Chapter 6
Fairy Boy

To the tune chickens demanding to be let out, the redheaded girl jumped out of bed.
Even at eight years old, she had a lot of responsibilities to live up to, so she got dressed in her work shirt and trousers, pulled on her boots, and tied her red hair back with some string before running downstairs.

Her father was still asleep in the lounge, but she found her uncle in the stable already grooming the horses.
Without needing to be told, the girl filled a bucket with chicken feed and hauled it by herself to her feathered babies.

She could already hear the chickens ruffling in their coop fighting to be let out, but before unleashing the hatch, she scattered oats and corn across the grassless soil.
Once her bucket was empty, she walked down the line of coops to unleash the army of a dozen feathered peckers that all set about eating all the feed.

Next on her list was to collect the eggs and return them to the house before the dirty work of cleaning out the coops can begin.
Filling a bucket with 'mess' was her least favourite part of raising chickens, but occasionally she'd come across a hidden nest, which always made her laugh at the strange places she'd find eggs.
Her morning routine takes around an hour, and by the time she's done the sky would only just be turning blue.

She'd done all her chores and her father was still sleeping in bed.

"It's time to wake up, come on papa," The girl shoogled him a little, trying to cox him out of bed.

When her uncle, Ingo, finally returned from his early duties, he told her to wake him just as he'd taught her in the past.

"Are you sure, Uncle?"

"It's always worked for me." Her uncle said before making his way to the kitchen to start cooking up breakfast.

The girl sighed as she sheepishly reached for her father's nose.
By holding his nostrils shut for just a few seconds, the large sleeping man came to life in an explosion of wheezing deep breaths.

"M-Maron!" He coughed, trying to calm himself. "I've warned you about doing that!"

Maron jumped a little when her backside was given a light smack.
"I, I was just doing what Uncle Ingo said!"

"I know, and I've warned you not to," Her father pulled himself up on the bed before stretching out his hairy, bear-like arms. "Go on, get your breakfast while I get dressed."

"Yes, papa." Maron ran to the kitchen where Ingo was plating up her morning meal.

By the time her father had joined them for breakfast, Maron was finished and ran outside.
Before the caravan sets off for market in a few hours, Maron wanted to take one of the horses out for a quick ride.

Despite her small build, Maron had no problem saddling up one of the better-trained mares on her own.
"Let's go, Sora," Maron squeezed in her heels and her horse flew off out of the ranch and over Hyrule field.

Maron's ponytail bounced at her back as Sora galloped and jumped over bushes and fences, bobbing through trees and splashing streams.
After such heavy chores to start her mornings, a long freeing ride by herself always made the day feel a little brighter.

As she came to the end of her lap around the outer walls protecting the ranch and the fields of oats, grains and corn, Maron spotted a red Bokoblin running across the field.
Usually, she'd been taught to be cautious of them, but this one looked frightened.

Nevertheless, the sight of one monster means her father would want her home soon as possible.

'But he won't know if I don't tell him…' She thought to herself as Sora trotted parallel to the road. "No, I should go home…"
Bringing her horse to a gallop, Maron steered herself around the back of some trees just before joining the road again.
Just because she was heading home now didn't mean she couldn't enjoy a slightly longer path.

But as she started to re-join the road, she noticed a boy all dressed in green wandering by himself.
This in itself was unusual as children normally aren't allowed out by themselves. Maron gets special privileges since she only leaves to give horses a chance to run. But she certainly isn't allowed to walk around on her own feet.
Furthermore, she didn't recognise the boy. After all, she was the only child on her ranch.
She'd always been told to be mindful of strangers, but after seeing the Bokoblin, she felt she ought to warn him of the monster running about.

"whoa, there!" Maron called out to the boy as she rode up beside him, but didn't mean to startle him as much. "Hi!" She greeted him before looking over her shoulder to make sure the monster hadn't come back yet. Just before she could ask where he was from or warn about the Bokoblin, she spotted the fairy by his side.
Maron had seen fairies outside her window on rare occasions, but they'd scatter away whenever she tried to get a good look at them.
But this one hid behind the boy, almost like it trusted him.
"Who are you?" She asked the travelling pair.

"I'm Link, this is Navi." The boy answered.

"I'm Maron Koopa." The girl proudly said as Link and Navi backed off from the girl and her horse.

Although Navi had seen people before, she was cautious of the girl.
Picking up on Navi's caution, Link placed a hand up to shield his fairy. He didn't see the girl as a threat, but if she was scaring Navi, he wanted to be ready to protect her.

