CHAPTER 19: LOST MEMORIES
(unrevised)
_Blaring music struck a chord in Link's ears, and he looked up from his
path to look under a shady spot in Hyrule Castle Town's central square.
There a troupe playing music and danced. The occasional passerby tossed
spare rupees-the currency of Hyrule.
In the darkened streets of the capital of Hyrule, the flickering torchlight toyed with Link's disorientation. He had not completely recovered from his retransformation, and the crowded streets mixed with the constant buzz of conversations that hummed in his ears did nothing to help his situation. Everything in the town appeared different in the evening of the restored region. His wolf eyes had painted him an entirely different view of the town, and his senses were distracted by the lingering burden that he now carried: the truth of the past, the truth of the human flaw. He shivered at the memory of seeing Ilia dead.
Midna's voice radiated within his head, but he admitted to himself that he had been so unfocused that he had only caught traces of certain words. He was certain that she had mentioned the Zora Queen's promised reward for her son's safety. And of course the words "Fused Shadow" weighed heavily from her tone.
Combining with Midna's hushed voice, Link grasped phrases of other exchanges between the townsfolk. His mind attuned to certain words, he only picked out words that interested him and discarded the rest as if they had not been spoken. There were gossiping women standing by the large fountain that sprouted out of the center of the square, and though their conversation focused on the son of Queen Rutela, they had no information except that he was still at Telma's bar. This he knew, but with his human eyes still adjusting to the wicked change and the different appearance of the town, he could not remember the way.
Other folk were rejoicing that the water supply had replenished itself. Some were splashing the fountain's water over their faces and others were taking it in buckets back to their homes. The Hylian guards that stood watch over the town did nothing to halt the frantic public. Another woman complained to one of the guards about how he had not helped in solving the problem with their water. Apparently agitated quickly in her conversation, she began screaming at the guard, issuing names that irritated Link's throbbing head.
Link exited the center of town and drowsily sat down in a corner of the alley to catch his faltering steps. All the excitement of the town wore on him and caused his eyes to start clouding over. He could barely concentrate. Head focused upon the bricks under his feet, he breathed silently for a moment, and this reprieve served him well. After nearly ten minutes wherein he forced his mind into a false plain where numb pains in his body bothered him no longer, he returned his gaze to the streets. The feral quality in his eyes had finally diminished and he could glance about the town without becoming dizzy.
"I see what is in your future!" a voice of deep femininity issued toward Link. He gazed up, disinterested, but allowed the large woman to speak. By her appearance she seemed to be one who masqueraded as a fortuneteller, and her bejeweled clothes and hair pronounced that she had been quite successful in her choice of occupation. "There is an uncertainty that lies within your future, young man."
Ignoring the absurdity, Link rose from his seat. Of course there was an uncertainty in his future. Link suspected that every citizen of the land could propose the same. He did not need a self-proclaimed psychic to reveal events to him that he already knew.
"You are troubled," she yelled to him, but he started down the alley. His facial expression could disclose the very same to any of the gossiping women back at the fountain. "Something stands in the way of your happiness," she said, and at that, Link glanced at her, realizing that he could not recall the last time that he had truly laughed. "Madame Fanadi can show you what your path holds," she smirked.
But at the same time, he overheard two Hylian guards as they made their way past him. "…shift is finally over," a plump one finished.
"Where are you headed?" the other asked.
"I'm going to put my feet up at Telma's for a bit," he said. "I'll see you on the guard in the morning."
As the two guards parted ways, Link could barely hear Madame Fanadi anymore as she reeled in another customer. He attuned himself to the rotund guard. This fellow would lead him straight to the bar.
Stepping away from the fortuneteller's booth, Link carefully followed behind the guard without catching his notice. Link drifted back five people's lengths, tracking the soldier's movements through the dense crowd. Townsfolk crisscrossed constantly through each other's paths, but Link managed to keep an eye on the spear-bearing Hylian. Link also hid the fact that he was trailing someone as noble as a Hylian soldier, looking about, greeting people, measuring fruit.
