Author's Notes: After some deliberation I decided to delete the old versions of the "revised" chapters I did awhile ago. They're no good anymore and I had several more to go replacing them before I got back to just adding onto this document. I'm also deleting the "oldest" versions of the chapters as I come out with them, save for the first chapter, which I have decided to leave up as a testament to my growth as a writer...lots of growth. I almost can't even read that!

If you're just starting this party, go back and reread, please, or nothing will make any sense to you. You can start at "Revised Prologue". :D

I have had the honor of having the talented Neo Diji beta this chapter. Thanks so much, Kara, you're a life-saver! Any remaining mistakes are my own, guys.

I decided to add in an extra visit to the ranch before reaching Market Town. I think it works out well! This chapter was so much fun to write; I had an unexpectedly good time with Malon. She's a chatterbox, and I had fun making use of the fact that children tend to be like little tape recorders. Lots of groundwork for other things laid in this chapter, even though a lot in itself didn't happen. It's pretty long!

The songs for this chapter...guys, ZREO completed its OoT album. Go download it. This time we have their versions of Lon Lon Ranch, regular and soundscape, and Hyrule Field. We also have the theme from Cremia's Wagon from Majora's Mask. Wrong game, I know, but I loved the mellow feel of it.

Chapter Five

The forest was always quiet in the late afternoons, and today was no exception. There was no sound except for the chirping of insects and singing of birds. The wind passed through the trees like silk, only just stirring the wildlife that was already settling down for the night. Birds, roused by branches swaying under them, fluttered from tree to tree restlessly before settling back in the branches and starting again with their songs. Navi took comfort in their life, their singing. The Deku Tree had died, but he would be reborn. The forest that they were leaving behind would live on. All thanks to Link...

Navi had been down this way only once, a long time ago. It had been later in the day, then, the setting sun turning the sky blood-red over her, making the tall shadows of the trees look like demons, making the sounds of fighting and screaming all the more terrifying. Even now Navi shivered at the memory. It was then that she'd learned what war was, first-hand. She hoped this journey out of the forest would be easier to bear, for both her sake and Link's.

Link...

Navi turned to peer back over her shoulder. She could, in the distance, just make out Link and Saria, and felt a sharp pang of grief for them both; things would only get harder from here on out. She only hoped she had the strength to carry on where the Deku Tree could not. She was only a fairy, after all...

"It's rather sad, isn't it?"

Startled, Navi squeaked and wheeled around to find the source of the voice, but looking around, she saw no one. "H-hello?" she called.

"Ooh hoo hoo, my apologies!" the voice laughed. "I did not mean to frighten you. Look up a bit further—yes, here I am."

Navi let her wide eyes travel slowly up the trees before her, and put a hand up to shield her eyes from the sun. She saw trees, a couple of birds flitting back and forth between them, and very large owl, but nothing that could have spoken to her. "I don't see you."

To her surprise, it was the owl that spoke. "My dear, you're looking right at me."

"Oh!" Navi jumped in surprise. "I'm sorry," she said. "I've never met an owl who could talk before."

The owl unfurled its huge wings once, and leapt off the tree branch, gliding down to rest on the ground before Navi. He was even larger than Link was, Navi realized. "I don't doubt that you haven't," the owl said, preening just a little. "As grand and wide as the world is, I am the only owl in it who speaks the words of men. Some call me Kaepora Gaebora."

"Pleased to meet you," Navi said politely, tucking one ankle behind the other and bobbing in a midair curtsy. "Er—everyone calls me Navi."

The owl let out one soft hoot and dipped its head, spreading its wings a little in a sort of bow. "The pleasure is mine, Navi the fairy," he murmured. "Might I be bold enough to inquire what you're doing so close to the forest's edge? It seems your charge there is saying a rather miserable farewell."

Navi looked back over her shoulder again. Link and Saria were hugging, and she felt her heart break with a sadness that was not totally her own. "The Great Deku Tree is dead, killed by a curse," she said solemnly, turning back to Kaepora Gaebora. She bowed her head. "He asked us before he died to go out into the world and—and do something for him." She wasn't sure how much she could say; if this owl was friend or foe.

"Fear not, Navi the fairy," Kaepora Gaebora said, picking up on her thoughts with alarming ease. "Though I often roam the outside lands, I have been a creature of this forest for a very, very long time. I am no friend of darkness."

Navi hesitated, figuring it couldn't hurt much to tell him a little, even if he wasn't being wholly truthful. "Well," she began, "he told us we were supposed to find Princess Zelda, and give something to her. I don't suppose you know where she is?" Navi asked hopefully. "I think I know the way to Hyrule Castle Town, but after that..."

Panicked footsteps alerted her to Link's presence; they slowed when they got close. "Navi?"

Navi turned, and immediately went to land on Link's shoulder. "Link," she said warmly, "this is Kaepora Gaebora."

Link took a step back. "The—the owl?" he asked hesitantly.

Kaepora Gaebora hooted. "Yes. And you are...?"

"This is my charge, Link," Navi said, proud to finally be able to introduce him that way. "He's the boy the Deku Tree is sending on the quest to find Zelda."

Kaepora Gaebora eyed Link for a moment, stepping forward. "Are you, now?" he murmured. There seemed to be a moment of tension, of indecision, but then— "Well!" the owl said, standing back. "I believe I can be of some assistance. I'm afraid cannot take you to Zelda—it's nearly sundown, and the drawbridge goes up in the evening. You wouldn't want to get caught out there at night as of late!" Kaepora Gaebora shuddered, all of his feathers standing on end. "But climb on my back, and I will fly you halfway."

