Chapter 23

Confrontations

Over the next couple of days, unease crept over Link. He continued his work on the ranch, but it was no longer the immersive distraction he sought. He knew he had to leave, but could not quite bring himself to do it.

He returned to an uneasy silence with Navi, but her worry was with him constantly, a prickling awareness. His relationship with Malon, on the other hand, suddenly bloomed. She made certain never to use his name in front of anyone else, and he was thankful to her for maintaining his new identity with the rest of the people on the ranch. In the meantime, they spent more time together than they had done since those first two weeks.

The way she behaved towards him was now infused with a new warmth. She seemed to revel in the fact that their secrets were now in the open, that those barriers had been dropped. It seemed she did not hold any grudge for what he had done in Loxton; in fact, she was now glad he knew about Talon. She took every opportunity to talk about her father where previously she had been unwilling to say anything about him. Link picked up that she was glad to have someone with whom she could talk freely.

Twice in the following weeks, Malon visited Loxton. On both occasions, she told Link that was where she was going and made no show of hiding anything, but neither did she invite him. He did not force his presence upon her, feeling certain if she wanted him there, she would tell him expressly.

The day after she returned from the second of these trips, Link quickly learnt that she had also brought back letters for Ingo. As Link lent against the wall of the barn in the late morning, quietly playing his ocarina, the door of the ranch house banged open and the ranch owner stormed out. His face was furious behind his bristling moustache. He was a very lean figure, but he did not look at all athletic, and in his rage he looked mean and unpleasant. Link glanced around and saw Malon was nowhere near. He was glad, since Ingo's moods often distressed her.

Not wishing to attract any attention, Link stopped playing and put his ocarina in his pouch, aiming to slip quickly into the barn. He could not stop himself from watching, though, as Ingo paced up and down and muttered furiously to himself. His agitation intrigued Link. Turning, the blustering man came towards him and Link cursed himself for not making good his escape.

"You," growled Ingo as he began to pace again. As he did, Link noticed the crumpled piece of paper clutched in his hand. "He never really did anything for this ranch! I deserve it far more than he did!" fumed Ingo, and it did not sound as if he was really talking to his uncomfortable companion. "I, the hard working Ingo, gave far more to this place than that oaf ever did. The great Ganondorf will clearly see that!" Link flinched at the honorific, but he forced himself to stay silent. Ingo turned to him again.

"Did you know Talon is living in Loxton?" he barked.

"Yes, I knew he's there," Link answered calmly.

Ingo resumed his pacing. "Well, I don't want you or anyone else spreading rumours that I cheated Talon out of the ranch. He left, and I picked up the slack, that's what happened!" A shrewd look stole over his face, and when he continued, he sounded calmer. "In fact, you'd be perfect to help get rid of these rumours. I've got to go to Loxton with some deliveries. You can come with me. Then, you can tell everyone how well I run this place and that I let you stay here for free."

The idea of accompanying Ingo did not especially appeal to Link, but it did put an idea in his head. The letter he had received had obviously shaken the older man. Link did not know what it said, but it clearly suggested people would not object to Talon taking control of Lon Lon Ranch again.

He nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, I'll come with you."

"Excellent," exclaimed Ingo, and he was already striding back towards the house. "We leave at dawn the day after tomorrow," he crowed over his shoulder.

Pulling out his ocarina again, Link began to play idly. A plan was beginning to form that might go some way to showing his appreciation towards Malon.

The following day passed quickly, and Link was up long before dawn on the day of the trip. While Ingo prepared the cart for their journey, Link got the goods ready for transport, stacking crates of milk bottles and getting pallets of cucco eggs ready.

The journey to Loxton was uneventful, as was the rest of the first day. Link was unable to put his plan into action. That evening, they went for a drink at a milk bar and Ingo talked in a frenzied voice to anyone who would listen about the ranch. He made pointed comments throughout the evening, saying often how the ranch had fared well in recent times, and how new management often breathed life into business. His comments fed Link's conviction.

The following day, he found his opportunity, with an hour spare while Ingo was meeting some people he knew in the city. He could not completely push aside his apprehension that he would not remember the way, but he managed to find the right street without many wrong turns. He walked to Talon's door and knocked.

The burly man opened the door and for a second looked both shocked and angry. Link did not give him the chance to argue.

"Did you send a letter to Ingo?" he asked bluntly, without any pleasantries.

Confusion overtook Talon's anger as he shook his head.

"It must have been someone else, then. He received a letter from Loxton, telling him you're here. It also made it clear that a lot of people still see you as the rightful owner of Lon Lon Ranch and think Ingo cheated you out of it."

"I don't see what difference that makes," started Talon, but Link cut him off. He was pinning all his hopes on being able to provoke a reaction from the other man. Talon had to help himself.

"Ingo has come to Loxton to forestall the rumours, which just shows how nervous he is. If you confront him, you can prove that you're the rightful owner of Lon Lon Ranch."

"Why should I?" said Talon, stubbornly.

Link only had one answer. He could only hope it was enough. "Because your daughter needs you."

All the fight sagged out of the big man. "It's too late to say anything now. Too late for it to make a difference."

"No, you're wrong. Ingo's worried, too many people already support you, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered coming to Loxton."

"What do you expect me to do?" Talon was close to giving in to Link, simply to stop arguing.

"Confront him. He's going to a milk bar tonight, the Banco."

Talon nodded. "I know the place."

