Chapter 26:

Aliens!

Link waited all day in the hot sun. He was tired, hungry, and exhausted. He'd look at that farm house, and his heart and mind would literally scream at him, trying to get him to go inside. An hour or so after noon, the relaxing breezes had stopped, leaving the farm in a state of thick heat. Link's eyes felt like wrinkled, dried out carcasses. He saw little black flickers and things in the corner of his eye every so often. He'd occasionally find himself glancing over there, to see nothing.

Eventually, he could not bear it. He started to approach the house. He stepped right up to the door, took a deep breath to contain the embarrassment, and knocked.

A few seconds later, the door clicked, and the knob turned. The door opened.

"Hello?" Cremia greeted in a tone of mixed caution and friendliness. She looked around, before seeing the tired boy before her.

"Uh... yeah, can I have some... food?" he asked, his head swimming.

Cremia stared at him in a confused sort of way, blinking," What happened to you?"

Tatl appeared from his shoulder," Oh, he has been acting like this all day it seems. He's really tired, and to be honest, so am I. We've worked hard for the past week or so. This kid's endured a lot. He's hoping to get maybe a bit of food at least...?"

Link couldn't help but smile. Gosh, when he sure needed it, Tatl always turned out to be a big help, for sure!

"Um, alright. But just curious, what have you been doing?" Cremia asked.

Tatl shook her head, with a small, half-hearted laugh," You'd call us crazy if you listened."

Cremia shrugged," If you say so. Come on in." she stepped out of the way.

Link helped himself into the cool, shaded room. Something was cooking in a small oven to his side. The room was square, with stairs leading upstairs across the room. There was a table in the middle of the room. Romani had been sitting, reading a book, Link guessed. But she had set her book down, looking at him. In the corner directly in front of Link, there were a few farm supplies. A small dog was sleeping peacefully on a tiny blanket. For a long moment, Link longed to be that dog. There was a small lantern on the table, burning oil. The flame flickered and glistened. Despite the hard, stone floor, stone walls, stone ceiling, and shaded windows, Link thought this would be a good home.

Cremia walked by the stove, and opened a large cabinet," Welcome to our home." she greeted as she searched for something.

Eventually, she came out with a bottle full of a strange, thick milk. She returned to Link with a smile. Handing him the bottle, Link thankfully took it. It seemed cool. Link had high expectations for this milk.

"There. That'll help with your thirst. Moist heat out here can get you dehydrated quickly, even though the heat is moist." she paused, looking down at the bottle of milk Link cradled in his hands," Oh, you can go ahead and drink it now, if you'd like. It's from our special breed of cows. That right now, is not our special Chateau Romani, but it is much like it. It can help revive strength, and pull up your energy level. That is Romani's favorite drink." she explained.

Link nodded and popped the bottle open. He took in the sweet arouma. It smelled great! He greedily put it up to his lips and started to chug it down, until the bottle was all empty, all except for just a tiny little bit. He sighed in relief. A few seconds later, he was already starting to feel a bit better.

"Lemme have some!" Tatl begged.

Link put the milk bottle to her lips. It was large compared to her, but with his help, his fairy friend was able to drink to remaining milk. That was considered a lot for something her size. She sighed in a similar fashion to Link, wiping her mouth off.

Link handed the bottle back to Cremia," Thanks. It was good." he thanked her politely.

"Your welcome!"

Tatl whispered in Link's ear," Romani hasn't said anything yet."

Link nodded in response, just to let her know he had heard her. Cremia motioned him to sit down at the table when she had pulled up an extra seat. Link gratefully sat down. He placed his head on the table.

~*~

Link opened his eyes. The room was blurry for a moment, but he found himself in a bedroom. The windows on the wall revealed in was night. Where was he? He came to the conclusion a seocnd later that he was still in the ranch. Wait! When had he fallen asleep! Taking a moment to think, he recollected the past days. How many had passed since he had fallen asleep? He rolled out of bed, and found his old boots laying by it. He placed them on, and left the room, going down a flight of stairs.

He found Tatl quietly talking to Cremia and Romani over a small meal. He rubbed his eyes and got off the stairs, and stood at the table.

