The Carnival of Time
by
Rebecca Anna Coleman
A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction
I am not claiming ownership of the Legend of Zelda

I felt my cheek bones starting to bloom with color as I peered toward the powdered blue dress that had been laid out upon the bed. Laying beside the dress was a pair of wrap up brown leather sandals. A long cord of matching powdered blue ribbon could also be found laying on top of the dress and finally the finishing touches of the whole outfit a rose colored slash could be seen laying on top of the dress. It was all too much.

“Something wrong, Marin?” Mom said as she slowly sipped her morning cup of coffee from a blue and white china cup. I think the pattern was called 'Blue Willow' or something. Mom herself was wrapped tightly up in a borrowed red housecoat, and her long, flaming red hair had been pulled back and tied off in a low ponytail. The ponytail had been braided, which I found odd because I'd never known mom to braid her hair again, then again I've never ever shared a room with my mother. Well not till last night.

“I'm just a little confused, that's all.” I said blushing a little, “Mother, how did you come by these clothes? If I might be so bold?” I said gazing toward the bundle of clothes that set upon the bed just mom. They had not been there more than a half an hour ago when I'd gone to get my morning bath.

“While you were getting your morning bath. I had a little talk with Fado, the innkeeper's daughter. She is the petite blonde haired woman who checked us into the inn last night. I used to babysit her when she was a little girl and her mother and father used to visit us at the ranch when you were just a little baby. Anyway, I casually mentioned to her that my daughter was just starting to come out of her tomboy phase and she was going to get her formal 'Coming of Age' picture taken later this afternoon.” Mom said in a casual  manner as if she was just brushing off a buzzing fly.

“Okay.” I said, rubbing my face. I was hoping I could rub the blush away. But I doubt I was having any luck.

“While we were catching up, I casually mentioned that my daughter had brought only one set of clothes with her.” Mom pointed toward the clothes I'd worn the day before. “And those were her work clothes. And Fado agrees with me, that while an oversized cotton work shirt, a pair of short cotton trousers, an old leather belt with a big brass buckle, and old leather shoes might be perfect for a day of working in the fields. Or working with cows at the ranch or fishing trip. They are hardly fashionable.

I nodded my head.

“Fado also mentioned no self respecting teenage girl would dare show her face in the marketplace dressed like that. That even the working women of Clock Town, make a point to at least wear at least a skirt and a blouse around town for their day to day business. And a nice dress on high holidays. Even the peasant women of Mountain Village, Mountain Camp make a point of dressing in their best.”

“Okay, but mom how can we afford all of this?” I said once more, this time I thrusted my arms into the air to highlight my frustration.

It was then that I saw a playful little smirk appear across mom's face, slowly she eased her china coffee cup down upon the bedside table and then she turned her full attention toward.

“Well, besides the twelve thousand rupee payment I got last night for our milk, I kind of cooked a chance and decided to play the lottery. This was after you'd been put to bed, anyway, I figured a ten rupee ticket would neither make or break us, though I do confess I've been a little worried about money lately.” Mom then paused for dramatic effect.

“And well, they posted the winning numbers this morning, not more than a few hours ago.” Mom was now grinning from one ear to the other.

“And..” I said leaning in.

“And,” Mom said smiling, “Blessing fall out of the dress pocket of the Goddess of Time.”

“What?!” I said I was confused.

“That ten rupee lottery ticket turned out to be the best thing I could have spent my pocket change on. It must have really been a lucky ticket. Because I'd won the grand prize of two thousand rupees. Two hundred of that went straight to the tax office of course. But still eighteen hundred rupees is a pretty good payday. It's nothing to sneeze at.”

At that moment I had to take hold of myself or I might have fallen out of the bed I was sitting cross legged on. . Well I really did fall off the bed.

“Really Marin,” Said sighing, “there is no need to  be that dramatic!”

“Mom! Eighteen hundred rupees a lot of money!” I said finally as I managed climb off the wooden floor of the inn and back onto the bed.

