Drawn to Her

Hitomi Hyuga

I had never planned on saving the world, you know. I'm serious! My life probably would have taken a completely different route if I had left town on time and had been on the road to the castle on the day that Ilia, Colin, and the others had been kidnapped. Sure, I would have had to come back and help look for them, but perhaps I never would have been taken into the Twilight realm. Midna and I wouldn't have crossed paths, so there wouldn't have been a hero incarnate to do all her dirty work and get mixed up in the affairs of Princess Zelda.

Then again, the Twilight did manage to spread all over the country. I would have gotten caught in it anyway. Hell, I wouldn't even have made it to the woods before getting pulled in by the scruff of my neck. In addition to that "divine prank," I was pretty much always bound to be the one who was able to put a stop to the Twilight realm engulfing the world of light. I'm just not too happy about it, is all.

See, once the Mirror of Twilight was destroyed for good, Zelda was able to return to her kingdom and tell them with certainty that the darkness was no longer imminent, that they were freed from Zant's tyranny, and that I was the one who was responsible for putting a stop to his evil objectives. Of course the people rejoiced and I was hailed as a hero. I didn't want to be one, but hey, that's what I got. I was given the highest honor the Hylian military has to offer, and was even expected to take the princess's hand in marriage on the day she came of age, meaning that I was to become the new king of Hyrule. Sounds like an ideal situation, right? You couldn't be more wrong.

I grew up as a shepherd, among farmers and craftsmen. I enjoy the satisfaction of a days' work and a job well done. Do I seem like the type to relish in a life of luxury and diplomacy? Of course not! I've been to the ceremonies and feasts and whatnot, and I know what's expected of me from the people in attendance; they're all pampered and dignified-looking folks with fair skin and hands as smooth as a baby's. All of them look down their noses at me to talk to me – some respect for the one who saved their asses, right? The plain truth is that I'm not one of them and I never will be. But what can I do about it?

Fortunately, my future wife understood the kind of person I was. She was nineteen years old at the time, meaning I had two more years until we were to be married and I was to be officially chained down as the king. She had a lot of rebuilding to do and trust to regain in the time before she became queen, so she graciously gave me the freedom to do as I pleased until then. I had considered going back to Ordon and spending that time with the people I love, but even they insisted that I should spend the time exploring the country. So that's exactly what I did! I had trekked all across Hyrule in my quest, but never once did I get to really sit back and look at the place. I don't know if you've noticed, but it's actually quite nice when you don't have to watch your back for monsters all the time. On top of that, I also travelled outside the borders of Hyrule to see what else was out there.

It was after I returned from a trip to the east that I ran into something most peculiar. I was stopping in the market to pick up some supplies and was planning to maybe swing by the castle and give Zelda my regards and to tell her where I was heading next – westward toward the desert. I would probably have to leave Epona in the royal stables and make the journey on foot, as I wasn't about to take my poor horse through the desert, and perhaps I would stay the night in the guest suite (or maybe a local inn if I could get away) before leaving the next morning.

What I hadn't planned on was running into her.

I didn't even know who she was. I was sure I'd never seen her face before during any of the time I'd spent in Castle Town; I wouldn't have forgotten it if I had. She had set up shop in the southern part of town selling milk by the bottle or crate. She had such gentle features, much like Ilia, but at the same time she was different in almost every way. Her skin wasn't fair – it was ruddy and freckled; her red hair wasn't groomed – it was tied in a messy, curly ponytail going down her back. She was wearing a simple cotton dress with no frills or decorations to be found aside from a dragon-like brooch pinned to the shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Her blue eyes seemed to smile along with her lips as she peddled her wares. But what stood out to me the most were her hands: her petite hands marred by calluses and various scars, the scars that come from ranch work. There was no mistake about that, as I had very similar ones on my own hands. After spending so much time with royalty and nobility, whose hands had never seen a days' work, it was refreshing to see someone so like myself outside of Ordon. That's when I knew I had to talk to her.

Epona and I found a spot at the back of the line. I couldn't take my eyes off this girl as I waited for my turn to be served. She handled each customer with care, as if they were the most important person in the world for the few minutes that she would be interacting with them. Something about the sincerity of her demeanor really drew me in; if she accidentally dropped a customer's money, she would apologize profusely as if she'd committed a crime against them. She would even try to serve them more quickly in return; the customer would wave his hand and say it was all right, but she said she didn't mind. Her hands, those beautiful working hands, moved with both grace and efficiency. They seemed to be able to handle anything, from small bottles of milk to giant crates; both moved with ease. Watching her work made me all the more impatient. I had to meet this strangely alluring woman.

"Good morning sir, how can I help you?" Her voice was just as sweet as the rest of her, and she had a smile to match. It took everything I had in me not to break down into a babbling idiot. With a trembling voice, I ordered two bottles of her milk. She grinned again. "Coming right up!" I caught my breath while she had her back turned. Epona nudged me with her snout; even she knew I was making a fool of myself.

"I love your horse," the girl said, placing the two bottles on the counter. She reached up with those hands – my eyes following them at every turn – and stroked Epona's mane. "What's its name?" I told her. "That's a nice name – such a pretty girl!" Epona snorted and shook her head proudly. "She knows it too!" The girl looked down at the bottles, then back up at me. "That'll be 25 rupees, sir." I reached into my wallet and take out a red and a yellow rupee. I don't know what had gotten into me that day, but I laid my money on the table and told her to keep the change. Her face seemed to light up, and my heart pounded. "That's awfully kind of you, but I couldn't possibly accept." I insisted that it was no problem, and that it was for the good service. "Well thank you! I appreciate it!" She took the rupees and put them away. "Such kind people in this town! Thank you for your service, Mister…" It took me a moment to register that she wanted my name, but I quickly stammered it out once I caught on. "Link…" She got this perplexed look on her face, as if she'd heard my name before. I tried to turn my face away in case she realized who I was; the last thing I wanted was to cause a scene. "Well Link, it was a pleasure doing business with you. Come back again sometime, okay?" I nodded and, in a burst of sudden bravery, asked her for her name so I could remember next time I was in town. "I'm Malon," she said.

Malon…

The name struck a strange chord with me, as if I'd heard it before. I knew I hadn't, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that I had. It is, to this day, the sweetest name I have ever heard. We said our farewells that day, and she told me to come see her next time I was in town. I promised her I would. I didn't even remember to stock up on the rest of my supplies until later when I went to visit the princess. I didn't care though; I was still walking on air. Even throughout my journey to the west of Hyrule, I thought about Malon and wondered what had drawn me to her. Upon my return, I looked all over the market for her. Unfortunately, I never saw her again.

Even now, as I sit here on my throne, I still remember that day as if it'd happened yesterday. I could tell you every single detail of her dress, each lock of red hair that framed her face, right down to the patchwork of wear and tear on those beautiful hands. I think of her when I grow lonely, which is becoming more often as I grow older.

I bet you're wondering, would I be better off living the life I choose to live? Well I can't say I know the answer to that. I've had a nice life with Zelda, as we've grown fond of each other over the years. I would not give up my sons and daughter for anything in the world. But I do often wonder what could have been. What would my life be like if I had just stayed with her? What if I had come to find her later that day when she was done working? Could it have been? I'll never know. All I know is that I'll never forget how instantly drawn I was to her, as if I'd known her for a long, long time.

Fin.

Well that was a nice hiatus! I'm back with a sudden oneshot that really came out of nowhere, requested by DreamsComeFromTheHeart!

Favorite and review! Let me know what you thought! It's 4 am, so I may have to go back and do some editing on this later.

Love always,

H. H.