Chapter 5: Dreams
The sun was beginning to set on the land which would cause the moon to rise from the other side, were it not already hanging in the sky already. Link was sitting by the window of his, or rather Dreek's room looking out to the moon above him.
How could he have not seen it earlier? It was big enough to not miss when you looked, but Link hadn't looked so he hadn't seen it. Now that he was, though, he wasn't feeling what everyone else seemed to feel. Panic. Fear. Concern. None of these were passing through his head at all. He hardly paid any attention to it at all as if it weren't falling at all.
Right now he was just looking outside as there was nothing interesting to see inside. Sure he could go outside and walk around himself, but with only two more nights to the carnival the streets were still busy even at night and crowds were not his thing.
It all seemed so peaceful one floor up from the ground where there were no sounds or scents or things to distract him. He could just sit here and be at peace.
If it weren't for the fact that he wasn't alone but sharing his body with another.
He did have to commend Dreek for getting them in here after a potential mistake that could have had them outside instead.
Link and Tatl had entered the Inn, following Dreek's instructions to say who he is then go up. Automatically Link said his own name, to which there was a Link but a goron Link. Not a deku. Fortunately Dreek took over and managed to correct it before it looked like they were trying to take someone else's room which lead them to their upstairs room and to a discussion of what to do.
The plan had been to stay in the room for the moment and learn of the city from Tatl, then look for some leads the next day before ending with another visit to the astronomer.
This sounded fine to Link as he had spent most of the day talking with Tatl about his quest to save Hyrule, which Dreek could see and not need to be told, and felt like having time to think to himself instead of talking more of his past. Especially since he was nearing his confrontation with his dark side and that would not be an easy subject to talk about without consequences.
Are you alright?
Dreek. He would talk to Link every now and again just to start a conversation and try to break the unnerving silence. He hadn't asked a question like this yet which, to Link, suggested that Dreek seemed concerned about Link more than the moon threatening to destroy them all.
"I'm fine." Link replied.
That's what you say, but not what you think.
"If you knew that then why did you ask?"
Curiosity. Analysis of the mind. And I hoped to get a response out of you.
Well he certainly had that now. He could try and brush him off, but as he had proven in earlier conversations he did not quit so easily.
"So what did my mind tell you?" Link asked out of curiosity.
That you hate your past. What you once were and that you feel you're doing the same thing again with this skull kid and his mask.
"I can't keep secrets from you can I?" Link said half jokingly, half seriously.
Neither can I.
It took a moment for Link to realise that, then another to read all the surface thoughts of Dreek's mind.
"Are you alright?"
…What do you mean?
"This isn't really you is it. You were a member of the military so that explains your current attitude, but you were also a student in a top school which should balance your emotions out. The fun-loving school side of you has gone so something is wrong."
Dreek remained silent choosing to think instead of speak. Link didn't though.
"You lost someone, or pushed someone away because of who you were. You decided to embrace the part that could keep the others out and yourself in. You decided it would cause too much pain to hold on to a false hope while ignoring the problem would also ignore the pain."
Again, silence.
"Pain never goes away by simply ignoring it. If you lose something, don't mourn it, go after it."
For the last time, there was silence but Link didn't attempt to break it this time. He had gotten his point across and just talking about this made something else come to his mind. Something he now realised he hadn't thought about all day.
Look, can we just go to sleep now? I think I've had enough talk for today.
Seeing he might have gone a little too far, Link complied with the request and clambered into the large bed for the first night's sleep in a long time.
---
As the blue light faded, he released his clutch on the now large blade and let himself fall back a step to get a good look at it. The Master Sword, now resting in its pedestal once again where it shall remain for what was hoped to be forever.
"It's over. It's finally over." The boy said.
"Yeah. All is as it should be. No Ganondorf, no war and everything is back to the way it once was."
Both the boy and the fairy sighed in relief and happiness after knowing that their work was complete. Back to the way it was. Those words seemed to echo in their minds as it sunk its way in, although for the fairy it meant something else.