Cremia looked up at him and smiled," Awake? You pretty much died on the table this afternoon. So, we helped you up into a bed. Please, sit down, you just in time for dinner!" she explained to him, inviting him to a chair with an empty plate on the table before it.

Link sat down at the chair and rubbed his eyes once more. In an instant, Cremia was on her feet. In one move, she had his plate, and was placing bread and beef onto it's surface. She hurried back over to him and placed it down. She sat back down, continuing to eat her meal. Link looked down at his plate, and grabbed a near by fork, and started to help himself to the delicious taste bud-pleasing food.

"Hey, kid! Glad you're awake! I was just telling these two girls here about your sword skills 'n' stuff." Tatl accosted.

"That's nice." Link replied," I just hope you didn't tell them too much." he warned, giving his fairy friend a small wink.

"Nope. Just that you go crazy and un-kid-like with that weapon."

Link blushed. That was probably the first time Tatl had complemented him in a long time. He stretched his arms after he had finished his meal, and stood up. He tried to grab his plate to bring it back, but Cremia had grabbed it already. Link gave a signal for Tatl to follow. She flew up in the air with a tiny piece of meat in her hand and landed on his shoulder.

"What is it?" she asked him.

Instead of replying to Tatl directly, he took the indirect method by looking up at Cremia," Thanks for the food and all..." he searched for more words, so he wouldn't leave awkwardly," You've been nice. I think I'll go out and enjoy the night, before heading out on my journey."

Cremia nodded and smiled," I hope to see you again, someday, Mr. Link." she giggled, and then added," Maybe when you're older you can come back and marry Romani!"

Link and Romani blushed at the same time.

"Well, bye! Travel safely!" she said.

Link waved to the two girls, and then left. He walked out into the crisp, darkness. The moon was a black, circular shadow overhead, with mysterious glowing eyes. Link took in a deep, relaxed breath as a cool breeze blew through him, blowing his sweat-filled hair to the side, seemingly cleansing it.

"Well, I guess we wait out here for that Romani girl. We need your horse back."

Link instantly remembered the plan, and leaned up against the barn," Yeah, I guess so."

Tatl lie down in the grass and looked up at him," So, what're you thinking?"

"Not much." Link answered.

Tatl started to laugh.

Link raised a brow," What is it?"

"I-I bet you're thinking of Romani!" she said, laughing in between every word.

Link blushed and looked at her, frowning," No! I'm thinking of what's going to happen with those monsters or whatever tonight!"

"Whatever you say!" she mocked in a sing-song tone of voice.

Link groaned and sat down against the wall. A few minutes of waiting later, the lights flickered off around the house, leaving the landscape to nothing but a dark contour.

Link shivered, the mystery of the whole place overwhelming him.

"When is she going to get out here?!" Tatl exclaimed after a long period of silence.

"No clue." Link replied.

"Well, I'm tired of waiting!" she fumed.

Link put a finger in front of his lips to signal her to be quiet," Don't wake them up!" he hissed.

Tatl was quiet for the rest of the time they waited.

Link pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his good arm around his knees. He sighed and waited. The moon drew closer as he waited. His impatience grew over time, and he wondered if he would have time to free the bay before the moon came crashing down. Finally, after a very long time, Tatl decided to speak.

"Hey... I just fell asleep after you told me to be quiet. Did you?" Her voice was very quiet and calm, which Link wasn't used to.

"No, I don't think so at least. I'm just wondering when she'll get out here so we can hurry up can get started with these monsters or whatever." he answered, looking around, just in case some might appear.

As he did, he felt uncomfortable and unsafe. He stood up and stretched his legs and arms. He did a short series of stretches to get ready for the fight ahead. He drew his sword and swung it a few times to get used to the feel again. He was preparing ahead of time for this fight. It was something he rarely did.

"Getting ready so soon?" Tatl observed, still stretched out on the ground.

"Yep." Link repsonded, sheathing his sword back. He looked down at her more intently," How do you know it's not eleven right now? Or very close to it?" he questioned.

"I don't. I just said that just to say something."

