Chapter 4
"What did the voice say, Link?" Malon asked quietly as she looked up at him.
"He just told me that I would never be rid of him. I was confused at first, but as he continued to probe my mind and speak to me I finally figured out what had happened. There was a point in my battle with Ganon, in fact, it was the moment I drove my sword into the ugly beast's head," Link cringed at the memory, "I felt it then too.
"I felt Dark Link, I felt the power surge into my arm and at that time I figured I was getting a rush from finally killing Ganon. Boy was I wrong. That last blow I dealt with every bit of hatred I had inside me, and I suppose it was enough for Dark Link to 'feed' on." Malon still was silent, and Link supposed she was trying to absorb all of his information at once. It would be a hard thing to do.
"After I realized I was the host of Dark Link's magic, I had no choice but to flee. You have to understand that, Malon. You have to understand that I couldn't sit around Hyrule and wait for his power to manifest within me. It might've destroyed people I..care about." Malon still said nothing.
"Anyway, I took Epona and fled into the Lost Woods. And that's how I ended up in Termina. I hoped that somehow I could find a way to rid myself of Dark Link before he completely destroyed my mind." Malon looked up at him this time, and spoke finally.
"I thought you said to me before that your 'destined path was altered.' You said that you were supposed to go to Termina but you didn't..." Link chuckled lightly for the first time since Malon had found him nearly two months ago.
"I meant that I was supposed to go to Termina right after Zelda sent me back. I was not supposed to relive those three years I spent with you. You could call it Dark Link's sick little joke."
"I don't understand."
"Dark Link needed time to harvest his power in me before I did anything 'courageous.' That way when he struck, it would take me out completely and only he would remain."
"I'm still lost." Link sighed and told Malon of his adventures in Termina, of the people he met there and their resemblance to those of the people in Hyrule. He told her of the masks, the salesman, the Skullkid and Majora's Mask, told her of the suicidal moon, and of Kafei...
"It was Kafei who helped me through it all. I would not have survived otherwise."
"Yes, but what of Dark Link's power? Why did he need all that time?"
"I do not quite understand it myself, Malon, but I believe Ganondorf was behind it." Malon gasped. How could he have been? It didn't make sense to her. "I believe he had some manipulation over the events in Termina, just for me. He needed a back-up plan, something to get me out of Hyrule. He was a sorcerer after all, but he didn't know how wrong his plans would go.
"Dark Link thought it would be best to take me out when people were in dire need of my services, to make it that much more sweet. He had all the time he wanted, why not make it good for himself?" What he didn't tell her was that Dark Link also intended for Link to hurt Malon in some way.
It was still an issue for Link, and he knew if something wasn't done he would lose the battle for his soul in less time than imaginable, leaving others around him in danger.
Malon shook her head in utter disbelief and finally removed herself from the position she had been in for the last couple of hours. She stretched her limbs and started to pace around the room. Link didn't pay attention to her and continued.
"I had a small amount of control over myself then, and it remains that way now. But I *am* still in control, most of the time," then, mumbling to himself, "the Fierce Deity mask nearly destroyed what was left of me..."
"What did you say Link?"
"Nothing." Link stood then and went to sit down by the window. "Have you ever just stopped to look at the sky? It's a remarkable thing, the sky...
Malon didn't seem to hear him nor did she really care. She just wanted all of her questions answered. "Why did you stay away for so long?" Link turned his head to look at her.
"I needed my own time, to learn how to deal with the demon inside. I have to admit that it was pretty much futile, but it has allowed me some control. I fear that I would be gone already." He scratched his head then, suddenly realizing something.
"In all the time I was in Termina, never once had I dreamt of the past. Not once. Until I came back to Hyrule. And that's when it began again..." Malon understood what he was saying, but did not know how to reply. "I never slept while I stayed here, Malon, just dreamt. Not the dreams you have when you're unconscious, the dreams you have when you're awake, waking dreams. Like I've told you before.
