"Why didn't you tell me we were so low on food?" Ingo's voice bit across the field, startling Malon. She steadied her expression before turning around, dropping the hand that had been resting on Epona's nose.

"I've been distracted." Malon's voice was low.

"At any rate, we're almost out. I can't believe you would be so irresponsible." Ingo frowned, crossing his arms.

"Would you like me to go to Kakariko?" Malon asked. She wasn't sure what she hoped the answer would be. On one hand if he said yes she might be able to find more provisions to help Link. On the other hand, that would leave the stable open for his searching, and Link wasn't exactly hidden away.

"No." he said after an agonizingly long pause. "I'll go. I have business to attend to in town anyway."

"Business?"

"We're not living up to our full potential here." Ingo cast a disdainful eye around the ranch, his lip curling into a half-sneer. "I think we'd get more of a profit from selling it and starting over somewhere else."

Malon's heart dropped and she found herself stepping forward, hands outstretched to Ingo. She almost grasped his shoulders before she remembered herself and dropped her arms, wrapping them around her own torso instead.

"What? What are you saying? Sell the ranch?"

"Exactly that, dear girl." Ingo said, eyebrow raising at the fire of her response, "Do you seriously think we can keep living here? This is hardly ideal for either of us."

"We can't, you can't," Malon stuttered, not hiding her panic. "This place, this ranch, this is my home. This has always been my home-"

"Did you expect to live out your days here like your father?" Ingo's voice was tinged with cruel humor, "What reality do you think you are living in?"

"Why would you sell the ranch? Why take it from me and then destroy it? Is this to get back at me?"

"Get back at you? Do you think I carry around some unrequited love grudge with me like a weight?" Ingo stepped forward. He was too close to her, his face loomed over hers, and she felt small and weak and childish under his gaze. "Whether or not you agreed to marry me, this was my plan from the start. This ranch has been dying for generations, it was dying when your grandparents took it over. It was dying when your father inherited it. Talon's passing was the final nail in the coffin. It's time to move on."

"My father trusted you in some capacity," Malon murmured. "He must have, otherwise he never would have given LonLon to you. He never would have willed you the ranch if he knew this is what you would do with it."

"On the contrary, love. It's why he gave it to me." Ingo took a step back and turned his face to the sky, breathing in deeply. "Your father knew the smell of death in the air. He knew that this ranch was not going to survive, and he knew that you would cling to it until it destroyed you. Despite what you think of me, despite everything that has happened between us, and to this ranch, I have always been your protection. Not your Fairy Boy, not your father, and not this place. Me."

Ingo reached out a hand and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, the touch of his fingers chilling her to the bone. She wished he would take his hand away, but he didnt. He cupped her cheek for a moment, staring deep into her eyes, then dropped his hand.

"After everything else has died, I remain. And you still do not see."

Malon did not answer but stood before him in silence, her fists clasped to her side. He studied her for another long moment before turning away.

"I'll be gone overnight. Have a meal prepared for me tomorrow evening."

"Yes, sir."

~o~

Malon dug her fingers into the wood of the door, pressing it with her shoulder. She knew if she could get it in just the right position, apply her weight in just the right way…

The door came loose with a clatter, knocking her off balance. She righted herself, catching the heavy door before it could fall inwards and propped it back up. Ingo had enough foresight to remove the spare key she kept hidden in a jar outside, but he didn't know about the hinge trick, and Malon would never show him.

Once inside Malon replaced the heavy bolt to the hinge and looked around. She had expected it to either be a pigsty or completely cleared of all her family's possessions, but it was neither. Largely, it looked the same as it always did. Even the jar of blue fire still flickered on the shelf and she made sure to tuck that into her sack first. She then creaked her way up the stairs, feeling as if she were being watched, even though Ingo left for Kakariko hours ago and promised not to return for a while. Even if he did return now, Malon knew how to sneak around this house and she had already put the door back where it belonged.

Her bedroom was also the same as it had always been, save her bed in the corner which was now unkempt. She frowned, eyes tracing over the bunched up quilt. She had always loved that quilt, it was an heirloom from her paternal grandmother, but now when she looked at it she only saw the stillness of Talon's chest, was reminded of the way her father's sickly yellow skin contrasted with the old fabrics. Ingo could keep that old quilt, she had better heirlooms to reclaim.

