Anju and Kafei // A Zelda Tale

Chapter 2

"Welcome to the Stock Pot Inn. Do you...uh...have a reservation?" Anju found herself saying that a lot, because... she kind of had to. Without looking up, Anju flipped through her reservation book and handed the patreon a key. "Thank you," she said boredly. Forced to work at her family's private inn, her days were as monotonous as her tone. 

At that moment, Anju's mother walked by. "You know, if you're going to be rude to the customers, I don't have to let you work here."

"In that case, I'll be sure to be even more rude if it means I can leave this hellish place," Anju said under her breath.

Her mother widened her eyes. "What?!"

"I said that I'll be sure to be more cheery if it means I get to work at this grand place!" Anju barked out. Her mother sighed heavily, and told Anju to go eat.

"Oh, and feed your grandmother while you're at it. You never spend any time with her! She's old, you know!"

When her lunch break started, Anju walked to her grandmother's room, carrying a plate of food she had prepared. Her grandmother loved dairy products that were made with milk from the Milk Bar in town, so that's what she had brought for her.

"Tortus! You finally brought me food. Now be a good little boy and run along."

"Grandmother! Tortus was my father! I'm Anju. I'm also not a boy!"

Her grandmother looked at the tray in utter disgust. "Take this food away, Tortus."

"Why grandmother? I made this just for you."

"Um...I'm lactose and tolerant. I can't eat this. Besides, you and your brothers used to always put those sleeping elixirs in my milk. Not taking any chances."

Anju reluctantly took the tray away. "Fine, Grandmother. Mom's gonna be mad when she finds out you didn't eat." She exited the room angrily.

Grandmother sighed in relief. "Huh? Grandmother!"

Anju walked out of the room. She decided that she would just eat by herself. Fresh cheese was her favorite anyway. She ate it alone, lost in thought. Her mother's thunderous steps as she helped guests echoed through the inn.

Anju walked into her room. She looked at her wedding dress that was so neatly displayed in the corner and a tear rolled down her face. She just wanted to marry Kafei, so she could escape this place. She hadn't heard from him in days. She'd gone to his home, only to find the door locked and the lights off. He was missing, yet her mother did not seem to care. She did nothing about it. His father was too busy being the mayor to notice. The only other person who seemed to care was his mother. However, Anju's mother despised Kafei's mother because she said that his mother was too "materialistic." Going to see her was a no in her mother's book. Anju angrily laid on her bed, crying and staring at the sealing.  At that moment,  Anju's mother walked in and she hid her face so she wouldn't see Anju cry.

"Anju, it's time for your shift. Your break is over. You couldn't even feed your grandmother like I asked, so thank you for that. Come on, let's go."

"Just a moment, Mother," she sniffled, "I will be down in a moment."

Her mother sighed. "Are you crying over... him... again? When are you going to move on? It's time to find someone who isn't related to that wretched monster of a mayor's wife."

Anju turned away from her mother abruptly. "Leave your personal matters out of my love life and let me be. I believe in him. He will come to me. I haven't heard from him in days..." she trailed off. "But he probably has a reason."

"All I know is that he probably got drunk and ran off with some whore. You can do better, so get over it and let's go. My business is what's important right now, so stop wasting time." 

Anju got up and ran past her mother into the washroom, where she let the tears she had been holding back go completely. She knew that Kafei was worth it. Her mother was just a bitter person. 

A deep fear came to the surface of her mind. She had heard some of the guests talking about the moon crashing on the day of the Carnival of Time, her supposed wedding day. That sounded absurd, but, if it were true? She would never get her Kafei back. She had just 3 more days until then. She decided that she would stay and wait for him, no matter what. 

Her mother would just have to deal with it.