Barely managed to get this out. had this idea on the fifteenth, it's the seventeenth, and i will be in the woods for two weeks tomorrow, so i'm shocked i got it out. it may be a bit rough but i hope you all enjoy it!
Malon let out a small sigh as she set the brush back down on her lap. The cow in front of her was almost clean again, but the day's warmth was bleeding through the barn, turning the building into an oven for her. She tried to wipe sweat off her brow, only really succeeding in getting her vibrant red hair stuck to her forehead.
How did it come to this? She couldn't help that thought as she sat there, the last few years running through her mind. Between the sudden destruction of Hyrule castle town, her father being kicked off their ranch, and the terrible wages and hours Ingo had her working, life had been utter hell for her. Her only solace, was the fact that she was able to protect the horses from Ingo's wrath. But even that was starting to collapse on her, as he was planning to sell many of the horses to Gannondorf in an attempt to gain favor with the madman now in control of Hyrule. Knowing that one of the horses was her long time friend and companion, Epona, only made the thought all the worse for her.
Several small tears slipped out of the corner of her eyes, mixing into the beads of sweat build up on her skin. She made no attempt to wipe them away, merely sitting on the hard wooden stool without moving.
She heard the door open off behind her, panicking for a moment as she quickly tried to dash away the tears from her face and snap back into cleaning the animals, her gut lurching. It wouldn't have been the first time Ingo had found her taking a small break, and she had nearly lost her position at the ranch several times now because of it.
Please not have noticed me not working, please not have noticed me not working.
"H-Hello?" a quiet male voice reached her ears, her heart suddenly lurching from it. There was a sort of soft undertone to the voice that belied the speakers youth, and despite it's nervous and timid tone, there was a sort of confidence in it she hadn't heard anyone speak with in many years. And there was absolutely no doubt to her that it was not Ingo's rough and loud voice.
She cautiously stood from where she was, spinning around in the stall to try and see who it was. a boy, about her age, if not a year or so older. He was wearing a green tunic with chain mail and white cotton under it, as well as a floppy green hat. Between his outfit, and the single handed sword and heater shield on his back, his appearance struck dozens of cords in her mind. But, as familiar as he seemed, she could not place him.
"O-Oh! It's been a while since we had visitors! I'm Malon. I'd show you around but I have some work to do! Don't mess with the animal's please!" she tried to keep her sigh quiet as she turned back to the cow and continued to brush it's flank.
"U-m Malon… What happened to Talon? Where is he?" the boy's quiet question startled her again, causing her to jump slightly. The cow in front of her gave her a slightly annoyed look before snorting at her.
"He was kicked off the ranch years ago."
"Oh… I'm sorry about that."
Sorry!? Why would you be sorry?! You don't even know me!?
"It's nothing. I don't mean to be rude but I'm trying to get some work done. Could you leave me alone?" She shot that over her shoulder, not even looking at him as she directed her voice behind her.
"I didn't mean to bother you. Sorry. I'll leave." He sounded quite pained with that soft statement, just the sound of his voice making her feel bad.
After a moment or so, she spun around once more, wanting to apologize to the boy. "I don't mean that to be rude, I ju-" her voice cut off as she realized he had already left the building, leaving her alone once more.
Funny. He never told me his name… she shrugged, trying to get back to work once more, but found her thoughts drifting back to the strange boy as she worked.
Link let out a small sigh as he sat down just outside of Lon Lon ranch, not sure what he should be doing right now. It was getting close to sunset, and he really didn't want to try and move around at night. Night's were usually very dangerous, as large groups of Stal Children were very common. And though they were not a particularly dangerous alone, they could be a major threat when massed together. So he settled up against the walls for Lon Lon range, decreasing the area needed to be watched by his fairy, Navi, while he slept. It was a strategy the pair had developed over the few weeks they had been venturing outside the Kokiri forest.
"That looked rough to do. Look's like she forgot you in the past seven years." he closed his eyes as the blue floating orb spoke, her high pitched voice seeming to carry everywhere, though he knew by now that he was the only one who could hear it. "I didn't mean that to sound so insensitive. Really, you two were really good friends for how short you knew each other. But remember, you only really interacted a few times. I tried to warn you to expect this."
"I know Navi. It just still hurts okay? So much is different, it scares me to think of what has happened to the forest." He felt tears welling up in his eyes as he responded. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get Malon's indifferent tone out of his head.
"I understand. I'm sure Saria and the others are still fine."
That's not what's on my mind…He laid down on his side as the sun dipped below the horizon, darkness beginning to claim the skies. A wolf howled somewhere in the distance, announcing the moon having risen somewhere behind him, not that he could see it through the walls of lon lon ranch.
"Anyway, I'm going to get some sleep Navi. See you in the morning." He closed his eyes as he set his hands under his head as a makeshift pillow, knowing he had another night on the cold hard ground ahead of him. And though he was exhausted from his terrified run through the remains of the castle town, filled with the walking corpses of those who once lived there, his brain wouldn't stop running long enough for him to actually find sleep.
Minutes slowly dragged into hours as he shifted back and forth on the grass, the sun's warmth lost completely as the night had fully set into place. Noise slowly began to register in his ears, a soft melody that was only faintly registering in his mind.
Is that someone singing? Somehow the faint and indistinct song helped calm his mind a little, but only a little as it also piqued his curiosity. So, despite how much his muscles ached and screamed in protest, he forced himself to his feet, trying to locate the source of the melody.
