From TheNavyBlueCapricorn comes a Fanfiction debut inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. I do not own anything.
A Heroine of TimeChapter 1: The Farm Woman
"Dang, girl. You got this herdin' thing down!" A man from Ordon Village, Fado, cried from the field enthusiastically.
It was then a tall, 24 year-old woman by the name of Ashley exited from the goats' shed, who had shoulder length brown hair, hazel eyes, & was slightly overweight. "Thanks," she said, dusting herself off before getting on her horse, Epona. "I appreciate your feedback."
"Well, since you & yer brother are the only ones who can herd these goats to my standards, it's no wonder I keep callin' you back here," he told Ashley.
She nodded & practiced jumping over the fences with Epona. Goat herding was Ashley's day job, which provided her with a comfortable way of living in Ordon Village. Although they were very uncooperative at times, the goats seemed to be aware of Epona following their trail & had responded to Ashley's whooping. Fado paid her the weekly salary, & she rode to her home that was a little outside of the main Village.
After Ashley climbed up the ladder, she opened the pale door to her kitchen/living room, flopping herself down on the couch. "You know, herding goats pay my bills, but there is more to life than working all of the time," Ashley thought. "I want to see Hyrule in its entirety, not only this Village." That night, she cooked & consumed pumpkin soup, Ordon cheese, & a few pieces of wheat bread pondering what she could do to quench her thirst for adventure. "I could explore Faron Woods," Ashley thought. "I hear strange things about how weird it is, plus I have to collect firewood with Rusl the swordsman tomorrow." She quickly sipped the last of the soup, & washed her dishes.
Nobody else lived with her, but her younger brother & parents lived in the main village. It got a little lonely being by herself, but Ashley had the admiration & respect of everyone in Ordon Village. Thus, she was not alone 100 percent of the time. Those who liked Ashley the most were 4 children named Beth, Colin, Malo, & Talo, who all differed in their ages. When she was not herding, Ashley was hanging out with them or practicing her fencing skills with Rusl, her teacher. Ashley would get the kids out of trouble & act as their parent, yet she had a childlike sense of fun & wonder in which they had appreciated. Ashley tucked herself in her twin bed with blue, cotton sheets & a wooden structure.
The next day, Ashley was herding goats again, but today was different in the fact that she was asked to do different tasks on Ordon Ranch. "Hey, Ash," Fado greeted. "I need to ask ya somethin.'" "Huh?" Ashley asked, dismounting from Epona's back. "Can you milk all the cows & feed the chickens?" "Sure," she answered, not sure why he asked her today when it was as good as any given day.
Whence she performed those tasks & wrapped up feeding the goats, Rusl the swordsman walked to the expansive, green field. "Ashley, we need to get that firewood before dusk." After leading the final goat into the shed, they rode into Faron Woods, chopping down all of the dead trees for the townspeople's utilization of fire. Jon, Ashley's very tall brother, helped them for a while before he had to come home for a freshly cooked dinner of steak. This gave Rusl the opportunity to ask her an important favor. Sitting at the Faron Spring, they stared at the flowing water & into the sunset sky.
"There is nothing quite like a sunset, huh, Ash?" Rusl said. "This moment does make me feel sad at times."
"I understand, & one can't put into words what a sunset feels like because there are many ways one can describe it," Ashley mentioned.
"I don't mean to interrupt your busy life, but can I ask you a question?"
"I am listening."
"I procrastinated, but I made a sword to give to the royal family. I am unable to go to Hyrule, but would you be able to?"
"Yeah, I can. In fact, I want to travel outside of the village & meet the royal family. I have never ventured out further than here & Ordon Village."
"Hyrule is much different compared to here, Ashley. The castle was majestic, & I liked interacting with the people & the royal family. You would appreciate it."
They rose from the Spring's sand, bringing Epona along. The teacher & student talked about the details of the errand, like the day & time of Ashley's departure & arrival to Ordon & what to do when she got to the royal family. When the two arrived at Ashley's house (that was built into a tree), Rusl reunited with his pregnant wife & eight year-old son, Colin. He liked being around Ashley because she gave him confidence when the other children made fun of his timid behavior. Colin turned to smile at her because she helped his development to be a bolder child. Ashley smiled in return because she was proud of how far he had come along in life.
15 minutes later, because Ashley did not secure Epona very well in her place by the house, a barefoot girl who wore a cream tank top & orange pants took her into the forest without asking.
Ashley heard a loud voice calling her name as she was reading a book by the window. She peered out of that window to find Fado outside of her house. "What could he want at this hour?" Ashley thought. She turned her head toward Epona's usual spot. "Oh, my God. Somebody could've stolen her!" Ashley ran everywhere to look for her horse to find her at Ordon Spring, where Ilia was bonding with Epona.
"I didn't see you, Ashley," Ilia, Mayor Bo's daughter, said, turning from the horse.
"What you are doing?" Ashley inquired.
"Oh, Ashley, I am washing your horse. It is no big deal," Ilia answered.
"Um, okay," Ashley answered. She did not know what to make of this act of kindness, especially because Ilia did not ask beforehand. Ilia was Ashley's friend, but they were uneasy acquaintances because Ilia had teased Ashley for her brains in their childhood. "I need Epona back for work, if you please." Ilia let her take Epona back to Ordon Ranch.
As Ashley rode by Ordon Village, she saw Hanch & Sara talking amongst themselves & Rusl demonstrating sword play to his family near the water. Everything seemed peaceful, & Ashley took in the sights of everybody & the natural surroundings about her. Finally, she arrived at Ordon Ranch, where Fado was waiting.
"You herd the goats better than I can. Do you think you could before dark?" He asked. Ashley rode Epona, directing 3 to 5 goats at a time to the shed in a repetitive motion. Her voice was ringing through the air across the atmosphere. Fado let Ashley practice with the fences once more, but she was tired out from what happened during the day: working all day & collecting firewood after work. After parking her horse, Ashley inhaled, got ready to sleep, closed her eyes, & deeply immersed herself in her dream world.