'If you can't fly, then run,
if you can't run, then walk,
is you can't run, then crawl,
but whatever you do,
you have to keep moving forward.'

-Martin Luther King Jr.-

Shards Of Time

An Ocarina of Time FanFiction

Chapter 8: Wounded

~Ciren~

With a groan, I slowly blink my eyes open; the dull pain in my back still lingering. I lie on something incredibly soft, and on my front, but it isn't on Luz whatsoever. I note a small white pillow and a set of beige coloured blankets lying softly over my body. I clutch my head and rub my face like I usually do when I don't want to be awake – the pain not helping in my current situation.

Where, for the love of Nayru, am I?

I attempt to rise onto my knees, only to wince and end up merely propping myself onto my elbows on my side. I look down, finding myself still in my Purple uniform, discovering thick white bandages covering a lot of my abdomen. By the time I look up, my brain fully registers what exactly happened when I was last conscious. "I could have lived perfectly happy without giving my trust to a traitor!"

A shiver runs down my spine as I shift my eyes around the room, attempting to figure out where on earth I am. Along the wall is a thin set of drawers that stretches across most of the room, a set of shelves mounted on the walls above it filled with book and plants. In the very centre of the room is a large round table atop a very simple rug.

This isn't the Valley, I think to myself. But who would actually be in the outside world at night of all times...? Straight ahead of me is another rug, this time simply red, along with a white chest of drawers and a wardrobe; more plants dotted around the room and two pairs of shoes by the door in the corner opposite me.

I let a grunt escape as I force myself onto my hands and knees, then letting my legs swing over the bed. I stagger a little when my bare feet collide with the wooden planks of the flooring, though I do manage to catch myself. Scanning the room, I notice a set of shutters next to my bed and push them open (despite the winces I let out) – revealing part of my location.

Before me is the widest expanse of greenery that I have ever seen, the Castle in the far distance, and the very place that Luz rode into before I lost consciousness. This is the beautiful land is Hyrule, and yet I cannot feel the full beauty of it when I have the weight of the Gerudo on my shoulders after what happened to Nisah. I feel a cramp in my stomach for a moment or two, but I soon discover it leaving when I shift my mind away from the touchy subject.

"You're awake." I spin around, finding a red-head around my age standing in the doorway; her blue eyes relieved but still worried. "I found you two nights ago limp and unconscious. I don't think that you have an infection, but you should really rest until—"

I shake my head. "I can't. I've only just gotten out of the Valley, and I intend to spend every day I can looking at every nook and cranny of Hyrule."

She sighs and moves closer to me, picking up my Red uniform and my Purple shoes on the way from the baskets piled up high by the door – passing them to me as she sits on the bed. "Have you... ever head of a Gerudo called Malinda?" She avoids my gaze as I stay by the window and nod, birds tweeting in the distance. "She was my Mother, but Dad always said that she was a... a "bitch"... was she ever like that, when she was alive?"

"She was almost at the top of our Hierarchy, but some pranks she did stopped her." The girl's face shifts into a smile. "She was like a mom to me, as she always hung around with me and my friend Nisah; helping us with our work and trying to aid us when we were on a mission to piss off everyone around the Fortress. She never said that she had a daughter. I-I missed her when she died." I pause, shaking my head. "But she was nothing like a bitch, I promise you."

The girl smiles and finally looks up at me. "Thank-you. If I could just help Dad realise that, then everything would be so much better around here. He's always hated the Gerudo with a passion when she tried to raise me as a Gerudo, but he never saw her again until we found out that she was gone."

"She was the best Gerudo that anyone could be." I assure. A pregnant silence appears for a long time, and it's me who finally breaks it. "Where actually are we, if you don't mind me asking..." I trail off when I realise that I do not know her name, which she soon catches on to.

"Oh, I'm Malon. And my Dad is Talon. We own Lon Lon Ranch in the centre of Hyrule." She clarifies. "What's your name?"

I deeply consider altering my name just in case I am caught out at any point during this new life at mine. But after all that she said about Malinda the Red... I can't do that to her or myself. "I'm Ciren. I don't know who my parents are, except that my Mom was a Gerudo, but hopefully I might find something out here that will show me." I subconsciously reach for my locket, thankfully feeling that it hasn't left my neck since the Feast.

