(nameless62)
The day began like any other in the beautiful land of Hyrule; from the glittering sunlit waters of Lake Hylia to the sun-baked earth of Death Mountain, peace reigned over the entire kingdom. On this glorious day, however, the calm peace of the land was soon to be interrupted by a young red-haired girl, as one of her longest childhood friends unwittingly brushes her off…
Around the small farm of Lon Lon Ranch, all of the animals were calm and relaxed without a care in the world; and why not? The melodious tune of “Epona’s Song” drifted through the entire sky above, soothing even the normally ill-tempered Ingo, hard at work in the barn sweeping up the cow’s dung. He smirked slightly as the sweet song lifted his usually-damp spirits, and as he wondered how a sleeping goofball such as his boss, Talon, could raise such a charming and talented girl as Malon. Back outside, the red-haired ranch girl happily hummed the song her mother had taught her long ago – the same one that could tame even the wildest of animals – as she gently fed the horses in their small corral. She was slightly disheartened that her favourite horse, Epona, wasn’t there with her, but she was thankful that Epona was in good hands; back when Ganondorf had assimilated the position of King several years ago (before he was defeated), Link won Epona from Ingo in a bet, almost transforming Ingo’s personality completely…although, giggling, Malon remembered how it wasn’t long before he snapped back to his grouchy old ways…for the most part, anyway. She hoped that her “fairy-boy” – nicknamed so because of the fairy that always followed him around, Navi – would come back soon, because…she had a crush on him, and hoped that he would someday make her a happy bride. While she’d overheard her father joke about a marriage back when she was younger, she longed for Link to be her husband and care for her always. But that would always be just a dream, for Link was always busy with the protection of the kingdom – he had no time to stop and settle down…
Suddenly, Malon heard the sound of rushing hoof beats quickly grow louder and louder as a horse rapidly approached her from behind. She spun round to see it was none other than…Link, mounted upon his beloved steed, Epona! Clambering down from the saddle, Link walked over to Malon and gave her a small hug.
“Hey there, Malon. How’ve you been?” the young hero inquired.
“Oh, fine. Nothing’s really changed, except that my dad’s started to get up earlier in the morning. His ‘Super Cuckoos’ have been getting a little bit more active again!” she replied, giggling.
“Yeah, I remember chasing them back when I first came to the ranch. Caught them all first time round, too – that really surprised your dad!”
“It sure did!” she laughed “So…what did you come here for? Need a refill on some Lon Lon Milk? Though you shouldn’t, really, seeing as I sent a whole cow to your house just for that!”
“Actually, I’ve got something important to tell you. It’s about…a wedding.”
Malon’s heart suddenly started racing in the silence that followed, which was only broken by her quiet reply; “W-wedding?”
“Yeah, a wedding. I’m going to get married to Princess Zelda, and I was wondering if you wanted to come…seeing as you’ve been my friend for so long.”
Malon’s felt as though her whole world had just been flushed down the drain. Link? Zelda? Married? Her lifelong crush having just obliviously crushed her hopes and dreams, all Malon could do was reply quietly.
“N…n-no, thanks. I’ve got a ton of jobs to do around the ranch; things are starting to get pretty hectic.”
“Oh. Really? I thought you would’ve been able to come…”
“Sorry, Link. I just can’t make it…” she lied, knowing if she went it would only cause her further angst and pain. “How’d you be able to get married, anyway? From what I heard, Sages aren’t allowed to be married!”
“I know, but Rauru allowed a special exception for me and Zelda” he sighed. “Are you sure you can’t make it? I was really hoping you’d come.”
“I’d love to, but, you know…there’s so much to do…”
“Oh…okay, then. Bye.” Link saddled on to Epona, as she started to gallop off towards the Ranch’s exit. “See you later, Malon!” Link called out; as Malon watched the two of them race out of sight.
Malon flung the barn doors open as she dived into a bail of hay, tears streaming from her eyes. Though he was an eternal pessimist, Ingo wasn’t a fool and he quickly vacated the barn, leaving Malon alone to cry her heart out.
“Why? Why did he have to go and marry Zelda? I’ve been dreaming of our wedding for so long, so long…and he just left me all alone!” she sobbed. Raising her head, she stared blankly at the wall through blurry, tear filled eyes.
