A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap.

Just Lon Lon Milk

Chapter 4- On the Way

"Well, this is just great," Link sighs. "I ran through a slimy swamp, got myself abused by pink mechanical robots, Armos, whatever… solved the stupid Wind Ruins dungeon, almost got squished by that Mazaal machine, and what do I get?"

"Nothing," Ezlo answers in the same tone.

In Link's room of his house, the two go over their recent travel through Castor Wilds. Despite all the tremendous effort to retrieve the Wind Element, they were stuck with nothing more than a bow, Mole Mitts, Ocarina of Wind, and a Heart Container.

Pity, no matter how valuable the 'consolation' prizes are.

"Yeah, that's right. NOTHING!" Link repeats loudly. "No Wind Element falling from the ceiling to pay off all my hard work!"

"Quit whining. I'm sure it's somewhere. The Wind People didn't just pack it up along with them and leave Hyrule."

"… Probably."

"Then, Link, my company, we are horribly in vain to do all this."

"I didn't say we were doomed to save my friend."

"Yes, and I was being sarcastic."

"Hopefully, you were."

"We now must make do with what we have and obtain the Water Element. It's in Lake Hylia, I believe."

"Well, we can't get there normally. The only way there is… is…"

Ezlo groans. "Must I repeat myself…? Check your Map! The Map! That's what it's there for!"

"All right, all right!" Link pulls it out, then studies it. "Looks like the only way there is… through Lon Lon Ranch."

"Is that so…?" A tiny glint sparkles from one of Ezlo's eyes. "I say we get there now!"

"Whoa, what's the rush?"

"Rush? There's no rush. I'm a hat for one thing, and, judging from past experience, hats don't rush."

"Okay, whatever, but don't you think we should rest until tomorrow?"

"Oh, no. We can reach Lon Lon Ranch before sundown."

"Er, why do we want to go there now?"

"A head start. You do want to save Princess Zelda as soon as possible, right?"

"I'm not going to push myself just because it's going to save me a day."

"Okay, then…" Ezlo then adds in, "Weak boy."

"What? I'm not weak!"

"Well, you're complaining about going to the ranch tomorrow when clearly we can get there before night comes."

"What are you saying!" Link stands up in defiance to the comment. "You think I'm not strong enough to get there? Fine, let's see how it goes, then!"

Moving almost as fast as his Pegasus Boots, Link busts through the house door and heads onto the path towards Lon Lon Ranch. Ezlo almost flew off had it not that he expected Link to do such a thing and grabbed on.

"Whoa, slow down, boy!" his yelling voice reaches Link's ears. "And you said I was rushing!"

Completely stopping, Link gives an annoyed look at Ezlo. "NOW do you think I'm weak!"

"Why, no, boy. I never really meant that. But, now that we're on the road, let's just continue on."

Link, realizing this too, starts to tread through the Eastern Hills main road. A little above the horizon, he can see the chimney of Malon's house in the distance.

"So, Link…" Ezlo figures he should break the silence, "what are you going to do after all of this is over?"

"Well… I don't know. Just continue on with my life, I guess."

"You're twelve, are you not?"

"Yeah."

"Ah, the coming of age for humans…"

"The what?"

"Hmm… So, Link, I got something. Maybe when all of this is over, you should ask Malon out on a date."

Link suddenly halts. "… What?"

"Yes, yes. If it all goes well, maybe it could lead to such a thing for you two."

"Ezlo… what?" Link wildly stares up at him. "Why… Why would I… want to ask Malon out on a date?"

"Ho ho! Tell me what you think, Link."

"I… well… I… Malon is… nice… And… um… she's… she's… she's pretty, too… I guess." Link blushes for a second, then forces it to fade. "But, still, why would I want to ask Malon out?"

"She seems like the type of girl that would easily settle with you. Her life, your life. A match."

"Since when love is about matching?"

"Since it made the world go 'round."

"I don't believe in that. I don't want to love just because of sharing something important in common."

