Author's Note: I tried to get this chapter in earlier but school (especially college applications) really got in the way. Oh well I still got it in as soon as I could. Please enjoy chapter 2 and feel free to post your thoughts good or bad in a review.

Chapter 2: The Knighting Ceremony

Link was standing on a flat, grassy plain. A thick gray fog engulfed him and his surroundings, making it difficult to see anything that might be nearby. Looking in all directions the sightline was still the same, grass and lots of fog. Link didn't know what to do but he figured he should start walking until he found something. Taking careful steps and walking slowly, Link remained vigilant in case someone or something tried to sneak up on him. However there didn't appear to be anyone here, making these precautions unnecessary.

The emptiness of this place didn't ease Link's spirits. He couldn't help wondering why there was no one else here. The more he walked, the stronger his burning question became. Eventually more and more questions came flooding into his mind. Where was he? How did he get here? Why was the scenery exactly the same wherever he went? Why was there no one else here? Strangely, just as soon as this last question came to mind, Link spotted a shadowy figure about twenty feet in front of him.

The mysterious gray fog made the figure too hard to see from this distance so Link had no choice but to keep moving forward. As he got closer and closer to the figure, it became clearer and clearer. It looked to be a girl around Link's age that was sitting on the grass beneath him. Her back was turned to him but she had brown hair and a dress that seemed very familiar to him.

The girl sitting down on the grass was Princess Zelda. The sound of Link's footsteps crunching the grass made Zelda turn her head around. Seeing that it was Link who had found her, she got up and smiled at him. Instantaneously, the fog around them vanished and the grassy plain had bright sunlight beating down upon it.

"Link. I'm glad you're here. I was starting to get lonely and seeing a familiar face is so refreshing," said Zelda.

"Me too. I'm just glad I actually found someone in this weird place. Do you know where we are?" asked Link.

"No. Should we explore this place and maybe look for a way out?" asked Zelda. Link was more than happy to accompany her on a stroll through a grassy plain which suddenly was full of daisies. As they walked, Zelda suddenly grabbed Link's hand and held it. The two of them strolled leisurely though the plain when Zelda stopped short to look at something on the ground beside them.

"Hmm, I wonder what this is?" asked Zelda curiously. Link, who had been too busy scanning the area for paths of exit, turned to look at what Zelda had acquired.

Link's mouth dropped in horror as he noticed that what she had stumbled upon was Majora's Mask. He let go of Zelda's hand and backed away from it. Meanwhile Zelda picked it up with curiosity etched across her face.

"It looks like a mask," she said. She then made a movement as if to put it on.

"Zelda no! Don't put on that mask!" pleaded Link. He moved closer to Zelda to take it out of her hands but it was too late; Zelda had already put on the mask.

Link backed away terrified, not knowing what was going to happen next. The mask combined horribly with Zelda's figure. It destroyed the beauty and innocence that Zelda captured so perfectly and made her seem polluted. The mask single-handedly destroyed Zelda's appearance and gave off an evil air. The mask stuck to Zelda's face and she was unable to get it off, even with all her struggles. Zelda grabbed at the mask but after a few seconds, fell silent and still. Zelda then started walking slowly towards Link with her left arm extended as if she was trying to grab him.

Scared out of his senses, Link ran. Zelda started to run after him in full pursuit. Looking back, Link saw that he was not putting any distance in-between him and the possessed Zelda. Suddenly his foot landed on top of a rock and his legs got caught underneath him, sending him falling to the ground with a thud. He tried to get up as fast as possible but as soon as he was back on his feet, he felt a hand enclose around his throat and lift him up in the air. Zelda had grabbed him by the throat and was attempting to choke him. He grabbed Zelda's hand with both of his to try and loosen her grip but it was too tight. As Zelda was doing this, Link heard that evil sinister laugh that could belong only to the mask coming from Zelda's lips. He didn't have much longer, he couldn't breathe…

Link woke up from his nightmare sweating profusely with his heart pounding in his chest. He tried to calm himself down as he sat up grabbing his head in his palms. That dream had scared him half to death. Looking back, Link should have realized it was a dream in the first place. His emotions when around Princess Zelda were all wrong. There was no nervousness, excitement or giddiness that normally was present when he was around the Princess. Link had spent the majority of his time scanning the area when normally he would be too preoccupied with the fact that they were holding hands.

