Disclaimer: I do not own, Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, or any of the other characters or locations presented in this story. All rights belong to Nintendo. The ideas, however, are mine.

Chapter 1: The End of the War

The roar of the demon boar could be heard throughout the ruins of Ganon's Castle. Link was sure that whatever it was that occupied the old drawbridge shack could hear the sounds of his duel with the creature that was once Ganondorf. Now…now he didn't know what to call this thing before him.

"Give it up, Hero of Time! The Triforce will be mine, and I will spread my power across the borders of this land, and through the world!" cried Ganondorf.

Link didn't bother to respond, and instead fired another Light Arrow at Ganondorf's face, and was gladdened to hear him cry out when the arrow found its mark. He took this opportunity to slide between Ganondorf's legs, and brought the Megaton Hammer to bear. A few quick strikes to the tail of this thing, and Ganondorf cried out again. The magical fire he had summoned to cut them off from Zelda died down.

"That last volley must have knocked him unconscious." thought Link. He didn't waste the chance he had, and rushed over to where Zelda was standing beside the Master Sword.

"How long is this going to take?" Link questioned. "That was the fifth arrow I've shot at that thing, and every time it just gets back up!"

"I don't know, Link. It's not like I've never encountered this kind of thing before. It's not like I spent the last seven years fighting big ass demons. Just learning to imitate the Sheikah" Zelda shot back at him.

"Oh, funny, princess. Here I am hitting this 'big ass demon' with a hammer, and you're finding the time to throw out some wise cracks. At least you can still find humor in this situation." Shouted Link, as he pulled the Master Sword out of the rubble and ran back towards Ganondorf.

Link was intending to deal the final blow, but Ganondorf was already getting up from the last round of the fight. And so, Link sheathed his blade, and pulled out the Fairy Bow from the magic pouch he'd had with him for as long as he could remember. It was the only thing his mother had left with him when she brought him to the forest, or so the Great Deku Tree had told him once when he'd asked about it. It was one of the few things that he really treasured. The one thing from his mother. Another was the ocarina Saria had given him. She had been his only real friend in the forest, and it was the last gift she'd given him. He treasured it, because he'd probably never get to see her again, now that she's a sage.

But the last item he'd held onto was fairly recent. It had been a gift. He'd made a promise, and she'd given him this.

--Flashback--

"This is my favorite scarf Link." she told him as she tied the scarf to his arm. "I want you to hold onto it for me, but I expect you to bring it back. And so help me Din, if anything happens to it…I don't know what I'll do to you. Just promise that you'll come back."

"I promise." Link told her. "And I won't let anything happen to your scarf. I'll keep it right here" he said, gesturing to where she'd tied it. "I'll see you later…"

--Flashback--

He didn't have the time to dwell on that, though, as Ganondorf swung one of his massive swords at the Hero. Link barely had time to jump out of the way as the sword stuck itself in the ground.

"Note to self. No flashbacks while fighting giant demons." Link thought, as he stared at his reflection in the giant blade. "I think I lost a few hairs on that one."

Link nocked another arrow to his bow, and muttered the spell under his breath as he let the arrow fly. It burst into light about halfway through its flight, but Ganondorf was faster, and brought his other sword up. Link could just stare as the Light Arrow, which was supposedly the only thing that could stun Ganondorf, bounced harmlessly off the freaking sword!

Link, momentarily forgetting the threat that Ganondorf posed, spun around to stare at Zelda, and glared at her.

"What the hell, princess! I thought these freaking arrows were magic!"

"They are!" she screamed back. "But it's still an arrow. You can't expect it to pierce a sword, can you?"

"You can't expect it to blah blah blah." Link mocked as he turned back around to face Ganondorf.

"Link, give Zelda a break. She can't be expected to know the ins and outs of these things" Navi chimed in. "Like she said, it's not like she spent the last seven years fighting big ass demons."

"Hero of Time, face me!!" cried Ganondorf. "I did not spend ten years planning my take over just to have you end it! And now you mock me? Have you not discovered that your pitiful arrows are useless? There is no way you can win!"

"Navi, I think he might be right. There's no way I can get to that jewel in his head if I can't put him on his knees. And the only thing that did that was the arrows." Link whispered to his fairy companion.

"Well, you can't just give up. You spent that last few months fighting evil, surely something you did then can help you now." she retorted.

"If I can't bring his head to me, how can I bring myself to his head? Something about one of my fights? But when did I ever fight an enemy I couldn't hit?" Link mused as he continued to dodge around the arena. Suddenly, as one of Ganondorf's swords collided with the ground next to him, Link remembered the one fight he'd had that could help him.

"It's not someone that I couldn't hit! It's someone who couldn't hit me! And how did he get over that? That's it!" It was instantly all very clear to Link.

And so, Link stopped running around the arena, which, of course attracted the attention of the three others around. One of which floated in front of his face and started freaking out.

"Link! What the fuck are you doing? Why are you just standing here?" Navi screamed at him.

"I have a plan. Just go along with it." Link responded, low enough that Ganondorf wouldn't hear him.

"Ah, Hero. Have you finally realized that your fight is useless? Have you finally accepted that there is no way for you to defeat me? Are you finally prepared to give me your piece of the Triforce? I will make you a deal. I will extract the Triforce from your body, quite the painful experience, I can assure you, and then you'll be free to walk away. All I want from you is the Triforce. Without it, you are useless." Ganondorf slowly made his way across the arena to Link, and raised his sword, prepared to strike Link down.

