Malon glanced from around the cliff side at the guard standing beside the closed iron gate. He yawned and scuffed his boots on the floor, trying to stay awake. She pulled back and leaned against the cliff, rolling her head back. What was taking her father so long?

But the truth was, there was no way to go after him so she resigned herself to waiting. Subconsciously, she began to hum a tune under her breath. The notes came out sweet and clear, easing her mind. She closed her eyes and swayed a little to the beat. Memories came flooding back to her.

A warm hearth and a cold winter night. She was small, five years old perhaps, and smiling happily at the tray of tarts set in front of her. And in the air was the tune, the pretty melody coming from the pretty woman in the corner of the room. She glided over to Malon, bending to pick her up and sit her on her knee, still humming and she gently brushed the red hair from the girl's face.

Malon's eyes snapped open, the feeling of warmth replaced by the chilly night air, as she heard approaching footsteps. She looked towards the sound, the pathway towards Castle Town, and saw someone approaching. There was a spot of green, a swirling light, a shock of thick, shaggy blond hair. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, but she turned back to look up at the lone tree before her, still humming her little song. There was a nearby crunch of gravel and then the footsteps stopped beside her.

She turned to look, Link looking back at her. "Well, hello, fairy boy."

She saw him shift at the nickname and she smiled to herself. He gave a tiny wave.

"Hi," he said.

"You're going to the palace now, huh?" she asked and he nodded. "Well, be careful, there are guards all over the place. I'd keep my fairy well hidden in the dark. The light might give you away."

Link and Navi looked at each other, finding her words true. Malon gave a little nod.

"Hey, if you're going to the palace anyway, do you mind looking for my dad?" she asked, the idea coming to her suddenly. "He's somewhere in there and if you see him, could you please tell him that I'm here? Waiting for him. Still."

Link gave a sharp little nod. "Sure. No problem."

Malon laughed happily, relieved. "Thanks. You're a life saver." A sudden idea came to her and she pulled her bag forward, reaching carefully inside and pulling out a warmly wrapped egg. "Here, take this. I know it seems a little strange, but it's something I've been taking care of for a while. When it hatches, it'll be a prize cucco. Just a little something for your trouble."

Link slowly took the egg from her hands, confused. He hid it well, then searched around for a place to put the egg. She leaned forward and tapped a snug, medium sized pouch on his bag.

"This one will work well. It'll keep it nice and secure."

Link placed the wrapped up egg inside and clipped the pouch closed. He looked up and met her gaze.

"Thank you," he said politely. "If I find your father, I'll tell him to find you here."

"Ok, thanks again. Hope you get to see the princess," Malon told him with a little smile and a wave.



Link reciprocated the wave, though smaller and more awkward, and started past her, towards the guard gate. She reached out and grabbed his tunic.

"No wait!" Malon cried out, yanking him back. "There's a guard there! You can't go that way."

"Oh," Link said, peering around to see the guard she was talking about. "Then… do you know which way I should go?"

Malon had been thinking for a long time about different ways to sneak into the castle and find, and rip apart, her father. She'd pondered a couple of methods and the one she liked the best is the one she suggested to the blond forest boy.

"Well, this ivy over here looks pretty sturdy," she said, grabbing a handful of the stuff that was stuck to the cliff and yanking hard on it. It didn't budge. "You can try going over the top and heading across the lawn. I think that the delivery door is on the side of the castle. And then there's that drain pipe I heard about."

Link glanced up at the ivy and she watched as he tested it out. Finally, he gripped a firm handful and, with a small grunt, he hefted himself up. The ivy held. Malon watched transfixed as he carefully picked his way up the cliff until he pulled himself over the edge and onto the top. She watched a couple more seconds, waiting to see if he would reappear, but there was nothing.

Malon sighed and turned back, resuming the comforting melody. The tree before her swayed in the cold breeze and she rubbed warmth into her stiff arms. She turned as there was a quiet "psst!" from above her. She looked up and there was Link's face poking out from over the edge. He gave a little wave.

"Thank you," he whispered and then disappeared, causing a smile to spread over Malon's face.

Suddenly, she didn't feel so cold.