Link's eyes drifted halfway open. Moonlight poured through the window and lit up the room. Malon slept soundlessly in her own bed.
Link moved slowly from his covers, placed both feet on the floor, and stood up. He drifted to the bedroom door, turned the handle, and quietly stepped outside. He walked into the living room and approached the door leading downstairs, making no sound as he moved. He opened it and began descending the stairs. The cuccos stirred softly as they slept in the coop, but awoke when a loud creak erupted from the fourth step from the bottom. They cooed and clucked and watched Link move with half-opened eyes.
He continued down the remaining stairs and tried the front door. When he found it locked, he turned the hatch and tried again. This time, it pushed forward and he stepped out into the illuminating night. The cuccos huddled back into their nests and returned to sleep as Link closed the door behind him.
The air outside was still and crisp. Thick clouds streaked the sky, but not enough to cover the waxing moon. Link turned his empty gaze to the howl of a wolf rang out from the forest, and the moon began shifting. Link rubbed his eyes.
"Is the moon getting bigger?"
He stared at the moon, and realized it was waxing so fast, it turned full within seconds, then began waning just as quickly.
"Wait a minute. How did I get here? I was in bed a second ago."
The wolf howled urgently. Link looked up again and saw the moon was at the last quarter.
"How is this possible?"
A gust of wind picked Link up and carried him forward into the air.
"Aagh! What's happening?!"
He flailed his arms and legs about, trying to get his feet back on the ground. Just as soon as it started, the wind placed him back down. Once more, the wolf howled. Link moved his eyes in the direction the wind had carried him, and realized he was the facing the forest.
"The forest is… calling me?"
The moon changed to new, and waxed again.
"You have three rotations left," A voice spoke softly. "You must hurry."
"Who said that?" Link whipped around, looking for the voice.
"Please don't waste time. I'll meet you in there."
The wind picked up again, this time without picking him up, and floated toward the forest.
"…Okay."
Link began walking towards the main gate, then broke into a run. He reached out to open the gate's latch, but the wind lifted him up and over instead, then dropped him back on his feet. He hit the ground running as fast as he could, and reached the forest's entrace before the moon reached the first quarter.
Link discovered that once he reached the forest, several different paths appeared before him.
"Which way do I go?" he asked aloud.
As soon as he spoke, the paths melded into one, and he quickly followed it. Dark trees loomed over Link on all sides as he hurried down the path. Tiny glowing bulbs seemed to dangle from their branches, lighting the way for him. Link soon came to a three-way split in the track. He slowed to a stop at the split and looked down each path, but all three looked the same.
A soft flute began playing a song, one that Link didn't recognize. When he looked down the paths again, he realized the song was coming from the path on his right, and followed it. The glowing bulbs began dancing to the beat of the song as Link ran through the woods, making twists and turns as he followed the song that called to him from deep within the forest.
Finally, Link sprung out from the forest and found himself in his and Malon's meadow. Thousands of bright bulbs dangled from every leaf and branch of the central tree, bouncing and ringing as to the song.
Sitting on an exposed root of the giant tree, there was a girl. She was his height, and dressed from head to toe in green. Even her short hair was bright green; everything about this girl seemed green. Her eyes were closed, but he was willing to bet they were green, too. The only thing not green was the small, potato-shaped instrument in her hands. It was a pretty pink beige.
Link realized the song he'd followed through the forest came from the instrument; from the girl playing it. He carefully approached the strange green girl, and as he did, she stopped playing and looked at him with surprisingly big blue eyes. Neither of them said anything while the dancing of the bulbs in the tree slowed to a halt.
"You didn't make it here with much time, Link," she said, standing from the tree.
"How do you know my name?"
"I don't have time to explain." She took his hand in hers. "Will you be my friend?"
"Huh?!" Link's face turned red.
"Please say you'll be my friend. If you don't we'll all die! Hurry!"
Link looked up into the sky and saw the waning crescent of a moon. It would soon be new again. He thought about how he had followed this girl's song all the way into the forest, and how familiar it sounded to him. But no matter how he tried, he couldn't remember. He looked at the girl holding his hand.
