The Legend of Zelda: The Return
Chapter 27
The Moblins push and shove Bruiser, Hunter, and I, along with the rest of the slaves, into a rough semblance of a circle – at the center of which stands a tall woman with short, flaming red hair, dark skin, and a white Gerudo Uniform.
But it's not Jinni.
I don't know who it is.
I know all of the Elite . . . there's not that many of them to start with and they were the ones who were clinging to me like a shadow everywhere I went. I know all their faces anyway . . .
But I don't know her.
And even if I did that wouldn't explain why she was standing in the center of a ring of slaves and Moblins with a spear in one hand and her foot planted on the back of a man who I can only assume is one of the slaves . . .
Nope . . . I'm about as confused as everyone else.
Though . . . as I look around the circle at everyone's faces it looks like Hunter and I are the only ones are confused.
"That's Vicea," Bruiser tells us quietly. "She's in charge of this encampment."
"But she's Gerudo," I say, frowning darkly.
"Aye," Bruiser agrees. "One of Ganondorf's. Not one of yours. She's got a mean streak in her as long as my arm and twice as wide."
"So . . . even if I did run out there and tell her who I was and order her to let us go . . . it would accomplish nothing?"
"Except you dying on the end of her spear? Nope," Hunter answers.
"Hmm," I say, eyeing the Gerudo. "Well that bites . . ." Hunter looks about to reply, but he's interrupted as Vicea suddenly – and viciously – kicks the guy in the side. The force of her kick rolls him over and we get our first good look at his face . . .
Dammit . . .
It's one of the carpenters . . .
"Jiro," Hunter whispers, his eyes going wide. "Dad . . ."
"Nothing we can do," Bruiser whispers back. "Not yet . . ."
"You know," Vicea says, eyeing all of us with a cold gaze, "your stupidity never ceases to amaze me." She shifts her grip on her spear and drives the butt end of it into Jiro's stomach. He gasps in pain and curls up, trying to shield himself from her. "This dullard was just caught trying to escape from Kakariko." She pauses for effect and her eyes glitter cruelly in the torchlight. "Trying to escape from Ganondorf." She again shifts her grip on the spear and brings the blade end down. It embeds itself in Jiro's arm – miraculously given the strength she put behind the swing it doesn't sever it, but Jiro screams nonetheless . . . Vicea rips the blade out again and Jiro sobs.
I clench my fists and take a step but don't make it any further.
Bruiser and Hunter have each grabbed a shoulder and are holding me back.
"Calm down, kid," Bruiser growls lowly.
"Let me go," I hiss. "We can't just stand here . . . she's going to kill him . . ."
"Deep breaths, Link," Hunter says under his breath, his voice tense.
The Moblin beside us shoves Bruiser with his shield and growls at us.
"Let me explain something to you halfwits," Vicea says, her voice crisp and loud. "You can't escape Ganondorf." She slams her foot into Jiro's back and sends him flying across the ground. The people in front of us scatter backwards to avoid being hit by him, leaving Hunter, Bruiser and I right on the inside of the circle. "You can't escape your destiny. And your destiny is to perform the duties of the beasts of burden that you are. It's time you fools realized your place." Her eyes narrow and she hefts her spear. "And that's under the Great Ganondorf's boot!" She hurls the spear through the air, aimed at Jiro.
She's going to kill him . . .
That spear is going to impale him onto the ground . . .
That can't happen . . .
I can't let that happen!
Time slows as I react, twisting out of Hunter and Bruiser's grip and grabbing the Moblin's shield on my way. I leap over Jiro's bruised and bloody form and raise the shield just as the spear reaches us.
Time speeds back up as the spear clangs uselessly off the shield. My arm tingles from the impact and I pull the shield off and throw it onto the ground.
"Enough!" I cry, clenching my fists and glaring at Vicea. "Enough is enough! You've made your point! He understands, and so do the rest of us." I narrow my eyes and shake my head. "You don't have to kill him."
"Do you want to die?" Hunter hisses at me.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid kid!" Bruiser growls.
I ignore them.
