Chapter 1: Return to Hyrule

In the early morning, when the children of the night returned to the earth for their slumber and the keese flew back to their homes to rest, when a gentle wind blew through the Hyrule Field and lightly touched the green, dew-stained grass, a rider appeared from the south. He came on a tall, brown horse that trotted slowly along the dirt roads leading into the great field, wearing a large, green cloak around his body to keep out the autumn chill. The hood on his cloak had been pulled back so that he might warm his face in the sunlight. Rays of heat licked at his tanned skin, his blonde hair, and it filled the man with energy for the new day. His gloved hands gripped onto the horse's reins as he pulled them back to stop her. The rider dismounted from the horse and stooped down to the side of a small pond, cupping his hands to steal some water from the pool of blue liquid. He splashed some of the cool water upon his face, and then he looked down at the mirror surface and stared at his reflection.

His appearance had changed much since he was last in Hyrule. His murky, blue eyes no longer sparkled with child-like naïveté, but instead reflected the brave determination of a seasoned warrior. Gone was the impish, mischievous grin of the past; his face was kept in a stoic lock, not relinquishing a single emotion. He had pierced his long, pointed ears a few years ago, at the insistence of a pirate girl he had met while traveling the Eastern Sea; small, silver hoops dangled at the bottom of each ear now. There were dark bags under his eyes from his many sleepless nights, wondering where he was and if he would ever return home.

The rider's horse stooped down to drink from the pond and disturbed the man's reflection, breaking the water with ripples. He stood up and patted the horse's mane, then decided to discard his cloak. Underneath, he wore a green tunic that was missing its sleeves, a chainmail shirt that he had acquired from said pirate girl, white pants that were torn all over, and thick, brown boots that were caked with mud. A broken ocarina dangled from his neck, and when the man touched the item, the years seemed to catch up to him as he sighed wearily and mounted his horse once again. He pulled a long, green hat from his satchel and placed it atop his head as the horse rode down the path, onto the familiar field once again. From the path, the man could make out the blue-roofed castle in the distance; he would go there first, now that he had come home.

It was just past sunrise when Link, the Hero of Time, returned to the land of Hyrule.

***

"I promise, I will return," said Link to Zelda, who looked at him with sad eyes that betrayed her playful nature.

Eight years ago, the young Link stood just outside the fortress-like walls to Hyrule Castle Town. Beside him stood his faithful steed Epona, obtained from the Lon Lon Ranch, which Link had just visited. After his odyssey through the bleak and apocalyptic future of Hyrule, Link had gone around to the various places he had visited before, obtaining information and giving items to people. He had returned to the Kokiri Forest and given his wooden shield to Mido and his slingshot to Saria. He had relinquished his Goron's Bracelet to Darunia and told Biggoron the secret to making a strong blade in three days time. He offered his boomerang and his Golden Scale to Princess Ruto of the Zora tribe; she happily accepted them as gifts. Even the Gerudo guards allowed him into their camp so that he might tell Nabooru what secrets lay hidden in the Spirit Temple. So, here he was, heart heavy with sadness, but ready to depart from Hyrule in search of Navi, his lost friend.

It was not more than three weeks ago that Link had defeated Ganon and the King of Evil had been banished to the Dark Realm, but Link had spent most every moment thinking of Navi and wondering where she had departed to. She had stayed with him until he placed the Master Sword back in its resting place, and then she departed to places unknown. Saria had told him that it might have been because, since his mission was over, Link did not need Navi anymore, but she was wrong. Navi was a dear friend to him and he needed to know what had happened to her.

Zelda smiled at him through teary eyes and placed the Ocarina of Time into Link's hands. He stared in shock at her, but she said, "Take it. You'll never know if you might need it." Link touched the cool, blue metal of the instrument and each and every time he used its magic to fly back and forth across Hyrule rushed back to him. Even though he was a mere ten years of age, Link already felt as old as the Great Deku Tree. How many times had he traveled back into the past and into the future? As if she could read his mind, Zelda placed a hand on Link's shoulder in order to calm him.

"Link," she told him, "I cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for this land. You've helped to destroy the greatest evil Hyrule has ever felt before. If ever you need anything, just play upon the ocarina, and I shall hear you."

"Pri- Zelda…thank you." Link was at a loss for words. After all, what does one say before leaving a close friend and ally, possibly forever?

Epona whinnied as Link climbed up onto the leather saddle Malon had provided for him, then the boy turned to Zelda and said, "I'll come back whenever Hyrule needs me."

"I know," she replied.

"'Cause, really, what's a kingdom without its greatest hero?" asked Link mischievously. Zelda smiled and was comforted by the fact that, even after all he had gone through, Link was still a child at heart.

As Epona began to slowly clop along on the dusty trail leading away from the Castle Town, Link turned back and began to play a tune on the Ocarina of Time. The princess recognized it as a melody that Princess Ruto of the Zoras had played on a conch shell once for her; supposedly, it was a song performed at Zora weddings and after a Zora came of age in their tribe. There were words that accompanied the music, but Zelda only knew a piece.

