Disclaimer: I do not own LOZ... but you already knew that right? Right?... right?
Malon had hoped this day would be better than yesterday. What with the promising start they'd had this morning.
Of course she'd been wrong. When had any activity dealing with heavy loads of exercise ever been better on the second day?
While she was still more accustomed to long hours of riding than the average Hylian, a day-long ride with few stops in between had worn her well past a point of exhaustion.
More notably, was the fact that Epona had not taken a single break from her prancing. It was quite remarkable really. To go for so long with such a complex maneuver... a feat that was both satisfying and disappointing to see. Malon had always known Epona to be of champion horse material. She had to be painfully bored to be spending such skills in mastering a frilly walk.
However, she couldn't bring herself to keep feelings of anger towards Link. Especially since Epona was giving him the brunt part of it all. No rider could be comfortable with how violently she was jerking him around on that saddle. A stubborn horse for a stubborn boy.
She watched as he nearly fell off during a particularly throwing jolt. His hands dropping the reins to take hold of her mane instead. His entire body rose in the air as his hands pulled on her hair to keep himself on. Teeth grinding in barely held frustration. For the dozenth time within the last hour, Malon felt herself biting back a laugh as Epona responded to Link's reprimanding yanks with even higher steps. If they didn't stop soon, she'd start bucking. Then again, the way he kept leaning forward to hiss things into her ear, Malon couldn't be too sure he wouldn't welcome the fight.
Most of the men she knew enjoyed showing their superior standing. The fact that he'd allowed Epona to keep misbehaving for so long was just so... humorous.
He looked like he did as a child when he'd first started riding horses with her. Except he was perfectly able to crack down and beat Epona into shape now. Maybe that was his problem. Maybe he had no idea when to raise his hand. It was hard to imagine the man who held the triforce of courage being a coward at heart. Especially when all of Hyrule was expecting him to maintain order.
The idea that he had no backbone to discipline when life called for it answered a lot more than Malon was comfortable with. Like how he hadn't hit her yet. Or that he hadn't seemed to care when she'd asked they rest when Boots had almost collapsed. If only he hadn't looked so wholly unaffected by the inconvenience. As if he was not meant to raise his voice for the slow in their pace.
At least Epona had kept him busy enough she hadn't had to deal with his never ending remarks about the weather and whatnot. Or that cringy smile he'd given her all of yesterday. Although he'd still managed a few odd questions here and there.
Sometimes it was hard to remember the days she'd spent ogling over the Hero with the rest of his fangirls.
"Farore, Nayru, Din, Hylia, and my dead father's roots." Link muttered. Shooting Epona a look of pure grouchiness.
Malon forced her attentions elsewhere, hoping her bangs would hide the smile she wanted to release. It had been a long time since she'd last felt like smiling so much. Though that was most likely due to the fact that Epona was actually getting away with all this. Had she done anything like that to Ingo, he would have made sure she'd stayed locked in for months.
"I- still haven't- found a yellow beetle... yet." Link grunted from his jarring ride. Apologetic? She'd never seen that. He truly had grown into a coward to be sorry towards her. But what about all the monsters he'd fought? Surely he would have learned something from that. To think it hadn't taught him how to use his higher standing against her to bring order and peace was just... odd.
It wasn't like she hadn't already tried everything else. She was half tempted to throw caution to the wind and tell him he hadn't hit her yet either. But that was a final resort tactic. If he knew she was trying to figure out what set him off, he'd also catch on to the fact that she meant to use that information to manipulate him out of it later. There was also the more obvious reason of that people didn't just talk about that sort of thing. That was like asking to be beaten. It was in a sense.
While Link did need to learn when it was proper to snap down on someone. She refused to be the practice until he forced her.
She was just about to try and piece together some sort of acceptable reply to his strange apology, Epona's flaunting landed on a particularly low jut in the road. Malon stiffened as she watched the horse's feet begin rolling to the side, her weight pulling her opposite of where her hoof was.
Everything seemed to slow as Link slid his entire body to her left. Hands yanking her back as his boots dug into the ground.
Malon yanked Boots to a full stop. Jumping off him and rushing towards the two as Epona's fall switched from her right towards Link. There was no way Malon could hold the horse up before she crushed Link. But she'd rode the horse enough to know what she'd do next.
Epona immediately took her body's flailing as a sign to try and right herself. Malon rushed to Epona's front just as the hurt foot came back down in a desperate attempt to remain upright, grabbing her chest and forcing her left leg to remain in as she tried to right her fall. The tactic worked and Epona fell with a thump.
