Akko lucked out on her journey by arriving in the small town of Blyghtonbury and running into Chelsea McLaren from the Dublin ranch, who might have the chance to get a lift along the way and also even win a horse and some Rupees if she does the redhead's services, in addition to training to improve her sword skills, which she even found strange for a mere farmer to have such a skill carrying one, even more so being just a stick.
Akko was having a very normal night of dreams, without many nightmares, just having a normal dream imagining how the days would be from now on, where she was soon awakened by Mrs McLaren early at four o'clock in the morning she was already awakened, having her sleep interrupted, already having to put her hand in the dough and work.
"Wake up girl" Chelsea said and Kagari went on mumbling.
"Can't you give it another five minutes?" Said the sleepyAtsuko.
"Not at all girl, a real warrior is always ready and willing for battle, first lesson in how to become a great warrior" Said the redhead who even ended up pushing the girl out of bed who fell and looking at the window seeing the sky still a little dark.
"Wow, but it's not even morning yet, I always wake up in the morning, but not that early" said the brown-haired girl rubbing her eyes.
"You'll get used to my mum waking us up early like this" said Holly, also rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"Go change, brush your teeth and you will help me in the kitchen, another step for a great warrior is to know how to make your own food" said Mrs McLaren.
The two girls were walking to where the shower room is and from there they were changing their clothes, taking dry clothes that Chelsea left for the two, Akko was getting a brown trousers and an orange tunic on top, which she was looking in the mirror already strange everything, then she was leaving that place and going to her room.
From there she was helping Chelsea with her bags, packing her things, to leave there just before dawn and also to have enough time to travel since it is important to leave very early.
[...]
Akko helped a lot when preparing breakfast, which they ate eggs with bread and some pieces of ham that were present there, as well as a juice made with squeezed oranges, they were eating and already feeling the relief of that day.
"You did very well Akko, you can even cook" said Mrs McLaren.
"I knew why I had to get by in my village, nobody gave me anything and I didn't want to spend Rupees on food all the time, as I lost my parents early I had to learn by myself to do what was good, so in my free time after the warrior training I would go to the kitchens to try some work there, but they never accepted me, not even to just clean the floor, even so I looked at everything and learnt by applying at home" Explains Atsuko to the eldest.
"Oh that's very sad, I didn't think you were the useless clumsy girl you say you are, you are a little clumsy, but you know how to do things, now let's finish packing and we'll leave in a little while, don't forget to wash the dishes and pots here, we won't leave the place anyway" Said the redhead and the two nodded.
So they started to wash the dishes while Chelsea was putting the rest of the bags in the cart and preparing for the departure, luckily there were few dishes to be cleaned and that way it was very quick for them to finish washing everything that was necessary, not taking long to finish washing everything.
Kagari went with Holly to help the eldest with the bags that were left over and that way it was speeding up the process, the sky was already with the sun rising sign that it was time to leave, Mrs McLaren leaves a bag with some Rupees on the counter and is already climbing into the cart with everything ready to go.
The one with crimson eyes climbs on the cart and looks at the restaurant, even forgetting to ask about Annabel that her friend Lotte wanted to know so much, she only saw the older one starting to take that cart out of place.
"Come on, you're going to drive the wagon from here on out" Chelsea said.
"I don't know how you do it, is it that simple?" Mrs McLaren only nods in agreement.
"Just hold the rope, and when you want to turn somewhere just pull the rope to some of the sides you see, if you want to stop just pull back and more speed just push down, you see, well I'm going to take the horses to drink some water and then you drive here forward" Said the redhead as she was taking the cart and demonstrating to the brown-haired one how she does it.
"It's not too difficult, my mum even lets me drive the cart several times on the way, just follow the path straight and we'll get there" said Holly,
Soon they stop to supply the horses that had already eaten enough pasture, they just needed to drink water and thus have enough to last for the rest of the day, which was then changed who drove the wagon, going to Akko's turn, she even went on basing herself on what she learned, pulling still in a clumsy way she was able to take the wagon to the exit of the city, where it was starting to pass through a small trail, the day had already dawned and there she was seeing a huge landscape ahead. A huge prairie, with low grass and some hills, being possible to see a few trees at a distance from each other, as well as some animals circulating there.
"Which direction are we going?" Atsuko asks.