At last the guard descended a set of stairs, and the surroundings again were becoming familiar to Link. Reassured that he could relocate the bar without further aid from the Hylian, Link settled himself at a booth for hot springwater tended by a Goron. When Link had given the guard ample time to settle himself in the bar before crossing through the swarm of people to reach the stairs. After navigating the steps and the narrow street that followed, Link stopped at the entrance to the bar.
He would at last see Ilia with his own eyes. He would finally be able to hold her once more. She would be safe.
Link heaved a deep breath, opened the door, and stepped into the light.
Immediately, Link heard a man yelling, "That is a Zora child. It is beyond my expertise!" A rather old man then bumped into Link on his way out, growling up at Link through spectacles that enlarged his eyes outrageously. The tiny man left in a huff, slamming the door Link had opened.
"Doctor, wait! If something isn't done, this child will…." The new voice trailed away, as a slim figure came near to Link. At last … Ilia....
Her head downcast in disappointment, she barely noticed Link. Yet, when she turned about, she sent her gaze toward him, and in that moment Link smiled widely.
But something was wrong. The sparkle in her green eyes had faded. Distress filled her orbs now, and a strange emptiness had pervaded her. As she looked at him, no smile coiled her lips. She turned from him, and Link took a step forward, but he could think of nothing to say in his confusion. He could not understand it. He knew that she worried for the Zora child, but even the Ilia that he knew would have given him some sign of recognition, some indication that she was glad he had found her. But in her eyes, there lingered no merriment. It was as if she could not identify him.
Lines of concern etched themselves into Link's face as well, for as he stood there, overlooking the scene, he could not help his wandering mind which tried to fathom why Ilia had not greeted him with even a nod.
"Well, this isn't good," said the large red-haired woman who Link had surmised was the owner. She had kept her focus upon the Zora child. "A human doctor won't do."
Ilia plunked down upon her seat beside the Zora. He breathed inconsistently and his body was stiff. Ilia leaned her head upon the makeshift bed, and the gasping cries that tore from her sent shivers down Link's spine. He wanted everything to reach out and comfort her, but he could not move, bewildered still. He merely looked on, passively, unable to react in his depressed state.
"Wait, that old coot reminded me," said Telma. "I've heard of a shaman in Kakariko Village, in the Eldin lands, who's tended Gorons and Zoras."
This perked Ilia's interest, and she immediately leapt up to face the barkeep. "Is that true? Perhaps, if we take him there...."
A gargled cough interrupted Ilia, and five soldiers met the ladies' gazes. "Inadvisable. Too dangerous!" the middlemost guard proclaimed. Each guard had apparently been resting from their shift, for Link noticed the chubby Hylian that he had followed off to the left. "But," the soldier continued, "we can't turn a blind eye to a pretty girl in need, either. We'd better escort you. Right, boys?"
The question was met with a simultaneous battle howl from each of the men as they waved their spears ferociously.
This made Telma smile. "Well, isn't that nice? To reach Kakariko we've got to cross two plains that are each infested by sentries. But we'll be safe now."
However, the raging war cries had subsided, and when Telma turned to thank the Hylian soldiers, all but one had fled the bar. He, the portly one, faced Telma's frown alone. He noticed that the others had disappeared, and he hopped and escaped the tavern as well, with Telma's screams snapping behind him. "Cowards! Don't ever show your faces here again!"
But as she now faced the door, she at last noticed a young man garbed in green. "Oh my," she said in a jolly manner. "Looks like we've got one young swordsman left."
Link brought himself from the disorder that pounded within him, to look not at Telma but at the young, fair-haired woman behind her.
"I don't suppose you would escort us, would you, young man?" asked Telma.
Link stammered a moment, familiarizing himself with speech once more since his metamorphosis. "I.... Yes, I will."
He had said it to Ilia.
Telma, however, broke Ilia and Link from their connected gaze. "Well, that's a relief." She turned to Ilia, "Why don't you start hitching the horses to the wagon. I'll be up to help in a moment."
Merry that something could at last be done for the Zora child and also puzzled at why she had become so flustered under the gaze of Link, Ilia sprinted out the back of the bar.
