Hey hey, everyone! To get right down to business, I plan on making the gap between chapters progressively bigger! My reason is to both let the chapters sink in more, and to ensure I have a lot of time to polish future ones! Anyways, I hope you enjoy!
-Joost

The Fierce God Given Life
Chapter 11: On Termina's Secret Service

Cremia and Romani were on their way back to the ranch. The moon provided decent light for the lonely dirt road. The oldest sister was a little weary about travelling around at night, especially near the farm of the Gorman Brothers, but she managed to hide her stress from Romani.

"Romani wonders what we'll do tomorrow!" Romani exclaimed. Cremia just smirked at her little sister, planning to blindside her with some chores just to be funny. What she didn't plan however, was to be met in the middle of the road by a group of… something.

All Cremia could see were their eyes, piercing even in the darkness. Then the carriage halted.

"Huh? Sister why are we- "Romani didn't get to finish her sentence, because a silver blade pointed straight at her. She looked up to see another directed towards her sister.

"Let us search your wagon, or else you'll be cut down by my blade!" A robed figured shouted at the ladies. Trembling in fear, Cremia shielded Romani as she stepped out of the carriage and let the being and his comrades search it.

Romani wanted to defend her and her sister's carriage, but Cremia wouldn't allow her to take a single step. The creatures, whatever they were, looked like nothing she had ever seen. Robed in greenish-brown attire, they had no visible body except for their feet, which were wrapped tightly around their feet, and their glowing green eyes. She couldn't even tell if they were holding their weapons, or if they were grafted onto their arms.

When they completed their search, they swung their blades to make an opening in the carriage even though there was an exit just three feet to the left. They cut off the hind wheels off the wagon and seized them, then dashed into the darkness. Seeing their damaged ride, Cremia fell to her knees and began sniffling. Their wagon couldn't be moved.

"Sister? Sister, what's wrong?!" Romani pleaded to know what made her big sister begin to cry. She didn't think the damage was that bad. But she had no idea how this would affect the milk delivery they had to make in just a few days.

Cremia would just continue sobbing, even while unhooking their mule from it's leads and taking it back to the ranch. The walk back was exhausting, but Cremia still cried the whole way back. Her flow of tears was only stopped when she finally got to bed. However, her sadness never lifted, and Romani had no idea what to do.

Then Romani began to feel tears roll down her face. And she cried herself to sleep.

It was the dawn of a new day, and Link wasn't able to stay in his room much. Anju and Kafei had made sure to get some carpenters in and fix the hole in the bedroom wall.

With nothing to do in the Inn, Link moseyed around town, Tael at his side for the day. When he walked through West Clock Town, Link decided to do some training at the Swordsman's School.

"Cut down the fifteen logs using the highly difficult techniques!" The teacher instructed. It used to just be ten logs, but when Link passed the initial test so easily, the swordsman scrambled to get more wood and he decided to require the use of some quick slashes of the sword to get them all down.

Breathing in slowly, the whistle blew, and Link went into action. He jump-slashed the first two logs. But when the third, fourth, and fifth logs appear, he had to jump, sideswipe, and then slip to take them all down. It was a spectacle to see Link so quick and nimble.

Once the test was complete, Link earned a perfect score. He bowed before his master and was preparing for another round before Anju opened the door to the dojo.

"Ma'am." The master said as he bowed for Anju. Link looked over as Anju signaled for him to go another round before they left. Smiling, Link turned back to the swordsman and prepared himself.

Tael and Anju watched in awe as Link slashed the logs. He wasted no time on his feet, moving like a blur of green, the Gilded Sword gleaming in the overhead lights. It still bore a chip in the edge of its blade, all from a certain battle Link had over two weeks ago. The teacher took note of the damaged weapon.

Link slashed the final log, and the master blew his whistle to signal the end of training.

"Well done, my student!" Link beamed at the master's pride in him; Anju began clapping for her surrogate son. But Link's pride it didn't last. "However, I implore you to repair your weapon before you return for another lesson! A damaged sword can prove to be a useless one in time."