"Okay. I'll be your friend."
She released Link's hand and heaved a sigh of relief. Somehow, the whole forest seemed to sigh with her.
"Thank goodness."
"Who… who are you?"
"My name is Saria, and you just saved our lives. Look."
She pointed into the sky. Link looked up and saw the moon had stopped changing. It stood full, but more importantly, it stood still.
"Take this," she said suddenly and pressed her instrument into his hands.
"But I-"
"Don't worry. I have another one like it. This one's yours now. It's a token of our friendship."
"Um, thank you."
"You didn't know that you sleepwalk, huh?" Saria giggled. "Lucky for us, or else who knows what would've happened."
"Are there others here?" Link asked, dumbfounded.
"I don't think I'm allowed to tell you that. Listen, I have to go, but before I do, I'll teach you a song."
"Is it the one you were playing?"
"Yes."
"But what is this thing? I've never even seen anything like it in my life."
"It's an ocarina. You'll get used to it. Hold it with both hands."
Link tried to hold it the way she had earlier.
"No, now it's upside down. Like this."
She helped him turn it in his hands.
"Place both of your thumbs on those two holes on the bottom, then try blowing through.
Link pressed his lips on the mouthpiece and blew gingerly. A weak, warbling note passed through the ocarina.
"Harder."
Link blew harder and produced a much stronger note.
"Much better," Saria nodded her head. "I'll let you figure out the rest of the ocarina on your own, but you have to learn the song before I go. It's not too different from your flute, so it should be easy for you. By the way, can I have it?"
"Have what?"
"The flute, of course."
"The flute? What flute?"
"It only makes sense that we trade, right?"
She giggled again, and Link felt his cheeks growing hotter.
"You mean my flute? I guess that's okay, but I don't have it with me."
"You don't have to. Just say that I can have your flute, and I'll take care of the rest."
"Okay. You can have my flute."
The second the words left his lips, his flute appeared in Saria's hands.
"This'll make it go much faster."
She began playing her song on Link's flute, and as she did, the bulbs in the tree started dancing again.
"Now you try. Place your other fingers over the rest of the holes to make different notes, just like with your flute."
Link jumbled his fingers over the ocarina trying to get them into their positions.
"Like this?"
"Just like that. Let me hear it."
Link blew again and recognized the first note of Saria's song. Without waiting for further direction, or knowing what he was doing, Link shifted his fingers and began playing the rest of the song. The bulbs in the tree danced as he played, while Saria jumped for joy and clapped her hands.
"Yay! You got that much faster than I thought you would!"
As he finished the song, the ocarina began to sparkle.
"That's my special song that I only teach to my friends. As long as you remember it, you'll be able to talk to me anytime you need. I have to go now, Link, but I know we'll be the best of friends."
The ocarina sparkled brighter and brighter in Link's hands. The forest and Saria began to disappear around him.
"Wait! What's happening? Where are you going?"
"Don't worry!"
Saria's voice echoed farther and farther away as the forest faded into darkness.
"We'll meet again someday!"
Link's eyes drooped. He fell backward onto something soft and fell fast asleep.
"Link? Wake up, Link," a familiar voice whispered softly in his ear.
Link's eyelids fluttered open. He was in his bedroom again, and Malon was gently shaking him awake.
"What happened?" he mumbled sleepily.
"It's time to go. Dad's outside getting the cart ready, and we're gonna leave for Romani ranch real soon. Get up."
He sat up in bed and rubbed his left eye groggily.
"We'll be waiting for you outside, okay? Hurry up, and don't go back to sleep again."
Malon was already dressed. With some towels and her basket in hand, she left the room without shutting the door.
Link stretched out his arms and yawned. He stopped when he realized he was holding something in his right hand. There, clutched tightly between his fingers, was the ocarina.
"I thought it was a dream."
But there it was in his hand: the proof that he had met a forest girl who called herself Saria.
"Was she even a girl?"
