WARNING: SERIOUSLY TRAUMATIZING SUBJECT MATTER AHEAD! TURN BACK NOW IF YOU ARE EASILY TRIGGERED!
Near Midnight, June 16, Year of the Great Kingdom 597
They argued for what felt like hours, but it was only a few minutes. Terror and panic took the young woman completely, but her father would not relent. "There is a gap between the floor and the ground below." He explained, "We can hide there, if anyone comes." "NO NO NO! Papa come on! We are losing time!" she cried, but he wouldn't move toward the door. Instead, Gormund pulled their table to one side – revealing the small trapdoor to the crawling space beneath their home. "It will be tight, but I think we can manage." He muttered quietly.
To their horror, a distant, rhythmic 'tramp, tramp, tramp' came to their ears. Without a word, both froze and listened intently as the sound grew louder. Soon, harsh cries of Gerudo voices and the rattle of weapons accompanied their approaching doom. "Oh Goddess…" she whimpered as her trembling hands covered her mouth. "GET DOWN THERE! NOW!" he shouted, grabbing her arm and throwing the trap door open.
The damp, filthy, spider infested crawl space was a tight space for Gormund, but it was nearly impossible for Telma to fit herself down there. Once she was below, her father quickly snuffed out the candle in their home, grabbed a butcher's knife from the kitchen, and threw himself down the trap door. Once it closed, they were thrown into complete blackness as the regular beat of the Gerudo's march shook the ground beneath them.
Sobbing in terror, she groped in the dark to find him and grabbed hold of his arm. "Its ok… its ok," he tried to soothe, "they won't find us here. Just be silent." But she could feel his arm trembling and knew that their deaths might come at any moment.
The awful sound of the approaching army great louder and louder, shaking the dust free from the floorboards above them and driving Telma to wail silently and gasp for air. "Shhh! Shhh!" her father tried to silence her, but it was useless. Several more galloping riders now sped past the farm, whooping and hollering in Gerudo voices as the main army drew near.
They were so close now; both could clearly hear the shouts of the commanders – crying orders to their units on where to march and at what pace. Gormund did not know their words, but he recognized the tone and rhythm from the Hylian units that would sometimes march past on training maneuvers. Telma's knowledge of the Gerudo language had withered severely in her time with her father, but one or two words still connected for her: "Move, Halt" and the like.
The massive formation – likely thousands of Gerudo warriors – came up the road and thundered past the farm. The two awkwardly held one other tightly, and sobbed in mutual terror as they passed. When the sound began to weaken and disappear to the North, a faint glimmer of hope came to Gormund's heart "They must think the farm is abandoned!" he thought to himself. "When they've gone…" he breathlessly whispered to her, "We grab our things… and make for the forest."
Just as she squeezed his hand -noting that she understood- they both clenched in terror at the sound of voices just outside their door. A small detachment had been broken off from the main line and were sent to check the farm. These Gerudo were not shouting like the army commanders, but they made little effort to speak softly or conceal their voices. Straining their ears, Telma and Gormund could hear their footsteps as they walked around the house and approached the mule shed.
With a harsh shout, one of the women stabbed the poor beast; causing it to cry out and thrash in its tiny stable, before dropping to the ground with a pitiful groan. A sharp, high pitched whine escaped Telma's throat, and her father quickly clapped a hand over her mouth and nose and hissed at her for silence. She felt as though her heart were pounding so hard, it might shatter its way through her ribs and leap from her body. The voices and the soft footsteps continued around the shed, before a shocking 'BANG' and 'hisssss' made them both flinch. The women outside furiously shouted and cried to one another after they had ruptured Gormund's still and one was badly scalded by its contents.
A powerful, authoritative voice now shouted from the front of the house. Telma didn't recognize much, except one word: "House." "They are coming" she hoarsely whispered to her father, as the other Gerudo quickly ran around the hut and gathered around their commander outside.
In the most unexpected movement, her father's body quickly stopped its trembling and he gently reached over and pulled her head right up to his. Whispering, so silently, into her ear Gormund said, "When they take us… tell them you are my 'comfort vai' do you understand?" She barely heard him, the terror of the situation was so great, but she was frightened more by his sudden calm. "W-what?" she asked. "You. Are. My. Com-fort. Vai. You must say this to them! Promise me!"
The door to the house suddenly exploded as the Gerudo kicked it in and rushed into the house. "Promise me." he repeated, ignoring the destruction above them. Telma shook her head "no" at him – she didn't understand what he was trying to say, she just wanted him to be silent. The warriors smashed through everything – the cupboards in the kitchen, the baskets and crates of food and drinks, even their beds were smashed and sliced apart. "Promise me." he whispered again.
When the destruction was finished, the women above stopped and met their commander at the ruined door. Several seconds of silence followed, before she tapped the butt of her spear against the floor. The loud, hollow knock revealed that the planks were not set directly upon the ground, and there must be an empty space beneath their feet.
Time seemed to slow and all sound died away – except for her father's voice, which echoed strangely and seemed to warble through her mind. "Promise me" he repeated, as their weapons suddenly shattered downward through the boards. "Promise me" as they struck again, widening the hole they had created. "Promise me" as their terrible voices cried out at the discovery. And finally… "I will always love you Telma, my blessed daughter." As their hands seized his legs and tore him away from her.
Just after Midnight, June 17, Year of the Great Kingdom 597
The sudden burst of their torchlight, down into the crawlspace revealed his face just before they grabbed him. He did not look afraid, only sorrowful at his daughter's fear. Tears streamed from his eyes and his lips trembled as he gently brushed her cheek… one last time.
Her scream echoed for more than a mile outside of their farm as the cruel women tore her father away and began to savagely beat him on the floor above. Two more quickly shattered the floor above Telma and ripped her away from their hiding place. When they pulled her upright into the house, a dagger was suddenly thrust up against her throat, but the warrior stopped short.
All of them, even those that had been kicking and punching Gormund, now froze and stared at the Gerudo woman they had just discovered with him. They were all dressed in the desert warrior's clothing – with masks over their faces, - but their fierce, yellow eyes narrowed and carefully studied their latest find. The commander, a tall and very powerfully built woman with a small gem set upon her forehead, stepped over to Telma and lifted her torch higher.
In the glowing orange light, they did not notice that her eyes were amber, instead of the Gerudo yellow. They did not notice the duller brown-red of her hair, instead of the Gerudo scarlet. They only saw her deep bronze skin and impressive height. "Why are you here?" the leader asked her, in Gerudo, but the poor woman had lost her grasp of their language and did not understand.
When the question was repeated, Telma shook her head "no" in terror and began to sob at them to let her father go. The Gerudo grimaced in disgust that she spoke Hylian to them, and the commander waved over a second warrior to translate. "How… you… here?" she asked with a very heavy accent. The terrified girl glanced from their cruel faces, down to her father on the floor. A steady stream of blood was pouring from his broken nose, and one eye was already swollen shut, but he looked right up at her and gave a very subtle nod. In that moment… the curtain between them was lowered and it was as if their hearts were connected. "You must do this. Its ok. I forgive you." He seemed to communicate to her. "Papa… no! I love you!" she answered back. "I know honey… I know."
When she didn't answer immediately, the commander shook her hard and shouted – drawing her attention back to them. "HOW YOU HERE?" the soldier repeated. "I… I…" she stammered, "I am… his comfort vai."