Malon's Stand


"No! Come back! Wait for me!"

His voice echoed in the empty darkness. He was alone.

Alone.

Alone...

Skull Kid startled awake with an echoing scream. His eyes flickered, vision fuzzy as he looked around wildly. He was in a large, dimly lit chamber, sitting in a shallow pool of water. The soft plit plit of water droplets falling from his damp body echoed in the empty chamber.

And he was alone.

Or so he thought.

"Skull Kid! Skull Kid! It's alright! You're safe!"

As he started to shake and rattle and hyperventilate, a fairy fluttered into his line of sight. Without thinking, he reached out and pulled her to his chest, trembling. It took him a moment to calm down enough to process what was happening.

"Navi?"

"I'm right here. You're fine. You were just having a nightmare."

"Why was I asleep? Where's Link?"

"Link went ahead with Ruto. You walked into one of the traps of this temple." Navi took a moment to explain to Skull Kid what had previously been explained to Link. He was surprisingly quiet during the whole explanation, lacking the chaotic energy he was known for.

"Are you okay?" Navi asked after finishing when Skull Kid still hadn't said anything. "Was it the dream? Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's fine," Skull Kid mumbled, shaking his head. He finally let go of the fairy and got to his feet. His glowing eyes were dim, not focusing on where he was.

"Are you sure?" Navi asked. "You shouldn't push yourself if-"

"I said I'm fine!" Skull Kid snapped, a strain in his voice. "I was just… thinking about the past, okay? I don't want to talk about it!"

Navi was silent as she fluttered a few inches back. She jingled quietly as she looked him over. She could tell he was far from fine, but she realized that pressing the matter was bound to just get him more upset. She let out a sigh and relented. "Come on. We should go back to the front of the temple."


Link emerged from the Water Temple to weak morning light. All was quiet, besides the rustling of leaves in the wind and the soft lapping of water. As far as he could tell, the waves seemed to be rising higher and higher up the bank, filling the lake back up now that the curse was lifted.

He shook, flinging droplets of water in every direction, then climbed up a steep slope onto what would become an island in the soon-to-be-refilled lake. He flopped, exhausted, onto the grass, and watched as the sun slowly climbed into the sky.

"Link! There you are!"

The sound of Navi's voice made Link sit up straight. Peeking over the edge, he could see Skull Kid making his way up the bank, Navi fluttering just in front of him.

Link scooted back, giving Skully space to reach the top. The stormy expression on the skull kid's face made his eyes flicker with worry. Before he could find the words to ask what was wrong, Navi landed atop his shoulder.

"It looks like you took care of things, Link! Did you get the medallion?"

He nodded, reaching into his bag and pulling out the cold metal object. It shone in the morning light, and Navi let out a hum of satisfaction.

"Good job. Everything went ok, right?"

Link nodded again but said nothing, his words suddenly failing him. He wasn't sure he wanted to talk about the trouble he went through. Flopping back onto the ground, he stared at the rising sun and the slowly scuttling clouds for a long while before Navi's voice snapped him back to reality.

"I know you two are exhausted, but we can't stay for long. Sheik is expecting to meet us in Kakariko by early tomorrow."

Again, Link said nothing. He couldn't even bring himself to look at Navi. The fairy flitted into his vision when it became clear that he wasn't going to move, then dropped down to nudge at his arm.

"Come on, Link, you're the only one that can do this."

Oh, how he wished that wasn't true. But it finally got through to him. Slowly, he sat up, remaining in that position for several minutes before finally climbing to his feet.

Wordlessly, he offered his hand out to Skully. And wordlessly, Skully accepted it. Together, they made their way down the hill in silence.


Morning turned to afternoon, but little was said amongst the group. At sunhigh, they paused for a light meal of berries and nuts. Navi tried making small talk, but her attempts were met with one or two word answers or silence.

Link didn't mind, his thoughts were preoccupied by his recent ordeal.

He remembered being so angry in the temple, his thoughts and judgement clouded. How much of that was the temple testing him, messing with him? How much of it was the curse trying to trick him? How much of it was just him?

And what about Ruto's behavior? She hadn't exactly been nice before, but…

"Link?" Navi's voice brought him out of his thoughts. "Are you okay? I know you're not really a talker but…"

A moment passed where Link just stared. "No," he finally said before turning away. "No. I'm not okay. But that doesn't matter."

