CHAPTER 10

The sun was rising across the sky by the time he awoke. The air was warm and fresh. Birdsong chirped in the distance and deer roamed on the horizon. It was as though the battles from the night before were long and swiftly forgotten, buried and lost through the ever-flowing sands of time. But not for Link. Epona's body lay beneath him. It was cold. His own body was stiff and excruciatingly painful. The bruises on his hands and knuckles were dark and sore, and his ribs could barely draw breath. A dark, dismaying feeling clung to him, bleak as the winter's night and like a dead weight physically embedded in his heart. His despondent mind did saw no beauty in this world.

He slowly lifted his head and then pushed himself up onto his knees. His mouth was dry, and throat ached terribky. He knew he was desperately in need of medical help and food, but could not bring himself to eat.. Neither did he want to leave. Did he even have the energy to do so? He felt not. The screen on Sheikah Slate was cracked and broken, probably from when he fell.Without jt he could not warp, and in his current state would be a days walk away at least. He couldn't bear the thought of returning to a stable without Epona.

'What do I do?' he asked, wishing that he would get some response. It pained his heart when her ears did not move like they always did, there was no whicker at the sound of his voice like there always was. She was truly gone. Leaning back down on her cold neck he stroked her gently across her shoulder and closed his eyes.

Suddenly his eyes snapped open. He sat bolt upright, impervious to injuries he had sustained, a flash of a conversation he had had with a lady a long time ago coming to him in a blur. When she spoke of legendary God she was looking for – one who existed somewhere in the mountains, with the powers to heal and revive dead horses. Could it be?

'A Horse God,' he murmured, his eyes darting back and forth, locked onto Epona's lifeless body. His heart started to race with excitement as the memory of his conversation with the lady flooded back into his mind. He felt a surge of hope coursing through his body, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He ran his hand along her cold fur, hoping against hope that the legend held some truth. Maybe, just maybe, he could find a way to bring her back. It could be true. It had to be.

His jaw immediately tightened with renewed determination, and he pushed himself up to his feet, gripping his shield tightly. The thought of searching the whole kingdom and beyond for this supposed Horse God didn't daunt him. His friend deserved it. He would scour every mountain, every forest, every valley, every lake, every island until he found what he was looking for. And he would not fail her again.

With a steely glint in his eye, he stood up and slung his shield over his back, ignoring the stabbing pain that erupted across his shoulders and across his body. It would not stop him. It would drive him.

Invigorated by a new sense of grit and determination, he clenched his fists with a fierce resolve. Giving Epona one last look he stared out and toward the horizon. He drew a long breath.

'I will find you.'