A new day, and Link and Zelda were already on the road, making their way to their next destination. They had both woken up in the exact same position they had fallen asleep in: in each other's arms, slumped up against a tree. Surprisingly, Link was the first one to wake up. He had gazed at Zelda's calm face for while, and enjoyed the weight of her head on his shoulder, but then soon drifted back to sleep. The Queen's eyes flickered shortly afterwards, and she too adored Link's features before waking him up with a kiss. Now, after gathering all of their belongings in little time, they were back on the road.

"Are we going to Death Mountain?" Zelda asked with uncertainty.

"Good God no!" Link exclaimed, "No offence to the Gorons, but there's not much to do there, and Death Mountain roasts us to death."

"That's why its called Death Mountain..."

"Ha, real funny..."

Link patted Epona's mane as she gently nodded her head with every stride. They were making good progress towards wherever they were going, even though they had been travelling for a good chunk of their day. Honestly, Link didn't even know where they were headed to. He was still in the process of deciding where to go next. In the end, he decided to save the best till last...

"Alright, we can make a few stops in the new villages on the way." He said.

"So we're going through Hyule Field?" Zelda questioned.

"Ye-es..."

"I see..." She said with a knowing smile.

"Hey, this is all supposed to be a surprise, Your Majesty, so stop using your endless wisdom!" Link snapped.

"Maybe start using your courage." She retorted under her breath, "Honestly..."

"I'd like to see you do the things I do." The General challenged.

"I'd rather not try out the 'things' you do, it may prove some difficulty without a, uh... Oh, never mind..."

"Oi, not that!"

"I'm just teasing, Link." Zelda giggled.

There it was. The sweet giggle that always made Link's heart flutter. Hearing it was like listening to his sharp teeth sink into a particularly crunchy piece of bread: Divine...

"You're drooling..." The Queen pointed out.

Link snapped back to reality and hastily wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"I was just thinking about bread." He explained to a sceptical Zelda.

"Uh huh, yeah, bread."

"Not every thought I have has to be about you, you know." Link stated, "I have other love interests."

"I'm deeply offended." Zelda said sarcastically.

Link didn't hear the sarcasm, and his face instantly dropped.

"I-I'm so sorry!" He blurted out, "oh, Zelda, you know I love nothing or no one more than you. You are my entire world. Oh, please, I didn't mean it."

He stared at her pleadingly, allowing his big blue eyes to do all of the talking. Zelda couldn't help but laugh. He was a sucker, for sure, but was the sweetest one you could ever find.

"Of course, Link." She smiled warmly.

"And you love me just as much, right?"

Zelda pulled on the reins of Winter so that she came to a stop. Link hastily yanked Epona's reins so that they stopped next to the Queen, but Epona didn't not seem very happy by this sudden movement.

"Honestly, if I didn't, I would've left you long ago." Was all Zelda said, looking straight into the General's eyes, "I mean, no one else would be able to put up with you for this long."

She then smiled.

"Of course I love you, Link, what sort of ridiculous question is that?"

"Oh, thank Hylia." Link sighed with relief.

"You had doubts?" She questioned.

"No! I just... I just-"

"Need to keep on being reassured." Zelda finished, "I know."

She urged Winter in again, and Link and Epona followed suit. So, she definitely loved him at this moment in time, but what was holding him back? Courage. It was his damn courage again. It may be a tiny box, but it put a lot more weight on his shoulders than what was possible.

"Link, can you hear me?"

"Huh?"

"I said: look there's a village, shall we stop there?"

Link turned his head to see where she was pointing. A smile spread on his face, and he suddenly had a huge yearning for the past, even though he'd never really seen this place before. It was almost like an instinct woven into his blood.

"That's no village." He said, "it's a ranch."

Even Epona seemed to react to this place as they got closer, but Link was almost certain that she too had never been here. There was an air of familiarity as they walked under the arch, and as they trotted by the barns and houses, and as they laid their eyes on a huge enclosure with a track circling it. It was all so familiar yet new. Link had never seen it before, but felt a pang of nostalgia. Epona had never been here, but it felt like home. Link absentmindedly slid off Epona, and began to skim his eyes around the ranch.

"Well, look at that, we have guests."

A young red-haired girl, roughly the same age as Link and Zelda, waved at them as she drew nearer.

"Nobody bothers to come here anymore." She said, "anyway, welcome to Lon Lon Ranch. I'm Malon. I'm pretty sure that name has been passed down the family tree quite a lot. I could be Malon IV for all I know."

"Nice to meet you, Malon." Zelda smiled as she too got off her horse, "I'm Zelda, and this is Link."

"Queen Zelda?" Malon exclaimed.

"For now, I am merely Zelda."

"Well, do make yourself at home Zelda. My father is in the house if you want to go speak to him. He'll probably give you something to eat and a glass of our famous Lon Lon milk," the ranch girl urged, "you too, Link. Hm, that name seems familiar."

"Malon seems familiar, too." Link pondered as Zelda signalled to their hostess that she was going to see the house.

Malon then gasped.

"Is that a silver bay?" She demanded.

"Uh, yeah, that's-"

Malon rushed past Link and squealed at the sight of Epona.

"She's beautiful!" She cried out in happiness, "what's her name?"

"Epona."

"Epona, huh, that sounds awfully familiar, too."

Epona neighed as gently nuzzled closer to Malon, who held the horse's head in her hands fondly.

"Where did you get her?" She asked, "they're supposed to be extremely rare in Hyrule. In fact, almost extinct."

"I don't know, I just got her?"

Link couldn't help but chuckle as he watched Malon gently stroke Epona's mane. Nobody has been able to impress his silver bay so quickly, even Zelda.

"Hey, there's a song that she quite likes, would you like to hear it?" He offered as he stood next to Malon.

She eagerly nodded.

"Well, there's one that I use to call her." Link explained, "and one that I usually whistle to her."

He cupped his hands to his mouth, and whistled. He whistled three notes, and repeated them, then repeated them again, but followed it on with some other notes. Epona reared up her front legs and snuffled Link's face, as though she was kissing his cheek.

"How do you know that song?" Malon asked sincerely.

"It's been passed down my family for generations." Link explained.

"What, no! It's been passed down my family for generations, that can't be possible!"

She then began to hum the same song, but carried them carried on humming further than what Link had whistled. He then smiled and joined in her humming with his whistling.

"This is so strange." She said, "I didn't think anyone else knew it."

They both stared at each other for a long time, trying to work out this weird phenomenon. They had no known connection with one another, yet there was that same hint of familiarity Link felt when he entered the ranch.

"Shall I take your horses in?" Malon asked, "you've probably been travelling all day and want somewhere to stay."

Link allowed her to lead Winter and Epona into the stable, where she untacked them and left them some food and water.

"Now to feed you and Zelda." She said cheerfully.

They walked back to the house, the sun just about to set. Link, however much he tried, could not shake the feeling that there was more to learn about this new girl.

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