Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ The Return ❯ Loss Of A Friend And Connection Gained ( Chapter 3 )

The Return

 

Ch. 3: Friends Lost and Connection Gained

 

 

 

 

 

Malon and Link, still wearing the Fierce Deity mask, rode back to the forest slowly, enjoying the time out. The task was done, it was delightfully sunny out, and they really had nothing else to do. Malon sat behind Link, hugging her arms to his side, feeling the warmth and strength of his body. He was larger than she was used to, now being more than a full foot taller than her, Malon being about five foot, six inches and Link now being about six foot six.

 

“Link, why was the mask talking earlier?” she asked, out of curiosity, wondering where her blonde friend went.

 

“It isn't just a mask, it is a blessed and cursed item. It embodies the power and soul of the greatest warriors of the planet, when they die, their strength and skills end up here, in the mask I am wearing. The other five masks also transform the being wearing them too.”

 

“So the deku mask would turn you into a deku?” Malon asked, piecing the puzzle together.

 

“Yep.” Link nodded, turning slightly to head onto the right path.

 

“The goron mask would turn you into a goron?”

 

Again, Link nodded.

 

“So the zora mask must make you a zora!”

 

“That is right.”

 

“What about the iron mask?”

 

“That is the giant's mask- watch out for the bird.” He interrupted himself as his highly trained reflexes caught one of the devious crows that like to attack travels. There was a light snap and then the bird was tossed aside. “That mask makes you huge.”

 

“Like two feet taller or something?” her tongue sticking out as she heard the bones snap.

 

“No, like Castle Hyrule tall.” Link pictured for her.

 

“Wow that is tall.” Malon said, not really believing it, but then again with Link, you may just never know, after all something has been bugging her about her friend, the fairy boy, for a long while. “Where did you go these past 3 years?”

 

“Well, first I went to a land called Termina and I ended up meeting people who reminded me a lot of-”

 

“Termina? I have family who live there!” Malon said, joyously maybe he met them!

 

“I met Romani and Cremia…who looked a lot like…you, later and when you were younger.” He said, his eyes falling down as he mentioned her looks change to in the very near future later on in life.

 

“They are my cousins! My aunt's kids. What did you mean later? How would you know what I look like later on in life?”

 

They entered the tunnel heading into the Kokiri forest. “Long story, you wouldn't believe me anyways.”

 

“Try me.”

 

“I'll tell you someday, maybe.” Link seemed hurt at this, even in his huge and adult form, he looked like he might cry. “So anyway, I end up saving Termina, my second nationwide expulsion of evil.”

 

“Second?”

 

“Yes, second. After that Epona and I traveled many lands together. We met so many people, saved so many people, and fought so many battles, it was so invigorating.”

 

“Didn't you get lonely on the road all the time?”

 

“I had Epona, isn't that right girl?” he patted Epona's flank and the horse snorted its response. “But sometimes I had travel partners. There was Maria, remember her Epona?” The horse whined in delight, she seemed to like Maria.

 

“Who was Maria?” Jealousy seeping slowly into her voice.

 

“Maria was a mercenary, she was gorgeous and funny, always had a story to tell. But she and I…we…” Link bit his lip.

 

“What happened?” Malon was getting concerned.

 

“We fought, we ended up on opposite sides of a battle, and we fought. The bandits paid her; I went for justice and fought for the village that was being terrorized. She had two long and slim blades” he shuddered and became really quiet, being lost in thought.

 

---

 

Link stood there, 12 years old, already a master swordsman and wizard in the eyes of many. He placed on his favored mask, the Fierce Deity mask, and he then stood over six feet tall. But Maria recognized him, even if he was different, she knew his reputation of being a wizard, and she saw him kill many of her `allies'.

 

“Link. Let's fight. Just you and me, one on one.” She said, her blonde tresses falling over her face, sticking to her tanned brow from the sweat, covering her amber gleaming eyes. “We will settle our argument over who is the better swordsman.”

 

Link smiled and took off his mask. “Are you sure, I might hold back.”

 

“I am sure, fight to the death Link, we are on opposite sides of this match, lets make our fight worthwhile.” She lunged quickly, but Link's shield deflected the blow easily, his own sword coming up in a counterstrike only to meet her second one.

 

Link slashed low, Maria blocked low. Maria swung high, Link deflected high. Link lunged and Maria parried. Maria gave a quick slash downward, but Link dodged back, giving only a small cut from his left nostril across to the right side of his lip. “Nice dodge.” Maria grinned at the small line of blood trickling down his face.