"Link? Shouldn't you be asleep?"
He ignored Navi, focusing on his hearing until he was certain the sound was coming from within the walls of Lon Lon Ranch. Once he made that assessment, he began to make his way toward the entrance to the ranch, slipping up the winding path. As he moved the melody became louder and clearer, starting to no longer ebb and flow with the shifts of the wind.
With the melody now clearer, the melody was immediately known to him, as well as the voice singing it. Though it was audibly much more mature and feminine than when he last heard her singing, there was no doubt in his mind as to who it belonged to. He speed up his feet as he followed the sound of the voice across the ranch, toward the large corral used to graze the animals. Presently, it was totally empty of animals. A lone figure stood in the center of the grass, their light colored clothing seeming to glow in the darkness of the night.
Link smoothly stepped through the gate and into the massive corral, slowly crossing the field as he listened to the girl singing, more and more of her appearance becoming clearer in the full moon's light as he approached.
She was slowly swaying back and forth as she sang, her movement and the wind causing her vibrant reddish brown hair to sway and flutter back and forth in a way that Link could only describe as mesmerizing. He stopped a few meters from her, the girl still facing away from him and so lost in her song that she had no idea he was there.
She had changed a lot in the past seven years, much as he had, growing into rather gorgeous woman, if he had any opinion on it. She still had very soft and gentle features, from what he could remember of their encounter that afternoon, was in many ways still child like. Yet she had matured in many areas that made it abundantly clear that she was in fact a grown woman. Her hair was much longer than it had been, though, with her taller frame, it still fell to just under her shoulder blades. She used to be about his height, but now, she was several centimeters shorter, the top of her head coming about even with his eyes.
Her voice though was the most dramatic change in her. Her voice had been cute when he first met her, quiet and sweet, yet very proud and powerful whenever she was singing her mother's song. Now, though it was still soft, it was much more powerful, and though the pitch had lowered slightly, it was very smooth and practiced. It was almost as though she had spent every day of the past seven years singing the same song, and all of that work had let her develop her voice into something utterly divine to listen to.
Her dress though had hardly changed, being a simple white dress with a few floral patterns down the side and a thin leather apron to protect it from her labors at the ranch, as simple as it was, it fit her body in a very flattering matter, one that Link honestly felt a little uncomfortable with, though it was in no way a bad uncomfortable.
Her voice slowly dropped off as she finished the melody, Link hearing her sigh faintly.
"May I hear that again?" he spoke as softly as he could manage, not wanting to startle the girl anymore than he had to.
She jumped in fright, spinning on the spot to bring her deep blue eyes onto Link, both as wide as saucers. "Wh-at!? Who- wait… you were here earlier, weren't you?"
"Ye-Yes. I was. if I'm intruding or making you uncomfortable, I can leave, I just heard you singing from outside the ranch and… well… I wanted to hear more again. But I'm sorry, that's probably asking to much of you. I'm sorry to have scared you like that." He turned to leave, finding it surprisingly hard to tear his eyes away from her.
"W-wait, no, it's okay, you just startled me… was I really singing loud enough to be heard outside the ranch?" she sounded nervous herself, Link stopping as soon as he heard her voice.
"Yes. Only faintly, but it was beautiful." He simple spoke exactly as he felt about her melody, having loved it from the first day he heard it.
Her cheeks had turned bright red as her eyes dropped to the dirt between them, rubbing at her arm as she shuffled her feet. "Thank you… but I really shouldn't I didn't mean to be singing so loudly, if Ing-M-My boss heard me, he would dock my wages for a week again. He hates me singing."
"Then I'll play with you, and if he hears, you can say you heard me playing and just joined me." He pulled his ocarina out from it's pouch, the shiny blue instrument reflecting the moonlight for a moment.
"That won't do anything, he'll still punish me anyway…"
"Don't worry Malon. I'll protect you from him. It will be fine. I promise." He had positioned the ocarina in his hands as he spoke, keeping the instrument down by his waist.
She looked up at him finally, glancing between his eyes as she clearly debated how to respond. After several long heart wrenching seconds, she finally responded. "Okay. What do you want me to sing then?"
"Just sing the song you were just now. Don't worry, I'll keep up just fine." He smiled to her as warmly as he could managed, running the fingerings and timings for her melody through his mind for the first time in what felt like ages.
Her eyes bounced between the ocarina in his hands and his eyes for a moment before she let out a slow, long sigh. "Fine." She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, but she remained silent for several moments. Unless his eyes were lying, she looked like she was shaking slightly, almost as though she was afraid.
Without thinking, he brought the ocarina up to his lips and blew the first note of the melody into it, his fingers, tongue and breath immediately becoming one as he dived head long into the song, his eyes slipping closed. He was so engrossed in what he was doing that he never noticed that Malon hadn't let her voice join his music, several minutes going by as he played through the whole melody. When he finally finished, he opened his eyes to find Malon staring at him, one hand covering her open mouth.
"Yo-ou… i… I have only ever taught one person that song… how did y-" her voice dropped off as several small tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, creating glistening tracks on her cheeks.
"Are you my fairy boy?" her voice was very quiet, almost inaudible, and had an undertone to it that Link couldn't quite place.
"I'm Link Malon." He barely managed to get his own voice to work, honestly scared of how she was about to react. He quickly found that fear to be totally unfounded.