She made her way around the room quickly, collecting the practical things first- her second pair of boots, a few extra dresses, her other apron, then the sentimental things. A doily her father's grandmother had made, a pair of white pearl-studded shoes her father told her were her mother's from their wedding day, Talon's handkerchief and brass dragon-face brooch. She hefted the bag. There were more items that she wanted, but she had to think practically. If she could keep everything she wanted she would just take the house, but that was not an option.

She made sure the door to the house shut tight behind her, the lock clicking as it slid back into place. It was as if she had never entered it, Ingo would never be any wiser. She opened the door to the stable slowly, whispering lines from the Ancient Hylian rhyme to keep the animals still. She noticed that Link stirred worse in his sleep if the beasts were restless, and she needed him to stay calm. Perhaps if he slept deeply, he would wake sooner.

She went to Epona's stall, which she had moved next to where Link was curled up. At the sight of her long lost rider the horse had nearly trampled him in her joy, but now she remained calm next to him, bringing her head down and blowing on him out of her wide nostrils. Malon smiled at the sight. If Link knew how the three women picked and pecked over him like worried hens he would disappear with embarrassment. Navi, Malon had decided, was the worst about it. She clung to Link's face like a parasite. Then again, she had seen the same things he had seen, been with him on the journey, and from the little she could convey to Malon through her broken Hylian and tinny voice, it had been nothing short of a waking nightmare. Malon begun to wonder if the visions she'd had every night were less her own nightmares and more some kind of shared happening between her mind and Link's. It was strange and magnificent and horrifying, but not outside the realm of possibility given everything he had ever told her.

Malon took a rag and wetted it in one of the horse troughs, wringing it out on the stable floor before waving Navi away and pressing it to Link's face. He winced slightly at the touch and she could see his muscles tense, but he relaxed as she continued the motion, smoothing the cool cloth across his forehead, down his jaw, patting at his neck and around his ears.

She rewetted the cloth and turned to bring it back, but stopped when she saw his eyes were open. He had woken a couple of times before, but his eyes would always roll wildly in his sockets, searching the room, her face, his body, until he closed them again, shivering violently and pulling his knees up to his chest. He had never been truly awake. This time, his eyes were fixed on hers. Wide, but stable.

"...Fairy Boy?" Malon ventured, her voice low and soothing. Link blinked slowly, then let his eyes sweep over Malon, taking in the sight of her. She knew she looked rougher than he had seen her before, and she felt slightly embarrassed. Her dress was dingy, her hand-embroidered apron fraying, and her hair was unkempt. If he joked about it, however, she would be relieved.

Link moved to sit up and winced at the motion. Malon noticed a dark spot on his tunic, a place that had been resting on the hay. Without speaking, she helped him sit up and began undoing the belt that held his tunic closed. He kept one hand in a slat of Epona's stall and the horse had brought her nose down to touch his fingers.

Malon winced with Link as she went to pull off his tunic and felt the tug of the fabric clinging to his skin. The woolen garment was soaked with blood and it had dried to him in places, effectively gluing the tunic to his wound. She made him rise to his knees and turn himself around,lowering himself back to the straw pile on his chest.

The gash across his back ran through his previous scar, creating an X on his back. Malon brushed her fingers around the wound. It was angry and bright, the skin hot, and had begun bleeding again. Malon sighed with new determination and stood, looking for her kit. She had stitched up wounds on horses before, this was no different. By the time she had gathered her supplies she could hear Link murmuring softly, speaking to Navi in Ancient Hylian.

"How are you feeling, Fairy Boy?" She asked as she arranged her supplies, sinking to her knees next to him. Link dropped his head and sighed into his arms, then chuckled softly.

"I've been better."

"I can see that." Malon said, taking her cloth and beginning to clean the wound. Link did not wince at the touch, but did grit his teeth. She was as careful as possible and three rags later had finally cleaned off all the blood. Without the gore around it the gash didn't seem as bad. Malon let herself sigh in some relief as she prepared her needle.

"Do you want a story, Malon?" Link asked, his voice piercing the silence. Malon swallowed, her eyes focusing past the needle for a brief moment.

"I have one for you." She said, watching his expression as she set her needle to his back and made the first stitch. He stayed motionless, his eye fixed sidelong on her face.

"Is it about an impish forest dweller who never keeps his promises?" Link asked, "because I think we may be telling the same story."