Telma watched Link all the while and noticed how his stare had not been shattered. His gaze had not faltered from Ilia since he had entered. When she knew Ilia had left, she directed her next to Link, taking a step closer. "You know that girl, don't you?"
Eyes wide, Link looked up to Telma. "She.... Yes. I've traveled so long to...."
When his voice faded, Telma understood his puzzlement. "It's a real shame," she began. "She can't even remember her own name right now."
Link's heart fell. What had that beast done to her?
"Bless her heart." Telma glanced at the Zora when he gasped. "She found this poor boy collapsed in the road, so she did all she could to save him. More courage in that girl than in all the soldiers of Hyrule, for sure!" She turned back to Link then and spoke with an even more tender voice. "You lend your strength to her, you hear me?"
Link nodded. Of course he would.
"Now, let's see about what route we should be taking, huh?" she winked.
In agreement, Link followed Telma to the back of the bar where the map of Hyrule had been conveniently rolled out for some time. "The shortest route would be to follow the town's eastern bridge into the Eldin province, but that bridge fell some time ago when all the strange, dark demons began appearing."
"We could go south," proposed Link.
"No, that way is blocked by felled boulders," she replied, scratching her chin.
"So, the quickest path would then fall to the western bridge." Link, a bit of vigor returned, traced a finger along the path as he discussed it. "If we follow the Great Bridge of Hylia into South Hyrule Field, we can cross through the canyon into Kakariko from the south. It should take the night for us to reach the village."
Though Telma frowned, she agreed to the course. "There are even more guards in these paths, as my sources tell me. We'll need to be quick then." She then indicated his sword and bow. "How well can you use those?"
Comprehending the gravity of the situation from that remark, Link cocked his head somewhat. "Well enough."
She nodded, pleased. "Well then, young soldier. I suppose we should be off. Come along."
===============
Once Link and Telma had reached the public corral at the western end of town, Link spied Ilia bringing their last horse out. It was only when she faded into the crowd, exiting the town, that Link awoke from his daze to enter the corral himself. He approached his red horse unaccompanied, for Telma had left him to load up the wagon.
He had found Epona as he had made his way toward Castle Town. He had hypothesized that she had wandered away from Kakariko in search of her master when the veil of twilight had lifted.
Link patted down her tousled mane and took hold of her reins. He would be taking Ilia where she could rest in safety, but he wondered how long it would be before she could truly acknowledge who it had been that had escorted her there. The thought of her not knowing, not remembering him.... His throat swelled and hardened at the unbearable thought.
Tossing away the pain for the moment, he negotiated the congested streets as Epona trailed behind him. Outside of the town and across the short bridge, he found Ilia and Telma. The latter had just heaved the last of three crates into the wagon, as Ilia continued in hitching the second horse.
"All right," nodded Telma. "I'm going to get the child and a few more supplies. I'll be back in a few minutes."
An awkward silence settled between Link and Ilia as the young girl finished her chore and noticed they were alone. Nervously holding her hands, she looked up at Link. He gazed down into her dulled green eyes, and for a moment he thought that she registered some clue as to the reason for his apparent melancholy. When she asked his name, thorns stabbed his heart. So, she really did not remember.
"Link," he offered. Yet, when he said it, it was as if the vibrant sparkle that he had always associated with her eyes had returned. He knew that the name was familiar to her, but he could visibly assess that her inward struggle to remember where she had heard the name before had been in vain. The gleam faded from her eyes.
"I will never in all my life forget your kindness, Link," she returned gently.
Needing to break away from her before his emotions ran freely, he took his leave, barely holding back the tears that had formed behind his blue orbs. He needed to survey their route and he required a moment alone. He ascended a stairwell just inside the town doors, coming to the flat surface of a parapet that overlooked much of the land. Below, he found Ilia, sitting on the edge of the wagon and staring into her hands. He hated leaving her to a dark isolation, but he, too, needed seclusion.
