**Author Note ** Hey guys! This chapter's very calm and slow, not much action really happens. It's more of an introduction of Malon's character, and beasically a time to relax for Link and Ashia before everything get's serious. So again, thanks for reading and please review! I appreciate every single one of them. **

Chapter Fourteen

Malon and I stood at the entrance of Lon Lon Ranch as I pulled out the fairy ocarina from my pouch, and played Epona's song. Malon smiled as I played. "I remember teaching that to Saria when she came to get Epona." Malon hummed the tune along with me.

I'd received Epona when I was twelve, and first left Kokiri Village. Saria had brought me to talk to the Great Deku Tree, who informed me that I was Hylian, and in fact not Kokiri. Before any questions could be asked, Saria helped me leave Kokiri Village, to live in Kakariko. She got Epona to make my journey easier. That was how I'd found home with Anju and her husband in Kakariko Village, helping with her cucco's. I sighed at the thought of Anju, I missed her. We'd become quite good friends back then. I missed those days.

After the tune ended Epona came galloping across the field. Malon was absolutely thrilled at the sight of Epona, and I couldn't help but smile myself seeing someone as happy as she. "You can take her for a ride while we're here if you like." I suggested and she turned to me.

"Really? You'd let me? Oh I've missed her! I raised her from when she was just a small thing. Oh that would mean the world to me Link, thank you." I patted Epona as she came up beside me, and Malon and I began leading her to the stables.

"Oh and Link, I wanted to say something before but I didn't want to be bothersome. When you and your friend showed up you looked quite flustered, had something happened?" Malon looked me over, her eyes questioning.

"Oh uh-" I started, not sure of what exactly to answer.

"Link." She cut off, capturing my gaze. "I know practically everything that goes on, these farm house walls are thin, and the Sages aren't good at keeping quiet. You can trust me, they do." I nodded, hoping I could believe her. I sorta wanted to vent about everything that had happened in The Market anyway, so I explained everything to her. "Do you think we're safe here?" She responded after I'd finished.

"Right now, I don't think there's anywhere safer than here." I replied as she tied Epona in one of the stables.

"Where's your friend?" She asked, trying to hold back a smile.

"Last I saw she was over by the chicken coups harassing Ingo about something." I laughed. "She said he gave her the creeps, and she wanted to get to the bottom of it."

"He is rather odd isn't he?" Malon giggled as we exited the stables. The sky had begun to turn a light blue, the sun having disappeared over the mountains. I walked following Malon to the field where the rest of her horses roamed. "It must has been difficult for you." She commented after a few moments of silence.

"Hmm?" I responded, not quite sure what it was she was talking about

.

"Oh, adjusting to everything, after finding out you were the destined Hero. If I found something like that out, I don't know how I'd take it honestly. I can't imagine what you must have been feeling." She answered.

"Well, it's not like everything changed. In a way it did, I mean I'm no longer just a Hylian living in Kakariko, but these people.. I feel like I've known them my whole life. And ever since I was a kid I always felt like my life was incomplete for some reason. Finding out I'm the Hero of Time.. it kinda fills that void, you know?" I tried to answer as honestly as I could.

We found ourselves in the center of the field, where Malon sat down and patted the grass beside her for me to join. "I remember when I was a kid-" She started off as I sat down beside her. "hearing stories about you. One day they mentioned how you were living in Kakariko, helping out Anju. So I asked my father if I could start making the deliveries to Anju. When I saw you, it took me a while to process that you were the boy the Sages used to whisper about. I thought it was so odd I knew about your past, and you had no idea. I felt bad honestly. I wanted to tell you, but I knew I couldn't."

"Wait, so you knew everything?" I asked eyeing the ginger girl. She nodded.

"No one knew I did, because like I said, the Sages thought they were so good at keeping things quiet. They weren't. I think they kinda got the idea after a while, that I sorta put everything together, but they never mentioned it to me." She yawned and laid back looking at the sky. "I wonder if I was any different in another time."

"I wish I could tell you." I chuckled laying beside her, joining her gaze. It sorta reminded me of back at Gerudo Fortress, up on the roof.

