PART TWO: HERO OF TIME

Storms are raging on a rolling sea

Down the highway of regret

The winds of change are blowing wild and free

But you ain't seen nothing like me yet

There ain't nothing that I wouldn't do

Go to the ends of earth for you

Make you happy, make your dreams come true

To make you feel my love

Ingo had ordered Malon to clean the stables and water the cows, and she didn't dare disobey. He could be horribly cruel to the horses; the only reason he was anywhere near kind to her was that the mysterious Sheik had one day appeared at the ranch and threatened him. Ingo knew that if he hurt Malon, the survivor of the Sheikah would personally make him pay. But the former ranch hand was still an overbearing ruler, like Ganondorf himself, who still dominated over Hyrule Castle. He had done so for seven years now. And Malon had lost all hope of salvation; even the memory of her closest childhood friend, the one person whose bright, eternally youthful spirit she could turn to in times of trouble, had begun to tarnish and fade.

Working was difficult when she was half dead with despair, and she had to pause often just to rest her exhausted and strained spirit. She did so when she had watered the last cow; still holding the now empty bucket, she leaned against the small, fenced in square in which held extra hay. Closing her eyes, she sighed heavily, and felt a deep sob quivering somewhere within her and threatening to escape. As always, she forced it down.

Just as she did, the door opened. Malon looked up, dread rising slightly within her. She expected to see Ingo angrily wondering what was taking her so long. When she saw who it was, however, her mouth fell open.

He was dressed in a green tunic and leather boots, green hat, white tights, leather gauntlets, and earrings, and was armed with a sword and shield. He stood just taller than her, and his body was built for intense physical warfare. He had bright gold hair and bright blue eyes, and those were what she recognized. Her heart leapt so high and quickly that it was almost painful. After so many years, she hardly dared to believe it could really be—

But—no. It couldn't be. Link was a Kokiri, and this man, however much he dressed like a forest child, was most definitely a Hylian of her own age. Someone completely different. And even if he had been Link, he wouldn't have remembered her, and he certainly wouldn't have been prepared for the greeting she would have liked to give him. She would therefore remain calm, no matter how hard it was.

Managing a smile, though it cost her a great deal of effort, she put on a businesslike tone and said, "Oh, hi… We haven't had a visitor here in a long time. Can I help you with something?"

"You're Malon, right?" he said, looking at her closely.

"Yes, that's right." She still wasn't sure exactly how behave around him. He knew her name. Had Ingo told him about her?

"You work here? For Ingo?"

Goddesses, he looked so much like Link… She could almost believe that her old friend had somehow left the forest and grown up…

She looked down. "Yes, I do."

"Something wrong?" he asked quietly, taking a step towards her.

Feeling herself nearly the breaking point, wishing he were Link, and that Link still remembered and cared about her, so that she could fall into his arms and cry, she managed to say, "It's nothing, it's just…Mr Ingo. He's a tough boss, you know, but really…"

He was frowning angrily. "Are you okay? I mean, living here. Are you…safe?"

"Oh, yes," she assured him, roughly wiping away the tears that threatened to slip from her eyes. "I just worry sometimes, you know, about the horses. Mr Ingo is all right to me, but to the horses…"

"What about Epona?"

Malon looked at him in surprise. He knew Epona, just as he had known her name. How…?

"He wants to train Epona into a horse for Ganondorf."

Now the man was scowling even further. "Really?"

Malon nodded.

He made a noise like a disapproving growl in his throat. "Don't worry about that," he said, and left quickly.

At first, Malon simply stood there, puzzled. Who was this stranger, appearing from nowhere like a soldier of fortune, apparently concerned enough about her and Epona to be willing to do something about their situation when he had no ties to them at all. Maybe he simply saw the injustice that was taking place here, as Sheik had done, and felt it was enough of a cause to fight for even if he didn't have a personal stake in it.

Yet that wouldn't answer the other question: how did he know their names?

After trying fruitlessly to return to her work, she gave in to the urge to go outside and see exactly what he was planning.

The scene was a total surprise. There was the stranger, riding Epona around the outside of the corral, with Ingo just behind him on another horse. Malon watched as they came charging around the last corner, towards the corral gate, the leader urging Epona on over the finish line. Even as she marvelled at the fact that this man had somehow tamed the most strong-willed horse in Hyrule, he crossed first and let out a whoop of victory, but it was lost in Ingo's cry of horror. Malon, though she didn't know what was going on, jumped and cheered for the victor anyway.

Ingo jumped down from his own mount, still positively howling with frustration, to stand between Epona and her rider and their way out.

"How did you tame that wild horse under my nose?!" he shouted spitting in fury. "You— You— Fine!" Calming down slightly, though still breathing hard out his nose, he glared wickedly and said, "I'll keep my promise. You can have the horse."

