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Legend of Zelda: The Five Stones (Agnores x Candira)

Link moved with the blow, staggering back a bit before fixing Malon with another glare. He knew he deserved that, but it wasn't like she deserved the push any less. He choose to ignore the sight of what was in her bags, becoming increasingly glad that she hadn't swung that thing at him. When she was done talking, Link shook his head and pushed past her, placing his hands on the doors and giving them a big shove, slowly pushing them open. A staircase was revealed, leading down just as Saria had said.

Link glanced at Malon, like he wanted to say something, but then decided against it and disappeared down the stairs.
 
Malon watched as Link stubbornly pushed past her and opened the doors to the temple trial. He looked at her as if he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut and started down the stairs. She let him get a few steps ahead of her and sighed, waving to Saria before she followed after the stubborn idiot. Before long, they reached the bottom of the stairs and entered a long hallway with crumbling walls. On either side was a series of chambers that would bring them to the end of the hall where an enormous, circular room began, no doors to be seen.

She stood at the base of the steps, waiting for Link to decide what to do. She figured that he would be walking straight into the large room, determined to face his goal without searching the area for anything that might be useful.
 
Malon was right about one thing; Link had no interest in the chambers that lined the crumbling walls. He saw the big chamber at the end of the hall and decided that must be where the trial would be held. He made a beeline for that room, ignoring everything else but the room at the end of the hallway. He hadn't even really noticed that Malon had followed him; he had assumed that she would go back to the village, possibly even head back to the ranch. At this point in time, Link didn't care. He was about to pass a Trial and be one step closer to avenging his dad.

When he stepped into the big chamber, he got a real good look at the room. Of all of the Temple they had seen, this room was the most well kept. The walls still stood strong, adorned with various paintings of roads across from where Link and Malon entered the room; there was five in total, one of a forest path, a mountain road, a bridge over a river, a dark tunnel, and a packed stone street in a desert town. Strong metal bars prevented Link from walking the perimeter of the room, guiding him towards a set of stairs that led to a raised, almost arena-like platform in the center of the room. Link paused here, taking in his surroundings, suddenly nervous about what he was about to do.
 
Malon had left the packs outside of the temple, so it was easy to see why Link hadn't realized that she was following him. But he was pretty well absorbed in the task at hand, even though he didn't really seem to understand what that task was. Well, she couldn't deny that he was dedicated. Obsessed, might be a better word, but what was the point of splitting hairs, at this point? The room was forboding and the air was charged with an ominous sense of darkness, despite there being a good deal of light in the room.

She followed him up the stairs, keeping her mouth closed, standing back a few feet. She wouldn't get in his way. This was too important, and frankly, he was distracted enough already. It was all she could do to pray that he wouldn't be too hurt by what was about to take place.
 
Link stepped into the arena, walking carefully to the center. He heard a sound from behind him, and when he spun, a translucent red wall had materialized between him and the stairs. It was now that he realized that Malon had followed him; he turned and stepped towards the barrier, reaching out and placing his hand on it. It was as hard as stone, despite looking thin. His eyes met Malon's through the wall, and he nodded his thanks, as begrudging as it may be. With that, he turned back around and stepped toward the center of the arena.

When he reached the exact center, a feeling of immense danger washed over him, and for the first time since he had acquired it, Link drew his Master Sword. He pulled the shield over his shoulder and set it to his arm as well, dropping into a combative stance as he took a few steps back, looking around. In front of him, a dark form seemed to amass from no where, taking on a person-like shape. Slowly, details began to form on the shadow figure, and as they did, Link became filled with rage. Before him stood Ganon. This had to be one of his spells, and he had somehow learned of what Link was attempting to do, and came to stop him. This worked for Link, who gave a strangled, angry cry and charged forward, raising the sword above his head and swinging it at Ganon.

However, Link may as well have not moved for all the good it did. Ganon easily jumped up and back, floating easily out of Link's reach. He smirked at Link as he floated backwards, his feat several feet above the ground. When he backed into the painting of the forest path, Ganon seemed to melt into it, appearing on the path as if he was a part of the painting itself. Link watched as the Ganon figure walked up the path and over its horizon, disappearing. Growling, Link dropped into his combat stance again, and looked around him, waiting for Ganon to appear again. He wondered if Ganon had used this kind of magic when combating his dad. This kind of cowardly, annoying magic.

