A/N: Warning: This chapter contains content that could be considered Rated M. Please, greatly refrain yourself from reading if you are underage. I am not responsible if underage readers read this chapter and produce a personality altered by this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
A Pair of Time
Chapter 61- The Ears of the Listening Lifeless
Lon Lon Ranch; Day
'21st Entry,
It happened again. That horrible memory came back. I'm not even going to write down what it is, because many people who know me already know what my reminiscence is. It… keeps on being in my dreams, turning them into bloody nightmares. I can't take it anymore. I can't… Mom…
It's getting worse everyday. A while back then, I never did have them this frequently, but when Link and I awoken the Water Sage, the nights have been terrifying even more. Now that I'm done with the Spirit Temple… Farore, the recurrence is too much. I keep waking up in the middle of the night; I even started to cry recently. One time, I recalled screaming out 'Mom!' The next morning, everybody told me they heard it. Mr. Ingo didn't think much about it though, I guess because he's not family. Dad… He was a little sad when I saw him. But all he did was pat my head and whisper, "Do your best… for your family and everybody, Malon."
Link… At first I thought he didn't care when he put on his usual face that even I could say is expressionless. But he did. I knew because he wanted to take over most of my hard, backbreaking tasks for the day. I objected at first, but all he said was, "Your loss hurts you… more than my loss is to me. You shouldn't take anymore than that, Mal." After that, I obliged silently. Right, fairy boy didn't even know his mother.
I don't know why this is happening to me. I thought I closed myself on brooding over Mom and her passing away. I miss her so dearly, but these intensifying nightmares are upsetting me. I knew it wasn't my fault, but… every time I have the memory come back, I endlessly blame myself. Blame that I caused, blame that I… I… killed…
No… I didn't kill Mom. It wasn't my fault. I… I wanted to play with her… and that Wolfos just happened to…
But… what… what would have happened if I didn't…? Would Mom… still be here…?'
--
'24th Entry,
Damn, lucky bastard. Nabooru said I was and I sure feel like it. This is one of those rare days that I slept soundly last night. Thank goddess, I haven't had a good night's wink in days. I guess the idea of "spread your good mood" really does applies; everybody got up well and was kind of glad I didn't wake up crying. How they know that I do, that's still a mystery to me. Not that it matters, because they don't know who I'm weeping for.
Do they?
Maybe they do. I seem to be the only person on the ranch that has a problem with herself. Mr. Ingo and Dad keep telling me to pull together and get the job done everyday, like they expect me to break down and scream. Link is always quiet around me as if one word about anything could potentially set me, a big Bomb, off. And Navi plainly spends more time with me, expecting that her company would do me well, no less. I feel angry with everybody trying to restrain themselves with the subject, acting as if I was a little kid. I may be in terms of style and occasionally my personality, but living in my future self and being trapped for seven years in the Spirit Temple have done much to my thoughts.
Today, Link managed to finish early, too early to not be counted as suspicious. I think he wanted time to do something, because next thing I knew when he was done loading up haystacks, he yelled only once to everybody that he had an errand and will be back when Mr. Ingo finished serving up dinner. Epona went off as his transport, though sometimes I get the constant feeling now and then that she's uncomfortable with the decisions of Hylians concerning her. I mean, I know she's always fine with me, a close friend to her dear heart. But I'm starting to notice that she's sometime a little reluctant with the others' choices about her, especially fairy boy's choices to ride her. She neighs loudly, almost bristling whenever Link tries to saddle up on her. It's not… uncommon to see him land on the ground many times, with Epona rearing on her hind legs. I think that makes her unique. A horse that dislikes being ridden on, except by me. Well, okay, there's also Link, who seems to be the only other one that can get on her and gallop around with no problem. Of course, that's mostly because he knows my mother's song. Epona can trust him with that… though, it's much harder for fairy boy to be liked. Sometimes she gaits away when he gets close, which is a… improvement to running away. Well, sort of. Then, there are some moments where she stays still. However, most of those moments she still won't let Link ride, noted by throwing him off every time he does. Epona casually just steps up to him and chomps on his hat, which I'm sure he's irritated with every time. Still, I really do believe that Epona likes Link, but not as much as Link does to her. She's just showing her affection by playing around with him.
