The Start of an Era

Link closed his eyes tight not for the first time in the past few hours. His knees' grip on Epona seemed to strengthen twofold, the rising and falling the young man had become so accustomed to over the past months as he trekked the territories of Hyrule with his trusty companion seemed suddenly, for a brief moment, alien to him. His eyes darted open again, but he was forced to squint immediately, the rising sun lashing viciously at his face from the East. He tugged on the reins, sending the bemused horse lurching violently to the right.

The horse was a stunning chestnut mare with white hair that, caught in the right light, could be passed for blonde. Around its abdomen was a grand brown saddle, of the finest leather, with subtle embroidery along the edges. On the back of the saddle lay a rolled up sleeping bag, used by Link for the past months as the only practical means of sleep, and it showed on the ripped and patched material.

The man on the saddle was young, his once-eager face and dashing blue eyes usually so bright and joyous. He rode expertly and controlled the horse with finesse and confidence. But under those gentle eyes now hung grey bags and trivial scars covered his face. Though none were serious nor critical they ruined the enviable skin the young man was born with.

He sat on Epona, still majestically with only the first signs of his extreme fatigue creeping in. He was dressed in green, a tunic that fell to just below his waist, and sleeves that were up to his elbows. Under it he wore another tunic, this one of chain mail armour of a yellow golden colour. It hung only just lower than the green tunic and its edges could be seen at his sleeve and waist. Under both was a white shirt that was tied at the collar by two strings, and its sleeves stretched to the man’s wrists. His hands were gloved, a fine brown leather, similar to that of the saddle as well as the belt across his waist, also covering the edges of his lower arm, and all of his hand. Under this was a fine navy blue cloth that covered the entire lower arm. His trousers clung to his legs, and were of a creamy white colour and a silken material, glinting in the reflection of the morning sun, highlighting the muscles of his thighs.

Finally a pair of knee-length brown leather boots were dug into the footholds at the saddle, and Link urged Epona forward yet again, his back still straight as he sat and felt the crisp morning air breeze past his hair and blow his long green hat behind him in the air.

That very same sun that the man garbed in green had seen appear and disappear for all of eighteen years now had taken the most peculiar and eidolon form, hanging in the sky and rising, as if being pulled by a set of unseen ghostly ropes. Through his radiant blue eyes its reflection had glared malevolently across the summer skies, had smiled kindly at the colours of spring, had waned and made way for the loss of autumn, and had fought relentlessly against the white landscape to relay its heat and give its gift of light in the midst of many winters.

His eyes drooped shut again, the young man leaving his instinct and a trust for his steed developed over the years to guide the pair along the plains.

His thoughts strayed to his trials and tribulations. He had seen the Twilight Realm; a reflection of this world where fantastic creatures lived, descendants of men that once turned evil and were banished from the lands of Hyrule. Their queen had been restored, with most thanks belonging to him. Midna would take good care of them, he knew. The loss of the creature that he met when both their forms were not true seemed to bear down at him more than ever.

The powers of the Twilight forced him into the shape of a wolf, and the imp that was Midna came to his aid. Greedily at first, he conceded, but before the end a great friendship had formed between the two. Though Link had long ago regained his human form, it was only yesterday that he saw her for what she really was. Tall and thin, she really did look the part of a queen, wearing a black skirt that left her side uncovered completely, he remembered finding the sight a very unusual one. He was too accustomed to the way he knew her, and would always remember her as the short creature with a big heart and a sense of humour.

He now thought of the final battle, which though felt to him eons ago, in reality had taken place only the previous night. With such speed does our cruel world throw us through this change he thought, his good nature slowly clawing its way back into him.

Link the hero. Link the farmer. Link the wrangler, but Link the Philosopher? That truly was the last straw that broke the boar's back. Link chuckled out loud this time, opening his eyes and leaning back to let the breeze blow away his scars.