Link's eyes widened. "Really?" he asked. "You'd do that for us?"

Kaepora Gaebora dipped his head again, smoothing out his feathers. "Certainly!" he said. "It is no trouble to me."

"Thank you so much," Navi said. "But—oh, if I may ask—where are you taking us?"

Kaepora Gaebora crouched down enough so that Link could climb on his back. "Certainly, you may ask. In fact I would insist on it. We are going about halfway between here and there, Navi...if you turn a little, there's a place where young Link might find room and board if he's willing to do a few chores in exchange. I know this word doesn't mean anything to either of you, but it's a ranch, owned by kind people. You'll find no danger there, and, for the time being, danger won't find you." Kaepora Gaebora turned his head almost all the way around to look over his shoulder at Link. "Up you get, Link," he said, "and watch the feet. I know you've likely not flown before, but do try to avoid pulling feathers, if you can help it—losing them smarts awfully."

Link awkwardly climbed on back of the owl, swinging one leg over and, as he'd been asked, keeping an eye on his feet. Once he was secure, arms around the owl's warm, feathery neck, the owl took off, leaving Link's stomach on the ground below them. Kaepora Gaebora burst out of the tops of the trees with a mighty flap of his wings, and for the first time, Link saw the world—the part of it his forest was in and the parts of it that held so much more.

He had never seen so much sun before; the light in the forest was always filtered through many layers of tree branches before it got to the ground, and so it was always a little dark, even in the brightest part of the day. Here, the sky was cloudless, the sun so bright he had to shut his eyes against it at first. Cold wind whipped against skin, and he realized just in time that his hat was slipping; he reached back with one hand, gasping at the unsteadiness of it, and grabbed it, then stuffed it down the front of his tunic to keep it safe, clinging to the owl again right after.

"Navi?" he called, voice nearly lost to the wind.

Right here, came the warm response, and Link let out a breath of relief when he felt her tug at his hair.

"Are you well, young Link?" Kaepora Gaebora called, turning his head a bit. "You aren't going to slip, are you?"

"I'm okay!" Link shouted. He peered down below him, stomach lurching all over again when he saw how high they were; higher than the tallest tree he'd ever seen, even the Deku Tree. Below him stretched an endless expanse of gently rolling grasslands, thick and green and lit up with sunshine. "Do we have to fly over all of that?" Link called.

"Yes!" Kaepora Gaebora answered. "Hoo, but worry not, Link! These wings of mine are much faster than the tired legs of a child. We shall get there before nightfall."

"What happens at nightfall?" Link asked.

Kaepora Gaebora spread his wings wide and swooped down a little closer to the ground, looking over it before answering. "These were bloodstained fields once, child. War came and with it came the need to bury men's bones without proper ceremony. Those bones come back at night to torture the living the way they were tortured in life."

Link's eyes were wide. "Bones?" he squeaked.

Navi tugged at Link's hair again. Just ghost stories. Don't listen to him.

Kaepora Gaebora hooted softly, sounding amused. "I think you'll find it wise to heed my words," he said then, swooping down a little further. A moment of silence passed, and he added, "My apologies; I tend to pick up mind-talk around me. But it's no story made up to frighten youngsters. I have seen the living dead with these two eyes. War is a terrible thing. It leaves its mark on the land, long after the battles are over. Why do you think they close the drawbridge at night?"

Link could see their shadow chasing after them, far behind where they were flying. For a moment he wondered if they were going to land, but then they caught a draft and soared higher than they had yet. Link's grip tightened on the owl's feathers. "Are we almost there?" he whimpered.

"Nearly," Kaepora Gaebora answered. "Do you see that raised land out there?"

Link looked. "Uh...yeah! Is that it?"

"Yes," said the owl. "That's Lon Lon Ranch. There's no finer milk made or livestock raised than that of the ranch."

"What's livestock?"

Kaepora Gaebora chuckled. "Never you mind. You'll have plenty of time to ask questions when we get there."

Another low swoop, and they began to gradually sink towards the ground. It was a relief when Kaepora Gaebora finally reached the grasslands below them, just outside the entrance to the ranch. By the time, the sun was sinking below the horizon, and the sky was lit up with oranges and reds, more than Link had ever seen through his wall of trees, more than he could count. The sunset made their shadows long, as if they were the shadows of trees. Link was busy enough with staring that when Kaepora Gaebora landed a bit too roughly, he nearly threw Link off. But since takeoff, Link had been holding on to the owl tightly enough to make his knuckles go white and his fingers tingle with the beginnings of numbness, and he was not about to be thrown off easily.

"You can climb off now," Kaepora Gaebora told Linky, seeming rather amused. "Watch your legs," he advised.

Link swallowed and slowly uncurled his fingers, realizing his palms were sweaty when a cool breeze slid past him. He tried to get off Kaepora Gaebora's back gingerly, but he lost his balance and stumbled off instead, all but falling over with the sword on his back working against him. "So," he asked weakly, suddenly realizing how exhausted he was, "this is...you said...Lon Lon Ranch?"

