Alright, time for another new chapter. Thank you to anyone who has stuck with the story and the very infrequent updates. I have no excuse except that I have a job, am writing three other stories besides this one, and am finishing my last semester of coursework so I can transfer to a four year university in January. Life is fun.
Also, I added a scene to the end of chapter 6. It is important that you go and read it. I think I finally have all of my loose ends tied up and am ready to move on with the plot more quickly. It does introduce some more questions, though. Don't worry about that for now. Thanks again and enjoy. :O)
On a day just like any other, Cremia drives the wagon of Romani Ranch into Clock Town for a delivery of their fabled milk. Initially she was going to leave the task to her sister, but after last night's escapades with the shooting of fire arrows at bales of hay in yet another competition against Link, she revoked that privilege. Instead they are scooping manure all day before filling the next order for Mr. Barten. With the Carnival of Time only a week away he has been trying to stock up. He's also had more business lately with visitors arriving in town to stay at the inn run by her best friends. Thanks to Kafei's mother and father and their connections they were able to expand the inn a bit by adding four more rooms on a third level. The place was growing in reputation and demand so it was a much needed improvement.
At any rate, she stops at the entrance to East Clock Town and gets off of the wagon to begin unloading. Even though it was punishment for Romani to stay home, Cremia kind of punished herself as well since she has to do the hard work now. Just as she is getting the first container of milk from the back, the thundering of horse hooves eclipses the quiet sounds of the field. She turns to see what in the world is going on, only to be greeted by the sight of three thieves. At first she thinks of the Gorman Brothers, but they gave up that habit of stealing from her years ago. The next thing she notices is the crossbows they have ready, telling her they mean business. Without a word, she sets the milk down.
Another set of four hooves comes in next, and an arrow takes out the hand of the first horseman. He cries in pain, drops his weapon, and is kicked off of his horse. Her apparent rescuer lowers his traditional bow and grabs another arrow to prepare. The second thief throws a make shift bomb in front of the animal, which whinnies and rears back on two legs, knocking him flat on the ground. He rubs his head looking quite shocked and embarrassed while she stares kind of embarrassed for him. Quickly she remembers who is coming after her and grabs the two knives hidden under her dress strapped to her ankles. After the whole Gorman thing she decided it would be a good idea to teach herself how to defend against things like this and has actually become quite proficient. Her calm and mature ranch girl older sister image hides this well. One in each hand, she throws the daggers at each man, one landing in the second guy's shoulder while the other gets in the leg. Even if they are coming after her, she still has no real desire to hurt anyone.
In a pathetic heap now, the three abandon their plan. The one on the ground climbs up onto his horse, and the trio take off for the distance. The only thing she thinks about is she now has to hope she can find a suitable replacement for her lost weapons. She got them at the Curiosity Shop when Link convinced her they have some things worth checking out. The young man who tried to act as her savior gets up when he notices that she isn't looking and tries to slink away. Suddenly she remembers he is there and looks at him.
"You," she calls out. He freezes, his shoulders rigid."Where are you going?"
"I-I'm sorry. I have something to attend to."
"But I wanted to thank you and see if you we re okay. You took a nasty spill there. I know. Before I learned how to ride I had my fair share of falling on the dirt."
"I know how to ride!" he protests, sounding more like a child than the adult she sees. Quickly he regains his composure.
"Well geez, you don't need to get so defensive."
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have intervened. Had I known you could defend yourself so well, I would have let you be."
"It was nice of you to try," she says in an attempt to make him feel better. Going from angry to sheepish, he looks down at his feet.
"Thank you. I have to be going now, though." He turns around and tries to calm his horse down enough so he can mount her.
"You didn't even tell me your name," she presses further. "You look really familiar to me. Have we met before?" He hides his head even more.
"No,we haven't. I get that a lot."
"You remind me of a boy I knew when I was young. His family moved away to a different country, and I haven't seen him since we were six."
"You sound like you really cared about him."
"I wouldn't necessarily say that. We were too young back then."
