Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda.
Chapter 2
The wind blew Link's blond hair into his face and he pushed the strands out of his eyes
for the hundredth time within the past hour. His excitement to finally see his home again
had risen after traveling past some familiar landmarks. Over the years, they hadn't
changed a bit. It was only a few more miles before he'd finally be in Hyrulean territory
once more.
First, Link decided, he would go see Malon like he had promised Epona. The young hero
could tell from Epona's fidgeting whenever he stopped to rest and eat, that she too was
anxious to go home.
Link wondered what Malon would look like now after three years having past. He
remembered how her long flaming red hair would sway in the wind, how her sky blue
eyes would twinkle when she gazed upon him, and the exciting quality of her voice when
she spoke to him.
Link chuckled to himself. "I wonder if she still calls me 'Fairy Boy'," he mused. He had
to admit, he didn't mind when she called him that, even though he always pretended it
irritated him.
Next, after Malon, he'd go and visit the Kokiri in the forest. He'd see his old house and
pick on Mido. Maybe even play with the children, who now recognized him as the 'boy
without a fairy' from his childhood years. After some fun with the Kokiri children, he'd
go see Saria in the Forest Temple and maybe catch up on old times.
Lastly, the Hero of Time planned to go to the castle and create quite a commotion by
barging in without announcing himself. It made him smile to think of the look on
everyone's faces when their hero returns to them after a three year absence.
Link thought of the expression that would be on Zelda's face if he climbed her tower and
came into her room by the balcony. He nearly laughed out loud, imagining what the
princess would do. She'd grab him in a tight bear hug embrace, crying that she hadn't
seen him in so long and that she missed him, while at the same time hitting him for
coming into her room unannounced.
A slight red hue graced Link's cheeks as he thought about her. When he had decided to
leave Hyrule, it had been the hardest to break the news to her. She, with her soft blond
tresses and baby blue eyes, had captured his heart. He was quite aware of her inability to
return his feelings because of her social status, so he kept his amorous feelings for her on
the down low for fear of being hurt. Link had always wondered if she felt the same way
about him.
So wrapped up in his thoughts, Link failed to realize that he had breached Hyrulean
territory and had been trekking through Hyrule Field for the past five minutes. He only
became aware when Epona stopped abruptly, nearly causing Link to slam his face into the
back of Epona's neck, and reared up, neighing nervously.
Link grabbed onto the reigns to keep his seat on his steed's back, searching for the
offender that had frightened her with sharp eyes. His eyes widened as he finally took in
his surroundings.
The sky was dark and cloudy, lightning struck in the distance, foreshadowing an
impending storm. The grass, for as far as Link could see, was charred black. Not a single
flower or plant other than the grass grew from the black earth. The air was eerily thick
with mist that gave an ominous feel to the atmosphere.
Despite the mist, Link could make out Death Mountain in the distance with thick
tumultuous ebony clouds hovering over its opening. Link could see slightly to the east
the Lon Lon Ranch. Over it too, was a dark ominous cloud. Other than that, it looked
basically the same from the outside.
Directly north of him, the blond young man could see a large dark palace, reminding him
greatly of Ganon's Castle. There was an even greater cloud hanging over this structure
along with a heavy mist surrounding it. Link hoped it was merely an illusion that made
the castle's usually pristine ivory surface appear a dingy, squalid black. He hoped to Din
it was his imagination.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Upon entering the ranch, Link could already tell that it wasn't the same. It disheartened
him to think that one of the places he wished would not change, had. It was dark, even
though it was only midday. Link led Epona at a slow walk past the house and the stables
and into the field surrounding the corral. He was surprised by the scene.
Men in black outfits armed with bow and arrows and swords, lined the walls of the ranch
about fifty feet from each other. In all, there was about twenty of them. Their faces were
pale and their eyes glowed mysteriously. The majority of them had black hair, skirting
their shoulders, but several of them had light blond hair.
Link assumed they were all some type of soldiers but he had never seen people who
looked like they did. Perhaps someone who didn't know the Hylians very well would just
assume there was only one race present in this ranch, but Link could quite clearly discern,
there were two.