Kaepora Gaebora's head was already tucked under his wing, where he was clipping the feathers Link had ruffled during his unsteady dismount. His voice muffled, he answered, "Indeed it is. The people here are very kind. I've never spoken to them, but I don't think they would refuse a young one in need."

Link sighed and plopped down in the tall grass, looking around them restlessly; mostly he couldn't stop looking at the sky. It seemed endless, in a way that dwarfed everything in the Lost Woods—the forests, the cliffs next to the village, the Deku Tree, everything. The world was huge. Even the grass, thick and green, came up to his shoulders now that he was sitting down. "Are there, um, adults here?"

"Of course," the owl answered. "They're everywhere outside of the forest. All children grow up and become adults one day."

Link shivered. "That must be awful."

"Not so awful as you might think," Kaepora Gaebora said, taking his head out of his wing. "Well, go on. Up on your feet, lad! If you wait much longer it will be dark."

"Oh—right." Link got wearily to his feet, wincing when his aching muscles started to throb. "Well...what do I say to them? The adults, I mean."

"Simply ask for room and board," Kaepora Gaebora said. "I'm not going with you," he added gently, at Link's expectant look. "A talking owl garners much more surprise from the people of this world than the children of the forest. Ah, and on that sad thought, Navi—I would suggest you wait for the right time to introduce yourself, my dear. Fairies are not unheard of here, but they are rather uncommon."

"I'll keep that in mind," Navi said. She did another midair curtsy. "Thank you so much for your help. Will we see you again?"

The owl hooted with laughter. "Of course you will!" he said. "We shall be meeting again, mark my word on that. And it was my pleasure, Link and Navi, truly." The owl put one foot forward and dipped himself low in a kind of half-bow. "I wish you all the best. Now, I must be going before the sun sets, and I suggest you do the same." He flapped his wings open with one quick wide snap, and leapt into the sky, blowing the hair back out of Link's face in the wake of his departure. "I'll see you soon!" he called behind him. "Stay strong, young ones!"

Kaepora Gaebora was flying into the setting sun. Link put a hand up to shield his eyes, but he couldn't see him anymore. He was gone.

"Well!" Navi sighed. "We're lucky we ran into him, aren't we? I really don't remember the way to the drawbridge."

Link's hand dropped from his eyes, and he shifted uncomfortably. "Drawbridge?"

"It's a moving bridge," Navi explained, but she didn't need to. "Goes up and down to keep out...unwanted visitors, I suppose. Come on, let's get out of the field. I don't want to find out whether those stories of his are true or not."

Link obeyed, trying not to think of the drawbridge in his dream.

Less than a dozen paces past the threshold of the ranch, the smell hit Link like a club over the head. He didn't recognize it, but if pressed he would have said it smelled a little like the stew Saria sometimes made for his birthday, warm and inviting. His stomach growled loudly, and Link ignored it, putting his cap on his head and looking over at Navi.

"You'd better hide," he told Navi reluctantly. He hated to be here by himself...

Navi darted under his cap again, tugging lightly at his hair. "It's okay. I'm right here if you need me."

Link took a deep breath. It didn't make him feel much better, but it helped a little.

To his right was a tall wooden building, at least as tall as his house was, ladder and all. Link saw no ladder there, or even an opening that could be used as a doorway. A bridge above his head connected that building with the one to his left, each end touching a roof of one of the buildings. The one on the left was painted, a soft color that might have been white once, but was now chipped and faded and old. The space between the buildings was narrow, but Link could see the beginnings of a smaller field at the end of it.

"Hello?" he called, shifting nervously. The grass was shorter here, and it flattened under his boots. "Is...is anyone here...?" Any moment now, he might see an outsider...an adult...

"One second!"

The voice that called back made him jump; it was female, and surprisingly normal-sounding. He'd expected adults to sound different than children.

But she was a child, he realized, when she came around the corner. She didn't look so different from the children in his village; like many of them, she had red hair, though hers was the longest he'd ever seen. Her eyes were bright blue, and they crinkled when she smiled, but her skin was darker than Link's, tanner. She had a smattering of freckles over her cheeks, and she looked younger than the children in the forest...almost like she could be his age. She wasn't wearing green, though; she was wearing a longer garment that was mostly white, with a soft cloth tied loosely around her neck.

"Hi!" she said. "What can I help you with? Are you a customer? We're about to close."

Link opened his mouth to speak, then shut it. He swallowed, but he couldn't get himself to speak.

"Hey, are you okay?" the girl asked. "Daaad!" she called, and went to the building on Link's left, yanking open what Link suddenly understood was a door; a piece of wood that swung inside. "Dad! There's a boy down here and he won't say nothin'!"

"A boy?" came the reply, deep and low, and Link's eyes widened. An adult. An adult was about to come out of the building. He'd heard they were as tall as trees, how could one even fit in there...?

"Uh-huh!" the girl said. "He's got awfully big eyes," she added, and Link took a hesitant step back.

"I..." He cleared his throat. "I, um. I-I was wondering..."

The doorway was filled, suddenly, with the man. He wasn't as tall as a tree; he was even shorter than the door, and he stepped out of it and gave Link a critical look. He was tanner than Link was, too, rather large and round. Dark hair grew on his face around his mouth and lightly on his arms, but there was less on his head. He rubbed the empty spot as he looked at Link as though it would help him think things over. "Are you all right, son?" he asked.

"I..." Link swallowed.

