To Capture the Heart of a Hero

Chapter 42 – Results

As Link finished reading out the inscription, his eyes went wide as a golden symbol started to glow on the back of his hand. Suddenly, he could feel some sort of energy passing through his arm and into the mirror before him, as if Link's own lifeforce was fueling the magic that was springing to life. He then gasped as the image presented in the mirror began to transform. His and Zelda's reflections dissolved, as did the rest of the library. It was soon replaced by another setting, one that looked rather familiar to Link.

He couldn't help but smile at what he saw. He witnessed a formless landscape, with a golden sky that softly glowed amidst dark, shapeless clouds. Additionally, he noticed small black crystals that naturally floated up into the air, constantly appearing, disappearing, and reappearing at their leisure. The Hero began to beam. This was it! This was the Twilight Realm!

However, Link's smile soon faded as something strange happened. The mirror cast some sort of pale, golden light onto his body, and he immediately winced as he withdrew his hand. Something didn't quite feel right about this. He suddenly began shivering nonstop as a coldness overtook him.

"Ugh," he grunted.

Zelda's eyes shot open in alarm. "Link?" she asked before taking a step closer to him. "Link, what's wrong?"

Link went to respond, but his words died in his throat. He then felt his body lock into place as he continued to shiver. He couldn't move an inch. He didn't know what was happening. It felt like a strange sensation was assaulting his body, and yet, at the same time, it felt familiar too.

A second later, the pale golden light that was spilling out of the mirror ceased, and the image of the Twilight Realm soon faded away as well. As it did, Link found himself staring at his own reflection just in time to watch his entire body be enveloped in shadow. He soon fell forward, landing on all fours.

Zelda just gasped as she watched the shadows overtake him. She had no idea what was happening or how she could possibly help him. However, a second later, she had her answer.

For there, sitting on the floor before the mirror, rested a majestic black and white wolf.

Link just blinked and sniffed a few times before stretching his neck. He felt a little confused and disoriented. He naturally went to shake his fur coat and it was then that he started to piece together what had happened to him.

He was a wolf!

Link couldn't help but blink a few more times as he looked himself over. Sure enough, he was covered in fur and he had four strong paws resting beneath his long body. Even that old iron manacle was still clamped around one of his legs. He couldn't help but whimper a bit as his ears perked up. What exactly had happened?

Meanwhile, Zelda just stared at the animal with wide eyes. Of course, she recognized the creature as Link in his wolf form, as evidenced by the black and white pattern on his coat as well as his bright blue eyes. But still, she was at a complete loss as to why the transformation had taken place. Surely, it had something to do with the spell that they had attempted to cast, but she couldn't fathom what might have gone wrong.

It didn't help that she suddenly found Link's behavior so distracting. The wolf, seemingly both confused and curious, couldn't stop fidgeting around. He lifted his paws, sniffed them loudly, and even spun in a circle as he tried to examine his tail. However, it wasn't until he came to a stop and glanced at Zelda with the most dumbfounded puppy-dog expression that she lost her composure.

"Pfft!" she exclaimed, quickly placing a hand over her mouth as she tried to contain her giggles. "Oh-ho-ho my…" she said in a shaky yet festive voice. "L-Link, what happened to you?"

Link just blinked before tilting his head a bit. He tried to shrug his shoulders, but his animal instinct took over and he just ended up shaking the rest of his body instead. He then glanced backwards with a frown, as if his body had betrayed him.

This was enough to make Zelda lose it. She soon snorted and released a howl of laughter. It was that mirthful, unrestrained laughter; the same one that had complemented the Hero's fall into the fountain that one time. Zelda felt rather bad about poking fun at the Hero like this, but she couldn't help herself. This situation was just so surprising and unexpected that she couldn't resist seeing the humor in it. It also didn't help that it was rather late at night, and she was tired and probably not in her right state of mind.

Link just scowled as he watched the Princess start to double over. Clearly, he did not find this amusing at all. Before long, he bared his fangs as he began to growl.

