"Wait!"

But the drawbridge did not wait. As Link raced in forward in vain hopes of jumping and making it in time, he had to skid to a stop, teetering dangerously at the edge, threatening to topple over into the moat below.

Navi looped around to the front of him and gave him just the slightest of pushes to bring him back to stable ground. He fell back with a thump, and the drawbridge rumbled to a stop in front of him.

He let out a sigh, then glanced back to the sun as it slowly dipped below the horizon, the sky a blazing orange. Somewhere in the distance, he heard the sound of a wolf. Or a wolfos. It did not matter either way; it was not safe here in the open.

He climbed back to his feet and, keeping low to the ground, began to make his way around the edge of the town walls, hoping in vain that there might be some sort of way he could get in. Not even teleportation magic could help him here, even if he was skilled enough to use it - he would have had to have a clear vision of the area he was trying to warp to.

His search for an entrance was quickly proving fruitless, and as the sky turned to night, a spike of uneasiness edged in his stomach. Or maybe it was hunger, or both.

Up ahead he spotted a small tree. It wasn't the sturdiest one he'd ever seen, a dwarf in comparison to the great trunks of the trees in the Lost Woods. But never the less, it was large enough that he could climb up and rest in it for a while. He took off towards it at a trot, continuing to stay low to the ground.

As soon as he was close enough, he sprang up, grabbing hold of the lowest sturdy branch, and swung himself higher to a thicker branch that he could sit on. It was not an ideal resting spot, but it would work.

He sat with his back to the trunk and reached down into the sack he had brought along in search of food. He had not been able to pack much: a few berries for today and some nuts were all he could carry. Most of his foods would have spoiled quickly during travel. He would have to see if he could get ahold of something more filling in the town tomorrow.

Picking a particularly juicy looking berry, he tossed it into the air, popping it into his mouth with a snap. As he continued to chew on the succulent fruits, he glanced up to the rising moon. It had taken him only a day to get here, but still it already felt like he'd been gone from the forest forever. Already he was missing playing music with Skull Kid in the moonlight or playing tag with other skull kids in the dark. He even missed sneaking into the Kokiri Forest in search of abandoned rupees and knickknacks (and sometimes not-so abandoned treasures, if he was honest with himself. But hey, he can say with pride that he never attacked someone to take their valuables, so that's something!)

He glanced down and rolled around one of the berries in between his fingers, wondering if he could find the forests delicacies out here in the big open world. He did not like this "Hyrule Field." It was not like the forest, with hiding places everywhere. Instead, he felt open and exposed, visible to everyone who wanted or did not want to see him.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the sounds of dirt shuffling below him, rattling coming from within. A rattling not unlike his kind's own. Cautious, he glanced down. A skeletal hand had broken the surface, a second one widening the hole close behind. A head poked out of the ground; a skull, more specifically. The rest of the body came rolling after, reassembling itself once each part reached the surface. For the most part it was humanoid, but the creature's face jutted out far more than a human skull would, looking a bit more canine in appearance. Several other bodies seemed to be coming to the surface further out, shambling about the field. He wondered if perhaps this was part of why the town's gates were closed.

"Navi, what is that?" Link whispered to the fairy peeking out from under his cap.

"They're stallchildren," Navi explained in a hushed voice. "They're a species related to stalfos."

"Where do they come from?"

"Stalfos usually come from two places- adults lost in the woods, or people who died in battle. Stallchildren are… well… I don't know for sure. They could be anything from children to adult civilians that were killed in battle, possibly?"

Link was about to ask for more clarification, but his voice caught in his throat when he looked back down to the stallchild below them… who was staring right back up at him.

He blinked, his glowing blue orbs flickering out for just a split second, and the creature's red-orange orbs blinked back. Slowly, it raised a hand in greeting. He slowly waved back.

"I think it's friendly," Link whispered to his fairy.

"They're not known to be friendly or kind to humans, or most living species in general." she countered. And then something clicked in her mind. "But you're not really totally alive yourself, are you?"

Link tilted his head inquisitively, shrugging.

"Never mind, we'll talk about it some other time."

With his curiosity getting the better of him, Link slowly started to slide down from the tree, gripping hold of the branch until he was hanging from it so that he minimized his fall. He landed with a soft thump.

