The rancher's daughter part 1 (Zelda fanfic)
Link sighed as he rode through the lost woods. He had no idea where he was going in the first place, yet he had a feeling the great fairies could help him. He didn't know why he didn't think of this before. Now if he could only find his way out. He had been trying to get out of here for weeks now, and so far, had no such luck. He checked his bag and found he was on his last rations of food. A few berries, that was it. He sighed and took them out, he was hungry, but Epona needed her strength. She ate the berries and nuzzled his hand. Somehow seeming to understand his small sacrifice.
Epona then started off again, she walked, her guard down. She trusted Link to protect her, nothing scared her when he was around. Out of nowhere Link got tackled by something. Before he could even take his sword out he got pinned to the ground, he found a skull child sat atop him. It smiled at him with a childish innocence.
"Uh, hi? Link said."
"Hello young wanderer, you wear the Kokiri clothes, but I know you're not one of them, your Hyrulian."
It scared him how well the skull child knew him.
"So what brings you out into my neck of the woods Hyrulian?"
"I'm trying to get back to Kokiri forest, I can't seem to find my way though. I uh, don't suppose you could help me, could you?"
"Gotten lost have we? Such a silly boy, coming into my forest was a bad idea. This is the lost woods, I think you can understand, why. Can't you?" He said with a chuckle. His eyes glowing with amusement, but also something else, something that made Link uneasy.
Link glared at him and pushed him off. The skull child flipped back into a tree, staring down at him with amusement. "Do you know how to get to Kokiri forest or not?"
The skull child giggled a bit, his sharp teeth showing as he stared at Link with amusement. "Kokiri forest…. Hmmm…. yes. Yes, I do believe it rings a bell." A little bell rang somewhere within the forest, nearby to be exact. "Ah see? I told you." He smiled seeming to think he was funny.
"Can you show me? Or at least give me directions?"
He pulled out a map from his left sleeve. "This map may leads to what you seek. I'll give it to you. If you can answer one itsy bitsy little riddle. Answer correct and this map is yours."
Link stared at him with a stone hard look. "And if I don't?"
The skull child's smile grew more malicious and crooked. "Let's just say…. You'll lose a bit more than your way home. If of course you decide to play. If not, I'll be on my merry little way and leave you and your little pony to –"
"Deal."
"Oh! Quick to play I see, I like that." His eyes flashed red a moment, it was so sudden he almost wondered if it was real or not.
"First riddle, I am taller than anything in this forest but started out smaller than a rock. I hold a spirit inside of me but have no soul. I have roots but no blood line. I bleed but not blood. Who am I?"
Link didn't need to think hard to know who this was. "You are the great Deku tree."
The skull child growled in anger at this. "Correct…"
Link put out his hand. "The map please."
"Not yet!"
"We had a deal!" Link yelled reaching for his sword.
"LEAVE YOUR SWORD SHEATHED HYRULIAN!" The skull child's voice grew deeper and menacing, his eyes were bright red as he gave his warning.
Link glared at him but didn't grab the sword. "We had a deal skull child."
"Another riddle. Get this one right and the map is yours."
Link stared at him with disdain, but brought his hand down. "Fine. One more."
The skull child's eyes went back to yellow again a satisfied smile on his face at getting his way. "Good. Now then, for the riddle. I am a giant and unlike anything in this forest but live with it none the less, and well hidden. I am big enough to hold hundreds of souls yet abandoned. I am a sacred place yet forgotten by all of whom I have been created for. What am I?"
Link knew this one too. "You're the forest temple."
The skull child yelled in rage. "How do you know these things?! The Kokiri even forgotten of the temple! How is it you know of it Hyrulian?!"
"I'm not who you think I am skull child."
He growled in frustration.
"Give me the map, a deal is a deal, not that it matters, you've already broken the deal. Either way I think it's best you hand it over now."
The skull child glared at him but tossed the map to him. "I hope you get killed by the monsters in the forest." He then leapt up and vanished out of sight. Link looked to Epona confused.
"I wonder what he meant by that?" Epona looked at him with the same confusion. Link understood she didn't know why he asked her.
Link didn't respond to her look, instead tapped her sides with his feet and she began walking again. Link opened the map and looked it over. he pointed to the right and Epona went through the right tunnel. He pointed to the directions Epona needed to take and she followed his directions. Soon they came through the last tunnel. According to the map at least. The place they ended up didn't look like Kokiri forest. Everything had been burned down, if not into ash then charred beyond recognition, the trees were dead, not a single leaf on any branch. All the grass had died too. Nothing remained, not even any monsters anywhere. Link slid off Epona and looked around in horror.
