Disclaimer: I don't own the legend of Zelda in any way, shape or form besides a 3ds cartridge.

Chapter 1: Arrival

The main chamber of the Temple of Time was quiet. It was rare for anyone to enter the temple. It wasn't so much a place of worship as more of a sacred place, mere walls built around a small shrine of great importance. This shrine was so important that long ago the ancient sages sealed it behind the Door of Time with strong magic, Magic bound to 4 items, the three sacred stones of the races and a special ocarina. Only together could they open the Door of Time.

Yet one day the impossible happened.

If anyone had been inside the temple, they would have seen the door slowly rumble open and been blinded by the sky blue light that spilled out of the inner chamber. The very air shimmered as great and powerful magic was unleashed, ancient magic strong enough to threaten the existence of everything in the land of Hyrule.

But if anyone were in the temple they would have seen that, as the light faded, there was nothing that could harm anything in the inner chamber. No great threat or malevolent evil ready to be unleashed on the world. Just a large chamber, which in the centre was an eleven year old boy in green clothes clutching a large sword embedded in a stone pedestal.

The boy looked up, staring at the great window in the back of the chamber, trying to become accustomed to the amount of sunlight flooding the temple. He released the sword and stepped back.

"Navi, we're back. We're actually…" He stopped and looked around.

"Navi? Navi, where'd you go? Navi?" He called, walking out of the chamber, but no response came. Tears started to form in the boy's eyes.

"Navi… come back." He sat down against the altar and cried. He liked her. Sure her fairy voice got annoying at times and she was distracting in a fight, but she was useful to. She always knew the weaknesses of the hundreds of monsters he'd faced, and the way she always put her glowing body in between him and his foes, flying around their heads and putting herself in harm's way as they tried to swat her. He liked her little quirks too, like how she always hid in his hat when she wasn't needed, or how she always insisted on beginning any conversation he started.

But it was more than that. He had always been different, the one Kokiri without a fairy. Then she had come, bringing with her the summons of the Great Deku Tree, which in turn brought him here. They had been through so much together. She was his friend.

He got up. As much as he wanted to find Navi, he had been given a single chance to stop the coming catastrophe before it even began. Nothing, not even the loss of his friend, could interfere. As the boy walked off, the Door of Time closed behind him, sealing itself once again. And with it, all of the disasters that would occur over the next seven years were sealed as well.

Outside the Temple, the boy walked over to the row of gossip stones next to the pond. Pulling out a dagger that looked like a proper sword in proportion to his size, he struck the nearest stone.

"Boinng! Boinng! The current time is 8:00am" the statue said.

"That's very nice, but I need the date." The boy replied. If he didn't know better, he could have sworn that the statue looked confused.

"Date? Why would you want to know the date?"

"Because I need to know what day it is."

"Ok, fine. Let me think." For a minute neither of them spoke a word. Finally, the boy grew impatient.

"Well?" he asked. No response from the stone.

"Hey, you still listening, statue?" Still no response. Finally, the boy realised that the statue had gone back to just that, a statue. He wacked it again.

"Boinng! Boin…"

"You didn't answer my question." The boy interrupted

"Oi! I was doing my job." The statue replied angrily.

"You've already done your job. Answer my question."

"What question?"

"The question I asked you before!"

"You didn't ask anything. You just interrupted me."

"Before then!"

"What before? I've never seen you before."

"YES YOU HAVE! IT WAS LITERALLY TWO MINUTES AGO!" The boy exploded.

"Ok, settle down, geez. It's not my fault us gossip stones have such a short memory." The statue said.

"I've had more productive conversations with an unenchanted brick wall." The boy retorted.

"Hey, that was uncalled for!" the statue complained. "Just ask your stupid question already."

"What is the date?" The boy asked. No response. Angrily, the boy stuck the stone again.

"Boi- Hey Hey Hey!" said the statue as the boy repeatedly wacked the statue with the hilt of his sword. "There's no need for that."

