The Hero Returns To Hyrule
Chapter 13: Malon Learns of Link's Death
A/N: A long, long, long time ago I started this fic. It was my first fic and was mighty proud of it. I sort of lost interest in writing it after my computer crashed during the last half of the summer. I've tried continuing it, but have not felt the same about it. That is why I have decided to add in a strange plot twist that will end the story within the next four chapters. I still apologize for the murder of Link in Chapter 10. Enjoy this chapter and the finishing parts of this story.
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Ganondorf and Zelda stood transfixed over the magic view portal that was showing them the massively one sided between Malon and the fire dragon, Volvagia. Volvagia had been defeated once before by Link, and was edging for a chance to redeem himself. Unfortunately, he was faring any better against Malon then he had against Link.
Anger was definitely swelling inside of Ganondorf as he watched his creature gasp a final breath before collapsing into a motionless heap. "This wouldn't have happened if you had allowed me to use my new fire demon." Ganondorf said accusingly, a long finger pointed at Zelda.
Zelda only smirked at the threat. Inside the view portal, Malon triumphantly recovered the shard of the Master Sword. She was jumping for joy as she vanished into a blue glowing circle. "Malon will now be learning about the death of Link from the Sages. I guarantee that she will be very angry and will quickly go about collecting the other shards in order to strike us down." Zelda stated as the portal reverted itself to its original form.
"I still don't like it. Are you sure that she is the one the Triforce of Courage was passed on to?" Ganondorf asked as he seated himself into his throne.
"Positive. There is nobody else in all of Hyrule that would qualify. They are all cowards, who wait for your rule to become complete." Zelda said soothingly. Ganondorf pulled himself up to his full height, feeling proud of himself. "It is so easy to influence men. Just stroke their ego a bit." Zelda thought to herself as she took her seat to Ganondorf's right.
"So where will Malon head to next?" Ganondorf asked from his seat, staring straight in front of him. He was obviously thinking about which of his creatures that he would pit Malon against.
Zelda thought carefully. Her plan was falling into place perfectly. All that remained was for Malon to finish with the dirty work of slaying Ganondorf's creatures and collect the remaining shards. As soon as Malon collected the final shard, Zelda would attack and steal the shards. Then she would have the Master Sword reformed, using the refined blade to smite Ganondorf. In the end, only she would remain alive, outsmarting everyone else. But she still had to remain suspicious. For all she knew, Ganondorf could have a plan of his own and Malon could become a formidable opponent in her own right.
"She will most likely go to the Shadow Temple and visit the site of Link's death. The entrance should still be open, since Dark Link was killed on the inside by Link." Zelda lied, knowing that Ganondorf had no way of seeing the battle and the events that had occurred.
"It is a shame that they killed each other. I was looking forward to slaying Link personally. Is the shard of the Master Sword still present in Dark Link's blade or did you retrieve it?" Ganondorf asked, suddenly sending Zelda onto the defensive.
"I only witnessed the battle, not interfering in the slightest. The shard should remain in the blade." Zelda lied once again. That was another thing that Ganondorf was unaware of. She had retrieved the shard after she killed Link. In fact, she had imbedded the shard in the crown that adorned her head. It was only the tip of the blade, not a very big piece, easily slipping past Ganondorf's awareness. Or maybe he did know something. Why else would he ask if she had the shard? This charade was very difficult to keep up.
Ganondorf suddenly got to his feet and began pacing. "I am tired of waiting! If you say that Malon is heading to the Shadow Temple then that is where I shall send the remaining protectors of the shards. That way, she can either collect the shards quicker or die trying."
Zelda was getting worried again. This was another uncharacteristic action on the part of Ganondorf. He usually preferred to set vast plans and force his opponent to face many hardships before coming face to face with the Dark Prince himself. Now, he was jumping the gun, eagerly awaiting to seize victory. Maybe, Link's death had given him a clear vision at an unobstructed goal.
"Excellent idea! It will provide an excellent gauge of Malon's power." Zelda said encouragingly. Ganondorf obviously had a plan of his own, but she would have to wait to discover what it was.
"No! It can't be true!" Malon screamed, falling to her knees. Tears streamed from her eyes as a reassuring hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked up into the shimmering black eyes of Ruto, who had just told her the news of Link's death.
"We feel the same as you do. Everyone here had a deep connection with Link and we were all devastated when Zelda betrayed Link." Ruto said as she pulled the sobbing girl into a hug.
"She caught him off guard. He never stood a chance." Nabouru explained. She was sitting away from everyone else, coping with the loss in solitude.
Saria appeared to be the most devastated of everyone, other than Malon. "I can't believe that he's gone…" She sobbed. "I need a hug…"
Darunia held the tiny Kokiri in his gigantic arms. "Our Sworn Brother is in a better place now. He will not be forgotten, for he is a true hero."