Cautiously, he dismounted Epona and tethered her at the gate that was always open and
had only been closed in the chaotic future where Ganon ruled and Ingo owned the ranch.
He patted her nose and whispered comforting words to her to ease her nervousness. She
seemed to sense something wrong here too. He walked past the open gate, toward the
corral, hoping he would find Malon on the way there and she would explain what was
going on rather than one of those guards.
A young woman, maybe near Link's age, with short brown hair was hurrying by Link
holding a pale of milk that looked too heavy for her. She was sloshing most of its
contents onto the ground. Link caught her by the arm on her way to the stables.
"Excuse me, miss. Do you know where Malon is?" he asked her. Her eyes widened in
fear and she dropped the pail, spilling all of the milk onto the dry dirt that quickly
absorbed it. The frightened girl held her hands up to her face, as if to shield herself from
an impending attack.
"I-I'm sorry! Please don't hit me!" she pleaded with him. Link raised an eyebrow,
puzzled. "I wasn't going to hit... look, I just wanted to know where Malon was. She's got
long red hair and-"
"Stupid girl!" a voice from behind the woman shouted.
Link watched in horror as one of the guards that had left his post struck the girl in the
back of her head. She shrieked in pain and trembled on her knees, holding her head and
crying pitifully. "Look what you've done! You spilled perfectly good milk all over the
damn floor!" The guard kicked her in the ribs and she cried out.
Link clenched his fist at his sides. He grabbed the guard's arm before he could strike her
again. "Stop! Why are you hitting her? It was a mistake!" he growled. The strange man
with the pale face and glowy green eyes raised a black eyebrow at him. "You new on the
job or sumthin'? We gotta punish them for wasting merchandise. We lose money!"
Link narrowed his eyes, but the guard continued unhindered. "The only way these girls
learn not to make mistakes is to beat 'em up! Didn't they tell you that before you-"
Link had had enough. He socked the man in the face with a vicious left hook. The
woman on the ground shrieked, making the gesture more dramatic, and catching a lot of
attention. The man stumbled backwards, holding his cheek. His lip was busted open and
his nose was bleeding a steady stream of blood. He shook his head and stared at Link in
surprise and anger.
"What the hell was that for?!"
He was met by another sock to the face, and another, until he was laying on the ground
unconscious. Link breathed heavily, staring at his unmoving body. Not that the punches
had taken anything out of him, but he was so overwhelmed by anger that anyone would
treat a woman, or anyone for that matter, like that.
He straightened up and returned to the woman, helping her up. "Are you alright?" he
asked her gently. She nodded, her eyes wide with confusion and slight relief. "Please,
you must go!" she whispered, trying to push him away. Puzzled, Link fought off her
pathetic attempt to move him. "Why?" he asked.
She looked frantically about. "They'll come for you!" Link now noticed several guards
running towards them, swords drawn. The hero cursed lightly under his breath. "Please!"
she pleaded again. Link returned his gaze to her. "Will you be alright?" She nodded
quickly. With that as a good enough answer, Link took off running for a good place to
hide from the guards so he could make his escape.
Link pressed himself against the wall in the cover of the shadows as several guards ran
by. "I saw him go this way!" one of them exclaimed to the others. They all passed Link's
hiding spot. Link let out a sigh of relief. He suddenly jerked to attention when he felt
someone's presence extremely close behind him.
Hand on the hilt of his golden blade the Gilded Sword, Link spun quickly around to face
the offender of his personal space. Though he tried to prevent it from happening, his
mouth dropped open as he stared up at the silhouette of a large burly...person standing
merely a foot away.
Before Link could draw his sword, a colossal fist slammed into his stomach, effectively
knocking the wind out of him. The incapacitated Hero of Time hunched over, clutching
his chest. His face showed an expression of soundless agony and his mouth was open,
with no sound escaping his lips.
He felt his whole world go black, just as a muscular arm caught him before he could hit
the ground.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
And there's chapter two! I know it's a cliffhanger. Doesn't everybody hate those? I
already have most of chappie three written so it'll be up real soon. Tell me what you
think!
