Chapter 9: When is a Hero? Chapter 11: The Shadow of Evil
Chapter 10: Horse
Link stepped out of the Temple of Time and looked around bleakly. The bright, neat colours of Hyrule Castle Town had disappeared into a sea of rot and decay. Houses had crumbled under slimy timbers and brick and stone walls had collapsed. Shadows twisted in reclusive corners, cast by the buildings and the massive black clouds overhead. They were thickest to the north, where Link could see a tall black tower jutting into the sky.
As he made his way over to the well in the town square, he heard something low and disturbing… like someone with a stomach-ache. Several someones, in fact.
He looked around, but he couldn’t see anyone… no, wait, he could. But they weren’t people as such…
One of them shrieked at him and he found that his body was frozen in place.
“Redead!” cried Navi. Link gasped as best he could and wrenched himself into a run. Rolling swiftly past another one, he drew his sword and slashed at it. The creature didn’t react, but the group of redead was growing and moving in his direction. Bile rose in his throat.
“If we don’t get out of here soon, we’ll be dead!” Navi called. “Let’s get out of here!”
“But the people,” Link began.
“They don’t seem to be here. Come on!”
Link obeyed his fairy and ran for the gate.
The chains of the gate had been shattered and were now rusted beyond repair. The drawbridge itself was lying in two pieces in a much shallower stream than it had been seven years ago.
As the Hylian picked his way through the ford, he looked up and saw that Hyrule itself was not covered in perpetual thunderclouds. The sun was shining brightly, reflecting off the red roofs of Lon Lon Ranch nearby.
Link smiled. “Time to meet all my friends.”
“How big do you suppose Epona will be?”
“Don’t you know?”
“I’m only a fairy. I’m not a farrier.”
Link laughed at Navi’s pun. “She’ll be all grown up, just like me. Do you think Malon will let me ride her?”
“Probably. I wonder if she let Rana ride one? Well, I don’t suppose it can be too hard. I heard that real horsemen use their knees more than their reins, but you can ask Malon about that.”
“And Talon…”
“Talon’s probably got about five times as many chickens as he did last time. You’d better watch out for their toes.”
Link smiled and strode up the hill to the gate of the ranch. “I hope Rana is there today. Do you think the Princess will be there as well?”
“Who knows?”
The Hero turned left and opened the door of the main house.
There were no chickens, and no snoring. Talon was not there.
Link bounded up the stairs and checked in the living room. No one was there either.
“Hello?” Navi called timidly. They couldn’t hear anyone.
Link hurried back down and out, heading for the barn. Of course, chickens were a bit messy inside, even Talon’s prized birds, and the barn was where most of the work was done anyway.
“Hello?” he called in. He heard a muffled sob and a gasp. “Malon?”
“Please go away,” Malon’s voice answered him tremulously.
“Malon?” Navi called.
“Naeri?”
“No, Navi. Link’s fairy.”
“You know, the fairy boy,” Link said, smiling, trying to find Malon. She was hiding very well.
“Oh!” There was a clatter, and the red-haired girl stood up from in an empty stall. “Rana’s friend! Oh, Link, I’m so glad to see you… things are terrible!”
“What kind of things?” Link asked.
“Where’s Talon? And… Ingo?” Navi asked. “Are the chickens okay, and the horses?”
“Um… Daddy’s gone. I don’t know where. Ingo said he was going to take over the ranch because it was so incompetent, and next day Daddy…” She muffled another sob in her apron and sat down again on a milking stool. Link knelt in the hay beside her and waited until she could talk again.
“The chickens are outside, and the cows and horses too… but… Ingo is cruel. He cheats visitors, and now they don’t come, and if they find out and tell him, he doesn’t let them come; and he doesn’t let me help in the field but he is the only person in the corral with all the horses, and if I don’t do exactly what he tells me he threatens to beat them with a rake, and I haven’t seen Epona for so long… He’s going to sell her to Ganondorf!” Malon put her head down and cried. Link patted her shoulder.
“There’s one more thing,” Malon sniffled, after a long while. “I haven’t seen Rana for a long time, either. Even longer than Epona. I don’t know exactly how long, but it seems like about two falls ago she was here last, and that was before Ingo went wrong, because she would have chased him out if she had been here.”
Link couldn’t help smiling. “Chase him out? Really?”
Malon looked up, and smiled back timorously. “Really. She’s a really good fighter now. She saved me from monsters once.”
“Imagine that,” Navi said, pleased. “I hope she’s okay, but if she’s saving other people all by herself, she must be able to take care of herself.”
“Let’s see… have you seen the Princess?”