Zelda casually waved a hand as she clamped her mouth shut. She then stood up straight before releasing a content sigh. "Oh, forgive me, Link. I've just never seen such a confused look on such a fearsome animal before. And what with the suddenness of this situation, it was quite the comedic combination."

Link softly snorted through his snout. Zelda just interpreted this as a sigh.

"I'm sorry. Truly, I am," Zelda said as she slowly brushed some of her hair back behind her ear. "Clearly you're confused about what just happened, as am I. I suppose we should try to figure out what went wrong, hmm?"

Link brought his forelegs in close as he planted his butt on the floor. He then began wagging his tail back and forth in approval. Upon seeing this, Zelda almost fell into giggling again, but she managed to restrain herself.

Zelda soon walked over and placed a hand on the mirror. As before, it revealed nothing other than her reflection and the room that surrounded it. "It seems that our spell went awry."

Link simply growled.

"Yes, I suppose that goes without saying, doesn't it?" Zelda agreed with a smile. "Still, what could have happened? You used a clear voice to read out the inscription and you nailed the pronunciation. We also witnessed the mirror start to show signs of activity, so clearly some sort of spell took effect. Which means…the only variable that didn't go according to plan was our results. Why did you change into your Twilight form?"

Link closed his eyes, wishing that he could come up with an answer. Unfortunately, he was clueless about these sorts of things. All he knew was what he had experienced in the past. He recalled that the only times he had ever turned into a wolf was when he entered the Twilight, or whenever he used Zant's dark crystal. And he wasn't quite sure how either of those situations applied to this one.

Zelda seemed to be thinking much the same as her eyes fell on him. She rubbed her chin a bit as she studied him, trying to think things through. At one point, she mindlessly ended up reaching down and scratching behind one of Link's ears.

The wolf just gave her a weird look.

"Oh, sorry," she said, withdrawing her hand. "It just felt right."

Link rolled his eyes. Now he was being reminded of all the times that Midna had treated him like a dumb animal. No, on second thought, he had actually been more like her own personal pet.

"Hmm," Zelda hummed as she continued to brainstorm. "If the results were unexpected, then perhaps the spell itself is the issue?" She mulled on this theory for a moment before suddenly pausing. "Oh dear…" she murmured.

Link tilted his head as he gave her an inquisitive look, but she paid him no mind. Instead, she hurried back to the table where all of their tomes rested. Link quickly decided to follow after her, his four feet padding across the floor.

Once she reached the table, Zelda began flipping through page after page, trying to check on something. Link just settled down on the floor next to her as she worked. He wasn't sure how he could be of use in his current form, so he simply had to wait for Zelda to find some answers.

Which, before long, she did. The Princess nodded as she turned to another book and used it as a reference. After reading a few lines, she produced a satisfied smile. "Ah-ha," she said proudly. "I see what the issue is."

Link quickly rose to his feet, wagging his tail excitedly. His mouth even fell open as he happily started to pant. Although, as soon as he realized he was doing this, he put a stop to it.

"It was a mistranslation," Zelda said, still smiling. "It seems that I misunderstood the meaning behind that spell I wrote down. I originally understood it as 'connection to the Twilight', but in actuality it was 'exposure to the Twilight'."

Link simply blinked, feeling kind of lost for the umpteenth time that day.

"Don't you understand?" Zelda encouraged him. "Our spell was never meant to connect you with the Twilight Realm. It simply exposed you to the effects of it. In other words, you were forced to turn into a wolf, just as if you had entered one of the Twilight curtains in our world."

Okay, now Link was starting to understand. It was as if he had summoned the effects of the Twilight onto himself. That certainly would have explained his sudden transformation into a beast.

Zelda soon shook her head as she nervously laughed. "Oh, this is all my fault. A mistranslation, of all things. Such a careless mistake. Forgive me, Link, I must be losing my mind…"

Link frowned as he listened to her. He could clearly sense her guilt over how things had turned out. The heart of the beast began to well up with sympathy, and in an attempt to make the Princess feel better, he slowly drew close and nuzzled his head against one of her legs.

