Chapter 3: A Night At Lon Lon Ranch
It took them about an hour to get to the ranch. Link knocked on the front door, hoping that Talon would for once wake up without a cucco in his ear and come when he was needed. When Link stopped beating on the door, a sleepy mustached farmer came out, rubbing his eyes. Link thought. " What's all the commotion? Who's there?" Talon grumbled. Then he opened his eyes. "Well, howdy son. Watchya doin' all the way out here this late at night? It's dangerous ya know!" " Me and my friend here need a place to stay for the night." Link said. " We were attacked by stal children on the way to the lake, and it got too dark to keep going. " "Well sure son." Talon said heavily. "But we only have the one bedroom. I 'pologize, but if ya want ta stay, you'll have ta sleep in the barn." Link nodded eagerly. "That is just fine thank you." As he and Ruto turned to head to the barn, Talon called out. " 'ey, Link! I gotta ask ya somtin' !" "What is it?" Link said. Talon scratched his head "Am I still dreamin' or is your purty little friend there blue?" " She's blue." Link confirmed "Oh.." Talon said , nodding. " Alright then. I'll just go back to bed and you and yer blue friend can get some shuteye too." With that, he turned and headed back inside. "He's a weirdo, isn't he?" Ruto said " Yeah, mostly. But he means well. Come on. We'll have to get our rest if we want to start early." They entered the barn and set the hale in piles for a mat. Link put his on one side, and hers no the other. " I hope this hay doesn't hurt my bandage as much as it hurts my sinuses." Ruto said snuffley. By now she was stiff and tired, and the muscles in her thighs were tight and cramped. Noticing her obvious discomfort, Link walked over. " I think it's time to change that bandage." He said, untying the old one carefully. She watched on as he skillfully changed the bandage in less than a minute. She massaged her leg, feeling the cramps and pains slowly ease up. As Link stood up, she searched her mind to find something to talk about. "So-uh- who did you send to tell my father?" she asked. Link gave her a mysterious grin. "Are you sure you want to know?" he said secretively. Ruto nodded. "Well, you know that skull kid who nearly annihilated Termina?" Ruto nodded again. " I sent him to do it." "What?!" Ruto shouted, shaking the rafters. "What if he blows everything up? Have you lost your mind? You can't send someone like that on an errand!" Links face grew stern " I had a feeling you would say that." He said. " You seem to forget that the mask of Majora controlled him. It really wasn't his fault. And anyways, without the mask, he has little to no power to do anything serious. You have to learn to trust people sometime." " I usually trust you." She said angrily. " That is just because I once saved your life. But if that can be your only reason to trust someone, then you will be paranoid for the rest of your life, and miserable because of it." Ruto felt hurt. This was the first time Link had chastised her, and tears began to well in her large eyes. Link noticed the effect he had on her and came back over to comfort her. "It's not that I don't care." He said. "It's just that I don't want you to be miserable. Paranoia is only good in danger situations." Ruto pulled away from him, and went back to her bunk. She knew he meant well, but she wasn't used to the pity he held in his voice when he spoke to her about trust and friendship.
A loud noise woke Ruto from her sleep. She quickly sat up. A cucco was sitting in her lap, making the loudest noise it possibly could. "What do you think your doing?" she snarled at it. She pushed it off of her. It landed nearby and continued to make loud noises. But she wasn't worried about that anymore. As she looked around, she noticed that Link was missing. " Wake him up already?" she asked the cucco, indicating the bunk Link had slept in. The cucco finally stopped crowing and cocked its head. Ruto made an exasperated sound, and stormed out of the barn, in too grumpy a mood to notice the increased pain in her leg and the startling paleness of her skin near the wound.
As she left the barn, she heard a whinny and a clatter of hooves off to the right. Curious, Ruto decided she would explore. As she drew closer to the sound, she heard a female voice ring out, "That's it Link! Just learn to keep her gate nice and even, and work on your pacing, and you've got it!" As Ruto came into the area, starting to realize the pain beneath the bandage, she saw a red headed girl in a tan and yellow dress yelling directions while Link rode around some sort of circuit made from the corral. Ruto's face went green with jealousy. She thought, her anger rekindled. As she came closer, Link saw her and drew to a stop. "Good morning!" He shouted out happily "What are you good morning me for?" she said huffily. Link was taken aback by her attitude. He wondered. Before he could ask though, the red head came over. "Hello!" she said cheerily. "You must be Ruto!" " And what if I am?" Ruto said. The girl's cheery attitude was somewhat diminished by this, but she didn't stop. " My name is Malon. You have a very thoughtful boy friend you know." She said indicating Link as he turned pink. "I'm not her boyfriend Malon. I already told you that." Malon giggled. " What do you mean?" Ruto asked. " Well. He got up bright and early and asked me to teach him how to ride softer so you'd be more comfortable on your trip." Ruto stopped being angry and was taken by surprise. " He did?" "Yep!" Then Malon came close to Ruto and spoke to her in a stage whisper. " Your lucky you know. Not every girl gets to be swept off her feet by a living legend and spend a few days riding his horse with him!" Link was no longer pink. He was bright red. Ruto giggled at his change of color. Link spoke up to save his dignity. "I just don't want her to get hurt." He said. This time both girls giggled, and Link tried to find something interesting in Epona's mane. He had no success. He always kept her clean. " Maybe we should go already. The sun has already risen, and we have to hurry if we want to reach the lab before dark." Malon giggled again, but Ruto just smiled, with a warm feeling in her heart. Her smile returned to a small frown.