The melancholy melody could not be confined to just the ocarina any longer, so she began to sing, "Time passes…people move…Like a river's flow, it never ends…A childish mind will turn to noble ambition…Young love will become deep affection…The clear water's surface reflects your growth…"

Her soft voice, like a sweet bird locked away in a cage, carried to Link's ears as he rode off into the Field. As he finished the lonesome serenade, he struck up a quick bolero, and then a cheerful minuet, followed by a somber nocturne and a peaceful requiem that reminded him of the desert. At last, when he finished playing every song he had learned to play, when he had traveled far off the field and began towards parts unknown, Link stopped Epona and had her rest in a green meadow. The cool air of the evening clutched the boy, so he pulled his travelling cloak tight around his small body and lay against the bark of an old tree. The only sounds that reached his ears were the chirping of birds and the hum of a few insects. There was no smashing of rocks, no splashing of water, no clinking of blades, no cheerful children running about. For the first time in a long time, Link was all alone.

In the dead of the night, under an unfamiliar tree in an unfamiliar land, the young Hyrulian boy could no longer fight back. Link wept. He cried for all the friends he had made on his journey that he might never see again. He cried for the people that had to lose their life because of Ganondorf's cruelness. He cried for his friends in the forest and in the mountain and in the lake, in the castle and in the town and in the desert. He cried for everyone he knew, but most of all, he cried for Navi. He cried until he could cry no more, and so he fell into a deep slumber that was, thankfully, free of dreams.

***

Link brushed away the memories of days long past as he rode Epona through the vast Hyrulian Field. As they travelled across the field, Link gazed about him and saw that, while some things had changed, most everything was still the same. There was no longer a fence blocking the road to Lake Hylia, but while one road had opened up, another was cut off. A group of giant boulders blocked the dirt hill that led up to the canyon that was near Gerudo Valley.

"Seems the Gerudo are as cut off from the world now as they would like," said Link to Epona, who neighed in response.

Further down the dirt path, Link heard a familiar sound: the rushing water of Zora's River. He had Epona run over to the river so that he could get a look at the crystal blue water, but when the two arrived, Link hopped off the saddle and found that the water had become a murky black, like poison or tar. He cupped some in his hands and sniffed it; it reeked of blood and vinegar.

He spilled the water from his hands and looked up and down the river. Did something happen to the Zoras to cause this? I'll have to talk to Zelda about this…

When he was done inspecting the water, Link hopped back onto Epona's saddle and they rode further down the road, until Link saw someone running towards him. It was a tall woman with fiery red hair that ran all the way down her back. She wore a short-sleeved, cream-colored blouse, a long, lavender skirt, and a yellow neckerchief. The woman was panicking, and, upon closer inspection, Link found the source of the fear: two bokoblins were pursuing the woman. The hideous monsters were brandishing wicked clubs that they swung about in the air above their heads. Their prey, the woman, screamed in fear.

The ugly, gremlin-like things ran across the field at a rapid pace, quickly gaining on the poor woman, but Link was quicker than they were. He shouted to the woman, "Duck and cover!" as he drew his sword from its scabbard and charged in the direction of the monsters. The woman ran a little further and then curled into a ball, while the sword swung over her head and sliced right through the head of one bokoblin. The grotesque head rolled on the ground while the body went flying, but both soon dissolved into ash. When the other bokoblin realized that its companion was no longer at his side, the monster paused and turned so that he might attack Link. He too was attacked by Link's blade.

With both monsters slain, the hero wiped his sword clean on his cloak and rode over to the woman. Link hopped down from Epona and offered his hand to the woman. "Are you all right?" he asked her as she took his hand. It was then that Link noticed something about the woman that he had missed before: her belly was pulling her dress tight; she was heavy with child. This shocked him, but what were even more surprising were the woman's blue eyes. They were like the deep waters of the Eastern Sea, and they reminded the hero of a woman he had encountered in a dream.

"Much obliged, stranger," the young woman said to Link. "They were chasing after me for 'least a mile! And let me tell you, that's mighty difficult to run when you're as big as me!" She looked at Link and scowled.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

She squinted her eyes and said, "You look mighty familiar…green clothes…Wait, it can't be you!" The woman turned to look at Epona and she walked over and pet the horse's brown mane, lightly caressing the white spot on her head. She pursed her lips together and began to whistle a soft tune to the horse; it was a tune Link had learned years ago. Whenever Epona heard the song, no matter where Link was outside, she would come running. There were only a few people who knew the song, and this woman was one of them. Epona began to lick the woman's face as she laughed happily.

"Epona! I knew it was you!" The woman turned and wrapped her arms around Link as best she could. "How have you BEEN, fairy boy?"

"M-Malon?"

Malon released Link from her tight embrace and allowed him to get a better view of the farm girl he met years ago. She had grown much taller, though not as tall as he, and looked just like she did eight years ago, when Link travelled through time. The yellow neckerchief was still wrapped around her neck, and she still had that strange dinosaur scarf toggle holding the cloth in place. A brown apron covered in red designs was wrapped around her hips to the best of its ability, and a flute stuck out of the side. When she laughed, Link honestly felt like he was ten years old again, but the feeling passed when he saw her swollen belly.