The wind at his height was strong yet as warm as he thought a kiss might be. He wrapped himself in that feeling, shrouding himself from the world. Everything he had worked for had now been for nothing. The woman to whom he had shared deep friendship could no longer remember their long days together. Sitting by the spring.... The evenings he had perched in the tree outside her window.... The times they had played in the water with which they had bathed Epona.... The nights she had woken him in fear of a dream.... The mornings that she had joined him for the dawn meal.... Every time they had exchanged a glance.... All those times meant nothing to her now. She could not even recall his face or his very name. The thought shattered his soul.
He had come to realize that nothing in life-or at least in his-ever came without a price. Nothing in his existence had been easy to come by. Everyone in his heart eventually faded from reach. First, his parents, which he had never known and wished so badly to know their fate. He had lost his Ordonian friends for some time, only for them to be recovered after their innocence of the world-the very childhood-had been stolen. Rusl had been severely injured, and he supposed that his mentor still lay healing under Uli's care. And Link's very identity-his life-had been taken from his control, which made him wonder if it had ever been in his management at all.
And now Ilia. She had been stolen from him, the essence of her life captured. Now, as he surveyed the distance to Kakariko, he questioned if the past had really occurred. Those memories that had once existed as a road between their souls were now no more. They were lost moments, and Link wondered if they were now just lingering fantasies that he wished had happened. The bold line in which they had been drawn within his mind had now become a hazed border between reality and make-believe.
But he quickly snatched those memories that were lost to her and drew them back to their rightful place within his soul. He had to remember all the years that they had spent in each other's company. One day perhaps Ilia would return to her former self, her memory restored. They could then rejoice in their reunion.
He would wait his entire lifetime for the day to see the return of the familiar glint in her eyes. But until then he had to bare the pain of her lost memories and move on in his quest to save the land of Hyrule from the king of twilight.
He turned about, the path before him memorized, yet just before he could take a step toward the stairs, a certain golden face met his gaze.
In the darkened streets of the capital of Hyrule, the flickering torchlight toyed with Link's disorientation. He had not completely recovered from his retransformation, and the crowded streets mixed with the constant buzz of conversations that hummed in his ears did nothing to help his situation. Everything in the town appeared different in the evening of the restored region. His wolf eyes had painted him an entirely different view of the town, and his senses were distracted by the lingering burden that he now carried: the truth of the past, the truth of the human flaw. He shivered at the memory of seeing Ilia dead.
Midna's voice radiated within his head, but he admitted to himself that he had been so unfocused that he had only caught traces of certain words. He was certain that she had mentioned the Zora Queen's promised reward for her son's safety. And of course the words "Fused Shadow" weighed heavily from her tone.
Combining with Midna's hushed voice, Link grasped phrases of other exchanges between the townsfolk. His mind attuned to certain words, he only picked out words that interested him and discarded the rest as if they had not been spoken. There were gossiping women standing by the large fountain that sprouted out of the center of the square, and though their conversation focused on the son of Queen Rutela, they had no information except that he was still at Telma's bar. This he knew, but with his human eyes still adjusting to the wicked change and the different appearance of the town, he could not remember the way.
Other folk were rejoicing that the water supply had replenished itself. Some were splashing the fountain's water over their faces and others were taking it in buckets back to their homes. The Hylian guards that stood watch over the town did nothing to halt the frantic public. Another woman complained to one of the guards about how he had not helped in solving the problem with their water. Apparently agitated quickly in her conversation, she began screaming at the guard, issuing names that irritated Link's throbbing head.
Link exited the center of town and drowsily sat down in a corner of the alley to catch his faltering steps. All the excitement of the town wore on him and caused his eyes to start clouding over. He could barely concentrate. Head focused upon the bricks under his feet, he breathed silently for a moment, and this reprieve served him well. After nearly ten minutes wherein he forced his mind into a false plain where numb pains in his body bothered him no longer, he returned his gaze to the streets. The feral quality in his eyes had finally diminished and he could glance about the town without becoming dizzy.