It had never occurred to Link to watch the paintings. Otherwise, he would have seen the Ganon figure walking slowly down the stone street in the desert picture. Link's focus was completely on his next assault when Ganon showed up again. Ganon dashed from the painting without a sound, raising up a staff to swing at Link. Had it not been for Malon's yell, Link wouldn't have seen the attack, or raised his shield in time. The blow still hurt, knocking Link over to his side. Ganon floated above the arena, still smirking down at Link as she picked himself up. "You have been judged by this Trial to be unworthy of the Triforce," a deep, booming voice yelled. "You must learn to tame the emotions in your heart to see through the illusions they would have you believe."

"SHUT UP!" Link yelled, charging at Ganon once again. Ganon floated almost lazily out of his reach; Link's vertical slash made contact with nothing but the ground. However, this time Ganon came down fast, landing on Link and bringing him to the ground. Ganon turned, putting a foot on the back of Link's head. With most of Ganon's weight bearing down on his back, and a foot on his head, Link was pinned, and it only served to anger him even worse. A stream of curses and threats flew from his mouth, but Ganon only smirked. "Listen, young one," the voice began. "There is potential in your heart to be a Hero of the Triforce. But not while your heart is aflame with hatred and anger. No tree can grow in flames."

Link was not listening, and Ganon seemed almost saddened by this. Ganon's gaze shifted up towards Malon, where an almost confused look crossed his face. "You should take a leaf from your friend," Ganon said to Link, despite the fact the young boy was doing anything but listening. "She could pass the trial, if it would not be a waste for her." With that, the spirit jumped off of Link, towards the edge of the arena furthest from Malon. Link sprung up, taking his sword in hand and charged; this time Ganon brought his staff up and swung. Link didn't get his shield up in time for this blow, it hitting him directly in the chest. The force of the blow sent Link flying backwards; the red well dissipated as Link flew through it, hitting the ground in the hall and rolling a bit. Link's sword skittered to a halt at Malon's feet, having been dropped as Link flew back from the arena.

"You hold power, young one," Ganon said to Malon, as he slowly faded from existence.
 
Had she been in Link's shoes, she was sure she would have made some of the same mistakes he had. Believing that Ganon was actually there and not a manifestation of the temple, for one. As it was, however, Malon had the presence of mind to realize that this was not so--this Ganon was merely the form the trial chose to take for link. What the tree had said and what Saria had said about needing balance to complete this trial successfully rang true in her head. If he hadn't been so caught up in his anger, there was a distinct possibility that Link might have realized what was going on before things had gone too far.

The battle had been brief, but brutal, and Malon had no doubt that Link might actually have killed the illusory Ganon if he'd made contact. As it was, he was too angry to think straight. His emotions had overrun his brain yet again. And it was at this point that Malon felt entitled to say, "I told you so." However, as the young man flew past her and into the hall with a supremely violent crash, it just didn't seem fair. And to be honest, it had been forgotten the moment she realized he was in real danger.

She screamed as he flew past, unable to stop herself, but she gathered her wits as she rushed toward him. The illusion's words reached her, but for the time being, they were forgotten. Link needed her help. She took his sword, carrying it carefully to him. She knelt beside him to see how bad his injuries were.

"Link!" she said, shaking his shoulders for he was certainly dazed. "Link? If you can hear me I need you to nod for me, okay?" She set the sword down beside him and then moved so that she could inspect his injuries.
 
The blow had been painful, but hitting the ground and rolling had made it so much worse. Sharp pains shot through him from his chest each time he took a breathe. Link laid there, trying to make his breaths as light as possible. His mind was swimming with anger and pain, and he found it hard to concentrate on any one thing. He heard Malon calling his name, but it was if she was calling from a distance. Link couldn't concentrate on that anymore than he could anything else. When she shook him, Link let out a cry of pain. His eyes shot open and focused on her, a pained expression on his face while the pain subsided.

"Ow..." he forced, the act of drawing in air to talk shooting pain through his body.

He closed his eyes again for a moment then opened them once more, looking at Malon. Had she always been that...beautiful? Errant thought aside, Link let out another grunt of pain as he breathed looking past Malon back towards the arena, where Ganon no longer was. "He's...gone?" Link asked, wincing a little. He had failed the trial after all, and was now really hurt. Great.
 
She stopped shaking him when she knew he'd snapped out of it and carefully held him up instead. Malon knew he was in a great deal of pain at this point, and whether he'd deserved it or not, she didn't want to cause any more than was necessary. At Link's question, she nodded and looked around them. Nothing to really help at this point. She'd have to do her best to help him out and ask Sariah to help patch him up. "Okay, well, that went about as well as could have been expected." She frowned and carefully helped Link to stand, letting him use her as a crutch.