I look over to the headboard of the bed when another silence grows. A large vase of Hylia Roses sit on the headboard accompanied by a few jewellery boxes that Hylians are said to be very fond of, a few drawings of Malon and Cuccos; although there's one on the wall of a woman holding the Triforce in her hand. Probably the dreams that we all had as a child: to wish on the Triforce...

Malon suddenly gets up and shatters the silence, taking my tanned hand into her pale one. "I better tell Dad and that Fairy Boy that you're awake! I can show you 'round the Ranch, if you want, as you said that you didn't want to go back and..."

I nod before she can finish her sentence, letting myself part with my uniform and shoes as she helps me across what I assume is her bedroom and the dining room mixed together. We walk through the door and emerge out into a large room filled to the brim with Cuccos, an older man with a large beard leaning against the table at the bottom of the stairs – fast asleep. "Is there supposed to be so many Cuccos in here?"

"Uh-huh." She replies. "It's a Ranch after all. Dad!" She releases my hand and bounds down the stairs towards who I guess is Talon. "Dad, wake up! She's awake!" He doesn't budge or wake one bit, so Malon has to literally jump on him when his hand falls limply against the floor; finally waking him up after and ancient sleep.

"What in tarnation?!" He exclaims as he snaps awake. "Can't a person get a little shut-eye around—Malon, what are you doing?"

She rolls her eyes and look over at me, as I still stand at the very top of the stairs. "Dad, the girl we found is awake! She's gonna be okay after all, I think!" I feel my whole stomach dropping to the floor and even further down when his gaze shifts up to meet mine. After all that happened with Malinda, I don't think he wants to be all happy happy with us Gerudos; and I am not out of that circle just yet.

He doesn't say anything for a long, long time, so I build some courage to move down the steps. "Hi... I'm Ciren. I-I heard a little about Malinda, and I promise that she was a good person and that the rest of the Gerudo are good as well. It's just... well, the King is—"

His death glare shuts me up, and I carefully start backing away. The look on Malon's face is sympathetic, but I don't take it in over the look on her father's face. My hand soon grasps the door knob, and I almost stumble out of the room before anything else can be done or said about Malinda or the Gerudo in general.

Poor Malon...


The fresh air hits me almost immediately. The green grass sways gently against my bare feet, tickling my skin comfortingly as I let the rays of luscious sunlight wash over my figure. The pain in my back has dulled even more now, so I guess that I must have been fed numerous Red Potions during the two nights here, but the whining of many horses suddenly grabs at my brain.

Luz... My eyes snap over to the left, ignoring the other building in front of me as I jog past the cracked walls of the home where I can hear Malon shouting at her father (guilt seeping into my body at that fact); and underneath the sign that says clearly: "Lon Lon Ranch", the area opening out.

A large corral holds many horses within it, some other horses riding freely around the edge of the corral happily. The Ranch here is a lot more peaceful than the Stables back in the Valley, and it is certainly better in my opinion. I shift into a walk as I head into the middle of the corral, standing in the very centre and searching around for my stallion. He couldn't have been separated from me when Malon found us, he can't have gone back to the Valley...

That's when I hear a very familiar sound from behind me.

"Luz!" I whirl around, watching in happiness as my chestnut stallion gallops towards me, and run as best as I can to cover more distance between us too. I brag onto his nose and hug him as tightly as I can without blocking his air flow. "I've missed you!" Even though I haven't been conscious for our separation, I can still feel how sad Luz has been over the past two days.

He nudges me away and gestures towards my back with his nose, but I find myself unable to answer when another voice cuts in for me. "Hey, Link, it's that girl you helped Malon save!" I spin around on my heel, Luz gently touching my bandaged back. In my face is a big ball of light, which sends me tumbling to the ground in surprise. I reach back for my scimitar, only to realise that I no longer have mine since the Feast incident.

"Navi, I think I'd know that being that I was right there with you..." I watch the blades of grass for a few moments, lost in the thoughts of the Feast, only to e drawn back into reality when a pale hand is stuck out to me. When I look up, however, I find someone who the orb rests against in surprise; the orb which I now realise is a Guardian Fairy.