"What about your two friends Anju and Kafei? They made a promise when they were young, and look at how happy they've been."
"How do you know they're my friends? And how do you know about their promise?"
"Uh..." He trails off, unable to find an answer in his brain that is satisfying enough. Suddenly a loud ringing can he heard coming from his pants, causing him to fumble around to try and turn it off. She watches him curiously, and when the object that is ringing loudly falls onto the ground as he somehow managed to drop it, it catches her attention. She goes over and picks it up before he can. He curses himself for setting that alarm.
"What in the world is this?" she asks as she eyes the contraption. It is black and fits in the palm of her hand. The front has a series of buttons, each with symbols on them that she does not recognize. It it also made up of a material that she has never seen or felt before. He snatches it back in a very rude manner.
"Give that to me." Quickly the device is back in his pocket as soon as he has turned it off. She crosses her arms and glares, something she rarely does.
"What's your problem?"
"Just never mind. I shouldn't have bothered coming here in the first place." He hops up on his horse and kicks her to get her going, but she only rears back and knocks him on the ground again just as pathetically. He groans at the pain and how he should have listened more to his parents when they tried teaching him how to ride. Her arms she uncrosses as she now stares at the random things that have scattered around him on the grass and dirt. Once he realizes this, he also realizes he should have listened to his friends about storing everything away instead of leaving it in his pockets. Before he can scramble to get everything together and to run away on foot since the horse thing isn't working, he finds himself underneath her. Besides being way too awkward for him to even think about, he is trapped under her weight as she sits on his abdomen and pins his arms down. This young woman is persistent, he concedes at least that much.
"Tell me who you are," she demands not so nicely.
"You wouldn't believe me even if I did."
"Try me. I have a boy living on my ranch who says he traveled through time and transformed into three different beings just to defeat an imp possessed by a mask."
"You must mean Link, the Hero of Time." If he could smack himself, he would for allowing that slip-up.
"Tell me."
"Will you at least get up first? You're not exactly a feather, you know." She punches him in the shoulder but gets up nonetheless. Begrudgingly she lends her hand to assist him, and he accepts it to be polite. It takes a few seconds for him to begin, but he does so. "Well, to start off with, I am from the future..."
The next morning, as dawn breaks at 6 am sharp, the town outside that would normally be starting its day is finishing their celebration. His friends, however, are not among this group as they all gathered at the inn and have been there since around ten the previous night, when Romani and Ytrriu came charging back into town with an injured Link. It was fortunate that one guest had checked out that afternoon, leaving a room available for the one who needed care and rest. Though Yttriu assured everyone that he would be fine in a week's time, this did not stop the youngest ranch sister from pacing the night away before finally falling asleep against her sister. Cremia sat there for a while before she was able to get away without waking her. She needed to speak with Yttriu, wanting the whole truth of what happened and knowing he was fibbing about the back story. He has been a terrible liar since she met him a week ago, and she wonders how in the world her two friends took what he said seriously, especially when he protested their offer to retrieve the town doctor. They also stayed the night in the lobby rather than heading to their room, falling asleep on one of the couches opposite the ranch sisters. Yttriu went outside, so she followed just before the sun was about to rise. Her friends remained asleep, and she smiled their way as she exited the inn.
Upstairs light filters slowly into the room where the sleeping hero lies. Even though he has been asleep for roughly eight hours, Link still manages to somewhat regain consciousness. At first he resists opening his eyes due to a massive headache, but he is also curious as to his surroundings. For a moment he forgets what happened the night before, but when he tries to move, the shooting pain through his abdomen and lower back reminds him. Moving the sheets off of himself, he sees he is not wearing a shirt and that bandages cover what he suspects is probably his wound. Then it all comes back in a slideshow- sneaking off with Romani and admitting they have feelings for each other, that guy attacking them, Yttriu showing up, and a sword through his back. He's been hurt before, but he always had a fairy to heal him or some potion or milk. Even then, he usually needed those things only because he pushed his body past its limit and took too many hits. Never has he been run through like that. Apparently, though, he has gone and survived or else he would not be looking around the Knife Chamber, the room he stayed in seven years ago after usurping Goron Link's reservation.
