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.

19. Chapter 19 - Segment 3

Chapter 19

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[Time: 12:45 P.M. (Noon)]

[Date: Month 4 'Late-spring', Day 15, 8th Era]

(Location: Hyrule, Lon Lon Ranch - Pasture)

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It had been two days since Malon and Link declared their love for each other. Not much had changed in the dynamic of their relationship. They were mostly busy doing ranch work, thus were unable to spend quality time together. In reality, they hadn't had the opportunity for more romance since their first kiss back whenever the boy got back from his visit to the Forbidden Forest. Despite that, the farmgirl and hero were still emphatic about the newfound confidence boost given by the bond they'd achieved. During their work, they were always thinking about one another. During freetime, they held each other's hands and cuddled.

While neither of them had informed Talon or Ingo of their budding connection, Malon had extensively discussed it with Link. The hero was hesitant, but agreed to discuss it with the adults over lunch. He'd do it because it was the right thing to do and he disliked the thought of having to always hide how he felt about someone he loved. It was going to be much easier to get it out into the open.

Since morning gave way to noon, the two kids had just arrived at the farmhouse. Malon spent the morning collecting cucco eggs and Link chopped wood. Just walking through the threshold of the doorway, both children could smell scrumptious food in the air.

"Ah, yer' just in time." Talon said as he wiped his dirty hands on his apron, smearing flour across the fabric. "The Mushroom Mawmenee (Red-Wine Mushroom Pie) is ready and I gotta Apple Tart in the makin' for later this evenin'."

"Yummy!" Malon immediately responded to the cuisine as she stopped to sniff the air.

Link chivalrously closed the door behind Malon prior to passing her. Subconsciously thinking about the farmgirl, even as he was on his way to sit at the table, he pulled out her chair as well as his own. Still, he had to admit the smells were rather intoxicating. "You're such an amazing cook, Mr. Talon." He complimented the chef, already buttering the man up for what he and the man's daughter were going to announce in just a little while. "I never knew how delicious hylian food was until I met you. Now it's like a royal banquet every time I come in here."

Talon let out a rather hearty laugh, but also beamed a smile from the compliment. "Why thank ya, Link. That's mighty fine of ya ta say." As he removed a frying pan from the iron grate sitting in the open flame of the fireplace, the large farmer gave the contents a stir with a wooden spoon. Setting the cast iron down on a wool doily laying on the counter, he then returned to the fireplace stove. The Desert Fire-Slag in the cinder pit was extinguished as he pulled the lever to close the hatch. "There are a lotta recipes in this world. Ya probably like what I make 'cause it ain't just hylian, it's food from all 'round the kingdom. Our kind makes amazin' food, but the Gerudo, Kokiri, Zora and Goron's offer lots for yer' tastes too."

"Gorons?" Malon enquired as she went to her seat, not even realizing that it had been pulled out for her. "How do they contribute to what we eat? Don't they eat rocks?"

"They do." Talon confirmed as he brought four empty clay bowls and a plate with bread over to the table. "But, they also provide us with salt and red spices. That's a tremendous 'mount a flavour enhancer that we'd be missin' out on tif' it weren't for them." Walking back over to the counter, he retrieved the frying pan in advance of bringing it over to the table, pouring the Mushroom Mawmenee into all four clay bowls. "Besides, it ain't just 'bout the ingredients, it's also 'bout the cookbooks."

"Is that what you use?" Link asked as he assisted in cutting everyone a slice of bread.

Talon scraped at the frying pan a few times before placing it next to the water basin so he could clean it later. "I use' to when I first started. Now, I either rememba' the recipe or make up my own."

As Ingo walked down the staircase there in the farmhouse, he said. "Yeah, now those books just sit dusty on the shelf, cluttering up the place."

"Don't be like that." Talon rolled his eyes at the farmhand's downer attitude. "They ain't clutter; I'm plannin' on givin' them to Malon-... someday."

"Me?" Malon inquired as she looked befuddled. "I barely know how to boil an egg. Why do I need them?"

Talon chuckled with a smile as he playfully threw his hands up in the air from getting aggravated. "That's exactly why. Someone's gotta cook when I'm too old, Darlin'." Pointing the wooden spoon at Link, he proceeded to ask "Unless yer' gonna cook and want em'" before throwing the utensil into the wash basin.

Link shrugged while blinking as he felt indifferent about the matter. "Uhh… Sure, why not?"

"Great! I'll give em' to ya after dinner and ya can take em' to yer' room." Talon was glad someone wanted to learn how to cook and not only eat.

Both Talon and Ingo took a seat at the table across from Malon and Link. Same as earlier, the smell permeating the air was amazing, even more-so now that it was wafting directly in front of all their faces. The Ordona Mushrooms simmered in reduced red-wine, giving it a sweet scent. Yet the accompanying Cloves, Subarudo Cinnamon and Ginger gave it a spicy fragrance too. Since their morning breakfast was only dried fruit, all of them were rather hungry for their lunch and wasted no time in dipping a spoonful for their own pleasure. In the Lon Lon household, it wasn't considered impolite to slurp, in fact it was to the contrary. The sound of slurping coming from all of them was a sign the meal tasted as fantastic as it smelled. For a brief moment, none of them had anything to say as they all relished the flavours hitting their tongues.

"Ooh, this is so delicious." Link broke the silence with another compliment to the chef.

Talon smirked as he swallowed a mouthful. "Good. Ya two eat up, yer' growin' kids."

As he bit into his bread, although he was greatly enjoying the meal, Link stared at Malon for a signal of when to begin the uncomfortable conversation with her father. The boy figured she'd have long since been ready, she was instead entirely too focused on her lunch to even think about it. Seeing her scarfing down her food made him snicker under his breath as he took another bite of his Mawmenee. She kept complaining to him that she was hungry, he just didn't think it would temporarily override her mind since he was still so occupied dreading having to tell a man four times his size that he had fallen in love with the guy's daughter.

"So, what's goin' on? Anythin' new?" Talon soon asked everyone.

Ingo grunted as his mustache wiggled from chewing. "Patched a hole in the corral fence."

"That's good." Talon replied. "How 'bout yer' hobbies?"

Stopping in mid-bite, Ingo lifted an eyebrow at Talon's question. "What?"

"Yer' hobbies..." Talon said again. "How are they goin'? Anythin' new?"

"My hobbies?" Ingo remained unsure why Talon was asking since the ranch owner hadn't concerned himself with the farmhand in a long time.

"Yes, Ingo." Talon reiterated. "I'm askin' ya 'cause I'm tryin' ta show that I really do care 'bout ya and the things ya do. Even if I stay busy, I'm still yer' friend and wanna know how yer' doing."

Ingo's eyes returned to his bowl of food as he resumed chewing. Using his serving of bread as a napkin, he wiped the corners of his mouth and swallowed so he could speak clearly. Although he was surprised at being asked and didn't plan on bringing up his hobbies, he was actually happy to discuss his recent interests. "Well…" Stopping, he eyed them all before continuing. "Don't laugh. I've been getting into rock polishing." Slurping another spoonful of his meal, he ate it as well as a bite of his bread before explaining how it worked. "I find it really relaxing to buff them until they're nice and glossy. It's been even more calming since I've been able to put the whole 'past-future' thing behind me."

"That's-…" Link started to say. "That's actually pretty cool, Mr. Ingo. How do you get them polished?"

Ingo took a bite of his bread before saying "I use a rag with salt and sand and rub it until it makes it smooth and shiney. After that, I put it in a jug of cattail fluff and shake it about a hundred times."

"A hundred times?" Talon lifted his eyebrows as he took a drink of his spiced wine.

Ingo nodded as he explained. "Yeah, the sandy rag makes it really smooth, but the jug of cattail fluff gives it the polish. It's a pain in the ass, yet worth it to get a really beautiful looking rock."

"You'll have to show us sometime." Malon told the farmhand as she sipped on her water. "Maybe you could put them on display or even market them the next time we go to Castle Town."

Ingo was pleased none of them laughed at him for such a dainty task. Still, he waved off Malon's idea as he was too nervous to present something he personally made to the public. "Nah. It's just a hobby that helps me relax. Even if I could sell them, it would just be a hassle added on to the concerns I already have. I'd rather leave it as a fun stress reliever."

"Nothing wrong with that." Link told the man as he fed himself another spoonful of Mawmenee. "I've always enjoyed whittling wood. It's relaxing and peaceful, so it helps take my mind off my troubles."

"Exactly." Ingo confirmed his reason for polishing rocks.

Talon poked his lower lip out as he nodded in affirmation. "Ya whittle?" He asked, referring to Link. "Are ya good at it?"

The hero shrugged as he bit into an Ordonaian Mushroom. "Somewhat. It's just a pastime, nothing serious."

"Still, that's really amazin' yer' into whittlin'." Talon admitted as he slurped on a spoonful of Mawmenee. "It's probably more productive than most boys your age."

"It's a kokiri thing." Link informed them. "They all do woodworking. I mean, you kinda have to if you're going to live in a forest and make your own home as well as furniture out of nearby trees."

Talon dipped his bread in the sauce of the Mawmenee prior to taking a big bite. "How 'bout ya, Malon?" He asked as he chewed up his food.

Stopping in the middle of scooping another bite, the red-headed farm girl stared at her father with an inquisitive look in her eye. For some reason, she was wondering if Talon knew of her budding relationship with Link. Then again, she soon figured she would've heard him going off on how his daughter was too young to be anybody's girlfriend. "What do you mean?" She asked as she held back embarrassment from imagining how it would play out once the adults knew she and Link kissed. "Just the same old, same old." Glancing over at the hero, she stared into his eyes for a split second, trying to see if he was ready to explain their romantic bond. "Ida's hoof is doing better."

"Ida's hoof?" Talon tittered "What's with ya two. That ain't no hobby, that's work. Only Link here seems ta know what one is. Have I really overworked ya two so darn much ya don' know how ta have any fun?"

As Malon's face slowly reddened, Link acknowledged her stare of intimation. Since she didn't give him any other hint, the young hylian boy assumed her blush was a signal that it was time to discuss the conversation they both dreaded. Interjecting his own opinion into the mix, he started by rescuing her from her goofy father. "Actually, Malon knows how to have fun too. She's always singing and humming. I think that's a remarkable talent and a really impressive hobby. Who doesn't like music? It's one of the things I love about her."

"Aww, thank you, Link." Malon smiled with reddened cheeks.

Smirking at the boy's choice of words, Talon chuckled coyly. "Ooh? Ya love somethin' 'bout her, eh?"

"Daddy-…" Malon tried to stop him from teasing Link. She was afraid that if her father spent too much time poking jests that the boy would become overwhelmed and unable to admit the truth of their amorous exchange. "Stop it."

"What?" Talon questioned in spite of knowing what he was doing. "I'm just sayin'. It's interestin' that Link feels this way about ya. Why, I'd say it's almost as if he's fallin' in love with ya." Ending with more chuckling, he began finishing off his bowl of food. With another sip of his spiced wine, he pointed over at the young hylian boy. "Which is definitely a good thin' since he's suppose' to marry ya whenever ya get older."

Ingo grunted without saying anything. Although he didn't speak, he knew something Talon didn't, something that would utterly change the way the big man was acting if he too knew.

"Daddy!" Malon fussed at her father for never knowing when to stop.

As he stood up from his seat, Talon gave another hearty chuckle. "I'm just sayin', darlin'!" Stopping in front of a wine keg on the kitchen countertop, the hefty farmer poured a medium carafe full before bringing it back over to the table. Before sitting down, he offered Ingo a serving, filling the man's empty water cup. Afterward, he filled his own cup with wine and then placed the carafe next to it. Taking his seat, he resumed eating by lifting the bowl up to his chin, greedily slurping down the remaining Mawmenee.

"You sure like to tease us about that, huh?" Link abruptly asked with a genuine curiosity.

