Legends of the Hero of Time

by Ryan-Sinclair

The Hero of Time, Link, is blessed by the Golden Goddesses with a normal existence, free for himself to rule over. He must learn the true meaning of life as he attempts to join Hylian society. Along the way, he finds a family to call his own. Protecting and loving them, as a new threat emerges, he grows to understand how he must still endure the challenges of fate.

5. Chapter 5

[Chapter 5]

(Link's P.O.V.)

[Time: Unknown]

[Date- Unknown]

[Location- Unknown]

Darkness… Black… The total absence of light which envelopes everything in its shroud of obscurity. There's nothing left. I have no clue how I got here or how long I've been here, in this complete lack of sensory input without the ability to do anything other than think. My body, or where my body should be, feels exceedingly weak, as if I was malnourished to the point of being faint. There was nothing I could do though as I had nothing that I was able to do. The last thing that I can remember is defeating Majora and saving Termina from the Moon crushing Clock Town. Yet again, I had saved another land from its ultimate destruction. With Majora sealed away inside of its mask and the Four Giants free to protect their world, I departed one more time on my adventure to find Navi.

I can't understand why she left me. She told me that she loved me and then she left. I don't know if she meant that she loved me in a romantic sense or if she loved me in a platonic sense. My best bet would be to go with the latter as the first was too odd for me to comprehend. After going through everything I did, every second that we spent together, each moment we grew closer as best friends, it felt like a slap in my face whenever she bid me a quick farewell and then disappeared. We had so many moments together, we bonded as a family; I event told her all of my secrets. 'I just cannot understand why, why would she leave me? Was it me? Did I do something wrong?' She witnessed everything, she knew that I was the Hero of Time, and yet, she still abandoned me.

Recently, I felt as if everyone other than Saria had suddenly rejected me. All my life I had been used to that feeling. Not being a Kokiri, and yet living amongst them in their village; I was constantly harassed by Mido and his bully friends because of the sole fact that I'm a Hylian. The Great Deku Tree and Saria were the only two people that I loved and trusted with every fiber of my being. I'd never do anything to hurt either of them and I would always do everything that I could to help them. It was for them that I accepted my role as saviour of Hyrule. I became a hero to save them from the twisted evil in this world. However, at the time, I wasn't aware just how much malice there truly was. Being stuck inside of the Forbidden Forest all my life had left me blind to the way the rest of society operates. I didn't know how bad that bad could truly get seeing as how pranks, or maybe a punch from Mido, was the worst that I had ever been through.

Navi and I witnessed the horrors of the outside world together and we endured it in unison in order to succeed in our goals. Part of me felt like she had no right to just suddenly choose to leave me like she did. I had waited all of my life for a fairy to come to me, even if I discovered along the way that I'm not a Kokiri, I still selfishly felt as if I deserved her. She wasn't an object though. She was my friend. I missed her. Zelda screwed me over already; I didn't want to lose Navi too. I had hoped if I could find her, that I might be able to talk her into coming back with me.

Not one single part of me wanted to get sent back to my original timeline. After pulling the Master Sword out of its pedestal, I warped forward seven years and proceeded to eliminate all of Ganondorf's soldiers before eventually taking down the wicked and demonic Gerudo man himself.

Everyone in the kingdom knew of my deeds and I was renowned as a legendary hero whom nobody's might would be able to ever match. I had the body of an adult, the ability to use any tool, any weapon, and any shield to both protect and attack. As cocky and self-centered as it sounds, I had all the attention that I wanted and I loved it. The maturity which grew inside of me from becoming an adult often dulled that lust for focus, but it still felt good to be a hero. I had a purpose and Navi was always there right beside me, helping me along as best as she possibly could.

Princess Zelda took that away from me by sending me back here to the present. She congratulated me, yet, I wondered, at what cost. Unfortunately for me, the moment she told me that I was going to be sent back to a time in which no one knew of my quest, I became well aware. Forceful humbleness was something I never expected to be a trait of a hero. I was forced to become a hero, and then I was forced to stop being a hero. My mind racked itself in a mix of frustration and anger as I felt as though everything I did was for nothing. In a world where every action has an equal and opposite reaction, there isn't anyone other than Navi who remembered the things I had done. No one remembers my actions, the ones that I risked life and limb to perform.

