Author's Note: Special thanks to everyone who's read my previous works. This was a long time in the making, as I wasn't as focused this time around. But it should be something special nonetheless.


Chapter 49

This was what they feared the most. The four girls knew what they were getting into, but it still horrified them to see what was standing before them. Standing before them was Link…and he was wearing the evil Majora's Mask. Saria couldn't believe it was about to come to this. She had to do something to stop…no…save the boy she raised back in the forest from this evil mask.

Saria's parallel self pointed something out. "He…looks so familiar. He looks just the Link in my world…before he destroyed Kakariko Village."

The Forest Sage could remember the first time she met Princess Saria back in that parallel Hyrule. She told her about their version of Link, who in that world was the Villain of Time. And he went on to destroy Kakariko Village. It was later discovered that it wasn't actually Link committing the atrocities, but Majora's Mask, which he was wearing at the time.

Zelda tried walking up to Link. "Link…we know it's you. Please, give up the mask. You know it's evil."

Zelda hesitated when Link pulled out his sword. She picked herself up, though, and continued walking towards Link.

"You won't do it," Zelda said positively. "I'm your friend, Link. You know we're friends. You won't cut me down with that sword, no matter how evil that mask is. You know you have a stronger will than the mask."

The masked Link hung his head down and dropped his sword. Zelda stopped and stared Link right in the face.

"Please end this, Link," Zelda continued. "Take off the mask."

Link breathed heavily. "NO!!!"

With that sudden shout, Link made his move with lightning speed. He pulled an arrow and stabbed Zelda in the leg with it. The shriek of pain made the Forest Sage Saria cringe, for more reasons than one. What had her friend just done? Then she realized it wasn't him. It had to be the influence of Majora's Mask.

Link tried to strike again, but something held him back. It was a ray of light being shot out by Princess Saria. It was temporarily holding Link at bay, which gave Malon the chance to get Zelda. She dragged the wounded princess behind a rock.

"No!" Princess Saria suddenly shouted. "In there!!"

The Forest Sage looked over to see a cave. It was a lucky break. She helped Malon take Zelda into the cave. She waited for her parallel self, since she knew that she couldn't hold Link forever. Eventually, Princess Saria ceased fire and ran into the cave. Link turned his head to see where everyone had gone, but he was hit in the face with a flash of light. It looked like Princess Zelda got in one shot, and she made it count.

"He…doesn't know…we're here," Zelda said weakly.

Malon went down to one knee. "Don't move." She snapped the arrow and started pulling out the arrowhead. The sudden action had Zelda practically screaming her lungs out.

"Zelda, calm down," Saria pleaded. "What if he hears us?"

Malon tried to address that concern by handing Zelda the piece of the arrow she snapped off. Zelda bit down on it, as Malon gingerly continued pulling out the arrowhead. Saria was out of ideas. She looked outside to see Link bringing the moon closer to the ground. It looked like it was truly over. There had to be less than two hours before it crashed.

Suddenly, Link started moving away. What he was doing, the Forest Sage had no idea…until she saw what he was approaching. Saria's heart began to pump a mile a minute when she saw someone else was just coming up over the mountain.

To her horror…it was Sodo.


Chapter 50

Saria's heart skipped a beat. She was nearly paralyzed in fear of what was about to happen. This was the boy she loved…and he was about to be killed by her best friend…no…by that mask. She couldn't let that happen. As scared as she was, she ran out of the cave.

"Saria!!" she heard her parallel self cry out. "Don't!! He'll kill you!!"

The Forest Sage didn't care, though. She wouldn't let this happen…and she knew she had to take this chance. As dangerous and life threatening as it was, Saria ran between Sodo and the masked Link.

"Link, STOP!!"

"Saria, NO!!" Sodo cried out.

"I have to do this," Saria responded. "Link, please STOP!!"

Link wasn't stopping. He pulled out his sword and kept moving towards Saria. But she refused to move. She was going to try the only thing she could. She had to appeal to the man behind the evil mask. She had to try and reach Link.

