Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ The Return ❯ Nightly Walks ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7

 

The Return

 

Nightly Walks

 

 

 

The Gerudos explained their earlier misconduct in firing the arrows, and sincerely apologized. The Gerudo's weren't the only bandits in the area anymore, and they were just as deadly as the vicious tribe of female warriors.

 

They had been hunting down the tracks of the bandits when Chari's group had come onto the stage at the wrong time, in the wrong place. After apologizing, the Gerudos applied salve to some of Link's more serious cuts, and commended him for dodging a barrage of arrows like that. As an apology they prepared a feast for the group, which Link gladly accepted for the group, not finding any problems with the Gerudo at all.

 

The table was large and long in one of the stone halls, many foods like pork and beef seemed to be setting themselves on the table. Vegetables and fruits lines platters among the table and puddings and cakes seemed to magically appear out of nowhere. As usual Chari sat at one end of the table with two cloaked figures on either side of him, one eating viciously, the other just sitting there. Every so often the cloak would turn just slightly, and Link knew he was being watched.

 

The one who was eating everything in sight, was the one and only Ingo, having been hired to care for the horses and carriage for the trip, he was inside said carriage during all of the trip, until they stopped, where he would groom and make sure the horses were healthy and patch up the carriage. Malon was overjoyed by this turn of event. Her cousin Scott had been talking to her all night, her and Link mostly, asking questions on why were they on this trip and the such.

 

“You shouldn't even care why they are in their goddamn trip, Scott. These are outsiders, nothing but losers among the nobles.” Mikio said, louder than what was really needed.

 

“Mikio, I was once an outsider too. I came here scared and confused.” Scott mentioned picking up a piece of fruit and popping it into his mouth. Two darkly tanned hands rested themselves on Scott's shoulders and a Gerudo's head came down.

 

“You weren't all that scared, as I recall, you gave me a pretty wild night.” Said the Gerudo, her lips whispering next to Scott's ear. “Isn't that right sweetheart?”

 

Malon looked confused, looking from her now blushing cousin, which seemed out of place from his earlier persona, to the Gerudo making suggestive comments. The Gerudo was gorgeous, with curvy hips and waist, covered by some thin and baggy purple slacks, leading up to a nicely set and firm chest held up by nothing but a purple sash, she had great feminine and sleek shoulders attached to a thin, yet muscled neck. The whole of her skin was dark earthy brown, like fresh earth, and her hair was a mix between brown and red, giving it a coloring affect unlike anything before.

 

“My wife.” Scott said to Malon's confused face, and Link continued eating, not surprised in the least. Link had heard many stories, and this was among the more common stories of kidnapped men, and probably the truest one.

 

“You got married? Why didn't you tell us?” Malon burst out, overjoyed that her cousin wasn't only all right, but doing very well for himself.

 

“Well duh, no contact with the outside world if it isn't necessary. This is Mikio, the son of the tribe's leader. She is currently ill and I have taken over for her.” At that moment a younger Gerudo, no more than twelve, with her hair still down and her body just changing, burst into the room.

 

“Lia is dead.” She said, her eyes starting to well with tears. The whole group stopped, except for Link and Ingo. Link had met Lia in the future, and she was better off dead now, rather than dying how she would have if she had lived on. A rockslide, not caused by Ganondorf had crushed her.

 

Scott abruptly left, his chair screeching on the floor as the legs scratched against the stone. He rushed out of the room, Mikio ahead of him, his arm in a sling. “Link, what should we do?” Malon whispered as the group sat there in awkward silence, the Gerudo's abandoning them for their leader.

 

“Nothing Malon, absolutely nothing. We do not want to get involved. Tonight you and I have to take a walk, so be prepared.” With that Link got up and walked off down one corridor, as if he knew where he was going.

 

Malon wondered what he meant and where he was going, but she sat there and thought. What had just happened, what he could mean by a walk, how fast life was coming at her…it was so surreal to her. Her life was changing so fast. Not a week ago she had straight red hair, instead of her now sexy curls, she was feeding horses in stalls instead of dinning with Gerudo.

 

Slowly, carefully, she walked off, to walk the grounds and think of how things have changed, in the time she was with Link. She let her feet stray to whichever direction she wanted, she didn't care. Until she heard the amazing sound of Link's ocarina blowing in the wind. Looking around, she saw Link sitting on the roof of a building, near a ladder on one side, so she ran over and began to climb.

 

Link sat there blowing a tune of his invention into the pale blue ocarina, his fingers dancing over the little holes. Although the tune was ringing in his ears, the magic tantalizing his eardrums, he still heard the soft patter as Malon walked over to him.

 

“You know,” He started, putting away the ocarina. “I have seen many deserts, but none of them beat the starlit sky of the Gerudo Desert.” His head turned upward to look at the stars and planets, lighting up the night sky.

 

Malon stopped for a second, realizing he was very alert, even when enthralled by music. She continued on, sitting next to Link at the edge of the building. “Link…” She started, but couldn't finish.

 

“How did I get like this? Alert and attentive? Always at the ready to fight?” He finished for her, his smile never leaving his face. Link's golden hair and hat had begun to flow and bend as a breeze cut through, and his smile turned to a grin of pleasure at the chilled wind, blowing across the still heated sands.

 

Malon could only nod. The grin disappeared from his face and he gave that angst ridden, slightly depressed and stern look he had on an awful lot around public. “Life is hard. You know the story, the hardships I went through, and the pains I had done to me. One must learn to be able to defend themselves always. I had learned to never be surprised, to never let myself get too into something that I lose sight of where the dangers could be hidden.” Slowly his eyes turned to Malon's, and instead of the steeled blue she was expecting from the hardened warrior, she saw the slightly damaged azure blue of a boy. A boy who had seen one too many things in his life.