Talon lowered the clay bowl away from his face to look at Link. Since he was an adult and had experience with children telling fibs, he could tell Link was trying to hide something. Clearing his throat and wiping his chin on his remaining piece of bread, he analyzed the boy's expression, seeing that he was definitely nervous, but also shy. It confused him almost as much as why Link had a tinge of rosiness to his cheeks. Looking over at his daughter, the farmer saw that she was far more flustered than the hero was, making her completely unable to finish her remaining meal. "I'm just teasin' both ya." He said to them in spite of still being totally unsure of why they were really acting in such a way. "What's the matter?"

Ingo rolled his eyes with a sigh. "You really can't tell? It isn't obvious?"

Malon and Link both stared at Ingo before at each other. The red-headed farmgirl chewed on her lower lip as her father narrowed his eyes at all of them, especially his embarrassed daughter.

"What are ya talkin' 'bout?" Talon just didn't get it and the wine he was drinking didn't help assist in the matter. What little inkling he had was polluted by concern for Link's adventures being true and Ingo's mental health. "What's obvious?"

"Link and I kissed!" Malon abruptly blurted out before slapping her hand over her mouth, eyes wide in shock over what she had just done.

The room quickly grew quiet except for the sound of Link dropping his spoon, which hit the edge of the table before bouncing down to the floor. Staring at Malon's look of sheer exasperation, Link threw his hands up in despair that she so suddenly ruined their plan to have a calm discussion with the adults about this. His racing heartbeat made his face redden further, coming close to matching the farmgirl's blush. Exhaling loudly through his nose, he tucked his lips and lowered his head. The young boy was horrified this was how he was going to start the conversation with Talon. Slapping his hand to his face from irritation, he pulled down, stretching his eyes, nose and mouth prior to ending with a long drawn out groan.

Malon knew she messed up by blurting it out like that. But, she didn't know why she did it. Something inside of her made her declare it without properly thinking. Still holding onto her mouth as if to silence herself, her eyes drifted from Link over to her father.

Talon's mouth was agape as he continued to eye the boy he'd so graciously taken into his ranch and acted as a caring foster father. His reaction was slow to register. Instead of a sharp cry of disbelief, he simply took a decent gulp of his wine and relished the taste by swishing it through his mouth. Once he placed his cup back onto the table, he too exhaled. Eventually he asked. "Is that true, Link? Ya kissed my daughter?"

Not saying a word or moving an inch, Link kept his head down as well as his arms. His frustration temporarily prevented him from speaking. Even though he heard Talon asking him, he didn't dare say a thing as he collected his thoughts.

Seeing the consequence of her brash action, from underneath the table, Malon gave Link's leg a gentle nudge with her foot. Getting her crush's attention, once the hero looked she pulled her hand away from her mouth in order to motion at her father, hoping Link would get the hint that he needed to answer.

After acknowledging Malon's nudge, Link cleared his throat and turned his head to Talon. In spite of being upset that the redhead made their plan more difficult, he proceeded onward the best he could. As a hero, he'd fought monsters and saved the world; yet none of that compared to the stress of telling a three hundred pound man that his adolescent daughter was in love and pressed lips with the only boy in the vicinity. Still, he did what he did best and summoned the needed courage to do what he had to do. With quivering lips and a face as red as a tomato, he piped up with a voice trembling like a cold deku shrub. "I… I promise, s-sir, it was just a small kiss."

"A small kiss?" Talon inquired as he chugged a bit of his wine, no longer taking gentle sips. "But, it was a kiss, right?"

"D-Daddy-..." Malon tried to butt in since she was sensing her father's anxiety levels rising.

Talon waved his hand at his daughter, hushing her. "Shh… I'm askin' Link." Finishing off what was left of his wine, he swiftly poured another, filling it right to the brim. Pushing himself away from the table, out of nowhere he stood up from his seat. Walking around the table to the other side where both kids sat, he stood in between the two for a few seconds, making both of them sweat with concern. When the overweight father laid his hand upon the hero's shoulder, the boy nearly jumped out of his chair. Leaning in a bit, Talon asked one more time. "Ya kissed my daughter?"

"Daddy, it was me!" Malon continued to try and lessen her father's reaction, thinking he was about to wring her new lover's neck until it was as thin as a cucco's. "I'm the one who kissed him!"

Not caring for the explanation, Talon leered over Link, who looked like he was about to wet himself in fright. "I'm talkin' 'ere, Darlin'."

"Yes, sir, Mr. Talon, sir." Link hesitantly replied as his shoulder was gently squeezed. "It just sort of happened."

"Please, Daddy! Don't hurt him!" Malon whined, fearing the absolute worst. "I love him!"

Ingo merely chuckled at the situation in advance of finishing off the last of his Mawmenee. The farmhand found it humorous. Grabbing his cup of wine for the show, he leaned back in his chair, watching to find out what was going to happen.

Talon's eye twitched along with his bushy mustache. "Hurt em'?" He repeated questioningly as he leaned closer and closer to the young boy. "I'm not gonna hurt em'. I'm gonna-..." Stopping short, his face reddened as he shook a bit in frustration. "I'm gonna-...!" Shaking more and more, he started to genuinely scare both Link and Malon. His left eye closed, yet his right eye was darting side-to-side as if he were desperately trying to comprehend what occurred between his beloved adolescent daughter and a strange forest boy. "I'm gonna-...!"

"Daddy!" Malon pleaded one last time.

Shooting open, the farmer's eyes went wide before a large smile formed across his face. Flaring his nostrils with a big exhale, he stopped stuttering and moved on by grabbing the hylian hero and pulling him into an embrace. "I'm gonna hug em'!"

Ingo busted out laughing at Link's terrified expression turned confused, enjoying the comedic scene.

Link, however, was still torn up by a mix of emotions. As horrified as he was about a man four times his size squeezing his shoulder with a morose demour, he was also as relieved to be brought into loving embrace as he was disoriented by it. For the time being, all he could do was accept the bear hug while trying not to have it squeeze his life away. His lopsided half-smile accompanied laboured breathing. Grunting from the pressure put on him, the boy still managed to say "Mr. Talon… What are you doing?!"

Lifting Link's small body off the chair, Talon crushed the kid to his chest before explaining his reaction. "I'm just so happy!"

"Happy?!" Malon inquired as she watched her father with awe. "You looked like you were about to rip his head off!"

"I'm sorry!" Talon apologized directly to Link as he continued to embrace the befuddled boy who was gasping for air. "It's just that this is great news! I've been so worried 'bout Malon because she ain't ever taken no interest in any other kid in Castle Town or anywhere else I brought her!"

Malon's face grew redder than a tomato as she listened to her father rant about her.

"She's has several boys askin' her out and she's always denyin' 'em." Talon laid it out for all to hear. "I was startin' ta think she didn't like boys 'til ya came 'long." Letting go of Link, the hefty farmer gave a shy smirk of embarrassment, rubbing the back of his head. "Not that there's anythin' wrong with that."

"God Goddess, Dad!" Malon exclaimed in embarrassment.

Link hit the floor with a thud and immediately took a deep breath since he was able to do so without Talon's restriction. Grabbing his chest, the hero pursed his lips as he got his breathing back under control. Returning to his feet, he soon crept back to his chair. Even though he was ecstatic that Malon's father wasn't about to wring his neck, he was still flabbergasted by the man's response. "You're not mad?" He wanted to clarify.

"No… No, 'course not." Talon sniggered with a coy look at his daughter. "I'm glad she has someone she's interested in. Besides, it ain't like I didn't suspect ya two. Honestly, I figured ya two were a perfect match; which is why I always insisted on teasin' ya two."

"Seriously!?" Malon's jaw metaphorically dropped.

"Cheers!" Ingo poked fun at the situation with laughter prior to downing the rest of his wine.

Malon's face was so flushed she looked ridiculous. Nonetheless, she shouted at the farmhand from the frustration her father presented to her. "Shut up, Ingo!"

Ingo proceeded to break into a fit of laughter as Talon was left to mop up the mess he'd made by not properly presenting his emotions. "Look, everybody just calm down." In spite of being the source of confusion, he gestured for calmness by gently waving his hands downward.

"You're a mess, Daddy!" Malon interjected as she began to settle down from worrying that the love of her life was about to be obliterated by her own father.

"I'm sorry, Darlin'!" Talon closed his eyes as he smiled wide with a cavalier disposition regarding the matter. Pressing his hands to his hips, he chuckled loudly. "I'm just so glad ya found someone ya can bond with." Once again placing his hand on Link's shoulder, his carefree spirit gave way to paternal instincts. "'course, I'm sure ya know there's still gonna be ground rules since ya two are just ten year olds." Squeezing the boy's shoulder a second time, he spat a bit of truth. "Everyone's still sleepin' in separate rooms so there ain't no hanky panky."

"Hanky panky!" Ingo slapped his knee from the slang term, enjoying the scenario so much he was ready to clap.

"INGO!" Malon shouted furiously.

"What's hanky panky?" Link lifted his eyebrow as he stared up at Talon.

The overweight farmer's face suddenly flushed as he kept his eyes closed, only smiling nervously now. "Uhh… Well-…" Coughing into his fist, he looked away from the bewildered young hylians. "It ain't a topic either of ya need ta concern yer'selves with at yer' ages." He regretted bringing it up or even using the term. Yet, he knew he needed to stay firm in his parenting by limiting the kids' romance until they were old enough to move on to more intimate acts of love.

"Oh come on, daddy." Malon went on the offense by teasing her father now that the man had backed himself into a corner. "If you're so proud of us, tell us what hanky panky is."

"I… Uhh-…" Talon was caught between a rock and a hard place since he was the one who initiated the bemusing conversation. Biting his lip, he mentally kicked himself for his crummy terminology. To have his own daughter ridiculing his parenting made him realize he needed to stop being skittish regarding the issue. "Like I said, ya don't need ta worry yer'selves 'bout what that is. There won't be any of it." He waggled his finger at them as he walked around the table to take his seat. Pouring himself as well as Ingo another cup of wine, he told them "All that ya need ta know is that I'll support ya two-..." Gulping his wine, he continued with "So long as ya keep to hand holdin' and kissin', I don't see anythin' wrong with ya'll, not in the least. It's healthy to have a crush."

"It's not a crush, Daddy!" Malon grumbled at Talon's poor choice of words. "I really love him!"

"She did go out of her way to rescue me." Link remarked, adding to the conversation.

Running his hand along his mustache, Talon chuckled. "'course she did. She's liked ya ever since that fateful day ya two met in Castle Town. It's why she not only rescued ya, she also kept yer' bandages changed, comforted ya durin' yer' nightmares and stayed with ya as much as possible until ya finally woke up." Winking at his embarrassed daughter, he proceeded to say. "I see why ya'd feel so strongly 'bout her. Ya 'ad to pay her back somehow, huh?" Bursting out into more laughter, he tried hard to stifle it before taking a sip of his spiced wine. By now the man had enough to feel a slight buzz from the alcohol, which was a good thing considering the topic at hand. "Like I said, it's normal for kids yer' age ta 'ave a bit a puppy love."

Ingo nodded as he poked his lips out, reminiscing the past. "Ah, I remember my girlfriends."

"Yeah, they all 'ad freckles." Talon poked fun at the farmhand. "We all know ya 'ave a type."

Nearly choking on his wine, Ingo coughed a bit out of shock in advance of coming up with a jab of his own. "Oh, look who's talking! All of yours were redheads!"

"That was just me leadin' up to Najiyah." Talon immediately waved dismissively, as if he were worried about what Malon would think if she knew he had a couple of girlfriends before he met her mother.

Sure enough, Malon was glowering at her father for being annoying. Only, it was for more than having been with women before her mother. The girl was still frustrated that he was treating her and Link as if they were simply infatuated with one another. She couldn't comprehend that Talon was trying to protect her while at the same time being a proper father, nor could she relate to his point of view due to her lack of age and experience. Nonetheless, from her point of view, she felt like she wasn't being taken seriously. In spite of how little her and Link had been together, in spite of it being her first relationship, she still wanted respect. "You're too tongue-in-cheek!" She shouted and pointed at both adults. "What gives you two the right to have had love and we can't even start!?"