Anxious, Link rubbed the back of his head. "H-How," he stammered, "h-h-how've you been?"

"I've been just fine, Link! I'm still working at the ranch, but I don't do a whole lot, what with my…condition and all." She smiled when she said "condition". Link felt that she would make a great mother.

"Um…may I ask-"

"Who the father is?" Malon asked his question for him. "I'm not sure you know him. He's the youngest son of one of the carpenters in Kakariko Village. He used to stomp around the graveyard, pretending to be Dampé, the gravedigger, may he rest in peace. He's very sweet, always helping out around the ranch, 'cause only Din knows when my father actually WORKS!"

Ahh…Same old Malon, same old Talon, same old…

"What about Ingo? Is he any trouble?" asked Link. He remembered Ingo being a very snooty man in the past, always claiming to be the hardest worker on the Lon Lon Ranch, feeling like he deserved more. When Ganondorf conquered Hyrule, Ingo the ranch-hand transformed into Ingo the slave-driver, a man who ruled the ranch and only sold the finest horses, and only to Ganondorf and his minions. He had tried to keep Link from obtaining Epona, but he failed, and became docile when Talon was brought back to the ranch. Was he the same as he was years ago?

"Oh, Mr. Ingo!" Malon's smile dipped as she explained, "Well, about a year ago, a wild boar broke through the ranch wall and was threatening the horses. It nearly trampled over one of them, but Mr. Ingo was there to fight the boar. He wrestled the monster to the ground and put it into submission; he thought he had won, but, well, sometimes the goddesses are just cruel.

"The boar got up off the ground and charged Mr. Ingo from behind, running him down and trampling all over his body. His back was broken, and not even the best medicine could fix him. He's living in Kakariko Village now, where he collects vases from around the world. He's doing pretty well for himself, fairy boy. You'd be proud of him."

Link was surprised at what had happened, but he was especially shocked at how he felt sorry for Ingo. Most of his memories of the farm-hand were bad ones, but he knew that that future had been erased, and so Ingo wasn't such a cold-hearted maniac. Maybe.

"Would you like to stop by the ranch, Link?" asked Malon.

"Sorry, I'm…I'm afraid I can't."

"Why not?"

"I wanted to see the princess, let her know that I've come back."

"Ooh, good luck with that!" Malon started walking back up the dirt road, pointing in the direction of Hyrule Castle Town. "They don't let anyone in anymore unless they pay a toll!"

"What?!" exclaimed Link. "But that's ridiculous!"

"Tell me about it," Malon sighed, "but what can you do? They have to do this in order to keep out any unwanted beggars and what have you. So, how about the ranch?"

"I may as well," said Link. "I don't really have any money right now."

"What? Why not?"

A blush of embarrassment spread across Link's face as he said, "Well, I was…mugged a few days ago."

"WHAT?!?"

"It was this gang of Moblins I had encountered a few months back. I broke up their base and stole back the treasure they took from these townsfolk, so when they broke out of prison, they came to find me. They caught me in the dead of night, while I was sleeping. I fought back as best I could, but, except for my sword and shield, they took all my items and weapons. Oh, and every Rupee I had to my name!" To put greater emphasis in his story, Link made over the top movements, like swinging his arms around as if a pugilist or slashing at something with a sword.

"Poor thing!" Malon exclaimed as she giggled at Link's dramatic gestures.

"All I've got left is this old sword I received from a kindly blacksmith," he held out an aged sword that was strapped to his back, "this nearly broken shield," he said as he pointed to the cracked Hylian Shield on his back, "and the Kokiri Sword, which hasn't been very helpful for about five or six years." Link pulled the sword he had used as a child from his belt. The weapon was really more of a dagger at this point, and it had little reach, so Link used it as little as possible. "I hope you don't mind if I stop by."

"It's no trouble at all!" said Malon. "My father would love to see you again. Y'know, it's funny: even though Mambo and I are having a child, he still thinks I'm going to marry YOU! He hasn't changed at all!"

Link forced a smile onto his face. He remembered how Talon had, several years ago, offered Malon's hand to Link after he had successfully rounded up a gaggle of cuccos inside the lazy man's house. Link and Malon had thought that he meant it jokingly, but, after Link had saved the ranch from Ingo and allowed Talon to come back, the man had made the same offer. To the Link of the past, this was a crazy idea. Getting married? That was something that adults did! Now, here he was, an adult in body AND in mind, and Malon, a girl he honestly cared for, was taken.

No, stop feeling sorry for yourself! Link was scolding himself in his mind. You were the one who decided to leave Hyrule and travel the world in search of Navi. You have only yourself to blame for missing the opportunity.

The two walked slowly back up the road to Lon Lon Ranch, talking the whole way about what Link had seen on his journey, how much bigger Kakariko village had become, what lies out on the Eastern Sea, and what happened to the entrance to the Gerudo Valley. At last, Link asked about Princess Zelda, and Malon frowned. She looked around, checking to make sure there was no one nearby, and then leaned in close to Link.