Link was still sweating and since he was wide awake, he decided to get out of bed and take a walk around the town to calm himself down. Putting on his boots, he walked over to his stairs and slowly climbed down them. He wanted his body to stop sweating so he took his time climbing down. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he took a deep breath to regain control of himself. He then walked over to the door, opened it, and was outside Castle Town in the dead of night.

As Link started walking along the stone road in the moonlght, he started reflecting on his dream. It had started out an interesting dream, progressed into a great dream, and then came crashing down into a horrible nightmare once Majora's Mask made its appearance. Link felt cold just thinking about that mask, its evil nature frightening him very much. He didn't understand why the mask had this kind of effect on him. He wasn't one that got overly scared of anything but this mask terrified him just by thinking about it. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was temporarily possessed by the mask and that made him more susceptible to its evil. Or maybe it was the fact that this mask was so inexplicably evil that it just affected people more seriously than other scary things. Link didn't know which one it was but he hoped that he never had to see it again.

While lost in his own thoughts, Link discovered that he had wandered all the way over to the shooting gallery. He felt a lot calmer now that he was outside in the cool air and not cramped up in his room. He decided to head back to his house now so he turned around and started the trek back home. As he started walking home, he realized that the moon was very low in the sky, signaling that morning was almost upon the town. Link was disappointed as this meant that he wouldn't be able to sleep for very long.

When he got to his house, he saw that there was a person standing in front of it. Link clenched his fist and walked slowly towards the person. However as he got closer, he realized that it was just the postman. It seemed that the postman was getting a jumpstart on his early morning deliveries. What was even stranger was the fact that he was dropping off a letter in front of Link's house. Link never got mail so he wondered who could be sending him this letter.

The postman walked down the street to the right and out of Link's sight. Apparently there was no mail for anyone else on this block. Link walked towards his house and opened the door. He picked up the envelope that was on the ground on his floor, walked inside the room and tore it open. It was from Princess Zelda.

"Dear Link, You have been cordially invited by me to the post-knighting ceremonial feast. Everyone is invited but it is only with a special invitation that you can sit in the Royal Family section. Every year, six of these invitations are given out. Usually they're invited by my father but this year he gave me one and I didn't know who to invite so I invited you. Be there and be sure to say hello! Oh and be sure to bring this invitation with you. It's the only way to get into the Royal Family section.-Princess Zelda". Link read the letter with utter curiosity. Why was Zelda inviting him to the feast? And to sit in the Royal Family section no less? Link couldn't help but think that something fishy was going on here.

"But either way, I still get to have one of the best seats in the entire castle," Link thought out loud. He had been to the post-knighting feast once before and it was a wonderful experience. The castle was decorated with the most elegant designs with jewels and ribbons everywhere. There were live performances by guest entertainment all night. The food was cooked by the greatest chiefs in Hyrule. However last time Link was at the feast, he was at a very small table off in a corner. Now that he was in the Royal Family section, he'd be sitting by the throne with a view of everyone and everything inside the castle. He'd be the center of attention. Or part of it at least.

Now that he was in a good mood, Link decided that it was time to retire to bed. It was almost morning as it was but he figured that any extra sleep he could get would be worth it. He walked up the stairs in his kitchen and arrived in his bedroom. Walking over to his bed, he collapsed ontop of it. He was asleep before his head hit his pillow, not even bothering to bring the covers up over him.

Link had been asleep for about three hours when he was awoken by the sound of commotion outside his window. Startled, Link quickly got to his feet and looked outside to see what was going on. He saw dozens of people in the streets, all walking in the general direction of Hyrule Castle. Alarmed, Link quickly ran away from the window, opened his closet, threw on his green tunic, chainmail, gloves, pants, hat and boots and ran towards his set of stairs. He slid down the banister and jumped down onto the floor. He was about to turn his back on the wall in front of him and head for the door when he stopped. Staring him in the face was his father's shield that Link had hung up in his living room ever since his death.

The shield was in the shape of a rounded triangle with a flat top. There were no pointy sides at the top of the shield like in normal shields, this one was all rounded. The shield was completely round except for the top of it. The shield was a navy blue cover with a silver outline that stretched all around the rounded part of the shield. In the center of the shield was the symbol of Hyrule, the golden Triforce. The Triforce was three triangles arranged in such a way that they made one big triangle with a hole in the middle of the shape that looked like another triangle. Beneath the Triforce symbol was the other symbol of Hyrule, a crimson separated eagle. The different parts of the body were not connected to each other as they all stood out like they were floating in mid-air. It was easy to see that the shapes formed a bird however.

