Once he was outside the forest, Link found himself in a large, sprawling field. At first glance, it seemed like it went on forever. It was a sea of green, underneath a bright blue sky. The sun shone brightly; it was a simply beautiful day. However, Link did not take the time to enjoy the scenery. He wanted to see the princess.

Link ran all day and, just before dusk, wound up in front of a large drawbridge. It provided passage across a slight moat that surrounded the wall. The wall was large and intimidating, far too tall for someone to climb. When the drawbridge was up, there was no way in and no way out. Nobody wanted to spend the night in the field; it was very dangerous.

He noticed that the drawbridge was just starting to close, so he sprinted forward and jumped onto it. As it rose, he rode it up and ran downhill. In order to stop falling on his face, Link jumped off of the bridge. He had made it to town.

Moving more slowly, Link advanced past the narrow road he was on. It was made of paved stones. Link could faintly hear the click of his boots on the stone walkway. However, it was drowned out by the sounds of the market in front of him. At this time of day, the shops were slowly closing down, but the people still made a great deal of noise.

The market square was a large open space. Storefronts lined the edges of it. People peddled various goods, like potions and arrows or fruits and breads. Where there weren't stores, four paths branched out from the square. Two, one on each side of the plaza, went to people's simple houses. One led to the village temple, and the last led to the castle, where the princess lived. In the center of the square was a large fountain, where some people gathered to draw water and talk.

A few villagers recognized Link and greeted him. One was even kind enough to give Link a small loaf of bread he had been unable to sell. Link thanked the man profusely. The trip had made Link a little hungry. After eating the bread, Link continued on towards the castle.

Once he was outside the market, Link still had a long way to go in order to reach the castle. The castle was rather intimidating, finally in his view. It was somewhat plain, made mostly out of white stone similar to the gate around the town. It had a few towers, with green pinnacles. It sat on top of a small hill, overlooking the town, cloistered away with a short gate surrounding it.

However, it was very difficult to reach the castle. A smaller hill was in front of the castle, and a tall gate followed the curving path outside of the hill. In addition to that, guards, armed with spears to dissuade trespassers, were scattered throughout the area. They had armor bearing the royal family symbol in several areas. They did not seem intimidating, but, if they found someone, they would throw him back to the market.

In the past, Link had avoided these guards many times, especially during the first time he visited the princess. He could sneak around the guards, avoiding their line of sight. He was able to move quietly enough so that they would not hear him. So, he took a somewhat convoluted pathway, avoiding the guards by going around the tall gate and then cutting across the hill. From there, he climbed over the wall next to the small gate.

There was a small moat surrounding the castle. The main way into the castle was through the drawbridge. However, it was closed and only people the guards wouldn't consider trespassers could go through. So, Link could not enter through it. Instead, he leapt into the moat and took it around to the east side of the castle.

He climbed up onto a small platform, one that allowed anyone who accidentally slipped into the water to get back on dry land. Link took his hat off for a moment and shook his head. He wanted to get some of the water out of his hair, so it wouldn't get in his eyes as he continued to move towards the princess.

Link climbed up and noticed two crates, filled with the castle's daily milk, sitting on the main level, further down. He smiled and went over to them. This was just what he had hoped for. Across from him was a waterway, with an entrance just big enough for him to climb through, if he got down on his knees and crawled. There was also a door to his right, but guards were right inside of it, and he couldn't go through the door without being caught.

Pushing the crates, Link managed to create a makeshift extension of the ground. It gave him just enough space to jump on top of the waterway. He chuckled to himself and crawled through. By this time, dawn had broken, and the castle's security would be somewhat lighter. The real fun was just about to begin.

Link was then inside the castle's gardens. Shrubs and trees were widespread, but so were guards. At first, they were really easy to avoid, since they each patrolled a specific area, and Link would occasionally be out of their sight. They became slightly more difficult to avoid further on, but there were still times Link could sneak by. He used those chances to move past each area. The guards were none the wiser.

After making it past all of the guards, Link found himself in the castle's courtyard. Much like the Sacred Forest Meadow, Link felt very much at peace here. The water that surrounded the courtyard was calm, shallow, and slow-moving. There were a few more trees surrounding the grass here, and there were two small flower gardens too. They had thriving and beautiful plants. It exuded a sense of calm, and Link appreciated it.

Still, there was something more important than the greenery sitting there. She was a young woman with bright blue eyes and pointed ears. She wore a two-layered dress. The bottom layer was a simple white sleeved dress that nearly touched the ground when she stood. The upper layer was purple, sleeveless, and was thinly cut. It had a belt and a few jewels on it. Underneath the belt was the royal family crest, a golden triangle that was also three smaller triangles, with a fourth one in the middle, upside down and missing. It was known as the Triforce. She wore two golden wristbands that helped keep her sleeves in place. And, on her head, she wore a hat that covered her hair and then hung down to her shoulders, made of white and purple fabric, tied together by a Triforce emblem. She was the princess.

