"Check the energy levels!"
"I just did."
"Well check them again!"
"I'm working on it! Get off my back, will ya?"
"This is ridiculous! How did it fail?!"
"It was Link, you moron. His stupid rain spell ruined the summoning."
"…No."
"No?"
"If his so called rain spell had truly worked, then nothing would have happened, and this creature we're now stuck with wouldn't exist. He was too late to stop us. The summoning went as planned."
"Then why did it fail?"
"It wasn't the boy's fault. It was the girl's."
"The girl's? You don't mean―"
"Princess Zelda!"
Navi sat up quickly. Her eyes snapped open, and her hands flew out in front of her but found nothing to grab. She sat there, rigid and frozen, until her hands dropped to her side and her head to her chest.
"Just a dream."
She got to her feet, but glanced down as she stood up. Nothing but empty air separated her from the ground moving beneath her. Her legs buckled at the site and she flapped her arms to keep her balance, but her hands landed on a solid, invisible wall.
"What's going on?! Help! I'm being catnipped!"
"I think your bottle's yelling at you," a young woman's voice said. A huge hand came into view, and wrapped around the invisible walls holding Navi hostage. She squeaked and scooted away from the hand.
"Please don't hurt me!"
She felt herself being lifted up until she came face to face with a young man of blonde hair.
"Link?"
"Navi, it's okay. It's just me."
Link rode Epona at a trot while Malon and Talon followed with their covered wagon. They were traveling through the green meadows of the Hyrule Plains. The horses' feet made squelching noises as they walked across the muddied grass, soaked from the previous night's storm. Link popped the wooden cork from his glass bottle and overturned it, and Navi zipped out the open rim.
"What's the big idea, keeping me prisoner in that thing?"
"You fainted while we were in the Temple of Time. Do you remember?"
"A little, I think. What happened?"
"You helped Impa heal me when Rio stabbed me."
"I did?"
"Yeah. How do you feel?"
Navi twirled in a full circle, examining her own body.
"I feel… fine. Good, actually."
"Why so surprised?"
"Link, I should be dead!"
"What?! Why?!"
"I told you! If I heal any major injuries on you, I use all of my life energy and die! Healing a stab wound in the stomach is about as major as it gets!"
"And yet, here you are."
"But… how?"
"Maybe because Impa helped? Maybe since you two worked together to save me, you didn't use all your energy."
"Maybe? I don't know. Wait, where's Impa, and the all others? Where are we?"
Her wings twittered as she began panicking.
"Where's Princess Zelda?! What happened to Ganondorf?! Did we win?! Please tell me we won!"
"We tried to stop him, but he summoned some weird zombie thing, then he and his buddies disappeared."
"Disappeared? But that means―"
"Yeah. Ganondorf took the Princess, and got away."
Cries erupted from Navi as she burst into tears.
"Hey, it's okay! We're gonna get her back."
"How? Do you know where she is?"
"No, but Shiek and I are gonna find out."
"Shiek? Who?"
She looked up and saw the masked figure, sitting arms folded and legs crossed on top of the Lon Lon Ranch's covered wagon.
"Wait, aren't you Adelz? The guy from the tavern?"
"Kidnapped."
"Wh- what?"
The word came so abruptly out of Shiek's mouth that Navi had to regain her train of thought.
"Kidnapped? What are you talking about?"
"You were screaming that you'd been 'catnipped.' I think you meant 'kidnapped.'"
"Um, okay? Link, why's he here?"
"He asked Impa if he could come with me. He's going to help us find the Princess. But first, we're checking in."
"Checking in? Where?"
"My home, Lon Lon Ranch."
"You mean, I get to see where you live?"
"You do, and you woke up just in time. We're here."
Lon Lon's sweet red cottage and barn peeked out from over the green, rocky hill and metal fence. Link could see the trims on the buildings and smell the wet pasture grass as they approached. After the ordeal in Hyrule City, seeing the old ranch brought a smile to Link's face, and he realized he'd missed the place more than he'd thought.
"Home sweet home."
"Finally!" Malon exclaimed. "It was only two days, but it feels like we've been gone for two years!"
"Tell me about it. It's incredible, how much has really happened."
Talon pulled on the reins, and the horses drawing the carriage slowed.
"Why're we stopping, Dad?"
"The darn gate's closed. Darlin', would you mind?"
Malon pushed herself off the carriage, strode over to the gate, and grabbed the heavy padlock.
"Huh?"
"What's wrong, sweety?"
"The lock's been changed."
"Now who'da done a thing like that?"
"Did Uncle Ingo change it while we were gone?" Malon cupped her hands over her mouth and called, "Uncle Ingo! We're home! Let us in! Uncle Ingo?"
Silence was the only answer that came from over the gate.
"Something's not right," she said. "Even from out here, we should be able to hear the horses trotting or the cuccos clucking. Is he in there?"
"Link," said Talon. "See if you can't jump the fence with Epona and figure out what's goin' on. You better get back up, girl."
Malon moved over to the other side of the gate while Talon pulled the carriage horses out of the way.
"Master."
"Fi? What's up?"
"I am detecting a malevolent aura emanating from the confines of the ranch. Its signature is similar to that which was present in the Temple of Time."
"Is it Ganondorf?"
"It's too soon for me to discern, but please exercise caution when entering the ranch."
"Link?" Navi asked. "What's going on?"
"Don't know, but we're about to find out."
Link steered Epona away and headed down the dirt path, then turned back toward Lon Lon Ranch. He gave Epona's neck a good rub.
"Ready?"
She snorted and struck the ground with her hoof.
"Atta girl! Go!"
Link grabbed a firm handful of Epona's mane and kicked her flank. She set off at a hard gallop, sending a breeze through his hair.
"Faster, Epona!"
"Link!" Navi cried. "You're gonna―"
Before she could finish, Epona leapt and sailed over the gate. She skidded to a trot on the other side, then reared up on her hind legs and whinnied victoriously before falling back on all fours.
"…hit the gate?"
Link swung his leg over and dismounted Epona. He made his way into the ranch with the mare following at his heels.
"Don't take too long!" Malon called after him. Shiek jumped from his seat atop the carriage, landed on one of the gate's posts, and launched himself up and over the roof of the cottage.
"Shiek! Where are you going?"
"Don' worry 'bout him," Talon grunted as he reached into the back of the wagon and pulled out a heavy wrench. "Let's see if we can't get that there lock removed."
Link's footsteps crunched on the wet grass and dirt. He came to the door of the house and tried it, but it too was locked.
"What's with all the locked doors?" Navi asked as she perched on his shoulder.
"No idea. The main gate's supposed to be open during business hours, and the front door is supposed to be open for the cuccos so they can roost. Something weird is going on."
"Who's that over there?"
He turned to where she pointed, and saw Ingo. Clad in his work overalls, he was standing next and facing the racetrack, with his hands behind his back. Link walked toward him, but he turned around at the sound of Link's crunching boots.
"You there! How did you get into my ranch?!"
Link stopped in his tracks.
"What? Sir, it's me. Link."
"Oh, I see! Couldn't help coming to see the great Ingo Ranch, eh?"
"The… the what?!"
"Behold!"
Ingo waved his arms to indicate the glorious, empty ranch. Link looked around, but there wasn't a horse, cow, or cucco to be seen.
"Hey mister!" Navi buzzed up to Ingo. "Shouldn't this place have animals or something?"
"Buzz off! Those filthy animals are locked up where they belong, and that's where they'll stay until I get some help running this ranch that I own! Since you're here, I might as well put you to work."
Ingo raised his hand, and Link's body floated up off the ground.
"Wha- Not again!"
"The tools are in the barn, now hurry up and make yourself useful!"
