Once the Shadow was out of sight of the stable, Navi blinked back to visibility next to his right shoulder. "Hey! That turned out to be an excellent first stop," she chirped. He nodded. "We may continue on the road, if you wish, or, if you don't mind some more climbing, we could take a shortcut through the woods up ahead."
"How much longer would it take on the road?" he asked.
"Hmm, perhaps a day? As the darkness gathers across Hyrule, monsters roam freely, attacking towns and travelers alike, so the road is no safer than a shortcut through the woods."
"Might as well take the fastest route, then, I guess," he said. Just then, his pack snagged on a reaching branch and he remembered he had some questions for the Fairy.
Before he could even ask, however, he found the pack gone from his back and nestled in the palm of his hand, miniature glider still swinging from a now-tiny hook. His sword, shield, bow, and quiver remained slung across his back.
"Guess where I'm keeping this," he smirked, and her tinkling bark of a laugh startled a bird out of a nearby tree.
"I have a suggestion," she chirped.
"I'm tying it to my belt."
"Or, you could shove it—"
"Could you go away again?"
She just laughed. "A huge pack like that is fantastic for carrying anything and everything," she said, "but a bit impractical when wandering through the forests and wilds of Hyrule."
"What about when I want to open it and use something? My canteen? I mean, a tiny glider is neat and all, but it's not going to carry me very far," he said, fastening the pack out of the way on his belt.
"I've worked that into the enchantment," she explained. "The bag will enlarge enough to look through and whatever you need will grow to its proper size when you touch it with intent, or jump to your hand if you cannot locate an item. There's a sound dampener on it for when stealth is necessary, and I've improved the hook holding the glider, too." It was now a small climber's carabiner with a spring-loaded clip forming the enclosure, rather than a simple S-hook.
Okay, all of that was pretty ingenious. "Cool," he allowed as he began walking again. "I wanted to ask— do you know why things I touch turn gray, except rupees, and that Heart Container, and the dishes I used this morning?"
"You are not entirely gray, either," she pointed out.
"My eyes," he agreed. "My sword has red in it, too— the jewel and accent on the hilt."
"It is due to the magic with which you were created, I should think. As the Shadow of the Hero, it makes a certain sense that you would be so hued, and anything you can claim as 'yours' will fall under that same magic. Your eyes are red because of the malice that Ganondorf poured into his spell. The Rupees keep their color because without it their value is unknown, rendering them useless. Heart Containers are subject to their own magic, as is the sword," she explained.
"My sword has its own magic?" He looked at her, surprised. He'd known it glowed, obviously, but had just assumed that it had done so because the Master Sword glowed during battle.
"Yes. The Dark Master Sword has a magic upon it that I've never seen before. It is Sheikah made, but there is a darkness surrounding the jewel that touches no other part of the sword or you." And that brought him up short. The blade had glowed in battle— twice. The Hero's blade had glowed in battle, and the Shadow was convinced that it and Fi were one and the same. Did that mean…?
He drew the sword and held it in front of him, blade down. The crimson jewel was not simply a murky gem; it appeared to be shot through with inky black and swirling like there was a hurricane trapped inside it, alive though the sword was resting. "Navi, is my sword alive? Is there someone… in there?" He found the possibility both interesting and discomfiting.
"I do not know," she said. "That is an incredibly disturbing thought. And, considering that it was forged for Ganondorf, entirely possible."
He resheathed the sword. "Is Fi the Spirit of the Master Sword? Is that why it disappeared when she appeared?"
"Yes. They cannot occupy the same space, for they are one. She spent many years confined to the Sacred Realm while the sword slept here, waiting for the Hero to claim it."
"Wait, she told me that while the sword rests, she can go between the Sacred Realm and my dreams."
"She visited you in your dream?"
"Yes."
"Huh." She sounded perplexed. She glanced at the sword on his back. "And she said 'rests', not 'sleeps'?"
He thought for a moment, recalling, then nodded.
"Hm. What else did she say?"
He frowned. "Well, she asked me why I fought the Hinox, and then instead of telling me what she thought, she told me how Ganondorf was somehow born three hundred years ago, accidentally killed his first three mothers, then non-accidentally slaughtered a good portion of his followers in order to win the good faith of the people of Gerudo, then turned it into a hellhole and was punished by the Goddesses."
