The Legend of Zelda: The Hope of Eons

Chapter Two ~~ Guilt

 The thundering of hooves split the silence as a lone stallion and her rider galloped through the ranch. His cloak rippled behind him as he traversed through, wind wiping the horse's mane into the air like flames; after all, she was a flame-colored chestnut. Epona was her name, a gift left to him by Link. Her muscles rippled from under her freshly groomed pelt and her powerful legs. They propelled Colin forward and kept him going as he herded the goats into the barn.

The ranch was the same as it was seven years ago; not a thing had changed through time. It still had its familiar smell of goats and pumpkins, but there was one thing that had changed. Fado, the man who once owned the small place had died the year before after following off his horse and hitting his head. The whole town mourned deeply. They had lost another person close to them.

Death wasn't kind. Colin knew that. It took where it could, taking people who didn't deserve to die, people far too good. It didn't pretend to be sympathetic, it didn't pretend to distinguish. It was always there. He knew that far too well.

Colin left the ranch, a shadow of memories, casting over his face, closing the gate behind him he headed towards the village. People were not yet out and about around the village. The world was as silent as if they were still steeped in twilight. The sun was still below the horizon, the air still chilled from the dark night, leaving Colin chilled to the bone, eyes dropping down slowly. The trees around him rose up high in the sky, silhouetted against the perturbing crimson sky and the air smelled heavily of those trees.

Riding Epona through the town was as eerie as could be. It looked like a ghost town on the verge of disappearing through time. In retrospect, Colin thought it was a ghost town that had died long ago. It was good at hiding it though. It looked quaint as if it had never known trouble but it had. If someone were to walk through during the heat of the day they would never know its past. The smiles of the content residents would be enough to fool even the most observant of people.

Colin now made his way to his home on the edge of the village. The house had once belonged to the Hero of Twilight. It was a humble tree house. The inside was just as simple, the only thing significant was the ladder that led to a window that served as both a lookout and a source of light and a basement that held the hero's numerous weapons that he had decided not to take with him.

Colin plopped on the floor, which was his bed. After 2 years of sleeping on the floor in Kakariko Village in the heat and dirt during the war, he found it more comfortable than any bed he might have. The last rays of the late afternoon sun fell slanting through Colin's window above. He had been sleeping for a few moments, in a leaden, death-like slumber that, for the moment at least, was not even perturbed by the presence of yelling outside.

A knock came quietly first and then there was silence. A voice came from the other side, it was the shrill voice of a Talo, crying. Colin groggily woke up from his nap and made his way to the faded purple door.

Talo stood there, distraught, a tear dripping down his face and sweat beading down. He managed to sputter out a few words while gasping for breath. "Its Beth! She needs help." Colin nodded, rushed out of the house, slamming the door shut loudly.

What Colin found in the middle of the village was worse than he could have ever imagined. Lying on the ground in a puddle of her own cold blood was Beth. The girl's body was lifeless in Ilia's arms. She looked peaceful, like she could be sleeping. Unless you looked at her stomach. There you would see her tan frayed dress stained with red blood and torn to pieces. Ilia sobbed into Beth's chest unceasingly, hands clutching at her body close to her. She held her in silence, rocking her slowly as the tears soaked Beth's already wet chest.