Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction / The Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ Legend of Zelda - Finding the Twilight Princess ❯ Link's Return and Departure ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Tracy's warnings: There may be minor spoilers! This fic takes place -after- the events of Twilight Princess, and while it doesn't have huge spoilers it does have a few things in it that may not be appreciated by spoiler purists.
Also, I've inserted a character based off of myself in this story who is intended to have a semi-romantic relationship with you-know-who. I've tried my best to keep all original character personalities true (e.g. not make all of the potential in-game love interests slutty whores) and have tried to make my OC as mary-sue-less as possible. (However, no one's perfect. x_x; If you're picky, this story may annoy you.)

Legend of Zelda, the game Twilight Princess, and all respective characters/animals/landscape are owned by Nintendo and the brilliant Shigeru Miyamoto. Miyamoto, I worship thee, father of all gaming.
Ariel and Twai belong to me. They are my characters. :3
This is also my story.
Which you shall enjoy.
NOW.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~*

"Is something wrong?" Ariel asked herself.
"No." She lied, sitting back on her branch with a sigh; it wasn't the most comfortable branch but it was the easiest to climb to. She was thinking about Link... It had been a long time since she had seen Link in Ordon Village. Ever since the children and Ilia came back, everyone had become livelier and the atmosphere was so happy. Yet still lonely... for Ariel. She missed Link. She was sure everyone else did too. It was so strange, though. Link had left the village for a time, and then he had barely been home for a week before he donned those strange green clothes again and took off on Epona... She fiddled with her jasper-stone necklace for a time before finally letting it fall to her chest.

"Ariel?" A voice called. Ariel looked down from her spot in the tree.
The voice belonged to Ilia. Ariel sighed. What did she want? She had always felt a twinge of jealousy at Ilia as she was the last person to see Link before he left. More jealousy welled up in her chest as she imagined the words they exchanged. The beautiful young girl was so pure and lovely that Ariel could imagine that Link just couldn't resist her... She banished these thoughts from her mind.
"Yeah?" Ariel called back, trying to hide the bitterness in her voice as she looked back up into the higher branches.
"Sera wants to know if you want one of her cat's kittens?"

Ariel slid out of the tree, the branch scratching her back as she landed awkwardly. She felt the shock in her ankles as she straightened, moaning in pain.
"Kittens? You mean her cat was pregnant? Wait, her cat came back home?"
"Apparently, yes. She's so relieved, it's such a wonderful sight. Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine... I guess that explains why her cat was missing for practically a month. ..well, let's go." She ignored her envy for Ilia's luck as they walked together to Sera's Sundries.
"I always thought that cat was a male."

"How many are there?" Ariel asked, trying to strike up conversation.
"There are four. They're so cute, too. When they came back, they were playing and everything."
Ariel smiled. Ilia and her shared a love for animals. In fact, the both of them were alike in a lot of ways. Four years back, when Ariel had been found unconcious in the Ordon Spring, Ilia had helped nurse her back to health, which started their friendship. Despite that, however...
"I'm sure Link would have liked to see the kittens too." Ariel said quietly. Ilia looked at her sadly.
"Ariel, we can't..." Ariel wasn't looking at Ilia, but she heard the sadness in her voice. "...w-we can't dwell on that."
"It's been six months, Ilia." Ariel folded her arms, turning to the young woman. "Half a year. And I can't stop worrying about him. And I know that you think about him just as much as I do. Sometimes, I just..." Ariel stopped before further talking forced tears out of her eyes. Ilia put a comforting hand on Ariel's shoulder, but Ariel shrugged it off.

"Heeey!" Beth ran to the two, jumping about. "Come on, come on! OoOoOoOoOoh Ariel, you've just GOT to see the new kittens, they are SOOOO gorgeous! And Malo keeps on threatening to sell them in Castle Town, Ariel, so hurry hurry hurry!"

Ilia giggled and followed the excited Beth, looking back briefly to Ariel.
"I'm coming." Ariel forced a smile and walked after Ilia, inhaling deeply to get control of herself.

The four kittens were in the back of the shop playing while their mother lapped up milk from a bowl. The three girls cooed at the felines. Ariel looked at all of them, having told Sera she'd take one for herself. All four of them were equally adorable and playful, but the black one with goldenrod paws and white ears charmed her the most.
"That's a really cute one, Ariel." Ilia prodded the kitten with the end of a small stick, enticing him to chase the end. "He has a healthy nature, too."
"What'll you name him?" Colin asked, leaning over to get a better look. Ariel looked at the blonde haired youth behind her.
"That's a really good question, Colin. What do you guys think?"
"You should name him Silver!"
"Fish!"
"Googy Fluffy Poo!"
"None of those make any sense, you should name him something sensible."
"How about... Twai?" Ilia asked. Ariel grinned. "Twai. I like it, Ilia!"

