A/N: This chapter was revised as of 2/21/2019 - Polished, minor errors and typos fixed.
When Heroes Fall
By: Selphie Kinneas 175
Chapter 12: Catalyst
.:.
There was a voice he recognized in the darkness.
A soothing sound he heard only when his mind was at its weariest – which, nowadays, was most days.
"You stupid, silly wolf," it called.
There were no visuals. There were no feelings. Only the sound that ignited his soul.
"You've gotta start thinking with your head and not your heart! You always were a sap," it laughed.
He wanted to laugh, too, but he had no control in this space between spaces.
He wished she'd keep him here, but she never did stay in one place for long. As his senses began returning to him, his companion began leaving him.
"Think with your head, Mr. Big Important Hero. Think with your head."
His heart was once again cold, the blackness faded and the feeling returned, though he wished it hadn't. He could feel his body being moved against his will. He was being jostled up and down, side to side, and not at all gently. He creaked his tired eyelids open and the world was upside down. Grass and dirt rustled past his ears. As his vision adjusted, he looked up and saw soldiers and horses towering above him. Their gazes were forward as they marched, and Link blinked several times as he began to realize what was going on.
He picked his head up to find his left leg lifted and bound. A rope wrapped around his ankle at one end and attached to the saddle of the horse directly in front of him at the other. It was the king's horse. He clearly had been being dragged behind the trotting steed for Din knows how long. He let his head fall back down with a sigh.
The ground tore at the already raw flesh on his back, having no idea how long he'd been in this state by this point. His arms followed loosely at his sides and his unbound leg dangled beside his tied one. He glanced around at those in his company. Soldiers on foot as well as soldiers on horseback. They murmured amongst themselves words that the hero could barely make out – something about returning to the castle. He needed to get out of this, but what could he do?
He could escape, but the guards would see him, alerting the king. Viscen would come for Link's loved ones and stop at nothing to get what he wanted. His insatiable desire to rule all lands would see the hero's family and friends burned to ash, all just for his cooperation. The truth was, Link didn't even know how to get to the twilight now. He thought he had it figured out, thought he was so close to reaching her, but he was wrong. Now, he didn't know what to do. It felt like no matter what course of action he chose, he would lose.
Not that that was really any different from any other situation in his life.
One of the soldiers caught sight of the hero's alertness and shouted, "Your Majesty, the hero is awake."
Viscen turned and called over his shoulder, "Ah, what a pleasure it is for you to join us! We are just on our way to Castle Town to get you acquainted with everyone. I can speed up the trip if you like?"
Link said nothing. His skin crawled at the king's every word.
The hero's silence never ceased to fully irritate the wicked king. His lip snarled but he covered it with a fake grin, "Alright then, full speed ahead, gentlemen!"
Viscen kicked his steed firmly and she broke out into an all-out gallop. Link's heart raced as the moderately bumpy ride turned life-threatening. His body bobbed up and down, hitting the ground harder and harder with each bump in the road. He calmed himself as the adrenaline rushed through his veins. As he bounced and dragged punitively, he focused his strength to winding his bound leg around and around, using up more and more of the rope and ever pulling himself closer.
A couple of soldiers watched the hero in bewilderment from atop their horses, struggling to keep up as the king mustered all haste.
One glanced at his brother in arms with shock on his older features, "You see that?"
The other one nodded with an amazed smile, but both men wiped their amused looks off quickly; they couldn't risk the king seeing them silently rooting for the hero.
Link grunted in pain as he braced against rocks and gravel in the path, the constant jouncing making his task difficult. Despite all the odds against him, he continued wrapping up his leg, at last nearing the end of the rope, careful to avoid being trampled by the king's mare.
Viscen looked down as he felt the tugging on his saddle. Pure fury and bewilderment flashed on his strong features when he saw Link clambering up the side of his horse. He raised his hand high to whack the hero with the flat of his sword, but Link ducked down low and avoided the swing. He grabbed the king by his belt and used all his might to yank his body from the seat. Viscen wailed as he tumbled to the ground, forcing his company to screech to a halt to avoid crushing him. Link pulled himself all the way up into the saddle, glancing back at the king and his men as the horse sped up even more as it grew frightened.
The soldiers rushed to their leader's side to help him up to which he pushed them away in annoyance. He got to his feet in a fluster, fixing his hair and adjusting his cloak before yelling at the top of his lungs, "Shoot him down!"
Link had gained some distance and did not hear the command. He reached down, trying to free his leg from the rope, but without a weapon he wasn't having much luck. His mount was frantic and refused to listen to him. She ran straight ahead, only moving to avoid obstacles in her path. The hero looked over his shoulder and squinted to make out at least a dozen arrows soaring straight for him. With wide eyes and a quick beat of his heart, he let his body drop to the horse's side, the arrows flying overhead.
Viscen clenched his fists and threw them down at his sides, like a toddler throwing a tantrum. His jaw tightened and his forehead creased in anger.
"I said shoot him down!" he growled, "SHOOT HIM DOWN!"
Link kicked the mare's sides, pulled the reigns, dug into the stirrups, but she listened to none of it. This horse was absolutely horrified – she must have never seen war, an entirely 'for-show' horse. Figures that the king wouldn't ride into any battles himself.
