Hello everyone! Chapter 136, and the conclusion to the Lon Lon Ranch arc is finally here! This week, while Link and his friends succeeded in saving Malon and uncovering the truth about the invaders, there is one final situation to deal with back at the ranch...
"Maloooon!" Talon sobbed out uncontrollably, "My baby girl is baaack!"
"Uh oh, wait Dad!" Malon exclaimed.
The night sky was only just starting to lighten up, as Link, Malon, Nabooru, Togau and the others had arrived back at Lon Lon Ranch. They had been successful in saving Malon from the supposed 'invaders' who in reality turned out to be a bunch of fairies.
When Link and his friends approached the ranch house, they saw Talon was sleeping on the front door step, too worried about Malon to try and go to bed. But when he heard Togau call out to him, he perked awake instantly and ran over to give his daughter a big hug.
"It-it's okay Dad, I'm fine now!" Malon said, "Jees, come on! Cut it out, you're embarrassing me!"
"Na ha ha, we got Mally back safe and sound, just as promised!" Togau said grinning widely.
"Togau.. you saved my baby girl again..." Talon sniffled, he turned to Link and gave him a bone-crushing hug as well, "And you did darn good yerself, Yer Highlyness! Ya did real good!"
"Why don't you hug Togau instead?!" Link exclaimed.
"But what the heck happened anyway?" Talon asked, "Who was it that took the cows?"
"Oh you're not gonna believe this!" Aviel said excitedly, "It was a bunch of-"
"Cattle rustlers!" Ingo shouted, as everyone turned to see him sitting on the ground and tied up in horse reins, he seemed to be in a panic, "Buncha Hylian cattle rustlers came in each night and took 'em one by one! And... and I helped them pull off the job!"
"Ingo?" Talon spoke in surprise, "I thought you had somethin' ta do with it!"
"Oh brother." Nabooru rolled her eyes, "It wasn't rustlers Mr. Lon, it was-"
"No, don't listen to anything these Gerudo have to say, it was me and me alone behind all this!" Ingo shouted out in a panic, "It was all-!"
"Mr. Ingo, please do us a favor and shut that yap of yer's." Malon interrupted him with a cross stare, "You need to stop coverin' for them!"
Link adjusted his cap and explained everything with the fairies and the cow-milking operation to Talon, though he omitted the detail of Malon also being milked as well.
"You gotta be kiddin' me... it was forest fairies that took em?" Talon scratched his head, "And the milk the cows were making contained magic fairy powder?"
"Yes, and according to Mr. Ingo here, it would also appear the knights knew about them somehow." Nabooru said, "Part of their goal in taking over the ranch was to learn more about the fairies."
"This is all mighty crazy..." Talon said rubbing the back of his head, "But wait, what about th-"
Just then the sun started to peek over the horizon, and they heard the cucco caw out.
"BRAW-BRAW-BRAAAAKKKAAAA! BRAW-BRAW-BRAAAAKKKAAAA!"
"Uh oh, it's the morning of the milk production inspection!" Talon exclaimed in a panic, "That lieutenant fellow is gonna be gettin' up any time n-!"
As if on cue, the house door swung open, showing the royal Hylian Lieutenant Ernoldus standing there.
"Well-well, looks like a bright new day, and the beginning of a new era of this ranch!" Lieutenant Ernoldus said, taking a big whiff of the air.
After a second, he gagged a bit and put a clothespin on his nose, "Ugh, still smells of cow manure though. Speaking of cows though, I believe it's time to evaluate your milk production Mr. Lon!"
Lieutenant Ernoldus clapped his hands, as some knights from the campsite came out to assist him in the evaluation. The knights seemed a bit uncertain of this themselves, one even giving Talon a somewhat pitiful look as they went by and followed Ernoldus
"L-Listen, there's something you outta know!" Talon said in a panic, "We tired our best but-!"
But Ernoldus disregarded Talon's pleas as he strolled over to the cow stable with his knights. Talon was going to try and stall him, but Nabooru placed a hand on Talon's shoulder.
"It's okay Mr. Lon." Nabooru winked, "We already have it taken care of."
Lieutenant Ernoldus looked to the cow stable with a confident smirk, knowing full-well that there was no way Talon could meet his quota. The man gripped the gate of the cow stable and opened it up "Now Mr. Lon, let's take a good look at your supply of-"
"Mooooooooo."
"-moo?" Ernoldus spoke, as he saw the stable was almost completely full of cows.
"Woah, look at all that!" a knight said astonished.
Ernoldus turned to see there was dozens and dozens of steel jugs nearby, all filled to the brim with fresh cow milk. The knights quickly went over to inspect the jugs.
"Check it out, they manged to surpass the order required!" one knight said consulting his memo.
"..." Lieutenant Ernoldus stood there frozen in shock, his haughty attitude from before was gone, and his skin was now a pale white as a blue wavy aura of horror came down from his head, "T-This can't be... how could they have possibly...?!"
"Looks like things worked out just fine after all." Nabooru spoke up, coming up to the stable with Talon, Malon, Link and Togau, "Everything's well in order, isn't it Lieutenant...?"
"The cows... they're all back!" Malon whispered with teary eyes.
"I can't believe it..." Talon spoke in awe.
"T-This can't be right!" Lieutenant Ernoldus exclaimed, walking up to one of the jugs, "Surly this must all be watered down or something!" he grabbed a cup and opened the jug, filling it with milk, "I'll just have to inspect this conspicuous liquid for-"
But when he sipped it, his taste buds were hit with an amazing flavor that could only come from the famous Lon Lon Milk the ranch was known for.
"T-This... can't... bbbbBEEEEeee...!" shouted out Ernoldus, his knees shook from the powerful flavor and he impacted to the ground in a daze.
A knight came up to Malon and Talon with a stamped paper, "Well despite that temporary decline in early evaluations, you've more than surpassed your final quota. Congratulations!"
"We did it, we passed!" Malon squealed, hugging her father, "We're gonna get to keep the ranch!"
As everyone cheered out, Ernoldus clenched his hands into the hay, as he turned to Talon with a cold stare.
'How... how did he do it...?!' he thought, 'I promised I'd get that steed Epona to Captain Andreas... he's not going to be happy about this!" he scratched his chin in thought, 'I'm going to have to do something drastic.'
The lieutenant then noticed the unfamiliar girl hugging Talon, and raised an eyebrow...
"You guys are real heroes, ya know that?" Talon spoke to Link as they walked down the path to the house along with Nabooru and Malon, "I just gotta know, how did you manage ta round up the cows and get all that milk ready in time?"
"Oh it wasn't us. We had a little help." Nabooru grinned.
"What do you mean?" Talon asked.
"She means us, we were a little help!" spoke a small voice.
