Hello all, and welcome to my latest story, which takes place in the child timeline post Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. This first chapter features a slightly altered ending to MM to get our story going.

This WILL be a zelink fic; however, Zelda is not in this chapter. I just needed to establish Link's backstory first before we can get to the good stuff.

I really appreciate reviews! Let me know what you think, even if you don't like it. I'll take constructive criticism so that I know what people are looking for!

Hope you enjoy!

Epona stood beside her unconscious master, neighing frantically in an attempt to awaken him. He was out cold, lying face down on the ground in the middle of Termina Field.

Epona whinnied louder, rearing on her hind legs as she grew more concerned for the young hero, who had just defeated Majora and rid the world of the evil moon. Slowly, Link began to stir and rolled to his side. His eyelids fluttered open and he gathered his surroundings.

It was finally over.

Though only three days of real time had passed, Link felt that he had been in this hell for an eternity. He hated Termina. He hated the town, the dark swamp, the cold mountains, and the eerie graveyard by Ikana Canyon. He felt like he was going out of his mind, constantly running, fighting, and working, just to pull out his ocarina and erase it all in a second.

If being the Hero of Time didn't make him insane, this sure as hell did.

Link could not be any more eager to get out of that place. He pushed himself off the ground and climbed on Epona's back. He kicked his foot against her side and rode her through the entrance to Clock Town. Epona usually did not accompany Link into inhabited towns, but Link couldn't care less. He was ready to leave this upside down world, and there was no way he was going to be separated from Epona again. Link knew he needed to get to the Clock Tower, and he was taking her with him.

As soon as he reached the base of the tower in the center of town, Link dismounted Epona and headed towards the entrance.

"I'll be right back, girl," he assured the young horse.

Link pushed open the large wooden doors and stepped inside the tower.

The salesman was there, smiling and standing by himself, as usual. He said nothing as Link approached him. Link reached into his pouch and pulled out the item the salesman had sought after for so long.

"Ah!" He exclaimed, a look of delight spreading across his already smiling face.

"So I see you've done it. You finally brought me Majora's Mask."

Link said nothing, extending his arm to hand over the horrible, ugly mask.

"Thank you for bringing this to me. However, I must say, I am not surprised you were able to accomplish this."

Link remained silent, an expression of stone covering his dirty, sweat-drenched face.

"Rest assured, you will be rewarded for bringing this back to me. I know how eager you are to get home…" he trailed off, laughing quietly as he rubbed his hands together.

"I'm sure you're ready to go there now. Very well, a promise is a promise. You helped me, so I shall help you," he said. Suddenly, his expression changed from a wide grin to a blank expression. The salesman snapped his fingers and once again, a giant piano appeared out of thin air.

Before he began to play on the magical instrument, Link spoke up.

"I am from Hyru-"

"Don't think me ignorant of who you are…..….Hero of Time," the man interrupted. "I know of how you travelled across lands and through time itself to defeat Ganondorf. I know of how the lovely Princess Zelda sent you back to your childhood after you accomplished your…goal," he continued. A smile that exposed all his teeth spread slowly across his face.

Link stared at the strange man before him, his mouth agape as he tried to figure out what was happening. How did he know about any of that? I thought Zelda and the other sages were the only ones who really knew…

The Happy Mask Salesman touched one of the keys on his piano, ever so gently. He let a few beats pass, then played another note. He continued to play soft, sporadic notes as he turned his head to face Link.

"But.. perhaps….. you wouldn't like to return to where you came from at all."

He started to play a little faster, no longer staggering the notes between series of long pauses. Soon enough, he was playing a pattern of notes that Link recognized.

"Maybe you would not like to go back to your lonely childhood in Kokiri Forest, where nobody ever really understood you. Maybe you do not wish to remain a man locked in a child's body, unable to claim what he truly desires."

The music got louder, and the interior of the clock tower echoed with a song that Link wondered how the salesman came to know: Zelda's Lullaby.

"Maybe, young hero, you would like to go back to a place where you truly matter? Where people actually remember how much you helped them. Where the monsters and beasts you slay remain dead, because you didn't turn back the clock three days. Where people actually appreciate how you saved their souls, because the evil you fought didn't occur seven years in the future."

Link's head was swimming with questions, and even a little fear. He hadn't the slightest idea of how this man knew even half of the things he was spewing out as if they were common knowledge.

As the song reached its end, the music grew slow and quiet, just like it had begun. The smiling man whirled around on his seat to face the small boy in green.

"Maybe…..Link..….you wish to return to the moment in time where your heart truly lies. Ever since the day you defeated him…when the castle crumbled to ruins around you….you have been that man. You never belonged in this body.

"You childhood ended before it even began."

The music stopped, and the room was quiet. Link stared at the man before him, thinking about what he was offering.

"Yes," Link said, making his decision.

The musical mask salesman had only affirmed the fears and grievances Link had been repressing since he returned to his childhood body. Throughout the duration of his time in Termina, Link had wanted to leave. But he didn't necessarily want to go home.

The mask man smiled, turning around to face his piano once more. He threw himself into his music, playing a song Link did not recognize. He played louder and louder until Link thought his eardrums were going to burst. He felt tingly all over, which he thought was just an effect of the music, until he looked down and saw his body being surrounded by a swirl of blue light. It circled up his body in a spiral, engulfing his vision until he could no longer see the walls of the room and the piano within.

The music continued, maintaining the same volume as Link spun in the orb of light that now encompassed his whole body. He started spinning rapidly, his vision blurring as he began to lose all feeling in his limbs. He spun faster and faster until he became completely disoriented, feeling as if his mind had disconnected from his body completely.

Then suddenly, the music stopped. The spinning gradually decreased, and Link regained feeling in his body. It wasn't until the movement ceased completely that Link noticed that changes in his body. Longer legs, stronger arms, bigger hands, a broader frame.

Link was an adult again.

His larger body was now frozen in midair, but he felt himself being lowered towards the earth. His line of sight remained blinded by the blue light. Eventually, Link felt his boots hit the ground with a soft thud. The light faded around him, and he could see trees and the silhouette of Death Mountain in the distance. He inhaled the scent of the forest around him, and felt the life return to his temporarily suspended body.

He was home.

Link moved around slightly, getting used to the feel of his new body. He felt so high up off the ground, and so much heavier. But he felt right. The mask salesman was right, Link had never truly returned to his childhood. After all he had been through, it felt wrong, unnatural even, for someone like him to inhabit the body of an innocent child.

He checked the contents of his pockets, finding that none of the items he possessed in Termina were there. Not even the Ocarina of Time.

Link wasn't surprised.

He then surveyed his surroundings some more. From the landmark that was Death Mountain, he could guess his approximate location in the kingdom. He turned to look for the only thing he really cared about at this point. Although he couldn't make it out from where he stood, he knew where Hyrule Castle would be.

Zelda.

A loud whinny, followed by the sound of galloping hooves, echoed from a distance and Link whipped his head around. A fully-grown Epona was running towards him, seemingly coming from no where.

Thank the goddesses, thought Link to himself. He was glad that the mask salesman knew to send Epona along as well. Link climbed atop his trusty mare and began riding with her down the dirt path of the forest. He wasn't exactly sure where he was going, but he rode with all the energy and determination in the world. He hadn't been riding for very long when he heard a voice in the air, one that seemed to be coming from all directions, surrounding him completely. Link wasn't sure if the noise was right next to his ear, or a thousand miles away.

A dark chuckle rang through the air, carrying itself through Link's veins.

"You really have met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"