He pulled out his horseshoe-shaped instrument he always wore around his neck and kept tucked inside his undershirt. He played the familiar notes as quickly as he could. This horse wasn't going to take him anywhere – his only chance to get away was Epona. He stuffed the little flute back beneath his collar and returned to desperately trying to free his ankle. He glanced repeatedly over his shoulder on the lookout for projectiles, and only seconds later he saw another wave coming in. He ducked to one side just as before, and once again the arrows missed him, but this time they hit his mount.
The king's mare whinnied loudly in pain before toppling to the grass. She fell on the side Link clung to and they both slid several feet from the momentum before finally coming to a halt. Link groaned as the weight crushed him, grimacing as he wiggled to free himself.
In the distance, Viscen sneered. He pushed one of his soldiers out of the way who was preparing to climb onto his own horse, the king taking it for himself instead. He motioned for his men to mount up and follow him, and he galloped toward the downed hero with great speed.
Link saw this, but didn't allow himself to panic. With a moan, he at last freed himself from the heavy weight of the dying horse. His heart hurt for the mare as the puncture wound took her slowly. On the ground only a handful of feet away, several arrows pierced the dirt from the previous volley. Still bound at the ankle, he crawled over to them, stretched as far as he could, and reached for two. He went back to the mare and placed a hand to her chest. She was losing too much blood to survive, but this death could potentially take hours. He located her rapidly beating heart and plunged the arrow into it. He closed his eyes as her writhing came to a stop, hoping the supposed goddesses welcomed her with open arms.
He snapped back to reality quickly, noticing the on-comers fast approaching. He took the second arrow and began whittling away at the long, straight part of the rope with the sharp arrowhead. He glanced up and down, keeping track of the king's distance as well as his progress. He sawed back and forth, with as much speed and strength he could muster. At the last possible moment, he finally managed to cut through his bindings and he was freed. It left the tied knot around his ankle, but he could worry about that later.
Viscen and his men surrounded the hero. Link looked at none but Viscen himself.
The king glanced down at the lifeless body of his steed with a click of his tongue, "Shame about the horse." He shrugged, "I can get another."
He felt not an ounce of remorse, Link realized. Not that it was news, but it still shocked him even though it shouldn't. The poor creature was terrified in her last moments... and her master whom she loved dearly didn't care.
"Now, hero, enough with the games," Viscen began with his typical sly grin, "There is no use fighting. You are coming with me and you will be Hyrule Castle's most esteemed guest – until you choose to cooperate."
Link heard something then, and his lack of reply further angered the king.
Viscen's jaw set, "You will not disobey your king!"
Hoofbeats drew nearer and nearer until the mighty steed of the hero burst through the ranks of soldiers. She didn't slow down; Link grabbed the saddle horn and thrust himself up onto her back in one fluid motion. She stampeded through the guards and past the flabbergasted king, and she just kept going.
Link rubbed her neck affectionately, "Thank you, girl. Let's go."
He didn't glance over his shoulder. He hunkered down low, allowing Epona to garner the utmost speed. Far behind, Viscen ordered another volley. Link could hear the rushing of wind behind him and tucked down into his mare's neck even further, the arrows just barely missing them both. He still didn't look back – he couldn't.
He urged her on and on, "Come on, girl, come on."
Another barrage, and one dove close enough past Epona's ear that she startled. She nickered, but it was only a hiccup in her gallop. She swerved then, and Link kept his eyes focused ahead and his body as small as he could. There was another storm of arrows, and it was then that time slowed down.
Epona whinnied and dropped hard. Link heard it like a siren. He soared from the saddle and tumbled some strides away. He groaned as his rolling finally came to a halt, his world spinning and a dull throbbing punctuating his every move. His heart raced and removed all thought from his brain as he rushed to his companion's side. A single arrow protruded from her hind leg, and in the longest moment in history, he stared without words.
In the distance, Viscen smiled.
Link's throat was tight, his chest was heavy. His lungs squeezed and his heart was a boulder. He stared down at his best friend, disbelief in his clouded irises. His lifelong partner stared up at him in confusion, nickering and grumbling in discomfort. He was frozen. How could he let this happen? How could this happen...
In his world there was nothing else, so when Viscen and his men appeared around him he was startled, but he did not react.
"What a pity..." the king feigned empathy. The fake sound of sadness was poison to Link's ears, "Now, now, let her death not be in vain."
The hero turned to see Viscen's hand outstretched towards him. Link's lips tensed up into a snarl and his nostrils flared. His eyes burned with rage and when he spoke he spewed venom.
"She is not dead, you imbecile."
Link turned back to his best friend – he always let her wander, but he would never let her go that far.
He heard Viscen snort behind him, "Well, why don't we speed up the process."
The king withdrew his blade and managed only a half-step before Link snatched a sword from the scabbard of one of the soldiers and turned it on Viscen, "You so much as look at her I swear to the great golden goddesses of this world there will be nothing to save you."
Viscen flashed a hint of surprise but shoved it down with haste. He raised his hands in mock fear, "Oh my, dear hero, whatever from?"
"Me," the hero hissed.
