AN: For some reason, my second chapter wouldn't show up so I had to repost my entire story. Said the bloody thing was there, but it wasn't. Huh. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy my story. It's my first piece of fanfiction so it isn't quite up to par with what I wanted. Give me some feedback, if you will, so I can find out the flaws in my writing and strive to fix them. Oh and yes, before you ask, I did stray a bit from Canon. Instead of Link placing the sword back in the Pedestal of Time, he kept it and brought it back with him to Ordon.

Disclaimer: This will be my first and my last as I find disclaimers in general neither prudent nor necessary. I do not own any part of the Zelda franchise. This is a work of fanfiction and I am using -and hopefully not abusing- the characters owned by Nintendo.

The Nara Stone

Prologue

The hardest part about returning to regular life was the boredom. After all of the struggle, hardship, and trials he had faced, the calm serenity of the farm somehow felt unwelcome despite his own vehement wishes for the very thing not a few months before.

Link sighed, patting down his dirty breeches in an attempt to remove the evidence of the day's labor. The inevitable conclusion was a spree of words best left out of polite conversation as the young man turned back towards his work.

A soft breeze blew through his unruly blond hair, dust kicking up into his face as he hacked and coughed. Stomping back over to one of the bright blue cattle, its single horn -if you could call it such- converging into a large circle that stood almost a foot above its head, Link began to once again stroke its fur. "Oh boy," he grumbled softly, "another day primping and herding sheep. Joyous me." A snort sounded behind him. He turned towards the seemingly affronted animal, a beautiful, chestnut Draft Horse giving him what could most definitely be interpreted as a glare. Well, if a horse could honestly glare at you.

"Oh, come on Epona. You know I don't include you in that list. You are the only thing that makes this job fun." Link could almost see her chest puffing out proudly, just rolling his eyes in response. Even so, he once again turned from the sheep, instead running his brush through his horse's mane. "We've been through a lot together," he whispered softly into her ear, "haven't we, girl?" She just nickered and rubbed the side of her head against his own, both of them looking up towards the fading sun.

Cantering down into the village, Link and Epona looked around as everyone began to prepare for dinner. Though it wasn't a glorious thing, meals in Ordon Village were always something to be treasured. Everyone gathered around the fire, children laughing and playing, the adults bringing out whatever food was available. Some nights it was all bread, some nights it was all meat, and it just depended on the season. Summer time, as it was, the crops were not ready to be harvested so most of their diet came from cattle, be it the dairy they produced or the chops you produced from them. Link didn't mind. The food was warm, tasted great, and there was much to go around. It was very different from his travels through Hyrule during the Twilight War.

He was pulled from his thoughts as Epona suddenly bent her head, Link's eyes snapping over to the source of the mare's curiosity. In that moment, a bright smile touched his face. Ilia. The young woman's brown hair fell long down her back, brushing along the curve of her bust over one shoulder. Link still marveled at the slow swelling of her stomach, her long off-white dress accentuating this fact as he jumped off the horse with practiced ease and knelt down to press a soft kiss to what would soon be his child. Pulling himself up, he grasped his wife in his arms, leading her into a soft kiss that she melted right into. "Good afternoon, love." She whispered softly, "How was your day?" He just smiled as his eyes roamed over the others standing near him. Talo stood gagging not too far away, the near-teenager having stuffed too large of a piece of goat cheese into his mouth after swiping it.

"Boring," he replied honestly, her eyes suddenly sharp and searching as she stared into his own, "but I'm feeling much better now that I'm with you." She cradled herself against him, her lips slowly pressing along his jaw line as she whispered,

"You still miss her, don't you?" He didn't know what to say to that so only remained silent and hugged her tighter. Of course he missed her. They had been through everything together.

'Midna...'

Not two hours later, supper was finally at hand. Bo, the village elder and Ilia's father, let out a massive bellow and everyone came running as usual. Link sat to his left and Ilia on his other side, her fingers intertwined with his own atop the table. Women from all around brought wooden platters full of cheeses, steaks, and chops, the children cheering and the adults bowing their heads, already prepared to pray.

"Tonight," Bo began, "I would like to begin this meal with a few words in thanks to the Three Goddesses who allow for this wonderful bounty." This was a usual occurrence, but after all that had happened even the kids were especially solemn as he began his prayer to The Three: Din, Nayru, and Farore. Din, with her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land to create the earth. Nayru poured her wisdom onto the earth to give the spirit of law to the world. Farore's rich soul created all the life forms who would uphold the law. (1)

"Amen!" chorused the villagers a minute later, each jumping for a piece of whatever food they wished. Link reached out and pulled back a large steak, cutting it in half and handing the bigger piece to Ilia.