-LunaRyuu
Chapter 2
The wind blew Link's blond hair into his face and he pushed the strands out of his eyes
for the hundredth time within the past hour. His excitement to finally see his home again
had risen after traveling past some familiar landmarks. Over the years, they hadn't
changed a bit. It was only a few more miles before he'd finally be in Hyrulean territory
once more.
First, Link decided, he would go see Malon like he had promised Epona. The young hero
could tell from Epona's fidgeting whenever he stopped to rest and eat, that she too was
anxious to go home.
Link wondered what Malon would look like now after three years having past. He
remembered how her long flaming red hair would sway in the wind, how her sky blue
eyes would twinkle when she gazed upon him, and the exciting quality of her voice when
she spoke to him.
Link chuckled to himself. "I wonder if she still calls me 'Fairy Boy'," he mused. He had
to admit, he didn't mind when she called him that, even though he always pretended it
irritated him.
Next, after Malon, he'd go and visit the Kokiri in the forest. He'd see his old house and
pick on Mido. Maybe even play with the children, who now recognized him as the 'boy
without a fairy' from his childhood years. After some fun with the Kokiri children, he'd
go see Saria in the Forest Temple and maybe catch up on old times.
Lastly, the Hero of Time planned to go to the castle and create quite a commotion by
barging in without announcing himself. It made him smile to think of the look on
everyone's faces when their hero returns to them after a three year absence.
Link thought of the expression that would be on Zelda's face if he climbed her tower and
came into her room by the balcony. He nearly laughed out loud, imagining what the
princess would do. She'd grab him in a tight bear hug embrace, crying that she hadn't
seen him in so long and that she missed him, while at the same time hitting him for
coming into her room unannounced.
A slight red hue graced Link's cheeks as he thought about her. When he had decided to
leave Hyrule, it had been the hardest to break the news to her. She, with her soft blond
tresses and baby blue eyes, had captured his heart. He was quite aware of her inability to
return his feelings because of her social status, so he kept his amorous feelings for her on
the down low for fear of being hurt. Link had always wondered if she felt the same way
about him.
So wrapped up in his thoughts, Link failed to realize that he had breached Hyrulean
territory and had been trekking through Hyrule Field for the past five minutes. He only
became aware when Epona stopped abruptly, nearly causing Link to slam his face into the
back of Epona's neck, and reared up, neighing nervously.
Link grabbed onto the reigns to keep his seat on his steed's back, searching for the
offender that had frightened her with sharp eyes. His eyes widened as he finally took in
his surroundings.
The sky was dark and cloudy, lightning struck in the distance, foreshadowing an
impending storm. The grass, for as far as Link could see, was charred black. Not a single
flower or plant other than the grass grew from the black earth. The air was eerily thick
with mist that gave an ominous feel to the atmosphere.
Despite the mist, Link could make out Death Mountain in the distance with thick
tumultuous ebony clouds hovering over its opening. Link could see slightly to the east
the Lon Lon Ranch. Over it too, was a dark ominous cloud. Other than that, it looked
basically the same from the outside.
Directly north of him, the blond young man could see a large dark palace, reminding him
greatly of Ganon's Castle. There was an even greater cloud hanging over this structure
along with a heavy mist surrounding it. Link hoped it was merely an illusion that made
the castle's usually pristine ivory surface appear a dingy, squalid black. He hoped to Din
it was his imagination.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Upon entering the ranch, Link could already tell that it wasn't the same. It disheartened
him to think that one of the places he wished would not change, had. It was dark, even
though it was only midday. Link led Epona at a slow walk past the house and the stables
and into the field surrounding the corral. He was surprised by the scene.
Men in black outfits armed with bow and arrows and swords, lined the walls of the ranch
about fifty feet from each other. In all, there was about twenty of them. Their faces were
pale and their eyes glowed mysteriously. The majority of them had black hair, skirting
their shoulders, but several of them had light blond hair.
Link assumed they were all some type of soldiers but he had never seen people who
looked like they did. Perhaps someone who didn't know the Hylians very well would just
assume there was only one race present in this ranch, but Link could quite clearly discern,
there were two.
