-o-o-o-o-o-
~MASQUERADE~
Chapter 5: There and Back Again
-o-o-o-o-o-
Link navigated his way through the dense undergrowth by the pale glow of a half moon. It subtly revealed the path before him, casting dim beams between thick tree trunks, glistening on drops of dew that dappled the ferns and fallen logs at his feet. The humid air teemed with a continuous warble of crickets and cicadas, and tiny fireflies blinked all around him.
It wasn't long before he found his way to the shallow chasm that separated Kokiri Forest from the rest of the world. He traveled south along the cliff side, stepping over gnarled roots and vines as he went, until he came to the wooden suspension bridge that extended over the gap. The old bridge gently swayed back and forth beneath him as he treaded over it. Halfway across, someone spoke from behind him.
"Back so soon?"
Link spun around, startled. A young girl who appeared to be about his age stood at the end of the bridge, a scarlet fairy perched on her shoulder. He hadn't even heard her following him. She wore a green tunic nearly identical to his, and two blonde buns bobbed at the back of her head. Link recognized her, having interacted with her on a few…weird occasions. But he was at a loss for her name.
"Hey," he said simply.
The kokiri girl merely uttered a playful laugh. Link held her gaze another moment, and then he turned to continue across the bridge.
"I wouldn't go back if I were you."
Link stopped and faced the girl again, glaring at her suspiciously. "Why not?"
A devious smile spread across the blonde girl's face. It was that smile that made Link reluctant to fully trust her. "Oh, you know why…" she said with a hint of mischief.
There was something chilling about her words. Link searched her face for a sign of deceit, but her features betrayed nothing. Without another word, he turned and left, feeling her eyes on him as he walked the rest of the way across bridge and disappeared into the foliage. Real warning or not, he didn't care. He was going back no matter what.
Soon, the canopy thinned until the stars could be seen above, and the treaded path before him opened up into the wide clearing that was Kokiri Village. The smell of smoke reached his nose. Some kids were gathered around a small bonfire in front of Mido's house, whispering amongst themselves. A couple of them cast spiteful glances in his direction, but he ignored them, continuing around a large clump of forest that jutted out into the clearing. He walked around the bend to his tree house and climbed up the ladder, his eyes glossing over an old drawing he had scratched onto the trunk some years ago. Once at the top, he pulled himself up onto his small balcony and passed through the flap of ragged curtain that served as his front door.
His heart sank at the sight of his empty home. He thought Navi might be in his house waiting for him when he returned, but perhaps he had gotten his hopes up. Feeling a little dismayed, he trudged across the small, circular room and started dumping off his gear on the table, taking inventory of all that he had on him. His kokiri sword, a wooden deku shield, a small wallet containing sixteen rupees, his slingshot, a handful of deku seeds, the Kokiri's Emerald, his fairy ocarina—a gift from Saria—and last, something he didn't expect: A mask.
It was a mask of a horned skull, with hollow eye sockets and a single row of crooked teeth. He vaguely remembered how he had gotten it in the market nearly a year ago, even though now it only would have only been yesterday. It looked pretty beat up; there was a deep crack running down the center of its forehead, and one of the horns was chipped. But seeing as this was the only mask he owned, he decided he might as well keep it for the masquerade next month.
Just then a faint noise pricked his ears. Link stiffened his muscles and listened. He could hear someone breathing softly directly behind him. Someone was in the house.
Footsteps thudded across the room toward him. Link grabbed the deku shield off the table and whipped around, thrusting it out in front of him blindly. There was a sharp crack as it collided with the intruder's head and blew apart in his hand, sending several sharp pains shooting up his forearm.
The intruder stumbled backwards, stunned. Ignoring the pain in his arm, Link used the opening to snatch the hoe leaning against the wall behind him. He maneuvered it sideways and met the attacker head on as they threw themselves at him again, using the hoe to force them back and pin them against the far wall. The person's face fell into a shaft of moonlight filtering through the window. Reddish-blonde hair, freckled cheeks, upturned nose.
"Mido…" Link muttered.
"You killed him," Mido snarled between frantic breaths. "You killed the Deku Tree!"
With unexpected force, Mido wrenched the hoe out of Link's hands and kicked him in the stomach, sending him sprawling onto his back. He gasped for air, the wind knocked out of him. Suddenly, his vision became engulfed by a bright yellow light.
