Beneath the Surface

By Dixxy

Chapter One

The sun was situated high in the sky, beaming down hot rays of light onto the people in Hyrule Castle's Marketplace, where the Hylians and the occasional non-Hylian were moving at a more leisurely pace, spending more time in shops fortunate enough to have cooler interiors. Those who were outside with fanning themselves with whatever make-shift fans they had or were sitting in the shade. Nearby, a collection of small children had decided to play in the fountain in the center, shrieking and laughing as they splashed each other and rough-housed in the crisp water. Two royal guardsmen nearby saw the act, but were too hot to reprimand the children for their simple, effective, and yet very illegal method of cooling off.

At it was because so few people roamed the streets that Malon and Epona were easily able to move through the Market. This surprised the farm girl greatly – on her previous expeditions to town with Epona, she and Link often found themselves standing in one place for hours as they tried to find a clear path of travel for the horse. But that was not an obstacle today, and none of the merchants or shoppers paid her any heed and continued to fan themselves or nap in the shade.

The quiet back-streets of the capitol city would eventually prove to be deserted for all but a few homeless alley cats searching through the garbage for lunch. Malon watched them, only half-curious to see how they fared in collecting their meals of half-eaten fish carcass. She gripped the reigns of her the horse tightly, letting Epona lead the way to the castle.

The hour or so following Link's kidnapping had been traumatic and chaotic for Malon. Her first instinct was to find her father for help, but was disappointed to find that, unlike she and Link had initially thought, he'd been drugged rather than simply napping. By what, Malon wasn't exactly sure, but aside from a heavy odor on his breath there didn't appear to be anything wrong with him – a heavier drug or poison would have long since given him some sort of symptom, so she concluded he was safe for the time being.

She would have searched for that miserable excuse for a man Ingo, but then recalled he had left that morning to "visit an ailing relative of his in the next country". Malon wasn't quite sure she believed his story (she and Link were half-certain he was just trying to weasel Talon out of a paid vacation), but as she had no proof otherwise, Ingo was gone.

Malon was alone and scared.

Or. . . was she?

Naturally, her next instinct was to find Epona, who was still in her stall at the stable. Though Epona was unharmed from the ambush, she was well-beyond panicked. Undoubtedly, the horse had sensed something was wrong, and even with the aid of Epona's Song it took Malon a few minutes to calm the horse down. Once Epona seemed better, she was lead out of her stall and saddled up.

Though she wasn't sure why, she decided that maybe there really WAS something to Link's instruction to find Princess Zelda. Good news was at least Malon knew how to get to Hyrule Castle. Trouble was, she wasn't sure how Link thought she was going to get inside the castle to see the princess. Sure they'd been to the castle on ranch business, but they only dealt with a few workers from the kitchen – never anyone as important as the princess herself.

As Malon was securing the last buckle, she heard something drop to the ground and saw, much to her amazement, a small burgundy book. Apon closer inspection, it was a crudely made notebook with yellowing parchment in its middle and a piece of twine holding it closed. Malon had never seen it before, and then remembered that Link had passed something to her in their final moments together.

"The first answer you find will be all the information you'll need."

He must have meant the first page of this book! And now, hoping beyond hope that what she found on the first page wasn't the result of a delusion by Link (or worse, her own insanity), Malon was making the trip to the castle to seek an audience with the second most powerful Hylian in all of Hyrule. Clutching the horse's reigns tighter, Malon shut her eyes and hoped for the best.

It was less than half an hour later that they reached the gate by the castle. This place, Malon recognized, was where her second meeting with Link had taken place. It was here that she had asked him to find her father for her, since he had not returned from the castle and she was beginning to worry. Link had smiled, told her he would find her father, and sure enough, she soon saw her father running through the front gate, begging for forgiveness. Link, however, was no where to be seen.

Malon's eyes widened in realization. That was right! Link HAD gone to Hyrule Castle before! Though that didn't explain exactly why she was to have an audience with the princess, it DID hint that perhaps he and the princess were old friends of some sort and, perhaps, he expected Zelda to somehow be able to help him.

After all, it was rather odd that Link sent Malon to Zelda. Though second from the top, what was stopping him from sending her to see the king? Did he not trust the King of Hyrule? Malon shook her head – no, that was a silly thought. And besides, he seemed very certain that this princess would know what he was talking about. But why her of all people?

Never mind, Malon – none of this is making any sense!

"Good afternoon, Ms. Malon!"

