Chapter 3: A Long Way to Town

Saria's eyes opened suddenly, as though a noise had disturbed her sleep, but nothing of the sort had happened. She didn't know what it was, but something was bothering her...she crept slowly out of the little nook she and Link were in, and outside of the stable...

It was Epona. She was lying on the ground, asleep, but every minute or so she winnied as though in pain. She probably is in pain, thought Saria. I wonder what's wrong with her leg...

Saria walked slowly toward the horse and bent over its leg. There didn't appear to be anything wrong with it, but then, Saria didn't know all that much about horses...

Sighing, Saria went back inside the stable, noticing Link who lay there in his prone position. Suddenly, Saria knew what she should do. Silently, she leaned over and kissed him gently on the mouth...

Link sat up suddenly, and Saria jumped back, but it was too late. He had realized what she had been doing.

"Saria, I'm warning you," he said, sounding annoyed, "I won't do anything with you! I won't! You're too young for me! It's just disgusting!" And he lied back down and closed his eyes.

Annoyed, Saria said, softly, "Don't you like me?" Link sat up abruptly, his lips starting to form the word yes, but then he just stared at her. After a long, uncomfortable silence, he said, "I do like you, Saria, but...I don't know. I've never thought of you as anything other than a friend." Then, with renewed vigor, he said, "And I'm not about to do it with you, Saria! You're just a child!"

"I'm not just a child! I'm twenty years old! It's not my fault I have this annoying kiddish body! It's not my fault I'm a Kokiri!" Calmer, she said, "I'm like you, Link. I'm growing up. Only your body grew up with you, and mine didn't. Don't you see? You're the lucky one."

Link stared at her for a long, silent moment, and then he said, barely in a whisper, "Saria, I'm sorry. If you were older...if I was younger...I don't know what to do! I just...I can't, Saria, okay? It'd be wrong." And Link lied back down, but Saria had a feeling he wouldn't be falling asleep for quite a long while.

