Chapter 2
Life at the Ranch
I really don't like this chapter that much, but bear with me because I promise that they all won't be this badly written… So anyway read and brace yourself for disappointment!
Nezru lay, utterly bewildered on where she was, what time it was and how she had hurt herself. Slowly her senses came back to her. She was soon aware of the comfortable bed she was lying in and, unfortunately, the splitting headache she had.
Memories of the night before came to her in waves of images. The warriors, the arrows, the rock to her head, Kamilia. She winced at the memory of her body lying in the wet grass.
Nezru gathered up the courage to open her eyes. She immediately regretted this as morning light flooded into them. This, at least, answered her time question. Her head began to throb as she tried to move it out of the light. Instinctively she raised her hand to the wound on her forehead only to find it covered with a bandage.
That man. He must have done this.
She smiled at his kindness.
Once again she opened her eyes, forcing them to stay open so she could find out where she was. Straining them to see in the bright light, she looked around. She was in a large, nicely decorated room with greens, reds and creams used on the sofa, bed and tapestries on the wall. There was a dresser, a wardrobe and a table all in lightly stained oak wood. A huge rug stretched across the floor. A window was letting in a large amount of light that spread itself all over the room.
Her eyes grew used to the light and all that was left was the sharp throb. Nezru tried to sit up and realized that her arm that had been shot was in a sling. Shifting her weight to her other hand, she pushed herself up. Groaning in pain, she rubbed her sore eyes and tried to blink it off. She relaxed into her overstuffed pillow and felt extremely comfortable, with the exception of her head.
Familiar heavy footsteps were making their way towards her room. The same man she had seen before opened her door. "Oh!" He said, surprised, "You're awake." He was holding a tray with a plate of bacon, eggs, sausages and fried tomatoes with a glass of milk. He set it down on her lap and smiled warmly.
Questions buzzed around in Nezru's head. Who was this guy? Where was she? Why was he helping her? Was he expecting money for this? What did this man think he was going to get?
She decided that it was probably not the most polite thing to do to ask a question as soon as she met the man who had helped her.
Finally, she managed to speak. "Thanks." She said, honestly.
"Well, you'll have to thank my dad." He said scratching his head, brushing his dark brown hair out of his face, "I can't cook at all. He made it." He gave a half smile.
"No… I mean… Thanks for this." She said pointing up at her bandages. "Giving me a place to rest."
"Oh… Well, I have to take credit for that. My dad's not a big fan of the Gerudos. They robbed him a while back, they did. I convinced him to let you stay, at least until you recover."
"I hope he won't judge me by some of my people's actions, after all, Hylians steel too, do they not?" She asked pointedly.
"Not respectable Hylians" He said defensively.
"Nor respectable Gerudos" She countered.
"Then we're even." He said smiling again. He took a seat at the end of her bed. "So then, what's your name?"
Nezru hesitated. Should she tell him the truth? There was something reassuring about this man, just like his words he had spoken to her, and Nezru had trouble believing that he was up to no good. "I'm Nezru." She answered.
He smiled once again, much bigger and more sincere than the last time. "That's a pretty name." He said, "I'm Talon."
"Pleased to meet you." Said Nezru. He held out his hand to shake hers. She lifted up her good arm and took his. "So where am I?" She asked, letting go of his hand.
"Oh, you're at my ranch… Well, my dad's ranch. But it'll be mine soon." He added quickly. "It's in the middle of Hyrule field." He gave her a puzzled look. "Can't you remember?"
"Remember what exactly?" She asked rubbing her head.
"Well, I can't really blame you." He answered, "You were in a pretty bad state when you got here. You had a really bad concussion," He gestured towards her forehead, "probably from that."
"Yeah, that rock hit me pretty hard."
"Rock?" He asked, confused. Nezru nodded her head. "How did that happen?"
"We were attacked. By the Terminians. They threw things at us when we were trying to leave." Painful images came to her again… Her people lying on the ground, arrows falling like rain, the grotesque moon of Termina. "I ran off. There were only three of us that survived." She thought about the woman with her baby who said she was dying. Her wound was bad and there was no hope for the baby on it's own. "Sorry, one of us."
