Hola! Only story esmiaStarts in Malon's POV Starting now Dark Link will be referred to as Lin most of the time (he deserves his own name!)

A Shadow's Fire

Chapter 3: To Cry

(Malon's POV-her journal entry)

Dear Journal,

Lin has been here a week . I am amazed at how fast he is healing. He was able to walk around yesterday, but I am not letting him go yet. I worry the wound will get infected. I can tell he is anxious about something-about leaving maybe, yet he still does exactly as I say. However he has agreed to stay and work here awhile to pay off what we've done for him. I told him he didn't need to, but he got defensive and insisted on repaying us. My father does not trust him, and especially does not like my sleeping in the same room as him(In different beds!). Ingo finds him to be just something to laugh at. I can understand why though, Lin knows next to nothing. He had never seen a chicken before! -Malon

Back to Dark Link's 3rd person view)

He knew something strange was happening to him. Since he'd been here strange emotions kept going through him. He figured it some sort of curse Ganondorf had put in the magic he'd been hit with. He wasn't sure how to react around Malon. She was so…well, kind and friendly. He had never been treated with such kindness before. He always felt very simple-minded around her because these things were all so new to him, but Ingo always told him a child knew more than he did, which greatly embarrassed Dark Link, or Lin, as he was known. He liked being called Lin much more than being addressed as Dark Link. It made him feel more like his own person.

"Lin!" Malon called. "Lunchtime!" He left the stables he'd been cleaning and went to the house. The other three were sitting at the table. Malon got up and fixed him a plate. She sat it at his spot at the table, which was across from her.

"What is it?" He asked.

Ingo snorted. Malon ignored him and said. "It's a salad with chicken in it."

"Chicken! Like the chickens outside?"

She nodded. "They were chopped up and cooked. The green leaves are lettuce and the orange pieces are carrots."

"What are the red things?" He asked.

"They're called to-mat-oes." Ingo said it to Lin, like he was an idiot. Then he laughed. Malon glared at Ingo.

Lin blushed and starred at his plate while he ate. He wanted to know all these things but he wished Ingo wouldn't laugh so much. Ganondorf had never bothered to answer his questions, and he had not existed long to find out on his own. He looked about seventeen, but he was only a few months old.

After lunch, Malon checked his wound again. She cleaned it throughly, all the while wearing a frown.

"What's wrong?" He asked, shivering when she put her hand on his chest again.

She felt him shiver and eyed him oddly but answered his question nonetheless. "I'm just…Surprised your wound has healed so quickly. It may still get infected so we'll keep an eye on it until you leave, assuming you still want to stay and work for awhile."

"Yes, I still have to pay you guys back for-"

"Lin, you don't need to pay us back. I already told you that."

"Well, I'm going to anyway." He said stubbornly.

She shrugged and smiled. "Alright, if you want to, then we'll let you."

"I need to finish cleaning the stables then." He put his shirt and tunic back on.

"I'll help you." She said. "I've nothing to do."

They walked out to the stables and continued cleaning from where Lin had left off. When they'd finished Malon leaned against the wall. "That took longer than I expected."

That must be my fault, Lin thought. "Sorry." He said. "If I was better at this it would have gone faster."

"Don't be silly, Lin. You did a good job, that's all the really matters. And you'll get faster and better with time, so don't worry about it." She smiled.

He found himself giving a small smile back, then he noticed a piece of straw in her hair. "Malon, there's a piece of straw in your hair."

" That's always happens, even when my hair is pulled back." She felt around in her hair for it.

"I can get it." He said. He walked close to her and pulled it out. Then he realized she wasn't breathing. "Malon? Breathe!" He put a hand on either side of her head, resting on the wall. "Malon!"

"Lin!" She trembled. "I'm fine."

"Then why'd you stop breathing?"

She was still trembling. "I only held breath for second because you were closer than I'd have liked. I-It's just a bad habit."

"You're shaking. Are you scared of me?" He whispered, still not moving.

"I'm not scared of you. I-I just…"

"Just what?"

"Please move." She whispered.

"Just what?" He repeated.

She started to cry. "I don't like being cornered like this!"

He quickly moved away at the sight of the water on her cheeks. "Are you hurt? Why is water coming out of your eyes?"

"T-They're called tears. I'm crying. People cry when they're sad or scared." She said quietly.

He matched her tone. "So you are scared of me."

She took a shaky breath. "No. I was just reminded of scary things when you cornered me like that."

"What scary things?" He asked.

"…I don't suppose there's any reason to not tell you." She sniffled and wiped her face dry. "Not too long ago, I woke up in the middle of he night and came outside to the stables because I'd forgotten to lock the stable door. On my way back to the house I saw a man walking towards me from the Ranch entrance. I asked him if he needed something, and then he lunged at me and covered my mouth. I started kicking and thrashing but he was too big. He pushed me up against the outside of the stable and cornered me like you just did…he started touching me, I couldn't get away, but he let go of my mouth for a second and I screamed. Well my dad heard it and he got the man off of me and chased him off the ranch." She was crying softly still.

"Why'd he do that? The stranger, not your dad." Lin said.

"He was trying to rape me, Lin."

Lin puzzled over this a moment. Rape? Ganondorf had told him that word, and said to use it because it was a good way to scare several people after hurting one. What did it mean again? He suddenly remembered and grew outraged. "What! I can't believe anybody would do that to anyone!" He shouted.

Malon smiled.

"What? Why are you laughing!" He asked angrily.

"I've never seen you so mad," She laughed, wiping tears off her face. "It's funny for some reason."

He felt his anger cool down at the sound of her laugh. He blushed slightly. She always had a weird way of making him feel defenseless. She continued talking. "It's also comforting to know that you're so against it, so I shouldn't have been so scared, I'm sorry. I was right, you wouldn't ever hurt me, would you?"

"No." For some reason, saying that made him blush harder. He covered the middle of his face with his hand, where it felt warmest and looked away. What was going on with him? Pull yourself together, He told himself.

She smiled and grabbed his elbow, sending a shiver up his spine. "Come on, there are other things to be done."

"Malon." He said. "I'm sorry for making you cry."

"It's alright." She said. "It's good for you cry every now and then. Get your emotions out."

"What a fool he is." Ganondorf said. He had hired a fortune teller, who was showing him all of this in a crystal ball. "Malon" He mocked. "Bah! What a joke! I'll crush his little Malon so hard that he'll be feeling it too…No! Better yet, I'll have some fun, then I'll let him crush her…Hee, hee, hee. Muhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!"