When she noticed Link, she smiled. Her eyes suddenly brightened, and she started to smile. She got right to her feet, and embraced Link. He expected this and put his arms around her too.

A few moments later, they let each other go and started talking. The princess started, saying "Link, it's so good to see you again. How have you been?"

Link said "Well, Zelda, you know that I went off looking for Navi."

Zelda looked somewhat concerned, "Yeah. How's she doing?"

Link bit his lip for a moment before he responded. "Well," he started, "I never actually found her."

She paused for a moment and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Link shrugged it off and said "That's okay. It's not as bad as it seems. There's a lot to tell anyways."

"I'm listening."

So, Link told her the same story he told Saria. This time, he was in a much better state of mind. Every now and again, Zelda would stop Link and ask him to clarify what he was talking about. She sat, enraptured with his story. She was a princess, and she lived in the castle. She almost never was able to leave it. Link's adventure was a sort of escape for her.

Link finished with "Well, that's what I've been up to. What has life been like for you?"

Zelda didn't answer Link at first. Instead, she said "You really went on quite an adventure, and it only was three days long. That's incredible."

Link nodded sheepishly. Still, he tried to motion that he wanted Zelda to answer his question.

She shortly understood what Link was trying to say, and she decided to answer. "Well," she said, "there isn't much to tell. I've mostly just stayed here in the castle. Every now and again, Impa and I go out into the village, but that's it."

Link nodded again. "I hear you." He didn't know what to say, but he felt like he had to say something.

Still, they managed to rebound after that and have a wonderful conversation. Before they were done visiting, Zelda made sure to give Link a piece of paper that he should always keep with him. It was a message for the guards, saying that he should be allowed to come and visit the princess whenever he desired, without hassle. Link really appreciated that gesture. Now, if he didn't want to, he wouldn't have to sneak around the guards to visit Zelda.

Link returned home to the forest a lot more slowly than he left it. Over the next few years, Link always visited Zelda at least once a month, and often it was far more frequently.

Three years later, Saria talked to Link before he left yet again. She knew that he was going to go and see Zelda shortly. She smiled and asked him, "You like her, don't you?"

He turned his head to the side and rubbed the back of his neck. He was unable to say much, but he eventually eked out a "Yes."

Saria patted him on the back and said, "Good luck, buddy."

Link smiled, thanked Saria, and then promptly headed for the castle.

Meanwhile, Ganondorf and Majora were bickering about the portal and why it hadn't opened yet.

"It's been three years. Why isn't this damn portal open?" Ganondorf yelled.

Majora responded, exasperated, "Because, it takes a lot of energy for me to keep dealing with your whining. The energy either goes towards opening the portal or talking to you."

Ganondorf leered at Majora, mentally. He did not like to be insulted. "Is it at least close yet?"

"Yes. Have patience, because we're nearly there. Just give me two or three more minutes."

"Hmph. This had better be worth it."

"Oh, just shut your mouth."

A few moments later, the pale white portal changed color. Now, it was a bright, vibrant, light blue. Ganondorf started to move towards it, but Majora stopped him, saying "Hold on. Before you go, you need to know where to find me and where I'll be hidden."

Impatient, Ganondorf said, "Hurry up and tell me."

"Now listen. You'll come out of this portal on the top of a clock tower. If you're good enough, you can find your way down without dying. You're looking for a strange man. He has a bag of masks on his back. He'll probably be hiding somewhere, and I'd guess it's inside that clock tower."

Ganondorf hardly paid attention to what Majora told him; he just wanted to be free. He walked into the portal, and closed his eyes for a moment.

When he opened them again, he was standing on the top of a large clock tower. It was a very tall structure in the middle of a busy town. Easily twice as tall as anything else in the town, it served as a wonderful vantage point from which to survey the surrounding area. People constantly looked toward it to check the time, displayed on a rotating disk.

Ganondorf quickly shielded his eyes. Living in that cave, Ganondorf hadn't seen sunlight for years. His eyes slowly adjusted to it. Then, he focused on getting off of the tower. There was no obvious way down from it. The only time someone was able to get to the top of it was at the yearly festival, the Carnival of Time. Then, stairs leading up to the top of the tower would appear. However, that celebration was a few months away, and Ganondorf was in no mood to wait.

He thought for a moment or two and then recognized that the only way he could get down would be to jump. This jump would kill a normal man, but Ganondorf was no normal man. He had incredible stamina, but he also possessed the ability to hover slightly.

Some of this was due to an ancient artifact known as the Triforce of Power. It was one third of the mystical Triforce and, as its name implies, granted the holder an incredible amount of power. Ganondorf increased his already impressive brute strength with it. In addition to physical strength, the Triforce of Power granted him the ability to master his surroundings, allowing him to levitate when it suited his mood.

Ganondorf then jumped, and softly landed on the ground. He was completely unscathed. Several townsfolk noticed his descent and were dumbstruck.

