Author's Note: Thank you to anyone who's read or reviewed my previous works. Also, a special thanks to Post Rapture (thanks for the help), Kokiri Tales 4, Moonfall, and the highly anticipated Majora's Mask, which have each inspired me to begin this new epic. And please READ and REVIEW!!! PLEASE!!! This may be something really special, and I'd really love some feedback.
Chapter 54
Link ran outside, where his friends, Malon, Zelda, the Forest Sage Saria, and Princess Saria were waiting. They had dried themselves off and now looked anxiously at Link.
Malon suspected the worst. "Link, tell me they didn't already take the mask."
"I can't tell you that," Link said grimly. "Because they took it."
Yeddop came out behind Link. "They were headed to the bazaar. We can get there quickly if we take my boat."
"You guys take the boat," Link said. "But I've got to go now!" Without a second thought, Link dove into the lake. He swam as fast as he could to the bazaar. He started getting a bit tired, but eventually he reached the bazaar. He surfaced out of the water and got to his feet. And standing in front of him, were Drekkin and Knigma.
"Hello, boy," Drekkin said sinisterly. "We finally meet again. I've waited months for this moment. But I'm a bit disappointed. I was hoping to have ALL my enemies here."
"This doesn't have anything to do with Saria or Malon or Zelda," Link said. "Come on, Drekkin. Think about it. Isn't it ME you really want?"
"I suppose you're right," Drekkin said ominously. "After all, it was YOU who ultimately defeated me and thwarted my plan to take the throne. So I shall take you down first. And after I am finished with you, then I will destroy your friends one-by-one. Then, I shall rule ALL of Hyrule!"
"Enough talk!" Knigma interrupted. "Just put the mask on and WASTE HIM!!"
Drekkin took the Mask of Majora and was about to put it on…
"HOLD IT!!!!"
All three of them looked to the entrance of the bazaar. It was Zacchuee. And he was pointing his bow right at Link.
"What is this?!" Zacchuee demanded. "I thought we banished you!"
Link stood speechless. Drekkin started chuckling, but it quickly stopped. Someone else had arrived. Link looked to his left to see that the Frihad Malon had arrived with a bow of her own. And she was pointing it right at Drekkin.
"I got to give you credit, Knigma," the Frihad Malon said. "I never would have thought of recruiting a wizard. Such a shame I have to kill him now."
"You talking to me?" Knigma asked. "Do I know you?"
"Nice try," Malon said, raising the bow even higher. "But you can't play dumb with me. I've figured out your little scheme and I'm about to take out your little insurance policy."
Zacchuee shifted his bow and pointed it at Malon. "Drop the bow, Frihad!"
"You heard him, Malon. DROP IT!!!"
Link looked to see that someone else was standing behind Malon. It was the other Knigma, the Forsverer Knigma. He had his own bow and was now pointing it at the Frihad Malon.
The original Knigma was shaking his head. "What the heck is going on here?! Who's killing who here?! And who is that HANDSOME guy over there?"
"I said drop it, Malon," the Forsverer Knigma said again. "I'm not letting you kill Zacchuee! I don't care if I have to throw the immunity agreement out the window, but I won't let you kill him!"
The Frihad Malon had a confused look on her face. She took quick glances between the two Knigmas. "Wait a minute! If you're there…then who's this?"
The Forsverer Knigma finally spotted the other Knigma. "Hey! Who the heck are you?"
Zacchuee noticed the other Knigma as well. "Hey! You're not Knigma! How dare you deceive me!!"
Suddenly, all the arrows were now pointed at Drekkin and Knigma. The heat was seemingly off Link and on the two villains. Link couldn't help but smirk.
"I'm sensing hostility here," Knigma observed.
"Who are you?!" the Frihad Malon demanded.
"Why are you disguised like me?!" the Forsverer Knigma shouted.
"Give us one good reason not to waste you!" Zacchuee added.
Just then, someone else arrived…or appeared. Out of thin air, appeared hundreds of Kokiri soldiers all armed with bows. And they were pointing them at everyone. And they were all lead by General Dore.
"NOBODY MOVE!!" Dore shouted. "Or we shoot everyone!"
"Oh GOD!!" Knigma shouted excruciatingly. "NOT YOU AGAIN!!"
"QUIET!!" Dore demanded. "Wretched Hylians! This is something I should have done a long time ago!" Dore suddenly spotted Link. "Troops! Aim that way! That one was one of the prisoners!"
The Kokiri aimed all their arrows at Link now. Link started sweating nervously.
"I'm going to give you one chance!" Dore said coldly. "You tell me where you took Princess Saria. Tell me! Or else I have my army kill everyone here!!"
"ENOUGH!!!" Drekkin shouted. "I have had it with these games!! But now, the games END!! Nobody will kill anybody!! The only one who dies is you, boy!! And it will be by MY HAND!!"
With those haunting words, Drekkin put on the Mask of Majora.
Chapter 55
As soon as dawn cracked, it was time for Zelda to check into the Hotel Hylia. She walked in and saw the owners, Talon and Ingo, at the front desk.
"Welcome to the Hotel Hylia," Ingo greeted the farm girl. "Can we help you?"
"I-I'd like a room…to stay," Zelda said timidly.
"Hmm, we haven't seen you around," Talon said. "Are you new?"
"Y-Yes," Zelda said sadly. "I came here from the ranch. Actually, I've sort of been forced to come here."
"Forced?" Talon asked. "Why? Who's forced you?"
"The threats," Zelda answered gloomily. "I didn't want to endanger anyone at the ranch, so I've decided that to ensure their safety, I'm going to have to choose a side in the civil war. Of course, I still don't even know what side to join. What side are you on?"
Talon frowned. "Actually, we're neutral. Say, young lady, you aren't just going to pick a side because of those threats, are you?"
"You mean I shouldn't?" Zelda asked.
Talon shook his head. "No. Look at me and Ingo. We haven't chosen sides since this war began. We simply haven't let the pressure get to us."
Ingo opened a closet door to reveal hundreds of notes and rocks. "See, this is all the threats we've received."
