Okay, here you go. Thank you reviewers! Keep pressing that little review button, you're my inspiration! Link is such a bad guy in this story…or so we think.

(A cunning plan)

"But…Malon!" Sheik whined, placing his body in front of her with a purely determined look. "You can't tell him how to work! You're too soft!" He poked her with his index finger, knowing she also agreed with him, even if she would not say it out loud.

"Sheik, get out of the way now!" She huffed angrily, brushing past her cousin in an effort to get to the new worker. "He owes us money, and I'm not going to let him go until he's repaid us every penny, and Daddy gets back in a week, according to his note…" She stepped outside the porch door, the sun belting out golden sunrays.

It was a lovely day, the kind of afternoon when you could just go outside and enjoy the breeze in your face. Part of her wanted to forget the farm and go for a picnic, but she didn't have time for that, especially not after reading her father's note and the horrible news. She was not going to let their life's work go without a fight. She was wearing a plain creamy dress that reached to her lower ankles, yet it had a few navy designs on the bottom. She also slipped on two oversized old farm boots that she had always enjoyed using.

Sheik followed behind her, sputtering constant excuses, as she soon saw why. "You locked him in the barn?" she exclaimed in pure shock. "You're a sadistic psycho! No wonder he wouldn't want to be here! Open this door now!" she ordered.

Sheik knew this wasn't the time to argue, but he tried to defend himself the best he could, even if it meant a little white lie. "I just offered him some food, and let him stay in here for now, because I didn't know if Talon was here or not and I didn't want to wake him up!"

"Liar..." Malon muttered, placing her hands on her hips with a flustered look. "You know as well as I do that nothing on heaven or earth can wake up my Dad." She held a hand out. "Now open this door, or give me the keys!"

Sheik complied immediately, giving her the keys before she did something drastic. Click. Malon had success with the first one she tried. "Mr. Viasco?" she asked as she searched the dimly lit barn. The animals greeted her voice with various sounds, all happy. "Hellooo?"

"Told you he'd leave…" Sheik argued, suddenly noticing something strange. He tilted his head, approaching a window close to the door. "Hey…look at this…" He motioned for Malon to come closer, picking at something from between the boarded window. "These marks that are here…" he whispered, tracing the long streaks in the wood with his hand. "They aren't natural."

"What are they…Oh…how were these made?" Malon gasped, holding her hands to her mouth in a sudden sick feeling. She noticed that all four of the windows near the door were like that, with deep gouges in their wood. She felt herself swallow harshly at the glimpse of a little blood on the windowsill. He must have tried hard…

"These marks were made by…fingernails…" Sheik remarked, turning to his cousin with a semi-frightened spark in his eyes. "These are new."

Malon heard a rustling sound from the loft; she began to deliberately climb the ladder in curiosity. This was the last place she might have suspected him to be…it was full of hay, and uncomfortable, at least, she thought so. Why on earth would he have come here?

"Do you see him?" Sheik asked from the ground, craning his neck to get a view, though it was no use.

Malon was silent; there before her Mr. Viasco was curled into a ball, two of his fingers bleeding and his face tear-stained as if he had cried himself to sleep. His once so impressive-looking tuxedo was now dirty and banged up. She knelt down before him, shaking him gently. "Hello? Mr. Viasco?"

He jolted upwards, as if shocked by a lightning bolt. His body backed up against the wall, a look on his face as if he were fighting for his life. Recognition began to dawn on his face; he slowed his breathing. "Y-yes?" It was a squeaky reply, almost drenched in an anxiety unknown to her.

"Time to begin…work…" she stated, offering him a hand as she sympathetically looked him over, beginning on his two bloody fingers; shifting to the large bruise encompassing his left eye and then to his crusty lip wound.

"Oh…" She thought she heard him mutter something under his breath, but she ignored it.

"It's time to begin your work. First, let's set you up loading the deliveries in the truck and unloading what needs to be unpacked." She continued to explain what he would do as they climbed down the ladder; she was sure all his work was going to be easy the first day.

Sheik interrupted her before she could say anything further. "No. Your first job is to shovel the manure near the horse stables outside. Start now and you may finish in a week. I want it done by tonight." He shoved the tool into Mr. Viasco's grip, pushing past him and taking Malon with him, though she struggled profusely.

