Chapter seven: Road to Chaos

"Wake up, sunshine," called Saja, nudging Link with his foot. The hero opened up his eyes, and his vision, he discovered, was blurred from sleep. He was covered in a blanket, and lay on the forest floor looking up at Saja's face. Beyond his head, he could see the far up forest canopy that blocked the cruel morning sunshine from his face.

"You've been sleeping too long, as have you all," said Saja. He shook Darunia awake, and he sat up with his goron groan. This one was so loud that it woke Malon and Zelda up, and jerked Link out of his sleepy trance. He rubbed his eyes, clearing his vision slightly, allowing him to survey their surroundings. The events after Majora had flown off last night had passed in a haze.

They had set up camp right outside the hole the blast from the sapphire had made in the Black Leaf Temple wall. The sapphire was in Link's pack with all of their food. As everyone woke up, he threw the blanket off of him, grabbed the pack, unzipped it, and looked inside past the bread loaves and gazed at the glittering stone. It was still illuminating the inside of the pack, the mysterious light never ceasing or flickering. The power of it was past comprehending, and it gave Link a shiver just to see it. Slightly disturbed, he zipped the pack back up, got up, and slung it across his shoulders over his shield.

Zelda was wide awake now, too. She looked up at the insanely humongous structure that towered above them like some dark, crouching beast waiting for them. The cramps it had caused the entire team were amazing, and right now everyone hated the temple with a passion. Zelda groped for the large cut across her back from the Leaf Demon. It had been healed over, but was now a scar. It still ached.

"We best be off," suggested Saja. He straightened his tight blue shirt around him, and asked "once we get out of the forest, we need to get horses. Majora already has an advantage now that he figured out how to fly. We need to get to the second sapphire as fast as possible."

"That's my job," Malon said abruptly. "I have plenty horses at my ranch, and you can use any one of them. But only Link has a song to summon a horse. We need to go to the ranch before we go off for the second sapphire."

Saja's jaw tightened for a second. "We cannot afford to squander time, so we must be brief there. No stopping at all."

They all nodded, understanding the seriousness of their predicament, but Malon was slightly unhappy. Talon was undoubtably worried about her. She herself hadn't seen him for days...she hoped he was okay. At least when they went to Lon Lon Ranch she would be able to tell him where they were going.

"Off we go," Darunia said with a grunt, and the group started off, around the huge temple because they were on the back side.

It took them a few hours to circle the temple, all of it in silence mostly. They were still exhausted though they had gotten much sleep. The situation had been slightly tipped in their favor, but Majora still had a big advantage over them. This they knew, but they were determined to stop his evil intentions. They got around the temple eventually, and continued out toward the borders of the forest where they had been two days ago.

It took them near four hours to reach the borders on foot as it had when they were journeying to the temple. The lack of speed greatly bothered Saja. He could not stand thinking of how close Majora was undoubtably getting to the second sapphire. If they were to keep up this pace, Majora would find both sapphires before them.

When the group finally did get to the borders of the forest, Link couldn't help but yell with joy. He was quite sick of the forest by now, and the sunlight made him feel alive because he hadn't felt it for a while.

The open plains stretched before them. On the horizon, they saw the faint outline of Lon Lon Ranch, and Malon smiled at seeing her home again. Though they would not be spending much time there, they were going back for a bit.

For a few minutes, they rested, greatly tired by the forced march from the heart of the wood. Link was about to sit down, when, to everyone's bewilderment, Saja took off running toward Lon Lon Ranch. He ran quickly, and was fifty feet away before everyone else got up and caught up to him, running behind him. He may have been tired, but they could not afford to walk anymore. They needed the horses as quickly as possible. At this pace, the ranch quickly came into view, the towering walls surrounding it glittering in the sunlight. Malon's breath came in searing gasps, and she tried to keep up. Link, who had the pack, sword, and shield on his back, was having trouble keeping up because the extra weight not only slowed him down, but the frenzied bouncing on his back distracted him from his running. But he managed. Zelda was not wearing her dress, but a tight black jump suit zipped up to her chin. Link couldn't help but notice how the jumpsuit fit all her feminine curves. He shook his mind off of this though immediately. The hero did not want to be distracted by his feelings for her.

Saja remained in the lead, Link behind him, Zelda and Malon together side by side, and Darunia rolling by Zelda, when they reached the entrance to the ranch. Saja called back to Malon without stopping, "is this the ranch, Malon?"

"Yes!" gasped Malon, breathing raggedly. Saja turned sharply and sprinted into the ranch. The rest followed tiredly.

Inside the ranch it seemed normal enough. They stopped in between the two buildings, looking around for any traps. Malon entered, and her mouth twitched. She remembered that Ingo was dead. The ranch would be at peace once more, but she was unsure how her father would react to this news, once told.

The door to the stables swung open, and Talon lumbered out, looking tired and weary also. For a second, he only stared at the ground, then he looked up and saw the team standing in a line at the entrance to his ranch.