The hefty farmer's smile quickly dissipated upon hearing how Malon felt. "Nobody is sayin' that ya cain't be in love, Pun'kin. I'm tryin' to make sure ya both understand that yer' feelin's for each other are natural. But, yer' also still incredibly young." Nodding over to his farmhand, he continued with "Ingo and I 'ave both been in several relationships over the years and we know that they don't always work out. That much should be obvious 'cause I had ya with yer' mother and not 'nother woman."

"It's going to be really awkward working together if you break up." Ingo declared with a tone of seriousness.

"What makes you so sure we're going to break up?!" Malon retorted, not giving them time to say anything else. "What if we're going to be together forever?! What if we're soulmates?!"

Talon lifted his cup in a mock toast gesture. "Here's ta hopin'. That'd be amazin' and ya'd be lucky." Brining the cup to his lips, he finished off what remained of his spiced wine. "Again, I ain't sayin' that neither of ya two can date. No. I'm glad yer' datin'. I'm glad ya feel like ya found someone ya can relate to, someone ya feel so strongly about and wanna be with. You're growin' into a woman, so it's natural for ya to want companionship." Glancing over at Link, he stated "Then again, yer' still a child and yer' emotions ain't mature 'nough ta truly know what's best for ya."

"I think I get what you're saying, Mr. Talon." Link relented to what was being said while also butting into the conversation to prevent an argument.

"What?!" Malon huffed with a crimson face. Her heart rate sped up even more as she worried about what the hero meant. "What are you saying?!" She demanded to know with fear in her eyes.

As Talon and Ingo both watched the juveniles, Link took a moment to try and calm Malon down. The young hero gently grabbed the farmgirl's hand. "I'm saying that he's just trying to protect us." Slowly cupping his hand over hers, he waited for her to settle down prior to continuing "It's like when the Great Deku Tree told me that I couldn't leave the forest because I was too young. He knew that I was going to become an adult someday and that I'd venture beyond Kokiri Village, but for the time being I was too young. I didn't get that at first because I was only seven and eight when I started wanting to wander. I didn't see that he was keeping my safety in mind. Even though he told me what he did about kokiri being physically incapable of leaving for my sake, I was too caught up in the fact that he lied to realize it was necessary to keep my existence secret until my journeys began." Entwining his fingers with hers, he explained "It's only now, years later, that I can see he was doing everything for my benefit."

"But, Link-..." Malon tried to get the hero to see that the situation wasn't the same and that it was merely her father being facetious. "I just want them to respect that our relationship is real and not laugh at us."

"Oh, darlin'." Talon swiftly interjected. "I promise that I ain't laughin' at ya. I'm laughin' 'cause I always suspected ya two would get together and I was right. After all, it's why I teased ya both so often." Smiling at her, he reassured the farmgirl that he wasn't being dismissive of their relationship. "I'm yer' father. I'd never laugh at ya."

Returning to her seat, by now the redheaded girl's food had gotten cold. Just as well since the entire ordeal made her lose her appetite. Were it not for Link, she would have kept berating Talon for his lousy reaction to their newly formed bond. Looking down at his hand on hers and their fingers pressed together, she started feeling embarrassed instead of upset. Up until then, they hadn't shown any physical signs of their intimacy to either adults. She felt shy just holding his hand.

"You promise?" She asked her father.

Talon nodded with a confident smile. "I promise."

Link gave Malon's hand a small squeeze before gradually pulling away. While still looking at her, he said. "Plus, it'll be all the better to prove them wrong whenever we're still together thirty years from now." Picking up his bowl of luke-warm Mawmenee, he finished it by slurping it down since his spoon had been dirtied by dropping it.

Finally, Malon's smile resurfaced. Although small, she giggled at the thought of her and the hero being together for several decades. Feeling better knowing Talon wasn't being flippant to her, she came to realize that they had rather successfully discussed the matter they were both dreading. Link wasn't strangled, which was a good thing. Even though the conversation didn't go as planned, it did happen and their relationship was out in the open. Sticking her tongue out at her father, she proceeded to give him a taste of his own medicine by teasingly showing him up. "That's right! We'll show you, we'll show both of you! What we have together is special!"

Standing up from his seat, Link walked around collecting the empty bowls that were in front of everyone. Taking them over to the counter, he placed them in a neat stack next to the wash basin. "You never know, Mr. Talon. It could be us running this place someday."

"Oho!" Talon enjoyed the ribbing. "Ya keep cleanin' up 'round here like that and I just might retire early! Ya two can take over while I go polish rocks with Ingo."

"Hey-..." Ingo butted in. "I'm telling you, it's super relaxing."

Malon snickered through her nose. "You're totally hopeless, daddy."

As Link came back to the table to collect everyone's cup, he stopped next to Malon as her father and Ingo bantered back and forth about eventually getting too old to run the place. Leaning down to her, he whispered in her ear. "I think that went well, huh?"

Looking up at him, she smiled wide before blushing from his close proximity. "Yeah. Sorry about blowing it earlier… It… umm-..." Stopping to collect her thoughts, she rubbed the back of her head from all the awkwardness. "It just kinda slipped out." Even though she felt shame for ruining their plans, she didn't feel nearly as bashful about admitting it anymore. In fact, now that it was out in the open, she felt a new sense of confidence knowing she had the support of her airheaded father and the gruff Ingo.

However, in spite of the wild ride of emotions taking place indoors causing them to forget about the outside world for a moment, a sudden heavy knock on the farmhouse door caused them all to stop what they were doing. Since it was a beautiful sunny noon, it wasn't uncommon for friends of Talon or potential buyers to show up at the ranch to inspect the stock. Most waited at the gate until one of the family came to greet them. But, there were occasions where the individual would come right up to the farmhouse. What was strange was that none of them heard the old loud gate creaking open. They came to assume they were merely too busy chewing fat to hear. Nonetheless, this still seemed to be an unannounced visit as nobody had said or could recall inviting anyone to come that day.

"Did ya invite somebody?" Talon inquired toward Ingo.

"No, I thought you did." Ingo responded.

Link shrugged before asking "Do you want me to get it?"

As another set of knocks ensued, Talon stood up from his seat and made his way over toward the wooden front door. "Nah, I got it. Let's see who it could be."

Upon opening the door, they were met with the sight of a familiar woman. There standing there was a tall gerudo lady wearing an off white knee-high sirwal and a shoulderless cross-top exposing her tanned midriff. Her yellow eyes directed themselves forward, accentuated by her golden large hoop earrings and the ambered jewel embedded in her forehead. The pink lipstick on her luscious lips curved as she smirked.

"Auntie Nabooru!" Malon happily exclaimed as she shot up from the table and ran over to the gerudo woman, lunging forward to give a tremendous hug.

Nabooru barely managed to catch the giddy farmgirl, grunting from the impact in advance of returning the hug. "Malon! Goodness girl, you get bigger every time I see you." Wrapping her long arms around Malon, she squeezed her tightly and even gave her a big kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry it took me so long to come back for a visit. Things have been super hectic."

"It has been a while." Talon stated as he crossed his arms, but smiled. "It's good ta see ya, Nabooru."

Showing off her strength, the gorgeous gerudo held Malon to her chest with one arm as she laid her free hand on Talon's shoulder. Winking at him, she said "You too, Talon. You look as good as ever."

Talon's face flushed as he stared at Nabooru with a tad infatuation of his own for the woman. Smiling wide, he also chuckled heartily. "Oh please… I've just gotten fatter as I've gotten older."

"I hope I get as tall as you when I'm older, Auntie!" Malon beamed a smile of her own as she stared upward, sharing her hopeful thinking in spite of being a third her aunt's size.

Nabooru flipped the farmgirl's crimson hair back prior to delicately combing her fingers through it. "You get prettier and prettier every time I see you, hon'. No matter how tall you get, I know you'll be a stunning vai with all the voe fawning over you."

As Malon's face reddened, Talon spoke up for her with a simple "Yeah, 'bout that. Yer' niece has already found herself one."

"And he's a doozy." Ingo poked with rosy cheeks as he finished off the spiced wine by drinking directly from the carafe. "Seriously."

Putting Malon back onto her feet, the gerudo woman's jaw dropped in surprise from hearing the astounding news. "That's amazing!" She complimented, making the farmgirl fidget from shyness. "I'm so proud of you! You've got to give me all the juicy details. Who is it? How old is he? How did it happen? Where does he live?" Giggling, Nabooru exaggerated her facial expressions as she leaned down with her hand by her mouth for privacy, whispering "Is he rich or famous?"

Malon giggled as she grinned and nervously curled some of her hair around her index finger. "You're silly! He's my age, but he's really amazing!" Losing herself for a moment, the young hylian gushed over the boy she found herself in love with. "He's an adventurer that's traveled the kingdom! Even at his age, he's trained with the Knight's of Hyrule and is friends with the leader of the gorons! He's so dreamy, auntie! He's cute and handsome at the same time and he's super strong!"

"Wow! An adventurer?" Nabooru inquired as she bent down on one knee to be at her niece's eye level. "He's the same age as you too? That's amazing. Most young hylian voe are too scared to leave Castle Town."

"Yeah!" Malon stayed hyped up as she disclosed everything to her aunt. "Now he's staying here at the ranch and helping us!"

Nabooru glanced up at Talon with a raised eyebrow, curious about the man's actions. "There's another voe staying here now?"

"I… uhh-..." Talon stammered. "I can explain."

"I insisted he stay with us." Malon intervened without realizing it, only thinking about how much she figured the gerudo would be impressed once she explained the entire story. "He was sick from going into the Forbidden Forest without a fairy, so the kokiri told me to keep him far away until he recovered. I assumed the ranch was far enough and it looks like I was right." Placing her hands to her hips, she poked her chest out from feeling powerful. "Then I convinced him to stay here and help out."

Nabooru's smile vanished, completely replaced by confusion. Her lips wiggled a bit as she struggled to find proper wording. Eventually, she settled on asking the most important question. "The Forbidden Forest? You went there?" She pointed at the farmgirl. "When did this happen?! Why!?"

"About a month ago." Malon replied nonchalantly. "He had borrowed Epona for an adventure and when she came back without him, I followed her to the forest to rescue him."

Standing back up, Nabooru glared at Talon. Even though Malon was proud of herself for all she'd done, her gerudo aunt was horrified to know that her niece wasn't prevented from trying to do something so dangerous, especially by herself. "And you let this happen?" She frowned while crossing her arms. "You didn't stop her from going into one of the most dangerous places in Hyrule?"

Talon waved his hands to defend himself. "Whoa whoa whoa, I tried to stop 'er but I wasn't fast 'nough. That girl went berserk over this boy bein' missin' and did all this on her own. It's not like I didn't yell at her, she just didn't care." Pointing behind himself toward Ingo, he said "I sent Ingo after 'er on horseback, but he didn't know where she went."

"I found him and got to Hyrule Field before Ingo found me." Malon explained.

"What's his name?" Nabooru asked.

Malon wasted no time in replying "Link! His name is Link and he's amazing!"

Nabooru blinked a few times while poking her lips out. "Hmm. Link-…" Rubbing her hand to her chin, she had an odd feeling course through her as she pondered the name. "That sounds really familiar."

With a small shriek of embarrassment, Malon realized that her and her aunt had been standing there talking about him the entire time while the boy was still standing off to the side, not even having been noticed by the gerudo yet. "I got so excited you were here that I forgot he was here too!" Taking the opportunity, the farmgirl shook away the stomach butterflies and moved to grab her newfound lover. Taking Link by the arm, she giggled as she brought him before Nabooru. "This is him!"

Link smiled shyly as he was unsure how to react. Since the tanned beauty was a sage, he didn't know if she retained any memories from the future-to-be. Plus, it was still a shock that she was Malon's aunt. He knew the farmgirl's mother was a gerudo, but never in his wildest dreams would he have suspected she was of relation to the second-in-command of Ganondorf's army. "Umm… Hey." He slowly waved.

