The Legend of Zelda: Paradise Calling

Author's Notes:

(None)

Chapter 9: Song of an Angel: Part I

Old, rotten timbers groaned in protest as Link carefully descended the ancient ladder leaning against the palisade walls. The glowing ochre sun warmed his back as it made its nightly trip towards the horizon. Just as his feet touched grass, the bright orb slowly finished slipping from view behind the distant mountains, signaling the end of another long day.

Link stretched his arms over his head as he strode towards the house and tried to work out the last of the cramps brought on by another hard day's work. You'd think I'd be used to this by now… He thought to himself with a chuckle.

It had been almost three weeks since he had first arrived at the ranch. In that time he had already repaired several loose doors in the barn, replaced three broken windows, torn apart and fixed a leaky drainage pipe, cut up and removed a storm-damaged tree, and essentially rebuilt an entire cucco coup. This was all in between occasionally escorting Malon to nearby villages for supplies and deliveries.

The work was exhausting, but not overwhelming, and he found that after several weeks of constant aches his body was starting to adapt to the new stresses being thrust upon it. He was surprised at first to learn that ranch work required a different set of muscles than sword fighting, especially with all of the heavy lifting he was required to perform. The ever-present burning in his legs and lower core was a testament to that.

The last several days had been especially grueling. After replacing the last of the broken windows on the house a couple of days ago he had fallen through a rotten section of the palisade wall, giving Malon a fright. After they managed to extricate him from the rotting timbers and patch him up they made an inspection of the rest of the outer wall and came to the conclusion – much to Malon's steadily increasing dismay – that if something wasn't done there wasn't going to be much of a wall left in a year's time. The old fort was ancient in her father's time, and maintenance was a steady, constant battle of attrition.

So Link now found himself in the process of cutting away the areas of the inner palisade wall and walkway that were crumbling with age or had been infested with insects and replacing them with newer, stronger hardwood boards. Ingo had complained, loudly, of the extra expenses at first, but after Link had pointed out that the walls were probably the only thing keeping the bandits out (and some creative negotiating for the lumber on Malon's part) he had agreed to pry his fingers away from the ranch's meager coffers to pay for the repairs.

Link turned to inspect his accomplishments for the day and slowly twisted his torso, stopping when he felt his spine give a solid pop.

Nothing like a good day's work, he thought as he studied his work. Slaying monsters and clearing temples is all well and good, but sometimes it's more satisfying to create than to destroy.

He tucked his hands behind his head and savored the tight ache in his shoulders as a stray thought struck him. I wonder if I could become a rancher after I'm done with this insane little quest. He smiled, daydreaming. I could buy some horses from Malon, breed my own mares, maybe some goats and some cuccos... He winced. Ok, not the cuccos. He sighed as reality slowly replaced fantasy. One day before another, I suppose…

He turned and began to walk at a leisurely pace towards the farmhouse, eager to see if Malon had started on dinner yet. He whistled to himself as he followed the fenced-in pasture and tried to ignore his growing frustration.

Navi hadn't returned from her errand yet. She had told him that there was an outside possibility that it might be three weeks before she returned, but he had never really considered that it might take that long. At the very least he had hoped that Sheik himself might show up while Navi was out looking for him and Link could have a good laugh at everyone's expense. So far though, there had been no word from either of them, so he continued to work and wait.

He was halfway to the farmhouse when a piercing cry caused his ears to perk. He stopped, listening intently. For a while the noise didn't repeat, the only things reaching his ears being the faint chirrup of crickets in the coming twilight.

There it was again. The high pitched whinny of a horse in distress – one of the younger colts from the sound of it – was carried on the wind, coming from the direction of the central corrals. He started towards the large enclosed field that dominated the center of the ranch, drawn by the shrill cries.

He stopped at the entrance to the corrals, his eyes quickly scanning the open field and the half dozen horses scattered about before finally coming to rest of the two figures standing off to the side. He recognized the horse as Arion, a troublesome young colt that Malon had acquired recently that had been abused by its previous owner and had thus developed an intense dislike for people.

Malon stood firm as she spoke quiet, calming words to the troubled colt. She stood at an angle to Link, and hadn't seen him enter the corral. Her russet mane of hair spread around her head like a halo, silhouetting her face in a red-gold blaze while the hem of her skirt swayed lightly in the breeze.

The colt's forward left leg was pulled up and tied with a braided hobble, rendering it nearly immobile by virtue of the fact that any attempt at walking would require it to hop on its front leg and would quickly tire it out. Malon stood patiently at its side as it slowly worked this out for itself, leaning against the colt's shoulder to support its weight as she rubbed a hand along its long neck and cooed soothing words. It tried a few futile kicks with its hind legs, but soon realized that it was only tiring itself out faster.

