The Legend of Time (Candira and I)

Malon helped Link with the horses, calming the more riled beasts with her mother's song and helping the others start on their paces. The redhead paused as the queen was announced and smiled at the sight of her. Zelda was probably one of the most beautiful women in Hyrule. Her blue eyes sparkled with intelligence and warmth, her delicate, refined features giving her the impression of a noble. The golden tresses that would have graced her shoulders were captured in a braided wreath, the rest of the luxurious mane flowing down her back. Her pale skin glowed in the light, her slim, athletic figure carried with a strong sense of dignity and grace. Her voice was smooth and sweet to the ear as she greeted the farm girl, and Malon was humbled.

She curtsied in respect and turned her cheerful countenance to the monarch. "It is a pleasure to see you again, majesty. I'm afraid my father and Mr. Ingo are busy at the ranch. We've had so much work to do lately that they couldn't make it this time. They send their regrets. My friend, a Link, and I have come to show you our horses and take part in the races. I think you'll agree that these are some of our finest."

As Impa, Zelda's guardian came into view, the redhead bowed her head in respect. The tall warrior woman mirrored the gesture, remaining silent for the moment. She was a beauty of a different kind. Her skin was much darker in contrast to the short, snowy hair she kept. Her sharp, Amber eyes didn't miss a thing, least of all Link, even as he brushed one of their mares. Though Impa was clearly built for agility, her toned muscles were quite apparent. Her figure was far more imposing than that of the guards, but her expression, too, was softened in the presence of Malon. The girl just seemed to naturally put people at ease.

As the queen turned her gaze to the horses, she, too, noticed Link. He was strikingly handsome, but appeared to be intently focused on his task. He was surely a competent hand if he was traveling with Malon. Clearly, she had chosen a skilled hand and partner if not a silent one. "Why don't you introduce us? I just love meeting the people of Lon Lon Ranch."

"Of course, your highness," Malon answered, figuring the queen would have been so thoughtful. "Link! Please, come here for a moment."
 
You would have thought that Link had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, but he peeked his head over the horses and nodded, moving closer as he brushed out any stray hair or hay as he bowed respectfully. He knew this much, at least.

"It is an honor to meet you, your majesty," he said politely. She was...she was beautiful, the rumors didn't do her justice. He had rarely seen a woman so attractive, and here he was, staring at her like he was some love struck bumpkin. But the casual glaze of Impa brought his boyish dreams slamming into reality and he quickly diverted his gaze to a more respectful position, the ground.
 
Malon felt a twinge of embarrassment for the star-struck young man. Zelda was the epitome of power, grace, and beauty, and Link did a poor job of veiling his reaction. But that was one of Link's charms, she supposed. He was simply honest and open, and did very little to hide this. He was simple...but that word didn't quite suit him. Pure, was another that came to mind, but that didn't seem quite right either. The redhead watched as he bowed and greeted the monarch in all her glory. Zelda, for her part, remained calm and collected, though she couldn't hold back a chuckle as he averted his eyes.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Link. I will remember you," she said with a smile. "But there's no need to look away. You needn't be quite so polite."

Malon watched, waiting for the inevitable. It seemed that no matter where he went, beautiful women fell at his feet...and he walked right past them. "You'll have to forgive him, majesty. This is his first time in Castle Town, and I forgot to prepare him."

Zelda smiled at the two of them and nodded. "I see. Well, I hope you enjoy your time here. I would love to guide you, but I'm sorry to say that my duties keep me very busy. I'll just have to meet you at the races later. In the mean time, tell me about these beautiful animals."

Malon smirked. It had been subtle, but even the queen had shown interest in the farm boy. Her childhood friend was probably totally oblivious, but she couldn't really blame him this time. The redhead motioned for Link to do the talking. She would chime in when the time was right.
 
"Oh, right," Link said, broken off his thoughts as he quickly headed to the horses. If there was one thing Link was comfortable in and knew like the back of his hand, it was horses. He loved showing them off, every single one had a special place in his heart and he would do everything in his power to sell them like they deserved. They needed a good home to be happy, like he had. He didn't honestly know where he'd be if it wasn't for Lon Lon Ranch, but he was happy to trot out every Mare and Stallion they had.

...He hoped he was making a good impression.
 
Malon made the pitch, letting Link add in his two cents about the horses now that he was back in his comfort zone. Zelda watched, rapt with interest, impressed with the knowledge the two of them possessed. All of the animals were impressive, but the queen chose only the best of the best, narrowing the selection by about a quarter of their whole stock.

