2. The Midnight Kidnapper
Perhaps it is time to get back to the cucco farm, Linkle thinks to herself. With Hyrule no longer under immediate threat, Linkle's mission is complete.
She puts her hands in her back pockets, rocking on her feet. "Well, I suppose I should be off. There's another place that needs this hero's help," Linkle admits to her new friends: the royal army general, another said 'hero', and the princess of Hyrule herself.
Impa notices that Linkle is looking at the map upside down. Once this is corrected, Linkle sets off for home. In reality, it shouldn't have taken her as long as it did to reach Hyrule Castle from her village, but since Linkle can't navigate for the life of her, she visited several other locations that were out of her way. Even with Impa's aid, Linkle still manages to find herself in the forest on her way home. The Great Deku Tree is not above guiding lost children back home.
Linkle's home village celebrates their beloved hero's return. The very pinnacle of excitement and dreams has come home from a dangerous journey. Everyone Linkle knows crowd the streets, smiles on their faces and cheering. Jeph and Tomu, Linkle's childhood besties, give her congratulatory nudges on the shoulder the moment she crosses the borders of town. They saw her off, and now they welcome her back with open arms. Even Old Lady Suzanna patiently knits in her wheelchair, waiting for Linkle to get close enough to call out to her.
It is late in the evening before Linkle has no more neighbors eager to see her after her heroic voyage. The sun has almost disappeared behind the horizon. Like always, Tomu and Jeph are the last ones to say ta-ta for the day. Jeph, skeptical and skinny, stops and cautions, "Now hurry home. Something probably followed you here and got into your house while we were all giving you the great village welcome." Linkle turns around to look at the guys, amused by the absurd notion.
Linkle counts the cuccos before heading inside for the night. She's starved! Her mind is immediately distracted by the sounds of rummaging from the other room.
She is surprised to find that Jeph was right about something following her home. A peculiar imp gets his business all up in Linkle's chest of memories, keepsakes, and knickknacks. Linkle's first view of the kid is his rear end sticking up as he digs deep into the storage.
"Hey! What are you doing in there?!" shrieks Linkle at the fairy-less, uninvited guest.
Undeterred, Skull Kid looks up at her. He replies calmly, "Looking through you're things. The rest of the house is boring, even your closet." Upon digging a little more, he pulls out a rubber ducky. "Heh! Found your duck, Charlie." He tosses it over his shoulder, no longer interested.
Linkle, not afraid to get her hands dirty, pulls the child out of her belongings by his collar, similar to that of a mother cat and her kitten. However, as she carries him out, she trips on one of her coats, courtesy of Skull Kid, of course. He played dress-up earlier, putting nothing away once he was done with it.
Skull Kid breaks free of her grasp. He laughs at her misfortune until she reaches for him while down. He evades her every time she reaches to touch him. With all physical efforts in vain, she resorts to reasoning with him. "What do you want?" she interrogates.
"A little fun, that's all," is the mischievous thief's response. Feeling a little famished himself, Skull Kid makes his way to the kitchen. Linkle is too late, as he is already helping himself to the last of her bread by the time she gets to the kitchen.
"No," she hisses, not with despair but fury. This catches Skull Kid by surprise. "You're getting out!" the owner of the house shouts. Her quick thinking prevents her from using her crossbows, as that would be a little excessive to use in her abode. Instead, she grabs the broom. Skull Kid attempts to avoid the broom, but fails, getting hit like a fly against a fly swatter.
Linkle humanely shoves Skull Kid towards the front door with the brush part of the broom. He pushes against the broom to no avail. "Hey, wait!" He calls, his feet causing friction against the floor. Using the broom to keep him in place, Linkle reaches for the doorknob. Once the door is open, she returns to her position. "Out!"
"Wait!" cries Skull Kid. Linkle shoves him out into the night. He has to take a few steps to keep from falling down. She is ready to close the door.
"I have nowhere else to go!"
And Linkle stops. The sincere desperateness in his voice stopped her. Her flushed red cheeks slowly lose color. She watches as Skull Kid turns to face her. For the first time, she sees his face behind Majora's Mask as he removes it. His fingers examine it as he avoids making eye contact with Linkle.
The kid quietly mutters, "I- I've been kicked out everywhere else. I guess I caused too much trouble. I just want to stay with someone I know." He looks as if he is about to cry.
