Dragonclaw
By Moony
Note: I've been wanting to make this story a movie for the longest time, but the only person who I thought would be good for the role turned it down. That was extremely disappointing, but I'm recovering. This was partly to blame for the lack of updating. Sorry. ^_^ Buuuuuut I'm back on track. . . sort of. The Terran Jedi is taking up some of my time, along with Slayers Labyrinth and a webcomic I'm working on. Again, I'm very sorry. I was quite thrilled about all the good reviews I got, and I promise to try and update regularly from now on.
Thanks!
-Moony
The next morning, Link had no time to regret his decision. Malon nudged him with her foot, throwing down his sword in an effort to wake him up. It worked, as the impact of the metal knocked the air out of him when it landed on his chest. She grinned apologetically as she hastily made them a boring breakfast of rabbit and Deku root tea. Link was just finishing his dry meal when he felt a drop of water fall on his cheek. Cursing, he scurried around the camp, rushing to get everything prepared, but it wasn't long before there was a steady rain descending upon them, drenching them in minutes.
"Oh, Scrub spit." Malon added to Link's string of colourful language. "I knew it was going to rain, but I thought we'd be well on our way before it happened."
They had no choice but to continue on, ignoring - as best as they could - their wet and cold predicament. They passed no one on the trail, but the feeling of being pursued had left them paranoid, and they jumped at every noise. If Ganon's Dragoon-of-Three was still hunting them, then Malon and Link were making it a whole lot easier for them. Epona and Bravado, the white Clydesdale, were leaving huge hoof-prints in the mud, and it wouldn't take a determined tracker to discover their whereabouts.
The mood was depressing and discouraging, making their heroic quest feel much less meaningful and grand. Although Malon didn't even realize the importance of their mission. . . Link stopped. His resolve from the night before seemed to waver as he looked over at her. Malon seemed to sense his gaze and grinned, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.
"What is it?"
"I. . ." Link started. He wasn't sure if he could do it. "I've decided to let you come with me." He chewed his lip nervously. Had he done the right thing?
Malon's reaction was slightly disappointing. He'd expected her to cry out in joy, bur rather-
"You act like you had a choice in the matter." She smirked, kicking Bravado up to a trot and going on ahead. Link stared after her, speechless.
Despite the lack of friction between the two travelers now that Link had accepted her as his companion, they weather succeeded in making them both feel empty inside, resulting in complete silence. Malon even forgot to interrogate Link about the details of their quest.
It was only around Midday when they finally found a thread of joy to grasp onto. There, slowly rising up from the horizon, was a stone wall, lined with towers. Torches illuminated the outer walls, providing a cheery illumination in the dull gray of the cloudy afternoon. They'd reached Hylia.
Though the city itself was breathtakingly beautiful, Link couldn't help but be disappointed as they walked their horses over the drawbridge. The gate had been closed, stranding them on the outside of the capital, separated from the city walls by a deep moat, before a guard called down to them, verifying their business. Malon explained when she saw the confused expression on Link's face.
"I used to come here on trips with Poppa. The drawbridge was always open during the day, and even at night during some festivals. They must be boosting up security until the princess is found."
If their less-than-welcome arrival wasn't disappointing enough, then the lack of drama upon arrival certainly finished the job. After several days of travel, he felt that he would be rewarded by some celebration. Of course, he realized, no one knew he was coming, so why should they? He suddenly felt very stupid and narcissistic, and tried to keep his face directed towards the ground, but to no avail. As they approached the core of the village, the buzzing of people around him drew his attention upwards. He took a deep breath.
A city. A real city.
People were bustling all over the place, leaving their homes and going from shop to shop. Buildings lined the stone streets, some reaching a height of three or four stories. A huge, gorgeous temple could be seen in the distance, its coloured windows contrasting sharply against the background of dull brown mountains.
"Well, we're finally here." Link tore his eyes away from his surroundings, though they still hungered for more, to look at Malon. He frowned as he studied her tired face. Why wasn't she happier? They'd finally made it to Hylia, and now they could-
He stopped, struck by realization.
