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Link looked past the campfire and watched as the horse grazed peacefully. She was a beautiful horse, her flaxen coat was well brushed and clean. Her hooves were enormous, they had to be in order to support her immense size. He had never seen a horse quite as large as her before, he wasn’t too familiar with the draft breeds. A part of him wanted to go over to pet her muzzle, but he knew better than to walk up to an unfamiliar horse.
His resulting sigh must have been noticeable.
“Somethin’ wrong, Captain?” Twilight asked while lazily tossing a log into the fire.
“No,” he replied steadily, “just admiring your horse.”
Twilight perked up at that, he turned and whistled. Epona abandoned her grazing and trotted over to join them, she bumped her head against Twilight’s shoulder until he started to pet her. Link’s heart ached at the sight, but he put a smile on his face.
“Do you like horses?” Twilight asked, likely because half of their group either didn’t know what a horse was or they were spooked by them.
“I do,” he replied and moved slightly closer to Twilight, “I used to have one.”
“Oh,” Twilight said with a frown, “I’m so sorry.”
“No, no, she’s fine,” Link stumbled on his words. There was a lot to unpack, and he really didn’t feel like airing out all of his issues here and now. He would answer as simply as possible. “I wasn’t in a great place to take care of her, so I gave her to a friend.”
“I see. What’s her name?”
On paper, it was Epona. When he was promoted to captain, he was told he needed a horse. One was provided for him, though it wasn’t a noble white or black stallion that his fellow captains and superior officers paraded on. War meant a shortage of horses, so he had to accept whatever was left. He was given a young mare with a severe attitude problem, she made it her life mission to be as stubborn as possible. He adored her. When he went to name her, he was informed it had to be Epona. There were expectations for the hero and his steed. He referred to her as such when writing up reports, but he never called her that.
“It’s Cherry.”
“Cherry?” Twilight asked in disbelief.
“Yes.”
“Ya’know, for a knight, I would have expected something like Slayer or Flame Ranger. Quicksilver?”
“Absolutely not,” Link snorted and laughed at the thought, “Cherry is perfect.”
Twilight smiled and resumed petting Epona. Link started to raise his hand to pet her, but he hesitated and dropped it back to his side.
"You can pet her," Twilight offered, "she's gentle. Well, to friends anyway.”
Link patted Epona’s nose, she bumped into him like she was demanding more. He conceded and rubbed her neck, her fur was surprisingly soft. When she lowered her head, Link ran his fingers through her short, roached mane. It was similarly soft and free of tangles. She was definitely a well loved horse.
“You can take her for a ride if you want.”
“Are you sure?” Link asked, he hoped his nervousness wasn’t apparent. “I might be needed here, and I’m not familiar with her riding. What if she gets hurt?”
“I think we’ll manage,” Twilight replied and indicated to the camp, everyone was either eating or resting, “she’s strong, I’ll trust you aren’t planning on leading her into danger.”
“Of course not.”
“Good, now hop on.”
Link heeded Twilight’s words and moved to Epona’s side. The last time he rode a horse was right before he received his debilitating leg injury, and that was quite a few years ago now. It felt natural as he placed his good foot in the stirrup and heaved himself onto Epona’s back. The saddle was different from what he was used to, the back was raised and the stirrups didn’t hang low. Apparently, it was designed for riders to have free use of their hands, which made sense since Twilight was rather skilled at horseback archery. Link wouldn’t be messing around with that, though, he held onto the reins like his life depended on it.
“Well, look at that, you’re a natural,” Twilight beamed at him, “the river west of here would be a nice place to ride to.”
Link took that into consideration and urged Epona to walk into the open field. Her steps were heavy, but smooth. Once he was confident he wasn’t going to slip and make an absolute fool of himself, he had Epona go into a trot. A trail of dust kicked up behind them, he didn’t realize how much he missed this. When Epona shifted into a canter he felt his heart race. She wasn’t as fast as the war horses he was used to, but it was exhilarating all the same.
His hair was tied back today, he almost considered letting it loose to flow in the wind, but braids were keeping it in place and he didn’t feel like messing with them. He watched as the river came into view, he steered Epona to ride along the bank as they wove through clumps of cattails. An idea came to mind while they avoided the plants, Link drew his sword and had Epona charge at the nearest bunch of cattails.
He slashed at the brown tops and watched in glee as they exploded into a ball of white fluff, the seeds scattered in the breeze. It was cathartic. Link didn’t stop there, he resumed his cattail assault and mentally promised himself there were to be no survivors.
“Three on our right!” he yelled almost instinctively when he saw a clump that survived his onslaught.
He guided Epona back around to finish the job. Epona slowed back to a walk when the last of the cattails were cut down. The entire area was full of drifting seeds. Link patted her neck for a job well done, she made for an excellent battle partner. Facing an actual threat now would be unwise, but he was certain he could fight with her after enough practice. Being in the saddle again was so natural, so right.
Link always loved horses. They didn’t care if his manner of speaking was not up to nobles’ standards, nor if his uniform was a bit messy. Back during the war, he remembered always volunteering to see to his fellow captains’ horses rather than joining the men for a chat. Even now, surrounded by other heroes who understood him, he was hesitant to return to camp.
“You’re a brave girl, aren’t you,” he said aloud and rubbed Epona between her ears.
Her forelock was mostly left long to help keep flies off her face, Link brushed a bit of it back and carefully separated it into three strands.
“You know,” he said gently and started to twist the strands, “in my time, only the most skilled and honorable of warriors have braids. It’s a symbol of fortitude, and you have earned it. What do you think?”
Link finished the braid and tied it off with a scrap of cloth, Epona bobbed her head in what he assumed must be approval.
He rode along the river for a while after that. It was a beautiful scene, the fast water rushed over exposed rocks and contrasted brilliantly with the red mesas in the distance. If given the chance, he would have kept riding until the sun set. His stomach growled and ruined everything, he decided it would be best to return to camp before it was too late.
Twilight was waiting for him by the fire with some sort of roasted meat.
“Was beginning to worry you were riding off into the sunset,” Twilight commented and raised a brow, “did you braid her hair? Cute.”
“It is not cute,” Link huffed indignantly, then he pointed to Epona’s braid and his own, “this symbolizes our bond created in battle.”
“Right. Battle. That wouldn’t have anything to do with that dandelion fluff all over you, would it?”
Link looked down, there were seeds stuck all over his shirt and scarf, as well as Epona’s mane and tail.
“Cattails, actually,” Link corrected and started to dismount.
Then the pain hit him. His legs were on fire, he winced with every step he took.
“Not used to working those muscles,” Twilight commented while brushing the cattails off of Epona.
Link didn’t grace that with a response. He grabbed his dinner and slowly sat down next to the fire. Despite the soreness, it was worth it. Being in the saddle was incredibly freeing.
“You can ride her whenever,” Twilight said once he finished cleaning Epona, “she loves the attention, plus you’ll eventually stop walking like you sat on a cactus.”
Link laughed at that. He was sorely out of practice. Riding made him more happy than he could ever hope to explain. Epona was a noble steed, he wanted to experience that exhilaration again. He would be honored to face battle with her again. And who knew, he might be up against something like thistle this time instead of cattails.
“I would love that.”