"What is this?! This- this can't be right! I– I must have been tricked! That's it! that jerk tricked me! This can't be Kokiri forest…." Link felt himself breathing faster as his eyes watered with emotion. Epona came over to his side and nudged his arm in an attempt to comfort him. link pet her a bit as he walked down into the main part of the ruin. Nothing survived. He didn't want to believe it but the he knew this was where Kokiri forest once stood. His thoughts then went to the great Deku tree. He ran through the ruin to the sanctuary of the Deku tree.
He gasped as he found a burnt stump where the Deku tree once stood. He found many charred remains of children all around it. They had tried to protect the Deku tree from the threat. Being only children led to this. Link walked over to the remains and fell to his knees in front of the Deku tree and wept. Epona walked over to him and laid her head on his shoulder. Link wrapped his arms around her snout as he continued to weep. "They're all dead…"
An unknown amount of time passed. The only sound was Link's mourning which echoed throughout the dead forest. Finally, Link wiped the tears from his eyes and stood to his feet. "Nothing's left here for us here, the forest is too burnt to grow back. I… I wonder what Hyrule looks like, whatever happened here must have hurt them too." He climbed onto Epona's back and kicked her sides and she began walking towards the exit to Hyrule field. They came through the tunnel to find the bridge was gone. He looked down and found it lying down below. Charred so much that if he touched any of the planks they may have fallen to ash on the ground before him. He stared across from him to the other side of the gap. How do we get over there now? Epona let out a sigh at this.
Link stared at the other side, thinking about how he could get passed this. He then remembered the secret passage which led to the goron mines. The only problem he might have would be getting Epona to go through with him. This didn't worry him though. He steered Epona the other way and she went back to the lost woods. Link took out the map then led her to the passage, she stopped in front of them and moaned.
Link didn't say anything just stroked her mane. He kicked her sides, Epona went forward step-by-step they soon made it into the Goron mines.
A few gorons stared at him as he came through.
"Why you come through with horse bruda?"
"Sorry but I couldn't get us out any other way."
"It no problem bruda, just unexpected."
"Just wondering, but how is the rest of Hyrule Doing?"
"You….. not know about war Bruda?"
"War? What War?"
"Da great War started by the Gerudo clan, how you not know dis Bruda?"
Link didn't bother talking to him anymore. Instead kicked Epona's sides, forcing her to race off. They got out of the city and raced down death mountain. Ignoring all conversation the Gorons tried to start. He raced through the gate into Kakariko village, he found it barren and destroyed. Many men and women alike were working and building all around. They all wore ragged sweat soaked clothes and looked exhausted. Epona walked through the village, expecting a drink of water. Link pat her side and looked around, he rode up to a burly middle aged man with a face as hard as stone.
"Excuse me, could you tell me where my horse can get some Water?"
He looked down at him and scowled. "Water? Please we have enough water as it is for Ourselves! Take your damn horse elsewhere boy!"
His attitude took Link by surprise. He didn't argue though, instead left the village, he'd get her a drink from Zora's river. His jaw dropped at the state of Hyrule field, all the grass had burned away. Broken swords and Spears stuck through the ground everywhere. The once lush, grassy fields now pretty much looked dead of all life. He wasn't surprised to find zora's river polluted. Black and smelly, he wouldn't drink it himself much less let Epona drink from it.
His first thought was of Zelda and her well being. He raced off towards castle town as fast as he could, he of course noticed it was late. The sun was was setting now, the setting sun seemed to be the only thing unchanged since he left.
Link watched the sun sink under the horizon. He knew the stall children would rising soon, and more now than before. He heard the ground crack and rumble, moans of the dead surrounded him. Link kicked Epona's sides and she dashed off. Link took out his bow and knocked up an arrow, ready to defend himself when the time came. A hand broke through the ground and pulled itself from its grave, at least a hundred others did the same. An army of stalchildren rose up, giving chase to Link and his steed, they were still coming up too. All around him the fields were full of the undead. He shot arrows at the stalchildren, downing, but with each one he destroyed two more took its place.
Things were going okay for a while, considering their circumstances. Then a hand came up and clutched Epona's hoof in its grip. She screamed as she fell to the ground, Link got up and unsheathed his sword. He leapt at the stalchild, slashing it with his sword,destroying it. He ran over to Epona, she was able to stand to her hooves but she was limping as she walked. Link looked behind them to the stalchildren coming towards them. He wasn't going to leave Epona to die. Instead he grabbed Epona's reins and lead her away as fast as she could go on her injured leg.