I'm a little busy trying to stare down Little Miss Mean as she storms furiously towards me.
"And who are you to tell me who I can and can't kill?" She snarls. "Obviously you don't understand my point if you're defying me like this." She snaps a knife out of a hidden sheath somewhere and points it at Jiro. "If I say he dies," she snarls. "He dies." She raises the knife and moves as though to throw it.
I don't give her the chance.
The instant her eyes leave mine I lash out with my fist, catching her in the stomach. A surprised gasp goes up from slave and Moblin alike. Before she can react I grab her wrist and twist it until she drops the knife.
Then she manages to react.
Her knee comes up and hits me in the side, I stumble back and away from her and she leaps at me. I raise my arm and block her punch, twisting away from her, and from the ring of people and moving into the center of the ring.
She straightens and glares at me, her eyes narrowed in surprise. She wasn't expecting resistance. Nor was she expecting skilled resistance. We didn't really fight, but it was enough to let her know I know what I'm doing. She wasn't ready for it – especially from some random kid in the crowd. I took her off-guard.
The thing about Gerudo is they don't stay off-guard for long.
Her eyes glitter furiously.
"Take him," she snaps. The Moblins in the crowd suddenly move forward, surrounding me.
"Aw crap," I mutter, shifting my weight into a fighting stance. Like it's going to do me any good . . . they're fully armored and fully armed, not to mention huge.
Why do all my brilliant ideas have to end like this . . .
"Tie him up," Vicea snaps. "Take him to my lodgings." She kicks Jiro in the side. "And somebody get this piece of crap out of my sight." The last thing I see before my view is obscured by Moblins is Bruiser's furious glare and Hunter's helpless look.
xxx
Awareness creeps back into my being with all the speed of a dead snail.
The first thing I become aware of is a dull, throbbing ache in my head.
The next thing I become aware of is the fact that I'm tied up in an upright position – my hands over my head against the wall, and a gag wrapped around my mouth.
I force my eyes open, wincing at the added pain the light in the room causes in my head, and squint around as best as I can at my surroundings. I'm in a house . . . as my eyes adjust to the light I'm suddenly able to recognize the house. It's Impa's old place. I'm in the cage in the corner where the cow used to be kept.
Thankfully, someone seems to have cleaned the little corner up since then . . .
And then I notice two things at the same time.
On the table in the corner of the room are my weapons . . . my mother's shield, my bow, my pouch, and the Master Sword, thankfully with its hilt still wrapped.
And . . . standing right in front of me, and staring at me with a mixed expression, is Malon . . .
All the guilt I feel over having pushed her to the back of my mind when she was in trouble and for being in love with Zelda and not her, plus all the relief I feel at seeing her alive and well again all of a sudden overwhelm me. She casts a furtive glance over her shoulder then pulls the gag out of my mouth and down around my neck. I work my jaw for a minute.
"Malon! You're –" Before I can finish she kisses me.
My eyes widen in panic.
What do I do?
No! I can't do this!
This isn't right!
I'm supposed to be breaking up with her!
But I don't want to offend her . . .
And I really don't want to hurt her . . .
What do I do?
Do I break it off?
Do I not break it off?
I thought she knew about Zelda and I . . .
Why is she kissing me?
Why am I still kissing her?
While I'm still panicking and trying to decide what to do, Malon makes the decision for me by ramming her fist into my stomach. I groan as she pulls away from me.
"That," she says flatly, "is for letting me kiss you when you no doubt have every intention of breaking up with me in the next breath."
Letting her?
I didn't let her do anything!
I'm tied to a wall for Nayru's sake!
"Nice to see you alive and well too, Malon," I manage to grunt.
"So I suppose this is where you give me the speech, right?" She asks. "It's not me it's you? You just want to be friends? You don't deserve me?" She crosses her arms over her chest and whirls around in a flurry of red hair. "Damn straight you don't, you jerk. And just for the record, you're not breaking up with me. I'm breaking up with you. And there's not a damned thing you can do about it, Fairy Boy. Not a damn thing. Cry and beg and plead all you want, but I'm not going to take you back. You'll just have to move on and hope you and your princess have a happy life together. So there."