“And the way he brushed me off! He didn’t have any idea, didn’t even think for a second, that we had anything special.” she muttered. “He did say I was one of his longest friends…” then, a slow realisation crept up on her, and she started to scowl. “But that’s just it! Just a friend and nothing more! He never saw any romance, just another friend! We could have…should…have…”
Malon threw her head back down into the hay, wailing for a short while longer until her tears dried, and she felt she’d let it all out. Sniffing and snuffling, she stepped outside the barn and wiped the tears away. Walking over to the corral and saddling up a nearby horse, she set off at a steady trot outside the ranch.
“Maybe I should go for a little ride around Hyrule Field,” she reasoned “to help me clear my mind…”
Along all of Hyrule Field, vast greenery covered the land from the mountains to the forest. On this gentle day, a calm silence enveloped the entire field, broken only by the chirping of peaceful songbirds and the sound of slow, surreptitious hoof beats from a lone horse. Its rider looked down with a thoughtful yet pained expression as she pondered what the future held for her.
“Link and Zelda are getting married…I guess I’m happy for Link ‘cause he’s being wed to the woman he loves most, but…” she sighed. “I wish I was the one he was going to marry. I’d been waiting so long for this day…and then he goes off with Zelda…”
Malon’s horse pulled up beside the river, and the dismayed girl looked mournfully at herself through the rushing waters. She began to wonder how it had all happened; how she’d let her fairy-boy slip through her fingers so quickly, without her even noticing, and how her dream of Link proposing to her…had been shattered. Tears started to well up once more, but she shook her head and quickly wiped them away.
“No, I can’t cry now…not anymore. Guess I’ll just head back to the ranch…”
She began to turn the horse when, as she looked up, she noticed a small cavern near the staircase to Kakariko Village. Tugging gently at the reigns, she quickly rode over to the small crevasse in the wall.
“Weird,” she muttered, dismounting “I don’t remember seeing any caves last time Dad and I rode past here.” Glancing around, Malon noticed a small Deku Stick laid on the floor of the entrance nearby. Snatching it up off the floor, she gave it a quick, hard scrape against the rocky wall setting it alight. As the flames flickered in the infinite darkness, Malon forgot all of her troubles and worries; as she decided to investigate the mysterious cavern…
As the perpetual darkness slowly grew thicker; Malon pressed bravely onwards, deeper into the cave. Swatting away any Keese that soared towards her from the cobweb-encrusted ceiling, she plunged into further darkness as she explored the vast caverns. Looking around, she began to think to herself; who had created this cavern? And…why? It must have been man-made, since it hadn’t been there a week ago; maybe Mutoh and his carpenters have started building something here…
Suddenly, a Skulltula dropped down from the darkness above and knocked Malon back onto her behind. Struggling up, she watched as the strange skull-wearing spider spun wildly in an array of endless circles, emitting an odd noise as it did so. She gave the armoured arachnid a quick whack with her Deku Stick on its soft underside, and it quickly scrabbled back up the darkness from whence it came. She then realised that it had been guarding something; she ran over to a small wooden chest, with a strange engraving on it written in Hylian. Using all her might, she flung the chest open and reached inside to find…a shimmering blue Crystal! After holding it aloft to the usual fanfare, she glanced down at it curiously; it was as big as her hands, and emitted a faint blue glow as she held it.
“It’s beautiful…” she murmured, rolling it about gently in her hand. After a short while, she gave it a gentle squeeze – then it suddenly shone a bright white colour as a bright beam shot out from its tip, hitting a nearby boulder. Malon fell backwards in shock, as the boulder gradually began to shrink smaller and smaller, until it was the size of a pebble. Crawling over to it, Malon held up the tiny pebble, amazed at how small it had been shrunk to; and so quickly, too!
Looking at the crystal, she beamed and said “Oh, wait’ll I show Link! He’s going to love thi-“, but stopped as the earlier incidents replayed in her mind. A sly smirk then slowly began to creep on her face, as she quietly spoke “On the other hand…this might be the perfect way to get back at him for being so rude earlier…”
Shoving the glittering gem back into her apron, Malon grabbed the Deku Stick off the floor and began to run back towards the light of Hyrule Field…
Light shone faintly through the small glass window in the castle’s highest tower, as Link lay quietly on the bed. Staring up at the ceiling decorated with the symbolic Triforce of Hyrule, the young hero was eagerly anticipating the upcoming wedding; in no less than a week, he would be married to Princess Zelda of Hyrule – but he cared not for any titles it would bring, for the reason for the marriage was as it should be – to be wed to Zelda, the woman he loved most. As he slowly stood up and stretched, there was a loud knock at the door. Opening the door, Link was faced by one of the castle guards, ever-alert in his royal uniform.