"They got the best of me, Malon. I snapped completely. The dark elf had had enough, and he told me his wishes. I would have fulfilled them too." Link walked over to where Malon was standing and put both his hands on her shoulders. She seemed so frail to him, so small. He was a good head taller than her and she seemed like a young child next to him.
"It was not the guards that saved Zelda that night Malon. They wouldn't have been able to stop me. It was I, something happened to me that I cannot explain. For a split second, I overcame Dark Link when I thought it not possible in the least. I allowed them to take me away, lock me up, take the sword from me." Malon just stared into his eyes and touched his cheek gently before looking away and pulling away from his touch.
"You are stronger than you think, and you will be able to fight this," she said with the utmost certainty. Link smiled at her, the first genuine smile that touched his eyes since he was 10. Five long years, and who knew how many more to come. He had the body of a fifteen year old, but his mind was far from childhood, far from young adulthood. He was an old man, worn by time and scarred by battle. He was scarred on the inside by a demon that had drained what was left of his innocence. He would never be young again, no matter how much he traveled through time. His mind would always remain the same.
Malon seemed to have been stripped of her childhood at an early age as well. She'd had to take on a big role at the ranch when her mother died, and still when her father re-married. She had a tremendous weight of responsibility on her shoulders and it didn't escape anyone's attention. She was a very mature 15 year old. Link sat down on the bed again and sighed for the hundredth time that day.
"I see Navi in my head, out in the open, anytime there's a moment between Dark Link's control and insanity." Malon looked at him strangely.
"Does she uhh, speak to you?" Link knew she found this somewhat amusing.
"Sometimes...." Link stared blankly at the floor, as if he didn't know whether or not to believe himself. "Eh, sorry Malon." She smiled at him.
"It's ok, Link. You still have more to explain to me," Link sighed as she said this. "But I'll give you a break for now. You should lay down and rest if you can." Malon then wordlessly left the room and left Link alone with his own thoughts. Not to mention those of Dark Link.
...you did not tell her the whole truth. You must not love her as much as you thought you did...
"Arg, go away. I don't need your comments."
...don't get angry with me, you know what it can mean...
"Yeah, and every time you decide to wake up I should just *let* you take over, right? Wrong. So shut up."
....silence!....
"No, I'm talking, I can talk when I want, you can't tell me when I can or can't-" Link doubled over in pain and put his hands on his head as the demon tried to magnify it's power, making Link lightheaded.
....you have been stubborn thus far and I'm growing rather tired of your righteous charades. Just give in to me and put yourself out of your misery...
...don't you remember the good times? The times when we worked together? Let me take control...
"N..never...not when I can still...beat you..."
...have it your way. Tell me Link, do you remember what you said to me after you asked for my help in the temple? You told me you'd give me anything I wanted. Well this is what I want, so it's up to you to hold up your end of the deal....
"Screw you, you piece of crap. You broke our deal long before, and so you released me from any sort of promise with the breaking of that deal!
...no matter. I will have what I want soon enough. Unlike you, I have patience. I can wait....
"Burn in hell."
.........
"Oh shut up." Link's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed on the floor, not quite unconscious, but too far gone to have noticed anything going on around him. A small flicker of light appeared on Link's hand as he lay sprawled on the floor, and Navi sighed as she realized she would have to wait yet *again* for her master to wake up.
********Meanwhile************
Talon searched for his wife in the milk tower and wasn't surprised when he found her sitting on the milk crates reading. She and Talon walked back to the farmhouse so he could discuss with her the situation currently at hand. She was surprised when she heard the news of Link and wondered what he could've possibly done. Ever since Malon had become friends with him, Karyn had grown very fond of him and was delighted that he could bring so much joy to the girl she considered her own daughter.
"What of the king, Talon? What will he have to say about this?" Karyn sat down at the table and poured some milk for both of them.
"The king has yet to return from his crusades, love. He has been gone for nearly four years."
"Princess Zelda is as young as Malon, but has been a fine ruler in her father's stead." Karyn nervously tugged at her strawberry-blonde hair, a habit of hers when she was anxious. "Oh Talon, what are we going to do?" He opened his mouth, ready to reply when they heard someone coming down the stairs.
