Chapter III
Life on the secluded little ranch droned on. Time passed slowly; the same things were done in the same matter day after day, and to anyone passing by, it would seem as if the place was about as monotonous and boring as it appeared. But this was not the case for Link and Malon.
They had many more outings after the storage shed ordeal. They would sometimes stroll around the corral countless times, and so passionate and deep were their conversations that a large they did not keep track of the time spent doing such things. Indeed, one would be so immersed with the other that neither would heed anything outside of the conversations until the sun departed the heavens to rest beneath the horizon and light abandoned them to leave the ranch blanketed in a curtain of lavender cloth, with tiny stars twinkling like pinholes in the great tapestry. Then it would be time for good nights, and each would return to their lodgings to sleep the night away in high hopes that doing so would make their time spent without the other shorter and quite more unobjectionable. Soon Link felt the bindings of time abscond him; every day seemed like a great gift prepared specially for him by the Three. It was true of course, that he was the Hero of Time, and while he already took control of his lifespan, this. this was something different entirely. The Ocarina of Time allowed him the power to move back and forth from childhood; and the pulling and sheathing of the Master Sword was the key to such supremacy.it was, as Sheik (later unveiled as Zelda) had once told him:
"The Master Sword is a ship with which you can sail upstream and downstream through time's river. the port for that ship is the Temple of Time."
But no, this was truly a different feeling. This. was neither control, nor power. This was a feeling, a great contentedness to be alive and existing, this was a gratification to the Goddesses for creating each day, and the thankfulness for creating night so there might yet be another dawn. Being with Malon only magnified this emotion. Whenever he was with her, his troubles evaporated, he melted at the sight of her, and when she laughed the world, Link's world, laughed right alongside her, and it gladdened his heart. She was a beautiful person, like an angel on the outside, like a fairy tale on the inside. She was so complex, so thoughtful, and so considerate. Link grew so attached to her that he felt sure he would willingly trade his life for her safety and well-being. He tried and tried to understand, to comprehend the reason he felt like this about someone, and why he had never had such feelings this deep before. Then one day, realization hit him like an oversized Wallmaster.
He was in love.
In love with Malon.
He jumped out of bed, huffing as if he had just run a long distance.
"I've got to see her!" He said to the empty stall. With that, he scurried away to complete his chores early for the day.
It was still in the wee hours of dawn as he stumbled out of the stable house. The grass was dappled with millions of minuscule droplets of shining dew, giving the field in and around the corral a glossy, lustrous appearance. The newborn sky, having just awoken from the dark of night, was now a radiant indigo, and the few clouds that happened to be floating across the heavens where tinted in a pastel white hue, giving them the essence of puffy globules of Hylian kettle corn, which was occasionally vended in the castle market. The site was unreservedly picturesque.
Link scanned the countryside, eyes peeled for an iota of crimson hair showing against all the blue and green hues. He knew that Malon woke with the Sun at the crack of dawn every day to start chores early; after spending her life on a ranch she had picked up quite a few gratifying advantages, no doubt most having been learned the hard way. But there was no girl to be found. Link speculated that she might by chance be in one of the storage sheds surrounding the ranch, preparing for the labors of the day. conceivably she might even be in the old shed toward the end again. 'She might even be thinking of me as she sorts the milk, looking around the place and departing back to the long past days of our youth. Nayru be foretold if I'm not thinking of her right now.'
Link broke into a run, but a better initiative hit him. Temptation was getting to him; there was just as good a chance that she was in any of the other storage sheds than that one. the knowledgeable thing to do would be to wait patiently out in the open until she showed up- in this manner he could keep track of all the sheds at once, instead of foolishly choosing a random one to investigate and missing Malon altogether. So he bent into a crouch and waited.
Ten minutes- nothing.
Fifteen minutes- not a sight.
Twenty-five minutes- something was definitely wrong.
Link stood and stretched from his crouch, an anxious look crossing over his face. Where the hell was she? There was something amiss- he could somehow sense that Malon was not on the ranch. He removed the Ocarina of Time from beneath his garments, brought the instrument to his lips and swiftly played Epona's Song, the notes reverberating out across the pasture as he carefully moved his fingers from hole to hole.