"And we haven't been overcome by the pressure," Talon added. "And a beautiful young girl like yourself shouldn't be forced to make a choice either. Don't let it get to you."
"You really think I should stay neutral?" Zelda asked.
"If your heart says stay neutral, then that's what you should do" Talon answered. "Let THEM fight their stupid war. We'll just wait for it all to end."
"It might end sooner than you think."
Zelda, Talon, and Ingo looked at the door to see that there were two strangers standing there. One of them was a Kokiri boy. The other one, the one who had spoken, was a Hylian woman wearing a long white dress and had long red hair.
She came up to the counter. "You three are all neutral, aren't you?"
"Me and Ingo are," Talon answered. "But I don't know about her."
The mysterious woman looked at Zelda. "Well, are you neutral?"
Zelda stood silent, until she finally nodded. "Yes. I'm neutral. I'm not getting pulled into a war I don't want to be a part of."
"That's good to hear," the woman said. "Well, I have good news for you all. We may be able to finally end the Hylian Civil War once and for all. But…I'm just missing one thing."
"What's that?" Talon asked curiously.
"We need a picture or a painting of the evil one," the Kokiri answered. "Does anybody here have a picture or painting of the Villain of Time?"
Zelda didn't know and nor did she want to know. She had heard of the one called Link, the Villain of Time. And from all the stories she heard, he was someone to be extremely feared.
"I don't think so…" Talon said, in thought.
"Wait, Talon!" Ingo suddenly said. "What about that large painting we have? The one that was painted during his rampage in Kakariko Village? The one in the attic?"
"That's right!" Talon agreed. "We have one in the attic! And it should be in good condition."
"Then get it for me," the woman said. "That painting is the key for ending this war!"
Ingo ran up the stairs to retrieve the painting.
**CRASH**
Zelda flinched at that sudden crash of lightning. She went to look outside. There wasn't rain. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, but the sky grew dark. The two strangers walked by Zelda.
"Ama?" the Kokiri asked. "Does that mean what I think it means?"
"I'm afraid so," the one called 'Ama' said. "Someone's put on the Mask of Majora."
Chapter 56
Link's worst fear had been realized. Lightning crashed down when Drekkin put on the Mask of Majora. When the lightning stopped, Drekkin stood and gave off an intimidating presence. His old shawl was replaced by a complete black cloak and the eyes of the mask gave off fire.
Even his sinister laughter had changed, into a much darker, eviler laughter. "At last, I now wield the power of Majora's Mask! And as I shall now demonstrate, ALL shall perish!!"
Drekkin waved his arm into the air. Then Link saw a familiar sight, one he never hoped to see again. A large grinning moon had appeared in the air and was now falling towards the world.
"The moon," Dore said somberly. "It's Moonfall all over again."
After the moon appeared, Link turned his gaze to Drekkin and quickly unleashed his sword. Everyone there had now moved to remote edge of the wooden platform, knowing that a battle was about to take place.
"And YOU!!" Drekkin said in his dark voice. "YOU shall be the first to DIE!!!"
He winded up a giant fireball and threw it at Link. He couldn't leap out of the way, or it would hit the Kokiri. So Link just stood there and took the fierce blow. He screamed in pain, as the fireball took effect.
"You weakling!!" Drekkin shouted. "That's not even a FRACTION of my powers!!"
Drekkin tossed a lightning bolt at the bazaar and it instantly exploded. There were no flames. It just exploded. As Link got up, Drekkin threw a bolt at him and knocked his sword out of his hand.
Link tried taking action. He grabbed an arrow and shot it at Drekkin. The arrow was lodged deeply into his shoulder. But to Link's shock, Drekkin just pulled it out. There was no visible wound.
Link's next move was to get an ice arrow. They had defeated Drekkin the first time, and he hoped they would beat him again. He aimed the ice arrow and shot it towards him. It was a direct hit and Drekkin froze in his tracks. Link breathed a sigh of relief, but then to his horror, the ice began to quickly thaw.
"Such cheap tricks," Drekkin said evilly. "Your toys will not work on me, boy! Don't you understand that?!" He threw an exploding ball of light at Link. When it connected, Link collapsed in pain.
Link tried slowly getting up. He pulled out his last resort, the light arrows. He tried aiming them, but Drekkin saw them coming. He threw a beam of light and knocked the bow out of Link's hand. Then Drekkin threw a beam of ice and hit Link's legs. Link's legs were now frozen. He couldn't move.
Drekkin laughed evilly as he approached Link. "It ends now. Now you die. And when you die, I shall kill all my other enemies who saw to my demise. And when this moon hits, this world shall die as well."
"What about you?!" Link pointed out. "If this world goes down, you go with it!"
"I have thought of that," Drekkin continued. "But by the time the moon collapses, I shall be in our world and I will use my power to take over Hyrule!! And I will rule as it was meant to be!!" His hand filled with electricity. "And now, boy. YOU DIE!!!"
But Drekkin was stopped in mid-delivery. His arms seemed to be restrained by unseen forces. Link didn't have to see them to know that it was the Kokiri army. There were too many of the boys grabbing Drekkin's limbs and the masked sorcerer couldn't move.
Drekkin tried shaking each one off, but to no avail. "Wretched insects! Get off of me!"
Then, behind Drekkin, Link saw his friends arrive. Yeddop, the farm girl Malon, Princess Zelda, the Forest Sage Saria, and Princess Saria all arrived. They saw that Drekkin was being held back.
"LINK!!" Yeddop shouted. "Reach over and take the mask off!!"
Link struggled to reach over and remove the mask. Finally he grasped it and removed it. The mask fell off Drekkin's face and fell to the ground. Drekkin staggered back and the mask stayed on the ground. But then something else happened.
The mask itself had come alive once more. This time, it grew a pair of thin arms and legs and roared. The mask immediately threw a deadly fireball directly at Drekkin. The sorcerer shrieked in agony and fell to the ground.
Then the mask was walking towards Link.
