Maybe I'll be able to write one story a year, huh? Hi everyone! I'm comin' atcha with a Zelda fanfic this time! However, it's based around the Linked Universe AU, which I have been nothing short of obsessed with lately, haha! I hope you enjoy, and I definitely want to write more stories for these boys soon!
This story is based on the song "Shut Up and Dance With Me" by WALK THE MOON (original, I know). Just imagine an upbeat song with a similar tempo for when Malon and Link dance together.
Also, for the second part, I DID try to come up with alternate names for Anju and Kafei, even looking on the Zelda wiki for help. But after some deliberation, I decided to just avoid confusion and keep their names they way they were. I needed to add friends who were around Link and Malon's age, so in they went. I hope you don't mind me taking some creative liberties with it!
The smell of smoke from the large bonfire tickled young Malon's nose as she raced about the field, greeting every guest that had arrived at Lon Lon Ranch. The days spent in preparation for this event had been a little chaotic, at best, but she was determined to make this the best birthday her dear friend, Link, would ever have.
Incidentally, Malon had discovered that he had never celebrated a birthday before, let alone knew what one was. In her impulsive decision-making, she decided his birthday would then be exactly one week from that very day.
And so began the arduous task of inviting every person she could see to the party. Between reminding her father daily to make sure they had plenty of food, to running the poor Hylian postman ragged from delivering invitations, Malon was exhausted but pleased to see her efforts weren't in vain. Hylians, Zora, Goron, and even Gerudo people had arrived, though she had enough sense to know it was probably just the allure of free food that brought them all there.
It was well into evening time when everyone had mostly settled in, chatting or dancing amongst themselves. A few Hylian musicians from Castle Town had struck up a lively tune and, against the starry sky with all the couples dancing, it was quite a sight to behold. Malon smiled at the success of the impromptu party.
Well, success so far, anyways.
The guest of honor himself, Link, sat on the fence alone some distance away from everyone else. He watched the moon with somewhat careful regard, his face mostly neutral. But his eyes were filled with sorrow, and Malon felt a pang of disappointment in her heart. She quietly approached and called to him softly. Link tensed briefly before turning his gaze to face her.
"Are you having fun?" she smiled brightly at him as she spoke. He stared for a moment before schooling his expression into something brighter.
"Yeah, this is great! Thank you!" The false cheer lasted only a second or two before his face fell again. Malon pulled herself up to sit on the fence next to him, offering comfort while silently asking what was wrong. "But," Link started quietly, and Malon leaned closer to hear him better, "none of the Kokiri came." It wasn't a name she was familiar with. But Kokiri, perhaps, referred to the fairy children from the forest. She had specifically told the postman to reach ALL corners of Hyrule, but maybe the woods were too daunting. Or maybe the forest children didn't understand the message. Certainly not because they didn't care - it wasn't possible - and yet there were none to be seen here. Link seemed to draw himself in a little closer after the words left his lips.
The fairy boy kept his secrets close; he seemed determined but happy the first time they had met. Sometimes, he would leave for periods of time, but mostly he stayed at Lon Lon Ranch and helped take care of the livestock as much as he could.
Then, after one trip that lasted several days, he came back with an odd, haunted look in his eyes. From then on, he was jumpier, and he could tell the time of day with frightening precision just by looking up at the sky. It had taken a long time for Link to reach a semblance of "normal," and both Malon and her father helped how they could, feeling helpless all the while.
The two sat in silence, listening to the party guests in their splendor. In spite of the music playing only a few yards away, Malon began to hum gently, leaning closer to Link. He laid his head on her shoulder; music always seemed to cheer him up, even a little.
Suddenly inspired, Malon gasped and sat up straight, startling Link, who had just begun to doze off.
"I have an idea! Come with me!" She hopped off the fence and took his hand, beckoning him to follow. They ran from the fence railing to the middle of the party guests until they stood near the bonfire, close to the musicians. Malon tugged on one of the men's sleeves until he knelt down to hear her over all the noise. After whispering in his ear, she dashed back to Link's side and took his hands again. He stared at her, puzzled. Malon grinned and explained plainly, "we're going to dance!"
