BOTW: The Lonely Knight

Return to Kakariko

She whinnied at him, refusing to obey his command. From the sounds she was making, Link could sense something was wrong. "What's the matter with you?" he asked.

Paya, who was praying by the nearby guardian deity statues, heard what was going on. Curious, she walked over: "M-master Link, is everything okay with your horse?"

"Something is wrong with her, she won't get up." Link responded.

"Huh?" She looked around, before suddenly spotting something. "Oh no..."

"What is it?" Link asked.

Paya picked up a partially eaten light blue and white mushroom by Epona's side. "She must have eaten some of these silent shrooms, they're known to give horses bad stomach aches..." she explained.

"Thoughts: Oh no... Talking: How long will it take for her to recover?" asked Link.

"Probably a day or two. It depends on how strong the horse is."

"So I need to wait for at least a day?" Link asked.

"Well... Yeah... But, I'm sure there are things for you to do while you're here."

"... Like what?"

"U-um..." She looked around, before pointing at someone. He was an elderly Sheikah man, busy packing up his painting tools. "That man has been travelling around all over Hyrule. He came here looking for something. Maybe it's something that might help you." she told him.

Link remained silent, giving an internal sigh. He was stuck in the village, unable to continue his quest while he waited for Epona to get better. Leaving on foot wasn't much of an option as it would simply prolong his journey more than if he just waited. "Fine." he said monotonously.

"Well uh... Have fun, I guess... I-I need to to get back to my chores..." Paya said shyly, before leaving.

Link walked over to the painter. "Excuse me." he called to him.

The Sheikah man turned around.

"Oh, hi." he said, "I've seen you before I believe. Are you a traveller too?"

Link nodded.

"I see. As for me, I looove art. I travel all around Hyrule in search of beautiful landscapes to sketch. My name is Pikango by the way, travelling artist." the painter said.

"I heard you were here looking for something." Link told him.

"Well... Just between you and me, I heard there's a Great Fairy Fountain around here." Pikango informed him.

"Fairy Fountain?" the young Hylian asked.

"It's a beautiful sight. It's apparently somewhere in the woods near the village, but I can't exactly figure out where. Would you mind helping me look for it?" the painter asked.

"Thoughts: Eh, I need to kill time somehow. Talking: Sure." Link responded.

"Excellent!" Pikango said as he began walking off, "Come on, let's get to it!"

He lead Link up the hills, past Taloh Naleg Shrine into the nearby woods. After walking around for a bit, Pikango stopped in his tracks, panting. "So... tired..." he panted, "Hills aren't easy for old fogies like me. The fountain should be somewhere around here. If you see it, mind sketching it for me... Or at least, give me a description."

"Understood." Link said, as he walked away.

After searching for a bit, he found what appeared to be some strange looking plant. It was like a flower bud: green, spiky and folded in. Curious, he approached it. As he came within a few feat from it, he suddenly heard a weak voice coming from it.