The two followed behind Valoys as he guided them down a well worn path that branched off from the clearing. Link tried to be polite; he really did… though in the end he couldn't help but stare when he noted Valoys's tail swishing behind him as he walked; Or the sinewy muscles moving under his skin. Valoys glanced over his shoulder, catching his eye. Link bashfully averted his gaze while the centaur smiled, seemingly unperturbed . Link noticed Ghirahim was eyeing Valoys as well, though he didn't think it was in awe. At least he wasn't the only one looking.

Voices could be heard as they continued walking. All at once the path came to an end, and before them was a sight that link wasn't likely to forget any time soon. A huge village was nestled among the tall overgrown trees and foliage; yet at the same time didn't look out of place. The two environments simply co-habitated; civilization and nature meshing together almost seamlessly. Others like Valoys walked about, chatting with each other and going in and out of large common buildings that looked to be made of smooth stone and wood. The sound of hooves on dirt and cobblestone resounded through the area as young children laughed and trotted about; playing games the rules of which they didn't even seem to know themselves.

Valoys smiled warmly as he took in the sight. He deposited the wheat he had collected in a large food bin that also contained various unknown fruits, vegetables and cured meats. Link looked around in awe; Ghirahim also taking in the sights, albeit more nonchalantly. Valoys turned to them and gave an airy chuckle at their expressions.

"Welcome to my village. Would you like a bit of a tour?" Link found himself nodding before he could entertain even a proper thought. Valoys gestured in front of them

"Well this is the common area. In the center is where people can congregate. It also serves as a place for the young kids to play. The older kids wander into the forest itself.. On the far right over there is where we store and loan our various books. Very popular among older folk. The place next to it is the smithery, where we make weapons and tools and the like; for both defense and practical use. On the immediate right is the hospital. That's where we'd treat any number of illnesses and injuries."

Over on the far left is the school building for the children…" He turned to where he placed the wheat earlier "This is where we store food. People can take what they need. No need for any monetary exchange. Next to that is the well we get our water from…" He smiled sheepishly "Sorry for such a long and boring speech.. The residential homes are down that path back there if you care to follow.."

Link smiled and shook his head "It's not boring. We appreciate your hospitality..We'll follow." He glanced back at Ghirahim, who appeared a bit bored but waved his hand in dismissal and allowance when he was looked upon. Valoys smiled and guided them through the village. They were greeted with curious (and a few weary) stares; but mostly smiles. Valoys was greeted with short polite bows and the exchange of pleasantries.

They began down a wide path lain with cobblestone. After walking for a moment they came to a 3 way split in the road. Valoys slowed his pace but continued walking straight. "On the left is the path that leads to our food supply fields.. and on the right is the cemetery" He gave a small smile in the direction of said cemetery as he said this.

Soon a huge open area came into view with many houses speckled along gently sloping hills. The houses were quaint and all of a similar structure. Most houses had small flower patches and gardens in front of them; and bits of ivy could be seen clinging to the bottoms of the exterior walls. At the back of the area was a house larger and decidedly more grand than the others. That house was the one that Valoys walked toward.

Once they got within some yards of the home, the door opened and a large centaur stepped out. He looked up; yet didn't look surprised to see either Valoys or his visitors. The man gave a sweet smile which Valoys returned as he trotted up to him. "Father, I've returned from the clearing. I gathered a few bushels to add to the supply.. And I found these two" Valoys stepped back so his father could inspect the duo.

Said Centaur walked toward Link and Ghirahim before looking them up and down. He spoke, his voice a deep and rich authoritative rumble "I had known they were here since the moment they crossed the river… I was a bit concerned for a moment, but the boys aura was so pure and unhostile, I wasn't worried for long…Welcome, friends. I am King Zaic; though you needn't use such formalities..." Zaic gave a short respectful bow of the head which Link returned.

Zaic was a very handsome man. He bore resemblances to Valoys in both his green eyes and his hair color. His hair was more scraggly, what with his bangs curtaining into his face. It was tied back in a loose ponytail and hung over his shoulder; with two braided strands hanging past his pointed ears. He had rough stubble over his chin, with strong masculine features framing his face. His skin was a tanned color like Valoys, his torso and arms covered with admittedly flattering tufts of body hair. He wore some jewelry made from silver and gold with a few stones set into them, but nothing overly gaudy. He also wore a circular crown woven from twigs and ivy. His equine-esque lower body had darker hair than Valoys; his legs strong looking, ending in sturdy hooves.

