Link awoke the next morning nearly smothering in a pile of hay, and was confused at where he was when he opened his eyes and sat up. He scanned his surroundings with alarm, but finally realized that he was in the stable loft at Dorobis' plantation, and he was unsure whether to be relieved or disappointed.

He got up and brushed a few pieces of straw from his hair. He had been sleeping in the loft at night after Dorobis finally stopped bothering to watch him so closely and shackling him to trees and whatnot, and Link was much more comfortable with the arrangement. He was used to sleeping near horses, and the sounds of their movements in their stalls below actually helped put him to sleep.

He pulled on his tunic and gloves, then took a few steps down the ladder before letting himself drop the rest of the way down to the stable floor, and hay fell off from the loft above as he went. He kicked it out of the way and made his way to Epona's stall. The ladder to the loft was at the very left end of the long structure, and there were so many stalls and horses that Link sometimes forgot where Epona's stall was. But he located her quickly when she whuffled at the sight of him.

"It'd be nice if that horse I've got to break would cooperate like you," Link said to her as he ran his hands over her ears. She jabbed her muzzle into his shoulder and whuffled again. Link lowered his voice. "He breaks Dorobis' ribs, but it's better that than what I'd like to do to him."

The sound of footsteps from behind quickly quieted him, and Minhan's voice said, "You had better get to work before Dorobis comes and finds you idling."

Link turned to face him, his hand still on Epona's muzzle. He wanted to say something rude in reply, but made himself to merely nod.

"Follow me and I will show you what you have been assigned to today," Minhan said.

Link walked to the doorway of the stable and stopped beside Minhan, confused but unwilling to show it. "What about breaking the horse?"

"You can continue that later on today, but Dorobis wants you out in the woods today."

Link was already tired of being forced to speak. "Doing what?"

"Follow me."

Link stifled an annoyed sigh and followed the man out of the stables and up the trail. They cut off into the woods soonly after, and the entire walk was a very silent one. Link kept himself at a few paces behind Minhan, not wanting to in a position that gave the impression that he was open for conversation. More comfortable with working than sitting around and doing nothing, he just wanted to get to work to occupy himself with something to do.

They found the creek and walked parallel upstream for a good ways before they came to a small clearing, and the creek widened into something almost like a pond, complete with a few foot high waterfall that poured down the steep bank into the pond-like area. There were a few large rocks around the edge of the waterfall, and in the creek were a lot of long stick-like reeds, and Minhan pointed at them.

"Dorobis wants you to remove those from the water and tie them in bunches, and after that he wants them burned."

Link had been expecting something more physically challenging, but he just nodded to show that he understood. Minhan handed him a roll of twine that Link had not noticed before and a small dagger.

"Dorobis would not like the fact that I gave you a weapon, but you need something to cut the twine with. And it cannot hurt him if he does not know. So just do not take advantage of it and turn difficult or anything," Minhan said. Link did not plan on stabbing anyone, and he wished the man would go away so he could get to work. At first, Dorobis had someone keeping an eye on Link as he worked, as if he was expected to suddenly go crazy and attack someone. Link was offended, but he had merely acted as if the men had not been there, and Dorobis had finally let him work alone.

Minhan turned to walk away, then stopped and looked back. "And by the way, I hope you know how to start a fire by hand, for Dorobis did not give me anything for you to start it with." Link did know how, so he nodded and Minhan left. Link turned to the creek and surveyed the area, planning out how he was going to get this done. He did not really want to get in the water, but it looked like it was going to be unavoidable. He started from the bank, reaching in and retrieving a handful and then cutting a piece of twine to tie them together. The reeds were hollow but heavier than he had expected, and the weight added up as they were together. It did not help that they were wet, but he managed quite nicely.

There was a sudden fast pounding through the weeds, and Link immediately put his guard up. There was no telling what would just suddenly jump out of the woods around here, so Link clutched the handle of the dagger and waited, still crouching on the creek bank. There was a flash of white, and he was hit in the chest and knocked over onto his back, but he only fought back a laugh. Gelert licked his face violently, his large paws pressing into Link's shoulders.