"You're in no condition to try again any time soon, so come with me. I'll get you some lon lon milk and Sariah can take a look at you. Come on, then." With that, she made sure he had his sword and shield and carefully started to walk with him, trying to be as gentle as possible in the process. He'd been through quite enough.
 
Link stood up, but it was painful. Something definitely wasn't right with his chest, and from some rough guesses the attack from Ganon had broken a rib or two. It was likely the pain from breathing was coming from his lungs expanding into the broken part of his rib cage. Grunting, he leaned heavily on Malon while they walked, trying his best to focus on anything but the pain in his chest. For some reason, Ganon was in these woods. Why hadn't the tree or that Kokiri girl told him this? Why did they seemed surprised to hear Ganon's name when he was in the woods? Something wasn't adding up in Link's head, but he was in too much pain to really think through it.

The steps were hell, and Link slowed them down considerably. He was no stranger to pain, but he had never experienced a pain that made breathing unbearable, and it was hard to grit your teeth and press forward when literally everything you did, whether you controlled it or not, was causing you to want to keel over and die. Eventually, however, they made it up stairs, where Saria awaited.

"He failed, as the Great Deku Tree predicted," she said, but there was no condescension in her voice. Instead, it fluttered with concern. Several other Kokiri were a ways behind her, busy building a small platform. "When you descended, I sent my fairy to bring the Kokiri here, and had them start building that platform. I had a feeling he would be hurt. Have him lie on it, and when we get him to the village, I'll see if I can't convince the fairies of the forest to use their magic to heal him."

Saria smiled at Malon, and helped her carry Link to the platform, and lay him down. The Kokiri picked it up with little to no trouble, and began a slow trot back towards the village, but Saria did not follow; she grabbed ahold of Malon's hand. "The Deku Tree would like to speak with you. We can go now, or after you check on your friend in the village." Saria smiled warmly at Malon.
 
Malon frowned, cringing a little with each step. She knew he was in an extreme amount of pain, and it was difficult to imagine him being otherwise. His body had taken quite a beating, and she was certain that part of that beating had come from his own mind. Malon helped him, wishing for his sake that the stairs had been less steep or even just less. Poor guy was in enough pain, wasn't he? When they reached the top, Saria was still there--and now she had company. Apparently, the Kokiri girl had thought ahead and figured out that Link hadn't really been thinking with his brain when he went to take the trial. Well, hopefully now he'd learn.

The rancher frowned and helped him over to the platform the Kokiri had made with Saria's help and watched them take off with him. It was an odd sight to see, but it meant that he'd be getting help soon enough. She was just about to pick up their packs and go with him when Saria grabbed her hand. The girl turned, surprised at the tree's request--once she got over the fact that a tree could have one. "Of course...I just...I need to make sure he'll be okay first." With that, she scooped up both packs and trotted after Link's little caravan. Her load was a bit heavier without his help, but she was more worried about whether or not he would be healed. The best she could do was to give him lon lon milk.
 
The Kokiri were surprising light with their steps considering the load they were carrying and the rough terrain they were covering. Link didn't feel a singe bump the whole way, which helped the pain in his chest recede just a little. He groaned, idly wondering where Malon had gotten off to. Something told him that she would be able to make the pain go away, that she would make him feel better. It would probably accompany a lecture, but right now, Link was all right with that. A lecture would be just fine.

The Kokiri guided Link into the village, trotting him over to Saria's house. Her house was nothing more than a hollowed out tree trunk, though the tree trunk was quite large; there was plenty of room for Malon to stand stall and comfortably even with all the Kokiri and Saria slip into the house through the curtains that acted like a door. The Kokiri that had carried Link on the platform gently set it down, making sure to do so evenly lightly so as to not hurt Link more. Once he was down, each of the Kokiri lifted their hats and let a small ball of light fly out. The Fairies hovered over link, floating in a small circle over him.

"The Fairies have powerful healing magic," Saria explained. "It is reported that if you get enough Fairies together, and they can bring back the dead. Still, they only speed up the natural healing process. So what make take months to heal will now only take a day or two." Saria smiled up at Malon, hoping that her explanations were enough.
 