“It a small chunk of change.” Mom said casually, “About half what I pay in land taxes each year. Of course I don't trust myself carrying around all that money. And even with the extra guards and night watchman patrolling the streets of Clock Town. It's still a city, and like every city it has its fair share of pickpockets, purse snatchers and highwaymen. Thugs, thiefs, rapists, and muggers too.”

Mom paused. “Anyway, I asked an old friend of yours, you could call him an old boyfriend to escort me to the bank so I could make an early morning deposit. I dropped well over two thousand rupees into the bank. Mr. Banker you could say was quite happy with that little deposit.”

“I bed he was!” I exclaimed.

“Anyway, I knew Fado was an apprentice dress-maker, and even though she an apprentice she regarded as one of the finest dressmakers in town. She shows real promise too. She started her apprenticeship when she turned sixteen. Madam Din took her on shortly after she finished her leaving exams. Anyway, I asked if she had anything ready to wear.” Mom paused. “And since we're in a pinch I told her I'll tale any dress she had laying around that might fit you.”

“Anyway I knew Fado was an apprentice dress-maker, well she has been apprenticed since she was sixteen. She started apprenticeship shortly after she finished her exams. Anyway I asked if she had ready to wear.”

“Mom that not like you.. are you sure you're feeling well?”

“Yes I'm feeling fine, so go ahead and try the dress on. I paid a hundred and twenty rupees for the bloody thing.” Mom said, I could tell she was getting a tad bit annoyed, maybe all of my questions were finally getting to her. Mom paused and when she spoke again it seemed the annoyance  had passed.

“I also asked Fado to come in and tidy up your hair this morning. When you were unloading the milk jugs last night. I couldn't help but notice a lot of split-ends in your hair. And since fado is also a trained hairdresser. She agreed to trim your hair and to style it for your photo.” That hint of annoyance was starting to sneak into my mothers tone of voice again.

“The little nix said she was going to cut me a deal since I'd brought the dress from her, she said she'll only charge me forty rupees to do your hair, that to trim all the dead ends and to style it in a fashionable style. Fado, I'm sure knows what is popular with teenagers. After all she is a teenager herself.”

Now, I only know a handful of things about my mother. And most of those were positive things, for example one of things I knew about her was the fact that was a very hard worker, she often toiled from sun up till sun down around the ranch. Two, she had wanted to get into banking and join the banking guild after she finished her leaving exam, but her fathers failing health had forced to her put her dreams on hold so she could help her mother run the ranch. It was only suppose to be for a season or two, instead it turned out to be her career.

Number three. She married my father as soon as she turned twenty one. According to her it was love at first sight. Nine months later I was born. I knew next to nothing about my father, only he was suppose to have been the keen shot with the bow, a master swordsman, and champion horseman. Mom had thought she found her knight in shining armor, only instead wearing plate armor, he wore a simple, green homespun tunic, with old chainmail overlaying the tunic, tan leather trousers, and dark brown boots. The only lasting gift I was given from him was my blue eyes and blonde hair.

His fate I knew not, for her left when I was only four years old. According to my mom, he came home one night from delivering milk in far away Mountain Village. His face was red and he was stuttering pretty hard, mom could only understand one word in ten. But through his muttering and bumbling speech he managed to get something. He said something about a dream, an evil king, and how he must return again to the fable land of Hyrule as Princess Zelda herself had appeared to him in a dream and foretold that the Bandit King was plotting a return to power. And even as she spoke his acolytes were mustering all their power to launch a renewed attack on the fair land of Hyrule.

Mom thought he was drunk, and told him so to his face. But he kept muttering about how he must return to the land of Hyrule and find the fabled Master Sword, the legendary blade will defeat this new threat and once this threat was finally defeated only then could he return to her. Mom called him a drunken fool and slapped him across the face. He left shortly after that, never to be heard from again.