At least in Termina, where everything mirrored Hyrule, I was able to restore some of my reputation. More stuff to do would leave me feeling slightly happier as I had the pleasure of experiencing fulfillment again. On the other hand, I was still missing my close friend and there wasn't any sign of her being in Clock Town or any other region in that province or dimension. I was attempting to make my way back through the subterranean caves that I fell into while initially pursuing the Skull Kid, during the time he was under the influence of Majora's Mask, when I started feeling nauseous and sick. The further we got in the cave I realized that Epona couldn't fit, so I went onward on my own for about a hundred feet before I saw that the rest of the cave had collapsed, likely from the heavy footsteps of the Four Giants whenever they were forced to stop the moon from falling on Clock Town.

There was no choice for me other than to turn back. Back in Clock Town, I grew weaker as everything around me began to look like a blur. Senses faded slowly as I pushed onward, refusing to let any strange illness stop me from getting to my destination. I decided to head toward the region of Woodfall. While I was there, tiny amounts of worry in the back of my mind made me stop by the Magic Hags' Potion Shop to see if they knew why I was feeling dizzy. However, in a near-warped voice, they told me that I was merely imagining things and would feel better with some rest. Their info was taken lightly, though, as I had to persevere. Afterward, I chose to make my way through Woodfall into the Woods of Mystery. As the name implies, it is very much like the Forbidden Forest.

Based upon my own speculation, something led me to believe that if I went there, I might be able to find my way through it back into the Lost Woods. Proceeding several hours of riding Epona, fate had other plans for me than finding my way home, as the onset of severe symptoms from my sickness intensified beyond my capabilities. My breathing grew ever more laboured. It soon felt as if my heart was slowing down and my body was shivering drastically. I can vaguely remember falling off of Epona and hitting my head prior to crawling up to the nearest tree. Everything after that isn't clear enough. All I know is that I eventually lost consciousness while thinking about what the Lunar Children said to me while I was on the grassy plain inside of the Moon.

The single question that all of them asked me, questioning my moral righteousness, was echoing around in my head until their voices morphed into my own. 'The right thing...' One asked me in my own voice 'What is it? I wonder... If you do the right thing... Does it make everybody happy?' Around that time is whenever I managed to come to, awakening from whatever was wrong with me. The questions from the lunar children continued to repeat. 'What makes you happy? I wonder... What makes you happy; Does it make others happy too?'

Deep down, I curiously wondered if I was going insane. Somehow it felt as if my lips were moving even though I rationally knew that they weren't. It almost seemed like it was me that was saying those sentences. I know it wasn't, it was the Lunar Children. Every attempt at looking around made no difference at all as the only thing that I could see was the colour black. Nothingness surrounds me. There were no other sounds besides my own thoughts and the questions. Only silence. Any attempt to move was met with an extremely heavy sense of being held down. My breathing was still shallow, and yet earlier I had the odd sensation that I was swallowing something, only to have an intense coughing session without ever actually feeling myself cough.

Immediately after having the sensation that I had gulped something down, I started to feel better. The icy bone-chilling cold faded away into a warm fuzzy feeling that wrapped itself around me like a cocoon, without suffocating me. In fact, I wound up involuntarily gasping in a deep breath in addition to sensing that my lungs felt much clearer. There still wasn't any sound or sight, but, there was massive relief prior to a sudden surge of motivation. An abrupt feeling of water droplets on my forehead was enough to send my thoughts into overdrive. Without feeling like I was going to die, I wanted to desperately find a way out of here. I had to find an exit and then make my way back to Hyrule.

The objective I hold on finding Navi is still considered top-priority to me. All of this is merely a waste of time. Frustration gripped me tightly as I did what I could to struggle, despite not being able to budge an inch. Being here was useless, wherever here is, it's impractical. Considering the circumstances, I almost wanted to try and tell myself that I'm dead. However, I know all too well that there wasn't simply a void of nothingness on the other side. If this was truly the afterlife, then I should see roads paved with dazzling gold bricks, angels with unimaginable beauty skillfully playing harps on the clouds of thought, an endless paradise to spend time in with my real mother and father, and even the three Golden Goddesses. No, I wasn't dead. Whatever was wrong with me, it wasn't death.