Saria's words barely reached Malon. She understood what the Kokiri woman had told her, though. "Before you do that," she said, "Let me give him some lon lon milk. It'll help heal him and give him some energy as well." With that, she reached into one of the bags Link had been carrying and removed a large bottle. Carefully, she lifted his head and held him carefully. She tried not to move his chest a great deal--there would be pain if he moved too much. One of his ribs was probably broken, if not badly bruised. Malon tilted the bottle carefully, letting him drink a little at a time until about half of the bottle was gone.

"You'll be alright now, Link," she said softly, gently laying him back down. "It'll be okay." She smiled a little--worry still showing through her as she tried her best to be reassuring. She stayed close and looked up at the fairies, wishing they would do their best to heal him. Then she looked at Saria and nodded. Soon, the fairies began to circle Link, spinning around him, flying in what appeared to be a frenzy. Their movements were graceful, but fast. The more they circled link, the more his wounds appeared to fade.

Malon smiled down at Link once again. "Do me a favor, okay? Next time I ask you to calm down--do it."
 
Link grunted when Malon lifted his head, glaring at her as pain shot through him. She offered milk, which Link drank gratefully, almost sad when she took away. Heartened, Link laid back down and closed his eyes. Link closed his eyes and choose to pretend that he didn't hear Malon spewing meaningless nothings like that would make him feel better; however, when the fairies began to move over him, Link felt a thousand times better. He opened his eyes and watched the fairies, fascinated by their dance. He still hurt, but it was a dull ache, something he could ignore. The bruises were gone, his chest felt better, and Link could move without falling over in pain.

Link shot Malon a glare when she mentioned calming down when she said to, but before he could say anything Saria intervened, taking Malon by the hand. "We mustn't keep the Great Deku Tree waiting," and almost dragged Malon from the house. Link gave a 'harumph' and laid back down, content to nap a little. Already in his head was a plan to sneak out as soon as he could and try the temple again. He gave no thought to the fact he didn't know his way through the Lost Woods, or how he was still technically hurt. All he knew was that he had to get there again, and this time without Malon dragging him down.



"She's here, Great Deku Tree!" Saria called as she pulled Malon into the clearing.

The old tree's expression was different from earlier, now in a sort of smile. However, the face remained completely motionless as it spoke in its dull roar.

"Malon. I see Link's trial went as well as I had warned." There was a brief silence before the tree continued, in which Saria practically bounced over to her seat on the tree's root. "I could not say earlier, as it would have boosted the young man's ego to fatal proportions, but I knew the two of you would come visit me long before you were born. You see, when the Goddesses made the world, they left us with a number of prophecies. One such prophecy involves you and the young warrior, and the man who took over Hyrule."

Saria began to speak now. "The prophecy is this: "Hyrule will face a darkness from within. A hero blessed by the Triforce after conquering his grief, will rise and work together with a member of the Royal Family to bring an end to such darkness." After saying her piece, she slid from the root and ran around the the Great Deku Tree, disappearing behind him.

"I believe Link to be this hero," the tree continued. "And that your destiny is tied to his. As such, I give you this artifact, that you may ensure he sees his quest to the end." Saria reappeared from around the tree, carrying a wooden flute. It was a simple thing, with little to no additional detail added to it. Saria held it out for Malon to take. "Just blow on the flute," Saria said., "And the Fairies of the Kokiri will come to your aid!"
 
When Link appeared to feel better, Malon let loose a sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't be in pain for long. Or at least, not a lot of pain. But before she could do much else, she was dragged to her feet and out of the small tree house. She glanced back at Link but she was gone before long. She hurried along with Saria to the Great Deku Tree, and caught her breath as they started in on the prophecy business. A royal family member? Did they mean Princess Zelda? Well they would need to free her if she was going to help defeat Gannon.

Confused as to her role in all of this, the rancher's daughter took the offered flute and stared at it. It felt somehow warm in her hands, and she felt the urge to play it. What surprised her even more was the fact that she seemed to know how to play it. She looked up at the green haired woman, confused. "I...How?" She bit her bottom lip and sighed, lifting the wooden flute to her mouth. She closed her eyes and her body took up the proper stance, and before she knew it, she was making music. A short tune later, and she was surrounded in fairies.
 
Momo was a fairy like any other. She fluttered around the Kokiri Woods, using her soft pink light to keep the Kokiri from getting lost. She played with the other fairies, and she celebrated when her friends found their Kokiri match. When a Kokiri was hurt she offered her magic to heal him, and when the Great Deku Tree gave her a job she did it without question. Overall, Momo was a good fairy, and was happy to do her part. Unlike the other fairies, however, Momo had an obsession with romance: she had it in her head that when she would finally bond with a Kokiri, it would be romantic and she would love that Kokiri forever.