Handing Link a small envelope, all he said was “Here is a message for you, sir” before he spun around and walked back down the spiralling staircase of the tower. Closing the door, Link quickly ripped open the envelope to reveal a small letter.
“Hey, it’s from Malon! I wonder if she changed her mind about the wedding…”
Unfolding the small piece of parchment, Link began to read;
“Dear Link,
I have something very important to talk to you about – but because of my workload, I can’t get off the ranch. I’d like you to come and see me, please – I’ll be in the barn.
- Malon”
Throwing the letter on the bed, Link though aloud to himself “Wonder what she wants? Oh, well – probably won’t take long…” as he quickly strapped on his boots. Leaving his sword and shield behind, he flung open the door and quickly made his way down the twisting spiral staircase – unbeknownst of the terrors that awaited him…
When Link dismounted his beloved steed at Lon Lon Ranch, the evening dusk had already covered the sky like a golden syrup. Link looked around and couldn’t see anybody – then he remembered what the letter had said.
Link cried “Malon! I’m here!” as he walked over to the barn; stepping through the creaking old barn door, he looked around the quiet piles of hay and cow dung…seeing nothing. There was nobody there.
“Malon? You wanted to see me?” he called, walking slowly around the eerily still barn as he glanced around. Normally he wouldn’t have been nervous, but he’d left his equipment back at the castle and if something attacked him…but it’s not like anything would attack him at Lon Lon Ranch, right?
“Except for those pesky Guays.” he mumbled quietly. Reaching a dead end, he said “She’s not here. Well, I guess I’ll just head back to Hyrule Castle.” As he started to turn, a bright flash of light blinded him coupled with a tingling sensation throughout his body; causing him to quickly lose balance. When he opened his eyes, he shook himself off and looked around.
“That was weird,” he muttered “Well, whatever it was, it doesn’t matte-” then he stopped and looked around, realising in sheer horror that the barn seemed to have grown ten times larger in an instant! Before he could say anything, however, he felt the ground shake below him in a thundering fashion, throwing him back once more. When he got up, he noticed two huge boots were blocking any escape route; looking up, he saw the grinning face of…Malon! She was a towering giantess, causing Link to seem like a diminutive ant compared to her massive size. He started to turn, but Malon quickly snatched him up before he could get anywhere.
“Hey, fairy-boy! Have I got a surprise for you…” she giggled “Come on; I’ll take you back to my room.” All Link did was drop his jaw wide in pure terror, as the gigantic Malon slowly carried him out of the barn.
As they walked into Malon’s small yet cosy bedroom, Link heard the door slam shut and a latch click into place; he was trapped. Sitting down on the bed, Malon uncurled her fist and looked at the tiny hero standing in the palm of her hand. Struggling up to his feet, Link opened his mouth to speak – but before he could say anything, Malon grabbed the back of his tunic in between her thumb and forefinger and brought him up to her face. Grinning, Malon quietly whispered “Time for a snack, fairy boy!” as the expression on Link’s face twisted into something more horrific than Giygas. As he started to scream and flail his arms wildly, Malon threw the terrified Link into the air and caught him in her mouth. As she felt him clutching onto her tongue, she tilted her head forward slightly and started to pound him into the roof of her mouth with her tongue. Then she shook her head left and right violently a few times, causing Link to bounce around her jaws like a ping-pong ball; but then he found himself clutching onto Malon’s tongue for dear life once more, as Malon threw her head back quickly.
Hearing his terrified screams tickle her throat uncomfortably, Malon threw her head forward once more and spat the shrieking hero out. Looking down at the soaking, drool-covered hero, Malon laughed at him and said
“You didn’t think I’d actually eat you, did you, Link?” as he shivered uncontrollably in a foetal position. Glancing up at her slowly, all he could reply is “Who? What? How?” as he lifted his head gently; then dropped it back onto the puddle of saliva. Malon sighed and said “Okay, I think you deserve and explanation.” Placing the shaking hero onto the bed, Malon looked down at him and told him what was going on.
