Chapter 3: Familiar Strangers
Ingo had certainly taken Ganondorf's visit to heart. He suddenly was completely involved with everything that was going on at the ranch, and had Malon work much harder then usual, if that was possible. One day he went out to town and came back with a box full of new tiles for the roof. Malon spent the next three days re-tiling the roof, which didn't even need it in the first place. He also had her rebuild the rickety stable door, and replace the old rusted gate that had never been closed with a new one. There were new shoes and saddles for the horses, and two more cows to add to the number. Malon was hard pressed with all the work to be done. And what irritated her the most was that it wasn't working. They were receiving no more visitors then before.
A bird chirped outside. Malon almost fell out of her bed in surprise. The sound had so seldom been heard she wondered if she perhaps had just imagined it. But no, it came again, a small, delicate tweet just outside her window. She dressed herself with a smile on her face. The sound of life other then the mooing of cows and the whinnies of horses seemed to have boosted her spirit, if only a little. She even managed to forget the aches in her limbs as she made breakfast, too busy wondering what had brought the bird back again after it's long absence. She had heard or seen birds only rarely, unless she counted the vile crows that constantly circled the ranch at night.
As soon as the last jam tart was in his mouth, Ingo was up and out the door to send the horses into the circled off paddock. When Malon was done cleaning up, she took the milk pail and crossed Lon Lon ranch's path to the stable. When she opened the door, she jumped and dropped her pail in surprise.
A young man stood leaning on the opposite wall, studying her with piercing sapphire eyes. He was clad in a blue tunic and hat with a long sword strapped to his back and had longish blonde hair, partially held back by the hat, that fell over his eyes. Lean and tall, and quite handsome, he looked like a travelling warrior, and Malon estimated that he was about her age.
She picked up the fallen pail, and, avoiding his eyes, proceeded toward the cows. "I'm sorry, sir," she said, "but I don't think you should be in here. If you'd like to ride a horse, you might want to go speak to Mr. Ingo. He's at the paddock gate outside."
The man didn't speak. He just stared at her with those striking eyes. She sneaked a glance at him, blushing under his scrutiny. He made her nervous; she couldn't tell what he was thinking. She propped a stool up beside the first cow, still not looking at him, and began her work. When his silence continued, she wondered if he had not heard her. "You might want to speak to Mr. Ingo," she repeated. "He's out-"
"Alright, don't worry, I'm going!" he burst out suddenly, a mocking smile on his face. "Don't faint, now!" And he left.
Malon stared at the door from which he'd left, stunned. When he'd smiled just then, he had seemed so familiar. Had she met him before her father had left, by any chance? Her brow creased in thought as she tried to remember, but it was no use. Everything that had happened in her life before her father's departure was like a blur in her mind. She even had a hard time remembering her father's face sometimes, though it had only been a year since she'd last seen him. The only thing that stood out clearly in her mind was a song that she found herself humming when her mind wandered. She couldn't remember who she'd learned it from, or what it meant, only that, for some reason, it was very important. She had to make sure not to sing it in Ingo's presence, however. He hated it.
When she'd finally finished milking the cow, she poured it into glass bottles for sale and then led the cattle out to graze. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the mysterious young man in the fenced in horse area. He was standing next to Epona, patting her sleek white mane. The boy smiled as she bent her great head and nuzzled her nose against his shoulder. Malon completely forgot herself and stared openly. Epona never reacted kindly to strangers. The only person she trusted was Malon, and even Ingo, whom she had known her entire life, she watched somewhat warily whenever he was near. And up walks this strange man, and she warms to him as though he were an old friend? Even if the boy were an expert rider, like a gerudo, she would probably have bolted rather then let him mount her.
And an expert he was not, to be sure. He mounted almost clumsily and, after he had kicked his heels and Epona had started off, he bounced around the ring like a sack of grain. Malon had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. When his eyes turned her way, however, she hastily looked down at the grass that was slowly being torn up by the cattle.
After a short ride, he jumped off the horse and exited the enclosed area. Now came the part she dreaded the most: the look on people's faces when Ingo informed them he expected them to pay. But when Ingo spoke to the young warrior, he just gave a small laugh and dropped several rupees into his outstretched palm.
