The Mask of Majora - Chapter 1: Through the Eyes of the Deku
The search continued to go for days as the green-garbed hylian boy cried out his fairy's name in vain. He felt as if he's been out in the woods for months. But still, he stopped only to sleep and nothing more. His call echoed in this unknown point of the woods. Growing weary, he climbed back up on his steed's back tiredly. His cerulean eyes darted from left to right, noticing the fog building up around him. Dawn was drawing closer.
He didn't even know which way he was going anymore. Link just directed Epona straight, not counting much about finding anything different in this forest. He wasn't even sure if he was walking around in circles. They didn't call these the Lost Woods for nothing.
Link jerked his head up when he thought he heard someone rustling past some bushes. But it turned out to be a sudden little gust of wind. He hadn't thought this personal journey from end to end very well. His magical item bag was completely empty, for he had left almost all of his weapons in his treehouse. ((A/N: Yes, it's a magical item bag. How else do you think all that stuff fits in his tiny bag?)) Link was only equipped with his sword, shield and courage. He didn't believe Navi could be in these parts of the woods, but she was not in the Deku Tree's haven anymore. And Link had to start somewhere...
He inhaled and yelled out into the woods. "Navi!!" He sat in silence for a moment, praying to the Goddesses that his call may be answered.
His cries got the attention of two creatures hidden behind a nearby tree. One of them was a curious dark indigo fairy along with another fairy which shined with a yellowish-white glow. They both gazed at the young boy and his horse from not too far away. Looking at each other, they shared a muted giggle and a knowing nod. Suddenly, they both darted out of their hiding place and soared towards Epona, spooking the poor colt. She whined and reared back, causing Link to lose his balance and fall to the ground with a surprised cry.
His half-opened eyes beheld a slightly familiar sight. Hovering above his head was a bright light -its body almost not distinguishable- with silver wings. Link winced as he muttered uncertainly, "Na...N-Navi...?" He drifted off into unconsciousness.
Both fairies grinned with glee and rushed towards a child-like creature watching the scene from behind. The creature's most patent aspect was the strange, colorful mask he was wearing. The mask... it had some kind of wicked aura. Even Link seemed to slightly flinch at its presence though he was still unconscious.
The creature giggled and lifted his mask faintly to look at his fairy companions. "You two fairies did great!" he said with a leer. "I wonder if he has anything good on him..." Putting the mask back on, he approached the fallen hero with caution. 'Huh? This guy...' he thought, looking down at the boy. 'He seems... familiar...oh, well. No matter.'
Rummaging in Link's item bag -which was tied to his belt- the creature frowned at the lack of contents. But out he pulled a cobalt ocarina with beautiful golden details that held together the mouthpiece. The creature giggled as he tried to hold the ocarina right and play it. The little indigo fairy came up behind the creature and gasped excitedly when seeing the royal instrument in his hands.
"Ooh, ooh! What a pretty ocarina!" the fairy exclaimed. "Hey, Skullkid, lemme touch it! I wanna see!"
He reached down to it, but the other fairy, his sister, nudged him aside. "You can't, Tael!" she scolded at her brother. "What would we do if you dropped it and broke it? Nuh-uh, no way! You can't touch it!!"
Tael was crestfallen. "...Aw, but sis--"
He stopped speaking when hearing a shuffle behind him. Out the corner of his eye, he saw the young boy they had assaulted... and he was standing up! Tael shook fearfully, too nervous to speak out and warn the Skull Kid and his sister about him. Skullkid was blowing at the ocarina's mouthpiece, grinning at his acquired prize and completely oblivious at the fact that Link was now staring at him. Link curled up his fists, realizing he had just been robbed. The seething noise he made got the Skull Kid's attention. Skullkid gasped and attempted to hide the ocarina. But noticing the enraged look on the child, it was no use.
Being very sure of his timing, Link jumped at the Skull Kid, trying to pin him and take back his ocarina. However the Skull Kid was sure of his timing as well. He jumped over the boy hero and mounted Epona, emitting a gasp from Link. The two fairies chased after the Skull Kid, who had gotten Epona to gallop away.
"No!!!" Link gave chase, not having any other choice. His ocarina was gone and he could no longer summon his horse back via Epona's song. When he was close enough, he did a long jump, hoping to land on his horse. Instead, he managed to grab the Skull Kid's leg with his left hand and hold on to Epona's back with his right. But Skullkid did not slow down.