"Gelert," Link managed to say over the wet tongue. He pushed the dog back and sat up, fondling the short white hair on the massive head. Gelert's long tail swung back and forth and smacked Link's shins as the dog turned in excited circles. The thick leather collar that Link had made himself was still on Gelert's neck, and it relieved Link to know that no one else had tried to claim the huge hound. Gelert jumped at Link's face again and licked his hat clear off his head. It landed in the dirt behind him, and Link tried to pet the dog while avoiding pain.

"Hello," a female voice suddenly said. Link turned quickly and was surprised to see Jennan standing at the edge of the clearing, as if she had just emerged from the woods. Gelert ran over to her excitedly, then rushed back to Link, who thrust him away and quickly jumped to his feet.

"Miss Jennan," he said, stammering slightly. He grabbed his hat and pulled it back on. He had had no idea that she was there. How long had she been watching him?

Gelert couldn't wait to come out here and find you," Jennan said, her hands all twisted up in her skirts to hold them up from the dirt below. "My father had him chained up by the house last night." She smiled sweetly and tilted her head down as she usually did, her eyes still on Link's face. "He complained that you just brought everything along with you when he brought you here, but he won't do anything to your dog. He's quite wary of your friend, too."

"Rhashidi?"

"Yes, that's his name. Memnet told me about him last night. Ima's amazed at him; no offense to him, but he's just not something you see every day."

"I know," Link said, reaching back into the water and pulling out more reeds. "He's a good friend, though."

"Oh? I noticed that he's very protective." Jennan sat herself down on one of the large rocks beside the water and wrestled her skirts smooth and straight. Gelert sat down beside her. "Where did you meet him? That is, if you don't mind me asking."

Link was not sure if he minded or not, but decided that it might not hurt to tell her a few things about himself. After all, she had never done anything that made her untrustworthy; in fact, she was the only one that seemed to be flat out nice to him. Link was still slightly wary, though he found no reason to fear a girl, but she could easily tell her father anything he told her now. But Link suddenly did not care. So what if she told? It probably would not hurt anything, and even if it did, he was nearly beyond caring. "Back home, in Hyrule." Link tied a strand of twine around the sticks in his hand. "I was in a hard swordfight, and Rhashidi just suddenly jumped out of nowhere and took up for me."

Jennan looked truly interested. "What happened next?"

"Well, let's just say that we won that fight. Rhashidi told me he had been sent to help me in combat. Like a protector, I would guess."

"I don't think you really need a protector," Jennan said, then quickly continued, "but Rhashidi speaks?"

"Yes, but not much."

Jennan smiled, as if she was thinking something that she did not quite want to say. Then she said, with curiosity in her voice, "But who sent him to you?"

After a pause, Link finally said, "I don't know. But I wasn't going to complain."

"Rhashidi looks like a fighter," Jennan said. "And after seeing what he did to Henry with just his teeth, I wouldn't want to be the one in his way if he got angry."

Link threw the tied reeds onto a pile beside the creek. "Why do you have such an interest in that kind of thing?" As soon as it came out, he felt like kicking himself. He had not meant for it to sound that way; he meant to say something like, Why does a nice young lady like yourself have an interest in fighting and violence? You're much to pretty and feminine to get yourself invovled in something that", but he had always had a problem with words, and it was no exception now. He took a breath to apologize, but she answered his question as if he had not asked it as rudely as he had.

"Well, I'm not sure exactly. I guess living like a lady sometimes gets boring. But I wouldn't want to get myself involved in it directly. It's just interesting to watch and talk about, I guess." Jennan looked sheepish. "I know it's not very lady-like, but I guess I get it from Memnet. She's much tougher than I am, and much more independent."

