Author's Notes: I want to dedicate this chapter to HylianBlood and BlazeStarre for their very kind reviews and constant support! I also would like to thank my beta editor, Woman Of Rohan, whom without...this story would just not be as good. Lastly, I want to thank all the other reviewers who take the time to review my story, it means a lot to me! Without further ado, Chapter 6! As always, read, review, and enjoy!
Chapter VI
"If someone said three years from now you'd be long gone, I'd stand up and punch them out 'cause they're all wrong. I know better 'cause you said forever and ever. Who knew?"
--"Who Knew" by Pink
Malon's welcoming smile was something that Link had gotten used to. Whatever he went through when he left the safety of Lon Lon Ranch, he could always count on that one small piece of happiness to shine through to him whenever he returned. It had almost become a ritual of sorts. Link would return from one of his dangerous escapades, and Malon would be there at the entrance to the ranch with a large smile spread across her face.
"Welcome back, Fairy Boy!" she greeted as she always did when he returned.
A realization would always dawn on Link then. He had no home. Kokiri Forest had been where he'd grown up, but it wasn't home. Saria was the only person who had cared for him but even she could not completely disregard the fact that he was an outsider there. He knew if he returned, she'd welcome him back...but she would be the only one. Most of the Kokiri blamed him for the Great Deku Tree's death despite anything he told them.
No, Kokiri Forest was not his home.
When he would think on it further, usually in the span of a few seconds, he would always realize that his home would be where his heart was. His heart was rarely ever in what he was doing. While his adventures could be fun, and he met many interesting people, they were also dangerous...and the excitement he felt usually wore off when the first sign of pain hit him.
So, if his heart was not in the forest or in adventuring...where did it lie?
Malon embraced him. "I missed you! You have to tell me all about your adventures!"
When she pulled away, Link was able to stare into the depths of her blue eyes. It was then--and only then--that he realized where he did belong. "I missed you, too, Mal."
She grabbed his hand boldly, leading him further into the ranch. The familiar scent of hay hit him and made him smile. The breeze that swept through the small ranch seemed to refresh him, rejuvenating his body and mind at once. He could not deny that the sounds of the animals seemed to bring him to life, reminding him that there was still good in the world even amongst all the evil and despair. Lon Lon Ranch was like a haven for Link. He could always come here, and he would always leave feeling a better person.
"Dad did the silliest thing the other day!" Malon was saying as Link came back to reality, having been lost in the warm sensations that were attributed to the ranch. "He woke up in the middle of the night, and said he was going to go to Kakariko village to deliver some milk! I told him it was the middle of the night but he didn't listen...he just kept going on and on about delivering milk! Tee hee!"
Link smiled.
"And then instead of grabbing any of the milk bottles, he grabbed a pitchfork and walked out into the middle of the corral!" Malon continued enthusiastically. "Before I knew it, he was running around the corral swatting at the air with his pitchfork."
"What?" Link giggled. "Why was he doing that?"
Malon giggled along with Link. "He said he was fighting 'those dang varmints'! I tried to wake him up, but it was no use. He just kept running around and hitting at the air. Oh, oh! And sometimes he'd hit one of the fences and holler that he got 'em! Isn't that the silliest thing you've ever heard?"
Link nodded. "That is pretty silly. What'd he do when he did wake up?"
"I don't know," Malon confessed. "I went back to bed after I realized that he wasn't going to wake up any time soon. I think Ingo found him asleep in the corral in the morning, though, and he couldn't remember a thing!"
The two children burst into laughter once more, and the laughter seemed to warm Link's soul. He had become so used to facing cruel monsters in the deepest and most obscure places in Hyrule that he'd forgotten what he had been fighting for in the first place. Whenever he looked at Malon's smiling face, devoid of fear and pain, he would realize that there was still good in the world...and that was what kept him going, kept him fighting.
"But enough about that," Malon said. "What about you, Fairy Boy? Have you collected all those spiritual things?"
Link removed a small pack from his pocket, plopping it in front of Malon. "See for yourself."
She slowly opened the small pouch, and her smile seemed to increase. "Oh, Fairy Boy, these are so pretty!"
One by one, she removed the Spiritual Stones from the calfskin bag, holding them in her hand delicately. The first one she pulled out was the Spiritual Stone of the Forest. The Kokiri's Emerald seemed to shine with all the life that Hyrule possessed. The green emerald seemed to capture the light and send it right back in shimmering rays that danced across the ground and whatever else it touched. After studying it for a moment, Malon placed it back in the bag.
"That one matches your clothes," she commented as her hand rooted around the bag for another stone.
The boy grinned. "Maybe I should keep it for an earring then?"
Malon giggled. "I don't know...it might make you a bit top heavy."
"Hey!" he defended. "I'm no lightweight!"
