A Cherry Blossom - The Necklace

Chapter 2

"Ready for a quest, Rose?" I asked as I finished tacking up my horse. She didn't ever need a bridle; I controlled her by her mane. But her saddle was so pretty; it was white, with yellow strands that hung down from the bottom of the saddle. Of course, the royal family Hylian crest also was present under the seat of the saddle. "It's time to really show Zelda how much she means to me."

I led Rose out of the stable, waving good-bye to Kina, who was mucking out one of the stalls while all of the horses grazed in the pasture. "Good luck, Sakura! I know you can do it!"

"Thank you, Kina! I'll see you when I get back!" I stopped Rose, placing my flat-shoed right foot into the stirrup, and pushed myself up, swinging my leg over. Adjusting myself in the seat, and the satchel I still had from my mother, I was ready to go.

I kicked Rose forward, and she started at a trot down the path to Castle Town. Luckily, I didn't have to stop her at the gate; it was already open. The guards must have heard what I was doing, and were ordered to keep my path clear as I was leaving. We trotted across the gateway, and didn't slow down until we were in town.

As soon as people saw me on my horse, they all gathered around alongside her, curious at what I was doing. One little girl asked where I was going. "It's a mission for the princess," I answered. "I'll be back soon, I promise." She smiled, and waved along with everyone else as I came onto the eastern drawbridge of the town that led to the field.

Hyrule Field was truly just as beautiful as everything else in Hyrule. I've lived here all my life, and still admired everything about it. It was the pathway that led to every structure and small villages that were a part of Zelda's kingdom. From Death Mountain in the east to Lake Hylia in the west, to Gerudo Valley in the north to Kokiri Forest in the south, every inch of Hyrule belonged to Zelda. I thought she deserved all if it, and could never even think about what would happen if she wasn't in charge of it all, even when she was so young.

Both of us are the same age; fifteen years old. I've lived in Hyrule all of those years, and was as poor as dirt for a long time. Then, Zelda found me four months ago, and even though my life changed altogether, my perspective on life hasn't. I've heard stories of rich people that only cared about their money, and would act rude and selfish towards others. Well, that wasn't me, and definitely wasn't Zelda either.

Once we were about twenty feet away from the drawbridge, I kicked Rose into a canter. Zelda said that the darkness was coming from deep in the forest, and that I needed to be extremely careful going there. I looked to my right then, deciding to get some extra supplies from a friend. I steered my chestnut towards Lon Lon Ranch, located just southwest of the castle. Where I was, it was to the right of the drawbridge.

We cantered up the slope to the ranch, and I slowed Rose down into a walk. I heard a cow moo from within the barn right beside me, and smiled. Lon Lon Ranch was one of my favorite places to go when I wasn't in the castle because of all the animals that lived here. Plus, it was a beautiful ranch, with the house, which was also the chicken coop, to the left of the barn across the way to the gate into the ranch, and the pasture that had all of the horses in it straight ahead. A racetrack went around the fence of the pasture, where I loved to exercise Rose when I had the chance.

"Sakura!" I heard a familiar voice, and a girl with long red hair and a farmer's dress walked up from the barn, a pail in her hands. She wore a yellow bandana around her neck, and her brown boots were covered in hay and mud from inside the barn.

"Hi, Malon!" I greeted her with a smile, and stopped Rose right next to her. She still held the pail as I talked to her. "How are you doing?"

"Great! I just finished milking the cows. What are you doing here?"