An: So... this chapter is longer than I expected hahaha... Since I'm trying to wrap this up, I'm like, trying to fit everything in this chapter. The next chapter seems like it's going to be short, and that the rest of the Zelda stuff is going to be in the next Zelda chapter. After this chapter they're are only 4 chapters left. Two Zeldas and two Links!

Which means I have to start killing off some characters... *spins the spinner of characters to see who's the first to die* oh haha that's sad. I kill the ones I like most.

I really need to go back and really grammar edit the shit out of this thing... but I have yet to do that.

-Link

The Spirit Tower sat at the very back of the camp, and if I went to its far side, most normally, people couldn't find me. It wasn't like I was having any trouble with any of the people around. In fact, the traumatic experience had really brought everyone working together. It was just… some of the people were kinda weirding me out.

Of course, I knew Zelda wouldn't be happy to see me. No matter what the circumstances. I didn't blame her for being mad. Seeing me just meant trouble. It always did. But watching her slunk about was somewhat worrisome. A soon to be mother should have a glow to her, radiating with the extra life she was now carrying. Zelda just looked paler, sicker and almost thinner. Sure, it was quite obvious she was pregnant, but her arms and face were too thin. She seemed to flit in and out of my vision as she past behind people and trees, like a ghost.

Another person I thought best probably to avoid, but couldn't, was the King of Hyrule. The last time I saw that poor man, he was cowering up at me as I sat on my horse on top of his dinning table. I sorta figured that our special bond was forever severed after that fiasco. In fact, when I first saw him, scampering over to me, hands fluttering in the air, I almost turned and ran. I did break my restraining order with Zelda at the castle, and the fact that I was here at all was probably breaking some law. I thought he was going to throw me in a makeshift dungeon.

Him complimenting me wasn't something I was expecting. It seemed that some stories about me had arrived to the camp before I had, no doubt, being blown out of proportion and exaggerated. I had helped out a few of the men to make it safely back. Maybe I had saved a life or two. All of that couldn't have made the King completely forget that I had slept with his wife.

But no. He made no indication that he even knew about the affair even though it had to be impossible for him not to. I just played along nervously at first, but it soon became quite easy to fall back into our old friendship.

Lastly, Mary seemed to be a completely different person than the woman I had been married to for over 10 years. I was kind of upset when I first found Mary and Lana still here. I had wanted them to be even farther from harm's way, but I guess Horus wasn't going to pass up the free food they were handing out to the refugees. And as mad I was at him, I realized that having my family around was putting me in a good mood.

Though I say good mood, I'm still going to say a little weirded out as well, because Mary's attitude towards me had done I complete 180. She had been unnaturally pleasant the entire time I had come back from fighting. And though I wasn't going to question a good thing, it still, for some reason, made me a little uneasy.

My musing was interrupted as I heard the heavy sounds of a horse coming closer. I stayed completely still, in hopes that whoever it was would miss me. I had no such luck as a small red head poked around the bend and found me, before leading Epona closer, who was lazily taking slow steps as she tried to grab some grass as she walked.

"Daddy!"

I smiled at Lana. It had seemed that the arrow that had caused me to lose my saddle had left a small cut in Epona's girth. Lana was very serious about taking care of the horse.

"Her bandage is dirty again."

"Yea, that's gonna happen. Where it is, it picks up dirt from her walking."

"But you said to keep it clean! We have to change it again!"

"Lana, we already changed it today. Here," I reached over to pat some of the dirt off, Epona being difficult as usual as she leaned the opposite direction to get to 'better' grass. "You're doing a great job taking care of her. She'll be as good as new."

Lana plopped on the ground and gazed up at Epona. "She's like a soldier, Daddy. Just like you! You both got bandages…"

I was sort of trying to hide my bandages. I probably should have been doing a better job of changing them, for I hadn't since I hastily tried to bound up as many wounds as I could in as little time as possible. I drank a few heath potions, but was running around too much to take anymore. My shoulder was still aching, I had taking to sleeping on my left side because it was impossible to sleep on my right.

"Are we ever going to go home again, Daddy?"

"Of course we are. When this is all over."

"Will it be in time for your birthday?" she whispered.

I blanked. I didn't know what day it was now. I never knew what day it was. "When's my birthday?" I asked,

"It's in three days!"

I sighed. "Lana, I don't know…"

"How are we going to get you your birthday present?!"

"We'll celebrate my birthday late. I can get my birthday present then," I said, trying to smile at her and erase all the small girl's worries for me.

She dragged Epona closer and stared down at me, hands on her hips looking a lot like Mary. "That sucks!" She exclaimed, and I laughed.

"I don't mind. Really."

"I guess I should give you a little present on your actual birthday so it doesn't suck as much."

I grinned at her and pulled her into my lap, ignoring her protest as she tried to keep a hold of Epona's lead. She dropped it, but the horse didn't care. "You're going to get me a little present?"

"I suppose so."

