Hello readers! Chapter 134 is finally here! Link and Gerudo are still working at Lon Lon Ranch, but a new surprise is in store for them this morning!
"BRAW-BRAW-BRAAAAKKKAAAA! BRAW-BRAW-BRAAAAKKKAAAA!"
It was the dawn of a new day at Lon Lon Ranch, as Saria's fairy companion Faete was sleeping in a little makeshift bed created from a jewelry box and a handkerchief. The small fairy stirred from the noise made by a cucco outside, letting her know it was morning.
"Ugh, stupid cuccos." Faete yawned, "Hey Saria, time to get up..."
"Mmm... okay... just give me a second..." Saria muttered from under her covers.
"Do you have a cold or something? Your voice sounds weird." Faete pointed out.
"No, I feel just fine." Saria peeked out from under her sheets, "Maybe I need a glass of water..."
Saria climbed out from the sheets and prepared herself to hop down off of the bed, but found her feet touched the floor a lot quicker than she was used to, She stumbled for a second, before regaining her footing and looking down at herself in surprise,
"H-HUH...?!"
Meanwhile down the hallway, Malon was just starting to get up out of bed after being woken up by the morning cucco caw. She yawned out loudly and smacked her lips.
"Ugh, guess it's time to start the day." Malon said, she stretched herself out and straightened out her nightgown. It was an old gown from before she was pregnant with Meli, and it was a bit snug on her curvier body, but it was all she had to wear at that moment.
She opened up the curtains to let light in, then went over to the crib where her baby daughter was just starting to get up from the cucco's noise as well. The baby yawned out and looked sleepily up at her mother. Malon leaned forward on the crib and smiled warmly.
"Mornin' Meli. Sleep well?" Malon asked. The baby's sleepy little eyes blinked a few times before they turned wide, and she giggled at the sight of her mother, "Hee hee, it's always nice seeing your bright golden eyes in the mornin'!"
Meli curiously looked around and spotted a certain something sticking up on the corner of the crib, a toy pinwheel with multi-colored decals. She got herself up and started crawling over to the corner, trying to reach up at it but failing to do so.
"Is that you wanna see? Okay!" giggled Malon, she took the pinwheel and held it up at Meli. The baby waved her arms around as Malon took in some air and blew on the pinwheel. The blades spun wildly, making the colors mix together, and soon it took on the appearance of a spinning rainbow. The baby giggled out happily at the whirling colors.
"You're just too cute!" Malon grinned, putting the pinwheel back in place and lifting up her baby, "Yer the bright little ray of sunshine I need to see each and every day!"
"MooOOooo!"
Malon took a look out the window and saw the cow stable far off in the distance. The ranchers were already starting to lead the cows out for the morning graze. While she was trying to focus on raising her daughter and do what she could for chores, the missing cows was always on her mind as well.
They were such sweet and gentle animals, and she couldn't bare to think of why they were disappearing. Was there cattle rustlers stealing them, could that old man's ramblings about moon men possibly be true, r was she and the ranchers not treating them well enough? It was times like these she wished she could better communicate with the animals of the ranch she loved so much...
And then there was the problem with the decline in milk production, if they couldn't figure out how to step things up and meet their quota soon, the Hylian Parliament would take their pick of the animals as collateral, including Epona...
Malon then noticed Meli was getting fussy, indicating she was probably hungry. Malon took an empty baby bottle from a drawer near the crib, pulled down her gown just enough to expose her chest, and started the process of filling up the bottle. She let out a sigh of relief at the milk coming out, her chest could be rather achy when she was 'backed-up'. The women on her father's side of the family tend to produce a lot of pregnancy milk, and unfortunately Meli wasn't a very big eater, so her swollen chest could be a problem at times.
'At this rate maybe we could get away with selling human milk instead.' Malon half-joked to herself.
She took the filled bottle and held it to Meli, who started drinking. Malon had only just started bottle feeding Meli recently, as she was advised to by Mrs. O'Leary so she wouldn't be too dependent on breast feeding. Though in a way, Malon kind of missed the bonding she had letting her feed directly.
Meli finished all-too quickly and let out a light burp. Malon smiled and kissed her baby on the head before putting her back in the crib. The young mother felt at her chest, as that achy feeling was still there. She took some more empty bottles and worked on emptying herself as much as she could to try and relieve the pressure. She managed to fill up four baby bottles she had, and used a small ice box she picked up from a merchant recently to store them. With some ice at the bottom, it could keep the bottles cool and fresh for at least a few days.
"Well, better go see to our new help." Malon said, "Includin' him..."
Malon thought about the times she and Link had spent together when they were younger. He was such a enthusiastic kid, and even as an adult he never lost that energy. She had fond memories of them playing with the horses, helping Talon with the chores, and sometimes the two would play music together, Malon singing while Link accompanied her on his ocarina.
The young mother glanced over at an old book that was on a table nearby, thinking about the day Link returned to the ranch after his seven year journey to drop off Epona. He had gone on all sorts of grand adventures, and she was fascinated to hear every bit of his tales.
Then he received a letter by the postman, which told him to meet with an old friend in a place called Gerudo Town. It was sad to see him leave, but he promised they would see each other again someday...
"KYYYAAAA!"
Malon snapped out of thoughts as she heard a scream from in the house, along with some more shouting to follow. She thought it might had been the Gerudo being woken up, but they sounded much angrier. Not knowing what to expect, she made sure Meli was all right before locking the door and rushing downstairs.
"What's all the hollerin' about down here?" Malon shouted.
It was in the living room she saw the Gerudo soldiers were surrounding an unfamiliar woman sitting back on the floor. The soldiers all had their weapons pointed right at the woman, who was strangely enough in the nude.
Nemisa, Kesuta and Korume had all been made to keep their distance by the soldiers for their own safety, while Malon saw Togau was brandishing her hand ax at the nude woman and Reirousa was holding a broom in a combat position.
The unfamiliar nude woman herself had pale skin with pointy ears and light brown hair. Despite her kneeling position, Malon could tell she was rather short, but her figure was more on the... rounder side. Her chubby face was looking left and right in a panic at the spears all aimed at her.
"Stay where you are, large naked intruder! We have some questions for you!" one solider shouted with her spear aimed right at the woman's head.
"I-I don't know what's going on, and stop pointing that thing at me already!" shouted the woman, only to suddenly gasp out and cover her own mouth.
"Just are ya? And what have you done with my Imra?!" Togau shouted angerly with tears in her eyes, "She was sleeping right by me last night! You ate her, didn't you?!" Togau kneeled down at the woman's stomach and knocked hard on it, causing the mysterious woman's body to jiggle, "Imra, if you can hear me cluck something!"
"Master Togau, please hear me!" pleaded the woman, "I AM Imra, cluck-cluck!"
"W-What?!" Togau exclaimed, "How's that even...?!"
"That's it, I'm about ready to start giving this bitch a pounding if she don't fess up!" Reirousa said cracking her knuckles.
