Disclaimer: Does anyone really look at these? If you are actually reading this raise your hand and say "Aye!" …. That's what I thought. Yah, for those of you who don't quite grasp the concept of FAN-FICTION then I will inform you that I, as a matter of fact, did not create Zelda. Sorry to burst your bubble guys, be strong, you'll get over it.
~ O ~ O ~ O ~
Millennial WitnessChapter Four ~ Devils and Mares
"Hurry boys! We're expectin' a heavy snowfall by tomorraw night! Come on, we gotta get this stuff done before we have to close up shop Sunday!" Flanders' voice boomed throughout the fishery early the next morning. Every winter before snowfall he would become increasingly irritable and would drive the crewmen like slaves until all the work that could possibly be done before winter was indeed taken care of.
While most of the men where unloading crates of trout and carp off the fishing boats, Link sat cross legged on top of a high stack of empty wooden boxes riding back to the fishery on the cargo ship that had just finished its first rounds of deliveries to the other side of the lake. In his lap was the detention slip he had received from his history teacher the previous day. Link's brow furrowed as he concentrated on the intricate little curves of his Aunt's signature, trying in vain to forge it for his parent or guardian signature.
"Oh fuck it," he muttered to himself as he erased it for the seventh time and started over.
Finally, as the cargo ship came to a slow stop on the docks, Link looked triumphantly down at his finished signature. It still looked slightly bizarre, but it was the best he could do, especially since his own signature looked as if an illiterate two year old wrote it.
"Arian! Get off the damn boat! Don't forget, you still have to unload the Zorah's Pearl and reel in the carp nets on Dock B!" shouted Calynne, the self appointed manager of the Fishery. "Oh yah, Flanders also wanted me to tell you that you have inventory duty today!" Link rolled his eyes and tucked away his detention slip. He hated it when Calynne felt like it was his duty to make sure everyone was doing their job especially since he himself hardly did anything other than clean the docks and complain about all the work he had to do.
Link hopped lightly onto the deck and turned to face Calynne and said, "I had to count the inventory last week. It can't possibly my turn again. Why don't you do it? It's not like your doing anything important anyways." Calynne sighed with exasperation and placed his clipboard (that supposedly had "important information" on it) down on a pile of nets and blew a lock of black hair out of his face.
"Link, to you it may not seem like I am doing anything because I, unlike you, have unspoken responsibilities that have been placed upon me by Flanders. Now if you don't like how things are run around here I urge you to find another fishery more suited to your tastes, but if you do not wish to do that, I recommend that you take orders as they come and complete them to the best of your ability. Is that clear, Arian?"
It wasn't like Link to become angry but despite his nature, Calynne often brought him to the brink of his patience. "Aye, aye. Oh great captain of mine. I understand. Thank you for straightening me out, I really needed it," Link gave a sour smile and sarcastically saluted Calynne before he walked off toward the Zorah's Pearl.
The Pearl was Flanders' pride and joy. It was a reasonably large fishing boat that Flanders had bought brand-new from a dealership on the Great Sea. Unfortunately, unloading it was never an enjoyable task…
Link spent the next two hours of his morning unloading crates off The Pearl and reeling in the nets on the dock and placing them in neat stacks for when winter passed. Counting inventory turned out to be easier than what Link had previously dreaded because the fishery hadn't bought any new items because of their month long break during the snowy season. By the time he finished Alden was already waiting for him outside by the shore of the lake humming a song with no rhythm and making pictures in the sand with the tip of a stick.
Link waved out the window and hung the inventory clipboard on the wall of the storage room. As he stepped back out into the open air, ready to depart for detention with his friend, he heard the sound of galloping hooves heading towards him and a shrill shout coming from its rider. The two boys flipped around to see whoever was attempting to trample them and came face to face with an intimidating brown stallion that gave off a loud snort as he came to a jerky halt in front of Link.
"Well, what a surprise seeing you here, Kiddo!" said the rider. It was the vivacious girl Link had met at the grocery store the previous afternoon.
"Hey!" Alden replied before Link could even begin thinking of what to say. "I'm Alden, Link's friend. What's your name?"
Selta gave an exuberant smile and leaped of her horse to go shake Aden's hand.
"Selta, nice to meet ya! I met your friend here yesterday at my Papa's grocery store, neat huh?" Feeling that it was best to interrupt the conversation before Alden became a little too friendly Link complemented Selta's horse, which changed the subject drastically. Selta loved talking about her pets, but of course, talking was something she enjoyed no matter what the context.