Already, they'd been through so much, yet he'd been treating their arrival to Hylia as the end. He suddenly felt as tired as Malon looked when he considered how naïve he'd been acting. Arriving at Hylia was just the beginning, and it wasn't very appealing to picture all they had ahead of them. He tried to stop the thoughts and urges that were entering his mind, but to no avail. The notion struck him before he could put up his mental defenses, and then it was too late.
'Maybe we should just give-' he thought, but the consideration was interrupted my Malon's voice.
"Link," She said, grabbing his arm. He turned, startled, to see a grin plastered across her face. "We can only go forward, now. No running away from destiny." She scolded, winking as she did.
Link stared at her in shock at how Malon continually managed to surprise him. A smile crept onto his face, and he nodded. He followed obediently as she lead him around a row of shops, towards a path that lead away from all the stores. Link gasped.
In the distance, elevated above the town, was the royal castle. It towered over the market place, the thousands of stained glass windows magnifying the minimal light that managed to creep through the clouds. It seemed to illuminate the entire city.
"Beautiful. . ." Link whispered in awe. Malon sighed dreamily, nodding her head.
"Yeah, Poppa once told me that every tower had a library as big as our barn. Can you imagine that? Four barns full of books!"
Her voice barely registered in his mind as he gazed at the home of the royal family. His eyes were fixated on the castle, the most magnificent thing he'd ever seen. He took a strange sense of comfort from looking at it, though he didn't know why.
"Come on," Malon said, tugging on his sleeve. "I'd like to have a decent meal and buy some new clothes before we show up at the castle." She gestured to her torn, white skirt and shirt. Link hesitated as he studied her. It WOULD be nice to rest a bit before continuing on. . . Malon's pleading eyes forced him to give in. He nodded, agreeing only on the condition that they head to the castle first thing in the morning. Malon nodded eagerly and headed towards the nearest store.
Sorry if it's too short! But I'm working on the next one as we speak, so have faith!
-Moony
By Moony
Note: I've been wanting to make this story a movie for the longest time, but the only person who I thought would be good for the role turned it down. That was extremely disappointing, but I'm recovering. This was partly to blame for the lack of updating. Sorry. ^_^ Buuuuuut I'm back on track. . . sort of. The Terran Jedi is taking up some of my time, along with Slayers Labyrinth and a webcomic I'm working on. Again, I'm very sorry. I was quite thrilled about all the good reviews I got, and I promise to try and update regularly from now on.
Thanks!
-Moony
The next morning, Link had no time to regret his decision. Malon nudged him with her foot, throwing down his sword in an effort to wake him up. It worked, as the impact of the metal knocked the air out of him when it landed on his chest. She grinned apologetically as she hastily made them a boring breakfast of rabbit and Deku root tea. Link was just finishing his dry meal when he felt a drop of water fall on his cheek. Cursing, he scurried around the camp, rushing to get everything prepared, but it wasn't long before there was a steady rain descending upon them, drenching them in minutes.
"Oh, Scrub spit." Malon added to Link's string of colourful language. "I knew it was going to rain, but I thought we'd be well on our way before it happened."
They had no choice but to continue on, ignoring - as best as they could - their wet and cold predicament. They passed no one on the trail, but the feeling of being pursued had left them paranoid, and they jumped at every noise. If Ganon's Dragoon-of-Three was still hunting them, then Malon and Link were making it a whole lot easier for them. Epona and Bravado, the white Clydesdale, were leaving huge hoof-prints in the mud, and it wouldn't take a determined tracker to discover their whereabouts.
The mood was depressing and discouraging, making their heroic quest feel much less meaningful and grand. Although Malon didn't even realize the importance of their mission. . . Link stopped. His resolve from the night before seemed to waver as he looked over at her. Malon seemed to sense his gaze and grinned, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.
"What is it?"
"I. . ." Link started. He wasn't sure if he could do it. "I've decided to let you come with me." He chewed his lip nervously. Had he done the right thing?
