Yahoo! So glad you decided to continue reading. ;) I decided to add a lot of things here… make it more emotional, I suppose. Enjoy.

Chapter 2 - Deadly Ship Ride

Link brushed his hand down the horse's snout, and this time he didn't even have to stand on something to reach. The horse was still little, and just the right age to begin riding. Link continued to pet it slowly, although it kept nudging away. She was a shy animal, and was still a little shocked from leaving her ranch. Her coat was a dark maroon, and it faded down near her hooves to a pearly white. Her two eyes were a deep dark purple, giving off a pure bright violet whenever the sun hit them right.

A little girl with long golden brown hair was standing next to the horse. The horse nuzzled it's head close to her, and she frowned as she fed her a handful of hay. She stroked it's backside.

"Now, you have to feed and brush her every day, and don't forget to visit her. She still isn't used to you, so you should talk to and pet her lots." The girl leaned on the soft fur of the animal. "Don't forget about me, Epona. Be good for Link." She laid her head against Epona's side. She closed her eyes and began quietly humming.

Raggy loaded the last of Link's luggage on the ship. He looked over at the kids and the horse. He motioned his hand in the air and tucked his head down. "C'mon now. Ship's gonna be takin' off soon. Bring that horse over."

Tia wiped the tears away from her eyes. This is what Feather wanted, continued to repeat in her mind. She turned to the young girl helping Link push Epona onto the ship.

"Malon, tell your father thanks for the gift. Link has always wanted a horse of his own, even if all he would get was a mule." She laughed at that, but Malon said nothing. The men took the horse to the bottom of the ship, out of her sight. She held her hands up to her neck and sighed.

Link gave Tia one last hug. Tia placed her old hand on his head. "Now, don't forget about me. I want to get letters from you, let me know what's up." She tried to sound as happy as she could. She didn't want to cry in front of all these people, or make Link upset.

Link nodded and ran towards the boat where the sailors were yelling for him to hurry. Tia hurried as fast as her old legs would take her next to Malon. Malon was already waving. Link smiled and waved back.

"See ya, Malon!" He yelled. Malon placed her hands around her lips and called back.

"Good-bye Epona! I love you, don't forget about me!" She jumped up waving her hands around. Disappointed, Link waved to his aunt. She waved back, but the ship was too far away for him to hear anything his old aunt had to say. She wiped the tears she couldn't hold back from her eyes. She knew how much she would miss him. She closed her hand around the tissue in her hand, crushing it into a small ball. She watched the murky water below her wash up against the shore. It was the last time. She knew.

Link relaxed his grip on the bars around the ship. Land was out of sight now, and their was nothing but crystal blue water whipping against the boat's sides. There was a faint, calm wind and a few birds flapping gently above the massive boat. He looked down at the water and tried to spot any sea creatures. He wasn't getting much luck, until a shirt started floating past him. Then a pair of dark green pants. Another pale blue shirt. A pair of boots.

He jumped up and yelped. Those were his clothing. He quickly turned around to where his bag lay. A giant sailor had it open wide to it's capacity, and was viewing his garments and tossing them behind him into the ocean. Link ran over to the giant thug, keeping his balance as his boots squeaked against the puddles on top of the ship.

He snatched the handle of the bag and began pulling on it, trying to break the man's grip. "Hey, those are mine! Stop it!" The man laughed at him as he continued to struggle. Soon the large man became sick of the tug-o-war game, so he let go of the bag, sending Link through the air and on the ground. He walked towards him and lifted his massive foot, shoving it hard into Link's sensitive stomach. Link's hands slipped from his grip on the bag, which tumbled slowly threw the air, and fell back clutching his wounded belly. The bag hit the ground of the ship with a light thud and began to slide due to the rocking of the waves.

Link tried to sit up, but another large blow from the boot bashed him in the face. He wanted to let out a scream, but couldn't due to the pain his chin had just received. His body slid across the deck and the railing caught him from tumbling over into the water. He opened his eyes and quickly tried to figure out where the man went. Right in front of him.

He grabbed onto the railing for help, but the man swung his foot around him and spun him over on his stomach. Link rolled a few feet away and was sent another unwanted kick, which forced him into tumbling to the other side of the deck. His head felt the blow from the bar, sending a sting from the back of his head to his jaw. The man laughed and slowly edged toward the beaten child. He grabbed him by his hair.