As that feeling of water droplets hitting me increased, my struggling intensified tenfold. The afterlife sounded good, regardless; I wanted to be with Saria and Navi. I wanted to wait until the day when I can finally speak with the Great Deku Tree's sprout again. The real world that I left behind, it didn't need me anymore, but I needed it. I wanted it. No matter what happens, I'm too young to give in to any sort of mental struggle for life. If that's what this is, then I have prevailed. The questions that were asked by the Lunar Children; I don't have to answer those questions in order to live my life. I have a right to experience another chance and I pray that the Goddesses feel the same for me.

Before long, a low-pitched rumbling sound replaced the thoughts of moral questioning. This whole time I had thought that I had my eyes wide-open, when in reality I could now sense that they were closed, as well as that I was lying down. Again, that feeling of having something going down my throat took place. I felt myself automatically cough and then gag a couple of times prior to more water being poured on me. During this time, I decided that I had to open my eyes somehow; I had to see what was happening. If I could just force them open, then I would come to and release myself from this hellish void of absence. All that I had to do was force myself to awaken.

Struggling harder, I recounted over and over in my mind as to why I should be allowed to live. All that I want is to be a hero. Without that, I felt as though I had no purpose. However, my resolve came when I fully comprehended what a hero was. Thinking hard on it, I accepted that I had to not only be a hero for Hyrule, but my own hero as well, in order to give myself the purpose that I so desperately desired.

[Time: 12:03 P.M. (Noon)]

[Date- Month 3 'Spring', Day 25, Year 1522]

[Location- Hyrule, Hyrule Field - Lon Lon Ranch]

With what sounded like a loud pop, I came to gasping for a single deep breath. The air around me was quickly sucked in as I opened my eyes to see a wooden roof and tan walls. 'Where am I?' Coughing ensued the moment I attempted to exhale. For some reason, it felt more like I had a severe head cold since my lungs heaved with heavily congested fluids. It felt good to choke it up, even if it merely ran down my cheek, because the more that came up the more I could breathe normally. My nose was still stopped up, but, it too was gradually getting better. Now that I could breathe, I decided to start trying to figure out where I am. It's clear as day that it is someone's house. "Oh, Link…" A girl's voice sadly said, in advance to me feeling someone dab at my cheek where the congestion leaked out. "You're going to get yourself dirty again."

The sound of a sponge or perhaps cloth being rung out over a bucket of water echoed through the room before I felt a cool and wet sensation go on my forehead next. "I'm still praying that you'll wake up soon." That voice sounded very familiar, though I knew that it wasn't Saria, Navi, or Zelda. I'd heard it somewhere before. The voice began softly humming a peaceful melody that made my entire weakly feeble body feel serene. Soon, I formed an idea as to who it was. Turning my head, the girl's bright red hair came into view. I had to blink my eyes quite a few times to get a clear image, yet I knew right away who it was. "Nnn… Malon?"

Finally, my vison focused on her face as she gasped in surprise. Part of me was wondering why she was here. In fact, more of me was curious as to why I'm here; this place seemed to be a house. It must have been her room, for I discovered through briefly looking around that I was lying on a bed. "L-Link... Are… Are you awake?" Blinking away more groggy sleep, I held my hand to my head with a groan prior to responding "Yeah…. *Coughs*… I'm awake… *cough**cough*…. Ugnn… My aching head." She looked stunned, as if she couldn't believe that I was alive. "Oh, praise the Goddesses! Thank you, Farore! Thank you! Daddy! DAD! Come quick, he's awake!" Her shrill voice rattled around inside my head, clanking off my skull like a dodgeball before hitting me right in the brain each time. I heard a thud from below me followed by heavy footsteps, so I figured that I was upstairs. "Hnn… Why am I in your room?"

