Chapter Nine:
Mid-morning pasted to afternoon with no note worthy events to speak of, but that was what life in Murieope was like Megeara had told him. Link finally made it out to see the stables, Joshuan and another boy Link's age, Zannon, took him out and showed him around. It was a building of modest size, 17 horses, 13 cows, and an assortment of goats, sheep and cuccoos were held inside and in the corals around it.
"This is Balius," Joshuan said to him, "my sister's horse. She has a claim to him, or so she says." Balius was a strong looking horse, black to the tip of his nose to the end of his tail. He arched his neck and smelled Joshuan's hand to see if he had anything, to Balius's disappointment he did not.
"Why does she have a claim to him?" Link asked.
"He bit her," the boy laughed. Link was confused but thought it best to leave it at that.
Next to Balius's stall was a horse quite the opposite of him, he was white all over except for his mane that was slightly tan in color.
"And this is Xanthus," Joshuan continued. "He belongs to Meg's family, but he's Meg's favorite." Xanthus snorted and reached his head over to Balius's stall and nipped him gently in the ear. Balius retaliated and snapped back at him.
"Do they get along?" Navi inquired making sure she was out of the horse's reach.
"Oh yeah, their just playing," said Joshuan. "Oyu! Lataf ti you two!"
After the tour of the stables, Joshuan, Link and Navi left Zannon, who had to stay and clean out some of the horse's stalls, and returned back to the village. Here they met up with Megeara, done with her chores save one, and she took him back over to mill where he helped her lug a bag of flour back to her house. All the while Link was going over the story Pamiea had told him. How awful it must have been for her, to loose her child. Link surmised that the Gerudo must have killed the infant, and that thought shocked him. What a terrible thing to do.
It was early morning when Link was awakened by footsteps, too early for his liking; the sun was still down. And yet he distinctly heard footsteps coming from outside, but they were slowly subsiding. Had someone left the house? Link went to go investigate; he opened the door and passed through it.
There appeared to be no one outside, or at least none that he could see. He scanned the surrounding area and found fresh footprints left in the dusty ground. He followed them. They led down to the river and into the sand where they were easier to follow. The tracks stopped at the bridge, but continued on the other side. Link traced the footprints until they stopped where the grass started. But by that time he no longer needed to follow them, there was a lighted torch across the way.
As Link got closer he heard running water and could soon see a wooden fence that enclosed an area of the cliff. There were several torches lit and the light from inside shone through the slits in the fence. The running water was inside; in fact, he could see a small waterfall drop from the cliff above into the area. But upon his approach he was detected. Dogs started to bark and alerted whoever was there.
"Gha thudu?!" Someone yelled. Link recognized the voice.
"Loraefin?" He said.
"Link?" It answered back with as much surprise. "What…what are you doing here?" He walked closer to the fence.
"I saw someone leave the house, I was curious." He told her. "What are you doing here? And what is this place?" She was quiet for a second, Link sensed something was wrong and started to walk to the gate to get in. Loraefin noticed his movements through the fence and intervened. He tried to open it, but it would budge on account Loraefin was pressing up against it.
"No don't!" She warned him. Now Link definitely knew something was wrong.
"Loraefin what's wrong? Let me in."
"Um…no, I can't," she said without reason.
"Why not?" He questioned, pushing slightly on the fence.
"Uh…"
"Loraefin come on!"
"I'm kind of naked." She shut her eyes tightly and pinched her lips together to suppress the giggle threatening in her throat. He immediately backed away, embarrassed. It now dawned on him what this place was.
"Oh, geese! I'm sorry!" He told her. "I didn't know you were taking a bath!"
"It's OK, no harm done," she let out a deep sigh, "nothing was seen."
"By Din I'm so embarrassed now! I'm really sorry!" Link continued.
"Link, calm down, it's OK really," she paused to think. "Why don't you wait on the rock over there until I'm done taking a bath. OK?"
"Alright," he agreed and walked to where the rock was and sat on it. At that point he would do almost anything to make up for the embarrassing incident that he had nearly caused.
By the courage of Farore how embarrassed he was! Almost walking in on Loraefin like that! As he thought about it, Link started to laugh to himself.
"I don't see how that was funny Link," Navi said. He smiled and looked up at where she was flying around his head.
"Oh, it was Navi. It was."
With Link's presence there, Loraefin finished her bath quickly and dried off. She picked up her dry nightgown from the rack post and slipped it over her head. Then she wrung her hair out so that is didn't drip so much and threw the towel over her shoulder to carry it back home. Acantha and Styx slowly got up from their spot on the ground and stretched with the prospect of going home again. Link was deep in thought when his reverie was broken as Loraefin opened the gate in the fence. He looked over to her, the firelight shining behind her so you could only see…
"It's you…" Link uttered under his breath. "You're the one…"
Mid-morning pasted to afternoon with no note worthy events to speak of, but that was what life in Murieope was like Megeara had told him. Link finally made it out to see the stables, Joshuan and another boy Link's age, Zannon, took him out and showed him around. It was a building of modest size, 17 horses, 13 cows, and an assortment of goats, sheep and cuccoos were held inside and in the corals around it.