"We are?"
"Yeah! It'll be fun, come on!" The musicians began a lively tune with an even but fairly quick tempo, and she began to bounce lightly in place to the song's beat.
"I… I don't know…." Link began to turn his gaze away, but she leaned in and caught his eye, pulling him closer to herself.
"Please? Just a quick dance, then we can do whatever you want!" She pouted slightly, and Link's face softened after a moment of deliberation.
"Okay. But just so you know, I haven't danced in a long time. I'm not really familiar with this song, either."
"Don't worry! Just follow my lead," Malon replied, then beginning to move her feet to the tune, hopping and tugging him along. As the song picked up, so too did their dancing. But Link held an oddly focused expression - much too serious - and his movements were far too sharp. Malon was confused until she realized he was treating this as less of a dance, and more like a battle.
What a shame, she thought, that his youth was tainted in such a cruel manner.
"Hey," she slowed down and called to him quietly, breaking his concentration, "just relax. I know it's hard, but try to let yourself have fun." He blinked once or twice, then nodded, loosening his grip on her hands slightly. It was slow-going, at first, but they eventually picked the rhythm back up. And this time, loosened up thanks to his friend's comfort, Link danced with Malon properly. Though, if Malon were to comment on it later, he danced very much like she imagined a fairy boy would.
The song came to an end, and Malon released their hands, dipping into a curtsey while smiling sweetly at him. To his credit, Link's face was already somewhat flushed from the dancing, but she didn't miss how his blush deepened when she met his eyes. Malon giggled as she straightened up and approached him.
"Alright, a promise is a promise. What should we do now?"
Link pondered this for a moment, then gave her a mischievous smile - she swore her heart fluttered - as he took her hand and pulled her along like she had done to him.
"I'm starving! Let's get some food!"
She laughed and agreed that they were long overdue for dinner.
"Cheers! To the newlyweds!"
The small crowd of men and women in the Milk Bar at Castle Town raised a toast and cheered joyously. Link and Malon laughed and joined them, raising their own glasses before taking a drink.
"We're not married yet, you guys!" Malon, smiling, waved them down. "And besides, we're supposed to be celebrating Link's birthday!"
"He proposed just last week, honey!" the tall woman with short, red hair called Anju said. She took Malon's arm and led her to where the other women were at, eager to get a closer look at her engagement ring.
"Seriously, Link! You're practically Princess Zelda's right-hand man, and you get your fiancée a plain ol' ring like that?" A dark-haired man, already tipsy himself, slapped Link on the back roughly. Link pushed his hand away good-naturedly.
"Aw, lay off, Kafei. Malon doesn't need a huge, shiny rock to show that I care for her," he paused to knock back the rest of his Chateau Romani. "Besides, you've got a thing for Anju, right? When do you plan on telling her?" The men guffawed as Kafei sputtered.
"Oh hey, I just forgot! I still need to deliver your birthday beatings!"
"Sure, just remind me not to flip you into any tables and chairs while you try it," Link challenged back with a smirk. The men burst into laughter again as Kafei caught Link in a headlock and delivered a rough noogie.
Meanwhile, in a calmer, more orderly manner, the ladies fawned over Malon on the other side of the room.
"And you're sure you didn't want something more… you know," Anju waved her hand in a circular motion, unsure how to continue. But Malon shook her head, clasping her hands over her heart.
"This ring is perfect for a simple farmgirl like me. The only thing that matters is that I'm going to be his wife, and he's going to be my husband. That's it." The girls cooed and awed, and Malon finished the rest of her drink quickly. The night was growing late, and she wanted to cherish this moment with a tradition held dear to her. The flush on her cheeks grew as the alcohol kicked in, and she knew if she drank anymore, there would be no way they could finish the night properly. Malon stood and crossed the room, waving to her friends as she went to collect her fiancé from the gaggle of boys.