She studied him from her safe distance. Now, here was a strange fellow: he made instant friends with horses and had a loose wallet. And quite a handsome face, she added as an afterthought. He is either a sorcerer or the most skilled horse-tamer in Hyrule, both as unlikely as the other. Should he come back again, I'll have to pay closer attention, Malon decided. He seems rather suspicious.
He came back every day in the next week. Malon would walk into the stable and see him there, leaning patiently at ease against the wall. He would smile, compliment her on her hair, her eyes, anything at all, and then leave to ride a horse. It was always Epona.
And after the week was over, she was still no closer to figuring out who he was, or what he wanted at Lon Lon Ranch. Maybe he was simply a traveler who was developing an interest in horses. Or maybe he wanted to buy the ranch. Or maybe he is interested in me: a thought that once crossed Malon's mind. It was preposterous, stupid, complete and utter nonsense. And yet, she entertained the thought every now and then. A rich young warrior to come and sweep her off her feet. She shook her head, ridding those silly, idle thoughts from her head. Honestly, had her simple life finally caught up to her and slowed her brain?
After almost carelessly tossing the dishes into their shelves one morning after breakfast, she seized the egg basket and rushed to the door, only stopping to adjust the red kerchief she had tied around her head to hide the enormous bruise over her left ear that Ingo had given her the night before. She had come to look forward to those brief meetings in the stable with the strange young man. It had almost become an obsession, trying to discover who he was and why he seemed so familiar. Whenever she had spare room in her mind for thoughts, she filled it immediately with ones about him. She didn't know why, but for some reason, it was vital that she find out who he was. Maybe then she could fill in the holes that dotted her remembrances of the past. Great big crevices of lost memories taunted her constantly, and no matter how hard she tried to fill them, she could not. Maybe he had the answers.
On her way out the door, she walked headlong into Ingo who was hurrying by. He shoved her roughly aside with a curse and continued on, only to veer back to face her. "Listen, girl," he snapped. "My clients in Kakariko are angry that I haven't delivered in a while and are threatening to break off our contract, so I'm going into town. You'll manage while I'm gone, and if I hear of one blunder, I'll beat you so hard your eyes'll go through the back of your head!" Malon nodded quickly. It was either that or receive a blow to the head. When she didn't move, thinking he'd push past her again, he exploded. "GO HARNESS THE HORSES, YOU HALF-WIT BUFFOON!"
She was already in the stable and setting up the wagon by the end of his sentence. She ignored the stinging scrape his shoe had caused when he'd kicked her. She worked quickly, snapping two of the strongest horses, Eastrian and Polli, into the harness and hitching up the wagon with only a little difficulty. She was so caught up in her work, she didn't notice that there was someone else in the stable with her.
Once the wagon was loaded with the products for delivery, Ingo left with a last warning glare. Malon sighed with relief. An entire day without Ingo around: she always looked forward to them. Not having his hand near to hit her or his small squinty eyes to watch her made all the difference in the world while she worked. She picked up the egg basket, and, turning, gave a small scream when she came face to face with the blue-eyed stranger.
His sparkling sapphires twinkled with amusement at the expression on her face. "Good morning," he said. "How are you?"
"I'm – I'm fine..." stuttered Malon. "But, you know... the ranch is closed today," she lied. "Mr Ingo has left for town to sell our products." She hoped against hope that he would leave. Being alone all day with the man didn't appeal to her at all.
The boy smiled and shrugged his shoulders. She was struck once again with the odd sense of familiarity. "That's too bad. Do you think I could stay a while anyway? I've been wanting to talk to you, but Ingo seems so desperate to keep me away from you, I keep my distance so that the man won't get a heart attack."
"I could understand why," she said, shyly keeping her head down and her eyes averted from his. "Mr Ingo doesn't want me to miss doing my chores. I'd no doubt be distracted if I were speaking to anybody. And Mr Ingo always wants people to have fun at Lon Lon Ranch. He knows that people would hardly be having a good time if they were speaking to someone as slow and silly as me." She'd been completely serious, but the swordsman chuckled as though she'd said something funny.