"Don't do this, Link," Saria said tearfully. "You're my friend. Please don't do this. I know you're better than this. I know because I raised you and I know you can overcome the mask's evil influence. You have to fight it, Link. Please!"

Link stopped walking. He was starting to hold his head and wail away in pain. Saria could see that he was trying to overcome the power of Majora's Mask.

"That's it, Link!!" Saria shouted. "Fight it!! Don't let it control you!!"

Link continued wailing in agony as he tried to fight the evil power of Majora's Mask. He fell to one knee and continued clutching his head. Then Link fell flat on his chest. He wasn't moving.

Saria inched closer to her friend. "…Link?"

That's when she found out he wasn't out. Letting out a roar, Link rose to his feet and swung his sword horizontally. Saria barely ducked in time. Seeing this, she ran behind a large boulder. Luckily, Link chose not to give chase and she saw why. He went back to motion for the moon. He knew that the moon would soon destroy all.

Saria then felt a hand tap her shoulder. She gasped and turned around to see Sodo.

"Why did you follow me here?" Saria demanded. It hurt her to see he had followed her. She knew that his love for her would wind up getting him killed.

"I had to tell you something," Sodo replied. He looked up at the sky, which was almost completely engulfed by the moon. "Not that it matters anymore. Saria, that isn't who I think it is, is it?"

"I'm afraid so," Saria said grimly. She started to step out again.

"Hey! You can't go out there!" Sodo cried out. "He's crazy! He'll kill you!"

"I don't care!" Saria shouted. "It's either I die now or I die later! I have to try!" She walked out from behind the boulder and made the call. "LINK!!"

Link turned around…and started walking towards Saria again…with his sword out.


Chapter 51

Saria didn't know what else to do. She was truly out of ideas. She tried to appeal to Link's pure spirit, but she failed. Then the Forest Sage remembered what she told Sodo about Majora's Mask. It can corrupt even the purest of souls.

Saria felt her life flash before her eyes as Link approached her. This might be the end…but she knew with the moon looming in the sky, the end would have come soon enough anyway.

But she had to try and appeal to Link one last time. "Link, it's me. Don't do this."

He wasn't listening. Link pulled his sword back and prepared to swing. Saria closed her eyes and prepared for the worst.

"LINK!!!"

Link stopped. Saria sensed she was still in one piece. She opened her eyes to see who it was that called out. Then she saw who it was. It was Malon.

She also tried to appeal to Link. "Please don't do this, Link!"

Link started walking towards Malon with his sword still out. It looked like he wasn't listening. But he couldn't do this. He loved Malon more than anybody. He wouldn't…

"Don't do this," Malon cried. "I love you, Link! Please stop!"

Link was stopping to clutch his head again. He was trying to fight the evil mask's power again. But Majora's Mask seemed to be winning the battle. Its hold over Link's mind was too strong. It pained Saria to see this.

"Hey!"

Saria abruptly turned around. She felt like someone was calling her. It sounded like a fairy, but it wasn't her own. Then Saria began to hear…musical notes.

>…v…A…v…>…^

Saria didn't know what to make of it. But whatever it was began to play the notes again.

>…v…A…v…>…^

She didn't know what it was…but she sensed something about these notes…something mystical.

"Hey! Play the song already!"

Saria looked around again. She could've sworn a voice called out to her. She was starting to think it was a sign…something divine telling her to play this song. Not questioning it any further, she pulled out her ocarina. She was about to play it when she heard the voice again.

"No! Play it in front of him!"

It was strange to hear a voice out hear in the mountains. But Saria could only do what she was told. What harm could it do? She took her ocarina and stood between Malon and the masked Link. He was still trying to fight Majora's Mask, but seemingly came out of his trance. Saria held up her ocarina and played the song.

>…v…A…v…>…^

After she finished the song, the mountain began to shake. At first, Saria thought it was because the moon was about to hit. Then she saw Link clutching his head again and shrieking in agony…but in a much deeper voice.

"What's happening?" Malon suddenly asked.

Saria looked around her to see an amazing sight. There were four giants approaching from each side of Death Mountain. Then it finally hit Saria. That song…it was the Oath to Order.

"It's them. They're here."