"Your horses are always the best," Zelda said, stroking the mane of one. "You must very good care of them."

"Actually, your highness, Link cares for the horses more often than I do, since I help my father run the place. I do what I can, but he's the real reason they turn out so well," Malon said, wishing to give credit where it was due.

"I see," Zelda said, turning her gaze to Link again. "You must be an attentive hand. I would imagine you must be firm, but gentle with them. They're certainly lucky beasts."

Malon's eyes widened a bit at the rather suggestive bit of flirting that was clearly happening before her. Her eyes also shifted to Link, wondering how he would respond...or if he would just miss it again.
 
"Oh, well thank you," Link smiled. "I do my best to make sure that the horses are as happy and healthy as possible, your highness. Sometimes they work best when you just let them tell you what they want to do and help them do it," he said easily, rubbing Epona's nose fondly, which she was currently chewing his tunic sleeve. Hm, strange, she seemed a little irritated today, did he not feed her properly? Sometimes she was very fussy about her food.

He was glad that Zelda seemed so polite, but Impa was still staring at him...did he do something wrong? He tried to ignore it, maybe that's just how she was?
 
Swing and a miss. Malon just smiled and shook her head. It was actually kind of impressive that he had managed to catch the queen's eye and was so obviously oblivious to her advances. She would have to tease him for this later.

Impa, however, didn't seem particularly amused by any part of this discussion. The guardian's expression was just as stony as ever, but it was difficult to tell if she was annoyed or not. It did seem to make Link nervous though. The poor guy just wasn't used to being watched so intently by someone who was clearly so formidable.

Zelda, for all her wisdom and patience paused for a moment, wondering if she hadn't been direct enough or he really just wasn't interested. One more time, she decided. If he didn't show interest, she would just let it lie and select the horses she needed from the group that had been singled out so far. "I bet you're good at taking...direction. Sometimes it's good to have someone else take the lead. It's nice to know that you're so flexible. I'm sure you'd make a good partner for someone."

Well if he didn't catch that one, the man was definitely not interested in anything she had to offer. It was clear from both her expression and her tone that she was hitting on Link.

Malon simply stood back with Impa, watching with a mix of amusement, annoyance, and interest. Would he actually get it? Or would she really have to sit down and explain to him that the queen of the nation--possibly the most beautiful, impressive women of their time--had been talking about something other than horses and training? Link probably thought that she had just been trying to give him compliments and was being polite, earlier, but if he missed these signals...then maybe he really didn't have any interest in the queen.

But he was human, after all. Surely he wouldn't ignore her advances if he actually knew she was making them. But...he wasn't exactly experienced with women. It wasn't as though the queen had been the first to hit on Link and be met with polite confusion or just complete lack of understanding. And it wasn't as though the women who were attracted to Link were plain or unappealing. Sometimes, he was just a little too pure for his own good.

Still, each time someone tried to become intimate with him, it was Malon who would have to explain, and this time would probably be no different. She wasn't sure if she should have been excited for him or annoyed that he couldn't figure out that someone was interested.
 
Somewhere in his expression, the lights flicked on, his ears perked up a little bit and his face seemed to get a faint shade of red as he swallowed lightly. Oh. oh.

"W-...yes, I...I suppose I would," Link stated after a moment, glancing at Epona who snorted in amusement. What was so funny!? "I um...I'm good with horses," he stated as a positive. Was, was her majesty...no, she was probably just teasing. That made sense, he had not heard that the princess had this kind of humor, but he supposed it made sense, right? "I...enjoy cooking."

Wasn't...wasn't this about the horses?
 
Malon chuckled a little as she saw the dawn of understanding on her best friend's face. It was one of his more irritating traits to be dense, but she also found it oddly endearing. She supposed that Zelda's interest in Link was inevitable. He always seemed to draw the eye of powerful women, or at the very least, women who had influence. She wasn't really sure why he had such a potent effect on these women, but she couldn't really blame them. He was very handsome and had a gentle manner about him. Of course, she'd be lying if she denied thinking of Link in that way herself on occasion. But every time she shut it down. Link was Link. He was her best friend. Besides, he never seemed to show interest in anyone. For now, it was just amusing to watch Epona laugh at him.

As the man in question turned bright red and started tripping over his words, Malon felt a little sorry for him. It was kind of embarrassing to watch. The queen, however, seemed to sense that Link was overwhelmed. Well, it wasn't as she had time to dally. He was very handsome, but if he was this slow and clumsy when he flirted, he was probably inexperienced in general. As much as she would have delighted in teaching him...she decided to just let it go for now. She would always visit the ranch or invite them to the castle another time.

