Chapter Text
"When twilight wanes and dawn creeps in, whispers of its remnants are all that remain. Hidden and caged by light most bright, lurking evermore in long forgotten nooks of the world."
The day wore on, summer’s height stretching it ever onward.
Everything had settled peacefully since the Twilight Invasion’s end nearly a year ago. Birds and animals had returned to replenish what had been stolen, scattering seed in places that had been scorched over. Vegetation, though only small sprouts that sprung up here and there, grew in the stains of darkness the invasion had left.
Villages of ruin were gradually being repaired as people moved back into their homes once more. Grief and mourning remained to rule, even now. Black banners and curtains hung on every wall, every window. Upon the mantles throughout the homes of Hyrule a single candle remained lit, honoring their dead whilst the living slept.
The people were moving on, branching out throughout all of Hyrule once more. How odd it was to see living people rush about. Not only to see and hear them, but to smell the very living individuals all about. No longer were they wisps of memories brushing Link by.
No longer was he cast into a world so quiet madness alone reigned. No longer was his home bathed in a shade so dark it bloated out life itself. Death ruling over all with a wicked laugh.
No longer was he a wolf left to traverse the land and fight back against that sweltering dark. Though, as light once more came to its rightful place, Link found he no longer fit in. Perhaps he never really had before, but he’d had a fair purpose and knew it well.
He had been a servant of the light, a warrior beneath her guidance. Slewing monsters and all of the dark, foul things that sent a blight upon a world so bright.
But now… now what was he?
Murderer. Monster.
Link’s gaze narrowed. Perhaps. But at the very least he still had one purpose that glaringly shone. Protecting the kids he’d once failed so horribly.
He hadn’t gone back home to Ordon much in the year since the Invasion, but he visited now and then and watched from afar in the time between. He kept lingering monsters well away, ensuring nothing that didn’t belong breached the pass to Faron Woods.
More often than not he traded skin for fur. Finding that, as a wolf, he went undetected by the monsters better. Likely due to the darkness that radiated from him. Did they mistake him as their own, too?
The thought unnerved him more than he wanted to admit.
Though he supposed it was alright, if only so he could better defend what was his. He didn’t particularly enjoy spending his nights and days patrolling at every given moment, but that was all he was good for anymore. Perhaps that was all he had ever really been good for.
Zant and Ganondorf were gone.
I killed ‘im.
But by doing so, he’d ended his own purpose as well. Not that he would ever choose a different route. His main regret was not killing them sooner, before they could bring harm to those he cherished so deeply.
With a sigh, Link leaned against a tree with crossed arms, a long piece of grass hanging between his teeth. Tipping his head back as his eyes slid shut. The gently lapping water of Faron Spring set at ease the budding tension gathering between his shoulders and the rustle of playful wind brought comfort to the ache between his brows.
There was a stirring in the air, a shift through its graceful currents that set the wolf within on edge. He had learned long ago not to ignore the instincts of the beast he shared a spirit with. The wolf served him well and he served it well. Before, during the early stages of his journey, he’d had a difficult time weighing which part of himself to listen to.
The Ordonian in him was kind, merciful, and gentle, rarely speaking but genuine whenever he did. He was carefree and curious, always giving the benefit of doubt. Naïve in every sense of the word.
The wolf was ruthless. He had no room for mercy and was a patient killer. One driven with the simple law to protect what was his, to tear through the dark with claws and teeth and bring death to that which sought to uproot peace and good. He was a hunter, clever and quick. Brutal in efficiency.
The wolf had been the reason he survived, the Ordonian heart had been the reason mercy was given unto others. Forgiveness was given by the man, understanding and sympathy a language well known to him. Hurt and betrayal burned bright in the wolf’s heart, its howls forlorn and filled with the woeful longing to return home to its pack.
The hope shared between the two was acceptance. The bitter resignation in knowing it wasn’t to be was the reality. Towards the end of his journey, the line between wolf and man had been crossed and severed, blended to become of one mind. He warred within himself as a result.
The wolf couldn’t find the difference between a physical enemy and one borne of fear from the past, at least not at first, and was prone to lash out.
