Year of the Great Kingdom 583

Telma was so overcome with grief and terror that her father was forced to lift her clear of the ground and carry her inside his hut. She screamed, thrashed, and bit at him until he dropped her onto the floor and quickly bolted the door behind him. When she beat her fists against it and tried to escape, he attempted to reach down and pick her up again, but the girl quickly dashed away and hid herself beneath his table.

The world seemed to spin out of control for her. Sights, sounds, even the sensation of the floor beneath her bottom shook and turned violently. Mama was gone. That could not be. Mama was always there. There is no world without Mama. This… this was surely some nightmare; some horrible dream that would end soon. Telma would wake, crying, but sissy or Mama would comfort her… and everything would be ok.

Gormund watched his daughter helplessly as she began to slip into shock. She hugged the leg of his table firmly; her whole body trembling very badly. Her eyes went unfocused and she just stared straight ahead at the door – waiting for her rescue. As gently has he could, he tried to tug her arms free from the table, but the child was strong for her size and absolutely gripped with fear.

Not wanting to hurt her, he gave up this attempt and retrieved the blanket from his bed. She did not seem to notice his movements anymore, so he was able to slowly drape the cloth around her shoulders, and tuck it about her waist. "There there, honey." He tried softly, but she still did not respond to him.

Telma's father had never had much experience with children. He was the youngest from his parents, and far removed from his siblings. His own childhood had been a rather bleak, obscure existence of helping his father with the farm and performing whatever small chores his mother asked him to. What he did know, was that small children are often delicate and easily damaged – in their minds. If a young child is badly traumatized, the experience could haunt them for the rest of their lives.

So, he resolved to be patient with her and try to not force her to quickly to accept the change. Despite her sudden, unexpected arrival, his heart was immediately given to her wellbeing and ached terribly at the sight of her fear.

~3 days later~

Things were very difficult for both of them. The child could not speak Hylian and Gormund only knew "Voe" and "Vai" in the Gerudo language. For three days, she trembled silently beneath her little shelter. No matter how hard he tried to encourage her, she would not come out. "Come on honey… you'll starve if you don't eat." He plead, offering a small bowl of whipped and buttered potatoes to her. But she would not take it from him. Delicately, he tried spooning a small portion into her mouth, but her tongue just pushed it out and let it drop onto the floor. It was the same with water as well. As gently as he could, he tried to pour a small sip of water into her mouth, but she would only let it dribble out again.

She tried to escape many times -always at night, when he laid down to sleep- but Gormund had expected this and was too quick for her every time. Without warning, the child would dash out from under the table, reaching for the door's bolt, but Gormund's hand would crash into it -pinning it shut- and she would dive back under the table and cling to its leg once more. Eventually, he was forced to lock the bolt and hang the key around his neck, just so that he could get some sleep.

After she gave up trying to escape through the door, Telma would wait for him to begin snoring, then silently creep around his hut – searching either for another route to escape through or for water that did not come from his hand, since she was still badly dehydrated.

On her third night in his hut, the stranded child found a large pitcher of cool water inside of one of Gormund's cabinets. With wretched desperation, she eagerly drank the entire thing while she sat on the floor of his kitchen. With a little burp, the girl quickly covered her mouth and looked over at the man in fear – but he had not been awakened. Breathing easier, she now searched for something to eat.

She found many things that seemed like food: wheat bread, whole potatoes, a bag of green apples, a pad of butter, and several other items that she did not recognize. But within a bundle of cloth, in a different cabinet, Telma found several strips of dried meat. It smelled a little differently than the meats she had seen the Gerudo prepare, but this was at least familiar to her.

Sitting cross-legged upon the floor, in the darkness, the terrified child hungrily tore at the tough strips of meat and struggled to chew them with her small teeth. Though she did not realize it, Gormund actually was awake and watching her through nearly closed eyelids. Apparently, this "little vai" did not know what the sound of a man's snoring was like, and he was easily able to fake the sound and watch her carefully during the night. After an hour of hungrily chewing at her meal, the poor child laid down and fell asleep.

The following morning, Telma's father awoke to find her sleeping on the floor in his kitchen. Several dishes and stored foods had been scattered around, but he did not care – she had finally fallen asleep. He stood over her, watching as the dim morning light grew stronger from the window above her. Still, he felt great anxiety for having her here and very much did not want the responsibility of a child in his life. But the pitiful way her mother had begged him – he had never heard of a Gerudo begging anyone for anything before; they were renowned for their ability to resist torture and hardship, and the frightened, innocent light in the little girl's eyes – he knew he just could not turn her away.

She was laying on her side, half curled up – like a kitten – and lightly shivering. Gormund slowly crouched down, and very gently rubbed his hand against her back. She must have been terribly exhausted, as she did not wake, but the heat of his hand comforted her, and her shivering stopped. With great delicacy and care, her father very slowly slid his hands beneath her and lifted her up into his arms. The 'little vai' rolled over to his chest and murmured something in Gerudo.

"I know, sweetheart." Gormund whispered back, "I'm scared too." And he laid her upon his own bed, and covered her with a soft blanket.