"You were there?" Asked Talon, looking stunned. "You were at the battle site? The one with the Hylians and Gerudos against the Terminians?"
"How do you know about that? Has word of this slaughter gone round that fast?"
"An elderly man came up a few days ago." He said with a heavy voice, "He wanted to borrow one of the horses so he could go and bring his son back. Said his son was one of the Hylians who went there to fight."
"A few days ago? But that's impossible… just last night, I-" She stopped as a wave of horror rushed over her. "How long have I been asleep?"
"Three days now"
"Three days?" Nezru said, more to herself than to Talon, "What else did he say? What happened to the Hylians?"
"All of 'em died, didn't they?" He said matter-of-factly.
"What? All?" Asked Nezru, shocked. "There had to be some survivors!"
"Yeah, 'bout fifty." He said. "All Gerudo. "Your king and some others who were lucky enough. Apparently, and this is just what I heard, but they were in the fortress. The Terminians killed every last one of the Hylians and totally ignored your lot."
"That's not true!" Nezru blurted, "They killed hundreds of us in the gorge!"
"I'm gettin' to that bit. Your king and what was left of your people went outside and saw all of 'em in the gorge, got mad, and killed the lot of 'em."
"The Terminians?"
"Yup, every last one. You won. That's what I was told. But it still cost you. Only fifty survived. Remember?"
"Wow, Ganondorf must have been real angry to rejoin the war." Nezru sat in deep thought for a while. We won, she thought, how could this considered a win after all those people were killed. "Only fifty…"
"Hey, come on." Talon interrupted her, "I know this must be pretty hard for you, but your race is still alive, you're still alive."
His voice was full of comfort and, although Nezru was still miserable, she managed to smile.
"You look starving. Try to eat something." Suggested Talon. Nezru had completely forgotten about the tray that lay on her lap. Looking down at the food made her realize just how hungry she was. Her stomach growled noisily as she picked up her fork.
Talon couldn't help smiling at her as she shoveled the food into her mouth. Every bite was delicious and Nezru found that she had finished it very quickly.
"Oh, sorry, you must think I'm really greedy." She said apologetically.
"Not a problem, you haven't had anything to eat for days. I can understand."
Nezru then took the glass of milk and chugged it down. She had never really liked milk, but this was different. It was cool and creamy and seemed to numb her throat as it went down. Taking the now empty glass away from her lips, a strange feeling was spreading all over her. It felt just like pins and needles all the way from her insides to her fingertips.
"What's in this stuff?" Said Nezru, gapping.
Talons' face spilt into a huge grin. "That's Lon Lon milk. From our ranch. It has mild healing properties 'cause the cows have a special diet." He got up off the end of her bed and removed the sling from her arm. He then peeled of the bandage to reveal a small cut where the arrow had hit her. It had been quite a gash when she had arrived and had obviously shrunken. "See?"
"That's some good milk." Gasped Nezru.
"Alright, I'll leave you to get some sleep. When you wake up again, you're welcome to get up and have a look outside. The fresh air will do you some good." Talon got up, walked over to the wardrobe, and pulled something out. "These were my mums'," He said, putting them down at the end of the bed. "You can wear 'em 'cause your clothes are ruined." He walked out of the room to let her sleep.
Pushing the tray aside, Nezru leaned forward and grabbed the clothing. There were a pair of shinny boots that looked like they had never been worn, a old leather apron and a plain looking, cream coloured dress that had blue embroidery around the sleeves and hem. Putting them gently to one side, she made herself comfortable and tried to get some sleep.
Kamilia was lying on the ground, grasping her wounds. Nezru stood helplessly over her. "Help me." She mouthed but no words came out. Only the sound of the wind was to be heard, roaring all around them. The sand began to pile up behind Kamilia, then crept up over her body, dissolving it. Nezru screamed as she tried to dig and save her, but all that was left was a pile of sand, steadily disintegrating in the howling winds.
Nezru woke with a start and found that her arms were in the air and shaking. She sat up and looked around for Kamilia. It took her a while to remember where she was. She then realized that it had been a dream. Pushing the memories out of her mind, Nezru got up and put on the clothing Talon had given her.
