Legend of Zelda 1. Prologue

**MAS****K**

**~A Legend of Zelda Fanfiction~**

**Prologue**

"There is an ancient legend. One that has struck fear into the hearts of those who tell and hear it. It is one of absolute power and death.

"The legend says that once, many thousands of years ago, there was a powerful warrior who traveled far and wide to defeat a monster. The monster, however, was invincible to any weaponry, its armor thick, and its temper merciless. Any who laid eye upon it would never live to tell the tale, for the monster slayed all who saw it.

"This warrior, however, knew how to beat it. With the sound of music, he tempted the beast into dancing. Neither stopped during those first few days: the monster danced; the warrior played. But one was going to give in.

"As the third day came to a close, the beast, exhausted, collapsed, breathing its last breath. The warrior took its armor and, as a token of his victory, made from it a mask, one that – unbeknownst to the warrior – housed the vile monster's spirit inside it.

"When the warrior brought back the mask, others in his tribe wanted to wear it, sensing great magic within it. It was a grave mistake. Though the mask granted unspeakable power to the wearer, he or she became insane, killing any and all around, just like the monster.

"The mask became known as Majora's Mask.

"As the generations passed, the mask was lost to the ravages of time once its true power was revealed. Time and time again, it would appear, and devastation would ensue. But then it disappeared. For five hundred years, no one has seen this mask. And because of this, a new legend has been wrought: when the Mask of Majora shows up again, the end of the world with come about."

"RINKU!"

The story-teller stopped, cringing slightly at the sound of his wife's voice. Before him, his two children sat in rapt attention, their expressions begging for more. Rinku looked up toward the doorway of the room. "Yes, my dearest Zelda?"

Zelda glared at him. "Why are you telling them that story?"

"They asked for a scary story," Rinku replied, shrugging, before turning to his children. "Right?"

Both kids nodded.

Zelda didn't stop glaring at Rinku. "If they get nightmares from that story, _you're_ dealing with them."

"Fine by me." Rinku stood and stretched his arms over his head. "Alright, bedtime!"

"Aw!" the two children chorused.

"But it was such a cool story!" the boy protested.

"Indeed, Link," Rinku said. "That's why I chose it."

"But," the girl added, "it was creepy. Does the mask really exist?"

"Zellie, don't dwell on it," Zelda told her daughter. "Most likely it doesn't."

Zellie didn't seem convinced. She played with her dark braid, looking up at her father.

"Your mother's right," Rinku said. "No one's actually confirmed the existence of Majora's Mask." This time, Zellie nodded. "Now. Off to bed with you two," Rinku told her.

Zellie and Link quickly bid their parents goodnight before scurrying from the bedroom. Rinku sighed. He heard the two children teasing each other as they made their way to their rooms, only to be quickly admonished by the Sheikah Impa.

"I think I spooked Zelda too much," Rinku said, grinning at his wife.

"You're dealing with her tonight," she replied. "I _know_ Zellie's going to wake up with nightmares."

"Come now, Zelda, that's the mother's job."

Zelda laughed. "And what's the father's job: herding goats?"

Rinku pretending to look offended. "I'll have you know herding goats is a noble profession."

Zelda laughed, sitting down on the bed. "Sure it is. But, seeing as you were the one who told the story, you are going to be the one to get her to go back to sleep."

"Yes, my dear, I understand."

"Good."

* * *

><p>Deep in the woods in a distant corner of Hyrule – a region that people simply called Termina – a skull kid stopped, noticing something strange poking out from underneath a bush. The two fairies accompanying him turned.<p>

"What's up, Skull Kid?" the purple fairy asked.

"Check this out!" Skull Kid had fished out the object from under the bush.

The yellow fairy sighed. "Ugh, Skull Kid, don't touch it. There's something weird about it. Remember the last time you touched something you didn't know?"

"Yeah. But I know what this is. It's a mask!" He held it out to show his companions. Indeed it was a mask, but there was something about it. The gaze was creepy, sending chills though the yellow fairy. Skull Kid put the mask on and cocked his head in a questioning manner. "Well? Do I look scary?"

"Uh-huh!" the purple fairy exclaimed.

"Yes," the yellow fairy agreed. "Now put it back. It feels dangerous."

Skull Kid was silent, staring at the yellow fairy. Finally, he replied. "...No... I don't think I will."

And with that, the three travelers set off through the forest once more.

* * *

><p><em>Author's note: Here it is! The sequel to my fanfiction <strong>Hero of the Ocarina. <strong>Well, sort of. I really don't know when I'm going to be updating as I am a busy college student with lots of papers to write and reading to read... :P_

_Anyway, a couple of notes. Please read them so you aren't confused. First, I'm making Termina a region in Hyrule even though I know it is a different...demension? I thought it would work better. If not, then I will have to change everything. Secondly, the legend Rinku told his children is based on a chapter in the **Majora's Mask** manga by Akira Himekawa. SO: Akira Himekawa owns that idea, not me. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and will enjoy the story!_


	2. Chapter 1

_Author's note: Yay next chapter! Thanks to **TheLoneWolfe90** for the review! Please enjoy!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

It was the same dream as always. No matter how long it had been, she would never forget it. Her mind would forever replay the two worst moments of her life: first, when the Hero of Time being stabbed by the Dark Lord; second, when the Hero of the Ocarina was slapped mercilessly at a smoldering building wall by the same Dark Lord, collapsing onto the blood soaked ground.

