Link was getting so close to his goal now, he could almost taste it. The Sages were all released except one, the one of Spirit, and Link had suspicions that he could find the Sage in the Gerudo desert. It was just as well that he met Sheik and witnessed the clear, crystal blue water of the lake surging back; in fact, it only motivated him further. Which is why, after emerging dripping wet and hungry from Lake Hylia, with memories of elemental blobs and shadow counterparts, he fired into the morning light, and then immediately summoned Epona and rode the short distance to the desert.
When he rode up the small plank, though, he found a broken bridge over the gorge where once as a child he had stared at the rock formations, at the mysterious Gerudo guards who denied him access to their home, and wondered what lay beyond. He gaped, unsure of what to do.
Navi sighed. "Link, we have Epona. Can't she jump over that gap? I mean, she jumped over that pasture fence at Lon Lon Ranch, didn't she?"
Link nodded, remembering. He prepared Epona for the jump, but it was obvious by how he backed Epona all the way back to the small plank that he was nervous. Navi knew him well. He wasn't scared of the jump. He was wondering, is it alright to do stuff like this? He could be so single-minded sometimes…
There was a bearded man who looked like a walrus on the other side, watching them. Link remembered him as the head carpenter in Kakariko. The carpenter lifted a heavy hand and waved them over. "Well, c'mon over, then!" he roared.
Link made the jump easily. He dismounted and spoke with the carpenter, who mentioned some of his workers who were held prisoner in the Gerudo Fortress ahead. The carpenter extracted a promise out of Link to rescue them if he came across them, then Link listened uncomfortably to the Running Man's sob story of lost bunny hoods, and set off to finally visit the hiding place of the most secretive race in Hyrule, leaving Epona next to the tent to graze the desert grass.
It was a stronghold, all right. As Link crouched beneath a large boulder, he watched the patrol patterns of the guards, who brandished nasty-looking spears and sharp, curved scimitars, and looked at the many entrances, high and low, giving an idea of narrow corridors inside which he was sure to get lost in. Link couldn't do anything at the moment, so he waited for the guards to change and a chance to slip through. He waited a long time. And waited. And kept on waiting.
"They seem to never change?" Navi observed dully. All they do is walk in a straight line, and we've been watching them hours! Look, nine paces, five with the left foot, four with the right, then pause, turn around, and repeat. It's driving me crazy!"
Link could only agree, though he was ready to wait as long as they needed. One thing that bothered him, though. It was quite hot. Yes, it was the desert, and it was midday, a very sunny and cheery day. But he didn't expect it to be slowly cooking him! It was almost like being inside of Death Mountain again. Except this time, his Goron Tunic wouldn't protect him from the heat.
Maybe the Gerudos have a Gerudo Tunic? Wait, if they're all females and more or less Hylian—they don't look like they have protective skin, like the Gorons, or gills, like the Zoras. And they aren't wearing very much, and a tunic would be out of the question. Not to mention, I would not want to be caught dead wearing those purple, silky, baggy pants.
He voiced this last thought to Navi, who merely looked at him flatly. "With your tights?" she retorted, "Don't criticize other people's clothing!"
Feeling a bit hurt, he decided to avoid the subject whenever possible from now on. However, Navi must have been feeling the heat too, and she piped up,
"Link, I have an idea. It's the hottest part of the day now, and probably the worst time to sneak in, unprepared as we are. Maybe we should wait until evening and sneak in under the cover of dark?"
Link agreed readily, and they started back for the bridge. As they went, they argued over where to stay until evening. Navi did not want to travel anymore.
"No! We're going to pick a place, a cool place, and rest there until night comes! I don't want to be hunting Poes down the rest of the day! Besides, Link, you just went through the Water Temple, and that was an… ordeal. You need some rest and food, and frankly, you look terrible."
By this, she was referring to how Link was sweating profusely and his cap sagged sadly. Link thought for a moment. Zora's Domain? It's nice and cool and is pretty with all that ice…No. He frowned. There was something disconcerting about sitting on the ice alone with frozen bodies of a still-living race underneath you, and a heavyweight King Zora upstairs. I really hope the ice melts soon, he gloomily thought.
There were not many other places to go, and he was sick of Lake Hylia for the moment, so Link and Navi mutually agreed on Lon Lon Ranch. They came out of the rocky pass into the clearing next to the gorge in harsh sunlight. As they reached the tent, Navi stopped and Link looked confused. She called, "Wait, Link. Where did Epona go? Wasn't she right here?"