Ingo flung his hand, and Link went flying. He slammed against the barn doors and fell in a heap.
"Hey! What's the big idea?!"
Navi darted angrily around Ingo's face, until he swung up and snatched her out of the air.
"Agh! Let me go!"
Link pulled himself together and ran over to him.
"Ingo, what's wrong with you?! You're acting like a completely different person!"
"That's a fine horse you have there, young man," Ingo said as he greedily eyed Epona. "I'll tell you what, boy. I'll make you a wager. Race me with that fine horse of yours, and I'll race using one of the horses from this ranch. If you win, I'll give you back your little friend here."
"What?!" shrieked Navi.
"But if I win, I get to keep that horse of yours."
"Why would I ever agree to something like that?!"
"Master. The one you call Ingo. Observe his hands."
At Fi's hint, Link eyed Ingo carefully.
"There are jewels embedded in his palms. They look like the ones Ghirahim used."
"Correct, Master. Those jewels are the source of the evil aura I sensed earlier, and I calculate an 87% chance that they are the source of his newfound, telekinetic powers."
"Someone put those jewels in his hands while we were in Hyrule City. I'd take a wager it was Ganondorf."
"That is a very likely scenario, Master. In addition, I detect that the overall constitution of both jewels has been greatly weakened, by an internal source, since their installation."
"Ganondorf must've used those gems to brainwash Ingo, and that's why he's acting like this. He's been fighting their power this whole time, which is why they're so weak. But now he's losing, and we have to help him!"
"With enough force, Master, it's safe to determine that you could easily destroy the gems and free your uncle from his affliction. But to do so, you will have to increase your proximity without raising alarm, or he may use his telekinesis on you once more."
"I gotta get closer so I can smash those gems…"
Link sighed and nodded his head toward Ingo.
"You'll take the bet, then? Fantastic! Your horse will soon be mine!"
"Link!" Navi hissed through her teeth. "What are you doing?!"
"It's okay, Navi. I've got a plan."
At that moment, Talon and Malon came riding in on the carriage.
"Ingo!" Talon called to him. "What's tha big idea, changin' the lock on the―"
Link ran in front of the carriage, flailing his arms. Talon yanked as hard as he could on the reins, forcing the horses to a grinding halt. He and Malon nearly fell forward out of their seats at the sudden stop.
"Link! What's wrong with you?!" Malon cried as she jumped from the carriage. "You know better than to―"
"Don't get any closer!" Navi shouted from Ingo's hand. "Link says Ingo's under some kind of spell that Ganondorf put on him!"
"He's WHAT?!"
"Oh, look. Spectators."
Ingo's other hand went up, and Malon flew through the air toward him. She writhed in the air helplessly above her uncle.
"What the hell, Uncle Ingo?! Put me down!"
"Why you!" Talon bellowed. "Ingo, you put ma girl down this instant!"
"New wager, young man. We race, and if you win, you get your friends back. But if I win, I keep your horse and your friends as my prisoners, and they'll work my ranch for the rest of their miserable lives!"
"What in tha world's gotten into you?! I don' care if you're ma brother, or that you're under some spell! Release my daughter, or you'll have hell ta pay!"
"I have no brother, you old blowhard! And as far as I'm concerned, you're all trespassing on private property! I could throw out each and every one of you outta here if I want!"
Link put his hand on Talon's shoulder before he could retort.
"Let me handle this, sir."
"My boy, I sure hope you know what your doin'."
He nodded, then turned to Ingo and nodded again.
"Excellent."
Ingo's hands dropped. Navi zipped out of Ingo's palm and over to Link, where she ducked into his cap. Malon fell flat on her butt with a thud.
"Ow! What is with you people lifting everyone else into the air?!"
"We'll race around the track surrounding the pasture. First one to make two full laps wins. Got it?"
Link remounted Epona, and made his way to the starting line. Ingo went to retrieve a horse from the stable, so while he waited, Link rubbed Epona's neck.
"Think you can do it, Epona?"
She shook her mane in response.
"Don't worry. It won't matter if we win or not. I just gotta get close enough to Ingo to break those gems."
"Master, please be especially careful during this race. Your uncle will likely try to influence it in his favor by cheating."
"Thanks, Fi."
"You ready, boy?" Ingo gruffed as he rode up on his horse. Link grinned.
"Anytime, old man. Epona and I outraced you all the time when you weren't under Ganondorf's control, and we can do it now!"
"You, girl!" Ingo pointed at Malon. "Start us off!"
"What? Why do I have to do it?"
Ingo lifted her again and brought her flying over. She skidded across the dirt, and stopped in front of the starting line.
"All right, geez! I'm not your ragdoll, you stupid jerk!"
She stood up and brushed the dirt off, then stood between the two horses and grudgingly held her arms up.
"On your marks," she grumbled, showing no hint of enthusiasm.
Link and Ingo leaned forward in their saddles and awaited the signal.
"Get set."
"HEEYA!"
Ingo struck the back of his horse's rump with a crop whip, and galloped away.
"HEY!" Malon screamed. "YOU LOUSY― GO! Stop him, Link!"
Link kicked Epona and took off after Ingo.
"Fi was right! He cheated from the very start! Now he's gotten ahead of us!"
"Hurry, Link!" Navi called. "He's already at the first turn!"
Ingo circled around the track and struck the horse with the whip again. His horse gave a high-pitched neigh at the strike.
"He is hitting that horse way too hard!"
"Uncle Ingo!" Malon cried out. "Stop! You're hurting her!"
He ignored her cries and used the whip again.
"C'mon, Epona! Cheating or not, we can beat him!"
Epona gave a loud whinny and accelerated. In spite of Ingo's whipping, she and Link slowly gained on him and his horse.
"A little bit closer…
Link grabbed hold of the saddle's horn and pulled his feet out of the stirrups. He stood on the seat, his knees bent in tightly, and prepared to jump.
"Just a little more…"
Epona inched closer and closer to the other horse, until she came up behind on its left.
"NOW!"
He leapt from his seat toward Ingo, but before Link could tackle him, something collided into him from the side.
"HUH?!
He and his unknown assailant tumbled to the side of the racetrack and went sprawling on the ground. When she realized her rider was missing, Epona swerved around and returned to where Link had collapsed.
"Ow! What the heck just happened?!"
He looked over and saw an equally ruffled Shiek recovering from the tumble.
"Wha- Shiek?"
"Well well," Ingo scoffed as he turned his horse around. "Someone's trying to play dirty."
"You would know!" Malon said angrily. "We want a rematch!"
"There are no rematches! Falling out of your saddle automatically disqualifies you, which means I win by default!"
"Blast! That might've been my only chance to get close to him."
"You two! Get to work!"
He lifted Malon and Talon into their air with one hand, then Link and Shiek with the other.
"And you two! Get lost!"
Link felt his body jerk backward as he and Shiek were sent careening up and over the barn and the main gate. When they finally landed several hundred feet outside the ranch, Shiek flipped in the air and planted his feet, bracing himself on his hand and skidding safely until he came to a stop. Link on the other hand, crashed onto his side, bounced, crashed again, and rolled across the field until he was lying face first in the dirt.
"…OW!"
"Link!" Navi flew out from his cap. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I think so. A bit of a rough landing, and some scrapes here and there, but no harm done. Lucky for me the grass is pretty soft."
"Well, c'mon! We gotta get back in there and save your family!"
"Wait," said Shiek, putting his hand in front of her. "Link's uncle sent us flying a thousand feet with little more than a wave of his hand. We can't go running blindly in there, or he'll just toss us out again. We need to think for a moment, and come up with a strategy."
"But what do we do?! He's got Link's sister and dad trapped in there! Not to mention Epona!"