As soon as he had spoken, tears began to visibly pour through her eyes, Link reaching toward her with a desire to comfort her. He was nearly knocked clean onto his rear as she rushed forward and hugged him, her arms so tightly around his neck that he thought she might suffocate him.
"I've missed you so much! What happened to you, where have you been all this time! I… I honestly thought you were dead!" her voice was muffled slightly, given her face was buried in his shoulder, but still clear enough for him to easily hear her.
Out of instinct alone, he gently wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her body against his as he pressed his cheek against the side of her head. Now that he was so close to her, he could smell that she still smelled of hay and flowers, something he had never figured out exactly why she did. But in searching for a way to respond to her, he found himself lost.
What can I tell her? That I was locked in the temple of time for seven years? To anyone out here, it would probably sound crazy, except for maybe Saria… he struggled with what to say to her, it not helping at all that he had never told her why he left the Kokiri forest to begin with. It wasn't that he hadn't trusted her enough seven years ago, but that in their many conversations, the topic never came up. He had been using the ranch like a sort of base of operations, Malon's father, Talon, having told him he could stay there whenever he wanted. And given it's more or less centralized location, he had been there more often than not.
I need to just be honest with her. If she thinks I'm crazy than whatever, so be it. He let out a small sigh, trying to mentally prepare himself for the worst that could happen.
"Malon, what I'm about to say is probably going to sound insane but… I was… Sealed away in the temple of time for seven years." As he spoke, he shifted his hands to her shoulders, very gently shoving her away so he could look her in the eye. Neither one of them took their hands of the other though.
"That does sound insane… but you've never seemed like one to make up insane stories. What happened that you were sealed away?" she spoke quietly and sweetly, a small smile on her face.
Her words though, made a grin explode onto his own face, letting out a breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding in.
"A lot, Malon."
Malon let out a small sigh as she watched the stars far above them. The pair was lying in the grass of the corral, having spent what felt like a lifetime talking about what Link had been doing all of those years ago. As insane as it sounded, about him fighting monsters to try and beat Gannondorf to some object he called the Triforce, and the mistake he and Princess Zelda had made that allowed Gannondorf to claim the Triforce and the kingdom, all fit right into what she could remember of seven years ago. Once he had finished his story, they had begun talking about what happened to her over the past seven years. All the while, he had quietly listened to her every word, despite how mundane and normal her last seven years had seemed in comparison to the trials he had already faced.
"I can't believe Ingo is going to try to give Epona to Gannondorf…" his voice broke the quiet silence that had been between them for several minutes now, drawing her attention to him. He too, was lounging back on the grass, watching the stars, his weapons all strewn about beside him so he could be more comfortable.
"There's nothing I can do about it anyway, as much as I'd love too." She begrudgingly let that answer out of her mouth, despising the truth in those words.
"What if I challenge him to a race on Epona, one that if I win, I keep Epona?" Link propped himself up on his elbow as he spoke, his eyes focused on Malon, the same calm determination in his eyes that she had always known him for.
"That's crazy! He would never go for that!"
"He already challenged me once yesterday, when I was riding Epona earlier."
"Wait, you actually managed to ride Epona?!" Her eyes had gone wide, knowing that she was the only one who had ever managed to even get on Epona, much less ride the horse.
"Yes. I did. He challenged me to a race, but I declined. I didn't have the rupees to meet his wager, but I think I can work around that tomorrow."
"but… there's no way you could pull that off! Ingo has been riding horses and racing all of his life, you have ridden a horse once! You can not bea-"
He gently reached across the tiny space between them to grab her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Trust me. I can beat him. We need to get some sleep, it's well past midnight now, and you know he will notice if you are completely exhausted tomorrow. I'll come back later in the day to challenge him." He stood as he finished, holding his hand out for her to help her to her feet.
She immediately accepted the gesture, letting him easily pull her to her feet. She used the motion to pull him into a tight embrace once more. "Good luck tomorrow, okay?" Out of pure instinct, she gently kissed his cheek before tightening her grip on him. "Don't lose, please."
"I won't. I promise." She finally let go of him after what felt like a lifetime, letting out a small sigh before she walked away from him. She could hear him gathering his equipment and strapping it back on as she left the corral, stopping at the main house to watch him for a moment as he too had begun to make his way toward the exit to the ranch.
I really hope he succeeds tomorrow.
"Are you sure about this Link? We're wasting time right now. We need to be working toward defeating Gannondorf, not helping a farmhand with her troubles!" Navi's high pitched voice was directly in Link's ear, given she was floating just inches from him.
"Yes. I'm sure. We can't leave her hanging Navi." He curtly responded as he made his way onto the ranch. He was shocked to find Malon outside, a bucket of water in her hands as she headed for the barn. She froze for a moment when she saw him, nodding subtly before she continued on her way. The small encounter made Link's heart flutter and race, trying to take a deep breath to re-calm his nerves.
Okay, let's do this. He purposefully strode his way across the ranch, to where Ingo was watching the horses in the corral, just as he was yesterday.
"Ingo, you remember that challenge you issued yesterday!?" he shouted that as soon as he was close enough, actually startling the man slightly.
"What of it, boy!? I seem to recall you backing down like a coward!" Ingo sneered at Link as he spoke, his voice as cold and evil sounding as it had been yesterday.