Link did not know why she looked sad when she said this. He liked a girl who wanted to be sheltered and protected, and this seemed to describe Jennan. "That's not a bad thing that you're not like you're sister." He took a step into the water and grabbed a large handful of reeds.

"It's not?"

"I don't think so." Link felt like kicking himself again. What did it matter what he thought? She was his master's daughter, and she probably had more important people to ask what they thought about her.

"Really." Jenna blushed and touched her face where it had turned red, as if trying to stop it.

"I noticed that your sister does seem to be independent. Has she always been that way?"

"Yes, I suppose she has. Since she's the oldest of us, she's the only one that seems to remember Mother." Jennan looked sadly down at the rippling water in the creek. "She's three years older than me, and one year older than Matayo." Link was dying to ask Jennan her age, but he did not. He hoped she would offer it herself, and luckily she did. "I turned my fifteenth birthday this spring. And I've been curious to know for awhile... how old are you?"

Link cleared his throat in hesitation, but he thought he might as well tell her. "Same age as your brother."

"Oh," Jenna breathed, as if he had just told her the most extrordinary thing in the world. Gelert lay down beside her with his head on his paws. "I guessed something like that."

So she had been sitting around thinking about how old he was? Link was thrilled at this piece of news. He fought away a grin and tied together more sticks.

Jennan said shyly, "I've been watching you break that horse of Father's. I have never seen anyone do it as well as you do." She suddenly looked startled. "You don't mind me watching you work, do you?"

Mind? Not at all; in fact, he was kind of flattered. But he only said clumsily, "No." And he was starting to feel like a complete idiot with his short answers and sentences, but words seemed to be what he was the worst at.

"Oh, good," Jennan said. She looked genuinely relieved. "I think it's interesting to watch you."

It was starting to get obvious; she was flirting with him. And if he wanted to flirt back, he was unsure of what to say. But he heard a small laugh escape his mouth, and he made himself speak. "Think so? I thought it might be boring."

"No," Jennan said good-naturedly. "Not at all."

If Link was not mistaken, and he knew that he was not, he was almost sure he saw her bat her eyelashes at him.

-O-

Rhashidi sat on the porch beside Memnet's chair, and she sat in silence as she jabbed a needle in her brother's shirt. Rhashidi hooked his tanned and muscled arms around his knees and stared out across the yard before him, while keeping an eye on the girl beside him. She kept glancing at him every now and then; not quite untrusting, but with a slight wariness. He did not take any offense to this, for he knew that almost everyone was intimidated or flat out scared at first sight of him.

For some reason he did not know, he had the feeling to stay close to Memnet and protect her. Though he sensed that she had independent side to her, she seemed to need protection more so than Link. He remembered fighting alongside Link, rather than for him, more than once.

Memnet had not spoken a word, but as she kept looking at him, her expresion turned to interest instead of wariness. She suddenly stood up from her chair and disappeared into the house. Rhashidi sat timidly on the porch, unsure whether to follow her or not, but he relaxed again when she came back quickly. She stood over him, and he saw that she held some things in her hands. A small dagger, a metal file, and a clear bottle with a white liquid inside. Rhashidi eyed the contents of her hands and scooted a few inches away from her.

"Don't worry," she said, bending down onto her knees beside him. "I'm not going to hurt you. If you don't mind, I just want to fix you up a little."

He wanted to ask what exactly she meant by that, but she answered in advance. "Is it all right if I trim your hair a little?" She held up the dagger as she said this.

It was better than the things Rhashidi had been imagining, so he nodded. She reached over and gently took the hair than went down the back of his neck in her hand, and he felt the blade start sawing. A few strands of dark brown hair fell to the wooden boards of the porch, and he stayed perfectly still so she would not slip and cut him. But she had a steady hand, and when she was done in the back, she trimmed the sides slightly. His hair still hung in his eyes and down to his jawline on the sides, but the back was not as long as it had been, and there was no doubt he looked a little less scruffy than he had before.

