Part Three
Impa was sitting in her office once again, trying to finish the paperwork. She didn't even know what half the stuff was and how it even applied to her in any way. Sometimes she suspected that the lazy workers in the castle dumped their own work on her hoping that she wouldn't notice. If Impa ever found out that somebody was doing that, that person would have hell to pay. "Oh, forget this," said Impa in frustration, pushing the papers away from her. She leaned back in her chair and put her feet up on the desk. Life was too short for paperwork. Maybe I'll take a little nap, mused Impa to herself. She tried to relax and closed her eyes. It was so quiet up here, maybe she could just drift off to sleep. Zelda was taking a nap and that should keep her at bay for a couple hours.
Impa's quiet relaxation was suddenly interrupted by a loud, shrill scream. Impa immediately shot out of her chair. She knew that the scream came from Zelda. Impa opened her door and ran down the hall to Zelda's room. She burst through Zelda's door and rushed inside to see Zelda sitting on her bed, crying and trembling. Impa quickly ran to Zelda's side and knelt next to her. "Honey, what's wrong?" asked Impa, taking Zelda's hand.
Zelda sniffled and tried to talk. She felt scared and embarrassed, almost ashamed. "I...I..." choked Zelda, but she couldn't make any words come out.
"Just calm down and tell me what's the matter," soothed Impa.
"Help me. I'm bleeding."
"Huh? Where? Did you cut yourself?" asked Impa, looking Zelda over, trying to see if she injured herself.
"I...I...didn't hurt myself. My...I mean it's..." Zelda covered her hands with her face and cried again. She had no idea what was happening to her and was scared out of her mind. Impa was frantic, trying to figure out what was wrong. "I didn't mean to yell at Link." cried Zelda. "Are the gods punishing me? I didn't mean to." Zelda continued crying and couldn't bring herself to tell Impa what was wrong.
Impa put her hands on Zelda's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Why would you think the gods are punishing you? Just tell me what." Impa trailed off when she discovered what the problem was. Impa sighed with relief and hugged Zelda, gently stroking her back. Zelda continued to cry, still unaware of what was going on.
"Honey, honey, calm down," said Impa in a soothing voice. "Everything is fine. No one is punishing you. Nothing is wrong with you."
Zelda gave Impa a look of disbelief and shook her head. "Of course there's something wrong with me! How would you know what I'm going through?" shouted Zelda.
Impa knew this day would come eventually, but somehow she had always denied it. Sometime she wished she had explained this to Zelda earlier so she would be prepared, but she had always put it off. This would be the job for a mother, but Zelda didn't have one. And Impa was the closest thing Zelda had to a mother. Her father is going to freak when he finds out about this, thought Impa. "Honey, I know exactly what you're going through because the same thing happened to me. This explains why you got so mad at Link, and why you've been so...moody."
"I haven't been moody," protested Zelda. But she thought for a moment, and realized that she had been experiencing mood swings lately. She thought that maybe she'd just been unusually emotional. Zelda patiently awaited Impa's explanation.
"Sweetie," began Impa, "I should've explained this to you before it happened, but I just put it off too long. This isn't one of my lectures, so I want you to listen to everything I'm going to say. Do you promise you will?" Zelda nodded. Impa took a deep breath and began to explain everything to Zelda.
It makes me so mad that somebody hurt my little angel. How could somebody even think of hitting her? She is such a kind and loving person, and never did anything to hurt anyone. She has only made my life better since I met her. I remember when Link first introduced me to her. The first thing that struck me was her smile; it was so happy and carefree. I've never seen a smile like that before; she seemed to radiate joy. Just being near her could make anyone happy. I also noticed how beautiful she was. Her hair is what struck me the most: it was so long and delicate. All those gorgeous golden strands that went all the way to her knees seemed to glow like the sun. I remember that day so well; the breeze gently blew at her hair and it looked like and angel had come down from heaven...just for me. That's why I call her an angel—at least I call her that to myself. I could never say that to her out loud; she would think I was weird. After I got to know her, I began to realize how I felt. Speaking to her, listening to her, and just standing next to her makes me feel so loved and so happy. I'm so honored that she chose someone like me to be her friend. I was worried that she wouldn't like me because...because I'm not really sure how to have a friend. I know some kids down by the market, but they're not my friends. I just say "hi" when I deliver the milk. I've never really talked to them. Until she came along, my only friends couldn't talk back; the cows, the horses, and the chickens. She's the only real friend I've ever had, and that means so much to me. I don't think she realizes that like I do. It's so wonderful to just listen to what she has to say, to have her tell me about her day. I could listen to her talk forever. And she listens to me, she cares about what I think. No one has ever cared about what I thought. She respects my feelings and she respects me. But I feel like she's more than a friend. I don't think she feels the same way, but it doesn't matter. I think I love her...no, I'm sure I do. I've never been more sure of anything. But I can't tell her how I feel. What if she rejects me? What if she stops being my friend? I couldn't live with that. If I told her that I loved her, she would probably shun me and tell me I was sick or disgusting. I don't want to disgust her, I want her to like me. I know I'm not supposed to feel this way, maybe there's something wrong with me. Most people I've met have told me I'm weird. Maybe I am sick and there is something wrong with me. But I can't deny my feelings. I know that I love her. I just wish that she would feel the same, but that would never happen.
