Chapter 5: Romani's Mask.
Zak bent his neck to the side just as an arrow flew past. It stuck into the target behind him. He smiled a little. Romani groaned angrily. She notched another arrow and fired without aiming. Zak grabbed the arrow with his hand mere seconds before it stuck him through the face, his eyes wide.
"Sorry," she dropped the bow and hurried over to him, "Are you alright?"
He tossed the arrow aside, "I'm fine, but please take your time and try to aim your shots a little better."
Romani frowned, "You're right. Of course. Hey, how come you don't use ranged weapons like bows while you're fighting?"
He shrugged, "I'm actually not the greatest shot with a bow. Besides, I usually fight enemies that don't give me the option to aim at them."
"Maybe I should learn how to take care of myself if that happens," she sighed. Romani looked up at the sun, holding her hand up and closing one eye. Using her fingers, she measured the time. "Cremia's probably done with dinner by now. Are you hungry?"
Zak nodded, "I could eat. Let's head in." The two of them headed towards the farmhouse. Zak rubbed the soreness from the boar monster fight out of his neck. Truthfully, he didn't get hurt too badly from the fight, but got sore from trying to clean the mess off of Romani's wagon. He would have to figure out a better mode of transportation before too long.
"Hey," Romani clonked him on the head lightly with her knuckles, "Don't go spacing out on me. Did you hear what I said?"
He smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry. My mind was elsewhere. Could you repeat that?"
"Well," she said in a huff, "Cremia told me that there are two blacksmiths that life up North, in the mountains. They ordered an entire wagon full of Chateau Romani. They're throwing some sort of party, I guess. Cremia asked me to deliver it tonight."
He nodded, "Well, have fun."
Romani rolled her eyes, "I want you to go with me. Who knows what kind of monsters are out there? I could get horribly murdered. Poor, defenseless, little ol' me..."
"Yeah, yeah," he waved his hand, "You've made your point. Why are we really going to the mountains at night?"
She stopped walking and leaned in for a whisper, "Well, the delivery is real, but, more importantly, I've been hearing rumors about a gigantic bull roaming around in North Termina field at night. Sounds pretty serious to me."
Zak's eyes widened, "A giant bull? What kind of bull? Is it metallic?"
She eyed him, bewildered, "Um, no. Why would a bull be metallic?"
He blinked, "Never mind. Alright, I'm in. I can't ask you to take out this bull by yourself, after all."
Cremia poked her head through the door, "Hey, guys? Dinner's ready. Hurry up!"
After the three of them ate Cremia's vegetable stew in mostly silence, Zak assisted them in loading up the Chateau Romani in the back of the wagon. He pushed the last crate into place with a huff and breathed a loud sigh. Cremia touched him on the shoulder and lead him around the back of the barn.
"Zak, I'm glad you're going, but do you really have to bring your weapons with you?" she asked, concerned.
He nodded, "Romani told me that there have been sightings of a wild animal in North Termina field. It's just a precaution, I swear. You can come with us, if you're concerned."
She shook her head, "That's alright. Listen, I wanted to thank you for staying here while you're on your mission. You've been a great help around the ranch, and Romani seems to have taken a shine to you."
He smiled, "It's not a problem, Mom." She stared at him awkwardly. "S-s-sorry!" his face burned, "You remind me of my mom, that's all."
She chuckled a bit, "Well, that's flattering. Do you think I'd make a good mother?"
He looked away, embarrassed, "I'm not sure if I know the answer to that."
Cremia slapped him on the back, "I'm just kidding, kiddo. Hey, when you get back, I have a reward for you." He nodded, and ran out to meet Romani at the wagon. He loaded up his spear, shield, and Deku stick into the wagon, while he kept his sword strapped to his back.
"What did you and my sister talk about?" Romani asked, curious.
"Well," Zak rubbed the back of his head, "It's nothing important."