~(

That night, Ariel brought Twai to her house. The kitten made himself right at home, taking over her bed as his napping place. Ariel smiled, stroking the little cat's head. He yawned and went right to sleep.
Ariel laid on her bed, the kitten purring against her cheek. She stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
"Well, at least someone's here for me to talk to. It looks kind of weird when a nineteen year old girl talks to herself." Ariel sighed. "I used to talk to Link all the time. He and I were close. We were alike... we both have no parents, you know. And we both live a little ways away from the village. But..." Ariel sat up on the edge of her bed. She stood up and went to stand in front of her mirror, looking at her frizzy, curly brown hair and freckled, pale face. "I don't look like... like the kind of girl he'd love."
Twai opened one eye and was now looking at his new owner.
"Every summer night, we'd go- Ilia, Link and me- we'd go to look at the stars at our secret place before bed. It was our favorite thing to do together- just the three of us. And then they'd ask me to tell them stories that I would make out of the blue, and they were almost always good..." Ariel sat down on the bed and fell silent. Twai opened both eyes, wondering why his talkative friend had stopped.
"It wasn't ever hard to make the stories..." She fell backwards, causing Twai to flop about a bit. Ariel laughed at Twai's shock. "It was like they came from my memories or something. Memories that I can't really remember."

~*

"Good morning, Uli! How is the baby?" Ariel chimed cheerfully to Uli, standing outside her house.
"Oh, she's doing great. Colin's watching her for me now." Uli smiled kindly, turning to Ariel. "Oh, is that one of Sera's kittens?"
Twai mewed from Ariel's side. "His name is Twai." Ariel grinned. "Did you need me to do anything for you this morning?"
"I could use some spring water. Rusl says that's the best thing to bathe the baby in. You'll find the bucket inside; Colin knows where it is."
"All right!"


Twai rode in the bucket as Ariel strode along the road, humming. Random chores was what Ariel could do to help people around the village, and she did so every day. She didn't know what else to do, after all. Any other things that needed to be done were taken care of by the others in the village. Fado had needed help with the goats since Link left, but Ariel couldn't herd very well... No, she was content with her odd yet easy jobs.
They came to Link's house, which was on the way to Ordon Spring. Ariel stared wistfully at the treehouse style hut as they passed by. Twai looked up at her, noticing her hesitation and the falter in her humming. Sighing, she continued on her way.

Ariel stood in the water, enjoying the feel of it as it flowed over her sandaled feet. She went to the small waterfall and held the bucket under the current, catching some of the water and filling it up quickly. Meanwhile, Twai balanced on her shoulder, looking at the water with extreme interest. This was the place where she was found. Ariel didn't remember much of her past, although small tidbits had come back to her through the years... She remembered the sounds of friendly laughter, and faces that smiled. These sounds and images were not enough to fit together the puzzle of her life. Yet Ariel was happy who she was now; she didn't really want to remember who she was. What if the laughter and faces were false? She remembered when Ilia had lost her memory when she had been kidnapped. For a little while she had been in the same boat as Ariel was. Yet it was so easy for Ilia to get her memory back, though, that Ariel wondered if it would be so easy for her too. The concept excited and frightened her at the same time.

Ariel's pointed ears twitched at the sound of fast-coming hoofbeats. This was unusual for few rode horses outside of the ranch except for Rusl, yet he hadn't been outside of the village for a while yet. She turned to find out who was coming and her jaw dropped open. She was unable to gasp, scream, or anything, for shock gripped every part of her body.

There, on a foaming and screeching Epona, was Link. He was slumped over on the horse's auburn neck, arrows sticking out of his back. His green clothes were scorched and black with blood that dripped from his lifeless fingers and out of his slack mouth. Ariel prayed to the Goddesses that he wasn't dead, her legs finally letting her run towards him. Twai fled from her shoulder, the splash barely reaching her ears as she attempted to calm down Epona. Whispering calming yet frantic words to the spooked mare, Ariel just barely kept Epona from bolting out of her reach with Link still on her back.
"Help..." Link wheezed, reaching out to grab Ariel's shoulder with a bloody hand. Ariel gasped this time, jumping at his touch. This made Link slip in the saddle and fall. Ariel grabbed him, feeling his body flinch in pain. The iron smell of blood was almost unbearable to her, and the feel of it warm and fresh on her bare skin sent chills through her spine and jolts in her stomach. She felt her own blood pulsing through her veins as she struggled to keep Link upright. Epona whinnied and went galloping off, startling Ariel.

