The moment that the two left Lon Lon Ranch, they were greeted with the breathtaking sight of Hyrule Field. Green rolling hills and trees were laid across what seemed like an infinite, flat expanse of land. The sunlight bathed them all in a soft, warm glow.

Malon had seen it countless times before whenever she went to the market in Castle Town, but that never took away from it's beauty. Nature was so full of wonder to her, and the biggest wonder of all was the man dressed in green at her side. How the universe could have shaped such a wonderful human being, she did not know.

Link felt the same way. It was always such an exhilarating trip riding around Hyrule Field, catching Poes and just feeling the wind in his face as Epona briskly galloped across the grass. While he preferred to travel across Hyrule Field with no real destination as a way of relaxing himself after a long day, the best reason for traversing the Field was to visit the lovely woman that was standing next to him. It was more than a privilege to be her friend; it was a miracle.

Some time passed before Malon had realized that she and Link has been staring at the Field in front of them, daydreaming. If they wanted to actually go anywhere and do something enjoyable, they needed to waste as little time as possible. The afternoon would shift into the evening quickly, and Malon needed to be home by nightfall.

"Link?"

Link flinched when Malon broke the silence. She was right. He really had been daydreaming, just like she had.

"What is it, Malon?"

"Where's Epona? Didn't you ride over here with her?"

"I did, but she tends to run off when I leave her alone. Don't worry about it, though. I'll call her."

To Malon's surprise, Link took off his cap and reached into it. After a second or two, he retrieved a blue object that she recognized.

"Your ocarina! You haven't played that thing around me in ages! I love singin' along with it."

Link laughed, happy to know that Malon still remembered all of the fun times they had together when they were younger.

"Yeah, and your voice complements it well! You sing so beautifully."

"Ah, Link, ya rascal!" Malon joked, blushing slightly.

"What? It's the truth."

"Thank you."

Link nodded, then lifted the ocarina to his lips. Malon immediately knew the song he was playing. She couldn't help but hum along, and then eventually broke out into singing. The two of them created a nice harmony, which lasted for a while until Link heard the sound of hooves meeting dirt and stashed his ocarina into his cap again. While Link waited in place for Epona to approach, Malon ran over to the horse in excitement.

"Epona!" Malon called out, petting the horse's nose and forehead once she got close. Epona gave a whinny of approval.

Link had caught up to Malon, then decided to pet Epona as well. Malon laughed at how Epona began to nuzzle Link's side as a show of affection.

"Woah, girl! You must be happy to see Malon again, huh?" Link asked while feeding Epona a carrot. The horse whinnied again in delight.

"Is she still jus as good a runner as I remember?"

"She sure is! Still the most dependable horse in all of the kingdom."

Malon grinned, then spoke to Epona.

"Now, Epona, you listen t' me. You keep being good t' this here Link for me, okay? He's important to both of us, right?"

Epona nuzzled Malon's face to show that she was listening to her. Malon giggled uncontrollably. It was such a sweet moment for the two of them after a long time of not seeing each other.

"Alright, you two. Let's get going! Malon, you can sit on Epona. I'll walk next to you."

"What? No, Link, you don't need to do that! I can walk jus fine! I do it all the time when I go to market. Walkin' across this field is a piece of cake!"

"But you're my guest, and guests get to have a nice, calm ride on Epona whenever we go anywhere."

"Are ya really sure it's okay?"

"Absolutely."

"If ya say so…"

Malon mounted Epona's back with a skill and speed that Link had never seen before. He figured she was so used to mounting horses that it was like second nature for her.

"Ready to go, Malon?"

"Whenever you are, Link!" Malon answered with a wink. For some reason, she could not contain her glee. She was finally going to have some quality time with the person she had adored for so long.

"Alright."

Link walked over to Epona's head and gave her forehead a small pat. "Just walk today, okay? No need to gallop."

