Ch. 5
Haeda urged Etota through the day until the sun finally sat low in the sky. The forest had disappeared long before, and the weary boy had come to a field. He could not quite make out his surroundings in the dim evening light, but heard the clattering of hooves approaching. And by the sound of it, a caravan was coming his way. Haeda had Etota stop. All he could think about right now was food and sleep. He hadn't packed nearly enough food for two days; since he had no idea how much he would eat on a journey. His belly rumbled impatiently.
But as the caravan got closer, Haeda felt more and more like he should get out of site. He shook his head several times, trying to get rid of the feeling. "Why am I panicking?" He asked himself. "Because danger approaches."
Haeda couldn't stand resisting any longer and slid off of Etota silently. He urged her toward a scant patch of trees; one of the few that were around. He ducked behind a bush and unsheathed his sword. The caravan was almost upon them. He heard gruff shouts. "Let's get a move on!" A figure yelled at the driver, who grumbled. "Ganon doesn't like waiting, and you know what he'll do if he gets upset!" A sickening chill shot through Haeda's stomach. His muscles tensed as scenes of the village flashed through his mind.
The driver turned to the first figure, which was walking beside the cart. "I don't care what you say," He replied in a high, whiny voice, "I'll just go at me own pace." Plainly, the two were always bickering.
There were figures walking alongside the caravan, making a full circle around it. As they passed by, Haeda's eyes widened. They were all moblins.
One of the monsters was idly sitting on the small ledge at the back of the cart. There was a persistent clinking of metal from within. The moblin banged on the door and growled, "Be quiet, will you? Or you won't even live to see the mighty Ganon himself!" The clinking abruptly stopped, followed by a muffled cry of despair.
Haeda's pointed ears perked as he heard. "I know that sound from somewhere. Someone needs my help, and so I'll deliver it."
He leaped out of the bushes with a battle cry, slashing the nearest moblin in the throat. It fell to the ground with a frightening gurgling sound. The moblin on the ledge jumped off and landed on Haeda's back, attempting to club him in the head. "No, not again!" The boy cried. He ran up to the caravan and slammed into it back-first, crushing the monster underneath him. It yelped and sprawled on the ground. It ended up with a sword through the chest. Just then, two other moblins attacked from opposite sides. Haeda quick ducked, and the two monsters ended up head-butting each other. They landed on the ground, dazed, and never lived to get back up.
Haeda turned to the caravan, where two moblins remained, but found that it was well up the road. He quickly called for Etota and mounted her in one smooth motion. Cries of panic emanated from inside the caravan as it sped away. Haeda spurred Etota, and they soon caught up to it. The boy had his horse ride up to the side of the first moblin, who appeared caught by surprise at first, but then whirled a crude sword in a horizontal slice. Haeda leaned as far away as he could, but the moblin's sword tasted flesh. The boy cried out in pain and parried another attack. The two were evenly matched, but Haeda was faster. He knocked his opponent's weapon from his hand and stabbed him through the heart.
He jumped onto the driver's seat, and stood with his blade pointed at the terrified driver's throat. "Stop!"
The moblin snickered and pulled on the reigns as hard as he could. The horses stopped in their tracks, throwing Haeda off of the caravan and landing roughly in the dirt. The moblin cackled and ran off into the night, escaping death with a laugh. Haeda cursed under his breath as he stood up. His knee felt banged up, and the wound in his side was bleeding. He stumbled over to the back of the caravan, and climbed up to the door.
Iron bars were set into the window, and elegant white-gloved hands were wrapped around them. Chains clinked together as someone attempted to stand a little taller to see who approached. Haeda mumbled, "Stand back, I'm going to get you out." He struck the lock with his blade, sending sparks flying. He did this again and again, until his arms grew too heavy. Etota stood nearby, watching intently. Instead of trying the lock, Haeda thrust the sword into the tiny crack between the door and the frame. He slowly turned, using his sword as a crowbar. The door snapped off of its hinges with a metallic clang and fell to the road.
Inside stood a beautiful girl, just about fifteen years of age. She smiled gratefully at Haeda. Without a word, He cut the chains from her wrists. "There." He said, satisfied, but then his grievous side-wound took affect. He paled and swayed where he stood. The girl cried out as he fell to the ground, unconscious.