She bent down to dip what appeared to be a rag into a wooden bucket of water before straining it and then dabbing my forehead with it. "Shh… It's alright, Fairy Boy." All of my body felt heavy, as if I could hardly move because I was weighed down by some unforeseen force. My thoughts suffered the worst, though, as my mind felt absolutely sluggish to the point where I might fall back asleep if I close my eyes again. At least now I knew where those feelings of water droplets came from while I was in my state of semi-consciousness. "H… *Coughs*… How did I get here?" She continued dabbing my forehead with the damp cloth. "I brought you here… Shh, save your strength… DAD! GET IN HERE!" My jaw clenched shut tightly as she yelled. Afterward, I heard Talon's voice call out as heavy footsteps grew closer, as did he. "I'm comin', Darlin'!" Preceding another harsh cough, I managed to clear my throat enough to ask another question. "No… I mean… How did I get back here to Hyrule from Termina?"

She took the wet rag away from my forehead with a quizzical expression on her face just as Talon walked through the doorway on the other side of the room. "Umm… I'm sorry, Link… But, I've never heard of a place called Termina. You've been unconscious for days." With a slow blink, I tried to figure out what to say next. Talon didn't let me think for long, however, as he instantly walked over to me and, with a nervous look, asked "Link? Are yah really awake, boy?" Ingo suddenly came into the room as I replied. "Y-Yeah… Is… Is this the ranch?" He nodded slowly while checking my forehead. Ingo made his way over to gather around me. Having them all so worried about me truly made me feel a bit for them. There wasn't many exceedingly caring Hylians that I had come across in my travels that I took the time to get to know. It felt slightly awkward as well to be stared at in this fragile state I seem to be in. "Yep… It's Malon's room. Epona came to us and Malon followed 'er to the Lost Woods, where she found yah."

"The Lost Woods?" I asked in confusion, unsure of how it is that I went from the Woods of Mystery in Termina to the Lost Woods in Hyrule. Then again, all of the events of my time spent in that region seemed to be slightly hazy now. In a way, it felt like the more that I thought about it, the more everything in it that happened seemed illogical, or unlikely. Yet, at the same time, I know it happened. I know that I was there and that it was me who stopped Majora from bringing the moon down onto Clock Town. It was also me who reunited Anju and Kafei, and it was me who defeated the Skull Kid before humbling him instead of killing him. "Yep… Do yah remember why yah were there? Yah know that children should stay away from such a dangerous place." Forcing myself to scratch an itch on my arm, I said "Mr. Talon… I… *Coughs*… I live there... It's actually not as dangerous as everyone always says."

Malon stared up at him as he briefly had that look of disbelief on his face before it disappeared. "Daddy… It's true; I met his mother and everything. He really does live there." My already weak heart felt as though it was about to explode whenever she said that, causing me to sharply call her out. "My mother!?" They leaned back some from my sudden loudness, but, Malon soon replied. "Mhmm… Saria… She was so kind and sweet. I'm really glad that I was able to meet her." Hearing Saria's name and having them under the impression that she was my mother made my cheeks redden ever so lightly, hardly able to be seen at all. Even if I had always considered the green-haired Kokiri girl as such, nobody else in the Forbidden Forest ever acknowledged it that way and certainly nobody in the rest of Hyrule. "O-Oh… Umm… O… Okay… I guess."

My embarrassment was taken away as Talon waved his hand in front of my face. "Hey… Could yah answer me? Why were yah in the Lost Woods? Were yah goin' home or somethin'?" My eyes slowly rose up to his as I recalled my reasoning for going where I was, prior to the Skull Kid attacking me. The one person missing from the room is the one person that I had held extremely dear for months on end. A tiny sprite had run off with a piece of my heart. "Navi…" Malon frowned softly for me even while I did the same. "I went into the Lost Woods to find Navi, my fairy."

Ingo snapped back with a tiny hint of anger. "You kids still know that you can't go into the Lost woods! In fact, you should stay away from the Forbidden Forest altogether!" Malon's furious gaze shut him up in a heartbeat even though he tried to shrug and act as though he didn't know what he said that was so bad. "What? I'm just saying… He's a Hylian and he needs to live where Hylians live, not with forest children."

