[A.N. – Hey! Thanks for reading! I appreciate reviews, they make me
smile! So if you wanna make me smile
(and write more), review! *giggle* Oh yeah, legal rubbish, how could I
forget? *clears throat* Zelda, Link, Malon,
and all other characters associated with the Zelda series belong to Nintendo
and whoever else happens to own them. I
didn't make them up. *Looks appealingly
at circle of lawyers surrounding her* Is that good enough for you?]
~~~~~~~
Zelda's
eyes fluttered open. It felt good to be
awake but…where was she? She sat up for
a brief moment, but a throbbing pain in her head forced her to lie down
again. She was in a dazed stupor and
had no idea where she was. When Zelda
finally realized the extent of her ignorance, she began to panic. The memory of going to sleep, which had to
have occurred just a few hours ago, was just that – a memory.
She
shivered, not only because she was frightened; she felt very cold. This odd place was completely dark; not a
single beam of light met her gaze. She
began to have terrible thoughts.
'Death! This is
death!' she thought wildly. 'I have to
get out, I have to escape!' she began wringing her hand fervently. 'But one can't escape death! Death is final!' Her heart was beating hard
in her chest, and she was beginning to find it difficult to breathe. 'I-I have to calm down,' she thought
shakily. She carefully sat up again,
despite the pain that urged her to do otherwise. She was sitting on some sort of bed. Zelda lowered her feet tentatively to the ground. She let out a gasp of surprise when they
hit. The stone floor was covered with
water an inch deep. Still, Zelda
managed to stand up in the freezing water.
"Hello?" she called into the void. "Mama? Father? Link? Anyone, please…" her voice trailed off
without so much as an echo. For a few
seconds, silence reigned, coolly taunting the frightened princess. Eventually, however, a great voice could be
heard. "Silence, foolish girl. Why do you cry out? There is no one to hear you. You are damned to remain here forever!"
An icy blast of air barreled past Zelda. In spite of the menacing voice and the
freezing air, she managed to shout "Why?" through tightly clenched teeth.
Her inquiry was never addressed; the violent drop in
temperature marked the advent of several shadowy forms, back lit by a sudden
burst of blinding light. Zelda watched
in horror was the shapes encompassed her forebodingly. She felt a scream growing in her throat, and
as if it knew her intent, the voice condescendingly reminded her, "No one can
hear you!"
The words still echoing in her ears, the shriek escaped
Zelda's lips, only to be met with maniacal laughter.
* * *
Someone did hear Zelda's despaired cry, however. Link sat straight up in bed. He found himself to be completely awake, and
the reason for that was beginning to return to him.
"Zelda…" he muttered. A terrible feeling was beginning to fill the pit of his stomach. Glancing out the window, he noted that it
was still dark. He found himself torn
between his domestic and professional duties. He knew someone from the castle would be coming any minute now,
informing him of what he already knew; calling him away from his beloved wife.
He quickly dressed himself, and ventured downstairs. He was immediately greeted by light and
warmth from a merry fire crackling in the fireplace. To his surprise, Malon was kneeling next to the blaze, tending to
its hunger by carefully fueling it with wood. She turned to him, and silently smiled a sad, knowing smile.
"What are you doing up?" Link whispered. He crossed the room and gently planted a
kiss on the top of her head.
Malon looked up at her husband with an expression of
complete adoration. "Your footsteps
woke me."
"I'm sorry," he kissed her lightly again. "I guess you know what's coming, right?"
"You're leaving me again," It was more a statement than a
question. This fact alone made Link's
heart ache.
"I'm so very sorry, I just can't help it. Something's amiss, and…" Link shrugged a finish
to his sentence.
"You have the most extraordinary connection with the
princess. You always seem to know when
something's 'amiss,'" Malon's tone harbored no anger or jealousy, just a sense
of awe.
Link nodded, knowing he couldn't deny the fact that he
often shared Zelda's dreams. The couple
stared at each other for several seconds before a jarring knock on the door interrupted
their thoughts.
Malon wiped her hands on her apron and answered the
door. Standing outside was a
mud-splattered palace guard. Malon
granted him entrance, and he stumbled inside. "Link, I'm afraid your services are required once again. Please pack a bag and prepare yourself for
travel at once," he stuttered.
"That I will do immediately," Link murmured. "What am I to
do once I arrive?"
"I will inform you of the details en route to the castle,"
the guard explained. Malon motioned to
a char, and the exhausted man sat down.
"Well, if you are going to depart with my husband, you will
be waiting for him to pack. Please,
allow me to get you something to eat or drink. You must be parched," Malon stated innocuously.
The man smiled, "Thank you, ma'am. I'll just have some water if it isn't too
much trouble."
Malon smiled reassuringly, and got the soldier a cup of
water from the bucket in the corner. Meanwhile, Link had carelessly flung a few articles of clothing into a
bag, and was headed toward the stable. It was still black as pitch outside, and even the short journey from the
house to the stable required the assistance of a lantern.
Link quickly readied Epona, and when he led her outside,
the first rays of the sun were beginning to peek over the horizon. Malon and the soldier were already standing
outside when Link rode up behind them.
"I'm ready," he said grimly. He took Malon's hand in both of his and brought it up to his
cheek. The feel of her love's skin made
Malon's eyes water with sadness and longing, but she managed to keep her
composure.
"I love you," she whispered.
Link smiled at her, his cute, sideways smile that seemed
contagious. That, along with the look
of devotion in his eyes, spoke volumes more than any words ever could.
Link nodded to his traveling companion, and they rode off
toward the castle. Rather than watch
them leave, Malon let her hand drift to her stomach as she watched the sun
rise, bringing with it, a new day.
~~~~~~~
[A.N. Woo, there's another
chapter! Now that you've gone through
the process of reading it, why don't you leave a review? If I get enough input, I'll write more. Sorry if it seems like it's a lot of
dialogue, this is what you would call the exposition, I guess. This could have actually been part of the
first chapter, but oh well. You get the
idea. ^______^]