this story has been in my head for who knows how long and i finally managed to get it on paper. it takes place after ocarina of time. hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1:
Link ran across the bridge that led from the Kokiri Forest to Hyrule Field. The sky glowed a beautiful pinkish orange over his head as the morning sun rose up over the horizon. When he had reached the Field he pulled out his ocarina and played Epona's Song on it. A few moments later, he heard the familiar sound of hoofbeats as a young mare galloped toward him, drawn by the notes of the song that was named after her.
"Hey, Epona," Link greeted the horse as she trotted up to him. He stroked the soft white mane that fell over her sleek auburn-colored neck. Epona nuzzled his shoulder affectionately. "Ok," Link said, mounting the horse. "Let's go!"
Epona broke off into a gallop. Link's heart sung with and his forest-green tunic. Today was the Princess of Hyrule's twelfth birthday, and he, Link, the simple forest boy, had been invited to the celebration! Of course, he was the Hero of Time, but since Zelda had sent him back to his child years, only he and the Seven Sages remembered. It was as if the battle with Ganondorf had never happened, which made Link feel a little forgotten. Not that he thought he should be exalted or anything, but he felt he should at least get a little recognition for all the work he had done.
Things had pretty much returned to normal in the Kokiri Forest. Saria was still his only friend and Kokiri still picked on him. Things had only gotten worse since the others realized he wasn't a Kokiri. He hadn't hit any growth spurts, but in the year and a half since Link had returned from Termina, he had grown a little. He now stood two or three inches over the tallest Kokiri, and it was pretty obvious that he wouldn't stay in the body of a ten-year-old forever.
Link sighed outwardly, thinking about how Mido had led his gang to beat up Link just a few days ago. Link might be nimbler than most kids his age, but he had still taken a few kicks and punches. Then he shook himself. Today was one of the greatest days of his life, and he was determined not to let anything ruin it. Besides, it wasn't as if all the Kokiri hated him. Only Mido and his buddies really didn't like him, and the others only ignored him because they were too scared of Mido. And the Sages still respected him as the Hero of Time. Plus, he now had friends outside of the Forest, like Zelda and Malon.
Speaking of Malon, Link noticed that he was now nearing Lon Lon Ranch. He knew Malon had probably gotten up earlier than he had today. She always got up around four o' clock in the morning to start her chores. Malon had chores that Link doubted even he could handle—like shoveling manure. Link had great respect for any girl who could do something like that.
All of a sudden, Epona veered off course and began heading for Lon Lon Ranch. "Whoa! Epona, what are you doing?" Link exclaimed, steering her back toward Hyrule Castle. The mare snorted in frustration and started off toward the Ranch again. "Come on, Epona. You can go see Malon after you take me to the castle, okay?" Link told her, once again steering her back in the right direction. This time Epona relented, but Link sensed that she was bit miffed, and he noticed that the rest of the ride was not quite so smooth as it had been before.
Finally, Link and Epona came to the entrance of Hyrule Castle, and Link drew in the reins and hopped down. He groaned in pain as soon as his legs hit the ground, and rubbed his thighs. He hadn't been this sore since the first time he had ridden a horse. Great. Just what he needed. He glared at Epona. The mare stared back with wide, innocent brown eyes. "Right, like you didn't do that on purpose," Link said. Epona snorted and shook her head, as if she was laughing at him. "Yeah, yeah. You can go see Malon now. Hope you're happy." Epona whinnied and stamped around a little before turning and trotting back to Lon Lon Ranch.
---
Malon hummed Saria's Song happily to herself. It was the song Link had taught her, and right now it matched her mood perfectly. Malon's long red hair hung down her back in a smooth braid, and her eyelashes were darkened with mascara. She wore soft, light blue pants that flared out and then tightened at the ankles, and a matching blue tank top that stopped right above her belly button and went into blue and purple beads that hung in tassels over he stomach.