Zelda seemed a bit surprised by this action, but she soon smiled and leaned down to scratch behind his ear again. "You're right, I suppose that this isn't all bad. At least I was able to see your adorable little wolf form again," she said with a laugh.

Link felt his jaw drop open as he stepped away from her. This wasn't what he had been trying to convey!

Zelda laughed some more, easily amused by his expression. "Come now, Link. You have to admit that this is a little funny."

Link promptly shut his jaw as he gave her a deadpan glare. Clearly, he did not find this situation amusing at all.

Zelda soon smirked, her expression turning playful as she rose back to her full height. "Well, I suppose I should work on changing you back. Unless, of course, you would prefer to stay in this form?"

Link bared his fangs as he began to growl. He wanted to make it perfectly clear that he was not okay with this!

Meanwhile, Zelda just tried to play innocent. "What's the matter? I thought you said that being a wolf wasn't so bad."

Link growled some more. He even placed his front legs on a chair so that he could appear larger and more intimidating.

"My, what large teeth you have," Zelda responded playfully. "Are you sure you don't want to remain in this form? It really is a good look for you, in my opinion."

Link glared as he felt his patience wearing thin. He immediately started barking as loud as he could. "Ruff! Ruff!"

This caused Zelda to break down and giggle once more. It was just so amusing to see the Hero-turned-wolf sounding so desperate for her assistance. Still, she felt like she had achieved her fill of fun. "Okay, okay," she said, waving her hands at him. "Calm down and I'll get this sorted out."

But Link didn't calm down. Instead, he just continued to bark, his loud voice echoing throughout the far corners of the library. It was possible that his animal instincts had taken over again, because he seemed to have worked himself into a frenzy. "Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!"

Zelda quickly dropped her amused smile as it suddenly dawned on her just how loud he was being. She soon waved her hands some more as she flashed an alarmed expression. "Shh! Link, please calm down. I promise to change you back, but you must be quiet!"

"Ruff! Ruff!"

"Link, I'm serious. Please quiet down before the guards hear you!"

But it was too late. For as soon as Zelda uttered these words, there was a clash of metal at the front of the library. The sound was so loud that it immediately caught the attention of both the Princess and the wolf. Link ceased his barking as he turned to find the cause of the commotion that was louder than his own. Before long, he spotted a single soldier, clad in metallic armor with a spear in hand. The man recklessly charged into the room, looking positively alarmed as he nearly tripped over himself.

"What's going on in here?" he demanded as he whipped the end of his spear from one direction to the other. "What was all of that noise ab–Huh!?"

The soldier immediately froze as soon as he laid eyes on the only human in the room. And of course, it didn't take long for him to recognize her. "Pr-Princess!" he exclaimed. "What are you–"

The man paused for a second time the moment he spotted the giant beast next to Zelda. And once again, his defensive instinct flared to life. "W-Wolf!" he shouted. The fact that such a dangerous creature had infiltrated the library seemed to have stunned the soldier senseless. However, it wasn't long before he pointed a shaky spear in the Hero's direction and spoke up in a trembling voice. "Y-Your Highness! Please step away from the beast. I…I will slay him myself!"

Zelda just remained calm. She took a second to stare from the wolf to the soldier and then back again before sighing. She made sure to give Hero a certain look, as if to say, "now see what you've done?"

Link just lowered his ears, feeling ashamed. Perhaps he had gotten a little carried away there…

"Soldier, please lower your weapon," Zelda called out in a calm voice. "There is no danger here."

"I…I beg to differ, mam!" the soldier cried back. "That thing is huge. It…It could probably rip you apart with those claws and fangs! Please get behind me!"

Zelda sighed again. "Soldier, your courage is appreciated, but it is not necessary. I assure you that I am in no danger. This beast may appear monstrous, but he is completely tame."

The man was still rather shaken up by this chain of events, so it took more than a few seconds for the Princess's words to fully sink in. "H-He's…" The guard paused. "Tame?"

