~chapter 16~
The four stepped into John Walton's house. It was small and cozy. There was a comfy looking chair next to the door, facing a fireplace which held burned logs. Next to the chair there was a small table with a candle lamp next to a book. There was a small wooden chair across from the other, a small basket of needles and balls of yarn on the floor next to it. There was a small table with four placemats on each end and four chairs surrounding it and a vase of flowers in the center. A hall led down to somewhere unseen. There was also a small kitchen with a black stove and a pipe running up through the ceiling and a small wash basin with a few dishes in it. A small woman about 5'4 with short brown hair and a long dull yellow skirt on and an apron over it stood in the kitchen. She turned and looked at Walton.
"Good heavens, John, what is all the ruckus outside?!" she said in a concerned tone.
"Oh, my dear, it's been quite exciting. It appears we were attacked." Walton replied.
"Oh my Lord. Are you all right, John?"
"Yes, very well thanks to these fine people here. They saved me life!" he was grinning rather proudly
"Oh, bless your hearts!" she cried to the four. "Well, introduce me, John!"
"Ah, well this is Jared, and...Justin, and...Pac was it?" he said motioning to the three.
"Oh..." his wife leaned over to him and spoke in a low whisper. "John, he looks like..."
"Yes, I know, dear." Walton interrupted in a low voice. "And this is Fenix." he said waving a hand at Fenix.
"Oh my! An elf! Oh, and my house so messy..." she said rushing off to scrub some dishes.
"That is my wife, Anna." Walton told the four.
"You have a very lovely home." Justin said looking around at the establishment.
"Thank ye." Walton replied hanging his hat on a coat rack. "Please, make yourselves at home." Walton sat the four around the table and John made them tell their story. They had told then all about living in Artigonia and first encountering Gondar, then the black towers, and then chasing him to Valea, the encounter with the hydroid king, the elves, and the troll king. When aked where they were from, Jared replied artigonia, Justin replied Wehunt, a land far east of the Esarb islands, which lay off the coast of Valea, and when Link was asked, Jared, without thinking, replied that he was from Hyrule, to which Walton and his wife exchanged glances and Link glared at Jared and silently kicked him under the table.
"This Gondar character sounds like a horrible man!" Anna exclaimed when they had finished the story. She set down a pot of tea and poured everyone a cup.
"He is very evil..." Link said nodding, taking a sip.
"Er...Master Pac...?" Anna asked slowly, glancing at her husband quickly who scowled and shook his head very slightly.
"Oh, yes?" Link said, almost forgetting for a moment that was he.
"Erm..." she glanced at her husband again. "Have you any brothers...?" Link suddenly looked at her with a questioning look on his face. He paused for a few moments.
"No..." he said slowly, as if carefully thinking about his answer. "Why do you ask...?"
"Oh, no reason!" she said, suddenly perking up and heading back towards the kitchen. Link glanced over to Justin who glanced back at Link with a stiff expression as if saying "they know something."
"So, Master Pac. You grew up in...Hyrule did you say?" Anna questioned. Walton cleared his throat loudly and stared at his wife who innocently looked at 'Pac'.
"Er...Yes ma'am..." Link replied, side glancing at Jared.
"There must be some pretty interesting people there...Were you raised dirrectly in the castle village or in a village around it?" she asked, eyeing him carefully.
"I grew up in....uh...I grew up..." Link paused. The tension in the room could be felt dramatically. All eyes fell on Link, wondering what his response would be.
"Uh, yes. He grew up in the castle village." Justin answered for Link. Link seemed to relax slightly.
"Hmm...strange. I don't know too much about the land surrounding the castle...but I could have sworn your clothes were from...what's the name, dear? Kokori forest?" Link immediately tensed up again. Walton stared at his wife with pleading eyes, begging her to stop. There was a long pause as Link tried to think of something to say.
"Well...the reason for that is..." Link mumbled. He simply could not think of a reason other than him living in Kokori forest, which was the reason he wanted not to give.
