Author's Note: I have returned again. There isn't much to explain about the story, but I know you'll all love it. And I give a special thanks to Majora's Mask. It took me a third time playing through it, but now my creative juices feel rejuvenated.


2nd Note: Too much for a timeline. I'll just say it takes place after all my stories, which is roughly 6 years after Ocarina of Time. Oh, and it might help if you read the end of 'Looking back at Termina'. It might clarify the beginning.


~------------------------------~


This day was so perfect. There wouldn't be any better opportunity. Link felt the time was right. He was so nervous about this day. He knew it was come. But somehow, Link knew that it was finally time.

He had known Malon for so long. He never forgot the day he met her when he began his first quest to save Hyrule. Things had changed so much since then. Link never really knew Malon, until she decided to open up to him on a lonely night in Lon Lon Ranch. When Link saved the ranch for her father from a spellbound Ingo, Malon and Link shared an emotional evening, in which they shared everything with each other.

Link went on to save Hyrule from the evil Ganondorf. With help from the seven sages, peace was restored to Hyrule. Princess Zelda then decided to send Link back to relive his childhood peacefully. It wasn't until later that Link found out that Malon's memory of what happened remained as well. It was another gift from the princess. The person Link loved the most, aside from the sages, would retain their memories of the Imprisonment War.

Of course, it didn't take Link long to get into something else. The day after he moved into Lon Lon Ranch, he took Epona into the Lost Woods and got dragged into the strange parallel world of Termina. He endured so much there, that it was a whole other story in itself. And when he got back, he kept it all a secret from Malon.

It wasn't until much later that Link decided to come clean. He finally told Malon everything there was to tell about Termina. He talked about everything from the moment he got there, to the moment he got back to Lon Lon Ranch. Of course, Link couldn't forget the end of the story. He remembered the moment he received two wedding masks, of sun and moon, to give to the one person he would share the rest of his life with. He was finally ready. He wanted that person to be Malon.

That's why he was here. Leaving Epona tied up, Link directed Malon through the Lost Woods. It was the biggest moment of his life. It was time to uncover the two masks he had buried a long time ago.

"Link?" Malon giggled. "Where are we?"

There was one other thing. Malon was blindfolded through this entire trip. She couldn't see where she was going and Link wouldn't have it any other way. He wanted this to be a complete surprise. This was going to be a very special day.

Link remembered exactly where to go. He didn't forget where he buried the masks all those years ago. But that's when Link made a horrifying discovery.

The masks were gone.

Link left the blindfolded Malon and ran up to the uncovered hole. He had no idea how long that hole had been there. It might have been years since the masks were taken. Link wanted to kill himself. He couldn't believe this happened. The day he had waited for his whole life had been ruined. The wedding masks were gone.

Then he heard a voice.

"Link…"

Silence. Then the voice came again.

"Link…"

"What was that?" asked the blindfolded Malon.

Link was ready to cringe. "I don't like where that's coming from."

Link took Malon's blindfold off and then they wandered towards that voice. Sure enough, it was just as Link had suspected. It was the big, well-hidden tunnel. It was open again and Link remembered where it led. It led directly to Termina.

The voice called out again. "Link…"

"What is that?" Malon asked. "Should we go in?"

Link took a step back. "No!"

"But that voice is calling you," Malon pointed out. "Doesn't that make you the least bit curious?"

"No." Link took a few steps back.

"What's the matter?" the concerned Malon asked. "Is there something I should know? Do you know who this is?"

"I have no idea," Link answered. "But…I know where that tunnel leads."

The voice cried out again. "Link…"

"That voice probably needs our help," Malon said boldly. "We have to find out!"

To Link's dismay, Malon started rushing towards the tunnel. He couldn't stop her. She ran fast.

"Malon, wait!"

Link ran after her and, as much as he didn't want to go in, he went into the tunnel. Indeed, things had turned out just like they had last time. Nothing had changed.