"How do you get the fairy to follow you?" She asked, eyes bright and open as she tracked the fairy's movements. "Is, it your pet?" After asking her question, Maron was surprised to see the fairy frown and cross her arms. "Does, it understand me?"

"Yes, I do."

With just three small words, Navi shattered the farmgirls' world in a significant way.

"Fairies Talk?" She yelped, flapping her wrists in excitement.

Link and Navi backed away as the girl threw her leg over the saddle and landed in front of them.
Link was surprised by how she was almost a head shorter than he yet could control such a huge animal.

"I can't believe this, I Can't believe this! I'm talking to a fairy!"

Link looked back at Navi. What he couldn't believe is that the girl found it so unbelievable.
"Don't you have one?" Link asked, then looking upon the horse. "Or were you given that thing instead?"

"He's not a thing, he's a horse!" The girl objected, clapping Sora's warm brown fur. Then got an idea. "I'll let you pet him if I can hold your fairy, just for a minute, please~"

Navi shot behind Link's head, pulling her arms and legs close. It's well known that some children outside the forest would pluck the wings and legs off butterflies and spiders and the likes. No one was lining up to test if they'd do the same to fairies.
But looking at the girl's soft blue eyes, it was hard to see her as any greater danger than the Kokiri back home. Even still, Navi valued her wings and limbs too much to chance it.

"S, sorry. We have somewhere to be, right Link?" Navi hoped Link would pick up on her tone and agree.

"Yea, we need to go to Hyrule City."

Maron's face brightened again.
"I can take you there!" She exclaimed before using a calmer voice to clarify that her father could in fact take them if they wait around a little longer. "We sell food at the market. If you want, we could give you a ride. It's a long walk otherwise!"

Navi was unsure. She wanted their journey to carry on just the two of them.
But unlike her, Link can't just jump on Navi's back if he gets tired.
Their progress stops with his stamina, so maybe taking advantage of transport is a good idea.

"You'll get us a ride if I let you hold me?"

"I'll ask my papa, I'm sure he will!" Maron nodded.

"And you promise you'll be gentle with me," Navi felt awkward for asking such a thing. "…and you won't pluck my wings?"

The very idea shocked Maron. A surge of emotion took the girl.
"I hate when people do that!" She cried, balling her fists. "they should leave the poor things alone!"
Link was put out by the girl's tantrum like plea, but at least it was clear where Maron stood on hurting fairies.

Navi flew to just in front of the girl's face before gently dropping into her hands, then had to grit her teeth and accepted the finger head pats from the overly doting girl.

"So cute~" Maron carefully cupped her hands to see the fairy's glow. "And you're is so pretty~"

"aw, no… I'm not…"
"Yes you are!"
"this is just what fairies look like, stop being polite,"
"Oh, I wish I could a pretty little fairy like you~"

Link crossed his arms. Watching Maron swoon over his fairy was one thing, but listening to Navi's 'deflections' was too much.
Instead, Link looked at the horse that was slowly walking away to eat grass.

"Is Maron always like this?" He asked, getting no response or even acknowledgement. "Can you hear me?" When the horse kept ignoring him, Link felt like he was getting the bad end of the deal.
Navi is being friendly with Maron, so why is Sora being rude to him?

"Come on, I'll let you meet my papa, then we can take you to the city!" Maron opened her hands to let her new best friend, Navi, fly free.

In addition to her natural blue, Link was noticing a shade of purple on Navi's face. Particularly between her cheeks around her nose.

"what?" Navi smiled, completely unaware of her blush.

"Nothing…" Link chuckled.
He and Navi watched as this little girl leapt up to grab her saddle. She struggled and kicked until she was able to hoist herself up.

"Need a hand up?" Maron offered her hand to Link, but he gave a distrustful look at the animal, rejecting it much like Navi was rejecting Maron before.

"I'll walk."

"okay…" Maron, with seemingly no commands at all, got the horse to turn around and start walking home with Link walking beside them.
And he didn't have the slightest idea how she was doing it.

"Why so angry?" Navi asked.

"I'm not angry," Link just felt confused at how such a small girl could have such control over a beast of an animal so much larger than herself. "She's kinda amazing, isn't she?"

Navi was taken back by his sudden remark but kept the thoughts to herself while the girl causing this response in him was still in earshot.

Link's previous fascination with the spinning windmill and other buildings he saw before was replaced by watching Maron lead the horse into the stable where she removed the saddle and dressed him down properly before closing.

"Why doesn't your horse talk?" Link was not prepared for the eruption of snorty laughter that exploded from the tiny fairy at his side.

"Because he's a horse?" Maron gave him a coy look as she giggled with the silly boy.