Link continued to be dragged, every now and then scraping against a tree or rock and mildly wounding his legs. "Epona! Stop!! It's okay, girl-- it's me!!!" he cried out over the loud, echoing gallops. He tried to gain her trust before it was too late. It was as if she was under some sort of trance. Alas, Skullkid became annoyed by this and kicked at the boy's face. Link jerked his head back, accidentally letting go and he tumbled off the path. For a vague moment, the girl fairy hesitantly looked back at him, but then followed after Skullkid again.
"Epona..."
The boy hero shakily stood back up, not willing to lose his precious colt because of a mere imp. He followed the only path nearby, which lead to a dark part of the woods. Scared was the last thing he was feeling at the moment. He unsheathed his sword and with the same determined look he had earlier, he ran into the path until it was too dark to see even his own hands if he would have waved them in front of his face.
The echo of his footsteps was beginning to bounce back at him, like if they resounded off a cliff wall. Cliff wall? Link stopped running, but a bit too late. He fell forward, expecting to fall on his knees, yet he continued to fall down what should be a canyon opening. Air rushed through his ears as he fell farther and faster.
This was the end...
There's no way he could survive such large fall. He shut his eyes, waiting for the end. His ears were alert to find a celestial voice to take him away to eternal rest.
But instead of a celestial voice, there was a small thud.
Link landed on his back on top of what felt like a soft, padded pillow. He peered down to see he had landed on a giant, dull-colored flower. At least it was dull-colored due to the lack of light. Not that the problem lasted long, since when Link stood up, a ray of light shone from across the cove he was in, its source unknown. Under the warm lights hovered the masked Skull Kid, his two fairies beside him. "Persistent, aren't we...?" Link muttered between clenched teeth. Epona was nowhere in sight and this alarmed Link.
"Where's Epona?!" he demanded to know, clutching the hilt of his sword even tighter.
"What? That stupid horse of yours?" the Skull Kid chortled. "It doesn't even listen to a word that's said to it..."
"Maybe not your word!"
The Skull Kid ignored him and continued. "There's no point in riding a thing like that, so I did you a favor and got rid of it..." he finished with a smirk and a chuckle.
Link gasped and clutched at his tunic feeling very short on breath. No... that horse... she was too important to him. He had made a promise to Malon that he'll take care of Epona and protect her with his life... even when such promise was not necessary. And now... she was gone...? At the hands of a Skull Kid...? Link held back his sobs as Skullkid watched him with a leer as if he were watching a comedy.
"Aww, boo-hoo. Why the sad face?" he teased. "I just thought I'd have a little fun with you..."
"...that's it!!" Link suddenly exclaimed, showing just how angry he really was. "If you really want me to suffer to demise, then do it the right way!! Go ahead, gimme your best shot!" Link was surprised by his own words, but showed no signs of backing down. The Skullkid chuckled again, but this wasn't the childish, hearty chuckle Link had heard before... It was more... demonic. Even the two fairies that accompanied him looked stunned.
"Oh, come on," the Skull Kid said with an irregular tone, like if it wasn't his own. "Do you really think you could beat me now as I am? Fool..."
An odd sound lingered in the small cove. The sound of a foreign hex being performed. Link gaped at the Skullkid in disbelief and he lowered his sword and shield. Since when do Skull Kids cast hexes...? But what Link should have been worried about was that the actual curse was directed to him. The colors of the mask faded as the hex continued... that mask was definitely not ordinary...
The same darkness that enveloped the mask shrouded Link.
All was silent.
Link suddenly heard sounds. Rustling.
A mad scrub ran through the darkness in front of him. Other scrubs followed
it.
They were headed to Link's direction. Confused, Link took a step back only
to bump into another scrub. At the blink of an eye, he was surrounded.
His sword was gone. All he could do was run. And he did.
Breathing hard, he tried to get away from the mad scrubs.
The darkness got worse if that's even possible.
Hard to see.
One foot in front of the other.
A crack on the ground. He fell and scraped his elbow.
But he got up again.
The rustling of the scrubs grew closer...and closer...
...and closer.....
Then a giant Deku Scrub popped out of the ground and lunged at the boy.
Link skidded to a halt in shock when seeing the giant scrub grow large
tentacles made out of vines.
The vines ensnared him and squeezed at his torso and neck.
He tried to breathe. He couldn't.
His body ached terribly as the vines began to run under his skin. He tried to scream for help. He felt darkness consume him all over...