A couple more of the stallchildren had taken notice of him and had begun to hobble over curiously. As he tilted his head at the stallchild in front of him, it mirrored his movements. Once the other two had arrived, the three began to talk in hushed whispers.

"What is it? What is it?"

"Is… it is not human?"

"Is not like us? What is it?"

One of them - the largest one - hesitantly reached a bony hand out. Link took a couple steps back, but that only made it move faster. It took hold of his arm, ignoring his cry of surprise, and looked it over."

"Is wood, like tree!"

"Is tree?"

"Is a tree!"

"I'm not a tree!" Link countered, and when he spoke, the one gripping his arm recoiled suddenly.

"It spoke!"

"It speaks!"

"What is it, then?"

Navi, building up her courage, popped out from beneath Link's hat and fluttered in front of him defensively. "He is not a tree. He is a skull kid, from the Lost Woods!"

"Not tree!"

"A fairy!"

"Skull kid!"

His eyes drifted between the three of them, and he was starting to wonder if they had interacted with anyone outside of themselves.

Finally, the first one that had spotted him spoke up, finally addressing him directly. "You are skull kid from the forest… and… have fairy. Is a skull kid friendly?"

He considered the question for a moment, then nodded. "If you are friendly, I am. My name is Link."

"Link!"

"You look similar to a tree, but also similar to stallchild. Why?"

"Because he is similar to a stallchild," Navi explained. "He was lost in the forest when he was young, he became a skull kid, like you became a stallchild when you died."

"Me? I don't remember being not a stallchild!" The leader argued. The other two nodded in agreement, rattling.

"I don't remember not being a skull kid either," Link admitted. "All I remember is my name. And pain, and then being a skull kid. Everyone says I was not a skull kid before, but they don't know who I was."

The stallchildren seemed to think it over, then the leader nodded in acceptance. "Well, tonight, you are Friend!" It threw its hands up in the air, rattling its bones.

The other two threw their hands up in the air and said in unison, "Friend!" And before Link could say anything the three surrounded him, and began to walk in a circle around him, doing a funny little rattling dance.

But finally, the first one broke away from their dance.

"If friend is from the forest, why is friend so far from forest?" It asked.

Link pointed to the walls beyond the moat. "I'm trying to get inside to go see the princess."

The leader let out a tiny surprised noise, while the other two looked to each other and with whispers of "princess?"

Then the leader laughed. "Friend is funny! Humans not let monsters into town, unless monsters bring wares and good tidings for sale!"

The idea of being referred to as a monster made Link uncomfortable. He wasn't a monster, he was himself! But to a human… he would appear monstrous or as a spirit, with his wooden body and glowing eyes and pointy teeth, and the dark spirit energy that allowed his body to move.

On the topic of merchant monsters, Link could only guess that they meant the Deku Scrubs he occasionally saw peddling goods from their flowers. Sometimes, they would tell stories of great human towns if they were bored, for a few rupees of course.

"They won't let anyone in till morning," the leader continued, with agreeing echoes of "morning coming from the other two."

Link let out a sigh. He expected as much, but still, he would have liked to get in sooner. The night had just fallen, and with the stallchildren roaming the field, he felt like he'd have a hard time getting to sleep for some time.

"Would Friend like to play while he waits?"

"Friend play?"

"Can play with friend?"

Link considered the invitation for a moment. On one hand, he didn't want to tire himself out and have to sleep through part of the day. Then again, he would likely not have another chance to play with someone until he returned to the forest after this trip. Maybe it wouldn't hurt?

So finally, the skull kid nodded, earning cheers from the trio in front of him.

"Yay!"

"Come this way, this way!"

Link followed as the group of stallchildren hobbled off. Their skeletal joints, though magically animated, did not seem to give them the same speed that he had.

Hours began to whittle away as the group began to play. Hide and seek was not a possibility in the wide-open spaces. But tag seemed to be a favorite. Playing catch with rocks also seemed to amuse the stallchilderen. Even if they got hit and fell apart, their body would just reassemble itself a moment later, and it was back into the game.

What interested them more, however, was Link's flute, the odd shape in his pocket catching the attention of the lead stallchild.

"What is?" He asked, pointing to the shape.

"Oh, it's my flute," Link responded, reaching in to pull the object out.

"You can play music?"

When Link nodded, one of the other stallchildren called out, "Show us!"

