Their camp site was untouched by bandits and monsters for yet another night. Iris sat happily on the step ladder of the caravan drinking water from a glass bottle. It had been freshly melted by a blast of icy magic followed by an inferno. She had finally gotten the hang of that spell combination without shattering the bottle in the process. As she reclined and mused to herself, the area circled by enchanted bonfires she had constructed during the night. The kind that erupted into the illusions of fiery demons at her command. Iris nearly pitied the fools who did not learn the ways of the arcane. Life was just more fun when you had some semblance of control over the elements.

Still it was early morning, she wondered what fate had befallen her travelling companions. Veran and Sable had warped back into the Stone Tower Temple to do whatever it is Gomess did in that place. Onox on the other hand had disappeared, muttering something about having a date with a beautiful dancing girl. Iris had spent most of the night wondering what woman would possibly find him attractive. He resembled the offspring of a Goron and a Terminan, even the most intimidating bandit gangs would recoil in fear at the sight of him. So it was beyond the Deku witch's mind as to who or what would ask him out.

Approaching over a nearby hill came an all too familiar imp with fairies of darkness and light in tow. He cartwheeled through the long grass and back flipped into circle of the campsite. She applauded him with a cheer "Ten points! Perfect landing and execution!"

Skull Kid flipped into a hand stand, tilting his head at Iris "Really!? Great, it means all that practise is paying off."

Iris nodded and laughed to herself, bringing her bottle up to her mouth once more. It was then she noticed an unwelcome swordsman. Water snorted out of her mouth, bringing a baggy sleeve to her face as she gasped "WOW! You're still alive!? No way is that possible."

Link furrowed his brow when he came face to face with her, he could not hide his frown as he tried to be friendly "Yes, um… thanks for helping me out of the ocean."

"Wait, you two know each other?" Skull Kid smiled as Link and Iris nodded and exchanged wary glares "Great, I don't have to worry about introducing you two."

Tatl circled around the camp site "Hey Iris, where're the others?"

She shrugged "No idea, they should be back here by now."

Tael added as he perched on Skull Kid's hat "Well, you know what Veran and Sable are like once they get into doing… well, whatever it is they do in the Stone Towers."

Link glanced over at the looming towers in the horizon to the east. He knew the door was sealed at the foot of the giant structures and the Ikana were determined to protect it. So it was perplexing to consider how anyone could ascend them now.

"I think Onox may still be in the bar in town. It's just I need someone that looks like an adult so I can actually get in." Iris blew her leafy bangs out of her eyes "I mean really, why can't Terminans learn how to tell how old Dekus are?"

Skull Kid laughed "Oh yeah, Onox had his date last night! With that pretty dancing girl."

"I reckon she never showed up and he spent the night getting wasted on Chateau Romani… again."

"He really doesn't deserve to be treated so badly."

"Anyway, I can't be sure unless- hey, wait a minute!" Iris leapt to her feet and scampered to Link's side. She grabbed his hand "You look like an adult!"

Link bluntly responded "Because I am one."

"Yeah, yeah, come on! I need you to help me get into the bar!"

He turned his head towards Skull Kid as Iris dragged him off towards the eastern gate of Clock Town. The two fairies were already giggling among themselves while Skull Kid nervously shrugged with a smile. Link gritted his teeth at the thought that these people were the ones who could help him. Although he could not currently fathom how they could do so.

East Clock Town had not changed drastically since Link last visited Termina. It still remained a tidier district for the upper class that housed the town's attractions. The buildings were a little more developed, some writhing with steam powered gears to power the contraptions within. The Clock Tower loomed over the city like a stoic giant, endlessly grinding its gears to the rhythm of life. Iris led Link down the cobbled street to the door of the Milk Bar which conveniently was near the gate. On the opposite side was the Stock Pot Inn, a young child with light violet hair and blue eyes was sweeping outside the doorway. She had the pretty face of Anju and the smirk of Kafei.

Link had every incentive to go over and talk to her. Mainly out of curiosity to see how the tragic stricken lovers had fared since the Moonfall. However he was not granted this pleasure as Iris was already banging on the solid bar door. The walls surrounding it looked welcoming with swirling warm colours adorning the stone.

A flap slid open at eye level, noticing Link, before the click of a lock unbolting followed. The weary bar staff looked down at Iris and rolled his eyes "Not you again. You tricked me!"

"I'm old enough to be in here." She walked right past him "Besides I'm here to get my friend."

"Oh, the big guy? He's at the bar."

Link politely nodded his head at the weary staff and followed after Iris. A part of him felt like he needed to be there in case the hot heated Deku lost her manners.

The monochromatic room was illuminated by a few overhanging lanterns. The stage was devoid of any performers. Iris bounded down the creaky wooden stairs, nearly catching her boot on the red and yellow rug that lined it. She walked past the tables in the process of being tidied for the next shift. Hunched over the bar and nearly falling off the stool was Onox. Empty bottles and glasses surrounded him as his head remained slumped on the cow patterned counter top. Mr Barten had given up on trying to rouse him as he attentively wiped glasses at the opposite end of the bar. The clock on the wall kept ticking, reminding him that he had to close up soon and had to get the last patron out. Glancing up he saw Iris heading over to him with a casual wave. He shook his head at her, technically she still had a life ban from drinking here, but he realised he needed her help. He gestured to Onox and then made a motion to signal that he wanted the drunkard out.

Link made it to the bottom of the stairs to see Iris perched on the bar beside Onox. He was almost taken back by the sight of it, he had no doubts that Onox was a large man, but compared to the size of the furniture of the bar and even Iris, he was as a big as a Goron. Quietly Link approached, feeling more like an outsider than ever as Iris tried to get some response from him. Searing his hair did not get anything, neither did dropping ice blocks down the back of his neck.