"Head north-west, just follow this road, there's no mistake, there's always a path made for it, we'll soon arrive, it takes 4 days on foot or just two on horseback, we may arrive later in the morning, just camp in the middle of the road and I guarantee your safety from monsters, we can talk about anything on the way" Chelsea said.
"Wow driving a cart is not as hard as it looks, it's the first time I've seen one in years, I usually only see the rare donkeys, but horse itself I've never seen one in my whole life, it's rare to see one in Luna Nova, once a year we see merchants coming and we make a point of spending all the Rupees or gather waiting for them bringing various things from the kingdom of Hyrule, then we stay for a long time without knowing anything, even news from outside we only know when they see and sell old newspapers" Said Kagari.
"Wow this is very boring, back at the ranch we get news very quickly, there is always a messenger that we pay to go visit the kingdom of Wedinburgh from time to time and bring news from there from time to time when we don't end up going there too, well you are doing well to follow the path, the speed is good and stable to hold until lunchtime, in a few hours we stop on a bank of a stream and then follow the path until the night" Said Mrs McLaren.
"And where does this stream lead?" asks the curious Atsuko.
"It is one of the branches of the Zoras River, it leads to the lake of the same name, even one of the branches passes through your village" Said the eldest.
"Yes, we call it the Arcturus River over there, it's very dangerous in deep water and full of creatures, the shallow waters are where we drink the water and also where we set up the village of Luna Nova" said the crimson-eyed one.
The three of them were chatting along the way about the places where they live and the paths they pass, the brown-haired one was telling about the peculiar life in the village of Luna Nova that was very different from those who lived outside, since people even far from each other were aware of the things that happened to each other, which was quite bizarre.
[...]
The hours passed, they arrive around eleven o'clock in the morning at the respective place of the stream and there the wagon is leaning on a rope, just as the horses are feeding on the bank of the stream eating hay and drinking the water, just as the trio is already starting another part of the day, with another training this time in lighting the fire and surprisinglyAkko knew how to do it, she even throws a small fireball, surprising Chelsea.
"Do you know magic too?" asks the shocked older woman.
"It's just any old way, my friends are real witches, at most I know how to make a fireball and that's it, it's the basics that anyone from Luna Nova knows, we kind of learn it" said Atsuko shrugging.
"Woah... 'I know how to use magic too, Mum taught me the basics, it's like she wants to make me more of a sorceress than a warrior" said Holly.
"Well I was hoping to train you by having you rub sticks or stones together, but you really know how to make fire on your own and that's amazing, it seems the warrior is not so weak" said Mrs McLaren.
"This is also only the most I can do, I would only make another fireball like this in half an hour, I didn't get to train to expand my magic, my focus is on being a warrior" Kagari said as she was leaving the fire better finished,
In this the trio is managing to find a way to prepare a meal for lunch in the case they are using the provisions they took, leaving the food already well prepared with eggs and breads, in addition to some other grains, it was not much, but it was what they needed to sustain for a trip before arriving at the Dublin ranch.
"I thought I wouldn't get tired, but I feel like my arse is square from sitting for so long" said Akko.
"About nine more hours riding and we will stop again, this time to rest, here we will stay about 30 minutes or an hour, it will depend on the horses and us, I liked you Akko, you are a very interesting little girl, she lived a lot even isolated, even so she managed to have a happy childhood" Said Chelsea.
"Even though I was an orphan I could always have my best friends with me, I think I forgot something now that I remembered, I should have spent more time in the town of Blyghtonbury to talk to the writer Annabel Créme, she is the author of the book that my friend Lotte loves" Kagari said rubbing the back of her head.
"Night fall? "I love this book, I'll tell you right away that she hasn't lived in Blyghtonbury for years, she moved to the kingdom of Wedinburgh, when I go there, maybe I'll find her, but I'll tell you right away that she's a complicated person to deal with" said Holly.
"Look, I don't know about that, but if it's to make my friend happy I'll definitely try to find her and talk to her or get a book, I want to give Lotte Night Fall, she deserves it, she's always been a faithful friend who always helped me when I needed it most" said the crimson-eyed one.
"I know the blonde, she's a real pain in the arse, she moved to Wedinburgh with a lot of pleading from Princess Diana who is a fan of the books too, the queens had to insist a lot for her to move there, but with a little extra help she went" Chelsea said.
