Chapter Four: The Hero's First Adventure, Part Two – Catching Up

Damn she's sharp! Link thought to himself, knowing perfectly well what Malon meant when she asked that. Navi had been right in her judgement saying Malon would likely want an explanation. Though he had promised Talon he would explain to them both, the expression Malon wore made it clear that she had not really asked a question, but had been demanding an answer. Navi dropped into his field of vision from above and hovered behind Malon, wearing an "I told you so" look.

"Not a lot happened, actually," Link started, ignoring his fairy, "But a lot changed, for me at least, I'm still getting used to it all."

"What do you mean?" Malon asked, hopping onto the railing of the hay trough beside her. She offered a seat beside her, which he took. "You mean you've been gone this whole time? Where have you been?"

"That's…hard to answer without explaining-"

"Oh, stop trying to sound cool Link," Navi suddenly blurted, taking a position in front of the two of them and ignoring Link's red face and insulted stare. She turned her attention to Malon. "It's really not that complicated, he's just embarrassed about it for some reason."

"I am not!" Link snapped, prompting a giggle from Malon.

"No?" She asked, redirecting her attention back to Link with eyes raised. "So you're not embarrassed by spending the majority of seven years away from Hyrule sleeping?"

"It was my spirit and not exactly my choice."

"But you did sleep. Hardly exciting for a return of a hero," Navi retorted matter-of-factly. Link sighed heavily, shaking his head in defeat, while Malon beside him laughed.

"Sleeping?! Of all the reasons and possibilities, you were sleeping?! You might give my father a run for his money!" She laughed for a good minute longer, before she suddenly leaned into him.

"You know, Link, after you left, and after the castle and Castle Town were ruined…I was so scared something had happened to you. After that things all over took a turn for the worse, even here, and monsters began to show up everywhere… but I still believed you'd be back, all this time." She straightened herself and smiled at him warmly. "Welcome back, Link."

Link returned her smile and pulled her to him in another embrace, understanding the sincerity of her words. "Thank you, Malon, really."

He had hoped at best that she would have remembered him, never mind if it was fondly or even in annoyance. That she had waited for him all this time, without even knowing that his existence was assured, was incredible. Truly, Malon was special, and Link could not help but silently thank the goddesses above for having met her years ago.

"So what really happened, hmm?" Malon asked him. "After you left us that morning?"

Link spared little detail in informing her of what had happened, starting from realizing Ganondorf's complete foresight, witnessing the escape of the princess, and his encounter with the Gerudo king. Malon was visibly shaken by his account, which she explained when he stopped to ask was due to having once seen the man in passing, and he had frightened her greatly.

"I saw him about three years ago, I think," she explained. "He came to the ranch, but I didn't know what for. I saw him from the house window upstairs." She shuddered. "Just seeing him frightened me so, and I could almost sense how dangerous he was."

Three years ago, Link thought to himself. She had seen him the day Talon had been banished and Ingo had been made owner of the ranch.

"Looks like your little charm helped after all, Link," Navi chimed in, smiling at the two of them. "That little gift of his must have warned you."

"So you remember that too!" Malon returned the smile. "I still remember how it felt."

The memory of him placing that charm was only a few days old, and Link still remembered what the magic had felt like when he had wrought it as well, imbuing it with his desire to protect. Now that he thought on it, protection was a very broad term for the magic he had given to her, so he supposed that it was entirely reasonable to interpret warnings as a form of protection as well.

"So do I," Link said, adding to the conversation. "I'm glad it worked so well; I honestly wasn't sure how effective it would be, since I thought of it on a spur of the moment."

"You did a fine job; it's still intact and strong as when you made it," Navi responded, "I'm admittedly impressed by that, considering you made it as a child."

"Thanks Navi."

"So you're probably really good at magic now, aren't you?" Malon asked. He shrugged.

"I don't know, it's been seven years since I've seriously used it."

"Wait, you mean…" Malon looked at him curiously, studying his face. "When you said you were sleeping, you…you really meant that?" Link nodded slowly.

"I think you should probably explain that now, Link" Navi said, landing on his shoulder. "It is a little more complicated than that."

"And you said it wasn't," Link replied, smirking. "But yes. Sleeping is only half-right, it's just the best way to say it simply," he explained to Malon. Picking up where he had stopped, he explained how he had gone to the Temple of Time with the three stones and now the Royal Family's treasure in hand and, without going into the details that tread upon secrecy, told her how he had opened the Door of Time and had found the Master Sword. This sparked her attention, as she quickly looked behind him to see the sword resting in its sheath.

