He was fighting for his life again. He could feel his blood pounding in his ears, taste the sweat that rolled down his face in rivers. His arms ached as he brought his sword up to meet Ganon's once more. Terror coursed through his veins as he fought to keep his footing. Suddenly, his sword was gone. He didn't know when or how, but his hands were empty. The princess screamed his name as the great monstrosity brought his sword down on the young hero's head.
Then everything was normal again.
Link jerked awake as warm arms slipped around him and cradled him close. A single candle had been lit on the nightstand nearby, and its light bathed the room in a comforting glow. His shirt was damp with sweat, and his clenched hands trembled as though they were still clutching the Master Sword for dear life. A familiar pair of lips brushed across his forehead as a sweet voice gently hushed him.
"It's alright," Malon whispered into his hair. "It's alright, I'm here. I'm here..." He released a shuddering breath and buried his face in her neck, muttering a hoarse apology for waking her. "Shh. It's alright," she said again, carding her fingers delicately through his sodden hair.
He fell asleep surrounded by her warmth, and dreamt of normalcy until morning.
He awoke again to find dawn sneaking into the room through the open window. A gentle breeze stirred the curtains and floated across the room to lift his long, shaggy bangs away from his face. Malon was already up, as usual, and her quiet humming drifted upstairs from the kitchen where she was undoubtedly preparing breakfast. Link couldn't help the upward quirk of his mouth as he recognized the song. It was his favorite, because it reminded him of her. And when he thought of Malon, it always made him feel at ease; like everything was perfectly ordinary, even though his life up to this point had been anything but ordinary.
He glanced at the clock on the wall and groaned as he remembered what day it was. Once a month he had to report to the princess at Hyrule Castle, where he trained the apprentices who were working towards their knighthood. It was not that he disliked Zelda, or the work she offered him. But it took him away from home, and away from Malon, and that sense of normalcy he had craved since he was a young child. Besides, it forced extra chores on his wife, since he wasn't at home to help her with the farm work.
He contemplated curling up beneath the covers again and sleeping until it was too late to leave for Castletown, but thought better of it just as Malon came back into the bedroom. She smiled at seeing him already awake, and bent down to place a kiss on top of his disheveled hair.
"You'd better hurry up," she told him, crossing the room to the wardrobe and pulling out his uniform. "You don't want to keep the princess waiting."
As much as he disliked leaving Malon alone on the farm, Link could never deny the swell of pride that bloomed in his chest as he watched his students progress. Already, he had been responsible for the rising of several great knights in Hyrule, who went on to defend their land with valor and courage. It surprised him how much he enjoyed teaching others. Swordplay in particular was an art that was best learned through observation, then application. Very few words were necessary to convey the techniques that might someday help protect innocent lives, which was best for him.
But it didn't feel normal yet.
Perhaps he merely needed more time to adjust. After all, Zelda had only given him this position a few months ago, when he turned down her offer to make him a general in her army. He was more than willing to fight for Hyrule, should the need arise, but he had no interest in leading others into battle alongside him.
Even so, he still doubted that there would ever come a day when he didn't miss the feeling of the Master Sword clasped in his hands, or be reminded with every swing of the countless fateful and terrifying battles that still haunted him in his nightmares.
The knights of Hyrule saluted him as he passed. He felt stiff and uneasy in his official uniform and armor. He kept his helmet tucked under his arm as he marched out of the castle, as though keeping it off would somehow preserve his real identity. Everyone treated him with grandeur and honor. It felt wrong somehow, after all those years of living as an outcast, scorned by a people who were never his own to begin with.
Epona waited for him in front of the royal stables, already saddled and groomed by one of the younger stablehands. The lad dipped his head in an awkward and timid bow as he handed the reins to her master.
"At ease," Link mumbled, swinging into the saddle and coaxing his mount into a trot. He was not blind to the awed stares of the people he passed, nor deaf to the groundless praise they gave him. He was almost a figure of myth now, the mysterious young man favored by the princess, who had risen through Hyrule's ranks faster than any before him due to his inexplicable skill with a blade. He urged Epona into a gallop, and they fled to the silence and familiarity of Hyrule field.
They arrived at the ranch just as the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, and then everything was normal again.
Malon was waiting for him by the gate, and Epona gleefully nosed her hands in search of attention. As soon as Link's feet touched ground, she had him in her grasp, squeezing him tightly in spite of his cold, hard armor. He put his arms around her and sighed in relief, as his left hand came to rest on top of her vibrant red hair, the soft strands slipping through his fingers like silk.
"How was it?" she asked him as they both led Epona into her stall. Malon poured a bucket of oats into her trough as Link removed her saddle.
"The same," he said wearily. He wished he could say something else, as her eyes filled with sympathy and an unhappy frown tugged at the corner of her mouth. "I'm just glad to be home," he added quickly, letting one of his rare smiles surface for a moment as he glanced at her from across Epona's back. Her expression lightened somewhat, and she beamed back at him, though he knew she still felt pained for him.
Inside the house, Malon had already laid out his regular clothing on the bed. She undid the clasps of his armor for him, pressing a lingering kiss to his cheek as she did, and placed each piece on the chest at the foot of their bed. Once he was back in his coarse, handmade farm attire, Link felt at peace once more. After dinner, Malon took up her mending and told him about her day at the farm as they sat together in front of the fire. A while later, her hands stilled and she leaned against him, exhausted from the day's work, and listened as he told her about Castletown. Afterward, he carried her upstairs, set her carefully on the bed, and kissed her forehead, thanking her for everything she did for him. She blushed and playfully pushed him aside.
"Alright, time for bed," she ordered, though she continued to beam with pleasure.
Malon fell asleep almost immediately, worn out from a hard day of work, curled up against Link's side, with her head resting on his shoulder. But he tried to stay awake for as long as he could, gently rubbing her shoulder with his thumb, as he lay there thinking about how much he loved her.
He had never felt more normal in his life, and he cherished every moment of it.