Author's note: I do not own Hylia, Hyrule, Dragmire, Link etc, or any variation thereof. They belong to Nintendo.
As always, thank you for reading my story. I hope you are enjoying it. ~Trixie
Sarah was trapped in a dream. She was tumbling through a river, unable to keep her head above the water. Unnamed monsters clawed at her face and arms as she struggled to break the surface. They called out to her, not the name she went by, but by the first name she rarely used. The surface of the water held little comfort for her. Dark clouds had rolled in and plastered her with freezing rain. A light pierced the clouds, sending its welcoming beam through the terrain. Where was she? It was still dark. The beam was not so bright after all, and could be traced to a single point behind her eyelids. Behind her eyelids. She was asleep then. All she had to do to escape the monsters was wake up. Sarah opened her eyes.
The single point of light was painfully closed and burned her retinas. Sarah groaned and raised a hand to cover her eyes, but it made her entire arm hurt. With her full awareness came the sensation of pain all over. "Do you know where you are?" a feminine voice asked as soon as her moan ceased. She could sense the light was dimmer and cautiously opened her eyes again and blinked.
"I cannot see," she whispered, trying to recognize her surroundings.
"I told you she was hurt worse than you thought," a deep voice grumbled from her left.
"No," she clarified; trying to shake her head, but her head throbbed. "It is too dark."
"Da, the power went out right after you left, and we cannae get the generators working," a peppy voice chimed.
"Why didnae you get the flashlights?" the male voice asked irritably.
"We couldnae find them, I think the candles are cool," the young voice replied. The lights flickered on slowly and immediately went out again.
"Do you know what is going on?" the original female voice asked Sarah calmly. Sarah blinked for a minute.
"I was driving," she answered slowly. "The road wasn't there anymore, and now I am here."
"Do you know where you are?" the deep male voice asked again. The lights flickered a few times before deciding to remain on. Sarah was looking into the eyes that had haunted her for the past week. She gasped and recoiled into the couch she was laying on. Her sudden panic gave way to the realization there was no malice in his gaze, it was impatience tinged with concern. She looked around.
"How did I end up back at the hotel?" Sarah asked, attempting to sit up. She fought the aches and ended upright, fighting dizziness to stay up.
"You said you were driving," the large man answered levelly. Sarah tried to remember his name but the dull ache in her body seemed to spread to her mind. Dragmire… O'Dragmire was his name. "The bridge washed out. We found your car upside down by where the bridge used to be. You were unconscious so we brought you here." Sarah continued to look around in amazement. She attempted to stand but a sharp pain brought her back to her seat.
"What is wrong?" one of the red haired women asked, immediately appearing by her side. Sarah motioned to her leg. He woman shuffled the stained blanket to expose her leg. She examined the tender area gingerly. "It is broken," she informed Sarah confidently. "It is a simple break. I can set it for you if you like."
"Are you a doctor?" Sarah asked, testing the muscles in the leg. The leg throbbed.
"Horse doctor," the woman replied casually. "But bones is bones." Sarah looked at the woman suspiciously.
"I mean no offence, but I would rather wait to see a real doctor," Sarah replied primly, moving the blanket back over her. The blanket was rather bloody, but she didn't like being on display for these strange people. The woman merely shrugged.
"Have it your way," she said easily. "You should know that there is nae a way to get back to Hylia, and the storm is too dangerous to try and get you to Acrimon. The longer you let a broken bone sit the harder it is to repair it."
"How long do you think it will be before I can get to a hospital?" Sarah asked in alarm. She had never been in such a situation and it unnerved her.
"I do nae know," Anna piped up. "We have never seen a storm this bad. It just doesn't seem to let up." Sarah sat pensively while the red haired staff waited silently.
"Go ahead then," she finally decided. "Can I just get cleaned up a little first?" The veterinarian, who introduced herself as Patricia, herded everyone out of the lobby when it was clear Sarah could not tolerate being moved. Natalie appeared with clean sheets and a blanket as well as a washcloth. Sarah began to clean her face while the staff ran up and down the stairs, trying to find her something clean to wear. Patricia had gone to the stables for supplies.