"What is it?"

"I can't tell you! It's a surprise!"

"I already know what my real present is."

She covered my ears, like that was going to make me forget. "No, you don't!"

My grin just grew bigger and I opened my mouth to say it. "It's a-"

"No!" She moved her hands to cover my mouth.

I kissed her hand before moving my face away. "It's a new shirt?"

She giggled. "No!"

"Some new gloves?"

"No, Daddy!"

"A new hat?"

She ruffled my hair. "No. You look funny in hats."

"What? That's not true." I wrapped an arm around her and started to push myself up the brick of the Spirit Tower with the other. I grunted a little from the pain that it created in my shoulder and Lana gave me a worried look. "Is it a pair of pants?" I said directing her attention back to our conversation.

"No, Daddy! You know what it is!"

"A new belt!" I grabbed Epona's lead and headed us back to camp.


"Link, could you grab that last bundle of swords?" ignoring the fact my arms were already filled with bundles of swords. We realized that most, if not all, the swords of Hyrule's army seemed duller than butter knives, and it was taking a long time to make sure they were all sharpened properly.

I made a grab for the last of them with my left arm, not thinking. My right arm couldn't take the weight of what I was already carrying, and everything embarrassingly crashed to the ground with a loud sound. Everyone in a ten foot radius turned to look at me.

"Sorry, sorry..." I said, bending slowly down to pick them up.

"Link."

I looked up from reaching for one of the swords that was instead, picked up by milk white hands. "Mary!" I was pretty sure I had been keeping my face calm before, but now I felt myself go into a complete panic. I didn't know why. There was no reason. It was just that Mary had been acting... different.

"Let me help you with that." She picked up half the swords while I picked up the other half. As we stood upright she grinned at me. "That was very clumsy of you. You getting weak or something, old man?" and then she playfully knocked me in the shoulder. You know, the bad one.

All the swords, again, tumbled to the ground.

I felt Mary's glare on me rather than saw it. I was too busy looking down at all the swords I just dropped.

Mary grabbed my hand and started leading me away. I couldn't even fight her because it was the bad arm, and if I didn't move right with her, I was going to cry out in pain. "But we can't just leav-"

"Yes we can."

She led me into the main medical tent. I did hesitant a bit, because Zelda was one to hang around this aria. I was about to protest, but Mary gave me a tug, and I did cry out.

"Shit Mary!"

Of course, me screaming in pain didn't make our entrance subtle, and everyone's heads turned to look at us, one being the Queen herself. I tried to think of any possible way that I could just kill myself on the spot. Or at least pass out. Hey, I was already in the medical tent. What an ideal place to lose consciousness.

"What did he do?" Zelda demanded.

Oh yea. I think maybe I could pass out. Just give it a few more moments.

"He's hiding a wound," Mary informed and Zelda stomped towards me. I couldn't run. I couldn't get away, as she started to rip my equipment off and soon my tunic.

Of course Zelda wasn't doing this for any reason besides the fact that she thought it had to be done. The nurses could easily have done it. Hell, in fact, if anyone bothered to ask nicely, I would have taken off my tunic willingly, but Zelda was always such a control freak. She always had to do it herself. It really had nothing to do with it being me, but I could see Mary fuming right beside me. I could see every inch of exposed skin turn as red as her flaming hair.

I don't think Zelda even knew she was doing it. Or maybe she did. Women were kind of evil like that.

Even as I took a step back, it was too late. I was already standing half naked, exposed for everyone to see.

"Scissors!" Zelda demanded, and I winced as she started to cut at the bandage that was on my shoulder.

"That's not-I'm fine!"

She ripped off the rest of the bandage and I yelped.

I opened my eyes after I heard Zelda sigh, staring at the wound. I took a chance to look at it too. "Okay, that's really not as bad as I thought it was going to be."

"When did you get this?"

"I don't know, back when the castle first got attacked?"

I saw Zelda's pale blue eyes narrow into hard little diamonds.

"Or... maybe after that..."

"This wound's infected."

I laughed. "No it's not. It's healing."

"Link! Look at it! It's festering!"

"It's not... festering..."

"See the discoloration and the freaking puss that's coming out of it?!"

"Well-" She slapped me on the head.

Then she turned to Mary. "I'll get him an antibiotic." Then to me. "Stay here. Go sit done or something."

As she left, Mary grabbed me by my shoulder and dragged me to a create to sit on. "Holy fuck, Mary!"

"Where you just going to hide that until your arm literally fell off!?"

"I-"

She looked where Zelda had just left before glaring back at me. "And she needs to control herself!"

"What?"

"Did you not see her just undress you like she owned you?! You don't do that! That's not-"

"I'm sorry. You're right. BUT that wasn't my fault! I can't control her! And if you didn't bring me over to the medical tent in the first place-"

"Shut up! If you just fucking took care of yourself!" She screamed. Now that seemed like the normal Mary.

