Hymn of the Forgotten

A/N: And here's the second chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I forgot to put this up before, but it applies to the first chapter too. I do not own the Legend of Zelda or any of its characters.

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Chapter Two: Divinity

In her dream Malon saw another woman. But instead of the shimmering bright hair of the one before, this woman had dark red hair and penetrating eyes. She was dressed in black armor and held what looked like the Master Sword in her right hand with the blade pointed down to the ground. Her other hand was held out with her palm up, and circling around in the air above it was the Triforce.

The woman spoke. Yehvah, some call me. I am the lady knight to Queen Zelda. She has full power of the Triforce, and has my full obedience.

Queen Zelda? Before Malon could grasp this further a ghostly form appeared from within Yehvah and floated right beside her. It began forming arms and legs, and as the features became sharper, Malon found herself staring at the same woman she saw at Lon Lon Ranch.

Call me Nelvah, she said. She wore a light gown that contrasted with Yevah's dark garments. We are the same being and yet we are separated into the Sages of Purity and Destruction.

Malon looked at both of them. One woman's features seemed content and filled with happiness, while the other was grim and seemed almost sad. The girl shook her head. "I don't see what this has to do with me." But she did. Right before her stood herself in two possible futures. One future was good, the other horrible.

Malon...

It was his voice. Malon snapped her head around, expecting to see Link standing behind her, but she only saw the black walls of her dream.

Malon...

She turned back around and saw that the Sages had disappeared.

Whether she was relieved or disappointed, she wasn't too sure, but when she heard Link's voice again, she knew she had to leave too.

Malon had almost forgotten that she was still on top of the ruined castle. When she awoke she found herself staring up at the grey sky in disgust. Ganon, she thought. What does he possibly see in this madness? No... Ganon cannot see a thing. He's blind by his greed for power.

"You're awake then?" Link was crouched next to her. Sweat and dirt covered his face, and he looked completely wrung out.

Malon had never seen him so utterly spent. She sat up. "Link, are you alright? What happened to Ganon and the princess?"

Link sighed. "Ganon's dead. He was easy to kill. Never gave me any resistance." Malon made a move to stand up, but the young man grabbed her arm. "Something's not right about this, Malon. It seems all to...simple."

"I know," she replied. She reached out to take Link's hand to help him from the ground, but he wouldn't move.

He shook his head and closed his eyes. "Zelda's gone. I don't know what happened to her." His eyes opened and he looked at Malon pleadingly. "You didn't see where she went, did you?"

Malon thought back to the expression on Zelda's face as the dark being passed into her. That was all she saw before she had passed out. "I have no idea where she is, Link. I'm sorry."

Link nodded and looked warily around him. "It should all be over now, but it's far from that, isn't it?"

Malon wouldn't answer. Instead she tried to take Link's hand again to put him back on his feet. "Come on. I'll take you back to the ranch. You're exhausted and need to rest." Link stood up gingerly and would have collapsed onto the ground were it not for Malon catching him under both his arms.

"I'm sorry, Malon," he said feverishly as she wrapped one of his arms around her neck. "...so sorry."

Something inside her broke into pieces as she half-carried Link down the cliff and over to Tassos. With what strength she had left she pushed him up onto the horse and climbed up behind him.

Malon suddenly remembered that she had no bridle. She wouldn't dare ride in front for fear of Link slipping off from behind. "Link, are you listening?" He gave a mumbled response. "Grab hold of Tassos' mane. Do whatever it takes to not let go, okay?"

Link reached out with both hands and grabbed a handful of the horse's hair. Malon wrapped her arms around Link's middle. "Home," she said to Tassos. "Take us back home." She kicked the horse's side lightly and they took off.

"I feel so weak," Link finally said after they had turned to the road towards Lon Lon Ranch.

"You are not weak," Malon replied. "You are the greatest hero of our time. You are the bravest of us all."

Link mumbled something and his head dropped to his chest. Malon's arms held on to him tighter, and she buried her face into his shoulder.

It's funny, she thought as Tassos led them up the path into the ranch. When I was a little girl I always dreamt about someone like Link that would sweep me off my feet and onto his horse, saving me from something terrible. I never thought it would be the other way around.

She wasn't looking as Link's fingers slipped away from Tassos' mane. The horse suddenly stopped and whinnied quietly. Malon looked up at the door to the stables before she was dragged off the horse with Link's limp body.

Her elbow collided with the ground. Malon winced in pain and rolled Link off her other arm. She tried to shake him awake, but he remained in his death-like state. "Come on, Link," she whispered to him. "Snap out of it!" She glanced around at the darkened ranch and over to the window of Talon's bedroom. Not wanting to leave Link she called out, "Father!"

She immediately heard the pounding of feet, and there in the doorway of their house stood Talon in his striped pajamas and matching sleeping cap. "Malon!" He said. Relief was evident in his voice.

"Father, help me bring Link inside. He's not well." Malon tugged on the young man's tunic before Talon came over and lifted him off the ground and slung him over his shoulder, as if he were made of feathers.

He turned to his daughter. "I'll let him rest in my bed," he said to her. "You should rest in yours. You barely look any better than the boy."

Malon nodded and watched as Talon walked into the house. She started to follow him until she heard a familiar whinny. "Epona?" She called out to the darkness. Sure enough her beloved old horse walked up to her, pressing her nose into Malon's hand.

"It's okay. Link's sleeping in the house right now." She led both Tassos and Epona into the stables and into their separate stalls. Malon lingered in Epona's stall, taking her time to brush the horse's shimmering coat and remembering the times of her childhood when she would spend her days raising the creature. She found herself hugging Epona's neck and slowly slipping into the hay. She rested her head against a small pile and closed her eyes to sleep.

Her first thoughts were of Link when she awoke the next morning. She rose from the hay and found her whole body aching. Malon yelped in pain as she moved her bruised elbow, causing Epona to turn her head and look at her thoughtfully.

She rubbed her arm tenderly and stepped out of the stables and over to the house. When she reached out to the handle of the door it opened immediately, revealing a disgruntled Talon.

"What's wrong, Father?" Malon asked.

"Link left." He replied and walked past her.

Malon stood where she was for a few seconds before running inside and up the stairs to the bedroom. The room was empty save for one thing. She blinked, thinking she was seeing things, but sure enough, propped next to the bed was Link's Master Sword.

:::And to my reviewers:::

lozfan: Yay, thanks for being my first reviewer for this fic!

The Arc: I'm glad you liked it. Here's the update!

JoJo10: Wow, you made me feel special. I hope you like this chapter as well.

More reviews people!