"I've got more quests up to date at least, I can't wait to see what this kingdom of Wedinburgh is like, it looks like a very interesting place" Said the lively brown-haired girl.
"It is very busy especially in trade, it is the most prosperous kingdom in Hyrule, Queens Laura and Bernadette have improved a lot since they took over, before it was a very abandoned kingdom and today people from all over Hyrule go to live in the surroundings, so much so that they had to increase the walls of the cities because the kingdom simply expanded, you can easily get lost there" Said Mrs McLaren.
"And have you travelled all over Hyrule?" asks the curious Kagari.
"I've travelled all over Hyrule, I know the map off the top of my head, the only place I don't get close to today is the kingdom of Appleton in a valley in the middle of the icy Bradford mountains, I visited there when I was still very young, they are very tyrannical and it's complicated to negotiate, it was back in the days when my parents were still alive, after everything happened things changed completely... "We are no longer so welcome in that kingdom, anyone who has a friendship with the kingdom of Wedinburgh is considered an enemy of Appleton and there they are merciless, the warriors are the strongest and without mercy" said the eldest.
"Woah, and what happened? I remember they talked about a war about 20 years ago" Akko said and the eggs were soon ready.
"I'll tell you tonight, I'll show you in detail what happened, I know how to make some cool effects that will be shown in the fire of this whole war" Chelsea said and so Atsuko's curiosity was piqued.
She was just imagining what this war could be, besides delighting in the eggs she had fried in that pan, eating with the breads and the three were drinking milk which Chelsea had taken some for the trip to recover more energy, before they left again on a long journey again, at that quiet stop.
[...]
The day was going by the way was going slightly quiet the trip was quite normal, without any person getting in the way and the horses were riding quietly, until they reached dusk, there Chelsea decides to stop the
horses in the middle of another bank on the way, where it is always a stopping point for traders and other people who are travelling on the way, having to pay some Rupees to pass through there due to being a security point.
"What are those things on the floor?" Akko asks.
"These are magical stones that are dug into the ground to prevent monsters from outside from appearing in the circle, here is a common stopping point for several merchants, that's why so many stop, at night this here is a magical barrier that prevents creatures from being born inside or invading and so we can sleep peacefully without danger, now let's prepare our camp" Said Mrs McLaren.
"That's what I was thinking, how we were going to sleep with the danger of the bugs imminent" Akko said.
"That's why there are stops like this, it's also like a small trading village, as well as a checkpoint, if you continue west you go to the Bradford Mountains, if you continue east you go to Lake Zoras, if you continue north that's where we go to Dublin Ranch, south to Blyghtonbury and there's also the road to the southeast that goes to the Gerudo Desert" said the older woman.
The wagon is pulled over and so the pieces to assemble a tent are taken out and an assembly for a temporary camping hut begins, where Kagari finally shows her clumsy side by tripping over nonsense or fitting some wrong piece that ends up knocking down parts of the tent, but instead of receiving nasty comments she only heard silly giggles and even a little help from Chelsea.
"Take it easy and watch your step Akko, we'll never get on" said Mrs McLaren.
"I suck at making a tent" said the frustrated crimson-eyed girl.
"Just keep calm and I'll teach you properly, put your arm on this side and hold it calmly, now let Holly put this part and see, there is already support here" Said the oldest which helped a lot.
The hours went by that day and the night was falling the stars shone in the sky, the fires shone on the ground amid the various camps that were installed there by several of the residents of the land of Hyrule.
Akko was eating some bread and was watching the place somewhat impressed, until Chelsea arrives at the fire calling the two girls for a conversation, they sit closer to her and there in the fire begins to move making shapes of different things with the manipulation that the oldest had with the fire.
"As I promised, I will tell you a little of the history of the past of this place, you will know a little more about what happened" said Mrs McLaren.
"Oh I'm very anxious to know, I used to sleep a lot in history classes that I had in my village, but they didn't have the kind of bonfires that we have here" said the curious Atsuko.
