Shadow: It's time for the adventure to really start!

Static: We don't own Legend of Zelda.

Chapter 7: Welcome to Scrubsville

The light blinded them temporarily, but they could see fine within seconds. Everything looked much like it had the first time they had left the Clock Tower. The soldiers were building. The dog that was prowling around didn't bother them at all.

"Where first?" Tatl asked again.

"What's to the south?"

"The Swamp." Tatl answered.

"Well, it's the closest, right?" Link said. "Let's go."

They strode across the still empty square. They went up to the guard who blocked the way with his spear.

"Sorry, but I can't let ye two go through."

"Because we're kids?"

"Exactly. The fields are dangerous for children unaccompanied by an adult."

"I don't have time for this." Nadai touched her dagger hilts. "We need to go through."

The man gripped his spear easily. "Let me tell ye something, little lady. See those men behind ye working construction? They too are soldiers. One word from me and they will come. I don't care how strong ye think you are, we are professionals. We will make short work out of yer little friend and yerself." He leaned down to her level. "I would reconsider yer actions before ye do something foolish."

Link grinned. "I don't care."

The man gripped his spear tighter. "Is that a threat, boy?"

"Can I take him on, please?" Nadai begged.

"All yours."

Nadai feinted forward, before jumping to land on the spear as it thrust out at her. She sprung forward, leaving thin lines of blood on the man's unprotected skin. The man roared, as Nadai flipped over him and kicked the back of his head. He fell forward in front of Link.

Faster than Link expected, he heard footsteps behind him. He reacted instantly, dodging the swipe at his head. He rolled and came up, blocking the blow with his shield. The Hylian Shield fit him now, but the resulting vibrations were more than he remembered.

Link grinned. He swung his sword up and forced the two men against him back. He caught another sword against his own and forced it back. Nadai came up next to him, her own daggers spinning and tapping against the weapons that came at her, forcing them to move just enough to miss her.

The soldiers stepped back, their eyes wary.

"Who are ye?"

"Two kids who just want to pass."

One of the guards laughed. "Pass? Ye'll have to fight all of us and win!"

Link took a step forward. "Okay."

The guard panicked. "Get him!" He shouted.

Link held back, and only wounded the men as they attacked him. He didn't kill. He didn't want to kill any more than he had to. He only fought subconsciously, his mind focused on other things. Like why he was uncharacteristically more violent before. And why exactly it scared him more than any moon fall.

It didn't even matter that it was almost fifteen to one. Link had been trained by Wanderer and Shiek and fought against monsters more powerful than fifteen men. The techniques used against him were reminiscent to Wanderer's. Their strength was nothing like the horrors he had faced before. Despite the size and strength disadvantage, the Terminian soldiers didn't stand a chance.

Before too long the soldiers were picking themselves slowly off the ground. Link sheathed his sword and shield, panting from the exercise.

"And you had all the fun." Nadai pouted.

"You can have the next one." Link shrugged. "Let's get a move on."

Tatl stared at the two of them. "Just who are you guys?"

Link looked up at the fairy. "The Heroes of Time." He answered, taking the first steps forward. "I'm Link, a Hylian raised as a Kokiri. She's Nadai, a Hylian raised as a Gerudo. We came together and fought against Gannondorf by traveling through time."

Tatl shook her head. "But that's impossible."

"Maybe." Nadai answered. "One of our friends really doesn't believe us, even after we told her everything."

"But still, that's impossible." Tatl said. "Traveling through time? You're still kids!"

"The Goddesses chose us." Link shrugged. He paused. "Well, we did it." He said finally. "Let's do what we have to do and move on."

"Right." Nadai looked ahead, where the glimpses of the swamp could already be seen. "I want to know what's going on with the scrubs."

"Hm?" Tatl asked, dropping her further questions. "What about them?"

"Well, they are normally evil. There's a prejudice around them here in Termina. They're hated even though they are tolerated." Link said. "What's with them?"