Both are startled when a strange roar is heard in the near distance. If it was a recognizable predator, Linkle's first concern would be the cuccos. However, the roar is as foreign to Linkle as Skull Kid is foreign to Linkle's village. Safety comes first. Linkle commands, "In. Get in." The initial shock from the situation ceases quick, and Skull Kid hurries back in. Linkle shuts and locks the door behind him.
It becomes deathly quiet outside, which is unusual for this hour. Perhaps the strange growl deterred the young villagers from staying out late. Linkle decides to keep an ear out for anything else unfamiliar.
Her thought process is disrupted when she catches Skull Kid out of the corner of her eye. Her attention is fixed on him. "Well," he starts, returning his mask to his face. "That was a sudden change of tone. What's up with that?"
Linkle rolls her eyes, looking at the window by her front door. She says, "That roar was not a coyote. It wasn't a fox or a bear either."
"You guys get bears, here?" Skull Kid knows bears; he's most at home in the woods. There are most certainly no bears in this area.
"Point is, whatever that was didn't sound friendly," states Linkle. Her guest is smart enough to put the pieces together, she assumes. Scary roar at night equals everyone, even pesky imps, inside. That's simple enough, right?
Skull Kid chuckles. "That thing doesn't scare me. I could handle myself." To prove it, he pulls out his ocarina from his hat, ready to play some furious magical tunes. "I've got this and this," he says pointing to his ocarina first, then Majora's Mask.
"Oh! If that's the case, you should be fine if I put you back out there," Linkle teases. She reaches for the doorknob. Not missing a beat, Skull Kid jumps back. "No!" he wails. Yeah, that's what Linkle thought.
Well played, so-called hero, Skull Kid thinks to himself. "But for the record, I could take care of myself out there if I were out there," he defends, hurt and miffed all at the same time.
All of that out of the way, Linkle's stomach reminds her what she wanted in the first place. On her way to the kitchen, she says, "I'll ask around tomorrow to see if we weren't the only ones who heard that." And Linkle doesn't see her guest again until she heads to bed. He made himself cozy in an open dresser drawer with his hat over his face and the fabled mask resting on his chest. Unlike before, her clothes lie in a pile out of the way where she can't trip over them. Skull Kid must have cleaned up while she ate. Linkle has something to think about that night.
…
Early the next morning, Linkle checks her cuccos first thing. Interestingly, whatever was roaring last night did not have a taste for bird, as her flock is still there, safe and sound. Also an early riser, Skull Kid checks out Linkle's cuccos. He learns not to mess with them the hard way. Linkle saves his skin, though she knows he deserved what he had coming.
He barely makes it out alive. "What are you feeding those things?!" He is certain they have a taste for blood. Nothing makes a hero happier than good old fashion justice. Linkle is amused.
"Yo! Linkle!" calls a familiar voice. She makes her way to the front, and is met by Tomu in a funky hat and ordinary Jeph. Besides the hat, everything here is normal. Oh, and Skull Kid. Linkle is not usually accompanied by anyone, let alone a forest child.
"Oh good, you stayed inside last night," says Jeph. This is all very cryptic to Linkle. "Wait, what do you mean?" Linkle questions.
Tomu can't help but stare at the masked shorty beside his childhood friend. He chuckles. "What the heck is that thing?" he inquires, amused by the creature's bizarre appearance.
Skull Kid shrugs at the hefty young adult. He snipes back "I don't know, what the heck is that thing?" pointing at Tomu's goofy hat. Linkle nudges the kid with her knee, but he only chuckles at the weak discipline.
"We forgot to mention yesterday," Jeph explains. "There is a midnight kidnapper."
"Heh, a midnight what?" Skull Kid butts in, giggling all the way.
Jeph and Tomu takes turns explaining that shortly after Linkle's departure the town started being patrolled by a mysterious figure prone to taking away anyone who was outside after midnight. This explains why Linkle didn't see some of her neighbors yesterday evening upon returning.
Linkle asks, "And nobody knows what it is or where it takes people?"
Tomu shakes his head. "Nobody knows." "Whoever it is knows where we all live, because they leave a note with a strange symbol on it on the door of who they took," Jeph adds. Tomu contributes once again with "Some of us have tried to impede the kidnapper, but then they get taken away."
"They come every night," the hero inquires, getting all the details. Her friends confirm that this statement is true. Every night at midnight, whether there is someone to take away or not, the kidnapper arrives only to be gone by daylight.
…
Dusk arrives, and Linkle, much to the disapproval of her buddies, arms herself. When the moon rises to its peak, Linkle steps out. She thought she had evaded the ears of Skull Kid, but he was never asleep to begin with.