"He won't say nothin'," the girl repeated. "Hey, are you shy or somethin'? It's okay, me and Dad and Ingo, we're nice folks. We'll help you out if we can, won't we, Dad?"

The man—Link could only guess his name was Dad—rubbed his bald spot again. "I reckon. What can we do for you, boy?"

Room and board, Navi reminded Link gently, and he jumped at the feeling of her thoughts against his. Tell them you'll do chores tomorrow.

"I..." Link swallowed again. His throat felt tight and his hands felt shaky. His pulse was racing. "I-I was told...I mean, I...can I have room and b-board, please?" he managed finally. "I'll, um, do chores. Tomorrow. If you want."

Dad's bushy eyebrows raised. "Are you a runaway, son?" he asked. "I should take you back to your folks."

"It's too late tonight, Dad," the girl said. "It's gettin' dark."

Dad glanced at the sky, looking unhappy. "You're right. Guess that leaves me no choice. Can't very well throw you out to the things out there, huh?" he grunted. "All right, you can stay. Where do you live?"

"Um, I live...I lived...in the forest," Link said. "The—the Kokiri Village in the Lost Woods."

You probably shouldn't have told him that, Navi fretted.

Dad and the little girl exchanged a look. "The ones from the stories?" she asked.

Link took a shaky breath. "Um, I dunno," he said, and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "I used to live there, but, um, you—you can't take me home. I-I got kicked out, and..." His throat tightened, and he drew an arm across his eyes, trying not to cry. He was so tired, he wanted so badly to go back home and sleep for a week...

"Hey, it's okay." The girl came forward and put an arm around his shoulder. It reminded Link strongly of Saria. "We won't make you go back. Right, Dad?" She looked at the man with a pleading expression.

He frowned. "Uh, right. Why don't you c'mon inside, son, and we'll see about, ah...things." Shaking his head, he walked back in the house, and the girl let go of him to follow. Link trudged after them, doing his best to take in his new surroundings. A large table with wooden chair was in the middle of the room, and a stove sat in the corner. There were two windows with curtains, and a low counter ran below them. Plates and cups were already laid out. There were plenty of doorways here, and one even led to some stairs. Link felt like he could get lost with no trouble at all.

"I'm Malon," the girl said over her shoulder. "This is my dad. His name is Talon. What's your name?"

"M'Link," Link mumbled, head hung low. He flushed when his stomach growled again; the smell was stronger, here.

"Oh, are you hungry?" Malon asked. "We're having baked cucco and vegetable stew for dinner."

"I'm hungry," Link admitted. He didn't ask what baked cucco was; he knew vegetables and he knew they were great in stew, and that was all that mattered to him. "I'll do chores tomorrow," he said earnestly. "I just, um, I don't have anywhere to sleep..."

"Whoa, slow down there, son," said Dad—or Talon, he supposed. "You look about dead on yer feet, to be honest, don't worry about the chores. Where do you really come from?"

"I t-told you, the forest," Link said.

"Yeah, Dad!" Malon smiled. "See, 'cause he's wearing green like in the stories, and his shield is wooden. Do you have a fairy, too?" Malon asked. "I've never seen a real fairy before. Do they really grant wishes?"

"Um, some of them," Link said. "If they're good wishes."

"Do you have one?" Malon pressed.

Link hesitated, hoping Navi would jump in and give him some advice. Almost as soon as he had the thought, he felt Navi shift around under his hat and peer out.

"Hello!" she said, and she shrank back a little when she saw Talon. "My goodness, you're tall."

"Oh wow, look, Dad," Malon said excitedly. "A real fairy!"

"I'll be damned," Talon said, sinking down into one of the wooden chairs.

"Dad!" Malon admonished. "Now you owe a rupee to the swear jar! You shouldn't talk like that in front of fairies. She'll never grant your wish."

"It's all right," Navi said hesitantly. "And I'm not old enough to grant wishes, anyway. You have to be thousands of years old, and I'm not even a hundred yet...I'm good at helping you see in the dark, though." She flew further out of Link's cap, landed gingerly on the counter beside him. "Are you all right?" she asked Link anxiously.

He nodded, eyes on the chairs. "Um, Malon, do you think it would be all right if I sat down? I'm, uh, r-really tired."

"Oh, sure!" She pulled one out for him and waved a hand at it. "Help yourself!" She turned and hopped up on the counter, peering over at the stove and sending Navi fleeing to the table for safety. "Hey, Dad, when's it gonna be done? Less than an hour?" she asked hopefully.

Talon shook his head. "Uh. I don't know. Ingo hasn't brought the cucco yet." He looked up at Navi, as if he couldn't quite believe her. "Uh. Kid, you're...seriously...from the forest?"

"Yes," Link said uncomfortably. "Why? Is that bad?"

"Nuh-uh," Malon said. "I've always wanted to meet a forest kid, and now here you are, Fairy Boy!"

"F-Fairy Boy?" Link squeaked.

"Uh-huh. Anyway, Dad just thinks forest kids aren't real," Malon explained. "He reads about them to me but he thinks it's just a story, but I know it's not 'cause you're one and you're right here!"

"I used to think grown-ups were as tall as trees," Link admitted, and smiled a little when Malon giggled.

"Malon, honey, why don't you go see what's takin' Ingo?" Talon asked, getting heavily to his feet.

"Sure, Dad," she said, and slid off the counter. "Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm...goin' down to the cellar," Talon said, and shuffled out of the room. "I think we might be havin' whiskey with dinner tonight."

