Chapter 5: Lon Lon Ranch

It was starting to get dark and Link and Navi were in the middle of nowhere. Neither of them knew how creepy the night was in Hyrule field. It started to get cold as the sun set over the horizon.

Link started up a fire in the field. He started to cook some of the birds he had shot with his bow and arrow.

"A giant fish," Navi asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, a giant fish," Link said, "and they were all praying to it. The thing tried to eat the princess and they thought it said 'yes'."

They both started laughing.

There was silence after that. In the distance there was a melody and then a wolf crying.

Both of them looked to the direction the wolf's crying came from. A wind started to pick up. Link scooted closer to the fire.

"It suddenly got creepy out here," said Navi.

"Yeah. It's just like any other night we have spent in the field," Link said to Navi to give fake assurances. Neither of them had felt what they were currently feeling before on the field.

A noise came from behind Link. Link took his sword out and stood up. He turned around and saw nothing. He gulped loudly.

"I think we should get moving somewhere," Navi said in Link's ear.

"Good idea," he responded.

He started walking north. The only light he had was from the moon. He walked about 50 steps when he heard the noise again. He looked around and saw nothing. He started walking foreword again. He turned around to see a skull staring at him right in his face.

Link let out a scream and walked backwards a few steps. There was a walking skeleton in front of him. There was a red light in his eye sockets. He also carried a sword and shield.

Link turned to run only to see another one right behind him. This one started to growl. Link raised his sword and shield. He saw the ground next to him start to tear and another creature came out of the ground. Link backed away from the monsters that slowly walked towards him.

"What do I do Navi," asked Link.

"I don't know," she answered.

Link kept walking backwards and staring down the monsters.

One monster started to jump at Link, but an arrow pierced through his skull. The monster's eyes went blank and it fell to the ground.

Link heard hoof steps coming from the direction the arrow came from. There was a man riding a horse coming towards them.

The monsters charged at the man. The man looked like a knight. Skeletons jumped and knocked the man off his horse. The man rolled to the side and drew his sword. His sword was much bigger than the one Link had. The man also had a shield with the Triforce symbol on it. This must be a Knight of Hyrule.

"Run north," the man said.

Link and Navi didn't hesitate. They ran straight up the hill to the north.

The man blocked a sword with his shield and countered with his sword killing one of the monsters.

"Go to Lon Lon Ranch," he ordered as he continued fighting.

They reached the top of the hill and saw a horse stable about half a mile away.

Link and Navi ran for the ranch. The man was running right behind them telling them to go. Three more monsters appeared between the three of them and the ranch. The knight went into a full sprint and dived on top of the one in the middle.

Link and Navi ran right by the quarrel. They could hear swords clanking and shields banging. They arrived at the gate of the ranch where a man wearing overalls was waiting for them.

"Come on. Get inside," he told them.

They both rushed through the gate and turned around waiting for the knight.

He finally came through the gate. He took out a deku nut and threw it at the base of the gate. A flash of light came from the nut.

"They won't be bothering us anymore," he said to the man in overalls.

"Good work, Sir Ravin," said the man in the overalls.

"Children should know better than to go traveling alone. Especially at night on these grounds," Sir Ravin said to Link.

"What were those things," asked Link.

"They were soldiers for Ganondorf," Sir Ravin said, "They patrol the field at night."

"Soldiers?"

"You're not from around here are you," asked Sir Ravin after a slight pause.

"No. I'm from the Kokiri Forest," Link answered.

"Kokiri; your not supposed to leave the forest," he said to Link.

"I was told to by the Great Deku Tree," Link said to him.

"I see. Where are you going?"

"I'm going to see Princess Zelda," Link told him.

Sir Ravin and the man in overalls looked at each other.

Sir Ravin pulled the man in overalls to the side and talked to him. Link could see Sir Ravin talking very intensely to the man in overalls. They talked for a few minutes and Sir Ravin left the ranch.

"Where is he going," asked Link.

"He is going to the castle," the man in overalls answered.

"Wait, that is where we are going," Link told the man.

"It's far too dangerous out there for you two," the man said, "It would be better if you spent the night."

Link thought about it and decided to stay.

"Very good, young sir," the man said, "The name is Talon by the way."

The man held out his muscular hand with a smile on his face. Link shook his hand and walked towards the house with Talon.

"Have you eaten anything yet," Talon asked Link.

"No," Link answered.

"Does your fairy eat anything," Talon asked.

"No, she doesn't eat food," Link answered.

"Well there is plenty if your fairy changes it's mind," Talon said with a chuckle.

Link let out a little laugh. He knew Talon was only trying to cheer them both up. Talon got to the door and opened it for Link and Navi. Inside there was an older man, who was much skinnier than Talon and a small pretty girl around Link's age.

"That lovely young lady over there is my daughter Malon. And that handsome devil on the other side of the table is my brother Ingo. We all run the Lon Lon Ranch," said Talon.

Link gave a shy hello and seated himself next to Ingo. The man's huge mustache intimidated Link. Ingo was a tall lanky man who looked like he didn't get enough sleep. Malon on the other hand was a pretty little red headed girl.