Her pain, her grief, her longing for the horrid scenes to simply melt away forever: all these feelings and more raged within her as she commanded herself futilely to wake.

But it changed. The visions of the two men she loved over the course of her life being brutally battered by the Dark Lord vanished. For a moment, she was relieved. Thank the goddesses those dreams were over for now.

Her relief was short lived.

A monstrous moon hung low over the great kingdom of Hyrule, an unnatural and creepy grinning face glaring down from the moon. And, it seemed to be getting closer and closer to the surface of the earth, its grin becoming nastier and nastier.

Then she heard a voice.

_Three days. End of the world._

The scene changed to the view of the top of a tower, where two short figures could be seen. One couldn't be identified, but the other seemed to be a creature from deep within the forests. This creature wore a mask...

The voice spoke up again.

_If unsuccessful in three days..._

The creature rose into the air, calling to the gigantic and frightening moon with a high-pitched screech. It began to lower, crashing into the tower. Flames engulfed the kingdom, and life was no more.

* * *

><p>"NO!"<p>

Zelda sat bolt upright in bed, in shock from the dream. Beside her, Rinku, startled from sleep, fell from the bed, tangled in the blankets.

"Zelda, what happened?" he asked with worry. His wife didn't answer him. She covered her face with her hands, shaking. "Zelda?" Rinku asked again. There was a knock on the bedroom door.

"Your Majesties, I heard a scream. Is everything alright?" a guard called from the other side of the door as Rinku managed to untangle himself from the sheets. He stood and went to the door, opening it.

"Everything's fine," he told the guard.

The guard nodded and bowed, hurrying out of sight to resume his post. Rinku sighed and closed the door, returning to the bed to comfort Zelda.

"Zelda, love, was it a dream?" Rinku asked. Zelda barely managed to nod. She was pale and shaking hard, her eyes wide with fear. Rinku held her close. "Calm down, it's not like it was real. Don't worry."

"It was real," Zelda managed to say, looking up at her husband. "It was one of _those_ dreams."

"What dreams?" Rinku asked.

Zelda took a deep, shaking breath. "The Triforce of Wisdom occasionally grants me prophetic dreams," she said. "I see the dangers to come..." She shook her head, covering her face once more. "It was awful," she murmured. "Oh, dear goddesses, it was unbearable." She peered at Rinku again over her hands, fear in her eyes.

"What was it about?" Rinku asked patiently.

Zelda shook her head once more. She was slowly coming out of shock, but tears were streaming down her face now. Rinku took her hand, trying to provide some amount of comfort. "There was...a hideous moon," Zelda began. "A creature of the forests. Three days before..." Zelda's face went pale once more.

"Before what?" Rinku asked.

"The moon comes crashing down." She jumped out of the bed. "I have to be sure," she said, going over to the windows while Rinku watched silently. Zelda drew back the curtains and peered outside toward the sky. She sighed with relief, rubbing a hand over her face to dry her tears.

"Are you sure you weren't just dreaming about the story I told last night?" Rinku asked. "The one about that mask?"

"I know it was a prophetic dream," Zelda answered as she returned to the bed. Rinku studied her for a moment, noting how she still shook. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "I forgot how terrible they were. These dreams," Zelda muttered.

"When was the last time you had one?"

"When I was ten. Predicting Ganon's rise to power." She sighed. "My father wouldn't listen to me when I told him Ganon was an evil man. I wonder what would have happened if he _had_ listened."

Rinku smiled. "You always ask yourself these questions. There's no way to know what could have happened. You just have to be satisfied with what is."

"Even if it means watching you scare our children with apocalyptic stories?" Zelda teased, though the effort was half-hearted.

Rinku shrugged, laughed softly, and they were silent. But he could still feel her shaking. After a few minutes, he kissed the top of her head. "Calm down, now, my love. If anything does happen, I will be the first to try to fix the problems. So, don't worry and try to get some sleep."

Zelda sighed. She laid her head on his shoulder, but it was a long time before sleep claimed her again.

It seemed like she was only for just a few moments when she was startled awake once more, this time by Link and Zellie.

"Mother! Father! Wake up! Today's the festival!" The bed shook as the two children jumped up onto it. Zelda opened her eyes and saw their grinning, excited faces. She glanced out the window and saw the sun shining through the curtains, barely over the horizon.

"Why are you awake so early?" she asked. Rinku grumbled in agreement.