The wolf was obsessive in its protection, always on guard with bared teeth and raised hackles, ready to leap into action at the slightest dip in the wind. Always needing to move, restless in every meaning of the word. Lost and without aim in the exiled absence of his pack.
Thus they clashed at times. Instinct and heart at war with one another. The only issue he found with it was how muddled his mind became. When the wolf in him urged for something, it was very difficult to pull away and examine it to deduce what was appropriate in the moment.
Though he’d gotten better at remembering what it was to be Ordonian, he found he couldn’t return in full to who he’d been. Solitude in nature was often where he found himself most at ease, where he could dwell in comfort without risk of judgment or fear, but it got lonely and he found himself longing for acceptance.
There were other changes he’d undertook as well. For one, he was forever stained by the dark magic that fought so hard to claim him. Markings so unnaturally dark marred his face, making up a pattern on his brow that he shared with the wolf. His senses had sharpened, too.
He could smell things he hadn’t been able to before while still maintaining Hylian form. Not near as well as the wolf, but not too dissimilar. He could hear what felt like everything, something that drove him from towns more often than the fear and worry of judgment and pitchforks or fire. Again, the wolf heard better, but it seemed the longer time drug on the more traits of a wolf he carried over.
His canines were permanently sharp and elongated, he could feel things around him with more clarity and knowing, and he no longer needed to shift to see the lost souls still haunting the land. Their steady presence was a reminder of failure, of being too late, of not being fast enough. He refused to go near Kakariko because of it, haunted by the ghosts of those that hadn’t survived the Shadow Being’s rampage.
There were abandoned villages throughout Hyrule he avoided for the same reason. There were no Hylian spirits in Faron Forest, nor anywhere near Ordon. Another reason he took to the untamed wild. Some of the spirits weren’t completely awful. He could see the Light Spirit’s standing guard, or the few Guardian Spirit’s found throughout the land.
There was always a Guardian Spirit in forests without springs, and Light Spirits for those that bore rivers or springs or lakes.
Yet the change that hurt him the most was the effect his very presence gave off. People were wary of him, frightened without knowing why. They avoided him or hid. Those that knew him before, his friends, were more at ease around him but there was always that lingering gaze when they thought he wasn’t looking. Almost as though they were trying to decide if he was a danger, or in danger.
Zelda was still kind to him, being the only one he could rely on to not run in fright or give him a look of anything shy of understanding and sympathy. The Goron’s never seemed to care, and neither did Yeto or Yeta. The Zora were a kind, peaceful race but one highly in tune with the spiritual realm and as such regarded him with both respect and caution.
He avoided them, if only because he felt like a spirit walking amongst them with the way they revered him. His other companions, his mentor and beloved… they were no longer part of his world. They were the most understanding of his situation and he felt most at ease with them but they were gone now and he was left to pick up the pieces of his heart they had so ruthlessly shattered.
“You worry.”
Link slid his attention towards the spring, meeting the eyes of Faron. The Light Spirit sat at the edge of his home, tail curled around his body as it always was.
“Nah, just thinkin’.” Link answered, rubbing at his brow.
“You worry for the unchanging. The traits you can neither be rid of nor get others to accept. You worry for yourself, and for all those around you.” Faron replied.
Link frowned, toying with the edge of the black, wolf’s pelt he kept over his shoulders. “More worried ‘bout them than me. I know what I am, known it a long time. Don’t change much ‘o nothin’, does it?”
Faron tilted his head. “The tides of Fate are like the wind. Subject to change at a moments notice. Never does the wind adhere to the desires of others, nor does it care for the direction it urges its charges. Often, their currents are unbidden.”
Link scrunched his nose. “Could be a bit kinder.”
He had the distinct feeling Faron was smiling. “Fate is not often kind. Like the fire of a forge, its guidance leads you forth to hone and to make new. The call to action is alluring and deterring all at once. For man desires to forge his own fate, and thus the trial grows ever more fierce.”
Link sighed. “So you’ve said.”