 

“I will pay you back for that, you know.” Link grinned and slashed hard, aiming directly for her sword, the thin metal crinkling under the power of that blow. “See, now we are even.”

 

“Yea right kid, things like that are worth nothing in the real world.” The two swords collided, the two got close, the two great strengths colliding in a superb struggle. Maria grinned at Link, who still had blood dripping down his chin and lips. She kicked him in the stomach and Link rolled on the ground, coming up in a guarding roll, kicking Maria's legs out from under her and back flipping to a respectable dueling distance. Maria could hear some strange music grace the air around them.

 

Maria Grinned feeling bloodlust take over her body and mind. She found a worthy opponent, and now she was going to prove she was the better one. She came in fast, ready to strike, and Link stood there, unready to block, but something collided with her, and she saw the grinning face of Link as she saw the smiling face of Link slam his shield into her side.

 

“What?” Then she saw it, the first Link that was standing there began to disappear.

 

“I am a `wizard' after all.” His ocarina shown as he held it out in his hands. Then he put on a mask, that reminded Maria of a Zora, and Link groaned and screamed for a moment, Then came up taller than Maria, with green tipped fins and a zora's body. “Hi Maria.” He said then Maria came at a slash and Link enlargened his fin so it blocked her sword with a resounding clang. Link countered with a punch into Maria's gut.

 

As Maria regained her composure Link placed on his goron mask, and the same happened. He Grabbed Maria in a grasping bear hug. “Say I win.” He grinned from ear to ear.

 

“Never.” She stabbed down with her sword, straight through Link's foot.

 

“OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!” He howled.

 

---

 

“Link!” Malon yelled at him and Link shook his head. He was at his house and Malon was already up the ladder. Link reached up, brushing his white hair and then removing the mask, which never said a peep, and looked at his reflection in his mirror shield. He was blonde and blue eyed again, and he smiled. “What happened? You just seemed to zone out.”

 

“Sorry…remembering a time gone by.” He sat down against trunk and took off his boot, looking at the still horrible scar on his foot, and on the sole of his foot. It was round and shaped like the point of a sword. He sighed… he had killed Maria that day she gave him that scar; it truly was a fight to the death.

 

“Link…” Malon whispered watching this action with awe and sympathy. “ I…I am going to go check on my father.”

 

He heard her footsteps enter the house and he sat there. The mask propped up on against the tree. “I am giving you temporary permission to speak, so I have something to ask.”

 

The mask's eyes opened, as did its mouth as if to take a breath. “Yes? Of what?”

 

“Are all the greatest warriors men?” he asked and the mask laughed hysterically.

 

“Not even half of the greatest warriors are men. Let me guess you need advice on the girl?”

 

“Yeah.” He whispered but the long ears of the mask heard all the same.

 

“We can't help you. After all, love is a battlefield.” The mask stopped glowing and rested there saying nothing.

 

“Wait…love is a battlefield?” He echoed, looking up at the sky and the green leaves that surrounded the area. Green…like Saria's hair. How he missed her but she had disappeared in the realm of the sages so long ago, of course, Mido blamed him for it.

 

He sighed, his best friend in the whole world gone…or was she?” Link got a brilliant idea. He got out his ocarina and played Saria's song, the song that connected them. He played as best he could, for as long as he could. Nothing. Then, he realized, Navi wasn't there. Navi was the root of the magic, without his fairy that made his connection…he couldn't talk to her.

 

“Even if Navi was here, it wouldn't work.” Came a small voice from behind him.

 

He looked up and there above him was Saria's fairy. “So you didn't get to go with her when she left? And it worked before when I tried it with Navi.”

 

“No, I am not a sage, nor am I the hero of time, I am the fairy who can't see her child. And maybe the sages realm gives extra powers but I am stuck here.”

 

“Where have you been all this time?” wondering why this fairy seemed so emotional.

 

“I have been living in Saria's house, never leaving.”

 

“I'm surprised you even remember.” Link sat book, lifting his neck up to feel the rays of the sun.

 

“I am a fairy, I am more intone with changes in magic, and in the timeline itself.” The fairy rested on Link's shoulder. “So why were you trying to call her?”

 

“I haven't heard from her in so long, talked to her or anything. She was my best friend.”

 

“Well we both could use a friend now, maybe I'll stick around.”

 

“I don't know…I might get Tatl to be my new partner.” Link muttered, remembering he didn't even know the fairy's name.

 

“Tatl? The rouge fairy that hangs out with that skull kid and her brother?” Saria's fairy seemed to scoff.