Malon looked up and noticed that the guards had seen her. Of course they recognized her – she and Link had been through enough times to deliver and take orders for farm products that her face was far from foreign. But this request might not be something they'd take a shine to. Swallowing and praying to the goddesses, she spoke up. "Um, I'm here to see Princess Zelda?" she said quietly.

Malon watched in embarrassment as the two guards doubled over in laughter. One was already on the ground, while the other was holding onto his spear for support. "Oh, Ms. Malon! That was such a clever joke! But my dear, you and I both know you are to speak with the chef on your visits to Hyrule Castle to take care of matters pertaining to the ranch. Princess Zelda, though wise and beautiful, knows nothing of how to run a kitchen!

"But I was told to ask for the princess," she said. "Please, it's urgent! My-"

"Well, you can't see her," said one of the guards, giving her a sarcastic smile.

This was humiliating Malon to no end! What in Hyrule was Link doing! Before she turned Epona around, however, she remembered what she found on the first page of Link's notebook. Perhaps this was the answer she needed to gain admittance to the castle, as silly as it seemed to her. Leaving the book where it was in Epona's saddlebag, she opened her mouth and began to sing.

"La, la-la, la-la-la, la-la, la, la-laaa la-la. . ."

Though Malon felt incredibly silly singing the few notes she found scribbled on the first page, the guards didn't seem to share the same emotions. Both had a dumfounded look on their face, one hanging his mouth agape as the other had nearly fallen to the ground. Malon stopped singing, wondering if she's done something wrong.

"Why didn't you tell us it was royal business?" said one of the guards.

"Um-"

"Never mind that!" the other said, yelling at her fellow guard. "Go tell Princess Zelda that she has a visitor who just sang the song of the Royal Family! I don't know why or how Ms. Malon came across the song but she did and she wishes to see the princess!" Once he finished and his friend ran off, the guard turned towards Malon. "If this is some kind of trick, I will warn you – the princess' caretaker and bodyguard will not take nonsense lightly. But, if your business is as dire as you say it is, then she will do everything in her power to make your visit a pleasant one." He stamped his spear on the ground, and the gates opened. Politely, Malon nodded to the guard as she and Epona trotted through the gates. However. . .

By the goddesses, how did Link come across the song of the Royal Family?

". . . a farm girl?"

"Yes, Your Highness – her name is Malon and she is the daughter of Talon, the master of Lon-Lon Ranch," said the young guard who had come seeking her in her private garden. Zelda and Impa had been playing chess when the interruption had occurred and were now paying close attention to the nervous young man. "She sang the song of the Royal Family and asked to see you."

Impa raised an eyebrow. "That's odd. How did she come across it?"

"We do not know, but she seems distressed," said the guard. He cleared his throat, then seemed to think. "Come to think of it, I don't usually see her come alone. Normally she is in the company of her father or one of the ranch hands, but we saw neither man with her today. It was just her and the horse, Epona. I do know that something seems very wrong and she's very upset."

"Neither? So it's one ranch hand she appears with?" said Zelda. Epona. . . wasn't that. . .?

"Yes – he's a young man by the name of Link-"

Link? Din's Fire something's happened to him! Realization lit up in Zelda's eyes and she immediately gave an order. She stood and narrowed her eyes. "Send her in here at once – this will be a private audience and no one is to disturb it. If I find so much as one page boy eavesdropping I will personally see to it that receive a light but memorable punishment. Is that clear?"

The guard saluted her and ran off.

"So Link has been working as a farmhand?" asked Impa.

The princess nodded, calming now that the order had been given. Then, worry began to set in. "I guess so – now that he knows he's a Hylian he wouldn't be able to stay in the Lost Woods," said Zelda. "But what does he think he's doing by teaching this Malon girl Zelda's Lullaby? We drilled it into his head that it was a sacred melody and he wasn't supposed to share it with just anybody! She had better have a good reason for Link teaching her that song or else I'll have Link's head myself!"

"Come now Princess – is that anyway to treat the man who saved your land and your life?" said Impa, tapping her fingers on the table before them. "I understand you would not literally decapitate him, but Link understands very well the power of that song. My guess is that something has happened, and this something is preventing him from reaching you. Therefore, perhaps this girl is the only one who could reach you."

