The Women of Legend: Cremia
Posted on August 15 2015 by Jon Lett
Hit the jump to read more about Cremia, the distressed, but devoted older sister.
“Actually… I know… We’re not safe here, either… That’s how life goes, I guess. There are some things in life that you can’t change no matter how hard you try.” — Cremia
Cremia is, interestingly, the less interesting character on Romani Ranch when you are first visiting. Showing up on the first day, players will be intrigued by, first, a trapped Epona, and second, the little girl running around with a bow, talking about weird alien invasions. Romani certainly catches most people’s attention, and continues to hold it throughout the “They” invasion, but for the whole first day and night, Cremia simply tends to some cows, eats dinner with her sister, and goes to bed. it is not until the second day that she actually has a chance to become an active NPC.
Assuming Link saves the ranch from the invasion, Cremia remains pleasantly unaware of the whole event, and goes on to prepare her Romani Milk shipment for delivery via carriage. You have the chance to help her, and on the ride itself, you get to see a rare type of cutscene in Zelda, with an NPC discussing, honestly, unnecessary, but still interesting, info about herself and her connections with others in the doomed world. You learn that her and Romani’s father died at one point, leaving her with the responsibility of running the place, and looking after Romani. She also mentions the cows’ distress, and occasional litter, clearly caused by the Gorman Brothers, as well as her noticing of Romani’s worry for the incoming “ghosts”. She even comments on the, allegedly, falling moon. Finally, she touches on her friendship with Anju, and her upcoming wedding. Soon, though, you must protect her cargo from the Gormans, and upon doing so, she is gracious enough to reward you with Romani’s Mask, rupees, or a great, big hug!
This is all well and great, but it is the third day that drives home the sadness you feel for Cremia. What makes Cremia so noteworthy is the her issues being the complete opposite to that of her younger sister. While Romani’s great burden and potentially horrific experiences make you pity her and wish to help protect her and the ranch, Cremia’s problems are due to the helplessness and uselessness she must feel. She actually presents a fate unlike almost all other characters in the game, in that right up to the point when the moon will fall, she always has a sad ending. On the first night, again, you determine Romani’s fate by either defeating the invaders, or leaving them to steal her away. If you don’t help her, she returns the next day in a post-traumatic state, and Cremia, right through the third day, can’t help but grieve for her sister’s near-catatonic state, and hate herself for her ignorance of Romani’s truthful worries before the invasion. Of course, you can save Romani, but there is another problem that Cremia struggles with whether you save her or not.
The key facts to remember when examining Cremia’s strife are twofold. One, she seems more aware of and emotionally distressed by the falling moon itself than most others in Termina. Two, among all the troubles that the world is facing, she seems unable to help solve any of them. While going through the game, even though players are always aware of the three-day limit, the moon itself is often an afterthought. One could easily forget the the moon is even there if they go long enough in a dungeon, or just don’t look up to the sky for long enough. But Cremia knows. She actually offers some townsfolk refuge on the final day, but points out to Link that she is fully aware of the grim fate they all share, yet unwilling to say so to the people around her, and risk breaking their already scared hearts. She also has dinner with her best friend Anju’s family (with or without Anju herself, depending on events in the Anju/Kafei quest), so she must be aware that Anju’s wedding is in jeopardy. Once again, another piece of bad news that she is totally unable to make at all better.
Worst of all is the single conversation with Romani that is always most noted among fans. If Link helps Romani against the invading aliens, she remains her usual cheeryself, leaving Cremia needing to put on a smile throughout her struggles, not wanting to worry the girl. In the barn while tending to the cows, she offers Romani a chance to have the alcohol-esque magic milk that night, and tells her to sleep with Cremia in her bed, to which Romani happily agrees. This subtle way of avoiding her sister’s fears as the moon falls is just tragic. Disorienting and essentially sedating Romani with the magic milk and holding her close as the world ends is still debated to be the saddest part of the game, and I would be one to agree. It seems that while Cremia realizes she is helpless to fix most, if any, problems occurring around her, she still just wants what is best for her only family.
While Cremia is a warm and welcoming big sister and ranch owner on the outside, on the inside, she is actually one of the most depressing characters Zelda has ever had, and the detail and subtlety of her strife over the three days just goes to show how much of a tragic and artistic achievement Majora’s Mask really is. Hopefully, characters with struggles and strength like her’s can appear in future games, to capture our hearts, and to strengthen our resolve to save them, and the world around them.
