moment, a warmth in his eyes. But he wouldn't allow himself to get emotional. He just gave him a small nod and grabbed his things. He hooked his cloak around his neck and slung his pack over his shoulder. He turned to Rusl and held out his hand for a simple handshake. "You will watch over Epona while I'm gone?"

Before giving the man enough time to answer, Link rambled on as his damn anxiety bubbled up, "She won't be able to handle the lost woods. She's a bit old now, but she's a real good horse. She'll be helpful with the crops and herding the goats. She likes Ilia a whole lot, so I'm sure-"

"Link," Rusl cut in. He grabbed his hand firmly and pulled him into a warm embrace, hugging the young man. It was funny. Link had always been strong-always having the build of a farmer. But he was always shorter than Rusl, a bit scrawnier than him, too. Now, however, the lad had grown. After a long hero's journey, the kid was more built and taller. He was a warrior now, a respectable fighter. Rusl could see this. It made him a little sad, remembering how he gave him his first practice sword.

He pulled back after a bit, knowing Link would whine if the hug lasted too long. "Epona will be fine. We will look after her, so don't worry. She's in good hands."

Link hesitated, feeling guilty for leaving this all on him. Rusl's warm smile reassured him, however, and Link returned the same smile.

"Thank you…"

The two walked out of the house together. Rusl insisted on walking Link to the edge of the small town. Collin, not quite so little anymore, ran up with the other boys and Beth in tow. The newest little member of their kid group toddled along, getting left behind as the little girl tried to keep up.

"Link!" Collin called out. The young lad wore Link's old Ordon sword and wood shield on his back. Link had gotten a new sword from the princess shortly after his adventure and his Hyrulian shield held up perfectly well. With no more use of his old geer, he had returned it to the right owners, which was then in turn given to Collin - the newest soldier in training of the village.

Link turned and smiled at the young kids running up. He walked over and scooped up Rusl's young daughter who had fallen behind, "What are you all doing out here so early?"

Collin panted softly, resting his hands on his knees, "Ma told us you were setting off today, so we all came to see you off!"

"Is that so?" Link patted his head and sat the toddler back down, "With me leaving, will you be taking good care of the town?"

Collin sat up straight and squared his shoulders to look bigger. He gave Link his very best salute he could muster, "Yessir! You can count on me, so don't you worry!"

The hero gave him a firm nod and returned the salute, "Good. And you make sure to mind your dad. He's a good man and has a lot to teach."

Collin nodded rapidly and paused. He promised himself he wouldn't get emotional… But he wasn't as good at holding together as Link was. He sniffled and quickly blinked his tears away, "We'll, uh… We'll miss you around here."

Watching the kid choke up almost made Link drop his facade. He smiled sadly and leaned down, hugging him tightly, "Oh, you'll make do without me. And all of you make sure to stay out of trouble. I don't want to have to come back to drag you lot out of the woods."

He sent a knowing look at Talo, teasing him. Talo blushed in embarrassment and looked away. Link pulled back and hugged the other kids, too. "I'll surely miss you all. But I know you will be just fine."

"Is that a fact?" A softer voice asked.

Link turned to see Ilia, walking up while holding Epona by the reins. Link walked over to meet her and gently petted his horse's neck, "You'll be good for Ilia, won't you?"

Ilia gave a soft sigh, "Even after how much I spoil her, she always still prefers you."

He paused and moved closer, placing a gentle hand on his arm, "Are you sure about this? I mean… the Lost Woods are so dangerous. People who enter, rarely ever-..."

She trailed off, not wanting to think about the possible outcomes. Link gave her a reassuring look, "I've ventured into the woods twice already-"

"But never that deep into them!" She cut off, arguing with him as tears welled up in her eyes, "You could get lost forever, or trapped, o-or hurt! What if you d-die? Please, Link… Just stay here. Where it's safe."

Link Looked away. He didn't say anything as he pulled away from her grip. "I have to try, Ilia…"

Ever since Midna shattered the mirror, Link had been devastated. He would have gone with her if she had given him a chance. He needed to see her again. That was when Zelda had told him about the Lost Woods. The Lost Woods had magical properties and worked in mysterious ways that no one could completely understand. It was believed to also be a door between worlds and time. It was his only chance to get to the Twilight Realm. It was his only hope. And he had to try.

He Turned and gave Ilia a brief hug, "Thank you for everything. Please take good care of Epona for me."

