Image via @Syldur
Foreword: In this fan fic I present my take on the events of the child time line which lead to Link’s ultimate fate as Hero’s Shade in Twilight Princess. There is foul/strong language, use of alcohol/tobacco, suggestive themes, and an overall dark tone to the story. I feel it is a PG-13 read, or T for those of used to the Game’s rating system. I hope you enjoy reading it, as I progressively update the Fan Fic with more chapters.
Lon Lon Ranch, Present…
The falling snow flakes looked like a bright endless rain of white feathers to Malon as she peered through the window of her warm room gazing at the cold snowy blanket that covered her father’s ranch.
Winter had just started, and yet they had gotten at least 10 inches of snow in the last three days. Malon always thought that snow was a beautiful gift from the Goddesses. At least it was beautiful while freshly fallen, especially if it fell during nighttime which was the case that night as she took a sip from a warm mug of hot chocolate .
“With this weather, I sincerely doubt Lord Stonard will visit you anytime soon. At least while the snow is still pouring down he won’t.” Her father Talon said as he sat beside her with a mug of beer in his hand.
Malon smiled. Her big blue eyes still gazing into the distance. She truly cherished these night talks with her father. Talon had grown older, balder, grayer, and fatter in the last few years. A sign of Time’s incessant passing, a warning that someday the night talks would inevitably end forever.
“About a year now…” Malon replied in a soft voice.
“What?”
“ It has been about a year since that man started courting me Papa.” Malon explained taking another sip from her mug.
“A fine lad he is! Already a Captain of the Royal Guard. His family owns a state to boot. A father could do worse than to marry his only princess to a man like that…a lot worse.” Talon said placing his hand over her shoulder in a comforting gesture.
“and yet…” Malon whispered as she looked away from the window for a moment with a faint sad smile turning her gaze to peer directly into her mug.
“And yet the fairy boy.” Talon finished her sentence.
Malon smiled running her hand through her long flowing red hair, and nodding as she turned her gaze back to the window before turning her attention to her father again.
“Papa …I think Lord Stonard intends to ask for my hand in marriage any day now. As you say he is a handsome, accomplished, and honorable man. And yet my fairy boy is the one I await for every night that I sit here gazing at the ranch gates.”
“My sweet little girl …I wish I could help you in that one I really wish I could. On a positive note at least this time he didn’t take Epona with him before disappearing!” Talon said breaking out in a small laughter. Malon, and Talon could laugh now about Link’s initial 2 year disappearance from the face of Hyrule. At the time that it happened however, it was anything but a laughing matter, in fact that two year period had been the most traumatic, sad, and anxiety filled time in Malon’s young life.
Both Malon, and Link had been about 11 winters old then. Malon remembered Link arriving from Hyrule’s Castle asking her to borrow Epona for a few weeks as he wanted to travel deep into Hyrule’s forest in search of his missing Fairy friend companion Navi.
Malon happily consented to his request, after all Epona loved Link, and Link loved Epona back. They had a strange bond, those two. Link left that very same night, and then as the days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, Malon began to worry that something had gone terribly wrong.
At the year mark she convinced her father to go out in search of both the Fairy boy, and her beloved pony. Poor Talon old, bald, and fat was no warrior. He had to hire two bounty hunters to escort him to the outskirts of the woods. Once there he asked nearby villagers and woodsmen about the boy, but no one had an answer. One of the hunters knew of tales of “Forest Children” deep within Lost Woods. Talon and the hunters ventured forth, and spent nearly a week lost in the woods before a green haired forest girl with a Fairy led them back out. The girl seemed to know Link, and was actually the last person to have seen him, and the pony before they ventured far north west into the depths of Hyrule forest.
The Forest Girl had also led a search party months before Talon, and the Hunters arrived but it had been to no avail. Link, and Epona were officially lost.
When Talon arrived empty handed Malon couldn’t help but fall into a deep state of depression. Following the devastating news she made a habit of sitting by the window every night in order to gaze at the ranch gates hoping , and praying that Link would show up galloping through the gates with Epona.