"So who do you think that girl was in the Market? The one who warned you?" Malon inquired.

"No idea." I admitted. "Her voice was familiar, but she's clearly not from Hyrule. It crossed my mind that maybe I knew her in the past, but I don't think so. Otherwise I would have recognized her face. She sorta resembled Nokomis, but she obviously wasn't as demonic."

"Oh." Malon said closing her eyes. I glanced at her, then looked back up at the darkening sky, closing my eyes too.

I must have dozed off because I was woke by galloping nearby. I opened my eyes just in time to see the underbelly of a horse souring above my head. Malon must have woken up too because I heard a scream beside me. As the horse landed on the other side of us I jumped to my feet, seeing a Gerudo nearly fall off the horse in laughter. I pulled off one of my boots and chucked it at Ashia who ducked.

"Hey! You could have taken my head off!" She hollered smirking as she came to a stop beside me. Malon found her feet, her eyes filled with fury, and her nostrils flaring.

"Are you not all there Gerudo? Do you know how dangerous that was to not only Link and I but the the horse too? Get off that horse now!" Malon demanded pointing her finger at the ground as she spoke. Ashia slipped off the horse holding her hands in front of her defensively.

"Look I was just-"

"You were just being stupid!" Malon finished shoving past Ashia who then stood next to me, looking not nearly as surprised as I was. "Are you alright Disani?" Malon asked, examining the copper horse. She turned to glare at Ashia. "You're lucky you're a friend of Links or you'd be off this farm before the words. 'I'm sorry' even left your lips. However, unfortunately, you are, but touch my horses again, and YOU'LL be sleeping in the stables." She hissed as she began leading Disani towards the stables.

I stared after her a moment in complete shock. Ashia stuck her tongue out at Malon after she was a fair distance away. I looked at Ashia absolutely annoyed with her. "Quite a temper on that one huh?" Ow!" She yelped as I dug my knuckles into her shoulder. "You didn't have to hit me!" She grimaced.

"Try not to get us kicked off this farm, I actually like it here." I said as I began walking towards the farm house.

"Forgot your boot." Ashia called after I'd taken a few steps. I chose to ignore her and just kept walking. Soon she was pacing beside me, boot in hand. "Are you really that mad?" She asked. I hadn't realized how dark it had gotten.

"No not really." I sighed stopping to take my boot back, then resuming pace. "I'm just exhausted. I feel like every time I fall asleep I get woken up rudely and it's just frustrating. I have to talk to you by the way, where's Fior?"

"Up in Malons room napping I think." Ashia responded

.

"Right." I said as I held open the door into the house for Ashia, then followed her inside. We climbed the stairs to Malons room, and found Fior curled up on the sheets of her bed. "Hey!" I shouted startling the grumbly fairy awake.

"Hmm wha?" She mumbled rubbing her eyes.

"I wanted to talk to you guys about what happened in the Market earlier."

"Oh, you mean how you were in a trance because you're a stupid boy who was lured in by a pretty girl?" Fior muttered, smirking at what she thought was a rather witty comment. I shot her a look and Ashia spoke.

"Hey, watch yourself. I already got a boot flung at me." Fior raised an eyebrow, but let me continue.

"That girl, the one with the sunset hair, she was speaking to me. Mentally though, like she got inside my head. She was saying my name before, that's why I followed her, and that's why I didn't realize you were talking to me." I said eyeing Fior. "Anyway, when you had her pinned, right before she disappeared, she looked at me and said 'The cloaked threat you seek resides nearby. He will know of your presence if you are found. Beware of the door, the key is you.' I don't know what exactly she meant, but it was a warning."

"So if she was warning you, why did she pull a knife exactly?" Ashia pointed out finding a seat in one of the chairs surrounding the low-wooden table she then propped her feet up on.

"I don't know. Look I'm not saying it explains everything that happened, but that's what she said. And the cloaked figure must have been Nokomis."

"Do you think she meant Ganondorf when she was mentioning 'he'?" Ashia asked.

"Maybe, it would make sense. If that's the case though, Nokomis did find us. If she was talking about Ganondorf, that means he must know about me now." I admitted.