"Saria," Link heard Mido gasp. "What are you doing here?"
Saria stood in the doorway, wrapped in a dark-green cloak and clutching a lantern in her hand. Link's heart skipped with joy at the sight of his old friend.
"Mido, put the hoe down," she said firmly.
"Saria, you—you're siding with him?" Mido cried in disbelief, "He's a killer! Just look at him, he doesn't even seem upset!"
Killer. The accusation stung Link's chest like an arrow. He felt hurt by it at first, then suddenly very angry. He sprang to his feet, glaring a challenge at Mido. He had half a mind to fly at him and make him eat those words. Saria must have sensed it, because she put her arm between them.
"I'm not siding with anyone," she said very calmly, but firmly. "I just want you to leave Link alone. He didn't do it."
"But Saria—"
"Please, just go home Mido," she pleaded. There was hurt in her voice.
Mido opened his mouth to protest, but then stopped short, looking dejected. For some reason, he could never refuse Saria. His features quickly settled back into a scowl and he stomped out of the house, sulky. They heard him slide down the ladder and run off.
"Are you ok, Link?" Saria asked, setting her lantern down on the table.
"Yeah," he grunted, examining the rather large wood splinters lodged in his left arm. "Nothing major."
"Nothing major?" Saria echoed in surprise. "Link, it looks like there's a miniature forest growing on your arm! Here, let me help you."
Before Link could decline her offer, she took his arm in her hands and started to pluck the splinters out one by one. He winced at the pain, trying to hold still for her. Once she had extracted every last one, she soaked a wash cloth in a bucket of water and began dabbing at the bleeding wounds.
"I'm sorry about Mido," she said at length, focusing on his arm. "He'll mellow out after some time. He's just devastated, like all of us, after what happened to the Deku Tree…"
"I know," Link said, though he couldn't help but feel a little resentful toward Mido for assaulting him in his own home. Saria, on the other hand, always had such an objective way of looking at things...
"I think it makes him feel better, if he tries to explain things by putting the blame on you," she said sadly, "but don't worry, Link. I know it's not your fault. I know the Deku Tree was as much a father to you as any of us, even though…" she trailed off. Tears were budding in her eyes. "Sorry," she rasped, wiping them way.
"No," Link told her. He reached forward to comfort her, but something stayed his hand. "It...it's okay."
Forcing a tiny smile, Saria let go of his arm and brushed past him. Link let his arm drop to his side and stared straight ahead at a random point on the wall, listening to her quiet sobs. A renewed melancholy swept over him. It was all so much to handle at once; Zelda forgetting him, drudging up the Deku Tree's death all over again. Coming back home to the forest, only to remember he'd just have to leave Saria behind again...
He heard Saria rummaging through his drawers. Before long, she came back with some bandages and began wrapping his arm gingerly. For a few minutes, they just stood there in silence.
"You know, Link," she said at length, peering up from her work for just a moment, "I missed you."
"I—" Link stammered, taken aback by this sudden heartfelt statement. "I did too. I mean, I missed you too."
Saria gave a light laugh. "I'm really happy you came back to visit, Link. But I'm also surprised. I didn't expect to see you again so soon, after only three days."
Three days...had it only been that long to her? "I…didn't expect to be back so soon either," Link said slowly. "I actually came back because I was looking for Navi."
"Navi? Oh, your new fairy," Saria recalled. "Didn't she leave with you?"
"Yes," Link said, "but I lost her this morning. I thought she might have come back to the forest. You haven't seen her?"
"Oh, no. I'm sorry, Link," she said, her features sympathetic, "I haven't seen her. Have you, Mari?" She looked to the fairy hovering at her side. Mari, a sprite with mossy green glow identical to her companion's hair, was somewhat timid and usually only talked to Saria. But now to Link's surprise, she fluttered forward and spoke to him.
"I think I did see her, actually," she said softly.
"You did?" Link exclaimed. "Where?"
Mari shrunk back a little at his outburst. "I thought I saw a blue fairy headed toward the Great Deku Tree's clearing earlier today. But it was from a distance, so I could be mistaken!"
"That might have been her," Saria said, "Maybe she came back here looking for you too, Link!"
