When Link was brought out of the castle, he saw Malon waiting, still humming, her eyes dreamily looking up into the sky. He cleared his throat as Talon let out a sob, both sounds startling the girl slightly. She turned to see her father and a roughed up Link, a small laugh escaping her.

"You found him, Link! Thank you." Malon took her father's large hand and smiled very prettily at him, but Talon looked very, very worried. "Now Father, what have I told you about falling asleep when delivering milk?! Ingo is probably really frustrated too that he's going to be the only one working right now!" While the little girl scolded her portly father, Link started to take a few shuffling steps back awkwardly, not sure what to do in this situation. But then Malon turned to him. "And you! ...Thank you, again, for getting my father... Would you like to come see our ranch?"

Link dumbly nodded, surprised at how quickly this female could switch from scolding someone to smiling and bubbling around. A whisper of a sigh stirred up Link's ear and he turned, looking back at the castle, but he did not see anything except the peeved guards that had been bested by a mere boy. The Hylian without a memory followed Malon, frowning at the young girl's sigh he thought he had heard...

Princess Zelda stood at a window, gazing out at the fields and watching the dots that were a girl, her father, and the Hero of Time disappear around a bend. She bit back tears and frowned, trembling slightly in place. Her guard and nurse, Impa, stood by, watching the princess.

"What is it, my Princess? Did the commotion upset you?"

Zelda shook her head and ran her fingers down her cheek. "No, it was just... Have I ever told you about the very, very long dream I had, about a male Gerudo who tried to take over Hyrule...?"

Link had his hands behind his head, smiling at Malon as she chattered away throughout the marketplace, pointing out shops, different people, and where she and her father delivered milk. She seemed really surprised when she found out Link had no memory.

"No memory? At all? And you're dressed so strangely... No one recognized you here?" Malon looked sad; the Marketplace was the largest gathering spot of people in Hyrule, surely if someone saw Link they would've let his family know. She took his hand and resumed smiling. "Come to our ranch then, at least for a little while, until you get your memory back or someone recognizes you. You can help me with the horses, right Father?"

Talon nodded, patting his stomach and letting out a deep hum. "Yes, that's a good idea! Lots of people visit the ranch for milk, and surely if someone recognizes you, your family will come get you! And you can help Malon and myself with the horses and milk..." He looked rather pleased. He'd get a boy to help with the chores, which meant he could deliver milk and Malon could stay with the horses while he dozed off in the Cucco house! It was a perfect situation.

"We need to get you some other clothes though, unless you like that bright green tunic." Malon steered Link and her father towards the stall that was full of women and stood still for a moment, looking over the various cloths. "Oh, that one!" She dove in, her small figure making it easy for her to slip in and out of the adults, and she came back with an off-white fabric, smiling brightly. "This'll be good for you, it's a gentle color so the sun won't tire you out so easily, and it's light so you won't feel like you're wearing wool!" The red headed girl asked her father for some money, paid for the fabric, and resumed her humming as she skipped out of the marketplace. Link and Talon followed, talking about the ranch and what sort of things happened there, as the boy had never been to a place like that and didn't know what work he'd have to do. He was nervous about it, concerned that he wouldn't be of any help, but Talon was determined to get him to ease his own chores. The portly man wasn't malicious or conniving, he was just too attached to the idea of naps in the sunshine on warm days to pass up help, and the ranch could help the lad as well.

A horse with a cart was waiting just outside of the marketplace, idly chomping on grass and flicking its ears every now and then. When it heard Malon's humming, it perked up, ears forward, and patiently waited for the girl, her father, and their guest to climb into the cart. Talon sat up front, while Malon and Link took to the back, watching the scenery roll by. Link thought he saw an owl circling overhead, but he couldn't tell and lowered his chin onto his arms, lazily trying to identify places the owl that had lead him to the marketplace had told him about.

"Are you okay, Link? Oh, what am I saying, you don't have any memories, you must be confused and lost and wondering who you even are! But it'll be okay, I think you'll like it at the ranch. It's peaceful and relaxing, and the chores will help you clear your mind! Maybe all you need is some rest and physical labor and you'll get your memory back!" The girl was so positive about this idea that it made Link smile, and he turned to ask Malon about the horses that they had.

The conversation took them from the castle grounds to the ranch itself, and Link looked around in awe at the large walls that seemed to hide some wondrous secret inside. Open gates framed a pathway for the horse to trek up, the sun being blocked out briefly before Link got a good look at what was to come, but then it all opened up at once. Buildings with white walls faded from time and weather were topped with red roofs, grass was neatly cut, and Cucco's hopped to and fro looking for seed, ticks, or fleas to snack upon and keep the ranch pest free. A huge corral with a beaten path around it held several horses, and Link could hear more in the stables nearby. A windmill was far off in the distance, barely visible, but the lad was distracted when Malon swung herself out of the cart and darted towards a young horse.