Saria turned around to see her parallel self, Princess Saria, come out of the cave. She was closely followed by Princess Zelda, who was still limping from Link's attack.

"It's the four giants of legend," Princess Saria continued. "They came when they heard that song. It must've been the Oath to Order. How did you know it?"

The Forest Sage tried to answer, but she hesitated as she was caught up by the massive presence of the four giants. The giants stopped when they reached the mountain. They extended their humongous arms and reached for the falling moon. They struggled to hold the moon in place and the ground continued to shake. Soon though, the rumbling stopped…and the moon was held in place above the ground.

Saria glanced up at the static moon. "It stopped. The moon stopped!"

"And not a moment too soon," Zelda suddenly added. She looked at Saria curiously. "Saria, how did you know that song?"

Saria didn't even know the answer to that question herself. "I…don't…know."

For a few minutes, everyone continued to gaze up at the inert moon that had come within inches of striking the ground and destroying all of Hyrule. Finally, Malon took her eyes off the moon and gasped.

"Link!!"

The terrified farm girl ran towards Link. He lay motionless on the ground. Saria felt terrible. This had to be another effect of the Oath to Order…one the Forest Sage hadn't been able to foresee.

Malon desperately tried to shake Link awake, but he still wasn't moving. Then she did the one thing she could do to save Link.

She grabbed Majora's Mask and pulled it off of Link's face.


Chapter 52

"Link? Link? Please wake up!"

Link felt like he was hit with a ton a bricks. His head was throbbing in pain. He had no idea what hit him. But he was sure of one thing…that voice…that heavenly voice. After what felt like the longest few seconds of his life, Link opened his eyes to see the warm, compassionate face of Malon.

Malon didn't even give Link a chance to say anything. She immediately locked her lips on his own. The kiss came as a shock to Link…especially since he didn't know where he was.

"What…hit me?"

Then Link looked around him to see he was on Death Mountain and he wasn't alone. In addition to Malon, he also saw Princess Zelda, Sodo…and what looked like two Sarias. Then he recognized the one in the dress. It was the Saria from the parallel Hyrule he just got back from. How long was he out?

Then he looked up in the sky. It was a familiar sight…so familiar, that Link thought he was dreaming. The moon was up in the sky…and it looked like it was minutes away from colliding with Hyrule. And the four giants of legend were holding the moon in place. It could only be the result of one thing and Link saw what it was when he looked at the ground. Lying on the ground was Majora's Mask.

Link realized what had happened, but the thought horrified him. He looked at Malon in disbelief. "Tell me I didn't…"

"I'm afraid you did," Malon frowned. "But it's over now."

"No…" Link breathed. He shook away from Malon's embrace and got to his feet. He pulled out his sword and cautiously approached the mask. "If this is anything like the first time, then it's not over yet!"

"You know me well, boy."

Everyone gasped…except Link. He knew the voice of the evil Majora's Mask and wasn't surprised to hear it speak.

"But face it. You were weak. You could not handle my power."

"I didn't want your power!" Link shouted. "You nearly destroyed my world!"

"There's nothing that says I still won't," the mask shot back.

Majora's Mask suddenly began floating in the air. Just like before, it began to grow a pair of legs and a pair of whip-like tentacles. It had morphed into Majora's Wrath. This was something Link never wanted to face again. His first encounter with the mask in Termina was agonizing. He thought he wouldn't live through the fight. But things were different now. Link wasn't living in the past. He was ready to fight for his future and the future of his world.

The mask struck first. He attacked with his tentacles and began to whip Link. He tried defending himself with his sword, but the mask caught him by the legs. It lifted Link over its head and began swinging him around until it tossed him into a nearby boulder.

Link groaned as he got to his feet. He saw that his movements would be limited with his friends around nearly every corner. So Link tried to lure it out.

"Hey mask!" Link called out. "Why don't we take this battle to the top?! We'll have a better view of the moon from up there!!"

Having said that, Link started moving up towards the peak of Death Mountain. Majora's Wrath began to follow. Link went up as far as he could, but stopped when he reached the Death Mountain Crater. It was definitely hot and a wrong step would send Link plummeting into the volcano.

