Disclaimers: I don't own any part of the Zelda franchise, but I do own the character adaptations, OCs, and this version of Hyrule geography.

=====Act I=====

===Chapter 1===

==Scene 1==

Twilight was approaching, the hour of mystery, the hour where the worlds of light and dark cross paths. Bathed in the orange rays of twilight, two youths sat under a tree in the orchard behind her farmhouse. She was leaning onto him, resting her head against his shoulder. It was one of the many evenings they spent in the orchard, contemplating and talking softly about every subject under the sun.

"It's almost nighttime," she said, sitting up. Her Hylian accent was unmistakable.

"Yeah," he replied. He put his arm around her shoulder. "The night is getting colder these days," he said to her.

"I don't mind," she said, moving in closer to him, "It's romantic. The kind of nights you'd spend with your love in front of the fire, sitting close…" she sighed.

"Typical girl!" laughed the boy. They were both around seventeen, the girl a month or two younger.

"Well what do you want me to say?" she asked with mock anger.

"I don't know," he laughed.

"Of course you don't."

Half an hour went by before they spoke again, which was fine with both of them.

"Do you think we'll ever get to travel, and see the world?" she asked suddenly.

Caught off guard, he replied, "Uhh, I don't know. Maybe."

"I want to see Lake Hylia," she said, "Or Hyrule Field. I hear the mountains and cliffs around it are spectacular. Or maybe a fairy spring, or the Bird Spires. I don't know. I want to see it all!"

"Good luck," said the boy good-naturedly, "You'll be lucky to get to the Upper Woods."

"Thanks for the support," she laughed. She looked at him, his features illuminated in the dying twilight. He had intense blue slanted eyes, which stood out well against his pale face and delicately pointed chin. His ears were definitely Hylian: long and pointed. On his right ear he wore a small turquoise earring, a gift from a family friend. His hair, pale like his skin, was blond and shaggy, falling across his forehead in think locks.

The girl's face, on the other hand, was rounder, but still had a pointed chin. Her eyes were soft and brown, complimenting her shoulder-length brown hair, which curled out at the base of her neck in a wide crescent. She also had the trademark Hylian ears.

"So," she said after a pause, "Is there anywhere you'd like to see?"

"I don't know..." he said. He leaned back against the tree, and put his hands behind his head in a relaxed fashion. "Maybe the Kakariko Gorge, or Death Mountain and Dragon Roost."

"Maybe we could see it all together," she said, standing up. She picked two apples from the tree, and tossed one to the boy.

"That would be nice," he said. He stood up, too, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She put her head on his shoulder, and they kissed.

"Ilia!!" came a shout from the farmhouse door. It was the girl's younger sister. "Daddy says it's time to come in!"

"Bye Link," Ilia whispered to him, kissed his cheek, then left the orchard. Link stood there for a minute, then hopped the fence and ran down the road to his house, disappearing into the darkness of night.

==Scene 2==

Golden sunlight filtered through Link's window the next morning, shining across his eyes, rousing him from sleep. He sat up, stretched, hopped out of bed, and changed out of his pajamas and into his working clothes. They were very plain, consisting of an off-white shirt and jeans. He ate his breakfast, then headed off down Milk Road, towards Lon Lon Ranch where Ilia lived with her father and sisters.

Milk Road was a well used road that ran between the Ranch and Market Town; Link's house was situated between the two locations. Market Town was a bustling community of farmers and merchants that sat in the shadow of the Outset Mountains, twin mountains in the south-western corner of Hyrule.

Market Town was originally a community called Ordon Village, east of the current location. Ordon was a peaceful town, located beside a fairy spring, and cut off from the rest of the nation by a gorge. However, 300 years ago, Ordon suffered a large blow in what's now called the Twilight Calamity. It never completely recovered, and collapsed a century later after a monster attack. The residents moved east, away from the rubble of what was once their home, and built a new town called New Ordona, which is now the central district of Market Town.

Link arrived at the ranch gate 15 minutes later. He went up to the front door, knocked three times, then stood back a pace or two, knowing what was coming. There was a crash, a shout that sounded like Ilia's, and a moment later the door flew open (which was why Link took a pace back), and there was Ilia, in her pajamas, looking quite disheveled.