"Oh good, you found her," Malon said as she took a seat next to Karyn. The look on her face told Malon that her father had already informed her of the recent events. It was not an angry look, it was just sad and somewhat concerned. Karyn put her hand over Malon's. "Don't worry darling, we'll figure this out...." She was cut off by a knocking on the front door. Malon got up and was about to go see who it was, but Talon motioned for her to sit back down. Opening the door, he was a bit taken aback when he saw two armed guards standing there.
"This is the Lon Lon residence, is it not, Sir?" Talon looked at the guard uneasily but nodded his head firmly.
"Yes, this is Lon Lon Ranch..."
"Therefore, I hereby place you and all other residents of Lon Lon Ranch under house arrest. This is the royal decree of Her Highness and will be observed by all parties until otherwise stated." By now, both Malon and Karyn were standing behind Talon, and the guard standing next to the one that had spoken gave Malon a very dirty look. The guard then handed Talon the roll of parchment he had just read and turned to leave.
"What does this mean?" Talon blurted.
"This means, Sir, that if you or any of your family leave this premise, we are authorized to arrest you accordingly and hold you at our will. So I suggest you stay put." With that, the soldiers got on their horses and trotted through the gates of Lon Lon Ranch. Talon heard pounding a few minutes later, and realized with grief that one of the soldiers was posting a sign at their gates, warning any passers-by that the ranch was off limits to any visitors, and informing any imperial soldiers the now current state of the premises.
The two guards were riding back to the palace at a leisurely pace and chatting amongst themselves.
"Why in the name of Farore didn't Princess Zelda just have that girl arrested? The whole castle knows by now what happened. If she was really an accomplice to..."
"Hold your tongue. We do not question the actions of our Highness, we do them without complaint and without inquiry." The guard who had spoken first looked down guiltily at his steed. "But...if I were able to speak freely, which I am not, I would agree whole-heartedly with you. That little wench must pay for deceiving the princess."
The guard looked up at his fellow with a sly grin and they rode faster back to the palace.
"What did the voice say, Link?" Malon asked quietly as she looked up at him.
"He just told me that I would never be rid of him. I was confused at first, but as he continued to probe my mind and speak to me I finally figured out what had happened. There was a point in my battle with Ganon, in fact, it was the moment I drove my sword into the ugly beast's head," Link cringed at the memory, "I felt it then too.
"I felt Dark Link, I felt the power surge into my arm and at that time I figured I was getting a rush from finally killing Ganon. Boy was I wrong. That last blow I dealt with every bit of hatred I had inside me, and I suppose it was enough for Dark Link to 'feed' on." Malon still was silent, and Link supposed she was trying to absorb all of his information at once. It would be a hard thing to do.
"After I realized I was the host of Dark Link's magic, I had no choice but to flee. You have to understand that, Malon. You have to understand that I couldn't sit around Hyrule and wait for his power to manifest within me. It might've destroyed people I..care about." Malon still said nothing.
"Anyway, I took Epona and fled into the Lost Woods. And that's how I ended up in Termina. I hoped that somehow I could find a way to rid myself of Dark Link before he completely destroyed my mind." Malon looked up at him this time, and spoke finally.
"I thought you said to me before that your 'destined path was altered.' You said that you were supposed to go to Termina but you didn't..." Link chuckled lightly for the first time since Malon had found him nearly two months ago.
"I meant that I was supposed to go to Termina right after Zelda sent me back. I was not supposed to relive those three years I spent with you. You could call it Dark Link's sick little joke."
"I don't understand."
"Dark Link needed time to harvest his power in me before I did anything 'courageous.' That way when he struck, it would take me out completely and only he would remain."
"I'm still lost." Link sighed and told Malon of his adventures in Termina, of the people he met there and their resemblance to those of the people in Hyrule. He told her of the masks, the salesman, the Skullkid and Majora's Mask, told her of the suicidal moon, and of Kafei...
"It was Kafei who helped me through it all. I would not have survived otherwise."
"Yes, but what of Dark Link's power? Why did he need all that time?"