"It's the day of the festival!" Link replied. The eleven-year-old was nearly trembling with excitement, as was his thirteen-year-old sister.

The festival in question was a celebration that took place at the beginning of spring in Castle Town. It was a welcoming of the warmer weather and commemorated when the goddesses created Hyrule. Each individual town had its own customs. While Castle Town celebrated the Spring Festival with a carnival-like celebration three days before the actual day, which was very solemn, Rinku's home town of Dresdem celebrated the event four days afterward with a big feast fit for a king. One year, just before Zellie had been born, Rinku and Zelda had gone around to each of the festivals. Zelda herself had never partied so much, but she still had to say that her favorite celebrations were those of Dresdem and Castle Town. And it seemed, like the Castle Town celebration was the favorite of her children's as well.

Zelda now looked at her son with a smile. "Link, it doesn't start until noon."

The boy paused. "Oooh."

"But still," Zellie said. "We have to be ready for when it does start!"

Zelda smiled and took a moment to study her children as they began to talk excitedly about the festival. Zellie, named after her mother, was almost like a mini version of Rinku. She had inherited his brown hair and green eyes, but many people had said that she was quite a bit like Zelda in her mannerisms, but Zelda had to disagree. She saw a lot of Rinku in Zellie. Link, on the other hand, was blond, his blue eyes matching Zelda's. His personality was a mix of both his parents: he had Zelda's quietness – most of the time – and that heroic sparkle in his eyes that Rinku also had.

"Alright, alright," Rinku said, cutting off Link's and Zellie's eager descriptions of the festival as well as Zelda's thoughts. "Calm down. Your mother's had a bad night. She needs her sleep."

"I'm fine," Zelda protested.

"Yeah, right," Rinku replied. Zelda noticed he had one of his many ocarinas in his hands.

"And you're going to serenade me, aren't you?" she asked.

"Play us a song, Father!" Zellie begged.

"Please?" Link asked.

Rinku nodded, placing the flute to his lips. With practiced fingers, he began to pick out a melody that had both good and bad memories. Zelda recalled fondly when Impa, her nursemaid back when she was young, would hum the tune as the princess drifted to sleep. But she also recalled when she had played the song on the Ocarina of Time for the Hero of Time as his dying wish.

Either way, the tune was enough to make one feel sleepy. After a few moments, Zelda spoke up. "Rinku, the whole point of preforming is to..." she paused to yawn. "...To not put your audience to sleep."

Rinku paused to grin at her. "Or perhaps that's my goal."

Zelda sighed. "Sure it is." She slipped out of the bed as Rinku continued to play his ocarina, though he played a different tune this time. Zelda walked over to the window and peered out once more, breathing once more a sigh of relief when didn't see any trace of her dream.

"You are so paranoid," Rinku said, pausing once more.

Zelda rolled her eyes. "So you may think." She huffed a sigh. "I'm going to get breakfast, if anyone wants to join me."

"I will," Link said, slipping off the bed. Zellie nodded and followed her brother. They hurried out of the room to get ready for the day.

* * *

><p>It seemed, to the children, that noon couldn't come fast enough. But finally, it was time.<p>

Link looked around the festival, grinning. It was his favorite holiday, this spring festival. All around there were booths of food, games with prizes to win, puppet shows, exotic goods not usually displayed for sale. In the middle of the marketplace, a band was playing music, and people were dancing.

"Link, let's play one of the games," Zellie exclaimed.

His and Zellie's parents had given them each some rupees to play some of the games.

"Which one?" Link asked.

"This one! It's my favorite!" Zellie led her younger brother over to a game. It was a ring-toss game, something Zellie seemed to excel at. The goal was to get one of ten rings over the different-colored bottle, which was surrounded by other bottles of the same height. Link sighed, but he would play anyway. Who knew? Maybe he would be better at it this year.

"Ah, your Highnesses!" The man running the stall smiled at the Prince and Princess. "Are you here to play a round?"

"We are," Zellie said. She and Link each handed the man five of their rupees in exchange for ten rings each.

"You can go first," Zellie told her brother. Link nodded and carefully tired to aim at the target bottle. But, like all the other years, he wasn't able to get it.

"Oh, tough luck there, your Highness," the man running the stand said. "Would you like to try again?"

"No, thanks," Link said. "I'm no good at it."

The man laughed cheerfully. "Some are better than others, like your sister there." He pointed to Zellie, who had just managed to get three of the ten rings over the target bottle. "Well, done!" the man congratulated. "Pick a prize."

Zellie chose her prize and the two siblings thanked the man, going off once more in the crowd. "Where to next?" Zellie asked.

"There! The archery booth!" Link pointed.

"Aw, I'm no good at archery."

"And I'm no good at ring-toss."

"True. Alright, let's do it."

Ten minutes later, they came away from the booth with varying degrees of success. Link had won the grand prize, hitting all of the targets, while Zellie had only been able to hit one. And for the rest of the hour, they played as many games as their rupees allowed them to before they had to meet up with their parents. At one point Link looked around for one of the stranger booths run by someone he and Zellie called the Mask Man, because he always had the funniest – and strangest – masks for sale. But it seemed that he wasn't here this year, which was odd. The Mask Mas was always here.

