Legends of the Hero of Time

by Ryan-Sinclair

The Hero of Time, Link, is blessed by the Golden Goddesses with a normal existence, free for himself to rule over. He must learn the true meaning of life as he attempts to join Hylian society. Along the way, he finds a family to call his own. Protecting and loving them, as a new threat emerges, he grows to understand how he must still endure the challenges of fate.

1. Chapter 1 - Segment 1

Chapter 1

.

.

.
[Time: 7:43 P.M. (Dusk)]

[Date: Month 3 'Spring', Day 24, 8th Era]

[Location: Hyrule, Lon Lon Ranch - Pasture]

.

Work at Lon Lon Ranch is always the same, day in and day out. Being a farmer's daughter, Malon's life is practically identical to that of a servant, especially when it comes to doing the chores. Waking up early just to work her hands to the bone doing farm duties and taking care of the animals made for a humble, yet tiresome career. For the red-headed Hylian girl, seeing how she had become of decent age, at this ranch, her job consisted of caring for the nine to fifteen horses stabled. The routine became common knowledge long ago. Now that she's going to be eleven soon, she might have full responsibility over everything, including the transactional part of selling the magnificent equine creatures to potential buyers. She had no doubt that it would cause even more burden to rest upon her shoulders. But, considering all of this, she wouldn't rather be doing anything else other than this. There wasn't much of an alternative anyway, certainly not one that her father would approve of.

Her father, Talon, is the owner of this ranch, Lon Lon Ranch. He and Malon's late mother originally founded the smallholding, along with their farmhand Ingo. The three were completely on their own out in the middle of Hyrule Field, significantly far enough away from Hyrule's Castle Town to be considered their own settlement. Since that time far ago, back when Malon was only four years old, her mother passed away. Already having struggled with health problems since bearing the red-headed Hylian in childbirth, whenever a plague swept across the region one winter, she was unable to keep going. After that, she was gone from Malon and Talon's life with only faint memories left behind. No matter what, those memories were still very much cherished.

Now Talon, Malon and Ingo raise, care for, and sell a variety of animals, ranging from the aforementioned horses, as well as chickens, cows, and goats. There are, and were then, smaller farms around, but Lon Lon became the most successful, thus leading to their famed products, all of which have come to be renowned across the land. Lon Lon Milk is their most prominent, while others such as Lon Lon Eggs, Goat Cheese and Butter, as well as Chicken, Pork, and Beef are also widely consumed. They certainly became a vital part of the City of Hyrule, feeding the majority of the citizens of the kingdom.

Today had been a relatively easy going day on Malon, not that it was ever difficult, not at this level of expertise in her point in life; Yet, she found herself to be glad. The tranquility of everything had been more than welcomed after the brief unsettlement Hyrule has had lately. The tension being in the Gerudo Tribe's recent transformation with hostilities toward outsiders.
Besides, paying attention to work was far safer and comfortable than worrying about the political state of the kingdom.

Ingo had just walked through the barn a few minutes ago with the milk pails needed for today's last cow milking session. Talon was supposedly working to do two things; gather the eggs from the chickens, as well as seal up a small hole in the barn's upper left corner. Malon was nearly finished with all of her duties. Since dawn this morning, the horses had been fed their portions of hay, oats, and given water twice so far throughout the day; they were groomed, taken out into the pasture while the stable's stalls were mucked out, their hooves had been picked clean, and the adolescent Hylian even made sure to do their weekly teeth cleaning.

Now that it was nearing dusk, prior to having the night end, all Malon needed to do was bring the horses back into the stable before heading inside for a bit of comfort. In her opinion, A nice bath was by far the most important way to relax. "If you guys and gals could take a bath, you'd feel the same as me." She said to the two horses beside her with a smile on her face. Southern winds streaming off of Lake Hylia in the distance were providing enough of a breeze to blow her bright red hair back, keeping her cool most of the afternoon. "They just make you feel so calm… I feel like I could sing a lullaby until I sung myself to sleep. That's how serene I get." The horse on her left, a six year old mare dubbed 'Dixie', neighed prior to breathing on her elf-like Hylian left ear. It made her giggle in delight over the horse's playfulness today. "Dixie! Cut that out, it tickles!"

The mare rubbed against the young girl for a few moments more before whinnying as Malon heard her Dad call out from the farmhouse. "Malon! It's 'bout time for ya' to put them horses in the stable! It's gettin' late!"