He strikingly resembles the Kokiri which I have heard quite a bite about. The boy, maybe a little older than myself, wears the same green clothing that I heard is the trademark of the immortal Kokiri. He wears a forest green tunic and brown boots that are covered by the thick grass here, a long hat on his head making me smirk a little. When he realises this, he simply rolls his eyes and pulls it off – revealing a mop of blonde hair underneath which he blows out of his blue eyes.

Shaking my head, I stand up myself and dust off my clothes. I open my mouth to make fun of his clothes, especially the hat, but he holds his hand up and says: "I've heard it all off of Malon. I dress weird compared to everyone else, I know, but I don't have much else and green is my colour. Okay?" My smile only grows as he puts his hat back on.

"Are you the Fairy Boy that Malon talked about?" I wonder aloud. "I mean, from the Fairy and the clothes..."

"Yeah, I am. But I kinda prefer "Link" honestly, as it is my actual name." He crosses his arms. "And who are you? I heard something about you being a Gerudo and to be careful with them, but I'd want to hear your perspective before I made an opinion of you; even if you insulted the way that I dress before actually giving me your name."

I laugh a little as I move back over to Luz. "I'm Ciren. And although the Gerudo aren't... currently trustworthy, I am one of the few who are consumed by the thirst for power and whatnot." I pause as Luz lets out a sad whine, forcing his nose into my hand for affection before pointing at my back. "I got out, but I didn't go unscathed. But other than that, I suppose, the Gerudo aren't that bad."

He smirks straight at me. "I guess I'll see that for myself."


I lie lazily against the grass, my hands folded behind my head as I watch the near blood red sun setting in the west. I sit facing away from the buildings of the Ranch, Luz curled up beside me comfortingly, watching as the almost orange clouds glide effortlessly across the sky. The setting sun illuminates the grass like a torch in the shadows, the blades of grass flickering from light to dark as they sway in the gentle breeze; the flowers joining in as well.

Yet it is the sky itself is more of a palette of colours rather than an ordinary sky. Nayru had painted the sky a bright blue earlier today so Din has mixed in the red, creating a swirl of colours. To the left half of the sky is a deep purple, the stars beginning to twinkle into my vision, and the right half of the sky is a bright pink – the clouds missing between the colours as they follow the sun's guidance across the blur of colours, a thick line of yellow on the horizon from Farore herself.

I soon hear footsteps behind me, and it takes a lot within me not to turn around before I notice a familiar pair of boots stop on my left-hand side. My eyes catch on the grass, and I fall into a daze of memories before acknowledging him fully. "I never could lie out in the twilight like this, as the Whites would have a fit and the sand was always cutting at my skin..." I trail off for a moment. "I never thought that replacing the sand with grass would make everything feel all that much better."

He takes a seat beside me and lies on his back, mimicking my position. "Me and a friend of mine used to do this a lot. Especially when all of the stars were out like they will be in an hour or so." He explains, falling silent before asking: "Why did you leave the Desert, Ciren? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"Nah, it's okay." I whisper. "Me and Nisah, a close friend of mine, were sent out to the Spirit Temple deep within the Desert itself. Very few make it to there, as the storms that are summoned there by Din have killed a lot due to the force of them. We found out some... dark things about our King, Ganondorf, and we were promoted for taking the risk of setting out there."

He watches intently, twisting onto his side and resting on his elbow for support as I continue; holding my hand out to emphasise my points. "The next day was a massive Feast, one that the King actually attended for once, where we were given our uniforms. But then Nisah hadn't come back for a while, and the King's second- in-command – Nabooru – had helped me escape when we realised that the King's work in black magic ended up cursing those who drank that night."

"His second-in-command?" Link wonders. "Wouldn't she still be loyal to the King?"

I shrug. "We are all loyal to the King, but I am wavering after he made Nisah back-stab me. Literally." I shift uncomfortably. "But what about you? Why did you leave the Forest? It sounds like a pretty cool place, if you ask me."

"The Great Deku Tree, our leader of sorts, had summoned me and asked to break the curse that the black armoured man from the Desert had placed upon him." Intrigue grips me as I turn to him, while he shifts back onto his back. "He had finally given me a Guardian Fairy, something which I never had from being young like everyone else, but he was doomed before I had been helped in breaking the curse."

