Summary: During excavation around the area formerly occupied by Ordon Village, a journal was found believed to have belonged to the Hero of Twilight. These are some notes from a part of that journal.

These are notes from a journal kept by the Hero of Twilight

The Link from the future had just left, and beyond all hope, Midna was in his arms now.

He had missed Midna. After all their time together, the finality of her goodbye was sudden and unexpected. He knew she needed to return to the Twilight Realm, but he thought there would be a way to see her again. Instead, she had shattered the Mirror of Twilight. And with it, she had broken his dreams.

He had only just begun to know her in her natural form since, during most of their time together, she had been under an evil spell, turned into an impish creature by evil magic. Their time together had drawn them close, and both had developed feelings for each other. But when she stood up and turned to face him after his final battle, and he finally saw her for who she really was, he had stood there staring at her, speechless, in awe at her beauty. Then they had only a short time together as she and Zelda traveled with him to the Arbiter's Grounds.

Midna and Zelda exchanged a few words, and then Midna had shed a tear, started to tell him something, then thought better of it and said only "see you later." She looked at him with a sad smile as she faded away. After that, he had stood there with Zelda, stunned, trying to understand what had just happened and why. Zelda had said a few words to him, but he couldn't recall any of them. Finally, it was time to go. There was nothing there for him anymore.

So, he began the long journey back home, all alone. It was hard to accept that the shadow companion who had teased him so much and cared for him so much was no longer riding along with him. He pondered what to do next. He needed to do something, but he could not simply resume his life in Ordon Village herding goats-not while he was still so grief-stricken over Midna. He needed to do something more challenging to get his mind off her, something that made use of the combat skills he had learned from one of his predecessors. He planned to collect some of his belongings from home and then head off to whatever adventures he could find. To help him forget, he would need to stay busy. Perhaps he could become a knight in Princess Zelda's service.

But then, finally arriving home from the Arbiter's Grounds in the evening, he found a person claiming to be from the future waiting in his house. And this person told him there was a way for him to be together with Midna again. Using Twilight Portals and Timeshift Stones, he had been able to return to the Twilight Realm. And now he was together with Midna, and she had told him she missed him too. They felt happy in each other's arms. Now he could get to know her as the person she truly was.

"I told you, little wolf, I would see you later," Midna laughed. "I drove a hard bargain with the people from the future to get you here. And now we are companions again."

He would always be her little wolf. So they began their lives together in the Twilight Realm.

Link grew to love the twilight. It was calm and peaceful there, as she had said it was. It had a gentle beauty that grew on him. When she wasn't busy with her royal duties, they would travel together, visiting locations beyond the Twilight Palace that also had a beauty all their own. The Twilight Realm was much like Hyrule in its springs and waterfalls. Of course, many plants and flowers could not survive here, but some ferns and ivy could as well as others he didn't recognize that must have adapted to the conditions.

The Twili people were kind and gracious to him. They had learned of his efforts to free them from the evil Zant and respected him for it. He still had difficulty communicating with them, for few of them spoke Hylian, and he could not speak their tongue. He had been trying hard to learn their language, but the intonation was challenging. Midna would coax him through some language lessons, and then they would laugh together when he mispronounced things.

"As a last resort, you could always howl," she teased him.

She had such kind eyes, he thought. He had gotten used to their deep red beauty and her gentle smile. He felt he might find peace and happiness here.

But after a couple of months, he began to notice a change in himself. His skin had turned pale by now, of course, the lack of sun taking its toll. But he didn't care about his skin color. However, more than skin appearance was beginning to affect him. He began to tire more easily. Sometimes Midna and he would have to cut short their walks together because of his fatigue.

At first, he and Midna believed tiredness was all it was. But rest did not improve his stamina, nor did varying his diet, and his condition worsened. Midna began to fear that the Twilight Realm itself was causing his weakness, that as a creature of the Light World, he could not survive forever in the Twilight Realm. She kept hoping his condition would improve, but instead, it worsened. Finally, one morning, she felt she had to express her fear to him.

"I know you do not want to hear this," said Midna. "But I fear you cannot survive here. We must face the fact that we are of two different worlds and can survive in each other's world only for a limited time."

"No, Midna," said Link. "I'll get better. I just need some time and more rest."

But he was wrong. Rest did not help, and his condition deteriorated. Finally, after three months in the Twilight Realm, a day came when he was barely able to get up from the bed, and Midna had seen enough. They had to accept the inevitable. They could not be together as she and he both wished. Her instinct to destroy the Mirror had been the right one. But she could not let him die here. And she feared he might have already become too weak. She had made up her mind and sat next to him as he lay in bed.

"Link, much as I would wish it, you cannot stay here with me," said Midna. "I realize now that you cannot survive here. I had thought your former time here had made you special. But you are getting weaker with each day, and I cannot let that continue. I fear we must say farewell yet again. I will always remember the extra time given to us to be together. But now you must return to your world and live your life there. We still have the Timeshift Stone that was left here by the people from your future, and it is set to a time when the Mirror was still whole. We can use it to go back in time and transport you back to the Light World. When you leave the range of the stone, you will be back in the present there. I want you to live your life there and be happy, not grieve over us. We will always have the memory of our time together here and in your world. Nothing can take that from us. But you are getting too weak. Come, before you are any weaker."