Upon witnessing the young man being presented to her, Nabooru's eyes widened and her pupils shrunk to pinpoints as she gasped. Eyeing the hero from his head to his toes, she quickly ascertained the young hylian matched the description written by her dark lord. 'A young hylian or possibly a kokiri boy, between the height of three-foot to four-foot, blonde hair, blue eyes, wears green clothing with a green cap.' She mentally recapped the details. 'Is this him? No way I found him the first location I went; living with my niece of all the places.' Aside from the immediate similarities to the report from Ganondorf, the gerudo woman noted how his appearance also felt familiar. Nonetheless, seeing that he wasn't overly impressive in stature, she proceeded to wonder why her king was searching for someone the likes of him. 'There's no way this is the boy Lord Dragmire has been fretting over. He's a pipsqueak.'

"I've seen you before." Nabooru stated.

Link nodded. Although he still wasn't sure how much she remembered, he knew for certain they had met at least once there in their current timeline. "Yeah. We met at the Desert Colossus a while back."

Although she was still suspicious of him, Nabooru kept it secret, choosing to instead remark on his adventuring. "Oh, right! I remember that now. You were the boy I tried to get to find the Silver Gauntlets for me." Recalling the events that transpired afterward, she thought about how she was unable to await his return as she was called away by her master. Yet, things grew fuzzy after that. Ganondorf was yelling at her and then Koume and Kotake tried to cast a spell on her. She remembered thinking it was odd the spell didn't seem to have much of an effect. At the time, she thought they might have been trying to intimidate her. Either way, it turned out to be a big distraction, so big that she nearly forgot about having asked Link to get the Silver Gauntlets for her. "Sorry about not being there when you returned. Honestly, I forgot about you…" Staring at him, she said "I almost thought I imagined you or that you were some figment produced by the Spirit Temple."

"No, that was me." Link chuckled with a smile.

She tried to stop herself from visibly lifting her eyebrow due to surmising the boy's attitude. "What were you doing there?"

"I'm an adventurer." The hero swiftly replied in an attempt to keep the gerudo woman from knowing too much about him. "I go all over the place looking for people to help."

"Sounds like a hedge knight." Nabooru retorted.

Link proved he was smarter than the average kid his age by interjecting with "More like a missionary for the Golden Goddesses."

A smirk slowly overtook Nabooru's lips from finding out the boy was rather intelligent. "Is that how you managed to get past all the guards in our town? By the grace of your goddesses?"

Waiting a few moments, despite it soaking in, Link was still confused by what the woman was asking. "What?"

"You're stronger and smarter than you look, but you're still a voe." Nabooru explained. "Unless you scaled the Geldo Mountain Range, you had to have come through our town. You don't have a holodrummer accent, so you didn't come from that way either. No. You braved the Haunted Wasteland so you must have come from Hyrule." Returning to the point, she told him "You couldn't have waltzed through the town because, other than Lord Dragmire, males are forbidden from even stepping foot on our land."

He knew he couldn't simply tell the speculative woman that he was taught a warping song, the Requiem of Spirit, by Zelda who was posing as Sheik. It was unlikely she'd believe he could use an ocarina to transport himself around anyhow. "I have my methods." Was all he said, deciding against divulging anything else. "Sometimes being small is a good thing because you can get into areas bigger people can't." Although he was only saying that to divert Nabooru's attention, he continued to prove his point by using the topic to his advantage. "After all, that's how I managed to get the Silver Gauntlets in the first place. That means you still owe me something great."

"Something great?" Talon grew skeptical.

Nabooru giggled with a small blush of her own. Looking away from the young hylian boy, she could recall saying that to him during her time in the Desert Colossus. The gerudo woman was only teasing him back then and intended on giving him a few rupees or maybe a kiss to the cheek. On the other hand, now that she knew Link was someone important as well as her niece's new boyfriend, she decided to fulfill her promise in a different way. "I never actually got the gauntlets to use on what I needed them for since I was called away by Lord Dragmire, but seeing as you obviously fulfilled your end of the bargain." Puckering her lips, she gave her index and middle finger a nice smooch. "How's this?" Afterward, she gently pressed those two fingers to the boy's lips, transferring the kiss by touch.

Link's eyes widened as his face flushed red. Shaking his head in shock from the sudden flirtation, he backed away a bit with the hopes that someone would save him from the situation.

"Hey!" Malon pouted from having witnessed her love being hit on. "Auntie! That's my hero!"

"Hero?" Nabooru abruptly enquired. "I thought you said he was an adventurer?"

"Well, he is-..." The farmgirl tried to clarify. "He's an adventurer and a hero. Like I said, he's trained with the Knight's of Hyrule and I'm pretty sure he's met The King and Princess Zelda!"

Staring at the boy, the gerudo's golden pupils zoned in on Link's blue eyes. Looking at his face again, she had flickers of images in her mind. Almost like deja-vu, memories surfaced from nowhere of a man that greatly resembled the kid in front of her. The image of that man lined up perfectly with Malon's new boyfriend. She wasn't exactly sure what she was seeing, but figured it was a premonition bestowed upon her by the Goddess of Sand. All of a sudden, other mental pictures flashed before her eyes. Nabooru saw herself looking out the visor of a Iron Knuckle, Koume and Kotake transforming into Twinrova, Ganondorf fighting a man resembling a grown version of her niece's crush and then the mythical as well as legendary monster-beast Ganon roaring from atop a ruined Hyrule Castle. A cold chill immediately ran down her spine from the dream-like memories.

In spite of still not confirming everything, since Link not only resembled the description written by her king and was the only male to have successfully snuck through Gerudo Fortress and the surrounding town, the strange visual portents and gut feeling made the desert dweller take the assumption to heart. "This might sound strange, but I think I'm supposed to be looking for you."

"Me?" Link asked.

Nabooru nodded while trying to keep herself calm. "Did you know that Lord Dragmire wants to capture you? He's sent out several soldiers to look for you."

"WHAT!?" Talon nearly fell over as he stuttered in a stupor "T-The King of the Gerudo really does have beef with Link?" He slapped the palm of his hand to his forehead, exhaling hard enough to blow the hair on the back of Malon's head. "I'm nevah' gonna get used ta ya really bein' this Hero of Time ya spoke of."

"I'm not surprised." Link responded to what Nabooru asked. "He's gotta be furious since I foiled his plans in front of The King."

"That was you?!" Nabooru exclaimed questioningly.

Link just chuckled. "What can I say, I'm quite the adventurer and it was a chance to be a hero."

"No, no, no…" Nabooru proceeded to lament. "You don't understand. No matter what you said to get him kicked out of Hyrule, you haven't stopped him. He's still planning an entire invasion to take over."

All of their attitudes changed in a heartbeat upon hearing that, especially Link's. Even though he had hoped it wasn't true, he speculated that the lord of evil might be planning something atrocious like this. With all that had happened since his days as Hero of Time, he had merely convinced himself that the quiet meant Ganondorf had given up his lust for conquering the realm. However, knowing now that he'd only delayed the inevitable, the boy feared for the rest of the kingdom no matter if the Triforce had been stolen or not. Even without access to the Sacred Realm, the wicked king of gerudo remained insanely formidable. With just the Triforce of Power, he could easily raze half the land in less than a week.

No matter what, Link knew he couldn't allow any events that would cause the timeline to resemble the one he'd fought so hard to prevent. In fact, he could feel motivation rising from within him to once again take up the mantle as Champion of Hyrule. The goddesses might not have debriefed him on this nor does he currently have the guidance of the Great Deku Tree, nonetheless, it was his destiny to protect not only the kingdom from evil, but the entire realm as well.

Unlike Nabooru, Link could still envision the future with fantastic clarity. He could see the memories of Castle Town being burnt to a crisp. The boy could recall the shuffling ReDeads moaning amongst the scattered bones of those that once resided there. Just remembering that over half the population of Hyrule had been wiped out in a systematic genocide made the young man want to puke. Every soul he'd saved from death was being given a new lease on life. It would put him to shame to see that all he had worked for would in the end be for naught if the near future was only interested in restoring Lord Dragmire to power.

Balling his hands into fists, Link proclaimed. "I'll stop him."

"What? How?" Malon asked out of genuine curiosity.

"By heading there right now." Link laid it out bluntly. "I'll find him and kill the son-of-a-bitch."

Grabbing his arm, Malon pulled the boy over to her with worry in her eyes. "But, Link, you're just a kid. Didn't you say whenever you fought him, you were an adult?"

Sighing, Link admitted that the hylian girl was correct. "Yeah and I also utilized the Master Sword against him-... which I don't currently have." For a split second, he worried that he couldn't do it. He understood that he was far too young to have the same level of strength he did in the future, nor did he have the sages or a holy relic to assist in the fight with the desert king. "I can still do it." He hyped himself up anyway. "I can defeat him because the Triforce of Courage resides in my heart."

"No!" Malon insisted. "I won't let you go!"

"She's right." Nabooru spoke before clarifying herself. "You might be this great adventurer who feels ready to take on the world. But, Lord Dragmire feels similar. He's amassing soldiers and intending to use the Goddess of Sands to conjure minions to do his bidding."

"Goddess of Sands?" Link scrutinized the gerudo's knowledge before deeming it either a lie or misinformation on her behalf. "That's just what he's saying as a cover-up for his real actions. He's not pleading for help to any goddesses, he's trying to figure out a way to steal the Triforce and gain access to the Sacred Realm. Once he does, he'll be practically unstoppable. He'll destroy the entire kingdom." Gritting his teeth, he continued to try and stay calm no matter how much subtle anger was brewing within him. "Which is why I have to go do something about it right now. The sooner the better."

Were it not for her being aware that Ganondorf was utterly obsessed with the Triforce, the tanned gerudo probably wouldn't believe that the only voe of their race was out for himself more than the people he was supposed to lead. Fortunately, she also recollected the books he was reading when she was in his personal chamber. Because of those signs, she had to admit to herself that what the boy said made sense considering the Dragmire's unquenchable lust for dominance.

Thinking about it made another round of images flash before Nabooru's eyes. Suddenly she saw herself fighting other gerudo from within the armored suit of an Iron Knuckle. She saw her people starving and thirsting, economically cut off from the outside world and socially shunned by the other species. 'What is wrong with me?' She thought, trying to stop the feelings and mental pictures. 'Am I suffering an illness or is it really the Goddess of Sand giving me premonitions?' Pondering the validity of the latter, she wondered 'Is Lord Dragmire really evil? Selfish, cocky, cunning and arrogant; he's definitely all those, but I always thought he knew what he was doing, that he was the best the gerudo had to offer.'

Although she desperately tried to put an end to the flood of dream-like memories, she couldn't. Once again, another barrage of images flickered through her mind, showing her Koume and Kotake hypnotizing her using a spell that eerily resembled the one they tried to put on her a while back in the Spirit Temple. That memory seemed to meld with the previous one regarding her fighting in an Iron Knuckle suit. Together the two told the story of her being hypnotized by those witches to do bad things. She never trusted them but Nabooru always respected them as Ganondorf's surrogate mothers. Since the premonition continued to suggest nefarious intent among all three, the suspicions that her king was truly evil began to deeply embed itself into her conscience.

'If he really is a hero, a hero of legend, then maybe he really is who I'm supposed to be looking for; to help my people.' Nabooru admitted the possibility that she was being guided by a greater power. 'Maybe the Goddess of Sand directed me here. Maybe all of this was one big drawn out plan from above, a series of events laid out by fate.' Looking at Link again, her mind ached from seeing the image of the older version juxtaposed upon his face. It was definitely him she was envisioning. 'He has to be.' Just like before, the images zoomed by. This time, however, they moved so fast every frame put together made a movie of a battle between herself and adult Link. At first, it spooked her because she didn't understand why she would be fighting him since she suspected he was telling the truth. She only managed to understand more when she thought about the other memories of her being sent into a trance by black magic. Before long, she could see herself being defeated by him. Not only that, she also saw him absolutely destroy Twinrova, killing Koume and Kotake in the process. 'Even Lord Dragmire wouldn't want to argue with those two and this kid took them out when he was barely an adult?'

Finally, the premonition moved on to her awakening as the Sage of Spirit. At first, immediately after the battle, the gerudo was on death's door. But, Link didn't leave her behind. The hero found her unconscious on his way out of the temple, still laying in wait for Koume and Kotake to brainwash her again in spite of their untimely death. Instead of walking past her, he brought her out of the Spirit Temple and into the light. Without his kindness, she never would have made it or would still be hypnotized into being a dark knight.

