Ok, so, one thing to make clear, this story is NOT in chronological order! I'm just writing whatever comes to mind, so they may take place months or even years apart. I'll be sure to state when each chapter takes place from now on, don't worry. Anyways, sorry this took so long, but enjoy!
-Joost

Life in Termina
Chapter 2: Dear Future Husband

Two months. Tomorrow would mark two months since Romani had shared a very intimate moment with her best friend while he was visiting the ranch one night. She remembered it so vividly that it often felt like a dream. The feeling she had when she saw him tossing and turning in the guest bed, she wanted to experience it for the first time again. She wanted to see him open up for the first time again.

"Will you marry me?"

Romani remembered his words and how she was so taken aback by them. The thought of him, her best friend, yet still just a twelve-year-old boy, asking for her hand in marriage made her blush. What made her even more excited was that it was obvious that when he thought about it, it too made him grow red in the cheeks.

"Sister!" Romani called out as she pranced down the stairs and into the main room of the house. The open kitchen was bustling with the lavish smell of simmering soup, Cremia working hard on her and her little sister's lunch for the day.

"Huh? What is it, Romani?" Cremia replied, refraining from taking her eyes off the soup as she gently stirred it.

"Romani needs your help!" The little ranch girl said cheerily, holding a piece of paper and a pencil in her hands. She bounced up and down with her feet like her puppy did when he was about to receive a treat.

"I'm a little busy at the moment, Romani, just give me a minute," Cremia said sternly, putting her index finger on her sisters lips as she tasted the soup. A smile formed, the spices and seasonings finally blended together into a perfect concoction of delicious flavor.

"But it has to do with Grasshopper! It's important!" Romani whined, not wanting to wait another second. She had so many plans and felt as if she had no time at all.

It had been about a month ever since the situation in Ikana Canyon had concluded, with all of the warriors who participated in the great battle having finally put it all behind them. Link, Jim, Skull Kid, the Clock Town Guard, Tatl, and Tael, they all had an air of serene tranquility descend upon them. The first two weeks held some paranoia of there being any Garo stragglers, but currently, there were no worries that they had any unfinished business. All except for Romani. She had one thing that she wanted to take care of, and it stressed her that it had something to do with the Garo spies.

"Romani, just hang on, alright?" Cremia pleaded with her sister, hoping not to spill any of the soup on the wooden floor as she scooped it out of the pot and into a bowl. When she finished, she carefully plated the bowls on the table and sat down, her sister easing up on her pestering in order to enjoy lunch. "Okay, now that we're eating," Cremia said between a spoonful of food, "What did you want to talk about, Romani? Something about Link?"

"Okay…" Romani crammed her spoon into her mouth, hardly bothering to taste how wonderful the soup was, too stimulated by the countless ideas of how to express her thanks to Link. "Romani-" She said with her mouth full, "Romani wanted to give Grasshopper a gift! Just to show her thanks!"

Cremia wasn't even halfway through her bowl when Romani set her spoon down on the table and stared at her big sister with demanding intent. The ranch owner simply sighed. "Alright, what kind of gift?" She asked.

"That's the thing! Romani just doesn't know!" The girl crossed her arms in frustration, leaning back into her chair with a scrunched-up face.

"Hmmmm…" Cremia thought for a moment. It almost amazed her that even she couldn't quite think of a good gift for Link to show thanks. He didn't really express any particular interests aside from reading. "We could- No, no, that won't work…"

"What, Sister?" Romani tilted her head.

"I thought we could get him a book from the Observatory, but I'd bet he's already read most of the ones there…" Cremia explained as she finished enjoying her own of soup. She started to gather up the bowls to wash them up and put them away, but Romani held onto hers for a moment.

"Romani? I need to wash that," Cremia held out her hand, asking for the bowl. Romani didn't respond, instead just staring at the bowl from every angle possible. Her eyes examined the wooden item, before finally a spark went off in her head.

"AHA! Romani knows exactly what to get Grasshopper!" Romani jumped up and stood on her chair, holding the bowl triumphantly. The legs of the chair wobbled a bit, the ranch girl's eyes widening as she carefully sat back down, afraid of falling. "It'll be perfect, Sister!"

"What? A bowl? You're going to give him a bowl?" Cremia raised one eyebrow, confusion falling across her face.

"Huh? No, that's silly!" Romani gave her older sister a smug look, as if her line of thinking was far superior to Cremia's. She held up the bowl and pointed to it, smiling, "Romani's going to make Grasshopper a mask! Just like the ones he likes to collect!"

"Not with that bowl, you're not!" Cremia swiped the bowl out of Romani's hand and went to wash it. She turned on the sink tap and started to work, her sister running up beside her. "These are our good bowls! You can use some of the spare firewood we have out back. Besides, do you even know how to make a wooden mask?"