Chapter 57
Link still couldn't go anywhere. His legs were still frozen to the ground. His sword and arrows were out of reach. The mask then came face to face with Link. This was just like back in Talmina when he fought the mask the first time. There was nothing Link could do now. The mask was holding its arms out and ready to strike.
Then a ray of light struck the mask. Link looked behind the mask to see that Princess Zelda was now holding the light in place. But it didn't last, the mask was too powerful. It was starting to move and motioned to strike Link again. Then a second ray of light hit it. That came from Princess Saria. Now the mask was completely immobile.
Link did the only thing he could do now. He reached over to the ground and grabbed a light arrow. He didn't have his bow, so he chucked the light arrow at the mask. The blinding light stunned the mask even further. Then Yeddop ran up to the mask.
He sprinkled some dust on the mask and began to recite: "Mask of Majora your terror is done, replace this moon with the power of sun, no longer to hurt or no longer to maim, return to the state from whence you came."
At those words, the mask's limbs began to fall apart. Maybe it wasn't how Link stopped the mask last time, but it was good enough. The mask now fell to the ground, sapped of any life. The grinning moon in the sky now disappeared. The skies finally cleared. The battle was over.
Link was ready to run over and greet his friends, but he quickly fell over. He was still stuck to the ground and his legs were still frozen.
"A little help?" Link pleaded.
The two princesses came over and thawed out the ice. Link was now able to move freely.
The Forsverer Knigma finally broke the awkward silence. "What was that? I've never seen anything like that since the evil one's path of destruction."
"I suppose you're going to blame THAT on us too," the Frihad Malon said bitterly.
Princess Saria looked behind Link to find someone else. "Dore?"
General Dore nodded. "Princess Saria. I'm glad I found you before these kidnappers did anything to you."
"Kidnappers?" Princess Saria asked in disbelief. "Dore, they didn't kidnap me. I went with them. I let them out and went with them. This was completely my choice."
"You released these prisoners and left the castle without telling anybody?" Dore demanded. "How could you do that?"
"Come on, Dore!" Princess Saria shouted. "It's obvious that none of you were going to do anything to stop the Hylian Civil War. So if you weren't doing anything, then I decided to take matters into my own hands. I came to try and stop the civil war peacefully."
Dore groaned. "Don't you get it? They're not stopping. And we shouldn't care, either. After all the damage they caused with their evil one."
"It wasn't our evil one," the Forsverer Knigma quickly said. He pointed a finger at the Frihad Malon. "It was THEIR evil one."
"You creep!" the Frihad Malon shouted. "I told you we didn't know about that."
"We warned you!" the Forsverer Knigma shot back. "We knew that kid was trouble from day one. We knew that kid was evil."
"Isn't there any way you two can reach an agreement?" Princess Saria pleaded.
"Not until they pay for bringing the evil one on us," the Forsverer Knigma responded.
"Not until they admit we had nothing to do with it," the Frihad Malon replied.
"WAIT!!"
Everyone looked back to see that another boat arrived. Link recognized everyone on the boat. It was Amanecera and Sodo, and they were holding a giant painting. And behind them, were Talon, Ingo, and the farm girl Zelda.
Amanecera cleared her throat. "I think I have something that can put an end to all this."
Chapter 58
Everyone looked anxiously at Amanecera and Sodo to see what they had to end the war. And what that painting was.
"You have something to end the war?" the Forsverer Knigma scoffed. "Somehow I doubt that."
"What is it, Ama?" Princess Saria asked.
"It's evidence that the Frihads were not to blame for the emergence of the evil one," Ama answered. "It's evidence that no one was to blame, not even the evil one himself."
"What?" the Frihad Malon asked.
"That's impossible," the Forsverer Knigma said.
Ama held up the large painting. It the mid-background, he could see himself creating mass destruction. Link saw that it looked a lot like him, but a lot different. He saw the blond hair, but he honestly couldn't see any other resemblance besides the black tunic.
"This picture was painted during the destruction of Kakariko Village," Sodo explained. "It proves that no one was to blame for anything."
Everyone looked at the painting to try and find what they meant.
"I don't see anything," the Forsverer Knigma said.
"There's nothing there," the Frihad Malon added.
"Look closer," Ama said.
It was about a minute and nobody saw anything in that painting. Then it was Yeddop who saw it.
"Oh my goodness! He's wearing the Mask of Majora!"
Upon hearing that, Link squinted his eyes and saw that he indeed was wearing the evil mask.
"That's right," Ama confirmed. "He wore the Mask of Majora. The malicious actions weren't those of Link, but of the evil mask itself. It proves once and for all that no one was responsible for all that destruction."
The Forsverer Knigma looked at the Frihad Malon. "So if you had nothing to do with this, then what have we been fighting about?"
The Frihad leader seemed to be shedding a tear. "I knew it. I knew he wasn't evil."
"So he really wasn't evil at all?" Princess Saria asked. "It was just the mask?"
"That's what I believe," Ama answered. "Especially since Link was just growing up as a normal Hylian boy. He had everything a normal Hylian boy had which included a home, friends…and crushes. Am I right, Malon?"
The Malon in black looked shockingly at Amanecera. "How did you know that?"
"From all I learned of Link's background, I noticed that he was around you more than anyone," Ama continued. "When he first came as an orphan, you were his first friend. And eventually you became more than friends, didn't you?"
The Frihad Malon nodded.
"That's what you meant, didn't you?" Zelda asked. "When you talked about an ex-boyfriend, you meant Link."
The parallel Malon nodded again. "We were friends, but as we grew up together we became more than friends. But then he left, and the Villain of Time emerged. When he was ultimately defeated, that ended our relationship."
"Wait a minute!" Link suddenly said. "That's the one thing of all this I don't understand. Just how WAS the Villain of Time defeated?"
Silence.
"I think I can answer that," Dore finally said. "After the rampage in Kakariko Village, the Villain of Time was seen heading towards Death Mountain. So I decided to go after him. When I reached Death Mountain, I saw the Villain of Time on the ground lying motionless. His tunic had been completely ravaged. By what, I don't know. He was dead, but I didn't believe that at first. I always feared that he might come alive again, since nobody had seen what attacked him. For all I knew, he might have been playing possum. So I called the army and had them take the evil one down to the charred village. Then, after hours of work, we buried him deep under the well. It was the one place no one would look. And if he was alive, then it would contain him for eternity."
