Chapter Six: The Pursuit of Happiness

"What do you mean I can't go through here?!" Link asked the guard, half shouting in frustration. The guard was just as annoyed with him, he could tell, and while he did not shout in return, he did give him an attitude. Hence, part of his frustration.

It had only taken about an hour to reach Kakariko Village, but the sun was particularly strong, and there had been little shade to hide from its reach, which left his exposed skin to begin turning red, and his mood fouled.

The village brightened his mood somewhat. True to Impa's words, the village was set at the base of Death Mountain, and looked more to be set in a small valley. The most prominent building, and by far the tallest, was a structure with four spinning arms attached to the front of it at the far end of the village. He had no idea what it was, but it was magnificent nevertheless. The rest of the village, as far as he could tell, was composed of houses. In front of the large building was a well. He wasn't sure why, but just looking at it made him shiver ever so slightly. Ignoring it, he continued to examine the rest of the village as he walked into it.

He had veered to the north, pursuing his venture to reach the mountain. After ascending three flights of stairs, he had encountered the gate now barring his way, and the lone guard that annoyed him to no end.

"I mean, kid, that you, can't, go, past, here. Or did you not read the sign over there? Oh wait, a kid your age…can you even read?"

"Yes, I can," He forced out through his teeth.

"Then I thought it was obvious, no one goes up here. No one includes you."

"But I need to get past here! I need to see the Gorons!"

"The Gorons?" The guard replied, more than a little surprised. "What would a kid like you have business with them for?"

"That…that's a secret," He answered, not wanting to tell him. Who would believe that Hyrule was in danger and he was going to save it?

The guard recovered quickly, snorting at the reply. "A secret, huh? More like a lie, I'll wager. Scram home kid, I don't want to have to get you in trouble."

Link swore under his breath. He heard Navi under his hat whisper, telling him to calm down. He took a breath to steady himself; she was right, after all, anger would get him nowhere.

"Look, is there anything I can do at all? Anything? I really need to see the Gorons," he finished, letting a pleading note enter his voice. The guard's face softened a little, staring at him more carefully than before.

"You know… it may sound strange, but you really do remind me of my boy back home. About your age, and just as stubborn too." He looked at him a moment longer, than sighed. "Ok, I'll let you pass, but before I do that," he added quickly, stopping Link from speaking," I have a favor to ask. You know the new shop that opened up in Castle Town? Happy Mask Shoppe or some silly such. I have no care for it, but ever since it opened my son has been pestering me for a popular mask. Some kee….uhh, kee…something. Some character that's popular among the kids, I guess." He shrugged. "I would get it myself, but I'm stuck as a guard here. If you could get that mask for me, I'll let you pass. Deal?"

"Back in Castle Town?" He asked, more to himself than the guard. He felt his spirits drop. He had the time, that was true, but he was not looking forward to walking with the sun again. Twice.

But he needed to get past this gate, and this was the only way up the mountain. If the guard held true to his word, a mask for passage up the mountain was a bargain indeed.

Unbidden, his thoughts suddenly turned to the guard and his son. He wanted to make his son happy, and there was a mask that could do it, if only he had the time to get it. But he didn't, not with his job. So, here he was, asking himself, a child by standards, to get this mask. Was the man so desperate to make his son happy, to exchange passage for a child's mask?

The thought touched him. Sure, he would gain passage, but that wasn't what would be important. He would be making people happy. Releasing a smile, he nodded to the lone soldier.

"Alright, I'll do it, for you and your son."

The man smiled back, a genuine, happy smile, unlike the sarcastic ones from before. "Thank you, kid. It would mean a lot to me. I would return the favor if I could, but-"

"You don't have to do anything, sir, as long as I can see the Gorons, that's enough for me."

"The Gorons, huh…Ah, I know! A favor in return: while you're in Castle Town, go to the Bazaar, and tell the shop manager that I recommended you to them and you want the Hylian shield. They'll give you a discount on it. I tell you this because Death Mountain has been active lately, and last I checked wood burns easily," he added, pointing out the Deku Shield he bore. "I don't need a kid like you on my conscience."

"He has a point," Navi whispered, and he nodded, already seeing the validity of his words.

"True enough, Thank you again sir, I'll be back with that mask in no time!" Without waiting for a reply, he turned about and retraced his steps at a brisk jog, leaving the guard behind smiling, his day brightened.