Navi remained in pace as he began to walk again, Skull Kid following closely behind. Then she hurried to catch up, zipping ahead to flit in his path. He stopped when he got close and said nothing. "Yes, it does matter. If something's wrong, then you need to tell me. Let me help you."

Link stared again. He shook his head and took a step to the side, walking past her.

Navi stayed in place for a moment. Once or twice, she opened her mouth to say something, before the words died in her throat. What was there to say, if he wouldn't listen? Eventually, when she was starting to fall behind and was unable to come up with anything, she dashed ahead to catch up, jingling lightly.

Once she was close, she looked to the sky. "It's getting late. Maybe we should find some place to shelter for the night."

That got Link to pause. He turned, his eyes flickering. "Where?"

Navi hesitated, flying a little higher to get her bearings. "I think there's a farm not too far from here, up on a hill. If we're careful, it should be safe to spend the night there."

The farm? Link thought back to the field of horses. His injury. Malon. It felt like it was only yesterday, yet at the same time felt like so long ago. Would Malon still be there? Would she recognize him? She was human. She would have grown up. What would she be like now? Would she want anything to do with him?

The thoughts threatened to overwhelm him. He clenched and unclenched his fists a few times, bringing him back down to earth. "Fine," he finally said. "Lead the way."


It was dusk by the time they climbed the trail to Lon Lon ranch, the gate a dark shadow against an orange sky.

"The stables are probably the safest place to sleep," Link said, pointing to a structure up ahead. "That's where I sheltered before. But we need to make sure it's empty."

Navi flitted ahead. "You've been here before?" She shook her head. "Nevermind, we can talk about that later, when we're sheltered. I'll go and take a look. You two stay hidden until I get back."

Link nodded, keeping to the shadows. Skull Kid followed close behind.

They'd just passed the farmhouse when Link first heard the voices.

"Ingo, you can't be serious!"

Link froze, pressing himself against the wall of the building. Skull Kid did the same.

The feminine voice was vaguely familiar. Malon, perhaps?

A reply came that he couldn't make out, slightly deeper and nasally. Curious, he creeped forward on tiptoes, inching his way down the building.

Peeking around the corner, he saw three Hylians. One was a burly, balding man, wearing a rough shirt and overalls. He thought he remembered seeing him once, some time ago, though the details were fuzzy.

The second person was a young woman with fiery red hair, her skin tanned from time spent working in the sun. He suspected she was Malon.

Standing directly across from her was another balding man. This one was skinny and dressed in fancy, bright clothes. His arms were crossed as he stared the other two down, and Link thought he could see a smug grin.

The larger man stepped forward between the two, his hands held up in a placating gesture. "Please, Ingo, be reasonable. Now, you know how much Malon loves that there horse. We've got plenty a' horses. I'm sure there wouldn't be a problem giving literally any of the others away."

The other man, Ingo, harrumphed. "I think you forget who's in charge here. And that would be me. I've made up my mind. When Lord Ganondorf comes for his horse tomorrow, I'll be handing Epona over. She's the fastest, fiercest mare of the herd. I wouldn't dream of letting the king settle for anything less. Besides. This'll be a reminder that the two of you need to learn your place."

"How could you support that monster?" Malon cried, pushing the larger man aside so that she was face to face with Ingo. "Hyrule has been destroyed by him! He's been nothing but a cruel ruler, taking and taking and taking. And you just want to go and- and help him?"

Ingo scoffed, turning up his nose. "If you haven't noticed, we've prospered specifically because I've helped him. If it weren't for my ingenuity, you'd both be corpses roasting over a moblin fire. So." He jabbed a finger at Malon's chest. "Unless you'd like to find out just how cruel the world is first-hand, I suggest you stand down."

"Now hold on just a gosh darn minute, Ingo." The larger man stepped in front of Malon, arms spread wide. "If you think it's acceptable to harass my daughter, your family, then ya got another thing coming."

"Well, Talon," Ingo replied, crossing his arms. "Maybe you need to teach your daughter a little respect. Now, unless you want me to do something you'll regret, I suggest you and Malon go inside, brother. It's nearly dark, and you never know what kind of beasts might be lurking in the night."

