Thank you to all of my readers! I never thought this story would attract such attention. As always, I don't own Legend of Zelda.

I woke to the sound of milk filling a pail. I rolled over and listened at the wall. The boards were too close to see between. "Make sure the milk gets chilled right away once it's been processed." I jumped back at Inga's voice on the other side of the wall. "And put out the coal pit before you turn in."

"Yes, Inga," Malone answered from the other side of the barn.

"You're awfully compliant this morning."

Malone replied, "It's not the first time I've managed the farm alone. The animals will be fine."

"What about you?" I gagged at the sickening motherly tone to her voice.

"I won't leave the ranch," Malone said in defeat.

"There's a good lad. You know what I'll do if I find out you disobeyed me." The soft pat of skin on skin made my skin crawl. I wanted to make sure she could never touch him again.

Malone's boots retreated. The fear was palpable in his voice. "Yes, Inga. You should leave soon or you'll miss the time of your summons."

Inga chuckled. "Alright then. Here I'd thought you'd grown a spine. I suppose a spooked horse can still be trained." I didn't want to think about her intentions by that statement. "I'll be back in several days."

I heard her leave the barn with a horse trailing behind. The ting of milk hitting the bucket was all I heard of Malone for over an hour. Then the door opened and he left.

I sat back on the grass mat. What were we doing? What was I doing? I had already put Malone in danger once and here I was going to do it again. He asked, but was it really worth Inga's wrath if she found out?

The blood left me and I was suddenly lightheaded with anxiety. I had to tell him it was stupid. There was no way we would be able to get away with it unscathed.

The wall shifted and I flinched. Malone's grinning face beamed down at me. "She's gone. It's safe to come out now."

His sweet, pure smile was enough to settle my panicked thoughts. I hesitated only a moment. "Is there somewhere I can relieve myself?"

Malone's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah. There's an outhouse along the path to the left of the barn."

"Thanks. I'll be back." Outside, I found what I needed. After a quick visit to the outhouse, I went to the ranch entrance. A good shove barely made it wobble.

Navi flew over and returned a minute later. "There's a thick chain and lock. Inga locked us in."

I pursed my lips. Not us. I walked back to the barn. Inside, I leaned against a beam. I thought about the best approach, but there wasn't any. I asked, "How often does Inga leave you alone on the ranch?"

Malone answered from his milk stool, "Once every month or so. This time will be longer than usual, but..." He finished with a shrug.

I gathered my courage. "And does she always lock the gate?" Malone's pace slowed and he wouldn't answer. I prompted, "Malone?"

He resumed milking at full speed. "It's best not to think about it."

His voice cracked at the end. He was very determined not to look at me. "Very well," I replied. "How can I help?"

Malone cleared his throat. "The, uh, pump by the door. If you work the lever, the water troughs will fill."

I turned away to do what he asked, but I carefully watched him. He wiped at his eyes and continued working. We only spoke when I needed a new task.

We finished chores around lunchtime. Malone took his milk into the house and returned with a picnic basket full of sandwiches. The cows were out to pasture among the horses. Malone led me to a quiet copse of trees.

I ate quietly, waiting for Malone to break the silence that had been building all morning. His first sandwich was gone before I even took a third bite. The second was devoured just as fast. When he was halfway through the third, he attempted conversation.

"Thank you for... being here, Link. I don't know what I'd have done if..." His voice broke and he couldn't go on. After a minute, he rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palm. "I haven't seen my mother in four years. Did you know that?"

Cold shock hit me. He was falling apart before my eyes. His shoulders shook and he couldn't hold back the tears any longer. The sandwich fell to the ground forgotten as he tried to hold his hands still. "You asked if she always locked me here." He shook his head. "When Inga left me alone for the first time, it was six months after my mother left. We had never been apart for a week, let alone half a year.

"I was young and stupid. I took a horse and rode to Kakariko. That was where Inga found me two days later. She brought me back to the ranch kicking and screaming. She hit me. That was the first time."

I bit my lip. His voice was quiet and shaky. I listened carefully to make sure I heard everything. I needed to know. He swallowed and continued, "Then, she took me out to the pasture where a dog was tied up. It had snuck into the henhouse and slaughtered a number. It didn't matter to her that the poor animal was emaciated and starving.

