"Wow."
Link nodded, still staring at his tired, worn boots. He expelled a deep, heavy breath. Malon shook her head beside him. They were sitting on the stable roof, their legs hanging over the edge of the roof. Below them the tranquil ranch was unaware of the duo above. Link had come into the ranch seeking something he couldn't quite explain. She had asked him about Death Mountain and he'd given her a cropped, edited version of his dealing with the Gorons. He'd also told her about his meeting with the Great Fairy.
He had stumbled into the Great Fairy's lair more than half dead and she had healed him. She was shocking at first, overwhelming in most senses and Link had been so frazzled that she scared him a bit. But she was kind and she had given him sound advice and graced him with a new strength and power he didn't have before. From there he had decided to come back to Lon Lon Ranch and talk to Malon.
The truth was he didn't know where else to turn and if he didn't sit for a while and think things through he would burst. She had listened to him quietly, asking a few curious questions. He knew that she was aware that he was keeping something from her, but she didn't prod for what it was. She let him say what he wanted to and asked harmless questions. Malon looked over at him, her brow twitching.
"And you're okay now?" she asked.
Link nodded again. "Fine."
"Good. Have you eaten anything? Well, anything other than stale bread?" Malon inquired, disgustedly flicking away a crumb that had been left behind. When she had asked what he'd been eating all this time, he'd produced a rock that couldn't justifiably be called bread. She had tossed it far out into the field where the horses were grazing and not even they had given it a second glance.
Link shrugged, not giving a real answer. Malon hoisted herself up, wiping the debris off her skirt and bent to pull Link up by the arm.
"Come on, fairy boy," she said. "Let's get some real food into you."
Link allowed himself to be towed by the determined girl. They clambered off the roof and she led him into the house. Talon was nowhere to be seen, which meant that he was probably napping in some hidden place around the ranch. Malon plopped him down at the small wooden table and went to the cupboard. She began throwing things into a pot, setting over a fire, and letting it boil. She turned her attention to some salted meat.
The whole meal took about half an hour to cook and Link sat in his chair, enjoying the comfortable silence. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back, falling into a semi-dreamlike state. He was awake, but unfocused on anything in particular. There was a dull thud in front of his and his eyes snapped open suddenly, muscles tensing.
Malon smiled kindly at him. "Here you go. Eat up."
Link slowly forced himself to relax, then picked up the harsh, heavy cutlery and began sipping his soup. He ate voraciously, his appetite coming to life like a roaring beast. He switched over to the meat, pushing the empty bowl away from him. Malon sat, playing with her soup and watching him.
"You act older than you are," she said suddenly.
Link looked up and swallowed a mouthful of the heavenly dish. "Excuse me?"
Malon simply nodded. "You act like you're a grown up. I think it's pretty… I don't know…" she shrugged. "It's pretty cool."
Link looked her over as she focused on her soup again. He had known that the relationship he had with the redhead farm girl had been strangely comfortable; strange in the sense that it was based on only a few meetings. Perhaps, however, it wasn't entirely one-sided. He had thought that he had been the one to come to her, looking for a sense normalcy. But he realized now that she was meeting him halfway. She too set aside everything else to sit and talk to him.
Maybe it was the fact that they were both forced into an age that wasn't theirs. He had the weight of the world on his shoulders. There were so many things riding on his strength, his courage. And she… she had the weight of her world on her shoulders. She was a motherless child, and in a certain sense, when she lost her mother, she had also lost her father. She was too familiar with household chores like cooking and cleaning. She was responsible for her father, for the upkeep of their livelihood. And, whether she knew it or not, she was now somehow in charge of his sanity. He met her gaze again.
"Me too," he said and she understood what he meant. She smiled appreciatively. "Did you like lunch?"
Link nodded enthusiastically. "Phenomenal."
Malon laughed. "You always give one word answers. What's the matter, fairy boy? Don't have an expansive vocabulary or something?"
"I can say more than one word."
Malon gave him a look of doubt. "Anyway, if you liked that, you'll love dinner. You are staying for dinner aren't you?" Link opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off before he could get any words out. "Great. You can help me cook. Why don't you just rest up until then?"
Link stared at the girl, trying to figure out what to respond, but she needed no response. She went about, cleaning the cooking area. Link got up and cleared the table.
"You don't have to do that," she said, trying to take the dirty crockery from him.
He pulled away from her reaching hands. "I know, but I want to."
"But you need to-"
"You need to let me help you. Now mind your own business."
Malon glared at him for a moment, but she saw that he was paying her no mind, she gave up. After a while she resigned her pouting state and the two children stood side by side, washing dishes.
