Malon sat a small stack of folded clothes on the bed in the guestroom. Its sheets laid messily on it, occasionally re-wrinkling with the breeze from the open window. Chinks of sunlight lit the room in a warm sort of way, and the somewhat messy writing desk in the corner increased the air of occupancy. Malon smiled to herself, gently smoothing out the bed dressings. Since her mother died, this little room hadn't seen much use. Her mother loved company; but her father, depressed after the death of his wife, had closed the guestroom door. Now that Link was here, it was like old times, like feeling at home again. In a way, that was all Malon had wanted.
She left the room, door still open, and wandered downstairs and to the kitchen table where Talon sat. She peered over is shoulder at the paper he was reading, his pipe clicking between his teeth as he mouthed the words. She'd never had his interest in stocks, seemed absolutely boring… But he read over them like she would read a fantasy novel. Malon hugged her father's shoulders lightly and headed outside, her father's eyes twinkling as they followed her out. He chuckled to himself and discarded the stocks page in favor of headlines as the door closed with a snap.

Link squinted, the bright sunlight hitting his face as he continued washing one of the horses. He dipped the brush he was using back in the water bucket, giving the mare a pat. His time at the ranch had been more than comfortable, but by now, anyone with good sense realized that he had to make an effort to do nothing. The first week there he insisted on helping Malon with the housework; the second week there, the two were able to finish so quickly that in all his free time, Link got bored and started doing repair work around the house (of his own accord). And somewhere about the middle of the second month, he'd found himself cleaning stables, watering and washing horses, and making deliveries for the dairy (but Malon still had to milk the cows herself as something about the very thought of it made the boy's skin crawl). He'd also found that Ingo utterly despised his presence.
Link began brushing the horse again, water sloshing down his arm. The breeze blew against him, warm with the sun and scented with grass and grain, and he wondered…just to himself…if he really wanted to go back. It was perfect here, even with Ingo getting tipsy and passing out at the kitchen table. He felt at home here. He didn't have to watch his back all the time, or worry about his next meal. As long as he did his share of the work, his board and food were paid for (and he halfway expected it would be even if he lazed around all day). And as he felt warm fabric hit his back, and Malon's arms came around his neck, it made returning all the more difficult to imagine. "C'mon, hero. Finish up and come in for lunch, okay?" The girl asked warmly. Link turned around and grinned. "That I can do." He replied, Malon's faint smile becoming a bit stronger. She stood there for a moment, arms still draped around his neck. The look in her eye told him that she was torn about something. "A-are you---" but before he could finish his sentence, Malon's lips met his. And it occurred to him…maybe life was meant to be spent away from the horrors of the world… Malon gave him one last smile before trudging back to the house leaving Link to finish his duties with a dazed smile on his face.
---

"'V'you seen the news today?" Talon asked through a mouthful of potatoes. He produced a copy of the front page from under his chair, handing it to Link. "Seems the royals 'ave got themselves quite a pickle if you ask me." The boy's eyes scanned the page quickly, taking in words he could barely believe:

'Investigations on the recent tomb raids have led authorities to the heart of Hyrule to interrogate one of three prime suspects in the case. Sheikah Wynn Impa was found unconscious and bruised in the Royal Tomb's grand burial chamber nearly three months ago, however no charges were filed due to her position as royal guard. The tomb's entrance hall is home to two hundred Sheikah graves, all of which had been opened, and their former deceased are missing completely. In the words of one investigator "The dead don't simply get up and walk away." Further investigation has led to the discovery of vandalism to other historical areas in the tomb; namely, a memorial stone engraved with the notes to a royal ballad.
The remaining two suspects have yet to be interrogated, but officials say that a young man in his mid-adolescent years and a watchman for the Kakariko police are said to have been seen at the scene of the crime. Further bulletins as the case develops.

-E. Edmundson'

Link dropped the paper on the table and got to his feet. "I---I have to go…"
"Don't announce it to the world, boy!" Ingo spat as he walked through the door. He tossed a pitchfork in the corner, retrieved a bottle of whiskey from a crate nearby, and flopped down at the dinner table. "No sir, it's not like that," The boy yelped, "I just realized, I –er- forgot to make a delivery." He slid the paper back to Talon and ran to his room, Malon and Talon exchanging confused looks at the various crashes and clangs coming from the guestroom. A second later, Link dashed back out, gave Malon a kiss on the head, and was headed for the door when Talon grabbed his sleeve and drug the boy down. "Take the crate with you," he grunted, jerking his head towards where the bin of whiskey sat. "Drop it in the river for all I care, but don't bring it back." Link gave a quick nod and Malon got to her feet, dragging the crate out herself the second that Ingo took another long draught from his bottle. "And she'll be wanting to go with you," Talon added after the door had closed.
"But Sir I-"
"If you don't let her go, she'll follow you."
"Sir I can do th—"
"Who's going to drag you out of there if you get hurt?"
"Sorry, sir?"
"If you're ambushed or whatnot, who's gonna help you?
"I've never been ambushed."
"Well judgin' by all that equipment you got on you, you're gonna be on the road a while."
Link said nothing. If he protested now, he'd have to tell Talon the truth, which he was sure wouldn't turn out well considering that he'd have to admit to being at the scene of a crime (that all of Hyrule knew about by now).
"Take her with you, look after her, and lay your bed roll twenty feet away from hers."
"Yes sir."
"Good."
Ingo watched as Link left. "Where's their delivery –hic- at?"
Talon puffed on his pipe for a moment before answering. "Kakariko, I believe."
---

Link walked into the stables, lugging his shield behind him. He'd vacantly gathered another bow and a quiver full of arrows from the supply shed out back, thinking that maybe he'd teach Malon to use it when they set up camp for the night. He entered the stables still rather lost in his thoughts, and set his load down. "Malon, come here, would you?" There was no answer, but the sound of cloth being dropped in a nearby stable caught his attention. He eased over towards where the noise came from, just to be hit in the head by a cloak. "Stay where you are, I'll be there in a minute!" Malon told him sharply. Link's eyes widened and he moved back slightly, not daring to wonder what exactly the girl was doing. He stood in awkward silence for several minutes, the quiet only broken by rustling and the occasional neigh from one of the horses. A few more minutes and his feet had fallen asleep. He tapped them on the ground, gazing around the stables idly, and every now and then readjusting his belt or baldric.

