Link looked around the forest, his blue eyes always on the lookout for trouble, his blond hair just peeking out from underneath his green cap. Link was armed with his gilded sword, hookshot and his bow, with his quiver filled with arrows. Many a careless fool had fallen to the claws of the forest's wolfos, which explained why he carried so much weaponry. He now went in search of water. The water in Kokiri Village was unfit for Hylians, and Link was forced to gather his supply. His green tunic was clean and non-restricting, allowing him to cover the distance from his tree house and the water pool very quickly with his long legs.
As far as he knew, he was the only Hylian ever to enter the Kokiri Forest and leave its clutches alive. This explained his reaction. Link was filling his water skin at the pool that led to Zora's Domain when he heard the loud "clop, clop, clop," of a walking horse. He cocked his head and listened. It was still there, he was not imagining things. Never before had a horse entered the forest, not even Epona.
Link ran, his soft leather boots crunching on the sticks and pine needles on the forest floor, to the ledge overlooking a small bridge. The bridge was made of pine, and was the only entrance to the Kokiri Forest.
Link stared and saw the shadow of a horse and rider coming through the tunnel. He pulled his golden hookshot from his belt and targeted the wooden planks of the bridge. He fired just as the rider entered.
The spear tip vaulted out, carrying with it a long chain. It flew through the air and lodged itself in the soft pine and immediately started to pull Link in. Link flew through the air after it, his gilded sword from Termina unsheathed. He landed on the walkway only a few seconds later, and waved the blade menacingly in front of the animal.
The horse whinnied and reared, throwing the rider from its back. The cloaked and hooded rider fell back, and was knocked unconscious when she, for the build appeared to be that of a woman, struck her head on the wooden planks. Link then got a good look at the horse; it was a light brown mare with a white mane and small brown eyes. "Epona," Link whispered softly. If Epona was here, that meant the rider was... Link moved to her and lowered the hood. The cascade of flaming red hair gave it away. It was Malon. "Oops," Link whispered. He carefully picked her up in his arms and whistled for Epona to follow him.

"Uhhhh. Liinnkk," Malon groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. She now lay in a bed carved of strong oak padded with the softest animal pelts Malon had ever felt, and with a neatly woven wool blanket covering her body. She threw the woolen cover from her body and stood. The house was simple, only a few pieces of furniture were present, a pair of chairs, a table, and a dresser. One of the chairs had been moved near her bed, and there sat Link, his head on his chest, fast asleep.
"No sense in waking him just yet. I'll look around a bit," Malon thought as she walked around the small tree house. Malon was amazed at what hung on its walls. One wall was covered in weaponry that would make even the Bazaar's owner drool in envy. A golden hook shot, a boomerang, a leather bag full of bombs, a strong looking bow and quiver filled with arrows, a giant long sword, a smaller but no less impressive sword covered in what appeared to her to be gold, and a large war hammer hung on that one wall.
She looked at another and gasped. It was covered with twenty four, she counted them, wooden masks, and they all appeared to be staring at her. One looked like a goron, while another looked like it was the face of a zora, while still another appeared to be a deku scrub. One other though captivated her eye. It was in the shape of a fierce warrior, whose cheeks were covered in red war paint. Except for the white hair and eyes, Malon was shocked at how much it looked like Link.
"Uh," Link grunted as his eyes snapped open. He stretched his arms, and scanned the house. His eyes fell on Malon, and he jumped to his feet. "Malon!" he shouted as he ran to her. He grabbed Malon in a tight hug. "Are you all right?" he asked her as they parted, his eyes staring into hers.
The words brought back an image of Myron with an arrow in his chest. "No, I'm not all right," she choked out as she started sobbing. She buried her head in Link's green tunic and cried until she could not cry anymore.
"Shhh," Link said, trying to comfort her. "It's okay; I'm here to help you. What happened?" he asked, leading Malon back to the bed.
"Is Epona okay?" Malon asked in between sniffles.
"She's fine," Link answered as they sat down.
"Where should I start?" she asked as her eyes and tears dried.
"At the beginning," he told her

