FINAL THOUGHTS

It is understandable why many fans of The Legend of Zelda series are more partial to the Link/Zelda pairing. The entire series revolves around them and the hero/princess relationship. But the true pairing of the game is never set in stone. Everything always remains vague enough for it to be plausible for Link to choose any girl. And there is a long list of them.

Simply put, I do not believe that every Link must be paired with every Zelda.

I am rather satisfied with the ambiguity of Ocarina of Time. Since the player is essentially Link, I believe setting any pairing in stone would effectively sever the player's connection to Link. Because Link's future is vague and uncertain, it makes a relationship with Malon possible and plausible.