Soon the colt learned that it wasn't going anywhere in its current state, and allowed itself to lean its weight against Malon. She in turn proceeded with the next step in her plan, and began pressing downward on the horse's neck. The colt panicked at first, but Malon had her hands gripped firmly in the colt's mane as it tried to stay upright, and slowly, ever so slowly, the colt allowed itself to be lowered to the ground on its side. Malon folded her legs beneath herself as she sat, allowing the colt's head to rest on her lap.

"Shh, good boy, Arion, good boy..."

Malon continued whispering soothing, meaningless sounds as the horse settled, then hummed the first few bars to her favorite song. As the horse's breathing began to slow, she paused and took a deep breath, then began to sing the song her mother had taught her long ago.

"Epona, Epona, soba ni oide

Futari de ireba, sabishiku nan ka nai

Dakara, Epona, koko ni ite

Omae dake o mamotte ageru…"

Link smiled and leaned against the fence as memories surfaced of the first time he had heard her sing. He gently hummed the tune as Malon sang, creating a quiet harmony with the music.

"Koushite iru to omoi dasu

Ano hi no yoake

Tsuki ga shizumi, taiyou to

Omae ga umareta

Epona, Epona, soba ni oide

Futari de ireba, kanashiku nan ka nai

Dakara, Epona, koko ni ite

Watashi no uta o kiite ite ne

Koushite iru to omoi dasu

Ano koro no koto

Omae no tame ni kaazan ga

Tsukutta kono uta

Hmm... Hmm...

Futari de ireba, kanashiku nan ka nai

Hmm... Hmm...

Wasurenai demo kono uta

Kono uta…"

The final notes faded as Malon finished her song. She leaned down and murmured something in the horse's ear, though Link was too far away to make it out.

Link smiled at the picturesque view. He hadn't heard Malon sing since before he had entered the Temple of Time, and he had quietly wondered if that part of her had been lost when she became the strong, troubled young woman she was today. He was glad to see that not everything had changed in the last seven years.

Even so, he felt as if he might be intruding upon a private moment. He pushed off of the fence, prepared to sneak quietly back out of the front gate, but the old wood creaked loudly as his weight shifted.

Malon's head shot up at the sound, startled. "Who … L—Link? Is that you?"

He tensed, cursing his luck. Slowly, his feet seemingly unwilling to cooperate, he strode around the fence and approached her where she sat. He came to a stop a short, respectful distance away, thumbs tucked into his belt. "Yeah, it's me."

She put a hand to her breast, relieved. "Oh, good. I thought that it might be…" Her face suddenly flushing scarlet as realization struck her. "Were you listening to me?" she asked.

Link smiled at the shock in her voice and shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry for eavesdropping, but I heard the horse and came to investigate. The song was beautiful."

Her blush deepened at the compliment, her cheeks turning nearly the same shade of crimson as her hair. "I … Th—thank you. My mother taught it to me long ago…" She turned away from him, turning her eyes back towards the cloudless sky as she continued to soothingly stroke the colt's long neck.

After several long moments, she patted the ground beside her. "Why don't you come join me?"

Link blinked in surprise, then hurried forward. Malon held out a hand, though the tone of her voice never changed from a quiet calm. "Slowly. He startles easily," she said as she continued giving the colt's neck long, slow strokes. "Arion hasn't been the easiest horse to get along with." A dark look crossed her face, but quickly passed. "I can't really blame him, after what his previous owner put him through. Poor fella doesn't trust anyone at this point."

"He seems to trust you," Link said as he sat down next to her. The horse shifted as it sensed a potential new threat, but quickly settled down again.

Malon shook her head with a sad smile. "I wish he did. I'm just more stubborn than he is." She gestured towards the hobble. "My parents developed this technique. Horses are prey animals, so they frighten easily and Arion's more skittish than most. I'm sure you've seen how hard it's been just to get him into the barn at night."

Some people will beat their horses until they behave, but a broken horse is just that; broken. It will never have the same spirit or the drive that a healthy, happy horse will. So my parents learned a different tactic. Instead of beating them, we earn their trust."

"How does tying them up earn their trust?" Link asked.

Malon shrugged. "Seems a little counter-intuitive, doesn't it? But it works. I've seen too many feral horses become docile to believe otherwise. We show them that even when they're immobile and helpless that they can depend on us not to hurt them, to take care of them. Even though we could easily hurt them, we protect them. Horses aren't dumb animals. They think, and they learn quickly. It just takes a little patience."

"Sort of like people, then," Link said.