"Malon!" Link called happily when he noticed her approach. With little effort, he broke away from the pile of men to meet her in the middle. His silly, smiling face was glowing - from the alcohol or the horseplay, she wasn't sure - and his hair was a tussled mess. Malon didn't think it was possible that she could fall more in love with her soon-to-be husband.
"You owe me a dance, mister," she declared as she took his arm and led him to the center of the room. He giggled and teetered slightly when they stopped. She knew he was a lightweight when it came to drinks, so she had to make this dance a fast one.
"Go ahead!" she called out to the musicians waiting for their cue in the corner of the room. They struck up that familiar, quick-paced tempo, and Link's smile grew.
"Hey, our song is on!" Maybe he was a little more drunk than she had anticipated. Nonetheless, Malon took his hands and began to tap her feet to the beat of the song. In spite of his current circumstances, he too began to move, as though perfectly sober.
Unlike their random, directionless dancing as children, they fell into a more graceful and choreographed dance as adults. Years of practice allowed them to match their steps to the beat, but Link's clumsiness with some of the finer things led to an occasional misstep. On the other hand, Talon once told Malon that she was the mirror image of her mother, and she strove to uphold that notion, leading her to sometimes move too quickly, missing a beat and further messing up Link's part.
They laughed it off and had fun with their dance, messy and joyous as it were.
With endless gratitude from the chain, the recent portal had led the group back to Lon Lon Ranch. Malon was especially pleased to see them, announcing they were home right on schedule for Time's birthday.
"It's your birthday?" Twilight questioned. The rest of the group's eyes turned to Time curiously for confirmation. "How come you didn't tell us?" At that, Malon gave her husband her infamous glare, to which Time raised his hands in defeat.
"Slipped my mind, you know how it is."
"Honestly, you just want an excuse to skip the festivities!"
"I was never one to be the center of attention…."
"But we're your family! Don't worry, it'll be fun. Just you wait," Malon asserted, marching back to the house with the boys in tow. "I was hoping y'all would be here in time, so I started getting everything ready early just in case." As the chain entered the house, they were greeted by the sight of decorations — humble in design — and plenty of plated food, covering the table and countertops. "And I thought you'd appreciate a smaller celebration this time. Or at least, one with all of us." Time, stunned, smiled warmly at her.
"Thank you, Malon. You must've been working on this all day."
"You bet I have! You can pay me back with a nice shoulder rub later!" She winked, then beckoned everyone to put their belongings down in the adjacent room.
Talon returned a short while later, with drinks and the local Castle Town musicians they hired to play music for the night. He gave a cheerful and hearty welcome to the group, hugged Time tightly, then led him to a sofa in the room to strike up a conversation.
Wild busied himself with taking pictures of the food to remind himself to try cooking them later. He even went as far as shooing Four's hand away from one dish that he hadn't photographed yet. This unfortunately escalated into a slap fight that made Warriors, Sky, and Legend retreat to the sitting room until it was safe to take some food.
"Uh, I don't think so, guys," Twilight called after Wind and Hyrule, who had found a tall bottle of wine and were inspecting it in a hidden corner of the room.
"So long as we're clear, this wasn't my idea-"
"You're kidding, right? It wouldn't be my first drink, y'know!" Wind grumbled, cutting Hyrule off before he could make his case. Twilight rolled his eyes and plucked the bottle out of their hands, ignoring their protests as he returned it to the alcohol cabinet.
As the night dwindled on, the musicians played through plenty of upbeat songs, both for ambience and for dancing.
"No, that's a River Dance, Sky! Cross your arms, and don't bend your knees so much." Wind once again demonstrated a "sailor's jig," as he called it. Sky watched closely, then slowly crossed his arms across his chest and tried again.
"Like this?"
"Stop bending your knees so much! No!"
"There's a whole lot more skipping involved than I thought. Don't boats usually move around a lot in water?" Four speculated aloud. Legend couldn't help the quiet scoff.
"Yeah they do."
"You say something?" Warriors, currently shoving a slice of pie into his mouth, asked from beside him. Quickly, he waved him off.
"I said, who wants to make a bet?"
"Oh, I'm in! What's the deal?" With his third plate of food in hand, Hyrule joined the conversation smoothly and sat down on Legend's other side.
