The Mask of Majora - Chapter 8: Of Fillies and Outer World Beings

A good deal of time inching their way through the thick foliage of the abundant swamp, Link and Tatl made it back to Termina Field. The skies were gradually turning into a soft afternoon pink and regardless of the menacingly close moon, it was still a beautiful sight. Link smiled, took a deep breath of fresh air and looked up to his fairy partner. Tatl had remained silent throughout most of the way; tidbit feelings of guilt still bugged her from before.

Link wasn't aware that she was deep in thought and cleared his throat to get her attention. "So... where to next?" he asked giddily, shifting his stance from his toes to his heels.

The girl fairy seemed to stare right through him as she tried to stay focused on the young boy's question. When snapping out of it, she looked around her. The south entrance of Clock Town was not that far and they were pretty close the swamp still. "Umm, well... according to Tael... our next stop should be the mountains. That's far up north." Link stood on his toes and shaded his eyes from the sun as he looked over the walls of Clock Town and at the tiptop of the snowy mountains.

"That's more than a six-hour walk!!" Link said incredulously, looking back at Tatl.

Tatl shrugged. "Not if you jog," she said cockily, which resulted in receiving a dirty look from the boy hero.

Link dug his foot into the dirt and thought hard. He exhaled through his clenched teeth. "If only Epona was here..." he murmured sadly. "We'd be there way less than half the time." He dug deep in his item bag and pulled out the Ocarina of Time. He sighed the deepest of sighs as he thought of his dear companion. And thinking of Epona, his thought shifted to Malon. He had promised her that no matter what... Epona will be safe with him. Knowing his poor baby mare is out there in this strange, new world all alone unnerved him.

He brought the royal instrument up to his lips and closed his eyes in concentration. And he softly played her song; Epona's Song. As he increased the tempo, the song was heard louder and farther. At the last note, he opened his eyes in high hopes of seeing Epona merrily galloping towards him. But he saw nothing.

He put the ocarina back in his bag. He had to give in. He began to walk north towards the mountains when Tatl gasped. "Wait! Do you hear that?!" she said.

Link stopped and turned to her. "Hear what?" he asked.

"Shh! Just listen..."

Link stood rigid and listened for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing but the sound of tweeting from the mother birds calling out to their young and the chirping of crickets that awaited the night. Link was about to question Tatl again... and then he heard it. It was the distant, but clear neighing of a young horse. It came from the southwest. Link took a step in that direction. "Epona...?"

Without warning, he broke into a sprint in that direction. Tatl went after him. "Hey! Wait for me! Hold on!" she voiced, hoping it'll get the kid to slow down. Link picked up speed as he reached a much clear part of the field. The grass would turn scarce and short until it formed a dirt pathway. Link stopped when he saw the path led to a large gate. The sign on top of the gate read 'Romani's Ranch'. He glanced at the ranch from where he stood, thinking he would make a fool out of himself if he had gone after a horse that wasn't his. But this ranch was sparse on horses. There were several cows grazing here and there, but nothing else. Not even a gaggle of cuccos.

Seeing as he was already here, Link walked into the separate piece of land and explored it. He guessed it was at least three times bigger than Lon Lon Ranch back in Hyrule... but this ranch strangely had much less livestock. Tatl followed the child with utter annoyance. If his horse wasn't really here, this would be a terribly huge waste of time. From her view farther above, she spotted a small, rundown barn and a house near the edge of the ranch. Beside the house was the source of the sound. There was a young filly with a reddish-brown pelt and a flowing white mane.

"Hey, look!" she said to Link and pointed to the side of the strange house. "Isn't that your horse?"

Link squinted in that direction and immediately recognized his companion. "Epona!" he cried out happily and she ran towards her. Tatl was at many times surprised as to how this kid could keep such a steely resolve with the deep desire for justice, but still be able to act like a child. It mystified her to no end. Link reached his beloved horse, who instantly acknowledged the boy and neighed happily at his presence. She was in a very small stall with a iron bar fence. "No wonder you didn't come when you heard my song!" he said with pity. "You don't have enough space to jump out of here!" He slipped his arm in between the thick metal bars and patted her snout. "I missed you..." he uttered with a sad smile.

