Part 9

      Part Nine Malon stared at the three goddesses. Though in mortal form, they were divinely stunning, breathtakingly inspiring. Din, Goddess of Power, Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom, and Farore, goddess of Courage. She tried to straighten her jumbled thoughts, tried to get her body to obey her mind, tried to show the Goddess the respect they commanded. She couldn't. She blinked briefly; attempting to clear her blurred vision and then fainted dead away in front of the creators of the world.

"Poor girl," sighed Nayru, "look at her, so confused, so scared..."

"...So unconscious." Finished Din.

"Maybe she would have done better if somebody else had interceded." Farore shook her head as she walked over to the girl. Gently raising the girl's head, she lay two fingers on Malon's forehead. Instantly all the scrapes and bruises marking the beautiful face. All the dirt on Malon's body was washed away in a glow of the scared touch. "There, she is healed."

"Let us get another to assist us." Din suggested to her sisters.

"Yes." Nayru and Farore agreed. Stepping back into a swirling golden light, the three Goddess disappeared.

"Malon, love, its time to wake up. Come on now, you can't sleep any longer."

Malon causally opened one blue eye. "Mother...? I had this dream that I couldn't get out of...you were dead...but the most surprising thing was there was a war going on..." She choked back a sob. "And I wanted to help, but I couldn't! Link didn't think I could do anything, but Nabooru thought I could do everything, but really, they were both wrong! Why can't I be like Zelda? She's so perfect..."

Malon's mother ran her hands over Malon's hair. "Hush now. I'm here with you, it's alright."

Malon struggled to get up. "It wasn't a dream, was it Mother?" She searched her mother's face. "It was real, right? I'm dreaming now, aren't I? Was this caused by the Goddesses?"

Deedra sighed and gathered her daughter in her arms. "For so long I wanted to hold you, to speak with you, to share my life with you. I have watched you, sometimes, you're just the daughter I always wanted, better than the Princess Zelda. Your father and I were so proud of you when you were born. You were the perfect baby, curious, smart, well behaved, independent, you insisted on feeding yourself from the earliest age…"

Malon sighed happily. She closed her eyes and listened to her mother's stories. She had always longed for a moment like this; she had always wanted to be with her mother.

"When I died, you were so little, so young, I doubted that you would remember me…" She inhaled deeply, trying to hold back the tears. "I have watched you, from above, you were just like me at that age, always wanting to find something new, so daring…" Her voice trailed off again. "But anyway, back to the present, you need to go back and help your friends. You have to defeat this new evil."

Malon pulled away from her mother's arms and hung her head down, ashamed. "My horse was frightened…" She explained lamely.

Deedra looked up, angry. "Oh come Malon. You could have stopped him if you wanted."

Malon nodded sadly.

"Oh honey," Deedra brushed back Malon's long red hair. "It's your destiny to help save Hyrule. Link, Saria, Tellikah, Princess Zelda, everyone has a meaning to be here, has a path to follow. You and your friends must join together to face Carnovan."

Malon shook her head. "I'm no good! Link's fought before, Zelda is a Sage and holds part of the Triforce, Tellikah is a Sheikah…"

"You must work together as equals, Malon. All of you have a reason for being chosen. It's up to you to gather your own power to end this war."

Malon and Deedra stood up together. Deedra whistled, a tune Malon recognized as the song she had taught Link to call his own horse. Shadavelle trotted over, tossing his mane majestically as he stood before Malon and her mother.

Deedra patted his nose. "A good steed, strong but skittish." She said as she inspected him. "I knew you could train him."

Malon blushed with happiness. "Thank you."

Deedra turned serious again. "You have to go now, Link needs you. Everyone needs you." She hugged her daughter tightly. "I love you."

Malon held back her tears. "Will you always be here for me?"

"Of course, love. Now go, you'll be fine."

She climbed onto her horse's back. "Goodbye Mother."

"Good luck Malon."

Malon smiled wanly at her mother. "I'll miss you."

"And I you." Deedra waved as her daughter returned to harsh reality.

Epona attacked the creature fiercely with her strong legs. She kicked violently and stamped on the serpent monster until it expired, leaving a hissing cloud of smoke in the air. She looked around herself quickly, reassuring herself that it had been the last.

"Good Epona! You did it!" Saria had been holding onto Link's waist with all her might, trying not to be thrown into the holes of fire that now surrounded them. She finally opened her eyes when the horse's movement stopped.

Link looked frantically around him. They were stranded; the cracked earth had made deep ditched circle around them, forcing them to stand on a small piece of rock that seemed to be shrinking by the minute. Trying to keep Epona steady, Link searched for a safe place to jump to.

Tellikah's insides fluttered. In front of her, she could see Link, Zelda, Saria and Epona, stranded. Her thoughts flopped in her head as she tried to make a plan. Suddenly she hopped of her horse and landed softly on the ground. Rolling up her sleeves, she gulped a few breaths of hot, stale air and dropped to her knees on the tortured earth. Her mind emptied, peaceful white blanching out all her crazy notions. Placing her hands firmly on the ground, she drew out her own energy and began to heal the field.