"That's exactly what Ruto warned you about Link!" Fior scolded. "What exactly did you accomplish by going to the Market? Defying Princess Zelda, going against what Princess Ruto warned you about, and not listening to Nabooru and Impa's orders to go directly to Lon Lon Ranch."

"Look I know I skrewed up." I countered a bit agitated. "But you know what? At least I did something. We actually have a little more knowledge about what exactly is going on thanks to me. And I was able to close Nokomis and the army monsters inside the Market. So the rest of Hyrule is safe for a while. I was looking for the portal over the Market after we got here earlier, and she must have closed it off."

"A closed bridge and palace walls won't hold an army and someone as powerful and determined as Nokomis, Link." Fior argued.

"No but it will hold them long enough. Chances are Nokomis killed off most of the monsters herself considering she's trapped in there with them until she finds a way out. Right, things could have went better, but they didn't. And we have to deal with the way they are. We just have to wait for some of the Sages to get here. They should be here soon, Impa and Zelda won't be able to get into the Market, and that giant dark portal in the sky was hard to miss." Ashia responded, defending me.

The door suddenly opened and Malon paused at the sight of us. "Oh, I didn't know you guys were up here."

Ashia took her feet off the table and stood, brushing the wrinkles out of her ruby pants. "I guess I'll see you later Link." Malon eyed Ashia as she walked towards the door.

"You don't have to leave." Malon explained, obviously having cooled off a bit.

"I know." Ashia stated simply, winking at me, then slipping past Malon through the door.

"Hey, uh I'm sorry about before. It's just, I was worried about Disani, and a bit grumpy from being woken up like that. I'm usually not-" I held up my hand to stop her, and waved off her apology.

"Malon, it's fine. Don't worry about it. I get frustrated with Ashia too sometimes. It's fine." The brown eyed girl smiled and made her way to her bed where she plopped down beside Fior.

"Hello!" Malon said, having seen Fior for the first time. "You're Navi right?" I blinked wondering where that came from and Fior looked slightly insulted. Malon caught on quickly. "Oh, uh, I'm sorry for assuming. I've heard the Sages mention a fairy companion of yours named Navi." I nodded, thinking about Navi. How was it no one knew where she was? She couldn't have just vanished off the face of the earth when I traveled back in time..

"Fior." The little fairy stated, catching air beneath her wings as she rose to Malon's eye level. "Pleasure to meet you." Malon smiled brightly at the little fairy looking her over.

"You're quite lovely Fior, I'm Malon." Fior blushed and turned to me.

"Why can't you be more like her?" She snickered. I stuck my tongue out at her, and she gasped, fluttering out of the room mumbling something about being hungry.

I watched Malon as she untied her leather apron, and fastened it on one of the bed posts. She was very different from the girls I'd met in Kakariko, and even in Kokiri Village. I couldn't quite place her. She was clearly Hylian, but she didn't act like any of the ones in the Market. She smoothed the ruffles out of her purple skirt, then must have noticed my gaze because suddenly her brown eyes met mine.

"Whenever you wish to go to bed I can show you to your room. My father's been preparing it for you and Ashia since you arrived. Hopefully it will be comfortable enough for you." Her long eyelashes grazed her auburn bangs that dangled in front of her face.

"You can show me now if you like." I replied. She stood swiftly and lead me out of her room, to the one across the hall. It was quite empty and plain compared to Malons. There were two small beds made with cream coloured sheets against each of the walls, and a night stand between them. It was significantly smaller than Malons, and the small window didn't have nearly as nice of a view.

"If you need anything I'll be right across the hall. Good night.. Link." She held my gaze a moment longer before turning and making her way out of the room.

"Night." I responded as she walked away, but too quiet for her to actually hear. I set my sword beside my bed and tucked it under, along with my pouch. Slipping my boots off, I climbed into the bed that was significantly more comfortable than it appeared. I felt like I might actually get some good sleep tonight.

That was of course, if I could fall asleep. Because for some reason my mind wouldn't stop buzzing, and I couldn't seam to quit thinking about the beautiful farm girl, right across the hall.