She did not expect to get drawn to a Hylian girl playing a flute.

It was an enchanting song, the girl bouncing slightly as she played. And Momo wasn't the only fairy drawn to the music. Hundreds of fairies flew in circles around her, glowing brightly and laughing merrily. Momo did the same, losing her self in the swirl of fairies that surrounded the girl. When she stopped playing, Momo had been laughing and having so much fun that she did not notice all the other fairies fly away. When she did realize the music had stopped and she was the only fairy still there, she was came to a stop right in front of the girl's face. Momo looked around, unsure what to do.

"Hi," she said, awkwardly.
 
Malon blinked, not really sure how it had come to pass, but there were fairies all around her as she played the song. And then...one remained. Not really sure what to do, she glanced at Saria who just sort of shrugged, smiling. The rancher's daughter thought it would be rude to not return the somewhat awkward greeting, so she did. "Hello...there." She looked in wonder at her flute, holding it in both hands. "Duh nuh nuh NAHHH!"

Well that was strange. Frowning, feeling like an idiot, Malon returned her attention to the small creature in front of her. "Ummm...my name is Malon. Who are you?" She asked, staring in wonder.
 
Momo idly wondered if all Hylians did that with items they find. She hoped not. That was weird.

When the Hylian introduced herself as Malon, Momo fluttered happily around her, gaining giggles from Saria. "My name is Momo! I am a fairy of the forest! Nice to meet you!" Momo gave a little flourish at the end of her introduction, waving and bobbing about.

"Momo, eh?"

The voice that spoke then was the voice of the Great Deku Tree, and it seemed thoughtly. Saria glanced curiously at the tree, and Momo turned to face him. "Oh, yes, Great Deku Tree! Momo at your service!" Momo seemed to bounce excitedly.

"Momo, I hereby request that you travel with Malon as you would a Kokiri, and guide her and her friend on their mission to stop the world's growing darkness."

Mom floated there, stunned. "You want me...to pair...with a Hylian?" She looked over at Malon, remembering all her dreams she had about this moment. On how it would be super special and romantic and she would love the Kokiri forever.

"Oh, yay!" she explained, bouncing excitedly and darting to Malon, rubbing against her face and excitedly dashing back into her hair, spinning around it and mussing it up. As she circled back around in front of Malon, bouncing in that spot, she almost sang, "Fairy Momo, at your service! Monsters to fight? I'll help! Treasures to find? I'll help! Secret loves you want to come to fruition?" She floated close to Malon at this point, whispering. "Thats my specialty."

She began to nuzzle against Malon again. "Oh, this will be the best ever! Who would of thought I would be paired with such a beautiful girl? We'll be the best of friends! We'll talk about boys, I'll do your hair, we'll..."

It seemed there was an infinite amount of things Malon and Momo would end up doing.
 
Honestly, Malon had forgotten that the Deku tree was an intelligent being and was a bit startled when he spoke. And then the tree dropped a metaphorical bomb. A fairy?! Traveling with her? The girl's eyes widened in awe as she stared at the fairy, who seemed to be more excited about the news than even the girl. Malon giggled as Momo zoomed around her, flitting through her hair and nuzzling her.

The excitement seemed to be getting a little out of hand, though. "It's an honor to be paired with you," she said with a chuckle. She turned to the Deku tree and bowed her head respectfully, "Thank you, Great Deku Tree." She lifted her head to see Saria was still chuckling a little. "This has all been so much...but I need to ask. Why me? Isn't Link the one who'll save Hyrule?"
 
Saria looked to the Great Deku Tree, her look giving away that she knew something she wasn't sure she should say. The Deku Tree seemed to know what to say, as he gave a low, rumble as a chuckle. "Is it not a common saying amongst your people that behind every great man, is an even greater woman?" Saria laughed aloud at that, Momo finally coming to a stop on top of Malon's head. After Saria quieted down, the Tree continued. "You have your own destiny to fulfill, Malon. One that may very well be the difference between Link's success and failure."

Saria jumped from the root she was sitting on and ran over to Malon, taking her hand. "Come on, I'll show you a place you can stay tonight! The others should be done getting it ready." She tugged on Malon's hand, trying to get her to follow her back down to the path to the village. It would be a quiet trek, Saria not feeling like there was any new information to share.
 