Ardriss dismounted from the rented mare and slowly walked into the forest, his black cloak blowing behind him in the slight breeze. Nothing was heard as he entered the forest. He only heard the "crunch, crunch, crunch," of his footsteps. Nothing, not even a bird was to be heard.
Ardriss was nervous. "Maybe the stories of monsters were true," Ardriss thought, drawing his falchion, a blade of Shiekah origin that many of the sect's members crafted when they ended their apprenticeship. Ardriss heard the lonely and far off howl of a wolfos and he cringed. "Stop it," he chided himself. He was the best. He had trained as a Shiekah; this was almost routine for him, so nothing about his mission should scare him, he was Sheikah.
Still Ardriss walked even slower as he crossed the pine bridge. He did not expect an ambush from the Kokiri, even with Link among them, but neither did he think they would give him a warm welcome, or any welcome at all for that matter. After all, they had never trusted "big people".
Ardriss was pleased with his cover. Not even Link would see through it. Ardriss would pose as a Hyrulian Investigator, and was checking into the murder of a Myron Drachna of Torgash, and he had received several eyewitness accounts stating that a young woman had been seen leaving the scene at high speed on a course that would enter the forest.
Ardriss strode through the woods until he glimpsed the village through the trees. Ardriss was granted a single moment of happy music and children playing before they spotted him. They and the music stopped as the Kokiri turned to glare at him.
Ardriss swallowed and walked toward one of the children. "I am looking for a young woman with red hair," he said to the child, a boy, as he sheathed the falchion.
The child merely pointed to a tree house. "Thank you," Ardriss said with a smile and a slight bow.

Link had barely finished apologizing for knocking Malon off Epona after she told her grim tale, when a deep voice, a voice, called out. "Hyrulian Investigators!" he shouted.
Link was startled at yet another Hylian to enter the forest in such a short time, and replied after a second's hesitation. "What is it?" he called as he went to the wall to grab his gilded sword in its scabbard.
"Is there a Malon Lon up there?" he asked.
"Yes," Link answered.
"May I speak with Miss Lon?" Ardriss asked.
"Come up," Link said to him.
Ardriss climbed the ladder and stepped into Link's tree house. "Good afternoon Miss Lon," Ardriss said in his thick baritone. Malon glanced at his eyes and gripped Link's arm tightly when she saw they were hazel. "So, she did see my eyes," Ardriss thought as a smile blossomed across his face. "A careless move," he added. "Investigator Romitts," Ardriss spoke clearly, extending his hand out to Link, who declined.
"You said you were an investigator?" Link asked, looking at Ardriss. The investigators were an outfit established by the King of Hyrule not long ago in order to police the land in this time of relative peace. The investigators were highly successful, and numbered approximately two hundred in number. The man was about Link's height and had sandy blond hair. His face looked cheerful, but was marred by a nasty looking scar on his the right side of his face, in the skin next to his eye. It looked like it was from a sword, and was almost unnoticeable because of where it was due to his hair was.
"I just said I was," Ardriss replied as he started to feel uneasy.
"You are Shiekah," Link spoke as he looked at the blade Ardriss carried and moved his hand to his sword.
"Great, he knows something," Ardriss thought as he discreetly reached for a smoke bomb. "Is there a problem with that?" he asked.
"There are no Shiekah Investigators," Link said.
Ardriss dropped the smoke bomb as he said that, and it exploded, shrouding the whole house in dense smoke. "Malon, cough. Get back!" Link ordered.
"Too late," Ardriss thought with a smirk as he grabbed Malon up in his arms.
"Aaaiieeeeee!" Link! Help!" Malon screamed as Ardriss tried to flee.
"Malon!" Link roared, swinging his sword at the voice. Link felt the blade strike flesh but heard no scream.
Ardriss grimaced as the blade bit his left shoulder, but he hurried on. He jumped from the tree house and felt the whoosh of a swung sword. He ran full out, but Malon's squirming was making it difficult. "Lie still or I'll kill you now," he threatened her
Malon was immediately still.

Link had fought his way through the smoke and saw the man jump. Link swung his sword and missed. "This guy is fast," Link thought as he saw him halfway to the entrance. Link jumped and took off at top speed after him. "Stop him!" Link shouted vainly to the Kokiri, but none of them moved a muscle.
Link ran faster, but as he crossed the bridge and neared the forest's exit, he heard the whinny of a horse. Link put every ounce of energy into his legs, and somehow managed to go faster.
He streaked out of the forest and saw the black mare galloping away from him. It was hopeless. Link collapsed on his knees as the rider laughed and rode away to the northwest. He knelt there crying for a long time and only stopped once twilight had come. Then he looked up into the setting sun and roared one thing. "MALON!"