...Until it all became clear again.
He was on top of the soft, pink flower in the small cove... right where he had been left before. Thinking the hex's purpose was to frighten him away from battle, Link shook his head and once again reached for his sword. But what he grabbed instead was air. Looking at the rivulet in between him and the Skullkid, he saw a scrub looking right at him and he jumped in surprise. He put his hands up to his cheekbones and gasped when the scrub did the same. The scrub... was his reflection.
"Hee, hee ha-ha-ha!" the imp laughed, his normal voice back. "Now, that's a good look for you!" Link looked back at Skullkid incredulously. "You'll stay here looking that way forever!" The wall behind him opened up like a door and the masked Skull Kid disappeared behind it.
Link's jaw would have been hanging open if he had one at the moment. He chased after him and shouted in his new, different voice. "Wuh-wait!! What are you--?!" He was interrupted by the girl fairy, who repeatedly hit his head with callous force. It didn't hurt Link, but the constant hitting fazed him out. She was so enwrapped on this and didn't see the door closing.
"S-s-sis!!" Tael cried out to her just before the stone door slammed shut between them.
Link held his forehead and let out a pained exhale and through his deku snout out popped a bubble. As it floated in front of him, he gaped at it in shock. The girl fairy turned and her eyes went wide when all she could see was a lifeless, stone wall in the place where her brother used to be.
"Whoa! Whoa, Skullkid, wait for me! I'm still here!!" she shouted, zooming towards the door. She banged her small body against the door, foolishly expecting it to open. "Tael, you can't leave without me!" She stopped throwing herself at the stone door and looked down with disappointment. She was alone with what she felt like was her enemy. And then she remembered. She turned to Link and seethed. "You!! If I wasn't dealing with you, I wouldn't have gotten separated from my brother!"
Link just glared at her angrily, but it was really hard to notice his anger behind those sad, lost Deku scrub eyes of his. If she thought she was going to get away by pinning this on him, she was dead wrong. "I can't believe I had ever even thought you were my friend Navi..." he seethed, his statement inaudible for the fairy girl to hear.
"Well, don't just sit there, Deku boy! Do something!!" the fairy said. Link narrowed his eyes in annoyance and exhaled again out of spite. "Why don't you stop staring and--?!?" Her voice was cut off when entrapped in another deku bubble of Link's. The boy kept a smirk to himself as he folded his arms across his chest.
"Lemme out! Lemme OUT!!" she screamed at the deku boy, yet he just kept his stance. Defeated, she sighed and tried again. "Please!! C'mon, a helpless, little girl is asking you..." she begged, this time she didn't sound like too much of a tyrant. She looked solemnly towards where Tael and the Skull Kid had disappeared. "Ohh, Tael... I wonder if that child will be alright on his own?" she added barely above a whisper.
Link rolled his eyes and groaned in frustration. "I'm going to open the door," he said half-heartedly. "It's not like I'm doing it for you, anyway. There's no other way to go." And this was true. That stone door was the only way out of the cove except for the tunnel that leads back to the Lost Woods. And that tunnel was probably more than fifty-five kilometers high above his head now. Link pushed the door open and waddled down a long walkway, lightly holding onto the deku bubble. He burst the strangely hard- to-pop bubble open and the fairy girl came flying out.
"Unnh! Do you ever do that again to me!!" she bellowed angrily. For a fairy, she sure had a strong voice... like if she was a guardian fairy like Navi used to be.
Being reminded yet again about his companion in this situation got him fed up. Link turned to her harshly, hiding the remote sorrow. "Okay, we're across. And who's to say I'll ever to it again? Go away and find your anteloping brother or whatever! You don't need to hang around with a Deku boy like me, right?" he said crossly.
"Oh, well... that stuff I said back there... I, um... apologize," she said meekly. "I just had to blow off some steam. So-- so take me with you!" she ordered out of the blue.
"What?! No!!" he shook his rotund head. "I'm gonna go find my ocarina and go back home! Not guide a search party for some fairy I don't even care about!"
The fairy sighed. "Look, you wanna know about that Skull Kid who just ran off, right?" There was a pause before Link nodded. "Well, I just so happen to have an idea of where he might be going. Take me with you and I'll help you out. Deal?" Link lifted his head to her and before he could speak, the fairy dipped her wings and flew over his head.
