Dont't own Zelda so MEH! ^^

Chapter 8: Decision

Lief's eyes flashed open, he sat up quickly feeling a bit dizzy, but subsided after a minute or so. He climbed the ladder and made his way to his bed.

"Rani, what time is it...?" He asked as he lay on his bed sleepily.

"UP YOU FOOL!" she rushes into his face slapping his nose, "You've been asleep in that basement for two days! I'm tired of dealing with the smelly old goats. Not to mention you haven't washed yourself for how long?" The red glint in her eyes seemed stronger and more noticable as she scolded him. His eyes are wide awake now as he sits up trying to calm her down.

"Ok, ok Rani. Look i'm sorry I don't know what came over me by sleeping that long. Why didn't you wake me up?"

She gave him a ridiculed look. "I tried; you sleep like a tree stump."

Lief glared at her, she stared him down. Before long he lost and she grinned with victory then tossed a clean shirt at him and kept her distance claiming he smelled like a dead fish. He just rolled his eyes and head out the door to the spring to wash up.

When Lief finished at the spring he pulled on a clean shirt and dried his wet hair with a towel. As he stepped onto shore he slipped back. His head hit something hard as he ended up flat on his back. He got up rubbing his head, he groaned as he held out his shirt then looked down at his pants. All his clothes were completely soaked now. He rubbed his temples feeling extremely frustrated, another fact was Rani would probably blow up from her anger with him.

"Forgive me Rani." He sighs and snatches up his towel and slops back to the tree house.

The stare down took several minutes before Lief blinked. Rani won yet again. Her hand shot towards the door, he grabbed a new set of clothes and a dry towel and stalked out the door for a second time. While he was gone Rani did alittle magic and picked up alittle, she tried carrying the wet towel he dumped on the back of his chair, but ended up dropping it and decided to blow off the idea of cleaning further.

Lief got back to the spring, finding Llia there speaking with a young girl about her age with red hair traveling with a chestnut colored horse. They hadn't noticed him so he back up far enough not to be seen, but close enough to hear them.

"Please, I can't let her stay with that man, he never shows her any love. She's just another tool for him." The red haired girl said. She was on the brink of tears as she hugged the horse's nose.

Llia bit her lip nervously, "I'm sorry, Malon. We have no place for her." She put a hand on Malon's shoulder. "Perhaps you could send her to the zora's, they could get her across the ocean and somewhere safe." Llia gave her a comforting smile, Malon's eyes filled with hope and nodded.

"I think you might be right, I'll travel to them." Her smile faded, "May I ask one more favor Llia?"

"Yes of course" She answered happily. After that, Lief didn't hear anything more. The girl Malon had spoken more quietly and made it impossible to understand anything except for maybe, 'uh huh', or 'what!', the usual girl gossip language. He decided to head across the bridge to a further spring.

He returned home finding Llia talking to a small glowing purple orb with wings. Rani had her hands on her hips as she listened closely to Llia, she nodded once or twice until both of them noticed him on the path.

Rani flew up to him, "Lief. Llia asked if you would mind traveling with a young girl and her horse to the zora's shores."

Lief went cold, he hadn't seen sea water for five years. He hesitated looking past the little fairy to Llia. His eyes looked down and his voice came out in a whisper, cracking slightly as he spoke.

"When does she need to leave...?" He asked uncomfortably.

"Two Days at the latest," Llia stated, "She must get back to her father's ranch as soon as possible."

He raised his head, "I need a night to think about this." He walked through the gate to the village; the goats needed attention and he had blown off his responsibilty for almost a full three days now.

Llia frowned and looked to Rani, "I wish I knew his whole story," She clasps her hands together.

"His story is a good one. Sad, but filled with strength." rani smiles at Llia, then giggles as she hears the sound of an angry hawk pulling a wooden green painted worm from the ground, a string is attached to it when it is pulled and a bucket of water falls from a nearby tree. The hawk lays there his anger growing more and more until it lets out an angry screech.

Lief sits at the top of the pasture petting the nose of the friendly beast that had come to graze next to him, he thought about what might happen if he accepted the favor. He told himself long ago he would never go near the vast, endless sea ever again; that wasn't possible though. He's woken up in the middle of the night before with the smell of the sea's salty breeze around him, sadly though, it would diminish as quickly as it showed up.

"May I sit with you?" The young girl with her red hair bent down near him, Malon looked one or two years younger than him and had a pretty smile. "I'm Malon, Llia told me about you." She sat next to him without his answer.

"What did she say?" He asked her curiously.

"That you were a blessing from the goddesses."

His eyebrows arched up as he looked at her, "Where are you from?"

"Lon Lon Ranch a little ways from Castle Town. My father owns the ranch, and takes care of alot of wild horses...I came here because a man has requested to buy a certain horse. He wanted her the day her mother gave birth to her, but he doesn't show any compassion or feelings to her. She's only a tool to him." She pulled her legs up to her chest, her brown skirt rustled slightly in the wind. "I asked Llia if she would take the horse, but the village doesn't have enough provisions for a grown horse." She looked up at him sadly. "That's why I'm going to take her across the land to where the Zora's reside."

Zora's, they were the tribe who lived in and around water. They were, (I guess you could say) Half fish half people. However, you might imagine them differently, but they had their own unique look about them and were a very proud and prosperous tribe. Lief had heard alot about them and had dreamed of meeting one before, thats why he loved his Island, there could have been a possibility of meeting them.

"How far must you travel?" He asked.

"At least a week, but that is nonstop and i'm worried I may be intercepted. The man has become a high ranking officer for the king,"

"What do people call him?"

Malon hesitated for a moment, obviously she felt uncomfortable even talking his name.

"It's ok, you don't have to tell me if you're uncomfortable about it." He smiled making sure she was reassured about it.

Hours passed as they both entertained themselves by watching the gentle beasts and talking about themselves; what they liked, what they usually did all day, etc. When the sun sank below the trees, Lief stood up and took a piece of grass from a small plant and used it to whistle a loving melody. the goats had been trained by the sound, so they knew what to do. Before long they were safely in the large barn with the doors shut and secure, he led Malon out of the pastures back into the village and showed her some different unique things about it.

Occasionally monkeys from the forest wandered in and played with the children then left when they were hungry or tired. The fish were easy to catch and beehives were simple to get rid of thanks to the friendly hawk that came to a different reed whistle. Malon brimmed with happiness when the moon rose into the sky it's light brightening up the entire area around them.

"Thank you so much Lief, I haven't felt this safe and relaxed for some time now. I must go to Llia home, she said I could stay there until I decided to leave, " She bowed respectfully to him then turned to leave, without thinking he grabbed her arm.

"Malon...I want to go with you. You know...to the seaside." She stood there only for a moment searching his eyes, she smiled tears just barely glistening in her eyes.

"Thank You," She turned and made her way to the mayor's home.

Lief's face went pale, what had he just said. He agreed to the journey without actually thinking it through entirely. What if he couldn't face what was out there, what if he failed Malon...

"Good choice," Rani said from behind him. "It seems you have made a new friend." Lief didn't see it, but her eyes held jealousy as she watched Malon disappear into the warm lit house. "I will be accompanying you, I will not stay here. I am bored to death lately running out of ideas to torment these people." Lief smiled at her comment.

"I would have forced you to come anyway." That made her smile, they didn't say another word the rest of the way home.

R&R PLZ!