Zelda lowered her eyes. Impa did have a point. Link took his role as the Hero of Time very seriously – giving his friend the royal song would NOT be something he would do unless something had happened. What that something was she was not sure, but a sudden sense of dread began to wash over her. Yes. Something horrible had happened, and now Link was reaching out for help through this farm girl. "All right. We will wait for the girl to come to us."

Quietly, the door adjacent to the garden creaked open. Zelda turned her head to see one of her guards and a young woman she didn't recognize conversing in the door frame. With a nod, the guard gestured for the girl to enter. Once she was in the confines of the garden, the door closed behind her, and she jumped.

Zelda studied the girl carefully. She was dressed simply enough, and did, indeed, appear to be a farm girl. Her shirt was short sleeved, white, a bordered with simply blue embroidery that had more than likely been done by her own hand or her mother's. Soft crimson hair ran down her back and framed the soft features of her face, accenting her deep blue eyes. She wore a long pink skirt with an apron that lacked a bodice, and peeking out from the edges of the skirt with well-worn brown work boots. The only luxury the girl seemed to have was a ring on that Zelda only noticed because it reflected in the ray of the sun.

"Welcome, Ms. Malon," she greeted.

Malon swallowed hard as she stared at the two women before her. Though still a very good distance away, it was very easy to see which of the two was the princess Zelda, and which of the two was the Sheikah bodyguard, Impa. Wringing her hands together, she began to step forward.

"Don't be afraid," the princess beckoned. She was smaller than the other woman and far more elegantly dressed. Though Impa dressed more like a mercenary than a royal attendant with a light armor and tight clothing that showed the muscular framework of the woman, Zelda was quite similar to what Malon had envisioned her to be. She wore a brilliant dress made of purple, white, and pink silk with two white gloves running up to her elbows. Each ear was pierced with ruby stones, accented by two tendrils of blonde hair that hung over them. The princess stood as Malon neared, until the two were standing face to face.

Nervous, Malon reached for her skirt to curtsey before the princess. "I am sorry to disturb you, your highness, but I am afraid something is terribly wrong, and I-" Zelda gently placed a finger to Malon's lips, halting any further speech. She looked up at the princess, who smiled kindly to her and beckoned Malon to take a seat at the table where she and her bodyguard had been playing chess. Inexplicably, there was a third, empty seat. Cautiously, Malon sat down and waited for Zelda to continue.

"On occasion one of the pages will wander in here and watch our games," Zelda explained. "But for now our game will be halted. I was told that you are the daughter of Master Talon, and yet you sang my childhood lullaby. This, you see, has caused some confusion amongst the guards."

"I don't understand, Your-" Malon started. She was halted again by the princess.

"Please, call me Zelda," said the princess. Malon nodded, and Zelda continued. "The lullaby you sang has been passed down through my family for generations and is proof of affiliation with the Royal Family. Only a few of our messengers, my father, myself, Impa, a few members of the court and one other soul know the song well enough to play it. And now there is another person who knows this."

Malon lowered her eyes. "It wasn't exactly taught to me," she said. She looked between Zelda and the still silent Impa. "The other person who knows this melody is Link, is it?" Zelda and Impa exchanged a quick glance before both nodded. Malon sighed. "He didn't have time to teach it to me – instead, he gave me this." She produced the notebook, within which several notes to several songs had been inscribed. "He told me that I need to pay attention to the first answer I found – the song I sang for the guards."

Gently, Zelda took the book and began to flip through the pages. "Zelda's Lullaby, Saria's Song, Epona's Song, Sun Song, Song of Time, Song of Storms, Prelude of Light, Minuet of the Forest, Bolero of Fire. . ." the princess mumbled aloud. She raised her eyebrow and stared at Malon in curiosity. "Link gave you this? I know exactly what this notebook is and it seems strange he'd give it to anyone."

"Well, Link told me to tell you exactly what happened prior to my arrival here," said Malon. She began to recount what she could remember from the moment he left the house with the bow and arrow to the moment she arrived at the castle gates. Zelda and Impa listened intently, seeming to take in everything she was saying. "The strange thing was is that the evil Link called him the Hero of Time. Zelda, do you know what this means?"

Zelda nodded solemnly. "I understand why he was called the Hero of Time, but I am afraid I do not understand where his twin and accomplices came from," she said. "It sounds to me as if he was greatly concerned about your well-being – are you two good friends since he began work as a ranch hand?"
Malon began to twist her engagement ring on her finger, blushing slightly. "Link has been on the ranch since we were both children – he has no family and we were the only place he could go to. Over the years we became closer until last year when he proposed to me. Link. . . he is my fiancé."