Epona shook her head and snorted, trying to get closer to the young boy. She seemed very glad to see him. "Don't worry, girl. I'll get you out!" he said. Link took a few steps back, looking for a way to open the gate. But it was closed with lock and key. There was no way he could get her out with force. Link was suddenly anxious. Now that he knew where Epona was, he was not going to leave her behind-- whether she was in good hands or not. He ran back towards the barn and spotted a young girl running around. "Excuse me," he said as he neared her. "Can you help me with something?"

"Huh?" the girl -who had his back towards him- turned around. And for the first time since his first familiar encounter when he began exploring Clock Town, he staggered back in complete shock. The girl before him had the same work dress and boots, the same red hair, the same stance and the same innocent grin as his dear, childhood friend...

"--Malon...?" he blurted out without the means to. But he just couldn't hold back his shock. The resemblance was too uncanny. The red-headed ranch girl looked at him oddly. In her hands she held a bow and a single arrow. After looking the boy up and down, she smiled widely.

"Well, I dunno who you're talking about, but my name's not 'Malon'," she said, causing Link to look down at the ground, embarrassed. "It's a pretty name, though," she added with a giggle. "I'm Romani. I was given the same name as the ranch," she said, a bit of pride showed on her face.

Link smiled respectfully, but still feeling uneasy on the inside. "Nice to meet you... my name is Link."

Romani creased her eyebrows slightly "Link?" she repeated and looked down thoughtfully. "That's a nice name, but... how about if Romani calls you Grasshopper?" she said ecstatically, looking up at the confused boy. "See, you're wearing a green tunic and hat, and you patter about when you walk..."

Link gave Tatl a sideways glance. "I do?" he whispered. Tatl just shrugged.

"So Grasshopper it is!" she said decidedly.

Link figured it was best if he didn't oppose to it. He was about to ask about Epona when he noticed the bow and arrow the girl had in her hands. Curiosity got the better of him once more. "What are those for?" he asked, pointing at the weapon.

The ranch girl brought the bow up to her chest and sighed, her smile slowly forming into a frown. "Romani was practicing... for tonight..." She paused as she looked up to the sky with a worried glance. "Tonight... they are coming..."

Link followed her line of vision to the sky. "Who's they?" he asked.

"The ghosts..." she whispered. Romani met the hero's eyes. Without words, she knew he wanted some sort of explanation. "They come at night... every year when the carnival approaches..." she began. "They come riding in this big, shining ball." She gestured with her hands as she spoke. "A whole lot of them come down. And then... they come to the barn and... and they steal."

"...the animals?"

Romani nodded sadly. Link looked around; there seemed to be nobody except them two around. "Doesn't anyone want to help you?" His shoulders slumped when seeing her shake her head miserably.

"My older sister won't believe me," she said. Romani lifted her head and her eyes sparkled with willpower. "But Romani must protect the cows!" she said willingly, lifting her bow and arrow over her head. "Even if I have to do it alone..." she turned away and walked to the side of the barn, where she had drawn a strange looking creature in the wall as a target. "Now I must back to practicing..." she muttered, lifting her bow and shooting the arrow at the target over and over at different angles.

Link looked up at Tatl with a sad and compassionate expression. All at once, Tatl opposed to it. "Ohh, no you don't!" she scolded. "We have more important things to do than this! Now just ask her to open the gate so you can have your horse and get on with the mission."

For a moment, Link considered it, but an idea slipped into his mind at the last second. He approached the Malon look-alike and smiled. "Hey, Romani... you know, I could help you." At that, Romani turned to him with a hopeful look. "I mean, if you think you really do need help..."

She clasped her hands together joyfully. "Oh could you, Grasshopper?" she asked. He nodded yes and Romani bounded up and down with a grin. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!" She threw her arms around him in a grateful hug, causing the boy hero to flush a deep shade of red. She pulled back, still ecstatic. "Such a nice deed can't be taken lightly!" she insisted. "Me and my sister'll give you anything you'd like-- if I can afford it, that is," she added with a laugh. Link laughed along nervously.

"Well," he turned to the stall where Epona was held. "That's Epona, my horse. I don't know how you found her, but I need her back. Do you think if I help you, you could set her free?" he asked.

Romani frowned and looked at the filly behind the metal gate. "Well, that's not for me to say," she said. "You might have to ask my sister; she's the owner of Romani's Ranch. She was delivering some milk to Clock Town the other day and she found that horse. Sister brought it home so we could take care of it and raise it." She smiled. "But I'm sure she'll be okay with it. If it's really yours, she'll let you have it."