"Don't tell anyone ya heard this from me, fairy boy," she whispered, "but I think there's something going on in the palace."

"Why do you say that?"

"'Cause for a while, no one saw Zelda at any of the public appearances of King Daphnes for a while, and then this fellow said that she had gone mad and was locked away in one of the towers! Can you believe that? Princess Zelda, absolutely crazy?"

There was something very wrong with that statement, but only Link knew the reason why. Zelda couldn't have gone mad: she was the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, which expels all madness from the brain. While on his travels, Link had studied the Triforce and what it had endowed to him, Ganon, and Zelda, and the results were enlightening, to say the least.

"I'll have to check that out," Link said to Malon, though he knew that he couldn't do much to help Zelda in his present condition.

Malon smiled and slapped him on the back. "Whatever you're doing, do it after you get a home-cooked meal, fairy boy!"

***

Soon after, the pair arrived at the Lon Lon Ranch. Link guided Epona up the dirt path between the large rock walls, walls that he had passed through several times in the past. The old wooden sign was still hanging over the entry way, reading "Lon Lon Ranch" in big, bold letters. When he passed under the sign, Link stretched his arms above his head and relished the familiar sounds and smells of the ranch: the clucking of cuccos, the scent of sweet milk…it was all so much for the young hero.

"Waxing nostalgia there, fairy boy?" asked Malon. She smiled at Link, and was glad to see him back in Hyrule once again. Link let out a contented sigh and nodded. He was happy that the first place he visited upon returning home was the ranch.

He turned to Malon and asked, "Say, is it all right if I let Epona go? I bet she'd love to greet her old friends."

"I don't see why not!" said the plucky ranch girl. "Go right ahead!"

Link let go of the reins in his hands. Epona looked at Link, as if asking permission to go into the paddock filled with horses. The hero nodded, and Epona immediately ran off towards the other horses. Even she was glad to be back home.

Malon and Link walked up a little further before they came before a large brown house. Link remembered what the building was: it was Malon and Talon's house, where he had won a bottle of Lon Lon Milk and earned the right to marry Malon. When Ingo had been in charge, the house was completely changed, going from a simple structure to a lavish mansion of sorts. Once the ranch had returned to Talon and Malon, the house went back to the way it was. Its red shingle roof, its windows without curtains, its door with the big brass knob that creaked every time a person opened it, they were all there.

Gripping the door handle, Link turned it and pushed the door open, relishing in the squeak it made. Malon waddled into the house, one hand resting on her belly, and she made her way into the sitting area, where there was a long, red sofa and two leather chairs. The ranch girl lowered herself onto the sofa and let out a huff of air, the effort clearly taking some strength from her. Link sat across from her in a leather chair, squeezing the arm rests.

"When did you get this furniture?" asked Link. This had not been here before: the only things in the house sued to be a wooden table and three chairs that were absolutely uncomfortable. Now, the table was bigger, there were more chairs around it, and there were the leather chairs and sofa, plus a fireplace built into the wall.

"All this? This was a gift from Mambo's father and his friends," said Malon as she looked around the room. "They practically rebuilt the house! 'Course, with the way my father looks after things, we really needed it."

"Hey!" a loud voice shouted. "I would've gotten to it eventually!"

At the top of the wooden steps of the house was the bedroom that Malon shared with her father (at least, that's how Link remembered it). The bedroom door burst open and out strode Talon, owner and proprietor of the ranch. He was a big man, tall and heavy-set, who was bald, save for his bushy moustache, bushier muttonchops, and the thick hair on the side of his head. The hair looped back into a slight ponytail that hung just below his neck. Talon wore a red shirt that was very tight around his bulbous body, blue pants that covered every part of his body save for his arms and head, and leather shoes. Wrapped around his neck was a strand of beads, held together by the same monster pendant that Malon wore.

Talon rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his hairy fists and looked down into the sitting area. Specifically, he was looking at Link. The big man asked, "Malon, who's this? Another husband? But what about that kid, what's his name…Link!"

"Father," said Malon, "don't you recognize this man?" She gestured at Link, who waved at Talon. He felt extremely awkward and out of place.

Talon made his way down the steps, brushing a cucco aside with his foot, and then stared at Link some more. Then he wandered over past the wooden table and the chairs and he stopped to stare at Link again. Finally, he walked right up to the leather chair Link sat in and gazed directly into the boy's eyes. There was a sparkle of recognition in those brown eyes, and Link knew that Talon would remember who he was. After all, he couldn't have changed that much, right?

Talon began to mumble, "Those clothes…that hat…that mess of hair…I think I know who you are!" He lifted Link up by the shoulders and nearly crushed him with a bear-like grip.

"It's so great to finally see you again after all this time!" he exclaimed. Talon turned to his daughter and asked, "Malon, why didn't you tell me you found our old postman?!"

Malon shouted, "No, father! That's Link!"

"Huh?" Talon looked back and forth between Link and Malon. "What're you talking about, Malon?" he asked. "This is our old postman, Wodeir, back to deliver the mail once again!"