"Maybe…" he echoed, feeling a little bit of relief. But then his spirits fell again at the memory of Navi's departure. If she had really come back here, then why hadn't she told him so before she left?
"Is anything else bothering you?" Saria asked.
Everything, the entirety of his life since the day he left the forest, raced through his mind.
"No," he lied.
She searched his eyes. She doubted him, he knew, but she wouldn't press the issue. She smiled at him sadly and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll help you look for Navi tomorrow, ok?"
Link looked into her kind blue eyes, thankful to have such a caring friend. "Okay," he muttered.
She gave him one last encouraging nod, and then she turned away and started toward the door.
"Saria," he said before she could leave.
She looked over her shoulder at him.
"Thank you," he told her sincerely.
Saria smiled. "Of course. You know I'll always be here for you, Link," she said. And then she left.
Now alone, Link walked over to the mirror by his bed and splashed some water in his face. It felt strange, talking to Saria in his house again as if nothing had ever happened. Here he was back at the very beginning. The boy without a fairy. He smoothed his damp hair away from his face. His eyes glared back at him from the mirror, two pools of cold blue metal. Hardened and refined by memories no ten-year old should have. They seemed almost out of place on his face…
He turned from the mirror and looked at the wood shield splints scattered about the room. No loss there, at least. Wooden shields were flimsy and were practically made to be broken. He'd destroyed them in almost every way imaginable. Cracked by Mido's head. That's a new one, he thought bitterly. He'd planned to purchase a stronger shield on his next visit to Hyrule Castle Town anyway, once he could get the money. Overcome with exhaustion, he kicked his muddy boots off and flopped facedown on the bed, deciding he would clean up the mess tomorrow.
Do it now, a little voice in the back of his mind nagged him. Don't be a lazy boy. He brushed it aside, burying his face in his pillow. But then with a pang of regret, he realized it was Navi's voice.
With a reluctant groan, he dragged himself out of bed and began picking up the pieces of wood, piling them neatly on the balcony outside. When he was done he went back inside and climbed into bed again, feeling glum. He tried to tell himself not to worry about Navi. He'd look for her tomorrow once it was light out, and he'd find her. Saria would help out. Everything would be okay. He closed his eyes. A soft breeze was blowing through the open window above his bed, lightly rustling his damp hair. He breathed the fresh air in through his nose, letting the humming cicadas lull him to sleep, when all of the sudden the wall of black behind his eyelids brightened ever so slightly. He opened his eyes and sat up. Sharp rays of light were seeping through the window and the edges of the doorway, bathing the interior of the hollowed out trunk in an intensifying orange glare.
Gripped by a fearful impulse, Link shot across the room, snatched the emerald, and charged out the doorway. He leaped over the rail of his balcony, and the next second his entire house exploded into flames behind him.
As he twisted through the air, his eyes darted below and locked with Ganondorf's. The man sat mounted atop his great black horse at the base of the smoldering tree, the fire reflected in his evil eyes.
Link cried out in agony as he landed hard on his right ankle, turning it painfully. For a moment, the world seemed to spin. The edges of his vision went black, and the sound of his own heart pounding in his ears threatened to overwhelm his senses. But impelled by the presence of Ganondorf, he tore himself up off the ground and ran for his life.
Close behind he heard the unsheathing of a blade, and then the dark horse reared. He didn't look back. Disoriented, he bounded for the woods, dragging his sore foot along as fast as he could. But the heavy hoof beats were bearing down on him. Suddenly, his bad ankle gave way and he pitched forward, landing face down in the grass. He tried to push himself up again, but his body didn't respond. He couldn't move, couldn't see, couldn't breath. He could only hear Ganondorf laughing somewhere above him. A beat before he expected, the blade plunged into his back.
-o-o-o-
Link jerked awake, panting and covered in cold sweat, his face smothered deep in his pillow. He jumped out of bed and dashed across the room, crunching over the pieces of wooden shield that were still scattered all over the floor. The Kokiri's Emerald was still on the table.
He heaved a sigh of relief. It was just a bad dream. He picked up the emerald, tracing his thumb along the raised swirl of gold that encased the gleaming green jewel. The fact that he had brought it back to the forest, the first place Ganondorf would come looking for it, hit him like a lightning bolt. It had been almost three days since the Deku Tree passed away. Any time now, Ganondorf would return for the stone, expecting his evil parasite Gohma to have taken its toll on the guardian spirit. How much time before that nightmare became real?