"Wait everyone, I think she's telling the truth!" spoke up a new voice, as everyone turned to see coming down the stairs with Sarami was another adult woman they had never seen before. She had a heart-shaped face, with long, wavy green hair, bright blue eyes, and had a slim, dainty figure that was currently wearing Sarami's white lab coat.
"Huh? Who the hell're are you now?!" Reirousa exclaimed, "You another thief hooked up with this one? You even stole Doc Sarami's coat?"
Sarami cleared her throat, "Um, I don't quite know how to explain this but..."
"...wait, it can't be..." Nemisa stared at the green-haired woman in particular, then spoke in realization, "Is... that you Saria?"
"WHAT?" exclaimed everyone but Sarami.
"T-That's Ms. Saria?" Malon gasped out.
"I... think so?" Saria spoke in an older voice which surprised everyone further.
"Ugh, what did everyone go dragging us out of bed for. ..?" spoke up another voice, as Malon turned to see Link coming in through the front door half-asleep and half-dressed, standing alongside Nabooru and an overly flustered Aviel.
"This better be an emergency or I'm knocking everyone's lights out." Nabooru groaned, clutching her head from a mild hangover
After the two had been done riding Epona and Thunder the previous night, they spent a brief but fun time of wild sex together in the back of the horse stable. They were hoping to duck out of waking up that morning for chores, but they were quickly found and rounded up by a frantic Aviel.
"Link, you gotta see this!" Aviel said, "This crazy woman snuck into the house and-" she turned to see the strange girl with the long green hair, "Wha-, there's two of them now?!"
"What the heck is going on here?" Link rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and the first thing he saw was Malon in particular. She was wearing a tight nightgown that was hugging her curvy frame.
"Uh... is that what you wanted me to see? Nice."
"Q-Quit lookin' at me like that Link!" Malon exclaimed, covering herself with a bright red face.
"Ah, sorry Malon! Sorry!" Link snapped out of his daze and looked away, only to instead see a strange green haired woman wearing Sarami's lab coat and looking meekly at him.
"Uh, hey Link?" Saria sheepishly smiled with a small wave.
"W-WHAAATT?"
"Hoo-kay, now that everyone's calmed down, maybe we can finally focus on what's happening?" Nabooru suggested.
Malon had gotten a spare dress for Saria, and while they couldn't find anything for the portly woman right away, they had made due with a large blanket wrapped around her like a toga.
"What in tarnation's going on here?" Talon asked clenching his head, "When did we get new guests?"
"Well from what we've been told..." Nabooru spoke, she looked to the two new women, "It would seem our dear sister Saria has somehow become an adult woman... and Togau's pet cucco Imra has been turned into a human."
"Imra, isat really you?" Togau asked to the portly woman.
"Of course I am, cluck-cluck!" Imra said, "I can prove it too! Remember that time you were turned into a Lynel and you bokre the bed trying to lay on it?"
"Gaaaaaah! Why'd you have to go'n bring THAT up of all things/!?" Togau exclaimed with a mortified face.
"This is so weird..." Aviel said staggering around with spiraling eyes.
"Saria, are you doing okay?" Link asked, kneeling down beside Saria and holding her hand, "Do you feel strange at all?!"
"N-No, a little surprised and confused maybe, but otherwise I feel just fine." Saria spoke, looking to her boyfriend with a serene smile. Her eyes were narrower than they were before, and her voice was deeper and somewhat silkier in tone, but she still seemed to be the same person.
"Okay," Nabooru sighed, squeezing her brow, "I'm going to take a wild guess that you both woke up this morning looking like this, and no one here knows how it happened."
"That's right." Saria and Imra both said, the others all nodding in agreement.
"Soooo... I take it this sorta thing doesn't typically happen to these two?" Malon asked.
"Not at all!" Saria's fairy Faete said, "Kokiri aren't supposed to be able to grow up like this!"
"Which is why I think we have a few questions to ask you Sarami..." Nemisa said, turning to the doctor with a bit of a glare, "Would this happen to be another one of your little 'experiments', like back when you turned our husband into a child...?"
"How about you Korume, mind explaining this?" Link asked glaring at the ice mystic, "You were talking just yesterday about making Saria older with magic..."
"I swear to you, we had nothing to do with this!" Korume said defensively, "Hypnotism is one thing, but I don't know magic to alter one's age!"
"And the drink I had made back then was an accident!" Sarami said in a panic, "I didn't even bring any mixtures with me that would cause this sort of reaction!"
'So they have been doing this kind of stuff before...?' Malon thought to herself sweatdropping.
"Well if it wasn't Korume or Sarami, than what the heck coulda caused this?!" Togau asked.
"And is there even a way to change them both back?" Reirousa pondered.
"No clue, but is there really that much of a difference?" Kesuta suggested, she looked to the Kokiri girl in particular, "Besides, Saria looks real pretty like this, right Link?" she nudged him with a grin.
Saria's cheeks turned a light red as Link looked her body up and down.
"W-Well I can't deny that. You were always really cute Saria, but you look absolutely stunning now." Link admitted.
"T-Thanks Link..." Saria said in embarrassment.
"I care big time, cluck-cluck!" Imra spoke up in a fit. "I wanna go back to being a cucco!"
"Aw, but you're so soft like this!" Aviel giggled, hugging Imra with her bird wings.
"Let go of me you little- hee hee- Ack!" Imra caught herself from laughing out, "Why didn't anyone tell me feathers were ticklish?"
"This is going to take a while to sort out." Nabooru said sweatdropping.
Since no one had an idea of what do about Saria and Imra's situation, they decided to go back to the routine from yesterday for the time being and went out to start on the chores.
"Hey mister, where do you want me to put these?" Aviel called out carrying a bunch of bags at once, her vision obscured by the amount she held.
"Uh, just set em over by the crates." a rancher spoke sweatdropping, "Be careful with those bags though, they're mighty fragile!"
"Gotcha! I'll take good care of them!" Aviel said, staggering off in the exact opposite direction he stated thanks to her obscured vision. But then she tripped a bit, causing one bag to almost fall, "Whoopise!"
"It's okay!" before it could impact on the ground though, someone reached out and caught the bag, "I got it Aviel!"
Aviel peeked past the bags to see it was Saria who had caught it. Instead of being shorter than Aviel like before, Saria was standing a good foot over her now, and sporting a sweet smile.
"Here Aviel, why don't I help you with these?" Saria offered taking another bag under her other arm.
"Oh, thanks Saria!" Aviel said, she looked the adult Kokiri up and down, "You've really gotten strong!"
Saria set down the bags by the crates and turned to Aviel, sporting an embarrassed smile as she put her hand to her cheek, "Thanks Aviel. It took some time to get used to walking around at this height, but it really feels good bring able to do more to help everyone!"
"Glad to hear that, cause these supplies can get real heavy." Aviel groaned setting down her own load. She wiped the sweat from her brow and turned to a rancher, "Is there any other chores we can do for a while? What about the sheep, any to sheer today?"