Faron hummed. “You ran to your fate and fought as a warrior of light. Crowned champion over shadow and evil you have become. But there is a choice to fate few recognize. You have always been exceptionally stubborn, choosing the best paths to ensure the safety of your friends while never forsaking who you are. You remain kind, even now. Choosing not to let your fate destroy that.”
Link shrugged, turning his gaze to the ground. “Don’t feel kind. Feel like a coward. Can’t even go home. Don’t wanna scare no body. Don’t much belong there anyhow.”
Faron’s light washed over him, soothing and warm. “How harsh you are unto yourself, little one. Given enough time, I am sure they will come to accept the parts of you they do not yet understand. Should their love be and hold true, there will be nothing more than remorse when you trust them well enough to let them in.”
Link scowled at the spirit. “Ain’t nobody gonna trust somethin’ that look’s anythin’ like me. Rusl done see what I’ve done to monsters, found the things he walked up on that he shouldn’ta. Ain’t no undoin’ a man’s idea of a monster, ‘n once they see what I’ve become, they ain’t gonna be so forgivin’. Ain’t gonna let me near the kids no more, the goats neither. I ain’t ready to lose what lil I got left.”
Faron hummed thoughtfully, rocking back to float in the air. “I find mortals to be such fickle and fragile things. Complex in a way I cannot fathom. But know this, love and trust when true never fails, nor does it leave you empty whilst you reside in its presence. But love is as a two-edged sword and the pierce to your heart is inevitable. First comes comfort and peace, knowing you are seen, but tragedy almost always follows. This you have learned well.
“And yet thou hast yet to see the healing that comes of loves delicate fruits. I believe that whomever you come to call family will not flee from you once you share with them the truth of your ordeals. They will love you regardless and protect what remains of your tattered heart with all of their might. Your kinship and brotherhood will be unshakeable. You have only to trust in their love.”
Link pushed at the sand with the toe of his boot, feeling small and hopeless. “And if they don’t?”
Faron reached forward, resting a paw of light against Link’s chest. “Have courage, brave youth. This is no different from the challenges you have conquered. The battleground of the mind and heart shall always war with one another. Your journey was far from kind, but the people you shall soon surround yourself with have hearts of gold. They will understand. You have only to act and act you must. I caution you now, be of swift movement. Least poison take root where healing ought shine.”
Link wasn’t sure what that meant, then again, the Spirits were often those to speak in rhymes and riddles. Often, he was lost in translation and left to chew on their advice for days at a time. Sometimes, he knew not what they meant and their lesson was left to lie in wait within the recesses of his mind.
Link gave a slow nod, brow drawn. The triforce at the back of his hand flickered to life, humming contentedly against Faron’s light.
The Light Spirit turned towards the entrance of his spring. “Something stirs within the lands of light. Something which ought not be. Something dark. Something foul. You carry with you its taint. Tell me, what is it you find in the darkest depths, hiding from my light?”
Link frowned, shuffling on his feet. “There’s more monsters as of late. Stronger than they ought to be. Meaner, too. Fast ‘n smart. Got foul blood in ‘em. Seen ‘em ‘round Hyrule. Kill ‘em when I find ‘em. Ain’t none made it into Faron or Ordon yet. I won’t let ‘em.”
Faron bowed his head in thanks. “A kindness undeserved but well received. Yet your promise will fall through in time. I fear these beasts are beyond either of our control, at least for now. I can feel them growing, surging in the wake you’ve left behind. They will grow restless soon, but so too have you.”
Link tensed, holding the Light Spirit’s eerie gaze.
Faron continued. “I must bid you to take up sword once more. Settle your affairs if you’ve the time. Fate fast approaches, beckoning for you once more. I shall hold at bay her hand but I fear it shall not last long.”
Dread and excitement pooled within him as he asked, “I’m being called away ‘gain? Another mission?”
Faron moved back to the center of his spring. “You will reach far beyond my sight and join a war not quite your own yet yours all the same. Soon now, the taint will spread and you will give chase till there is no corner you have not traversed. Now go, little one. Gather yourself and bid them farewell. Leave your regrets are my shores, if only so you may gain the strength you need to carry on.”