I stare at the back of her head.
"You called me Fairy Boy," I say.
"So?" She demands.
"So you're not really as mad at me as you're pretending to be."
There's a pause.
"Yeah well, it's nothing I didn't expect anyway," she says with a sigh, letting her arms fall back to her sides and turning back around to face me.
"Does that mean I can forgo the guilt trip?" I ask hopefully.
"Ha," she says. "Figure the odds, Link. I fully intend to milk this for all it's worth. And believe me, it's worth a lot."
I believe her.
"But," she adds after a moment, "it can wait 'till all of this is over and we're all safe and sound back at the Archery Shop." She drops into a seated position beside me and rests her chin on her knees. "I haven't got the energy to waste on being mad at you right now." She stretches out a hand and studies it for a moment, then glances at me out of the corner of her eye. "Of course," she says slowly, "there are worse things I could waste it on. Like say . . . being mad at someone for erasing my memories . . ." I frown at her.
"What did she say to you?" I demand.
"Nothing much," she replies, taking her hand back. "Just that you're a bastard and a jerk and a moron. Not that that was news to me, mind."
"She said that?" I ask with a raised eyebrow. Malon shrugs.
"Maybe not those words," she says. "Well, definitely not those words. Those are more or less my words. I'm paraphrasing."
"Paraphrasing or interpreting?" I ask.
"Same difference," she says, waving it off. "Doesn't change the fact that you are. Why'd you flip out on her like that?" I frown.
"I had every right to flip out," I say. "She took my memories, Malon! She didn't just take them, she stole them! Without asking! And then, as if that wasn't bad enough, she wasn't even the one who gave them back to me! It was Dark Link! I had to find out from Dark Link all that stuff. She had no right." If my arms weren't tied up over my head I'd cross them in a huff. "No right."
"Okay, okay," Malon says, raising her hands as though to defend herself. "I get it. So you had a right to be angry. But still . . . did you have to be that hard on her?"
"Why is everyone asking me that, lately?" I demand, frowning. "Apparently I'm being too hard on Neesha too. I don't mean to be. I don't mean half of what I say the way it comes out. So I get frustrated and angry . . . so sue me."
"Neesha?" Malon asks.
"A friend of Hunter's and mine," I answer. "You'd like her."
"Hunter?" Malon asks.
"Bruiser's son," I answer.
"Bruiser has a son?" Malon says, staring at me in surprise suddenly.
"Yep!" I say brightly. "And a nephew!"
"Who's his nephew?" She asks. I grin broadly at her.
"Me," I say. "And my mother was Natalia, and my father is Brayden. Except he's Dark Link right now, but as soon as I can figure out a way to change that I will." Malon opens her mouth to give some kind of exclamation but I interrupt her. "Oh! I'm also King of Gerudo. Just . . . do me a favor and don't tell Vicea that, hmm? Trying to keep who I am a secret at the moment." Before Malon can react the sound of voices reach our ears. She gasps and rockets to her feet, grabbing my gag.
"No! Wai–" She shoves it back into my mouth and bullets out of the cage, slamming the door shut, then grabbing a rag off the floor and bolting across the room. She drops to her knees and starts polishing something just as the door opens and two Gerudo walk in.
One of them is Vicea.
The other is Jinni.
The latter's eyes widen when she sees me, but I shake my head furiously and she chokes back whatever she'd been about to say.
"Are you even listening?" Vicea demands suddenly. Jinni blinks and looks down at her.
"I heard everything except what you just said," she answers. "Got distracted by him." She points at me.
"Ah yes, my new plaything," Vicea says with a sour look in my direction. "Defiant and mouthy. Maybe you can help me beat it out of him." I blink and try and keep my surprise from showing on my face.
Why are they so buddy-buddy?
I look at Jinni who steadily avoids my gaze.
She wouldn't . . .
Would she?
Vicea removes her gaze and I immediately grab my gag in my teeth, trying to pull the knot loose. It gives a bit. Malon must've loosened it when she took it off . . .
