Inverted Triforce

Chapter 11

Epona contributed little advice to Zelda as she watched Ganon and Zelda spar. She stood with her hands on her hips, watching intently. Sometimes she would make a sound to let Zelda know that she was about to make a bad move or perform it incorrectly. The noises irritated Zelda and after the sixth time Epona made another noise at her, subsequently she turned around and demanded Epona stop. Epona continued the noises, despite Zelda’s complaints.

Ganon spent most of his time taunting Zelda, rarely correcting her, but he did use his full force. Each time he struck, he knocked her back with ease. It would’ve made it easier for Zelda to be angry with him if he seemed as if he were enjoying knocking her around. When she would fall, or showed signs of being hurt, Ganon would stop, and he seemed concerned for the most part.

By the end of the spar, the moon was at its highest point and Zelda was panting, lying on her back on the cool grass. Disappointingly, the bruises and scratches left by Ganon were in nearly the same spots from the sparring match with Epona. When Zelda was ready to move, Epona helped her into the carriage and began treating the bruises and small cuts with an ointment and cold stones. The aid Epona gave her made it only slightly easier to sleep.

As Zelda lay in bed, she pictured and re-pictured every moment of the fight with Ganon. Mentally, she was trying to figure out where there was a misstep. Looking back at it, Epona’s noises had helped her pinpoint where her mistakes had occurred. Thinking of it with more rationality, Zelda was excited to have had the chance to spar with Ganon. He was strong and large, but it showed her that she was getting better at defending herself.

Through Ganon’s taunting, and his reactions when she would fall, she noticed a pattern in the way he treated her since she was brought to his castle. He would threaten, and treat her no better than a patch of dirt in the ground, but he did show concern for her. In his worry, while he rarely appeared to act on it, she found comfort in it.

As she fell asleep, Zelda remembered when she was being carried out of the swamp on Ganon’s back. She remembered how panicked she was when he disappeared and she was left to go through it by herself. It wasn’t the end of the world, she thought, but it was better when he was with her. The last feeling she had was pleasant warmth when she was bleeding out from the wound in her leg. She fell asleep with a small smile on her lips.

Overnight, she felt her attitude change toward Ganon. It went from wary, and cautious, to admiration. She admired his swordsmanship and the power he had.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Epona broke Zelda from her thoughts.

“I keep thinking about fighting Ganon last night. I did better than I thought,” Zelda answered honestly. While it was true, it was not the whole truth.

A crooked smile formed as Epona spoke, “You did pretty good. Ganon whooped you, but you were able to defend a few of the spots I hit when we had our match the other day.”

“I’m a little proud of that,” Zelda had a wide smile with a hint of red across her cheeks.

Epona went on to tell Zelda all of the mistakes, and this time Ganon made sure he kept a somewhat clear area in the back of the carriage for them to practice while he drove. The stops, mainly to give the horses a break, were Zelda’s favorite time to try and fight Epona. It wasn’t a significant improvement, but each time Zelda tried a stance or move, she found she did it a little bit better.

That evening, they set up to camp once more before they would reach Almeia.

“Ganon, can we practice again?” Zelda asked as she approached him. He was feeding the horses as Epona tended to her own horse.

“I’m surprised you’re moving without a problem today,” he responded without looking at her.

“Yes, well, I would really like to see more improvement in my skills before we reach the swamp and forest,” Zelda said proudly. Epona snickered, causing Zelda to shoot her a glare. Ganon ignored their antics.