Interlude 2: Din's Daughter
She leant back, staring at the star-strewn sky, and pondered the nature of fate. It was true that she wasn't usually accustomed to doing such things, but there was little else worthwhile to do, these past few years, ever since Ganondorf had taken over.
The first awareness she'd had of him was the rumour that Hyrule Castle Town had been razed, and was now filled with undead monsters. No one dared to go near it after that. She didn't even know if the rumours were true. Her father had forbidden her to go, and they'd started trading in Kakariko Village, where the refugees had fled—those who had escaped the slaughter and fire that followed Ganondorf's conquest, at any rate. Those who hadn't were still to be found roaming the remains of the town, seeking to ensnare others, to bind them to the same fate. It was the stuff of a campfire story, but it was true.
It took two years before Ganondorf intervened in her life more personally. She'd seen him, now, the man who filled the townspeople with such terror. He was alarmingly young for such a reputation. She'd been twelve years old when he'd kicked her father out of their property, and given it over to the hired help. She'd never realised how bitter and jealous the man was. She raised a hand to her still stinging cheek, felt the heat, knew that it would probably bruise. She didn't care. She'd fight them both, however she could. And, if they kicked her out, too, she'd hide, bide her time, find a way to drive them out, as they'd driven out her father.
One good thing had come out of all of this, though. It was the thing that gave her strength, the knowledge that whatever cruel notions lurked in the minds of either of those two evil-bound men, they could never harm her. They wouldn't be able to force her into the situations she'd heard tell of other girls suffering, when she'd been old enough for Juna to take her aside, gently explaining the details. ("As your mum isn't around to, and your dad isn't allowed to come here, as I am.") They'd never be able to kill her, either. Mama wouldn't let them.
Her mother had arrived soon after the ranch had fallen into Ganondorf's hands.
At first, Malone'd been terrified of the stranger. She was still trying to wrap her mind over the idea of Ingo being master of the ranch, and the cruelty and resentment he'd hidden all her life. Then, this strange, burning woman (in some ways, physically reminiscent of Ganondorf himself) had walked into the stables, where she'd been leaning against the post supporting one of the stalls.
"Hello, Molly," she'd said, with a warm, loving voice that had made Molly want to trust her, and want to recoil, both at the same time. She'd bit her lip, leant back against the post, eyeing the newcomer with overt curiosity. The stable door, if it had opened, had done so with unwonted silence.
"Who—?" she'd managed to say, as she stared at the woman before her.
High-class, or well-to-do, said the clothes. Short sleeves, over longer, full sleeves, with a scooped neckline, and a ruffle-strewn skirt. Long, long red hair, silky smooth, red-orange as Malone's own. Bright red eyes, too much reminiscent of Ganondorf's. High cheekbones, a heart-shaped face, beautiful without need of cosmetics. Her hands were outstretched, showcasing that her tanned skin was nevertheless free of any signs of manual labour. They were smooth, with long fingernails painted an alarming red. Malone had heard of nail polish, but never seen it before.
The woman had given her an encouraging, benevolent smile, and waited.
"It's alright, child," she'd said. "Mama's here, now. I came back for you, as I promised. And, Ganondorf and Ingo, for all their Power, cannot drive us apart."
"Who are you?" Malone had squeaked, trying to hide behind the pillar. Had this woman just said what she'd thought she'd said?
"I'm your mother, Malone, my dear. The same one who left you that lovely fakebook I hear you love so much. Nothing can touch you while I'm here. I'll come and check on you…at least once a week, until this is all over. I'll be part of your life, the way I wanted to, before. I'll tell you some truly amazing things. And, I promise, my dear, that no matter how bad things may seem, this will all be over in a few years. Just hold out for the Hero of Time, alright? I'd save this ranch if I could, but until then, honey, you have to be strong for me, and for your dad, alright?"
"M—Mama?" Malone had asked, wide-eyed, taking a step forward without even realising.
"Oh, Molly…I'm so sorry, child. Walk with me. I'll show you the world, tell you a few things you need to know. Come here, darling. Let me see you better."
Despite the recent breach in her trust, Molly had yielded to that desire, from her earliest childhood, to have a mother figure, as had the other children, in town, and in the village. She'd have taken all the reprimands and nagging with grace, she was sure. She'd needed a mother. She loved her dad, it was true, but it just wasn't the same.
The woman had knelt down to wrap her arms around Molly, and Malone's nose had filled with the scent of wildflowers and honey, but beneath that, the strange, discordant smell of ash and smoke. She was used to it now, though. And the tale the woman (her mother!) had told, had been incredible, and beautiful, and sad.
Because her mother, as it turned out, was Din, the Goddess of Power, one of the threefold goddesses who had created the entire world. Wasn't that just mind-boggling? She'd come down to walk among ordinary mortals, in a human form, and had met Tarlon. She'd seen the kindness in his heart, his generosity and optimism, and back then, he'd loved to dance. Malone had never seen him dance. He claimed that it made him too sad. Perhaps that was why.