Link shrugged.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a light. He whirled around, to see the front door to the house open. Romani was holding a bow and a lantern. Two full quivers were attached to her back. He could barely make out a small knife tucked into a belt around her waist. He found the sight a bit amusing. Such a young and delicate girl holding weapons.

She turned to him and smiled. Link could hardly see her face, until she held the lantern almost directly in front of it. She hurried over to him," Good, grasshopper, you're here! It's about ten thirty! Lets get into the barn, and I'll go over the plan with you."

Link followed her to a wooden door at the front of the barn. She placed a small key in it and unlocked it. She opened it and led him inside. Link looked around, the room was very dark. She set down the lantern on a box and shut the door.

"So, this is the barn?" he asked her.

"Yes."

A cluck! rang out from nowhere, startling Link. A second later, he realized it was only a cuckoo, the white chicken. He scanned the room, his eyes squinting to see past the veil of darkness. He nearly fell over when he saw a pair of yellow eyes staring at him. He drew his sword in defense. Romani starting to giggle.

"It's only a cow!" she told him.

Link sighed in relief and sheathed his sword. He turned to her. She was lighting a torch hanging on the wall. As the flame flickered into life, Link could see the room a bit more clearly. A cow was chewing on some hay behind a stall. There was another cow in a stall beside it, and another one beside it. There was a total of seven cows all lined up. Behind another smaller fence there were some cuckoos roaming around. Hay was stacked up in square bales on the side of Link. Farming equipment lined the walls. But details were still hard to see, because it was still very dark, even with the torch's help.

"So, ready to go over the plan?" Romani asked him, when a giant bell could be heard in the distance.

Link recognized it as the Clock Town bell, signaling it was eleven. He motioned for her to start explaining.

"Alright, so, at twelve or so, these big, scary aliens come down, and they'll start heading towards the barn. Romani has tried to stop them in the past, but they were to hard to fend off! Cremia won't believe me! But still, every time you kill one with an arrow, it'll disappear, and a minute later, it'll reappear where it first showed up. Some will try to get behind the barn and attack, and others will go from the front, and others will go to the sides. Don't try and kill them with your sword, if you get too close, something bad will happen." she briefed him.

Link nodded," alright, so, I will stay here shooting them with my arrows?"

Romani shook her head grimly," You'll be out there, you seem like the strongest. Do you know how to do archery from your horse?"

"Um, yes, I used to do it all the time in my homeland." Link replied.

"Good, so just ride around shooting th-"

"So where do I come in? Do I just sit here?" Tatl blurted out from the ceiling.

Romani shrugged," Sure. You could try to be a distraction, but these aliens do not go off course easily at all." she turned to face Link," I'll give you twenty arrows. If you run out before dawn, ride over to the barn and I'll throw you more!" she offered.

"Alright." he agreed. He rubbed his eyes, starting to get tired again.

Romani set her bow down and handed Link a full quiver, packed with arrows. He threw it on his back by the fire quiver, and took out is bow, signaling that he was ready to begin when the time came.

"Alright, grasshopper, here's the key," she began, taking out a small, rusty key," get your horse out, and bring her over here. I'll help you saddle her up."

Link took the key and walked out the door. As he closed it, he could her Tatl starting conversation with Romani. He hurried across the dark grounds and over to the locked gate. Epona let out a small whine at the sight of him.

"It's alright girl, I'll let you out!" he reassured her. He plugged the key in and turned. It unlocked the gate, allowing him to open it. Epona took a few steps out. Link led her over to the barn, where Romani was just coming out with a blanket and a saddle. She patted Epona's nose and set down the saddle. She threw the blanket over Epona's back, and smoothed it out.

As she turned to grab the saddle, Link bent over and lifted it up," I can do it." he reassured," My friend, Malon, taught me how to do this."

He carefully placed the saddle on Epona's back. Epona whined and reared back, letting it fall off. Link's face turned red, he was hoping to make it on the first try.

"I'll take care of it." Romani told him, taking the saddle back up. Link watched carefully as she prepared his horse. When she was done, Link climbed on. He took out his bow. He patted the top of his horse's head so she would remain calm. He waited quietly for twelve o' clock to come.

