Unfortunately, I don't own the rights to any part of the Legend of Zelda series.

Not yet.

Please review.

The rain had been falling for hours. The ground was drenched and muddy.

Link kneeled next to the fresh grave, tears still falling from his eyes, small sobs escaping his mouth.

"Malon…"

He wished he could stay with her forever. He wished he had never left her at all.

He stayed next to her grave for hours. He probably would have stayed there for hours more.

"Link…," came a voice from behind.

Link didn't bother turning his head. He knew who it was. "What do you want, Sheik?"

The Sheikah boy put his hand on Link's shoulder. "I want to help," he said.

Link shook off the Sheikah's hand. "Go away."

"Link…," Sheik began, "I know that this is-"

"Oh, do you?" Link stood up, and turned to face Sheik. "You know what this is like? You know what I'm feeling right now? You know what it feels like to have lost the person you love most? Do you?"

Sheik turned his head away, and looked to the ground.

"That's what I thought," Link walked past Sheik and over to Epona. He started to mount up.

"Where are you going?" Sheik asked.

"Don't know. Don't care."

"You can't just leave!"

"And why not?"

"You're the Hero of Time! You can't just-"

"I never asked to be the Hero of Time!" Link shouted.

Lightning cracked the sky once more. Thunder echoed throughout the land.

"No man chooses their own destiny!" Sheik yelled back.

"Yeah," Link said, angrily, "I can see that. Because I would never have chosen this."

Link removed the Master Sword from its scabbard, and threw it into the ground, blade-first.

"Link, you can't give up!" Sheik pleaded.

"Why not? Because the Goddesses will it?" Link seized Epona's reins, and prepared to ride off, "No. You took my childhood, my friends, and now the woman I loved? You know what? Find someone else to do it! I'm done." He turned away, and slapped the reins, and rode off.

The storm grew worse.

As he rode away, Navi emerged from Link's hat, flying fast to keep up with Epona.

"Link, Sheik's right!" the fairy said, "You can't run away from this!"

Link didn't even turn his head to face her, "The Deku Sprout is probably lonely. Why don't you leave me be, and go keep him company from now on?"

Navi stopped dead in her tracks. She looked on as Link and Epona rode away into the distance.

Link rode back to Lon Lon Ranch, his tunic torn, and his body battered. Volvagia was not an easy opponent.

He had no potion, and he had no fairies. But he wasn't going to let that stop him. He had a promise to keep. He wasn't going to leave Malon waiting. Not again.

Fortunately, his journey was coming to a close. Lon Lon Ranch was just on the Horizon.

Epona neighed happily, and picked up her pace. Link, too, smiled, for there she was. The beautiful, red-haired angel stood waiting at the gates.

He dismounted Epona, and walked towards Malon, arms outstretched.

He expected a loving embrace. He received a stinging palm to the face. "How could you let yourself get hurt so badly?" she asked, a sad look on her face, and a tear falling form her eye. She then hugged him tightly, "You need to be more careful!" she scolded, then softened her tone, "I don't want to lose you."

"I promised you, I'll never let that happen," Link answered, pulling her into a kiss.

Tears formed in Link's eyes, and pained expression took hold of his face.

Three months had passed since the incident.

He stood outside the ranch's ruins to visit his beloved once more.

"Link," came Talon's voice. He had been in Kakariko the time of the tragedy. He had had it just as hard as Link.

"Talon," Link acknowledged, but didn't move his eyes from the grave.

"I got to talkin' with someone," Talon began, "That Sheikah boy."

Link groaned. He did not want to deal with this.

"You hear me out, boy," Talon continued, "I know you loved her. But she was my daughter. I knew her. I knew she loved you, and she wouldn't want you to be throwin' everythin' away like you've gone and done."

"'Throwing everything away'?" Link turned to Talon, "Listen, Talon, I respect you. And you are the closest friend I have out here, but I didn't throw ANYTHING away! It was taken from me."

Talon furrowed his brow. "Is that what you think?" he asked, "Come to your senses, boy! This ain't your fault! This ain't the Goddesses' fault! This is Ganondorf's fault."

"Not the Goddesses' fault? Ha!" Link scoffed, "I don't understand how you could see it as anything but! Tell me something; who created Ganondorf, hmm? Who created the power he holds? The Goddesses! As far as I can see, EVERYTHING is their fault!"

Talon grimaced. "They don't control what we do!"

"Well, obviously, because I'm not doing their dirty work anymore!"

Talon calmed himself. "I don't why I ever thought you were right for my daughter."

Link glared at the former rancher, "Don't push me, Talon."