Gasping for air, Link choked out, "Sir...it actually IS me…I'm Link."

Talon stared intently at Link. "But how're you that boy?" he asked. "Where's your fairy?" He let go of Link and the young man dropped to the floor, taking in deep breaths of air in order to refill his lungs.

"It…it's a long story," Link gasped in between gulps of air. He pulled himself up into the chair he was sitting on and composed himself. Talon took a seat across from him. He looked to Link for the answer to his question.

Link sat back in the chair and began to talk. He told Talon and Malon how he had gone on an adventure with Navi many years ago, though he left out the specifics. When he had finished his quest, Navi vanished in beam of light. Link had not seen her since then. He then started talking about what he had done once he left Hyrule in search of his fairy friend. The hero told the farmers about being in Termina and saving the land from being destroyed, he told them about being on the sea and travelling with a band of Zora pirates, and he told them how he had washed ashore onto an island after a great storm. He spoke of monsters and masks, of demons and damsels, of swords and spells. Link told them all that he had done in the past eight years.

While he was telling his tale, Link truly began to feel old. Has it been so long ago that I left here? The question plagued the hero to no end. As he reached the end of one journey and began to start upon another, Link would remember all that he had seen, all that he had experienced, all that he was over the past eight years. Hero, guardian, sailor, explorer, inventor, rogue…all these were titles he bore. They were titles that would remain with him for the rest of his days.

Finally, Link let out a weary sigh and fell back into his seat. He had just finished telling Malon about his epic battle with a fiery dragon in the Magma Rock. Talon had fallen asleep some time ago, but this didn't matter to him. So long as Link had a single person to talk to, he was glad.

"Oh my," said Malon as she eased up off the sofa. "You went through all that just to rescue a boy who got lost?"

"Yes," the hero replied. "I felt it was the right thing to do."

"And isn't that what you always do." Malon stood up and stretched her arms above her head. She turned and looked out the window. The sun was high in the sky now. It was the middle of the day.

"Wow! Have we really been going on that long?" she asked Link. The young man got out of his seat and looked out the same window.

"Hmm…guess I lost track of time," he said with a smile.

"Sure looks like it," Malon whispered.

Link turned to look at her. In the sunlight, her red hair sparked like fire and glowed like a warm candle. Her calm eyes were like deep oceans. If Link stared at her any longer, he might find himself lost in those eyes, so he turned and walked around the room.

Malon walked over to the hero and asked, "You hungry, Link?" She was answered by a growling stomach and a flush of crimson on Link's face. "I'll take that as a yes."

She slowly walked into the kitchen, while Link sat down in one of the chairs. He looked over at Talon, asleep in his chair, and he smiled. It felt good to be around his friends again.

***

Far off from the Lon Lon Ranch, nearly a day's worth of travel from the Hyrule Field, in a dark plain of rocks and dust, a horde of monsters were riding towards the land. The monsters, a gang of moblins, rode along on the back of giant boars. Their spears were strapped to their backs and their armor clanked with each powerful step that the boars took. Each of their dog-like faces was contorted into scowls of malice and hatred.

As they rode through the dead field, their leader came to a halt. The rest of the moblins followed suit. The leader turned his boar so that he might face his troops. He, the leader, was as nasty as any other moblin: brown, scummy fur; ugly, pig and dog-like face; nasty temper. What separated him from the others and made him the leader was the large scar across his face. It ran from his right temple and came down over his right eye before ending at the chin. The leader snarled and sneered.

"You know why we ride today, men!" he cried. "We ride to find the one who slew half our army in Sarot, who took back our stolen treasure and gold from the worthless humans! This man, this LONE MAN, was able to defeat us! But he made one mistake: he let us LIVE! Now, your hatred compels you and fills your body with overflowing malice and hatred! We slew the humans who dared try to keep us in their prison, and we found the man who defeated us. We fought him best we could and we stole his weapons and items! We almost had his life!

"But he still, half-asleep, managed to kill three more of our soldiers. This is unacceptable! Tonight, we slay that man in the green hat, and we wipe out everything around him! We'll raze the earth, crush mountains, and show this man why we are the most ruthless band of moblins in the land of Sarot! NO ONE crosses us and lives to tell the tale! Tonight will be our greatest victory yet, you heathen monsters! We will kill the 'hero' and have our final vengeance!"

The moblins all hooted and hollered in savage war cries. They all charged forward, at the leader's mark, on their boars, off to the land of Hyrule. The scent of the man in green was still strong. It would be simple to find him and kill him wherever he might lie…

***

After having a hearty meal at the ranch, Link decided to go out and see how Epona was doing. He walked out of the house and into the bright sunlight, stretching his arms over his head as he moved toward the horse's pen. It wasn't long before Epona came into his sight. She was running around inside the wooden fence, trotting up to the other horses and neighing and whinnying with them, conversing however horses do. For the first time in a long time, Epona seemed to be very happy.