Impa shook her head. "There is a problem with that. The heroics of the Hero of Time were erased from the memories of the people of Hyrule after he defeated Ganondorf. Nobody knows of his true exploits."
The sages sulked in silence. A great man had died and nobody would know how great he was. Malon wiped away the tears from her eyes, but they were soon replaced by a new batch. She got to her feet and stormed to the center of the Chamber of Sages. "Send me back." She commanded.
Rauru looked at her suspiciously. "Why are you so urgent to head back? There is no point in attacking Zelda and Ganondorf without the Master Sword. You would only be defeated, just like Link."
"Link's body is still down there, lying atop the Shadow Temple. He deserves a hero's funeral, not rotting away in a place of evil. I will take his body back to Lon Lon Ranch and bury it beside Navi. Plus, I can collect the Master Sword shard from the temple." Malon stated determinedly.
"Actually," Nabouru inserted, "Zelda took the shard with her."
"All the more reason for me to hurry up and collect the other shards before she does." Malon said. The sages looked at each other, nodding in approval. Malon found herself encircled by a blue glow. She nodded in a sign of appreciation before a bright flash of white light surrounded her.
When the light cleared, Malon found herself standing at the entrance of the huge hotel building that served as the Shadow Temple. Just to be on the safe side, she drew her sword as she approached the open door. A faint glow was being emitted by something from inside.
"It's about time somebody showed up." A familiar female voice called out as Malon carefully made her way into the building. The voice was filled with sadness.
Malon let out a small cry of shock when she saw the source of the voice. "Aren't you supposed to be dead, Navi?" The tiny blue fairy's spirit was seated on the counter beside a pile of used tissues. "You found out about Link." Malon stated in understanding.
Navi picked herself off the counter and hovered over to Malon, perching herself on the maiden's left shoulder. "I always used to be on Link's shoulder wherever he went. I miss those times. Why can't everything return to the way it was before the Great Deku Tree sent me to join Link? Those were the good days; doing nothing but carelessly floating around the forest, happy as can be."
Malon reached up with her right hand, trying to grab Navi's hand. Instead, her hand passed through the spirit and landed on her own shoulder. Malon was about to apologize and remove her hand, but Navi's spirit stopped her. "Is that the mark of the Triforce on your hand?" She asked.
Malon took a long look at her hand. Indeed, the Triforce was marked on her hand and one of the triangles glowed brilliantly. "The Triforce of Courage." She whispered.
"So Link passed on his piece of the Triforce. Truly means that he is gone." Navi stated solemnly.
"It also means that there is still hope for Hyrule." Malon stated excitedly. "Lead me to Link."
Navi's spirit floated ahead of Malon, leading the way through the gloomy passages and up the staircases. Navi stopped at the door that led to the roof. "Go through this way. He is out there. I just can't look at him again." Navi said.
Malon understood. She had been preparing herself for this moment ever since she learned about his death. "Thanks for everything, Navi." Malon bid farewell to the fairy's spirit as she opened the door.
A strong wind greeted Malon as she stepped onto the rooftop. The roof itself was empty, except for the two bodies. Malon carefully stepped around the body of Dark Link, noticing that the tip of his sword had been broken off. The actual Link was sprawled out face flat against the roof.
Tears had made their way back to Malon's eyes when she saw the body. She replaced her sword and collapsed against the body, her face buried into his charred tunic. She sat there for nearly an hour, crying.
Another blast of wind buffeted the rooftop. The force of the wind ripped Link away from Malon's grasp and tossed him against a chimney stack. A few bricks fell away from the structure, but it stayed intact.
Malon got her first look at Link's face. His eyes were brimming with tears. A look that showed the betrayal that he felt was in his eyes. His mouth was tightly clenched shut. He had died with dignity, even though it was at the hands of someone who he had thought was a friend.
Malon took hold of Link's body and draped it over her shoulders. He was much lighter than she had expected and the extra force that she had used caused her to fall over. She picked herself off the ground and was about to pick up the body again. But that was when she spotted the woman dressed in black. "Zelda." Malon whispered.
"Malon." Zelda said with an evil smile. She could see the look of hatred that Malon was giving her.
"I'm going to kill you!" Malon yelled out as she charged forward, sword drawn. The blade came crashing down, but bounced harmlessly away. Zelda had cast a reflective shield over herself.
"Tsk, tsk." Zelda shook a finger at the fuming ranch girl. "Before you try any more of your useless antics, I have a few friends for you to deal with. Have fun." Zelda vanished in a cloud of smoke, leaving Malon coughing. When the smoke cleared, Malon found herself staring into the faces of three of the evilest creatures ever created.
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A/N: There you go. I actually wrote a decent chapter! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Hopefully, you can't wait for me to finish this story. It isn't much longer now.