The outfit was modeled after the clothing of the Gerudo Thieves, the female bandits who lived in the desert near Lon Lon Ranch. It was the latest hit in fashion amongst younger teenagers, and Malon thought it was appropriate for what she would be doing today. It had cost Malon most of her life's savings to buy the makeup and the clothes, and now she had only a few rupees left. She'd had to make the blue shoes herself, but she thought she did a pretty good job.
Malon swung her legs back and forth against the bottom of the bed. She felt a little silly getting all dressed up for archery lessons, but she couldn't resist trying to impress Link. She had a huge crush on him.
She gingerly picked up the bow that lay on the bed beside her. It had a rough make, and it wasn't very attractive, but to Malon it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. That was because Link had made it especially for her.
After Link had told her about the girl Romani who lived in Termina and was Malon's exact replica in appearance and personality, Malon had begged him to teach her archery. She was a little jealous, fearing that Link might like Romani better because she was a master archer, but Malon mainly wanted to learn because she liked the idea of being able to handle a bow herself.
Link had disappeared for about two months after Malon had begged him to teach her, and returned with the bow, apologizing that it was so poorly made. Malon had been too excited to care, and she had just about strangled him in a hug.
Malon giggled and blushed a little, remembering Link's slightly blue face after she had finally released him. She had nearly died of embarrassment at the time.
Malon jumped up and ran down the stairs. Her bond with Epona let her know that the horse was almost at the Ranch, which meant Link was almost there too. She stopped and glanced at her reflection in a pail of water, smoothing down her hair and making sure her mascara wasn't smeared, before hurrying outside just as Epona trotted in to the Ranch—rider-less.
Malon gasped and ran up to Epona. "Epona, where's Link? Did something happen to him?" she cried. Her heart beat fast in worry. She knew Epona had gone to Link. Epona never strayed too far from Malon unless she was going to Link. Had he been attacked by a monster? Was he hurt? But Epona wouldn't have left him if he was really in trouble. It had to be something else.
Malon's father, Talon, came out of the barn, yawning deeply. He rubbed his eyes. Malon was standing beside Epona, dressed in the outfit she had recently bought. He smiled and chuckled to himself. Young love. He remembered how it was. "Good morning, Malon!" he called cheerily. "Are you and Link going to the festivities in town today?"
Malon looked up at her father. Festivities? And then she knew where Link was. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, and turned away so Talon wouldn't see them. "Uh, Link's not coming today," she said.
Talon was confused. "What do you mean? I thought he was supposed to give you archery lessons today?"
Malon forced out a laugh. "Um, that was a different day! I just wanted to try on my new outfit." She hurried back to the door. "Ill go change now and start on my chores."
Malon dashed up the stairs and into her room, shutting the door behind her. She walked slowly to the bed and sat down. Of course. Today was Princess Zelda's birthday. Link had gone to see her. He had forgotten all about Malon.
Malon knew Link liked Zelda. She was all he talked about when he wasn't talking about his adventures. Malon also knew that Zelda was a better match for Link. After all, Zelda was one of only a few who actually remembered Link's adventure. Malon wished she could remember as well, but she only knew what Link had told her. But Zelda did remember, not to mention that she was the smart and beautiful Princess of Hyrule. But even knowing that, there was still a small flicker of hope in Malon's young heart that maybe one day Link might like her.
Malon pulled her legs up to her chest and buried her face in her knees. She let the tears flow, not caring that the mascara was running down her cheeks and staining the pants she had spent so much on.
---
Link walked slowly through the heavily crowded streets of Hyrule Castletown. The town was always crowded, but today it was even more so than usual. People had come from all over Hyrule for the festivities that would be held, even some from the Zora, Goron, and Gerudo tribes could be seen wandering the streets. Of course, these festivities were for the common people, and would be held in the town later that afternoon. The celebration Link was going to would be held at the castle, and was invitation only.
Link moaned again. His legs were still killing him. He had to do something about this. He scanned the carts that lined the streets until he spotted what he was looking for. He headed over to the vendor and threw a few rupees on the counter. "One Red Potion," he said.