The boots weren't very comfortable, but the dress was loose fitting and felt soft against her skin. She tied the apron on then walked over to the mirror on the dresser. She pulled her red hair up in a high ponytail then stopped to examine herself.
She had only ever seen herself in desert clothing and she looked strange in her new clothes. Staring at the mirror still, Nezru noted that she wouldn't look so out of place without her jewelry. She began to remove her countless rings and bracelets, earrings and necklaces. She paused to study her now bald hands and wrists and realized how much more she could feel now that her sink wasn't so blocked. Nezru then slowly raised them behind her head and removed the trademark Gerudo jewel on her forehead.
She looked so different now, just like a normal, young, Hylian girl. Moving her hands freely over her face, Nezru felt like she had removed a large burden, though she couldn't express why. True, she didn't have pointed ears like the Hylians, but she felt that now she could drop her strong Gerudo attitudes about caution and safety, and begin to relax and have fun.
Tearing her eyes away from the mirror, she got up and walked over to the door leading downstairs. She opened the door and looked around for Talon in the vast, open living room. Giving up on finding him inside, she left the house to look out in the corral.
The ranch look different in the afternoon than it had done in the early morning. Light was now shinning more freely and there were animals scattered around.
Pushing her way though a group of cuckoos, Nezru stepped out into the clearing of the corral. In the middle of a fenced-in area, stood Talon, attaching a saddle to one of the numerous horses. She walked towards him silently, not wanting to disturb him. He apparently took no notice of her, for he made no acknowledgement.
A few yards away from him, Nezru could hear him talking. However, it wasn't her name that he used. "Calm down, girl." He said gently, "Come on Dyna, I'm not going to ride you today, I just want to put the saddle on, alright?"
He was talking to the horse.
Nezru let the sheer stupidity of this sink in. He spoke to animals? They couldn't understand sentences, just commands.
Clearing her throat to show she was there, Nezru stepped into the view of Talon.
"Hi!" He said, "I'm glad to see that you're up and at it." He looked her over. "Those clothes suit you."
"You think so, do you?" Asked Nezru, astonished that she had received a compliment.
"Yeah, without all that jewelry, people can see you more clearly."
"Excuse me?" Stammered Nezru. It was seen as an honour to wear jewelry in the Gerudo culture, and to insult this was usually considered an indignity.
"Oh…" Talon said, looking away, "I'm sorry. Never meant to insult you. Just, I like how you look without of 'em, erm… accessories."
Nezru decided she'd change the subject. This conversation would end up as a vicious battle of races and she didn't feel in the mood for more violence.
"What were you doing just now?" She asked. Talons face relaxed. It seemed that he too wanted a change of subject.
"I was just starting to break Dyna." He said, gesturing towards the horse.
"A horse?" Asked Nezru, "Why were you speaking to it then?"
Talons face fell. He looked confused. "What do you mean why? Animals are like us aren't they? Why shouldn't I speak to her?"
Nezru could tell she had touched a nerve. She tried to shake off the conversation. "Well, it's just a horse, isn't it?"
"Just a horse?" Asked Talon. Nezru felt the anger in his voice. Opening his mouth again, as if to speak, he hesitated and turned his attention back to the horse.
Nezru decided not to pursue the subject any further. Instead, she stood watching quietly as Talon, now silent also, buckled the saddle.
"Haven't you ever spoken to your horse then?" He asked quietly. There was an edgy tone in his voice that made this statement sound like some sort of challenge.
"Well, of course I have." Said Nezru defensively, "How else are we supposed to give them commands?"
"Not like that. Not commands or orders or discipline. I mean like talking to a friend or a loved one. Affection… Do you give your horses that?" After this, he looked up at her. His eyes were full of pity, as if he felt sorry for her.
"Horses don't need affection, and I don't need your pity. We both have different views on how to train horses, who cares?" Said Nezru, attempting to push down her growing anger.
"Well, what do you do then? How do you break a horse?" He asked accusingly.
"Not by talking to it, I can tell you that!" Yelled Nezru, "How do you think you can show any authority by caring for the creature?"
"And what do you do? How do you expect to gain any respect or trust from your horse if you treat it like a machine!"
"I don't need my horse to trust me!"
A long silence then flooded the air. Talon sighed heavily. "You're missin' out, you know. You can enjoy having a horse a lot more if you have a connection with it." His voice was again full of pity.