"Well I don't know about some people," he said, "But I for one don't care how silly and slow a person is so long as I can keep looking at a face as pretty as yours." Malon laughed nervously, ducking her head to hide her furious blush behind her red hair. "Do I know you?" he asked suddenly, leaning in closer with a frown to try and look into her eyes. She jerked back on impulse, then, realizing she was being foolish, pretended to be heading out the door. He followed, and she could feel his eyes on her back.
"Did you hear what I said?" he called as they started around the horses' paddock. "I asked if we'd met before." He sped up his pace so that they were walking side by side.
"It's possible. I've met many people during my life at the ranch." Malon stared straight ahead as she talked. It seemed Ingo wasn't the only person she couldn't seem to look in the eye.
"That must be it, then, if you've been working at the ranch for your whole life. You see, I traveled Hyrule as a child, but I moved away for a long time, and now that I've returned, I find myself looking at things and recognising them but not know why. Like that horse, for instance." He pointed to Epona, who was grazing quietly in the paddock with the other horses. "It sounds stupid, I know..."
"No, it doesn't. I feel the same way." Malon blushed at her strange choice of words.
"Do you," he said absently. "Well, my name's Link, if you'd like to know." Link... where had she heard that name before? She felt a little disappointed. The man wasn't the answer to the holes in her memories; he was one of them.
"I'm Malon." She noticed a strange jerk to Link's head when she said her name, as though he had suddenly remembered something, but he didn't say anything, and she soon forgot about it.
They talked all morning, or rather, Link talked and Malon nodded her head. She couldn't trust him, and she couldn't like him. She had trusted and liked Ingo once, when she had been a little girl, and he'd turned out to be cruel, heartless and abusive. There was no saying that this Link would not turn out to the same. Nevertheless, she found herself growing fond of his playful, joking manner and friendly chatter, despite her precautions to remain as hard as a rock.
A rock has no feelings, she reminded herself. A rock does not make friends, and does not enjoy speaking to people. But it was no use. There was no way to keep from enjoying Link's company. He was kind and thoughtful, and he helped out with Malon's chores, coming in to lift a plank or to shove over a crate before she could object. By lunchtime, she was already done for the day. "Would you like some soup," she asked politely as they entered the house.
"If it's not too much trouble, that'd be great," he responded, seating himself at the table and looking around the kitchen. He was silent as Malon bustled about preparing lunch. She felt a lot more comfortable around him already. No! You can't like him! He could be just as violent as Ingo if you did anything to displease him. She had to be careful; she had to be wary.
"Why are you so uncomfortable around me, Malon?" Link asked. "I swear I don't want to be any closer then friends!" he joked.
"Times have changed since we were children." Where had that come from? She had made it seem as though they had grown up together! Had they? "You can't trust anyone these days. I don't know you, you could be an assassin!"
"Yeah, I could be," whispered a voice in her ear. She jumped so violently the knife she had been holding slipped and cut her finger. Snatching up the blade, she held it between them with a shaky hand. Link's smile faded when he saw the expression on her face. Fear and panic was plain on her features, and she held the blade as though it were her only salvation against a terrible foe, and that dropping it would mean sure death.
"Take it easy, I was joking..." She wasn't convinced. "Come on, Malon, just put the knife down. I was only kidding." Still, she didn't move. "Please? I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."
Finally, she dropped the knife and covered her face with her hands. What was wrong with her? Had she gone mad? She had pulled a knife on him!
"I'm sorry, Link. I don't know what happened, I just... I think I need to just calm down ... Why don't you go?"
"Nope, I haven't gotten my soup yet." Link said with and uneasy grin. Malon stared. Did the boy take anything seriously?! He touched her shoulder gently. "Don't worry about it, ok? You had every right to do that; I shouldn't have gotten so close. Here, sit down." He pulled up a chair and ushered her into it. She dropped down on the seat, stunned.
"I can't believe I did that... What if I had actually used it?!" She put a hand to her head. "I must be losing my mind."
"None of that talk." Link said from the cauldron of soup he was now tending over the fire. "Everyone gets a little edgy sometimes. I myself have done that on quite a few occasions, to tell you the truth. Only usually it's a stalfos looking over my shoulder," he added with a short laugh. Malon watched him out of the corner of her eye. Who was he? And despite his cheery tone and expression, she caught Link glancing at her worriedly several times when he thought she wasn't looking during their meal.