"Well, that's certainly a condensed version of it," she allowed.
"I might have left a few words out."
"A few," she hummed. "Ganondorf began as any other and was forged into what he is. Beginnings are important." Her tone implied that she was thinking aloud, but—
"That's almost the exact same fucking thing Fi said. Still doesn't answer the question." He sighed and shook his head. "Then she said that there've been other Shadows before me, but that Ganondorf must be stronger this time, so I am, too."
"It would appear so." She paused. "That is worrisome." Then she glanced at him. "Not that you are stronger, Shadow Link, but that Ganondorf is. Three hundred years. It should be impossible! Should he manage to obtain even a single piece of the Triforce, all of Hyrule will be in grave danger."
"How is he so old and still looks so young? Is he Demise reborn? Why were Link and Zelda born three hundred years after him if it's a cycle they're all part of? If Fi's still here, where is the Master Sword now?"
"Link and Zelda were both there three hundred years ago. They, along with the four Champions, fought and sealed Ganondorf away, though Zelda was never able to fully awaken the Goddess Hylia, so the seal was not perfect."
"I have it on excellent authority that it didn't hold."
"So it would appear. But it went unnoticed until now because he wasn't really causing any mischief. His endurance must have triggered the rest of the cycle to start again. I do not know the answers to the rest of your questions. Yet." There was a hint of steel in her voice. "If Fi visits you again, ask her."
"Can't you ask her?"
"I cannot visit your dreams, and she cannot visit mine."
"Oh. Really?" He frowned in confusion. "But she said that I could think of her as a Companion, not so different from you."
"Perhaps in the very broadest sense. But I am a simple Companion Fairy; I have certain magic and a limited amount of power, I am meant to guide and assist in minor, practical ways. But Fi is both Sword and Spirit, created by Hylia herself as the Blade of the Hero and known as the Goddess Sword before being tempered into the Master Sword long ago. Fi has very different magic than I, and inherently more power, as the Master Sword is the instrument used to Seal the Darkness. Because she is tied to the Sword, however, she may not roam freely as I can."
"That... sucks?" He wasn't actually sure.
She shrugged her tiny shoulders. "It's a trade-off. Phenomenal cosmic power; itty-bitty living space."
"Huh."
"Can I tell you what I think?"
"Knock yourself out."
"You did it for the boy, Ardin. Because he didn't immediately reject you, as others have, and you like him."
His first inclination was to deny, which he figured meant it was probably true. He did admire the boy's spirit and resilient nature— it had to have been difficult losing his parents and having to stay permanently in a place he'd only thought to vacation. "I do like him. He said my eyes were 'cool'." He smiled, then frowned. "I feel like that's an easy answer, in retrospect. Why couldn't Fi have just said that? Instead, she went off on this huge, historical tangent."
"Fi is able to recognize emotions, but often has difficulty interpreting them."
"Why's that?"
"Well, she's a sword, see."
He was saved from having to come up with a response as a cry reached them from around the bend in the road ahead.
This Hero shit really was insistent, he'd give it that.
Navi agreed. "Sounds like a chance to practice your new occupation."
"Honestly, a little break wouldn't go amiss," the Shadow griped as he ducked into the woods at the side of the road, intending to observe and attack from the cover of trees and large-leafed bushes.
A few minutes later, after a few more cries that grew steadily nearer and more urgent, the Shadow spotted movement through a break in the foliage ahead. He stayed low and crept closer, hiding behind the trunk and peering through the thick leaves of a banana tree, Navi tucked behind his shoulder.
On the road ahead of him, two women were being attacked by a red Bokoblin carrying a club. They had been hunting for truffles, evidenced by the fact that the fungi were now scattered about the area, baskets overturned but intact.
"Hey, good luck!" Navi said. Then she winked back to wherever she went when not dual-impersonating a firefly and an extremely-annoying gnat.
He watched as one of the women scrambled to search for something she could use as a weapon. The other was down, having tripped or been knocked there, the Shadow didn't know, but she was at the mercy of the snarling Bokoblin. It stood above her, drooling and panting for a moment, eyeing the woman frantically seeking a weapon, then seemed to focus on the one lying at its feet and raised its club, readying for a blow. The first woman finally found a suitable branch to use as a club, but she had had to stray quite far from her companion.
