Since you came along

Setting Off

Ordon was quiet. It was bright outside, the sun shining brightly on the small village. The villagers were barely waking up, ready to start their days. However, one Hylian had been up for hours already.

Link sat down peacefully by the lake. He watched the sun rise and breathed in deeply. He liked the silence. It brought him feeling of tranquility he hadn't felt in a while. It had only been a few months since all the events of Twilight. Sometimes, he worried something would happened and he'd be have to leave again to go fight. It wasn't that he didn't want to, he was just worried he'd lose more friends as he lost Midna.

A voice cut through his thoughts.
"Link? How long have you been awake for?"
It was Ilia. The girl gave him a smile as she sat down next to him. He gave her a small smile back. She sighed. "You've been restless, haven't you?" He just looked down at his hands.

Sure, he didn't want to fight evil, again, but he was itching to do something, anything. While he did fear Ganondorf finding a way to return, he was ready should it ever happen. Though, he did know it wasn't going to happen again, and if it did, it wouldn't be anytime soon. He just wanted to be able to do something. He did enjoy the peace in Ordon, but after experiencing everything he went through and finding out he was a hero and he held the triforce, his peaceful life was missing adventure.

"Maybe...maybe you should go out and travel. You miss the adventures, don't you? I can tell you need more." He smiled. Ilia was truly his best friend. She knew him very well. She put a hand on his shoulder. "If this is what you need to do, do it. Just promise me you'll be safe. And that you'll keep Epona safe, as well." He looked up at her and gave her a nod. He got up and went back to his house. He packed a bag and went out to saddle up. He felt excited. Something he hadn't felt in a while.

He didn't need Ilia's permission, but her words of encouragement gave him the push he needed. Once he was ready, he set off. His first location was Kakariko Village. Something told him to go there first.

-Kakariko Village
He arrived and let Epona rest by the spring. He walked through the village, greeting everyone as he passed. He had a ghost of a smile on his face. He felt a bit better after traveling there. He walked into Malo mart to purchase a red potion. Usually, he carried his own, but it slipped his mind as he left and by the time he remembered, it was too late to turn back. He purchased the potion and went out side where Renado was waiting for him.

"Link! How wonderful to see you back here. I wondered when you would come to visit us." Link gave him a smile and shook his hand. Renado and him walked back to the spring, talking about everything that had happened in between the months he had been gone. As they approached the spring, Link noticed someone by Epona. They were petting her snout and gently brushing her mane. He tilted his head in confusion.

"Ahh! That's y/n. She's new to the Village. She recently opened a small shop here. She actually has her own in Castle Town but wished to expand her store further to make her products and medicines more accessible. She's quite lovely. Though, I can see you've noticed this already..." He mumbled the last sentence as he watched Link gaze at the girl. Epona looked relaxed in her hands. Link snapped out of his trance and shook his head a bit. He bid Renado goodbye and walked over to the girl and his horse. As he approached her, she turned to face him.

"Oh, hello, I'm sorry. I noticed your horse here and wanted to pet her a bit. She's beautiful." She gave Link a kind grin and his face warmed up. He just looked down at his boots and shook his head as if to say it was okay. She noticed his shy demeanor and took a step away from Epona. "I'm sorry if I overstepped. I just have a deep love for animals." She apologized once again. He continued to look his boots before he looked up at her and then shifted his gaze to Epona who was moving her snout back into y/n's hands. There was a thick silence between them. Y/n just pet Epona as she wanted and looked down at the water. She felt awkward.

"It's okay...she seems to like you." She snapped her head up to meet Link's gaze. She was a bit surprised he spoke to her. "I'm glad...I can tell she has a gentle soul." Link simply stared at her. There was something about this girl. Something he had never seen in another person before. Something that drew him to her. He walked closer to her until he was completely next to her and his chest touched her shoulder. She froze at the contact. She looked up at him and their eyes met. It was then that Link noticed how close he had gotten to her. His cheeks went pink and he stepped back as he apologized to her. She shook her head and laughed.

"It's okay. I'm y/n. It's nice to meet you..." She trailed off as she realized she had no idea who he was. "Link." Her eyes widened a bit as she heard his name. "Link...as in Link, the hero of Hyrule?" He looked straight at her with a frown. He didn't like to only be known for his actions as a hero. She frowned, as well, as she saw she hit a nerve with her words. She cleared her throat and gave Epona a goodbye pat and turned to leave. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Link. I have to go." She walked past him and he felt a bit of guilt knowing he made her feel bad with his expression. He sighed and turned around to apologize and saw she had walked off quite far already. He watched her walk away to her shop. He groaned and turned back to Epona, who was looking at him.

"Don't look at me like that. I know, I'll fix it tomorrow." He muttered as he took her to get some rest. He walked to the inn and asked for a room. As he walked in and settled down, he heard a voice in the next room. "Such an idiot...'as in the hero of Hyrule?' so stupid! Goddesses, I'm sure he does not wish to speak to me again after that. I wouldn't want to either. Ugh, so dumb..." He silently laughed. He would fix that in the morning. Though he was a bit upset he was only know to her by his heroic actions, he was glad to hear that she might wish to speak to him again.

He went to lay in the bed. As he lied there, he stared at the ceiling. And, for the first time in a while, he fell asleep with no trouble.