Majora's Wrath then reached the mountain. Link motioned for the walking mask to just bring it. The mask ran towards Link and he responded by swinging his sword. He made his mark as the mask's tentacles were sliced off. Unfortunately, it began to regenerate its tentacles and began to resume its assault. It flung its tentacles towards Link relentlessly and eventually knocked Link's shield out of his hand…and into the volcano.

The mask then wrapped one of its tentacles around Link's arms and waist. He couldn't move and dropped his sword. Then Majora's Wrath lifted Link off his feet and held him over the crater. It was ready to drop Link in…until a rock hit it.

"Put him down!!"

To Link's horror, the one who threw the rock was Malon. He felt his heart break. She was risking her life for him, but he knew she was just going to wind up getting killed. Sure enough, Majora's Wrath reached out with its other tentacle and grabbed Malon. It swung her over until she was also hanging above the crater. The mask was now ready to drop them both into the volcano.

Link looked down at the lava under him. He knew he had couldn't overcome all challenges. He knew there would be a day when he wouldn't be able to come out on top and would fall. He only wished Malon wouldn't be going down with him.


Chapter 53

Needless to say, Saria was bombarded with questions from Sodo as to how there were two of her on this mountain. But she stopped any questioning right now. This was definitely not the time.

The Forest Sage Saria looked up to see that the walking mask had Link and Malon suspended above the volcano and was about to drop them. She felt so powerless at that moment. She wished she could do something to save her friends. If only she were a little bigger…

"What do we do?" Sodo asked. "We can't just let that thing drop them!"

"Hey!!"

Everyone looked around to see who was calling out. They didn't see anybody.

"You'll find your answer if you look up there RIGHT NOW!!!"

Everyone looked up at the sky. No one saw anything. There was nothing in the sky but the enormous moon and the four mythical giants still trying to hold it in the sky.

The Forest Sage finally asked the obvious question. "Who said that?"

Saria looked down and also saw nothing. By this point, everyone took their eyes off the sky and started looking around. That's when Princess Saria made a startling discovery.

"Zelda, your leg!"

Everyone looked at Princess Zelda's leg. The wound created by Link was miraculously healed. Seeing she was healed, Zelda started running up towards the peak of the mountain. She struck quickly. She started to telepathically move the mask back towards her, in essence also moving Link and Malon away from the volcano.

The mask grew a third tentacle and flung it towards Zelda. It now had a grip on her. But in this time, Saria got an idea. She pulled out her ocarina again and began to play the Oath to Order again.

The mask began to moan at the sound of the song. Seeing it was in pain, Saria played the song again. The Forest Sage continued to play the Oath to Order with the mask groaning with every note that was played. That's when Saria got the result she was looking for. The mask finally couldn't keep its grip and dropped those it held in its grasp.

Knowing it was Saria that was playing the Oath to Order, the mask began to move towards her. That's when an arrow suddenly went through the head of the mask. Saria saw it was Link who fired that shot. With his bow drawn, he pulled out another arrow, a light arrow. He shot it towards the mask and blinded it.

The mask began to stagger around blinded and started stumbling towards the volcano. With this being his chance, Link ran up to the mask and kicked it off the mountain and into the volcano. When the living mask fell deep into the volcanic lava, a tremendous fireball shot out into the sky. The moon began to disappear from the sky. It was over. Majora's Mask had been destroyed.

"Is it over?" Saria asked anyway.

"We did it," Link breathed in relief. "It's over."

"It's finally over," Malon added. "We saved Hyrule!"

Saria was almost deafened by the cheers…mostly by the loud cheers of the four giants. It looked like they were also happy to see Majora's Mask defeated once and for all.

After the cheers stopped, Link looked at everyone in confusion.

"I must've been out a while," Link said. "There are just too many things I don't know right now. How did we all get up here? How did you guys know to come up here?" He looked at the quiet Princess Saria. "How did you get here? How did you cross another world to get here? How did you even know to come here?" He looked at Saria and Sodo. "How did you two know I was here? And why…did you have separate entrances?"

