CHAPTER 2
All night, Link thought about Malon. Her body, shiny with rain, standing in the moonlight. Her buxom chest thrust out. The brazen way she undressed in front of him and offered him her leg to massage. The way she gasped with ecstasy as he...
Zelda never gasped with ecstasy. Not like that.
Link stopped in the flowerbed before the castle moat. What did he and Zelda have anyway? What would she say their relationship was? She knew they could never be together. Did she think they were exclusive? Is that why he felt obligated to satisfy her every night?
He had to talk to her, to get this straight. Otherwise, how could he ever think about his future?
The guards at the entrance acknowledged Link's presence and allowed him through the gate. "Zelda is in the bower," they said when he asked.
Link navigated the steepled halls and staircase wings, feeling nervous for one of the few times in his life. How should he phrase his question? What was it he wanted to know? His palms grew sweaty. He could navigate an underground dungeon but he couldn't navigate a relationship.
He was so lost in his thoughts he scarcely noticed the royal servants and guards milling about, more than usual. Everyone had a look of tension on their faces and jogged from point to point in pairs. Even though he was in no danger, Link covered his sword's hilt. This seemed like a party gone wrong.
A stout man with a waistcoat tromped down the hall, his spats creating clacking echoes. Several men in elegant attire scuttled around him.
"But Baron, he is already imprisoned..." one said.
"I don't care," the leader rasped. "He did it. I know he did it. And he had the audacity to strike one of my men. I'll see that he hangs for this."
"The princess would never allow that," another assistant said, "And that won't go very far towards proving your worth in her eyes."
"Hmm, you may be right." The baron stroked his chin. "Perhaps mercy is the wiser tactic here."
The group passed by Link like he was a decorative statue. One of the wigged assistants gave him an evil eye. Their conversation continued out of earshot.
Link continued up to Zelda's tower. A pair of guards stood in front of her door, holding partisans. This also never happened. "Halt," they said.
"It's me. Link. Can I go in and see Zelda?"
They looked at each other like they had never seen him before, even though he was at the castle regularly. The one on the right knocked on the door. "Milady? Link is here. Do you wish to see him?"
"Yes, he may come in," came a muffled reply.
The guard opened the door and shouldered him in, then slammed the door shut.
Zelda stood at the window with her arms folded, a cross look on her face.
"Zelda?" Link said. "What in the world is going on?"
"Guess what? The Duke and the Baron arrived at the same time. I guess the Duke heard the Baron was coming first, so he comes calling late last night. I had to get redressed to receive him. And then he's got to stay somewhere for the night, but he's got an entire entourage. I think he brought everyone who works for him. Then he gives me this big speech about how he's so pleased to be here, how Hyrule is just as beautiful as me. He goes on for half an hour while the Baron is right there."
"Then what happened? Did they get in a fight?"
"Not exactly. The Baron woke up this morning and said some of his items were missing. And he immediately accused the Duke. Of course, he denied it. Then two of the servants from each party got into a fistfight in the middle of the throne room. I have to wait up here while they sort it out. It's a security risk."
Link shook his head. "Why do you do it? Why do you entertain these idiots?"
"Because I've got to, Link. The princess can't rule alone. I have to choose a husband and sire an heir, or the royal bloodline will die."
"But it's so stupid. You're really going to marry one of those fools? You're going to spend the rest of your life with him?"
"No, of course not. But I have to marry someone."
"And what? You're just going to pick the lesser of all the evils?"
"If I have to."
Link curled his upper lip and stood back. "Well, speaking as the holder of the Triforce of Courage, that seems pretty cowardly to me."
"Well, I'm the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom. And wisdom sometimes means being smart enough to yield."
"That doesn't sound like the Zelda who stayed hidden from a sorcerer for seven years while her kingdom was under siege."
"Link," Zelda sighed, "Enough. This is my fate. It's all our fates. We have to ascribe by it."
"So you're going to marry some big-nosed, red-cheeked poofter? While I have to sneak into the castle every night."
Zelda put her hands on her hips and turned to him, stunned. "Is that what this is about? Link, we just can't work out like that. You know it. You're a commoner."
"I saved the kingdom."
"And they can never know that. Only you and the sages can. I'm sorry, Link. I don't like it anymore than you do. But it is what it is."
"Fine. If you want to give up yourself to fate like that, go ahead. But leave me out of it."
Link stormed past the Zelda's guards and down the hall. How dare she? How dare she use her royalty as an excuse for their relationship? What was he? Some errand boy for her erotic whims?
Link headed down the carpeted stairs of the east wing. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew he wanted to get out of the castle.
"Oh, Link, is that you?"
Link turned and saw Heddy the chef bounding towards him. He looked like a marshmallow on two legs, but he was a fun guy.
"Oh, good thing I caught you. Are you heading out?" Heddy said.
"I am."
"Good. I've got an important favor to ask you. Only you can do it. Will you?"
Link raised his eyebrows. Had someone around here finally recognized him for what he could do?
Heddy held up two baskets filled with empty bottles. "We need some more milk for the banquet tonight. We're all out. We used it all on the cakes and we've got none for tomorrow. Can you go to Lon Lon Ranch to get some more?"
Heddy shoved the cases at Link, forcing him to take them. "Uh..."
"Thanks, Link, you're a life-saver. Don't know what we'd do without you."
Heddy waddled back to the kitchen, leaving Link with two baskets in his hands, growling to himself.
