Author's Note

Hi everybody, just a few things before the story gets going.

The theories and ideas Link and Malon give on why things happened are theirs, not mine. The poor guy has been asleep in the chamber of sages of seven years – he's trying to make sense of things and is very confused – and she has lived a mostly sheltered, isolated life on the ranch. They don't have a copy of Hyrule Historia to hand, so some things they say may be wrong!

Ocarina of Time has always been a special part of my life, and I've always been a huge Malink believer. This is how I imagined them getting together. This is the first Fanfiction I've ever written, and I wrote it more for fun than anything else. I'm not a professional writer; I don't believe this is some kind of literary masterpiece, nor did I intend it to be. However, I obviously genuinely hope you enjoy it. I'm also a very private person, so sharing my work is a big deal to me. Feel free to leave reviews, but please bare in mind what I just said, and remember, I'm losing my Fanfiction virginity here – please be gentle!

Finally, all characters used in this story come from Ocarina of Time, as has some of the dialogue. Complete credit for these elements goes to Nintendo. I don't own Legend of Zelda or Nintendo, etc etc etc.

"If you believe what I'm saying, you should head to Kakariko Village…Do you understand, Link?"

No, he didn't understand. Of course he didn't. How could he? One minute he was a small boy using every ounce of strength he possessed to pull the master sword from the pedestal, and the next he was standing there, completely disoriented, with the body of a fully grown man – a body that didn't even feel like his - seven years later. Seven years! How could anyone be expected to understand that?

Seven years.

"I'll be waiting for you."

The voice that echoed in his head reminded him of the one thing he did understand. The one source of happiness in all this. The one thing that made sense.

"I'll be waiting for you"

But would she still be waiting after seven years?

Sheik's lingering presence was beginning to unnerve him, so, with newly muscular legs that he could almost swear didn't belong him, Link walked towards the door of the Temple of Time, desperately trying to make sense of things. Zelda hadn't told him this would happen when she sent him to collect the Spiritual Stones. She hadn't told him anything that would happen. Had she known about this? If she had, she hadn't prepared him for it.

Nothing could have prepared him for the sight that met his eyes when he stepped out of the Temple. Rauru had said that Ganondorf had turned Hyrule into a world of monsters. Well, if the rest of Hyrule looked the way Castle Town currently did, Rauru hadn't been exaggerating, as Link had hoped. He'd been seriously understating it.

The once bright, bustling town looked like it had been swallowed by flames. The majority of buildings had been reduced to piles of dust and rubble, and ones that were still standing were empty shells, thickly coated in ash, with rotting timbers that threatened to give way at any second. The trees were completely stripped of their leaves, the grass had long since withered and died. Even the sky above the town looked like it had been wounded; thick, suffocating clouds in unnatural shades of black and purple, like some of the bruises he had become accustomed to getting since all this began. The only thing that came close to life in this wasteland were the army of Redeads that appeared to have claimed the place as their own. Link pulled out the ocarina and played the Sun's Song, temporarily stunning them before they had the chance to paralyse him with their bloodcurdling shrieks. Forget changing the time of day, this was the element of this song Link loved most. Taking advantage of their frozen state, Link ran through the town, stumbling on the broken drawbridge, out into Hyrule field.

As he stepped further away from the town, he was momentarily relieved to see the bright blue sky and lush greenery of Hyrule Field. It seemed Ganondorf hadn't polluted every inch of Hyrule, even if he had claimed it in its entirety. Link froze in his tracks as he looked straight ahead and saw that the same purple and black clouds that suffocated Castle Town also shrouded Lon Lon Ranch.

No. No. Oh Goddesses, no.

Whatever was in Kakariko Village could wait. He had to get to the ranch.

He had to get to Malon.

His last visit replayed in his head as he sprinted across the field. After his involuntary sleep in the Chamber of the Sages, his perception of time still hadn't returned to him and it felt like it had been a lifetime ago, and just yesterday, all at once. However long ago it had been, the memory was clear and sharp – almost as sharp as the stabs of regret he was having now. If only he could have done things differently. Why hadn't he done things differently? Goddesses, how he wished he had. How he wished he'd told her everything. Why he kept leaving. Why he kept returning. Where he was going next. How deeply he felt for her.

But he hadn't. He hadn't done any of that, and now seven years had gone by. Seven years for her to feel like he'd abandoned her, that he'd forgotten her. Seven years for her to forget him. She might not even be there anymore.

As he ran between the walls that formed the entrance to the ranch, he noticed that nothing looked destroyed. Quite the opposite, in fact. It seemed better maintained than ever. This didn't look like Talon's doing. The immaculate scene before him contradicted the menacing clouds above, keeping Link on his guard. Something definitely wasn't right. He needed to find her, and fast. The barn seemed like the best place to start. She'd never been found far from her beloved horses.

Goddesses, I vow, if she is still here, I'll do it all. I'll save her. I'll tell her everything. I'll make her remember me.

Taking a deep breath, Link gripped the handle of the barn door and pushed it open.

Mere feet away, a red-headed woman stood with her back to him.