Luminescence

There Is No Gentle in Killing

"You'd think the man who raised you would be aware of things."

"Oh, I just knew it! I just knew you'd be difficult. You're so frustrating!"

That stung him. "Look, how about you give your dad a list of what to look for. Like a shopping list! Manshopping is more girly than manhunting anyways."

He didn't like how her eyes narrowed. He could practically feel the punch already.

Epona nickered nervously, probably sensing the tension in the air.

"Uh, what I meant is, well, if you go out flirting with whoever you see you might come off a...a..."

"A what, Link? A what?"

"Um, a...floozy?"

Ouch. Yeah. He deserved that one. But he was only being honest.

Suddenly his view was filled with white feathers and hair. The mare besides him gave a startled whinny and pattered back, snorting and puffing as the mass of wings hissed.

Ilia staggered back. "Wha—wha—"

"Luna!" he cried as she continued to hiss—actually hiss as though blowing air between her teeth—at the girl at her feet. But she only stepped forward, wings rising. For a moment he was caught away in the magnificence of the great span of feathers.

"Luna! Stop it! What is wrong with you?"

She flinched horribly. Every feather seemed to recoil back as she slowly turned to him, face twisted with confusion and guilt. The round eyes she had put Ilia's puppy-dog eyes to shame. Even as he glared at her she continued to shrink. Her lips moved to protest, but no sound came out. His anger became oddly slippery to him. The spirit had called her innocent, good even. Why then had she nearly attacked Ilia for seemingly nothing at all? Such a strange reaction. He hardly knew the girl, though, so he couldn't know that quite yet, unless...

Ilia stared at her, slightly breathless.

"What was...what did I do?"

"I think...I think she thought you were hurting me."

"Eh? You make her sound like some guard dog or something. And why don't you let her answer?"

"She can't speak, Ilia, and I don't know, but..." he examined Luna's face, which had lost its confused quality and just looked guilty now. "I don't think she would've hurt you."

"What by Din was she doing then?"

"Scolding you?" he gave her a wry smile. "It's very unladylike to punch people who don't do what you want, you know."

Luna smiled ever so slightly.

Ilia gave an exasperated sigh. "You know what? Fine. Whatever. But you know you should be worrying about marriage too. You're not getting any younger."

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes. "You make it sound like I'm forty years old."

"What about that one girl you were drawing? Why can't you just hook up with her?"

Instantly, his mood turned sour. Luna tensed as she sensed the change. Ilia, however, kept talking.

"I mean, aren't you ever lonely? You just sit up in your house or mope in the fields with the goats, don't you ever feel alone? Collin's growing up too, you know. He won't always be the little brother to keep you company. And what are you even going to do with your life? Are you just going to sit here and herd goats? Link! You've saved Hyrule! You have so much potential--"

"As what? A mercenary?"

She froze at the ice dripping his words. Her face paled. Luna watched him steadily, face twisted as though in pain.

"And a wife, yeah, what a great idea. I'll get a nice innocent family and support them by killing things, because I have so much potential there."

"Link..."

His mind caught up to his mouth, silencing him. The guilt made him angry. He felt hot with it. This wasn't like him. Tugging on the last strap with more force than needed he practically threw himself on top of his nervous horse.

"I need you to watch over Luna while I'm gone." Then, in attempts to sound casual, he added, "You could figure out some clothes for her to wear. That nightgown doesn't stay on too well."

He ignored Luna as she gave him a look as though he had kicked her.

"Yeah...sure."

With a quick check to make sure his sword, shield, bow, and other equipment were secure, he eased Epona around the two quiet figures and galloped into the forest. Once out of sight he kicked her into an all out sprint, hoping the air rushing past him would cool his burning skin. Why did Ilia bringing up marriage do this to him? No, it wasn't marriage. It was something else. Something else made him want to run as fast as he could till his legs gave way and his lungs seized up. It was the same thing that kept him up at night—the same thing that filled him with yearning to howl at the moon and yell himself hoarse on top of Death Mountain. The same thing that made him crave for the dark of twilight.

Because of this, he didn't hear Ilia's cry from behind him as Luna ran after him, stretching out her great wings.

{V7F