"Good! So then it's settled!" she decided. Link didn't bother to say 'no'. He was sure such an answer would not be accepted now. The fairy sighed in self-relief and continued. "Now then, I'll be your partner... or at least until we catch that Skull Kid. My name's Tatl. So, uh, it's nice to meet you or whatever."
"...right. N-Nice to meet you," Link said unenthusiastically. "I'm Link." He thought he heard Tatl stifling a laugh when he said that. Link continued through the walkways, constantly giving Tatl sideway glances. Every once in awhile he would smile, all of a sudden comparing the first time he met Navi with this meeting. This was the same impression he had gotten from Navi when she scolded at him when she flew in through his window, but over time he had warmed up to her.
Tatl did a double-take when noting Link's smile. His mouth was not perceptible, but there was a glint in his eyes that showed a hidden bliss. "What are you smiling about?" she said with a scoff. Link's glint suddenly faded away.
"Erm, nothing... it's just that... you remind me of somebody," he said
"Who?" she asked. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her. There's a short silence as Link looks down sadly and stops walking. "Oh, c'mon! It can't be that depressing! I want to know!"
The boy glanced to the side quickly and drew a deep breath. "The reason I was out there all alone in the forest is because I was looking for my friend Navi..." he admitted. "She's a fairy just like you. She sometimes wasn't careful with what she said, but she was mostly very sweet and helpful... and... I-- I just haven't seen her in awhile." He kept on walking, knowing that dawn was soon to come. Tatl stayed there for a moment, letting this flow through her mind.
"Oh, wow..." she whispered to herself. "How sad..."
They kept going in silence until they reached the end of the walkway. Link and Tatl peered down at the bottomless ditch standing between them and the next door. Tatl smirked and dipped her wings once more to glide to Link's left.
"I suppose you can't jump very far in your scrub body, huh?" she asked. She pointed down at a large, pink flower; similar to the one Link was standing on top of earlier. "Use that deku bud to glide to the other side. Just dive into it."
Hesitating at first, Link did so. And when he emerged, he automatically bounced out of the bud like a trampoline. Two deku flowers appeared at his grasp and with them he parachuted down to the other side of the ditch. When landing in front of the next opening, he smiled. Link had never flown like that before. He had to admit... that was pretty cool. Tatl simply flew right over and joined him. "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" she said. Link shook his head and faced the entrance before him.
"Good Gods, I just hope this is the last time I have to go through an opening for tonight," he muttered. He stated to walk over to the next door but Tatl fluttered right in front of his face, startling the temporal deku boy.
"Hey, pay attention!" she scolded. "Look over here!" She led Link to a small bush-like tree he had overseen. "It's weird, but the way you look right now sort of looks like this tree..." Tatl said. And it was true. The tree had a face just like a little deku. Yet... it was so... ominous. "It looks so dark and gloomy..."
"Like if it could start crying any second now," Link finished.
Tatl looked at the boy hero. "Yeah. That's pretty sad..." Three seconds of stillness later, Tatl piped an 'okay, let's get moving', so Link reluctantly walked away from the tree, gazing at it once more. If there's something he has learned from past/future experiences it was to take note even on the littlest things. He nodded and walked off. He had a feeling this sad little tree might help him somehow in the future. "Helloo!!" Tatl yelled at his ear. "Can we get moving today?!"
Link walked through the opening, getting pulled deeper into the darkness by a strange force. He felt like he was jerked away from his own free will as he was being pulled into this different, musty atmosphere. The darkness soon began to recede and what Link thought was the sound of churning water and creaking gears grew closer. It reminded Link of the windmills back in Kakariko village. And then, another strange sound...
Clocks...?
When he felt he could continue to walk on his own, he took a step through another opening... and it felt like he had entered an entirely different world. Link looked around. The place resembled a large, tall storehouse with a windmill and a fount inside of it. It was like no place he's ever seen. The waters looked murky and the place smelled of toadstool. Putting his hand lightly over his snout, he walked up a few steps to another level of this resounding tower. Link started to feel funny... it was a feeling he hadn't felt in a very long time. He felt completely lost.
The boy looked over his shoulder at the opening he had just entered from and stared hopelessly as it closed shut, lock and key. He shuddered a sigh. There was truly no turning back... was this all truly worth it...?
'Yes... yes, it is...' he thought. 'I must get that ocarina back... but will I even have a chance in this body...?'
Out of the tower's dark corners, came a voice... A familiar one at that.