Nobody said a word, all wondering what to do next, but then Talon leapt forward, shouting "Malon! Oh good goddesses, your okay!" He hugged her tightly, oblivious of the stares around them. Malon hugged him back, holding back her tears. "I missed you, father," she said. When they broke apart, he finally seemed to come to reality and look around at the rest of the group. He noted how dirty and tired they looked, and especially took in Saja, who wore clothes he had never seen before.

"What are all these people doing here?" Talon asked her, questioningly. She looked to Link, who said nothing, only stood back and waited for her to answer. She turned back to her father, who was looking at her with a puzzled expression.

"Long story," she answered simply, and walked off to get horses for the group. Talon watched walking away, then turned back to the rest of the group.

"Would you mind telling me just what the hell is going on?" he demanded, his voice getting slightly hard. Saja took control immediately.

"We're on the trail of three sacred sapphires that have the power to destroy all of Hyrule. We have one of them already, and we are trying to stop the evil demon Majora from getting the second one before we do. So we stopped here to get horses so we could move faster."

A slightly stunned silence came after that short speech. Talon was wordless. It had been such a blunt answer, but it had been so much to take in in one moment. Link walked over to Talon, and said gently, "I know you don't want Malon to go with us, and I know that you're not believing much of this, but, please understand that it is all true, and that Malon is now tied into this, and she can't get out of it until it is all over. And neither can we."

Talon remained silent, just staring, transfixed at Link, unable to form any words.

Malon came back into view from the enormous horse herding area with five horses, one of them Epona.

"How did Epona get back here?" questioned Link, staring at his reddish brown horse as she snorted in welcome. "I left her up on Death Mountain!"

"She arrived here two days ago," informed Talon, who finally seemed to have come to his senses, answering the question for Link. "That is one smart horse of yours."

Link hugged her, happy to see her again after so many days. Malon got up onto a horse that was completely brown. Saja and Zelda hopped up onto similar others, but Darunia remained on the ground.

"How am I supposed to ride a horse? I will crush it with my w–"

"Taken care of," Malon cut him off. "He is the strongest horse we have ever had on this ranch, and he will be able to bear even your goron weight, Darunia. Hop on."

The fire sage made no more arguments. It took a few minutes for him to mount the large horse, and the muscular horse didn't even sag under him. It was very burly.

"We must be off now," said Saja immediately. "We have wasted too much time already."

Link mounted Epona, and Saja trotted out of the ranch. As the rest of the team began to follow, Malon turned her head back to Talon, who just stood there, staring up at her sadly.

"I will be back soon as I can, father," she breathed to him. "Do not worry for me. I know how to fight."

Talon waved her goodbye, and the ranch girl galloped off after the rest. When they were gone, he turned around, and lumbered back into the stables, deeply depressed, and confused.

Malon checked the map, and said, "the second sapphire appears to be at Gerudo Fortress..."

"The fortress?" interrupted Zelda sharply. "If it is at the fortress, how did Nabooru not know about it?"

"It could be hidden," suggested Link, who was several feet in front of them, upon Epona. They were all on horseback, on the south side of the ranch. "Perhaps it is under the fortress, or on the very top, or wherever. There are many explanations, all of which we will find out once we i get /I there. We have to go!"

They all nodded in agreement. They turned their horses toward the direction of Gerudo Valley, and galloped off.

For the rest of the day, they rode. Saja was glad to be on the move once more. He could not get Majora out of his head. Every moment they got closer to losing Hyrule. Link was indeed happy to be on Epona's back once more. She was one of his greatest and most trusted friends, and had been with him since Termina. Malon was suffering silently. She wanted desperately to go back to the ranch and just go to sleep, but her heart told her she couldn't, not until all of this had been settled. Indeed, she was wondering right now if she would ever see the ranch, or her father, ever again. This was an extremely dangerous and delicate situation they were in, and at any moment they could be sent tumbling to their deaths.

When the day finally drew to a close, they were near the valley. It was in sight, although it was too dark to keep riding. If they were attacked in the open, they would be unprepared. So they set up camp under a large tree. Saja quickly got a fire going with magic, and the group tethered the horses to the tree. They were glad to stop moving after a day of nonstop running and riding.

Link roasted a few sausages over the fire and the team ate gratefully, the delicious meat tasted perfect. Although it was not much of a meal, the ale that Link provided from the pack was soothing on their throats.

When they finally laid out their bed sheets and laid down to sleep, it was pitch black all around them. An owl hooted off in the distance. An eerie silence engulfed them.

"We need a watchman," Zelda said, sitting up. "I cannot just lay here and wait to get attacked, whether it be Majora or other fiends."

"I will take the first watch," Saja volunteered. They had no energy to say if this was wise, so they just nodded, and fell asleep.

Saja leaned back against the tree, staring around at the sleeping figures. Link's hat was beside his head, and his long blond hair fell everywhere in the grass. His eyes were closed tightly. Saja smiled slightly. The Hero of Time was exhausted. For some reason, it was a funny thought. He lay down himself, and his eyes, almost against his will, fell upon Malon.

The ranch girl's beauty in the dying flame's light was entrancing. Deeply troubled, he tried not to think anything of it, but his eyes would not leave her. Her blood red hair was covering one side of her face. Saja growled and tore his eyes away from her.