Anger rose inside of her. It was all consuming, eating at her. Yet, Talon spoke about horses with such passion.
How could anyone feel this way towards an animal?
"How…?" She began. Nezru searched for words. Her pride was still strong as a Gerudos', even if she wasn't recognizable. "Can you show me how you break a horse?" Letting her guard down like that was tough for her because she hated to surrender or admit defeat.
Talon raised an eyebrow.
"So, I can see if your way's better." She added defensively.
"Oh, I see how it is then." He said, trying to repress a smile. "You can help me if you'd like."
Nezru struggled to lie back to him. She wanted to tell him that she'd love to help or that she was thankful that he forgave her for her temper. Instead, she decided to stay neutral. "Well, I guess if you need my help."
"Right then," He began, "you can start by handing me that blanket."
Nezru did.
"Now, help me tuck it under the rim of the saddle."
"Like this?"
"No. Only a little bit, like this. See?"
"Got it."
"Now pass me the reins."
"These ones?"
"No, the smaller leather ones."
"Here."
"Thank you. Now try to keep the horse calm while I put the reins on her."
"How do I do that?" She asked.
Talon turned to her. "You talk to her. Tell her that we're not going to hurt her. Look, she's afraid."
Nezru looked at the horse. She had never really examined one, and now it seemed obvious that the horse was afraid. Its eyes could show emotion… Just like peoples eyes.
"It's ok… We're not going to hurt you. It's alright, nothing's going to happen." She cooed to the horse. She felt a little stupid at first and kept checking if Talon was laughing at her, but he was focused and was putting the reins on. Words came out more easily soon enough and the horse was looking a bit more comfortable. "Good girl. Good job." She said to the horse when Talon had finished attaching the reins.
"I could say the same to you." Said Talon, grinning.
"So what do we do now?"
"Well," Said Talon thoughtfully, "I guess we should start to put the horses away, it's pretty late."
"But we haven't finished yet." Said Nezru, "We haven't broken the horse yet."
"Not yet." Talon said looking a little surprised, "We'll leave the reins on for a few days until she gets used to them, then we'll start to ride her and teach her commands."
"It takes a long time for you to break a horse."
"What do you mean, a long time?" Said Talon, "It's worth it, isn't it? Your horse'll be a lot more comfortable."
"It takes us less than a day to break a horse." Said Nezru.
"I don't want to talk about this, alright?" Said Talon quickly, "You're at my ranch and we treat our horses the way we want to." He opened the gate of the corral and stomped over to the stable doors. He whistled and all the horses set of on a slow trot towards him. Nezru tried not to look impressed by the horses loyalty… no, not loyalty, obedience. After all the horses had entered the stables, he beckoned her over.
"Yes? What do you need me to help you with now?" Nezru asked bitterly.
"Help me shut all their doors and lock them." He answered shortly. Again, his voice let out a hint of a challenge.
Nezru walked over, shut, and locked the doors as quickly as she could, to show that she was better and faster than Talon. Talon, it seemed, had the same idea, as he was moving with unusual speed. Nezru caught on to this and began to work faster. Talon did the same. When all the doors were shut, Nezru turned around viciously, and Talon did the same.
"I shut eight!" He yelled to her.
"I got nine!" She countered.
"There's only sixteen doors! How the hell did you get nine?" He yelled pointedly.
"Because you only shut seven, you liar!"
"I shut eight and so did you, and you know it!"
"Are you sure you learned how to count? 'Cause I clearly shut nine!"
"Of course I know how to count! And this being my stable, I think I would know it better than some ungrateful woman who came here and was unconscious for three days!"
"Your stable? I thought your daddy was the one who owned it… and the nine doors that I shut!"
"Eight!" He screamed.
"Well it'll be nine now!" She countered. She turned on her heel and stormed out the back door that led out to where the house was, slamming it behind her.
Outside the cool air blew across her face. The sun had now set and stars were coming out. Nezru decided that she would go back to the desert, back to her broken people. She could get the medical help there, without this guys' milk.
