Blizzaga Saga: Thank you to KiyoFaye for looking over this chapter as well! And thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the first chapter. Let's get this story rolling!
A horse brush meticulously cleaned of horse hair straightened Romani's copper curls, soft from her recent bath. As satisfied with her appearance as she could be without a mirror, Romani covered her half-nude form with her arms and sprinted to the clothesline behind the stable. Dampness met her skin as her work dress from yesterday slipped over her head, but the important thing was that it was clean and still clung to her in the right spots. Link had grown since his last visit, and she wasn't about to let him leave without noticing that she had too.
The sun didn't yet peek over the trees on the horizon, but she could see a patch of flattened grass where a pile of wood had been last night. Romani smiled. Link and Cremia were such hard workers. Today she was going to be the hard worker so they could all spend time together. With great effort she lifted several milk jugs onto the wagon, a task she and her sister usually did together. After that came the salted meats, and then she started breaking the soil for the next growing period.
Her aching arms and the slow progress with the shovel didn't bother her as long as she thought of Link. Nonetheless, her haste in moving through the morning's chores messed up her hair, and after the brush failed twice she gave up trying to tame it; she couldn't help that she was always moving and full of energy like the bugs that played on the ranch. Thankful that she at least had a decent outfit, she twirled around once and gave her skirt a playful flourish, hoping to use the same move later when she had an audience.
With the other tasks done, she resolved to sneak into the barn and collect eggs from the cuccos without waking Link. Stepping into the house between the stable and the barn, she grabbed the basket by the door.
"Oh…Link…"
Romani froze at the sensuous moan. It came from the bathroom, and she realized with no small amount of shock that it was her sister.
"Yes…harder!"
The moaning was quiet—Cremia clearly wanted to be discreet—and Romani's heartbeat nearly drowned it out. She edged closer to peek through the gap between the door and its shoddy frame. Thankfully, Link was nowhere to be found, and she let out a breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding.
But Cremia was acting strangely. She moaned again in the tub, her wet hair spilling from the back of the basin as her back arched. Water rolled across her pale skin, hiding most of it as she squirmed in reaction to some incredible event, but her breasts floated on the surface, making them appear even bigger than usual as they bobbed with her movements and made small waves in the soapy water. Her eyes closed as she squeezed and lifted one of them, breathing in short whispers. Romani couldn't tell where her other hand was, but from the panting and the way her arm crossed over her body…
"Fuck me! I'm yours!"
Stunned, Romani dropped the basket and walked away, trying to ignore the increasingly amorous whimpers. Once outside she broke into a sprint, stopping only when she came to the other side of the house. The red-faced teen pressed her back against the wall, breathing more heavily than the short trip warranted with eyes wide at the vision of her sister masturbating.
She didn't even know Cremia did that. In her panic she wondered if Link had been in the bathroom and she'd been too rattled to notice him. Would he have wanted to be there? Would he enjoy hearing someone moan his name, begging for his touch? Placing her hands under her breasts, Romani pushed them up like Cremia had done, but the girl, thin and toned from ranch work, barely had anything to lift. As her lungs refused to slow down, her thoughts ran in frightening directions. People in Clock Town always called her cute, never hot. Cute was a word boys used for friends and little sisters. Was that how Link saw her? Did he think Cremia was hot?
At length she told herself she was getting worked up over nothing. Link hadn't chosen her sister. Cremia was just…relieving herself, and that was okay. She'd been stressed and lonely lately and worrying over her recent weight gain. She deserved a secret and a moment's privacy, so Romani decided to play the happy, ignorant child of the family like she always did.
Having convinced herself that Link was only in Cremia's fantasy as a placeholder because of his presence at the ranch, she put on a smile and walked back inside. Cremia was out of the bathroom and clothed, thankfully, humming as she prepared breakfast.
"Good morning!" Romani chirped.
"Oh! I didn't know you were up already. I expected you to still be asleep."
"I went to bed right after I left you last night, so I woke up a little early. Most of the morning chores are done."
"That's a relief. Thank you. Maybe I can leave a little early today and spend some time with Anju." She went back to work, still humming, and Romani felt much better about the way Cremia had acted yesterday.
"You seem pleased. I knew you were excited about Link coming here!"
Cremia adorned a warm expression that spread to Romani's face as well. It was great to see her happy for a change. "Of course I'm excited he's here." But her grin faltered when she turned from the oven and saw Romani for the first time. "Isn't that what you wore yesterday? You should put something clean on."
