Chapter 5

Nearly a month had passed after Talon's funeral, and Malon found that since that night more of Ingo's bruises came to decorate her body. The largest was on her back from where he had attacked her with the broom. But despite all of that, his words hurt the most. His comments revolved around her fading relationship with Link. She had not heard from him since the funeral and she figured he was not coming back. And Ingo made sure she never forgot it. "He's probably already married the princess. What would he want with you? Perfectly useless, that's what you are," he had said to her.

And it was no surprise that her lonely feeling continued to grow.

The sky was still a bright orange, hinting toward the coming sunrise. The house was silent except the sounds of food being prepared in the kitchen. Ingo was still sound asleep and Malon was up, fixing breakfast. She would prepare her food first, then his so it would still be hot when he finally came downstairs to eat. She ate her food quickly as she arranged Ingo's plate next. Carefully wrapping it with tin foil, she placed it at his seat at the table then disappeared outside to begin working. Since her father's death, his responsibilities became a burden on her. She no longer had a life. She simply existed. Ingo hardly did any work anymore. She had caught him several times lazing about and when she confronted him, he simply laughed in her face.

Malon was down on her hands and knees, weeding the vegetable garden when she heard the stable door open and close. It couldn't be Ingo, he was still fast asleep. She stood and saw Link gently stroking Epona's fur. "What are you doing?" she demanded, marching over to him with a fist full of weeds.

"I'm taking my horse out for a ride. She is still my horse you know," he said, turning to her.

Malon scowled, "Fine."

"…And I came to see you. I wanted to make sure you are all right."

"I'm fine. I thought I told you this at the funeral," she replied curtly.

"You did. I was just checking in. Well see you later," he grabbed Epona's reins and the two began walking toward the exit.

Malon held her breath, debating whether or not to call out to him. She wanted to apologize and now seemed like a good time. "…Link!"

He turned, "Hmmm?"

"….Do you want to stay for lunch?"

That wasn't an apology, but it was a start.

"You're not going to yell at me?" he asked, with a playful smile.

"Only if you want me to," Malon replied.

He walked back toward her, "All right. How about we dine at a lovely little spot I know of."

"And where would that be?"

"Lake Hylia. Who knows maybe we can go swimming afterwards."

"It's almost wintertime and you want to go swimming?"

"Yeah, the cold water will put hair on your chest," he answered, searching for a smile.

Malon lowered her head; she didn't want him to see her grin. After all, she was still upset with him. But it was too late; he had seen her lips curl up into a smile, "Ah she does still smile. Boy have I missed your smile."

"Wait here. I'll get a picnic basket ready."

"I'll help. Don't want you doing everything by yourself."

He followed her into the house and the two began preparing a simple lunch. Malon was packing the basket, while Link searched for a blanket for the two to sit on. "Ready?" she asked, approaching him.

"Let's go," he said.

The couple began a leisure walk to Lake Hylia, where they settled on a patch of grass close to the water. They had been eating in silence for awhile before Malon finally broke the silence, "Link…"

"Hmm?" he said, turning to her.

"I wanted to tell you…I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For being such an ass at the funeral. I was just upset…"

"I know," He said, nodding understandingly.

"I just wished you had told me…about you and Zelda."

Link lowered his food and looked the red head over, "There's nothing to tell. I'm not interested in Zelda. We're friends. Nothing more."

Malon lowered her head, "I should've known that…but…"

"You're my best friend. If I was going to marry anyone, I'm going to make sure they have your approval."

"Am I really that important?"

"Yes you are," He said, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him.

Another short silence came between them before she spoke again, "Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did." He said, playfully.

"Seriously, Link!"

"All right. Shoot."

"Did you and Zelda…ever talk about getting married…I mean to each other?"

Link pulled his knees up to his chest and looked out at the water, "If I tell you, you can't hit me if it's not want you want to hear. All right?"

She nodded, "All right."

"…Yes we did. A few months before I left for Tetra, Zelda and I broke off our one year engagement. I knew that it wasn't going work out when I proposed, but her father felt it would help unite the country further if Zelda and I got married. And I wanted to help but not if it meant I was going to be miserable. I have a right to be happy too, right?"

"Of course," she replied, shifting her weight, awkwardly.

"That's right. So after a year of planning a wedding, everything fell through when Zelda and I had a big fight the night before we were finally to go public with our engagement, ya know confirm the rumors. We mutually decided the relationship wasn't worth it. And broke it off right there on the spot," He concluded his story with a nod of his head, "besides, there was someone else on my mind…" he added.

Malon looked over at him, a curious look in her eyes, "Who?"

His deep blue eyes looked at her, shining with unseen adoration and love. Malon blushed and looked away from him at the setting sun. He was about to speak when Malon jumped from her seat suddenly. "Oh goodness! It's late! I gotta get home. It's almost dinnertime."

"Malon, calm down. We just ate." He said, standing and placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Yeah, several hours ago. Come on, walk me home."
Link sighed and folded the blanket as Malon gathered the basket. Once they reached their front door, Malon turned to Link and smiled, "Thank you for a lovely lunch, "She said, taking the blanket from him.

Link was silent for awhile, his eyes traveling across Malon's tanned face, her eyes, and finally stopping on her cherry lips. He leaned in and gently brought his lips to hers. It was an awkward moment, as if this was the first kiss either of them had ever had. Malon, unsure of how to react, hastily broke the embrace. "What's wrong?" Link asked, puzzled.

She fumbled for words as she felt her lips. They still tingled, as if Link's were pressed against them. "Goodnight," she said finally, disappearing into the house quickly. She leaned against the door, her breath caught in her throat. Once again she cursed herself for her rash actions. Being that close to Link…she had never felt more vulnerable or perfect before. The few seconds their lips were together sent shivers down her spine. She liked this new feeling. Perhaps, if chance should arise, she would attempt to share another kiss with him. A much longer one. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw Ingo scowling at her. She tried reading his expression. Had he seen her kiss with Link? But then what difference did it make if he had? "I'll start dinner right now," She said, walking past him briskly.

"What was that?" he demanded, his voice chilling angry.

She stopped walking and turned to him, "Excuse me?" she asked, moving toward him a bit.

"I saw that out there," he continued. He whirled around to face her, his mustache twitching with anger.

"You were spying on me? My personal life is none of your business!" Malon yelled, her face reddening with frustration.

He grabbed her arms, "Little slut, just like her," he growled.

She wrenched herself free from his grasp, "What are you talking about?"

Ingo simply smirked, "It doesn't matter, really. We'll see how long this lasts before he leaves you again."

Malon bit her lower lip. "There he goes with his damned mind games again. Don't listen to him," her mind whispered.

But the reality of her life began to sink in. People she loved never stuck around for long. This had to be true. Her mother and father were gone. Link was probably planning another adventure. But Ingo was still here. She loathed him, and yet he remained. The rosy glow in her cheeks slowly dimmed as a great sadness settled on her shoulders. He was right. Link wasn't going to be around much longer. Ingo's cruel smile widened, knowing he had chipped away another part of her already wounded spirit.

Author's note: Sorry for the delay everyone. But the next chapter will be kind of dark. Just wanted to forewarn you before I post it. I'm still looking for a beta reader, too!