Link spoke up "Thank you for your kindness.. I'm Link and this is my sword, Ghirahim. We need to retrieve something from the forgotten woods and if at all possible, help you and your people by ridding the evil.." At this, Zaic looked surprised "The woods? They're very dangerous…" He looked from Link to Ghirahim and then back again. "Though you two are definitely not weak…" He grinned after a moment "…Alright. I'll guide you to the woods.. However.." He looked up to the sky "It's getting late in the afternoon.. You won't have enough time to tread the woods while it's still daylight. You won't want to be in the woods during the night, trust me. So please stay in the village until dawn breaks tomorrow. We'll have a feast!"

Link smiled sheepishly "It's alright.. You don't have to-" Zaic's strong laughter and hardy pat on the back cut him off. "Nonsense! I'll tell my wife to get everyone together and start the feast. We have an extra room you can use for the night as well. While we get everything ready, please feel free to explore our village." Link glanced at Ghirahim, who glanced back. Link was mildly surprised that by his eyes, he could tell that the demon agreed that waiting would be beneficial. Link turned back to Zaic and nodded, smiling "Thank you very much". He laughed and gave links hair a ruffle before trotting inside.

Valoys smiled and made his way over "He's very kingly around those he's meeting for the first time, but as he warms up to you, he's a very rowdy and fun man.." He looks back toward the village commons, then at Link and Ghirahim. "So what will you do? You've got a solid hour or two before everything's prepared.." Link glanced at Ghirahim "I had wanted to check out the books…" Ghirahim shrugged and spoke up for the first time and quite a while "Do what you will. I have no interest in mingling with forest creatures and skipping through the forest. I think I'll just wait around here..." Said demon decidedly plopped himself down by the base of a tree. Link gave a nod and began to walk back toward the village. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see that Valoys had turned to talk to Ghirahim, apparently much to the demons chagrin. Link sighed, hoping Ghirahim wouldn't get into trouble.

Link walked into the book storage building, and was greeted by a friendly female centaur who introduced herself as Corinna. He was given free rein to look through the books, which were stored along large wooden shelves. Link walked down the aisles and pulled a few books out that looked interesting. He found one book that caught his eye on a top shelf. The binding was made of an iridescent scale like material, and it was covered by smooth leather. On the front was a crest he had seen many times before, a golden bird crest with its wings outstretched.

Link sat down by a table in the corner of the room and spread out his books. He set the one he found on the top shelf aside, saving it for later as he opened one of the other books instead. The writing was one he could barely understand. Some of the characters were similar to those of his own written language, but only just so that he had a very minimal idea about some of the words. As if sensing his confusion, Corinna wandered over to him. "Having trouble? That's the written form we use here. It's not used anywhere else, so I don't expect you to know it.. Most of the books here are like that I'm afraid.."

She caught sight of the crested book and her eyebrows rose. She smiled "You have nice taste.. It's beautiful, isn't it?" She picked up the book and ran her hands over the front. "It's in a language that no one here knows, however... It was written a very long time ago, that much we know.." She set it back down in links waiting hands. Once he cracked it open, he was surprised to find he could understand the words. He gave a small smile up at Corinna. "This is a form of early sky writing. While its crude, I can read it..." Corinnas eyes lit up "Really?! That's amazing! Hold on!" She scrambled, grabbing a pen and paper before setting back next to him. "Could you please help decode that for us?"

Not feeling he could decline, he nodded and smiled. He scanned the book, reading out loud to the centaur woman furiously scribbling down his words. The book was written by an early centaur named Lycos, who detailed his experiences meeting the other tribes of the earth like the mogmas, kikwi and parella. He retells of him meeting the goddess Hylia and some of her humans. The end details of Demises attempted seizure of the land, and how the centaurs were driven into the woods to stem the flow of monsters coming from there.