Link didn't waste another second wondering about it. He snatched his sword off the table and barreled out into the night, not knowing where it would take him. All he knew was the war against Ganondorf wasn't yet over. And until then, he couldn't rest.
Tatl lay on the hard marble floor, staring up at the unseen ceiling from whence the fountain's starry falls rained down. The blackness seemed to stretch upward forever and ever…
She turned over, taking care not to bend her wings. She wanted to get some sleep, but she couldn't stop thinking about everything the Great Fairy said. She had been drifting in and out of a restless half-sleep for a few hours now, an uncomfortable mixture of emotions bubbling in her chest. Guilt over Link's predicament, worry for Tael, mad at herself for being so naïve when it came to the entire mask fiasco. She didn't curse or mug anybody directly, of course, but she had helped. And for some stupid reason she still felt responsible for Skull Kid's actions.
Meanwhile, the moon was always drawing closer, even if she couldn't see it. She closed her eyes and focused on the soothing sound of the falling water, trying to shut all her anxieties away and float off into the temporary escape of sleep. But the longer they stayed in the fountain, the worse she felt about lying around doing nothing.
All of the sudden, a high-pitched scream roused her out of the haze between consciousness and sleep. She opened her eyes, the scream still ringing in her ears. Before she had a chance to wonder if it had been real or if she'd heard it in her head, she heard the fountain water stir nearby. Link had woken up and was now making a beeline for the exit, flecks of glittering water dripping off his wooden frame.
"Link?" Tatl said, lifting her head up off the ground, "Where are you going?"
He disappeared into the tunnel without so much as a glance back. Groaning, Tatl dragged herself up off the ground and flew out after him.
When they reached the mouth of the cave, a swift movement on the other side of the park immediately caught Tatl's eye. A familiar figure with a large sack slung over his shoulder was streaking across the lawn at top speed, his bald head gleaming in the moonlight. Further down the main path, The hunched silhouette of an elderly woman cowering in the dirt. It only took a second to piece together what had happened.
Without warning, Link took off after the robber.
"Idiot!" Tatl shouted, bolting alongside him. "Are you completely insane? You can't go up against that guy! He'll throttle you!"
Link didn't listen. He pressed forward, moving to intercept the robber, but the bald man veered to the left long before they met. Tatl stopped flying, giving up the senseless chase. She watched from afar as Link pursued the robber behind a shady cluster of trees. A couple of seconds later the robber reappeared on the other side of the tree line. He was making a break for the North Gate.
"Just let the guard handle it!" Tatl yelled after Link. But just as the words left her mouth, the robber slipped out through the gate, and the guard did absolutely nothing.
Link, out of breath, trudged up to the guard shortly after, only to be blocked from leaving.
"You've gotta be kidding me…" Tatl muttered. She flew over to them.
"It's dangerous at night, so a little kid like you can't go out alone," the guard was telling Link. "You can't pass through here without being accompanied by an adult."
"Did you not see what just happened?" Tatl asked him.
The guard turned his helmeted head in her direction. "Hm? Who said that?"
"I did! Me! The little sparkle ball," Tatl barked impatiently. "You didn't see? There was a robbery just now, right in front of your face! That bald creep that just ran through here put the smack down on some poor old lady and stole her bag!"
"…Oh." The guard looked over his shoulder, into the empty passageway that led out to North Termina Field. "That was a robber?"
Tatl slapped her forehead. "Yes, that was a robber. Don't you think you should, I don't know, do your job and get after him?"
"Well, I can't just leave my post, if that's what you're suggesting."
Link turned and plodded off across the grass.
"Why not?" Tatl demanded. "The guard in South helped my friend find his classmates this morning."
"Aaaand he got the sack for leaving the gate unattended. If you think I'm going to risk my job going after some petty thief, you are cra-zay, little fairy," the guard said, rudely wagging a finger at her.
Tatl snorted, pushing his hand away. "You know what? Just forget it."
She turned and flew after Link, following him all the way to the other side of the lawn. He stopped by the playground, near the spot where they had seen the old lady, but no one was there.