One of the wounded knights entered the tent with his arm in a sling, witnessing the end of Mary's fuming.

Mary gave him a look before stomping her foot and glaring at me. "Don't talk to me until you're done... festering!" She strutted away.

The knight whistled at me. "What did you do to have to sit in time out like that?"

I shrugged my one good shoulder. "Women..."


Thankfully, Zelda had been too busy with other things to treat me, and the nurses were the ones to give me my antibiotic and a good cleaning. As much of a bitch that it hurt, I was sure that it would have been a hundred times worse if Zelda was the one to clean the wound. She could be very thorough when it involved tearing dead flesh off from me.

I spent the rest of the day avoiding Mary as usual, but like always I had to return to her when night came around. Most nights consisted of Lana sleeping in between us, even though she had been given her own small sleeping mattress, so when I did not see her already in our bed I was confused.

"Where's Lana?"

"She's sleeping over with Tom tonight."

"What?!" I dropped both my shield and the sword that I was just taking off of me. Mary glared at that, for it was yet another thing I'd drop that day. "She's sleeping with a boy?!"

"Link. They're ten."

"That's when it starts!"

Mary rolled her eyes, completely unconcerned. "Horus is with them. I don't even know what you think could possibly happen. They're young children!"

"When I was ten years old, I..."

Mary crossed her arms. "You what, Link?"

"Nevermind," I said. Turning away from Mary and getting ready to crawl into bed. "One day they might start... you know, touching each other. So keep an eye out for that."

"What are you doing?"

"Going to bed?"

"Oh no! You're not going to just crawl into bed! Get over here. I have to make sure she did a good job!"

"Mary. Zelda didn't even clean the wound. The nurse did."

She snapped her fingers not listening. I heaved a heavy sigh before abiding her. Best to try to avoid this fight, even though it probably was impossible.

I felt a little strange letting my wife take off my shirt. I think she did too. She did it tentatively, and slowly, while Zelda had just ripped the thing off without care. Mary's eyes flitted over the rest of me and briefly landed on my face before focusing on the brand new white bandage. It was on there pretty tightly. I hoped she wasn't planning on trying to take it off. She poked at it.

"I guess it's taken care of..."

I sighed softly in relief. But she wasn't done there. I felt her cold fingers go over other parts of my exposed chest were various small cuts resided. All of them were healing up nicely, not like the infection I apparently had in my shoulder. There was nothing more to be done for them except just wait until they scarred up. I waited for her to yell at me for those too.

"Turn around."

I did.

I was finding her lack of nastiness unsettling. She was too quiet. My body couldn't be that interesting. Besides the shoulder, all other injuries were so mild. Was I dirty? Was there still dirt and soot stuck to my skin? Did I not wash good enough?
I felt her fingers trace a muscle on my side that probably was more defined than it had been in years. A product of the insane workout I started giving myself after my retirement. What else did I have to do?

"Take off your pants."

"What?"

"You've been hiding that shoulder for days. There's no way else of knowing what you're also hiding."

"Mary, if there was something wrong with one of my legs, I'd be limping."

"Take them off!"

I scrambled out of them so fast I almost fell over. At this time, it didn't really occur to me of the possibility that Mary could be flirting with me. I mean, why would she?

But when she took a step back with her face flushed, I realized that it was a possibility. I stood naked before her, hands on my hips, raising an eyebrow slightly. I wasn't going to be shy in front of my wife. She had seen me before and I was very confident that both my legs were working fine.

"Your-your gloves..." She pointed. I had neglected to take them off. I rolled my eyes before doing it very gingerly. I kind of had taken up the habit of wearing them constantly since they were protecting my injured fingers.

She grabbed my hand and I winced.

"See? This is exactly... what I mean..." She very carefully peeled away the dirty bandages, studying my scabbed fingers. "This should be washed," she said weakly. "Don't want it to get infected like your shoulder." She held my hand close to her face. I thought I could see tears in the corners of her eyes. Very sweetly, she kissed one of the cuts and I gently moved one of my fingers against her cheek.

As I stood there, naked, in front of my wife, I felt like I was being forgiven. Forgiven for what, I had no idea. I was still very much confused, and it didn't seem like any clarity to the situation was going to come to me soon.

I wasn't sure if the look in Mary's eyes as she stared at me made me nervous, scared or turned on. And it sure didn't help that I didn't have my clothes on.

I was relived when she finally, forcefully kissed me. It meant the thinking could stop. I understood these physical actions, but I didn't want to think about what it meant, where we stood, how she felt, or how I was supposed to feel. She wasn't asking any questions and I wasn't giving any answers.

Brief thoughts flew in and out of my head. Like if Lana not being here was planned. What exactly gave Mary a change of heart into liking me? Why now? Was it the dark situation? Had I changed?

I didn't think about any of these things long enough to come up with any answers. I didn't really care to know.

