A/N- So, I know it's a short and pointless story, but it's been plaguing my mind for so long, I thought I might as well write it and be done with it. I hope someone likes it!
Disclaimer – I obviously don't own Zelda. Otherwise, by this point Link and the princess would have done more than just hold hands during one of the games.
Thrice, or the number of times Telma's prayers were answered.
It just infuriates Telma when people assume she does not believe in the Goddesses. This sort of thoughts usually come whenever she shops in the market, like now, as such activity is often accompanied by chatting with Castletown's people.
It's not that she doesn't like her neighbors, but with most of their talk leads to gossip, and with that, assumptions. Apparently, someone at some point decided that Telma being her tough, realistic, hard-working self meant she did not believe in the Goddesses; it's so far off from the truth that it always makes her furious.
There is no way she could not believe when she has prayed thrice and was answered the same amount of times.
As she examines the items in display in front of her, Telma considers spreading around the story so people would stop bothering her (she's a brilliant bartender, so it'd be an easy feat).
However, she knows she can't. Being one of the few Queen Zelda entrusted with the truth, or what she and Link agreed on telling their allies (she doesn't complain, she is more than happy just with being taken into account), she can't explain the roots of her strong beliefs without breaking that trust. After all, the Twilight Affair, as they sometimes call it, is the main reason for her faith.
As all hylians, Telma had been taught about the Goddesses at a young age. She would pray every day and take part in the important rites. However, no matter how hard her life was, she had never been as scared (if only secretly) as the day the Castle was engulfed in the barrier.
The idea of the Royal Family (and practically every leader of the region) being trapped in their own home was a terrifying thing. Telma has always being practical, so she quickly realized that without someone to sort out the problems that were appearing all over the kingdom, eventually they'd be doomed.
So, Telma prayed to the Goddesses for courage, to not be scared anymore, to survive her own fear while the whole situation, whatever it was, was solved by whoever was supposed to solve it.
Three days later, the doctor showed up in her doorstep with Ilia, poor amnesic Ilia who back then didn't even remember her own name and had a smile so huge you'd think she was on a holiday.
It's one of Telma's greatest secret that on those first few days, she'd often dreamed of switching places with the young girl, who was completely unaware that her amnesia was pretty much the most normal thing happening in town. Ilia is neither too curious nor a complainer by nature, so it was quite a while before she started feeling the loss of her past. In the meantime, she had not realized the new dangers of Hyrule (or old, considering the source).
Telma, on the other hand, was all too aware of them. She quickly realized that she had to be vigilant for herself and Ilia, who had no one else to look after her and was more prone, because of her condition, to be harmed. Being told something as pathetic looking as a bokoblin was dangerous was not the same as remembering a previous encounter with one (rather common for someone from a farm, is Telma's assumptions were correct). It took Telma a few weeks before she realized she had not being granted courage, but the opportunity to show it for someone else.
Telma's problems did not end there though, and soon after that she came to the conclusion that whatever was happening with the kingdom, the nobles and soldiers of this side of the barrier were doing nothing about it.
So, Telma prayed to the Goddesses for wisdom, to know what to do with her young friend, to know how to help her neighbors who were either missing or had family inside the castle. She fervently prayed for enlightenment.
Nine days afterwards, the postman gave her one letter from her old friend Auru and another one from young Shad. They both said they wanted to do something, help their kingdom, but didn't know what. They both told her in their respective letters they were on their way to the bar, and were bringing others with them.
This time it only took Telma a few days to realize she had been granted, once more, something. Enlightenment was not on its way, but people to share her fears with were, and that helped strengthen her heart like nothing else could have.
Life went on like this for a while, but when Telma was starting to think that maybe things were settling (one way or the other), Ilia came through the door carrying a young, almost dead zora.
As Telma continues her walk through the market, she can't help but think of those times fondly.
Life was certainly interesting.
It didn't take long for Telma to realize she was, once more, overwhelmed. She had known from the beginning the doctor didn't know the first thing about a zora's health (probably the first one he'd ever met, too), but had supported Ilia in her idea. She hadn't dared break her heart.
Soon, the only solution was to take the young boy to Kakariko, and another problem surfaced. They would have to face monsters, which was, for a bartender, a maiden without her memories and a sick zora, impossible (the guards didn't even count, so useless they'd proved themselves so far).
So, Telma prayed to the Goddesses for power, to somehow have the ability to bypass this obstacle, to make it to Kakariko in one piece and save the boy's life.
Less than thirty seconds later, she noticed Link, with his confident stance and wild eyes, looking at her as if ready for any challenge.
He certainly was.
Whenever she repeats the story, she says she doubted him at first, but in reality, as soon as their eyes met, she knew he was the one. Not in the 'he will help us' way, but in the 'he will save Hyrule'. After all, Telma had met the princess once before the barrier appeared (Zelda believes in truly meeting her subjects, and a bar with a discreet owner like Telma is always a good place) and Link had, from the start, reminded her of the Zelda.
They both have the same eyes. Hers calm and his wild, but the same, somehow.
The days following their first meeting were hectic and Telma had found herself full of work. Still, by the time the Allies had met with Link, she knew. The Goddesses hadn't given her power, but they had sent a powerful young man, a true warrior with a good heart, to protect them all.
It does not escape Telma's attention that her most fervent prayers were three, and that the answers have come in moments of time related with the same number.
So, when people assume Telma is not a believer, she gets angry. The Goddesses have not granted her what she has asked for, but exactly what she needed.
And that's the best gift they could bestow upon me.