The master looked down when he made his last comment. He had the scars to prove his statement, but he didn't show them. Ever.

Link looked down in shame as he sheathed his weapon. He left without another word, taking Anju's hand as they walked through the shopping district. His grip on Anju's palm tightened as he thought about the master's words, the memories flooding back of his near-death experience against the shadow demon, Majora, and many other adversaries. Anju noticed his growing anxiety.

"Honey, are you alright?" Anju asked Link, his bangs covered his eyes. She knew he was retreating into his shell whenever he let them down. He didn't respond to her at first and simply kept walking by her side.

"Yeah, Link. Are you ok?" Tael added. The purple fairy grew to greatly admire Link. He didn't like when his idol became so nervous around certain things. Link still didn't utter a word, his mind lost in thought.

When the three got back to the Stock Pot Inn, Link turned to ask something of Anju. His eyes still didn't raise to meet Anju's, remaining hidden under his golden bangs. "Can I visit the ranch today?"

Anju wanted to mention how he was just visited by Romani and Cremia the day prior, but she wanted to make sure he was comfortable as well. She hadn't seen him this anxious or silent since the night he returned from training in Great Bay. She still felt bad about that entire incident.

"Of course, baby." Anju knelt to meet Link's height and parted his hair so she could see his beautiful blue eyes. She caressed his cheek and couldn't help but smile at how his eyes were so filled with wonder. "Just be back soon, alright?"

Link nodded and then left for North Clock Town to fetch Epona. Tael was still hovering by his side. Link unhitched Epona from her stable and hopped on, then set out to Milk Road to see his best friend. As he left, Jim and Skull Kid were hanging out, still trying to pop that balloon that endlessly floated in the air. They took a moment to wave Link goodbye when Epona cantered off and out the gate, and soon resumed their little activity, laughing at one another whenever their dart misfired and fell to the ground.

Link urged Epona into a gallop as they rode off to Romani Ranch. The trip was largely uneventful, and Link just took in the lovely Terminian scenery until he spotted the sisters' carriage sitting on the side of the road. Taking a look at the side, he realized the tarp that draped over the top was torn, and the wheels had been lopped off and presumably stolen.

Dismounting from his steed, Link peered into the tent of the wagon, but saw nothing. This both relieved Link and Tael, but also made them twice as worried. He looked at the tears in the fabric and recognized the way they had been slashed. Swords. Without a second to lose, he hopped back onto Epona, and she galloped to Romani Ranch as fast as she could. He was in full-on Hero mode.

When they reached their destination, Link immediately got off Epona and ran to the house, Tael close behind. Knocking profusely, he sighed with relief when Cremia opened the door. Her eyes were red, and she spoke with a mumble.

"O-Oh… it's you." Cremia said bleakly. Link noticed how she didn't even address him by name like usual, and her attitude and lack of a smile reminded him of a certain time back during a three-day cycle that almost made him sick.

"I-I saw your carriage on the side of the road… What happened?" Link asked. Cremia couldn't bring herself to explain, but Romani wasn't far away from the door.

Romani heard Link's voice and came to the door. "Oh hi, Grasshopper!"

Link's expression morphed into a smile as Romani walked out the door and left her sister to stay in the house. She walked a good distance away from the house, Link by her side, before she decided to speak about what happened the night before.

"We got robbed…" Romani said, her head tilted downwards ever so slightly. Link's smile disappeared when the words she said reached his ears.

"Are you guys ok? You are hurt?" Link asked, desperation slowly making its way into his voice. His concern helped to lift Romani's mood, but it wasn't by much.

"We're fine… but the carriage is useless now!" Romani sat down in the grass, her hands in her lap. Her distress made Link feel protective of his friend. He didn't know how to respond to his own feelings. "I don't know if sister can make her deliveries…"

Romani's use of 'I' startled Link.

