Hello folks! Chapter 143 is here! This week the talent show continues, but little does Link know what his fiances have to demonstrate to the people, and what surprises he himself will experience.
After things had settled down with Kesuta and Korume's magic performance, it was time for the next part of the Hyrule Market Talent Show. A somewhat tired host stepped up to the stage and cleared his throat, before speaking out to the crowd,
"Coming up next, we have a musical performance by Togau of Gerudo Desert!" the talent show host said, stepping away as the curtain slid open, only to see there was no one there.
"Huh? Another Gerudo?" asked a villager, "Where is she?"
"Wonder what happened?" Link asked with concern.
After a few moments, the crowd saw Malon pushing a very nervous and rigid Togau onto stage, her whole face was pale white and was clutching tightly at her fiddle.
"Come on Togau, you're up next!" Malon said.
"U-Uh, wait a sec Mally, I think I lost mah fiddle wand!" Togau said in a panicky high-pitched tone, "Just tell the host I should... uh, be able to find it by next year's show!"
"Looks like Togau has a case of stage fright." Nabooru said sweatdropping.
Malon just rolled her eyes, taking the wand from Togau's belt and putting it in her hand.
"Come on Togau, you said wanted to make Link and Lady Nabooru proud by putting on a good show to the Hylians, remember?" Malon assured her. Togau gulped nervously and nodded as Malon walked off stage. She stepped up, almost tripping over her own feet, before speaking out to the crowd,
"H-Hello! My name is fiddle and I got a Togau to play for yall! I mean-" she slapped her forehead, "I-I hope you like my musical show!" she shouted out standing as stiff as a board..
Malon and Reirousa soon came escorting some cows up the stairs to stand on the stage with Togau, and the crowd looked to each other in confusion of what the cows were there for.
"Mooooooo."
Togau nervously took her wand and placed it against the strings of the fiddle, taking a deep breath and started attempting to play. Link noted it sounded somewhat like the song Malon always sang that allowed him to call Epona, but it was coming out scratchy and jittery. The cows were standing around mooing and chewing on cud, and the audience was still baffled as to what was going on.
"This is getting stupid." grumbled a villager.
"If I wanted to see a show like this I'd watch my seven-year old nephew at the school play." said another.
Sweat was pouring down Togau's head as she slowly but shakily moved the wand across the fiddle strings, she just couldn't concentrate.
"Maybe I better step in and help her." Link said about to get up, but Nabooru gripped his shoulder and held him down in his place.
"Wait a second, look." Nabooru grinned.
Just when Togau was about to forget everything and bolt off the stage though, a soft soothing singing voice could be heard in he air, and she turned to see Malon walking up onto the stage singing the song her mother Murin had taught them both so long ago.
"Ooo-ooh-ooooh, ooo-ooh-oooooh, ooo-ooo-ooo ooo-ooh..."
This caused the ears of the cows to perk up, and they all mooed happily. Togau stared over at Malon with wide eyes, as the ranch girl stepped up to her side.
"Oh, I know this tune! I've heard it when I've visited Lon Lon Ranch in the past!" said a villager.
"Isn't that Mr. Talon's daughter? Bless her heart, she sings so lovely!" said an older woman.
"M-Mally?" Togau whispered.
"Come on Togau, you got this." Malon whispered back to her aunt with a smile.
Togau stared at Malon for a moment, before she nodded with a big smile back, putting the wand to her fiddle and started to play in tune with Malon's singing. The music from her fiddle was an upbeat and lively version of Malon's song, which caught the attention of the cows.
"MooOOoooo!"
The crowd watched in awe as the cows started merrily dancing around in circles on stage. Togau was fully concentrating on performing the music, not even seeming to be nervous anymore as Malon sang beside her. The cows pranced around the stage in tune to Togau's fiddle music, mooing out happily.
"Hey now, that there's pretty impressive!" said an astonished villager.
"Never thought I'd see dancing cows in this show!" said a woman clapping her hands to the music.
"Togau just needed a little push to put on a smile and a fine show." Nabooru grinned to Link.
"Yeah, those two work really well together." Link nodded, "They really are more like sisters than just aunt and niece."
"If things keep going as they are, Malon may soon become even closer to her," Nabooru suggested with a wink, "...on the big day of your royal wedding."
"Ah-heh-heh, that's really up to Malon to decide..." Link chuckled sheepishly, he turned back to the stage and noted how happily Malon was singing out to the crowd, finding himself thinking back to the days they spent as children playing together...
The cows continued to merrily dance circles around the two rancher girls, until their song finally came to a stop and the cows came to a halt. Togau held Malon's hand as they both bowed to the crowd, who all cheered and clapped wildly.
"Thanks Mally." Togau whispered to her, "Ya really saved mah bacon."
"No problem, we're family after all, right?" Malon smiled softly.
The curtains came to a close as the host stepped back up onto the stage.
"A splendid performance by Togau and one of Hyrule's own, Malon of Lon Lon Ranch!" the host said, "Now for our next performance we have-"
"Mooooooooo!"
"Moo?" the host asked as a cow stuck it's head out from the curtain to munch at the back of his suit, "Hey, quit eating that!"
"Sorry Mr. Host!" Togau shouted from behind the curtain, "We're tryin' ta get the cows off stage!"
"I warned you they would be stubborn about the stairs!" they heard Malon exclaim as the curtains rustled around.
"Hey, settle down there ya dang bovines!" Togau shouted.
"Here, try using this stick to get them moving!" Malon said.
"MOOOOOO!"
"Not like that!" Malon shouted.
"Heeeeey! I heard my favorite song so I came over! Huh, what are all these cows doing here?" came a new third girl's voice.
"Epona, quick hugging me and help us out here!" Malon said frantically.
"Moo."
After having to get Reirousa's help to move the cows back off the stage, the host made his next announcement,
"Now, next up we have a very special show by a member of our very own Hylian royal knights, presenting the brave and noble lady knight Lieutenant Ashe!"