"Deal is," he continued, "twenty-five rupees to whoever can get the old man to dance."
"Ha! Speaking my language now! I'll raise you fifty rupees then!" Warriors slapped his knee with a laugh.
By this point, Wind had given up trying to teach Four and Sky the dance of his people; the shanty had quickly devolved into manic tap dancing, so he left them to it. He wandered to the dinner table, where he found Wild and Twilight engaged in an intense conversation about cookie shapes.
"They've gotta be star-shaped. You eat the points of the star first, like an appetizer, then the larger portion of the cookie in the middle is like an entree." Twilight held up a cookie with five points, the classic star shape.
"You're crazy. And do you honestly think most people would have the time to savor a snack like that? It's gotta be fully round so you don't waste time trying to decide where to start eating it." Wild, holding a circular cookie, traced a finger around the edge to further prove his point.
"Wow, riveting conversation, guys," Wind said with disinterest as he reached past them to grab a handful of cookies from the tray.
"Yes, now tell him I'm right about this!"
Wind chewed on his treat as he thought for a moment before replying to Wild.
"Well sure, but have you considered how the shape of the cookie makes it taste?" By his intentional, incorrigible streak of mischief, this question launched the two older heroes into a more intense debate. Several minutes of back and forth had passed before Wind was long finished with his snack and bored again. "By the Ocean King, you guys are boring."
"Oh yeah? You got a better topic for us?" Twilight glared at Wind. The younger teen grinned. Finally, a chance to cut in. Despite himself being a pirate, his grandma had taught him some manners.
"As a matter of fact, I do. The others are starting a betting pool." Wild and Twilight immediately snapped to attention. "They're trying to see who can get Time to dance."
"Ooh, that's not good. He said he had two left feet, didn't he?" Wild glanced over to Twilight, who shared the same concerned expression.
"…I COULD try to teach him some of my Ordonian folk dances real quick, but I doubt it would be enough practice to prevent a disaster." Wind pointed a thumb over his shoulder.
"You'd better make it quick, then. They've been talking about it this whole time."
"Aw crap."
"Let's go see the damage."
As Wind, Twilight, and Wild left the room to join the rest of the group, neither noticed Malon standing just around the corner, who had been eavesdropping the whole time.
"Hey, over here!" Warriors waved to the three heroes who walked in. "Betting pool's at one hundred and fifty rupees! You guys want in?"
"Duh! Twenty-five from me!"
"Wind!"
"What?"
"I'll add twenty-five rupees, too."
"WILD!"
"What?"
Twilight sighed and slid a hand down his face. It was unfortunate that the Hero's Spirit shared amongst the group didn't account for their unabashedly crude interests.
"Two hundred rupees are on the line, a little from each of us. You can join in, and we'll take turns asking Time, or you can try asking him yourself and potentially win it all," Legend spoke as he finished dropping the newest donations into the money bag. Twilight leveled his unimpressed glare at Sky and Four, who had long since given up their dancing venture.
"You guys, too?"
Mouth full of food, Sky only shrugged, and Four pointed at the money bag.
"Did you seriously think I was going to sit this one out? I could buy nice metals with that lump of cash."
"Seriously guys? It's his birthday, don't be a bunch of Peahats." The young rancher was at his wit's end.
A ripple of laughter passed through the group, save for Warriors and Wild who eyed each other with confusion.
Thanks to the distraction of conversation, none of the boys noticed the band's music die down momentarily, as Malon put in her favorite request. Pretending she was unaware of their betting pool, she strode right past the group and grabbed her husband's arm, pulling him up from where he'd been sitting with Talon.
"Dear?"
"You owe me a dance, mister."
The rest of the Links had grown silent as they watched with varying degrees of interest or amusement. Malon and Time reached the center of the room, and the song's beat began to play. Malon was prepared and ready to dance, but Time was hesitant.
"Did one of the boys put you up to this?" With a somewhat stony expression on his face, he began to look over his left shoulder. But before he could fully turn, Malon grabbed his chin and turned his eyes back to her.