"Anyway," Vicea says, "as I was saying, whoever Rue's dug up to play the part of King is doing just that. Playing the part." She frowns at Jinni. "You can't actually believe it, can you? Ganondorf's the King. Everyone knows that."
"But . . . he passed the Maeasm test. And Nabooru . . ."
"Nabooru's a traitor," Vicea says harshly. "You can't deny it. She's been against Ganondorf right from the day she was born, you know that as well as I do." Jinni hesitates.
I pull at the gag again, it comes off a bit more.
"But . . . Ganondorf's not really . . ."
"Regardless of the way he is," Vicea interrupts, glaring at her, "he's still the King. You know our laws, Jinni. They demand nothing less than absolute obedience."
"But . . . Ganondorf's not the only King," Jinni says. "Not anymore. Link . . ."
"I thought we'd been over this," Vicea says with a frown, seating herself on a chair and gesturing for Jinni to do the same. "Link is nothing more than another of Nabooru's attempts to undermine our race. To make us weak and lazy like the Hylians. To make us easy prey for the Sheikah."
"You don't know what you're talking about," Jinni says darkly. "Nabooru may not be everything I'd like in a leader, but she's no traitor."
"Then why is she so close to the Sheikah?" Vicea demands. "To that Impa woman? And even the Princess Zelda. She's a Chosen Sheikah you know."
I pause in tugging at my gag.
Was I the last person in Hyrule to find out about Zelda's dual identities?
Frowning, I go back to tugging. I've almost got it . . .
Vicea waves her hand suddenly, as though dismissing that argument.
"It doesn't matter," she said. "What matters is that you make the right choice here, Jinni. Do you really believe that this boy could be our King? Who gave birth to him? We would have known if someone gave birth to a boy. There isn't a child born in that fortress that we don't know about."
"He wasn't born in the fortress," Jinni says. "He claims to be Natalia's son."
"Natalia?" Vicea's head snaps up and her eyes narrow. "Impossible. Have you lost all sense, Jinni? Right there you should know he was lying. Natalia's dead. She never made it out of the desert." Jinni hesitates to explain, but she doesn't need to. Vicea's already come to her own conclusions. "She lied," she hisses. "She lied to Ganondorf . . . and to us." Her eyes glitter furiously. "How can you still call her sister?"
I tug once more at the gag.
"I . . ." Jinni frowns.
The knot starts to give just a little more . . .
"Natalia and Nabooru were bad seeds from the start," Vicea growls. "Both of them. They're unworthy of the Gerudo. They defile our race with their very presence! Look at Natalia! Running off with that Sheikah bastard! Betraying us all! Face it, Jinni! They are not our sisters. And Link is not our King."
I sink my teeth into the gag again and pull harder.
This time it comes loose.
"You're the traitor, Vicea!" Vicea's face dissolves into a scowl and she turns to glare at me.
"How did you get out of your gag?" She demands. I narrow my eyes at her.
"Your voice was getting on my nerves," I say. "I couldn't think of any other way to get you to shut up." Fury paints itself across her face as she gets to her feet and walks over to the cage, pulling open the door and striding in. Her fist slams itself across my cheek. Stars explode in front of my eyes.
"I suggest you shut up," she hisses. "Unless you want more of that." I blink until my eyes focus again and then turn to stare at her contemptuously.
"I'm not afraid of some pathetic little girl with illusions of grandeur," I say flatly. "You talk like you're someone important. Almost like you were Ganondorf's right hand woman . . ." I smirk at her. "But if that were true, you wouldn't be stationed here in tiny little Kakariko babysitting a bunch of slaves." Her fist slams into my stomach and the air rushes out of my lungs. She grabs my arms and pulls me off the wall, throwing me out of the cage.
"Link," Malon hisses without looking up from her polishing. "Shut up. Don't get her angry . . ."
"Little late," I mutter back.
"Who the Hell are you, anyway?" Vicea demands, stepping out of the cage as I push myself weakly to my feet. "You're not from Kakariko." Her foot catches me in the side and I go crashing back to the ground. "Where did you come from?"
"My name is Li . . ." I just manage to stop myself from finishing that.
