A couple more weeks with the Gorons on Death Mountain would have been nice. They were a friendly bunch ever since a human saved both their hides and the hides of everyone else in Hyrule, as they had told me. When I first crossed the border to Hyrule, I saw that towering volcano and my heart leapt at the thought of what wonderful geological specimens were just waiting to be studied. Having no itinerary in particular, why not hike the mountain? What surprised me was that the mountain was inhabited by Gorons; of course I had met Gorons before back in Termina, but I hadn't realized they would inhabit this region as well.

Although the geology was alluring as ever, and the hot springs certainly inviting to my aching feet and creaking joints, I was nevertheless reluctant when the Gorons invited me to stay for a few days, knowing their dietary preferences aren't quite compatible with my own. But I quickly found that when a rock man twice your height and ten times your weight welcomes you with a hearty, "WELCOME, SISTER," and insists that travelers ought to rest for a few days and enjoy the springs, it is very difficult to refuse.

It ended up being a welcome break, however. I spent a week studying the potassium feldspar-rich rhyolite of the mountain and soaking in the hot springs. Sitting by a bonfire, they told me thrilling tales of both older legends and a newer hero who had recently saved Hyrule from an ancient demon king. Afterwards I was running out of rupees to pay for board, so I decided it was time to pack up my books, select one or two choice rock specimens to keep, and head down the mountain. Kakariko Village seemed quite charming, but if the Goron Lodge prices were too steep for my modest budget, then the Kakariko Hotel may as well be a castle in the air. I stopped by the local shop and pawned a few excess items off to the rather rude owner, Malo, and later encountered a wonderful shaman (Renado, I think?) from whom I was able to purchase medical supplies which I had depleted during my travels. I stopped by the Kakariko Graveyard, where a murder of crows eyed me with suspicion as a I paid my respects to the dead interred there.

Passing by the spring the Gorons had told me housed one of Hyrule's protective light spirits, I arrived onto a section of Hyrule field overlooking the Kakariko Gorge. Thank Farore I've never been remotely frightened of heights, or else I couldn't have even begun to cross the bridge over that endless abyss. Instead I marveled starry-eyed at the geologic forces that could create such an awesome landscape. The fields were covered in short, soft grass over rolling hills punctuated with sudden cliffsides and boulders, recalling to me the moors surrounding my home in Clock Town.

I hardly had time to grow sentimental, as at that moment I discovered the hard way that the fields are apparently inhabited by very large, ill-tempered birds of prey, one which decided at that moment to attack me. It swooped down and I defended myself with my right forearm, receiving three deep talon slashes for my efforts but saving my torso and face. I reached over my shoulder into my bag and quiver, quickly drawing my bow and shooting the infernal creature down. I could feel the warm blood running down the tanned skin of my forearm as I went to inspect the beast. It was clearly dead with that one shot, but my arrow was too bent for reuse. One look at it and I could tell the scrawny mass of feathers would be no good to eat, even if I did care to go through the hassle of processing it. I didn't have the resources to skeletonize it and preserve the bones for study either… What a waste of ammunition. I sat down and pulled out my medicine pouch, where I thankfully still had antiseptic salve. I applied probably a bit less than I strictly should have on my forearm gashes, wanting to conserve my supplies. I wrapped the wound in bandages I had purchased from Renado. They were soft, comfortable, and pinned securely, much to my relief. Nothing adds insult to injury quite like loose and itchy bandages on an already painful wound.

And then there was a screech. I turned and received a thankfully indirect blow across my right shoulder. I yelped in pain as I fell back and randomly hit out in the general direction of whatever had attacked me, disoriented and unable to see. I felt my fist make contact with something leathery and heard a thud. Refocusing my vision, I saw that my attacker was an ugly purple goblin creature wielding a heavy club, and that it was getting itself off the ground. As I reached into my belt I realized I had reacted too late; the ugly son of a bitch was already leaping toward me, club overhead poised to come down on my skull. Oh, I'm done for, and I'd rather not see this.