"Nah, the sheep are mostly fine right now." said the rancher, "Though even if we needed to, we wouldn't be able to sheer them anyway."
"Why is that?" Nemisa asked carrying two boxes in her arms and setting them down..
"Bunch of our sheep sheers went missing last night." said another rancher, "We'll have to put in an order for more, but I dunno if we got the budget for it."
"How strange, who would steal sheep sheers of all things...?" Nemisa pondered.
"Isn't it obvious?" spoke up a voice. Nemisa turned and jumped backwards in surprise to see it was Old Man Jalolf, staring at her with his bug-eye, "It's gots to be the work of them moon men, it is!"
"Oh goddesses, not him again." said a rancher.
"But what would these moon men want with sheep sheers?" Saria asked.
"It's plenty obvious when you think about it!" Old Man Jalolf said, "...they're using em to peel their moon apples!"
"Moon... apples?"Aviel asked tilting her head.
"That's right, moon apples to prepare their homemade moon pies!" Jalolf said, "That's why we gots to put a stop to their nefarious ways before the bakeries go outta business! You still got that banana, right little lady?"
"Yep!" Aviel said pulling out the banana, which already had some small brown spots on it.
"Good, don't let them moon men catch you without it!" Old Man Jalolf said. He looked around shifty-eyed and leaned forward whispering, "Don't forget, it'll come in handy someday!"
The group watched Old Man Jalolf pace backwards before ducking behind a barn.
"...Aviel, maybe you should get rid of that thing." Nemisa said, "It's starting to get ripe."
"No way, I need it to protect me from the moon men!" Aviel said, putting the banana away.
"I think the only men we have to worry about here are these Hylian mongrels..." Nemisa scowled, gesturing to the two ranchers talking with Saria.
"Don't let that old man scare you Miss, he's just a lot of talk!" said one male rancher, tipping his hat to Saria and handing her a bottle of water, "Come on, why doncha go ahead and take a sit-down break and we can have a nice friendly chat?"
"Ferget him!" another male rancher stepped up, practically butting the other out of way, "I could show you a nice spot in the shade for you to rest!"
"Now wait a minute, I was talkin' to the pretty lady first!" shouted the first man.
"Yeah? And ya'd be a bigger bore for her to talk to than the pigs!" said the other.
"Uh..." Saria looked left and right nervously at the two men squabbling at each other, but then a pair of forceful hands came down on the shoulders of them both.
"Hey you two..." Nemisa spoke coldly from behind their backs, "You are aware this 'little lady' is taken by the Gerudo King as his future wife, right?"
"Th-The Gerudo King?!" exclaimed one of the men.
"Uh, we're sorry! We'll get back to work!" said the other, the two running over and gathering up the bags Aviel had been carrying, "Here, let us help you with this!"
The two men sped off with the supplies, leaving Saria, Aviel and Nemisa alone.
"Thanks Nemisa." Saria spoke with a sigh, "Some of the boys back home in Kokiri Forest would give me a lot of attention, but I've never been hit on by adult men like that."
"Not a problem" nodded Nemisa, "But you have to be weary of these Hylian men as you are now." she looked Saria up and down with a light smirk, "If you don't mind me saying so, you've become quite a beautiful woman, and grown out quite nicely in all the right places. I'd love to see how you look in one of my dancer's outfits."
"Th-Thanks Nemisa..." Saria spoke, placing a hand on top of her chest, "I used to get pretty jealous of girls with large breasts like Sheeva and Ashe, especially when Link paid so much attention to them. It's kind of exciting to have big ones of my own." she straightened herself up and her chest bounced a bit, "Though I'm not used to the weight, they're a little heavy..."
"No kidding, they're gotten huge!" Aviel spoke enthusiastically, her own large chest bouncing.
"..." Nemisa paused as she looked back and forth between Aviel and Saria chatting happily. She turned and placed her hands over her own chest for a moment and muttered under her breath,
"Suddenly I now feel like a grape in a hydromelon display..."
"Grwaar graawwaar grynow... grawr...?"
"Neeeiigghh! Neeeiigh! Phhhbbbttt..."
Link, Togau and Malon were all sitting out at the horse corral with Epona. Togau was using the animal language ability she gained from her Lynel form to have a back and forth conversation with the horse. Link and Malon meanwhile both sat and watched them with awe.
"It's amazing that you can talk to animals Togau...!" Malon said, "So, what did Epona say? Does she know anything about it?"
"Neeeeiigh..."
"Epona says she's sorry, but she doesn't know why the cows're disappearin'." Togau said, "She spoke to the remainin' cows, but they don't know nothin' either, it always happens while they're all sleepin'."
"Oh, I thought if anyone'd know it would be the barn animals." sighed Malon.
Epona snorted and hung her head down, seeming to be apologizing for not being much help. But Link's hand reached out and pet at Epona's head.
"Hey, don't sweat it Epona. I'm glad to finally be able to have a real chat with you!" Link smiled.
Epona's eyes lit up and nodded, clomping her hoof, "Neeeeiiiggh! Neeeigh!"
"You're telling me, Master Link! You don't know how long I've wanted to have a talk with you too!" Togau translated for Epona, "Glad you made Ms. Togau your mate! She was always so good to me back when she was living here!"
"So on that note, I couldn't help but notice you and Thunder have been butting heads." Link said to Epona, he sported a grin, "What's going on there, you crushing on him or something?"
"Absolutely not!" Epona snorted and turned her head away, "That big stupid oaf thinks he's the best horse in the ranch, but he's a big fat loser cheater! I consider him my rival and enemy if anything!" she stood up and clomped her hooves, "Come on Link, let's train so we can beat him next time! We'll start by racing around the ranch five or six hundred laps!"
"I'm not doing that!" Link exclaimed.
"Oh yeah... come to think of it you must be pretty tired out after you and Ms. Nabooru were banging each other last night in our stable!" snickered Epona with a wide horse grin.
Link faulted over backwards while Togau broke out into uncontrollable laughter.
"Oh brother." Malon said rolling her eyes, "You really got no self control, dontcha Link?"
"Says the girl who had her kid the same way?" Link pointed out.
"Alright, point taken." Malon almost laughed, but instead stuck her tongue out at Link in response. Malon reached up and stroked Epona's head gently, "But still, I just can't get over that you have such a connection to animals now Togau! I remember back when we were kids you were still trying to get the terms for everything down."
"Eh, this power just came naturally with my Lynel form, not like it's a skill I had to work hard to learn or nothin'..." Togau laughed nervously.
"It's still real amazin'." Malon said petting Epona, "I wish I could get a better understandin' of animals like you do..."
Link glanced to the somewhat sad look in Malon's eyes with a raised eyebrow.
"Huff-puff... okay Master Togau, I'm... huff-puff... ready!" spoke up a voice, as the four turned to see the new human woman Imra standing before them, she looked a little winded as she came up wearing a large blue dress with a white apron, and a matching blue bonnet worn on her head,
"Hey Imra, there you are!" Togau said with a wave, "How's that human body working out for ya?"
