Hey, Fan Fiction Readers! How are you? I hope you enjoy the story! The first chapter is a little slow, I guess, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! Thanks for reading!
"You shouldn't have done that," a man said, causing Link to turn around in surprise. The man was nothing interesting; a simple attire of green pants and a white shirt covered his average body. His hair was red, and covered both his face and head. Link remembered him from a long time ago, but the memory was so faint it didn't deserve reconsideration.
But now Link wondered about this memory. He held an ocarina in his hand, one a friend had given to him a long time ago. He was no longer wearing his farm clothes, but the green tunic that he wore when he was young. He had no sword or shield, so this couldn't be a normal memory. When did this happen?
Link cleared his throat, and asked, "Did I do something wrong?" The man did not reply; he simply stared at Link with dark, unwavering eyes. Link shifted under his gaze, and smiled nicely. "Have a nice day," he said, before departing.
Link opened the door from the Happy Mask Shop, and out into Hyrule streets. Or he should have walked out into Hyrule. Instead, he found himself gazing down the modern streets of Clock Town, a place he has only been in for a few days himself. Shocked, he turned around to see that there was no door behind him; it was as if he never was inside the mask shop. Swallowing hard, he whispered, "It's only a dream, a dream." Feeling reassured, he stood up straight, and began to explore.
Nothing has changed, it seems. That old inn still stood, looking untouched and is groaned on decaying timbers, waiting to fall down. They still had that odd mail system, where you put the mail into a red box, and it will end up where you want it to go. It was amazing. And the clock tower still stood, it's loud ticking filled the stilled air.
Link smiled as he passed a blue poster, promoting the Indigo-Go's, a Zorian band famous in these parts. Link remembered how he had to play for the band, taking on the form of the dead guitarist, and it was a wonderful memory. Link found himself drawn to the poster, and allow himself to steal a glance. It still had a picture of the Zoras, all five of them. He touched the corner of the poster, surprised by how real it felt.
Link was about to turn away when the words on the poster caught his eye. Blinking, he took a closer look. The words were different than before; it no longer read "Indigo-Go's." It now read, "You shouldn't have done that."
Link drew back, shocked. What is this? Someone tapped his shoulder, and he turned around to see the mailman, the ever-working guy who ran around endlessly.
"You shouldn't have done that," he told Link, before zipping off to continue his work. Link felt his knees go weak; something was terribly wrong.
A soldier guarding the way out of Clock Town turned to Link, saying, "You shouldn't have done that," while a small Bomber, a boy dressed in blue, tugged on Link's sleeve saying, "You shouldn't have done that."
Link pulled free of his grasp. "What did I do?" he cried, but both the Bomber and the soldier turned away from him. Link reached out for the boy, demanding an answer, but he found himself placing a hand on a giant Deku Scrub.
It hissed in anger, and shook its body. Deku Scrubs surrounding Link, normal sized and only up to his knee, began to also shake their bodies in rhythm. Back and forth, back and forth. Swish, swish, swish. Angry hissing filled the air, and over the loud hissing Link could hear the princess of the Deku cry, "You shouldn't have done that."
"WHAT HAVE I DONE?" Link screamed, tearing through the tiny creatures, placing his hands over his ears in hope to drown out the sound. His closed his eyes, not wanting to see the Deku dance around him. "Leave me alone!"
The sound continued, and Link opened his eyes to see nothing was there. Only the darkness consumed him, and he frantically searched for an exit. Link ran on an unseen ground, his head swerving in every direction. Where is there a way out?
"Ho-ho-ho," a voice chuckled behind him. Link turned to see the Happy Mask Salesman, standing behind him, his eye's bloodshot and his face twisted in rage. His fist was clutched in anger, and a threatening aura surrounded the man. But when Link blinked, he was gone, with no evidence that he was ever there. Link fell back as the hissing and the rhythm of the swaying got louder and faster, and Link again closed his eyes, wanting out.
"You shouldn't have done that."
