Chapter 21: Try to remember
Dragon Link flew for what seemed like two hours, but was really fifteen minutes. He thought he was going to find Malon and do what he had to, but then realized if he was going to keep searching, he wouldn't find her in a long time. So he touched down on the ground and walked to the center of Hyrule Field with his arms folded.
While Link waited, his mind raced and his pace quickened. He almost considered finding Vaati instantly, but knew that this had to be done first.
"What did I do to make her THAT mad? I may not love her like I love Zelda, but that's hardly a reason to be mad. She must be mad for that promise, but I don't remember what happened..."
Link stopped thinking because he had just spotted a silhouette in the distance. It was none other than Malon. Link wouldn't run away. There was no one there to save him, and no one to die or lose his soul for him. He was on his own and he was ready for anything.
Malon was walking at a slow walk, but when she saw Link, she moved at virtually the speed of a Wolfos. Link braced himself as Malon came galloping towards him. She then came to a sudden halt just 5 feet away from him.
"So we meet again, Link. Still afraid to fight me?" She asked.
Link's expression looked like it could have been carved from stone. His eyes simply stared ahead as though he was looking at Ganondorf rather than his friend.
"That's a good one. Me? Afraid of you?" Link said, his expression not even changing the slightest.
Malon scowled at the hero of time with a look of disgust on her face.
"That's no way to talk to your friend. Is it?" Malon asked, trying to ignite a streak of fear in Link's heart.
Her tactic didn't work, because Link glared back at her.
"You're not my friend." Link said through gritted teeth, "I saved you from Ganondorf, spent countless hours with you at the ranch, and even offered a trip to Hyrule Castle Town and what do you do? You join a bunch of rogues who take souls for money!" Link scolded, fingering his sword.
Malon recoiled, but more in surprise than emotion. Normally, Link would've begged her to stop. But now he was willing to fight her and talking like he'd never talked before.
"You've wizened up, I'll give you that. However, you're still no match for me." Malon said in a cruel voice.
She drew her samurai sword in a fraction of a second just when Link took out his shield and shield. In the second it had taken Link to realize that the fight was on. Link would either make things right or lose his soul trying.
The minute Malon saw Link take out the sacred blade, she couldn't hold it in anymore and all the anger that Vaati had stirred up in her was suddenly let out. She sprinted forward with speed to rival his own and Link put up his shield so that the samurai sword bounced off harmlessly. Link countered with a strike of his own, which Malon back flipped to avoid and she had to do it again or she would have gotten scalped. Link finished the combo and Malon leapt forward and thumped Link with her foot. Link rolled on contact with the ground just in time for Malon to stab the ground where his head was just a second ago.
"Huh, not bad." Malon said, only slightly impressed.
Link lunged forward so suddenly and his sword actually put a gash on Malon's arm, but it was only a minor injury and she was still able to fight. Malon looked at her injury, touched it with one finger, and licked the blood off her finger.
"Only a scratch. Not a great loss." Malon said as she charged again.
This time, the same thing happened only it was Malon who injured Link. She put a small gash on Link's side, but Link's endurance kept him on his feet. Link reciprocated and raised his sword up high. Malon prepared to step back from the attack, but Link perfected a vertical strike that turned into a horizontal strike. However, when Link finished the combo, he performed a sweep that Malon had to leap over, the blade missing her toes by inches. When she landed, Link was there to meet her and the two momentarily locked blades, pushing against each other. Link had a clear weight advantage, but the minute he began driving Malon back, she flipped away from his upcoming blade and ended up a good few feet away.
"Now is the time to use this." Malon said, reaching for the orb in her belt.
"If you lose, then you will end up like the others who have faced me and failed." Link warned, his cold expression suddenly turning solemn.
"I won't." Malon snapped, "I cast the Curse of Charanatos!"
Once again, the magic circle of the curse encircled them both and Malon got the silver hair, markings, and red glint in the eyes. Now, however, she looked a little more...dangerous.
"Prepare to feel my wrath, you fool!" She shouted, the effects of the curse showing in her voice.
"This spell might teach you something." Link said as he took out a spell of his own, "I have my own magic. The Spell of Purification!"
The bluish-silver circle appeared with the symbol of the Triforce in it. The markings of the triforce crossed the lines that made up the fierce deity mask symbol of the Curse of Charanatos. Link's eyes glowed electric blue and the symbol of the Triforce of Courage appeared on his forehead. Link still remained calm and focused. If his opponent was calm, she was NOT showing any of it.
"When this is over, you'll see REAL power!" Malon shouted as though she were 50 feet away from him.