"I see. I'm sure you're a man of many talents. I may have to test my theory another time," she said unable to resist adding a wink. She turned to Malon with a smile and told her which of the horses she wanted. "Am I to understand you will be entering the races, my friend?"

"Yes, your majesty. I will be racing for the ranch this year," Malon replied, a little surprised at how the queen had stopped the flirting.

"I see. I'll be rooting for you, then. Good luck." Here, the queen took Malon's hands and squeezed them in a show of friendship. "With everything," she murmured, glancing back at poor Link.

Malon chuckled and returned the gesture, not really sure what kind of ideas the queen had in her head.

Impa turned to the queen and nodded, saying nothing. It seemed to spark some realization in Zelda, though. She smiled at Malon and the let go. "Excuse me, my friend, but it appears I am needed. My stablemaster will assist you with the horses. If I don't see you again after the races, good luck in your journey. Please give my best to your father and Mr. Ingo."

With a graceful bow of her head, Zelda exited the scene with her attendant, the two powerful figures around the corner.

Malon bowed in return and bid them a farewell before turning to the stablemaster to give instructions. Once the matter of payment was settled and the horses were back in, she chuckled at Link.

"You know she was flirting with you, right?"
 
"Shut up," Link huffed, ears drooped faintly in embarrassment. "How was I supposed to know!? Queens don't...don't do that with stable boys! She's interested in nobles and...and generals! Not a guy who cleans horse poop for a living!" Ugh, he hoped he didn't make the ranch look bad, but...wouldn't flirting with her back make the ranch look bad? Ugh, so many complicated questions when you left the ranch! He was already missing those dumb birds and their murderous intent, at least he learned to deal with those! He scratched furiously at his head with a long, drawn out sigh.

Why would someone so pretty looking be interested in him?
 
Malon didn't hold back her mirth as Link told her to shut up. He was so cute. Such an innocent mind. Laughing, she guided the rest of the horses back to their trailer, shaking her head as he told her who queens were supposed to be interested in.

"Oh really? Because it seemed to me like she was pretty interested in you, my friend. Just because she's a queen doesn't mean she's blind, you know. And how would you know what queens do?" She teased, ruffling his hair as she waited for the stable master to take care of the queen's choices. "You've got to start giving yourself more credit, Link. Who wouldn't be interested in you? It's kind of annoying how often you catch a woman's eye and don't even notice." Here, she gave his shoulder a poke and rolled her eyes. Of course, she didn't realize herself that she had implied that she herself might be interested.
 
"Well, I mean," Link grumbled. "How would I know? Wouldn't...I mean, doesn't she probably have suitors or something?" he shrugged. "Why would she want to be interested in me when she knows people who are probably better looking than I-" Wait.

"...Wait," Link mumbled faintly, brow furrowed. "Do I do that often?" he asked curiously. "Really? Since when?" News to him, he was so busy working most of the time he never paid much attention. He felt it was more important to earn his keep than notice what people said about him. But if Malon noticed, was he...really not paying attention? He scratched his neck faintly at that, his brow furrowing even deeper, as if contemplating some deep, deep philosophical question.
 
The argument against him being interesting to the queen earned him more eye-rolling. She might have supplied him with multiple reasons that the queen wanted a stable boy instead of a noble, but he was distracted by the fact that he really didn't notice when women flirted with him. It came as no surprise that this was the first time he was really thinking about this. She watched him, finding it both cute and kind of sad at the same time.

In a show of empathy she put her hand on his shoulder. "Sweetheart, I don't think you've ever noticed. You're just so focused on your work." She squeezed his shoulder and let him go, making sure the horses were okay. "I love that you love the ranch and you enjoy your work, but don't you ever notice when women hold eye contact for a long time? Or talk to you as much as possible and smile a lot? Or try to be extra friendly? Or find any excuse to touch you? Because that's when it happens. And you pull in some pretty powerful women. I submit her majesty's conversation with you as proof, sir."

She waved at the stable master as he took the last horse with him. "I can think of at least three examples of you not noticing this kind of thing from last month. Why don't we go out after the races? You can practice noticing when it happens."
 
"...I suppose," Link mumbled faintly, glancing at her curiously a moment in thought. Maybe it'd do him some good, or maybe it wouldn't. How was he supposed to notice something that he didn't even know was...uh, noticeable in the first place? Still, if Malon thought it was a good idea, perhaps he could look into it. "But, we should focus more on racing, right? We're here to make a good example for the ranch."