He's almost ready, Saria thought. If I could just get him to like me more...
~~~

Malon woke up fitfully from a nightmare. There had been a million men, all dressed in silver armor, bearing down on her with spears and swords, trying to kill her, trying to rape her...she shook her head. It had all seemed so real, and yet...it wasn't. Thank Din for that.

Malon pulled herself out of bed sleepily, wondering what her father was doing. She quickly changed into her day clothes and rushed outside, wanting to tend to the horses before her long walk to town.

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon. Malon smiled happily to herself. This was her favorite time of day because it was quiet and all was still, except for some of the horses and Cuccos. And...was it Link? It was! There was Link, kneeling by Epona's side, rubbing one of her legs! Malon ran as fast as she could go to him, resisting the urge to throw her arms around him. She hadn't seen him in over a week...

"Link!" Link looked up, surprised, and grinned when he saw her. He stood up and hugged her tightly, then frowned at Epona. "Do you have any idea what's wrong with her leg?" he asked, looking concerned.

Surprised, Malon bent down and inspected the leg Link had been holding. "I don't see anything wrong with it," she said, smiling. "Why?"

"Well," said Link, still looking grim, "I couldn't help but notice she was limping badly last night." Frowning, Malon bent down again and felt Epona's leg. Everything seemed all right.

"I don't know," said Malon, "but I've got to go into town and deliver the milk for Dad..." There was something about the way she said this that sent a chill up Link's spine. Puzzled, he asked, "Is something wrong, Malon? You look kind of upset at the idea of delivering it..."

"Link, it was awful! I've told you how the guards jeer at me and call my father names and act all weird around me, and then one of them...one of them..." Malon burst into tears, and by the time she managed to tell Link everything the sun was completely above the horizon. Link looked like he wanted to kill someone.

"What did you say this guy's name was again? Michael?" Malon nodded. "Not only am I going to kill him, I'm going to tell Zelda about all this! Her guards have got to control themselves!" Malon frowned at Link. "Link, I don't want you to kill anybody..." Link smiled. "It was just an expression. I'm just really, really mad right now...let's just say anybody who gets in my way today will deeply regret it." And Link began to march toward the stable where all the milk was kept before remembering Saria, still asleep in the barn...in an instant, he decided not to bring her. He didn't want her around for the time being, not after how she had acted last night...he felt sorry for her, but it would be too awkward.

Grabbing a crate of milk, Link hurried Malon along, and right before they left he stopped in the house and told Talon to tell Saria where they were if she woke up before they were back. Then the two of them began to walk toward Hyrule Castle Town.

The journey across the field was slow going with all the milk they were carrying, but it was faster than usual because for once Malon didn't have to carry everything herself. When they were about to round the bend to the front gate, Link stopped suddenly, and told Malon to stop too.

"Malon, I have an idea. Listen. I'll climb up these vines so the guy at the front gate can't see me, okay? We'll see how he treats you, and if he does anything, and I mean anything, I will knock him out." Nodding shyly, Malon took the other crate of milk from Link and went on her way.

She walked up to the front gate as usual, waited for Michael to open the gate, and carried the milk up the long path to the castle. She set the milk down by the back door and headed back, ignoring the soldiers' annoying comments, and realized suddenly that the front gate was closed again.

"Michael," she said, trying to remain calm, "why did you close the front gate? And...why are you on the wrong side of it?'

"Well," he said, "you take so damn long to deliver your stupid milk, I figured I should close it while I wait for you to get back. And you're right! I didn't even realize I was on the wrong side of the gate! We'll just have to climb up through the gate tower to get to the other side!" Michael grinned wickedly.

"You can go first," said Malon, annoyed. If she hadn't known Link was there to protect her, she would have been extremely worried, but now she felt more secure.

"No, no, after you," said Michael, waving a hand in front of him.

"Why," said Malon, glaring at him, "so you can try to rape me again?" Michael laughed loudly and said, "What are you talking about, wench? It's not my fault you tried to seduce me!"

"Se-seduce you?" Malon was so enraged she could barely speak. "Seduce you!? What do you mean, seduce you? What did I do?"

Michael laughed bitterly. "Every day you walk by here acting like you're the cream of the crop, and I just ignore it, but yesterday was too much! You, threatening to tell Link I raped you if I didn't sleep with you right then and there! So I did what you told me to do, and then when it got a little uncomfortable for you, you accused me of tryin' to rape you! You're just sick!"

This isn't happening, thought Malon wildly. Link can probably hear every word he's saying...Farore, what if he believes him?

As though he had read her mind, Link suddenly dropped to the ground right beside the guard, his sword out at the ready. He advanced toward the man, and immediately Michael bowed deeply to him. Link ignored this, however. He walked right up to Michael, picked him up by his metal collar (he was so incredibly strong, thought Malon, even when he wasn't wearing his golden gauntlet), and held the man an inch from his face.

"This woman would not do any of the things you just said. Look at her! She's fifteen! My age! She's a hard worker, way better than you, and she would never try to seduce anyone! Do you hear me?" The guard clearly could, but Link just continued on in rage. "You tried to rape her yesterday, and I intend to tell Zelda everything! And I doubt she's going to just let this go! Even if she does keep you at this gate, if you so much as touch Malon in any way again, or say anything to her out of the ordinary, I will kill you myself, do you hear!?" And Link threw the man to the ground, disgusted.

Malon waited until they were at the one part of the dirt road where no guards could see them, and then launched herself at Link, hugging him fiercely. "Thank you," she whispered, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

Link laughed. "I doubt he'll be bothering you anytime soon, Malon. I doubt he'll even have a job within an hour. I'm going to go talk to Zelda right now. I haven't seen her in awhile, anyway, so I owe her a visit."

The two of them walked quickly toward the palace, smiling together but for very different reasons. They were each so caught up in their own joy that they didn't even notice the flickers of green light behind them that was materializing rapidly...

"Thought you'd just leave me behind, huh, Link? I guess you forgot my lovely little ability to go wherever I want as a Sage..." Then she smiled. She wasn't that mad at him. She would get him to like her tonight. And with a flash of green, Saria was gone once more.
~~~

Ruto awoke to a pair of very blue and very large eyes staring down at her. She sat bolt upright, screaming, until she realized it was just Brandon.