On his way to the door, the roar is as loud as ever. He arrives at the window in time to see the cloaked abductor subdue Linkle. Surely with her screams someone could hear her. As quickly as it left, the silence returns. A sound similar to a staple gun emits from Linkle's front door, and shortly after a blur of black passes the window.
At its host's will, Majora's Mask glows from the eyes. The midnight kidnapper seemingly notices Skull Kid as it pauses shortly after passing by. The mask knows it would not be wise to immediately follow, so Skull Kid retires for the night.
…
The next morning is disturbingly quiet. Not even the cuccos are cooing, as if they know of their mistress's absence. The remaining resident of Linkle's home gets out of bed and heads straight for the front door.
Skull Kid pulls a note off the outside door. Like Jeph said, the only scribble on the crude piece of paper is an unrecognizable symbol. It must mean something, unless none of the notes possess the same symbol, in which case it really is just a worthless scribble.
"You!" someone cries from behind. Before he can react, Skull Kid is picked up by his collar and met face-to-face with Tomu. Jeph and another farm girl accompany him. "Do you have something to do with this?!" the bearded man interrogates. He doesn't have his ugly hat today.
Skull Kid reaches with both arms to grab the neck of Tomu's shirt, or at least scratch him. The farm girl stealthily plucks the note the kidnapper left behind from Skull Kid's hand. She and Jeph examine it. The girl confirms, "No denying it; Linkle was taken after midnight. Same symbol."
"I blame myself," Jeph groans. "If we hadn't told Linkle about it, she wouldn't have tried to be the hero and gotten herself nabbed."
Linkle is this village's hero, as well as a soldier for all of Hyrule itself. Someone needs to bring her home. Skull Kid fires a small laser blast from the eyes of his mask, effectively making Tomu drop him. He rushes into Linkle's bedroom. She left her trusty compass. It's a smart compass that seems to really like its mistress.
The farm girl, Jeph, and Tomu stare in awe at the masked creature as he steps out of Linkle's home wearing her prized compass. He leaves them in suspense until he announces, "I love this compass… but only when I'm being chased for it. Now it's my turn to chase Linkle to return it to her." Nobody understands what he's talking about. They can only watch as he takes back the only clue the kidnapper left behind and runs for Hyrule.
…
There is a reason kids don't ride grown horses, and Young Link learns this the hard way. Marin, a bystander, is amused by the situation, but sorry that Young Link is now temporarily paralyzed lying on the ground after being thrown off Epona.
All of Hyrule Field hears the sound of an ocarina being played. In order to hear this, Marin shushes Young Link up. The same tune plays in the near distance again. Marin demands, "Play your ocarina. Call back." Young Link obliges. His tune summons a couple of fairies, as well as alerts the other ocarina player to where he is.
Skull Kid comes running up the hill sporting the powerful Majora's Mask, his ocarina, and an unfamiliar compass around his neck. There also appears to be a piece of paper sticking out of the waistline of his trousers, but Marin and Young Link can only see this as he approaches.
"Oh, it's you," mutters Marin. Her facial expression and tone alone does not give away whether she is happy to see the imp or not.
"You're smart," Skull Kid gives this winded complement to the Hero of Time. This is very uncharacteristic of him. Then he lifts his ocarina. "Teach me a song that will make it nighttime," he commands. Now that's more like Skull Kid.
Young Link chuckles. Skull Kid is taken aback. He demands to know, "What's so funny? Did I say something funny?!"
Marin stands and moves so she is beside Young Link. "Link doesn't know a song to make it night," she explains. "Or do you?" she second guesses herself.
"Actually," Young Link recalls. "I know a scarecrow that can make it night."
Skull Kid is unconvinced. "Yeah, right, a scarecrow. Do you think I'm an idiot?"
Young Link shakes his head and says, "No, really! I suppose I shouldn't say he can make it night, but he can make it seem like it instantly turns night. He dances with you until the desired time. You don't even realize you've been dancing for so long until he stops dancing." For some reason, this story sounds a little more plausible to Skull Kid. Young Link directs him to that scarecrow, and Skull Kid heads that way. His fairy companions who came to Young Link upon hearing him play the ocarina, Tatl and Tael, follow Skull Kid once more. They can't say why they had to go in the first place, but it was nothing their friend Skull Kid did, so just forget about it.