Fifteen minutes after one o'clock, Zellie and Link were hunting the crowds for their parents.

"Where were we supposed to meet them?" Zellie asked, looking around.

"I wasn't paying attention," Link replied. For a moment, the young Prince felt a prick of worry. What if they couldn't find them at all? But he shook his head. That was silly. They would just go back to the castle and wait there. No problem.

"What's that?"

"What's what, Zel?"

"Sounds like..." Zellie stopped with a gasp. Link looked up at his sister, but saw what had stopped her. A horrendous moon hung in the sky, a glaring face sneering down at all of Hyrule. And in that instant, he realized that the sound they were hearing was screams.

"Is it getting closer?" Link asked. But he didn't get an answer.

"We have to find Mother and Father!" Zellie said urgently, grabbing Link's hand. They ran through the panicking crowd, trying to find their parents.

Suddenly, someone ran into Link as he and Zellie passed the Temple of Time. He felt his sister's hand leave his as he fell to the ground.

But the strange thing was that he kept falling. Through blackness and through...who knew what.


	3. Chapter 2

_Author's note: Are you following along so far? Yes? Good. I present to you the next chapter! Read, enjoy, and tell me what you think! (Reviewers will get a cookie of thier choice!)_

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

Link opened his eyes, feeling like he had just run a mile with iron boots on. He was in a forest. How did he get here? There weren't any large forests near Castle Town.

"Hey, let me see it!"

The sudden childish voice brought Link to more awareness. The was a short note played on what sounded like an ocarina followed by a childish giggle.

"No, Tael, you'll drop it. You know how clumsy you are."

There was another note on the ocarina, followed by more childish giggling.

"Aw, Tatl! Why can't I play with it, too?"

Link, not wanting to hear any more of this, sat up, shaking his head to get rid of his weariness. He glanced toward the sound the bickering voices and saw two fairies – one yellow, the other black – hovering over a masked skull kid.

And the skull kid had the Ocarina of Time in his hands.

Instantly, Link felt both guilt and anger. He had borrowed the Ocarina from his father, intending to give it back, and now the treasure of the Royal Family was in the hands of some forest creature!

The fairies paused in their bickering long enough to acknowledge that Link was awake. They chimed a warning in unison to their friend, who turned, guiltily hiding the Ocarina behind his back.

Link glared. "That's mine. Can I have it back?"

"What's yours?" Skull Kid asked. "I don't have anything of yours."

"The Ocarina. It's mine. I just saw you hide it behind your back."

"Uh...no I didn't!"

Link jumped at Skull Kid, attempting to tackle him to the ground and get the Ocarina back. Skull Kid jumped out of the way, and took off running through the forest, his fairy companions following. Link chased after him, wondering why this skull kid was faster than himself even with those stumpy legs.

Suddenly, Skull Kid took a sharp turn into a tunnel in the trees. Link followed, but found himself at the edge of a cliff – or who knew what. Everything was dark. "What the-" Link's momentum carried him over the edge before he could even l

Yet he landed with a surprisingly soft landing. He got slowly once more to his feet.

"YOU!"

Link blinked in the sudden light that shone on his face with the harsh word. There, across a pond, was Skull Kid, floating eerily a foot or so above the ground.

"Give me back my Ocarina!" Link shouted.

"No!" Skull Kid replied harshly. "It's mine now. I got it fair-and-square. And there's no way you'll be able to get it back from me as I am now. Fool!" Skull Kid laughed that strange childish giggle. "I just decided. I don't like your face! So take...this!"

Waves of black magic emanated from the mask Skull Kid wore, hitting Link full blast. Pain filled his body and he felt like something was covering his face, pushing him into a smaller shell. When he looked again at his reflection in the pond, he saw he was no longer a Hylian boy, but a... Deku Scrub?

"Hee hee hee! You look so much better!" Skull Kid laughed. "Do you understand now? I can do _anything_!" Laughing, Skull Kid floated backwards into another tunnel. Link ran after him, amazingly hopping across the shallow water that separated him with Skull Kid. The purple fairy followed his companion, but the yellow one smacked Link in the face, knocking him off his unsteady feet.

"Ha! You look so stupid!"

Link swatted at the fairy. "Shut up!"

"My, my, little boys – I mean _dekus_ – shouldn't have such bad language!"

She turned to follow Skull Kid and the other fairy but found that the passage was shut. She banged the door a few times, but had no luck in opening, so she flew back at Link, smacking him in the face once more. "You! This is all your fault. Now I'm separated from Skull Kid and Tael!" She gave a mournful groan. "Oh, Tael! I hope that child will be all right without me!" She rounded on Link again. "You're going to help me, got it?"

Link glared. He didn't want to help this fairy.