He struggled with himself, and a tear almost left his eye. His thoughts drifted to his lost love, back in his homeland. It had been a very long time, but he would remember her forever. He shut his eyes tight...and a single tear rolled down his dark skin from his eye, and fell to the ground. He opened his watery eyes, and forced himself to stop. There were more important matters to attend to at the moment.

He suddenly realized how badly his shirt stank. The sapphire guardian took the pack, opened it up, and took out the exact same shirt, but a cleaner one. He pulled his other shirt off, revealing his muscular upper body. The brown skin on his front was untouched, but on his back, thousands of scars were all over him. They roped from his left shoulder to opposite hip, and from his left hip to the opposite shoulder. Not one inch of his back was untouched. The wounds were horrific, and were still red.

As he set his old shirt on the ground, Malon opened an eye, and saw him without his shirt on. She did not want to intrude on him, and was about to pretend she was asleep again, when she suddenly saw the terrible cuts all over his back.

"Oh gods!" she exclaimed, sitting up. Saja's head whipped around, his long purple hair flying over his face as he did. His deep gray eyes fell on the ranch girl. Embarrassed, he quickly pulled his newer shirt on, and sat back against the tree.

"Saja," she whispered, getting up and walking over to him. "What in the name of Din happened to you?"

Saja avoided her eyes at all costs. He was so uncomfortable. He was reluctant to share his terrible past with anyone. That is, until a soft hand touched his cheek. He looked up, into Malon's sapphire eyes, filled with concern and compassion. Her fingers were on the wet spot where the tear had slid down his face.

"I..." Saja fell silent for a second, then finally decided it was time to let it out. "Sit down, there is much to explain."

Malon sat down obediantly, and watched him intently.

"Back in my homeland....many events took place. The land is called Cylith, and is still there today. Although, now it is merely nothing but a looted, abandoned ghost land haunted by evil creatures. Cylith is no more."

Malon said "oh...I'm so sorry, Saja."

"Don't worry about it," he answered, then continued with his story. "To put this simply...there was a war. A very long, bloody war. This war had been going on for many years before my birth. It was between my race–normal elves–and another army. It was a bastard army. A mix of evil elves, moblin's, and red stalfos. This army was commanded by Rahaja."

Saja's voice quivered when he said the name. For an unexplainable reason, the name sent a shiver down Malon's spine. Saja was silent for a second. He stared at Epona for a second, then continued as if nothing had happened.

"When I was twelve, I was trained in the art of swordsmanship, and was given this sword." he drew out his ancient blade with the language engraved on the base. "I was also given this Katana." he drew out the Katana also. "I was trained for five years straight, then was sent into my first battle. The battle was simple enough...raid a camp that Rahaja's army had made in the middle of the Garjlian Desert. This battle was won easily, and it was a hard hit for Rahaja. Nearly a quarter of his army was there.

"Afterwards, a few years passed without any major battles, except for a few small encounters. Our nation lived in the jungle, and we had a very big suspicion that Rajaha was regrouping, although we could not find his base because of course, we had no idea where it was. Cylith is a very large place."

Malon had not moved once. She was too drawn into his story.

"During these silent years, I met and wed Relina, my wife. We had a great life together, and we lived in the jungle within our nation. During these years, things were joyous. I had everything in my life...a beautiful wife, battle skills, I was a respected member of my city council, and the world was at peace....at least, for the time being."

A sinking feeling welled up within Malon's chest. i He was married. /I But although she was sad about this, there was a foreboding feeling in her stomach. Where was Relina now, if she was indeed his wife?

"But...it changed. One morning, out city awoke, and found a monstrous army on the march toward the city, across the desert. The army was enormous, taking up as far as the eye could see. As fast as possible, we summoned up our army once more, and went out to meet them.

"To put it simply, Relina insisted on fighting with me. The battle raged on for days."

Not wanting to go into description because it was too painful, Saja said, "Rahaja was in the army. He slew Relina, and fled across the desert. Enraged, I abandoned the fight and chased him. All the way across the desert, he had a small base built. When I tried to break inside, I was captured, and beaten mercilessly. That is where my scars are from."

Malon's whole body was shaking. This story was so brutal and sad...no wonder Saja didn't want to open up.

"I managed to escape my prison cell, made my way to Rahaja, and dueled him. In the end, I slew him, but upon returning to my city across the desert, I found it destroyed, pillaged, and on fire. Everyone was dead, and the army was gone. I felt so alone now...but, when I felt all hope was lost, I wandered into the desert, seeking death. The goddess Nayru found me there, near death. What she was doing in that land, I know not, but she asked me to help guard the three sacred sapphires. I had nothing to lose, so I obeyed, and she led me to this land. I have been here ever since."

When he finished his story, Malon sighed. So many depressing memories...she felt deep sympathy for him. He had lost everything...his entire world.

"You should get to sleep, Malon," said Saja gently. "We have a long day tomorrow."

Malon nodded reluctantly, and crawled back to her makeshift bed. She laid back down, and stared at Saja's eyes, gazing off into the fire, as if seeing something that wasn't there.

And with that, she fell asleep, leaving the guardian of the sapphires alone, wrestling with his thoughts.