To make a long story short, upon discovering the scarecrow, Skull Kid plucks it from the ground and travels all the way back to Linkle's village. By the time they get there, it is only noon, and Skull Kid has to muster all of his self-control to not tear his hat to shreds. This scarecrow won't stop talking! Thankfully, exercise relieves stress, and dance counts as exercise. Before Skull Kid knows it, the sun has fallen behind the horizon, and midnight is moments away.
Skull Kid is standing in the middle of the dirt road outside Linkle's home. Tatl asks what's going on, and Skull Kid gives a very cryptic reply. Tatl and Tael are left clueless. At the sound of the kidnapper's roar, the fairies hide in Skull Kid's hat.
"Hey! Here I am!" Skull Kid taunts the midnight captor. He pulls out all the stops to assure capture, using all of his provoking tricks, from the head shake to the butt wave. The butt wave always gets Ganondorf.
He is ignored.
The motionless Skull Kid watches as the black cloak of the kidnapper brushes over him and continues on its way. Tael whispers, "Are you crazy?!" Tatl is too terrified to ask any questions. She doesn't want to know.
Skull Kid has never been more determined to annoy the peewadden out of somebody. As the night goes on, some of Linkle's neighbors are awoken by the sound of Skull Kid's antics. Some of them giggle from their windows, entertained by Skull Kid's sometimes vulgar attempts to get noticed.
Tatl and Tael finish a game of two-player solitaire before dawn approaches. They decide to check up on Skull Kid's progress. He is currently a child that got no sleep whatsoever. The disheveled Skull Kid can't muster the lung capacity to play a terrible note on his trumpet.
The kidnapper, who received no victims, starts to take its leave. Skull Kid falls to his knees with exhaustion; not even black coffee could salvage him now. "Wait," he weakly calls. "You haven't seen me emulate Midna's voice with my armpits yet."
Tael is amazed. "You can do that?!" "Trust me, it's more annoying than the constant squeaking of Link's boots on the castle floor. You don't want to hear it," Tatl informs her brother.
Skull Kid collapses on his face. Majora just put up with Skull Kid all night to have him run out of energy come time to follow the kidnapper to its base. Majora won't stand for it. It lifts a limp Skull Kid by his face. "I'm up!" cries the kid. Majora sets Skull Kid on his feet and lets him borrow some energy via magic.
And with that, Skull Kid follows the midnight kidnapper far away from Linkle's village.
…
Several villagers watch as Linkle struggles to pick the cell lock with a bobby pin. Then the pin breaks. It's snapping motion and sound startles Linkle, and both pin halves fall to the cave floor. The disheartened heroine rests her forehead on cell bars, considering herself trapped for good.
Wise Old Man Gerald adjusts his spectacles and comforts, "You tried your best, sweetheart. That's what counts." Linkle doesn't want comforting; she wants results. She wants freedom for her neighbors. She wants to make things right like all heroes should.
A mischievous chuckle scares the naughty twins who ran outside after dark and found themselves in this predicament. The sound of jingling keys follows. Skull Kid steps into the light of the torch mounted on the cave wall. He twirls a key on a metal ring around his finger.
None of the prisoners know what to expect from the woodland imp in a strange mask. He may have the keys, but that doesn't mean anything until the cell is opened. Then Old Man Gerald recognizes Linkle's compass around the imp's neck. "Linkle," he exclaims. "That's your compass! …Or, my wishful thinking sees your compass."
That is undoubtedly Linkle's compass, once again lying in Skull Kid's grasp. Linkle can hardly believe it, her compass lead Skull Kid here? It must have! Not that her faith in the mystical compass needed renewing, but it is renewed nonetheless.
Skull Kid is unsure how keys and keyholes work. He places the key in the keyhole and waits for it to do something. He taps his foot impatiently. Linkle's questions and praise are delayed as her freedom is delayed. One of the young teen farmers harasses, "You're supposed to turn the key." "I know what I'm supposed to do!" Skull Kid angrily fibs in defense. He takes the advice given, and the cell is opened. That teen wastes no time exiting. The twins follow, along with the rest of the young folks.
Linkle is one of the last to step out. "You used my compass to come find me," she praises. Skull Kid laughs. "Your compass didn't do diddly squat. I just followed the kidnapper," he corrects. Linkle isn't amused. Nonetheless, Skull Kid returns the compass to its rightful owner, reviving Linkle's confidence as well as rewriting her view of the curious, ornery kid.
The screams of furious bulbins boom throughout the cave. Skull Kid's presence did not go unnoticed; it was just ignored until the keys disappeared. Linkle takes the initiative to recover her crossbows and lead the prisoners to safety.