Malon stopped Link's rambling by holding his hand and wrapping her arm around him. "Link, relax. If we start to explain every little thing that's happened while you were out, we could be here for weeks. Even we don't know all the answers."

"Ok, maybe I'll never know all that's happened," Link conceded. "But I know this much, though." He looked up at the four giants. "You guys helped save the day again. Hyrule is in your debt. Thank you for helping us."

The four giants didn't say anything. They only nodded and then began to bellow out the Oath to Order. As they sang out the Oath to Order, each giant began to walk back to his respective domain.

Link looked back at Malon. "One more thing I have to know. The last thing I remember before all this happened was being at the ranch when I was ambushed. What hit me?"

Princess Zelda answered that. "We'll show you right now. Let's get back to the village."

Agreeing with that notion, everyone began to walk down Death Mountain. But Saria was a little slower to walk down. Seeing the look on her face, Sodo stayed back to see what was troubling her.

"Saria…what is it? What's wrong?"

The Forest Sage took a deep breath. "Sodo…I can't just ignore it."

"Ignore what?"

"What were those voices I heard? What taught me that song? And what healed Zelda's leg?"

Sodo shook his head. "I…think it's better we don't ask. Just call it a miracle."


Chapter 54

The time of Armageddon was nearly upon them. So this was why the Kokiri were having one final feast. Mido was amazed as to how the Kokiri have…what was the word he was looking for…behaved. It was like nothing he had seen in his entire life. Maybe it was the moon hovering over them that was set to crash in what had to be under an hour.

"Can we get this over with?" Dore finally blurted out. "The moon IS about to crash!"

"Ok, ok," Mido sighed. He wanted to wait for Sodo…and Saria, but neither one of them was there. It didn't look like they would show up. It saddened Mido to know that. He really wanted this final hour to be spent as a Kokiri family.

"Everybody join hands," Mido continued. The remaining Kokiri joined hands as Mido began. "I…don't know what to say. I never thought it would end like this. But I figure that all we can do is give thanks for all the time we have spent together. We began this life as a family…and we will go into the next life as a family." His voice began to crack. "But who am I kidding? This isn't right. Having our world crushed by an evil-looking moon doesn't sound right. I know it may be too late, but in this final hour…as a family…we ask that this cup of suffering be taken from us. We ask that some miracle spare our world of this disaster…because I know it wasn't meant to end like this…"

"Mido?"

Mido exploded at the sudden call. "WHAT IS IT?! HOW COULD YOU INTERRUPT ME AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!"

"The moon," Somi continued. "It's gone."

Mido looked at the sky in awe. It was true. A minute ago, the moon was staring them all right in the face. But now it was gone. It was over…their world was saved.

"It's a miracle," Mido said softly. He took his eyes off the sky and looked at the Kokiri. "Our world's been spared! It's not over! We're all saved!"

The Kokiri all gave cheers of childish joy.

Mido grinned as he reached for a carving knife. "Let's all celebrate by eating this Deku Scrub."

Mido suddenly felt his knife was pinned to the ground by a fork. A fork that was held by Dore.

"Wait a minute!" Dore huffed. "Why should we cut THIS Deku Scrub? Why can't we cut the one we caught?"

"You mean that puny thing?" Mido retorted. "That couldn't even feed the rats that live here!"

"You take that back!" Dore shouted. "Our Deku Scrub's a lot bigger than that piece of rotten meat and you know it! And it'll definitely taste better too!"

"Oh yeah?!" Mido shot back. He tore a piece of the Deku Scrub that the Know-It-All brothers caught. "Then why don't YOU try it?!" He shoved the piece of meat in Dore's face.

"Oh, Mido," Dore said with insincere disappointment. "I never thought you as the type to waste perfectly good meat. If you MUST throw food, then you should throw something like…A PIE!!" With lightning speed, Dore reached over for the Deku Baba pie and tossed it at Mido nailing the Kokiri 'boss' in the face.

"Hey!" Rala cried out. "I spent hours preparing that!"