"Hey... Link..." she panted.

"You want me to do the same thing as usual?" Link asked.

"Yeah," she was about to turn back when she remembered something. She whirled around to face Link and said: "Oh, you're also supposed to help Cremia with the milking, 'kay?"

"Okay, thanks," Link replied. He ran around behind the farmhouse and the orchard to the stables. Inside, he walked to the back of the building to a light brown horse with a white mane and tail. He opened the horse's stall, and put the saddle on her.

"Let's go, Epona," He said to his horse, then hopped on and rode off into the field.

==Scene 3==

Lon Lon Ranch was utterly massive, stretching across acres of some of the richest and most fertile farmland in Hyrule. The south-eastern area of Hyrule, which included the Ranch, Market Town, and the Outset Mountains, was commonly referred to as the Fields Province for all of it's rich farms. The land in the Fields Province was more fertile than any other expanse of land in the country, for the rest of Hyrule's soil was rocky and poor. The Fields Province, though, was a strange exception, sheltered from the harsh weather by huge, spectacular cliffs.

Link rode across the rolling fields and pastures, the scenery merely blur because of Epona's speed. He reached one of the farthest fields, and stopped when he saw what he was looking for. A small herd of twenty to thirty royal blue goats with an abnormal, ring-shaped horn grazed on the other side of the small brook in front of him.

These goats were descendants of a species known as Ordon goats, livestock which were bred exclusively in the old Ordon Village, hence their name. When the village fell, the residents took the goats with them. Ordon goats were and are relatively smart, able to learn a few simple commands, such as come and stay.

"Come here!" Link shouted. The goats slowly shuffled their way towards him, crossing the brook very carefully.

Link rode around behind them, and slowly herded them across the dozen acres of farmland between their pasture and the farmhouse. He arrived at the barn an hour later, and somehow got the goats into their respective stalls rather easily. He then rode around to the cow barn next door. Beyond that was the stable, and then the farmhouse and orchard. He dismounted Epona, and went inside the barn to find Ilia's older sister Cremia milking the cows.

Cremia pushed her light brown, waist length hair behind her long, pointed Hylian ears, and, without looking up, said:

"Hey Link."

"Uhh, hi," Link replied, caught off-guard.

"Can you start with the cows on the other side there, near the door?" she asked, but didn't wait for his answer. "The buckets should be near you."

"Um, sure," said Link. Being around Ilia's 21-year-old sister was always rather awkward for him.

"Thanks, you're a pal," she said cheerfully, without ever looking up from her work.

Twenty long minutes later, Cremia finished milking the last cow. She stood up with the three buckets she'd filled, and said:

"We're done!"

Link stood up. Cremia was shorter than Ilia, only coming up to Link's eyes. She brushed the straw off of her pale blue shirt and short skirt, then dropped twelve rupees in Link's hand.

"Just a little tip," she smiled. She winked, and left the barn. Link realized he was blushing. He composed himself, and then rode Epona back to the farmhouse. Then, he had a strange idea.

He rode up beside the window in Ilia's bedroom on the ground floor. He looked in to see her on the floor in the middle of the room, writing in what appeared to be a diary.

Link knocked on the window. Ilia let out a small yelp, then put the book away and opened the window.

"What the heck, Link?" she asked, laughing.

"Your knight in shining armor is here! Hop on!" Link smiled. Epona snorted. Ilia laughed and climbed through the window and onto Epona's back. She hugged Link tightly as he rode towards the orchard. Epona jumped the orchard wall, and the two dismounted. Ilia smoothed down her hair, laughing the whole time. Link kissed her on the cheek, and they hugged.

"Thank you, Sir Link," she laughed.

"Any time!"

Link noticed a soft melody whispering from the back of the orchard.

"Do you hear that?" Ilia asked.

"Yeah," Link replied. The two left Epona and walked towards the source of the sound to find Ilia's younger sister Romani playing her small wooden recorder.

"Hey Romani," said Ilia, sitting down beside her. For thirteen, Romani was rather small. "What're you playing."