Link awoke, his face covered in sweat. Breathing hard, he sat up, taking his sleeve to wipe his face. Beside him, Malon peacefully breathed out, a soft sigh of contentment, and an unawareness of her husband's nightmare. Link smiled at her, daring not to touch her soft, red hair in fear of awakening her from her pleasant dream.
He placed a hand on his heart. That dream made his heart thump with terror, and Link took in a deep breath to sooth it. As it slowed down in rhythm, Link mind cleared, and he felt calmer. That dream brought back memories, so many horrible memories that he wished he could wipe clean from his mind. No, those memories made him into who he was today. Perhaps they aren't so bad, but they make into unwanted dreams.
A small hand reached out from under the blankets, grabbing Link's sleeve. He pulled back in surprise, remembering the Bomber, and saw his youngest child, Saria, sleeping peacefully between her mother and father. Her small mouth hung open, allowing drool to dampen the sheets, and her nightgown was twisted and knotted as she had tossed and turned in her sleep.
Link held back a laugh, and ran a hand through his daughter's strawberry-blonde hair. She twitched at his touch, but did not awaken. Climbing out of bed, Link moved his daughter to his pillow, so that she may be more comfortable. Her thumb migrated into her mouth, and Link gently removed it, taking care to place her hand so that it may not move again. Kissing her, he left the room, allowing his wife and daughter to enjoy their dreams.
Link walked down the stairs in deep thought. He felt as if that dream meant more than just a pile of memories. Past events had taught him so, but past events had not taught him what a dream would mean. He pondered the possibilities, searching alternatives and trying to remember every detail of his dream. Dreams always seem so hard to remember.
Link opened the door to walk outside, and out of the corner of his eye saw movement in the shadows of the corner. He pretended not to notice, but he paused for a moment. He allowed himself to look up at the doorway in thought before closing the door, and turning to the corner.
"So, sneaking around again?" he asked, a stern tone in his voice. There was a rustle, and a young boy walked, a look of anger on his face. His dirty blonde hair hung over his dark blue eyes as he rolled them in frustration.
"Come on, Dad, I didn't do anything," he defended himself, forcing himself to look into his father's own blue eyes. Link frowned, leaning on the wooden door and folding his arms.
"Really," he said sarcastically, his eyebrows raised high on his forehead. His son nodded furiously.
"Honestly, I wouldn't go around taking your horse…" by then it was too late to realize his mistake.
Link threw his hands up in air, exasperated. "So, not only do you lie to me, but you took my horse? Sheik, I thought you were better than that!" Link fumed with rage. "Taking my horse, you know you could have gotten hurt! Epona listens to very few people!"
"I know, she tried to buck me off," Sheik muttered, only adding fuel to Link's anger.
"Why, Sheik? Why do you keep disobeying me?" Link demanded, and Sheik looked indifferent.
"Dad, everyone knows that your horse is, like, the horse. If I could master riding her, then do you know how popular I would be?" Sheik told his father. He couldn't understand why his father didn't seem to agree with him on this. Being popular was so important now, why was his father do dense?
Link sat down in a chair, sighing heavily. He looked at his son, and he could see a bright future for him. But Sheik was throwing away his life, and this scared Link.
"Look, son, I want you to be safe. So, of course, as punishment, you must muck all the animals for a week." Sheik's mouth dropped open, and Link added, "With no help. I want you to understand that you need to be careful."
Sheik lost it. "You could never understand!" he yelled, taking no consideration for his family's rest, "You are so scared of everything! You never understand the thrill of danger, because you never try to experience it!" With that, Sheik ran out of the house, slamming it shut.
Link took those words like he was being punch. Oh, if only he knew what his father had seen. Link did not want that life for his son. He wanted him safe; not dead.
A door opened upstairs, and Malon stood on the landing, rubbing her sleepy blue eyes. Her nightgown bellowed around her, and she yawned, not fully awake.
"At it again?" she asked, making her way downstairs. Link sighed, and forced a smile up at her.
"It wasn't so bad, I guess. I just wish he would learn," he told her, casting his eyes to where his son had left. Malon reached out and hugged him.