“No, not since I was ten once and there was a parade in the Castle Town… Um… I haven’t ever been to the forest, so I don’t know how your other friends are doing… Kakariko is doing all right, though. Most of the people from Hyrule Castle Town fled there when Ganondorf took over the castle, so… Oh! The healer lady, Lauri, she’s all right. I saw recently. She’s set up shop in Kakariko.”
“Well, that’s good,” Link said. “I’ll go chase out Ingo in Rana’s stead, okay?”
“And save Epona!”
With Malon in tow, he trotted out to the field where the horses were grazing… and one was bucking.
“That’s Epona!” Navi criedWhat looked like a clown was clinging for dear life to the saddlehorn, and in another moment was sent flying.
“Is that… Ingo?” Link asked, incredulous.
“Yes,” sighed Malon. “In addition to being a most awful jerk, he has no fashion sense whatsoever. I’d rather you didn’t cause any permanent damage, even so.”
“I can do that,” the Hylian replied. “Does Epona still like that song you used to sing?”
“Yes, but I’m not allowed…”
“That doesn’t stop me.”
Link ran into the field, Ocarina in his hands, and played the song. The tall horse seemed to calm down, not prancing quite so wildly, and looked at him with dark brown eyes.
Link reached out to touch Epona’s nose, and she nuzzled his hand, making soft horse noises.
The touching scene was interrupted by a scream of anger. Ingo had recovered and was jumping up and down in rage. “What do you think you’re doing, boy!?”
“Er…” Navi began.
“Get away from that horse! I’m training her personally for the Great Ganondorf!”
“Well…” Link started.
“Why does that horse even like you, anyway? She’s never seen you before! Get out!” The irate fraud started towards Link, but the mare snorted and placed herself firmly between the Hylian and his antagonist. Epona pawed the ground irritably, tossing her head, and Ingo backed off slightly. His manner was subtly different.
“Well, now, if she likes a complete stranger that much… How ‘bout a wager?”
“What kind?” Link asked cautiously.
“How about if you beat me in a race? You win, and you can keep the blasted animal. I win,” Ingo sniggered confidently, “and you help me train her for Ganondorf.”
“I’ll do it!” Though Link’s mind flew back to his unfulfilled intention to ask Malon how to ride…
“Right,” he mumbled to himself. “Here’s the stirrup, and I should get on… like… Here we go!” He found himself astride, and rather proud of himself for his first time. “I still should ask Malon how to get on properly instead of like climbing a ladder. Now…”
“Knees,” Navi said.
“Right.”
Link nudged Epona and she moved forward obediently, turning as he directed. He glanced at Malon and she gave him a shy thumbs up and a smile.
He guessed he was doing all right and rode slowly over to her. Malon patted Epona’s nose and whispered softly up to him: “When you race Ingo, don’t be afraid to kick her to make her gallop. Ingo will cheat, you’ll see.”
“But-“
“Your boots won’t hurt her at all. You’re not wearing spurs… Just win the race, okay? You’re doing fine.”
“I hope.”
Just as Malon hinted, Ingo counted to three and went on two and a half. Link kicked Epona as he’d been instructed and leaned forward. Slowly, he began to draw level with Ingo’s horse.
The ranch hand struck out at him with his riding whip, and Link ducked. Hugging Epona’s neck, he urged her further forward. Ingo tried to block. Epona went the other way and flashed past in a quick burst of speed. Ingo reached as if to grab Epona’s tail, and fell off his horse.
Link immediately slowed down and stopped, waiting for Ingo to get back up.
“Go!” Malon screamed at him. “What are you waiting for?”
“If I go ahead of him, he’ll say I cheated,” Link called back evenly.
“Well, look what he’s doing now!” Navi hissed.
“I know,” replied Link, smiling at Ingo, who was trying to run on foot now. Link leaned forward, and Epona broke into a canter.
“Only horse-racing here, Ingo!” he called as he passed the panting man.
“You… you jerk!” screamed Ingo. “You won’t get out of here alive!”
“Are you just saying that…” Link began as he crossed the finish line.
“…to be impressive?” Navi ended.
“Because it’s not working,” Malon added.
Ingo swung the heavy iron main gate shut with a triumphant sneer, smashing the lock.
Link rode up close to him and stared at him impassively.
“What?” The clown shifted uneasily.
“What’s that?” Malon darted forward and seized something around Ingo’s neck. It came off with a snap and Ingo collapsed in an unconscious heap.
“I don’t know what that was all about,” Navi said.
“I think this thing might have been controlling him. He got it soon after he went bad… But how are you going to get out of here?”
“Um… Can we jump the fence?” asked the fairy.
“Yes… Do you want to try?”
“Yes!”
Riding Epona in a wide circle, Link turned back to the fence and nudged Epona, who began to run, faster and faster. She soared over the sealed gate in one glorious leap, and Link found himself laughing with delight.