The fairy huffed. "Ugh, fine. Sorry. Now help me."

Link sighed, though it sounded more like a whistle with his strange new form. "A please would be nice. I _am_ the Prince of Hyrule."

"Prince-schmince! I don't care who you are. You're helping me. I have to get back to Tael. I am his only sister, after all."

Link gave another whistling sigh. He figured if he helped this fairy, he would be able to get back the Ocarina. "Fine. Where are they going to be?"

"Clock Town. I'll show you, schmince, where to go."

"My name isn't schmince. My name is Link."

"Link-schmink. Get moving!"

Link glared and stumbled over to the door and opened it. The fairy flew ahead and Link followed, but she quickly turned, flying into his face once more.

"Tatl. That's my name. Don't forget it." She flew off once more down the tunnel with Link bobbling along behind her.

* * *

><p>"It looks like its falling over Termina."<p>

"Yeah, but it will still cause devastation."

Rinku turned to Zelda. Her eyes never left the creepy moon hanging over Hyrule. He looked back up at it. Within minutes of it appearing, things had gone terribly wrong. Rinku and Zelda had frantically searched for Link and Zellie, but they soon realized that the two children would have headed back for the castle.

However, when they arrived at the gate, they saw only Zellie, who was sobbing on the ground, Impa standing protectively over her.

"He was right behind me!" Zellie had sobbed when Zelda had asked her where Link was. "One minute, we were heading back here together and the next he was gone!"

Though, truly, this was the worst part of what had happened, Rinku noticed an hour later that the Ocarina of Time was also missing. He had searched all the placed he normally put it, but didn't find it.

But he was heading to Termina anyway. With his second-best ocarina on hand, the Master Sword strapped to his back, he was willing to figure out a way to stop the moon. It wasn't natural. Something had to be causing it to fall. He was going to find out what and stop it before Hyrule was destroyed.

"Explain to me your dream once more?" Rinku asked. He and Zelda were standing by the gate once more, watching the moon inching closer to the earth.

"The moon hung over Hyrule, like it is now," Zelda replied. "Then, on top of a tower, two small people were standing underneath it. I don't know who the first one was, but the second one was a skull kid...wearing a mask."

"A mask?" Rinku looked at his wife, and she met his gaze.

"Yes. You don't think it could have to do with..." She trailed off.

"Majora? Possibly." Rinku sighed. "It is, after all, a legend. No one knows if it is true."

"But what if it is? We're going against a _mask_."

"It houses incredibly dangerous power. And the legend did say that the end of the world would come about next time it was worn."

Zelda sighed as Rinku pulled out his second-best ocarina and placed it to his lips, playing a quick, happy tune.

"Promise me you'll be careful."

Rinku sighed, tucking the ocarina back into its place. "I can't promise anything, but I will try." He and Zelda turned at the sound of hoof beats. A young black horse with a white mane and tail trotted up to the pair, saddled and ready for an adventure. The horse's name was Caden, and he was the son of Rinku's previous horse. Rinku's old mare, Epona, was now enjoying retirement at Lon Lon Ranch, and Caden was happily taking on the role his mother had played. The young horse trotted in place, oblivious to his master's mood and eager to get moving.

Rinku turned to Zelda and hugged her.

"I love you," Zelda whispered as they kissed.

"I love you, too," Rinku replied. He let her go and lightly mounted Caden. With just the lightest touch, the eager horse cantered off down the path away from the castle and toward Termina.

Rinku rode steadily for an entire day, barely giving himself and Caden time to rest. The horse didn't mind. He seemed to have finally gotten the message that Rinku needed to get somewhere fast.

The pair traveled far in one day, despite the steady speed at which they were going. Finally, they neared the border of Termina. Just as they were about to cross into the region, Caden stopped suddenly, tensing up. "What's wrong, Caden?" Rinku asked. The horse merely shook his head, refusing to go forward. Rinku dismounted and waled a few paces forward. He could sense something, now. Putting an arm forward, he took one more step, and felt a barrier. An invisible barrier.

Quickly pulling his ocarina from the pouch that hang from his belt, he played a smooth tune, one that reminded him the most of Zelda, more so than her lullaby. This particular tune was one with which he had tied some magic, allowing him to communicate with his wife. As he finished the tune, he felt the connection form.

_Zelda._

_Oh, __Rinku,_ Zelda replied over the mental connection. _I __thought __I __felt __you __calling._ Her voice became serious. _What's __wrong?_

_There's some sort of barrier around Termina. I can't get in._

_Could Caden get through?_

_I __don't __know. __He __sensed __it __before __I __did __and __refused __to __move __a __step __further. __He's __a __smart __horse. _Rinku sighed and glanced around. He had that odd feeling like he was being watched. _Do __you __think __there's __a__way __in?_ he asked Zelda. Caden pranced nervously on the spot next to Rinku.

