Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda in any way, shape or form besides a 3ds cartridge.

Another Disclaimer: The length of previous chapters DOES NOT dictate the length of future chapters in any way :P

Chapter 2: Malon


Link approached the door of the Happy Mask Shop. He sighed. Returning the mask was the right thing to do-he didn't even mean to take it, it was the bizarre time travel physics that had made it disappear-but he knew the potential repercussions. If the Happy Mask Salesman accused him of thievery, it could take weeks, even months to get out of jail. And he had a feeling that the Castle Town jail was a lot more secure than the Gerudo Fortress one.

Link shuddered at the memory. It had only been a couple weeks earlier that he had attempted to pass through Gerudo territory on his way to the Spirit Temple. It hadn't been easy to get there. With the bridge going over Gerudo Valley broken, he and Epona had been forced to make a gut-retching leap over the chasm. He had had faith in Epona, but sailing over an abyss with nothing but a Silver Bay stallion between you and a surely fatal fall would terrify anyone.

And then, when he actually made it to the fortress, he had ridden over to a nearby woman to ask directions, only to be clubbed with her 2 metre long spear and thrown into the pit that was their holding cell. It had taken him three days to get out and free the other prisoners from the female thieves. If he hadn't had his hookshot on him, he'd still be it there. It had been the most embarrassing experience in his life, but it had taught him not to underestimate his opponents, no matter who they were.

'Might as well get this over with.' Link thought, 'At least there aren't any Gerudos in the castle guard.' He knocked on the door. A few seconds later it opened and the smiling face of the Happy Mask Salesman emerged.

"The store doesn't open for another five days, child." He stated. "What business do you have here?" Link held up the Mask. The Happy Mask Salesman's eyes lit up as he recognised to object.

"Why, it's the Mask of Truth. I've been wondering where this went."

"I know this is hard to believe," Link started, lowering his head. "But I didn't steal it." The Happy Mask Salesman looked at him.

"Did I say that this mask was stolen? No. I said it disappeared. And now it has come back."

"So, you're not going to have me arrested?"

"Of course not. How could I do that to the person that sold all my masks?" Link looked up, shocked.

"How did you…?"

"Thank you for returning my mask. Come by my store when it opens, I may have some work for you." And at that, the Happy Mask Salesman shut the door, leaving Link standing outside, stunned.

"He's quite strange, isn't he?" Said a voice from behind him. Link whirled around.

"I mean," said Malon, "He just appeared one day. No one saw him arrive, no one knows who he is. No one even saw this store being built."

"What are you doing here, Malon?" Link said bluntly. Malon sighed.

"Look, I don't know what this quest of yours is, but you're not very good at hiding your feelings about it. Let me help." Link shook his head.

"I don't need your help. I can do it by myself."

"Can you? Because you are stressing about something, and three days isn't a lot of time to come up with a plan." Link took an aggressive stance.

"How did you know about that?" he growled, reaching for his sword. Malon put up her hands quickly.

"Relax. You were muttering something about three days when you walked into me. I assumed that it had to do with your quest." Link relaxed.

"I should pay attention to what I'm saying as well as where I'm going."

"Yeah, you seem to do poorly in both. So what are you supposed to do?" Link sighed.

"Look, Malon, you wouldn't be able to help."

"Try me. I can't do anything else until my father comes back from the castle anyway." Link sighed as he lost the mental battle in his head.

"Fine. Let's go somewhere out of the way. If what I'm about to tell you reaches the wrong ears, everything, no matter what I do, will go to hell very quickly." Malon thought for a second before snapping her fingers and saying.

"I know just the place. Follow me."


Malon and Link walked through a door into a dimly lit room that Link recognised immediately.

"Bombchu Bowling Alley." He breathed. Malon looked at him.

"This place only just opened. They hadn't even begun to advertise it yet." Link mentally kicked himself again.

"I… um… heard about it." Malon nodded, unconvinced.

"Uh-huh, from the same friend you heard about me from, I assume." Link opened his mouth to reply, but Malon interrupted.