"Not so good!" huffed Imra, "It took me forever to learn to keep my balance, I got this annoying waddle to my step too! I hate being human, cluck-cluck!"
"Hm, you sure it's not due to that weight you got?" Togau pointed out, poking at her stomach, "I knew you were sneakin' extra feed at night!"
"D-Don't do that!" Imra shouted. She heard a snicker from Link and turned to glare at him, "And you keep your mouth shut, you clucking idiot!"
"Sucks that you hate being human so much, seems real neat to me!" Togua translated for Epona, "I kinda wanna know what it'd be like to be one myself! Running around without horseshoes, being able to sit at the table for dinner, getting to sleep in one of those comfy looking beds..."
"Huh, never knew you felt that way Epona." Malon said.
"Yeah, I guess I wanna get to bond with humans better." Epona said looking upwards into the sky, "You and Link always had so much fun playing together back when we were all little. Sometimes I felt just a little bit jealous of you two..."
Malon blushed a little as she gazed downwards, thinking about those happy days they had together.
"Well not me, I still wanna go back to being a cucco, cluck-cluck!" Imra said stamping her foot.
"Hey, don't mes up that dress already!" Togau said, "It looks good on you!"
Imra looked down at herself, "You really think so? Mrs. O'Leary was able to let out this old dress they had in storage for me to wear, cluck-cluck."
"Reckon course!" Togau grinned, "Those colors suit ya, right everyone?"
"Honestly she looks like a gigantic blueberry from my angle." Epona commented with a wide toothy horse grin, causing Togau, Malon and Link to all burst out laughing.
"Brawkaaaaa... How dare you!" Imra said with fury. She started flapping her arms at Epona furiously, "I'll give you such a peeeeeckiiiing!"
"...you know, maybe you outta stay that way after all. You aren't so intimidating as a human." Link said with a smarmy grin of his own.
"Why you!" Imra lunged forward and bashed her head against Link's in an attempt to peck him, "Yeowch! My beak, I mean my nose hurts!"
"What'd you think was going to happen you idiot?!" Link shouted back.
"Hee..." Malon stared at Link and Imra fighting, before she found herself bursting out laughing like crazy, slapping at her knee, "Hee hee hee hee! You're too much Link! You've been like that with cuccos ever since we were little kids!"
"Was not." Link said turning his head away with annoyed pout.
"Hold up there Mally, do you know what happened with him?" Togau asked with curiously.
"Woah, no need to go telling them that!" Link quickly interjected.
"Hey guys... uh, is everything okay?" spoke up Saria, walking towards the group with Faete flying alongside her. The Kokiri was absentmindedly twirling a strand of her long hair on her finger.
"Yeah, just fine!" Link said with a lit-up smile, knocking Imra aside as he ran up to Saria, taking the young woman by her hands, "How about you, are you getting along okay with your new body?"
"It took some time, but I'm kinda liking it!" Saria said, she ran her hands along the dress to show her slim figure that was curvy in all the right places, namely her breasts and hips.
"But I'm kinda liking it!" Imra muttered, shaking her hips and speaking in a mocking tone, just before Epona snorted on the cucco woman from behind to spook her.
"Glad you're taking to it so well. I don't know what caused you to change like this, but I'm not complaining. You look great." Link said holding her, his hand rubbed against her firm rear end, "And you feel really great too..."
Saria blushed a bit for a brief second, but then grinned lightly as she leaned forward, deliberately causing her breasts to press against his chest, "Yeah, and with it I can do something like this."
She then closed her eyes, brought her hand up to Link's face and gave him a long, deep kiss on the lips, causing his face to flush bright red. Malon, Togau, Imra, Faete and Epona's eyes all widened from such a passionate scene before them.
Saria soon pulled away, blowing lightly on Link's lips, "Fu fu fu, I can finally kiss you without you needing to kneel down first." she whispered, her more adult voice sounding much huskier in all the right ways. She was growing more bold as she twirled a strand of Link's hair in her finger, "Maybe when we have a chance later, we could try out this new body of mine in other ways...?"
"Tha-that..." Link stammered a little, "...s-sounds really nice."
"That's the Kokiri girl from yesterday?" Malon asked Togau, "She seemed so innocent before!"
"Nah, she's always had a bit of that lusty side to her." Togau snickered, "I think her new body's just made her a little more confident in herself!"
"O-Oh..." Malon stared down silently, recalling her harsh words from the other day towards Link about his and Saria's relationship.
"Grrr... enough of this lovey-dovey stuff!" Imra shouted, butting Link and Saria apart with her stomach, "Get yourself a room already you perverts!"
"Hey, what's your problem?" Saria said with a frown, putting her hands to her hips, "Link's been trying his hardest to have patience with you and the cuccos, but you keep harassing him!"
"Hmph, I've only tolerated him because he helped Master Togau out a few times..." Imra stuck up her nose, she turned to Link and glared at him, "But I'll never approve of his marriage to her! I can tell from the look in his eyes that he's caused my kind a lot of trouble in the past, cluck-cluck!"
"..." Link folded his arms behind his head and looked to the side awkwardly.
"Come on Malon, tell us what you know about Link!" Togau said, "I wanna hear why he gets so spooked by cuccos!"
"Oh yeah, I want to hear this too!" Saria said.
"Weeeeeell..." Malon trailed off, but Link quickly interjected.
"Wait Malon!" Link exclaimed, before he let out a sigh of defeat, "Okay, fine. I give up, I'll tell you all what happened..."
He looked up to see Saria, Faete, Togau, Imra and Epona all gather into a group and looking straight at him in eager anticipation, and he realized he wasn't going to be able to back out now.
"W-Well, it was back when I started on my journey with my old fairy friend Navi. I met Malon out in Hyrule Market Town, and after I helped wake her father up from a delivery she invited me to come see her at the ranch..."
Flashback – Ten years ago
"Wow, so this is a ranch!" Link said in awe as he looked around.
"Yeah, kinda stinky though." his fairy companion Navi said.
"I cant wait to see Malon again, she had such a pretty singing voice!" Link looked around excitedly, "She's as good as Saria when she plays her ocarina!"
"Hmph, another youngun wanderin' in here?" spoke a cranky voice. Link and Navi looked up to see the lanky mustached man Ingo glaring down at him, "You look like another load of trouble if you ask me!"
"Hey!" Navi said, zipping up and flying in the man's face, "Link's a good guy! You back off, buster!"
Iingo's eyes widened at Navi for a brief moment, before he scowled and turned away, "Hmph! Better if you both just get outta here!" he said as he walked off, "I'd be way better runnin' this here place than that Talon, that's fer sure!"
"Jees, what was his problem?" Navi spoke, she turned to her partner to instead see him staring out at something different, "Link?"
"Navi, what's that?" Link asked, pointing out a small creature in the distance. It was small with white feathers, with beady black eyes and a beak not unlike that of a bird. It also had a red rubbery comb sticking out from it's head.