"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"
----------------------------------------
To Be Continued...
The search continued to go for days as the green-garbed hylian boy cried out his fairy's name in vain. He felt as if he's been out in the woods for months. But still, he stopped only to sleep and nothing more. His call echoed in this unknown point of the woods. Growing weary, he climbed back up on his steed's back tiredly. His cerulean eyes darted from left to right, noticing the fog building up around him. Dawn was drawing closer.
He didn't even know which way he was going anymore. Link just directed Epona straight, not counting much about finding anything different in this forest. He wasn't even sure if he was walking around in circles. They didn't call these the Lost Woods for nothing.
Link jerked his head up when he thought he heard someone rustling past some bushes. But it turned out to be a sudden little gust of wind. He hadn't thought this personal journey from end to end very well. His magical item bag was completely empty, for he had left almost all of his weapons in his treehouse. ((A/N: Yes, it's a magical item bag. How else do you think all that stuff fits in his tiny bag?)) Link was only equipped with his sword, shield and courage. He didn't believe Navi could be in these parts of the woods, but she was not in the Deku Tree's haven anymore. And Link had to start somewhere...
He inhaled and yelled out into the woods. "Navi!!" He sat in silence for a moment, praying to the Goddesses that his call may be answered.
His cries got the attention of two creatures hidden behind a nearby tree. One of them was a curious dark indigo fairy along with another fairy which shined with a yellowish-white glow. They both gazed at the young boy and his horse from not too far away. Looking at each other, they shared a muted giggle and a knowing nod. Suddenly, they both darted out of their hiding place and soared towards Epona, spooking the poor colt. She whined and reared back, causing Link to lose his balance and fall to the ground with a surprised cry.
His half-opened eyes beheld a slightly familiar sight. Hovering above his head was a bright light -its body almost not distinguishable- with silver wings. Link winced as he muttered uncertainly, "Na...N-Navi...?" He drifted off into unconsciousness.
Both fairies grinned with glee and rushed towards a child-like creature watching the scene from behind. The creature's most patent aspect was the strange, colorful mask he was wearing. The mask... it had some kind of wicked aura. Even Link seemed to slightly flinch at its presence though he was still unconscious.
The creature giggled and lifted his mask faintly to look at his fairy companions. "You two fairies did great!" he said with a leer. "I wonder if he has anything good on him..." Putting the mask back on, he approached the fallen hero with caution. 'Huh? This guy...' he thought, looking down at the boy. 'He seems... familiar...oh, well. No matter.'
Rummaging in Link's item bag -which was tied to his belt- the creature frowned at the lack of contents. But out he pulled a cobalt ocarina with beautiful golden details that held together the mouthpiece. The creature giggled as he tried to hold the ocarina right and play it. The little indigo fairy came up behind the creature and gasped excitedly when seeing the royal instrument in his hands.
"Ooh, ooh! What a pretty ocarina!" the fairy exclaimed. "Hey, Skullkid, lemme touch it! I wanna see!"
He reached down to it, but the other fairy, his sister, nudged him aside. "You can't, Tael!" she scolded at her brother. "What would we do if you dropped it and broke it? Nuh-uh, no way! You can't touch it!!"
Tael was crestfallen. "...Aw, but sis--"
He stopped speaking when hearing a shuffle behind him. Out the corner of his eye, he saw the young boy they had assaulted... and he was standing up! Tael shook fearfully, too nervous to speak out and warn the Skull Kid and his sister about him. Skullkid was blowing at the ocarina's mouthpiece, grinning at his acquired prize and completely oblivious at the fact that Link was now staring at him. Link curled up his fists, realizing he had just been robbed. The seething noise he made got the Skull Kid's attention. Skullkid gasped and attempted to hide the ocarina. But noticing the enraged look on the child, it was no use.
Being very sure of his timing, Link jumped at the Skull Kid, trying to pin him and take back his ocarina. However the Skull Kid was sure of his timing as well. He jumped over the boy hero and mounted Epona, emitting a gasp from Link. The two fairies chased after the Skull Kid, who had gotten Epona to gallop away.
"No!!!" Link gave chase, not having any other choice. His ocarina was gone and he could no longer summon his horse back via Epona's song. When he was close enough, he did a long jump, hoping to land on his horse. Instead, he managed to grab the Skull Kid's leg with his left hand and hold on to Epona's back with his right. But Skullkid did not slow down.