"Well, how about that. She's gone. I guess that means she's okay, at least," Tatl said. "You know, that was really stupid, running after that guy like that. You're lucky you didn't get smacked upside the head. For a second there I was really..." worried, her mind finished. She exhaled. "Look, Deku Boy. Just don't go doing anything like that again, ok?"
He glared at her out of the corner of his eye.
"Oh, don't give me that look. You should be happy I'm concerned for your safety," she said, yawning. "How are you feeling, by the way? Better?"
He gave her a reluctant nod.
"Thought so. That fountain water's good stuff! Anyways, I asked because I've been thinking...as much as I just love wandering around at night, we need to make the most of the time we have left. You conked out at some point so I don't know how much you heard, but the Great Fairy said we should try using the telescope at the Astral Observatory to look around for Skull Kid. There's just one eency weency problem." She shot a dirty look at the gate guard. "The observatory's outside Clock Town, and there's no way we're getting out as long as these bozos are guarding the gates."
Link looked up at her pointedly.
"What? I'm not going by myself, if that's what you were thinking. It's a wide-open field out there! It doesn't get much more dangerous than that for us fairies. Aside from your usual monsters, there are a ton of things we have to look out for that you humans take for granted. Like high winds, and birds swooping down on us thinking we're food." She grimaced, imagining the grisly fate that had claimed the lives of too many unwary fairies.
In her distraction, Link had taken out the map they bought from Tingle and unrolled it. After a few seconds of consideration he turned the map toward her and pointed to something. Tatl flew closer to see what he wanted to show her, lighting up the center of the map with the glow from her body.
"The yellow deku flower!" she exclaimed, a suspicious little smile curving her lips. "You were thinking of using it while he's not around, weren't you?"
"Mmm," he said, scratching his head.
Tatl gave a light laugh. "You know, Link, I think I'm starting to like you. I've seen deku scrubs use those flowers before. I bet it could shoot you right over the town walls."
They hurried over to South Clock Town and sneaked through the line of empty shopping stalls along the west side of the square, approaching the flower as quietly and stealthily as possible. From a distance it appeared to be vacant, but of course, that didn't mean anything. Once they were upon it, Link reached out to touch one of its leaves.
With a rustle of petals the flower's owner poked his head out of the center, beady orange eyes bright against his stark, wooden face. Link immediately snapped his hand away from the flower and used it to scratch at his hair, casually turning around as if he had been checking out the festival tower. Tatl flitted between the two scrubs and put on the sweetest smile she could muster.
"Hey there," she greeted, tipping her head to the deku salesman. "Nice night, isn't it?"
"I suppose so," the scrub answered dryly. He was eyeing Link with an air of suspicion. "I assume you two are here to browse my wares?"
"Um…no, actually," Tatl said.
The scrub narrowed his eyes.
"We were sort of hoping you could help us out with a little dilemma of ours..."
"Hm?" the scrub said, "well, unless that dilemma can be solved by purchasing one of my fine products, I'm afraid I can be of little or no assistance."
"Just hear me out, bud," Tatl said. "Please."
The deku scrub propelled himself the rest of the way out of the flower and folded his arms.
"Ok," she began, "So my friend here really needs to get outside town. Pronto. You know, what with the current state of things." She let her eyes flick up toward the sky for just a moment. "But the guards won't let him out through the gates."
The deku merchant raised an eyebrow.
"So we were hoping he could borrow your flower for a few minutes…?"
"Absolutely not," he said without missing a beat.
"What?!" Tatl exclaimed, a little too forcefully. "Why? He just needs to launch himself over the town walls! What's the harm in that?"
The deku flattened his arms against his body and slid down into the bulky yellow blossom. A few seconds later, he reappeared and whipped out an official-looking document. Tatl had to bite back a sarcastic remark. Oh, a piece of paper. We're all real impressed.
"As you can see, I own the title deed to this property," the scrub said, practically shoving the deed in their faces. "It was granted to me by the International Business Scrub Association and designated for my use, and my use only. I'll have you know, it wasn't easy to obtain this spot. Why, it's one of the prime business locations in all of Termina! I had to go through a lot of hoops to get my hands on it, and the last thing I need is this…novice," he flicked a finger in Link's direction, "damaging it."
"Oh, c'mon! He'll be careful," Tatl said. "Can't you just let him use it once? Maybe twice?" she added, recalling Link's latest flying experience.
