A Night at the Ranch

Link did not notice the fairy floating in the trees until it was too late. An invisible force pushed him roughly and he fell backwards stunned. Mido blinked into existences towering over him mistrust and anger emanating from him.

"What did you do?" He snarled waving his fairy away as she tried to intervene. "The forest weeps. The Great Deku is dead isn't he?"

Link shook his head scared.

"I knew I should have never let you go to see him. You are a curse on us. You don't belong here Link, get out!" Mido stared at him for a moment then rushed into the trees toward the Great Deku.

Link sat on the ground for a long moment. If that was how the Kokiri would treat him he would rather not be seen. It was best if he left quietly for the castle. He stood up brushing away Navi's inquires as to weather he was all right, and continued through the forest slightly off the path. He hoped to find the exit to the forest without being seen.

He finally reached the river that separated the wood from the rest of the world and stood looking at it for a moment before crossing the rope bridge.

"So you are leaving then." Link turned around to see Saria staring at him. She must have been waiting for him there invisible. Her large blue eyes were full of a deep courageous sadness. "I knew, you know. I knew that you would leave the forest." She looked down fighting back tears. "I knew because you are so different from everyone else." She reached into her pouch and brought out her ocarina. She smiled holding it to her heart. "But that's ok, because we'll be friends forever… won't we?"

"Saria…"

"I want you to have this Link." She held out her little clay ocarina. "Please take it, it would mean so much to me."

Taking the ocarina into his hands Link smiled at his good friend. He felt an energy radiating from it almost like that of a fairy, however, the energy felt familiar to him. As though it were coming from Saria herself.

"Please think of me when you play it, Link. And don't forget to come back and visit." Her eyes swelled with water but she was smiling happily. Link smiled in return.

"Thank you," was all that he could choke out. They stared at each other for a long moment. Then with a last look, Link turned to run for the trees. Saria stood on the bridge watching her dear friend leave. She wondered how long it would be until he returned.

Link did not think about the time until he saw the sun begin to sink below the trees. He had traveled far along the road but there was no way he would be able to reach the city before darkness fell. Link knew he was never to leave the path for doing so was certain death for a Kokiri, he did not even want to think of what the darkness would bring.

Breaking out into a run, Link scanned the horizon for a place he may be able to stay for the night.

Link, it's getting dark. Navi flitted about him lighting the path.

I know.

What will we do? It's too dangerous to stay out.

I know!

Link broke the connection. He found it easier to do so than he expected. Rather than accepting the waves of energy that was Navi's mind-speak, he simply ignored them. He did not try to do this often for it made her very angry. Sure enough Link saw her white glow begin to turn a dark pink. He spoke out loud keeping their thoughts separate, "I'll figure out what to do."

When the sliver of orange that was the sun finally disappeared, Link began to panic. He was sure there was more to the darkness that surrounded him than there should have been. In conformation, Link saw two red glowing eyes drawing closer. A sound unlike any he had ever heard reached his ears, a hollow grinding and scratching. Fear gripped Link's stomach with ice cold hands. He stopped dead on the path staring at the read eyes approaching him at a wobbling gate. It was all he could do to draw his sword and hold it out in front of him. He had just made up his mind to run forward and attack, when he heard the noise again to his left, and yet again directly behind him. He was surrounded by the horrific noises and deep fiery red eyes.

Jumping forward without thinking, Link sliced his sword directly under the glowing eyes of the thing in front of him. He was close enough to realize finally what it was. He stared in horror for a moment at the small child sized skeleton before him, then to its head on the ground. It was distorted and not quite human, and it was still standing. Link backed away from the oncoming skeletal monster then turned and ran. He could hear them moving after him but did not stop to look back. Navi flitted in front of him lighting the way. He had not realized he had dropped his defenses against her speech.

There is a light ahead!

Link pushed himself to run faster as the small pinprick of light blinked into existence in the seemingly endless darkness ahead of him. He realized that it was steadily moving toward him at a good pace. He also realized that it was jogging. He continued to run as fast as he could, passing all the monsters that emerged from the darkness ahead of him. He thanked the goddess' that they could not run as fast as he.

