Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ The Return ❯ Story and Travel ( Chapter 6 )

The Return

 

 

Ch. 6: Story and Travel

 

 

 

 

 

“You want to know the story?” Link gulped, he wasn't ready to share that yet, but he didn't know if he would ever be ready. That adventure, although necessary to ensure the world's safety, it ruined his childhood, and scarred him for life.

 

“I want to know more about you.” Malon let go of his arm and he looked down, the sheath hitting the floor as he let it slip from his fingers.

 

“I am older. Much older. I was eighteen once. Eight. Teen. It was heck and turmoil to try and adjust back from teenager to child…and the first time around, child to teenager.” Link sat down, stern faced. “You might want to sit, since we have time to kill, this might take a while.”

 

Malon gave him a strange look and sat down across from him on the cold stone floor. “It began a while back, don't ask me when, because the years and days have been so messed up I am not sure what a minute is anymore. I was without a fairy, even without Tatl. Until someday a fairy came by, her name was Navi. She was sent to me from the great deku tree. I had to save the land, using my courage, the thing that activates my greatest treasure.” Link raised his left hand and took off his golden gauntlet to show Malon. She gasped at the symbol imprinted on his hand, and how it glowed with an ethereal beauty.

 

“The triforce of courage. Yes, that is why I have had to lose all hope of a happy, innocent childhood. I have had to kill great many a monster and save this land. I have taken the curse from the great tree, broken a curse of death upon a fish based god of the zora, and save the whole goron race from starvation. And I did that while I was a child, never mind when I was unfairly thrown forward in time.”

 

Link shook his head and turned away from Malon's piercing stare. He could see that her eyes were beginning to water at the beginning of the long and sad tale he was telling. “Then I had to have this sword. I hated it for the longest time, having a harsh and unforgiving journey placed upon the shoulders of a boy who was barely even ten. But then a girl…you…came along with Epona.” He looked back at Malon and took her hand in his. “I can't lie to you, your life was less than stellar. Forced to work for Ingo, beaten if you displeased him, and he threatened to rape you on more than one occasion. Don't blame him.”

 

Link sighed out and gulped, shifting his eyes from the watering blue of Malon's. “He was under a curse like most men. The curse of greed formed by Gannondorf. But you brightened my life. You made me happy and laugh when things got bleak and sad. I saved your ranch, and you saved me from falling into despair.” A smile now formed on Link's face as warm and welcome feelings splayed across his mind. “We were in love then, we had many happy moments, and we even…” he didn't say anything else.

 

Malon was attached to his face, her lips against his in a kiss unlike their last one. It wasn't heated like the last one, it was soft and sweet, and Link could feel the tears from Malon's face running down her cheeks. Their tongues never met and they didn't move for a long while. All that had happened was link's arms wrapped around Malon's slim form. Malon finally released her soft capture of Link's lips.

 

“I shouldn't believe you, I should call you crazy and run. But from what I've seen and heard from you, I believe it, every word.” Malon pressed her forehead to his. “I believe this, all of it…” she looked into his eyes.

 

Link was stunned, speechless. This day kept getting better and better. First he proves a complete jerk wrong, introduced his love to the power of the magic masks, reunited with the greatest weapon the world's ever seen, and now Malon not only believed his story but showed signs of love to him. “Oh god I missed you.” Link wrapped Malon in a hug again.

 

“Um Link? We still have to do shopping.” Malon didn't want to let Link go but he left the grasp with a now straight face, like nothing happened, except for the look he gave her. His eyes glazed with love and emotion, and something darker, more primal.

 

“You're right, we have a spoiled fish to escort.” The two stepped out into the yard of the temple and began to walk to the market place, still bustling with life and trade.

 

“I'll go do clothes shopping, you grab the items we just might need.” Malon said, walking away from Link. “We will meet at the gates in two hours.”

 

Link walked to the bazaar to get the more common item they will need, deku nuts, deku sticks, slingshot ammo and arrows, usual stuff. He bought fish and fairies also, for hunger and exhaustion. But Link had finished his shopping much earlier, so he wandered aimlessly around.

 

Looking for Malon in the overcrowded area proved difficult, with random chatter, people always bumping into each other, and thieves about, Link had trouble finding anything in the foreign terrain of the marketplace. He bumped into this lady, he only got a short look at her, but he thought it was Malon. But it couldn't have been. Malon was wearing a cotton, white dress, but this woman had a swordswoman dress on, made of blue silk with a gold floral design on the leg slit. Her own flaming hair was wavy and flowed down to her butt, similar to Malon's, but not quite. “Sorry.” Link said gruffly and pushed past, but he heard the woman giggle.

 

“Strange…”he said to himself as he walked on. He eventually sat down in the center, near by the fountain. Leaning back with his travel sack filled with item he will need and his newest installments.

 

A girl sat next to him on the fountain. It was the same woman from before. “Hi fairy boy.” The girl said and Link knew it was. Malon.

 

The blonde boy's head did a double take and he looked over Malon more carefully. Her clothes were different, going for a more foreign look. The dress was blue with gold floral marks with a slit running up the thigh on her left, for better movement. The wavy hair set him off, the way she had it done and the way she stared at him with a more mature look than she had that morning.

 

“Notice something different?” she said coyly as she watched his eyes scan her.

 

“I notice something different.” He said and gulped visibly. She was gorgeous.

 

“I thought you'd like it.” She gave a small smile to him and stood up. “Come on Fairy Boy, we have to go to the gate” Malon walked off, a little more sway to her step, soon she felt the burning gaze of Link watching her every move.

 

They waited the drawbridge and gate, the sun soon beginning to set, they threw rooks into the moot, seeing who could skip the farthest. Link won, he was the stronger. But the two kept playing, giggling to each other. A carriage was heard, closer to them, and they halted their game.