No matter how much he knows he probably needs the rest, he moves the covers off of his body completely, finding he is wearing no pants and just underwear. On a chair nearby is a set of clothes he recognizes as belonging to Kafei. Both are about the same size, and with Link's wardrobe at the ranch, he thanks Kafei silently as he tries to push himself up. It takes quite a few tries and a lot of wincing, but he manages it. Even harder is the task of dressing himself, but he manages this, too. The shirt is dark blue and buttons up the front, but he leaves those undone to prevent anything from agitating his wound. Next he goes for the door, which creaks lightly when opening. The floorboards make some noise as well, but this is minimal since he cannot move very fast. There is no audible sign of life downstairs so he guesses they are all asleep for now. To get some fresh air, he makes his way over to the door that leads to the roof. In the past he used it to sneak in after hours, but right now he will use it to sneak out and have some time to think. As soon as he opens it, though, he sees someone else already beat him to it. The youngest ranch sister sits on the roof watching the sunrise, legs pulled up to her chest and her arms around them. Despite what her sister thinks, Cremia moving away did in fact wake her up, and she came up here to watch the rising star. Usually she is awake this early, but she has never been able to enjoy the daily occurrence from this viewpoint.
Her presence causes him to freeze in his steps. He wanted to think before he saw her again, and he does not at all feel ready to talk to her. He worked up enough nerve last night to kiss her, but what he wants to do next will take more courage than facing Ganon. At least, that's how it feels. His instincts tell him to run, but he fights them. If he can't face himself and her now, then he doesn't know if he ever will. Besides, he doesn't have to be that honest just yet. As quietly as he can, he makes his way over, kneeling down and gritting his teeth to prevent complaining about the pain.
"Hey." She turns around at his voice, only to find that he really is there and she wasn't hearing things. For a moment she forgets how badly he was injured and is just glad to see him.
"Link, you're okay," she says excitedly as she throws her arms around him. He winces.
"Well, I was..."
"Oh. I'm sorry." She lets him go and moves back, her eyes on her lap. He eases himself onto the roof and leans on the pole holding the bell up.
"Did Yttriu tell you anything about that guy?" he asks.
"Not really, but he did promise to tell me some thing else about himself later. I think Cremia already knows more about him, and I don't think he's the guy she, Kafei, and Anju knew when they were kids."
"Strange," he trails off.
"You should be lying down," she tells him. "Come on. I'll help you back to bed."
"No, I don't feel like resting anymore right now. Besides, my wound hurts, but it doesn't feel as bad as it should. I've actually dealt with worse pain than this."
"So I guess his potion worked after all."
"Potion?"
"Yeah. Yttriu had this red potion that he gave you. He poured some of it directly on your wound and got you to drink the rest." He takes that in and thinks about it. The only red potion he is familiar with was nowhere near as powerful as what Yttriu apparently gave him last night. Definitely strange. "I was really worried about you," she says suddenly. Now he looks down. Despite settling down and not having to go on any adventures in the last seven years, he is still a hero. He will always have his title and his power, and enemies will follow him until he is no longer in this world. When he fell for the girl beside him, he tried to forget that, hoping it would never have to matter. Now he's unintentionally gone and hurt her.
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to have a nice night together."
"Up until that guy showed up it was the best night I've ever had." She blushes lightly at her own comment. "Besides, you're alright now. That's all that matters."
"I'm glad then," is all he can think of to say. He turns his eyes to the sky and finds the way the blue canvas is painted red and orange to be a sight he never tires of. "I wasn't completely honest last night when I told you how much I missed my friends."
