The Magic of the Moment

Serenade of Water

Malon startled Trunks the next day when she burst into the tower with a look of pure joy on her face. Trunks couldn't help but think how pretty she looked, as he glanced up from he sword, which he had been sharpening.

"The most wonderful thing has happened," she cried. "Come out and see."

"But I thought you wanted me to stay in here," Trunks said, confused. "Because your boss wouldn't like you to be keeping strangers."

"Mr. Ingo isn't in charge anymore!"

"What?"

Malon explained as she dragged him out of the tower and into the Ranch itself. "After he lost that race to Link. Mr. Ingo realised that owning the Ranch wasn't really for him. He just wants to work here, and not have all the responsibility. So he gave the Ranch back to my Dad!"

"That's great." Trunks mirrored Malon's grin. He was glad that everything had worked out well for her.

"I've told Dad all about you, and he wants to meet you!"

Trunks stopped. Malon's father wanted to meet him. He remembered talking to the Gohan of the past, who had told him that meeting a girl's parents was the most frightening experience imaginable. Trunks took a deep breath. I'm sure Malon's father will be a great guy.

"Come on, Trunks!"

Malon lead Trunks to a building which he had only seen through the crack of the door when he and Malon had watched the race. Malon pushed the door open, and they stepped inside. A large, balding man with a full moustache was sitting at a roughly made table. Trunks could hear a crackling fire, and smell something delicious cooking. Trunks smirked as he realised what the other sound he could hear was – the man was asleep, and snoring loudly.

"Dad, wake up," Malon said, gently shaking the man.

"Wha…?" he cried, waking. "I was just resting my eyes. I wasn't asleep."

"Dad, this is Trunks. The young man I was telling you about."

"Ah, yes, of course!" Malon's father extended his hand, and Trunks shook it. "I'm Talon, the owner of this 'ere Ranch. Malon tells me she's been looking after you."

"That's right. I was attacked by something, and a guy called Link brought me here."

"You know Link? Well, ain't that great! Any friend of Link's is certainly welcome hear at Lon Lon Ranch. Take a seat, my boy. We were just about to have dinner."

Trunks sat down next to Talon, and the older man started chatting to him like they had been friends for years. Though Trunks himself had always been very quiet, he had lived with only his mother for many years, and was used to having his year talked off.

"Now, those are peculiar clothes, I must say," Talon yapped. "But then, Malon said that you weren't from around here. From a different world entirely, if I recall correctly."

"Yes," Trunks softly replied. "I have no idea how I got here. I was trying to travel into another timeline of my own world, but I woke up on the floor of some Temple…"

"The Temple of Time," Malon piped.

"Well, they do say that there's something magical about that place," Talon mused. "It's not surprising that's where you came into this world."

The friendly conversation was interrupted by a loud thumping on the door. Trunks rose to open the door. He caught Link as the young man fell forward. Epona was standing outside the building, and snorted her concern.

"My goodness! What happened?" Malon cried.

"Get him inside," barked Talon.

Trunks carried Link's limp form inside and lay him on the ground. "He's pretty badly injured."

"I'll get some milk," Malon suggested, running towards the barns.

Link coughed and spluttered as he regained consciousness. His eyes slowly opened, and he managed a smile. "I didn't think I'd make it this far…"

"Malon's gone to get you some milk," said Trunks, with a smile. "Looks like the tables of turned. I used to be the one who needed healing. What the Hell happened?"

"Water Temple…monster…I'll explain it all…" Link slipped back into unconsciousness.

"Just try to stay alive," Trunks pleaded quietly.

Malon returned with the milk. Fortunately, Link was awake again, so it wasn't necessary to force it down his throat. His condition improved visibly after the milk, but he still had many injuries. Malon tended to them, and Link told them what had happened.

"Sheik told me to go to the Water Temple, because I'd find one of the Sages there," Link explained. "I did – but I'll get to who it was later. Anyway, as I was looking for the Sage, I came into this weird room, and I appeared. It was en exact copy of me. At first I thought it might have been you," He motioned to Trunks, "but then he attacked me. That's where the cuts came from – a couple of times I wasn't quite fast enough."

"Where did the burns come from?" Malon asked, as she bound a nasty looking wound.

"Well, after I finally beat Mirror-Link, as Navi called him, I found another weird room."

"I warned him that it wasn't normal water!" Navi chirped.

"Yes, she did. But of course, I didn't listen." Link coughed to clear his chest. "There was this crazy, giant amoeba thing in the water. It seemed to have control over it, or something. When I wasn't watching, the water formed a tentacle, which grabbed me. It was boiling hot. So that's where the burns came from."