It seemed like she was something else, not even a person. Ingo had said people were seeing strange things in the forest. Link himself had seen the wolfos made of light, not to mention his vision of the stars and those three giant ladies. Maybe she was something else, too. Something not of this world. Was it possible for him, or anyone for that matter, to see strange things in the forest while asleep? But it didn't explain how he got Saria's ocarina in his hand, when he never left the house.
It suddenly occurred to him that he didn't know for sure whether he had left the house or not. Didn't Saria say something about him sleepwalking before? Maybe he really had made his way into the forest where he saw her. But then, how did he get back in his bed?
"The moon!"
Link jumped from his bed, leapt for the window, and promptly fell over his own feet. He picked himself up and looked out the window. Clouds loomed over the ranch, fields, and forest as far as he could see, but they couldn't hide the amply-sized moon that glowed against the gray sky. It lit the world beneath it brightly, but didn't move an inch. Had the moon really gone crazy, waxing and waning and streaking across the sky faster than he'd ever seen? Nothing mad sense anymore.
"What are you doing?!"
Link jumped and whirled around. He saw Malon standing in the doorway.
"I tell you we're waiting downstairs to go to Ordon and you're off daydreaming about who knows what! You're not even dressed yet! Would you hurry up?!"
"Sorry," Link said sheepishly, but she had already left the room. He sighed and left the window.
"No point in worrying about it now, I guess," he thought.
He threw on the nearest clothes he could find. He fit his feet into some sandals, and was about to step out when he stopped and looked back. He had left Saria's ocarina sitting on the bed. He turned back, picked it up, and walked out the door.
All the candles in the house were blown out, leaving the hallway and living room pitch black. Link couldn't see his hands in front of his face. How Malon managed to run through the hallway without tripping over everything was a wonder to him. He extended one hand out in front of him and the other onto the wall next to him, and tiptoed forward.
Link noticed the ajar door of the bedroom next to his. He heard snoring coming from inside, knew Ingo was still asleep, and hoped to keep it that way. Everyone in the house knew Ingo did not like being woken earlier than necessary. Before Talon had installed the new locks, the thieves who came one night and tried to steal the cows met their day of reckoning when they made too much noise. Ingo ended up chasing them down with a fully loaded shotgun he'd acquired from the Gerudo many years ago. While his insomnia worked to the advantage of having a decent security system on the ranch, watching Ingo run after thieves with his gun blazing was not something Link wanted to experience for himself. He was pretty sure Talon wouldn't let a trigger-happy Ingo chase Link with a shotgun, but he wasn't willing to take that chance.
His thoughts about Ingo's light sleeping patterns made Link think. If he had been sleepwalking in the middle of the night, like Saria had told him, why hadn't he woken Ingo before? Had he woken Ingo before and didn't know it? Maybe he knew about Link's nightly prowls and simply hadn't mentioned it. And if Ingo knew, did Talon and Malon know too?
Link felt a nerve of anger rising up. If they knew, why didn't they tell him before? Why didn't Talon do something about it? He could've put one of the locks on the front door, like he had for the stable and the barn. Was everyone in the house just making fun of him? Malon would go for it, if she was in a playfully evil mood, but Link couldn't imagine Talon, the man who had taken him in and raised him as his own, going so far as to make fun of him for something that could be considered distressing, even dangerous.
That's right. Talon had just told both them, not a few hours ago, that they weren't allowed to wander deep into the woods anymore. If Talon had known that Link was sleepwalking, he would have done something by now, and would've warned Ingo and Malon about it, too.
Link's anger replaced itself with dread. That meant no one knew about it. What did he do when he went out at night? Did he simply walk outside then come back, or did he go anywhere, like how he'd gone into the forest tonight? Tonight was the first night he'd ever woken up outside of the house. How did he always end up back in his bedroom before anyone, including himself, had a chance to notice?
"This is crazy!"
Link slapped himself. So many things were happening to him that he wished would go away: weird dreams, strange visions, sleep walking, seeing things in the forest; he wished he just could yell at all of it to go away.
