Clearer in Time

III. Trouble in Paradise (pt.I)
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It was dark in the halls of Ganon’s Castle. In the tallest spire, the Evil King’s chambers, two figures stood. One was the Evil King, himself.

Ganondorf.

He stood in the center of the room, twirling a vial between his fingers. His blood red hair fell wildly about his strong, dark features. His dark eyes gleamed maniacally.

The other figure stood against the far wall, Concealed by shadow. The figure watched Ganondorf intently. Waiting.

As the figure watched, the Dark King uncorked the vial and upended it. Blood softly pattered onto the cold stone floor. The Evil King then proceeded to move his hands and fingers. In turn, the blood on the floor began to move. It danced in time with Ganon’s finger tips, slowly taking shape. The Evil King spoke.

“Tell me, darling,” he said to the shadowy figure. “What does a hero, a slayer of countless monsters, the very embodiment of courage, have to fear?”

“I could not say, Master,” came the reply. Ganondorf smiled.

“Perhaps,” Ganon said, “All he knows to fear is himself.” As he spoke, the blood was taking form, expanding, contorting. “The hero’s will is beginning to fade as the trials grow. I can see it. Lust and angst are beginning to tear at him.”

He turned to face the figure in darkness, his fingers still moving. “I’m sure you have noticed, as well?”

“Indeed, I have, Master,” replied the voice.

Silence. Ganondorf continued to work. The few drops of blood had taken a humanoid form, a full six feet now. Ganon proceeded to shape the features. Finally the shadowed figure broke the silence.

“If you’d go to such lengths to see him dead, Master, why is it that I aid him? I do not understand…”

Ganondorf chuckled at this. The blood figure before him was almost completed, and was starting to take it’s color. “All will become clearer in time, Sheik,” Ganondorf replied.

The figure of blood was complete. It solidified and knelt at Ganon’s feet. Sheik approached her master’s side to see.

“I want you to watch him, Sheik. His next trail is the Temple of Water, and it is there that his darker side will be his undoing, figuratively and literally.”

“I will, Master. When he heals, I shall guide him to the lake,” Sheik said.

“Good,” Ganondorf replied. He then turned his attention to the all too familiar young man kneeling at his feet. “Rise,” he said to it.

Link rose to his feet, eyes red and dressed in black. He smirked devilishly, showing his pointed canines. “What is your bidding, my Master?”

…

Link opened his eyes and looked around. He was alone. He recognized his surroundings, however. He was at the Kakariko Inn. He had been there before, as a child.

He tried to sit up and winced. He was sore everywhere. He looked under the blanket at his bare body and saw it was bruised and scratched to no end. It looked bad, but even so, Link was grateful. When he had collapsed at Death Mountain, he had been sure his ribs were broken. He felt ten times better, even with the bruises.

There was a quick knock at the door of his room and someone entered. A woman. She was tall, with dark red hair. She smiled at him.

“You’re up,” she said. “I was beginning to think that you would never wake. You‘ve been out for days.”

He smiled at her, looking around for his clothes. The woman seemed a bit puzzled that he had not replied, but continued anyways.

“My name is Anju. That woman Sheik left you in my care.” At Sheik’s name, Link snapped back to attention.

“Oh,” Anju said. “I see I have your attention now. Yes, she left you a message as well. She said that she did the best she could with your wounds, and that when you are healed and ready, you should head for Zora's Domain.”

Link nodded, taking it all in. So she had treated his wounds. They must have been pretty bad if they still hurt after magic.

“It’s about dinner time,” Anju continued. “So if your able, perhaps you’d like to come downstairs and have a bite?”

Link nodded at this. He was starving. Anju grinned prettily.

“Good. I’ll let you get dressed, then.” with that she left Link to himself. He got out of bed, wincing all the way. He found his green tunic and hat in a closet, along with the rest of his clothes. There was also a large sack full of rupees, presumably left by Sheik.

He wondered to himself why Sheik had to leave, leading again to suspicions of a hidden agenda. But those suspicions were becoming more and more half hearted. Link was beginning to feel as though he could really trust her, mysterious though she may be. Besides, it was nice to have someone around. Without her, his journey would be completely solitary. He enjoyed her company. At times, when he was with her, he even felt a strange sort of happiness, an odd, unexplainable feeling that made his chest heavy and head light. A strangely familiar feeling, something he hadn’t felt since his childhood. Back in the castle gardens, with the princess…

Immediately his mood changed from cheery and light hearted to a mixture of anxiety and resentment.

Zelda…

He frowned. He felt angry, not just with her, but with himself as well. Why is it that he could be so enraged with her, and yet he was still unable to disconnect his feelings for her? He had still not heard a single word from her. At the very least, she was partially responsible for this whole mess. Yet only he was fighting to return order. Why him? Because he cared for her? Was she counting on his feelings for her to keep him going?

He shook his head. He didn’t want to think about it. For now, it was time to eat. He finished dressing and headed downstairs.

As he descended the steps to the diner below, his ears were filled with the shouts of the drunk. The place was noisy and filled with intoxicated villagers. Link searched through the crowd and saw Anju behind the bar. She saw him and waved him over.

Link sat down at the bar between a drunk old woman and an even drunker fat man. Anju giggled at his predicament.

“Sorry,” she said. “It’s pretty busy tonight.” Link smiled at her, as if to say it was fine. He didn’t mind. It was the first time he had been around so many people in seven years.

“I’ll be right back with some food,” she said. She gave him a flirty little wink and walked off.

Link waited patiently for her to return, his sensitive ears picking out snatches of the numerous conversations.