The king laughed then, glancing at each of his men in turn, forcing out nervous laughter from each of them just the same. Link never lowered his weapon, the steel pointed directly at his adversary with barely an arm's length between the point and the king's neck.
When at last he felt he had relished in the moment long enough, Viscen turned back to his continuous annoyance. For some untold minutes, they stared. The king watched the young man, his resolve never waning. Link glared daggers at Viscen, that mischievous look once again in the way his eyes glimmered in darkness and in the way his lips curled up just barely enough to notice. When he opened his mouth and his free hand gestured his every word, Link's blood was near boiling over.
"I know you would not dare threaten your king, hero," he began, his face as sinister as his tone of voice, "Why, there are so many things I could do simply because you chose to threaten me. Let's see..." he placed his hand to his chin, "We would start at that disgusting village, of course – I promised you that, and I would not dare break a promise. But then, perhaps we could travel to that hometown of yours. Oh dear, what was it called?"
Link's grip tightened and his eyes narrowed. He felt his blood rush in his ears and he could barely hear over the beating of his heart.
The king was quite the actor, ever putting on an elaborate show. He knew what it was called, and his embellished storytelling did nothing but get under Link's skin – perhaps that was why he did it.
"Ah, yes! Ordon! Why, such a quaint village, no one around to protect it. What a shame that would be," he glanced at one of his guards who appeared positively terrified, but he acted tough when he noticed his king looking at him, "And after that, I suppose, perhaps, we could take a journey to visit your beloved twilight princess, hm? Why, I imagine her head would be quite pretty on a spike."
That was it. Link's self-control was gone. His patience with this mad king was spent. His brain forfeited to his heart beating indignantly against his chest. He screamed a battle cry so full of emotion he tore his vocal chords. He lunged his weapon forward, eager to at last pierce this villainous man straight through his chest. At the last second, soldier number twelve dove in front of the blade.
Time slowed to a stand-still. He saw the man's expression of utter horror and pain. He felt his own heart leap into his throat and sit there uncomfortably. He saw Viscen... smile. Then it was over. The man he had heard just yesterday discussing his daughter's upcoming school play lay dead at the hero's feet, by the hero's hand.
Link dropped the sword and crumpled to his knees. He pressed a shaking hand to the soldier's neck, but he was already gone.
Viscen put on his pretend sad face again, the one that made Link's stomach churn, "What a shame. But such devotion to his king! You could all learn from this man!" He turned to his soldiers, each with a look of complete astonishment on their faces.
Link cradled the man's head and shut his eyes for him, one last time. He had made a little girl somewhere in Castle Town fatherless. Whether intentional or not, he was dead because of him. He turned and gazed at Epona, no longer struggling but lying still. Had she... left him too?
The hero hung his head and in that moment lost all resolve. That indomitable will. That undeniable strength. That unwavering courage. It was all out the window. He didn't care anymore. Let the king do what he wanted with him.
"Now, I imagine, you will play nice, hero?" Viscen's voice was lethal in that moment. It permeated him down to his core and he felt all fortitude melt from him. Everything that mattered, everything that he fought for... None of it mattered anymore. Everything he had done was such a waste. He had no energy left in a single bone in his body, no vigor in a single muscle. He became again, a shell.
He said nothing, to the king's distaste. Viscen cleared his throat, to which Link still remained unmoving, silent. He sat beside the father he murdered, his weak hands in his lap and his unseeing eyes glazed over. The king grunted in frustration and motioned for his men to take action.
Two of the stronger soldiers lifted the hero to his feet harshly. To their surprise, Link did not protest. Another guard approached and bound the hero's hands at his back. Link remained as stone. Viscen watched in cool speculation. Some hero, he thought, to give up for something so common as death.
At the behest of their king, the soldiers pushed the hero of twilight onwards toward the city. By now it was not far to go, and he did not object. He did not make a sound when they grasped his arms sternly, or when they shoved him ahead brutally. He was entirely in his own head, and he was entirely defeated.
They led him through Castle Town's bustling streets, passersby gaping and gawking at the man they believed to be the one of legend under arrest. The king followed behind atop his borrowed stallion, his square chin pointed high, gazing down his long nose at those below. He waved to his citizens egotistically, giving the overall appearance of sheer self-righteousness. Onlookers gossiped and whispered amongst themselves, but Link ignored everyone.
The king's men shoved the hero up to the dais in the middle of town, and Viscen grinned and waved as he dismounted his steed and stood tall front and center. Link slumped, head hung low, beside the king where soldiers one and eleven clutched his forearms securely on either side of him.
Viscen outstretched his arms wide, and with a booming voice he commanded, "Citizens of Hyrule! Gather 'round!"
And they did. Sheep to the slaughter, Link thought.
A crowd formed within seconds, men and women pushing and shoving to get a front row spot. Fathers hoisted their little ones on top of their shoulders and mothers hushed their neighbors fervently.
"How glorious it is to see the faces of my beautiful citizens after the hardship I have endured," Viscen bellowed and then grew soft, "I fear I have grave news."
Quiet chattering flitted amongst the people but they soon again fell silent.
"My beloved wife and daughter... Your dear queen and princess... were murdered..."
The crowd gasped. Viscen wore that same fake face – it made Link sick to his stomach how he could play these people so easily.