The stitch in his side was beginning to cripple him when he saw what the light was. It was a lamp attached to the front of a wagon. Relief flooded through him and he raised his arms to get the wagon drivers attention. He briefly noticed the monsters recoil from the light.

"Ho there!" The driver called to his horse then stood. Link could see the man squinting into the lantern light to see what the matter was. "You there, hurry on now." He approached the side and held his hand out to the running link. With a quick pull the boy was on the cart bench and the man was clicking the horse into action. It took Link a moment of intense breathing before he noticed the stow-away in his pouch.

I don't think I should be seen.

Link shook his head too full of rushing adrenaline to argue.

"What were ya doin' ey?" The man had slowed his horse once more. "A lad like you out on the field at night, you are lucky them Stall children did not catch you."

"Stall children?" Link's breathing had begun to calm.

The cart driver nodded, "That's right, they attack children wandering the field at night so as to create more of their kind. Here, you foreign?"

Link did not know what to say to that so he said nothing. The cart driver did not press. Instead he looked out over the dark grasses with calculating eyes. "So what were you doing wandering towards Lake Hylia?" Link looked up at him startled. "I just came from there myself, delivering milk. On my way home now."

Link mentally kicked himself. What he had thought was the road to Castle Town must have been the rout to the lake. He had gone in the complete wrong direction.

"Its just ahead here." The man said softly noticing Links odd look. "Where were you really headed." Link shifted uncomfortably.

"The Castle." Link hated talking to people he did not know. However the man looked nice. He was rather large and had a mop of read hair. His face was bright and round with bushy eyebrows. Link turned away suddenly when he realized he had been staring.

"Oh Castle Town, I am making my way there tomorrow. I could bring you along." Link shook his head about to refuse then remembered the red eyes. He turned away and muttered. "Thank you."

A large bursting laugh came from the driver. It seemed to radiate from his whole body. Link could not help smile slightly in return.

"I'm Talon by the way, I own the ranch in the middle of these fields."

Link found himself talking before he realized it. "Link."

"Well then Link, don't worry, your in good hands."

A yawn pushed its way out of Link's mouth. Now that all of the excitement was over he found himself incredibly tired. The rocking of the wagon and the soft whistling of the rancher had him asleep before he new it.

A sprig of hey tickled the small boys nose and he sat up suddenly. It took a moment, but eventually Link remembered dragging himself into the hayloft after arriving at the ranch late that last night. He yawned slightly and looked over to where there was a tray. On the tray was a small jar of milk and a block of cheese. Hungry and chastising himself again for forgetting to bring anything to eat, Link began to break off bits of the yellow block.

A soft singing reached his ears and he leaned back into a hay bale to eat and listen. Even with the events of the previous day and the scary thoughts of an unknown future, Link was able to relax and enjoy the taste of the milk and the sound of the singing. When he was finished, curiosity brought him climbing down the ladder and opening the barn door.

The ranch did not seem as large and imposing as he had remembered it being when they had arrived. It had a wonderful smell that flared Links nostrils and shut his eyes. It smelled of hay, and horses, and a sweet smell the boy could not place. These were all smells that were relatively new to him. With the open air, Link was able to hear the singing more clearly. Its serenity moved him and he immediately began wandering toward it.

Having never seen a horse pasture before, Link took a second to marvel at the make of it. Then his attention was targeted on the horses themselves. They were so large. He quickly stepped away from the fence to see a familiar face.

So your finally up.

Whats that supposed to mean? Link turned back to fence to look at the horses. As excited as he was about having gotten a fairy Link realized how annoying it could be as well. Navi always seemed to have something to say.

Well I did not want to wake you, you looked very tired.

The boy said nothing, his attention had finally caught the source of the voice. Slowly and cautiously Link stepped through the gate and started toward the young girl in the center of the pasture. Navi called after him but followed not bothering to hide herself from the young girl. She must been Tolan's daughter, he thought to himself, she has his hair and round face.

Suddenly the singing stopped and the girl turned large blue eyes toward him. A broad smile covered her face. "Oh you must be the boy father was talking about." Suddenly she clapped her hands to her face eyes wide with excitement. "Is that a fairy!?"

