Author's Note: The first part is about what happens if Link doesn't intervene with Kafei and Anju's situation, and the next part will be about what happens if he does. Also, "B.C.T." stands for "Before the Carnival of Time."
Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda series.
Stock Pot Inn - 3 Days B.C.T. - 2:30 P.M.
Anju gasped as the postman held out a letter that was meant for her.
Her heart pounded. Was it from Kafei...? But he had gone missing a whole month ago! Anju hardly dared to believe it...but yet...
The innkeeper desperately asked the postman where he had gotten the letter; which postbox had it been in? But the postman refused to tell her anything, and Anju was soon left with the letter in her hand as the postman jogged out of the inn.
Trembling, Anju examined the writing on the red envelope. There was no return address, but it had her name and the name of the inn on it.
There was now no doubt that it was from Kafei; Anju would know her fiancé's handwriting anywhere.
Anju felt her heart pound again, but before she could do anything, a Goron walked in.
She quickly stashed the letter away, deciding that she would read it as soon as she could.
Laundry Pool - 2 Days B.C.T. - 1:45 P.M.
A light shower of rain fell from the sky as Anju sat down on a log in the Laundry Pool, an umbrella held above her head.
Anju let her thoughts wander, and she ended up thinking about one person.
Kafei.
He had said in his letter that he was safe and alive. Anju was relieved of that, but Kafei hadn't said anything about where he was now or why he had disappeared in the first place.
Townsfolk gossiped about the situation, Anju knew, and the popular belief seemed to be that Kafei left to be with Cremia.
The young redhead felt a lump form in her throat. Perhaps...perhaps the rumors were true? Did Kafei not want to marry her anymore? Was Anju the reason for her fiancé's disappearance?
Just as the rain continued to fall, Anju didn't stop the tears that spilled from her eyes.
Stock Pot Inn - 2 Days B.C.T. - 9:30 P.M.
"Anju, we're going to be taking refuge at Romani Ranch tomorrow evening," Anju's mother told her daughter. "Your grandmother think we're going there for a picnic; perhaps it's just as well..."
Anju was silent for a moment, then she voiced her fear. "I wonder if Kafei truly did go to be with Cremia."
Sympathy wasn't exactly her mother's response. "If he is there, your mother will give him a good smack. What kind of man runs off when he's going to be married?"
"But in the letter...he said he would come back..." Anju said quietly. She was surprised to find that she only half believed her words, and hated herself for it. Anju didn't want to think this way about Kafei, and yet...had he really run off to marry Cremia? Did the time they spent together before his disappearance truly mean nothing?
When Anju's mother spoke again, her voice was gentler. "Look, I don't want to see you heartbroken over a man. Forget about that letter. Right now, surviving is the important thing."
Anju, who had been staring at her lap the whole time, looked up at her mother. "Yes, Mother. Thank you."
Romani Ranch - 1 Day B.C.T. - 8:00 P.M.
Anju had ended up fleeing Clock Town with her mother and grandmother to Romani Ranch. As it turned out, Kafei wasn't there, and Anju wasn't sure whether to be relieved or sad.
At the moment, Anju felt as though her heart had been broken beyond repair. Was she wrong in hoping that Kafei would return to her? Was fleeing to Romani Ranch the right thing to do after all?
The young woman let out a shuddering sigh. Nothing seemed to matter now. The moon was going to fall at any time now, and if Kafei wasn't dead already, he would be in only a few hours' time.
Anju felt tears burn in the back of her eyes. Deep down, she knew she would not survive the night. No one would. What was the point of fleeing from death when it claimed everyone in the end?
Anju buried her face in her hands, losing the battle with her tears.
She was going to die, and she never got to see Kafei one last time.