~0~

At the far end of the square from the entrance to Hyrule Castle Town, to the right of the path leading to the castle, stood the new famed shop, the sign alone drawing the crowd's curious stares. The building itself was not unusual; it was made the same way all the others were. Atop it, though, perched the odd pale roof ornament, which one could make out a peculiar abstract representation of a face.

Link stood outside the shop, craning his neck to see the strange sight. Weird as it was, he had to admit it worked in a roundabout fashion. If attention is what the owner wanted, attention he was getting. Sighing, he lowered his head to face the more normal-looking door, and reached up to open it.

A small chime bell rang as he opened the door and stepped inside. The inside was just as strange, the far end of it anyway. The walls were draped by red, almost pink, curtains, providing some more warmth to the atmosphere as opposed to the cold stone floor and grayed wooden ceilings and wall beams; the walls themselves were a neutral off-white. To the left at the end a large sign board stood, too far away to read from where he stood. Beside it, centered between the walls, was another face, its high up-slanted eyes, nostril slits and even whiskers visibly painted on. The mouth was the most prominent feature, however; the mouth lay gaping wide, its red outline emboldening the counter, shelves, and masks displayed within.

At the sound of the chime, a head popped up from under the counter, revealing just as strange of a man. Somehow, Link found his face similar to the two strange faces he had seen already. Particularly, the slanted eyes and thin nose. His hair was an orangish hue, plastered to his head and parted neatly on the side. The man rose higher and smiled, revealing his teeth to be immaculate. As if to compliment his facial features, the man had taken liberty with decorating himself in purple garb, the sleeves a lighter shade than the torso, with a pronounced gold neck collar. A white stripe ran down the middle of the shirt, as well as adorning the wrists.

"Hiiyeee!" the man exclaimed, his voice, sounding too much like a youth's, dripping with such enthusiasm he could easily believe it to be fake. "Welcome! Welcome to my Happy Mask Shoppe! We deal in masks that bring happiness to everyone!"

"Uhh….Hi," Link replied, shuffling forward reluctantly. "I want to buy a mask."

"Buy?" the man asked, his smile faltering for a moment.

"Uh, yeah, didn't you just say you deal in masks?"

"Oh well yes, yes of course!" He replied, regaining his bravado. "But I think you misunderstand, my young friend. I can only assume this is natural; after all, my shop has only been open since yesterday! Word has yet gone out of how we deal in our masks." The man smiled and nodded, apparently satisfied with his answer.

"I see…so, how does it work then?"

"Ah, curious? Well then, might I have the pleasure in asking if you would like to be a Happiness Salesman?"

"What?"

"A Happiness Salesman! I only lend you the mask. It is up to you to sell the mask, and then bring the money here! Fascinating isn't it?! I am the first entrepreneur to endeavor to create such a business! Instead of the consumer going to the product, the product will go to the consumer! It is truly a marvel!" The man extended his hands out as if to emphasize the gravity of his exploits.

Unfortunately it was all lost to Link, who truly did not care. All he wanted was the mask. "That's, uhh, great. Really great. So, I have to just get someone else to buy a mask and give you the money?"

"Exactly, you're a bright young lad! And by selling the masks you may become happy yourself! All you need is a little faith. So, how about it?"

Link shrugged. "Sure, why not? I need the mask for someone else anyway."

"Excellent!" The man exclaimed, almost squealing in his excitement. "Was there a mask in question to be had by this individual?"

"Well, he didn't know it precisely actually. Began with a "kee" sound?"

"Ah! The Keaton mask, yes! Yes, Keaton is a very popular character that has sprung up within the travelling troubadours and troupes! An excellent choice, yes, and it just so happens I have one in stock!" The man practically leaped over to the shelf to Link's left and reached up to grab the mask.

The mask was painted yellow, with long pointed ears and a rather mousey nose. The eyes were mere slits, slanted heavily upward, yet did not give the appearance of aggression. On the contrary, the appearance was more playful, and closely resembled that of a fox.

"A mere ten rupees this is, quite a bargain, actually! So, you sell the mask and return the payment to me! And of course, any extra profit is rightfully yours. Will that be all, my friend?"

"Yes, thank you," Link answered, taking the mask in his hands, admiring the quality. It was surprisingly smooth and paint had somehow attained a glossy sheen.

"Oh no no, thank you! You and I, we can make history here! Go forth and bring happiness to the people of Hyrule! Just have faith in yourself!" The man bowed respectfully, and waved as Link finally departed the shop, squinting as he eyes were made to adjust to the light outside.

"Well, that sounded strange," Navi whispered to Link.