"Oh I've heard of her!" spoke a villager, "She's that new knight that's been making waves recently!"
"Hmph, to think they allowed a woman to join the knights." grumbled a much older villager, "Has that new Hylian Captain lost his marbles?"
"Hey now, that's no way to way to talk Dad!" his daughter said, "She's been an inspiration to women in town. Ever since she became a knight there's been a lot more girls working to join the army as well!"
"Heh, looks like Sister Ashe has become an inspiration around here." Nabooru whispered to Link.
"Yeah, this is like everything she's ever wanted." Link nodded.
The curtain opened again and there stood Ashe in her light knight's armor, standing before a table with multiple bowls and a larger bowl of fruit right in front of her. She had her eyes closed in concentration.
"Oh my, that's her?" gasped a villager, "She's a lot prettier than I thought!"
"What's she going to do I wonder?" Link asked, leaning forward with interest.
Ashe didn't say a word, but opened one eye and saw Link sitting in the back of the crowd. She blushed a little at how intently he was watching but tried to kept her focus. She closed her eye and took a deep breath, before taking the bowl and tossing the fruit into the air, astonishing everyone. She then unsheathed her twin swords, opened her eyes and swung her blades out wildly at the fruit in midair. She then took her swords and sheathed them with a click.
A few seconds after that, the fruit all fell down right into the bowls, even managing to scatter just enough so each bowl had a good variety of each kind.
The crowd clapped loudly for Ashe as some assistants came and took the bowls to distribute out to the audience.
"Wow, that was amazing!" exclaimed a villager.
"Where do you think she learned something like that?" asked another.
Nabooru chuckled a little as she nudged Link, who was beaming with pride at his future bride's skill.
"Thank you everyone. Please accept this treat as a complimentary gift from the royal Hylian knights." Ashe bowed, she stood up straight and saluted, "And if you wish to play a greater part of Hyrule's safety and future, then consider please signing up for a place within our knighthood!"
"Huh? Ashe is working as a recruitment officer?" Link spoke.
"It seems what she said before is true, she's being put into less combat assignments and more supervising ones, like when Marceau the Mirror attached the king and princess." Nabooru observed.
"I suppose I'm glad she's not putting herself in danger as much, but she wanted to fight to protect people..." Link said somewhat bothered, accepting a bowl of fruit from an assistant.
"I don't like it either, but perhaps there's ways she can do more to help in the position she's in now." Nabooru suggested, she took a bite of fruit from her own bowl just as everyone else did the same...
Only for everyone to collectively spit out the fruit and gag. Many reaching for water to drink to wash out their throats.
"Huh?" Ashe asked in confusion.
"This fruit is terrible! It's tastes like it's been left out for weeks!" shouted a villager.
"What?" Ashe looked around in confusion, "That can't be right, I was told this was the finest-" but she took a taste of a bowl herself and realized how rancid it was, spitting it out, "Ack, what the hell?"
The crowd booed angerly as they started throwing fruit at Ashe. She was forced to duck and dodge some of it, and used her swords to slice through the rest of the barrage.
"Like I wanna join the knights if this is what they feed their soldiers!" shouted a villager.
"I'd rather eat my wife's cabbage casserole!" said another.
"Hey!"
Before any more fruit could be thrown the curtains shut in front of Ashe and the host came up to the stage.
"W-Well there you have it, a fine display of swordsman ship by the lieutenant of the Hylian knights!" laughed the host awkwardly as he removed a slice of browned banana from his top hat.
"Poor Ashe." Link frowned, he'd have to check on her later. He spit out the bad taste of the fruit he had been given, "But what the hell was up with that old fruit?"
"Beats me, I wonder if the knights are having budgeting issues...?" Nabooru observed.
Meanwhile in the backstage, Ashe had an angry scowl as she stomped down the stairs and was passing by one of her subordinate knights. She paused for a moment before she grabbed the knight by his shirt.
"Gack, s-something wrong Lieutenant?" the knight exclaimed terrified.
"That old fruit could have made the citizens sick!" Ashe said, "Who the hell was responsible for supervising the delivery?!"
"I-It was Duke Geronim of the Hylian Parliament!" the knight said in terror of Ashe's angry stare, "He approved the fruit to be safe to eat!"
"...hmph." Ashe let go of the knight's shirt and went off on her way, leaving the knight startled.
"I'm going to have a word with my superior about this..."
After the fruit was finally cleaned up, the host wiped his brow of sweat as he made his next announcement,
"N-Next up, we have a performance by the lovely Gerudo woman Sarami!" the host said.
"Nice, I wonder what she's going to do." Link said curiously.
"I've been looking forward to this one myself." Nabooru said, "Don't let us down Sarami."
The curtains opened, as the crowd saw there was some wooden planks set up everywhere on the stage to resemble tall, destroyed buildings. The crowd murmured to themselves about what this was about, but then they heard an odd voice booming out from somewhere,
"It is the distant year 15XX, just as humanity had achieved great feats in peace and prosperity, an evil force known as the Tarotarians came from parts unknown to seize the human's resources and knowledge for themselves. Cataclysmic wars broke out, and many suffered by the day. In the wake of this disaster, the people cried out for a new hope..."
"Tarotarians, the heck are-?" Nabooru stared at the stage, confused for a moment, only to then slap her palm against her forehead, "...oh goddess Aifet, you can't be serious."
"Huh? What's going on?" Link asked in confusion.
Then running onto the stage from the right was what appeared to be a small child in rags, but Link and Nabooru quickly recognized it to be Saria. She was pretending to be gasping out in exhaustion, and then collapsed to the floor.
"I gotta... keep running..." Saria gasped, trying to force herself up.
"Thought you could escape from me, could ya small child." spoke out a familiar hulking voice in an oddly monotone inflection.
"Oh no..." Saria said tuning to see a large shadow approaching her, but Link noticed she looked slightly more amused than terrified, "I-It's that fiendish monster!"