The scrub shook his head. "One misfire. That's all it takes."
She clasped her hands in front of her. "Please? Just once? Pretty please?" she pouted, batting her eyelashes in an attempt to look endearing. "Then we'll be out of your hair. Promise."
He remained stone-faced.
"Wouldn't you get any satisfaction out of helping someone out?"
"No, I wouldn't."
Tatl exhaled, dropping the gooey façade. "Oh, fine then. If you won't let him use the flower, then how about this…" she said, a new scheme forming in her mind. "Would you consider posing as his parent so he can sneak past the guards? –We'll pay you!" She grinned.
"Hm." The deku merchant twiddled his choppy green leaf mustache, surprisingly considering her alternative request. "That depends. How much do you have on you?" he asked, turning to Link.
"How much do we got, Deku Boy?" asked Tatl.
Link took out the small picking of rupees they had bummed off the streets over the course of the day, cupping them in his hands for the deku merchant to see. The merchant peered down at the glittering green and blue gems, counting them silently.
"…Nine rupees..." he muttered.
"Yep!" said Tatl, "and they're all yours if—"
"Nope. Not worth the risk," the scrub said, turning his nose up at Link's meager pile of rupees. "Although for that price, I'd be willing to sell you a ten-pack of deku nuts. Normally I'd charge ten rupees—"
"We don't want your stinking deku nuts!" Tatl burst out. "We just need—"
Suddenly, a change came over the deku salesman that made Tatl stop short. His snout contracted, and his red-orange eyes sizzled with anger. Clearly, she had pushed a button.
"Leave," he said sharply.
"Look mister, you're being really unreasonable!"
"Go. Get out of my sight. Now."
Tatl balled up her fists and lurched toward the deku scrub threateningly. "You wanna know why we asked for your help? You wanna know why?" She pointed at Link. "Because he doesn't have any parents, you insensitive jerk!"
The deku merchant glared daggers at her, saying nothing.
Tatl let loose a snort of laughter. "That's right, you heard me. You got a problem with that?"
By this point, Link had put his hand between her and the glowering merchant and had begun to ease her away from him. Knowing a lost cause when she saw one, Tatl let him guide her off, but didn't cease hollering insults over her shoulder.
"Why don't you go back to the swamp and bang some deku sticks together!"
They stopped once they reached the other side of the square.
"I can't believe him!" Tatl growled, swinging around to face Link. "Oh, if only we had Tael with us…he's much better at getting on peoples' good sides than I am. I bet he even could have convinced that asshat to give up his flower for ten measly minutes!" she shrieked in the deku salesman's direction, but he had vanished beneath the blossom. Link gave her a tiresome look. She let out a ragged breath, her throat slightly sore from yelling.
"You're right. Forget him. We need to concentrate on finding another way out of this prison," she said, running a hand through her hair. "Maybe the Bombers will pull through for us," she suggested, starting to feel desperate. "Who knows? Maybe they spotted Skull Kid while were running all over the place looking for the—wait a minute…those Bombers!"
Link jerked in surprise.
"Remember how that one kid gave the mayor a letter from the astronomer?"
A pause, and then he nodded, seeming to catch on.
Tatl narrowed her eyes. "Surely those brats aren't allowed to pass through the town gates by themselves. So how did he get all the way to the observatory, I wonder?" she mused. "Get the map."
Link took out Tingle's map again and spread it across the pavement, holding down the curling edges with his hands. Tatl landed on the broad scroll of parchment paper, illuminating it, and padded across the miniature ink Clock Town to the sector containing the Mayor's Residence.
"Let's see. We met those kids right around here, by that little alley they were being all secretive around. And hey, what do you know!" She pointed to a circular, star-patterned building hovering east of Clock Town, like an island. "The astronomy dome is straight out from this spot! Curious. Very curious," she said, rubbing her chin. She looked up at Link. "If I had to take a guess, I'd say the Bombers have their hideout over at the observatory. What do you think, Link?"
He grunted an agreement.
Tatl laughed diabolically. "Well then, I guess we'll have to interrogate those brats tomorrow morning. Make that today," she corrected herself, seeing as it was almost 3:00 AM. Her lips curled into her trademark smirk.
"Should be fun."