"His master was of Kokori descendents and wore the tunic of the Kokori, as does Link. Somewhat out of respect, if you understand." Justin quickly added. Anna's grin quickly turned to a frown, as if she was disappointed.
"Ah, I see..." she mumbled. Link looked over at Justin and smiled slightly. The room was silent for a while as Anna poured out more tea to everyone. As she was pouring Links tea, she suddenly blurted out:
"Do you happen to know a fellow by the name of Link?" she said. Link choked on his tea and Walton groaned and lowered his head onto his hand, covering his eyes.
"Anna, I think that is quite enough. We do not want to irritate Master Pac." Walton said quietly.
"Well for heaven's sake, John! The man looks just like him!" Anna replied sharply. Walton still had his hands over his eyes as if embarassed.
"Hmm...Well, Mrs. Walton," Link said with a sigh. "It seems you are a very intelligent woman." Jared and Justin looked at him in surprise and Walker lowered his hand, staring at Link.
"You mean..." Walton mumbled.
"Yes, sir, I am the person of whom your wife speaks." Link said. Anna stared with her mouth open. She thought she had known, but she didn't know she was actually right.
"I--I apologize for my wife's actions, Master P...Link...I hope she was not too rude..." Walton said quietly.
"Think nothing of it. But tell me, Mrs. Walton, how were you so convinced I was not who I claimed I was?" Link asked.
"Sir, surely you jest!" she said.
"I jest not, and don't call me Shirley...But what do you mean?"
"Do you not know that you are a very famous person? The person who saved the land of Hyrule! The man who defies danger and laughs in the very face of death and evil!"
"I'm not really that great..."
"And modest! Your actions have been heard way beyond the eastern borders of Valea! And yet you wonder how you are so well known, hah! Why, it is especially in this town that you are very popular!"
"Wait, town? We're in a town?" Justin interupted.
"Why, of course. We are on the outskirts of Hensley. Did you not know that?"
"Well, we've been kinda lost...after getting into trouble with the trolls that is." Link said.
"Hmm...yes, the trolls can be quite bothersome." Walton added. The conversation was once again alive and busy.
~end~
The four stepped into John Walton's house. It was small and cozy. There was a comfy looking chair next to the door, facing a fireplace which held burned logs. Next to the chair there was a small table with a candle lamp next to a book. There was a small wooden chair across from the other, a small basket of needles and balls of yarn on the floor next to it. There was a small table with four placemats on each end and four chairs surrounding it and a vase of flowers in the center. A hall led down to somewhere unseen. There was also a small kitchen with a black stove and a pipe running up through the ceiling and a small wash basin with a few dishes in it. A small woman about 5'4 with short brown hair and a long dull yellow skirt on and an apron over it stood in the kitchen. She turned and looked at Walton.
"Good heavens, John, what is all the ruckus outside?!" she said in a concerned tone.
"Oh, my dear, it's been quite exciting. It appears we were attacked." Walton replied.
"Oh my Lord. Are you all right, John?"
"Yes, very well thanks to these fine people here. They saved me life!" he was grinning rather proudly
"Oh, bless your hearts!" she cried to the four. "Well, introduce me, John!"
"Ah, well this is Jared, and...Justin, and...Pac was it?" he said motioning to the three.
"Oh..." his wife leaned over to him and spoke in a low whisper. "John, he looks like..."
"Yes, I know, dear." Walton interrupted in a low voice. "And this is Fenix." he said waving a hand at Fenix.
"Oh my! An elf! Oh, and my house so messy..." she said rushing off to scrub some dishes.
"That is my wife, Anna." Walton told the four.
"You have a very lovely home." Justin said looking around at the establishment.
"Thank ye." Walton replied hanging his hat on a coat rack. "Please, make yourselves at home." Walton sat the four around the table and John made them tell their story. They had told then all about living in Artigonia and first encountering Gondar, then the black towers, and then chasing him to Valea, the encounter with the hydroid king, the elves, and the troll king. When aked where they were from, Jared replied artigonia, Justin replied Wehunt, a land far east of the Esarb islands, which lay off the coast of Valea, and when Link was asked, Jared, without thinking, replied that he was from Hyrule, to which Walton and his wife exchanged glances and Link glared at Jared and silently kicked him under the table.