One turned to another and asked, "Who is this weirdo?"

Ganondorf knew that they were talking about him, and he did not appreciate that. He turned to this man, and drew back his arm. In an instant, he punched him, squarely in the jaw. He growled to the man, "Don't ever talk about me like that again."

The rest of the town started to notice the commotion. One of them was the man that Ganondorf was looking for. He immediately recognized the dark king and tried to creep away. He knew him from several years ago and was utterly terrified of him. The only place he could think to go was inside of the clock tower.

He crept over to the wooden doors and slowly pushed them open. They creaked, and his could hear his heart pounding. He slipped into the darkness, trying not to breathe. Just to be safe, he took off his sack of masks and pressed himself up against the wall. He hoped that, if he waited, Ganondorf would pass him by and not come after his precious mask.

However, Ganondorf had noticed the man's escape attempt. He forced his way through the substantial crowd, towards the clock tower. If anybody got in his way, he simply threw him aside, like a piece of trash. At the doors of the clock tower, he warned the crowd not to follow him. He told them, in no uncertain terms, "I will kill you if you try and follow me. I have business to attend to in here."

With a mighty heave, Ganondorf forced open both doors. They were sturdy and large, and he nearly broke them off of their hinges. The man noticed Ganondorf's presence, and he tried to hide himself further in the shadows. He feared for his life; he stood no chance against Ganondorf's power and wrath.

The strong man got right to the point. He picked up the quivering man by his collar. He then thrust him against the wall. Sparing no words, he commanded, "Give it to me."

The smaller man gulped and asked, "Wh-what are you talking about, sir?"

The response was cruder and more powerful. "I want the mask; give it to me."

He whimpered, "Which one, good sir?"

Ganondorf was tired of this game. He yelled, "You know damn well which mask I'm talking about. Give me Majora's Mask, or it'll mean your life."

The man feigned ignorance for a moment and said, "What are you talking about, sir? I don't know what that is."

Ganondorf punched the man in the stomach. He crumpled and wheezed for a moment. Then, the man came to his senses and answered Ganondorf directly. He said, still trying to regain his breath, "It's in my pouch, and it's the one on top."

Ganondorf carelessly dropped the man and opened his pouch of masks. The pouch was nearly as tall as him, so he didn't have to stoop down to open it. In a moment, he came across the mask he had been looking for. Its haunting eyes called out to him, and it nearly moved. It had been found, which was just what it wanted.

He laughed. It was a deep and menacing laugh. Ganondorf could feel the power that this mask possessed, but it still seemed weak to him. He mocked both the mask and the man with his laughter, claiming to be stronger than both of them. Still, he had come with a purpose, and he decided to try to harness the power of the mask.

He put it on. In an instant, he noticed that he had underestimated the power of the mask. It was incredibly powerful, though he thought he was stronger than it. The mask's vigor suddenly surged through Ganondorf's body, making him even more powerful. In a moment, the mask had practically melded itself to Ganondorf's face. It wasn't a stiff mask any more. There was no longer Ganondorf or Majora's Mask. Instead, there was a power known as Majorandorf. It may have looked silly, but he had unbelievable strength. He was anxious to try it out.

Majorandorf advanced towards the small, quivering man. He smiled maliciously. He thought that it would be a fun game to see how badly he could hurt him.

The man groveled, begging "Please don't kill me."

Sadistically, Majorandorf asked, "Why shouldn't we?"

He thought quickly, trying to find any information that could spare his life. He pleaded, "Because I can tell you about this land to the north."

Toying with the man, Majorandorf said, "Go on."

"It's called Reseptica. I was going to go there myself, to see what kind of rare masks they have there. Legend tells that it is home to three ferocious beasts and rare, advanced technology."

Unimpressed, Majorandorf told him, "A legend. That's all you can tell us about. You mean to think that you can escape with your life because you told us about a land to the north? You sad, pitiful man. We're going to enjoy seeing you suffer." With this, he laughed and taunted the poor man.

He beat the man to a pulp, enjoying every moment of it. He stopped just short of killing him, and said "We'll spare your life, just in case this rumor is true. We'll go there second. First, we've got some unfinished business to take care of."

Majorandorf then exited the clock tower. Once outside, he started to hover and fly westward. He laughed, and its cold, sinister sound permeated the entire land. He had done what he intended to do. Now, it was time to really test the powers of this new form.

As Majorandorf headed west, Skull Kid returned to the clock tower. Its basement served as a link between two lands, Link's land and this other land. He had come back to spend some time in town. His relationship with the people had improved over the last several years, but he wanted to make it stronger. He still wanted to make up for the distress and destruction he had caused. On his way, he saw the man inside. He noticed the wounds and became very scared.

Concerned, he asked, "Mask man, what happened?"

He responded, "Never mind that. Just go and warn Link. I fear that a terrible power is coming his way."