Chapter 6

     

In about a half hour, Melsin and Halie reached the edge of the forest. Melsin was blown away at the vast expanse of Hyrule Plains.

"Come on, we'll follow the edge of the forest," Halie said. "The road west should be a little ways north of here."

"You mean Filkirk Road?"

"Yes."

As they followed the outline of Grendem Woods, Halie said, "You're going to need a horse when we get to the nearest town."

"A horse?"

"Well of course, you didn't expect to travel on foot now, did you?"

"Well...of course not."

"Now when we reach the town, you're going to be on your own. I can't be seen by humans."

"What, you want me to wander around some strange town by myself?"

"You can do it. Besides, I'll help you through it."

They continued on until Melsin saw Filkirk Road. "Here we are," Halie said. "Now let's just follow this road. There may be travelers here, so I'm going to have to hide when one of them comes along."

"Okay."

Melsin reached Filkirk Road and started walking west, away from where it entered the forest. It was well into morning now, and the sun shone down on the gently rolling hills of Hyrule Plains.

"So this is the direction that will lead us to Hyrule Castle?" Melsin asked.

"Yes. It's about a hundred miles down this road."

"A hundred miles!? But I can't walk that far!"

"Don't worry, there are quicker ways of getting there."

"Which is why we need a horse, right?"

"Quicker than that, even."

"What? What could be quicker than a horse?"

"You'll see."

Over the hill Melsin saw two riders approaching. Halie immediately dove in his pocket.

When the riders got close to him, one of then raised his hand, and Melsin stopped. They were dressed in the armor of the Hylian Army!

"Excuse me, son, but do you know of any attack by Moblins over in Grendem Woods?" He pointed back toward the forest.

"Ummm, yeah, I heard something about that as I was passing through. Apparently they just torched the whole area or something."

"Yes, I see. You haven't seen any Moblins yourself, have you?"

"Uh, no, sir."

"Very well, then. Carry on."

They rode away from him, back toward the forest.

"What was that?" Melsin asked as Halie reappeared.

"Just a couple of soldiers checking out a report of the attack last night. Since the centennial is coming up, Hylian Soldiers are everywhere. That's good, because it means we'll be relatively safe in the town. But we're going to have to be careful out here."

"What do you mean? Is there anything out here?"

"Well, we're going to have to watch for Peyhats. They're normally docile plant-like creatures, but Ganon can work his evil magic on them to control them like he did the Moblins."

She looked around. "We're in a pretty clear area right now, but let's keep moving. It's safer that way. We have to keep ahead of Ganon's minions. Right now, he may not know that you're still alive, but when he finds out, he'll send more creatures after us."

Melsin glanced around. The bright green hills stretched for miles to the north, west, and south. To the east he saw the riders disappear into the mist of Grendem Woods. He could see the entire western edge of the forest stretching out for miles.

He glanced west. Filkirk Road stretched off for about a mile before it disappeared behind a hill. Melsin thought he saw a rectangular brown object. He squinted.

"A sign!" he exclaimed.

He ran a few hundred feet over to it. The aged wooden sign read:

 

Ferdonie Town
>
Grendem Woods
<

"Ferdonie Town?" Melsin asked. "I guess that's where we're headed, right?"

"Yes. Let's go."

Melsin and Halie continued down the road as the sun climbed up in the sky. The road was eerily deserted.

I guess no one wants to tempt fate with the centennial on hand, Melsin thought.

They had been walking for some time when Melsin passed the crest of a hill and saw buildings in a valley a few miles ahead.

"Yes!" he exclaimed. "We're here! Finally!"

He started to walk down the hill when Halie stopped him.

"Hey, not so fast. You need instructions."

"What?"

"You're on your own now, kiddo. I'm going to have to stay out of sight."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot."

"Okay, first off: you're going to have to find a weapons shop down there. Once you get there, use some of your Rupees to buy a sword and a shield. I'm afraid I can't help you, so you're going to have to choose which ones are the best."

"Okay, I understand. Will I need any other weapons?"

"No, just a sword and shield for now. Okay, once you're done with that you're going to need to get a horse. Once again, you're going to have to use your best judgment. And don't forget to buy a saddle."

"Of course I won't forget. Come on, you can have some confidence in me."

"Fine. But you're going to have to earn my confidence, Melsin."

"You know, I could say the same about you."

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