Before he could think of anything else, Link came to the door that led downstairs. His mind turned white and all his blood rushed from his head to his feet. There's no way Malon would've let the cuccos out. They would've made too much noise and woken Ingo. They must still be asleep in the coop downstairs.
"What do I do now?"
A cold sweat beaded across Link's face. He moved his shaking hand from the wall to the door's handle, and held it there for what felt like an eternity. He looked back down the hall and considered going back to the room and climbing out the window. He did that sometimes when Malon wasn't there to help him downstairs, or when the idea of going anywhere near the cuccos was too unbearable.
As much as he wanted to, Link groaned and let the idea go. If he tried to climbing out the second-story window when it was this dark, he'd only succeed in breaking his neck. Even if he didn't hurt himself, getting out the window was an arduous task that took a great deal of time, which he didn't have. And there was still the risk of waking Ingo if he made too much noise.
"Malon and Talon are waiting for me downstairs. When we leave, we can go see Romani and Cremia, and everyone in Ordon."
He swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and turned the door handle.
It was just as dark downstairs as it was upstairs, but Link managed to feel his way out onto the stairs and close the door quietly behind him. There were no sounds from anywhere in the room, except for his own ragged breathing. Before he let his fear take too big of a grip on him, he started down the stairs. He went step by step, placing each foot carefully on the next stair.
"When I sleepwalk," thought Link. "I wonder how I manage to get past the cuccos."
Link's foot landed on the fourth step from the bottom and emitted a loud creak. He froze.
At the sound, the cuccos began to stir. Some of them ruffled their feathers, some cooed, some of them looked up at Link with apathy, but most of them didn't notice, and the ones that did went back to sleep.
Link froze where he stood, even after the cuccos ignored him and returned to their slumber. His heart was pounding so hard he felt it would explode out of his chest. If he moved now, he was sure to trip and fall down the remaining stairs, crash into something, and wake all the cuccos and Ingo. He stayed where he was for several minutes before starting down the rest of the stairs, in spite of his better judgment, his mind screaming, 'STOP MOVING!' the whole time.
To his relief and disbelief, Link managed to pulled off the rest of the stairs, and without waiting for anything else to go wrong, he crossed the coop's floor as fast as he could and went out the front door. The second he was outside his knees gave out and he fell flat on his butt.
"There you are," Malon rushed towards him. "I was about to come get you. What took you so… Did you just go through the cuccos' coop all by yourself?"
He nodded.
"You could have waited for me to come and get you. I thought you hated them. "
"I do."
"But you just went downstairs into a room filled to the brim with them, in the middle of the night, with Ingo still asleep, all by yourself."
Malon extended her hand, Link took it, and she pulled him off the ground.
"You're either really brave, or really stupid."
"C'mon y'all," Talon heaved as he lifted the last box of Lon Lon milk onto a fully loaded, covered carriage. Sitting in the wagon were thirty or so crates, each one holding many bottles of milk, all wrapped with a label depicting the Lon Lon Ranch logo. Drawn up at the front of the carriage were two large horses from the ranch, pawing anxiously at the ground.
"It's time to go."
"Let's go, brave boy," Malon snickered. Link frowned and walked away from her. He climbed up into the carriage and sat in the middle seat
"You know I'm kidding."
Malon climbed over him to take the seat on the far right.
"It's too early for this," he groaned. "Can't we at least wait until the sun rises for you to make fun of me?"
"If walking through the coop full of cuccos didn't wake you up, then noth-…what's that?"
"What's what?"
"That. In your hand."
Link lifted his hand, and realized he was carrying the ocarina the whole time.
"This?"
"Nooo, Link,' she hissed. "Your other hand. Yes, that! What did you think I meant?"
"Geez, Malon! You don't have to be so mean."
Link stuffed the ocarina in his pocket.
"Okay, I'm sorry. I guess I'm still tired, too. Can I please see whatever it was you were holding?"
Malon clasped her hands together, but Link recognized the gesture. It was her 'hands-clasped together' apology, which meant it was insincere, but the last thing he wanted was for their first time in Ordon by themselves to be ruined by an argument. However…
"I can't," he said quietly.