"What you said." Tatl shrugged. "They've been enemies of the Terminian people for a long time now. Only with this King's new reign has a peace been reached between the Deku Scrubs and the Terminians and the rest of the other races."

"But why weren't they there for the ceremony?" Nadai asked. "If they want to fix things between them, why would they not show?"

"Maybe they don't really want to fix things?" Links asked.

Tatl shook her head. "Skull Kid spent some time with them, before he got the mask. They were looking forward to this year's ceremony more than anything else."

"What if Skull Kid did something?" Nadai said slowly.

"He wouldn't!"

"But if Majora was controlling him," Link reasoned, "he wouldn't have much of a choice. Skull Kid would do what he was told."

Tatl was silent.

"If Majora is doing anything like Gannondorf, he's trying to disrupt Termina." Nadai clenched her fists. "And that would include messing with the ceremony."

"Less people to interfere with his plans if they manage to catch wind with what's going on." Link nodded. "And it wouldn't matter if they stayed home or not, since the moon would kill everyone anyway."

"But the question is what did Majora do that made the Deku Scrubs not come?" Tatl asked.

"No idea." Link shrugged. "That older scrub yesterday was telling me something, but I didn't get to hear."

Tatl shivered. "It's gotta be bad if they decided not to show. It's gotta be something that upset the king enough not to do anything about it."

"Like what?"

Tatl was quiet for a moment. "It could very well be about his daughter. He loves her more than anything. Or it could be a war with the monkeys. Or it could be something entirely different."

"My rupees are on Skull Kid." Link stared at the swamp that was growing closer and closer. "He did something."

"Majora did something." Tatl corrected.

"Until that mask is off," Link said, "they're the same person."

Nadai stopped moving. "Something is coming."

Link also stopped. Tatl hovered close by to Link's hat. She turned to look behind.

"The guards aren't following us."

"It's from ahead." Link stared at the swamp. In the distance, something was rising from the trees and flying toward them.

"It's big too." Nadai's hands slipped down to her daggers. "And it's coming pretty fast."

They stood and waited for it to come closer, their hands on their weapons. Whatever it was, it was flying quickly towards them. It was also carrying something in its talons.

"It looks familiar." Link said.

"It's an owl." Tatl stated the obvious as it came close enough to see properly.

"Kaepora Gaebora!" Nadai shouted, arms raised high as she waved.

"I never thought I'd see you two here." The owl landed close to them. In his talons was a white monkey, badly injured, with blood staining its fur.

"What are you doing here?" Link asked.

"I should ask you the same thing." The owl said. "I came here after I had seen you in The Lost Woods many moons ago."

"We're on another quest." Link smiled cheekily.

The owl cocked his head to the side. "Another quest? You two are so young to do such things."

"But where's the fun in that?" Nadai grinned. "So what's going on with the monkey?"

Kaepora Gaebora hooted. "I don't quite know. I rescued it while it was attacked by Deku Scrubs."

"Is there another war?" Tatl asked.

The owl hooted once more. "I don't know. I don't speak monkey." The owl looked at the monkey on the ground. "He will need medical attention in any case."

Nadai was on her knees immediately, reaching into her pack for bandages. She took out a canteen and poured water over the wound before beginning to inspect it. It was a shallow cut, but it bled profusely. She dug inside her pack for an ointment Saria had given her.

"So why are you here?" Link turned to the owl. "Why Termina?"

"To run from Gannondorf." The owl hooted. "I know of what you said to me last we met, but that is in the future, and not now. I fear for my life there."

"I would too." Link muttered. "But for now, we are on a mission to stop Majora."

The owl did an odd hooting whistle. "Now that's a name I have not hears in over two decades. At least that long."

"Any advice you could give us on him?" Link asked. "We have a three days to stop him."

"Three days?" The owl shook his head. "That won't be enough."

"We are trying to rouse the giants of this land to help."

The owl was quiet. "I'm not familiar with these giants. I'm not good with Terminian lore."