Before Link could say anything else, a young woman's voice came from one of the second story windows of the house. "Romani! It's sundown! Time to eat!" it said.

"YES, sister!" Romani called back. She started to walk to her house but then turned right back to Link. "Say, here's an idea, Grasshopper! How about you join us for dinner? I'm sure sister won't mind-- we don't have guests very much when the carnival is near," she suggested. "So how about it?"

"Sure!" Link said without a second thought. Not only was he starving, but it was the perfect opportunity to ask the ranch owner to let Epona out of that cramped stall. He followed Romani into the house, anticipating a good dinner and another sleepless night ahead of him. But not before looking back at his companion with a warm smile. Things were looking up one step at a time...

((Link's Point of View))

Romani's house was a lot like Malon's, except it doesn't smell like cucco. That smell used to get me sick to the stomach and I always insisted Malon that we play outside instead. Man, I still can't believe how Romani is so much like her... I mean, not only does she look the same, but she acts the same way, too. And she even gave me a nickname and everything... although Malon stopped calling me fairy boy after I started spending more time in her ranch.

There was a round dining table in the middle of the first room. Romani pulled a chair out and waved at me. "Here, have a seat!" she said. I sat down awkwardly-- I'm not really comfortable of 'making myself at home', especially in new places. But Romani didn't look like someone who would criticize. She sat down in her own chair next to me and folded her arms across her lap with a smile. I heard footsteps coming down from the stairway.

"Hey there, Romani... oh my! We have a guest!" that female voice said again. The woman sat down across from Romani and again I just couldn't believe my eyes! The ranch owner was exactly like Malon when I met her when I was an adult! I managed not to show my shock as I did the first time and I smiled at her. Romani explained that she had invited me to dinner and her big sister didn't seem to mind. She turned back to me. "Did you come from town?" she asked.

"Not really. I mean, I did stop by the town, but I travel a lot," I said quietly, not sure if it was something she minded. But she smiled widely.

"Well, welcome to Romani Ranch, Chateau Romani's Village," she said politely. She stood up again to grab a large pot from the stove and place it in the middle of the table. "I am the ranch owner, Cremia. And I believe you've already met my sister, Romani!"

"Yep!" Romani piped. She leaned over the table towards her. "Ain't he cute, sis?" she said, directing the comment to her.

Did she really think I wasn't going to hear that or something? She was right beside me, for Din's sake! I felt my cheeks go warm when she said that-- and when I heard Tatl holding back the laughter under my cap, I slammed my palm at the top of my head. She quieted down for awhile. Cremia frowned at her little sister. "Hey now, Romani! That's rude to our guest!" she scolded.

Romani sighed. "Yes, sister..." she said in exasperation. Though I don't think she meant to take back what she said... which was kind of funny.

Cremia sighed and shook her head, trying to release all the embarrassment Romani had given her. "How about we just settle down and eat?" she changed the subject for my sake. Well, that sounded great. I've been working an appetite for awhile, which is really strange. Cremia saw me grin excitedly and she smiled herself as she stirred a ladle into the broth. "Tell me, young traveler... what is your name?"

"I named him Grasshopper, sister," Romani interrupted. "I thought it was a good name because--"

"Okay Romani," Cremia said, really starting to look peeved. "First off, our visitor is not a pet. You don't 'name' him..." I looked back and forth from Romani to Cremia. This was getting a little more awkward than I thought. "Secondly, it's not nice to interrupt when he was just about to speak. Do you understand?"

Romani nodded and sat back on her chair quietly. I figured she was a little too discouraged to talk, so I spoke up in both our defense. "Actually, I don't mind... I usually have trouble talking to new people-- especially grownups," I felt Romani's eyes look up at me once again even though I was talking to Cremia. "And my real name is Link."

I think the rest of the dinner turned out okay. There's just something about ranch food that makes you want to forget anything else you were doing and just eat. We barely talked through the rest of the meal... until we began to clear our dishes; I brought up the subject of Epona. At first Cremia wasn't sure, but after she led her out of that stall, she looked pretty surprised when Epona galloped towards me immediately. She gave me the permission to take her back. I was so happy!!