Because when Link crossed that tunnel, he fell in a deep hole and knocked himself out.


~--------------------~


Link woke up with a huge headache. This was going exactly like last time. It was just like when he went to…Termina. Then he looked around him and realized where he was. It was Termina Field. Link was in Termina…again.

"Oh…my head."

Link looked to his left to see that he wasn't the only who had been knocked out. Malon was right by his side and she was just waking up, too.

"Are you all right?" Link asked.

"I feel like one of the horses kicked me in the head," Malon answered. "What happened?"

Link shook his head. "I told you not to go in there. But you couldn't listen to me. I didn't want you to…"

"Where are we? This…doesn't look like the Lost Woods…or even Hyrule Field."

"It's…not either one," Link mumbled. He wanted to word this just right. "Malon…this is…Termina Field."

Malon turned her head towards Link. "Um…no, really…where are we?"

"No, really. This is Termina Field. We're in…"

"Termina? As in the Termina you told me about?"

Link nodded. This was it. He hadn't seen it in such a long time, but he remembered exactly what Termina looked like. He wasn't too thrilled to be back. Not after all the turmoil he went through.

Malon, on the other hand, looked excited. "If this is Termina Field, then that must be Clock Town over there!"

Malon had it right. She was looking at the enormous Clock Town. From this vantage point, it looked like it hadn't changed at all. But there was something else on Link's mind.

Of course, it was Malon who echoed his thought. "I thought you said you came in through the clock tower."

"I did," Link answered. "You're right. I…didn't find myself in the middle of the field before."

"Well, how did we get here?" Malon asked.

"That's…what I'd like to know," Link replied. "Where was that voice coming from?"

"I don't know," Malon said. "But…didn't that voice sound…familiar?"

Link hadn't pointed that out, but she made a valid point. "That's right. That voice did sound familiar. But who was it?"

"I don't know," Malon moaned, "but my head really hurts. We should really get out of…AAH! What's that?"

Malon ran behind Link's back when she saw a green blob coming towards her. Link recognized that thing. It was one of the blobs that infested Termina Field. Looks like that hadn't changed. It wasn't too difficult, though. Link took his sword out and quickly slashed the blob, leaving it a pile of goo.

"What was that?" Malon asked.

"Just a blob. They aren't really anything to be afraid of. They're as easy as things get. So…what were you saying?"

"Let's just go," Malon reiterated. "Maybe we can find our way out. And that means…"

"…Clock Town. All right. Let's go."

Link took Malon's hand and started his walk through Termina Field and towards Clock Town. This day had started off so perfectly. But since this was Link's life, of course things had to go awry. Link couldn't believe it had to happen on this day.


~--------------------~


Link had to take a few occasional stops when walking through Clock Town. Malon took some time to look around at these sights that she had never seen before. But when she did get on her way, Link finally approached the gigantic clock tower. Things still hadn't changed. So Link opened the tower's double doors and walked inside.

"This wasn't the sort of day I was hoping for," he told Malon. "But maybe when we get out of here, we can try again."

He led Malon down the clock tower's stairs and then found the worst thing he could find. Years ago, Link would use this path to return to Hyrule. This time, though, the path was blocked. It had been blocked by a huge wall and there was no way out.

"NO!" Link shouted. "I don't believe this!" He took out his sword and started slashing away at the wall. "There has to be a way out! This can't be happening! I can't be stuck here!"

Malon stood there concerned. "Did you say…stuck? Link, there IS a way out, isn't there?"

"Oh, I'll find one!" the determined Link shouted. He just continued slashing away at the wall, desperately trying to find a way out, but it wasn't to be.

Link couldn't believe this was happening to him. He really was stuck. He was stuck in Termina and it was all because he went in that stupid tunnel again.

'No!' Link thought. 'There HAS to be a way!' Link decided to try the rest of his arsenal. He reached into his quiver and took out a fire arrow. He shot it at the wall, but that did nothing. Then he took out a bomb and stuck it near the wall.