"Be quiet, Ingo!" She sneered while resuming her gentle dabbing of my forehead. "He doesn't need to be blamed for what he's done. Right now, he needs to keep resting." I'll admit that the bed was very comfy and that the cool water felt amazingly refreshing. Yet, my mind was still on overdrive as it desperately attempted to figure out how I got from Termina to Hyrule. Malon said that she had never heard of Termina before. In fact, neither had I prior to actually going there. Regardless, I wasn't crazy, as everything that happened was far too realistic to be some sort of hallucination. "Clock Town..." I managed to utter, watching as Talon cocked his head. "I've been in a kingdom known as Termina just east of here, staying in Clock Town for about three days." Malon's face contorted some as she looked like there was something that she wanted to say. Ingo twirled his mustache as Talon scratched his balding head and then replied. "Termina? I… I don't think I've ever heard of a place called Termina… I've heard of Holodrum and Labrynna, but, not Termina."

Ingo shook his head before interjecting. "Did you mean Trevania? That's way south of Ordona and closer to Aberdyfi that it is to here." Other than Ordona, I had never even heard of those places, so, I was sure that I wasn't at any of them. It wouldn't really be possible since I was on Epona for less than a day until the Skull Kid showed up, teleporting me to Termina. "No… It wasn't any of those… I ran into a Skull Kid while I was searching for Navi and I wound up fighting him. Throughout the battle, he took me to another land called Termina… Where…. Where… W-Where…" All of them stared at me in confusion as I stopped myself in mid-sentence. Suddenly, now compared to this one, I remember how illogical that world was. Romani and Cremia, they looked like Malon when she was a kid and an adult. Yet, that's not possible. 'There's only one Malon… How could there be two? Not to mention, it doesn't make sense for one to look like the other from the future.'

Upon further analysis of everything that happened, all of the other people in that region, and how Clock Town seemed so advanced compared to Hyrule, which is supposed to be the most developed in perhaps the entire world, I momentarily doubted myself; my sanity. 'There's also only one Ingo and one Talon… One Anju… One Durunia… One Princess Ruto… One Sakon… One set of Twins… One set of the Poes, Sharp and Flat… One Dampé the Grave Keeper… One Aveil.' I wasn't allowed to think for very much longer as Talon soon took me away from my thoughts. "Where? Where… What?" Before I left to try and find Navi, Talon and Malon were the sole people in the Kingdom, other than Saria, that I had talked to about the future and the events I went through to kill Ganondorf to take away the Triforce. Saria, likely resulting from her being the Forest Sage and my closest friend, one hundred percent believed every word that came out of my mouth. However, Talon and Malon were much less understanding as he laughed, gave me pats on the head and then told me that 'It was a pretty good story for a ten year old.' Malon, she simply giggled and rambled on about me being like a knight in shining armour, which is far from true. "N-Nevermind… *Coughs*... Forget it."

"Wait…" Malon said while appearing baffled at something "You said that a Skull Kid attacked you?" The giant knot on the side of my forehead should be enough of a hint that I encountered somebody. For the stinging sensation on my right shoulder, I had no clue what it was, as I never received a wound on my shoulder unless it was from during the time that I went unconscious in the Woods of Mystery. "Yeah… The l-little thief stole stuff from me, tried to beat me up, and then made me chase him into Termina." Once more, Talon and Ingo displayed no knowledge of a place called Termina. Malon looked like she had something on her mind though. "Link... I'm sorry, but, I don't think that that's right unless I was completely lied to; because I met the Skull Kid that I think you're talking about. Timi?" My head slowly turned to stare at her as I felt a bit of surprise at hearing that.

"What? M-Malon… You… *Harsh Cough*… You shouldn't have been near him. He's extremely dangerous." Her cheeks flushed lightly over my worry for her before she responded. "But, Link… He's the one that saved you, by taking you out of the elements. He protected you for the first three days that you were unconscious." The intense battling that I went through with that wooden freak and all of the time I spent trying to undo the damage he brought upon Termina; it made me far too hesitant to believe that he would ever be the one to save me. Then again, it might explain how I made it from the Woods of Mystery in Termina to the Lost Woods in Hyrule. It was just too hard for me to make sense of. Knowing that I've been out for several days wasn't any help either. What's real and what's fake, everything's blending together and clogging up my mind. "There's no w-way… I had to stop him from trying to destroy the city of Clock Town. He's a lunatic and M-Majora's Mask gave him the power he wanted… If… *Sniffles*… If it wasn't for the Four Giants convincing him to stop, I would've h-had no choice other than to e-end him permanently."