The Shadow decided an arrow would be his best bet— and three ales to whatever genius invented a way to stab someone far away— and pulled one out of his quiver, palming his bow at the same time. He noticed the tip of the arrow was different than the shock arrow's had been— this one was blue and looked like part of a snowflake, and he was going to have to take the time to look through his quiver, he decided— but didn't think too deeply about it before nocking it and taking aim.
His shot struck true, and the red Bokoblin was immediately encased in a block of ice, only a hint of frost licking at the injured woman's leg before she scooted away. The Shadow found himself cackling lowly with surprised glee, "Whoa-ho-ho-ho-ho!" A moment later, the branch-wielding woman charged at the frozen creature, swinging her makeshift weapon with gusto.
The Shadow emerged from his leafy cover, storing his bow again and drawing the darkly-glowing sword in case the woman needed help finishing off the monster. He'd no sooner formed the thought than the woman landed a particularly vicious blow and the Bokoblin-sized iceberg exploded into a brief blizzard accompanied by a plume of purple vapor and black smoke, the sword in the Shadow's hand growing dark as the phenomenon dispersed into nothingness. He frowned. What the hell was that about?
"Yes!" the victorious woman exclaimed, her short, dark brown hair floating, momentarily weightless as she performed a quick jump in joy before immediately tossing aside her branch. She bent to assist the other woman, speaking to her quietly. "It's all right, Nat. It's gone now. You were so brave."
"You're the one that destroyed it, Meghyn," the downed one, Nat, answered. She had short brown hair and sounded out of breath, or in pain. She had her right foot resting upon her left thigh, shoe off, and was carefully moving each toe before putting her shoe back on. "All I did was nearly break my foot kicking it in the shin."
"And again in the groin."
"Yeah, well, it was right there when the thing stood over me. I really had no choice."
"That's a cold, hard fact." This prompted them both to burst into what appeared to be hysterical giggles, Meghyn losing her balance and sitting in the dirt.
The Shadow sheathed his sword and dared a few steps closer to the women. He hadn't forgotten his red eyes this time and was prepared for their negative reaction.
"Oh!" they both exclaimed when they noticed him. He saw the moment they noticed his eyes, as there was another, slighter flinch than he'd been expecting. But instead of scurrying away as quickly as they could, they shared a long look— apparently having some sort of silent conversation, with a few head tilts and shoulder shrugs after which they both nodded, seemingly in agreement— before Meghyn settled back down and Nat cocked her head at him.
"You shot the ice arrow," she stated.
"Yes," he answered.
"Thank you. It felt so good to bash that thing's head in!" Meghyn cackled, her eyes alight.
The Shadow quirked up one side of his mouth. "I'm sure it did."
"What can we call you?" Nat asked.
He told them, and Meghyn climbed to her feet, dusting herself off before reaching down to pull Nat up, as well. The injured woman stood unsteadily— having to balance her weight on the heel of her injured foot was throwing off her center of gravity— but kept her feet. Meghyn hurried to right both baskets and return the scattered truffles to them, handing one to her companion and holding out her own toward the Shadow. "We don't have any way to repay you for your help, Shadow Link, but, please, take some hearty truffles. One on its own is a meal that will replenish low energy, and if you cook it first, it will make you feel better and give you an extra burst of energy temporarily."
The Shadow saw that they'd collected approximately fifteen in their two baskets, so he took two and made sure the women would be all right getting home, then left them to it.
He hadn't gone too far when the cliff face on his left suddenly fell away to the southwest, so he veered off the path to follow it. No sooner was he back in the cover of trees than Navi reappeared next to him.
"Well, that was exciting."
"Oh, that reminds me—" he unslung his quiver, pulling out twenty arrows and laying them in groups in the ground. He had two more shock arrows, with their double-lightning bolt tips and yellow fletching; two more ice arrows, their blue tips resembling snowflakes and their fletching white; three arrows with red flame tips and fletching— fire arrows, most likely; and three arrows had bulbous, red ends with a yellow circle on either side and a smaller, detonator tip— bomb arrows, their fletching black. The other ten were normal arrows, gleaming silver tips and blue fletching. Satisfied, he put them all back in the quiver and resituated it on his back, setting out again.
"Probably should've done that when you got it."
"You'd think my advisor would've mentioned it, seeing as it was my first day and I had a lot going on."
