A/N: Sorry for the delay, but these things take a while to write, no matter how long they are! I’ve been editing and re-editing this chapter for quite some time, but it’s finally ready! Oh, and speaking of length, this will be the last of the short chapters for quite a while.

PS: I’m sorry about the lack of Midna’s presence (other than Link’s memories) in this chapter. We won’t be hearing any more information about Midna for a few chapters, but we will get back to her eventually, so don’t worry!

The Legend of Zelda: Dragons of Twilight

Chapter One: Home is Where the Start Is

---

SOMETHING WAS MISSING IN Link’s life. He had noticed it when he had returned home to Ordon after he and Princess Zelda had had taken Midna to the Mirror Chamber in the Gerudo Desert. He’d soon realized what was missing: Midna. He’d grown used to her always being there, popping up from his shadow to complain, urge him to travel faster, or just to chat and have a rest. Oh, he’d tried to put things from his mind; he’d laid the Master Sword back in its place in the Sacred Grove and left Ordon, visiting the friends he’d made on his journey with Midna, and just wandering aimlessly around Hyrule. His heart, however, was not eased by this spastic method of traveling, and, in the end, he found himself returning to his home in Ordon one day, and he knew that he was better off at home with his friends and adoptive family than wandering through Hyrule searching for something he would never-at least, never in this world-find.

He’d spent the last half of summer, all of fall and nearly the whole winter traveling on his own. He’d arrived back in Ordon around the Winter Solstice, amid much rejoicing from his friends. Link hadn’t stayed for very long in the village after he had returned from the desert, wanting to leave before the villagers asked questions about what he had been doing and why he was gone for so long after he had found the children and Ilia. So it was only natural, of course (and he had been expecting it), for the villagers to bombard him with questions as soon as he arrived back home and they saw him.

In order to pacify his friends, he had told them everything, though he left out the parts concerning his transforming into a wolf and Midna, as he felt that those where things that he needed to, at least for the time being, keep to himself. Some of the others, Rusl, Ilia and Colin especially, could tell that Link was keeping something out of his tale, but decided not to press the issue. Link would tell them everything when he was ready, and not before.

He never showed them the mirror shard he wore around his neck. It had been the largest piece left after Midna had destroyed the mirror, and it was a way of having her with him always. No, no one else needed to know about it.

Link settled quite easily back into his old way of life in the village, which had surprised him, to tell the truth. He’d expected to feel restless and he did, to some extent, but it was not enough to make him want to leave his home again. True, he did miss his adventuring days, but if Midna and Princess Zelda could go back to their way of life after what had happened, he would tell himself, then he could too. However, Zelda had not actually been adventuring around Hyrule like Midna and he had been. She most likely didn’t miss what had happened. Midna, on the other hand…

Midna had been with Link throughout the whole ordeal. She probably missed exploring new places so often. Link also wondered if she missed him. He certainly missed her.

But he was home now. Link would never forget Midna or the adventure they had shared, but he knew it was time to live in the present. No amount of missing what had been would not bring those days back, and he knew it.

He just wished that he didn’t have to accept it.

---

Link woke up in his home during one of the first days of spring, he remembered, once again, how much he had missed his home while he had been gone. The villagers had taken care of his house during the months when he was off saving Hyrule; Uli had told him when he came back from his second journey that none of them could bear to see his home stand empty, with his bed not slept in.

“We missed you, you know. Even if you’re going to be gone, you should pop in every now and then, just to say hello.”

‘They don’t have to worry about me being gone anymore,’ Link thought as he sat up in bed and stretched. ‘I think my adventuring days are over.’

Little did he realize just how wrong he was.

---

“Hey, Link, do you think you could give me a hand with the goats? It looks like a nasty storm’s coming in, and I’ll need to pen them up in the stable fast.”