"What? Why not?"
Now Malon was the irritated one.
"I just can't, okay?" Link turned his face away.
"You just don't wanna show me cause you're mad."
Malon folded her arms angrily.
"I'm not telling because you'll think I'm weird!" Link exploded. "Just leave me alone!"
Malon was taken aback.
"Quiet you two!" Talon demanded as he climbed into the driver's seat. "What's with all the hubbub?"
"Sorry sir," Link muttered. Now he felt worse because he knew if Ingo woke up, it was his fault.
"Sorry Dad," Malon replied, still looking quite surprised.
"Let's get outta here before we wake up the whole ranch!"
Talon whipped the reins, said a good 'hya!' and the horses started down the path and toward the gate.
"You two'll need to open the gate and close it back when we head out."
"Yes sir," they said in unison.
When the carriage approached the gate, they climbed down silently from their seats, and opened wide both of the hatches on the gate. As the carriage passed through, they shut the gate behind it. Talon stopped the carriage so they could jump back into their seats. Then, they continued onward, and soon went down a long, broad path that led into the forest. No one said a word.
Link brooded bitterly in his seat, and felt himself close to tears. It wasn't fair that all these strange things were happening to him, and that Malon had to make fun of him for it. Did all these weird things happening to him make him weird, too? For the first time in his life, Link felt alone.
"When you play my song, you can talk to me anytime you want."
Saria's voice echoed in his mind. He'd only seen her a few hours ago, but he desperately wanted someone to talk to. Someone who wouldn't laugh at him, or look at him like he was an idiot. He pulled the ocarina out of his pocket and stared at it. Maybe when they reached Ordon and Malon wasn't looking, he could talk to Saria then.
Malon sat quietly in her own seat, carefully watching Link; carefully watching him hold the strange instrument in his hand.
"Why does Link think he's weird?" she asked herself. She thought about all the strange things he said he'd seen, and wondered how much of it was actually true. He'd disappeared in the forest yesterday, but she knew Link wasn't one to play practical jokes.
"If I'd seen all those weird things, I wouldn't even know what to do; I'd feel so weird and scared. Maybe that thing he's holding is another of those weird things."
She scooted closer to Link, and whispered in his ear.
"If you tell me what it is, I promise I won't think you're weird."
He looked at her, and could tell she was genuinely curious, and genuinely sorry.
"If I tell you, you can't ask where I got it."
"You didn't steal it, did you?"
"No, I didn't" Link stated matter of factly. "But you still can't ask, okay?"
"Okay," she agreed, and Link carefully handed it over to her.
"It's called a…ocarina," he declared slowly, suddenly confused.
"You said that like you didn't even know, yourself," Malon replied, looking intensely at the strange little instrument in her hand.
"I didn't, until just a little while ago," Link realized, growing even more confused.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
That's what Malon wanted to ask, but decided against it. Instead, she lifted the ocarina to get a better look. The soft curves of the instrument gleamed, and the tan color looked starry silver in the moonlight.
"It's so pretty."
Link saw what she meant. It looked much larger in her small hands. Malon held it away at arm's length and admired it.
"What's it do?" she asked, handing it back to him.
"It's kinda like a flute. I don't know how to play it much yet, but I'm gonna try."
"When did you get it?"
"I got it this morning."
"Where?"
"Malon!"
"Sorry sorry, I forgot!" She said quickly. "But can you blame me? It's so pretty, I think I want one for myself. I wonder if they sell anything like it in the Hyrule City market."
It hadn't occurred to Link that something as mysterious as this could be sold in a store, much less in Hyrule. He'd never been to Hyrule before, but he'd heard enough tales from Talon and Ingo to know that if something existed, it was for sale in the Hyrule City market, and for a good price. If they sold stuff like this, this beautiful ocarina he'd gotten from a forest girl who might not even be human, what other wonderful wares were waiting to be discovered in the city?
"I really want to go," he wished aloud.