Becoming the last and only hope for his entire world, defeating the very king of evil legend spoke of, and finding himself left alone with nothing but his weapons and horse. That was very well. But philosophy?

He continued to ride at the relaxed pace, allowing Epona to enjoy herself in the now-peaceful fields and taking in the morning air in a land that now was free of evil. It was sweet air. He thought of the changes. They had taken place as a result of his deeds. He was no braggart, and he knew it well, but no man could go on without his heart swelling with pride. It was a feeling unlike any other.

But what amazed him most were the changes in himself. He had grown beyond belief, not only physically, mostly mentally. True, he did bear many a scar from times when his wit was dulled and he had allowed an enemy blade to lick at his body, but nothing that could not be healed. The wound that troubled him most, aside from his aching heart and a funny gnawing at his stomach, was his right shoulder. It was many moons ago that a spear crashed through the mail armour that covered his shoulder blade and pierced it deeply, and the pain was a distant but unhappy memory. He could not put too much pressure on it without the pain flaring up again, and the battle with Ganondorf had almost taken a tragic turn for the worst when the man’s evil blade missed the spot of the wound by a hairs breadth, Link having thrown himself away just in time and sent his own sword hurtling in the direction of Ganondorf’s face.

The gnawing in him was troubling him most now, though. It was as if something in him was attempting to get out and into his mind, but he could not think nor remember what it could possibly be.

Shrugging it off, he continued his morning journey, now hardly paying attention to any of his surroundings, majestic as they were. Perhaps now he would be able to enjoy the beauty the land of Hyrule offered without the constant fear of ambush from all sides. He could almost picture it now, in his mind's eye. He would return to Ordon, his home village, and to his previous life he had been in love with, herding the goats until the end of his days.

Even as the thoughts made their slow way through his mind he knew the futility of it. He was an adventurer at heart, and there was little he could do about it now he had discovered and unearthed it. He knew that he would be riding through these fields and valleys any time the opportunity would throw itself at him.

What was a lifetime ago, was Link the ranch boy. Ordon and it's life filled him with a nostalgic longing for the past, as he remembered the houses built into the surrounding trees, the rivers that flowed freely through the lush green grass. The birds chirping him awake every morning- he now knew what the feeling in his stomach was. He was homesick, and the thought of finally returning made him smile involuntarily, almost forgetting the recent horrors he had endured. He did not think they would be so easy to overcome, but for a brief moment it seemed that the thought alone of the place could make him grin like a child with no worries in the world.

He saw it now. He would make a home in Ordon with all his loved ones, but his lust for discovery and wander would encourage him to embark on plenty of adventures before the end of his days. For a start, perhaps it would be only good manners to offer the Princess his aid. She would soon assume rule over Hyrule as queen, and even though Ordon lay outside of the kingdom, Link felt obliged to at least offer himself. it was a duty.

He may spend nights away from his beloved house, he was now quite experienced in that field. But he would never be truly content in his sleep unless it was in his own bed and sheets, he knew this now.

He smiled, satisfied.

It was true, Midna was gone, forever. He would have trouble coming to terms with the sudden loss. He had not before appreciated the lady’s presence; not until they had been eternally and inexorably parted. He had not realised how fond of her he was, either, nor how much he would miss her company. And the way she looked after she had regained her true form- Link found himself dizzy at the thought. He had been speechless at the time and once again he felt at a loss for words. He knew physical attraction, but he did not attribute it to his feeling. It was something else- awe, perhaps.

His mind was cast back to their first meeting; his first painful transformation into a wolf having left him lost and in despair, and when she had appeared in her misshapen form and did the last thing he needed at the time; she mocked him.

Having gone from a simple farmer on a mission to visit Hyrule as an ambassador, a job that itself seemed gargantuan to him, he found himself chasing the children that had been taken hostage by the Moblin Riders that raided Ordon. To add to his worries, as he lurched out of the world of Light, he found himself in a bestial form, and unaware of his fate. The feeling panged again, and he felt on the edge of remembering something, when a loud scream came from behind him. It sounded like a high-pitched bird call, or war cry.