Once the bowls were cleared away, Malon made them each a cup of tea, and they sipped it and talked. She found herself telling Link about herself, how her father had been thrown out of the ranch, how she'd stayed behind to take care of things. She refrained from mentioning Ingo's abuse. He'd told her never to tell anyone what he did to her, that there would be terrible consequences if she ever spoke about it. It wasn't that bad, anyway. If he had to hit her to get her to listen, he was allowed to do that, wasn't he?
"So your father's name, you said it was Talon?" Link asked. When Malon nodded, his brow creased in a frown and he rubbed a hand on his forehead. "This ranch, it's so familiar to me. It's the place I can seem to remember the most of in all of Hyrule."
"You're familiar to me as well," she admitted. "But, my memories of my past aren't very clear. I can't even picture my father's face, sometimes."
"Have you ever thought of going to visit him? Surely Ingo would understand if you just wanted to see him? Just for a day?" Malon hesitated. What should she say? That Ingo would beat the daylights out of her if she even suggested leaving, which was the truth? "Well, I suppose he would," she sighed after a pause.
The afternoon slithered by at a snail's pace. Link never got up to leave, and Malon never asked him to. It was wonderful having someone to talk to. She did speak to Epona sometimes, when the loneliness was overwhelming, but it wasn't the same.
At sundown, Ingo returned with an empty cart. He stepped into the kitchen, and, seeing Link there, was all courtesy and politeness. "Malon, dear, why don't you go and take care of the horses." She stalked off to the stables. What a big phoney.
The moment she latched the bar down in front of Eastrian's stall, the door opened, and in walked Link. "I'm leaving now," he said. "Thanks for a great day. I'll see you soon. Take it easy." One last wink, and he was gone.
Ingo bombarded her with questions when she entered the kitchen. What happened? What did he want? Did you sell him anything? He went into a rage when he heard that she hadn't gotten any money from Link, and broke an empty glass bottle over her head. When she came to again, he roared into her face to go to bed. It was just as well, because she wouldn't have been able to make dinner properly with her vision so blurred.
Ingo had certainly taken Ganondorf's visit to heart. He suddenly was completely involved with everything that was going on at the ranch, and had Malon work much harder then usual, if that was possible. One day he went out to town and came back with a box full of new tiles for the roof. Malon spent the next three days re-tiling the roof, which didn't even need it in the first place. He also had her rebuild the rickety stable door, and replace the old rusted gate that had never been closed with a new one. There were new shoes and saddles for the horses, and two more cows to add to the number. Malon was hard pressed with all the work to be done. And what irritated her the most was that it wasn't working. They were receiving no more visitors then before.
A bird chirped outside. Malon almost fell out of her bed in surprise. The sound had so seldom been heard she wondered if she perhaps had just imagined it. But no, it came again, a small, delicate tweet just outside her window. She dressed herself with a smile on her face. The sound of life other then the mooing of cows and the whinnies of horses seemed to have boosted her spirit, if only a little. She even managed to forget the aches in her limbs as she made breakfast, too busy wondering what had brought the bird back again after it's long absence. She had heard or seen birds only rarely, unless she counted the vile crows that constantly circled the ranch at night.
As soon as the last jam tart was in his mouth, Ingo was up and out the door to send the horses into the circled off paddock. When Malon was done cleaning up, she took the milk pail and crossed Lon Lon ranch's path to the stable. When she opened the door, she jumped and dropped her pail in surprise.
A young man stood leaning on the opposite wall, studying her with piercing sapphire eyes. He was clad in a blue tunic and hat with a long sword strapped to his back and had longish blonde hair, partially held back by the hat, that fell over his eyes. Lean and tall, and quite handsome, he looked like a travelling warrior, and Malon estimated that he was about her age.
She picked up the fallen pail, and, avoiding his eyes, proceeded toward the cows. "I'm sorry, sir," she said, "but I don't think you should be in here. If you'd like to ride a horse, you might want to go speak to Mr. Ingo. He's at the paddock gate outside."