Tatl smiled. "That's why I'm here."

Kaepora Gaebora nodded sagely. "Ah, a fairy guide. Very useful."

"Is there anything you can help us with?" Nadai asked without looking up from her charge.

"Perhaps." The owl shifted in his stance. "Magic here is different than in Hyrule. The same songs won't work as before. I doubt that what I will teach you would work."

"The Song of Time worked for us." Link said, reaching down and grabbing his Ocarina from his belt. "I bet whatever you teach us would help us immensely."

The owl was quiet. "The song I am about to play," the owl said slowly, "will grant you wings. It will help you move quickly over the land."

"Wings?" Link looked at him. "Like flap flap wings?"

"I don't know if they will be literal wings," the owl admitted. "But they shall help in any course."

Link nodded. "I'm ready."

"Wait!" Nadai stopped Kaepora Gaebora from hooting the song. "He's coming around."

The monkey was indeed awake. While he looked weak, his eyes shown as it darted from person to person. It jabbered at them in a way monkeys jabbered.

Link shrugged. "I have no idea what its saying. Play the song Kaepora Gaebora."

The monkey shrieked before the owl could hoot.

"I think it wants to tell us something." Tatl said. "But I don't understand monkey."

"How can we talk to a monkey if we don't speak it?" Nadai asked, putting away her medical equipment.

"Well, Deku Scrubs can." Tatl stated matter-of-factly. "I think they are the only ones who can."

Tatl and Nadai bother stared at Link. Kaepora Gaebora looked between the two of them and hooted softly

"What are they inferring, Link?"

Link dug into his pack, and brought out the Deku Mask. "This." He said. He shook his head. "I don't want to be a scrub again."

"Again?" The owl looked concerned. "You mind explaining yourself?"

Link sighed. "It's easier to show."

He slipped the mask up to his face. At once pain erupted from his body as it shrunk. His hands became wooden knobs once more. His weapons disappeared, and the Ocarina in his hands stretched into a saxophone.

The owl opened his beak in amazement, but didn't speak. The monkey went silent at the transformation. All was quiet.

"What the fuck?" The monkey finally said.

Link turned to him. "I can understand you?"

"What the fuck did ye just do?"

"Long story." Link stared at the monkey. "What is it that you wanted to tell us?"

"There's a problem. Could ye help me?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because the princess is in danger!"

Link's head hung. "Why should I care?"

"Ye don't care for the princess? But she's yer princess."

"She isn't. Long story." Link repeated. "Can you give me a shortened version?"

The monkey launched into the story. "The Deku Princess and her lover, looks kinda like ye if I think about it, were captured by some mysterious thing. One of our own, our elder saw it happen. He went to yer king to explain what happened. However, due to past hatred he didn't believe my elder. Yer king thinks we did it! He wants us to procure his daughter or he kills our elder!"

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Our elder knows where they were taken to. Me brothers and I don't. It's not like us monkeys could get an audience with our elder to find out where. Ye could go into the Deku Palace, find out where, and save the princess!"

Link groaned. "I don't have much choice in the matter, do I?"

"Not really." The monkey laughed. "We can help ye, but we don't want to run dead from those scrubs."

"So we're on our own."

"Ye are on your own." The monkey corrected. "Right now, in their state, they might not appreciate a Terminian coming into the palace."

"I guess." Link groaned once more. "Alright, we'll do it."

The monkey laughed again, but coughed as it messed with his wound. "I knew ye would do it!"

"What are you two talking about?"

Link turned to Nadai. "What?"

"What are you two talking about?"

"I know you can't understand monkey, but couldn't you hear me?"

"You were also jibbering and jabbering." Tatl said.

"I was? Weird."

"Well?" Prompted Nadai.

"Uh, long story made shorter," Link rushed, "The scrubs think that the princess have been taken by the monkeys. Only, the monkeys didn't do it. If the princess isn't returned the scrubs kill the monkey elder. I have to get into the palace, find the monkey elder and find out where the princess was taken and subsequently save the princess."