Link swallowed, a knot working its way through his stomach. He didn’t yet understand what Faron spoke of, but he knew it wasn’t good. He didn’t enjoy the idea of returning home, if only to say goodbye once more. He didn’t want to say goodbye, either. The parting word seeming more like the ring of deaths bell than a promise of return.
Faron ascended the short falls at the back of his Spring and settled around the ball of light he kept guard over. “Failure was not one I was accustom with, but after my light was stolen and my land and all my children were lost to the dark, I knew it’s bitter sting. Rest easy in knowing, Courageous One, that the failure of this land and all those bound to it, were not on your shoulders but on ours. Our mess was one you were set to clean, but the ruin was not caused by you. So, leave that guilt here with me, for it is mine by right. Now, go with strength. For you will need much of it.”
With that, the Light Spirit vanished in a warm sprinkle of light. Link hid his eyes behind his arm, shying from the sight with a wince. Blinking away the daze that settled upon him, Link turned towards the path home. Heavy with a sigh of trepidation he shed his skin for fur once more and made the quick sprint to Ordon.
He lingered just outside of the village, watching from the tall grass as he debated with himself.
He could go and tell them he would be away, but had he not been away already? What use would it be to give false hope if only to tear it away again? What use was it to traipse before them as a wolf in sheep’s clothing when he was no longer the boy they’d taken turns healing and raising?
The looming shadow of the task set before him vied for his attention, adding to the warning Faron had given. Where he to die far from their grasp, would any come to tell them? Would their last memory of him be of nothing more than his corpse? Would they know him only by their bitter sorrow brought on by missing and worrying for him in their time apart?
Despite his fears at their rejection, he knew Uli was likely beside herself with worry and sorrow. Rusl likely still battled guilt at having chosen him as their messenger so long ago, spurring him to take up the mantle he’d so diligently fought for.
Fado, he knew, missed him and his help dearly and that was to say nothing of the children or Ilia. Mayor Bo wanted to speak with him last he’d been home, but he’d been pulled away by the scent of monsters and hadn’t been back since.
Now he would return only to leave them once more. But at least they would now know he wasn’t avoiding them. He was only called away to continue the fight between light and dark, good and evil. They would never need to know he’d avoided them thus far and he would never dare break their fragile hearts as they had broken his.
With a sigh of resignation, Link traded fur for skin. The change no longer held pain for him, but rather soothed an otherwise insatiable itch. Sometimes, he had to be the wolf for the freedom that came with it, the lack of a cage. Other times, he had to be Hylian.
Now, he wished to hide behind his fur and flee far from them, but he squared his shoulders and aimed for the mayor’s home. He felt a twinge guilty at the mild consideration of merely leaving a note for the rest of them or for asking Mayor Bo to send the message along.
He hesitated outside of the Mayor’s door, fist raised to knock as apprehension clawed at him from inside. He chewed on his lip, took a deep breath, and knocked.
“I’ve got it!” Ilia’s voice called from somewhere inside, likely upstairs given the steady thump of feet on wood.
Link wavered in place, wondering if he ought to simply bolt and deal with Faron’s disappointment later. But what if they went looking for him and got hurt in the process? That would go against everything he’d fought so hard to keep them from, wouldn’t it?
The door wrenched open and Ilia beamed, though the expression swiftly turned scolding and stern. “Link?! Where have you been? Come in. You’ve got some explaining to do.”
Link swallowed, throat frustratingly tight. “Um… I—”
Mayor Bo spared him the flustered excuse, clapping his daughter on the shoulder warmly. “Now, now, Ilia. Give the lad a break. I’m sure he’s got a reason for runnin’ off on us again.
Link fidgeted, offering a short nod followed with a quick shrug. “Yeah, well… there was some monsters I had to take care of. Took longer than I meant it to.”
Ilia looked worried, her brows creasing. “I wish you wouldn’t go off fighting so much… I miss talking to you. Miss when you were just a goatherd.”
There was a sting that came from her words, but Link hardly knew why. He missed those days too, when everything was simple. When he knew his role, his place. Sure, there had always been a lacking when he considered his future, but he’d been content. He’d known he was secure. Now, he only had purpose when fighting, protecting.