"What did it do when it grabbed you?" Trunks asked.

"Threw me across the room. I was careful to keep an eye on it after that. I managed to drag the main part of it out, and slash it up a bit. Then the water all drained away. It was so bizarre."

"At least you got out of there alive."

"Who was the Sage?" Malon asked.

"See, that's the worst part," Link sighed. "I went through all that, to rescue…Ruto."

Trunks had no idea who Ruto was, but they were obviously not Link's favourite person. Talon chuckled, and even Malon held her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle.

"Who's Ruto?" Trunks finally asked.

"She's the Zora princess," Talon answered. "You could say she has a bit of a crush on Link."

"She's a fish girl!" Link cried. "An ugly fish girl! And she decided that just because she gave me one of the stones I needed to open the Sacred Realm that we were engaged! It's disgusting!"

Trunks joined in with the laughing. "I'm sure she's a lovely girl, Link."

"Fish girl! Don't you get that part! She has gills, and scales!" Link shuddered. "And all she does is whine. 'Link, who could you leave me waiting for all those years?' Why me?"

Talon glanced from Link, to Trunks, and back to Link. "Maybe you should introduce her to out new friend. He looks like you – maybe she wouldn't know the difference."

Seeing the gleam in Link's eyes, Trunks held up his hands. "No thank you! I…I'm allergic to seafood. Can't touch the stuff – I break out in a nasty rash."

"Oh well," Link sighed. "Hopefully, now that she knows she's the Sage of Water, she'll leave me alone. She has a job to do, and so do I."

"I'm going to sound like an idiot again, but I don't get what all this business about 'Sages' are."

"To tell you the truth, I don't get it really either," Link admitted. "When I woke up in the Sacred Realm, this guy told me that he was the Sage of Light, and that I had to find the others. Then, Sheik told me the same thing. They all seem to be people I know. My best friend from when I was a kid is the Sage of Forest, my Sworn Brother is the Sage of Fire, and…"

"Your fiancée is the Sage of Water," Trunks finished for him, with a smirk.

"Don't ever call her that again." Link stretched. "Anyway, the Sages are apparently going to help me defeat Ganondorf, which is good to know, since I'll probably need all the help I can get."

"I can give you a hand," Trunks offered.

"I couldn't ask that of you. You're not even from this world – I can't ask you fight to win it back."

"I don't mind. You could say that fighting is in my blood."

"Boys, you can discuss this later. I think Link needs some rest," Malon interrupted. "Do you mind sharing your room again, Trunks?"

"Not a problem," Trunks replied.

"Okay, well we'll take him over there, then come back for dinner."

Together, Malon and Trunks helped Link limp to the tower. Malon used a blanket to make another bed of hay next to Trunks'. The moment he had laid down, Link was fast asleep. Navi settled next to him, and also fell asleep. Malon smiled, and motioned fro Trunks to follow her.

As the strolled back to the house, Trunks voiced the question that had been on his mind for a few days now. "You like him, don't you?"

"What?" Malon asked, startled.

"You like Link. I can tell by the way you look at him, and you seem brighter when he's around."

Malon looked at the ground. "I used to think that I loved him, but now I'm not so sure. It's not like it matters anyway. He wouldn't ever love me."

"What makes you say that? Ruto?"

"No, of course not. But it is because he loves someone else." She sighed. "He's in love with the Princess. He's obsessed with finding her, and I know it isn't just because he needs her help. I can tell he has feelings for her, the same way that you can tell I have feelings for him."

"He's stupid if you ask me," Trunks stated simply. "I mean, why go after some mystical princess when there's a beautiful girl right in front of him.

Malon blushed. "Thank you, but it's not that simple. Link and Zelda are destined to be together, I know it."

"Destiny? You believe in that?"

"Yes, I do. Destiny and fate play an important role in the way the world works. I don't know about in your world, but everyone in Hyrule knows that."

"What do you think is destined for you?"

"Do you mean what or who?" Malon smiled at Trunks. "I don't know. But I don't think that you coming here was an accident. Everything happens for a purpose."

They both stopped walking. Trunks reached out, and placed a hand on Malon's soft cheek. He brushed several strands of her auburn hair away so that he could see her pretty face better. He moved forward to kiss her, but she pulled back.

"Please no," she whispered. "Not yet."

Trunks nodded, and they walked on in silence.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

A/N: Link has asked Trunks not to help him in his fight against evil. But since when has any Saiya-jin done as he was told?