Malon smiled at the saying, but she was still confused. What did she have to do with Link's success or failure? Certainly, this first temple would be key to whether or not he even survived, and she had agreed to help him...but could she actually turn the tide in his favor? Somehow that didn't seem quite right. She was just a rancher's daughter...who now had a flute that could summon fairies. Not to mention her little companion, Momo. Well, maybe she wasn't so insignificant after all. She could be useful. She was certain of that. The only question was if Link would see it that way.

She ran off with Saria in a bit of a daze. She wasn't really paying attention--her legs were just moving for her. Yes, Link was the problem. He had been alright when she'd left him--out of danger at the least. But she was still worried. So she would go with Saria back to the village and check out her house, but then, she resolved, she would visit him and tell him what had happened. Maybe she could convince him to actually listen to her. Well, she could dream.

It wasn't long before they were back in the village and Malon was being shown into a little Kokiri house like Saria's. A Kokiri villager had given it up for her and they'd managed to make a bed large enough for someone of Malon's size. It looked comfortable enough, and the sheets and blankets looked soft. The place was clean and, though it was small, it was nice. Her packs had somehow appeared in the room as well. She smiled and thanked Saria for thinking of her. "Thank the others for me as well, please."

When she was all settled in, the redhead made her way to the place where Link was resting. She would check on Epona afterword. Quietly, she slipped into the house, past the curtain and let herself in. "Link?" She said softly.
 
Link had done a thing. A thing that probably wouldn't be appreciated. A thing that Link would probably regret. A thing that Link had not completely thought through. That thing was sneaking out of the village while the Kokiri were away. He had slipped on his tunic, grabbed his sword and shield, and fled from the village and into the Lost Woods. He was refusing to admit it at this very moment, but he was beginning to understand why they called it the Lost Woods. Link couldn't tell one tree from the next, and everything looked the same, always seeming to round him back to where he began.

"Lost?"

The voice was childish, but it startled Link, causing him to spin around, readying his sword and shield. "Who's there?"

"Oh, no need for that," came the reply. Link lowered his weapons slightly at the slight of what he thought might be a Kokiri...but he didn't put it away. Instead of the mostly greens that the Kokiri themselves wore, this one wore mostly brown with a tinge of green. The kid wore a mask fashioned like a skull with a big floppy hat resting on his head, perfectly hiding any other features. In his hands was a worn, wooden flute.

"Who are you?" Link asked, still not putting away his weapons.

"Skull Kid," came the reply, and he broght the flute up to the hole in the mask for the mouth. "You should note I like your things."

Link looked quizzically at Skull Kid, who seemed to ignore Link's expression as he began to play the flute. It was a haunting sound, one that sent chills up and down Link's spine. "What are you doing?" Link asked, looking around, suddenly regretting this little foray into the woods.

"Taking your stuff," Skull Kid replied, just as he finished playing his flute. He laughed loud as a low snarl could be heard from the trees behind them; Link spun, readying his word and shield. He didn't expect to get nearly toppled over by a mound of fur and claw, swiping at him and snarling and baring. Most of the blows checked Link's shield, but a few managed to scrape his arms and legs, even catching his face. The creature was a wolf the size of a Hylian, bidpedal and ferocious...something that Link had only heard of from the tales of old knights.

A wolven.

Link pushed hard, with all his might to throw the wolven off of him, sending the creature rolling off to the side. Quickly, Link jumped up and readied his shield and sword, ready to strike when the creature gave the chance. Skull Kid had skiddered off, but his laughter still rang through the trees, informing Link that he was still around. Things were making sense now: Skull Kid wanted the wolven to kill Link so he could have his stuff.

The Skull Kid would just have to be disappointed.

The wolven was up now, hunched low and snarling at Link. They circled each other for a while, Link tense and waiting for the attack. It came soon; the wolven lunged as Link stepped to the side just a mite too slow. The wolven hit Link's shield; Link continued to step to the side, letting his shield move with the wolven's momentum. His shield arm gave away and the wolven fell to the side, and Link reacted quickly; he jumped up and brought the sword down hard into the wolven's back, causing a screech from the wolven as his fur turned a dark red.

Link didn't stop raising his blade and bringing it hard back down into the wolven, the creature's cries drawning out the haunting music of the Skull Kid's flute. It wasn't until he hard the snarls of several other wolven, the first one now long dead, that Link realized what had happened. He looked over his shoulders at the deep red eyes looking at him from between the trees, and Link knew he was in trouble. Sheathing his blade, he began to run as fast as he could. The wolven were faster, but Link far craftier; he kept his shield on his arm, using it to block the lunges and stall the wolven so he could dodge away and keep running.