Nadai was silent. "You agreed to do it, didn't you."

Link sighed. "We have no choice. I bet that whatever took the princess and her lover is linked with Majora."

Nadai groaned. "I guess we have to get to the Deku Palace."

"That song of yours, Kaepora Gaebora, would be really nice to have now."

The owl nodded. "Or course. Instruments at the ready?"

The monkey reached out and gripped Link's arm. "Don't leave me here!"

Link nodded. "We'll take you with us, at least back to the swamp." He turned to the owl. "Ready."

The owl hooted a simple, uplifting tune. The two children repeated it. At the end of the song pain erupted from their backs. They looked behind them and two large translucent wings had appeared. Link flexed his shoulders, and the wings moved.

Nadai smiled. "This is kinda cool."

Link reached up to take off his mask, but thought better of it. "Why are all the songs here painful?"

The owl hooted. "I shall take the monkey." He said. "I'll fly him to his brothers."

Nadai nodded. "I'll wait outside the palace then."

Link sighed. "I guess I'm on my own on the inside then."

Tatl gripped onto Link's hat. "I'll go with Link. I know the Deku Scrubs well enough. I can help him."

Link closed his eyes. It hurt him every time Tatl touched him. On an emotional scale, really. Navi was his best friend. He had traveled with her for forever. They had faced the worst things in life. She had brought him through hell and back. While she hadn't been able to save him, she knew him better than anyone else. And that included Nadai.

Traveling with Tatl had been a temporary pain at first. Traveling with Tatl was necessary now. And it hurt every time the fairy reminded him of Navi. And that was almost in everything Tatl did. It was to no fault of her own; it's just that everything that Tatl did reminded her of Navi. And Navi and he shared a dangerous secret that he could never talk about. A secret that burned his insides whenever he thought about it.

Which was a lot easier not to think about it when he wasn't reminded about Navi.

"Good to me." Link forced himself to smile. There was nothing he could do but grin and bear it. There was nothing he could do but live with the demons that threatened to spill out of him and show himself as a monster that only he knew he could be.

And that frightened him more than anything else.

He moved his shoulders. Bit by bit he slowly rose into the air. Beside him, Nadai rose into the air. Faster and faster until she was high above him. She let out a whoop of joy. Link looked below him and shuddered slightly. It was much safer far below where the ground was stable.

But as frightening as it was to fly, it was freeing. The air was crisp up that high. The view was something that either Link nor Nadai had seen before. If they reached out, they could almost touch the clouds that hung low. A western wind blew at them, pushing them gently to the east. However, with their new wings, it was easy to fly without it.

Nadai did see them first, and pointed them out to Link. From their vantage point, they could see almost all of Termina. To the north they could see a storm raging, with dark thunderclouds rumbling among the mountains. From the west they could see the sea not that far from Clock Town.

"The wind tends to come in from the sea." Tatl whispered in Link's ear. "That's how the swamp is so big and the mountains are so terrible in winter. Only," she added, "it's not winter right now."

Kaepora Gaebora led the troop off to the south. The swamp was vast, stretching for miles upon miles before their eyes. Not too far into the swamp was a large river. It came from inside the swamp, and it weaved back into the swamp. Heading down river, the owl stayed high above the trees.

Following the owl, they traveled for several minutes until they spotted a large palace. While it wasn't tall and imposing like Hyrule castle or Gannondorf's castle, it spread out much further along the ground. From their angle, they could see most of the place composed of large, winding gardens encircling a building in the center. A single path from the river headed to the middle building.

The owl hovered up above them. "That is the Deku Palace." His words carried in the calm air. "It would be best to land out of sight and walk ahead."

"Thank you!"

"No need to shout, young miss." Kaepora Gaebora hooted. "I'll be to the north. The monkeys have set up camp near the two witches."

"Witches?" Link called out. "What witches?"