Upon instinct, he drew his bow and expertly notched an arrow from the quiver that hung beside him. Turning around, he saw a single large bird, powerful but heavy in the air.

But then he hesitated. Lowering his bow, he realised that this creature that had overtaken him and flew in front of him now, and the majority of others that had roamed the land under the reign of Zant the Usurper and his superior, Ganondorf, would be exterminated from the land.

A minority will remain of course, thugs and thieves that make travellers' journeys through the kingdom significantly more perilous. But Link found himself guiltily wishing they would stay put, before noticing the bloodlust of his thoughts that had once been contained. No, he thought, after his heroic deeds his name need not be tarnished by warmongering. His skills with the bow, sword, shield and a complete arsenal of deadly weaponry must be only used in defense, and not as cruel sport.

He had no wish of drawing arms against other men, for feud and conflict paling pathetically in comparison to the what seemed perpetual joust between good and bad in which Link had taken centre-stage.

Still, these creatures had injured him before, this giant bird now turned to face him, its beak clicking dangerously. Link raised his bow and let loose a shaft with deadly speed that hit the long exposed neck and grounded the creature in an instant. He whooped Epona to regain speed and made sure of his bearings, correcting their course until they were heading exactly to the south. Another skill travellers need and gain expertise in.

The people of Ordon would certainly not go hungry with him around, he thought, chuckling darkly to himself. Nor would they ever have to contend to such terror as they have faced, he thought, his expression turning more serious, and a shade grimmer. Thanks to him. The Chosen Hero, whom had vanquished the reign of fire and blood of the evil self-proclaimed God, and his terrible power.

Replacing his bow, he swiveled round to take another look at the majestic lake Hylia behind him, far in the distance, its waters glimmering majestically in the early morning sunshine. Epona trudged on the familiar path through the plains of Hyrule. Link thought back to the fight of the previous night.

His journey through the glorious Hyrule Castle, making his way slowly to the throne room, wary of what he was to face. And it was as terrible as he had imagined and dreamed of. And he had faced it.

He thought of Zelda, and his disbelief at Ganon's possession of her body. He winced a the memories of striking her poor body with the evil magic Ganondorf made her launch at him, watching the frail body bear burdens, fearing it would soon shatter, its beauty ruined.

For the Princess was a beautiful woman, and few that are found throughout the kingdom that would disagree. But as The Hero first gazed at her hooded face, he felt a tinge of anxiety, but inexplicably it had been washed over by a strange familiarity. He did not know the woman, nor had he ever seen her, having never left his province of Ordona. Still, he had shrugged it off, still noting her pale features and gentle grace fondly. She was well and alive now, and would again rule the people justly, and there would be few complaints.

After riding Epona with the Princess, a feeling he was yet to come to terms with, having been the sole rider of the horse as far back as he could remember, he had leaped off and faced the man alone. His courage and the aid of the Blessed Blade eventually cut down the man that caused him and his kin so much suffering, finally driving the Master Sword through the man's stomach.

It was a feeling he would not find easy to describe and articulate, come the many demands for his recital of the story once he was home. Link, for all his courage and skill, was not a man of fine tale-spinning, and would crudely recite his adventures gladly to any who asked for him to, and he knew that they would not care in the least for his skill with the spoken word. And he was grateful for this, and felt another surge of delight through him as the thought of the children back in Ordon, as well as the older inhabitants, and the buildings, the river, the ranch, his goats.

The children would have made it back before him from Kakariko, after they too had faced their fair share of hardships. He thought of little Colin, always praising him and wanting to be like The Hero. He smiled as the image of the boy's face floated in front of him. He urged Epona forward, who obliged willingly, beating her mighty hooves heavily along the sodden turf. A narrow passageway could only just be seen in the distance, covered in thick and overgrown forest. The Faron Woods. He was close now.