"Li?" Vicea demands. "What kind of name is Li?"
"A Hell of a lot better one than Vicea," I reply glibly, trying again to push myself to my feet. Not that I make it. Some part of her – foot, fist, I don't know – slams into my cheek again and sends me crashing back into the wall.
I can taste blood . . .
"Why don't you untie me and make this a fair fight?" I demand, pushing myself to my feet again and glaring at her. "Or are you too afraid to fight me . . . Oh no, wait," I say, frowning at her. "I forgot. You work for Ganondorf. You're not afraid of anything, right?" I narrow my eyes at her. "Too bad neither one of us believes that, eh?"
"Shut up now, boy," Vicea snarls.
"You know what I think?" I ask. "I think you're afraid of everything, Vicea. You live in fear. Constantly. Fear of death, fear of life, fear of everything. You have no choice. Because that's how it is, living under Ganondorf." Her face is furious and I stare back at her calmly. "But it's not really living, is it?" I ask. This time I'm ready for her. I duck under her high kick and throw myself into her. She spins around and stumbles back and I take advantage of her lack of balance by throwing my arms, and the rope binding them, around her neck.
She gasps and tries to pry the rope from around her neck. I hold it there with all my strength, dropping to one knee as she staggers and falls.
I don't let her go until she's gone limp, and even then I let her go slowly in case she's faking.
I disentangle myself from her and check for a pulse.
She's alive . . .
I freeze . . .
Should I kill her?
She's a person not a monster . . .
An image of Detsu flashes through my mind . . .
But some people are more of a monster than monsters . . .
Vicea definitely wasn't a nice person . . .
But does she deserve to die?
Do I have the right to make that judgement?
I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror . . .
Black clothes . . . furious expression . . .
A cold shiver runs through me at my resemblance to the witches' version of me . . .
I turn away from Vicea.
Malon looks up at me in surprise.
"Is she . . ."
"No," I say flatly, limping over to where my weapons are. "She's unconscious. But we have to get out of here before she wakes up." I drag the rope along the edge of the Master Sword, effectively cutting it in half, then hurriedly untie the remnants from my wrists. I pick up my sword and slide it back into its sheath, slipping that on my back, then grab my quiver and slip it on as well. The bow goes on next, and then the shield. I grab my pouch and fasten it to my waist.
It won't take the Moblins long to realize that Vicea's missing.
It'll take them even less time to find her unconscious and wake her up, at which point we'll have every Moblin in this place descending on our heads.
We have to get out, and we have to do it now.
"Come on," I say. "We have to find Hunter and get out." I turn back to look at Jinni, who's staring at Vicea's unconscious form with a troubled expression on her face. She looks up at me with the same expression. I touch my split lip and hold out my fingers, showing her the blood on them.
"You've seen what Ganondorf has to offer you, Jinni," I say quietly. I look at her seriously. "If you want, you can stay here. Take over for Vicea. Whatever you think you have to do. I release you from any standing duties to me. However, if you want to come with us, come with us. You're more than welcome to do that as well."
I can see a glimmer of panic in Jinni's eyes. She doesn't want to make this choice on her own. She wants someone to tell her what to do. She needs an order.
But she won't get one from me . . .
"Your choice is obvious, Jinni," I say. "Life or death. It's yours to make." I turn my back on her and shove Malon towards the door. I pause just before leaving and glance back at her. She's staring at Vicea again. She looks back up at me suddenly.
"Highness . . ." She says. I shake my head.
"Do what you have to, Jinni," I tell her. "Do what you think is right."
I turn and leave her alone with nothing but herself and her decision . . .
xxx
Waiting until the patrol of Moblins walks past us, I risk sticking my head up and peering in the window.
"Malon . . . keep watch," I hiss at her.
"What was that you cast back there?" She whispers. "Back at the Graveyard?"
"Farore's Wind," I answer, trying to locate Hunter in the mass of people inside. "It'll let us warp back there if we need to."
"Why the Graveyard?" Malon asks.
"It's a long shot," I say, "but I don't think the Moblins have taken over the Caverns."
