"What happened?" Link breathed in shock and disgust. He hadn't been expecting this.
When he visited the ranch before, it had been a place of happiness. Now, the people, the horses and cows, the very walls themselves, all exuded gloom in a nearly palpable stream. The chickens roaming the ranch were gone; the horses were locked away within the corral without any room to freely run.
Link hated to jump to the conclusion of animal mistreatment, but his mind instantly concluded that. Malon and Talon had seemed to love their animals with a fervent passion, especially the former. What had happened to bring about such a drastic change?
He found one of the workers standing just outside of the corral. While Link didn't recall his name, he recognized the man because he was the one always throwing Talon disdainful sneers and narrowed glares full of dislike.
"Hello," Link greeted as cheerfully as possible. It sounded incredibly fake coming out, however, and he mentally winced.
The man regarded with him thinly veiled suspicion. "I've never seen you around here before. Where are you from?"
Though the question seemed a bit rude to ask, Link answered regardless. "I'm a traveler. I just came from Kakariko Village, heading southeast after this."
The man only heard the words Kakariko Village, Link suspected for he launched into an angry tirade. "There are some people in Kakariko spreading rumors that I cheated Talon out of the ranch, but... don't be ridiculous!" he scoffed, sneering. "That guy Talon was weak! I, the hard-working Ingo, poured so much energy into this place! I don't want any strangers like you saying anything bad about me! Listen. The great Ganondorf recognized my obvious talents and gave the ranch to me! I will raise a fine horse and win recognition from the great Ganondorf!"
It all clicked into place then. This was the king's doing, manipulating a man he knew he could control. Lon Lon Ranch was a valuable asset to have, what with some of the best horses in the kingdom being bred there. Naturally, Ganondorf would want to insert his influence into such a place.
"Of course those rumors are foolish," Link said, placating Ingo a bit. What a silly name, Link thought in amusement.
Ingo appeared even more suspicious of Link agreeing so easily, apparently not expecting that. "Yes… well, I'm glad someone can recognize the truth for what it is," he sniffed.
"Do you mind if I look around a bit?" Link asked. "I'm thinking of making a potential purchase."
Ingo hesitated and then waved him away dismissively. "Go on. Just don't cause any damage to anything!"
Link wandered around, staying away from Ingo for the most part. In reality, he needed to find Malon, assuming she was even there. After a quick ten-minute search, he stumbled upon her in the stables, tending to the cows.
She glanced up as Link entered. She had blossomed into a beautiful woman, Link noted. With her flaming red hair cut in a similar fashion, she looked the same, only older and with perhaps a few more freckles splashed across the bridge of her slender nose.
"Oh..." she murmured, surprised. "A visitor! It's been a long time since we've had a visitor here... Where did you come from?" Link silently shut the door and came closer. Malon's eyes followed him, eventually focusing on Navi. "Fairy boy." It escaped as a whisper, almost yearning.
"Malon, what happened here?" He skipped the pleasantries, and went straight to the point.
She frowned and sighed, setting down the pail she held. She was uncharacteristically somber, her energy low and pale. Seeing her like that struck Link as odd. Standing before him was someone whose spirit had been broken.
"Since Ganondorf came, people in the Castle Town have gone, places have been ruined, and monsters are wandering everywhere. Mr. Ingo is just using the ranch to gain Ganondorf's favor... Everyone seems to be turning evil…" She lapsed into pensive silence.
"What happened to Talon? Where's he? I can't imagine he complacently went with along with this."
"No, but Dad... He was kicked out of the ranch by Mr. Ingo... If I disobey Mr. Ingo, he will treat the horses so badly... So... There's nothing I can do..." Horrors haunted her eyes, and they unknowingly pleaded with him.
Link closed his eyes in disgust as he read between the lines. He bet obeying meant satiating Ingo's every desire, no matter how repugnant.
Link took Malon's hands into his own. "If you want, I can help you."
