Note: This chapter was a lot of fun to write. It's different - but I think it turned out well.
"We have chosen to guard the people while we sleep. 100 steps north, 100 steps south, 100 steps east, 100 steps west... Now then, there was one who was shocked and saddened by all this. A little imp." - Anju's Grandmother, from The Four Giants
Chapter 48: Skull Kid Alone
He stumbled forward blindly without a mask.
The imp was still in awe as his legs mechanically and awkwardly sent him forward. The mountain walls sloped high into the air on either side of him, their surfaces jagged and rough. The pathway cut deep into the valley, the snow beginning to lessen as the downpour of wintery weather abated. The sun continued climbing towards its zenith, disappearing constantly behind the dotted, cloudy sky, casting shadows upon the mountainous land below.
The Skull Kid's face was dark, with little, yellow eyes and a beak-like mouth. His face was small and innocent, and the way he half-fell down the pathway highlighted his childish persona. His arms swung loosely by his sides, aloof. The imp's mind was blank as he trudged onward, not a single thought capable of presenting itself in his mind. He was still sore, especially in his brain, which was still in shock. He felt naked.
The Skull Kid stumbled out of the pathway into a wide, flat clearing. A building was in the distance, the tall wooden cabin resting just across from a cave. The imp walked to cross the clearing, in the same goofy manner. He felt ten times heavier, and had tried to fly on multiple occasions only to fail miserably.
Movement felt so awkward without Majora's Mask.
The Skull Kid noticed a sign deeming the lodge the Mountain Smithy. He paused once he was in front of it, turning to face it fully. He stared at it for a solid thirty minutes. Then he started walking again, swinging his arms in the air as if they were long, rubbery snakes.
The imp entered the path's continuation, once again bordered by sheer rock walls on either side. He stopped when he reached a ledge, realizing he would have to climb down in order to keep going.
The Skull Kid sighed, turning around and beginning to work his way down. "Where am I going?" he asked. No one answered him, though. He was alone now, for the first time in a very long time. "Where am I going?" he asked again. Still, there was no response. "Where do you want me to go?" He continued climbing down the wall and asking his questions, but no one responded.
He plopped to the bottom once he was far enough down, and saw the rest of the trail widening through the remainder of his descent. "Where do you want me to go?!" he yelled.
A scream answered him. The Skull Kid's head instantly shot towards its source. It came from further down the path, off to the right. He began running now, the goofiness eradicated from his step. Running still felt awkward, but he tried his best to ignore it. The scream cried out again, and the imp stopped, realizing it was coming from below. The pathway turned into a wide, icy bridge, and underneath was a deep gorge surrounded by sharp, rocky walls. The imp stopped, bending down on his knees and looking underneath the strip of land.
A wagon was lying at the bottom. It was in ruins, but he could still read "The Millers" stitched into the tarp. The shattered wood was everywhere, and he saw the bloodied body of an adult male lying motionlessly in a very awkward position. The corpse of a horse was there as well, and a tektite seemed to have decided to break his fast with it.
He caught movement elsewhere, however, the imp noticing that a small girl was caught underneath one of the wheels. The wreckage blocked most of her from his view, but her movement gave her a way as she struggled against the weight of the debris. She had stopped screaming. He wondered if the tektite had looked up at her threateningly to silence her.
The girl was pale and small, shrunken and weak as she tried to free herself from her family's destroyed caravan. The tektite's long legs had plunged into the horse meat, its single red eye drawn close to the meal as it hungrily devoured the flesh. The girl panted and struggled, but she was unable to free herself. The imp knew the monster would kill her after it was full of horse meat. Assuming other tektites didn't arrive to challenge him, which the Skull Kid thought was a strong possibility.
The little girl, her long brown hair matted and dirty, looked up and noticed the imp staring down at her. "Help!" she called out, her voice high-pitched. She could not have been older than six. Her dress was covered in dirt and blood, appearing torn and weathered. Her eyes were wide, blue, and pretty, though the skin underneath them was dark from crying and exhaustion.
The imp cocked his head to side like a child, looking at the little girl curiously. The situation was so interesting, he found. He wanted to watch and find out what would happen. "What do I do?" he asked. The mask wasn't there to tell him.
"Help me!" she cried out. The tektite looked up from its meal, the angry red eye finding the little girl. It seemed to be annoyed she hadn't followed its warning. It took a tentative step towards her, debating whether or not walking all the way over there to kill her was worth it. The girl noticed, trying to scoot out of the wood in vain. "Please." She cried desperately once more, but turned her attention away from the imp when he did nothing.
The tektite had made up its mind, and it was now scurrying towards her. "No! Papa, help! Papa!" The only other human in the ditch was dead, though. "No!" The tektite stood in front of the helpless girl and raised its pointed leg to kill her.
The Skull Kid drove a piece of wood into its soft underbelly, blood squirting everywhere. The girl lowered the arm she'd risen to protect herself. The imp had jumped into the ditch and grabbed a piece of the wreckage. It proved sharp enough to pierce the monster. The tektite turned away form its prey and lashed out at the new threat, but the Skull Kid dodged it gracefully. Years of dancing through the woods had begun to return to him, now that he no longer had the magic of the mask.
The Skull Kid stepped further underneath the tektite, rather than away, in order to grab the piece of wood wedged within it. He yanked it free, the tektite shuddering as blood poured forth like a dam bursting. Its legs cradled inward as it backed away, stiffening. It found enough strength to try and attack again, but before it could, the Skull Kid drove the piece of wood into its eye. The beast died, rolling over on its back and curling its legs together.
The girl panted heavily, looking at the imp in frayed clothing that approached her. Its clothes were yellow and orange, a strange, witch-like hat on his head. He looked like a child. The Skull Kid tried to lift the wheel off the girl, but it was heavy and wedged in with the rest of the debris. "... You saved me," the girl said, weakly. She was now covered in the tektite's blood too, as was the imp.
The Skull Kid, as he lifted the wheel, tried to remember why he had saved her. He had asked the mask what to do, but it hadn't been able to answer him. So, instead, he listened to himself. Something inside of him had told him to save the girl, but he wasn't sure what it was. The imp pushed the wheel away with one final tug, the girl's body now free.
The little girl winced in pain, backing away from the debris to lie against the nearby rock wall. Still sitting, she looked at her skinny legs, her elegant white dress torn and ruined. Her legs were bruised, scraped and purpled in various places. However, her attention was directed towards her stomach, where she shakily looked down. There was a piece of wood wedged deep within, the skin around it bright red. It was impossible to tell how long the shard was, but it was acting as a small dagger that had been plunged within.
The girl shakily looked back up at the imp. "It hurts," she stated weakly. Her eyes shone, but her skin was so pale. The Skull Kid walked over and lifted her into his arms. She was very easy to carry, as light as she was, and he met no resistance. The girl clung to him tightly, resting her head on his shoulder.
The Skull Kid climbed the wall of the ditch until he was on the path. He continued walking to complete his journey out of Snowhead.
