The Reunion by Tom Adorson.
Link shivered as he reached the top of yet another hill, wrapping his arms around himself more tightly in an attempt to block out the violent cold. The effort was – of course – futile, just as it always was. He would have to stop soon, if only for long enough to melt the frost that coated his face. Looking around him as he trudged through the deep snow that covered the land, he figured he could go about ten more minutes. Then it would take him at least an half an hour to get a fire burning out on the frozen tundra that the Gorons inhabited.
But he was used to it. He was used to living-and surviving under harsh condition. After all, that is what he has been doing all his life. He's been through poisonous swamps, scorching hot deserts, swam in brutal oceans. He's run through forests full of predators, having only his weapons as protection. He's faced some of the most powerful foes in all of Hyrule and Termina, and always manages to make it out alive. And he manage to do all of this before the age of thirteen. In fact, this isn't the first time he's been on this mountain.
This was Snow Mountain, home to the Gorons of Termina. A few years back Link had come here, looking for a mask that would stop Majora, another, more evil mask. There he had found the Gorons almost frozen to death, because of a mighty blizzard that had ravaged the mountain. He had entered their temple, defeated the demon that had caused the great storm and saved the people of the mountain. Yet now as he trudged on, he could not tell the difference between now and before he saved the mountain. For some reason another storm has attacked the mountain and he found increasingly harder to go on in the harsh tundra.
But nevertheless Link continued on, the thought of finally finding Navi giving him strength. After his faithful battle with Majora he had continued on his quest to look for his beloved family. He would search everywhere he could, finding himself engaging in various new adventures in the process. He had searched everywhere, but yet he could not find her. One day, when he saved yet another Great Fairy from certain doom, he dared ask the Great Fairy for advice. The Great Fairy had told him that when Fairies go to be alone, they often seek out places where not many living things thrive. They do this so they can find peace, and also help those who end up in such a place. Link had thought of many different places he could go, such as Ikana Desert, the Ice caverns of the Zoras, Death Mountain and now he was searching on Snow Mountain.
What would he say to her when he found her? If he found her… he shook the thought of "if" away. There was only the matter of "when". He had to find Navi. He wanted…no, NEEDED to find her. She must be here. Link could not stand it anymore, the fear, the pain, the anguish he felt. The pain he's had to endure, from being orphaned as baby, to going on quest that would drive even the bravest men insane. No, she had to be somewhere, at the top of the mountain or something, anywhere. She had to be. She was the only one that would understand what he had gone through, the only one he could talk to. He had sacrificed so much for the sake of so many. This was all he asked for, was it too much? The nightmares of all the dead kept him awake at night, the constant fear of a creature trying to kill him keeping him tense at day. Back when he was with Navi, he could still sleep for she would be there to make him feel safe, she could be the eyes in his back so he did not have to always be afraid.
Link shook himself from his thoughts as he realized that he couldn't feel his feet. Looking down, he marveled at how they continued to move on, seemingly without his commands. Seeing several dead trees nearby, he willed himself to move towards them. Amazingly, his numb feet replied, carrying him to them with surprising speed. He forced himself to busy himself by ripping dead branches from the trees and piling them in open, careful to keep the snow off of them. As he did so, he wondered why he was out here. Finding Navi, a tiny white light, in white snow would be near impossible at best. He had been looking around these mountains for days, without stopping for food or rest, and still hadn't found her. But she wasn't anywhere else! He had searched everywhere he could think of! He'd looked everywhere, every corner of the world. Not one stone remained untouched.. And Link knew that she couldn't be dead. That simply wasn't a possibility.
Linkshook himself from his thoughts once again, seeing that he had made a pile of wood sufficient to burn. He found himself retreating inward more often these days, and it scared him. What if I lose myself in my own mind? What would happen to me then? He thought. He forced himself not to think about it, instead going charging a fire-arrow to cast fire. As he finished lighting the fire, he laughed out loud at his current state. He didn't even watch as the flames began to lick at the icy wood before him, for he had retreated inward to his private world of introspection.
Every day, he did the same thing. An unchanging routine. He would take Epona to the outskirts of the Hyrule, search every place he could think of. Because of that he had lost his horse, to a flying arrow from the Gerudos. He had lost another companion like this, but he could live without his horse. After all, Horses are poor listeners. So without his horse he finished searching Hyrule, thus he moved on to Termina. He's been here for a few years now, and has not even come across another fairy. Let alone Navi.
But still, some sort of denial controlled his mind, refusing to let him be anything but optimistic about his chances. It wasn't that he felt he had a good chance of finding Navi – for he didn't – it was simply that he would not have it any other way. Long ago, he had convinced himself that finding Navi would change him back to the person he had once been. It had since been his only reason to live. A few years ago, he could have lived without his fairy. Now, with all the things he went through… Navi was his only hope to regain his long-lost life.
Link shook his head violently, and watched as snow fell from his face. He looked around him, and saw that it was now night. His fire had burned out long ago, and there was no trace that it had ever been there. He wasn't cold, though. For some reason, the howling of the wind made him feel strangely warm. He decided he probably needed to get going, so he looked down, trying to find his feet. He thought it was rather odd that he should have to look for his feet, but shrugged the feeling away as he saw them. He then proceeded to will himself forward. At first he didn't move, so he tried to emphasize his wish by pointing. However, he found that he couldn't bend his numb fingers. Before he could wonder at this very long, though, his feet got the message and began moving him forward at a relatively steady pace. I wonder what's wrong with me, he thought. He started to ponder over the matter, but realized that thinking had gotten him into this state, and thus decided not to worry over it any further.
Unfortunately, he had decided too late. When he next became aware of his surroundings, he found himself lying facedown on the ground. He had apparently been there a while, for the snow had melted all around him. Apparently, in his stupor, he had still managed to keep him alive. He couldn't feel any part of his body, though, and realized that couldn't be good. He somehow managed to open his eyes, and found that shining in his face was a bright light. He tried to push himself up, but he was too weak. He squinted his eyes, trying to make out what the light was. It took a moment, for his mind to register, when he realized what it was. It was frozen in a solid block of ice, no doubt a long time ago. It was surely dead, yet it still shined. It was Navi.
With his last breath, Link cried out in torment and rage, screaming at the goddeses who had sought to taunt him in this way. His face then fell back to the ground, and Link, the hero of time, died, his long-lost fairy just in front of him. Link had found his fairy, but it did not matter.
In the center of an open field, the happy mask salesman was once again holding the mask of Majora in his hands. He had often pondered the origins and destiny of this mask, not able to understand why it sought to cause havoc and spread sadness across the land. And the mask always looked so unhappy. Except that for today. For some reason, the happy mask salesman felt that the mask of Majora was laughing.