Worlds Apart
Part II
By Miss Lydia

Chapter 6

"Where is it....? Where is it....?"

Lydia dug viciously through her enormous duffel bag, throwing clothing over her shoulder, looking for the only thing that could help her today. She sat on her bed by the window with the bag next to her.

"What ever possessed me," she asked herself, "to buy a bag so huge? I could fit a horse in here if I really tried."

As she continued to sift and feel her way through the bag, she glanced out the window. The sky was blue in some spots on that day. Link and Gordon were by the Bazaar on the north end of town. Link had his Master Sword unsheathed, and the boys were examining it closely. Lydia watched them talk with each other as she felt her way to the bottom of the bag.

Finally, her fingertips reached the cold steel she was looking for. She pulled her hands out, along with her old sword that Zelda had given her to use seven years before. Fitting the sword into her bag in the first place was enough of a chore, and now it put up a fight coming out again. Lydia grunted and pulled feverishly on the hilt of the sword, trying to wrench it free from the tangle of shirts in the bag. The sword came loose suddenly, and Lydia rolled right off the bed, hitting the floor hard.

"Aahh...blast it...," she groaned quietly and she stood up again.

Lydia looked at the sword she had finally pulled free. It had been seven years since she had used it last. Ever since her sorcery powers were awakened, there was really no need for it. But now she needed the old thing more than ever.

She used her shirt to shine up the pearl-white handle and the long, thin blade. She held the blade up to her eye to see it if was still straight. She figured that if it was bent, she could just beat Link over the head with it until it straightened itself. Unfortunately for her, the sword was still as straight as an arrow. She muttered to herself in disappointment as she attached the sword's long sheath to the left side of her belt.

"The next few days are really going to be a pain," she said quietly. "And I'll bet the boys aren't going to leave me alone about it."

With that, she pulled open the door and walked semi-nervously outside.

***

"I have no idea where the power comes from," said Link thoughtfully.

Gordon let his eyes wander from one end of the Master Sword to another. "It's a fascinating thing, really," he said. "It's like something from the story books Mom read to me when I was young."

"This whole adventure of ours really is like a fairy tale."

"A save-the-world quest with a magical sword and powerful sorcerers going to defeat the bad guy. Lydia's probably eating the whole thing up. She's always loved stories like that."

Link glanced toward central Kakariko in time to see the door of their house creak open and Lydia step out.

"Speak of the devil," he announced.

Lydia charged up the hill and met them. "Ready to go, guys?"

"Yeah," Link replied.

Gordon looked up at him and asked, "So, are we still going to the forest today?"

Link turned toward the south. "Yeah," he said. "The Deku Tree will probably have some information that will help us."

Gordon was about to nod in agreement when he noticed Lydia had her old sword with her. He found that very odd. She'd never pass up the use of a fireball for that sword.

"Why do you have that?" he asked her as he pointed toward her belt.

Lydia blushed crimson red immediately. "Uh...um...," she stuttered quickly, "No reason. Just felt like bringing it."

Gordon decided to shrug the whole thing off, but Link wasn't that quick to give up.

"Oh, yeah right," Link said to her stiffly. "We know you better than that. There is a reason you're bringing it."

Lydia stared at him, trying to control a horrible urge to tie his elf ears in a knot. "There's no special reason," she repeated bitterly through her teeth.

Link shrugged and decided to give up then, figuring it would be better for his health.

The group trekked down the hill and started toward the entrance to Hyrule Field. Lydia kept her eyes to the sky as they left Kakariko behind. The sky seemed to be turning more brown and grayer by the minute.

"Okay," said Gordon, "ready for take-off?"

He reached down and grabbed hold of Link's left arm. He was about to fly off when he felt Lydia grab hold of his free left arm. He glanced up at her with a puzzled look on his face.

"What?" he asked her. "I'm not carrying you. You can fly just fine on your own."

Lydia cleared her throat very loudly. "Gordon," she muttered angrily, "put the pieces together, man." She reached down and patted the hilt of her long sword and held his wrist more tightly.