Link realized what this meant. "It was the mask that killed him, wasn't it?"
"If that is true, then it all makes sense now," Yeddop chimed in. "When the Villain of Time first attacked Kakariko Village, I was making a business trip to Death Mountain. When I came back down, the village had already been destroyed. But amidst the rubble, I saw a mask. It was the Mask of Majora. I didn't know how it got there, until now. After Link destroyed the village, the mask must have rejected him as a wearer. So it came off his face and destroyed him."
"So no one's really to blame here," the Forsverer Knigma said. Then he looked at Yeddop. "Except that mask! Yeddop, you have to get rid of that thing!"
Yeddop clutched the mask to his chest. "No! I cannot discard the mask. It is far too rare. I'll never see another one like it."
"It's too dangerous, Yeddop," Ama said. "That mask nearly destroyed our entire civilization."
Yeddop didn't say anything. He just handed the mask to Amanecera. She, in turn, handed it to Link.
"You'd better dispose of this," Ama told Link. "I think you know a better way to destroy it anyway."
Link had an idea. He took out his Megaton Hammer. He winded up and crushed the mask. Unfortunately, it stayed in one piece.
"So much for that idea," the farm girl Malon said cynically. "Maybe we should just carry it with us until we find a good place to put it."
"I think you're right," Link agreed. He took the Mask of Majora and put it in his tunic. Link then walked over to someone who had stayed silent for far too long. He was silent because he was kneeling over the fallen Drekkin. Link walked over to Knigma.
Chapter 59
The first thing Link noticed was that Knigma was trying to find a pulse on Drekkin.
Knigma suddenly screamed. "He's DEAD! NO! NO! HE'S DEAD!!"
"Well I can't say he didn't have it coming," Link said. "He tampered with a force he couldn't control."
"But he CAN'T be dead!" Knigma shouted. "He CAN'T die!! Not now!!"
"Get over it, Knigma," Zelda said coldly. "It just means you'll be a bit more lonely in your old cell."
"No, you're not understanding me here," Knigma said deliriously. "He CAN'T be dead! If he's dead, then you WON'T be taking me back to my cell!"
"What are you talking about?" Zelda demanded.
"Are you dense, woman?!" Knigma shouted. "Don't you get it?! Who do you think brought us here?! Who do you think created all those portals?! It was Drekkin!! It was all Drekkin!!"
Link gulped nervously. "Drekkin did it? He's the one who brought us all here?" He looked nervously at Zelda. "Does this mean what I think it means?"
Zelda nodded grimly. "If Drekkin's dead, then we have no way out. We're stuck here!"
"Ok, stand back!!"
After hearing every detail about the portal, Nabooru was finally ready to try again. But this time, she had something that could help her. She now held the Forest Medallion in her hand.
Sodo, Somi, and Mira stepped back as Nabooru motioned the portal to open. Lightning began striking in the sky, despite the sky being completely cloudless. A portal then opened, spanning from wall to wall and floor to ceiling.
"Did it look like this?!" Nabooru asked, elevating her voice over the fierce winds.
"YES!!" Somi and Mira shouted.
Nabooru looked down at the Forest Medallion. Just as she had hoped, the Forest Medallion began glowing green. This was it. This was where Saria was.
"I'm going in!!" Nabooru shouted. She braved the powerful winds and leapt into the portal, leaving the Forest Temple and heading towards a strange dimension.
Chapter 60
This was hopeless. Drekkin and the Mask of Majora were both defeated. The Hylian Civil War had just about come to end. But it was still hopeless. Because of Drekkin's untimely death, Link and all of his friends were now stuck in this foreign dimension.
Link and his three companions were just sitting under the large tree on the island above the Water Temple. Knigma was left tied up behind the tree. They just sat looking at the stars and contemplating everything that happened.
"So it's over?" Link asked. "The war?"
"I think Knigma and Malon are set to finalize a treaty tomorrow," Zelda answered. "I must say, they are diplomatic."
"At least we won't be living in a world of war," Malon said. "I can't believe we're really stuck here."
Link saw the grim looks on everyone's faces, but no grimmer than the one Saria had.
"You're thinking about them again, aren't you?" Link asked.
Saria nodded sadly. "I can't forget them, Link. Everything they said, they were right. I did end up leaving them again. And I'll never see them again. I only wish I could see them one last time."
"I wish you could too."
Everyone looked up to see that Princess Saria, the farm girl Zelda, Sodo, and Amanecera had now joined them under the tree.
"I wish there were something we could do," Ama said somberly. "But I'm afraid that I really DON'T have all the answers."
"Here, Saria. I want you to have these," Princess Saria said. She handed the forest girl three necklaces. They were necklaces of three doves. "I was hoping to give them to you when you left, but it looks like you're staying. But I want you to have them anyway."
The Forest Sage Saria looked down at the necklaces. "T-They're beautiful."
"These necklaces and their doves represent love and friendship," Princess Saria added. "I figure that you'll be able to use them better than I would. Since you have so many friends, then they'll be much better in your hands."
"Thank you, Saria," the Forest Sage Saria said tearfully. "But I'm afraid I'll never see any of my friends ever again."
"Maybe we can cheer you up," Sodo said. Princess Saria glared at him. "Well…we can try. Let's just bring her this way. Give everyone else some privacy."
Sodo and Princess Saria picked up the Forest Sage Saria and took her to the edge of the island, where they sat. Then the farm girl Zelda came and sat between Link and Zelda.
She looked at Princess Zelda. "I can't believe it. You look exactly like me. But how?"
Link looked up at Ama.
"I…haven't told her everything," Ama said sheepishly. "Give me a break, I've only known her for a few hours."
The farm girl Zelda looked closer at her parallel self. "I…don't have a twin, do I?"
Link sighed. "I think it's time we talked."
