Chapter 7 – Soaring High

Pit, pat, pit, pat.

The rain began to get harder. Link could also hear thunder.

"Tatl, you won't believe what happened last night."

"I bet I will."

"I had a long dream…and I remember it."

"And?"

"I've never had a dream this huge before…well, actually I did once, but that was a long time ago, right before I started on my Hyrulean quest--"

"Will you just cut to the chase? We don't have all day."

"Gabourri spoke to me."

"Gabourri spoke to you?"

"Yes."

"Well, what did he say?"

"Hold on a second…you've heard of him?"

"Link…who hasn't heard of him?"

"He's that famous?"

"Famous? Famous, Link? He's a Terminian icon! His legend has been passed down for generations!"

"For defeating Majora?"

"Yes, but the only thing that remains a mystery is his identity. No one has any idea of his physical appearance…anymore. He used to be an average resident of Clock Town, and he sold masks. After he defeated Majora, he left Termina for personal reasons and was never seen again. He never had a portrait of himself painted or anything. He remains mysterious…did you see him?"

"No…I only heard him."

"Damn it. So close, yet so far away."

"I was in a very weird place, and Gabourri showed me things. Things I would never expect to see…"

"Well what did he show you?"

"I saw them. I saw the four giants from afar. They were stuck in some sort of barrier, and were crying for help. Those four tall, lanky giants. The ones Tael spoke of atop Clock Tower. The great four."

"How sad…"

"He also showed me the beast of Woodfall, Odolwa."

"You saw Odolwa?!"

"Yep."

"Ugh. I hate even thinking about that monster…he was revived by the Skull Kid, just like Majora. He tormented the swamp for years, until he was slain by a Deku scrub warrior, about 200 years ago."

Link got a little sinking feeling.

"Well, we'd better get a move on, Link."

"But what about the rain?"

"Don't worry about it. Scrubs like rain, and the lightning never hits the swamp. It always goes to Stone Tower since there isn't anything especially tall in the swamp.."

"Where's that?"

"It's in the Eastern Canyon of Ikana. We'll go there later."

Eastern Canyon of Ikana

"Well now do I just go flower-flying?"

"Apparently. Let's get this over with."

Awaken us…

"What was that?" asked Link.

"What was what?"

"Did you not just hear that?"

"Hear what, Link? Look it's probably just your imagination."

Revive us…

That wasn't Gabourri speaking. Link knew Gabourri's voice now. But who was speaking to him now?

Release us…

Open our eyes…

Purify our spirits…

Extinguish the darkness inside us…

Only you have the power.

Link was perplexed, and he continued to listen, but the voices did not say anything else. He thought he was going crazy for a few seconds.

"Link, come on. Time is flowing down the drain as we speak."

"Right…sorry."

Link donned the Deku Mask and burrowed in the near flower, and then blasted off. He saw the next flower was on a platform…where a mean scrub sat.

"Tatl! There's a scrub!"

"Don't worry! Drop a deku nut on 'em!"

Link took the advice and dropped the stunning nut on the scrub, which did away with it instantly.

"That was easy."

Link landed on the platform. He spotted several other mean scrubs all around. He just decided to do away with them so he wouldn't have to put away with them later.

Link burrowed in the flower and blasted off again, toward the next flower. He could tell we was getting further into the palace. But he wondered… why were there so many scrub guards here if these paths did not lead anywhere??

"Hey, do you hear that?" said a scrub guard on the ground.

"Nope."

"I thought I just heard the sound of spinning deku petals. I sense an intruder. It's exactly what that pesky scrub tried to do the other day."

"You sure? Never report anything if you aren't sure."

"Maybe I'm just hearing things."

Link sprouted up and flew over to the next platform. While airborne, a huge, sick Woodfall dragonfly came over and collided with him. Link's squeamish senses went off upon contact with the sickening insect.

"Aaah!" yelled Link, startled, and falling onto the platform.

Then, all of the scrubs became alert.

"Alert! We have code blue: suspicious noises! Dispatch nocturnal guards!"

Link quickly burrowed in the next flower to hide. The scrub guards weren't smart enough to find intruders in flowers, riiight?

"Link, you idiot! What was that all about?"

"Some gargantuan dragonfly ran into me!"

"Well, deal with it!"

"I hate huge bugs!"

"Well, now the security's going to be higher, so you have to be ten times more careful! They might put us in that stupid jail cell with that monkey!"

"I know. Accidents happen…"

"Well, there's no point in arguing or staying in this uncomfortable hole. Let's go."

Pop!