"This Gondar character sounds like a horrible man!" Anna exclaimed when they had finished the story. She set down a pot of tea and poured everyone a cup.
"He is very evil..." Link said nodding, taking a sip.
"Er...Master Pac...?" Anna asked slowly, glancing at her husband quickly who scowled and shook his head very slightly.
"Oh, yes?" Link said, almost forgetting for a moment that was he.
"Erm..." she glanced at her husband again. "Have you any brothers...?" Link suddenly looked at her with a questioning look on his face. He paused for a few moments.
"No..." he said slowly, as if carefully thinking about his answer. "Why do you ask...?"
"Oh, no reason!" she said, suddenly perking up and heading back towards the kitchen. Link glanced over to Justin who glanced back at Link with a stiff expression as if saying "they know something."
"So, Master Pac. You grew up in...Hyrule did you say?" Anna questioned. Walton cleared his throat loudly and stared at his wife who innocently looked at 'Pac'.
"Er...Yes ma'am..." Link replied, side glancing at Jared.
"There must be some pretty interesting people there...Were you raised dirrectly in the castle village or in a village around it?" she asked, eyeing him carefully.
"I grew up in....uh...I grew up..." Link paused. The tension in the room could be felt dramatically. All eyes fell on Link, wondering what his response would be.
"Uh, yes. He grew up in the castle village." Justin answered for Link. Link seemed to relax slightly.
"Hmm...strange. I don't know too much about the land surrounding the castle...but I could have sworn your clothes were from...what's the name, dear? Kokori forest?" Link immediately tensed up again. Walton stared at his wife with pleading eyes, begging her to stop. There was a long pause as Link tried to think of something to say.
"Well...the reason for that is..." Link mumbled. He simply could not think of a reason other than him living in Kokori forest, which was the reason he wanted not to give.
"His master was of Kokori descendents and wore the tunic of the Kokori, as does Link. Somewhat out of respect, if you understand." Justin quickly added. Anna's grin quickly turned to a frown, as if she was disappointed.
"Ah, I see..." she mumbled. Link looked over at Justin and smiled slightly. The room was silent for a while as Anna poured out more tea to everyone. As she was pouring Links tea, she suddenly blurted out:
"Do you happen to know a fellow by the name of Link?" she said. Link choked on his tea and Walton groaned and lowered his head onto his hand, covering his eyes.
"Anna, I think that is quite enough. We do not want to irritate Master Pac." Walton said quietly.
"Well for heaven's sake, John! The man looks just like him!" Anna replied sharply. Walton still had his hands over his eyes as if embarassed.
"Hmm...Well, Mrs. Walton," Link said with a sigh. "It seems you are a very intelligent woman." Jared and Justin looked at him in surprise and Walker lowered his hand, staring at Link.
"You mean..." Walton mumbled.
"Yes, sir, I am the person of whom your wife speaks." Link said. Anna stared with her mouth open. She thought she had known, but she didn't know she was actually right.
"I--I apologize for my wife's actions, Master P...Link...I hope she was not too rude..." Walton said quietly.
"Think nothing of it. But tell me, Mrs. Walton, how were you so convinced I was not who I claimed I was?" Link asked.
"Sir, surely you jest!" she said.
"I jest not, and don't call me Shirley...But what do you mean?"
"Do you not know that you are a very famous person? The person who saved the land of Hyrule! The man who defies danger and laughs in the very face of death and evil!"
"I'm not really that great..."
"And modest! Your actions have been heard way beyond the eastern borders of Valea! And yet you wonder how you are so well known, hah! Why, it is especially in this town that you are very popular!"
"Wait, town? We're in a town?" Justin interupted.
"Why, of course. We are on the outskirts of Hensley. Did you not know that?"
"Well, we've been kinda lost...after getting into trouble with the trolls that is." Link said.
"Hmm...yes, the trolls can be quite bothersome." Walton added. The conversation was once again alive and busy.
~end~