Link at 16

The bleachers provided a cool shade over Link as he sat looking at the horses. Even though the sun was particularly hot, the horses still enjoyed their daily run across the pen. Epona seemed to be having just as much fun as the rest with how fast she galloped from one side to the other. The sight always made Link happy.

Link was not just happy because of the horses, however. It also happened to be his sixteenth birthday. The year that he had jumped to when he first grabbed the Master Sword from its pedestal.

Zelda had sent him back in time to live out the years that he had lost; and Link could say to himself with full certainty that he had lived them to the fullest potential in Lon Lon Ranch with Malon, even if some would say it was only an average life compared to others.

Taking a deep breath, Link closed his eyes and leaned back on the bleachers and simply enjoyed the sound of the horses galloping for a while. A few minutes after, he heard footsteps in the grass that got closer and did not sound like horse hooves. He opened his eyes and smiled when it turned out to be Malon.

"Hi," she greeted and sat down beside him.

"Hi," Link replied.

Malon nervously tapped her fingers against her knees as she kept her eyes on the horses. "I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday."

"Thanks," Link replied. "It's a special one to me."

"I can imagine. Finally going into adulthood. I can't believe it's already been five years since you started working here. Have you enjoyed it so far?"

"I think it's safe to say I have. I never thought of myself as being a rancher but here I am."

"When we first met you were carrying a sword and a shield on your back. I don't know what kind of life you used to have, but I bet it was pretty exciting."

"It had its moments. Though it was a very short part of my life."

Link told himself it was technically true. Even if it spanned between different years, he ended staying a young boy in the end. His life of traveling Hyrule did not last very long.

"I didn't just come by to talk, though," Malon said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small wrapped box with a green bow. "I wanted to give you this. I've never given you anything for your birthday in the last few years."

Link stared at the box for a few seconds as Malon held it out for him. "Malon, you didn't have to-"

"I know," she interrupted. "But I wanted to give you something special."

Not wanting to argue with her further, Link reached out and grabbed the box from Malon's hand. He unwrapped the bow from the top and removed some of the wrapping before getting to the actual box. It was not very big, but it felt a bit heavy. When he removed the top he was surprised to see another ocarina inside.

Unlike his own ocarina, which had become withered over the years from use, the one inside the box looked almost brand new. There were small carving along the smooth wooden surface of horses with their front legs raised in the air. On the back of the ocarina was Link's name, inscribed with quite possibly the most beautiful handwriting he had ever seen.

"Did… did you make this?" Link asked.

"Do you like it?" Malon asked as she rubbed her arm nervously.

He slowly raised the ocarina up to his mouth and played a single note. The change would not have been noticeable to anyone else, but Link could tell the new ocarina played a better tune than his old one. After testing with a few more notes, he chuckled and looked at Malon. "Where did you learn to carve like this? This is really well done."

"It used to be a hobby of my mom's when she was still alive. After she died, I started practicing making carvings myself until I was as good as her. I guess I was just trying to find something to remember her by. Although, I don't think I could ever make carvings as good as the ones she did."

Talking about her mother seemed to have upset Malon because she turned her gaze down and a look of sadness filled her face. Without a warning, however, her head jolted back up when Link pulled her into a gentle hug.

"Singing; horse riding; carving," he listed out. "You really have a lot of great gifts, Malon."

She was hesitant at first, but Malon found it in herself to extend her own arms and wrap them around Link. She would never have let Link see it, but a single tear was dropping from her eye, which she wiped away before they separated from their hug.

"I guess I should give you something in return for this great gift," Link said.

"Of course not," Malon protested. "It's your birthday, not mine."

"The thing is, while this ocarina is spectacular, I don't think even it could make great tunes on its own." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his old wooden ocarina. "Do you want to play with me?"

Malon hesitantly reached for the ocarina. "I've only tried playing a few times. I'm not very good at it…"

"Then I'll show you. Watch me."

Link raised the new ocarina and began to slowly play Epona's song with it. The horse was already galloping towards him before he finished and stopped right in front of his face. Malon made sure to pay close attention to how he played the song.

Once he finished, Link petted Epona and looked at Malon. "Now you try. Call Epona over to you."