"Thanks a lot! He's sure a handsome one, en't he? You probably won't be seeing a better-looking horse than Duck, here. He's a full blooded Talon horse, my family has been breeding them for centuries." The Talon breed was Hyland's oldest type of horse and a full-blooded one was very hard to come by because of how far back their ancestry went.
"I'm sorry, what did you say your horses name was?" Alden asked, as politely as he could.
"Oh, his name is Duck."
Alden, disguised his outburst of laughter as a very terrible cough and motioned for Link to take up the conversation again.
Link was not as amused about Selta's strange choice in names for he had just come up with a plan that could help him enter the Tournament of Knights. He was just surprised he hadn't realized it sooner.
"So, how many other horses do you have? Would you ever consider renting them out?" Link asked hesitantly. Selta cocked her head and leaned against Duck.
"Well, we've got about one hundred horses on our ranch, twenty working horses and eighty that we breed and sell, but only twenty-one of the eighty are full blood Talons. We actually do have a renting policy on our ranch, we rent out horses for the day to tourists who want to ride them around the Lake and see the sights and stuff. We give tours too, other than that though we don't really lend out our horses." Link stuck his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet. He didn't like asking for favors.
"Oh, okay…um. Yah, well, have you heard of the Tournament of Knights?"
She nodded.
"Um, I am actually going to try out for it," Alden cleared his throat, "We, I meant we. But in order for us to compete we need a horse. And since you, um…have horses…I was just wondering if maybe we could borrow-no not borrow, I mean rent. Rent one for the days when we will be competing with horses." When he finished his statement he looked up hopefully and smiled. Selta thought for a second then beckoned for them to get on her horse.
"Come on, my ranch is just about a mile back. I'll show you our selections," she said as she pulled herself on to Duck. Link and Alden exchanged energetic looks and followed Selta onto her oddly named giant of a stallion. For the entire ride over to the ranch the two boys showered Selta with appreciation until they road under a sign that read Lon Brothers Ranch and Dairy that let the visitor know they had arrived.
The ranch was enormous and completely enclosed by hills and lush shrubbery. A huge plain with dozens of horses could be found in the middle of the property with barns and enclosures surrounding it. Selta continued to ride to the farthest edge of the ranch where the renting horses were kept and stopped right in front of the entrance to the barn. Once everyone got off Duck, Selta removed his saddle and released him into the pasture.
Link watched as Duck trotted off into the center of the field and stopped just short of a little white mare with black spots that was leaping around rambunctiously trying to shake off the halter around her face. Link stared on in amusement as all the horses that were at least twice as big as the little mare ran for cover and kept their distance.
Link now knew what horse he wanted.
Selta, noticing where Link's attention lay shook her head and said, "Oh for crying out loud, not again. That little one causes so much trouble I can hardly believe it sometimes." She turned back to Link and Alden, "Hold on, I have to catch that rascal, she shouldn't be out of her pen at this time but she escapes at least twice everyday."
With that Selta grabbed a rope that was hanging of a fence post, clicked her tongue to call over a nearby horse, an old gray one heard her and trotted over. She quickly mounted and road to the center of the field without reins or a saddle. Within a matter of minutes she was riding back over with the wild horse to where the two boys watched in amazement.
"That was pretty impressive," Alden remarked, "All that roping and riding and stuff." Selta giggled and slid off Duck, the rope that held the mare was gripped tightly in her hand.
"I'm really sorry about that, Cinder has some…behavioral issues. She doesn't really like people very much. I really don't know why she's like this, she's a full-blooded Talon but yet she is small and she ain't friendly at all. Ah well, I love her all the same," Selta patted Cinder on her neck and tied her to the fence. Link watched the little mare, he didn't know why but he found her endearing in a way. He wished he could ride her instead of the other horses that were for rent. Cinder had character and he liked that.
Link reached out a hand to pet her, Selta watched a bit apprehensively because Cinder was known to bite when touched by strangers, but curiously enough she let Link rub her nose.
"Well I'll be," Selta sighed as she scratched her head in confusion, "Can't say that's happened before. Why, I think little ole Cinder has taken a liking to you!" Link smiled sheepishly.
"Do you think I could try to ride her?" he asked hopefully. Selta bit her lip, a worried expression appeared on her face.
"Well, are you an experienced rider?" she questioned.
"Oh yah, he's just great!" Alden said with a serious tone, but then burst out laughing at the thought of Link trying to ride a crazy horse. Link rolled his eyes as he often did after listening to Alden and turned towards Selta.
"Not really," he replied sadly, "but I'm pretty good with animals and I think I could do it. I don't care if I get hurt or anything." And he was serious, after growing up in the rough environment that he did, pain was a familiar thing to him.