He brought it down with all the strength and speed he could muster. Link, however, was hoping for Ganondorf to do exactly this, and sidestepped to his right just as the sword embedded itself in the ground beside him. Link held his ground through the blast of wind that accompanied Ganondorf's strike, and then, as soon as he could freely move, jumped on the sword and rushed up the demon's arm. Once Link reached the shoulder, he pulled the Master Sword from its sheath and leapt towards Gonondorf's forehead. Ganondorf, too surprised by this final move of Link's, could only watch in awe and fear as Link plunged the Master Sword deep into his forehead. Pain exploded throughout his body, and he could feel the life force seeping from his body as he slumped forward, first to his knees, and finally onto his stomach. Link barely had time to plant his feet on the ground and yank the Master Sword from Ganondorf's head before Zelda shouted at him.

"Link, get out of the way! You've done your part, now it's our turn." Zelda hollered.

Link could only stand by and watch as the Sages appeared in a circle around the fallen demon and began to chant. He watched as each sage began to glow with the power they were calling forth and began to direct it at Ganondorf. He began to fade into the power of the Sages, and Link knew that they were trapping Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm that he had tainted all those years ago. As he faded out of sight, Link heard his final words echo on the wind.

"YOU...CURSE YOU...ZELDA! CURSE YOU...SAGES!! CURSE YOU...Link! Someday... When this seal is broken...That is when I will exterminate your descendants!! As long as the Triforce of Power is in my hand..."

And then Link could hear no more. He looked around him, and noticed that he no longer stood in the ruined castle. In fact, he didn't think he was anywhere in Hyrule. Everything was gone. He was just floating here.

"Am I dead?" Link asked out loud, to no one in particular, since no one appeared to be around.

"No Link. I just needed to talk to you in private." Was the reply that seemed to come from nowhere, and yet, at the same time, everywhere.

"Then where are we?" Link queried, as he looked around and finally spotted Zelda, floating in front of him.

"How dense am I to have missed her? She was right there! I really must be an idiot, even if I am a hero." Link was mortified at how blind he was.

"Nowhere in particular." Zelda explained. "All the tragedy that has befallen Hyrule was my doing... I was so young...I could not comprehend the consequences of trying to control the Sacred Realm. I dragged you into it, too. Now it is time for me to make up for my mistakes... You must lay the Master Sword to rest and close the Door of Time... However, by doing this, the road between times will be closed... Link,

give the Ocarina to me... As a Sage, I can return you to your original time with it."

"You know, Zelda, that's a great offer." Link responded. "But…I really think I'm going to have to turn you down on that offer"

"Link, are you sure? I mean, it is your childhood, after all. Is this really what you want?" Zelda asked, shocked. It was obvious that she'd expected him to take her up on the offer.

"I just don't think that I'd fit in back then. I've been through too much as it is. I think I've lost my childhood innocence. And besides, there are some people here that I just couldn't bring myself to leave." Link finally answered.

"Well, if that's your decision, there's nothing I can do but honor it. Very well, we'll just head back then." Zelda told the intrepid hero.

And so, Link found himself standing in Kakariko Village, just outside the Shadow Temple, along with Zelda. As he started to climb over the small fence in front of him and jump into the graveyard, he stopped when he felt Zelda's hand on his shoulder.

"Link, it's going to be a long road in order to restore Hyrule to its former glory. And we can't do anything to Castle Town until the Redeads are cleared out. I'd like to give you one last task, Hero of Time."

"And what would that be, princess?" Link asked

"I would like to ask you to clear Hyrule of the monsters that inhabit it, starting with Castle Town. Now that Ganondorf is locked in the Sacred Realm, his magic can no longer reanimate the monsters that you take down. And once the monsters are gone, the rebuilding can begin in earnest." the Princess answered.

"Zelda, I would gladly take on this task that you give to me. But first, there is someone that I need to visit. I have something that I have to return to someone very special. " Link responded.

"I can hardly turn you down after all you've done for this land. I would appreciate it if you could get started as soon as possible. Can I expect something by the end of the week?"

"Well, today is Sunday, right? That would give me the next five days. I think I can have Castle Town cleared out by then. It shouldn't be a problem. After that, I'll clear out Death Mountain and Zora's River, and then I'll go to Lake Hylia. Those would have to the places that are going to be most used. The Lost Woods have always been inhabited by monsters, so there's no changing that. And there's nothing to be done about the temples right now. Correct?" Link asked of the princess. "Does that about right?"

"That would be perfect Link." Zelda responded. "If you could do that, then we can rebuild everything that Ganondorf destroyed. Eventually, I'd like to clear out the temples too, but that doesn't have to be done anytime soon. So go, and spend some time with this girl who means so much to you.

"Thank you, princess. I will. Where can I find you once I've cleared out Castle Town?"

"I shall be staying with Darunia in Goron City. I was able to speak to him while I was in hiding, and he agreed to let me stay with him while we rebuilt the town. He also promised the assistance of the Gorons in the rebuilding effort." Zelda answered Link.

With that, Link turned around, and walked out of the town. Zelda had no idea where he was headed, but knew that she would see him again at the end of the week.

And Fin. This is the first chapter in what will hopefully be a multiple chapter Malink story. Obviously, as you have figured out, the scarf is Malon's. The inspiration for that little part of the story, as well as what happens when Link returns it, came from an episode of Rurouni Kenshin. It made me laugh, so I decided tho throw it in. For those of you who have seen that particular episode, you already know what's going to happen. Those of you that haven't, you'll just have to wait.

Please, read and review. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but flaming isn't appreciated.

I'm always willing to take ideas. If there's something you want me to incorporate into a future, please just say it in a review. My ideas only last so long. Leave your name with it, and if I use it, you'll get the credit.