Why did the King curse the Great Deku Tree? "Anyway, the Great Deku Tree told me to take the Kokiri Emerald to the "Princess of Destiny" – whoever she is – and she would guide me from there." He pauses for a long time, whether contemplating something. "But if I am a Kokiri, then I would probably be dead by now. So if I am still alive... then everything that I was told since I was young was a complete lie. Hell, I don't even know who my parents were..."

"Hey." I place a hand on his arm and pull out the locket. "I guess we may have one or two things in common, in a dark sort of way. I don't know who my parents were either." A tiny smile creases his face as his Guardian Fairy emerges from underneath his hat, her name being Navi; I think. "And you finally decided that greeting someone right in front of their face was a bad idea."

"Everyone makes mistakes." She says with a shrug. "And I hate to attack the Cucco here, but I think that you should guys should really be sleeping before the sun goes down. Link said that he wanted to head into Castle Town tomorrow, so you can come with us tomorrow. If you want to, of course."

I smile. "Give me a reason to say no."


I stand in front of Malon's full-length mirror in her bedroom, looking straight at the almost alien figure before me that is myself. Link helped Malon get the horses back into the barn for the evening, even if he has no experience with horses, just to try I guess; but I haven't seen any of them or Talon tonight. I guess I must have made such a bad impression on the family that I need to be isolated from them for their benefit.

Nonetheless, I see how I look in the scarlet uniform that I wear – the memories flowing back to me in a single rush that I barely manage to withhold. "Goddesses, this is too much..." I bite my lip as I rip away the bandage and twist around the see the gash in my back. The thin, vertical slit may not still be bleeding but is still surrounded in an angry red across my tanned skin.

I hesitate for a moment, then poke it just to see what will happen. And, of course, I wince harshly and bite back an oath as I look around for some less worn bandages. I find some in the baskets by the room, noticing a pair of incredibly worn boots standing in the now open doorway. "You know, you wouldn't have to get new bandages if you didn't keep wearing the wound in to scar it."

"I am not trying to scar it, Malon. I just want it gone as fast as possible." I tell her without turning to see her as I pick up a few rolls of pristine white bandages.

I straighten as she crosses her arms, stepping back when she tries to cover the cut back up herself. I'm not going to let others do the work that I can do myself. "We're getting dinner ready if you want some, Ciren. It won't be a lot, as there's high demand for crops and whatnot, but you only ate once today at lunch and that's about it."

I shrug. "I'm fine. I've lost my appetite." I attempt to move away from her more, but she takes my arm. "What?"

"Ignore my Dad. He has trouble letting things go." She states simply before releasing my arm, almost sending me stumbling back from her grip supporting me so much. "Mom was the best thing that ever happened to him, but he can't understand that the rest of Gerudo are not the same as her; or people who will manipulate others for their own benefit."

And then she's gone, the door creaking shut.

I stare at the closed door for a long time, the tiny slits from the shutters beside me illuminating the floor. I can't help but feel a little confused as the footsteps of others on the Ranch shuffle about, going about their business. She's had it tough, is the only thing that my brain can muster before going fuzzy again.


"You've got everything in your saddlebag?" I nod at Malon, who watches both Link and I with concern. "You have all of the food and water? What about Lon Lon Milk? Have you got spare clothes? Have you got Potions too? You never know what will be happening out there with that Stalchild attack and—"

I hold my hand up. "Malon. We're going to Castle Town." I tell her. "You said yourself that Castle Town is filled with loads of things to do and all of the supplies that we'll ever need. And besides, we're only delivering the Kokiri Emerald before we'll be either coming back here or going 'round the other villages. There's no need to worry about us."

"I really do worry a lot..." She shrugs, resting her hand on Luz's nose. "I must get it from Mom. I can't help but worry when you don't know your way around Hyrule, and your wound is barely healed. I want to go with you so badly to see family in Castle Town, but I need to help Ingo when he takes his "pre-nap" naps..."

I hesitate when she talks about Talon, so I busy myself with looking through the saddlebag. She packed it this morning especially for us, which we are very grateful for. She's filled it with food when we can't find an inn, both water and Lon Lon Milk, some medical supplies in case I do something to my back or anything else happens that injures either of us, as well as spare blankets and clothes. She even cleaned Luz up too...