Hope, despite how hard she repressed it, wormed its way into her heart. He watched the internal battle without comment. "How?" she whispered at last.
"Leave it up to me. Don't leave the building."
Link took care of it, using his superior strength to his advantage. He explained very calmly what was going to happen to Ingo—that the ranch would return to its rightful owners—and when Ingo protested, Link quickly and easily dealt with his goons. Simply knocked unconscious, they wouldn't sustain any permanent injuries, but that was all it took. The men fled, with their tails tucked between their legs.
"I don't think they'll return any time soon, but you would be smart to hire someone to protect you should they prove foolish," Link told her afterwards. "Not me," he added quickly, spotting the look in her eye. "I have a task I cannot abandon."
Her eyes roamed over him in a thoughtful way. "You have become a wonderful man," she told him sincerely, tears making her eyes bright. "I don't know how I can ever repay you."
"I didn't do it for a reward," he denied firmly. "I did it because it was the right thing."
She considered that a moment. "How about a horse? You can take your pick. We have many excellent ones."
Link hesitated but agreed in the end. Once in the corral, it was difficult to pick between all the beautiful horses. "I don't know much about horses," he admitted.
Malon smiled and petted a dark brown one. "What about Roama?"
The horse looked at him funny. "No. Do you still have the one that liked the song so well?" He forgot the name, but there seemed to be a connection between them upon the first meeting.
Malon hesitated. "Yes, but I fear Epona's a bit wild. She won't let anyone ride her."
Link raised an eyebrow, and brought out his ocarina. He played Epona's song, remembering the notes as if it were yesterday. For a moment, nothing happened, and Link was actually a bit disappointed with the results. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her tentatively approached, even more stunning than he recalled.
Beside him, Malon sucked in a breath.
As she stopped before him, Link stretched out a careful hand. "Do you remember me?" Link asked as she allowed him to stroke her. "Oh, you're a beauty. I'm going to ride you, okay? I'd appreciate it if you didn't buck me off."
She tossed her head, and Link interrupted that as a yes.
Making his intentions clearly known, he moved slowly and swung himself up, the action more difficult due to the lack of saddle. She jerked and reared, but with a few soothing words and gentle pats, she calmed under his touch.
"Such a good girl," Link cooed as Epona snorted nervously, stroking her gently.
"That's amazing," Malon murmured in awe.
Praying he wouldn't fall off, Link nudged Epona, and she obeyed his wish at once, almost as if she knew what he wanted. Together, they exited the corral, and did a few laps around. Epona seemed to relish the opportunity to run as fast as she liked, her powerful muscles bunching underneath Link.
Directing her where he wanted proved a bit trickier without a bridle and reigns; however, he managed to steer her eventually, and sensing his intention, she put a burst of speed and jumped the wall that separated Lon Lon Ranch from Hyrule Field effortlessly.
Link yelped from both fear and exhilaration. He felt… free, with the wind whipping at his cheeks and hair.
For the next hour, they roamed Hyrule Field, bonding so that they became inseparable. After that, nothing could've been able to pry them apart.
.
..
.
Upon returning, Malon invited him to stay, and Link acquiesced, wanting to be there should Ingo creep back in the dead of the night. The evening went uneventful until dinnertime. She shared some of what had happened over the years, not all of it negative (Ingo assumed control two years previously). After they ate and Malon cleaned the table, she sat back down.
Malon leaned forward and braced her forearms against the table, giving him an excellent view of her ample cleavage, which positively strained against the confines of her corset. Link swallowed convulsively, and despite the overwhelming urge to stare, he forced himself to meet her eyes without glancing down.
His tongue felt thick all of the sudden, and his stomach squirmed with something far from apprehension.
"I always hoped you would come back." Her voice was low, as if she were sharing a secret. Link wasn't certain how to respond, so he remained silent. Malon licked her lips nervously, and scooted her chair closer, the abrasive scraping sound unusually loud. "Link," she murmured, lowering her lashes.