So, link began to play, thoughtfully avoiding Saria's song among the tunes he picked out and made up, as something about it felt sacred and special to him, like it was a song he should only share in special cases. Before long, the group had broken into dance, three pale figures and one ashen one twisting and turning in the moonlight

Despite what he had thought would happen, the night seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Sure, he was a little drowsy at the end, but it had been worth it.

The larger stallchild was the first to notice the thin sliver of sunlight on the horrizon.

"Uh oh," he said.

Link turned his attention to the leader, then to the other two. They were all gazing to the sunrise now.

"Sun is coming."

"Time to go."

The trio began hobbling back to where they had first popped out of the ground, Link trailing after curiously.

"They are creatures of darkness, nocturnal," Navi explained as the first one reached its hole and began to disassemble. "They need to return to the soil by daybreak, both to conserve energy, and to protect themselves from travelers."

The bones began rolling back into the ground, first the legs and torso, then the head. The hands came last, pulling the dirt it had unearthed back over itself. The other two were doing similar. Before the sun could finally begin to rise above the horizon, the leader turned its head back to Link and gave a goodbye wave.

"Come back and play again sometime!" It called out. Then it too, was gone.

Link gave one last wave, then dropped his arms to his sides and found himself staring for a moment, until he heard a creaking behind him. The bridge was coming down; he remembered his quest.

Not wanting to waste another moment, he turned, and sprinted back towards the town gates.


The first thing he noticed about the town was that even in the early morning hours, it was already becoming busy.

Nervous about how the humans - especially the adults, after his time speaking with the stallchildren - would react to him, Link made his way around the edge of the town square through the shadows, taking care not to let anyone lock gazes with him. Images of being surrounded by big, scary humans with fire crossed his mind, and he shivered involuntarily. That was just about the worst thing that could happen. At least, he hoped it was.

He was almost all the way across the center square when he slipped up.

He glanced towards where he could see the castle in the distance, then back towards the square to make sure he was not being followed. His eyes locked with someone.

She was a young girl, short, only about as tall as he himself was. Her skin was tanned, likely the result of being out in the sun a lot. Her clothes were rather plain, wearing work boots and a white dress that was only decorated by the blue trim at the bottom and along the sleeves. The only other article of clothing she wore was a yellow handkerchief tied around her neck in a knot. Otherwise she wore no gems or accessories, like many of the girls and women in the square were. Her hair was a bright, flaming orange, contrasting her otherwise fairly light appearance.

She let out a tiny gasp when she noticed him from across the square, and he froze. For a moment, he closed his eyes, hoping that doing so would make him appear invisible or innocent. But it made him feel exposed, unable to see if anyone was advancing. When he opened his eyes again, she was still staring, but had made no movement otherwise. He carefully began to creep forward again. Still no movement. Finally, not wanting to risk it any longer, he took off down the side of the road, making a dash to get out of the town before anyone else noticed him.

It was not long before he'd left the bulk of the town behind him. Two dirt and stone walls lead him forward as the distant castle grew closer and closer. Every few minutes, he glanced back to see if someone had spotted him and sounded some sort of alarm. Fortunately, he managed to get through without trouble for some time.

Eventually, the dirt path opened up into a clearing. At the top of the far side, he suspected there was a field, and beyond the field, the castle stood starkly against the morning sky. As he began to stalk into the open area, he heard a great flapping from a singular tree in front of him. The owl from before was back. Though this time, it did not stick around, instead electing to take off with just a single warning.

"Be careful not to be spotted by the guards!" The bird hooted, before taking off back in the direction of the town.

Link adjusted the strap of his scabbard nervously. He knew little about human culture, but he supposed that it would make sense they would guard something as grand as a castle. Mido did the same with the Deku Tree, after all. Sort of.

The boy rounded the corner, and already came to his first obstacle. Instead of a freely accessible path, the road was blocked by a huge stone gate, two bored guards staring ahead.

He slipped back around the corner, then peeked around the side again. They hadn't seemed to notice him from here. But walking forward would certainly end in being turned away at best.

As he sat down with his back to the stone and dirt wall to consider his options, Navi poked out from under his hat and began to flutter about. She flew around the corner herself first, then back down the other way.

"Link, over here!"

Link glanced up and over in the direction of the fairy's voice. She had stopped in front of a spot on the wall, hovering in place. As Link approached to get a better look, he noticed there was thick vine growth, leading all the way to the top of the wall. He could climb from here.