"Navi's right. If we need a plan, we better think fast."
"I'm sorry, Link."
"Huh? For what?"
"For earlier. When I collided into you."
"Oh, that. It's no big deal."
"Yes it is. It's a very big deal. When I'm working, I'm usually by myself, with no one else to worry about. I was so busy trying to stop Ingo, it never occurred to me that you'd be doing the same thing. I got in your way while you were trying to help your family. So from here on out, you lead the way and I'll follow."
"Um, okay?"
"You're the leader, Link. Think you can come up with a plan?"
"Maybe. Do you think we can scale the barn without Ingo noticing?"
Malon and Talon were shoved roughly into the stable.
"When you're done in here, you'll take care of the cows. Don't come out until you're finished!"
With that, Ingo slammed the stable doors shut. They heard the latch close from outside.
"Did he just-"
"Yep," Talon replied. "We're locked in here."
"Nnnngh! That blockhead!"
"Calm down, girl. I'm sure Link and his friend'll do somethin'."
"They'd better!"
"In the meantime, we'd better get to work."
"Are you kidding?! There's no way I'm working for him! Not while he's like that!"
"I know, but how about working for them?"
Talon pointed to the horses, and Malon gasped. All the horses were locked in their stalls, each wearing a bridle with a leading rope attached. The ropes were tied so short to the stall gates that none of the horses could move their heads more than a few inches to either side. Some of the horses were neighing loudly and beating against their gates, but most had resigned and hung their heads low over the side, chewing irritably on their bits.
Malon raced over to the first horse she saw and began untying the miserable animal. Talon quickly followed suit.
"What did he do?! This one has such swollen gums!"
"He musta put these bridles on 'em right after we left, an' never took 'em off since. These horses have been tied up and chewin' on their bits for the last two days!"
The horse nickered and licked Malon's hands while she worked to remove its bridle.
"You poor thing! Don't worry, Dad and I are here. We'll take good care of you!"
Her eye caught the trough in the back of the horse's stall, and she realized it was empty.
"This horse doesn't have any food!"
"Neither does this one," Talon replied. "I'm willin' to bet he never bothered feedin' or waterin' 'em, either."
"I don't care if Uncle Ingo is under a spell! The second this is all said and done, I'm ringing him up by his ears! How could he do this to them?!"
The two worked quickly to remove the horses' bridles. Once they were untied, Talon grabbed a pitchfork from the wall and began pitching hay from the bales onto the floor.
"I'll keep at it with the hay, Malon. You get those horses outta their stalls so's they can eat."
She ran to each of the stalls and let the horses out one by one. The horses hungrily made their way over to where Talon was, and began pushing against each other as they munched on the hay.
"Atta girl," Talon soothed as he rubbed one of the horse's bellies. "You eat all you want. Now, let's get them some water."
This time, Malon sprinted over to the tub at the front end of the stable. She shoved its cork into the plug, then turned the faucet on at full blast. It quickly filled with cool water, and some of the horses wandered away from the hay to drink. Once their immediate needs were taken care of, Malon started counting the horses under her breath.
"Six seven eight nine ten, eleven? Epona's outside, and so are the two we took to Hyrule, and the one Ingo raced. Eleven plus those four is fifteen horses in total. We're missing one."
She looked over the horses again, identifying spot patterns, coat colors and manes.
"Oh no."
"Which one is it?"
"It's Barley! He's missing!"
"Shit," Talon groaned. Malon paced the stable and pulled on her hair.
"He was finally getting better! I was taking such good care of him before we left! What did Uncle Ingo do to him?! If he killed him because of all this, I'm gonna-"
The stable door creaked open, making both of them jump.
"Do you see them?" They heard a voice whisper. The familiar blue fairy peaked in through the door and whispered back, "They're here."
"Oh thank heavens!" Malon cried and started running toward the door.
"Shh!" Navi put a finger to her lips. Shiek appeared at the top of the door, hanging upside down from the roof.
"All right, Link. You're up."
Link hung down next to him, looked down at Malon and Talon, then fired a clawshot into the stable. The claw latched onto one of the high rafters in the ceiling, and pulled him in. He dangled upside down from the clawshot and gently put pressure on the trigger, extending the chain and lowering himself down to them. With Link in the stable, Shiek disappeared back up over the roof and out of sight.
"Are you guys okay?"
"We're fine, Link," Malon said. "But listen. Ingo's treated the horses so badly while we were gone! He tied them to their gates so they couldn't move at all, and none of them had any food or water while we were in Hyrule City. It's a good thing we cleaned this place of all that poop last week, or else some of the horses might have gotten really sick, or even died."
"Have either of you been in the barn or house?"
"No, not yet. After he threw you guys out, Uncle Ingo locked us in here. I don't know what he's done to the cows and cuccos, but it can't be better than this. And what's worse, Barley's gone missing!"
"The rickety stallion you bought a few months ago?"
"Yes! He's not anywhere in the stable! I don't know what Uncle Ingo did with him, but if he hurt a single hair on his head, I swear I'll-"
The sound of a bird's whistle came from outside, and Link shot up into the rafters.
"Link?! Hey! Where are you-"
"What's going on in here?! Why's this door open?!"
The sound of Ingo's angry voice made Malon and Talon jump again.
"Nothin', sir!" Talon managed to stammer out. "W-we're just workin' hard as we can! Ya know, for the Great Ingo Ranch!"
"That's right!" Malon played along. "Nothing less than the best for the Great Ingo!"
"Good! Let's keep it that way! There better not be any funny stuff goin' on!"
Ingo slammed the door shut a second time and locked them back in. As soon as the door closed, Link lowered back down.
"That was close," Talon breathed a sigh of relief.
"Listen carefully. Shiek and I have to keep you locked in here, or else Ingo will know something's up and might try to hurt you. Will you be okay while we handle him?"
"I don't care what happens to me! Dad and I will be fine, but you've gotta snap Uncle Ingo out of whatever spell he's in, or he'll abuse these animals to their dying breath!"
"Are you sure?"
"Positive!"
"Okay. I have to go, but we'll let you out the second we take care of Ingo. Promise!"
Link gave a whistle, and the stable door creaked open again. He shot his other clawshot at the frame of the door and flew outside. Shiek's hand extended down to Link, who took it and climbed back onto the roof. They closed the stable door one last time, and Link used his clawshot to put the latch back in place.
"They haven't been in any of the other buildings."
"Then we have no way of knowing whether they're secure or not. We'll have to investigate them after we're finished with your uncle."
"Link?" Navi asked. "Who's Barley?"
"He's the oldest horse on the ranch. Malon bought him from a rather mean salesman a few months back. We're pretty sure he abused Barley before we got him, because he was pretty sick, and mostly skin and bones. But Malon worked day and night to get him back on his feet. He was finally starting to act like a normal horse when we left for Hyrule City. If he's missing, it can't be good."
"I'm afraid we'll have to worry about missing horses later," said Shiek. "We still have the matter at hand."
"Right."
The three peered down carefully at the pasture, and found Ingo. He was trying desperately to pull Epona's reins, but she stood firm against his tugs, pulling back just as hard.
"You stupid mare!" He screamed. "Do as I say, or I'll turn you over to the glue factory!"
"There's no way Epona will go anywhere with him like that."
"Which means he's distracted. Now's the perfect time to try and get those jewels out of his hands."
"What about that boomerang, Link?" said Navi. "The one you got from the dungeon under Hyrule Castle."
"Oh yeah!"
Link reached into the tiny pouch Zelda had given him, and pulled out the boomerang. Its red, center gem glowed brightly.
"That'll do it," Shiek replied in modest surprise. "If you can hit him from here, he'll be dazed long enough for us to get over there and pin him down."