"I see what is in your future!" a voice of deep femininity issued toward Link. He gazed up, disinterested, but allowed the large woman to speak. By her appearance she seemed to be one who masqueraded as a fortuneteller, and her bejeweled clothes and hair pronounced that she had been quite successful in her choice of occupation. "There is an uncertainty that lies within your future, young man."
Ignoring the absurdity, Link rose from his seat. Of course there was an uncertainty in his future. Link suspected that every citizen of the land could propose the same. He did not need a self-proclaimed psychic to reveal events to him that he already knew.
"You are troubled," she yelled to him, but he started down the alley. His facial expression could disclose the very same to any of the gossiping women back at the fountain. "Something stands in the way of your happiness," she said, and at that, Link glanced at her, realizing that he could not recall the last time that he had truly laughed. "Madame Fanadi can show you what your path holds," she smirked.
But at the same time, he overheard two Hylian guards as they made their way past him. "…shift is finally over," a plump one finished.
"Where are you headed?" the other asked.
"I'm going to put my feet up at Telma's for a bit," he said. "I'll see you on the guard in the morning."
As the two guards parted ways, Link could barely hear Madame Fanadi anymore as she reeled in another customer. He attuned himself to the rotund guard. This fellow would lead him straight to the bar.
Stepping away from the fortuneteller's booth, Link carefully followed behind the guard without catching his notice. Link drifted back five people's lengths, tracking the soldier's movements through the dense crowd. Townsfolk crisscrossed constantly through each other's paths, but Link managed to keep an eye on the spear-bearing Hylian. Link also hid the fact that he was trailing someone as noble as a Hylian soldier, looking about, greeting people, measuring fruit.
At last the guard descended a set of stairs, and the surroundings again were becoming familiar to Link. Reassured that he could relocate the bar without further aid from the Hylian, Link settled himself at a booth for hot springwater tended by a Goron. When Link had given the guard ample time to settle himself in the bar before crossing through the swarm of people to reach the stairs. After navigating the steps and the narrow street that followed, Link stopped at the entrance to the bar.
He would at last see Ilia with his own eyes. He would finally be able to hold her once more. She would be safe.
Link heaved a deep breath, opened the door, and stepped into the light.
Immediately, Link heard a man yelling, "That is a Zora child. It is beyond my expertise!" A rather old man then bumped into Link on his way out, growling up at Link through spectacles that enlarged his eyes outrageously. The tiny man left in a huff, slamming the door Link had opened.
"Doctor, wait! If something isn't done, this child will…." The new voice trailed away, as a slim figure came near to Link. At last … Ilia....
Her head downcast in disappointment, she barely noticed Link. Yet, when she turned about, she sent her gaze toward him, and in that moment Link smiled widely.
But something was wrong. The sparkle in her green eyes had faded. Distress filled her orbs now, and a strange emptiness had pervaded her. As she looked at him, no smile coiled her lips. She turned from him, and Link took a step forward, but he could think of nothing to say in his confusion. He could not understand it. He knew that she worried for the Zora child, but even the Ilia that he knew would have given him some sign of recognition, some indication that she was glad he had found her. But in her eyes, there lingered no merriment. It was as if she could not identify him.
Lines of concern etched themselves into Link's face as well, for as he stood there, overlooking the scene, he could not help his wandering mind which tried to fathom why Ilia had not greeted him with even a nod.
"Well, this isn't good," said the large red-haired woman who Link had surmised was the owner. She had kept her focus upon the Zora child. "A human doctor won't do."
Ilia plunked down upon her seat beside the Zora. He breathed inconsistently and his body was stiff. Ilia leaned her head upon the makeshift bed, and the gasping cries that tore from her sent shivers down Link's spine. He wanted everything to reach out and comfort her, but he could not move, bewildered still. He merely looked on, passively, unable to react in his depressed state.
"Wait, that old coot reminded me," said Telma. "I've heard of a shaman in Kakariko Village, in the Eldin lands, who's tended Gorons and Zoras."
This perked Ilia's interest, and she immediately leapt up to face the barkeep. "Is that true? Perhaps, if we take him there...."