The king turned to Link with fire in his eyes, "By that man! The supposed hero!"
The peaceful crowd turned into a rage-filled mob.
"Liar!" Link roared, his will to fight returning secretly and against his control. The guards restrained him tighter, "You kill-"
A firm blow to the back of the head from soldier eleven cut Link's accusation short. He whirled onto the man that dare strike him and swept his leg underneath him, knocking him clear off his feet with a loud thud. The remaining guard so little as placed a hand on the hilt of his sword before Link noticed. The hero kneed him in the groin, and as the soldier stumbled back he kicked him hard in the center of his chest, sending him flying backwards. Viscen flicked a glance and five soldiers at once rushed the hero, restraining him.
"Do you see?" the king turned towards his people who were in an outrage, "Such violence he exudes!"
Link growled in pure, unadulterated hatred, "You filth."
Viscen scowled with a wave of his hand, "Cover that rat's dirty mouth."
Two soldiers pressed down on the hero's feet on either side, and two more held each arm which remained tied at the wrist at his back. The fifth guard with cloth in his hand moved to cover Link's mouth from behind, to which the hero thrust his head backward with all his might. The soldier staggered back with a yelp of pain, a hand clutching at his now-bloody nose. The sudden shock made the soldier at his left leg lighten the pressure for only a fraction of a second, but Link felt the opportunity and took it.
He stomped with the might of Din onto the soldier's foot. When the man lurched forward at the pain, Link kneed him in the face. The guard stumbled away, and Link jammed his left shoulder up into the jaw of the man holding his left arm. His neck audibly cracked and he shrunk away. With his left side free and the remaining two men still holding on but growing fearful, he thrust his right side forward, and the man at his arm tumbled ahead. Before he could recover, Link kicked his right leg with all his strength, and the soldier there flew off and collided with the other man.
The hero stood tall, barely a scratch on him. Eyes filled with fury stared into the king's, who shown a flicker of dazed astonishment, but still mostly held calm victory. The crowd booed and hissed, some chucking things at the hero while others spat in his direction.
When the moment passed and Viscen grew annoyed, he muttered, "Oh, for heaven's sake."
He lifted a fist into the air, and in a second flat an arrow pierced the hero's chest from a hidden archer on an unseen rooftop.
Link groaned and wavered before crumbling to one knee. His head drooped and he looked through shaggy bangs down at the floor, at the people in front of him cursing his name. The sounds lessened in his dull ears, the angry faces of the people he'd only ever tried to save the only thing he saw. Then sound came back, and their hateful swears were all too loud.
Viscen approached slowly, ever playing the part of benevolent ruler. He stood beside the hero but turned out towards the mob, "Do let this be a lesson, dear citizens of Hyrule..." his voice grew to that of thunder, "I will protect this beloved land until my last breath. None of you will ever have to fear men like this, that I promise you!"
The crowd cheered, and Link could only stare at the tiny droplets of blood that splashed on the cobblestones beneath him. He glanced only briefly at the public before him, and his heart ached far worse than the arrow sticking out of him did.
The king turned then to the hero, speaking still to his people, "Even to criminals and murderers such as this, we will show compassion." He spoke softly, the mask of altruism one he wore with ease.
Viscen placed a hand on Link's uninjured shoulder, opening his mouth to begin another grand speech. Link shrugged him off and pushed himself to his feet before the king could get a word out. Link's world spun, but only for a fleeting moment. Viscen saw it, but he also saw a strength in him he thought he had whittled down. To be honest, Link thought it was gone too – but it was always there, no matter how much he wished it wasn't.
Viscen wanted nothing more than to see it snuffed out.
"Is Shiro's family in the crowd?" the king called, his voice echoing as the people quieted down.
Link swallowed hard; he only needed one guess as to who that was.
The audience parted only a bit, and a young woman clutching the hand of little girl no older than seven came forward. The hero's throat went tight and he closed his eyes – he knew exactly what Viscen was doing.
"Such a lovely family..." the king whispered fake sympathy before exclaiming, "It grieves me to relay the news that your husband and father fell in battle today."
The woman clamped a hand to her mouth, the tears flowing instantly.
"He fell protecting me from this man," Viscen continued, turning to Link who could only hang his head in shame. The king exhaled in fake sadness as the crowd screamed and hollered their profanities, "My very life was threatened. The corpses of the queen and princess not enough to satisfy his bloodlust, I suppose. Our dear Shiro... ever faithful to the crown and to the royal family... He saved me from this blasphemous mongrel."
The congregation roared. They spewed insults and obscenities Link wouldn't dare repeat. He saw the mother and daughter hold each other and sob. His head hung low again, he couldn't bear to watch. Citizens glowered at him and screamed to have him hanged at the stake. But he remained as stone.
"Now," Viscen began, sounding disciplinary, "Your queen would not want you to hold hatred in your heart, even at a being as vile as this."
The crowd started to hush if only a bit.
The king took a commanding step forward, a righteous hand held to his heart, "My beloved wife was ever a woman of grace and empathy. She led this land with compassion and mercy – were she here now, she would not have this man killed. It was not in her nature to do unto others so cruelly as they themselves did, but to lead by example. I only pray to the goddesses above that I can honor her in her absence."