_Perhaps. __I'm __not __sure __you'll __find __one __though. __If __this __is __of __the __same __power __causing __the __moon __to __fall, __you __may __not __be __able __to __get __in._ Zelda paused. Rinku waited for her to say more. After a minute or so, Zelda's sweet voice sounded once more over the connection. _Rinku?_

_Yeah?_

_I have a bad feeling about this. Come back._

_But what about stopping the moon?_

_Someone else already is. I believe. You were not the one I saw in the dream. Please, Rinku, come back home._

Rinku sighed again. _I __will. __I'll __head __back __now._

_Thank you._

The connection was severed and Rinku mounted Caden once more. Turning the young black horse, Rinku nudged him into a canter, away from the Termina region and back to Castle Town.

* * *

><p>Link sighed, staring up at the creepy moon from where he sat by the Clock Tower of Clock Town. The second day he had been in his Deku form was coming to a close. And he and Tatl had been over the entirety of Clock Town three times with no luck in finding Skull Kid, not to mention the creepy encounter with the Mask Man, who practically forced Link to help him get back his precious mask that Skull Kid was wearing. But there was a positive side to helping the Mask Man. He said he could return Link to normal if the Prince got back the Ocarina of Time.<p>

Link and Tatl couldn't leave Clock Town, either. The guards at each of the gates stopped Link, saying he was too young and too little to be going out of the gates and onto the field. They also told him to go find his parents, which annoyed Link to no end, because he knew his parents were all the way back in the castle, not here.

During the two days, Link had managed to discover a talent he could only do in this form. With his tube-like mouth, he could blow and launch destructive bubbles in an attack called the bubble blast. Tatl found the ability disgusting, but Link thought it useful. It was almost like the bubble blast was the Deku Scrub's form of archery.

Now, Link was just exhausted. He hadn't slept in two days, and it was finally catching up to him. Despite the uncomfortable Deku Scrub form he was trapped in, he felt himself drifting off to sleep. He closed his eyes.

What woke him was not the sound of Tatl's shrill reprimand, nor the sound of the townspeople, but the loud clanging of the bells. He started awake, looking around. "What's happening?" he asked.

"Midnight is happening!" Tatl exploded. "You idiot! You slept for twenty-four hours! The moon is falling!"

Link looked up and noticed that the moon was much closer. He jumped to his feet.

"Oh," Tatl said as an after thought. "And Skull Kid's up there."

Link glared at Tatl. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I couldn't! Believe me I tried." She bopped him on the head. "Come _on!_" Link followed the glowing fairy to the top of the Clock Tower, where they saw Skull Kid floating eerily high above the ground, his back to Link and Tatl. Then Skull Kid turned, and seemed to smirk at Link. He was tossing the Ocarina of Time up into the air and catching it again. The purple fairy, Tael, flew up beside Skull Kid.

"Sis!" he cried.

"Tael!" Tatl exclaimed. "We've been looking for you two. So, uh, Skull Kid? Do you think you could take that mask off now? It belongs to someone else and they need it."

"Sis!" Tael shouted urgently. "Go the the swamp, the mountain, the ocean, and the canyon and bring back the four people who are there! Bring them here!"

"Stupid fairy!" Skull Kid shouted, swatting Tael out of the way. "Keep your mouth shut!"

"Hey!" Tatl shouted. "Don't you dare treat my brother like that!"

"Whatever." Skull Kid continued to toss the Ocarina of Time up and down. "Doesn't matter. Even if you did bring them here, they wouldn't stop me. And neither can you." With an ear-splitting, freaky cry, Skull Kid spread his arms and legs and called to the moon, which began to fall faster. Five minutes and the whole world would be destroyed.

Link panicked. _How __am __I __supposed __to __stop __the __moon? __We __need __more __time!_ Then it hit him. The Ocarina of Time. Perhaps there was a song he could play that would allow him to get more time!

Using his bubble blast, he launched a bubble at Skull Kid, who dropped the Ocarina out of surprise as the bubble hit him. Link ran to pick up the sacred instrument. With a flash of light, the Ocarina was no longer a flute, but a...

"It's a Deku Scrub Tuba!" Tatl shouted. "Play something!"

Link nodded, recalling one specific song that he thought might help, the memory rushing to him...

_It was a warm summer's eve. Link, his sister, and his parents were in one of the grassy courtyards. Link's father was playing one of his ocarinas. As he finished a tune, Link spoke up._

"_What was that song?" he asked._

"_The Song of Time. On any normal ocarina, it's just a pretty tune. But on the Ocarina of Time..." Rinku paused to show his son the special blue Ocarina, marked with the symbol of the Triforce. "If played on this Ocarina, it is said that time can be reversed."_

"Hey! What are you doing reminiscing?" Tatl shouted, banging Link on the head and shaking him from his thoughts. "We've still got a moon to stop!"

"I'm getting there," Link replied with annoyance. What was with this fairy? Why did she have to be so rude? He pushed his annoyance aside and recalled the tune, playing on the tuba.