An hour later, a very soggy and a very grumpy Link showed up at Talon's ranch. He hung his clothes out to dry, ate a late lunch quickly, and went immediately to sleep. Thankfully, Talon did not ask any questions, and Ingo and Malon were gone tending the horses.
Link awoke, refreshed and content. As he came down the stairs in the barn, he stretched and yawned, buckling the sheath of the Master Sword onto his back, as well as his various weapons. He made sure to not step on the Cuccos this time, and emerged into a beautiful late sunset. Sunsets in Hyrule were always beautiful, but as an adventurer, Link saw the best of them. He looked around, noticing the long, dark shadows of the barn and house and the blazing cool sky. He heard a voice singing a familiar tune, a tune that he had played several times today, and he went to the corral to greet Malon.
"Well, good evening, Link!" Malon happily enthused. He smiled. Link loved Lon Lon Ranch, as it was so peaceful and there was no danger here, and he could just forget about the war outside for a few hours during his frequent visits.
"Link, you're awake! Did you know that when you play Epona's Song on your ocarina, Epona comes to you, wherever you are? Even if there is a chasm in the way?" Navi cheerfully spoke from behind. He glared at Navi and yawned again. Malon did nothing to cover her grin.
"Don't worry. Navi told me why you two are here, and you can stay as long as you want! You two are always welcome here!" He gave a grateful look and Malon excused herself to finish her chores.
"We have an hour left. Let's make use of it." Navi said. Link nodded and began jogging across the field, loosening up as he went. After approaching the area to the back of the corral, he took out his bow, which he decided he was going to use to eliminate the Gerudo guards, and began practicing with a tree some distance away. The tree rose from an island of dirt, with heavy bushes on the side facing away from Link and a small boulder on the edge of the dirt. Link shot five arrows, all that was left in his quiver, which all hit the tree except the last. He went to collect them. When he got closer, he noticed writing on the boulder. It was scrawled, but the paintbrush must have been pressed very hard, as all the strokes were large and deep, and the red paint was applied carefully. Distracted and curious, he left his arrows alone and crouched in front of the boulder, Navi perching on his shoulder.
"In Memory of Those who Perished here Under Ganondorf." Navi read aloud.
"What does that mean?" Link was equally puzzled. Was here Lon Lon Ranch, or was this a marker to the citizens of Hyrule who were killed during Ganondorf's reign? And there were red streaks all over the rock face that wasn't paint. What was this?
They were quite for a minute, man and fairy, both wondering.
Malon's voice interrupted them. "I see you've found our secret stone." she stated. She suddenly looked very downcast, unlike the Malon he usually saw.
Navi asked, "What does this mean? Is it for someone?"
Malon sat down on the grass and sighed, looking very uncomfortable. "Well…I don't know if I should…but you guys helped us. Okay," she looked away, "it goes like this."
"Seven years ago, Ganondorf first took the title of King of Hyrule, and began his oppression of us, his new subjects. His army laid siege to Castle Town and all the residents were evacuated, quickly, to Kakariko. The only people remaining were the Hyrule Castle guards, the town militia, and the Hylian Knights, who have pretty much your job: traveling Hyrule, protecting the people and bringing peace. Basically, the entire Hyrule Army was mobilized there, along with warriors whom the Gorons and Zoras could spare. They held the town magnificently, but with Ganondorf leading the army of monsters, the gate did not hold long. The drawbridge was broken and the monsters poured in. The Hyrule army was holding out even then, until Ganondorf started fighting himself." Malon paused here and started sniffling. "It was a massacre. The Hyrule army was no match for his dark magic, and they were routed. And even then, Ganondorf went around, wielding his great sword which could slice a soldier in half, and occasionally picking one out to do terrible things to with his magic. Everyone was killed, but some escaped. The survivors grouped up and fled…here." Here Malon paused again. "We were all too glad to give them refuge and hide them. We considered it our duty to the rightful rulers of Hyrule. Ganondorf gave up searching after a while, he never thought of searching us often enough, and we had hid them very well. We thought they could be safe, and alert other kingdoms to Hyrule plight, and we could all be rescued. Until," Malon had tears shining in here eyes, and was doing her best to speak with no emotion. "Until, Mr. Ingo betrayed them—and us. One and a half months after they arrived here, and they were still recuperating. Ingo gave them away to Ganondorf. He sold us out. He betrayed us!" She whispered, her voice shaking with anger.