Zak stretched his arms while riding the wagon through Termina field. He couldn't help but yawn at the slow, methodical pace of the horse pulling the cart along. Romani, who was watching him out of the corner of her eye, smiled. He kicked his feet up when the wagon turned down the slope towards the beach. They traveled along the cliff face, passing underneath a few mushroom shaped rock formations. The horse immediately stopped. Zak grabbed his spear as a large black and white bull stared them down. Romani slowly reached back and pulled out her bow. The bull snorted. It looked ready to charge.
Zak jumped out and ran sideways, whistling at the bull. The bull stamped it front hoof on the ground, causing poofs of dirt to rise up. It roared and charged at full speed at him. Zak tumbled sideways as it crashed into the side wall. Romani fired a few arrows at it, but they bounced off of its hide harmlessly. It reared, kicking its hind legs at Zak furiously. He backflipped out of its range. Romani threw his shield out at him, and he ran towards it. Zak dove for the shield just as the bull charged him. He grabbed it and tumbled out of the way as the bull ran by him.
Zak stood up, dizzy from his tumble. The bull stared him down, readying itself for another charge. Zak narrowed his eyes. He circled around the bull until his back pressed against the mushroom rock formation. The bull charged, and Zak dodged to the side. He swung his spear, which clipped the bull's leg. It crashed into the rock, which collapsed down onto it. Zak bolted out of the way of the sliding rocks. He approached the bull cautiously, brushing off some of the rocks from its hide. It moved, and Zak plunged his spear deep into it. The bull stopped moving. He pulled out the blade of grass and played the song. The bull's body dissolved, untill all that was left was a cow's hood. Romani gasped when Zak stabbed it with his spear. It fell in half. A shimmering white light drifted out of it before dissipating
"I don't believe it," she remarked, "My sister makes all of those masks for the Milk Bar in Clock Town. How did this happen? What about the rest of the masks?"
Zak sheathed his spear in the holster on his back, "It's a long story. I'll get into it at some other time. The other masks are fine, it was only this one that this happened to. For now, let's focus on delivering that milk."
The two rode in silence until they arrived at the blacksmith's Mount Smithy. The two blacksmiths took the crates of Chateau Romani from the wagon and handed Romani a large bag of rupees for her trouble. The small one, Zubora, grabbed Zak by the shoulder.
"Excuse me, young man, but where did you get that sword?" he asked, curious.
Zak smiled, "It was my father's sword."
He eyed it with amazement, "It's a fine piece of craftsmanship. Who made it?"
"Gorons, from my homeland. They call it the Giant's Toothpick," he laughed, "The Goron blacksmiths from my homeland stand hundreds of feet in height."
"I see, I see," he marveled, "I think my associate and I can help you out, if you ever need an upgrade. Keep us in mind."
Zak nodded. The larger one, Gabora, growled affectionately to Romani, who scurried over behind Zak. The two of them said their goodbyes and headed back down to the ranch.
"Hey," Romani looked at Zak's sword hilt, "I was meaning to ask. Why don't you use your sword? I mean, you take it with you all of the time, but I've never seen you draw it."
Zak's expression turned serious, "My sword is for the enemies I can't defeat any other way. This may be hard to believe, but I am a master swordsman. The techniques I know about sword fighting are incredibly deadly."
She swallowed hard, "I'd hate to see an enemy you have trouble beating."
"Me too," he replied honestly.
Romani pulled into the ranch with a yawn. She unhooked her horse and lead it into the barn as Zak headed into the house. Cremia handed him a bottle of something.
"Here," she said happily, "It's our famous Chateau Romani. It's for adults, but I think you've earned it. Give it a try."
Zak drank the whole thing, "Wow, this is amazing! Although, I feel a little strange. Energized, somehow. What is this?"
She patted him on the shoulder, "That's the sign of you becoming a man, Zak."
He smiled, "Oh, hey. Mind if I keep this bottle?"