"Oh...," Gordon finally said, nodding in understanding. "Sorry."

Link shook his head. "I still don't get it. What's wrong?"

Lydia became very exasperated and threw her hands in the air. "Oh come on, Hero. Do I have to paint you a picture?"

He shrunk back slightly. "Sorry, but I guess I'm just not that bright."

Lydia, still frustrated, looked to the ground. "Okay, I'll be blunt with you," she grunted. "It's that time of the month. Got it? Now lay off."

This only confused Link even more. "What's so special about this time of the month?"

Gordon stepped back, feeling the tension rising.

Lydia raised an eyebrow curiously. "You know.....that time of the month...? For girls?"

The confused Hylian only shook his head.

"You mean you don't know what that time of the month is??" Lydia asked him again.

"Well, don't forget, I kind of skipped puberty. There's a lot of stuff I don't know."

Lydia wasn't sure how to explain it quickly. "Well, let's just say that I won't be able to use any magic for the next few days. No attack spells – that's why I have my sword. And I can't fly, either."

"That's why you want me to fly you around," Gordon cut in. "Sorry, but I just can't carry both of you."

Lydia looked at him sharply. "Sure you can. You're strong enough."

"Well, I could, but the flight would be so slow with all that added weight that we'd be better off walking anyway."

"....Wait, are you calling me fat?"

Link, who was still trying to figure out what Lydia meant by 'that time of the month', looked up. "You really can't use any of your magic?" he asked her.

"I probably won't be able to cast anything beyond a light spell for a few days," she replied. "Major pain in the butt, let me tell you that."

"Well, until you can," Gordon suggested, "we need to find another way to get around."

Link gave up figuring this whole thing out for now and thought about their problem. His thoughts landed on Lon Lon Ranch and his friend Malon.

"I've got an idea," he said. "The ranch has several horses. Maybe Malon will lend us one."

"Who's Malon?" Lydia asked.

"She's a friend of mine who lives there. I wonder what she's like now? I haven't seen her in seven years."

"She has a horse?"

"When I saw her last, she had a little pony with her named Epona. That's her horse. The problem is that Epona is very wild-spirited. Only Malon was able to tame her."

Lydia scoffed softly. "This horse is completely wild and untamable to everyone except this girl Malon? That horse would do us absolutely no good."

"Well, there are actually two people that Epona will answer to. Malon, of course, and me."

"You?" Gordon asked.

"Malon taught me the song she always sang to her horse. Epona associates with that song, so Epona trusts me. Still, I doubt she'd remember me now. It's been seven years, after all."

Lydia shrugged wistfully. "We'll never know just standing around here. Let's get going."

She jogged forward and was about to leap into the air to fly to the ranch, then got mad when she remembered why that wouldn't happen.

Gordon slapped her on the back as he walked by her. "Don't worry," he said happily, "it won't be that bad. Plus, you'll be all right in a few days."

Lydia grunted loudly. "That's easy for you to say."

Without another word, she adjusted her belt and started after the boys, unhappy about the sorcery-less journey ahead. In the front of the traveling group, several fuses in Link's brain short-circuited as he tried to figure out what 'that time of the month' meant.

"Odd...," Link pondered. "I don't see Malon anywhere, or Talon, for that matter."

"Who's Talon?" Lydia asked him.

"Malon's dad."

Lydia chuckled softly. "Malon and Talon. How obnoxiously cute."

"Anyway," Gordon cut in, "do you think they're still here?"

Link looked around the ranch. It was unusually empty, save the five or six horses in the enclosure. "As long as I can remember," he finally said, "Malon's always been one to hang around by the horse enclosure, but there's no one there now."

"Do you think they're inside the house or something?" Lydia wondered.

Just then, the door to the barn on the north side of the ranch, just inside the entrance, snapped open. A rather stringy-looking man with horrible posture and a huge mustache stepped out. He looked like he had a lot of things on his mind and was running on a tight schedule. He almost didn't notice the three travelers in the ranch. When he finally saw them, he stopped abruptly and snorted at them.

