She was clever, I'd give her that. In fact, she and Midna would get on beautifully if they ever met. The world might also implode at that meeting. But hey, that was why she shattered the Mirror, right? No, the more immediate problem was the tight little corner Malon had backed me into… quite neatly, too. And it all started with an innocent scone. Sort of.
"You would have breakfast in there," I muttered not ungratefully as she handed me a stale scone from her satchel. I was vaguely surprised that she still had the bag, but I didn't particularly mind, especially when it apparently held food. Food was good after a night of gallivanting through a dark field with angry warrior women on your heels. "Too bad you don't have your shovel or-"
"Quit mocking me, you red-eyed creep."
Someone was a little sore, but over what, I wasn't entirely sure. I took a minute or two to chew quietly on the scone before even bothering to formulate a response; Malon just glared balefully at me the entire time as if I'd singlehandedly turned eating into the most offensive thing she'd ever witnessed. "You do understand that I'm not resentful over being alive, right? All thanks to the Farm Girl Wonder," I added somewhat to myself, taking another bite of the stiff bread. That little comment earned me a hard rap to the back of my head. Not wholly undeserved. But this was exactly how gingers got a bad reputation. "Malon, I really don't mean that in a… mocking way. Honest."
"Not on the surface, no," she sniffed. Turning away and moving behind a dense crowd of stalagmites, I heard considerable rustling and a few grunts of frustration until she reappeared a moment later wearing dusty riding clothes. From the way the crisp white linen fell over her narrow shoulders, I could instantly tell that it was a man's shirt. The worn riding pants were also too big, judging by the way the brown fabric bunched around her waist under the belt and at the tops of her boots. She had her dress and apron slung over an arm, and a telling I-dare-you-to-say-something look cemented on her face.
Occasionally, I really enjoyed pressing my luck. Like now. "All dressed up and nowhere to go."
Malon set her jaw before the second half of my sentence even left my mouth. "I'm not your responsibility, you know. We just ran into each other in the Temple of Time." Hands on hips, she stared me down for a second before attending to her bag of tricks, stuffing her clothes inside. "I'm headed to the farm. You can tell Link he can find me there to apologize."
Okay, then. That solved the problem of having a tagalong. Regardless of her claims, she technically was my responsibility: if the kid ever found out about our little escapade in the Field, it would not end well and I'd end up breaking my promise to Zelda. I actually had the best job in the world, returning the most dangerous weapon in the history of Hyrule to a pint-sized psycho with a chip on his shoulder. Lucky me. But Malon was making it her mission to smash my perspective wide open, which wasn't exactly unwelcome. In a way, she was right about the extent of our relationship, since we only met by chance. No one could've predicted that whole encounter because who the hell even dreamt it was possible for an accidental Twili-Hylian hybrid to fall out of an old doorway at the heart of an ancient temple, centuries before said hybrid's birth? It all had such a surreal quality to it, I probably wouldn't ever wrap my head around it and I was the one living it. Some things you just weren't meant to understand, though. Sometimes. Zelda's letter seemingly burnt a hole through the cloak's inner pocket but I shook the feeling off to appraise the slight redheaded girl calmly organizing her pack beside the spring.
Din, but how did shit like this happen?
"I can do that. But Malon-" I grasped her upper arm to get her attention, pulling her upright again so we stood eye-to-nose. "I… Why? Why Castletown?"
"He said he'd be there," she reminded me with a huff. However, she refused to break the intense staring contest and I was… grateful. Sort of.
"That's true, but why do you believe him? Because he's the Hero of Time? Is that it?"
She actually baulked. "You think… I trust him because of some shiny triangle bestowed upon him by Farore herself?" demanded Malon with more than a little spite and a hint of condescension. Ouch. It did sound kind of stupid when she put it that way, but it only took some rearranging and a little rewording to make anything sound dumb. She shook free of my hand with an angry jerk of her body. "He's a Hero, sure, but he's also a person, and my best friend."