Link sprouted out of the tight flower and headed for the platform on the right, trying to stay as quiet as he could.

What annoying pesky deku scrubs… trying to mess up his quest.

Then, Link had reached a platform by the wall, which led through a small hole. Link ran through the hole and onto a bridge. He discovered that he was standing right above the main corridor, but there was a hole on the other side.

Find the entrance.

Find the platform.

Find the right way in.

Link ran up to the next flower, and saw more annoying mean scrubs. He powered up three bubbles and let them loose on each of the scrubs. Each measly bubble killed them in one shot.

Link burrowed again and blasted off. He was sick of taking more breaks, so he just made a beeline for the platform on the other side.

He made it to the other side and flew in. He jumped down to the little cell where Knabb the monkey was tied up.

"Hey…" Link quietly whispered.

"Hi. Who are you?" asked Knabb.

"My name's Link, and I'm here to free you. I know you're innocent."

"Oh, you are? That's just swell!"

"Yeah. How long have you been there?"

"About three days. They're trying to make me confess that I captured her, but I won't say I did it, because I did not."

"It was that meddling Skull Kid."

"It was."

"Listen, Knabb. I'm going to need a bit of help. See, I'm trying to get to the Woodfall Temple, and I need to know how to get there."

"You want to go to the Woodfall Temple? Why?"

"I think it's where the princess is hidden."

"It's in the center of Woodfall, which is outside of the palace."

"Okay."

"Well, there's a catch. The temple is…completely submerged under the venomous water."

"What?"

"It's underwater. It's been that way ever since Odolwa was slain generations ago. They don't want anyone going in there."

"How do I get in?"

"You must summon the temple. It has been dormant for all these years. I know of a sacred song of the Deku which can awaken the temple, and bring it to life again."

"I must know this song."

"I'll tell you. It was composed by Argott, who was the Deku Scrub king when Gabourri defeated Majora. Not only that, but Argott also defeated Odolwa. It was meant to revive all of the dormant spirits in the land of Termina. He played it on the Carnival of Time, which happened not even a minute after Majora was done away with."

Argott stood atop Clock Tower and overlooked the amazing land of Termina, waiting for Termina's hero, Gabourri, to release the final blow on Majora.

The clouds in the sky began to form a cyclone, directly apex the moon. He, as well as everyone else, could tell that something big had happened. Then, a large light emerged from the moon, giving off a psychedelic spectrum of colors. It was Majora's Mask.

Suddenly, the sinister mask burst into flames, and disintegrated within 1/100th of a second. Sounds of blissful cheering were instantly heard from all four directions. Argott then took out his sacred Deku pipes, and played the Sonata of Awakening.

The sky began to light up, and the clouds began to part. Soon, the moon was sucked into the sky, like a vacuum. The sky had become a beautiful apocalyptic orange color. Life sprung eternal in Termina that day. The notes from the Sonata of Awakening were heard from all directions, and stretched as far as the Hyrulean Sea. The sonata revived the land of Termina from its slumber.

From that day on, the Deku Pipes had become a symbol of salvation, and a new revival.

"It's called the Sonata of Awakening. I hope you can play things by ear."

Knabb began to hum the melody. It sounded somewhat like the Minuet of Forest. Like most other songs, this one echoed throughout Link's head. He won't forget it.

"Okay. Here goes."

Link began to play.

TOOT.

"Geez, Link… you wanna turn the volume down on those things?"

The horns were rather…loud. A bit too loud. At least loud enough so the Deku aristocracy could hear…

"Hey, what was that?" said the king, "who's in there?!"

"GUUAAAAARDS!!!"

Eight Deku guards approached Knabb's cell, and saw Link's pipes immediately.

"Hey! How did you get in there?! Get him out of there! The monkey, too!"

"What are you going to do?" asked Knabb.

The guards didn't answer; they just took Knabb down from the post.

"You! Scrub with the pipes! Get out of there!"

Link respectively stepped down from the cage and back into the main chamber. The guards tied Knabb to another post and placed it above the fire in the center, supported by two stilts. Link knew that if he made one false move, he would be done for.

"Wha-what are you doing!?" asked Knabb, panicked.

"Knabb!" exclaimed Link.

"Link! Go to the Woodfall Temple! That is where the Skull Kid has taken the princess. Hurry up, before it's too late!"

"But how, Knabb?"

"Hey, no fraternizing! Guards, get the scrub in the hat out of here!"

"Knabb!"

"Link, play the sonata!"

