"I think it likes you."

"...I might have strange animal-taming powers," she admits, giving the horse a cautious pat.

"You have a lot of powers," he says, vaguely bemused, as the horse licks her hand.

"I really do." She is being licked by a horse. She's not sure how to feel about this.

Link tries to guide the horse to get going towards the stable, but it's busy nosing around her pockets.

"I think it wants more," he says. "Maybe it'll follow you if you go?"

"All right."

She pulls another apple out of her pocket. This is likely to mystify the horse. Can horses be mystified? Well, this one will be mystified and full of apples. And ambling in a stableward direction.

Mystified or not, the horse doesn't miss a beat trotting happily after Zelda.

The man at the booth greets them when he sees them coming back.

"What a beauty! Are you registering her, then? The fee is 20 rupees, but it comes with a complimentary saddle and bridle."

"Oh, that sounds very useful." She produces 20 real actual rupees that have been in her pockets as physical objects this whole time.

Link asks while they measure the horse for the equipment, "What does registering do, exactly?"

"It lets you board a horse with us, or have them sent to our different branches for you to pick up later, for a small fee. You can ask to have your horse delivered to a stable when they've been boarded in a different branch, if you're willing to wait a few days. And if you lose your horse, and someone brings it in to us, then you'll be notified the next time you pass by a stable so you can pick it up! That will cost you a bigger fee, to cover the reward we post for bringing in lost horses, but better than having the horse dead or stolen!

"And of course we offer a variety of grooming, training and medical services, which are only available to registered horses."

Horse Bank.

She does not say this.

She says, "That sounds really convenient!"

Especially for people who want horses sometimes but can also teleport.

She does not say that either.

"Is there a map of all the stables in Hyrule?"

He does wonder if having a horse delivered in a few days is going to keep up with the speed with which they move, but it's better than nothing. Really, it would be useful if the horse could also teleport, like if there were some sort of... Sheikah Saddle... Okay, the idea sounds silly when he spells it out to himself.

"Certainly! There's a map on the bulletin board inside with all the stables and villages marked, if you just want to look, or you can buy a copy from us: 10 rupees for a basic version, 40 for the same as the one on the board.

"The horse-fitting will take a few minutes, so you can stop in for a look while we keep an eye on... what do you want to name her?"

Link looks at Zelda.

Zelda examines the horse for inspiration. The horse is black on black on black.

"Let's call her Starless," she suggests. It's probably not in the top ten common names for a black horse. Easier to tell which one you're talking about, that way.

The stable guy looks at Link, who nods in agreement.

"Alright, all done here. Here's your receipt, not a big deal if you lose it but it'll be a little inconvenient. Come back in a few minutes for Starless!"

Zelda gives Starless a goodbye pat and heads inside to study that map. She can update her Slate with tentative markers for all the stables they haven't seen yet, plus a more solid one for this stable since they know exactly where it is. Some of those markers are in parts of the map that aren't filled in, so they're especially tentative, but they'll still point at a general area.

The map also marks settlements, though it doesn't claim to be an exhaustive list. Zelda will may recognize from before the Calamity:

• Rito Village
• Goron City
• Zora's Domain
• Gerudo Town
• Kara Kara Bazaar
• Kakariko Village
• Hateno Village
• Lurelin Village

Most of the villages Zelda remembers of comparable size to Hateno and Lurelin are no longer on the map. Goponga, Mabe Village, Akkala, Deya Village, Tabantha Village... and of course the countless townships that made up Central Hyrule, the beating heart of the Kingdom.

The following locations are new and marked as settlements:

• Serenne Grove
• Akkala Foothills
• Woodland Outpost
• Haran Lake Town

The Foothills and Serenne Grove were probably inhabited before the Calamity, as outskirts of Akkala County and Maritta? Haran Lake Town might have been there and just not notable enough to come to Zelda's attention.

She places markers accordingly, with a tidy scheme of colours and shapes that she'll find intuitive to remember. She tries not to think too hard about all the missing settlements.

"Is there a way for us to share markers?"

He thinks for a second.

"Or maybe only one of us takes notes, and you duplicate that Slate every now and then to replace the other."

"Hmm... I'm not actually sure if we can share markers but it seems like the sort of thing that should be possible. And in the meantime I guess I can take all the notes and periodically hand you a new Slate. It feels very silly but sometimes my strange powers are very silly."

He nods.

The map looks familiar, but he couldn't tell you what any of those places are. It's quite unsettling. While Zelda copies the map, he glances through the other notices on the bulletin. None of them are very interesting: bounty for a Stalnox down south, advertisements, opening hours, warning about increased monster activity on the path to Hateno...

He pokes out to check on the horse after a while. When he comes back, he says, "Starless is ready. Kakariko?"

"Kakariko," she affirms. "Let's go."

The stablehand sends them off with a few notes about Starless' temperament and preferred snacks, and they can be on their way.