"It doesn't matter, Grasshopper, we have more important things to talk about."

"Wait. We're not alone." Link replied, eyeing the purple haired woman behind the counter. Malon glanced at her.

"Who, her? Don't worry about it, the long night hours here make it near impossible for her to stay awake during the day. Watch." Malon walked over to her and pulled some faces and made silly noises. No reaction. Malon walked back and sat down at one of the tables. "See? It's fine. Now, about this quest of yours."

"Ok." Link said, unstrapping his sword and wooden shield from his back and joining her. "I don't know where to begin, or how much you would believe, so I'll stick to the important facts." He took a deep breath, then he began.

"In three days, a man from the desert will arrive here. His name is Ganondorf. He has done… terrible things, to many people. He comes here to pledge false allegiance to the King, but his true motives are more sinister. He brings chaos and destruction with him wherever he goes, and he will not stop until the entire world is at his feet." He looked up at Malon.

"The only chance I have of stopping him is when he arrives. To show he means peace, he has not brought an honour guard with him. He's vulnerable. I have to stop him, here and now before it's too late. If I fail, the consequences will be catastrophic." Link stopped, knowing how hard it would be to process this. A minute passed before Malon spoke.

"If this man is so terrible, why doesn't someone just, you know, kill him?" Link raised an eyebrow at her.

"I mean, he sounds evil. Wouldn't killing him be ok?" Link shook his head.

"Believe me, if I thought it was as simple as sticking a sword in his back, I would do it." He gestured to his blade. "This isn't for show, you know."

"But surely someone around him would want him dead. Why can't they kill him?"

"It's not a matter of wanting to kill him." Link replied tersely. "It's a matter of would they kill him. You see, Ganondorf is a Gerudo."

"I thought Gerudos were only female." Malon said.

"Normally, yes, they are. But every one hundred years, a male is born to them. And according to their cultural law, that man must be their king, no matter what kind of man he is. Even if they dislike his rule, they won't turn against him."

"Why don't you just go to the king? Tell him to arrest this guy when he shows up."

"And how am I supposed to do that? You can't just walk into the castle unannounced."

"Maybe you could break in?"

"That is a possibility, they have enough holes in their security for me to get close to the throne room, but it'll take too long to get in. Besides, even if I got in, what would I do? What Hylian would believe a Kokiri boy from the forest?" Malon blinked in surprise.

"You're a Kokiri? I thought they died if they came out of the lost woods. How are you here?"

"That's because I'm not strictly a Kokiri. During the Hyrulean Civil War, my mother was hurt in the fighting. She fled into the Lost Woods and came across the Great Deku Tree. She knew that she was going to die, so my mother begged The Great Deku Tree to protect me. And he accepted. I was treated like all other Kokiri child, and I never knew who I truly was until a few months ago." Malon gaped at him.

"The Great Deku Tree's real?"

"He's defiantly real."

"I thought he was only a myth, a story to scare… That's it!"

"What?" Link asked, confused.

"If the king won't see you, we'll get the Great Deku Tree to help." Malon said, beaming. "He's supposed to be a benevolent spirt but harsh on those with ill-intentions. He's a figure used to stop children from entering the Lost Woods. Surely the King would listen to him." Link shook his head.

"That won't work."

"Why not? Have you asked him?"

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Because he's dead!" Link yelled. Malon's face fell. The purple haired lady stirred in her sleep. After a quick glance to make sure she was still asleep, Link pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…"

"It's fine." After another minute of silence, Malon spoke.

"Would you mind telling me what happened?" After a pause, Malon said, "Look, forget I asked."

"No, it's fine." Link took a deep breath. "It was a Parasitic Armoured Arachnid called Gohma. She was sent by Ganondorf to retrieve this." He reached into his pouch and pulled out an emerald banded in gold.

"This is the Kokiri Emerald. It is one of the three spiritual stones of the races. It's vital to Ganondorf's plans, so vital that he was willing to cast a death curse on The Great Deku Tree. Undisturbed, he may have been able to fight it off, but with that parasite inside him, ripping apart his root system…"

"He had no chance." Malon finished.

