Fanfic / The Legend of Zelda: Paradise Calling

Link rescues Malon from bandits, but after seven years apart she doesn't recognize him. He escorts her home, only to find that Ingo has taken over and is driving the ranch to ruin. To save his old friend, Link must restore hope to a disheartened Malon and vows to return the ranch to her control.

The Legend of Zelda: Paradise Calling is a fanfic set during the events of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, with a focus on the Link/Malon pairing, written by Raynre Valence Sage of Time. It can be found on Archive of Our Own and Fanfiction Dot Net.

A prequel story focusing on Talon and his wife, The Desert Rose has been published on Fanfiction Dot Net.

This fanfic provides examples of:

• Adaptation Expansion: The Lon Lon Ranch sidequest in the game consists of showing up at the ranch, riding Epona briefly and then beating Ingo in a race and escaping when he tries to double-cross you, and provides very little interaction with Malon before or afterward. The story expands this to several months of Link building his working and romantic relationship with her and their conflict with Ingo, culminating in the horse race with the ranch's ownership on the line, followed by a Final Boss fight. It also adds a few scenes of Link and Malon as childhood friends, both before and after their canonical first meeting in Castle Town.
• Adaptational Villainy: In the game, Ingo is greedy and somewhat opportunistic when he uses Ganondorf's rise to power to take over the ranch, but he can be seen as justified in resenting Talon being in charge given his laziness, and the two end up reconciling by the end of the game. The story turns him into a full-on Hate Sink who's revealed to be physically abusing Malon in his first scene, and is never even shown to be a better manager (despite his claims that Talon was running the ranch into the ground), and who goes to much greater lengths to get Talon out of the way and keep Malon in line, even revealing that he set the fire that killed Malon's mother (though he didn't intend to kill her, just to kill enough of the stock to force Talon to sell). In the climax, he attempts to kill Link and Malon, breaking out an Iron Knuckle suit supplied by Ganondorf, only to be defeated by Link.
• Almost Kiss: In Chapter 21, between Link and Malon after he comes clean about his identity, only to be interrupted by Sheik.
  Link: Guess who has the worst timing in the world?
• And I'm the Queen of Sheba: When Link tries to tell Malon that the gargoyle statue attacked him.
  Link: I'm not crazy. I know what I saw.
  Malon: (snorts) Uh huh. Next thing you'll be telling me is that there are dragons living in Death Mountain. (starts to dab him with an antiseptic potion)
  Link: Well actually, now that yo-AAAAGH!
• And Now You Must Marry Me: Ingo tries to force Malon to marry him to gain control of the ranch, using a signed letter from Talon giving them their blessing. Link turns the tables on that plan by revealing that Talon still has a letter he wrote giving Link permission, and Malon is happy to accept his proposal (even while acknowledging that neither of them are ready for that yet), though Ingo ends up being killed before they can go through with it.
• Badass Boast: When Link confronts the bandits to save Malon:
  Bandit: Jus' who do you think you are?"
  Link: A minor annoyance or your quick and painful death. Your choice.
  Bandit: Keh, I'm thinkin' yer outnumerd kid.
  Link: And I'm thinking that you weren't burdened with an over-abundance of schooling. Now pay attention, because I'm only going to say this one more time: Let. Her. Go.
• Beautiful Dreamer: Malon goes into the barn to investigate the music she heard earlier only to find Link asleep. "His face was peaceful, with a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips. She studied him for a while, content to watch him sleep."
• Bittersweet Ending: Ingo is killed and the ranch is safely in Talon and Malon's hands, but Link has to leave again to finish his quest. On top of that, the author's comments indicate the game's Bittersweet Ending also applies: Link will be sent back to his childhood after defeating Ganon without getting to say goodbye to Malon, and there's no guarantee he'll be able to form the same relationship with her in the Child timeline, or even want to try.
