Alaia Skyhawk: Sorry for the long wait, been suffering with writer's block on this again. :S

I don't own the Zelda series or anything associated with it. I do however own this story and any OCs, so please don't steal them.

Chapter 52: Enduring Recognition

In through the main city gate the wagons rattled, a line of eight wooden carts each pulled by a fine example of a Hyrulian Draft Horse. Coats of rich tan shone in the spring sunlight as one by one the drivers turned their wagons off down a side road leading to the town's storehouses where the produce brought in them would be shared out for the benefit of all until this year's crops were harvested and the rationing that had gotten them through the winter could be brought to a close. Where eight wagons once were, now only two trundled towards the town's great market square. One of them soon turned off as well, taking its load of wool towards where the wool merchants were located. There it would be sold.

The last remaining wagon trundled on its way, the driver glancing over at the red headed young woman riding beside the wagon on a mare with a glorious red coat. The mare had people stopping to watch her pass, the sunlight emphasising her black nose and the luxuriant mane of white that darkened to deepest soot at the base just like the white 'socks' that blended to black and then red on her legs. She was a horse descended of a legend. One of the rare and untameable Eponasians, descendants of Epona, the horse ridden by the Hero of Time.

Noticing the stares, the driver's expression became concerned.

"Are you sure it was such a good idea to ride Gisali here? Too long among these people and she's sure to become skittish... If only she would accept to be handled by others not of your bloodline. It must be damn inconvenient to have a herd of nearly four hundred of those things and only three people that can handle them."

The woman riding the mare laughed, smiling at him with amusement.

"They're hardly ordinary horses, Jemry. They're far smarter than your average equine and more than able to take care of themselves. If they're ill they come to the stable built especially for them, but apart from that and the occasional trip in because they want a brush, they tend to themselves. Only the ones like Gisali here stay near the house all the times, the rest roam the ranch lands as they please... deterring would be sheep and cattle rustlers at the same time. No thief in their right mind will try to steal any of my family's stock while they're on guard. We don't even need sheepdogs, we just ask the Eponasians and they bring in whichever flock we asked them to."

Jemry regarded her with bemusement for several moments.

"I don't think I'll ever understand you and those horses, Marla. Sometimes those things seem dammed crazy to me."

Again she laughed.

"You've only worked on the ranch for two years. Ask any of the others who have been there longer and they'll all tell you that besides the fact the Eponasians won't come near them, they're perfectly nice creatures."

Distracted by talking to Jemry, Marla failed to notice one particularly awestruck man at the side of the road reaching out to touch Gisali. The mare gave an angry squeal and lashed out with a hind hoof to skim the side of his head, and if the man hadn't ducked to the side at her whinny, he'd have had his teeth kicked out.

Jemry brought the wagon to a halt and jumped down to check on the man as Marla moved Gisali away from him and calmed her down.

"You idiot! Anyone with sense knows that an Eponasian won't allow anyone but the descendants of Malon to touch them. You're lucky you're not dead!"

Her mare now under control again, Marla gave the man a glare as well from her seat astride her.

"I've seen what the hoof of an Eponasian can do. When I was twelve a group of would be horse thieves thought they'd try and steal some of our Malonian Runners. There were some of the Eponasians nearby who heard the commotion and responded to the threat... None of the thieves survived, and one man had near had his head taken clean off by a kick like the one you just narrowly missed. Epona was a horse that faced all manner of monsters while she was ridden by the Hero of Time, and her descendants have certainly inherited her lack of fear and will to fight when they feeling threatened... Jemry is right... You're lucky you're not dead. Now get out of here." The man got up, the people around him shaking their heads at his lack of common sense, for unlike him they had remembered the warnings about trying to touch one of Gisali's breed. Looking nervously over at the horse that had nearly killed him, he turned and ran off down the street weaving around like a drunk from the shock of such a close call. Sighing as Jemry got back up onto the cart, Marla twitched her mare's reins and set off again. "Let's get moving. We'll lose the stall I had reserved if we don't get there before noon."