“… and then he said that…”

“… so if we eat the goat before the rocks, then…”

“… and her feet were so big, she needed special shoes…”

“… ever since Ganondorf came around…”

Link’s eyes widened. Ganondorf? He listened for the conversation again.

“… now the Lord Ganondorf has taken my deed…”

Link found the source. It was the fat drunk man to his right. He swayed on his barstool, his overalls covered with spilt drink. Somehow he looked oddly familiar. Link continued to listen.

“How did all this happen, Talon?” Talon? So familiar…

“I already told you.” Hiccup. “Ganondorf gave turned the Ranch to Ingo.”

Ingo… Link thought. The Ranch…?

Then it hit him.

Lon Lon Ranch.

Ingo and Talon.

Malon…

Anju returned with a steaming plate of food. She saw Link and became puzzled. He had a bag of rupees on the bar top.

“I need a horse,” he said seriously. Anju looked at him, a bit taken aback. He seemed fine a moment ago. Now he looked harried and uneasy. It was almost scary.

“Well, you could borrow mine,” Anju said hesitantly. “It’s the white one tied out front. You’ll… You will bring it back, right?”

He nodded, and without another word, rose from his bar stool and headed for the door. A large pile of rupees lay on the bar, in payment of the plate of food he had not touched. Talon, the fat drunkard, looked greedily at the plate.

“Are you gonna eat that?”

…

Link mounted Anju’s horse. The sun was almost behind the horizon, and the world looked deceitfully peaceful.

It had been a long time since he’d ridden horseback. Up until then, everything had been on foot. Perhaps Epona would still be at the ranch, waiting for him.

Epona…

Malon…

If Ganondorf had had some kind of hand in the ranch, then it couldn’t be good. Link had to help them.

Malon, he thought. I’m coming.

He spurred the horse and raced into the night.

…

The moon hung over Lon Lon Ranch. A large ranch house and a stable lie at the land's borders. In the center was a large corral, for the horses. The moonlight added a mystic glow to the entire scenery. It used to be something beautiful. Nowadays, it was just the signal of another day endured. Time to sleep and start the nightmare over again.

A tall, bald man in overalls and a large mustache watched the girl as she hurried to close the front gate, the last chore of the day.

“Hurry up, you useless woman!” He shouted. “Close the gate!” The woman, young and beautiful, hurried her pace. Her passionate red hair covered her sad, blue-green eyes.

“Yes, Ingo,” she said. She hurried down the path to the ranch’s front gate. She began turning the crank that would close the iron fence. As she turned the winch, she fancied she could hear another sound.

Hoof beats. Coming closer. Was it Ganondorf? Come to make his monthly inspection?

She looked and saw a figure upon a white horse. As the figure came closer, she could make out the rider’s features. A young man, clothed in green. Something about him was extremely familiar. Could it be…?

The man halted a few feet from her. They eyed each other for a moment. Finally the man spoke.

“I seek shelter for the night,” he said. Malon simply stared for a moment, and then seemed to come back to herself. She nodded.

“Come with me,” she said. She let the horseman pass her and she continued to close the gate. When finished, she walked up the path towards the ranch. The horseman followed.

Ingo was waiting for her. “What took you so long, you worthless thing?” He spat. He saw the horseman behind Malon and paused.

“Who are you?” Ingo demanded.

“He’s a traveler seeking shelter,” Malon said quietly. Ingo spun towards her furiously.

“Did I ask you, woman!?!?” He screeched. Malon said nothing, just looked at the ground. “Pathetic,” Ingo muttered. He turned to the horseman. “As for you, this is not a charity shelter. Can you pay?”

The horseman said nothing, but tossed Ingo a jingling sack of rupees. The greedy rancher looked at the bag with wide eyes. “This will do fine,” Ingo said. “You’ll lodge in the stable with my servant. She’ll see that you’re made comfortable. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Ingo left the horseman with his servant and entered the ranch house. Malon turned to the horseman.

“If you will wait in the stable,” she motioned to the small building opposite the ranch house. “I’ll see to your horse.”

The horseman nodded and dismounted his steed. He watched her lead the horse away and around the corner, and then entered the stable.

Inside was thick with the smell of hay and animal. The walls were lined with horses in there stables. Link approached the horse directly across from the door. It eyed him warily as he came closer, but the animal soon recognized his unique sent. Link put his head to the horse’s, petting it’s head and neck.

Epona. She hadn’t forgotten him.

Link heard the door, click shut and turned around. It was Malon, watching him intently, bedding in hand. Link wondered if she recognized him after all this time. She approached him, slowly but steadily, until she was chest to chest with him. Link could feel the wonderful heat of her voluptuous body pressed against his. She looked into his eyes, intently, unblinking. She dropped the bedding at their feet. Finally, she spoke.

“Fairy Boy,” she said. So she did recognized him. Link opened his mouth to reply but was silenced as Malon pressed her soft, full lips against his. Link made a sound, half a gasp, half a sigh, and then pulled Malon closer to kiss her back, meeting her tongue with his own. Her body pressed tightly against his as they kissed, pressing into his bruises. Somehow it felt good. He ran one hand through her hair, while his other ran slowly down the side of her body, exploring the swells and curves.

Finally she pulled his lips from his and spoke, never dropping her gaze.

“I knew it was you, Fairy Boy,” she said. “I knew you would come save me.”

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Remember, this is my first fan fiction. I'm usually a horror fiction writer, so intimate scenes (kissing and such) are new to me. R & R please!!! I really want to know what people think so far!!!