I grunted in pain when I hit the mattress. I think my pain turned her on because she kissed me harder. It was sort of thrilling to take off her dress. The action had been taboo for so long. It made me mildly annoyed. I started thinking about all the little things about Mary that mildly annoyed me. How everything I did seemed to bother her. How she was never in a good mood. How she reminded me of my mistakes.

The anger I think was what was keeping me hard. I accidentally caught a glimpse of her desperate face and immediately felt guilty. She realized what had happened and tried to hide her face into my neck. Her cold hands finding me, stroking me and trying to get me to stop thinking again. Soon it was her mouth that was trying to convince me to stop thinking, and I did.


The next morning, I laid with Mary's head resting on my good shoulder. I hadn't gotten any sleep the entire night. I kept trying to imagine how things would be after all the was over, but I couldn't. I couldn't picture things just going back to normal. Deep in my heart, I truly didn't think I was going to come out of this alive.

I had never been this old before. I completely forgot I was already thirty seven. In a few days I'd be thirty eight. I wasn't allowed to get that old. In fact, I felt like I was going to go soon. It was going to happen soon and quickly. The goddesses wouldn't let me survive to my next birthday. That just didn't happen.

I thought Mary knew. Somehow. Just like I did, that I was going to die. It would explain last night.

As I laid there, and thought of my death, an lump settled itself in my chest. So many times I had thought of death and accepted it. I had been oh so ready only earlier that year. But I had Lana. I didn't want to leave Lana.

I had watched that baby grow into the spunky young girl she was now, already hanging out with boys. That was quite an accomplishment for me, to hang around that long.

She would be fine, I tried to reassure myself. She was growing up. Mary would take care of her.

I dug my fingers into her red hair and she wiggled a little closer to me.

Please take care of her.

I sighed. Fuck. I closed my eyes, so when Mary finally woke up, she would think I had slept.


"I just want to over caution everyone that the seizure of the castle is a distraction only. Any problems and you are to immediately pull back. Only when the castle is safety rid of the dark power within, may we finally take it."

I heard many of the men around me groan in annoyance as Zelda talked. Her plan of me sneaking into the castle on my own wasn't very liked. Mostly because people had started taking a liking to me again and thought it was unfair. Though of course there were quite a few that didn't give a rat's ass about me. But all of them did agree that my attempt would be pointless. No one had seen this 'Ganondorf', including Zelda. If I hadn't openly agreed with her, no one would have been humoring her at all.

There was even some talk about my almost execution being a ruse of the Queen to get rid of me herself. That she had 'feelings' for me, and embarrassed she had tried to get me killed. I quickly tried to put an end to all that talk. It was so far from the truth that it actually made me very angry, and the extra drama was not something we needed right now. Luckily such rumors weren't openly talked about, because no one wanted to anger royalty, but the opinions weighed down the air around us like a thick wet blanket.

Thankfully, at this time everyone seemed much more concerned with what the King had to say, since he did have a knack for strategies, but Zelda wouldn't let him talk for too long.

"Link, are you listening?" Zelda glared at me. I had been the only one that had been listening to her, and she had taken to pinning all of her frustration on me since, you know, I was listening.

I don't know why I shrugged my shoulder like I was indifferent. I was just getting really sick of everyone attitude in this tent.

"Come over here," she motioned to me, and I got up rolling my eyes, slowly walking over to her as the King continued talking war plans with the other men. "I've made a teleportation point with Farore's Wind just inside the Spirit Temple. Since my protection is extra important with the child, I thought it best, if anything should happen to me, to look for me there. I think it's best for you to do the same."

"Sure. Whatever." I doubt I was going to have the time to really get around into doing that anyway, or care, since running away from a fight wasn't my style, but I was glad that Zelda had such a plan.

She looked at me very seriously. "The Mage has some important artifacts that he has savage and wants to give to you."

I raised an eyebrow. Despite my brooding, the prospect of getting new shit alway put me in a good mood. "Yea?"

"He has a Goron bracelet."
"No shit?!"

Zelda stared at me wide eyed, immediately offended by my language but I didn't care.

"Where did he get it? From a Goron? Are they still around?"

"I don't know Link, I didn't ask! I'm kind of more concerned with the possibility of the Hylians going extinct at the moment!"

"Sure. Sorry." I always felt like I was apologizing to her. Did I mean it? Nope.

"And an authentic Hylian Shield. One of a make I haven't seen in eons. You should speak to him so he can give you these items before going on your mission. Also remember to Farore's Wind!"

The war meeting looked like it had ended and people were leaving the tent. The King was coming over to Zelda to speak to her about something, and between both the King's guard, his manservants and Zelda's own entourage, I was quickly separated from her by people. We were all pushed out of the tent. I watched her from a distance as her husband tried to talk to her about something, no doubt about her war plans. I could tell whatever he said was annoying her.

One of the generals was trying to talk to me, and convince me to abandoned Zelda's plan and join the army. I was half listening. I knew I stared at her too much, but I was use to it, that the act was just habit.