"Hang on…" Link said as he stood up. He walked off to the house and went inside, leaving Romani to her own devices.

She picked two blades of grass and let them fly off in the wind. The way the two danced around each other reminded her of how the attendants at the Carnival of Time danced. She had no idea why that memory came back while watching two blades of grass in the wind, but it felt somewhat important to her. She fell into a trance until Link reemerged from the house and made his way to her.

"Come on, lets go to Clock Town." Link said, extending his hand towards his best friend, a smile spreading across his face.

"Huh? B-But what about the carriage? And sister would wan- "Romani didn't get to finish her thought.

"I talked to Cremia. She said it's fine for you to walk with me to town." Link explained, and then he grabbed Romani's hand. She blushed as soon as she felt his warm hand touch hers and didn't protest when they began their trek to Clock Town. She only smiled as she looked at her friend. Her hero.

When the two reached the Owl Statue, Link finally asked her about the night before. "So… Do you know who exactly attacked you two?"

"Sister said she had no clue. They didn't look like anything Romani's ever seen before! They wore these weird robes and had scary glowing eyes." Romani replied. She didn't realize Link had paused until he was a few meters away. Turning back to her friend, she wondered why he fell behind. "What is it?"

Link had stopped dead in his tracks when he heard Romani describe them. Romani went back to her friend, but when he still didn't respond, she waved her hand in front of his face. His mind only thought of one thing that could possibly fit that description.

"Link? Hey, Liiiink? You there?" Tael bumped the boy on the head, bringing him back to reality.

"Huh? Oh… sorry." Link muttered. Romani and Tael shared a look and the two began walking to town again. Once they all made their way to the South gate, Link broke out into a jog and returned to the Stock Pot Inn.

"Oh hey kiddo. What's up?" Kafei was manning the front desk today but didn't expect for Link to completely ignore him. Going upstairs to his room, the boy in green watched as three carpenters were replacing the old wall in his room with a new, more solid piece of wood.

Link explained his and Romani's situation, asking for a set of wheels to be crafted for them. Link assured the trio that he could paid for their labor, and they complied without much objection.

While the three completed their work on his room and went to start on the new wheels, Link left the inn and when to West Clock Town, and to the bank. There, he made a withdraw and started searching for Jim and the rest of the Bomber's Gang. Romani still had no idea what he was planning to do by now, she just followed behind him while he stayed silent. When Link finally spotted Jim, he was hanging out in East Clock Town, by the mayor's office. He was with Skull Kid and another member of the team.

"Hey, guys… I need your help." Link began, and the three placed their attention on him. "A friend of mine needs some help, and I think we're just the people she needs!"

"Wait, really?!" Jim exclaimed. He felt so excited that he and the rest of the Secret Society could help out someone in need. Romani joined their conversation, explaining how her sister and her got robbed the night before and the state of their carriage.

"Skull Kid, I'm going to need you to find us some rope. A lot of rope!" Link eagerly told the imp. Skull Kid smirked and saluted Link and dashed away to find any and all rope that he could.

"Jim, I need you to gather every member of the team and tell them what I just told you guys. We're going to need some strength." Jim gave Link a big smile and collected every member scattered across town. When every member was gathered to East Clock Town, Skull Kid returned to the group with all the rope he could find.

"Is this enough?" Skull Kid asked, setting down the huge pile of rope he carried.

"Yeah… that's perfect!" Link chuckled as he looked at the almost comical amount of rope Skull Kid managed to retrieve in such a short amount of time. With everything they needed at the moment, the group waited for their wheels to be done.

It took about an hour, but when the carpenters were paid, they gladly handed Link and his friends their desired items. Strapping the wooden wheels to Epona's back and making sure they were steady, the group of nine children set out to Milk Road. Link's expression of determination never faltered while they made their way to the broken-down wagon.