"I'm sorry, Sarah," said Natalie, taking back a nightgown, "this is the largest gown we could find." Sarah had always prided herself on her figure but the Hotel Gerudo employees were tiny in comparison. Active lives and a careful grocery budget rendered the women taught with lean muscle, while Sarah's slenderness was still soft and curvaceous. Not a single article of clothing could be found that would fit her comfortably. "Wait just a minute," Natalie insisted as she scampered off.
"I'd rather you put on something clean," Patricia said as she laid out bandages and splints. "You have a higher risk of infection if you keep wearing those dirty clothes."
"Nothing fits me," Sarah replied in exasperation. "You are all too skinny." Patricia shot Sarah a satisfied smirk and handed her some pills.
"I brought you some ibuprofen," she offered. "We do nae have anything better that is meant for humans."
Sarah swallowed the pills with a glass of water. "Thanks," she replied gratefully, willing the ache would go away.
"Here you go!" Natalie exclaimed, throwing a large t-shirt at her. Sarah pulled the shirt over her head and stared at the result. She practically swam in it, or would have if moving didn't hurt so much. Sarah gave Natalie a quizzical look. "It is Da's," she explained. Sarah blushed but shimmied out of her torn and dirty clothes. Now that Sarah was relatively clean Natalie covered the couch Sarah occupied with clean sheets and blankets.
"I want you to lie down," Patricia directed, examining the injured leg once more. Sarah tensed as she anticipated the coming pain. Natalie hovered over the back of the couch while Patricia finished examining the leg. "This is going to hurt," Patricia confessed and grabbed Sarah's leg and exerted pressure. Sarah let out a terrified scream and her leg convulsed.
"What happened?" O'Dragmire demanded, shooting around the corner.
"I tried to set her leg, but she yanked it," Patricia replied, looking quite annoyed. Sarah had a look of panic on her face.
"I'm sorry," she whispered brokenly. "It hurt."
"You need to get this done or it will hurt worse to fix later on," Patricia replied soothingly, as if she were talking to a frightened horse. Sarah nodded and Patricia tried again with the same result.
"I hate to do this, Miss Hyrule," O'Dragmire sighed. "We are going to have to hold you down. I know it will nae be pleasant but it will be better in the long run if we can get this over with." Sarah nodded with tears pricking at her eyes. "Jessie, Mona, come hold down her legs," O'Dragmire called. They appeared immediately, as if they had been waiting just around the corner for his command. In reality the entire staff was gathered just out of eyesight, curious about the events.
"What do you want me to do?" Natalie asked hopefully.
"I want you to go," her father answered sternly. "Is that my shirt?"
"Aye, it is. I'd like to stay here."
"I'd like you to stop going through my things, now go."
Natalie sulked off but remained in the corner where she could easily watch. O'Dragmire took both of Sarah's hands in his and leaned across her body, pinning her torso under his weight. Jessie and Mona both took a leg.
"I'm sorry," Patricia murmured as she again applied pressure to the fractured bone. This time, with Sarah immobilized, she was able to set the bone in its rightful place. Sarah again let out a pained scream. Jessie and Mona backed away as soon as the deed was done, but O'Dragmire remained. He cradled the sobbing Hylian against his chest and rocked her as she clung to his shirt. He murmured soothingly to her as Patricia quickly splinted the leg.
Sarah clung to the large man, pain driving out all inhibitions she might have felt as to who was holding her. Her fingers clenched the fabric of his shirt as her breaths became less ragged and the sobs subsided. She allowed herself to be soothed by the surprisingly gentle voice until, exhausted, she fell to sleep.
O'Dragmire placed the sleeping Hylian back onto the makeshift bed, covered her with a blanket and silently left the lobby. "I'm sorry your céilí didnae work out, O'Dragmire," Mona sympathized as they met with the waiting staff. He merely shrugged.
"It's alright," he shrugged. "We'll try again tomorrow. I'm too tired to attempt anything now." There was a satisfied murmur that was a far cry from the excitement of before.
"Stew is all the better for the keeping," the elderly cook added, giving her boss a tender pat on the back. "I think we all are tired at this point." The crowd murmured their assent and filed into the dining hall to share a quick meal before retiring.