"I do not quite understand it myself, Malon, but I believe Ganondorf was behind it." Malon gasped. How could he have been? It didn't make sense to her. "I believe he had some manipulation over the events in Termina, just for me. He needed a back-up plan, something to get me out of Hyrule. He was a sorcerer after all, but he didn't know how wrong his plans would go.
"Dark Link thought it would be best to take me out when people were in dire need of my services, to make it that much more sweet. He had all the time he wanted, why not make it good for himself?" What he didn't tell her was that Dark Link also intended for Link to hurt Malon in some way.
It was still an issue for Link, and he knew if something wasn't done he would lose the battle for his soul in less time than imaginable, leaving others around him in danger.
Malon shook her head in utter disbelief and finally removed herself from the position she had been in for the last couple of hours. She stretched her limbs and started to pace around the room. Link didn't pay attention to her and continued.
"I had a small amount of control over myself then, and it remains that way now. But I *am* still in control, most of the time," then, mumbling to himself, "the Fierce Deity mask nearly destroyed what was left of me..."
"What did you say Link?"
"Nothing." Link stood then and went to sit down by the window. "Have you ever just stopped to look at the sky? It's a remarkable thing, the sky...
Malon didn't seem to hear him nor did she really care. She just wanted all of her questions answered. "Why did you stay away for so long?" Link turned his head to look at her.
"I needed my own time, to learn how to deal with the demon inside. I have to admit that it was pretty much futile, but it has allowed me some control. I fear that I would be gone already." He scratched his head then, suddenly realizing something.
"In all the time I was in Termina, never once had I dreamt of the past. Not once. Until I came back to Hyrule. And that's when it began again..." Malon understood what he was saying, but did not know how to reply. "I never slept while I stayed here, Malon, just dreamt. Not the dreams you have when you're unconscious, the dreams you have when you're awake, waking dreams. Like I've told you before.
"They got the best of me, Malon. I snapped completely. The dark elf had had enough, and he told me his wishes. I would have fulfilled them too." Link walked over to where Malon was standing and put both his hands on her shoulders. She seemed so frail to him, so small. He was a good head taller than her and she seemed like a young child next to him.
"It was not the guards that saved Zelda that night Malon. They wouldn't have been able to stop me. It was I, something happened to me that I cannot explain. For a split second, I overcame Dark Link when I thought it not possible in the least. I allowed them to take me away, lock me up, take the sword from me." Malon just stared into his eyes and touched his cheek gently before looking away and pulling away from his touch.
"You are stronger than you think, and you will be able to fight this," she said with the utmost certainty. Link smiled at her, the first genuine smile that touched his eyes since he was 10. Five long years, and who knew how many more to come. He had the body of a fifteen year old, but his mind was far from childhood, far from young adulthood. He was an old man, worn by time and scarred by battle. He was scarred on the inside by a demon that had drained what was left of his innocence. He would never be young again, no matter how much he traveled through time. His mind would always remain the same.
Malon seemed to have been stripped of her childhood at an early age as well. She'd had to take on a big role at the ranch when her mother died, and still when her father re-married. She had a tremendous weight of responsibility on her shoulders and it didn't escape anyone's attention. She was a very mature 15 year old. Link sat down on the bed again and sighed for the hundredth time that day.
"I see Navi in my head, out in the open, anytime there's a moment between Dark Link's control and insanity." Malon looked at him strangely.
"Does she uhh, speak to you?" Link knew she found this somewhat amusing.
"Sometimes...." Link stared blankly at the floor, as if he didn't know whether or not to believe himself. "Eh, sorry Malon." She smiled at him.
"It's ok, Link. You still have more to explain to me," Link sighed as she said this. "But I'll give you a break for now. You should lay down and rest if you can." Malon then wordlessly left the room and left Link alone with his own thoughts. Not to mention those of Dark Link.
...you did not tell her the whole truth. You must not love her as much as you thought you did...
"Arg, go away. I don't need your comments."
...don't get angry with me, you know what it can mean...