Selta sighed and shook her head, "All right, but keep in mind, Cinder doesn't even let me ride her and unless you're somehow her favorite person in the world, she won't let you ride her either!"
"I understand, but…I don't know…for some reason I really like this horse and if it is at all possible, I would like to use her for the Tournament." Link looked at Selta, she didn't look convinced, but he pressed on in one last attempt, "Please? If anything happens it's totally and completely my fault. No one else to blame but me."
Her expression softened.
Wow, it worked, he thought to himself. Maybe I'm getting better at talking to girls or something.
"Okay," she cracked, "I'm going to go get a saddle from the barn, while I'm gone, try and get to know Cinder a bit. Pet her a lot and feed her some of that there hay, got it?" Link nodded fervently in response and ran over the neatly stacked bales of hay and grabbed two big handfuls for his future steed.
As Link returned to where Alden was standing, which was ridiculously far away from Cinder's spot at the fence, Selta was just returning with an old worn saddle and reins that she earnestly began to place on Cinder who revolted profusely. Link watched as Selta inserted the bit in Cinder's mouth and buckled it on the other side, he noticed that the hook that held the halter on looked a bit loose, but since he didn't know anything about how to put one on, he didn't give it another thought.
Cinder reared her head up in an aggressive manner and pawed roughly at the ground as Selta tightened the girth of the saddle. Feeling uncharacteristically confident, Link approached Cinder. He couldn't explain why he felt such an affinity with the lively mare, he believed it was because she reminded her of someone. Penda, maybe?
"It's okay, relax. Good girl," he whispered to the Talon in an attempt to calm her. Link then reached out his hand and stroked Cinder's neck and to his surprise she lowered her head and stood completely still.
"Oh my," Selta exclaimed with wide eyes, "She…likes you! You're a miracle worker, Mister Link!" Alden laughed and leaned against the fence post, finding the current situation quite amusing.
Waiting a moment or two, Link slowly placed his foot in the stirrup of Cinder's saddle, kicked his other leg over in clumsy manner, and scrambled atop her back as nimbly as his body would allow him to. Selta raised an eyebrow and chuckled at Link's inexperienced mounting, while Alden slapped his knee and fell to the ground in laughter. He wasn't very good at hiding his emotions. Link looked over his shoulder and flashed Alden a rude gesture that shut him up for the time being, but unfortunately Link would present them with many more opportunities to snicker before his first riding session was through.
Calmly taking hold of the reins Link readied himself for the moment when Cinder would begin moving, but then he realized…he had absolutely no idea how to ride a horse. How could he make it go? Was he supposed to whack its back? Or maybe he just yelled, "Go horse!"
"Um, how do I make it go?" he asked after a minute had passed. Selta smiled a condescending smile and walked to Cinder's side.
"Okay, the first thing you have to do is kick it on its sides, and-"
But before she could even finish instructing him, Link had already kicked Cinder ever so lightly on the side and off she bolted like race car going at full speed at the start of a race. Link could feel the wind rush by his face and through his loose shirt; he couldn't tell if the feeling in his stomach was fear or excitement. Either way, he knew well enough that he wasn't in a good situation.
"No, not yet!" he could hear Selta shout from behind him as his charging steed galloped swiftly onward down the field.
Oh shit. Okay, just relax; all I've got to do is figure out how to direct it.
His mind sifted through every bit of knowledge he had ever attained about horse back riding. Facts from films he had seen, from people he saw ride by the lake, even from the stories he had read about the Hero of Time.
Got it.
As Cinder reached the center of the field, Link lightly tugged on the left rein and as he had hoped, the mare made a sharp turn towards the left and continued on in the new direction.
See nothing to be worried about. This is actually kind of fun.
And as that thought came to his mind, the latch that held Cinder's halter on finally popped off allowing the reins and headgear to slide of her face and fall to the ground with a thud. Immediately loosing his balance, Link grabbed hold of the saddle and tried to hold himself there as best he could. Turning his head backwards, Link stared in horror at the place where Cinder's halter had fallen, in the distance he could hear Selta's frantic cry and the sound of hoof beats coming across the field. He turned his head once again to see Selta riding over on another horse in an attempt to stop the runaway pony.
"Hold on to her mane!" Link heard her shout as she gestured to wear she too was holding on to the horse. He could hardly think but still managed to grab hold of the mares' snowy mane and regain his composure. His instinct told him to lean forward against Cinder's neck and put his weight towards the direction he wanted to go, he had no idea if it would work but he decided it was better to try it rather than continue riding on the back of a crazy horse until it decided to stop. Pushing his knee into the left side of Cinder's belly, the horse responded and turned to the left in an almost fluid motion.