"That was more than strange, that was downright creepy," he muttered. He heard Navi suppress a giggle.

"All the same, we got what we needed. Are you going to take the guard's offer on the shield?"

"I might was well, since we're here. Who knows, I might actually need it."

The Bazaar was easily noted by the sign, complete with who he assumed was the owner's likeness, and the steady stream of people who came and went that the other shops lacked. Stepping through the door, excusing himself as a man walked out, he took a moment to observe his surroundings. A small diverse crowd shuffled about the small building, even smaller due to the equally diverse amount of equipment, tools, toys, boxes, and various other paraphernalia lining the walls and shelves. The room was well-lit by two lamps, shining their light across the poster-plastered walls and the sign above the front counter, listing off various in-demand items' prices, or surplus items on sale.

Stepping through the crowd as carefully as he could, he managed to shuffle to the front, where he finally bore witness to a giant of a man. He stood head-and-shoulders above even the tallest of the customers in the room, and his girth was even larger than the farmer Talon's. He wore a simple vest, which, while it fit around his broad shoulders and rather furry arms well, was impossible to reach his middle, so that his great muscular(and equally furry) chest was exposed to the elements. The man was bald on the top, but sported a grand beard, complete with mustache and sideburns. His bushy eyebrows did nothing to hide the man's eyes, which possessed a fanatical look.

How did he get so big! He stepped up to the counter, more than a little nervous.

"Excuse me, sir?"

The large man turned his way. "Hmm? Somthin' you be needin' lad?" His voice was deep and strong, but was not unkind at all like would have imagined. A little more confident, he continued.

"Yes sir. I was told I could get a shield here."

"'Course you can, but, uhh, I don' reckon it'd fit you well, kid. Unless you be buyin' for another?"

"No sir, I was told I should have it by the guard in Kakariko, by the gate-"

"Oh, were ya' now?" He cut in, pleasantly surprised. "He recommended ya'? Well then, no need to be explainin' yerself, wait here a moment, lad." He smiled as he turned around and opened up a crate.

"These be Hylian shields, lad; very strong n' durable, these. Getting' to be quite popular too. Normally I charge a price o' eighty rupees for these works, but since you be here on the guard's word, I'll be givin' you a discount. I'll knock off thirty rupees for ya', deal?" He asked as he turned back around, placing the shield on the counter for him to see.

The shield was quite unlike anything he had seen as yet in Hyrule. Easily two-thirds his size, the polished shield was of a diamond shape. The border was reinforced with a second layer of steel, with various sections protruding into the blue field. Centered on the field was the design of a bird with its wings outstretched, painted red. Above it, three golden triangles were embossed, all meeting at the points to create a larger triangle. Link could only assume this was the fabled Triforce. The design made it appear that the bird was reaching up toward it. On either side of the triangles were further embossed embellishments, unpainted so that they were the same look as the rim. Below the bird was a fourth triangle, with the point facing down towards the shields' bottom point.

Fifty rupees for a masterly crafted shield sounded reasonable enough, considering full price was thirty more rupees. He agreed, pulling out his pouch and counting out the price. The large man assisted him; it was painfully obvious he was still unfamiliar with handling the currency. He frowned a little, seeing how little was left of what Talon had given him.

"That pouch there has about sixty rupees; it'll last and do you well if you can manage it."

Looks like I'll need to find more," He thought to himself, closing the drawstrings and securing it to his belt.

"Alrighty then, here you go lad, and take care o' yerself," the man added, smiling as he watched Link cleverly attach the shield to his back. "Though seein' you do that, I think you'll be doin' jus' fine."

"Thank you sir," link waved as he made his way back to the door, meandering through the unrelenting crowd. Excusing himself as another customer came in to replace him, he stepped out into the afternoon light.

"Right, time to head back to Kakariko."

"Remember Link, we have to get there before dark if you don't want to face another Stalchild," Navi said, peeking out from beneath his cap to look up, as did Link. The sky was already showing signs of the oncoming sunset, with the east sky darkening and the west streaked with pinks and light purple hues. Link nodded. He didn't have much time; he wasn't even sure if he could make it before the night came. But, he couldn't stay in Castle Town either, not with the little money he had left.

"We'll need to find somewhere for the night, but not here." Link replied as he headed for the drawbridge.

"Where then?" Navi asked. Their answer came unexpectedly.

"Link! Over here!"

"Malon?" He recognized the voice right away. And he found her too, to his right crossing the bridge, Her father Talon awkwardly turned to see behind him as he sat at the front of the cart, reins in hand; Malon sat in the back of the cart, now largely empty, waving at him with a huge smile on her face.