From the gates of the ranch loped the magnificent mare Epona. She came to a smooth halt at Link's side, nickering and tossing her mane back in graceful bravura. She was Malon's little one, Link's steed, and a friend to both. Her coat was a bullion- russet color, and she had a handsome pallid mane that shimmered in the morning luminosity. She wore an intricate saddle; tough cowhide leather, dyed a deep cobalt, then sutured with golden thread. A striking Triforce symbol was emblazoned on both sides, and there were many markings inscribed on and around the rims of the seat- the ancient runes of Hylian mythology, no doubt. It was a beautiful saddle, fit only for a beautiful horse such as Epona. The mare snorted and stamped the ground; she was uneasy- worried about something. She seemed to have run very fast to make it back to the ranch.
Link guided his gauntleted hand to her breast, feeling the coarse hair and, deeper down, the wildly beating heart within.
"What is it, girl?" Link tried to coo to Epona as he spoke, a method Malon had taught him long ago on how to calm animals. It seemed to work- the steed dipped her majestic head and nuzzled the front of Link's tunic. Link absent-mindedly patted her head- why did she seem so anxious. frightened? It was like.
Suddenly, Epona neighed and tugged at Link's tunic, willing him to step forward.
"What is it, Epona?" Link asked again, puzzled.
She nickered again and nudged him- he got the hint and hopped over her back to mount her. She immediately took off down the path and out of the ranch, a bewildered Link clutching the reigns as she ran.
She bolted in the direction of Zora's River, where the runoff from The Great Jabu Jabu's falls flowed down the valley and into the grate beneath Hyrule Castle, providing Hylians with fresh drinking water. As horse and rider neared closer to the river entrance, Link caught sight of something, suspended on the edge of the cliff overlooking the mouth of the rapids. A flash of crimson pierced his eyesight. Hair.
Malon's hair.
Malon hung desperately over the side of the cliff by an arm, struggling to keep a grasp on the fence post crowning the peak, trying and failing to swing her legs back over the side and onto safe ground. Link yelled out in terror. The rapids frothing below her were strong enough to carry a fully-grown Moblin such as the monstrous one guarding the entrance to the Sacred Forest Meadow straight off it's feet and down stream. Malon would never stand a chance. She would be carried off by the torrent until she arrived at the grate to the castle aqueducts- if not stopped, she would helplessly thrashed against the bars. The crush would be fatal. He had to help her, some way.
"H'cha!" Link kicked Epona's sides and she sped up, approached the base of the cliff and soared up the incline. Link leapt from the saddle, raced to the edge and peered down.
"Malon! Hold on, I'm gonna try to pull you up!" Link bellowed to the girl. She heard his voice and chanced a view up. Her tear-stained eyes caught his for a brief moment and hovered there, an essence of sheer horror reflected in her fair face. 'I. I can't hold on any more!' she tried to tell him, but no words issued from her lips. Suddenly she gasped and screamed as her hand slipped- down she plunged, into the foaming, chaotic surge.
"NO!!" Link screamed back- but she had hit the surface and was being tossed in the rip current. Without second thoughts he tore off his tunic and donned the sapphire Zora tunic, then laced up his sturdy iron boots. He trudged as fast as his boots would manage to the edge of the cliff, hopped the fence, and tumbled in after her.
.sound. Frantic, hectic, swirling sound. Up, down, around, everywhere. Deafening, yet. soothing. Pulsating. Alive.
.sight. Frothing, foaming, twirling sight. Bubbles, foam, haze. Blinding, yet. crystal clear. Complex. Beautiful.
.touch. Tugging, grasping, prickling touch. Freezing, numbing, uncontrollable. Chaotic, yet. exhilarating. Invigorating. Enlivening.