Ingo spun around on one heel, sticking his nose up in the air, and marched away, leaving the other two in stunned silence. For a while, neither spoke. Then Link heard Malon sniffle, before she fell into Talon's arms. "Goddesses above, Papa, there has to be something we can do. We can't let him give Epona away. We just can't!"

"I know, sweetheart, I know." Talon gave Malon a pat on the back. Awkwardness churned in Link's belly as he watched. It felt like he was listening in on something horribly personal.

"We should leave them alone," Link muttered, turning away.

"I can't believe it," Skull Kid replied in a hushed voice, turning away. "Do you think we should leave? Ganondorf is bad news, right? I don't remember a lot of what Sheik's been saying — it's too boring — but the name sounds familiar."

"He's very bad news," Link agreed, bringing a hand up to trace the cracks on his chest. Skull Kid was right, they should leave. But something held him back. He shook his head. "No. We should be fine as long as we leave early. Besides—" he stretched his arms up and yawned "—I'm tired. There's no better place to rest around here. You wanna get in a fight with another stalfos?"

"No," Skull Kid admitted. "But what should we tell Navi? She'll want us to leave."

"Don't tell her anything," Link decided. "Even if she does find out, though, she can't make us leave. She can be annoying, but she can't force us to do anything." He glanced back and forth, then began to make his way towards a lean-to at the edge of the field. "Come on, we should rest soon if we're going to leave early."


Link found himself standing on a hill beneath a twisted, dead tree, water stretching as far as he could see. He was back in that foggy place again.

He was vaguely aware that he was dreaming. Or at least, he hoped he was. It was odd, though: how aware he was in this dream space.

He drew his sword, eyes darting cautiously from side to side as he stepped out into the water. Would he be attacked like last time?

No, he told himself, that's impossible. The curse is gone.

"Am I now?" came a voice behind him.

Link spun around with a gasp. Deep, red, expressionless eyes bored into his. His dark clone's face was blank, unreadable.

Without thinking, he swung at his clone, the powerful blade slicing in two with ease. The two halves fell into the water, trailing black wisps of smoke. It disappeared as soon as it was under the surface.

"Did you think you could get rid of me that easily?"

Something cold touched his shoulder. He spun around and lashed out again, and again the clone sank into the water. Dark laughter echoed around Link. No; it echoed in his mind, filling his head with violent thoughts. He brought one hand up to his head, fingers digging into bark as if to rip the thoughts away.

"I am a part of your spirit now. I am a part of you. Your most violent urges. Why do you think you were so angry in the Water Temple? I may not be able to control you anymore, spirit, but I will never leave you."

Link screamed and spun around again, stabbing the Master Sword in the voice's direction, only to choke back a garbled cry. When he faced his tormentor this time, it no longer bore his face.

Instead, it had taken on the form of Saria.


Link jolted awake, eyes flickering wildly. He whipped his head back and forth, looking for danger. But there was only himself, Skull Kid, and Navi. The other two were still asleep and showed no signs of anything amiss.

Letting out a sigh, Link stood and picked his way over Skull Kid and out to the stable door. It was just a dream. Only a nightmare. There was nothing to worry about.

He hoped.

A cool, gentle breeze rustled the grass as he stepped out into the pasture. His boots dragging across the dirt joined the sound of crickets and the occasional knicker from distant horses as he put some distance between himself and his traveling companions. He scaled the fence so that he was inside the corral. As he came to a stop, he looked to the sky. Stars and a nearly full moon glittered behind wispy clouds. His mind wandered as he tried to calm down.

His mind drifted to his recent anger again, then his recent dream. Should he tell anyone about it? What would Navi think of him? What of Skull Kid? He trusted Skull Kid. But how would Navi react? Would she call him a monster again? Would she be wrong? He didn't know. He honestly wasn't sure what was him and what wasn't and—

"Link?"

Navi's voice snapped him out of his troubled thoughts. He turned his head, watching as the fairy approached. She stopped a few feet from him, her voice a tired murmur. "What are you doing awake? You need your sleep."

"Couldn't sleep," Link answered, deciding in that moment not to tell Navi everything. He could always tell her later if he changed his mind. "Nightmare."

