The Mask of Majora - Prologue: No Matter What it Takes
I remember...
Yep, I still do...
It's almost a bit funny that most of the memories I keep are the ones in my future instead of my past. Defeating Ganon, obtaining my faithful horse, racing through catacombs, and even falling in love. And I'm glad for those things. Thanks to that, I've been feeling much more confident about myself... heh, I even had the guts to ask Malon if I could keep Epona.
But I still remember...
Probably the most unforgettable memory that I held onto... and it's in the past; not the future. That moment was Navi's parting. Since that day, I haven't been eating right. I just-- I just don't feel very hungry. And I can't sleep, either. I'm afraid of... my nightmares.
The monsters... they come after me.
You may think that sounds silly coming from me-- the Hero of Time. But ever since Navi left, there's been like... a void that I can't fill. She may have been annoying and impatient with me sometimes, but I wasn't so afraid of the monsters when I had Navi beside me. I could always count on her to guide me and encourage me and all. I'm sure she knew that too.
But if she did know... why did she leave? I... I never understood it!
She was my fairy... my best friend...
It made no sense.
I stood up from my bed and kicked at its oak leg angrily without thinking. I kicked it harder, trying to block the thoughts of Navi out of my mind. They've been tormenting me for too long. I'd do anything to make them stop! With a short yell, I kicked at the small table leg, accidentally breaking it and all my milk bottles on top of it fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.
Then I couldn't take it anymore. Something inside of me must have snapped, because I suddenly started to shake until my knees caved in, I fell... and I cried. I cried what I hadn't cried for the last few weeks. I had kept my silence for way too long. I wailed loudly, not caring about whoever it could wake up at this time of the night.
I was angry. Angry at the Deku Tree for sending me Navi, out of all fairies. Angry at Navi for leaving me. Angry at myself for whatever reason that made her leave me.
With my eyes shut, I slammed my fist to the floor and cut myself deeply with a big, jagged piece of the broken milk bottle. I stared in horror at my hand and wrist and clutched my arm. The glass was still stuck in the wound and warm blood started trickling down my arm like a stream. Outside, my horse Epona whined when hearing my screams.
I have seen blood before. I've bled many times. But this wasn't caused by some monster or animal or evil minion... I had done it to myself. Now I had no potion to heal it with and I was afraid to pull it out so I just stared at it with fear.
Until I heard footsteps on the wooden floor outside.
I lifted my head from the floor high enough to see Saria and Mido entering my treehouse. When seeing the situation, Saria gasped in shock and covered her mouth with her cupped hands while Mido just stared from the mess on the ground tot he wound on the side of my palm and wrist.
"What the heck are you doing to yourself!" Mido suddenly blurted out.
I stared at him, my mouth hung open as I tried to speak, but no words would come out. My gaze went from Saria to Mido. I knew what they were thinking. Saria's eyes welled up with tears, but she was still shocked.
"I... it-- it's not what you think! It was an accident!" I said.
Mido folded his arms across his chest. "Well, it certainly doesn't look like one, does it?" he said with that trademark bitter look of his.
Caving in, Saria shut her eyes tightly and let out a soft sob, obviously trying to stop the urge to cry. She walked over the bits of glass, careful not to step on any of them and hunkered down next to me, her eyes still teary. "L-Link... what's going on?" she whispered to me.
I really didn't know how to answer to that... so I just didn't. I looked down at the ground instead. They wouldn't understand. They never lost their fairies and they never will. They'll never feel the pain that I'm going through... never. 'Never'. How I hate that word. And the worst part is that I can associate that word with anything and everything that's going on in my life right now.
"C-Can you help me get this out?" I asked, looking down at the shard of glass in my arm. Saria looked over at Mido, who had his arms crossed and was stomping his foot angrily for some reason. He rolled his eyes and said something under his breath I couldn't understand.
"Fine, fine..." he finally said.
Both he and Saria rushed out and later came back with a medicine made out of our forest toadstools to pour on my open cut. It stung a lot. But after leaving it for a minute or two, my arm went a little numb and I easily pulled the glass out without too much trouble. Mido and Saria both helped me clean up the mess.
"Thanks," I muttered when we were done.
"Yeah, whatever," Mido said sleepily and he left. I guess deep down that jerk will never change.
Saria stayed behind and sat on my bed. She still looked a little shaken up. "Link, you have to get some sleep," she insisted. "I don't want you getting hurt."
She just didn't get it.
I stared at her coldly and turned my back, walking out of my treehouse. This was the last straw. I couldn't stand around any longer. If Navi is what I need to fill my empty void, nothing else was going to be able toreplace it. I climbed down the ladder carefully and slowly untied Epona from a low branch on my tree. She snorted gently as I patted her head and I smiled weakly.
"Come on, girl... we're going on another little adventure."
I mounted her and kicked her side softly so she would start galloping gradually. Saria ran out of my house, dropped down the ladder and chased after me.
"Wait!" she cried out. "Where are you going?"
Epona stopped when she noticed I wasn't holding on to her reins. I turned my head towards Saria. She looked scared and unsure. But despite it all, I glanced back at her with a determined look. She'd know what it means. I kicked at Epona's side and got her to run off into the Lost Woods before Saria could even open her mouth to say something else. At first I felt bad for leaving her like that, but I couldn't let anyone get the chance to stop me... not even my friends.
After going through the Sacred Forest Meadow, I spotted a low wall not too far from the edge of the paddock. "Hyah!" I kicked twice and she galloped faster, heading straight towards the wall and she jumped it. Smiling proudly, I patted her neck. "Good girl," I implied. I mounted off her and held onto her rope, instructing her to walk.
I looked back briefly... but I pushed aside all my regrets and kept on walking. This is one mission I had to go through on my own. Navi is my fairy... and I will find her even if it's the last thing I ever do.