*~*~Water~*~*
Link shook his head and cleared his brain. He had hoped that his aquatic adventures within the depths of the Water Temple had totally readied him for the awesome power of living, breathing, enduring under water, but the experience he had felt like nothing now. He would probably never quite get used to the lifestyle of the Zora race. He squinted and looked around. He was standing on the bottom of the riverbed now. With the increased pressure added to his body under water he was able to move quite swiftly, even while equipping Iron boots. He heard a muffled cry and his head shot up- Malon was being thrown about in the current above him. if he could only reach her.he could anchor her and pull her over to the safe shore. The water was about 10 feet deep- if he caught hold of one of her feet he could walk her safely out of the current without pulling her under. he gave an awesome leap and grabbed her ankle- he felt her jerk and immediately start to struggle, but she seemed to remember him coming in after her and went still. He marched firmly up the streambed, making sure to plant one foot straight in front of the other- if he lost his balance even he could be carried off by the rush. They finally reached the bank, and Link hurriedly pulled off his boots, hefted Malon up, and carried her over to the base of the cliff, where Epona stood waiting with Link's regular boots and tunic.
"Oh, Malon. Malon, are you all right?" Link's worried eyes scanned the girl as he gently set her down on the grass and draped his Kokiri tunic over her. She coughed, and finally sputtered words out.
"Link. I'm fine now.thank you.thank you so much. but," she paused to cough, "but how did you know where to find me?"
"I looked for you back at the ranch, and when I couldn't find you I called Epona. She brought me here. I suppose you brought her along?
"Yeah. I was just going for a morning ride.you know, to relax and think. I really like the view of the castle in the morning from the cliff top, so I went up there. I guess I was a little tired from riding early- I looked down into the water and started to get dizzy. then, before I knew it, I was over the edge.oh, Link." she paused, then hesitantly put an arm around him, in which he replied by wrapping his own around her shivering body.
"It's okay, Mal. Lucky Epona reacted so fast to danger. I might not've made it in time. I can't even begin to think about what it'd be like to lose you. I, well, Malon. I really care for you. More, really, than anyone else in Hyrule." Link said his words slowly and deliberately- he wanted this fact to sink in.
"Link. I. I care for you too. More than anything. You've given me so much more than I could've ever hoped for. as a friend, but. also.also as-"
But she did not finish. Link had put a finger to her lips, brushed aside a lock of her auburn hair, and leaned in to kiss her. His lips grazed her own and he savored the moment. Her lips were so soft, silky- and he couldn't be sure, but they seemed to hold the faint, fragranced taste of the sweet, nutritious milk that her family was so famous for. It was like the flavor was a part of her; a long-engrained gene that only showed itself on the most special of occasions. It was incredible- and in the many years ahead, Link would never forget that kiss. Never.
There was a soft snort not far from Link's right ear. He opened his eye halfway and saw Epona waiting expectantly. The two's lips finally released and Link stood up, then helped Malon to her feet.
"We'd better, uhn. get back. you can change your clothes, and your dad might get mad if we show up late for chores.so, um." Link stood awkwardly for a moment, until Malon broke the trance and broke out into a grin.
"So. are you gonna help me up onto Epona or what?" She winked.
"But of course, milady." Link grinned back. He knew just as well as she that she could've easily got on herself- she had been raised on horses- but he jumped to help her, then hopped up behind her. Link clicked his tongue and Epona started away at a trot. Malon sighed and leaned back into Link's chest. She had two fingers up to her mouth, lightly touching the spot where they had been on Link's own lips not a minute ago. A faint smile hovered on her lips as she recalled the feeling- absolute bliss. This had turned out to be the best (and almost the worst) day of her life. 'Oh, Link.' was all she could think in her head. 'My hero.'
Link rested his face against the top of her head as they clip- clopped across the vast Hyrule Field, gently smelling her hair, which was still drying from the river. 'I really am in love,' he thought.
They reached the ranch gates and Link steered Epona up the slope, past the farmhouse and into the corral. He jumped off then lifted Malon up to rest her on her feet. They smiled at each other again then ran off to start chores.
From a window in the house Talon had watched them ride up, hands twined together, nestling deep in the saddle. He knew something had happened, and he knew it was good.