Stepping up onto the stage was a large hulking form that at first looked like a giant bull wearing black, spiked leather armor and gripping an battleaxe made from wood in one hand, but upon closer inspection it was Reirousa in a costume. The muscular woman looked completely mortified in the outfit and was clutching some papers in her other hand.
"You thought you... uuuh, could get away? Soon you... uh..." the woman in the bull suit paused and read the next line from the papers she held, "Soon you dirty humans shall be no more and the..." she squinted at the words on the script, "Taco-tari-ants shall rule this land... laughing?"
"That means YOU laugh you idiot!" called out what sounded like Kesuta, "And it's pronounced Tarotarians!"
"Uh, oh right." Reirousa muttered, she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "Jees, how did she talk me into doing this?" she shook her head and approached Saria, looking back at the script as she did, "Pray to your goddesses little girlie, for your time is... night?"
"That says 'nigh'." Saria whispered loudly.
"Oh right, sorry." Reirousa apologized, as she brought up her battleaxe.
"Aaahh! Please, someone save me!" Saria exclaimed as she brought her arm up in terror, but then a new woman's voice shouted out.
"Not so fast you evil fiend!" they heard a voice call out as a bunch of brown leaves suddenly blew out from the left side of the stage all over Reirousa. The woman in the bull costume waved her arms around to block off the leaves, pretending to be in pain from them.
"W-Who dares do that." Reirousa said as she brushed some leaves from her script.
"I do, you shall not harm this poor child, you nefarious Tarotarian!"
Stepping up onto the stage was what Link quickly recognized as Sarami, but she was wearing a new set of clothes he had never seen before. It was a frilly red, yellow and brown blouse and miniskirt, with the frills resembling leaves. The outfit was tight on her body and gave her a fine set of chest cleavage, and she had white leggings on that showed off her long legs. There was what appeared to be ears of corn attached to her belt, and she was wearing a tiara made from cranberry leaves around her head with the berries hanging by her ears. She was also holding a rake that was wrapped in vines and leaves.
"Huh?" Link's eyes practically bulged out of his head, "Sarami?!"
The booming narrative voice could be heard again, and Link then realized it was Korume's,
"That hope came from Din, the golden goddess of earth, who chose four potential individuals to inherent a great power to save the world... the power of nature itself. Possessing the powers of flowery spring, warm summer, soothing autumn and tranquil winter, these four were known as the Oracles of Seasons!"
"Huh, Oracles of Seasons? Why does that sound familiar...?" asked a villager.
"Dunno, could have shown I took my kids to play like this once." said another.
"It's you!" Saria exclaimed happily to Sarami.
"Who are you...?" Reirousa asked.
"Wild is the music of autumnal winds, amongst the faded woods... I am known as Oracle Autumn," Sarami did a graceful twirl as she held out her rake at Reirousa, "And by the power of Din, I bring the plentiful harvest of hope to the people of this land!"
"I can't believe she's actually doing this..." Nabooru groaned.
"What the heck is going on here? What's with that get-up Sarami is wearing?" Link asked.
Nabooru rolled her eyes and explained, "Well you see, back when she was going through her child-bearer training and I was still a kid, Sarami used to take me to a children's theater where they did a play called the 'Oracles of Seasons', it's about a bunch of girls with seasonal superpowers saving the world from evil..."
She looked back up at the stage as Sarami stopped out in front of Saria to confront Reirousa.
"I grew out of those kinds of shows by the time I was a teenager, but I think Sarami got a little too into the story telling..." Nabooru said slapping her face into her palm, "She even went out of her way to buy both of us the plush dolls, some outfits and even the entire novelization of the plays..."
"I never knew Sarami had tastes like that." Link said stroking his chin.
Back on stage, Sarami was using her rake to fend off the attacks of Reirousa's battleaxe, doing her best to protect Saria from the mad bull's wrath. Sarami was struck by a supposedly powerful blow which sent her flying back, but it was more like she was walking backwards to make it look that way, and she fell to one knee gasping out.
"I-It's too strong..." Sarami gasped, "Could this be... the end...?"
"H-Hey Doc Sarami, you okay there?" Reirousa asked in genuine concern, completely forgetting this was all a show.
"Oh no, Oracle Autumn!" Saria exclaimed, running over to try and help Sarami up, "Hang in there! You're the only one that can stop that monster!"
"Little one..." Sarami gasped, forcing herself up to her feet and wielding her rake, "You're right, I shall not fall to this fiend! Have at you!"
Sarami shot forward and clashed with Reirousa using her rake, while Reirousa kept consulting her script to figure out if she should be fighting back or not.
"Drop ax." Reirousa said out loud from the script and dropped the battleaxe onto the ground, "How dare you get in our way. We... taco... tally-rins once ruled this land with an iron fist of power. We will strike down you humans and reclaim what was taken from us."
"As the keeper of Autumn, I shall not allow that to happen!" Sarami said holding her rake upwards, "Just as my sister Oracle Spring says, each young life is a seed that shall soon bloom into something great and beautiful!"
"Look angry. Foolish humans your time here is up." Reirousa read from the script, "And I shall kill you both with my own hands. Run at Oracle Autumn." the hulking woman then ran at Sarami with her hands out, "Grrrraaaaaah!"
"I'll stop you... at all costs! Wilted Storm!" Sarami called out raising her rake into the air, and suddenly another barrage of leaves came flying at the woman in the bull costume. The curtains blew around a bit, and Link realized it was Aviel flapping her Roc's Wings to make a bag of dead leaves blow into Reirousa and make it look like Sarami was using a leaf attack.
"Uh, no... Impossible." Reirousa called out as the leaves covered her, "Fall over dead." she read from the script, before falling backwards to the ground with a thud.
"It's over." Sarami gasped out, as Saria came running up to hug her.
"Oracle Autumn you did it!" Saria exclaimed, "You're so strong!"
"Thank you..." Sarami gasped with a smile, before she collapsed to the ground.
"Wha- Oracle Autumn?" Saria asked, looking down in panic, even the crowd gasped out in surprise.