Flying out from under Link's cap was a tiny fairy. She had teal hair done into a spiky perm, and wore a pair of round glasses and had an orange coat draped around her body. She also held a tiny wooden atticus in her arm, "I work with the Fairy Magic Powder Procurement team! You can call me Bluca!"
"Oh hey, you're one of them fairies!" Malon gasped out, she grinned at Link, "Yer really good with them, aren't ya Fairy Boy?"
"Fairy Boy?" Bluca asked looking over at Link in confusion while Nabooru burst out laughing.
"Ah heh heh..." Link grinned sheepishly, "Why don't you just tell them what you did, Bluca?"
"Oh of course!" Bluca adjusted her glasses, "Mr. Link and Ms. Nabooru had us bring over the cows using our light levitation power we used to abduct them in the first place, then we all worked to make sure the jugs were good and filled before that stuff-shirt solider guy showed up!"
"Unbelievable." Talon spoke in awe, "You did that for us?"
"it's the elast we can do," Bluca bowed her head to Talon, "I wanna say on behalf of my team, we apologize for all the trouble we caused you Mr. Lon. We had no idea what we were doing was hurting your business like that!"
"Well, I suppose there wasn't too much harm done in the long run.." Talon said rubbing the back of his head, "Malon is fine, the cows're back safe 'n sound, and we got us the milk we needed just in time."
"..." Malon wanted to say something about how they had milked her as well, but decided to remain quiet so as not to aggravate the situation. She did looked own at her chest and adjusted her apron, feeling a little uncomfortable.
"But to think there actually was magic powder in the cow milk." Talon said, "That explains all the health and beauty benefits I hear people have been getting' from drinkin' it. When you think about it, I suppose in a way we were profitin' off yer property ourselves."
"Well, it sounds like you two have an understanding of each other then." Nabooru spoke up, "Maybe you two can work out some sort of deal to benefit each other?"
"That sounds good! I can already think of some ideas!" Bluca nodded, taking her atticus and pushing the beads around, "Your cows eat the enchanted grass, you provide us with some extra milk to extract magic powder from, and we'll reimburse you with rupees for it!"
"That would help you catch up with your revenue and hire new staff." Link pointed out.
"Sounds mighty fine." Talon nodded, "I'll have to speak to your boss fairy about the details, but I'm willin' to cut a deal with y'all!"
Link smiled at Nabooru as she was helping Talon and Bluca negotiate together. He had a good feeling that when they meet with the Hylian Parliament, that she could make some great changes for not just the Gerudo, but the Hylians as well.
"It'd probably help if our bartering expert Togau was also part of the negotiations, now where did she go off to?" Nabooru asked looking around.
"Hey guys! You gotta see this!" Togau exclaimed, running up to the group with a familiar looking white-feathered cucco in her arms.
"Cluck-cluck!" the cucco said looking rather pleased with itself.
"Wait, is that... Imra?!" Link exclaimed.
"Course reckon it is!" Togau said, "After we got back here she went to rest herself, but when I checked in on her just now I saw she had changed back into a cucco again!"
"Woah that's really weird." Malon said in awe, "Well I guess as long as she's happy that's alright. But I still wonder what it was that made her change into a human to begin with?"
"Hmm, I wonder..." Bluca said, flying over to Imra and inspecting her carefully, but the cucco recalled what the fairies had put Togau and Malon through and glared at her. Bluca panicked and hid behind Link, "Eep, scary!"
"It's okay Imra, she won't do anything funny to Togau." Link assured the cucco with a smile, patting her on the head. Much everyone's surprise, the cucco took to his gesture well and nodded. "Okay, go ahead Bluca."
Bluca stared up at Link, her glow turning a little red for a moment, before she nodded, "S-Sure thing!" she flew up to Imra and looked her over, "Hmm... well she seems like a perfectly normal specimen of a cucco... don't think she has any kind of natural enchanted power to take on a humanoid form..."
"Do you suppose it might have been because of your magic powder?" Link asked, "Maybe she had eaten some of the enchanted grass from the field?"
"I suppose it could do something like that, but magic powder isn't anywhere as powerful as it's supposed to be like that. That's why we were trying to extract it out of the cow milk with our equipment." Bluca said, "Can you think of another time when she ingested some fairy powder?"
"Nothing I can think of-" Togau paused for a moment, before she gasped out, "Wait! There was that Chateau Lon Lon drink Talon-Bro prepared us back on our first day at work!"
"Oh, that's right!" Malon said, "She was drinking a small saucer of it the very night she changed!"
Bluca pondered, "Hm, but even that alone wouldn't be enough. There would need to be something else in it to bring out the true potential of the fairy powder."
"What if I were to tell you it also had vanilla extract, carbonated water, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and whiskey in it?" Nabooru asked.
"Quit givin' away the recipe!" Talon protested.
"That... wait, did you say whiskey?" Bluca asked, she pondered to herself more, and slid around some beads on her atticus, "That might actually be it! It would only wield a temporary enhancement, but it would be just about enough to bring a result like what happened to your cucco!"
"So the secret ingredient to enhancing fairy powder is... whiskey?" Link asked sweatdropping.
"It's a magical drink, is it not?" Nabooru spoke, licking her lips.
"Guess so..." Togau shrugged, "Either way, Imra's pretty happy to be back to normal!"
"Cluck-cluck!" Imra stuck her beak upwards proudly.
"..." Link then spoke up with a bit of uncertainty, "Uh, Bluca? Question, you don't think that same combination could work on a Kokiri, would it?"
The others gasped out in surprise of Link's question, quickly figuring out what he was getting at.
"A Kokiri? Weeeeell..." Bluca pondered on that note, "With those ingredients mixed into the milk it wouldn't be too far off of a possibility, but I wouldn't know any Kokiri personally to test it on, why?"
"Oh dear..." Nabooru saw Link's worried expression, and they all hurried into the house.
When they arrived at Malon's room, Link opened the door to see Sarami was sitting at the chair, cradling Meli in her arms. She looked a little down despite the sweet bundle of joy she held.
"Huh...? Oh! It's all of you!" Sarami exclaimed with lit up eyes, "And you saved Ms. Malon!"
"Meli!" Malon exclaimed, taking her baby from Sarami and holding her close. Meli giggled out happily at being reunited with her mother again, "Thank you for looking after her for me Dr. Sarami!"
"I'm glad to see you're okay Ms. Malon. I just knew Link would bring you back safely." Sarami smiled sweetly, "And it was my pleasure to look after Meli, she was such a good girl!"
"Thanks for helping us Sarami." Link gave her a thankful kiss, "Say, have you seen Saria anywhere?"
"Oh..." Sarami spoke somewhat sadly as she gestured to Malon's closet, "She's in there..."
"Huh? What's she doin' in there?" Togau asked, she called to her, "Hey Saria, come on out!"
"..." there no response that came from inside the closet.
Link gulped as he opened the closest. Sure enough he saw Saria squatted down in a corner, resting her arms and head on her knees, while her fairy companion Faete was floating silently around her. The young adult woman that she had been the previous day was now once again the small child-like Kokiri she was before...