Malon had always preferred to sing to Epona rather than play, so having to do it for the first time in front of Link made her uneasy. Nevertheless, she raised the ocarina up to her mouth, closed her eyes, and she began to play.

The first notes of the song went pretty well, and Epona turned her head in the direction of the melody. Unfortunately, Malon hit a sour note and Epona turned her attention back to Link. When Malon saw this, she put the ocarina back down and sighed in frustration.

"It's okay. Just try again," Link said.

Malon raised the ocarina back up to her mouth and tried again. And again, she failed to play the entire song until the end. Rather than giving up, however, she took a deep breath and began playing a third time. Her face lightened up and she laughed when she managed to play the entire song, prompting Epona to walk over to her and begin licking her forehead.

When Epona backed away, Malon handed the ocarina over to Link. "Here you go."

"The ocarina is yours now," Link replied as he gently pushed it away. "You can play it whenever you want."

Malon smiled and held the ocarina close to her. She stopped petting Epona and ordered the horse to go back to galloping with the others, leaving Link and her alone again.

"Wanna keep practicing?" Link asked.

"Sure," Malon replied.

They both raised their ocarinas and began to play together, filling the air with the sound of the gentle tunes. Link would remember this day as one of his best birthdays ever.

A few days later, Link was busy gathering all of the cuccos to get them outside of the house. Once all of them were outside and strutting about, cracked his fingers as he outstretched his arms in the air, groaning as he did.

Talon's snoring was the loudest thing Link had heard all morning. The old rancher had fallen asleep right outside his house's door and was lying against the wall. Ingo had tried to carry him inside but gave up when Talon ended up being too heavy for him to carry. Link and Malon decided to leave him be until it was nighttime.

The sound of a neighing horse hit his ear, causing it to twitch. He looked over at the pen, which was already filled with all of the horses as they galloped and were being sung to by Malon. However, the horse he heard did not come from the pen itself.

"Where is that…?"

Before Link could finish his questioning, a horse rode into the ranch from the main entrance, causing him to jump back a bit as it came to a sudden stop in front of him. A masked stranger sat on top of the horse, looking down at Link with her red eyes. Despite the mas, however, Link could tell who it was.

'Impa?!'

The Sheikah took off her mask and said no word as she kept looking at Link. Before he could ask another question, another horse rode in from behind Impa, carrying another rider. This one was none other than Princess Zelda herself.

Her horse neighed, causing Talon to wake up from all the noise, and looked down at Link. She looked just as he remembered her when she was his age as well. After him abruptly leaving her in the courtyard of the palace seven years ago, he never thought he would lay eyes on her again; much less inside of Lon Lon Ranch. And yet here she was.

Impa got off of her horse and took the princess's hand as she helped her dismount her own. Ingo had been drawn out to the commotion and Malon as well, who stood just behind Link.

"Princess," Talon said in surprise. "Why… this is quite the honor. We weren't…"

"Formalities aren't needed," Zelda kindly said. "I'm here as a guest."

"What can we help with?" Talon asked, standing straight.

"To put it simply, Lon Lon Ranch has served my father and Castle Town well for many years. I thought it would be a nice reprieve from the castle to come here and enjoy the lovely scenery, seeing as I've never actually been to your ranch."

Talon muttered and straightened his outfit. "Well, I'd be delighted to give you a tour of the ranch."

"Oh no," Malon whispered to Link. "If he falls asleep in the middle of the tour, it'll make him look foolish."

Taking Malon's words into account, Link stepped forward. "If I may, I would be more than happy to give you the tour, princess. Talon here is a very busy man."

Ingo grumbled under his breath at Link's statement about Talon but made no comment. Zelda turned to face Link. "Oh? Well, that would be lovely." She turned to Impa. "Impa, would you kindly stay here and watch the horses? I won't be very long."

Impa turned her gaze to Link, narrowing her eyes and making him uneasy. "Very well, princess. Stay safe."

Zelda smiled and walked next to Link. "What shall I call you?"

"Uh, Link," he answered. "My name is Link."

"Link… Alright, then. Shall we go?"

Link nodded and gestured further into the ranch. As the two of them walked away, Link took a quick glance at Malon, who gave him an approving nod as she led her father back inside the house.