"It is clean. I washed it after I took it off last night, and I dried it over the fireplace and put it on the clothesline."
"You should still choose something else. If you wanted to wear it today, you should have asked me to clean it for you last night."
"Romani can clean something just as well as you can."
Cremia eyed her sternly and opened her mouth to retort before she saw the defiant look she earned in response. "I'm sorry. You're right." Then she returned to her work.
Having won the battle, Romani nevertheless fidgeted with her outfit nervously. Even with the apron covering Cremia's shirt, it was easy to tell that she was incredibly (almost unfairly) well-endowed while Romani, despite being sixteen, still looked like a little girl with her small frame, petite curves, and tiny hands. Her special dress suddenly didn't seem so flattering. Did it make a difference at all, or was it just another dirty outfit like her others?
She looked up when a hand touched her shoulder and froze at the kindness radiating from her sister's eyes. "You look beautiful, Romani."
Beautiful…that was a much better word than cute. "Thank you, sister," she said gratefully. "Is Link awake yet?" When the older woman shook her head, she stood to retrieve him.
"Wait!" Cremia said quickly, the smile leaving her face. It awkwardly found its place again as Romani stared, confused. "I mean, I worked him really hard last night. Let him rest some more, and I'll wake him later."
"That's okay. I'll just do it now." She rushed outside before her sister had a chance to respond. Giggling, she thought to herself that Cremia would have to get back in shape if she wanted to maintain her authority.
She had a point, though. Romani felt bad about rousing Link after how tired he was when he arrived yesterday, especially after he stayed up late to do a chore she should have done. But the more time he spent awake, the more time they'd have together, and she knew he wanted to be around her just as much as she wanted to be around him.
When she burst into the barn, however, no sound escaped from her. Her eyes widened, her heart pumped more vigorously, and blood rushed to her cheeks for the second time that day. After gasping a trivial breath, she whispered an equally trivial "Wow…"
She didn't know Link slept naked. He was always such a private person and didn't like to expose skin, but presently she had a rare delicious glimpse of the broad chest and muscular arms his blanket didn't completely conceal. Romani gulped. Seeing two people nude in the same morning aroused thoughts she normally didn't have, thoughts that certainly weren't appropriate for someone who wasn't (she blushed harder) married. With Cremia's moans still fresh in her memory, she imagined those moans coming from her instead, and as her gaze lingered on the proud tent over his waist (morning wood, the boys in Clock Town called it), the warmth from her face spread downward. She had a sudden urge to replicate her sister's earlier actions.
She ignored it, wanting Link to see her as a calm and dominant woman rather than as a blushing girl when he woke. Grinning impishly, she knelt beside him. He seemed to like it yesterday when she kissed him to thank him for the new bow, so she pecked him on the cheek again, letting her lips linger longer this time. Link groaned awake, serene at first and then terrified when he saw her face above his. She giggled at the normally stoical man's fear, trying to maintain the appearance of control and to ignore the heat pouring off his enticing flesh.
"Did you like that?" she asked. Link stuttered incoherently, eyes flashing nervously to his stiff member and back to her, and Romani giggled once more at his reaction. "Get dressed, Grasshopper! Breakfast is almost ready!"
Satisfied, she darted off before he could respond and plopped down onto her chair back in the house. "Where is he?" her sister asked, tense for some reason.
"He'll be here in a minute," she replied, laughing naughtily. Cremia relaxed, but Romani stuffed her face and didn't dwell on it. Some moments later their guest walked in with his head low in embarrassment, dressed in his usual green tunic and hat.
"Good morning, Link," Cremia greeted with uncharacteristic tenderness. "You're just in time." Her cooking done, she removed her apron and didn't acknowledge their stunned reactions to the outfit she had on underneath.
It took Romani a moment to articulate a response to the out-of-character behavior. "Sister, why are you wearing that? You know that outfit's too small for you." While the blouse didn't show as much skin as outfits Romani had seen other women wear, it was clearly straining to contain her. The white fabric stretched at the buttons running up the garment, and to provide room for her massive bust it pulled tightly along the small of her back, making her butt stick out even though her skirt wasn't revealing.
"Aw, my mistake," Cremia replied in a way that indicated she was blissfully distracted with other thoughts. Letting her long hair fall in front of her and slide along the contour of her bosom to accentuate its size even further, she seemed more confident and energetic than she'd been in a long time.