Last nut not least, number four, mom hated to spend money and believed in saving every rupee that came her way. She was not green rupee wise and gold rupee foolish. She believed in writing down every sale she made, of how much she was paid for each jug of milk she brought to market. She also wrote down every rupee she spent. And as far as I know her personal ledger and her bank account always matched down the rupee. Last but not least, I knew she had a crush on one of the town's soldiers. And I was starting to wonder with me being half grown if those smothering embers of young love were now about to renew and become a bonfire of passion.

“Marine.” Mom said as she looked me dead in the eye.

“Mom, I'm just worried that you're going to spend too much money on me!” I said as I reached up, and like I always do when I'm nervous or feel like I'm about to get scolded. I slowly started to play with my ponytail. Slowly I started to twist some of the lose strands of my hair around the tips of my fingers.

“Marin.” Mom said, heaving a heavy sigh. “Drop it, don't think about money right now and just let me spoil you okay?”

“Mom..” I said giving her my best puppy dog look.

“Okay Marin, if you must know.” Mom seemed slightly annoyed that I'd not let the subject drop. “I don't want you to worry about this anymore so I'm going to come out and tell you, but it seems your father was well a very wealthy man, where his wealth came from I have no idea. But at the time of the little vanishing act, his personal account here was well over five thousand rupees. Something like five thousand four hundred. Now, I never knew this, because we always maintained separate accounts. I only found out how much money he had a few days after he left.. since I was married to him, by law the money went to me.”

I blinked.

“Now instead of putting all five thousand rupees into my personal account. I decided to put them in a high yield saving account. So for the ten years they've been sitting there.. growing, increasing in number. This morning. I decided to check the balance cause it's been a while since I checked it and well.. the balance was around a quarter million rupees.” Mom said, shrugging her shoulders. “Seems somebody has been making a deposit of a thousand rupees a year since you were four. The dates are always one year apart, give or take a day or two. Normally a day or two after the Carnival of Time.”

I felt my eyes go wide as saucers.

“So yes, you're worth a quarter million rupees sweet-heart. On your fifteenth birthday all of that money will be yours. I was going to wait till your sixteenth birthday, but then I remembered in the eyes of the eyes of the law you would be considered an adult. And depending on how far you want to take this Marin act, you'll either be forced to sign up for a year of service in the guard. Or maybe a a year of service in the nursing corps. You'll also be forced to pay taxes..”

“....” I was lost.

“It's simple really, but handing over the quarter million rupees to you on your  fifteenth birthday, I save you from paying taxes on all that. And if you're still Marin, you can avoid being drafted into the guard and go into say nursing or something else. Now we don't live in a township, so you can kind of avoid being drafted.. Only towns with a mayor have the right to conscript. Also only those who have done a year of service have the right to vote. Though you do need to have a certain income level to vote anyways.” Mom said as she sipped her coffee.

“...” I was still lost.

“Only two townships have the right to conscript. Clock Town and Mountain Village. Fairhaven is a port so there are mainly patrol ships. The patrol ships can call them that are mostly just small fishing boats that have been outfitted with a few cannons. They mostly used to keep the trade routes open between Fairheaven and the colonies of Windfall and Outset Island secure..” Mom said with a shrug.

“Colonies?” I said again. I was starting to understand how little I knew of the world outside the ranch.

“Yep, people too poor to settle in Fairhaven started to explore the coast. This was in your great-great-grandmothers time. Shortly after the Banking Guild, that is the guild that controls all the banks. Funded a war against the Goron people.” Mom paused. “No, it was not a war, more like genocide..”

“Wow..” I said.

“Yep, the Goron Homeland, the Snow Head Mountains were just filled with gold, and the Gorons refused to allow the Banking Guild to buy the land so they could mine for gold. So instead they raised their own private arm and marched into Snow Head and this private arm killed every Goron around. At the time there was a general depression.. and the Banking Guild was paying any man who was sixteen years of age but not older than fifty three hundred rupees a sign-on bonus if they enlisted for the whole conflict. And three hundred rupees a month after that.”

I swallowed hard.

“Greed.” Mom said, shrugging her shoulders. “Make people do wicked stuff. Anyway that's enough history for today. I need you to get changed. Fago should be her shortly to do your hair.”

End Chapter four.