"I think we found our answer," Link answered Navi, a smile of his own decorating his face as he waved back, and quickly made straight for them. Malon jumped down from the cart and rushed over to him, where he found himself caught in a tight embrace. For some reason, again, he could feel the blood rushing to his face. Navi caught sight of it this time, and she suppressed a giggle.

"I was wondering if I would get to see you again before we left. Are you leaving too? Did you like it here?"

"Y-yeah" he managed to answer, regaining some composure. "I found what I was looking for, and more."

"You're shield changed?" She asked, looking over his shoulder with curiosity. Talon craned his neck to see as well, and nodded when he saw it, apparently satisfied somehow.

"Yeah, I kinda' need it where I'm going next, since it'll be dangerous."

"Dangerous?" She eyed him skeptically. "Dangerous how?"

"Well…I don't really know. It just will be," he shrugged. "I'll be fine though, promise." He smiled reassuringly.

"Well…if you say so," Malon conceded, returning the smile.

"Will you be needing lodgings again, Link? You're more than welcome to our ranch, naturally," Talon spoke up, and smiled when Malon's face suddenly lit up brighter.

"Yeah, you should stay with us again! I can show you around the ranch more and show you what we do and stuff!"

"I was actually going to ask that, if it's not a bother-"

"Of course it's not!" Malon interrupted, grabbing his wrist.

And here we go again, Link mused, unable to suppress a grin as he quickened his pace to avoid being dragged.

~0~

Night began to settle across Hyrule when the wagon pulled into Lon Lon Ranch. Malon and Link jumped out and scurried over to the gate to close it for the night, While Talon drove the wagon around the corner before slowing to a stop. As the two made it back, one of the large stable doors laboriously slid open, the light from inside pouring out onto the open field, casting long shadows of the three of them, the horses and the wagon. Another shadow came from the doorway, which belonged to the silhouette of a mall tall and scraggly.

"About time you got here! Took your time, did you, hmm?! If it wasn't for your daughter I'd be waiting a fortnight!"

"Now now, let's not get worked up over this," Talon said, raising his hands defensively. "We had to stay a little longer than usual; the markets were full and we made a good profit."

"I was able to run the store all by myself with no help this time!" Malon chimed in, grinning happily.

"Hmph, well that's all well and good, at least. Alright, let's get this done with so we can have something to eat." The man turned and disappeared back into the building. Link turned to Malon, nodding to the door.

"Who was that?"

"Oh, that's the farm hand Mr. Ingo, he works here," she answered, releasing the horses from the cart.

"Is he always like that?" Navi asked, popping out. Malon smiled at her appearance, and nodded.

"Yeah, I think he gets that way because he does a lot of work and daddy doesn't do much," she explained, guiding one horse into the stall. Link followed her example, taking the other horse and going in.

The single room was well-lit by several lanterns placed throughout the stable. The room was shaped as an L; the longer stretched holding the stables for the horses and cows. A door to the right from where he stood he determined was the same door on the right upon entering the ranch. Various tools, buckets and crates lined the walls. From the stalls to the two large doors leading out into the field was earth, while to the right, where the other door and most of the items were, a floor had been placed down. And the entire place smelt of an odd mixture of hay, feed, earth and dung. It wasn't pleasant, he decided, but nor was it unbearable.

"Doesn't do much? He hardly does anything at all! Lazy, that's what he is. Can hardly stand seeing him when I work so hard to keep this ranch alive!" The man protested, shaking a fist to the air while he opened a stall for Malon's horse to enter. Now that he was in the light of the stables, Link could see Mr. Ingo more clearly. He was only a little taller than Talon, and by far thinner, though he sported a large belly contained by white heavily stained overalls. He wore a pair of work boots equally as stained if not more, and a green shirt underneath the overalls served to cover his shoulders from the sun. His face was contorted into a perfect example of someone immensely irritated, and his incredibly busy eyebrows and large handlebar mustache did nothing to lessen to lessen the effect.

"And who're you? Haven't seen you before," The man said, looking at him as he locked the gate and proceeded to the next empty one.

"I'm Link sir, I'm ju-"

"Sir? You hear that Malon? Called me a sir, he did. I like that; it shows that I have respect." He nodded, an odd smile coming to his face, as if it was difficult for him to do so. Malon giggled as she took the horse from link.

"Of course you do Mr. Ingo; you do so much for us. Link, wanna' help me make dinner?" She asked, skipping up to him. He smiled back.