"Don't worry, love. He will grow into a respectable man one day, you'll see," she comforted, stroking his hair. She began to sing, her soft voice lulling Link into a state of peace. He closed his eyes and sighed again.
"Do you really think so?" he asked, allowing him to fall victim to his wife's tender touch. She smiled, and kissed him on the cheek.
"Give him some time, you'll see."
Link enjoyed Malon's caressing before a thud rang throughout the house, and a small figure sprinted down the steps, almost tripping over her own feet. Saria spun around the corner and, with a running jump, landed in her father's lap. Link had prepared himself for the launch, and the landing had done little to injure him. She bounced excitingly, as if she had something great and new to say, and she was practically bursting to say it. Link laughed, picking her up and lowering her unto the floor.
"What's up, darling?" he asked, staring into her blue-green eyes. She jumped up and down with joy, unable to contain her happiness.
"Daddy, Daddy! Guess what I want to do?" she cried, spinning in place and jumping up and down.
"What?" he asked. "You want to eat grass like a cow?" She laughed at his guess, and shook her head quickly.
"I want to raise goats!" she declared, ceasing her jumps to receive his answer.
"Goats?" Link cried, forging shock, "Why on earth do you want to?" She giggled at his expression, and danced around the room.
"Because I want to! I think it would be fun!" she declared happily, and Link smiled, and reached out to catch her. Swinging her up in the air, she screamed with joy, and Link brought her to his face to bombard her with kisses. She laughed as he did, trying to tug away from his wet lips.
"If that is what you want, then I bet that one day you will be able to do it!" he told her, swinging her around in a circle. She squealed with joy, and opened her arms as if she was flying. They did this for a minute before Link let her back down, and she walked around in a circle, dizzy.
Malon chuckled, and took her daughter's hand. "Come on, sweetie, Daddy needs to get ready for work, and you need to do your chores."
"Aw," Saria protested, but she allowed her mother to lead her upstairs to change. Link watched them climb the stair as he thought to himself, Yes, this is where I belong. These are the memories I want to keep forever.
"You stupid five year old," Sheik yelled at his sister, pointing at his favorite wooden dagger. Saria was in tears, her new apron was ripped down the center of it and filthy with mud. She hiccupped, and wiped her eyes.
"I…I…sniff…. Didn't me-me-mean t-to," she sobbed, dirtying her eyes with filth from her sleeve. Sheik's eyes narrowed with anger, his face red.
"You are so stupid! I told you to never touch my stuff," he screamed at her, only causing her to sob harder. Link sprinted around the corner, a brush he had been using to massage the horses still in his hand.
"What is this? What's happening?" he asked, reaching out to the crying child. She ran into his arms, and cried on his shoulder. Sheik stamped his foot.
"Look what she did! She broke it!" he yelled, showing his father the broken dagger. Link looked at the dagger, then at Saria's torn apron.
"Why is her new clothes torn, Sheik?" he asked, suspicion in his voice, and Sheik gaped at his father.
"Are you kidding? She broke it, and you only car about…"
"I think I just asked you a question, Sheik." Sheik gulped; his father rarely sounded so vicious, but he was not about to back down.
"Look, I tried to stop her from running away…" he tried, but his father only narrowed his eyes.
"What excuse is that to tear your sister's clothes? That sword can be mended, if you just give it to me…"
"NO!" Sheik screamed, "It will never be the same again! You never understand anything. You always take her side!" With that, Sheik turned and ran away, determined to put as much distance between his father and himself.
Link watched him go, and kissed Saria. "Did you break it?" he asked, and she nodded.
"I fell on it, and it snapped," she whispered, tears in her eyes. "I-I didn't me-mean it. I tri-tripped." She hiccupped again, and Link wiped her tears, knowing she spoke the truth.
"Thank you for telling me the truth, Saria. Don't worry, it was an accident." He picked her up. "Let's have Mommy fix your apron."
He carried her back to the house. Saria hung tight onto his neck, wiping her nose on his shirt. Just as they neared the door, something caught Saria's eye.