Link and Midna embraced. Then Midna helped him walk to where the Twilight Mirror had stood. She activated the Timeshift Stone, and suddenly the Mirror was whole again. They passed through the Mirror and were back at the Arbiter's Grounds. Then she established a Twilight Portal from the Arbiter's Grounds to just outside Link's house and helped Link over to it.

"Farewell, Link. I pray you will recover quickly. And I will never forget you," said Midna.

She returned to stand near the Mirror and activated the portal. Link disappeared from her view. She waited for his transport to complete, then deactivated the portal, returned to the Twilight Realm, and restored the Timeshift Stone to the present. She was back home again, and Link was gone. Then she shed tears that had nothing to do with destroying a Mirror.

Link arrived through the Twilight Portal by the side of his house near Ordon Village, and then he saw the portal above his head disappear. It was evening, and he found himself lying on the grass. Surprisingly Epona was hitched in front of his house, and he heard her neigh and stamp her hoofs. He tried to get up, but he was too weak. He collapsed from the effort and drifted off into unconsciousness.

Ilia awoke at her home in Ordon Village the next morning and, as had been the case for the last three months now, she was feeling depressed. Each day since she had returned home, she had been hoping for Link's return, but each day those hopes were gradually fading. Where had he gone?

The last time she saw him was at Kakariko Village. He had helped her recover her memory by showing her the horse call she had made for him, and she had told him not to worry about her anymore, that she was fine and would be waiting for him when he returned. And he had smiled back at her as if to reassure her that he understood.

But when would he return? She knew back then he had an important mission to complete. But as far as she knew, he had successfully completed it. News from Castle Town was that Hyrule Castle was safe, no longer occupied by monsters. And Hyrule itself was safe.

But where was Link? Had he gone off on another adventure without even saying goodbye? Or had something terrible happened to him? She hoped he was well. Sometimes she cried at night thinking about him. They had been friends since childhood and had grown over time to more than that, to being like boyfriend and girlfriend. She had hoped they could pick up where they left off when he returned. But would he ever return?

She told her father she was going out and left her house. It was early, and the village was still quiet, many people only just getting up. She could hear the goats bleating from the pasture next to her house and some chickens wandering the village. She walked down the path from her home and through the village toward Link's house, a path she had taken every day she could. She had stopped by Link's house many times over the last three months keeping it clean and ready for his return. Sometimes she would even re-stock his pantry with fresh vegetables. Of course, she had also been taking good care of Epona for him. But she didn't understand why Link would leave Epona behind.

Ilia remembered that morning three months ago when she had walked to Link's house from the village. She had been hoping each day for Link's return. And then as his house came into view, her heart leaped. There was Epona in front of his house! He must have returned during the night, she thought. Link was home!

She ran to his house in her excitement, and when she reached the front, she called out his name. She knew he liked to sleep in, but she was too excited not to wake him. No answer. She called again. Nothing. Then she climbed up the ladder and knocked on his door. But there was still no response. She opened the door slowly, peeked inside, and called his name again. The house was empty. Where had he gone without his horse? She climbed back down the ladder and went over to Epona. She petted her mane, and Epona neighed and gently shook her head. She had tended to Epona many times, and Epona knew her well.

"Where is your master, Epona? Why are you here all alone?" said Ilia.

Then she thought maybe he went to the Forest Spring. She ran almost all the way there in her excitement. But no, there was no one at the Spring. Perhaps he had gone to the village, and she had missed him? She returned to Ordon Village and asked everyone if they had seen Link. But no one had. He must have ridden home last night on Epona, but where had he gone then and how? She had returned to Link's house and taken care of Epona. In those first few days after she found Epona, she had hoped Link was somewhere nearby and would return soon. But soon had turned into three months now.

Each day she would feed Epona and take her to the Forest Spring and back to help keep her fit. But she always returned her to Link's house afterward so Epona would be there for him. And taking care of his house was another way of keeping her hopes alive that he would come home someday.

So, like so many other days, she started walking to Link's house. Another day to clean out any dust for him and imagine he would be home soon. It was starting out to be a beautiful day, mild with a gentle breeze that rustled the leaves. But as she approached Link's house, something was wrong. Epona was acting up. She kept neighing and pulling at her hitch, shaking her head. What was wrong with her? She walked over to Epona and checked her for any injury. She looked fine. Then she tried petting and soothing her, but she wouldn't calm down. She kept tugging at the rope holding her.

"Alright, Epona, let's see where you want to go."

She unhitched Epona and held her reigns. Epona immediately tugged and pulled her toward the side of Link's house. Then she saw what Epona was trying to tell her. Link lay collapsed motionless on the ground.

"Link!" Ilia cried, rushing over to him.