"I can't feel my fingers," she said, a tear rolling down her check as she nuzzled her head on the imp.
"Clock Town can help you," he said resolutely. The imp walked towards the village with the injured girl in his arms, the moon hovering dangerously over the town in the center of Termina. It was close, with only forty-four hours remaining.
- Many Years Ago -
The Skull Kid waited from behind the tree.
He peered around its trunk sneakily, secretly watching the man walk down the forest path. The man had a hood thrown over his head, the trees casting a shadow over all those underneath its canopy. The Woods of Mystery were the Skull Kid's speciality though, and he was always excited when a stranger wondered through.
He turned around, back against the tree and giggling to himself. He took in a deep breath, still smiling as he prepared for attack. The Skull Kid scaled the tree like a monkey, jumping from branch to branch until he was well ahead of the traveler. Then, the small forest child fell from above, crashing on top of the man below.
He fell to the ground with an "Oomph!" The Skull scrambled off of him and laughed delightfully, the hood falling down as the man laid in the dirt road. The imp clapped his hands together excitedly, as the man began to sit up, grabbing his head and moaning.
"Hehe, I got you!" the imp exclaimed happily. The man's robe was a very dark green, the hood having revealed a man with very sharp features. His hair was solid white, eyes bright and piercing green. Despite his hair color, however, he bore no wrinkles on his face. The short, slender man in the dark green robe looked up at the imp with his deep eyes, a smile curling onto his lips. His skin was light brown, and the imp was excited at the prospect of meeting a foreigner from a distant land.
"Be glad you caught me in a good mood, skull child," he said, the Skull Kid still smiling as he offered a hand to lift the man to his feet. The imp noticed a bright green medallion pinning his cloak together around his neck. It was a deep, forest green, much like the leaves on the trees surrounding them. Their hands wrapped around each others, and the man stood, brushing himself off. "What compelled you to knock down a strange man like myself?"
"It's fun!" the Skull Kid exclaimed, backflipping onto his hands and bouncing off of his palms a few times. He landed back onto his feet, smiling. "And I like meeting interesting strangers. What's your name?"
"Faron," he replied. "My three brothers and I are named after dragons that lived long ago."
"Dragons?!" the Skull Kid exclaimed, his smile fading as his eyes widened eagerly. "Here, in Termina?"
"No, we're from a distant realm. We're not of this world."
The imp's eyes widened even more, as small as they were, dotting his black, innocent face. "What's that world called?!"
"Hyrule."
He smiled, looking back and forth cautiously, as if to make sure no one else was interesting. He wanted to keep this stranger to himself. "... Can I come with you? Can you tell me all about Hyrule, and these dragons?" He paused, looking down the trail before turning back excitedly. "Are you going to Oakridge?"
"Yes, I am," the mysterious, white-haired man answered. "But this Woodfall is proving quite difficult to travel through. My other brother went to Skyvale, though, on the other side of Snowhead... so I don't really have room to complain. You're more than welcome to accompany me."
The Skull leapt excitedly, calming himself when he realized Faron was merely standing there smiling at him. He straightened himself and cleared his throat, following beside the man in the green cloak. The Skull Kid forced himself to walk calmly. They walked silently for a while, Faron constantly smiling his small smile, appearing amused by the skull child.
"So what brought you to Termina?" the imp asked, repressing his excitement. "There are a lot of lands here, but I don't think I've ever met someone from another realm."
Faron's smile faded at this, his young face contrasting starkly with the white of his hair. "We brought a powerful, magical item here, and it escaped from us before we could seal it away."
"Escaped?" the imp inquired, cocking his head to the side curiously as they walked. "Why did you want to seal it away?"
"Because it's a terrible, dark thing whose magic we will never underestimate again."
"Why is it so dark and powerful?"
"Because the name that brought it into this world was a powerful one."
"What name?"
Faron smiled, shaking his head slowly. "We'd best not spread it around anymore than we have to. Saying it only gives the demon more power."
"Demon? Why would you bring a demon trapped inside of a magical item here?"
Faron laughed lightly, turning to the Skull Kid and beaming at the young forest creature. "You sure do ask a lot of questions, don't you?"
"Yeah," the imp answered. "But you're so interesting! I mean, it's not everyday I meet a stranger from a distant realm named after a dragon who brought a magical, dark item here!"
Faron nodded his head in understanding, turning back to face the road. The shadows cast by the sun from above the leaves continued dotting their faces. The smells of the forest were so rich and alive in the Skull Kid's nostrils, the sound of the wind rustling the trees harmonious. "Good point." He paused, finding the words to answer his question. "We brought the magical item here because we were afraid what it would do to all of the worlds. We sealed it into this realm so it could not destroy the other worlds. We decided this world was the perfect realm to repress its powers. But we were still afraid. So me and my three brothers came here to make sure the dark token doesn't break out... and to protect this world from it." That last comment almost sounded like it had been an afterthought, to the imp.
"Why couldn't you just seal it away in the realm you are from? Hyrule?"
"Because the magic here is powerful. Rivaling even the power of the name the demon possesses. We hoped Termina would keep it at bay, and we came here to make sure that was the case."
"And it's already escaped from you?" the imp asked, cocking his head to the side again.
Faron's face was grave. "Yes. But we don't think it will be able to wreck the havoc it did in our world. Its magical powers should be muted here." The Skull Kid looked worried, turning down to look at the path. Faron stopped walking, putting his hand on the imp's shoulder and turning him to be face-to-face. "Don't worry, skull child." He said, staring at him reassuringly with his deep, green eyes. "We will find the magical item before it can do anything horrible."
The Skull Kid, after a moment of considering, looked back up, a smile on his face again. "If you came here to guard it, and can cross over realms and seal items... then you must have magical powers, too!" Faron smiled again, letting go of the imp's shoulder and turning to face the dirt road.
He raised his hand into the air, and the emerald holding his cloak fastened glowed. The dirt in the road suddenly gave way to long, green stems. They rose from the earth and twisted into the air, curling themselves free as leaves began to sprout along the green bodies. The Skull Kid's mouth dropped in awe as flowers began to bud on their ends, and suddenly, where there had just been dirt, there was now a myriad of colors. The red, blue, and yellow flowers opened beautifully, a small garden having been born just before his eyes.
Faron lowered his hand, turning back to the Skull Kid, whose eyes shined with child-like wonder. "That's amazing!" he shouted, jumping excitedly. "Can you teach me how to do that?"
"Unfortunately, I can't," he said, motioning them to continue walking. "I couldn't do it either without this gem, but I can't ever let anyone else use it. I'm bound to it and it's bound to me – forever."
"That's crazy."
"All of the members of my tribe are sorcerers and witches, and we all have gems like these. Wait until you meet my three brothers. They have different powers than I do."
"Whoa! You'll really let me?"
"Of course!" the foreigner said, smiling down at the imp walking beside him. "We're friends now."
The imp smiled at that. "Are you and your brothers the only ones from Hyrule here?"