"Daddy, there's a piece of paper over there," she told him, pointing behind the jars.
Link turned, and sure enough a yellow, crumbled piece of paper sat motionless on the ground. Saria squirmed, and Link set her down. She ran over to the paper and picked it up. After examining it, she squealed with apparent joy, and brought it back to her father.
"Look, Daddy, noties, or noteses," she showed him the paper. It was true, musical notes were sprawled all over the paper. Curious, he gently removed it from her hand and smoothed out the wrinkles.
"Can you play it, Daddy? Please, play it on your pretty ocarina? Please?" Saria begged, her hands together and she batted her thick, black eyelashes. Link smiled, and rubbed the top of her head.
"You know what, since you are such a good girl, of course I can," he told her, and she squealed again with joy.
"Yay! Hurry Daddy, hurry!" she cried, grabbing his hand and pulling him inside. Laughing, Link searched for his ocarina and found it on the top shelf. He blew off the dust that had collected over the weeks, and brought it over to the table.
Saria sat down, her eyes wide with excitement. Link did not play the ocarina often, but when he did it became a huge occasion. Saria bounced in her chair as Link sat down, looking over the notes.
"Hurry, Daddy!" she told him, unable to wait any longer. Link laughed, and told her to settle down. He cleared his throat, and looked over the notes again. Placing his fingers on the holes, he drew a breath and began to play.
The song was a sad one, and Saria hung onto every note. Her eyes held happiness in them, and she swayed to the tune of the ocarina. The song was short, and Link played it several times. And every time he played it, his heart leaped with memory. He knew this song, but from where? Every note told him so; he knew this song. Where from? Where?
When Link put the ocarina back down, Saria clapped with joy. "Daddy, that was pretty!" Link smiled, and told her he was glad she thought so. He put the ocarina back, and considered the song. Come Link, he told himself, where did you hear that song? Come on, think.
But nothing came into his mind. Shrugging it off, Link allowed Saria to lead him upstairs to play "Dress-up," a favorite of Saria's. If Link was paying attention to his surroundings, he would have noticed two things.
One was his son, who sat hidden behind a barrel. Sheik sat, silently, as he listened to his father play, and remembered when he was little how his father used to play for him, and him only. A tear ran down his, and he wiped it away.
The second was a statue that appeared in a corner. It was there for only a moment, and it seemed to be alive. What was odd was that is looked very similar to Link, when he was young, and a creepy smile had dominated it's face.
Link was sleeping peacefully, enjoying a silent night. Malon breathed in deeply, her sleep seemingly pleasant. Link kissed her on the top of the head before laying back unto his pillows, feeling their softness.
Today was rough, he thought, remembering his son. It hurt him to think that Sheik hated him, but it seemed to Link that every time they talked, a fight out break out, and Sheik would disappear. Link closed his eyes, wanting sleep to over take him.
A clock sounded in the distance. Link counted the number of chimes, noting about twelve. Twelve o'clock, huh? Link turned to his side, stifling a yawn.
Before sitting up straight in bed.
There was no clock in Hyrule. Clocks are not even well known technology in these parts. How could there be a clock in Hyrule? Throwing off the covers, Link flew downstairs, and threw open the door to the outside.
He looked about, but he saw no clock tower rising in the sky, nor any indication that there was a clock at all. It must have been apart of his imagination. Yes, that must have been it. Nodding to himself, he walked back inside, and bumped into someone.
"Sorry, Malon," he mumbled, before looking to see who he bumped into. A man stood there, wearing the simple attire of a white shirt and green pants. Red hair dominated his face and head, and he looked gravely at Link. Link blinked in surprise.
"What are you doing in…" Link wondered why this man had entered his house before looking around. Masks. Masks surrounded him everywhere, and a sign on the wall read Happy Mask Shop. Link's mouth dropped open. This has to be a dream.
The man looked at him, and Link turned back to return the stare. "What do you want?" he asked coolly, tired of this nonsense. The man answered him.
"You shouldn't have done that."