SLASH. A spurt of blood splattered across my face. I opened my eyes, and saw the two severed halves of the goblin, and a tall man with a glowing sword standing over him, still in a finishing pose. But there was no time to get a good look at him; two more goblins were running towards us, club in hand. As the swordsman turned around to attack, I managed to pull my brother's set of throwing knives out of my belt. One, two, three, they whizzed through the air and hit home in one of the goblin's chest and stomach. I tried to push up with my arms onto my feet, but my injured shoulder gave and I fell, spinning on my left ankle and CRACK. Seriously?! I grit my teeth through the burning numbness and forced myself onto my feet, quickly stumbling toward the slain goblin and extracting my bloodied knives in order to continue the attack.

As I scanned for the other enemy all I saw was another severed corpse and the swordsman standing over it. There was instant relief. "Are there any more of 'em?" I asked. "Not nearby, I don't think," the man answered. "Great," I sighed and collapsed face-down onto the ground. However bad I had already broken my ankle, I had just made it worse in my meaningless lunge for my knives. It was already pulsing and burning. "Now why did the sons of bitches just hafta attack me?" I asked. "Well they're Bokoblins," he answered in an amused voice, "That's what they do."

I propped myself up on my elbows and looked up at the man's face, and instantly locked my smokey topaz eyes with a pair of oblique, sapphire blue ones. No, they were too bright for sapphire. More like azurite. They were crystal clear, a little bit wild, and more beautiful than any rock or mineral I'd ever seen. I quivered a little as I examined the smiling face they belonged to. Delicate features, pointed nose, long pointy ears, and pink lips framed by unkempt dirty blond hair partially covered by a long, pointy, green hat. Two adorable golden side-locks hung down by his face. He looked like an elven prince fallen straight out of a fairy tale.

I realized I had spent just a tad too long studying his beautiful face, and finally spoke. "Thank you so much. You just saved my hide." I sat up and looked over at the two slashed Bokoblins and one stabbed Bokoblin, then looked back at him with a grin. "I reckon we're two for one, huh?" He chuckled a little (oh, what a cute little laugh) and said "Yeah, I guess so," as he reached his arm across my back to help me up. He grabbed my right shoulder and I flinched in pain. He withdrew his hand quickly, and with concern in his voice asked "Sorry, are you hurt?" "Yeah, that's where the first one got me with that damn club." I suddenly felt aware of the blood trickling down my back, and quickly pulled a plain handkerchief out of my pocket and began dabbing it up, awkwardly twisting my left arm behind me. I looked over and examined the man again. He was wearing a strange (but sexy) green tunic behind which peeked chain mail and a brown cloth undergarment. His legs were covered by khaki leggings and brown leather boots. It was extremely flattering on his built (but not bulky) figure, especially the leggings over his muscular thighs. He had put away the glowing sword in a sheath across his back, but I could see its attractive purple hilt. On his back he also carried a large metal shield.

"Are ya hurt at all?" I asked him. I really hoped this beautiful person hadn't gotten injured for my sake. "Not really. My arm got a little cut up by one of their claws." "Oh no, lemme see it." "It's not that big a deal," he mildly protested as I took his left arm and examined it, forcing him to sit down. "Nonsense, even a minor injury can turn serious if it gets infected, and those fellas don't seem mighty keen on hygiene," I said, and sure enough I spotted three deep gashes on his left forearm sprinkled with bits of dirt and Din knows what. I reached into my bag and pulled my bandages and salve out. "Hang tight, this is gonna sting like a bitch," I warned as I poured the salve onto a rag and used it to dab out the grime in his wound. He jerked his arm a little as I did so. "Just a lil' more, I'm 'bout done," I said in what I hoped was a reassuring tone, and finally finished cleaning it out. I took out some more bandages, wrapped the wound in the same way I had done my own, gave it a pat and looked up with a smile. "That'll keep the dirt out of it!" "Thanks," he smiled back. Oh, it was lovely, and I felt a little warm.

