Prologue: A Short But Lasting Friendship
Sunsets at Lon Lon Ranch were always beautiful, even on rainy days. Streaked with colours, almost like a rainbow. Pink, yellow, red. This one was especially pretty. The clouds were stretched out in tiny clusters and their underbellies were tinged to match the sky.
A small girl with bright, shiny blue eyes and long wavy red hair sat on the fence post at the entrance to the ranch, watching the last rays of sun fade away behind it's tall stone walls. It had been a good day. A family from Hyrule Castle Town had come to visit. She had played with the children at hide and seek in the hayloft, and taught the oldest girl the basics of riding a horse.
Malon hummed a snatch of a tune her mother used to sing. The young colt she was raising, a free-spirited roan named Epona, snorted softly and rubbed her velvety snout on the girl's hand. Malon patted it's head absently, lost in thoughts about her mother. She'd been a good-natured woman, with a good sense of humour and a great love of life. Malon couldn't remember much about her; she'd died when she was only 6. The most she recalled was her mother's sweet voice that was said could tame the wildest stallion.
"I wish she was still alive," she told Epona, who flattened her ears back to listen. "I'm the only person I know that doesn't have a mother." Epona blinked her dark eyes, and Malon smiled. "You always listen. I love you, Epona." She hugged the horse close.
The wind swirled about Malon, mussing her hair and shifting her long white dress that hung to her ankles. Today was cleaning day, and she was out in the fields giving the horses their weekly shower. She dipped her brush into the pail of water for the umpteenth time. When she straightened, she saw a boy coming 'round the bend on the ranch's pathway.
He was a curious character, dressed in odd clothes and followed by a white fairy. He had long blonde hair that he held back with a green cap. His startling blue eyes caught the sunshine, and when his gaze fell on Malon, he gave her a friendly smile. They had met before, on the road to Hyrule Castle. She dropped her brush, pleased to have an excuse to interrupt her cleaning, and ran out to meet him.
"Oh, it's you, Fairy Boy! I was wondering when you'd finally come along for a visit." He just smiled and nodded. "Father wanted to thank you for waking him," she continued, trying to get him to speak, but again he just nodded. She almost frowned. Was the boy a mute, or simply dim-witted? Probably the latter.
She noticed the Fairy Boy looking over her shoulder at something, and when she turned, she found Epona, watching him warily. "I'd like you to meet a friend of mine, Fairy Boy," said Malon over her shoulder. "This is Epona. You can pet her if you like."
The Fairy Boy stretched out his hand to touch Epona's glossy mane, but before he could, the horse dashed away as though someone had hit her rump. The boy looked only slightly disappointed. Malon frowned after the colt. "She doesn't seem to like you very much..." He shrugged his shoulders resignedly.
Irritated by his silence, Malon began pelting the boy with questions. He never answered in complete sentences: always the shortest response possible. She learned that his name was Link, that he came from Kokiri Forest, that he had left home to search for treasure, and little else. After several more attempts to engage him in conversation, she gave up, concluding that he was a listener, not a talker. So, to fill his own silence, she began talking about her favourite subject in the whole world: horses.
Link was a good listener. His eyes never strayed from her face, and he nodded and smiled at all the right parts. As the morning wore on, Malon decided that Link wasn't really as dim-witted as she had thought, and that he was quite a nice boy once you got to talk to him. She spoke to him about grooming, riding, feeding, training and horses' feelings and habits. When she mentioned the song that she sang to calm Epona down, she noticed an odd glint appear in the boy's eyes. Without shifting his gaze, Link reached into his pack and pulled out a small, wooden ocarina.
"Oh, cute ocarina," she exclaimed. "Do you want to learn to play my song?"
Nod.
So Malon taught him her mother's song, the one that Epona seemed to love so much. Soon after that, Link stood up and announced that it was time for him to leave. Malon shook his hand and invited him to come again soon.
That was the start of a great friendship between the two children. Link visited often, and as the two got closer, he began to talk more; about his adventures, his life in Kokiri Forest, anything that came to mind. Malon felt even closer to him when he confessed that he, too, had no mother. They would laze around in the field, or jump around in the hay, or play with the Cuccos. Once they had a picnic outside the ranch under the tall tree at the entrance.
And then, he just stopped coming. The last time Malon saw him was the day before Hyrule Castle was taken over by Ganondorf and his men. Refugees had come pouring into the gates, telling the most awful stories. For weeks she waited for him to come back, but he never did. Overtime, he became nothing more then a memory...