"I think Ingo might be out in the cucco coop," Malon said. "You wanna see? It's this way."

"What's a cucco?" Link asked curiously. He got to his feet and winced, rolling his shoulders. "Oh, and, uh...is it okay if I take this off for awhile?"

"What?" Malon asked, then her eyes widened. "Oh! Uh-huh! I wanna see. Where'd you get 'em?"

"The forest," Link said softly, slipping out of the sword and shield on his back. He winced as they came off, hitting the floor with a dull thunk, and he set his bag down a little more gently. "Is it okay to leave them here?"

"Sure," Malon said. "Dad yells at me for leaving my stuff laying around, but that looks heavy. You can carry it upstairs after dinner, 'kay?"

"Okay," Link said. He was silent as Malon looked over his things, awkwardly shifting his weight from one aching foot to the other.

"Is it heavy?" Malon asked. "Does it cut stuff good? Can I hold it?"

Link was grateful when Navi seemed to notice his discomfort. "Maybe after dinner?" she suggested hesitantly. "We were supposed to go get Ingo..."

"Oh yeah!" Malon said. She smacked her forehead. "I'm so forgetful! Dad says I'd lose my head if it wasn't screwed on good and tight." She moved towards the door and went outside. A blaze of orange sunlight poured in through the door.

Link fought down a laugh as he followed her, shielding his eyes from the sun. It was so bright here. "Screwed on?" he repeated. "Who screwed it on for you?"

"I guess my dad did!" Malon said, giggling. "I'll ask him. He knows everything," she said. "He says he doesn't, but I know better."

"That's better than thinking you know everything when you don't," Navi said, landing on Link's shoulder. Link's hesitant smile grew wider; he knew, somehow, that she was thinking of Mido.

"Dad thinks so too," Malon said. "He says customers like that are know-it-alls, and when one comes to the ranch, he wants to stick 'em with his pitchfork and muck 'em out with the rest of the horseshit."

"What's horseshit?" Link asked.

"It means poop," Malon answered, "but it's a bad word. Dad says I'm not allowed to say it 'til I'm grown like him and Ingo."

"I guess that means I can never say bad words," Link said glumly.

"That's absolutely right," Navi told him.

The field outside the house wasn't nearly as big and wide as the one outside the ranch, but it was still a bit of a walk to the building in the back that Malon called the cucco coop. It was small and wooden, next to a larger building made of stone that Malon called a silo. Beside that was a heap of chopped wood Malon said they used to keep fire going on cold nights. The field had several fenced-in areas, and Malon told Link that was where they let the animals out to eat during the day.

"What kinds of animals?" Link asked, as they were reaching the door of the cucco coop. "Cuccos? You never told me what one was."

"I forgot!" Malon said. "But they're just big fat birds that can't fly. They eat birdseed and they're scared of everything. We feed the big animals outside. The cows and horses. I love horses," Malon said, opening the door of the coop and stepping inside. "Sometimes I feel like I can almost talk to them! My favorite horse in the whole world is Strawberry. She's gonna have Fledge's baby soon. I hope it's a girl," Malon added. "Dad says if it's a boy we'll probably sell it to the soldiers, that's what we did with Fledge. But I wanna keep it."

Link wrinkled his nose as he followed Malon into the dark little building. It was nothing but a narrow hallway with one bend to it. It smelled like horseshit. Looking around, he saw fat, fluffy white things with beady eyes were all settled in boxes along the wall, nesting in some kind of dried grass. They were all staring at him, and he felt his skin crawl. Navi hid under his hat.

"Are you goin' on about that horse again, Malon?" grunted a low voice from the back. "Don't come around," it added.

"Uh-uh," Malon said. "I was tellin' Link about the horses, Ingo, 'cause he's from the forest and he doesn't know about them."

"Who's Link?" Ingo's voice called, and all the sudden there was a loud, screeching cry. The cuccos around them shifted restlessly, but there was a quiet snap and then the cries were silent. "You can come on now."

"Link's a visitor," Malon said. She poked her head around the corner, and Link edged closer to her. "He's having dinner with us. Dad wanted me to see if you got the cucco yet."

Link poked his head around the corner, too. There was another adult here, taller and more wiry, thinner. He was bald, too, and he had hair on his face and arms, but it was hard to make much more in the shadow of the cucco coop. He was bent to avoid the low ceiling, sitting on a small wooden stool, and there was something still and feathery lying in his lap.

"It's right here," the man grunted. "I'll be there in a few minutes, I've got to pluck the feathers. Grab your daddy some firewood to carry on back, girl."

"Okay. C'mon," she told Link.

He didn't move; his eyes were locked on the bundle in Ingo's lap. He had just figured it out—the quiet snap, cuccos being here all around them and for dinner. He was staring at Malon in shock. "But..."

"Come on!" she insisted, and tugged at his hand.

"He just killed that cucco!" Link said once they were outside the coop, distressed. "It was crying, and he just—"

Malon's face softened in sympathy. "Oh, you didn't know? We have to eat meat to stay strong."

"But it was alive!" Link protested. "Life is sacred, you should never—"

"It's okay," Navi soothed, crawling out from under Link's hat. "It's okay, Link, don't get upset."

"I know it seems awful," Malon said, squeezing Link's hand. "I cried when Dad first told me about it. But he says everything has a start and a finish, like the sun rises and falls every day. That's the way life works."

