Disclaimer I don't own the Legend of Zelda. All rights belong to Nintendo.
A/N As Link takes his last breaths, he looks back on the life he has had with one special person. A life he had with Malon. Depressing Malink goodness!
The Last Stand
Blood pours out of my broken body, surrounding me, blocking my escape. It's the kind of situation I used to have nightmares about, when I first held a sword in my small hands. I am older now, but it's still the only thing I am scared of, or have ever been scared of. Dying.
I close my eyes, trying to ignore my bloodstained tunic, and begin to explore the irony of my fear. Ever since I was ten, I have been killing monsters right and left, not caring for their pain at all, or even believing they felt it. But now, here I am, laying down, succumbing to the inevitable death. I cannot see any way of escaping now, of cheating fate of the one thing I have been destined to provide for it; a corpse to be reborn or to forever wander the lands as a spirit.
My concentration begins to fade into other things, as I try to forget about the aching pain. It surprises me how much a hole hurts, when there is nothing there. But alas, my mind has returned back to the pain again.
With a conscious last effort, I think about all the times I have found joy in my life. There have been precious through times, although not so little as to be able to count them with my fingers, or even with my toes as well. Not many though. I remember the first time I felt happy, and I mean truly happy. It was when I found out about my destiny, that I had a purpose in life, and for that I thank the esteemed Princess Zelda of Hyrule.
But I know that most of the times that I've found pleasure, and joy, have not been from feeling needed. They've been from feeling wanted. And I don't thank the Princess for that; I thank two other special people in my life: my childhood friend, the only person who ever believed in me, when I was growing up, the ever green-fingered Saria, and Malon. But I think I need a bit more than a sentence to explain what a force Malon has been in my life.
The first time we met, I didn't think anything of it. She was just another person to help out, and I wanted to help. So on the way into the castle, I found her father sleeping likes she said he would be, and woke him up. He quickly ran off, and I thought that I wouldn't bump into them again. How wrong I was. Time passed by and so did the lands of Hyrule, as I went about my adventures, but there was one place that I always seemed to end up. Lon Lon Ranch.
And then I was trapped in time. Seven years I was forced to endure, and although it seemed like nothing to me, to Malon it must have been everything. Seven years, just think. She would have forgotten me. And she had. The friendship we had was destroyed. She had probably thought I was dead. So when I reappeared, needless to say, it was a shock to her. She must have experienced a mixture of relief, anger and hatred. I know that's how I would have felt if she had just disappeared and never come back.
But much to my surprise, and it still confuses me now, she forgave me. And that must have made her the best thing ever in my life. Sure, Saria was a close friend, and she forgave me, but she was a sage. She understood why I couldn't be there. Or at least she understood once I awakened her as the sage, and that was the first time I saw her. Malon, though, she had just been forced under the command of Ingo, with nobody for her. And she forgave me.
I know that I could never have forgiven what I did to her, and I know that the fact that she did makes her the best friend I could ever have.
After that, I made sure to visit it her as much as possible, in between temples, and when time got returned back, I visited her anyway. I was going to keep the promise I had made, the promise that I would always return to see her.
It's always so lonely when I am out fighting, on the adventures I am regularly on, like the one I'm on now. It's always me against the world, with no help, no anything. I always have to face insurmountable odds alone, because I am the Hero of Time. At this thought, I laugh out, though the sound I make it somewhere in between a laugh and a coughing fit. I hold my side.
I laugh, or cough, at the irony of it all. I am used to facing these insurmountable odds, where it is me against great evils. I defeated the King of Evil, Ganondorf, maybe with a few injuries, but here I am, blood pouring out of my wounded body. And it was all because of a group of Lizalfos. Such bitter laughter.
My mind rests on my pain again, and I know that I can't fight it off forever. I don't want to die here; I want to fulfil my promise to Malon, and to myself. But that act is looking more and more difficult every second. If I can just find the energy to get up, I know I can make it through alright. But my legs and my arms will not allow this. I wonder how Malon copes with the strain on her arms and legs with all the work she does.
I help her with her work as often as I can, and it always tires me out. Not like how I am at the moment, but Malon does it everyday, and she does it all by herself. I guess it's kind of an apology for the seven years I left her by herself, even though she doesn't remember them. She believes me when I tell her about it, but it doesn't really affect her much. She's a bit more cautious around Ingo though.
She always teases me about my inability to do the work without getting tired, when I'm supposed to be this 'big, brave, hero', in her words. I remind her that I have the Triforce of Courage, not Power.