The fairy immediately reacted with concern. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Did he? Link hesitated. Even if he wasn't hiding the details from Navi, was he willing to tell her everything? A part of him wanted to. He still wanted that friendship they'd shared before he was cursed. But he didn't know if he could handle it.

"No."

Navi lowered her gaze. "Oh, I… I see."

Link turned his gaze back to the sky. A moment later, Navi fluttered up beside him. But she didn't rest on him like she had before.

"I'm sorry, Link."

The skull kid tilted his head slightly but said nothing, so Navi continued.

"I'm… sorry I haven't been around since you woke up. Sheik asked me to come with him and was worried about what would happen if something went wrong and we both got hurt…"

Something about that rubbed Link the wrong way, but he didn't have the energy to argue.

Link opened his mouth to change the subject, but a flicker of light from the direction of the farmhouse made him fall silent. Navi, too, remained silent, turning her attention towards the quiet buildings. While he could make out no details, Link could see bobbing lantern light edging along the side of the building. It broke away from the buildings and headed towards the gate into the corral. Link dropped to the ground — Navi following suit — and watched from the tall grass as someone entered the field.

A tense silence followed, neither Link nor Navi willing to make a noise, lest they be noticed. The light of Link's eyes flickered out, his vision going dark as he tried to blend into the ground.

Then he heard the singing. A soft, gentle melody carried on the breeze. A melody that he remembered from before everything went so wrong.

Remaining low to the ground, in case anyone else was out there, Link began to crawl forward on his belly. Behind him, Navi let out the faintest jingle of alarm and zipped through the grass to catch up to him.

"Link," She hissed. "What are you doing?"

"Don't worry," he whispered back. "I think it's fine."

As he got close, he could make out the glow of a whitedress illuminated by moonlight. Malon was in the field, singing to the horses. As far as he could tell, neither of the other humans came with her. He stood up quietly, then purposefully made noise as he approached to get her attention.

Malon jolted and spun around. She gasped, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth, and took a few steps back. But then her facial expression changed, brow furrowing. She brought the hand down. "Wait… I remember you."

Navi peaked from behind Link's shoulder. "Do you two know each other?"

Link nodded. "I've been here before. While we were separated."

"It's been about 7 years, hasn't it?" Malon asked. Her face fell. She hesitated. "It's been a rough seven years. Has it been as bad for you as it has for me?"

A second of hesitation passed before Link shrugged. He had a feeling there was little that could be worse than what he'd been through, but he had no desire to delve into the details.

Malon let out a low sigh. "Ever since Ganondorf rose to power, things have just continued to snowball. Mister Ingo made a deal with Ganondorf and took over the ranch by force, and now he forces dad and I to work for him. If we don't stay quiet and do what he says, he'll mistreat the horses or kick us out." She shook her head. "He already kicked dad out once. I don't doubt he'd do it again."

She took a deep, shuddering breath and blinked several tears back. "And now, if that wasn't bad enough… Tomorrow Ganondorf's followers are coming to take Epona away." Navi gasped, but Malon paid her little mind. Turning her head, she looked at a sturdy horse whose white mane seemed to glow in the moonlight. "I tried to convince him not to, but…"

"Link, this is bad," Navi whispered, ducking behind his ear. "It's sad, but we can't be here when Ganondorf's forces arrive. We can't afford to get caught."

"Not yet," Link whispered back, keeping his eyes on Malon.

"Link, if they catch you, then all of Hyrule is doomed! We can't risk it."

Stubbornly, Link shook his head. That didn't make sense. Why did it have to be him? He didn't want to put himself — or anyone else — in danger, sure. But he felt an obligation to help Malon after she'd helped him. He wasn't sure how yet, but…

"No Link, you don't understand," Navi protested, but Link turned away.

He looked back to Malon and realized she had been watching the argument, eyes wet from tears. He took a step towards her and, after a brief hesitation, reached for his ocarina. If he could just remember the notes…

Bringing the instrument to his mouth, he blew a few experimental notes then slowly repeated the song she'd taught him before. Then he played it again, this time more sure of his notes. Only after the last note rang in the air did he look to see what Malon's reaction was.