"My god, Brandon! You scared the hell out of me!"

"Sorry," said Brandon, looking bashful. "I just wanted to get an early start to our picnic."

"What picnic?" Ruto sat up, rubbing her eyes, and then she remembered. The trip to the lake with Brandon that she had agreed to yesterday...

"The picnic! C'mon, I want to see the sun rise!" Yawning, Ruto got up and followed Brandon to the entrance to Zora's domain. The two of them jumped through the waterfall's rapid waters, neither of them being affected by them as they were Zoras, and then they dived down to the bottom of Zora's Domain to the underwater passageway to Lake Hylia.

It was still dark, but Ruto could see quite clearly in the crystal-colored waters of the lake. She swam quickly toward the Water Temple, needing to check up on it, but then realized she probably shouldn't with Brandon nearby and everything. Instead, she raced to the surface of the water and burst into the crisp nearly-morning air, loving the sensation of the water against her body that she never tired of.

Brandon followed behind her, a bottle full of fish in his hand. He sat on the shore and popped it open, then handed some to Ruto. Munching thoughtfully, Ruto said, "Brandon?" Immediately Brandon sat up, giving her his undivided attention. "Yes?" he asked eagerly.

"Don't you think it's kind of odd that we eat fish when we're half-fish ourselves? Doesn't that make us cannibals in a way?"

Brandon sat back against the soft grass, obviously deep in thought. Finally, he said, "I don't know. I think we're way more human than fish. And Lord Jabu-Jabu ate fish, and he was just a very large fish himelf."

"That's true." They both sat in silence, eating their fish contently. Then Ruto dived into the water, giggling. "Catch me if you can!" she called, racing through the water at top speed. Brandon dove in after her, but Ruto was much too fast for him. She hid behind the large underwater chunk of soil which was actually the Water Temple, and waited until Brandon was nearly around it before heading around to the other side once more and entering the Water Temple itself.

She surfaced immediately, and told herself she'd just do a quick check-up before going back out into the lake. She had enchanted the temple, with Zelda's help, so that only Link and the seven Sages could see the entrance, so she knew Brandon wouldn't see the entrance. It was very visible to any Zora who entered the lake without the enchantment, after all...

After walking (and swimming) around the temple, Ruto swam back out and nearly collided with Brandon. He stared at her and said, (yes, Zoras can talk underwater) "Ruto! How'd you just appear like that out of nowhere!?" Ruto laughed like it was nothing and said, "Maybe you just weren't looking in that direction, hmm?" Brandon shook his head.