"And even if you miss and hit something else," Navi pointed out. "It'll distract him even more, and we can still get him!"
"Either way, it's worth a shot."
Link took the boomerang in hand, arched his arm carefully, licked his lips, and threw as hard as he could. The boomerang spun through the air as it sailed toward Ingo. Unfortunately for them, it missed its target, and instead hit Epona's rear flank. She gave a high-pitched neigh and took off running, with Ingo still attached to her reins.
"AAAAAAGH!"
"Oh crap!"
Link and Shiek jumped off the stable and ran after the enraged mare, with Ingo dragging through the dirt behind her.
"STOP THIS CRAZY HORSE!"
"Shiek! Got any ideas?"
"You tell me, Link."
"What?!"
"You're in charge. Just tell me what to do."
"But I don't-"
Epona made a sharp turn, forcing them to stop and redirect after her.
"Oh, fine! I'm the only one who can stop Epona! If I get to her, can you get to Ingo and stop him from attacking us?"
"I believe so."
"Then let's do it!"
"Which way should I go?"
"What? Oh, um… I'll go left, you go right?"
"Yes, sir!"
Link sprinted up to Epona from her left while Shiek trailed behind Ingo on the right.
"YOU IDIOTS!" Ingo screamed at him.
"Yeah yeah, just hold on."
Link grabbed onto Epona's saddle and hoisted himself up onto her back.
"Come on, Epona! Slow down!"
He clutched at her mane and tugged firmly, but she came grinding to a halt and began bucking wildly. Ingo flew up at her jarring kicks, and the reins snapped out of his hands. Shiek was upon him immediately.
"Whaa! Epona, stop! It's me!"
"Link!"
Link turned, and despite his own head jerking up and down with Epona's bucks, he saw Shiek wrestling on the ground with Ingo, struggling greatly to pin his arms down, and failing.
"I think the jewels in his hands made him stronger, too! I don't know how much longer I can hold him!"
"Fi! Can you help him?"
"Affirmative."
Fi appeared from the Master Sword on Link's back, floated over to where they grappled, and opened her flowing arms wide. A brilliant light emitted from her body. Ingo screamed in pain at the blinding light, while Shiek guarded his vision with both of his arms. Link jumped off Epona, ran over to them, and pinned Ingo's left arm while Shiek pinned his right.
"RELEASE ME AT ONCE! I AM THE GREAT INGO OF THIS RANCH!"
In unison, they raised their clenched fists and brought them smashing down onto the palms of Ingo's hands. Both jewels shattered instantly and vanished, and Ingo passed out. A few moments passed, and Link finally exhaled.
"Finally…"
They climbed off of him and stepped back, both trying to catch their breath. Epona, who'd stopped bucking wildly, stared at the two and brayed nervously. Link turned to her, held both hands out, and slowly approached her.
"Easy girl, it's just me. I'm not gonna hurt you."
Her braying slowed to heavy breathing, and she sniffed Link's fingers.
"There you go. Shiek, can you let the others out of the stable?"
"Will do."
Link moved around to Epona's side and began removing the saddle and bridle.
"I think you've had enough excitement for one day."
Shiek walked to the stable and unlocked the door. Upon opening the doors wide, the trapped horses raced out into the pasture, and Malon and Talon peered out nervously.
"Is it safe?" asked Talon.
"It's all right," Shiek replied. "Your brother's been taken care of."
"Good!" Malon answered as she stomped out. "Now where is he, so I can beat him 'til he bleeds?!"
"Ugh…"
Ingo sat up from the ground, moaning in pain and rubbing the back of his head. Talon walked over and knelt down next to him.
"You all right there, buddy?"
"Nngh, my head's killin' me. Where'd that kid go?! He was here a second ago!"
"Kid? What kid?"
"I'll knock his lights out when I get my hands on him! What're you doing here, Talon?"
"Wha'dya mean?"
"Didn't you leave for Hyrule City a few minutes ago?"
"Ingo, it's been two and a half days since we left! We jus' got back!"
"What?!"
"Link, are you getting this, son?"
"I sure am. What do you think, Shiek?"
"It sounds like the implanted jewels prohibited him from forming any memories while under Ganondorf's control."
"Jewels? Ganondorf? What the heck is goin' on?! Talon, I demand an explanation!"
Shiek knelt down next to Ingo.
"You don't know me, but I'm a friend. We can explain everything, but right now I need you to tell me something. The kid you were describing, what did he look like?"
"The kid? Why, he was the one from the Royal Army! He came in here ridin' on his horse and gave us that war declaration!"
"But that's-" Navi started.
"Rio!"
"After you guys left for the city, I went into the barn, but he was in there and attacked me! Next thing I know, I'm wakin' up in the middle of the pasture with all of you."
"Do you think Ganondorf ordered Rio to come here, and force Ingo to take over the ranch?"
"It's very possible. It sounds to me like he wanted Rio to slow you down, and delay starting your journey."
"Journey?" Ingo's ears pricked. "What journey? What're you-"
He finally took notice of Link, and saw the Master Sword on his back.
"Talon? Is he…"
"Malon," Talon turned to face his daughter. "Why don't we go and check on the rest of the animals? You too, Ingo. The three of us gotta lot ta talk about."
Ingo groaned as he stood up and shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Not yet," Shiek said. "We don't know what else has happened while you and your family were gone. The other buildings could be booby-trapped for all we know. We need to proceed cautiously."
"Fi, can you sense anymore evil auras coming from anywhere?"
"Negative," she answered. "With the destruction of your uncle's mind-control devices, I cannot detect any additional sources of energy emanating from this ranch. Even so, it would be wise to heed Shiek's warning, and maintain caution as you investigate your home."
"Thanks, Fi. I think that's all for now."
"You're welcome, Master. Do not hesitate to call if you have further need of my assistance."
She disappeared into Link's sword, and the others gathered together.
"I think Dad, Uncle Ingo and I should check out the barn," Malon declared. "It'll give us a chance to check on the cows."
"Good idea," Shiek agreed. "Barns don't have rooms, closed doors or corners for anyone to hide behind, so you should be safe, at least in theory. Link, Navi and I will check the house for you. If anything happens, you can yell for us."
"What the-"
Ingo pulled his hand from his pocket, holding a slip of folded paper.
"This ain't mine."
"May I?"
He handed the paper to Shiek, who unfolded and examined it. His eyes moved from left to right as he scanned the paper, then squinted in suspicion.
"What is it?"
"Judging by the context, I'd say it's a note to Link. From Rio."
"What's it say?" Navi asked. She sat herself on Shiek's shoulder while he read aloud.
"'Dear Idiot, I left a little present for your little girlfriend in her room. Hope she likes it.' It's signed 'Link,' with a heart next to his name."
"Where does he get off calling himself by Link's name?!" Navi protested, stomping her foot. "There's only one Link, and he's right here!"
"Who does he mean by 'Link's little girlfriend?'" Malon asked in annoyance.
"Unfortunately," Shiek sighed as he refolded the note. "I think he's referring to you."
"Me?!"
"Which means Link and I need to be extra careful when checking the house. If he left something dangerous behind, we'll dispose of it immediately and inform you at once."
"We can handle whatever that creep Rio did, Malon. Let us take care of it."
"But…" Malon started to say, but Link walked away before she could finish, leaving her to her father and uncle. Talon and Ingo headed for the barn, but she stood and watched Link and Shiek make their way to the house.
"Come on, girl," Talon called to her. "Let's go."
"Dad?" She said quietly. "Link is really leaving… isn't he?"
"Do you have a key for the house?"
"Yeah, but you might wanna back up."
