Chapter 7: The Second Encounter

"Hey skull kid, found anything yet?" The purple fairy asked.

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"Hee, hee! Now that's a good look for you!" The skull kid said while laughing.

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"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"

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The sounds of morning hustle and bustle were the first things to be registered by Link and Tatl. Soon to follow was the sunlight, then the outer wall and then the finer details like people and buildings. It didn't take much longer for the fact that they had seen this setting before to sink in.

"What…just happened?" Tatl asked.

Ignoring her for the moment, Link looked up at the sky to see where the moon was, if it was still there. It was. It was quite a ways up, though, and not a few metres instead. The Clock Tower also told him that it was early in the morning and that it was 3 days earlier, judging by the smaller clock within the larger one.

"Everything has…started over."

Just like it had on their first visit, everyone was doing exactly the same things they were doing before. The postman was still delivering the mail, the carpenters were still working on the small tower and the vendors were still at their stalls.

"Come on." Link ordered.

"What? Where are we going?" Tatl asked, caught slightly by surprise.

"I got my ocarina. I'm getting my body back."

Having completely forgotten about Link's deal with the Happy Mask man, Tatl obediently followed Link back inside the Clock Tower where they first met the strange man, thinking he would still be there. The large, wooden doors creaked open then shut again revealing the same cogs, sounds and strange man as before.

"My, you were quick in achieving your goal. I knew I was right to trust this task to you."

Link only stared in response to the mask man's words. He had seen what the mask could do on the tower and if getting that mask seemed difficult before, it was nearly impossible now! He wanted to say something about that, but knew he might lose his temper if he did and he wanted to be human when he did that, not a deku.

"You do have your ocarina, don't you?" He asked in response to the silence. The reply to this was more silence and a wave with it in his hands, showing he did. "Marvellous. Then I can teach you the song to heal you."

With that, the Happy Mask man turned to a side and walked over to a large set of organ pipes that did not seem to be there before. Pulling out the seat he sat down in front of it and played a few notes to make sure it was all in check. Once he was certain, he turned back to Link.

"Pay close attention, Link, for I shall only play this once."

Turning back to the organ the Happy Mask Man stretched his fingers and began to play the slow and soothing Song of Healing. The melody that came from the organ flowed out with elegance and filled the Clock Tower with peace and calmness. Despite his hard attempts of concentrating solely on the sounds and notes, he couldn't help but feel more relaxed from the power of the song.

Tatl, who had realised they had travelled back in time and remembered seeing her brother dead, succumbed to the music and allowed her feelings of horror and shock to subside. Her recent emotional pains had been healed, as had the recent pains of the others.

The last few notes came out of the organ, echoing slightly through the tower as the Happy Mask man turned around and made a bow to his audience.

"My power as it is now can only do so much with the power of the song. In order to heal yourself, you must play the song on that ocarina of yours." The Happy Mask man said, surprisingly serious.

Like he had done before, Link placed the ocarina to his snout where, again, it turned into a set of large pipes. Reminding himself of how the Happy Mask man played his organ, Link mimicked the action with breaths of his own, producing the same soothing sound.

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The scrub had caught up to him and was now lowering its main body leaving its snout hovering over the head of the fearful little boy. A shrill cackle now rang in the air as his doom was now upon him. He knew it. This was it. Closer the snout of death came to his body while the cackle began to unnerve him and then…

It stopped.

The large scrub towering over the body of Link pulled its snout back up and stepped away, diminishing in size with every step. It walked away until it was so small that there was nothing left. Link's curse had walked away leaving him with his original form once again.

For a quick moment, Link thought he saw the face of Dreek in the darkness from which he had run, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared so he could not be sure. All he cared about now was that the curse had gone, his body was his once again and the void he had been in was vanishing, revealing the world he was currently in.

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He looked down at himself, checking that he had regained his old body. Green clothes, leather boots, skin, weapons, yes, he was a deku no more! Looking down again he could still see the face of a deku, but it was motionless and attached to nothing.

"That song has the power to heal evil magic and troubled spirits, turning them into masks. By playing that song for yourself you healed the spirit of the deku you were combined with and turned it into a mask."