"Ah, you're a person that builds love on… friendship, right? I hardly see such people of that kind."

"Ezlo…" Link lays a hand on his countenance, "are you saying that Malon and I are going to be in love or something?"

"Now, when did I say that?"

"You were implying it. A lot."

"Ah, but do you think that I was going to say you two are going to be in love?"

"What? Now you're just confusing me."

"Ha ha ha… So, Link, do you like her?"

"Malon?"

"Does it sound like I'm talking about any other girl?"

"Well, you could be talking about Zelda…"

"Do you like her or not, boy?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because… I'm very curious."

"You want to know if I like Malon or not?"

"Well, I have nothing to do while you're walking around except sleep."

"I'm not going to tell you."

"Mmm! So, you DO like her!"

"And how do you know? How do you know I really don't like Malon?"

"I know this kind of stuff. In fact, they called me the 'love doctor' back in the Minish world."

"… WHAT…? First, you said you're a Minish… then a sage and a craftsman… then a swordsman, then… THIS?"

"Yes. I have many great titles, I'll have you know!"

"Too much, in this matter."

"So, you have a liking to that redhead, don't you?"

"… As a friend, that's all."

"Ah, keeping the truth to yourself then, eh? That's fine. I understand completely. If you ever need a help on love, you can always feel free to talk to me."

Link shakes his head with exaggerated sympathy as Ezlo goes back to sleep. There are some things in the world that he would rather not tread on.

--

"WHAT? Dad, you LOST your house key?" Malon gapes at her dad, a short, stocky man in blue overalls wearing a red shirt. He has a bushy mustache, and brown hair with a ponytail.

"I musta dropped it when I was runnin' away from those Octorocks!" he said as he continues scrambling through his pockets. "Now, we can't get in! The only other key we have is the spare one, and it's in the house!"

"Why didn't you hide it under a rock or something, Dad?"

"I didn't think we would be locked out of our house, so I never bothered!"

Malon's dad, seeing no other way, starts to tackle down the door. Unfortunately, the door didn't even groan under the pressure.

"Great…" Malon mutters. "Just great…" She gives another disappointing sigh. The bad things keep piling up on her. It's not the best day of her life; it's one of the worst. The Picori Festival is a wreck, and Malon and her dad are locked out of their house with the spare key inside. Worse, it's starting to become dusk as the sun begins to lower itself underneath the horizon. They're going to have to eat and sleep outside.

Maybe I jinxed it, Malon figures. I hoped too much of this day, and I probably cursed it into this.

But, at least one good thing came out of this. She met Link, who was considerably nice and friendly. He comforted Malon when things looked down earlier. Oh, what wouldn't she give just to have one more good thing like that…

Like an answer to her hope, Malon sees the outline of Link and his green clothes against the orange sunrays, coming up… towards her. Relieved and cheerful, she waves at him as he enters the ranch gates.

"Hey, Link! You came back!"

"Told you I would." Link flashes a smile when he reaches her.

"Eh? Who's this, Malon?" Malon's dad asks when he stopped to take a glance.

"Oh! Dad, this is Link! We met earlier today."

"Really? Where?"

"Right here. He kept me company for a while. He's a nice boy, Dad!" Malon then beams at Link. "Ain't that right, Link?"

"Well, yeah…" Link nervously replies.

"Is that so?" Malon's dad said. "Well, ya seem like you are, kid. It's a pleasure to meet ya, Link. Thanks for keepin' my daughter out of the lonesome."

"Uh, yeah… Yeah, sure."

"Well, now, I'm Talon, owner of this here fine ranch. But, this ain't no time for formal introductions. We got a problem here."

"Yes, I can clearly see."

"Link, Dad dropped his house key on his way back," Malon explains. "The only other key left is the spare key, and that's in the house."

"Is that so? That's quite the worst predicament I've seen you have all day."

"I know. The sun's going down, we're stuck outside, and I was thinking of selling Lon Lon Milk in town tomorrow. Just bad things happening to me. What a pain. Worst day of my life."

