Thanks Chana Motuo and Rainer Aquarias for reviewing!! You have made me
mucho happy : ) *hands everyone cookies*
Enjoy!
Losing Everything
Chapter 2
The afternoon sun was perched in the cloudless sky, bright and cheerful in contrast to the manager of Romani Ranch. Cremia checked the harnesses for the last time, providing her another excuse to stall her departure. Romani watched from the front of the house.
"Romani can't go?" she asked.
Cremia gave the leather straps one last tug, the horses whinnying in protest. She shook her head. "Romani can't go."
The little girl pouted. "Fine," she muttered.
Her older sister laughed and got down on one knee in front of the disgruntled child. "Don't look like that." She kissed Romani's forehead. "Now be good."
"Okay."
But Romani still watched with a longing as Cremia rode away.
***
Cremia bumped along the road of Termina Field, a bit lonely. Romani would have been nice company for the trip, but she shook her head, knowing that Clock Town wasn't the sort of place for an innocent soul like her.
Her thoughts wandered from her sister to her father. Her old man had passed away a year ago, and she missed him. Often he'd bring Cremia and Romani along whenever he made milk deliveries. Those were noisy times indeed, when Romani would be trying to climb off the wagon and Cremia would have to pull her back, all the while bouncing on the dirt road with their father laughing like a crazed galoot.
Times were quiet now.
She remembered with a smile when she was twelve years old, during a day as clear and sunny as this.
It had been when twelve-year-old Cremia, five-year-old Romani, and their father were making deliveries in Clock Town. Their wagon was situated in front of the Milk Bar, supposedly being looked after by the two sisters, while their papa was inside helping himself to a drink, or rather drinks, seeing the time he took.
Instead Cremia, her younger sister, Anju, and Kafei were sitting on the bench adjacent to the Stock Pot. The afternoon, though splendid, passed by at the rate of drying paint. The Bombers had the area of North Clock Town under their control, and when the Bombers were there the four children couldn't barge into their territory, unless they wanted to play a game of hide-and-go-seek, and they weren't in the mood for that at the moment.
The streets were too crowded to play in--it was a market day, and people from all corners of Termina were there, selling and trading their wares. They watched the Gorons and Zoras and the occasional Deku walk by. Conversation was seldom exchanged among the four children, with the exception of Romani, but her nonsense babble didn't count as conversation. They were being bored together, and that was what counted.
When Cremia's father still hadn't emerged from the Milk Bar, Kafei proposed the most absurd notion:
"Why don't we take a ride in the wagon?"
Anju gaped at him. "What?"
Romani jumped up and down. "Yes!"
Cremia shook her head. "You're insane!" she retorted. "Papa's going to kill me!"
The boy looked at her pleadingly. "Come on, Cremia, I'm bored."
"We all are," Anju pointed out.
"But just some trotting around the field, right near the gates!" He had hopped off the bench and was now down on his knees. "Come on, Cremia!"
But the children were bored, and soon enough after some more pleading from Kafei, Cremia finally gave in. They made their way to the wagon and climbed in.
"You have driven this before, haven't you?" asked Kafei, seating himself in the front.
"Yes--where's Romani?" Cremia looked into the back to find her sister rolling around in the back. The wagon was empty now, with the jars of milk all unloaded. Romani rejoiced in the space. "Oh you little--come here before you hurt yourself!"
"Yes, sister," the little girl chirped, and made her way to the front.
Cremia was sandwiched in the middle of Anju and Kafei. She had the reigns in her hands, the horses calmly rocking their heads back and forth.
"Just outside the gates, right?" she asked.
"Yes," Kafei replied.
"All right--let's go—AHH!" Cremia was just about to tug on the reigns when Romani, still situated in the back, had in fit of overexcitment, had screamed "sister!" and jumped on Cremia's back, hugging her neck.