Seeing how the sun appeared to be setting soon, her best guess is that it was almost six o'clock. Even though the horses were having a great time running around the corral, they needed to go to the barn and get some rest for the next day. For today, all throughout it, Malon had used any spare time to practice her voice at singing. Currently, she was creating a new hymn that she thinks her father would particularly appreciate, as it has a slight influence from her mother. If her lazy father remained true to his word about working harder around here, she'd do her best to make him happy with my wonderful tune.

"Okay, Daddy!" Malon shouted back in response

He smiled at her with that wide grin of his before putting his hands on his hips, selectively analyzing each horse out, no doubt satisfied with the care his daughter gave to them. "Good girl! Head inside once yer' done." He turned to walk back toward the door to the house before stopping again to say "I made some Cormarye (seasoned pork loin) with taters and green beans for dinner."

After the adolescent Hylian girl gave a loud, high-pitched whistle to get the attention of all the horses in the corral and out in the pasture, she couldn't help but to laugh as her father rubbed his stomach with a famished expression on his face, pretending as if he had not already acted like a glutton this morning at breakfast. As the majority of their horses trotted over to gather around Malon, only a few of the more stubborn or younger ones, including Petey, a hardheaded stallion, remained grazing and enjoying the late afternoon sunshine.

"That sounds delicious!" The girl responded to the thought of food prior to asking "Has Ingo drawn enough bathwater for everyone?"

Talon gave a solid nod so it could be seen before responding "Yeah!"

Most of the horses followed Malon while she directly led Dixie by her head halter. Once the other stubborn horses saw the mare walking, they eventually followed along, going with her since she's the eldest; all but Petey, who still refused to follow. "Petey! ~*Tch**Tch*Tch*~" I shouted to him in a sweet voice, hoping to coax him into following with tongue clicks. The Stallion's right ear moved, however, he didn't show any sign of paying attention, deliberately ignoring his owner with passion. "Petey!" Malon yelled again, slightly more sternly than previously.

It was then that she noticed her dad was still standing outside. For a second, she assumed he was still observing her behaviour, watching and admiring her skills. Then again, it soon became apparent that he was doing something else as he kept slowly moving his head side-to-side with an inquisitive look on his face. 'What is he doing?' She thought as she briefly let go of Dixie, intending to go retrieve Mr. Stubborn, Petey. "Dad! What are you doin-…?"

Almost instantly Talon shushed his daughter loudly, holding up his hand in a way that meant he was trying to hear something and needed quiet. "Wait! Shh… Listen…" He stopped her.

The closer to Petey that Malon came, she began faintly hearing a noise coming from somewhere outside the ranch. It sounded as if a horse was in dire trouble, roaring with fright while squealing as if it were extremely panicked. The tone and pitch seemed to indicate that it was a young one, a filly or maybe even a yearling, definitely a female. 'What's happening?' Her thoughts asked, making her curious about if someone was going by the ranch while in distress. Within a few more seconds, it grew louder, enough to make even Ingo step out of the stables to see what the commotion was. Before long, Malon realized that the other horses were becoming skittish, making Petey finally hurry over next to Dixie's side. "Dad, who is that?"

Ingo, being lighter than Talon, quickly jumped onto the side of the stables and climbed up to the top, attempting to get a look at whatever was causing this disturbance. In the meantime, Talon tried calming his daughter. "I don't know, Darlin', but I'll figure it out… It might just be someone goin' by havin' some trouble, don't ya worry."

Ingo jerked his head around a few times before jumping back down to the ground. With an exasperated sigh, he said "Whatever it is, I caught a glimpse of its tail before it ran into the ranch."

Talon grunted and spun around toward the entrance as another loud squeal rang out from behind the gate. "What!? Well, what is it!?" As he started walking toward the gate, Malon decided to do her job despite her interest in the situation and put the horses up for both the night and safety measures.

"Be careful!" She yelled out to her father and Ingo, not wanting either of them to get hurt. Just as she was hoping that everything would be alright, she heard a loud clang, making her turn her head to see whatever it was right as it jumped over the fence. Talon and Ingo lost their cool, freaking out from not being able to see what the unknown creature was before it knocked them both down. Malon let out a loud shriek. "Daddy! Ingo!"

The creature making all the sounds tumbled to the ground along with Talon and Ingo until it skidded to a halt on its side. At first, Malon's mind was all on the wellbeing of her family. But, as she took her time to notice what was happening, she came to the sudden realization that the creature, a horse, looked very familiar.

"By the goddesses! Are we under attack, Ingo!?" Talon shouted.

The filly got back on her feet and raced over to Malon, giving the adolescent Hylian a good look at it. Upon a quick glance, her mind clicked and she could tell that it was Epona, the shy filly she had given to Link when he came to tell her about an adventure he had to debark on. "Epona!?" Ingo helped her father stand while keeping his eye on things as she continued to assess Epona's condition. "Where have you been, girl!?"