Link stared down at the mask in front of him, seeing how depressed and sad it looked. The essence of Dreek lay before him, no longer existing inside his mind and being forced to share a body. But, the mask was dull and without life. Did that mean…

"You're friend is not dead." The Happy Mask man answered, as if reading Link's mind. "He lives inside the mask, and if you wear it, it will be like you were before. Your minds will connect, your form will change but this time you are free to remove the mask if being a deku becomes an inconvenience."

Huh, join up with him again? Not likely. Now he had his old body back again he felt he could do anything. Being a deku would only limit his powers so the chances of being one again were incredibly slim.

"Take him with you. I'm sure he will be useful on your quest."

Suddenly the feeling of peace swept away from Link and was replaced with agitation and the same cold attitude he had been harbouring the past couple of days. He never wanted to go on this 'quest' of retrieving the mask in the first place. He never wanted to go on a quest ever again! However, he did want to know what he was looking for that got him here in the first place.

But, how did this man know what Link wanted? It may turn out that Link gets the mask, gives it to him and he just lies to Link. A complete waste of time, and he was used again. How could he make sure that he wouldn't be betrayed?

"I'm not on any 'quest'." Link replied.

"Oh? So you have forgotten our deal or are you backing out with half of the payment in hand?" The mask man replied back.

"That's all I see this as. A trade. You keep your promise, I'll keep mine. This is no quest." Link shot back. The Happy Mask man grinned at this response having half expected it.

"If that is all it takes to get my mask back, then yes. This is nothing but a trade." The happy mask man said, still grinning. He started to bow to Link as if saying goodbye, but stopped when he was interrupted by Link. He straightened out and looked down at the boy in curiosity of what he had to say.

"This mask. Just what kind of mask is it?" Link rudely asked.

"You wish to know of Majora's powers?"

"And why you never mentioned them the first time." Link added. The Happy Mask man smiled as he replied.

"You never asked me to."

"Well I'm asking now. Talk."

Sighing, the man of many masks gave in and began to tell Link what he needed to know about Majora's Mask. Compared to what there was to know about the mask, he revealed little about it, yet it was satisfactory for Link as he did not know of all there was to be revealed.

He spoke of a people from many thousands of years ago. They lived in one major settlement which is where Clock Town is situated today. In that particular tribe, certain rituals were held by the people there that involved masks. These rituals may help to summon rain, call to the animals or some more powerful techniques such as reading minds and seeing the future.

A select few masks were used for hexing rituals, or curses. This was a people from a long time ago so there was no policing policy or any other organisation like it, so when people did wrong, they were cursed. One mask was favoured for the most horrible curses that could steal the soul of a person, turning them into a zombie with no will or ability to think at all. That mask was the Majora's mask.

Over the many years the mask was used, the souls it had stolen accumulated themselves and through the magic of the mask, moulded together into one. The magic that lay within the mask had a soul to guide and harness it. All it needed now was a body that it could use to focus and utilise the magic to its fullest potential. Not a difficult task as, in order to carry out the curses, someone had to wear the mask and use its power.

The entire people were nearly destroyed, but fortunately the mask was stopped by killing the man wearing it. The people spread out and founded the places known well today as Woodfall, Snowhead, the Great Bay and Ikana. Most of the masks were destroyed to try and prevent another incident like that. Those that could not be destroyed were taken by the future-Ikana people, who had with them the best magical experts. Masks like Majora were sent far away where nobody, not even the people who used them could find them.

Throughout all those years, Majora's mask remained hidden with the people's hopes that it would never be used again.

"Unfortunately, that little imp found it and the mask now has a strong hold on him. He probably intends to destroy the city in revenge for being hidden for so long."

Link began to understand more what kind of an opponent he was facing, but still managed to concentrate on the cold, hard facts.

"Even if all I have to do is kill the skull kid," a squeak of alarm from Tatl, "that mask has a lot of power and it won't be easy for me to get to it. How was it stopped last time?"

"To weaken the mask you must travel to the new settlements and ask each of the giants for their aid. Once all four are willing to help, you can fight the mask on equal terms and defeat it." The Happy Mask man said calmly.