Oh, fairy boy… You never really do cease to amaze me. It's funny, because every dumb thing he does and every weird, contradictory thing he says makes me love him even more. No… I'm writing this much and I still haven't heard those sweet words from him. People would say I would just as soon as give up because he seems too… shy to say it. Maybe he isn't the right guy, they would say. Maybe we're both meant for others.
But I know… there isn't anyone else. There really isn't anyone else I would rather spend my life with… than him. There're… a lot of things about Link that I truly love and admire. Many girls I know of would simply go for him just because of how handsome he is, or maybe because he's the Hero of Time. There's really a few I could think of who would fall in love with him for who he is inside. How to start off…? Well, Link… He's that person who cares for others greatly, though I wouldn't say effectively in romance. He's kind and sweet, but he's outgoing, adventure loving, and supportive when you need it the most. He's also very modest, I'll give you that. One time, I almost got chopped into pieces by a Peahat. Link dashed in and severed its root. I thanked him pretty gratefully, but he smiled and answered, "Well, you needed help, and I gave it." Nothing more after that.
Some say he's not the talkative type around people, but if that's true, you should walk in my shoes then. He's not the perfect person to have a conversation with, but each one he shares is memorable, least to say. There are many times when I would just get us involved in a talk privately all by ourselves. He's that guy you just want to talk to. I'm sure he doesn't think much when he talks, but at least enough to get something riveting going.
What would I say is Link's most unique, most loved feature…? It's easy, but… I'm too embarrassed to say it. Why? Because it sounds weird, especially in this type of world. But, I want to say it… What I like… most about him is our friendship… No, that's too weak… Bond? Relationship, maybe? Or liaison? They're too weak… Too weak to describe what Link and I have with each other. It's like an oath, only there is none. I never felt this close with anybody, not even with Dad or Mom. And if anybody were me, he or she would say there's no stronger connection in the world than ours. Stupid to say this, but I'm real proud of that. We're so close, Link and I, yet it's so hard to bring it to love. Is this not a strange type of closeness?
… Yes, I do love him. I won't say it to anybody yet, but I do love Link. My feelings for us have grown so much since I first saw him. Back then, oh, I thought he was a great friend. Now? Well, every moment spent with him is not without my heart beating like crazy. That is, if I don't think about anything else like our quest. Fairy boy… It's not love at first sight, but I have feelings for you that I'm sure would not have been as close as admiring you when I first saw you. Fairy boy… I don't care what others say… You don't seem like it, even when I first saw you, but you're still my knight in shining armor… But I know I love you not because of those, but because of who you are… I love you… because of how much I opened myself to you… My thoughts… My life… My heart… and you welcome them with the opening of yourself… I feel safe, cared for, worried for, protected with you… I never felt alone again in your presence, by your side, in your arms… You're… You're everything I could hope for when I was down…
I lost Mom… I lost my part of my happiness… I didn't have anybody except my family to turn to… My home, Dad, Epona… But I felt so alone… Nobody, not even Epona, could save me… Gone I was… Then… I felt you… I felt your hand… your strong hand pulling me back. I didn't feel alone anymore… You made sure of that. I felt alive, warm, passionate.
I was lost and confused, and you found me and guided me along the way.
I was shivering, and you held me to warm me up.
I was dying, and you saved me from the brink of death.
I was alone… and you became my friend.
Could there… Could there be any less of a reason… than that… that shows you… how much… how much I… I love you…?
If only… If only you… weren't afraid… You, a boy who is always courageous… If only you weren't afraid to love me back…
Oh, gosh, I hear hooves outside. I think you must be back, fairy boy. One of these days… I'll look back on this… No… Link, you and I… You and I will look back on this…'
--
'28th Entry,
Darn it, why haven't we found a trace of where this Shadow Temple may be? Every evening, Link, Navi, and me keep searching for this place and we haven't come up with one scrap of info. Where could it be? The only clue we have is Sheik's legend. Supposedly, the temple is located in the house of the dead. Well, OKAY, but unless you're talking about a haunted house, we have little lead as to where this place may be. First of all, there are no haunted house in Hyrule other than in Hyrule Castle Town and Dampe's house. We searched both and came up with nothing. I do wish everybody would stop talking in riddles and things like that, and tell us something straight for once. Look, if Hyrule is to be saved, you might as well find the most facile way to do it. I don't care what Navi says, the ways of the ancients are not making my job any easier.