"Oh." In her tone he can hear disappointment, which he will correct as soon as he is done speaking his mind. "I miss them a lot. Some of them don't even remember the time we spent together because Zelda sent herself and me back in time to enjoy growing up the normal way. I'll never forget anything, even if they'll never remember. That's partly why I decided to leave and find my fairy partner Navi. I didn't belong in the Forest anymore, and I had gotten so used to the road and to traveling. I never told Navi goodbye or thank you. I had to find her to tell her at least. But then I ended up getting trapped here, and I couldn't even use the Ocarina of Time to get in touch with Zelda. The Mask Man ditched me after breaking his promise, and the way I came here was gone." She stares down still, and he knows what she is thinking. Now he will make he feel better. "I love my friends, and some part of me will always miss Hyrule, but I have so much here, things that I lost when I went back in time. You guys gave me a place to stay, and it's become my home just as much as my tree house was. I get way better food, I have three of the greatest friends anyone could ask for, and I really like working on the ranch."
"You said three friends," she points out.
"Okay, technically that's wrong. I have four, but the fourth means way more than a friend to me." She glances over at him, hoping he won't see her, but he is still watching the horizon. He can't believe he is letting the words come out so freely, and even if he feels he is being somewhat sappy, he will go on. "Last night I only wanted to ask if you'd do something with me sometime, but almost dying made me consciously admit what I really wanted to tell you."
"And what was that?" she asks, the nervousness not at all hidden. He doesn't answer her yet.
"I was forced to grow up so fast. I missed out on being a teenager and had to save the world as soon as I woke up from a seven years nap. Do you know how long it took me to get used to my adult body? It was awkward, I can tell you that. I was surprised at how quickly I adjusted, though. Then I was sent back to being a kid, even though I felt like an adult. Even though I had to save this world, too, I stopped to help everyone else along the way. Imagine if I had been an immature little kid. You would have been abducted by aliens, your sister would have been all depressed about it, the Gorman Brothers would have kept raiding her milk deliveries, and who knows if Kafei and Anju would have ever been reunited. I saw all of those outcomes, but I was lucky and could go back in time to change things."
"Link, I think you're rambling."
"I think I'm not." She decides to stay quiet now and listen to what he was eventually going to get at. "I got to grow up normally here. No one was depending on me to save the world, there were no bad guys, and I had someone my age to hang out with. I had Saria back home, but she was more like a big sister who was constantly defending me against Mido. The other Kokiri children never said anything, but they all thought I weird until Navi came to me. I pretty much had to leave right after that. But here...I feel like I finally got the chance at being a kid again the way Zelda wanted."
"Why are you telling me all of this?"
"You were honest with me last night, but I wasn't completely honest with you. I figured we should be honest with each other before I tell you something important."
"Tell me what?" He doesn't answer right away, but he does take a few breaths to calm his heart beat.
"You're my reason." She stares at him, but he still refuses to look. "This place became my home, and you're the one I wake up looking forward to seeing every day. If I could go back home now, I wouldn't. When I was lying there bleeding, I thought about how I was going to leave this world without finishing some important business. It was the same feeling I had when I was fighting the boss of the Shadow Temple and then Majora. I never wanted to feel that way again, but here I was, about to die and regretting something I'd been putting off."
"Would you stop with all of the talking and tell me what you're meaning to say already?" That impatience he can't help smiling at. He also decides to ignore her plea because no matter what words he puts out there, they won't convey what he means. Still being new at this whole thing, he kisses her again, softly this time. Though surprised at first, she quickly gets over it. He breaks it off after only a few seconds, but they remain close. Before she realizes what she is even saying, the phrase escapes her lips. "I love you, too." He grins lightly.
"Hey, no fair. I was working up to saying that, and you just stole my moment." Aggravated but only somewhat, she lightly punches his arm.
"Shut up, Grasshopper." Still with his grin, he leans in once more, the pain from his abdomen and back dulled by the happiness he feels in this moment.
On the other side of the bell, the door opens quietly. Yttriu peeks his head out to see if this is where either Link or Romani went, ending up finding them both. Cremia looks over his shoulder, only somewhat surprised at what she sees. After seven years of teasing and denials, she noticed when their behavior started to change towards each other.
"So that's why they left last night," she whispers.
"Something like that." He closes the door quietly, and they both stand at the top of the stairs.