He turned and looked up, seeing Romani emerge on the roof from a hatch. She waved at him through the darkness. From the distance, she was just a silhouette. And outline of who she really was," Hey!" she whispered loud enough for him to hear," I'll cover the rear and left, you cover the front and right. Just so you know, left in towards the house, and right is towards the ga-"

"I know!" Link snapped, cutting her off.

"Good. I was just making sure." she replied. Link could see her dark figure taking out the bow," It's almost time!" she warned.

Link took a deep breath. He gasped, Tatl flying fright in front of his face, startling him.

"Hey, kid, you ready for this? I'll fly over your head and warn you if there's an alien coming too close to the barn that Romani doesn't have covered, got it? And remember, don't slack off because you're tired. I'm tired too. You don't see me slacking off, but I bet you would, based on past-"

"Tatl!" Link hissed.

"What?"

"Shut up! I get the idea."

Tatl's expression was almost horrified, like she had witnessed a murder. She flew high into the air," Whatever, just be ready for it."

A few minutes later, Link heard a loud boom. Then a second. They were the clock's chimes. A third. A fourth. It kept on until it reached the twelve mark. And eerie silence came over the farm. Link looked left and right, taking out his bow. He tried to move his partly broken arm to grab an arrow, but it just stung and didn't move.

"Tatl!" he whispered," I need help putting arrows in. Just go on lookout when we aren't firing, okay?" he ordered.

Tatl scanned the area one last time, and then flew down at his level and helped him load and arrow in. Before she started to pull back, Tatl stopped. She stared blankly at the starry, night sky.

"What is it?" Link asked her.

"I-I see it...!"

Link looked in the direction she was facing, and gasped in horror. He shook his head in disbelief.

Far off in the distance, a strange ball of light was making it's way over. A cold, unsettling chill rushed down Link's spine, causing him to shiver. The ball of light was getting closer by the second. It was almost as bright as the sun, and Link had to squint to look at it. Then, in a strange fashion, it began to dive down onto the field in random places, leaving behind other balls of light as it went. The it disappeared, leaving only the small balls of light scattered throughout the field, lighting the area up some.

"Oh my gods!" Tatl said breathlessly.

Link just stared blankly at the odd balls of light. He was about to think of it as no threat, but then they started to dim just a little, revealing large figures. They started to float slowly towards the barn.

"Oh no..." Link mumbled in a meek voice.

"Aliens!" Tatl exclaimed.

Tatl pulled back on the string, and Link took aim at one of the figures. He nodded, and Tatl let it fly. The arrow soared across the dark land, and hit the figure they had aimed at. The figure fell back, and then exploded in a silent burst of light.

"Okay, so at least they're weak to arrows. One down, a few more to go!" Tatl said with a hint of triumph and terror in her voice.

Just as she finished saying so, the large ball of light reappeared, landing where they had shot down the first alien, and dropping another ball of light, which shaped into an alien. Link realized with horror that they were being reborn.

"Oh no!" he repeated, motioning for Tatl to grab another arrow. The aliens were getting closer!

Tatl reached down and grabbed an arrow and put it in and pulled back on the string, moving faster than she had ever before. She didn't say anything, she just pulled back and let Link take aim.

Link did so, pointing the bow and the closest alien. Tatl let go, letting the arrow hit the figure. It fell on it's back and exploded in a similar fashion as the other one had.

Before Link could say or do anything else, Tatl had another arrow already coming into position. Link took a mental note to remind her later for being so fast.

She pulled back and let him take aim. The one they had just shot was already being reborn as they fired at another one and killed it.

"Oh we are so screwed, kid!" Tatl told him as she grabbed another arrow.

Link could hear Romani firing away from the rooftop. He hoped she was safe up there. Well, she probably was, being so high up. But still, Link could not help but worry for her.

Link let out a somewhat quiet cry and snapped his horse's reigns. He rode closer to where the aliens were and stopped his horse, patting her head gently to keep her calm as possible. Judging by Epona's eyes, Link could tell she was nervous. Link worried that she would freak and rear back soon.