"Yeah. Someone's definitely getting fired."
"I have arrows for that."
"...That was lame."
"I know." He cut a path through the forest, keeping the cliff face on his left. "Hey, why did the Bokoblin poof into purple smoke instead of just dying?"
"All monsters are born of the malice of Demise, brought forth from the Banished Grounds by the might of Ganondorf, and to there they return upon destruction," she informed him.
"But the Hinox sank to the bottom of the lake."
"Did it? Or did you see it sink under the dark surface of the lake and then lose track of it or turn your back to it?"
He thought it over. The sun had been fully set by the time the battle had been over, and he had seen the bubbles surface and assumed it was the Hinox's last breath escaping. But it could've been the monster poofing away. He nodded his agreement. Then something else occurred to him.
"If I die, will I poof out in a burst of purple, too?"
To his surprise, she didn't answer immediately in the affirmative but spent a few moments thinking. "Hmm. No, I do not think so. Though you were made of malice, you have been Chosen and now tread the Path of the Hero."
"Mercenary."
"How you choose to walk the Path matters not. Your feet are still upon it."
He sighed and swatted at her without any real heat behind it and she dodged easily, chuckling at him. The sun had risen high in the sky by the time he reached the western edge of the forest, which ended in bluffs. A few stories below him ran the road south to Martha's Landing; across it lay Herin Lake, where he could see a herd of wild horses grazing and frolicking, nearly tiny from his viewpoint. To the south of the lake rose the eastern foot of the Ibara Butte, at the center of which lay Malanya Spring, home of the Horse God.
He sat on the edge of the bluff and turned his attention to his pack. As he pulled the tie to open the top, he saw that everything had been sorted into its own, brand-new compartment, arranged neatly in an order that made logical sense. He found the canteen easily and once he touched it, it grew into his hand and he opened it, enjoying a drink of the cool water. Anly had seen to it that the Shadow had a few sandwiches wrapped and stored in his pack, and he took one out now, thick bread with a slab of cheese, and ate half of it slowly, savoring the flavors. He stored the rest for supper and finished with an apple, instead; he didn't want to be too full with the afternoon's climb ahead.
Navi had come to rest near his leg, seating herself and leaning back on her hands as he ate. When he'd finished, she said quietly and with a sliver of surprise, "You don't seem to hate anyone."
He thought about his answer; had thought about it. "I hated Link, but that was only because it was my sole purpose to destroy him. My hatred for him wasn't mine, it was Ganondorf's, so once I'd killed him, it was just… gone."
"Even Ganondorf was not always entirely evil; he loved his mothers, and by all accounts, was loved by them. Once you killed Link, I suspect you were released from any emotions Ganondorf felt toward him— and any allegiance to Ganondorf— and beyond that, it seems he failed to put much effort into manufacturing a personality for you."
"Hey—"
"No, I mean he left you as a mostly-blank slate; perhaps he didn't expect you to survive your battle with Link, or maybe he simply overlooked it. You have some practical knowledge, but not much else. You're not overly cruel, and you've a quick wit and wicked sense of humor." He felt that warm glow in his chest burn just a little brighter. "It's kind of amazing: you're fully formed, yet you get to fill yourself in as you go, grow into your own person. Become a real boy."
"Man."
"Okay."
"Hey, I'm— shit, how old am I?"
"Two days."
"Fuck off." He formed his hand as if to flick her away. She laughed as she again flitted just out of his reach. He chuckled and tossed his apple core at her, watching it bounce harmlessly into the woods when she dodged.
"Link was nineteen, so I would assume that you are also nineteen." She cocked her head slightly. "As Anly pointed out this morning, you have grown noticeably lighter in shade since I first saw you yesterday. Each smile and laugh you give or cause, each new relationship you foster, every new, good experience is banishing some of the blankness— and, more importantly, some of the malice Ganondorf left you with, easing the gray away. Your eyes have gotten much less red along the edges, but not the center. It will be interesting to see how you turn out." Her voice gained a thoughtful tint. "The only other noticeable, major difference is that Link was left-handed, and you are not."
"Ganondorf is right-handed," he mused. "But my Mark faces the opposite way from his."
"And Link's and Zelda's, too," she said.
"Fantastic." He didn't know what else to say, and it seemed the Fairy didn't either, so the conversation died. He spent a few moments looking out over the landscape below and before him. The map in his head didn't do the actual scenery any justice whatsoever, he decided.
