Chapter IV
Three weeks had passed since the scenario at the riverside, and autumn was quietly and morosely sneaking in on the ranch and the surrounding countryside of Hyrule. Summer was slowly fading away, losing its grandeur and splendor, escaping in the large thermals that were issuing forth throughout the land, and time seemed to be dawdling away; days moved in sluggish progression, and the inhabitants of the veldt, human and animal alike, were becoming weary and lazy.
One fine afternoon, Link was galloping across Hyrule Field atop Epona, when he happened to pass the foyer to Kokiri Forest. He contemplated for a moment, then steered Epona towards the site. Epona, having never ventured into or even near the forest before, gave an annoyed snort. Link chuckled. The mare was attempting to mask her fear and suspicion with annoyance. Animals sometimes showed so much human characteristic that it was hard to remember that they were animals at all.
Epona slowed to a trot as horse and rider passed under the first eaves of the quaint little aperture. There was a silence here, an empowering sense of stillness in the air that, to the untrained ear, would seem very uneasy, delusional. But Link had been raised in the forest, and instead of nervousness an unfathomable, passionate sense of calm enveloped him as the limbs and branches of ancient trees cast silky silhouettes athwart his face.
Whenever he entered the woods he had always felt a subterranean presence within his chest, like an infinite yearning. It had troubled him greatly in the past, but after his meeting with the Deku Sprout, he had a much better explanation. The forest reminded him of his mother. He felt her presence as he peered through the foliage and at the lengthy shadows the trees cast over the undergrowth. He smelled the flora scent and faintly recalled her own woodsy scent. She had carried him here, when he was but a newborn, away from the hellish fires of war, to the peace of the forest and the protection of the Great Deku Tree. Then she had fallen ill of her many wounds and had died within the forest. Link often wondered where the Kokiri, children of the forest, wise beyond their years, had chosen to bury her, and why none had ever told Link of the location.
The man snapped out of his reverie and shook his head. Beneath him Epona quivered, then swatted her tail at imaginary flies in any attempt to occupy her growing boredom. "I've got to stop dwelling on the past and worry about the present." he said aloud. Then he glanced up at the eaves of the trees once again. The leaves were painted in vibrant hues of gold, crimson and ginger. Even the brown leaves were appealing; they shone a deep chocolate color. It was a beautiful sight to behold. 'I've forgotten how beautiful The Lost Woods get in the fall,' Link admitted to himself. 'I bet Malon would think so too. maybe I'll take her down here tomorrow after chores.' He grinned as he pictured her beautiful face lighting up at the sight of the gorgeous scenery. Lately he had begun to feel as if he lived to please her. Seeing her in high spirits made doing almost anything for her worthwhile. He then turned Epona from the woods and loped away to finish his errands for the day.
By the time Link arrived back at the ranch it was already after dusk, and the late summer stars shone like tiny spotlights above the Hero of Time's head. He somberly guided Epona over to her stall then stepped out into the night and made his way to the ranch house.
He approached the wall facing the corral and peered up through the darkness. Malon was still awake; there was a small candle flickering precariously on her windowsill. Without tearing his eyes from the window Link removed his ocarina from the depths of his Kokiri tunic and absentmindedly brought it to his face.
Malon was sitting on her bedside brushing her long scarlet hair when a faint trickle of notes came to her ears. It seemed to be issuing forth from the open window. Her eyes shone through the darkened room as she hurried to the sill and leaned out.
"Ah, fair maiden, I pray that mine own eyes do not deceive me, for thou hast granted thyself a chance look upon thee, and I am at loss for words enough to describe such radiant beauty cast down on one so humble such as thyself!" Link said in his best translation of the olde tongue, taught to him long ago by the Deku Tree himself.
Malon giggled. "Your sweet words please me greatly, good knight, but I ask you to prove your statement to thee so as not to be accepted falsely. Thou hast forgotten," Malon pointed over her shoulder, "that yonder father sleeps peacefully. If you ask of my presence, then surely you do not ask thee the favor of escaping thy housing threshold to attend?" Malon winked.
Link finally laughed. "It's alright Mal, I'm not asking you to come out tonight, I just wanted to know if, tomorrow, you'd like to go into the forest with me? The leaves are really beautiful.but I'd enjoy them a lot better in the presence of a girl of even greater beauty. So. would you like to?" Link looked up hopefully.
Malon smiled. "Your proposal brings me joy, good knight, and-" she jumped as Talon snorted loudly in the next room. She disappeared for a moment then returned to the window. "I'd love to, Link. See you in the morning." She blew him a kiss then retreated out of view, taking the little candle with her. Link watched on as the light flickered out, and then returned to the stables, eagerly awaiting tomorrow's events.