"And now for m'self," I said, and moved my left ankle to my front, took off my strappy brown sandal and stuffed it in my bag, and began examining my ankle where I suspected the fracture had occurred. "Did you hurt your ankle too?" he asked with worry. "Yeah, I tripped over m'self like a dumbass when I was tryin' to get my knives back. I think I broke it," I responded casually. "Well geez," he exclaimed, "you should've taken care of that before my little cuts." "Okay, well yer cuts were bleedin' faster than my ankle was healin'," I shot back hastily, maybe a bit testily. He looked a little stung and stayed quiet while I rummaged through my bag. "Oh crap, I ain't got any splints," I said, realizing I should have at least gathered some sturdy sticks while I was still in that weird forest. "Oh, no worries, I've got something," he said brightly, pulling a sturdy, polished length of wood out of a small pouch hanging from his belt. "It's repayment for the bandages." "Thanks!" I said, and took the splint from him just a second before realizing he was intending to wrap my ankle for me. Damn my inability to perceive social cues at the right time; but I had already taken the splint. "I better feel it and see if I can find where it's broken," I said to gloss over the brief awkwardness. "Can you tell that just by looking at it?" he asked curiously, cocking his head to the side. "Not by lookin', but by feelin'." I responded as I began gently poking around my ankle, methodically applying focused points of pressure to every articulation from the distal phalanges to the tarsals, finally arriving at the calcaneus. I touched the lateral surface of my ankle, and instantly a hot pain shot up my leg. I inhaled sharply, and grunted "Yep, probably on the lateral malleolus, right where the talus can rub on it all day long. Great, fantastic. Probably won't be able to get my ankle still enough to let it heal."

I looked up and saw that he had been standing over me curiously, watching. We made eye contact and I looked down. "Can you hand me a roll of the stiffer bandages from my bag?" I asked. "Yeah, sure," he said quickly and began rummaging for them. I hoped he doesn't shatter my hard-earned Dodongo vertebrae. I placed the splint against the lateral side of my ankle. Holding it in place with my left hand, I used my right to wrap the soft bandages just like my dad had showed me. Around the ball once, circle around the arch, diagonally underneath the toes and across the top, repeat until the foot is covered in one layer, pin to the side. "Is this it?" I heard him say. I looked over and saw him holding up a stiffer set of bandages woven from a tough synthetic material. "Yeah, perfect, toss 'em over." I caught them in my right arm and repeated the same motion I had done with the soft bandages, pinning them down and wiggling the splint to make sure it would stay in place.

"My name's Link!" I heard out of the blue. I looked up startled to see the swordsman facing me with a grin, his left hand extended. "Uh, hi, my name's Sibela." I replied, still a little caught off guard, but nonetheless I took his hand and shook it. His leather gauntlets were soft and worn. "Nice to meet you, Sibela. Sorry you got attacked." he answered in a friendly tone. "Meh, it happens. Lucky I wasn't hurt worse," I responded casually, "I reckon it'll be a pain hobbling to a nice cave. Do you know a good place to sleep around here? I'd hate to be caught out here one-legged." "Well if you cross the gorge here and turn north in the next field you'll eventually get to Castle Town, and they've got plenty of nice inns…" he began, before I involuntarily let out a snort and interrupted. "Urban centers are a bit out of my budget right now. I'm asking for a sheltered cave or hollowed out tree, preferably one without monsters." Link's azurite eyes pierced me with an expression of shock. "No way you're going to spend the night in the field! Even the caves have Skulltulas and Keese in them, and with you already injured…" I cut him off again, knowing what he said made sense but still not liking having my toughness questioned, "Alright wise guy, then what are my other options? I reckon I'm still capable of takin' out a few small fry if I need to." He furrowed his brow and locked eyes with me again. Why did he keep doing that? As my heart sped up, I felt compelled to look away.

I heard him kick around the ground a little bit, and after a few tense seconds he spoke. "Well…" he began. I looked up and saw that his brow was still furrowed, but now he was looking down and had his hand on his chin, as if thinking hard about something. "Why don't you stay at my place?"

"What?" That wasn't what I had expected. He continued, "It's a little way away, down in the Ordona Province, but I can just call my horse and she'll have us over there before nightfall. I only have one room if you don't count the basement, but there's a bed and a couch. Plenty of space for both of us." He looked up and seemed to study my dumbfounded expression. "I mean I guess I understand if you don't like the idea of some strange guy taking you home. I wouldn't mind putting you up somewhere in Castle Town, but I already spent my wages from last month. I, uh…" He looked away. Was that pink on his cheeks?