Link and Navi looked at each other, surprise in their faces.
"Only Ganondorf arrived, without his army, and all of us, even Mr. Ingo, watched from the barn. There were fourteen of them here. Several loyal guards, five Gorons. They were always so serious. Then four Zoras, and three Knights. They surrounded him, fought with him, fought him with so much courage. But…they couldn't do it." Her voice cracked. "They couldn't beat him. A Goron, two Zora, and one Knight retreated here, the last ones left, to this very spot and took a stand. They were toyed with, as if they were nothing serious, and were killed brutally one by one with Ganondorf. The Knight—his name was Lorenzo—died last. Ganondorf had him by one hand," Malon held out her hands to demonstrate, "and crushed his face against that boulder, there. The last thing the Knight said was, 'Long live Hyrule' before Ganondorf impaled him through the chest from behind." She was now talking matter-of-factly, her emotions evidently under control and as she leaned forward to brush back a leaf from a bush, Link saw that concealed behind was a deep and narrow hole leading into the centre of the solid rock and around it, a huge splatter of red.
For minutes, no one spoke.
"And then?" Navi dared to question.
Malon looked at the ground. "And that was the last of the Hylian Knights. We buried the bodies underneath the rock after we came back. That's right. Ganondorf was about to take us away to, no doubt, kill us for deceiving him. But Mr. Ingo saved us. He pleaded with Ganondorf to let us go, and he did and left Mr. Ingo in control. But when I think of what he did to the horses and the ranch and my father, I…sometimes can't help regretting that the survivors had to come to our home. I mean," She stopped herself and began shaking her head wildly. "I understand my duty and all, and I know that it was the right thing to do, but we're just simple people, ranchers who raise horses and produce milk. They knew that, but they came here anyways, they knew we were good citizens. But, we're just simple folk and they put us in so much danger. It's…that sort of thing shouldn't happen on a ranch!" She spit out the last line. As Link and Navi stared at her, the panicked look on her face receded.
"That's the last of any resistance against Ganondorf for a long time, for years. I guess…that those survivors, even though they were so dangerous, were our last hope. Our last futile hope." She finished. They were all silent for a minute, pondering, and remembering, and rethinking.
But Malon suddenly lifted her head and looked Link in the eye.
"Until you, Link. And…and you're succeeding! I saw Lake Hylia, I saw today that the water came back! That was you, wasn't it?" Malon breathlessly rushed. "So, Link. You're kind of like a knight too, in a way. You're here to protect us, and you go around stopping evil. And you don't put us in danger! You saved us! You're our new hope! So in that case," she pointed directly at the stone grave, "that's your brother. Don't make his sacrifice be in vain," she warned, "don't stop until you've avenged everyone who's died wrongly like Lorenzo and these brave soldiers!"
Flushing with excitement, she stood up and was about to speak, but she stopped herself. "Mr. Ingo is a good man…" she whispered, looking at both of them, and ran off.
Link watched her run across the field and into the house. Shortly, the light came on in the window on the second floor. He turned slowly back towards Navi.
"Shall we go?" Navi offered. Link stood and brushed the grass off himself. He looked at the sky, the sunset was at its most intense, right before it disappeared off the sky. It was blinding to look at. He stood still for a second, and then approached the stone cautiously. Navi watched as he brushed his fingers over the words on the memorial. Without a word, he turned to leave, Navi disappearing underneath his hat, pulling out the ocarina to call for Epona. Moments later, he rode off, leaving the memorial stone alone in the warm night air.
"Let's go, the night is short," Navi encouraged Link, and no more words were said until they reached the desert. Link should have been thinking about a way to find his way around the fortress, to see the Sage of Spirit and the approaching defeat of Ganondorf. But in both their minds, there were only the words, "In Memory of Those who Perished here Under Ganondorf."
As they left the gates of Lon Lon Ranch at full gallop, Ingo was coming in for supper. The farmhand was smiling pleasantly, his mustache bristling as he sniffed at the air, whistling a bad tune, the very picture of contentment and simplicity. As the Hero rode past, he turned to bow.
"I am Ingo. I feel so honored to be allowed to work here. Goodnight and come back soon!"
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