Link's eyes snapped open as the ranch rooster crowed out its hearty, throaty melody to the newborn daylight. The fairy boy was halfway out of his cozy cuckoo-feathered sheets when he realized that he had opened his eyes much to quickly and risen out of bed way to fast for this hour of the morning. Even Malon would not rise for another hour- today was Sunday, and the chores were at a minimum. Link moaned as his vision blurred, and he collapsed in a weary heap.
"Damn rooster... funny it's never woken me before...?" Link whispered to the empty stall. Usually Link awoke to Ingo's sharp voice, demanding that he rise of his sorry heroic ass and get to work, and occasionally he would wake by himself, but never this early...
"Probably just excited about today..." he told himself nonchalantly. But why? He'd been on outings with Mal many times before... today just felt a little different. With this thought, he crumpled into his covers and drift back into a sound sleep.
"Link? Hey Link! LINK!"
Someone was pounding on the stall door. Link shook himself awake and sat up. It was Malon's voice.
"Come on in, I'm not naked or anything." He heard Malon giggle as the door swung out and she let herself in. 'God, she even looks great this early in the morning,' Link thought. But... wait, how early was it?
"Hey Mal. what time is it?" Link rubbed his eyes.
"Ha, some things about you will never change, my sweet fairy boy. It's just about 9:45!"
Link jumped. "9... 9:45! I... I'm really sorry Malon. I told you I'd meet you at nine, but-
Malon laughed and winked, a tiny little combination that never failed to turn Link's insides to odd potion. "It's fine... at least you have a normal excuse, like forgetting to wake up... last time I was late it was because I was off almost getting myself killed!"
The two laughed together, remembering that fateful day. Link ran a hand through his fair hair and looked up- Malon was gazing at him, and for a brief second, he thought he caught a glimpse of... longing? But her eye instinctively shifted and Link brushed the thought aside.
"So... are you ready or... should we wait till after lunch?" Link stood up and questioned her.
"Actually, I packed one for us... so... we could leave right now...?" Malon shrugged. She suddenly seemed very embarrassed about something.
"Great! Just lemme... oh." The tips of Link's pointy ears burned the color of Malon's fiery ringlets as he looked down. In his haste to rise out of bed, he had forgotten, he wasn't wearing his usual leggings. Malon covered her mouth to laugh.
"GWAAH, it's like I'm wearing a mini-skirt! H-hold on a sec, Mal... heh-heh..." Malon was shaking with laughter as she nodded and backed out of the stall and stood behind the door. Link grimaced. At least she didn't look disgusted. 'Hell,' he thought. 'Today better make up for this...'
The Hero of Time hurriedly slipped into the rest of his clothing then sheepishly opened the stall door with a creak.
"Heehee, so... are you ready?" Malon looked up at him, then down to his legs. Link stuck out his lip and straightened his belt.
"Yeah..."
With that they went and saddled up Epona and left the ranch. In time the arrived to the small wooded area that mark the entrance to the forest.
"Have you ever been into the forest?" Link knew the answer of course... to Hylians it was dangerous to stay in the forest for long... they would turn to Stalfoes. Malon clutched Link's gauntleted forearm and slowly shook her head. "It's okay... we won't be long, and no harm will come to you so long as you stay with me and Navi... we're well known here." Link scanned the area. "That reminds me... I wonder where Navi is? I told her we'd be coming today... I haven't seen her since she decided to stay in Kokiri forest as I worked on the ranch. Maybe I'll ask Saria if she's seen her." The man pulled out his Ocarina and soon the entrancing Saria's song rang through the glade. As the forest music faded, Link smiled, then nodded. He seemed to be holding a conversation with someone with his head. He finished, and his glazed eyes, returned to their normal azure clarity.
"So, does Saria know?" Malon wondered.
"Yeah... Navi's on her way... had a little run-in with a Moblin... I didn't think there were any left after Ganon's fall... but I guess since I didn't kill them off completely, there are still some out there... another great reason not to come into the forest without me... all right?"
"Of course. So, should we just go on ahead and meet her on the way?" Malon asked.
"Yeah, she'll find us if we stay on our regular route." Link helped the ranch girl off Epona then lightly smacked the horse's rump. "Go home, girl. We'll be back before dusk." Epona trotted away, and Link turned back to Malon.
"So... I guess it's just us now, huh?" Link's eyes searched Malon's.
Malon walked over to him and took his hand, then leaned up and lightly kissed his lips. "Yeah... yeah it is." She smiled brightly then, looking all the world like a ruby-red tulip. "So are you gonna take me to see the woods or not, fairy boy?"
Link squeezed her hand. "You got it!" Then they entered the large hollow log that marked the threshold to the forest.
