Okay, this is it.
Link took a deep breath as he fidgeted with the daisy in his fingers. This was the day that changed everything. Was he ready? He didn't feel ready. Did he have everything he needed? Flower? Check. Wallet? Check. Trusty green cap? Check. And...
His heart started beating twice as fast as he frantically searched his person. Finally, his hand landed on a small box tucked carefully into a corner of his adventure pouch. Link sighed in relief — he hadn't lost it. Good, so he was ready.
But he still didn't feel ready. He never would. Why? How is this time any different from the countless times before?
Because this time changes everything, a pesky voice in the back of his mind reminded him. If you mess this up, it's all over.
Link ran his hand through his blond hair, fussing over the stray strands that fell in his face. He straightened his green cap and tightened the belt around his tunic. Everything had to go perfectly. He couldn't afford even one thing going wrong tonight; it simply wasn't an option.
"What do you think?" he asked his most loyal friend and companion. Epona responded with a snort and a shake of her majestic mane before nudging him toward the door he had been awkwardly loitering in front of. "Alright, alright, I'm going, calm down." With one final hand through his hair and another deep breath, at last, he knocked.
Two seconds lasted two decades, and each one passing weighed heavily on him. A fair comparison might be trying to give a Goron a piggyback ride, Link thought to himself — suffocating. When the door opened, his lips parted, though they had no intention of forming words. His brain turned to jelly as he was reduced to a gaping idiot as he couldn't help but stare at the sight that greeted him.
She was a goddess. Well, technically she wasn't, but she sure looked like one. Her dress was long and flowing with elaborate royal purple designs embroidered on the pink sleeves. The neckline was broad, displaying her well-defined collarbones and highlighting the glistening gold necklace that lay comfortably there. It was all certainly a shocking departure from her normal work clothes. Her beautiful red hair, set ablaze by the late afternoon light, was done half up in a braided crown — the first time Link had ever seen it in any form other than free-falling — while the rest was curled at the ends.
But by far the most enchanting part of her was her face: soft, sweet, and gentle yet strong, proud, and brazen all the same. The oceanic blue of her eyes was like the melody of a siren that captivated him so, and even the minuscule freckles she didn't like anyone knowing about only added harmony to the song.
"Oh, don't give me that look," Malon scolded him teasingly, her little chuckle heart-stoppingly adorable. "You're the one who gave me this dress in the first place." Finally, his throat loosened enough to snap him out of his stupor.
"Yeah, but I wasn't sure you would actually ever wear it," Link admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly with his hand.
"Hey, just because I work at a ranch doesn't mean I can't dress nice!" she deflected, planting a sassy hand on her hip.
"Yeah, no, I didn't mean — I mean, you look beautiful, I was just saying..."
There was that heaven-sent laugh again. Since when did the goddesses ever feel like blessing him this much?
"Relax, partner, I'm messing with you." She pecked his cheek affectionately. "Now, are we going somewhere tonight or no?"
"Yeah, we are." Link smirked, tucking the daisy he'd picked for her into her crown of braided hair. Malon caught her reflection in the window of her home and smiled — a smile that could melt away an entire tundra with its sunny warmth. "We'd better let your dad know we're off, though."
"Ah! You're off already, are ya?" As if on cue, Talon emerged from the house with a jolly spring in his step and a twinkle in his eyes. He patted Link heartily on the back as Malon affectionately greeted Epona behind them. "You two have a good time tonight, y'hear?"
"Oh, we plan to," Malon assured him, stroking the nose of everyone's favorite mare on the ranch.
"But don't worry, I'll be sure to bring her home before midnight," Link added. It wasn't that Talon was particularly strict or mean — quite the contrary — but when it came to his daughter, he had a tendency to worry when she wasn't around. He hid it well, but Link had a feeling the older ranch worker felt rather lost and overwhelmed when having to tend to all the chores at the ranch by himself. Nevertheless, Talon was never a man to say no, so he simply laughed merrily and smiled wide at the younger man.
"Well then y'all better be getting to it! Castle Town's quite a ways away from good ol' Lon Lon."