Mayor Bo sighed, squeezing his daughter’s shoulder. “Let off him, Ilia. Link, we’re just as proud of you now as we were then. Nothin’s gonna change that. Now come inside. You got the lookin’s of someone with somethin’ to tell.”
Link chuckled. The mayor was often dense in various ways, but he was also one of the most perceptive people Link knew… at least, when it came to politics or the needs of his people.
“’Fraid it ain’t nothin’ all that good.” He admitted, following the two inside.
Ilia darted into the back, bringing out three cups of tea. Bo raised a skeptical brow at her, earning a stern look in return. Link only thanked her and took a sip of it, finding far too much honey added to the otherwise bitter mixture. Nothing like the tea Zelda often had brought to her, but it was almost homey in a way. There was a very Ordonian twinge to it that brought him comfort.
Ilia sat beside him, adding to the comforting feel of home. “So… what’s wrong? Does the princess need you again? You know you can just tell her no. We aren’t technically part of her people so she can’t boss you around.”
Bo gave his daughter a look of reprimand even as Link spoke. “Zelda ain’t a bad person. Don’t much like takin’ no orders from no one but don’t much mind her neither. She’s strong ‘n fights fer her own. Don’t think she’d do nothin’ bad to none of us.”
Ilia’s face soured. “So your just going to do whatever she says? What, because she’s pretty?”
Link gave Ilia a flat look, as close to reprimand he’d ever come with her. The look had her tensing, an almost childish sort of reluctant guilt shining in her eyes. “I ain’t that shallow ‘n you know it. Zelda gets the respect she deserves and she’s earned my respect. Deserves it, even. Fought by my damned side when nobody else done it. Ain’t sell none of us out neither. So mind yer tongue when ya talk ‘bout her. She ain’t done nothin’ to earn yer anger.”
Ilia’s shoulders curved in, that defiant streak in her eyes. “She wants to command all of us. We aren’t her Hylian’s to boss around and I don’t like it when you let her take you from us!”
Link didn’t shy away, not as he had before his journey. “I’m Hylian, Ilia. I’s one o’ her people ‘fore I’s ever one of yall.” His expression turned a touch gentle. “But I’m Ordonian too, if only by heart ‘n she ain’t taken me from none o’ yall. Just… sometimes I gotta go ‘n help others. Ain’t always at her call. Sometimes, someone that ain’t got no one else, needs help ‘n I’m the only one who can.”
Ilia looked down bitterly at her cup, squeezing with a furrow to her brow. “… I feel like I just got you back, and when I did, I lost you all over again. It’s worse than before… I didn’t remember you any, but now?” She refused to look at them, angry tears brimming along her lashes. “Now, I know exactly who I am losing and I’ll have done nothing to keep you from it. You just… just… vanish for days or weeks at a time and I never know when the last time I see you will be the last time I see you.”
Link winced, her tangent only serving to make true his worries from before. “Ilia, I—”
She glared at him. “And what am I supposed to say to Colin or Uli if you never come back? What are any of us to think? You left once to get us back, but then you stayed gone and I don’t understand why.”
The mayor sighed, setting a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Calm down, Ilia. Link has his reasons. The boy is still just that, a boy. What he went through was different than any of us would know, time is the best healer we have. You know this.”
She shook her head, angrily wiping at her tears. “Whatever…” She looked back at Link. “You had something to say, didn’t you? So? What was it?”
Link steeled himself, afraid his next words would only shatter the poor girl further. He tapped a finger against the well loved wood of the table they sat around.
“I’m leavin’ again. Somethin’ done come back out. Somethin’ that ain’t supposed to be here ‘n I gotta go put it back in it’s place ‘fore it hurts anyone else. Don’t know when I’ll be back, don’t even know what it is. Just know’s it’s stronger than most ‘o the monsters. Smarter too.” He explained, focusing on Bo least he break at the expression on his childhood friends face.
The mayor gave a slow, thoughtful nod. Face drawn and pale at the looming weight Link’s words left behind. “Like the monsters from before? The one’s you speak about sometimes?”
