New Home - BotW Link x Reader (Undergoing Revisions)

Chapter 14 - Taming the Untamable

The stable was a buzzing hub of activity - this I could tell, and we weren't even there yet. More and more travelers we passed on the road, those walking along and those leading mules and those peddling goods, stopping for a rest on the side of the road, enjoying a picnic or small snack in the shadow of the peaks.

Dueling though the peaks were, it was peaceful here - strangers swapping stories, friends enjoying each other's company, and then there was us. Link was smiling, looking around and taking in the sights and I wanted to do that too, if not for the stormy nature of my stomach right now.

My conflicted feelings aside about the state of this adventure and the nature of my role in it, I was nervous because how in Hylia's name was I supposed to tame a horse? As we approached the stable, Link spoke happily on the kinds of people we might meet and the horses we might see, and oh, maybe I'd like this kind or horse or maybe that kind might suit me better.

There were the rosy-hued mares that were sweeter than nectar, the brawny and strong-willed buckskins, and the daring though broody horses that were black as night, or darker, with shining coats that would reflect the nightly moon prettily.

Or so he said. Honestly, he could have said anything and I'd have believed it. As well-traveled as he was, it was far more likely for him to have experienced these things than, of course, it was for me to - which is to say, I hadn't experienced these things at all.

It was as embarrassing as it was painful to admit, honestly. Every damn traveler we passed by had a horse or some sort of mount - a donkey, a mule, a horse or two or three. And I had... nothing. I didn't have a steed to call my own, a charge mine and mine alone.

It'll be good to give Epona some rest, and hell, she'd be given a show too, having to watch me try to tame a horse. Honestly, I didn't know the first thing about this. Link would have an absolute field day with-

"There don't seem to be many wild herds around here," Link said, cutting through my tumultuous thoughts, and I was grateful for it, inwardly anyway.

Externally, I didn't nothing more than hold him tighter, almost in an instinctive manner, as Epona jumped over a fallen branch, one likely felled by the wind which had just picked up. Looking far in the distance, in the fields that were draped across these foothills and the vast fields beyond them, I could see the wind ripple the grasses, and as such I was able to brace myself before the wind even reached us.

"They tend to gather near the stables," Link went on to say, seemingly unaffected by the sudden chilled wind. "The stable boys tend to toss treats to them every once in a while, and they're kind enough to them. Last time I passed through here, there was a giant herd here, but I guess they've moved on."

"Maybe they went off to find shelter from the storm rolling in," I said, considering it myself.

"Yeah, maybe," Link agreed. "At any rate, there are usually some tame horses available, too. Maybe you won't need to tame one yourself, (Y/n). That'll make it easier."

"Tame horses? Do you mean the personal charges of the workers here?"

"Some, yes," Link told me. "But others are abandoned foals they took in, old working horses looking for a calmer life, or ones that showed up here and never wanted to leave. Some riders abandon their horses too, either for better ones or just to have one less mouth to feed on the road."

"Oh," I said, thinking it over and growing saddened by that. "They get taken care of here though, don't they?"

"Yeah, of course," Link said, looking over his shoulder at me to send me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about that. They're usually a bit confused at first, but these folks are good to them. You've nothing to worry about."