Link smiled at his horse. He took a look around the paddock, trying to remember any of the other horses' names. Unfortunately, not a single one came to mind. The young hero looked to the ground and kicked his feet against the worn path that led around the paddock. It was laced with hoof indents left behind from races in the past. Instantly, Link remembered riding Epona for the first time, racing Ingo around the track with the future of the ranch at stake. The thrill of winning and saving Malon and Epona from the dreadful ranch owner rushed back to Link and he raised his arms in victory. As he pumped his fists into the air, a man called out to him.

"Hello?" asked the man. "Are you here to ride a horse? T'will cost you twenty rupees for a five minute ride."

The man who came up the path and into the ranch was a tall and muscular man, well-built and powerful. He had red hair that was long and spiky, and was held back by a blue bandana. When he strode up the path, his black boots kicked up a cloud of dust that clung to his blue pants. Once, the man paused to wipe a bead of sweat from his brow with his powerful forearms. His white shirt clung to his body, leaving little to the imagination. The man huffed and puffed, as if he had just finished running a great distance.

Link held up his hands and said, "Oh, sorry, I'm not here to ride. I'm just looking around."

When the man finally got to Link, he stared at the young man and looked him up and down, just as Talon had done. "Y'know," he told Link, "you look awful familiar…where have I seen you before?"

"I can tell you right now, I'm not a postman."

"No, no, you're not a postman…didn't I meet you some years ago?" asked the man. He put his finger to his chin and tapped it, humming while he thought. At last, the answer seemed to come to him, as he pounded his fist into his palm.

"That's right! You're that kid that gave me the Spooky Mask when I was working the graveyard!" exclaimed the man. Link realized that this was Mambo, Malon's fiancé.

Mambo reached out and grabbed Link's hand, shaking it vigorously. "Oh, it's a pleasure to see you again, a real pleasure!"

Link smiled and returned the handshake. "I'm a little surprised," he said to Mambo, "that you remember me from just that one incident."

"Well, it was a big deal for me," said Mambo. "My father didn't want me pretending to be following in Dampé's footsteps in Kakariko Village, my mother thought it weird for me to be stomping around the graveyard all day, and I didn't really have a lot of friends. But you gave me that mask and encouraged me to pursue my goal and never let what the others said about me!"

"Well, I didn't exactly-"

"And then I met Malon, and she told me all about this great guy named Link, and I just knew it was you! You really did a lot to help people, y'know?" Mambo slapped Link across the back. "You're a good man, Link!"

It felt good to be praised again, by an old face no less, and so Link smiled bashfully and nodded his head. He wasn't entirely sure how to respond to Mambo's enthusiasm. Thankfully, Mambo was there to fill in the gap of silence for Link.

"Say, were you looking to ride your horse around the track?" asked the gravedigger. "I can have the fences set up in a heartbeat!"

Link replied, "Sure, let me just go and see if Epona is up for it."

"You check with your horse to make sure she's ready to run?"

"Of course, she's my friend and partner. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for her."

The two men walked through the horse paddock, talking to each other as if they were old friends. From her spot at the window, Malon could see her men. She smiled and closed the curtains.

***

Quickly, the hours of the day flew by like a great wind, and before anyone realized it, the sun was setting. Malon and Talon fixed up a hearty dinner for themselves and their four guests. When Link entered the old house and smelled the roasted bird they were preparing, he licked his lips in anticipation, for it had been sometime since he had a proper meal.

The dinner itself was filled with a warm atmosphere, the likes of which Link hadn't felt in some time. He chatted with Mambo and Talon about all the other farms and ranches he had visited over the years, about how hard it was to find anything better than the Lon Lon Ranch. He laughed when Malon reprimanded her father for wolfing down his food. His heart skipped a beat when she passed him the basket filled with bread. While talking with his guests, Link also ate heavily, filling his empty belly after pitching in and working for a day on the farm.

When the supper was ended, Link excused himself and walked out to the paddock. He stared up into the stars, their white light reminding him of the countless men, women, children, and monsters he had encountered in the eight years he had been gone from Hyrule. They reminded him of grand adventures and of peaceful nights. Most of all, though, they reminded him of one friend he could not find, no matter where he went: Navi.

He looked up into the sky and asked softly, "Navi…where are you?"

"Wasn't that the name of your fairy?" asked Malon. Link spun around and saw the young woman coming over to him from the front of the paddock. She was smiling with pity.

"Well?"

"…Yes," he replied. "Navi was my companion on my first journey all those years ago. When all was said and done, she vanished before me…"

***

"Navi!" the young Link cried. "Don't go!"

"I'm sorry, Link," the blue fairy replied, "but my time with you has come to an end. I cannot…remain here. There is something that I must do on my own."

"What is it?! What could be so important that you would leave me?!?"

"The Deku Tree, before he died, gave me this final command, Link. 'Navi, thou art the only one who canst shed light upon the dark tide that will come to Hyrule. Once young Link hath slain the dark man from the desert, thy mission must be to enter the Golden Realm and act as guardian. Do this for me, Navi…'"

Link remained silent, and merely watched as Navi, his closest friend and ally in the war against Ganondorf, fluttered into the air.