"That's the Master Sword? Like, the Master Sword?" She asked. "Almost everyone knows the legend of the Hero wielding the Master Sword, it's a famous story told to children, but the legend says it was sealed away and lost to the ages."

"And it was, technically," Link said. "I still haven't heard the legend properly myself, but Navi filled me in on what the Master Sword is then, she was shocked about it too."

"But, if you have the Master Sword, then…"

"I've been chosen as the Hero of Time."

He let the sentence hang as she stared at him with wonder painted across her face. Clearly she had not expected anything like this. After a few moments she smiled, and he could swear there was the faintest blush in her cheeks that wasn't there before.

"Well I'll be. So you really are a hero after all. Like the kind they tell in stories."

"That's exactly how I thought of it," Link replied, grinning. "Although I feel like I've been playing a hero for a while now." They shared a laugh at this, before she spoke again.

"You have been haven't you? You saved the Gorons and the Zora years ago, and your little bit of magic ended up helping me too. And now you're finally back, so that means more hero work, doesn't it?"

"It does, and I know what I have to do to face Ganondorf now too. I was right to question whether I could do it alone years ago, because it turns out I can't."

He told her how pulling the Master Sword had perforce sent him into the Sacred Realm, where his spirit, and by extension his body, were placed into a slumber of sorts. He had awoken in the Chamber of Sages within the Sacred Realm, so he had no memory at all of the Sacred Realm itself. He told her of his meeting with the sage Rauru, and the revelations he had been given–Ganondorf's rise to power, his destiny as the Hero of Time and of the Sages, and more personally his Hylian heritage–which explained both the root of his renewed, unfinished quest and his ignorance of the state of most of Hyrule. This ignorance was only partially alleviated with his meeting with the mysterious Sheikah, Sheik, when he was returned to Hyrule in the Temple of Time.

"I can see now what you meant by getting used to it all, I'm having a hard time understanding it all myself," Malon said, absently staring ahead as she mulled over his story. "I mean, I thought it was strange that I recognized you, since I knew you were from the forest, but, suddenly discovering you're Hylian, I would have imagined that would be a shock enough in itself."

"I've seen and learned a lot of incredible things since I left the forest. Learning my origin was just one more addition to the list."

"Mm…So now you're looking for the sages?"

"Among other goals, yes."

"Then you'll be leaving soon I suppose, won't you? I would offer you our home like before, but…"

"I know. That's why I'm here, actually."

Malon refocused her attention on him, puzzled by his words. "What do you mean?"

"Well, after I left Castle Town as quickly as possible, I went to Kakariko Village. I met your father there." She gasped in astonishment.

"My father?!" Oh goddesses, is he well? I never saw him after the day Ganondorf came, and Mr. Ingo…" she spoke his name calmly enough, but he had never seen her wear such an expression of contempt. He decided to make a mental note to himself to never to make Malon angry. "He never told me what happened, only that dad was gone now and that he was in charge so I had better do what he said. Oh I was so angry, but he threatened to kick me into the stable and take away my Epona, and I couldn't leave her and the rest of the animals in his care, not with how he had changed so much."

Her voice had begun to tremble, and he could see she was near to tears. Clearly she had been putting on a brave face, but Ingo's cruelty and her father's absence had taken their own toll on her, having been largely under his thumb for the past three years.

"Your father is doing just fine," Link reassured, taking her hand. "He worries for you though and wants to see you again. He also told me why he left." He quickly filled her in on what had happened that day, according to Talon. When he finished, Malon, quite unexpectedly, swore angrily.

"That wretched depraved son of a bitch," She growled, beginning to grow flushed. "I'll be damned if my Epona goes to that mad king." He questioned now whether it had been wise to tell her; he wasn't sure if he had ever seen anyone as angry as she was now, and admittedly it frightened him almost as much as seeing Ghoma. He was glad he wasn't the target. She dropped back onto the ground and began to stomp her way toward the door.

"Wait, where—"

"To give that sack of shit a piece of my mind." She said flatly, flashing him an angry glance that made him flinch. "I thought it was strange when he started dealing with Gerudo, now I know why."

"Hold on, when did this happen?" he jumped down and quickly caught up to her. "If there are Gerudo involved it could be dangerous!"

