THE TALE OF TALON
By Daku Rinku
As Young Link wore the mask of the Gerudo, Talon remarked,
“You look as my wife did..”
Talon felt memories stir, he was taken back to a time when he met the love of his life and had a whole head of hair…
It seemed like a life time ago when Talon was working hard in the Mines of Eldin. There beneath the hot earth, he chipped away at rock with his pickhammer, tearing away rock and rubble to find those deposits of ruby, emerald, and sapphire that were made into the very rupees Hyrule and most of the world traded in for goods. Sweat dripped from Talon's brow as he stood by a lantern and was dealing with some ore. The Hylian Mining Corp, known by all as HMC had made deals with Gorons, to give the rocks to them. They had little interest in the shiny crystals that had come the obessession of the Hylians. One of the Miners beside Talon was a Goron, named Gorar, he had fastened to his rounded head a light made of a glow cystal that made his digging easier.
Talon told himself that this was all part of scheme to achieve his dream. To earn enough to buy land in Hyrule to build a home and a farm to live on. He would pay his dues in this dirt, which each stroke of the pick he dreamt of picking a garden. This was how he ignored the conditions, and when the bell rang, that meant the end of a day's work, he joined his Miner coworkers in a very shabby Saloon called The Noble Prusuit. Men of Hylian stock often went there not only to drink, they wanted to see the proprietor, a woman from the Desert, her name was Maveena. She had caught Talon's attention on more than one occasion, though he was not determined to do anything about it. Hylian Men hung by where she poured Noble Prusuit and tried rather pathetic attempts to woo her. She seemed irritated by their petitions and came to Talon's table which was simply some plain wood boards in a circle, perhaps from a crate.
"Are you going to have your usual Tal?" Her tone was sharp as always.
Talon nodded as he sat there, Maveena saying,
"You know you always order Milk, you are the only one."
Talon looking up at her beautiful turqouise eyes said,
"I am a man of simple pleasures. Besides I need strong bones to work."
To the astonishment of the other Miners, Maveena sat beside him with jug of Milk and poured him a glass with a cowhead on it.
"You are not like the others.. they come and spend their rupees on drinks or gamble it away."
Talon blushed as she sat beside him,
"Well.. I must save every rupee I earn."
To this the Gerudo Woman with her fine fire orange red hair poured herself a glass of Milk,
"What are you saving it for?"
Talon was amazed that she was interested in his rather tame dreams, and yet to talk about what he hoped for gave him joy,
"I want to buy land, and a farm.. to live on it the rest of my days as I grow food and take care of animals that will help me in my endeavors."
Feeling rather insecure he added,
"I know its not anything big by this world's standards, but for me its my idea of heaven."
Maveena smiled, her apple green lips for the first time not upside down with a frown.
"That is a good dream. Tell me, what of a Housemaker?"
Talon shook his head a little in confusion,
"A housemaker? Like a keeper?"
She giggled, which was even more suprising, and made the Miners watch weep that Talon had achieved two feats in one night.
"No, I mean a wife. Surly you do not intend to live alone on your farm.."
Talon had not even thought about it, he always had pictured his hard work in the field and carolling steads. A wife? That notion had not entered his head.
"I mean.. I would not mind a partner in my dream. I just have never.. well.. tried to find anyone."
He was sweating more than when in the mine.
Maveena said,
"Silly Tal, you must have a wife if you intend to have children."
At this his eyes turned white and his mouth opened wide with a gasp.
"Chil..dren?!"
Another chuckle from Maveena who said,
"They do not grow on trees.. well except Deku."
Talon fell back against the wall and was dizzy, when Maveena took her hand to support his neck. At this the other miners let out a cry of defeat. He had gotten her to touch him! Talon though was not aware of this feat as the Miners called it, he was simply trying not to black out. The next thing he knew he was in a bed, and he could hear the loud jubilant sounds below him of the Saloon. He sat up in the bed, looking out the window, the stars in the sky were peeking down in their brillaint white dazzling light in deep blue and black sky. He heard a creak and then the door opened, and there was Maveena! Talon jumped out of bed at once and tried to find his shoes.
"I am sorry!"
Maveena chuckled as she held a wooden tray with some Hydromelon, Kebab, and noodles in a broth.
"You bumped your head and were out cold."
She sat the tray on a table with two chairs and urged him to take a seat with the extension of her exquiste hand.
Talon took a seat and sighed,
"I am sorry for being a burden. I never meant.."
Maveena interrupted,
"It is alright Tal, accidents happen. Unlike those miners downstairs who make a mess because they lose sense with too many glasses of Noble Prusuit, this is first time I have had to clean up after you."
Talon blushed, he ran his fingers through his hair, his rounded nose was a stark contrast to her pointed one.
"Regardless, you are always nice to Maveena. And I hate to add more work to your day."
She gave another smile, was this because of him or maybe he just had not noticed she was prone to smiling.
"How close are you to getting your farm?" she said as she put some of food on a plate for him and then for him.
Talon gave bow of thanks for her cooking, and said,
"Close. I have spotted some land, its on the Hylian Plains not far from Kakoriko Village. It looks like a good place to have a farm, a river is nearby, and the land is lush and green."
Maveena took a bite of Hydromelon, and said,
"Where I come from.. green is found only in palm leaves and the armor fo my people. The Desert does not yield much of Farore's fertile color."
Talon hearing the name of one of the goddesses said,
"I though The Gerudo worshipped a Sand Goddess?"
Maveena nodded,
"And the Seven Heroines. Though I believe all the gods are to be revered, especially those that bring life."
At this she battered her eyelashes.
Talon felt he was going to black out again, when she grabbed his arm and said,
"Steady.. I can see you are flushed, in the desert we call it heat stroke. Just relax and eat some cool melon."
He did as she bid and ate some the succilant melon which she used in her Noble Prusuit drinks.
This evening had not gone as he had planned. He was now having dinner with a beautiful woman who was encouraging his dream.
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