“I liked you for a long time, and hoped we could be more than friends. But you never thought about us that way, and brushed me of earlier because of that. So…” She reached into her apron and flourished the crystal “I used this magic crystal I found earlier to shrink you down to size and teach you some manners. On second thoughts, though…”
She grabbed link with her fingers and gently placed him on the floor, before quickly standing bolt upright. She looked down at the tiny hero who was hurriedly jumping to his feet, and smiled as she told him “…I think I’ll play bug-stomper instead!”
Malon slowly raised her foot above Link, and brought it down with a resounding slam; the miniscule hero quickly dived out of the way, as a small cloud of dust sped out from beneath the ranch-girl’s foot and evaporated away into the air. Malon sniggered and raised her foot slowly over Link once more, knowing that he would move out of the way before she slammed it down – after all, she didn’t want to kill him or anything drastic like that; she just wanted to shake him up a little, so he’d mind his manners a bit more. Stomping the floor, she looked out of the corner of her eye and saw the doll-sized Link running as fast as he could across the musty wooden floor – which, unfortunately for him, wasn’t very far considering Malon’s immense size. She giggled quietly to herself and, walking over to him brought her hand down hard and fast. Before he could react, Link bounced back onto his behind as he crashed face-first in Malon’s palm. Scrabbling up to his feet, he started to back away a little before he turned and ran, soon smacking straight into another hand. As he rolled back and jumped up, he noticed he was caught in between both of Malon’s massive hands! Smirking, she stared at Link at joked to herself “So long, hero!” as she slowly began to bring both hands closer to each other. Glancing around, Link noticed a tiny gap in between Malon’s fingers, and dived as fast as he could through it; not realising Malon had made the gap on purpose, so Link wouldn’t be crushed. Shaking his head from left to right, Link madly hunted for a hiding spot from the super-sized Malon – then he noticed a nearby pot, with a crack just big enough for him to fit through! Diving into the tiny hole, the miniaturised Link hid behind the pot’s edge, struggling to catch his breath as he hid from his giant friend…
Glancing up from her hands, Malon looked around and noticed that Link was nowhere to be seen. Standing up, she started to search the room to see where he was; after all, he couldn’t have gotten far, could he? Kneeling back down, she started to search under the bed – on completely the opposite side of the room to where Link actually was…which was inside the pot.
As he calmed down slightly, Link started to think of a logical way out of this – but he whispered quietly to himself, because anything louder than a whisper even at this size would echo around the pot; and Malon would surely find him.
“Okay, so…I’m three inches tall, Malon’s trying to crush me, and even if I escape from her room it would take me weeks to get back to Hyrule Castle, months even. But…” he sighed “it’s my only option, so I’d better take it.”
Inhaling deeply, Link cupped his hands over his mouth and called out, “Malon! I’m in here! Come and get me!” before he quickly crept out the crack he came in from and ran over to the nearby cupboard. As Malon turned, he managed to dive underneath the cupboard and hide safely from view; before he began crawling as quickly as he could to the door. Grinning, Malon simply replied “Gotcha!” as she ran over to the pot – then she shoved her hand in, and felt around to see if she could catch the tiny hero; unaware that he was hiding from her elsewhere…
Link held his breath in desperation, terrified of what Malon would do to him if she found out where he was. He suddenly felt the floor vibrate beneath his body as Malon slammed her hands against the sides of the pot, looking in the wrong place for the pint-sized hero. Creeping along the dusty floor silently, Link slowly began to crawl towards the other side of the cupboard; all the while being wary of the mass of commotion his captor was making not too far away. As he began to wonder if he would ever be able to escape from Malon’s clutches, he heard her mutter “Great, he’s not there…” before she started calling out to him. His heart raced as he laid still as a statue for a moment, as he heard her walk towards the cupboard - but then he sighed in relief, as he heard her slam the drawer shut and walk over to the nearby wardrobe far away from Link. Once he reached the other side of the cupboard, he clambered out from underneath and sidled past the pot as fast as he could, before legging it towards the gargantuan door. He was so close to freedom, he could almost taste it; he dived toward the door, and…WHACK! He smacked face first into the door – there wasn’t a gap underneath it all, just a plain wooden door. Before he could look for any other escape routes, however, he felt a slight pressure on his torso as Malon found him out and snatched him back into her hands once more…
Laughing, she carried Link back over to the wooden cupboard and gently placed him down on the counter. “Found you at last! Now, what to do with you next…” she teased, as her wicked smile shook Link to his very core. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; so why not have some more fun with him while teaching him his lesson? As Malon pondered her next activity with her shrunken victim, Link’s heart pounded in fear of what Malon would do to him next; one false move from either of them could result in his demise. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, Malon suddenly beamed and stared at Link, giggling as she said “Oh, I know! This’ll be perfect!” and snatched Link between her fingers once again. Placing a full bottle of Lon Lon Milk on the counter, she popped the cork and dropped the miniaturised hero inside the ocean of white liquid – before sealing the bottle once more and shaking it heavily a few times, knocking Link senseless as she did so. When she reopened the bottle, Link thought his fears were over; but then Malon giggled triumphantly as she cruelly joked “Boy, I’m thirsty…I sure could use some milk right about now” – and nearly caused Link to faint, there and then. Tilting the bottle back, she planted the neck firmly against her lips as the water gushed towards her throat, carrying Link along for the ride down to her stomach. Before he was sent hurtling down to the forsaken abyss down below, he managed to grab on to Malon’s tongue again – but this time he held on so tightly, Malon could actually feel the pressure of his grip as she finished the remaining contents of the bottle. Taking the emptied container from her lips, she let out a loud unladylike belch as she flung the terrified hero from between her jaws – and back into the palm of her hand.