Malon shoved him playfully, and he toppled over in surprise. "I can see that."
He narrowed his eyes as he sat back up. "Unfair," he mumbled.
The next stone she pulled out was the Spiritual Stone of Fire. It was warm to the touch, and seemed to reflect Malon's fiery hair. The Goron's Ruby was shaped like a flame, and when the light hit it, it almost appeared to flare up as if it were a live dancing fire. Malon seemed entranced by the beautiful ruby, moving it between her hands, her eyes wide as she examined it.
"Where'd you get this one?" she asked.
"Near the top of Death Mountain."
Her eyes widened more as she looked at him excitedly. "You climbed Death Mountain?!"
He nodded. "Sort of. I got that stone from the Gorons after helping them rid the Dodongo's Cavern of a monster."
"A monster?"
Again, Link nodded. "Yup!"
"Wow, you're so brave!" Malon praised him.
Link couldn't help but smile at that, puffing out his chest ever so slightly. "It was nothing."
She giggled at his display of manliness. "That's what all heroes say."
The comment seemed to touch Link deep down. She called him a hero. Well, indirectly, anyway. Link had always viewed himself as a messenger, being forced to face hardships at the behest of Princess Zelda. She seemed to believe in him, and apparently, so did Malon. But Princess Zelda had never referred to him as a hero. But, was he even that much?
"You think I'm a hero?" Link queried in a quiet tone.
Malon nodded vehemently. "Mhm! I don't know anyone else who could sneak into the Castle, meet the Princess, and climb Death Mountain. Do you?"
Link smirked. "I guess not."
"Face it, Fairy Boy," Malon told him, poking him in the shoulder affectionately. "You're a hero."
"Thanks, Mal."
Malon's belief in Link seemed to encourage him that much more. If she thought he was a hero, then he'd be a hero.
She put the Goron's Ruby back and took out the last stone. The Spiritual Stone of Water, or the Zora's Sapphire, had been, by far, the most difficult stone to attain in Link's opinion. But when Malon smiled when she saw it, he felt like it was well worth the trouble in getting it. It was blue, and the light made it seem as if it was rippling just like the waters in Zora's Domain. The gold that held the three blue jewels together was flawless, and Malon could see her reflection in them as her eyes sparkled with intrigue.
"That one matches your eyes," Link blurted out.
He thought he noticed Malon's cheeks turn a shade darker, but he pawned it off on his overactive imagination. "Thanks, Fairy Boy. They match yours, too."
Link liked the shy smile that Malon was giving him. "But I'm already using the Kokiri's Emerald for an earring, I can't use that one, too!"
The farmgirl giggled, its sound as light as the puffy clouds in the sky. "Now you're just being silly."
"Am I?" he replied with a crooked grin.
She hit him playfully again. "Yes, you are."
Stuffing the last stone back in the pouch, she handed it back to Link.
"So, what are you going to do now?"
Link paused. "Well, I guess head back to the Castle and give them to Zelda."
Malon quirked her face into a peculiar expression.
"What?" Link asked.
She shook her head, her long red locks of hair falling around her shoulders like a cascading waterfall of lava. "Nothing."
"Come on, tell me."
"It's nothing, Fairy Boy!"
"I don't believe you." He added, "don't you trust me?"
She frowned. "You can be pushy sometimes, you know that?"
He grinned triumphantly. "Part of being a hero."
Malon shook her head as she stood. "I'm going to regret giving you that title, aren't I?"
Link stood as well. "Probably."
They were both quiet for a moment, content in the presence of one another. Finally, Malon sighed.
"Okay, fine," she conceded. "I'll tell you...but promise you won't laugh."
"I promise," Link agreed seriously.
She shuffled her feet, kicking at the dirt nervously. "I don't want you to go."
He furrowed his brows. "But...I have to go, Mal."
"Do you really?" Malon's eyes were full of an unnamed fear.
Link had never seen Malon look so...concerned, before. "I collected these stones for the Princess...I have to finish what I started, Malon."
"I just have this really bad feeling," she told him in an unsure tone, very unlike her.
Link offered her a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine. I've been through the worst of it, it's all downhill from here...so don't worry."
Malon bit her bottom lip. "But, what if you don't come back? What if something bad happens and you can't come back?"
"Malon, nothing bad is going to happen!"
"How can you be so sure?"
She looked at him with a piercing gaze, almost as if daring him to answer her. "I have a reason to come back."
This seemed to assuage her fears slightly. "Promise?"
He nodded.
"Okay, Fairy Boy, I'm going to hold you to that!" Malon said, her voice possessing that strong, courageous quality again.
"I wouldn't expect anything less," he replied with a faint smile.
"Are you leaving now?"
"Yeah, I want to get this over with," he told her honestly. "As soon as I'm done, I'll come straight back...and then we can mess with the cuccos."