"I wonder if I should ask them later."
"No," he says adamantly. "You're not supposed to know yet."
"Oh, really? And how are you so sure-oh yeah, I forgot. You know all."
"I don't know all. I just know what happens because I'm from the future."
"So you say." He knows she is teasing and changes the subject.
"Are you sure your friends aren't suspicious of me at all? Judging by your looks from last night I didn't exactly act like him."
"No, it was too long ago. He moved away when we were kids, remember? You look so much like him anyway."
"So we established last week."
"Why is your name also Yttriu then?"
"Well, I'm kind of related to him."
"Really? How?"
"I can't tell you the exact details because the future can be changed by what happens now. I'd like to eventually be born."
"I wish I could know more."
"I know, but I've already said too much. It's bad enough you know about me."
"You keep reminding me of that. I get it. It isn't my fault, by the way. You're a horrible liar."
"My mother was a bad liar, too. They say that's where I get it from."
"So how long will it be before I find out about them officially?"
"Three months."
"Three months? How am I going to act like I don't know for three months?"
"You'll just have to be a better liar than me."
"That's not lying."
"What ever you say." She folds her arms over her chest and stares pointedly. He smiles, and she forgets being annoyed with him.
"Let's just go back downstairs." He agrees, and they head down there. The lobby is still quiet, and their friends are still asleep.
"Leave them alone. This'll be one of the last peaceful times like this for a while."
"Now what are you talking about?"
"Okay, this time I'm making it up. But leave them alone anyway."
"I was going to."
"Oh." Upstairs a door opens and slams loudly. An older man descends the stairs as loud as possible, complaining about how the Milk Bar ran out last night. Apparently he found some more in his room hence his disregard for anyone else and the smell coming from him as he walks by the awake pair. He opens the front door and slams it, too.
"What's going on?!" Kafei practically jumps up in slight panic. He blinks a few times until he realizes what just happened, and he breathes again. "Remind me to write his name down on the black list for next year."
"You guys have a black list?" she asks.
"We do now." His grumpiness is obvious, and Cremia tries to help him calm down.
"Hey, we've all had a long night, Kafei. Why don't you get your mother-in-law to watch everything today so you guys can catch up on sleep?"
"No, it's fine. Knowing her she was up all night too worrying what people will think if they find out what happened to Link. Now she'll probably label him a hooligan or some such thing."
"No wonder you don't like living here so much." His expression conveys exactly how much he hates it, but this softens when he looks at his sleeping wife. She's the only thing that makes it tolerable, and he would do anything to make her happy. He contemplates whether or not to wake her, and he decides against doing so on purpose. Instead, he carefully picks her up. Speaking softly, he looks at their friends.
"You two can stay as long as you like. I'll be back in a little bit." They thank him, and he heads off to their room, the same one that used to belong to her grandmother. Though she is usually a light sleeper, she doesn't stir in his arms, which he is thankful for. Cremia watches him disappear around the corner before looking back at Yttriu.
"Now what?"
"We wait."
"For what?"
"I'm not quite sure. I'll let you know when I figure it out."
"Okay then. What ever you say." He smirks, but she only shakes her head and goes to make some tea in the kitchen. He looks around the lobby and sighs, but she interrupts the quiet with a yell.
"Oh no!" He dashes off down the hall to see if she's alright.
"What's wrong?" he asks frantically.
"I almost forgot what today is." Kafei quickly joins them both.
"Is everyone okay?" he asks sounding just as worried.
"I'm sorry, Kafei. I completely forgot today is your guys' anniversary." Both guys stare kind of skeptically that she made such a big deal out of that, but the one with purple hair smiles lightly.
"Don't worry about it. We were just going to have a quiet night together to celebrate. Next week is when we were planning on going somewhere since the crowd from the carnival will be gone by then."
"But I don't even have a gift or a card or anything."
"Cremia," he says forcefully with both of his hands on her shoulders. "I said not to worry. We know you guys don't have a lot of extra money right now."
"Or ever," she adds. He smiles again.