"Apparently there is. Now are you going to answer my question when I ask them or not?"

"Fine. Ask away."

"What is the date?"

"Hmm… good question. Let me…" The boy brought the sword down again on the stone.

"Ok, ok I gotten your point. Um… the date today is… 10 years, 5 months, 2 weeks and 3 days since the end of the Hyrulean Civil War."

"Huh?" The boy looked confused.

"You asked for the date, and I told you."

"What is that in Focused Sun Notches?"

"What in the sacred realm is Focused Sun Notches?"

"It's a beam of sunlight shining through a lens that falls on a particular notch on a tree." He explained. "It's what all Kokiri use to keep the date."

"Never heard of it." The boy, extremely frustrated now, picked up a large stone and threw it as hard as he could into the pond. Slowly, he regained his composure and spoke again to the statue.

"If you can't tell me what the date is, can you at least tell me what has happened today, so I could at least guess the date?"

"No can do. Against Gossip Stone policy."

"AGAINST POLICY! You're a bloody Gossip Stone! GOSSIP!"

"Sorry, but I'm not allowed to talk to anyone without the Mask of Truth."

"Argh. Fine, I get mine. Just wait a sec." The boy reached into a pouch on his belt, pulling out an old and battered mask. It felt like a lifetime ago when he had helped the Happy Mask Salesman sell his masks and gotten this magical mask in return. While he wore it, his could see the truth in any words spoken to him. He didn't like it. Knowing the truth behind words said to him unnerved him. He felt that it was an evasion of privacy. Anyone who lied to him must have their reasons. Who was he to take that choice away from them? He placed the mask on his face, feel the unwanted power rush through him. He turned back to the Gossip Stone, striking it yet again.

"Oh, the Mask of Truth."

"Yes, I need information."

"Ok, well I overheard this. They say that Malon set the original record in the obstacle course of Lon Lon Ranch."

"Not that! I need to know about anything significant that happened today!" The boy commanded

"Oh ok then, bossy. Hmm, well a deer gave birth to a fawn in the Lost Woods, Princess Ruto ate roast trout for breakfast, and a Gerudo stole Carpenter Mutoh's house keys."

"That's completely useless. Did anything else significant happen? Something everyone would know?"

"Nope."

"So this has been a complete waste of time!" The boy yelled, ridiculously angry now.

"Wow, I can see why that fairy left you."

"What did you say? Have you seen Navi?"

"Nope, but another Gossip stone saw her enter your house this morning. She was saying something about not wanting to look after Link. I assume that's you."

"Today's the day she came to me." Link whispered. "Today's the day that… Didn't you think that the Great Deku Tree's death was important?"

"Eh, it's not a popular topic of discussion."

"Not popular! He's the barrier against all evil. How could you…" Link realised something. "Hey, you recognised me."

"Yeah, so?"

"You claimed you couldn't remember me before."

"Huh? When?"

"The previous four times I've talked to you."

"Huh? I don't remember that." Link tapped his mask.

"I can tell your lying. You've just been messing with me this whole time!"

"No, I swear I wasn't." Link reached into his pouch, pulling out a dark blue ball.

"Hey, is that…" the statue asked.

"Yes. I'm well aware what bombs do to gossip stones." He grinned eagerly.

"You wouldn't!" the statue said, fear in its voice.

"You shouldn't have wasted my time." Link replied, lighting the fuse and placing the bomb next to the statue. "Enjoy space."

"Nooo!" the statue wailed as the bomb exploded. The Gossip stone rocketed upwards, flames spewing out of it'd base, going higher and higher until it disappeared from sight.

"Serves you right." Link muttered as he walked off towards the Market.

Link entered Castle Town's Market deep in thought.