"I don't know," Romani whispered.

Ever since the death of the girls' mother, Malon, Romani hadn't been her funny, artistic self. She had been reduced to a shy, near-silent girl withdrawn from the world. Malon had died in a monster attack, the same one that had taken the lives of Link's parents. Malon had died defending the ranch armed only with a pitchfork. Romani saw the whole thing up close, including the bloody downfall of her mother. The girl had been eight at the time.

After the attack, Link was 'adopted' by the girls' father, Talon, and Link was as close to Romani as any big brother would be.

Link sat down as well.

"Were you just... making it up?" he asked her.

"I guess so..." she mumbled.

The was a snorting noise, and Epona came trotting towards the trio. She stopped a few feet from them.

"Well Epona likes it!" Ilia laughed.

Puzzled, Romani played the tune again. The falling notes, repeated three times, and four lower notes. Epona bucked, waving her front hooves around. She snorted again.

Romani let out a small laugh, then stood up and stroked Epona's mane. Ilia crept up behind her sister, and clutched her around the waist, and lifted her up to the horse's eye level. Romani screamed and laughed rather openly. Ilia placed her on Epona's back, and Romani hugged the horse's neck.

"Hey, what's goin' on?" came a voice from the orchard's gate. Cremia, walked into the vicinity.

"Romani was playing her little composition, and it seemed to have attracted Epona," Ilia explained. Link was in his it's-awkward-around-Cremia mode.

Romani whispered in Ilia's ear, who retrieved the girl's flute. She played the melody again and Epona bucked, sending the girl flying. Cremia caught her, and the two hit the ground, laughing.

"You should think of a name for the song, Romani," said Cremia.

"Well, since Epona likes it, how 'bout Epona's Song?"

"I think that's a great name," Cremia replied, "What do you think, Ilia? Ilia?" the girl was gone.

==Scene 4==

Ilia had gone inside the farmhouse.

"Daddy!" Ilia cried, running to the den.

"What is it, Ilia?" asked Talon, from behind her. Ilia froze from surprise.

Talon, the father of the three girls, was a large, tall man. Large, but not fat; most of his bulk was muscle. He was a jolly man, able to cheer up a room easily, and never short of jokes and laughter.

"It's Romani!" cried Ilia, "Come quick!!" she grabbed his hand and [attempted] to pull him to the orchard.

==Scene 5==

Ilia and Talon entered the orchard to find her sisters and Link under the apple trees, eating apples. Romani was explaining to Cremia how she draws figures, and they were laughing and having a great time.

"Hey guys," said Ilia, sitting down beside Link.

Talon also entered the small clearing. Romani jumped up and glomped him.

"Daddy!" she laughed.

"How's my baby?" he asked. Inside Talon was overjoyed at his daughter's sudden change in attitude.

"Good! I made a song that Epona likes!" she said. She ran over to the rest of the youths, grabbed her recorder, and played the short melody. There was a snort, and Epona jumped the orchard wall. Cremia screamed, and Ilia laughed and clutched Link's shoulders.

"D'you like it, Daddy?" Romani asked.

"I love it, Romani!" he laughed, lifting her in the air.

"It's great that Romani's feeling better," Link whispered to Ilia, who was leaning against him.

"Yeah. It's been too long without her," she replied, and kissed his cheek.

Romani's recovery seemed the greatest thing in the world now.

*~*~*~*~*

A/N: So, my third re-write of Curse of Midnight. Whaddaya think?

OC Check:

Link: Link is an orphaned farm hand who leads a quiet life. Never did he expect what fate has in store for him.

Ilia: Talon's middle daughter. She is in a relationship with Link. She is protective of Romani, a quality that will come in handy later on.

Epona: Link's horse. She lives at the ranch. She's loyal and obediant.

Cremia: The oldest farm girl. She is motherly, taking over her deceased mother's role.

Romani: The youngest ranch girl. She took her mother's death very hard, but seems to finally coming out of her shell

Talon: The owner of Lon Lon Ranch.

Malon: The mother of the three girls. She died defending the ranch in the same struggle that killed Link's parents.