"Okay, but-"
"No!" she interrupted, still with that blazing anger. "No, I don't think you understand, and it's- you can't travel around with Link and not understand- Some things only Heroes can do, like how Link's going to kill Ganondorf and bring peace back to Hyrule. Other stuff, the everyday stuff, he can manage too- People can manage it, and we're all people-" She fixed me with the most imploring expression I'd ever seen, just to lend her point that perfect emphasis as the righteous indignation faded from her eyes. The words were spilling from her mouth and jumbling together in her haste and fervor. "The everyday stuff, I can manage, like keeping a promise, or protecting the farm. Link will find me there." I opened my mouth to reply, but Malon simply grinned humorlessly, "Besides, can you imagine if everyone needed a stupid magic triangle so other people would believe in them?"
"It'd…" There it was, the smashing my perspective thing. Maybe it was because Midna had recruited me using the legacy of the hero as the backdrop to the entire adventure. Maybe it was because I'd grown up listening to Colin comfort Ilia whenever she brought up how she'd seen the divine mark on the back of his hand, how he couldn't be dead. Maybe it was just so ingrained in my head, the Link equals Divine Hero idea, that I wasn't capable of thinking of it in any other way. In my time, this was the stuff of legend, right up there with how the very first Link and Zelda found the Triforce and descended to Hyrule with the sky-people. And it was true, what my Zelda said to me: it'd seemed strange at the time, but I really didn't think of Link as mortal. I might have seen the Triforce a handful of times, and yet I automatically had it in my head that Link and Zelda were above people like me and Midna… and Malon. It wasn't until I met the kid that the idea shifted entirely, to the point where I treated him like a little brother, with a stupid, perpetual incredulous attitude towards his destiny. Goddesses, but that was messed up. I shook my head, taking a step back. "I see why the kid likes you."
She had a touch of laughter in her eyes this time when she smiled. "Knew you'd see the light."
"I'm only half-shadow," I quipped back at her with a grin of my own. Pulling the cloak up from the floor, I fastened it around my neck, all the while patting absently at the pockets. "I'll go with you to the farm. Carry on the kid's chivalrous… attitude, in his stead. Least I can do, since you saved my life."
That didn't seem to bother her as much as I thought it would. "If it makes you feel better," she shrugged, "but I can get on fine without you."
"I'm sure. Let's just hope the Gerudo aren't lurking outside."
Malon shrugged again, scooped up her bag, and waiting expectantly for me to pull her back through the shadows and into the Field once more. Before I attempted that transport, I bottled an extra fairy for her and checked the surrounding area quickly, but only found quiet midday sunshine and a few birds. Relatively safe. For now. Hopefully. Oh, Nayru help me. We emerged from the crevice together, Malon almost immediately accepting the healing fairy to ease the jitters clearly wracking-
NOT SAFE NOT SAFE NOT SAFE!
She shrieked. Wheeling from the impact, I staggered sideways and landed in a graceless heap, the tip of a small spear jammed in my side. The point only barely penetrated the chainmail there, but it completely knocked the wind out of me, leaving me hopelessly disoriented for entirely too long, and the unwieldy weapon attached awkwardly to my torso. I felt Malon's hands levering under my arms and pulling me up beside her as I yanked at the shaft-
Utterly opaque, acrid smoke suddenly filled the area. Blinded, I fumbled around until something like sense crashed back into my head when Malon hissed, "Let's go!" She must have whistled for the horse while I was down because Epona came thundering out of nowhere and Malon snatched at the reins, expertly pulled herself into the saddle, and, hand extended for me, pulled me up behind her, the stupid spear still clutched in my fist. The only coherent thought in my head was something about how lucky it was I'd left the cave first and solidified in front of Malon, or the kid would have murdered me for sure. And goddesses damn it, but if any more adrenaline entered my bloodstream, I might never be able to think straight again. I was suddenly spectacularly thankful that I shared a farm background with my temporary non-responsibility or the whole escape-by-mounting-a-moving-horse thing probably wouldn't have worked as well. I felt like laughing hysterically.
"Never thought I'd say this, but that Deku nut actually came in handy," she mumbled to me.
I grinned back. "Not my first choice of weapon either. The kid give you those?"