She giggled. "You're so mean to them, Fairy Boy. I don't think they like you very much."
He snorted. "The feeling's mutual."
She embraced him suddenly, placing a light kiss on his cheek. "Be careful."
He returned her hug awkwardly, though he felt sort of warm and fuzzy inside. "I will be."
"Friends forever?" she queried.
Link smiled. "Forever and ever."
Malon released him and he turned to head towards the castle, leaving his only true friend behind him. With every step away from Malon, he could hear his heart pounding in his ears. Once he reached the entrance to the ranch, he glanced back at his friend. She waved him goodbye, but she no longer had that welcoming smile on. The sky around Hyrule Field suddenly seemed darker, and already the world felt a bit less bright.
He turned to face the path that led to the Castle, to Princess Zelda, to his unknown fate.
Suddenly, he had a bad feeling, too.
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Link blinked his weary eyes a couple times before opening them completely. His mind felt clouded and foggy, but he could faintly hear a voice calling him...though it sounded far away. As his eyes adjusted to the light that had begun to spill into the room, he felt a tugging at the back of his neck, before he was being yanked to his feet.
"Get up, you lazy wolf!" Malon ordered, though there was no menace in her voice, just amusement.
For a moment, Link had forgotten what he had become. In his dreams, he was not a beast, but a man. In his dreams, he didn't have to worry about facing the day as an animal, unable to communicate with the only person in the world who seemed to care about him. In his dreams, there was never any twilight.
With a cavernous yawn, Link stretched, his muscles rippling beneath his furry hide. His mouth felt dry, and his body ached a little, but he figured it was from inactivity rather than anything else. For the past few days, Link hadn't felt like doing anything but sleep. He was well aware of the fact that he needed to free the other Light Spirits from the twilight, but he couldn't bring himself to leave the safe confines of Lon Lon Ranch.
It was almost as if there was some inexplicable pull that didn't allow him to leave.
"You've been sleeping all day!" Malon continued as she stuck the pitchfork in the hay that Link had been sleeping on.
Link simply sniffed in response, preferring to go back to sleep. After all, there was no hurry. Sure, most of Hyrule was beneath horrible twilight, unable to live their lives to the fullest...but why did the duty fall on him again to save them? Had he not done enough when he'd saved them from Ganondorf before?
Malon placed the scooped up hay in one of the troughs for the horses, before turning back to Link who had curled up again on the pile. "Oh!" she exclaimed, narrowing her eyes at the animal. "Well, if you aren't the laziest animal ever! Get up, you!"
Link ignored her.
That is, he ignored her until she poked him with the pitchfork. He sprang up quickly, then, growling at her and barking lowly...almost in a mumbling sound.
She smirked at him. "You shouldn't just laze around, Midnight. It's not good for you, especially since you're still healing. You should get some exercise and some fresh air."
Without any more protest, Link exited the open door to the stables, bursting out into the unforgiving sunlight. Having been in darkness for so long, Link squinted his eyes to keep the light from stinging them. There was a cool breeze, but it seemed heavy, weighted. He moved his head to where the wind was coming from and noticed the castle in the distance, incarcerated in a massive diamond of twilight.
Immediately, Link began to feel guilty. Princess Zelda was trapped within those stony walls, within that prison of dark taint...while he was wallowing in luxury on a farm, being taken care of by his best friend. The Princess suffered in imprisonment, while he was free. She was innocent of any crime, while he was shirking his responsibilities.
With a heavy heart, the wolf headed inside of the house, not wishing to see the castle or outside any further. It did not take him long to reach Malon's room on the second story. And once he did, he plopped himself on her bed, having no strength to do anything else.
Slowly, he began to drift off to sleep, his eyelids closing.
"Midnight!" Malon hollered from outside.
Link tried to silence her, but his sensitive hearing forbade him from doing so.
"Midnight!" she called again. "Where are you, you silly wolf?"
Reluctantly, Link hopped off the bed. He hadn't taken more than a few steps when one of his paws went through a floorboard. His eyes widened and he struggled to remove his paw but no luck. Malon continued to call him, but he was unable to come. The more he struggled, the further his paw went in.
Using his teeth, he managed to pry the rest of the floorboard away. To his surprise, it seemed to slide away with relative ease, and he was able to remove his paw. Link would have left then except for he realized that he hadn't fallen through a rusty floorboard, but had discovered a secret compartment. He scanned the contents of the aforementioned compartment, pushing aside some papers with his snout until he came to a small wooden ocarina.
It was small compared to most ocarinas, but it was obvious that it was hand carved. There were some small symbols on the side that looked like children's scrawling. There were certain flaws to it, but it seemed to add to its charm. He also noticed a small ribbon tied around it, as if it were a gift. Obviously, it had been made by a child...but whom? Malon was a grown woman now, so she couldn't have made it unless...