"Ah... h-hey Link, hi Togau..." Saria spoke in a small voice. She had obvious signs of dry tears on her cheeks as she gazed up at Link, before turning away from him, "..."
"Oh no, you changed back too?" Togau spoke. Imra stared down at Saria and titled her head.
"She's been in here ever since she changed back." Faete said, "I could only do so much to comfort her."
"Oh Saria, I'm so sorry..." Link said, reaching down and lifting her up into his arms.
"..." Saria said nothing, but hugged Link around his neck.
Malon meanwhile saw the sad tears of Saria as she buried her face in Link's shoulder. She seemed to have been so happy to have been able to become an adult...
"Well-well, isn't this an interesting sight?"
A new voice suddenly broke the sad atmosphere of the room, as everyone turned to see Lieutenant Ernoldus standing at the door along with two of his knights.
"Oh no..." Sarami gasped out, as Bluca and Faete quickly and silently hid under Link's cap to avoid being seen.
"It's you..." Link narrowed his eyes as he held Saria, "Talon already passed the inspection, what do you want now?"
"Yeah, why don't you just get lost already and leave em alone?" Togau snarled.
"My inspection may be over, but I have some other duties I have to uphold as a member of the Royal Hylian Knights." Ernoldus spoke, he was waving some sheets of paper in his hand, "I was doing a look-over of the documents pertaining to the ranch, and I came across some interesting information."
He looked to Malon in particular, as she held Meli protectively in her arms.
"Maam, may I ask you your name?" he asked.
"It... it's Malon." she said hesitantly.
"And that Gerudo child, she's yours, correct?" the lieutenant then asked.
"..." Malon said nothing, but held her child close and glared at the man.
"Now, according to Parliament member Marquess Haralden's documents, as a half-Gerudo, you were supposed to have been deported to Gerudo Valley ten years ago by order of the Banishment Law..." he took a picture from a nightstand and looked at a photo of Talon and Murin with a baby Malon, "Yet that child looks barely a year old. It makes one wonder who could be the father...?"
"W-Wait, that's..." Malon stammered.
Togau was absolutely furious to say the least, she was holding back every urge in her body to attack the lieutenant. Nabooru was silently glaring at the man while holding onto Link's shoulder to keep him from trying to speak up and potentially make things worse.
Ernoldus said with a shady smirk, "If it turns out you weren't deported, and had been staying here these whole ten years, that you would fall into harsh violation of the law. You and those who you've lived with can expect equally harsh penalties."
"N-Now wait a darn minute! Malon... c-came here with us from Gerudo Valley on the trip to Hyrule Castle!" Togau blurted out, "We got dip-o-matic immunity after all, her included!"
"Then how do you explain the child here?" Ernoldus asked, leaving Togau tongue tied.
"Ms. Malon, I have an idea." Sarami whispered to the young mother, "Just tell him that Meli is my child. He certainly can't prove otherwise."
"Your... child?" Malon thought about that possibility, then she looked down at her child, the one she had worked so hard to keep secret from everyone, "B-But, she's..."
"So, can you explain yourself?" Ernoldus asked tapping his foot.
"Malon, what are you going to do...?" Link whispered.
"..." Malon hung her head down, then narrowed her brow and looked up at Ernoldus, "No. I'll let you that this child's name is Meli... and she's my daughter! I spent nine months carrying and birthing her... I'll tell you blunt and honest that I'm her mother through and through, and not ashamed to admit it!"
"Hooboy..." Toagu sweatdropped.
"That's... very interesting. We may have to kook further into this,,as well as track down the whereabouts of the father." Ernoldus chuckled, "And we'll also have to see into who among the residents here was knowledgeable about your blood background."
"Please, don't get anyone else involved!" Malon pleaded, "I'll explain myself, so just let me-"
"A-tut-tut." Ernoldus said waving his hand, "This can be discussed at a later time."
Ernoldus turned away from them and thought to himself gleefully, 'This is perfect, not only could this help us secure the ranch ownership after all, but if it can be found out that Marquess Haralden, the very head of Foreign Affairs and Immigration himself screwed up like this, I could get promoted! I'll finally stop being the Parliament's errand boy!"
"What'll we do?" Saria whispered to Nabooru, "I feel so bad for Ms. Malon!"
"...I'm sorry to say it's out of our hands..." Nabooru whispered back, "If this was any other opponent we've dealt with we could fight them, but we can't do that to a Hylian royal knight without ruining the treaty we hope to forge..."
"Psst, hey Link!" whispered Bluca from under his cap, "If you can give me an opportunity, I could probably mind wipe him and his men so they forget this whole thing happened!"
"As nice of an idea as that would be, I wouldn't do it." Link spoke, confusing Bluca.
"He's right." Nabooru pointed out, "From what we've seen, your mind wipe trick makes the target fall into a deep coma. If he's too busy sleeping and doesn't come back to Hyrule Castle to file his report, the Parliament is going to send more soldiers asking questions of what happened to him."
"Ugh, good point." Bluca groaned, hiding back under the cap.
"... ...actually, there's a really easy explanation for where Malon's child came from." Link spoke up, getting everyone's attention,
"Oh? And what would that be... Gerudo King?" Ernoldus asked.
Link cleared his throat and explained, "You see, ten years ago, Malon was indeed sent to Gerudo Valley. After Gerudo Town was established and I became the king, I got to know her better, one thing led to another and-"
"Hold up Link what are you-?" Malon spoke, but she stopped when Link gave her a wink.
"...hm well you do appear to be on friendly terms with the Gerudo King to address him by name, Ms. Lon." Ernoldus admitted.
"And is it any wonder why?" Link asked, he took Malon by the shoulder and pulled her and Meli close to him, flashing a pearly white smile.
"Malon here is a part of my harem of wives, one of the future queen of the Gerudo, and the mother of my beloved daughter Meli."
"w-WHAT...?" Malon gasped out with a bright red face, "T-That's just a total li-!"
But Link shut Malon up by taking her by her chin and pulling her into a firm, mouth-to-mouth kiss. Malon's eyes were bulging out from her head as he kissed her passionately. Togau and Saria both blushed at the sight, Sarami squealed a little in happiness, while Nabooru just grinned at Link's tactic.
As for Meli, she stared up in awe at her mother being kissed by the nice man that treated her so well...
Link broke the kiss, his hot breath blew against Malon's lips as she tried to regain her senses. He looked to Ernoldus with a slight smirk,
"Any objections, Lieutenant?"
"..." Ernoldus stared at Link, and the sharp stare he gave him, "... … ….I-I... suppose if you're part of the royal Gerudo family, then it is indeed out of my hands..." he started walking out the door, his legs a little shaken from nervousness by the Gerudo King's words, "B-But as a friendly reminder, if she's seen here without you, we shall start seeking answers. Come now men."