"Link, promise me something. Promise…you will not look for me." Link looked up at her in shock. Navi looked down at him with a glance of sadness.

"You no longer need to worry about what will happen. Tell Zelda what you experienced and went through. She will be able to help you. Enjoy the second chance at life that you have been given. Farewell…"

"NAVI!"

The blue fairy fluttered away through the stained glass windows of the Temple of Time, leaving Link alone with the Master Sword. He fell to his knees and cried until he could cry no more. When his tears slowed, he cautiously rose up and stared at the path that Navi had just taken.

"Sorry, Navi," he mumbled quietly, "but I cannot follow your last request. I'm going to find you, no matter how long it takes!"

***

"It's been eight years now, Malon, and I still have yet to find a trace of her. I have been around this incredible world and saved it more times than I can think of, yet I have never once found the Golden Realm where Navi left to. She has…truly vanished."

Link and Malon were leaning against the wooden fence of the paddock, him looking up at the sky, she staring at his somber face. There was a moment of silence before Malon whapped Link's head with her hand.

She said, "You're a real fool, y'know that? Why did you have to leave? She asked you to lead a normal life!"

"Because of this," Link raised his left hand, "I can't lead a normal life." The golden light of the Triforce shined on the back of Link's hand. Malon marveled at the marking.

"I was born into the world with this fate upon my shoulders. There's no way I could lead a normal life ever."

Malon smiled sadly and touched Link's face with her hand. She stroked his tanned skin softly. She stopped and whispered to him, "Why do you have to do this, fairy boy?" Her blue eyes sparkled at him, and Link looked away.

"I know you can't ever stay still for long. I know you can't ever hope for a normal life. You told me all this. You've gained so much in these past eight years. But…you've lost some of yourself along the way. Your smile, your laugh…you've become someone different."

With that said, Malon turned and walked back towards the house. When she got to the entrance to the paddock, she turned and looked back.

"You're probably going to leave again soon, right?" she asked. "Try to lighten up a little, fairy boy."

She left Link standing there, mouth agape, in the paddock. Not sure how to respond, Link looked up into the night sky for answers to all the questions he had. There was nothing to be had. He went back into the small wooden house later, and fell asleep upon the sofa in the main room.

***

The sound of stomping hooves and whinnying horses shook Link from his slumber. He cautiously rose from the sofa and reached for his sword and shield, which lay just at his feet. He could hear deep growling from outside. From the shadows that crept into the house through the window, Link could tell that there were intruders in the ranch. They were speaking to each other in a tongue that Link knew belonged to moblins.

"The boy's scent leads us here, sir," said one to the other.

"Good," the second replied. "Now, let us bring hellfire upon this place!"

Numerous moblins paraded by the window, not one of them looking into the house. Not one, that is, until the last one burst in through the house door. The ugly monster growled and charged at Link, but Link was quick to jump from the sofa. He twisted through the air and brought his sword down upon the moblin's head. The strike managed to break through the monster's iron helmet and stun it, but it was not powerful enough to kill the beast. So, as soon as he hit the ground, Link spun and sliced through the back of the moblin's armor, cutting into its flesh. The monser howled in agony and collapsed onto the floor, breaking into ash instantly.

Malon burst out of the upstairs room, clad in a violet nightgown. She was panicked.

"Link!" she shrieked. "What's going on?!"

"Moblins," he replied. "It's the group that pursued me from earlier. Looks like they followed me here."

"Will you be all right? All you have is a sword and shield!"

Link's eyes narrowed. 'I've been in worse," he grimaced as he ran quietly out of the house."

Outside, there were two moblins: one was standing near the broken gate on the entry while the other was trying to break into the stable where the horses were.

"Stupid iron doors!" the one at the stable grunted. "Hate 'em, I do!"

"Quit yer belly-achin'," the one at the gate replied. "At least you're not stuck with gate-guardin'!"

While the two were growling to each other, Link stole up behind the one at the stable and drove his sword into the moblin's back. It howled in agony once, then turned and swatted at Link with his fist. The hero was too quick for the beast, however, as he dodged to one side and sliced into the monster's chest. Dark blood coursed from the wound, and then the beast burst apart into ash.

Link heard something in the wind whistle, and he dodged to the left just as an arrow passed by his shoulder. The arrow had come from the moblin at the gate, who looked very, very angry.

"Die, green man!" it roared as it notched another arrow to its bow.

The arrow whizzed by Link again, this time grazing his shoulder, but rather than run away, Link chose to run AT the beast instead. He dodged the arrows left and right, until he came face to face with the monstrosity. With a great push, Link slammed his shield into the belly of the moblin, knocking its weapon from its arms. Stunned momentarily, Link swung his sword in two consecutive strokes, slicing the beast across the torso and killing it instantly.

There was no rest for Link, as the howling from the moblins had alerted another monster from across the way. The beast charged at Link with a giant spear, but Link stepped to the side and skewered the beast in the side when it passed by. The moblin turned and began to charge again, but Link was ready. He dodged away from the moblin a second time and delivered a final strike in the monster's back, sending it flying to the ground and breaking apart into ash. Before the moblin even hit the ground, Link was on the move again.