It couldn't hurt, he supposed...especially if the Queen was interested in him.
 
Malon watched him struggle with that information and that proposal for a moment. He seemed unsure of himself and his decision. Still, if she was there, he would be fine. she would have said so, but he said they should focus on the races, and he was right. That was sort of the point of this journey. The focus should be on getting attention for the Ranch. After all, her father and Mr. Ingo were counting on them.

"Good point. Let's round the others up and head to the track, then, shall we?" She patted his back and the rounded up the horses with Link, making sure to secure the trailers. By the time they got to the race, Epona was well fed and rested and ready to go.

Malon and Epona were an excellent team. Epona responded to Malon's direction as though they were the same being. It made the race that much easier to win. Oh, there were plenty of fast horses and fancy riders, but none of them were in tune like Malon and Epona. They worked as one and took first place in the race. After congratulations were had and Epona was taken care of, Malon met up with Link again.

All smiles and triumphant glee, the redhead hugged him and chuckled at Epona who managed to nudge her way into their friendly embrace. She hugged the horse's neck and looked up at Link. "We did it! What should we do now?"
 
Link tried hard to really notice what Malon was trying to talk about, but it didn't register. He couldn't tell if he really was ignoring it, or it just wasn't happening around him and he then wondered why he was even trying to figure it out at all when there was more pressing things to look at, most importantly, Epona and Malon. Malon was probably the best rider he had ever seen, not that he had seen a lot, but she was just a natural. There was something about Malon on Epona that really just...clicked in ways that he had never seen for many riders.

So really, it wasn't much of a surprise for Link to see them win. He knew their potential better than anyone.

"Well," Link grinned faintly, rubbing his neck at the sudden affection. He had been off in his own thoughts when he went to the winners circle, hadn't he? "We kind of have an early morning ahead of us, don't we? We could probably see the sights?"
 
At her friend's suggestion they see the sights, Malon's grin grew. "Yes! That sounds great!" Still excited from the race, the idea of actually getting to see the outside world instead of just stables and places that ordered milk was appealing enough to get another bounce out of her. She kissed Epona's nose and led the happy horse by the bridle. "Let's get Epona's settled in first, then we'll be off."

When they finally got Epina settled in for the night--brushed, fed, calmed, the two of them headed further into town, headed for the biggest tourist attraction around: the temple of light and Zelda's great statue.
 
Without the comfort of the caravan, Malon was his lifeline to a world he was scarcely familiar with. Castle Town seemed so...busy, and full of buildings and people. Merchants were hawking their wares, drawing Link in every so often with things he barely knew about. Really, he was happy just let Malon take the lead and he was simply swimming in the sights of it all, wide-eyed like some bumpkin tourist. Still, nothing could replace the majesty of the statue of Queen Zelda.

It was perhaps the most iconic thing in Castle Town, standing tall in front of the Temple of Light, it was Queen Zelda at her coronation. Without her, Hyrule wouldn't be so peaceful or successful. But seeing the statue up close just made Link get a cold chill. This...this woman was the one who was interested in him? It had to be a joke, or...or something. It couldn't have been serious. The statue made her look so intimidating, but in the way that made him feel safe and comfortable.

"Wow," Link mumbled, glancing up at the statue. It was perfect marble, supposedly made by the Gorons, soon after the Queen was crowned. So said the overly enthusiastic man flittering around the statue to proclaim his loyalty to Queen Zelda. "and you know her so personally, that's incredible, Malon."
 
Malon guided Link through the marketplace, gently steering him toward their destination when he got side-tracked. It was kind of fun to watch him take in the town for the first time. Besides, they weren't really in a hurry. He might have looked like a tourist, but so what? He kind of was. And Castle Town was a bustling place. Anyone could admire that, right?

The statue was more beautiful than she imagined it would be. Though she knew where to find it, Malon herself had never visited the temple or the statue. She was always here on business and it never left her with enough time. Being here was so exciting. The statue was magnificent. It perfectly captured Zelda's regal demeanor and extraordinary beauty. Some would call it intimidating, and Makon could definitely see that, but it was nearly impossible to imagine the queen being anything but kind and fair.

Link's awe brought her out of her daze and she smiled at her friend. "Yeah. I'm pretty lucky to know her so well. I've known her since I was little. She was always so bright and kind...just like now." Her expression became a bit wistful as she remembered her visits to the castle when they were younger, but she snapped out of it as the crowds got thicker.