The people along the street setting about their business again, the wagon followed the rider on the red mare down the road once more, heading for the waiting market.

..--.-,-.-.--,-,--.-.-.-,--.-,-,-.-,--.

"See ya later, Tagen! It was nice sparring with you again."

The youth standing at the gates of the Training Yards waved at the speaker, smiling.

"Same here. See ya around, Link."

As Tagen, the youth he had thoroughly trounced all those months ago, walked away in the opposite direction down the street, Link grinned to himself and turned to head towards the home of the Mayor. He'd spent the winter here, training alongside the people of the city like Tagen, building up the casual respect among them that he preferred. They'd been all stiff and formal with him at first, but now after all this time among them they'd learnt to treat him just like any normal man who had earned respect, rather than the awestruck hero worship he'd put up with in the beginning. The size of the castle town no longer daunted him, and he had long since memorised its layout so that no matter where he was he could find his way to whichever place within the town he wanted.

Strolling towards the market, he pulled a scrap of paper out his pocket. His sister had scrawled the name of the book she'd asked one of the stall owners in the main market to get for her, asking him to check with them to see if it had arrived yet. Shoving the paper back into his pocket, Link sighed and continued on his way.

..--.-,-.-.--,-,--.-.-.-,--.-,-,-.-,--.

"Wow, Marla. I never thought we'd sell all our trade goods so quickly."

Jemry blinked around at the now half empty stall, Marla perched on a stool beside him.

"And to think you questioned me booking a stall for just one day. Lon Lon Ranch leather is popular with people who like to make their own boots and shoes, and the first lot we bring to market each year always goes on a stall and not to the leather workers. And as you can see the jams and preserves we make are popular too, though we pre-sold most of this year's to the town for the rationing. Next year Ma wants to get her hands on some of those Sea Berries the Islander's grow. Pa managed to get a small jar of the preserve when he visited town before the snows blocked the roads, and after trying it she's determined to try blending them with some of the fruits we grow on the Ranch."

He stared at her, a little bemused by how casual she was with their suddenly changed lives.

"How do you do it? Accept so easily everything that's happened? Your parents and brother don't seem fazed by it either."

She patted him on the shoulder, her red hair near glowing with its colour even here in the shadow of the market stall.

"Ah, Jemry, when you're born in a family tied to a legend like the Hero of Time, you tend to be rather philosophical about strange occurrences. The sky could fall on me tomorrow and I'd just take a look around at it and start thinking about how to put it back." He continued to stare. "You'll get used to it."

For the second time that day an equine squeal of anger filled the air as startled shouts rose from the neighbouring stall. Something had come loose, and the wooden roof that capped it was falling over to land on the wagon parked behind Marla and Jemry's stall. With a thud it hit the top of wagon, the heavy frame of the permanent stall making it tip over towards Gisali who was tethered on the far side of it. In seconds the mare, already on edge from being around so many strangers, ripped her tether free of the teetering cart and charged out into the crowd.

Screams, both from people and the horse filled the square as Gisali panicked at finding herself pressed in among so many people she didn't like touching her. Too frightened to attack, she shouldered her way through the equally panicked people as members of the Town Guard closed in to calm what at this time they believed to just be your average unnerved horse.

Leaving Jemry at the stall, telling him to stay put, Marla threw herself after the Eponasian. Trying her best to shove her way through the people piling away from the screaming equine. It was like trying to force her way up a raging river, and she was pushed back again and again as she tried to yell loud enough over the screaming crowd to warn the Town Guard not to go near Gisali. Unable to get near in time, she watched as one of the reached out to grab the mare's dangling reins.

A scream of pain tore from the unfortunate man's lips, as one of the mare's hooves connected solidly with his shoulder, sending him flying backwards with the joint dislocated at the very least. As he collapsed shrieking to the cobbled ground, one of the guards lifted a spear, clearly deciding that since they couldn't get near the horse, she was too dangerous to try dealing with any other way.