Of course Mr. Viasco wasted no time in exiting the barn. He was never going to stay there again; never…was it ever even going to pass through his mind? No. He stared in the direction of the huge pile of manure, and then whirled at the sound of a sudden whinny near it. No. Throwing the shovel to the ground, he stumbled off in the direction of a goat pen.

He hadn't thought much of his appearance changing within the night, but he soon found out that it had indeed drastically altered. He stared into the murky watering trough at his unknown reflection. His once greasy, slick hair had now become fresher and riddled with pieces of hay. His tuxedo was torn in places; he was stained in dry blood and dirt. He could also tell that he reeked. He was definitely a farm boy, albeit a new one. Continuing to stare in the water, as if expecting to see something different any moment, he stated the only thought circling through his mind. "This sucks."

He let his head rest in his hand, holding his tie in the other hand without thought in the pen. Suddenly, he heard a small innocent bleat from inside the boarded gate. He glanced up to see a young kid playfully leaping about in front of him, bleating every few moments. "What? Are you laughing at me, too?" he asked scornfully, sighing again.

After a moment, he felt a tug as his tie was yanked out of his hand and into the mouth of the goat. It bleated again; jumping towards the gate and pushing it open, squeezing out. "Hey! Hey, give that back!" Mr. Viasco ordered, lunging towards the small goat.

It dodged just in time, laughing again in its joyful tone. "Hey! Come on! Come back here and give me my tie!" He found himself doing something he had not done in a long time…Mr. Viasco sincerely smiled as he chased his tie.

A few hours passed, and Malon faced Sheik in surprise. "I just don't think its right…" she protested, swirling her glass. Her cousin was trying to convince her to go out and watch their new worker sweat in the sun while they drank a cool refreshing glass of lemonade. "It's cruel."

"Well, well, well…" Sheik grimaced, motioning to Malon. "Look how hard he's working."

Malon peered out the window, stifling her laughter at the scene she saw. Mr. Viasco was lying on the ground, playing dead. He would remain completely still until the kid neared him, when he would pop up, a huge grin on his face as the goat bounded away. He always missed his dangling tie by inches. She opened the porch door, jogging over to the scene after placing her glass in her cousin's hand. "You know, that works much better when you trap with someone else, too."

Mr. Viasco was so startled by this interruption in their playful banter that he fell over backwards, landing in something wet. Silently, he moved a hand to his face, to see what he had fallen in. "I sure hope that's mud…" he thought. Luckily, it was.

Malon scooped the kid up in her arms and walked over, offering him her spare hand. "Hey…this is yours." She held out his half-eaten tie. "I need to say something to you."

"Let him keep it." The first semi-friendly remark he had ever said…amazing. He took the tattered remains of the jet black tie and relinquished it to the small goat, who bleated happily at its new treat. He gave it a small pat on the head and returned his attention to the fiery red-head in front of him. "I know…you want to yell about my non-existent work, right?"

"No." Malon stifled a giggle at his brown mud-covered back she had caught a glimpse of. She looked him in the eyes as she spoke. "I wanted to apologize."

"For what?" he asked, very surprised. This girl was different than the others…they were all so anxious to kiss him, to be his. Each time, he was still as empty as always, but she was different. This girl made him feel different than he ever had before, and he wanted to know why. What was different about her?

"For what Sheik did to you last night. It was cruel…you don't have to sleep in the barn any longer…do you really want to leave so badly that you would chip your own fingernails off?" she asked in a small voice, her heart going out to him.

"Oh…no, it's not that…" She could have sworn that she saw a flush of pink enter his cheeks, and then disappear into nothing.

"Then what is it?" she piqued up, a spark of opportunity entering her mind.

"It's…well, come to think of it, it's none of your business." He snapped; his lip curling.

