You stood at the doorway watching her sleep while the moonlight streams through a gap in the curtains. Its gentle rays illuminate her natural beauty.
You always thought she was beautiful, ever since they were little kids, but you especially thought so after finding his way back to the ranch after a seven-year absence.
Not that she recalls any of that.
You are so happy that she chose to be with you. Despite all that has been said and done, you do not think you deserve her, but you cannot help yourself. You must be a little selfish and be glad that she is yours.
She is so peaceful when she sleeps. There is something captivating about a sleeping angel, but you cannot stand here and admire her sleeping form you have to go soon. You have to go out and fulfil your eternal destiny, you have to save the land again and again.
You cannot believe it has been almost a decade. It has been almost a decade since he returned to his original form, to live out his years as intended. Almost ten years since he came to Lon Lon Ranch to be a farmhand.
You told her, you told her one day you would have to go away for a while and she swore she was not going to let you. You agreed to let her try. That was what you had needed then, in that weak moment filled with guilt and depression.
She was your friend, your strength, your heart, and she said exactly what you needed to hear. In return, you agreed to stay put and stand by her. You told her you would not have it any other way, that she could always be by your side and you hoped she always would be as she had promised.
Later as you grew older, grew closer, as you became so much more than friends, his responsibilities, his calling towards the castle across the field, were ever more pressing, were demanding him to go forward.
You could toil in the fields as much as you wanted, you were no farmer. You would always have a target on your head, and collateral damage was expected in times of war. What if something happened to her? What if she got hurt? You realised you cannot let that happen, and so you cannot stay.
When you realised that there was a real chance that she could be hurt, killed even, for her association with you, you drew the conclusion that you had to strike pre-emptively, you had to leave, but he did not want to face the consequences. You did not want to see her betrayed expression.
That is why you are sneaking away. Cowardice, you know it is, but you do not care. Anything to keep her safe. You would sell your soul to the Devil just so she would never have to feel pain again.
It was hard to do it this way but it was for the best, it was less painful. You cannot bear to make her upset, to see tears fill those big purple eyes of hers. You have spent days convincing yourself that this way is the best. That there is no other way. You will not be able to hold her once last time but if you did you would not be able to leave. You would not be able to let her go.
You would want to stay with her forever if you had a choice, but destiny is the antithesis of choice, you know that. You have never had a choice when it came to your heroic duties. They have dictated your life from birth, from your orphaning, to your time amongst the Kokiri, to Ganondorf and even your damn age.
You walk softly across the room to where she is and appreciate the view before you. You know you will not see it for a while. You love her with every fibre of your being and your heart is breaking over having to say goodbye to her.
You sit gently on the edge of your bed, you need to at least say goodbye, even if she will not hear you. Maybe the sleeping can hear you subconsciously, at least you hope so.
"Malon…" You whisper as not to wake her. "It is time. I have got to go, I am sorry. I do not want to leave you here but at least I will know with certainty that you are safe. I am begging you, please do not look for me, please stay here and carry on with your life as usual. I cannot lose you."
Careful not to wake her you take her hand in yours desperate for some contact from your love.
"Be safe, be strong and I know you believe in me. That is what is keeping me going: that I know you are supporting me. That is why I am going to come back, Malon, I will come back to you. You should not have to live in in a world any less than perfect, and I will build it for you." You tell her.
She stirs slightly and you hope she is not dreaming. Recently her dreams have not been pleasant and she has needed you to hold her when she awakes, but you are not going to be here much longer. You hope she will be ok.
You glance at your watch and find that it is nearly time to go. The Royal Guard would march through the ranch in a few minutes, to take you with them, but you want to spend your last moments with her.
Leaning in, you drop a small kiss on her forehead. This is it, you tell yourself, you have to pull away from her but you do not think you can. Ever since you were a ten-year-old once more, you have never had to be separated from her for so long and she has always been with you. Always by your side.
You hope and pray she will still want you when you come back, that she will not be so mad that she does not want to be with you. You would break if she suggested that, you would not cope, you could not watch her go on through life as if she was a widow, much less remarry one of their neighbours.
"I love you. Do not forget that."
You know you have her confidence, her faith and her love, but you cannot stop the tear that steadily makes a track down your face.
Glancing at the clock on the bedside table for the last time you see it strikes 3:00 AM
Time is up.
You have to go.
How can you leave her?
You lean in again to kiss her goodbye but this time capture her lips and your lone tear drops onto her soft skin but you do not notice insignificant details like that.
"I love you." You repeat.
You stand trying not to imagine her reaction in the morning when she finds that you've gone missing from your bed. You know she will panic and then she will find your letter and be angry and annoyed that you left her.
You can almost see the flicker in her warm amethyst eyes of comprehension at what your departure actually means. She will pale and fall, collapse onto your bed, before tears of fear for your safety begin to fall from her beautiful eyes. The droplets settling on her long lashes and sliding down her soft skin.
The pain she will feel from the thought of losing you is enough to make you not go at all. You only hope that last night you reassured her of everything. You made love to her for the final time. You poured you mind, body and soul into her that night wanting to remind her exactly how much you love her.
"Goodbye my love." You whisper before leaving the room.
You feel your heart wrench from your body because it hurt so much to leave her. You close the door behind you with a heavy heart as it sinks to your stomach and try and promise yourself that you will be back.
Then you remind yourself you would give absolutely anything to see those precious warm eyes of hers again, to hold her in your arms and be able not to let her go any longer, and that is what is going to bring him back home.
With that you are gone.