Raven didn't appear again for a few days, and, figuring she was still embarrassed, as well as him partly still gloating in the pride that came with teasing her for a change, Link didn't call for her.
He had just left Kakariko Village after visiting the Great Fairy Fountain, heading south and planning on passing west through Central Hyrule, when a traveler on the side of the dirt road waved to him, urging him to slow his horse to chat. Link obliged, pulling back on his dark steed's reins and slowing to a stop next to the traveler. "Hey! You look like someone who travels a lot. Have you heard the horse rumor?"
"Horse rumor?"
"Yeah!" he went on, "There's a rumor that on a hill just west of here, a pure white horse can be seen. The rumor is that this horse is descended directly from the horse Princess Zelda herself used to ride!"
Interest piqued, Link straightened his posture immediately, giving the stranger his undivided attention. "Princess Zelda's horse, you say?"
"Princess Zelda's horse," the guy confirmed.
"Where can I find this horse?"
He shrugged. "Well, I dunno if you can, but perhaps I'll introduce the horse to your corpse once I've tamed it."
Link's eyebrows furrowed, confusion and suspicion rising in an instant. He suddenly felt uneasy, and it seemed like his horse could sense it, too, backing up ever so slowly. "Sorry, what did you just say?"
He laughed. "Sorry, what I meant was..." The guy did a backflip, and when he landed, his outfit had changed entirely with a puff of red smoke. A skin-tight bodysuit of gray and red, a white mask with a red upside-down Sheikah symbol; everything about the stranger's sudden change of tone made the hairs on Link's arms stand up, especially the gleaming sickle in his hand that was practically grinning dangerously at the blond Hylian Champion. "Die, hero!"
The man charged, swiping his weapon at his horse's legs, causing the animal to whinny in pain and buck Link off its back. He fell on his butt onto the hard ground, the impact leaving him disoriented for a moment, and as he was coming to, he glanced up just in time to watch the assassin jab at his horse again, slaying it.
His blood boiled as he rose to his feet.
There was no need for taunts; it was as simple as unsheathing his weapon and charging forward to show he meant business now. Whoever this person was, he played dirty, rolling away whenever Link swung his weapon at him and teleporting behind or above him to land a surprise attack when he wasn't expecting it.
When his sickle slashed a nasty gash open on his chest, Link thought he was a goner for sure — but before death could claim him, an aura of green light surrounded him, and within seconds, he felt recharged and stronger than before. In the green light, Mipha's figure momentarily appeared, and her voice whispered, "It is my pleasure."
Link smirked, twirling the blade in his hand while staring down at his opponent. So this was the power of Mipha's Grace.
"H-how..."
He wasn't given a chance to finish his sentence, and he was too shocked to notice the bottom of Link's boot flying towards his face, the harsh blow of his kick knocking him down. He lifted a hand to his concealed face, in pain, and barked, "This isn't the last you'll see of us, wretched hero!"
With yet another cloud of red smoke, he vanished, leaving a pile of rupees and (strangely) some bananas in his place. Link collected the loot calmly, his face deadpan, but once he'd grabbed everything, he glanced around for his horse — only to groan when he remembered that that jerk had killed it. He turned and began punching the tree next to him, yelling — why in Hylia's name would someone be so cruel as to slay a horse in cold blood?
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Chasing Magic (A Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Fanfiction)
FanfictionThe Hylian Champion from a century ago has finally awoken. His adventure, however, does not pick up from where he left off, as his memories have been locked away and his strength has slowly diminished over the decades he spent in a deep sleep. Embar...