Sarah dreamed again. Dark dreams. They haunted her every turn, filling her with dread. She couldn't quite understand what was going on. She hadn't had nightmares since she was a child. Sarah felt trapped, as if she didn't know what was hunting her. She awoke with a startled gasp and shot up in bed, but it wasn't her bed. She looked around in surprise, the events of the day before slowly penetrating the fog of her nightmares. She replayed the previous night in her mind, shifting her blankets when she remembered her diagnosis. Her leg was immobilized with a neat splint. Sarah groaned and recovered herself. She noticed a bottle of ibuprofen and water left near her and eagerly swallowed a few pills. Not hearing anyone stirring, she settled back into the couch and let the rain lull her back into a light sleep.
Sarah stirred again when she heard soft footsteps on the carpet near her. She blinked her eyes open and was startled to see several pairs of eyes gazing over her. "Where did you all come from?" Sarah exclaimed, pushing herself into a sitting position.
"Morning, princess," Natalie chirped back, setting herself on the floor. Sarah realized with amazement that it was Natalie's careless steps and not those of her large father that had woken her.
"How are you feeling?" the larger man asked sincerely. Sarah gazed around at the small contingent hovering over her. They were all barefoot and still in their pajamas, a stark contrast to the richly decorated lobby she had slept in. O'Dragmire was in a large, long sleeved t-shirt and plaid pants, Natalie is a smaller and snugger version. Patricia and Anna were both garbed in tight, cropped clothing which Sarah would call indecent.
"My leg still aches," confessed Sarah, trying to rearrange her bedding to be more modest, feeling she had to make up for the women.
"What kind of pain is it?" Patricia asked, uncovering Sarah's leg without asking permission. "Is it a dull ache or a sharp pain?"
"More of a dull ache, I think," Sarah replied, abashed as Patricia began to expose her leg and unwrap the splint. O'Dragmire sensed her tension and turned his back. Patricia quickly examined the leg and rewrapped it.
"Your scrapes are looking much better. You shouldn't even notice them in a week or so. Your leg is still swollen, which is to be expected, but the bone should heal just fine." Patricia declared confidently.
"How do you know, you don't have an x-ray?" Sarah asked incredulously. Patricia rolled her eyes and left without answering. She was quickly replaced by a few more curious staff.
"Breakfast is almost ready, O'Dragmire," Mona informed while gazing curiously at Sarah.
"What do you think about the Hotel?" Anna asked suddenly as if Sarah had been a paying guest.
"What I've seen of it is nice," Sarah asked, shooting her a bewildered look.
"We washed your clothes," Mona informed her cheerfully. "They are kind of ragged now. I also washed some of Natalie's old track clothes that might fit you. She was rather chubby before she became so tall," she teased. Natalie stuck her tongue out playfully.
"People get chubby right before a growth spurt," the lanky teen said defensively.
"Children get chubby before growth spurts," Mona shot back, ducking a punch. "Regardless, it would probably be more comfortable than the stuffy suit."
"That is fine," Sarah sighed. "I don't think I'm making out of here with my dignity in tact anyway."
"What makes you say that?" Natalie asked, flopping onto her stomach in the way of teens.
"I'm not used to being seen in public in t-shirts or sweats," Sarah replied, taking the offered clothes. O'Dragmire mumbles about something he needed to check on and left the lobby.
"You're in the hotel," Anna pointed out. "There are no guests so this is hardly public." Sarah waited for the women to leave so she could change, but they did not budge. She let out a sigh and tried to change while preserving her modesty.
"I don't work here," Sarah explained, using the large shirt she had slept in as a changing tent. "I feel like I am on display."
"Who is there to be on display for?" Mona asked. "We are all women, here."
"And Da," Natalie added.
"I do nae think he counts," Anna countered.
"Do you really think we'd dress like this in front of guests?" Mona asked. "As soon as guests leave we let loose. We have to be stuffy most of the time. It is nice when it is just us girls."
"And Da," Natalie added.
"He does nae count," Anna insisted.
"Natalie is right," Sarah argued, trying to shimmy into the pants without disturbing the blankets. "Mr. O'Dragmire is still a man."
"He does nae count," Anna explained amusedly. "He is related by marriage to everyone here, and Natalie is his daughter."
"You mean this really is some polygamist sect?" Sarah asked with disgust.