A bit of the cheerfulness faded from Romani's face as she thought about the prospect of making a mask all by herself. What would it look like? How big should it be? Would it be something Link would like? What if it wasn't perfect? It had to be perfect!

"Oh no…" Cremia realized what she had done.

"AH! Sister! What is Romani going to do?!" Romani wailed as she held her hands to her face in despair.

"Alright, alright, calm down," Cremia spoke in a soothing tone, as she learned from her own mother before her passing. It always worked to ease Romani whenever she grew anxious or worried. Here it only did partly, the little ranch girl's breath being whisked away as she thought endlessly about what to do.

For a couple of minutes, Romani wouldn't listen to a word Cremia said, trying to figure everything out on her own. It wasn't useful, as she simply ran outside to the back of the house and tried to find a piece of wood small enough to carry back into the house and try and make it into a mask. There was one, but it was buried underneath a bunch of heavier logs. Romani trudged back inside emptyhanded and ashamed.

"Romani, don't worry, I can help you make him a mask…" Cremia sounded hopeful for a number of reasons. She didn't actually know how to carve, but perhaps if she went into town and found one of Link's friends, they could help. "We can even go to Clock Town and see if someone can give us some- uh, tips!"

Romani perked up the instant Cremia mentioned Clock Town. Jim! Jim could help! From what she remembered, he was training with a sword, so maybe he could figure something out in terms of carving.

"Alright then, let's go!" Romani pointed to the door with a huge grin on her face. She was then there, then gone in a flash, bolting out the door and heading to the barn to fetch the horse.

"Such a little gremlin…" Cremia shook her head and then chuckled to herself before walking out to join her sister.

Clock Town wasn't as bustling as Cremia thought it'd be. It had just rained the day before, so she guessed the dullness of the downpour still lingered along the street. The horse's hooves clopped rather loudly in a few puddles, splashing one of the Bomber boys who was walking by.

"Sorry!" Cremia called out to the boy. She was glad that the boy didn't happen to be Jim. It was so hard to tell the Bombers apart at times, at least some of them.

Cremia was also glad that the ride wasn't long, only about twenty minutes. Normally it'd take twice that if she was doing a shipment of milk to the Milk Bar. There wasn't a need to get the carriage today, it was just her, Romani, and that piece of wood she needed, after all. The post-noon air brought a pleasant smell as the sisters rode along towards town just minutes ago.

The ranch sisters took care in avoiding the Stock Pot Inn. Romani didn't want Link to know she was here, hoping to surprise him with a sudden visit, gift, and maybe a big hug. They took a straight route to the southern entrance to town and made a beeline to the northern area, where Jim always hung out, usually trying to pop that darned balloon with his blowdart. Once they made it, they saw not only Jim, but Skull Kid too, along with Tatl, all messing around in the patch of grass right by the slide and Epona's little stable.

Epona was the first to notice Cremia and Romani, neighing happily, catching the attention of the others by her stable. They all lit up with joy at seeing their friend and her big sister, including Tatl.

"Romani!" Jim ran over to the horse his friend rode in on, greeting her as she dismounted. "What brings you here today? I thought you guys delivered milk only every other week!"

"Technically, Jim," Cremia said, "She's not here. We're on a mission today, something for Link that we can't let him find out about yet." She held up the piece of wood she collected earlier, showing it to Jim and the others as they approached. "Romani wants to give Link a present as thanks, but she's at a roadblock…"

"Yeah! Romani wants to make a mask for Grasshopper, but she doesn't know how!" The girl went onto the tip of her toes to peer over Jim's shoulder, and sure enough, he had his sword on his back, just like Link used to. A smile broke out on her face. "You use a sword, could you try and help carve the wood?"

Jim was a little nervous about answering the question. He considered himself a novice with the sword despite his training so far, and he definitely didn't see himself to be anywhere near Link's skills.

"W-Well, I…" Jim stammered, unable to look Romani in the eye. He glanced at Skull Kid for help, but the imp only shrugged. Tatl did the same. "I dunno, Romani. I can put up a decent fight," He unsheathed his sword, showing that the blade wasn't very sharp, "But I don't think I can carve with this thing yet…"

A bit of the hope in Romani's eyes faded again, and she looked down glumly. Jim's mind filled with guilt, but then he had his own idea. The man who trained him, the Swordsman Teacher, maybe he could be who Romani was looking for in this little quest.

"H-Hey, Romani, why don't you ask my teacher, huh? I bet he could do it!"

"Your teacher?"