Malon let out another short cry of delight, clapping her hands together happily.

"But," Ingo added, sneering, "I will never let you leave this ranch." With that, he slammed shut the gates, chuckling aggressively under his breath in satisfaction that he had at least won this small triumph.

Malon's heart sank as she immediately stopped cheering. But an instant later, her willpower rose, and she decided not to be so easily beaten. Just as she was about to storm up to Ingo and demand that he let his prisoners go…

"The winds are changing, Ingo. Renounce the King of Evil while you still can!"

Epona made a flying leap over his head and away. Malon laughed with fierce pleasure at the sight of Ingo gaping after the horse and rider as they escaped.

With her favourite horse free, Malon had nothing to lose. Grinning with fierce determination, she vowed right there that she would no longer stand for any of the abuse and hardship that Ingo dealt out on the ranch that belonged to her and her alone. Now…

"Malon!"

He had spotted her, and was shooting her a glare that would normally have sent cold fear into her heart. Not anymore. Holding her head high, she strode up to him with confidence.

"Yes, Mr Ingo?" she asked coolly. Despite her determination to remain strong, she couldn't help noticing that the fury on his face was greater than any she had ever seen there.

His voice was a bestial growl as he demanded slowly, "What did you do?"

She returned his iciness. "What are you talking about?"

"That boy just took my best horse!" Ingo spat, waving an arm angrily towards where horse and rider had disappeared from view. "The horse who won't listen to anyone but you! And that little brat, who's never so much as sat on a horse in his life, somehow managed to tame her! How do you think that happened?!"

"I don't know," she said, without blinking. "He must just love animals."

As she spoke, she could hear Link's ten-year-old voice in her mind. He would want to see her strong like this, not as weak as she had allowed herself to become. She realized, with a surge of guilt, that she had forgotten him as much as he had forgotten her. Yet another reason to put an end to all of this now.

Ingo was inarticulate with rage. "You—He—That's a lie and you know it!" he finally roared. "He had no reason to want that horse, of all horses, unless you wanted him to take it! So what did you do?! What did you do for him that he needed to repay the favour?!" Narrowing his eyes, he looked her over briefly and added in a growl, "As if I couldn't guess, you little slut."

Malon felt as though he had slapped her, though it had been at least three years since he had done any such thing. This defamation of her character hurt just as much as any physical blow could have done. "I've never even seen him before!" she snapped, feeling tears sting behind her eyes. "How dare you accuse me of—"

"Don't lie to me!"

Before she could react, he had slapped her, a vicious backhand of such power that she took a step backwards, such as he hadn't delivered against her since Sheik's threats. A few tears did escape her eyes, though she blinked to fight them back and refuse to admit weakness.

"How stupid do you think I am?!" he demanded forcefully. "First you get that Sheikah boy to help you, and then this one turns up! You expect me to believe that you didn't have to persuade them at all—"

As he spoke, he drew back his arm sharply to strike her again, but he cut himself off when a leather-gauntleted grip fixed, vice-like, around his wrist, and a voice of deadly, venomous calm said, "Excuse me."

Stunned, Ingo turned to see who had spoken, and his face was brutally introduced to the fist of the stranger who had taken Epona.

Malon gave a cry of shock and jumped back with her hands clasped over her mouth as Ingo crumpled. Wide-eyed, she watched the younger man deliver a powerful kick to his stomach before hauling him back to his feet again by the frilled collar of his ridiculous nobleman's outfit to snarl in his face, with an expression that was so furious that Malon was frightened to see it.

"If you ever even think about laying a hand on her again, you'll have me to answer to. Got it?"

Even as Ingo tried to choke out a reply, his attacker continued.

"This is her ranch, which means from now on, you know your place, and that is wherever she tells you to be. Now go change out of those stupid clothes and into something suited for a farmhand, because you've got a hell of lot of work to do."

He flung Ingo aside ferociously, and the clearly terrified man struck the ground hard before managing find his feet and scramble away into the house. His assaulter glared venomous daggers after him before turning his attention to Malon.

"Are you okay?"

She was still staring at this man with an expression of overt bewilderment. She felt so stunned that she almost didn't understand what he had just said. She certainly had no idea what had just happened. The young man who had just so viciously beaten Ingo looked completely different again now that his wrath had melted away into genuine concern.

"Yes—I—I mean…thank you," she finally managed, unable to think of what to say first.

She really couldn't believe how much he looked like Link…

He smirked. "No problem."

"But…who are you?" she asked, frowning as she studied his face, trying to read it. "I don't even know your name…why are you helping me?"