"Thatta boy, Link." He clucked to himself out loud. "Thatta boy." ~*~*End*~*~
Life on the secluded little ranch droned on. Time passed slowly; the same things were done in the same matter day after day, and to anyone passing by, it would seem as if the place was about as monotonous and boring as it appeared. But this was not the case for Link and Malon.
They had many more outings after the storage shed ordeal. They would sometimes stroll around the corral countless times, and so passionate and deep were their conversations that a large they did not keep track of the time spent doing such things. Indeed, one would be so immersed with the other that neither would heed anything outside of the conversations until the sun departed the heavens to rest beneath the horizon and light abandoned them to leave the ranch blanketed in a curtain of lavender cloth, with tiny stars twinkling like pinholes in the great tapestry. Then it would be time for good nights, and each would return to their lodgings to sleep the night away in high hopes that doing so would make their time spent without the other shorter and quite more unobjectionable. Soon Link felt the bindings of time abscond him; every day seemed like a great gift prepared specially for him by the Three. It was true of course, that he was the Hero of Time, and while he already took control of his lifespan, this. this was something different entirely. The Ocarina of Time allowed him the power to move back and forth from childhood; and the pulling and sheathing of the Master Sword was the key to such supremacy.it was, as Sheik (later unveiled as Zelda) had once told him:
"The Master Sword is a ship with which you can sail upstream and downstream through time's river. the port for that ship is the Temple of Time."
But no, this was truly a different feeling. This. was neither control, nor power. This was a feeling, a great contentedness to be alive and existing, this was a gratification to the Goddesses for creating each day, and the thankfulness for creating night so there might yet be another dawn. Being with Malon only magnified this emotion. Whenever he was with her, his troubles evaporated, he melted at the sight of her, and when she laughed the world, Link's world, laughed right alongside her, and it gladdened his heart. She was a beautiful person, like an angel on the outside, like a fairy tale on the inside. She was so complex, so thoughtful, and so considerate. Link grew so attached to her that he felt sure he would willingly trade his life for her safety and well-being. He tried and tried to understand, to comprehend the reason he felt like this about someone, and why he had never had such feelings this deep before. Then one day, realization hit him like an oversized Wallmaster.
He was in love.
In love with Malon.
He jumped out of bed, huffing as if he had just run a long distance.
"I've got to see her!" He said to the empty stall. With that, he scurried away to complete his chores early for the day.
It was still in the wee hours of dawn as he stumbled out of the stable house. The grass was dappled with millions of minuscule droplets of shining dew, giving the field in and around the corral a glossy, lustrous appearance. The newborn sky, having just awoken from the dark of night, was now a radiant indigo, and the few clouds that happened to be floating across the heavens where tinted in a pastel white hue, giving them the essence of puffy globules of Hylian kettle corn, which was occasionally vended in the castle market. The site was unreservedly picturesque.
Link scanned the countryside, eyes peeled for an iota of crimson hair showing against all the blue and green hues. He knew that Malon woke with the Sun at the crack of dawn every day to start chores early; after spending her life on a ranch she had picked up quite a few gratifying advantages, no doubt most having been learned the hard way. But there was no girl to be found. Link speculated that she might by chance be in one of the storage sheds surrounding the ranch, preparing for the labors of the day. conceivably she might even be in the old shed toward the end again. 'She might even be thinking of me as she sorts the milk, looking around the place and departing back to the long past days of our youth. Nayru be foretold if I'm not thinking of her right now.'
Link broke into a run, but a better initiative hit him. Temptation was getting to him; there was just as good a chance that she was in any of the other storage sheds than that one. the knowledgeable thing to do would be to wait patiently out in the open until she showed up- in this manner he could keep track of all the sheds at once, instead of foolishly choosing a random one to investigate and missing Malon altogether. So he bent into a crouch and waited.
Ten minutes- nothing.
Fifteen minutes- not a sight.
Twenty-five minutes- something was definitely wrong.
Link stood and stretched from his crouch, an anxious look crossing over his face. Where the hell was she? There was something amiss- he could somehow sense that Malon was not on the ranch. He removed the Ocarina of Time from beneath his garments, brought the instrument to his lips and swiftly played Epona's Song, the notes reverberating out across the pasture as he carefully moved his fingers from hole to hole.