Malon nodded, and appeared to be about to say something, but then stopped when a distressed look crossed her face. She turned away and continued to watch the sky as the last vestiges of twilight began to fade.

They sat in silence for several long moments, neither of them able to find any words. Link shifted uncomfortably and swallowed nervously. He could sense that something was troubling her, but had never been very good at alleviating these sorts of situations. He had heard the expression that you could cut the tension in the air with a knife, but he had never actually experienced it before.

His gaze followed hers up towards the first of the shimmering stars starting to appear at the darkest corner of the sky. His thoughts turned to his old childhood friend, Saria, now the newly awakened Sage of the Forest. It was she who had taught him all of the constellations on one of their many overnight campouts in the Sacred Meadow. He remembered the fervent passion in her voice as she told him about the different star clusters, and about the legends that went along with them. He memorized as many as he could, knowing that he would one day pass down the same experience to someone else.

A new thought struck him, Today's as good as any I suppose. He squinted, picking out an old, familiar set of stars that was beginning to peek through the twilight. "You see that group of stars up there?" He pointed at a large constellation.

Malon smiled. "You mean the ones that look like the Triforce?" She asked, studying the stars overhead.

Link shook his head. "No, that's too easy. It's just to the left of that," He shifted his position until he was sitting just behind Malon. Her heart fluttered when she felt his warm breath on the back of her neck. He gently took her wrist and directed her finger towards the heavens, tracing out the pattern. "Right … there."

She swallowed nervously and focused her concentration on the stars. "It ... kind of looks like a person."

He smiled, pleased. "That's Farore's Daughter," he told her, lowering her hand. "When I was younger, my … well, my friend used to tell me all about the different myths behind all of the constellations."

Malon sighed and closed her eyes as she continued stroking Arion's neck, basking in the warmth radiating from Link's body in the coming night. She found that she enjoyed his company, and even though she had only met him a couple of weeks ago, she felt … safe around him. Safer than she did around Ingo at any rate. It was a feeling that she had desperately missed during the past seven years. "Would you … tell me the story? Please?"

"I suppose," he said with a soft chuckle. "If you want me to that is. I'm not as good of a storyteller as my friend, but I'll try." He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, drawing the legend from his memories.

Malon leaned back against him and studied his face as he concentrated, feeling his arms reflexively slip into a comfortable position around her waist. The way that his sandy bangs were swept away from his eyes gave him a somewhat roguish appearance, and the soft curve of his lips… What am I thinking? Malon mentally chided herself, quickly averting her eyes as she felt her cheeks warm. Bad thoughts, Malon. Bad thoughts.

Link started the legend slowly, not noticing the deepening blush creeping across his companion's face.

"Long ago," He opened his eyes, looking up at the sky. "Immediately following the birth of Hyrule, it is said that the three Golden Goddesses, being pleased with Their work, returned to the Sacred Realm to watch over Their creation. Din continued to replenish the Earth, maintaining the fertile lands and rivers and oceans. Nayru had blessed the world with Her laws and a concept of balance and insured that it held true, while Farore kept vigil over all of Her mortal creations.

However, because of their gift of life, the various races had also acquired minds of their own. They developed their own customs and opinions, which would often clash with one another and sometimes stray from the Goddesses' will. Eventually, they learned to make war on one another, and in doing so defied the sacred laws that the Goddesses has laid down. Though all three of the sisters were distressed by this, Farore most of all was saddened by their rebellion and became deeply troubled when Her creations showed a willingness, even an eagerness, to destroy that which She had worked so hard to create.

Lonely for a different companionship than that of Her Goddess sisters, and ashamed by what she saw as her mistakes in the mortal realms, Farore used Her rich life energy to create another being; Her very own daughter. The maiden was said to be everything that was beauty and grace, and was Farore's most beloved treasure. Her name was Allaya."

Link paused, allowing Malon time to process the story while he recalled the rest.

Malon smiled and snuggled closer, all earlier embarrassment forgotten. "I haven't heard this legend before. That's a beautiful name."

Link decided to continue. "It was indeed."

In an effort to redeem the creatures of Hyrule, Farore sent her daughter down to the mortal realms so that she might serve as an example. She was to be a gift of purity and virtue to all life, a beacon of light in the darkness. Those that fell from the path that Farore and the other Goddesses had laid down needed only look to Allaya to be shown the true way."

They say that when she walked through the forest, the wolves would shadow her and protect her from harm. When she stopped by the river to rest, the plants would cup their leaves in the current and offer her a drink. When she sang, the birds would fall silent in respect."