"I dunno, never seen something like that before." Navi said.
The creature hopped around on the grass, pecking at the ground. It suddenly ruffled it's feathers and let out a loud "brawka!"
Link and Navi hid behind a stable post, peeking out again at the creature as it hopped around.
"That thing looks dangerous, what if it's a monster like what we fought back inside the Great Deku Tree?" Link asked, "It might be a danger to Malon and her dad!"
Navi examined the creature carefully and titled her head a little, "Uh, Link? I don't think it's-"
"Don't worry, I'll put a stop to it! Hyyyaaaaaahhh!"
But Navi saw Link had already ran out from hiding and was charging at the creature with his Kokiri Knife ready to strike. The creature had it's back turned as Link brought down his weapon,
"Link, wait!" exclaimed Navi.
It was too late though, as Link slashed the cucco with a mighty blow that sent it tumbling backwards.
"Ha! Take that you foul monst- huh?"
Link looked down to his opponent, who instead of being in pain, looked very, very irritated. It stared coldly up at Link as it's feathers ruffled.
"Braaaawkaaa..."
Link looked around, feeling a strange chill creeping up his spine. It was a sensation like that of when the parasitic monster Gohma had came up behind him inside the Great Deku Tree. He noticed a feather floating down to the ground in front of him, and he quickly realized there was numerous shadows appearing around him. He slowly looked up to see what it was,
There was dozens, maybe hundreds of the white feathery creatures like the one he just struck. They all were leering down at him with angry scowls on their faces.
"BRRAAAWKAAAA!"
"Link, run away!" Navi shouted.
"aaaaaaAAAAAAHHH!" Link shouted out, before he ran away as fast as he could from the large and furious flock of cuccos as they descended down at him...
End Flashback
"Malon found me later that day hiding in some hay in the silo." Link said with a spaced out stare in his eyes, "It was that day I realized how terrifying those things could be..."
"He was hugging that fairy friend Navi of his so tightly when I discovered him!." Malon grinned, "That's when I started callin' him Fairy-Boy!"
"Woah Link, sounds like you had a real bad time." Togau muttered.
"Yeah, it's no wonder you're so spooked by them..." Saria spoke.
There was a brief moment of silence as Togau, Saria and Epona all sat silently. Then Togau smirked a little, and Saria snickered lightly, before they all collectively burst out laughing.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Link said rolling his eyes and waving his hand dismissively.
"Hee hee hee, I-I'm sorry Link!" Saria laughed out hugging her sides, "But that was too funny!"
"Brwakahahahaha!" Imra laughed out loud, "So THAT'S what happened! I didn't put it together right away, but you must be the one the other cuccos had talked about, cluck-cluck!" she fell backwards on the grass and rolled around laughing, "It was all because you were being a total imbecile!"
"Hey lay off him Imra, he was just a kid!" Togau said, trying to strain herself from laughing,
"Well, I hate to admit she's right." Link hung his head down, "I made a big mistake that day, and it certainly wasn't my last."
"Huh?" Imra sat up and stared at him.
"Like that whole cucco incident, I tend to rush into things without thinking, and I got in a lot of trouble because of it..." Link spoke, recalling the day he pulled out the Master Sword and allowed Ganondorf to take the Triforce, "But the worst times are when my mistakes hurt others..."
"Link..." Saria looked downwards herself, thinking about the story he told about the dark future, where Ganondorf had taken over, and she had to become a sage and leave him...
"...and even when I do things that are best for the world, it can still badly affect others." Link said.
"Lover-boy..." Togau whispered, realizing he meant when he got Ganondorf arrested which led to the war, which in turn led to the banishment of all Gerudo from Hyrule.
Link looked up straight at Imra, "But I'm not going to keep beating myself up over the past. All I can do is reflect on what I did and keep pushing myself forward to set things right. That's the vow I made when I choose to become king, to free the Gerudo from their banishment."
Malon saw the sharp stare in Link's eyes as spoke, it looked very similar to how he did ten years ago when he said he was going on a journey out of Hyrule to find someone dear to him. It was what motivated her to allow him to borrow Epona for his trip. While she didn't want Link to go, she wanted to do anything she could to support him.
"..." Imra paused for a moment, before she scowled and got up, "Hmph, whatever. I hope you keep reflecting on what you did to that poor cucco, cluck-cluck!" she turned around and thrust her rear end up with a mighty bounce, "You can't win me over with those honeyed words of yours either. Master Togau can do so much better for a husband than the likes of you!"
Imra stormed off and left Link, Malon, Saria, Togau and Epona behind, and the young king sighed out.
"Guess that could have gone better." Link said rubbing the back of his head.
"Hey, don't let her get you down Link." Malon patted his back, "It took a lot of courage to come out and tell everyone 'bout your past! I can really admire that!"
"Thanks Malon..." Link said with a light smile.
"Nneeeighhh...!"
They heard a snort as they both looked over at Epona who was sporting a wide toothy horse grin.
"What'd she say?" Malon asked Togau.
Togau looked like she was trying her hardest to hold in her laughter, but just smiled to her niece,
"Na ha ha, Oh it's nothin' Mally... just a little bit of animal gossip."
That evening Link walked up the stairs of Malon and Talon's home, carrying a large plate of food consisting of fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, some corn on the cob and a salad. He approached the door to Malon's bedroom and knocked lightly.
"Hey Malon?" Link spoke up, "Your dad wanted me to bring up your share of dinner."
There was no response, so Link put his ear to the door to check if she was even inside.
"...then the beautiful princess heard a noise. She ran to her window and checked outside, only to see the handsome young knight standing on the balcony. He had wanted to see her again despite her father's orders to keep away from her..."
"Malon?" Link called out, knocking on the door a little louder, "I said I got your dinner, and I'm doing everything in my power to not eat it right now!"
"O-Oh Link!" Malon gasped out from inside, "S-Sure thing! Come on in!"
Link opened the door to see Malon had been sitting next to Meli's crib. She was putting a bookmark into a book and pacing it on a nearby table.
"Hey there Link, thanks a bunch for the delivery!" Malon said smiling, "So how's Ms. Saria? She still holding up okay with her new body?"
"Yep, at the moment she's getting used to eating more food at dinner. She's really enjoying the perks to her new body." Link grinned. He set the food down on the table and looked to the book, "So what're you up to, reading Meli a story? Looks like that old book you had from back when we were kids."
"Uh huh, I've been hanging onto it all these years." Malon said, taking a leg of roasted cucco and eating it up quickly, "It's my favorite childhood story, and I thought Meli might wanna hear it."
"I was always curious about why you like that book so much, but you never let me read it." Link said, "Can I sit and listen too?"
"N-Nah, Meli's startin' to get tired anyway." Malon said, eating a large spoonful of potatoes.
"Ah-goo!"
Malon sweatdropped as she and Link looked down in the crib where Meli was happily giggling.
"She looks pretty awake to me." Link pointed out, he leaned over to get a better look at the baby, "Hey there Meli, I'm Malon's old friend. You can call me Link!"