Other than that, I also whim for Link to stop sitting around polishing his new sword, the one he got the day after his 'errand.' Fine, I get it that it's an unbreakable weapon made by the famous Biggoron, and that it can slice and dice even a tree. But he's not holding up his end of the ranch's tasks, and I do believe that he's about to grate the material off if he doesn't stop soon. Seriously, I do want to be with him, but he really needs to stop paying attention to these weapons of his!
Maybe I'll take the Biggoron Sword while he's sleeping. Yeah, his face will be priceless when he wakes up. Might even cry, which would be rather fun to see him do.'
--
'30th Entry,
I can't sleep again. I keep having Mom's death in my dreams every time I nod off. I just can't bear to see it anymore. I haven't gotten used to coffee, because of warping to the future, but I might resort to it if I have to. I don't know about drinking it, because back then I took a sip from Dad's cup and it was so bitter. I almost thought the taste wouldn't come off. But, if the beverage is to keep me awake, gotta take it, then.
Standley, one of our domestic horses, sprained his upper left foot by running, so we had to put him in to care while he recovers. Link sure is handy to come around; I haven't thought he would be strong enough to outmuscle both Dad and Mr. Ingo combined. Then again, he is wearing those Silver Gauntlets, and I have yet to question him if he would still be as strong without the gloves.
Another event happened yesterday that was joyful, but melancholy at the same time. A pregnant milking cow, Temia, gave birth today, but she died an hour later. She was bleeding badly, and we couldn't do a thing. I felt gloomy, because I've known Temia since nine years ago. Sad to see her go, Mr. Ingo carting away her body outside the ranch. At least she wasn't a cow raised as a beef product, so her body can lie in the fields of Hyrule. Her daughter, Monia… I don't know what to say. To lose her mother at such a young age… like me… like Link… She won't remember, like fairy boy, but she'll miss her, grieve for her. I told Dad I'd take special care of Monia.
Link became overwhelmed, too. A little while after Temia's death, he went off again, dropping all of his work. He didn't even bother to have Navi come along. We didn't see him until after midnight. She and I waited, worrying, until we saw him treading slowly up towards the entrance. He's a little ragged, his eyes showing weariness. They also showed he was weeping a while back. I asked him what's wrong, but he said goodnight and went up to his loft in the barn, locking himself in. He didn't even realize Navi was outside, though I took easy comfort letting her sleep with me.
He still hasn't come out yet. It's almost noon, and I haven't seen him leave. I knocked a while ago to see if he's okay, and he gave a simple "yes." But he still doesn't want to come out.
I think I know what it is. I'm sure he's okay, and he's bound to come out sooner or later. Fairy boy may be as stoic as they come, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to say, "Your loss hurts you… as much as my loss is to me."'
--
'33rd Entry,
Goddess! I'm filling these pages very fast! I guess Dad knew what he was thinking when he gave me this. I looked back, seeing all my writings. How this happened and that, what happened in this place, what went on that day… I hate to say this, but I think I was wrong when I said my life wasn't exciting. More exciting than Princess Zelda's, no doubt. Fate sure won't stop providing me with stuff to write about everyday. I wonder if I should take a break from my farm work and write down an autobiography when my role as heroine is over… Well, I think I won't be able to spend that much time, nor will I have the willpower to do it. I should ask a freelancing writer sometime. Then again, maybe I should just use my diary. It provides enough of my life as it is, the majority of it my adventure.
But enough of that. I have to get this out. I have to.
I took a nap moments ago and had a strange dream… No, it was freaky. It wasn't about Mom. It was… something terrible, not threatening, but it gave me something to think about. I never thought it would haunt me again, but it did.
The book. Yeah, it's back, and it rears its ugliest head I've ever seen.
Oh, goddess, the damn book! It literally left a scar in my brain.
I don't want to write it down, but I want to relieve this stress on my mind.
I do want to swear an oath to myself, however. Here goes: Under any circumstance, REMOVE THIS PAGE when I decide to show my diary to people.
Okay… I think I'll be okay.
The dream… I hope I can write this without flinching. Navi's here, helping me get through this. Okay, the dream… I was walking through a forest, Kokiri Forest, I think. I spotted Link's house and suddenly I had an overwhelming urge, an urge that I had never experienced before and one that I found uncomfortably satisfying. Navi says its… my sexual drive.