Link looked up from brushing Epona’s mane. Was it evening already? Time sure went by fast. “Sure thing, Fado. Just give me a minute, and I’ll be out there as soon as possible.” He watched Fado head back to his ranch, then returned his attention to Epona. “Feeling up to chasing some goats, girl?”

Epona snorted and shook her mane, pawing the ground with one hoof. In the distance, thunder rumbled. Link cast a wary glance at the darkening sky, then took his horse’s reins in his right hand and began to lead her in the direction Fado had gone, entering the main section of the village. “We’d better get this done in a hurry. We shouldn’t be outside when the storm hits. I’ll see if you can stay in the barn with the goats.”

The main part of Ordon Village appeared as if every single family was getting ready to move out. Boxes and barrels, filled with all sorts of objects from fruits and wine to decorations and clothing were outside every dwelling in the small village, ready to be taken to Castle Town for the Hyrule Grand Festival, which would be opening in a few days’ time. Currently, however, the packages were being carried (or in the case of the barrels, rolled) into the house by their occupants, in order to protect the contents from the oncoming storm. The villagers greeted Link as he passed, and he responded in kind. He was almost to the pathway leading to the ranch when a voice stopped him.

“Link! Wait up for a second. I want to talk to you.”

Link turned around to see his mentor, Rusl, hurrying towards him. He was carrying a package under one arm and seemed to be in a hurry.

“What is it, Rusl?” Link asked curiously.

“Well, you know how I am going to take all of the village goods to the festival this year? Well, I’ve decided to take the children too. They’ve never been to the festival before and I believe they’d enjoy it. I also was wondering if you’d like to come with us,” Rusl explained. “Of course, you don’t have to decide now. Just think about it and let me know once you’ve finished helping Fado.”

Link thought for a moment. “Alright. Later, then. At your house?”

Rusl shook his head. “No, actually. I need to go over the plans with the mayor, so if you could just stop by when you’re done; that would be great.”

“I will,” Link said, and resumed his walk towards the ranch as Rusl turned around to help putting all of the supplies away.

---

Herding the goats was exceptionally difficult. When Link first started, the first few goats had gone into the barn with next to no trouble, but once the thunder from the oncoming storm had kicked up in earnest, the goats had become even more skittish and seemed to be trying to run away from the barn instead of into it. Finally, nearly an hour after he had started the tasking chore, Link found himself pushing (literally) the last goat into the barn as it bleated in protest. Epona gave an exasperated snort and, as if determined to show how a true animal should act, walked into the barn and took her place in one of the empty stalls. Link shut the door to her stall as Fado walked up and down the rows of pens, making sure that they were all secure. Satisfied, he turned to Link.

“Thank you for your help, Link, I don’t think I’d have been able to get them in before the storm hit by myself.”

“No problem,” Link said. He looked out the door at the now black sky, listening to the thunder that rumbled threateningly. “I’ve got to hurry up and get back to the village; Rusl and BO are expecting me.”

Fado began to prepare the feed for the goats and Epona. “Get going, then, I can manage the rest myself.”

Link smiled. “Thanks.” He turned to Epona and patted her check. “I’ll come back for you as soon as the storm’s over.”

Epona gave soft whiny in response. Link gave her one last pat, then turned and exited the barn.

He’d barely made it to the ranch gate when the storm erupted full blast around him. The wind howled, thunder rumbled, and the rain poured down mercilessly. With a cry of exasperation, Link covered his head with his arms and ran as fast as he could to the mayor’s house. Upon his arrival, he knocked frantically at the door.

“Oh, that’s probably Link!” He heard Bo’s voice say from inside the house. “Ilia, will you let him in, please?”

The door opened, and Ilia was there, motioning for Link to hurry inside. “Link, you’re soaked! Come in, hurry!”

“It’s alright,” Link said wryly as he entered the house. “I don’t think it’s possible for me to get any wetter.”

Rusl motioned Link over to the hearth. “Come over here, sit down by the fire and warm up.”