"No!" Mona laughed. "I do nae know how that rumor got started but I know it is a pervasive one in Hylia. O'Dragmire married my sister. Anna is my cousin. Everyone here is a sister, cousin, aunt or niece of some sort. He does nae think of us like that."
"Oh," Sarah mumbled, quite embarrassed. "So you all live together somewhere, then?"
"Right here," Anna replied proudly.
"Here?"
"Yes," Natalie laughed. "At first it was just Da, Mum and I, but when the aunts all moved over we had to close the top floor down to house everyone. That is when we became the "exclusive" resort." By now, Sarah had finished dressing and sat up, discarding the oversized shirt. She looked with dismay at her borrowed clothing. Although they were Natalie's "chubby" clothes, it was tighter around the hips and bust than Sarah would have preferred.
"There," Anna said with satisfaction as Sarah sat up, mindful of her injured extremity. "Now you look Gerudo."
"Pardon?" Sarah asked, confused.
"Employee of the Hotel Gerudo is a rather wordy title," Mona explained. "So we call ourselves Gerudo for short when no one else is around."
"What does Gerudo mean?" Sarah asked. "I've never heard it before."
"I do nae know," Anna admitted. "I think it is something Aislin made up. I do nae think it really means anything, but we use it as a noun, verb, or adjective. It has come to define us since we were displaced from Ireland."
"Who is Aislin?" Sarah asked.
"My sister; O'Dragmire's wife," Mona whispered.
"Oh," Sarah whispered. "Why did you all come over from Ireland? You obviously love it." The group became silent and tense, as if it were a taboo subject.
"Breakfast is served," O'Dragmire boomed, reentering the lobby. He seemed almost surprised to see Sarah dressed in so casual clothing. Sarah blushed slightly at his gaze.
"Sarah shouldnae try to walk yet," Patricia sternly informed her boss, appearing suddenly. "I looked but we do nae have any crutches or anything of that nature."
"I'll eat with her out here," Natalie offered cheerfully. Sarah inwardly cringed at the thought of being stuck on the couch until she could be rescued. O'Dragmire looked around quickly.
"To hell with that," he smiled jovially. "You might as well come meet the family." He stooped down and swiftly picked up Sarah. She gave a startled gasp and clung to his neck, the bracelets she had failed to remove jangling furiously. O'Dragmire grinned and carried her into the dining room.
The tables had been rearranged from their usual pattern into one large family table. Sarah was seated at one corner, where should prop her injured leg on a cushion placed on an extra chair. Natalie seated herself next to Sarah, grinning as her aunts noisily seated themselves around the table. O'Dragmire hushed them as he took the head of the table and led them in a short prayer. The food was passed down the table, having to be refilled several times as several dozen redheads had to be fed. Sarah smiled silently from her corner, thinking how different the boisterous meal was compared to what she was used to. The women joked back and forth, breaking up their accented English with random Gaelic phrases. Sarah, being an only child, was used to quiet, formal meals. The informality and familiarity were both strange and comforting. Informality for Sarah meant she dined alone.
"How are you feeling?" O'Dragmire asked as he lowered Sarah back onto her couch.
"Fine," Sarah shrugged, adjusting the cushions to her comfort. "Do you think there is any chance I can get out of here today?" It was O'Dragmire's turn to shrug.
"The rain is nae letting up, so I do nae know," he replied honestly. "It is rather unusual. We are lucky to have a few hours rain so I do nae know how long this will last. How did you enjoy your breakfast?"
"It was different," Sarah replied neutrally.
"Nae used to a traditional breakfast?" O'Dragmire smiled.
"No," Sarah replied, "I'm not used to so much noise. I don't exactly come from a large family."
"I'm an only child, too," O'Dragmire offered, lowering himself into a chair opposite the Hylian.
"How did you know I am an only child?"
"You act like one."
"I do not!" Sarah protested.
"Yes, you do. It is nae a widely known fact but I have kept in touch with your father over the years."
"I never realized he knew you very well."
"Because you're an only child and do nae pay attention to what does nae directly concern you."
"You are an only child as well, sir."
O'Dragmire chuckled, "That I am, but I somehow doubt my upbringing was similar to yours in any other way."
"How so?" Sarah challenged, meeting his eyes fiercely.