All three of them looked at me like I had lost my mind, and perhaps I had. "Majora's Mask? Four Giants?" Talon questioned as Malon shook her head in denial over what I had just said. "I don't think so, Link… Timi told me that he saw you on Epona, watched you fall off from the curse of the Lost Woods, and then dragged you into a hollow tree, where he sheltered you from the rain and temperature." From my memories, I had never received a name from the Skull Kid. The name Timi didn't ring a bell to me. But, I was sure that a Skull Kid didn't rescue me, even if it wasn't the same one that I dealt with in Termina. Saria always told me to stay away from the mischievous imps lest I wanted to get scolded by the Great Deku Tree for hanging out with them. None are known for anything good. "I don't know a Timi! Okay!" I accidently shouted back, making them hesitant to stay close. Malon looked away from me as Talon laid his hand on my chest, making me realize that I didn't have my tunic on and was bare. "I… I… I'm sorry… The Skull Kid that I ran into had stolen not only my stuff, but, a mask from the Happy Mask Salesman."

Once her gaze returned, Malon hesitantly asked "Majora's Mask? Was it responsible for the moon falling?" Instantly, I felt my heart thump as I wondered how she would know something about that. If it's true that she's aware of something like that, as if she had seen the colossal rock falling from orbit, then perhaps my sanity is still there and Termina truly does exist. "How do you know about that? Did you see it falling?" She shook her head as she slowly dabbed my forehead more with the damp rag. "No… The moon never fell. You just kept saying that the moon was falling and you called me Romani while you were asleep." A sigh exhaled my lips as that wasn't the answer that I was hoping for. Now, I have to question my sanity again. Without that proof, I'm unsure of anything, especially after already having traveled through time. "I see…"

Talon stood back up from his knelt down position further down the bedside. "I'm sorry, son… But, I think yah been hallucinatin' a lot of stuff happenin' that didn't. I'll go and check my map of the continent to see if there's any place called Termina. For now, before that, if yer' feelin' up to eatin', I'll bring up a plate of what's left from breakfast." While my mind was frustrated that he didn't believe anything I said, my stomach spoke up quickly with a grumble prior to my mouth beginning to water in anticipation of any form of food, as if I hadn't ate in days. Part of my brain questioned why I'd feel so starved whenever I had dined with Anju and Kafei the night before I felt that strange sickness wash over me. On the other hand, that hollow pit of emptiness in my abdomen wasn't happy about anything and made me reply with its answer instead of my own. "Yes… Please, that would be great." He nodded in advance to turning around, leaving only myself, Malon, and Ingo together until the farmhand too decided to go back out the door, not even bothering to see if I was okay, just like the usual Ingo.

Left alone in Malon's room, with her inside next to me as I lay in her bed; it's kind of awkward. If I wasn't feeling so weak, I'd get up now and make my way down stairs. 'Not that there's anything wrong with Malon.' I thought while looking away from her, turning my head to where my nose pushed against the fluffy pillow. Half of my minor blush was hidden at least. 'Her bed is comfy, and it smells a lot like her.' Captivating, I could have stayed locked in those thoughts, inhaling all night the gentle aroma of handmade Gerudo Soap and Thyme, the latter which she once claimed she bathes with since it's, quote 'good for the skin'. She must have noticed my strange behaviour though as she remarked with a question. "Link? What are you doing?" Pulling my head away from the pillow, I tried to act as if I hadn't just been thinking about her. "N-Nothing..."

She smiled softly with a look of bewilderment as she still continued to dab my forehead with the damp rag. It felt good, cooling and refreshing. Staring at her, I suddenly felt as though I should be extraordinarily grateful for her. For her to come all the way out to the Forbidden Forest and then brave the Lost Woods just to find me; it was remarkable, and something I would have only ever expected from somebody with a true heart of gold. "Did… Did you really find me?" Proceeding a few seconds that it took for her to figure out what I meant, she responded. "Yes… Not on my own though. Epona was the one who came back here to let me know that something was wrong." With all of my strength, I partially leaned up enough to prop myself up on the pillow. I hadn't even thought about the filly until now. The last that I had seen her, she was beside me in the woods of Mystery. Unless, all of the events of Termina were somehow not real, in which case, I hadn't seen her for over three days. "Is she okay!? Epona!?" Her hand was quick to grab the sheets in order to keep them from falling away from me. "Yes… She's out in the stables, getting some well-deserved rest… The stuff we had to go through Link, I… I don't think I could've done it without her."