Link swallowed. He’d told none save Zelda much of anything about what he’d fought. None of them remembered the Twili Invasion. None remembered the Shadow Being’s laying waste to their homes and livestock. They had the sense that something had lurked but never knew what.
They knew of the monsters though, the boblins and their like, but that was all they knew and so that was all Link had ever spoken of. There were rare times when he’d been pulled from a fitful slumber, clawing at whatever he could reach in a scream of terror. Those were the times Rusl had learned in vaguest of details about the Shadow Being’s.
Ever the close friend he was with the mayor, Bo had come to learn of them as well. Both had attempted to get Link to speak of the horrors he lived through, but no momentum was ever gained, and he had vowed never to speak of such brutal terrors to the living.
With a shake of his head, Link looked to the table. “Nah. Ain’t like them. Don’t think, at least. They’s just like them normal monsters but different. Like they’s sick or somethin’, all foul and wrong.” He shook his head again and gave Bo a reassuring smile. “Ain’t nothin’ to worry ‘bout none. I’ll get it taken care of. Just can’t say when I’ll be back is all. Thought it’d be best ta say… to let yall know so yall ain’t get hurt lookin’ fer me.”
Ilia wept, a sharp gasp for air the first telling sign as she buried her face in her hands. “Please don’t go.”
Link’s heart twisted and he found himself cursing the call of fate, any excitement he’d felt previously vanishing beneath cold reality. “I ain’t got a choice, Ilia…”
“Sure you do! Just… just don’t go! Please.” She pleaded, looking up at him tearfully.
Link closed his eyes to cease their burning. “No. I don’t. I gotta do this, Lili. Ain’t nobody else able to and I ain’t gonna lose none ‘o yall to them greedy pigs. You just… just trust that I’ll come back home, okay? Ya can do that fer me, yeah?”
She sniffled, nodded as her father pulled her close. “Please,” she whispered, the plea barely a breathless push upon her lips.
Link looked to Bo. “Just keep the lil one’s outta the woods for a while. Just till we know it’s safe again. And… let Rusl know ‘bout it all. Them monsters, I mean. Maybe get some defenses up by my treehouse, ‘nother gate or somethin’ just till I get back.”
Just in case he failed to protect them, just in case something go through while he was away.
Bo nodded. “Ordona will protect us, as she always has. We will be well provided for in your absence.”
Link tried not to let the words turn sour in his heart. Bo would not remember how Ordona had been lost, how darkness had consumed her and how that had left them wandering spirits. His faith was still unshaken and Link would not be the one to disperse that trust.
He himself still adored Ordona, for of them all she had fought the hardest to keep it all at bay for as long as possible. He thought her strength came from the loyalty of the people she protected, for unlike so many others, she had not been forgotten by them.
Link bowed his head and rose. “I’ll be back.” He locked eyes with Ilia, hoping she knew nothing could keep him from them. “Swear’s it on my life.”
Alive or dead, he would return and he would continue to stand his vigil.
He left them after a quick embrace with Ilia only to find himself swarmed by the children soon after, halting his progress to Rusl and Uli.
“You were gone forever!” Beth complained upon greeting him.
“Well… it wasn’t really that long…” Milo grumbled, looking elsewhere with false indifference.
“Are you crazy!? He vanished for like….” Talo counted on his fingers, face scrunched. “Like ever! Where were you? Was it more monsters? Was it Flower? Are the monkeys coming to play again?”
Beth scoffed. “Calm down. Besides, you’ll get fleas playin’ with those things.”
“Will not!” Talo countered.
“Will too!” Beth snipped.
“I’ll get ‘em from you before I get ‘em from them!” Talo replied with a toss of his head.
Colin sighed. “Please stop.” He smiled up at Link. “I missed you. Are you going to be home longer this time?”
Link reveled in their banter and childish innocents while he could even as he ruffled Colin’s head with a sad smile. “’Fraid not, Col. I came to tell yall I’ve been summoned to go fight ‘gain. Ain’t sure when I’ll be back but it seemed a bad idea to leave without seein’ yall again.”
He ignored the tearful look on their faces even as Talo placed his fists on his hips and stamped his foot. “Your darn right it’d be wrong! You big… big fool! Why didn’t you come by sooner?”