The horse looked deeply frightened, as if she'd been lost and on the run for days. Her mane was unkempt and a line of foamy drool dripped from her chin. Along with a snort, Malon could see that Epona's ears were stiff. Even as it twitched, her tail was clamped-down, and her neck was tense. She held her head up high, with wild eyes still looking around for danger. All of it was a clear indication that she was terrified. "Daddy! Come quick, it's Epona!" Talon and Ingo instantly rushed to Malon, trying to figure out the same things she was, especially what it is that's happening. Epona, in the meantime, trotted around impatiently as the other horses stayed slightly spooked by the entire ordeal.

"What in tarnation!?" Talon exclaimed in surprise, likely having thought that some feral beast had come to take advantage of their livestock. As his shock faded alongside Ingo's, he calmed down a bit. However, both of them were still visibly stunned at the filly's ability. "She was the one makin' all that noise? Sheesh… Was somethin' after ya, girl?" Epona stomped her hooves on the ground in front of them while giving another rambunctious squeal. "Huh? What's the matter? It's okay, yer' safe 'ere." Malon's father continued to say.

Ingo looked back at the gate, making sure that nothing was chasing the filly and intending to continue its pursuit. Malon, however, was growing upset that her father couldn't seem to see the same things as she could. It was clear to her that something was terribly wrong. Epona had never appeared so frightened and she looks like she hasn't had anything to eat for multiple days. Then, of course, there's the fact that Link isn't riding her; the greatest concern in the back of her mind. "Daddy, something happened!"

He looked up from trying to get Epona to calm down with a strange glimmer in his eye, as if he too was finally beginning to sense the stressful situation. Nevertheless, he played it off, not wanting to think bad thoughts. "What do ya' mean? I think she was just lost, darlin', don't worry… Give 'er some time. She'll relax and return ta' normal." He said while patting the wild equine.

All Malon suddenly wanted to do was pinch the bridge of her nose in annoyance, so she did. "No! Daddy, I'm talking about Link! Where's Link!?" Preceding a short huff, he scratched his balding head as Epona nudged the redheaded girl roughly, nearly knocking her down. Something was wrong, Malon could tell. The way Epona was acting wasn't right. She had known Epona since the filly's birth and she could tell whenever the horse was frightened. On top of that, she knew that Epona wasn't a very easy horse to scare. The equine had always been too intelligent to be fooled into being scared of things that weren't going to hurt her. There was no way she'd leave Link behind over anything silly.

"Whoa, Nelly..." Talon replied while keeping Epona still. "Maybe he didn't 'ave any need for 'er anymore."

While her father might see the little fairy boy as an immature kid on nothing more than a childish adventure, Malon knew more, and held Link in higher regards. He was the only other person Epona would ever listen to, and he proved that he took excellent care of her during his time out in the wide-world, doing whatever. "Link wouldn't just let her go like this… He always brought her back and put her in her stable when he was finished! He'd never simply set her free to find her own way back!" Again, Epona stomped her hooves, but this time she nearly yanked Talon down, proving to the younger Hylian that something more has happened to the horse than just her getting lost. Something had to have happened to Link. There was simply no other explanation.

"I'm sure he's fine, Pumpkin." Her father continued to go on about everything being okay.

Epona's response to all of this was a shrill roar, louder than the farmgirl had ever heard a filly do so before. The frustration was evident. As Epona's eyes shifted over to Malon, it became clear that she was angry and distraught over the fact that she was being kept from moving. "Daddy, let her go!" He wasn't sure why his daughter was so upset, but did as she told him anyway. From that very moment, the filly took off a few feet away from them before stopping to turn around and flare her nostrils while stomping on the ground toward the gate. "See!? I think she wants me to come with her!"

Ingo, who had been strangely nicer to the farmer's daughter and more responsible of his duties, was first to deny her request. "I don't think so, Malon…" He replied firmly "It's getting late and monsters will be coming out. You can't go alone."

Regardless of the fact that both adults were simply trying to look out for a child, Malon was already aware of the dangers out in Hyrule Field at night. Considering her entire tranquility had been completely shattered by this ordeal, she felt that if she didn't do something quick, she might have an even more tragic event happen, such as Link never coming back. That was more important to her than worrying about monsters. "THEN COME WITH ME, YOU DOPE!" The girl showed some fire in her belly. Both Talon and Ino stood in shock for a moment as she proceeded to whistle for Epona. The filly hastily trotted back to the young Hylian.