She'd stopped crying, her hands at her sides while she stared at the skull kid. Slowly, she sank to the ground. After a long silence, she let out a sigh. "What do you do when the situation feels hopeless?" She whispered. "When it feels like no matter what you do, you can't fix everything that's gone wrong?"

Link hesitated, surprised by how relevant that was to his current situation. Even more surprising, it was Navi who answered.

"You don't give up, " she said, fluttering up to get in Malon's face. "Because no matter how bad things are, even if it feels like there's nothing you can do, the only way to make things better is to try." She paused, turning back to look at Link. "I think Link here understands that better than most."

He thought about it for a moment, and realized she had a point. He could have given up at any time, let himself drown in hopelessness. But then nothing would get better. And sure, there were missteps along the way. But he'd never let that stop him. He needed this pep talk just as bad as Malon.

Navi's words affected the young woman, too. Her expression relaxed. She looked thoughtful, even. Then her gaze turned pensive. Then determined. Then she nodded slightly.

"You two," she began, bowing her head. "Thank you. You should go back and get some rest. Whoever Ganondorf is sending they won't be here before dawn, but you're more likely to encounter a roving band of moblins or bandits if you leave now. Get some sleep before you leave. If worst comes to worst, I can buy you time with a distraction.

Navi hesitated, but Link nodded his thanks. He turned and Navi followed shortly after, returning to the stable.

"I'm still not sure about staying," Navi mumbled. "I don't want to put her in any unnecessary danger."

Link could understand the hesitance, but his body still felt heavy and tired from recent events. He needed all the rest he could get. "We'll leave in the morning," he decided.

Navi sighed. "Very well. I can sleep on the road tomorrow. I'll wake you just before dawn."

Link nodded, pushing his way through the stable door. His eyes flickered with weariness.

Skull Kid was still asleep, though he twitched as if having a bad dream. Link considered waking him, but decided against it. Skully had to be just as exhausted as he was.

Thinking no more of it, he was out before he had even finished creeping into the hay and did not dream again.


"Link, wake up!"

Link groggily came to at the sound of Navi's voice. Gentle sunlight, tinted pink, filtered through a high stable window.

"What's wrong?" he mumbled.

He felt Navi bounce against his cheek. "I fell asleep!" she cried. "The sun has already risen. Come on, we need to leave!"

Why were they in a hurry, again? Oh, right. He roughly shook Skull Kid.

"Five more minutes," Skully mumbled.

He shook him again, then stood up and tugged on Skully's arm, dragging him out of the hay. Skull Kid let out protesting whines and yanked his arm away, but finally dragged himself to his feet.

"What was that for?" Skull Kid complained, rubbing his shoulder.

"Because we need to go," Navi insisted. "Now."

"Oh, is this about Ganondorf coming?"

Navi stiffened and let out an alarmed jingle. "You knew and didn't say anything?"

Skull Kid froze like a startled deer, then grinned sheepishly. "Oh, uh…"

Navi sighed and turned away. "We'll discuss this later. Right now, we need to focus on getting out of here in one piece. I'll go ahead and scout for trouble." With that she turned and zipped out an open window.

Link gathered up his things in silence, mentally berating himself for being so careless. He chose to stay here to rest. This was his fault. Then he shot down the self condemning thoughts. He wasn't the only one to blame. Besides, he felt he had good reason to stay. If nothing else, for the conversation he'd had last night.

Skull Kid broke the silence. "So, how did she find out?".

"We ran into the girl last night," Link answered.

"She seems unhappy. Do you think it would help if I put her in a bottle and told her she was in time out?"

Link giggled, feeling tension leave his shoulders for a moment. "No, that seems like a bad idea."

Skull Kid laughed too, and for the first time in a while, Link felt his spirits lifted.

Navi returned a few minutes later. "The coast is clear for now," she announced. "Just one of the humans. I saw the skinny man standing at the entrance. We'll have to sneak by him. but no sign of the other two."

A pit of worry wormed its way into Link's gut. Had Ingo kicked the others out like he had threatened? Or were they just hiding somewhere? Or had something far worse happened?

There was a crash outside, followed by a startled yell. Without thinking, Link drew his sword, but was surprised to only feel a slight tingle in his hand. He didn't have time to dwell on the matter, however. Instead, he dashed outside, ignoring Navi's word of warning.

