Malon

First met in Ocarina of Time, Malon (マロン, Maron) is the daughter of the rancher Talon, who owns Lon Lon Ranch. She has made appearances in other Zelda games, but her character has never been developed as much as in Ocarina of Time. Also, Ocarina of Time is the only game in which she appears as an adult.

Malon could be inspired by Marin, a girl introduced in Link's Awakening, Ocarina of Time's predecessor. Their names are similar, they are similar in appearance and both have a Mario-esque father with a similar name (Talon and Tarin). Ironically, this makes Malon based on Princess Zelda, who was Marin's inspiration.

Ocarina of Time
Malon is a young girl who loves to sing outside the Hyrule Castle's walls at night. She takes care of most of the duties at the ranch due to her father's laziness. Link first met Malon, who called him "Fairy Boy", in the Hyrule Castle Market where she was looking for her father. After Link found Talon asleep and woke him up, Malon returned to Lon Lon Ranch with him. Later, she introduced Link to a young horse named Epona and taught Link Epona's Song, a song Malon's mother had composed.

Seven years later, when Link returned to the ranch, Ingo, another worker at Lon Lon Ranch, had exiled Talon and taken over the ranch. Malon was working for him out of fear of how the animals would be treated if she wasn't around. Link challenged Ingo to a race and defeated him, using Epona, and he escaped the ranch with the horse. Later, Link returned to find Malon had regained control and Ingo had gone back to being "a normal, nice person". Malon did recognize Link, but wasn't sure until he told her his name. As a mini-game, Malon lets him race around the ranch to compete against her best time. When he's able to beat her time, she rewards him by sending a cow to his house in Kokiri Forest, which may be used as a reliable and free source of Lon Lon Milk.

Ocarina of Time is the only game in which Malon's mother is mentioned. She is most likely dead by the time of the events of Ocarina of Time, but it is clear she had a great influence on Malon and the others on the ranch. She's the one who composed Epona's Song, which is said to be liked by everyone on the farm. Talking to Talon while wearing the Gerudo Mask causes him to say that it reminds him of Malon's mother, but he quickly retracts that statement. Whether this quote merely means Malon's red hair comes from her mother or that her mother was a Gerudo, is unknown.

Oracle of Seasons
Malon plays a small role in a trading game in Oracle of Seasons. She requests Link to bring her a Cuccodex, which is apparently an information database of cuccos (possibly a reference to a Pokédex).

The Minish Cap
Malon made a cameo in The Minish Cap. Talon and she were locked out of their house, but Link could help them by using Ezlo's power to go into the house and find the key. Later, Malon could be found in Hyrule Town selling Lon Lon Milk.

Four Swords Adventures
Malon also appears in Four Swords Adventures in a brief cameo on Near the Fields' The Field. Upon arriving to the field, Link encounters Malon standing by herself. She tells the young traveler that she was running errands, but just as she was about to head back to her home, it started raining; furthermore, the castle guards were moving all the cannons and even aimed their bows at the farm girl. Helpless, Malon asks the four Links if she can accompany them until she gets back to Lon Lon Ranch with her father, Talon. Once Link returns her safely to the ranch, she admits that at first she was not sure she could count on Link, but soon realized her mistake and acknowledges the Links as "real heroes."

Trivia

 * Some fans have interpreted a romantic relationship between Link and Malon.
 * With the Mask of Truth, Link can learn from the Gossip Stones that Malon dreams for a knight to take her away.
 * Both Malon and Talon wear "Bowser Medallions".
 * The symbols on the bottom of her dress spell "Lon" in Hylian.
 * A Gossip Stone in front of the Temple of Time says that Malon was the original record holder of the Lon Lon Ranch obstacle course, her record being 50 seconds.
 * Malon had two equivalent characters in Majora's Mask, Romani and Cremia, two sisters who look similar to Malon, one young and one old.
 * In the manga, Malon ends up calling Link "Mr. Hero" instead of "Fairy Boy."
 * During the night in Twilight Princess a voice similar to Malon's sings. This also happens in Ikana Canyon in Majora's Mask.
 * Malon is based off of Marin from Link's Awakening, who is in turn based off of Princess Zelda, meaning that, though indirectly, Malon is loosely based of Zelda.