"Not for me," Link said, feeling betrayed. "I'm never gonna get old. Nothing from the forest ever changes."

Malon made a face. "That must be awful," she said.

"Not so awful," Link protested. "Anyway, it's not fair. How do you think the cucco feels?"

Malon hung her head. "It's quick," she said, and let go of Link's hand. "And Dad says when things die only their bodies are left behind. The rest of them goes somewhere else. That's where my mom is, and one day after we're real old, me and Dad and Ingo will go and be there with her."

"Where is it?" Link asked curiously.

Malon shrugged. "No one knows! Not even Dad. He says it's a nice place, but it's s'posed to be a surprise, so we don't get to find out until we go. So the cucco's actually visiting my mom right now, see? It had a beginning, and now it has an end, and the end ain't nothin' to be sad about, not really."

"I guess," Link said uncomfortably.

"Will you help me carry some wood?" Malon asked him, leading him around to where it was stacked. "Dad's gonna need a lot if the cucco isn't even done yet."

"I'll try. I'm really tired," Link admitted. "I, um, had a long day."

"Gotta work hard even on the long days!" Malon said cheerfully. She put three heavy pieces on Link's outstretched arms. "That's what Ingo says." She took four pieces of wood for herself and started back towards the house, a spring in her step. "Dad says I gotta dream big, and Ingo says I just gotta work hard. In fact, I have to work extra hard 'cause I'm a girl, and sometimes the boys in Castle Town don't think girls are good for anything even when they are. It's not fair! But life isn't fair either, that's what my dad says."

"That's silly," said Navi.

"Yeah," Link agreed breathlessly, hurrying to keep up with Malon. "My best friend is a girl, and she can do everything better than me."

"I wish I had a best friend," Malon said. "It's lonesome out here sometimes, just me and Dad and Ingo. I always have to play by myself."

"I know how that feels," Link said. "Saria was the only one who would ever play with me at home." Link swallowed a lump his throat and worked harder to keep the pace with Malon. He missed Saria so much he could hardly stand it.

"I miss my mom," Malon said sadly. "She used to play with me before she got sick. I know you're not s'posed to be sad about the end, but I miss her. Sometimes I wish she could come back and visit."

"What's a mom, anyway?" Link asked. "And a dad? You keep calling Talon that."

"You don't know?" Malon asked, surprised. "A mom and dad make a baby. That's how things get their beginning. Two cuccos make an egg, two cows make a calf, you know. And then they take care of you 'til you're grown and make a little one yourself."

"Kokiri don't have parents," Navi explained quietly. "They're created by the Deku Tree. He's the guardian of the forest, he—"

"Oh, there really is a Father Tree?" Malon asked, delighted. "That's what the stories say. He makes all the forest children and their fairies."

"That's not what we call him, but he's real." Navi landed on Malon's stack of wood. "Would you mind slowing down? Link can't keep up."

Link flushed. "I-I'm okay."

"He killed a monster today," Navi went on. "That's hard work."

"I can carry some of yours," Malon said. "But you gotta tell me more stories about Father Tree and the forest and monsters, okay? They're my favorites!"

Link sighed in relief when Malon took two of his pieces of wood away from him. "Sure," he said, and opened the door of the house for her. He set his own piece of wood down on top of hers, and sat heavily in the chair Talon had pulled out a few minutes ago. "That's easy. What do you want to know?"

Dinner passed in a stunned silence from the adults and a wave of chatter from the children. Malon and Link were fascinated with one another, and Navi was happy enough to sit on the back of Link's chair and only chime in every so often. She had been watching Link all his life, but she had never seen him so talkative, not even to Saria.

"So, which one's the cucco?"

"I'm not telling! Try it all, it's real good! Dad's the best cook ever."

Link did try a little of everything, and from what Navi could tell he liked it all. "This is different from the stuff we have at home," he told Malon. "We have small vegetables, berries, nuts...we only make stew sometimes, mostly we just eat what we find. We don't cook much..."

"We cook every night!" Malon said. "Have some more cucco. Meat gets you big and strong. You're only wimpy 'cause you never ate any."

"I-I'm not wimpy!"

"Uh-huh, you are. I can carry more firewood than you. Bet I can carry more than anyone in your whole village, even the strongest kids. You eat up. You'll blow their socks off one day! Hey Navi, you want some?" Malon asked.

Navi leaned forward, a little. "Cucco, you mean?" she asked. "I don't know, I really don't eat much..." It was one thing to ask Link to eat it; he needed to be strong for the trails ahead of him. But she was just a fairy... "I don't think I would get any better at carrying firewood."

Link turned around to offer her a tired smile. "It's really good," he coaxed, and Navi felt fondness well up in her, warm and strong. "Try some, please?"

"Well," Navi hedged, and wrung her hands together in her lap. She really couldn't say no to Link. That was going to be a problem. "I suppose. But just break me off a tiny piece!" Malon did, and Navi slid off of her place at the back of Link's chair to hop lightly down to the table, wings fluttering to help her keep her balance. She took the meat and nibbled on the very end—flavor flooded her mouth. "Oh," she said faintly, "it is very good..."

"Told you so," Link said.

Later on, Talon finally found his voice.

"It's strange," he said, during the brief moment when both Link and Malon were chewing and not talking. "I never thought those old stories were real. I wouldn't believe you if I wasn't seein' this fairy here with my own two eyes."