Malon and Solo sat inside the house and were just finishing lunch. Solo was glad that she came here first, she knew that Malon would make her feel better. Link would've overreacted, and that would have made everything worse. But Malon knew how to react, she knew what to say to make Solo feel better. "Thank you for everything," said Solo as Malon sat down in the living room. There were two soft, comfortable chairs in front of the fireplace. The fireplace wasn't going, but it was still nice to sit there.
"You don't have to thank me," insisted Malon. "I enjoyed making lunch for you."
"I never knew that you knew how to cook," said Solo, still able to taste the meal she had just finished. "I've never had cornbread before. It was really...interesting. You're a really good baker."
"Thank you. I'm glad you liked it. I've never actually cooked for a guest before, usually it's just me and my father. How are you going to tell Link what happened? You know he's gonna be furious."
"I know," replied Solo. Normally she would have felt upset upon being reminded of what happened, but talking to Malon was somehow different. She felt safe talking to Malon. She felt invincible, as if nothing in the world could hurt her. "I think I should just go and tell him—maybe tomorrow. I'm just afraid that he'll try and kill Akuyo, and I don't want that. I don't want revenge. I can forgive him for what he did, I just never want to see him again." Malon admired how noble Solo was. Even after she had been abused by Akuyo, she still wanted to forgive him and didn't seek vengeance. Malon wasn't sure if she could do the same thing. She wanted the boy who hurt Solo to feel her pain, she wanted to beat him so badly.
"It's amazing how you can still forgive him after what he did. I envy your ability to do that. I don't think I could do the same. I'll tell you the truth, I want to go give that coward a piece of my mind. The only reason I don't go beat the life out of him right now is because you don't want that. I respect your wishes. I hope Link will do the same. But you can't this boy get away with that, he deserves some kind of punishment. What he did was criminal, and there's no justice in him getting away with it."
"I know, I don't want him to get away with it either. I just don't know how to go about getting justice. Who should I tell? I doubt that he could be arrested or anything."
"We can tell his parents," suggested Malon. "I'm sure they would punish him more than anyone. Have you met his parents? Are they the type that would disapprove of hitting a girl? 'Cause I know that some men beat their wives and children, and that they wouldn't find anything wrong with what Akuyo did."
"I've met his parents. And they would definitely disapprove of hitting people. They're total pacifists and they abhor violence. They think that people who resort to violence are idiots. I think Akuyo will get in a lot of trouble. But I don't want to tell them now, I want to wait until tomorrow. Is it okay if I stay the night?"
"Of course you can stay the night," said Malon. "Tomorrow I'll take you back home and I'll help you tell Link what happened. It might be easier for him to handle if there are more people there to calm him down. Then we can go to Akuyo's parents, he won't get away with this."
"Thank you so much. I knew I made the right choice when I came here. You're my best friend. I knew that your would never judge me or make me feel bad. I remember what it was like living on the street. Nobody ever cared about me. They just pushed me around like a piece of trash. I never talked to anyone, no one ever talked to the dirty homeless girl. Most people didn't even know that I existed. There weren't even any other homeless people I could relate to. I was the only one. I was always alone and afraid. I never knew where my next meal would come from. Sometimes I didn't eat for days. I usually stole whatever I ate. Sometimes I had to dig in the garbage, but the dogs usually got to that before I did."
Malon was heartbroken by this story. Solo had never been so open to her before. Hearing this almost made Malon want to cry. "I'm sorry, I never knew it was that bad for you. I mean, I knew you were homeless most of your life, but I never realized it was that bad. I feel so honored that you're willing to tell me this. And...thank you...for calling me your best friend. I've never really had a friend before, you're the first. I think of you as my best friend, too. I can't believe that I was able to live so long without meeting somebody like you. You make me feel so happy and needed. No one has ever needed me before. No one has ever cared about my opinions until you came along. Thank you for being my friend. I...I..." Malon trailed off.