This shield had been in his father's possession ever since Link was born. One of his father's closest friends had been a knight of Hyrule. His father's friend had given it to him as a gift for his birthday many years ago. Link's father had wanted to be a knight but was never very good at it. So as a way of acknowledging this wish, Link's father's friend had given the shield to him so he could treasure it. Link's father had then given it to Link when he had moved out of the house. Link used to have it hang in his room, but he moved it down into the living room after his father's death because he didn't like the thought of the shield watching him while he slept.

Link walked over to the shield and took it off of the wall. He was going to wear it to the knighting ceremony today so that the people there would know that he was considering becoming a knight. It was tradition for future knight hopefuls to wear shields at the knighting ceremonies. That way the generals and lieutenants would know who was serious about pursuing this career because shields were not readily available to the public. Anyone who could get possession of a shield without buying one in a shop was serious in their eyes.

With the shield tied to his back, Link headed for the door. Once he reached the door he opened it and was met with a roar of people conversation. It appeared that lots of people were interested in the knighting ceremony. Link sighed; he had heard that this year's class of knights was going to be very good. It was only natural that the townsfolk would want to get a glimpse at this highly touted class. Link started jogging towards town, desperate to get a good spot on the lawn of Hyrule Castle. However he had one stop he had to make first.

When he was in Castle Town square, Link jogged across the stone to get to the Happy Mask Shop. He had to tell his boss that he was not going to work today. Once he reached the doors of the shop, he headed inside. What he found was that the shop was empty. His boss was not in his familiar spot behind the desk. Instead all that was left on the desk was a note. Link didn't want to read it but curiosity got the better of him so he headed towards the desk, knowing full well that he would pay for this later.

He walked over to the desk and took a look at the letter. It was addressed to him. "Dear Link, I have upheld your request for me to get rid of Majora's Mask. I have left today to dispose of the mask and will be back tomorrow. You are free to do whatever you want today but I expect you back tomorrow-Your Boss".

Link's heart leapt. He could go to the knighting ceremony and not feel guilty about doing it. Without thinking twice, Link ran to and out the door. He didn't stop running as he reached the town square and made a right for the route before the castle. When Link got on said route, he had two choices. He could continue to run down the path past the castle gate, or he could take the shortcut and climb up the ledge that led to the lawn. Both would take him to the same place but the former idea was the safer route while taking longer, whereas the latter was shorter but more dangerous. Link was all for something to get him to the lawn quicker so he headed towards the ledge. When he got to the ledge he started climbing as fast as he could. Sending much dirt to the ground, he climbed up the ledge in no time at all and was at the back of the lawn.

When Link saw how many people were here already, he took a breath of relief. Not that many people had showed up yet and he was still able to get a decent view. Link slowed to a walk and settled in behind a group of men that appeared to be in their thirties. They were apparently talking about what it used to be like when they were little. Link lost interest in their conversation and started looking at the castle.

They were standing on the lawn right before the bridge that crossed the moat. They were on a circular lawn that stood in front of the castle. Back behind the people where the path started, there was a huge hill with a gate connecting it to the lawn, allowing people to walk towards it. The castle itself was magnificent. It stood towering over everything with its many towers and windows. It was a silvery color and it had many colorful pictures that helped enhance the royal image of the castle.

"Was that you making all that noise by the cliff?" said a voice to Link's right. A man that looked to be in his early twenties was looking at Link with interest. He was about Link's height and he had thick black hair that was in the form of a spiky Mohawk. Except for the hair that was pointed straight up in the middle of his head, he was completely bald. He had deep blue eyes that were complemented with his thick black eyebrows. He had long pointy ears just like Link did. He had on a black turncoat that complimented his hair nicely. He wore silver baggy pants with black boots. Link didn't know what it was about this man but he seemed to have a very strong presence about him.

"Yeah that was me. I thought that there were more people here than there were and I wanted to get a good spot," Link said to the man.

"Well you tired yourself out for nothing I'm afraid. Not a lot of people are here yet. In fact, the bulk of the people are coming right now," said the man as he pointed towards the path before Castle Town.