"What are you doing?" he asked, clearing his throat when it came out raspy.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and threading her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck. "Kiss me," she requested.
He became painfully aware of his aroused body, his erection hardening by the second. "I don't—I have—" he stammered, not entirely sure what he was trying to say.
When Link hesitated, she urged him compellingly, "Please." Her warm breath fell against the shell of his ear, and his body jerked in reaction. He suppressed a groan.
She apparently interpreted that as an affirmative, for she captured his lips with hers.
Kissing was not what he had expected—his inexperience left him feeling awkward and he overthought it too much by far, but his first kiss was wonderful nevertheless. Malon's experience and finesse far exceeded his own, but she seemed not to notice, or if she did, she must not have cared.
This differed greatly from the few pecks he had shared with Zelda as a child. Whereas that had been naïve and entirely innocent, this contained desire and need, the act of experiencing pleasure taking precedence over mere affection.
Malon pulled away all too soon, much to Link's disappointment and confusion.
Growing bolder with every second, he tugged her back to him and captured her mouth once more. She made a small encouraging sound from the back of her throat when he buried his hand in her hair and slanted her head for better access.
She slipped her tongue into his mouth and stroked his tongue with hers, burying her fingers deep in his hair, tugging at the ends. Link wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer—wanting, needing more. His body was feverishly hot and his skin felt oddly tight, as if pulled taut by some invisible force.
Link was thankfully a quick learner, and by that time, he had mostly gotten the hang of it and was experimenting.
She rubbed against him like a cat, and his blood quickened even more in response. His skin was ultrasensitive, every nerve ending singing in overwhelming delight, and each stroke of her roaming, skillful hands sent a jolt of molten hot lava straight to his groin, which throbbed with something akin to pain.
She pulled away for air, and Link trailed kisses and nips down the side of her neck, allowing instincts to effectively guide his actions. Malon rewarded him with a breathless sigh, one that made the inner male in him roar its pleasure in knowing he had inspired such a reaction.
Mind a bit dazed, he vaguely reflected that he hadn't known kissing could be so delightful. When shared between two adults and done properly, it was wonderful. He would like to try it with Zelda….
Zelda.
As his thoughts turned to her,Link froze in place.
"What's wrong?" Malon murmured, noticing his abrupt change. She cupped his cheek, her eyes begging him to continue.
I don't love you, his mind supplied, nor will I ever. Zelda is the only woman who will ever hold my heart.
As he thought of Zelda, all the pent-up arousal—desire that had a second again been all-encompassing—fled, leaving him feeling guilty and ashamed by his actions. As if a bubble stuck with a needle, his erected promptly deflated, and Malon noticed with a frown.
"I'm sorry," Link told her sincerely, extracting himself from her embrace. "I can't do this. I'm really sorry." He practically fled the room, not even glancing back at the woman willing and eager for his touch.
Once in his room, Link shut and locked the door firmly behind him, leaning back against the solid wood for support. A deep breath helped steady his racing thoughts a bit.
He felt… hollow.
He had only briefly experienced the passion between a man and a woman, but Link knew about sex, even if in theory. Malon's touch had only inspired other longings—ones that could only be satisfied by his lost princess. His craved Zelda's voice whispered in his ear, urging him on; her nails biting into his back as she desperately clutched onto him; her eyes staring back at him as he made love to her again and again. Another woman would never suffice.
More so, however, he wanted to talk to her as they had conversed as children, sharing intimate thoughts and fears as a weave of trust cocooned them. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her close, never letting go even when the world threatened to crumble all around them.
Link loved her with every fiber of his being. While perhaps a bit irrational, he knew he would not be able to live without her, would not want to take another breath without her. She was alive; he felt it deep within his soul, and he would not rest until she was in his arms, safe and where she belonged.
After he found her, Link would deal with whether or not she reciprocated the feelings. If not, his heart would be crushed into a million pieces, so strong were the feelings he had for her. She loved him as well—Link, once again, knew it deep down.