"Exactly." After another pause, Malon spoke again.

"Something I don't understand. If Gohma was supposed to kill the Great Deku Tree and take the Emerald, how do you have it?"

"Because I killed her." Malon stared at him.

"You… you killed her?" She stammered, shocked.

"Of course. I told you, that sword isn't for show. Besides, the Great Deku Tree is the closest thing to a father I ever had. He need my help, so I helped." Link bowed his head. "But I was too late. That's why I'm here. His last dying wish was for me to stop Ganondorf. I have to stop him at all costs."

"Hmm." Malon scrunched up her face in concentration. "If the Great Deku Tree can't help you, maybe the other races will. Has Ganondorf done anything to them?" Link nodded.

"Yeah he has, but I don't think they'll be much help. The Zora don't even know something's wrong yet. The Gorons however…" Realisation dawned on Link.

"That could work. Ganondorf filled the caves containing the Gorons' only food source with Dodongos and blocked off the entrance. They are facing extinction because of him."

"Well, they definitely seem like they'd be desperate enough to believe you, Grasshopper." Malon replied. "Sounds like a good plan to me."

"Except for one thing. The Gorons are on Death Mountain."

"Ah. And Death Mountain Trail is sealed by the King."

"Exactly. Besides Death Mountain Trail, I only know of two other paths up. One of them is a magical archway in the lost woods, but it's sealed on the Gorons' side, and the other emerges in the volcanic crater."

"Not the most ideal place to emerge, is it."

"Not without the proper protection clothing, and none of those are child-sized. Even if there were, it requires powerful magic to get there that I don't have."

"Are you sure there's no other way up?"

"Not without being able to fly."

"Maybe you could grab onto a Keese and ride it up?" Link stared at her. Malon threw up her hands.

"What? I'm running out of ideas. What else could I say? Find a man with wings?"

"I see your poi… Wings. A man with wings. That's it!" Malon stared blankly at him.

"I was joking Grasshopper. There's no such thing as a man with wings."

"Maybe not, but there's a man who now has wings."

"I don't understand."

"His name is Kaepora Gaebora. He was a man, but now he is a giant owl."

"I still don't understand. How did he become an owl? And why?"

"It's a long story, but he exists. He could fly me to Death Mountain." Link's face fell. "But, the only place I know of where he resides is Lake Hylia."

"And that's on the complete other side of Hyrule."

"A two day walk. But it's the only option." Link got up.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"It's already midday. If I walk through the night I should get there by tomorrow afternoon."

"And then what? You'll be exhausted, and you'd only have a couple hours to convince the Gorons to help you and get back to the castle in time."

"I don't have a choice, Malon."

"Yes you do." Malon got up and headed for the door. "Come with me."


Link followed Malon through the streets of Castle Town. He didn't know where she was leading him. They seemed to be headed towards the drawbridge, but via a district he'd never been to before. Although, thinking about it, Link realised that there was a lot of this town he hadn't seen. He had never really gone anywhere past the market plaza, the temple of time and a few back alleys. And, after he had pulled the master sword from its pedestal, he'd never gotten a chance to see the rest of the town at all.

In the seven years he had missed, castle town had become a shell of its former self. The sheer amount of devastation that Ganondorf had unleased upon it during his takeover had shocked and terrified him. He never found out how many had died during his hiatus, but if the few survivors he had found in Kakariko Village were the only ones, then the death toll would have been in the hundreds, easily. All because of him.

"Where are we going, Malon?" Link said, silencing his guilt-ridden thoughts for the umpteenth time in the last six months.

"You'll see." She replied, smiling. She turned onto a wider street lined with carts, wagons and stables filled with a range of beasts of burden. "In the meantime, can I ask a favour?"

"Um… Ok." Link said, not expecting the request. "What do you want?"

"Well, my father went to the castle to deliver milk yesterday, and he hasn't come back. He's probably fallen asleep again. Since you'll be in the castle, could you keep an eye out for him?" Link smiled.