"GET BACK!!"

Link pushed Malon out of the way as the bomb exploded. When the smoke cleared, Link looked back to see that the wall was still intact. Link growled in frustration and tried to kick the wall.

"So what do we do now?" Malon asked. "There's no way out."

"I guess we're going to be here a while," Link sighed. "We might as well…look around Clock Town right now."


~--------------------~


Having nowhere else to go, Link showed Malon around Clock Town. As they wandered around West Clock Town, Link felt confused. What confused him was that there weren't very many people out on this day. The streets were practically empty, but he could hear everyone from within their homes. Nobody was out, with the exception of one person that was heading towards them.

Running at that familiar rate of speed, it was the postman. It looked like he was back on the job and delivering the mail. Before he could run by, Link stuck his arm out and stopped him.

"Hello," Link greeted.

"Yah! What're you doing?" the postman demanded. "You trying to throw me off schedule? I can't delay! I have to deliver the mail. Talking to strangers isn't on the schedule."

Link frowned. "You mean you don't remember me?"

The postman shook his head. "Can't say I do. And if I take time to think about it, then I'll be thrown more off schedule than I already am."

Malon interjected herself. "Uh…can I just ask one quick question?"

"Go ahead. But I'm in a hurry."

"This town seems…deserted. Why isn't anybody out right now?"

"You mean you don't know?" the postman asked. "You must be living under a rock if you don't know what's been going on."

Link's ears were burning. "What? What's been going on?"

"I'd like to tell you, but I'm off schedule," the postman said. "I've got to hurry and deliver the mail."

Malon tried to say something else, but the postman ran off, leaving them all in the dust. Nothing had changed with Clock Town's postman. He still stuck strictly to his schedule and was bound by his duty to deliver the mail.

"What do you think he was talking about?" Malon asked.

"I don't know," Link replied. Then his face lit up. "But I know someone who can help us find out. Malon, how would you like to meet some old friends of mine?"

Malon smiled. "You mean…?"

"Let's go pay them a little visit."


~--------------------~


Link slowly made his way into the old Stock Pot Inn. Nothing had changed here, either. He recognized the woman standing behind the counter as Anju's mother. He couldn't wait to see Anju and Kafei. After everything he did to help get them together, he was eager to see how they were doing. So Link calmly walked up to the front desk and smiled.

Anju's mother went on as usual. "Welcome to the Stock Pot…Inn." She stopped as soon as she saw Malon. "Oh my goodness! Romani? Is that you?"

"Romani?" Malon repeated. "Me?"

"Actually…this isn't Romani," Link clarified. "It's…a friend of mine. She just…looks a lot like Romani. You know…hey, wait! You don't recognize me?"

"I'm not sure," Anju's mother muttered. "Should I recognize you?"

"Your daughter might remember me," Link suggested. "Is…Anju around?"

The mother shook her head. "Anju…hasn't lived here in many years. Ever since she got married to Kafei, she moved out."

"Really?" Link asked. "Where did they go?"

"They went to live at Romani Ranch with Anju's friend, Cremia." Anju's mother glanced at Malon again. "I'm sorry, but you really do look like her sister, Romani. The resemblance is remarkable."

Malon turned to Link. "Should we leave? It's starting to get late."

"You mean you're going to travel at this hour?" Anju's mother asked. "This is the worst time of the day to travel. Surely you've noticed what's been going on."

Link did wonder about that. "We've noticed everyone stuck in their homes. No one's been coming out. But…just to refresh our memories…what's been going on?"

"You mean you really don't know?" Anju's mother asked. "But how can that be? How can anyone be completely in the dark about what's happened?"

Link felt embarrassed. Somehow, he felt as if he should have known what was happening. And from the tone of the mother's voice, it didn't sound like a good thing. Something was wrong here in Termina.

Finally, Link spoke up. "Oh, of course. How could I forget? It's so hard to miss. I remember now. It was just that…we've been…out of town. We could hardly notice."