"No, I was looking right at that big hunk of rock or whatever it is, and you just came barreling out of nowhere! How'd you do that?" Brandon swam curiously toward the exact spot where the entrance to the temple, and panicking, Ruto grabbed his arm and transformed herself and him into blue light, then sped off to Zora's Domain, trying desperately to come up with some explanation.
~~~

Nabooru stopped in a back alley in Hyrule Castle Town so as not to upset any of the villagers there, then walked calmly into town. As she had expected, pandemonium began. People began screaming, "Gerudos, Gerudos! Run for you lives!" Laughing, she yelled with a magically enhanced voice, "I'm a Sage! It's all right! It's just me, Nabooru!" And instantly everyone calmed down, and a few people walked up to her and tried to make polite conversation.

Nabooru hardly listened to them all, however, and turned to one man with a brown bushy beard and said, "Excuse me, I was wondering if you could tell me something? As a Sage I'm supposed to keep the peace, and I've been looking for someone to bring to justice, and-" Laughing to herself, Nabooru attempted to continue. She sounded so absurdly unlike herself. "and I was wondering if there were any men around here who couldn't, you know, control themselves around the ladies?"

The man stared at her for a minute, and then perked up and said, "Oh! I know of one!" Nabooru leaned forward and said, "Who might that be?" And the man bellowed, "Michael! The man at the front gate! He's a bad one if I ever saw a boy that bad!" Nabooru thanked the man and raced in the direction of the castle, thinking of nothing but the end of her solitude at last!

When she got to the front gate, the man who must have been Michael stopped her and said, "You can't go in the palace without the King's permission, honey." And Nabooru grinned at him and said, "Do you have any idea who I am? I'm Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit. I can do whatever I damn well please." And this strange man stuttered and said, "Oh, I apologize, do forgive me, I-" but Nabooru cut him off.

"Who said I wanted to go into the palace anyway?" The man stared at her, confused. "Is your name Michael?" The man nodded slowly. "I was looking for you, then." And the man named Michael looked horrified.

"Oh, god, I knew this would happen! I'm sorry! I didn't do anything wrong! It was all that girl Malon's fault! I-" But Nabooru just cut him off again calmly.

"Michael, I don't know what you're going on about, but I'm not here to punish you or anything. I'm here to make you an offer."

"What...what kind of offer?" The man named Michael still looked panicked.

"Well, I live off in the desert in a really big temple home, and I'm a little lonely there. So if you'll come over there with me for a few days, I'll give you the greatest pleasure you've ever known. But first, what were you carrying on about?"

And Michael told her (in a very edited sort of way) that he was in trouble with Zelda, or would be very soon, because of something he had done, and he wanted to leave but if he did he would get in even more trouble, and probably be one of Hyrule's Most Wanted, and...

Nabooru, who, being the Sage of Spirit, had the uncanny ability to read people's minds, but didn't very often, did now, and soon knew everything about Malon and Link. It would be very amusing to see how everyone would react if the criminal himself disappeared for a while(yes, Nabooru has a slightly twisted sense of humor)...so Nabooru grabbed Michael's arm, turned herself and him into a particle of light, and whisked him off to the desert.
~~~

Zelda was sitting in her waiting room when Link burst in, looking extremely angry. She barely took notice of his rage, however, and instead ran over to him as quickly as she could and threw her arms around him.

"Link! Oh, Link, did you hear the wonderful news? I suppose you haven't...it's just so marvelous! Guess what?" Link shrugged, still upset about Michael and Malon. Zelda just carried on as though she hadn't noticed, though. "Link, Father has finally chosen a husband for me! It's going to be you!" Not noticing the look of horror on Link's face, she continued on ecstatically. " And the wedding is going to be in just two weeks! Isn't that great?" Now Malon's face fell too.

And when Zelda stopped jabbering, she finally looked at Link and realized that he wasn't quite as excited about this as she was. (major understatement) "Link," she said, panicking, "what's the matter?"

Link paused for a moment, as though trying to figure out how to put this, and finally said, "It's just...well...no one ever asked me about it. I mean, your father already set a wedding date and everything? I hadn't even heard about it!"

Zelda's face turned into a glorious smile again. "Well it doesn't really matter, does it, Link? We knew you were going to say yes! But if you want, I'll ask you. I'll ask you right now! Link, will you marry me?" When Link didn't answer, looking extremely apprehensive, Zelda suddenly realized with a very sinking feeling what his answer was going to be. That, and the way Malon had looked a minute ago as though she was going to cry, and now was looking more and more hopeful every second....

"GET OUT!" Before Link or Malon could speak, Zelda had run out of the waiting room and into her bedroom, sobbing and sad and filled with rage all at the same time. Sadness because Link didn't love her the way she loved him...and rage at the fact that Malon loved him, and she was fortunate enough to have him love her back...

What Zelda didn't realize was she was wrong. Link wasn't in love with Malon. He just wasn't in love with her, either.
~~~



Note: First of all, I may have said that only two of the three girls Da Gang mentioned would have a chance with Link, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Zelda is the girl who doesn't have a chance with him. Then again, maybe it does...