Before Link could respond he had been ejected from the palace. He didn't bother going back in; he ran straight for the exit, until he noticed something strange on a lily pad to the left.

It was another Deku scrub, crying. It wasn't the princess, and didn't look like a guard.

"Um…hello," said Link, awkwardly.

"H-h-hi…" said the sad scrub.

"I just got kicked out of the palace, an- and I was wondering if you knew where Woodfall was."

"Y-y-yeah…i-it's behind the waterfall r-right outside the palace gates. You have to c-c-….you have to climb."

"Um…may I ask what is wrong?"

"The Deku Royal Aristocracy has disowned me from the family…now I'm just another member."

"Why would they do such a thing?"

"They never let me leave the swamp! I hated being stuck here all the time, and I wanted to get out! They said I was too young to independently leave the swamp and go off by myself, and it was traditionally a law that younger members of the Deku Royal Aristocracy could not leave the swamp until approved by the King. If anyone breaks the law, they are considered deceivers of the family. They don't take deceivers. Yesterday I snuck out and went to Clock Town, because I've always wanted to go…they found out."

"Why don't they let you leave the swamp?"

"I don't know! I hate the Deku King! He's mean and unreasonable…and he banished my remaining family to the Woodfall Temple just because he thought that they stole the Skulltula tokens and the sacred Mask of Truth from the palace, and it's only because they were the only ones at the palace when they mysteriously disappeared. We still don't know who did it, but it wasn't my parents!"

The scrub began to break down again.

"Wow. That's terrible. Look, what's your name?"

"Argott."

"Oh, my name's Link…Argott? Knabb the monkey told me about you! You're the one who played the pipes after Gabourri defeated Majora!"

"No, no. That was generations ago, and that was one of my ancestors. It's our family tradition to name all of our sons after him; it's our mark in history."

"Oh. Well, I am headed to the Woodfall Temple. The Deku Princess is in there, too. Would you like to come with me?"

"Uh…I dunno…I've always been kinda…afraid of Woodfall."

"Why?"

"Have you been there? There are so many weird creatures, the water is nauseating upon smelling it, and the whole temple is underwater!"

"Not for long."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell you when we get there…if you come. So, will you come?"

The skeptical scrub thought for a few seconds.

"Yeah, okay."

"Great! What's the fastest way to Woodfall?"

I can't climb those vines. It'd be more efficient just to fly there. Use the flower right outside the entrance.

Link and Argott ran outside. There was a huge, yellow flower. It was almost as if it was just waiting for him to burrow in it.

"You know how to do this stuff, don't you?"

"Of course!"

Link burrowed into the flower, and blasted off. Argott followed behind. It seemed as if Link could see a panoramic view of the swamp, just from that little flower blast. However, it wasn't so panoramic and pretty. It was rather ugly.

"Hey, Argott, the platform is too far! I'm going to land on this tree thing."

Link fell onto something which seemed to be similar to a tree, but had a solid surface. Argott landed shortly after. There was another flower conveniently on the surface. Must be used by the scrubs who live there for hunting.

Link landed on a platform beside the waterfall. There was another platform on the other side, which led into Woodfall. Argott landed right before Link tried to burrow in the next flower. But before Link burrowed, he was interrupted.

"Hold on a sec, Link," said Tatl, "come take a look at this."

"What is it?"

"It's on the tip of my tongue. I can't remember what it is!"

It was some sort of statue that resembled an owl. It reminded Link of Kaepora Gaebora, from Hyrule. There was some sort of plaque on it, with notes.

"What is that thing? Do you know, Argott?"

"I've never seen anything like that before."

Ye who hold the sacred sword, leave ye proof of encounter and soar to the skies.

"How odd."

Suddenly, Link could feel something in his arsenal…trembling, but he couldn't find out what it was. It began to intensify, and Link's whole Deku scrub body began to tremble as well.

"Tatl, what's going on!"

"Link! The statue is possessing you!" said Argott.

Link saw a strange vision of a large owl soaring in the abysmal skies of Termina. The amazing panorama stretched from the icy mountains to the humid swamp. Then, Link was on the owl's back, soaring like a sage.

Let the wings spread, and take flight.

Suddenly, Link's little vision ended, and Link fell onto the ground before the plaque.

"Link!" said Argott and Tatl in unison.

Argott turned around and shielded his eyes, afraid of what on earth was going on. Was the world ending or something.

Link's body swelled up and gave off a brilliant light. Shortly afterwards, his Deku mask fell off of his face and onto the ground. He was normal again.

