Malon

Malon (マロン) is a recurring character in the Legend of Zelda series. In a majority of her appearances, she and her father Talon are the owners of Lon Lon Ranch, where they raise cows, Cuccos, and horses. Malon also frequently appears in conjunction with the mare Epona as well as "Epona's Song".

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Malon, Talon, and Ingo work at Lon Lon Ranch in Hyrule Field. Link first meets her in Hyrule Castle Town, where she tells him that her father has gone missing while delivering Lon Lon Milk to Hyrule Castle. He is given the Weird Egg, which hatches into a Cucco. Link eventually finds Malon's father sleeping near Hyrule Castle. He wakes him up with the newborn Cucco. Fearing Malon's rage, Talon flees back to the ranch to apologize. Malon can later teach Link "Epona's Song" on the Ocarina. When he plays this, the usually shy horse Epona rushes to Link.

Later, when Link returns after having been sealed inside the Temple of Time for seven years, he discovers that the ranch has been taken over by Ingo, and Malon is being forced to work at the ranch, lest Ingo punish the horses. Link eventually beats Ingo in a horse race, and he returns to "normal". Talon moves back to the ranch. After this, Link can participate in a horse race hurdle mini-game. The high score is held by Malon. If he breaks the record, he will be given a cow as a reward. Malon, as an adult, is later seen singing at Lon Lon Ranch during the celebration that occurs during the end credits.

Interestingly, Malon is usually seen wearing a pendant identical to her father's. The pendant resembles Bowser, the main antagonist of Nintendo's Mario series.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
Malon and Talon breed Cuccos north of Horon Village, near Eyeglass Lake. When Link first meets her, Talon has embarked on a hiking trip on Mt. Cucco, leaving Malon behind to tend to the Cuccos alone. She acknowledges that she has very little experience with the subject. Link can give her a Cuccodex, an encyclopedia of Cuccos, in exchange for an Egg, which she refers to as a popular "beauty aid" among young girls in Holodrum. This is part of the trading quest for the Noble Sword.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
Malon can be found in The Field, the first stage of Near the Fields, the game's fourth level. When she is returning to her father's ranch, the nearby Hyrulean Soldiers start firing old cannons, blocking Malon's way with fireballs. Link agrees to help her home and leads her back to the ranch. Talon, her father, then allows Link to use their horses as a reward for protecting his daughter.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Malon and Talon appear again in The Minish Cap. Here, Lon Lon Ranch is located east of Hyrule Town. At one point, Talon manages to lose the key to their house. Link eventually retrieves it for them, allowing Malon to sell Lon Lon Milk in Hyrule Town.

Whenever Link approaches her in this game, she sings "Epona's Song".

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time manga
In the Ocarina of Time manga, Link goes to Lon Lon Ranch in an attempt to find the Spiritual Stone of Water. He meets Malon there, who shows him around and is very happy to have a visitor. She makes some jokes about Ingo's complaints, and teaches Link "Epona's Song". She also confides in Link that she hopes a prince will one day come for her.

In the Adult Saga, Malon is kidnapped and confined by Ingo. She is upset at first, but calms down when she starts to imagine a prince coming to save her. When Link comes for her, Malon doesn't remember him and refuses his help, as she is convinced she must wait for her prince. Link plays "Epona's Song" to remind her of their meeting seven years ago and proceeds to rescue her, prompting Malon to fall in love with him. She and Link then destroy the device used to control Ingo's brain and fight off the Gerudo. When the situation becomes difficult, they take Ingo and jump over the ranch's gate atop Epona. Talon is very grateful, and promises that he will stop sleeping on the job.

Possible love interest
There has been speculation and heated debate about the possibility of Malon being Link's love interest. Reasons include one of the Gossip Stones outside the Temple of Time stating that Malon dreams of a knight in shining armor, Talon joking that Link should marry his daughter, and Malon always seeming cheerful around Link, especially after he rescues Epona. Additionally, Malon is the only female besides Navi in either the supporting or main cast who does not become a Sage, which some interpret as being implied to prohibit relationships; when Princess Ruto awakens as the Sage of Water, she says that she cannot offer Link her love now, as she must guard the Water Temple and he must continue his quest, and when Saria awakens as the Sage of Forest, she tells Link that it is their destiny to live in different worlds, though this may also be a result of Link's aging and true identity as a Hylian. Whether these statements still apply when Hyrule is at peace is unclear. It is also unknown whether any of these characters awaken as Sages in the altered timeline that arises when Princess Zelda sends Link back in time to live out his childhood.

The Link in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is a rancher, which could be the result of a relationship between Ocarina of Time's Link and Malon. However, in an interview with Nintendo Power, Eiji Aonuma stated that the Link of Twilight Princess is not necessarily a descendant of the Ocarina of Time Link. Also, Link in no way needs an ancestry of ranchers in order to be one himself.