"You need to keep up your health for the baby, love." She smiled at his explanation, leaning over for a soft kiss. The villagers around them sent a spree of cheers, holding up their glasses of mead or water to the pair who just blushed and sat back down into their seats. It was a beautiful night all around.

The not-so-calm meal was finally nearing its end, all of the elder males meeting together with a half-pint mug of their choice drink to talk about the goings on of the village. The children danced around the fire, Link spying -to his delight- Colin and Beth sneaking off towards his house hand-in-hand. He decided to go sit with the elders, the gaggle of females talking to his wife slowly giving him a headache. Though he did not drink, having seen its effects on many a citizen of both Hyrule Castle Town and Ordon Village, he grabbed a pint anyways and filled it up from the barrel of ale to his left.

He did not reach his spot, though, the loud trample of horses' hooves on hard soil spearing his head up towards the direction of the noise. Four horsemen, each in the chain armor of the Hyrule Knights with the crest of the Royal House: an eagle spreading its wings bearing a Triforce on its chest.

The one in the lead stepped down off his horse, pulling of his helmet and bowing low to the ground. "My Lord," he began, standing back up straight and staring into the eyes of the now solemn Link as he reached into the saddle bag on his horse's side, "Her Highness is in dire need of assistance. By order of the Council of Ancients, you have been called to her aid." Link stepped forward, placing his forgotten mug on the table. He took the scroll the man pulled from the bag, opening it and quickly reading through its contents. The people of the village were silent, having never seen this side of Link before. He just nodded to the man, softly stating,

"Give me a moment to prepare." With just a glance back at Ilia, he made his way over towards Epona, the intelligent mare whinnying sadly as he hopped onto her back and galloped out of town. His home sat above the ground, a simple home for a simple youth that was stripped away from his childhood to become the Hero of Twilight. He had renovated it, adding another room and some stairs so that his pregnant wife could more easily come and go. Hopping up the steps, he just stood at the entrance, looking around at the little knickknacks and comforts that he would once again be leaving.

It didn't take him long to dress, first pulling on a pair of light brown breeches and a simple white, long-sleeved tunic. Over that came his chainmail, a powerful linked metal shirt that had saved his life on many occasions. The legendary green, open-necked tunic was worn atop this, with his long, green cap to keep the hair out of his eyes. He pulled on his gloves and bracers, both brown, and his long, knee-length brown boots. His tunic was tied off with a simple leather belt that held a pouch for supplies.

Finally dressed, he stood up and clenched his fists, feeling almost awkward in the familiar outfit. Something was missing. He shook his head at his own foolishness as he stared over at the wall across from him. With an ever-present ethereal glow around it, there sat his sword. It was crafted by an ancient sage and gifted to the world as a way to fight evil. The Sword of Evil's Bane: The Master Sword. Reverently grabbing the ancient blade, he strapped it to himself with a thick harness that went from waste to shoulder. Over this hung his shield, bearing a more intricate seal of the Royal Family than that of the Knights, both in easy reach in case of an attack.

Heading out a moment later, he began to attach his other weapons to Epona's sides. His Gale Boomerang, which he had received after defeating the possessed Ook in the Forest Temple so long ago; the trusty Hero's Bow, which he had acquired after beating some sense into the thick head of the Goron Guardian, Dangoro; the two Clawshots, one found during his quest to save the Zora people and the other acquired much later after his slaying of the mighty dragon, Argorok. He chuckled to himself, 'Many wouldn't believe half of the stories I have to tell.' When he was finally finished packing all his supplies, he jumped up onto Epona's back and made his way back down into the village.

Everyone stood there, Bo and Ilia at the front talking heatedly with the Hylian Knights. Both knew the duty he had towards the people of Hyrule, yet neither wanted to see him off. After all, one was the grandfather of his soon-to-be-born son and the other was the child's mother. This thought truly hit Link right in the stomach: he would not be able to see his child come into the world. Would it be a boy? A girl? Would he be away for so long that the child would have no inkling of who he was? Shaking thoughts that would better be left untouched from his head, he hopped from his place atop his steed and walked over to the group. Once again the Knights bowed, Link bowing back before stepping past them and embracing his wife. She kissed him with enough passion to nearly crumble him right there, her beautiful eyes wet and bloodshot from crying. He just placed his forehead against hers and said,

"You know I'll be back as soon as I can." She nodded, as if it was a question, and he kissed her one last time before turning away and stating firmly, "Let's go." Minutes later, as the group finally left the confines of Ordon Village, it was almost pitifully ironic how much he wished for the boring trials of farm life once again.