Talon grabbed his daughter's arm gently to stop her as Ingo got in her way as well. "Malon, calm down, sweetie… We can't go lookin' for someone durin' nightfall anyway… It's too late. We'll have ta' go out in the mornin'."

The panic Malon felt in her heart seemed to be coming from nowhere. The girl's mind couldn't comprehend why they were so calm about this. Link's life could be in peril and she couldn't stand to stomach the thought. "Let me go! Link's missing! Don't you two see that Epona wants me to follow her!? She'll lead me right to him while the sun's still up!" The stress slowly got to her and tears welled up in her eyes just as Epona butted her way in-between Ingo and her dad, knocking them down again with her wild strength.

"Epona!" Talon yelled while quickly getting back on his feet, deeply frustrated. He watched as his daughter ran forward to climb up on Epona's back. He tried to stop her and even yelled for Ingo to do the same. "Ingo, stop her!"

Everything was suddenly moving so incredibly fast, yet, the farmgirl knew that she had to act promptly. The time for sitting around was long gone. Amazingly, as soon as she hoisted herself up onto the saddle, Epona wasted zero time in dashing off toward the gate. "Giddy up, Epona! Hurry! Go find Link!"

The last thing Malon saw before jumping the gate was Ingo swiftly falling behind and her dad mounting Dixie, likely with the intent to pursue her. 'By the Goddesses.' She thought in vain. 'It's later than I thought it was… Oh, I hope I can find him before total darkness.' Her father shouted to the top of his lungs, but she was losing them. Ingo was slowed down further by struggling to open the gate that Epona jumped with ease. Eventually, they lost the adults altogether.

"MALON!" Her father shouted louder, his face turning red from being in a huff.

In Malon's opinion, his concern for her was displaced. 'Had he simply gone along with me to assist, none of this freaking out would have occurred in the first place. Even though I'm an adolescent girl, I'm also a strong willed and intelligent Hylian. I get things done.' In spite of her positive thinking, in reality, she had no choice now other than to ride Epona. The frantic horse galloped down the road toward the City of Hyrule; Castle Town. Going as fast as she was, she had to hang on until Epona stopped.

"Link..." Malon said to herself. "Where are you? Please, be okay." Normally, she wouldn't risk herself for anyone other than Talon; and on a good day, perhaps Ingo. But, Link was something entirely different. When she thought about him, it made her heart pump faster. Her memories conjured the other few times they'd encountered each other. The first, when he came up to her in the market of Castle Town, was one of her most cherished memories of him. He looked so out of place, wearing a green tunic and carrying a tiny sword and a wooden shield, confused by things of modern society that everyone else around used on a daily basis. 'At first, he came off as a bit strange. I thought he was an oddball. However, as soon as I saw that fairy with him, I knew that he had come from within the forest.' She often wondered if he was a Kokiri; though his later admission of being a full blooded Hylian put that to rest.

Still, his upbringing gave her an idea for a nickname. "Fairy Boy..." Her lips uttered as her hands gripped the reins tighter. The girl's heels clicked against Epona's sides, making the equine snort before speeding up as they began to approach the drawbridge leading into the City of Hyrule's Castle Town. "What could you have been doing here?"

Just as she started to question where Epona was taking her, the filly abruptly veered away, bypassing the drawbridge altogether and continuing down the road. It seemed that she was intent on not stopping anytime soon by the way she followed the road closely, not slowing down in the least. "Hurry, Epona! The sun is going to go down soon!" After giving the setting sun a quick glance, a fear dawned on Malon that the horse might have traveled several days from wherever Link previously left her. In haste, she hadn't thought of anything like that. If that was the case, then she certainly wouldn't be able to survive out there that long on her own. 'Oh no… Epona's more than fast enough to outrun a predator, but for me… it's just so dangerous.' The girl's fears took over for a moment 'What was I thinking? I should have waited for Dad and Ingo; they're strong enough to protect themselves… I'm completely defenseless, on a horse that's panicking, and I have absolutely no clue where Link is.' In spite of the wavering determination, her courage and willpower steadily increased yet again as she thought more about Link. The apprehension wouldn't stop her from being driven to find him.