A gargled cough interrupted Ilia, and five soldiers met the ladies' gazes. "Inadvisable. Too dangerous!" the middlemost guard proclaimed. Each guard had apparently been resting from their shift, for Link noticed the chubby Hylian that he had followed off to the left. "But," the soldier continued, "we can't turn a blind eye to a pretty girl in need, either. We'd better escort you. Right, boys?"
The question was met with a simultaneous battle howl from each of the men as they waved their spears ferociously.
This made Telma smile. "Well, isn't that nice? To reach Kakariko we've got to cross two plains that are each infested by sentries. But we'll be safe now."
However, the raging war cries had subsided, and when Telma turned to thank the Hylian soldiers, all but one had fled the bar. He, the portly one, faced Telma's frown alone. He noticed that the others had disappeared, and he hopped and escaped the tavern as well, with Telma's screams snapping behind him. "Cowards! Don't ever show your faces here again!"
But as she now faced the door, she at last noticed a young man garbed in green. "Oh my," she said in a jolly manner. "Looks like we've got one young swordsman left."
Link brought himself from the disorder that pounded within him, to look not at Telma but at the young, fair-haired woman behind her.
"I don't suppose you would escort us, would you, young man?" asked Telma.
Link stammered a moment, familiarizing himself with speech once more since his metamorphosis. "I.... Yes, I will."
He had said it to Ilia.
Telma, however, broke Ilia and Link from their connected gaze. "Well, that's a relief." She turned to Ilia, "Why don't you start hitching the horses to the wagon. I'll be up to help in a moment."
Merry that something could at last be done for the Zora child and also puzzled at why she had become so flustered under the gaze of Link, Ilia sprinted out the back of the bar.
Telma watched Link all the while and noticed how his stare had not been shattered. His gaze had not faltered from Ilia since he had entered. When she knew Ilia had left, she directed her next to Link, taking a step closer. "You know that girl, don't you?"
Eyes wide, Link looked up to Telma. "She.... Yes. I've traveled so long to...."
When his voice faded, Telma understood his puzzlement. "It's a real shame," she began. "She can't even remember her own name right now."
Link's heart fell. What had that beast done to her?
"Bless her heart." Telma glanced at the Zora when he gasped. "She found this poor boy collapsed in the road, so she did all she could to save him. More courage in that girl than in all the soldiers of Hyrule, for sure!" She turned back to Link then and spoke with an even more tender voice. "You lend your strength to her, you hear me?"
Link nodded. Of course he would.
"Now, let's see about what route we should be taking, huh?" she winked.
In agreement, Link followed Telma to the back of the bar where the map of Hyrule had been conveniently rolled out for some time. "The shortest route would be to follow the town's eastern bridge into the Eldin province, but that bridge fell some time ago when all the strange, dark demons began appearing."
"We could go south," proposed Link.
"No, that way is blocked by felled boulders," she replied, scratching her chin.
"So, the quickest path would then fall to the western bridge." Link, a bit of vigor returned, traced a finger along the path as he discussed it. "If we follow the Great Bridge of Hylia into South Hyrule Field, we can cross through the canyon into Kakariko from the south. It should take the night for us to reach the village."
Though Telma frowned, she agreed to the course. "There are even more guards in these paths, as my sources tell me. We'll need to be quick then." She then indicated his sword and bow. "How well can you use those?"
Comprehending the gravity of the situation from that remark, Link cocked his head somewhat. "Well enough."
She nodded, pleased. "Well then, young soldier. I suppose we should be off. Come along."
===============
Once Link and Telma had reached the public corral at the western end of town, Link spied Ilia bringing their last horse out. It was only when she faded into the crowd, exiting the town, that Link awoke from his daze to enter the corral himself. He approached his red horse unaccompanied, for Telma had left him to load up the wagon.
He had found Epona as he had made his way toward Castle Town. He had hypothesized that she had wandered away from Kakariko in search of her master when the veil of twilight had lifted.
Link patted down her tousled mane and took hold of her reins. He would be taking Ilia where she could rest in safety, but he wondered how long it would be before she could truly acknowledge who it had been that had escorted her there. The thought of her not knowing, not remembering him.... His throat swelled and hardened at the unbearable thought.