That was how we were with each other. We were always able to open up and laugh at everything, even though the world gave us nothing but sadness. It's a great thing to have a friend to laugh at the world with. That's not to say we're never serious, though. She was always there for me whenever I am unhappy, and I try to be there for her. She assures me that I am, though sometimes I can't help but think that I can't be, as I'm always away on some adventure. She tells me it doesn't matter.
I remember when we were younger, and we used to have play fights over anything and everything. Of course, I would always let her win. If I didn't, what sort of a gentleman would I be? I let her win the arguments, as well. Except when I'm really upset, but she wins those anyway.
It is now that something unexpected happens. A tear drop crawls down my face. If I ever get out of this mess, I'm never leaving again. I don't think I can let myself go through this torture again: the fear that I will never see her again, and we will never get to argue, or cry, or laugh together.
But first I have to get out of this mess. I try my hardest to get to my feet, but I just can't do it. I can't even raise a hand from my wound to my face, to wipe away the tear. I feel pathetic.
Something enters my ears, a laugh, but not from my lips. Out of the corner of my eye I can see the source of the laughter. It is another Lizalfo, I fear, come to finish me off. I am too weak to fight back, and besides, my sword is somewhere across the floor. I still have the shield on my back, but it seems so out of reach.
I close my eyes, and wait for the finishing blow. The Lizalfo snorts, and turns away. Perhaps it knows that I am not going to recover from this any time soon. Or perhaps it is just mocking me, letting the fear rip me apart. Well it will be sorely disappointed. I won't let it. If I can't fight back, then let death come.
But that chokes inside of me. I can't just let death come. I can't break my promise to Malon, and leave her all alone again. I know I have to find away to get off of the floor. If I'm lucky I might find a red potion somewhere, or a fairy. These thoughts give me new hope.
I still can't get up.
I sigh, and the Lizalfo does not come back to end it. I wonder what Malon would have said if she knew what is happening to me. Maybe, somehow, she does know. Maybe she got Ingo to follow me. I snort, attempting to laugh at the image. It just doesn't seem so funny, now that I am lying here, like this.
It would rip her apart. That is something that I cannot allow to happen to her. She is the one person in the world that does not deserve that pain. She might be able to forgive a seven year absence, but I don't think it's possible to forgive the rest of her life. I don't want it to get to that, though. I want her to be able to see me. I wish that if I have to die, that it should be in her presence, and not stuck in the middle of nowhere, with only a Lizalfo to witness it. She deserves to have me say goodbye for one last time, and I want to hear her say goodbye to me.
My arm begins to twitch, as a small bit of energy comes back to it. I don't move it, though, and instead I will wait until I am strong enough to get up, and to wield a sword again.
If I could get the rest of the energy I need, I could get back to my friend. No, that's wrong. I realise that she is more than just a friend to me. She is everything to me. She is my whole world.
My breathing becomes heavier as a result of this epiphany. A surge of life rips through me, and without any more thought, I pounce at my sword.
As soon as my hand makes contact, I turn to the Lizalfo, and I rise to my feet. The monster suddenly looks a bit more serious, as he watches the warrior he thought was fallen. He sees the sword in my hand, and immediately raises the large, curved sword across his body. It is like a shield and a weapon at the same time.
I know I have to be wary of that sword, as it is what left the gaping hole in me. But I have fought against these foes so many times before I can't even remember how many. They are quick, and dangerous, but having the sword as a shield leaves them open to attack whenever they try and strike. I just have to be quicker.
Both I and the Lizalfo begin to circle round, waiting for an opportunity to strike. My eyes do not leave him, as I work out what he will do next, and how to counter it. He does the same to me, though with not nearly as much efficiency.
He lunges forwards, sweeping the powerful sword vertically down at my head. I raise my sword to block it, just in time. I push back and the Lizalfo does the same. We both slide back away from each other. We begin circling once more.
This time, I decide to make the first move, and begin edging slowly closer. He mimics my actions, and soon we are close enough. I swipe my sword in an arch towards the monster's sword arm, and he twists, forcing the sword in between us. The satisfying clang of steel on steel greets my ears.
I move my sword away, and begin to retreat, yet the creature does not do the same. He forces his sword ever closer to my chest, and I have to jump back to avoid the weapon. That was close.
We do not start to circle again, as the Lizalfo senses the near miss, and he lunges forwards again. I bring my shield into way, blocking it. It bounces back in surprise, at the speed of my reactions.