From the second they talked to each other, he had proved to her that he was capable of doing things that the ordinary child couldn't possibly do. Malon knew it when she saw the sword and shield he carried. 'When we first met in the marketplace, I asked him to find my father, and he did.' Epona neighed as they passed a stagecoach coming from Kakariko Village toward the City of Hyrule, likely the last one of the day before the city's exterior pulled the drawbridge up. Since Epona showed no interest in the carriage, Malon's thoughts remained geared toward Link. 'He managed to sneak past the Hyrulean Soldiers to climb the fence into the Castle Grounds… I never actually expected him to do that; I figured he'd be thrown out on his butt like everyone else who tries to get into the courtyard. They keep the castle far too secure for a commoner to gain entrance so easily.' Soon, they started running along the edges of Zora's River as the walls of Castle Town came to an end, coming closer to Kakariko Village. The girl hoped that with a bit of luck, Link might be somewhere around here. However, considering Epona was going strong without any looks of easing up, she had a few doubts. 'He made it all the way to the castle before finding Dad and waking him up. He even claimed to have met Princess Zelda face-to-face and had a discussion with her... Ooh, that made me so envious.'

Thinking about memories of him continued to keep her calm as the inevitably setting sun persisted in making its descent beneath the horizon. 'Later we met yet again, when he stopped by the ranch. We spoke for a while and he talked about needing a horse for his grand adventure.' Epona whinnied loudly and huffed as Malon noticed what looked like a Peahat off in the distance, further out in the field. Fortunately for her, she'd never seen the levitating insect-plant like creatures up close as they commonly stay away from the road due to their fear of loud sounds, such as the clattering of horse hooves or a boisterous Hylian. They resemble flying giant pineapples with spinning blade-like propellers in the center used to keep it in mid-flight. Moderately dangerous, they're more of a nuisance as they only pester an individual if said person agitates them or disturbs their young. 'At first, I didn't believe anything the fairy boy said…' She went back to thinking. 'He tried to convince me that he had slain many monsters and was on a quest to save the kingdom; things that no one in their right mind would accept as truth from a ten year old, not even another ten year old such as myself.'

"Easy girl..." Malon said aloud to Epona as the Peahat kept on its own course, far away from them without paying any attention either; choosing instead to focus on its larva and guard them with its life. "If we can find Link, he'll protect us both... We just have to find him first." The thought of having him protect her stemmed from the realization that, even if he truly was living in a fantasy, he genuinely used his actual skills to take down monsters on his own, ones that her father and Ingo would run away from utterly petrified. Two displays of his might she could vividly remember. 'By chance, one night while briefly looking out the window of my bedroom, after Link brought Epona back, three stalchildren; which are small skeletons that occasionally rise out of the ground at night to terrorize anyone in the vicinity, approached him with hostile intent and he managed to dispatch them like they were completely and utterly nothing.'

The mere notion that those skeletons could arise again to torment her if she didn't get back before nightfall sent shivers down her spine. Being just a small girl, Malon hadn't even so much as raised her hand to something. She didn't have the experience needed to take down a monster. 'I can't slice two in half or kick the other's head clean off its shoulders like he did with the Stalchildren.'

With the sunlight waning as they traveled down the expanse of road, she could make out the tree-line of the Forbidden Forest ahead of her, where Hylians were prohibited from ever visiting. The woodland area is under a benevolent spell that protects it from any impurities. This spell keeps it safe from intruders or anyone who wishes to do it harm. One of the side effects of this enchantment is its ability to curse people. 'Daddy always told me fables about twisted things that would happen, but I learned the truth after a while.' Whenever a Hylian goes into the woods without the fairies possessed by the Kokiri, they become sick and crippled in place before slowly dying from the magic. It suffocates them. Adults who succumb to its influence quickly become host to the land by becoming what is known as a Stalfos; strategic, defensive, sword-wielding, undead skeleton warriors who roam the forest like guardians, protecting it infinitely with their restless patrols. Children supposedly suffer a more unusual fate, morphing into Skull kids; a race of diminutive, mischievous beings that reside in the forest like their adult counterparts; playing wind instruments, while alone, to pass the time until they feel the beckoning of the forest when adults approach.

"Epona, I hope you're not thinking of taking me in there." The filly ignored the Hylian girl while rampantly galloping steadily forward. Even though Malon was still firmly set on her hunt to find Link, alarms went off in her head at the thought of going into the Forbidden Forest without an invite from the Kokiri. However, waiting for approval through the royal bloodline would take weeks, far too much time, time that she certainly didn't have. "Epona!" She shouted to make sure that the horse heard her. A small whinny followed by a huff confirmed that the horse did hear her and was simply continuing course regardless. All Malon could do was hope that she was being led directly to Link. "Epona! Whoa! Slow down, girl! Whoa!" After a few gentle pulls, she had to yank the reins a bit to get the filly to respond again. "Whoa!"

To that, Epona finally began slowing down until they stopped three-fourths of the way toward the tree-line. A short distance away, Malon could clearly make out the entrance to the Forbidden Forest; which is, in actuality, a giant hollowed out tree that's used to pierce the densely thick woodland border.