"W-What do you mean?" I held my head as it throbbed, feeling as if all my blood rushed away from it as gravity pulled it down. The sluggish feeling didn't give way either. Focusing on other things helped, but no matter what, I could still feel a funny feeling inside of my mind that I couldn't identify as anything other than something similar to anxiety from everything that happened. "I mean that we had to fight off a lot of monsters." Imagining Malon trying to fight off forest monsters wasn't something that I was easily able to do. She was such a sweet and innocent young girl that I figured she had likely never even held a sword. Farmers of any kind were rarely known to take part in combat. "Monsters?" With a nod, she resumed speaking. "Yeah… After I found you, and Timi the Skull Kid, he brought me halfway back to the Kokiri Village. I ran into a Wolfos that tried to kill us." Looking down at my shoulder, I was sure that the long scratch marks embedded in my flesh were likely caused by such a beast; proving that she was certainly telling the truth.

"I… I'm sorry, Malon… I didn't m-mean to put you in danger." She shook her head prior to responding almost immediately. "No, Link… Don't be sorry. It was me who put myself in danger because I wanted to find you. I was so worried that something bad had happened that I went out on my own to see if I could find you." Upon that explanation, our blue eyes met for a moment until we had to look away from each other in embarrassment. For me, I never really thought that she cared about me so much. Usually, I only had Saria, Navi, or the Great Deku Tree who were that concerned for my well-being. On a whole new level though, I also recalled how much I had done for her, both lately and in the future, another timeline. Regardless, it felt different, and confused me with its awkwardness. "Daddy and Ingo didn't want to go out in the night and it was almost sundown, but, I told them that we had to go now. If I had waited for them to come with me, I probably wouldn't have fought even a quarter as much as I did."

Our eyes met again and this time I'm sure that we noticed one another's red cheeks. "You… Umm… You didn't get hurt, did you?" Her head dropped a little in further discomfiture, making me wonder exactly what was going on here. "N-No… I hit my head on a tree-branch, but, other than that I managed to use your shield to protect myself and you from the Wolfos and Stalchildren." We've never been so awkward around each other. Since the very first time that we had met, we'd become quick friends after I awoke Talon, her dad, who was sleeping on the job beside Hyrule Castle when he was supposed to deliver a shipment of this ranch's famous Lon Lon Milk. Despite that, I was sure that she didn't have any special feelings for me. Without any experience in this field, though, I was only guessing. Perhaps this is something that we should feel flustered about and it doesn't have any other meaning besides caring for a friend's wellbeing.

"Stalchildren? They were in the forest?" She shook her head prior to explaining while I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. "No… I encountered them whenever I left the forest with you. But, first, I had to evade the two Wolfos until we made it to Kokiri Village. Everyone there was worried sick about you…" For just a second, I couldn't truly believe that everyone was concerned for me as not all of them ever cared about me; seeing as how, I'm not truly one of them. "Saria, your mother, was nearly hysterical whenever she first laid her eyes on you." Subconsciously, I gently bit my lower lip as she once more called Saria my mother. If I didn't know any better, I'd almost say that Saria might have told her that as it wasn't a 'out in plain sight' thing that anyone could figure out. "Malon…" I interrupted meekly as Talon made his way back in the room with a plate of food. "Saria… Saria isn't really my mother." With a smile, she giggled lightly as the smell of breakfast made my mouth water exceeding amounts of saliva. "She raised you, Link."

