Little less than 800 words, but that's fine.

Walking through the bustle that was Castle Town, I couldn't believe that I was finally… home. Or, at least, back in Hyrule. When I had first gotten back, I had visited Malon at Lon Lon Ranch, and for a moment, was surprised her Termina counterpart didn't greet me. I had gotten so used to my time in the other world, or reality, that I had almost forgotten about the Hylian counterparts. Now that I was back in Castle Town, I passed the Happy Mask Salesman's shop, and for a moment, felt goosebumps rise on my arm. A chill passed through the air as I walked passed the door. Something about the masks sold there now freaked me out. I now wondered if more souls were trapped within the masks, just waiting to be released.

My fingers instantly gripped the bag tied to my belt that held all of my masks. Sometimes, during my travel in Termina, I would pull out the masks and look at each of them. And if I listened close enough in the silence of the night, I could faintly hear crying or screaming coming from them. Trapped and tormented souls looking for release and to be free.

My breath briefly started to speed up as I quickly walked away, hiding within the crowds of the bustling marketplace. I eyed the stray dogs that were around, watching them. I began to feel a prickle of paranoia as I moved my eyes up towards the sky, the moon faintly showing in the midday sky.

Then, I heard a clock begin to chime.

I walked through the marketplace of the town that surrounded my castle, hoping for some peace away from my tudors. It has been about a week since Link left on his journey to find Navi, taking the Ocarina of Time with him. I hope that he's finding good luck on his adventure and that he'll find his friend.

"Have you heard? Apparently there's a kid freaking out in the central part of the market." One of the gossipers said as they passed me. I stopped and hoped they wouldn't notice me as I listened in on their conversation. A kid?

"Oh yeah, isn't it that kid who went to visit the princess last week? The one in green? I wonder if he's sick." The other replied to her friend. My eyes widened, Link was back? Already? And what was this about him freaking out in the middle of the market?

"I think so. Poor boy, I wonder what's wrong."

"Sheila told me that she heard the boy muttering about…" The voices trailed off as I ran towards the fountain.

Once I got there, I saw Link looking around frantically, his sword unsheathed as he seemed to look for something. His eyes were blown wide, unfocused and unseeing. As I got closer to him, I began to hear what he was saying. "Only one more day remaining…. where did Tatl go? I swear.. she was right behind me just a moment ago.." I furrowed my brows. Tatl? I'm pretty sure he said the name of his fairy was Navi, not Tatl.

"Link..?" I asked, not caring if others saw me. I lowered the hood I was wearing to hide my identity as I cautiously approached him. The Hero of Time swiveled around to face me, and I stopped moving.

"Princess? Impossible… How'd you get here in Termina?" He asked and I found myself in more confusion. Termina?

"Link… We aren't in Termina. This is Hyrule. You're in Castle Town, remember?" I asked as I continued to walk up to him, placing a gentle and calming hand on his sword hand.

"Castle Town?" Link asked, confusion written on his face. "But I heard the clock tower chime. And don't you see the moon approaching?" He continued to ask, and I shook my head.

"Link, there is no moon approaching. Look, it's midday, see? Besides," I looked around, faintly noticing the crowd forming as I searched for a clock, "There is no clock tower."

"No… Clock tower?" Link asked, unsure as he himself began to look around.

"Yes, see? No moon, no clock tower." I smiled at him as a million questions ransacked my brain. Just what had happened in the week he was gone? Link seemed to have calmed down now as he sheathed his sword. I took his hand again and led him through the crowd, taking him to the castle. "Come on, Link. Let's see to it that you get a room and rest." I told him, my worry seeping through my voice. "Then, you can tell me all about your journey, okay?"

"Okay."