"It's kind of hard not to notice," Anju's mother pointed out. "Being invaded every night gets pretty noisy."

"Invaded?" Malon asked.

"It's those Moblin Raiders," Anju's mother sighed. "They seem to have multiplied over the last few years, but lately they've been invading Clock Town every night. They'll come in and leave the town riddled with destruction and vandalism."

Link shook his head. "I didn't think there were any Moblins in Termina."

"We weren't aware of them, either," Anju's mother added. "They were only legends until a few weeks ago. Now they come in and leave Clock Town practically in shambles. The soldiers don't know what to do. They've almost stopped trying to contain the menace. It's such a shame. The Carnival of Time is in less than two weeks. It may be in jeopardy if the Moblins continue their attacks."

Link suddenly grew determined. "Maybe I can help."

"You?" Anju's mother asked. "That doesn't seem very wise. The Moblins like to come by the dozens. You must be a very skilled warrior."

Link smirked nonchalantly. "You might say that."

"Well, if you're going to fight the Moblins, then good luck. They usually come in around this hour."

"Then I'll take care of them," Link said bravely. "Let's go, Malon."

Link walked outside of the Stock Pot Inn, but as soon as he was out, he was met with a less-than- optimistic Malon.

"You're going to play hero NOW? You don't even know what you're up against!"

"It's Moblins," Link scoffed. "How bad could it be?"

With those prophetic words, Link walked out, with Malon in tow, and headed towards South Clock Town.


~--------------------~


Twenty minutes had passed, and there was no sign of any Moblins. Link was starting to think that these stories had been exaggerated. Malon was sitting on a nearby bench, waiting patiently…and nervously. She didn't like this. She felt danger approaching. It was an opinion Link didn't exactly share.

"Will you relax?" Link asked. "Nothing's going to happen."

Just as soon as Link said that, though, he started to hear something coming outside the Clock Town gates. He could hear the grumbling and growling rising as a mass of Moblins began coming through the gates. And they didn't waste any time.

Link could see four of them immediately knock over signs and displays. Others quickly began demolishing stands. The rest of the Moblins were hauling in buckets of mud and splattering them all over Clock Town's walls and buildings.

Link had seen enough. "All right! STOP!!"

Instantly, the Moblins stopped. They each turned their piggish craniums to glare at Link and Malon. Then they began to surround them in a huge circle. By this time, Malon was ducking behind Link. Link, on the other hand, was pulling out his sword and preparing himself for a fight.

One of the Moblins stepped out. "What did you say?"

"You heard me," said the unfazed Link. "I'm not going to let you trash this town."

The lead Moblin chuckled. "You sound like…"

"There they are, men! We'll take 'em down this time!"

The Moblins turned around to face the entrance to East Clock Town. Link could see that help had arrived…somewhat. The soldier, Viscen, was standing there, along with the other Hylian soldiers…both of them. Indeed, there were only three total soldiers remaining in Clock Town.

Viscen called for a charge. The two other soldiers charged at full speed towards the enormous Moblins. The big blue swine easily tossed both soldiers aside and at the wall. They grabbed their spears and snapped them like twigs. At the sight of this, the soldiers started to flee from Clock Town.

"Hey! Come back!" Viscen cried out. "Cowards!!"

Seeing his only help flee, Viscen started to step back as the Moblins advanced towards him. They picked the lead soldier up and tossed him in a nearby trough. They cackled at his misfortune, while Link had seen all he could take.

"Hey!" he yelled. "What about me?! I'm still here!"

The Moblins stopped laughing and started moving towards Link. Their menacing glares were a sight to behold and somewhere deep inside, Link knew he was outmatched.

Malon knew it, too. "You just HAD to say something, didn't you?"

Link couldn't get a word out. The crowd of Moblins began to overwhelm him and as quickly as the fight had begun…that's how quickly Link lost.


Any comments? Then mail me at HyruleKokiri13@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below.