The sun was high in the sky when the group reached a large ranch. It's tall fence made it impossible to see inside.
"Welcome to Lon Lon Ranch" Dark said, gesturing to the structure's gates.
Link paused, "Lon? The Lons have been around this long too?"
"Longer actually. You'd be surprised how many families you know that exist at this time. Now come on, we've got to make this quick."
Inside the air was thick with the smell of straw, sweat, and animals. Cuccos ran amok in every nook and cranny, cows mooed from inside a nearby barn, and farther off in an enclosed field a small herd of horses lazed about. Dark set down his bag with a grunt and pulled his fingers through his hair.
"Em! Em, you here?" He called out, "Hello?"
"Em?" Adlez asked.
"Malon, the owner of the ranch. It's just a little nickname."
A gasp came from the barn, "Shadey!"
Dark cringed and Link began to snicker as a fiery haired woman rushed out of the barn and practically tackled the poor shadow to the ground.
"H-hey Em, long time no see," dark chuckled, patting the woman's back as she strangled him with a large hug.
"What're you talkin' about hun?" Malon laughed, releasing him from her grip, "You were here just a few days ago!"
This caused the Shadow to cringe again.
"Um…" Ruto blinked, "Then what was with the greeting?"
Malon waved that away with a laugh, "I always greet him like that!"
The rancher woman was quite a sight to behold. She was only a couple inches shorter than Ranik, looking about in her mid thirties. Her figure was generously curvy, not skinny, but not pudgy either. She wore a simple white, dirt-stained dress and apron. Her brilliantly red hair was wild and hung down to her waist, a small white flower she had tucked behind her ear barely visible. All in all she had a slight eccentric air to her.
"So," She said, flicking some stray strands of hair over her shoulder, "Whatcha all doin' here? I don't believe you've brought this many friends over before Shadey."
Link broke out into fits of snickers again as Dark draped his arm across Malon's shoulders and directed her towards the ranch house, eyes pleading up at the sky for patients.
"Em…" He said through clenched teeth, "What have I told you about that nickname?"
"Oh, but I like it!"
"I know you do… Oh how I know you do!"
Opening the door to the house he ushered her inside, gesturing to the others to follow.
xxxxxxx
The inside of the house was cozy, with a large table in the middle of the room and some kitchen commodities lining the walls. Malon had the gang take a seat while she made some tea. Adlez bit her lip as she sat down next to Dark Link.
"Um… Miss Lon–"
"Oh, just call me Malon dear! Or May, or Em, or anythin' for that matter!"
"Okay Malon… I…" The girl's lips curled up in a smirk, "I just have to know… Shadey?"
Link laughed again and Ruto put a hand over her mouth to hide her smile. Dark gave Adlez a fake betrayed look.
"Oh that!" Malon laughed as she put a kettle over the fire in the fireplace, "Well… I first met Dark Link when I was young, I was feedin' the Cuccos and I thought he was just a shadow made by the large tree out there. Sure scared the livin' daylights out o' me he did! I called 'im Shadow at first, but I thought it was kinda borin'. So I thought: Shadow… Shade… Shadey!"
"A process of about two seconds," Dark retorted.
She smiled, "And it's stuck for twenty-five years!"
"Unfortunately."
"Oh you like it and you know it!"
"You're having delusions again Em!"
Silently Adlez watched the old friends go at it, Link or Ruto cutting in once in a while. Dark Link laughed heartily and she smiled, there was a twinkle in his eye that she had never seen before. Anger, sadness, regret; those she had become accustomed to. But this joy, this sincere happiness… he had been void of it. Watching him enjoy himself so much stirred something inside her and, in turn, made her happy as well.
"Em! The pot's boiling over."
"Oh dear heavens!"
The woman ran over to the fire and pulled out the teapot with a rag over her hand. Placing it on the table she pulled out some clay cups from a cubbored and a package of tealeaves. She poured the package out into the hot water.
"Does anyone mind loose leaves in their tea? I seem to have misplaced my clean filter rag."
"Can I have milk instead?" Link asked.
She looked him seriously in the eye, "That'll be twenty rupees kid," After a moment of his stunned silence she began to laugh, "I'm just messin' wit ya!" After getting the boy some milk and passing around the tea, muttering that it will get stronger if they let it sit for a moment, she looked at Dark, "So, what brings ya around here anyways?"
