Disclaimer: I own Zelda. Whoops, I'm late for my Compulsive Liar's Club Meeting!
This is ANOTHER Malink. I never get sick of them...this one's in Malon's POV.
On with the Story!
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As I run down the stairs, dread fills the pit of my stomach. I was late with Ingo's supper, and he apparently has a visitor tonight. Ingo beats me even if his supper isn't prepared well enough for him, and when I don't make it at all...
When I reach the kitchen, I rush around and soon prepare a hearty meal of beef stew and grilled cucco. I arrange it neatly on the small table; it really looks pretty with the small vase of flowers sitting in the center. Of course, I won't get any. I might get some leftovers, but other than that my supper will be some bread and maybe a bit of butter and a glass of water. I feel incredibly lucky when I get a bowl of dry oatmeal for supper, and I'll save this treat for days, but this only happens when Ingo is in a good mood or when I complete an extremely difficult task. Last time I got oatmeal was when I rode all the way to Gerudo Valley and back in under a day to deliver milk.
Things weren't like this when Fairy Boy was here. Ingo was scared of him, so he only complained mildly. Then Fairy Boy's visits got fewer and fewer. After a while he stopped visiting all together.
Yes, Fairy Boy is none other than Link. When I first met him in the market, I knew that he was special. I fancied that he would become a very important person someday, and I could say that I'd actually met him. Back then I was just ten, so I had no idea what responsibilities he was bearing. Soon after meeting him we became friends, so I was heartbroken when he stopped coming to the Ranch. Ingo, however, was delighted. With Link out of the way, Ingo could make me a complete slave. After kicking Dad out, I thought I was doomed. I still half think that, actually.
I used to dream about Fairy Boy and when he would come back to rescue me; but after seven years passed it was obvious that he had forgotten me. Insensitive jerk. If he ever does come back, he'd better have a damn good reason for not coming to visit. In fact, even if he does have a good reason, I'll still give him a piece of my mind.
I'm suddenly snapped out of my thoughts as Ingo storms in. "Malon..." He spits my name out like poison. He only calls me 'Malon' when he's really, really mad. The rest of the time he just calls me 'girl' or 'you there'. "You were late with my supper, and I have a guest. An important guest. Can you guess who it is?" He says, barely contained rage dripping from his hoarse voice. "Lord Ganondorf?" I squeak, though I hate calling Ganondorf 'Lord'.
"No! Stupid girl! This visitor is someone who is inspecting the Ranch. I heard he was coming this way. He's some kind of famous crime fighter or something like that, and he looks around for evil. He is trying to overcome Lord Ganondorf, so not a word about my serving Ganondorf the Great. If he finds out that I am a follower of Ganondorf, he will kick me out of the Ranch. Or that's how the rumor goes. I heard from a friend of mine that he killed all of Lord Ganondorf's servants working in Kokiri Forest, and now those bratty kids are running free again. So you stay out of the way! I mean it! And if he does see you, address him as 'the Hero of Time'. And lastly, he's arriving in half an hour. In the meantime, you must be punished."
As Ingo finishes his speech, he grabs me by the hair. I struggle and kick, so he punches me in the face. I whimper in pain as he slaps me again. "What do you say to me, girl?" He yells. "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Ingo!" I manage to gasp out. He punches me again, then kicks me, sending me flying across the room. I hit the wall, then slide down. Then I scramble away to the stables and shut the door as I hear Ingo answering the house door.
With tears running down my face, I wet a small cloth and wipe the blood off my arms and legs. Then, in case the visitor sees me, I brush out my long red hair and smooth my dress down. I finally pick up a bucket and start doing my chores so I'll have less work to do tomorrow.
I almost drop my bucket of water as I hear footsteps approaching the stable. The supper I made must not be good enough for Ingo...Oh Din, I'm in for it now. But instead the door swings open, and there stands a young man. He has blonde bangs, a green tunic, white leggings, brown boots and a green hat. His piercing blue eyes widen as he looks at me. He seems so familiar...almost like Fairy Boy, but not quite. Then he finds his voice. "Who are you?" Just then Ingo storms in. "Oh, pay no attention to her. She's just a stable hand I hired." "Really." The young man says, sounding quite unconvinced. "Well, Mr. Ingo, I'd better be going soon." That voice sounds so comforting. He sound just like Fairy Boy used to when he was telling Ingo he had to leave. He would use that exact sentence, and Ingo would calm down a little after Link said it. I have no idea why, but I wish I could do that. It would be so easy to break out of this slavery if I could calm Ingo down with my voice.
Soon the young man leaves, and I'm sorry to see him go. It would have been nice to talk to him. He reminds me so much of Link. Tears well up in my eyes, so I decide to comfort myself by singing my mother's song. Sometimes, when I'm really lonely or sad, I sneak out at night and sing Epona's Song. It calms me down and helps me concentrate, but I can't sing it in the daytime because Ingo hates it.
When I get out in the cool night air, I tiptoe to the middle of the corral. Then I start to sing softly. The smooth melody comforts me slightly, but I'm interrupted as someone taps my shoulder. I whirl around and the young man is standing there, looking rather embarassed. "Hello?" I say meekly. "Hello. I'm sorry to bother you, I just wanted to talk to you before and then Mr. Ingo interrupted me. So, what's your name?" By now I'm feeling pretty shocked. No visitor has ever wanted to talk to me.
"I- My name is Malon." I say slowly. The young man's eyes widen again. "Malon...it's me, Link!"