He thought of Malo and Talo, and his grinned widened. Light was beginning to fill the air in generous amounts, as if to make up for the darkness of the past months.

Inevitably, an image of a young girl of his age floated in front of him, barefoot and clad in a simple white tunic, and pretty orange-brown trousers. If one was going to look closely, the shirt in fact had beautiful and complex patterns weaved on its front, and was held together by three sets of strings on the chest, and two more, one on either side of it. The hem of the shirt featured an elaborate golden pattern that contrasted with the simple design of it. He shut his eyes tight, trying to conjure the image clearly in his mind. Her trousers went down to her shins, stopping halfway across her calves. She never wore shoes, choosing instead to walk barefoot and yet there were never any signs of dirt nor scratches on her feet.

The figure smiled at him, flashing beauty and leaving him breathless, even through his mind's eye. He tried to steady himself, shuffling on the saddle and breathing deeply, though tugging tightly on the reins, Epona's speed increasing at an alarming rate.

The light now surged brighter than ever, the green fields looking almost golden in splendour, the shallow water spread generously around gleaming like a million tiny crystals. The world seemed such a glorious place to Link. He closed his eyes again, conjuring up the image of the lady once more, this time focusing on her face.
She too had her eyes closed, her mouth curving up in the slightest hint of a smile- but what a smile. Her blonde hair was loose and flowed freely from her head, though was not too long.

"I'm coming for you, Ilia" he whispered, barely audible. A sudden gust of wind blew towards the south and vanished without any further sign.

He now knew for certain how he felt about his closest childhood friend. At first they were just that, friends. They spent the majority of their childhood together, playing alone and later with the other children as they grew. But Link had always preferred being around Ilia. Perhaps it was because they were of a very similar age. But he felt there must have been more to it, now he thought about it. How starkly the change had come from play to reality, he found himself thinking.

When Midna was gone, Link felt a chasm open up somewhere within. But now he knew how to fill it. Before it could open properly.

His eyes flew open just in time as he crashed through the heavy green growth in front of him. He cursed, and made a mental note to not ride with eyes shut for prolonged periods of time.

Clinging on to Epona's neck and bracing himself, he rode on into the distance, unsure of where he had ended up. It was forest, no question about it. More likely than not Faron, but the place was giant, with endless groves and sanctuaries that weaved in and out of each other in tiny paths through the trees. He had somehow entered one of these narrow passages, and had no option but to ride down it, the thick abundance of trees obscuring his way either side of him, and the roof made of branches and leaves blocking out the sunlight.

His mind raced to formulate yet another genius plan to get him out of his most recent predicament. His shirt was beginning to slide against his skin as the sweat on his body built up. The last thing he needed was for his trousers to slide him off the saddle. In this weather it was madness to wear so many layers he thought with a smile. He looked forward to wearing his Ordonian clothes again.

Again he found himself lost in his thoughts and again it did not last long, the problem solving itself when he reached the end of the dark passage and crashed out of it savagely.

Cursing, The Hero clung on for dear life, his hands around Epona’s neck and his feet now in the air behind him as they raced on, Link fully aware of the irony such a death would entail. He snickered this time, clambering up smoothly back into his sitting position and steadying Epona. They were in Hyrule Field once more, and Link scanned the horizon past the small army of armed and boar-mounted Moblin raiders, and was about to turn around to find the entrance to Faron again.

His mind stopped for a split-second, and after a comical double-take, he drew his sword as Epona reared back on her rear legs.

Well, well. Things would not be so boring after all, it seemed. Raising the glinting blade in the air as the horse's front hooves thudded back on the ground, the pair rode with gathering speed towards the onrushing boars.
“Have at you, for Ordon and Hyrule!” yelled Link.

After reluctantly returning the Master Sword to the Sacred Grove, Link was promised by Zelda herself a new blade forged in his honour, but until then he would have to make do with one he took from a defeated foe from the castle. It was larger than the Master Sword in size and width, but it was not as well balanced. Still, it would do for now, Link was not too fussy at this moment in time.