"Where are you from, young Link," Tango asked Link as he sat down at the table.

"I'm from the Kokiri forest," Link answered.

"Stop asking the boy questions," said Ingo, "Can't you see he is trying to eat."

"I'm just trying to make a conversation Ingo. It's not often we get guests," Talon calmly said to Ingo.

"We never get guests because you are too busy scaring them all away," Ingo said.

Link thought that Ingo was a real jerk.

"I do all the work around here," Ingo complained, "and what do you do? You drive around delivering milk all day. Sitting on your rump is what you do."

"Ingo I will not get into another argument with you," said Talon, "If you don't like it here then nobody is telling you to stay."

Ingo muttered something under his breath but Link couldn't make out what it was. There was an awkward silence at the table.

"Anyways, where did you say you were from Link," Talon asked.

"Kokiri forest," Link answered.

"Where is that," Malon said as she stared at her food while she was playing with it.

"It's on the other side of the mountains," Link told her. She continued to look down at her food.

"Oh," was all she had to say.

"Do you have horses in Kokiri forest," Talon asked Link.

"No, the village is small enough that we don't need any horses," Link said.

"I see," Talon said as he dug into his mashed potatoes.

"Maybe I should move in with you Link," Ingo said not lifting his gaze from his plate, "A place with no horses sounds like paradise."

"Umm," Link didn't know what to say. He didn't like this Ingo character too much.

"I don't understand why you don't like it here. I brought you in after mom died and all you do is complain. I gave you a home, hot food, and a job," argued Talon.

Malon got up from the dinner table as the two men argued. She walked outside.

Link interrupted the argument for a second and asked where he would be staying.

"Oh, sorry lad, you will be staying in the room just up those stairs," Talon said pointing towards stairs leading up to the second floor of the house.

Link said thank you but he doubt they heard him because they immediately started arguing after that.

Link and Navi just decided to head up to the room. They went into the room which was pretty much the attic of the house. The rafters were showing and the support beams to the house were right in the middle of the attic, but Link found it comforting somehow. There was a small window right beside the bed that looked out at the horses. Link stood by the window a few minutes watching them.

He could hear the two men still arguing downstairs.

He then saw Malon walk out to the horses. There was a brown baby horse with a white mane trotting up to her. Malon held her hand out to reveal food of some kind. The horse started eating out of her hand. The girl then looked at the window Link was standing in.

Link jumped a little. He didn't want her to know he was staring at her. He acted like he was looking out at the field, but he didn't fool anyone. He looked down at her and saw she was still looking at him.

She waved at him and gave a smile. Link waved back. She looked at her horse again and started stroking its head. Link walked away from the window to lie down in the bed.

"I see that you can't keep your eyes off of Malon," Navi said to Link as he pulled the covers over himself.

"I was watching the horses," Link said back.

"Sure," Navi said to him, "Good night, Link."

"Good night, Navi."

Link couldn't sleep that night. He just stared up at the rafters. The moon's light was coming through his window lighting the entire attic.

He couldn't figure out why he couldn't sleep. He certainly didn't want another dream like he had at Goron City, although that was a few nights ago. That dream had haunted him every night.

Link heard a bird sing outside.

Birds never come out at night. What is going on?

Link got out of his bed and looked out the window. He realized there was no bird. He saw Malon still down with the horses, and she was singing to the horse she was petting earlier. Link made his way down the stairs and saw Ingo sleeping sprawled out on the table where they ate dinner.

He made his way to the horses and Malon.

Link was standing a few feet away from Malon listening to her sing. She had her back turned to him, he wasn't sure if she knew he was there. The song was a slow sad song; it also seemed to calm all the horses.

Link took out his ocarina and started playing it to the tune of her voice. She kept singing along with the ocarina. The horses raised their heads and looked at Link as he played the song.

They both finished the song on at the same time coincidentally. Malon still didn't look at Link. She just bowed her head and looked at the ground.

"My mother sang that song to me when I was an infant," she said.

Link was silent.

"I play it around the horses and they seem so calm," she added.

Link was still silent.

"I like to think she is watching me when I sing to the horses. She loved them so much. She got sick one day and daddy took her to Hyrule Castle. I never saw her again," she said.

Link didn't know if he was supposed to say anything.

"My daddy needed help around the stables, so he hired his brother, Ingo, to help," she said.

"Do they argue like that a lot," Link asked.

Malon was silent.

Maybe I shouldn't have said that.

Malon started petting the horse in front of her.

"Yes, daddy never argued like that when momma was around," she said.

Link walked up to the horse she was petting and touched its mane.

"Her name is Epona," Malon said.

The horse turned its head to look at Link.

"She is about a year old now," Malon told Link.

"She seems to like me," Link said as the horse nudged its nose against Link.

"Epona usually doesn't like new people," Malon told him.

Link started rubbing Epona's head. He looked up to his room and saw a small ball of light in the window. Navi was watching both of them. The light moved away from the window and out of sight.

"Link," Malon asked.

"Yes, Malon," Link answered.

"Would you like to sing again," she asked him.

Link pulled out his ocarina.

"Of course," he said.

They spent the rest of the night with the horses and singing that song.