Nabooru saw herself being summoned to a strange realm full of pillars and lights. There was an elderly hylian man there guiding her to come find the Chamber of Sages. Somehow she gained knowledge of the location as well as her destiny. For the first time since she was a young vai on the dating scene, she returned to Castle Town. Unlike back in her teenage days, what she witnessed in place of a bustling hylian city was a derelict husk of what once was. More shivers went down her spine as the visions showed her the atrocities committed by her own leader. Monsters proliferated what used to be the heart of the entire kingdom. It was barely safe to travel the roads, much less stay out in the open.

An image of the Temple of Time flashed into her mind. Suddenly she recalled going into it and finding the place pristine. Despite the decayed ruins of the town around her, the temple was in immaculate condition, without even a speck of dust. Never before had Nabooru worshiped anyone other than the gerudo patron deity, the Goddess of Sand. Yet, she saw herself praying in front of an altar where three gems resided. While in the process of beseeching the hylian pantheon, the battle-weary woman found herself teleported to that same Chamber of Sages her augury previously presented to her.

She got a better look at the realm this time, seeing the platform she stood on was a giant crystal embedded into a fountain floating in the middle of a cascading void of misty blue twilight. In the surrounding vicinity were other fountains, but those had a pillar of light shining from amongst the heavens. Another mental movie played of herself being informed of her purpose by the elderly hylian man who called himself Rauru. She could still hear the man's voice explaining that 'her fate as the Sage of Spirit was to lend her power to Link, the prophesized Hero of Time.' Her head was suddenly filled with knowledge pertaining to the subject. Even though she was never taught the prophecy, she was granted supernatural intuition of knowing who the hero was as well as how important he is.

There in modern day, after being presented with all those recollections, she was horrified to find herself working under the leadership of a harbinger for death. Nabooru knew she was supposed to respect royalty, to honour the tradition of the only male gerudo being declared king for life, yet she was also positive that nothing their current dictator did or was capable of doing would ever be of benefit to her people. He didn't have near the moral integrity as his predecessor. As her suspicions had always speculated, Ganondorf was too corrupted by evil to ever do any good. Seeing a premonition of future events regarding the destruction of Hyrule by his hands, she trusted the lord of thievery even less now. On the other hand, now that she knew the boy standing in front of her was the heroic man from her premonition, it boosted her confidence to continue doing everything within her power to restore her race to their previous heightened glory.

"You're forgetting that you won't be able to simply waltz in Gerudo Town." Nabooru stated the obvious. "You're a voe and would be spotted immediately. They'd ring the alarm and the whole place would be on high alert. No way you can get close enough without being seen by a single person."

Link crossed his arms with a grumble. "What if I don't go to Gerudo Town? What if I make my way to the Desert Colossus again? I'm sure he's probably still using the Spirit Temple as his hideout, huh?" He asked the woman. "That way I could avoid any encounters with the guards. I could hunt him down outside city limits and surprise him with a death strike."

At first, Nabooru was surprised the boy knew the Spirit Temple was where Ganondorf's secret lair was. Then again, the implication shown to her gave further insight into the fact that the child in front of her had far more to him than initially met her eye. She shouldn't have been surprised anyhow considering she initially encountered Link skulking about in the entrance of the Desert Colossus. "He still goes, but hasn't been there recently." She revealed. "Going would be taking a chance, a hit or miss that he'd be there." Shaking her head, she imagined the difficulty the hero would have in trying to locate Lord Dragmire on his own turf. No matter what situation she thought of, she foresaw complications from outside sources. If the Link really was sent by the goddesses, even if it wasn't her own goddess, Nabooru knew she had to ensure he survived to defeat the evil plaguing her kind.

"It's too dangerous." Malon interjected as she gripped Link's arm tighter, proving to him that she didn't intend to let go. "I won't allow you to go this time! There's no way I could save you if something happened!"

"Malon…" Link started to plead.

The farmgirl shook her head right away, not even bothering to listen to what he had to say. "No, Link. You're not going. You're staying here with me." Rapidly trying to come up with another solution, her eyes lit up before she said "Why don't we tell The Royal Family this is happening? They'll be able to stop it, won't they?"

"No…" Link replied. "I won't bother them again. At best, they'd not believe us. Worse case, they'd believe us but will start a war with the gerudo in order to draw out Ganondorf. That'll just result in untold deaths, both soldiers and innocents."

Shaking her head, Malon kept trying to think. "There has to be something else, some other way!"

"Malon, I have to do this." Link laid it out. "This isn't for me, it's for the kingdom. It's my destiny."

"What about OUR destiny!?" Malon fretted over losing the boy to Ganondorf's superiority.

Seeing the young hylian girl so distraught over the possibility of never seeing her newfound boyfriend again, Nabooru's eyes squinted, her jaw muscles clenched and her nostrils flared. Witnessing how enamored her niece was with him, she knew she'd feel absolutely awful if she was in any way responsible for his death. Besides that, just as she had aforementioned, she also took into account how it would be close to impossible for the hero to reach the demon king unscathed and without harming any innocents, nor could he currently kill Ganondorf without causing a war. Thinking deeper on the matter, now that she knew who the hero was and what her king had in plan, she realized she could definitely be of use acting on lookout for new developments.

"What if I spied on him for you?" She abruptly wondered.

Link was caught off guard from what the gerudo woman said. His eyebrows lowered as his eyes narrowed a bit. Even though he was pretty sure she wasn't diabolical like her master, seeing how she was so forthcoming in informing them of the brewing troubles, he still wanted to make sure she wasn't fiendish enough to stab him in the back by disclosing all of this to Ganondorf. "Why would you do that? Aren't you supposed to be reporting my location?"

Nabooru was quick to chastise the notion. "Not even close. I might serve under Lord Dragmire, but my loyalty lies in my people." Her lips quivered for a moment as she had another series of images flicker through her head regarding the plight of her race. "We're suffering because his aggressive diplomacy backfired in his arrogant face. Since we've been blacklisted, we haven't been able to import or even trade the majority of our most basic necessities. We're hungry, thirsty and cut off from the outside world." Hanging her head in sadness, she sighed prior to looking back up at the boy. "He's not going to stop, you know? He's never going to give up his quest for power and I've started to think he's only using us for nefarious purposes, as a means to an end. Something has to change and if that's ousting the man responsible for it all, then I'm for it."

"So, you'll be a double agent?" Link asked.

Nodding her head, Nabooru said "Yes. I'll keep your location a secret from him and try to throw him off your trail for as long as possible. When I get the chance, I'll come back and fill you in on everything that I find out."

"That-..." Link started to object prior to realizing the idea wasn't a bad one. "That might actually work."

"Yeah." Nabooru confirmed. "That way you can stay here until the time is right to strike. Since I'm second-in-command, I'll know whenever he goes somewhere easy to-… well… you know… eliminate him; preferably at a place that'll minimize casualties."

"Agreed." Link found no problem to mention.

Malon was exceedingly pleased with how the situation unfolded, obviously glad that her boyfriend wasn't going to risk his life by going on a weeklong adventure to a region incredibly hostile to members of his gender. "So, it's settled?"

Nabooru placed her hand upon Malon's shoulder and gently squeezed it prior to giving the intrepid farmgirl a kiss on her cheek. "Yes, sweetheart. I won't put your voe in danger."

"Aww!" Malon exclaimed with glee.

Even though he understood and came to terms with what the gerudo woman did, Link remained anxious. In spite of his new love's desire to keep him in perpetual safety there at the ranch, he knew that the day he'd have to leave to fulfill his fate was coming sooner than he anticipated. He might have gone through the wringer to complete the job in the adult timeline, the future's past, yet he was going to have to tie up loose ends there in their current timeline too. That hope he once held that the demon-king was no longer a threat dissolved. Ganondorf absolutely needed to be assassinated; there was no other way to ensure the safety of the realm.

His eyes twitched as he suddenly realized the dark version of himself was correct about Ganondorf having to be subdued. The heroic boy had done battle with all the bosses of Hyrule's elemental temples, faced off against Majora and his own doppelganger; but Ganondorf was an entirely different threat. Unlike the shadowy apparition's impact, Ganondorf was capable of immense damage to not only society, the environment as well. The evil gerudo's access to the Triforce of Power made him a far more formidable foe than any of the others.

"Ganondorf has to be stopped." Ingo piped up from where he still sat at the dining table. The farm hand's experience in the matter gave him the knowledge to know precisely how diabolical the desert king is. "I've seen it in my dreams; his lust for power and his conquest upon the land. If he isn't stopped, he'll destroy everything. The man is intent on annihilating Castle Town and I refuse to be a slave again-… or… you know… like I foresaw." Although he still had trouble processing what happened, Ingo knew better than to want or let his nightmares become reality. "He has to be stopped."

Nabooru scrutinized what the farmhand was saying. Not only was she surprised that he had some form of premonition similar to her own, she was more sure than ever that they weren't just potential omens, they were actual memories of a time that hadn't happened yet. Whether or not it was the Goddess of Sand or one of the hylian's Golden Goddesses, it seemed to her that a deity was definitely providing her a sixth sense of seeing into the future. It also appeared to be happening to other people, which made her wonder if it had a bigger meaning. Nonetheless, she took the message at face value by committing to her role as a spy for the only person who can take on the might of Lord Dragmire; even if that person was currently a child who needed to grow into his own destiny. However, until she figured out exactly what was happening, she decided to keep all that she knew a secret from him.

Link wasn't ignorant though. The young hero knew how to decypher body language. He could easily spot Nabooru's unease. It was only due to her skillful deceit that he remained unaware of precisely what the gerudo was so distressed over. Considering the level of stress she was under from Ganondorf, he assumed that was the cause.

"I'll stop him." The hero stated with confidence. "I can do it."

"When the time is right." Nabooru added.

Talon was stunned by the developments. Even though he wasn't sure what to say, he felt left out of the conversation. Walking over to the table, he grabbed his cup and the decanter. "So, does this mean we're rebels or freedom fighters now?" Refilling the pitcher with spiced wine, he mumbled under his breath "I need more alcohol to deal with this."

"Bring that over here when you're done." Ingo requested, referring to the spiced wine as he too wanted to be inebriated after learning about the brewing war between gerudo and hylians.

Nabooru and Link both spoke at the same time, informing the heavyweight farmer of what he needed to do. "No." The two looked at one another for their similar thinking in advance of Nabooru continuing "Link and I need all of you to stay quiet about this. You can't go yammering with your friends about this. If the wrong person finds out and word gets to Ganondorf about this, I'll be executed for treason-..."

Malon gasped at the thought before interrupting with an exclamation. "No! I don't want to lose you too, Auntie!"

As the farmgirl received a hug from her gerudo aunt, Nabooru looked directly at Link as she said "I don't plan to go anywhere, my sweetheart. But, we need to keep this a secret." As she stood back up, she cupped her hand to Malon's cheek prior to resuming. "It won't just be me that you'll lose if Ganondorf finds out. I'm not exactly sure what his plans are for Link, I just know they aren't pleasant."

"By the goddesses…" Talon gave Ingo the pitcher of spiced wine before plopping down on the nearby couch

"This is getting too real." Ingo chimed in. "Maybe we should leave Hyrule."

Without delay, Talon bursted into laughter; likely a bit off from all the wine he'd recently consumed. "Yeah right! That's a joke!"

The grumpy farmhand grunted at the laughter toward his idea, shouting back with "Hey! It's not a joke! There's no reason why we have to stay here and get annihilated by a maniac."

"No reason?!" Talon grew a tad irate over Ingo's willingness to abandon the ranch. "I've done put my life's work inta this ranch. That bastard's gonna hafta tear this place from my cold dead hands if he thinks he's gonna take it from me or run me off of my own property."

Ingo quickly stood up. As he slammed his cup down on the table, some of the wine sloshed out. "You don't understand, Talon! You're not listening to us! Ganondorf isn't to be trifled with!" Pointing at the ten-year old hylian girl, he got dark in order to stress the seriousness of the situation. "He'll use Malon as leverage! He'll either threaten to kill her or whore her out to some filthy fucking freak!"