"I want to change the stakes. If I win, I keep the horse I'm riding. If you win, I give you everything I own, and one year of free labor." Link tried to make his side of the wager as enticing as possible, knowing that though the blade on his back was no ordinary blade, anyone with even half a mind would be able to tell it was valuable. And given the smith who made the special lightweight steel his shield was made from no longer lived, a pristine hylian shield was worth a fair amount of money. Adding a year of free labor was merely trying to add over kill to the offer.
"Hmph, idiot boy. Fine. Go pick you're mount. It won't make any difference though, because you will be losing!" he opened the Corral gate enough for Link to get through, Link already pulling out his ocarina.
Once inside the gate, he played the melody Malon had taught him, as calmly as he had the night before. A gorgeous red horse with white 'socks' that transitioned to black as the fur climbed her legs began to trot toward him. Her tail and mane were both a brilliant white in color, the only horse in the entire area with her colors. She was currently saddled, unlike yesterday, likely Malon's doing. As soon as the horse was close enough, he slipped up in her saddle and grabbed the reins tied neatly around the pummel horn.
"Okay Girl, let's save you, okay?" he leaned forward and whispered that into the horses ear, the horse loudly whinnying in response. She responded immediately to his gentle urge forward, easily able to guide her toward the entrance to the paddock.
"Hey listen, we really do have more important things to do!" Navi shouted into his ear once more.
"Not now Navi!" he hissed that at the fairy, who was currently hiding inside his hat. Once he reached the gate, a cackling Ingo let him and the horse out of the corral.
"Alright, this race will be super simple. One lap around the corral, whoever gets back here first wins, and no leaving the dirt track." He was speaking as he mounted his own larger horse. "Now… Go!" he shouted and spurred his horse into action almost simultaneously, leaving Link already behind. But only by moments, as Epona took off on her own only a moment after.
Damn it, that was dirty! Ingo though was already ahead, blocking the inner side of the loop to and keeping the shorter lane.
Come on Epona, we can't lose! He spurred her to move faster, very gently pulling at the left hand rein. This prompted her to drift wide, her sudden acceleration causing her to gain ground on the other horse. Ingo had been watching them though, moving his horse over and forcing Epona to slow back down. He immediately tried to slip into the inside to get past, but Ingo again moved into a direct blocking position.
By this point, the horses were already halfway around the track, leaving very little time for Link to try and come up with a plan. He kept trying to get clear track ahead of him to get past Ingo, but it was of no use. The man was a master at blocking as he was currently doing. Even Epona was getting annoyed by the her inability to speed up, chomping at her bit and whinnying every time she was cut off.
Damn it, come on, we, can't give up now! The two horses thundered through the second turn, the gate to the corral in sight, just a few hundred feet from them. Link starting to panic when an idea hit him. It was so simple, that he honestly felt it might work. He pulled the right hand rein again to bring Epona as close to the fence as he dared, Ingo again staying straight ahead of him. This is when he suddenly jerked on the left hand rein, Epona swerving wide as though he was going to try and slip by again. This time though, he made sure to pull back on both reins a little, ensuring Epona's instinct to try and rush ahead didn't kick in. when Ingo moved to block, it cleared the fence side of the dirt track, which Link was already guiding Epona back toward, spurring her on now. She used all of the pent up energy from being behind a much slower horse this entire short race to suddenly and violently speed up, nearly flinging Link out of the saddle.
Come on! We can do this!
Malon slipped out the barn doors, watching as Link and Ingo slipped around final curve. Her heart leapt into her throat as she realized that Ingo was in front of Link, blocking all of Link and Epona's attempts to pass by.
Come on! Don't let him beat you Link! She grabbed her dress without realizing it, kneading the fabric as the horses pounded toward the finish line, Link looking like he was going to make one more desperate attempt to pass Ingo. But when Ingo moved to block him, Epona suddenly swerved the other way and sped up, whipping right by Ingo with a shockingly fast burst of speed. Malon couldn't stop herself from letting out a cheer as Link and Epona shot over the finish line, a good horse length ahead of Ingo and his mount. Link let out a roaring cheer of his own, audible even with how far he was from her, continuing down the track. Ingo on the other hand, had steered his horse toward the gates built between the barn and the homestead to prevent animals from escaping the ranch, dismounting his horse and angrily marching through the gates. Once past them, he slammed the two gates shut, using their chain and lock to lock them.
"Well, you can have the damned horse! But you are never leaving this ranch with it! I WILL give that horse to Gannondorf! And he might enjoy killing himself a horse thief while he's here!" Ingo shouted that out, his voice harsh and almost twisted now.
"Ingo! What are you doing!? She rushed out of the barn as she shouted back at him, stunned by his harshness. Ever since he had taken over the ranch, he had seemed changed, but this was so far from who she had always known him as that it was terrifying.
"Malon, get back inside and do your job you useless girl! If I catch you out here without a good reason again, you're fired!" his angered shouts were now directed toward her, Malon wanting nothing more than to shrivel away now that the man's ire was focused on her.
"N-No! This isn't right Ingo!" her voice cracked as she shouted that back, her heart racing away in her chest as her limbs began to tremble in fear.
What am I doing!? This is so stupid! The thunder of hooves drew her attention, seeing Link and Epona charging for the gate. Just before the horse could slam into the wood and wrought iron of the gate, the horse leapt into the air, sailing over the gate. On the way down, one of Epona's hooves clipped Ingo's head, sending the man tumbling to the ground. As soon as the horse landed, Link jerked back on the reins, bringing the horse to a stop.