Link continued to be dragged, every now and then scraping against a tree or rock and mildly wounding his legs. "Epona! Stop!! It's okay, girl-- it's me!!!" he cried out over the loud, echoing gallops. He tried to gain her trust before it was too late. It was as if she was under some sort of trance. Alas, Skullkid became annoyed by this and kicked at the boy's face. Link jerked his head back, accidentally letting go and he tumbled off the path. For a vague moment, the girl fairy hesitantly looked back at him, but then followed after Skullkid again.
"Epona..."
The boy hero shakily stood back up, not willing to lose his precious colt because of a mere imp. He followed the only path nearby, which lead to a dark part of the woods. Scared was the last thing he was feeling at the moment. He unsheathed his sword and with the same determined look he had earlier, he ran into the path until it was too dark to see even his own hands if he would have waved them in front of his face.
The echo of his footsteps was beginning to bounce back at him, like if they resounded off a cliff wall. Cliff wall? Link stopped running, but a bit too late. He fell forward, expecting to fall on his knees, yet he continued to fall down what should be a canyon opening. Air rushed through his ears as he fell farther and faster.
This was the end...
There's no way he could survive such large fall. He shut his eyes, waiting for the end. His ears were alert to find a celestial voice to take him away to eternal rest.
But instead of a celestial voice, there was a small thud.
Link landed on his back on top of what felt like a soft, padded pillow. He peered down to see he had landed on a giant, dull-colored flower. At least it was dull-colored due to the lack of light. Not that the problem lasted long, since when Link stood up, a ray of light shone from across the cove he was in, its source unknown. Under the warm lights hovered the masked Skull Kid, his two fairies beside him. "Persistent, aren't we...?" Link muttered between clenched teeth. Epona was nowhere in sight and this alarmed Link.
"Where's Epona?!" he demanded to know, clutching the hilt of his sword even tighter.
"What? That stupid horse of yours?" the Skull Kid chortled. "It doesn't even listen to a word that's said to it..."
"Maybe not your word!"
The Skull Kid ignored him and continued. "There's no point in riding a thing like that, so I did you a favor and got rid of it..." he finished with a smirk and a chuckle.
Link gasped and clutched at his tunic feeling very short on breath. No... that horse... she was too important to him. He had made a promise to Malon that he'll take care of Epona and protect her with his life... even when such promise was not necessary. And now... she was gone...? At the hands of a Skull Kid...? Link held back his sobs as Skullkid watched him with a leer as if he were watching a comedy.
"Aww, boo-hoo. Why the sad face?" he teased. "I just thought I'd have a little fun with you..."
"...that's it!!" Link suddenly exclaimed, showing just how angry he really was. "If you really want me to suffer to demise, then do it the right way!! Go ahead, gimme your best shot!" Link was surprised by his own words, but showed no signs of backing down. The Skullkid chuckled again, but this wasn't the childish, hearty chuckle Link had heard before... It was more... demonic. Even the two fairies that accompanied him looked stunned.
"Oh, come on," the Skull Kid said with an irregular tone, like if it wasn't his own. "Do you really think you could beat me now as I am? Fool..."
An odd sound lingered in the small cove. The sound of a foreign hex being performed. Link gaped at the Skullkid in disbelief and he lowered his sword and shield. Since when do Skull Kids cast hexes...? But what Link should have been worried about was that the actual curse was directed to him. The colors of the mask faded as the hex continued... that mask was definitely not ordinary...
The same darkness that enveloped the mask shrouded Link.
All was silent.
Link suddenly heard sounds. Rustling.
A mad scrub ran through the darkness in front of him. Other scrubs followed
it.
They were headed to Link's direction. Confused, Link took a step back only
to bump into another scrub. At the blink of an eye, he was surrounded.
His sword was gone. All he could do was run. And he did.
Breathing hard, he tried to get away from the mad scrubs.
The darkness got worse if that's even possible.
Hard to see.
One foot in front of the other.
A crack on the ground. He fell and scraped his elbow.
But he got up again.
The rustling of the scrubs grew closer...and closer...
...and closer.....
Then a giant Deku Scrub popped out of the ground and lunged at the boy.
Link skidded to a halt in shock when seeing the giant scrub grow large
tentacles made out of vines.
The vines ensnared him and squeezed at his torso and neck.
He tried to breathe. He couldn't.
His body ached terribly as the vines began to run under his skin. He tried to scream for help. He felt darkness consume him all over...