As much as they wanted to try, nothing was going to cheer up Saria. In a way, this was worlds worse than when she was forced to leave her village to live in the Forest Temple. Now she would never see her friends…or her entire world ever again.
"What was everyone like, Saria," Princess Saria asked. "The Kokiri. What were they like?"
Saria took a deep breath. It wouldn't be easy to talk about her old friends. "They were all wonderful. Sure, at times Fala and Ralo would gossip about me or Miso would always say the wrong thing, but they were always my friends. Domi was always supportive, even when he raised his price higher than the sky. Rala could be vain, but she was always around whenever anybody needed her. Sofa, Dila, and Dore would always be getting into trouble when they weren't busy with their training. Mido always used to be overbearing before he changed one day. Sodo…is the love of my life and I'll always love him. And Somi and Mira are my best friends…I think." Her voice began cracking. "But what do I know? They were nervous about resuming our friendship because they thought something might happen and now look! Something DID happen. And now I'll never see them again."
Silence.
"So you mean you're from a parallel universe?" the farm girl Zelda asked.
"Exactly," Link nodded.
"We're all different over there," Malon added. "Link's the HERO of Time, Saria's the Forest Sage, I'M the farm girl, and you're the princess."
The farm girl Zelda's face glowed at that. "I-I-I'm the princess?"
"That's right," Princess Zelda said. "You are me and I am you. I'm the Princess of Hyrule. I'm Zelda."
"But something still bothers me though," the farm girl Zelda continued. "I didn't see you at the ranch. Where were you?"
"You must have seen this me," Princess Zelda smiled. She put on the hood. "You must have seen Sheik."
Silence. Neither Zelda said anything.
"I only know it'll be confusing to live as practically twins," Princess Zelda finally said. "For one thing, I'll have to change my name to Selma."
"Well, maybe we'll get used to life here," Link said. He looked out into the lake. "I mean, it IS our home now."
**CRASH**
Lightning shot down from the sky.
"W-W-What was that?" the farm girl Zelda asked.
"It sure sounded familiar," Malon said.
Link agreed with that notion. It DID sound familiar. Then he looked behind him to see that a portal was opening.
"NO WAY!" Knigma shouted from behind the tree. "HOW?!"
Suddenly a familiar figure came out of the portal and landed on one of the huge tree's branches. It was a friendly figure too. It was Nabooru.
Chapter 61
Link could see that Nabooru was holding something in her hand. It was the Forest Medallion and it was glowing green. She was looking everywhere, seemingly trying to find someone.
"Saria?!" Nabooru shouted out. "Where are you?!"
The Forest Sage Saria looked up at the tree. "Nabooru?! I'm down here!"
The Spirit Sage jumped down the tree, right in front of the two Sarias and Sodo. "How about that? I caught a break. I finally found you."
"How did you find me?" the Forest Sage Saria asked.
"Well, for some reason, Sodo thought I could help," Nabooru answered. "So he came to ask me for help at the Spirit Temple. I much have spent hundreds of hours trying to find the right dimension and thanks to the Forest Medallion, I finally found it. But we've got get back home."
"Home?" Saria asked cheerfully. "I'm going home?" She turned around and looked happily at Sodo and Princess Saria. "I'm going home!"
"That's great, Saria!" Princess Saria said, as she gave her parallel self a hug. "But…I'm going to miss you. It was good to have someone like me to talk to. Someone who didn't stifle me after every other word."
"What about Sodo?" the Forest Sage asked.
Sodo shook his head. "I couldn't just leave Amanecera. We've known each other for so long. She's been the only one I've known since I left the castle."
"Couldn't she come with you?" the Forest Sage Saria asked.
This time, it was Princess Saria who shook her head. "I don't think anyone would allow that. Especially General Dore."
The Forest Sage Saria folded her arms. "You leave the general to me. I have a plan. Just come over this way. Sodo, go get the general for me." She led Princess Saria behind the tree where no one could see them. Sodo ran off through the wooden walkway to the lone wooden sign, where General Dore could be seen standing.
"Hey!" Nabooru shouted. "We've got to get going. We don't have much time, you know!"
Link took this time to acknowledge his presence. He started walking up to Nabooru and soon found himself followed by Malon and Princess Zelda. Amanecera and the farm girl Zelda stayed where they were sitting, just looking curiously at the other three.
"I don't think that portal's closing anytime soon," Link said.
Nabooru suddenly turned around. "Link? Malon? Zelda? What are you three doing here?"
Link looked confusedly at the Gerudo girl. "You…don't know?"
"We were sucked into this parallel universe too," Malon clarified.
"You mean you didn't know that? You didn't even know we were here?" Zelda asked.
"I just heard Saria got pulled in here," Nabooru answered. "And I came to get her, before IT happened."
"IT?" Link repeated. "Something else for us to worry about?"
"Not if we get Saria back to the temple in time," Nabooru replied. "What's she doing?"
It seemed that Amanecera couldn't wait anymore. She stood up and walked over to Nabooru, followed closely by the farm girl Zelda. Ama was now looking curiously at the Spirit Sage.
"What's with her?" Nabooru asked Link. "She's never seen a Gerudo before?"
"Actually…" Ama said. "I haven't. I don't think anybody has. This is the first Gerudo sighting around these parts in many years."
"You don't have Gerudo here?" Malon asked.
"The Gerudo haven't been seen in years," Ama answered. "Not even since before I left to go live in the cave. Gerudo around these parts are practically nonexistent."
"A world without Gerudo?" Nabooru said. "This place must be worse than I thought. We'd better get back to our world. Just what IS Saria doing?"
Just as she said that, Sodo came back with General Dore right behind him.
"Ok, this better be good," the general said. "What did you bring me here for?"
"I don't know," Sodo shrugged. "It's just that Princess Saria requested your presence."
"Well, where is she?" Dore demanded.
Suddenly, behind the trees, out came the two Sarias. Princess Saria made a beeline towards General Dore.
"What is it, Princess Saria?" Dore asked dryly.
