Zelda's Secret

By Angelic Anubis

Updated Author's Note: I decided it was time to re-write this. Reading it was really boring and I got a lot of criticism for it. The plotline might really suck like a lot of people say and I would completely change it or possibly delete it, except for one thing: this story has actually turned out to be the key to an amazing love story of my own and I think you guys would have started liking the plot more as I got more into it (as long as you were open-minded.)

I met my boyfriend of 10 months (or at least that's how long we had been together when I wrote this Author's Note), who I am sure I will marry someday because he happened to read this fan-fiction online (the original version), enjoy it, and work to get to know me because of it. :) I'm going to have to save the original copy for that reason (it will all be compiled into the last chapter of this story) and maybe tell you some about us in these Author's Notes every chapter.

Please compare the original copy and this version if you have the time and tell me if I have improved at all. If you know ways I could improve the plot without completely changing it, I'd love to hear your ideas and I'd also love to hear any constructive criticism you may have. Calling me stupid is not constructive even if you tell me WHY you think I am stupid, especially if its because you hate the pairings. No flaming. Just tell me how I can improve and it helps if you can tell me if there were any parts of my story you actually liked at the same time. Then I can know my strengths and weaknesses.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not Zelda or any of its characters, so please don't sue me! I am just a fan and I have no money.

This Story is Dedicated To: My brother because he has been helping me do research for this story, even though he doesn't think my story is at all realistic.

Updated Dedication: The re-writing of this story is dedicated to my boyfriend, who goes by the alias Lunar Anubis, because we wouldn't have met if it weren't for this.

I'm sorry: to those of you who hate MALINKER fan-fiction. We all have our preferences and I am not really dedicated to one pairing or another. This just happens to be Malon and Link, although I could like a Zelda and Link pairing just as well. I just don't have any ideas (at the moment) for writing a story where Zelda and Link are paired together.

BUT REMEMBER YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! THIS IS A MALINK FAN-FIC! ZELDA IS PAIRED WITH SOMEONE YOU MAY DISAPPROVE OF! STOP READING RIGHT NOW IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT OR DON'T COMPLAIN!

Chapter 1: An Accident

Malon's life was like a wild stallion: happy and care-free. With Ganondorf gone and peace restored to Hyrule, Malon couldn't be more at ease. Her father had gotten back possession of his ranch and Malon was doing what she did best: working on the farm. The only thing in her life better than the smell of the hay and the beat of horseshoes on the ground was the precious memory she held of her first kiss, two weeks ago . . . .

(Flashback)

Thumping along the grassy plain, Epona galloped roughly, ripping dirt out of the ground with her hooves, while Malon clutched the reigns on her back. Malon's red hair appeared to be dancing right off her head in blazing strands that resembled the bright flame of a campfire burning against the soft wooden coat of Epona. Link watched her flaming head with intensity as it appeared to devour up the grassy earth in front of it, leaving him in a trail of smoke far behind. He desperately kicked his horse in a lame attempt to keep up, but failed. 'Why did I ever take Epona from her,' he wondered to himself,'When the two of them seem so connected and beautiful together?' Link felt his heart ignite with a strange fondness for the burning beauty who rode in front of him and for her close connection to animals. He didn't always know what it was about her that made his cheeks red everytime she called him Fairy Boy, but there was something pure and exciting, yet innocent and down to earth about her, that made him melt from the heat of being exposed to it. Of course, he also felt that way about a lot of girls in Hyrule. The area was abundant when it came to beauties.

As Malon came to the realization that she had gotten so caught up in her excitement that she had abandoned Link like a cow who rejects her newborn calf, she slowed down a bit to let him catch back up with her."Link," she said as he neared,"You couldn't keep up with a turtle on that horse."

'Let alone the glowing fire nymph who was riding in front of me,' Link thought to himself in embarassment, wondering when he had suddenly become a poet. 'Maybe I'm just suffering from heat stroke.' The sun was so hot and so big in the sky, you would have thought that the skull kid had used majora's mask again to end the world in three days with it.

"Here," Malon said, offering to trade horses,"Maybe you should ride Epona for awhile; then maybe you could keep up with me better."

"No thanks," Link replied,"You haven't been able to ride Epona since I started taking care of her. You should get a turn with her for once. I can do just fine with Wheaty." Link patted the speckle-haired mare he was sitting on and Wheaty neighed happily.

Malon's eyebrow shot up skeptically. "Oh really," she said,"Want to prove it? Why don't you show me how fast you can ride her?"

Link wasn't really the kind of person who took up these sort of challenges, but Malon's excitement was contagious. He was almost tempted to give in. He smiled slightly and said,"That's okay. I think I will pass."

Malon pouted unhappily. Her lower lip glistened, resembling a plump red strawberry that had just been washed in the sink. Her lips looked juicy and like they were just waiting to be kissed. They made Link unable to focus for one heavenly moment, until they parted and spoke again.

"What if I challenged you to a race," she questioned.

"Maybe some other time," he replied, unenthusiastically.

"What if I give you 20 rupees if you win," she asked, apparantly knowing his weak spot.

Link thought about his empty wallet and how there was probably gold skulltulas crawling in it because it had been that long since he'd had any rupees. "Okay. Let's go," he replied, even though there was no hope of him winning.

They didn't waste any time. The two of them lined up next to each other; the horses tense and snorting as if they understood that they were about to race one another. Malon pointed to a tree in the distance for them to race to that was a good mile away. Link nodded in acknowledgement of her choice and as soon as Malon gave the signal, they both kicked their horses roughly and charged forward towards the goal, leaving a cloud of dust behind them. To Link's surprize, they actually raced neck to neck for awhile until suddenly Epona began to tire and slow down a bit, falling behind Link and Wheaty. He hadn't realized that his horse could go that fast and wondered if Malon rode Epona too hard earlier. That would explain why it was so easy to race her now. It looked like Link was actually going to get his 20 rupees afterall.

He looked back at Malon, already feeling the triumph of winning, but at a price. If only Link had realized that his false pride was that of the Titanic and that his iceburg was up ahead. Malon, who realized what was going to happen moments before it did, watched the whole thing unravel in horror.

It was like a car accident. You think one moment you are safe and nothing can happen to you and then suddenly things spin out of control and you are flying. In an instant you go from relaxed security to pain and broken bones. Windows shatter and car doors are smashed in, the bodies inside crushed irreparably in the damage.

But in Link's case, it was a horse accident instead of a car. Wheaty had tripped on the giant rock that had entered her path and in her pain and confusion sent Link hurtling through the air.

The blur of trees as Link's mind slowed down was almost beautiful in a deadly sort of way and as his body twisted around to look at Malon, he reached out towards her in a desperate attempt to grab onto something like someone drowning. Malon, so far away, looked on helplessly. As he continued to fall, all he could soon see was the endless blue expanse of the sky. The fluffy clouds looked almost like the foam that the waves on a beach made. Link admired its glory as his body thumped against the ground and all went black.

TO BE CONTINUED . . . . . .

A/N: YAY! This chapter was so much shorter than it was last time and I actually divided the first chapter into smaller sections, but I like it a lot. The description is so much less boring. I hope you like it too!