Chapter: XII

"Lost Friends"

The next morning, Link was jolted awake by the voice of a woman shouting, "What do you mean he's alright?! Look at him!" Link looked over to his right and found Telma and Alfon standing next to his bed. "Now now Telma, keep your voice down!" Alfon tried to soothe, "He just got a little bump on the arm, it's nothing!" "Nothing? NOTHING!" Shrieked Telma, "You call a shattered arm NOTHING?! YOU DAMNED FOOL! How could you let this happen to him?!" She held one hand on her hip, while she shook a fist in Alfon's face, tears running down her cheeks (ruining her makeup). "I'm ok Telma, you don't need to..." Link began, but Telma, faster than a striking cobra, grabbed him up and smothered him against her giant bosom. "Oh my brave little soldier!" she wailed, with fresh tears running down her cheeks, "What have they done to you?!" Desperate for air, Link's arms flailed about as he tried to free himself, but she held on to him with an iron grip. "You're not going!" she continued to wail as she began kissing the top of his head, "You're not! I'll keep you at the bar... you can keep me safe! But you're not going back out there! Oh my poor little man!" Alfon struggled to free Link from Telma's maternal-grasp when Impa came charging into the room. "What is the meaning of this racket?!" she demanded.

Alfon snapped to attention, his eyes darting from Impa to Telma, and back again. "Lady Impa! We... I... uh..." he stammered, as Impa stomped her way over to Link's bed. "Telma... I knew it was you! I should've known if we let you in here that you'd be causing trouble!" Telma's sobbing stopped and she dropped Link back into his bed (with a desperate gasp for air). Wheeling around on Impa, she returned to shouting, "I have as much right to be here for our soldiers as anyone Impa!" Telma waved her arm around the room and continued, "One might wonder why you aren't here yourself! Tending to those men you send out to die!" At once, the tension in the room soared as the two imposing women locked eyes and glared furiously at one-another. "One might also wonder..." began Impa with a very quiet, threatening tone, "how a guest of the kingdom could forget herself in such a disrespectful manner in the presence of the Minister-Regent of Hyrule!" Telma's glare slowly softened and shifted to a look of confusion and then fear. "I...I..." she stammered, not knowing what to say. Impa pressed further, "Remind me Telma, by whose leave were you allowed to settle in Hyrule?! Who allowed you to build your tavern in the Capitol City?!" Telma's lip quivered as her eyes glistened with new tears, "His... His Majesty said I..." she began; but Impa cut her off, "His Majesty is dead Telma! By whose leave are you allowed to be here?!" she demanded.

Telma had stepped back now and wrung her hands nervously in front of her. Impa continued to glare menacingly as the woman slowly lowered her head. "By leave of the gracious Reagent, I am permitted to stay." Telma said as she lifted her skirt and curtseyed slowly to Impa. She continued, not meeting Impa's eye, "Forgive me my lady, I forgot myself. I was... overcome with grief for the fallen, and worry for these injured men." She darted a quick glance at Link. Impa's voice softened, but her red eyes remained locked on Telma, "You are forgiven, of course, Telma. We all share your concern for the brave soldiers of the King's army." Telma began to show a relieved smile but it quickly faded under Impa's continued glare. "This is the infirmary... not your bar..." Impa continued, "I'm sure there are other men you can tend to. Now get out!" Telma's mouth dropped open in shock as she began to object, but Alfon wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the door. After she had left, Impa let out a great sigh, and turned to Link, "And you, young man, are you still alive?" She asked. "Y-yes" stammered Link, it was the first time she had spoken directly to him since his outburst at Zelda. When Impa narrowed her eyes down on him he quickly added, "My Lady." Satisfied that her work was complete, Impa replied, "Good! Get back on duty as soon as you are fit!" She turned briskly, and left the infirmary. "Yes, My Lady." Link repeated after her.

"Don't let her get to you laddie..." Came the muffled voice of the wounded man across from Link. "She's been as sweet as an Akkalan Peach to everyone she meets for as long as I can remember." Link, surprised to hear the man speaking, struggled to his feet and made his way over to the man's bed. A sling had been left next to Link's bed and he used it to truss-up his broken arm. "You must see more than I see, sir." replied Link, "I don't see anything 'sweet' in her at all." The man started to chuckle, but immediately fell into a short coughing fit. "No lad, they don't grow peaches in Akkala." He replied, "An 'Akkalan Peach' means the same as a 'Road Apple'." Link, standing next to the man's bed, grimaced at the sight of the poor man's condition. He was heavy bandaged over most of his body. Only a small gap was left for his eyes and mouth. "I don't get it..." Link said, "Apples grow on trees in the forest." The wounded man turned his head slightly to look at Link. "No lad, it means... Oh never mind!" he finished with a frustrated tone and closed his eyes.

