Fit out, long time afterwards, the retinue (8)
I believe the answer is:
equipage
'retinue' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'fit out long time afterwards' is the wordplay.
'fit out' becomes 'equip' (synonyms).
'long time afterwards' becomes 'age' (I've seen this in other clues).
'equip'+'age'='EQUIPAGE'
'the' is the link.
(Other definitions for equipage that I've seen before include "apparatus" , "carriage" , "Coach and team" , "Retinue" , "Attendants" .)