"Such childishness," Mido groaned. "I thought you were above throwing pies. But since you're not…"

Mido reached over and grabbed another pie and hurled it at Dore. Unfortunately, the elder Know- It-All ducked and the pie hit Dila right in the face.

Dore shook his head. "Dila, you're not just going to take that, are you?"

Dila didn't say anything. Instead he grabbed the last of the pies and tossed it at Mido. But Mido ducked it and it hit Fala, one of the twins.

"Hey!" Ralo shouted. "I can't let you get away with hitting my sister! You need a drink!" Ralo grabbed a bottle of Deku juice. She threw the juice at Dila, but he also ducked and the juice hit Somi…leaving her drenched.

Mira tried to calm her down. "Somi…remember…we don't have to do this…we don't have to sink to their level…remember what Saria always told us."

"Deku Nuts to what Saria told us," Somi muttered angrily. "Hey! That's not a bad idea!"

She reached for some Deku Nuts and flung them at Ralo. But she ducked and they hit Domi. By now it was painfully clear to Mido what was happening. Of course, Miso shouted it out anyway.

"FOOD FIGHT!!!"

What was supposed to be a somber final feast turned into a chaotic food fight. It made Mido happy, though. At least the Kokiri would live to see more food fights in the future.


Chapter 54

"Tell me again why we couldn't show ourselves, Sis?"

Tatl sighed as she flew down through the Kakariko Village graveyard. She didn't know how she did it, but she managed to stay hidden through that entire ordeal while she taught that fairy girl the Oath to Order. It was a good thing they got there just in time or Hyrule might have been doomed. But since they left Death Mountain, Tatl only got questions for her brother as to why she didn't want to be seen.

"Do I have to explain it to you again, Tael? I didn't want Link to see us there. I…" she paused. Now that she thought about it, Tatl wondered why she did want to stay hidden. "I…just didn't want him to see us."

"What about the other fairy kid?" Tael asked. "Was that…?"

"I think it was," Tatl cut him off. "It was that same fairy kid that taught her song to the Skull Kid. She's the one he told us about."

"It was a good thing I saw that ocarina," Tael pointed out. "But I still don't get it. Why couldn't we just show ourselves?"

"Because there'd be too many questions," Tatl tried answering. "Besides, I'm not the type for mushy reunions. And isn't it more exciting to go down in Hyrule's history as a mystery?"

"No…"

"Well, deal with it," Tatl said dryly. "I got to admit, though, it was pretty smart of you to guess that Link would be on top of the mountain."

Tael blushed. "Well, being with the masked Skull Kid, you start to learn about the mask and its behavior. So I assumed Link would be on a high place. But you weren't so bad yourself, Sis. It takes a lot to teach someone the Oath to Order without being seen. Even though I still don't get why you didn't want us to be seen…"

"Will you get over that?" Tatl snapped. "Maybe I did make a little mistake with that. I…was sort of nervous about seeing Link again. So I didn't want to be seen. I was scared about what he'd say."

"Sounds like you have a crush on him or something," Tael scoffed.

Tatl flew by silently. She almost wanted to smack Tael for saying something so ridiculous. A crush. That was so crazy. A fairy having a crush on a Hylian boy, it was stupid. So…why WAS she scared to see Link again? Why DID she feel butterflies in her stomach when she saw him? Tatl felt like throttling Tael. Now she felt something…a conflict of emotions.

But just then, something else caught the fairy's eye. A blue light suddenly flashed from within a chamber near the graveyard.

"What was that?" Tael asked.

"I…don't know," Tatl flashed. "It looked like something happened in there."

"Should we check it out?"

"I don't think so. It's probably better we leave that alone. It was probably just a candle anyway."

Not making any more of it, Tatl and Tael continued flying out. It would be a few days before they got back to the Lost Woods. The Skull Kid would undoubtedly wonder where they went. Suddenly, something snapped in Tatl. She kicked Tael.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"For even THINKING I have a crush on Link!" Tatl shouted. "I mean, really! You say the stupidest things sometimes, Tael! A crush…on Link. That's just silly."

"Is it?" Tael asked teasingly. Tatl kicked him again. "OW! Ok, ok, I'm sorry. Jeez, sometimes you have no sense of humor."