Now, I know that if anybody is reading this, which is impossible since I plan to burn this page anyway… If anybody is reading this, then he or she, hopefully a she, will guess that this is a dream portraying my… sexual fantasy. I wouldn't dare tell anybody about a sexual dream, but this one was so… wrong that I must write it to feel less guilty of myself.
Yes… Link… is the target of my… fantasy. I couldn't control myself in the dream. No, really, I couldn't, and everything I normally do is under my will. Once you're hooked onto a… voluptuous desire for a person, it's difficult to stop. Unable to, I got up to Link's house. We said our hellos, and fairy boy went off to clean up. There I felt a bolt from my sexuality. Source? Link's… butt. At first I did some playful poking… Okay, Navi, it's not playful, then. I went almost blank after poking. Navi says I put my arms on Link's chest, making me wince at the thought. But there was more, I'm afraid. After Link noticed that act and demanded why I was doing it, I… I charged, if I could say that. I… handled… his rear. Goddess, I hate that feeling I got from doing that. But I got worse. I did the unthinkable. I did it for pleasure, and from thinking it over, Link's appalling.
I… I… forced him to… squeeze my…
I can say it… Get it out of my system…
I forced Link to squeeze my breast…
Divine Trinity, please forgive me for doing so! I was under temptation, the same damn temptation that rewarded me with awful enjoyment! The enjoyment… that came with that act. Link could not do a thing; he's an innocent person, and I took advantage and kept my hold. I did more, I felt more of the revolting feeling that I wanted, that I horribly wanted. He didn't feel what I felt, so why did I kept going? Why did I want to feel more pleasure with him? I don't know, I was so lost in the amative world that I could not feel guilty of what I have done. I went on; I wanted more. I wanted Link to feel what I felt, so I let my hand grope around his manhood. So sick I'm feeling right now knowing I did that to him, grabbing his private parts. I don't want to… detail what I felt. All I know is, it was all part to induce upon me more intolerable pleasure.
I couldn't stop. I wanted more. And poor Link was feeding me my sexual desire. I burst from waiting. I threw him on his bed and… and I couldn't. I couldn't wait. I took off my clothes and got on top of him, doing the same. Removing his own. Us, me and Link, naked. I wanted him. Badly. I… I kissed his neck, tongue on them. I heard myself moan, I heard Link do the opposite, almost crying. I quieted his mouth with my own, slipping my tongue and caressing his own. Then, it all happened. My mind became blinded while I let Link in me. Blinded… So much pleasure that I repulsed so… So much sexual power going through me I became blinded, deaf, numb, whatever one can call ailments… I lost my physical "innocence," if you could call it, to endure this tremendous ecstasy… But, it wasn't over; it was only the beginning. I felt the gratification to me growing; I wanted more. I needed more. I… did more. I wanted so much of the pleasure to build in me, to reach something above when it increases enough. I wanted my… my…
No, I cannot write anymore. It's too much for me. But it happened. Even if it was a dream, it felt as real as it is described in the book. Oh, but Navi insists that I must in order to alleviate my imaginary sin. I suppose she's right… for this does make me feel less woeful.
I wanted, and I received. It was but a dream, but the goddesses blessed, or rather cursed this phantasm to be as real as it is in reality. I had it, for a moment, I had been given my peak of my pleasure at my request. Link was… only the medium for me to have it. My moment in sinful paradise… Indescribable. Too much of the sexual enjoyment from my excitement, though it also didn't feel too much at all… Because of this, I cannot write how it felt to have it… It was as if all the pent up energy I have Link gave me exploded into an instant of everything. I moaned, no, in fact, screamed like never before, I felt as such as only the raunchy would experience. I was tired from "bouncing" on my… my friend, but I moaned, shuddered, panted… like heaven would allow. Link, my loved, had given me… my first taste of the highest form of delectation. I soon felt after his own, forced delectation spurting into me, inciting my pleasure to stay a little longer. Now to me, it felt sick to have him do that to me. Felt wrong… to feel that…
I loathe my receiving, and how I did it to obtain it.
No, I did not feel any fault at all… yet. I haven't seen Link's face; I was too immersed in my thoughts to see. But soon, I did. I saw his countenance, and that brought upon me unbearable shock. Sadness, broken, betrayed, despair were written on my friend's face. But worst of all… no more of his innocence were left in his eyes. The way his aquamarine eyes shine was gone. The deep boyish expression was no longer to be seen. No more… was his purity I loved so. Only tears displaying his destroyed world… His torn expression of what I have done. Only then did I realize I did wrong, a serious one unlike that in my or his life. I did wrong not only to myself, but to my close companion. I clouded our virtues that our childhood lived by. I did something both of us would never dream about.