"Who are you?" he grunted quickly and coldly. "What are you doing in my ranch?"

Link tilted his head slightly in questioning. "Your ranch?" he asked the stringy man in a rather harsh tone. "Who are you, sir, and where's Talon? This was his ranch, last time I checked."

Link's accusing and directed sentence caught Lydia and Gordon completely off guard. The Hylian had been almost rude to the man. Lydia couldn't remember him being so bold toward someone before. She could only stare as Link's courageous eyes concentrated on the stranger.

The skinny man snorted again and waved his pitchfork slightly. "I am the hardworking Ingo, the new owner of this ranch, boy. That lazy slob Talon never did a thing for this ranch, so the great Ganondorf gave the ranch to me. It's a lot better off without that fat pig anyway."

Gordon watched as Link's face twisted to reveal nasty anger. Link was about to slam Ingo with a retort, or just a strong punch, when the skinny man interrupted him.

"Did you not hear me, boy?" Ingo grunted. "This is my ranch. So you'd best be on your way. Now get out, the whole lotta you."

Without another word, Ingo turned and strolled defiantly toward the horse enclosure. Link didn't move until the man was lost from sight. When Ingo finally disappeared, Link punched the nearest wall.

"Arrggh! I hate that guy already, and I just met him!" the Hylian groaned loudly.

Lydia put her hand on his shoulder. "Come on, you meanie. What did that poor wall ever do to you?"

"I don't like him, either, Link," Gordon announced, "but let's have a look around. Maybe Malon and Talon are still here somewhere."

Link rubbed the sore knuckles of his left hand, already regretting having thrown that punch. Without a word, he opened the door Ingo had just come out of and stepped inside.

The three entered a small barn, where the horses and cows were held at night. A quick glance around the dusty room brought everyone's eyes to a figure near one of the cows. It was a tall girl with thick red hair. Link brightened up immediately, appearing to know her.

"Malon?" he called to the girl. "Is that you?"

The startled girl straightened up quickly and looked toward the source of the voice. She looked at the travelers curiously.

"Oh?" the girl started. "This is a nice treat. We never get visitors."

She left her spot by the cow and approached Link, looking at him sternly.

"May I ask you, sir," she asked Link. "How do you know my name? Do I know you from somewhere?"

Link took on the same face he had taken when the Kokiri didn't remember him. He wiped it away quickly and answered her.

"You mean you don't recognize me, Malon?" he asked her. "I'm Link, remember?"

Malon stared at Link for a few more seconds. Suddenly, her face brightened and a monster smile appeared on her face.

"I remember you now!" she shouted. "You're the fairy boy from the forest!"

She jumped up and grabbed Link around the neck. "Where have you been?" she continued. "It's been at least seven years since I saw you last!"

Link gently pried his neck out of her grip. "Well, it's a really long story. It's good to see you again, though."

Lydia smiled gently as she watched the ranch girl hop about in excitement. Gordon thought that this girl looked kind of crazy. She may even be a match for my sister, he thought to himself.

Malon stopped jumping and glanced past Link at the two sorcerers behind him. "Who are they?" she asked.

Link turned his head to look at them, too. "These two are good friends of mine. Lydia and Gordon. They're sorcerers from Earth. We're going to try to free Hyrule from Ganondorf's grip."

Malon stiffened and shrunk away at the sound of the name. Her teeth began to chatter with anger.

"That horrible man," she scorned. "He has changed everything. Hyrule is no longer as anyone remembers it. Even this ranch has been changed."

Link's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I met that guy Ingo outside."

Malon's eyebrows were raised with apology. "I'm sorry, he was in a bad mood, wasn't he? That's my fault. I asked him if we could take the cows outside to get them some exercise and fresh grass, but he of course refused."

Gordon stepped forward. "That weird guy said he owned the ranch," he started, "but Link told us otherwise earlier."

"Yes," Malon confirmed, "the ranch belonged to my father, Talon. But Ganondorf came and banished Dad away, and gave ownership to Mr. Ingo. I'm grateful to him. He let me stay here, at least. As long as I keep that in mind, I don't mind all the work so much."

