Only the story is mine! Random passerby: What the heck are you doing?

Me: Writing a fanfic? Eh? Blah Blah randomness. I'm psychotic! Shut up and read! Review please! How do I read the reviews? Hawkfrost's girl is super special awesome! Check out her stuff! I love Dark Link! Hmm…sorry, I just realized that part way through this chapter his POV changes from 1st person to 3rd person. Oh, well!

A Shadow's Fire

Chapter 2: Lin

I opened my eyes. My head was throbbing like crazy. "Ugh." A face popped into my vision from nowhere. "Wha!"

"Oh! You're finally awake! You've been out cold for three days."

"Who the hell are you?" I asked. "Fire?"

"Oh! Sorry! I'm Malon, daughter of Talon, the owner of this ranch."

"So I'm at Lon Lon Ranch?"

"Yup! What's your name?" She asked.

"Uh…" He couldn't say Dark Link. "Uh, I'm Lin." It was a stupid name but it wasn't like he'd be here long. He stood up and felt dizzy again.

She pushed him down on the bed again. "No! You can't get up yet! You're still not well!"

"I need to leave and-"

"I said no. I won't let you leave until I'm satisfied that you've healed." She pointed to his chest. He looked down and saw his shirt had been removed. "From the look of that you were hit by powerful magic."

"But I-"

"I said no!"

He knew he was too weak to leave but he didn't want to admit defeat so he said: "Fine! But as soon as I'm well, I'm leaving! I have things I did to do." He actually wasn't quite sure what he needed to do. Should he go back to Ganondorf? No, he wasn't yet strong enough to face his master and win. Maybe he should seek out Link? Soon Link would enter the Water Temple. Ganondorf had wanted him to go there and kill Link, but Dark Link did not blame Link for anything. Ganondorf had put the instinct in him to hate Link, but if he tried hard enough he was able to fight it. He knew Link did not know he existed yet, it was Ganondorf who had made him. Ganondorf who had named him the Hero's shadow and insisted on using him like a puppet. Dark Link was determined to do whatever it took to not do what Ganondorf wanted.

"Good." She said. "Are you hungry?"

"Where are my things?" All he had on his person were his leggings.

"In a drawer over here." She said. He looked and saw he was in a simple room. It had two beds and a small table in the center. A cabinet was in one corner. Beside his bed was a large window. "Are you hungry?" She asked again.

"No." But his stomach growled as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Even though he was a shadow, while he was in his solid form he needed food and water like all humans and lately he avoided being his shadow self as much as possible.

She smiled kindly. "It's alright. You don't need to be shy. What would you like to eat?"

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

"How about stew?"

He had never had stew before, only hard bread and occasionally roast, cheese or apples, which were usually old or moldy. "Sure." He tried not to sound too interested.

She left for a minute and then returned with a steaming bowl. She handed it to him on a tray. He starred at it. It was a dark liquid with chunks in it. A weird scoop shaped piece of metal lay on the tray. He didn't understand this weird food. He picked up the metal piece and studied it for a moment. Maybe he was supposed to eat it? He bit it. "Ow!"

Malon giggled. He blushed. "What are you laughing at?" He asked angrily.

"You!" She exclaimed. "You don't eat the spoon!"

"Spoon?"

She nodded and took the spoon from him. "That's what this is." She said gently. Then she scooped it in the stew and brought it to her mouth. She ate and drank was on it

and then handed it back to him.

He clumisly mimiced what she'd done, spilling stew on his face in the process. She handed him a washcloth. He looked at it and then looked at her. She patted her face. He wiped his face off then sat it on the tray. Malon smiled and sat on the edge of his bed, watching him eat. "Do you like it?"

He nodded. "This is the best food I've ever had!"

"Well, I'm glad you like it. Ingo never thinks my stew has enough meat in it."

"Ingo?"

"He works on the ranch with my dad and me. My dad's name is Talon. What about you? Do you have family?"

"No."

"No? So you're all alone? I'm sorry. Where are you from?"

"Uh…Near Lake Hylia." Technically it wasn't a lie. That's where he'd been right before here.

"Oh."

He realized she was staring intently at him. He shifted uncomfortably. "Sorry." She said. "I've never seen anyone with red eyes before. I didn't know that was possible."

"Well now you know." He said bluntly.

She smiled. "Yep!"

Dark Link was taken back by this. "Doesn't it creep you out?"

"What?" she asked. "You having red eyes?" He nodded. She continued, "No! I think it's neat! I wish I had red eyes."

"Why would you want red eyes?"

"Cuz they're neat."

He shook his head. "You're weird, Fire."

She laughed again, but when she spoke her tone was a little heavy. "My mom used to call me Fire too, before she died."

"How'd she die?"

"One night, our horse barn caught on fire. I was four. She told me to stay by the house while she, Ingo, and dad saved the horses. Well, I wanted to help too. I ran in there, but I couldn't find a way back out. I starting crying and she heard me. She found a way in and grabbed me, but the roof fell in and blocked the entrance most of the way. She couldn't fit through but I could. She told me to go, but I didn't want to go without her, so she promised she'd be right there with me because she loved me. I thought she meant she would follow me, but after I went through…She never came out. There was no where for her to get out."

"Sorry, I'm sure my calling you Fire upsets you."

"No. It makes me happy…Well, you need your rest so I'll leave you for awhile so you can sleep." She took his empty bowl and the tray and then left.

Ingo and Talon were waiting downstairs. "How is he?" Talon asked her.

"He's doing well. He can't stand, but he's okay.'

"What's he like? I'm not entirely sure I like him in that room with you." Talon said.

"Don't worry, Dad. He's very nice, but he's shy." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "He's also just a little strange. He didn't know what a spoon was."

"What!" Ingo exclaimed. "Where's that nutcase from?!"

"He said he was from somewhere near Lake Hylia, but I think that may have been a lie."

"Then why didn't you squeeze the truth from him?" Ingo asked.

"Because there was obviously a reason he didn't want to tell me. With his type of personality I didn't want to force him to say anything. Not because he dangerous, but he's…confused. He seems a little self-concious too, I think it's because of his eyes."

"What's wrong with his eyes?" Talon asked.

"They're red. I like them though!"

"That's odd." Talon said. "Well, what's his name?"

"Lin." Malon said. "But I get the feeling he's not telling us everything."…