"Well, let me see what I can do…"

Link goes to the door, finding it locked. "Now, that was smart," he hears Ezlo's quiescence voice in his ear, ringing sarcasm. He takes an overall look of Malon's house. There are many ways he could enter inside scratching out the main door. But, all of the entries are either windows or the chimney above. He doesn't want to break the windows, and he certainly does not want to shove himself down a chimney. The only entrance left that is void of discomfort and indemnification is a small hole just right next to the door. Kneeling down, he finds the hole just large enough to let a Minish through. It's a viable entrance, but the problem is, is that there's no shrinking portals around. "Say, Malon…" Link stands up, looking at her, "are there any stumps or pots around here? Any with small holes?"

"… Well, there is a stump with one behind the house."

"Good enough." Link walks past her to the back. Finding the dead stump, he peers down into its hole, finding some mushrooms and a crest that circle around these fungi.

Perfect. Link proceeds to climb on top.

"Um, the stump's not high enough to reach the rooftop," Malon points out, in case Link wants to try the chimney route.

"I'm not heading for the roof."

"Then, what are you-"

"Ezlo! Wake up!"

"Mmm… Metch… Just another ten minutes…" Ezlo replies, still half-asleep.

"Ezlo!"

"What!" His head completely goes up, fully awoke. "Can't you see I was sleeping! By golly, I was having a good dream, too. Dreaming I had arms and legs again…"

"Eh-hem." Link tilts his head towards the stump.

"Stop moving around like that! It's making me feel sick! If there's a portal, just tell me!" Ezlo yells. "A hat doesn't get much respect around here…" he grumbles.

Malon lets out the second gasp of the day as she sees the stump underneath shoot sparks upward. Looking up, she finds Link's hair and his clothes fluttering around as if the stump is blowing up at them. Then, Ezlo begins to chant words of an unknown dialect, creating lit symbols in the air with each word he speak. They circle slowly around the standers of the stump, keeping themselves alive with Ezlo's voice. As he begins to jump and chant more excitingly, the symbols spin around faster, becoming a bluish-white blur. Link, while this is going on, struggles to keep Ezlo on his head while he does his magic.

Suddenly, their bodies shrink. As Malon watches with a gaping mouth, she sees the two turn into the size of a nut. Hovering in the air for a second, they fall into the hole of the hollow stump, safely landing on the mushrooms inside. Malon's eye follows them, trying to find Link and Ezlo in the portal.

"… Link?" she calls. "… Are you there?"

"Right here!" she hears his voice next to her feet.

Malon glances around the tall grass around the stump. Parting the blades with her hands, she finally finds Link waving a hand at her.

"Whoa." Malon's voice sounds like a booming rush of air to Link. "If you tell me you're a Picori, then I am going insane."

"Of course not. Ezlo here can shrink me down to the Minish's size with their portals scattered throughout Hyrule."

"Okay… You're gonna owe me an explanation later on, then… But, first, why did you shrink?"

"You got a hole next to your door. I'm thinking that maybe it leads inside the house. If it does, then I can get inside and find the spare key."

"Uh, slight problem here. Exactly how do you plan to get the key when you're this size?"

"… Oh, right…" Link couldn't believe he forgot about that factor. "Wait, do you have a pot inside? A pot over a green plant or something?"

"Well, we do have one… It's upside down, though, I don't know why. Dad did that, I think, to let the plant live."

"Great! Now, I just need to get inside and I'll get the key."

"Here, let me carry you."

Carry? Link is totally surprised when he feels Malon's hands coming between his feet and the ground to scoop him up. With a sudden change in his current altitude as he's lifted up, the boy in green feels very dizzy and lightheaded when Malon's hands stopped moving. He sways uncontrollably with the feeling of his breath being knocked out of him.

"Link, watch out!" Ezlo brings his voice through his dizziness. "You're about to fall over the edge!"