Faron's smile faded at that. "Maybe. I'm not sure. Two witches in the tribe threatened to follow us and take the item for their selves. But they'll never be able to find it. The spell we used to send the mask here stops anyone with a corrupted heart from taking it out. And the same spell managed to bring us here under protection. Those witches... if they stay here too long... will soon start forgetting who they are, or that they're from another world."
"Why?!"
"I told you. This realm has powerful magic."
The Skull Kid paused, looking off and thinking hard. "I guess I'm lucky to have been born here, then." Faron laughed at that. The imp smiled broadly. "I can't believe I have a friend now." The Skull Kid's smile was so wide, the happiness within himself boundless. "Especially one so powerful. I'm glad I attacked you."
Faron laughed again. "I'm glad you attacked me, too. You're the first friend I've made since I came here."
The Skull Kid continued smiling, looking around in wonder at the way the sun hit the leaves from behind the canopy. It was so pretty. He looked behind at the large garden flowers now far behind them. Their colors were vivid, brilliantly shining in the dotted sunlight.
The rain fell heavily, bombarding them from the bleak sky onto the equally bleak stone.
The imp walked through the hole in the chunk of ice blocking the road. Someone had hammered through a pathway, the frozen barrier cold to the touch. He passed through it to the other end, the rain falling on his hat once he had exited the tunnel in the block of ice. The girl hung in his arms limply, looking up with pale, fluttering eyelids. Her skin had somehow become chalkier; she looked like a ghost.
"Thank you for carrying me," she said softly, smiling as she rested on his shoulder. The rain drops glowed on her small, white cheeks.
"We're almost there," the imp said, walking down the pathway that curved into a gorge. He knew he would have to climb the giant stone wall to Termina Field, and then he would be within walking distance of Clock Town. Halfway into the gorge, he stopped, noticing the large, lizard-like creatures sleeping in the rain: dodongos. Their tails were spiked, but he knew the fire that came out of their mouths would kill them. He looked down to the girl in his arms, who seemed half-asleep. "You have to be quiet now, okay."
"Okay," she whispered, weakly bringing the hand that rested on her chest to her lips. "Shhh." The Skull Kid smiled at that, looking down at the dodongos worriedly. He walked carefully the rest of the way to the bottom of the gorge, his soft padded shoes hardly making a sound. The imp took a direct path towards the wall, walking in between two of the sleeping green giants. The girl moaned in his arms, and the Skull Kid froze.
Once a few moments had passed, and neither lizard had stirred, the imp continued. The girl hung limper and limper, her grip around his neck weakening with each step. The wood that had been driven into her stomach continued leaking blood. The bottom half of her white dress was now a dark, rich red.
The Skull Kid made it to the wall without incident, and began to climb with minimal usage of his hands. "You have to grab onto me," the imp said. The girl tried her best, summoning what strength she had left and clinging to him tightly. The Skull Kid began to walk carefully, until his foot slipped on a loose rock. He did not fall, but the pebble itself bounced down the collection of boulders, loudly clanking in the empty gorge. The dodongos instantly awoke. The one nearest to them stirred, opening its sleepy black eyes and sniffing the air, smelling blood. When it saw them hardly up the wall, it roared.
The Skull Kid turned back quickly, beginning to hop from rock to rock up the length of the gorge's wall. The girl bumped against him uncomfortably each time, one wrong jump capable of killing them both. He had no time to check before he leapt, however, trying his best to imagine the rocks as tree branches.
The dodongo bellowed a ball of fire in their direction. The Skull leapt quickly from his rock, taking only a moment to find a safer place to land. The fire landed where he had been, curling up into the air and warming the imp's back from afar. He managed to land on another rock, but haphazardly so. He almost fell, but caught his balance, leaping again immediately as another breath of fire missed him, singeing his boots.
Eventually, he leapt his last jump, and his feet met grass. The Skull Kid turned back to see another ball of fire heading directly towards his face. He ducked, and it passed overhead, the imp looking down to the see the girl was still unharmed. By the lizard, at least.
Clock Town was in sight, its Northern Gate just across the plain. The girl moaned again, her head lolling to the side as she opened her eyes. She looked off at the gray sky, the rain falling on her face, before she turned back to the imp. She smiled again, her blue eyes so youthful and pretty. "Can we be friends?"
The Skull Kid felt something stirring in his chest that made him want to cry. He ignored it, walking as fast as he could through the rain towards the village.
"I don't remember, Levias!" The Skull Kid grew impatient, legs drawn up to his chest as he rested his chin on his knees.
The two of them sat together on a patch of dirt in Termina Field. The gorge leading to Snowhead was just beside them, a bridge leading across it to the path that snaked upward. Snow could only be seen on the distance peaks of the mountains near Skyvale. Spring was nearing its end. The day was dark and cloudy, not a single ray of sunlight breaking through.
"Just think about it," the man stated. He had snow white hair, and his light brown face was very wrinkled and covered in a bushy, white beard. Despite that, his golden eyes fiercely glowed, shining bright against the dark gold of his cloak. The bright yellow gem holding his cloak together didn't glow as bright as it used to, the imp had begun to notice. "Concentrate."
The Skull Kid stared down at the symbol in the dirt. It was a diamond with two swirls to the top-right and bottom-left of it. "Treasure?"
"No," Levias said, shaking his head. "Wonder."
"I don't want to learn stupid symbols anymore!" the Skull Kid exclaimed, jumping to his feet and kicking the dirt. It swished over the man's drawing and erased it. Levias sighed, looking at the stick in his hand sadly. The imp was fuming, forcing himself to look away from the old man.
"I bet you remember this one, though," the old man said. The Skull Kid knew what he was drawing without even looking. The man in the golden cloak drew a crescent moon into the dirt, beginning to draw two slashing lines through it.
"I know, I know, I know!" the imp shouted, turning around. Levias didn't seem taken back, however, his face merely disappointed as he stopped drawing. "Love, friendship, happiness, blah-blah-blah! Your silly old, ancient, written language from Hyrule! Why are you acting so strange lately?! All of you!" The imp motioned towards the other three people who'd begun to approach them, crossing the bridge from Snowhead. They each wore cloaks and gems of their own, one green, one red, and one blue. All of their faces were wrinkled, and all of their heads were cropped with long white hair and beards. "And you've been getting all old lately. I thought that wasn't supposed to happen. I thought you came here under a protection spell?!"
"We did," Levias said, getting to his feet and letting the stick fall to the dirt. "But things have changed, Skull Kid. Oakridge is gone. It burnt to the ground. All of it. Have you forgotten?"
"What's Oakridge?" the imp asked, his brow furrowing into more confusion and anger.
"... What do you mean?" Levias asked, as his three brothers joined him, each looking suspiciously at the skull child.