"Link, think about it. Do animals talk in the forest?" Navi asked.

"No, but… They don't have their own houses either," He started gesturing to the stable behind him. "And the horse did whatever Maron needed him to… and we talked to a tree yesterday,-"

"Ah Da-da-da-da!" Navi urgently flew to his mouth and pulled his lips shut. "it's a secret, Link!"

It didn't matter anyway. Maron was under the assumption that Link was just joking about everything from the moment he asked about talking horses, which Navi quietly suggested that he not correct the girl about it.

"I have to go get dressed, you can play with the chickens if you want," Maron suggested as she rushed upstairs to her room. She quickly dressed out of her working clothes and pulled on a hand-me-down dress that hung past her knees.

The once perfect white dress had since faded with a slight yellowish tint. Even the blue patterns around the hem had started to fray a little with time. Even still, Maron loved wearing it into town.

Just before closing the door to her room, Maron stepped back inside.
She always brought a cup of water to bed with her at night, but rarely finished it.
Dipping her hands in the cup, she used some of the water to wash her face and freshen up just a little more than usual this time.
After all, it's not every day she meets someone new. A boy at that. And if things go well, she'll be travelling with him into town.

"Maron, are you ready?" Boomed her father's voice from outside her door.

"yes…" She heard him start to walk away. "Wait! Can you help me?" She called out to him.

Maron's father stepped inside and saw her frantically trying to brush her messy hair.

"We don't want to be late, just tie it back like you always do."

"Please, I just want it to look…" Maron cut herself off before she finished. "Please?"

Hearing her father's defeated sigh, Maron excitedly rushed back to her bed to have a seat.
While her hair was brushed straight by her father's careful hands, she could feel a slight sadness in the room.

"When you have your hair straight, you look so much like…" Maron would only ever see her father sad when talking about lost family. Maron would often ask, wishing she could remember even her own mother's face, but would never get an answer before the subject is quickly changed.
Accepting the inevitable, she decided she could at least choose the new topic herself.

"I made two friends today." Maron shot up a smile as her father continued to brush her hair.

"That's nice," He let her up, telling her to pull her boots on so they could get on the road.

"One of them is a fairy boy, and the other is the fairy! She talks'n everything,"

"Maron, I don't mind you having fun, but I've told you not to make up stories."

"But I'm not making it up!" Maron took her father's hand and rushed him downstairs. "He's outside, I promise!"

Maron opened the front door but wasn't expecting to see or hear the commotion.

The fairy boy was being chased by all the chickens, some of them were having their best attempt at flight just to catch him.

"What the hell is going on?!" Barked uncle Ingo as he rushed outside.

It all started with just a few at first, but then herd mentality eventually brought the entire flock, and all were pecking and scratching every chance they got.
Link had considered using his sword but didn't want to hurt any of Maron's feathered friends.

Before Link even knew what was happening, he was hoisted up by his belt by a tall, lean man staring at him, but still had the boy suspended over a sea of feathered beasts trying to jump up at him.

Maron's uncle carried Link back to the house and shut the door.

"Before I skin ye alive, tell me who the hell you are!" Ingo demanded, but Maron put herself between the boy and her uncle.

"No, he's my friend!"

"Ah, this is the fairy boy," Maron's father sized Link up. "I don't see a fairy, though."

Maron blinked at her father before turning to Link. True enough, there was no sign of her.

"Where's Navi?"

"She's gone," Link gasped with relief. Winded by the sudden chase.

Maron looked up at her father, who just shook his head at her.

"Ingo and I need to sort this mess out. I'll see if one of the Fado brothers will take our wagon."

"But Papa, I…" Maron watched her father and uncle walk through the house to the back entrance where there wasn't a sea of chickens waiting to come in. She knew her father didn't believe her about the fairy, and it upset her.

"Why did Navi go?"

Link explained that from the moment the chickens saw the small fairy, they all wanted to eat her. Link tried to keep her safe in his hands at first, but then the chase began. So he then decided the safest thing to do would be to let her fly away, which she did.

"But the chickens just kept coming after me, they wouldn't stop!"

Maron felt horrible. She didn't mean for him to lose his fairy over it. Link was not expecting the cuddle or the sobs that followed.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't think your fairy would fly away."

"It's okay…" Link patted her back but recoiled his hand at the first touch of her long soft hair. "your hair is really nice," He tried to stroke it again, but Maron pushed him away, wiping her tears and hiding her sudden pink face.

"Maron!" Ingo called through the window. "It's time to go, but use the back door."