He took a moment to adjust his equipment, then, taking a hand hold of the vines, began to scale the plants. Just like in the Deku Tree. Just like at home. It was almost second nature, finding handholds and sturdy footing.

As he pulled himself over the top, he could finally get a better look out in front of him. As he suspected, past the gate the path continued, and across from him, a field separated him from the castle, which was also surrounded by a gate.. A path started from the top of the gate that blocked the road as well - which acted as a bridge between the side he was currently standing on, and the field.

He began to slowly creep towards the gate, but as he drew close, he realized that a guard blocked the path there too. He would continue further, but the cliff he was on came to an end where the bridge met. Perhaps he would have a better chance if he waited until night. But… that was so far away. No, he would continue his attempt, even if he did stick out in daylight like a sore thumb.

He came to a stop at the edge of the bridge. If the guard had noticed him yet, he did not react. Link glanced down the side of the path and saw, disheartened, that several other guards lined the cliff, looking down into the path below. Maybe the bird was wrong. Maybe if he just walked over to the guard, they'd let him through? He supposed it was worth a shot.

Slowly, tentatively, he approached the adult man, keeping himself low to the ground and hoping he appeared non-threatening. The man finally seemed to take notice of him as he crept closer, and moved to an offensive stance, holding his weapon, a long spear, out in front of him.

"You, monster child, what do you think you're doing here?"

Link immediately froze in place. Monster child? He had certainly been called some mean things before by frightened or angry Kokiri, or even some of the other intelligent forest dwellers like the Deku. Creepy, or an imp, mostly. But even if he had been warned, monster was just plain insulting.

"I- I was just-" He stammered, taking a step back in time as the guard stepped forward. "From… from the forest, to see the princess?"

His explanation did not cut it. The guard jabbed his spear towards the child threateningly.

"You're not welcome here. Begone, before I am forced to remove you."

"But I-"

"Link, go." Navi hissed from behind him. He took one more step back, and then not wanting to be pushed off the bridge or worse, just turned and jumped himself, falling off the side and landing with a roll. Springing back to his feet, he scampered around the corner and out of sight.

Once out of view, he leaned back against the stone and dirt wall and sank to the ground, hands over his knees. "That went well," he mumbled.

"Do you think they might move when it gets dark? Or at least later in the day?" Navi asked. "I hate to wait for so long, but maybe when they change shifts, it would give us a chance to sneak by?"

Link gave the fairy a nod and sighed, closing his eyes. Waiting could be so boring though, and it was only just barely morning! Then again, he had not slept the night before. Maybe it would not be a bad idea to get some rest.

He dug into one of his pouches, pulling out the remainder of the berries he had brought with him. That's right, he was going to look for more food, wasn't he? He glanced back to the town. He had a little money, if the rupee things that he had collected over the years were as valuable as Saria had claimed. Surely some poor shop keep would take pity on him and sell him something to eat, even if he wasn't human like them?

With something to do for the time being, he stood and began the walk back to the town square.

Link was quiet as they made the trek back to town, head turned down slightly. Navi fluttered along behind silently, for a time. But eventually, she broke the silence, concern tinting her voice.

"Link… are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he murmured, shaking his head.

"Is this about the guard?" She asked.

No answer.

"Ah… I understand," She responded.

He slowed to a stop. Navi slowly landed on his shoulder. "I know it's awful, and awfully mean, but you do have to remember that the forest dwelling races don't leave very often, the only exception being the Deku Scrubs. They can't really be blamed for not knowing what you are."

"I guess…"

"Besides," she continued. "He's a guard. It's his job to turn people away." She paused for a moment, then nuzzled up against Link's cheek. "Now come on, let's find you some food. In fact, going into town may not be a bad idea. I'm sure there will be some people there at least that are more open-minded. Hylians aren't the only race in Hyrule, after all."

Link lifted his head, slightly cheered. With just a bit more pep in his step, he continued on back towards the town.


The town square was even busier by the time they returned. Merchant stalls had set up along the edges, most gathering large crowds of people out doing their morning shopping. Others milled about, some chatting, others just hurrying around. One man in particular seemed to circle about the area carrying a large bag upon his back, but never really interacted with anyone.