"Link, what happened to you?" Ariel whispered to him, embracing him as tight as she could allow herself to.
"I was... ambushed... at least a hundred..." Link coughed, and Ariel heard the sick sound of blood splattering to the ground behind her, felt it seep into her clothing. She resisted the urge to vomit.
"No, wait... urp... stop talking, Link. You're too weak..." Ariel had to stop thinking about the blood. "You've got to stay alive, Link. They'll all come and help, you'll be fine..." Tears leaked hot from her eyes, spilling down her cheeks.

After what seemed like hours, villagers came rushing to where the two were. There were collective gasps from the men as they saw the severely wounded Link, slowing drenching the sobbing Ariel in his own blood. Jaggle kept the children back as Rusl and Mayor Bo approached Ariel. Rusl gently touched her shoulder.
"Ariel, we're here. Give Link to me." Bo grunted.
Ariel looked up helplessly at the giant man, tears streaking down her face. She let go of Link hesitantly, allowing the mayor to take her place. Bo hoisted Link up, mindful of the many arrows in his back.
Quickly, the villagers followed Bo back to the village where they could administer proper treatment while Rusl remained with Ariel. Ilia dashed to them, her eyes wide in shock.
"Ariel! Are you okay?! What happened to Link?!"
"Ilia, calm down, don't ask her those questions yet!" Rusl warned.
Ariel wavered on the spot. She felt like she was going to pass out. Leaning slightly into Rusl's hand helped her overwhelming nausea. Twai mewled, putting his sodden paws on her foot.
"I-I can't..." Ariel squeezed her eyes shut, her hand going to her forehead. Ilia hesitated, the sight of blood on Ariel obviously horrifying her. Rusl shook Ariel gently, patting her cheek.
"Ariel?" Rusl's comforting voice was fading.
"A-Ariel??" Ilia was getting farther away...
"I... I can't..."
The trees swirled in her eyes. Shouts glanced off her ears. Was she flying? Falling... Hands grasped at her...
Ariel blacked out.

Later, Ariel was woken by a few nearby voices.
"...is she?"
"She'll be fine. She was just traumatized by the incident. She WAS the one who found him in the first place."
"And Link?"
"I don't have much hope for him... He's lost a lot of blood. Unless we're blessed with a miracle, I..."

Slowly, Ariel sat up, her eyes bleary with extra sleep. Her mind was foggy and confused.
"...Link..."
"Ariel, you're awake!" Rusl sighed with relief. "You've been unconcious for hours."
"Where's Link? You said he might not.. I heard you..."
Rusl looked at Fado, who he was talking to. "I'm sorry you heard that. But you can't worry about Link. Right now, you need rest."
"No I don't. I feel fine." Ariel lied and stood up, noticing her change in wardrobe. "Where is he?"
Rusl hesitated, but Fado pointed to the door behind him.
"Thank you." Ariel dipped her head, passing the men and entering the room.

It was deathly silent, save for the sound of ragged breathing. The room was dim, the only source of light a neglected, sputtering candle on the table and light that filtered in from the parchment blinds, hiding an ironic sunset outside. Quietly, Ariel approached the bed where she guessed Link lay. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw his face, still as wild and handsome as ever, with a new scar on his cheek that only improved his image. She stroked his blonde locks, secretly wishing he would open his eyes so she could look into the blue depths and lose herself.
"Oh Link," she muttered, "why did you have to go for so long? Were you so starved for adventure you couldn't find it here?"
Link moaned in his sleep, causing Ariel to hold her breath.
"...Ariel.." Slowly, Link opened his eyes and looked up at her. Ariel leaned over him, her eyes wide. "I'm so sorry."
"It's okay, Link." Ariel's throat tightened.
"No, it's not..." Link's voice was tired and gravelly. "I made you all worry... I just took off. And then this happened... I went in over my head..." Link's face was contorted in pain. Ariel squeezed his hand, biting her lip.
"Link... you were wrong to leave us. But now you're here, you can get better, and you can stay."
"You'll forgive me?"
"We'll all forgive you. We already have, Link." Ariel smiled. "You just need to get better. I want to help you get better."
"...Ari..el..." Link smiled at her, blinking sleepily. "I'm so tired.."
"Then go to sleep. I'll see you later."
"All right." Link closed his eyes, going right to sleep. Ariel sighed, pulling her head back before her tears could fall on Link's face.