Link didn't just… kill him, did he? Malon couldn't help that thought, rushing back to the barn door to get around the gate. When she left the barn again, Link was no longer on Epona, now kneeling next to Ingo. Ingo was still on the ground, unmoving save for a steady rise and fall of his chest.
Oh thank the goddesses'… she rushed to Link, kneeling beside him. He had a relieved expression on his own face, Malon noticing that he too was trembling.
"Is he going to be alright?"
"I hope so. I didn't mean to hurt him, I couldn't think of another way out and he stepped back i…" he was still shaking tremendously, the boy clearly terrified of what he had done.
"Hey, he's probably just unconscious Link. He'll wake up. But you need to get yourself and Epona out of here. Okay?" she gently laid her hand on his shoulder, trying to smile for him but she herself was scared. Not of him, but of what was going to happen when Ingo woke up.
"I can't leave you with him… what if he realizes we were both in on getting Epona out of here? What if he attacks you for it? I can't leave you to deal with him alone!" his voice rattled with his body, his eyes now focused on her instead of Ingo on the ground.
"I'll be fine, just go okay? At least until things settle back down here." She tried to smile to him again, but she was still trembling herself.
"Malon… I… I can't… if he hurts you because of me…" several small tears slipped out of his eyes, Malon feeling a small stabbing pain rip through her chest upon seeing them. Out of shear instinct alone, she grabbed the front of his tunic, pulling him close enough to allow her to gently lay her lips against his. It was only for the barest trace of a moment, but even that short and gentle touch calmed both of their trembling bodies.
"I will be fine. Okay? Now please, go. You being here will only make things worse. I've dealt with him fairly well on my own so far haven't I? just please, trust me." She spoke as evenly as calmly as she could manage, shocked at how calmly that turned out to be.
"Okay. I'll stay nearby for a few days. If he threatens you in anyway, run out the front gate. I'll be there." He sounded just as nervous as he was moments ago, but his voice was no longer shaking, nor his body. With that gone, his voice had a small amount of the confidence she was used to back.
"I promise you, I will."
As soon as she spoke, he mounted Epona once more, giving her one last worried look before he urged Epona away, riding the horse away from her. Her chest slowly started to feel hollow as he left, the fear she felt starting to slowly return as she realized that what ever happened now, she would have to deal with on her own. She let out a shuddering sigh before she struggled to hoist Ingo up to take him inside.
Malon carried a water bucket from the ranch's well toward the barn, intending to start her afternoon chores once again. Ingo had awoken several days ago, and seemed almost back to who he had been before kicking her father of the ranch, a calm, kind and hardworking person. He had even been helping her with the chores and trying to sing along with her as they worked. It was almost as though the hoof to the head had knocked what ever vile thoughts had taken hold of him clear from his mind. That said, he had been very disoriented for the first day or so after he awoke, barely even remembering the past seven years at all. She had to explain to him what he had been doing, to which he claimed it was utterly preposterous and that if he truly did the things she spoke of, he was intensely sorry for it.
And ever since, she felt her quality of life had drastically shifted, despite her work load being almost the same. The ranch felt like a whole new place, as if it had sprouted new life. She set the bucket down for a moment as she opened the door to the barn, about to take the bucket inside when a voice stopped her.
"Here, let me get that. You take a break, you have been working non-stop for days now!" Ingo had just stepped out of the house, rushing forward and scooping the bucket off the ground.
"But I always wash the animals…"
"Not today Malon, just relax okay?" he smiled to her before disappearing into the barn while humming a tune, kicking the door closed behind him.
I don't want to take it easy though… every time I do, I start thinking about him… with that thought came a flood of memories, from their long and quiet conversation in the corral, to the small and short kiss they had shared right before he had left with Epona. The memories of the kiss alone were enough to make her cheeks burn, given it was the first time in her life that she had ever shown someone that level of affection before. And though she was embarrassed to admit it even to herself, she was very glad she had. To the point that she was fighting the temptation to flee from the ranch just to find Link. But she didn't want him to worry, and he had told her to run if she was in danger. At the same time, she knew his waiting had to be excruciating on the boy, not knowing if she was alright or not. So she had decided to wait for him to come back, knowing that he most certainly would one day.
While her mind had been lost in her musings, she had wandered over to the corral once more, leaning on the fence as she watched the horses calmly graze on the grass with in. with the view, came a flood of memories that were all seven years old. When she had first met her 'fairy boy' as she was so used to referring to him as, he had been fairly shy about talking to her. Most of the time, the two of them would share some food, or he would play his little ocarina while she sang. After a few weeks of that, there had been a sudden and strange shift in his demeanor toward her. Instead of only spending the time he needed to rest at the ranch, he was spending entire days there with her, playing games, bringing her silly masks from the castle town, and above all of that, just talking to her. He never really spoke about where he went on the days he wasn't at the ranch, but she had never really bothered asking. Now, she knew he had been off fighting monsters and saving people.
With those thoughts and memories, one particular day seemed to out power them all, it having been one of their calmer moments. The pair had been lying in the corral, much as they were the other night, and simply chatting about random topics from different kinds of horses to places they both wanted to go when Link had said something that until recently, she really hadn't payed much attention too.
"Malon… I want you to know, I'm always going to be… well. I'm always going to be yours." His voice had been very quiet and nervous sounding, something that she wasn't even sure why at the time.