But the owl and the monkey were gone, heading to the north. The two children looked at each other. In silent agreement they made their way to the ground. Link came in a bit too steep, and landed in a heap. Nadai landed close by, landing in a round-off.

Link picked himself up. "Alright, wait here." He said. "Both of you."

"What?" Tatl hovered by him. "I thought—"

"It's fine." Link cut her off. "I can do this."

Nadai nodded. "It's fine." She turned to the fairy. "Let him go in."

Link disappeared into the foliage. Nadai leaned up against a tree and sat down. Tatl hovered nervously.

"How can you just sit there and be so calm? He's going to get himself hurt!"

"Think about it." Nadai closed her eyes. "How many Deku Scrubs have a fairy?"

Tatl hesitated. "Well—"

"None that I know of. Though all the ones I know are dead." Nadai answered her own question. "If you went in there, you could tell him where to go and what to do and that's fine and all. Only he would've been caught much faster. And while he could fight his way out, it wouldn't be wise to do so since we only have three days."

"It's not even midday!"

"Every second counts." Nadai paused. "While it's true we can turn back time, it doesn't mean we should rely on it. Sometimes, there are times when we can't turn it back. Somethings are impossible to change."

Malon came to her mind. Her sister, her flesh and blood. Malon, Talon, and Ingo all died when they were adults. And when they went back into the past, they were now very much alive. Nothing Link or Nadai could say could stop them. Nothing Link and Nadai did now would change anything. The future was already written, with or without them.

"Didn't you hear what the guard had said?"

"What?" Tatl asked. "You mean the one at the gate?"

"He said the same thing to me as he did the first time we met him." Nadai opened one eye. "Now why would he do that?" She closed her eye.

"But you already met him." Tatl said. "He already—"

"Listen." Nadai cut her off. "Link and I went back in time. You were touching Link when we played the song, so you too went back in time. You retained your memories. We retained our memories. No one else has."

"I…what?"

"That guard should've remembered me. I bet we could do everything all over again and no one would be the wiser that we had done it already. The things that we effect don't matter if we go back in time."

"So, those guards are going to be just fine?"

"And that monkey is going to die if I don't help him next time." Nadai said softly. "This isn't as easy as the games you played with Skull Kid. I don't know how much you think you know about this quest of ours, but this is a life or death situation. People are going to die. People are going to get hurt. We can't save everyone. Link knows that. I think he figured it out before I did."

"How do you—"

"He assaulted the salesman." Nadai answered simply. "He wouldn't have done that if there was any lasting effects. At least," she added softly, "I hope he wouldn't have."

"But that doesn't change the fact that he doesn't know what to do!"

Nadai smiled. "You think that the two of us survived this long, doing what we do and not learned anything? We've been in tougher binds before. Most of the time, Link has been the one to come up with the answer to problems unsolvable. We'll be fine. He's smarter than he looks."

Tatl hovered down to land on Nadai. "Now that's reassuring."

Nadai suppressed a giggle. "He'll be back soon enough. Just relax until he's back."

"And what if we get ambushed?"

Nadai smiled. "You really think I'd be like this if I couldn't tell we were alone? I'd know when someone is coming. I'm not an amateur."

With those words Nadai settled in to doze. Meanwhile, Tatl gazed anxiously to the Deku Palace, wondering just who these children were.

Link blended easily into the crowds when he walked into the palace gardens. Around him Deku Scrubs were bustling about, performing duties. With everyone busy and moving, they wouldn't notice a stranger.

He followed a group of scrubs as they walked to where a scrub stood about issuing orders.

"Now, now," the scrub glanced at the papers he held in his hands. "Ye three head to the kitchens. Report to the chef there. Ye four go to the pantry and collect these items." He hands a paper to a scrub who ran off. "And ye two go to Big-Boss. He needs help."

By now all of the scrubs were gone, leaving Link. The head scrub didn't seem to notice him, as he continued to work through the papers in his hand.

"Uh, excuse me?"