The vendor grabbed a Red Potion and handed it to Link, taking three of the rupees. Link smiled as he took the bottle and his rupees. As he had thought, the Potion was much cheaper than he would have gotten it at a shop, and it came with a bottle too. He pulled out the cork and gulped down half the Potion. The pain in his legs immediately subsided.
A loud bell chimed, making Link jump. That meant Zelda's celebration had begun. He was late! He quickly re-corked the bottle and stuffed it in his pocket. Running through the street, he nimbly dodged the people and animals in his way.
Link crashed into something so hard that he stumbled and fell back, and black spots started to dance across his eyes. Shaking his head to clear away the spots, Link looked at what he had run into. It was a boy, who had also fallen down and was looking a bit befuddled at what had caused him to fall down. The boy looked about fifteen, a few years older than Link. He had short blonde hair, several shades lighter than Link's, and light blue eyes that sparkled with laughter. He was dressed in a crème-colored silk shirt and dark blue leggings, giving Link the impression that he was probably wealthy.
The boy's eyes fell on Link, and a grin spread across the handsome features of his face. "Are you the one who ran into me?" he asked.
"Yeah, sorry," Link replied, standing up and brushing himself off.
The boy followed suit and stood up as well. "No problem," he said. He held out his hand to Link. "My name is Rendall; you can call me Ren."
Link took Ren's hand hesitantly and shook it. "Uh, I'm Link."
"Nice to meet you Link," Ren said, shaking Link's hand vigorously before dropping it. "So where are you off to in such a hurry?"
"Well, I'm late for Zelda's party and I want to get there as soon as possible," Link replied, then slapped himself mentally when he realized what he had said. What kind of an idiot would believe that he knew the Princess of Hyrule?
"Oh, you'd better hurry then," Ren said. "I've got to go too, so I'll see you around. Bye!"
Link blinked at Ren's back as he walked away. Was this guy stupid or was he just being nice? Link shrugged it off and continued on to the castle.
He flashed his invitation for the guards at the front gate, who knew Link well and weren't really surprised that he had been invited, and continued down the familiar path to the tall, white stone walls and turrets that were Hyrule Castle. He showed his invitation to the guards at the entrance, who nodded and allowed him to pass.
Link had been inside the castle enough times that he was starting to get used to it, but the sheer size still amazed him. A collection of paintings from all over the world hung on the walls, as well as rich embroideries and wall-hangings. He walked along the vast hallways, on his way to the courtyard.
The Sages had explained to the King almost immediately after Link's return everything that had happened. The King knew enough of the prophecies, so he had accepted what they had told him as the truth, even though he had no memories of it himself. It had been agreed that this knowledge would be kept from the people of all of Hyrule, since knowing seven years had been pretty much erased from their memories might cause some chaos. Since then though, Link had been allowed into the Castle whenever he chose, and the King told those who asked that he was an ambassador from the Kokiri Forest—which in a way he was.
After what seemed like an eternity of walking through the enormous castle, Link finally reached the courtyard where the party was to be held. It was already filled with people—mostly men and women who several years older than Link, and all dressed in very fine clothing. Tables were set up around the courtyard, covered with an assortment of rich and exotic foods, most of which Link had never seen in his life.
Link scanned the courtyard, looking for Zelda. People gave him strange looks, as if he were some thing that was below them and should not even be allowed in their presence. Link suddenly felt very out of place, and wished he had something other than simple green tunic to wear. He almost regretted not letting Epona take him to Lon Lon Ranch. He looked desperately for Zelda, and finally his eyes fell on a young girl standing by a window in the back of the courtyard. She was very pretty; her blonde hair was curled and held on top of her head with a large, dark pink bow that matched the long, pink ruffled dress she wore. A stiff smile was plastered on her face as she greeted the various guests that approached her.
Link hurried over to the girl, and as she caught sight of him her face brightened and the stiff smile changed to a real one. "Link!" she cried, running up to him. "I'm so glad you're here! I thought you weren't going to make it!"