This pulled the girl back and instead of a gentle tug there was a violent jerk; it surprised the two horses, who were normally quite slow and composed, and with panicked whinnies they reared back and instead of trotting toward the gate, they bolted up the stone stairway toward the mayor's home.
Now this area of Clock Town, being a market day, was quite crowded, and amidst Cremia's panicked shrieking and Romani's delighted squeals, both cityfolk and foreigners had to dive out of the way in order to escape with their lives.
They rattled up the stairs, and Cremia in her panic still managed to hold on to the reigns.
"WHEE--"
"Oh, shut up, Romani!"
There were more screams as people scrambled for cover--stands were overturned and cuccos ran amok--
"Cremia I thought you knew how to drive this thing!"
"Not in crowded places!" snapped Cremia. Anju was holding on to her arm so hard it went numb. They were hurtling toward the mayor's now--she let out another scream among many and gave the reigns another yank. The horses took a sharp turn toward North Clock Town, nearly throwing the children off the wagon.
They raced into Bomber territory. The sudden transition from cobblestone to dirt almost hurled Romani into a bush--Cremia let out a scream of "good riddance!" but Kafei's iron grip saved the little girl from her doom.
Dust clouded the air and there was even more confusion as the Bombers shrieked and jumped out of the way.
They raced off the dirt back onto the cobblestones. South Clock Town was even more crowded than the West, since most of the stands were situated there. Not exactly the best setting for two crazed horses dragging along a wagon with four children in it.
"GAH!" Cremia jerked at the reigns once again, trying in vain to maneuver in the packed horde. They smashed headfirst into a flower stand. Cremia flew off the wagon and landed on the awning, causing it to collapse. The place smelled of panic and flowers. There was struggling underneath the thick cloth. Anju was the one who crawled out first, coughing and whimpering.
A crowd gathered around them and the shattered flower stands, muttering to each other and shaking their heads. The wagon, Cremia saw, was surprisingly still intact. The horses were back to their calm selves, chewing contentedly on some carnations as they stood on top of the broken boards.
The flower stand owner, a rather grumpy looking yellow deku, was screaming and sputtering about his beautiful geraniums. Romani sat beside Cremia, unhurt. Not only unhurt, but in fact, giggling. "Again!" she chirped. "Again!"
"What?" Cremia snatched her sister's collar.
A rose with its petals half broken appeared before her nose. Its bearer was Kafei, his hair ruffled and usually neat clothes out of place. He was grinning.
Cremia was just about to smile back when she heard the bellow of her father.
"CREMIA!" He emerged in front of the throng, his face red and his fists waving up in the air.
The children were given a good tongue lashing from her father, Anju's mother, and of course Kafei's parents, being the mayor's family and all. The once so busy and bustling market was now a mess of broken wood shards and panicked cuccos. As punishment they were told to rebuild the stand they had broken, which they did, restoring the flower stand back to its rickety magnificence.
The memory was a sudden one, buried underneath the concrete layers of hatred and angst that had piled one on top of the other over the few short months. Thinking of it made her sad and happy at the same time. She was happy because it was perhaps one of the best times she ever had in her life, but there was sadness there too. She didn't know why. There wasn't anything to be sad for anyhow.
As Cremia stared at the idle bushes as she crawled passed them. It was hard to imagine she had such times with Anju and Kafei. It felt like a completely different world, a chapter in someone else's life, not hers. It all happened all at once, now that she thought about it.
With a sigh and a yawn she sat back, hands loosely gripped on the reins. She still had a long ways to go. The stonewalls of Clock Town could be seen in the distance, but it was still an hour's ride. Her thoughts wandered idly, jumping from one thing to the next like a cucco in a cage.
The sun peered over the tops of the trees and watched Cremia as she reminisced about times that seemed so long ago.
Author's Note: Kinda short, kinda slow, but there's some more exposition for ya...the next chapter is gonna be full of flashbacks, showing what happened between Cremia and Anju and Kafei...so if ya like it or hate it, can u leave a review please? I luv you if u do...and if you don't I luv you anyway : )
Have a nice day,
H.H.