"You don't have to say any more," said Solo. She stood up out of her chair and gave Malon a loving hug. They both needed each other, and would never stop being friends. Solo and Malon released their embrace and sat back into their chairs. Solo chuckled slightly and Malon gave her a questioning look. "It's nothing," said Solo.
"What? What's so funny? Tell me," insisted Malon.
"Well, it's more ironic than it is funny. It was a long time ago, when I was still on the street. I lived in the castle village for a long time. I always had to steal from vendors and merchants so I could have something to eat. Most of them were totally clueless and never knew that I was even there. I have to say, I'm proud that I never got caught. But that's not the funny part. I remember that every now and then I would see a little girl delivering milk to the houses. Sometimes when she went inside, I would run and steal one of the bottles before she got back. I did that all the time."
Malon smirked when she finally understood what Solo was getting at. "I remember. It seemed like every other day I would come up a bottle short. I always wondered what happened, but I never suspected a thief. Sometimes I just thought I was crazy and imagined it. So you're the one who stole my milk all those times." Malon pointed her finger and gave Solo a playful glare.
"Guilty as charged!" shouted Solo, holding up her arms and plastering a big sarcastic smile on her face. "I just thought you should know that it was me all along."
"Judging by my estimate..." said Malon, pausing to think for a moment. "You owe me fifteen hundred rupees. Pay up." Malon jokingly held out her hand.
Solo turned her pockets inside out and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm a little short today. I'll pay you back later."
"That's okay, I'll make you work it off. You can clean up after the horses for the next twelve years."
"You're not serious, are you?" asked Solo, worrying that perhaps Malon wasn't joking.
"Of course not. I wouldn't make you pay all that back. You stole because you had to. Besides, it's just milk. It's not like the cows are gonna run out of it any time soon. And you're my friend, so I forgive you. But I have to give you credit for being such a good thief. You know, the Gerudos would be proud of you."
"Gerudos? Who are they?" asked Solo.
"Their just some people that live out in the desert. They're a whole race of thieves. And they're all women. I think they would like you."
"Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment. You know what? I was wondering about those riding lessons you've been giving me."
"Yes? You're a natural," complimented Malon. "I've never seen someone who had so much skill but knew nothing about horses."
"Well, I think it's time for my next lesson," continued Solo. She stood up and slowly made her way towards the door, never looking away from Malon. "I bet I can beat you to the corral!" shouted Solo as quickly as she could, opening the door and running outside.
"I'm gonna get you!" shouted Malon as she chased Solo out the door. She was carefree and having so much fun. Maybe this would turn out to be a good day after all.
Zelda sat on her bed, almost amazed at what Impa had told her. She found it hard to believe that what was happening was a normal part of growing up. It all sounded like a giant ball of lies to her; maybe the grown-ups were just telling her this to calm her down. But Impa would never lie to Zelda, so she believed her. Impa told her stories about when she was the same age, and they sounded exactly like she was feeling right now.
"Honey, do you understand everything I just told you?" asked Impa, hoping that she'd played the role of mother decently.
"Yes," replied Zelda, folding her arms and huffing. "But I still don't like it. So basically, this will happen every month? I mean, once a year I can handle, but I don't think I can take once a month. How do I make it stop?"
Impa chuckled. "There's nothing you can do to stop it. It just happens."
"Well, maybe growing up isn't all it's cracked up to be. I don't wanna grow up, I want to be a kid forever."
"I don't think you can do that."
"But the Kokiri do it," whined Zelda. "They never grow up. Isn't there some kind of potion I can take to turn me into one of them?"
Impa put her head on her hand and sighed. "It doesn't work that way. You just have to learn to live with it. I have, every other woman in the world has. It's just another part of growing up. I'm sure Link's had his own problems."
"Not like this," muttered Zelda.
"Boys have just as many problems growing up as girls do. If anything, they have it worse."
"Like what?"
"Well." replied Impa, trying to think of a reply. "His voice."
"What about it?" Zelda couldn't think of anything wrong with Link's voice.
"He sounds normal now, but just wait a while. As he gets older, his voice will change and get deeper just like an adult. But that doesn't happen overnight. It'll take months. And while it does, he'll sound...squeaky."