"Pwa?" Meli tilted her head. She crawled up to get a look at the new person before her before she reached out one little hand at him, "Ah?"
"Looks like she wants up." Link said, "Would you mind if I hold her while you're busy eating?"
"Oh sure, go ahead. But be careful!" Malon said, working on a piece of corn.
Malon watched as Link carefully took Meli and lifted her into the air. The baby squealed out as Link held her. The young mother saw Link sport a bright and cheery smile as he laughed with her child.
"Say, you're really good with kids Link!" Malon said astonished.
"I already got a number of kids with my royal child-bearers." Link grinned, holding Meli in his arms as he tickled at her stomach, "Nabooru appointed them to me to help with the population growth of the Gerudo, and so far they've had four. Their names are Tulisi, Safael, Irala and Noleire."
"It's crazy to think you have four children already!" Malon gasped, "And you're not even married yet?"
"No, Aviel and the girls told me they want to wait until I've chosen all the women I want to be my family,." Link said rocking Meli in his arms as she played with his hair locks, "They're all going to join together with me on the same wedding day, so no one feels left out."
"Is... that so? Huh..." Malon spoke, "This whole harem marriage business is still really bizarre to hear you talk about..." she smiled a little, "...but I think it's real sweet that you respect em all so much to do something like that... They really are a family to you, huh?"
"They are." Link nodded.
"But..." Malon glanced aside, "... havin' a family like that's gonna be a huge responsibility, especially if you're gonna try n' make them all happy. You sure you can do that for Togau and em all?"
"Believe me, it can be scary at times to think about, but I'm going to see things through to the end." Link nodded, "Not just for my happiness, but for everyone's."
"Link..." Malon saw how deep the blues of Link's eyes looked as he spoke, and for a brief moment, she could have sworn her heart bump a little more than usual.
She quickly finished off the last of her food and cleaned herself off, "Whew, that was a good meal. Thanks again for bringing it up, I owe you one!"
"Well if that's the case... how about you finish that story for us?" Link suggested, sitting down with Meli on his lap, "Meli wants to hear the ending too, right?"
"Ooh-ga!" Meli nodded, waving her little hands in the air.
"Okay, okay, you hogtied me!" Malon giggled, she opened the book and continued the story, "Now where was I...? Oh yeah! The princess didn't expect the knight to meet with her but he couldn't help himself. He just had to see and speak to her again..."
Malon read the story to Link and Meli from where she left off. In the book, the king eventually found out about the knight and princess' secret relationship and tried to tear them apart. The princess wept, thinking she could never get to be happy with the young knight like she desired.
As she read the book, Link gazed at the young mother. Malon's voice was so gentle and soothing, even more than it was years ago when she sang her mother's song to him. He couldn't help but be captivated by the gentle smile on Malon's face as she spoke each word, and her fingers gracefully turned each page. Motherhood had brought out some particular nurturing traits about her that he found fascinating...
Malon meanwhile continued to read from the book, about how one night when the prince came to meet the princess in secret. Much to her dismay, it was the last day before he was to depart to a new land. The princess was prepared for a painful goodbye, but instead he offered her the chance to go with him. She was overjoyed by this offer and accepted,
"...and so, the knight swept the princess of her feet, and rode off with her out of the castle. And they lived happily ever after. The end." Malon spoke as she closed the book, "It's a beautiful story, isn't it?"
"Y-Yeah..." Link said, with a strange thought in the back of his mind as he thought about a certain piece of gossip he heard of long ago about Malon...
"I'll always treasure this book Mom gave me, and when Meli grows up, I want to give it to her to read to her daughter." Malon said. She set the book aside and giggled a little, "Thanks for hearin' me out Link, it's kind of an embarrassing thing fer me to say..."
"No problem." Link nodded, "You liked hearing it too, right Meli?"
"Ah-goo!" Meili cheered waving her hands while being held protectively in Link's arms.
"It's so cute seeing you get along with her." Malon smiled, "Harem or not, I want you to promise that you'll treat Togau right and give her as many daughters as she wants. Make her good 'n happy for me, okay Link?"
"Of course I will." Link paused, staring at Malon curiously, "But Malon..."
"W-What's the matter?" Malon asked looking away, feeling a bit self-conscious.
"Forgive me for asking but..." Link spoke, "Are you maybe... jealous of Togau?"
"Eh?" Malon's eyes widened, looking over to Link.
"Who's there? What do you all want?"
The awkward conversation came to halt when they both heard a voice from outside that sounded very much like Talon. Link and Malon looked to each other and went over to the window to see.
Looking down they saw Talon, Ingo and a few other ranchers standing before a small group of knights armed with spears and standing alongside their riding horses. Two horses in the back were carrying a cart full of large cloth and wooden rods.
Standing at the front of the knights was a more flashily dressed man with a pointy nose and chin. He had one hand to his side arrogantly and swept his other hand through his slicked-back hair.
"You're Mr. Talon Lon, correct? Allow me to introduce myself, I am Lieutenant Ernoldus of the Hylian royal knights." the pointy-nosed knight said, "I've been sent here on behalf of Duke Geronim of Wealth and Finances in the Hylian Parliament."
"...oh, I see! Pleased to meet you!" Talon greeted them, doing his best to hide his uncertainty of what was going on, "Welcome to Lon Lon Ranch, what can I do y'all for?"
"I'll cut straight to the point Mr. Lon, we've been sent here to evaluate the Lon Lon Milk production as per your contract requirements." Ernoldus said.
"Huh?" Talon said in surprise, "Now hold on a minute, I was told that this wasn't going to happen until the day after tomorrow!"
Ernoldus nodded, "That's correct. However, we've been instructed to come early to ensure the inspection goes properly. My knights will be camping just out in front of the ranch, while I shall take residence in your abode until the date of inspection."
"Looks like they're going to lockdown the ranch for the next couple days to make sure you guys don't try to run away with the horses or anything." Link muttered.
"That man's going to be living in the ranch house?" Malon gasped out, holding Meli closer.
"I-Is all this really necessary your Lieutenant-ship?" Talon asked, thinking about Malon and Meli himself with worry.
"Not normally, but it's within our policy to take these measures if there's a major dispute in the contract," Ernoldus said pulling out a stack of papers, shuffling through them and pointing to a paragraph, "And as you can see, your production has fallen drastically as per your last evaluation, and that's a big no-no."
"Hey, I already said that was on account of the cows disappearin'!" Talon said, "Ya can't get blood from a turnip ya know!"
"Hmph, but that ain't his problem, now is it?" Ingo spoke up, "If you had a real leader runnin' this place, maybe things would go better! Someone with a lot of good ideas about how to improve the state of affairs?"
"...indeed it would, good sir." Ernoldus nodded, "Perhaps we could talk tomorrow about your future employment here?"
"That'd be just fine Lieutenant." Ingo bowed, making Talon give him a silent glare of annoyance.
"Why that rotten no-good snake..." Malon said scowling.