Link shifted uneasily and looked to Navi, who darted around the young girl in a happy green glow. He nodded his head silently but the girl was paying little attention giggling and following the fairy with her large eyes. After a few moments the eyes drifted back to Link.

"So what brings you here fairy boy? Father says you are on your way to the castle." Link nodded his head slightly. The girl smiled brightly and bent forward. "You are shy aren't you. Well no need to be. My name is Malon by the way."

Link looked down and scuffed his boot on some open dirt. "Im… Link" A loud laugh came from Malon, seems she has her dads laugh too, he thought.

"Well that's a funny name."

"No funnier than Malon!" He shot back defensively. Then shut up quickly not wanting to be mean. Without Saria to do all his talking Link found himself being a bit more forceful than he wanted to come across. However, Malon did not seem to care. She simply smiled and began to hum her song again. Thinking of his friend, Link pulled out her small ocarina and handled it softly.

"What is that song you sing?" he asked after a moment.

"Oh, its just a lullaby my mom used to sing to me when I was little." Link nodded and said nothing. Malon regarded him seriously for a moment then said bluntly, "She's dead."

Link did not know what to say to that so he only nodded and went back to fiddling with the ocarina.

"Do you play?"

"What?"

"Do you play that?" Malon indicated the ocarina with a small grungy finger. The small boy nodded slightly and said, "My friend taught me."

"Oh? Do you think you could play my song for me?"

Link shrugged his shoulders and brought the ocarina to his lips and blew. It took a couple of tries but eventually he matched the tune of the singing girl. A new serenity washed over him and he closed his eyes rocking in time to the music. He opened them at the sound of the girls giggle, and found he was looking into the velvet nose of a beautiful chestnut filly.

"That's Epona. I think she likes you. She's my favorite you know." The girl brought her hand up to stroke the young horse under the jaw. "She wants you to pet her." Link shook his head but Malon took one of his hands and placed it on the horse's coarse mane.

They stood there talking about horses until Talon arrived informing Link that they were to be heading out soon. Navi, who had grown bored with the conversation and was examining the chickens near by, flew to Link in a hurry and plunged into his small pack. Link nodded then realized he had left the Kokiri blade in the hay loft, and ran to go get it.

As he climbed into the wagon Talon noticed the small blade attached to the young boys hip.

"Oh you're a child worrier are you?" He said with a teasing smile. Link looked up at him confusion on his face. The man laughed his large laugh again seized the reigns and clicked to the horse. "Its an old tale. They say once when the great temple was still whole, there was a training ground for the child worriers." He laughed slightly to himself. "They weren't put into battle of course, they just started training at a young age. In the forest I remember it being told." He stuck a piece of straw in his mouth.

"What did they train for?" Link found himself asking.

"Well its like I said, battle. Though what they battled back then I don't know. In that time everyone sort of got along, much better then they do now, with all these Gerudo raids." Links face must have betrayed him for the rancher went on to explain. "Well in the old days there was a great temple, huge, they said it was. It covered almost all of Hyrule. A branch went to the forest, one to the mountains, one to the undergrounds and one to the lake. They say one even appeared in the deserts but I can hardly believe that. Besides no one has ever set out to find it and returned." Talon spat out the piece of grass and pointed to a pile of mossy stone to their right. "See that, they say that's all pieces of the great temple. Course it fell with the great disappearing."

"The great dissppearing?"

"The triforce, and guardian gems. There are paintings, you see, in the remaining temple arias, such as the temple of time we got in town, that portray three golden triangles. Scholars say it was a religious talisman that helped to protect the land from danger. Well the legend goes that a dark shadow descended upon the land and tried to steel it, but it was sealed way by the three guardian stones, and that's when the temple collapsed. All that's left is a ruin."

Link had been sitting strait captured by the story. "How did the stones seal away the triforce?"

The big booming laugh of the man started Link and he jumped slightly. "That's the most I think I have heard you say, boy." He laughed for a moment the sobered to say. "Sorry though, that's all I know. Didn't pay too much attention when I went to temple as a boy."

I think that information might be important.

Navi had been quiet for so long her thought voice started the young boy. He nodded slightly and sat back on the bench thinking about what he had just been told. Eventually Talon began to whistle again and Link relaxed into a daze, the castle walls drawing ever closer.