What seemed like an eternity later, Link heard a bunch of small clinging and clanking noises, and Malon tossed what looked like a wadded up dress out of the stable. His face went bright red. "Alright, I'm ready!" He heard her call. He swiveled around before she could come out. "I don't think you are." He called back. "Oh quit being such a baby, I only changed clothes!" She announced. Link turned back around, not saying anything for a while. "What…? Are they that bad…?" Malon asked with an alarmed expression. Link's jaw hung slack. "You----er----you look----"
"Like a guy…?"
"Well…."
Malon smiled slightly "I wouldn't get any respect otherwise." She pointed out. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail at the base of her head; all makeup had been removed from her face, which was now lightly smudged with dirt. Link assumed she must've bandaged herself because she was now wearing a loose tan tunic that laid rather flatly across her chest, and a pair of worn, brown leather trousers fit comfortably over her, tucked into a pair of boots very similar to Link's. A sword hung sheathed at her hip, and she carried a squared off stance that could have fooled anyone.
"You aren't going on a run and I know it, so don't expect me to lose the sword." She said following his eyes. Link shuddered "You've got no idea how disturbing this is." He mumbled. Malon only frowned at him "If I go as I normally look I'll be treated just like every other girl my age."
"Oh, so you'd rather be treated like a man?" Link asked in a would-be-casual tone. He chuckled slightly at her loss for words but didn't delve into it any further. At least now Talon could rest assured that the boy wouldn't make any moves.
---

"The ancient and noble Sheikah, what a lovely race…" Veran mused. "Brilliant warriors, all of them…" She nudged one of the Sheikah with her foot. The man had been dead for one-hundred years, but hadn't decomposed at all. He looked as though he was sleeping. "Tell me, Marid, how do the dead simply walk out of their graves?"
The boy's red eyes glared at her coldly, his words forced to play along.
"How, Sorceress?" he drawled, a hint of annoyance to his voice. The woman smiled nastily. "Very much like this…"
Marid opened his mouth to comment on her rather stupid jest, but his attention was distracted by another one of the Sorceress' many tricks. The floor of the dark cavern they were in was slowly flooding with a shining purple liquid. It had appeared out of nowhere at all, and welled up, enveloping the dead Sheikah warriors. The one at Veran's feet began to convulse, Marid's eyes widening in an almost horrified way.

He sprang to his feet, the large room now filled with the strange shaking beings. The same one that had started convulsing first gasped, its silvery head bursting from the liquid, brilliant violet eyes blinking and an eerie expression of mingled wonder and captivity on its face. "Veran!" Marid's voice yelled as Sheikah began rising up everywhere. "Veran you fool! What have you done?" His pale figure pressed against the rough stone wall, fingers groping at it, trying to keep away from the people in front of him.

Veran did not reply, at least not to him. Her voice rose to an incredible severity, and the loud hisses she breathed splashed together in a cold way. "Uoy ecaf tsum selbon suorotiart eht! Emit ruoy si won, esira hakiehs elbaronoh tsom!"
The weird language reverberated through the cavern, Sheikah men and women roaring equally strange replies. Marid glanced at them, edging his way along the wall. They all had nearly silver hair, but their eyes were vastly different shades of vibrant and unnatural colors. He wondered vaguely if that was how his eyes looked to other people, but quickly set his childish ponderings aside, trying to teleport out of the area to a quieter place. The strange verse had an odd sort of repressing effect on his strength, and he could feel himself fading.

When he'd finally decided that his efforts were in vain, he felt his way along the wall until he stumbled back into a hallway that led outside. He followed it about halfway and slumped against the wall, a sort of dizzy feeling coming over him as he escaped the murmurs of Veran's new pawns. She'd never mentioned plans of this, and in truth, she'd never seemed so strong before. Earlier she'd even been unwilling to use her powers to any extent. But now she was calling up the sleeping warriors of old, power that Ganondorf himself wouldn't touch…what had changed her mind?

Marid thought over it. He'd been doing grunt-work for the past two months, biding his time… He'd set false trails; convinced authorities that he was indeed Lincoln Hyla, and made sure that his assumed identity showed up at every court date. He'd successfully cleared his counterpart's name, and even managed not to be seen by the princess. But when he thought about it, he had no idea what Veran did all that time (though it was obvious that she'd gathered a 'few resources' from Kakariko).

The boy took a moment to fade the tattoos on his face and change his eye and hair color before he headed out of the hallway. That was the only thing Veran had taught him, and it was only so 'Link' could make appearances every now and then.
As Marid emerged into the heat of Death Mountain, he squinted, sunlight flooding his eyes. He also stood dead-still. He'd heard the sound of walking behind him… Whoever had been following him was careless; they'd actually have to make an effort to be any louder. The person brushed past him, and once the boy's eyes adjusted, he could see that it was a Sheikah male with hair brighter than the others, and newer looking attire…
Marid had seen him before outside of Dodongo's Cavern…he knew he had…
And as the man looked back at him for a piercing moment, it came to him…
The man had been at all of Impa's trials.
And he'd been there as her attorney.