"What do you mean mine? You're my friend, it's not like I own you or anything Fairy Boy!" she had been laughing at him for the statement, though now that she was looking back at the time, she felt bad for doing so. He had been trying to tell her how much he cared about her, and she had literally laughed at him for it.
"I know, that's not what I meant Malon! I just… well… umm…" he had turned bright red, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head. "I… your…" he finally just let out a small sigh, closing his eyes as he shook his head. As odd as she thought the moment was, she never really thought much of it because of a soft smile he had during it. "do you want to play hide and seek again farm girl?"
"Sure! I'll go hide!"
"Oh no, you're too easy to find, I know all of your hiding spots by now! It's your turn to try and find me!" he had leapt to his feet, his smile exploding into a grin.
"Fine! One! Two! Three….."
It had taken her almost an hour to actually find him that time, the boy having hidden inside one of her father's empty milk crates. That said, once she found him, he never ran too fast for her to catch, and anytime he was chasing her, he never caught her quickly, despite the fact that he could have easily out run her.
She let out another small sigh as happy memories continued to cycle through her mind, no longer even seeing the view she had before her, not that she hadn't seen the sun set on the ranch before.
"Malon! MAAAALLLLOOOONNN!" she heard a shouted voice that she hadn't heard in years, turning around to see her father sprinting between the buildings toward her. At the end of the path, before the path wound out of the ranch, she could see Epona, a green clad boy beside the horse. She didn't get the chance to see more as her father had reached her, scooping her up into a bear hug that forced every ounce of air from her lungs. She did her best to return the hug though, utterly ecstatic to see him.
"Father! I can't believe your home again!"
"I know! This lad, Link, came and dragged me back here! He said that I needed to be here!" her father finally let her go, setting her back on her feet. He had tears streaming from his eyes, and though he was still as overweight as ever, he had clearly aged over the past few years, specks of grey beginning to form in his hair.
She leaned past him to watch as Link made his way toward her in a much calmer fashion, leading Epona by her reins until he was feet away from her. She couldn't stop the tears flowing from her eyes as she rushed by her father, throwing her arms around him as soon as she was close enough.
"How did you know he could come back!? And where did you even find him!?"
"Oh, that was easy. Almost everyone is in Kakariko village now. And I came back a couple days ago and spoke to Ingo. Sorry I didn't say hi, I just got the idea to find your father and well…" he trailed off, but not entirely of his own accord, as Malon loosened her grip on him enough to press her lips against his once more. This kiss lasted much longer than their first, Malon able to feel his hands on her back, pulling her tighter into him. The kiss was only broken off when Malon started to feel her lungs burning desire for air. She let out a small gasp as she backed off enough to breath, still left with what felt like an insatiable desire for more.
"What in tarnation!? He's been here for less than a minute Malon! And you, what gives ya the right to go kissing my daughter!" her father was marching toward the pair like a large angry balloon. The pair immediately separated, Malon feeling blood rushing to her face in such quantities that she thought fainting was a distinct possibility for her at this point.
"Father, it's not like that! I, we… um…"
"We've known each other for seven years now sir. I don't know if you remember me at all, but I had to wake you up when you fell asleep at the castle, I was spending a lot of nights here over the weeks after so I had a place to stay as well." Surprisingly, Link was able to speak calmly and clearly. Though his cheeks were visibly rosy, he was amazingly calm. Then again, he had faced giant monsters and living skeletons. An angry rancher, and a tubby one at that, likely was low on his list of terrifying things.
"Oh… you… you're him!? I thought you had died or something!" her father made a total reversal in mood, now ecstatic, throwing his arms wide in welcome. "I'm sorry for that, come, eat with us! Where's Ingo, that crazy worker needs a break too!"
Malon felt herself shriveling up on the spot as her father swept both of them up into a hug that was more suffocating than anything else. When he finally let go of them, she gave Link the most apologetic sheepish grin she could manage. He returned it with a small, soft smile that melted everything in her chest in an instant. She was also shocked to feel his hand grab her's, interlacing his fingers with her's as well. The action only made her blush even more, but she decided to simply accepted the gesture, leaning into his shoulder. She remained like that as she followed her father into their home, unsure as to the kind of night lay before her.
Link idly flipped the strange blue coin he had just received in his hand, inspecting it as he sat astride Epona, letting her lead him away from Zora's domain. It had been nearly three weeks since he had seen Malon in this time, having been extremely busy with trying to help the different sages. And it was honestly beginning to wear him thin. He wanted desperately to go see her, and spend even ten minutes talking to her, but Navi nearly shouted him down each time. At this point, he had settled to spending as much time with her as he could during his for-ray's back into the past, but it simply wasn't satisfying him anymore. He wanted to spend time with the adult version of her. The version of her who could understand what he was meaning, who wanted to do more than play idle kid's games to pass the time. As much as he had loved spending time with her as a kid, it simply was not enough of a connection for him.
"Listen, we need to head out into the desert! That's where the spirit temple is!"
He let out a small sigh at the sound of Navi's voice, knowing she was going to say that. "I'm going to the ranch."
"What!? No! we can't! you need to stop worrying about that farmgirl and focus on stopping Gannondorf! If we don't stop him, then all of the time you already have spent with her was for nothing! Because she will likely be dead! Or worse! Focus on what you need to do and forget about her!" Navi buzzed back and forth in front of him as she shouted at him, Link not even twitching.
