Chapter 3

Link and Navi arrived at Kalon's ranch in the late morning. They were greeted warmly by the ranch owner, Kalon.

Unbeknownst to Navi and Link, Kalon was only recently the owner of the ranch. His father had died and left him this parcel of land, right smack in the middle of Hyrule plains. When it had proven to be poor grounds for farming, Kalon had thought to breed horses for the lord of Hyrule manor. So far, business had been decent, but in this time of peace horses were in small demand. He had gotten a few customers among the watchmen, who were paid to guard against Gerudo raids, but what he really needed was an officer's attention. That would bring commissions from knights, and other lords. But to get all that, he needed to breed a beautiful, strong horse and sell it to the right person. For now, he would have to settle with making his living by selling to farmers, mercenaries, and various watchmen.

Kalon was not startled by the fairy. He had heard of such creatures, and had even seen some of them over by the town's moat one night, though no one believed him, as he had been partaking of the fine ale at the Golden Triangles Inn. What truly interested him was the man that the fairy accompanied. Something about him bothered Kalon. First of all, he didn't speak a word; the fairy did all the talking. Secondly he was clearly old enough to wear a beard, yet he was completely clean-shaven. Finally, his ears were just plain too long; no Hylian that Kalon knew of, save for some of the old-blooded nobility, had ears half as long as this man's. They were long enough to line up with the back of his head. Kalon hoped that this man was, as he suspected, a rogue son of a noble; perhaps a bastard even. He had to be; only the old families of nobility had such long ears. It could be the break he had been waiting for.

With that in mind, Kalon was a bit friendlier to this particular customer than he would have been to any other client. He even invited the two to have midday meal with him and his family.

Navi declined the food, (Fairies drink sugar from flowers) Link ate with enough enthusiasm for the both of them. Though the fare at the Golden Triangles Inn was good, Kalon's wife was a superb cook.

After the meal Navi and Link were shown out to the corrals by Kalon. The two spent some time looking over the dozen or so horses he had for sale, and eventually came to an agreement about a high-spirited sorrel.

Kalon nearly choked on his own tongue when he saw the horse they had chosen. Though the Sorrel was a truly fine stallion he still couldn't believe they had chosen that one. Under different circumstances Kalon might have kept his mouth shut, but he still believed that the blonde mute was some sort of nobleman's son, and he couldn't take the risk.

"No." Kalon shouted, startling the horses and his customers, "You do not want that one!"

The fairy hovered over to the alarmed rancher, and crossed her arms defiantly, "Why not!? He's in a sale pen, and he'll serve our purposes just fine."

Kalon was startled by the fairy's sudden temper, and stumbled backwards a little, "That sorry piece of horseflesh has killed four men! I won him in a game of cards down at the Golden Triangles, I thought the goddesses had finally smiled upon me, but my hopes were dashed when his previous owner started laughing…He was first caught as a young colt out in the dessert. When they separated him from his dam, he started kicking and crushed a man's face. Months later, when the dealer tried to geld him he had his throat bitten through. The other two men were trampled and thrown when they tried to train him for a saddle… I acquired him three years ago, and I've been using him to sire foals ever since… He's a fine-looking animal to be sure, but he's quickly wearing out his welcome here. I can't keep using him as a stud forever, and I'm frightened for Talon, my son. I can't bear to kill him, but neither can let you buy him in good faith."

Navi nodded slowly, and flitted over to what Kalon guessed was their second choice, a docile-looking mare.

Meanwhile, Link pulled the Sorrel's face down close to his and whispered into the stallion's ear. When he was finished, he cocked his head; obviously waiting for a response. Kalon grumbled a bit; he had seen plenty of these amateurs who believed they could talk to horses. Sure, they were intelligent animals, but they couldn't talk.

To Kalon's surprise, the Sorrel looked Link straight in the eye and began nickering to him. He seemed to gesture by stamping his foot, and once even chopped his mouth in Kalon's direction. When the Sorrel was finished, Navi flew back over to Kalon.

"The Stallion says that he only acted, in what he calls self-defense. He doesn't trust men, and he never will. Men took his dam away, and men destroyed his herd. He thanks you for giving him charge over your mares, but for all you kindness he cannot trust you."

Kalon stood there openmouthed while Link grabbed a fistful of the Sorrel's red mane and leapt up onto his back, as though he belonged there all along.

"Now, we'll need some tack, a saddle, blankets, bridle, everything."

But Kalon did not hear a word the fairy said, it had dawned upon him that this was no nobleman's bastard that had come to his ranch. This silent young man had to be one of the forest folk. It made sense now, the long ears, the odd green clothes, and even the fairy.

After he returned to his senses, Kalon hurried to get the things the fairy had asked for. Perhaps, if he got the things they wanted quickly enough, Farore, goddess of courage and life, might bless him for pleasing her servants.

On their way back to Castle Town, Link and Navi discussed what to call Sorrel. Because horses speak with their bodies as well as their voices, Link and Navi couldn't actually use the name his dam had given him. Therefore, with Sorrel's permission, they thought at great lengths what to call him.

By the time they reached the Golden Triangles Inn, the three still had not decided on what to call the horse. While Navi hired a messenger to retrieve Link's sword from the smithy, Link went into the stables to put the Sorrel to bed. He didn't quite trust the stallion not to bite the stable hands, and thought it best to do the job himself so there wasn't any trouble.

After he finished grooming the sorrel, the stable hands gathered nearby to admire his beauty. The sorrel had an unusually long neck, with a rather high arch and a wide forehead that was shaped like a hatchet. He had an unusually compact body, only five bones in the back rather than the usual six. Though not an expert horseman, Link knew this would mean he would have more strength than other horses. The Sorrel wasn't a big horse, only 5ft tall at the shoulder, and somewhat fine-boned, but anyone could see he was very well-muscled and could run hard if the need arose. The Sorrel, as indicated by his current name, was red as the flames of the great goddess Din.

Link thought to himself as he put the tack away, "Your name shall be Din." he whispered into the horse's ear.