Link felt just a bit overwhelmed. Even in its busiest times, the Kokiri Forest wasn't nearly this crowded. He moved about in a sort of daze, trying to look over each stall in hopes of finding one he could get food from that he would not have to push past droves of adults to reach. But each one just seemed busier than the last.

Someone bumped into the small boy. He stumbled. Whoever it was did not even seem to notice. Before he caught his footing, another almost trampled him; he only just barely managed to scamper out of the way.

With an anxious cry, he retreated to the edges of the square, choosing to just watch the madness. It was too much for the small boy to handle right now. Hoping that he could return later, and it would be emptier, he turned his attention to the buildings along the edges of the square.

One particularly gaudy place caught his eye, with walls painted greed, and red and gold fabric draped along the sides. A huge, equally gaudy sign adorned the building above the entrance. With curiosity gripping him, Link approached.

"Happy… mask… shop…" Navi read slowly, as if in disbelief. "Link, please don't waste any money here, please? We don't know how expensive food and other necessities will be."

Link shrugged, then moved to open the door, stepping into the fanciful building.

The inside was even more fancy and extravagant than it had been outside. An ornate carpet greeted Link's dirt-covered boots. Above him hung stained glass orbs, torchlight shining from inside. Like outside, the inner walls were also draped with fabric.

But the real stars were the masks.

Shelves, filled with dozens of masks, line the wall on either side of Link. One was of a green monster, a blue band painted along the eyes. Another was of a horrifying human face.

"May I help you?"

Link startled, turning his attention to the counter at the end of the way. There stood a man, still as a statue, adorned in robes of royal purple and gold.

The boy slowly approached the counter, tilting his head curiously at the man. "Hiyee!" He started in far too cheerful of a tone. "Welcome to the Happy Mask Shop! We deal in masks that bring happiness to everyone!"

"Everyone?" Link asked, awed.

"Everyone?" Navi echoed skeptically.

"That's right!" The man responded. "Everyone! How would you like to be a happiness salesman?"

"Uh…"

"Allow me to explain. I'll lend you a mask. You sell the mask and bring the money back here.
If you want to read the fine print, take a look at the sign right over there." He gestured to his right to a huge sign. "After you've sold all the masks, you will become happy yourself! Simple really, you see?"

"I mean-"

"Your masks will be filled with happiness, you just need to have faith… believe… believe…"

Link began to take a step back, feeling more than a bit creeped out. However, something caught the corner of his eye, and with a deep breath, he stepped forward again, hands on the counter.

"What if… What if I just wanted to purchase that one?" He pointed to the side of the man's head to a white mask, with carved holes and features similar to a skull. Not a human skull though, as it had horns that jutted out.

"Link, what did I just say outside," Navi protested.

"It's not for me," he countered. "It's for Skully. He loves masks! I know he'd just love that one."

"Ahem-" the salesman cut in. "I'm afraid I cannot sell you the mask. You see, these are for the business arrangement I mentioned. No, I cannot sell, it but I can lend it."

Link considered it for a moment. "Fine, fine, lend it to me."

"I can't do that either. First you have to sell this mask."

The man reached up to grab a different mask. This one was a bright yellow, with a brown nose, it's appearance similar to an animal. He placed the mask into Link's hands with a bit of force.

Link looked down to the mask in his hands, then to the salesman. Then to the skull mask. Back to the salesman. His grip on the mask tightened, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Link…"

Suddenly, he chucked the mask at the man's head with all the force he could muster. The man stumbled back from the surprising force of the blow and fell back, dazed.

Immediately, Link vaulted over the counter, jumping up to grab the skull mask.

"Link NO!" Navi called out.

He paused, looking at her, then paused only long enough to fish a couple of rupees - a blue and a green - and dropped them in the man's lap before vaulting back over and dashing out.

"See, I paid for it, technically not stealing!"

Navi let out a frustrated huff but followed behind anyways as he dashed out the door.

Once he had emerged out into the fresh air, Link took a moment to turn the mask over in his hands, admiring the handiwork.

Navi flew into his line of sight, buzzing close to his face. "Link," she started slowly, stressing her words out. "That was a horrible idea. Do not. Do. That. Again. Understand?"

The boy stared for a moment, then smiled and laughed, nodding. Despite his answer, Navi suspected he had not learned his lesson at all.

With a sigh, she turned her attention to the market stalls around them. They had begun to clear a little in the time Link had been gone. "Let's just hurry up and get you something to eat. And maybe a larger bag would be a good idea too… Huh?"