"Spending time together last night was a better gift than anything you could buy. I just hope Link will really be okay." Her mind flashes to him and her sister on the roof.
"Oh, he'll be fine." Even though the son of the mayor is somewhat skeptical of him being "fine" so quickly, he doesn't say anything. He wants it to be true. Link helped reunite him with Anju, and he's been a great friend these last seven years. The group of three was again in East Clock Town when Yttriu and Romani rushed back from where ever they were, a pale and blood-soaked hero in his arms. That was not a sight he could handle seeing again. He hopes to the Great Fairy and even the four Guardians for the young man's recovery.
"If you two don't mind, I think will try and get a little bit of rest before Anju's mom wakes up and scolds us for sleeping in."
"No, go ahead. I might just lay down myself for a bit on one of the couches."
"I wish we had something more comfortable for you."
"It's fine. I'll see you in a little while." With a quick agreement, he goes back to his shared room. She looks at Yttriu. "Are you going to get some shut eye?"
"No. I want to stay on guard. I'm not sure if he truly is gone for now."
"Stop joking around and being so serious."
"I am serious about that, Cremia." She doesn't respond, the look in his eyes conveying how much he really does mean it. Without another word, she goes back to lie down for a couple of hours before things start buzzing again. He continues on to the kitchen to make the tea she forgot about, thoughts of his rival and the man's mission in his mind.
The next three days passed slowly by for Link as he recovered from the fight that almost killed him. Kafei finally managed to convince Yttriu to allow the town's only doctor to come take a look at the hero. The man pronounced Link unable to be moved for at least three days, probably more to be safe and prevent his wound from reopening. Surprising everyone save for Yttriu, his injury seemed to heal at an unnatural rate. At the end of three days, he felt more than fit enough to head back to the ranch, even if he was not well enough to ride Epona. Cremia promised to have the wagon at Clock Town at 9 am sharp to take him home, and she kept her word with enthusiastic help from her little sister.
Link sighs and looks up at the inside of the wagon cover. Normally he enjoys taking the reigns or at least sitting next to whoever is driving. He loves the view as they rush by, and the cream colored fabric is a poor substitute. This time Yttriu gets the lucky job of being second in command, and Romani sits next to Link in the back. Neither says a word to each other, both anxious to have him home again. Yttriu also promised to tell them all something later on today. Apparently it is quite urgent judging by the tone in which he told them. Also strange was Cremia's lack of reaction or curiosity. After what he said to that man during the battle, both Link and Romani have been wondering what his story is and just how exactly he knows that man. What ever it is he must not want widely known or else he would not have waited for Link to leave Stock Pot Inn. For some reason, Yttriu does not want Anju or Kafei to know what he has to say, signaling to Link it's probably something related to him being Hero of Time. That is one thing of his past he has not shared with them, and for the time, he has no intentions of doing so. He knows it won't matter to the couple, but he wants this place to feel as much like home as possible. Cremia and Romani don't even really think about it, and he wishes for it to stay that way among all of his friends.
Soon enough the wagon makes it to Romani Ranch, and it is only a five minute trip from the gates to the barn. Based on the sounds and smell, Link can tell he is home at last. Cremia and Yttriu get off, figuring Romani will help him in getting out. In the mean time, they can put the horses away and see that they have water and hay. Link tries to sit up on his own, but he winces before he gets very far. Just because it is doing a good job healing does not mean it doesn't hurt at all. She forces her help on him right away, and together they make the slow journey out into the open air of the ranch. He breathes it in and lets the breeze ruffle his bangs. Something about the ranch has always felt open and free. He also starts to space out, but he is brought back to the present Romani lightly tugging on his arm. He looks at her with a small reassuring smile and follows her lead inside. Yttriu and Cremia follow shortly after.
The four of them go about their business quietly. Link takes a seat at the table, and Cremia goes to boil some water for tea. Romani volunteers to try making breakfast, and Yttriu sits on a futon against the wall, which also serves as Link's place to sleep. It was a very comfortable gift given to them by their two friends in town a few years back, and he approves of it. Silence prevails for ten whole minutes before Link decides he cannot take it anymore.