Sunsets at Lon Lon Ranch were always beautiful, even on rainy days. Streaked with colours, almost like a rainbow. Pink, yellow, red. This one was especially pretty. The clouds were stretched out in tiny clusters and their underbellies were tinged to match the sky.
A small girl with bright, shiny blue eyes and long wavy red hair sat on the fence post at the entrance to the ranch, watching the last rays of sun fade away behind it's tall stone walls. It had been a good day. A family from Hyrule Castle Town had come to visit. She had played with the children at hide and seek in the hayloft, and taught the oldest girl the basics of riding a horse.
Malon hummed a snatch of a tune her mother used to sing. The young colt she was raising, a free-spirited roan named Epona, snorted softly and rubbed her velvety snout on the girl's hand. Malon patted it's head absently, lost in thoughts about her mother. She'd been a good-natured woman, with a good sense of humour and a great love of life. Malon couldn't remember much about her; she'd died when she was only 6. The most she recalled was her mother's sweet voice that was said could tame the wildest stallion.
"I wish she was still alive," she told Epona, who flattened her ears back to listen. "I'm the only person I know that doesn't have a mother." Epona blinked her dark eyes, and Malon smiled. "You always listen. I love you, Epona." She hugged the horse close.
The wind swirled about Malon, mussing her hair and shifting her long white dress that hung to her ankles. Today was cleaning day, and she was out in the fields giving the horses their weekly shower. She dipped her brush into the pail of water for the umpteenth time. When she straightened, she saw a boy coming 'round the bend on the ranch's pathway.
He was a curious character, dressed in odd clothes and followed by a white fairy. He had long blonde hair that he held back with a green cap. His startling blue eyes caught the sunshine, and when his gaze fell on Malon, he gave her a friendly smile. They had met before, on the road to Hyrule Castle. She dropped her brush, pleased to have an excuse to interrupt her cleaning, and ran out to meet him.
"Oh, it's you, Fairy Boy! I was wondering when you'd finally come along for a visit." He just smiled and nodded. "Father wanted to thank you for waking him," she continued, trying to get him to speak, but again he just nodded. She almost frowned. Was the boy a mute, or simply dim-witted? Probably the latter.
She noticed the Fairy Boy looking over her shoulder at something, and when she turned, she found Epona, watching him warily. "I'd like you to meet a friend of mine, Fairy Boy," said Malon over her shoulder. "This is Epona. You can pet her if you like."
The Fairy Boy stretched out his hand to touch Epona's glossy mane, but before he could, the horse dashed away as though someone had hit her rump. The boy looked only slightly disappointed. Malon frowned after the colt. "She doesn't seem to like you very much..." He shrugged his shoulders resignedly.
Irritated by his silence, Malon began pelting the boy with questions. He never answered in complete sentences: always the shortest response possible. She learned that his name was Link, that he came from Kokiri Forest, that he had left home to search for treasure, and little else. After several more attempts to engage him in conversation, she gave up, concluding that he was a listener, not a talker. So, to fill his own silence, she began talking about her favourite subject in the whole world: horses.
Link was a good listener. His eyes never strayed from her face, and he nodded and smiled at all the right parts. As the morning wore on, Malon decided that Link wasn't really as dim-witted as she had thought, and that he was quite a nice boy once you got to talk to him. She spoke to him about grooming, riding, feeding, training and horses' feelings and habits. When she mentioned the song that she sang to calm Epona down, she noticed an odd glint appear in the boy's eyes. Without shifting his gaze, Link reached into his pack and pulled out a small, wooden ocarina.
"Oh, cute ocarina," she exclaimed. "Do you want to learn to play my song?"
Nod.
So Malon taught him her mother's song, the one that Epona seemed to love so much. Soon after that, Link stood up and announced that it was time for him to leave. Malon shook his hand and invited him to come again soon.
That was the start of a great friendship between the two children. Link visited often, and as the two got closer, he began to talk more; about his adventures, his life in Kokiri Forest, anything that came to mind. Malon felt even closer to him when he confessed that he, too, had no mother. They would laze around in the field, or jump around in the hay, or play with the Cuccos. Once they had a picnic outside the ranch under the tall tree at the entrance.
And then, he just stopped coming. The last time Malon saw him was the day before Hyrule Castle was taken over by Ganondorf and his men. Refugees had come pouring into the gates, telling the most awful stories. For weeks she waited for him to come back, but he never did. Overtime, he became nothing more then a memory...