"No no no no, it's not that, I just…" I looked up and we made eye contact. Again. I was flustered. He looked apprehensive. I took a deep breath. "I've been wanderin' about for a while, sleepin' outside most nights and the whole business. This is the first time anyone has offered me a place to stay. You just saved my life, and now yer offerin' to let me stay at your house." I paused, and added, "You must be a real kind person." There was no doubting it; his cheeks were definitely pink. "Well… I mean my place is free. I don't think I should leave you out here," he said quietly. I looked at him and grinned. "Well I accept, but only for tonight. I don't wanna inconvenience you further than that. Now, what's this about a horse?"

LInk's face split open into a glowing grin. "Hold on, watch this." He walked over to a patch of weeds (Typha, perhaps?) with horseshoe-shaped racemes, and plucked one. He held it to his mouth and blew, and it produced a surprisingly loud but clear whistle. He whistled a sweet, simple tune… a summoning? Sure enough, not two seconds had passed before I heard hooves, and galloping from the west came a beautiful, chestnut body draft horse with a white mane. She came to a halt next to her master, who was clearly just as happy to see her as she was to see him. She whinnied and nosed Link's face, and he giggled and pat her shoulders "Easy, Epona." He turned towards me with an expression of wild happiness. "This is Epona. She always comes when she hears her favorite song," he said and rubbed her neck again, "She's a little energetic, but she's as reliable as they come." I laughed, managed to push myself off the ground, and struggled to walk normally toward her. I was unable to take my eyes off her glowing coat and bright eyes as I said "Nice to meetcha Epona! My name is Sibela. I hope you don't mind givin' me a lift." I had sorely missed my own horse since I left home, and Epona was just the sort of equid that made you instantly want to give them a sugar cube and a hug around the neck. I did indeed stroke her mane and silky smooth coat. Oh, have you ever felt the satin neck of a horse who probably got a bowl of oats and a shampoo at least once a week? Nothing else is so soft and luxurious, and Epona's neck was just like that.

I looked over at Link, who was observing me giving Epona affection with a satisfied grin. "She's just beautiful," I gushed. He grinned wider and said "Yes, but she doesn't like to go slower than a canter. Have you ridden before?" But I had already put my good ankle in the stirrup. I swung my other leg over and sat comfortably in the back of the saddle with my back straight and ankles out. This was bliss. How long had it been since I had gotten in a saddle? I looked down at Link's unreadable expression, and a concerning thought occurred to me. "Sorry, were you supposed to get on first?" I asked with worry. I had never ridden with two people to one horse. He shook himself and said "No, this is fine. I was just thinking that you mount really well." You could have fried an egg on my face, but I don't think he saw it because not a second later he too was on the saddle, sitting in front of me with crop in one hand and reins in the other.

He looked over his shoulder at me and said, "Mind you, she's leg-trained so you'll have to keep your heels off of her." I thought to myself, Umm, so how am I supposed to stay on if I can't grip with my legs? That question was answered for me a second later when he dug his heels in and Epona was instantly off at a canter. I was forced to fling my arms around his waist and hold my head inches behind his left shoulder. It was hard to resist the urge to rest my head against Link's back. I tried not to squeeze his firm body too tightly as Epona's pace steadied. Her gait certainly wasn't as smooth as the that of the Tennessee walking horses I was used to riding, but even so it was hard not to enjoy that rocking horse motion characteristic of a canter. As I tried to focus on keeping my heels out and my grip firm but comfortable, something stirred in my mind.

"You said your name was Link, right?" I half-shouted in his gracefully pointed ear. He turned his head around slightly, and said, "Yes, and your name is Sibela, right?" "Yes," I replied. Link… Link… Where had I heard that before? The glowing sword, the green outfit… then it clicked. "Holy Nayru, you mean like the Hero Link? The guy who fought back all them monsters and saved Hyrule 'bout three years ago?!" This time I really yelled. He turned his head again, showing a slight grin. "Yes, but nowadays I'm just a goatherd," he replied.

I was stunned. He wasn't an elven prince, but he was about as close as it gets.