It was the thought of her wound that brought the pain back. A dull throb was starting up again and growing, just like the number of visible stars in the sky. Starting down the hill leading out into the field she found herself half hoping that he would come after her, turn her around, and bring her back to the house.
Any time now.
Where was he?
Who did he think he was? Did he feel any guilt about letting an injured person just walk away?
"Nezru! Hey, Nezru, wait."
Her stomach did a flip. Her back was turned to him and she couldn't help but smile.
"Come on back. You're still not well." She heard his voice say. Then silence.
Nezru took the smile off her face and turned around to see him. "What took you so long to come and get me?" She asked, not really wanting to say that, but feeling the need to pretend to him that she was still angry.
He smiled, "You shut that door pretty hard. It jammed up." His smiled faded. "I'm… I guess that I just lost it and, I- I'm…"
"Me too." Said Nezru, understanding what he was trying to say.
With that they turned around and walked back to the ranch, friends again.
The next few weeks were passed by lazily. Dyna was now broken and had become Nezru's favourite horse. She would ride Dyna around the corral for small amounts of time when she wasn't working with Talon.
Nezru had even met Talon's father, Dalton, which Talon explained was rare because he was hardly ever home. He was supposed to be going round getting orders, but was very old and forgetful. He didn't seem to mind Nezru as much now that she could do something useful, like make meals. But, after only two days he left again, claiming to be back by next month.
Nezru's wound had also healed up quickly, though she though it was only because of the milk. She now only wore a small bandage on it, instead of the head wrap. Even after all the milk and treatment she was getting for it, she still had a large pink scar from the top of her left eyebrow to her hairline.
Nezru awoke one morning and found that the cut was completely gone. She didn't bother to put a bandage on and she got dressed and went downstairs to make breakfast. Talon came down from his bedroom just as she was setting the table for them.
"You're not wearing a bandage." He said, sounding a little concerned.
"That's because my cut's all gone." She said pointing at her forehead.
"All gone?" He said, concern still in his voice.
"Yeah, don't you believe me? It's not there anymore." Said Nezru as she placed the plates on the table.
Talon continued to look uncomfortable.
"Hey, come on. I made your favourite." She said trying to cheer him up, "It's scrambled eggs." Nezru pointed to his plate. She sat down opposite his plate and began her own breakfast.
Talon sat down and mumbled, "Thanks." Then ate.
"Look, just because my cut's gone and you can't take the credit for looking after me anymore isn't a reason to get all mardy."
"That's not why…" He let his voice trail off.
Nezru rolled her eyes and picked up the dirty plates.
"Leave 'em on the side, I'll do them after I help you." He said.
"After you help me do what?" She asked, confused.
"Pack."
"Pack?"
"Well, yeah. You're better now aren't cha? You'll want to go home now, won't cha?"
The thought of getting better then leaving had never really been important to Nezru until now. She had become so used to having splitting headaches ever other day and having the bandage on that she had never really thought about leaving. But… Now that she thought about leaving, it seemed obvious that she should. Memories of the desert seemed to unearth themselves. A craving overtook her to go there again. She remembered her sandals on her feet and the way the sand would touch her toes, and how it felt to wear pants. She remembered the pride she got when she wore her jewelry and the weight of her headpiece. She smiled at her memories.
"Yes, I do want to go back to the desert." She said.
Talon got up with an unreadable look on his face. "I'll go and get you a bag then." He slumped out of the room.
Nezru sat and thought about going back, seeing what was left of her people and helping them bring back their power. Under the rule of one of their greatest Kings, this would of course be accomplished.
Talon came back in carrying a leather bag and threw it on the table. "I'm going out to feed the cows." He said, trying to sound cheerful. He shut the door behind him and walked towards the stable.
Nezru grabbed the bag and turned to go upstairs. Why was he so bitter? She was better. He didn't need to be sad about her leaving. She'd come to visit. Didn't he know that?
Throwing the bag on her bed she ran back downstairs and out to the stables to help Talon. He was throwing a corn mix into the cows food dishes and humming softly.
"Hey, can I help?" She asked.
He turned around and pointed towards another bucket of feed.
"Okay, then" She said picking up the bucket and giving some to the cows. After a few minutes of tense silence, she spoke again. "You know, I'm not just going to leave you forever. I'll come and visit you."