"Epona… I'm sorry, girl… But, I don't think I can go there." Looking up at the very top of the sun going down beneath the horizon as Epona neighed made a bit of Malon's courage disappear. Even though she really wanted to find Link, it was getting dark and she knew that she already wouldn't be able to make it back to the ranch in time before utter nightfall. Traveling in pitch-black isn't something she could do either, not without a torch or one of those expensive lanterns her father had bought for the homestead. "It's already too dark… Going into a forest would be more dangerous than staying on the road." When She thought about it, going into the Forbidden Forest would make it ten times as dangerous since it isn't a normal forest. It would be more along the line of suicide. "Let's head back to Kakariko Village and find a place to rest for the night."

A long howl from within the forest confirmed Malon's intent to turn back as it signified certain danger for if she remained on course. "Y-Yeah… There's no way I'm going to let a Wolfos eat me." Tugging on the reins proved futile as Epona disobeyed the Hylian girl in every way possible, even going so far as to buck her. The way the horse wanted to persevere showed that it was her way of saying 'This is the way we have to go, right this second!'

Inside, once again, Malon was torn between what to do. 'If Link truly is in the Forbidden Forest, then he's probably too far in for me to reach him.' Thinking of that howl she had heard and the skeletons she thought about, it made her decision far more of a worrisome burden. Nonetheless, imagining Link's lifeless body being gnawed on by Wolves as he fell victim to the woods was simply too much for her to bear; it put a lot of emphasis on her reasoning for being out here, as well as traveling onward. "Link…" Epona's ears swiveled as Malon sighed. In spite of the red-headed girl's bravery, inevitably, self-preservation won out as the same howl from off in the distance ensued yet again and just as vicious as before. "I hope you're okay."

Epona neighed a few times before Malon tried tugging the reins harder. Unfortunately, the horse was stubborn with her refusal to turn around. "Epona…" With yet another sigh, Malon kept trying, wanting to get far away from the tree-line. "Come on, we can't stay here." During the time it took to continue her attempts to turn Epona around, from a way behind her, both of them suddenly heard the sound of Talon and Ingo calling her name loudly while gradually coming closer and closer.

"MALON! MALON!" Her father's voice was the loudest. Almost instantly, Epona's ears twitched as she let out a snort. The speed at which her sides expanded and contracted increased, all tell-tale signs that she was beginning to get anxious again. Seeing as how Talon and Ingo literally chased them out of the ranch, her mind was likely still associating them with danger, meaning that she was about to bolt. "MALON!"

As quickly as the young farmgirl could, she started doing everything possible to calm the filly down. "Shh, it's okay… They're coming to help; we'll meet up with them and go back to the ranch, even better than Kakariko Village." While staring back at the sloping field, Malon couldn't see them yet, but could hear the sounds of their horse's hooves clomping down the road. It was in her hopes that gently rubbing Epona's long neck would soothe the horse to the point where it wasn't going to freak out. For the most part, it seemed like it was working as she huffed softly with a small neigh.

"It's okay, girl." Malon kept saying with a phony smile. However, judging by that look in Epona's eyes, she wasn't fully falling for it. "Let's go home. We'll find Link bright and early tomorrow morning." As crushing in ego as it was to give up and admit that her dad was right, it genuinely hurt to know that she couldn't find Link. If he's injured and somewhere he can't escape, she felt like it would be her fault if anything happens to him. Such a burden might not be comprehensible to most ten year olds, but this was something important that she could feel deep in her beating heart. "There's something about him." The girl said while staring up at the stars for a moment, taking time to pray to the three goddesses that Link would be okay. "Oh, mighty Golden Goddesses… Hear my prayer and please protect Link with your sacred rule." By holding her hands together, palms flat and vertically, divinity may heed her plea as long as her spirit remained pure. "Din, give him power to destroy any foe… Nayru, give him knowledge to find his way… And Farore, give him the courage he needs to overcome any obstacles."

"MALON! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Talon's voice shouted, startling Epona.