"30 years ago in the village Luna Nova, a girl was chosen as a warrior, her name is Laura M... Laura, she something I do not remember well the surname of this warrior, she was chosen as the warrior and went very well there, was conquering the dungeons gaining the trust of Queen Clarie at the time, doing the best services, but there was one thing, one of Clarie's daughters wanted to do a betrayal, Daryl Cavendish, she wanted to take her throne and make it easier for the King of Appleton at the time, Paul Hanbridge to take over, even forced a marriage between him and Princess Bernadette Cavendish at the time, but things changed when romance broke out between the warrior Laura and the princess, Queen Clarie approved of the romance and married the two, which ended up causing a huge discontent, 25 years ago happened what was decisive for the kingdom, a war between Appleton and Wedinburgh, with a betrayal of Princess Daryl, Queen Clarie was murdered and a combat between the forces took place, on one side the troops of Daryl and Paul, on the other the troops of Bernadette and Laura, in this fight the side of Bernadette and Laura won and so the end of the war was declared, with the King retreating with Princess Dary and there they were kind of doing their strength to try a second attack, meanwhile the two newly queens of Wedinburgh had to turn around, another war took place during this period was not just one, this time the Kingdom of Appleton tried to make a massive attack and the counterattack by Wedinburgh troops was so massive that it needed an invasion of their kingdom to sign the surrender once and for all, which this time was the end with the execution of King Paul and the arrest of the then queen Daryl, who was pregnant with the couple's third child, the one who could occupy the throne since Daryl had already had two daughters, those who are now under the protection of the queen and are part of the nobility, the queen of Appleton escaped from Wedinburgh prison and managed to return in time to the kingdom of Appleton, but died in childbirth, her son is under the power of the regents of that kingdom who chose to leave the child there and our concern is whether he was not influenced by some of them to become as cruel as his parents, Lord Andrew Hanbridge
who has not yet become king because he has not married, "We don't know what he looks like or when he'll show up, we know he's 19 today, possibly very similar to his father who was a black haired, green eyed man, he already says that any Wedinburgh ally is not welcome" Chelsea said, explaining the war situation to Akko in a summarised way.
"Woah, I think I've seen a guy like that with green eyes was in a dream of mine, it was a guy with black hair and green eyes who was going to attack me while two horses ran away and on them there were two girls, riding him, one that I couldn't identify because I was on my back and with a veil covering even my hair and the other was a girl also with a veil, but who looked at me, she has blue eyes and platinum blonde hair" Said Kagari and Mrs McLaren keeps her hand on her chin.
"Oh yes she must be Princess Diana, could that be what you saw in your dream and what happens next?" asks the eldest.
"I see a sword coming down and I wake up in a prison cell, it's very strange, will I fail?" Atsuko said perplexed and the redhead's expression was very apprehensive even with concern.
"That's why training is important, if this is a vision of the future you need to prepare yourself, it is quite possible that Lord Andrew Hanbridge is a well-trained warrior, he is 6 years older than you, I have already seen that I really have an important mission at hand, the chosen warrior of Luna Nova this time will have to protect the kingdom from the hands of this tyrant" Chelsea said.
And so they were even reflecting and eating a little which after a while went to sleep to leave early for the second day of travel that could take a while, but they woke up very early as usual to prepare.
Chelsea was already showing great concern, she knew that it was not just anything that Akko ended up dreaming and it could be something that determines the future of the entire land of Hyrule, she was showing seriousness all the way, even relaxing while talking to Akko, wanting to know more about it.
[...]
After a whole day they arrive at another stop and this time they were very close, there was no special stop that they needed to stop to camp alone and then comes the magic that Chelsea shows Akko how to act when camping alone without being at a stopping point, she starts to take a hoe and gets close to the stopping place that is in a steppe and unluckily there is no source of water for childbirth, but luckily there is a lot of water stored and McLaren knew that.
She started to draw a circle with the hoe of a considerable size and then started to use a sickle to reduce some of the grass around that was a little high with the circle made she takes a bag.
"This is a magical powder that has properties to keep night monsters away from coming here" said Chelsea as she filled the holes made with the hoe with the powder in the bag until they were well covered.
Then she took another bag with stones and put it on top and thus ensured even better protection, since it would serve later to protect without the creatures realising anything since the circle makes a temporary wall where the girls are, and this wall protects from any monster coming around when night falls.
"And all done, now we just have to set up the hut and we can get home before lunch, the ranch is very close, if we go further east we will go to the kingdom of Wedinburgh, it's just a day's ride from here, it's very quick, walking only takes two days" Chelsea said.
"So that's what the stones are for, how curious because you haven't been in a dug hole like that where you've already done?" Akko asks.