I committed a crime that, if it were real, would have completely ended my relationship with Link.
I…
I-I…
I… I raped him…
I raped… Link…
I deflorated my one, true friend…
Goddess… what have I done…?
I woke up very ghastly, my body sweating profusely. I went over my dream, reminding myself that it was not real, that I really didn't rape Link. I then noticed that Navi was there, sitting still on my night table. She simply looked at me and said, "Unforgivable." No doubt came into my mind that she admitted herself into my dream, or my nightmare. "Malon… what you did to… what you did… to him…" She could not say anymore. She knew as much as I did. What I have done to Link.
I cried. What have I done, I told myself again. But… it was just a dream… but still, I perpetrated one of the ultimate wrongness I could ever do to the person most close to me…
It was short, however. I heard a knock on my door, and I immediately disposed my tears of recognition. I called the person to come in, and to my surprise, fairy boy stepped in.
Of course he didn't know… Fortunate left me with at least that much. Link smiled at me when he walked over. All he said was, "Do you know where Epona's brush is?" I pointed to the inside of my drawer.
"Thanks."
"Link…" I said his name.
"Yeah, Mal?"
"I… I'm… I'm glad you're… fine today."
He laughs, a laughter that still has that tone of his boyhood. "Well, yes, I'm fine. It's a good day, isn't it?"
"Um… I… I'm just glad."
Fairy boy looked at me, staring so sweetly into my eyes. "This wouldn't be another attempt to ask me if I'm ready?"
Oh, no. Not only would our friendship die if the dream ever occurred in reality, but… my hope for our love would go, too. "No… No, it isn't… fairy boy."
"Huh… Well, can't keep your horse waiting." He's about to leave, causing me to rebuild my guilt.
"Wait!"
"Hmm? What is it, Mal?"
I didn't know what to say, but I didn't want to be left alone moping about this heavy qualm on my conscience. "Well… um… um…"
"You sure are stuttering… Almost like an adult."
"… H-Huh?"
"Well, that's okay. I understand. It's about your mother, right? I know how adults are. Sometimes a great thing happens to them and they suddenly go speechless, thinking about it." He shrugs at me. "Especially if it deals with their life. But we should expect that, right? There're going to be times where we can't find words to say what we feel."
"Y… Y-Yeah." I hoped Mom never saw that dream, but my guts told me it's utterly impossible.
"But you know… sometimes I do miss the days when we were kids, not caring much about the grown-up world. Days where greed, power, and desire weren't such a heavy thing on our minds."
Oh, Link… Desire is now doing hell upon my mind. "I… I miss them, too." If only… If only I could have back my childhood years… then this wouldn't be such a problem, no, a burden on myself right now.
He sighs, obviously replaying back his memories. "I'll see you at dinner, okay Malon?"
"I'll… I'll see ya later then, Link."
Link's then gone behind my door. He's too innocent. I'll… I'll never do anything that'll take it away. Never. Navi told me once he had the same dream, that it was connected by the divinities. Right down to where he's the one receiving my asking for my pleasure. That's enough to convince me he's a good person, where I wasn't. I'll… I'll do my best… to be like him. Never take away his innocence. He did the same for me… I have to repay him.
Goddess… I'm getting emotional, am I? I should snap out of it before going down to dinner. But… I feel better letting this out. I'll tear this page out… but I'm not going to burn it. I'll keep it… as a reminder of all the things I've felt today, and of the things I'm going to uphold.
Link… Sometimes I wish there were more people like you. Sometimes I wish I, better yet, we haven't read that book. Sometimes I wish… we could keep our childhood…
I never did like growing up.'
--
'35th Entry,
Rumor has it something strange is going on in Kakariko Village, and so tomorrow Navi, Link, and I will head out to check the place. The residences claim that the Well in the village center is emitting strange noises, not to mention a little quake every now and then around the area. There are some of those dark, dusty clouds in the sky, too. Also, people sensitive to magic are feeling woozy at the Well, and at the Graveyard, it seems. All of this seems too coincidental as natural disturbances, no?