All right! He thought to himself. He could feel the adrenaline rushing through his blood, this had to be the most exciting thing he had done in a long while. It was like he and the horse were moving as one, no longer separated by two minds but reacting and thinking and feeling the same things at the same time. They had bonded in a way that only a man and animal could, and nothing could break that apart. Sadly, his excitement didn't last for long because there, about ten feet in front of him was a fence that divided the females from the males and there was no time for him to avoid it. He had no choice but to go with the horse and leap over it.
They approached the fence rapidly and before Link knew it Cinder had leaped from the ground and they both were soaring in the air as if the world was in slow motion. Link pulled himself closer to the mare's body as they felt the impact of the ground.
"Woohoo!" Link shouted, punching a fist into the air as Cinder regained her original pace.
Together he and his steed reached the end of the ranch where Alden had remained during the fiasco and came to a complete stop as Link lightly tugged back on Cinder's flowing mane. The horse whinnied and shook her head back a bit while Link threw his leg over her back and landed in a catlike stance, back on the ground. Applauding with utter amazement, Alden rushed over from his spot atop a high bale of hay, where he had watched the whole thing unravel, and gave Link a firm pat on the back.
"Wow Buddy, I- I can't believe-I mean…what you just-" Not able to find words for what he had just seen. "What can I say? Your crazy!" Breathing heavily with excitement, Link grinned back as a reply and turned to stroke Cinder's neck, and in return she lowered her head and nuzzled his shoulder affectionately. Alden cocked his head and raised an eyebrow.
"I really don't understand you sometimes, Ink," Alden muttered sardonically, "Since when were you good with animals? I didn't know you knew how to ride a horse! What happened to the boring, indifferent Link I used to know?"
Link pondered the question for a moment, and replied to his friend's mockery.
"He fell off the horse a while back."
Alden tried to remain serious, but before he knew it he was laughing along with Link.
"Oh my good goddess! You are the craziest guy I have ever-ever met!"
"That's what I said!" Alden called back in response.
Selta hopped off the side of her horse holding her heart and panting. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Link looked down awkwardly.
"I'm really sorry, I didn't know she would-" but he was cut off before he could even state his apology.
"Don't be ridiculous! Are you serious that you've never ridden before? That was some damn good riding for someone who's never done it before! That horse is not only insane but she was galloping a mile a minute and you were able to stay on her, even when the reins came off! Oh yah, and by the way, I am so sorry about that, I should have checked the hook before I put it on her, but anyways! If you want that horse I'll let you have her, she's yours, but you can keep her here if you like…It's not like anyone else is gonna buy her. Damn! I've been riding since I was just a little scrub and I just learned how to ride bare back and without reins, I just…I don't understand…You're just a natural I guess." With that Selta pulled out a halter from the saddlebag on the horse she had been riding and handed it over to Link.
"I picked this up once I saw you and Cinder were doing fine. Or should I say, doing great! So, here you go. She's yours, all you have to do is come over here everyday and take care of her."
Link looked down at the halter. "You mean, I don't have to pay? That's not fair, if there is anything you need done around here I'll do it for as long as you want-"
"Link."
"Yes?"
"Just shut up and take the damn horse! Alden here told me it was your birthday soon, so there, it's a birthday gift. No charge, no fee. It's a gift."
Link was dumbfounded. This girl that he had just met the previous afternoon, who he had been deathly shy of, was giving him a pure bred Talon mare for free! Since he was not one to accept favors very often, Link knew that he would feel guilty forever if he didn't give her something in return, but what? He didn't own that many things, or at least, nothing that anyone would want.
"Selta, I don't know how to thank you, this is so incredibly generous of you. But you have to understand that I'm going to feel guilty about this forever if you don't let me do something for you in return. Would it be all right if I worked here for as long as it takes me to pay for the cost of Cinder? Then I wont feel eternally guilty, and you'll have a cost free worker. What do you say?"
Selta agreed, although reluctantly at first. After the arrangements were made, the three of them went into the stable that housed the horses that were for rent and Alden picked out a young male with a dark brown coat and black mane named Yarna.
By 6:30 the two friends were on the bus to detention but today the ride to the chamber of torture was a lot more enjoyable now that they were one step closer to trying out for the tournament.
~O~O~O~
"Got your slip?" Link asked Alden as they approached Alsofkar's classroom.
"Check."
"Patience?"
"Sorta check."
"Endurance?"
"Yah, check."
"How about boredom?"
"Double check!"
"Excellent, okay, lets go." Reluctantly, the two boys pushed open the door to room 338 and peered in to see who else was in for a fun filled morning. Link looked at the right side of the room…no one, then to the left…
Shit.