"And if I don't rest every now and again, I'm just going to wear myself out, make a mistake, and then I'll be dead. Then what would you do Navi." He glared at the floating fairy, who sputtered several times, but didn't respond. "So I'm going and that's final."
The fairy 'humphed' at him, but otherwise remained silent as he slipped the medallion into one of his pouches, letting his head sag until he was almost exclusively staring at Epona's brilliant white mane. He knew it was going to be at least a couple hours of riding before he reached the ranch, so he was content to try and relax his body as much as he could.
After a while, he started to hear a strange clattering sound, very similar to the drumming of hooves, but with more noise to it. If he had to place it, it sounded almost similar to the sound a running Stalfos made…
He suddenly sat upright, scanning his immediate surroundings as he reached for his sword. He was too late though, as the rattly galloping sound had already risen to the point of deafening, Link feeling an impact on his back that sent him tumbling from the saddle. He was slammed into the dirt of the road Epona had been following, hearing a loud whinny before the sound of hooves galloping away. Most of his body hurt as he forced himself to his feet, seeing a scared Epona already several dozen meters off the road. Down the road from him was something he had never seen before.
It looked like a horse skeleton, but had a massive horn on it's forehead. It's rider, saddled like a trained warrior, was a human like Stalfos, totting a massive long lance, the tip of which was slightly bent. It was trotting back around to aim at Link once more when a second set of rattling hooves echoed into his ears from behind. Running on pure instinct, he leapt to the side, feeling wind press into his cloths. But even with his quick reflex, something bit into his sword arming, ripping clean through the shirt and chainmail to slice his arm open. The pain of the injury blinded him for several moments, only just managing to shove the pain aside to get back to his feet.
The first Stalfos rider was already charging again, link barely managing to unclasp and catch his shield in time to try and reflect the enemy lance away. Even so, the force of the impact sent a shockwave of pain through his entire body as he was flung into the dirt. By the time he could scramble to his feet again, the second horse was on it's second charge. Thinking quickly, he moved to grab his sword with his left arm, as he had been doing all his life, only to find the movement so excruciatingly painful that he couldn't even get the blade half drawn. So he leapt to the side, narrowly dodging the second rider's blood stained lance.
He tried to draw his blade again, but to no avail, unable to get the blade to even half draw again. His entire left arm was already bathed a deep crimson, his body beginning to shake slightly as his extremities felt like they had been sitting in ice for a moment.
Crap, this isn't good! I can't fight like this! The two riders had linked back up again, the first waiting for his companion before they charged together, lances leveling on him. Neither reached him though, as Epona had come racing back, spun around in the dirt, and unleashed both of her back legs into the closer of the two mounts as it passed, sending random shards of bone pelting into the second mount, both slamming into the ground.
With out a moment of thought, Link took off for the horse, clutching at his bleeding wound despite the shield hanging loosely on his arm. As soon as he reached the horse, he did his best to pull himself onto the horse, barely making it into the saddle. He was about to spur the horse onward, when his side seemed to light on fire. He barely managed to look back to see one of the Stalfos' lances protruding from his side, the Stalfos owner of the weapon just behind the horse. Epona unleashed another violent kick with her rear legs, sending it's bones scattering everywhere and the spear sliding free with a sickeningly wet sucking sound.
Link gasped as the weapon fell free of him, unable to focus as he slumped forward in the saddle. The amount of pain he was in was completely unbearable, his vision spinning and heaving as the horse began to gallop on her own. He did his best to tangle his hand in her reins as the edges of his vision went black, soon finding himself in complete and utter darkness.
Malon sighed as she sat on a bucket, trying to read one of the few books in the dying light of the day. Her Father and Ingo were giving her some more free time, likely because they could tell how sad she had been over the past week or so. It had been some time since the day her father had come back, and Link had not visited her at all in that time. She sorely missed him now, and could not shake the feeling that something bad had happened to him. Earlier today, she had even tried to take one of the horses and go looking for him, and would have succeeded if her father hadn't stopped her. As it was, her 'reading' was more an excuse to wait for him in hopes he would show up. But, given the time, she highly doubted he would appear today, leaving her with another night that she would have trouble sleeping through.
She was about to close her book for the night when a faint rhythm began to register in her hearing, perking up slightly and listening to try and discern what it was. after several moments, the sound solidified in her ears as the pounding of hooves on dirt. The book fell from her hands, forgotten as excitement rose up with in her, barely even noticing that she had stood from her position.
Moments later, a horse unmistakable as any other than Epona thundered around the final bend of the path to the ranch, seeming riderless. The horse slowed as she ran out into it's path, confused as her mind raced to try and figure out where Link was until her eyes fell upon green cloth, almost hidden behind the horses neck. She rushed forward as soon as she saw it, shouting for Epona to stop. The horse did as she was commanded, allowing Malon to reach the figure. She nearly froze on the spot as she saw Link in the saddle, unmoving, one sleeve of his tunic ripped and died crimson, with another bright streak of crimson on his side.
"LINK!?" she screamed as she rushed to pull him from the saddle, finding the reins tangled around his shield hand, the shield still in place. She struggled with the leather band and buckle holding the defensive object to his forearm, watching it slide off the opposite side of the horse with a loud metallic clang before she untangled his hand from the reins. As soon as his hand was free, his weight came crashing down upon her, causing her to fall to the ground with him. She barely noticed the impact though, instinctively finding the hole in his tunic and pressing against it with all of her might. She could feel warm liquid seeping onto her fingers, showing that he was still bleeding.
