**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.**
Chapter 2 - Conjuring Memories
Malon nearly dropped her lantern and her entirely body started to shake violently. The lantern's light illuminated the scene before her. The glittering orb was a fairy. It was hovering over a body on the ground littered with forest debris and soaked in blood. The young man was lying face down, but she recognized him immediately. Link. It had to be. No other boy outside of the mysterious forest had a fairy with him and most of the forest dwellers didn't venture outside the confines of the forest's interior. It was almost as if her memories of that summer conjured Link and his fairy, Navi into being. At first she thought he was dead, but through the cuts, and bruises she could see the slight rise and fall of each ragged breath. Malon's heart was racing as she tried to fight back her tears. She left the lantern next to Link and ran back to stable calling to her father.
"Father! Father, come quickly!" She was breathless as Talon jerked open the stable door.
"Malon! Are you alrig…What is that?"
Talon blinked his eyes as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He made his way over to where Malon had left her lantern and ran his hand down his face. He too remembered the boy clad in green…and this was surely the same one. Malon tore him from his thoughts.
"Father quickly! We must get him inside!"
Talon lifted Link carefully and Malon quickly gathered his strewn weapons and hat. She noticed a large blood-stain in the grass. She'd have to take care of that before tomorrow morning so Ingo wouldn't ask questions. She rushed to the stable door to open it for her father. Navi hovered over Link like a guardian angel. Once they were inside, Malon glanced again at Ingo's window to make sure he was still asleep. His window was still dark and some relief washed over her. She turned around only to see that her father had laid Link down on a bed of hay and at seemed to be at a loss as to what to do next. She made her way over to them and started examining Link's wounds.
"Is this…is this the fairy boy from Hyrule Castle? The one I gave my precious cook-oo egg to?" Talon stated in between labored breaths.
"Yes Father," Malon said still trembling slightly.
"My my. He's grown into quite a young man. I can't believe it's been six, no, seven years since then. It looks as if his talks of a quest were true. It looks like he's really been through something, poor lad. I guess the past few years haven't been kind to him either."
Her father was a man of few words, but when he did speak, wisdom and insight always seemed to follow. Her father was right. Time had not been kind to them or to the rest of the kingdom for that matter. It was that very summer, seven years ago that darkness swept over the Kingdom of Hyrule and twisted nearly everyone and everything in it. Ganondorf had taken over the kingdom and Princess Zelda (heir to the throne of Hyrule) went into hiding all around the same time that she and her father had met "the boy with the fairy." When Link disappeared it was like everything good went with him-it was then Ingo took over their farm and she had to learn quickly to be clever and hard in order to keep her sanity. She shuddered at the memory of that summer and returned her concerns to the boy lying next to her…but wait…he wasn't a boy anymore…just as her father had said. She could see distinctly his broad shoulders and strong arms. His features were still somewhat soft, but violence seemed to have laid claim on his skin and each scar told a different story. Some were old and white, some were thin, and others were pink and new, just beginning to heal. Now he had another scar to add to his growing collection. Her eyes went back to his soft but chiseled face-it was the same face that had captivated her the night she taught him Epona's song. She couldn't believe how handsome he'd become.
"Should I fetch some water and blankets?" Talon said pulling her from her thoughts.
"Yes…Yes!" she said. She felt her face grow hot. "I'll stay here with him."
Her father returned quickly and brought fresh water, blankets, cloth, and bandages.
"I thought we might need these," he said as he handed her the fresh bandages and cloth.
"Yes. I'm afraid we will," she said softly. "And we also need to keep him warm…Epona!"
Epona, now standing at the opposite end of the stable, had been taking in the situation curiously. She perked her ears up and took a few tentative steps toward Malon and sniffed at the figure lying in her hay. She let out a small whinny as if to say he didn't belong in her food.
"Epona come. You remember Link don't you?" Malon said soothingly.
Epona made her way over next to Malon and sniffed at Link again, then nuzzled him lightly. Malon guided her down slowly and Epona made herself comfortable. Malon rubbed Epona's neck lovingly as she turned her attention back to Link. She unbuttoned his tunic to reveal a gash in his side. The blood was starting to congeal so she was going to have to work fast.
"Oh Father," Malon sighed. "We're going to need the Heal-All flower that grows by the stream next to the forest. Do you know the one?"
