Hymn of the Forgotten

A/N: I'm back! It's summer vacation, and my LoZ obsession is better than ever. I love this story, and I have no means to abandon it. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or any of its characters.

Please review!

Chapter Six: Resonance

"Wait, what did you just say?"

Malon let out a slow breath and looked at her father patiently. "I'm taking care of this boy now, Father. His mother just died and he has no where to go."

Talon stopped shoveling the hose muck and leaned against his shovel, resting his head on his hands. "Malon, you know you already have as much work to do on the ranch as it is. This boy... don't you think some one else can care for him?"

"I can care for myself," came the surly voice of Avelle. He was standing behind Malon and was staring disdainfully at the dirt floor.

Malon shook her head in amusement. "Whatever it takes I'm going to give this child a good home."

The lines by Talon's eyes crinkled, and he gave his daughter a smile. "You're just like your mother," he began muttering to himself as he picked up the shovel and continued his work.

Malon turned to Avelle and bent down. "Do you want to see the Cuccos?" She asked.

"I've seen Cuccos before," Avelle retorted, but followed her out of the stable anyway.

The crickets were starting their night long dirge as the sun made her descent from the plaguing clouds. A few bats screeched overhead, causing Avelle to jump. He looked up a the girl in wide-eyed terror, but Malon said nothing. Her eyes were locked at the sky, searching desperately for the full moon.

"So," Nabooru began. She sat cross-legged on a small wooden crate, twirling a scimitar listlessly with her hand.

"So," Link agreed, leaning against the side of the adobe wall with his arms crossed. "Do you know if Ganondorf could possess such power?"

The sage shrugged, looking away distantly. "I didn't know a lot of what he possessed. Nothing comes as a surprise to me these days."

"What do you think I should do then?"

Nabooru let out a scathing laugh. "The Hero is asking me for guidance? You know what I would do, little boy? I would do nothing! Isn't it obvious that the queen-princess or whoever wants you to pursue her? Ganondorf knows that wherever Zelda goes you'd follow."

"So I should wait until she comes to me?" Link asked, ignoring the thief's last words. "I can't just sit around and wait for something to happen. And what am I going to do when she does appear?"

"I'm not a prophet," Nabooru's tan features seemed bemused. " Just take the bait and go along with whatever happens." With feline grace she jumped down from the crate and stretched her long arms. "So will you be staying with us tonight, or–" She cut her words short as she noticed a fellow thief running up towards her. "What is it, Sabanu?"

Sabanu tried to catch her breath. "There is a whole army of Poes just past the gate. They're coming this way."

Nabooru frowned as she unsheathed her other scimitar, shooting Link a peculiar look.

"Well, it looks like Ganondorf's not patient enough to wait for me," Link muttered as he reached for his bow.

"One, two... three!"

Malon lifted the bundle of hay from the barrel and dropped it in the corner with a grunt. She brushed off her hands on her apron and took out a brush.

Avelle had been sitting on top of one of the hay stacks, swinging his legs idly and watching the girl brush the cow. "Do you always have to work so much?" He asked as he sought out a piece of grass that had tangled itself in his white hair.

Malon patted the cow who had given her an affectionate nuzzle. "Not as much as I used to," she conceded. "Ingo helps out a lot nowadays. But I enjoy the work. It keeps my mind off of things."

"Like what?"

Malon's mind flashed to Link as she opened the door of the milking shed. For seven years she had tried to deny her feelings for the boy. It was such an out of reach fantasy. And besides, doesn't the Hero always get the princess in the end? She thought. At least, that was what always happened in the books she used to read as a child.

Working was the best remedy. Caring for the horses, milking the cows; they were much more of a reality than Link's love.

"Maybe I'll tell you someday," Malon replied. "Come on, you should probably get some sleep."

Avelle settled deep into the covers of Malon's bed and clutched the end of the red blanket with both of his small hands. "I'm not going to fall asleep," he whispered.

I wouldn't either, Malon thought. Not when his life had changed so drastically at so young an age. "Do you want me to tell you a story?"

"My mother sang to me," came the quiet reply.

Malon smiled and pulled up a wooden stool by the bed. "All right." She cleared her mind until she found herself humming a familiar song. Soft, haunting; her voice rose and fell in the dimly lit room, yet she couldn't hear her own words.

"Don't sing that," the boy snapped.

Malon stopped, her mouth hanging open in shock. That was the same song as... She shook her head and furrowed her eyebrows. Get a hold of yourself! "I'll sing you something else then." She tried to remember a song Link had played for her. Zelda's Lullaby. She remembered the tune but didn't know the words.

Thinking quick, Malon began singing the lullaby, making up her own words to the song:

Sleep sound, sleep long

The moon shines through the clouds

Protecting you with this song.

Morning is just a dream away,

Bringing you joy for another day.

A sigh. Malon lifted up the lantern and saw Avelle's closed eyes and heard the even sound of his breathing. She stood up and with light feet, she made her way towards the door. As her hand tightened around the knob she heard a faint whisper:

"She wasn't my real mother."

Malon hesitated, waited for more, and closed the door quietly behind her.

Mother... Malon smoothed the covers of her makeshift cot and laid down on top of it. She stared openly at the darkness as a desolate wave of feeling washed over her. I barely remember my mother. Her father never talked about her, and Malon didn't want to resurface old wounds. But her thirst for knowledge of her mother was almost unbearable. Was she pretty? Was she able to make her father laugh?

Malon's head dropped to the side of her pillow, and she closed her eyes. All that she could remember were the sweet words that were sung softly in her ear as a baby. The melody of life, promise, and fulfilling ends...

The arrow whistled straight into the Poe's left eye. The ghost let out a shriek and shriveled into mist.

"That's the last of them?" Nabooru asked, scanning the fortress for any sign of the monsters. Sabanu climbed up the side of the gate and closed its iron jaws. The rest of the thieves slowly made their way back to their posts, a little more than perturbed by the invasion.

"I think so," Link said, putting away his bow and counting the arrows he had left.

Nabooru shook her head. "I should have stayed at the temple. If I had known..."

"You couldn't have known," Link cut her off. He picked up a few arrows from the ground and put them in his quiver. "It's no use thinking like that," He turned around and gave her a smile.

Nabooru raised her delicately arched eyebrows. "You're going in there, aren't you?"

Link sighed. "Am I that predictable? I'll wait until tomorrow. I was looking forward to some of that Gerudo food."

Nabooru laughed, but it lacked cheer. It was hard to find happiness in a world that remained under constant shadow.

:And to the reviewers:

The Arc: Heh, sorry for another five month wait...

chel bel: Thanks for the C2 add:)

Paper Bear: Thanks!

Heroine of Time: Hopefully this chapter will be here to catch you!

Serenity Winner: One of my fan fiction goals is to revise this story, but I'm planning on finishing it first. (Although I don't know how long that will take me) Thanks for reviewing!

E1pnvn: I hope this chapter leaves you to be even more intrigued. :)