"Epona's fast. She'll get us there in no time. Won't you, girl," Malon cooed. Link walked over to give his own share of affection to the pampered mare before gesturing for Malon to get up into the saddle. Settling in behind her, they parted ways with Talon and, with a nudge to the horse's sides, they were gone as quickly as a breeze sweeps away fallen leaves.
The wind in their hair, the sound of hooves penetrating the ground, the warm feeling of dusk slowly settling into the land — these were the feelings the two had enjoyed together for several years now. Since returning from his adventures in Termina, Link had found himself with a lot of free time on his hands, leading him to quickly reconnect with his childhood friend. The years passed, the two of them grew, and almost three years ago they started pursuing a more serious relationship. They would often get away on horseback to explore the vast land of Hyrule and talk about things important and unimportant.
What wasn't usual about tonight, though, was that they weren't going to a lush green field or riverside to relax. They were going to Castle Town to have a nice dinner, then to watch the evening street performers in the main square — there was always something interesting going on at that time. Link had it all planned out: dinner, performance, then, right before he took her back to the ranch, he was going to do it.
He was going to pop the question.
He wasn't nervous, per se — he and Malon had gotten so close over the years that hardly anything felt uncomfortable around her anymore — but there was still a nagging feeling in his stomach that tugged anytime he entertained the thought of something going wrong. They'd talked about it before — mostly teasingly — but unlike most topics, he couldn't seem to get a clear reading on what she thought of it. The uncertainty sent his mind racing; the last thing he wanted was to ruin what they had with a poorly timed proposal.
At the restaurant, Link couldn't help but feel like a cow in a flock of Cuccos. It was one of the most expensive places in town — he had been saving his Rupees for months just to afford a decent meal — and everyone around certainly dressed like it. Even Malon was putting his simple green tunic and plain leather boots to shame with her fancy ensemble that was largely composed of gifts from him throughout the years.
Link unconsciously started chewing his lower lip. Why was he nervous? It's just Malon. They've gone out together like this a million times before. Now shouldn't be any different, but he was still nervous. He had probably never been so nervous in his life. Wait... no, not quite. There were a couple of other times... like that one time in the Shadow Temple... and those Wallmasters — he shuddered — those things still gave him night terrors to date...
"Link?" Malon's voice penetrated the darkness that temporarily clouded his mind. "You alright? You're zoning out on me."
"Y-yeah, sorry."
Malon smiled warmly at him and nodded. She knew him well enough to know exactly where his mind was. Over time, he had opened up to her about his journeys and, consequently, the emotional baggage that came with them. She'd come to recognize his signs when he simply needed space to think, but she'd also become an expert in knowing when to steer his often troubled thoughts elsewhere.
"So, what are you gonna order?" she asked, tapping the menu in front of her.
"I dunno," Link admitted, scanning his own menu, "to be honest, I'm not sure I can even pronounce the names of most of these dishes."
"I hear ya. I'm not sure why all these high-faulting places gotta think up as many words as possible just to say 'steak' or 'soup'. You'd think they got their ratings by how many syllables they can cram on one menu."
"Careful, now. Someone around here would probably be offended if they heard you say that."
"Well, good!" Malon raised her voice. "I ain't saying it to make anyone feel good, I'm saying it 'cause it's true!" A couple of heads turned their way, but Malon didn't seem at all deterred — quite the contrary. Luckily, before she could find something else controversial to say, a waiter approached their table with a small dish in hand, gently setting it before them.
"Your appetizer for the evening," he presented with no small amount of flair — something expected of a wealthy citizen working in a well-off business. He dug a gloved hand into his pristine black apron pocket and produced a notebook. "Have we decided on the main course?"
Link and Malon made their orders and sent the waiter on his way. Link couldn't help but notice the side-eyed glance the waiter gave him as he flounced past. Nothing like a nice, judgemental glare that made you feel completely and utterly alienated from everyone around you. At least he wasn't entirely alone. His attention turned back to the table, where Malon was picking at her appetizer hesitantly.
"What'd you say this thing is called again?" she asked, her nose twitching at the smell of it.
"Supposed to be fried Leever."
"And you've had something like this before?"
"Well, not exactly," Link admitted, picking one up and inspecting it himself. "But I fought them a lot in the desert."