The Heroine of Time is known to use her bow and arrows to get things done, but I decided to break the rule and take along something else: a pitchfork. Everybody almost laughed when I said I was bringing this tool along, but at least I told them it could kill. Dad approved eventually, saying that a melee weapon isn't a bad idea to take along. Navi also agreed; the pitchfork is an improvement over my usual arms of Deku Sticks. It's much harder to break, and I can spike things when I need to. Link suggested that I take along a spade instead, but I rather like something long and pointy, like a spear. I'm not real fond of slashing up close. I'm also taking the Mirror Shield just in case. Fairy boy asked to use it during the trip, but how could I not refuse knowing that he's so proudly happy with his Longshot and the other things he have?
Just the other day, a traveler shrouded in a black cloak came by, asking for asylum. He was a little torn in his garments, and so we brought him in. We gave him care, and he mumbled about something when we gave him some food. Link talked to him soon after and recalled that the drifter only said, "You need not know who I am. I come from another land, and I came only to seek out… certain people."
We didn't ask for any more, but strangely, the traveler vanished after we left him alone for several minutes. Link and Navi have a bad feeling about him, and so do I. Other than what the man spoke of, the only thing that differed him from any other cloaked wanderer is that he wore a curious pendant. It was a greenish blue crystal, encasing a slender dragon figurine inside. The dragon had its eyes closed, which sort of nerved me since figurines or models of any creature or Hylian do not have closed eyes. He's deceitful, we can tell, yet I don't doubt that he's from a place outside of Hyrule.
Mr. Ingo and Dad dismissed it as he needed to go somewhere in a hurry. We, the three of us saving Hyrule, go with what I believe. Who was he…? Was he a spy? Or a prophet? Or maybe an envoy…? Who are these 'certain people' he's searching for…?
Link, Navi, and I can feel it; something bad is coming… somewhere in the distant future, maybe? Something bad, that's all we know… Maybe it has to do with Mom's foretelling of my future…'
--
'36th Entry,
Sorry, but I couldn't sleep again tonight. Not only did Mom's death come up again, but I'm horribly stiff for when we head out to Kakariko. Maybe this is telling me that it won't be long before the Shadow Temple comes around. I only have the faintest idea of what it's going to be. House of the dead… Isn't it obvious? I always never did like dealing with the undead. I'm sorry, but my adventures in the Kakariko cemetery and in the Well do not support going back to face another ReDead. And is it just me, or does Kakariko Village seem to be the source of all undead activities nowadays? I swear, I think there's an occult of necromancy going on in the place… I never did like my experiences with the living dead… But, with Link, I came out fine. It shouldn't be so scary, this temple. I have fairy boy with me, and besides, if he can take it, so can I.
There's really more to this entry than that. This nightmare has become so realistic that I woke up when Mom breathed her last words to me. I cried again, but it hurt so much this time. I felt really scared and lonely. I wanted some company, but I didn't want to wake up anybody. Not even Link, because I wanted him to have some rest. I couldn't go back to sleep, not like this. I didn't want to have Mom dying in my thoughts. I wanted to remember her without her death. I wanted to remember the good old days where we used to play and I felt loved in my heart. I just… wanted to have Mom back…
So, I went to the paddock. I felt like singing. I felt like singing mom's song again. Epona's Song. I never will forget it. It always brings me closer to Mom, even if she's not around. I sang, I sang all my memories back. It's all back, I felt lonely no more. I thought of everything, everything good that happened in my life. I put them together; I strung all of them together with Epona's Song. The perfect wish. My perfect wish. The scene that I wanted.
Me, Dad, Epona, Navi, Link, Mr. Ingo (Yes, even him)… and Mom living in Lon Lon Ranch all together. That's what I wanted. It's easy to say I'll never get lonely again, yes?
But it'll never happen. Mr. Ingo is thinking about changing jobs now that I suggested to him that he could be a great cook. At least he'll be happier if he ever decided to become an apprentice chef… cooking in the kitchens of Hyrule Castle! After all, when Hyrule is saved, our royalties will be short of vassals and servants. Dad is gearing himself to his new hard work ethic, and I rarely ever get a chance to talk to him except during eating hours. Navi, Epona, Link, and I will be pressed with quests that Mom told me. And Mom… Well, all part of why not all of us can ever be together here at my home.
I felt sad knowing that.