He stood and grabbed the pack; as he touched it, it grew so he could work the latch on the glider, then shrank again once he'd disengaged it. He grabbed the glider's handles, threw a smirk and a, "Here goes nothing," at Navi, and jumped away from the ledge.
The moment of freefall before the updraft caught the material of the glider and steadied his descent ripped an involuntary "Woo!" from the Shadow's throat and slapped a grin on his face. He came to a gentle landing on a large boulder sticking out of the ground across the road. He patted the glider appreciatively before grabbing the pack and hooking the glider to it again. The cliff before him rose sharply, but the top wasn't too far up, so he grabbed his first hand- and footholds, began hoisting himself up, and made it up in about ten minutes.
The shelf he was on now was quite a long, sloping, grassy climb that ended in another steep rock wall. Navi trailed along beside him, making small talk occasionally, but mostly keeping quiet. Before too long, it opened up to a wider space, but it wasn't empty. Several dozen rocks of the same general size and shape had been set in a large spiral formation. In the center, however, bloomed a single yellow bell-shaped flower.
"Ooh, a Korok flower!"
"A what, now?"
"Korok flower. They are the one flower you can find in all regions of Hyrule, regardless of climate."
"What does it do?"
"Touch it and see."
"Sure, and lose an arm when it explodes."
"It won't explode."
"Says you. You'll just flit away and be fine if it does. I'm the one who'll draw back a bloody stump."
Her tiny sighs always seemed larger than her body could possibly find the capacity for.
"Ugh. Fine. But if it blows my arm off, I reserve the right to beat you with it." He marched over to the flower and reached out to touch it. His fingers had just brushed the velvety-soft petal when there was a miniature poof! of green smoke and the sound of a wooden maraca rattling as the flower disappeared. It was replaced by a small creature that seemed to be made entirely of living wood, its face covered by a large, oddly-expressive leaf.
"Yah-ha-ha!" it cried excitedly, doing a little dance. "You found me!" Then it seemed to notice him. "Huh? You're not Hestu. But you can… see me? I didn't know your kind could see the children of the forest!"
"Uh, well, neither did I until just now," the Shadow replied. Navi flitted next to him.
"Ooh, a Fairy! Hi, Fairy!" The Korok waved enthusiastically at Navi. It turned back to the Shadow and held out a small, golden brown nugget of something that gave off a distinctive, earthy odor. "If you run into Hestu, would you please return this to him? Tell him Makar says 'Hi!'"
The Shadow hesitated. "Uh… Is that…?" He looked to Navi for help. Of course, she nodded encouragingly, so he reached out to take it, finding it smooth to the touch.
The little creature went on, "Oh, and my friends are hiding in lots of different places, too. Don't be shy about poking your nose into suspicious-looking locations!"
"Oh, uh," the Shadow hedged. "Sure. Thanks." He nodded to the Korok, then turned and walked to where the rock wall met the plain he was on. When he halted, he looked back to find the Korok watching him happily, and he tried not to find it creepy, but—
"Navi, did that guy give me poop?"
She laughed heartily for such a small thing. "Yes." Whatever the Shadow's face did then made her laugh again. "The Koroks like to play a very large game of hide and seek with their leader, Hestu, the most celebrated musician of the forest. You'll find them scattered around Hyrule. But— whew! Let's find somewhere to put that where we can't smell it for now!" She touched the pack and it glowed for a moment, then it opened and he found a new pocket, lined with something smooth and an airtight seal to put the Korok seed in. Once the pocket was closed, he could no longer smell the pungent aroma and he breathed a deep sigh of relief.
"Much better." Curiously, the little nugget had left no residue behind, nor did the odor linger on his hand. He shrugged his shoulders, assuming the Koroks had their own brand of magic, like so many things in Hyrule seemed to.
Another half-hour later, the Shadow reached another large, grassy shelf. This one stretched both to his left and his right, and in front of him rose the most intimidating cliff face yet.
The sun hung lower in the sky now and his arms burned from the climb, his fingertips stiff and aching, so the Shadow decided it was a good time to stop for a rest. He sat with his back to the rock face, took out his canteen, and had a few leisurely sips. Navi flitted away for a few minutes, coming back to tell him if he followed the shelf to the south, the incline was much longer and more gradual, and would take him to the same place as the steep vertical ascent of the very rock wall he was currently leaning against and which he had, in fact, been contemplating scaling even while shaking out his sore limbs.