Being up closer to the aliens, he now realized how horrifying they looked, and so did Tatl. They were floating and very fat. They're skin was dark blue and slimy. They had light surrounding them, and another coming from they're eyes, guiding the way. They had small, unmoving wings and strange purple, upper body covering, like odd clothes. They're mouths were thin, long snouts, giving them a strange, foreign, and hideous appearance, like some grotesque fat guy form a horror story.

The sight caused Tatl to load another arrow in quickly. Link took aim and shot the nearest one. They shot a few more, until almost all of them were back to where they had started. As soon as they had shot another, Tatl cried.

"Link! There's three almost right next to the barn!" She loaded an arrow in, not taking time to let him respond.

Link felt a jolt of fear and excitement as he rode near the barn's right side and shot the nearest alien. Tatl loaded another arrow in, and they shot the second. Then the third was backed up where it had started once the ball of light returned. Link rode back to the front and shot some more with Tatl's help, driven by his desperation. He quickly glanced up to the barn. Romani was firing an arrow at a nearing alien. She looked frightened, yet okay.

Then, one of the aliens let out a loud humming sound that lasted about two seconds. His horse whined and reared back, causing him to fall off. He hit the ground and groaned. His horse went running back to the barn. Link stood up as quickly as possible and raced over to his horse, who cowered away in fright. Link groaned and tucked his bow away and drew his sword.

"I'm going to have to take care of this my way, now!" he grunted, charging towards one of the aliens.

As he neared it, he raised up his sword for an attack. As he stepped into the light with it, he could not help put let out a small yell in agony. His skin was instantly burned, the light more like fire than anything else. He dropped his sword and staggered, back, closing his eyes and waving his arms around. His skin felt like it had hot coals set all over it! He took a few steps back, and fell over, out of the light. But he could feel it nearing.

"Link!" Tatl cried.

Link did not open his eyes, bracing himself for the worst pain of his life. But it never came. He carefully opened one eye, to see the alien was no longer there, leaving his sword on the ground where he had dropped it, steaming from the heat.

"Get up grasshopper! Your horse is calm now!" she called down.

Link stood up and hastily grabbed his sword and put it away in it's holder. He took out his bow, and groaned as his skin burned. It looked tanner than usual.

He hurried over to his horse and climbed on. Tatl loaded in another arrow, and he shot one of the nearing aliens coming in from the front.

"Glad you're okay kid! I thought you were a goner!" he heard Tatl say as she pulled the string back for another shot. Link shot the next arrow, and killed another alien.

A second later, as they had shot the next, the ball of light was dropping another.

"There's just no ending to these guys!" she exclaimed in a pained voice.

~*~

Link had never felt a moment when he was happier to see the sun slowly raise over the horizon, lighting up the sky. His skin was sore and stinging, and his right hand was bleeding heavily from where Tatl had accidentally cut him with the head of an arrow. Link's horse, Epona was frightened, but okay. He stood by her, patting her head. The aliens had disappeared at the first sign of the sun rising. Romani ran down to greet him.

"Grasshopper! You did great! Thanks to you, my cows will live another day! How could I ever thank you?!" she exclaimed with glee.

"You don't have to. I got my horse back, and that's all I wanted." he reassured her. Though really, he wanted sleep, food, and medical attention for his newest injuries, but he knew that wasn't possible without Cremia finding out what happened.

"Okay! Well, my sister will be waking up soon for morning chores! I'd better get to bed for some last minute sleep." she explained to him.

Link nodded and hopped on his horse, grabbed the reigns, and put his feet in the stirrups.

Romani started to walk towards the house, but before she got halfway, she turned to face him," Oh and, heh, you're cute!" she blushed and rushed to her house and opened the door and quickly got inside. Link blushed even more.

Tatl giggled," Aww, there goes your future wife!"

"Shut up!" Link said in a half serious, half joking tone.

"Whatever you say, cutey!" she said with a laugh.

"Ugh! Well, lets get going!"

A/N: My longest chapter yet! What do you think? Please leave comments and reviews, I'd like to know if my story is so far horrible or awesome, or you know, just... reviews?