"You're his. . .?" Zelda asked in surprise. Impa also seemed mildly surprised, but a faint smile crept onto her face. Malon nodded, her cheeks still slightly red. Zelda sighed, smiling slightly as she shook her head. "If he were here I would give him my most sincere congratulations and wishes of good luck. . . and of course these also extend to you as well, dearest Malon – Link is a good man and I know he will make you happy."

"Thank you, Zelda," said Malon.

Zelda smiled and then took on a serious tone. "Now, it would seem as if our next goal is to ensure you two live to see your wedding day, but before we take any action I will explain the meaning of your fianc's title as the Hero of Time," she said. "You have heard of the Triforce, correct?"

"Isn't that just a legend?" Malon asked. "When I was a child, I would wait in the Market for my father, and sometimes there was an old man there who would tell us stories. One story was about the essence of the goddesses, the Triforce, and how it was left behind after they created Hyrule. But it isn't true. . . is it?"

"Yes – very true," said Zelda. "The Triforce is very real. It currently resides in the Sacred Realm, where it is protected by the Sage of Light." Malon didn't understand this reference, but she continued to look at the princess with a smile on her face. "I didn't expect you to know of the Sages. Very well. After they placed the Triforce in the Sacred Realm, they then needed to protect it from unworthy hands. The goddesses created six temples where six Sages would resides – five of them are here in Hyrule, and the last, the Light Temple, is in the Sacred Realm. It is also in this Temple that an evil king is imprisoned, but for now we are not in danger of him breaking free."

"I am one of the five remaining Sages," said Impa. "The Shadow Temple resides in Kakariko Village. The Fire Temple is the closest neighboring Temple, the Forest Temple after that. The Water and Spirit Temples are clear across Hyrule from where we sit."

"It is the Sages' duty to protect the Sacred Realm and, if need be, aide the Hero of Time whenever Hyrule is in danger. There is also a seventh Sage who is the leader of the other six – I happen to be this last Sage," said Zelda. She nodded softly to Malon, who seemed awestruck at this wild story. "And now begins the story of Link, whom you have discovered is the legendary Hero of Time. Does this sound strange to you?"

"Yes, but I won't be surprised if it gets stranger," she said, shaking her head.

"Good. Many years ago, there was a great war in Hyrule – this I'm SURE you have heard of. Many tragedies occurred during this war, but one such tragedy directly involves your soon to be husband. You see, it was during this war that Link was born from his mother's womb."

Malon's eyes widened. "But that war ended thirty years ago! Link is only eighteen!"

Zelda lowered her eyes. "When Link was still an infant, his mother tried to escape the war and somehow ended up in the Lost Woods, where the little Kokiri children live. By this time she was seriously wounded from her flight and would soon die, but before she breathed her last she appeared before a being known as the Great Deku Tree."

"The Great Deku Tree was a powerful tree in the Lost Woods who looked over the Kokiri and their guardian fairies. Taking pity on the tiny baby and his dying mother, the tree adopted Link and raised him as one of the Kokiri, shielding him from his Hylian heritage for many years. Time means nothing to the Kokiri as they never age, so I'm sure even Link couldn't tell you exactly how old he was. For all we know he spent well over fifty years in those woods, never aging a day past eleven. Though you wouldn't know it by meeting a Kokiri, many may be hundreds of years old, but within the confines of their race, they do not age. Not even mentally do they age – they are eternally eleven years old in the way they appear, act, think, and talk."

"But how did Link not grow up if he was Hylian?" asked Malon.

"That much I do not understand, but somewhere around his eleventh birthday he became, in essence, an enigmatic Kokiri. This was somewhat evident to the other children, because he did not have a guardian fairy, and all Kokiri have a fairy. And for many years, he was the known as the boy without a fairy.

"It was seven years ago that things changed for Link, and it started with a man named Ganondorf, a Gerudo. Though the Gerudos are thieves, none of them are truly evil – this is merely their way of life. They never harmed their victims and, in fact, believed that by taking their money or food they would grant them 'good luck'. However, Ganondorf was a bad seed, and worse, he was a male. Males are very rare in their society, and whenever one is born he is proclaimed king. Ganondorf decided he wanted to be the King of Hyrule as well, and to do so he wanted the Triforce. But first he decided to trick my father into believing he was swearing allegiance to him – this was of course a lie, but my father didn't see it. I did, but he did not listen to me, for I was merely a child then. Impa and I knew we had to stop Ganondorf from reaching the Sacred Realm, or, possibly take the Triforce before Ganondorf could.