The knights were rather startled by this news, as they followed after Ernoldus. There was a long silent pause as everyone stood there. Then as soon as they heard the front door downstairs close, they all let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Link, that was such a slick move!" Togau cheered out, hugging her fiance, "You saved Mally!"
"Yes, nice little trick, and a nice looking kiss." Nabooru chuckled, "You've grown quite well."
"Ah heh heh..." Link went right back to his normal self, sporting a goofy grin and rubbing the back of his head, "It was all I could think to do in the heat of the moment."
"Link..." Malon whispered softly with wide eyes, before she fumed and started whacking at him lightly with her free hand, "How dare ya kiss me in front of everyone like that without warnin'! I outta kick yer butt all over this here ranch fer that!"
"Hey, consider that payback from when you kissed me the last two times!" Link stuck his tongue out.
"Eh?" Malon stopped for a brief moment, before she let out a loud "K-KYAAA!" and held up a confused Meli to hide her face in embarrassment, "Don't go tellin' everyone thaaaaat!"
"Wait, what's this all about?" Togau asked with eager eyes.
"Well, you see back when the knights first showed up she-" but Link was shut up by Malon grabbing his cap and stuffing it into his mouth, "-mmph."
"A-Anyway, what you did just now was wrong! Lieutenant Ernoldus was right, I was knowingly in violation of that there law!" Malon looked down distressed, "Y-You told such a bold lie to save me... and you..."
Malon gulped, "Y-You could've gotten yerself in trouble with the knights, and ruined your whole alliance plans! Why would to take such a risk for... little ol' me?"
Link spit out his cap, "Same reason we tracked down and fought those 'invaders' to begin with. I made a vow to never turn my backs on my friends, and I care way too much about you to risk losing you."
"Link..." Malon whispered.
"Ms. Lon, you remember what I told you a few days ago? We all have some sort of secrets we keep." Nabooru spoke up, "Tell me, do you really want the ranch, your father and the people you care about suffering over this situation?"
"Well n-no... but.." Malon stammered.
"I can admire your passion for honesty, but the sad truth is there's people like that bastard who will take advantage of honest people like yourself." Nabooru said, "Take it from a fellow Gerudo; sometimes it's okay to break a few rules and tell a little white lie for the sake of those you care for."
"I... suppose I understand." Malon spoke, looking down at Meli, "But I don't like it."
Nabooru sported a mischievous grin, put her fingers around Malon's shoulders and whispered in her ear, "Of course, it doesn't have to be a complete lie if you want... I'm sure Link would be happy to have such a lovely country gal like you for a wife, wouldn't he?"
"Eeehh?" Malon turned bright red again as she glanced at Link who was glancing away.
"I know you don't really approve of my harem family Malon, but we can fake it for the time being if you want." Link suggested, "Just long enough so you don't get arrested."
"Yeah, come on n'play along fer now!" Togau said, hugging Malon excitedly, "You'll finally get to go to Hyrule Castle and we can spend a lot more time together Mally!"
"I..." Malon looked into Togau's eager eyes, "It sounds nice to be able to go... but it still feels so wrong to break the law like I did..."
"If we're going to be honest, the real problem lies with the law itself." Nabooru said, "Rather than keep the people safe, all it does is punish innocent people like yourself. That's why we're going out to Hyrule Castle to begin with, so that we can negotiate abolishing the law and allowing we Gerudo to come and go freely, and that includes you and your daughter."
"I see," Malon thought to herself, "Before we go though, there's something I wanna do first."
Talon and the ranchers all stood at the front door of the house, they had seen Lieutenant Ernoldus walk out with his knights back to the camp not too long ago, and were curious what had happened in there.
"Malon..." Talon whispered.
Just then though, the door opened, and out came Link, Nabooru, Togau, Sarami, Saria and Sarami.
"S-So what happened? Is Malon safe?" Talon asked, "If that dang knight did something I'll-!"
"Relax, she's going to be fine." Nabooru assured him, "In fact, she's got something to show everyone!"
Malon then walked out of the house holding Meli in her arms, all the ranchers gasped out in surprise.
"A Gerudo baby?" spoke a rancher.
"Is... that Malon's daughter?" said another, "Wow, it's no wonder she didn't want to show us her..."
"And she's been keeping her secret this past year... the poor thing." said a young lady.
"You feel that Meli? This is what it's like outside." Malon spoke blissfully to her baby.
Meli's eyes blinked a few times. She looked up as she saw some birds fly overhead in the bright blue sky. A cool breeze blew through the area while the sun beamed down a gentle warmth on her skin. The baby waved out a little hand and giggled at the people before her.
"Ah-goo!"
Malon nodded and spoke up to everyone with a bright smile, "Everyone... this is my daughter, Meli!"
"S-So yer really gonna have-ta leave the ranch Malon...?" Talon's voice shook as he sat with his daughter, along with Link, Togau and Nabooru at the outdoor dining table.
"Yep..." Malon nodded, "I'm not going to Gerudo Valley right away though, I'm going with Link and his friends to Hyrule Castle and join their appeal to get rid of that banishment law!"
"I wish we could have done something to allow them to stay here, but this will at least ensure Malon and Meli stay safe." Link said, "And I promise you that we'll take good care of them both."
"That's right Talon-bro!" Togau said, "You can rest easy knowing they're under our protection!"
"W-Well... alright then." Talon nodded, he bowed his head to them all, "Thank y'all kindly... you've done so much for us and the ranch..." he said with grateful tears spilling down his face, "And I'll leave Malon and Meli in yer capable hands..." he sat back up and chuckled a little, "Say Link, ya remember way back when you were a kid, and I asked if you wanted to marry Malon?"
"You said what?" Malon spit out her drink and exclaimed.
"Ah ha ha... relax Malon!" Link laughed nervously, "He said he was just kidding!"
"Well, I suppose I was jokin' back then..." Talon nodded, "But honestly, after all you've done for her... if the two of you decided to get hitched some day, I'd be happy to call you my son-in-law!"
Link turned bright red and looked away, as Malon buried her face in her apron out of embarrassment.
"Rest assured, we're going to keep working to give your daughter the freedom to come back to your ranch someday." Nabooru told him. She glanced over at Link with a smirk and commented, "Of course, we'll be leaving that up to her. "
"W-Well anyway, we still have a little while to go before I leave with them to Hyrule Castle, Dad." Malon smiled softly, holding up a glass of milk, "So how about we enjoy this time together?"
"...that sounds mighty fine, Malon." Talon said with a smile of his own, as he drank his milk down.
"Well Ingo, looks like despite yer little stunt, we managed to keep ahold of the farm." Talon said to Ingo just outside of the ranch house. Standing alongside him was Malon and Togau, "But we still got a lot to do to catch up on the revenue we lost cause of it..."