Link is too dazed to even command his feet to stop. He comes to the edge, then feels his body leaning over towards empty air. With one last step, his feet leave the hand and-

"I got ya, Link!" Malon's voice rumbles.

With swiftness, she lets Link fall onto her other hand. He hits it gently, feeling the rather soft, soothing skin underneath his body. With a small sigh, he lets himself relieve his body of his wooziness.

"Hey, you okay, Link?" Malon asks.

Standing up slowly, he gives himself a shake and nods his head.

"Yeah. It's just that I'm not used to going up and down like that pretty fast, especially at this size."

"Sorry!"

"Ow! Not so loud! You sound like thunder cracking!"

"Sorry, sorry!" She goes to a whisper. "I'm just not… used to talking to someone this small."

"Well, you shouldn't. Not a lot of people, even kids like us, can have a conversation like us. Maybe catch a Minish doing something, but rarely ever talk."

"Uh-huh… So, you're like the first mini person I've ever talked to in my life, then."

"Might as well."

"Hee hee." She takes a closer look at Link. "You look so cute being small."

"I'm what now?"

"Like a little grasshopper. A cute grasshopper."

Link blinks. "What?"

Suddenly, Malon pokes him in the stomach.

"OWWW!" Link yells in great pain. He grabs his stomach and doubles over.

"Oh, sorry! Sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you! Are you okay?"

"Ow…" he cries with a stutter. "Ah… that really… hurts," he winces.

"I forgot you're little! I forgot things are like big to you!" Her face saddens. "I feel so bad hurting you."

"That's… okay," Link groans. "I… get that… a lot."

"Are you okay, Link? Do you need help or anything?"

"No… I'm good." Link then takes several deep breaths before shaking his head. "Just… put me next to the hole and I'll be on the way."

Carefully, she lays Link next to the little entrance. Going through the hole, Link finds himself in a room of what he guesses to be a combination of a kitchen, dining room, and a living room. Either that, or he's just in a very large room. Like Malon had mentioned, the upside-down pot is in there, right in front of him where he can't miss it. Strafing around the rim until he finds the exit hole, he enters, and, with a reversal chant by Ezlo, grows back into normal size.

All right. Link now takes a good look around the house. Where would this key be?

After a quick search, he finds it hidden in one of the main room's jars. He goes up to the house door and unlocks it.

"Hey, I got it open!" Link said as he greets Malon and Talon outside.

"By golly!" Talon lets his mouth drop. "I don't know how you did that… but I can't thank you enough!"

"Here's a way." Link shows the spare key. "Please don't lose your key next time."

"Haw haw! Now, that, I can do!" Talon said gratefully as he takes the key.

"Thanks very much, Link!" Malon gives another merry smile.

"Hey, it's no problem. Glad I could help."

"Well, it's best be heading home now, kid," Talon suggests. "Don't wanna keep ya away from home."

"Well, actually, sir…" Link interjects, "I was planning to head to Lake Hylia tomorrow. And I was kinda wondering if… I would stay here for the night. You know, so that I could get a head start tomorrow."

Talon gives a look of surprise, then puts on a thinking one. After a while, a smile gradually appears.

"Ah, why not?" Talon waves a hand. "It's a good idea, and you really helped us out. And it might be nice to have some extra company for tonight."

"Thank you, sir," Link returns with his own facial expression.

Talon nods, then enters his house, leaving Link and Malon outside.

"So, looks like I'm sleeping over here tonight, right, Malon?"

"Uh… yep. Yes, you are!" Malon replies nervously.

"So, where's the guest room?"

"Oh… we don't have one. It's just a kitchen, two bedrooms, and a milking room."

"Really? Aww… I guess I'll be sleeping in… um…"

"Not my room, of course!" she completes hastily before she realizes the error of saying it.

Link tilts his head slightly. "… Your room?"

"Uh…"

"Well, like you said, I wouldn't sleep in your room. It is, after all, your room."

"… Right!"

"But, where would I sleep?"

"Um, we could deal with that later…"