"The what?" Malon demands, frowning at me.
"The Sheikah Caverns," I answer. "Where the Sheikah live. It's a whole load of interconnected tunnels and caves underneath Kakariko. Anyway, there's not enough slaves here to service the Moblins here at Kakariko, plus any they'd have in the Caverns. So, I'm assuming they don't have any in the Caverns."
"That's a pretty big assumption," she says. I shrug.
"You got a better idea?" I demand.
"Can't say that I do," she says. "But just because yours is the only idea doesn't make it a good one."
"Never said it was good," I answer, then gasp. "There he is!" I continue to stare in the window, frantically praying that he'll look my way. "Come on," I mutter under my breath. "Come on! I'm over here! Dammit, Hunter!" I start to duck down again, but Hunter's gaze suddenly passes by the window and his eyes widen when he spots me. "Thank Din," I mutter, gesturing frantically for him to find a way outside before sinking back down into the shadows.
"Now what?" Malon hisses.
"Now we wait," I hiss back.
"The Moblins won't let him out of there," Malon replies. "How's he supposed to get out?"
"Trust me," I reply. "He'll find a way."
"Impossi–"
"Link! You're all right!" Hunter gasps, creeping around the corner beside me and cutting Malon off. He slams his fist into my shoulder and I grit my teeth in pain. "Next time you get a moronic idea like that you give me some kind of warning, you got it? A little back-up never hurt anyone you know."
"Hunter," I say thinly, "I appreciate your concern, but could we not hit me right now? I'm bruised and battered up and down and as it is I'm clinging tenaciously to my hold on consciousness, okay?"
"Sorry," Hunter says in a voice that leaves no doubt in my mind that he's not.
"Did you manage to talk any sense into Bruiser?" I ask.
"No," Hunter says in a flat, angry voice. "He's being a bastard about this. It's going to take more time than we have to convince him." I sigh in frustration.
"We have even less time now," I say. Hunter frowns at me.
"Link, what did you do?" He demands. I wince.
"He knocked out Vicea," Malon answers. "And then didn't kill her."
"What, you wanted me to kill her?" I demand, frowning at her.
"I wouldn't have missed her," Malon says, frowning back. "I don't think you understand the Hell she's put me through." Hunter cuts off any answer I might have made.
"And this must be the irascible Malon I've heard so much about," Hunter says with a wide grin.
"Pleased to meet you," Malon says, holding out her hand. Hunter takes it but instead of shaking it he lifts it to his lips and kisses it.
"The pleasure's all mine," he says, the grin never fading. I roll my eyes and Malon smirks at me.
"I like your friend, Link," she says. "He's so much . . . better than you." She peers at me. "Are you jealous yet?"
"Would that make you happy?" I ask. She nods. "I'm green with absolute envy. Can we move on now?" She thinks for a moment.
"Yes," she says. Hunter laughs and I shake my head.
"Wait," he says suddenly. "Where's Miss Perma-Scowl?" I hesitate.
"I . . . uh . . . told her that she didn't have to come with us if she didn't want to. And, uh . . . I might have said something along the lines of if she thought that Ganondorf was the rightful King then she should follow him and not me . . . " Hunter frowns at me.
"And then you left her there, didn't you?" He demands.
"More or less," I say, avoiding his gaze.
"Link! What if she rats us out?"
"Hunter, I know what I'm doing," I reply, hoping I sound confident. "She was uncertain before. Now she has no choice but to get certain. And if she chooses me over Ganondorf, of her own free will . . . then we can actually be sure of her loyalties. And so can she. And that's important."
"And if she chooses Ganondorf over you?" He asks. I shrug.
"Then we're still sure of her loyalties," I answer. "Win-win, right?"
"You have a funny definition of win-win," Hunter mutters.
"Enough talk," I say. "Hunter, go get Bruiser. We don't have much time."
"He won't come," Hunter says dejectedly.
"Why not?" Malon demands, frowning. "Why would he stay here?"
"He feels responsible for everyone else," Hunter says bitterly. "I can't talk him out of it." Malon's face darkens.