"We've been through a lot, Dore," Princess Saria began. "I mean, despite your complete unwillingness to do anything, we've managed to put an end to the Hylian Civil War. But there's still something that we must do."
"And what's that?"
"Our old friend, Sodo, is ready to come back into our Kokiri family," Princess Saria continued. "But he's spent so many years around this girl, Amanecera. They've become very good friends. And that's why I'm proposing that she move in right along with him."
"Forget it," Dore said firmly. "I won't have any Hylians living under our castle roof."
"But I insist," Princess Saria said. "After all they've done, I think it's the least we could do."
"Tell someone who cares," Dore said coldly.
Then Princess Saria did something that no one thought she was capable of. She stood right in the face of Dore. She wasn't backing down.
"Oh, you'll care!" Princess Saria said through clenched teeth. "Let me tell you something, Dore! I'm getting just a little SICK and TIRED of NEVER being listened to! Now Sodo is my friend, and I'm willing to do anything for him. That's why I'm going out of my way to get Amanecera into our home. But you want to be SELFISH! And I won't have it!!
"You can argue with me all you want, but don't you forget. I'm a part of this royal triumvirate too! And if you think you or anyone else in the cabinet is going to keep bullying me, then you'd better think again! I have a voice too, and it won't be silent any longer! I'm not going to take this anymore!
"So I'm going to ask you again, General Dore! No, I am DEMANDING that Sodo and Amanecera come home with us! And if anyone in the cabinet has a problem with that, then that's their problem! So what do you say?!"
Silence. Link couldn't believe the sudden outburst of indignation by Princess Saria. Obviously, Dore couldn't either. He was almost shaking. Something the Forest Sage Saria said must've sunk in, because Princess Saria was finally standing up for herself.
"I guess I can't argue with that. They can come too," General Dore said. "Wow, Princess Saria. I've never seen this side of you before."
"It's a new side of me," Princess Saria responded. "Something you'll be seeing a lot more of if I don't start getting some respect. I'm not going to be treated like a stepchild anymore. I want to be treated like everyone else. Like a part of the family."
"I-I guess that can be arranged," Dore said nervously. "We'll talk more when we get back. Should we get going?"
"You take the army and get a head start," Princess Saria said. "We'll catch up to you. First, we have to say goodbye to our friends."
Dore stood nervously at first, but then he left to go retrieve the rest of the Kokiri army.
Link looked at the Forest Sage Saria. "I have to know. What did you tell her? What made her stand up for herself?"
It was Princess Saria who answered. "Link, I'm surprised you weren't the first to notice." She walked up to the Forest Sage. "Well, what did you think?"
The Forest Sage just looked in awe. "I can't believe it. I didn't think anybody could stand up to Dore like that, much less Princess Saria. How could I ever thank you?"
"Just follow what I just did," Princess Saria answered. "Just have confidence in yourself and don't take anything from them anymore. Remember: You're the Princess and a part of the royal triumvirate. You should have as much respect as any of your peers and there will be times when you'll have to remind them that." She fidgeted with her dress. "How do you live with this thing? It weighs a ton."
Link was getting confused. "Wait a minute! What's going on here?"
Princess Saria smiled at Link. "Link, are you telling me you still can't see it?"
It hit Malon first. "You two switched clothes, didn't you?"
The Forest Sage Saria (dressed as Princess Saria) smiled. "Nice to see someone saw it."
Nabooru cleared her throat. "Uh…we do have to be going. I don't think there's much time left. Will the real Saria of Kokiri Forest please step forward?"
The Saria in the dress stepped forward and stood by Link. "Well, I think it's time for me to go."
"I'll miss you, Saria," Princess Saria said.
"I will too," the elegant Forest Sage said. No more words were exchanged. Nabooru tossed a rope up to the tree, leaving a path to the portal. The Forest Sage Saria climbed the tree, and at long last, went through the portal back to her own universe. Malon and Princess Zelda soon followed. Nabooru went in next. Link held Knigma and was about to go in, but he hesitated.
Link looked back one last time. The beautiful Lake Hylia was now in peace.
"I'm going back to my dungeon, aren't I?" Knigma asked bitingly.
"You better believe it," Link responded. "You go back in as soon as we get home."
Knigma snickered insanely. "In that case…you'd better go in first!"
Suddenly, Knigma revealed that he had loosened the ropes. He shook off the ropes and kicked Link inside the portal. Link was now flying back to his own universe, but the sinister Knigma stayed behind.
Chapter 62
Knigma had done it. He had outsmarted everyone. Ok, so he would never see anyone from his old world again, but that was a small price to pay. He was never liked anyway. He kicked Link back into the portal and the portal closed forever. Knigma was now left in the parallel Hyrule, and would not have to go back to that grimy dungeon.
Knigma climbed down the tree triumphantly. He saw that everyone who saw the others leave were now heading out. Knigma was all alone…and a free man. This called for a celebration.
Knigma cockily started walking away, but he was suddenly stopped. Unseen, and familiar, forces were now restraining him. Knigma groaned as he was thrust to the ground. Out of thin air, appeared the Kokiri army who now had Knigma completely restrained. Then, in front of him, appeared General Dore.
"Well, look what I found," General Dore smirked. "If it isn't my first escapee. I guess I won't be leaving Lake Hylia empty-handed, now will I? Pick him up, troops. We're taking this one to the dungeon."
The dungeon. The worst two words Knigma could hear. After all he had done, he was even worse off than when he had started. Now he would spend life in the dungeon…of a foreign universe. Knigma could only utter one word.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
On this dark of night, there would be no sleep. This would have to be done as soon as possible. This is why the Forsverer Knigma chose to visit the Hotel Hylia. It was finally time to formally end the Hylian Civil War. Standing in front of Knigma were the hotel owners Talon and Ingo. And standing by the counter with a parchment, was Malon.
"Are you ready?" Knigma asked.
Malon nodded. "Let me be the first to sign this peace treaty, ending the civil war forever. It couldn't come soon enough for me."
Knigma sympathized. "I'm sorry. I lost a lot in all this too. I just feel so stupid. All I did was look for someone to blame. Because I knew I couldn't take out my anger on anyone else."