"This is an enemy you fought?!" He nodded. "And now you wanna eat it??"
"Nabooru said it was good," he shrugged. "They eat them a lot at the Gerudo Fortress."
"Ick. I don't know about this..."
"Alright, how about this: on three. Ready?" Malon stared hard at the Leever in her fingers before decidedly nodding at him. Link counted them down. "One, two, three!"
They both bit down at the same time. Malon's face quickly contorted into a confused expression, then a bitter one, then more or less indifferent. Link felt the crunchy shell of the sand-dwelling nuisance in his mouth, followed by a burst of unanticipated spice in the back of his throat. Strange as it may have tasted, there was something oddly satisfying about eating the very things that once threatened to take your life. He gazed at Malon again, giving her a look that asked "what did you think?" After a long sip from her beverage, she pondered it aloud.
"Hmmm, I don't know. It's missing something." She vaguely gestured with her hand, searching for the proper wording. "Like, I just feel like it needs some... some..."
"Salt," they both decided at the same time. Then they both laughed.
A solid half-hour passed without as much as a word from their server. The two spent the time talking, laughing, and reminiscing, but Link was starting to get impatient — and he could tell Malon was too. She kept staring off toward the kitchen where everyone else's dishes were promptly appearing to be delivered. If they didn't get out of the restaurant on time, they'd miss the street performers, and Link's entire plan would be ruined. He was already overthinking everything as it was; he didn't need anything else throwing a wrench into this fateful evening.
"Sure is taking a while, huh," Link commented for lack of anything better to say.
"Yeah. I'm starting to think they forgot about us," Malon sighed.
"Well, they probably do have a lot more customers who can afford to give them a lot more money than us, so that might be part of it."
"But that doesn't make it right! Maybe we should find someone and ask about our order."
"I'm sure it'll be out any minute now." It was a blatant lie, but it felt better to Link than having to witness or, worse yet, be a part of an argument with wealthy snobs like the ones you found on this side of Castle Town. Why was it always the Hylians that were the wealthy snobs? He'd met plenty of other races in his life and their rich individuals were never as snooty as Hylians tended to be. Well, except maybe Ruto...
"Yeah, or..." a mischievous grin spread across the ranch girl's face, "we could leave."
"Leave?"
"Yes!"
"Now?"
"Sure!"
"We haven't even eaten!"
"It's fine. That fried leevy— whatever-you-called-it left me stuffed anyway." Link raised a suspicious eyebrow at her. Now look who's telling blatant lies. "Unless you want me to track down our waiter friend and give him a talking to?"
That was how Link found himself back on Epona, Malon's hair blowing in his face, before the sun even set. He had left a purple Rupee on their table before they fled, partly as an apology and partly to ease his conscience about not having technically paid for the full meal. Tip or no tip, though, Link wasn't entirely sure the restaurant owners wouldn't try to hunt him down and make him pay the whole amount anyway — he was the very recognizable and well-known Hero of Time, after all. He wouldn't have been hard to find. So, he opted to leave the castle walls altogether, just to be safe.
Though it turned any plans he'd had for the night to rubble, he would have been lying to himself if he didn't admit that he enjoyed this more. All thoughts of street performers and detailed plans were forgotten, as most troubles often were when galloping across Hyrule Field. Suddenly, it didn't matter to him where they were going or how far. There were no worries, no nerves, no problems; there was only Link, Malon, and Epona.
Letting Epona lead the way, they soon found themselves at Lake Hylia. The setting sun was reflecting its majestic colors in the calm waters below, and a gentle breeze blew around them. The grass was still damp from last night's rain shower, and it muddied their shoes and the hem of Malon's dress. Her hair was falling out of its braid and was tangled from the wind that came with riding horseback. Still, her smile was wide and her face was beaming as brilliantly as the sunset behind them — to Link, it was even more brilliant.
She followed him across two long, rickety bridges to his favorite island on the lake. A single old tree that had long since lost its leaves stood proudly over it, its bare branches somehow appearing inviting rather than foreboding. That had not always been the case for Link...
"Link..." Malon breathed in almost a whisper, "how have you never brought me here before? It's beautiful!"