The man didn't speak. He just stared at her with those striking eyes. She sneaked a glance at him, blushing under his scrutiny. He made her nervous; she couldn't tell what he was thinking. She propped a stool up beside the first cow, still not looking at him, and began her work. When his silence continued, she wondered if he had not heard her. "You might want to speak to Mr. Ingo," she repeated. "He's out-"
"Alright, don't worry, I'm going!" he burst out suddenly, a mocking smile on his face. "Don't faint, now!" And he left.
Malon stared at the door from which he'd left, stunned. When he'd smiled just then, he had seemed so familiar. Had she met him before her father had left, by any chance? Her brow creased in thought as she tried to remember, but it was no use. Everything that had happened in her life before her father's departure was like a blur in her mind. She even had a hard time remembering her father's face sometimes, though it had only been a year since she'd last seen him. The only thing that stood out clearly in her mind was a song that she found herself humming when her mind wandered. She couldn't remember who she'd learned it from, or what it meant, only that, for some reason, it was very important. She had to make sure not to sing it in Ingo's presence, however. He hated it.
When she'd finally finished milking the cow, she poured it into glass bottles for sale and then led the cattle out to graze. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the mysterious young man in the fenced in horse area. He was standing next to Epona, patting her sleek white mane. The boy smiled as she bent her great head and nuzzled her nose against his shoulder. Malon completely forgot herself and stared openly. Epona never reacted kindly to strangers. The only person she trusted was Malon, and even Ingo, whom she had known her entire life, she watched somewhat warily whenever he was near. And up walks this strange man, and she warms to him as though he were an old friend? Even if the boy were an expert rider, like a gerudo, she would probably have bolted rather then let him mount her.
And an expert he was not, to be sure. He mounted almost clumsily and, after he had kicked his heels and Epona had started off, he bounced around the ring like a sack of grain. Malon had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. When his eyes turned her way, however, she hastily looked down at the grass that was slowly being torn up by the cattle.
After a short ride, he jumped off the horse and exited the enclosed area. Now came the part she dreaded the most: the look on people's faces when Ingo informed them he expected them to pay. But when Ingo spoke to the young warrior, he just gave a small laugh and dropped several rupees into his outstretched palm.
She studied him from her safe distance. Now, here was a strange fellow: he made instant friends with horses and had a loose wallet. And quite a handsome face, she added as an afterthought. He is either a sorcerer or the most skilled horse-tamer in Hyrule, both as unlikely as the other. Should he come back again, I'll have to pay closer attention, Malon decided. He seems rather suspicious.
He came back every day in the next week. Malon would walk into the stable and see him there, leaning patiently at ease against the wall. He would smile, compliment her on her hair, her eyes, anything at all, and then leave to ride a horse. It was always Epona.
And after the week was over, she was still no closer to figuring out who he was, or what he wanted at Lon Lon Ranch. Maybe he was simply a traveler who was developing an interest in horses. Or maybe he wanted to buy the ranch. Or maybe he is interested in me: a thought that once crossed Malon's mind. It was preposterous, stupid, complete and utter nonsense. And yet, she entertained the thought every now and then. A rich young warrior to come and sweep her off her feet. She shook her head, ridding those silly, idle thoughts from her head. Honestly, had her simple life finally caught up to her and slowed her brain?
After almost carelessly tossing the dishes into their shelves one morning after breakfast, she seized the egg basket and rushed to the door, only stopping to adjust the red kerchief she had tied around her head to hide the enormous bruise over her left ear that Ingo had given her the night before. She had come to look forward to those brief meetings in the stable with the strange young man. It had almost become an obsession, trying to discover who he was and why he seemed so familiar. Whenever she had spare room in her mind for thoughts, she filled it immediately with ones about him. She didn't know why, but for some reason, it was vital that she find out who he was. Maybe then she could fill in the holes that dotted her remembrances of the past. Great big crevices of lost memories taunted her constantly, and no matter how hard she tried to fill them, she could not. Maybe he had the answers.
On her way out the door, she walked headlong into Ingo who was hurrying by. He shoved her roughly aside with a curse and continued on, only to veer back to face her. "Listen, girl," he snapped. "My clients in Kakariko are angry that I haven't delivered in a while and are threatening to break off our contract, so I'm going into town. You'll manage while I'm gone, and if I hear of one blunder, I'll beat you so hard your eyes'll go through the back of your head!" Malon nodded quickly. It was either that or receive a blow to the head. When she didn't move, thinking he'd push past her again, he exploded. "GO HARNESS THE HORSES, YOU HALF-WIT BUFFOON!"