Seven years had passed. What if she had changed and no longer held him in high esteem?
It doesn't matter. I will find her regardless of how she feels about me, he thought, pushing away from the door with a sigh. He flopped down on the bed after stripping himself of his tunic, unable to stomach the thought of sleeping nude after what transpired, and crawled under the covers. His last thoughts of the night were: I'm coming for you, Zelda.
.
..
.
The next morning both Malon and Link carefully avoided the topic of the previous night, acting as if it had never happened. She woke him up with breakfast, and they ate in awkward silence. Afterwards, she assisted him in saddling Epona and packing up, helpfully filling in the gasps in his knowledge of horse care. Her knowledge on the subject was unprecedented.
Malon gazed at Epona with a mixture of sadness and joy. "I never thought I'd see the day you'd find a rider. I'm going to miss you," she whispered tenderly to the horse, stroking her fondly. "Fairy boy will take good care of you." She glanced to Link when delivering the next bit. "He's a wonderful man."
"I'll take care of her," he promised solemnly, taking the reins when she handed them over.
She swallowed, and looked away. "I don't know what you're doing, this task you have… It's dangerous, isn't it?"
"Yes." He saw no point in underestimating the truth. His journey promised deadly uncertainty and dangerous obstacles at every turn.
Malon nodded slowly. "You'll be careful, won't you?"
"I'll do my best."
"Good." The smile she gave him fell short of genuine, almost resembling a pained grimace.
Link swung up into Epona's saddle. "I'll see you again."
"May the Goddesses be with you."
With that, Link nudged Epona, and she trotted forward, thus beginning their journey together. They had made it to the entrance before Malon's voice stopped him. "There's another woman, isn't there?" He turned Epona so that he could look at Malon's earnest face, and nodded, knowing he didn't have to voice the words. "Does she know?"
Link hesitated. Good question, he thought. "I'd like to think so," he settled on, "but I'm not sure."
Seeing Kokiri broke his heart into tiny pieces. Beside him, Link sensed Navi's anguish, a pain that could not be expressed.
"Oh, Link," she murmured tearfully, her voice thick with emotion.
Monsters ran freely over once safe grounds—an abundance of deku babas and deku scrubs that startled him. No children played and frolicked—hiding in their homes, no doubt, too afraid to venture out and live.
His vision bled red in that instant, a blind rage settling over him, and he slew every one of them without mercy, not stopping until he watered the ground with their blood. He poured all his anger and frustration until the deed, and it oddly helped purge him of those emotions.
The children watched from their windows, and it was a while until they ventured out once more, fearful of what he was capable of. Monsters were predictable, driven by instinct and the urges of survival; men, however, were not so easily read.
Upon conversing with several of them, he realized they didn't recognize him. Granted, he wasn't close to many, but he figured at least one of them would've remembered him. And then the strangest thing happened, his name came up, but it wasn't connected to him.
"You're an adult now, what do you expect?" Navi pointed out once Link brought it up.
It bothered Link, but he continued unimpeded.
The Forest Temple, he discovered, hid behind the Lost Woods, a massive vine-covered stone temple. From merely looking at the outside structure, he failed to determine a purpose, Navi unable to provide any information on it either. As Link approached, he spotted Sheik from the corner of his eye, lithely jumping from the high platform to land before Link.
"You made it I see," he stated, sounding unimpressed.
"I did," Link returned mildly, cocking an eyebrow.
"You may yet be ready for this," Sheik mused thoughtfully. "The flow of time is always cruel. Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it. A thing that doesn't change with time is a memory of younger days. In order to come back here again, play the Minuet of Forest."
He pulled a lyre out and plucked a song on it, one that conjured images of playful branches and leaves dancing in the wind. Once finished, he threw Link an expectant look, and Link hastily drew his ocarina. As he tentatively explored the notes, the lyre followed and blended, guiding him.