It took them about an hour to get to the ranch. Link knocked on the front door, hoping that Talon would for once wake up without a cucco in his ear and come when he was needed. When Link stopped beating on the door, a sleepy mustached farmer came out, rubbing his eyes. Link thought. " What's all the commotion? Who's there?" Talon grumbled. Then he opened his eyes. "Well, howdy son. Watchya doin' all the way out here this late at night? It's dangerous ya know!" " Me and my friend here need a place to stay for the night." Link said. " We were attacked by stal children on the way to the lake, and it got too dark to keep going. " "Well sure son." Talon said heavily. "But we only have the one bedroom. I 'pologize, but if ya want ta stay, you'll have ta sleep in the barn." Link nodded eagerly. "That is just fine thank you." As he and Ruto turned to head to the barn, Talon called out. " 'ey, Link! I gotta ask ya somtin' !" "What is it?" Link said. Talon scratched his head "Am I still dreamin' or is your purty little friend there blue?" " She's blue." Link confirmed "Oh.." Talon said , nodding. " Alright then. I'll just go back to bed and you and yer blue friend can get some shuteye too." With that, he turned and headed back inside. "He's a weirdo, isn't he?" Ruto said " Yeah, mostly. But he means well. Come on. We'll have to get our rest if we want to start early." They entered the barn and set the hale in piles for a mat. Link put his on one side, and hers no the other. " I hope this hay doesn't hurt my bandage as much as it hurts my sinuses." Ruto said snuffley. By now she was stiff and tired, and the muscles in her thighs were tight and cramped. Noticing her obvious discomfort, Link walked over. " I think it's time to change that bandage." He said, untying the old one carefully. She watched on as he skillfully changed the bandage in less than a minute. She massaged her leg, feeling the cramps and pains slowly ease up. As Link stood up, she searched her mind to find something to talk about. "So-uh- who did you send to tell my father?" she asked. Link gave her a mysterious grin. "Are you sure you want to know?" he said secretively. Ruto nodded. "Well, you know that skull kid who nearly annihilated Termina?" Ruto nodded again. " I sent him to do it." "What?!" Ruto shouted, shaking the rafters. "What if he blows everything up? Have you lost your mind? You can't send someone like that on an errand!" Links face grew stern " I had a feeling you would say that." He said. " You seem to forget that the mask of Majora controlled him. It really wasn't his fault. And anyways, without the mask, he has little to no power to do anything serious. You have to learn to trust people sometime." " I usually trust you." She said angrily. " That is just because I once saved your life. But if that can be your only reason to trust someone, then you will be paranoid for the rest of your life, and miserable because of it." Ruto felt hurt. This was the first time Link had chastised her, and tears began to well in her large eyes. Link noticed the effect he had on her and came back over to comfort her. "It's not that I don't care." He said. "It's just that I don't want you to be miserable. Paranoia is only good in danger situations." Ruto pulled away from him, and went back to her bunk. She knew he meant well, but she wasn't used to the pity he held in his voice when he spoke to her about trust and friendship.
A loud noise woke Ruto from her sleep. She quickly sat up. A cucco was sitting in her lap, making the loudest noise it possibly could. "What do you think your doing?" she snarled at it. She pushed it off of her. It landed nearby and continued to make loud noises. But she wasn't worried about that anymore. As she looked around, she noticed that Link was missing. " Wake him up already?" she asked the cucco, indicating the bunk Link had slept in. The cucco finally stopped crowing and cocked its head. Ruto made an exasperated sound, and stormed out of the barn, in too grumpy a mood to notice the increased pain in her leg and the startling paleness of her skin near the wound.
As she left the barn, she heard a whinny and a clatter of hooves off to the right. Curious, Ruto decided she would explore. As she drew closer to the sound, she heard a female voice ring out, "That's it Link! Just learn to keep her gate nice and even, and work on your pacing, and you've got it!" As Ruto came into the area, starting to realize the pain beneath the bandage, she saw a red headed girl in a tan and yellow dress yelling directions while Link rode around some sort of circuit made from the corral. Ruto's face went green with jealousy. She thought, her anger rekindled. As she came closer, Link saw her and drew to a stop. "Good morning!" He shouted out happily "What are you good morning me for?" she said huffily. Link was taken aback by her attitude. He wondered. Before he could ask though, the red head came over. "Hello!" she said cheerily. "You must be Ruto!" " And what if I am?" Ruto said. The girl's cheery attitude was somewhat diminished by this, but she didn't stop. " My name is Malon. You have a very thoughtful boy friend you know." She said indicating Link as he turned pink. "I'm not her boyfriend Malon. I already told you that." Malon giggled. " What do you mean?" Ruto asked. " Well. He got up bright and early and asked me to teach him how to ride softer so you'd be more comfortable on your trip." Ruto stopped being angry and was taken by surprise. " He did?" "Yep!" Then Malon came close to Ruto and spoke to her in a stage whisper. " Your lucky you know. Not every girl gets to be swept off her feet by a living legend and spend a few days riding his horse with him!" Link was no longer pink. He was bright red. Ruto giggled at his change of color. Link spoke up to save his dignity. "I just don't want her to get hurt." He said. This time both girls giggled, and Link tried to find something interesting in Epona's mane. He had no success. He always kept her clean. " Maybe we should go already. The sun has already risen, and we have to hurry if we want to reach the lab before dark." Malon giggled again, but Ruto just smiled, with a warm feeling in her heart. Her smile returned to a small frown.