'If today is the day that the Great Deku Tree died, then it's only a matter of days until Ganondorf arrives. Um, ok. It took me until tomorrow morning to get here, then it took me several hours to get anywhere near the castle. But I didn't get to the courtyard until midmorning the next day, so that leaves me with…'

"Three days." Link breathed. "I only have three days to st…" Not paying attention to where he was walking, Link walked straight into another person. Reacting with instincts acuminated throughout his adventure, Link twisted, trying to disperse the energy of the impact. But, still unused to the child body he had acquired only half an hour ago, Link overbalanced and fell. Pain shot up his side as he hit the hard paving stones. Groaning, Link looked over at the person he had walked into.

"You know, you should watch where you're going in a crowded market like this." said the girl on the ground. "You may hurt someone." Slowly Link got up and walked over to her, recognising the voice.

"Sorry Malon. I should have been more aware." He said, extending his hand to her. She took it, looking at him quizzically.

"How did you know my name?" Link mentally kicked himself.

"I… erm… have a friend who's a fan of your ranch. He described you once, and I… um… recognised you."

"Hmm." Malon looked at him, obviously not believing his lame excuse. Then she smiled.

"Well, tell your friend that he should stop by some time." She replied, dusting herself off.

"Um… ok, I will." Link stammered.

"So, you know my name, but I don't know yours." she examined him. "Your clothes are green like the forest, and you patter around when you walk. I'll call you Grasshopper"

'Grasshopper?' Link thought. 'Last time around she called me fairy bo… Right, no Navi this time. Stupid time travel.' Out loud, he replied,

"Well your right about the forest bit, but I don't know about the pattering. My name is Link."

"Well then, Grasshopper," Malon said, "What brings you to Castle Town?"

"A mission of great importance."

"Ooh. A hero." Malon replied mockingly. "So you're on a quest? Mind sharing the details?"

"I can't t…" Link stopped, seeing something. He walked over to a notice board next to the plaza fountain and examined a small, handwritten note.

Attention

This morning my Mask of Truth disappeared. I need it
back for when I open my Happy Mask shop in five days.
If anyone has information about the whereabouts of
my mask, please contact me at my shop.
-Happy Mask Salesman

Below the note was a crude, but detailed drawing of the Mask of Truth. Link pulled the note off the notice board, staring at it.

"Malon, how long has this been here?" he asked.

"The Happy Mask Salesman put it there about twenty minutes ago." She replied. "Why?" Link reached into his pouch.

"Because I have it." He said, pulling out the Mask of Truth. Malon stared at it, eyeing the drawing in Link's hand.

"Well, it definitely matches the description." she said, sitting down on the edge of the fountain. "How did you get it though? Did you steal it?"

"No! It…" Link started, trying to think up a way to word his explanation without sounding insane. "It was given to me a long time ago in return for a couple jobs I did."

"Well then, it can't be the same one then."

"It is the same one." Link said firmly.

"How is that possible?" Malon asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Link replied. Then he started to walk away.

"Hey! Grasshopper! Where are you going?" Malon asked, confused.

"I'm going to return this mask. I don't need it anyway." He turned towards her. "Thank you for your time. It's been so long since I've had a normal conversation. Maybe we'll meet again." And then he disappeared into the crowd.

Malon stared at where he had been moments before. He had tried to cover it, but Grasshopper was deeply troubled by something. Whatever his mission was, it was so important that he wasn't prepared to face failure. As if, he didn't want too, that the alterative was so terrible that he had to succeed, no matter what.

She got up. Whatever his burden, Grasshopper shouldn't have to carry it alone. She looked over at the notice board.

"Happy Mask Shop." Malon muttered, then she walked off in the same direction Link had.

A/N: And that's the end of chapter 1 of my first fanfic. I was originally going to have another character reveal Link's name, but I felt this was getting too long, so I bumped that scene to the next chapter (and then a bumped it back :P). I'm sure some of you can guess what's going on, but if you don't know, don't worry. I will explain more in the next chapter.

My whole reason for posting this is so I can get more confidence as a writer, so please review so I know what I'm doing wrong. Is it too long? Too short? Is it even legible? TELL ME! All opinions are welcome (even the hateful ones, I guess).