Chapter 6: Her Missing Father

Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda and associated characters do not belong to me nor does Beauty and the Beast.

It had almost been two months. Surely, the fair didn't last that long. The more antsy Zelda got, the more stupid things she did. The house had been cleaned several times already. It was immaculate when she woke up. Even if her clothes weren't dirty, she'd wash them. She gardened. Cooked for no reason. She barely left the house in case she got swamped by the elders or, God forbid, Groose.

No word. There had been no word. Not even a small letter.

"Oh Goddesses, what has happened to him..?" Zelda sighed, smoothing out the creases of her apron.

She had just finished baking yet another pie and quickly cut out a slice. Blowing on it, she walked to the table. After a few bites, she groaned.

"What would mother think of me?! Comfort eating at a time like this!" She smacked her forehead and groaned further, collapsing on the surface.

A resounding knock was then heard. Zelda jumped up instantly, storming over to the door, and yanking it open.

It was the postman. Of course. Actually, thank Nayru that it wasn't anyone else.

"A letter for you, Miss Zelda. From one, Cremia of Romani Ranch."

She raised her eyebrows as she took the letter. Cremia hardly wrote unless it was urgent, only her sister, Romani, wrote often.

Regardless, she thanked the man. He nodded and took to the skies. Zelda always wondered what it felt like for one's arms to turn into wings. She shook her head, turning her attention back to Cremia's letter.

Closing the door with a hip, Zelda ripped open the envelope. The letter read:

"Zelda,
For some strange reason, your horse is at my ranch. I haven't a clue why but she's here.
Romani told me she found Epona loitering outside, looking spooked.
No need to worry - we are looking after her but still please come and pick her up soon. We're not exactly focused specifically on horse care anymore.
Regards,
Cremia."

"Blunt and to the point as always," Zelda sighed, "But more to the question, why is Epona not with father?"

Thousands of worst-case scenarios began to blare through Zelda's mind, tearing at her heart. She gripped her hair tight, yanking on the strands as she attempted to banish those thoughts. That pie was looking appealing again.

Later that day, Zelda knocked on Karane's door. As luck had it, Karane was in.

"Zelda? What are you doing out?" She asked.

"Epona's at Romani Ranch," Zelda said, storming past.

"What?"

"Epona. Romani Ranch. Not with father," Zelda growled, placing her basket on a counter.

"What are you going to do? Shall I call the guards?"

"I don't think the Ranch or Castle Town are in their jurisdiction. And I don't think Cremia would want them sniffing around the place. Anyhow, I have several pies and cakes in here and plenty more at home that need eating. I hope this suffices."

"Excuse me?"

"Karane, I'm leaving Skyloft. I'm going to retrieve Epona and find my father."

"Trying to bribe me with pie again?"

"You always liked my mother's recipes."

"And I assume I have to clean and garden your place as well?"

"Only once in a while. And check on my letters. And no, there's nothing incriminating in them. Knock yourself out with the love letters. Also, anything grown from the garden's yours."

"What a very persuasive argument," Karane grinned, lifting up the cloth covering the basket, "Ooh, raspberry."

"Your favourite," Zelda grinned.

"You make a very convincing argument," Karane sighed,"Alright, I'll look after the place. Are you packed yet?"

"Almost. Need a bit more food."

"When are you leaving?"

"As soon as possible. I just need to secure a ride to the ranch."

"Ok. Just be safe, Zelda."

"No need to worry," she said as she left her friend's house, "I'm pretty good with a bow."

With a note from her mother's book, she winked and left.

Zelda finally had everything gathered. A few dresses, including her coming of age one were bundled together, protecting her packets of dried food. She'd packed a warm blanket and her shawl also.

She wore her mother's old travelling clothes consisting of a sky blue shirt, loose white trousers held up by a red sash, and a deep blue waistcoat. Unlike her mother, Zelda wore boots instead of sandals.

After slinging her bow over her shoulder and tying her quiver to her waist, she tied her mother's scarf around her neck for luck.

Checking her pack once more, she nodded and slung it over her shoulder, racing out of her house for the wagon that would take her to the ranch.

A/N: Well, uh... I finished this back in March. I guess I forgot to post it. I thought I was gonna get better. Anyway, updates will not be consistent (not that they ever are) since I have exams, yay!
Alrightie, acknowledgements! Thanks to James Birdsong (a guest it seems) for reviewing. And thank you Utruk Doomhammer and Otaku-Fan15 for favouriting!
Free free to review and let me know what you think.