Enjoy!
Losing Everything
Chapter 2
The afternoon sun was perched in the cloudless sky, bright and cheerful in contrast to the manager of Romani Ranch. Cremia checked the harnesses for the last time, providing her another excuse to stall her departure. Romani watched from the front of the house.
"Romani can't go?" she asked.
Cremia gave the leather straps one last tug, the horses whinnying in protest. She shook her head. "Romani can't go."
The little girl pouted. "Fine," she muttered.
Her older sister laughed and got down on one knee in front of the disgruntled child. "Don't look like that." She kissed Romani's forehead. "Now be good."
"Okay."
But Romani still watched with a longing as Cremia rode away.
***
Cremia bumped along the road of Termina Field, a bit lonely. Romani would have been nice company for the trip, but she shook her head, knowing that Clock Town wasn't the sort of place for an innocent soul like her.
Her thoughts wandered from her sister to her father. Her old man had passed away a year ago, and she missed him. Often he'd bring Cremia and Romani along whenever he made milk deliveries. Those were noisy times indeed, when Romani would be trying to climb off the wagon and Cremia would have to pull her back, all the while bouncing on the dirt road with their father laughing like a crazed galoot.
Times were quiet now.
She remembered with a smile when she was twelve years old, during a day as clear and sunny as this.
It had been when twelve-year-old Cremia, five-year-old Romani, and their father were making deliveries in Clock Town. Their wagon was situated in front of the Milk Bar, supposedly being looked after by the two sisters, while their papa was inside helping himself to a drink, or rather drinks, seeing the time he took.
Instead Cremia, her younger sister, Anju, and Kafei were sitting on the bench adjacent to the Stock Pot. The afternoon, though splendid, passed by at the rate of drying paint. The Bombers had the area of North Clock Town under their control, and when the Bombers were there the four children couldn't barge into their territory, unless they wanted to play a game of hide-and-go-seek, and they weren't in the mood for that at the moment.
The streets were too crowded to play in--it was a market day, and people from all corners of Termina were there, selling and trading their wares. They watched the Gorons and Zoras and the occasional Deku walk by. Conversation was seldom exchanged among the four children, with the exception of Romani, but her nonsense babble didn't count as conversation. They were being bored together, and that was what counted.
When Cremia's father still hadn't emerged from the Milk Bar, Kafei proposed the most absurd notion:
"Why don't we take a ride in the wagon?"
Anju gaped at him. "What?"
Romani jumped up and down. "Yes!"
Cremia shook her head. "You're insane!" she retorted. "Papa's going to kill me!"
The boy looked at her pleadingly. "Come on, Cremia, I'm bored."
"We all are," Anju pointed out.
"But just some trotting around the field, right near the gates!" He had hopped off the bench and was now down on his knees. "Come on, Cremia!"
But the children were bored, and soon enough after some more pleading from Kafei, Cremia finally gave in. They made their way to the wagon and climbed in.
"You have driven this before, haven't you?" asked Kafei, seating himself in the front.
"Yes--where's Romani?" Cremia looked into the back to find her sister rolling around in the back. The wagon was empty now, with the jars of milk all unloaded. Romani rejoiced in the space. "Oh you little--come here before you hurt yourself!"
"Yes, sister," the little girl chirped, and made her way to the front.
Cremia was sandwiched in the middle of Anju and Kafei. She had the reigns in her hands, the horses calmly rocking their heads back and forth.
"Just outside the gates, right?" she asked.
"Yes," Kafei replied.
"All right--let's go—AHH!" Cremia was just about to tug on the reigns when Romani, still situated in the back, had in fit of overexcitment, had screamed "sister!" and jumped on Cremia's back, hugging her neck.
This pulled the girl back and instead of a gentle tug there was a violent jerk; it surprised the two horses, who were normally quite slow and composed, and with panicked whinnies they reared back and instead of trotting toward the gate, they bolted up the stone stairway toward the mayor's home.