"Squeaky?" asked Zelda, trying to imagine Link sounding like that.
"Yeah, squeaky. Like a mouse. Trust me, he'll sound really goofy. But don't make fun of him when it happens, his self-esteem will probably be low enough that he won't need any teasing from you."
"Oh okay. But you still didn't tell me why this all made me mad at Link."
"Oh, that. Well, most women tend to get a little moody when it's, um...that time of the month. That would explain why you blew up at Link. It wasn't his fault or your fault, it was just one of the facts of life. After a while, you'll be able to control your mood swings."
"So it wasn't my fault that I got mad at Link?" asked Zelda. Impa shook her head. That was definitely a relief. Now if she could only find a way to explain this to Link, then everything would be okay. "I guess I'll have to warn him that I might have mood swings. But you could've warned me ahead of time. It would've been easier to handle if I had known what to expect."
"Okay, why don't you quit whining and go get cleaned up? I have to go talk to your father." Zelda rolled her eyes and got up to leave. "And don't think that you can use mood swings as an excuse to get out of trouble!" shouted Impa as Zelda left the room, causing Zelda to silently curse. "I'm smarter than that, young lady."
Impa walked out of Zelda's room and down the hallway, making her way downstairs and towards the king's office. I think I handled that pretty well, mused Impa to herself. I never had any "facts of life" talk when I was a kid. Stupid traumatic childhood. Impa made her way into the elaborately-decorated throne room. The king wasn't there; he never like sitting on a throne. He didn't like being elevated above the rest of the people, literally or figuratively. Impa turned and walked up to a door inside the throne room which led to the office where the king normally did his work. Impa knocked on the door and waited patiently. There was no response. She knocked again, saying, "Open up, it's me Impa." Still no response. Impa sighed and opened the door walking into the office. She folded her arms and put an annoyed look on her face. The great king of Hyrule was leaning back in his chair, causing it to tilt precariously, and his feet were outstretched and panted firmly on the desk in front of him. He was peacefully napping and barely audible snores emanated from his nose. Harikana the drowsy, mused Impa, That's what they'll be calling him a hundred years from now. Impa walked up to the king and shook him gently. The only response she got was a moan. "Hari, wake up!" said Impa, forcefully shaking him.
The king awoke with a start, removed his feet from the desk, and attempted to look like he was really doing work. He shuffled through some papers and started stamping things. The king looked up to see Impa staring back at him and breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, it's just you," said the king, the relief evident in his voice. "I thought for a second that you were another one of those damn bureaucrats with more paperwork. Do you know how many 'official documents' I've had to read and stamp with the seal today?" Impa shook her head. "One hundred and twelve! I'm a king, there should people groveling at my feet begging to do this work for me."
"I think you're being a little overdramatic," said Impa.
"Right." He picked up a stamp that was embossed with the official seal of the king of Hyrule and showed it to Impa. "Do you know how worn out this thing is? I swear, I've been stamping all day. I really need a vacation. A very long vacation."
"Yeah, well I came here to talk to you about something serious if you can stop complaining for a second," said Impa, rolling her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I got a little carried away. I just have a bad headache." He rubbed his temples and sighed. "What was it that you wanted to tell me?"
"It's about Zelda," said Impa calmly.
The king's eyes grew wide and he looked worried for a moment. "There's nothing wrong with her is there?" he asked worriedly.
"No, Zelda's fine," replied Impa, making calming gestures. "It's just that... Well, I just got done having a very important talk with her. And I think you should probably do a follow-up later."
"Oh? What kind of talk?"
"You know, the important talk that a mother normally has with her daughter...when she reaches a certain...point in her life. You know, the talk."
The king's eyes widened. "You mean? She...her...?" Impa nodded, knowing what the king was thinking. He buried his face in his hands, he wasn't expecting this to happen today. "My little baby is growing up, isn't she?"
"She's thirteen. She's not a baby anymore," pointed out Impa. "Don't worry, I handled it. I explained everything and helped calm her down by telling her about my own experiences. She'll be fine. I think I handled it very well. You just need to go give her the whole reassurance thing; you know, tell her you love her and maybe shed a little tear because your little girl isn't a little girl anymore."