Link didn't even flinch on this comment and only stared back at her.
"You've been lied to, Malon. I suggest you call this off." Link said as though he were having a kind conversation.
Malon's angered expression increased and she roared as she thrusted her sword at Link, but Link kept his cool and evaded the blade by inches. Link raised his sword just in time to block a lightning-fast strike and quickly moved it to the left. Link took a swift swing that Malon ducked under for a sweep, which Link hopped over as though the sharp blade were a jump rope. Malon rose to try a strike that would have cut Link from his right thigh to his left shoulder. The hero of time began to concentrate and the Master Sword's blade began to glow blue. It was clear that he was learning more things from the Spell of Purification and he was obviously controlling it to gather in his blade.
Malon was obviously ticked off at how Link was evading every one of her moves with such ease and her moves suddenly sped up. Malon's blade was now more like a silver blur while Link's Master Sword was equally fast. Then, Link made a mistake. He thrust with his sword half a second too slow. This allowed Malon to get a clear shot at him. She swung her sword and cut deep into Link's leg. Link grunted in pain and crouched down to one knee, clutching his wound. Malon almost laughed as she saw this "mighty hero" kneel before a farm girl.
"Tell me, Link, can your prissy princess do that or is she better off with Vaati?" Malon taunted, pointing her sword at Link like an accusing finger.
Her taunt proved to be a mistake as Link got up, despite his pain, and swung the newly enhanced Master Sword. The blue blade caught Malon right on the arm and suddenly, before Malon even realized that she was injured, she stopped as though was in some form of trance. That attack had just brought something from the back of her brain; the good part of her was trying to get out. However, that one blow was not enough and the evil part of her suppressed it.
Malon came back to reality and scowled at Link.
"How DARE you!" Malon said, as though she was a female version of Ganondorf.
Malon still had the sword ready for attack and slashed at Link's chest, ready to impale him. Link put up his shield, but Malon then flipped her sword under the shield and flipped it off Link's arm. Link countered with another swipe which Malon avoided and caught the arm where his shield used to be. Link almost cried out, but he locked it behind his teeth, and all that came out was a frustrated growl.
Link swung his sword again and actually put a large gash on Malon's left arm. Malon was again in some form of trance and looked like she had a splitting headache. She was holding her head and moaning in pain. In her head, the internal battle between the good of Malon's soul and the evil of the curse began to change results. This time, the good prevailed and the evil was extinguished.
The markings under her eyes began to fade and her eyes changed from red to blue. Her once-silver hair turned back to bright red. When she showed her face, it no longer looked angry. In fact, it looked a bit scared and sad.
"What am I doing?!" She asked herself.
Link was badly injured, but not out. Malon ran over to him and embraced him. Link didn't care that his arm and leg were injured and he welcomed this in a long time.
"Link, I'm so sorry. I couldn't control it... you were right. Vaati did trick me. I just…wanted to see my mother again. I was so desperate to see her, I was willing to kill you to get there. Why couldn't I just accept the fact that people forget?" She said in almost a whisper and stifling tears.
Link smiled at the Malon. He'd been longing to see her happy for weeks and finally got to after two whole weeks of pain and injury.
Link knew what he had to do now because the curse was beginning to close in on them. Link got to his feet, despite his injury, and positioned the Master Sword so that the blade was facing up.
"Master Sword...I know you can do this. Destroy the Curse of Charanatos!" Link shouted as he struck the walls of the Curse with the Master Sword.
The invisible barrier began to crack with pure white energy and the curse vanished. Then, Malon and Link's injuries healed and even the blood on their swords vanished. Then, the orb that contained the curse fell out of Malon's belt. Then the orb's colors faded until they were out and the orb shattered into a million pieces.
Link panted as he sheathed the Master Sword and then Malon hugged him from behind. She was crying and all Link could do was comfort her. Finally, she managed to choke out two words. Link didn't hear her the first time, so he positioned her head so that she looked him in the eye.
"Now what did you say?" Link asked, his once-cold expression melting into a soft one.
Malon hugged Link and finally managed to say, "Thank you...for freeing me..."
Miles away, Vaati virtually exploded.
"NO! Malon's broken free of my lies and the curse!" Vaati shouted.
He stopped meditating and landed on his feet.
"I have no more servants, so I've got to do this myself now." He thought.
He held out his hand and a dual-sided scimitar appeared as though it suddenly appeared there. Vaati gazed at his blade as though it was the face of an old friend. He was going to let Link find him and destroy the hero that caused so much trouble for him.
ALRIGHT! Malon's back! Now, it's time to face off against Vaati.
Read and Review--Dimensiondude