"Oh, woopdidoo," Alden groaned as they both discovered who they would be spending the next two hours with. There, sitting in the back corner of the room was none other than Jelk Garnem, the schools resident jock and jerk. All around him sat his cronies, looking as stupid as ever, and in the center of the back row was Makellin Ooru, the boy who was unanimously agreed, most likely to end up in prison for homicide before age eighteen.
Wanting to avoid any confrontation, Link and Alden took seats on the opposite side of the room from Jelk and his gang of obtuse cronies. In detention, students weren't able to talk to one another, but Alsofkar hadn't arrived yet, which meant that anything could happen.
"Hey! If it's not our good friend, Arian and his sidekick, Felta! Why don't you guys come sit over hear with us?" called Jelk who was slumped in his chair in the far corner. A malicious grin crossed his face.
Alden's body went rigid. Link hated to see his friend like that, it was amazing how one person could affect him so drastically, he was no longer Alden anymore, he was Hickboy. It wasn't like Alden to fight back, he just shrank back from his attacker and let them hurt him in anyway they liked. For a while, Link had been that way too, but now, he was becoming less and less tolerant, and more and more like the way he used to be. But even so, he had become so conditioned to follow the persona of The Little Guy or the Southerner that he lost touch with himself, and as he continued to age, it became harder and harder for him to break out of that shell he had created to protect himself. That was why it was so hard for people to get close to him…he didn't want them too.
"Naw, that's all right, Garnem. It smells a lot better over here for some reason," Link shot back with a crooked smile.
Jelk's friends stopped laughing and two rose from their seats and climbed over the rows of desks until they were looking right down on Link. He hadn't noticed how much taller they were than himself while they were sitting down.
"Trying to be funny, Scrub?" One asked contemptuously. Link could feel Alden's discomfort having them so nearby. That was what they always did before they decided to become violent.
"No," he answered. The two boys seemed to simmer down at that until, "I was being honest."
Without another warning one crony swung a punch directly at Link's face, before he even realized what happened the force of the blow had thrown Link against a desk and he found himself lying on the floor, his lip bleeding drops of blood and the back of his head throbbing from the impact of the desk. The back corner erupted in laughter, each boy yelling some type of offensive comment at Link. Although, this wasn't an unusual happening, Link couldn't even remember all the times that one of Jelk's flunkies had punched him causing him to bleed, but this time, Link wasn't as patient.
Link could feel the anger bubbling inside him, rising like the lava in a volcano; he was not going to let them get away with that again. He was sick of the way he was treated and of the way people thought of him, it wasn't natural for him to take a beating and not fight back, but yet he had let them for as long as he could remember. He felt so angry, he couldn't even recognize where it came from. The way he had been acting recently was so different, Link felt like a different person. What was happening to him? He didn't know why, or what had caused it, but for some unknown reason…he was changing.
Link's attacker stepped back, preparing to give him another kick to the stomach. It was too soon, Link hadn't recovered from the first blow; he wouldn't be able to stop him or get away. Link gritted his teeth and prepared for the kick, but surprisingly it never came. He looked up and stared in awe at the scene in front of him.
"Get off of me you piece of-" grunted the boy as he tried in earnest to wriggle out of the hold that Makellin now had around his neck. Although Link's offender was large, he was nothing compared to the size of Makellin who stood at least a foot higher than him.
"Get up," said Link's savior. Link immediately complied and pulled himself up. "Don't fuck with Arian again, got me?" The crony tried to resist but when he realized that this was a battle he would not be winning, he stopped struggling and nodded angrily. Makellin released the bully and pushed him towards the direction where the rest of his gang sat open mouthed. Makellin turned back to Link and smiled.
Weird.
Link smiled back in a skeptical way. Why would Makellin, the most reclusive boy in the entire school, help the wimpiest boy in the entire school, especially when he had never even spoken a word to Link.
"Why did you help me?" he asked so that only Makellin could hear. The yellow-eyed boy raised his right arm revealing a black tattoo that graced his shoulder and read "Devils", underneath it was a detailed drawing of a moblin like creature.
"Because, Screech…We run with the Devils."
~O~O~O~
Okay, yes I admit it, I take FOREVER to write. I'm sorry everyone, I guess I'm just a really slow writer, I really try to do it fast though. Sorry again! Now I'm a liar and a slow writer! Bah! This chapter wasn't even very exciting either. But I've already started the next chapter and have the outline all planned out. It's going to be an exciting chapter so buckle your seat belts kiddies…yah….not funny. Haha. I'm going to go write more now, since it has been proven how long I take. Oh yah, and just to tell you, the tournament isn't the main conflict in this story!
~Haze
