Author's Notes: Ah, the true epic. No one knows how long it will be, not even me! I do have the ending in mind, but I have no idea how I'm going to get there. That's the best part: letting the story unwind and develop. I continue to appreciate your feedback, and any suggestions will be welcome. I'm not saying I'll do everything or even anything you say, but it's always nice to get ideas, and it's nice to see where you think the story should be going. And how about Malon joining the Gerudos, eh? Think she can handle it? Wait and see.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Link flew over the rising drawbridge and dropped down onto the street below on the other side. The shock of his landing traveled up through his legs a little bit, as his new boots were meant for speed and not durability and shock absorption as his old ones had been. He recovered after only a few seconds and looked around. The guard posted outside of the guardhouse had started to move toward him, but stopped as soon as he saw who it was he was charging. This guard had come to know Link fairly well over the years.
"What might you be doing here, Master Link?" asked the guard. "And in such a hurry?"
"I don't have time to explain, Orgei," Link said. "I need to speak with the princess immediately." The old guard's eyes bugged out a tad in shock.
"Trouble, Master Link?" he asked.
"I'm afraid so. I need the princess' help. Please tell me, is she at the castle?"
"I believe she is, young master," said Orgei. "She'll be pleased to see you for certain, but not so much when she hears what you have to say I imagine, eh?"
"I'm hoping that with the princess' help this trouble will be over with," replied Link. "Thank you, Orgei." He gave a small wave good-bye and took off for Hyrule Castle. Dusk had fully arrived and light was becoming quite scarce.
"My word, that boy is running faster than I've ever seen him," Orgei remarked. "Whatever it is he's here about, it must be very important."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"And in here is where you'll be staying," Deruna said, leading Malon into a small chamber with two stone beds protruding from the walls on either side, and a small wooden table in the center with a lit torch basket on it.
"These are my quarters, and as our newest member, they are no yours as well," Deruna continued. "I hope it is comfortable for you."
"After sleeping in the field, anything seems comfortable," Malon replied. Deruna chuckled.
"I can see that you're quite tired," Deruna said. "I suggest you get some sleep, because your training will begin tomorrow at dawn."
"What will I be trained in?" Malon asked as she slid back the blanket on her new bed. She didn't have any clothes other than what she was wearing to sleep in, but she really didn't mind.
"Many things, including combat and stealth, but you must learn the basics first." Deruna noticed that getting into bed wearing her clothes, and remembered something.
"Oh!" she said. "Don't go to sleep like that, it must be terribly uncomfortable! Here, I was supposed to give you this." She produced a small bundle and tossed it to Malon, who was quite impressed. She hadn't seen Deruna carrying or holding anything, and she certainly hadn't picked it up from anywhere. Where had she been hiding it? And more importantly…
"What is it?"
"It is a set of night garments for you. I think you'll find them preferable to what you're wearing now."
Malon looked at the bundle in her hand. The fabric looked and felt like a mix of cotton and silk, and was a bright violet color, much like the clothes that most of the Gerudos wore during the day. She unfolded the fabric and found it to be a loose-fitting pair of short pants and a loose fitting shirt. She undressed and then tried on her new garments. She was shocked to find that the pants only went to mid-thigh and the shirt only went down to her navel and the sleeves just barely went beyond her shoulders.
"My goodness!" Malon exclaimed. "This is the least amount of clothing I've ever worn! It's almost scandalous! I can only imagine what would happen if Link or my father ever saw me like this!" She looked up at Deruna, who was now dressed in the same manner as she and was sporting a wide smirk.
"That is why we wear them only at night in the privacy of our quarters, where only those whom we chose to see us can do so." Looking at Deruna, Malon instantly understood how the Gerudos continually and successfully seduced young men from Castle Town and Kakariko Village.
"And I have a feeling Link will be seeing you like that eventually anyway," Deruna teased.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" demanded Malon. She tried her best to look angry, but she couldn't cover the enormous blush that had crept onto her face.
"Nothing at all," laughed the Gerudo. "Let's get to sleep. It's going to be a long day tomorrow." She climbed under her blanket and pulled it over herself, and Malon did the same. She was still a deep shade of scarlet, but she couldn't help wondering. What would Link's reaction be if he were to see her like this? She tried to imagine the look on his face, and as she drifted off to sleep a blissful smile drew its way across her own.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Link entered the castle, and after a brief word with one of the guards, was escorted to the princess' chamber. The guard knocked once, and Link could hear Zelda's reply from the other side of the huge wooden door.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Your highness, Master Link has come to see you. He claims it is urgent."
The door burst open and there stood Zelda in her long, pink nightdress. The guard averted his eyes.
"What is it?" Zelda asked Link. She sounded almost in a panic.
"I need your help, princess," Link said. "A band of thieves has ransacked Lon Lon Ranch, kidnapped Talon, and Malon has disappeared. I can only assume she's gone after them. The leader of the group was a sorcerer." Zelda brought her hand to her mouth in a short gasp.