This was before the time of Hylia, so the world had yet to experience such righteousness. She was a true blessing given out of love to our world. But like many of the things the Goddesses gave the mortal realm, Allaya was taken for granted."

He could feel Malon slowly shaking her head. "That's so sad."

Link pressed on, "Being so sweet and generous, she was unprepared for the harshness of life in our world. In her naïveté, she felt that she could do the most good by shining a light on the darkest corners of society. So she made for the largest city in the land, a neutral trading port which sat at the crossroads of the four major races. It was originally supposed to be a city of peace where all races could commingle, but there was constant bickering and bigotry amongst its inhabitants. Crime and corruption were such a common occurrence that they were seen simply as just another facet of life in the city. But there was good in the city as well, and so Allaya meant to nurture it where she could."

The first person she met on the outskirts was an old jongleur whose body had curled and swollen with arthritis. Allaya took pity on the poor man, who could no longer make a living and was reduced to begging on the streets. Unfortunately she had no coin to give, so she took his hands in hers and channeled the rich life energy of her Mother into the poor jester. In a matter of seconds he was cured of his ailments, leaving him with a body that seemed twenty years younger. The man was ecstatic, and thanked her profusely before he rushed off to tell everyone he could about this new visitor to the city."

The second person she met was a young Zora girl who was suffering from scalerot. Again Allaya placed her hands upon the girl, and again the girl was cured. Soon, as Allaya made her way through the city, a crowd of people gathered around her, who spread the word that a miracle worker had come to heal them of their afflictions."

Many people had no ailments, but Allaya was not merely a healer. A shopkeeper needed help loading crates into a wagon. A young girl had lost her favorite scarf. A Goron merely needed directions to the nearest inn. All of these people she helped, and more, because it was in her nature to do so. In helping those in need, and not caring about creed or race or allegiance, she acted as an example to everyone who followed her, and acts of kindness began to multiply outward around her into the city, like ripples in a pond."

Davyn was a good man, but he was a coward at heart. He did his best to live a righteous life, but if he was threatened he would always give in. All throughout his childhood he had been the target of bullies, and adulthood was no different for the poor man. He had a soft heart, and always tried to help those around him in need, but was frequently taken advantage of and lived a poor, simple life."

When Allaya came upon him, she smiled fondly, as if she had been reunited with a distant cousin, but said sadly that she did not yet have anything to give him. The crowd was surprised, because she had managed to help everyone she had come across thus far, but Davyn replied that the only gift he would like would be to help and accompany her as she made her way through the city, and so they set off for the heart of town. Davyn proved to be a fine assistant, never shirking from the physical labors given to him, and yet his manner always remained that of a skittish rabbit, fearful of those around him."

The Dark Man – he has no other name – was the lord of the local criminal underclass, the self-proclaimed king of the city. Whenever someone needed something in his city, he always had a hand in procuring it for them – for a price, of course. His spies were threaded throughout the city like a spider's web, and soon word reached his ears that a miracle worker was distributing gifts to any who asked. Needless to say, he did not take kindly to people handing out favors in his city without paying his exorbitant taxes, especially when he had yet to receive any himself."

At first the Dark Man had his lieutenants approach Allaya, but at this point the townsfolk were protective of their benefactor, and knew all of the Dark Man's agents by sight. None could get close enough to talk to her. So eventually the Dark Man himself came out to meet her, because even the bravest guard coward in fear in his presence. Wherever the Dark Man went, death was sure to follow shortly after. No one dared stand against him for fear of what he might do to them or their families."

There are several conflicting versions of the legend at this point, but all agree that he lured her to an alley with the promise that she would be able to help someone truly in need of her services. Davyn knew that the Dark Man couldn't be trusted, but was paralyzed by fear of what would happen if he followed. Allaya promised that she would return soon, and entered the alley alone."

Once the Dark Man had her alone, he demanded that Allaya give him the same powers that she had, but Allaya could see that to do so would be to bring ruin upon the land, and so refused him. He argued with her, offering her sweet lies and false promises that a strong, dominant hand would be able to unite the splintered factions of the city once and for all, but Allaya knew that those factions at odds with each other were in fact instrumental to the Dark Man's criminal empire and he would do no such thing. The Dark Man quickly lost his temper. No one refused him and lived to tell about it, certainly not some mystical healer."

The end came quickly for her. For though Allaya had a divine soul, her body was only mortal."

Farore eventually found her daughter lying in the alley, with Davyn weeping over her body as her lifeblood poured from her wounds. Farore was furious, and was prepared to blame Davyn for Her daughter's murder, but Allaya managed to shield him from her Mother's wrath. Davyn wept and begged Farore to not let Allaya die, pleaded with her for just one more day, one more minute, if not for him then for the rest of the city. He asked Her how they could be expected to go on after something so pure had touched their lives, and been so violently taken from them."