"Keh, like I care about any of that." Ingo scowled with a duffle bag hanging off his shoulder, "I don't think I can stand being here one more minute anyway."
"You ungrateful jerk!" Malon said, "After all Mom and Dad did for y-!"
"Settle down Malon." Talon told her, "I'll handle this."
Talon then brought up his fist and punched Ingo hard across the face, sending the man back and down to his rear. Ingo looked up in surprise at Talon who was scowling down at him.
"I've tried to respect Murin's wishes to let you stick around despite your attitude, but this was the last straw. As of now, you're fired Ingo,"
"...ha'rump, This ain't nothin' fer me." Ingo scowled, turning his head away, "I could easily start a new ranch that'll be ten times the success yours is!"
"You wish you could!" Togau said sticking her tongue out.
"I do wanna say one last thing Mr. Ingo," spoke up Malon, "I don't know why you went so far to protect the fairies from being found out, but I can at least understand why you would. After all, I had a little something special of my own I have a hard time keeping safe..."
"..." Ingo stared at Malon for a moment, before he narrowed his eyes and got himself up onto shaky legs, "W-Well whatever, I better go off on my way to find new work."
Ingo silently walked out of the ranch, he stopped and looked up at the old archway with the ranch's name on it, thinking back to when he was younger...
Flashback – Twenty five years ago
A lanky fourteen year old boy with long round nose was huddled up near some trash cans in an alleyway of Hyrule Market Town, hugging his knees as rain was coming down. His thick eyebrows twitched as he gazed up at the dark clouds in the sky.
"So those two finally met their end, huh?"
"Yeah, got killed by some monsters from what I heard. Good riddance I say, that brother of mine was a lazy good-for-nothin, as well as that witch he married."
"So what do we do about their boy, then?"
"What do you mean 'we'? You got a mouse in yer pocket or somethin'? I ain't gonna look after him!"
"Well I can't afford to raise a waste like him with my wages!"
"What use could I have for him? Useless little leech is what he is! Won't amount to anything!"
"Those darn adults... I ain't useless." he muttered. The boy sneezed out, starting to catch a cold from the weather, "Ugh, what am I gonna do...? I don't got nothin'..."
But then he feel a strange warmth, as he gazed up to see a strange ball of yellow light floating before him, which suddenly spoke, "Oh, what are you doing here? You poor kid, let me help you!"
The ball of light started to float around his body, sprinkling some dust on his body, until he could feel his energy coming back to him. He was astonished as he looked up at the light.
"Oh goodie! You're okay now!" giggled the light, "Well see ya around!"
The boy watched as the rain was finally letting up, and the light flew off into the sky. The boy found himself in surprise that the light would help someone like him...
"Please, let me work fer ya! I promise I'll work hard!"
The young boy had grown into an adult, and was on his hands and knees as he spoke to a Gerudo woman and her Hylian husband at the gate of an animal ranch that had recently opened in Hyrule Field.
"I dunno Murin, what do you think?" a young Talon asked his wife.
The Gerudo stared down for a moment, before she sported a small smirk, "...well okay, let's see what you're capable of!" Murin spoke, "What's your name, kid?"
The young man looked up with wide eyes and nodded,
"Thank you kindly, I'm Ingo!"
End flashback
As Ingo walked under the arch of the Lon Lon Ranch entrance, he heard what sounded like a small twinkling noise. He looked up just in time to see a small ball of light fly by overhead. He stared up at it until it disappeared over the horizon, before he heard a voice call out to him from behind.
"Hey Ingo, one more thing!" Talon shouted out, "You're a sleaze, but I still wanted to thank you kindly for all the hard work you've done for us since you came here! We'll never forget it!"
"That's right Mr. Ingo, you may be a total slimeball, but I hope you find the place where you belong someday!" Malon called out.
"..." Ingo gritted his teeth as his lowered his head just enough that his eyebrows overshadowed his eyes, and tears started to pour down his face. As he went off on his way out into Hyrule Field, he whispered only two words below his breath,
"Thank you."
"Hey, Nemisa, have you seen Link?" Saria spoke up as she approached Nemisa and Aviel petting some sheep to kill time before they left.
"Oh yes, I think he was speaking with that fairy representative about something." Nemisa said, pointing off in the direction Link and Bluca had gone.
"You gonna be okay Saria?" Aviel asked with a sad pout, leaning down at the Kokiri girl. She was holding a baby lamb in her arms that bleated out at her.
Saria stared at the baby lamb for a moment, "Yeah, don't worry about me Aviel, I'll be fine." the Kokiri smiled, before going off on her way.
"Okay, good luck." Nemisa waited until Saria was out of earshot to sigh sadly, "...that poor girl, she puts on such a strong face, but I can tell she's sad about being turned back into a Kokiri child." she glanced aside, "She's certainly a lot stronger than me in that regard."
"It's okay, I just know Link's gonna cheer her up!" Aviel said grinning.
Saria eventually spotted Link on a bench, and sitting beside him was the tiny fairy Bluca, he seemed to be talking with her about something important,
"...no, sorry King Link, but the name 'Navi' doesn't ring a bell." Bluca shook her head.
Saria stopped in her tracks to avoid interrupting the conversation, instead listening carefully to the two.
"I see..." Link muttered, "I was hoping if anyone knew about her whereabouts it would be you guys."
"From what you told me about her it sounds like she may have been called back by the Fairy Goddess Venus to the Realm of The Fey." Bluca said, "It's the home of our goddess, and the birthplace of all fairies. No mortal could ever hope to go there."
"So my mission to find her was hopeless before it even began." Link sighed out, slumping against the bench, "Why would she be called back there so soon though, and without telling me anything?"
"It's hard to say really, it could be for a number of reasons," Bluca said, "The great Venus can be a real enigma with how she manages things, but she always seems to have some purpose for it."
"Hm..." Link stared up into the sky. Bluca saw the longing stare in his eyes and flew up to his face.
"Aw, cheer up King Link!" the fairy said sporting a big smile, "I bet this Navi girl is just dreaming for the day to see you again!"
"...yeah, maybe you're right." Link chuckled lightly as he brought up his finger for Bluca to perch on.
"Hey, am I interrupting anything? Mind if I have a seat?" Saria spoke up when she felt the conversation was ending, Link turned and nodded to her, so she sat down on the bench beside him..
"So how are you doing Saria? No weird side effects from the transformation?" Link asked.
"Nah, I feel just the same as before." Saria said, rubbing her hand on her stomach, "It's a real shame though, I hoped an adult body would have allowed me to have children with you someday Link..."
"That probably wouldn't happen." Bluca shook her head, "While it looks like the fairy powder can turn you into a human adult, it'd only be temporary."