The scrub looked over his papers, and seeing no one moved his papers completely to the side.

"Ah. And ye are?" The scrub looked intently down at Link.

"Uh, I was told to report here."

"Yes, well…" the scrub trailed off as he resumed his paper checking. "There doesn't seem to be anything completely necessary right now. Everything needing to be done can be done at the day of the feast."

"Feast?"

The scrub eyed Link warily. "Who are ye exactly?"

"A scrub." Link hastily answered. "Originally from Hyrule. I only arrived yesterday."

"Ah yes." The scrub nodded. "Yesterday was rather hectic."

"So I thought I could help." Link went on. "Maybe something with the prisoner?"

The scrub laughed. "Of course!" He reached about for a particular paper. "Here, take this to the pantry. He'll fill ye up just right."

"I can't read, sir." Link glanced at the lettering on the paper, but it wasn't in any sort of language that he was used to.

"Of course." The scrub tried to suppress a smile. "The education of our brothers there isn't the best."

Link stared blankly at him.

"Anywho, this paper dictates the amount food to be delivered to the prisoner. The feast itself isn't until the day after tomorrow. That's how long we have decided to have the monkeys deliver us our princess. When they fail to deliver our princess back, we shall commence with our feast." The scrub smiled cruelly. "And we do need to fatten up that monkey before we feast."

Link shivered.

"Oh, monkey is quite delicious." The scrub smiled again, but a comforting one this time. "It's a delicacy that we have here in the Swamp. I know the Hyrulian scrubs don't experience such a thing. When ye return to your brothers and our Lord Gannondorf, tell them of the delicacy that ye have had."

Link swallowed. "Will do." He took a step back. "I'd best be on my way then."

The scrub nodded. "It'll be off to the west." The scrub pointed the direction. "The scrub in charge should be easy to spot."

Link nodded. "Thank you." He ran off.

Gannondorf? His influence reached even here? He stared ahead, towards a distant figure slowly growing larger. How could they support such a man?

He arrived at the pantry and he handed his paper to the scrub in charge. The scrub sent off a rapid list of orders, and another scrub made together a basket of nuts and fruits and mushrooms. Link was handed the basket and was turned around to where the big building was.

"Behind the Palace Proper is the Prison. He'll be in a cage outside."

Link walked with his burden dutifully. He was getting a sickening feeling in his stomach. The sooner he was out the better.

As he came closer, he spotted a giant scrub pacing back and forth in the Palace Proper. He skirted quickly, not wanting to be scene, and came to the Prison. Two guards stood several paces away from the cage. Inside, sitting rather calmly, was the monkey. Its white hair was longer and bushier than the other monkey Link had met. This had to be the elder.

Link found a small door in the cage. He opened it, and dumped the food on the ground. He closed the cage. The monkey went about eating the food on the ground. Link watched for a moment, before leaning in close.

"They're going to kill you, you know."

"I know." The monkey replied softly. "I resigned myself to this fate when I was captured."

Link looked at the monkey in the eye. "You know where she is. Where is she?"

"My people don't have her."

"I'm not talking about that." Link shook his head slightly. "You know where she is."

The monkey looked up at Link for the first time. "Just who are ye?"

"Just someone willing to do to do something." Link stared at him. "Where is she?"

The monkey was silent. "At the Deku's worship place. Some sort of monster took her."

"And the scrub she was with?"

"Ran after. I don't think he'll live."

"Thank you." Link turned around.

"That monster is going to kill ye if ye follow. Ye'll need an army to beat it."

Memories flooded into Link's mind. Of a blood-soaked floor. Of hundreds of bodies dead at his hands. Of his aching body. Of the slow steps he took up the tower.

"Don't worry about me." Link said softly.

He walked away, leaving the monkey to eat the food on the ground.

Wang: Link doesn't have any good memories, does he?

Time Stop: Not really.

Wang: It's a little sad.

Time Stop: It is.

Wang: Waaaaaahh!

Time Stop: Please Review!