When she turned back to address him, Link was already gone. She whipped around, looking for any hint of ashy brown and green, finally spotting him all the way across the square.

He had stopped in front of a food stall, staring intently a bit of a ways away. Navi dashed over, bumping into him slightly to announce her presence.

"Hey!" she cried out in exasperation. "Don't just run off like that! Please!"

Link turned his head back to look at her, staring for a moment before raising an arm to point at the stand he was standing in front of. "I want some of that."

"That" happened to be a pastry stand, much of it already gone from the morning rush. But several items remained here and there.

Navi let out a sigh. She would have to give her lesson another time. "...Okay. Pick one."

"I want them all," he responded.

"Two. No more. You need money for other things too, you know."

He finally conceded, sighing with a nod. "Fiiiiine."

Navi approached the stand first, Link following close behind. The woman behind the counter had her back turned, busy wrapping more of the pastries for sale, humming a little tune.

"Excuse me," Navi said, loud enough to catch the woman's attention.

"Yes," the woman started, turning. "How may I help yooouUUUUOH MY GODDESSES!"

Link blinked at the woman, tilting his head curiously. Was… was she okay?

"My… goodness," she started, calming herself and trying to relieve some of the shock to save the encounter. "Aren't you a… unique little one. I've never seen someone like you around here."

Navi flew forward to make her presence known, before landing on Link's head. "He's with me, he saw your display and just had to get something."

"Oh…" She started, eyes on the fairy. "Of… of course! What would you like, little one?"

Link considered, beginning to look over his choices.

"Remember," Navi pointed out. "Two."

After some moments of deliberation, Link pointed first to a rectangular treat, then second to one with fruit folded into it. "These two… Please?"

"Of course!" The woman responded, reaching for a paper to wrap them in. "That will be… seven rupees, please."

Link reached into his money pouch, looking at the rupees inside quizzically. "... Navi, how much is seven?"

"You can give her a blue and two green ones, Link."

"Isn't that three?"

"The blue one is worth five."

The boy nodded enthusiastically and fished for the change, pulling them out and placing them on the counter. The woman slowly and carefully handed him his pastries in return, eyes on his rough wooden hands.

The boy flashed a toothy grin, then turned to hurry off, Navi fluttering behind. "Thank you!" She called out to the woman before turning her attention to Link.

"Okay, how many rupees do you have in there? Next, a bag."


Even after all the time he spent in the village square, it was only barely after noon when the skull kid found himself wandering back towards the castle.

His new bag was filled with odd delicacies that the forest had never offered. Breads and pastries and all sorts of sweets, dried meats and loose grains all were wrapped up inside. He'd even managed to trade the small pouch he had been using to store slingshot ammo for a larger one. At least someone in this Castle Town place appreciated his slingshot skills!

But now, he still had several hours to pass. He took a seat down beside the vines he had climbed before. He and Navi agreed that jumping over the bridge and following the path during the changing of the guards would be the quickest and safest way to cross.

As he munched on a few of the fresh berries he'd exchanged the last of his rupees for, Navi came to settle on his knee. "I'm going to go scout ahead," she announced. "So I can find the best route into the castle and watch for when the guards change. Is that okay? Will you be alright for a little while?"

Link finished off the last of his fruit, and then nodded, pulling out a loaf of bread and tearing a small piece off. Satisfied, Navi took to the air again.

"Stay here, okay?" When he nodded again, she fluttered off, the quiet jingle of flight dying away as she left.

Once Link had ate his fill, he started to doze off for a while. But his sleep was fitful in the open area, nervous of someone sneaking up on him while he slept. So, after some time he sat back up and reached into his pocket for his flute, then, deciding against it, reached for the ocarina Saria had given him instead. It was the first time he was actually getting a good look at it, and as he slowly turned it over, he realized the fact that though he knew quite a bit about music in general, he had no idea how to play this particular instrument.

Slowly he brought the instrument up to his mouth, allowing his slender, wooden fingers to cover the holes, hoping he was correctly mimicking the way he had seen Saria hold hers. Not wanting to alert the guards, he blew a soft note into the instrument, playing a single, out of tune note.

Well, it was a start.

Blowing into the Ocarina was different from his flute. He had to position his mouth differently, and make sure he was properly covering each of the holes. Adjusting, he blew again, much more satisfied with the note that came out this time. He raised a single finger, comparing the sound. It was higher. Less fingers mostly meant higher.