Malon's lip curled upward in disgust even though she was terrified of such an occurrence. The mere notion had her subconsciously gripping onto her boyfriend even harder.

With a quivering lip, Talon's eyes blinked from the surprise of Ingo's response. Although he didn't expect such depravity, it definitely made him think about how he could be manipulated easier than he thought. Since his daughter was his heart and soul, he wouldn't dare risk doing anything that would endanger her. "For the love of Nayru." The big farmer uttered as he slapped his hand to his face. "What are we gonna do?"

"We're going to stay right here." Link retorted while pointing down in reference to their location, breaking up the two hylian adult's squabble. "Nobody is going to force us out, not on my watch."

"You really think you ca-..." Talon was about to interject how he didn't believe a child could protect his family. However, he cut himself short as he was forced to reconcile with the fact that Link was more capable than he ever could have imagined. "Damn. I don't want to, but I have to admit that you're-... you're something else, that's for sure."

Nabooru saw more flashes of the Hero of Time fighting Ganondorf. Just the foresight of their battle against evil was enough to instill hope in his abilities. "Don't underestimate Link."

Link once again looked curiously at the gerudo woman, wondering why she'd say such a thing unless she had memories of his past achievements.

"Anyone who braved the desert like he did is a real hero." Nabooru proceeded to clarify in order to protect her secret.

Clicking his teeth together twice, Link continued to stare skeptically at Nabooru. More and more he suspected her of knowing more than she was letting on. Still, he wasn't receiving hostile vibes from her so he had no choice other than to put his trust into her. The gerudo woman was clearly his best option in keeping tabs on Lord Dragmire.

'I won't let it happen again.' Link thought to himself. 'I can't let it happen again.' Not only was he referring to the destruction of Hyrule, the boy feared the similarities in this revelation and his first discovery of destiny. Back when he initially began his adventures, he was forcibly uprooted from his peaceful home in the Kokiri Forest. Now, the same monster of a man intended to do the same with his new home there at Lon Lon Ranch. Just like with his kokiri family, his hylian family would suffer too if he didn't take action to either prevent it or stop it altogether. 'I've done it before and I'll do it again.'

"Yeah!" Malon exclaimed in response to not underestimating the young hylian boy. "Link can do this! I have faith in him!" Nodding affirmatively, she also held firm that the Kingdom of Hyrule wouldn't fall so easily. "Besides, the Knights of Hyrule would definitely back him up if he needed help! He's like best friends with Captain Osun!"

Link smirked softly knowing his girlfriend would always support him in the end, even if she tended to be clingy. "We're not exactly best friends, more like we have mutual respect for one another."

"Still!" Malon kissed the hero on his cheek, making him blush a bit. "I know you can protect us."

In spite of being embarrassed by the public display of affection, Link accepted his role as guardian of the ranch. "I promise I will protect you, Malon."

"You better." Nabooru said in advance of nudging his shoulder. "You protect my niece with your life or you'll regret it. I can promise you that." Reaching down, she pinched his cheek. "You're cute and all, so I see why Malon fell for you. But, if you fail her, you'll have me to deal with." Giving him a very gentle slap to his cheek, she giggled softly. "I know I won't have anything to worry about though."

"I-…" Link grew nervous imagining Malon's gerudo aunt tearing him a new one for doing any harm to the sweet farmgirl. "I wouldn't dare fail her, Nabooru. I refuse to fail anyone with a good heart, much less those I love."

"Aww…" Malon cooed in affection at the hero's adoration. "I love you, Link."

Since the farmgirl was being completely sincere and said what she did without hesitation, Link focused only on her instead of being embarrassed he was being romantic in front of adults. "I love you too, Malon."

Nabooru's eyes glimmered with joy as she watched the two kids hug each other. It warmed her soul knowing that her niece's boyfriend was a responsible guardian. Although she didn't personally know him that well, she already felt over the moon he was who she chose. The hylian boy was more mature than others his age. Plus, not only were Link and Malon cute together, they also genuinely cared for one another's feelings and formed a special bond from their experience together. "You two are adorable." She complimented their new relationship. "I'm going to tell all my friends back in Gerudo Town that my Vehvi already secured her a handsome Voe. That'll make them all jealous."

"How 'bout you, Nabooru?" Talon asked as he leaned up from his slouched position on the couch. His cheeks were a tad rosy from all the Spiced Wine. But, being such a rotund man, he had quite the tolerance for alcohol and was only buzzed.

Looking away from the two children's budding love, the gerudo woman cocked her head to the side in confusion. "What about me?"

Standing up from the couch, Talon thought he was making a subtle inquiry about her own love life. In reality, it was rather obvious. "W-Well, ya know… Haven't ya found a Voe of yer' own yet?"

Pouting, Nabooru failed to see the hint and merely thought her sister's ex-husband was being his usual wise cracking self. "No, Talon. I haven't. I've been too busy to look for a Voe." Rolling her eyes, she sighed prior to stating "Even if I was still looking, I feel like nobody would be interested in an aging Vai like me."

Talon seemed befuddled and even expressed it with a scoff. "What? Yer' in yer' mid-thirties. That ain't old. Men… er… Voe should be scramblin' ta get ta someone as sexy as ya are!"

"For goddess sake, Dad." Malon pulled away from her endearing boyfriend to chastise her father. "You're obviously flirting with her and it's totally gross! You do it every time she visits!"

Surprised at Malon's revelation, the confident gerudo woman found herself taken aback. Her amber coloured eyes gazed curiously into Talon's blue eyes prior to lifting an eyebrow to show her confusion at the subject. She had long been blind to the thought of even imagining being in a relationship with the stout man because of his prior marriage to her sister. The beefy farmer may have been a widower now, but Nabooru still hadn't considered him as a potential Voe out of respect for her deceased sister Najiyah. Just having it brought out in the open like that was enough to put a crack in that metaphorical mental block. All of the sudden, she started thinking about all the other times in the past few years Talon had made suggestive comments and that made a small blush come to her cheeks as she realized the truth.

"What are ya talkin' 'bout, pun'kin?" Talon chuckled bashfully, trying his hardest to play it off as misunderstanding. "I ain't flirting, I'm just askin' if she's found anybody. I don't want her bein' lonely because I know how it feels. She don't deserve none of that." Continuing to walk over and into the kitchen, he made his way to the countertop that he'd prepped earlier for their Apple Tart. All of the needed ingredients had been laid out for the dessert. Removing several apples from the washbasin, he put them on the countertop and began peeling them using a knife. "Nobody deserves that."

"Oh please-..." Malon saw straight through her father's weak excuse in spite of not catching the tone of sadness. "You know, I should harp on you for your infatuation with her since you feel the need to not take Link and I's relationship seriously." Clearing her throat, she giggled before giving Talon a taste of his own medicine. "I think you two would look cute together. It's only natural for adults to be lovey-dovey."

Putting the apple he held down on the countertop, Talon tried to recompose himself as he began to grow embarrassed of his daughter's words. Keeping his blush out of view by facing the opposite direction of the group, he also started flubbing his words. "Malon, I've… I wasn't… It ain't that I wadn't takin' ya'lls relationship seriously. I told ya that I'm glad ya two are together. I'm happy ya actually found someone ya love and don't think every boy is an annoyin' turd. It's just-..." Grunting and grumbling, he continued "I know that things happen and I don't want ya two gettin' mad at each other if it don't work out."

"Malon." Link called to her as he also reached out, holding her hand and pulling her closer again. "It's okay, don't get frustrated. Remember that he's only thinking that way because he's your father and it's the right thing for him to do."

Still perturbed about the matter, were it not for the hero calming her, she likely would've kept bickering to get her point across. Thankfully, the farmgirl understood things from Link's point of view and took it to heart. Squeezing his hand, she smiled at Link with figurative hearts in her eyes as she watched him smile back at her.

"Wow." Nabooru responded to her niece's fixation on the boy. "You two are so delightful, it's touching, really."

Talon, on the other hand, scratched the side of his head out of embarrassment from getting upbraided by his own child. "Y-Yeah… They're-... They're definitely somethin'." Instead of staying flustered by the situation, the farmer went back to making dessert by peeling, coring and chopping numerous apples.

Malon ignored her father's demeanor and asked Nabooru "How long are you going to stay for, Auntie?"

Walking over and sitting on the couch, Nabooru said "I'll probably stay the night and head out early in the morning. I can't stay gone too long or they'll notice I'm not where I'm supposed to be. My friends and work-sisters know I'm visiting relatives. They just don't know Link is here." Throwing her arm over the backrest of the couch, she turned sideways while tucking her feet. "Why?"

Malon replied with "I just want to spend some time with you and tell you more about Link and I." Pouting by puckering her lips, the young farmgirl wished there was more time in the day. "But, we both have chores to do before we're finished for the day. The stalls still need to be mucked, the cows need to be milked, butter needs to be churned, several cucco need to be prepped for dad to harvest their meat and the goats made a hole in the field that I gotta fill in."

"You take on more and more responsibility around here every time I visit!" Nabooru exclaimed. "At this point you just about run the place, right?"

"That's the plan!" Malon smiled gleefully at the thought of the ranch being hers.

Talon chuckled as he tried to distance himself from the awkward conversation he just had a while ago. Even though his daughter was maturing faster than he wanted to admit, he was still mighty proud of her and was positive that the girl's mother would have been too. "That's right." He confirmed Malon's notion of one day taking over the ranch. "Though she's still got a while to go. She's doin' amazin'. I don't even worry 'bout things not gettin' done when she's doin' it, because I know she'll do it right."

"Hmm…" Nabooru took a moment to think. "How about you two go do your chores while I talk with your dad and Ingo? I'll still be here when you get back. That way you won't have to worry about not having things done just because I'm here visiting."

At first, Malon seemed speculative, wondering what it was her aunt wanted to talk to Talon and Ingo about without her or Link present. Yet, before long she merely assumed it was just adults being adults and wanting to talk further about the state of affairs they'd currently found themselves in. With that in mind, she nodded and said "Sounds good. I'll do my best to hurry."

"I can fill in the hole and muck the stalls." Link offered as he and Malon started for the open door of the farmhouse.

"That would be great!" Malon was pleased. "I can milk the cows and prepare the cucco. That'll only take me like an hour or so."

As he combined the chopped apple and a small bottle of freshly made Lon Lon Cream into a pot, Talon reminded them "Dessert should be ready by then too, so work up 'nother appetite!" Following mixing the ingredients together, he walked over to the fireplace to start up the Desert Fire-Slag, needing to get the stove and baking section ready for the Apple Tart to both simmer as well as bake.

Nabooru leaned against her arm and watched as Malon and Link went outside, leaving the farmhouse. For a few moments, the kids could be heard chatting until they were far enough away for their voices to no longer travel into the humble abode. Once they were totally gone, the gerudo woman gazed over at Ingo to see the man diligently sipping on what remained of the Spiced Wine. While the farmhand had a tinge of red to his cheeks from drinking, he also donned a frown and forlorn eyes. Looking over at Talon, she observed his process of lighting the fireplace. She saw him glance at her out of the corner of his eye, but he swiftly returned to the dessert by placing the cooking pot with apples and Lon Lon Cream onto the stove grate for it to simmer.

Talon made sure the heat from the fire was just enough for the apples to cook. But, he ultimately knew he was merely trying to distract himself. He didn't want to accept what was happening and would rather focus on his ranch than the many evils of the world. Nonetheless, it did make him a bit nervous to have Nabooru there. The woman looked a lot like the love of his life and while he was aware they weren't the same, he always admired her for being hard working and sincerely enjoyed her company. She was incredibly pretty and adored his family. Noticing her stare made him embarrassed to think that his daughter made the two of them have weird thoughts about each other. Regardless of all the teasing, he never meant any hard. So, he figured the best he could do was pray Nabooru didn't get disturbed by Malon's announcement.