I saw something in the sky with the corner of my eye, a large bird, but at first I had just assumed it was an eagle or a large hawk.

Too busy watching Zelda, I didn't care to look. I did notice the King's face go into a panic, for he had been facing the bird, while Zelda had her back turned. He gave a startled scream, jumping into Zelda. He almost looked like he was trying to jump into his arms like a child might do to his mother, but when the kargarok dug its talons into his shoulders, I realized he had just pushed the Queen away to safety.

How did no one see that thing fly into camp?!

I had reached for my bow, but didn't have it on me for the meeting. Men who did have their bows began to shoot, but all their aims were off, worried about hitting the Queen who was so close. The kargarok bounded up into the air, taking the light King with it in only a few flaps. I looked around wildly around me until I found the closest archer and grabbed a bow and arrow right out of his hands.

The kargarok was making its way over the tops of the trees and would be gone in seconds. I wasn't going to make it. He was gone.

I did know that the bird had come for Zelda and not the King. Whoever wanted Zelda wanted her Triforce piece and would bring her back to the castle. The kargarock would either bring the King back to the castle instead, or realize its mistake and drop him before it got there.

I was already chasing after it, trying to get around the panic crowed of people. I knew it was going to be hard to keep up with the bird who was flying easily over the trees that I would have to get through. I whistled sharply and Epona came running toward me, her her long lead that must have once been tying her to something flying freely behind her. People got out of the way for her.

I hopped onto her bare back and shot in the direction I saw the kargarock disappear in. I hoped the King's weight would slow the creature down. Though Epona had always been quiet agile, she was still big, and the forest would slow her down as well. I kept searching the canopy, trying to see a glimpse of them. Every once in awhile I did, but the tree branches were making it impossible to get a clear shot.

I was so concern with trying to get a shot in, that I didn't realize how far we were going. I was hoping against hope that, somehow, I could get the King down before we hit open field and got too close to the castle. I lost track of time as we exploded from the trees. With the flat ground, Epona gave an extra burst of speed, but it still wasn't completely flat. The ground was litter with bodies of all shapes and sizes. All the grass has been trampled away, and as we galloped closer to the castle, I heard a horn alerting the enemy that we were coming.

Shit. Exactly what I had hoped to avoid. More arrows annoyingly littered the air.

I got a clean shot of one of the wings. Somehow Epona had kept up with the bird and we had stayed close. The kargarock never got enough air to truly get away. When the bird started to falter determined to still keep in the air with the arrow in its wing, I saw the King panic and flair a bit. He had been so limp before I thought he had passed out.

I got Epona underneath the wounded bird and with the King's struggling, the kargarock dropped him unceremoniously on top of me. He managed to wrap one arm and one leg around me, screaming and crying "Oh Gods," over and over again. I was trying to regain control of Epona so that we could get the hell out of there.

I got her to turn on her haunches when I heard a scream. At first I thought it was the King, for I really wouldn't put it past him with what was happening, but the scream was just slightly too inhuman. I wasn't even aware when we were no longer upright, just that the King was trying to move away from me. I thought he was falling off the horse, not me and the horse falling away from him. It wasn't until my right shoulder and face hit solid ground, and the 1,500 pound of horse landed on my right leg, that I realized that the high pitch scream I heard had come from Epona.

The King had somehow managed to not get crushed under Epona. He had wound up on top of her side. She was still in a state of panic, her legs flailing as if she was still running. I immediately put a hand on her neck, trying to calm her, fearing the King would be kicked. She let out a few more desperate whinnies before letting her head fall with a heavy sigh.

I pulled the King off of Epona and closer to me, using the horse's body to hide us from the enemy.

"We're going to die! We're going to die!"

"Shh! Keep calm. Don't move. They'll think they got us."

The King kept still. Or at least he tried to. His body was violently trembling. My leg was still under Epona. I wiggled it a little. I didn't think it was broken. Epona was heavy, but she wasn't wearing her saddle, and at least she was soft and heavy. She twitched a little when she felt me move my leg. I kept a hand on the crest of her mane, hoping to encourage her to keep still. If she tried to get up, I was sure we'd be shot down again. I slowly tried to wiggle my leg free.

"Sire Link," The king whimpered softly. He whispered, though I sort of doubted the enemy could hear us at this distance. "I just wanted you to know, since we're going to die, that I've always held you in the highest regards. I know Zelda... you didn't deserve what she put you through."

I stopped my struggling to look at him.

"You are a great man, Link. I know you love her. If I could, I'd give her to you. If I could, I'd let you be king! I'm sure your level head would balance her craziness more than I ever could. But I can't do that. The only thing I can think of, is if we do somehow get out of this alive, is offering you your old job back, if that's something you even want. After all you've done, after you coming all the way here to rescue me, how could I not reward you?"

"I'm not doing this for a reward," I told him, freeing my leg. "I'm doing this because you're my friend."