"No problem. If he's still there in three days, I'll be sure to convey my feelings on his laziness."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now, where are we going? I don't have a lot of time. It's a two day walk and I need to leave soon or I'll never get there."

"Yes, I know, Grasshopper. It's a two day walk. But…"

Link heard a familiar whinny.

"…it's only a half-day ride." Malon finished as she arrived at a stable containing a Silver Bay Filly. Link stared, speechless.

"Her name is Epona." Malon said, walking up to the horse. "She's still quite young, so she can't support an adult's weight, but she's still quite strong for her age and twice as fast, so a child shouldn't be a problem."

"I…" Link stammered. "I couldn't possibly…" Malon laughed.

"Its fine, Grasshopper. Take her. It'll be better than keeping her cooped up in here for the next few days."

"Why is she even here?"

"We have an ox a few stables down that pulled our cart here. My father didn't want me to just sit on the cart watching the milk all day, so we brought Epona." Malon stroked Epona's mane. "It was an opportunity for me to get used to riding bareback."

"How will she get back from Lake Hylia?" Link asked. "I can't exactly take her with me."

"Don't worry. She's a smart horse, she'll find her way back to the ranch easy enough. Just leave her outside the gatehouse. Now, are you going to stand there staring all day or get on your way? It's not a good idea to be in the field at night."

"No, of course not. I best be off." Link entered the stable and approached Epona. She gave a sharp whinny of panic and backed away as far as the stable would allow.

"She doesn't seem to like you, Grasshopper." Malon giggled. "Don't worry, she's skittish with everyone."

"I know." Link mumbled, then, slowly putting out his hand, he hummed eleven notes of a song he had learnt so long ago. Confusion briefly filled Epona's eyes, quickly replaced with recognition and joy. She eagerly closed the gap between them, nuzzling his outstretched arm. Link reached up and scratched her behind the ear, as he had done countless times while they had been travelling together. Link turned to see Malon gaping at them.

"Ho… How did you know that song?" She stammered. Link shrugged, climbing onto Epona's back.

"I was taught it a long time ago by a friend." A stubborn expression appeared on Malon's face.

"No! My Mother created that song. She taught it to me and only me. No one else can possibly know it! Who are you!?" Link trotted out of the stable.

"I told you." He said, smiling. "I'm Link. HYA!" He dug his heels into Epona's side, and together they took off down the cobbled road, leaving Malon behind, with more questions than ever before.


A/N: Hey, remember last chapter when I said that I had to cut it off early because I felt it was getting too long? Have you seen what's 2.5 times larger? Yeah, I know. Consistency isn't exactly my strong point. You can all stop booing now. I'm going to shuffle the paragraphs a bit so they're somewhat the same, length-wise, and I'll upload the altered versions with chapter 3 (It has been done).

I'm sorry this took a while to write. I got The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask for my 3ds (which was not easy, as my 3ds is region-locked to Canada-it was cheaper, until ten days after it arrived when Nintendo dropped the price $150-and I have to jump through several hoops to even begin the think about getting a game) a couple days after chapter one was posted, and I just had to 'research' it for story purposes (as seen with Link's name Grasshopper). 45 hours of play time later and I have completed it 100% (More or less). This may seem quite large, but I've apparently spent a total of 211 hours on Ocarina of Time, so it was actually quite small in comparison. It just feels longer because, unlike OoT, nothing changes. No matter how many people you save, no matter how many quests you complete, it's all for nothing every 72 mins (one slowed cycle). I like to lose myself in the game world, but that's hard to do with that EVIL FACE always watching you.

Hey, remember when this was a website about stories, not game reviews? And when Author's notes weren't 300 words long? I should stop rambling now.

As I said last time, I'm writing this to gain confidence as a writer, so ALL opinions are welcome. I find my writing style to be too dialog focused without enough description of the environment, so if you have any advice, please leave a review. I'm now on twitter, so if you need reassurance that I'm not dead, or you just want to ask why a story is taking so long, go look up Axius27 (link on my profile)