...as she raced back onto firmer ground. Epona was happy to return to the grassy fields of Hyrule and away from the beaches of Port City. Link wondered if the mare realized they were about to return to the uneven surfaces of sand, but he didn't feel like ruining the horse's happiness for the moment.
The two horses ate up the miles. Most horses wouldn't be able to stand the speeds Epona and Quicksilver were put at for such long distances, but whether due to their heritage or divine blessings, both horses managed such lengths easily.
Link heard the train coming down the mountain as they neared Lon Lon Ranch. The horn echoed down through the foothills. Endeavor said, "Hopefully our knight will be aboard that train." She slowed Quicksilver as they reached the Lon Lon Ranch entrance. "Now, I believe we should rest for an hour or so. I need to fill a few water skins and the horses should rest before the last leg."
"Are we already half way there?" Link asked, bringing Epona's gait down to a canter beside Endeavor.
"More than half," Endeavor said. "Sandsought is much closer to the edge of the desert than Fort Lanayru. If we leave by midnight, we should reach the town shortly after dawn."
"Evenin', folks."
"Colette," Link said, smiling at the familiar face. He remembered the young woman fondly after his first visit to the ranch.
Colette smiled in return. "What are y'all doin' here?"
Endeavor said, "We need water and a few hours of rest. Proper beds for both of us, if that is not a problem."
"After your last visit, I'd say that's fair enough," Colette replied. "How is she?"
Epona tossed her head and snorted. Link patted the mare on the neck. "She's fantastic." Epona flipped her mane, confirming the statement.
As Link bent over, Colette caught a glance of his sword. She said, "So you really are him?" Link looked up. "I mean, it was a rather large rumor after ya left, but Pa never told anyone if it was the truth or not."
"I am certain that would start an even larger rumor that he is not interested in being spread if he had," Endeavor commented. "The rancher who threw the Hero into a corral with a untamable horse, and treated him like a lowly being with no right to step foot in a ranch like this."
Colette paused. "Well...when ya put it that way, I suppose..."
Link intervened, "We're not here to name names. We just need some rest. Saddle sore legs can make some people..." He chose his next words wisely, "...less than pleasant."
"I suppose that's true," Colette answered, avoiding Endeavor's gaze. "This way then, and we'll get you rested for your adventures."
The young woman led them up to the barn, where two farm hands appeared to take the horses. They immediately recognized the large chestnut and exchanged glances. Link swung out of his saddle, saying, "I'll take care of her."
Both of the young men looked extremely relieved at the statement. Endeavor's horse, they remembered, was much easier to care for than the red mare. As Link went into the stable, he heard Colette and Endeavor speaking. Colette spoke up, "He's a country boy. You mention he grew up in Eveningale last time you were here."
"Yes," Endeavor answered.
"Most people from such humble beginnings usually would jump at having the favor of the King," Colette went on. "Would jump at the chance to claim everything the King has allowed him to have."
"Oh, he has been rather spoiled. He has a page now, though that is a considerably longer story than I would care to retell," Endeavor replied. "But if you believe that young man would ever take advantage of any of the people of this country, then I am afraid you do not know the lore of this kingdom very well. Only a completely selfless man could continue to do what he does."
Colette mentioned, "You seem fairly fond of gettin' him things though. You were certainly eager to get him that horse. And it doesn't sound like you stopped this page thing from happenin'."
Endeavor said, "No, I have not stop it. Whether or not he means to take advantage of these things, he has earned them. And since he refuses to accept that, then I will just have to accept it for him."
"You seem fairly fond of him too," Colette nudged. Link worried about the statement. He had since found a stall and led Epona into it. The mare was happy to have her tack off again, and the cool, wet cloth Link had begun running over her back.
There was a pause, and Link began to wonder if Endeavor had left. Finally, she spoke, "If I was not fond of him, then why would I chose to travel with him? I could simply send my advice through my hawk, and carry on with the other tasks that I have with my people if I was not fond of him. But besides...there has not been an adventure I have not shared with that man."
Link paused for a moment. He wasn't sure if Endeavor knew he could hear them or not. He quickly caught himself, embarrassed of his eavesdropping, though now he was particularly interested.
"I'm afraid I don't understand," Colette mentioned.