She was already in the stable and setting up the wagon by the end of his sentence. She ignored the stinging scrape his shoe had caused when he'd kicked her. She worked quickly, snapping two of the strongest horses, Eastrian and Polli, into the harness and hitching up the wagon with only a little difficulty. She was so caught up in her work, she didn't notice that there was someone else in the stable with her.
Once the wagon was loaded with the products for delivery, Ingo left with a last warning glare. Malon sighed with relief. An entire day without Ingo around: she always looked forward to them. Not having his hand near to hit her or his small squinty eyes to watch her made all the difference in the world while she worked. She picked up the egg basket, and, turning, gave a small scream when she came face to face with the blue-eyed stranger.
His sparkling sapphires twinkled with amusement at the expression on her face. "Good morning," he said. "How are you?"
"I'm – I'm fine..." stuttered Malon. "But, you know... the ranch is closed today," she lied. "Mr Ingo has left for town to sell our products." She hoped against hope that he would leave. Being alone all day with the man didn't appeal to her at all.
The boy smiled and shrugged his shoulders. She was struck once again with the odd sense of familiarity. "That's too bad. Do you think I could stay a while anyway? I've been wanting to talk to you, but Ingo seems so desperate to keep me away from you, I keep my distance so that the man won't get a heart attack."
"I could understand why," she said, shyly keeping her head down and her eyes averted from his. "Mr Ingo doesn't want me to miss doing my chores. I'd no doubt be distracted if I were speaking to anybody. And Mr Ingo always wants people to have fun at Lon Lon Ranch. He knows that people would hardly be having a good time if they were speaking to someone as slow and silly as me." She'd been completely serious, but the swordsman chuckled as though she'd said something funny.
"Well I don't know about some people," he said, "But I for one don't care how silly and slow a person is so long as I can keep looking at a face as pretty as yours." Malon laughed nervously, ducking her head to hide her furious blush behind her red hair. "Do I know you?" he asked suddenly, leaning in closer with a frown to try and look into her eyes. She jerked back on impulse, then, realizing she was being foolish, pretended to be heading out the door. He followed, and she could feel his eyes on her back.
"Did you hear what I said?" he called as they started around the horses' paddock. "I asked if we'd met before." He sped up his pace so that they were walking side by side.
"It's possible. I've met many people during my life at the ranch." Malon stared straight ahead as she talked. It seemed Ingo wasn't the only person she couldn't seem to look in the eye.
"That must be it, then, if you've been working at the ranch for your whole life. You see, I traveled Hyrule as a child, but I moved away for a long time, and now that I've returned, I find myself looking at things and recognising them but not know why. Like that horse, for instance." He pointed to Epona, who was grazing quietly in the paddock with the other horses. "It sounds stupid, I know..."
"No, it doesn't. I feel the same way." Malon blushed at her strange choice of words.
"Do you," he said absently. "Well, my name's Link, if you'd like to know." Link... where had she heard that name before? She felt a little disappointed. The man wasn't the answer to the holes in her memories; he was one of them.
"I'm Malon." She noticed a strange jerk to Link's head when she said her name, as though he had suddenly remembered something, but he didn't say anything, and she soon forgot about it.
They talked all morning, or rather, Link talked and Malon nodded her head. She couldn't trust him, and she couldn't like him. She had trusted and liked Ingo once, when she had been a little girl, and he'd turned out to be cruel, heartless and abusive. There was no saying that this Link would not turn out to the same. Nevertheless, she found herself growing fond of his playful, joking manner and friendly chatter, despite her precautions to remain as hard as a rock.
A rock has no feelings, she reminded herself. A rock does not make friends, and does not enjoy speaking to people. But it was no use. There was no way to keep from enjoying Link's company. He was kind and thoughtful, and he helped out with Malon's chores, coming in to lift a plank or to shove over a crate before she could object. By lunchtime, she was already done for the day. "Would you like some soup," she asked politely as they entered the house.