They unlocked and opened the front door. The second it opened, cuccos stampeded out, clawing, climbing and trampling over each other to escape from the house, desperate to get into the pasture.
"Gosh! Those poor things!"
"What're they saying, Navi?"
"Mostly some mean things I'd rather not repeat. They're angry because no one's fed them or let them out for days."
"Let's go, you two."
Once the parade of cuccos ended, they peered into the empty roost. Broken eggs that had been pecked to bits laid in the nests, and the floor was littered with droppings and scattered feathers, but ultimately the room was quiet.
"Looks like the coast is clear."
"For now. Let's be careful, though."
"Is this where you sleep Link?"
"It's where we live, but we sleep upstairs away from the cuccos. This way."
Link led the way up the stairs, with Navi clinging to his cap, and Shiek following behind.
"Link?" asked Navi. "How come you let the cuccos sleep inside your house?"
"I asked Talon that when I was a kid, and he said the downstairs area is a safer coop than any he could build. Since we live right next to the woods, we get a lot of animals that come through looking for prey. Wolfi are the most common."
"I wouldn't expect anything less," Shiek remarked. "It is your province's official animal, after all."
"Ordona Wolfos, huh?"
Link stopped at the very top step.
"Link? What's wrong?"
"I remember something Sahasrahla told me."
"You got to meet him, then? In the Temple of Time?"
"Yeah. He was telling me all these things about the Legend of the Hero."
"What about?"
"How he's related to the way we celebrate the New Year. Sahasrahla said that the year we enter will represent the province the Hero will come from."
"Well, today marks the year of the Ordona Wolfos. You are from here, are you not?"
"I've spent my whole life here, right next to these woods. And when I'm not here on the ranch, I'm visiting one of the other ranches, or seeing my friends in Ordon Village."
"Then I suppose that part of the legend came true, didn't it?"
"To be honest, I have no idea whether I was born in this province or not, but I can't think of a better place to call home."
Link folded his arms and gazed down sadly at the cuccos nests.
It's funny, though. It's only now that I'm leaving that I finally realize it. It's hard to believe I hated this place a few days ago, because I felt so trapped. But now that I'm free to leave, I'm recalling so many memories, and it's… well, I'm really going to miss this place."
Shiek put his hand on Link's shoulder.
"You'll have plenty of time to say your goodbyes. I promise. We won't leave until tomorrow morning."
"Really? That's- I mean, thanks. Sorry, I guess I'm getting nostalgic."
"It's okay," Navi said, patting his shoulder. "It's okay to be homesick, Link. I miss my home, too."
"Come on, you two. We need to make sure the house is safe. You can be sad all you want afterwards."
Navi shot Shiek a slightly annoyed look, but acquiesced.
"Okay," she mumbled, and they walked up to the upstairs door.
"Who wants to go first?"
"I guess I will," Navi offered. "Princess Zelda said I was a guardian fairy, after all."
Link cracked the door open enough for her to slide inside.
"See anything?"
"No, but-" her sentence trailed off, and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Ugh! Eugh! Gross!"
"What's wrong?"
"It smells like something died in here!"
Link smelt the scent immediately after she mentioned it, and plugged his nose.
"Gah! That's awful! I wonder if we left the freezer open after we left."
"Link," Shiek's voice took an alert tone. "Lead me to Malon's room."
"It's that way."
Link covered his nose the whole way down the hall, but despite his best efforts the smell only got stronger as they approached the bedroom. The door was closed.
"Whatever it is," Navi gasped, trying not to breath in. "It's coming from in there!"
"I sure hope this wasn't what Rio talked about in his letter."
"There's only one way to find out."
Shiek placed his hand on the door knob, and slowly pushed it open. They came upon the grisly scene inside, and Navi made a sound that resembled half-screaming, and half-sobbing.
"OH MY GOD!"
Link felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach, while Shiek gazed upon Rio's gift in sorrow.
"Your sister is not going to like this."
"I'LL KILL HIM! The next time I see him, I swear to God I'm gonna kill that bastard!"
"I can feel it!" Navi sobbed, her whole body trembling. "I can feel the moment it died! It hurts! It hurts so bad!"
She clung onto Link's wrist.
"Make it go away, Link! Please! I can't bear it!"
Link stopped his outrage long enough to take the crying Navi out of the room, shutting the door halfway behind him. Shiek drew a long, frustrated breath, and covered half of his face with one hand.
"At least that solves the mystery of the missing horse."
"Link?" Malon's voice called from downstairs. "Are you still in here?"
Shiek heard Navi cry out, "NO! Malon, don't come in here!"
She was followed by Malon crying out in disgust, "Holy- what is that smell?!"
He heard her come up the stairs and into the hallway, then stop.
"Link, let me go!"
"Please don't go in there, Malon!"
"Why not? It's my room!"
"But it's really bad! Link says you'll cry if you go in there!"
"Link, Navi," Shiek called out. "She deserves to know. Let her come in."
"But-"
"The truth is hard to swallow, but it has to be done. Let her go, Link."
It was a few moments before he heard Malon resume walking and push the door open.
"What's so-"
Her eyes opened wide in horror at the sight of Rio's present. Lying on top of her bed was Barley's decapitated head. The dried blood from the stallion's neck had flowed out onto the sheets, staining the center of the bed a deep red. Its eyes were glazed and wide open, and its tongue drooped out of its open mouth, its gaping teeth clearly visible. The bedroom window was wide open, and flies were droning loudly as they buzzed around and on the head. A few maggots had already entered into the open flesh of its neck, and were digging their way around the exposed muscles and bone.
Link walked in after Malon, but not before she started hyperventilating.
"Wh- why?!"
Paralyzed and unable to look away, she stared at the grotesque head. She held one hand on her chest, and the other clenching at her stomach. She tried to speak, but all that came out was stammered gasps.
Suddenly, she bolted, shoving Link out of her way as she shot out of the house.
"Malon!"
Link raced after her as she ran down the steps and outside. Before she could get very far, she tripped and fell onto her hands and knees, and wailed. Her anguished cries brought Talon and Ingo running out of the barn and to her side.
"MALON!" Talon called as he scooped her up in his arms. "My darlin' daughter, what in the world is wrong?!"
"RIO!"
"Rio?"
She continued hyperventilating as she spoke and sobbed at the same time.
"I- I thought… I thought he was my friend! But he stabbed Link in the Temple of Time! And just now, he killed Barley! He left Barley's head on my bed, and I just- I can't-"
She broke off as her sobbing grew louder and more uncontrollable.
"WHY?! WHY IS HE SO MEAN?!"
She said no more. She buried her face into her father's chest and wept, her shoulders shaking the entire time.
"Why did he do this?!"
"Probably to get at you," Shiek answered.
"But why?!"
"Because he knew hurting your sister and making her cry would upset you more than anything he could do to you directly."
"Well it certainly worked!"
"Link, calm down."
Shiek scrubbed his hands in the sink while he talked with Link. He had cleaned Malon's room while Link and Ingo finished caring for and letting the cows into the pasture, so that Talon could sit with his daughter outside, rocking her back and forth in his arms.
The others wanted the horse's head disposed of, but at Malon's protest, Shiek had placed it into a crate and moved the crate outside. She wanted to bury it, since the rest of the horse was nowhere to be found. No one objected to her wishes. Since the blood on the sheets had dried long before they'd returned to the ranch, there was no choice but to dispose of them. They wondered what to do about her mattress, since the blood had soaked through and stained it as well, but Malon quickly answered that question, too, when she insisted she would never sleep on it again as long as she lived. It too was thrown away.
With the smell finally gone, and his gruesome task of disinfecting the bedroom complete, Shiek shook the remaining water from his hands and wiped them on his legs. Link was sitting at the dining table, so he joined him.