He took a sip of his drink; "I've come to ask you a favor."
"Eh? What is it?"
"My companions need some new clothes. Do you have any spares they can use?"
She eyes the three he was referring to, "Hm… I think so hun… It'll be a bit difficult to find some for the tall one, but I'll see what I can do." Reaching into a pocket in her apron she pulled out a long string, "You dears mind standin' up for a moment?"
They obeyed. Swiftly she ducked around each of them, stretching out the string and mumbling to herself. When she was finished she bit her knuckle in thought.
"Yes… I do believe I have clothes for the large young man…" Malon turned to Dark, "Traveler's clothes I reckon?" Dark nodded. Stowing away the string, The woman turned to Adlez, "Let's get you in somethin' first, maybe we'll find a nice dress for ya too," She winked. As the two of them left out a door she turned back, "Make yerselves comfortable while I'm gone!"
Dark stood up as the door closed, "I'll be out in the corral if you need me."
He left out the front door.
Ruto giggled, "They're cute."
Link sipped at his milk, "Who?"
"Malon and Dark Link."
"Yeah, they get along really well."
She looked down at her tea; "I wonder what happened to her…"
Link blinked, "Huh?"
Ruto looked at him, "Did you see the look in Dark's eyes when Miss Malon left?"
"Uh… no, I didn't…"
"Oh. Well, he looked sad…."
"He always does."
"No he doesn't! He was really happy just a moment ago."
"Hmph…" Link looked bored, "Why do you think something's going to happen to her? He's from our time remember, she's dead by then."
"Oh, I don't know," Ruto leaned back in her chair, "He just kinda had this must-spend-as-much-time-with-her-or-else-I-might-never-see-her-again sorta look, ya'know?"
"You must be imagining things."
"I am not! Ranik, you saw it ri–" She blinked, "Where'd Ranik go?"
Link looked over at the empty seat that Ranik had been occupying a moment ago, "I guess he left…"
xxxxxxx
The grass of the corral waved in the soft breeze that blew around the ranch. Horses with coats of brown, red, black, white, and all between meandered majestically about the field or chewed on the delicate grass. In between them foals leapt and danced, chasing butterflies that dared land on the small white flowers that littered the area.
Ranik leaned on the fence that surrounded the corral. His eyes were fixed on the center where Dark Link stood, staring intently at the ground. After a few minutes Ranik decided the shadow wasn't moving any time soon and slipped through the corral gate to approach him.
Dark looked up as Ranik got near, "What do you want?"
Ranik stood next to him and looked at the spot of grass that was holding the other's attention. It was nothing special, just a place where the grass had been worn down a little more than the rest.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Who says anything's wrong?" Dark's eyes narrowed.
"Ruto's worried."
A smile played on the shadow's lips, "Oh… well… It's nothing really," He looked up at the bright blue sky, "Did you know that at night Malon comes out here to sing? Her voice is quite lovely…."
"No, I did not know that."
Dark chuckled, "Right… of course not…" He closed his eyes and sighed.
"Malon said you had visited a few days before."
"That she did."
"That was the last time you saw her."
"Very perceptive…" He opened his blood read eyes, "But not quite right… That was the last time I saw her alive… A little while after I visited I heard of her death. I came here as quickly as I could at the time. She died right here on this spot… Her body had been moved by the time I arrived, but that is what I heard… Murdered… While she was singing…."
"Murdered?"
"Yes. I got a good look at her corpse before they buried her… She was murdered," He looked up at Ranik with a cold look in his eyes, "By a vampire," Ranik was silent as Dark turned and walked off, "I don't know who did it…" He said, pausing in his step, "But that was the day I vowed to kill Marinal…"
Ranik continued to stare at the grass before him, "You were once a creature void of emotion… cruel, ruthless, above the petty feelings of those around you… Have you ever wished you hadn't changed?"
There was a long pause before the shadow answered, "Yes… often."
And with that Dark moved on, leaving Ranik alone among the horses.
Opia: Interesting tidbit of the day... This has now past 100 written pages!
Cari: Wooo...
Opia: It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside...
Cari: ...
Opia: Reviews also make me all warm and fuzzy. :D