Link stared as the girl stopped the quaking. From where he and his friends stood, he had a clear view of all that was happening. The world cease to shake, the cracks melted back together and the steams faded into the dark sky.

The brown and red interior closed back together, interlocking open holes into a smooth surface like before anything had happened. The putrid smoke cleared from the air, soothing the horses and relieving the troops.

Tellikah slowly opened her eyes, seeing something others could only dream of. She got to her feet, trembling somewhat, and stood silent, still focussing on the far away object. Her long black hair had come out of her braid to brush against her now rosy cheeks, contrasting with the light that seemed to glow from her body. Her eyes sparkled like stars against her skin. She looked inhuman, like a nymph or some other kind of supernatural being, some beautiful fairy who had felt the true, perfect flow of pure joy. She continued to stand, unaware of those around her.

Link jumped of his horse, ignoring the calls from Saria and Zelda and ran to the Sheikah. He stood in front of her, unable to decide what to make of her or her magical act. His eyes searched her own, trying to find a sign that his friend hadn't flown off and left just an empty shell of her former self.

Then she blinked. The warm touch of whatever she had been feeling; love, happiness, pleasure, whatever it had been, jumped away, floating her spirit back down to earth. She frowned at Link, unsure of whom he was, who she was and where she was. Then she knew. Reality crashed on her, and with a soft moan, Tellikah wavered, touched a hand to her head and tipped over sideways.

Faster than even he had expected, Link reached out and grabbed her. Holding her tenderly, Link stared at her, a mixture of awe and concern. "How did you do that?" Tellikah smiled slightly. "I never knew that I could do it…must have been Sheikah magic." Her eyelids fluttered, and with one last look at her friend, she fell unconscious.

Zelda rushed over followed closely behind by Saria, who, for the first time in her life, was riding a horse alone.

The Princess dropped to her kneels, unmindful of the blood stained dirt under her, and gently brushed Tellikah's hair from her face. She sighed with deep relief when she realized the Sheikah was still alive. "She's just tired." She told Link quietly. "I don't how she did that…must be magic of some kind-"

"It was." A voice interrupted. From out of the night, Faylona, leader of the Sheikah, stepped silently. She carefully took Tellikah from Link's arms and began to walk away.

"Wait!" Zelda reached out and grabbed Faylona's arm. "What are you doing with her? Where are you taking her?"

Faylona sighed and knelt down to the ground, laying the girl on the earth. "If you want me to do it here, so be it." She placed her hands over Tellikah's chest, a few inches from the girl's body, and chanted softly.

Link stood next to Zelda. "What-"

"Don't speak." Zelda cut him of quickly. "She needs to concentrate."

He shifted awkwardly, but said no more. His questions would have to wait. Still mindful of the battle, he motioned Saria to bring Epona over. He grabbed onto the reigns, ready at any moment to ride into the forest to save the day.

Zelda watched, intrigued with the Sheikah's magic. She had seen Impa do this spell once, the time after she had helped Link defeat Ganon, she had fallen deeply ill, almost fatally injured by the pure evil. Impa had saved her life that night, just like Faylona was saving Tellikah.

A ball of light formed over Tellikah's body. It glowed with a rainbow of light, gently throbbing and pulsing with magic. Faylona sat back to watch the sphere do its work.

It sped over the girl's body, basking her in a warm shine. As it traveled, long wisps of black vapors rose from Tellikah's motionless frame until all were gathered within the ball.

Faylona sat back for a moment, gasping for breath. Her body had been drained of all energy; her head felt light, her body stone heavy in contrast. She'd have to rest to regain herself. Frowning, she thought it over. She wouldn't be any help just sitting around. She'd have to go some where quiet. Cursed draining. After she could inhale easily, she stood and stepped into the shadows, disappearing from sight.

Tellikah's eyes fluttered open. She pushed herself into a sitting position and looked at her companions. "What did I miss?"

Zelda smiled in relief. "Not much."

"Yes much," Link said angrily. "We need to get the Kokiri. We've been wasting too much time here."

"Wasting?" Zelda glared Link. "Tellikah saved our lives! How could you be so ungrateful?"

"Let's stop fighting and go already!" Tellikah got her feet. She shoved the two heroes apart and headed for the opening to the Lost Woods. "Let's go!"

Link and Zelda watched in shock at the girl, who had been but moments ago, lifeless on the ground, ran with tremendous speed to the woods.

Hopping on the Epona's back and helping the Princess on, Link followed the Sheikah, catching up despite the weight his horse carried on her back. The wind had picked up again, and Link could feel it biting his face. The field turned into a blur as they flew across it, Link's heart racing as fast as air around him. He could see the familiar doorway into his old home. Absently he remember stepping out of the shade in the light of Hyrule Field the first time, when he was a child, when he first started his quest. When they reached the edge of the woods, they dismounted. Taking out their weapons and with Saria leading, they stepped quietly into the forest's open arms.

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