Talon did exactly that. He pushed Link away. "I know I wouldn't want my daughter lovin' some pathetic man who blames all his problems on the world! And I know Malon would never love anyone like that; anyone doin' what you're doin'."

"I'm warning you," Link said, exasperatedly.

Talon grabbed Link by the collar and threw him to the ground. He pinned the blond to the dirt with his boot. He crouched down, so he could look Link in the face, "You look me in the eye and tell me my daughter wouldn't have a problem with how you're goin' about!"

"GET OFF OF ME, OLD MAN!" Link yelled, grabbing Talon's leg. He tossed the rancher off of him, and onto the ground.

Link tried getting away, but Talon wasn't about to give up. He stood up, and grabbed Link by the wrist. He was able to pull with enough force to bring him over to where the Master Sword had fallen. He placed Link's hand on the hilt, and closed his fist around it.

"Stop fightin' it, boy!" Talon commanded, "Please, Link. I don't wanna hurt ya."

Link took his free arm and slugged Talon in the face, knocking him back. He ran off, and mounted Epona once more. "Hyah!" he shouted as he slapped the reins onto the mare's back. She took off, leaving the Ranch behind once more.

Talon stood up, wiping the blood from his nose. "Link… Please don't be so far gone that my words can't help you. That she can't help you…," he said to himself.

Link sat in a cave, deep within one of the cliffs surrounding the giant Hyrule Field.

"You look me in the eye and tell me my daughter wouldn't have a problem with how you're goin' about!"

Try as he might, he couldn't shake the words from his head. He knew Talon was right, but he didn't want to accept it.

"I can't go back!" he told himself, "They took everything from me!"

"They don't control what we do!"

"They could have saved her!"

"I know Malon wouldn't love anyone like that; anyone doin' what you're doin'."

"STOP IT! STOP! Just… just stop…" Link broke down, and fell to his knees, crying. "Oh, why? Why?"

"I knew she loved you, and she wouldn't want you throwin' everythin' away like you've gone and done."

"What… what can I do?"

"Promise me you'll never give up," came an angelic voice.

"Mal?" Link looked up. That voice wasn't Talon's. No, it was hers.

Link had to head out again. He'd put off his quest long enough. He couldn't keep postponing it. So he donned his tunic, straightened his hat, and prepared to head out. There was trouble in the Zora Domain.

"Link!" Malon's voice called out, "Link!"

Link turned to see her.

"You weren't planning on leaving without saying bye, were you?" she asked.

Link sighed, "I didn't want to trouble you. You seemed so-"

Malon cut him off with a passionate kiss.

"Malon...," Link began, "I... I could stay here. With you."

"Link," she said, "I would love it if you could, but Hyrule needs you."

"The Goddesses can-"

"Link," she interrupted, "I want you to promise me something. No matter how hard things get, please, promise me you'll never give up."

Link smiled. "I promise, Mal. I promise." He then drew her into another kiss before he went on his way.

As he mounted Epona and began riding off, she called out to him once more. "Link! Never try to leave without telling me again!"

He laughed, and waved to her as rode off. "I'll be back soon, Mal! I love you!"

That was the last time he ever spoke to her.

"Promise me you'll never give up." The memory echoed in his head.

"I promise…," he whispered sadly, "I promise…"

But he had broken that promise when he threw down the Master Sword. And he knew this.

"How… how could I have been so stupid?" he asked himself, "Goddesses, how?" He addressed them for the first time since her passing.

He slowly stood up, and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mal," he said, "I let you down. But I'm about pick up where I left off." He climbed on Epona's back, and rode back towards the Ranch.

He didn't let anything distract him, or get in his way. He had one thing on his mind: He needed to get back his sword. After traversing the length of the field, he arrived. He dismounted and grabbed the hilt of the weapon. He pulled it of the dirt, as though it were the pedestal in the Temple of Time. He pulled out a cloth, and wiped the filth from the blade. Then, he put the Master Sword where it belonged, in the sheath on his back.

He looked to Malon's grave one more time, and thought to himself, "Thank you, Mal. For everything. I love you."

The he climbed back up on his horse, and headed to the Kokiri Forest. After all, he needed Navi if he was going to save Hyrule.

Not so sure "Hero No More" is an appropriate title. The whole concept it was based on starts and ends in this relatively short chapter. It's only a little more than half as long as the first.

Also, when I compare the two, I'm pretty surprised to learn that writing the romance is my strong suit. Never considered myself a romantic, to be honest, but I suppose you learn something new every day.

So, tell me, what do you think? I really want to know.

EDIT: Apparently, some think this story is continuing. Sorry to disappoint. This story was on him losing his faith in the Goddesses and trying to run away from being the Hero of Time, nothing more. Whatever happens beyond this point is up to your imagination.