"Yeah, I came out here a lot during my journey. It helped take my mind off things... sometimes." He felt her wrap her arm around his and place her head on his shoulder.
"I think it's lovely."
The two shared a gentle embrace, watching nature paint its masterpiece in the skies and waters around them. Link recalled the last time he'd been to Lake Hylia at sunset, right before entering the blasted Water Temple; it wasn't nearly as peaceful or relaxing. He tightened his arms around Malon. He could feel her heart beating next to his and her breathing against his neck. He smiled, sending a silent prayer to whoever would listen that things could stay this way forever... or at least for a while.
"We should have come here in the first place," Malon supposed after a content sigh. Link looked down at her muddied skirt and wild hair and frowned.
"Wish we coulda picked a nicer day, though, so you didn't have to dirty your fancy dress."
"It's just clothes," she shrugged. "It can be washed. Besides, dressing up is fine, but I've never been above getting my hands dirty. I don't need expensive things to be happy."
"I know."
Link rested his cheek on the top of her head. He did know that; he truly did. In all his efforts to make tonight perfect — all the planning, and saving, and stressing — he'd forgotten the heart of it all. This was about Malon and him, no one else. They didn't need fancy restaurants or grand gestures to feel content; they had each other, and that's all that ever mattered. All he had wanted was to make tonight extra special, but nothing was more special than quality time spent with the person you love.
Suddenly, there was a wave of peace that washed over him like the waters of Lake Hylia itself. The calm waters, the clear skies, the warm touch of his beloved — it made him all the more sure of what he had set out to do. There wasn't a doubt in his mind who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and now, there was no doubt that she felt the same. This was it. It was now or never.
"Well, I do have one more rather expensive gift for you... if you don't mind, that is," he said, reluctantly letting her go and fishing a hand into his adventure pouch.
"Link, you're too much!" Malon scolded, though her sparkling blue eyes betrayed her curiosity. "Honestly, what am I supposed to do with all the stuff you get me, anymore?"
"Don't worry, this one doesn't take up much space." With that, he finally did it. He dropped to one knee, opened the small box, and presented his gift. He'd rehearsed the moment so many times in his mind, it came naturally. "Marry me?"
He'd done his part; all that was left was to wait and to stare... and what a sight it was to stare at. Malon stood still in front of him, basked in the golden glory of the sunset. The tangles in her fiery hair were clearer now, and the ends that had been curled were largely back to normal. Her skirt was drenched in a half-watery half-muddy concoction and her sleeves weren't faring much better. How mud had gotten on her sleeves was anyone's guess — that was just Malon.
More than any of that, though, what stood out most to Link, as always, was her face. Her eyes were wide with shock, and her mouth hung open. She was surprised, alright, but her body was rigid, almost as if frightened. Link swallowed hard. Had he misjudged the situation? Was this not what she wanted after all? Did he just blow it?
It felt as though an eternity had passed before the silence was broken, but it was not with the sound of words. Malon finally unfroze, but instead of answering him, she threw her head back and... laughed. She laughed until she almost fell over, while Link hadn't a clue what else to do but continue staring. Eventually, she somewhat composed herself and knelt down in front of him, meeting eye-to-eye.
"Sorry, I'm not laughing at you, hon," she assured between fits of giggles. "It's just, well..." She reached to her side, where the ribbon tied around her waist concealed a very familiar-looking box she now held in her hand. She opened it to reveal a golden ring, three sparkling gemstones lining the rim — one blue, one red, and one green. It matched his to a T.
Link couldn't have fought off the smile if he tried. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who planned to make today a very special day.
"So, that's a yes, then?" he managed to ask. Malon laughed again, grabbing and holding his hands in hers.
"You always have been a little slow on social cues, haven't you?" She pecked him lightly on the lips, then placed the ring she brought on his finger as he did the same for her. "As a promise, okay? Promise we'll get married one day?" Link rose, bringing them both to stand upright as the sun glittered its final rays in the twilight before disappearing completely.
"You have my word, love."
Then, they kissed, embracing each other as if they hadn't seen the other in years. Yes, this is what he wanted — what they both wanted. There was never any doubt.
"I promise."