"You tell him that if he's not leaving, neither am I. And neither is Link."
I raise an eyebrow at her.
"Oh stop it," she says. "I know you were thinking it."
"All right," Hunter says, creeping back around through the shadows. "Wait here."
"So what do we do once we get to the graveyard?" Malon asks.
"We hit the Caverns," I answer. "Lose any Moblins chasing us in them, and make a break for Goron City."
"We can get there through the Caverns?" She asks in surprise.
"I'm pretty sure you can get anywhere through the Caverns," I answer. "I bet you any money they're loaded with Lost Doors. And even if they're not, there's one in Goron City and we can get almost anywhere in Hyrule from the Lost Woods." I scratch my head. "Normally I'd just warp us there, but . . . taking two people with me was dangerous. I'd be afraid to try it with more." Silence descends between us once more. I close my eyes tiredly and lean back against the wall.
Dammit . . .
I hurt all over . . .
Vicea packs a punch . . .
"You all right?" Malon asks. "Vicea was pretty rough on you . . ."
"I thought you didn't care about me because I'm a bastard and a jerk and a moron," I say.
"Never said I didn't care about you," she replies. "I'm just mad at you. I'll get over it."
For a moment I say nothing. Then:
"I've been better," I answer. "But I've been worse too."
"Hard to believe," she answers with a slight smile. "Then again, maybe it's not. I always knew you were destined for big things, Link . . . I just never knew how big. Or how dangerous . . ." We're quiet for a little longer.
"You're . . . different than I remember," she says after a moment. I frown.
"Malon, it's only been a couple months since we last saw each other," I say. "It's not like I've been gone forever."
"No," she says. "No, not forever . . . but . . . you're still different."
"Maybe it's just because I've got my memories back," I say. "Experiences make up a part of who people are and I've got a whole new load of experiences stored away in the back of my mind."
"No, that's not it," Malon says. "Well, maybe that's part of it, but that's not all of it. You just seem . . . more . . . I don't know, confident? Sure of yourself? A little more grown-up . . ."
"I can think of a dozen people who would disagree with you," I reply. "Shall I list some names? Let's start with the Sages . . ."
"The Sages," Malon interrupts, "have their hearts in the right place. But sometimes they just get too caught up in the big picture. They forget sometimes about the pieces that make that picture up." She glances at me out of the corner of her eye. "That's Zelda's problem you know. She can't see anything but the big picture. And then you come along and start slapping her in the face with the pieces and she gets confused and uncertain and starts second-guessing herself." She looks away again. "If it does work out between you two, you'll have to help her find some kind of a balance . . . a happy medium." Silence falls again.
"Are you sure you're okay with Zelda and I?" I ask. "I mean . . . you're taking it kind of lightly . . ."
"A little more grown-up, but still as arrogant as ever," Malon says with a wry grin. "You're flattering yourself. You're my friend, Link. My best friend. Always have been, always will be. And it was fun while it lasted, but you and me as a couple?" She shakes her head. "I thought about it a lot after talking with Zelda . . . it wouldn't have worked out. We would have killed each other, and probably ruined our friendship. It was a fling, a crush, whatever you want to call it. But there are deeper emotions out there. You and Zelda have it. And I don't want to stand in the way of that."
Wow, and a bruised ego to go with my bruised body . . .
But . . . I'm glad she doesn't hate me for it.
"Someday, Malon," I say, "you're going to meet a great guy, who will be so much better for you than I could ever hope to be. And I'm going to hate him and love him at the same time." I pause. "So . . . we're still friends, right?" I ask.
"Yep," she answers. "Best of." I grin at her.
"Good," I say. There's another pause.
"So how bad did you feel when you realized that you loved Zelda and had to break up with me?" She asks. I grin at her.
"Malon I felt like dirt," I say. "Lower than dirt. I knew at that precise moment that I wasn't good enough for you to even walk on me. I wanted to just curl up and die."
"Good," she says. "That's how you should feel."
"You want me to go on?" I ask. She grins.