Ilia, who had picked a towel up from somewhere, draped it over Link’s shoulders. He nodded thanks at her before heading over to the fire to join Bo and Rusl.

“We were just discussing when we’ll leave for the festival, Link,” Rusl said. “We’ve decided to head out three days from now. We won’t arrive in time for the opening ceremony but we’ll get there in time to set up booths to sell what we will bring.”

“Have you decided whether or not you’ll go with Rusl and the children?” Bo asked.

Link was silent for a moment, considering. He hadn’t really thought about leaving Ordon again, and hadn’t really planned to, but it would be nice to see his friends that lived in Castle Town, and to catch up on the news about what was going on in Hyrule. He made his decision.

“I’ll go,” he said. “It’ll be great to see Castle Town again. It’s been so long since I was there last.”

Rusl smiled. “That’s great, Link! I don’t think I’d be able to handle watching four ambitious youngsters by myself. I could use some help.”

Link turned to Ilia. “Are you going to come?”

Ilia shook her head. “No, I don’t really like big get-togethers. And Dad will need help running things here while the village’s two warriors are away.” She winked at Link. “Ordon will be safe when I’m here.”

Rusl laughed. “It’s good to know we’re leaving the village in capable hands.”

Bo shook his head, slightly embarrassed, then leaned forward. “Right, so now that we know exactly how many are going to the festival, we need to prepare transportation. We’ll need one of the big carts to carry all the goods, and Epona can pull that, can’t she, Link?”

Before Link could answer, a slight tapping on one of the closed windows disrupted the conversation. All four heads turned to the window, but the view of the outside was so dark from the storm that they couldn’t see what was there until a flash of lightning illuminated it. Ilia let out a startled cry and Link jumped to his feet. A small creature that was about the length of his forearm and dragon like in appearance was perched on the windowsill. It tapped its snout against the glass once more, scrabbling to keep hold of the sill as it did so.

“A messenger drake!” Rusl cried out in surprise. “I haven’t seen one of those in ages. Ilia, let it in, quickly!”

Ilia looked at him, surprise on her face. “Let it in?”

Bo nodded. “It can’t deliver its message if it’s outside, now can it? Let it in, it won’t harm you.”

Ilia nervously edged over to the window and, slightly hesitantly, opened the window, jumping back as the drake flew in, then she quickly shut the window again.

The drake flew towards the hearth and landed on the table where a map, marked with the route Rusl was planning to take to Castle Town marked on it, lay. It stood there, gripping the wood with the claws on its wings (Link noticed it had no forelegs), looking around at them all inquisitively. It wore a small leather harness that had a pouch attached to the back. A scroll of parchment could be seen inside it.

The drake’s eyes fell on Link, and it chirped excitedly at him, raising the crest of red feathers on its head. It dipped its head at him, chirped again, then gestured over its shoulder with its head, at the pouch that carried the scroll.

Link looked surprised. “What does it want?”

Rusl gestured towards the little creature. “It’s letting you know that the message it carries is for you. Go ahead, Link, take it.”

Link cautiously reached forward, towards the scroll. The drake lowered its head so Link could get it out easily. Link unrolled the parchment, confused as to who would be sending him a message in such a strange way. To his surprise, the drake, having delivered its message, did not leave, but sat on its hind legs, folded its wings behind its back, and watched him, chirping at him once again.

Link returned his attention to the message and began to read.

Hero Link,

Once again I must thank you for the wonderful thing you did last year. All of Hyrule is in your debt.

As you are most likely aware of, the Hyrule Grand Festival will be starting in about two days’ time. As I can see no greater opportunity to do so, I would be most grateful if you were to attend the opening ceremony of the festival as my special guest, so that the citizens of Hyrule and myself may be able to thank you properly.

I am aware that people from your village come to the festival every year, and I also wish to extend this invitation to them, as I am sure that they have never attended the opening ceremony of the festival before.