And when she saw him, her hands flew to her mouth as she cried out in shock. It was Link, but it barely looked like him. He was as white as a ghost! Her heart was in her throat for an instant. She couldn't breathe. Was he...? But her worst fears passed as she noticed he was still breathing. He was alive. But what had happened? She cradled his head in her arm, and he was completely limp.

"Link, wake up," said Ilia as she rubbed his forehead.

Link opened his eyes. Then he squinted as if the light hurt them. But he did recognize her.

"Ilia, I, ...," said Link, then he closed his eyes again.

"Link, wake up! We need to get you home."

She helped him struggle to his feet, then she put her arm around him and walked him to the ladder that led into his house. It would be tricky climbing up the ladder together, but she helped him along, one rung at a time, sometimes stopping to rest. He finally made it inside his house and collapsed on the floor.

"Ilia, thank you, I, ...," said Link.

"Please, save your strength. I'm going to make you some soup now," said Ilia.

There were enough ingredients in the house for a nourishing pot of pumpkin soup. While she waited for the soup to cook, she went back over to Link as he lay on the floor. His eyes were closed, fluttering open every now and then. She felt like crying! He looked so terrible, his complexion nothing like the healthy outdoor color he had always had in the past. What had happened to him? Had he seen something so horrible the shock or fright of it had caused this? But right now, the important thing was to help him get his strength back. The soup was finally ready, and she brought a bowl over to where he lay.

"Try to sit up and lean against the wall here," said Ilia.

Link groaned and pulled himself up to where he could lean on the wall. Ilia put the bowl of soup on the floor and put one arm around him to steady him. Then she began feeding him the soup one slow spoonful at a time. It was slow going, but she was happy to see he was able to finish the whole bowl.

"Thank you," said Link weakly. "I think I will be alright now."

"No, you are still far from alright. You need help, and I will stay with you as long as you do," said Ilia. "And you need to get to bed now and rest."

She helped him over to his bed, and he collapsed again. It was taking all her effort to avoid crying, but she needed to hold herself together if she was going to help him. She sat next to him and watched him sleep until she heard Colin, Talon, and Malo outside. She got up and leaned out the doorway.

"Colin, tell my father Link is back, but he's very ill. I will be staying here taking care of him, and he should not worry about me," said Ilia.

"Link is back?" said Colin. "Where has he been all this time?"

"I don't know," said Ilia, "but he is not well. Can you also please bring some fish back? I will need to prepare his meals for now."

"Sure," said Colin. Wow, Link was finally back, he thought. He would have to spread the news. Colin, Talon, and Malo ran back to the village to do as she asked.

Link woke up after several hours of sleep, and Ilia fed him some more soup and some of the fish Colin had dropped off earlier that she had cooked. She hoped the nourishment was helping. As the sun began to set Link started shivering, as if something was bothering him.

"Link, it's okay, I'm here," said Ilia.

He stopped shuddering, then looked over at Ilia. He wore a pained expression as if something was bothering him. Then his eyes closed, and he lapsed back into sleep. She felt his forehead, and his temperature seemed normal. He had to get better, she thought. He just had to! And she wouldn't leave his side until he did. She finally fell asleep on the floor, leaning on the side of Link's bed.

"Ilia?" said Link.

It was morning, and Link had just awoken. Ilia rubbed her eyes then jumped up, remembering where she was.

"How do you feel?"

"Weak, but better than yesterday. Did you stay here all night with me? Won't your father be worried?" said Link.

Ilia blushed.

"I..., you needed someone to take care of you. I sent word to my father that I would be here. I didn't mind," said Ilia.

"Thank you," said Link. "I'm glad you're here. But I ..."

"How about some more soup," said Ilia cutting him off.

She ran to the pot and relit the fire to warm it up.

"That would be nice," said Link. "I'm feeling a bit stronger now. Perhaps I could get up?"

"No, just sit up for now," said Ilia. "The soup is almost ready."

She brought over the bowl of soup and a spoon.

"I can feed myself now, thanks," said Link taking the bowl. "Have you eaten anything yourself?"

"I've been too busy," said Ilia. "I'll have some soup with you."

She helped herself to a bowl, and they ate together. Link was quiet the whole time, whether from weakness or something on his mind, Ilia couldn't tell. But she noticed he had trouble looking her in the eyes. He would look at her then lowered his eyes. So, something was bothering him. They finished the soup, and then Ilia spoke up.

"I need to look after Epona for a minute, will you be alright? I'll be just outside. Call me if you need anything," said Ilia.

Link nodded as Ilia went out, then she fed and watered Epona.

"I think your master will be alright now, Epona," said Ilia as she petted her. Then she went back into Link's house and found him standing up.

"I think I need to be outside and get some sun," said Link.

She helped him to the ladder, and he was healthy enough now to climb down on his own, though slowly. When he got outside, he walked over to Epona and petted her neck.

"Hello, girl, I missed you," said Link. Epona neighed and nuzzled against his hand.

"But, Link, now that you are well enough to talk, can you tell me what happened to you and where you have been all this time? I've been so worried about you! And why are you so pale?"

Link looked at her then looked away. He seemed reluctant to answer. Finally, he turned back to her.