"Me too," Malon sighed, cupping her chin in her hands.
They sat in silence as the carriage bumped noisily along the dirt path, and dreamed of the glorious city they longed to see with their own eyes. Everytime any of the adults returned from a trip to the city, there were always new tales to tell, new adventures to hear of, and new treasures to behold. They remembered the stories they'd heard of the magnificent towers of the looming castle, the imposing walls that surrounded the city, the lively marketplace filled with bustling people who had traveled the world and sold collections of artifacts, treasures, and anything else one could imagine. Even though neither of them had ever seen the city themselves, Link and Malon could picture it so clearly in their minds that the fantasy of the city, which awaited them in the Hyrule province, made the idea of waiting until they were of age unbearable.
"It's not fair!" Malon cried out of the blue. Link jumped in his seat, his own fantasies violently interrupted.
"I don't wanna wait! I wanna go to Hyrule!"
She rubbed her face vigorously with her fists.
"I do too," Link murmured longingly.
"Don't worry, you two," Talon spoke suddenly. He put one giant hand on Link's head and ruffled his hair.
"You're gonna grow up faster than you know, and then you'll get to see the city for yourselves."
"Dad," Malon begged. "Tell us a story about Hyrule. Please?"
"Well, I don' know. It's been a whole year since I've been there. I might have a good story fer yeh when I get back."
"Just one! Please?" Malon leaned over Link closer to her father.
"Well, there's one story I can remember, and it's a true one about the civil war that happened not too long ago. It might be too excitin' for ya."
Malon was crawling over Link now. "Tell us, Daddy! Tell us tell us tell us!"
"Get off me!" Link demanded from underneath, trying to push her off.
"All right already, just get off the poor boy before ya smother him to death."
Malon sat back in her seat, but still leaned over Link to hear the story.
"I don' think I've told you this one yet, since it ain't a good story for kids, but you're growin' up, and it's about time you started hearing of the evils in the world. It happened when Link was still a teeny babe in blankets, and you was just a youngster, no older than two."
"What happened, Dad?"
"What happened was horrible. It was one final battle, and we don't even know who started it. They say a huge army of soldiers in dark armor, riding on the backs of horrible black horses, came ridin' into the city one night while people were sleepin', and started tearin' up the place."
"But, I thought the civil war was over when Link came to the ranch."
"Nobody knows for sure what they were doin', exactly. Even to this day, it's still a mystery who those soldiers even were. Some people say they were lookin' for somethin'. They went through every house, breakin' everything inside, smashin' windows, and killin' anyone who tried ta stop 'em. If they were lookin' for somethin', they wanted it bad. When they finished tearin' through a house or buildin', they lit the up the place with torches. It weren't long before the whole city was up in flames. A lot of people died that night."
"That's so scary," Malon gasped.
"That's so sad," Link whispered.
"But you've been to the city, Dad. You said it was a beautiful place. How did they build it back up so fast? And how'd they get those soldiers out?"
"That's the best part. That same night, the King ah Hyrule himself rode into the city on a big white horse. He'd just got back from his kingly duties, but when he saw the fires and the soldiers who caused 'em, he was angrier than a thousand beehives. He cast a magic spell so big and so powerful, he banished those soldiers back to the Twilight Realm from where they came."
"So those soldiers weren't even human," said Link.
"Of course not. No human army could've done the damage those monsters had caused. It's taken 'em nine long years to build the city back to its former glory, but no magic spell can bring back the lives of all the people that were killed, or heal the pain of loved ones lost."
"All because they were just looking for something," said Malon. "Why didn't the people of Hyrule just give it to the soldiers and make them leave?"
"No one knew why them soldiers were in the city in the first place, much less whether they were lookin' for somethin'. They probably figured it was a raid. And even if they knew what they were lookin' for, they probably wouldn't have given it to 'em anyways."
"Why not?"
"Cause if they were lookin' for somethin' and wanted it that bad, it must've been somethin' important. Somethin' they weren't willin' ta hide around and wait for; somethin' that could destroy the world if they wanted."