"Why don't you just try talking to him?" Link suggested, he could see the staff were growing restless.

Iris shoved his shoulders with the weight of her body "Hey! Get up already!"

Onox groaned, his face still buried in his folded arms "Why didn't she come?"

"Because she's a jerk and you should forget about her. Now come on, we got to go."

He let out a bestial growl and endeavoured to sit upright. However he quickly face planted back onto the counter the moment he had succeeded. Iris leapt down from the counter, fireball in hand as she tossed it at his backside.

"Stop it," Link grabbed her by the wrists, easily lifting her off the ground. He struggled to remain in control as she kicked the air wildly "You're making a scene and acting as bad as a moblin."

She landed on the ground with a clumsy thud as he dropped her. Dusting herself off they both saw Onox rise to his feet shakily. Iris threw her arms upwards as she thundered "Then let's go already!"

The door of the bar slammed shut behind the trio. Onox instinctively put an arm up to block the sun's harsh light. Link was growing uneasy as he followed after Iris and Onox, nervously smiling at yet another wary Terminan on their way to the field. The lumbering giant ahead of him was staggering about with each step while making noises Link could only describe as a dodongo with a tooth ache that had just swallowed a bomb flower. His concerns lessened somewhat at the sight of Skull Kid, Tatl and Tael again upon their approach to the caravan. The lively sprite was currently cartwheeling along the grass with a jester hatted woman somersaulting behind him.

Sable unfurled on the ground, laughing out loud "That's it, I'm too dizzy now…"

Tatl lingered over her face "Ha! Told you no one can beat Skull Kid at anything acrobatic."

"Well, he does have an advantage with being made of straw and shadows."

Tael cheered "That's true, he doesn't have to worry about bones or muscles or that gloopy red stuff that comes out of fleshy things."

"You mean blood?" correct Tatl

"Yeah! Gloopy red stuff!"

Iris bellowed loudly "We're back and Ox was ditched last night." Eliciting another growl from Onox while he stumbled near the caravan. He dropped to his knees and crashed down onto the soft grass, lying down in the middle of the field.

Skull Kid waved his hands in front of his face "Whoa, how much did he drink!? He reeks!"

He rumbled back "Exactly… a hundred… bottles…"

Link was perplexed "Where did you get twenty thousand rupees from!?"

"Gave them treasure we swiped from the pirate fortress."

Iris remarked "Well as long as it's from your share of it."

"Wait a minute, you're that Link guy from a few weeks back, yeah?" Sable added as she noticed him "Well, good to see you made it." Slyly adding to Iris "You owe me twenty rupees."

"Why is everyone so surprised that I'm still alive?" Link shook his head, bringing his fingers to pinch the bridge of his nose. Of all the people in Hyrule that could help him, it just had to be these people. He knelt down to Skull Kid's level "Are you sure you haven't made any other friends that could help me?"

He casually answered "The Giants are too busy protecting Termina."

"Besides, the one who could help you is Veran." Tael happily contributed "She knows everything there is to know about magic."

"At this point I'd be happy if she could tell me where to find the Great Fairy of Twilight. Then I could leave you all to do…" he noticed Sable and Iris trying to get Onox upright again "Whatever it is you do… and you should probably let him sleep for a while. He's clearly drunk."

Sable informed "We need to get him up so we can keep travelling."

Iris rapped a fist on his chest "Look at the size of this guy, there's no way we could carry him and he'd break the caravan if we strapped him to the roof."

"Yeah, we learnt that from experience."

"Veran was not happy with us." Iris and Sable both shook their heads with smirks on their faces. Onox was still hazy minded, his arms braced on his thighs as his head remained lowered.

"And I'm not happy with you now."

Everyone jumped at the sound of her voice, it was so cold, so authoritative. A blue skinned woman emerged from the caravan, she did not so much as walk but slinked her way around. Link was the first to speak as he realised it was the same woman that was at the Forest Temple and the one he met at the Carnival of Time. "Ms Veran I presume?"

She nodded back at him "Such manners, yes, I'm Veran." A quick look over him as she pondered out loud, "Now what is a handsome and relatively sane looking swordsman doing with these walking disasters?"

Tatl blurted out "Hey! I object!"

"You know I didn't mean you, your brother or Skull Kid."

Link ignored the others as he politely implored "Actually I'm looking for the Great Fairy of the Twilight Realm, I need her help-"

"To break the curse of enfeeblement and get back to Hyrule?"

"Yes… how did you know?"

"You stink of demonic energy, I smelt you before I even saw you." She appraised him once more with a smile "And you're clearly not a native to Termina."

He hesitated for a moment "So… can you help me?"

"The great fairy you seek lives in the temple of the Stone Towers. As for the way back into Hyrule, well, you'll need Skull Kid's help with that."

Link saw the imp playfully dancing about with Iris in the corner of his eye.

"I can see your uncertainty," Veran laughed "But believe me, I want to get rid of Bellum just as much as you do."

"Of course, you were there in the temple when-"

"Why don't get a pot of tea brewing? We can plot our next moves."

"Wait a minute, this guy's coming with us!?" Sable protested as she quietly took Veran by the arm, her voice dropped to a whisper "Vera, darkness and light don't mix. He can do some freaky light magic thing and I don't think it's safe for us to be around him."

"Oh believe me, I get the feeling he has the same feeling about you." Veran laughed melodically as she headed into the caravan to gather the utensils for tea. Link nervously stood across from Sable, both of them eyed each other up with suspicion.