"I was hoping you could help me find out who they are, or at least help me find Malon," Link said. Zelda took a moment to regain her composure.
"Yes, of course," she said. Then she turned to the guard. "Thank you, you may return to your post now." The guard marched off and Zelda invited Link into her chamber and closed the door behind her.
"Thanks, Zel," he Link said when she turned back around to face him. Now that the guard was gone, formalities were no longer necessary.
"So tell me what happened," Zelda began, returning to sit on her rather large bed. "Everything."
Link recounted to her the events at the ranch, and what had happened to Malon, and how he'd barely managed to save her. Zelda interrupted him when he got to the part about warming Malon up again.
"You've never offered to sleep in a bed with me," she teased. Link turned red.
"Well…" he stammered, "She was frozen…and it was night out…and…"
"I was just kidding," Zelda giggled. "I'm sorry. Please continue."
So Link finished his tale, all about finding Malon gone and chasing after her, and the swarms of stalchilds in the field, and finally getting the Light Boots and coming to the castle. When he was all finished, Zelda looked more than a little worried.
"That's horrible!" She exclaimed. "And you say she's all on her own?" Link nodded gravely.
"And I don't like the sound of all those stalchilds, either," she added. "Where did they all come from?"
"I'm more worried about Malon running into a group of them," Link replied. Just then, Zelda stood up suddenly, slightly startling him.
"Well something definitely has to be done," she said. "I'll send some soldiers out to try and find this band of thieves, and I'll go down to the royal archives to try and discover where this sorcerer got his power from, and where these stalchilds are coming from."
"And what do you suggest I do?" Link asked, sounding almost annoyed that she'd left him out of her plan.
"I know exactly what you should do," she answered, "But I'm not going to tell you tonight." He started to object, but she continued right through him. "Because you'll go off right now like the headstrong hero that you are, when anyone can see that you desperately need sleep. You're going to stay here for the night, and we'll start in the morning. And don't try to change my mind, because it's made up." She crossed her arms to emphasize her point. Link knew better than to try to argue. The princess could be very stubborn when she wanted to be. When she saw that he wasn't going to put up a fight, she smiled and nodded.
"I can give you the guest room across the hall," she offered, "Unless of course you would like to share a bed with me," she added mischievously. Link turned red again.
"No thank you," he said, regaining his air of calmness. "I prefer the floor. I'll sleep in here also, if you don't mind. I might as well bolster your less-than-adequate security while I'm here."
Zelda couldn't help but smile. Even though she obviously didn't need it, Link always insisted on protecting her whenever he was around. And ever since he'd managed to sneak in to see her without difficulty as a child, he hadn't had much respect for castle security.
"Very well," she consented. "But I want you to promise me that you'll sleep. You'll be no help to anyone if you're exhausted."
"I promise," said Link, albeit reluctantly. He stretched out on the floor, and she climbed into bed, using her powers to blow out the torch on the wall. When they woke up, they would have a lot to do.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Malon woke up to the sound of Deruna calling her name. She looked about her, and found that their small chamber was barely illuminated. Deruna had been serious about getting up at dawn. She blinked a few times, and then let out a good yawn. This seemed to amuse Deruna.
"I let you sleep in a little because it's your first day of training, and you've had a rough time the last few days," said the experienced thief. "Besides, I figure that working on a farm has taught you how to get up early. Now come on, I've gotten you something to wear."
She threw another bundle at Malon, and the farm girl caught it and inspected it. It appeared to be made of the same material as her sleeping garments, and was the same color. Upon further inspection, Malon saw that it was the same uniform that most of the Gerudos wore around; indeed the one Deruna was wearing at that very moment. Complete with vest; but it was missing something…
"You don't have a veil yet, because it's dangerous to wear them when you first start training. You'll get one later. Oh, and one more thing. Until Sarina says otherwise, this is what you wear at all times unless you're sleeping or…you know." Malon blushed. "Once you've mastered your skills enough, you can wear what you please. But don't expect that to happen too quick. Only Sarina and four others here have earned the right to their own wardrobe."
"Wow." Malon said. That was all she could make herself say at that time.
Deruna noticed that Malon still had a bit of a blush on her face, and when she realized why, she blushed herself.
"Oh! I don't want you to think that we…" she made an awkward gesture with her hands, "you know…all the time. I've never done it, and neither have a lot of the others." She was speaking rather nervously.
"I'd like to someday, though…"she said dreamily, trailing off. "What I mean is, the rule about clothes doesn't keep you from doing that…if you wanted…I just wanted to let you know that…"
"It's okay," Malon assured her, "I understand." Deruna let out a sigh of relief.
"Well, get dressed then, and we can start your training. After a few hours, we can have breakfast, okay?"