Then one a night when Malon least expected it, two years after his fateful departure, he arrived with Epona, galloping through the gates. Malon screamed at the top of her lungs as her heart stopped at the sight of such a miracle. It was like seeing a dead loved one suddenly walk through the door after the reality of their perpetual, and eternal absence had sunk in for good.
As she ran out of the house to greet them, for a moment she thought she was seeing ghosts. She was 13, almost 14 winters old. She had blossomed into a young woman, and eerily enough her beloved Link, and Epona hadn’t aged a day. It was like they had never left at all. Link was still a boy of 11 winters, and Epona was still her pony self.
The fact that this time Link had left without taking the horse worried her though.
“Yes…but maybe it would have been better if he had taken Epona with him. That way he knew he had to return because he had taken something tangible from me.” Malon regretted, ‘Instead he took my heart, but does he know?’ Malon thought to herself.
Link did return that one time, with a wondrous tale of falling into parallel world, and reliving an endless 3 day cycle, which would explain why he didn’t age while the rest of the world did.
Malon wasn’t certain of the tale at first, but everything about Link was as absurd as the tales of his exploits. Link first ran into her with a living breathing fairy, Link also had an Ocarina that could create a thunderstorm on a sunny day. Link was full of magic and Hyrule was a land full of it, and of Ancient mysteries. It was possible that everything that Link had told her he had done was true.
His tales usually involved some form of time travel of sorts which is why there were no eyewitnesses of his exploits to speak of, except Navi of course, but she was gone.
The other strange thing about Link that would, in part, confirm some of his heroic deeds was his relationship with the Royal family, namely; Princess Zelda, despite being just a forest boy with no social status of importance to speak of.
There was some resentment on Malon’s otherwise Noble and pure heart at the remembrance of Zelda’s name. After returning from his two year hiatus with Epona, Link spent the next two years living at the ranch for prolonged seasons. Those two years were the happiest, and most adventurous times she had ever lived, she created the most cherished memories in her heart, and it all ended with a Royal summons from Princess Zelda herself. Link left for a few days, then returned with a changed demeanor, saying he had to go to the Forest. It would be the last she would see, or hear of Link her eternal Fairy boy.
“Papa…I cannot accept a marriage proposal from Lord Stonard, not until Link comes back…” Malon said with a determined expression on her youthful blue eyes.
Talon could only shake his head, he wasn’t angry with his daughter, but he was afraid Malon was making a mistake making a powerful man like Lord Stonard wait. Stonard was the son of General Marcilus Stonard, one the most powerful men in Hyrule, and the right hand of the King. He was a renowned warrior, and he seemed to be in line to succeed his father’s position.
Talon didn’t care much for social status, in fact, personally, he liked Link more. Talon owned vast stretches of farm land that Malon would eventually inherit so he knew she would be well off regardless. Link however could make Malon feel the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, and that was concerning to the old Farmer.
“Marriage isn’t something you should jump into with regrets…”
“And yet?” Malon interrupted Talon on mid sentence.
“And yet Link is an unpredictable child. He lives for adventure. I like the boy, in fact I love that boy. He is a natural in the ranch. I will always be in his debt for opening my eyes on Ingo.” Talon explained as he gulped a mouthful of beer from his mug.
“And yet?”
“And yet, he could dead at the bottom of a pit in an ancient temple for all we know. That’s his nature. That’s not husband material. Do you want to live out the rest of your days peeking at that window wondering when, and if he will return home to you?” Talon questioned with the stern and concerned face of a father who wanted the best for her daughter.
Malon let out a sad sigh, “He is alive.” It was all she could say.
Talon stood up with a resigned look on his face. He patted his eternal little girl on the shoulder. It was getting late. He gave her a good night kiss on the forehead and he exited Malon’s room he stopped at the sound of his daughter’s voice.
“Papa…If by first snow fall next winter, Fairy boy hasn’t returned…I will marry Lord Stonard.”
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Cool story!