"I guess I wasn't prepared for this. I remember when Mari and I got married, and we discussed every detail about having children. When we found out she was pregnant, we talked about what we would do when they...grew up. I guess we liked to plan ahead. But we agreed that if we had a son, I would give him the talk, and if we had a daughter, Mari would do it. But when Mari died having Zelda, I wondered who would be her mother. I'm glad that you took that job. You were always such a good friend to me, and you took the job upon yourself without me asking you. I've never really talked to you about that, but today I realized how much I appreciate it. Zelda never had a mother, and you were the closest thing she had to one. Of course, you know Zelda sees you as a mother figure. Sometimes, it surprises me that she has never called you 'mother.' But I think she realizes that you aren't her true mother, and she calls you by your name out of respect for you and...Marimeia. Thank you for being her mother when she didn't have one. I don't think I would've been able to handle the job of father and mother myself."
"You don't have to thank me," said Impa, trying not to let her emotion show. "You were always my friend, and I always thought of you as a member of my family. You're like a brother to me. And when Mari died, I couldn't let Zelda grow up without having a mother. I grew up with no parents, and I didn't want that to happen to her. And...Zelda became the daughter that I always wanted."
"Impa, can I ask you something? Why didn't you ever have a family of your own? I mean, I know you were married and he died, but why didn't you ever start a family?"
"Well, I've never really told anyone this," began Impa, trying to fight back tears. These were bad memories, but it made her feel better to talk to her friend about them. "I remember when I married Darien so many years ago. We wanted to start the perfect Sheikah family, but things didn't quite work out."
"You mean your marriage?" asked the king. "I was always in close contact with you and Darien, I never saw any sign of problems."
"No, it wasn't like that. I loved him more than anything, and he loved me. We wanted to have children so bad. But."
"He died in the war. Did he die before you had the chance to start a family?"
"No," replied Impa. "By then we'd realized what was wrong. We never started a family because we couldn't. More specifically, I couldn't." Impa choked back tears. "You see, I.I can't have children. That's why I never had a family. I'm totally sterile."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I never knew. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories for you. I."
"It's okay," interrupted Impa, wiping a tear from her face. "I don't mind. I've just kept it bottled up inside me for so long. But Zelda was what saved me from insanity. When I took it upon myself to raise her with you, I began to see her as a daughter. Zelda took the place of the child that I could never have. I couldn't ask for anything more. I have an adopted daughter, who I love just as much as if she were my own flesh and blood. Zelda gave meaning to my life when I thought I'd lost it all."
"I know what that's like," said the king. "She is the only reason I'm still alive today. If she had died along with Mari, I would've just withered away. But she was the person who gave me a reason to live. I guess we've both depended on her for that." The king sighed. "Now my little baby is growing up. She's not the little girl anymore who comes running up to me asking me to bounce her on my knee. She's her own person. You know, she reminds me so much of Marimeia. I never realized it before, but she's the spitting image of her. Zelda has Mari's eyes. And their personalities are exactly the same. Zelda definitely takes after her mother. She's so independent and rebellious, always trying to bend the rules and see what she could get away with. Do you remember when she put pink paint in her hair so she wouldn't have to wave to people in a parade? I couldn't bring myself to punish her because that would be exactly the kind of thing Marimeia would do."
"Yeah, well, you weren't the one who had to wash that stuff out of her hair," said Impa in a purposely annoyed-sounding tone.
"Well, being the mother figure has its responsibilities," said the king with a grin. "And one of them is washing pink finger paints out of your little girl's hair." He let out a small chuckle, lightening the mood. "Thank you for everything, I know I don't say that enough. I'm glad you handled the whole...situation. I don't think I would've been able to talk to her about that, seeing as I have absolutely no personal experience with that kind of thing."
"Well, I just came in to tell you that. I didn't know it would turn into such an emotional trip down memory lane. There's one more thing you need to know. You know how women tend to get moody at that time?" The king nodded, he remembered when his wife got that way. "Well, earlier today, she took it out on Link without even knowing it. She told him she hated him, and both of them were completely devastated. Zelda was so upset, she thought that she drove Link away and he would never want to see her again. I'm sure Link was devastated, but Zelda was also so distraught. She was almost inconsolable. But now I know why she acted like that, I just hope Link can understand."
"I'm sure he will," said the king. "What Zelda said will probably devastate him, but he'll get over it. I'm sure he's like most guys. He'll probably cry about it for a few hours, and then he'll think it was his fault even though it wasn't. Whenever a woman gets mad, the guy always thinks it was his fault even if it was the woman's fault. He'll probably come crawling on his hands and knees begging for forgiveness any minute now. I know, I've done that on more than one occasion. Link is such a nice boy, and I'd hate to see him upset. But he'll understand, I know he will."