"Thank-you, Malon. We really do owe you for letting you house us and give us so much." Link thanks as I shut the saddle bag and meet his eyes. "Are you ready to go?"

I am about to nod when I hear footsteps crunching against the grass, moving closer to our position in front of the barn. We all turn in unison, watching hesitantly as Talon walks towards us with a stern look mainly towards myself. He stands tall over me in particular, Malon and Link subconsciously shuffling behind me.

"I am not ready to accept the Gerudo race." He states. "But, I can sense something ahead of you that is not all happy-go-lucky." I gulp harshly, getting more and more worried by the second; especially when he brings my hands upwards and closing my hands around two thin sheaths atop each other. "Part of letting go is to pass on the memories, especially when the person you are passing the memory on to knew them well."

I shift my head down to the sheaths in my hands, pulling one blade out of the sheath to expose a pure silver scimitar to the morning rays of sunshine. From the bottom of the blade the very top, numerous designs and Gerudo words move in a thin line across the blade. A part I can easily pick out is: "Be prepared to battle for a dream that is worth dreaming", and I know who this scimitar belongs to automatically.

"I cannot take Malinda's scimitar. It belongs to you and you—"

He shakes his head. "No. It belongs to the Gerudo race, and I wish to pass it on to you." He pauses. "Malon told me of what has happened to your race, and I know that you will have a long road ahead of you which you are semi-alone in." He gestures to Link and Malon. "Keep your friends close, Ciren. As you won't know what you are missing before they are gone."

On that, he merely turns on his heel and walks across into the barn in front of us - leaving the three of us stunned as the sun glints off of the blade, my stunned face being reflected back at me. Link and Malon move around so they can see the blades, and I feel hesitant in running my slightly dirty fingers across the pristine blade.

"I think that was his Sheikah senses acting up again, wouldn't you say Malon?"

I turn to Link with a raised eyebrow, then look over at Malon. "He's a Sheikah?" I ask. "But he hasn't got the red eyes, or the—"

"My Dad isn't a Sheikah." She explains, merely making me even more confused. "After the Great War, he wanted to find a way to help other than just rebuilding the Ranch. He joined the Sheikah race to help defend those if a Great War ever struck again. But only those born into the Sheikah race has red eyes, so I'm only a Gerudo-Hylian mix."

I shake my head after a long time, grasping the concept of her family before realising one final thought. "We really should be going." I smile at Malon. "Thank-you again, Malon. And... make sure that Talon is okay. I'm honoured to have this, even if I don't want to take it from the family."

"I will." She responds before hugging me tightly. "Take care, okay?"

I merely nod when we pull apart, looking towards the not-so Kokiri on the Ranch. "You ready?" He nods, and I can tell that he's concealing his excitement. Navi cannot, however, from her place on his shoulder. She looks more excited than a child on their birthday surrounded by presents, something that I rarely got back in the Valley. Nisah was the best person to have in your face with a present on your birthday...

She probably hates those days now.

I shake my head more violently as I sheathe the scimitars, packing them into the saddlebags so they aren't taken away from me in Castle Town – as weapons in a reasonably peaceful place would never be a good thing. I hug Malon one last time before hoisting myself onto Luz, extending one hand to Link while hold the reigns with the other. With a soft smile, he takes my hand and follows me up.

"We'll see you soon, okay Malon?" I assure her with a smile, the fact that I have people like Malon and Link as well as the fact that I have scimitars sacred in the Desert in our saddlebag. "Take care of the Ranch, because Luz here certainly likes the pampering he never got much of in the Desert." A pang on pain hits my wound when I think of riding with Nisah as I pat Luz's neck, my stallion sensing my worry. "I'm fine, boy. Don't worry."

"I'll see you two soon." She steps back as Luz rears excitedly, the idea of exploring Hyrule getting all of us (even Malon, probably from our expressions) buzzed up. Luz sets off before I can do much about it, Link grabbing onto me in surprise, so I can barely hear Malon shouting: "Don't get in trouble!" before her voice is consumed by the wind of Luz's galloping across the grassy terrain.

We get here, we find a way to help Nisah, and then we'll all be able to see the world together, I tell myself with a small smile. I couldn't imagine doing it with anyone else...