And time itself seemed to fly. Not forward. But backward.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The sun was just shining over the horizon as Link became aware of his surroundings. He was standing in front of the basement of the Clock Tower, utterly confused.

"Wha-" Tatl seemed lost for words. "What just happened? Everything's...started over...?"

Link looked up. The moon was still there, but it wasn't close to the earth.

The yellow fairy turned to look closely at Link, who was still in his Deku Scrub form. "Who exactly are you?"

"I told you. I'm the Prince of Hyrule. And that Ocarina is not any simple ocarina." He turned and entered the basement of the Clock Tower, remembering the Mask Man's promise. There, in the shadows, the creepy man waited. Link walked up to him.

"Aaah, did you recover what the forest creature stole from you?" the man asked, his incessant grin sending shivers through both Link and Tatl.

"I did," Link said.

"Splendid! Now, just play this melody on your precious item." And he whistled a tune. It was a mournful melody, but there was something...something peaceful about it. Link played the tune. There was a flash of white and a Deku Mask fell to Link's feet. He was back to normal!

"There. I've upheld my end of the bargain," the Mask Man. "Now, you need to uphold yours. You have my mask, do you not?" He held out his hand, waiting.

Link hesitated, stepping back from the man. "I..."

"Don't tell me...my mask. You did...get it back...didn't you?" Then the Mask Man lost it. His normally happy face disappeared, replaced by a crazed frown and Link scrambled backwards to escape the Mask Man's grasp. "What have you done to me? If you leave that mask out there, something terrible will happen!" The man took a deep breath. "That mask is called Majora's Mask."

Link's eyes widened. "M-Majora's Mask? It's not a legend?"

"Oh, no, Prince! Far from it! But you have heard of it, so you must know what happens when the mask is uncovered. It bestows upon the wearer an evil and wicked power. It was sealed away in shadow so that it's powers could not be misused ever again. I went to great lengths to find it. And when I finally got it, I could sense a dark omen brewing, one that makes you hair stand on end." The Mask Man began to panic once more. "And now that forest creature has it! Please! I beg you! Get Majora's Mask back! Before something terrible happens!"

"Why ask me?" Link asked. "I'm just a kid!"

"A kid you may be, but you have the spirits of the Heroes of Old in you."

Link shook his head. "No. Y-you must be mistaking me for my father. He's the Hero, not me."

"I am not. You father is a great Hero, indeed, but you are not named after the Heroes for no reason."

"I was named so in tribute to one of my mother's closest friends who was killed by the tyrant Ganondorf."

"That may be true, but you can do it! You are the only one who can. And you bear the name of the Hero of the Skyward Sword, the name of the Hero of Time, the name of the Hero of Hyrule! Do not doubt your power, young Hero!"

Link looked away from the Mask Man, unsure of what he should do. _Accept, young one! _The voice that echoed in Link's head startled him, but as he looked around the room, he saw no one but Tatl and the Mask Man. _That's it,_ the voice said again. _It's all just a voice in your head. Just accept and I'll tell you more._

"Make up your mind already!" Tatl shouted impatiently.

"Shut up, Tatl!" Link replied with just as much irritation. By the goddesses, this fairy was going to give him a headache by the end of this quest. He glared at the fairy for a moment more before turning to the Mask Man. "I'll probably end up dead, but I'll do it. I'll get that mask back."

"Wonderful!" The Mask Man clapped his hands together joyfully and then reached into his rather large pack that somehow he managed to wear even though it looked like it would snap him in two. "You will need this." And he handed Link a sword. It looked finely made, with traces of gold in the blade and handle. "This sword is the Gilded Sword, made by the Gorons of Snowhead Mountain. Use it well. Take your Deku Mask, too. When you wear it, you will be able to become a Deku Scrub."

"Thank you," Link said as he strapped the sword to his back.

"Do you even know how to use a sword?" Tatl asked.

"My father has been training me," Link replied. He picked up the mask at his feet and turned to go.

"Believe in your strengths, young Hero..." the Mask Man said in just above a whisper. "Believe...believe..."

Link turned to look at the Mask Man once more, but he was gone.

* * *

><p>"Welcome to Termina Field!"<p>

Link rolled his eyes at Tatl's exclamation, but he looked around anyway. The field surrounded Clock Town, making it seem relatively small. Tatl began talking. "So, to the south is the Woodfall Swamp, to the north is Snowhead Mountain. To the west is Great Bay Coast, and the to east is Ikana Valley. Got it?"

"Yes, Tatl," Link replied. He shifted the pack he now wore over his sheathed sword. He had gotten the pack in Clock Town to hold the supplies he knew he would need on this journey. "Where to first?"

"The swamp. The Dekus live there and they're not too welcome to visitors, so your Deku mask could come in handy. This way!" Tatl flew off toward the woods, but she suddenly stopped when she saw a drawing on a tree. For the first time since meeting her, Link saw the fairy's wings droop as she stared at the drawing.

