Chapter 3

Well, third chapter. I hope you enjoy this, I would very much appreciate any feedback you have at all.
Malon

I sang to my self as I walked around Lon Lon Ranch, patting the horses. It was an excellent day for a ride. If only I could get Link to come along…

"Malon!" Startled, I looked up to find Link running towards me. I quickly thought, "If only it rained rupees!"

"Malon! How are you?" Link said. It was then that I noticed a blond haired girl in a pink dress with him.

"Listen," he continued, "we need Epona. My ocarina is, uhhh… at my house… in the Kokiri village."

"Alright." I muttered as I turned towards Link's horse, which had sensed his presence. It was obvious that the lady with him was none other then Princess Zelda. I was painfully aware that my dress was dirty and covered with hay, so I busied myself with saddling the auburn colored horse.

"Well, she is all set," I said finally, determinedly not meeting Zelda's stare.

"Great, Malon, we are kind of in a rush, but I will come back later." Link said offhandedly. "See you around!" He helped the Princess onto the saddle, and then sat behind her and put his arms around her, grabbing the reins.

"Right…I'll see you… around…" I said as I slowly turned away.

I heard soft footsteps behind me and turned around to see a familiar face watching me with a pensive smile.

"Hey Mal, what's wrong?" My friend asked quietly. He had short flame red hair with streaks of metallic silver, ruby eyes, and a black tunic emblazoned with a crimson eye with a single red teardrop and three red triangles for the eyebrow. He was a Sheikah, one of the last members of the near dead race of shadow warriors, and like a brother to me.

"Oh, hey Vulp." I said trying to put on a cheery attitude. "You didn't sneak up on me this time."

"It would have been too easy, what with you moping around, absorbed in your sorrows." He scoffed as he put his arm around my shoulder. "What is wrong, Mal?"

I tried to think of a lie to distract him, but then settled for mumbling the truth.

"It was nothing, just Link came by with the Princess and asked for Epona."

"Ah," he said softly. "Little Malon, Hyrule's best horse breeder, is jealous of Princess Zelda, who is spending more and more time with a certain hero."

"You are most certainly not helping, Vulpumbra!" I started to feel a little sick as he neatly hit upon my problem.

"Malon!" He almost started to sound rueful. "I think Link has made it clear he only views you as a friend, pining after him while he goes on picnics and adventures with the girl I am supposed to protect is not going to make anything any better."

"Well," I whispered softly as I turned away from him, "you don't have to be so mean about it. Even if you are right."

In way of reply he simply spun me around and stared me in the eye. He just looked at me for a while, and then turned away with a sorrowful expression. With a flash of light, and a green whirlwind, he was gone.

Vulpumbra

I really hated to leave Malon like that. But when a Princess, of the kingdom whose royal family your race has sworn to protect no less, summons you to her side, it is best to go. Still, I was rather angry as I warped to Lake Hylia, seeing the Hero of Time there did not help any. I scanned the area and was momentarily stunned. The Hero was fighting off several stalfos while a teenaged Gerudo appeared to be casting a magic spell. Zelda was curiously nowhere to be seen. I drew my twin sabers in a flash and leapt for the stalfos, planning on cleaving one's head, but the Gerudo hit me with a spell that paralyzed my sword arms. I flipped my self over in midair and settled for crushing the animated skeleton's skull with a boot. I jumped behind the Hero and worked on reviving my arms.

"Where is the Princess?" I yelled over the din of metal on metal.

"After she summoned you, she took the ocarina and warped to the castle!" Link shouted back. "Be careful, the Gerudo is a necromanceress!"

"Link!" I said as I regained the use of my arms, "use Din's Fire! I'll get the Gerudo!" Throwing a Sheikah flash bomb at her first, I sprung at the red haired girl trying to knock her out fast. Behind me I could feel the heat of a dome of fire erupting out of the Spell Stone Link had used to both stun and wound the stalfos. The dark skinned girl saw me coming though; she dodged and slashed out at me with a small scimitar. I locked blades with her, and then slid one saber up the length of her sword. She made the mistake of pushing my saber away, forgetting about the other. I disarmed her, tripped her, and held my blade to her throat in one fluid motion.

Behind me I heard the sounds of a stalfos falling to the ground and Link sheathing his magic sword. I gave the necromanceress a feral grin.

"You should not have left the desert, girl." I spoke softly. "You have messed with the wrong people. And now it is time for you to pay the price."