A/N: so i wrote this like five months ago when i was really sad about something. i found it when i was going through my computer earlier writing my other zelink fic. now that i have an ffn account, i thought i might as well post it.
disclaimer: you may not enjoy this if you're a big malink shipper. or maybe you will. i don't know.
well, here it is. i apologize profusely in advance.
have fun being sad with me!
The sun set behind Hyrule Castle, its silhouette illuminated with a faint orange glow. The river in front of the castle was at rest. Its water, unmoving and calm, reflected the rays of the setting sun.
A fair amount of distance from the water, a young man sat alone. His knees were pulled into his chest and his arms were wrapped around his legs. He sat in silence, staring at the peaceful scene before him as a chilly breeze filled the air. It was almost winter, and the days were growing shorter as the nights were growing colder. The man shivered as the wind blew through his blonde hair, but he made no move to leave.
Any other person on this night would have left by now to seek the warmth of their own home. But not this man.
It was not that he had no home to go to; no, it was quite the opposite. He did have a home, which was certainly much warmer and cozier than the unwelcoming chill of the late November air.
The man did have a home, complete with a wife, who was probably in the process of filling the kitchen with the delicious smell of whatever dinner she was cooking. They were going to enjoy a lovely night in, filled with dinner and dancing - just the two of them.
But the man remained in the middle of the field, even though the sun was now almost completely beyond the horizon.
He sat unmoving, simply staring at the castle beyond the lake. Sometimes, if he listened closely enough, he swore he could hear the soft melody of the music she was playing. He knew where she would be - in a room on the top floor of the castle on the eastern side - sitting on the window sill of her bedroom with the magic blue instrument in hand.
Although the castle was too far away for him to actually see her, he knew she was there. And though some would say his ears were just playing tricks on him, he knew he could hear the sound of the Ocarina. That instrument was special, and he almost felt as though when she played it, the notes echoed further than they normally would have, just to reach him.
He wondered if she'd ever know.
He wondered if she would ever know that he still comes to this spot and watches over her. Although she would never know him in this life the way he knows her, he could never quite push his feelings away. When he was sent back in time, to relive the childhood he lost, he retained everything. Everything he went through, everything he experienced, everything he learned.
And he remembered everything about her.
He was sure that he loved her from the moment he saw her, when they were children. He couldn't explain what it was, but he felt like he was being pulled to her by an invisible thread. Even then, he was drawn to her.
He had watched her from afar ever since he regained his childhood body. He had been nothing but a broken man's spirit, locked in the shell of an innocent child. And though he was now grown again, he still felt disconnected from his true self.
He could not shake the feeling that this life was not the one that was intended for him. He felt as if destiny had been toyed with, and that this was not the right ending to his story. And no matter how many years had passed since the tune of the Song of Time sent him back for good, he never lost the feeling that she was, in fact, destined for him.
She would never know that he remembered her, and he would never again have the chance to be with the woman he loved so dearly.
And on the day she became Queen, married off to a prince from another kingdom, he knew he had lost her forever. He had to make a decision. So he decided to try to move on with his life, hoping that his heart would eventually follow his lead.
He asked his friend Malon, a pretty and kind young lady, to spend her life with him. She accepted, and the two were married on a cold evening in late November a few years ago. And although she is a wonderful wife - she cares for him deeply, prepares meals for him, and spends her weekends taking Epona riding with him - there is one problem with Link's wife: she is not Princess Zelda.
At the end of every November, Malon prepares an anniversary evening for the two of them, which consists of everything it should. And at the end of every November, when their anniversary arrives, Link tells his wife he is going to spend the day with Epona so that the evening would seem more special when he returned home for dinner.
But what Link neglects to tell his wife is that Epona has been grazing the fields on her own for the past few hours. Link can spend time with his beloved horse whenever he wants.
What he can't do, however, is get through this day without somehow revealing to his wife that he is not as happy as she is. He is afraid of showing her that he can never truly love her the way she loves him. Not when his heart has always belonged to the girl the fates had intended him to be with.
But the princess played with destiny, altering the course of time in a well-intentioned attempt to do right by the man who saved her kingdom.
The sun had set, and the sky turned a deep navy blue. The stars twinkled above Link's head, and he knew it was time to go home. His wife would begin to worry if he didn't return shortly after nightfall. Link pushed himself off the damp grass and began to walk across the field to find Epona. He whistled her tune softly, and she was galloping towards him within a minute.
"Come on girl," he said to her softly. "It's time to go now."
Epona whined softly, ready to follow her master wherever he decided to lead her. Deciding to walk back to the house rather than ride, Link held on to Epona's reins with his hand as he began to steer her away from the clear lake and towards the ranch. As the pair started to walk away, Link turned his head to look at the castle one last time.
And for a second, he could have sworn that he saw a figure looking at him from the other side of the lake, with long, golden hair falling down her shoulders and a small crown resting atop her head.
But his eyes were probably just playing tricks on him.