Memnet laid a thin finger on the metal file. "I wanted to maybe file down your fingernails with this. Is that okay?" He nodded again and held out his right hand. As she filed away, her small hands clasping his fingers, he actually thought if felt good to be handled. He was not used to being touched, save for when he was taking a blow or a bite, and he relaxed as Memnet filed down his uneven fingernails. She seemed to be concentrating hard on what she was doing, while Rhashidi was concentrating hard on her face.

"Other hand," Memnet said when she was finished, and he switched. She went to work on the left hand, and Rhashidi watched with interest as his nails started to look nicely manicured. When she was done, she put down the file and smiled. "That looks better, doesn't it?"

He nodded again, then made himself say, "Yes."

Memnet took an immediate interest in his voice. It was very low, quiet, and almost as deep as his wolf-like growl. He would not meet her eyes as he spoke; she could tell that he had lived a hard and abused life, and her heart went out to him. She pulled the cork out of the bottle and handed it to him. "Swish some of this in your mouth, but don't swallow. It'll clean your teeth."

Rhashidi looked reluctant as he took the bottle. He passed it under his nose once and sniffed silently. The smell was strong and burned his sensitive sense of smell, and he looked up at Memnet questioningly.

"It's all right," she reassured. "Just try it."

Rhashidi slowly poured some of the thin liquid into his mouth, and he stiffened up as it hit his tongue. But he swished it in his mouth for a few minutes before spitting it off the side of the porch. And he had to admit that it did make his mouth feel cleaner. He ran a finger down one of his canine teeth and was satisfied.

"Doesn't it feel better?"

He nodded and handed her the bottle back. She swept the cut hair off the porch with her free hand and then picked up the rest of her tools as Rhashidi brushed the loose hair off of his head and shoulders. He stopped in mid-move and suddenly pushed himself to his feet in alarm, his boots thudding on the wood under him. He walked to the edge of the porch, facing the trail, and listened intently with his ears pricked forward. Shoulders back and head tilted up, he tested the scents of the air rigidly.\par Memnet walked up beside him and looked at him with alarm. "What is it?"

A low growl escaped the throat under Rhashidi's metal collar, and Memnet did not know what to think. Should she trust Rhashidi's senses? He could be alarmed at nothing, but then again it could be danger. She suddenly heard the sound of various horses coming down the trail at a walking pace, and as they rounded the curve around the trees up ahead, Memnet saw a blonde girl riding sidesaddle on a brown horse, with two other people on horses flanking her, and she knew there was nothing to worry about.

"Cousin Beth!"

-O-

"So, what exactly is your lineage?" Jennan asked. She had moved from the rock over to the grass beside the bank of the creek. She twisted a daffodil around her finger and pulled up her knees as she watched Link work.

A tall pile of reeds that he had pulled from the water had formed, and he threw another bunch that he had just tied onto the top. "I'm Hylian."

"Where is Hyrule exactly?"

Link did not know how to give her exact directions, but he did not mind answering her questions. "Far away from here. I'm not sure how many kilometers."

"How did you get way out here?"

"I rode my horse." He walked back into the creek, the water up to his thighs now, and pulled together a pile of reeds before cutting off another piece of twine with the dagger. "She's pretty much how I get everywhere, unless I'm in the mood to walk."

Jennan patted Gelert's head, which he had laid on her shoe. "I don't know exactly about myself, but I know that my father's side of the family has a very slight Spanish descent. I guess that's where Matayo and I get our dark eyes and hair, because my mother's family is all very fair."

Link had suspected that she had some sort of Spanish blood running through her, though her skin was too pale to be directly from Spain. And he had been right. "I though so."

"You thought what?"

Link was starting to feel quite stupid. "That you had something Spanish in you."

"Oh. Well, you were right." She smiled. "I kind of get the impression that you usually are."

Link turned his back to her to avoid further embarrassment and asked, trying to sound dull, "Why do you think that?"

