A/N: Hello readers. I sincerely apologize for the long delay. I haven't had the heart to write for the last week or so, since my beloved pet dog passed away last Saturday. But I've started to feel better, and I decided to get this out as soon as possible.
I'm...not real happy about this one, mainly because I wanted to get this out sooner rather than later. Sorry if it appears rushed, or brief, but I blame it entirely on loss of enthusiasm. Don't worry; I haven't lost interest in the story; I've just been listless lately and I have finally crawled out of my post-loss slump.
Even so, I hope you enjoy.
The fields of Ordon were alive; the grasses shimmered gold from the rising sun, and colorful wildflowers cropped up in bunches as far as the eye could see. I bounded through the forest of grasses with not a care in the world. My nostrils were filled with the pungent smell of honey, and with every rapid breath I took I inhaled the wonderful aroma into my lungs. I was younger than I was in reality, a yearling perhaps, and I pranced and played like one.
A song danced across my ears, a whistling melody of three distinctive notes. I tossed my mane, whinnying. What a nice song, I thought. What a lovely sound. Cantering with large strides, I followed the music, determined to find its source.
There he was, sitting atop a rolling hill, holding the leathery tip of a horse reed to his lips. The song abruptly ended as he brought it away from himself. Confused, I nickered to him. He smiled.
"You like it?" he asked. He held the reed to his lips again and whistled. The wonderful little song was there again, almost like magic. Excited, I reared, pawing the air with my hooves, and then I touched ground.
Until suddenly, the world darkened before my eyes and I heard nothing more…
I groggily opened my eyes, feeling slightly disorientated. The scene before my eyes was blurry and distorted, which did not help my dizziness. I yawned widely, stretching my mouth open wide, before shaking my mane to regain my dignity.
Then I felt startled. It was late morning, which meant that I had been sleeping on the ground for an entire night. I stood up so quickly that I nearly tumbled over again. It was not natural for me to sleep for any longer than a few hours, especially not while lying down. So what had caused me to be so careless?
My neck was sore and itchy; I noticed the ropes that held steadfast around my head, and I was reminded of my ordeals. My back was marred with an awful bare spot, which was tinged with a hot pink and stinging unbearably. With an intensity that challenged the day before, my muscles throbbed mercilessly.
While brooding over my pain, I glanced around the Hidden Village. It was already becoming hot, and a floating water mirage danced across the soil. The Bulblins were strangely quiet; all of them had taken shelter inside the decrepit buildings, leaving the main road completely abandoned. Even the gigantic King Bulblin was nowhere to be seen. I assumed that he must have left the village for some time. I was happy for the silence; it was comforting in comparison to the chaos I experienced the day before.
Then there was a commotion, coming from the very far end of the village. I listened intently, and I could hear the Bulblins shriek-talking to one another. I could see a cluster of them approaching, perhaps four; I could not tell. But they weren't alone.
The four creatures ushered somebody else in between, not giving any sign that they heard her struggling. It was a young girl, bruised and badly beaten. She would have been fair if not for the dirt and grime that stained her skin. Even her fawn-colored hair was dirty and matted. She fiercely wrenched her arms away from her captors, but she could not escape. She even threw herself to the ground to rid herself of the creatures, but she was lifted back up and roughly urged forward.
They walked slowly past, paying absolutely no attention to me. My ears pinned against my head, I bared my teeth at them as they walked by. Just then, the girl lifted her head and looked at me, the whites of her eyes standing out against her dirtied skin. She let out a tiny whimper, whether out of fear or surprise, I did not know, but she was taken away before I got a good look at her.
The girl was brought inside of the house that stood behind me. After I heard quite a few restless voices and some angry words, the four Bulblins exited without the girl. I pulled against my ropes, squealing at them angrily. One merely sneered in my direction before trotting away. The others ignored me completely.
I was curious about the girl that was captive inside the house; every once in a while, I craned my head around to stare at the door, hoping she would emerge. I did not see her again for a long time.
