Link felt the sun shining on his shoulders, warming them through the thick green tunic.
The great wooden walls of the ranch seemed to stretch infinitely toward the sky, leaving only a single chink in the impenetrable armor.
The sliding gate was open, allowing Link to see beyond the perimeter of the ranch and into the bright world within.
As he crossed the invisible boundary, Link felt an equally invisible weight lift off of his shoulders. Somehow his feet seemed less heavy, the air less thick and the sun itself was brighter.
Far away, but not so far away that she was indistinguishable, was Malon. She was leaning against the wooden fencing that surrounded the field.
Inside the grassy area, the horses ran and played, ate or just basked in the sun.
Malon was watching the horses, her eyes half shut and a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
In her hand she held a thin blade of grass that she absentmindedly twirled back and forth in a figure eight pattern.
As Link approached, a gust of wind stole the blade of grass from Malon's lazy grip and it floated away from her. She turned her head quickly and watched the wind carry the bit of greenery away until it disappeared.
Something else drew her attention, maybe it was the wind playing with the tip of Link's hat or the sound of his boots crunching down on the soft ground.
Her smile widened when she saw him and her interest in the horses disappeared for the moment.
"Hi Malon," Link said, his voice sounding dry but happy nonetheless.
Without the hesitation that she might have had under normal circumstances, Malon rushed forward and pulled him into a hug.
She felt his arms wrap around her Malon felt a warmth come back to her that she hadn't realized was missing.
"You're back…" She sighed softly, happily.
Despite the itchy hay and horse related smells, the barn brought a sense of peace over Link as he sat there.
Malon was close by, just beside him.
All the light that existed was filtering down through cracks in the ceiling, casting an air of detachment throughout the room. As if everything else, all that had ever existed, was far away in another world instead of merely hidden by planks of wood.
And in that air of detachment, any tension that had existed between them faded into a type of free trust that Link had never known with anyone. And in that free trust, Link let loose a realization that he hadn't shared with anyone, refusing even to acknowledge it himself.
"I know he's watching. He's been watching me this whole time. Everything I do. Everything I've done. I'm worried that, scared that, that when I walk into that castle, he'll know me better than I know myself. Anything I can think to do, it won't be enough. Because any tricks that I have, I had, they won't be good enough because he's seen them all before. I guess I'm scared I don't stand a chance."
"Of course you do," Malon said, her voice resolute, convinced. "How could you have come so far if you didn't even stand a chance? If there's anyone who can do this, it's you."
"Thanks, but he knows everything about me. I know that. And I know nothing about him. I've only even seen him once."
Malon leaned closer to Link until she was leaning on him, her head resting on his shoulder. She closed her eyes.
"Link, as hard as I try, I can't imagine you failing. I can't imagine anything being so hard that it's too much for you. Link, I believe in you. I know you can do it."
Link leaned into Malon and put an arm around her, closing his eyes as if to join her in that world where nothing was undoable.
He tried to push his doubt out of his mind, but before it went, the fear left one final message. A reply that sent a pessimistic chill up Link's spine before fading away.
Well that makes one of us…
The four of them each had place at the wooden table.
Link, Talon, Ingo, Malon, all sitting down for a midday meal. Nothing ceremonial or impressive.
Just lunch
They'd been eating for a few minutes, mostly in silence. Talon and Ingo had discussed some obscure repair job that would be necessary to get the Ranch back into perfect running order. But there was no conversation that meant anything to Link.
Until Talon looked up from his food in the silence and glanced over at Malon for a moment. In that moment, she met his gaze and nodded briefly.
Turning his gaze over to Link, Talon said, "So, Link, do you have any plans for when this, quest of yours is over? Malon told me that you're almost done so you'll be needing something else to do."
"Yeah, I guess so. I haven't really thought about what I'll do after it's over. "
"Well, in order to get the ranch back to perfect condition and especially to keep it there, we'll be needing to hire some extra help. Would, you be interested in a job here at the ranch?"
Link was surprised by the offer, and wasn't sure how to respond. But after a moment's hesitation, Link took the only option that he possibly could have.
"Sure, I'd love to work for you Talon."
Talon let out a hearty chuckle, then reached across the small table and shook Link's hand. "Good to have you aboard. I'd show you to your room, but it's the one you already use. But now it's official. Home sweet home."
Something fell over Link and he felt himself grinning.
Home, that was something he hadn't had for years, maybe not ever.
Not until now.
Lunch had been finished a few minutes ago.
The four of them were heading back outside to each go their separate ways, except for Link and Malon.
But as they stepped through the door, Talon's voice called back to Malon and said, "Remember what I said. After lunch…"
Malon nodded then sighed.
"What did he tell you?" Link asked curiously.
"I've got to get back to my work after lunch. So I guess you'll have to wait until I'm done with my work. Not too long, just a couple of hours."
"No way, "Link said, "How about I do them with you? They'll get done faster, plus it would be like training me for when I work here. A win-win." Link grinned, "Plus another win, getting to be with you."
Malon smiled, then blushed.
Trying but failing to hold back the crimson splotches in her cheeks, Malon agreed and they went off to fulfill an afternoon of labor.
Labor filled with each other's company.
Link watched as the horse shied away from him and was immediately catch in Malon's gentle grip. Not so gentle, though, that the horse's halfhearted struggle was enough to break free.