"Sure, why not?"

~0~

"That was really good Link, I didn't know you could cook," Malon complimented, jumping up to sit upon the fence.

"Neither did I," Navi added, "Nothing I have seen from this child made me think he could." The two giggled when he responded with a huff, leaping onto the fence as well.

"I learned only a little bit. I had to for when I didn't eat with…with the others." Navi looked at him, watching his face lose some of its energy. Malon looked on curiously as well.

"You mean when they didn't want you to eat with them," Navi said. "Or at least Mido didn't." Link nodded.

"Who's Mido?" Malon asked, looking to either of them for an answer. It was Navi who responded first.

"Another Kokirian who was a bully. He was mean to Link because he didn't have me. Not until a few days ago, anyway. All Kokirians have a fairy partner, but Link didn't have one, so he was picked on."

"That's awful! He sounds like a real jerk," she added, glaring towards the direction of the forest. "Was everyone like that?"

"No," Link answered quickly, startling both. "Saria was my best friend. She was always looking out for me and was always there. And the Great Deku Tree always listened to me and talked to me. Both of them always made me happy and made me feel like everything was ok."

"That's like me and Epona. I love telling her everything and being with her. She makes me happy." She smiled at him. "You do too, 'cause we're friends, right?"

He looked at her, staring at her as she smiled back. He had barely given it any thought. They had only met twice, the first time being just the day before! But in that time they had already begun to understand each other. He hardly knew a thing about her, but he was ok with that. He smiled.

"Yeah, right."

She smiled again, before looking away, watching the moon finally beginning to rise over the horizon. The moon was full, providing its rich cool light to the night sky and all of Hyrule, casting black shadows where it could not reach.

"I've always dreamed…a prince or a knight would come for me, past the moon," Malon said softly, breaking the silence. She chuckled. "It's a silly dream, I know. For a farm girl like me though, I think it's ok to dream, even if it's nonsense."

"I don't think it's silly," Link smiling as he continued to watch the moon. "It's a nice dream: wanting someone to want you. Everyone wishes for that at some point."

"Mm, I guess so. I never thought of it that way…Do you have a dream, forest boy?" She asked, him, giggling at the end. He offered his own quiet laugh before pondering the question.

"My dream? …I dunno'."

Lowering his gaze, he looked out to the forest. He knew that the forest was big; he had grown up living his entire life there. From here, looking down on it from miles away, he could truly understand its size. It stretched out into the distant night, fading to black and then fading away entirely. And maybe, just maybe, he swore he could see the top of a tree, whose leaves were shed before the proper season.

That massive forest was his home. That magical forest that served as a ward against dangers of distant lands. And now here he was, gazing down on it from afar, in a new world that he had seen only a small part of. He smiled, remembering the first time he had seen it days ago. He had been so amazed, thrilled, that there was a world beyond the forest. A world filled with new and strange wonders, a land filled with incredible people, like Malon, Talon, the princess, Impa. And there was more to see. He smiled.

"My dream," he said, staring back at the moon, "Is to see the world. All of it." He looked at Malon, and smiled. "I've only seen a little of it, and I want to see more. Everything so far has been beyond anything I imagined. From the first time I saw a door to meeting you and your dad."

She smiled back at him, beginning to blush.

"What?" he asked, curious. She shrugged, looking away.

"It's nothing. See the world huh? That's a good dream too." She chuckled. "Maybe you've seen your fill you can come back from beyond the moon and help me realize me dream, forest boy." She laughed, jumped down from the fence, and started skipping away. "It's getting late; you can stay in the same bed as last time, ok? See you tomorrow!"

"Wait, huh?" He jumped down, staring after her. It was already too late; he watched the light of the door open and fade away as it closed again. "I'm confused."

"I think," Navi said, appearing in front of him, "she just flirted with you." She giggled, flying towards the house.

"Wait…huh?!" She laughed then, unable to contain it.

"You're as dumb as a rock sometimes, you know that? She likes you, Link, and I think you like her too! "She flew over to Link and perched on his shoulder, still giggling. "Now let's go back inside, we have a busy day tomorrow."

"Uh, well, ok, sure, yeah," he mumbled, blushing a little. She giggled again when she saw it, but he paid no mind to it. Was that why he felt so strange around her sometimes? He smiled. It was a good kind of strange. It made him happy.

Maybe, when this is all over… Maybe I'll take her up on that offer.

He closed the door behind him, leaving the night to itself.