Ingo continued to look depressed. The man was not only scared of the future, he was disappointed in the direction it appeared to be heading. For the last few days, ever since he spoke to Link about the series of events that led to him having memories of a time that doesn't exist yet, the farmhand was feeling better. He worked harder, felt like he was treated better and enjoyed life. Instead of drinking alcohol to cope with the stress of not knowing, he had accepted that it was behind him. However, to see that it appeared as if the events were going to unfold regardless of whatever intervention tried to stop it, it made him want to give up, to curl up in his bed and drink himself to death.

"So…" Nabooru broke up the sudden silence. "About Link."

Talon stopped moving for a moment as Ingo looked up from his dark cloud of gloom and doom.

"He's telling the truth, you know?" The gerudo woman inquired about precisely how much they knew. "He's a hero and it's important that he survives to ensure Ganondorf's destruction."

"How do ya know this?" Talon asked as he wiped his hands on his apron. "Ingo says the same thin' and course Malon believes anythin' the boy says. But, how can ya be so sure he even knows what he's talkin' 'bout?" The man knew for sure that there were signs Link was who he said he was. Yet, at the same time, it was hard to believe, especially regarding a child as young and small as the boy is. It was far easier to believe that Link was simply making everything up and that everything else was nothing more than a coincidence. Talon knew the boy had snuck into the castle and done other things most people his age can't do, but the farmer couldn't accept that he was the saviour of the kingdom. "He seems too normal ta be someone sent by the goddesses."

"I can't answer why he seems so normal." Nabooru immediately replied. "He's a hylian hero and since I'm a gerudo, I'm not sufficiently accustomed to your religious lore or the many mythological tales. Apart from that, I'm also more concerned with his youth than behaviour. On the other hand, anybody who can infiltrate Gerudo Town without getting caught, safely cross the Haunted Desert and plunder the depths of the Desert Colossus already shows an exceedingly promising initiative for being a champion of skill."

"He also snuck inta Hyrule Castle." Talon retorted. "That don't make him some famous hero of hylian-kind! It makes him a sneaky little boy who's quiet on his feet!"

Ingo stood up from his spot at the table and shouted "Don't start, Talon! We've been through this! You agreed with us just the other day! You agreed with me!"

Talon grumbled as his mustache wiggled on his face. "I ain't goin' back on my word, Ingo. I'm just tryin' ta make sure we all have our facts right 'bout what we believe, 'bout who we're puttin' all this faith into."

"No. You still don't believe it. I can tell." Ingo stated as he shook his head in frustration.

"I do!" Talon insisted even though he did have honest doubts about the entire ordeal.

In spite of the two men arguing, Nabooru picked up on something happening that she wasn't aware of. "What are you talking about? What happened the other day?"

"It was when Link got back from getting his ocarina from the Forbidden Forest." Ingo had no qualms with informing the gerudo woman. "I've had troubles hearing the kid talk about his adventures from the get go, but when he claimed he'd been in the future and stopped Ganondorf, it always made my head clouded with these blurry images of memories I shouldn't have, of things I hadn't done."

"Foggy?" Nabooru inquired.

Ingo shook his head as he sat back down in the chair at the table. "Yeah. They're memories, but they're hard to discern, like it was a dream or something that happened a long long time ago. Nonetheless, they were there. Like I said, they were memories of a time that hadn't occurred yet." Scoffing, he shook his head at the insanity of it all. "I could see Ganondorf taking over the entire Kingdom of Hyrule, I saw him destroy anybody who opposed him. He hypnotized me, kicked Talon out of the ranch and made me the owner. I still remember the burning hatred I had in my heart whenever I was under his influence…" He stopped for a moment as a tear rolled down his cheek, soaking into his mustache. "I did such awful things because of that demented man."

Nabooru blinked and sighed as she cocked her head to the side. "It probably wasn't a dream."

Snapping his head up, Ingo stared at the gerudo woman wide-eyed. "W-What do you mean?" He stuttered. "Do you have it too?"

"Eh…" Nabooru pivoted her hand to make a 'sorta' gesture. "Mine is different. It's a lot more vivid than a dream, more like a premonition. But, I can only remember bits of it at a time. It only started when I saw him."

"Who?" Talon wondered.

Pointing back at the door, the gerudo woman said "Link. When Malon showed him to me, it was like this blast of images cascaded through my mind. I've never experienced anything quite like it."

"Yer' kiddin' me." The hefty farmer continued to have trouble with what he was hearing.

Ingo was still utterly flabbergasted that Nabooru was going through an occurrence incredibly similar to that which he had. For a moment, he wondered if it was because of Link since the boy seemed to set off their odd remembrance. Although he didn't know how truly accurate he really was, the content was far more concerning to him for the time being. "What the hell is it that we're remembering? Why are we having these premonitions?"

Nabooru hung her head as a few more images of Link fighting the legendary demon Ganon atop Hyrule Castle flashed before her eyes. "Well… It seems fairly obvious what it is." She stood up from the couch and approached the kitchen area. Grabbing a cup of her own, she proceeded to help herself to a serving of Spiced Wine from the countertop keg. "It's what's going to happen in the future. Somehow we're being given visions of it." After taking a sip of the wine, the beautiful gerudo woman made a face of disgust, not particularly enjoying hylian alcohol. Regardless, she continued with her explanation. "I originally thought it was the Goddess of Sands. But, that was only because I didn't know anyone else was having these premonitions. Now that I know it's affecting more people, especially those who aren't gerudo, I'm starting to think somebody or something else is responsible for all of this."

"Like the Golden Goddesses?" Ingo probed what Nabooru knew.

Shrugging, she couldn't be positive. "I don't know. Maybe. After all, if this is because of Ganondorf's desire to take the Triforce, it makes sense the relic's creators would have had a hand to play in all of this."

"What are we supposed ta do?" Talon tried to figure things out.

Watching as the man stirred the apple mixture in the cooking pot over the fireplace, Nabooru said "First thing is to admit that it's all true. If Ingo knows and I know, that should be enough for you to believe."

"I do believe!" Talon retorted, beginning to get slightly annoyed that they weren't believing him.

"Then why are you so nonchalant and making jokes about everything?" Nabooru tried to get the rotund man to understand things from her and others point of view. "When you do that, it makes people think you aren't taking them seriously."

Talon's immediate reaction was to blow a raspberry at the idea he was treating them in such a way. The moment he did, it registered in his brain that they were right. Stopping himself from dismissing them, he instead hung his head. "I-..." The heavy farmer tried to find a way to put into words why he did what he did. "I don't mean ta be that way." For a split second, he felt exceedingly sad. "I just… I just…" Exhaling loudly, he closed his eyes as he unveiled a secret he'd long kept hidden from everyone else. "I act that way 'cause it's how I cope with life, with bein' without Najiyah. It's been so long now, but I started actin' that way to keep Malon happy, ta give her a normal life. I didn't want her ta see me as a depressed man who cried himself to sleep each night. I wanted her ta see me as a big strong man who never feared anythin'."

"You are a big strong man." Nabooru stated as she scrutinized his lumberjack-like appearance. She'd never eyed him head-to-toe like that and felt slightly bashful as she did. In spite of having a bit of a gut from his constant eating of rich foods, an advantage of being a successful ranch owner, he had brawny forearms and robust biceps, all of which contributed to his size considering he was big boned too. "Malon has always felt safe with you. There's no need for you to pretend everything's alright when it's not. She's a big girl and is starting to be able to take care of herself. She needs the life experience of knowing the world is far from perfect."

Talon knew there was truth in her words, but he resisted wanting to subject his daughter to the cruelty of reality. "I don't know. Do ya think that's really so wise? She lost her mother at such a young age, I don't think we need to keep dumpin' violence on her. What if it scares her so badly that she ain't her happy self no more? What if she shuts down?"

Shaking his head, Ingo chimed in by calling the man's name disparagingly. "Talon-..."

Turning his head, Talon lifted his hands in a gallic shrug. "I'm just sayin'."

"Think about it." Nabooru interjected. "She's ten years old. I know that's not mature in hylian culture, but in gerudo culture she's already almost an adult. Since she's got my family's blood in her too, even if she's a unique case, she's probably more developed than you care to realize." Putting her hand atop Talon's she continued "Besides, can't you see she's handling things just fine? She's already handling Najiyah passing better than you and she went into a dangerous land in order to rescue the person she loves. Neither of those are things a little baby does, so you gotta stop treating her like one."

Even though Talon was certainly embarrassed from having Nabooru's hand on his, he genuinely thought about the things his daughter said. 'She told me she fought a couple of wolfos, a bunch of chuchus and those accursed stalchildren.' For the first time since it happened, instead of feeling upset or concerned about her actions, he began admitting that his little girl had a lot of skill, maybe even more than he did at her age. 'She's made the kid her friggin' boyfriend. I wanted nothin' to do with the opposite sex when I was ten years old and she's already kissin' one.'

"What are you thinking?" Nabooru asked as she pulled her hand away.

Talon cleared his throat and answered by explaining "I'm thinkin' 'bout how she's an amazin' girl. She's already datin'."

"Yeah…" The gerudo woman beamed a gorgeous perfect toothed smile. "He's cute. I'm proud of her."

This time it was Talon's turn to crack a smile as he had to poke fun at the situation. "Well, of course ya are. Yer' her aunt. I'm her father and I-..." Suddenly, he stopped himself as he once again realized the two were right.

"And you what?" Nabooru nudged the rotund man. "You want to protect her from the world?" After seeing the farmer nod, she said "There's nothing wrong with that. But, you have to let her make her own decisions." The gerudo woman held her hand to her stomach as she giggled. "Plus, she could do way worse than a literal legendary hero like Link." Wiping a tear of joy from her eye, she got serious again to say "He seems like an upstanding young man."

"He is." Talon confirmed. "Yer' right."

"So you believe us?" Ingo was inquisitive, wanting to make sure the guy wasn't just saying what they wanted to hear.

Talon kept nodding as he once again confirmed. "I never stopped believin' ya'll. It's tough on my mind, but if ya both say this stuff happens in the future, then that actually makes more sense. Link always said he'd already done it, that they were memories from a time that shouldn't exist. But, if it's some premonition sent by the gods, then I can't laugh off divine intervention. I shouldn't." Grabbing a mallet from off the countertop, he began mashing the softened apples still simmering on the stove over the fireplace. "I'll lay off pokin' fun at Link and Malon too."

"Already happened, huh?" Nabooru narrowed her eyes at the possibility before returning to smiling. "Well, regardless, I think you're doing the right thing."

"I hope so." Talon responded with a sigh as he kept mashing apples. "I'll believe it's real and treat Malon and Link better. Yet, none of that is gonna stop Ganondorf."

Ingo shook his head as he grumbled about the evil king. "That bastard."

"No, no it won't." Nabooru agreed with the man's assessment. "But, that's why we need to lay low and keep one another safe. Like I said, Link's a hero, but he's also young. If we can buy the kingdom some time through distracting Lord Dragmire or sabotaging his plans, then Link will come to the age Ingo and I saw him fighting the demon-king. Considering all of this as one big premonition, we have to heed its warning and do everything within our power to make sure that boy stays alive until it's time for him to go up against Ganondorf. It's our only hope."

"I know we should keep our heads down-..." Ingo brought up. "How about anyone else who remembers this?"

Nabooru was a bit confused as she asked "What do you mean? What others?"

"We can't be the only people to remember this." Ingo pointed out the obvious. "If there's others who can recall the future or are having these visions, whatever they are, then it could cause problems if the wrong person starts to remember. All it'll take is one person to know Link's location to turn him in."

"Point taken." Nabooru agreed. "Since he's been out in public several times and hasn't aroused suspicion, it must not be a common occurrence. Still, if we find anybody else who remembers… we should probably let them into our group. After all, the more heads we put together, the better we can plan."

"So, I was right? We're gonna form a resistance group?" Talon wondered.

Smirking, Nabooru said "Yes."

.

.

(Ten Minutes Earlier)

"I'm so glad auntie is here!" Malon exclaimed as her and Link walked from the farmhouse over to the barn. "She usually can't find the opportunity to get away from her duties, but I'm glad she did, especially this time!"

Link glanced back at the open door of the farmhouse prior to saying "I'm more interested in the fact that your aunt is Nabooru."

