Chapter 9: Meditation


They had reached Kakariko to pick up the family. There was a father and his five boys. They were snobs. They even had to take their dumb money with them. They complained the entire journey; or, well, as far as they had gotten. At current, they were in the middle of nowhere.

By the middle of nowhere, the meaning is surrounded by sand in all directions. Link frowned. He could hear one of the rich boys complain, "Aw... It's soooo hot. Why'd we have to agree to go? Father, Father! Let's go home!"

Link knew that if he himself couldn't stand the boy's whining, then Gannon must have been irritated a hundred times more than him. For some reason, though, Gannon wouldn't leave the driver's seat. Even when they stopped, he would sit, staring at the horse that drove their cart. He wouldn't even eat of drink.

It worried Link. What was the matter? Was it something to do with spite on Gor Coron for putting him on that job? Link was afraid to ask for some reason. Anyways, the night was young and the caravan had stopped. They were miles from Kakariko, some distance in the desert that was Hyrule Field.

"Oi, Dad!" One of the snobs shouted, "Where's the water?"

"I don't know," The Father merely said, putting his hat over his head. "Go ask one of the Gorons."

"Oi, Rock!"

Link flinched. Walking over to the boy, his hand clenched. "Don't call them that. They are Gorons!"

"As if I care," the boy replied. Link punched him and the boy keeled over, gasping. "W-W-What was that?"

"Show them respect!" Link yelled. Gor Coron hurried over to them.

"Woah, woah! What is going on? Link-goro?" The old Goron looked at Link skeptically.

The boy pointed at Link accusingly, "H-Hey! He just punched me!"

"He was calling Gorons 'rocks'!" Link shouted.

Gor Coron shook his head, "That doesn't mean that you embrace violence, goro." He turned to the other boy, "Are you alright?" The boy nodded his head shakily, "Now what was it that you called for, goro?"

"The water," the boy pouted. "It's gone." Gor Coron walked over to the barrel, curious. He frowned.

"So it is..." the Goron muttered.

"Can't someone share?

"We'll have too. Remember, the water is for everyone, goro. Even though we have a lot, we will travel a lot to." The boy nodded innocently. When Gor Coron left, he made a face at Link. Link raised his fist again, and the boy walked off laughing.

Link stuck his tongue out at the boy's back and stomped away. Each step left clouds of sand. When he reached their cart, he humphed against the side. "I hate rich kids," he mumbled. He jumped when he heard Gannon's voice.

"So that's why you asked me to teach you how to fight, huh? To beat up thirsty defenceless boys?"

"That's not why and you know it," Link shot back. "The guy deserved it anyways. He needed to be put in his place." Gannon laughed. "What? It's true!"

"I suppose I could teach you a little why we're stopped." Link's face lit up, jumping from the side of the wagon, sand flying up from the action. "Only basics though. Come on, let's go a little ways away from the train."

"Why?"

"I don't like being watched by suspicious Gorons. I am pretty sure they all just think that I'm going to kill you." Link laughed, but stopped when he saw that Gannon was serious. "Come." Link followed Gannon away from the wagons and out of the fire light. They stopped on top of a high dune.

"So... What will you teach me first?" Link asked excitedly. "Super kicks or..."

"Meditation." Link's mouth fell open. Gannon chuckled, "Believe it or not, it is an important part of learning to fight." Link sighed. "Sit like this," Gannon told Link, demonstrating. It was the cross-legged position that Link noticed Gannon favored.

Link sat in that way, and Gannon stood again. A black stick materialized in Gannon hand, startling Link from the position. With a look from the older man, Link quickly moved back. He got whacked on his lower back with the black stick.

"Hey!"

"You're slouching."

"As if you don't!"

"I don't," Gannon retorted. Link straightened his back. Gannon slid Link's hands to his knee with the black stick some more. "On your knees, not your hips. And for Din's sake, don't bow your head."

Link took each of Gannon's instructions seriously, as to not get whacked anymore. When Gannon felt that Link was in the right position, the stick dematerialized. Good riddance, Link thought to himself.

Gannon sat in front of Link in the same position, "Breath in seven counts, hold seven counts, exhale seven counts."

One... Two... Three... Link thought to himself as Gannon counted aloud, taking a deep breath. On seven, he held it. On the next seven, he exhaled with a whoosh! Gannon stopped counting.

"Exhale in seven counts, not a half-count. Go to thirty now."

"What?!" Link gasped out his new seven-count breath.

"One... Two... Three... Four... Five..." Gannon began to count again. He didn't even pick up the pace.

"How is this teaching me to-"

"I never said that I would teach you to fight. I said I would teach you basics." Link scowled as Gannon started to count once more. "One... Two... Three..."

Four... Five... Six... The counting was tedious, but Link caught onto it. Breath in thirty counts... Hold thirty counts... Exhale thirty counts. He found that if you breathed in a small amount continuously, you wouldn't fill your lungs within the first ten counts.

Link started again after exhaling, One... Two... Three... He jumped when he felt a whack on his back once more.

"Don't slouch, or you will fall asleep."

"I wasn't slouch..." Link shook his head, startled, when he realized that the sun was rising. "Wait, what!? The sun's up!"

"Yes, it is. One of the good things about meditation. You will be in a conscious, almost sleep-like state, where you can sort your thoughts. If you do this instead of sleeping, you're not wasting time with petty dreams, you will still be resting your body and..." Gannon paused not elaborating further. "You must be careful not to go too deep into meditation that you are not aware of your surroundings; otherwise, you are vulnerable and can easily be harmed. You must not have too a light meditation, or your body will be easily distracted and you will awaken easily." Gannon chuckled, "Wipe the drool from your face; we're going to go back to the train."

Link rubbed his hand against his mouth then wiped it on his tunic, embarrassed. He trudged in the sand behind Gannon. For some reason, he did feel rested. He was ready for another hot day in the desert.