"To use on Ingo."
"Well I'm glad you held onto a few." I craned my neck to get a good look at our surroundings, and to risk a peek at our pursuers. From now on, I couldn't make fun of the doe-eyed mare for being useless: although the handful of mounted women were still within hailing distance, the majority of the welcoming committee had been left far behind at the fairy spring. Not bad for a borderline-idiot horse. But the riders couldn't be allowed to gain any more ground on us, if I could help it. Stringing my bow, I rearranged myself so I had a clear shot at them, nocked an arrow, and began picking them off until they broke formation and scattered. Most of them even looked like they were giving up the chase. Instead of taking that as a good sign, it made me incredibly uneasy, and I said as much. "Malon, where are you going?"
Sparing only a quick glance over her shoulder, she hesitated for a split second before nodding. "There's a trail that leads into the village from Zora's Domain, I think. Link told me about it once… it's a little before the main curve of the river, and threads along the gorge. Maybe we can lose them before circling back to the farm."
Trusting the kid again, for better or worse, then. Regardless, it was our best bet, and I wanted to get her a little closer to safety before I attempted to draw off the remaining Gerudo. I'd never forgive myself if they hurt her; by my count, they'd underestimated her twice already, so they weren't about to make the same mistake three times in a row. And hopefully, the sight of the Master Sword might draw them off her trail anyway. At the very least, I had to try… I'd just have to wait until we were closer to the apparent trailhead before disappearing.
"To the river, then," I finally agreed.
x
The goddesses-damned Gerudo were getting closer. She jerked her head forward and leant down against Epona's mane, urging the horse onward at an even faster gallop while I haphazardly covered her, sniping at the riders in our wake if they got too close. We were almost there: half a league, and we'd make see the outcropping that supported the farm. Malon wouldn't have any trouble staying on route if we could just make it there. It was only a matter of time now. But I also knew without a doubt that the Gerudo were waiting for us to stop.
Well, waiting for me – or, more specifically, for the Master Sword – to stop. Compared to it, we were generally irrelevant. Small change, as the Gerudo had already demonstrated: Malon was just collateral damage, and I needed to die unless I willingly dissipated the spell protecting the sword and sheath. The fact that Malon had only been sucker-punched rather than gutted like a fish was pretty compelling, and I was willing to bet that if we split up now, she had a solid chance of reaching the farm in one piece and barring the gates, without a tail of desert warrior-women. They struck me as purposeful, not given to wanton destruction; they'd follow the sword almost certainly. On the other hand, if I stayed and Epona suddenly kicked the bucket, we'd be screwed and Link would make it his mission to revive me just to kill me. Challenging walk back to Castletown it was, then.
"You can take it from here, yeah?"
She looked at me with a tiny spark of panic in her eyes, but it quickly dissipated. "I can take care of myself, creep," she retorted, mock-offended. "Make sure you tell Link he owes me an apology."
"You got it," I grinned back. Swinging my leg over the horse, I prepared myself for the rough landing, sharing one last glance with the redhead. Her face was set with dogged determination, and something like respect under the pallor… or it might have been my ego speaking. Couldn't be sure. In the short time we'd spent together, Malon had managed to make me incredibly self-conscious whenever I considered other people. And they were other people. A little object permanence was in order. Wax existential later. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the riders rapidly closing the distance as if in anticipation of my grand dismount, and without further ado, I handed her the spear and rolled off the horse, Malon's startled expression hovering strangely in front of me until she whipped around and tucked herself against the horse once more.
Almost immediately, the hoof beats switched sharply to a faster tempo as the lead rider abruptly wheeled her horse around towards me, the others changing course accordingly. My chances weren't the best, but in a situation like this, running wouldn't really get me anywhere. One guy on foot versus six mounted Gerudo? Right. I drew my bow again, levelled it, and sniped the closest Gerudo out of her saddle just as she raised her sword to take off my head. She tumbled sideways in shock, the arrow having severed something in the arm holding the reins and rendered it nerveless; still with the momentum of the shot, I reached out and copied Malon's earlier maneuver and swung up into the strange, minimalist saddle, spurring the horse like a madman. If I could just draw them out, one by one….