The people were mostly quiet, save for a few 'aw's. Most closed their eyes and sent a prayer up to the deities for their queen and princess, even though Link knew they weren't truly gone. Link knew Viscen refrained from killing him for his own selfish agenda of using the Master Sword to gain entry to the twilight realm, not for some false sense of superiority. The king needed him, and it was the only thing that kept him stringing the hero along like a dog.
He felt a spark in his heart at the thought of that word. They always used to joke about his likeness to his canine counterpart. She would have laughed too, he was sure.
Viscen had been talking the whole time, but Link blocked it out. He glanced down at his chest, at the dots of blood surfacing on his pale shirt. It wouldn't be the first or the last time, nor would it worry or surprise him. He focused solely on filling his lungs, something he'd learned over the years of enduring various agonies. The tightness in his muscles as he took each breath, the pounding of his heart magnified by a thousand, the coldness of the blood trickling down his skin, the heat in his torn flesh, the ringing in his ears – he was used to this, as much as he shouldn't be, as much as he wished he wasn't.
What he wasn't used to, however, were the glares of contempt and disgust.
"Do not fear for your families, for your children. This man will be locked in the dungeon, where he can do no harm to anyone," Viscen proclaimed.
"He should be hanged!"
"He murdered the queen! The princess!"
"Don't let him get away with this!"
"Hang him!"
The citizens cried for a justice that was not his to bear. Link couldn't look at them any longer, the hatred in their eyes cleaved straight through him, burned his spirit and paralyzed his soul. A soldier grabbed his clasped wrists from behind and turned him around harshly. A group of them surrounded him and dragged him forcefully down the steps off of the dais, Viscen assuaging his people's concerns all the while.
"He will serve time and he will be tried, my beautiful citizens of Hyrule, do not fret. We will be merciful, but he will have his day."
The crowd cheered and hissed and booed alike. Link went where the guards dragged him without reluctance. They pushed through the angry mob, hands reaching to harm the hero and vile insults slung in his ear. One man spat in his face, and Link turned his eyes towards the ground.
The people adored the royal family... for them to think he murdered the queen and princess... it was the ultimate sin. He didn't blame them for hating him, for they were falsely led. Of course they would take Viscen's word over his own, he was their king, their trusted leader and compassionate ruler. He'd seen the kingdom flourish in the last fifteen years, and the people had yet to be shown the side of him Link knew dictated his every action. He wasn't sure how to win. He wasn't sure how to show them the truth. He... wasn't sure of much of anything anymore.
His body followed mindlessly, the pain in his chest and in his heart and mind dulling all external senses. He didn't care about being thrown in a dungeon. He didn't care about bleeding or being the king's play thing. He cared about Zelda and Emeline, Ren, his family, his friends, Midna... Epona...
When the outcries of the citizens got quieter, his surroundings got darker. They led him past the castle and down a dim stairwell. A heavy door closed behind them and the sun was gone. There was barely a spot of light, only a sparse torch here and there to guide one's way through the maze of iron bars and metal chains. The air was heavy and dank, and what should be a subtle sound of water dripping from the ceiling echoed and was overwhelmingly loud in this eerily silent place.
His mind was absent when they threw his body into a cell. His consciousness lived on another plane of existence when they bound his hands in cuffs chained to the cold wall. He was a husk when his knees hit the wet floor and the guards took their leave. His glossy eyes peered up only briefly to see the king standing before the open iron-barred door. The man stood tall, his sinister face shadowed as he glared down his hooked nose at the nuisance he would take great pleasure in toying with. He couldn't let him die – he was still too important, much to his dismay – but he could let him rot.
So for now, he would rot.
With a snicker, Viscen stepped outside and shut and locked the heavy door behind him. He took a moment to revel in his victory; seeing the hero in chains made him giddy. Link looked at him no longer, the king's expression of sly triumph going unnoticed, but he could feel it as he stood there watching him like a hawk. At length, he turned and left, the sound of fancy slippers tapping on cobblestones and splashing in puddles of water growing farther and farther away. He took the light with him, and the hero was left in darkness.
Outside Castle Town, the companion he wasn't sure survived or not got to her feet. Epona struggled and limped on her back leg, but she got up nonetheless. It had been many years since she had taken her master home, but it was a place she could never forget.
She knew she would find loved ones in Ordon, so that's where she headed.
It was a slow journey, even for a horse such as she was. Blood trickled down her leg to her hoof in a slow drizzle. Day turned to night and again to day, and the weather remained on her side. She hobbled to the forest, to the line of trees she'd first taken her master through so many years ago. She was getting older, and this was getting harder. She'd seen many places in her time, traveled many miles and carried her master through trials inhuman. She'd taken him to the ends of the earth and back again, always back again. She could never forget back again, no matter how the years passed or how age graced her. She would always remember home.
She wasn't the horse of the hero for no reason. She wasn't Epona – so highly regarded as the most esteemed and respected of all the equine, almost lord-like in her own right – for no reason. The steed that carried the hero in her lifetime always felt, somehow, touched by the goddesses herself. She had the power of Din, the courage of Farore, and the wisdom of Nayru running through her veins. She was strong enough to endure, brave enough to survive, and smart enough to know how.