"I remember this," she said. "Tael, Skull Kid, I drew this when we first met! Skull Kid said that his friends had been fighting with him and left him all alone.

"It was a stormy day, the rain pelting down on Tael and me as we searched for shelter. We're orphans, you see, and we weren't used to being on our own. None of the other fairies wanted to take us in. Anyway, we found a hollowed-out log, perfect for taking shelter in. We flew in. Tael began to shiver with the cold, and so I tried to warm him up.

"It was then that we noticed Skull Kid sitting on the ground, shivering as well. He looked so lonely, and we were freezing. So the three of us huddled together, warming each other up. And we were best friends ever since. We would play hide-and-seek together, Skull Kid would play his flute, and we would all just have a great time. He drew this picture in remembrance of that day we met.

"He was a trickster though, and that was probably why no one wanted to play with him, yet we stuck with him. He was our best friend after all. And then he found that mask. He had gotten into a habit of stealing from travelers on the roads through the forest, but the mask was just lying there, waiting for its real owner to get it back. And when he put it on and got the power it bestowed..." Tatl sighed. "You know the rest... Let's go." And she led Link onward, through a maze of trees.

As Link sprinted behind Tatl through the trees, he heard that voice inside his head once more. _Good for you: taking up your destiny._

_Who are you?_ Link asked in his head, fearing that, if he spoke out loud, he would have to endure Tatl's teasing. And he did _not_ need to be teased right now.

_My real name would only confuse you, kid._

_Can I call you something else then?_

_Yeah. Most of my pals call me Oni. You can, too, if you like. Or...I could just be called Disembodied-Voice-in-Your-Head._

Link sighed. Whoever this Oni was, he had an awful sense of humor.

_Any name you give me I'm fine with. Just keep following your fairy friend._

* * *

><p>"Don't, Rinku! It's pointless!"<p>

Rinku sighed. He had to get to Termina to stop the large, grotesque moon, but Zelda, who, just that morning had been so desperate about it. Now, she was telling him not to go. In fact, it had almost seemed like he had gone, but when he tried to recall traveling toward the province of Hyrule, he found that he could not remember it. It must have been a dream. That's what he assumed. He turned toward his wife. "Why is it pointless?" he asked with confusion.

"First, you're not the one I saw in the dream. Someone else is. They're already there, I know it. And there's also a barrier around the province. You can't get by."

"How do you know that?"

"You already tried to get through." Zelda noted his confused look and sighed. "I am the Sage of Time. I do remember the events that have been reversed."

"You mean...whoever is there..."

"Has the Ocarina of Time, and knows the Song of Time."

"But, only the Royal Family knows that song..." Rinku trailed off, his eyes widening. "No, it can't be."

Zelda nodded. "Link's out there, Rinku. But there's no way to help him out. We just need to pray that he'll be kept safe. And wait."

Rinku sighed. "Yes, lots of waiting."

* * *

><p>"The Deku Palace is just up ahead!" Tatl announced, flying backwards.<p>

Link nodded, but stopped suddenly when he saw three monkeys standing in front of him, blocking his path. The one in the middle, surprisingly, spoke up. "Me been watching you! You have sword and special powers. Can you help?"

"With what?" Link asked.

"Our brother captured by the Dekus. They blame him for princess' disappearance."

Another monkey continued. "Water in swamp turning poisonous, so Deku Princess and brother went to find out why. Brother came out but not Princess. Brother said Princess was captured, but Dekus don't believe him."

"Please, help brother!" the third monkey pleaded desperately. "We can show you where Princess is, and you help prove brother innocent."

Link could hear Tatl hissing in annoyance. She didn't want to help these monkeys. But Link had a feeling that this would lead him further on his quest. "I'll do it," he said, ignoring Tatl's annoyance. The monkeys seemed to be happier.

"This way!" they called, hurrying off. Link followed, but stopped, looking back at Tatl, who had remained where she was.

"Are you coming or what?" Link asked her.

"You're seriously following the advice of monkeys who aren't supposed to talk?" she demanded disbelievingly.

"Yes. I am."

Tatl sighed, and flew over to Link. "Fine. Lead the way, monkeys."

The animals obliged and the strange party moved on, away from the Deku Palace, and further into the swamp.

"Here!" the lead monkey called as the entered a large area of swamp. The water here was a pale purple color. Noxious gases filled the air, and Link started to feel dizzy just from the fumes. He followed the animals across platforms that lead to a large tree in the middle of the whole place, and, finally, the journey was over.

"We no go further," the monkeys explained. "Good luck!"

Link thanked them and turned to face the dark entrance of the Woodfall Temple. "Let's do this," Tatl said with determination. And so the pair entered the darkness.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I appologize for the long wait for this chapter. If anyone was wondering why I didn't update, it was for several reasons: School (:P), other stories, and just being generally distracted. So here you go. Nice chapter for ya. I hope you enjoyed it and please, don't hesitate to review!<em>


End file.

Legend of Zelda, Adventure