At least, I still won't be lonely. Well, sort of. I won't be on the ranch with Dad sometimes, and Mr. Ingo will be cooking up chefs d'oeuvre for Princess Zelda if she's ever found. All I'll have if I'm ever gone will be Link, Navi, and Epona…
What a crew if we ever went somewhere. A knight in a green tunic and a farm girl sitting on a turbulent horse with a fairy hovering above. We would look so strange, especially if we went to any place outside of Hyrule.
But, it'll be a fun kind of crew. All the things we share, all the things we'll talk, and then, all the things we'll do… Everybody will remember us for those. Everywhere we go, we'll do something, leaving a mark of ourselves behind. An ideal group of adventurers.
Maybe I should give this company a name. Hyrulean Heroes? The Adventurers? Or the Wanderers of Living Myth? I know, how about… the Legend of Zelda? All of us will be part of this great legend by the time we save Hyrule, and Princess Zelda, assuming she's still alive, is the only Royal Family member that will rule Hyrule at our time. Makes sense, doesn't it? It sounds rounded overall. Where me, Link, Navi, and Epona go, we'll be known as the Legend of Zelda. Short, catchy, and means a lot.
If only Mom could be here instead of above to see us become this. At least she knows. That's all that matters right now.
I didn't stop imagining, because I didn't want to stop singing. All of us here. The Legend of Zelda traveling around the world. I didn't want to feel lonely. I kept singing. All the times flooded back to me. Things like knowing I'm the Heroine of Time. Or when I talked to Mom in my… better dreams. Or when… I first fell in love. I know, I know, anybody would probably say, "Oh, no, here we go again. I'll be more than happy to listen to you say how much you love Link." I don't really need to restate everything about that, do I? Let's just say I feel great every time I'm around him.
Well… maybe I'll write one more thing about him before trying to go back to sleep. Again, writing it out instead of keeping it in is kind of healthy, in some ways. It's very, very recent, too. How recent? Several moments ago. I was singing, remember? I didn't know when it happened, but it did. I was still imagining when I heard his ocarina slowly playing in tune with my singing. It was so gradual that I didn't realize it until I repeated Epona's Song again. I turned around, and found him so close to me, so close I almost asked myself how did he get so close without me feeling his presence? He showed me a small smile, and asked,
"Do you… want me to keep you company… while you sing your mother's song?"
My heart melted when I heard that. "Yes… Yes, I do, fairy boy."
"Then I'll play along… to make sure… you're not alone."
Oh, you kind, sweet… you. Link… you heard me singing, and you knew I would enjoy you being around… I was so happy. I'm still happy. You take so much out of your way… just to make sure I'm not alone. There's no less of myself to say that I'm truly… truly happy with you, Link. I'll never stop… I'll never stop singing… for us, fairy boy… I'll never stop… loving you, Link… The song… My mother's song… I'll dedicated it to everybody close to me… I dedicated it to remind me of Mom… But now, hearing you play along with me… even right now… I'll… I'll dedicate it… I'll mostly dedicate it… to us… Link… My mother's song… will be dedicated to us…
Epona Epona soba ni oide
Futari de ireba sabishiku nan ka nai
Dakara Epona koko ni ite
Omae dake o mamotte ageru
Koushite iru to omoi dasu
Ano hi no yoake
Tsuki ga shizumi taiyou to
Omae ga umareta
Epona Epona soba ni oide
Futari de ireba kanashiku nan ka nai
Dakara Epona koko ni ite
Watashi no uta o kiite ite ne
Tu lu lu…
Tu lu lu…
Tu lu lu, lu luu…
Koushite iru to omoi dasu
Ano koro no koto
Omae no tame ni kaazan ga
Tsukutta kono uta
Tu lu lu…
Tu lu lu…
Tu lu lu, lu luu…
Futari de ireba kanashiku nan ka nai
Tu lu lu…
Tu lu lu…
Tu lu lu, lu luu…
Wasurenai demo kono uta
Kono uta...
Mom wouldn't mind. I think she would be more than happy to let me do this… Her song… I know she wants me… to be happy, too.
I'll… sing it. I'll sing it… so that… you, Link… will always be… in my heart… Because… you… never leave my heart… Epona no Uta… I'll always sing it… for everybody… for us… and for you, fairy boy.
I'll always sing Epona no Uta… for you, Link.
Epona no Uta…
I'll always sing it…'