"I'm afraid not," Talon said sheepishly. "You inherited the love of nature from your mother, Din rest her. I wouldn't know the difference between a Heal-All and a weed."
"Alright then," Malon said with another sigh, "I'll go get it…and I'll get some fresh milk as well. It will help with the healing process. Just…"
"Don't worry," Talon said with a tired smile, "I may not know much about plants and flowers, but I do know a thing or two about being a father."
Malon smiled with warm admiration for her Father and suddenly felt ashamed for letting doubt creep into the back of her mind. He'd nursed her through fevers, scraped knees, and broken hearts throughout her lifetime. She took her lantern, grabbed a pail and basket and headed out into the night. The cool night air was filled with the scent of the forest and helped to calm her racing heart. Peering once more up at Ingo's window to make sure it was still dark, she raced across the pasture to the stream beyond. Once she reached the fence-line she saw the flower she needed immediately; bathed in moonlight, the Heal-All flower appeared enchanted. As she reached down for it she noticed that her hands were caked in blood. She gasped and quickly washed her hands in the stream, turning the water crimson. Before she knew it, she began to shake uncontrollably again and tried to fight the tears that gathered in her eyes. She wiped them away with trembling hands and concentrated on the task in front of her. She gathered as many flowers as possible and put them in the basket (she would dry the extra ones out so that they would have plenty for the coming days). After she regained her composure, she raced to the barn where they kept their cow.
Ellie the cow stood there as if she'd been waiting for her all along. Malon worked quickly as hot tears began to flow again. When she was finished, she patted Ellie on the head lovingly and wiped her tears with her tattered dress. She hurried back to the stable as quickly as she could with the pail in one hand and the basket of flowers and lantern in the other.
Her father helped her inside and noticed that her face was flushed and tear stained, but said nothing. He had in the meantime, completely removed Link's tunic and what was left of his undershirt. This left Link's chest bare, exposing the wound and his masculine figure. She went to Link's side, lifted his head gently and rested it on her lap.
"Father," she said quietly," the water please."
Talon brought a small flask of water to her and she gently raised Link's head and brought the flask to his lips. His eyes began to flutter slightly and he stifled a raspy moan. He was beginning to regain consciousness. Navi hovered overhead, watching Malon's every move. She gave off an eerie glow; she wasn't as bright as she normally was. She must be worried as well.
"What would the great Deku Tree think of me now?" Navi thought.
The water from the flask pooled at Link's lips and spilled over his chin to his neck and chest.
Malon stroked his face as she whispered, "Oh please drink."
She parted his lips with her fingers to allow the water to slowly gain passage. Link let out a raspy cough as his eyes opened into two tiny slits. His body was ravaged with fever and covered with sweat. He started to shiver. She wet a cloth and placed in on his forehead, then gathered the blankets around him.
"It's okay. You're going to be okay. We're going to take care of you. You need water. Can you try to swallow?" Malon said soothingly.
Link's eyes fluttered momentarily and Malon took that as a yes. Her father came along beside them and started gathering the flowers she had collected.
"I'll just start crushing these and making a paste for that gash." Talon said as he kissed her on the top of her head. Once again, her father never ceased to offer comfort to her.
Malon lifted the flask again and this time Link drank slowly. She made a pillow of sorts out of hay and moved to the side so that she could better examine the gash in Link's side. Her father returned with the Heal-All paste and together they went to work. Navi hovered overhead keeping the room bright when the light from the lantern began to fade as the night wore on. They finally finished cleaning and mending his battered body as the first sign of morning peeked over the horizon. Malon was relieved that Link had made it through the night, but now they had to figure out a way to conceal him long enough for him regain his strength. And so with the dawn came a new set of worries for Malon to harbor. Instead of dwelling on her fears, she set her chin and started her work on the farm early. She planned out her day and coordinated it with her father so someone would be close to the stable in case Ingo came snooping around. The goddesses must have heard her silent prayers last night, because for the first time in nearly seven years, everything went according to her plans. Her father told Ingo there was a nest of spiders in the stable, so he never so much as peeked in there-but of course he demanded her father to get rid of them immediately. The days began to come and go quickly with relatively no trouble. Nights however, were a different story and proved to be more difficult than either Malon or her father ever expected.
**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.**