Link bobbed in his saddle as he guided his newly-caught horse down the paths of Necluda. Honestly, he didn't exactly catch this horse, for it had more or less decided to come along of its own accord. This didn't bother Link in the slightest. In fact, it was practically love at first sight. The horse seemed so familiar... It felt as though he had brushed her chestnut coat and white mane before. She didn't need any training, she didn't fight against the buckling of the saddle; and in a way, she almost seemed to respond when spoken to. She was a gentle horse, yet energetic and fast, able to gallop at higher speeds than any steed he had ridden before. This horse was special, and she needed a special name.
"Epona," Link said as he rode, reaching out to brush her mane. "How do you like the sound of that name? Does Epona work?"
At the sound of this, the mare neighed and galloped even faster.
"Alright! Epona it is then," Link cheered, laughing as the horse carried him through the mountains. "Now then..."
Trusting that Epona would follow the road properly, he released his grip on the reins and reached down for the ancient device on his hip. With a tap, the screen illuminated, and with a few swipes the glowing map was displayed.
"Lurelin Village," he read after zooming in on one of the map's corners. "I don't get to go there often since it's so far out..."
He looked up at the mountains. According to the map, a fork in the road was coming up—one which would take him to Lurelin and the other which would take him up the mountain to the pond he had been so curious about for the past few days. Humming in thought, he continued to ride until the fork in the road was visible ahead. Finally, Link nodded to himself.
"I might as well stop in Lurelin. Some of the locals might be able to tell me if the power of this pond is real or not," he said.
Placing the slate back on his hip, he lightly tugged on the reins and headed down the left-hand road. He passed through the rest of the mountains, carefully but easily steering Epona through the twists and turns of the path until it eventually sloped down, taking the rider and his horse out of the pass. They arrived at a small village on a beach, the houses of the residents a collection of huts built around the trunks of tall, swaying palm trees.
Link brought Epona to a halt before her hooves reached the sand and slid off the saddle. The sand audibly crunched underfoot as he stepped into the village, leaving his mare unattended. While he would usually wait until he'd been with a newly-acquired horse for some time before leaving them unattended, something inside told him Epona would wait for him to return.
He explored the village, watching as kids played in the sand and adults walked around carrying crates of fish and oars for boats.
"Well, hi there!" a voice suddenly called out.
Link turned to see a man standing by the shoreline, his hand raised in greeting, a large smile on his face. He was a darker-skinned man, with green eyes that matched his vest and a head full of short, curly hair.
"Armes," Link called, walking up to the fisherman. "It's good to see you."
"And you as well!" said Armes, holding his hand out, which Link took. "What brings you all the way out here? Lookin' to do some fishing? I could use the help today."
"Fishing, huh?" Link asked, placing his hands on his hips. He hummed, looking up at the white, puffy clouds above as they drifted overhead. "You know what, sure. The pond can wait a few more hours."
"The pond?" Armes asked as Link unstrapped his weapons from his back.
"I'll ask you about it later," he replied, grabbing the slate from his hip. With a few taps, the weapons disappeared in a flash of blue light, leaving Link in just his tunic and trousers. "Are we taking the raft, boat, or the canoe?"
YOU ARE READING
A Couple of Trials (ZeLink)
RomanceBook 2: The Couple Series **Slightly More Mature** After having defeated the Calamity and reliving the harsh realities of their past thanks to Maz Koshia and his trials through the Champion's Ballad, Zelda demands that Link returns to their home i...