"I mean, I've never heard of the place before! Is it from Hyrule, or some other realm?" The four brothers exchanged worried looks, and this infuriated the imp even more. "No! Stop that!" He stamped his feet into the dirt. He could feel them drifting away from... like all of his friends did. He couldn't lose them, too. Not them. They'd been his friends for years. It felt like forever ago that the first brother had created the garden in the pathway. It was hard to remember a time when they hadn't been apart of his life.
"We're all friends! I know you guys are brothers, but you can't cut me out like that... we've trusted each other with everything. Forever." The imp stopped, looking back to see their different colored eyes all merely staring at him. "... It's about that magical item, isn't it? That's the thing you guys refuse to talk about. No matter what."
"Skull Kid, it burnt down Oakridge. All of it. And you've already forgotten about it. We can't stop it anymore. We have to... we can't be here anymore like this... We have to..."
"No!" the Skull Kid said. "You're lying – all of you! I know it! Oakridge isn't even real, I bet."
"It was real," the one with red gem stated.
"Then why have I forgotten about it, huh?"
"We told you," the one with the blue gem stated. "This land has strange powers that we don't truly understa–"
"NO! Not that again! That's the answer you always use."
"It's the truth."
"I don't care! You guys are leaving me, aren't you?" None of them responded, the green, blue, red, and yellow eyes looking amongst each other sadly. "... Levias? Eldin? Lanayru? None of you?" His eyes then found the green ones that had been trying to avoid his own. The green cloaked man, despite this, did not look away. "Faron?!" The Skull Kid walked up to him, so that they were an inch apart. Faron did not back down.
"You're my best friend in the whole world!" the imp yelled, beginning to feel tears running down his cheeks. "I met you first! Are you leaving me?" He found that his fists were shaking by his sides angrily.
"Skull Kid, things have changed," Faron answered calmly. His cool, sharp, green eyes looked at the imp calmly. The Skull Kid found his voice to be reassuring. He backed away, but he didn't like it. He wanted to stay angry at them. "Look at our faces. They're old. We're weaker. The magical item is stronger than we thought."
"Then seal it away," he said, stepping forward again as openly cried. "Please. Do what you came here to do in the first place, so we can still be friends."
Faron appeared deeply hurt, but the Skull Kid refused to believe that. They hated him. He knew it. "We don't know how. We have to cast another protection spell, Skull Kid. … A different one. We have to sacrifice our gems and become one with this land. We have to make the four regions here just that – four separate lands."
"What?!" the imp backed away, his eyes wide in terror. "No... No! You can't. What'll become of you?"
"We'll become the true guardians of this land that we were meant to be," Faron answered calmly. "But we only have enough magic to protect Clock Town, Woodfall, Snowhead, Great Bay, and Ikana Canyon. We can't stop the magical item from destroying the other lands, but we can't let it destroy these five... or else it will escape. And destroy all the worlds. Termina is more important than we thought it was. We shouldn't have brought it here in the first place."
"But then we would have never been friends!" the Skull screamed now, at the top of his lungs, bringing his small, child-like eyes an inch from his wise, green ones. "Do all these years we've spent together mean nothing to you?!"
"No. They mean everything," Faron said, resting his hand on his shoulder, as he had all those years ago. The Skull Kid looked to the ground, shaking as he cried. "But we have a bigger responsibility to Termina. To everyone. If we don't do this, all of these lands will burn, and if Termina falls... nothing will stop the rest of the worlds from burning, too. We have to go to each of the temples and cast the powerful spell together and sacrifice our gems."
The imp shook Faron's hand off of his shoulder as he backed away, his crying beginning to slow as he sniffled now. He stared at the ground, his fists shaking, as the four sorcerers looked upon him. The Skull Kid then raised his head, his dark cheeks tear stained. He looked between the four of them again. "Will I be able to visit you?" His voice shook. He thought he already knew the answer.
"We won't be the same anymore," Faron answered. "We'll only be able to leave the temples when the land is in great danger. We left a song with the mayor of Clock Town... one that he can play to call us whenever he needs us." The other three brothers looked worried at this, though, not saying something. They're afraid the mayor is going to forget the song, aren't they? the Skull Kid thought bitterly. Just like they think I forgot what Oakridge was. They think all of us... us Termina people are lesser than them. They don't like us. They think we're stupid. But I know they're lying.
"Can you teach me the song?" he asked, trying in vainly to hide his anger now.
"Skull Kid... we won't be the same," Faron repeated, taking a step towards him. "We'll be gods... deities... we won't be people anymore. We don't know what form we'll take, but it'll be the form we need to be for the rest of eternity. In order to protect Termina."
"NO!" His fists shook again, and the Skull Kid stepped right in front of Faron's face once more. "I can prove you're lying!" Faron seemed not to understand, stepping backwards. "Do you remember the garden you made... in the forest? The day we met?" Faron didn't respond. "You said those flowers would be bright, beautiful, and alive as long as our friendship was true... as long as we all still loved each other. Just like... like that symbol you always show me! With the crescent moon. Love. I bet if I go there now, the flowers will be dead." None of them responded. "I'm right, aren't I?" He still shook with rage, still crying in anguish, his eyes flaring brilliantly.
"Skull Kid, we have to do it tonight. We don't have time to..."
"NO!"
He shoved Faron out of the way, knocking him into the dirt and accidentally erasing the half-drawn crescent moon. Faron quickly scrambled to his feet as the imp began to run. "Skull kid, wait!" he called, reaching out a hand to stop him.
The Skull Kid didn't listen, however. He ran, as fast as he could towards Woodfall, tears burning down his cheeks. He refused to turn around, refused to look at those stupid men in their stupid cloaks, all standing behind him talking about him. Talking about how they were going to leave him. I'll show them.
His feet carried him around Clock Town and into the southern swamp. His soft-padded shoes crashed through the pristine waters of Woodfall, until he began to barrel through the Woods of Mystery on the other side. The sun slowly inched across the sky as his journey continued, the day beginning to slip away as tree after tree was passed by.
The Skull Kid, running for quite a while, stopped and panted. Something was different about these woods; he could feel it. For some unknown reason, he wanted to turn around and leave. He was afraid what might lie on the other side. I don't remember being afraid before, he thought. What exactly had been on the other side of these woods? He couldn't remember, but he didn't want to find out.
Then he remembered why he had come here.
The imp began running again, finding the dirt path snaking to the edge of the forest. It had been overgrown and broken apart since he had last been here. The Skull Kid thought that might have been over fifty years ago. It was hard to remember things sometimes.
He almost ran passed it. The Skull Kid stopped again, turning around to see an exceptionally large collection of plant life in the center of the road. It was black, dead, and hanging limply towards the ground, so he hadn't set it apart from any of the other plants infecting the road. Though as he approached them, he recognized those petals, remembering the colorful life they had boasted so long ago.
The Skull Kid fell to his knees in front of the dead flowers. He cried silently, his small eyes wide in disbelief.