Satisfied with his route, he stored the canteen in his pack again and had just risen to continue his trek when there was a muted boom! followed by faint laughter and a soft hissing noise. Red smoke, a brightly-illuminated symbol resembling an upside-down crying eye with a single teardrop elongated and centered, and what looked like red, floating rectangular pieces of paper sporting the same symbol filled the small area. When the smoke dissipated, a slender, androgynous individual stood in its place, dressed in a red and dark gray hooded bodysuit with a white mask painted with the same red inverted eye symbol and a vicious-looking curved sickle clutched in one hand.
The Shadow jumped back, instinctively drawing his blade and shield, noting that the sword was again glowing, the dim purple oddly noticeable in the bright sunlight.
"Yiga footsoldier!" Navi supplied, and then the Shadow recognized the symbol as the inverted Sheikah Eye.
But he didn't have time to think about it, as the footsoldier lunged forward with that wicked-looking blade. The Shadow pulled his shield up at the last moment, blocking the blow. At the same time, he drew back his sword arm, readying his own strike. He swung, but as his sword arced, his target disappeared with another poof!
The Shadow had barely even registered the event when he heard the poof! noise behind him, accompanied by the laughter and smoke once more. The Shadow parried the soldier's swing, hooking his longer sword in the curve of the sickle and twisting his arm, popping the weapon right out of the enemy's grip.
The mask hid their surprise well and they disappeared again. The Shadow spun, ready for them to reappear behind him again, and was proven right a second later.
When the footsoldier had been dispatched in another puff of smoke— this one the red of the Yiga clan mixed with the purple he now associated with a monster's sudden return to the Banished Grounds— they left behind their curved blade, a few rupees, a slender wooden bow, a quiver loaded with twenty arrows, and two whole bunches of bananas.
He stored the loot in his pack; he decided to keep the bow, too, and strung it along his back with the metal Lynel bow. It never hurt to have more than one type of something; if he needed to shoot a Wizzrobe in an electrical storm, he sure didn't want to have to use his metal bow. The sickle found its own home attached to a second clip that had appeared on the pack.
By the time he'd reached the southern ledge overlooking Malanya Spring, the sun's last, long fingers stretched into the inky sky, the Shadow's stomach was grumbling for sustenance, and other bodily functions made themselves known rather insistently, too.
He paced away a good distance to take care of his needs, cleaned his hands, then enjoyed the second half of his sandwich from his overlook. Navi sat nearby peacefully munching on… whatever she ate.
"It's the seed of a strawberry. I don't need to eat much, so this one seed will last me a week or more."
"Holy shit." He gave an appreciative nod.
When he'd finished eating, he grabbed the glider with a sense of gleeful anticipation, backed up a few steps, and took a running leap down into the mysteriously-lit grove below.
He came down on a path of footstones, laid in a slightly curving line that led up to an enormous, open flower. He climbed the steps, noticing faint, otherworldly music playing from somewhere, and stood looking into the fathomless depths of the darkest water the Shadow had ever seen. There was a faint glow that seemed to be coming from every surface of the flower; the circular, pink petals lining the pool of water, the deep blue outer petals, the vines and veins, the circular clusters of what looked to be stars arranged along what was essentially the back wall. Glowing purple sparkles rose from the surface of the water, twinkling darkly before dissipating in the air.
He stood for a moment, admiring the serenity. He let out an unconscious sigh.
A rumble began beneath his feet, growing slightly more intense before a large shape burst from the water. A huge wooden horse mask, a simple, bell-shaped body draped in patchwork horse quilts, and two hands, floating midair with no visible attachments to the body. The Horse God towered over the Shadow, and he wasn't sure if he was supposed to look into the empty eye sockets of the being's mask or at the things that looked like eyes but were where the ears should be, so he ended up looking at all of them in a somewhat dizzying cycle. Navi twinkled reverently next to him.
"Greetings, Shadow Link." The Shadow startled; he hadn't expected a god he hadn't met to know his name. "I am Malanya. I am the god who watches over the horses of this world. I am not present solely in my Spring, however. My form is at the foundation of each and every stable— an enormous horse head rising above each pavilion and announces its existence. Through these effigies, I am able to connect with each stable and ensure they are being properly cared for. Friendship is a two-way road. Horses can care for you as much and as well as you do for them."