 

“Hello Link, Malon.” Chari said, sitting in the safety of the wooden carriage.

 

“Hello Chari.” Malon said all cheery and wide eyed, her hands behind her back and her chest puffed out to try and look cute, and to get Link's gaze on her again, rather than the skimpily clad Gerudo on the carriage's driver seat.

 

It worked. Link looked at Malon scrutinizing her every curve, until he could find no flaws. To him at least. “We should get going master, things are calmer at night, but still just as dangerous.” The Gerudo warned, shifting the horses to the direction she wanted.

 

Link took out his ocarina and played Epona's song, calling the horse to his side, which it came, faster than Chari could believe. It nuzzled Link and Malon's hands, feeling affectionate. “Comere girl.” He said, climbing atop the horse, and Malon following soon after.

 

The carriage and the couple rode off to the land of Gerudos. “Where are we going?” Malon noticed as they headed toward Gerudo Canyon.

 

“The Gerudos are giving us shelter for the night, since tomorrow begins the Peahat migration to the canyon floor, we would never be able to cross.” The Gerudo herself said.

 

“I see, those aggressive plants would make crossing impossible tomorrow.” Link mentioned, his hand stroking his chin as they trotted along to the brown earth of the canyon.

 

“Yes, it would be quite bothersome with hundreds of those monsters attacking our small…crew.” Chari said carefully, a wrong word and Link might snap at him. “What do you think?” Chari asked, turning to a figure across from him that Link never noticed was there.

 

The figure just nodded its head to Chari, signaling his leadership. “Alright then. Onward to the village.” He said and the carriage began to rumble forward the barren path and to the bridge, Epona leading, in case of danger. There was a slight rushing sound, like the wind, but artificially due to the coupled sound of soft thudding of feet. “Wait. Stay here.” Link said and slid off Epona, Malon following close behind him, to Link's slight annoyance.

 

An arrow came whizzing by, at Malon, and Link's hand shot out and grabbed the tip in between two of his fingers. The arrow was tipped in an orange set of feathers. Gerudo.

 

“Malon. Stay on guard if you are coming with me. This is Gerudo territory and for some reason they don't want us here.” Link said, hushed. He heard her nod of her head as her necklace jangled, hidden under the dress she was wearing.

 

“You think you're good boy? Blocking one arrow isn't enough to think you know anything.” A voice thundered over the canyon. It obviously wasn't happy about the blocked arrow. “Fire.” It stated and a shower of arrows came raining down on them. Link pushed Malon away started dodging arrows as if it were nothing.

 

Malon watched in terror and aw, her shinning red head watching as Link spent his time dancing among a shower of razor edged wooden bolts. She almost cried out his name, but she realized any distraction and he could die. The dance continued for a while until she saw an arrow skid his shoulder, cutting the fabric but not his skin.

 

Malon had to think of something to do, Link couldn't stand this and Chari seemed intent on just watching this display of horrific dancing. She scanned the cliffs, looking for something, anything to help. She spotted something off in the distance and took aim, drawing her bow she hefted the light fairy's slingshot and shot a single arrow.

 

It flew true and struck the object in the distance and a voice shouted out. “SON OF A BITCH!” it cried, echoing in the canyon.

 

“Stop firing.” Another voice, the one from earlier, commanded and the bolts soon stopped falling, Link now lying among the dust and wood of over a thousand arrows, sweat dripping from his brow. He slowly climbed to his feet and walked over to Malon.

 

“Nice shot.” Link commented and began to collapse against Malon from shear exhaustion. He was out there dancing for minutes, with adrenaline pumping in his veins. He had several cuts, but none of them were more than superficial, just shallow cuts from near arrow strikes.

 

“Who was it that struck my fucking arm!” Came the voice from before, it was undeniably a male voice.

 

“It was that Scarlet haired woman down there, Mikio.” The other voice, who halted the firing answered and Link could hear jumping and leaping noises as many beings closed in on their position.

 

Two male figures, among the mass of at least 20 or 30 Gerudo stood there. “You fucking struck me?” The smaller of the two men said and he began to run for Link and Malon, Link trying to steady himself on his own feet again.

 

“Mikio. Stop.” Said the taller man and he began to step foreward, carefully, measured for every possible reaction of Link and Malon, and even the cart from behind them.

 

“Why, they hurt me, Mikio, next in line to the throne! DUH!” The smaller boy said, halting as the taller one still calmly made his way to the group.

 

“You may be next for the throne, Mikio, but you are also nothing but a child.” The taller man said, now within visible distance of Link and Malon.

 

Malon looked up quickly at the copper haired young man, with toned muscles and pale skin, she knew him. “Scott?” She asked, still holding link up on his own two feet.

 

“Malon? What are you doing here?” The man, obviously Scott, asked, halting his measured advance.

 

The fiery haired girl smiled greatly, opting for smiling instead of crying. Her cousin was a little darker a little more toned, but it was her cousin Scott. She moved forward, quickly, running and landing in a jump, her arms around the man's neck. “Its been so long Scott! I didn't know if I'd ever see you again.”

 

“It has been a while Cuz, it has been a long while. 4 years was it?” He asked as the younger, smaller boy came up, a gerudo on his arm treating the wound.

 

“Relative of yours Scott?” Mikio asked, and Malon saw him for who he was.

 

And Link grabbed his sword, ready to fight this young man for something. His olive skin and fiery orange hair, flowing down to his shoulders, with muscle beyond his age, and dark black eyes. Link knew him for who he really was. His sharp nose turned up in disgust at the two intruders.

 

“Its you…” Link grimaced and said under his breath.