"You think I wasn't angry," Malon said, as she finished signing. "My boyfriend, the man that I loved, was killed by a force of evil. I felt so…angry. I couldn't direct it anywhere else, so when we were hit with all the accusations, I welcomed the war, instead of trying to stop it. And I pretty much directed my anger at all the wrong places…" she glanced at her father, Talon. "…And that included my family. Dad, will you forgive me?"
"Of course, Malon," Talon said warmly. "You're my daughter and I love you. And no mask and no war could change that. It just took me a while to realize it."
As the father and daughter embraced, Knigma took the pen and signed the treaty. It was done. The Hylian Civil War was now formally, and officially, over.
Knigma sighed. "So what happens now?"
Malon looked outside into Lake Hylia, wearing a solemn expression. "We move on."
Link knew that travelling between dimensions was not a fast process. He was still floating in limbo, when a thought finally hit him. He reached into his tunic and pulled out the Mask of Majora. This was the second time in his life that the evil mask had nearly destroyed his entire life and demolished an entire world. It was far too dangerous to keep around anywhere.
Link then did the one thing that would ensure that the Mask of Majora never fall into the wrong hands. Link tossed the evil mask into the floating nothingness of the portal's limbo. The mask slowly floated into oblivion.
Having dealt with that problem, Link felt much more at ease. With the Mask of Majora neutralized once and for all, Link just happily waited for the light at the end of the portal.
Chapter 63
It felt like an eternity, but Saria finally fell out of the portal. She got to her feet and looked around to see her familiar surroundings. It was the main entrance hall of the Forest Temple. She was finally home. She didn't get much more chance to look around, because Sodo quickly came to lovingly embrace the returning Forest Sage.
"You're here," Sodo said happily. "You're alive. I knew we'd find you." He pulled back and looked at Saria strangely. Saria looked at herself. She was still wearing Princess Saria's dress.
"Actually, I'm not the only you found," Saria said. She stepped back. The portal was still open and sure enough, out fell Malon and Princess Zelda.
"You got stuck too?" Sodo asked. "How many more are coming?"
Just as he said that, Nabooru fell out of the portal.
"Well, there's me," Nabooru answered, getting to her feet. "And there's Link and that other guy."
"Well, where IS Link?" Malon asked. "Didn't he go in right after us?"
Finally, Link fell screaming out of the portal. The portal finally closed, ending this tumultuous chapter of Saria's life. But there was someone missing.
"Link?" Zelda asked. "Where's Knigma?"
Link got up. "I think he decided to stay. He just kicked me in."
"You mean he's just going to get away with all this then?" Zelda said angrily.
"Don't let it get to you, Zelda," Link said assuredly. "As long as he's out of our lives for good, I won't be complaining." He gleamed at Malon. "Is it time for us to go?"
Malon nodded. "I think everyone at the ranch will be wondering what happened to us. And besides, it's been a long time since we had a romantic walk in the night."
"Then we'll be taking our leave," Link said. He looked at Nabooru. "Just one question. Why was it so important we get Saria back here so fast."
Nabooru just looked up innocently. "I…think it's better you don't know. Of course, I probably should tell Saria someday."
"Then I won't ask," Link said. "Zelda, are you coming?"
"How else am I getting home?" Zelda asked dryly. "Lead the way."
As her three friends sought the exit to the Forest Temple, Saria realized that there was something she had to do. "Sodo? Where are Somi and Mira?"
"Asleep," Sodo answered. "I don't think they've slept since you left."
"But I've been gone for weeks," Saria pointed out. "You mean they haven't slept?"
Sodo shook his head. "They were too worried about you to sleep. They didn't want to lose you again. And I can't blame them. I'd have hated to lose you too."
"I have to talk to them," Saria said somberly.
"Saria, wait."
"What is it?" Saria asked.
Sodo looked at Saria curiously. "What…are you wearing?"
Saria looked at herself. "It's…a long story. I'll tell you later." With that, she left to go find her two friends.
Sodo couldn't help but wonder where that pink dress had come from, but he was more than glad to have Saria back safe. He then saw that he wasn't the only one who questioned Saria's choice in fashion.
"I never believed pink was her color. She should stick to green," Nabooru grinned. She looked down at Sodo. "Well, I think my work here is done. It's time I get back to my own before the Gerudo start asking questions."
"Aren't you going to say goodbye?" Sodo asked.
"I have a feeling Saria needs this time to herself," Nabooru answered. "Besides, I'll see her again. We're sages. We can't go too long without seeing each other. Give her my best." She started heading out towards the basement. "But I've got to admire you, Sodo. Sometimes I wish I had someone who cared about me as much as you care about Saria."
"Really?"
"Of course. I've seen what you two have. It's a wonderful thing."
"I have to thank you again, Nabooru. How can I repay you?"
Nabooru didn't take too long to think about it. "Don't let anything come between you two, not even the whole sage thing."
At the sound of those wise words, Nabooru went into the basement. Sodo was all alone, but he knew he wasn't alone. He still felt good to have Saria back.
Chapter 64/Conclusion
Saria walked into the vast room near the main entrance hall. While Stalfos once inhabited this room, it was now where Somi and Mira slept. It was a lot of effort to convert the place into a livable room, but they eventually did it. They were fast asleep and Saria knew it. They had stayed awake for days without sleep. A part of her wanted to let them sleep, but this was too important.
"Somi? Mira?"
The two girls woke up and saw Saria standing there. They immediately rushed to embrace the returning Forest Sage.
"Saria, is it really you?"
"We thought we'd never see you again."
"I'm ok," Saria said assuredly. "I'm just glad to be back. Back home with all my friends."
That suddenly struck something in the two girls.
"Saria, I'm sorry for what happened the other day," Somi said. "I didn't mean to say what I did."
"Me either," Mira added. "We couldn't stand to think of what would happen if we ended our friendship."
Saria shed a tear. "I'm happy to hear that. I know we may not always believe it, but I believe that we'll be friends forever. That's why I wanted to give you these." She took out the necklaces that Princess Saria had given her and handed one to Somi and Mira.