~( ~*

Link had become considerably weaker and anemic the next day. Rusl voiced his same fears to the men of the village, unsure of whether the women would be able to handle the fact.
"I'm surprised he lived through the night. Yet, even though Link is a healthy young man, he has a dangerous fever and he's delirious. I believe one of the arrows that pierced him had some kind of venom that is now coursing through his veins and killing him slowly. If this keeps up, Link will die. And very soon, I'm afraid."
Ariel had been passing by the open window when she overheard this conversation. Immediately, she ran to find Ilia at the ranch and relay the information to her.

"That's horrible..." Ilia gasped, putting down her bucket of oats. One of the horses in the stalls protested at his meal's delay. Ilia picked it back up and served the gelding his ration.
"Ilia, what can we do? I don't want Link to die!" Ariel was close to hysterics. Only Twai, who was hanging out on Ariel's shoulder and constantly rubbing his fur against her neck and cheek, kept her from having a breakdown.
"Calm down, Ariel! You'll spook the animals..." Ilia finished feeding the three horses and took Ariel out with her to the pasture.
"Ilia, what can we do?" Ariel repeated.
"I don't know, Ariel.." Ilia sighed. "I'm just as upset as you are. I can't think of a thing that can help Link. He was pretty bad. There may be nothing we can do."
"We can't just give up! There has to be something."
Twai tapped Ariel with his paw. Ariel found this odd... She looked at the little black kitten. He mewed at her, leapt off her shoulder, and dashed away. Ariel was surprised. "Twai! Twai, come back! Sorry Ilia!" Ariel ran after her cat, leaving behind a flustered Ilia.

Twai led Ariel through the village, stopping when Ariel needed to rest.
"Twai, what is the matter with you?" Ariel panted to him once, but Twai just kept running.
Finally, Ariel and Twai found themselves in front of the Ordon Spring. Uli's bucket floated in the water nearby, forgotten.
"Oh, is that it, Twai? You just wanted me to get Uli's bucket back." Twai gazed at Ariel with eerily intelligent green eyes, watching her as she slipped off her sandals and stepped into the water.
Child, step closer...
Ariel looked up as she squatted down to retrieve the bucket. "Who's there?" She noticed something flickering over by the waterfall. Curious, she stood up and went to investigate.
The flicker of light grew bigger, in the shape of a sphere. Ariel paused, unsure of whether to come closer.
Suddenly, a flash of light blinded her. Ariel fell backwards in the water, drenching herself. When spots stopped dancing on her eyelids, she opened them and looked up, squinting. Before her stood a giant goat-like light spirit. A giant ball of light was nestled between its horns, sharing the same rippling markings as the light creature.
I am the light spirit, Ordona.
Ariel's jaw went slack and she slipped about in the water, unable to tear her eyes away from Ordona as she quickly stood up.
"W-what would you want- I mean, what..."
You must help the hero... You must heal him so that he may live.
"T-the hero?" Ariel's brow furrowed in thought. She didn't understand. And then it hit her. "You mean Link? He's the hero?"
Yes. He recently saved the unwitting land of Hyrule from devastation... He must live.
"But how? How can I help him? I'm so helpless..."
I shall give you a blessing, courtesy of the Goddesses. This shall allow you to heal the hero.
Ariel folded her arms. A question plagued her mind.
"...Why me?" She could have sworn that Ordona smiled. However, his voice and expression remained the same.
I witnessed the compassion you showed for Link when he was in need, and though hope seemed lost, you never lost the hope that there might be a chance for him. You are the most suited to save the hero at this moment in time. Now go.
Ariel's eyes swam with stars as Ordona disappeared. She still had questions, but a swelling inside her heart reminded her of the task at hand.
Twai waited for her as she came back to shore, clutching the bucket and still in disbelief. "Twai, you..."
Twai meowed at her, then turned and began casually trekking towards the village. Unable to do anything else, Ariel followed.

"How's Link doing?" Ariel asked Rusl as she came inside the makeshift infirmary.
"Not so good. His temperature has gone up and he's just getting weaker. Ilia's in there with him."
Ariel ignored her jealousy twinges as she entered the room.