He ran through the ranch, taking out moblins when he came across them or when they noticed him slaying their allies. Though quite strong, the monsters were not as strong as Link remembered. Just two strokes from his sword were all it took to kill the beasts. And though they put up a good fight, they were unable to harm Link much, if at all, for, in their hatred of him, they seemed to slip up on their aim.

It wasn't long before Link had made his way through the dozen or so moblins and had located their leader. The boss stood in the center of the paddock, muscles taught, his spear at ready. Its eyes were full of red hot hatred for the hero in green, and when he walked into the paddock, the boss snarled savagely.

"You! You weren't content with what you did to my men in Sarot, were you?! I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance!"

Link silently strode towards the moblin captain, sword in hand, shield clenched in his hand. The moblin captain roared, "Come on then!" and swung his long spear at Link. The hero flipped backwards to avoid the blow, then rolled forward and swung his blade up at the captain. Link's blade sliced the monster all the way up to his chin, though it was not strong enough to kill him. Howling in agony, the captain jumped backwards (no small feat for a creature of its size) and dropped its spear on the ground. The captain raised his fists into the air and slammed them down into the ground, creating a large shockwave that made the ground ripple. It was great enough to knock Link from his feet, throwing him back through the air and onto the hard ground. The air was knocked from his lungs.

He quickly regained his footing and charged forward, just as the captain brought his fists up so that he might shake the ground again. This time, Link dodged the attack by rolling on the ground away from the blast, leaving his body unharmed. With no time to spare, Link charged forward and drove his sword into the moblin captain's side, skewering him on his blade. Again, the captain roared in fury and pain, and he swatted at Link with his giant fists that could make the earth tremble. The blow connected with Link's shield, but it was enough to shatter the old tool and send Link flying. Link flipped through the air and landed on his feet, stopping himself from getting too hurt. Unfortunately, he was now without a weapon, as his shield was now in pieces and his sword was still in the captain's side. He was completely defenseless.

"What can you do now, green man?!" the moblin chortled in fiendish glee. "You have no more weapons!"

Before Link could respond, the bright light of the Triforce began to glow on the back of his hand. He raised it so that the moblin might see the shining light. When it did, the captain stumbled backwards. "The light! Not the accursed LIGHT!"

An emerald orb began to form around Link's hands, spinning like a savage cyclone. "You remember this, don't you?" he grimly asked the moblin captain. "This is the power of Farore, the goddess of courage!"

Link sprinted towards the terrified captain with his arm stretched outward and his hand reaching out for the captain. When the emerald orb made contact with the monster's armor, it exploded in light and unleashed the full power of a massive gale storm. The great wind destroyed the captain's armor and blasted through his torso before sending him flying through the air and outside the paddock. He hit the ground with a sickening thud and shattered into a thousand pieces of ash. There was nothing left behind, save for Link's sword and a strange gem.

The hero walked outside the paddock and strode over to find the gem floating just above the ground, spinning slightly. He knew what it was: a Heart Container. It was a large rock in the shape of a heart, with a blue-green gem covering a ruby rock on the inside. Link had acquired many over his years as an adventurer, and they had greatly helped to increase his stamina for a time. With one touch, the Heart Container disappeared into light and entered Link's body. The rejuvenating magic of the Heart Container filled Link with a warmth he had not felt for quite some time.

***

The next morning, there was no sign at all of the moblins' attack on the ranch. Any damage they had done had been repaired the night before by Link and Talon, who had to be woken up by a cucco after the invasion was over. Even the horses had managed to calm themselves, as they rested comfortably shortly after Malon sang to them following Link's victory over the moblins.

The new day found Link (with Epona by his side), Malon, Talon, and Mambo at the edge of the ranch. Talon had given Link a bottle of milk for his defeating the moblins. 'It's the least we could do,' he had said. The hero accepted the bottle without hesitation. He had cleaned his sword the night before and washed up just before eating a hearty breakfast. Now, he was all set to head out again.

"How long you going to be in Hyrule, Link?" Mambo asked, clearly not wanting the hero to leave.

"I'm here to stay," the hero replied with a smile. "Thanks for the hospitality," he said to Talon.

Malon grinned at him and asked Link, "What're you gonna do next?"

"I figure I'll go back to the Kokiri Forest. See how my old friends are doing."

"Best of luck to ya," the ranch girl told him. Link bowed his head to the people of Lon Lon Ranch and then hopped on Epona's back.

As he rode off, Malon waved and called, "Don't be a stranger, ya hear me, fairy boy?"

Link smirked and waved back before he passed through the ranch gates and got back onto the Hyrule Field. His destination clear, Link turned Epona to the right and had her run towards the forest where Link had grown up.

***

High above Link, in the sky, a giant bird was watching him. This bird was a giant owl with brown feathers of varying shades of brown. It hooted softly to itself as it gazed down at the hero.

"At last, you have returned home, Link," said Kaepora Gaebora, the aged owl, "but you may not like what you find…"