Marla, seeing him preparing to throw the spear, screamed out.

"No!"

A blur burst through the ring of guards, turning out to be a young man with blond hair that grabbed onto Gisali's halter and dragged her head ground-wards as she tried to rear in response to his assault. Marla closed her eyes, waiting to hear the scream that would signal the mare ending the life of one so reckless as to try and subdue her.

Screams from the frightened crowd faded into the distance as she stood there, most of the people who had trapped her in their midst now gone. The shouts of the Town Guard stopped... And the squeals of Gisali faded suddenly into silence...

"Shhh, it's alright. Calm down..." Hearing a hesitant whinny, Marla slowly opened her eyes and was confronted by a sight she would never have thought possible. The Town Guard stood back in a ring around her mare... and in the centre of that ring stood Gisali responding to the touch and soft words of the blond haired man at her head. He saw her standing there, obviously the mare's owner from her expression. Taking hold of Gisali's dangling reins, he led the mare over to her as the men of the Town Guard backed out of his way with expressions of awe. "I saw the stall collapse from the other side of the square, so you needn't worry about being charged for damages to the market. It was a simple accident, so no one was to blame... Here." He passed Gisali's reins into her limp grip. "I'd best go and help things get sorted out. The sooner this accident is logged the sooner things will get back to normal here. If you need help getting that stall off your wagon, ask one of the Town Guard and they'll arrange assistance." He glanced at the nearest one, who accepted his authority in this situation. "I'd keep your horse well out of the way though if you do."

He started to walk towards one of the officials that were just coming across the market square, but came to a halt when Gisali near pulled Marla off her feet trying to follow him.

Marla looked between the now confused man, and the whickering mare that nuzzled at his shoulder.

"What in the name of the Goddesses? An Eponasian liking a complete stranger who isn't descended from Malon?"

Link faced her, now puzzled.

"Eponasian? Malon? Do you mean the Malon that knew the Hero of Time?"

She took a closer look at him, noticing for the first time his Islander clothing.

"Wait, you're from the Islands... How do you know about Malon? I thought only the general history of Hyrule was known out there, not specifics like her. As for Eponasians, they're a breed of horse descended from Epona, the horse ridden by the Hero of Time. He returned her to my family a few years after he bought her and after that he was never seen again."

Gisali nuzzled Link's shoulder again, still whickering as he suddenly realised what was going on and why she liked him so much.

He regarded Marla steadily.

"So she lets you handle and ride her because you're descended from Malon, right?" Marla nodded. "So if Eponasians can recognise a descendant of her, then I guess it's not that surprising that they'll recognise a descendant of the Hero of Time... I'm Link, the Hero of Winds, and the Hero of Time is my family's founder."

The young red headed woman was stunned, staring for several seconds before she responded.

"Y-You're..." He smiled and nodded. Shaking her head to clear it, she tugged at Gisali's reins. "Come on you silly thing. I know now why you like him, but that doesn't mean you can delay him helping to clean up the mess you've caused." She smiled at him. "I'm Marla, and as you'll already know now, I'm descended from Malon, the one who sold Epona to your ancestor." She tugged the reins again. "Come on... Enough stalling." Gisali looked at her with a single eye, before letting out a snort that was akin to a sigh and following her. Glancing back once at Link, Marla smiled again. "Thanks for your help. See ya, around."

She walked away with the mare in tow, Link glancing after her before he continued on his way towards the officials and the Town Guard began reassuring people that it was ok to continue with their business and that the panicked horse was back with its owner and secured. Turning away, he allowed himself a grin.

She's definitely Malon's descendant alright. Link always did say in his journals that Malon was one to take the strangest things in her stride.

..--.-,-.-.--,-,--.-.-.-,--.-,-,-.-,--.

"Greetings Miss Marla, if you would like to come in."