She hadn't told him who she really was, until somehow, their relationship had spiraled out of control, and Din had grown too involved—more involved than one of the triple goddesses was supposed to be in the world of men. She'd come to care for a particular purpose, to envision a particular dream. She'd come to prioritise Tarlon's happiness, his safety, his fate.
She'd told him, then, and she'd left, crying. But, she'd come back when Malone was born, handing her off to Tarlon, along with the fakebook, and other things besides.
("What other things?" Malone had asked, innocently, then, and many times since.
"Never you mind," her mother had said, in a voice that brooked no argument, and that was that.)
Mama kept her promise, giving her encouragement, and strength, answering questions, talking about what had brought her to the mortal world to begin with.
Malone now understood far too much about the war. Ganondorf Dragmire so coveted Power (her mother's piece of the Triforce), that he'd stolen it, breaching the Sacred Realm. It was her mother's own Power that had destroyed the lively town she remembered. She'd been horrified, cut her mother off, turned away, shut her out. But Mama couldn't be evil, could she? And, trapped here on the ranch (where else could she go? Her only human friend outside the ranch had vanished years ago), she'd cried herself to sleep for weeks, and finally gone back to meet her mother.
Please, let her explain. Let her have a good explanation.
"The Triforce is a mystical relic meant to bring prosperity to the world, as for a long time it did. But, it was inevitable that someday an evil would arise, desiring to use it for evil purposes. My sisters and I put all manner of protections around it, as did our servants, the Ancient Sages who built the Temple of Time. But, with those safeguards disabled, he was able to touch the Triforce…but his wish was not granted. First, he must acquire the other two pieces of the Triforce, those that he lost.
"An evil mind is a disorderly thing. It covets. It desires. It values this over that, itself over all. There are few with evil hearts whose minds aren't also in tangled loops. He valued Power most, and thus Power he has, but not the True Force. He seeks for that now.
"It is my bad luck that it is my gift that he so desired. He is a ruling sort of man, and they often desire Power, be they good or evil. Someday, I shall see him overthrown, his piece of the Triforce taken from him, and he shall be cast into the prison of the afterlife, never to escape. Until that day, I shall live with his shadow upon my name, and subtly interfere with the fate of the world, by the lives of those meant to shape the world. That he has brought suffering also to you shall be a crime for which he suffers particular penance, retribution I shall someday collect. For now, my dear, be strong. Take strength from the knowledge of who I am, and of who you are."
But, she'd struggled with it, instead. Struggled for years, wondering if she would grow up to be evil as Ganondorf, evil and cruel. She'd feared herself, which she'd never had cause to do before. Sometimes, she'd thought her own father was afraid of her—and wasn't this a just cause for that?
She bowed her head, turned it from the heavens. Tonight was not one of the nights that Mama came. Tonight was a night for thinking. Tonight was a night for remembering the tales her mother had told her, of heroes and of villains and of lost stray dogs, amongst the stars.
The Hero of Time had better come soon, whoever he was.
Epona was being sold to Ganondorf, if Ingo could ever find a way to tame her. But, Epona was wild, a queen among horses, and she listened only to Malone, and Malone's mother, and those whom Malone trusted enough to teach the song. The day would come when Ingo, or Ganondorf, or both, would make her suffer for her stubborn strength, her unquenchable spirit. There would be little that Malone could do, then.
What a helpless little child I am, for all that I'm a demigoddess, she thought to herself, yet again. This was why she looked at the stars instead of the ground. She wanted to rise to their heights, and not become bound in earth. Her mother had created this ground, of course, but that didn't give her any particular strength. She was sure that, if Epona wasn't herself some sort of magical horse-spirit, she at least had been given strength from Din's own hand. No wonder Lonlon horses were the best in Hyrule! Every day, Malone tended Din's hidden altar, which had been forsaken for a matter of weeks after her father had left. Mama had explained the matter to her, though, what to do, what to say.
It had startled Malone, the first time, when her mother had disappeared in a shower of lights. But such soon became normal. Still….
She wished that she could have had both of her parents, together again. She understood that that would never be possible, but it didn't stop her from wanting it.
Epona had escaped her stall again. Malone knew if she went into the stables, she'd find both stall and stable door locked and shut tight. Epona was a mystery, even now, after all these years. She was Malone's only friend, for the moment. But she'd give all of that up, for her father, and her old life, back.
She ran her fingers through Epona's mane, with a weak, weary smile. The night air was doing her stinging cheek some good, at least.
Not much longer, she vowed. Soon, Ganondorf will be defeated, and Hyrule revived. Soon, Dad will come back, and the ranch will return to how it used to be. Soon, the Hero of Time will come. Soon.
The stars shone on overhead, but did not seem to disagree.