Cautiously, he dismounted Epona and tethered her at the gate that was always open and
had only been closed in the chaotic future where Ganon ruled and Ingo owned the ranch.
He patted her nose and whispered comforting words to her to ease her nervousness. She
seemed to sense something wrong here too. He walked past the open gate, toward the
corral, hoping he would find Malon on the way there and she would explain what was
going on rather than one of those guards.
A young woman, maybe near Link's age, with short brown hair was hurrying by Link
holding a pale of milk that looked too heavy for her. She was sloshing most of its
contents onto the ground. Link caught her by the arm on her way to the stables.
"Excuse me, miss. Do you know where Malon is?" he asked her. Her eyes widened in
fear and she dropped the pail, spilling all of the milk onto the dry dirt that quickly
absorbed it. The frightened girl held her hands up to her face, as if to shield herself from
an impending attack.
"I-I'm sorry! Please don't hit me!" she pleaded with him. Link raised an eyebrow,
puzzled. "I wasn't going to hit... look, I just wanted to know where Malon was. She's got
long red hair and-"
"Stupid girl!" a voice from behind the woman shouted.
Link watched in horror as one of the guards that had left his post struck the girl in the
back of her head. She shrieked in pain and trembled on her knees, holding her head and
crying pitifully. "Look what you've done! You spilled perfectly good milk all over the
damn floor!" The guard kicked her in the ribs and she cried out.
Link clenched his fist at his sides. He grabbed the guard's arm before he could strike her
again. "Stop! Why are you hitting her? It was a mistake!" he growled. The strange man
with the pale face and glowy green eyes raised a black eyebrow at him. "You new on the
job or sumthin'? We gotta punish them for wasting merchandise. We lose money!"
Link narrowed his eyes, but the guard continued unhindered. "The only way these girls
learn not to make mistakes is to beat 'em up! Didn't they tell you that before you-"
Link had had enough. He socked the man in the face with a vicious left hook. The
woman on the ground shrieked, making the gesture more dramatic, and catching a lot of
attention. The man stumbled backwards, holding his cheek. His lip was busted open and
his nose was bleeding a steady stream of blood. He shook his head and stared at Link in
surprise and anger.
"What the hell was that for?!"
He was met by another sock to the face, and another, until he was laying on the ground
unconscious. Link breathed heavily, staring at his unmoving body. Not that the punches
had taken anything out of him, but he was so overwhelmed by anger that anyone would
treat a woman, or anyone for that matter, like that.
He straightened up and returned to the woman, helping her up. "Are you alright?" he
asked her gently. She nodded, her eyes wide with confusion and slight relief. "Please,
you must go!" she whispered, trying to push him away. Puzzled, Link fought off her
pathetic attempt to move him. "Why?" he asked.
She looked frantically about. "They'll come for you!" Link now noticed several guards
running towards them, swords drawn. The hero cursed lightly under his breath. "Please!"
she pleaded again. Link returned his gaze to her. "Will you be alright?" She nodded
quickly. With that as a good enough answer, Link took off running for a good place to
hide from the guards so he could make his escape.
Link pressed himself against the wall in the cover of the shadows as several guards ran
by. "I saw him go this way!" one of them exclaimed to the others. They all passed Link's
hiding spot. Link let out a sigh of relief. He suddenly jerked to attention when he felt
someone's presence extremely close behind him.
Hand on the hilt of his golden blade the Gilded Sword, Link spun quickly around to face
the offender of his personal space. Though he tried to prevent it from happening, his
mouth dropped open as he stared up at the silhouette of a large burly...person standing
merely a foot away.
Before Link could draw his sword, a colossal fist slammed into his stomach, effectively
knocking the wind out of him. The incapacitated Hero of Time hunched over, clutching
his chest. His face showed an expression of soundless agony and his mouth was open,
with no sound escaping his lips.
He felt his whole world go black, just as a muscular arm caught him before he could hit
the ground.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
And there's chapter two! I know it's a cliffhanger. Doesn't everybody hate those? I
already have most of chappie three written so it'll be up real soon. Tell me what you
think!
-LunaRyuu