"Midnight!" Malon said, as she walked into the room. "There you are! I was wondering where--" She caught sight of the secret compartment and its contents, namely the ocarina. "--you went."
At first, she just stood there, as if rooted to that very spot. Link stood where he was too. Malon's gaze was locked on that small ocarina, for reason Link couldn't quite comprehend. He could only assume that it held some sort of significance for his friend. There was an agonizingly long moment where neither moved, and Malon said nothing.
Then, slowly, she headed across the room, eyes still locked on the ocarina. She knelt down next to the compartment, delicately picking up the small musical instrument as if it were a priceless jewel. Her eyes seemed to take it in, and Link could see the wheels in her mind turning as the memory of the ocarina came back to her.
Before he knew it, Malon had stood and had begun to yell at him. "What did you think you were doing?! Why are you even in my room? You could have broken something!"
Link shrunk away, back towards the bed, unsure of what else to do. He opened his mouth to say something, but only small, whimpering barks came out, and he cursed himself again for being nothing more than an animal.
Malon continued to hold the ocarina in her hands, though her fiery gaze was directed at him. "You could have broken this!" she cried, eyes tearing up. She seemed to fight with herself for a few moments, before sinking back down to the floor.
"You could have broken this," she whispered in a more complacent voice, "and you wouldn't have even known what it was."
Feeling like he should do something, Link hesitantly made his way over to Malon, nudging her bare shoulder with his furry cheek. He suddenly felt a drop on his nose, and crossed his eyes to try and see it, but it was absorbed into his fur. He then looked up and noticed Malon was crying.
Wait, Link thought. Malon's crying?
"He promised," she murmured as the tears rolled down her cheeks. "He promised."
Who's she talking about? Link thought to himself. What promise?
Malon turned her watery blue eyes to the wolf that seemed to be trying to comfort her. "I'm sorry, Midnight," she sniffed, wiping furiously at her tears as if they made her weak. "It's just, this--I'd forgotten I made this."
Now, Link was curious, and his expression showed it.
"I made this for my friend Link a long time ago, but he left on some quest to find his fairy," she explained. "I guess I just put it away and...forgot." She frowned. "He came back that time like he promised he would...but he's not coming back this time."
"Malon," Link began, but it was only a bark to her ears.
She smiled a wintry smile, looking down at the ocarina. "Just another broken promise."
The woman shoved the ocarina back into the compartment roughly, placing the wooden board on it as well before getting to her feet. She smoothed the wrinkles in her worn skirt before touching her forehead as if trying to will away a memory.
"Maybe, in time, I'll forget him, too," she whispered to herself.
Link watched her leave the room quickly, then. He stared down at the compartment hidden beneath a broken floorboard. Malon's pain had almost been palpable, and it hurt him to see her in so much despair. He wanted to help, wanted to do something...but he knew he couldn't.
What he found strange about it all was the fact that Malon was so easily upset by any memory or mention of him. It was almost as if she didn't want to remember him. But hadn't they been good friends? Link didn't understand it.
So, he decided he'd consult a friend on the matter.
It wasn't odd for Link to speak to Epona, for he'd done so numerous times on his adventures. What was odd was when she talked back to him and he could understand her. He was still having a difficult time adjusting to life as an animal.
"I just don't understand it, Epona," Link said, sitting before the animal in the stables. "It's like she wishes she'd never known me at all."
Epona seemed to chortle, if that was even possible for a horse. "Link, she misses you. She thinks you're dead...and it makes her sad."
"Yeah," Link agreed dryly. "I understand that. It's just..." His sentence trailed off.
"Link, did you ever wonder why Malon might be so upset?"
"Because I'm her friend, of course." Link seemed proud of his answer. At least, he knew something.
Epona hesitated. "Yes, but...did you ever think it was more than that?"
Link was confused. "More than what?"
"Link, Malon cares for you," the horse told him.
"I know that."
"A lot."
The wolf nodded. "I know...I'm her best friend. I care about her, too."
Epona snorted. "Your senses may have heightened as a wolf, but it's obvious that your intelligence hasn't."
Link raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "I don't understand."
"Of course you don't."
There was a pause. "Mind explaining it to me?"
The horse shook its head, its mane billowing out like snow around its red-coated face. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Link. It's not my place to tell you."
"To tell me what, Epona?"
But the horse simply turned its head from Link, ending the conversation. He growled in frustration. The conversation he'd had with Epona hadn't gotten him any closer to the truth, but had, instead, left him feeling even more confused and frustrated.
He had a feeling that it was going to be a long day.
Author's Notes: Please, don't forget to review! No flames, though, thanks. Constructive critiscm is welcome, as always.