Once finished, Link found himself staring into Sheik's eyes, both men unblinking and unflinching. As Link watched, something flashed across those red eyes, something almost familiar, something that sent a jolt through him, starting in his stomach and radiating outward. It receded just as quickly as it appeared, so Link couldn't identify what made it so familiar.
"Link, I'll see you again," Sheik murmured, turning away. Like always, a deku nut exploded, and he vanished.
Link wasted no time in entering the temple. His first thought upon entering was that the stone structures held a certain beauty, thick vines draping and crawling over much of the surface—but then a cunning wolfos attacked and wiped all else from his mind. There would be no gradually easing himself in and getting a feel for the place, it seemed.
Sheik had been correct—his words, Link realized now, hadn't been unkind. As Sheik predicted, the trials Link faced exceeded anything he had ever dealt with before, remarkably complex and dangerous, and it pushed him well past his limits and, at times, endurance. Ganondorf had ingeniously placed traps, tasks and monsters, so that Link was tested at every corner in a different way. It forced him to grow in strength, cleverness, and abilities, regardless of whether he wanted it or not.
During the long cold nights, with nothing but a cloak to keep him warm, Navi's tiny body trembling against him, Link questioned his capabilities, wondering if this were within his reach. It seemed too much, impossible for one person to take on alone. But then, he wasn't alone. Navi maintained a constant place beside him, supporting him however she could with steadfast confidence, perpetual optimism, and helpful intelligence.
Days passed, becoming weeks. He eventually lost count of how long he remained in that place. With no sun to indicate the days, time blended together, stretching thin until one hour became indiscriminate from the next.
The experience nearly broke him.
Then he met the main enemy of the Forest Temple, and everything else paled in comparison.
As he eased into the room full of the same framed picture on the walls, Link slowly turned on the spot, taking in every detail he could manage. Two things happened simultaneously: the gate roes into place, locking him in, and he spotted the enemy.
"Ganondorf," Link gasped, fear freezing him in place. He thought to be ready to face the King of Evil before, but the temple proved otherwise. If Ganondorf's minions were that strong, Link couldn't fathom fighting him. Link knew he wasn't ready. "Oh, fuck."
"Link," Navi breathed shakily, and he heard the terror in her voice.
Ganondorf rode his midnight stallion, looking just as lethal and terrifying as he did seven years ago.
He raised a hand, smirking, and his face melted off so that nothing but a skeletal skull remained, the hollows where eyes had once been glowing a bright yellow. Link yelped and stumbled back in shock.
"What the hell!" Link exclaimed to Navi, incredulous and speechless. "How is that possible? What…?"
Navi's wings fluttered anxiously. "I think—I think it's just a phantom. Not even Ganondorf has that sort of power; he would die doing that to himself."
Navi's theory proved correct. Phantom Ganon weaved in and out of the pictures, taunting Link with a distorted, eerie laugh. Link used his newly acquired fairy bow and shot arrows when Ganon leapt from the frame, the most vulnerable point. While he wasn't an expert shot, Link hit his target the majority of the time, even if it not dead center. For one terrifying moment, Link missed, and Ganon charged, his spear burring deep in Link's shoulder as Ganon sailed past into the next frame.
Ganon eventually abandoned that effort, and faced Link one-on-one, hovering a foot in the air. Balls of yellow pulsating light rained down on him. The energy bolts stung something fierce, throbbing much longer than fire burns did. They incapacitated him worse than the biri in Lord Jabu Jabu.
Link deflected them as best as he could, but Phantom Ganon's speed far surpassed his.
Ganon, much to Link's shame, battered Link to the point where he neared collapsing, his body too exhausted and in too much pain to continue. He prayed to the Goddesses for relief, else he feared he might perish right then and there.
Through the one eye that wasn't swollen, Link saw the luminous ball flying his way at an alarming speed. He barely raised his sword in time to deflect it back to Ganondorf. There came a cry of pain as it struck, and Link reacted, forcing his lethargic body to obey. Link lunged, and while Ganon fought the effects, Link stabbed.