Link rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah, sorry. I got kinda delayed," he apologized. He looked at her and blushed a little. "Um, you look really pretty."
Zelda made a face. "I hate this dress," she said. "I'm about to die of heat stroke. Come on, let's go inside! I know where we can go!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him back into the castle. She led him through the corridors into a part of the castle Link had never been to before and into a room whose door was hidden in the shadows so that he would have overlooked it if Zelda had not stopped and turned the handle.
The room was dark and appeared nearly unused. It was not excessively unkempt, but it did not seem to be quite as clean as the other rooms in the castle Link had been in.
Zelda crossed to the other side of the room and pulled open the curtains that covered the single long, round-topped window in the room. Bright sunlight bathed the inside of the room, allowing Link to see what it looked like. It was smaller than most rooms in the castle. Judging by the number of books it was probably a miniature library of some sort. A bookshelf lined the wall to Link's left, and several books were scattered on and around the table that was set in front of the window.
Two chairs sat on either end of the table. Zelda sat down in the one on the left and grabbed one of the books. She curled her legs up in the chair and ran her fingers over the smooth gold lettering on the cover. "This is my favorite room," she told Link. "Nobody ever uses it, so I come here when I want to be alone. You can sit down." She nodded at the other chair.
Link, who had been standing, a little uncertain of what to do, gratefully sat down in the large, cushiony chair. "What books are those?" he asked. Most of the books looked like they were in the ancient language of Hyrule, which Link did not know.
"Oh, these are just some story books I like to read," Zelda told him. She paused and leafed through the pages of the book she was holding, then closed it. "Impa doesn't approve because most of them are about the princess getting rescued by the hero. She says 'a real princess should be able to take care of herself, not rely on some guy to save the day'." Zelda imitated Impa's deep voice, which made both children laugh. When they had stopped laughing, Zelda turned to Link with a smile on her face. "Sometimes I have to remind her that I was able to take care of myself for seven years." She winked. "I even helped the hero a little."
Link blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, yeah," he said.
Zelda suddenly jumped up and turned to Link. "We should go out to the town!" she exclaimed with excitement.
"Huh?" Link said. "Is that okay? Won't you get in trouble?"
Zelda dismissed the thought with a wave of her hand. "Nah. I sneak out all the time. It's no big deal." She ran to the door. "I just have to go change. Stay here. I'll be right back." She dashed through the door, leaving Link alone in the room.
Link picked up the book Zelda had been holding and flipped through it. As he had thought, all of the words were written in the ancient language, but there were some notes scribbled on the side in what Link recognized to be Zelda's own messy handwriting. He laughed as he read them. Most of the notes were recaps of pranks Zelda had managed to play on Impa, and some were even accompanied with doodles.
One of the scribbles caught Link's eye. Zelda had written hi name on the side of one of the pages. Little hearts had been drawn around it, and beneath it had been written 'Zelda hearts Link'. Link blushed and threw the book away from him. After that, he didn't look at any more books.
---
Malon sat up and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. What was she thinking, sitting here crying and ruining her expensive new pants? So Link had stood her up for another girl. It happened to other girls all the time. It wasn't the end of the world.
She thought back to how many girls she had seen crying over some boy, and how ridiculous she had thought they were. Now here she was doing the exact same thing.
She stood up and went over to the water basin. It was time to stop feeling sorry for herself, she thought as she splashed the cool water on her face, washing off the smeared mascara. Stripping off the Gerudo-styled clothing, she changed into her usual white and blue dress, tying the red scarf around her neck with the pendant that had belonged to her mother. She took out the braid, letting the red waves fall once again around her shoulders, and changed from the blue shoes to her sturdy, brown boots.
She hurried out of her room and jumped from the top of the staircase to the floor. As she dashed outside, she noted that her father had not gone back to sleep. Good. She was going to need some help getting her chores done before sunset, and she didn't really feel like relying on Ingo. She made a face at the thought of asking that grump for help, and hurried off to find Talon, humming Epona's Song as she did.