"Some of the others at home don't believe in the outside world, or adults," Link replied. "They think the forest goes on forever and ever."

Talon shook his head slowly, and rubbed his bald spot. "What I'm havin' trouble understandin', son, is why you left. You got kicked out?"

Navi felt Link's mood drop before she saw the sadness flicker on his face. "Not exactly," she jumped in. "There was a disagreement with another boy in the village. He thinks he has the right to kick Link out, but he doesn't. He doesn't," she added pointedly to Link, when she felt his mood sink even lower. "But we would have had to leave anyway. It was just terrible timing, really."

"Why'd you have to leave?" Malon asked.

"The Deku Tree told me to," Link said.

Navi, more cautious than her charge, sent a warning thought in Link's direction. Don't tell them the details. Don't tell them the important stuff.

Link paused, and then nodded once, at his plate. "He asked me to find Princess Zelda," he said. "I'm supposed to give something to her. Do you know how to get there from here?"

"The princess lives in the castle, I play with her sometimes if they let me," Malon said. "You gotta go to Castle Town. We sell our products there all the time, and everybody buys them because they're the best in Hyrule, that's what Dad says. And sometimes we even deliver milk to the castle itself. The king drinks Lon Lon milk, that's how good it is—"

"But where's Castle Town?" Link asked.

"Across the fields," Ingo grunted. "Half a day's walk."

"Oh, but it's only a couple of hours if you go by wagon," Malon said, "and then you don't get so tired, and you have less trouble with the peahats, and—oh, we were going to go tomorrow, right Dad?"

She gave Talon the same pleading look she had earlier when Link had stood outside with his words caught in his throat, and Navi knew then that Talon wouldn't say no because he couldn't. Navi could sympathize.

"Ye-es," Talon said slowly.

"Then it wouldn't be no trouble to give Link a ride, right?"

"I suppose not," Talon said.

"If it's royal business," Ingo said, cutting his cucco into smaller and smaller bites, "we'd best not get involved, Talon."

"I don't see how it can do any harm to give the boy a ride," Talon said. "He'd just walk otherwise. We don't have to help him in the castle gates or anything...giving somebody a ride ain't treason. So you'll be coming with us tomorrow, son," he said to Link, "and we'll make sure we see you there safely. Be a load off my conscience," he muttered.

Mind your manners, Navi reminded Link, but he was already speaking.

"Th-thank you," he told Talon. "Really, I couldn't imagine walking all that way...thank you. Thank you so much. Th—"

"Knock it off!" Malon said. "Gosh, you act like nobody's ever shown you a little kindness."

Link smiled a little, and Navi went over to land on his arm.

It wasn't so much that no one had shown him kindness as it was that Link was all too used to the opposite.

"Are you sure you have to leave tomorrow?" Malon asked Link and Navi as they walked upstairs after dinner. Link was so tired and full he had to lean against the wall. Malon was carrying his things.

"I'm sure," Link said, through a heavy yawn. "I have to do what the Great Deku Tree asked me to do...it's really important, or he wouldn't have asked me to do it."

"I guess," Malon said. "Only I wish sometimes kids came by the ranch more. I don't have anybody to play with."

"Maybe we'll come back," Navi said. "I don't see why not, if we have time."

Malon grinned. "That would be great." She turned a corner into a narrow hallway once she got to the top of the stairs, and opened the second door on the right. "This is the guest room," she told Link, walking into the tiny room and setting his things down by the door. There was a single bed, here, and one window that had the curtains closed over it. The walls and floor were wooden and bare. The nightstand had some kind of glass fixture over it, but other than that, the room was bare.

"It's not much, we never have overnight guests," Malon said, going over to the nightstand and turning on what Link came to understand was a lamp. It flickered on like a candle, bathing the little room in a warm glow. "It's cozy, though. My room and Dad's room are across the wall, which is lucky for you because the walls are kinda thin and Dad says I'm the only person in the whole world that can sleep through his snoring."

Link smiled, a little, and went to sit on the bed. It was surprisingly soft, though it creaked under him when he moved.

"There's extra blankets in my room, if you need one," Malon said. "It's okay to come in without knocking, but try not to wake me up if you need one 'cause we gotta get up with the sun tomorrow."

"Okay." Link leaned back on the bed, and then forward. It bounced easily with him, shifting effortlessly with his weight, and he rocked to one side, testing to see if it would go that way as well. It did.

"The bathroom's at the end of the hall," Malon added. "If you need to go."

Link stopped himself mid-rock. "Bathroom?" he asked.

Malon paused, then folded her arms. "That's right. Fairy kids don't have indoor plumbing, do they? Boy, I'll never feel like a hick again."

"What?" Link asked.

"Never mind." Malon shook her head. "You'll figure it out. If you gotta pee, it's the room at the end of the hall. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Now we wake up real early around here, especially on days when we're going to Castle Town, so you gotta get up the first time we call you, okay?"

"I'll try," Link promised.

"I'll help you," Navi said, and Link breathed a sigh of relief.

Malon lingered by the doorway, giving Link one last smile before she left. "G'night, Fairy Boy," she said. "Sleep tight, and don't let the bedbugs bite!" She shut the door lightly behind her as she left.

There was a short silence, and Link sat still on the bed, eyes on the floor.

"You must be exhausted," Navi said. "Go ahead and lie down if you want, I'll help get you up when morning comes."