"She told me that bad people and animals had to be punished. That my antics in Kakariko had ruined her attempt at making a name for herself. She made the dog an 'example'. I begged her to stop, but she beat it to..." He dry heaved at the memory. "Inga told me that it would happen again and again as long as I disobeyed her."

I couldn't finish the sandwich. The fear now made sense. I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and grabbed his hand. There was nothing I could say. Malone reiterated, "Having you here... Thank you. I must look so foolish. I'm such a coward."

Malone leaned into me. I held him protectively against my chest as he let out the pain of the abuse he'd endured. I reassured, "Listen to me, Malone. I don't see you like that. You've been treated as no living creature should be. Inga wants control. Control is power to her. The fact that she continues to threaten you is testament to the lack of control she knows she has."

Malone sat back and looked at me through tear filled eyes. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do if you looked at me the way everyone else does."

His lip quivered and I felt my nose sting. I pulled him to me as my own tears began to fall. "Don't be silly. You're the best friend I have. I would never... If I ever did anything to hurt you, I'd never forgive myself. You've been hurt so much already."

We sat quietly as the tension between us dissolved. His breathing settled into a steady rhythm against my chest. The overpowering urge to sleep threatened me as Malone's arm slipped. He nodded awake. "Sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you."

I shook my head. "You were up early and it's been a stressful morning. You needed it. And I could use a nap too after yesterday's run."

Malone yawned. "You're right." He laid back on the grass and turned on his side. "Are you warm enough?"

The sun was warm and bright. I turned toward him. My head bumped his chest. He wrapped his arms around me as I snuggled in. Then I was lost to sleep.

An arm gently shook me. "Hey, fairy girl, wake up."

I blinked up at Malone. He was laying over me. His hair brushed my cheek. Only the faint signs he had been crying earlier were evident. "Don't be alarmed, but we're surrounded."

My eyes widened. "What?"

I struggled to get up and reach for a weapon. Malone wrapped his arms around my chest and chuckled. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd react that strongly. It's the cows."

A shove from behind confirmed. I looked over my shoulder into the wide face of a cow. I saw my shocked reflection in her big brown eyes. Her tongue snaked out to lick one nostril. Malone pushed her face away with a laugh.

I watched Malone interact with them. His affection for them was reciprocated. This was how it was supposed to be. Malone began humming and more animals came to him.

Navi flew out of a tree. A calf saw him and gave chase. Its feet kicked and its head struck out in mock fight. Navi took a chance and flew to me. As he ducked under my hat, the calf began to look for him.

Malone called, "Fairy girl, come here." I stood and ran to where he had a hand on two horses. "I want to show you what I had in mind to get the cows out of here."

He steadied a horse for me to mount. When I was ready, he mounted the other. We left the cows behind. The scale of the pasture still amazed me. To walk the perimeter on foot would take days.

Near the fence, Malone pointed, "This is the weakest section. It's a bit further from the woods, but it is the most believable to fall under attack."

"Attack?" I raised an eyebrow.

"There's been some sightings of an unusually large poe spirit along the road a short ride from here. I want to stage an attack tomorrow at dusk." Malone explained, "You said the stalchildren attacked before sunset. This poe will do the same thing. All I have to do is find out a way to destroy a section of the fence and we can drive the cattle under a new moon."

I dismounted and went to the fence. The trees that had been used were cracked with age. An idea began to form. I held my palm to the fence. Calling up Din's fire, the trees smoldered and caught flame. I pulled back and punched. A blast of fire created a hole with the diameter of my forearm.

There was a commotion behind me. I turned in time to see Malone get tossed from his horse. His horse turned tail and ran. He picked himself up off the ground. "Goddess, Link! What did you do?"

"Just testing a theory." I looked over to the fence. "If I'm to make this look realistic, I need to know how this Poe acts."

Malone dusted his pants. "Tonight then. I'll take you to the crossroads where it's been spotted."

We mounted up and started back to the barn. Malone began singing to draw the cows to the closest pasture. I pulled out the ocarina and played along. It would be a while before I tried singing with someone.

As the cows were corralled, Malone shut the gates behind them. We worked fast through the evening chores. When the milk was finally stored, we climbed to the loft.

Malone lifted his shirt off as he walked to the other end of the barn where his stuff was stored. In the dim light, I thought I saw old scars on his back. Then he bent and shrugged a dark shirt on.

As he shouldered a coil of rope, he asked, "Do you have any darker clothes?" I shook my head. Malone frowned and grabbed his raincoat. "Wear this. We don't want to draw attention."