"Everything." The fairy dazedly said, quickly followed with a gasp. "The Great Deku Tree! He must be alive! If we were sent back to a time where there is no Ganondorf, then the Great Deku Tree was never cursed so he is still alive!"
The boy grinned at that logic and thought of the other things that would have changed as well. Dodongo's Cavern would not be sealed so the gorons would not be on the verge of extinction. Jabu Jabu would be alive and well, so Ruto would not have needed to enter and chaos would not have continued. The Great Deku Tree was the most important to both of them, being the boy's previous protector, but the fairy had a closer connection. The Great Deku Tree created all the fairy guardians in the forest and when this fairy had to watch the Great Deku Tree die in front of her eyes, she was devastated. But now, with an opportunity to see her creator she cared so much for again, there was little she could do to contain her excitement, which the boy very easily saw.
"Go." The boy said while smiling.
"Huh?"
"Go. Go and see him. Being the hero meant I lost people very close to me. Saria, Darunia, Ruto. Well, Ruto was a little weird, but I'm not going to see any of them ever again. You lost the Great Deku Tree but now you can see him again after such a long journey I dragged you in to. Go and see him again." The boy said while still smiling.
"But Link, you're not coming with me?" The fairy asked.
"Don't worry Navi, I'll catch up to you later. There's still one person here I can see and despite having been sent back by her, I still feel I need to say thank you." Link replied
"But, Zelda won't know anything about it. What's the point?"
"She's a sage. She might have sent herself back as well, or something odd. I dunno, but I still want to see her. You go, I'll catch up later." Link persisted.
Realising she wasn't going to change Link's mind, and how much quicker she could go if she flied alone rather than slow down for Link, she flew out through the Door of Time and left to her home and father, the Great Deku Tree. Link watched his fairy friend as she flew out of the Temple and again smiled, knowing his quest was over and now they were free to do what they want. No destiny to guide them and lead them into a life of peril, death and sorrow. He turned to look at the Master Sword once more before walking out, muttering something to himself.
"My destiny is over. You don't control me anymore."
He left the Temple of Time without looking back once with the sound of the wind blowing and the Door of Time grinding shut behind him, sealing his destiny at last.
The pale, white tiles of the Temple of Time and that odd aura made him fell much calmer after having battled the King of Evil and helped seal him away in the Dark Realm, but the blissful breeze of a peaceful world and wonderful flowers lining the pathway reminded Link just how long he had been deprived of a peaceful environment.
Taking in all he could, Link kept on walking the pathway and allowing his thoughts to wonder through the incredible journey he had followed and all the trials he had overcome. The friends he had made, the places he had been to. The friends that he lost, the love he had lost.
"Saria. I'm never going to see you again, am I? Darunia, my sworn brother. Ruto, my fiancé. Everyone who ever helped me or shared feelings with me is gone. Only Zelda and Malon are left, and I couldn't live with either one of them."
The calm path now turned into the bustling streets of Hyrule Market square where he could eventually find his way to the castle and the princess Zelda. But, now that he thought about it, did he really want to see her? She had sent him back in time for another go at childhood, but for what good? He now knew he was a Hylian so going back to the forest would only mean he would grow and eventually not be accepted, being forced out. If he stayed, there would be no-one here to look after him. He had no family, no city friends and he was only a child of 10 so nobody would accept him for work or even take him seriously. What had Zelda done? She sent him back to nothing. There was nothing for him in this time, he was alone.
On the other hand, if she didn't send him back the damage Ganon had done would still have left it's mark on the world and he would have the same as he had now, only the entire kingdom was practically destroyed meaning everyone would have nothing. He was upset for knowing there was nothing here for him, but he was glad he didn't have to see the long repairs and the poor dying from the diseases and famine that had occurred during Ganon's reign.
"I still want to see her." He said to himself.
With his mind made up, he walked into the bustling market place and weaved his way to the north to see the one who had helped him through his quest. The princess Zelda.