The familiar sight of Ordon greeted her in two day's time.
The sun was setting. Beth sat with her little one at the spirit's spring. She came here often – it reminded her of the twilight. It reminded her of her brothers that were far away, of her friends in Kakariko, of a trying time that made her the person she was today.
She watched Evan splash in the cool waters with a smile. She missed his father terribly; it was a pain she battled with every day. Dusk on the horizon helped her to forget, it put her mind on other things. The twilight had left them all scarred, and scared. It had touched each person with claws and fangs of different demons. It had burrowed monsters deep down, small ones and big ones, frightening ones and comforting ones. They each battled with their own inner shadows, spirits and darkness that lingered from that time. What would have happened had Link not been there? She didn't want to think about it.
They had been so young, so naïve, but the adults did not emerge unscathed either. Her father and mother hadn't slept upon her return all those years ago. She woke up frequently to nightmares, only to find one or both of her parents sitting at her bedside. They were terrified of her being whisked out from under them again, so terrified that it inhibited their lives for years. They wouldn't let her out of their sight, couldn't let her out of their sight. What if they glanced away for merely a second only to turn around and see that she was gone again? No, they couldn't take it should it happen again. Everyone suffered. Link, though...
Link didn't even make it out.
Beth sighed. Her thoughts often took this depressing turn when she sat and watched the sunset. She had to remind herself that it soothed her, too. It reminded her of her protective brothers, all of them having stepped forward even at such a young age to protect their sister. Malo would never have been so open about it, but Talo and Colin had been her rocks when they were kids. She would have never admitted it back then, she was too sassy and proud, but they were. Them, and Renado and Luda. The shaman and his daughter were life rafts in the middle of an angry ocean. They had been the family they so desperately needed when beasts and devils stood between them and home. It reminded her of her big sister, of Ilia. She missed her every single day, they all did; it still didn't feel like it had gotten any easier. It reminded her of her biggest brother, and the impact he had had on every single one of them since he showed up when the kids were too little to even remember. He had just always been there... until he wasn't.
The sound of a slow gallop suddenly drew her from her thoughts. The sight nearly stole her breath, and she forgot how to use her voice until her little boy used his.
"Look at the pony, mama!"
It was a horse she would recognize from a million miles away, in a storm, and if the world mysteriously turned inside out. Beth got to her feet and went to the tired mare, confusion taking hold as the horse's master was nowhere to be found. Her brow furrowed as she pat the gentle girl's nose, dozens of possibilities running through her head. Was Link alive? Was he hurt? Was he lost? Why would Epona come home without him? Was he... dead?
Beth shook the negative thoughts away and grabbed for the mare's reins when she noticed something. She gasped when she caught sight of an arrow protruding from the girl's back leg. She grabbed her little boy's hand in her left and with her right led Epona hurriedly to central Ordon.
As darkness took over the sky, Rusl stood near the quiet brook that traveled through their humble village. He chatted with Hanch and Jaggle about mindless things, and the sight of the famous steed instantly caught Beth's father's eye.
"Oh my!" he shrieked.
Rusl turned and followed his friend's line of sight.
Epona... but no Link.
His face went pale.
"She's hurt, Uncle Rusl," Beth said after some time in silence passed that was lost to the older man. He simply stood and stared without a word, unsure of what to think.
The scruffy man reached out and placed a calloused hand on the gentle giant's snout. She whinnied and neighed happily, but it was diluted. She seemed so aged... so worn down since he'd last seen her. Her coat's luster was dimmed, the sparkle in her eyes less vibrant. He smiled a sad smile as he caught the still-lively spirit in her warm irises – it was still the Epona he knew and loved, even despite her aged fatigue.
She stamped and shook out her mane, and Rusl understood that she was hurting, "I'll bring her up to Fado, he may know how to help her."
Beth handed the reins to her uncle, "What could this mean?"
Rusl shook his head, "I... have no idea."
They stood in mostly silence for a handful of minutes, the only sound being Epona's stomping hooves and uncomfortable whinnies. They just... didn't know what to do or say.
"I need to get Evan to bed," Beth at last cleared her throat, "But keep me in the loop, okay? I'm worried..."
Rusl nodded, "Of course."
The young woman hoisted her son up onto her hip, despite his useless protesting of bed time. She persuaded him easily with talk of his favorite story: the hero of twilight versus a mighty fire-breathing sky dragon. Beth had no idea if it was real or not – she knew Link had fought some crazy things in his time, but a dragon? She had to laugh to herself; it just seemed much too far-fetched, but a story was a story, and Evan loved to hear it.
Rusl's mind reeled just as his niece's had. Why would Epona show up here without her master in tow? And why was she injured? The endless slew of questions had never ceased since the day he'd taken Link in as his son, save for his fifteen-year absence. In truth, the appearance of said mind-boggling uncertainties lit the faintest spark of hope in his heart – it meant his son may yet be alive.
He stared into her deep eyes, wishing with all his might that she could magically speak to him. Just tell him what happened, what was going on, all of it. She looked like she wished the very same thing, but maybe that was just him projecting.