I didn't mean to, but it seemed I sent the poor king into tears. "Do you really mean that?" he wailed.

"Sh, sh! I have a plan. When I say go, we're going to make a run for it back into the woods." I handed him my shield. "Stay as close as you can to me. I'm going to use a magic spell to shield us."

"A magic spell?! You can perform them?"

"Yea a little, but it's very important that you keep up with me. Are you ready?"

I waited for the King to get his feet underneath him. I rested my hand back on Epona. We were going to have to leave her behind. I knew she was hurt, but I wasn't sure how bad. I could come back for her once I had the King in safety. I stroked her, willing her to stay behind and not attempt to follow us.

"Go!" We scrambled up. I gave Epona one final push on her neck to convince her it was better to stay down, and then we ran as I performed Nayru's love. As I expected, the Boblins had been watching for us and immediately started shooting more arrows. I was a little afraid we weren't going to move fast enough to get to the edge of the trees before the spell finished, but the King surprised me with how fast he was running. Almost dying could make any man run faster.

I quickly took him back to the camp. I kept a hand on his arm to make sure I wouldn't lose him as we jogged through the brush. We had no time to communicate to each other. We were moving too fast.

There was a crowed of very worried people waiting for us back at the camp, I pushed the King in front of me to ensure everyone as soon as possible that I had got him. He was immediately taken away to the medical tent, but before he went, I saw him mouth the words 'Thank you,' in my direction.

I myself hardly stepped into the camp before people began to crowed me with congratulations as well. I couldn't get sucked into this. I had to go back.

"Link!" I briefly heard Mary. I turned to look at her once. "Where are you going?!"

"I have to go back...! The stupid horse! Have to get the horse!" I called back as I was already jogging away.

I went on in a steady pace, breathing hard, already tired. Man was I getting too old for this shit. When I finally reached the edge of the woods for the last time that day I stopped, crouching by the brush. It was starting to get dark as my eyes scanned across the bodies in the field.

When I found Epona she looked as dead as all the other dead horses that were around. I shouldn't have left her there. She probable thought that I had abandoned her. She probably decided to give up on her life as soon as she knew I was gone. I swallowed the lump in my throat down and whistled out three long notes. I paused, before doing it again.

Just barely, I thought L saw an ear twitch in my direction.

I tried again. She lifted her head and looked at me before letting out a low nicker.
"Shh, shh, stay there, girl." I didn't want her to move yet. When it got more dark, maybe I could get her out of there unseen.

I stayed a few hours at the edge of the woods waiting. When I thought it was dark enough I stood up, whistling my song to her at a faster pace, trying to get her to have the will to get up.

Hearing me she quickly got her front feet underneath her, bobbing her head like she had been ready to go for ages and was waiting on me. She shifted her position a little before giving her body a shake to get the dirt off.

"Come on, now," I murmured, trying to get her to hurry up. I saw her trust her head down as she proceeded to get her back legs adjusted, trembling all the while as she pushed herself up into a standing position. She looked like she was about to move, before letting out a short squeal and almost falling again. I just kept whistling and praying that she could walk. Then she started to make her way back to me.

I could tell she was limping by the sound of her foot falls, but it was too dark to see exactly where she was hurt. She was favoring her left back leg, and by the look of how much her head was bobbing, it looked like she might not have been putting any weight on it at all.

"Farore," I swore when she was finally to me, throwing my arms around her neck and ruffling her mane. She smacked her lips together, pleased with the affection. "Man, you are such a good horse! You're such a good horse!" I patted her hard on the neck. "Let's see what you did to yourself," I said as I went around to see the damage. Epona immediately dropped her head to graze, unconcerned of the trauma she was going through.

I winced when I saw the arrow. "Shit..." I couldn't see very well in the dark, but right away, I knew in the back of my mind, that this arrow had just killed her. It had entered her just above the hock. With any luck it missed the tendon, but even with it deep in the soleus muscle, it was going to be a bitch to heal. I thought it did miss the tendon, because it still seemed she could lift her leg. It looked like the arrow had stopped when it hit the bone. I needed to break the long shaft so I could get her back and get a better look. As soon as I touched the shaft, Epona squealed and pretended like she was going to bite me. "Don't be a bitch now, I need to break it off so it doesn't hit anything. You want to be in more pain?"

I leaned against her, and she couldn't scramble away without the use of one of her legs, so I grabbed the sucker and broke it. I would have ripped the whole this out, but I didn't want to accidently rip the tendon, though her squirming was probably doing just that.

"Okay, you can hate me now." I ran my hand up her back and over her withers. "Let's get the hell out of here."

It was an agonizingly slow walk back to the camp. Like I feared, Epona wasn't putting any weight on her leg at all, just holding it up awkwardly underneath her. Each step, she had to hurl her one good hind leg after the rest of herself.

When we finally got back to the camp, I was greeted by a few of the soldiers.

"There he is!"