---
Flying as fast as she could, Navi crossed the vast, somewhat dull, Hyrule field to go and see the Great Deku Tree after many months of adventuring with Link. She was there when Link's mother came to the forest as a desperate plea to save her son, even at the cost of her own life. She knew that it was her job to secretly look over this child and help him once the Great Deku Tree thought it was time for destiny to occur, and Navi was always glad it was her job.
The two of them had their ups and downs. After Link lost Saria to the Temple of Sages, it was Navi who was there to comfort him and help him through it. When Navi was knocked out by a monster in the Fire Temple, it was Link who managed to catch her and prevent her from falling into the molten lava below them. They made an excellent pair and she was glad to be his fairy partner.
Now she was going home to meet the one she lost and the one who chose her to go with Link, the boy who has had the biggest effect on her entire life. The sun was beginning to set and she had just flown over the border of the forest looking as wonderful as it once was. She was going to fly right to the Great Deku Tree and tell him all about what she and Link went through, spend the night at the forest to rest after a non-stop flight then fly back the next day to try and find Link.
Flying over the trees she finally reached the Kokiri Village and gave a few quick hellos before continuing on and finding the Great Deku Tree in a wonderful splendour. No longer was it grey with yellow and brown leaves falling off its branches, but a healthy brown with bright green leaves covering the top and giving it a vast canopy that shaded over half of the large grotto-like area it was growing in.
"Great Deku Tree! Great Deku Tree! I'm back!" She screamed, flying over the small pathway and stopping to float near the widening exit into the grotto.
"Navi? Navi the fairy? Where is't Link?" The Great Deku Tree asked curiously.
"Link? Oh, he's still in the Hyrule Castle going to see Zelda again. He wanted to say thank you for sending him back. I came to tell you all about our journey!"
The Great Deku Tree's face grew sullen as all do when delivering bad news. Someone would have to have done it at some point, but it didn't make it any easier.
"Navi, thou can'st return to Link." He said firmly.
"What? What are you talking about? Of course I can go back to him. Sure it may take me a while to find him but I'll find him eventually."
"No Navi. Thou can'st return to Link."
This time Navi understood, but wished she didn't now that she had heard it. The one who told her to watch over Link and to be his partner was now saying she could never see Link again.
"W-why?" Navi seemed to whisper.
"Throughout thy quest, destiny looked kindly upon thee and guided thee to thine goal. Both of thee were essential so destiny protected thee as well as guided thee. Now that thy destiny is complete, thou no longer has thy divine protection to guard thee and death could occur."
"W-what are you t-trying to say?" Navi said, on the verge of tears at this news.
"Travelling with Link is perilous now. Thou can'st return to him." The great Deku Tree finished.
So, that catch in the Fire Temple? The narrow escape from the Iron Knuckle? All of that was destiny and not Link? No. No, it couldn't be. Link went to protect her and saved her those times because he wanted to, not because of destiny. Link always kept going on about free choice and destiny not guiding them. It must be that. Destiny didn't save her, Link did. The Great Deku Tree was wrong. He must be. He must be!
"No. No, you're wrong. Link saved me all those times and he will again. I'll show you. You're wrong. You're WRONG!" Navi screamed.
She darted off into the forest without thinking, tears now lining her eyes and occasionally blinding her. She didn't care where she was going now, she just wanted to be with Link and show that she didn't need destiny to keep her alive. She liked Link, no, loved him like family and she was never going to give that up for the world. She'd find him. She'd find him.
---
That mask. That horrid, dark mask. Now it was even haunting her in her dreams.
Tatl was floating in a dark abyss just like Link when he was being cursed with no-one around to protect her or give her strength. No Tael, no Link and no skull kid. She was alone and petrified because of it.
However she wasn't really alone. Sitting right in front of her was the dark mask that the skull kid constantly wore, except it seemed motionless and dull. This was what she wanted, for the life of the mask to vanish and stop influencing the skull kid, so why did seeing it like this only intensify her fears? That was what she kept wishing for.