Beth covered her mouth. “Talo! We aren’t supposed to say that!”
“Oh shut it!” Talo replied, waving her off.
Link gave him a look of reprimand. “Now be nice, Tal. Beth ain’t wrong and she ain’t mean nothin’ ‘gainst you.” He let out a sigh. “Had some errands to run ‘fore. Seems I’ll be runnin’ ‘em a lil longer now.”
They looked down, forlorn as they shuffled their feet in the dirt. Doing their best not to cry.
Link placed a hand on Colin and Talo’s shoulders. “I’ll be back though, ‘n then we can play all the games yall want. I’ll even teach ya to use that bow o’ mine if yer good for the ol’ farts.” That got a few tearful snickers.
“You promise?” Colin asked, peering up at him.
Link nodded. “Cross my heart ‘n hope to die. Yall can’t get rid of me that easily ‘n you know it. ‘Sides, pretty sure you done challenged me to a duel last I was ‘round. I’ll have ya know, I don’t let go of my runnin’ title as champ for anyone.”
Colin laughed, rubbing at his nose. “Okay. It’s a promise then. You’ll come back home.”
“And stay.” Beth added, the sentiment echoed by the other children.
Link’s throat tightened, air difficult to catch, so he nodded instead. “And stay.”
He left them, heading to Uli and Rusl’s next. The two lounged on their porch, content as their daughter played in the grass.
Uli brightened when she saw him. “Oh Link! Thank goodness! I wasn’t sure if we’d ever see you again!”
Guilt threatened to eat him alive, or perhaps burn him from the inside given how uncomfortable his stomach and heart felt. The two must have read the look before he ever voiced what he’d come to say because they became quite solemn.
“Oh… I see.” Uli whispered, folding her hands on her lap.
Rusl’s jaw ticked. “You just got back. Surely you will stay a while?”
Link shook his head. “Only got time to say… well, I mean I only got time to come let yall now I won’t be back fer a while. Don’t know how long.”
Uli nodded again, tears in her eyes. “Surely not too long? I hope?”
Link couldn’t answer and the silence seemed to break the woman’s heart. Rusl placed a hand on her shoulder, comforting her before he strode over to meet Link. He still limped deeply, having received one too many blows to the injury he’d gotten near the beginning of Link’s journey.
He clapped him on the shoulder, catching Link’s downcast gaze. The man tried not to flinch, tried not to pull away from the hand that had unwittingly harmed him. His muscles locked, setting him tense once more.
Rusl didn’t seem to notice. “You’ll come home.” Not a question but Link nodded anyway. “And you’ll stay when you do.” Another nod. “You’ll be careful… and come back in one piece, hmm?”
“We’ll throw a feast for you.” Uli spoke up, coming to stand at his other side. “Grander than any we have thrown before.”
Link chuckled. “Don’t want all that. Just yall to welcome me back’s all.”
Uli pulled him into a motherly embrace. “Always, my little pumpkin. We’ll always be waiting for your return and welcome you with open arms.”
Rusl crossed his arms, nodding in agreement. He’d never been a cruel man, unless it came to grueling training, but he’d never been entirely soft. He was of the mind of a soldier, but kind and compassionate. Link could count on one hand how often the man had embraced him, but that made them all the more priceless.
Link nodded again, unsure if he fully believed her words but desperate to latch onto them all the same. He had a home. Faron said so. He would have a home then, too.
Uli pulled away, dabbing at her eyes. “Good. Now be a good boy and keep out of trouble the best you can. I expect to hear all of your stories when you return.”
Rusl chuckled. “Just nothing to foolish this time. I swear, if you return telling me about a failed mountain climbing expedition again, I will ground you… literally.”
His wife nudged him and Link’s mood lifted ever so slightly as he gave a crooked smile. “No promises. Yall—I’ll miss yall…”
They smiled and Uli pulled him into another embrace. “We love you, Link.”
He swallowed his tears, burying his face in her shoulder. “… I love yall too.” He pulled away before he couldn’t and moved for the gates of Ordon with a wave of farewell.