"I had a single mother," O'Dragmire started off. "We were desperately poor and lived with my two old great-grandmothers. They were twins, but I swear there only should have been one of them. They were like opposite sides of the same coin; both crazy, but I loved them. They even died at the same time. They gave me my love of history, though. Sometimes I wonder why I never bothered to learn Hylia's history."
"I'm so sorry," Sarah sympathised. "What happened."
"Granny Keara burned herself rather badly cooking one evening and was in the hospital," O'Dragmire explained. "Granny Kiana was going to visit her and slipped on the ice going down the stairs. At the same time something went horribly wrong with Granny Keara and she was gone. It was almost like they couldnae function without the other." Sarah failed to hide her horrified expression. "The people in my family do nae exactly have easy deaths. My mother was in a bus accident and my wife had cancer. It makes me wonder what is in store for me."
"You shouldn't talk about your own death," Sarah whispered superstiously. "It is bad luck."
"As the saying goes," O'Dragmire chuckled as he stood up. "If I didnae have bad luck I'd have no luck at all." The lights flickered off again. "There you go, I'll send someone in to check on you in a little while." With that he wandered off and left Sarah alone in the lobby. Even though it should have been daylight, the driving rain rendered the lobby dimly lit.
The morning passed slowly for Sarah. Natalie appeared breifly to give Sarah a flashlight and a stack of magazines. Unfortuantly Natalie's magazine stash was directed to a younger audience and few of the articals caught Sarah's interest. She was about to scream from boredom when the lights finally came back on. She spent another hour alone trying to gain interest in things desperatley important for high schoolers.
"Have you ever been to a céilí?" a deep voice called suddenly, awakening Sarah from a light doze.
"No, what is a céilí?" she replied, willing her heartbeat to slow down.
"It is supposed to be a traditional Irish social dance," O'Dragmire grinned. "Since none of us really know how we just put on some music and jump around. We're having lunch first so you might as well come."
"I'm so bored I'd do just about anything right now," Sarah confessed.
"No wonder," he replied, flipping through the magazines Natalie had left. "What is this trash? Most of the time Natalie is mature and responsible and then she turns around and is interested in this. She makes me wonder."
"She is only seventeen after all," Sarah reminded him. He shot her a smile and once again lifted her up and carried her to the dining room. The room was as boisterous as before and Sarah even managed to join in the conversation at intervals. After the cook's stew was devoured the tables were pushed to the side and a small stereo was set out. Sarah watched with great amusement as an array of music ranging from traditional Celtic to modern rock was played. For every song the majority of the staff, the boss included, released themselves to wild abandon and danced. The dance was carefree and often graceless. Laughter rang out as people collided. It was a far cry from Riverdance Sarah had seen when it toured through Hylia, but just as entertaining. Sarah was disappointed when the power went out once again, but oil lamps were brought in and the women took turns singing to keep the festive atmosphere going. The atmosphere slowly morphed from jubilation to sedation.
"What do you think?" Natalie grinned as she approached the forgotten invalid.
"That was different," Sarah smiled back, motioning for Natalie to sit down. "I went to all the dances in high school and partied some in college, but they were nothing like this. This was fun."
"I'd hate to go to your dances and parties if they are nae fun," Natalie replied sarcastically. "Da is making me go to the winter formal," she added with disgust.
"What is so wrong with that?"
"I do nae want to go," Natalie mourned. "It will be a bunch of Hylians with no sense of humor. I might have been raised here but I just do nae "get" Hylians. They do nae always understand me either, and I kind of stand out. I feel like I am caught between two worlds. Am I Irish, Hylian or neither?"
"Why can't you be both?" Sarah asked gently.
"It feels disloyal somehow," Natalie replied glumly, "especially with your proposal. Hylia wants to be a booming progressive city while we just want to be left alone to our traditional, if odd, ways." They sat in an awkward silence.
"Are you on any of the teams at your school?" Sarah asked conversationally.
"Yeah, Da said I had to become more involved so I joined the track and cross country teams," Natalie answered. "I like it, I guess. There is only one boy who can beat me. He says it is because of his lucky rabbit foot. Are you on any teams?"
"Not since high school," Sarah recalled fondly. "I took archery and I was on the Rutos swim team."
"You went to Rauru Preparatory Academy?" Natalie questioned, getting excited again. "I wanted to go there. I had a scholarship and everything, but then I wound up going to Talon High School instead." She rolled her eyes to show how she felt about her school.