"Will you come?" Talon lowered his head and gave a mumbled answer. Unable to think of anything else to say, Link stood in silence for a long moment. Eventually, he felt he could not wait longer.

"We will be at the Banco tonight," he reiterated. "I have to go now." He turned away from the older man, and began to walk up the street. Behind him, he heard the door close. He hoped it would be enough, as he continued on to rejoin Ingo.

Once he had found him, they completed their final deliveries before the evening arrived. They returned to the inn to check on their animals and the cart, and then went on to the milk bar.

The Banco was a good establishment, nicer than a lot of milk bars in Loxton, and nicer by far than the common room of their inn. Moving towards people he obviously knew, Ingo found seats for himself and Link next to four other men.

"Evening Ingo, greeted one of them. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Talamin. He's been helping out at the ranch and now he's giving me a hand with some deliveries," explained Ingo.

"So, what do you think of Loxton?" a second man asked.

"It's a nice place. A bit busy for myself," answered Link. The man chuckled.

"Country lad, eh? From some little village no one's heard of?"

"Talamin's from a long way down south. Isn't that right?" said Ingo.

He nodded. "A long way," he agreed. Several men chortled, derisive of the south.

The conversation continued, and Ingo moved away to the bar. He returned with two mugs of ale and placed one in front of Link. He had never drunk ale before, but he did not object. It was rare to catch Ingo in such a charitable mood, and he guessed it had more to do with making an impression on the others at the table.

From the way they talked, Link soon learned that two of the men were also from out of town, and the group talked about the things affecting the area, the difficulty of travel and the traffic on the roads. Link quickly inferred that very few people wanted to go anywhere near the former capital, and it was making business very difficult. He had heard similar things from Malon, it was part of the reason the last seven years had been so hard on the ranch.

Ingo took every opportunity to laud his administration of Lon Lon Ranch and tried to impel Link to agree, much more than he had done the previous evening. For himself, Link said nothing unless directly spoken to. He sipped carefully from his mug and stared at the door, half jumping every time it opened, but constantly disappointed.

This lasted for over an hour until finally the door of the milk bar opened and a familiar figure stood in the frame. Moustache bristling, Talon's eyes swept quickly over the patrons of the bar without resting on anyone. He moved over to the barman.

The table where Link and Ingo were sitting had fallen deathly quiet. Link was hardly daring to breathe, whilst Ingo looked shocked and furious. The other drinkers were studiously looking everywhere except at their companions or at Talon, but there was a palpable sense of fascination around the table.

Their anticipation was heightened as Talon took the drink the barman handed him and came to sit with them.

"Evening," he greeted them, raising his mug in salute. A murmur of "Evening, Talon," rippled around the table.

"What are we talking about?" he asked. One of the others supplied a comment about local trade. Talon smiled. "Sure, some things never change! I remember exactly the same thing causing us problems back when I was running the ranch."

"Well, you're not running the ranch any more, are you?" sneered Ingo, interrupting.

"I'm just saying, it's still the same."

"Well, don't," Ingo snapped.

"Hey, calm down Ingo," said one of their companions. "Things were pretty good when Talon was in charge of Lon Lon Ranch."

"You saying they're not so good now?"

"I'm not saying nothing, just that I reckon Talon's earned the right to say his piece." The man was staring into his mug, obstinately refusing to look up.

"Do you think I can't run my own ranch without his help?" Ingo was spitting with rage, by now.

"It isn't your ranch," said Link, very quietly.

"Ingo looked for a moment as if he had been hit. The entire table seemed to be collectively holding its breath. The gaunt man rounded on Link, and there was a madness in his eyes.

"What do you mean it isn't my ranch?" Link met his crazed stare evenly.

"As far as I'm aware, no transaction ever took place. Technically, the ranch still belongs to Talon. You've only been running it in his absence."

"You- What-" snarled Ingo, but he was too angry to find more words.

One of their companions turned to Talon. "Hey, is that true? Do you still own the ranch? Well, what are you waiting around here for? You ought to go back!" There was a murmur of agreement, now.

"Now that you mention it, I think it is about time I headed home." Talon was grinning as he put his mug down on the table. Link noticed it was already empty, and wondered how many he had had alone before eventually deciding to come to the milk bar. Either way, the support around the table had definitely buoyed his confidence.

Ingo stood, apoplectic rage evident in every line of his face.

"You'll regret this," he hissed. Picking up his mug, he drained it and banged it down, then stalked from the table and through the door.

The grin on Talon's face would have impressed a goron. "You know, boys, I think things are looking up! Who wants another drink?" The others around the table were more than happy to join Talon in his revelry and generosity. They cleared their drinks much quicker than Link, who wondered what money Talon was using. He did not question it, though, feeling that things were going well enough not to worry, now. He watched on with amusement as the others' merriment grew.

People came and went as the evening continued, many quite happy to join in the party without the slightest interest in what they were celebrating. Others, though, quickly learned the news and all showed that they were ecstatic to hear Talon would be going back to Lon Lon Ranch. Many stayed long enough to buy him a drink to prove it.

At the end of the night, Link had a feeling returning to the inn might not be the best idea. Instead, he supported an inebriated Talon through the streets of Loxton back to his lodgings. All the way, the big man leant heavily on his shoulder while burbling his thankfulness towards his companion, along with snatches of various songs. Once Link had rolled him into his bed, he fell unconscious quickly and was soon snoring with enthusiasm. Link smiled, remembering his similar behaviour at the Stock Pot Inn, seven years ago.