• Boss Subtitles: Used for the Gargoyle statue, "Mini-Boss: Grayrg" and for the Final Boss, "Parasitic Armored Titan: Ingo"
• Call-Forward:
  • After the bandits capture Malon in the opening chapter.
  Bandit leader: So how's about it, baby? Feel up to showin' me an' my boys a good time?
  Malon: The moon'll fall out of the sky first.
  • Similarly, when Malon acknowledges how useless her crossbow would be if there really were ghosts in the barn: "Well… so long as they're not stealing the cows…"
  • Sheik is only ever referred to with male pronouns, since Link doesn't find out she's Zelda until after the timeframe of the story, but the twist is foreshadowed with the line "his hard eyes softened, taking on an almost feminine quality."
  • The Final Boss fight with Ingo has him wearing an Iron Knuckle armor suit from Ganondorf, similar to the mini-bosses Link will later face in the Spirit Temple.
• Caretaker Reversal: In the flashbacks, Link first meets Malon and Talon after he collapses, lost in the rain while crossing Hyrule Field, and they nurse him back to health. In the present, after Link saves Malon from the bandits, he treats her injuries and insists on joining her to keep an eye on her concussion.
• Childhood Friend Romance: Especially since the story provides more scenes of the two being childhood friends than the game did.
• Cut Himself Shaving: When Link inspects Malon's bruises after the bandit attack, he notes that a mark by her left eye looks older than the rest. She insists that she got it today and he lets the matter drop until they get back to the ranch and he sees how Ingo treats her.
• Fake Defector: Sheik is introduced in Chapter 11 as The Mole in Ganon's regime, having convinced him the Sheikah owe a debt of blood against the Hylian Royal Family and getting him Hired to Hunt Yourself.
• Fortune Teller: Link tells Malon that he's learned palm reading from a fortune teller near Lake Hylia. Played for laughs when he looks at her hand and is able to pick up that she works very hard, based on the fact that right where her lifeline and fateline merge, she has calluses.
• Greater-Scope Villain: Ganondorf, who appears in a couple of chapters, only one of which has an impact on events at the ranch.
• Groin Attack: Malon manages to kick one of the bandits in the family jewels. "The man went down, grabbing at his groin and shrieking in pain at octaves that probably didn't come naturally to him."
• He Is Not My Boyfriend: Malon tries to respond with this when a seamstress in Kakariko calls Link her boyfriend, but is too embarrassed to get the sentence out.
• Hyperspace Arsenal: Explained by the Sheikah scroll Link keeps behind his shield, allowing him to pull his bow and arrows, among other things, from out of nowhere.
• I Never Told You My Name: Link calls Malon by name soon after she regains consciousness. When she points this out, he manages to cover: "Young, attractive red-headed woman, alone, driving a wagon with a prime specimen of a horse. People talk about you. I've heard good things."
• I Warned You: Navi tells Link several times that keeping his identity from Malon will only cause problems when she finds out. She's right: Malon slaps him and assumes the worst of him regarding his disappearance, making it harder to explain himself.
• Internal Reveal: It's not until the end of Chapter 20 that Link reveals to Malon that he was "Faerie Boy".
• It Tastes Like Feet: When Malon explains why she doesn't drink.
  Malon: I've seen what alcohol did to my father after my mother died. I've seen what it does to Ingo. I'd rather not go down that path if I can help it. (beat) That, and I think it tastes like horse piss.
  Link: Been drinking a lot of that lately?
• Killer Rabbit: The cuccos are treated like this when Link wakes up the morning after he arrives at Lon Lon Ranch.
• Like a Son to Me: It's mentioned that Talon saw Link this way, though he was also a Shipper on Deck for him and Malon.
• Microts: Candlemarks are mentioned a few times, albeit alongside hours and minutes, so it's never quite clear how long it means.
• Motive Rant: During the climax, Ingo rants about the injustices of farm labor and how he'd spent years watching Talon drive the ranch into the ground. Link and Navi are just annoyed, the narration asking, "Why did the crazies all feel the need to rant at him?"