"I keep forgetting how tired I am," Link admitted. There were so many new things to see here he'd completely forgotten about his fight with Gohma and everything else. "There's just so much," he began.

"I know," Navi agreed. She jumped off the edge of the nightstand to take to the air, and grabbed the tip of Link's cap to pull it off his head. "Get your boots," she told him. "You know, it's awfully different from home."

"I guess. I don't like it, though." Link pulled off his boots slowly, letting them thump down to the floor. "Everything here dies, Navi," Link said. "The cuccos and the people...Malon's mom died, and one day she'll die...it's not fair!" Link let out a shaky breath, the tightening of his throat warning him he was about to cry. "She shouldn't have to die. No one should. I can't think of anything worse."

"Oh, Link." Navi came to rest on his left knee, looking up at him with sympathy. "It's all right. That's—that's the way the world works. Just think of all the neat things you've seen already...don't you want to be able to tell Saria about them one day? Just like she told you stories when you were younger?"

Link swallowed hard, and nodded. "When I see her again..."

Navi seemed to hear the doubt in his tone. "You'll see her again," she promised firmly. "Mido can't keep you out of the forest. The Deku Tree would never allow it." She took to the air again, went over to lift the curtain a bit and peer out the window. "Hmm." She sounded pleased. "No...it'll be good for you, Link. I've watched you for a long time, you know, and I've never seen you talk quite as much as you did today. I think you just need a little confidence, a fresh start...and this place isn't so bad. Just look!"

She drew back the curtain. Link turned around halfway, uninterested, then his eyes widened, and he scrambled to the window to get a better look. "Oh, Navi, wow."

At home, the constant cover of trees sheltered Link and the other children from the elements; pouring rain became gentle showers and harsh sunlight never made it past the canopy of leaves overhead. Link knew what the sky looked like; he had seen it in bits and pieces through the tangle of branches over his head. Sometimes, when Saria had coaxed him, he had even climbed a few of the taller trees to get a better look. But there was so much more sky out here; so much more big wide blueness in the day and a riot of orange and pink as the sun set. And now, at night...

"There's so many of them," Link breathed.

"I know," Navi said, with a little smile. "They're beautiful, aren't they? You can see them so much better here."

The night sky was as dark as shadow, a thousand stars or more sprinkled across it. It didn't seem to end; they stretched all the way to the horizon, bright points dotting the sky and leaving almost no space between. The moon hung low above the cucco coop way on the other end of the field, a soft cloud passing by now and then, throwing the ranch into darkness.

"Saria would love this," Link said after a long moment, swallowing against the homesickness that left a lump in his throat. "She would love it...oh Navi, I wish she could see."

"Me too," Navi whispered. "But I think Kokiri die if they leave the forest. That's what I was always told by the Great Deku Tree."

Link looked down at her, surprised. "But you knew I wouldn't die."

"You're different," Navi said quickly. "He told me you'd be able to leave, one day."

"I wonder why that is," Link sighed, and shut the curtain. He walked back to the bed, drew down the covers, and climbed in. "I wish he'd had time to tell me..."

"Yeah," he heard Navi whisper, as he closed his eyes. "I wish he had too."

He was tumbling, falling, down soft steep hills that marked the path to the Lost Woods. He was small and fragile and scared; his clothes were wet with grass stains. He could hear Mido laughing in the distance.

"Can't make it up?" Saria's voice was kind and soothing, the only kind voice he had known in his short four years. "It's okay. I'll carry you, Link."

She picked him up with all the warmth of a mother, and Mido stopped laughing. They ventured into the woods together only to find the Great Deku Tree withering away before their eyes.

"Hello, Link," he rasped, and the bark fell from his lips, and he turned to dust.

"No!" Saria cried, dropping Link without a thought. He hit the ground hard, and he was ten again, weighted down with the sword and shield on his back, Navi at his side.

"It's her!" Navi shrieked. "It's Gohma! Look!"

The spider emerged from the ashes of the Deku Tree, hissing and writhing, black blood pouring out if its madly rolling eye. It crawled closer and closer to Link, and Saria was gone, and Navi was gone, and there were a thousand glittering stars disappearing behind Gohma's bulk as it reared up to take him out—

Darkness. He was standing somewhere flat and quiet and—

He was having that dream again, wasn't he?

Yes, this was familiar. Too familiar.

He was in Hyrule Field, Navi floating anxiously near his head. She was talking, but he couldn't hear her. He only had eyes for the thing before him: the gate, the drawbridge. An odd triangle symbol he had never seen before was at the top. It was huge, filling up his vision.

Clouds rolled in hard and fast, and Link felt his heart plummet to his knees.

He didn't feel the rain pouring over his skin, but he saw the lightning flash, heard the distant roll of thunder. The drawbridge fell open with a crash, and the white animal raced out of the gate, the girl on its back. She threw something—something blue—into the small stream under the bridge. The world went silent, and Link saw it fly from her hand and sail through the air, heard it land in the moat with a splash. He heard the currents rush past it as it sank to the bottom, heard the low clink as it gently hit the bottom of the moat.

Then the storm was rushing in his ears, and he was there, that evil man that Link only now had a name for. Ganondorf was there with shadows in his hand, and all Link knew was pain.

He saw the girl standing over him, her face anxious and worried, her hand reaching out to him.

He woke with a gasp, his own hand outstretched as if he could somehow reach back.