"I don't know. You just always seem to know what you're doing."

Link did not know what to say next, and he was thankful that he heard someone coming up through the woods. He heard Ima's voice calling Jennan's name, though Jennan did not seem to hear it. "There's Ima."

"Ima?" Jennan stood up, accidentally knocking Gelert off her foot. She listened. "How do you know?"

Link told her that he could hear her coming and turned and pointed in the direction that Ima was approaching from, and Jenna finally seemed to hear. "I wonder what she wants," she said. She hoped Ima would not tell Dorobis that Jennan was out in the woods with Link, for her father had forbidden his daughters to be near the Hylian 'savage'. Dorobis said Link was dangerous, but Jennan doubted that Ima would mention a word of it. She was good in that way.

"Jennan," Ima said, emerging from the woods and holding up her skirts. She looked as if she was sweating.

"Ima, did you walk all the way up here?" Jennan asked with concern.

"I'm all right," Ima assured, but her gaze was on Link. He nodded at her, and she smiled back. "Jennan, I wanted to tell you that your cousin is here."

Jennan's expression immediately looked ashen. "Beth?"

Ima nodded, and Jennan let out a sigh. If there was anyone in the world that Jennan could not get along with no matter how hard she tried, it was her cousin Beth. Her mother's niece, a rich, emerald-eyed blonde, had been the only one in Jennan's life that could make her want to hit someone like a boy hits; it was a very unlady-like thought, but Jennan could not help it. She and her cousin had had problems from the day they first met, and they had been nothing more than toddling children at the time.

Link looked confused at the topic of discussion, but he turned back to his work as if it was none of his business. Jennan wanted to tell him what was going on, but was unsure if she should make conversation with him in front of Ima. It might not look right if she did.

Ima finally turned from Link to Jennan. "It would probably be best if you came down to the house and welcomed her. She's with her baby brother and a couple of slaves."

Jennan looked at Link, who was nonchalantly looking up from his work as he twisted a piece of twine around a stack of reeds. "Well, I had better go," she said. Link nodded to show that he understood, and Jennan walked away with Ima, her head down and her steps reluctant. Gelert looked as if he wanted to follow, but decided to stay with Link as he jumped into the shallow end of the water and started lapping up the cool water. And as Jennan disappeared into the woods towards the house, Link wondered why she looked as if she was going to an execution.

-O-

Memnet quickly left the porch and hurried to meet her cousin. "Beth! We weren't expecting you, but it's so good to see you!" She stopped beside Beth's horse and grabbed the bridle. "Artos will take your horses back to the stables. There's always room for more. Oh, we haven't seen you in years! And you've grown up quite a lot... how pretty you are!"

Beth flipped her wavy blonde hair over her shoulder and smiled. "It's good to see you too." She turned to her right, where a middle-aged man with no hair sat on a fidgeting horse. "Come over here and help me." The man quickly dismounted his horse, and Memnet moved back as he helped Beth dismount. Once on the ground, Beth smoothed her green dress and tossed her hair again.

"So," she said, opening her arms to Memnet, "hug me already!" Memnet laughed, and the two of them hugged. Beth's other slave, a skinny negro girl, dropped from her horse, her light brown skirts wrinkled and twisted from the horseback ride, and pulled a few cloth bags from the saddlebags. She handed two to the bald man and took the other one herself. The two of them stood behind Beth silently, as if waiting for direction and getting none.

After the two cousins stopped hugging, Memnet looked around the yard for Artos. She noticed Rhashidi had disappeared from the porch, and Artos was nowhere in sight either. "Artos!" she called. Then to Beth, "I don't know why he's not here yet. He's the one that's supposed to take care of the guest's horses."

"I remember Artos," Beth said, her head high, and twisting the thin ropes of her velvet purse around her wrist. "It was four years ago I was last here, but I remember well. Never on time, was he?"

Memnet laughed lightly. "Almost never. So how old are you now, cousin?"