Link desperately wanted to question the man about his injuries and where he had come from, but he remembered Alfon's warning. "Where is Akkala?" Link asked instead, "I've never heard of it." The wounded man gave Link a disbelieving look, "Were you raised under a rock lad? How've you not heard of Akkala?" Link shrugged, "We never spoke of anything outside the for- outside of Hyrule." he said, avoiding the long explanation that he was a Kokiri. The man let out a deep sigh, he wasn't going to be moving any time soon and talking with the boy would help to pass the time. "Akkala is the name of the lands North-East of Hyrule, son. East of Death Mountain, and North of the Zora Kingdom. It stretches from the Eldin and Lanayru Moutains all the way to the great sea." Link was more confused than ever. "Eldin and Lanayru?" he asked. " 'Eldin' is the ancient name for Death Mountain and its surrounding range." The man answered, "The Zora kingdom sits in the heart of the Lanayru Mountains in the East." Link thought back over his travels to the Goron and Zora kingdoms. He did remember seeing tall mountains and jagged rocks, but it never occurred to him that there might be additional stretches of land beyond them.

For several minutes, the bed-ridden man detailed the landscape of Greater Hyrule to Link. After Akkala came Necluda in the East, then Faron in the South, the Gerudo Desert (which the man knew very little about) in the Southwest, and finally the icy Hebra Mountains and Tabantha Highlands in the Northwest. Akkala and Necluda were very much like Hyrule, only with more hills. The Hylians who lived there were skilled farmers and tailors whose goods had helped the kingdom prosper after the war. Faron was a lush jungle region to the south. "So far south that the Hylians there are burned by the sun." the man chuckled. Indeed, the inhabitents of the Faron regions had much darker skin than their northern brethren. Even darker than most of the Gerudo. Along the southern coasts, they were excellent fishermen & sailors. Further inland, they were formidable warriors, especially within their own jungles. The Faron region held many of the necessary reagents for Hylian medicines as well as several rare delicacies that the noblemen sought for their tables. The Hebra region was mostly uninhabited. A few tiny villages or trading posts had been built in the Tabantha Highlands (the Eastern-most portion of the region), but the mountains themselves were far too cold for permanent settlement. "Just as hot as Death Mountain is, Hebra is as cold." the wounded man waned, "Men have been found frozen on their feet... the cold took them that quickly as they walked through the snow"

Each of the three "lesser" kingdoms: Akkala, Necluda, and Faron, had been gathered together by the royal family many decades ago. Their native leaders were allowed to remain as "regional governors" but all were commanded to submit to the Hylian crown. Akkala was govered by the house "Cado", Necluda by house "Endai", and Faron by house "Guru." Each had rebelled against the crown during the war against the Gerudo and had nearly succeeded in breaking away to form their own kingdoms. But the Hylians overcame them, and imprisoned the fathers of each house. "The sons were taken as wards by the King's most trusted advisors and not permitted to return home until they had come of age. Then, they were allowed to resume their governorship." The man explained, "A foolish decision on his majesty's part," he whispered, "They are not to be trusted! They betrayed us once, they will do it again!"

Link let a few minutes pass before he spoke again. He wasn't sure if the man was strong enough for more questions, but he was eager to know where the man had come from, and why the moblins had been chasing him. "How do you know Malon?" Link asked him softly. The man shuddered at the mention of her name. When he reopened his eyes Link could see tears beginning to form. "You really don't remember me. Do you lad?" He asked, "You were the good lad that made sure my milk delivery made it to the castle on time." "You're Malon's father!" breathed Link, his memory reaching that day. "You're Talon!"

They talked for nearly another hour. Talon told Link of how he and his daughter had sheltered with the horses and cows in the barn at their ranch when Ganon's evil cloud swept out over the countryside. How the ranch had nearly been overrun by Ganon's forces, when a company of the King's men arrived and drove them back to the capitol. Talon wanted to evacuate with his daughter, but the soldiers insisted that they needed the ranch to house and feed their horses, so they reluctantly stayed. One morning, several weeks ago, Talon's farmhand, Ingo, had disappeared without a word. Talon searched for him and begged the nearby soldiers to do the same, but men could not be spared for the search as Ganon's forces seemed to be gathering for a new attack. Finally, only six days before the assault on the lake-gate, Ingo had returned in the night with several of Ganon's minions. "He was different," Talon explained, "Confident, even arrogant, and there was something... evil in his eyes." They quickly seized control of the ranch, and chained Talon and his daughter within the barn. The next day, Ganon's forces assaulted the Hylian front line, and drove them back beyond the ranch. Talon's horses and cattle were now in the enemy's territory. "I wasn't strong enough..." sobbed Talon, "I couldn't save my own daughter." His grief was unbearable, and Link could get little more out of him. "What happened to Malon?!" he pressed, "Where is she?!" "...With... HIM..." Talon choked out.