Chapter 10: Horse     Chapter 12: The Depths of the Dragon

Chapter 11: The Shadow of Evil

After stopping at Kakariko, where he remet Lauri, who fed him, and where he learnt a new magical song called the Song of Storms which abruptly drenched him, and where clues Sheik left behind led him to a shiny new weapon called the hookshot which was a sort of spring-loaded grappling hook, Link returned to the ranch with Talon following him dazedly. He had found the ranch owner napping dejectedly in an inn.
Ingo was awake again, but it seemed Malon had been correct – the strange necklace had been controlling him, for now he was irritatingly cheerful and subservient. The girl was overjoyed to see her father, and they invited Link to sleep there that night.
The next day, Malon officially gave Epona to Link. “She obviously likes you just as much as she likes me, for some reason… and you’ll need her for your saving-of-the-world. So no arguing, got it?”
“All right,” Link said, laughing. “Don’t panic. Epona will be safe with me. But can you teach me how to really ride the next time I come along? I need to go to the forest now and see if Saria and Rana are there.”
“Do that! Now!” Malon grinned as she said it, eager as he was to see her friend again. Continue reading →

Chapter 9: When is a Hero?     Chapter 11: The Shadow of Evil

Chapter 10: Horse

Link stepped out of the Temple of Time and looked around bleakly. The bright, neat colours of Hyrule Castle Town had disappeared into a sea of rot and decay. Houses had crumbled under slimy timbers and brick and stone walls had collapsed. Shadows twisted in reclusive corners, cast by the buildings and the massive black clouds overhead. They were thickest to the north, where Link could see a tall black tower jutting into the sky.
As he made his way over to the well in the town square, he heard something low and disturbing… like someone with a stomach-ache. Several someones, in fact.
He looked around, but he couldn’t see anyone… no, wait, he could. But they weren’t people as such…
One of them shrieked at him and he found that his body was frozen in place.
“Redead!” cried Navi. Link gasped as best he could and wrenched himself into a run. Rolling swiftly past another one, he drew his sword and slashed at it. The creature didn’t react, but the group of redead was growing and moving in his direction. Bile rose in his throat.
“If we don’t get out of here soon, we’ll be dead!” Navi called. “Let’s get out of here!”
“But the people,” Link began.
“They don’t seem to be here. Come on!”
Link obeyed his fairy and ran for the gate. Continue reading →