"Over time the hole will crumble, on the way I didn't do it, this thing lasts a week until the soil absorbs again, on the way Chelsea and I accelerated the pace to arrive in one day already at the camping point, we didn't stop, I only did it here because I wanted to show you how to do it, one day you will need to do it" Explains Mrs McLaren.
"So back at the camp they do it all the time?" Akko asks and she nods.
"I use a short time powder, theirs is a more expensive version that lasts more than a year, as I travel a lot I need to use the cheapest, since I'm never in the same place, but that's it, see how quiet it is?" Said the eldest and Akko nods in agreement.
So they take a rest, take the opportunity to finish setting up the cabin and take a well-deserved rest since they will still have a little more to travel until they reach the Dublin ranch and even gave a good rest, eating,
talking, getting to know each other better, even had a little quick training between Atsuko and Chelsea with the swords where Kagari can understand a little better how it worked.
[...]
The long journey has come to an end and it was a way where Akko can learn a lot, arriving at the entrance to the Dublin ranch, surprised by the immensity of the place, the horses pulling the cart are soon released into the huge nursery where they can ride freely and have all the hay and water they need, which are already faced with a Gerudo who was carrying some buckets and soon waves to the two girls and notices the new face.
"It was a quick journey to Blyghtonbury, who is Hyllian with you?" said the Gerudo girl. "She looks like a little girl from the lands of Arcturus" said the Gerudo girl.
"Amanda O'Neill this is the chosen one, she is a warrior from Luna Nova, I brought her here to teach her how to handle the sword and also work a little in the field, maybe you don't need help from a mate, this is Atsuko Kagari, but you can call her Akko" Chelsea said.
"HeyAkko, welcome to the countryside, with little arms and a size like that I think you'll need to eat a lot before you get your hands dirty" said Amanda.
"I managed to defeat a cockatrice, I'm not that weak" Akko said, puffing out her cheeks.
"Oh how cute, a little warrior in training, I can carry you with one arm, how old are you by any chance?" said O'Neill showing her arms.
"I'm fourteen, I can prove I'm pretty strong" Kagari said, showing her arms and revealing that they weren't that wide, which got a good laugh.
"You Hyllians are such wimps, aren't you? Hahahahahaha, I'm your age girl, but then I'll love to get heavy with you, pleasure" Said the gerudo giving her hands to Akko who ends up squeezing and felt the squeeze and she was soon trying to take it off with pain and Amanda was in the most laughing.
"Ah, I see you're going to get along very well, Akko, Chelsea, Amanda, you will unload the wagon, I will make the food, in addition you two help Amanda with the ranch chores, I will soon call everyone for food, first day at the ranch and I don't want to be easy, I want to see your butts working, the trip was tiring, but it doesn't reach the feet of the work in the field" Chelsea said.
"Oh Mrs McLaren, can't we take a break? They've just arrived from their trip, I still have to feed the cuccos, the cows, the horses, the pigs, I've already cleaned their manure and put it in the compost and in the soil, besides the plants, all that's left is to feed the animals and also clean up, we'll rest, have some food and then we'll get to work" Amanda even tried to bargain.
"Nothing like that Amanda, you are not the strong gerudo, get your hands dirty now, you two just sat in a wagon for a few hours, I even left you in the back while I stayed here in front, you stayed in the hay, so you had enough time off, now go, the ranch can not wait I want to see you working, Akko will accompany the two in the tasks you learn, I guarantee that after so much work the food is even tastier" Said Mrs McLaren and so the three youngest even frustrated go to work.
"Get used to it, she's just like that, you just fell for Chelsea McLaren's tale, from now on it's work until it's over, when I was adopted by this woman I had to do the hardest work here, not even in the Gerudo desert it was like this" Said the tired O'Neill.
"Let's get going so we can finish quickly and we can rest and play" said Holly.
The three very tired women start to work, with Akko accompanying the two and helping with the various services seeing how complicated it is, which she was doing until a little tired, while Chelsea was making lunch for everyone who works there on the ranch, after a long trip.
The trip to the Dublin ranch was very quick but it is still just the beginning of what Akko will still have to endure, to become a warrior on this journey to which she was placed, knowing even more about what ended up happening in the past of the lands of Hyrule and the two wars for the hegemony of the lands of the kingdoms of Appleton and Wedinburgh.
See you, travelling witches...