"No." Malon smiled wryly. "My story is about a girl who kept her hope, even after everyone else told her she was abandoned. She had dreams of death and darkness, but never believed she was alone. Her dreams turned out to be true, but in the end she was right to keep her hope."

"You saw the temple." Link murmured, his voice barely a whisper.

"I don't know how," Malon said, "and I'm sure I didn't see the worst of it, but if what Navi told me is true, then yes. I saw the temple."

"There were voices there..." Link said, his eyes slightly glazing over, "I was surrounded by shadow and poison, the regrets of the dead fell like rain from an empty ceiling, and there were voices all around. Pale fingers sprouted from the walls and probed my mind, filling it with visions of despair." Malon was startled to see a tear pool in Link's eye and mark a path across the bridge of his nose. "I saw so much death, more than I had before. I saw visions of the world if Zelda and I fail. Worst yet, I saw you..." He turned his head as much as he could, causing Malon to pause in her task and rest her hands on his back. "I saw you in mourning for a father you couldn't save. I saw you taken hostage by Ingo, I saw this ranch burning. I saw my Malon beaten down by the world and I could do nothing but scream into darkness."

"Your visions and mine shared a similar trait, then." Malon said, returning to her task. "There is some truth to them."

"What do you mean?"

"I mourn for a father I could not save." Malon's voice was low and she struggled to keep steady. "And, in a way, I am held hostage by Ingo...due in equal parts my father's lack of wisdom and my own foolishness."

"No matter what has happened, I do not think less of you." Link said. Malon glanced down at him, at his face partially turned toward hers.

"I am so ashamed, Link." Malon said, her voice choked. She knew he understood. The merciless visions may have even shown him, presented the scene before him without any context.

"Malon. You cannot change the past, and there is no use dwelling upon it. That kind of thinking is what creates people like Ingo. Bitter people who think of only what the world should have given them."

"I'm so sorry, Link. I was terrified of your disappointment. It was long ago, before you returned to us-"

"Malon, I don't care." Link said, stopping her. "It could have been yesterday. You are my favorite girl, and all I have ever cared about was your safety. You are alive."

"I should be saying that to you." Malon chided, returning to her work, "You are lucky to have survived. My father was assured you hadn't."

"How long was I gone?" Link asked, wincing only once as Malon tied off her final stitch and tugged out the end of the thread.

"Three months."

"Three months?" Link asked, his eyes wide with disbelief. Malon raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yes. Did you not know?"

"No." Link said, his voice low, "Time moves differently in the temples. I knew that I was there longer than usual, but…"

"Link, what happened?" Malon asked, helping him sit back up. She guided him in raising his arms and began washing the grime off the rest of his torso. "You literally just… vanished."

"I… I don't even know." Link murmured, his face searching, "I only remember parts of it from the beginning. I remember going to Kakariko and seeing the city on fire. Something came out of the well and grabbed me… it's all so hazy. But… three months?" Link shook his head, pressing his palm to his forehead. "It's no wonder you all thought I had died…"

"My father was sure of it, but I didn't want to believe him."

"Talon…" Link whispered, "Malon, I'm so sorry."

"I'll be fine." Malon mumbled. She began wrapping the cloth around his torso, covering the stitched gash one pass at a time. When the roll was done she made Link hold the end in place as she pulled two hooks from her supplies. She pressed them into the bandage, then leaned back to observe her handiwork.

"How is it feeling?" she asked, guiding him again in lowering his arms. He writhed gingerly, rolling his shoulders up and bending backwards, then forwards.

"Better than before." he said. "You have miracle fingers."

Malon smiled and shook her head. "You're a fast healer."

Link stood shakily, keeping one hand on Epona's stall and brushing loose straw off his breeches with the other. Malon stood quickly and offered her arm for support, which he took gratefully.

"My whole body is sore." Link huffed, shaking his head, "I've never felt so weak."

"Your strength will return." Malon assured, ducking under his arm to support him. He grasped at her shoulder and took a few steps forward, testing his weight on his legs before he loosed his arm from her shoulders and stepped forward more boldly. She watched him walk around the stable, relearning his own body after being nearly comatose for a full day in her stable. She couldn't help but smile as he quickened his pace, circling like one of her horses, and he stretched his arms out.

"I can barely feel it, Malon!" He gasped, flashing her his trademark grin.

"That doesn't mean it's not there!" She called, unable to help her smile as he circled his arms. "Be careful!"