"This is exactly the kind of reaction Rio wants from you. You've got to keep a level head."
"I can't! He hurt Malon! I'll never forgive him as long as I live!"
"And you shouldn't, given the nature of his existence. But you've got to stop for a second, and look at the bigger picture."
"What picture is that supposed to be?"
"Link, Rio did this days ago, before you had even arrived in Hyrule City. That means he knew you were the Hero of Time, long before you knew it yourself. He knew where you lived, and knew about the people you care for the most. He used that to his advantage to hit you where it hurts most."
Link's eyes went from rage to terror when he reached the conclusion Shiek was hinting at.
"He- he won't come back, will he?! What if he keeps coming back and tormenting my family while I'm gone?! I can't leave if-"
"Not so fast. As bad as it sounds, I think this was a one time thing."
"How do you know?"
"Because Rio was only here on Ganondorf's orders. His job was to lure you into the city with the fake war declaration, and then hypnotize Ingo into taking over the ranch. Killing Barley was probably just an act of derision on his part."
"Are you sure? Because if I leave and I find out something else happened while I was gone, I'll never forgive myself!"
"If there's only one redeeming quality to Ganondorf's minions, it's that they're loyal to a fault. I doubt Rio will come back, because right now he's with him, doing his bidding wherever they are in Hyrule. And even if Rio isn't loyal to Ganondorf, he wouldn't leave his side anyway."
"Why not?"
"Because Ganondorf created him, Link."
"He- what? How?"
"I'm not entirely sure yet. I have a few suspicions, but I can't say anything with certainty. Finding out how was one of the reasons why I wanted to travel with you. But either way, since Ganondorf created Rio, it wouldn't be that hard to destroy him if he did anything to anger him, or make him question his loyalty. Rio wouldn't risk dying just to come back here, so he probably won't, unless Ganondorf specifically orders him to."
"Do you think Ganondorf would do that? Order him to come back?"
"I highly doubt it. Rio might be a bully who gets his kicks out of hurting others, but Ganondorf is more interested in power, and doesn't care about the status of your ranch, or your family living here. You saw how he acted when Malon tried to intervene at the Temple of Time, right?"
"Yeah, he didn't give two eggs about her. He basically told her to buzz off and mind her own business."
"Exactly, and as long as Ganondorf doesn't care about what happens on your ranch, neither will Rio. I'll let Lady Impa know what happened before we leave tomorrow. She can send a visitor to the ranch now and then to check in on things, but you shouldn't have anything to worry about."
"Okay. If you're sure, then I trust you. Thank you for cleaning Malon's room, by the way. I don't know if any of us could have done it instead."
"It was no trouble. I've had worse if you're willing to believe that. A lot of my training with Lady Impa involved medical and anatomy studies, so I've had to clean up my share of cadavers while under her tutelage."
"Shiek… how old are you?"
"I'm 23 years old. Why?"
"No reason. Just curious, I guess."
A knock came at the door that led downstairs, and Talon peeked his head through.
"Is it okay ta come back in?"
"It's all right. The room's finished."
He entered the living room, holding Malon's hand in his as she followed. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her lashes were clumpy from the water that still clung to them. Her breathing was ragged and she occasionally hiccuped, but she had stopped crying. Link stood from the table and went to her.
"Malon? Are you okay?"
"I don't know," she murmured. "I'm better than I was, but I'm not sleeping in there tonight. Thank you, Shiek. For working so hard. But I just can't. Not tonight, not for a while."
She finally moved her head up to look at Link.
"Is it okay if I sleep in your room while you're gone?"
"Of course it is! You can move in there if you want!"
"I don't know about that, but…"
Her lips began to quiver. She'd run out of tears an hour ago, but still she buried her face in her hands. Link embraced her and ran his fingers through her hair.
"I'm so sorry, Malon. I know how much you loved Barley."
"It's not just that."
"What is it?"
"The sheets that were on my bed," she moaned painfully. "They were Mom's. They were one of the few things I had left of her. And now they're ruined!"
She wrapped her arms around him, planted her face into his chest, and cried again. It did not take her as long to finish as she had with her father, but the end result was the same. Link pulled her closer in while Shiek, Talon and Navi looked on in mournful silence.
Talon spoke only when she finished.
"Link," he said gravely. "We need to talk. Will you be all right if I take him, darlin'?"
"I think so," Malon sniffed as she wiped her nose. "But can I keep Navi for a bit?"
"Huh?" Navi blurted at the seemingly random request. "But why?"
"I think it'll help me feel better if I can talk to a girl."
"Of course you can, Malon."
"Are you sure, Link?" Navi asked. "If I stay here, you won't be able to talk with Talon."
"That's okay. I have a feeling he'll be doing most of the talking anyway."
"While we're at it," Shiek announced. "I wanted to have a word with you myself, Malon."
She whirled around at Shiek with a surprised look on her face, but his eyes told her everything she needed to know. She took a deep breath.
"Okay…"
"Try not ta upset her anymore than she already is," Talon groaned.
"Of course not, sir. I wouldn't dream of it."
"Come along, boy."
At his blunt request, Link followed Talon down the stairs, closing the door softly behind him.
"I'm sorry, Shiek," Malon started, "But can I sit where you're sitting? I don't even want to look at the bedroom door, much less go inside."
He stood from his seat without objection and sat in the next chair over while Malon sat down, her back to the hallway that led to her bedroom.
"It's not fair," she mumbled. "Why did it have to be Barley?"
She put her hands on her face as she leaned her elbows on the table.
"I got up early every day for three weeks straight, to feed him mash from my hands. And every night, I stayed up late to soak his ankles in hot water. We even moved him to the first stall in front of the stable so he could get in and out easier. He was old, and he was going to die soon anyway, but he was finally getting better! The whole reason I bought him was so he could have a home to die comfortably in! Of all the horses on the ranch, why did Rio have to kill him?!"
"I'm sorry, Malon. I know this is hurting you a lot, but I need you to be strong, if only for a moment, so that I can tell you what you need to hear."
He leaned in close before continuing.
"Do you still want to know why Rio is as mean as you think he is?"
"Of course I do! How could anyone be so cruel?!"
"Rio is not human. He is not a bad-boy teenager with anti-social tendencies. He is a monster, created by Ganondorf solely for the purpose of helping him take over Hyrule. He does not understand the concepts of kindness or restraint; or if he does, he chooses to ignore them outright. He is vicious and indulgent, and does not care about anyone's feelings other than his own. He'll do whatever he wants to anyone he wants, even if it's only for his own amusement.
"Since that is the kind of person Rio is, what kind of person do you think Ganondorf might be? You saw him for yourself in the Temple of Time, so you must have some idea."
"I don't want to imagine what Ganondorf must be like, but I bet he's at least a million times worse than Rio, if that's what you're getting at."
"Do you understand then?"
Malon thought for a long time before answering.
"…I understand. I know Link needs to leave, so he can find and stop him. When are you two leaving?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"So soon… Are you sure you… no, never mind. I wish Link could stay, even if only for one more day, but I get it. I will miss him terribly, but after everything that's happened, and after everything Dad told me, I see now more than ever why he needs to go."
At Malon's mention of Talon, Shiek raised an eyebrow.
"What did your father tell you?"
"When we were in the barn, and you and Link were checking out the house, Dad said he knew that Link was the Hero of Time, ever since we were kids. I wanted to talk to Link about it. It's why I came into the house earlier, but when I saw Barley, I forgot all about it."
"Interesting," Shiek thought aloud. "Did he tell you how he found out Link was the Hero?"
"He didn't. He said someone told him."
"Did he say who?"
Link and Talon were leaning against the wall of the barn in awkward silence. Link watched Talon carefully, but he had yet to say a word.