His face darkened, as if the question were a difficult one that he would have preferred not to answer. Slowly, he began, "Malon…I—"

"And how do you know my name?" she added suddenly. "And Epona's? And how did you tame her? Why did you tame her? She never trusts strangers."

. "I'm not a stranger," Link replied. "And Ingo was right…"

Indignation flared within her at these words; exactly what did he think he deserved in payment for his help?

"…you did help me."

"I've never even met you," she insisted, though she didn't know quite what he was saying. He didn't seem to be levelling the same accusations as Ingo had done.

In fact, he looked almost hurt at her words. He dropped his gaze, and if she hadn't known better, she would have thought he was almost ashamed of himself.

"Malon, I—" He paused, then tried again, still without looking at her. "I know it's been awhile, but…"

He lifted his eyes to her. Those bright blue eyes, framed beneath hair streaked with every shade of gold, that looked impossibly like those of her old friend…

He smiled, and suddenly she was ten years old again, sitting on the fountain in Hyrule Castle Town, introducing herself to a boy with a fairy…

"It's me."

Even as he spoke, she realized that it was true. He was a Kokiri, he couldn't grow up, but he had, and here he stood before her. She couldn't feel her body, but she felt the tears return to her eyes.

"You—you—" she stammered, "I—How—"

He said nothing, but patiently waited for her to achieve a sentence. Even if she had been able to think clearly enough to speak, she wouldn't have known what to say.

Finally she breathed, "Link?"

He nodded slowly, smiling more widely and apparently pleased that she knew who he was.

"Of course," she said, unable to contain her happiness. "I thought you weren't… I knew you looked familiar… It's been so long… I can't believe…"

He gave a slight laugh at her awkwardness. "So you do remember me."

"Remember you?! Goddesses, Link, how could I ever… It's been much too long since I saw you last," she told him sincerely. There was more truth in that statement than she could possibly explain.

"Yeah…" he agreed, his voice suddenly slightly hoarse. "It really has…"

She found herself wondering if it would be incredibly inappropriate to kiss him right now. She had wanted to when they were both ten, but had thought, especially given that he was a child raised by children, that he seemed like the type of boy who still thought girls were yucky. However, she thought, this was most likely not a problem anymore. And he was certainly standing very close to her. And as a child, he had been cute, but now, he was absolutely gorgeous. Deciding to test the limits, she reached up to give him a peck on her cheek, but he tilted his head, and his lips brushed hers.

Startled, she pulled away, and clearly left him thinking that he had completely misread her intentions. "Oh," he said awkwardly, avoiding her eyes. "Sorry."

Obviously wanting to avoid further humiliation, he moved to go.

But she had vowed to be strong, to fight for what she wanted. She reached out a hand just far enough to touch his arm lightly.

"No," she replied softly, "don't be."

He stopped, looking back at her uncertainly, and they both smiled.

"Are you sure?" he asked, eyes gleaming.

Although she wasn't sure where this was going, she was curious to find out. "Of course."

"Okay, then…"

And in a moment that she wouldn't have ever dared imagine, even if she had ever dared imagine that Link might actually grow into a man, he took her by the arms and pulled her in towards him, locking her an intense kiss. She was momentarily too stunned to react, either with affection or rejection; when she recovered, it occurred to her to tell him how completely inappropriate this was. Except that she had absolutely no desire to do so. Her racing mind gave in to the pleasure, and she returned the gesture by kissing him back willingly.

When he released her, she was left slightly breathless. Some part of her was aware that she had never really thought people could be left breathless by a kiss, but apparently that part of her had been wrong. She didn't know exactly what to say. Her body was still in shock, and there was a new sort of electricity between the two of them now. It was nearly impossible to resist the desire to kiss him again. After a moment, she noticed that he was still waiting for her reaction. Her face was blank.

"Oh…uh…" she stammered, finding that her mouth suddenly didn't know how to make words. Actions spoke so much louder.

"So?" Link asked, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

"I don't know…what just happened," she finally said.

"Well, I could show you again, if you like," he offered with a smile, moving to draw her towards him again.

"No," she said quickly. "I mean, I know what happened, but…"

His smiled faded, and he dropped the hand that he had raised towards her face. "Oh. But… I thought you said—"

He was cut off when she reached for him and pulled his mouth back down to hers; a little voice in her head had asked why exactly she had just told him "no," and then she had decided that it made much more sense to do what she was thinking instead of trying to explain it. She felt him react the same way she had done, startled at her assertiveness, but, like her, he also had no objection whatsoever. When he removed his lips slightly from hers, she hesitated and wondered what he was going to do, but he only said, "I guess that answers my question."

She giggled, something she hadn't done in years. The feeling of him wrapping his arms around her waist made her stomach flip over, and sliding her own arms around his neck felt like the natural response.