Malon's reaction was slightly disappointing. He'd expected her to cry out in joy, bur rather-
"You act like you had a choice in the matter." She smirked, kicking Bravado up to a trot and going on ahead. Link stared after her, speechless.
Despite the lack of friction between the two travelers now that Link had accepted her as his companion, they weather succeeded in making them both feel empty inside, resulting in complete silence. Malon even forgot to interrogate Link about the details of their quest.
It was only around Midday when they finally found a thread of joy to grasp onto. There, slowly rising up from the horizon, was a stone wall, lined with towers. Torches illuminated the outer walls, providing a cheery illumination in the dull gray of the cloudy afternoon. They'd reached Hylia.
Though the city itself was breathtakingly beautiful, Link couldn't help but be disappointed as they walked their horses over the drawbridge. The gate had been closed, stranding them on the outside of the capital, separated from the city walls by a deep moat, before a guard called down to them, verifying their business. Malon explained when she saw the confused expression on Link's face.
"I used to come here on trips with Poppa. The drawbridge was always open during the day, and even at night during some festivals. They must be boosting up security until the princess is found."
If their less-than-welcome arrival wasn't disappointing enough, then the lack of drama upon arrival certainly finished the job. After several days of travel, he felt that he would be rewarded by some celebration. Of course, he realized, no one knew he was coming, so why should they? He suddenly felt very stupid and narcissistic, and tried to keep his face directed towards the ground, but to no avail. As they approached the core of the village, the buzzing of people around him drew his attention upwards. He took a deep breath.
A city. A real city.
People were bustling all over the place, leaving their homes and going from shop to shop. Buildings lined the stone streets, some reaching a height of three or four stories. A huge, gorgeous temple could be seen in the distance, its coloured windows contrasting sharply against the background of dull brown mountains.
"Well, we're finally here." Link tore his eyes away from his surroundings, though they still hungered for more, to look at Malon. He frowned as he studied her tired face. Why wasn't she happier? They'd finally made it to Hylia, and now they could-
He stopped, struck by realization.
Already, they'd been through so much, yet he'd been treating their arrival to Hylia as the end. He suddenly felt as tired as Malon looked when he considered how naïve he'd been acting. Arriving at Hylia was just the beginning, and it wasn't very appealing to picture all they had ahead of them. He tried to stop the thoughts and urges that were entering his mind, but to no avail. The notion struck him before he could put up his mental defenses, and then it was too late.
'Maybe we should just give-' he thought, but the consideration was interrupted my Malon's voice.
"Link," She said, grabbing his arm. He turned, startled, to see a grin plastered across her face. "We can only go forward, now. No running away from destiny." She scolded, winking as she did.
Link stared at her in shock at how Malon continually managed to surprise him. A smile crept onto his face, and he nodded. He followed obediently as she lead him around a row of shops, towards a path that lead away from all the stores. Link gasped.
In the distance, elevated above the town, was the royal castle. It towered over the market place, the thousands of stained glass windows magnifying the minimal light that managed to creep through the clouds. It seemed to illuminate the entire city.
"Beautiful. . ." Link whispered in awe. Malon sighed dreamily, nodding her head.
"Yeah, Poppa once told me that every tower had a library as big as our barn. Can you imagine that? Four barns full of books!"
Her voice barely registered in his mind as he gazed at the home of the royal family. His eyes were fixated on the castle, the most magnificent thing he'd ever seen. He took a strange sense of comfort from looking at it, though he didn't know why.
"Come on," Malon said, tugging on his sleeve. "I'd like to have a decent meal and buy some new clothes before we show up at the castle." She gestured to her torn, white skirt and shirt. Link hesitated as he studied her. It WOULD be nice to rest a bit before continuing on. . . Malon's pleading eyes forced him to give in. He nodded, agreeing only on the condition that they head to the castle first thing in the morning. Malon nodded eagerly and headed towards the nearest store.
Sorry if it's too short! But I'm working on the next one as we speak, so have faith!
-Moony