Link stood defiantly. "The man is working you on your own ranch?"

Malon shrugged slightly. "Yes, but I guess it's all I can do to repay him for letting me stay."

Link turned abruptly and pushed past the wondering sorcerers. "I'm going to have a word with this guy Ingo," he said angrily as he opened the door strongly. "Who does he think he is?" With that, he was gone.

Lydia looked at her brother, then at Malon. "Wow. I've never seen him so determined before," she declared.

"When he gets his mind set on something," said Malon, "he won't let go. He's always been like that."

"Yeah, I've noticed."

Malon approached the sorcerers with a smile. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself properly. Just the mention of the Evil King's name got my mind off you. I hope we can meet on happier terms later."

Gordon shrugged. "Us, too. It's all right, there's a lot going on."

"Besides," Lydia finished, "that may have to wait. Link's mad and we need to calm him down first."

Lydia turned and started toward the door, glancing at Gordon on the way out. "Come on, let's stop him before he does something stupid."

As the two sorcerers disappeared through the barn door, Malon took her place in the corner and continued to feed the cows.

Lydia and Gordon reached the horse enclosure very quickly. This huge space took up most of the ranch land. It was a beautiful area full of green grass, and the horses had plenty of running room.

They spotted Ingo next to the gate of the enclosure, and they started heading that way. Link was standing in front of the stringy man, leaning forward slightly and waving his arms occasionally. He looked like he was expressing his opinion very strongly. Ingo didn't even seem phased by Link's unusually strong words. He just stood and stared at the Hylian as he continued to voice his anger. Link looked like he was really giving Ingo an earful. As soon as the sorcerers were within earshot, they saw that the situation was just that.

"How could you do that to her and Talon?" Link shouted. "Have you no heart at all?"

Ingo laughed softly. "Talon never did anything and Malon only stood in this dumb enclosure and sung her stupid song day in and day out. I did all the work, boy."

"Ha!" Link retorted loudly. "It must be pretty bad work! This isn't my first visit to this ranch. I have seen how you treat the animals. You shouldn't be working here anyway if you're doing that."

"Those damn cows don't need exercise. And the horses are getting plenty."

"How so?? You keep them locked up all the time! When's the last time they've seen the other side of that fence?"

Ingo stared at Link with silent hatred. He appeared to be getting sick of Link's lecturing and accusations.

"You think these horses are in rotten condition, don't you, boy?" Ingo asked gruffly. "I'll prove you wrong, I will."

Link crossed his arms expectantly.

Lydia and Gordon looked on curiously, wondering what the man was going to do.

Ingo turned toward the locked enclosure. "Go in there," he said to Link, "and pick a horse. Ride it around for a while. Then you'll see for yourself if they're in good shape or not." Ingo turned back to Link and offered him his whip.

Uh oh, Lydia thought suddenly. I doubt Link's ever ridden a horse in his life. He'll fall off in no time.

"Fine, I will," Link accepted proudly as he took the whip from the skinny man.

Lydia smacked her forehead with the ball of her hand as Link opened the rusty gate and walked into the fenced enclosure. The sorcerers walked up to the fence to get a better view of what was going on.

Link stopped just inside and looked around. There were only three or four horses out, so he walked up to the nearest one and began to climb up to the saddle. He looked toward the back of the enclosure and stopped halfway up. He continued to stare in that direction, still poised a couple feet off of the ground.

Lydia and Gordon followed his gaze. Standing near the back fence was a very large reddish-brown horse with a black muzzle. It looked very well built, even from a distance. Equipped with a shiny saddle, that horse looked like the best one in the whole ranch.

The sorcerers watched as Link quickly hopped down from the horse he had picked and ran toward the red horse in the back. When he got close, the horse looked up and ran away. Lydia laughed under her breath, feeling almost embarrassed for him.

"He must feel rather stupid now," she said quietly.

Gordon kept watching. Lydia was wrong. Link actually looked rather pleased with himself, though Gordon couldn't figure out why.