"It's not the same. Not like you always being here. I was left here on my own lots of times 'cause my dad, but then you came… and now you're leaving."
"I don't belong here" Said Nezru, "I come from the desert, that's where I need to go back to."
"I know, I just…" He let his voice trail off and looked away, "I'm just being selfish, I'm fine really." His voice was, however, lacking in its usual reassurance. Nezru got up and walked out of the stables feeling that she needed to ride Dyna.
The sun was just finishing to set as Nezru threw her Gerudo clothes into the bag Talon had gotten her. Something didn't feel right though. Nezru waved it away as nervousness but knew something else that she couldn't put her finger on was bothering her. She felt bad for leaving Talon, but knew that it was for the best. She was going back to the desert once again and was going to see its majestic sand dunes and her solid fortress.
She picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. Walking out of the house, she stood to look for Talon. When she didn't find him outside, she entered the stables.
He was standing at one of the stalls, fiddling with the last lock. Nezru cleared her throat. He turned around and smiled at her. Nezru could see that this time it didn't look strained, but genuine.
"I guess you're off then." He said.
"I just came to say goodbye." Nezru looked away as she said this. She was being stupid. Why didn't she want to leave wholeheartedly? She was going back to the desert, where she grew up. It was her… home?
What was a home?
Tearing herself away from her thoughts she turned to face Talon. He had stopped smiling now and was staring at her, his eyes gleaming. A lop-sided grin twitched across his face.
It all came to Nezru at that moment. How could she have ever been so stupid not to see it? How could she have never noticed? How long had he felt this way about her? Ever since the beginning?
Talon walked across the stables and picked up her bag. He opened the door and let her walk out. Nezru quickly exited the stables, not knowing what she should do now. Should she leave?
Talon stopped and handed her her bag. She took it and nervously began to twist the handles.
"I've been here for weeks now," She began.
"Six." He interrupted, "You've been here six weeks."
"I guess so." She choked, thinking it odd that he had been counting.
"You'll come and visit then, like you said?" He asked.
Nezru nodded her head, feeling that if she tried to speak, it wouldn't come out. She felt her eyes prickling and forced her tears back.
"I-I have to go now," She said with difficulty, "I have to go back. Bye." This one word hurt her as she said it. She felt for the first time the harsh reality of consequences. To go back, that meant leaving, and it was hard for her to not be able to get what she wanted.
Just as she was ready to turn around and walk away, Talon stepped in and gave her a hug. Nezru didn't hug back at first. Utter realization passed through her. Her plain dress was more comfortable than those stupid pants. Her head felt less heavy, and she found she could think better without all her jewelry. The cool breeze of the ranch topped the blazing sandstorms of the desert. She liked the way the horses were treated here, even though she had never told Talon.
Talon… being in his arms, here at the ranch, just felt… Right.
With this, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged back. He was hugging her very tightly and she could hardly breathe, but she didn't care. She stood on her tiptoes so that she could rest her head on his shoulder.
"I can't leave. I can't leave this ranch, I can't leave you, I can't leave." She said, more to herself than to Talon.
"What?" He asked dumbfounded, pulling her away.
"I'm not leaving!" She said joyously. "I want to stay. Will you let me?"
Talon didn't answer, at least not verbally. He leaned down and kissed her intensely.
Nezru lost all track of time. She could have been standing there for seconds or days, but she didn't care.
Pulling away, Talon looked up at the sky. It was only just turning a deep blue because the sun had just set.
"It getting late." He said, matter-of-factly. A lop-sided grin once again spreading across his face.
Nezru looked to the sky. It wasn't late at all, and she knew it, but once again she found that she didn't care. "Yeah, it is." She agreed, smiling.
"We should get inside." He said taking her by the waist and walking towards the house. Nezru admired it for a moment. She had seen it before, but now it was different. It was home, without a shadow of a doubt.
Talon opened the door and they walked up the stairs together, both knowing what was going to happen next.
That wasn't so bad was it?
Well, maybe it was but the next chapter won't be so horrible, I promise. It might take me a little longer this time because track season is upon us and I have training everyday, but it will be done. I have an idea! You can review about this chapter and make me feel supported while I begin to post the next chappy!
Waves flag.