"Then explaining it will be even more difficult," Endeavor replied. "You are aware of Hylia and how She created the Princess's spirit?" Link guessed Colette nodded because Endeavor didn't explain it. "Well, to put it simply, Hylia was not the only immortal being to have a reincarnation. Another was the being Fi, who was born from the Master Sword. From her being inside the blade, she ensured that the Hero would always have a guide."
"So..." Colette pondered for a moment, trying to understand what Endeavor was saying. "You are the spirit of Fi, reborn?"
"Essentially," Endeavor answered. "Unlike the Princess or the Hero, my forms have varied greatly. I have been spread across many races and genders. This is chiefly because I was not born into a human form. Fi was always a spirit, and as such I take shape where ever I am needed, as whoever I am needed."
Colette recalled a legend. "Does that mean you were the king once?"
"Yes," Endeavor answered.
"And the twilit queen?"
"Yes."
"The ruler of Lorule?"
"Yes, yes, any guide who ever helped Link," Endeavor stated flatly. "What is your particular interest in my royal incarnations though?"
"I don't know," Colette answered. "They're usually more memorable."
"More memorable or better recorded?" Endeavor asked.
Colette inquired, "But why are you telling me this? I'm hardly educated enough in lore to understand all of this legend stuff."
"You did ask me this, but you are right. I am not telling you this purely because I think you will fully understand it," Endeavor stated. "I am telling you because I know he can still hear us. Your barn is not that big."
Link held his breath. So she had known after all. But, she had kept going. Why couldn't she just say that to his face? He guessed he had never asked about it. Then again, it had never bothered him enough to ask. Then he began wondering if he should have, before deciding all together that he was over thinking this.
Epona flicked her tail, bringing Link back to the real world. He laughed, and pat the horse on her side. Washing her off was going to take a while, he realized.
Finally, Link finished cleansing the draft horse. He dumped the rest of the water on her back, and the mare whinnied fondly as the cool water ran off her flanks. Link rubbed the water across her back one more time before he stepped out of the stall. He took the hanging wire basket off the nail where it swung waiting to be filled. He climbed up to the loft to collect hay for Epona. As he started back down, he heard the barn doors slam shut. Several of the horses began to panic at the large bang. Link jumped down the last few rungs of the ladder and stood next Epona's stall.
The mare had her ears twisted forward, listening for whatever it was. She had been through too much by now to let this frighten her. Link heard boots shuffle and horses racing up the ramp into the ranch. There was muffled yelling, but the thick barn walls made it too difficult for Link to figure out what was being said.
"Sorry, Epona," Link said. He threw her stall door open, and then Quicksilver's. Not having time to retack her, Link vaulted up onto her back from the side of the stall. He said, "But this doesn't sound good."
Epona snorted and stamped her hoof. The door started to creak open. Link started to make out the details of what was happening as two green skinned figures pressed into the barn.
Link regretted not having his tack on, as Epona charged forward as soon as the gap was wide enough. The two figures were thrown back as Epona plowed forward. She was a workhorse after all. Though not even a moment later, Epona came a sudden halt. Link almost fell over the top of her head, but quickly balanced himself to prevent the action from happening.
As he landed back on the mare's back, Link looked up and saw a woman gazing across the ranch. Her red hair was drawn back beneath an arcing, golden crown. Her clothing was light, suited for the desert, and made of a purple fabric with more gold lining. Her eyes fell on Link and she grinned. "So, here you are, little Hero."
Dangling from her saddle, Link spied two extremely curved blades. The scimitars were embedded with rubies in their hilts. Link could only guess that this was the leader of the Gerudo raiders. Link leaned back, trying to straighten himself up, but he was certain that his entrance had ruined all chances of him looking like any kind of intimidating figure to the Gerudo woman.
She had a slender built, dark grey horse. It was shorter than Quicksilver, but it wasn't a pony. It tossed its head and snorted at Epona. The red mare gnashed her teeth in return.
Endeavor had put herself in front of the homestead, barring the entrance with a few shaky stable hands.
The Gerudo lifted one of her blades, and said, "Step aside, little Hero. We're here for these horses, not you."
"What use do you have for work horses?" Link asked.
She sneered, "Absolutely nothing for us. But we can hardly have those knights riding in and trying to stop his lordship Ganondorf. I would love to deal with you, but the Demon Lord has given that task to his little pet, Zeal, as I'm sure you're aware."