Zelda gave a firm nod. "Please, lower your weapon and I can explain."

The man still seemed quite nervous, but upon realizing that his Princess had just issued him a direct order, he hastily went to comply. "Er, yes, Your Highness." The spear was lowered and the man remained still, although he was still staring at Link out of the corner of his eye.

Zelda simply sighed as she crossed her arms. "Soldier, I am sure that you have heard tales of the Hero of Twilight who recently saved our Kingdom from the Twilight Invasion, correct?"

"You mean Sir Link?" the soldier asked, immediately recognizing who she was referring to.

"Yes. And I'm sure that among those tales, you heard some that mentioned how the Hero was able to use the Twilight's power to take on the form of a wolf, yes?"

"Well, sure," the soldier said with a nod. He then paused as he managed to put two and two together. "Wait, don't tell me…" His eyes fell on the Wolf. "This is the Hero!?"

"He is indeed," Zelda replied. She soon reached over and scratched Link behind his ears again. The Hero just remained still. He didn't like being treated like an animal, but he supposed that staying calm would help convince the soldier that he truly wasn't a threat.

And, well, he supposed it did feel rather good to be scratched like that…

"So this is Sir Link," the soldier said, eyeing the wolf from top to bottom. "But…how did this happen? Why does he look like that?"

"We came here to practice a magic spell and I'm afraid that something went wrong," Zelda explained patiently. "The next thing we knew, he had been forced to take on his wolf form."

"Oh, poor bloke," the soldier said with a frown.

Zelda just bowed her head. "My apologies for causing such a disturbance."

"Oh, it's no trouble!" the man replied quickly. "As long as the two of you are all right, Your Highness."

"I assure you that we are. I'll just have to perform a spell to change the Hero back into a man. It should only take a moment."

Zelda then turned to Link, carefully looking him over. She recalled the last time that she had tried to dispel the magic that had turned him into a wolf. Midna had requested it while she lay pale and dying on the floor, and Zelda had been unable to grant that request due to the potency of Zant's dark crystal. But this time would be different. Zant's twisted magic wasn't involved in this instance.

"Are you ready?' she asked the wolf.

Link just barked in agreement. As if she even had to ask!

Zelda smiled before placing a hand on his head. She then bowed her own head in prayer. For this instance, she was going to use the most reliable source of magic she knew. She was going to ask the Goddesses to come to her aid and lend her their power.

"Goddesses, I beseech thee," she spoke in a soft voice. "Please assist me in returning our brave Hero to his original form."

Link went still, suddenly growing nervous as the seconds ticked away. However, it wasn't long before a bright light shone from Zelda's palm, and a moment later it completely enveloped him. He soon felt a warm energy rushing through his veins, and he was met with a familiar feeling. The feeling of turning back into a man, with his wolf figure being dispelled like a shadow under lantern light.

Zelda simply removed her hand as she stepped back to admire her work. Sure enough, the Hero now stood before her, having become human once again. He even had the parchment with the spell written on it clutched in his grasp. It was as if he had never become a wolf in the first place.

Link breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness," he mumbled.

Meanwhile, the soldier in the room had no shame in expressing his astonishment. "Goddesses be praised!" he exclaimed. "It truly was the Hero turned beast. What a sight to see. Just wait until I tell the rest of the men about this."

Link cast a scowl in the soldier's direction, but the man was too stunned to notice. As if Link needed any more rumors spreading around the castle! Nevertheless, he sighed and let it go. It wasn't like there was anything that could be done about it now.

He then turned back to the Princess, only to watch her flash a guilty smile at him. "I really am sorry about this, Link," she said sincerely.

Link released another sigh, but he soon smiled too. "Aw, don't worry about it. You were right. It was kind of a funny mistake, now that I think about it."

"Always so positive," Zelda replied with a hint of a giggle. "Still, I wish I could say that our research has proved fruitful, but I feel like we haven't really made any progress."

Link nodded as he stared at the paper in his hand. "Yeah, this spell isn't going to be of much use to us."