Now this area of Clock Town, being a market day, was quite crowded, and amidst Cremia's panicked shrieking and Romani's delighted squeals, both cityfolk and foreigners had to dive out of the way in order to escape with their lives.
They rattled up the stairs, and Cremia in her panic still managed to hold on to the reigns.
"WHEE--"
"Oh, shut up, Romani!"
There were more screams as people scrambled for cover--stands were overturned and cuccos ran amok--
"Cremia I thought you knew how to drive this thing!"
"Not in crowded places!" snapped Cremia. Anju was holding on to her arm so hard it went numb. They were hurtling toward the mayor's now--she let out another scream among many and gave the reigns another yank. The horses took a sharp turn toward North Clock Town, nearly throwing the children off the wagon.
They raced into Bomber territory. The sudden transition from cobblestone to dirt almost hurled Romani into a bush--Cremia let out a scream of "good riddance!" but Kafei's iron grip saved the little girl from her doom.
Dust clouded the air and there was even more confusion as the Bombers shrieked and jumped out of the way.
They raced off the dirt back onto the cobblestones. South Clock Town was even more crowded than the West, since most of the stands were situated there. Not exactly the best setting for two crazed horses dragging along a wagon with four children in it.
"GAH!" Cremia jerked at the reigns once again, trying in vain to maneuver in the packed horde. They smashed headfirst into a flower stand. Cremia flew off the wagon and landed on the awning, causing it to collapse. The place smelled of panic and flowers. There was struggling underneath the thick cloth. Anju was the one who crawled out first, coughing and whimpering.
A crowd gathered around them and the shattered flower stands, muttering to each other and shaking their heads. The wagon, Cremia saw, was surprisingly still intact. The horses were back to their calm selves, chewing contentedly on some carnations as they stood on top of the broken boards.
The flower stand owner, a rather grumpy looking yellow deku, was screaming and sputtering about his beautiful geraniums. Romani sat beside Cremia, unhurt. Not only unhurt, but in fact, giggling. "Again!" she chirped. "Again!"
"What?" Cremia snatched her sister's collar.
A rose with its petals half broken appeared before her nose. Its bearer was Kafei, his hair ruffled and usually neat clothes out of place. He was grinning.
Cremia was just about to smile back when she heard the bellow of her father.
"CREMIA!" He emerged in front of the throng, his face red and his fists waving up in the air.
The children were given a good tongue lashing from her father, Anju's mother, and of course Kafei's parents, being the mayor's family and all. The once so busy and bustling market was now a mess of broken wood shards and panicked cuccos. As punishment they were told to rebuild the stand they had broken, which they did, restoring the flower stand back to its rickety magnificence.
The memory was a sudden one, buried underneath the concrete layers of hatred and angst that had piled one on top of the other over the few short months. Thinking of it made her sad and happy at the same time. She was happy because it was perhaps one of the best times she ever had in her life, but there was sadness there too. She didn't know why. There wasn't anything to be sad for anyhow.
As Cremia stared at the idle bushes as she crawled passed them. It was hard to imagine she had such times with Anju and Kafei. It felt like a completely different world, a chapter in someone else's life, not hers. It all happened all at once, now that she thought about it.
With a sigh and a yawn she sat back, hands loosely gripped on the reins. She still had a long ways to go. The stonewalls of Clock Town could be seen in the distance, but it was still an hour's ride. Her thoughts wandered idly, jumping from one thing to the next like a cucco in a cage.
The sun peered over the tops of the trees and watched Cremia as she reminisced about times that seemed so long ago.
Author's Note: Kinda short, kinda slow, but there's some more exposition for ya...the next chapter is gonna be full of flashbacks, showing what happened between Cremia and Anju and Kafei...so if ya like it or hate it, can u leave a review please? I luv you if u do...and if you don't I luv you anyway : )
Have a nice day,
H.H.