Until, sometime around noon, when all of the Bulblins were hiding in the buildings, the door finally wiggled free and the girl stepped outside. She shook slightly, looking as if the next breeze would carry her away. For a moment, she merely stood next to the door, peering around the corner of the house.
I nickered hopefully to her. The girl paused and looked my way, scrutinizing me with the most serious expression on her face, before she ran up to me and threw her arms around my neck.
Bewildered, I balked a step, but I let her hug me. Somehow, she felt familiar, just by the way she seemed to know me. When she let me go and stepped away, there were tears shining in her eyes.
"Epona," she murmured. "It really is you."
When she spoke my name aloud, I then knew exactly who this was.
Ilia reached up with her hand and patted me on the neck. "You know me, too, huh girl? Gods, I hardly recognized you at first; what did they do to you? Same thing they did to me, I guess."
She embraced me again, saying, "Oh, I don't know why all these terrible things have happened, girl, but I'm just glad to see you're okay."
I stood still and listened to her speak; I had not heard so much as a kind word since my flight from Ordon, and hearing Ilia talk to me now was better than all the oats in the world. I had not recognized Ilia at first; she certainly a changed girl from the one I remembered from home. Every movement she made was delicate, jerky, and empty of confidence. Even her voice was softer, more timid. I could tell that she had experienced quite a bit since I last saw her.
However, despite her nervous demeanor, she seemed very happy to see me, and I was glad.
Ilia's imprisoned state forced her to be discreet. For most hours of the day, she remained inside the house, completely silent. These were the minutes I hated most; I was lonely, standing outside all by myself, and on several occasions I whinnied for the girl. Unfortunately, my outbursts attracted only the attention of the Bulblins, who, in annoyance, chucked rocks at me to keep me quiet.
It was only for scanty periods of the day when Ilia stepped outside of the house and visited me. I was especially pleased to find that she often brought me a carrot she got in the house. I was reminded that I had not eaten since the grain from the day before.
As I munched happily on a carrot, Ilia spoke. "I just don't know what to do," she brooded. "I'm frightened, girl. All I hear are these monsters from outside, and I still have nightmares about that day in Ordon. I can't help but feel that we may never see our village again."
She sounded morose. I nosed her hand, asking for more carrots. Ilia did not quite laugh; her features had hardened so much I wondered whether she could laugh anymore, but she managed to bear a half smile. She took my head in both arms and sighed deeply.
"I hope my friends are all okay."
She retreated into the house shortly after that. Repeatedly I whinnied for her, even yanking against my ropes in frustration, but she would not come back. No longer with company, and with nothing to eat, I merely hung my head and stared miserably at the dry ground.
I rejoiced when Ilia finally came outside again; by that time, it was dark. This time, however, she was not alone. A tiny old woman, barely reaching up to my shoulder, trotted in her wake, and they both stood next to me.
"So this is the horse you knew from your village," mused the old woman. She held out a small, wrinkled hand near my nose. "She is a fine mare. One of the finest I have ever seen. Is she yours?"
Ilia shook her head. "No. She is my friend's horse. He-"
She paused. A shadow passed over her face and reflected her sadness. "I wish I knew where he was."
The old woman switched her gaze from me to Ilia. She looked sympathetic. "Don't worry, my dear. If the goddesses have smiled upon him, he is safely back in your hometown. What did you say his name was again?"
"Link." Ilia patted my neck softly, staring off into space. Her eyes flickered up toward the sky, where she gazed listlessly at the stars.
"Well, I'm sure this Link will be pleased to hear that his horse is safe," the older woman smiled encouragingly. "And that you are, too."
"For the moment." Ilia closed her eyes, letting out her breath through her mouth. "Impaz, what will happen to us here?"
So the old woman's name was Impaz. I struggled to keep the name fresh in my mind.