"FATHER! INGO! PLEASE! LINK'S HURT!" she screamed that at the house, still trying to keep pressure on the bleeding wound as Link let out a soft moan, his head rolling slightly away from her in the dirt.
"Link!? Link!? Can you hear me?" he didn't' respond to her at all, Malon taking on of her hands from his wound to try and gently shake him, to which he still didn't respond. "No, no, no, no, no, no! FA-" she had started to shout once more when the door to house burst open, both her father and Ingo storming through. Both stood wide eyes at the sight before them, frozen in place for a moment.
"Ingo, get two horses, go to Kakarico, there is a potion shop there. Tell the owner that Talon sent you and needs him here immediately, let him know what is going on. Now go!" he shoved Ingo toward the barn as he shouted, running the opposite way to the side of the house, where they had linens out to dry on a line. He quickly ripped several shirts and one of her dresses from the line before rushing back.
"Here, press this on his side!" he threw one of the shirts at Malon, who immediately did as she was told. The wound was bleeding enough that it had already started tingeing the fabric red. Her father was wrapping one of the other shirts tightly around Link's bleeding arm, tying the fabric in place. As soon as he was done, he gently lifted Link's midsection to wrap the dress around him, brushing her hands aside so he could tightly tie the dress to hold the shirt she had been pressing on in place.
"Help me move him inside." He spoke firmly, though softly to her, Malon nodding.
Her body was trembling almost out of control, having trouble trying to hoist Link's arm over her shoulder to hoist him between them, Ingo coming out from the main doors with a pair of horses ready to go. She didn't see him leave though, as she had already slipped inside the house.
"Once we get him upstairs, go get yourself cleaned up Malon. I'll keep an eye on him."
"No! I'm not leaving him! She immediately retorted against her father, helping him haul Link up the stairs, where they set Link into Malon's smaller bed. Once he was there, her father preceded to start stripping him of his weapons and equipment, instructing her to keep pressure on his wounds when he had to remove the bandages to get the chainmail off him. But once that was done, they quickly re-secured the bandages.
"Malon… you really need to wash up…"
"No! I told you, I'm not leaving him!"
"Malon, look at yourself… you're covered in blood…" he spoke just as softly as he had before.
She glanced down at herself, gagging at the amount of red on her once pure white dress. Both of her hands were coated the slick, almost greasy fluid. She had to press the back of her hand against her mouth to keep her dinner from cascading out. Once she had it under control though she very gently gripped one of Link's hands, interlacing her fingers with his once more. "I can't leave him father… not like this."
Her father let out a small sigh, but remained silent, she felt his hand on her shoulder for a moment before he moved away, the door closing to signal him having left the room.
"Please don't die Fairy Boy…"
Link let out a soft moan, his arm and side both pulsing with pain, but he could not place why, no matter how hard he tried. He wanted to shift positions, but there was weight on his uninjured arm, and his entire body just felt strangely heavy, as though someone had replaced his flesh with lead. He barely managed to get his eyes to open, finding himself in a room he immediately recognized.
What am I doing in Malon's house? And am I… in her bed!? His eyes began to search the room frantically until they fell on a familiar head of brilliant red hair, Malon's head resting on his arm as she slept away. She had his hand in hers and was gripping it rather tightly. That's when he noticed the greasy feeling between their hands, and the sticky dark red gunk all over her hands.
In an instant, everything that had happened with the mounted Stalfos rushed back into his mind, sending him into a totally different kind of panic. He made to move his left arm to try and shake her awake, only to find it locked in a clean white sling. He groaned as the action caused pain to shoot through his arm. Instead, he tried to gently squeeze her hand. The slight raise in her head as his muscles contracted seemed to stir her slightly, but not enough to actually awaken her.
"I'm not leaving him father…" her voice dripped out of her, the girl clearly still fast asleep.
"Come on Farm Girl, wake up." He spoke as gently as he could manage, finding his voice to be as weak as the rest of him right now.
That said, it seemed enough to make her sit up, her tired blue eyes looking around for a moment before they found his. It took several moments for her mind to process what she was looking at, leaving her with a slightly puzzled expression on her exhausted face that was utterly adorable.
Link smiled at her as warmly as he could manage, the girl faintly smiling back until it seemed to hit her that he was awake. Then her smile exploded into a grin, letting go of his hand to launch herself on top of him, her arms snaking under his head. He barely noticed that fact though, as her sudden hug sent pain shooting through his injuries.
"Gaaah! Malon! That hurts!"
"I don't care! Just shut up and take it! You deserve it after the night you put me through!" she whispered into his ear, Link feeling her shudder several times as she began sobbing.
Despite all of the pain she was causing him, he wrapped his free arm around her and slowly rubbed her back.
"I'm sorry Malon…"
"No! that's not going to cut it! You nearly died more than once last night! You are going to have to do a hell 'uva lot better than 'I'm sorry'!" her voice, though tinged with anger, was shaking as much as she was.
"I know. I love you Malon." He very gently whispered that to her, closing his eyes as tears slipped from them.
"I know. You have for years. I still remember when you tried to tell me all those years ago…" she whispered that back, but though it was said quietly, he could feel as much as hear the happiness she couldn't contain bleeding into it. "I love you too…"
All of his injuries seemed to melt away from those three words, the pain from them completely forgotten. He gently twisted his head so he could plant a small kiss on the side of her head, the pair simply staying like that.