"Even if you could get pregnant in that form, it would had been risky for you or our child if you changed back in the middle of it." Link pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess I was just chasing an impossible dream..." Saria said leaning back, looking up into the sky with a somewhat sad smile, "I think I'm okay with it though. It was fun being an adult woman, but trying to live my life like that... I'd be lying to my true self." she traced her finger in a circle on her stomach, "Even if I can't have a child, as long as I'm with you, that's all that matters to me."
"That's the way to talk Saria." Link grinned, "I don't care if you look like an adult or not, I'll love you no matter what."
"Of course." Saria smiled back, she sat up on the bench to get at eye level with Link, and gave him a warm kiss on the lips, making both Faete and Bluca blush red. The Kokiri pulled back and gave him a cute wink, "Plus, I still have ways to kiss you myself!"
"Heh." Link chuckled, leaning his head against hers.
Meanwhile, some distance away, Malon was standing behind a tree. She was going to talk with Link about going with them to the palace, but overheard the conversation between him and Saria. She clutched at her arm, staring downwards.
"To think I thought she was a child before..." Malon whispered softly, before going off on her way, "...but maybe I'm more of one than her..."
"Sir, we have a situation!" a Hylian knight shouted, running up to the royal knights campsite and saluting his boss Lieutenant Ernoldus.
"What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy preparing for the trip to the castle!" Ernoldus complained as he lounged back on a chair while two knights were busy filing his fingernails and massaging his feet.
"It's the horse you asked for, Epona. She's nowhere to be seen in the ranch!" the knight said.
"What?" Ernoldus shouted, jumping out of the chair, "B-But that's impossible! I saw that very horse here this morning, and we've had the entire area blocked off so no one could leave without us seeing! Only that Mr. Ingo had left earlier!"
"I don't know sir, we consulted with this white-haired rancher who worked the horse stable, but she doesn't know where the horse could have gone either!" the knight said nervously.
"Damnit, Andreas will not be pleased about this..." Ernoldus muttered, "How could this get any worse?"
"Um, Lieutenant...?" spoke up a knight, "There's something you need to see..."
"What?" Ernoldus asked, the knight grabbed him by his head and turned him to see standing at the ranch gate was a huge amount of cuccos, "Huh...?"
"Braaaawkaaaaa..." standing at the front of the flock was Imra, scowling at Ernoldus and his men. Despite being turned back to a cucco, she still remembered all that had happened when she was a human, including the way Ernoldus hit on her and treated Malon so poorly. She ruffled her feathers and scraped at the dirt with her talons. The other cuccos looked just as angry.
"M-Maybe we could hurry along now..." Ernoldus said with a growing chill running up his spine, "C-Come along everyone, chop-chop!"
"BRAWK-BRAAWKA!"
But then the cucco all spread their wings and took to the sky, clucking out and swooping down right at the terrified knights.
"Screw it, just RUUUN!" exclaimed Ernoldas with bugged out eyes. They all quickly got on their horses and speed off over the hills back to Hyrule Castle with the cuccos all flying after them.
Imra stayed behind, letting out a mellow cluck as she turned and hopped back into the ranch grounds, satisfied that she defeated the true enemy of her master.
"Well, guess that about does it." Malon stood up having just finished packing up to leave the ranch.
While Link assured her that Reirousa could haul whatever she wanted to bring, she still wanted to stick to mostly important things. She had her clothes packed up, as well as most of Meli's baby things. She also made sure to bring her storybook of the knight and princess her mother gave her, as well as the baby bottle ice box full of milk for an emergency.
"..." she looked over at the crib, knowing she couldn't really bring it with her, but noted the rainbow pinwheel attached to the corner. She pulled it off and stared at it, givng it a light blow of wind to make it spin and show the flashy colors come together,
"Malon?" spoke up a voice, she turned to see Mrs. O'Leary standing at the door with a pleasant but sad smile. She also seemed to be holding something behind her back, "Are you getting along okay, dear?"
"Yeah, guess this is it." Malon nodded, "I've lived at this ranch my whole life. It's going to be sad to have to leave..." she sighed, "But Lady Nabooru was right, it was inevitable Meli would have to leave the house someday, just didn't expect it be soon..."
"I know it can be a scary experience, but I think this might be the best for both of you." Mrs. O'Leary said, "There's a big, bright world outside of this little ol' ranch, and I think you'll both find that happy ending you're looking for."
"...O-Okay, I'll try'n keep that in mind." Malon nodded.
"Good. Now here," Mrs O'Leary pulled out what she had been holding, a straw basket with a cushion attached on the inside, "This is a little something I put together in case a day like this ever came. It's a baby basket for Meli."
"Oh Mrs. O'Leary, it's so cute!" Malon said cheerfully, she put Meli into the basket and hitched it up onto her shoulders. She had a rather strong back thanks to her work on the farm, so she could easily carry her like that, "It works perfectly, thank you kindly!"
Malon leaned down and shared a hug with O'Learly, "And thank you for everything you did for me and Meli... I'll never forget it..."
O'Leary hugged her back and chuckled, "Hohoho... not a problem Malon."
"Well it looks like we're all ready to go." Nabooru said as she stood out at the ranch entrance with Malon, Halei, Aviel, Nemisa, Saria, Togau, Sarami, Reirousa, Kesuta, Korume and the soldiers, "And it looks like those knights are all long gone."
"Good riddance..." Korume spoke, "If I had been there in Malon's bedroom I would had hypnotized that loathsome lieutenant into thinking he was a newt."
"A newt?" Kesuta asked.
"...he'd eventually get better." Korume chuckled darkly.
"There was some rough times, but thanks so much for your hospitality." Sarami said.
"You kiddin'? I should be the one thanking y'all for all you've done here, you saved us and the ranch!" Talon said bowing, standing alongside all the workers of the ranch, "We'll never forget this!"
"Make sure you stick it to them Hylian Parliament guys, y'hear?" one rancher said grinning.
"Of course we will." Nabooru nodded, she patted a certain black-haired horse beside her, "And thanks again for the lovely gift horse."
"Neeeiiigh!" Thunder snorted out.
"Haw haw, it's the least I do for you Lady Nabooru!" Talon nodded, "I hope Link's gonna be happy with Epona as well, I couldn't think of a better man to keep her safe from that Captain Andreas!"
"The question is how are we going to do that?" Saria asked, "If we bring her to the castle then the Parliament might try to take her while we're there anyway."
"Don't worry yerself about it, we'll think of something!" Togau nodded.
"Hey guys, I can't find Epona anywhere!" Link shouted out, running up to everyone. He looked absolutely exhausted from running around, "I even tried playing Malon's song and she wouldn't show up!"
"Don't tell me those dummy knights took off with her after all!" Kesuta exclaimed in fury.
"Cluck-cluck." Imra shook her head from atop Togau's head.
"Imra says Epona wasn't with them when they took off." Togau explained.
"Then where could she be...?" Link asked with a worried stare.
"yyyyyeeeeEEEE-hhhhaaaaaAAAAHHH!"