While walking, Link gently pulled Zelda by the arm when she nearly stepped on a passing cucco. "Be careful. They can be vicious if provoked."

Their first stop was just outside the horse pen. Zelda leaned against the wooden frame as she watched the horses eating grass and walking around, all with a smile on her face. "It must be very nice seeing these creatures up close every day."

"Yeah, it is," he replied.

"Spending most of your life inside of a castle, people think you're enjoying the best life possible. When, in fact, you're actually missing some of the best parts of life. Traveling being one of them."

Link nodded, even though she was busy looking at the horses to notice. He tapped her on the arm to get her attention. "Watch this."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ocarina Malon had given him, making Zelda smile widely.

"You know how to play the ocarina?" she asked.

Link nodded. He brought the instrument up to his mouth and began to play Epona's song, making the horse gallop all the way towards them stand right outside the wooden fence. Zelda giggled as she slowly put her hand through the gate and petted Epona's mane. "She's very pretty. Does she have a name?"

"Epona," Link replied. "Sort of the pride and joy of this ranch."

"Do you know any other songs with the ocarina, Link?" she asked while continuing to pet Epona.

Link thought for a moment as he looked at the ocarina then back at her. "Well… there is one song you might like."

He raised the ocarina again and began playing another tune; one that Zelda herself knew all too well. Zelda simply listened as the strange song began to sound strangely familiar, making her look at Link with a look confusion and then surprise. The song he was playing was her lullaby.

Every single note was right. It was strange how Link knew of such a song since she never remembered teaching it to anybody. She raised her hand and stopped him before he could finish the song, taking a few steps away from him afterwards.

"Wha… How do you know that song?" she asked.

"Impa taught it to me," Link replied.

"What? Why would Impa teach that song to you? When did she?" Link put the ocarina back in his pocket and sighed. Zelda studied his expression further, and she suddenly recognized him. "Wait… I know you! You're the same boy who suck into the castle all those years ago and suddenly left." She walked closer until she was only inches from Link's face. "Who are you? Really?"

Link spent some time coming up with the right words. "The thing is… you and I used to know each other. Well, we never actually did now…"

Zelda narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about? I know almost nothing about you."

"It's kind of a long story…"

"I have plenty of time," she said as she crossed her arms. "Try me."

Link looked back to where everyone else was to make sure they were not being watched. When he was sure they were clear, he grabbed Zelda by the arm gently and led her to the other side of the horse pen, behind the bleachers. He made sure no one was aware of their location and looked at Zelda, who was still waiting for his explanation.

"Okay," he said. "It all started seven years ago…"

Link started all the way back from the beginning. Him leaving the forest; talking with her as children; the Ocarina of Time; the Sages; and the troubles plaguing the land at the hands of Ganondorf.

Zelda spent the entire time listening to every single word, making sure to not miss a single detail. It was hard for Link to tell if she actually believed anything he was telling her, but he pressed on anyway. He hoped that Zelda's expression softening meant anything.

"And then we both parted ways for good," Link said as he started to finish the story. "I lived the next years working here in Lon Lon Ranch, trying to get by outside of Kokiri Forest after I was kicked out. Haven't looked back since."

Link was expecting Zelda to slap him, shrug him off, or maybe have Impa beat him senseless; but instead she stood staring at him with a blank expression. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

"I know you probably don't believe any of this, but-"

"I do," Zelda cut him off.

Link's eyes widened in surprise. "You do?"

"It's… it's a lot to take in. But I can tell when someone is lying. And I'm certain you didn't lie about anything that you just said. I believe you."

Link would have taken a breath of relief but decided to just smile. "Thanks."

"But, Link, why did you run away when you came back. Why did you decide to tell me now rather than when we were children?"

"Because I thought you would call me crazy. The only reason I told you now is because… it was something I wanted to get off my chest for these past years. I just couldn't do it, that's all."

"Would you have done it if I never came to the ranch?"

Link opened his mouth and no words came out of it for a brief moment. "I don't know."

"And what about them?" she said while gesturing where Talon, Malon, and Ingo were.

"Definitely not. I barely had hopes that you would believe me. I highly doubt they would."

"And you plan on always keeping it from them?"