...Until it all became clear again.
He was on top of the soft, pink flower in the small cove... right where he had been left before. Thinking the hex's purpose was to frighten him away from battle, Link shook his head and once again reached for his sword. But what he grabbed instead was air. Looking at the rivulet in between him and the Skullkid, he saw a scrub looking right at him and he jumped in surprise. He put his hands up to his cheekbones and gasped when the scrub did the same. The scrub... was his reflection.
"Hee, hee ha-ha-ha!" the imp laughed, his normal voice back. "Now, that's a good look for you!" Link looked back at Skullkid incredulously. "You'll stay here looking that way forever!" The wall behind him opened up like a door and the masked Skull Kid disappeared behind it.
Link's jaw would have been hanging open if he had one at the moment. He chased after him and shouted in his new, different voice. "Wuh-wait!! What are you--?!" He was interrupted by the girl fairy, who repeatedly hit his head with callous force. It didn't hurt Link, but the constant hitting fazed him out. She was so enwrapped on this and didn't see the door closing.
"S-s-sis!!" Tael cried out to her just before the stone door slammed shut between them.
Link held his forehead and let out a pained exhale and through his deku snout out popped a bubble. As it floated in front of him, he gaped at it in shock. The girl fairy turned and her eyes went wide when all she could see was a lifeless, stone wall in the place where her brother used to be.
"Whoa! Whoa, Skullkid, wait for me! I'm still here!!" she shouted, zooming towards the door. She banged her small body against the door, foolishly expecting it to open. "Tael, you can't leave without me!" She stopped throwing herself at the stone door and looked down with disappointment. She was alone with what she felt like was her enemy. And then she remembered. She turned to Link and seethed. "You!! If I wasn't dealing with you, I wouldn't have gotten separated from my brother!"
Link just glared at her angrily, but it was really hard to notice his anger behind those sad, lost Deku scrub eyes of his. If she thought she was going to get away by pinning this on him, she was dead wrong. "I can't believe I had ever even thought you were my friend Navi..." he seethed, his statement inaudible for the fairy girl to hear.
"Well, don't just sit there, Deku boy! Do something!!" the fairy said. Link narrowed his eyes in annoyance and exhaled again out of spite. "Why don't you stop staring and--?!?" Her voice was cut off when entrapped in another deku bubble of Link's. The boy kept a smirk to himself as he folded his arms across his chest.
"Lemme out! Lemme OUT!!" she screamed at the deku boy, yet he just kept his stance. Defeated, she sighed and tried again. "Please!! C'mon, a helpless, little girl is asking you..." she begged, this time she didn't sound like too much of a tyrant. She looked solemnly towards where Tael and the Skull Kid had disappeared. "Ohh, Tael... I wonder if that child will be alright on his own?" she added barely above a whisper.
Link rolled his eyes and groaned in frustration. "I'm going to open the door," he said half-heartedly. "It's not like I'm doing it for you, anyway. There's no other way to go." And this was true. That stone door was the only way out of the cove except for the tunnel that leads back to the Lost Woods. And that tunnel was probably more than fifty-five kilometers high above his head now. Link pushed the door open and waddled down a long walkway, lightly holding onto the deku bubble. He burst the strangely hard- to-pop bubble open and the fairy girl came flying out.
"Unnh! Do you ever do that again to me!!" she bellowed angrily. For a fairy, she sure had a strong voice... like if she was a guardian fairy like Navi used to be.
Being reminded yet again about his companion in this situation got him fed up. Link turned to her harshly, hiding the remote sorrow. "Okay, we're across. And who's to say I'll ever to it again? Go away and find your anteloping brother or whatever! You don't need to hang around with a Deku boy like me, right?" he said crossly.
"Oh, well... that stuff I said back there... I, um... apologize," she said meekly. "I just had to blow off some steam. So-- so take me with you!" she ordered out of the blue.
"What?! No!!" he shook his rotund head. "I'm gonna go find my ocarina and go back home! Not guide a search party for some fairy I don't even care about!"
The fairy sighed. "Look, you wanna know about that Skull Kid who just ran off, right?" There was a pause before Link nodded. "Well, I just so happen to have an idea of where he might be going. Take me with you and I'll help you out. Deal?" Link lifted his head to her and before he could speak, the fairy dipped her wings and flew over his head.