"Ariel, you're finally here." Ilia turned as the door opened. "Link kept asking about you."
"He did? No, I mean... Ilia, I think I know how to heal him."
Ilia blinked. "What? How?"
"The spirits gave me a way."
"Weh?"
Ariel went to Link's side opposite Ilia. It was then she found out she had no clue how to use the blessing that Ordona had given her. She leaned over him like she had last night, only this time Link was awake. He smiled, his face unnaturally pale despite his high fever and his blue eyes cloudy and distant.
"Ariel, finally... I had been wanting to see my two best friends before..."
Ariel caressed the hot, wet skin on his face. Ilia replenished the cloth placed on his forehead with cold water, placing it back quickly but not without tenderness.
"How are you going to help him?" She asked.
"I'm not sure..." Ariel muttered to herself, straightening. Now she felt even more helpless than before.
Twai leapt up onto the bed, crawling on top of Link. He licked Ariel's hand encouragingly.
"Aww, he kissed you." Ilia smiled meekly, trying to cheer them both up.
Ariel looked at Ilia. "That..."
Ariel's heart hammered in her ears and she held her breath as she leaned over Link once more.
"Ariel?"
Ilia watched as Ariel pressed her lips onto Link's in an innocent and desperate kiss. Slowly, color returned to Link's face. His skin shimmered as he sat up, sending Ariel flying upwards. "Oh Goddesses," She whispered, her heart fluttering.
Link rubbed his temples, removing the cloth from his forehead. He stared down at it, taking a deep, healthy breath.
"My pain is melting away..." Link looked at the two girls, who were both close to tears.
"Link, you're..." Ilia swooped on Link and hugged him ferociously, sobbing. "I told you not to go out of your league, I told you..."
Link pat her back, trying to sooth Ilia's tears. "It's okay, I know, Ilia. I was stupid."
Pangs of jealousy and sadness stabbed Ariel's heart unintentionally as she watched the two embrace and whisper. The tears that sprang out of her eyes went from happy and relieved to hurt and pained. They had always whispered to each other, never acknowledging her. Even now, when Ariel herself needed that same comfort that Link was giving to only Ilia in the form of hushed words...
"Ariel, what's-"
"Nothing, it's nothing. I'm just happy that you're okay." Ariel tried to smile despite the state she was in. "I... I hope you two have a happy life together." And with that, Ariel rushed out of the room, humiliated.

~(

It had taken forever, but Ariel had finally climbed as high as she could go in one of the taller trees in the Faron Woods. Her hands were scratched and raw and her clothes had torn once or twice, and she was exhausted, but Ariel was now hidden from anyone who might be searching for her, and, for the most part, comfortable in the branches. It had been so long, she had lost track of time, yet it was well past evening.
Her tears had finally subsided yet threatened to come back as Ariel remembered the past events. It had been hard to ignore the shouts of the people from the village who were looking for her. She sorely wanted Link to find her... but she doubted he was even helping to look for her. She thought bitterly that Link and Ilia were probably making plans to marry right then and were too busy to help.
"Ariel, stop it. They're your friends... and they love each other anyway. He doesn't love you... he never did..." Ariel reminded herself. She leaned back against the trunk of the tree, looking up into the sky past the leaves and needles of the maplegreen tree. The stars were already out, and they seemed so much closer now than they ever had. She reached up, closing her eyes and pretending she could feel the stardust between her outstretched fingers. When she opened her eyes, they were wet and the stars became blurry. Once again, sobs racked her body. The pain she felt in her heart was so unreal, and the things she was telling herself made her seem so selfish. Yet how could she help it? Link's love was all Ariel wanted, and she could never have it.
She heard the faint howl of a wolf in the distance. It had been so long since Ariel heard a wolf cry. The rising and falling notes reminded her of the wind, and sounded like a song. Did wolves write songs? It could have fooled her. The song of the wolf was so sad, so lonely... it sounded like he was trying to find someone. The song faded. Ariel couldn't let it stop. Leaning forward in the branches, Ariel lent her voice to the wind. She almost laughed at herself and how stupid she felt, crooning from the top of an extremely tall tree in a warbling tone that didn't sound like anything that resembled a wolf's howl. After a little bit, she stopped howling. The wolf didn't answer her. Silently, she withdrew back into the branches and waited, closing her eyes.