"Yeah, and every time you decide to wake up I should just *let* you take over, right? Wrong. So shut up."
....silence!....
"No, I'm talking, I can talk when I want, you can't tell me when I can or can't-" Link doubled over in pain and put his hands on his head as the demon tried to magnify it's power, making Link lightheaded.
....you have been stubborn thus far and I'm growing rather tired of your righteous charades. Just give in to me and put yourself out of your misery...
...don't you remember the good times? The times when we worked together? Let me take control...
"N..never...not when I can still...beat you..."
...have it your way. Tell me Link, do you remember what you said to me after you asked for my help in the temple? You told me you'd give me anything I wanted. Well this is what I want, so it's up to you to hold up your end of the deal....
"Screw you, you piece of crap. You broke our deal long before, and so you released me from any sort of promise with the breaking of that deal!
...no matter. I will have what I want soon enough. Unlike you, I have patience. I can wait....
"Burn in hell."
.........
"Oh shut up." Link's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed on the floor, not quite unconscious, but too far gone to have noticed anything going on around him. A small flicker of light appeared on Link's hand as he lay sprawled on the floor, and Navi sighed as she realized she would have to wait yet *again* for her master to wake up.
********Meanwhile************
Talon searched for his wife in the milk tower and wasn't surprised when he found her sitting on the milk crates reading. She and Talon walked back to the farmhouse so he could discuss with her the situation currently at hand. She was surprised when she heard the news of Link and wondered what he could've possibly done. Ever since Malon had become friends with him, Karyn had grown very fond of him and was delighted that he could bring so much joy to the girl she considered her own daughter.
"What of the king, Talon? What will he have to say about this?" Karyn sat down at the table and poured some milk for both of them.
"The king has yet to return from his crusades, love. He has been gone for nearly four years."
"Princess Zelda is as young as Malon, but has been a fine ruler in her father's stead." Karyn nervously tugged at her strawberry-blonde hair, a habit of hers when she was anxious. "Oh Talon, what are we going to do?" He opened his mouth, ready to reply when they heard someone coming down the stairs.
"Oh good, you found her," Malon said as she took a seat next to Karyn. The look on her face told Malon that her father had already informed her of the recent events. It was not an angry look, it was just sad and somewhat concerned. Karyn put her hand over Malon's. "Don't worry darling, we'll figure this out...." She was cut off by a knocking on the front door. Malon got up and was about to go see who it was, but Talon motioned for her to sit back down. Opening the door, he was a bit taken aback when he saw two armed guards standing there.
"This is the Lon Lon residence, is it not, Sir?" Talon looked at the guard uneasily but nodded his head firmly.
"Yes, this is Lon Lon Ranch..."
"Therefore, I hereby place you and all other residents of Lon Lon Ranch under house arrest. This is the royal decree of Her Highness and will be observed by all parties until otherwise stated." By now, both Malon and Karyn were standing behind Talon, and the guard standing next to the one that had spoken gave Malon a very dirty look. The guard then handed Talon the roll of parchment he had just read and turned to leave.
"What does this mean?" Talon blurted.
"This means, Sir, that if you or any of your family leave this premise, we are authorized to arrest you accordingly and hold you at our will. So I suggest you stay put." With that, the soldiers got on their horses and trotted through the gates of Lon Lon Ranch. Talon heard pounding a few minutes later, and realized with grief that one of the soldiers was posting a sign at their gates, warning any passers-by that the ranch was off limits to any visitors, and informing any imperial soldiers the now current state of the premises.
The two guards were riding back to the palace at a leisurely pace and chatting amongst themselves.
"Why in the name of Farore didn't Princess Zelda just have that girl arrested? The whole castle knows by now what happened. If she was really an accomplice to..."
"Hold your tongue. We do not question the actions of our Highness, we do them without complaint and without inquiry." The guard who had spoken first looked down guiltily at his steed. "But...if I were able to speak freely, which I am not, I would agree whole-heartedly with you. That little wench must pay for deceiving the princess."
The guard looked up at his fellow with a sly grin and they rode faster back to the palace.