Link stood up as if he had just been knocked unconscious. His head hurt, so he rubbed it. Link ironically continued to tremble as if something traumatizing had just happened, but it was coming from one specific spot…

His sword.

Link's sword was vibrating. He drew it, and then it ceased shaking.

"Tatl…what is this?"

"I think the statue is trying to tell you something. It obviously involves your sword."

"It-it's moving toward it."

"Hit it."

"What?"

"Hit it. It's the only way."

"You want me to break my sword or something?"

"Just do it, Link!"

"Fine!"

Link struck the statue. To his relief, the sword was unharmed.

But then, a bright green light began to shine from the center of the statue. The light expanded into the air, and wings appeared on the statue in a brief flash of light.

"Wow," said Link.

Argott just continued hide in his deku shell. He had no idea what was going on!

"What's going on, Link?"

Link just realized he was not in his deku form anymore… and he didn't really want Argott to find out, since it would only traumatize and confuse him more. He thought it would just be a better idea to continue playing it safe.

"Hold on, Argott!"

"Okay!"

"Link, I can sense a sign from this mask…get out your ocarina," said Tatl.

Link pulled out the Ocarina of Time.

"I'm interpreting this. Play this song."

Tatl began to play her personal fairy harp. It was very small, but musical.

Link began to play in unison with Tatl. It was a subtly interesting melody, but not very enchanting.

Your wings have spread, the sky awaits.

Link got a great euphoric feeling throughout his body. He knew this song would help him in his journey.

Link donned the deku mask again. But right that second, he spotted a large owl flying towards him. Was it… Kaepora?!?! All the way from Hyrule?

"Link, Link, Link!! I can see you've changed your look!" said Kaepora.

"Kaepora?! It is you!! How did you know I was here?"

"I fly all over the place. Hyrule isn't my home, you know."

"Even with me looking like this, you know who I am?!"

"Yup. Don't fret. I have my ways, Link."

"So… what are you doing here?"

"I've come to help. According to the Happy Mask Salesman, you've embarked on another quest to retrieve a powerful mask from a child."

"That's right!"

"You know who that child is… right?"

"The Skull Kid."

"Yes, but do you really know who that is?"

"…no."

"He used to live in Hyrule. He always played his flute on a tree stump in the Lost Woods. Don't you remember him?"

Link gasped. It really was him.

"What…what happened?"

"Truth be told: nobody knows. All we know is he ventured off through the woods and found that mask. Ever since then, he's been wreaking havoc on Termina."

"Oh… my."

"You don't know, Mr. Owl!" said Tatl, "he was so lonely! My brother and I spotted him one cold, rainy day in Termina field. We had to befriend him. We had a great time together… until he found that mask. We didn't want to turn against him, so… we joined him."

"Link, I wish you the best of luck on your journeys. I have placed several statues of me across Termina that you can use this song to soar to. I know you only have three days to get the job done, so you can't be wasting time running around Termina when you can go faster!"

"Thanks, Kaepora!"

"I'll see you again very soon."

Kaepora flew away. Just as he flew, Argott uncovered himself from his shell.

"What was that all about?! What's going on, Link?! Who was that?!"

"Argott, relax. Everything's going to be just fine."

"…if you say so."

"Come on, let's go to Woodfall."

Link and Argott jumped the gap before the waterfall, and walked into Woodfall.

Woodfall made the main sect of the swamp seem like paradise. It had a murky, gloomy atmosphere.

The water was sickening and purple, it was humid, it smelled terrible, and there were numerous exotic insects all over the place.

"Aah! I hate this place!" said Argott, "it gives me nightmares!"

"It is pretty gross."

Link saw two large tree branches sticking out of the water in the center.

"That must be the Woodfall Temple," said Link.

"Um, Link…" said Tatl.

"Yeah?"

"It's almost night. We have only one day left. I think you'll need more time to go through the Woodfall Temple."

"You're right."

"You can soar back here, though, and won't need to go through the swamp again."

"Yeah…"

"What is it, guys?" asked Argott.

Down the chamber of life the traveler goes.
a journey through time never traveled alone,
in which the companions hitch the ride,
of the traveler's trip, slowly to abide.

It echoed back and forth in Link's head...but he didn't know where it appeared. Tatl could go back in time with him. Could Argott? After all, he is the descendant of "Termina's Wake Up Caller".

"Argott, come here," said Link.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't worry. No one's getting hurt."

Link got out his pipes and began to play the Song of Time, while clutching Argott. All blacked out, and Link fell through the reign of time again, with Tatl and Argott.

And before they knew it… it was the dawn of the first day in South Clock Town.