It was nearly a week after falling from Whirlwind when Taryn finally managed to climb out of his bed and do some morning squats without so much as a twinge of pain from his hind end. Eyes somewhat wide at this discovery, he experimented with dealing the area several hammer-fisted blows. Once again, aside from the normal discomfort at such an action, there was no pain to speak of. Taryn grinned at this. It meant he could resume his normal activities; his training, getting used to the new horse, and actually socializing with the friends he had made at the Ranch.

So he exited his barrack and blinked several times as the bright morning sky greeted him. Then he closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and took several deep breaths, a contented smile gracing his visage.

It was in this state that Eryc found him as he was walking over to visit. Upon seeing Taryn standing there, enjoying the fresh air, a truly massive grin spread across his face. After covering the last few yards to his younger brother at a run, he enveloped Taryn in a tight embrace, speechless in his excitement.

Taryn was more articulate than his brother. "Good to see you, Eryc," he said, matching his brother's grin, his eyes very much open now.

Their hug lasted several more seconds before Eryc held him out at half arm's length and finally found his voice again. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you up and about," he exclaimed.

Taryn pulled Eryc back into another hug for the space of a few seconds, then asked, "So, what's new today?"

At that, Eryc remembered why he had been coming to visit in the first place. "Stennel and the other smiths made...well...something," he told Taryn. "I've never seen the like of it before. Nabooru herself is testing it right now. Come on!" And with that, he led Taryn towards one of the open areas of the encampment.

As they stopped between Stennel and Ricgard (who was still outfitted as he had been the day he'd led Kakariko's militia to the Ranch), Taryn gasped in awe. For standing in a clear area was an intimidating colossus of iron and bronze, brandishing an equally imposing two-headed battle axe. Under the gaze of perhaps twenty other Hylians, this impossible behemoth moved to a thick wooden training post with surprising speed and proceeded to assail it with powerful, yet dexterous sequences of strokes.

Taryn, like many of the other soldiers (save for the Gerudo), gaped at the creation. As the post was hewn in half with a mighty horizontal blow, Taryn gasped out, "Somebody's wearing that thing?

Stennel turned his gaze to him and replied, "Yes. Commander Nabooru, in fact. It's called an Iron Knuckle suit. Suits like that are a bit of a specialty of the Gerudo. It's supposed to counter the Darknuts we saw in the raid.

Taryn was duly impressed by what he was seeing. Leaning in close to his brother, he whispered, "And we won the Civil War somehow?"

A few seconds afterward, Evei came up from behind and threw an arm around Taryn. "You like it?" she asked playfully, gesturing towards where Nabooru stood, with her helm now off, conversing with the Hero of Time.

For once, she noticed that he wasn't turning red as he answered, "It's amazing."

They watched Nabooru continue to stand there, somehow not crumpling under the weight of her armor while Link and his taller lookalike, Brian, stood next to her, looking just as impressed as Taryn was and lightly chatting with her. At one point, Taryn heard Brian state, "If we can outfit ten soldiers with these, we can give those Darknuts a run for their money."

Taryn wasn't the only one to overhear that comment. Stennel also did, his face falling. Taryn looked over to hear him groan and softly say, "Not again!"

...

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Taryn asked Evei that evening, once again perched atop Whirlwind. "I mean, he bucked me off last week."

Evei shrugged. "You need a new horse, since you lost your old one," she answered, walking up to him. She could see that her explanation hadn't made him any more confident. "Just take it slow this time," she continued, placing her hand on his thigh, near his knee. "Pace yourself, and you should be fine." Ignoring the pinkish color that rushed to his face (which she'd always thought rather adorable), she took her hand off of him.

Despite his apparent embarrassment at the unexpected contact, she reasoned that it may have boosted his resolve. For he promptly set Whirlwind to a light trot. He wheeled the mount around several times, getting used to his pace, before going to a gallop. After a few minutes of just holding the reins, he began releasing them, using his knees to guide the stallion, just as Evei had taught him, while he mimed firing arrows with his hands.

Evei smiled warmly as she watched. She wasn't at all surprised that he had pulled it off. All that had been needed was to convince Taryn to actually get Whirlwind moving.

As she continued to watch, Azeru walked over to her. "I see you finally managed to get that jumpy kid riding again," she joked. Evei's smile widened, something which was not lost on her elder. "You like him, don't you?" she teased, clapping her on the shoulder.

"He doesn't know that," Evei answered, confirming the captain's suspicions.

Azeru couldn't help but grin at that. "Does he like you?" she asked.

Evei looked back at Taryn, who now had the reins in one hand and was miming sword cuts with the other. "If his blush every time I get within five feet of him is anything to go by," she replied, "then I'll wager he does. Doesn't seem like he knows that either, though."

Azeru nodded for a few seconds digesting that tidbit. Presently, she whispered to Evei, "Don't wait 'till the war's over to tell him how you feel."

Evei nodded once to acknowledge Azeru's counsel. "I don't plan to wait too much longer," she whispered back. "But I'll need someone to make sure he realizes his own feelings."

As Taryn began to slow Whirlwind down and trot towards them, Azeru leaned in towards Evei and said, "I think I know some good wingmen for you."

Evei smiled. "His brother and barrack-mate?" she asked. Azeru nodded to that.

Dear readers, I am once again terribly sorry for how long it has taken to write this chapter. Thanks to those who have been bearing with me. Also, to those who have favorited, followed, and/or reviewed this story, my thanks go out to you as well. I can make no promises, but I am starting to get past my writer's block and therefore hope to complete another chapter very soon. Until then, my dear readers, many thanks!