"But to get into the Sacred Realm, we needed the three Spiritual Stones. Each stone is guarded by a race or a specific being important to that race. The Great Deku Tree had one such stone, Princess Ruto of Zora's domain had another, and the last stone was a central fixture in Goron society. Ganondorf placed horrible curses on each of their locations in hopes of getting the stones from them so he could collect the Triforce.

"To the Deku Tree, he cursed it with a death curse. From the moment the spell was cast on him, the Great Deku Tree knew he would die, but he could not allow his curse to spread to the rest of the forest and leave the Kokiri unguarded. He called forth one of his fairies without a Kokiri, a young sprite named Navi, and assigned her to Link."

"So that's where Navi came from and why she left Link," said Malon. "When he found out he wasn't a Kokiri, Navi had no choice but to leave him. And then he came to the ranch so he could learn to be a Hylian. Am I right?" The princess and Impa nodded. "Oh good, at least I'm keeping up."

"With help from Navi, Link went inside of the Deku Tree and killed the source of the curse – a giant spider known as Gohma. The Great Deku Tree knew he was the Hero of Time, so he gave Link the Kokiri Emerald as his last gift and told him to travel to Hyrule Castle to find me.

THAT'S why he needed to get into the castle all those years ago! Malon thought.

"When he came to me, I told him about Ganondorf and the other Spiritual Stones, then sent him on a journey to collect him. From there, we would get into the Sacred Realm and take the Triforce for ourselves so Ganondorf couldn't use to it take over Hyrule. Unfortunately, that didn't quite work out," said Zelda. "Everything that happens after this point did at one point happen, but due to the Song of Time and the Sacred Realm, it was erased like a clean slate."

Malon shook her head. "I don't get it."

"Think of what happens next as drawings on a chalkboard," said Impa. Malon turned her attention to the Sheikah. "As Link continued his journey, his footsteps were recorded on this chalkboard. But when the journey was finished, someone took an eraser to the chalkboard and erased the markings. Though they were still there, they are no longer on the chalk board."

"Ganondorf launched an attack on Hyrule after Link retrieved the last stone. He arrived in time to see myself and Impa running from the castle. After sealing a message inside of a relic known as the Ocarina of Time, I threw it in the moat so Link could get it. He was able to get it, and from there proceeded to the Temple of Time – this is where the door to the Sacred Realm lies even today.

"But things took a horrible turn for the worse there. Though Link was able to open the Door of Time and draw what is known as the Master Sword form its pedestal, Ganondorf followed him in, took the Triforce, and as a result Link was sealed in the Sacred Ream for seven years. During this time, Link's body, now free from his enigmatic Kokiri state, aged. Once he awoke, Rauru, the Sage of Light, told him he was the Hero of Time – it was his job to awaken the other five Sages from their Temples and to defeat Ganondorf.

"Naturally, Link succeeded in his quest to awaken the Sages. It was then that I revealed myself to Link, for I had been masquerading as a Sheikah named Sheik. Sheik was able to help Link for most of his journey, but before he was set to enter the Spirit Temple, he was struck down by one of Ganondorf's minions and hung from a tree. It was a devastating loss, but we had to continue. From that point on, I took on the guise of Sheik and guided Link through the last temple.

"I revealed myself at the Temple of Time and lied to Link about Sheik – it would be easier for him not to know of Sheik's death, for he and Sheik were becoming good friends. If he assumed it had been me all along, then he would never have to feel the pain of loosing him, and that was something he didn't need at the time. It was after I presented Link with magical arrows that I was captured by Ganondorf and brought to his castle. Link followed Ganondorf, defeated him with the help of the other Sages, and then watched as the evil king was sealed in the Sacred Realm.

"From there, I used the Ocarina of Time to send Link back to his past – but I sent him back to before the attack of Hyrule Castle, yet after he had the last Spiritual Stone. This would allow him to reclaim the seven years he had lost in the Light Temple. We were also able to lock Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm from that point, and since then no one speaks much of him or recalls his reign of terror. But only a few remaining souls recall his journey, and they are myself, Impa, Rauru, Navi, and of course, Link."

"Do you have any questions?" asked Impa.