It felt like hours that they stood there like that, but it also felt like it had been only seconds when he pulled away from her.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly. She could not conceive of any reason for which he would possibly want to end this moment.

"Nothing," he said, casting his gaze down, but still holding her gently. "I just… I have to go." He dropped his arms to his side and took a step backwards. "I have things to do."

She caught a glimpse of the concern in his eyes, which must have been why he wasn't looking at her. He didn't want her to see it. His face also clearly said that he would rather stay here than go away to whatever he needed to do.

"All right," she said, knowing that she shouldn't ask him to stay. He wouldn't be able to go if she did, and it was obvious that he needed to.

He nodded wordlessly, then said a quiet, "Bye," and turned to go.

Link was leaving again. Seven years ago he had left, just when she had come close to admitting how she felt. He had disappeared. Panic rose within her, fear that he was leaving her again for too long. That was something she knew she wouldn't be able to endure, not again, not now, not after—

"You'll come back…won't you…Link?" She couldn't resist calling after him, but somehow she doubted he would want to be called Fairy Boy after what they had just shared. Besides, she hadn't called him that in seven years. He probably wouldn't even remember.

Smiling a bit, he said, "Why so formal? What happened to Fairy Boy?"

He did remember. He remembered every detail as though it had been yesterday. Slightly puzzled, she cocked her head and corrected herself, "Are you coming back soon, Fairy Boy?"

Now satisfied, he answered, "Like anything could keep me away."

This would have been reassuring, except…

"Something did before."

His face fell slightly, and his expression was guarded. It was glaringly obvious that he wasn't telling her something. "Yeah. Well. I know, but…"

She wanted to trust him. Never, as long as she had known him, had she ever had a reason not to trust him. If he didn't trust her, though, then maybe she was wrong to open herself up to him.

As if he were speaking them aloud, she could practically hear his thoughts just by looking at his face. He wanted to trust her, but he didn't know if he could.

Finally, he spoke.

"Malon… The truth is…I don't know what's going on," he said heavily. "I haven't been here for the past seven years—I don't really know where I have been—I don't think I've been anywhere at all."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, taking half a step towards him in surprise. "Weren't you in the forest?"

He shook his head. "I was… I went… It's really hard to explain," he finished unhappily. "Like I said, I don't understand it. I mean, look at me!" He held out his arms and frowned down at his adult body. "I'm a Kokiri, I'm not even ever supposed to become—this!"

As he spoke, he looked so genuinely lost that she could tell he wasn't just trying to simplify or hide the truth from her, and nor was he making up a nonsensical lie to excuse his long absence. He honestly didn't understand what had happened to him.

"Well," she said carefully, approaching him to look him over thoughtfully, stroking his arm as she spoke, "I don't know about you, but…I'm glad you became this."

Flicking her gaze up towards him, she smiled in a playful way that, when combined with her gentle touch as her hand rested just above his gauntlet, made it impossible for him not to return the gesture.

"Yeah…" he agreed slowly. "There's definitely some good things about being a grown up."

She laughed quietly, and moved in to kiss him again, but just before their lips touched, they both heard the sound of a door slamming shut and jumped apart—Ingo had returned, dressed in the outfit he had always worn as a farmhand in the days before Ganondorf's Coup. He was standing carefully apart from them, clearly still concerned that Link would hurt him again, but Malon still felt the heat rise in her cheeks, and pulled slightly away from Link, folding her hands behind her back as he laughed nervously and scratched the back of his neck.

Clearing his throat, he said, "I guess… I should go then."

She nodded. "I guess."

"But I will come back," he promised. "And as soon as I can understand all this, you'll be the first person I tell."

Wondering if she should trust him didn't even cross her mind. It wasn't a question, it was an obvious answer. Smiling, she told him, "Thank you again. For everything."

"Hey, it was no big deal," he said, shrugging, but looking pleased with himself nonetheless. "Did you think I'd just forget about you or something?"

"I guess I should have known better," she laughed, smiling widely.

Before he left, he gave one last grin, drew her into a brief kiss, and said, "See you soon."

Watching him walk away, with half a smile on her face, she found that for the first time in too many years, the song that swelled within her and out of her lips was one of real, pure happiness with life.

That was the first kiss, and, though there had been innumerably more since, to Malon, it was still the best. It was the first fantasy of hers that had come true.

Every now and then

When the world that we're living in

Is crazy

You gladly hold me

And carry me through

No one in the world's ever done what you do for me

And I'd be

Sad and lonely

If there were no you…

How do I love you

Let me count the ways

There ain't no number high enough to end this phrase

Baby, completely

Wrapped up in you.