"Saving the King and not even getting paid to do it!"

"You're amazing man!"

I motioned them to stand back with my arm as I lead the large injured animal into the camp. They all quieted when they saw I was much more concern about the horse than I was of my victory.

"Sorry, about your horse, man," said one as I was trying to get closer to the light so I could see better. It should have been plain to see just by the way she was walking that there was no hope for her, but for some reason I didn't see it.

I didn't answer them, talking lowly to the horse as I inspected the wound in the fire light. How was I going to get that arrow head out?

Someone touched my shoulder and I looked up from what I was doing. "Listen, Link. I know how much you love that horse. I mean, you look after it more than you do your wife," he chuckled. I glared at him, not finding him funny. "I know a guy, Link," he said seriously. "He used to be a butcher. If you need to put her down, he knows how to do it real quick."

I didn't think as I let my fist fly and make contact with his face. Everyone else began to move to us, probably just trying to attempt to break up the upcoming fight, but for some reason I thought they were all after Epona, and ripped my sword out brandishing it at each and everyone of them until they all stood back away from me and the horse.

"No one is touching my horse!" I cried out at them.

"Link! Link!" Mary ran towards me. I had to fight the urge to keep my sword up at her. She never really liked Epona either. "What the matter with you?!" she hissed, putting a hand on my arm and forcing it down.

"They want to butcher Epona!"

"That's not what I said!" said the man who now had a bloody nose and was trying to stop the bleeding. "I'm sorry!"

I took Epona's lead and began to lead her away from this awful company. I started off stomping, but remembered I couldn't move very fast with her.

"Link, you can't go around punching people! Have you been taking your medication?"

I laughed. "You mean that medication that was a joke?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Mary, I can't deal with this right now. Epona's hurt, and I need to take care of her."

"Link, stop!" I did stop, so I could glare at her. "Look at her, Link. She's suffering. You're making her suffer by forcing her to walk!"

I gave Epona a hard look. She was breathing hard from the extra effort it took to keep up with me. She still had dried sweat on her from her run after the King, and she never got to walk out her sore muscles after the ordeal. She'd probably never get to walk out her muscles ever again.

I gripped the lead harder. "I can't."

"Then let someone else do it. She's old Link. She's lived a wonderful life because of you."

"No, I can't! She's Lana's horse!"

Neither of us had realized that Lana had come up to us. She gave one look at Epona before saying, "I'll get the bandages and ointment," and she turned back to go to our tent. It was just another time I beat up that poor girl's horse.


Lana and I spent the night trying to get the arrow out. Epona wouldn't let us get near the wound so we had to heavily drug her. I tried two ropes, one under her girth, and one under her hips, which I tied to a large tree branch to help keep her upright. If I let her go down, I knew she wouldn't be able to stand again.

The arrow had hit the tibia and it was even worse than I thought, for it chipped the bone, and little pieces of it were floating about. In trying to heal itself, the bone would produce calcium deposits, and in its position by the hock, it would heal wrong and give her a gimpy leg. If she even healed at all.

I thought of every possible thing I could do. Epona wasn't young, but maybe that would work for her benefit. Maybe she'd know to be careful and not harm herself more. Maybe she could deal with a a cripple leg if she just no longer ran. If we could, maybe get some healing potions from the medical tent, it would speed up her healing process and she wouldn't be straining her three other legs so much to compete with holding the weight.

Lana was the only one on my side, so I trapped her into my delusion. She did everything I asked for. Got me supplies, held Epona, stroked her legs to help with circulation and watched me intently, no doubt in her mind that I would be able to save her horse. I told the first lie I had ever told to my daughter that night.

I told her Epona would be just fine.

Lana eventually fell asleep around two in the morning. Mary came to get her, glaring at me for letting her stay up this late, before taking her back to the tent. I stayed with Epona.

Around dawn, the drugs started to wear off, and Epona was becoming more aware of herself. She started to panic a little when she realized how she was tired to the tree, but I distracted her with sugar. I fed her sugar cube after sugar cube, enough to make me sick, that's for sure. I knew it was a lost cause from the start. I was just prolonging the inevitable as long as I could because I was a coward. I just didn't want to tell my little girl that I had killed her horse.

I looked at Epona's face. She was trying to be cute, ears perked, eyes alert, begging for more sugar. She couldn't step any closer to me because of the tree she was tied to. I gave her another piece. She could have as many as she wanted. I let her lick the loose sugar still on my palm while I combed the fingers of my other hand through her forelock. Her face showed no pain that she was obviously in. I didn't like to think she was too stupid to understand her situation. I thought she understood that she wouldn't be around for much longer, and that I would miss her. That was why she was breathing sweetly into my ear. Not because she wanted more sugar.

I also liked to think that she would find me again in another life. That the reason why we got along so well was because she was the reincarnation of the first horse I had. The reason why she was so smart, was because she was thousands of years old too.