He just ran and ran, not paying attention to which direction he was going. By the time he saw the light from between the trees that signified he was almost out, Link was positively covered in scatches, cuts, and bruises, and was running on fumes; his tunic was tattered shredded, covered with blood. He wouldn't last too much longer.

He only hoped he would appear near the village.
 
Malon realized Link was gone within seconds of her eyes adjusting to the darkened room Link had been staying in. She burst out of the house and ran to her own, grabbing her flute, rousing Momo. "I need your help, Momo. Link's missing. Please get Saria!" She ran back out to the village and called for help. Regardless of the fact that wounds healed faster with fairy magic, Link was in no condition to fight. If something had managed to creep into the village...

And the more she thought, the angrier she became. Link hadn't been stolen away or attacked. His sword and shield weren't even in the house. No. He'd purposely run away on his own. He'd gone through the Lost Woods, searching for the temple. This added a whole new problem. There was no way of knowing where he'd gone. They could search for days and not find him. "Idiot." Panic was starting to rise, along with anger, but she pushed it down. Once Saria had joined her once more, she explained that Link was gone and she thought that he may have gotten lost.

Just then, the idiot in question came crashing through the woods and into the village. And there was definitely something behind him. Without missing a beat, however, several Kokiri appeared out of nowhere and fired arrows at the creatures behind him, eliciting howls of pain and finally silence. What Malon saw before her made her look a little pale. Link was in even worse shape than when he'd come back from the temple. Rather than play her flute, however, the first thing she did was rush to him and slap him across the face.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Tears found the corners of her eyes and she stood as straight as she could. "Why would you ever do something so stupid?" She glared at him and felt the urge to slap him again but stopped herself. "Obviously talking to you isn't going to get us anywhere. After all, why would you do a silly thing like trust the person who's trying to help you? I mean what could you possibly have to gain from actually listening to someone who knows more about something than you do? Clearly nothing of value, right? It's much better to do everything on your own. Well, fine. You're on your own, moron!" With that, she whirled away and ran off to find Epona.
 
It WAS the village! Link stumbled forward, falling over, thinking that he would die right here in safety. But there was a twang and yelps of pain...and life. There was still life. Painful life, but Life nonetheless. Link stood, woozy, taking in his surroundings. There were Kokiri with bows, the ones who had obviously chased off the wolven, and then Malon who --

BAM!

She hit as hard as the damn wolven, Link thought, stumbling back and falling on his ass. Pain shot through everything on his body, especially his face, but he could tell Malon was upset. And everything she was saying had been true. It had been dumb to sneak out into the woods like that, without a guide, and while barely healed. He had been a total dumbass and almost died for it. He couldn't fault Malon for being upset with him, as much as he wanted to. The only thing he could think was that she didn't understand. She didn't understand that he HAD to pass this trial, and all this pandering and all this planning -- his dad didn't need to plan, his dad would just -- what would his dad think if he saw -- how could he save his dad if -- his dad was dead.

And whether it was the pain or the slap or the realization he could do nothing for his dad, Link broke down and cried. Heaving sobs that shot pain through his body from all the cuts; he curled up into a little ball and just cried. He didn't care that he was bleeding, didn't care that he was hurt, and didn't care he was sitting in the middle of the village. All he knew was that he, a Knight-to-be from the Castle, son of one of the greatest Knights in the land, had made a fool of himself trying to save a dead person. He could hear his dad now, "Son, what are you doing? I am dead. Yes, Ganon needs to be stopped...but stop focusing on me, on my death. Don't stop him for me. Let your anger and grief over my death fuel your strength in the battle against Ganon, but do not let it consume you."

Link had been consumed, and almost died. What could he do? Say he was sorry and start over? He couldn't. Not now. Not anymore. It was over. It was done. Link had failed and he cared not to try again.

He just wanted to be left alone.
 
Momo had been caught up in the excitement of things, zooming around and talking to other fairies and fetching Saria. She certainly hadn't expected Malon to react to her friend's reappearance in such a way. Apparently, from what the other fairies had told her, he had snuck off into the forest while he was still hurt. But for her to react this way to what he'd done was a bit of a shock. Malon didn't strike her as the sort to be violent, and this particular circumstance didn't seem the right time for such a thing...she must really have been hurt by what he'd done.

But it seemed as though he had had his reasons for going. And he definitely regretted leaving to handle it all on his own. He was crying in a way she hadn't seen before. Something about him just seemed...broken. Well, she needed to fix this. After all, she was supposed to go with Malon and Malon was supposed to be helping Link. Something needed to be done. So she flew after Malon and found her in the stables with her horse, crying a little herself.