Skull Kid follows behind, that is, until Tatl stops him. She points out Old Man Gerald, who is just now exiting the cell. His cane leads the way. The ground starts to vibrate from the stomping of a horde of approaching bulbins. There is no time to lose! "C'mon, gramps!" Skull Kid urgently hollers as he lifts the man off his feet and catches up with the group. "What is an old man doing outside after midnight?!"
The bulk of the bulbins are on the tail of the escapees. Linkle is halted by a fork in the tunnels. "Which way did we come in?!" she cries. One of her peers joins her up front, only to be just as confused. Tael alerts Skull Kid to the quickly approaching monsters. To buy them some time, Skull Kid summons a puppet to slow the bulbins' progress.
Linkle wipes the sweat from her brow. She is starting to panic because nobody remembers from which path they came. The hope is renewed when Skull Kid calls, "Majora says go right!" The old man on his shoulders is starting to weigh him down. Linkle doesn't know this Majora person, but at this point all she can do is trust.
Sure enough, Majora was right. Linkle leaps into the great outside world, a gust of fresh air refreshing her senses. Her neighbors follow shortly behind, and Skull Kid shortly after that. Linkle wasn't expecting him to drop Old Man Gerald in her arms. He asserts, "The bulbins are still coming!" Linkle takes the hint and leads her neighbors far away from the cave.
She doesn't have to go far. With the help of Majora's Mask, Skull Kid is able to make the cave entrance collapse with the entirety of its monster residents trapped inside, including but not limited to the Midnight Kidnapper.
Gerald can walk the rest of the way home.
…
"Three cheers for our hero, Linkle!" cheers Tomu. He and Jeph lift Linkle above the villagers. They applaud for her success and the new safety of the village.
Just outside the crowd, Skull Kid watches as the rescued return to their homes and families. The young farmer teen won't admit it, but they appreciate what Skull Kid did for them. Old Man Gerald gives Skull Kid his gratitude. "Yeah. You gotta do what ya gotta do," Skull Kid 'humbly' replies. "Now shoo. I can smell you from here." And Skull Kid takes his leave.
Linkle hurries to her house, dragging Tomu and Jeph with her. Skull Kid just stepped inside. "Guys," Linkle says as she stops in the open doorway. "Spread the word around town- it wasn't just me who brought everyone back and stopped the kidnapper. We should be thanking Skull Kid." Sometimes a hero can't do it alone, and those who help deserve credit, too. Linkle's heart told her share the praise.
Skull Kid is looking at Linkle and her buds over his shoulder. He is secretly touched that Linkle wants everyone to know of his work. It's moments like these that remind him why an expressionless mask is great to have.
Tomu sighs and says, "We can tell the village your new friend helped out, Linkle." Jeph nods in agreement. He smiles at the masked child. "Thanks guys. I really appreciate it," Linkle says before the men part with her for the day.
Now it's Linkle's turn. She looks at Skull Kid and says, "Skull Kid, thank you. You got me out of a real pickle, and very well may have saved this place a lot of trouble." Skull Kid likes all this praise. He rubs the back of his head and shyly responds, "Aw, it was nothin'."
The clucks of Linkle's hungry cuccos alert the duo to their presence. "Oh!" Linkle exclaims. "Did you feed the cuccos this morning?"
"UH…" Guilty as charged, Skull Kid. He can't remember if he fed them yesterday morning or not, adding to his guiltiness. Linkle rolls her eyes before heading back outside to care for her birds.
On her way to the cucco cages, Linkle stops to inspect a new scarecrow. Huh, she doesn't remember having a scarecrow, and she wasn't gone very long. Weird.
Author's Notes- I've got two out-of-the-ordinary ideas I need to discuss with you all. First, I currently have a story written for this, but as I was writing, it took a life of its own and became more of a soap opera than a comedy. Yes, there are a few good laughs here and there as well as a happy ending, but it questions morals and causes suffering. Is anyone interested in that, or should I stick to the strictly humor formula of the Warriors Uncut series?
Then secondly, there is an idea floating around in my head that I want questions answered first before I make a story out of it. Imagine yourself in a parallel dimension where you aren't opposite of yourself, but rather just different. Events in your life played out differently, making that version of you a little different, perhaps just bizarre. I would like to do that with the warriors; a Hyrulean War in a different LoZ universe with the same warriors but different stories. What I need to know is should that be a separate fanfiction on its own, or just story for Vol. 2 to step away from the norm?
That is all for now. Have a nice day.