From the gates of the ranch loped the magnificent mare Epona. She came to a smooth halt at Link's side, nickering and tossing her mane back in graceful bravura. She was Malon's little one, Link's steed, and a friend to both. Her coat was a bullion- russet color, and she had a handsome pallid mane that shimmered in the morning luminosity. She wore an intricate saddle; tough cowhide leather, dyed a deep cobalt, then sutured with golden thread. A striking Triforce symbol was emblazoned on both sides, and there were many markings inscribed on and around the rims of the seat- the ancient runes of Hylian mythology, no doubt. It was a beautiful saddle, fit only for a beautiful horse such as Epona. The mare snorted and stamped the ground; she was uneasy- worried about something. She seemed to have run very fast to make it back to the ranch.
Link guided his gauntleted hand to her breast, feeling the coarse hair and, deeper down, the wildly beating heart within.
"What is it, girl?" Link tried to coo to Epona as he spoke, a method Malon had taught him long ago on how to calm animals. It seemed to work- the steed dipped her majestic head and nuzzled the front of Link's tunic. Link absent-mindedly patted her head- why did she seem so anxious. frightened? It was like.
Suddenly, Epona neighed and tugged at Link's tunic, willing him to step forward.
"What is it, Epona?" Link asked again, puzzled.
She nickered again and nudged him- he got the hint and hopped over her back to mount her. She immediately took off down the path and out of the ranch, a bewildered Link clutching the reigns as she ran.
She bolted in the direction of Zora's River, where the runoff from The Great Jabu Jabu's falls flowed down the valley and into the grate beneath Hyrule Castle, providing Hylians with fresh drinking water. As horse and rider neared closer to the river entrance, Link caught sight of something, suspended on the edge of the cliff overlooking the mouth of the rapids. A flash of crimson pierced his eyesight. Hair.
Malon's hair.
Malon hung desperately over the side of the cliff by an arm, struggling to keep a grasp on the fence post crowning the peak, trying and failing to swing her legs back over the side and onto safe ground. Link yelled out in terror. The rapids frothing below her were strong enough to carry a fully-grown Moblin such as the monstrous one guarding the entrance to the Sacred Forest Meadow straight off it's feet and down stream. Malon would never stand a chance. She would be carried off by the torrent until she arrived at the grate to the castle aqueducts- if not stopped, she would helplessly thrashed against the bars. The crush would be fatal. He had to help her, some way.
"H'cha!" Link kicked Epona's sides and she sped up, approached the base of the cliff and soared up the incline. Link leapt from the saddle, raced to the edge and peered down.
"Malon! Hold on, I'm gonna try to pull you up!" Link bellowed to the girl. She heard his voice and chanced a view up. Her tear-stained eyes caught his for a brief moment and hovered there, an essence of sheer horror reflected in her fair face. 'I. I can't hold on any more!' she tried to tell him, but no words issued from her lips. Suddenly she gasped and screamed as her hand slipped- down she plunged, into the foaming, chaotic surge.
"NO!!" Link screamed back- but she had hit the surface and was being tossed in the rip current. Without second thoughts he tore off his tunic and donned the sapphire Zora tunic, then laced up his sturdy iron boots. He trudged as fast as his boots would manage to the edge of the cliff, hopped the fence, and tumbled in after her.
.sound. Frantic, hectic, swirling sound. Up, down, around, everywhere. Deafening, yet. soothing. Pulsating. Alive.
.sight. Frothing, foaming, twirling sight. Bubbles, foam, haze. Blinding, yet. crystal clear. Complex. Beautiful.
.touch. Tugging, grasping, prickling touch. Freezing, numbing, uncontrollable. Chaotic, yet. exhilarating. Invigorating. Enlivening.