"Epona!" She took the velvety nose of the horse and hugged the dark rust colored mare, the white mane sticking out. Talon slowed the cart near a tall, wiry looking man who somehow sported a gut anyway, his large nose and scowling face kind of irritating the blonde haired boy.

"Ingo, this is Link, he'll be staying with us for a while."

The thin-armed man squinted down at the boy and sighed. "Long as he works..." He cast a glance towards Talon, who was sleepily unhitching the horse and trying to slowly creep back to one of the rooms he slept in. Ingo grunted.

The first few weeks went by quickly for Link. He followed Malon around constantly, watching what she did, learning how to properly feed the cucco's and horses, and how exercising the great beasts was very important, because not only did they supply milk to Hyrule, they also helped supply eggs and sold their wonderful horses for a variety of purposes, but to Link, it looked like they were mostly sold for travelers who wanted to go all around Hyrule peddling their own wares. Although many people complimented the ranch on Epona, Malon insisted there was no way they'd ever sell her, no matter how much they were offered. This always made the blonde haired boy smile while he leaned against a fence, because the red haired girl was so determined at these times and stood up to castle guards that came because the King had a mild interest in the rare and unique looking horse, as did a few people from villages no one could even name properly.

After a few months, Link felt good about his place in the ranch. He did a lot of the muscle work, Malon tended to the animals, Ingo did sales, and Talon delivered milk and eggs, among other things that were sold by the ranch. Many people visited Lon-Lon ranch, but none knew or recognized Link. But by this time, he was getting new memories he was growing fond of with the ranch people that he was starting to forget that he didn't belong there. He was muscular, ate like a horse, and worked just as hard. No one had a single complaint about him as a worker, but by the time half a year passed, Malon started to notice how his gaze shifted.

The girl approached Link while he was sitting on one of the low fences in the corral, stroking Epona's mane and humming the song Malon taught him. He liked the horse and knew she'd be a force to be reckoned with when she grew up.

"Link?"

The blonde haired boy looked up, smiling. His hair had grown out, so he kept it tied at the nape of his neck, his tunic had a couple of little tears on the edges and had browned a little from all the work he did, and he was starting to grow taller, just a bit, enough for the red haired girl to notice. He smiled easily and laughed heartily, but he still knew nothing about himself from before he met Malon and that darned owl.

"Yes Malon? Need something?"

Puffing her cheeks out, the girl that was his best friend leaned against the low fence as well, scowling a bit and screwing up her face. "I know you aren't feeling like yourself, Link. I see you staring off at the gate sometimes, like you want to get out of here and... do something else." She pouted a bit, feeling silly.

"H-huh? I mean, it'd be nice to go deliver things for Talon, but, uh, I don't know... what you're, uh... talking about." Link bit the inside of his cheek.

"Liar! I see how you stare at the knights when they leave, you want to go with them!"

Link flushed and then sighed. "No, not... not yet, Malon. What I want to do is.." He stopped talking and frowned. Malon looked up at him curiously.

"Is what, Link?"

"I want to be able to protect you. And travel with you, one day, but not before I can protect you." Link was so embarrassed the tips of his ears were almost glowing bright red. Malon stared at him, gobsmacked. Link launched himself off of the fence and scowled, running for the gate. The little red haired girl followed him without a second thought.

"Get back here, Link, and say that again!" She was laughing, chasing after the boy that was a lot faster than her, but it was lighthearted. Malon almost ran into Link just outside of the ranch, coming up short and squealing as she came to her sudden halt.

Below them a monster lazily wandered through the grass. It was a deku scrub, nothing too dangerous, but it spit nuts at people that could seriously injure someone if they didn't defend themselves properly. It was wobbling to and fro, making low whistling noises while it moved. It hadn't noticed the two children yet, and Malon gripped Link's belt tightly, digging her fingers under it and trembling. She was scared of the scrub, as she was of most monsters. The little red headed girl looked up at Link to see what his face said.

Link looked excited. His eyes flashed a bright blue as he turned to Malon, took her hands gently from his belt, and said, "Stay here, I'll deal with this." He turned and charged down the hill at the deku scrub, and Malon felt like she had just lost him forever.

A/N: …So this has been sitting, mostly finished, in my folder for quite a while. I intend to continue writing it and I hope people find it enjoyable.