Her hand rested on the door handle as she turned to see him again. She looked like she was ready to snap at him, but then her expression softened, if only a little. "Last week several of them came here for business with Mr. Ingo, and they are supposed to return today."

Thinking quickly, Link considered what options he…no, they, had. Malon was not going to sit this out if she could help it. The Gerudo's presence was something he had not considered, and as he was, he wasn't sure if he could take on a group of them. He had scuffled with one briefly as a child, but he hardly considered it a real fight as he had been clearly outclassed, and had it gone on for even a few seconds he would likely have been seriously wounded, or even worse, killed. Something needed to be done fast, before their arrival, whenever that was.

"When exactly are they supposed to arrive? Tell me about Ingo, the ranch now, everything."

"In a few hours. Why are you asking this now?"

"Because, we are going to take back the ranch," Link answered, a small smile creeping onto his face.

~0~

A little under an hour later, Link strode out of the stable, Navi hidden away, with Malon following behind. She quickly crossed over to the house and entered, and a few moments later she appeared in one of the windows above, giving a sign that meant the house was clear. Nodding the affirmative, he turned to the right and walked out to the field and track, knowing Ingo would be there.

Malon had filled the two of them in on Ingo and his money-making business: horse riding and racing. As it turned out, it was moderately popular and successful, and Ingo was fairly wealthy. Of course, part of his wealth came from his unscrupulous business tactics. Horse riding was ten rupees per minute, and racing had a wager fee of fifty rupees on top of the wager itself, which had no ceiling. Link was still not entirely familiar with Hyrule's currency, but he did know that with that kind of money he could comfortably eat for a week like a king. Races were typically held once a month, but Ingo, a fine jockey himself, was willing to race visitors...for the right price.

Malon had also informed him, with a satisfied smirk on her face, that Epona still refused to listen to anyone but herself, which exasperated Ingo to no end. And with them both knowing she was to be given to Ganondorf, it now made perfect sense to Malon why he had never handled Epona with the same unkind treatment as the others. As such, Epona had grown into a fine steed indeed, physically far superior to the rest.

Link had come up with a plan he thought was rather clever, if more than a little risky, with this information, and Malon and Navi were inclined to agree. While they both approved of Ingo receiving a good thrashing, beating him at his own game sounded much more satisfying. So, he would race Ingo with an offer he would take for sure, and regardless who won or lost, he would race again with higher stakes: If he won, Ingo would lose the ranch, and a loss would see his purse empty and an agreement to work for him, if Ingo found this partial that was. Navi had protested to the latter of the loss especially, but he argued that it was necessary to even the bet to get Ingo to agree, so she reluctantly acquiesced. Link was not an experienced rider in any way, but Malon gave him several basic points to remember, and Epona, the horse he would choose to ride, would take care of the rest. Malon had also assured Link that Epona would be partial to him, particularly with his knowledge of her mother's song, which she still sung to her nearly every day, when she could. Ingo had grown for some reason to hate the song, and thus she had been forbidden from singing it. So, naturally, she did anyway in secret.

The more difficult—and risky—part of the plan was after and if he won. Ingo was not going to just walk away from the ranch, after all. Link at this stage would essentially be playing by ear. In the meantime, Malon would be on the lookout should the Gerudo arrive. Concerning the desert tribeswomen, he was admittedly uncertain about what to do about them. Undoubtedly, they would be none too happy to see the ranch returned under its original ownership and their arrangement null and void. The worst case scenario would be an attempt to ransack and destroy the ranch, in spite or as an example, and Link wanted to avoid this as much as possible. Unfortunately, he had no real solution to this either, except perhaps a prayer to the goddesses above.

He was nervous, but also held some confidence that things would work out. He had thus far operated with unusually good luck, and he was counting on it holding out in this endeavor as well.

Link spotted Ingo easily by the track, standing beside the gate into the middle of the field. Even from a distance, his appearance was, well, rather bizarre, hardly the attire one would expect to see in a place like this. As he walked closer, Ingo heard him and turned his attention from the horses to greet his latest customer.

"Aha, hello my friend, welcome to Ingo's Ranch, where equestrian entertainment awaits," he began, putting on his best salesman voice, stepping forward and putting out a hand in greeting. "You're a new face 'round these parts young man, aren't you? My name is Mr. Ingo, owner of this fine establishment."