Epona nuzzled at me-- I could tell she was pretty happy, too. But Romani's smile didn't look like one of those joyful ones. It was already late at night and she was about to get ready for bed. "So I guess that now that you have your horse back... you won't want to help me after all, will you?" she said sadly. I looked at her weirdly. Why would she say something like that? Sure, I'm running short on time, but I still made a promise.

"Of course not!" I said with a laugh. "I'll be here when they come, I promised."

She smiled widely again. It was time for her to go to sleep, so she ran back to her house. But not before looking back and whispering to me. "Thank you! I'll be back soon! Don't be late!"

I had this huge temptation to go to sleep for a few minutes, but I couldn't. I wouldn't. I had to stay awake for Romani and the cows. I lay down in a grassy spot near the barn, where I could hear the mooing of the cows that were inside. Tatl paced over my head as I laid here, my hands behind my head. Her bright fairy light helped me stay awake, too. But her constant talking could have made me fall asleep.

"This is ridiculous..." she muttered. "I mean, if we would have left when they gave you your horse back, we could have been in the Snowhead Mountains by now!" I yawned but Tatl paid not attention to it. "Need I remind you that we now have less than three days to find the rest of those giants?"

"And need I remind you that saving Clock Town from the falling moon has nothing to do with those ghosts Romani talked about taking the cows?" I answered back. I didn't mean to sound cocky or anything, but that's just how it came out. Tatl scoffed at me, but I knew that she knew I was right. And I smiled because of that. I closed my eyes and tried to relax, waiting for Romani to come.

Tatl hid inside my hat again. The fairy dust against my forehead kind of tickled, so I jerked up in surprise. I heard a noise from the second story window and I ran to the house and saw Romani trying to climb down. She was taking a little long because she didn't want to make a lot of noise. At one point I thought she was gonna fall, but she held onto the shingled roof and let herself drop. Romani landed on her feet and I sighed in relief. I've never seen a girl do that before. She reached for her bow and quiver. She now had more arrows.

"It's almost time, Grasshopper," she whispered. "Come with me." She ran to the front of the barn and loaded and arrow in her bow. I did the same with my hero's bow. "Now, they'll aim for that barn and approach it slowly, so hit them with arrows so they can't get in!" she said. I nodded and she nodded back.

"Hey, where're you going?" I couldn't help asking when she ran off behind the barn. When I saw her again, she was on the barn's rooftop. She waved down to me.

"I'll stay up here... you take care of things down there, Grasshopper! Whatever happens, do not let them get into the barn!" she said. Epona knew what was going on and she wanted to help. She galloped towards me and snorted, urging me to hop on. When I did, I looked back one more time at Romani.

"Be careful, Romani," I said.

"You be careful too, Grasshopper..."

I kicked at Epona's left side and she began to gallop. Wow, I missed this so much... riding Epona once again made me feel so happy. I felt really complete-- like if a part of me was missing all along. Epona and I made a few small laps around the barn before I heard Romani shout. "Look! They're here! They're back!" she cried, her voice was trembling.

Up in the night sky, I saw a very big star. It started glowing brighter and getting bigger and bigger... until I realized it wasn't a star at all. It wasn't getting bigger, but closer. Epona stopped galloping all of a sudden when she saw the shining ball and she neighed loudly, rearing back. I almost fell off again. And before I thought it couldn't get any weirder, these creatures just appeared out of nowhere. And the shining circle just disappeared as fast as it came.

The whole ranch was swarming with those ghosts. Coming out of my senses, I commanded Epona to get closer to one of them. The ghosts were so weird- looking... they looked nothing like poes. They had these sharp claws that were outstretched as if they were ready to grab something...

"Tatl, can you tell me what these are?" I cried out to the fairy under my cap. She emerged and flew up to the ghost. But she came back as fast she had gone and shook her head.

"There's something strange about it, Link," she said. "There's this weird aura that doesn't allow me to get close to them!"

"The ghosts!!" Romani screamed when she saw two ghosts slowly making their way through the barn, like if they made no haste or worry. Romani shot one of them pointblank with one of her arrows and I shot the other before it got too close. Romani sighed. "Thank you, Grasshopper," she told me. "Keep at it! They may not die off, but they will when the first light of day comes!"