Epona gave an attentive snort. Link then held onto the reins of Epona's saddle and slowly led the party towards Kokiri Forest - hero, farm girl, horse, and all. Malon sang Epona's Song the whole time.


When the entourage made it to the opening to Kokiri Forest, Link and Malon bid Epona farewell. Link offered her one more carrot, which she gladly accepted. Epona also gave Malon a final nuzzle on the cheek, which she returned gently. The horse then gave a hearty whinny and trotted away, leaving the two friends alone. Malon had already been excited before, but now she and Link would be together, just the two of them.

"So, where to now, Link?"

"Right through this, uh… log, I guess." Link gestured to the opening before them, which was a hollowed-out log. Malon laughed at his word choice.

"Okay! I'll follow you."

"No need for that, miss!" Link assured her before offering his hand to her. It was so sweet to Malon whenever he called her "miss". He was truly a gentleman.

"Thank you!"

The two of them walked hand-in-hand into the Forest. When Malon saw its interior, she let out a gasp. The sight was breathtaking. The trees created a canopy that blocked the incoming sunlight, creating random golden, glowing patches of light that spotted the ground below their feet. The air seemed alive with magic as small sparks glittered around them. Small, cool gusts of wind flowing around them gave Malon the impression that the Forest itself was breathing.

"Link… It's so amazin'. Did you really grow up here?"

"I sure did. I lived here for twelve years."

"Musta been nice, livin' somewhere so pretty and peaceful."

"It's not as pretty as you," Link added, nudging Malon's side with his elbow. Malon laughed.

"Link! Now, where did that come from?"

"I don't know," Link chuckled.

"You left this place when you met Navi, right?"

"Yeah. Everyone in Kokiri Forest had a fairy. It was like a birthright for Kokiri to have a fairy companion. I was the boy without a fairy, though. People would make fun of me for it, especially Mido…"

"But you had a friend, right? Wasn her name somethin' like Maria? Clara?"

"Oh, you mean Saria. Yeah, she was my best friend."

"I see…" Malon's voice trailed off. Saria had no idea how lucky she was to be friends with Link for such a long time. Malon wanted to be that close to Link someday.

"Hey, speakin' of Navi, where is she? Didn't you say she wasn with you today?"

"Oh, uh…" Link nervously began to stroke the hair on the back of his head while his face broke into a huge blush. "She, uh, got angry at me this morning, so she… left me."

"What?" Malon gasped. Navi was always with Link. She would have had to be extremely upset to leave him alone. "What did ya say to her?"

Link gave a nervous laugh. "I, uh, told her that I didn't need her help with something that I'd been trying to do. I was failing at it, so I had to do it many times. When I wasn't making any progress, she tried to help me. In my anger, I told her I didn't need or want her advice. Naturally, that made her upset, and she just flew away in a fit."

As rude as it would seem to Link, Malon snorted and giggled a bit. Link looked at her, confused as to why she had such a positive reaction.

"What's so funny, Malon?"

"Ah, I'm so sorry, Link! It's just that you both were actin' like kids! That's so like you."

"Is it?" Link questioned, blushing harder and looking away.

"Yeah! But that doesn make you any less of a gallant hero and the wonderful Fairy Kid I know and love."

"Malon…"

"What? It's the truth," Malon singsonged as she mirrored Link's words from a while ago. She let go of his hand and began to kick at the ground as she walked, holding her hands behind her back. She felt like being playful with Link; maybe it was because she was so comfortable with him.

"Thank you, Malon."

"Of course! I hope Navi comes back to ya soon. I know she seems mad, but she'll calm down after a while and find ya again. Then, you two can reconcile."

"I sure hope so. Thank you for being so reassuring!"

"Anythin' for you, Link."

The pair continued their trek through the Forest. Malon asked questions whenever something caught her eye, and Link tried his best to give a thorough explanation. Intermingled into this banter was laughter, smiles, and compliments. It was a "grand old time", as Malon put it.