The girl's head lolled back in forth as the rain pelted her weak, pale body. She moaned, her eyes squeezed shut, the raindrops falling on her eyelids. The Skull Kid's eyes were set straight ahead, at the Northern Gate that the guard stood in front of. The Skull Kid thought the guard's placement was weird, knowing that they usually stood on the inside of Clock Town. The guard watched from underneath his drawn visor, spear in hand as the small skull child carrying the dying girl ran through the rain towards him.
The Skull Kid, upon climbing the steps to the door, made a move to enter the village, but the guard put his foot down firmly, slamming the spear in front of him. "I'm afraid I can't let you in."
The imp backed away, the girl not appearing aware of what was happening as she nuzzled her face into his shoulder. The creature and the young child were so small, the rain falling from the rim of the imp's witch-like hat. His small eyes looked up at the guard standing resolutely before him. He was tall and strong, his armor glistening in the rain and his eyes hidden behind the visor. He looked down on the two children before him with unwavering authority.
"Please," the Skull Kid said, gesturing towards the girl. Her blood strained dress and pale skin should have made it obvious they needed to enter. "She's going to die. I need to find someone to help her."
"Well, find help somewhere else," the guard responded. "I'm not admitting you to the city."
"We can't find help anywhere else," the imp said. "There's no where else to go."
"I'm under strict orders to grant no one admittance to Clock Town. Without exceptions."
"Why?"
The guard paused. "The mayor and his wife are dead. They were murdered last night, so we're under strict orders to let no one into or out of the city."
Murdered? The Skull Kid didn't understand. He, the boy, the shadow, and the fairy were the only ones capable of doing anything outside of the normal string of events in the timeline. He knew for a fact none of them had been responsible, but he knew they were the only possible culprits. "How?"
"They were ripped to pieces," the guard stated. "By some dark magic. Now I'm afraid I have to ask you to turn around and leave."
The Skull Kid looked down at the girl, feeling himself beginning to shake with rage when he noticed her blue eyes open again. They shone at him hopefully. "We're not going to rip anyone to pieces! I have a dying little girl in my hands. Please."
"I said go!" The guard thrust the spear out at the Skull Kid. He barely avoided it, the spear's tip coming within an inch of impaling both him and the girl in his hands. The imp stared up at the guard in disbelief, but he showed him no signs of mercy.
The Skull Kid ran around the wall of Clock Town, the rain beginning to pour down harder upon them. I have to find shelter, he thought to himself. The girl's eyes closed again and her head bobbed. He continued running until he halfway encircled the city. He found the hollowed out log. It was the one that he had first met Tatl and Tael under.
He ran as quickly as he could towards it, the rain eventually echoing loudly from within the log as it bounced off of its roof. The imp and the girl were drenched, but the water could not reach them here. The space was very large, but it was still cold, the air rich with water. He laid the girl down gently on the grass, up against the wooden wall of the log. However, she didn't seem capable of supporting herself. The girl slid off of the wall and landed on her side limply, not even reacting to her fall.
"No, you have to sit up," the Skull Kid said. "You have to get better so we can be friends." He grabbed the little girl by her shoulders to lift her again, but her head fell forward uncomfortably. The imp laid her back against the wall, this time more carefully, but she slid off of the wall again, landing exactly as she had before.
At first, he merely stood there, staring at the girl lying on the grass. Her mouth was agape, eyes closed, her skin so pale and her dress so red. The rain pattered on the wood loudly, the only sound that broke the deathly silence from in the log. The Skull Kid's eyes were wide, his dark face blank.
"... How do I bring her back?" The rain was the only thing that answered him. "How do I bring her back?" he asked again. Still, no one was there to tell him what to do. "I was supposed to save her. How do I bring her back?" The girl lied lifelessly at his feet, the piece of wood lodged within her wet with rain and blood. "How do I bring her back?!"
The Skull Kid screamed this time, his fists shaking with rage. He thrust his hands out angrily beside him, and he was shocked by the purple flames that burst forth. They curled into the air and died away quickly, the imp gasping as he backed into the other side of the log. How is that possible?
He rose his hands in front of him, shakily observing his empty palms. He remembered when he had seen the girl lying helplessly underneath the wagon. Something inside of him had compelled him to save her. Now, he had tapped into something much differently that was inside of him, in order to produce the flames. Anger. Rage. Hatred. Apparently, some of Majora's magic was still within him.
He looked past his outstretched hands at the dead little girl. Her brown hair was still pretty, even though it was matted, dirty, and wet. Her face so innocently rested on the grass, as if she were merely asleep. The rage boiled within him again, and the imp left the girl behind, leaving the log and entering the rain. He ignored it as it pattered on his face, his body shaking furiously as he approached the Southern Gate.
The guard that saw him approaching slammed his foot and spear down before he had even climbed the steps. "Halt! I'm afraid I can't..." The Skull Kid shot his arms outward, and purple fire rushed forward. It enveloped the guard immediately, his skin aflame even from underneath the heavy metal armor. His suit began to turn red, ringing with the warmth of the fire as it became an oven, cooking the man inside of it. He screamed, dropping his spear and trying to remove his armor as quickly as he could.
He was a torch now, purple fire curling off of him. The Skull Kid watched angrily as the guard ran passed him into the rain, failing at his attempts to remove his helmet. The rain was doing nothing to put out the fire, however, the dark magic resisting it as his body continued to burn.
The screams were so bestial. The Skull Kid didn't like how terrible they sounded. Every time he pictured the dead girl, the anger returned to him, and he found more fire circling his hands.
He cast another spell at the guard, hoping to end his terrible screaming. The fire climbed into the guard's mouth and worked its way down his throat, frying him both inside and out as he screamed. He collapsed to the ground, lying limply now as his body continued to burn. The Skull Kid stared at the guard as the last of his jerky, spastic movements came to an end. Eventually, the rain was powerful enough to put out the fire, and the guard lay there black and dead.
He had avenged the girl's death. The terrible evil this man had committed could never happen again, because he was dead. But it was the Northern guard that stopped you from entering. Did it matter? This guard would have done the same. He walked passed the corpse and entered the log again.
He reached down to the little girl and lifted her arm, but when he let go of it, it limply returned to the ground. The Skull Kid backed away and stared at her some more. She was dead too, like the guard. With her death, her pain had ended. She could suffer no more. She was so pale... so peaceful... so pure...
The girl and guard had found purity in death. Neither one could suffer, and neither one could hurt. They were dead, and because they were dead, they were now flawless. He saw the beauty in death as he stared down at the person he'd wanted to be friends with. It's okay though, he told himself. She's even more beautiful now. The Skull Kid listened to the rain pattering on the log, and remembered what Majora had taught him. It had tried so hard to teach him death's beauty. But he hadn't truly understood until now.
He took a step away from the girl, looking at the rain and over Clock Town. Snowhead's peaks could been seen far in the distance. If he waited any longer, the last of Majora's magic within him might fade. If he waited, his chances of begging for forgiveness would grow more futile. He turned back to the girl lying dead behind him.