Narrowing her eyes and lifting a single eyebrow, the red-headed hylian girl chortled at her hero's confusion. "What do you mean? You knew my mom was a gerudo, what's the surprise?"

Since the boy continued to think it was important to keep certain things a secret, he still didn't inform her of precisely who her aunt was. Instead, he once again only mentioned what had happened in the current timeline. He didn't want to lie to his newly beloved girlfriend, but he felt he had to hold back. "Oh, I know. I'm just shocked that it's someone I met on my journeys and didn't even realize the two of you were related. Besides, I don't think I even knew your mother had a sister."

"Really?" Malon stopped at the barn door and scratched the top of her head as she tried to recollect whether she had mentioned the subject or not. "Maybe I didn't. I thought I did though." Staying by the barn door for a few seconds, she noticed Link kept his eyes on the farmhouse door. "What is it?" She asked in response.

"Huh?" Link wondered as he broke his eye contact with the farmhouse.

"Why are you looking back like that?" The farmgirl asked. "Is there something else on your mind?"

Shaking his head, the boy anxiously clenched his jaw in advance of crossing his arms. "I'm just wondering… What do you think they're talking about now? Probably me." Huffing, he kept acting a tad suspicious of Nabooru. "It almost seemed like your aunt wanted us out so she could talk to Talon and Ingo in private."

"Oh please…" Waving off his concerns, Malon proceeded with opening the door to the barn. Walking inside, she saw that both the cows and horses had also finished eating their lunch. Traveling further inside, Link followed her as she made her way through the structure until she came to the large double doors the animals used to go in and out. "My aunt is probably just laying into my dad for never taking things seriously."

Deciding to make her laugh, he joked with "That or she's making out with him. He was laying on the flirt pretty thick too."

"Eww!" Malon exclaimed while laughing. "Gross! Don't say that!" As she opened the double doors, letting more light into the barn, the farmgirl stuck out her tongue as she made a fake gagging sound. "No way, she's too serious for stuff like that! Plus, you saw how she acted all critical about Ganondorf."

"He is critical, Malon. He's a menace to our way of life." The young boy wanted to make sure the notion had soaked into his girlfriend's mind. Even though she acknowledged the importance of combating the demon-king, she also still seemed to be acting as if nothing was wrong. Although he genuinely enjoyed the love she held for him, he didn't want her to be so obsessed with him that she couldn't see what was a true matter of life and death. "You know that, right? You're not just trying to shut your eyes and cover your ears to it, are you?"

This time, it was her who shook her head. "No, no. Of course not."

Working together, now that the doors to the barn were open, Link proceeded to travel down the aisle of stalls, opening every one of them. Many of the animals inside had done the routine so many times they didn't have any issues and knew exactly where to go. Some lingered a bit, yet most swiftly exited their stalls and began slowly leaving the barn for the rest of their time out in the field and corral. The only horse that stayed was the usual, Melnir, who was afraid of men and didn't trust going past Link. "Then why do you seem so calm about all of this? Your aunt just came over and told us that Ganondorf is mobilizing his troops and you've barely batted an eyelash over the stress."

Looking back at Link as a couple of cows passed her, Malon merely smiled. "It's because I have you."

An abrupt blush crept across the hero's face. His mouth opened to argue, but he couldn't think of anything to say that was worthwhile. He wanted to criticize her lack of concern regarding the matter since he knew better than to let her underestimate the demon-king's power. However, in another sense, it encouraged him and made him feel proud that his lover felt so safe with him that she'd overlook the fact that a pure evil was trying to invade the land.

"As long as I'm with you, I know I'll be safe." She continued to say as she walked over to the stall Link stood at "I know you'll protect me."

"Always." Link confirmed with red cheeks.

Standing in front of the stall, she gently clapped her hands and whistled to get Melnir's attention. Once the colt gathered up the courage, it came toward Malon. Nonetheless, the moment it saw Link, it started getting spooked again. Thankfully, the progress it had been making on not being so scared began to show as it circled the stall prior to returning to the door. It looked at Link again before staring out at the pasture beyond the barn's double doors. Upon seeing his friends and the older horses, he pushed himself to go beyond Link so he could get where he wanted to go. Although he acted wild by tucking his butt and rapidly galloping, it was still progress on Melnir's behalf.

"I love you, Link." Malon stated.

Link smiled as he gazed longingly at the red-headed farmgirl. "I love you too, Malon."

Propping herself up by leaning back against the structural support beam to the horse stall, the girl's smile suddenly turned from innocent to suggestive. The hue of the blush accompanying her cheeks parallelled her fiery hair until it ended at the tips of her ears. Fluttering her eyelashes at him as she soaked in the image of her hero. For a brief moment, her lips parted as she imagined his pressed to them. Everything about him was lighting her fire. With increased breathing, she asked. "How much do you love me?"

Right away, from the look in her ocean blue eyes, the boy could tell she was feeling excited. His own eyes widened slightly in response to the spur-of-the-moment arousal before walking closer to her. He was still young, yet could also tell when she was flirting with him. After entering their relationship, he began to like it. In addition to that, even a hero wasn't immune to feeling stimulation of his own. "I love you very-very much."

Giggling salaciously, Malon continued to gaze into his eyes as he cupped his hand to her cheek. "Maybe you could show me exactly how much you love me? You know… just a little… before we work."

Link smirked even though he couldn't hide the blush of embarrassment on his face. "I-... I'd be open to that." He confirmed with an increasing pulse of his own. As someone selected by the Golden Goddesses, Link had faced off against many evils and challenges that were near impossible. Everything he'd done had given him the courage to keep going on his adventures to save the world. However, making out with a girl was another matter entirely as he had little experience doing so and was incredibly nervous he'd wind up making a fool out of himself. After all, he wanted to keep looking strong in her eyes. Nonetheless, the pure love he held for the amatory farmgirl in front of him gave him enough of a boost to initiate a kissing session to prove the desire he held for her.

"I love you." He said one more time as their lips hovered a mere inches apart.

"I love you too." Malon replied in a breathy voice as her pupils shrunk and her heart started violently pounding against her ribcage.

Standing there alone in the barn, the two kids took the opportunity to have a minute of romance. That gap between their lips closed as their eyelids relaxed. Once they made contact, they only kissed for a moment. Both of them mentally remarked on the exhilaration of pressing their lips to one another. Link was nearly overwhelmed by the smell of the farmgirl and how soft she felt while Malon's heart palpitations caused her body to quiver in delight over the sensation of ardent desire.

Upon breaking the smooch, Link took a breath before uttering in a strangely sexy voice he wasn't aware he had, a voice that sounded desperate for intimacy. "Malon-..."

"Link-…" Malon countered with a husky tone and passion burning in her eyes.

In a split second, the farmgirl pulled the boy onto her and returned their lips to the fervid lock. This time Link went further by metaphorically embracing participation in the kiss as well literally by embracing his red-headed love by wrapping his arms around her waist. The two had hugged many times beforehand and yet this was completely different. Malon pressed herself against the boy so hard he could feel the curves of her body through her dress and she could feel his warmth and the softness of his toned athletic physique. The bashful thoughts were completely superseded by the fascination of feelings both physical and mental.

Pulling away just long enough to breathe, the two immediately went back to kissing as soon as they caught their breath. Link closed his eyes and Malon did too as they continued to make out. She didn't expect it, but blushed deeper when she felt one of her hero's hands shift from her waist to her upper back, keeping them smashed against each other. Her young body instinctively responded by slowly lifting her leg and resting it against his thigh as one of her hands went to Link's broad shoulder while the other sensually combed its way through his golden blonde hair.

All throughout the barn, the smacking sound of the two kissing could be heard echoing off the walls. They were lucky nobody was around or they would've been heard for sure. On the other hand, neither of them were thinking about that in the least. Both of them were so obsessed with each other as well as the moment that they were practically entranced.

Feeling Malon's leg on his thigh, Link automatically grabbed it with his free hand, held it close and delicately rubbed it. He was so relaxed he let out a moan without even meaning to. The farmgirl moaned without hesitation as her hand wound up knocking Link's floppy green hat off him prior to gripping the back of his head. Their lips even stayed connected as she turned her head for a better angle, one that didn't involve their noses pressed together. Coincidentally, the pleasure of the movement during the smooch only intensified, causing a shiver to run down her back. This time, they only broke away for a split second in advance of their mouths crashing back into each other, lips puckering over and over.

Both of them were so excited, their young hands refused to stop moving. But, their adolescent bodies were awakening to the arousal by making them feel as though they were on fire, especially their privates. Although they weren't precisely sure how to react to the new feelings, their instincts had no issues leading the way as being pushed up against each other gave them sparks in their heads. Since it was their first real canoodle, the duo were unable to control their breathing, which had become heavy and laboured when spewed amongst the others' faces.

"Mmm!" Malon moaned vehemently, her face going cherry red as she realized their saliva was mixing on their lips.

Link was too braindead to think in the moment; all the boy's blood went from above to below as his arousal increased tenfold each second they kissed. Instead of contemplating the combination of their spit, he was far more focused on using his girlfriend's body to rub his. The nervous squirming of hers coincidentally proved to him what felt even better than an embrace. On impulse, his lower half grinded against hers, making her jolt eyes-wide with an abrupt gasp, thus breaking the extended smooch. The farmgirl felt as if a lightning bolt went through her. At first she didn't realize what had happened until her lustful gazing at her boyfriend allowed her to see it was an awkward thrust of his hips.

Due to the fact that she'd never been turned on in such a way, she didn't even know that her chest was becoming sensitive. Having her dress rub against her made her moan. Her eyes rolled up as she bit her lower lip from the sensation. "L-Link!" She barely managed to say as the fire burning in her threatened to engulf her in flames.

Not even hearing her, the hero gave into more primal urges by enjoying the contact. While the fire inside of him was burning just as brightly as hers, Link's was building up in a way he'd never felt before. Something inside of him felt like it was going to explode and intended to boil over in a cascade of ecstasy. Continuing to move on autopilot, after seeing Malon's face of being on cloud nine and seventh heaven, he couldn't resist kissing her again. However, his mind, body and soul were so elated he wanted to kiss her everywhere all at once. The best he could do was her lips, then her nose, then her cheek, then her ears. As soon as his lips touched her ears, the farmgirl responded loudly.

"Ahhh!" She let out another erotic cry followed by sensual whimpering. "L-Link! Wait!"

The hero heard her that time, but found he couldn't stop himself from loving her with passionate kisses to the neck and a gentle nibble to her long ear.

"Fuaaah!" Malon drooled out of the corner of her mouth from the sheer bliss before she knew she had to stop him because of the possibility of getting caught as well as being scared of potentially going further than they were. Using her hands, even though they were shaking, she pushed her beloved boyfriend back just enough to fully catch his attention. "L-Link-..." She panted and swallowed roughly from the lump of stress in her throat.

Standing there staring in confusion, Link chewed on his lip until the arousal within lowered enough for him to come back to reality. "Oh…" He suddenly gasped. "Oh, did I hurt you!?" Feeling frantic for a moment, the boy grabbed her hips and eyed her from head to toe to see where he might have injured her. "I'm sorry!" He pleaded rapidly. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry! I don't know what came over me, really!"

"Link…" Malon said again to make him stop. She kept panting and really had to catch her breath before saying. "It's okay. You didn't hurt me…" Looking at him as she recalled all the new sensations she had just experienced, the farmgirl giggled at Link's concern. But, she was utterly amazed at what had just transpired. "It felt really really good. Wow." Smiling with a blush, she looked around to see if anyone heard their exploration of love. "I just couldn't keep my voice down anymore. You don't think anyone heard, do you?"

"I… I don't think so." Bashfully holding onto the back of his neck, Link displayed a smile as he stuttered. "W-We should probably g-get to work though unless they do get suspicious of us."

Nodding, Malon agreed. "Right." Straightening her dress, she gave him one more kiss on the lips, retrieved and placed his hat on his head and then headed toward the double doors of the barn. "I'll see you when we're done with chores." Looking back at her lover, she giggled again at him. "I love you."

"I love you too." Link chuckled.