"This is Balius," Joshuan said to him, "my sister's horse. She has a claim to him, or so she says." Balius was a strong looking horse, black to the tip of his nose to the end of his tail. He arched his neck and smelled Joshuan's hand to see if he had anything, to Balius's disappointment he did not.
"Why does she have a claim to him?" Link asked.
"He bit her," the boy laughed. Link was confused but thought it best to leave it at that.
Next to Balius's stall was a horse quite the opposite of him, he was white all over except for his mane that was slightly tan in color.
"And this is Xanthus," Joshuan continued. "He belongs to Meg's family, but he's Meg's favorite." Xanthus snorted and reached his head over to Balius's stall and nipped him gently in the ear. Balius retaliated and snapped back at him.
"Do they get along?" Navi inquired making sure she was out of the horse's reach.
"Oh yeah, their just playing," said Joshuan. "Oyu! Lataf ti you two!"
After the tour of the stables, Joshuan, Link and Navi left Zannon, who had to stay and clean out some of the horse's stalls, and returned back to the village. Here they met up with Megeara, done with her chores save one, and she took him back over to mill where he helped her lug a bag of flour back to her house. All the while Link was going over the story Pamiea had told him. How awful it must have been for her, to loose her child. Link surmised that the Gerudo must have killed the infant, and that thought shocked him. What a terrible thing to do.
It was early morning when Link was awakened by footsteps, too early for his liking; the sun was still down. And yet he distinctly heard footsteps coming from outside, but they were slowly subsiding. Had someone left the house? Link went to go investigate; he opened the door and passed through it.
There appeared to be no one outside, or at least none that he could see. He scanned the surrounding area and found fresh footprints left in the dusty ground. He followed them. They led down to the river and into the sand where they were easier to follow. The tracks stopped at the bridge, but continued on the other side. Link traced the footprints until they stopped where the grass started. But by that time he no longer needed to follow them, there was a lighted torch across the way.
As Link got closer he heard running water and could soon see a wooden fence that enclosed an area of the cliff. There were several torches lit and the light from inside shone through the slits in the fence. The running water was inside; in fact, he could see a small waterfall drop from the cliff above into the area. But upon his approach he was detected. Dogs started to bark and alerted whoever was there.
"Gha thudu?!" Someone yelled. Link recognized the voice.
"Loraefin?" He said.
"Link?" It answered back with as much surprise. "What…what are you doing here?" He walked closer to the fence.
"I saw someone leave the house, I was curious." He told her. "What are you doing here? And what is this place?" She was quiet for a second, Link sensed something was wrong and started to walk to the gate to get in. Loraefin noticed his movements through the fence and intervened. He tried to open it, but it would budge on account Loraefin was pressing up against it.
"No don't!" She warned him. Now Link definitely knew something was wrong.
"Loraefin what's wrong? Let me in."
"Um…no, I can't," she said without reason.
"Why not?" He questioned, pushing slightly on the fence.
"Uh…"
"Loraefin come on!"
"I'm kind of naked." She shut her eyes tightly and pinched her lips together to suppress the giggle threatening in her throat. He immediately backed away, embarrassed. It now dawned on him what this place was.
"Oh, geese! I'm sorry!" He told her. "I didn't know you were taking a bath!"
"It's OK, no harm done," she let out a deep sigh, "nothing was seen."
"By Din I'm so embarrassed now! I'm really sorry!" Link continued.
"Link, calm down, it's OK really," she paused to think. "Why don't you wait on the rock over there until I'm done taking a bath. OK?"
"Alright," he agreed and walked to where the rock was and sat on it. At that point he would do almost anything to make up for the embarrassing incident that he had nearly caused.
By the courage of Farore how embarrassed he was! Almost walking in on Loraefin like that! As he thought about it, Link started to laugh to himself.
"I don't see how that was funny Link," Navi said. He smiled and looked up at where she was flying around his head.
"Oh, it was Navi. It was."
With Link's presence there, Loraefin finished her bath quickly and dried off. She picked up her dry nightgown from the rack post and slipped it over her head. Then she wrung her hair out so that is didn't drip so much and threw the towel over her shoulder to carry it back home. Acantha and Styx slowly got up from their spot on the ground and stretched with the prospect of going home again. Link was deep in thought when his reverie was broken as Loraefin opened the gate in the fence. He looked over to her, the firelight shining behind her so you could only see…
"It's you…" Link uttered under his breath. "You're the one…"