Ingo was standing in front of a closed gate, sealing the field off from the stable and farmhouse. On the other side, Malon stood, holding a rope attached to Epona. Link froze behind Ingo. It looked like the two of them had started an argument shortly before he'd come outside.

Malon climbed onto Epona's back and stared Ingo down. "I won't stand for your cruelty any longer, Ingo. Let me out."

Crossing his arms, Ingo huffed. "I will do no such thing. You test my patience. Get off that horse and get back in the house."

"No!" Malon's response came sharp and forceful. "Papa and I have suffered for long enough. This ranch isn't yours and I won't let you push us around any longer. And I won't let you give Epona to Ganondorf."

"Fine," Ingo huffed. "Then stay in there until Ganondorf's troops show up. But don't come complaining to me if you get hurt."

He spun around to storm off, only to stop when he saw the two Skull kids. His face lit up. "Speaking of which, here they are. You two, the horse is in there. But you may have to deal with the girl first. Do what you must."

Malon's expression flashed with recognition, but then returned to that same determined look. Link felt a pang of frustration. Once again, he was assumed to be evil just by his appearance. But he let it simmer and did not lash out. This time, he could use it in his favor.

Stiffly, he marched forward, keeping his eyes on the gate and ignoring Ingo. Skull Kid stayed in place, evidently catching on to Link's plan. As he reached the gate, Link realized it was only latched, not locked. This would be easy. He shot Malon another look and methodically unlatched the gate.

He heard a whinny. Then a burst of hoofbeats. He had just enough time to spring out of the way as Malon and Epona thundered past. Ingo let out an alarmed cry, But Link did not stop to look at him; he turned and dashed after Epona. Navi and Skull Kid followed shortly behind.

No one looked back until they were safely down the road back to Hyrule Field. Malon brought Epona to a stop, Link and the others stopping beside her.

"I did it," Malon whispered. She stared down at her hands. "I can't believe it. But what do I do now? I can't go back while Ingo is still there. And what about my father? He could be in trouble once Ingo realizes you weren't part of Ganondorf's army..." She trailed off, looking back towards the hill.

Navi hesitated. "If it's quick, I can go back and make sure he's okay. And let him know that you're okay. In the meantime, you could go to Kakariko Village. It's safe there. Impa — that's the village elder — opened it up to anyone who needs refuge. it might be crowded and a little tough to get by, but you'll be safe."

Malon nodded after a moment. "That will work for now. Thank you."

"Go ahead with Link and Skull Kid," Navi continued. "I'll go back and then catch up with you."

Link did not like the idea of separating with Navi again, but he accepted it. He moved to stand in front of Epona, looking back and forth, then pointing in the direction he thought he remembered Kakariko being. "Follow the road that way."

"Papa and I used to make deliveries that way. I think I know the route you're talking about." Malon looked back to Navi. "Be careful, please."

Navi nodded and turned to head back into the ranch. Then the others started down the trail.

"That was so cool," Skull Kid said when they were a little way down the road. "The way you just stood up to him and then raced out. The only thing that would have made it cooler is if you had just jumped the fence."

Malon laughed. "That's kind of you to say. But I don't know if I could have kept my nerve. I've jumped fences with Epona before, but never any that tall. Thank you for helping me. And I should thank Navi too when she returns. It was her pep talk that gave me the courage to stand up."

The small talk continued for a time as they made their way down the trail. Navi returned around the time the sun reached its peak.

"Talon is going to pack his necessities and leave for Kakariko immediately. He'll meet you there."

Melon let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you, you've done so much for me." Then she hesitated. "Any sign of Ganondorf's actual troops?"

"None," Navi replied. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen any of his troops, period. Doesn't that strike you as strange?"

Link was about to chime in that, no, he hadn't normally seen any other monsters during the day, but Skull Kid interjected first.

"Hey guys, uh, is that that normal?"

Everyone turned to Skull Kid, then the direction he was pointing. A plume of dark smoke rose into the sky, growing thicker by the second."

Link felt his gut twist as Malon gasped and Navi let out an expletive, "Oh, Farore, no."

The smoke was coming from the direction of Kakariko.


Special thanks to Shiny King for beta reading this chapter.