"... No one can be my friend," he said sadly, a tear rolling from his eye to join the rain streaking down his face. "They all leave me. Friends are imperfect." He smiled, however, when he realized something, turning back to Snowhead again, where he knew Majora's Mask laid. "Except one friend." He began to walk towards the mountains, feeling so stupid that it had taken him this long to realize it. Majora had tried to tell him over and over again, but he had been so stupid. So weak and imperfect. He would spend the rest of his days doing what he was meant to do: serving the one friend Majora had acquainted him with most.
"Death. Death is perfect."
The Skull Kid walked into the Southern Swamp, his fists shaking by his sides. He hadn't been able to find Faron, Eldin, Lanayru, or Levias anywhere. For days he had searched, but Faron had proven true to his word. They had left that day to cast their stupid protection spell. Now all of the temples they had retired to were sealed off.
But it didn't matter. The imp had discovered a way he could summon them again.
The Skull Kid climbed the ladder to the hut sitting in the middle of the swamp. Once on its platform, he swung the door open. It crashed into the wall behind it, and a woman looked up at the intruder. She seemed a lot like the four brothers had, with their darker skin and shining eyes. Her hair was white and sticking straight up, and her face was newly wrinkled.
The imp remembered Faron mentioning two witches that had also followed them to Termina. He said they would one day forget their pasts, and who they truly were. He wondered if that was true, as she looked up more curious than frightened. He didn't really care, though. He'd come here for one thing.
The dark red gem on her forehead was glowing brightly.
"Who are you?"
The Skull Kid threw a Deku nut at her feet. There was a flash, and the witch grabbed her eyes painfully, shrieking as she backed into the other side of the hut. The imp was already upon her, grabbing the gem firmly in his hand and ripping it from her forehead.
The witch screamed terribly, her eyes wide as she collapsed to the floor. The Skull Kid watched as her face wrinkled more and more. It tightened itself up as she began to age drastically. Her skin appeared to dry as she continued to age and grow stiff, becoming mummy-like. Eventually, it stopped, and the witch lied immobile on the floor. Her breathing was harsh and rugged as she laid there, eyes staring emptily forward as she twitched ever so slightly. She didn't appear like she could move.
The Skull Kid exited the hut and hopped down into the swamp below. He took in a deep breath, holding the gem firmly in his hands as he allowed the power to course through his veins. Then, he thrust his arms forward and brilliant, red, orange fire burst forth. It was alive, massive amounts of it curling into a great wave. The imp watched in awe as the fire slammed into a nearby rock wall, completely obliterating it.
He hadn't meant for the blast to be so powerful, but he smiled.
He continued practicing firing blasts from his hands as he began his journey towards Clock Town. Each blast of fire danced in his eyes as he sent one after the other forward, smiling wickedly as the world around him burned. The townsfolk had been able to hear the fire blasts from far away, but that had done nothing to prepare them.
Buildings exploded. Stalls were destroyed. People ran and screamed. The Skull sent fire everywhere, destroying everything. None of the guards could stop him. When they tried, he scared them away with the fire, forcing them to drop their spears. "Play your stupid song!" the Skull Kid yelled, as he stood in the center of the South Clock Town plaza. He sent fire everywhere, the red gem in his hand glowing furiously as he destroyed. "Call your guardians! Bring them here to protect you!"
He stopped when he heard something. The Skull Kid turned to the sky, listening as a deep, resonating singing voice echoed throughout the plaza. He tried to find its source, but couldn't, soon noticing that it was coming from more than one source. He spun around wildly, in the center of the plaza now as the singing grew louder. The ground around him was scorched, the buildings and stalls destroyed. Only the clock tower stood unharmed, the great, ornate surface of the clock slowly turning from high above.
The Skull Kid, gem at the ready, continued turning, waiting for a guard or villager to attack... or for the guardians to arrive. Great, thundering footsteps could be heard in the distance, and the imp began to shake. This time, he shook out of fear, not anger. The footsteps grew louder and more thundering, the voices echoing as they continued to sing. His hand grew sweaty, the gem in his hand threatening to slip from his grasp. No. Stay calm.
And then he saw them. The four giants. The faces of his former friends could hardly be found in the small balls for bodies they had, eyes small and oafish. Their legs were long and powerful, their arms equally disproportionally lengthy. Though, he did find one interesting feature in each of their faces. They were wrinkled, dried, and old, much like the witches when he ripped her gem from her forehead. The gems were no where on any of their foreheads or bodies, no longer wearing the cloaks he had grown to love. Unlike stealing the gem from the witch, however, casting their protection spell and sacrificing their gems had turned them into giants, rather than cripples.
One stood in each cardinal direction, as had been foretold to him. He turned, shaking, watching as townsfolk began to collect in the far corners of the plaza, not willing to approach the imp at its center, but feeling safer with the giants. The survivors kept their distance, looking around in awe, still dazed by the destruction that had been brought to them. The Skull Kid shook, remaining in the center by himself, red gem still glowing furiously in his hand. The imp turned, his eyes finding the giant who stood behind the southern gate.
The giant opened his mouth and sung deeply again, before closing it to speak. He wondered if they were slowly losing their ability to speak, also, as they sacrificed their individuality to be guardians. "You have tormented, destroyed, and stolen, skull child, and angered the guardians who slumber in their temples."
The Skull Kid took a moment to respond, shaking again as he stood in the shadow of the mighty four giants. Each stood outside of the town walls, but they were still massive enough to hang far over the entire city, as well as the clock tower at its center. "... y-y-you're my friends. I... I wanted to see you."
The giant merely blinked. The Skull Kid was hardly the same size as its eyeball, craning his head back as he stood before it. "We have chosen to guard the people while we sleep. 100 steps north, 100 steps south, 100 steps east, 100 steps west. You've struck terror into the hearts of the people in this town with your wickedness. In these dark times, wickedness can not be permitted in our realm. It will only send this world to its doom faster. In the name of our past friendship, we give you the option of banishment to the world between worlds. Otherwise, you will be ripped apart here and now, to end your wrath permanently."
The Skull Kid's eyes grew wide, taking a step backwards in shock. "N-n-no. We're friends... that's not what friends do. You can't kill me or banish me! We're friends!"
"You will return the gem to Koume. She and her sister no longer remember their reasons for entering this realm, and are no longer a threat to our cause."
The Skull Kid's mind was blind with panic. He tried to think of a solution, as he looked around. He hadn't thought far enough to think about what would happen when he summoned them. They were guarding each exit to Clock Town. There was no way out. Unless... "No! You can't make me!"
He threw a ball of fire into the air, the red gem glowing. It traveled towards the face of the giant, who had once been named Faron. The Skull Kid turned and ran for the clock tower. He hurried, not even looking to see if his fire ball had done any damage, the ornate, wooden doors before him. They had told him they were the bridge between worlds, made from a magical tree. Well, if that was the case, he would escape through them – no matter how much their mystery frightened him.