Corinna was practically in tears by the time he finished "Oh thank you so much.. There a few more books in that language if you wouldn't mind helping… You are a godsend!" Link smiled, as he didn't mind. He enjoyed learning about the surface and being a help. So of course, He agreed.

Multiple deciphered tomes later, Zaic popped his head into the building "Link?" Corinna was grinning like a madwoman, heaps of paper clutched to her chest "King! He's done it! The boy understands the language of the old books! He's graciously decoded them for us!" Zaic blinked before grinning "Is that so? Wonderful! That makes our celebration even more worthwhile! Which reminds me, my wife mentioned that the feast would be finished within the hour; which is a good indicator for us to get washed up and ready…"

Link nodded and stretched "Thank you for letting me read these books Corinna. They were fascinating.." Corinna wiped her eyes "No thank you, Link! We have all the more knowledge now...!"Link smiled. He felt warm inside, that feeling of doing something good permeated his very being. He loves that feeling. Link followed Zaic out and back toward he house. He looked and saw Ghirahim absent from the tree he saw him last. He tilted his head. "Zaic? Do you happen to know where my partner went..?"

Zaic turned "Hm? Oh! Valoys took him on a stroll earlier. Don't worry, they're on their way back" Links eyebrows furrowed in surprised confusion. He wasn't surprised at Valoys for wanting to, he was more surprised at Ghirahim for complying. Never the less, he went inside the home. Immediately he was met with a cacophony of smells that made his mouth water and his senses tingle. The smell took him back to the holidays at the knight academy. He and Groose having an eating contest, Him and pipit ending up splitting the last piece of pumpkin pie because hell, they both wanted it but they were bros. Zelda chastising him on his table manners, Horwell always slipping mia the scraps, despite Owlans protests… He smiled at the memories.

He could smell meat, vegetables… Even some breads and sweets. Zaic laughed at his expression "Smells divine, doesn't it? Wait till you actually taste it. Ecstasy, I'm telling you." A beautiful woman who Link assumed was the queen walked over to them, drying her hands on a towel. "You must be Link.. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Xenia." The woman gave a smooth bow, which link returned. She was gorgeous. She had long hair down to her waist, smooth and the color of hay. Her eyes were an emerald green and her lashes were thick and long. Her skin was the same shade as Zaic's, if not a few shades lighter. She gave him a sweet smile "The food is almost ready, so you boys go wash up... Hm? Now where's Valoys?"

Moments later, said centaur came through the door "Sorry Mother, I'm here.." He smiles "Smells wonderful!" Xenia smiles and pinches his cheek affectionately "Thank you darling. Can you go help set the table?" Valoys nods and goes off into the dining room. Link looked outside and saw Ghirahim coming down the path, slower than he would have thought the demon would walk. Link ventured out and met him halfway, curiosity undoubtedly on his features. Ghirahim met his eyes then looked upwards at the sky. "You're probably thinking that it's odd I would go off with that man, correct? Well... Yes. I'll tell you more details tonight… But that centaur is one persistent man.." Ghirahim's features and voice lacked the usual malice; instead he appeared rather calm and… Link would almost say pleasant. Link was a bit concerned, in all honestly. Seeing the demon like this was a bit unnerving. Just what miracles did Valoys work?

Ghirahim walked past him and into the house, and Link was soon to follow. After they washed up, they were seated at a large table lain with more food than Link had ever seen, even on the most bountiful of holidays back on sky loft. Sitting at this table with the nicest people he had ever met, and had only known a few hours, and seated beside his former enemy turned ally, Link felt content. Zaic raised a glass full of wine, grinning. "To our guests! Let's eat!"


wOW It's been a while huh guys? Sorry! I just kept putting off writing, and starting this chapter I had some writers block soooo.. So some notes here. Wondering what happened with Ghirahim and Valoys? Well closest comparison I can do is like a "Colors of the Wind" Deal, you feel? Valoys kinda felt he needed to teach Ghira about some appreciation. So here starts Ghirahims actual character development, not his crappy goody front he tries to put on sometimes.

So yeahh. I have some art of the centaurs I'll post on my deviant art eventually, link is on my profile, and hey, if any of you want to follow my tumblr to ask questions or just see some junk, my url is: ghira-him (Not surprising huh?) Anyway, reviews are much appreicated, as always!