 

“Tatl and I had an adventure a while back, in Termina.”

 

“Oh well…I might want to stick around anyways.” The fairy seemed to buzz off into the distance, that's when Link noticed the smoke rising up from the forest.

 

“What the hell is that?” He yelled, sliding on his boot and running towards the forest. He ran hearing Malon call his name in the distance.

 

He ran, feeling hotter and hotter the closer he got. The fire was pretty big, and there he saw it, two glowing balls of light in the distance, one purple, and one white. “Tatl!” Link called out but he couldn't be heard over the crackling of the fire. Smoke began to fill his lungs. “Tael! Skull Kid!” He shouted some more but to no avail.

 

He ran as fast as his legs could carry. “TATL! TAEL! SKULL KID!” He practically screamed, this time some wood turned around, it was the Skull Kid with two jars in his hand, one for each fairy. The fairies lay near the bottom, unconscious. “WHAT HAPPENED?” he shouted, Malon coming up right behind him with Mido and the twins. “Malon stand back!” He jumped through a hole in the fire to land on the other side. “Come on! Lets go!”

 

“LINK!” she shouted, seeing one huge tree begin to fall where the 0only good exit out of the ring of fire was.

 

He pulled on the Skull Kid's arm then he saw it, one of his legs was missing and his hip pouring out what looked like thick green sap…it was the Skull Kid's lifeblood. “It's too late.” He said and pushed Link hard, sending him flying back out the whole he came in, before it closed up with a tree falling.

 

The Skull Kid looked Link square in the eye for the first time. “I couldn't let you be the only hero.” He said calmly, his eyes filled with sorrow, and tossed Link the two bottles. “Tell them it's been fun. You will tell them, wont you, hero?” He said again and Link barely heard him over the fire and the crackling of wood. The Skull Kid's face formed a smile, for the first time in his life.

 

“No Skull Kid…hold on! I'll save you!” Link shouted handing Malon the bottles and pulling out his ocarina, tears streaming down his face.

 

He began to play the song of storms as loud as he could. He began to repeat it as the rains came and a loud thunderous crack was heard, as a large, still flaming tree landed on the Skull Kid, his hat blowing away. “SKULL KID!” He shouted. Now tears and rain stained his face. He played the song of storms some more, pouring in his anger and frustration. The storm went from a light rainstorm to a thunderous tropical grade 5 storm. The fire went out like a light.

 

He played the song of healing, but the place where the Skull Kid was flattened didn't move. He began to play the song of time. Nothing. He played it again and again and again to no avail. He played until his fingers were raw and red with useless pain. He still cried. That stupid Skull kid. If only he held on a little longer…I…I… he thought to himself finally putting down his ocarina, more like letting it drop.

 

“Mido bring these to whoever can help them…please…” Malon said, kneeling down and handing Mido the bottles. Mido gently carried the bottles while running to the twins and their fairies, who could surly help the fairies. She turned to Link who knelt not ten feet away from where he was knocked out of the fire after entering. “Link…” she put a hand on his shoulder.

 

“No…” he breathed taking his shoulder from her, he couldn't look her in the eye. He failed to save someone, would he fail to save Malon if she was ever in trouble again? Could he do it, or would he just be able to watch her die, like he did with Skull Kid? Then his eyes grew wide as two lovingly warm arms wrapped around his chest. “Malon…” he breathed.

 

“Shhh…you did all you could. It was beyond your abilities, you tried your best.” Somehow, those words calmed him. He began to sob less and his tears eventually dried up, and they sat there, ten feet from the smoldering pile of wood and Skull Kid, sitting in the rain and the wind, hearing the thunder and seeing the lightning around them, yet not caring. No matter how bad the storm looked, it would never hurt the one who created it.

 

She ran her fingers through his hair, soothing his trouble away with every finger touching his scalp. Skull Kids began to walk around them, ten at least, where the fallen Skull Kid lay for his final rest. The walked over the now damp instead of hot wood, to where their companion lay. They lifted the tree, tossing it off in the distance, and picking up the battered and charred body of the wooden child. One of them went over to the two kneeling lovers. A thunderclap was heard in the distance as the creature lifted a slightly charred hat.

 

He placed it on Malon's head, gave a slight smile and then the whole lot of Skull Kids disappeared without a trace. Link turned and cried further into Malon's shoulder, clutching her tight to him. She dipped her head, letting his head settle into the nook of her neck. He began to whisper something even Malon had trouble hearing. “Don't…don't leave me…don't leave me Malon! Not again…please…not again…” he kept repeating this until he fell asleep in her arms, almost as soon as the rain stopped.