"Son," he finally said after several minutes. "I've been rackin' my brain tryin' to make sense of all this, tryin' ta find the right words. But I ain't as smart as Malon, and I'm no good when it comes to stuff like this, so I'm just gonna come right out and say it. I knew all along, ever since you were just a tyke, that you'd be the Hero of Time."
Link's mouth dropped.
"Do you remember when you were a boy, when we were sittin' down at dinner, and you told Ingo an' me that you saw a wolfos made outta light in the woods?"
Link strained visibly to think, but ended up shaking his head.
It was the year you an' Malon went to Ordon Village for me, when you lost your voice. Do you remember?"
This time, he nodded in response.
"When you were even younger, not even five years old, I saw that same wolfos. It came to the ranch an' called me out into the forest. I went there an' saw it face to face with my own eyes."
"So you saw it, too. Then it wasn't just a dream
"When I met it in the woods, it told me so many things that I can't even remember half of anymore. But one thing stuck out the most, and it's what I've known for all these years. It told me that one day, when you were big 'n' strong, you'd have to leave the ranch, and face dangers beyond anythin' I'd ever comprehend. It told me that you'd have a great destiny, one that involved fightin' the forces of evil and savin' Hyrule from destruction.
"I never told you, because I wanted you and Malon to have as much a normal life as you could, before any of that came ta pass. I've done ma best to give you the best home I could, but watchin' you grow up and become everything you are now has been the hardest thing I ever had ta deal with. Every day we lived on this ranch together, was another day closer to when you'd have to leave us, an' maybe never come back.
"But as hard as it was for me, I knew it'd be even harder for Malon, when she found out for herself. You two were like peas in a pod growin' up, always stuck at the hip. You were the perfect brother to her, and for that I'll always be grateful, but I knew the day would come when she'd have to cry as she watched you leave this place behind, and that was just too painful."
"But never…"
Talon's voice suddenly shifted from regretful to furious.
"Never in a million years, did I ever think I'd see the day when my daughter would give her trust to a boy, only ta have that boy come right back and hurt her so bad that she'd cry in my arms the way she did! No father ever wants ta see their daughter like that!"
Talon slapped his hands onto Link's shoulders and looked him straight in the eye.
"Link, when you leave, you do what you gotta do. But if you ever see that boy again, you'd better make him pay! For Malon's sake and mine! I'd kill him myself if I thought I'd get the chance, but even an old fool like me knows that just ain't possible. So it's up ta you to tell him that no one gets away with hurtin' a man's daughter the way he did!"
Link frowned angrily, and nodded at Talon with certainty.
"You're a good boy, Link. You always have been, and I know that's why you gotta leave. It does me good to see the man you've become. I may not have birthed you, but you were the son I always wanted. No matter where you go or what you do, know that you go with my blessin'. And no matter how far away you are, you'll always have a home here."
Link smiled at Talon with wet eyes. Then, to both of their shock, Link stepped forward and hugged Talon.
"Now now, boy," Talon said as he hugged him back, his voice cracking. "You're gonna make this old man cry."
"Thank you… for everything. You have no idea how much this means to me."
They were still hugging when Shiek and Malon came out of the house. At first, Malon walked quickly out of the house, her hands clenched as she wore the bravest look she could muster. But when she saw Link and Talon hugging, she stopped and smiled.
"Oh, Dad."
"C'mere, girl," Talon extended his hand to her. She joined in the hug, and they held each other for a long time.
"Link," Malon said when they let go. "I have a present for Rio, too. Next time you see him, I need you to punch him a dozen times in the face for me."
"I'll be sure to deliver it to him."
"A baker's dozen," she added, and he laughed.
Though they were sad to see him leave, Malon and Talon eagerly helped Link pack his belongings that evening.
"Are you sure it's okay for me to take Epona?"
"Boy," Talon chuckled. "That horse is no good to us if you ain't here! She don't let no one else ride her, she won't carry any pack, and she refuses to be drawn to any carriage or plow! She's the most stubborn thing to live on this ranch, and that's after considerin' the fact that Malon lives here, too!"
"Hey!" Malon laughed. "I'm standing right here, you know!"
"Besides, you've got a long ways ahead of ya. You're gonna need a mount if you wanna make it very far."
" He's right, Link," Shiek said. "Unless you planned on crossing the country on foot."
"Good point."
"You better take these," Talon said as he gave Link grooming supplies for Epona. "Just cuz you're on the road don't mean you shouldn't take care of your horse."
"And I know how you are about getting hurt," Malon added as she gave him a giant first aid kit. "So you better take this with you, too. And…"
She held out a thick cookbook.
"I don't know how much help it'll be, but if you're spending the night under a tree someplace and starving to death, who knows? Maybe it'll help."
They layered Link in more and more items they felt would be helpful. Talon gave Link Epona's saddle, bridle, and saddle blanket, as well as a wool blanket and a sleeping mat, and fifty spare rupees he managed to scrounge up.
"Take mine, too," Malon said, dumping the contents of her purse. "It's the leftover money I didn't get to spend while we were in Hyrule City."
"Don't give him too much to carry," Shiek remarked. "The more he takes with him, the more he'll have to cart around."
"I know, I know. I just want to make sure he's taken care of."
"He'll be in good hands. You needn't worry."
They did one last inventory check before relenting.
"I guess…I guess that's it then," Malon hesitated. "You're leaving tomorrow."
"Yeah…I guess so."
"I'm, uh… I'll go get dinner started."
Without another word, she walked off awkwardly to the kitchen area of the house.
"Maybe I'll look through my room, see if there's anything I want in there."
Link walked down the hallway that led to his room, his footsteps echoing loudly against the walls. He pushed the bedroom door open and looked inside. With only the furniture as decorations, the room felt emptier than usual. The only personal possession in the room was the sword Rusl gave him last week, resting on the bed.
I never realized I owned so little. If I knew I'd be leaving like this, I would've tried harder to live in here."
He sat down on the bed and gazed at the sword.
"Should I bother taking it? I have the Master Sword, but Rusl made this just for me."
He picked the sword up and held it in both hands.
"He did a really good job, too. It's too bad he gave it to me when he did. I guess I should leave it."
Before he could put the sword back on the bed, the sword turned white and began to glow.
"What the-?! What's going on?!"
He felt the sword's form begin to fade in his hands, and when the light disappeared, so had the sword. He looked for it frantically, looking under his shoes and arms, then turned in a full circle. He even got down on his hands and knees to look under the desk.
"What just happened?! Where did it go?! I had it right there!"
"Master, I have critical information regarding the Master Sword, which I think you will find relevant to your current issue."
Upon hearing Fi's voice, Link stood back up, and she appeared before him.
"When you held the Ordon short sword in your hand, you inadvertently unlocked one of the Master Sword's abilities."
"I did?"
"Yes, the Master Sword has the ability to absorb weapon signatures into its database, and take the forms of those said weapons whenever you wish."
"Wait, so the Master Sword just absorbed Rusl's sword? Is that where it went?"
"That is correct, Master. From this point on, if you ever wish to wield the Ordon short sword, you need only draw the Master Sword while envisioning it in your mind."
"So if I imagine Rusl's sword while drawing the Master Sword, it'll turn into Rusl's Sword?"
"Correct. I suggest trying it for yourself."
Link closed his eyes hesitantly and pictured the sword in his mind. He remembered the moment Rusl gave it to him, and how happy it had made him. He drew the Master Sword and opened his eyes. Low and behold, there was the Ordon sword Rusl gave him.
"Whoa! That's awesome!"
"'Awesome' is certainly a word to describe it."
Link looked up at Fi, and did a double-take.