"Oh dear... it seems I've exerted my power..." Sarami spoke softly.
"No... please get up!" Saria shouted, "You and the Oracles are the only hope for us all!"
"It's fine little one..." Sarami said with a weak smile, "Autumn brings change that can be terrifying, but like the falling leaves from the trees, life must take a new course by shedding off the old to usher in the new..." she handed Saria the rake, "And I believe you have what it takes to bring that change..."
"But Oracle Autmun..." Saria sniffled.
"Stay strong young one, and help my sisters bring about that change... for a greater future..." Sarami said before falling to the ground motionlessly.
Saria's eyes teared up as she buried her face in Sarami's dress, as Link could hear Korume's voice again.
"The battle is won, but the war still continues on. As the seasons change, so to shall the destiny of the land... Keep fighting great Oracles of Seasons!"
The curtains came to a close, as the crowd erupted into surprising applause.
"Well that story was pretty corny, but the crowd sure liked it." Link said clapping as well.
"I think it was the more the performance itself that got them invested by the end." Nabooru chuckled.
"I'll say, Sarami and Saria must have put their all into rehearsing this." Link nodded.
Sarami soon arrived at the back with Link and Nabooru, having signed a few autographs from the crowd along the way there.
"Hey Sarami, I'll admit that little show of yours turned out pretty good." Nabooru grinned.
"Ah ha ha... it was a little embarrassing, but I really got into it." Sarami said putting a hand to her cheek with a smile, "Oracle Autumn was always my favorite character in the plays, and getting to act out her character was really fun!" her eyes sparkled "Why I remember back in chapter fifteen when she took on the demon possessor Veran to stop her mind control of Oracle Summer and Winter, and then there was..."
"Okay, okay! We get it Sarami." Nabooru rolled her eyes.
"Oops, guess I got carried away..." Sarami giggled a little.
"Did Miteito make that outfit for you?" Link asked, referring to the Gerudo seamstress who crafted his own king's garments.
"Yes, me, Reirousa and Saria have been preparing and rehearsing this play for a few weeks before we left to Hyrule." she sported an amused smile, "Though Reirousa could never quite remember her lines."
Link looked over to see Reirousa and Saria had stepped out to meet the public too; Saria was signing a few autographs for the public while some Hylian kids were playing around a clearly annoyed Reirousa, tugging on her arms and bull costume tail.
"Though I think Miteito may have made this outfit a bit more revealing than Oracle Autumn usually wore it in the play..." Sarami said with a light blush as she looked down at her chest tightly sticking up from the top. She tugged at her skirt, "I think I feel a draft as well..." she noticed Link giving her an intent stare, "Is it too much, Link-honey...?"
"Actually... I was thinking that you outta hang onto that outfit." Link said with a small smirk, leaning forward and putting a hand on her plump thigh, whispering suggestively in her ear, "I think I have some fun ideas we can do with it..."
"O-oh my...!" Sarami said with a heavy blush, putting her hands to her cheeks.
"Okay, okay, enough of that you two." Nabooru chuckled, pushing Link away with her finger, "If I'm not mistaken, I think you're gong to be on stage soon, you better head up there now."
"No thanks to you." Link grumbled in annoyance, getting up.
"Did you come up with something yet Link-honey?" Sarami asked.
"I think I might know something." Link nodded before heading to the stage.
As the host was announcing the next show, Link came up to one of the assistants running the backstage area. He had decided after some thinking that he was just doing to play some music on his ocarina. Nothing as fancy as the play Sarami put on or the cow dance Togau did, but it would at least be something other than his battle skills.
"Hello, I'm Link. I think it's my turn next?" he greeted the man.
"O-Oh, you must be the Gerudo King?" the assistant asked in a bit of a panic, looking over the checklist he held, "Y-You really are next on the list, after the dancing twin brothers!"
'I wish the people weren't be so terrified of me...' Link thought to himself, 'Then again, I suppose this is why Nabooru signed me up for the talent show in the first place.'
"A-Are you ready for your performance Mr. Gerudo King?" the assistant asked.
"Oh sure, I just gotta get out my-" Link stopped himself as he reached down to take his ocarina, realizing it wasn't on his person, "HUH? Where is it?!"
"Is something the matter...?" the assistant asked.
Link's face paled even whiter than Togau earlier, "U-Um... tell you what, can you just let the next person go? I'll be right back!"
The assistant looked in confusion as he watched the Gerudo King run away in a panic.
"Link what's wrong, did you chicken out?" Nabooru asked with a teasing smirk as Link came running back over to their seats, and he frantically went looking around them.
"Nabooru, Sarami, have you seen my ocarina?" Link asked frantically.
"Oh no, were you going to play it for the talent show?" Sarami asked.
"Hey, spoiler alert!" Nabooru laughed.
"I'm serious! My ocarina is missing!" Link said looking under his seat, "It's the one Saria made for me back when I was a kid!"
"Oh jees, that is a big deal." Nabooru frowned.
"Maybe you could ask to borrow hers for now?" Sarami suggested.
"If I do that then she'll know I lost the one she gave me! It'll break her heart!" Link said, so desperate that he searched under Sarami's 'Oracle Autumn' skirt, and she lightly bopped him on the head for it.
"Do you have any idea when you could have lost it?" Nabooru asked scratching her chin.
"Not a clue, it's... wait..." Link muttered, thinking back to earlier that day when Epona was accused of stealing a coin from a merchant.
"Oops. Sorry bout that mister."
"That little kid that bumped into me earlier..." Link said narrowing his eyes, "Something felt off after that, I think he pinched my ocarina in that moment!"
Before Nabooru or Sarami could ask anything else, Link darted off to search for the kid.
"I gotta find that kid before the show is over..." Link muttered walking through town.
A few villagers were surprised to see the new Gerudo King walking by with a annoyed scowl on his face grumbling something to himself and they backed up nervously, but Link didn't pay them any mind.