"He's so stupid," she would whimper, sobbing into the horse's neck. Epona, to her credit, seemed to agree with the girl, doing her best to nuzzle the poor thing.

"Malon! There you are! I was worried about you." Momo fluttered around Malon's head as the girl wiped her eyes and sniffled a bit.

"I'm sorry, Momo. That was wrong of me." Everything had been wrong. "I shouldn't have run off. But he was just so...I don't think I've ever been quite so angry with a person before. He's so rude and annoying, but I try to forgive him because he's in pain and he's trying to avenge his father...but it doesn't give him a right to treat the people around him like dirt. It doesn't mean he gets to do whatever he wants with no consequences."

Momo frowned and sat on Epona's head. Epona seemed to be okay with this arrangement, and watched Malon as well. "Well, he got beaten up pretty badly. And then you hit him. I would say that's a consequence, wouldn't you?"

Malon sighed. He'd deserved to be slapped. Granted, she could have found a better time for it, he'd still deserved it. But that didn't mean that it was alright for her to walk away from him either. She needed to be a better person--a stronger guide for him. After all, she was apparently the key to his success. Sighing she nodded.

"I suppose so."

"See? We should go apologize. And that's enough crying. It makes me sad to see someone so pretty cry. And I'm sure Link would think the same thing. He's crying enough as it is."

He was crying....well she wished she could say that it served him right, but she knew he needed her now. Walking away was not an option. So she sighed and stood up, brushing away the hay with Momo's help, unwittingly sending the message that she cared about what Link thought of her. "Alright. Let's go."

"Yay! It'll get better. You'll see!" And with that the bright ball of light zoomed off again. Malon smiled at Epona and shrugged. "Thanks for being there for me."

And with that, she followed after Momo, making her way back to the bloodied and beaten Link. When she finally found him, she stood over him for a moment and considered that he was in pain and clearly needed to be alone. He was also a mess and needed to be cleaned up. So he would just have to deal with the intrusion.

Her expression softened as she sighed and knelt down. "It'll be alright. I'm still mad at you--don't misunderstand--but we all make mistakes, I guess. Maybe this time you'll learn."

With that, she lifted the fairy flute to her lips and summoned a whirlwind of fairy lights to help heal him.
 
By the time Malon had appeared by Link, he had stopped sobbing. Instead, he was doing nothing. Just sitting there, curled up and bleeding. Malon said words to him, but this time, rather than hearing them and ignoring them, he just plain didn't hear them. He was lost in his own self-loathing and torment; he didn't notice the whirlwind of fairies or even that his cuts were gone and healed. He didn't feel better, he didn't care, and he just wanted to quit.

"I just wanna quit, daddy. I can't do it."

His dad smiled at him ruffling his hair. "Son, the test is hard, I get that...but no one ever gets it at first. Knights are meant to be the best, and if everyone could join, they would not be so."

Link pulled away from his dad, pouting and crossing his arms. "But I am the best! I am your son! I have to be!"

His dad laughed, shaking his head. "Son, I earned my station and my skill. You must do the same."

"Its too hard. It wasn't hard for you."

His dad hugged Link close, smiling down at his son. "You know, son, I gave up trying to be a Knight just like you seem to want to. It was too hard, I thought, and I was not good enough. I was settling for being a farmer for the rest of my life...but then I tried again. And again. And again. And I failed, and failed, and failed."

Link pulled back, looking at his dad, disbelief blatant on his face. "I don't believe it."

"Ask your mother. Its how I met her. She was the one who took down the names of all trying to join the Knights that year. I applied so often we ended up falling in love. I didn't make it into the Knights until my 27th try, son."

Link stared at his dad. The best Knight in the kingdom didn't make it in until he had applied 27 times!? That couldn't be true.

But it had been. His mother had tried to fight back the tears laughing as she recounted the tale. Link had been inspired by that to keep trying until he made it, just like his dad. And lo and behold, he was in on his 13th try. He had been so happy...he had done better than his dad.

But was he doing better than his dad now? No. He had forgotten all it meant to be a Knight and let himself get consumed with hate and grief. He was nothing, an insult to his dad's memory...and worse of all, he only had one try. He couldn't keep trying until he succeeded, and it didn't look like he could succeed on his first try. He was unsure what to do, and slowly he raised his head, his expression dead.

"What do I do?" he asked, his voice flat.
 
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