They continued to watch as Link pulled out the Ocarina of Time and played a short, flowing song. When he stopped, the red horse suddenly reared up and raced back toward him. Link met the horse halfway and stroked its muzzle happily. He quickly climbed up and situated himself in the big saddle.

Oh boy, Lydia thought, It's the moment of shame. The poor guy won't be able to ride that thing.

She was wrong again. With a kick of his legs and a crack of the whip, the red horse charged forward and galloped around the perimeter of the enclosure. Link waved at the sorcerers proudly as he passed them.

Lydia couldn't believe what she was seeing already, but was completely flabbergasted when she saw Link crack the whip and successfully jump the large horse over the jumping fences in the enclosure. Gordon cheered happily and waved his arms as Link circled around and jumped the fences again.

"Okay, that's enough!" Ingo's shrill voice suddenly broke into the excitement.

Lydia looked at the man and scoffed loudly. It had only been a minute or two since he'd let Link in there. How selfish is this stingy guy going to get, she wondered angrily.

Link obediently steered the horse toward the gate and stopped it there, although he was very tempted to just run the skinny guy over. He was about to climb down when Ingo approached him.

"Now do you see, boy?" he asked shortly. "They're in fine condition, especially this one you're on. Would you like a further test of their fitness?"

Link, rather intrigued and curious, nodded.

"Okay then, boy," Ingo continued, "how about a little race? You and me, once around the corral. You can ride that horse, and I'll ride another."

Link flashed a slightly cocky smirk. "You're on, pal."

Lydia smacked her forehead again.

Within two minutes, Ingo had picked a horse and had met Link at their little starting line. The two men prepared their whips and sat ready in the saddle. Gordon sounded the call.

"GO!"

The two horses and riders charged away from the starting point with bursting speed, kicking up a ton of dust. Lydia and Gordon stood watching from where they had started.

As the horses rounded the corner of the corral, it was impossible for Lydia or Gordon to tell who was in the lead, but when they could see them last, Link had a slight lead.

The sorcerers waited impatiently as the race worked its way around the perimeter of the enclosure. Gordon jumped with excitement as the horses rounded the corner and reappeared in view. However, his heart sank when he saw that Ingo had a lead by about two lengths. There would be no way Link could catch up before they hit the finish line.

Suddenly, Link cracked the whip on his horse and yelled wildly. The huge red horse charged forward with an incredible boost of speed and passed Ingo's horse just as the thundering hooves trampled over the finish line. The sorcerers jumped around and started cheering. Link had won the race! The excited Hylian threw his fists in the air and cheered for himself.

Ingo was raving mad.

"Arghh! How could I have lost??" he shouted loudly. "Kid! I want a rematch!"

"A rematch?" Link asked, not-so-politely. "I won, fair and square."

"If you win, you can keep....the horse!"

What a deal. Link smiled confidently and guided his horse back to the starting line, followed closely by the still raving Ingo. Gordon set them off again, and the horses charged away.

Lydia caught a glimpse of Ingo as he sailed by her. He had a wild look in his eyes and was obviously very determined this time. Link was the same way, and kept his horse neck and neck with Ingo's. Gordon jittered around in anticipation as the racers disappeared around the corner.

When they reappeared on the other side, it was still very close. Ingo edged his horse forward, smacking it mercilessly. The horse loudly expressed its anger, but increased its speed.

"Oh no you don't...." Link muttered through his gritted teeth. "Ya!"

The determined Hylian cracked the whip once and kicked his feet hard. The horse once again exhibited an almost unnatural boost of speed and left Ingo's horse in the dust. Link had won the rematch. The sorcerers were beside themselves with excitement.

***

"Arrgghhh!!" Ingo shrieked. "What's up with that horse?!?!"

Link grinned confidently and stroked the horse's mane as he climbed down.

Lydia looked at the tall red horse. The horse that had run away from Link at first seemed to have really warmed up to him now. It kept nudging its head into Link's side affectionately, almost like it was asking for a reward, or just a little attention.