"Sixteen. My mother is dying to find me a beau so I can wed. Aren't you married yet, Memnet?"

"No, there is no one that really holds my interest," she replied on a slight embarrassed note. "And Father isn't going to force me to marry if I don't want to."

"How about Jennan?"

"Is Jennan married? No, she's even more choosy than I am." Memnet lowered her voice. Even Jennan herself did not know the information she was about to say. "Father once considered marrying her off to Henry, but he knows that she would probably rather die."

"Henry? Is he the one from England?"

"Yes, and Jennan would nearly rather slap him than look at him."

"So where is Jennan, anyhow? And Matayo? Is he still as handsome as he was?"

Memnet laughed. "Jennan's around here somewhere, and Matayo's even more handsome!"

The both of them laughed as Arots hurried from the direction of the stable, finally answering Memnet's call. "I'm sorry it took me the time it did, Miss Memnet." He bowed over at the waist at Beth, an expression of surprise on his face at seeing her. He stood upright and took the reins of all three horses and headed back towards the stables.

"Come inside," Memnet said. She looked at the two slaves behind Beth. "All of you." She waved them forward, and the four of them entered the dark house, and Memnet hurried to light a lantern for some light. "I'm sorry it's so hot in here."

Beth sat down in one of the chairs at the table. She pulled a small fan from her velvet purse and fanned her face. It seemed to be mostly for show than for relief. "Everyone's used to it these days. But of course that doesn't make it any more enjoyable." Her two slaves stood in the corner of the kitchen, still holding her bags, but she did not seem as if she was going to relieve them anytime soon, but Memnet did not mention it.

There were quick footsteps on the porch, and Jennan and Ima came in through the doorway, blocking the light from outside momentarily before entering. Beth let out a forced, "Cousin Jennan!" and she rose from the table. The two of them hugged, but each girl knew the other did not mean it. Beth pulled back quickly and turned to Ima. "Ima! I just have to say that I honestly missed you."

As the two of them hugged, Jennan looked at Memnet pleadingly, as if to say, "Please tell me she's not staying for long", but Memnet gave her a scolding look.

"We saw Matayo on the way, and I told him that you were here," Ima said to Beth, who clasped her hands together in excitement.

"Matayo! Oh, I do love him," she gushed. Just as she said this, Matayo stepped into the doorway with a laugh.

"Good!" he said. Beth rushed to him, and he kissed her cheek. Jennan felt like throwing up, and after there were hugs and kisses all around, and Beth finally dismissed her slaves, Jennan used the heat of the house as an excuse to go outside, and she stood on the porch with her arms crossed. Unfortunately, Beth followed her.

"I think it's just wonderful to be here," she exclaimed. She put her hands on the post that held up the roof of the porch and sighed. "I haven't seen any of you in almost four years now."

Jennan could not wait for the next four years to start. She merely said, "Yes."

"My mother wanted to come, but things back at home held her back. She knew I would be fine on the journey here if I had my slaves with me."

Jennan plastered a fake smile onto her face. A movement to her right caught her eye, and it somewhat calmed her to see Link emerge from the woods, out of earshot if they talked in low voices, with Gelert at his heels. Wet up to the bottom of his tunic, he walked against the edge of the woods towards the stables, and Beth caught sight of him.

"Ooh," she breathed quietly, clutching the post tighter and leaning forward. "Who's that?'

Jennan's smile died quickly and was replaced by a heavy frown as she turned to glare at her cousin. She wanted to say something very rude, but only said flatly, "That's Link."

"Is he your slave?"

Link's eyes were not on Beth, but rather on Jennan. Jennan looked back at him and said, "My father's."

"Ooh," Beth repeated with interest. Link turned away from them and continued on, and Jennan stood with murderous thoughts in her head. She knew it was wrong to hate, but if there was anyone she knew that came close to falling into that category, it was Beth.

And the new situation involving Link was not helping matters in the least.