"Nah, that's enough to soothe my wounded pride for now. You can tell me more when we're out of this hell-hole." I open my mouth to reply but I'm interrupted by the sound of an argument around the corner at the door. Malon and I exchange glances and creep over to the edge of the building, peering cautiously around it.
Bruiser's standing just outside the door, supporting a weak looking Hunter on his arm, and yelling at the Moblins.
"He's sick!" He growls angrily. "He ate something in there, and now he's sick. I have to get him out of there and get him some fresh air." The Moblin growls something at him and Bruiser growls back. "You're not listening, you mangy sack of dung. He ate something in there and it made him sick. I have to take him out. Unless you want to catch whatever it is he's got." He pushes Hunter forward and Hunter plays the part well, stumbling at them. Their ugly little pig eyes widen and they step back and away from him. One of them turns to Bruiser and gestures for him to take him away. "Finally," Bruiser mutters, grabbing Hunter again and helping him stagger away from the Moblins. Malon and I pull ourselves back around the corner and Bruiser and Hunter follow suit. Hunter immediately moves away from Bruiser, and the Archery Shop Owner growls at us.
"I'm only coming because you three are fool enough to actually follow through on your threats to stay if I don't," he snarls.
"We love you too, Bruiser," Malon replies.
"All right," I say, getting to my feet. "We've got to leave now. I'm surprised they haven't already found . . ." As though my words are a cue alarm horns start blaring from the direction of Impa's house. "Lovely," I mutter. "Everybody stand close, and don't move." I look at Hunter. "This is going to be a rougher ride than with the Ocarina. Get ready . . . Farore's WIND!"
I have the sudden, familiar impression that I'm being sucked up into a green light . . .
. . . and then immediately spit back out again.
I land on my feet.
None of the others are quite that lucky.
"Hunter," Malon growls. "You seem like a really nice guy and all, but get off!"
"Sorry!" Hunter gasps, blushing as he pushes himself off her. "Link's fault. He was the one driving."
"Hey, I warned you," I say with a frown, jogging towards Dampe's grave. "Don't blame this on me."
"And of course you had to pick the only entrance that involves a fifty foot drop," Hunter mutters.
"Excuse me, Mr. High-and-Mighty-Sheikah," I reply. "This is the only entrance I knew about."
"Boys, that's enough," Bruiser snaps. Hunter and I mutter an apology and he helps me pull the gravestone back.
"Ladies first," Hunter says with a broad grin, gesturing at the hole. Malon frowns.
"You didn't tell me this was going to involve jumping into a grave," she says darkly.
"Well, if you'd rather go back and see which side of the bed Vicea woke up on go right ahead," I say. "If not, it's into the hole you go!" Muttering nasty things about me under her breath she grabs her skirt and jumps down.
"After you," I say to Hunter. He grins wickedly at me.
"No, no," he says. "I said ladies first, and ladies first I meant." I stick my tongue out at him and shake my head as I jump down the hole. I hit the ground in a roll in an attempt to lessen the blow, and it works, but the fact that I was already beat up before I jumped down here means that it didn't work as well as it should have. I groan and clutch my head.
"Ow," I say, then push myself into a sitting position. "Malon?" I call. "You all right?"
"Oh she's just fine," says a cold voice.
My heart stops.
That wasn't Malon . . .
Someone lights a torch. The light flickers and dances on Vicea's cruel face. Standing just behind her is Malon, held tightly around the chest and neck by Jinni.
Well . . .
"I'm going to ask you again," Vicea says flatly.
Looks like Jinni's made her choice . . .
"Who are you?"
Suppose there's really no point in covering it up anymore . . .
I climb to my feet and reach over my shoulder, drawing the Master Sword. I grab the black cloth wrapped around the hilt and slowly pull it off, revealing the blade in all its splendor. Vicea's eyes widen.
"I am Link," I say. "King of the Gerudo and Hero of Time." I point my blade at her. "Now's your last chance, Vicea. Atone for your false loyalties or be declared a traitor to your race and condemned by your sisters." She draws two scimitars.
"You are no Gerudo," she hisses. I pull my shield off my back.
"Then neither are you," I reply flatly.
We leap at each other.