"I can grant your wish."
Tatl didn't need to look around to know where the voice came from, but it didn't stop her from doing so anyway. A moment later and she was staring straight at the mask again, unable to move out of fear and the magic of the mask.
"I can grant any wish with my power as I have no limitations. I shall show you."
The bright yellow eyes of the mask flashed turning the dark abyss into a blinding light for just a second, then the darkness took over once again. Tatl had managed to raise an arm to her eyes to shield from the light, but once it was over shock and awe took over with what she saw.
Her small fairy arm had been replaced with a full grown woman's arm. The same had happened to the rest of her body. She now wore a loose white gown covering her body from the neck to her forearms and ankles. Her hair, which was now a shining gold, hung down just beyond her shoulders in wonderful locks that would glisten if there were real light being reflected off of it.
"W-what is this? What's happened to me?" A new bodied Tatl shakily asked.
"I granted one of your wishes. You wished to be able to travel the world but not be thought of as some insignificant fairy hiding behind her friends, so I made you human."
She had wished for that? Yes, she had. She had previously lived with Tael going wherever they wanted, but made sure to stay away from big places in order to not be knocked around or bullied by nasty kids. Then she became friends with the skull kid and felt she could now go to the city but only because she had the skull kid to hide behind in case things went wrong.
But now she was human. Had she truly wished for that? She couldn't tell. Either she had but she had just forgotten or she hadn't and this mask was putting ideas in her mind. She wanted to think the latter, but by looking at herself and thinking of all the benefits how could she know she hadn't wished for this?
"Now that I have granted your wish, I request you grant me mine."
She hadn't realised how well she had hypnotized herself just by looking at her new body until that point to which she now became confused of it's request, curious as to what it may be and fearful as to what it might entail. Before she could even ask what it was, it had said it itself.
"I wish for souls!"
Spinning around once it launched itself from the ground and directly onto Tatl's new face, planting its roots into her skin. She desperately struggled to claw the mask off but it was in vain. Another flash of the eyes and her arms fell limp refusing to move.
All she could do now was watch as her face slowly transformed into the Majora's Mask and feel their two minds merging into one, then only the mind of Majora remaining. She knew it would happen. She had seen it happen to the skull kid and now it was happening to her.
She had only stayed with the skull kid in an attempt to save him from the mask, but now she had failed. She failed the skull kid and she had failed Tael. Now she was going to die.
"I shall consume your mind. I shall consume your soul. I shall consume…all!"
She woke up with a start. She was dripping with sweat that she guessed was panic induced. Tatl looked across from her cotton ball and cloth bed to see Link wasn't in his bed, and that it was morning already.
She looked down at herself to make sure she was still a fairy and not a woman possessed by the mask. Her glow, wings, she was still a fairy. But, it had felt so real. She had felt her own human arms and the silk gown on her skin. It was so real, even the mask planting itself on her and the sudden surge of magic making her body limp.
"Get out. Get out of my mind!" She whispered to herself, banging her head lightly at the same time.
She gave up after a few more hits and flew to the window to get a look at the Clock Tower and see just what time it was. 7:30 am. She guessed Link hadn't been up long so he must still be here in the Inn. Flying over to the door - which was thoughtfully left open - she flew down the stairs in search of Link only to meet him coming up the stairs to see her.
"Ah, you're awake. Good."
He may have gotten up earlier than Tatl but it was obvious that it did not make him any cheerier or friendly. Sure, he wasn't being frighteningly cold, but it was still chilly around him.
"Yeah, I was just a little tired." Tatl replied, hoping to not mention anything about her dream.
"Well come on then. We're going to look for some more leads on the skull kid and we need you to guide us through town. We were just coming up to wake you and get moving."
They were coming up. If she had kept dreaming for a moment longer Link would have seen her twitching and panicking in her sleep so she would have had to explain what she dreamt. Perhaps if Link were more friendly and caring she wouldn't have minded sharing her dream with him, but Link could respond with anything that she couldn't predict and all that she could predict would not be comforting or helpful in any way. Best to keep quiet and maybe speak of it another day.