This time, Malon decided to respond so that her father would stop shouting so loudly. "I'm over her-…!" Before she could say the rest loud enough for them to hear her, Epona gave her a single buck, jostling her around on the saddle. "Epona, Whoa… Calm down…" The red-headed adolescent tried to say in a soothing voice, refusing to sound upset lest she freaked the horse out more. "It's okay, girl. W-Whoa… Whoa..." Despite her attempt, the horse did it again so that she couldn't call out to her father. Malon was too busy trying to desperately hold on to realize that. Horses are intelligent creatures. In this case, Epona was smarter than normal. 'It's almost as if she doesn't want me to shout out for them.' No, she wanted Malon to keep going and find Link. "Whoa." Completely ignoring her, the horse started trotting closer to the tree-line of the Forbidden Forest, neighing and bucking Malon up into the air a bit before the farmgirl slammed back down on her rear. "Ep..pona… W…W-Whoa… W-Whoa…." The hopes for her father and Ingo to show up were answered as light from their lantern or torch slowly crept down the hillside further back. 'They'll be able to help me get Epona to calm down.' She thought before she went to yell again. Following her attempt, she was suddenly cut off by Talon's booming voice; them being completely and utterly unaware that we were a mere forty feet away. "Da-…" was all she got out.

"MALON YOU GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE THIS INSTANT AND STOP SCARING YOUR DADDY!" Talon hollered at the top of his lungs.

Without any more hesitation, Epona lost it that very second. Upon hearing it so close, so loud, and so sternly, her legs darted beneath her, galloping full speed forward toward the giant hollowed out tree-bridge. Clearly, Malon had lost control as soon as Epona's hooves touched the tree. Nothing was going to stop the crazy filly and the farmgirl knew it. Every fiber of her being knew that she'd lost control. The only thing she could do was hold on; all unbeknownst to her dad and Ingo. She was sure he would have felt worse had her dad realized how bad he just made things by yelling like he did. Regardless, she couldn't do much about it right now other than hope they could hear her.

Finally, at that moment, she managed to yell for help. "DAD!" Her voice echoed through the tree as she yanked on the reins harder, trying with all of her might to get the filly to stop its rampaging haste.

"MALON!?" Talon called back from atop the hill as his daughter reached halfway through the tree.

"I THINK SHE'S CALLING FROM THIS WAY!" Ingo's voice responded to Malon and Talon, sounding just as concerned, yet more faded the further the farmgirl traveled away from them.

"EPONA, STOP!" Malon started to scream as the other side, the Forbidden Forest, slowly came into view. There was a small wooden bridge leading into another hollowed out tree. "DADDY!"

Going deeper brought too much fright for Malon to handle, slicing through her nerves like a hot knife through butter. She'd never gone past the tree-line and the reality of what happened to people that became lost soaked in far quicker than she imagined. Knowing that all the trees around looked exactly the same as all of the others could get her discombobulated, and then she'd be screwed. "EPONA, STOP! WHOA! WHOA! NO! I DON'T WANT TO TURN INTO A SKULL KID!" Tears fell from Malon's eyes as Epona refused to listen to anything she had to say, dead set on getting to whatever destination was in mind.

"Malon!" Her father's voice called from behind the tree-line, muffled from all of the foliage.

"DAD!" She shouted back, making Epona squeal from her shrill voice, unfortunately worsening things as she sped up even more.

Hope was waning inside the farmgirl as her vision did the same from lack of light. The final rays of sunlight were nearly extinguished by the dense flora. 'I think I should jump off.' The inner-voice in the back of her mind said, figuring out what the best possible way to save herself would be. "EPONA! WHOA!" She tugged harder on the reins and felt her heart grow heavy in fear as they exited the first hollowed tree onto the wobbly wooden bridge. The air on this side was thick and saturated with moisture, making it slightly hard to breathe, as if the forest had its own densely confined atmosphere shaped to its specific needs. Strangely, even though the trees surrounding them were putting off more than enough oxygen to survive, she felt like she had to take heavy breaths just to not hyperventilate. "I'm so screwed! EPONA!" The rapid breathing occurred regardless because she couldn't get her tears to stop flowing, nor could she get Epona under control.

Three-fourths of the way across the wooden bridge, after lots of tugging on the reins, Malon gave up for a bit and merely held on while looking down. Below them was a gap, showing a shallow, grass-filled gulley which seemed to veer off in a circle going both directions. 'I can't jump off yet or I'll fall!' She had no choice other than to ride Epona until the horse stopped or until the Hylian girl could get to an area where she could safely jump off. 'That means I'll be double screwed! I'll have to walk back in the darkness!' With that thought swirling around in her mind, she yelled one more time at Epona. Her eyes couldn't even find the sun on the horizon, scaring her further. The only thing keeping the path lit was small orbs of light floating around; possibly fireflies. "EPONA! STOP!" Usually Malon was emotionally stronger, but this time, when Epona didn't stop, the girl fully broke out crying. It terrified her to be in this forest, even more so after dark.