Link walked around a corner, "Now if I was a little thieving brat... where would I be hiding mysel-"
Bump!
"Oooow, watch it buster!"
Link realized he had collided into a small kid who fell backwards onto their rear.
"Oops, you okay there?" he asked, reaching his hand down to help the kid up to their feet, "Sorry about that, I was distracted with-"
Link then saw the child looked to be about ten years of age. They had large cat-like eyes with dark blue pupils, they wore a torn blue vest, purple shirt and white shorts. They also had a red bandanna around their neck. Most importantly though, they had a large Breton-style cap worn over short blonde hair.
"Oh it's you!" Link exclaimed, "Tell me something kid, have you seen an ocarina anywhere around town? Made of wood, modest sized, orange-colored?"
"I don't know nothin' about that..." the kid said folding their arms and looking away from Link. Their foot seemed to shift a bit, as Link noticed an orange wooden object that the kid had dropped and was trying to hide it.
"Hey, that's my ocarina!" Link said.
"It's mine now you creep!" the kid said kicking Link in the shin, grabbing up the ocarina an darting off.
"Get back here you brat!" Link shouted chasing after the kid.
The kid fled down the street, dodging past and under citizens in an effort to shake Link off their trail. He kid saw a bucket of fruit and gave it a push to cause apples to roll out onto the ground. But Link merely slid across the ground, knocking the apples upwards into the air and catching them in his arms before putting them all back into the bucket, before going back to running after the kid.
"What?!" the kid exclaimed, trying to run faster to get away. They darted around a corner and jumped into an empty barrel to hide.
Link came running into the alley, taking a moment to look around. The kid quietly climbed out of the barrel and started to sneak off, only to trip and stumble a bit over a piece of wood.
"Eep!"
"There you are!" Link said turning to the kid.
"Oh cobblers!" the kids said running off with Link following after.
"Hey, can't you read?!"
Meanwhile in another part of town, Epona and Saria were both thrown out of a tavern and crashed into a pile of hay. A grumpy bartender stepped out and pointed at a sign by the door that warned only adults were permitted inside.
"We don't let minors in here! Come back when yer both grown up!" he said before stomping back inside.
"Ugh, sorry about that Saria." Epona groaned popping out of the hay, "I needed to get some more Chateau Lon Lon so I could keep my human form, I didn't know they had rules like that here."
"It's alright Epona." Saria sighed picking hay out from her hair, "It's probably my fault for looking so much like a child."
"Hey, I know a way we can get you in!" Epona said, "If you drink some Chateau Lon Lon it'll turn you into an adult right? Then you can just pass as an adult!"
"I suppose, but how do we get the milk if we can't go in?" Saria pointed out.
"...ah right." Epona said sweatdropping.
"I think we may need to get Link or one of the other girls to buy it for you." Saria sighed.
As if on cue, the two girls saw Link run up the street and come to a stop by them.
"Hey girls, have you seen a kid with a Breton cap around here?" he asked.
"Uh, think I saw a kid go left past here." Epona said pointing off down the street.
"What's the matter? What did the kid do?" Saria said curiously.
"U-Uh, nothing! Thanks!" Link said, not wanting to tell Saria what happened, he just darted off.
"Hey, where you going Link?" Epona asked anxiously, she hoisted Saria onto her back and speed off after Link, "Come on, let's follow him!"
"Wooooah! Epona, slow doooown!" exclaimed Saria with spiraling eyes.
"How's the tea?" Halei asked.
The assistant to Nabooru had finally arrived at the home of her father Jakah, the postman of Hyrule Kingdom. When he wasn't running laps around the fields of Hyrule, he would be delivering mail at record speed.
"Yah! Exquisite Halei!" said the tall lanky man with a relieved smile, "I missed your mother's tea so much, it always put some pep in my step! Yah!"
Long ago he had fallen in love with a Gerudo woman that lived on his mailing route, and one day he had delivered a letter to her asking her out. One thing led to another before they married and had Halei. Unfortunately after the Hylian vs Gerudo war, his wife and daughter were forced to move to Gerudo Valley as per the Gerudo Banishment Law. It had been heartbreaking for him all these years, but a lot of that changed just that morning when Halei showed up at his door. It was a joyous reunion, and now they two were catching up on what had been going on the past years.
"Mom taught me how to make it." Halei said, timidly playing with her Bunny Hood's ear, "I just wish she could have joined us coming out here to Hyrule Castle."
"Yah! It's fine Halei, I just feel glad knowing she's doing fine in Gerudo Town." Jakah said, "If anything, I'm surprised to see how far you've come. You used to isolate yourself so much with books I used to be worried about you, but now you're the assistant for the Gerudo royals and workin' to do away with that darn banishment law keeping her there! I couldn't be more proud of you, yah!"
"Thanks Dad..." Halei said with a warm smile.
But just then, a kid jumped through a window and bounced across their table, causing the tea set to rattle, before the kid went running out the door.
"Wha- hey! What do you think you're doing?" Halei exclaimed
Then right after that Link came in through the door and darted past Halei and her father.
"Sorry Halei, coming through!" Link said as he past by.
"Huh, King Link?" Halei asked.
Then after him came Epona running through the room with Saria on her back.
"Kyaaaaaaa!" Saria screamed out as they ran outside.
"Was that Lady Saria and Ms. Epona?" Halie exclaimed, "What are they doing?"
"I don't know, but they sure can run! Yah!" Jakah said with eager eyes.
Halei gasped out, "Oh no, wait Dad! Don't-!"
But it was too late, Jakah got up and sprinted off after the kid, Link, Epona and Saria, knocking over the table as he did.
Halei just sat there, having just barely managed to save the tea set from falling to the ground by catching them all on her fingers.
"After all these years Dad hasn't changed." sighed Halei, "He's just as competitive of a runner as ever."
What should have been a normal day for the citizens of Hyrule Market was quickly, to pardon the pun, dashed when they saw a small kid being pursued by what appeared to be the Gerudo King, who was being chased by a young horse-like woman with a small green-clothed child on her back, as well as the local postman following after them as well.