Everyone looked in confusion of the yelling to see a someone far off in the distance at the corral, sprinting across the track grounds.
It was a young woman, probably slightly shorter than Link. She had short white hair with a bit of a tan to her skin, and had chocolate-brown eyes. Her body was slim but athletic, and she had on a short white tank top and a pair of small shorts. She sprinted at incredible speed, gracefully leaping over a fence with an acrobatic spin in midair, before landing down and skidding to a halt.
"Who is that?" Malon asked, "I've never seen her before!"
"Hold on, I'm coming!" shouted the girl, sprinting right up and coming to an immediate stop in front of Link, leaving a dust trail behind her, "Hey Link, sorry I took a while to respond to your call!"
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Link asked, "Who the heck are yo-" but then he paused, staring at the bright eyed girl up and down.
"She's really cute! Is she a friend of yours Link?" Aviel asked.
"It can't be." Link simply said, "No way."
"Yes neigh, I mean way!" spoke the athletic girl, sporting a wide toothy smile that looked way too familiar to him.
Link said, "I can't believe I'm seeing this... but it's really you, Epona!"
"WHAT?" exclaimed everyone one in unison, Thunder's jaw dropped down to the ground.
"Wait, I thought Epona was a horse!" Reiorusa shouted, "What the hell's going on? Why doesn't anyone tell me anything?"
"Hey wait a minute, those are my clothes!" pointed out a young lady rancher.
"Oh these? You left them behind in the horse stable a few days before Link and everyone came, and they were a pretty good fit for me!" Epona said pulling on the top, sporting a cheeky smile, "I'll give you guys two guesses on what these were doing there!"
"...!" the lady rancher pulled down her bonnet in embarrassment, as a young male rancher nearby whistled innocently.
"So let just take a guess;.." Nabooru said with a smirk, "You had a little bit of that famous 'Chateau Lon Lon' for yourself, didn't you?"
"Nyeh heh heh, something like that!" Epona said with a little hop in her step, "I heard those stupid knights talking about taking me to be the warhorse of that big war captain blowhard, so I snuck over to the house and treated myself to a whole lot of that yummy milk Mr. Lon had made!"
"Woah, I'm surprised you didn't get tipsy from that stuff, you were running and jumping so gracefully just now!" Kesuta said astonished.
"Horses aren't the type to get drunk." Malon explained, "Their livers can process alcohol real quick."
"Lucky her." Nabooru grumbled. She shrugged, "Well at least now we got a way to get her to stay at Hyrule Castle without being detected."
"I'll be sure to let the milk bars in town give you a discount rate so she can keep herself like that while she's with you guys." Talon nodded.
"It'll be a bit different for now, but it's great to have you with me again Epona." Link grinned, rubbing his hand on her head as fi she was still a horse.
"Nyee hee... thanks Link." Epona smiled with a very light blush. She pumped her fists, "It's a lotta fun getting to be human, but I'm still gonna make sure to be your trust steed as well!"
"Of course." Link nodded, turned to the others, "Well everyone, ready to go?"
"Yeah, to Hyrule Castle, and to opening the borders of freedom for the Gerudo!" Togau cheered.
As everyone else cheered out, Malon paused, and looked down at the rainbow pinwheel in her apron pocket. After a moment of thought she held it out to her child,
"Here Meli, I think this is something you should keep."
"Ah-goo?" the baby stared at the pinwheel for a second, before she took it and held it up into the air. The light cool breeze of Hyrule Field blew against it, causing the pinwheel to spin a bit. The baby smiled brightly as she took a deep breath and blew on the pinwheel to keep it spinning, and showing off the bright rainbow colors.
"Awww, that's so precious!" Sarami giggled sweetly, "You're going to have to let me babysit her a lot more often now that we're a family, Malon!"
"A family, huh?" Maon whispered, looking down with a growing smile.
"Yeah, I wanna get to know a lot more about you Ms. Malon!" Saria said, "You're one of the first friends Link has made outside the forest after all!"
"I bet you'll get along great with Sister Ruto and Ashe as well!" Aviel said excitedly.
"Huh?" Malon asked in confusion, not recalling hearing those names before.
"I'll... explain on the way." Link chuckled with an embarrassed lok on his face.
As Talon watched Malon starting to fit in more with Link and the Gerudo, his eyes started to water up, as he recalled the day he met a certain someone that changed his life...
Flashback – Twenty eight years ago
A young Talon Lon was slumped against a bar counter in Hyrule Market Town. He had just gotten off work and was completely exhausted.
"Well hey there Short-stuff, is this seat taken?" spoke a strong feminine voice. It belonged to a tall, beautiful Gerudo woman with long red hair and defined muscle, sporting an amused smirk
"Knock yerself out." Talon said, too tired to even fight her over the name she gave him.
One thing lead to another though, and the two started talking about their lives. She introduced herself as Murin, and she had recently moved out of the desert to seek a new life in Hyrule. Talon told about how he had come from the countryside to Hyrule Market Town to try and make an honest living for himself. He could only find work at the mill, but was constantly worked to the bone and left the job as exhausted as he was each day.
"Sounds like you've been through a lot, poor thing." Murin spoke. She then raised an eyebrow, "Say, what did you say your name was again? Lon, like... Ta-Lon Lon?" she said with a growing grin.
"Uh, yeah?" Talon said sweatdropping.
"Phhhbbbttt!" Murin sputtered, before bursting out laughing, falling over on the bar counter and slapping her hand against it, "That's so funny! Your parent weren't very imaginative were they?"
"Hey, a name's a name!" Talon protested.
"Yeah... you're right..." Murin giggled, starting to calm down, "Sorry. It's a cute name, cute like you, Short-stuff!"
"Hey!"
Talon and Murin quickly became friends, and had plenty more fun nights like that at the tavern. Murin though was concerned for how over-worked Talon was each night, and felt like she needed to do something to improve his life.
One night she proposed going out into Hyrule Field for some quiet relaxation instead of getting drunk at a noisy claustrophobic bar. The two went out into the field, Murin taking a deep breath of the cool night air.
"Nice night, huh?" Talon spoke.
"Yes, it's beautiful." Murin said gazing up at the stars, "You know, living in the desert was a harsh life. It's taken a toll on my mother, especially after she was betrayed by the man she thought she loved. She had just about shut out everyone from her life, including me..."
"That sounds like somethin' I'd never want me or my kin to go through." Talon said, "Though I dunno what else to do besides work for the mill. Maybe I should consider goin' back home to the farm after all..."
"Hey, don't be like that!" Murin said, "You've come out to make a new life for yourself like I did! I'm sure there's something here for you!"
The two continued walking along through the field, when they noticed some wild horses grazing on the grass in one particular spot. As the two approached most of the horses turned and ran off, but one remained behind. Murin slowly walked up to the horse, who remained still, and she brought her hand up to pet it.
