End of Legend of FIVE #2-Legend of FIVE #3

No news from Castletown. The words echoed in Malon’s mind as she walked around the stables with Epona. Dusk painted the sky above, warming the blue with sunset colors. Sometimes, it felt like the atmosphere was the only part of this world that knew peace. Word of war had echoed across Hyrule for the past two days. Silence ensued afterwards. The quiet made Malon wonder if anything rumors had been true–then reality arrived at the ranch. Yesterday, a small family stumbled into the ranch. They consisted of a man, woman, and two young children. Dirt and grime covered their otherwise colorful clothes. While the parents kept calm, their children trembled. They were both girls; blonde with blue eyes, clinging to their mother and father’s legs with all their might. Talon and Malon tended to them. The two worked together to set up the table in their farmhouse. As Malon pulled chairs for the guests, Talon stoked a fire at the oven. He called out the window to Ingo, telling him to milk the cows a little sooner in the morning–there’d be more mouths to feed at dawn. The parents stared into their cups of warm tea while explaining their plight. They actually came home together after a long voyage at sea; as they traveled from Hyrule’s shores and back towards the city, monsters picked them off. Malon saw the father take a deep breath. His face strained. The muscles in his jaw went taut, then loosened. “We should not be here,” said the father. “But something strange happened…the river by the castle felt very violent–and water rushed up and caused the monsters to stumbled. It acted so much like the Great Sea…bizarre. But it gave us time to escape. The monsters lost us.” Out of nowhere, the girls cried. Their mother quickly put down her mug and gathered the daughters in her embrace. Tears fell down her face as well. That was when Malon saw it; worry and fear mixed in with the soiled appearance. Every family member had it and would probably never lose it for the rest of their lives. They stayed the night, the whole family. Talon tried to dissuade the father from doing work or giving payment. The man offered green rupees–five in all, everything he had to his name. Talons waved off the money. “It’s yours,” Talon said. “It’s yours, please…” Talon couldn’t stop him from working in the inner stable barn with Ingo. Ingo offered few words, let alone a great amount of kindness, to the father. He explained how to bale hay and feed the horses with a gruff, monotonous tone. Ingo then grumbled to himself as he and the father worked on opposite sides of the inner stables. Malon wondered if the father only worked to forget rather than out of gratitude. She knew this to be the reason why her father fell asleep all the time; ever since Malon’s mother died, Talon carried a sadness he tried to hide from his daughter. Malon knew better–children always saw everything, even when those in their lives tried to hide it. The father did finally sleep in the barnhouse’s guest room. Malon heard him as she stirred in the middle of the night. Every step was solemn and heavy. Having people at the ranch reminded Malon of the children from Oak Shire, the boy from the forest, and the fairy that accompanied them. They were her favorite guests. She missed Jerome Bailey, the tall boy with dark skin and a kind smile. He missed Sheila, who reminded her of the stories about the Shadow folks with red eyes and a quiet nature. Link was a very interesting boy. His silence proved stronger than Sheila’s. His fairy did plenty of the talking for him. Her light brought a type of shimmer to his own spirit. Wherever Link came from, it was clear to Malon that he could go anywhere and be the best part of a place. And then there was Trevor Berenson–Green Eyes, the boy from Oak Shire who couldn’t keep his mouth shut about his precious home. Malon understood why he wanted to leave Hyrule. If someone didn’t belong anywhere, they’d naturally feel out of place. Trevor was lost. Apparently, all his friends were. Even Link, who could have gone home at any time, left the only space he ever knew so they could save the land. The troubles Malon heard about made her worry about the children; did they fail? She felt so confident that if they were truly heroes, they’d overcome everything and conquer evil. If the rumors were true, then… Malon didn’t want to think about it. She dreamed of the children as she fell back asleep…their smiles shined bright and they seemed at peace. Her thoughts drifted on Trevor a little more than the others… The family left after breakfast. With the sun shining overhead again, the parents figured it would be a good idea to journey on without the danger of