"It doesn't matter, my love. Just dance with me." Malon mustered up the sweetest smile she could, and Time melted in her hands. An easy win. He began to move in beat with the song, and as the song picked up, their movements did, too. It was a dance they had practiced, played, and laughed through their entire lives. Each year, every year, perfectly practiced, both of them had grown older and thus were a touch slower than they used to be. But their dance was perfect and practically made just for them, energetic and upbeat as it always was. Though the dance always lasted several minutes, it was over in the blink of an eye, with Time and Malon stepping back to dip into a graceful bow and curtsy, respectively.
The room was silent for several seconds before uproarious cheering was all that could be heard.
"Where did you learn to dance like that? I thought you said you had two left feet!" Hyrule exclaimed.
"You told them that? You're terrible!" Malon laughed as she slapped Time's shoulder.
"Hey, I can't have them finding out all of my secrets!" Time chuckled back. "Although, I guess now it'll be much harder to talk my way out of any more impromptu dance sessions that may pop up."
"Consider that your punishment for lying to them, then!" She stuck her tongue out at him, then remembered a very important detail. "By the way, I believe you boys owe me two hundred rupees from that bet."
"W-wait, but you were— but how did—" Legend sputtered, and the rest looked struck.
"Ohh, so that's what happened," Time spoke to himself as an amused realization dawned on his face.
"Well, I just so happened to overhear you boys chatting about it a little while ago. Whoever gets 'Time' to dance wins," she enunciated with her fingers in air quotes. "And no one said it was limited to your little group there, so I decided to give it a try."
"Knowing full-well that was an easy victory for you, of course," Time smirked proudly. "You heard her, boys. Pay up."
Still recovering from shock, Warriors took the money bag from Legend and handed it over wordlessly. After a moment, Sky stood up and stepped up to the eldest.
"Teach me how to dance!" he beseeched Time. "Maybe we could even swap! Although the Loftwing Molting Festival dance is the only one I really know by heart…."
"I bet you could do a great sailor's jig!" Wind raced over to insert himself in the conversation. Even Twilight, doe-eyed, approached him.
"Please… I would be honored if you would teach me your ways."
"Whoa, easy there, boys. My joints ache a little too much right now, so maybe another time." The lie slipped from Time's mouth with ease, to their exasperation.
"No way, you are NOT talking your way out of this one, Old Man! Teach me how to dance, too!" Wild joined in, followed by Four, Warriors, and Legend with exclamations of their own. Malon exited the room, as their voices blended together with Time's attempts to pacify falling on deaf ears. She sat down next to her father, who had somehow managed to fall asleep during the commotion. She smiled to herself and felt her heart warm at the scene before her. Her husband seemed to have relented to their demands somewhat. Twilight demonstrated an odd dance for him before stopping to make sure Time's hands were in the right positions, then continued walking him through it. The movements were odd and foreign on him, and Malon couldn't help but giggle at the view. He met her eye over Twilight's shoulder and mouthed the word "help", which earned laughter from the rest of the group. She laughed too, shaking her head and leaving him to his fate.
It wasn't until later, after Four tried to teach him a Picori Dance (which reminded Malon a lot of some old Kokiri dances Time showed her in the past), that Time finally called it quits, backing out of the dancing circle to the sounds of "boos" as he left the room. He sat down next to Malon, minding Talon on her other side who was still fast asleep. Malon leaned into him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her head.
"Thank you again. This was wonderful."
The moonlight filtered in through the window next to them, and Malon glanced up to see Time was caught staring at the moon once again, as he did every so often. She began to hum gently, offering this small amount of comfort at the end of a very long day. Just as she had hoped, his head began to droop. Eventually, Time fell asleep against her, and she hugged his middle as she felt herself beginning to doze off, too. Cleaning could wait until tomorrow, and the musicians, who were almost friends of the family at this point, could figure out what to do from here. The rest of the boys had been here enough times that they knew how to set up their own sleeping arrangements. With this in mind, Malon allowed herself to finally relax.
Her birthday plans for Link were a success, just as they were every year.