Three weeks had passed since the scenario at the riverside, and autumn was quietly and morosely sneaking in on the ranch and the surrounding countryside of Hyrule. Summer was slowly fading away, losing its grandeur and splendor, escaping in the large thermals that were issuing forth throughout the land, and time seemed to be dawdling away; days moved in sluggish progression, and the inhabitants of the veldt, human and animal alike, were becoming weary and lazy.
One fine afternoon, Link was galloping across Hyrule Field atop Epona, when he happened to pass the foyer to Kokiri Forest. He contemplated for a moment, then steered Epona towards the site. Epona, having never ventured into or even near the forest before, gave an annoyed snort. Link chuckled. The mare was attempting to mask her fear and suspicion with annoyance. Animals sometimes showed so much human characteristic that it was hard to remember that they were animals at all.
Epona slowed to a trot as horse and rider passed under the first eaves of the quaint little aperture. There was a silence here, an empowering sense of stillness in the air that, to the untrained ear, would seem very uneasy, delusional. But Link had been raised in the forest, and instead of nervousness an unfathomable, passionate sense of calm enveloped him as the limbs and branches of ancient trees cast silky silhouettes athwart his face.
Whenever he entered the woods he had always felt a subterranean presence within his chest, like an infinite yearning. It had troubled him greatly in the past, but after his meeting with the Deku Sprout, he had a much better explanation. The forest reminded him of his mother. He felt her presence as he peered through the foliage and at the lengthy shadows the trees cast over the undergrowth. He smelled the flora scent and faintly recalled her own woodsy scent. She had carried him here, when he was but a newborn, away from the hellish fires of war, to the peace of the forest and the protection of the Great Deku Tree. Then she had fallen ill of her many wounds and had died within the forest. Link often wondered where the Kokiri, children of the forest, wise beyond their years, had chosen to bury her, and why none had ever told Link of the location.
The man snapped out of his reverie and shook his head. Beneath him Epona quivered, then swatted her tail at imaginary flies in any attempt to occupy her growing boredom. "I've got to stop dwelling on the past and worry about the present." he said aloud. Then he glanced up at the eaves of the trees once again. The leaves were painted in vibrant hues of gold, crimson and ginger. Even the brown leaves were appealing; they shone a deep chocolate color. It was a beautiful sight to behold. 'I've forgotten how beautiful The Lost Woods get in the fall,' Link admitted to himself. 'I bet Malon would think so too. maybe I'll take her down here tomorrow after chores.' He grinned as he pictured her beautiful face lighting up at the sight of the gorgeous scenery. Lately he had begun to feel as if he lived to please her. Seeing her in high spirits made doing almost anything for her worthwhile. He then turned Epona from the woods and loped away to finish his errands for the day.
By the time Link arrived back at the ranch it was already after dusk, and the late summer stars shone like tiny spotlights above the Hero of Time's head. He somberly guided Epona over to her stall then stepped out into the night and made his way to the ranch house.
He approached the wall facing the corral and peered up through the darkness. Malon was still awake; there was a small candle flickering precariously on her windowsill. Without tearing his eyes from the window Link removed his ocarina from the depths of his Kokiri tunic and absentmindedly brought it to his face.
Malon was sitting on her bedside brushing her long scarlet hair when a faint trickle of notes came to her ears. It seemed to be issuing forth from the open window. Her eyes shone through the darkened room as she hurried to the sill and leaned out.
"Ah, fair maiden, I pray that mine own eyes do not deceive me, for thou hast granted thyself a chance look upon thee, and I am at loss for words enough to describe such radiant beauty cast down on one so humble such as thyself!" Link said in his best translation of the olde tongue, taught to him long ago by the Deku Tree himself.
Malon giggled. "Your sweet words please me greatly, good knight, but I ask you to prove your statement to thee so as not to be accepted falsely. Thou hast forgotten," Malon pointed over her shoulder, "that yonder father sleeps peacefully. If you ask of my presence, then surely you do not ask thee the favor of escaping thy housing threshold to attend?" Malon winked.
Link finally laughed. "It's alright Mal, I'm not asking you to come out tonight, I just wanted to know if, tomorrow, you'd like to go into the forest with me? The leaves are really beautiful.but I'd enjoy them a lot better in the presence of a girl of even greater beauty. So. would you like to?" Link looked up hopefully.
Malon smiled. "Your proposal brings me joy, good knight, and-" she jumped as Talon snorted loudly in the next room. She disappeared for a moment then returned to the window. "I'd love to, Link. See you in the morning." She blew him a kiss then retreated out of view, taking the little candle with her. Link watched on as the light flickered out, and then returned to the stables, eagerly awaiting tomorrow's events.