But Farore was overcome with grief, and felt that if the world would not cherish Her blessings, then it was possible that we did not deserve them. If Farore were to heal Her daughter, Allaya would only meet a similar fate somewhere down the line, because evil men were allowed to walk freely in the light. And Farore would not subject Her own daughter to such a cruel fate."

Allaya, just before she died, with the last of her strength pulled herself up and placed a soft kiss upon Davyn's cheek. Allaya's last gift was the gift of Courage to a poor man who had had none."

Anguished by Her daughter's defilement, Farore carried Allaya to the heavens and placed her among the stars so that she might never be harmed again, with the promise that she would return if we were ever judged worthy. She remains there to this day as a reminder of the perfect gift that we lost …" Link slowly trailed off, finished with his tale.

"I can see her now." Malon whispered, staring up at the Goddess' starry child. Her attitude turned somber. "Such a sad story."

"They're not all like that," he assured her. "A few of them are pretty exciting, even funny. But I'm not the expert that my friend was. I can't do them all justice, not the way she could." He said, looking up at the stars again with a fond look in his eyes. "But I remember this one, because the moral of the story is so clear."

"Don't go into dark alleys with strange men?" Malon said.

"Well … possibly, but that's not the lesson I took away from it," Link shook his head. "This world … in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't care, one way or the other, how we live or die. Some things out there, some people even, are born without a conscience, and so long as they get what they want they don't care what they destroy in the process. So if we want to be happy, we must stand up to protect the things that we love from those who would take what isn't theirs."

Silence reigned for several moments as Malon nodded. "What happened to Davyn and the Dark Man?"

"It's said that when Davyn returned to the central square and told the people there what had happened, the entire city rioted. The Dark Man's spies and lieutenants were ousted, and Davyn himself led the charge on the Dark Man's stronghold."

"Even when it wouldn't bring back what they had lost?"

Link thought carefully. "Sometimes … sometimes, taking a stand even when all you know is lost, can be just as important as if your goal were still within reach. I think that's what courage – true courage – is all about. We have the power within ourselves to make the world a better place. We just have to be brave enough to try. I learned that from my friend too."

"Hmm..." She hummed thoughtfully as she gave Arion another rub. "Do you miss your friend?"

He smiled, thinking of Saria. "Yeah, I miss her a lot. We spent most of our childhood together."

She turned in his arms, looking up into his cobalt-blue eyes. "I'm sorry. It must be hard for you, being so far away from home."

Link felt an involuntary sigh escaped his lips. "Sometimes … I wonder if they even remember me."

"I'm sorry." She apologized again, her eyes downcast.

He smiled, and reached up with a gloved hand to tilt her chin so that her eyes met his. "Don't be. It was my choice to leave. Besides," He said as he stared into her bright azure eyes, smiling a infectious grin. "I'm making some new friends here."

Malon's breath caught in her throat and she felt the bottom drop out of her stomach, as if she had taken an unwitting step over a deep gorge. She gazed back into his eyes, her pulse pounding in her ears as she mentally commanding herself to breathe. Slowly, gently, as though her body had a mind of its own, she reached up and tucked a loose strand of golden hair behind his pointed ear and let her hand drop to his shoulder. Her fingers clenched in the fabric of his green tunic. She wet her lips...

...green tunic...

... And with that seemingly random, stray thought the roaring in her ears was suddenly silenced. She quickly drew back, the magic of the moment lost.

Link blinked, astonished at her abrupt withdrawal. "What's wrong?"

Malon chewed her lower lip, then shook her head and turned away. "There's nothing wrong," She said, but felt that she owed him more. "It's just..."

Link watched her patiently for several heartbeats, but she didn't elaborate. "Just … what?" he prompted.

Malon continued to nibble thoughtfully on her lip, then shook her head once more. "Never mind … it's … impossible."

"Hmm," Link said, clearly disappointed with the abruptness of her defense, but he carefully kept his face a neutral mask. He gently disentangled himself from around her and stood up slowly so as not to spook the colt.

Malon's breath seized as he turned and walked away, panic and confusion shooting through her heart at the sudden jumble of emotions inside her. She didn't want him to go. Had she driven him away?

"I think you'd be surprised," Link called back absently as he walked back towards the entrance to the corrals.

Malon swallowed nervously, confused. "At what?"

Link turned to look her straight in her eyes. "At what's possible."

He slipped out of the horse paddock before she had a chance to respond.

Uh-oh.

Ciao!
Raynre Valence – Sage of Time