With a sigh, he turned and headed for the ranch, casting an awkward nod to Hanch and Jaggle as he went. Since Link left all those years ago, Fado mostly spent his time alone up on that grassy hill. Everyone seemed to act and cope completely differently regarding the twilight and the departure of their hero, and Fado had seen to becoming quite recluse. On his way, however, his daughter caught sight of him through the window of their home and burst out the front door.
"Dad! What's that!" she yelled enthusiastically, this horse eerily matching the description she'd heard since she was just a little girl about the famed steed of legend.
Rusl breathed deep, not looking forward to explaining it as it would only get her fragile hopes up. Despite this, he was truthful, "This is Epona."
Calie gasped, and at mention of the name, Uli stepped outside still wiping her wet hands with a dish rag.
"Oh my!" the mother exclaimed with a wide grin, glancing around the quiet village, "Where is my boy? Where is Link?"
Rusl frowned and looked away, and both the girls' smiles turned upside down.
"Where's Link, dad?"
He hung his head before returning his family's gaze, "I'm afraid I still don't know. Epona just showed up here by herself."
Calie's shoulders drooped in disappointment, "That's... weird? Right?" she turned to her mother for an answer.
Uli nodded, "Yes, very," she turned to her husband, "That is worrisome, dear... What do you plan to do?"
Rusl inhaled through his nose, "I suppose... get her patched up and head out."
"Head out?" Calie's eyes went wide.
"Something's up," Rusl admitted with a shrug, "I have to either see if Link is nearby or track down Colin and Ren and find out what's going on."
Calie gasped, "I want to come!"
"No," Rusl said firmly without a second of thought.
His daughter pouted, "Why?"
"I've let too many of my children venture off, I won't allow another," he stated sternly, turning to head toward the ranch, but her agitated voice halted him.
"It's only been two children, dad. Two out of three is too many? I'm the last one, how is that fair?"
"You are young, Calie," he spoke slowly and clearly, "You will learn most in life is not fair."
"But, dad!" she whined, throwing balled fists down at her sides.
"Do not talk back to me," Rusl demanded, his voice low and strict.
His daughter flinched at his austerity. They locked gazes for time uncounted.
Rusl glanced at his wife who appeared disheartened, then to his son's mare, "I will be back later."
He led Epona up the familiar hill, and once he was out of earshot Calie whirled around to her mother.
"How is it fair that I never get to go anywhere but my brothers do?"
Uli looked at her with sad eyes glistening with empathy, yet understanding of her husband, "Your father loves you very much, sweetheart. You're his baby; he just wants to keep you safe."
"But I'm not a baby," she grumbled, "I just want to help my family, too."
"I know, hon-" Uli tried, but her daughter stormed back inside the house and holed herself up in her bedroom.
Uli sighed as she heard the door slam behind her. She only wished all of her children could live simple, peaceful lives, yet they all yearned for more. As a mother, she was beyond proud that she had raised strong, capable children, but above all she was worried. She woke each morning wondering where Link was, if he was still alive. She worried about Colin and Ren and the journey they chose to take to find him. She fretted over Calie, her overwhelming desire to be helpful, she knew, would ultimately lead her to one day follow the same path her brothers had – she only did not know when.
Uli tossed the dish rag over her shoulder and watched the moon crawl up the sky. She prayed to the goddesses that her boys could see the same moon, that they would one day look upon it together like they used to when they took up much smaller spaces in this world.
Rusl brought Epona up to the ranch. Fado was finishing up getting the goats tucked away into the barn for the night when he heard the older man approach the wide, wooden doors.
"Woah..." Fado whispered, "Epona?"
Rusl nodded, "Think you can help me patch her up?"
The rancher's jaw hit the floor. His long face gaped in surprise before he finally muttered, "Gee, uh, sure, Rusl. I can try."
The younger man was not a healer by any means, but he knew how to care for animals. Since Ilia's passing, he was the next person in Ordon most familiar with horses. Bo knew a thing or two as well, having raised Ilia to be the equine whisperer she had been in her short life. But Bo... was still not well.
Fado was a man that kept to himself and didn't ask many questions. He and Link had been fast friends in their youth, but, clearly, had drifted as time and destiny saw to it. Rusl proffered him the reins and he led Epona to the back of the barn where all manner of odds and ends were stored. He eyed her quizzically, to which the lovable mare nuzzled her snout to his face. Fado grinned happily, something Rusl hadn't seen in what must have been years – he had grown up with this horse just as he had her master, and they had a special friendship just the same.
Fado gave his four-legged friend some calming medicine he would sometimes have to use on the goats when their tempers would get a tad too out of control, hoping it would help relieve her pain. He'd never dealt with something so serious as an arrow before, but he at least had the common sense of anyone that it needed to come out and the wound needed to be bound.
So he did just that.
He broke the arrowhead off of the other side and gently removed the shaft. Epona snorted in discomfort and shook her mane. The gentle farmhand grabbed cleaning alcohol he often used for when the goats would get into a headbutting match and injure one another and applied it to the horse's wound. She lay her head down on the dirty ground, enduring with merely quiet nickers.
Fado pursed his lips as he did what little he knew how, his simple mind beyond confused.
"I guess Link ain't here?"
Rusl crossed his arms over his chest, standing just a stride or two away. He answered plainly, "No."
