Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Zelda or any of the characters in the Zelda series (if I did, I wouldn't waste my time here). I'm not making any money of this and if I forgot anything else in this disclaimer I did or didn't do that as well.
Chapter 17 - Beating the drum
She let out a scream as she fell down but soon she had controll of the fall and rolled at the end as she came down.
"Damn it Grasshopper, don't scare Romani like that anymore."
Link laughed and gested towards the big river.
"That was what I was affraid for."
Romani didn't understand. She saw nothing but the river.
"Last time, there was a boat here, but it sank when it came to the end."
"So we can't get there?"
Link shook his head.
"Fuck!"
"My my, such language."
The voice startled both of them. Both had their weapons drawn and looked around, but saw no one.
"Humhum, up here." The voice said.
They looked up and saw a scarecrow.
"Pierre," sighed Link, "how are you today, and what are you doing in a place like this?"
"Oh, I'm fine, just enjoying of a fine concert yesterday. I'm sure you've seen it, after all, didn't you play along? Nice performance by the way."
Link smiled. Of course, if they played music somewhere, you could be certain that Pierre the music loving, wandering scarecrow would be there.
"And wouldn't you introduce me to this fine young lady?"
"Oh, of course, Pierre, this is Romani, my... parttime associate in the fight against evil and fulltime lover, Romani, this is an old friend from my childhood, Pierre, the wandering scarecrow."
"Enchantée, that means pleased to meet you in another language." Said the scarecrow with a small nod.
"Pleased to meet you, that means I'm pleased to meet you in our language." Romani said with a smile.
"Oh, good with a sword and witty. She sounds really something for you, Link."
"But you still haven't answered my second question. What are you doing here?"
"Oh, I thought since you're back, you would handle those ghost things, and in all my travels this place had the only undead creatures in it, not to mention, so much activity, so I though you would come here, and I came aswell to see if I could help you."
"And can you help me?"
"Maybe." The scarecrow said mockingly.
"Well, can you or not?"
"Do you remember that song?"
"What if I didn't have an ocarina?"
"Then I couldn't help you no matter what."
Link sighed and took out his ocarina. He thought back at the first time he made up the scarecrow song. He was really stumbling and he couldn't even remember for a long time what it was, but the times after he found a nice tune that he learned by heart and would never forget. Now about two years later, he had to prove he still knew it. He put the ocarina to his lips and played the song.
"That was beautiful." Romani whispered.
Link didn't know what to say and put on a sheepish grin.
"Ooh, yes, that was great, my old friend. Now, I shall tell you what I know. The last time you were here, there was a boat, a boat you set in motion with a song, I don't know which one, but it was quite nice. Now, today, several hours before you got here, there was a man here, surrounded by poes. And he played that same song on some dreadfull instrument and a boat came. I would say, play that song, and kill that man for playing such terrible music."
Link nodded and started playing Zelda's lullaby. Quickly a boat came, smaller than the first one, but it still had the Tri-force on its deck. Link and Romani jumped on board and waved goodbye to the scarecrow that dug deep in the ground to return to Lake Hylia.
"This is nice." Romani said.
"What? Fighting some evil monsters and risking our lives for the greater good?"
"No," Romani laughed, "although that also does something to me. No, I mean, here, sailing on a boat on a river with the person you love, it's kinda romantic."
Link nodded.
"I'll take you to Holodrum and Labrynna sometime, they have some nice rivers there. And monsters." He added.
Romani grinned. She looked up as the end came near. They jumped onto the shore and quickly made their way to the corridor leading to the boss room. Link used his lens of truth to guide them across the invisible blocks in the last room and opened the room leading to Bongo Bongo's Drum.
"Now what?"
"Now we jump." Link answered with a grin.
"Not again."
"Carefull," Link got serious again, "we don't know what we can expect down there, but be sure it'll be a lot of Gibdo's, poes and Stalfos, not too mention the Poe Collecter himself."
Romani nodded and took Link's hand. With a small nod they jumped the hole in the middle of the room.
They landed on the drum and bounced back up. Link looked around as Romani tried to get her balance back.
"What? No, not yet! You can't be here yet! It's too soon!"
The Poe Collector stood there with his hands waving at Link and Romani. Ten poes surrounded him. There were no other monsters on the drum. Link quickly drew his lens of truth but saw nothing. There really was no one else.
"You're here too soon!" The Poe Collector said, panicking. "You weren't supposed to be here yet. It's not possible you got here so soon, not with all Gibdo's I put everywhere."
"We didn't go everywhere." Link said.
"We took a short cut." Romani nodded.
"No, that's not possib..." The Poe Collector ducked and the arrow flew right through the poe behind him that shivered with a shriek of agony.
Romani drew another arrow and saw the poes flee.
"Big poes, huh?" Link grinned, "yeah, I remember those running away from me when I hunted them with Epona."
The Poe Collector went into his robe and sprinkled some dust.
"Uhm, Nacturna, Mortem, Diaballus, uhm..." he muttered.
A Stalfos arose from the place where the dust had fallen but it didn't seem right. It only had a shield and moved too slow. It wasn't attacking Link or Romani, it just wandered around.
"No, please, no!" the Collector begged, but Link didn't know if the words were directed at him, or some greater evil.
He decided not to take any chances and jumped towards the Collector with his sword forward. The Biggoron sword drove itself deep in the thin body of the Poe Collector. Link held the sword up and the Poe Collector slid down towards the handle of his sword.
"Hahaha, I see clearly now," the Poe Collector spoke softly, "I may have failed, but darkness shall fall over Hyrule and Termina."
"What are you talking about? Who's darkness?" Link asked.
"I don't know, but I see darkness," he whispered, "Triforce... of Power..."
"Ganondorf?" Not again, Link thought, after Labrynna he was sure he was rid of him.
"No, I'm starting to see..." the Poe Collector started laughing, "hahaha, oh, yes, I didn't see that one, hahaha, the new evil of Hyru..." the Collector coughed up blood and died.
Link let down his sword and let the Poe Collector slid down to the floor.
"Who do you think he spoke of?" Romani asked.
"I have no idea, but if it involves the Triforce of Power, we're in deep shit." Link thought for a moment. "Fuck! I don't need this."
"Don't worry Grasshopper," Romani embraced Link and kissed his forehead, "we can take on anything that threatens us."
Link smiled at her remark.
"Strange, I was just thinking that I would do anything to keep us safe." He looked in Romani's blue eyes. "I will nothing come between us and will always protect you."
"My, Grasshopper," Romani grinned, "is that a proposal?"
"Why yes, I guess it is," Link said seriously, and dropped to one knee, "Romani of Romani Ranch of Termina Field, will you marry me?"
Romani looked at Link and saw he was deadly serious. With a fast motion she grabbed her sword and the blade flew over the Link's head and cutted the still wandering Stalfos in half. As the bones of the Stalfos hit the ground, she nodded.
"Yes, Link of Kokiri Forest, Hero of Time, Savior of Termina, Guardian of Oracles, I will marry you."
Link stood up and kissed Romani passionatly.