 

She waited until Mido came back to check on them, they managed to carry him down to his house. They couldn't get him up his ladder, so Malon set him up under his balcony. She sat down, her back to the tree, and she set Link's wet head down her already wet lap.

 

She saw something weird next to her, and she began to look closer. A drawing was there, of a giant monster and a tiny Link with his sword there and she smiled at the irony. A small boy wanting the life of this teenager, and now this teenager, wanting the life of that small boy. Her eyes began to grow heavy, and her dipped down, her lids to her soul closing, for the night.

 

---

 

Malon awoke with a stir as Link began to thrash about in his dreams, murmuring things that didn't make sense. “Malon…no…don't go, not again…I finally have you again…don't leave…” she began to call him, taking water from a puddle nearby, but still he didn't wake up. She slapped him once, but that didn't affect him, her hands ran through his hair trying to soothe him, but nothing worked. Finally an idea popped into her head.

 

She leaned down, straining her back and neck, slightly parting her lips to Link's own slightly parting lips. Malon slowly licked her lips and pressed hers to Link's. His eyes shot open at the contact, but he knew this feel, it had been so long since the velvety smooth touch of her lips graced his…

 

Then memories of last night came to mind…the fire, the hurt fairies, and…Skull Kid… Link tore away from the kiss, feeling a mixture of happiness and disgust, happiness because he got something he had been waiting for, for so long, and disgust at himself for thinking he deserved it.

 

Malon turned away quickly, thinking he was disgusted with her, but at the self-depressed look he had on, she knew it wasn't her. He was still beating himself up over last night. “Did you start that fire?”

 

“What?” he asked, looking at the fire framed face of Malon.

 

“Tell me, did you start that fire?”

 

“No!” he seemed confused over what Malon was trying to get at.

 

“Did you cause that tree to fall?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then it isn't your fault, stop beating yourself up over it.” Link merely went back to thinking, getting lost in memories best forgotten. Malon sighed; he wasn't going to forget anytime soon, so she might as well get comfortable instead. She put him in a hug, much like when he was crying last night. “Did you like the kiss?” she said with a sly smile, trying hard to get his mind off himself.

 

“Huh? Well…I…” he started to blush and stammer and Malon couldn't help but giggle. He was cute when he was being naïve.

 

“That was a rhetorical question sweetheart.” She said, still giggling.

 

“I never asked, how was your father when you checked on him last night?” Link tried to change the subject.

 

“He'll live, snoring away like that, how he ever started the Lon Lon Ranch is beyond me.” She wrinkled her nose, the thought that her father actually worked hard enough to get that farm going was absurd.

 

“No. You can't get in.” Mido said, trying to pull on the cape of a soldier heading into the forest. Royal family messenger or not, no one but Kokiri and invited friends were allowed. Both heads turned to watch Mido and the soldier.

 

The man looked around for a second, when he spotted Link and Malon he began to walk towards them. “Are you Sir Link and Lady Malon?” The soldier asked, standing straight with perfect posture.

 

Link Stood up, a foot shorter than the man in front of him. “I am Link.”

 

Malon got up too, dusting off her white cotton dress. “I am Malon. Nice to meetcha', Mr. …”

 

“Not important. This is a message from the Princess Zelda.” The messenger gave Link a folded paper with the wax seal of the Royal Family on it and Zelda's tiny and neat signature on one corner.

 

Link looked briefly at Malon then broke the seal and began reading with difficulty. “D-dear Mr. L-L-Link…” he started to stutter out then turned to Malon. “Can you read?”

 

“Yes I can. Here, let me see.” Link handed Malon the paper. “Dear Mr. Link and Ms. Malon, It has come to my attention that the Lon Lon Ranch is no more. That and the red haired young woman, Malon, from said ranch, was seen riding off and entering the Kokiri Forest. Not to mention the strange fire that could be seen all the way from my abode in the castle. I have been quite curious with this action and need to speak with Link myself over matters of national security. Please come to the castle so we may talk. Zelda.” Malon finished looking up from the message.

 

“We'll go.” Link sighed out and the messenger left, Mido giving up at kicking the man out when he was leaving on his own.

 

“First before you go, would you like to see how the fairies are doing?” Mido asked, getting up from sitting on the ground.

 

“Yes. I would like to see how Tatl and Tael are doing.” They walked off to where the twin's house was, hoping to find the fairies were alright. Link's eyes widened at what he saw.