Author's Note: This chapter adapts the game up to Link entering Clock Town for the first time.
Chapter 1
In the land of Hyrule, there
echoes a legend. A legend held
dearly by the Royal Family that
tells of a boy...
A boy who,
after battling evil and saving
Hyrule, crept away from the land
that had made him a legend...
Done with the battles he once
waged across time, he embarked
on a journey. A secret and
personal journey...
A journey in search of a
beloved and invaluable friend...
A friend with whom he parted
ways when he finally fulfilled his
heroic destiny and took his place
among legends...
Lost Woods, Hyrule
Link was lost. He'd been searching for Navi, his old fairy companion, for about a week now, and was having a hard time finding her.
Suddenly, he was ambushed by a Skull Kid and two fairies, and was knocked off Epona, his horse.
He was knocked unconscious.
"Hee, hee. You two fairies did great! I wonder if he has anything good on him..." the Skull Kid said. "Huh? This guy...Well, that shouldn't be a problem."
Tael wanted to touch it. "Ooh, ooh! What a pretty ocarina...Hey, Skull Kid, lemme touch it! I wanna see!" he exclaimed. Skull Kid was currently holding the Ocarina of Time and every so often blowing into it and laughing.
"You can't, Tael! What would we do if you dropped it and broke it? No way! You can't touch it!" scolded Tatl.
"...Aw, but sis...W...Why can't I try it out, too?" moaned Tael.
Just then, Link awoke.
"Hey! What are you doing with that Ocarina?"
Skull Kid promptly attempted to hide it behind his back.
"Do you have any idea how valuable that thing is? That is the Ocarina of Time, a treasure guarded by the Hyrulean Royal Family for generations! I was entrusted with it by Princess Zelda! Give it back!" shouted Link.
"Uh-uh uh," mocked Skull Kid, as he leapt onto Epona and rode off. Link grabbed hold as Epona took off.
As they rounded a corner, he was tossed aside.
"Oof!"
Skull Kid kept going.
Link got to his feet and pursued them, hopping across platforms and entering a cave. He fell when he ran out of path, and landed atop a Deku Flower.
"Huh?"
A light flickered on, revealing the Skull Kid to be levitating in midair, laying on his side.
"What's with that stupid horse of yours?! It doesn't listen to a word that's said to it...There's no point in riding a thing like that, so I did you a favor and got rid of it...Hee, hee..." the Skull Kid laughed.
"No….you killed Epona…" Link cried.
"What? No! I just sent her into Termina!" explained Skull Kid. "Aww, boo-hoo. Why the sad face? I just thought I'd have a little fun with you...Oh, come now...Do you really think you can beat me as I am now? Fool!"
He began to shake his head violently, and Link began to become dizzy.
He was surrounded by Deku Scrubs.
He ran, to be pursured by a giant Deku Scrub.
He didn't manage to escape.
When he returned to his senses, he looked at the water. He had been turned into a Deku Scrub.
"Hee, hee! Now, that's a good look for you! You'll stay here looking that way forever!" Skull Kid laughed, as he and Tael floated into a hallway. Tatl proceeded to whack Link on the forehead to deter him, but failed to make it through the door before it closed. She was trapped with Link. "S-s...Sis!" exclaimed Tael.
"Whoa! Whoa! Skull Kid, wait for me! I'm still here! Tael, you can't leave without me! You! If I wasn't dealing with you, I wouldn't have gotten separated from my brother! Well, don't just sit there, Deku boy! Do something!...Why are you looking at me like that? What, is there something stuck on my face? Will you stop staring and just open that door for me?! Please! C'mon, a helpless, little girl is asking you...So hurry up! Ohhhh, Tael...I wonder if that child will be all right on his own?" Tatl said, panicking.
"What….just happened?" said Link, confused.
The two of them opened the door and headed inside.
"Hey, wait for me! Don't leave me behind! So, um... That stuff back there...I...um...apologize, so...So take me with you! You wanna know about that Skull Kid who just ran off, right? 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?" Tatl begged.