Meli was also giving Ingo a dirty look, and stuck her tongue out, making a raspberry noise.
"Huh?" hearing the raspberry, everyone looked up at the window, only for Link and Malon to have quickly ducked into hiding.
"...anywaaay." Ernoldus continued, "We have also received a request by the head of Military Services, Captain Andreas, that among the collateral you will owe us, will include one female horse named..." he read the contract, "Ah yes, Elena!"
"Elena?" Talon asked, rubbing the back of his head.
"Uh, sir? That's spelled 'Epona'." a knight spoke up.
"Wait, really?" Ernoldus asked, turning the document upside down and to the side.
"Your wife has told us you keep forgetting your glasses at home, sir." said another knight.
Ernoldus cleared his throat, "W-Well either way, if you fail to meet your milk production by the appointed time, then we shall have no choice but to acquire all the horses we request, including this Epona."
"That damn bastard..." Link scowled, trying his hardest to hold back his anger, "What I wouldn't do to shove one of those spears up his-"
"Shhh!" Malon shushed him, "Not in front of Meli!"
"I trust there will be no problems with establishing accommodations, will there Mr. Lon?" Ernoldus asked.
"Well... lodgin' ya might be a bit tricky." Talon gulped a bit. "Ya see, we already have some guests staying over."
"Oh, and who is that?" Ernoldus asked.
"He means us, we're his guests." spoke a voice, as everyone turned to see Nabooru standing along with Togau, Halei, Aviel, Nemisa, Saria, Sarami, Reirousa, Kesuta, Korume. Most of them giving off hostile glares at the knights. Halei was the exception, hiding behind Reirousa.
"I-It's the Gerudo!" exclaimed a knight in shock, he took his spear and pointed it out, "Halt and desist! You are in violation of the Gerudo Banishment Law!"
"If you think you can spook us like that, think again!" Togau said, "You can't touch us!"
"Yeah, sorry to ruin your fun you dummy knights, but we're royal ambassadors of Gerudo Town!" Kesuta said in a haughty tone, "You're in the presence of the future Gerudo queens!"
"S-So it's them!" a knight said nervously, looking left and right frantically, "If that's the case, then HE might be here too!"
The other knights all looked around, obviously very on edge at the news as well.
"He? Are they talking about you Link?" Malon asked, as she noticed her friend seemed to have something on his mind.
"Hmph," Ernoldus scowled, "I hate to admit they're correct about that. We were told that the head ladies of the Gerudo would be meting with his majesty in three days." he glanced around and grinned, "I just never would had thought you'd be staying at a pig sty like this!"
"...I think I remember you from a while back." Nabooru spoke, "You're the bridge guard that escorted those slaves we saved from the Wyvern Keepers three years ago, correct?"
"...yes indeed. We made sure to bring them all back safely to Hyrule Market Town, as a curiosity service." Ernoldus bowed, "A pleasure to meet you again, Lady Nabooru."
"Heh, though I see you've gone from royal guard to an errand boy." Nabooru smirked lightly.
"..." Ernoldus said nothing but gritted his teeth.
Indeed he had gotten into a great deal of trouble with the Parliament after the news got out of the Gerudo being the ones who saved the former slaves instead of him and his team. He had been placed under administrative leave for a while, before being put on the beck and call of the Parliament, anything from delivering letters to just fetching drinks for them from the local 'Tri-Bean' teahouse.
"At any rate, my soldiers will be camping out while I stay in the ranch house." Ernoldus snapped his fingers, causing the knights to gather the materials off the cart and start pitching their tents, "Until the day after tomorrow, this place is now under supervision of the Hylian Knights, no one shall go in or out until then."
"Except for us." Nabooru pointed out, "I believe we have diplomatic immunity from your policies, correct?"
"...yes, I suppose you do..." Ernoldus nodded, "But that doesn't mean I won't be keeping my sharp eye on you..." he looked to the Gerudo "All of you."
"I can't imagine how sharp your eye is without your glasses." Nemisa commented.
"I mean it! No funny business here!" Ernoldus shouted in frustration.
"Hm, maybe we'll do the same." spoke a cold voice from behind Ernoldus, making him jump a bit. He looked nervously behind him to see Korume staring at him with a creepy smile, "I wonder if you'll be able to sleep tight these next two nights... kukuku..."
"A-Anyway! So, what's for dinner?" Ernoldus sniffed the air of the food that was cooking, he took a look over to see Imra glaring at him, "It seems your workers here manage to stay well fed," he raised an eyebrow at her girth, "Very well fed."
"Say that again you damn knight!" Imra shouted out with a fierce glare, making Ernoldus cower.
"Grrr.. I'm going now..." Ernoldus muttered, starting to go into the house, only to suddenly slip on something icy and he had to grab onto the door for support. He quickly tuned to the Gerudo who all whistled innocently, "Get this ice cleaned up immediately!" before he slammed the door shut.
"Kee hee hee, looks like you gave him the slip, sister!" Kesuta snickered, as Korume giggled darkly.
"Well I guess you all know what's going on." Talon spoke to the ranchers, "Go ahead and rest up for tomorrow. As fer the watch team, get yeselves in position to guard the cows tonight!"
The ranchers all nodded and went off on their way, while Ingo himself looked curiously out at the knights as they were setting up tents.
"And you stay away from them knights Ingo." Talon said, "I won't have you puttin' any more weird ideas in their heads."
"Kor, I ain't doin' nothin' wrong or tellin' any lies." Ingo said walking off, "This place would be far better under new management! I can do way better than you can, old man!"
"Hmph, I figured that was Ingo's game." Nabooru scowled, "He's trying to get on the knight's good side so he can become manager of the ranch if they gain possession of it through this milk production situation."
"That creep, I'll never let him!" Togau growled.
"This is even worse than I coulda thought..." Talon said shaking, "I wasn't expectin' the knights to be staying here at the ranch! I don't know what to do if that Ernoldus fellow sees Meli!"
"Hm..." Nabooru had her arms folded as she was in deep thought.
Back up in Malon's room, she was sitting on her bed, holding Meli close to herself while Link tried to comfort the trembling mother.
"Hey, it's okay Malon. Just keep your door locked up and he won't be able to get in here." Link said.
"But, you heard what he said... I was supposed to be deported ages ago, what if he happens to see me or Meli? We'll both have to leave this place and... and..." Malon sobbed uncontrollably.
Link frowned, and puts his arms around both her and Meli, making her gasp out in surprise.
"Don't worry Malon, I swear I won't let anything happen to either of you." Link whispered, "You're both too important to me to let you get hurt."
"Link..." Malon whispered, "I-I..."
She looked up into Link's compassionate blue eyes for a brief moment, before she suddenly took one hand, grabbed him by his vest, and kissed him right on the lips.
"Mmph?!" Link was caught off guard by her sudden kiss, but found himself quickly liking it. Her lips were full and luscious, he could feel her soft red hair brush against his face. Her large breasts were pressed firmly against his broad chest. Getting really into the kiss, Link found himself wrapping his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.