"Alright, just give me a moment to stretch my wings. We can go in a few minutes."
Not hoping for a reply she flew right past Link and out an open window to sit on the edge of the roof. Looking up into the sky the moon was still there, glaring down on its soon-to-be victims.
Why had she had a dream like that? Why would being away from the skull kid make her more afraid of what he could do? And…had that really been what she wished for? To be human. To be like everybody else where she could get married, get a job and not be shunned by the rest of the people just because she was a small, insignificant fairy.
She didn't want to be thought of as that, but to be human? Was that what Tael wanted as well? She didn't know, but it was all the more reason to hurry up and try to find him. Perhaps she could ask the skull kid if he could turn Tatl into a human. She still wasn't sure if she really wanted such a thing to happen to her, but if he could do that then it was something worth thinking about.
That being the case, then there was no need to worry too much about it now when it could all be a false hope and a broken dream. Heh. A broken dream. There had to be more than one meaning for that term after the night she had just had.
She kept gazing at the moon above her as if it held the ultimate answer to life, then shook her head a little after realising she had been gazing at it for a while. Stretching her wings shouldn't take this long and Link might begin to think more about the way she was acting. If not him, then Dreek might as well.
She wasn't sure what to think of Dreek. He seemed smart enough to trust and be able to help them out in various situations, but she had heard of the deku military and if they were true, then there may be reason to not trust Dreek.
Dekus, by physical nature, were the weakest race in any land. They were light and made of wood so a punch from one would not be as powerful as a human or even a zora. However the dekus were very tactful and relied more on their surroundings and the earth to help them in battles. It was because of this that it was said dekus were quick to analyse situations and go with the option that worked best for them which might even include betraying Link and taking over his body for good. She didn't know if he could do that, but if he could, was he going to say it?
All she could do for now was hope that she was wrong and keep searching for her little brother and the skull kid.
---
He sat in the middle of a large ring. It was a strange ring with even stranger markings around and inside the ring as if used for ancient magic. He looked up and noticed all his surroundings were different as well. There was no Clock Town but a collection of run-down and destroyed buildings. There wasn't even a Clock Tower around anywhere.
Looking up into the sky he noticed the moon wasn't looming over his head anymore either but instead black clouds were. There was no sign of sunlight anywhere which made him wonder how he could see, but then he noticed the fires from the destroyed buildings and figured it was those that were lighting his surroundings.
But what was going on?
Why was Clock Town – if that was where he was – totally destroyed? All that surrounded him was destruction and perpetual darkness. What had caused all this? And how did it all happen without him realising it?
He ignored these thoughts when he noticed the strange circle below him begin to glow with a black light. Each and ever marking bore a dark glow radiating directly up and creating what some might perceive to be a barrier of some kind with the way the light formed.
He panicked and tried to ram his way out of the circle, but there actually was a barrier keeping him inside. He tried rubbing off the markings to stop the light but that only resulted in burning his hands and increasing the intensity of the darkness. Giving up, he collapsed onto the ground landing on his back and looking up to the sky above him.
It wasn't causing him pain so he didn't notice it at first, but the circle he lay in was slowly siphoning his energy away until there was nothing left. He guessed soon though when his skin drew tighter and simple movements such as moving an arm became increasingly difficult. He was dying in a place he didn't recognise and being killed by a dark, ominous circle.
Something not covered in darkness made him achieve the near-impossible task of moving his head to see what was defying shadow's destructive grasp. It came from the distance but grew bigger as it got closer making it out to be a large red coloured giant with very big legs. Because of those legs the giant was standing next to the destroyed town in only seconds and although he couldn't see it, the giant was joined by three other giants as well. Each from a different direction.
