The Hero Returns To Hyrule

Chapter 11: Thus Begins Malon's Quest

A/N: Let's see how many people are going to read this after the last chapter. I know that my decisions was not very popular, but I cannot and will not go back to change it. In the end, the decision to kill off Link will make sense, but will not take back the hatred that I have received. At this point, I will continue the adventure from the point where I last mentioned Malon. She has followed Link to Kakiriko Village. Please continue to read this fic even if you hate me for killing Link.

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The night was nearly over. A glimpse of sunlight was edging over the edge of the horizon. Off in the distance an arrow sailed through the sky and into the castle of Ganondorf. As if in reply, the sky immediately turns pitch black. An unforgiving mist has covered the sky of Hyrule. You can barely see further than an arm's reach away.

A red haired maiden rides her silver horse towards the base of Death Mountain. She heads in the direction that she last saw her love head off in. She was determined to prove to him and to herself that she could take care of herself. Malon silently rode forward. She had been lucky. Not a single enemy had challenged her, yet.

Malon had arrived at the staircase that led to Kakiriko Village. She dismounted her horse and was about to send her back to Lon Lon Ranch, when a clamor sounded from above. A horrible shriek filled the air and something was headed towards Malon. She pulled out her dagger, awaiting whatever it was that approached her.

She let out a sigh of relief when she spotted Epona. Epona quickly made her way down the stairs before huddling against Malon. The maiden whispered something silently into Epona's ear. Epona nodded before leading the other horse towards the Ranch.

With knife ready, Malon rushed up the stairs. At the top she looked around in horror at her surroundings. She had never dared to go near Kakiriko Village after it had been evacuated. The stories that the villagers had told her could not have prepared her for what she saw.

Malon was tempted to head back home, but something caught her eye. Something was moving behind one of the crumbling buildings. Very cautiously she approached the building. Malon glanced around the corner and spotted a Re-Dead hunched over someone. She immediately recognized the green tunic of the person being attacked by the zombie creature.

Malon let her knife fly towards the Re-Dead. The tiny blade buried itself into the back of the creature. The zombie arched its back in agony. It then turned towards Malon and began to shuffle towards her. Malon retreated from the approaching threat. She had expected to kill the Re-Dead with her dagger. Other than that knife, she was unarmed. Her only choice was to run.

As she ran away, Malon could hear the horrendous groans of the Re-Dead as it followed her. Malon climbed up a ledge and quickly ducked behind a wall. She had to catch her breath. The groans and shuffling had stopped behind her. Malon nervously looked over the wall and across the ruins. She breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't see anything.

She got up to her feet and silently crept along the base of the wall. Malon waited for a few seconds before making a mad dash to the building where Link was at. She was nearly there when she spotted the Re-Dead. But this time, it had friends with it.

Malon looked around for a place to hide, but found her escape blocked by yet another Re-Dead. They were everywhere and had her surrounded. Malon noticed Link's blade and removed it from its sheath. The blade's weight forced Malon to drop the sword. It was too heavy for her. The only thing she could do was crouch and pray beside the unconscious form of Link.

A shadow passed overhead. The sound of metal slicing through rotten flesh caused Malon to open her eyes. Before her, a robed figure was decimating the wave of zombies. Malon couldn't take her eyes of the amazing swordsman. Effortlessly, he destroyed every last one of the creatures.

The robed man noticed Malon as he searched for more enemies. "You shouldn't be here, Miss!" He called out as he stabbed at a twitching corpse.

"I was just following Link." Malon replied as she watched the man wander about the bodies. He stopped at the mention of Link's name. "So it is true. Link is back in Hyrule." He mentioned as he looked over at the unconscious hero.

Malon placed her hand against Link's chest. "He's still alive." She mentioned as Link's heart beat below her palm.

The robed man was now kneeling beside her checking over Link. He past a skeletal hand over the face of the hero. Malon noticed the hand and immediately backed away. "What are you?" Malon asked, her eyes fixated on the bony fingers.

"Do not be afraid, Miss. I am not your enemy." The robed man picked Link's body up off the ground and slung it over his shoulder. "You can continue on your quest up Death Mountain to find the Fire Temple. I will keep Link here to recuperate. When he wakes up, I will tell him where you went."

Malon was taken by surprise. "How do you know of the Temples? How do you know that I was looking for the Fire Temple?"

The man opened the door to the only building that was fully intact. The man entered inside and placed Link on a small cot in the corner. Malon followed him to the door, clearly interested in this stranger. As the man turned back to face Malon, she caught a glimpse of his face beneath his hood. "You're Dark Link!" Malon cried out in surprise. She had heard the story about Dark Link's and Link's fight in the original Water Temple the last time Ganondorf was in charge.