"Yes."

Zelda locked her fingers together and look down. "I suppose… it would be for the best. I'm just happy you got to have a life after all." She looked back up and smiled at him before wrapping her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you."

Link was hesitant, but eventually returned the hug. "So, should we continue with the tour?"

Zelda stood back from the hug. "I think I've already seen plenty of this beautiful ranch. I best be heading to Castle Town."

"Okay. I guess this is good-bye again."

"It is. You've built a good life here, Link. I would hate to deprive you of it. Though, that's not to say we might not see each other again. Good-bye."

Zelda began to walk back towards the entrance of the ranch, giving one last wave to Link before disappearing from his sight. Meanwhile, he remained behind the bleachers with his back against the wooden fence, chuckling to himself.

"You highly doubt it, huh?"

Link quickly turned around at the mysterious voice behind, which turned out to be Malon. She came from around the bleachers and looked at Link through the fence, not looking happy at all.

"Malon?! I… How long have you been hiding there?"

"Long enough," she replied. "Enough to know you've lied to me these past years. Enough to know you're friends with Zelda. Enough to know that someone who I once thought was just a normal friend turns out to be the savior of all Hyrule!"

Link made all kinds of small gestures with his hands as he tried to come up with what to say. "I… I didn't tell you because-"

"Because we wouldn't believe you, I know. But you didn't seem to have much problem telling Zelda."

"Malon, please-"

"She didn't even recognize you when she rode into the ranch. You've known her for a lot less time and yet you trust her more."

"It's different!" Link shouted as he slammed his arm against the fence. Aside from jolting a bit, Malon remained still as Link calmed himself down. "It's different…"

Malon looked down at the ground then back at Link. "There's still work to do around the ranch. Better get to it, hero."

Without saying another word, Malon stood back from the fence and began to walk away, leaving Link on his own. All he could do was watch as she got further away.

Link at 19

A horse drank water from the bucket Link held in front of him, sometimes making some of it land on him. When the bucket was fully empty, Link rubbed the horse across its mane and went ahead to fill it up with more water. The next horse Link would give water too was Epona, who was standing quietly in her own stall. She brightened up when Link walked over and began to drink water as well.

The crickets were currently chirping outside as the moon shined over the darkened ranch. The only source of light Link had inside the stables was the warm light of a lamp in the corner. As Epona drank, Link silently hummed her song for the duration that he could.

When Epona was only halfway through drinking the water in the bucket, Link pulled it away from her as he heard the stable door open, and Malon came in.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey," Link greeted back. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"Are you assuming I still have a bedtime?" Malon asked.

"No. But it's rather late for you to be up, isn't it?"

She walked closer and leaned against the frame of Epona's stall, petting her. "I heard someone inside the stable as I walked by. Since my dad is sleeping and Mr. Ingo is currently in Castle Town on business, I figured it was you. I just wanted to drop in and say hello."

"Hello to you too. But I was gonna go to sleep once I was done here anyway."

"Here. Let me help," Malon said as she reached for the bucket of water.

"It's okay. I got this."

Malon pulled back her hand and crossed her arms. "Link, don't you sometimes wish you could have just a few days off? You work even harder than Mr. Ingo does and yet you always refuse long breaks. I could do some of the work as well."

"It's a nice gesture, but work is the only thing I do every day. If I don't, I sorta have nothing else to look forward to."

"Nothing?" Malon asked, hoping he would understand her gesture.

He rubbed the back of his head. "Not that I can think of."

Malon lowered her head. "Oh. At least let me help for tonight, though. I have nothing to do either."

Link was hesitant but finally ended up handing her the water bucket. She tipped a little at first since there was still a lot of water in it, but she was still able to lift it all the way up to Epona's mouth.

"You know…" Malon said as she kept giving Epona water, "you always have me to look forward to. We're friends, after all. And I would appreciate us hanging out more. We barely have these last couple of years since you're always so busy."

While Malon thought that was the case, Link's excuse was completely different.

Aside from the fact that he had lied to her, though it was years ago, he never got over it. He would also see Malon differently as more time passed. He started out liking her for who she was and the way she acted; then he also saw her for how beautiful she was the more the two of them grew; and now, he began to see her as something more.