This was something Tatl knew she shouldn't have taken so hard. So Tael thinks she has a crush on Link. Big deal. It was nothing…wasn't it? Sounds so ridiculous…yet Tatl couldn't stop thinking about it. Maybe the butterflies in her stomach really meant something. Maybe she really did have a crush on Link and didn't want to admit it. But she shook that off.

A fairy…and a Hylian. It could never happen.

Tatl wished it could, though.


Chapter 55

"Big bald guy with a goatee and a black uniform, right?"

As he was led through the Kakariko Village graveyard, Link wanted to have a clear mental picture of this guy in his head. After all, this was the guy who slapped Majora's Mask on his face, almost forcing Link to destroy the Hyrule he loved so much. The only thing that made Link sicker was hearing the reason Drax did all this. To do this because Link and his friends ended the Hylian Civil War. This guy was truly a fanatic.

"That's him," Princess Saria answered. "I'm truly sorry. I'm sorry that anybody from my world is so twisted to do this. I promise it'll never happen again."

"I don't see how it could," the Forest Sage Saria smiled. "What are the odds of this even happening a first time? Tell this to anybody else, and they'll swear you're lying."

"I guess that's true," Princess Saria conceded.

"Where is this place, Zelda?" Sodo asked.

"It's right here," Princess Zelda answered. She opened a huge cell door that led into the graveyard dungeon. But as she walked in she gasped. "No! It's empty! He's escaped!"

Link walked over to examine the cell that supposedly held the warlord, Drax. He immediately noticed there were no evident means of escape. The bars were intact. The walls were intact. There were no holes in the ground and no signs of digging. The roof was in one piece.

"Everything's here," Link finally said. "There's no way he could have escaped."

"There's your answer," Princess Saria suddenly pointed out. She pointed at fragments of what appeared to be a bottle. "The bottle…he went back. He used it to go back to my world. Oh, I feel so stupid. How could I have not thought of that?"

"Don't blame yourself," Sodo said comfortingly. "You didn't exactly have a clear head at that time. There was a little something like a moon hovering over us. Besides, maybe it's better we don't have to deal with him again."

"Is that really the case?" Princess Saria said doubtfully. "If he's as revenge-crazed as he was before, then this probably isn't the last you'll see of him. I can only pray that it is." She pulled out a bottle. "And with that, it's time for me to go back to my own world."

"Wait," Link suddenly called out. "I still don't get it. Why did you go to all this trouble to help us? You know you didn't have to."

Princess Saria blushed. "I know I didn't have to. But I owed you one. I know you don't think you did much during your time in my world. But you really did. If you hadn't showed up, the Hylian Civil War would have never ended. And I can't forget that you saved our world from Majora's Mask. My world was in your debt. So I decided to repay you by helping save your world."

Link didn't know how to respond to that. "Uh…thank you. We'll never forget it."

"If I ever find Drax, I'll make sure he gets what's coming to him," Princess Saria continued. "But if I don't, then…we should just hope for the best."

With that, Princess Saria threw the bottle down to the ground. A blue flash lit up the chamber. When the flash faded, she was gone.

"I can't believe she did all that for us," the Forest Sage Saria said. "She was willing to sacrifice herself for us. That's so brave."

Link smiled. "A lot like someone else I know."

Saria blushed at that. "Oh, Link."

"So it's all over," Link summed up. "The world's been saved…again. And I just want to go back to the ranch and forget all this ever happened."

Malon wrapped her arms around Link. "I can have that arranged. By tomorrow, you'll forget all this ever happened."

"Don't get me wrong," Saria cut it. "I want to forget this too. But I can't leave just yet. I have to make one more stop."

Sodo seemed to know exactly where. "Pofrigitio?"

Saria nodded. "Exactly. This had to be so confusing for him. I think I need to clear some things up. After all, I have all the time in the world, don't I?"

Sodo gasped. "Actually…you don't!"

Saria glared at Sodo. "What…do you mean?"

"Saria…?" Sodo stammered. "There's…something you should know."