"How did you tame that wild horse under my nose??" Ingo continued. "I couldn't get that horse to do anything right! It never listens to me!"

Link cleared his throat loudly. "I do believe we had a bet?" he asked expectantly. The horse lowered its head slightly and happily nipped at Link's ear with its big lips.

Ingo stamped his foot and backed out of the corral area. "Yes," he said, "As I promised, the horse belongs to you. However, I will not let you leave this ranch!"

Without another word, he took another step out and slammed the gates tight, locking them all inside.

Link shouted angrily and waved a fist.

Lydia reached up and gently pulled on Link's ear. "Forget it," she said, "there's bound to be another way out."

"There's no way out for you," Ingo reminded this shrilly. "At least...not with that horse."

Link laughed mockingly. "We'll see about that, won't we?"

With that, he climbed back up on the massive animal and turned it around. With a kick of his legs, the horse charged away.

"Hey!" Lydia shouted after him. "Where are you going?"

Link didn't answer or even look back, instead, he began to build the horse's speed and steer it toward the south wall of Lon Lon Ranch.

"What does that crazy kid expect to do?" Ingo thought aloud.

Lydia leaned slightly down, leveling herself with her brother. "Does he expect to slam through that wall or something?" she asked.

Gordon didn't answer. He kept watching Link push the horse toward the wall, gaining speed every second. He had that horse going to fast that at this point there'd be no way he could avoid slamming that poor thing into the wall. Ingo's mocking laugh could be heard from the other side of the gate as he pictured what was about to happen.

But the scene Ingo thought would be rather humorous never happened. The astonished earthling sorcerers watched as Link cracked the whip hard, sending the horse into a high jump. To everyone's, including Ingo's, disbelief, the Hylian and the horse cleared the wall and disappeared over the other side. They stood frozen in place until the sound of beating hooves faded and vanished.

Lydia and Gordon slowly turned to look at each other. When their eyes met, they suddenly broke the silence with loud and uncontrollable laughter and dropped to their knees.

"Waaaahhhhh!!!" Ingo shrieked angrily.

Lydia rolled over on the ground to look at the man behind the closed gate. "Oh, man, did you deserve that!" she shouted through the fit of laughter she was having trouble controlling. "Boy, did he rub your nose in the dirt!"

Ingo started yelling profanity and began to pull at his hair, ripping out a good chunk of it. This only made the sorcerers laugh even harder.

The insanity continued until Gordon stopped laughing long enough to grab hold of his sister's wrist and take off over the wall Link had just cleared. Lydia, still laughing, glanced back as they flew over. Ingo was hopping up and down, still yelling and screaming.

That guy deserves a fireball, she thought bitterly.

Lydia looked again in time to see Malon appear behind the eccentric Ingo. She was waving happily as they flew back out to the field.

Link climbed off of the horse's back and began to rub its mane and pat its neck.

"Good job," he said to it calmly. "That's a good girl."

The horse stamped one of its hooves and nudged its head under Link's chin happily.

Link looked back to the ranch just in time to see the two sorcerers zoom over the wall. When they got close enough, he saw Gordon raise his free fist in the air. Lydia waved to him with her free arm.

"Whoo-hooo!!" they both shouted happily.

Link laughed and waved back as they landed in front of him. Lydia released her brother's wrist and jumped on Link's back, unable to control her excitement.

"Oh man, Link," Gordon laughed hard, "You sure showed him. That jump was so awesome!"

Link laughed as he carefully pried Lydia's arms off of his neck.

"Okay, Link," Lydia said, "I'll admit, that was really cool. But, there's just one thing I don't get."

"What's that?" Link asked her.

"Ingo was raving something about not being able to tame this horse. And yet, the horse came right to you when you played that Ocarina of yours, and it seems very friendly with you."

"It was like the horse recognized that little song," Gordon cut in.

"Hey....," Lydia said thoughtfully. "This horse wouldn't happen to be.....?"

The Hylian stroked the mane of the magnificent horse and smiled proudly.

"Lydia and Gordon," he said, "I'd like you to meet Epona."