"Oh…well, I just wanted to let you know…I mean, I didn't want you to have to sleep there if you don't want to. We have a guest room in the house, you can stay there…it's just that, Sheik was probably flustered. While we were gone, one of our horses, she kicked a visitor. There was this whole deal with the society of animal protections or something like that, and then they saw the house, now that it's falling apart…I mean, I'm just worried they'll take away what we've worked so hard for, and I don't think he meant to lock you in there. You can sleep in the house…" Malon trailed off, embarrassed at her rambling. He probably wasn't listening to a word she said, knowing his usual attitude.

On the contrary, he was soaking in every syllable that escaped her mouth. "Really?" he asked, his eyebrows perking. "You'd let me stay in the house?" Why did she remain kind to him when he was so cruel towards her? Didn't her God say that you should love your enemies or something like that? Huh. She must have really believed with a strong conviction.

Perhaps, if he wanted to figure out what made this girl different than the rest, he could stay just awhile…but… no…what if Jack…he shook the horrid thoughts from his head. He definitely couldn't stay, but how could he leave? Certainly not without this girl's consent, or Sheik would hunt him down. That, he knew, would not be pleasant. No, he needed her permission…but how?

"Of course. Forcing you to stay in the barn, that's inhuman." Malon began to rock back and forth on her heels, a nervous habit she had always inherited, but had never actually performed for a while.

He chuckled to himself, the memory of last night still ringing in his head. "Inhuman…right. No, that's alright. I'll sleep under the stars. I don't take charity; I'll earn my place in the house."

Malon was at a sudden loss for words. "Well…I…really?"

"Sure." Unbeknownst to the poor farm girl, he was already forming a sinister plot in his mind as he spoke. "It's warm enough; I'll just sleep in the boundaries of the corral."

"Well…in that case, I'll bring you some supper and a blanket. I haven't cooked yet, but you must be starving, so I'll stay up for a while to whip up something." Why was she willing to cook for this man? She hardly cooked at all; unless it was an emergency…she was beginning to blush slightly.

"No, that's alright. The blanket might be nice, just in case, but don't trouble yourself, I'm not going to starve." He performed his lines perfectly, as if they had been rehearsed millions of times before. Was she blushing?

He'd move heaven and hell to get out of here; he needed some help, or he'd rot here. Maybe he should pray, even beginning now. Perhaps her God would hear him after all. He would do anything necessary to escape this gutter, to break those lead chains and run. He had to escape; he had to hear it from someone that it was still possible to be free. He could still leave; he would flee from this joke of life. How innocent she must have been. Sure, she worked in a casino, but she owned a ranch. Pitiful little girl, thinking she knew about downtown…pathetic. She knew nothing about true pain. She would soon, though…he'd make sure of that.

It occurred to him…the perfect plot. First, he would force her to fall in love with him…slowly and easily. Then…then he could get off early from his sentence. He knew exactly how it would work. He would do anything to leave as soon as possible…even be the breaker of her frail, little heart…and he'd take joy in it. He'd lavish the opportunity with every fiber of his being. What fun this was going to be.

"Okay…" Wow. He was certainly different than she had last met him. She had so many questions, but maybe he'd reveal the answers in time. What had he been stroking the casino? Why did he bloody his fingers trying to escape? Why was he so hateful? "Tomorrow you can take a shower in the morning and get some new clothes, okay?"

"Sounds great."

Secretly, she was planning as well. She would be able to see what he was hiding in his pockets, and find out a little bit more…she'd show him what true life was life. He only knew an easy life, with his constant riches to show him pleasure. That's all he knew, the luscious women of night, anything he wanted. She'd show him. Oh yes, she'd even be happy doing it. She'd indulge the opportunity with her entire mind. He'd see. How much fun would this be? "Okay then…well, I'm Malon. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. You're Mr. Viasco, right?" She was hoping he would return her introduction with one of his own.

"Right." He sat down on the fresh grass, already feeling the tug of sleep at his drooping eyes. "Good-night, Malon."

"Oh…good-night." She stammered, a bit put-out and hurt at the fact that he had not revealed his own name. Maybe she was just not considered his friend yet. That was understandable. After all, she was new, wasn't she? She'd show this drift what life was really like…just let him wait. He'd see. "Good-night."

"Wait." She paused as she heard his voice, turning to see him yawn with an evil smile and a hidden glimmer of trickery in his deep eyes. She'd know. He'd show her. "Call me Link."