I slid my arms through and made sure I could reach my sword easily. My shield would be practically useless while I wore the coat. I made sure I had my bow and quiver. Malone slid a hunting knife into the sheath on his belt. Last, he grabbed a spyglass from atop a crate.

The sun was low on the horizon. We took fresh horses to the fence. Malone spoke quietly to them before turning them loose. We used the coil of rope to climb over the fence.

We started jogging. After an hour, Malone motioned me to stop. He knelt and pointed. I followed his gaze. A trio of white garbed riders continued along the road. We hadn't been spotted. Malone whispered in my ear, "Gerudo traders or bandits. No one else uses the road this late at night."

When they were safely past, we continued toward the crossroads. When we were close, Malone pulled me to the side. We took refuge behind a hill. Malone scouted the area then passed the spyglass over. "I didn't see it. The creature appears near the boulders."

We waited under the last sliver before the new moon. Ground fog began to rise, and with it, my sense of foreboding. Out of the mist, the creature appeared. To say it was human in form was a gross exaggeration.

It stood well over my height. A black shadowy mass surrounded it. The face was a twisted smile of pain and from a gaunt hand hung a ghostly lantern. As I watched, it let loose a shrieking cackle. Beside me, Malone covered his ears. He whispered, "Look at the ground below it."

Beneath the Poe, the grass was withering and smoldered. The longer it stood in one place, the farther the circle of death spread. I watched in silence. Navi was hidden in my hat unable to give advice. His light would have been a dead giveaway of our location.

Malone jerked beside me. I lowered the spyglass and asked, "Are you alright?"

"It's that thing," he muttered through shut teeth. "It's making my skin crawl with its whisperings."

"We should go. I've seen enough." I hadn't heard anything except the scream. The hairs stood on the back of my neck.

"Where'd it go?" Malone's question caught me off guard.

I whipped back toward the road. The dead circle where the Poe had been standing was empty.

I drew my sword. "We're leaving. Go."

I heard him take two steps behind me before he screamed. Turning toward the terrified sound, I saw the spirit staring Malone down. I lifted the sword and froze. The Poe had me fixed in place.

Malone gasped as the Poe lifted the lantern to gaze into his face. I saw the flesh that was shredding and falling from the monsters body. Tattered cloth hung from its shriveled corpse. And I saw it smile.

Malone began to mumble. I only caught a few words. His head tipped sideways and his knees sagged. I couldn't hear him breathing.

Navi flew from my hat and shined bright white. The Poe flinched and Malone collapsed. It turned toward me, the dark gathering around it. Navi's light was outmatched.

'I do not fear you, goddess child.' Its voice surrounded and suffocated me. 'You are out of your league.'

My hands were shaking on the hilt. Navi was forced back until he was directly in front of me. Goddess, give me the courage to fight.

The creature looked past me and stopped advancing. Suddenly the sword's weight was bearable again. I raised the sword. It began to glow until it out shined the darkness. The Poe sneered. 'Give up.'

I lowered the sword to the stance my father had taught me. "Never."

I slashed with the sword. The darkness was sliced away from the monster as a hot knife in butter. I shouted and closed the distance. White hot slash marks scored the corpse of the Poe. It backed away. I kept up.

It fell to the ground before me. I stabbed straight through to the ground. The Poe let out a piercing scream that sucked the air in around it. The air exploded and the Poe turned to ash.

Malone wheezed beside me. I left the sword embedded in the clothes of the Poe and turned to help Malone. His skin was ashen. I put a hand to his arm. He pulled away with a hiss. He tore his shirt off. A black hand print was burned into his arm, the fingers too long to be natural. Malone concentrated on his breathing.

I filled the silence. "I think I killed it. Again? The sword is blessed, so I don't think it will be able to return. The grass will have to regrow."

"It preys on the weak. Goddess, am I that pathetic?" Malone was shivering and on the verge of a full-on breakdown.

"We need to get back to the ranch. If anyone sensitive to the spiritual is nearby, no doubt they felt that creature's death." I had no words of comfort here. There was no time. "Come. We can discuss this later."

I withdrew my sword from the soil and sheathed it. Malone stared at me with wide eyes. I softened my expression. "Come now. Everything will be right."

Cliffhanger! I hope I didn't make this too traumatizing. Please read and review.