"You guys don't need to act so cautious around me. I'm going to be fine, and I promise I don't plan on that happening again."
"So you hope," Yttriu mutters. Link looks at him now.
"Why don't you just tell us what you wanted to talk about instead of sitting there playing games? That's all you've done since we met you."
"Don't be so harsh, Link. He did save your life, you know," Romani reminds him. He grumbles almost inaudibly, but she smacks him on the head anyway.
"No, he's right." That surprises all of them. "I have been lying to everyone, and it's time I told you all why I came back here." Cremia looks up from her mug of tea, and the other two look at him as well. Cremia only knows part of the back story and is curious as to the rest of it. "I'm from the future, and I'm related to that guy Yttriu that Cremia, Anju, and Kafei knew as well."
"Not you too," Link complains.
"Why are you so skeptical of that? After all, you traversed the river of time yourself in Hyrule and here in Termina."
"I also had the two keys needed to do so, and that creepy mask guy taught me how the Song of Time would work here. Plus I'm the Hero of Time, which you should know if you really are from the future."
"Is it really so impossible to believe that people twenty years from now could find a way to travel across time?" Link doesn't answer, and Romani isn't sure what to say herself. It was a stretch at first believing Link and his adventures, but because she got to know him as he stayed on the ranch, it ended up being no trouble. This new guy, who isn't even who she thought he was, is less credible, despite what she said a few days ago. She was desperate for someone to help Link. She would have said anything. "Who would have thought that out of all of you, Cremia would be the one to believe me first?" They look at her next.
"Cremia, how could you think he was telling the truth?"
"You really believe him, sister?" She looks at Link.
"I have no reason to doubt him just like I had no reason to doubt you."
"But this is different."
"How is it different?"
"I saved you from the Gorman Brothers, helped Romani save the cows, and then saved all of Termina. I think that gives me more credibility, don't you?"
"How do you know Yttriu didn't do anything like that?"
"When could he have?"
"A week and a half ago when I first came here." Link looks skeptical.
"I was making a delivery to the Milk Bar when I was attacked." That worries both of them, especially the hero since he wasn't there to help like he has before.
"By who? You didn't tell us this."
"I don't know who it was, but Yttriu rode in and chased them off."
"That still doesn't explain why you believe him so easily."
"This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you two. It was bad enough Cremia found out."
"Must you say that in every conversation?"
"Sorry."
"If you're from the future, then why have you come back to this place in time?" Link presses further.
"I cannot give you the exact details, but I was following the one who attacked you three days ago. His mission was to eliminate you, Link. Since I haven't been able to find any trace of him, I think he believes he succeeded and returned to the future we both came from."
"So shouldn't you be leaving too then?"
"Knock it off, Link," Cremia reprimands. "He is welcome to stay here for as long as he wants." Yttriu smiles slightly at that but quickly becomes serious again.
"I want to stick around just to make sure he is no longer a threat. I would appreciate it very much if none of you told anyone else what I have said. If they're anything like Link, though, I doubt they would believe you." Seeing that as a challenge, Link moves to get up out of his chair. Pain from his wound knocks him back into it. Romani moves closer to him to make sure he is okay, and Cremia just looks at Yttriu. He can read her expression well and has to refrain from laughing. Somehow she will have to pretend for three months that she does not know what the two have recently confessed to each other.
"So now that everything is settled, why don't Romani and I finish making breakfast?" No one protests so the sisters go about their work. Yttriu and Link remain quiet, but they keep glancing at each other, Link mistrusting and Yttriu unreadable. Cremia sighs inwardly as she notices this. It's going to be interesting living here for the next little while, she thinks.
I have one thing to say and that is: I hope the future thing isn't too weird or DBZ-like (for those of you who have watched the show and know about Mirai Trunks and his time machine). I promise I know what I'm doing. But if it is, let me know so I try and handle it differently.
Until next time, in the words of my favorite comedian George Carlin, may the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house.