"Yeah, I noticed that. I just figured that I might be late. I especially thought this when I had to stop off in my boss's shop. Anyway I'm Link who're you?" asked Link as he extended his hand.

"I'm Nascour. You sure seem to like these knighting ceremonies. All this hustle just to get to see it up close? Are you an aspiring knight?" asked Nascour as he laid eyes on Link's shield for the first time as he shook Link's hand.

"Yeah it's been my dream to be a knight ever since I was a kid. I've been practicing with this shield and I've even got in some training with a sword from my dad," answered Link enthusiastically.

"Hmm. Seems like you're quite the knight material. I'll have to watch out for you," said Nascour rubbing his chin with his hand. "I plan on becoming a lieutenant and you might be trouble for me."

"We'll see. I don't think I'm as great as you make me out to be," said Link. The two of them laughed and then their attention was driven towards a person who was running straight towards them. When he got close enough for Link and Nascour to make him out, Link noticed that it was Recht.

"Link. I'm glad I made it. I was hoping that I'd get to see you today but I worried that I might not be able to find you in this crowd of people," said Recht as he panted out of breath with his hands on his knees.

"Who is this?" asked Nascour with mild interest.

"This is Recht. He's my buddy," answered Link.

"Ah so you two are friends. How long have you known each other?" asked Nascour.

"We've know each other for about five years. We've been best buds ever since school," answered Recht.

"So Recht, are you also going to become a knight?" inquired Nascour.

"No. Link's the one with the athletic ability. I wouldn't be very good," said Recht humbly.

"That's twice now I've heard of your impressive swordsman skills Link. Are you sure you're just being modest?" joked Nascour with a smile on his face.

"I may be decent but I'm nowhere near the level of the knights that are getting knighted today. Speaking of them, I think that they're coming out now," said Link as he pointed towards the two castle doors. Indeed, the doors had been opened and the knight class had started to fill in two lines just in front of the lawn to the castle and on the dirt path that led to the two doors.

After the knights had made two equal lines, the King of Hyrule and Princess Zelda could be seen coming out of the doors. The King of Hyrule was a middle aged man with graying hair and a large beard and mustache. He wore a bright red coat with a plain white shirt underneath. He wore a huge black belt with a purple jewel in the center over tan pants. The boots he wore were brown and looked to be made out of wool. He was carrying a sword and a scroll, presumably with the names of the knights that were going to be knighted. Princess Zelda was wearing the same purple and white dress that she was wearing yesterday.

Princess Zelda and her father walked out in front of the knights. The king stood up and addressed the crowd.

"Greetings citizens of Hyrule! Today we are gathered here to celebrate another great class of Knights to be. These boys have worked hard to get where they are today and now their work has finally paid off. Today they become knights!" called the king as the crowd applauded loudly.

The king opened up his scroll and looked at the first name.

"Ralph Gonnera!" called the king. Ralph Gonnera walked forward in front of the king and kneeled.

"With the holy blade of Hyrule, I King Phineas Iglacerous Hyrule hereby make you an official Knight of the Hyrulean Army," pronounced the King. The king then tapped his sword on Ralphs head, making him an official Hyrulean Knight as he was greeted with thunderous applause. He then retreated back to his spot in the line and waited for his mates to get knighted.

"Next year at this time, that'll be me up there," Link said suddenly. Recht looked at him and smiled while Nascour looked at him with a frown on his face as if thinking.

The king repeated the action for about twelve different men. They all got knighted by the king's sword and went back into the row. Link noticed that this year's class was bigger than last year's and the year before's class. There seemed to be much more talent this year than previous years. Once the king was done with the knights, he rolled his scroll up and cleared his throat.

"Everyone that includes this year's Knighting Ceremony! You are now all invited to the Royal Feast that is tradition every year. So come on into the castle for food, fun and entertainment!" said the king as he and Princess Zelda turned around to go inside the castle. When he and Princess Zelda had gone into the castle, the newly knighted knights followed them, disappearing into the hallway as well. Finally the crowd started to murmur and head into the castle bringing up the rear. Recht turned to Nascour and Link.

"Shall we go in?" he asked.

"Definitely," answered Link.

"Absolutely," said Nascour. The three of them followed the crowd and were on their way into the castle for a feast they would never forget.