If you will come, send your answer back with Grall. I did have my doubts about using him instead of the regular method of post, but my friend assured me that it was the fastest way to contact you, and that his reliability is the best she could find; he did seem rather eager for the job.

I hope to see you and the rest of the villagers that will come with you at the ceremony.

Zelda, Princess of Hyrule

Link looked up to see Bo, Rusl, Ilia, and the little drake (who had to be the Grall mentioned in the letter) watching him. He looked down at the letter again. “It’s from Princess Zelda. She…she wants me to go the opening ceremony of the Hyrule Grand Festival as her special guest, so I can be properly thanked for what I did. And,” Link looked back up at the others, whose faces all showed surprise, “She also invites all those villagers coming to the opening ceremony as well.”

Rusl was the first one to speak. “That’s amazing, Link! She’s invited you as her special guest?”

“And anyone else who wants to come,” Link replied.

Bo looked at Rusl. “What do you think?”

Rusl shrugged. “The princess personally invited Link. We need to change our plans for traveling. We should probably leave tomorrow, and make sure to get an early start.”

“Which will be difficult, as you’ll have to drag the kids out of bed,” Ilia remarked.

“I actually don’t think that will be too difficult,” Rusl said with a smile. “They’ve been bouncing of the walls for days anticipating this trip. Telling them we get to go even earlier that we planned will just make them even more excited. They’ll get up when we tell them to, I think.”

Link took a pencil and scrap of paper from the table, sitting down as he did so. “She said to let her know right away if we would come. So…” He scribbled out a message, noticing his handwriting was nowhere near as elegant as Zelda’s.

Your Highness,

We had to change our plans at the last minute, but yes, we will come. Rusl, my mentor, and the village children will be coming with me. I’m honored that you would do this for me and my friends.

Link

Link rolled up the finished letter and tucked it into the pouch on Grall’s back, then reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of jerky. He offered it to the little drake. “It’s not much, but here. Thank you for delivering the Princess’s message.”

Grall chirped, and, taking the meat from Link’s hand, he snapped it down and turned towards the window, spreading his wings as he prepared for flight. Ilia saw this and quickly ran towards the window, opening it again. With a grateful chirrup, Grall flew past her and out the window, winging his way through the storm until he was lost from sight.

“He’ll make it back alright,” Rusl said as Ilia closed the window. “Messenger drakes can fly through anything to deliver what they carry, and they have the best sense of direction. Yes, the Princess will get your reply tonight, Link.”

“Right,” said Bo, once again leaning over the table. “We need to make a list of everything you’ll be taking to the festival. Now, if I remember correctly, the pumpkins and cheese have been the best-selling things of all we bring to the festival each year, so we need to make sure that we have plenty. Also we need to make sure that the wine is top notch.”

---

The planning for the trip carried on until well into the night. By the time Link had said goodbye and goodnight to Rusl, Bo, and Ilia, and was on his way back home, the storm had stopped and the sky had cleared, allowing the stars to become visible.

Before going up the ladder into his house, Link looked up at the stars, remembering, with a smile, the time when he had pointed out a few of Hyrule’s constellations to Midna. She had been impressed by them, and had even said that the constellation representing Gustaf, the first Hero of Hyrule, looked like him. That had embarrassed him, to tell the truth.

Link looked down from the sky and sighed as he climbed the ladder to get to his door. He really missed her…

He opened the door to his home and went inside. As he got ready for bed, a trunk in the corner of the room caught his attention. He walked over and opened it, knowing what he would find inside.

The Hero’s Clothes were folded neatly inside the trunk, the tunic, undershirt, chainmail and pants were all there. He looked at them thoughtfully for a moment.

So that the citizens of Hyrule and myself may be able to thank you properly… for the wonderful thing you did last year. All of Hyrule is in your debt…

Link pulled the clothes out of the trunk and sat them on his table, smoothing out the creases in them, so that they would be ready for him in the morning.