 

It was Malon's turn to look away and share her hardships. Here she was, not even a week involved with this young man, and already her feelings were mixing, growing up. Her carefree life was gone, yet she didn't care. “My mom died when I was very, very little. Ingo and my dad told me she died soon after giving birth to my sister.”

 

“I didn't know you had a sister.” Link said quickly, his eyes now switching from neither steeled blue to hurt azure, but to curious teal. A strange quirk in his genetics only adding to his overall charm.

 

“I don't anymore. She died with my mom. I was three years old at the time. My mother had just given birth to my new sister and life was good. They were going to name her Carol.” A small smile upturned on Malon's face, remembering the good times. “Then the bandits came down from Death Mountain. You probably don't know this, but before the Goron's and the people in Kakariko Village were friends, they were barely on speaking terms. The bandits were a bunch of convicts who had escaped and were living by pillaging and stealing. They made their way down Death Mountain, the Goron's not even bothering to stop them.” A tear slowly made its way down her face. Link couldn't help himself to turn away.

 

She was breathe taking. The curled fiery strands of hair down her shoulders, a single tear running down a perfectly rosy cheek, with her wonderfully blue eyes watered and gleaming. He leaned over and took her lips to his. No hands, no tongues, to moving. Just their lips touching in a sweet kiss, meant to stabilize, just show love, not passion. “I love you.” He whispered in her ear after he left her lips.

 

Her eyes locked with his and she saw a familiar set of eyes staring back at her. She had never seen this color in his eyes before, ever. But they felt so familiar so wonderfully familiar. It teased the back of her mind, trying to figure out where they felt so familiar. Such a wonderful shade of teal and blue-green intermixed with flecks of silvery blue inset in the irises. It irradiated emotion and compassion. “I love you too.” She whispered back and closed the distance again so their lips met once more.

 

For the longest time it was just them with their lips together. Until Malon's tongue gently, shyly poked and prodded at Link's still closed lips. Slowly the two puckered lips opened and the pink muscle made its way to meet Link's. Link broke away suddenly and leapt to the middle of the building. “Who's there?” He asked viciously, his eyes darting around analytically, scanning the area fro the intruder.

 

Out of the shadow that formed from where the cliff met the wall, a man stepped out and Link visibly relaxed. It was just Scott. “It's just me, Link. That was very good, noticing me in the shadows. I applaud you.” The copper toned lad walked forward, his hands in his pockets. “I see you and my cousin are more than just close.” He stood in front of Link, and the difference between them was staggering. Link was shorter than Scott, by about less than a foot, with his golden blonde hair to his copper toned red. Link's face held traces of a hardened warrior, while Scott's was plastered with a goofy grin of relaxation and laid back satisfaction.

 

Link looked up at him and stared him in the eye. “What of it?” and with that he challenged Scott. Not to an actual match, but to try and stop Link from what he wanted. What he needed. What he deserved.

 

Scott for a second seemed scared, his eyes trying to pierce through the solid steel that was Link's own eyes. Then he threw back his head and bellowed a loud laughter of mirth. “One could see why you are with her. I approve.” Scott nodded slightly to Link, but Link didn't move. His gaze was set past Scott, like Scott didn't even register on Link's radar.

 

Suddenly Link waved his hand for Malon to follow him. He started walking, and the fiery-headed girl walked behind him. “Just remember,” he whispered as he walked by Scott. “If you get hurt, she will be in pain. And if she is in pain, I will hurt you.” Link said, obviously referencing to Scott's disregard to his own safety while trying to apprehend the alleged bandits from earlier.

 

With that, Link left, Malon following closely now. “Bye Scott. I'll see you tomorrow morning, before we leave.” She smiled and waved, jogging to catch up to the golden haired swordsman before her. “What did you say to him?”

 

“Just to watch his back in the desert.” Link answered. A boyish grin graced his face. “Last one down the roof is a Gerudo's Bitch!” He shouted and ran down the slope of the building's roof to the canopy covering the building window. Malon followed, giggling all the way, feeling glad his boyish side was returning to him.

 

Link bounced from the cloth canopy down to a wooden pike jutting out of the building, and standing with perfect balance, he bent over and hefted himself up on his hands, still balancing on the pike. His arms bent as he started to store kinetic energy. He heard Malon jumping from the canopy to him, and while he wasn't very far from the ground, he didn't want to get in her way. He launched himself up and forward, to do a spin in the air and land flat on his feet.

 

Being the accurate and calculating young man he was, he caught Malon in her arms, as she had not quite gained the balance and agility Link had honed over many years of battle and survival. “Happy now?” She asked, as she felt his hand explore her upper leg and lower back.

 

“Very. But alas, we have work to do.” He sighed out, letting her down on her feet, his hand giving a last lingering feel. “Come. A spirit is restless, having no place to go.” Link took Malon's hand in his and stared her in the eye. “Lets go to a place between worlds.”

 

Walking off into the night the two headed for a cliff face with a steep slope, but a path, one as steep as the hill, yet it seemed as if it had been traveled on many time before. Link sat down on the ground a cloud of dust kicking up as he did so and he reached into his pack to come out with a pair of boots laced in metal. He dropped them to the ground with a mean thud. After he had removed his own boots, he replaced them with the ones of iron. He stood up slowly and lifted his leg with obvious strain on his legs. He put his leg up and pushed it against the wall as electricity sparked from the path. Then lifting his other leg, the first leg holding tight to the wall, he stood perpendicular to the ground. He looked up, his neck craning straight so his vision was also perpendicular to the ground. He was eye level with Malon's stomach and chest.

 

“Come on. We have to go meet the ferryman to the Promised Land.” Link smiled up at her and she nodded slightly, before she sat on his stomach, and he walked up the steep path as if he was walking normally.