Meanwhile Meli gazed up at Link and Malon kissing with wide eyes. She tilted her head to the side in curiosity of her mother with the nice man that treated her so well...
Malon soon broke the kiss after that, leaving she and Link both panting out a bit.
"I... I'm sorry Link." Malon said with a heavy blush on her face, "I don't know what I'm doing anymore. You're being so good to me... And I've been nothin' but a big pain in the butt to you since you got here, and... and..."
"It's okay, I get you're pretty emotional after all that. If it makes you feel any better, I really enjoyed it!" Link laughed, rubbing the back of his head.
"Thanks, you're sweet..." Malon said with a light smile.
"A-Anyway, I should probably leave so you two can sleep." Link said walking over to the window. He pulled out his Longshot, "And don't worry, me and Nabooru will think of something!" and with that, Link shot out of the window using the grappling device.
"Goin' out a window, what a crazy guy." Malon spoke softly, she found herself taking a glance at her favorite storybook on the table some distance away. She sighed and got herself up to shut the curtains, only for a moment later to secretly peek out between them.
She saw Link had landed to the ground, talking with his Gerudo friends and family. They all seemed to be in thought about what to do with the situation. Her eyes caught Epona trotting up to the group and nudging at Link, who laughed out from her affection. Toagu seemed to be relaying a message to the horse who neighed out in shock.
Malon continued to stare down through the curtains at Togau, who had a pained look in her eyes as she hugged Link, who held her right back. He talked to her a bit with a compassionate look in his eyes before the two shared a deep kiss.
"..." Malon brought her hand up to feel at her own lips, recalling the kiss she gave Link, but then remembered what he asked her just before the knights arrived.
"Are you maybe... jealous of Togau?"
"..." Malon looked over at Epona for a moment. She closed her eyes in thought, and nodded to herself.
"I gotta do this for them both..."
Late that night, the Hylian knights had long ago set up the tents at the entrance to Lon Lon Ranch. While most of them were partying and sleeping, there was one tent where a lone mage knight clad in a purple robe sat. He was looking down at a sample of the grass he plucked from the ranch's grounds, applying an oil to it that made it glow slightly.
"... interesting..." the mage knight said, "I should report this immediately."
He took a glass flute from his table and blew a soft slow melody into it. After a moment, a mysterious voice spoke up from seemingly nowhere,
"...what... what is it?" spoke up an old woman's voice, "Oh, it's you. Have you found anything?"
"Indeed I have," spoke the mage into the flute, "Your suspensions may very well be correct. I'm detecting strange samples in the grass of the ranch."
"Hm, very good." spoke the old woman, "Regardless of whatever is causing the cows to disappear, this worked out splendidly for us. Duke Geronim finally did something right in manipulating that contract with the Lon family. It won't be long now before the ranch is property of the Parliament, and we'll be able to look deeper into this new discovery. But remember not to tell anyone else, this is your top secret mission. No one can know, not even Lieutenant Ernoldus!"
"As you wish... Minister Odleh." the mage bowed his head to the voice that belonged to the Hylian Parliament head of Supernatural and Religious Affairs.
The signal made by the flute's melody was cut off, and the mage knight went right back to work, unaware there was a figure who had overheard the conversation...
Even later that night, a shadowy figure came walking out of the Lon house towards the horse stable.
It was Malon, draped in a cloak and holding a lantern. She entered the stable and approached Epona, who was sleeping in her stall.
"Psst, Epona." Malon whispered, nudging the horse, "Come on 'n wake up!"
"Phhhhbbt?" the horse stirred, and her chocolate eyes slowly opened in confusion as Malon put a rein around her neck. The ranch woman pulled on the reins to get Epona to follow her outside.
Malon carefully peeked out at the entrance of the ranch, where the Hylian knights were staying in their makeshift tents. There as at least a few tents that had light coming from them along with loud rowdy noise, implying they were still partying. She turned and spoke to the horse,
"Listen, you need to get yourself out of here Epona. If not, then you'll end up being the warhorse of that Captain Andreas!"
"?!" Epona stared down at Malon in surprise.
"Just run out of here now! Those knights won't have time to catch you even if they see you!" Malon said, "Link and Lady Nabooru will be leaving for Hyrule Castle in a couple days. You can meet up with them then, and I just know they'll find a way to get you to safety!"
Epona paused at Malon's words, before she shook her head, trying to pull on the reins to break free. She turned her head to the ranch house and snorted out.
"Please Epona, I don't want you to suffer because of our situation!" Malon pleaded, "Not on account of us losing the-"
"Mooooooo!"
"Cows?" Malon asked as she and Epona both turned to the center of the corral, where they saw one of the remaining bovine of the ranch had somehow wandered out and was grazing on the grass.
Malon crept up to the corral slowly, looking around to see nothing out of the ordinary. She did notice the ranchers who were supposed to be on guard duty were instead partying in barn some distance away like the knights were. She'd have to have a talk with her dad about that later.
But then she saw it, a strange bright light shot out over the field. Malon's eyes widened as she saw it hover around for a while, before it flew over to the cow. After a moment of being bathed in the light, the cow realized it was starting to be levitated into the air.
"MoooOOoooo?!"
"Oh no, the cow! Giddy up Epona!" Malon spoke. She climbed up onto Epona and the two darted off to the corral. When she arrived, she stared up at the bright light, not knowing what it could possibly be.
"Steady yourself Epona!" Malon said. Standing up on the horse and summoning all her strength, she jumped at the cow and grabbed onto it to try and weight it down and escape the light's pull. However, all it did was cause her to get carried upwards with it as well.
"Aaaaaaahh!"
"Neeeiiigh?!" Epona exclaimed, trying to use the reins Malon gave her to warp around the girl's leg. She pulled herself backwards with all her strength to try and pull the cow and Malon down, but the rein slipped and Epona went tumbling to the ground.
"Eponaaaaa!" Malon screamed out.
The horse recovered and looked up just in time to see Malon and the cow get enveloped in the bright light, which then flew upwards and shot off over the horizon.
Epona broke out into a cold sweat, she had to let Link and the others know, and immediately darted off to the house.
Meanwhile, emerging out from the bushes by the cow stable was Ingo. His jaw was dropped as he gazed up at the sky in the direction the light had gone, having seen Malon be carried off by it.
"Uh oh."
That ends this week's chapter, and things have only gotten from bad to worse. How are Link and his friends going to help Malon out of this mess? Fine out next time in chapter 135!
Whew, this chapter took some work to get out and took a lot of editing, but I hope people enjoyed it. I'm aware people didn't really acre for how I portrayed Malon in recent chapters, and I hope this one alleviated some of it. I loved showing off more of her mothery side with Meli, as well as Link showing more of his slowly developing father qualities.
The way I'm going with Saria has been something I've been planning for a long time now. It was fun depicting Saria with more of a mature air to her. As for why she's an adult? You'll just have to wait and see...
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