"We'll have to keep studying then." Zelda took a moment to glance at the night sky through the library's windows. "But perhaps at another time. It's already rather late."

"Right, let's stop here for today," Link agreed.

With nothing to show for their hours of research, Link and Zelda gathered their things and prepared to leave. The soldier was instructed to return to his post for his presence was no longer needed there, and he departed, still grinning like an idiot at what he had just witnessed. After that, Link and Zelda took a few minutes to return all of their texts back to their proper places on the shelves before they made their own departure.

As they walked, Link gave Zelda a small smile. "Thanks for your help today. You'll come back and help me again the next time, won't you?"

Zelda raised her eyebrows a bit. "Are you sure you even want my help after today?"

Link just laughed. "Of course. I think we both know that I wouldn't have gotten anywhere if it wasn't for you."

"I suppose not," Zelda agreed before smiling back. "Very well, I promise to continue assisting with your research until you and Midna are finally reunited."

Link bowed his head in gratitude. "That's all I could ever ask for."

Link groaned a bit as he opened his eyes. He then winced as he found direct sunlight pouring onto his face. He held up a hand to block the golden light as he sat up straight with a yawn.

He had been taking a nap when the sunlight had shone through his window and awoken him. He couldn't help but yawn as he went to rub some of the sleep from his eyes. It was the middle of the afternoon, but Ordon had proven to be rather uneventful that day, almost to the point of being dull. On days like this, the Hero just couldn't resist reclining in one of his wooden chairs and dozing the hours away.

A few days had passed since Link had returned home from the castle. He hoped to revisit the library at some point and have another go at contacting the Twilight Realm, but he supposed that he would have to wait for Zelda to be available. As much as he hated to admit it, he truly was clueless without her. So, with that option off the table and nothing else in Hyrule to keep him occupied, Link had decided to bide his time in Ordon. Not that he minded, of course. He was always happy to return home and relax for a bit.

The Hero soon readjusted his seat so that it was no longer in the path of the sun, and then closed his eyes as he grew comfortable again. He really did enjoy taking naps in the quiet of his home.

However, it wasn't long before his sleep was interrupted by a knock at his front door. Link just smiled as he reopened his eyes. "Come in," he called out.

The door swung open, and to little surprise, he found his most frequent visitor standing there. Of course, she was also his longtime best friend, and more importantly, his beloved.

Link greeted her with a bright smile. "Hey Ilia."

"Hi Link." She smiled back as she shut the door behind her. She then walked over and gave him her usual greeting: a soft kiss on the cheek. As always, this subtle motion made Link's heart swell with joy.

The girl giggled at his expression while she brought her arm out before her. She revealed a basket hanging from her hand. "I brought some cucco eggs. Father wanted you to have them."

"Hey, that's great," Link said with a grin as he admired the small white ovals. "How about sticking around and then we can have them for dinner?"

Ilia beamed, delighted at this proposal. "That sounds lovely." She soon went to place the basket on the table in the kitchen. She would start cooking them before long.

"Tell your dad I said thanks," Link mumbled as he went to stretch. He felt a little stiff after sleeping for so long.

Ilia just laughed as she watched him. "Oh my, it seems like someone has had a lazy day. Have you even bothered to leave your house today?"

"I took a walk in the forest this morning," Link said with a shrug. "By the time I got back to the village, things were really quiet, so I decided to take the rest of the day off."

Ilia shook her head as she continued to smile. "Oh, you really ought to be careful, Link. If you keep lazing around, you might get too stiff to even leave your chair."

"Not true," Link replied as he jumped to his feet. He then stretched some more. "I feel completely rejuvenated. If anything, this chair works wonders."

"You should at least sleep in your bed," Ilia said with another shake of her head. "Oh, what am I to do with you?"

"What makes you think that something needs to be done?"

"My instincts are constantly telling me that you need to be kept in-line."

Link just laughed before walking up behind Ilia and wrapping his arms around her. He then pecked her on the cheek, causing her to giggle as well.