"Wow…" Malon breathed.
"Why had the King left?" Link replied.
"Kings always leave their kingdoms whenever they've important business to do. This was just another one ah those times. He had no idea of knowin' what was gonna happen when he was away. If he had, he never woulda left."
"What about the Hylian soldiers?" Malon suggested. "Didn't they do anything?"
"The castle guards were the first to die at the hands of those black soldiers. When they tried defendin' the city, the black soldiers rode straight through 'em like they were paper. It seemed like nothin' could stop those soldiers from killin' everyone and destroyin' everythinh."
"What could those soldiers have possibly wanted so bad to destroy the city like that?" Link thought out loud, talking more to himself than the others.
"It's just an idea, remember. No one knows for sure why they attacked the city like that. All we know is that they're gone and they ain't comin' back."
"And that was after the civil war ended, when people thought they could sleep safe at night for once in so long."
Malon looked down sadly at her hands.
"To end up getting attacked like that, and to lose so many people in one night, just when you think the killing is over? It's so sad."
"There's lots you two don't know yet about the world. There's been lots of wars and lots of killin'. You two are lucky to be born in one of the first peaceful eras we've had for a long time. It's been nearly a decade since the Civil War of Hyrule ended, and people can finally live their lives safely and comfterbly. That's somethin' we haven't had fer a long time, and it's somethin' I'm glad the two of you get to have."
Talon ruffled Link's hair again.
"The city of Hyrule has always been a grand place, but it's never been safer. You two should count yourselves lucky that when you get to see it for the first time, it'll be an excitin', and safe, experience for both of yah."
After Talon finished his story, Malon and Link sat in silence for the rest of the trip, thinking about Hyrule, about its walls and its towers, and all the things, good and bad, waiting beyond the city gates; waiting for them. As they continued through the forest, the clouds in the moonlit sky began rumbling loudly, and it wasn't long before rain began to fall. The kids retreated under the cover of the carriage and sat shivering on the boxes of milk while Talon continued driving, exposed to the weather.
For hours, it rained and rained and rained. The huge forest trees shielded most of the weather, but it wasn't enough to block all of it from reaching the woods below. A green smell erupted from the trees as the dark downfall poured upon the canopy and underlying layers of the forest. It wasn't until the sun started rising that the rain finally let up, and Link and Malon returned to their seats in the front. The carriage's cover had done little in the way of keeping them dry. The storm clouds hovered threateningly in the sky all morning afterward, and remained that way until they finally came out of the forest and onto a flat field.
"Are we there yet?" Malon asked for the umpteenth time. She was ignored.
"This is so boring," Link thought, while staring into the field. "I never thought getting to Romani Ranch would take so long."
"It's so cold," Malon shivered. "Why is it so cold when spring is so close?"
"Can I trade seats with you, Malon?"
"Why?"
"Maybe you'll get warmer if you sit between your dad and I."
"Don't have to tell me twice," she smiled, then carefully crawled over Link while he scooted into her spot. Now that he had the window seat, Link leaned over the edge of the carriage and watched the dimly lit forest get farther and farther away from them.
"I know we'll be the best of friends, Link!"
He turned the ocarina over and over in his hand, trying to get some sensation that maybe, Saria was thinking of him, too. He had so many questions he wanted to ask: Who are you? What are you? What happened to the moon? Why did you give me this ocarina? But most of all, he wanted to ask her about all of his dreams, the vision he'd had, and everything he'd seen in the forest. The worst she could do was say she didn't know, but maybe there was something she could tell him that would help.
"Tonight," he thought, "I'm definitely gonna talk to her."
"Finally!"
Link turned around to see what Malon was shouting at. The uncanny green fields surrounded the carriage on all sides, and mountain ranges peaked up from miles away. Sitting at the edge of the fields not far away was a fenced-in pasture with engorged cows grazing on the fresh wet grass.
"Finally!" Link repeated.
Within half an hour, the carriage passed by the fields and entered through the main archway. Standing by the arch read a sign: 'Romani Ranch: Milk Village.'