A loud noise stirred her from her dozing state. Ariel didn't recognize the sound of clanking chains rapidly approaching until a claw shot through the leaves and needles, snapping hold onto a bough right next to her. Ariel cried out in surprise and fright, just barely grabbing onto a branch to steady herself as several tree chips flew past her face. The sound of clanking chains came again, and before Ariel knew it, Link was right next to her in the tree, settling himself onto a branch and hanging his lantern from another one. He had his usual village clothing on, and a grin adorned his handsome face.
"Wow, I didn't think that'd work!" Link said in astonishment, letting the claw hang from the branch as he turned his head to look at Ariel. The grin disappeared, replaced with a concerned frown.
"How did you find me?" Ariel asked, her shock gone. She avoided looking at Link, although it tortured her.
"I just looked for a star." Link chuckled shortly. Ariel hugged herself close.
"Don't be that way, Ariel." He sighed. "How come you left like that?"
"You two obviously needed some alone time." Ariel forced herself to look at him, her expression full of pain.
There was silence for a time, broken only by the sound of the crickets below and the sound of the lantern's fire.
"...You know, the crickets can tell the temperature." Link said, smiling defeatedly. "They're saying it's pretty cold. We should get down from here." He extended his hand to her. Ariel looked at him for a short while before shaking her head.
"I don't care about the stupid crickets. I can get down myself."
"If you say so. I'll wait for you." Link grabbed ahold of the clawshot, slowly lowering himself down. Ariel shifted in the branches to get in a position where she could climb down.
It took a while, and Ariel slipped a lot, but eventually she made it down. Link was there waiting for her, like he said he would.
"You've got cuts everywhere," Link pointed out. Ariel looked down at her hands.
"They're just cuts. I've felt worse pain."
Link went closer to her. Ariel didn't bother turning away this time. He looked up into the sky.
"The stars are pretty tonight." He commented.
"Yeah... too bad there's no moon. The moon is always so gorgeous."
"But the moon isn't always there. I can always count on the stars to be there."
Ariel sighed. "Link, why did you have to leave for so long? I mean, after the children and Ilia came home, you could have just stayed, but you..."
Link didn't look down from the sky, but his face filled with sadness. "I had to go. I needed to find something."
"Did you find it?"
"No. I found out all my searching was futile. But even then, I didn't want to stop looking. And then I pulled a stupid move in my desperation." He ran his finger along the new scar on his cheek.
"...What were you looking for?" Ariel asked quietly.
"A friend." Link fell silent.
Ariel didn't inquire further.
"...You know... the crickets are right." Ariel smiled softly, rubbing her arms. Link smiled back at her. "Let's walk back, then."

In order to get to Ariel's house, they needed to walk through the village, and they did so silently. Ariel realized it was very late.
"When did they stop looking for me?" Ariel asked, looking at Link.
"They decided that you'd come back on your own after looking for a few hours." Link whispered.
"...and then you started looking for me?"
"I never stopped."

They finally reached Ariel's home, a humble little house just outside of the village, like Link's, only past Fado's ranch.
"Thanks for walking me home, Link." Ariel grinned at her friend. Link smirked.
"I had to make sure you wouldn't run away again," he teased.
"But, seriously.... thank you." Ariel sighed.
"Don't thank me. You saved me. In fact, I owe you.." Link's voice drifted off.
"No, you don't owe me anything."
Link swept her up into his arms, holding her close.
"Are you sure?" He whispered into her hair. "You gave me back my life and even a second chance. How can I let you go without some sort of payment? Some kind of promise?" He weaved his fingers into her hair, tracing her curls and pulling out random snags.
His heart was beating so calmly compared to hers. Ariel was pressed up against his chest, and her heart was pumping like crazy. For so long she had longed to be like this, to be held by him so tenderly; she felt like her heart would burst. Ariel gazed up into his wild, blue eyes, now sparkling with something she couldn't identify correctly. She stepped backwards with some difficulty, pulling his entangled fingers from her hair.
"It's very late. I should.."
"..go inside?"
"Right, yes. I should go inside."
Link lifted his left hand and scratched his head, a flash of gold following his wrist. "All right then. See you in the morning."
"See you... morning." Ariel mumbled, watching as Link departed.
"Oh, and Ariel?"
"Yeah?"
"I hope you liked my wolf song. I liked yours."

~* (~

A happy month passed. Link went back to helping Fado in the ranch, and he continuously visited Uli and her baby, and played with the younger children as often as he did in the past. Often times he would help Rusl out with delivering packages to the castle, yet he always came back.
Ariel continued doing her odd jobs around the village, yet with much more fervor than she used to. She had focused on doing harder and more strenuous tasks than she was used to, and soon became more in shape. Ariel could finally reach the top of the tree in her yard without becoming as exhausted as she did in the past.
While doing her work, Ariel noticed that Link had more jobs for her to do than usual. She often saw him five different times a day for quite a few different small things, whereas before they would have both been too busy around that time of year to even say hi, let alone chat. She often dwelled on things like this when she had time alone during or between jobs and wondered if Link was finally noticing her... Every time she reminded herself that Link was just her friend. She couldn't stop wondering what he meant by 'his' wolf song, though.

The days grew longer and became hotter.