"No," replied Link.
"Please?"
"All right, fine!"
"Good! So then it's settled! 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. Now that we've got all that straightened out, can we stop messing around and get moving? If I figure something out, I'll tell it to you. Hopefully, you'll manage to get by without my help until then!" Tatl offered.
Link saw that there was a depression in the floor. It would be difficult to cross to the other side.
"Hey! If I call you, please listen! I can tell you're not very used to your Deku Scrub body yet. All right, listen up! If you stand on a Deku Flower, you can dive into it. If you wait a bit before jumping, you'll launch out of the flower. You can descend if you like. Did you get that?"
Link nodded.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure!"
"One more thing: When you're on the ground, you can perform a spin attack!"
Link was able to use that info to cross the room and enter the next one.
"Huh? A chest!" Link exclaimed, pointing at a chest across the room.
He made his way over there and opened it to find some Deku Nuts.
"Hmm…I remember these!" he commented.
They made their way to the other side of the room and entered the door.
They went into a bizarre chamber, defying the laws of physics as they crossed and exited into a building. The door shut behind them.
"Well, Link, welcome. This is Termina," remarked Tatl.
They walked up the steps, and were about to enter the door, but they were stopped by a voice.
"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" said the voice.
Link whirled around to see someone he remembered from Hyrule: the Happy Mask Salesman.
"I own the Happy Mask Shop. I travel far and wide in search of masks..."the man said.
"Hey, it's me, Link!" Link said.
"What? You? The one who helped me seven years from now?" the man asked.
"How…do you remember that?" Link questioned.
"Ah, but my knowledge transcends time…I do remember you, and how you helped sell some of my masks…but that has yet to happen, and won't happen in this timeline…"
"What do you mean?"
"Ahh…but the events you are experiencing, never happened to yourself seven years in the future…How long have you been back in the present?"
"About a week."
"…And did you bring anything from Hyrule with you?"
"Only my sword and a modified Hylian Shield…But this Skull Kid…"
"Ah! During my travels, a very important mask was stolen from me by an imp in the woods. So here I am at a loss... And now I've found you. Now don't think me rude, but I have been following you...For I know of a way to return you to your former self."
"How?" asked Link excitedly. "And I don't find it rude at all…"
"If you can get back the precious item that was stolen from you, I will return you to normal. In exchange...All I ask is that you also get back my precious mask that the imp stole from me."
"I'm not sure if I can…the Skull Kid turned me into this Deku Scrub."
"No…you remind me of a Deku I saw just a little while ago…the son of the Deku Butler at the Deku Palace in the swamp…Could it be? No…he wouldn't…"The man teared up. "That imp…he stole the soul of that poor Deku and used it to turn you into this form…"
"So that's what that tree was outside? The twisted one?" asked Tatl.
"Yes, it must have…"remarked the Happy Mask Salesman. "Can you get back my mask?"
"I'll try…"responded Link.
"What? Is it not a simple task? Why, to someone like you, it should by no means be a difficult task. After all, you are the legendary Hero of Time…Except...The one thing is...I'm a very busy fellow...And I must leave this place in three days. How grateful I would be if you could bring it back to me before my time here is up...But yes...You'll be fine. I see you are young and have tremendous courage. That symbol on your hand…it remains even as you are a Deku…it is the mark of the Triforce of Courage. The Goddesses are with you…I'm sure you'll find it right away. Well then, I am counting on you...Good luck," assured the salesman.
"I'll do my best," nodded Link, as he and Tatl opened the door and exited into Clock Town.
Author's Note: So, what do you think of the first chapter? I tried to keep as true to the original dialogue as possible, while at the same time trying to link it more with other Zelda games just a bit. I thought it odd that the Happy Mask Salesman wouldn't bring up the fact that Link is the Hero of Time.
Next chapter covers the first three day cycle.