The giant dismissed the ball of fire lazily with his hand, it redirected to fly askew into the sky. He then raised his arms once more, palm facing the plaza below him. Grass began to shoot in between the bricks of the city, as roots, branches, and trees sprung from the ground underneath. They began to form themselves into crude people, the wooden creatures using their newly created arms and legs to reach out for the fleeing skull child.
He barely avoided the wooden grasp of the one born nearest him, leaping over its arm and barreling through the clock tower doors. He was plunged into the tower's darkness, the wooden gears turning above and below as the underground river powered the clock face. The imp ran as the wooden creatures began to follow him inside. He turned over his shoulder to see at least twenty filing in after him, long wooden legs giving them an advantage as they stretched forward swiftly, their limbs creaking.
The Skull Kid leapt over the railings and landed on the first floor, turning to see a passageway with an open doorway. He wagered it must lead deep underneath Termina. The imp raced for it, even though every fiber of his being shook and told him not to enter. But he had to. He had no where else to run. The dark red gem still burned in his hand as his feet pattered on the wet floor, the underground stream lapping up onto the stony surface. The tree people followed, growing and extending themselves down from the second story. More were continually born around him, reaching to try and stop the escapee.
The moment the Skull Kid passed through the doorway, he collapsed.
The dark red gem spun from his fingers, clattering just in front of him. He landed on his face, knocking the breath out of himself as his hand swam. The imp had passed through some invisible force, and it left his head spinning. The Skull Kid quickly got to his feet, hearing the wooden army approaching him from behind. He grabbed the red gem and felt a wooden hand grab his shoulder.
"No!" he screamed. The flung his hand outward, causing the wooden minion to burst into flame. He kept running, watching as the stone hallway continued opening up around him, causing plants and vines to break the stone as they formed more and more monsters. He breathed in and out heavily as he ran, hopping over each new arm that grabbed him.
The stone hallway ahead of him continued going downward. The passageway ahead of him was beautiful, flawless, and showcasing expert stonework. Behind, the plant life destroyed the hallway, breaking apart the white stone and leaving it in ruins. He continued running, bringing a path of destruction that followed him from behind.
Several minutes into his escape, a hand shot out of the stone and wrapped around his ankle. The Skull Kid screamed, falling to the ground and grasping the gem firmly. He'd felt many of the monsters approaching him from behind and wasn't prepared to risk anything. He let all fury loose, massive explosions of fire disintegrating all of the beasts around him. The hallway itself exploded, stone flying everywhere and sending the Skull Kid backwards into a wall. He hardly let the injury stop him, continuing to run, a massive chasm left behind. Tree people fell into it as they burned.
Eventually, he reached a wide open room. He began to stop running when he realized there was no where left for him to go. It was a dead end. The room was very large, the ceiling nonexistent; the grassy, dirt walls extended up into infinite blackness. Two unlit torches stood not far from him, a pond with a Deku flower in the center nearby.
The Skull Kid only took a few more steps before stopping, breathing in and out heavily as he looked around for some escape. There was none. The only way out was through the tunnel the forestry was chasing him through. He was trapped.
The Skull Kid turned to face the army that poured forth, screaming now as he shot fire in every direction. Explosions filled the room as fire licked the air, but he had hardly begun the battle before a plant was born under his feet. The tree trunk shot high into the air, sending the Skull Kid flying. He spiraled into the pond, the gem spinning from his hand to land far away. The splash of water was loud, the imp scrambling to his feet. One of the tree people collected his gem before he'd even stood.
"No!" the Skull Kid screamed, reaching out his hand. But another vine shot out of the ground, grabbing his wrist and forcing it back to his side. More plant life continued to do this, springing out of the ground and forcing him to his knees. The Skull Kid looked up shakily, the water up to his waist. The most terrifying of the tree people approached him. It's glowing green eyes stared down at him furiously.
"In the name of the guardians that protect this realm, I sentence you to 1,000 years of imprisonment for the torment of the citizens of Clock Town. Your cell will be the world between worlds you foolishly ran into yourself. May Farore have mercy on your soul."
The creature rose its hands, pointing them at the Skull Kid. "Noo!" he screamed, but to no avail.
The branches holding him crept upward to encase him. The roots broke from the earth, and the Skull Kid rose into the air, as the wood enclosed his body. His screams were silenced as the branches began to shine, the bark falling away to reveal clear, green, hard rock. It rose higher, until the imp was suspended hundreds of feet above the ground.
He was trapped within a green diamond, its surface sparkling and clear, revealing the skull child trapped within. He was frozen in a position of terror, his head craned back and mouth wide open. No sound escaped from it, however, his eyes still pleading with the sky to save him.
The Skull Kid, from within his diamond prison, watched as the tree with glowing green eyes picked up the gem and left through the passageway. It brought down a heavy, wooden doorway to seal off the entrance, bringing the witch's magic with itself. The imp was left alone in the wide, empty room.
There was silence. Nothing but silence. Soon, even that was robbed of him, as he felt his consciousness melting away. His limbs frozen in place, he could do nothing but mentally scream as his ears rang and his vision faded.
The Skull Kid fell into a deep sleep.
The winter storm had calmed, but the cold still chilled his bones.
The imp walked through the snow and shivered, grabbing his arms as he shook from the bitter wind. It was late, the Skull Kid having walked all day and night. The final day wasn't far away.
He began to approach the cliff where he had killed the shadow twenty-four hours ago. The imp had learned so much since then, but the image of the girl from the caravan had faded from his mind already. All he could think of now was death, and the purity it held. It was the only reliable friend he would ever have.
The Skull Kid was crying as he approached Majora's Mask. It laid in the snow, appearing undisturbed from when he threw it. The imp collapsed to his knees before it, sobbing now as he scooped it into his hands. He wasn't even sure why he was crying, but he did. He couldn't help himself. He felt so sad and alone, but he told himself it was happiness he had found.
He would learn to call it happiness one day. Majora told him how death might seem repugnant at first, and that you might think you're sad. Eventually, though, he would learn to call it happiness.
"I'm sorry," the Skull Kid said, as the tears ran down his dark cheeks. He held the mask firmly in his hands, staring into the deep orange eyes. "Please... please forgive me..."
Of course. He looked up from his crying, sniffling now as he peered into the eyes of the dark mask. You always have a home in the darkness.
The Skull Kid, tears still silently rolling down his face, got to his feet. He shakily began rising the mask to his face, as the winds of Snowhead bitterly stung him.
Majora's Mask was the face of the Skull Kid once more.
He heard a crack.
It snaked across the surface of the green diamond. Suddenly, he was awakening, and the Skull Kid's senses rushed back to him. His prison shattered, and the imp fell into the pond below him. The green shards shone and glittered as they rained to the ground around him. The Skull Kid shakily got to his feet, his limps weak and his mind numb. The weight of the water brought him down, however, and he fell.
The next time the Skull Kid stood, he did so firmly, stumbling out of the pond and onto the small crop of land. He looked around dazedly, blinking at the large, empty room. The memories came back to him slowly. The red gem... the giant's song... his friend sending the tree people after him... the chase through the tunnels under the clock tower...