"Good! So then it's settled!" she decided. Link didn't bother to say 'no'. He was sure such an answer would not be accepted now. The fairy sighed in self-relief and continued. "Now then, I'll be your partner... or at least until we catch that Skull Kid. My name's Tatl. So, uh, it's nice to meet you or whatever."
"...right. N-Nice to meet you," Link said unenthusiastically. "I'm Link." He thought he heard Tatl stifling a laugh when he said that. Link continued through the walkways, constantly giving Tatl sideway glances. Every once in awhile he would smile, all of a sudden comparing the first time he met Navi with this meeting. This was the same impression he had gotten from Navi when she scolded at him when she flew in through his window, but over time he had warmed up to her.
Tatl did a double-take when noting Link's smile. His mouth was not perceptible, but there was a glint in his eyes that showed a hidden bliss. "What are you smiling about?" she said with a scoff. Link's glint suddenly faded away.
"Erm, nothing... it's just that... you remind me of somebody," he said
"Who?" she asked. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her. There's a short silence as Link looks down sadly and stops walking. "Oh, c'mon! It can't be that depressing! I want to know!"
The boy glanced to the side quickly and drew a deep breath. "The reason I was out there all alone in the forest is because I was looking for my friend Navi..." he admitted. "She's a fairy just like you. She sometimes wasn't careful with what she said, but she was mostly very sweet and helpful... and... I-- I just haven't seen her in awhile." He kept on walking, knowing that dawn was soon to come. Tatl stayed there for a moment, letting this flow through her mind.
"Oh, wow..." she whispered to herself. "How sad..."
They kept going in silence until they reached the end of the walkway. Link and Tatl peered down at the bottomless ditch standing between them and the next door. Tatl smirked and dipped her wings once more to glide to Link's left.
"I suppose you can't jump very far in your scrub body, huh?" she asked. She pointed down at a large, pink flower; similar to the one Link was standing on top of earlier. "Use that deku bud to glide to the other side. Just dive into it."
Hesitating at first, Link did so. And when he emerged, he automatically bounced out of the bud like a trampoline. Two deku flowers appeared at his grasp and with them he parachuted down to the other side of the ditch. When landing in front of the next opening, he smiled. Link had never flown like that before. He had to admit... that was pretty cool. Tatl simply flew right over and joined him. "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" she said. Link shook his head and faced the entrance before him.
"Good Gods, I just hope this is the last time I have to go through an opening for tonight," he muttered. He stated to walk over to the next door but Tatl fluttered right in front of his face, startling the temporal deku boy.
"Hey, pay attention!" she scolded. "Look over here!" She led Link to a small bush-like tree he had overseen. "It's weird, but the way you look right now sort of looks like this tree..." Tatl said. And it was true. The tree had a face just like a little deku. Yet... it was so... ominous. "It looks so dark and gloomy..."
"Like if it could start crying any second now," Link finished.
Tatl looked at the boy hero. "Yeah. That's pretty sad..." Three seconds of stillness later, Tatl piped an 'okay, let's get moving', so Link reluctantly walked away from the tree, gazing at it once more. If there's something he has learned from past/future experiences it was to take note even on the littlest things. He nodded and walked off. He had a feeling this sad little tree might help him somehow in the future. "Helloo!!" Tatl yelled at his ear. "Can we get moving today?!"
Link walked through the opening, getting pulled deeper into the darkness by a strange force. He felt like he was jerked away from his own free will as he was being pulled into this different, musty atmosphere. The darkness soon began to recede and what Link thought was the sound of churning water and creaking gears grew closer. It reminded Link of the windmills back in Kakariko village. And then, another strange sound...
Clocks...?
When he felt he could continue to walk on his own, he took a step through another opening... and it felt like he had entered an entirely different world. Link looked around. The place resembled a large, tall storehouse with a windmill and a fount inside of it. It was like no place he's ever seen. The waters looked murky and the place smelled of toadstool. Putting his hand lightly over his snout, he walked up a few steps to another level of this resounding tower. Link started to feel funny... it was a feeling he hadn't felt in a very long time. He felt completely lost.
The boy looked over his shoulder at the opening he had just entered from and stared hopelessly as it closed shut, lock and key. He shuddered a sigh. There was truly no turning back... was this all truly worth it...?
'Yes... yes, it is...' he thought. 'I must get that ocarina back... but will I even have a chance in this body...?'
Out of the tower's dark corners, came a voice... A familiar one at that.
"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"
----------------------------------------
To Be Continued...