Placing him back down onto the cupboard, Malon peered at him with childlike curiosity as she giggled nervously. “Sorry if I scared you there, fairy-boy, but…wasn’t that fun?” she let out a weak smile, hoping he’d forgive her for what she’d just done. Link jumped to his feet and shot a piercing glare at Malon, his face almost turning bright red with rage as he screamed “Fun? FUN? What could possibly be fun about your best friend shrinking you down, dropping you in a milk bottle and trying to DRINK YOU?!” He gasped for breath as Malon took a step back, shocked to see Link in such a state of anger, before he continued “What kind of freak does something like that? Who in their right mind would shrink their friends and treat eating them like a joke! I mean, seriously! How stupid could you BE?!” His fit of rage had pierced his good judgement, as he didn’t realise his full danger at the moment; but furthermore, it had sent Malon over the edge. Tears began streaming from her eyes, as she slammed her hand down hard next to Link – shutting him up and knocking him back.
“It WAS all a joke,” she cried “But now I think I’ll shut you up for good, you, you…JERK!” She began to slam her hands down on the cupboard, knocking Link high up into the air – where Malon caught him tightly in her fist. She began to squeeze the tiny hero, making his body limp and fragile as she did so; Link began to plead for mercy. Malon just shut her eyes tightly and ignored Link’s tiny pleas, as she squeezed tighter and tighter. “Malon, stop, please! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to say it that way…AAGH!” he was cut short by a resounding snap, something that flung Malon’s eyes open and ceased her strong grip. “Oh, Link! I…I…” Malon cried into her hand, nearly drowning Link in an ocean of tears. Kissing him gently as she did so, Malon placed Link down onto the floor, stood back and pulled out the crystal; one bright flash of light later, Link was normal size – and a tearful Malon ran over to tend to his wounds.
A few hours later, the morning sun rose above the flowing fields of Hyrule, illuminating all of the vast lands below; as Malon and Link stared wordlessly at each other by the ranch’s entrance. “I-I’m sorry for what I did, Link. It’s just that…” she began, but Link raised his arm to silence her and simply smiled. “No, Malon. It was all my fault.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“If I had paid more attention to the way you’d acted around me and the way you felt, then none of this would have happened. I’m sorry.”
Looking up, she gave him a gentle hug; being careful not to hurt his broken arm, which remained in a cast from the night before. “But…” she continued “…are you sure you’ll be able to ride Epona? And what about the wedding?”
“I’ll be fine. I’ve rode in much worse conditions than this, believe me!” he laughed. With a short, sharp whistle, Link called up Epona and saddled his beloved horse, readying himself to leave the ranch. As he began to set off, Malon grabbed at his tunic and tugged at him a few times; turning around, Link saw Malon grinning as she told him “Don’t worry…I’ll be coming to the wedding. I wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Link just smiled back and said “Thanks, Malon. That means a lot” before he rode away into the rising dawn, calling to her “Bye, Malon! See you soon!” – And then he was gone.
Walking towards the barn, Malon reminisced about the events of the day prior as she prepared herself for the day’s labours; and as Link’s smiling face etched itself into her mind, she realised one of life’s most important lessons – to prove you truly love someone, you have to let them be themselves and live their lives freely.
END