Oath and Vow (KafAnju: Majora's Mask)

Chapter 3: A Painful Visit

The galloping of hooves echoed through the natural stone walls of Milk Road as the couple neared their destination. Kafei, gripping the reins as tightly as he could, spurred the horse as fast as it could go as Anju sat behind him on the saddle, tightly wrapping her arms around his waist. While her husband seemed confident, ready to tackle anything that came to head, Anju couldn't look up, fearing the moment the ranch would come into view.

"The ranch is close!" Kafei called back, squinting his eyes down the path. With a grin he looked up at the sky. "We're making good time! We'll be able to have our wedding in a couple hours at most!"

"Yeah..." Anju called back over the galloping hooves.

Taking note of her tone, Kafei's red eyes looked behind him to see his lover's dejected features. With a gentle tug on the reins, the horses slowed to a trot, allowing him to twist his torso to face her better. Surprised by the sudden slow down, Anju looked around before catching Kafei's gaze.

"Why are we slowing down?" she asked. "Is everything alright?"

"That's what I was about to ask you," Kafei answered. "Are you nervous about your mother?"

"Is it that easy for you to tell?" Anju asked.

"I think anyone would be able to tell if they got a good look at you," he said. "What's up?"

"She probably hates me," Anju said after a small pause, looking down at the ground.

"Anju, there's no way your mother would ever hate you," Kafei began, but Anju shook her head.

"I left her and my grandmother all alone," she explained quietly. "I chose myself over them in hope for what slim chance there was you would return. I had faith that you would, but-"

"No, I understand," he said. Even he couldn't deny that with everything that had happened in the past month, it was undoubtedly a foolish choice to wait after everything he had done. "That's why I'll take all the blame. It's my fault you had to make such a hard decision."

"It's not just that, Kafei," Anju continued. "She had to relive the most painful moments of her life. You know that my father left her waiting, and then she had to watch her own daughter choose to do the same. Then I have the nerve to return with what she painfully waited for. It's cruel, isn't it?"

The two grew silent, allowing the trotting of hooves to fill the dead air. Slowly, Kafei turned around and took the reins back into his hands.

"I think what's cruel," he said suddenly, "is for a mother to put her own regrets before her daughter's happiness. I know your mother can be hard to deal with... But, I don't think she's like that."

Anju sat in silence, taking in his words. After a few moments, she rested her head on Kafei's back and wrapped her arms around his torso. Quietly, she thought of the words her mother had said to her before they left for the ranch:

"Please don't be sad. How happy could you possibly be marrying a man who runs off when he's about to be married. It would make your life unhappy... just like your mother's."

I hope you're right, Kafei, she thought to herself as they passed through the wooden gates of Romani Ranch. Also... Cremia... How will you react?

"There they are," Kafei said in a deep tone.

With her heart beating in her ears, Anju looked over his shoulder. Near the edge of the field were two buildings which sat close to each other. One was a barn that she knew held the cow that produced the milk her best friend and owner of the ranch would sell in town. The other was the homestead, where she could see her two older women sitting near a line of wooden crates. With a deep breath, Anju gripped Kafei's clothes tighter.