Epona's Song Chapter 1 Memory Revisited, a legend of zelda fanfic

Epona's Song

Chapter 1- Memory Revisited

Malon hummed quietly to herself as she finished her arduous chores that evening. Her thoughts drifted to her father…she could only worry about what kind of work Ingo would have him doing. She usually got off easy in comparison. He was probably still in the pasture or in the stable…he often fell asleep there with Epona. Her father was the only man she trusted besides…

Her heart skipped a beat. She hadn't thought about the peculiar boy she'd met outside of Hyrule Castle in very a long time. It had been over seven years since she'd seen him right here on the farm…

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…Seven years earlier…

Malon spent many evenings in the pasture with the horses-she loved singing to them. She learned a sweet melody from her mother and one filly in particular came to life when she sang it, so she named the song after her. On one of these evenings she was approached by a peculiar boy clad in green with his fairy in tow.

"That's a beautiful song, " the boy said softly.

Startled, Malon turned and gasped.

"Oh gosh!" You scared me! Where did you come from?" Malon said breathlessly.

"Well, through the gate of course," the boy smiled sheepishly. He hadn't meant to startle her. "Actually, I was hoping you could teach me to play that song on my ocarina. I…I hear you singing most nights, " he said while shuffling his feet and turning pink. "I come through here on the way back from the village…and well…I've started sleeping nearby. When I hear it, it's like a lullaby; calm and comforting."

Now embarrassed from talking so much, the boy clamped his mouth shut and continued to turn another shade of pink. But the truth was that this girl and her father were the only ones to be nice to him outside of Kokiri Forest. He missed his friends there and until his quest was completed he would only be able to see them in passing. His best friend, Saria, had already passed into the Realm of Sages, and could only be reached telepathically. That left him with his fairy guide, Navi, as a companion and she didn't talk much. He was pulled from his internal monologue by Malon's sweet voice.

"Wow. I didn't know I was singing that loud. I thought that I was just singing to my horse Epona; I guess I've been singing to you too, fairy boy, " she said smiling.

He hated to be called that. "My name's Link," he said a little forcefully and stood up to his full height. He was a little irritated that she'd forgotten his name, but he couldn't remember her name either. Navi bit him on the ear to remind him of her presence.

"OW! That hurt Navi!" he said as he rubbed his ear.

Malon giggled. "You're the boy I met outside of Hyrule Castle the day I couldn't find my father, right? You were on a quest."

"That's me," Link said heroically and stood up even straighter.

"I thought so. You're kind of…different…but you're cute and I never forget a cute boy," Malon said with a sweet smile. She blushed slightly.

Link's heroic stance quickly turned back into that of a shy puppy, and he kicked a rock at his feet. Navi pulled at his hat as if to tell him to say something, but for once, he was rendered speechless.

"Well, I'll teach you if you promise to come back every now and then to visit me and Epona," Malon said quickly, changing the subject.

"Huh?' Link looked up, a puzzled look on his face.

"You asked me to teach you my song so you could play it on your ocarina. I'll be happy to teach you. But you have to promise to come back to visit me and my horse Epona. I named the song after her because when I sing it, she comes to me. Watch."

Malon clasped her hands together and began to sing the enchanting melody that soothed Link to sleep at night. When she did a baby horse pranced up to her and nuzzled her face. She laughed and stroked the filly's neck.

"You see, when you learn my song, Epona will be your friend forever. No matter where you are, if you sing, or play this song on your ocarina, Epona will come to you," Malon said as she beamed at the beautiful creature who nuzzled her affectionately.

"Wow. That's great," Link said smiling. "So, does that mean you'll be my friend too?" Link said hopefully.

"Of course silly!" Malon said this with a giggle, but internally she was relieved. She hadn't any friends outside of Epona and longed for someone to talk to. Most of the kids in town were too haughty to play with. They made fun of her simple dresses and the fact that she didn't have a mother. So, she stayed where she knew no one would judge her: in the pasture with the horses.

"Great! Now I have two new friends and a new song to play on my ocarina!" Link said gaily. It had been a long time since he was this happy.

Link was a fast learner. She'd taught him Epona's Song that very night. She could still hear the mesmerizing melody of his ocarina playing it. Although he'd promised to return, that was the last night she saw the boy with the fairy. Link. The memory started to dwindle and fade, like a flame extinguished in the darkness. That evening was the end of her life as she knew it; it was that summer that Ingo, the farmhand, went mad and took over Lon Lon Ranch. She and her father had practically been enslaved to him ever since.

Speaking of Ingo, she could already hear him snoring upstairs, so she decided to sneak outside for a bit to check on her father. She lit her lantern and grabbed a light shawl before making her way next door to the stable. As she closed the door behind her, she heard a rustling sound toward the ranch entrance. Malon lifted her lantern, and it's light glittered off of something hovering just above the ground. Her imagination getting the better of her, she hurried to the stable-who knew what was lurking in the shadows.

Just as she'd thought; her father was asleep on the floor next to Epona, who'd grown into a beautiful mare. Malon shook her head and smiled to herself. She knelt down next to him and shook him lightly.

"Father, it's time to go inside…it's late."

"ZZZ…What? Oh. Malon. I must've fallen asleep again. I'm glad you found me and not Ingo…he'd send me away for sure this time," Talon said groggily, rubbing the sleep from his tired eyes.

"I know. We'd both better get back inside in case he wakes up," Malon said as she helped her father to his feet.

"He's not going to wake up anytime soon…drank himself into a stupor again today…he'll be out till mid-afternoon tomorrow at the earliest," Talon said in disgust. "But you're right, there's always a possibility. I need to clean this place up a little first, though. Do you mind fetching the broom from the house, Malon? I know Ingo doesn't like me using it in here, but it's ever so much better than this one," he said holding the scraggly remnants of what used to be a push broom.

"Sure. I'll be right back."

She turned on her heel and walked quickly out the door. After latch clicked shut behind her, she heard a tinkling sound, almost like thousands of tiny bells ringing at once. She looked over her shoulder as the light from her lantern caught the glittering orb again. It was still hovering just above the ground…no…over something else. Malon approached apprehensively still fearing some evil creature of the night, but what she saw made her blood run cold.

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story; they belong to Nintendo and to the creators of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.**