"Damn, this little brat sure can run!" Link said dodging past a woman carrying groceries.
'How is that dumb adult keeping up with me?' the kid thought. They looked around frantically for something to distract Link from pursuing them, and noticed a familiar twirling couple they had seen many times in town.
"Oh my Darling, you are more beautiful... than Princess Zelda... Hee hee..." spoke Honey, the man with short dark brown hair and wearing a blue tunic.
"And you are...so handsome my Honey, far more than the Prince of Fargent... tee hee..." giggled Darling, the reddish-brown haired woman in a white and purple dress.
The kid grinned mischievously as they darted over to the couple, grabbing at a sash hanging around the waist of the woman commonly known as 'Darling' by her lover, and pulling on it. This caused the two to go twirling at a much faster rate, and get carried off spinning through the crowd.
"Oh my Darling, I do think we're being swept away by this spiral of love!" Honey said.
"Than I shall hold you forever and forever more my Honey!" Darling said.
But just as Link got past one villager in the direction the kid was heading, he suddenly saw Honey and Darling both spiraling right at him rapidly. He was about to try and get out of the way, but the couple tripped over an uneven piece of ground brick and went crashing forward.
"Gaaah!"
Epona having caught up with Link, skidded to a halt with Saria on her back, "Whew, that was a fun run! What were we doing that for again?"
"I don't know! I thought you knew what we were doing!" Saria complained with spiraling eyes as Jakah ran by at ludicrous speed. She shook her head and spoke out, "Link, what's going on h-"
But the two found themselves speechless as they saw what had just happened; Link was now laying on his back in the middle of the market town, and there was a pretty woman with reddish-brown hair and wearing a white dress laying on top of him, with her lips covering his mouth.
Link and Darling's eyes were practically as wide as dinner plates, both paralyzed in shock of what happened, while most of the crowd was agape at at the scene of what looked like Darling embracing and kissing the new Gerudo King.
"Oh my, I never thought I'd see the day!" "Isn't that the Gerudo King?" "When did they become lovers?"
"Mmmmmph!" Link exclaimed, getting up and gently pushing Darling away from him by the shoulders, "Whew, I'm sorry about that! Are you okay?"
"I..." gasped Darling with wide eyes.
"You..." spoke a dark voice, as Link and Darling both turned to Honey, the young man was standing there clenching his fists as a dark aura seemed to surround him, "How DARE you grace my Darling's lips! Gerudo King or not, I won't stand for you to commit such horrid adultery!"
"Wait, hold on!" Link said frantically, having never seen this man so angry before, "It was an accident! Anyway, you both collided into me!" he turned to Darling, "Tell him, there's nothing going on between us!"
"I..." gasped Darling after a moment of silence, putting her hand up to her lips, and everyone could see a bright red flush on her face, "I've never been kissed with such passion... not even Honey has ever made me feel this way before..."
"Uh, wait... you know that was just a-" Link was about to speak, but then Darling lunged forward and kissed him once again, making him completely freeze up.
"Ooooooh!" exclaimed the crowd, some shocked, and others swooning with delight at the two.
Darling broke the kiss and turned away with her hands to her cheeks, "Your lips are as addicting as a little hummingbird's taste for sweet nectar... I could kiss you again and again and never let go, tee hee hee..."
Link's face turned a pale white as he looked back over at Honey, who now looked absolutely demonic. Not even on her worst days was Nemisa this terrifying.
"I'll make you pay for this Gerudo King..." Honey said trembling, "YOU'LL PAY DEARLY!"
"Uh, gotta go!" Link said, sprinting off down the road as fast as he could.
The little thief ran as fast as their little legs could carry them through the town, dodging around some people, until they spotted a large cloth tent of some kind.
"Gotta hide from that stupid adult." gasped the kid, they quickly ducked under the cloth. They went up a wooden staircase, and seeing there was no one around, the kid let out a sigh of relief, "Heh, sure gave that bloke he slip! He'll never find me in-"
"Gotcha!" Link said from out of nowhere, grabbing the child by their vest and holding them up into the air.
"Hey, what the heck?!" exclaimed the kid scrambling around in midair, "How'd you find me?! Leggo already!"
"Not until you give back my ocarina!" Link exclaimed.
"I don't have to give you back nothin'!" the kid said kicking Link in the chest and sticking their tongue out at him, but Link didn't even flinch from the blow.
Link narrowed his eyes, "Listen you little brat, you better hand it over or I'll-!"
But just then the red cloth moved, and Link realized he was standing on a stage before a very familiar crowd. In the back of the crowd he saw Nabooru and Sarami watching.
"And now we'll move onto- huh?" the talent show host looked to see both Link and the kid on stage.
"Link?" Nabooru spoke, she slapped her face into her palm yet again, "This could be trouble..."
"Huh? Isn't that the Gerudo King?" spoke a villager.
"What's he doing with that kid?" asked another villager, "Looks like he's attacking him!"
"How dare he!" exclaimed a third.
'This... looks really bad.' Link thought to himself, setting the kid down, "Uh, look everyone, I-I can explain!"
"Looks like yer in real big trouble now, ya stupid adult!" the kid laughed, turning to run away, only to trip over a plank and cause a bunch of things to fall out from their person. Such items included some rupee pouches, some jewelry, a large coin, a sandwich, some apples, a few pieces of mail, a plush toy, a dagger and sure enough Link's ocarina.
"Uh oh." the kid said.
"Hey, that looks like my missing pouch!" said a member of the crowd in surprise.
"And that's the rare coin that was swiped from my stand earlier!" said the market salesman who had harassed Epona earlier.
"And there's my left shoe!" said another villager with only one shoe on.
"Uhhh..." the child spoke as all the adults were glaring at them. The child scowled as they grabbed the dagger, got up and shouted, "I'll get you for this, you big bully!" before using the dagger to cut a hole through the curtain and jumped through, before running off into the crowd.