"Hyah!" I guided Epona all the way to the other end of the ranch where the alien ghosts had landed. I braced myself as I pulled out my bow and arrows and began to shoot at them while Epona galloped around them. It was unusually hard to do for she didn't have a saddle I could cling myself onto. The ghosts disappeared into haze when shot, but more kept reappearing! It was endless! Romani and I kept at it for hours... our bodies starting to refuse staying awake. We didn't have that many close calls until morning started growing closer.

I've never done this before-- being up this late at night, fighting hordes of enemies until sunrise. As an adult, I always found at least an hour or two at night when I could rest. I could tell that it was not going to happen anytime sooner in this mission.

Minutes before the first light of day, the monsters began to move faster. They had this weird, newfound strength and one of them had reappeared over me, forcefully picking me up by the shoulders. I tried to fight it, but I couldn't. My bow and arrows fell to the ground and just being near the alien ghost hurt me as well. Its power was making me weary and I felt my insides getting colder-- life was being sucked out of me. Until all of a sudden I fall down to the ground in a heap. That was the last thing I remembered after I hit my head against a stone.

((End of Link's Point of View))

Romani had panicked when seeing the ghost lift the boy hero from his horse and into the air. She could tell he couldn't fight against it. With a fantastically steady hand, Romani aimed at the creature and released an arrow that pierced not only through that creature, but through another one behind it as well. Link fell from its grasp and lay uncomfortably on the ground with Epona by his side. She desperately started shooting the alien ghosts that went after Link and those still wanting to approach the barn. She needed to keep her friend safe.

And before all hope could have been lost, the sunlight peaked from over the valleys. The ghosts were terribly vulnerable to the morning light and shriveled up under its warmth. At once, their remains formed into the shining sphere, which flew off, away from the ranch. Without a second to lose, Romani jumped down from the rooftop and ran as fast as she could to aid the green-garbed boy.

"Grasshopper... wake up, please," Romani said as she kneeled down beside the fallen hero. She patted his forehead lightly to get him to awaken. She sighed anxiously and sat back on the grass, suddenly afraid he may not get up. "Link, wake up..."

"Hey, you said my name," Link muttered as he got up carefully. Romani gasped excited and stood up herself with a smile. Link looked around carefully. It was early morning and the sun had barely appeared from over the horizon. The whole ranch was empty. No ghosts littered the grass field anymore. The boy, assuming the worse, stopped to listen... and then smiled in relief when hearing the mooing of the cows back in the barn. They were okay. "We did it..." he whispered in content and Romani nodded.

"We won..." she said. A short moment of silence ensued before Romani laughed in delight and jumped into the boy's arms once again to hug him. Link hugged her back, also laughing at the incredibly close call of Romani closing her sister's ranch. Romani pulled back and curtsied quickly before bounding up and down happily. "Oh, thank you!! Thanks to you, the cows are giving thanks, too!" she said.

Link stammered at first, trying to find the right words to say. "Hey, I'm... I'm just glad I could help," he finally said with a smile. Tatl snickered again.

The ranch girl looked up at the heavens, ready to yell out a 'good riddance' to those cursed aliens. She instead flinched at the sight of the moon, which looked a whole lot closer to the earth than it seemed like before. "Hey... I wonder if it'll fall... that thing..." she wondered out loud. Link looked at the direction she was and blinked. He still had a mission to complete! Epona galloped near the boy and Link mounted on his horse. He felt a tug on his boot and looked to the side to see Romani with a sad smile full of hope and entwined fingers. "I take it you must go back to your traveling?"

Not knowing what else to say, Link smiled a sad smile as well. "Yeah, but... maybe I'll stop by to visit someday. This is a really cool place. Bye, Romani. It was really nice meeting your and your sister."

Romani watched as Link and Epona rode off to the ranch's exit. "See you later, little hero," she said quietly, only for herself to hear. The ranch girl turned back to her home where she would sleep in what time her sister would let her until she had to do her chores.

Although sleep was crucially needed, Link felt so alive and satisfied. It did his heart good to help people in need. His happy thoughts turned upside down at the thought of those who needed just as much help as Romani and Cremia did... like Anju. At the rate this was going, he wouldn't be able to find out what she was so upset about at all. But the main concerns remained on Tatl's brother, Tael. There were things he just couldn't procrastinate any longer.

"Let's keep north, girl!" Link said to Epona. They were halfway to the mountains as the six 'o clock bell rang from busy Clock Town.

It was the second day.

To Be Continued...