Malon laughed, "That works for now, but we've really got to get the horses to stop being afraid of you."
"Yeah," Link chuckled, "Maybe I just need to spend some more time with them."
But Malon was out of earshot already, leading the horse into the barn and then securing it in one of the stalls.
Link turned away from the barn in time to see the sun drop down from its invisible perch and touch the horizon and cast a burning curtain of light over the horizon.
As Link watched, he wiped the few droplets of sweat from his forehead using the corner of his sleeve. Though the horses were openly distrustful of him, he was able to help with other chores.
The work wasn't particularly difficult, not compared to fighting the shadow demon Bongo Bongo, or scaling the rocky sheathe of an actively erupting death mountain. It was something else, a different kind of work. Something that gave you as much as you put into it. If Link gave the effort get something done, he was given a finished job and the satisfaction that came with it.
That was something he hadn't known before, but it was something that he liked. Nothing he had done, none of the temples or anything related to them, had put out any kind of reward, consequence, or recognition. He cleared the temple so that he could clear the next.
But maybe it would be different when he defeated Ganondorf. Maybe anything that would have happened was waiting until the whole job was done.
But Link stood there in the field, the only evidence of his effort being a finished job and the few drops of sweat already soaked into the fabric near his wrist. And in a degree he had never known before, Link felt as if he had accomplished something.
That was something he hadn't known before, but it was something he liked.
The grass wasn't much of a bed, but Link was unable to notice any pebbles or twigs that might have marred the imperfect surface.
He was laying out in the field, his hands bent behind him to provide an impromptu pillow of flesh. Beside him Malon was doing the same.
The air around them hung silent, interrupted only by the occasional chirping of crickets.
Far above them, the stars burned like holes in the sky, shedding white light and filling up the night sky.
Something else interrupted the silence, Link could hear Malon breathing beside him. For some reason he tried his hardest to hold his breath or silence it so that he could hear her laying there beside him. For some reason, just the thought of her being so nearby filled Link with a sense of happiness.
A cool breeze lazily flowed past and rustled the grass, sending a shudder throughout the field. Then suddenly Link heard a separate shudder and he realized it was Malon. Shifting his head a miniscule degree to look over at her, Link realized she was shivering.
The chill in the air made itself apparent to Link, then. He hadn't noticed it before because he was used to spending the nights in cold damp dungeons.
Shifting his body slightly so that he was closer to her, Link slid his arm around her shoulder, trying to comfort her and share his warmth.
At first she jumped, startled by the sudden contact, then Malon leaned into Link's half embrace, resting her head on his shoulder.
She stopped shivering and Link was glad of that.
The silence continued, as if they were in awe of the expansive night sky. It dwarfed the, by comparison and made the two people lying in the field seem to be no more than two ants huddled close together.
And beneath that darkened sky, an air of detachment grew, separating them from any other world that might have existed. Link's whole world was they sky above and the girl beside him.
A smile settled on Link's face as he realized how happy he was to have Malon with him.
The world was just a tiny slit in his vision. The slit widened as Link opened his eyes.
He sat up slowly and stretched his cold limbs, feeling a pleasant pain arc up through his back and across his arms.
His fingers felt stiff has he pulled them into a fist, once, twice, a third time. The stiffness was gone, though they were still cold.
Link looked around and took in his surroundings for the first time.
A grin formed as he realized he had been lying in the middle of the field. His clothes were damp from that morning's dew.
Hearing a sleepy murmur, Link looked down and saw Malon asleep beside him.
They'd spent the night lying in the field.
With the amused grin still on his face, Link shook Malon gently by the shoulder. Her eyes opened slowly, a wordless whisper slipping from between her lips.
It took her a few moments to wake up, but soon she was sitting up beside him.
Looking around, a smile crossed Malon's face, "We slept in the field?" A tired chuckle escaped her lips.
Link's smile widened by a degree. "I guess we did."
Standing up, Link reached a hand down to help Malon to her feet. "Come on," He said, "Let's get you back to the house."
Malon let him pull he up, and it was another second passed before the meaning behind his words dawned on her. She was the only one going back to the house, because he was going to be leaving.
Beside her, Link's smile sank, his own thoughts working the same lonely subject.
"I don't think this one will take so long," Link said, "And it will be the last one, forever I hope."
They had neared the farmhouse and were standing in front of the door.
Malon smiled at him, betraying a positivity that she really didn't feel at the thought of Link's departure. "You can do it," She said, "Just make sure you come home."
She leaned close and pulled him into a hug.
The moment seemed to last infinitely and for a fraction of a second, Malon thought that time had truly stopped and Link could be kept from leaving.
But then the moment ended and they were apart again. He was walking away and leaving the ranch.
It took every ounce of Malon's will to convince herself that he was coming back.
I've had a good feeling writing this chapter. Not sure if you'll agree but I think I finally gave their relationship the right combination of romance and innocence. I might have to go and rewrite the start of Youth Part 3 though, because that felt too heavy from my perspective. I was listening to the Cure while I wrote that and I think that was the wrong feeling for them, for this i had "I think we're going to be friends" by the white stripes on repeat. But maybe that was right for this chapter and the cure was right for the other.
I don't know.
28/30
I'll be back soon. Chapter thirty will be posted on christmas. :) That's just how much I love you guys