He could do nothing but watch what they were doing as he lay in a useless state. Each of the four giants looked down on the destruction left behind by the unforgiving creation of dark magic and then to the black circle within the centre of it all. They could see it had trapped someone and that he was going to lose his soul very soon.
The four giants did what they came here to do as protectors of this world. Looking to one another they all pooled their spiritual energy together and lifted the soul from the body, up into the cloud ridden sky. Where the body once was there was ash gradually seeping into the cracks of the circle and where the soul was rising there was an orb of shining light that shone brighter than any sun.
As soon as it reached the clouds, they parted from the spot allowing the light of day to hit the ground below once more and continue to spread as the darkness receded away.
The black circle continued to emanate its evil glow and the giants seemed to be oblivious to this. It looked like the giants believed their work to be done now that the darkness had gone but they failed to realise they had only destroyed the cloak and still had the body beneath to deal with.
Frustrated at the loss of another soul, the darkness shone stronger than before reaching up into the heavens creating a column of darkness at its purest form for all to see. Wiping away the markings on the ground the darkness gathered itself together until it had formed a body that it could use.
Covered in mixtures of red and purple inscriptions and a pair of bright, yellow eyes it stared at each of the giants in turn with a stare that showed his intent to kill them all.
The giants, which now stared back at their apparent doom, seemed more calm than you might expect. Acting as if they, themselves, were one entity they waved their arms in a way that called back the soul they had previously released and sent it colliding with the darkness for consequences only they knew.
The combination of light and dark in their purest forms is something that cannot last for long even when dealing with something as intricate as the soul. Unable to contain the balance, the two forces exploded and nothing could be seen through the blinding light.
When the light cleared, he did not see what he expected to see. In fact, he could never expect what he saw now. The desolate wasteland he had been lying in had vanished and been replaced by a colourful mist with no visible bottom and the sky above him now bore a similar mist as well as around him.
"Welcome Stalchild."
A voice was another thing he would have never of guessed to occur. He could not guess who it belonged to or pinpoint where it came from as the sound came from all around him.
"Who are you?" The Stalchild asked.
"We will reveal ourselves to you when we can, but for now we cannot."
Again the voice came from everywhere so it was impossible to determine where this being was. Then again, he didn't know where he was either so what difference did it make?
"You wish to know where you were just now and of the events that occurred. Yes?"
The Stalchild nodded in agreement, although he wasn't sure why as he didn't know if this being could see him to acknowledge the nod. Apparently it could as it continued to answer the question.
"The mask you wear is the cause of the darkness and destruction that covered the world and nearly yourself. Do not be alarmed for what occurred did so 3000 years ago and what you experienced was nothing more than a memory of it."
A memory? He had…experienced a memory? Who's memory and why did he go through it? But wait a minute. The mask he wore did that 3000 years ago? How was that possible? Luckily that was about to be explained, in part.
"The four giants, as you saw, stopped the darkness using your soul before it could be consumed by the darkness and it was also your soul which helped defeat the darkness for good."
He wanted to ask more about his 'soul' and just what it meant for him to be just a soul, but he could already tell it would be more confusing than he would like and so ignored asking that question. Instead he asked another.
"Where am I now?" He asked.
"You have been in direct contact with he born from darkness and not been destroyed completely by it. Those who fit those circumstances end up here. Here specifically is the gap between that darkness's mind and soul where we remain trapped until the curse that sealed us in here can be broken."
"What curse has he placed upon me?" The stalchild also asked.
"You are weak in spiritual energy and the mask needed a body that could easily be taken over. You are here because it has forced your mind and soul out of your body so it can gain control. You have been in contact with the darkness, but your body is still intact so you have not been completely destroyed."
"And what is your curse?"
"I have no curse. I am here because of…an exchange."
Those last words were said slower than all the ones before it indicating it may be a difficult thing to talk about. Natural curiosity took over and made him want to ask one more question which prodded right at the difficult thing to talk about and hope to explain all of it. For some reason even he didn't know, another question seemed more pertinent that even human curiosity could not override.
"Who are you?"