"What happened?" Sarah asked, sensing Natalie's great disappointment. She waived her hand around at the women occupying the room.
"They came over before I was supposed to start, and there went all the money Da had saved up," Natalie sighed. "I know you help out family, and sometimes you have to make sacrifices, and I do nae regret helping them at all, but I'm still disappointed sometimes. Rauru Prep dumps right into Sheikah U, but I doubt I'll get to go there either."
"I didn't know you were so academic," Sarah remarked, quite impressed.
"It is a little known fact," Natalie admitted. "I've tried to pretend I'm nae so into school anymore. I do nae want Da to feel bad because he couldnae send me."
"Why won't you be able to go to SU? If you got a scholarship to Rauru Prep you should be able to get one to Sheikah U. You could probably get a scholarship for first generation college student." Sarah encouraged. Natalie shook her head.
"Da has a degree. I've looked into scholarships but we cannae afford to make up the difference," Natalie whispered conspiratorially. "I know we look like and awesome resort, but we do nae actually bring in much of a profit. It costs a lot to support so many people."
"Why are you whispering?" Sarah whispered back.
"Da does nae want the aunts to know," Natalie replied in a low voice. "That is partly why I help run the front desk. No one knows but me. The night proctor only reconciles the deviations on the income. She has no idea what the expenses are." Natalie let out a heavy sigh that betrayed the weight that came with her knowledge. "I'm torn about the hotel as well. I love it because it is my home and where my family is, but sometimes it feels like a dead end. Da is letting me major in whatever I want to in college, but I'll be right back here helping run things after I graduate."
"I'm sorry," Sarah whispered sincerely. "Most likely I'll get a place with the city after I graduate, but it is what I've always wanted. Everyone says I was born to run Hylia." Natalie gave a sideways grimace and was apparently absorbed in her own self-pity. It took a while for Sarah to realize Natalie had gone silent because her father was standing over them.
"Everything okay?" he asked; the exaltation of the previous hours still apparent on his face. Sarah grinned up at him silently but Natalie sat unmoved.
"Yeah," she muttered sullenly.
"Natalie, what is wrong?" O'Dragmire asked with concern, picking up her tone of voice.
"Nothing," she sighed dramatically. This was a time she was most definitely seventeen.
"Natalie, you know you can talk to me about anything," he probed. Natalie sat in silent contemplation, her father waited for her to speak her mind. Sarah was helpless to diffuse the situation or leave and give the two privacy. Natalie chewed on her lower lip.
"Sometimes I feel like my life has been decided for me," Natalie confessed, not looking her father in the eyes. "I do nae like feeling as if I do nae have a say in what happens in my future."
"Dearheart, I always said you can do anything you like, within reason, once you graduate high school," Her father assured her, crouching down to level.
"You say that, but we both know what will happen if I do nae come back here." Natalie replied gravely. "Some of the aunts are younger than you, you know." O'Dragmire made a gesture to remind Natalie that Sarah was still there, but she waved him off.
"We will find a way," he assured her.
"They are family, Da," Natalie replied solidly.
"And you make sacrifices for family," O'Dragmire finished. "I know this is difficult for you, and I am proud of you." They smiled at each other warmly before O'Dragmire turned his attention to Sarah, who was attempting to pretend she hadn't overheard the conversation. "I suppose Natalie will be telling me you are her cousin, next. I've never seen her warm up to a Hylian so quickly." O'Dragmire looked at her appraisingly. Sarah felt as if he were probing, searching for something. Sarah, unsure of what he was looking for, smiled tentatively. The lights flickered back on and O'Dragmire returned the smile. "It appears you can light the darkness. I wasnae looking forward to trying to remodel in the dark." He picked Sarah up apologetically. "We are going to have to go to work now, so I shall return you to your post. I'll try to bring you something more interesting to read."
Sarah spent the rest of the afternoon reading classic literature on her couch, listening to the banging and scrapings that came with ripping up carpet and tearing down wallpaper. Furniture was shoved haphazardly into hallways, creating an eerie, almost abandoned atmosphere. Sarah rarely saw anyone until late afternoon. O'Dragmire stopped by to see how his charge was faring.