Marla hesitated, before crossing the threshold into Mayor Darthan's house. She and Jemry had just finished packing up the last few remaining unsold items on their stall when a messenger had given her a note from Link asking her to come to the Mayor's house. Fearing that she was going to get into trouble for Gisali's antics after all, she'd sent Jemry off to the inn as soon as her mare was secured in the very back stall of the nearby stables with the stable hands warned that if they valued their heads they weren't to go near her. Walking through the streets, following the directions given to her by the owner of the stables, she now nervously followed the footman that led down the hall way towards a door at the far end.

He stepped through the door and announced her, a kindly voice calling her in behind him.

Seeing her expression, which turned to surprise when she saw the room held a dining table with three people sat at it, Darthan waved her to a seat from his chair and reassured her.

"You're not in trouble, Link handled everything with a level of diplomacy I have to admit surprised me. He's a quick learner, and he's also the one that suggested you be asked to dinner, since he didn't get the chance to speak with you properly at the market."

Marla directed her startled gaze at the hero, while the blond girl opposite him grinned.

"That's my brother, for you. He's always surprising someone... So do I for that matter, but people always seem to continue underestimating me." Marla now turned to face her, getting a smile set below dancing green eyes. "I'm Aryll, Link's sister. So you're really descended from Malon? That's so cool. I've read all about her in my ancestor's journals. He really respected her, which it why he took Epona back to her when he realised the places he planned to travel to next, the terrain would likely cripple her. He travelled all the way back to Hyrule to do just that. Leaving again after he 'blessed' the fountain that's in the market square. Navi told us about it while we were cooped up indoors during the end of autumn storms." She glanced around. "Speaking of her, where is she? I haven't seen her all day."

Link glanced at the clock on the wall, and then looked out the window.

"She went to hang around the Town Gardens. Something about watching me swinging a sword around at the Training Yards getting very boring after a while." He grinned. "Actually, it might be a good idea to open that window... Because this is around about the time that she usually comes..." There was a thud, and the next instant they could see a tiny little figure with huge crystalline wings slithering down one of the windowpanes. Link winced in sympathy. "...Back."

He got up and opened the window. Retrieving the stunned forest fairy before closing it again.

Holding her tiny head, green hair dishelved and green eyes nearly crossed from the impact, Navi groaned.

"Owwie... Who put that window in the way...?"

Link returned to his seat as Darthan chuckled and Aryll and Marla giggled. On the pretence of taking a closer look to see that she was alright, he whispered to Navi before putting her down on the little cushion placed on the table near him for her to sit on.

"Thanks for agreeing to break the ice with Marla."

The reply was too quiet for anyone but him to hear.

"You're lucky I didn't break my head... Ow..."

Passing her a lump of sugar to make up for it, and praying it didn't make her go nuts while Marla was still present, Link began chatting away to their guest. The conversation turning to times past, and stories of things from both families.

..--.-,-.-.--,-,--.-.-.-,--.-,-,-.-,--.

Watching the sun as it drifted below the horizon, the white haired man in his orange robes smiled with success at what he had just found. Ever since the discovery of the new location of the Door into the Sacred Realm, Rauru had felt a strange presence in this area. Much searching over the past few weeks had eventually led him to a point roughly ten miles south-west of Hyrule Castle Town. Here, hidden among a dense clustering of trees, he had found what could only be described as a miniature version of the Temple of Time, minus the rear chamber that had held the Door in the original. Grey stone walls pierced with tall arched glass filled windows rose from the ground to a neat tiled roof with a spire at one end, the inside floored with marble as the Temple of Time had been, centred upon which was the thing he'd sensed. The Consecration Stone of the Temple of Light, the physical source of the part of his power held out here in the Mortal Realm.

He wouldn't be 'rooming' at one of the other temples now... He has his own little place in the Mortal Realm to call home.

..--.-,-.-.--,-,--.-.-.-,--.-,-,-.-,--.

Alaia Skyhawk: Sorry again for the long wait, but what can I say, writer's block sucks. Happy reading :D