• Mythology Gag: A few references to games released after Ocarina of Time:
  • Malon is introduced transporting milk and fertilizer to New Ordon.
  • Ingo gets Talon out of the way by taking him to Labrynna, supposedly to meet a healer. Holodrum is mentioned a couple of times elsewhere.
  • Sheik references the Twili while talking about the past conflict between the Hylians and the Sheikah.
  • Sheik tells Link the story of the original Hero and the Goddess, including the creation of Skyloft
• No Sense of Personal Space: Navi has no qualms about starting a conversation with Link while he's in the bath, saying it's nothing she hasn't seen before. She also points out that he never had a problem with bathing in the hot springs with the Kokiri.
• Oh, My Gods!: Din, Farore and Nayru are all used at various points, as well as just "Goddesses" on occasion.
• Our Gargoyles Rock: Ganondorf sends a gargoyle statue to the ranch, which comes to life at night and attacks Link, becoming the mini-boss of the sidequest.
• Precision F-Strike: Two from Malon, first when she reacts with anger at Link finally revealing his identity - "Seven years, Link! Seven. Fucking. Years." - and again when she learns that Ingo set the fire that killed her mother: "You bastard! I'm going to kill you! I swear by Nayru that I'm going to rip your fucking head off!"
• Rescue Romance: Link and Malon are reunited when she is ambushed by bandits in her milk cart and almost raped before he intervenes.
• Screw the Money, I Have Rules!: Ingo refuses to sell his share in the ranch for this reason.
• Shout-Out:
  • While looking through Malon's bookshelf, Link finds Hyrule Historia and One Flew Over the Cucco's Nest.
  • The Kakariko Village inn is named The Nag's Head.
• Shower of Angst: Malon breaks down crying in the bath when she returns to the ranch, after narrowly escaping being raped and murdered the day before.
• Smoke Out: Subverted when Sheik meets Link and Malon in Kakariko Village. Before leaving, she pulls out a couple of deku seeds before deciding to spare them the theatrics for once.
• Stay in the Kitchen: Outright stated by Ingo in Chapter 13. "Ah, the proper place for a woman; feet planted firmly in front of the stove. Am I right?"
• Tempting Fate:
  Navi: Hey, look at the bright side! At least it isn't raining—
  If there was a Fate, and if one happened to believe in such things, then she was a very cruel and unforgiving mistress indeed, for it was at that exact moment that the heavens decided to split into a torrential cloudburst. The leading edge of the storm raced across the field and was upon them in moments, shocking them both with the sudden icy torrent that the front brought.
  Navi: …yet.
• That Came Out Wrong:
  Malon: Don't know about you, but after working like a mule for the past couple days I could really use a bath before I start dinner. Would you like one?
  Link: (Fascinating Eyebrow)
  (Beat)
  Malon: (blushing) Not together!
• Wham Line: In-universe, when Link finally reveals to Malon that he was the Faerie Boy she remembers. Specifically, she talks about how she hasn't had a friend like him or had fun in longer than she can remember, Link reminds of how she used to enjoy jumping from the hayloft and bugging Ingo. "You never liked it when I threw deku nuts to scare away the cuccos though. You were always so protective of them..."
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • In Chapter 21, Malon calls Link out for abandoning them for seven years to the point they thought he was dead, possibly even killed when Castle Town was destroyed. Granted, he has an excuse for it, but he was doing a terrible job of explaining that.
  • Shortly afterward, when they finally meet again in Kakariko village, Sheik tries to call out Link on wasting time with Malon and having Skewed Priorities, but Link points out that Sheik hadn't given him any direction in months and argues that he has a right to some kind of normal life. Sheik eventually concedes the latter point (though never really does clarify what she expected Link to do about the last two temples without help). "It's funny. I suppose before now I never really thought of you as a real person with wants and needs and dreams. I always assumed that you would want what everyone else wants; the end of Ganondorf's rule. Like the Goddesses had created you for one mindless reason only."