After some time, the two adults decided to rest in a shady spot, sitting on a soft patch of grass. Malon was captivated by the crisp, calm sounds of the world around her. The air crackled with magic, birds chirped, and insects hummed - and of course, she could hear Link's slow breathing. She could never tell Link this, but his breathing was the most soothing sound that had ever blessed her ears. If she tried, she could probably fall asleep to it easily. Link, meanwhile, kept his gaze on Malon, who was sitting gracefully beside him. The sunlight that caught onto her hair made it glow intensely; the color of her hair made it look like fire. It was very fitting. Malon was such a feisty, hardworking girl, and that determined attitude spread to everyone around her like a wildfire. She was very admirable, for sure.

Almost involuntarily, Link began to slowly run his fingers through the long part of Malon's hair. Malon looked at Link when she felt his fingers tugging on her hair, but then began to lean on his shoulder to show she was okay with it. Their eyes met and stayed focused on each other for a long time. Malon thought that, if she had the chance, she would stay with Link this way for years - or maybe the rest of her life. His body was so warm, so soft, so cozy. Link thought he same thing about her. She was gorgeous, and her hair was nice to the touch. If she would let him, he would caress it for an eternity.

"Link?"

"Yes, Malon?"

"Do ya mind stayin' like this for a while?"

"I don't mind it at all if you don't."

"Oh, I don't mind it at all."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into hours, and before the pair knew it, the Sun had set. The Moon was now illuminating their private little moment. Link had placed his hands on the sides of Malon's face and was stroking Malon's cheeks with his thumbs. Malon had grabbed one of his hands with her own and placed her other hand on his cheek. Their faces inched closer to each other until their foreheads touched, and Malon could feel Link's breaths on her face. It was pure bliss for both of them. Malon broke her eye contact with Link to look at the Moon above them that was lighting Link's handsome face…

"Link!" Malon called out, breaking the mood. Link blinked in surprise.

"Y-yeah, Malon?"

"The Moon! I told Papa I would be gone the whole day, but it's already over! We need to head back to the Ranch!"

Link's eyes widened. He had completely forgotten how much time had passed since they arrived here. He must have been too distracted with the beauty in front of him.

"Well, let's get goin', Link! Don't sit there like a bump on a log!"

"I hear you, Malon," Link assured her as he stood up. Malon had already risen to her feet.

"C'mon, hustle! Up and at 'em!" Malon instructed Link before dashing off, her dress catching onto the grass and making rustling noises.

"Malon! Wait! You don't even know where you're going!" Link yelled after her. She stopped in her tracks, then sighed before turning back to him.

"You're right. I have no idea where the exit is."

"That's okay. This Forest is very tricky, and if you've never lived here, you'll probably get lost. I'll show you the way out."

"Thank you kindly."

The fairy kid and farm girl found their way around the dark, chilly Forest until they reached the exit. Then, after calling Epona, it was only a short time before they found themselves at the entrance to Lon Lon Ranch.

"Thank you for everythin' today, Link. It was the best time I've had in years," Malon admitted, trying to conceal the fact that she was tearing up. It all had ended so quickly - too quickly.

"No problem, Malon. I love y-" Link stopped mid-sentence.

"What was that?"

"I love h-hanging out with you! That's what I meant to say," Link clarified, blushing a bit. He was trying to hide the fact that he was tearing up a bit, too.

"Be safe gettin' home or wherever it is you're headin' next, okay? Can ya promise me that?"

"I promise."

"And you tell Navi I said hi when she comes back!"

"I will," Link said with a small laugh.

They stared at each other in silence for a second before Malon wrapped her arms around Link and rested her head on his shoulder again. Link wrapped his arms around her too and kissed the top of her head. When they separated, Malon had let some tears slip. Link wiped them away gently, which made Malon giggle.

"See ya, Fairy Kid."

"Later, Malon."

Malon watched Link leave with Epona, then headed to the house where Talon would be waiting for her.

Her dreams that night were full of moonlight, warmth, and slow, gentle breaths.