"Okay!" She called back. "Follow me, at least I can still get you to the city like I promised…"

Link followed her lead through the house and did his absolute best to keep out of the sight of any chickens.

Around back was a loaded wagon with a tarp covering. Normally, Maron would be taken into town by her father or uncle, but because of Link unsightly peril, one of the Fado brothers would be taking her.

"Morning lil lady, who's your friend?"

"He's Link," Maron told him as she was lifted by the waist into the back of the wagon. "He's coming with us."

"Is that so?"

Link was not as used to being picked up as Maron, so backed away from the man's reach.

"Climbing up ye'rself? Okay then."

As the driver walked his way around the front, Link watched him go with the same curiosity that struck him when seeing Maron's family.

"Why does everyone have a hairy face?" Link asked, rubbing his own chin.

"You mean a beard?" Maron reached out to take Link's hand and help hoist him up. "I donno, they just do."

Once inside the wagon, Link looked around apprehensively.

"I thought we were going to the City?"

"We are." Maron waited for him to find a sitting place first, but he remained standing as he looked around the wagon.

As soon as Maron heard word go out that the convoy was about to move, she found quickly sat herself down against the wall.
"Link?"

"what?- Waah!" Link lost his footing the moment the words passed his lips. If not for Maron pulling him down beside her, he might have fallen off the back.

"We're moving! How are we moving?"

Maron had to pull him back to stop him from escaping from his own ride.

"You kids alright back there?" The driver called from the front.

"We're fine!" Maron shouted as Link started to get over the shock of suddenly moving. "We're being pulled by horses, calm down."

It took time for Link to fully adapt to the rocking and bumps of a wagon in motion, but like with most of his culture shocks in the last few hours, it soon passed.

While Link just sat and stared out the back, Maron watched him with the same fascination he gave everything else. It was only just starting to dawn on her that he wasn't joking, that he actually didn't understand anything he was looking at.

"Where are you from, Link?"

Link pointed out the back of the wagon towards the trees away across the grassy planes of Hyrule.

"the lost woods?" Maron gasped. "So you really are a fairy boy?"

"I'm a Kokiri," Link said with some pride but noticed that Maron was looking very down on herself. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just, I feel horrible," The girl curled up against the left wall of the wagon. "You lost your fairy because of me… I'm sorry."

"Navi's not gone forever," Link told her that Navi just flew away to get away from the chickens. "She said she'd meet me down the road, I'm just waiting for her to spot me."

Maron was glad to be wrong but felt Link could have said so earlier. At least now she can keep talking to him without the overbearing feeling of guilt weighing her down.
"So we're just looking out for Navi then?" She asked, kneeling up beside Link.

"If she can just see where we are, she'll come to us." Link kept his eyes peeled though, he had no intention of losing Navi so soon after getting her.

Maron was glad to help. Lots of children try to go out hunting for fairies, but Maron has the bonus of knowing Navi will actually come to them.

"Do you, really like my hair?" She knew she was asking out of nowhere and tried not to look at him as she asked but did catch a glimpse of him nodding.

"It's so long," Link thought about everyone back home. Shoulder length was the longest anyone would allow for themselves because anything too long just got snagged in bushes or got covered in leaves and twigs.

But the first thing he noticed from the moment he saw Maron riding up on that beast of a horse, was the warm red hair swinging behind Maron's head, and to see it hanging down freely, Link couldn't help but stare and admire it.

While the girl was combing her hand through the locks streaming over her shoulder, Maron nervously asked Link if he wanted to feel it again, an offer Link immediately accepted.

She had meant for him to just feel the ends or just put his hand through like she had, but what she got was a pat on the very top of her head that turned into a clap reaching all the way down her back as though he was grooming her like one of her horses.
If Maron's hair wasn't covering half her face, Link would have seen her face slowly changing colour to match her hair.
It felt a little like how her father brushed her hair, only Link's touch made her consider jumping off the wagon, running home and hiding under her bed for the rest of her life.

Despite this, she couldn't deny the soft spot she was getting for this weird fairy boy.
Growing up on a farm as the youngest by around twenty years meant she was short on friends to call her own, but it seemed young Maron's talent for making unusual ones was just as strong as ever.

So entranced with the other's company, neither noticed Navi sitting atop the boxes behind them.

The fairy had flown in from the front of the wagon and hoped to give Link a small scare, but watching the two awkward children was just too much fun to ruin.
Navi wasn't sure when or if Link would ever meet this girl again, so she decided to steal herself away and let them chat in peace until they missed her.
Plus, it was a chance for Navi to lie back and relax her wings while the wagon convoy made its rickety way to the Hyrule capital city.