The gigantic head swiveled down, obviously intending eye contact, wherever the eyes actually were. "You, Shadow Link, have saved an entire stable, one of my sacred houses. For that, I owe you a debt of gratitude." The armless hands floated lower, serious. "In addition, the stablemaster at Lakeside Stable is a good man, and I would reward his savior with the gift of an equine companion to aid him on his quest."
The Shadow tensed slightly, readying himself for rejection, for the "but".
"As you are a unique individual, so, too, must be your horse."
The Shadow barely had time to draw his eyebrows together before the Horse God began to glow with his own light, a brilliant aura pulsating in a rainbow spectrum around the monolithic deity for a few moments. Then the Shadow heard a soft nicker behind him, and he turned to find a horse on the path behind him.
Rather than a flesh-and-blood horse like those at Lakeside or the wild ones he'd seen in Herin Lake, however, a Stalhorse stood patiently, a swatch of padded leather strapped around its ribs functioning as a saddle, watching the Shadow with familiar red eyes and its black tail flicking like a timepiece.
The Shadow turned back to Malanya when the explanation began. "This is Epona. She was an exceptionally loyal and valiant companion to a brave knight, slain in battle not long before the knight himself perished. She will serve you well on your journeys.
"Through no fault of your own, you were born of malice, so my living children dare not seat you, even being the Chosen of Farore. Epona, however, will not shy from your Otherness.
"To the shadows she belongs now, so she is well-suited to you, Shadow Link. You may only ride her when night has settled across Hyrule. To compensate for this, you will find her speed unmatched by any other horse and surpassed only by her steadfastness."
The Shadow was puzzled. He looked over his shoulder at the skeletal horse. "What happens to her during the day?"
"With the dawn, should you leave her alone too long, or should her shadow-life be taken in battle, she will return Beyond to recover her strength. Without her flesh and sinew, the sun is merciless on her form. To summon her, simply whistle; she will hear you anywhere in Hyrule, provided you are outdoors. Treat her well."
Okay, he could work with only being able to ride at night. He heard a whoosh! and turned back to find just one hand still visible, the rest of the Horse God having retracted into his pond, presumably. The hand gave a small wave, then it, too, was gone.
As the Shadow approached the horse, the beast lowered its head to look him in the eye. Seemingly satisfied with what it saw, it blinked and turned its side to him, cocking its foreleg to allow the Shadow to use it as a step up. He was just about to do so when Navi chirped in his ear, "Hey! There's a treasure chest over there."
He looked in the direction she twinkled and, sure enough, there was a silver chest sitting there, looking as if it had just been placed there. He hadn't noticed it as he'd glided down, so perhaps it had been.
He opened it to find a Sheikah-made saddle, dark brown with tan stitching and orange and bright blue accents that almost seemed to glow. It was amazing. When he lifted it out, he found a matching bridle tucked underneath. On the breastplate was the upright symbol of the Sheikah Eye. He fastened both to the Stalhorse, finding that they fit perfectly. He climbed aboard at last, settling into the comfortable and well-padded saddle.
Navi flitted forward and patted the braided black mane. "Pretty girl," her voice was low (for her) and soothing. Epona nickered and stomped her right foreleg twice. "You're welcome."
The Shadow smiled, reaching out to pat the bony neck beneath the bridle. "All right, girl. Let's head back to Lakeside Stable, shall we? Anly has a Hinox problem we can take care of before we head on to Hateno Village."
The horse snorted and nodded her head.
"Link was from Hateno Village," Navi said.
"Yeah, I know. I figure there's an empty house there I can crash in for a while while I figure out what I want to do next."
"You know what you should do."
"I'm not going to Hyrule Castle. Not going on the damn quest."
"Whatever you say."
"I do know what sarcasm is, you know."
"No way."
The Shadow rolled his eyes, nickered softly to the Stalhorse, and they set off at a canter, heading swiftly and smoothly back toward Lakeside Stable.
Author note: is it weird to say that almost every chapter is one of my favorites? It's weird, isn't it. I don't care. I said what I said. I fucking love this story so much.
Let me know what you think! :)