"Hooboy..." Link stood there blankly, looking out to the crowd. He was worried of what they would think of him now, especially after all Nabooru and the girls had done to try and help the Gerudo's reputation...
But then he heard one unfamiliar woman's voice spoke out, "For land's sake! That brave young man there has retrieved everyone's possessions! He's got a real talent for taking down vile thieves, ain't he?"
"Hey yeah, she's right..." spoke one villager.
"I've always known the Gerudo to be thieves, but I never would have thought they'd instead catch a thief!" said another one.
Then the host of the talent show stepped up, taking one of the pouches the kid had dropped, "Well there you have it folks! This man caught that pint-sized penny-pincher red-handed and retrieved everyone's lost items! Let's hear a round of applause for the Gerudo King Link!"
The crowd applauded Link for his efforts, as the attendants got to work dividing up the stolen items to give back to the rightful owners. Link just looked around and grinned sheepishly, waving out at them.
"Nice save Nabs." Sarami whispered, "And nice voice acting too!"
"Heh, just thought Link should be commended for his hard work." Nabooru chuckled.
"Maybe you'd like to be in the next play I do?" Sarami asked, "I have an idea for this one new chapter were Oracle Autumn fights the dreaded Fiend Krakens in-"
"I'll pass."
Some time later, Link was siting with Nabooru to watch the remainder of the show. Sarami had gotten up and left for some reason she didn't state.
"Thank you all for your patience as we move onto the last performance for this year's talent show!" the host stated, "We hope that you enjoy this-"
But then an attendant ran up onto stage and whispered something to the host.
"What?! They changed their mind?" exclaimed the show host.
"Yes sir, it appears there's been a bit of a conflict between the participants." the attendant said, "Something about a sudden love affair from what I heard. We're probably going to have to end it here."
"We can't do that! Countess Roesia of public relations has already funded us for the whole show! She'll be asking for a refund if we don't do the final performance!" the host said in a panic.
"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but hear what you said." spoke a voice, it was Sarami walking up to the two with a small smile on her face.
"Oh! You're Oracle Autmun!" said the host, "Do you have an idea?"
"As a matter of fact, I have a volunteer that would be happy to do it. Fu-fu-fufufu..." Sarami said, her glasses giving off an unreadable gleam as she whispered something to him.
"What do you suppose Sarami has planned?" Link asked.
"Hopefully not a sequel to that Oracles of Seasons play." Nabooru said sweatdropping, "I can't think of anything more embarrassing than-"
"Ladies and gentlemen, for our final show, there's been a last minute change." the host said, "Our last performance shall be from Lady Nabooru of the Gerudo! Give her an applause everyone!"
"W-What...?" Nabooru spoke, "Wait, WHAT?!"
"Another Gerudo performing? This outta be good!" said a villager with a grin.
The crowd started clapping for Nabooru who looked left and right frantically.
"Heh heh, looks like everyone wants you to do a performance Nabooru." Link grinned.
"Uh, b-but I haven't had time to practice or anything, let alone know what to do!" Nabooru said flustered.
"Didn't stop you from making Link-honey perform." Sarami pointed out as she came up and took Nabooru's hand, "Come on, just go out on stage and do anything! I'm sure the crowd will love it!"
"Darn you Sarami..." Nabooru groaned, forcing herself to get up and walk off to the stage, the crowd rooting for her the whole while. As she approached the stage she heard a voice shout out.
"Hold on!" Link said running up to her.
'Oh thank Aifet, Link's come to get me out of this!' Nabooru thought to herself.
But instead Link handed Nabooru a bottle of water and sat down at the front seats.
"Just had to get a front seat for this." Link snickered, "Break a leg out there Nabooru!"
"H-Heh... thanks..." Nabooru said accepting the drink with a slight bit of annoyance, before walking up onto the stage.
"So Lady Nabooru, what will you have for us tonight?" asked the host, "A dance, maybe some magic arts?"
"What do suppose the Gerudo leader will do?" spoke one villager.
"I've heard sh has some amazing powers." said another.
"Oh yeah, have you heard the rumors that she's a hypnotist?" one villager asked one villager.
"No way, like she can make someone do whatever she wants?" replied the other.
'If I could do that I wouldn't be stuck here on stage like this.' Nabooru thought to herself sweatdropping. She stared out at the crowd and down at Link, thinking about something she could do.
"I..." she then had a thought and spoke out to the crowd, "I'm... going to read a poem."
"Ah, a nice simple way to end things. Very well!" nodded the host, "Everyone please stay silent!"
Nabooru gulped and stepped up to the crowd, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a piece of paper, "This is just a little something I wrote a while back, I hope you all enjoy it..."
Link and the crowd leaned forward with interest, as she took a deep breath and started to read,
"A joyous time of the past,
Long since broken and lost,
Passion once as bright as the sun,
Frozen now in rigid frost.
A glimmer of hope,
To see the shining light,
Shrouded in debris of chaos,
Trapped forever in never-ending night.
The curse of a great burden,
Heavy enough to break one's soul,
Looking down the deep abyss,
The effects take their toll.
Moon after moon passes by,
The sphere remains so small,
Never seeing, never feeling,
To remain sealed in an empty wall."
Nabooru slowly rose her head up, wiping a tear from her eye as she did.
"And that's about all I've written. Hope you enjoyed it." she said with a forced smile.
The crowd was in stunned silence of her poem, until one villager slowly started clapping which got the rest of the audience slowly but enthusiastically clapping as well.
Link meanwhile sat still in surprise of the poem Nabooru had read to them. Something like that certainly couldn't have just been made up on the spot...
As he saw Nabooru was being complimented by a few people from the crowd, he looked over at Sarami who was hanging her head downcast.
"Oh dear..." she whispered sadly, "Maybe I shouldn't have put that on her after all..."
Before Link could even ask, Nabooru came up to see them, looking back to her normal self again.