Not only were the baskets heavy, not only did he have to walk all the way from Hyrule Castle to the ranch with one in each hand, not only did his mind replay the argument with Zelda over and over, but the bottles clinked together constantly. With each step-clink, clink, clink. High-pitched, random. Sometimes there'd be nothing, silence. Then-clink, clink. Clink. Clink-clink.
Link was ready to throw the bottles against the wall by the time he got to the ranch's entrance, just to hear the satisfying crash of glass.
"Hello?" Link said. "Anyone here? I need some..."
The pasture was eerily silent. Horses milled about with dull looks in their enclosure. A cooling wind brushed across Link's hair.
Then he heard a clatter in the barn. Inside, Malon's head bobbed up and down behind a stable wall. She was shoveling hay and dirt off the floor into a wheelbarrow.
"Malon?" Link said.
"Oh, hi," she said breathlessly. "I'm cleaning out the stable. Putting down fresh hay."
"Are you sure you should be doing that? How is your ankle?"
"Oh, it's fine. Besides, I'm the only one here. This work's not going to get done by itself."
Talon and Ingo were both still gone. There was no one on the ranch right now except for Malon.
She emerged from behind the wall, wearing a loose-fitting blouse and matching pants that had yellowed from dirt and age. They almost looked like undergarments. Sweat covered her entire body, making her curvy contours glisten.
"Oh, sorry, I was just... uh..." Link's eyes drifted down her neckline to her breasts, easily seen through the loose opening of her top.
"Oh, sorry about my get up. I figured no one was around, I had work to do. I was almost going to go clothes-less. They get so dirty shoveling the stables."
"Uh, yeah... I, um... have some... milk." Link held up one of the baskets. "For the palace."
"Sure, you can just set those down for now. I was going to take a break." The shovel dropped and clattered to the floor. She twisted back and forth, letting her arms swing loosely. "Hey, could you do me a favor?"
"Sure," Link said. His mouth seemed dry.
Malon sat down on a nearby crate. "Could you massage my shoulders? They've been killing me since this morning. And then I had to do the shoveling..."
Link didn't know what to say, but his dedication to helping people won out. He set the two baskets down and stood behind Malon's back.
She flicked away the shoulders of her blouse. Her back bore no bra strap, and Link was sure, if he peered over her head, he could see everything.
Instead, he placed her hands on her moist shoulders.
"Sorry, kinda sweaty. Working all morning."
"I don't mind," Link said. He'd been through worse than a woman's musky scent. He pressed down and clenched. Her skin felt like rich butter.
Malon flung her head back and moaned. "Oh, that feels so good. It's been all me for the past two days on this farm."
"They- they're coming back, right?"
"Dad won't be back until tomorrow at least. And Ingo will show up about fifteen minutes before he does. Pretend he's been here the whole time." Malon rolled her head around. "Let's not talk about him. Let's talk about you."
"What do you mean?"
"I know nothing about you. You're always so quiet, observant. Like the silent hero in the stories my mom told at bed time."
"What do you want to know?"
"Well, like, what are you going to do with your life?" she smiled. "What do you even do now?"
"Officially, my job is to keep Hyrule safe. To seek out threats & dangers and eliminate them. If I can."
"What are you going to do in the future?"
"I don't know. I never thought about it." No one ever asked him these kinds of questions. "I suppose I can't keep doing this forever. There hasn't been a real threat or a danger to Hyrule for years now." Sometimes he thought of leaving Hyrule altogether, but would never tell anyone that.
"What if you find someone special in your life? Are you ever going to settle down?"
"Oh, I don't know." Malon's dusky scent kept distracting him, like wet earth.
"Do you have anyone like that in your life now?"
Link hesitated. "No one that I can settle down with."
"Me neither. I guess we're a lot alike, you and I."
Link kneaded his muscular fingers into her soft tissue. "How do you mean?"
"Well, I don't know. We're both isolated, I guess. Me, I'm a farm girl. I like to sing. I like to ride horses. All the other girls I talk to in Kakariko or Castle Town are just housewives or maids. I'm not afraid to get dirty."
"No, I see that."
"I mean, look at me, right?" Malon stood up. "True, I'm not wearing the greatest thing here, but I'm still beautiful, right?"
"Yes, you're very beautiful." Link's heart fluttered.
Malon's expression softened. "You really think I'm beautiful?"
Their eyes met. Neither of them spoke.
Link and Malon moved forward at the same time. Their lips met and they kissed. Malon ran her tongue over Link's, caressing it. She was so forceful, it felt like Malon was pulling Link's mouth into hers.
Suddenly, Malon pushed forward and knocked Link back. He collided with the stable wall, but scarcely noticed the pain. Malon kept pushing her warm body against his.
She jumped up and wrapped her legs around Link's waist, still thrusting her tongue deep into his mouth. Link easily held up her light frame and kissed her back so vigorously that his jaw started to feel sore.
He grabbed her and twisted around. The extra weight sent him stumbling back and he collapsed on the crate seat first. Malon plunged into Link's neck, sucking his skin. Link threw his head back and moaned. She moved up to his ear, nipping at it, licking at the whorls.
Link rubbed her back as she licked him. Malon leaned back and pulled her shirt over her head.
...
Malon came back in with a collection of cloths and a bucket of water. "I... I don't know what came over me."
"Me too. I just felt so..."
"It was like a..."
"I've been so..."
They stammered over each other's words, trying to find a meaning in the sudden explosion that had occurred. Then they realized they couldn't find one, and looked away from each other in embarrassed silence.