"If it's not too much trouble, that'd be great," he responded, seating himself at the table and looking around the kitchen. He was silent as Malon bustled about preparing lunch. She felt a lot more comfortable around him already. No! You can't like him! He could be just as violent as Ingo if you did anything to displease him. She had to be careful; she had to be wary.
"Why are you so uncomfortable around me, Malon?" Link asked. "I swear I don't want to be any closer then friends!" he joked.
"Times have changed since we were children." Where had that come from? She had made it seem as though they had grown up together! Had they? "You can't trust anyone these days. I don't know you, you could be an assassin!"
"Yeah, I could be," whispered a voice in her ear. She jumped so violently the knife she had been holding slipped and cut her finger. Snatching up the blade, she held it between them with a shaky hand. Link's smile faded when he saw the expression on her face. Fear and panic was plain on her features, and she held the blade as though it were her only salvation against a terrible foe, and that dropping it would mean sure death.
"Take it easy, I was joking..." She wasn't convinced. "Come on, Malon, just put the knife down. I was only kidding." Still, she didn't move. "Please? I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."
Finally, she dropped the knife and covered her face with her hands. What was wrong with her? Had she gone mad? She had pulled a knife on him!
"I'm sorry, Link. I don't know what happened, I just... I think I need to just calm down ... Why don't you go?"
"Nope, I haven't gotten my soup yet." Link said with and uneasy grin. Malon stared. Did the boy take anything seriously?! He touched her shoulder gently. "Don't worry about it, ok? You had every right to do that; I shouldn't have gotten so close. Here, sit down." He pulled up a chair and ushered her into it. She dropped down on the seat, stunned.
"I can't believe I did that... What if I had actually used it?!" She put a hand to her head. "I must be losing my mind."
"None of that talk." Link said from the cauldron of soup he was now tending over the fire. "Everyone gets a little edgy sometimes. I myself have done that on quite a few occasions, to tell you the truth. Only usually it's a stalfos looking over my shoulder," he added with a short laugh. Malon watched him out of the corner of her eye. Who was he? And despite his cheery tone and expression, she caught Link glancing at her worriedly several times when he thought she wasn't looking during their meal.
Once the bowls were cleared away, Malon made them each a cup of tea, and they sipped it and talked. She found herself telling Link about herself, how her father had been thrown out of the ranch, how she'd stayed behind to take care of things. She refrained from mentioning Ingo's abuse. He'd told her never to tell anyone what he did to her, that there would be terrible consequences if she ever spoke about it. It wasn't that bad, anyway. If he had to hit her to get her to listen, he was allowed to do that, wasn't he?
"So your father's name, you said it was Talon?" Link asked. When Malon nodded, his brow creased in a frown and he rubbed a hand on his forehead. "This ranch, it's so familiar to me. It's the place I can seem to remember the most of in all of Hyrule."
"You're familiar to me as well," she admitted. "But, my memories of my past aren't very clear. I can't even picture my father's face, sometimes."
"Have you ever thought of going to visit him? Surely Ingo would understand if you just wanted to see him? Just for a day?" Malon hesitated. What should she say? That Ingo would beat the daylights out of her if she even suggested leaving, which was the truth? "Well, I suppose he would," she sighed after a pause.
The afternoon slithered by at a snail's pace. Link never got up to leave, and Malon never asked him to. It was wonderful having someone to talk to. She did speak to Epona sometimes, when the loneliness was overwhelming, but it wasn't the same.
At sundown, Ingo returned with an empty cart. He stepped into the kitchen, and, seeing Link there, was all courtesy and politeness. "Malon, dear, why don't you go and take care of the horses." She stalked off to the stables. What a big phoney.
The moment she latched the bar down in front of Eastrian's stall, the door opened, and in walked Link. "I'm leaving now," he said. "Thanks for a great day. I'll see you soon. Take it easy." One last wink, and he was gone.
Ingo bombarded her with questions when she entered the kitchen. What happened? What did he want? Did you sell him anything? He went into a rage when he heard that she hadn't gotten any money from Link, and broke an empty glass bottle over her head. When she came to again, he roared into her face to go to bed. It was just as well, because she wouldn't have been able to make dinner properly with her vision so blurred.