Every time Link would stand around her, he only wanted to hold her as close as possible. Every little detail about her caught his eye; from the way her chest moved when she breathed in and out, to the times when she turned her back to him and admire the way she walked away. All of these strange feelings gave him all the reason to get away from her at certain times.

"Malon," Link said, getting her attention. "The thing is, I…" he thought for a moment about what he would say, "The reason why I didn't talk to you as much is because of what I did. I just wanted to say that… I'm sorry."

Malon slowly lowered the bucket of water just before Epona could finish it all. "What do you mean?"

Link was thankful the lack of light hid his blush as he took a quick breath. "You know… for what happened three years ago with Zelda. I know it was terrible of me to think you wouldn't believe me if I told you about what happened with me and Ganondorf, but-"

"Link, it's fine. I may have been mad about that a while ago but I completely understand now. We're not gonna stop being friends just because of that. In fact, I was actually more just surprised than mad. I overreacted back then."

"No you didn't. You had every right to scold me. I just thought that I could completely escape from that life if I just kept it locked away forever. I just wanted to live a normal life without having to bring up memories of the past… or the future. I just want to live a normal life with… you."

Malon watched Link with attentive eyes. "With me? What do you mean?"

Link stuttered, attempting to find the right way to express what he meant. However, rather than doing so by words, he closed his eyes and abruptly pulled Malon closer by the shoulders into a gentle kiss.

The sudden action made Malon's eyes widen to their fullest extent and breathe deeply through her nose. She dropped the bucket of water on the ground and whatever was left inside spilled on the ground. The longer the kiss lasted, the more Malon's eyes began to close on their own.

Epona neighed as the two continued to kiss, either surprised by what they were doing or annoyed that the water bucket had been dropped. Still, Link and Malon paid her no mind as they pulled away from the kiss; both of their cheeks completely red.

Link stuttered as he tried speaking. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't…"

Before Link could finish, Malon gently placed both of her hands on his cheeks and pulled him into another, longer lasting kiss. Their faces stayed only inches from each other when they separated as they kept their arms wrapped around one another.

"Oh, Link. I've been waiting so long for us to do that," Malon said.

Link responded with a smile and kissed her again. He ran his hands over her entire back as she ran her thumb gently over his cheek. Without breaking the kiss or opening their eyes, they both walked into the empty stall next to Epona's and lied on the small, soft hay pile inside.

Malon had her back on the hay while Link supported himself with his arms over her. One of his hands ran down the side of her abdomen and rested below her thigh, making her shiver in between breaths.

She gently pushed Link away to break the kiss and softly chuckled. "Link… Epona is right there."

Link looked over at the horse, who seemed to be paying no mind to the two of them. "She doesn't seem to mind us at all."

He leaned down and began to kiss Malon again. His lips trailed off from hers and instead began kissing her cheek, then they trailed further down to her neck. She could only lie perfectly still and shiver as he continued to run his hand across her body, eventually reaching up and grabbing his well-toned arms from all of his time working at the ranch.

Without any warning, Malon grabbed Link's shoulders and turned him over on his back, allowing her to be the one sitting on top. She was already furiously kissing him before he could get the chance to say a single word. Nevertheless, he accepted it and pulled her even closer.

As Link wrapped his arms around her, he came across the straps of her dress. One by one, he began to loosen all of them from the top down until reaching the last. When she felt her top come loose, Malon lifted herself up and give Link the chance to take it off and throw it to the side. And as it turned out, she was not wearing a bra underneath it.

Despite the urge to cover herself, Malon allowed Link to look at her as her cheeks became even redder. She would not dare to look at him directly in the face, but she could sense his eyes moving all around as they scanned her body. She could only look at him when he turned her head forward himself, pulling her into another kiss.

While keeping her eyes closed, Malon began to take off Link's tunic. He helped her by boosting himself up and letting her remove it all. Their bare chests touched each other as Link sat up to begin removing her skirt. A loud clang filled the air as he tossed it to the side. When he looked over, it turned out to be the wooden ocarina he had given her.

"You kept it?" he asked.

Malon looked at him as if he had just asked the most horrendous question ever. "Of course! It's special to me."