"You are nae getting too bored, are you?" he said, leaning his massive frame over the back of the couch.
"I am, but I don't think there is anything I can do about it," Sarah replied, shutting her book.
"I'll take you to Hylia or Acrimon as soon as this rain stops," O'Dragmire replied. "Believe me; I'm nae keeping you here for my enjoyment."
"I didn't realize I was such a bad guest," she replied with a wry smile, her eyebrows arching. O'Dragmire shook his head.
"Actually, it has been interesting getting to know you," he smiled. "I never would have thought you had a personality under all your professional snobbery."
"Likewise," Sarah returned. "I never would have thought there was a warm and vibrant culture out here in the hotel with the menacing boss."
"Menacing, am I?" O'Dragmire chuckled.
"You do tower over everybody and weren't exactly too friendly the first several times I met you," Sarah replied.
"I do take my land very seriously," he replied solemnly. "Just remember I bear you no ill will when we have to battle in court."
"Ditto," Sarah agreed, reaching out to shake hands with the large gentleman. The lights flickered off again.
"I keep losing my power and it is starting to irritate me," O'Dragmire grumbled as she stormed off.
The rain seemed like it would never let up. Instead of slacking off, the storm raged harder than ever. The nighttime silence was punctuated by sharp thunder. The hotel staff had been exhausted by a day of hard labor and slept soundly through the cacophony. Sarah, however, had been sedentary due to her injury and tossed uneasily. Her dreams were once again haunted with floods, darkness, war, and unnamed monsters. A particularly loud thunder clap jerked her awake.
"Are you okay?" a deep voice asked as she bolted upright. O'Dragmire was standing by the wide front window, gazing out forlornly at the downpour. Sarah was surprised to see him, but at the same time he was not unexpected.
"What are you doing here?" Sarah questioned, vainly trying to smooth back her sleep rumpled hair.
"You were whimpering in your sleep," O'Dragmire replied. "I thought maybe your leg was hurting again."
"No, it is fine," Sarah informed him. "Why were you out here in the first place?"
"I couldnae sleep," O'Dragmire confessed. "I usually walk around the gardens, but I am starting to wonder if they will even be there. The power is still out so I cannae read."
"Sit," Sarah offered. "I'm not going back to sleep anytime soon." O'Dragmire removed himself from the window and sat lazily on a chair opposite Sarah.
"Do you often talk in your sleep?" He asked conversationally. There was not a hint of judgment in his voice. The early morning hours had cast their spell. They were both too tired to think anything was strange. The rain made them both melancholy and they craved companionship.
"Only when I'm having nightmares," Sarah replied, still shaking off the remains of her most recent dreams. "I used to have them all the time when I was little."
"What do you dream about?" O'Dragmire probed, fiddling with his thumbs.
"Oceans, battles, monsters, the usual nightmare stuff," Sarah mused. "I'm in all of them, so it is weird."
"It is nae so unusual to be in your own dreams," O'Dragmire replied with interest.
"What is weird is I'm never called Sarah, I always hear my first name," Sarah replied.
"I wondered about that," O'Dragmire smiled softly. "Your signature had a "Z." Is it Zoë?" Sarah shook her head.
"Zelda," she answered in disgust. "It is supposed to be a family name but it sounds out-dated."
"Zelda," O'Dragmire said, rolling it around on his tongue as if he were testing the quality of the name. "I like it. It sounds regal."
"What about your name, Mr. O'Dragmire?" Sarah asked. "I've never actually heard what it is."
"It is a family name as well," he replied with a smirk. "Everyone calls me O'Dragmire. Even my grannies did from the time I was born. My mother called me Ganny, but my full name is Ganondorf."
"Ganondorf O'Dragmire," Sarah said through a yawn, losing the "O'" as she covered her mouth. "It is quite a mouthful. It sounds almost sinister." O'Dragmire chuckled.
"That is probably why I always have been called O'Dragmire," he teased. Sarah smiled sleepily and pushed herself up on the couch. "Let me see your hand." Sarah looked down at her bare arm and handed over her right hand. The wrist, free from its usual menagerie of bangles, bore a small tattoo.
"When did you get this?" he asked in an almost whisper.
