-Chapter 9-
Sheik woke up with an ache in his back the next morning. He had ended up sleeping in the hay that night, due to certain… circumstances. It was the sound of hooves that had woke him, and he knew without even opening his eyes that Link was already out riding.
Sheik stared at the ceiling of the barn for a few moments before getting up. He brushed excess hay off his clothing, and headed outside.
Maria was already there, watching Link ride around with mild interest but as soon as Sheik drew nearer she perked up and said:
"There you are!! I thought you were going to sleep the day away!" Maria was already talking a mile a minute "You've missed breakfast already, but if you're hungry I can go make you somethi-"
"I'm good" Sheik said, cutting her off.
"You sure? I thought, considering how much Link ate, you would have been hungry."
"I'm fine" Sheik said quickly, before she could get much more out. He hopped over the fence and waved Link down. Link stopped and looked down at Sheik.
"Yeah?" he asked
"As much as I'd love to sit here all day and watch you ride your new horse I have things I need to do, so I'll be off." Sheik said
"Alright" Link replied and then he was off again. Sheik hopped back over the fence and headed to the exit.
"You leaving?" Maria asked as Sheik walked by her to leave.
"Yup" he replied
"Okay… bye then…" Maria said
"Bye" Sheik put his hand on the gate that lead out to push it open
"Wait!" Maria called, grabbing his arm "before you go…" she kissed him on the cheek before quickly backing away, blushing.
Sheik ignored the fact of what just happened, and tried hard to hide his shock and disgust. Of all things… he thought and more importantly, of all people, why her?
He pushed the thought to the side and headed off to where he needed to go.
Earlier that morning:
"Grass, endless fields of green grass. Cutting through the grass were the worn dirt paths that every traveler took. Then the forests, endless mazes of green trees, they would go on until they reached the end of Hyrule.
"And there in the south stood the mountains, crowning the edges of Kakariko, Death Mountain standing higher than them all, the top hidden by the clouds. Beyond the mountains was the endless desert, a beauty all of its own.
"The lake was far north, its water quiet and blue, flowing from the legendary Zora's Domain. Snow Peak towered over it.
"And the best part… the best part is that I had it all to myself. Nothing but me, my horse, and the open fields. I traveled far and wide, searching from corner to corner of Hyrule for something. I had no idea what it was, but it must have been important. I was fighting monsters and running for my life to escape them.
"But they would never stop. Always chasing me, always showing up where I least expected them. It was scary, and amazing." He leaned back in his chair, satisfied that he had told his story so well.
"Wow!" Maria said from across the table (they were eating breakfast) "do you have dreams like this all the time?"
Link shook his head "not always. But it's great when I do."
"That reminds me! Where's Sheik?" Maria asked
"I don't know" Link replied with a shrug "I didn't think he was one to sleep in. Maybe he already left."
"Yeah" Maria said, letting out an annoyed huff of air. "I wouldn't put it past him if he did."
Link shrugged, but said nothing more. He was caught up in the dream again, thinking of the beauty of Hyrule and how great it would have been if he was free to just ride across it. But his mother wasn't too happy about him going much farther out of Kakariko than the Ranch, and even forbade him from nearing the any of the forests besides the one that was in between Kakariko and Castle Town.
"You want to go back and ride your horse don't you?" Maria asked. Link started to say no but he realized that doing so would make him a liar. He did indeed want to go ride his horse, so he nodded.
And before long he had LiteHart saddled up and was riding her again. LiteHart actually seemed quite happy about it, but maybe she was just picking up Link's joyous mood.
"You!!" a voice from behind him hissed and a hand grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him into the alleyway.
Sheik pulled away and turned around, eyes blazing, ready for a fight. All he found was Link's mother. She was wearing her tattered cloak over her clothes, her hair was a mess and her eyes were weary.
"Where's Link?" she asked
"Back at the Ranch" Sheik replied "riding his new horse"
"Horse? When did he get a horse?" Link's mother asked, the look of concern on her face getting urgent.
"I don't know" Sheik replied nervously. The look Link's mother was giving him was starting to freak him out "Maria said that it was from his father"
Link's mother's eyes went wide with shock. "That's impossible. There is no way his father could have gotten it to him. His father's dead, and has been for at least a few years."
"It's entirely possible that he brought the horse to the ranch a few years ago with instructions to give it to Link when he came by." Sheik said hopefully "I mean, Link hasn't been to the ranch before has he?"
Link's mother shook her head. "No he hasn't" she said, starting to look relieved "so what does it look like?"
Sheik smiled "It's a beautiful snow white mare, with a golden mane."
"And what did he name her?"
Sheik paused "Uhh…" he said "I think he named her Light Heart or something."
A look of shock and worry returned to Link's mother's face. "What?" Sheik asked "It's not important is it?"
Link's mother shook her head "not at all" she said. Sheik could tell she was lying through her teeth though.