"I guess... Link's alive? If Epona'd show up outta the blue?"
The older man sighed, "I mean... maybe? I still don't really know."
Fado gave a slow nod, focusing now on wrapping Epona's leg. Rusl glanced between the younger man's concentrated face and the mare's tired eyes. He knew Fado had questions, they all did, for Din's sake, he did, too, but he didn't want to ask them. Maybe he didn't really care, maybe he didn't want the answers, maybe it was easier not knowing, maybe all of it, maybe none of it. Maybe it was all just too big an emotional weight, a mental burden, a physical stress. Link made them question everything. Was he alive? Was he dead? What was he doing all this time? Where was he all this time? Why would he leave them like he did? Couldn't he at least write a letter?
No one truly understood, and maybe, Rusl concluded, that's why Link did what he did.
The possibility of Link being alive after all this time had everyone in their own headspace. What would you even say to the brother, son, father, uncle you hadn't seen in fifteen years? The loved one you'd taught yourself how to live without for over a decade of your life. The family you'd resigned to being dead. The son you'd mourned. The uncle you'd coped with abandoning you. The brother you'd watched descend. The father who orphaned you. The words were scarce. The reactions were limited. Iron wills armored mushy hearts, and so neither spoke.
It wasn't that neither had anything to say, either, quite the contrary. Words were hard. Voicing them was harder. Feeling them was harder still. Speaking them aloud somehow made them more real, more tangible.
So neither spoke.
Each occupied a space they felt comfortable in. A space internally to think and to wonder. A space where the mental was unlimited but the physical was concise. Fado worked with his hands and Rusl blinked and breathed and their minds were vaster than their presence. They kept to their thoughts until Epona's wound was cleaned and bound.
Fado rubbed his hands across his trousers with a huff, "I don't know much about this stuff, but I reckon she'll be just fine with a little shuteye."
Rusl unfolded his arms, "Thank you, Fado."
Fado nodded, "Ain't no problem." He rubbed Epona on the nose with a smile, "I'd do anything for this ol' gal."
Epona lay on her stomach on the soft combination of dirt and loose hay. She snorted in contentment as she closed her big, weary eyes and drifted off to sleep. Rusl gave the younger man a clap of appreciation on the shoulder, to which they both smiled sad smiles and nodded understanding nods.
The scruffier man took his leave then, anticipating a confused wife and a grumpy daughter when he returned home for dinner. Not to his surprise, he found just that when he stepped into the warm abode. Uli had prepared a hearty pumpkin stew, and they both sat down at the table to eat.
"Calie won't come out of her room," Uli said.
Rusl sighed, "I would've guessed."
The mother's brows turned downward, Rusl saw it.
"I'm sorry to get your hopes up about Link," he reached across the table and held his wife's hand.
Her lips tucked inward, "It isn't your fault, dear. I just... miss him greatly."
Rusl returned the gesture, "I know. Me, too."
"And..." Uli spoke gently, as if speaking about it aloud would somehow curse it, "What about Colin and Ren? It's been almost a month..."
Rusl breathed deep. He released his wife's hand and took a bite of his food. He chewed and thought, Uli never taking her eyes off of him.
At last he replied, "I know Calie is angry at me for it, but, once Epona is better, I will ride to Kakariko and see if I can find anything out – whether about Link or Ren and Colin."
Uli nodded slowly, not exactly loving the idea, but their options were limited and she couldn't take much longer not knowing whether or not they sent their son and grandson on a wild goose chase.
"That may be best."
Rusl mustered a meager smile to which his wife reciprocated. They ate their meal mostly in silence, each contemplating separately what the future should hold.
Days passed and the horse of the hero healed quickly. When she was well enough, Rusl mounted up and headed to the edge of town. Calie stood a ways off with arms folded in anger and a pout on her pretty face. Uli kissed her husband goodbye and demanded that he be safe. Beth requested that he scold her careless brothers. Rusl nodded his agreements and waved his farewells and was off.
Epona was still a bit slow on her feet, and the Ordonian would never push her past her limits. They trotted the whole way there, giving Rusl plenty of time to think. He wasn't sure what he would find, if anything. The unknown was always more frightening than the opposite.
Frankly, he was sick and tired of goodbyes. If he could ask the goddesses for one thing, it would be to have no more partings.
No more loved ones lost – whether to death or mental torment.
No more loved ones becoming lost in their journey to rescue those already missing – whether to a fruitless outcome or a rewarding one.
No more loved ones scarred by all of the former – period.
No more goodbyes. No more farewells. No more departures or separations.
He and his wife were getting older. People age and die. Life goes by quickly, and if you so much as blink an eye you miss so much. He didn't want to miss anymore. He didn't want to be left with regret of years lost.
He would bring his boys home. He would bring his family together for the first time in far too long.
He would bring himself and his wife, whom he did most everything for, peace and contentment.
He would give his children's mother the one thing she wanted most.
Her children back.
The reason for everything.
A big thank you to the following for helping me get this chapter out there!
SonadowKokoro100, Debora, Mandelbrot, Chloe Rose, Claudia, Lotus Eater, Ivalee, Lee Glerum, Gabby-J, Big Jake, Jacob Peachey
You guys are amazing!