"I'm on your side this time around. The sages entrusted me in guarding the entrance to the Shadow Temple. Take a look at what Ganondorf did to me in the Sacred Realm." Dark Link pulled up the sleeve of his robe to reveal his arm. Everything below the shoulder was bone.

Malon recoiled in horror. "How did you get out of the Sacred Realm?"

"After Ganondorf broke out, Zelda decided to let me out. We made a deal that if I helped the sages defend Hyrule from Ganondorf, I would one day get a chance to fight him." Dark Link explained as he walked over to a wall lined with swords.

Dark Link carefully examined the various blades. "You're going to need a better sword than that dagger you had." He took a katana off the wall and handed it to Malon. "Think you can use this?"

Malon removed the blade from the sheath and swung the sword in a couple of practice swings. "Wow. It's perfect. Balance and weight are just right for me. Thanks." She returned the blade to its sheath and tied the sword to the sash around her waist.

"No problem." Dark Link said. "Now you can fend for yourself. That sword was crafted by the Goron who is protecting the Fire Temple's entrance further up this mountain. Feel free to pay him a visit. If Link wakes up while you are gone, I'll send him to the Shadow Temple."

"Thanks for your help. Make sure to tell him where I went." Malon bid farewell to Dark Link and closed the door to the building. She found her dagger nearby and retrieved it. She then headed towards the trail that led up Death Mountain.

Death Mountain hadn't changed much since Ganondorf returned. There were still the Tektites that tormented travelers. The dark mist that covered the sky made it hard to see. You could hear the boulders rolling down the path, threatening to crush anything that lingered in their way.

Malon's new sword worked wonders. She had made her first kill on a Tektite that tried to jump on her from the path above. Before she knew what she had done, the Tektite lay in two halves at her feet. She didn't even feel that bad about ending something's life.

Not long after, Malon found herself at the entrance to Goron City. A huge gate had been erected to stop people from entering into the city. Now, the gate had a huge hole burnt through the center of it. Malon crawled through the hole and entered the city of the Gorons.

Goron City was a mess. Fires burned everywhere, igniting bomb flowers, causing explosions to rock the city. The walls had crumbled, destroying the multiple floors that had been the main feature of the cave. Somehow, the little platform suspended above the city was still intact.

Malon climbed down through the rubble to a nearby door. It was the only one that wasn't blocked by boulders. From inside, the sound of a hammer banging against metal echoed eerily through the empty city. Malon made her way through the twisting path and headed towards the sound.

"Come in Malon!" A voice called from the room. The hammering had quit.

Malon found herself standing before a huge Goron. Beside the creature was a tiny furnace, in comparison to the Goron. A table lined with swords rested against a wall. "How are you doing?" Malon asked Biggoron.

"Not bad. My swords have been keeping me company. I see that Dark Link gave you the finest katana that I've ever made. But, I have been thinking. Maybe if I didn't eat all of those rocks when I was younger, I might have been able to escape with the others. Instead, I got stuck in this room and could never move since. I got too fat." Biggoron blacksmith always had a sense of humor.

Malon chuckled. "I was wondering if you could open the portal to the Fire Temple for me."

Biggoron was suddenly serious. "You know I can't do that Malon. I can only open the portal for Link."

"Well, Link is busy at the moment. You see; he's going to the Shadow Temple. We decided that Hyrule could be saved sooner if two of us traveled through the temples. So, I am Link's partner." Malon lied.

Biggoron pondered over the situation for a few seconds before answering. "In that case, alright, I'll let you in. You know where the portal is, right? Just make sure that Link stops by. I have a better sword for him."

"Thanks a lot!" Malon called as she waved farewell. She headed back to the main chamber of Goron City. Up on the suspended platform was a glowing blue portal. Malon climbed back up to the top level and headed to one of the ropes.

She hated heights and this was one of the worst. The rope looked like it was ready to snap as soon as someone took a step onto it. Malon swallowed nervously as she placed a foot on the swaying rope. It held. Carefully, she took another step forward. The rope still held.

Malon was nearly at the platform. The next thing she knew, she heard the rope snap behind her. She was falling, arms flailing all over. She felt her hand brush up against something and tried to grab whatever it was. She had stopped falling.

There she was, swinging from the rope, barely off of the ground. Determined, Malon methodically climbed the rope. Upon reaching the top, she collapsed into the blue portal. The Fire Temple awaited.

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A/N: That pushes this fic over 20,000 words. Thanks to anybody who's still reading this fic. I will update this fic every Friday starting this week. That means Chapter 12 will be here Friday, October 29. Till then, Tint out.