There was no way they would be able to get away from the hordes, nor could Link fight them all off at once. He thought fast and took out the ocarina of time and played the sun's song. He usually didn't get a chance to use this, so he was a little rusty. He managed to succeed in playing it though. The sun was quick come up. The stalchildren buried themselves underground as fast as they could.
He sighed in relief. "That was too close."
He stroked Epona trying to comfort her, she calmed down, and nuzzled his hand. Link smiled and took her reins. Epona's couldn't make it to castle town with a sprained leg. Long long ranch was a hundred yards away, he could stay there until she healed.
It took forty minutes to get there, Epona was limping, and was doing so pretty slow. the gates had were lock when they arrived. People were shouting from farther inside the ranch. They noticed the change, they always did. Link usually found this amusing, but not today. Epona whinnied with excitement at seeing her old home.
"How are we going to get inside?" Link looked around and decided he would try his hand at messing with the lock, after a couple of minutes he gave up. He smiled and took his ocarina out and played Epona's song as loud as he could. If this didn't work he would need to go resort to yelling.
"Link?!" Malon came running over to the gate, she wore her nightgown, and a serious case of bedhead. Looking annoyed, and grumpy, not a bit happy to see him in the slightest. "What are you doing here?"
"Epona needs help, can we stay here until she gets better? Please?"
"Ugh! Link you idiot what did you do to her this time?! Papa I need you down here, Epona needs in!"
Talon walked down to meet her, his pajamas and night hat still on. They were definitely woken by Link's tampering of time. "Malon stop that yellin will ya? Link,? Get outa here! We can't take you in boy!
"But Papa, Epona!"
"I don't care! We barely feed ourselves much less this kid! The horses are barely getting enough to eat Either!"
"He can help us work or something, we need all the help we can -"
"No!"
"Papa I'm not going to let you leave Epona out There! She's Hurt! I'll give link some of my food and… we can…. Slaughter one of the sickly horses to make room…"
Talon stared at his daughter a moment, then sighed. "Fine. You're responsible for feeding the boy, and you are the one slaughtering that horse."
"I know…. She sounded like she was fighting back tears."
"I'll let you inside, give me a moment to – gah! Where are my damn keys?!" He slammed the palm of his hand into the gate in frustration. His usually calm, even temper now unpleasant and short fused. Talon grumbled as he stormed off to find his keys.
Malon looked at Link in annoyance. "You better work yourself to death every day fairy boy, cause I'll throw you out myself if you don't!"
Link stared at her surprised. "Okay, I will."
Talon finally came back with the key and let Link inside the ranch. Epona was put in the barn with her leg wrapped up. Another, scrawny old stallion was taken out by Malon.
"Boy go put your crap in the coop with Ingo, you're sleeping with Him!"
"Okay." Link went into the coop.
Ingo fumed in rage, his fists balled up. "If I ever find the b*****d who disturbed my beauty sleep, I will rape them!"
Link was horrified at this. Everyone was so mean! Even ingo, a man who was always salty was more of an a** than usual. Link sighed, the war hardened all Hyrule.
"So um, Ingo what -"
"That's mister Ingo to you boy!" Ingo shouted in his face.
"Okay! Okay! Jeepers! Mister Ingo! I heard there was a war that ravaged the land."
"No s**t dummy."
"I wasn't in Hyrule for it, I left."
Ingo got in his face and sniffed. "Hmmm you don't smell of a liar, fine. Yeah the Gerudo attacked and destroyed Everything! Came in with an army of monsters to back them up. Hyrule almost got wiped out, a draft was put in place to help fight. Countless lives lost. Nothing grows in Hyrule field anymore, nothing grows on this damned ranch Either! Everything's destroyed boy. You know why this stupid ranch is still Here? Because all the Knights stayed here! Yep this was a military base. If it weren't for that damned arrow through the knee I'd be a knight Still!"
"You were a knight?"
"Enough talk Boy! I'm done talking about it it's too depressing."
Link stood and left the coop to find Malon. He found her in the storage room, a large sword beside her as she lay next to the dead horse crying.
"Malon…"
She looked up surprised and wiped the tears away. "Link! Um… get out I'll be out in a few minutes to give you something to do."
"Okay." He shut the door as gently as he could and waited for her to finish.