Link smiled and leaned up to kiss her. He then proceeded to remove her shoes. Once he finished, he failed to remove her underwear in time before Malon pushed him flat on the ground again.

"Be patient," she said. "You're not the only one who gets to have fun."

Malon then began to unbutton Link's pants. She pulled them off and tossed them to the side, careful not to accidentally break the ocarina in one of its pockets. Afterwards, she leaned up and kissed him while running her hands across his chest, giving Link the opportunity to finish taking off her underwear.

While Malon had been nervous about letting Link see her at first, she had quickly become accustomed to being around him that she made no attempts at hiding her naked form. It also helped to ease her tension that she was able to take off all of Link's remaining clothing as well while he was left staring at her.

Now Link and Malon were both fully exposed, letting themselves gaze at one another. Link placed both of his hands on Malon's hips, still paranoid about placing them anywhere else. However, Malon made the decision for him and gently grabbed his hands with her own, slowly dragging them up the skin of her hips, abdomen, and ribs until they rested on top of her breasts. Link blushed deeply as Malon shivered at the contact between them, and she leaned closer to him.

"Link… I love you," she whispered.

"I… I love you too, Malon," he replied.

Malon stared down at him with her blue eyes, which shined even with the low amount of light in the room. She grabbed Link by his arms and slowly pulled him up to a sitting position until his lips could reach hers. His arms found their way to her back and moved up and down across her skin.

Without breaking the kiss, Malon slowly began to move herself forward. When her thighs rubbed against Link's lower abdomen, he gently moved his own hips upwards, forcing Malon to finally break the kiss and wince from the contact between the two of them.

"Are you okay?" Link asked.

Malon nodded and took a deep breath. Her movement was slow as she began to move up and down on top of Link. He simply held her by her sides and kissed her neck while remaining still to give her enough space to move on her own. After only a few seconds, Malon's groans of discomfort turned to moans of pleasure than ran through her entire body.

Link directed his kissing further down until he reached in between her breasts. She directed her hand over to his hair and gripped it tightly, while also making sure she did not accidentally pull on it too hard. Everything afterwards was just non-stop pleasure as she continued to move.

Their bodies were beginning to get drenched in sweat and it caused Link's hands to slide more easily across Malon's back. The fact that her father was a heavy sleeper and could not hear them made Link glad on account of how much moaning Malon was doing along with his occasional grunting. Even though he had to admit having horses all around them was a bit awkward, he was too busy staring at Malon's beauty for him to notice any of them.

Malon's movements had gotten quicker, but they were still slow enough to give both of them enough breathing room. She sometimes used one of her hands to playfully twirl the hair around Link's ears before going back to gripping it with some extra force. She would also plucking out the pieces of hay that had gotten stuck in his hair and threw them back in the pile.

Not being able to hold back any longer, Link took a good hold of Malon and turned her over with her back to the hay pile, allowing him to lie on top of her. He supported himself a few inches above her torso with his arms raised on the ground, holding on to Malon's hands in the process.

As Link began to move himself up and down, Malon remained still with her eyes closed and allowed herself to relax beneath her lover. While moving, he also leaned his head down and kissed her neck several times in between thrusts. It was hard to tell how much time had passed since they started, but Epona and the rest of the horses had all fallen asleep in their stalls despite their constant noise.

Both lovers were nearing their limits as their breathing became ecstatic and their movements quick; and Malon's moaning was just a few notches away from turning into screams.

The final thrust Link made would have made Malon moan at the top of her lungs if he had not covered most of the sound with a kiss. Their hands wrapped themselves around each other to the point where the fingertips turned completely white.

When Link separated his lips from Malon's, their heavy breathing was all that filled the room. He wiped away a single a strand of hair that was blocking the full view of her face and kissed her again afterwards. "Was that enough fun for you?"

Malon giggled and pulled his forehead against hers. "It was. Man, you have hay all over you."

He looked down as Malon wiped away some of the hay stuck to his body. It was all for nothing, however, since Link just lied back down on it as he got off from the top of Malon.

The two lovers remained on the hay pile for a while wrapped in each other's arms. Malon ran her hand over Link's chest in a circular motion as he stared up at the stable's ceiling. Crickets chirping outside and the breathing of all the sleeping horses were the only sounds audible to them.