Link approached her, panting lightly with the effort of his run. His mouth was open wide in his grin and his eyes glinted with that mischief that she had come to expect from him. He stopped in front of her, taking her face in his hands. He smoothed his thumb over her cheeks, staring into her eyes, before bringing his face down and pressing his lips to hers lightly. Malon's eyes fluttered closed and she brought her hands up, resting her palms against his bandaged chest.

His breath was warm on her upper lip and she breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of him. That sparkling earthen scent that followed him wherever he went. His lips were softer than she had expected, and even his calloused fingers on her cheeks didn't feel as rough as she had imagined. She felt like her heart was in her throat and the kiss lasted longer than she had expected, and not as long as she wanted.

"I have a proposal for you." Link said, leaning away from her. She opened her eyes, knowing that her face was probably as red as her hair. Link ran the tips of his fingers from her jaw to her forehead and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Already?" Malon joked, trying to ease the tension. Link pushed at her shoulder playfully.

"Malon, if the visions I had in the temple were true… then I know that the Ranch is lost."

Malon swallowed hard and dropped her face, letting her hands fall from his chest. Link caught them up in his own hands and bent slightly, wincing at the pull on his stitches, but managed to re-catch her gaze.

"Malon, there is a way you can save this ranch."

"What?"

"This is going to sound crazy, but we can help each other here." He brought her hands up, squeezing her fingers with the fervor of his new idea. "Your mother was a Gerudo, right?"

"How did you know that?" Malon asked.

"Your father had a strange reaction to a mask I used to have as a child. Besides," he released one hand and took a lock of her hair softly between his fingers and smiling, "this is not the mark of a Hylian heritage."

"Okay," Malon murmured, blushing at the touch, "how does that help you?"

"The Gerudo are notoriously secretive and mistrusting, but if I were to go to the Valley with a long lost daughter…"

Malon gasped softly and pulled away from him, pressing her hands to her chest.

"What are you saying, Link?"

"Come with me." He said, stepping forward again and pressing his hands to her shoulders. "Right now. Saddle Epona, gather food, and come with me."

"Link, I can't just leave…"

"Listen, Malon. If I'm right, this will be a journey of a few days and you'll have your ranch back. If I'm wrong, you'll have a new life and LonLon will be sold to the highest bidder."

"Link... my horses." She said, casting a sad glance around the stable.

"They will be safe. If nothing else we can have the Gerudo send a party to retrieve them. It will take no more than a day or two."

His brows were furrowed, a strange expression on the face that she was so used to seeing wearing cheer and mischief. He was serious. He wanted her to come with him. He wanted her to come with him right now. She couldn't let this opportunity pass again. He was determined, he was strong, and he was also very injured. If she let him leave her sights now she very much doubted they would ever meet again.

"I'll… I'll do it."

His face burst once again into his trademark grin.

"Fantastic! Now I have to go to Castle Town first-"

"Link!"

"Just kidding!" he said, raising his hands in mock defense. Malon frowned and threw a half-hearted punch at his shoulder. He chuckled and she returned the expression before turning toward Epona.

"It's going to be a long night for us, darling girl."

~o~

Epona was laden with the fruits of their efforts. A full bag of what little food had remained in the house, extra supplies to take care of Link's wound, a change of clothes for Malon along with her hairbrush and Talon's dragon face brooch, pinned to the outside of the saddle bag. Link was already astride Epona, the latter of which was practically twitching with her desire to leave the confines of the ranch. She pranced in place anxiously, chomping her bit and casting glances back at Malon as if to say 'hurry up!'

Malon kept one hand on the horse's haunch, looking around the ranch. In the pale moonlight the ranch looked peaceful. The silo stood silent and strong in the distance, a watchtower at the edge of Malon's personal kingdom. The grass of the pasture flowed gently in the midnight breeze and the sign marking this place as LonLon Ranch swung back and forth with a gentle squeak.

"I know what it's like." Link said, his voice like a song in the wind. "I remember when I left the Kokiri for the first time."

"What did you feel?"

"Emptiness." he said simply. "I was a child, I believed I was responsible for the death of the Great Deku Tree, and I was leaving everything I had ever known. My best friend met me at the forest entrance, but she could not follow. There lies the difference, Malon." he reached out, offering a hand to her. "You are not leaving this place alone."

Malon smiled and took his hand.