Malon shook her head. "Only that Link is missing and we don't know where this twin came from," she said. "I must admit I do feel a little skeptical, but. . . I know in my heart it's true. Though Link is normally very happy and playful – in fact, we were joking around and playing in the barn shortly before the kidnapping – I've always sensed that he was always carrying some great burden that I couldn't help him bear." She sniffled.

"I have come to a few conclusions about Malon's story," said Impa. "One, from the way Malon described Link's reaction to his other half, it almost seems as if, well, Link KNEW him. Second, the descriptions of the Goron and Hylian sounds suspiciously like Darunia and Rauru, only they are not discolored as you pointed out. Perhaps there are more evil twins?"

Zelda's eyes widened. "As frightening a prospect that is, Impa may be right."

Malon chewed on her bottom lip in thought as she came to her own conclusion. Only a few people remembered the incident – Impa and Zelda were two, then Link, then Rauru, and last but not least. . . Navi! "You said that Navi remembers the whole adventure. So, that means she was by Link's side the whole time." Impa and Zelda looked at Malon in slight confusion, but nodded. "Do you think Navi might know something about?"

"That sounds plausible," said Zelda. "However, there is one small problem – I have no idea where Navi is. I KNOW that she left Link – after he returned to the past, he visited me one last time to inform me he had returned the Spiritual Stones to their proper places, and then he left. Navi was no where to be seen during this interaction, and I never saw him again."

The Sheikah woman coughed, getting the attention of the two young woman with her. "I think that with the events of his adventure, Link may have found himself at an abnormal cross-roads with himself. He grew up believing he was one thing, and, as is evident by his current occupation and engagement, decided to leave it behind – a decision I must say I might have made myself," said Impa. "Link didn't have any place to turn to. He couldn't remain with the Kokiri and he probably would not have adapted very well to life amongst the Gerudos, Zoras, or Gorons."

"Link did meet us before he lost Navi. . ." said Malon.

"When you have none of family given to you, run to the family you chose – hence, we went to the ranch and stayed there with you and your father to lead a quiet life," said Zelda. She cleared her throat. "None the less, we have work to do. I believe it's time that we called the remaining Sages together and explain the situation to them. As it stands we already have two of the Sages – Saria, Darunia, and Ruto will be simple enough to recruit, and from there we will make a decision on Nabooru."

"But that's only six," said Malon, counting on her fingers.

"Rauru should stay in the Light Temple – he has far too many responsibilities there, especially where it concerns Ganondorf. True, he's showing no signs of being able to escape but I don't want him to be left unguarded. That doesn't mean we'll exclude him – he DOES have an agent in this world and we may need to find him as well," said Zelda.
"Provided he wants to wake up before dusk," said Impa.

Malon blinked. "Before. . . dusk?"

"He's a talking owl, to put it bluntly," said Zelda. "Kaepora Gaebora helped Link greatly during the beginning of his journey and once at the Spirit Temple – he is very wise and knowledgeable of the legends. Although he will do us little good in a combative situation, he can cover far more ground than any of us and will be good as a spy or messenger."

"So. . . where are the three we're going to find now?" asked Malon.

"'We'?" asked Impa.

Malon frowned. "I'm not going to sit around and do nothing – I'm going to help!"

"Oh really?" said Impa, standing up and letting Malon know just how much bigger she was. She gulped. "You have no idea what Link faced during his journey, and what he faces now may be even more troublesome. You've never fought a battle in your entire life! If you were killed-"

"I think it's an excellent idea."

Malon and Impa stared at the princess in shock. "What?"

"Impa, you are not speaking to one of the castle's hand-maidens. You are speaking to a girl who has spent much of her life working on a farm. Though I have never worked on a farm, I know it's hard work that requires a lot of physical endurance. Furthermore, she IS Link's fiancé – she should have a say in regards to what our plans are to find him. True, she probably hasn't faced any monsters but I'm quite sure she's no pushover."
"But she's a girl!" said Impa.

Zelda cleared her throat. "Impa, how many Sages are there?"
"Seven."

"How many 'girls' and how many 'boys' are there?"
"Well, for women, there's you, myself, Saria, Ruto, and Naboru. For men there's Rauru and Darunia," said the Sheikah, mentally counting them off one at a time. Impa paused, then realized her mistake. "All right, you win. She can go BUT! We need to ensure that she'll be safe. We already know these dopplegangers have no qualms about hurting her if it means getting to Link."

Malon swallowed. "I'm not afraid."

Well, Malon, that's the biggest lie you've ever told in your entire life.