"My dear, I have seen and heard a great deal. The royal family used to boast about a Hero, one who would emerge in this age and banish evil away. It is for this reason why I have remained in this village for so long. My objective is to meet the Hero once he arrives here. I pray that he shall also carry with him the Rod from the heavens…" her voice feebly trailed away.
"Impaz?"
The old woman gave a thin smile, the wrinkles lining her face as she did so. "I believe that in these dark times, the Hero shall awaken in time. He may have already, for our knowledge. That is why I must stay here, dear. I must. But not you. You are not meant to be tied to this place like I am."
Ilia stared at the woman incredulously. "Then what must I do?"
"Escape from here," Impaz told her. "Take the mare with you. Leave this place as far behind you as possible."
"Escape? Is that possible?" Ilia glanced toward the crumbling general store toward her right side.
Impaz nodded grimly. "You may slip past unnoticed, if you leave right now. While it is nighttime."
Ilia looked unsure. She hesitated with her reply, absentmindedly laying her hand on my forehead. She was silent for a moment, possibly contemplating the pros and cons of attempting an escape. Finally she nodded. "I'll try. But what about you? I can't just leave you behind."
"My dear, I could not leave even if I wanted to," Impaz said. "As I mentioned, I must wait here for the Chosen Hero. Don't worry," she added as Ilia's face looked pleading. "He will come. I can feel it."
"All right," Ilia relented. "Where should I go?"
"For now, take your horse and retreat north through the foothills. Head for Hyrule Castle Town. There is your best bet for safety."
What happened after that became confusing; Ilia had pulled herself onto my back, and Impaz pulled the knots free from the post. They left the cords tied around my head as some kind of makeshift bridle. Before we moved off, Ilia looked down to the old woman.
"Good bye, Impaz," she said. "Give my regards to the Chosen Hero, when he comes."
Impaz smiled. "Farewell, my dear. Send my greetings to your friend Link."
With that, I felt pressure around my ribs from Ilia's heels, and I automatically trotted off. The rigorous movement made my stiff legs protest, yet at the same time it felt wonderful to be leaving my imprisonment. Being in the hands of a friend, I had the feeling that everything would soon be right again. I thought of Link. Perhaps I would see him again.
I balked about halfway through the village. Ilia gripped my mane for balance and whispered, "What's the matter, girl?"
There was a twang, and then a fire wreathed arrow darted at my feet. I reared in panic, nearly unseating Ilia, as many more arrows shot out from bow-wielding Bulblins in the shadows. I snorted, looking in every direction for a way to hide.
"Run, Epona!" Ilia cried into my ear. "Run!"
Her voice brought me to reason, and I touched ground and bounded forward, out of the range of the fire arrows. The Bulblins shrieked in anger at their escaped prisoners, and several of the more agile individuals sprinted across the balconies above my head in hot pursuit. Without any guidance from Ilia, I headed toward the mouth of the cavern, which, to the best of my knowledge, led to the outside foothills.
Neither of us were prepared for what happened next; out of the corner of my eye I saw two Bulblins leap from the balcony, hell-bent on seizing the girl from my back. As hard as I was running, I could not stop it. From the force of the creature's weight, Ilia slid from my back and collapsed to the ground. She was out of my sight within seconds, since I ran harder still with two determined Bulblins stowing away on my back.
One imitated Ilia and sat with his legs clasped tightly around my torso, whooping like a mad cow. The other had missed me and held tightly onto my tail, crying out in distress. The two combined were very heavy, and with this extra load on me, I could not gallop very fast, nor could I buck them off. Regardless, I ran from the village, blazing past the grounded Bulblins outside the entrance and turning south, through the foothill trail. I never knew what became of Ilia, and I would never know until a long while later.
A/N: I hope you people can find the irony in this chapter. When ilia and Impaz bade each other goodbye, Ilia says, "Give my regards to the Chosen Hero, when he comes." Then Impaz says, "Send my greetings to you friend Link." It's ironic how that, while they don't know it, they are in fact speaking of the same person.
See 'ya.