Great, so it is a quest. Link thought. He had hoped that looking for Navi would be the last major journey he ever had to make, but now he was stuck in this unwanted detour just because someone was saying they knew something about him he didn't. That he actually wasn't looking for his old fairy friend, Navi.

But, if it wasn't her, what was he looking for? He had lost everything else, so it had to be her, and he already knew that. This man obviously did not know what Link was after at all. He had been turned back to his old Hylian self, so why not just leave and look for Navi? This place was doomed from the start just by feeling segments of the mask's power. If there was one thing Link learnt from his journey as the Hero of Time it was that you always had a choice, no matter what and right now he chose to leave and look for his friend.

"I don't care what you say; this is too much for me. That mask cannot be stopped as I no longer have the Master Sword, and that sounds like the only thing that can stop it in a fight." Link said.

"Oh, so you are leaving. I see the lives of this entire domain are meaningless compared to one little fairy, is that right?" The Happy Mask man asked, still surprisingly calm.

"If you feel so intent on saving those lives, why don't you get that mask yourself? No, better yet, make me get your mask."

At this point, Link had been walking towards the exit as he spoke, but after that last comment he stopped. Not because he wished to add something to it or await a response, but because he could no longer move of his own will. He couldn't walk, he couldn't speak, he couldn't even move his eyes. He was frozen to the spot.

"I am sorry to have to do this to you, Hero of Time, but I must have that mask returned to me and I need you to do it. Until then, I cannot allow you to leave this world." He bent down to pick up the deku mask that was still on the floor then handed it over to Link. "Take him with you. I'm sure he'll be useful on your quest."

Link suddenly felt like he could move again as the mask fell into his hands. He dared to move toward the exit, but stopped of his own accord when he analysed the situation and deemed such an act to be foolish.

"I'm curious. How do you expect me to get your mask when you can stop me so easily? I may have been the Hero of Time but you left me unable to move anything. Why don't you get that mask yourself?" Link asked, genuinely curious as opposed to an attack.

"I use my strengths to attack the mind. You use your skills to attack the physical body. The mind of Majora is too powerful for me to even touch, but you have the skill to destroy the body and the mind with the aid of the giants. That is why I need you to do this. Now, retrieve my mask for me and I shall tell you what you need to know."

Feeling as satisfied as he was going to be, Link went to put the mask somewhere on his tunic and leave, only to find there was no place that could support the mask at all. There was no room under his shield, a few remaining weapons from his previous journey took up most of the room on his belt and his pockets just weren't big enough.

"Ah yes, it seems you have reminded me of one other thing to tell you." Link abandoned looking for a place for the mask now as he turned back to the mask man. "I see you are having obvious difficulty with the placement of your new mask. Would you like me to assist?"

Link wasn't entirely sure what he meant by 'assist' but it most likely wasn't assistance by going with him, so it shouldn't matter nor take very long. He nodded to indicate he would like assistance.

"Very well. You see, I am a member of a certain order that gives a person certain power of a creature or item. In my case, the order focuses on masks. As a member, I can pass on that power to possible potentials and so I shall give it to you in order to aid you." The Happy Mask man explained.

By now he had reached the boy, Link, who just stood there taking this in. The mask man had a smile upon his face the entire time even when he suddenly placed both of his hands on Link's shoulders, holding him firmly in place. To Link, he thought it would feel like the passing of magic through a person similar to the feeling he had when he was surrounded by Majora's power, but it didn't. Instead, it felt like a weight had been placed upon his back that quickly vanished. The mask man released his grip on Link and stepped back a bit to give him room before continuing.

"You now have the gift to possess as many masks as you wish without having to inconvenience yourself at all. Go on, put that mask away as if you had a pack like mine."

Link looked at the man, then at the mask before doing as instructed. He reached behind his back with the mask in hand when he felt the weight of the mask lessen. Turning to look at it he could see that the mask was vanishing the further back he put his arm. A moment later and the whole mask was gone into the invisible nothingness.