"T-They're beautiful," Somi said as she marveled at the dove necklace.
Saria wore one of her familiar expressions. "Even if the day comes when something were to happen, these necklaces will be a symbol of our everlasting friendship."
Silence. Nothing more was said, as the three girls just thought about those sagacious words.
"Uh, Saria," Somi said, finally breaking the silence. "Can I ask you something?
"Sure, Somi," Saria said cheerfully. "What is it?"
"What…are you wearing?"
Saria looked down and shook her head. "It's a little something I got from…a friend."
"What's this friend like?" Mira asked.
Saria smiled. She thought of everything she had gone through in the other universe and all the stories she would be telling her friends in the next few days. But for now, she would only say this.
"She's…a lot like me."
After days and days of travelling without a horse, Princess Zelda was never so sick of walking in her life. But there it was. Hyrule Castle was right in front of her. She was finally home.
She walked into the castle and was greeted by many of the castle's guards, and obviously questioned about her recent whereabouts. All she did was give a few vague answers. But there was something she had to do. On her way in, she saw literally hundreds of arrows on the ground.
"Why are there hundreds of arrows out there?" Zelda asked one of the guards. "Has there been a battle?"
The guard shook his head. "No, princess. Perhaps you should ask your three personal guards."
Somehow, Zelda should have known. She walked out to the courtyard, and sure enough, there were Kreature, Krash, and Og shooting arrows out over the roof.
"What are you three doing?" Zelda asked.
The three looked to their left. They stopped shooting their arrows and threw the bows to the side.
"I knew that we'd get it eventually," Og said.
"Maybe it wasn't such a hair-brained scheme after all," Kreature added.
The same guard ran out next to Zelda. "Now can we get rid of them? These three have been causing disturbances for days. We haven't been able to stop them."
"You can't do that," Zelda said firmly. "Because…I wouldn't be back if it wasn't for these three."
"What do you mean?" the guard asked. COMBAT looked on curiously as well.
"You haven't asked them where I've been?" Zelda asked.
"They just said some gibberish about a portal," the guard answered. "But that's silly."
"Silly?!" Zelda demanded. "I should have you punished. They were telling the truth and I just came back now." She looked and gleamed over towards the three lizards. "In fact, it was them who brought me back."
"They did?" the guard asked.
"We did?" the lizards added.
It was obviously a lie, but Zelda decided to run with this one. "Their arrow shooting must have re- triggered the portal and brought me back home. I owe these three my life, and frankly, I don't appreciate your cynicism."
"But…"
"Nothing!" Zelda shouted. "Get out of my sight. I need to be alone."
The guard left Zelda alone with the three reptilian guards. She saw that they were looking skeptically at each other. As much of a lie as it was, Zelda decided to stick with it. What harm would it do to let COMBAT take the credit on this one? She figured they could use the confidence booster.
"Was it really us who opened that portal?" Og asked.
"What do you know? I guess we did something right," Kreature added.
"But…uh…maybe we should lay off the arrows for a while," Krash said. "Where were you, Zelda?"
"I…don't want to talk about it right now," Zelda replied. "I just want to go to bed."
Zelda walked out of the courtyard and headed to her room. It was a wonderful experience for the most part. Seeing how different Hyrule was and how different the people were. It was even kind of revealing to see herself as a farm girl. It gave a new insight to herself and she even had a new respect for Malon. She would go back and reflect on what she saw.
But right now…she wanted to forget.
"So after everything we've shared with each other, you just kept this from me?"
Link shook his head. "Come on, Malon. For the thousandth time, I'm sorry. I just didn't know how you'd take it if I told you I almost lost Epona."
They were finally home, but it wasn't exactly a friendly trip home. The entire trip back to the ranch, Malon and Link argued. Link never wanted to reveal anything about his trip to the world of Talmina. But the meeting with Amanecera forced to let out that secret. And that secret infuriated Malon, especially since she thought Link shared everything with her. Of course the other reason Link didn't want to say anything was because Malon would have his head if she ever found out that he almost lost Epona. Too late. He was having his head handed to him.
"Well you should be sorry," Malon said indignantly. "You almost lost my favorite horse. And it explains everything from that day."
"What do you mean?" Link asked.
"That day all those years ago," Malon clarified. "When you were gone for days, but came back with only a bottle of milk and Epona. When I asked you where you'd been, you told me you were at Zora's Domain the whole day."
Link gulped nervously. He never thought that lie would come back to haunt him, but then again he thought of the alternative. He could've told Malon that he went to a parallel dimension after almost losing Epona.
"I thought we didn't have anymore secrets," Malon continued. "Now I can only wonder what else you're keeping from me."
Link only shook his head again. "Maybe I'll tell you the whole story someday. But I need to sleep right now."
"Me too," Malon said. She gently kissed Link on the forehead and smiled. "Before I go to sleep, I just wanted to say that I love you…and you're sleeping in the stable tonight."
"Aw come on," Link whined. "There are married couples out there who don't make each other sleep in stables."
"You can talk with Epona the whole night," Malon smirked. "Talk about your adventures with Skullkid." With that, she turned around and headed back into her room.
"I'm going to remember this," Link said vainly. "I just hope you don't have any secrets you're keeping from me."
He walked into the stable and stood by Epona. The horse was still awake and bobbing her head around.
"You remember everything, don't you?" Link asked Epona. "The giant clock, the giant moon, the hundreds of Ingos."
Just then, Link heard some hysterical laughing. Ingo popped out from a corner and headed towards the door. He was apparently doing his chores and had just finished.
"Hundreds of Ingos," Ingo repeated. "Wouldn't that be a perfect world?" Still laughing, he headed out.
Link just shrugged. As he stood next to Epona, he realized that sleeping in the stable might not be so bad. It was the stable, but it was HIS stable in HIS world. As much as he marveled over all he had seen, he was finally glad to be home. He was glad to be in HIS world once more.
He just hoped this was the last he would ever see of the Mask of Majora.
THE END
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