The Master Sword went in through the stomach and came out the back.
The skeleton mimicked a look of surprise, and promptly burst into incandescent blue flames. Link threw himself backwards to avoid the inferno and watched with morbid fascination as the phantom turned to ash before his very eyes. A purple swirling mass appeared in the middle of the room, and the phantom floated towards it.
"Hey, kid, you did quite well," the real Ganondorf's voice echoed around the room, sounding oddly pleased. "It looks like you may be gaining some slight skill. But you have defeated only my phantom. When you right the real me, it won't be so easy!"
Easy, right, Link mentally scoffed.
"What a worthless creation that ghost was! I will banish it to the gap between dimensions!" As Ganondorf gave a sadistic chuckle, the mass swallowed what little remained of the phantom and disappeared.
Link nearly sagged to the ground in relief as the familiar blue portal appeared, ready to take him out of there. He kept himself upright and walked to it through sheer willpower alone. It transported him to the Chamber of the Sages.
A moment later, the green medallion in front of him lit up and from the brightness, Saria appeared, his best friend from childhood. She looked just the same as before: green short hair, always tidy with every strand in place, a mischievous grin curving her lips and a sparkle of life in her eyes. It was impossible not to like the friendly girl.
Though surprised and pleased to see Saria, Link's mind couldn't muster anything other than numbness, too worn out and in desperate need of a respite. He attempted to participate in the conversation as she informed him that she was, in fact, the Sage of the Forest. As she expressed her utter confidence in his ultimate return, Link experienced a twinge of guilt and shame, owing to the fact that he never visited her after leaving. She waved that away with, "It is destiny that you and I can't live in the same world."
Being wiser allowed him to notice what he missed before: Saria possessed (or had possessed) feelings for him that exceeded purely platonic ones. Why hadn't he detected that before? Link pushed it aside and resolved to deal with it later.
In the end, Saria gifted him her medallion, infused with her power as a Sage. As his fingers curled around the disc, new strength filled his limbs, not quite energizing him but provided much needed energy to keep him on his feet.
Legs trembling, he went to her and crouched down before her, a bit unnerved with this new height difference. He had a good two feet on her. Opening his arms in invitation, he waited and wasn't disappointed. She stepped into his embrace and wrapped her small arms him.
"I'm proud of you," she whispered softly, squeezing him.
"I'm proud of you," he returned.
.
..
.
Saying goodbye turned out to be easier than he expected, perhaps due to his sluggish mind. Whatever the reason, peace descended upon him as the light transported him to where the Great Deku Tree one stood. It felt odd being back after so long, with everything so different and yet the unchanged at the same time.
What had changed, however, was a Deku sprout having appeared over the years. Its purpose, Link guessed, was to be the new guardian of the Forest.
It spoke to Link cheerily enough, revealing Link's true Hylian lineage.
"Some time ago, before the King of Hyrule unified this country, there was a fierce war in our world," the Deku Sprout explained, relishing the opportunity. "One day, to escape from the fires of the war, a Hylian mother and her baby boy entered this forbidden forest. The mother was gravely injured. Her only choice was to entrust the child to the Deku Tree, the guardian spirit of the forest. The Deku Tree could sense that this was a child of destiny, whose fare would affect the entire world, so he took him into the forest. After the mother passed away, the baby was raised as a Kokiri. And now, finally, the day of destiny has come!"
While Link always suspected it in the back of his mind, it struck him in a way similar to a physical blow. The dreams, of fire and that heartbroken woman, all made sense now—it was a memory of his mother's fight to save him.
Link heard bits and pieces of the chattering the Deku sprout maintained, but his mind was elsewhere, struggling to work properly. Everything—the battle, seeing Saria, the truth about his life—all of it overloaded his system.
The next thing Link was vaguely aware of was hitting the ground and then blacking out completely.
Author's note: I'm not sure if I like this chapter... But, I felt it necessary, so oh well.