Without another word, Link turned and began to walk away. Ilia called after him again, but he didn't stop or look back. He loved this village. Ordon was his home and these people were his family. If he looked back or even stopped too long to even think about it, he was worried he'd stay. No, his mind was made up. It was decided.

He was going to find Midna. Even if he had to travel to the darkest corners of those cursed woods.

Link walked for a few hours with a few small breaks here and there. The sun began setting as he approached the entrance to the forest temple. It was a decent enough place to camp out for the night, so he sat down in the grass. He sat his pack down on the ground beside him and began shuffling through it. He pulled out some bread and cheese. The cheese would be the first to go bad, so he'd work on eating that first.

After he was decently full, he took a swig of water from his water pouch and laid back in the grass. He looked up at the sky as it was consumed with red and purple colors. A soft smile tugged at his lips. He always felt comfort in the warm glow of dusk. It always reminded him of his old companion. He loved sunsets so much. Soon, sunsets would be what he would see all the time in the Twilight realm.

He reached a hand up, almost like he was trying to touch the colors. He closed his hand into a fist and sighed heavily as he let his hand fall back down, "Why did you do it, Midna…?"

He muttered the words softly under his breath. He paused before reaching up and gently grasping the necklace under his tunic. Between his tunic and his undershirt sat his twilight crystal. Midna left it with him since he grew accustomed to shifting back and forth into his wolf form on his own with her help, or the help of the Master Sword.

He was grateful to still have the crystal, because on cooler nights like these, he still had his wolf form to help sleep more comfortably. He pulled the necklace out as the cold breeze began to pick up. The sun was now almost completely down behind the hills and he touched the dark crystal. He winced slightly as twilight surrounded him. Changing forms hurt a lot less nowadays, since he knew what to expect. After just a second, he was in his wolf form: fuzzy and warm and ready to sleep. He curled up into a tight ball and closed his eyes.

It wasn't long until sleep overcame him. He was always able to fall asleep way too easily.

When morning came, his fuzzy ears twitched from the sounds of the early birds chirping. His head perked up and he yawned loudly. He glanced around briefly before shifting back into his human form. He stretched and groaned softly. Morning always came far too quickly for his liking.

He turned to pack his few things back up. He paused when pulling out a small blue instrument. Or purple? Must like his Master Sword, it gleamed a bright blue, but depending on the lighting and how you turned it, it almost looked purple. He wondered if the odd little instrument was made of the same material as his old sword.

He had laid his old sword to rest a while ago, shortly after his original journey. He wouldn't have minded keeping it. It was a nice sword and he first believed it was his to keep after pulling it. However, her highness then explained to him about the cycle. The curse, the reborn spirit, the legend of the hero. Most of it went a little over his head and, honestly. Of course he knew the basics of the legends, every small child knew the story of the hero who fought the demon king. He just wasn't aware of the full extent of everything. Zelda, being who she is, was a definite history buff. After a while of listening to her rambles, he kind of zoned out…

When Link informed her of his plan to leave, she gifted him this small instrument.

"Don't lose it," She had told him, "This relic has been in the care of the royal family for generations."

Link began to recall more of the conversation, asking her why she would give him an instrument so important like this. She had only smiled warmly and explained simply.

"You never listen to the stories I tell you, huh?" She teased, ruffling his hair like an older sister would, "You plan to leave Hyrule to search for an old companion. Another hero before you did something quite similar. When he left, the current princess of that time, my ancestor, gifted this same instrument to him. Back then, it was simply to keep the instrument safe and away from hands who wished to use it for evil."

She turned to Link as he held the Ocarina in front of him, examining it. She reached out and closed his fingers around the small flute. "Now, I am gifting it to you to help aid you on your journey. Though, there are no for sure records on what this Ocarina is capable of, it is said it possesses magical properties that helped aid the hero before you."

The last thing she said was, "Take it with you. And I hope our paths may one day cross again, Hero of Twilight."

Now, Link looked down at the puzzling instrument. He didn't even know how to play the darn thing. Sure, he could whistle a simple tune with some grass between his fingers, but he couldn't even hold a steady note on the finicky little flute. Hell, he didn't even know how to hold the small thing properly.

He groaned softly and muttered under his breath, "Helpful my ass…"

He probably would have just stuffed the thing away in a chest back at his house, rather than take up space in his small pack, but whatever. It was a gift from the princess and it sounded fancy and important, so he would take care of it.

He packed it away with his other things before standing. Time to push onwards. Next destination: The Lost Woods.