"I hope that wasn't stepping out of line," he whispered.

Ilia's face turned a little red, but she continued to smile. "Of course not. I'll permit that at any time."

"Good," Link said. He decided to keep holding her for a few moments, happy to have her warm presence in his arms.

"Oh, I just remembered," Ilia said as she reached for the basket. "The postman came through town today. He had a letter for you." After a second of digging around the basket, she soon grasped the white envelope and presented it to Link.

The Hero let go of Ilia as he took the letter into his hands. "Really?" he asked while blankly staring at it. It wasn't often that he got mail, but sure enough, this envelope had been addressed to him.

"It's from Telma," Ilia explained, pointing to the return address in the corner.

"So it is," Link murmured to himself. "I wonder what she could want?"

Ilia shrugged. "She sent me a letter too, asking how I've been getting along. Maybe she's decided to check in on you as well."

"Maybe," Link agreed. He supposed that it had been a few months since he had last talked to the barmaid in Castle Town. The two of them really did need to catch up.

Still, with no further clues to go off of, Link assumed that he would have to actually open the letter in order to get his answers. So he did, tearing open the envelope and retrieving the letter from within. It only took him a minute to read what had been inscribed on it. Once he finished, he simply furrowed his brow.

"Huh…"

"What is it?" Ilia asked, suddenly watching his expression closely.

"She says that she wants me to visit her bar tomorrow night," Link replied as he read through the letter again. "She claims that she has something important to share with me. Some sort of 'secret', based on the hints she's dropped."

"Oh," Ilia replied, her expression quickly turning somber. "So…you'll be leaving then?"

Link shrugged. "It sounds like I should."

Ilia just frowned, suddenly pouting. "Oh, but it's not fair. You just returned a few days ago, and now you're already setting off again?"

Link just gave her a soft smile. "Ilia, what's the matter?"

The girl merely sighed as she crossed her arms. "It's nothing. It's just…I don't like it when you have to be gone for so long. I get terribly lonely and start to miss you."

"Aw," Link said before pulling her into a hug. "That's awfully sweet of you to say. However, weren't you the one that was just saying I was being too lazy?"

Ilia frowned some more in his embrace. "That doesn't mean that I want you to run away."

"I'm not running," Link said with a laugh. "If people need me, I want to be there for them. And besides, I always come back, don't I?"

Ilia glanced up at the Hero, and looked as if she had something to say, but soon held her tongue. Eventually, she produced a soft smile. "Yes, you do."

"This time will be no different," he assured her, taking a moment to gently rub her back.

She gently rubbed his in return as she leaned her head into his chest. "When will you depart?" she asked quietly.

"Tomorrow morning, probably."

"Does it have to be so soon?"

"It can't be helped. It takes all day to get to Castle Town."

"Hmm," the girl sighed as she closed her eyes. "All right. I guess if Telma needs you, then it wouldn't be fair for me to say no."

Link smiled at her acceptance. "Is there anything you want me to tell her?"

Ilia cracked a smile, albeit a small one. "Tell her I said hello, and that I'm doing well. I'll go into more detail once I find the time to respond to her letter."

"Got it," Link said with a nod.

"Still, I wish that you didn't have to go at all," Ilia said sadly.

Link ran his fingers through her hair a few times in an attempt to console her. "We at least have the rest of today," he reminded her.

"Yes," she agreed, before pulling him close again. "We at least have the rest of today."

You ever notice how when a dog gets agitated and starts barking, they literally NEVER SHUT UP? I personally love dogs, but I think we can all agree that they can be very annoying at times lol.

Also, have you ever been in a situation where you noticed that you wrote a story about Link and Ilia being in a relationship together but then went through 40 chapters while barely showing any details of it? Ha ha, me neither…(sweats nervously)

On a more serious note, I felt inclined to include the Link and Ilia scene just so we can get a glimpse into their peaceful daily lives. I know that this is a Zelink-centric story, but the Link/Ilia relationship is important as well, so I hope you don't mind if I visit it from time to time :)