A large dust cloud filled the air as Epona slammed onto the ground. And for a few terrifying moments, Malon was certain the fall had been caught by Link and his ribs.
When she felt for him however, Malon had nothing. The dust cleared to show Link on the ground just between Epona's legs. Relieved for his sake, Malon heaved out a breath as she understood what he'd done. Sliding under Epona just before she'd fallen completely. A horrible plan, but at least he'd been skilled enough to make it.
But Epona.
Malon stroked the horse's mane as she wriggled on the ground. Trying to calm her enough to allow Link to jump away from her scrambling feet. She heard him grunt a few times, but as long as Epona's bad hoof wasn't the one that connected with him...
An unspeakable amount of terror filled her as Link slid onto his knees next to her. Hand stretched out towards Epona's bad leg. He was going to- She couldn't let him-
Her hand shot out and yanked his back before he could do anything to her horse. He hadn't hurt Epona yet. She refused to let him start now. Her efforts were in vain. She felt her throat close as his hand caught hers, twisting it and using her own force against her as he reversed her shove. She stumbled back as Link twisted back to Epona.
"No don't- She's done nothing wrong!" Malon screamed as she made to lunge at him.
And then everything went still.
Malon froze in place as Epona stopped squirming. Link's hand rested at the top of Epona's leg. Far from the spot Malon had thought he would have gone for. He leaned forward, burying his face in her coat and whispering words Malon couldn't catch.
The only thing that moved was Link. His hand slid from her leg, the other reaching to clench around her mane. Was he... shaking?
She stared at his grasp. Tense at how terribly easy it would be for him to reach down and torture the horse that had been giving him grief all day.
All it would take was one slight move.
Malon couldn't shift from her place. Too worried that in any moment he'd fall into a string of curses. How he'd go off about the fact that this had almost killed him, or that it would set them back on their travels.
Instead he stayed in his embrace. His white knuckles digging into her mane as something along the lines of a whimper escaped his throat.
"Link..." She stated, feeling more on edge by the moment.
"I'm all right!" His words were rushed, a bit too high strung to put truth into his meaning. Inhaling sharp, the boy slumped a little closer over the horse. "What I mean to say is that she is alright. There's no need to worry. I'll take care of her as soon as I can. Feel free to roam around a bit or rest."
Why was she still here? He clearly had no need for her. All this was doing was putting her more on edge.
She was silent as she approached Boots. Not entirely sure if she meant to hop on him and ride away for good or try trampling the man that was currently driving her nerves insane. Maybe both.
Her hands slid across the smooth saddle. Legs itching to jump on and kick Boots into a canter. Link seemed much too focused on Epona to really be able to stop her before she got too far away. And with Epona being hurt as she was, Malon might actually have a decent start before she'd have to worry about him pursuing after her.
She wouldn't go back to the ranch. The moment she'd left that prison behind was the first one she'd felt she could breath. Confirming her fears that too many horrid memories had clouded away the last feelings of home she'd felt tied to Lon Lon Ranch. She'd left, and she knew she couldn't go back. Not now. Perhaps another time. But not now.
However it wasn't like she had no options. Kakariko Village would be a good place to lay low and figure out a plan. Besides, she'd always wanted to travel the world. Knight whisking her away or not, it would be freeing to live as she wished.
Freedom. Where there wasn't anyone breathing fear down her neck. Memories wouldn't press themselves into her life daily. Most importantly, there wouldn't be anyone to grieve over.
The idea was more and more enticing by the second. Just as she was about to step into the stirrups Epona gave a gentle snort.
She snapped her attention back to the two she meant to leave behind. Link was leaning fully into Epona, a reaction she would have expected to see herself if Epona had ever died. He didn't sob, but the way he hunched over, his fingers digging to her mane.
And then there was Epona.
Her eyes lay on Malon. Watching without so much as a twitch. Was she breathing? She had to be, but she almost looked like those ghastly stuffed animals Malon had seen from some traveling merchants.
Run. Everything about the situation told her she needed to run. But something held her there. The scene of Epona falling replying over and over in her head.
Link had known Epona's original fall would have landed much worse had he let her continue forward freely. Most likely, her leg would be broken from the weight of her entire body leaning on her oddly pressed bone angle. He had to have known that to have jumped to the opposite side and yanked her that way instead.
He'd saved her from a worse fate than the one she was owed.