Tossing away the pain for the moment, he negotiated the congested streets as Epona trailed behind him. Outside of the town and across the short bridge, he found Ilia and Telma. The latter had just heaved the last of three crates into the wagon, as Ilia continued in hitching the second horse.
"All right," nodded Telma. "I'm going to get the child and a few more supplies. I'll be back in a few minutes."
An awkward silence settled between Link and Ilia as the young girl finished her chore and noticed they were alone. Nervously holding her hands, she looked up at Link. He gazed down into her dulled green eyes, and for a moment he thought that she registered some clue as to the reason for his apparent melancholy. When she asked his name, thorns stabbed his heart. So, she really did not remember.
"Link," he offered. Yet, when he said it, it was as if the vibrant sparkle that he had always associated with her eyes had returned. He knew that the name was familiar to her, but he could visibly assess that her inward struggle to remember where she had heard the name before had been in vain. The gleam faded from her eyes.
"I will never in all my life forget your kindness, Link," she returned gently.
Needing to break away from her before his emotions ran freely, he took his leave, barely holding back the tears that had formed behind his blue orbs. He needed to survey their route and he required a moment alone. He ascended a stairwell just inside the town doors, coming to the flat surface of a parapet that overlooked much of the land. Below, he found Ilia, sitting on the edge of the wagon and staring into her hands. He hated leaving her to a dark isolation, but he, too, needed seclusion.
The wind at his height was strong yet as warm as he thought a kiss might be. He wrapped himself in that feeling, shrouding himself from the world. Everything he had worked for had now been for nothing. The woman to whom he had shared deep friendship could no longer remember their long days together. Sitting by the spring.... The evenings he had perched in the tree outside her window.... The times they had played in the water with which they had bathed Epona.... The nights she had woken him in fear of a dream.... The mornings that she had joined him for the dawn meal.... Every time they had exchanged a glance.... All those times meant nothing to her now. She could not even recall his face or his very name. The thought shattered his soul.
He had come to realize that nothing in life-or at least in his-ever came without a price. Nothing in his existence had been easy to come by. Everyone in his heart eventually faded from reach. First, his parents, which he had never known and wished so badly to know their fate. He had lost his Ordonian friends for some time, only for them to be recovered after their innocence of the world-the very childhood-had been stolen. Rusl had been severely injured, and he supposed that his mentor still lay healing under Uli's care. And Link's very identity-his life-had been taken from his control, which made him wonder if it had ever been in his management at all.
And now Ilia. She had been stolen from him, the essence of her life captured. Now, as he surveyed the distance to Kakariko, he questioned if the past had really occurred. Those memories that had once existed as a road between their souls were now no more. They were lost moments, and Link wondered if they were now just lingering fantasies that he wished had happened. The bold line in which they had been drawn within his mind had now become a hazed border between reality and make-believe.
But he quickly snatched those memories that were lost to her and drew them back to their rightful place within his soul. He had to remember all the years that they had spent in each other's company. One day perhaps Ilia would return to her former self, her memory restored. They could then rejoice in their reunion.
He would wait his entire lifetime for the day to see the return of the familiar glint in her eyes. But until then he had to bare the pain of her lost memories and move on in his quest to save the land of Hyrule from the king of twilight.
He turned about, the path before him memorized, yet just before he could take a step toward the stairs, a certain golden face met his gaze.
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REVIEWS FOR THIS CHAPTER:
~DrakeRenar1 Mar 18, 2010 Woot I was beginning to wonder if you were forgetting about the Shade but nice way of putting it in I thought that he was going to find him later!
~Xcoinic Mar 16, 2011 Although I may not approve of LinkxIlia, you did a great job of Link being in despair that his childhood crush could not remember his name. I could actually feel Link for a moment there.
~Xcoinic Mar 16, 2011 Although I may not approve of LinkxIlia, you did a great job of Link being in despair that his childhood crush could not remember his name. I could actually feel Link for a moment there.