He could not say for sure how long he spent picking notes at the ocarina, but finally, he had figured out enough to replay Saria's song. He slowly played the song, picking out the notes slowly, then faster as he memorized each note and finger placement, until finally, he could play the whole thing up to speed.

As he finally brought the instrument away from his mouth, he heard soft clapping to his side.

He immediately sprang to his feet and whipped around, raising one arm defensively while quickly stashing the ocarina away protectively, eliciting a gasp from his audience.

As he looked the person over, he realized that he recognized her. It was the girl that had spotted him that morning, that had locked eyes with him for some time, until he'd gathered the courage to leave.

The girl had taken a nervous couple steps back when he had hopped up so suddenly. But when she made no move to harm him, he relaxed, and she, in response, relaxed too. After a moment, she was smiling, hands clasped together.

"Wow, you're really good at music. Did you write that song?"

Link blinked once, his blue orbs flickering out and then back. "Oh, no, one of my friends made it up." He took a moment to fumble with and hastily stash the ocarina away, not wanting to risk the precious object becoming damaged.

The girl giggled, whether it be at his reaction or something else, he was unsure. But he couldn't help but smile sheepishly back. "Hee, hee, I've never seen anything like you before. What are you?"

His smile faltered just slightly. Not who, what. Being referred to as a thing had not bothered him as much when the stallchildren had done so; surely, they had little interaction with others living in the earth like they seemed to. But the Kokiri always referred to him as a person. And he always assumed that humans would too. In fact, most of the adults had referred to him as a person, had they not?

But she was a child like him, he had to remind himself. Perhaps she did not know. Perhaps it had just been the slip of her tongue. Still, his mind drifted back to the way the guard from before had referred to him, as a monster child.

Forcing the thought out of his mind, he finally responded honestly. "I'm a skull kid, from the forest."

She giggled again, repeating the words a couple times to get a feel for them. "Skullkid… Skull kid... Hee hee, that's a silly word. Do you have a name, skull kid?"

"Link," he responded with a nod.

The girl tilted her head from side to side, considering his name, then clasped her hands together. "Link is a funny name, it fits you! My name is Malon! Do you know any other songs, forest boy?"

Link was not sure if he should be flattered or insulted, but he chose to take it as a compliment. It was better to have friends than enemies, right? His hand reached back to grab the fairy ocarina, but instead he shifted his hand to another pocket and pulled out his more familiar flute.

He took a second to adjust his fingers, and then began to play, fingers expertly flying up and down, a merry tune coming out. He swayed from side to side, keeping his music in time. Malon clapped along to the beat, occasionally letting out a laugh or a little cheer. For moment, he forgot where he was, closing his eyes to imagine himself back on the tree stumps in the Lost Woods, playing along with his best friend in the world. It had only been two and a half days now since they had played together that morning, but already, with so many things happening in such a short time, it felt so, so far away.

When his tune came to an end and he opened his eyes again though, he was not in the noisy green forest clearing, but the quiet road on the way to the castle.

Malon clapped. "That was so cool Link! Do you know anymore songs?"

Link nodded, but before he could raise the flute up to his mouth again, Navi flew down from above, urgency in her voice.

"The guards are about to change Link, we need to go now, or it may be a while before we get another chance!"

Link looked to the side to Malon. He was having fun… but this was more important. He nodded to Navi, stuffing his flute back into his pockets, and turned to climb the vines like he had before.

"Wait!" Malon cried out, reaching an arm out to grab his shoulder.

Link paused, looking back to the red-headed girl. She pulled her arm away then hesitated.

"Are you… going to the castle?" When Link nodded in confirmation, she continued. "In that case… could you… do me a favor and look for my dad? He went to the castle this morning for a delivery, but he hasn't come back yet, and I'm getting worried… His name is Talon. He's wearing a red shirt and blue overalls - do you know what those are? Anyways, he's reaaaallllly big." She stretched her arms out wide.

Link considered it for a moment. Well… he was going to the castle anyways, he supposed. He nodded to the girl again. She started to say something, but Navi's voice cut in. "Come on Link, hurry, we won't have much time!"

With no time to spare, Link waved a final goodbye before he turned his focus back to the climb, scrambling up just as he had earlier.