"As there are so many masks throughout the many worlds, members of the order require their own personal pack to store the masks they obtain so that they may get them quickly. As a new member, your pack is concealed to all and has no mass making weight not an issue. Do not worry. You will not be called to any meetings as a member, you just posses the power the order grants you." The mask man added, seeing Link didn't want to join club get-togethers every Saturday lunchtime.

"Now, I believe that is all. I wish you good luck in this task and that it be completed quickly." The Happy Mask man bowed once more to which Link did not return the gratitude as he left.

Feeling an essence of happiness as he pushed the doors open with his real, Hylian hands the light of an early morning shone down on him as well as a cold glare from an evil-looking moon above him.

He hadn't noticed before as he hadn't cared to look, but it was strange to see all these people still walking around enjoying their normal lives despite their demise being in plain sight. Children were walking happily with their parents to school while at one stall a man was chatting up the female vender. Was it all just ignorance of their deaths or did they have some kind of universal hope they could all hold on to? Link didn't know, and right now he doubted he ever could.

All that did matter now was finding those giants and right now Link had no idea where to go to look for them. You'd think that would be one of the most obvious questions to ask when told the legend, but not to Link's now cold and calculating mind.

I have heard legends that one of the fabled giants protects our land in Woodfall.

Dreek. How could he hear him when they were not connected? Perhaps because they were tied as one, a bond exists when in close proximity that allows them to talk. Just when things seemed at their worst.

"So, which way to go? Any ideas Link?" Tatl asked.

"Dreek said there might be one in Woodfall." Link replied, shifting through the crowds until he could find a bench to sit on.

"Dreek said…he spoke to you!?"

"Yeah. From the mask. The mask man said he still lived inside so he must be communicating to me through it somehow." Link answered, sitting down on the bench.

"Then maybe…come on!" Tatl yelled, giving Link's sleeve a quick tug and preparing to dash off.

"What for?"

"I think we can help Dreek. Come on!" She called again, then did dash off.

"Wait, come back!" Link shouted back, then sighed. Getting up off the bench he just sat down on he ran after the fairy being that she was the one who knew the land best and was acting as her guide. That would be the reason Link would give to bringing Tatl back in time with him despite knowing he didn't mean to.

Following the same path as he did that morning, three mornings ago, he wound through the crowds and found the same grassy park he and Tatl had sat down at to give each other details. She didn't stop there, though. Instead she flew over to the city wall that branched inwards, dividing the park from the market, and flew into a perfectly formed hole. Link caught up and stared at the wall, seeing and feeling it as nothing more than a wall. He was quickly proven wrong a moment later when the wall vanished to reveal a cave and the smug fairy floating in the middle of it.

"Come on, this way!" The fairy called out once more. She dashed down the cave but at a slower pace than she had done through the town allowing Link to keep close to her.

Following Tatl down the surprisingly damp cave, Link could swear he could hear the sound of music, or was it sobbing? The earthy walls of the cave soon turned into a neatly tiled floor with water running through the cracks. Looking up there lay a large marble ring held up by a few pillars all covered in running water from an unknown source. It was easy to tell from the elegant – if not bathroom like look – that this was a Great fairy fountain.

Such monasteries were rare in number and very difficult to find due to the fact that they hide themselves from those wishing to abuse their power. Link had discovered a couple during his previous quest so he knew what they were like, but even with that knowledge something was different about this fountain and this, too, was easy to tell.

"Great Fairy! What happened?" Tatl shouted whilst flying towards the Great fairy.

Within the centre of the pool of water created by the fountains were a large amount of sprite fairies all huddled together. Sprite fairies are larger than ordinary fairies and have more obvious physical features in contrast to the normal fairies spherical glow hiding their bodies.

"The skull kid has cursed me with that mask and shattered my body into the fragments you see before you. The last of my shards is in the city where it could not enter my cave, due to the skull kid making the seal that will only open to a lesser fairy, hence how you got to me." The many floating shards of the Great Fairy said in unison.

"Do not call us lesser fairies. I keep having to tell you that. Just because you have different gifts than us it doesn't make us any less than you." Tatl replied angrily.

"But you did not know of my dilemma." The Great fairy continued, ignoring Tatl. "So why did you come to my fountain?"