In realty, it was me just obsesses over the past, finding a horse with similar coloring and naming her Epona, over and over. It wasn't like I bred the horse. She couldn't be reincarnated through a decedent. But I needed the lie.

I knew Lana didn't need my lies. Epona was being brave for me right now. I could be brave and tell Lana the truth. I got up to go find her.

I found Lana waiting for Mary to be done frying some eggs for breakfast. Mary gave me a concerned look when I came in, since I never did go to bed the other night.

"Daddy! I have to tell you something!" Lana said excitedly.

I swallowed. "I have to tell you something too, Lana." I knelt to the ground, holding her shoulders and looking her straight in the face. "It's about Epona."

"I know! I know how to save her!"

"Lana. We can't save her. She's too old to survive her injury. We're going to have to put her down."

"No! No Daddy!" And she took my face in her small hands. She was very excited and I was confused why. "I saw one. I saw a fairy."

I blinked, before moving my face away. "Lana, I'm being serious."

"I'm being serious, Daddy! I saw one! In the woods! We just have to catch it and it'll make Epona all better!"

"What you saw was most likely a fire fly or something."

"No, it was a fairy!"

I looked at Mary uselessly. "I told you this would happen if you kept feeding her those stories," she said.

"It's not a story! I saw it for real! You know they're real, Daddy! You have to at least try and find it before we give up!"

"Lana, they're are no fairies!" I yelled.

She took a step back away from me, blinking back tears. "But you said-"

"They're just stories," I told her morse softly.

"So you're just gonna give up and kill Epona?!" She screamed, now that the realization of what was really happening was finally hitting her.

All I could see was myself inside her. The betrayal in her eyes was exactly how I felt, and I found myself saying the same meaningless words that everyone else around me had been saying. "She's old Lana. We have to let her go."

"If she's so old, you should have been more careful with her! You knew she was old so why did you have to take her into dangerous situations! You said she was my horse!" and with that, she spun around and ran off.

I just stood there. I couldn't even breath. I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to breath again. The only thing I had left was Lana, and now she hated me too. I had made her hate me too.

"Link," Mary took my arm and I hardly felt it. "She's young. She'll get over it. It's alright."

It wasn't alright.


For the rest of the day, I let Lana be alone with Epona. I stayed away, watching them from a distance. Lana diligently took care of the horse, feeding her, brushing her and make sure she had fresh water. Every once in a while, I'd see her look into the woods, maybe even go in a few feet, trying to find that fairy that didn't exist.

Eventually, Mary went over there to have Lana say goodbye to the horse. I could hear her screaming and crying from all the way where I was. When she was exhausted enough that Mary could pick her up without a fight, I finally walked over there to get the horse.

Mary quickly took Lana away and left me alone with the animal. Epona stared at me with curious eyes. She stood tall as she looked down at me, wisely, like a mother looking down at a child.

I did nothing for a long while, so unwilling to do that what I knew I had to do. With me doing nothing, Epona gently poked her nose in my face, breathing gently as if to comfort me. I slowly brought up my hand to touch her and she brought her head down, lightly pressing it to my chest, and I dug my fingers into her mane. I felt like I was going to start crying for the stupid horse. I didn't want to. I knew the people around me didn't understand, why this horse was so important, so I undid the rope that was keeping her to the tree, and lead her away from everyone.

When we started walking, I was painfully reminded of how hurt she was. Standing next to the tree, she looked like nothing was wrong with her at all. She was just resting one sore foot.

We didn't get very far. Only several feet into the woods, Epona started huffing and made a whinny before she just refused to go anymore.

I looked at her. "Do you... Do you need rest, girl?"

She looked back at me, head down, sides heaving, as if to say, 'what does it look like?!'.

"Okay, okay..." I got closer to her, and sat myself down at a base of a tree, holding her head. I gently coaxed her to lay down with me, and she did so, being careful not to be on her injured leg. She rested her head on my lap with a sigh. "There we go."

I wiggled out the hunting knife I had brought with me and tossed it to my side, not wanting to have to touch the damned thing. Instead I just used both my hands to stroke Epona. She gave a small nicker. I wonder what she was saying to me. I wished that I could speak horse.

"I'm sorry," I croaked to the horse, who's eyes were half closed as she rested. Lana was right. This was all my fault. I killed her horse. She'd probably never forgive me. "Could you forgive me?" I asked the horse instead.

Epona let out a long sigh as if to reassure me that it was alright. She had always forgiven me. I put my fist up to my mouth, shaking. I could do this. It wasn't like I've never done things like this before.

I picked up the knife, trying to whistle Epona's song. It didn't come out right the first time, so I licked my lips and tried again. I held the knife while I continued petting her. I felt her entire body relax to the song. She knew the song. She had to. She remembered it when she was first born, and the first red headed girl sang it to her. That was the only proof I needed to know that she was the real Epona. No more doubt. She'd find away to make it back to me in another life, like the loyal horse she had always been.

She'd find me again.