*~*~Water~*~*
Link shook his head and cleared his brain. He had hoped that his aquatic adventures within the depths of the Water Temple had totally readied him for the awesome power of living, breathing, enduring under water, but the experience he had felt like nothing now. He would probably never quite get used to the lifestyle of the Zora race. He squinted and looked around. He was standing on the bottom of the riverbed now. With the increased pressure added to his body under water he was able to move quite swiftly, even while equipping Iron boots. He heard a muffled cry and his head shot up- Malon was being thrown about in the current above him. if he could only reach her.he could anchor her and pull her over to the safe shore. The water was about 10 feet deep- if he caught hold of one of her feet he could walk her safely out of the current without pulling her under. he gave an awesome leap and grabbed her ankle- he felt her jerk and immediately start to struggle, but she seemed to remember him coming in after her and went still. He marched firmly up the streambed, making sure to plant one foot straight in front of the other- if he lost his balance even he could be carried off by the rush. They finally reached the bank, and Link hurriedly pulled off his boots, hefted Malon up, and carried her over to the base of the cliff, where Epona stood waiting with Link's regular boots and tunic.
"Oh, Malon. Malon, are you all right?" Link's worried eyes scanned the girl as he gently set her down on the grass and draped his Kokiri tunic over her. She coughed, and finally sputtered words out.
"Link. I'm fine now.thank you.thank you so much. but," she paused to cough, "but how did you know where to find me?"
"I looked for you back at the ranch, and when I couldn't find you I called Epona. She brought me here. I suppose you brought her along?
"Yeah. I was just going for a morning ride.you know, to relax and think. I really like the view of the castle in the morning from the cliff top, so I went up there. I guess I was a little tired from riding early- I looked down into the water and started to get dizzy. then, before I knew it, I was over the edge.oh, Link." she paused, then hesitantly put an arm around him, in which he replied by wrapping his own around her shivering body.
"It's okay, Mal. Lucky Epona reacted so fast to danger. I might not've made it in time. I can't even begin to think about what it'd be like to lose you. I, well, Malon. I really care for you. More, really, than anyone else in Hyrule." Link said his words slowly and deliberately- he wanted this fact to sink in.
"Link. I. I care for you too. More than anything. You've given me so much more than I could've ever hoped for. as a friend, but. also.also as-"
But she did not finish. Link had put a finger to her lips, brushed aside a lock of her auburn hair, and leaned in to kiss her. His lips grazed her own and he savored the moment. Her lips were so soft, silky- and he couldn't be sure, but they seemed to hold the faint, fragranced taste of the sweet, nutritious milk that her family was so famous for. It was like the flavor was a part of her; a long-engrained gene that only showed itself on the most special of occasions. It was incredible- and in the many years ahead, Link would never forget that kiss. Never.
There was a soft snort not far from Link's right ear. He opened his eye halfway and saw Epona waiting expectantly. The two's lips finally released and Link stood up, then helped Malon to her feet.
"We'd better, uhn. get back. you can change your clothes, and your dad might get mad if we show up late for chores.so, um." Link stood awkwardly for a moment, until Malon broke the trance and broke out into a grin.
"So. are you gonna help me up onto Epona or what?" She winked.
"But of course, milady." Link grinned back. He knew just as well as she that she could've easily got on herself- she had been raised on horses- but he jumped to help her, then hopped up behind her. Link clicked his tongue and Epona started away at a trot. Malon sighed and leaned back into Link's chest. She had two fingers up to her mouth, lightly touching the spot where they had been on Link's own lips not a minute ago. A faint smile hovered on her lips as she recalled the feeling- absolute bliss. This had turned out to be the best (and almost the worst) day of her life. 'Oh, Link.' was all she could think in her head. 'My hero.'
Link rested his face against the top of her head as they clip- clopped across the vast Hyrule Field, gently smelling her hair, which was still drying from the river. 'I really am in love,' he thought.
They reached the ranch gates and Link steered Epona up the slope, past the farmhouse and into the corral. He jumped off then lifted Malon up to rest her on her feet. They smiled at each other again then ran off to start chores.
From a window in the house Talon had watched them ride up, hands twined together, nestling deep in the saddle. He knew something had happened, and he knew it was good.
"Thatta boy, Link." He clucked to himself out loud. "Thatta boy." ~*~*End*~*~