Link's eyes snapped open as the ranch rooster crowed out its hearty, throaty melody to the newborn daylight. The fairy boy was halfway out of his cozy cuckoo-feathered sheets when he realized that he had opened his eyes much to quickly and risen out of bed way to fast for this hour of the morning. Even Malon would not rise for another hour- today was Sunday, and the chores were at a minimum. Link moaned as his vision blurred, and he collapsed in a weary heap.
"Damn rooster... funny it's never woken me before...?" Link whispered to the empty stall. Usually Link awoke to Ingo's sharp voice, demanding that he rise of his sorry heroic ass and get to work, and occasionally he would wake by himself, but never this early...
"Probably just excited about today..." he told himself nonchalantly. But why? He'd been on outings with Mal many times before... today just felt a little different. With this thought, he crumpled into his covers and drift back into a sound sleep.
"Link? Hey Link! LINK!"
Someone was pounding on the stall door. Link shook himself awake and sat up. It was Malon's voice.
"Come on in, I'm not naked or anything." He heard Malon giggle as the door swung out and she let herself in. 'God, she even looks great this early in the morning,' Link thought. But... wait, how early was it?
"Hey Mal. what time is it?" Link rubbed his eyes.
"Ha, some things about you will never change, my sweet fairy boy. It's just about 9:45!"
Link jumped. "9... 9:45! I... I'm really sorry Malon. I told you I'd meet you at nine, but-
Malon laughed and winked, a tiny little combination that never failed to turn Link's insides to odd potion. "It's fine... at least you have a normal excuse, like forgetting to wake up... last time I was late it was because I was off almost getting myself killed!"
The two laughed together, remembering that fateful day. Link ran a hand through his fair hair and looked up- Malon was gazing at him, and for a brief second, he thought he caught a glimpse of... longing? But her eye instinctively shifted and Link brushed the thought aside.
"So... are you ready or... should we wait till after lunch?" Link stood up and questioned her.
"Actually, I packed one for us... so... we could leave right now...?" Malon shrugged. She suddenly seemed very embarrassed about something.
"Great! Just lemme... oh." The tips of Link's pointy ears burned the color of Malon's fiery ringlets as he looked down. In his haste to rise out of bed, he had forgotten, he wasn't wearing his usual leggings. Malon covered her mouth to laugh.
"GWAAH, it's like I'm wearing a mini-skirt! H-hold on a sec, Mal... heh-heh..." Malon was shaking with laughter as she nodded and backed out of the stall and stood behind the door. Link grimaced. At least she didn't look disgusted. 'Hell,' he thought. 'Today better make up for this...'
The Hero of Time hurriedly slipped into the rest of his clothing then sheepishly opened the stall door with a creak.
"Heehee, so... are you ready?" Malon looked up at him, then down to his legs. Link stuck out his lip and straightened his belt.
"Yeah..."
With that they went and saddled up Epona and left the ranch. In time the arrived to the small wooded area that mark the entrance to the forest.
"Have you ever been into the forest?" Link knew the answer of course... to Hylians it was dangerous to stay in the forest for long... they would turn to Stalfoes. Malon clutched Link's gauntleted forearm and slowly shook her head. "It's okay... we won't be long, and no harm will come to you so long as you stay with me and Navi... we're well known here." Link scanned the area. "That reminds me... I wonder where Navi is? I told her we'd be coming today... I haven't seen her since she decided to stay in Kokiri forest as I worked on the ranch. Maybe I'll ask Saria if she's seen her." The man pulled out his Ocarina and soon the entrancing Saria's song rang through the glade. As the forest music faded, Link smiled, then nodded. He seemed to be holding a conversation with someone with his head. He finished, and his glazed eyes, returned to their normal azure clarity.
"So, does Saria know?" Malon wondered.
"Yeah... Navi's on her way... had a little run-in with a Moblin... I didn't think there were any left after Ganon's fall... but I guess since I didn't kill them off completely, there are still some out there... another great reason not to come into the forest without me... all right?"
"Of course. So, should we just go on ahead and meet her on the way?" Malon asked.
"Yeah, she'll find us if we stay on our regular route." Link helped the ranch girl off Epona then lightly smacked the horse's rump. "Go home, girl. We'll be back before dusk." Epona trotted away, and Link turned back to Malon.
"So... I guess it's just us now, huh?" Link's eyes searched Malon's.
Malon walked over to him and took his hand, then leaned up and lightly kissed his lips. "Yeah... yeah it is." She smiled brightly then, looking all the world like a ruby-red tulip. "So are you gonna take me to see the woods or not, fairy boy?"
Link squeezed her hand. "You got it!" Then they entered the large hollow log that marked the threshold to the forest.