Romani beamed, finally making sense of her actions in the bathroom. "You wouldn't make a mistake like that. You're trying to impress someone in Clock Town, aren't you?"
She sighed dreamily. "Yes, there is someone I want to impress."
Link blushed, and Romani didn't blame him. It was weird and a little disturbing seeing this side of her sister, but she squealed excitedly nonetheless. "Oh, sister, I'm so happy for you! Whoever he is, he's lucky to have you! You have to tell me everything when you get back!"
"I'm the lucky one." She sighed contentedly again. "What do you think?" she asked Link, eyes sparkling.
"You look great, Cremia," he said through a bashful but honest grin. "So you're going into town today?"
"I have to make a few deliveries before tomorrow's festival, and I want to leave within the hour. Can you two look after the ranch while I'm gone?"
Romani was too excited about her sister's new love interest to be petty about her early departure, even after ensuring they could all spend time together. "Sure we can! Grasshopper and I will defend our home!"
He regarded Romani with confusion, and they met outside when Cremia started cleaning dishes. "Why is she leaving today, of all days?" he whispered. "Haven't you told her about them?"
"Romani doesn't want to worry her. Besides, the only way she would believe me is if she saw them, but then she'd be in danger since she can't use a bow like we can." She laughed. "Sister didn't believe me when I said you were coming yesterday. She thought I was just guessing." He chuckled as well, a wonderful sound she rarely got to hear. "You're in a good mood. Any reason?"
"No. I just…feel good, I guess." Romani didn't pry, overjoyed that he and her sister were so free with their emotions today. Cremia had been so dejected lately, and it usually took more effort than this to bring Link out of his shell.
Soon the group stood at the trail leading away from the stable. "Is everything loaded into the wagon? Are you sure you can do the rest of the day's tasks without me?" Cremia asked looking straight at Romani, who responded in an annoyed tone.
"Yes!" She hadn't needed a reminder to do her chores in years. Didn't she already show initiative today by waking up early?
"Okay. I'll get going, then. Have fun, you two," she said with a smile Romani could tell was forced.
"Cheer up! You'll get to see the person you like today! Wait, why aren't you wearing the shirt from before?"
"It was uncomfortable," she explained casually, smoothing out her bigger, dirtier blouse to emphasize the room she had inside it. "Besides, I only want one person to see me like that, not the whole city, and I think he's already noticed me." She bit her lip. "Can I talk to Link alone for a moment?"
"Sure. You have fun too, okay? Grasshopper and I will get the chores done right away." After hugging her sister, she ran to the other side of the house and hung the week's laundry. After accomplishing this much more quickly than Cremia would have, she doubled back, only to stop when she realized the private conversation hadn't ended.
"Have you put any more thought into it?" Cremia asked softly. Starved for details on the developing romance and wondering whether Link had a hand in helping Cremia, Romani nevertheless would have overcome the urge to eavesdrop, if not for how somber her sister had become.
Link's face was hidden from Romani, but she still sensed his inner conflict. What happened? Hadn't everyone been cheerful a few minutes ago? "I…I'm not…"
"Sorry for how bold I've been. I'm acting like some lovesick girl." Her laugh was simultaneously giddy and uncomfortable. "This is all so new to me. I don't feel trapped anymore, thanks to you. But my actions are only putting extra pressure on you, so I'm going into town until tomorrow to give you some time with Romani. Be good to her, okay? She's…really happy you're here." Link nodded mutely. "Remember that my offer still stands. I'll milk you for all you're worth, any time you want." She stepped forward, perhaps to embrace him, but her boldness had apparently worn off. Knowing what she needed, Link stepped forward and initiated the hug, and the astonished woman melted into him. Then with a bittersweet smile, she boarded the wagon and left.
Romani refused to believe what the scene seemed to be telling her. Cremia wouldn't do that to her, not when she knew of Romani's feelings for Link, and Link wouldn't be interested in someone seven years older than him. He'd probably coached her on being confident last night, and Cremia was just thanking him. "I'll milk you for all you're worth" probably meant something work-related.
She understood one thing perfectly if nothing else: Cremia had left to give them some alone time. Though no one could see her, Romani beamed with gratitude and love for her sister. With joy renewed, she emerged from her hiding place, pulling a surprised Link away by the hand.
"Come on, Link! We should do as much work as we can for her while she's gone. She's going to be tired when she gets back."
The confused teen complied, and each grabbed an armful of tools from the stable.