Link, let's be real here.
Angling the horse towards Castletown, I leant back and fired several more arrows, catching one of the other riders in the throat. Two down, four to go. The leader was not pleased, but she hung back, refusing to move within range. For a minute or two, the horse thundering along under me, I actually believed I'd ride all the way to town without incident, just like the journey from the spring to the gorge. I really truly believed it was going to be easy, getting back to the Temple of Time. That was about when a scimitar came hurtling out of nowhere, slicing into the horse's flank and mortally crippling it. We went down in a jumble of limbs. Shrieking and kicking, the animal twisted and flopped pitifully, almost suffocating me when it at least bruised my ribs as its body skidded to a jerking stop in the thinning grass. I dissolved out from underneath just in time to duck another scimitar, this one held stationary in a hand rather than tossed through the air like an awkward, oversized throwing knife. Clutching my side, I stared in disbelief at the women rushing back towards me.
"You have got to be kidding me."
The wielder screamed unintelligibly as she went by, the blade unexpectedly finding no resistance as it passed through the almost-opaque shadow standing stock still and bewildered at the attack. She reined up hard and attempted to tackle me, but she fell right through thanks to the marvelous skill of transience. Mind inconveniently devoid of ideas, I shot her at close-quarters with the arrow still nocked on my bow and she lay still, the shaft protruding grotesquely from her right eye socket, the blood dripping from the wound in neat ribbons. The bruising to my side kept me from firing at full force, but it was still enough to kill the woman with so little distance between us. Sensing someone's gaze, I looked up, a little dazed, to find the leader.
"Give me the sword, boy." She'd ventured closer, noticing the way I'd curled in on myself, the bow suddenly next to useless in my grasp. This wasn't the same authoritative woman in white from the Temple of Time, but I could instantly tell that whoever she was, this Gerudo held some sort of position. Sliding gracefully from her mount, she slowly drew a gilded scimitar and aimed the curved tip at me. "Make it easier on yourself."
It was suicidal, but there was nothing else for it: I stashed the bow and drew my own sword, shaking my head. The only plus side here was that out of honor, others wouldn't interfere in another's fight. "Can't, sorry."
When she launched herself at me, I played up transience as much as I could while deflecting the slower, heavier blows with my hilt. She knew my game, though. After I fended off another slash, flames suddenly sprouted from her blade and singed my hands before I could dodge – these were no ordinary flames… they were Din's Fire, and Din's Fire didn't give a damn over whether or not I was a shadow when it struck me – instead, it burnt like hell. I'd discovered this before during my previous time here, when Link had had enough of my antics and threatened to burn me alive at the stake. Obviously, I'd thought he was full of it, so I'd taunted him some more, and earned myself some pretty third-degree burns, as well as the knowledge that comes with such an experience. She knew my game, and it scared me.
The next time she charged at me with sword aflame, I stupidly held my ground. At the very last second, I ducked and lurched forward, passing through her as a shadow in an encore of a certain detestable attack I last used in Hyrule Castle, much to Midna's disgust. The woman didn't move again, but her seconds rushed in to finish her work, swinging at me with perfectly synchronized, perpendicular slices. For whatever reason, neither of them conjured Din's Fire, and I began to suspect that only some of the women had the ability to use magic like that; consequently, tired and desperate, I simply dissolved. Both had dismounted, so I flitted over to the horses, lamed two of them, and stole the third, galloping hard for Castletown before the two Gerudo realized what was happening.
Even with the threat mostly neutralized, I couldn't risk checking to make sure Malon had made it safely to the farm, though I strongly suspected that she had, based mainly on the Gerudo's response to our division. I simply had to trust the situation and believe everything had actually gone right because this wasn't a job for me. Right now, I didn't care what Malon thought about normal people and divine right and Triforces, because I needed to return the sword to Link before anything else happened. Maybe it was true that no one was really capable of singlehanded miracles, but it was certainly true that some were better equipped, and I was not among that number. And Farore have mercy, but did I really have to get squashed by a horse?