Tatl calmed herself before explaining why she dragged Link across town. "We have a friend who's mind and soul has been trapped in a mask and I was wondering if you might have the power to restore his body."

"Sadly, even with my body restored, such a spell is beyond me."

Tatl dropped slightly at the disappointment of a failed idea. At first she hadn't known if she could trust Dreek, but with the way he opened up in front of the astronomer she felt like Dreek could possibly be a friend and she so desperately wanted as many friends as she could.

"Was that all? If so then I would request that if you find my missing fragment, please return it to me so my body can be restored." The Great Fairy asked. Tatl would have flat out refused and more, but held her tongue as such an act would be passed through to the Fairy Queen and fortune would not smile upon her then.

Link didn't say anything in response either. One deal was enough for Link, especially as it was such a big one and this fairy didn't act as nice as the Hylian Great Fairies.

"I shall grant you this mask with what power I can. It is a sign of trust amongst fairies and should attract my shard if you see it. Remember, only a lesser fairy can open the lock to my cave so make sure that little one remains with you. Thank you, and farewell."

From the centre of the Great Fairy's fragments came a mask with the same face as all the other Great Fairies Link had previously seen, including the three long strands of pink hair flowing behind it. Link grabbed it as soon as it floated close enough and placed it in his newly-given pack next to Dreek. Looking up, the Great Fairy had gone leaving him and Tatl alone in the shimmering water of the fairy fountain. Neither one wasted any time in leaving.

"I swear, one of these days there's going to be another fairy war and this time we will gain equality. You better not be thinking of helping that selfish harpy, Link." Tatl ranted.

"I have no intention of going any further out of my way than I have to." Link coolly replied.

"Good. It's about time those 'Great' fairies learnt not to order us around all the time and do things themselves."

Both fell silent after that but Link wanted to know more about the fairy war Tatl mentioned. There had been no such thing throughout the history of Hyrule, so what was so different with this world that there was a war? Tatl didn't look like she could calmly talk about it, which is why he, instead, tried talking to Dreek the soldier about it.

"What can you tell me about the fairy war?" Link asked silently, hoping that he could establish a connection.

The fairy war? Why would you want to know about that?

"You can ask me questions later. Tell me about the war."

Hm, fine. In this world, fairies all come from one place. The Fairy Queen's fountain. It is a monarchy with a Queen fairy ruling over all, the Great Fairies acting as nobles and helping to keep things in order then the rest of the working classes as in any other monarchy.

The war began due to the Great fairies growing too self-righteous and thinking that they were above the working classes, which they were, but acted like they were beneath them. I heard the Queen tried to correct the Great fairies and their behaviour right from the start, but that is uncertain. The rest of the fairies grew tired of being treated this way and made complaints, to which the Great fairies used their powers, magical and political, to ruin as many as possible and even banish the extreme radicals from entering the luxury of the Queen's fountain again.

"So they rebelled."

Precisely. The Great Fairies had strong powers, but the "lesser" fairies were much greater in number and proved to be a possible threat. The consequences of the war almost destroyed the Queen's fountain and thus the monarchy itself leading to chaos, but the Queen stopped it before it went that far. The powers of the Great fairies were lowered and were made sure to be kept in line whilst the lesser fairies were given back what was taken from them but were also lessened in power as punishment for starting the war. They accepted it so long as the Great fairies behaved.

"Not all are behaving though. The Great fair we just met kept calling Tatl a lesser fairy and took offence. She said she felt another war would occur."

If that attitude spreads, it might. The last war resulted in a reduction of power, but that was about 200 years ago and their powers may have slowly returned to them and increased, making the damage greater than before. Very few know of that war and no-one knows where the Queen's fountain is, but it is feared by all who know that another war may bring the whole country into it should the Great fairies request aid from Ikana. That would spell disaster for us all.

"Why? Is this Ikana a strong military nation?"

You will understand if we go there. For now, I must lead you to my home in Woodfall and see if we can find this giant. I wonder if…the princess will know.

Just when he thought Dreek was becoming the kind of person he could talk to, he had to think of something so distracting and ruin the mood. Link only hoped Dreek would try and shut her out again instead of letting his weakness take control once more.