"Link, can I ask you something?" Malon asked.

"What?" asked Link while continuing to stare at the ceiling.

"Why did you pick me?"

Link looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, from what I can gather, I'm pretty sure you had a good chance to be with Princess Zelda rather than me. Any other men I know would've taken it."

Her gaze met his when he turned her head towards him. "If Zelda ever wants to hang out she can invite me over for tea or something. As for being with someone I truly love, I would prefer you over any royalty any day. It's the reason why I gave up on my old life."

Malon smiled and snuggled close to him, trying hard to hold back the tear that was trying to escape her eye. "I love you, hero."

Link smiled and kissed her on her head. "You know what you used to call me when we met in a past time?"

She looked up at him. "What?"

"Fairy boy."

The comment made Malon laugh. "Fairy boy?! Oh, I'm gonna call you that from now on."

Link's smile eventually died down as he realized his huge mistake. "Wait… what?"

Link at 21

All of the animals had been locked up for the day, preparing to sleep for another night. The wolves were already howling to welcome the night as the moon rose over the horizon. And just outside of the stables was Link, who looked tired beyond all reason.

When he stepped inside the house, he was careful to not accidentally trip over any of the sleeping cuccos and he made his way up the stairs to the bedroom. He made sure to open the door very slowly to keep Malon from waking up as she sleep soundly on the bed. The sight brought a smile to his face and he closed the door again jut as quietly.

The first thing Link noticed shortly after entering was the crib located near the bottom frame of the bed. He walked over to it and rested his hands on the wooden frames that Malon had carved herself, looking down at the small boy sleeping peacefully in it.

His blonde hair was still short, so his pointy ears looked really big compared to the rest of his head. Since he was already over two years old, the crib was beginning to get too big for him. There was a small wooden sword lying next to him in the crib. Link made a mental note to get him a proper bed as he leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"Sleep tight, Valon," he whispered in the boy's ear.

He stood up straight took off his shoes along with his tunic while walking towards his side of the bed. The wooden ocarina Malon gave him was lying on a small table near the bed, along with a note he had not seen before. He picked up the piece of paper and read what it said.

Dear Malon,

Ingo and I have been enjoying living Kakariko Village very much. The people here are very kind and none of them seem to mind whenever I fall asleep. Perhaps it's because I'm actually starting to look old. Ha!

I hope you and Link are doing well with the ranch. Retirement has never really crossed my mind while working at the old place. I always thought I would just rot away sleeping on some corner and Ingo would be forced to burry my remains (If he could even lift me off the ground).

I must admit, I never really thought you would actually do it, but I'm glad you and Link decided to get married. I always had a soft spot for the lad, and the fact that you took your vows to each other shortly after deciding to be together was surprising, but at least there was great reason for it.

Lots of love, your father, Talon.

P.S. Give my grandson a kiss for me, will ya?

Link chuckled and put the note back on the table. A small creaking noise alerted him to Malon as she turned to face him, rubbing one of her eyes in the process.

"Hey," she said tiredly.

"Hey," Link replied as he climbed onto the bed along with her.

"I thought you were gonna spend the night inside the stables for a second."

"Heh, you know I wouldn't leave you here by yourself."

"I'm not by myself, though. I got the brave knight watching over me."

Link chuckled as he looked down at Valon in the crib. "Do you think he likes me?"

Malon rolled her eyes. "Link, that has to be the dumbest question you could possibly ask about your own son."

"I mean, do you think I'm a good father to him?"

"Of course." She grabbed his chin and pulled him into a kiss. "The best father there is."

"The best, huh? In that case, why don't we just fill the entire ranch with children?"

Link was being sarcastic, but then he remembered who he was talking to. She smirked at him and ran her hand over his cheek.

"I'm gonna hold you to that," she said. Before Link had the chance to answer, she turned her back to him and went back to sleep. "Good-night, fairy boy."

"Aw, come on. Please don't call me that."

"You brought it upon yourself."

Malon chuckled and remained silent afterwards. Link lied down on his side as well and wrapped his arms around Malon, pulling her closer to him as he closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of holding his lover so close to him.

"Good-night, Malon."

The End