Link lent his strength to hold the carriage up, with the assistance of Jim and Skull Kid, and the others fastened the new wheels to the cart. Then, Link strapped Epona to the front of carriage, and all nine friends had ropes tied to the front of the carriage as well. Link, Romani, Jim, Skull Kid, and the others had a lead attached to the front.

"Alright guys, on the count of three!" Jim yelled to the others. Even Epona understood his orders and waited in anticipation. "One… two… three!"

When the countdown finished, all nine members of the Bomber's Secret Society of Justice pulled the cart, and Epona joined. Once the wagon began to move and pick up speed did they cheer.

It took some time, but they managed to guide the carriage to Romani Ranch. When they got it to the barn, they let go of their ropes and detached them from the front of the cart and Epona was untied. They all shared high fives at the fruits of their labor. However, there was one more thing Link and Romani had to do, and it involved the sister that was still cooped up in the house across from them.

"Oh sister!" Romani hollered as she and Link entered the house. Cremia wasn't anywhere to be seen. Romani pointed her head towards the upstairs bedroom, figuring her sister was either asleep or still reeling from the night before.

"Hey! Sister! Wake up!" Romani shouted as she opened the door to the bedroom.

Cremia was sitting on the bed, a recent crying session apparent due to the redness of her eyes and the moisture that lined her cheeks.

"Oh… Hey you two. What is it?" Cremia asked, surprised to see both with such big smiles across their faces.

"We have a surprise for you!" Romani said as she pulled her sister from bed and guided her downstairs. Cremia sat herself down at the edge of the table while Romani told her one rule before they went out. "You can't look, alright?"

Cremia was puzzled by what Romani meant. Romani, looking at her friend, beckoned for some help reaching her big sisters' eyes.

Link crouched down and Romani hopped onto his shoulders, and they took a few wobbly steps towards Cremia, who still wasn't facing them. Covering her big sisters' eyes with her hands, Romani and Link led Cremia outside.

"Alright… what do you two have planned?" Cremia asked as she felt Romani's hands shift position a bit and heard a small grunt from Link. She had no idea the two children were teetering around behind her, trying not to lose their balance.

Once Cremia stopped, she waited for whatever the two kids had in store.

"Alllll right! It's okay to look!" Romani said as she removed her hands from her sisters face and hopped off Link's shoulders.

Cremia opened her eyes and then gasped. There it was, their carriage, all fixed and being presented by the others dramatically. Her hands covered her mouth and she nearly cried at the sight. Looking back at the kids and their friends, she could only muster one question.

"H-How?"

"I called in a few favors around town…" Link blushed as he looked away from Cremia. The ranch owner giggled at his modesty and brought him and Romani in for a hug.

"Thank you. Thank you so much… my little hero's." Cremia told them. They wore the biggest smiles she had ever seen when she released them from the long embrace. Link had never felt so… fulfilled. Aside from his work helping people, this moment felt special to him. Jim, Skull Kid, and the others watched as Link returned to the group prepared to get going.

"Oh! Link! Won't you stay for dinner?" Cremia asked as the eight began making their way off the ranch. She wanted to repay him and his friends for their hard work.

"No thanks! I have to get home! See you guys soon!" Link shouted as his distance from the sisters increased.

"Yeah! My dad will have my head if I'm not home soon!" Jim added.

As the team disappeared from sight, Cremia turned to her sister before they went back inside. "Now how did you two manage all that?" she asked, looking between the newly repaired carriage and her little sister, hands on her hips.

Romani just looked in the direction of Clock Town, the setting sun gleaming over the horizon. Her soul was filled with pride; she had fulfilled her first act of helping someone as a Bomber, and it was her own big sister! "It was all because Romani joined the Bomber's Secret Society of Justice."

Cremia had no idea what her little sister was talking about, but she could only assume the 'Society' she was talking about were the ones who just left the ranch. She chuckled and walked back inside with her sister; her mood having been greatly improved. And that night, after a good dinner and some stories by the fire, she went to bed happy, as did Romani.