"What is it?" the Forest Sage asked.

Sodo started to whisper something in the green-haired girl's ear. Link could only wonder what it was he was telling her. But from the fearful expression that started to grow on her face, Link knew it wasn't good.

Saria had a zombie-like expression on her face. "Get me back, get me back, get me back, get me back, get me back, get me back, get me back, get me back…"

"Back where?" Link asked.

"To the TEMPLE!!" Saria quivered. "I don't have much time left!"

Link looked at Malon and Zelda. He saw they were just as confused as he was. Hoping to find someone who DID know, Link looked at Sodo.

"It's a long story," he exclaimed. "And I don't think we have much time to explain. Just get us back to the temple."

He didn't know what to think. Something in Link told him he should keep asking questions. But there was a sense of urgency in the voices of Sodo and Saria. So Link looked at Zelda, who didn't say anything. She just handed Link the Ocarina of Time.

Not asking any more questions, Link played the Minuet of Forest.


Chapter 56/Conclusion

"Saria, come on."

"I'm not talking to you!"

Saria was angry. She didn't want to show it in front of Link, Malon, and Zelda. So she waited until they left. Only now was she learning of the consequences that would arise for leaving the temple for too long. But apparently, he knew the whole time. He had known since Nabooru told him about those consequences a month ago. She couldn't believe that Sodo kept this from her for so long.

"Saria…please…"

Saria turned around and glared a hole right into Sodo. "Just when were you planning to tell me this?! When Ganondorf was out and running around Hyrule?! What if it was too late?! This would have been my fault!!"

"Wait a minute!!" Sodo suddenly snapped. "Why am I getting blamed for this?! In a sense, this IS your fault!"

"What do you mean by that?" Saria asked angrily.

"You've been the Forest Sage for a little more than six years!" Sodo retorted. "Haven't you EVER asked what would happen if you ever left the temple for too long?!"

Saria wanted to have an answer to that…unfortunately, she didn't. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he was right. This was something she should have already known.

"I guess I should have asked," Saria sighed. "Sodo, I'm sorry. I know you were only trying to help. I guess I really didn't want to face the fact that I could never leave the temple. I should have known that this stupid rule is there for a reason."

"I know it's tough," Sodo tried saying. "But that's why we all came here. I mean, we could have easily lived our lives on the run. It's not like any of the Hylians could have caught us. But when Link told us you could never leave the temple, we knew we couldn't let you go through that alone."

"You really felt that way?" Saria asked.

"Of course we did," Sodo nodded. "You're our friend. And besides, we're a Kokiri family. We know we can't do anything about this whole 'you can't leave the temple' thing. But we can make your life here a lot better."

"Thank you, Sodo," Saria smiled. "That means a lot to me."

She gave the peaceful boy a kiss and kept on walking towards the temple's courtyard. When she opened the door…she nearly screamed over what she saw.

"Saria?" Sodo asked. "What's…what…what happened here?!"

There was a large table set up…but there was food everywhere. It looked like remnants of a huge food fight. This would undoubtedly take days to clean up.

Saria closed her eyes. "Maybe I'm just hallucinating. If I open my eyes, it'll all go away." She opened her eyes and nothing changed.

"Nope, it's real," Sodo breathed. "Maybe we should sleep somewhere else tonight."

"Like where?" Saria asked cynically.

"Out front," Sodo said cheerfully. "It's a beautiful night. There's a full moon out."

"DON'T…say that word!" Saria growled. "I just want to forget about that."

"Come on, Saria," Sodo grinned. "You should be proud. I mean, if it wasn't for you, Hyrule would be a crater."

"What do you mean?" Saria asked, obviously not used to the concept of being a hero.

"Think about it," Sodo continued. "You were the one who went with Malon to find Link. It was your idea to go out to the graveyard. It was you who played the Oath to Order. Without any of those things, the world might have been destroyed. Face it, you're a hero."

Saria wasn't used to hearing that. It was always Link who was the hero…she even told him so all those years ago. But she knew she couldn't take all the credit for saving Hyrule from Majora's Mask.

"Well…it was a team effort."


THE END


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