"Summer's just around the corner!" Ilia reminded Ariel as she dropped by the stables. Link was there too, herding the goats into the barn on Epona. The young women watched him from inside, guiding the goats to their stable as they came in.
"Yeah, I know! Tomorrow will be the Solstice and everything."
Link leapt off Epona after getting the last goat inside, leading her with him to his friends.
"That's exciting stuff," Link commented, sweating lightly from his work. The slowly setting sun made his wet skin glow, and both girls had to keep from swooning. "So what are we going to do tomorrow? It is our break day."
"Well... How about we do something tonight?" Ilia asked, shrugging. Ariel and Link looked at each other.
"What do you mean?" Ariel prodded Ilia.
"Like.. Stargaze. Like we always used to." Ilia giggled in spite of herself, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"It'd be a night early," Link thought aloud, his voice unsure. He briefly frowned at Ilia, who exchanged a look with him that Ariel didn't notice.
"Oh come on," Ariel clapped, jumping just as happily as Ilia, "we haven't done it in forever and it would be a fun thing to do!"
The girls waited in impatient silence as Link thought.
"I dunno..." He opened one eye and smiled teasingly. Ilia and Ariel moaned, causing Link to laugh. "All right, the usual spot then?"
"Of course!" "Where else would we go?"
"I'll meet you both there. Don't be late, you two!"


Ariel dashed to her house to retrieve her lantern and a blanket. Twai leapt down from a tree and followed the excited young woman inside.
"Twai, we're going stargazing tonight! Just like I told you we used to, remember?" Ariel was so happy. It had been so long since they had that opportunity to just lay back and chill under the stars. Ilia and her had even been talking about it for a while, always anticipating summer coming. They had never stargazed on the eve of summer, though. Ariel wondered why Ilia was so impatient this time around; she recalled the times before when Ilia would resist stargazing on summer's eve even when Ariel begged.
"I need to start thinking up a story to tell just in case they want one... Ilia always liked fairy tales and stories with animals, and Link loves heroic stories..." Twai followed Ariel with his eyes as she searched for what she needed. Ariel cried out in pained surprise as piles of junk fell on her.
"Where is that stupid blanket?!"

~

"Ariel, I hope you didn't forget that I took the blanket home last time?" Link called to Ariel, spreading out the large quilt as Ariel made her way up the edge of the cliff with mild difficulty.
"No, of course not!" Ariel mentally slapped herself. "Where's Ilia?"
"That's funny, she should be here by now." Link looked around. Ariel heard a faint yet familiar whistle in the distance as she sat down on the quilt, tired from her brief climb.
Ariel loved this spot. The ledge they were on overlooked all of Ordon and gave them a clear view of the stars above. During the spring, tiny rare flowers grew as commonly as clovers in this particular area, making the grass fragrant and pleasant to lay in. The best part of the ledge was that no one else knew how to get up there- except for Ilia, Link, and Ariel. It was like their secret area.
An eagle screeched overhead, flying towards them. Link lifted his arm and caught the majestic bird, untying a note from his leg.
"It's from Ilia?" Link lowered his arm as the eagle left as abruptly as it came, opening the scroll of paper. He read it aloud for Ariel as she gazed up at him.

Sorry, I can't come this time. Something came up. Don't worry about me, just have fun. You two deserve it- you've been working so hard! Tell me if you see my favorite constellation, okay? Oh, and don't forget to look for shooting stars!