As she did, Murin started singing a soft melody. Talon was rather surprised at this, as he had never heard her sing. It was a soothing, mellow song, and it seemed the horse was taking a liking to it.
"Do-DO-do... do-DO-do... DO-dodo-do-do..."
It only took a moment before the horse started nuzzling her back affectionately.
"Wow, she sure took to you pretty quick!" Talon said in astonishment.
"I used to manage some of the horses back in Gerudo Fortress." Murin said. Talon saw the longing stare in her eyes, "And they all loved when I sang this tune I wrote."
The horse soon galloped away to join it's group, and Murin glanced down at the grass the horses had been eating. She kneeled down to the grass and Talon just watched as she ran her hand along it, with a growing smile on her face.
"While I was minding the horses, I also looked into the best quality greens they could eat. I can tell this grass has grown really well... I've never seen soil this potent." Murin said standing up, "I feel like there's something... magical about this area."
"Yeah... I think you may be right." Talon nodded, "What're ya proposin'?"
"I think there's a lot of potential for this land..." Murin said staring out at the land, "I think this would be a great place for a ranch... "
End flashback
Talon was sporting a wide smile as tears flowed down his eyes. He, along with all the other ranch workers waved out to his daughter as she left with Link and their friends.
"Don't ferget where you came from, both of you!" Talon called out to Malon and Meli, "No matter what happens, this place will always be your home!"
"We'll miss you Malon!"
"Thanks fer all the hard work!"
"Remember to use that pineapple I gave you when the time is right!" Old Man Jalolf shouted.
"Take care of yerself and Meli, y'hear?"
"..." Malon stopped in her tracks and bared a smile, tears of her own ran down her face, as she quickly turned around and waved out to the people of the ranch. Meli peeked out from behind Malon's head and giggled out, waving her pinwheel at them all.
"I promise I will!"
The morning was ending and slowly approaching noon, as Link, Malon and the others were continuing down the road. Nabooru had taken to riding on Thunder's back just for the fun of it.
"So Link, are we going to meet that nice girl again?" Epona asked, "The princess in that pretty dress?"
"Yeah, though she'll probably not be quite the same as you knew her." Link chuckled.
"Na ha ha, we could say the same about you, Lover-boy!" Togau gestured up to the top of his head.
Link glanced up to see her pet cucco Imra was now sitting comfortably on his head. He chuckled a little, reaching up and patting her on the head. She took well to his petting, and responded by giving him a small peck with her beak on his forehead.
"Hey, when did you and Imra start getting along so well?" Kesuta asked astonished.
"I hope this isn't a end of the end of the world." Korume spoke.
"Aw, looks like she finally kissed and made up with you Link!" grinned Malon.
"Yeah, it's nice to finally be accepted by you Imra." Link said looking up at the bird, he rubbed at his neck a little, "But Togau's right, you really need to cut back on the bird feed."
"Cluck?" Imra scowled down at Link, before she started pecking him rapidly on the head, "Cluck-cluck -cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck!"
"That's it, I'm making you into a roast!" Link shouted in annoyance as he tussled with the cucco, as everyone else laughed out.
Meanwhile in Hyrule Castle, a mage knight slowly walked down a hallway. He soon arrived at a door and knocked on it. A second later the door opened seemingly by itself, and he walked inside.
The room had long purple tapestries decorated with ancient symbols of Hyrule, including that of the Sheikah. The shelves f the room were lined with numerous books, monster skulls, and potions. In the canter of the room was an elderly woman in a robe and wearing a tall hat, meditating on a pillow. There was eight incense candles emitting an aroma that were placed around her
"Welcome back. Now, what do you have to report?" spoke the elderly woman's voice, "Did the inspection go as Duke Geronim speculated?"
"I apologize Minister Odleh... but the mission was a failure." the mage knight bowed to one knee, "Lon Lon Ranch somehow managed to meet the terms of their milk production contract."
"...I see. Most unfortunate." spoke the woman as she waved a fan at an incense candle to keep it burning, "I detected traces of magic powder in that Chateau Lon Lon drink of theirs, but with the ranch's ownership still in Mr. Lon's hands, we have no legal grounds to properly investigate into it. Have you spoken to Countess Roseia yet?"
"Yes, but it seems the public relations official has no interest in trying to quell the people's concern over the Parliament exerting it's authority any further at this point." the mage knight said, "It seems the rumors about the new Gerudo King already have them on edge."
"Hmph, sounds like Marquess Haralden's plan may have backfired to some degree. Typical." scoffed the old woman, "Speaking of which, I understand the Gerudo King is already on his way?"
"Yes, he'll be arriving with his people by late this afternoon, as per scheduled," the knight nodded.
."Very well, we should prepare for his arrival." Odleh said standing herself up on a cane.
"Are you going to be okay Minster?" the mage knight asked.
"Honestly, I'm not so sure anymore." Odleh shook her head, "As the days pass I grow more certain wartime will soon be upon us, and I fear the new Gerudo king shall be the death of Hyrule as we know it..."
"Surly the new Gerudo King can't be as bad as those rumors say?" the mage knight asked.
"...sometimes the most horrible disasters can come from the purest of intentions." Odleh spoke looking upwards, "Whether he truly is next in line to Ganondorf's evil reign, or just an unfortunate soul who's trying to bring peace, either way I fear his goals shall result in the fall of this kingdom."
She then reached into her robe and pulled out something from her robe, "And should it come down to that point, we'll have to do what's necessary."
The knight gasped in astonishment, "So you were able to get it from them...? But are you sure about going through with Governor Balterius' backup plan like this?"
"...yes, when I took this position, I vowed that I would do anything for the safety of Hyrule..."
"...and I shall not allow the great sage's death to be for nothing."
And that ends this chapter. Next time our heroes finally arrive at Hyrule Castle to meet the royal family, and the young desert king shall reunite with the lovely princess that changed his life so long ago...
So a little announcement, the story at this point won't so much go with the 'arc' format I've been doing up until now. The setting of Hyrule Castle Town will provide me with the opportunity to try something a little different. I'll be telling many short stories of Link and everyone in the castle and town, and while each story will do something different, everything will eventually tie together in one way or another.
I say this because it's taken the stories of Foluma and Malon for me to realize something I've been goofing up on in my writing as of late, I think I tend to detract too much from the story arcs and their featured characters lately and write too many subplots, and as a result it fills up each arc with too much bloat. Hyrule Castle Town will act as a sort of 'fresh start' for the story, which is ironic as we're getting closer to the end.
I also admit there will probably be less time for each individual Gerudo to get their own role in the plot, as I'm going to be introducing some new characters, bringing back old ones, and including plot points along the way. Nabooru will primarily have the sole focus as far as the Gerudo are concerned, though I do have some ideas for the others to do at times.
As always, thank you all for your support! Please leave a like, follow, comment or PM at your leisure! Your feedback is always encouraged!