"Spring break one year," Sarah confessed as he traced the simple design with his finger. "I was so drunk I don't even remember getting it. I must not have gotten a good artist because the bottom left is tinted funny. Thankfully I didn't get hepatitis or anything from it. I haven't done anything that stupid since then."
"Do you know what it is?" O'Dragmire probed, still tracing the design.
"I looked it up when I came home from the trip," Sarah replied trying to remember the exact word. "It is a triskele, no, trifor…"
"Triquetra," O'Dragmire answered for her.
"Yes, that was it," Sarah smiled. "I guess you recognized it because it is Celtic."
"More than that," O'Dragmire replied ironically and pushed up the long sleeve on his arm. "I have one too." Sarah's eyes widened as she took his wide right arm in her hands and looked at the tattoo. It was identical to her own except the bottom had clean lines. A scar ran through the top section.
"How odd we have the same tattoo in the same spot," Sarah mused.
"I expect I've had mine longer," said O'Dragmire. "I had mine done while at university as well."
"Natalie said you had a degree," Sarah remembered. "What did you study?"
"Literature," O'Dragmire replied with a tinge of regret. "I taught in Ireland before moving over here. They seem to think you cannae teach English when you sound like this."
"Why did you move over, then?" Sarah asked with sincere curiosity.
"The aunts told me you had been asking," O'Dragmire smiled forlornly. It was as if he were trying to decide how much to reveal, but everyone tells the truth at 3:00 in the morning. "It was to get my wife away from the Troubles."
"The troubles?" Sarah tried to clarify.
"The Troubles," O'Dragmire confirmed. "There was a huge division between the protestant unionists and Catholic nationalists. Her family was quite militant about it. I agreed with her family politically, but didnae realize how violent her family was becoming until they were too deeply involved. We packed up and moved here. Like I said earlier, I couldnae get a job teaching, so we opened a hotel. She had always wanted to run a bed and breakfast, so the hotel wasnae a hard stretch for her. She fell in love with this place as we were driving through and insisted we build here. We used to joke and say this was our first baby. It is a shame she never had the chance to see either grow."
"I'm sorry," Sarah sympathized. They sat in a still silence for a moment. "Is that why the aunts are here, too?"
"Aye," O'Dragmire confessed. "They actually got caught and were going to be charged with conspiracy. I probably shouldnae be telling you this, because you work in the government. The whole family snuck out of Ireland and contacted me. I brought them here and we've managed to carve a little niche out for ourselves. It was hard on Natalie. I had saved up enough money to send her to a fancy private school but spent it all bringing the aunts over. I know she tries to hide her love of learning, but she wouldnae be valedictorian if the fire wasnae still inside her." Long minuets passed with nothing but the rain to break the silence. Sarah almost drifted off to sleep again but forced herself awake.
"The triquetra, what does it symbolize?" She asked, looking at the mark she had been absently tracing.
"According to the Church," O'Dragmire began, "the holy trinity. I like it because a cruder version was inscribed in an old book my mother used to read to me when I was a child. I supposed she didnae read it because it was in a foreign language, but I would look at the pictures and she would tell me the stories. She said it was a fairytale but the grannies said it was a history book."
"What was it about?" Sarah probed; interested in learning about the mark she didn't remember getting.
"It was the usual fairytale type story line," O'Dragmire recalled. "There was always a princess captured by an evil king and the hero who came to rescue her. Mom had a terrible memory so the story was different each time, but that made it more enjoyable. Most of the time it was a generic hero goes on a quest and rescues the princess. Sometimes there was a great flood and the princess hid among pirates. Other times the king was a demon who enslaved the princess's people and controlled darkness itself. I loved that book. I used to wish I could have an adventure like in the stories."
"You don't seem like the kind of man who would want to battle his way to save a princess," Sarah teased sleepily, smiling at the captivating tale.
"I rescued you," O'Dragmire teased back.
Sarah motioned to her injured leg, "This hardly feels like rescuing. However, I hope you get your adventure sometime, Mr. Hero."
"That is another thing," O'Dragmire frowned. "I didnae want to be the hero. The hero was always alone. I actually like being around people, believe it or no. I wanted to be the king, but would be good to the princess and be friends with the hero. Maybe then I wouldnae get killed."
"The king dies, then?" Sarah asked, mirroring the frown.
"Every time."