"We should go see the temple since we're here. I've never seen any of them, but since we'll be going through the major cities, we may as well make a pilgrimage, right?" She took his hand so they wouldn't get separated and started guiding him to the huge temple of light. As they neared, Malon could swear she heard a melody over the din. Something familiar, but also new. The closer they got, the louder it grew.
 
"A pilgrimage?" he asked curiously, ears twitching faintly in recollection. "Oh, that's where we visit all the temples and pay respects, right?" He heard it once from a wayward traveler, looking to buy a horse for the long road. It was an important thing to do, at least once...or so he said. Link wasn't quite sure why, but seeing the majesty of the Temple of Light made him interested in seeing how the others looked.

"...Pretty big," Link commented lamely, glancing up at it's tall spires. Being a sage was pretty important though, so he supposed it made sense that they had such a nice place.
 
Malon nodded. "Correct! I've always wanted to go see the temples. I hear they're all intricately designed and beautiful. Back when the hero of time saved Hyrule, they were supposed to hold valuable treasures and sacred weapons to help him on his journey." Malon was quite proud of herself for knowing even this much about the sacred temples of Hyrule. It wasn't as though she had a lot of spare time to study, after all. Still, she did enjoy reading when she could. Plus, plenty of the people who came to the ranch wanted to go on journeys. Some had been on several pilgrimages and had been all too happy to share stories and accounts.

As Link commented on its size, she couldn't help but stare in awe as well. She had never seen such a grand building. The castle was a fortress, but this was a sacred place. It had been built long before castle town spread around it. "Hey, did you know that there was once a temple of time? I heard it was destroyed ages ago, and now the ruins are in some far off place...I wonder if it was as big as this place," she said, just standing back and looking up at it with Link.
 
"Wow," Link mumbled faintly, ears flicking at the sudden outburst of knowledge. He wasn't surprise that Malon was well aware of what the temples were about, she always seemed to know a little bit about something. "Well, I don't see why we can't see all of them," he smiled. "We're going to be going near them on most of our trip anyway, right? I don't think it'd be a bad thing to stop by, I want to see the temples too."

The Hero of Time, huh? It was quite the story, everyone knew it. He kind of wondered what sort of person the Hero of Time even was, always in green. Something about the temple pulled at something in him, and he wasn't sure what it was, but he...kind of liked it. It was calming being near it.
 
Malon was pulled from her daydream about the Temple of Time when Link began speaking again. Her whole face lit up as he suggested they visit. "Really? We can? Yay!" In that same breath, she gave him a quick hug, her blue eyes shining. "That's so exciting! Let's definitely stop at all of them. It'll make for great memories." She smiled brightly and looked back to the temple.

"I wonder if they let you see what's inside?" She thought out loud, the melody in her head growing louder. "Should we try to get closer?"
 
There was a time for everything, really. And he had waited far too long to not let this moment pass, it was quite funny, really. For all of the power and grace that the Queen held, she couldn't tell that there was a dark little rat sniffing around, waiting for his moment. He supposed he couldn't blame her, after all, he had been doing this for longer than her petty little life could even comprehend. Seeing the two of them move around in front of the Temple of Light was the perfect time, even if it was risky.

Neither of them knew, and that's what made it all too funny to even be real. It would be child's play to push them along, exactly how he wanted. He could tell, watching her. He could tell that something was making her interested, even if she didn't know what. No matter, she didn't need to know...she would find her part in the story eventually, she just needed a little nudge, that's all. When the man stepped out of the shadows, he was one of but many of the priests tending to the grounds, his robes a brilliant white and gold, his face wrinkled and ugly with age. In order to play the best part, everyone had to go out of the comfort zone.

"Ah, new faces!" He said cheerfully, his smile wide and inviting. Link glanced over at him and his reception was lukewarm at best.

...Perceptive little idiot, wasn't he? He supposed he had to be careful around the two of them now.
 
Malon had been intently staring at the temple in a daze. She hadn't moved from Link's side at all, though. Something instinctively told her not to wander away from him. While the temple pulled at her, she couldn't bring herself to go any further without him. Completely unaware of the threat that lingered nearby, she stood, perfectly calm and relaxed. Perhaps if she hadn't felt so safe with Link she might have noticed something was amiss. Still, until the priest spoke up, her attention was locked on the temple of light.

At the sound of his voice she came back to reality with a jolt. Something about the priest's sudden appearance seemed strange, but she had basically been dead to the world for a moment. She smiled politely at the priest and nodded to acknowledge him.

"Hello, sir." She turned back to Link and nodded toward the temple. "Should we try and get a closer look? Maybe go say a prayer?"
 
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