Have half of you guys died? Only 7 people reviewed last chapter. Did I do something wrong? :o
Enjoy the interlude.

It was late, well past sundown, when I sprinted inside the walls of the ranch, tired and scared beyond my wits.

No one had informed me Stal-Children came out at night. If it weren't for that shield I had bought in Castle Town, I would have been ripped to shreds.

Thank Farore it was so big.

It appeared as though no one had died on the ranch—or maybe it was just some sort of holy ground, or maybe the Goddesses were done making my life a living Hell—for none of the skeletal monsters followed me onto the property (A sign declared it as Lon Lon Ranch) as I followed the dirt path past a barn and a house.

As I went further up, a very familiar sounding voice was singing a very peaceful, sweet melody.

I hurried towards it, eager for other human companionship, having a very good idea of who it was.

Lo and behold, it was the same girl that I had helped at the Castle, standing in the middle of the pasture with many horses grazing all around her.

When I approached, she looked up, a broad smile stretching across her face.

"Oh, it's the Fairy Boy again!" she said cheerfully, clapping her hands together. "Thank you for findin' my dad. He came home in a hurry after you found him, apologizin' to me somethin' fierce!"

"No problem!" I declared happily. "Anything for you, Miss Mal—woah!"

Before I could finish my sentence, the roan foal standing to her left pressed her muzzle into my arm, the force of it nearly pushing me over.

She giggled, and the simple sound of it brought a grin to my face, as well. "I have to introduce you to my friend. She's this horse…Her name is Epona. Isn't she cute?"

I reached out to pet the beast, but it suddenly took off in the opposite direction, kicking up dirt in my face.

Malon laughed. "Looks like Epona is afraid of you, Fairy Boy!" she said with another smile. "But we can fix that. You know that song I was just singin'? My mama composed it. We can sing it together, and maybe she'll trust you!"

I grimaced, shaking my head. "I can't sing." I told her, reaching into my pouch and pulling out Saria's ocarina. "But I can play, if you want."

"That's such a cute ocarina!" she squealed. "Will you really play with me?"

I nodded, and she began to sing.

I repeated her notes to the best of my ability, getting a bit muddled the first time. But by the third, I was able to play just as well as she could.

Sure enough, as soon as I was able to play it correctly, Epona came scrambling over to me, nuzzling my arm just as she had before.

"I knew that would fix it!" Malon exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly, but stopping abruptly when a cry of pain escaped my lips as the beast disturbed one of the gashes the Stal-Children had given me. "What happened to you?"

"Claws," I gasped out, cradling my arm gently. "Big, sharp, undead claws."

"You went into the field after sundown?" Her face darkened in understanding. "You're darn brave, Fairy Boy. Or just stupid."

I sighed. "I know." I said sullenly, grabbing a handful of my tunic and pressing it to the wound, trying to staunch the blood that was now trickling steadily from it.

"I can help, if you want." She patted Epona once on the head before starting back to the ranch house. "There's still a little stew left from dinner."

When I didn't follow, she turned back, shooting me a tentative smile. "You'd be surprised what a nice, hot meal and some kindness can do." She said. "In these times, we've gotta be kind, you know? I want to help. Really."

Reluctantly, I trudged behind her, keeping my arm elevated as she opened the door to her home, warm candlelight spilling into the darkness.

"In you get!" she ordered, gesturing me inside and giving me a little push when I didn't comply quickly enough.

A heavenly scent surrounded me as a passed through the threshold, and saliva immediately built up in my mouth, my stomach roaring its assent. I hadn't eaten much besides Deku nuts for the past few days, which…well…let's just say that anything she could have fed me would have been a step up from that.

Immediately she went to the fire where a large cauldron was bubbling with what was likely a stew from the mouthwatering smell of it, grabbing a bowl from the table and ladling a healthy portion inside, causing my heart to sing. Food! Glorious, edible, food! Food that wouldn't explode in my stomach—literally—when I ate it!

Setting it down on the table and plopping a spoon inside, she looked up at me expectantly. "Dig in."

I was more than happy to comply.

After I had all but licked the bowl clean she sat me up on the table, picking out pieces of severed claw from the gash before cleaning it and beginning the tedious task of bandaging. Naturally, we fell into conversation.

"I was a bit shocked when I saw you running onto the ranch." She admitted, giggling. "I thought you were a horse that escaped from the barn and was running back when they saw the skullies. Once they do it once, they never do it again, you know. But then I realized it was you, Fairy Boy, and I was so surprised to see you again!"

I scowled, my expression darkening. "I seem like a big idiot, don't I, barging onto your property and bleeding all over your…your grass," She snickered at that, but managed to keep her hands steady as she laid another bandage. "And coming into your house and eating your food and taking your time."

Feeling this helpless, this needy, and not being able to refuse help…it made my newly found testosterone boil. I was the man—okay, maybe not a man at this point…not even close to a man, but still—I could take care of myself. I didn't need this coddling, this help. It didn't take much to put bandages on, after all.

Malon smiled patiently, taking the empty bowl that was beside me and walking over to put it in the washbasin. "I don't think you're an idiot." She said with firm resolution. "I think you needed a friend is all. I needed a friend when you found my pa, and you helped me, so I'm gonna do my darndest to help you, because that's what friends do, you hear?"

Still not convinced but not wanting to make her upset, I nodded.

Her brief fit of passion melted away immediately, and she was just another little girl again when she spoke.

"Tomorrow you can help me milk the cows. Pa usually does that, but sometimes he forgets when he sleeps in." she giggled, tying the edges of the bandages together in a sweet little bow, patting my arm gently to indicate she was finished.

When I made no move to get off the table, she shot me a stern look. "You'd better get off to bed. The early bird catches the worm, that's what Pa says!"

I cleared my throat, pushing to my feet and smiling. "Yeah." I agreed, scratching my head awkwardly with my good hand. "…Thank you, Miss Malon. For everything."

"Think nothing of it." She said happily, brushing off the table and tucking the rest of the bandages into a drawer. "You never know how far a little bit of kindness can go."

And as I curled underneath the soft, warm quilt several minutes later, I realized that she was right. My young, naïve mind clung to it, repeating it over and over like a mantra, hoping that somehow the words would protect me from the horrors to come.

Anything could be solved with a nice, hot, meal, some kindness, and a friend.