Your friend, Ilia

"...Smiley face." Link concluded, tilting the paper so Ariel could see a cute little drawing on the bottom of the page. She also noticed some strange smudges on the parchment.
"That's so strange. I wonder what came up?" Ariel laid back, looking up into the never-ending sky. Ilia's favorite constellation was one that was hard to find, but worth searching for. The pattern of lights in the sky made the shape of a pair of butterflies, and Ilia had found it herself.
"I don't have a clue. Maybe Mayor Bo needed her home or something..."
"Good thing this isn't official, hm? It's not really the beginning of summer. I'll just wait to tell my story tomorrow."
Link sat down beside her, looking up as well. "I'd like it if you told your story to me tonight."
"But what about Ilia?" Ariel glanced over at Link. His face saddened, and a sigh left his lips.
"Maybe Ilia just couldn't..." He began, hesitating after. "Ariel..."
"Hmm?"
"I'm leaving again."
Ariel sat up, her heart suddenly heavy. She couldn't believe what he was saying, and a flurry of emotions rushed through her head. Anger, confusion, sadness..
"What? Link, you... You just came back! You can't leave again..." In desperation, she threw her arms around him, as if he were leaving right then. How could he? After the village- after she- had worried about him for so long, after they had to cope with his strange disappearance, and even after he came back to the village in such a condition that she needed the help of the spirits to heal him, he was just going to leave again?
Link pulled her into his arms, holding her as she held back her tears. "I've got to go, Ariel. I can't help Hyrule if I stay in the village. Strange things have been happening, and I need to go solve those things."
Ariel squeezed him, burying her face into the crook between his neck and shoulder.
"Take me with you," she whispered, the words leaving her before she could stop them. Link hesitated before answering.
"Ariel, yo-"
"Link, just consider this your payment. Take me with you. I promise I'll try not to get in your way."
"Y-you're not supposed to be the one making promises, Ariel," Link objected. "What would I do if you got hurt or something?"
Ariel sat back, letting Link go. She stared at him, an intense frown on her face.
"Take me with you."
"Ariel."
"Take. Me. With. You."
"Ariel-"
"Link."
A weak smile formed on Link's face. "You're adamant about this."
"When are you leaving?"
"The day after Solstice..."
"Fine. I'll be ready." Ariel stood up.
"..Ilia knew that this would happen." Link sighed, remaining on the ground. Strangely enough, he was smirking.
"Knew what would happen? When did you tell her?" Ariel felt a little hurt that Link would keep something like this from her.
"I told her a couple of weeks ago, actually, when you were off learning how to herd the goats with Fado. She told me I shouldn't tell you in person, that I should write you a note and leave it for you after I left, and not tell you where I was going." He looked up at her, a defeated glint shimmering in his eyes. A smile grew on Ariel's face in response to his grin. "She said you'd follow me wherever I went. And she was right, wasn't she?"
Ariel chuckled in spite of herself. "Ilia knows me too well."


The entire village was upset with Link's decision to leave, and a lot of them were surprised that Ariel was going too. However, the day after the Solstice, they all waited to see the two off.
"Be safe." Rusl reminded the young man.
"I'll keep her safe," Link replied. Rusl and Link briefly embraced, patting each other on the back roughly like men do. Link did the same with every man from the village, hesitation brimming over in the hearts of each. Ariel followed shortly after Link, her exchanges with the men more tender. Bo nearly broke Link's back.
Ariel and Link's parting with the children was heartbreaking, with Beth in tears, Talo begging to go with them, and Malo refusing to even look at them. Colin had failed to show up for the farewell. The women of the village all ambushed Link and Ariel with a giant group hug, excluding Ilia, who had curiously also failed to show up.

Link mounted an eager Epona while Ariel climbed up upon a white mare that Fado had lent her by the name of Light.
"When you see Ilia and Colin, you'll tell them we said goodbye, right?" Link asked Rusl.
"Of course. Now go, be on your way before we change our minds." Rusl slapped Epona's rear, sending her flying. Link gasped in surprise. Ariel followed him, waving back at her friends.

Link and Ariel galloped on their steeds through the village. Soon, they reached the bridge to Faron Woods. And there, in front of the bridge gate, were Colin and Ilia.
"What are you guys doing?" Ariel asked, controlling Light with some difficulty. Colin made a strangled sound when he tried to talk. He gently poked Ilia, prompting her to speak.
"Colin and I... we're going to miss you." Ilia was barely able to speak herself, her voice beginning to break. "We'll all miss you. And..."
"Andimadeacharmforyou." Colin finally spat out, his small body trembling bravely. He went to Epona's side, holding up his tiny fist. Link reached down and took what Colin was holding; a simple twine necklace with a carved wooden pendant, polished with beeswax. Colin had another one for Ariel, who adored it.
"This is beautiful, Colin..." She tied it around her neck; Link did the same with his, fingering it rather than looking at it.
"Never forget us, okay?!" Colin shouted, on the verge of tears.
"Never." Link agreed.
"...We promise, Colin. Ilia." Ariel smiled weakly. "We'll never forget any of you."
"And promise you'll come back," Ilia added, "and that you won't get over your heads."
"Of course," Ariel promised, smiling playfully, "and I'll keep Link out of trouble, too!"
Link nodded in reply, seemingly unable to speak himself.

Ilia opened the gate for them.
"Remember your promise!" Colin reminded them hastily.
"Always, Colin." Link finally said. With a shout, he took off on Epona. Ariel followed after him, crossing the bridge into Faron Woods, and beyond Faron Woods, into Hyrule.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sorry if that was full of corniness. XD; I hope you all enjoyed it, though!
I'm thinking I want to do another chapter, but this will only be the case if I ever get incredibly bored. 83

If you liked it, hated it, or think I made a few mistakes, please review. =D I'd really appreciate it.