And now here he was almost sobbing over her.
He truly wasn't like any man she'd ever met.
...
...
...
But he was exactly like he'd been as a child.
Images of him throwing open her bedroom door, sobbing relentlessly about a shattered glass vase as his nine year old apologies filled the air as his hands bled out from trying to fix it himself.
She'd used to teased him about that day, but it was one of the moments he'd gone from an odd friend to someone else entirely.
He'd always been such a deep feeler. Hard as he tried to hide it.
The flight ran from her as she grabbed the bandages. Defeat feeling much more like a wave of calm as she stepped towards the boy trying desperately not to cry over his fallen horse.
"I believe it's only a strain." She whispered, stepping past Link and kneeling to the spot Epona had hurt herself. Her leg had swelled in the area she'd tripped. A bit of careful feeling, Malon knew she had been correct. She could feel Link's eyes on her as she worked. Though felt much too exhausted to feel worried he would be angry with her. She'd missed her friend watching her work. Selfish feelings or not, she'd missed Link's quiet company and before long she felt herself ease a bit under his gaze as she set to work on tending to Epona.
The stubborn horse had given her hours of grief when she'd lived on the ranch. But with Link so wound up, the horse didn't fight Malon an inch as she wrapped a tight bandage around. She truly had grown close to Link the past few months. If only Malon could figure out how to do that too.
"She'll be fine, but she probably shouldn't take any weight on her for the next six or eight weeks. And... we'll have to lead her at a slow pace till we get to the Valley." Malon continued, not pausing her work as she spoke. "The Gerudo will probably let her rest in the stables with their other horses. Hopefully by the time we're finished with our stay there Epona will be well enough to take on more weight."
"You've been to the Valley." His voice was near silent. When she dared to look at him, she felt some of her fear spark once more. Though he looked much like a boy her age, wide eyed and worried. A somberness gave his features a speck of stern that rattled her. Not to mention the fact that he was older than nine and an entire head taller than her.
"I've been a great many times." She admitted dropping her attention back to her work in hopes it would help her enough to speak the words she wanted to say. "Though I doubt anyone there would remember me."
"Did Ingo...?" He didn't finish. Something she wasn't sure she felt grateful for, or frustrated about. Why was it nobody ever wanted to say it? Like it was something they ought to skirt about and try to erase. Like it wasn't something that had happened.
She wasn't any different though.
"We supplied Ganondorf's army. Of course Ingo did business with the Gerudo. They were Ganondorf's most loyal followers after all." Finishing her dressing, Malon snipped off the bandage and turned to Link. Keeping her eyes pointed at the ground ignoring the warning bells that came with not watching the potential threat. "But as I said, I don't think they'd recognize me. I was just the dirty little helper that never did more than peek out of the back of the wagon."
"And you want to be the same 'dirty little helper' when I walk in tomorrow."
Her spine straightened as she shot him a look of surprise. He offered a grim smile. Not the clingy overly enthusiastic one, but a soft, sad one. "Despite what everyone thinks, I do notice things. Maybe not everything, but more than people would guess."
"I don't want to be the same as I was the last time..." Malon began. Her voice trailed as she realized he was right. Perhaps she didn't want to play that part. But wasn't it what she'd been looking to play since they'd left? It was all she knew. Feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny of his tight smile, Malon scooted further from the Hero. "I... don't want to be the same..." She repeated weakly.
Link arched a brow but didn't press the issue any further.
They sat in silence. Link stroking Epona's mane as Malon doubled over her work.
She mulled over their conversation. Short as it was, it had been the most familiar conversation she'd had with him in a long time.
A long time.
(( So I have sad news...
This story is going to go on a long hiatus. A year and half to be exact. I know it seems kinda random and such a long time for a break. But I'm actually headed out to go do something pretty busy busy busy and it's going to monopolize my time. I have said this all other times and I will promise it again, I AM NOT ABANDONING THIS STORY! Yes I will be gone for a long time, but I will come back to it as soon as I can. And in the mean time, I'll be writing bits and pieces of it as much as I can as I go.
It's actually why I haven't updated for so long. I've been preparing to go on this trip, and it's kept me busy.
I've loved writing this with you all so far! And will be back!
(p.s. I apologize for this scatterbrained chapter, it... is a first draft unfortunately, so my hopes is that it just makes sense.)
Don't forget to smile!
Wait for me to come back! And don't give up on this story! (Probably around January 2023 or the month after)
-Fangirlinggirlz