He half fell towards the dirt wall he knew hid the passageway. It didn't take him long to find the notch, and he slid the door open, passing through to the dark tunnel on the other side. It was dark and terrifying, the Skull Kid barely able to see as he slowly walked through the darkness. It contrasted starkly from his last visit through the passageway. Last time, the creatures had been noisily chasing him from behind, and he had been running.
Now, he walked silently. The hallways were in ruins, gaping holes in the dark stone and plants having overgrown throughout it. His footsteps echoed silently through the darkness, and he walked with his mouth agape, staring ahead emptily. He felt like a ghost having risen from the dead. The hallway looked like it had been in ruin for hundreds of years. He remembered the words of the green-eyed tree and wondered if he had served his sentence in full.
Eventually, he found himself underneath the clock tower, the sounds of the underground river loud amidst the clanking of the wooden gears. He was expecting the dizziness and as he passed through the doorway. He easily overcame it. The Skull Kid walked up the ramp, onto the platform, and passed the spinning wooden pole. The imp placed his hand on the wooden doors leading into the plaza shakily. He pushed the doors open and stepped outside.
The townsfolk in the main plaza of South Clock Town, where the clock tower was located, looked curiously at the set of doors with oddly shaped, colorful designs. They were located at the base of the clock tower and had only opened once before. At least, as long as anyone alive could remember. The visitor had been peaceful, and he had come through the doors only a couple of years ago. The old man had stumbled into the sunlight and laid down on the pavement, a huge smile on his face as he had died right there before anyone could have done anything about it. And now, oddly enough, a child stumbled out of the doors.
The Skull Kid looked up, feeling strange as the eyes of the villagers seemed confused at his appearance. Their eyes lingered on him for the longest time, it felt, the imp merely standing there solemnly and motionlessly. Eventually, they went back to working at their stalls and crossing the plaza, though they continuously threw him glances over their shoulders, as if expecting him to do something. Do they really not know me?
He didn't recognize any of them, either. Each face was new, and he hardly recognized the plaza. The Skull Kid felt even more ghost-like as he walked silently towards the staircase leading to East Clock Town. The villagers looked at him suspiciously as he passed, but none of them approached him.
He walked to the mayor's office, opening the door and walking up to the desk. An elderly lady stood behind it. "How may I help you?" she asked, looking down at him. The child's clothes were frayed and dirty, and his eyes appeared to harbor a deep sadness. "Where are your parents?"
"Can I speak to the mayor?" The elderly lady seemed hesitant, but eventually she decided to comply. The desk attendant lead him to a back room, and the Skull Kid walked in. A young lady looked up at him and smiled, her face beaming. She sat in a chair beside the large desk at the end of the room, bookshelves up against the wall behind it. The young woman held a baby in her arms, and the man behind the desk was equally young, smiling down at the baby before he looked up at the visitor.
"He wanted to speak to the mayor," the attendant said, as if it was an excuse. The man sitting behind the desk looked confused.
"It's okay, mom," the woman with the baby said, in response to her husband's confusion. "Kafei is just being a little fussy, that's all. We were going to put him down for a nap."
"I'm sorry," the old woman said. "He's just a child... and he looked so lost."
"Do you know the song?" The Skull Kid interrupted everybody with this question, stepping up to the desk.
The mayor seemed confused, looking up at the child with narrowed eyes. "What song?"
"The song to call the guardians," he explained. "The giants."
The mayor, his wife, and the elderly woman all exchanged a glance before bursting into laughter. "Is this the urgent news you came to see the mayor for? Tales and fables? Sweetie, those stories aren't real."
The Skull Kid turned slowly from the mayor to look at the attendant smiling down at him. His face was blank. They told me they would forget. But I didn't believe them. The Skull Kid didn't press the matter, walking out of the office without another word. He left the three people behind in confusion, the baby crying in its mother's arms.
The imp roamed around the city for the rest of the day. He didn't see a single familiar face. The town he had tormented had died off long ago, and it had given rise to a generation that did not remember the skull child that destroyed their village. Didn't remember. Memory. It always came back to that. The magic of this world made people forget. Made people think their past was just stories. As if they were stupid. Would he have forgotten, had he stayed here?
He remembered them trying to convince him that Oak-something had existed across Woodfall. He shook his head. No one in Termina knew what laid beyond any of the four regions. He knew that for a fact. He also knew for a fact that the guardians were still sitting in their temples. Uncaring. Cold. Powerful. Wicked.
The Skull Kid walked around aimlessly until night came. Clouds collected and the rain began to come down heavily. The imp exited the South Clock Town gate and began roaming out there. Once he was too wet, the Skull Kid made to go back to Clock Town. He stopped though, remembering that he didn't know anybody there. He didn't know anybody anywhere. They were all dead, having existed long ago. His best friends in the world hadn't died, though, but they still had abandoned him.
The Skull wondered into a log, eventually. He curled into a ball against its surface and sat there. Eventually, he began to cry, shivering from the cold and the rain. He rocked back and forth by himself. They left me, he thought to himself, as he sat alone. They're gone forever. They hate me now. They really left me.
The memories flashed across his brain, like nightmares that wouldn't go away. Fables. Legends. Everything he had ever come to know had been forgotten.
He continued sobbing as the rain barreled down outside. At first, he didn't even notice when a purple and a white fairy flew into the log with him, searching for shelter of their own.
Replies to Anonymous Reviewers:
Santiago: Thank you! I'm glad you mentioned the sea snakes; while they were a minor part to the chapter, it was something I wasn't entirely sure how to tackle. And you would be correct, regarding the imposter! I wanted a chapter to not only build characters, but to set things up for both the Skull Kid and Link before he set out to the temple.
Guest (Chapter 7): I know, very sad. :[ But for several reasons. I wanted to establish that - even though everyone has played this game before and generally knows how it plays out - none of the characters have a "make it to the end free card." Even Tatl. I wanted to write a story that had genuine suspense regarding what would happen, especially for the characters, and I wanted to establish that early on. But they got a second chance! :)
EDLDS3.14159 (both reviews): Sorry about this chapter dashing those hopes. :/ And I'm excited to get to all of those things as well! But yes, Majora did tell Dark Link that he planned on letting Link kill the Skull Kid. We'll see how that turns out...
lunafall: Well, I can't answer the second question! But that is a good theory. As for the first one, I'll "kind of" answer it by pointing out that I've made at least a reference to many of the masks so far. The Postman's Hat, Stone Mask, Keaton Mask, Bremen Mask, Romani's Mask, the Garo's Mask, two of the giant's masks, and the three transformation have all been alluded to/used thus far... so you can expect more!
Steph: Yeah, me too! I didn't make the connection (pun not intended) until after I'd written it in, though. Rest assured, Link's quest will not turn into a hunt for horcruxes. And thanks! I'm excited to reveal the hopefully "epic" way I already have planned to tie it all up! :)