Link studied him for a moment as he took his hand and shook it, trying his best not to show his immediate dislike for this new Ingo. Gone was his old ranch attire, instead replaced with fanciful garb he assumed only the wealthy could buy. Well, fanciful was subjective; he found it ridiculous. His simple overalls and short sleeved shirt were replaced now by colorful garb comprising of a blue patterned long sleeved shirt with a bright red vest, with a rather large ruff at the neck that practically hid his entire neck. Below he wore white pantaloons similar to his own, with green leather shoes that reminded him of some of the shoes worn by his fellow Kokirians. Seven years had done little to change his large mustache and eyebrows, which still made him look perpetually annoyed, but his hairline had receded to some degree, so that he now sported a large bald patch, and his hair on his sides had thinned somewhat. All in all, Ingo's appearance gave the impression of a man who had stumbled upon wealth and was trying to show it, without really knowing how. Despite this, he gave off an air of proud confidence that would probably have been intimidating to a lesser man, which he figured was probably how he had gotten away with it.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Link politely replied, avoiding revealing his own name. "I never realized this place changed hands, I remember this place as a boy." Though he said this pleasantly enough, Ingo's expression hardened just enough for him to notice. Don't overdo it, he reminded himself.

"I see…Well, yes, I took over this fine ranch only recently, after working here for many years. One of the proudest moments of my life, if I do say so myself." The man smiled, or did his best to. "Hard honest work is the way to success my boy, wouldn't you agree?"

"You're absolutely right, sir," Link answered, smiling himself now. Honest my ass. The man was lying through his teeth, but he had to play along. Ingo seemed quite satisfied by this, even chuckling.

"Not enough young'uns these days can appreciate that, wonderful to hear you understand. Unfortunately, the previous owner—Talon his name was, he's my cousin you know—kind enough soul, but he had no heart for work like you and I. Bit unfortunate, really. When hard times fell, a few years ago, he didn't have what it took to keep this ranch alive. But I, ah, where he saw obstacles, I saw opportunity!"

Ingo waved his hand to his right, showcasing the entirety of the ranch grounds with a proud look in his eye. "Look at all this space! See these fine specimens of some of the best horses you'll ever lay eyes on! And to think, it was all going to waste! I, the hard-working Ingo, saw a chance to bring some joy and life back to Hyrule. With these horses, and for a rather modest price if I do say so myself, you can ride for a little while and take some time to relax and forget the troubles of the world, while you make some new four-legged friends! How 'bout it, stranger?"

"Quite the silver tongue, huh?" Navi softly whispered, so that only he could hear. While he made no indication of hearing what she had said, he had to agree with her, he was exceptional at presenting a personable character. Had he not known the truth, he might have believed him. Certainly it was hard to argue with much of what he said.

"You've surely done a number on the place, I'll give you that Mr. Ingo," he said cheerfully, looking into the fenced yard. While he pretended to appreciate the horses, he searched for, and quickly spotted, Epona, grazing several yards away. The majestic beast lifted its head and stared over his way, and for a moment he could swear, even from this distance, that she recognized him. Perhaps it was the way she continued to stare, or the swish of her tail that almost seemed happy. A moment later, however, she returned to grazing.

"I'm surprised I didn't hear about this change sooner, I would've thought it would be the talk of the town when I visited Kakariko earlier," he continued, returning his attention to Ingo. Another momentary glint in his eyes caught his attention. Had he pushed too far?

"Kakariko eh? I used to get more business from there, to be sure, but it seems someone has been spreading some false information. Probably just jealous or some other petty excuse. People don't like it when they see a fellow man that has it all, they think it's unfair, but they just don't understand how hard I worked to achieve this."

Link pretended to agree, nodding along. He hated how well the man in front of him spoke in half-truths. Had Ingo always been able to speak so well? His words reminded him of when Mido had broken down in a fit, all those years ago out of the same kind of jealousy. "The world isn't fair after all, we all have to work to attain our own success," he replied, putting forth a truism of his own.

"Precisely! You are a man of understanding, I applaud you! Tell you what, just this once, I'll let you ride for free, eh?" Ingo offered happily, clasping his hands together to his chest in a polite gesture. "You have the pick of any horse you'd like once you step inside, and I'll even give you extra time to ride, a real bargain, I assure you!"

Link couldn't help but smile, this time honestly. The man's ego had grown enormous, just as Malon had told him, and just a few words of kindness had placed him in quite the favorable position for bargaining. So far, things were going even better than he had expected.

"That is most generous of you, thank you sir," Link responded, accepting the offer.

"Splendid! I assure you, you will not be disappointed young man. Right this way."