There was resentment in her voice, and Link could tell that the Gerudo didn't care for Zeal's closeness to her leader. Link glanced at Endeavor, who seemed to be calculating some kind of plan. Link replied, "These people work hard for their living. I'm not going to let you take that away from them."
The Gerudo smiled. "That's an adorable sentiment, but what are you going to do? There's twenty of us, and one of you. Two, counting your lanky friend, but hardly an army against the Gerudo's finest."
Link figured it wouldn't be the best idea to relate Endeavor and Zeal as being the same race at the moment. Epona was still having her stand off with the raider's horse. Link couldn't tell which one was winning, if either had reached the point of having the upper hoof. Still, Link was at a lose for having any idea what he could do to deal with the more human characters on the ranch.
"Just stand back, little Hero," the Gerudo baited. "Let us take a few horses, no names will get mentioned, and you can go fight with that horrid Drex to your heart's content."
That was something he wasn't going to allow. Link drew his blade, before pulling out the Fire Medallion. He pressed it in his hand against Epona's neck. The mare reared in fury, power surging through her. Link recalled Colette's words. Epona meant fire spirit, in some ancient language. The ground burned beneath her hooves as the mighty draft returned to all fours.
The surge caused several of those standing nearby to fall over, and the Gerudo in front of Link raised her arm to protect her face. As the fire passed, she demanded, "What is this magic?"
Epona snorted again, bested the Gerudo's horse at last. The smaller horse took a step back, but moved no further in fear of its rider. Suddenly, Link felt he had an advantage, and he pressed it. He tapped Epona on her sides, and the mare started forward. It was at a slow pace, but it made some of those on foot uncomfortable. It also gave Endeavor enough space to reach Quicksilver and support Link.
Glancing back and forth at her forces, the Gerudo leader made a hard decision. She knew Link was determined, and his fiery steed and blade could easily rally the ranchers to his aid. Link saw the look in her eyes, and knew that she would have to retreat or lose some of her forces. Her next call threw him off guard. "Burn the entrance!"
While the words "retreat" were never spoken, a full retreat was in order. As they went, the Gerudo lit the large arcing gate above the entrance on fire, along with the nearby walls. The whole thing collapsed in just as the leader made her escape. Link quickly switched out the Fire Medallion with the Water Medallion, and tried to put out the fires with his Sage's Rod before the flames spread to the houses and barns.
As the tension broke, Colette came over with Endeavor. She said, "She sure lives up to her name. She really is a fire spirit then."
Endeavor glanced at the young farm woman. "That is not the meaning of that name." Colette looked up in confusion. "Epona is a pagan goddess of horses. She has been known to ferry people to the underworld."
"Oh..." Colette commented.
The Drex changed the subject, noting that her comment wasn't needed. "Link, it would appear that we need to leave sooner than we thought. Here." She extended a bottle out to him. "It is not sleep, but it will keep you awake until we reach Sandsought, where quite possibly we will find more."
The bottle was filled to the top with a dark brown liquid. Link took a sip of the piping hot drink, and felt at least some of his energy restored. He slid off Epona as some stable hands rushed his tack over to him. "What is this?"
"Coffee," Colette says.
"You keep it," Link said, passing the bottle back to Endeavor. The drink was too bitter for him.
Endeavor gratefully took the bottle back. She said, "There is not much we can do about that. We will have to file down out through the gap to get out."
"Won't they try to ambush you on the other side?" Colette asked, familiar with Gerudo raids.
"I would think not," Endeavor said. "You heard their leader. They are not to harm either of us. And they cannot easily return now through that gap. Not to mention you are on guard and more suspicious of an attack. But I would send word to a knight station that the Gerudos are daring to raid so far out of the desert again."
Colette inquired, "Are you goin' to be doin' anything about this?"
"We will try," Endeavor answered. "But these Gerudo listen only to the Demon Lord. Taking what control he has over the desert will not be simple."
Link added again, "But we will try."
Endeavor nodded, before asking Quicksilver on. Link asked Epona on as well. They needed to reach the desert's edge before the sun rose. The attack had given them more time, but less rest. Link was dreary, as was Epona, and as such their travel speed was greatly reduced. With heavy heads, they trotted on down the path...