"Yeah! He has a class over in the western part of town! He's real great with swords, almost as good as Link!" Jim put his weapon away and offered to ask the Swordsman Teacher himself, knowing he was on splendid terms, being a student and all.

It was a quiet walk over to the dojo, Cremia staying behind to help the horse into the stable. The kids knocked and then waited, hearing a little bit of shuffling before the door suddenly swung open.

"Excuse me?! Can't you read?! The dojo is only open on- Oh!" The Swordsman didn't expect to see a group of children before him, and once he recognized Jim, his tone quickly changed. "Jim! What are you doing here? Your next lesson is in two days' time."

"Sorry, sir, but I have a friend here with me in need of help!" Jim stepped aside and let Romani take over.

"Hi, mister! Romani needs help with making a gift for Grasshopper!" Romani stated, holding up the wood she wanted to use.

"Uh… 'Grasshopper'?" The Swordsman wasn't familiar with the nickname for Link.

"She means Link, sir!" Jim explained.

"Ah, I see!" The elder got a better picture of the situation, a slight smile barely visible under his large nose. Romani went over the rest of her plan with the Swordsman Teacher, however, he was skeptical. Not about the method of the gift for Link, but of payment.

"WHAT?!" The kids hollered in unison.

"I'm sorry, but I simply don't do things like carving for free. I do apologize," said the teacher, "Someone will need to pay for the use of my own blade, need to give me detailed instructions to follow, and the like. I'd only say about thirty rupees."

"Ugh…" Jim groaned, fishing around in his pockets for some rupees. He didn't have much on him, nor did his parents give enough allowance to cover it. "I- I'm sorry, Romani…" He turned to his friend in defeat, looking down at his boots.

Romani refused to admit that she might have been beaten, not just yet. Thankfully, right at that moment, Cremia had come through the dojo door, having finished wrangling her horse into the stable with the nervous Epona. One look between the sisters said everything, and the ranch owner looked to the Swordsman Teacher with determination.

"How much is it?" Cremia asked confidently.

The clock was about to strike three. Romani, Cremia, Jim, and Skull Kid were still waiting by the front of the dojo in West Clock Town. Tatl had left to keep Link occupied, with Skull Kid now owing her a favor that he knew she'd cash out at an inconvenient time in the future.

Jim had been the most impatient of the group, constantly heading into the Post Office to check the time. It was strange that the postman had so many clocks, but it wasn't important.

However, it was finally done. Romani had wanted the mask to resemble something she knew Link liked. It had taken her a bit to come up with something, but her directions to the Swordsman Teacher were concise. She wanted it to look like the face of a rabbit to go along with one of his favorite masks, the Bunny Hood. When she got to look at the results, she was not disappointed. It wasn't a realistic depiction of a hare, but something more like ones drawn in story books. Wide eyes, a muzzle curved like a 'w', and a spotless nose. He even painted it yellow to match the hood!

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Romani cheered as she got her hands on the finished mask. Almost immediately, she ran off, heading towards Stock Pot Inn. She'd been holding in her desire to surprise Link.

"Romani, wait!" Cremia shouted, but her little sister was already out of earshot. She always wondered where Romani got her almost inhuman speed for her age.

She hurried through Clock Town, the widest smile on her face and her heart filled with passion, thinking of nothing else but just the sheer joy Link would experience when he saw her. It almost made her own heart skip a beat. When she made it to the front door of the Inn, a tinge of hesitation descended on her. For a moment she wondered if the gift was truly, absolutely perfect. She didn't have time to think about it, as her hand acted independently, knocking without her intention.

"Eep!" Romani squeaked.

"I'll get it!" The muffled voice of a certain boy could be heard on the other side of the door. Had he been sitting in the lobby? Why? Was it possible that he knew about Romani's gift? No, impossible!

The door opened, and thankfully, Link's eyes widened when he saw Romani. He was actually rendered speechless as the ranch girl gazed at him, admiring his face, big blue eyes, and golden hair. Her own grin grew, and she stepped inside, greeting Link affectionately.

"Is Grasshopper shocked to see Romani?" Romani said teasingly.

"Y-Yeah, what're you- what're you doing here?" Link's stutter was adorable.

"Romani has a gift for Grasshopper! Look!" The ranch girl held up the mask the Swordsman Teacher carved for her. Instantly, Link's baffled expression morphed into a smile, taking the mask into his hands and admiring it.

"Is this-?" Link wondered, but he didn't get his thought out. "Did you have it so- I-" He had a hunch on why it was designed like a rabbit. "Romani, you didn't have to do this for me…" The boy looked down at the floor bashfully, a blush invading his face.

Romani gave Link a peck on the cheek, stating affirmatively, "Yes she did. Romani's very thankful for you…" Then she gave him another kiss.