"Okay." Malon got dressed, and followed Deruna out behind the fortress to a large, open area that she hadn't noticed before. There were wooden poles sticking out of the ground here and there, and there were crates arranged as seats, outlining a circular area which was obviously where she was headed. Other than that, it was sand all around, until the cliffs back in the distance.
"This is our basic training ground," Deruna explained. "Everyone comes through here first. Well, almost everyone. Link was the only one to ever skip this and move right on to the main training grounds. But aside from him, you'll be going through the same training as everyone else. Except that they all start when they're thirteen, so they've got a six year head star on you."
Malon's eyes went wide. "You've been training for six years?" Deruna nodded.
"Mm-hmm. I only spent about half a year or so here, though."
"Wow…"
They were cut off as another Gerudo approached them from the fortress.
"Hello!" The new arrival called. She appeared a few years older than Deruna, and like all Gerudos, she was stunningly beautiful. Even Malon had to admit that all of these women were near perfectly built.
"Ah, good, she's here," Deruna said. The new arrival trotted up next to them. "Malon, this is Mara. She'll be training you."
"Pleased to meet you" Malon greeted politely.
"Likewise," Mara replied in kind. "Let's see what you've got, eh? See those poles out there?" Malon nodded. "I want you to run five full laps around the circle, weaving in and out of those poles. Don't touch them, or they'll fall over. I'll time you. Are you ready?" Malon nodded again. "Then GO!" Malon took off as fast as she could go, and began weaving through the poles, careful not to touch any of them.
Meanwhile, Mara turned to Deruna. She was anxious to learn more about her new student.
"So what do you think of her?" she asked Deruna.
"She's a nice girl, that's for sure," the other answered. "And she's got spirit. I don't know, I guess we'll have to wait and see how she takes to the training."
"You said she knows Link?" Mara asked.
"That's what she said," Deruna replied. "And I'm willing to believe her."
"Well, with any luck, he's taught her a thing or two over the years." They were interrupted as Malon skidded to a halt in front of them, not even out of breath.
"Finished!" she proudly declared. Mara's and Deruna's eyebrows both shot up.
"Already?" Mara questioned. Malon nodded. "Five laps?" Malon nodded again. "Incredible," Mara reflected. She'd been keeping time in her head throughout the conversation. "That was only two minutes and seventeen seconds! That's the fastest anyone has ever gone on their first run by far! Granted you are a bit older than most first time students, but that's still a record by a fairly wide margin. I suppose all years working on the farm have kept you in shape, eh?" Malon smiled and nodded proudly again, pleased that she had done so well. It hadn't even seemed that hard.
"Well, let's see what else you're good at. Deruna, give her a glaive."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Zelda awoke to the sound of Link giving the guards orders. Apparently he'd gathered quite a few of them in the hallway outside her door. She stood up, and used a spell to change from her nightdress into her royal dress. She usually dressed herself, as such petty spells were a waste and a flaunting of power, but Link was obviously getting impatient. She walked over to the partially open door and gracefully strode through it.
"…And make sure to report back anything unusual that you find," she heard Link finish his speech to the soldiers.
"Yes, Master Link," they all said. Then, they saw her.
"Oh, good morning your highness," greeted the captain. "Master Link here was just informing us of the situation."
"I surmised as much," she responded, throwing a sarcastic glare at Link. "But you're going to need more men than that. Go to the guardhouse before you leave and recruit another five soldiers to go with you. You are dismissed."
"Yes, your highness." He clicked his heels and bowed, and the rest of them followed suit. They then turned and marched off.
"An early riser, I see?" Zelda goaded.
"Always," replied Link with a smirk. "So what was this plan you were mentioning?"
"Not in the hallway, come back into my chamber," she said. He followed her inside and they closed the door. There was no need to lock it, as no one in his right mind would barge in on the princess.
"The quickest way to find Malon, or anyone for that matter, is to go to the Spirit Temple," Zelda said. Link looked puzzled, so Zelda decided to elaborate.
"In the Spirit Temple, the life force of everyone in Hyrule can be sensed. You just need to know where to look."
"I never knew that," Link said. "And I just spoke with Nabooru a few days ago!"
"You did?" Zelda asked.
"Yes. I asked her if the Gerudos would watch over Malon while I went to find her father."
"Why didn't you say that earlier?" Zelda chastised him. "If you asked her to look after Malon, then she probably started doing so right away! She'll know where Malon is!"
"Are you serious?" Link asked incredulously. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of that.
"I'll contact her now," Zelda said. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate, contacting the Sage of Spirit. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes again, and she looked extremely worried.
"Link…" her voice was shaky, and she sounded a little scared. "I can't reach her."
* * *
Whew! That took a while, didn't it? Well, fear not. I have developed a renewed interest in this story, and I want to see it continued as much as anyone else. The next one won't take nearly as long. Later!