"Fi! What happened to you?!"
Fi's face, body, hair and dress had changed colors from blue to a dull silver. In place of her flowing blue arms were tight, brown sleeves with leather-gloved hands. Her netted leggings were gone, and in their place were grey stockings that ended in brown tap shoes. Her entire form had changed to match the appearance of the Ordon sword.
"The Master Sword and I are one and the same, Master Link. When you changed its appearance, you changed mine as well. When you wish to return the Master Sword to its normal state, you need only sheath it in the scabbard, and I too will return to my normal state.
"Please keep in mind that this ability is limited to single-bladed weapons. The Master Sword cannot take on the forms of blunt, spiked, thrown, launched, or multi-bladed weapons. Therefore, it cannot absorb weapons such as clubs, hammers, maces, spears, javelins, bows, arrows, et cetera. The list of incompatible weapons goes on, but to put it simply, the Master Sword can transform only into other swords and similarly bladed weapons."
"Well, that's too bad. I was kind of hoping I could use the Master Sword as a morning star, or something like that."
"I'm afraid not, my master. In order to do that, you will need to acquire the Master Club instead."
Link did another double-take.
"There's a Master Club, too?!"
Fi paused before she spoke again.
"It seems my attempt at what humans call 'humor' was unsatisfactory. I must recalculate."
"Attempt at… humor? Did you… did you just tell a joke?"
"Forgive me, Master. It was not my place to make such a comment."
"No, no! It's okay! I just wasn't expecting it at all! I liked it!"
Link couldn't help laughing at himself.
"I'm sorry, Fi! It was a good joke, honest!"
"In that case, was my attempt satisfactory?"
"Yeah, it was."
For the first time since he'd met her, Fi's face lit up in a smile.
"Thank you, Master. This experience has helped me acquire a better understanding of humans, even if only a little. I will store this memory in my databases, where it will be safe for further use."
Link couldn't help blushing at her smile.
"Oh, um… you're welcome, I guess."
"If you have further need of assistance, you know where to find me."
She was still smiling when she disappeared into the Master Sword.
"She sure is pretty when she smiles. For a sword, anyway… Wait, what am I saying?! That sounded a lot than I wanted it to!"
He shook his head, sheathed the sword, and walked out of the room. When he returned to the living room, Shiek and Navi were seated at the table and conversing.
"That's really… deep," Navi said to Shiek. "I had no idea it was so complicated."
"It's not something anyone could fully understand, so I wouldn't worry about it too much."
"They must really like each other, if they've had all that time to get to know each other."
"Who must really like each other?"
"LINK!"
Violently startled, Navi fell off the table, forgot her wings existed, and tumbled to the floor.
"Navi?! Are you okay?"
"Don't sneak up on people like that!" She shouted as she climbed back up onto the table. "You gave me a heart attack!"
"I'll take that as a yes. Who were you talking about?"
"Nothing!" She screamed, darting her eyes. "Nobody! None of your business!"
"Don't mind her, Link. Do you have everything you need?"
"I think so. I guess all that's really left is the actual leaving."
"How ready do you feel?"
"It doesn't matter how ready I feel. Princess Zelda's been taken who knows where by Ganondorf, and it's up to me to find her!"
Navi frowned, and her wings drooped at his words.
"Link," she interrupted. "Can we call Saria?"
"What for?"
"I need to tell her to let the Great Deku Tree know that I found the Hero of Time."
"Oh, that's a good idea."
Link pulled his ocarina out of his pocket, and he and Navi stepped out of the house. With the two of them gone, the room was now empty.
"I need to make a call myself," Shiek said to no one, and reached down to his belt. An infinite sack identical to Link's hung by its string on his belt. He undid the string, reached inside, and pulled out from it a brown tablet. It was decorated with tan markings, an orange handle, and the Sheikah tribe symbol in the center; a fully open eye with a single tear. Sheik put his finger to the tablet's screen, dragged it from right to left, and tapped the screen. Then he waited.
"Sheik?" The tablet suddenly spoke. "This is a surprise. I didn't expect you to take your Sheikah slate with you."
"Why not?"
"Well I-… you know what? It doesn't matter. I'm just glad you did."
"As am I."
"What did you need, Shiek?"
"Reporting in, Lady Impa. We had an incident here on Link's ranch."
"What kind of incident?"
"Ganondorf had one more trick up his sleeve before leaving us in the Temple of Time. While Link and his family were in the city, Link's double traveled to their ranch and overtook Link's uncle. When we arrived, he was under Ganondorf's mind control."
"Ugh, you've got to be kidding."
"No ma'am. Link and I handled the situation and destroyed the spell, but while he was here, Link's double played a rather cruel trick on Malon."
"What did he do?"
"He cut off one of the horse's heads and left it on her bed for us to find."
"Good lord! That's disgusting! Is she all right?"
"She was quite distraught, as the horse in question was rather important to her. But she has the love and support of her family, so I think she will recover in time."
"All things in time, I suppose. So you say you and Link handled the situation, yes?"
"Yes ma'am."
"How was your first time working together?"
"It was… let's just say it was a bit bumpy."
Impa's voice laughed on the other end.
"You never were a team player."
"I suppose not, ma'am."
"Which is why I gave it some thought, and I'm glad you went with Link. If I had been in a better state of mind, I probably would have sent you with him anyway."
"Then I'm glad I had the foresight to send myself for you."
There was silence on the other end.
"Are you still there, Lady Impa?"
"I am. I'm just thinking."
"What about, ma'am?"
"About this giant mess, for starters. A lot has happened since you left. I'm sending you a picture of the headline for today's special edition."
The front cover of a newspaper appeared on the slate's screen, and Shiek read the headline out loud.
"HERO OF TIME APPEARS IN HYRULE: After the disastrous events of yesterday's New Year celebrations, and the horrific and public assassination of His Royal Majesty the King, reliable accounts from within the remaining ranks of the Royal Knights have confirmed that the Master Sword is now in the hands of a young man from Ordona Province, who is believed to have fought a battle in the Temple of Time, against the long missing and wanted dead or alive King of the Gerudo, Lord Ganondorf Dragmire."
Impa's voice broke him off before he could read the rest of the article.
"Apparently, some of the knights who fought alongside us this morning decided it would be a good idea to go to the press with this, and now we have to include crowd control in our job description. The city's citizens are, to put it mildly, ecstatic."
"With all due respect, how else were you going to explain the damage done to the temple?"
"I suppose that's what we get for not being as proactive. There's no helping it now."
"It'll certainly make our journey interesting when news spreads."
"That's the understatement of the year."
Now it was Shiek's turn to laugh.
"Shiek?"
"Yes, ma'am?"
"I know this is asking a lot, but I want you to do your best with Link."
"I will, ma'am."
"Hold on, I'm not finished. When I say I want you to do your best with Link, I really mean to do your best with him. He's not me. He can't give you orders the way I can, because he doesn't have any experience with this. He'll need a teammate and a friend, someone he can trust to stand beside him. Not in front or behind. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Shiek sighed, then said, "Yes ma'am."
"The two of you will need to work together, side by side, if you want to be successful. I know you don't play well on teams, but I believe in you."
"…I think I do, too. And I believe in Link."
"That's… really good to hear. I'm… I'm proud of you, Shiek."
"Thank you, ma'am. That means a lot, coming from you."
"Is there anything else you needed?"
"There is one more thing, which I think you'll find interesting."
"How so?"
"Apparently Talon, Link's adoptive father, knew he was the Hero of Time ever since Link was a child."
"That's definitely interesting."
"It gets better. Talon knew about it, because he found out about Link's destiny directly from the source."
"Which source would that be?"
"The Spirit of the Ordona Spring."