Indeed, the blade clove through the oncoming Moblins rather cleanly, sending them crashing off the rampaging wild boars from both sides of Epona as Link sliced around him. He swerved and took out a fine longbow, sending three arrows in quick succession back into the same number of Moblins that rode a boar behind him, before they could get in range to harm him.

But the last boar was still ridden by two Moblins and they were hurtling towards him at an insane speed from up ahead, whereas Epona was standing still. Link jumped off Epona, now concerned about her safety, and turned to face the last boar on foot. His sword raised, he waited for them to close in. Ducking to the left, he cut viciously to the right, striking the blade through the heart of the first rider, killing him and watching him thud off the boar. Link pulled the blade out of the deceased creature as the last rider desperately tried to turn the boar, but did not succeed until he was a good distance away. Link had time and he knew it.

Clambering atop Epona hastily, he whooped her and surged forward to meet the challenge. Within seconds the two warriors were inches apart. Link turned Epona just far enough from the boar’s lethal tusks and decapitated its rider. Ilia would tell him off for that, he thought. Epona was too nearly hurt.

Link turned the mare to the south once more, this time the entrance to Faron clear in sight. He noticed dashes of blood spilled on his tunic, but failed to brush them off with his hand after sheathing his sword on his back.
The air was darker as they entered the woods, for the canopy was beginning to blot out the sun. Waving at Coro the reasonably shocked-looking lantern salesman who sported an afro that caused Link to struggle not to laugh when talking to him, he rode briskly through the trees along the well-worn path. Light was bursting through the trees in rays here, and he felt a serene calm about the place, slowing down Epona despite desperately wanting to be in Ordon as soon as humanly possible. He took little time to appreciate the beauty of the spring where water majestically flowed down through small waterfalls and the leaves of many different colours decorated the woods.
His heart now thudding uncontrollably within his ribcage, he seriously feared for it bursting through. Another ironically tragic end for the hero he though with a chuckle, and he steeled himself again.

He reached the wooden bridge that covered the large gap between Faron and Ordona. A large valley was what separated the two, and this bridge had held strong for many an age to connect the hilly Ordon to the rest of the world.
Turning through paths lined with green walls of stone on either side, and riding a short distance longer, he could now see a silhouette in the distance, as he approached the entrance to the village shadowed by the bright morning light. He approached it with the same speed he had pursued Ganondorf's black stallion with the previous night, until colour started to surge into it the not-so-distant shadow, and soon the face's featured came into place. The barefoot figure clothed in a plain white shirt and orange trousers stood in front of him. Soon enough he could see her pretty face, and short-cut hair, and again found himself wondering if he would be able to speak to her without resorting to inane grunting.

She stood with her hands behind her back, and at the speed Link was riding at, he could not quite make out the expression on her face.

He realised only too late that he should really have stopped by now, instead of gazing at the girl. Swallowing hard, he tried to turn Epona to one side of her, though in his sweat and small amount of blood, slid dangerously to one side. He tugged hard on the reins in an attempt to stop the horse's rush.

The sudden halt and his sweat and bloodstained clothes threw him clear off his mount, sending him crashing into a low-lying tree branch and thudding down on to the ground right at the entrance to the village. Epona harmlessly slid to a halt by his old house, and seemed rather grateful for it. Link could only lay there on his back and stare at the Ordonian sky in all its blue glory, grinning stupidly.

A barefoot figure approached him slowly, barely suppressing a giggle. She knelt by his, side, causing his grin to only increase in both size and stupidity. She finally managed to change her expression to a serious one, and looked down at him sternly.

She was now leaning right over him, and he could smell her sweet scent, and see her beautifully formed face and the upper part of her slender body.

"Tsk", her voice came. "Is that how you promised to take care of Epona for me?".
Shaking her head, she got up on her feet and walked towards the horse, leaving Link lying there with his mouth gaping open, tongue unsure of what to do.

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