Right before they reached the second hollowed out tree, Malon noticed a sign. However, Epona was moving too fast and the Hylian wasn't paying enough attention to have time to read the engraved words. At this point, it seemed like Epona was speeding up even more by galloping with short dashes. "By the Goddesses, what do I do!?" After hiccupping and drying her eyes with her left hand, the end of the tree clearly came into sight, appearing to be some sort of village. Putting two and two together, Malon figured that it must be the Kokiri Village that she heard came before the Lost Woods. "Help! Help! Someone help!" She shouted with a hoarse voice, a voice dry from crying and all the previous screaming at the top of her lungs.

Hylian and Equine both shot out the end of the tree, into the village. "Please! Somebody!" Although Malon's knowledge on the Kokiri wasn't very much, she knew they look like regular Hylian children, have a fairy that accompanies each individual and are generally benevolent in nature; considering those facts, she genuinely hoped that they would assist her any way they could, provided that they hadn't already gone to bed for the night."HELP!" She screamed louder.

Epona suddenly changed course by going off the path that led deeper into the village, choosing to instead go down a small stone path leading toward a sloping cliff marking the edge of the village and the beginning of the Lost Woods. "ANYONE!?" Malon screamed again after desperately looking around for anyone nearby. She turned her head facing forward just in time to see the incoming branch from a tree Epona had neared too closely. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to react in time and made direct contact with it, whopping her forehead hard enough to blacken her vision for a moment. She nearly lost consciousness.

Since Epona was traveling so fast, Malon fell backward onto her back and was constantly thrown in the air by the horses galloping, barely holding on only due to her feet being in the saddle's stirrups. "Ooh, Ah Ooooooh… m-my head..." With more sniffles, moans, and tears, the girl tried to regain her balance despite the sudden loss of coordination. "It hurts…. Ooooh."

"Hey!" Someone yelled from close by. Judging by the tone of voice, it sounded like a girl. "HEY! STOP!" Malon grabbed the saddle's horn to pull herself up. Epona neighed as they flew past a green-haired and blue-eyed girl wearing a Kokiri Tunic very similar to Link's, only with shorts and darker green sleeves. Saria's fairy flew after the two as the kokiri extended her arm as if to try and wave Malon down. "Stop! You can't go in there without a fairy!"

Malon wasn't sure where 'there' was until she managed to finally lean back up and regain awareness of her surroundings. As Epona hurried up the hill, Malon saw an opening in the tree-line and another sign written in Hylian, which plainly read 'Lost Woods' followed by 'Keep Out' also in a few other foreign languages. Instantly, her eyes widened as she once again started to try and stop Epona. Now the horse was going so fast that it would injure the pre-teen greatly if she attempted to dismount.

"Epona… Whoa." Malon said, trying to be calm this time and to stop freaking out so badly, ignoring her own tears that still flowed down her face.

The Kokiri's fairy soon caught up with Malon for a moment and buzzed around her before speaking in a tiny, soft speech reminiscent of the voice Link's fairy has. "Miss, you have to stop your horse! Bad things happen to Hylians who go into the forest without a fairy; both to adults and children!"

They reached the opening in the foliage prior to Malon saying "I can't! She's out of control, but I think she's trying to take me to Link! I think he's injured and she came to get me from our Ranch!"

The fairy cocked her head before abruptly darting back in the direction of the Kokiri girl who shouted. "You said Link's in there!? I must tell Saria!"

The moment they entered the Lost Woods, Malon looked back in shock as the fairy left her. "Wait, no! Please, don't leave me! Can't I borrow you!?" As silly as it sounded, it was logical to the Hylian girl at this point; sounding much better than turning into a Skull Kid. No matter what she wanted though, it was clear she wasn't going to get it, as the entrance faded into the background and she was forced to turn back around to face forward.

The throbbing pain in her head was still very much present, yet, she couldn't do anything about it and had to focus on what was happening around her. Much like previously, all of the trees had the same general shape, with little to discern them from each other. Even the shrubbery looked identical. "Epona, we're going to get lost!" The filly continued galloping past trees. This time, seeing how Malon was paying attention, she was able to dodge any branches. It knocked all the wind out of her lungs getting hit the first time. From the fact that she thought she could still see stars circling her head, she didn't think she could take another impact like that. "I'm so screwed! How am I supposed to make it back!? What am I going to d-… Oh… My… Goodness, no!" Further ahead, the constant backlight from fireflies ended, leaving nothing but darkness as the sun had finally gone down beyond the horizon. All Malon could do was hold onto the saddle tightly while ducking as far as she could in order to be sure she wouldn't get another head whack. "Epona, if we live through this, you're SO not getting ANY second helping of your feed! EVER AGAIN!"