"Listen, boy" He let the words escape through giant, crooked stubs in his mouth, or his teeth. "I can do what I want and feel like doin 'round here. No one messes with me, and I ain't lettin no punk kid come in here thinking he can run 'round and do what he wants. You listen to me and my crew, fill out what chores we got for ya, and then we'll let ya make it to Hyrule alive and well. Talk outta line or fight me again and I'll beat the livin shit outta ya." He dropped his head and let it smack against the wood. Link could barely move, even if he had wanted to.

-

He followed all of the crew mates orders exactly as he was told. He scrubbed all the floors, fed all the animals, and took care of anything else they could think of. The sailors became lazy, having a little slave doing all of their jobs made their lives easier. Link didn't get much sleep, about five hours a night. The men knew if he at least didn't get that, he'd most likely die, and bringing the Hylian king a dead boy wasn't going to look good on their part.

They played cards and relaxed all day while Link filled out their chores. Sometimes they even split his dinner among themselves, maybe leaving him some leftovers to pick at.

All this continued to go on for a week, until only a few days remained until they arrived in Hyrule. Link quickly jumped up when Jaw entered his room. He sat up straight on his bed, afraid if he bent over he'd be hit for disrespect.

Jaw plunged his cigar in his mouth and sat on the bench across from him. "Aright, listen kid, we're gonna be comin in to Hyrule in couple o' days. You don't gotta do chores no more, but you still haft to listen to my every word. Your gonna get more sleep, more food, so ya can look all good and healthy in Hyrule. One more thing, boy." Link hadn't moved an inch. Jaw sucked on the cigar and narrowed his eyes at the tiny boy.

"Yes, sir?" His voice was scratchy and shaky. He could feel himself shaking while he sat. He wanted him to leave so badly, he didn't want to see the sailor ever again.

Jaw smiled at this. "No man, woman, kid or dog eva hears bout what went on in tis ship. If so, I'll make sure you get punished for your disobedience. Understood?" He pulled his cigar from his mouth and blew some smoke. Link nodded, still shaking in his seat.

"O-of course, sir. I won't step out of line." He had a death grip against the sheets of his bunk. He wanted no trouble with this man.

Jaw grinned, but got up satisfied with torturing him for the day. Link felt like a glob of jelly from all the shaking. His joints were sore.

-

He had never felt so free when he first stepped off the ship. He held only the letter he received and the reins to his new horse, Epona. The thugs threw everything else into the sea. He ran off the deck as quickly as possible, not bothering to say good bye to Jaw or his thugs.

After running in the town for a few hours, he stopped next to a small market and leaned against the wall. He had no idea where he was going. He opened the letter and read it over and over. There were no instructions. He looked around and about him. Maybe there was someone here who could help him.

He approached various people, asking where the Hylian King was, but people ignored his ignorance and shoved him out of the way. After numerous tries and obviously getting absolutely nowhere, he walked back to Epona and sat next to her. He placed his head in his hands.

A young woman holding a chain of keys approached the door he was next to. She stopped when she noticed the unusual site of a boy and a young horse sitting in front of a flower store. Was he lost?

"Um... little boy? Where's your mom? Are you okay?" She asked leaning down near him. Epona backed away, fearing this new person, and Link jumped when he heard someone close to him. He eased knowing it was a woman, he developed a fear of grown men on the ship.

"I... I got a letter from the king. But I don't know where to go." He told her. She smiled and took the letter he handed her. She read it and almost collapsed. The boy wasn't lying to her.

-

She found one of the guards of the town, proving the visit with a letter, and the guard took young Link and his young horse into the yard of the castle. The guard was fascinated by the letter, and was honored to be the one to take Link inside the magnificent castle of Hyrule.

It's size was breathtaking for a small kid who used to live in a tiny brown cabin. Link was possessed by the structure and shining white bricks standing it. It was bigger than Orma was itself, shining like armor against the blue sky. The guard held Epona's reins in hand, and was puzzled by Link's gazing.

"Are you from around here, Link?" He asked him. Link slowly shook his head back and forth. The guard smiled, everything making perfect sense to him now.

-

Decent chapter. It gets better and better, I tell you! XD

Well, hope you weren't too hurt by the sailors. It was pretty violent, but in a way it could explain why Link develops into the person he does. But hope you still want to read!