lurking monsters. They would at least see them coming, they said. Just to be a comfort and like a big sister of sorts, Malon hugged the girls. “Listen to your Mama and Papa,” she said in a soft whisper. “They love you. They’ll keep you safe.” The ranch felt lonely again. As the morn transformed into a glorious afternoon, a wind picked up. It wasn’t violent, but rather quiet. The quiet wasn’t peaceful–it proved hollow, empty, robbed of words. That was why Malon walked around the outside stable with Epona. She guided the filly by a single leather strap, gripping it tenderly so as not to hurt her. Epona had grown a lot recently, becoming confident in her strides. Malon sensed the freedom in Epona whenever she galloped. Her movements matched the rhythm of her fledgling life force. When she gets older, Malon thought, She’ll be the greatest of them all. I just know it. Malon started singing. It was the song of her mother, the gentle melody without any true words–just an “oo” that carried through the air. It always soothed Epona’s soul. Malon discovered Epona’s love of music due to this melody. One moment, Malon would recite the pitches. Then, she’d feel hot breath on the side of her face and there was Epona, staring at her with coal-like eyes. It might as well have been the horse’s song. There was love in this connection. Malon enjoyed such feelings. She hoped that she would never have to miss them. Malon and Epona turned a corner and suddenly dusk began again. The sun descended behind a backdrop of violet, snow-capped mountains. They oversaw a land that grew far too quiet. If Malon could, she’d climb to the very top of those peaks to look down and see what was really true about Hyrule. Malon walked Epona towards the entrance. Their shadows stretched across the grass beneath their feet. A gap of golden sunlight filled the spaces between the shades. A third shadow moved in, creeping alongside them. Malon and Epona stopped. The filly whinnied and huffed cautiously. At the entrance stood a figure. They were hunched and silent. When the figure stepped forward, Malon stepped back on her heels, pulling Epona with her. “Who are you?” she asked, hiding the fear that filled her. “I–I’ll tell the adults here about you! You get going now!” Malon almost turned on her heel and ran until she saw the figure double over and fall. She took a closer look. The stranger’s shadow made them out to be far larger than they appeared. They weren't just smaller; they were harmless, hurt, and in great need of help. “Papa!” Malon shouted. “Papa, someone’s hurt!” Malon let go of Epona’s strap and rushed to the fallen stranger. They were face down on the grass, donning armor with dents and marks on its navy surface. When Malon knelt beside the person, she saw that the stranger was only a boy. She flipped him over, and gasped–Trevor Berenson of Oak Shire. Gashes marred his face, arms and chest. “Trevor…” Malon whispered. “Oh...what did you get yourself into now…?” She lifted his head up. His breathing was shallow. When Malon pressed a hand against his chest, she froze at how weak his heart was. She feared the worst possible thing happening. “Trevor!” she shouted. “Trevor, it’s me, Malon! Wake up, you fool, wake up!” The ranch’s air had a bad kind of silence now. Malon’s words muffled into sobs as she repeated his name. She regretted snapping at him earlier, right as she might have been. They even reconciled afterwards and she was glad they did. She hoped to see them again, but Trevor hinted that it wouldn’t be possible. Now she held him in her arms and the thought of seeing him die distressed her. Malon shook at his body, wanting anything at all to revive him. Trevor gasped and coughed. His eyes shot open as he took a deep breath, gulping all the air he needed to stay alive. Malon gripped Trevor. The heavy grief in her heart faded. “Trevor,” Malon whispered. “What happened?” Trevor smelled like the river. When Talon and Malon went to Castletown for deliveries to Hyrule Castle, Malon always caught the scent of fresh water flowing from Zora’s Domain. She thought of the family’s testimony about being attacked outside the city wall. Water rushed up and swept the monsters away. For some reason, Malon wondered if Trevor was there. Did he save them? She didn’t know why but…something about Trevor said that he would save anyone if he had to. When Trevor looked up at Malon, it seemed as if he didn’t recognize her. Then his face twisted and he began to cry. He turned away from her. “My friends,” he sobbed. “My friends…” “Yes, I remember. Link, Navi, Sheila and Jerome…” Malon already knew. She started crying herself before Trevor revealed it. “They’re dead,” Trevor said. “All of them are dead...”