I have a perfect opportunity while it is in shock, and so I decide to take it. I stab my sword forwards, towards the Lizalfo's stomach. It sees me coming, and tries to bring the sword down to stop it. Our swords collide, but only a brief, glancing blow. His sword deflects my sword, enough to force my sword towards the monster's side.
My sword pierces the scaly flesh, tearing it apart. The beast screams out, dropping the sword to the ground. With my foot, I kick his sword away, before pulling mine out. He is defenceless, and with a dark smile, I force my bloodied sword through his heart. The Lizalfo dies instantly, and falls to the ground. I stand triumphant.
I know I can do it now, get back to Malon. I have so much energy, again, and there are no more creatures left to obstruct me. I walk forwards, a small smile on my face.
But then the adrenaline wears off. The pain comes back with more intense ferocity than ever. My legs and arms feel like they are about to snap. I struggle for breath.
"But… I love… You… Malon…" I gasp for breath, as my body falls to the ground. Those are the words I have to tell her. I will never get the opportunity to, though, so there is no point even trying. Fresh tears appear at my eyes. I have no inclination to wipe them away.
It was my turn now. I had fought, but it turns out I was right. I can't fight fate.
As my vision starts to go dark, I stave it off, just long enough to speak three simple words. Words that are both the most difficult and the simplest I have ever spoken. I hope that they are enough.
The comforting feeling of nothing enshrouds me at last. I have broken my promise.
…
Her lips tremble as she smiles at me. I know that my lips must be doing the same as well, but they seem to be numb to me. I swallow back tears, and we keep on smiling at each other. It's obvious that we're just putting on a brave face. We don't want to have an unhappy memory of each other as I have to go off on one of my adventures, though it is clear that we won't forget the pain inside.
I have said my goodbyes already, and so with one last fleeting smile I turn to leave, tears dripping down my face as I do so.
"Link!" She cries out. And we both knew that would happen too. "Don't leave me on my own again."
I turn back to her, my eyes blurry from tears, to find that her face is the same. My first instinct is to run up to her and hold her tight, while I promise that I won't leave ever again. But I know that would be unfair, because I cannot fight against fate.
"I have to. You know that." I whisper, running my hand over my face to wipe away the tears that sting.
She nods, only feeling worse about it. "I… I just don't want to be alone again." She tells me. I feel guilty at this, knowing how alone she is when I'm not there. She's told me often enough. And I've told her how lonely it is on my adventures. You can't fight fate, I tell myself.
I open my mouth to speak, but it just hangs open for a few seconds as I think of the words to say. Eventually, they come to me. The same words I have said a thousand times. "I will come back as soon as I can, Mal. Even if it kills me."
"You say that every time." She tells me, with a sad smile on her face.
"Then you know I'll stick to my word."
She nods shortly, not feeling better. "Just stay safe."
I don't respond. She knows I can't respond to it. She knows that I always put myself in danger. But I promised her, and I promise myself again, that I will come back, whether I stay safe or not.
Once more, I turn to leave, having fought my want to go back and hug her. It would be too painful, I know. But it doesn't mean she won the battle with her instincts. I feel her soft arms encircle me, and pull me close. She is strong, so any resistance on my part would be futile. I don't want to fight it, though.
I turn into her, hugging her back as she rests her head on my shoulder. If only she could come with me, or better yet, if only I could stay here. But I know neither these would work. Not without somebody innocent getting hurt. I can't fight fate.
We stay there, in each others arms, and time passes. I don't know how long, but it must have been some hours.
"I have to go." I whisper, knowing she will try to think up excuses for me.
"But it's getting late. You should stay for the night." She replies desperately, clinging onto me.
I sigh, feeling guilty. "I can't, Malon." I watch her sigh in return, before I continue. "But I will come back soon."
"Even if it kills you, right?" She tries her best to smile.
I nod, hoping it won't come to that. She doesn't know how serious I am when I say those words. If she did, I know she would never let me go.
Her arms stay in place for just a few more seconds, before they pull apart, letting me go free.
"Take care." We both say, before I turn around. I walk slowly, trying not to break into a run. Epona waits patiently for me, seeming to understand our predicament. I climb onto her, and coerce her into a steady trot. Malon waves at us as we leave.
As soon as she is out of sight, I pat Epona softly, and the trot turns into a canter. The field moves underneath me.
…
Somewhere, I know those words travel on the wind. I hope that they will reach Malon, although it seems unlikely. But I need her to hear those words. The wind whistles.
"Malon, I'm sorry."