"Well it's getting pretty late, you two ready to round up everyone and head back to the castle?" Nabooru asked with a light smile.
"Y-Yeah, sure." Link nodded. As the three set off to find everyone, he spoke to her, "I suppose I'm not going to get an explanation for what it meant anytime soon, but that poem you wrote was beautiful, Nabooru."
"T-Thanks Link..." Nabooru said with a small smile, something Sarami caught notice of and smiled herself.
"Well, I hope you all had fun today!" Nabooru said after they had rounded up everyone and were on their way back to the castle.
"I'll say, it was a blast!" Aviel said, "Getting to see everything in the market, playing those games, and that talent show was real fun!"
"Hey, it's those Gerudo!" said a villager.
"We loved your dance Ms. Nemisa!" one person called out.
"Oh, thank you..." Nemisa said with surprise.
"Woooah! There's Oracle Autumn!" exclaimed a child.
"She's so pretty!" cheered another kid.
"Huh, didn't she die?" asked a third kid cluelessly.
Sarami smiled beautifully and waved to the children, while Reirousa just looked away and grumbled something to herself.
"Oooh! Isn't that the Tarotarian?" asked one kid, getting Reirousa's attention, while she heard another kid say, "Yeah, she looks so cool and strong!"
Reirousa felt a small sense of pride and smiled a bit, careful not to let anyone else notice.
"You girls all showed some real skill at that talent show!" Link grinned as he looked out at the crowd waving and cheering, he put one arm around Nemisa's waist and rubbed Aviel affectionately on the head, "Looks like you've really made a great impression on the Hylains."
"Yes, and that puts us one step closer to us gathering support to abolish the banishment law." Nabooru nodded.
"It was so nice to see my dad again, even if it was a bit short-lived." Halei spoke with a sigh, as she saw him waving to her as he spirited down the street, "I swear, once he gets in a running mood stopping him is impossible."
"Don't worry, you'll have plenty more times to come out here again." Link assured her.
"So did you ever track down that thief kid?" Nabooru asked.
"Nope, looks like he got away, whoever they were." Link shrugged, "Least we got back everyone's stuff and cleared Epona of the coin theft."
"I can't believe he stole your ocarina." Saria said with an annoyed pout, "If I see that kid I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!"
"Thanks for clearing my name Master!" Epona said with glee, hugging Link tightly and smiling, "I'm going to make sure to treasure this bandanna you bought me too!"
"S-Sure thing Epona..." Link said with a mild blush as the horse girl was smiling so close to him.
"Heh, even your trusty steed Link...?" Nabooru spoke with a smirk, "I remember merely suggesting you take eight or nine brides, but you're winning over more lovely ladies than I could have thought." she winked, "Not that I have a problem with it of course, but you need to worry about being able to keep up with them all."
"Now don't start with that. She's just being affectionate." Link said rolling his eyes as Epona went off to show Halei her new bandanna, "It's not like I'm not getting with every single girl I ever meet."
"There you are!" shouted a furious voice, as everyone turned to see Honey and Darling standing a distance away. The man was still absolutely furious, stomping at the ground with his foot, "You think you can just get away with what you've done to my Darling, you bastard?!"
"Oh crap." Link said sweatdropping.
"Ugh, not those two again..." Reirousa grumbled.
"What did you do now Link...?" Nemisa asked Link with a raised eyebrow.
"Nothing! I swear, it was an accident!" Link said in a panic.
"So something did happen?" Malon pointed out in mild amusement.
"It's all just a misunderstanding!" Link exclaimed, "If you let me explain, I'll-!"
"Oh, my beloved Gerudo King..." the pretty lady known as Darling spoke with her hands to her flushed red cheeks, "As a thief of hearts, you've truly stolen mine... and I just can't bring myself to take it back from you... tee hee hee..."
"What? Yer mackin' on that girl of all people?" Reirousa exclaimed.
"Oooooh, you're having an affair as a secret lover King Link?" Halei asked with a heavy blush, putting her hands to her cheeks, "she wiggled her hips and squealed out, "That's sooo romantic!"
Link exclaimed, "N-No, I didn't! I was chasing that thief and we just-"
But Darling twirled gracefully over to Link and brought her arms up to his shoulders, and he spontaneously grabbed at her slender waist so she wouldn't lose her balance, which make Halei squeal out.
"Please my handsome king, take me from this false paradise of Hyrule and bring me to the merciless scorching hell of Gerudo Valley, so that I may be in your dark, burning embrace forever..."
If Link's face could turn even more grim and pale, he'd be mistaken for a ghost.
"Yay! Welcome to the family Ms. Darjeeling!" Aviel cheered out.
"You..." Honey muttered, with his head hanging down, looking straight up at Link with eyes as blank white as the Fierce Deity, "I'LL KILL YOU WITH THE MIGHT OF A THOUSAND VENGEFUL WOLFOS!" he shouted in absolute fury, before charging right at Link.
"Uh, I'll catch up with you guys later!" Link said, handing Darling over to Sarami and hightailing it off down the street with Honey in hot pursuit.
"Yah, wait up! How about we all race to Kokiri Forest, yah!" Halei's father Jakah shouted running right after the two.
"Seems he's left an pretty strong impression on the people himself." Nabooru chuckled lightly.
And that ends this week's chapter. Next time Reirousa get saddled with a very important and dangerous mission, and she's not going to be able to solve it with just her strength...
Sorry this chapter took a little longer to get out. I've been distracted with a few things, namely namely some holiday stuff and playing a lot of Pokemon Scarlet. I'm going to try and get the next chapter out on Friday like I usually try too.
Also don't take the whole Darling as a fiance thing too seriously, it was mostly just a silly gag I came up with at the last minute... unless you guys are fond of the idea...?
As far as Link's next actual fiance goes, I have a special surprise that'll be revealed in chapter 145, you'll just have to wait and see who it is!
As always, thank you all so much for your support! Leave leave a like, follow, comment or just send me a private message if you have any questions, your feedback is always encouraged!