Abruptly, I realized that she had somehow figured it out; likely meaning that Saria must have explained everything to her. It was embarrassing to have her think my best friend in the entire world is my mother. "Alright…" Talon spoke while placing the plate of food down on the nightstand beside me. "This mornin' we had bukkenade (Spicy beef stew) with bread and a fresh Lake Hylia orange. Wash it all down with this tall glass of green tea and I bet yah'll be feelin' better in no time." Inhaling the scent again, I knew I had to lean up more in order to eat. My stomach was telling me that I was famishing and could gnaw on a horse, even if my mind was telling me I had just recently ate in Termina. As soon as I propped myself up more, Malon was yet again quick to grab the sheets to keep them from falling away from me. "Thank you so much, Mr. Talon." He smiled heartily in advance to giving me a couple of pats on the head. "It's no problem, son… Tis' good eatin' too. If yah never had it before, be sure to try dunkin' the bread in the bukkenade… MmmMm!"

Malon and I laughed at his stomach rubbing gesture before I took the spoon in my hand, dipping it into the light brown broth. The moment it touched my tongue, that famished feeling inside of me intensified to the point where I almost wanted to toss the spoon aside and slurp the entire bowl down. My main course of action soon became nothing other than a repetitive motion of my hand bringing the meaty soup to my mouth. The way that they both stared at me soon made me realize that I was eating too fast and making myself look like a barbarian. "I-It's good…" The green tea was almost like a gift from the heavens. My tongue felt like literally thanking me as the liquid got rid of my extra-dry mouth. "Take yer time… Whenever yah feel well enough to get up, come down stairs and we'll talk."

After chomping down into a chunk of bread, I stared up at him curiously. "Huh? About what?" He raised an eyebrow prior to looking back at Malon, who placed a handkerchief on the bedspread beneath the spot I was eating, obviously not enjoying me getting crumbs on her bed. "Yah didn't tell em', Malon? Barharhar! I'll leave that up to you two lovebirds then." As he strolled away, stretching his arms with a yawn as well as a smile, I nearly choked on my bite while Malon gasped with a full-fledged blush. "Daddy! Out-Out-Out!" He merely laughed while making his way out of the room, back downstairs, leaving us in the awkwardness yet again. 'Why does he always tease me like that?' Malon certainly must've thought the same as me, for she was trying hard to recompose herself, hiding her rosy cheeks as even her long ears reddened. "I… I'm sorry… You know how my Dad is; always trying to find me a boyfriend, even though I'm only ten." While I did happen to know that, considering all of the jokes and suggestions he's dropped. However, hearing her actually say it made me more uncomfortable.

"Yeah… I had a feeling. After all, we're supposed to get married." The moment I said that, it didn't come out sounding as jokingly as I initially planned. From the look on her face, I'd say she thought I was being serious. I was quick to reject my previous sentence though. "I was just kidding." She forced a smile before standing up away from me, making me fear the worse. Perhaps she had forgotten that it was her father, Talon, who made the remark to me about marrying her. "I know… I'm going to have to start getting ready for the day though. It's time for me to feed the horses and let them outside in the corral, plus, the stable needs to be mucked out and Ingo could use my help." At least she wasn't upset. Regardless, I still wanted her to explain some things first before she leaves. "Wait… Malon… Can you finish telling me what happened?"

She pulled open a top middle drawer on her dresser, and then removed from inside her usual signature orange scarf with the strange turtle-dragon face looking pendant. "Oh…Well… I talked Daddy into allowing you to stay. You just have to pull your share of the work around here; daily chores have to be done, no matter what the weather is like or how bad you feel." While tying the scarf around her neck, she stared at me through her mirror, arousing minor self-confidence issues over not having my shirt on. "T-That is, of course, if you want to stay... I already mostly set up a sleeping quarters for you in the loft above the barn. It should be quieter since it's away from the animals."

Such an offering would normally have been refuted by me kindly in the past. All of the adventuring that was forced upon me, I wasn't allowed to stay anywhere longer than a day, not even my own house back in the Kokiri Village. Without the need to be on a constant move, there was a chance for me to ponder the idea of settling down for, at a minimum, a while until I can regain my strength as well as find something more interesting to do. Ganondorf is supposedly powerless in this timeline, Princess Zelda doesn't want anything more to do with me, and Navi is completely and utterly gone from my life by her own choice. Considering all of that, it looks like I'm destined to live a boringly normal life. "Sure… I learned how to do tons of cultivating from the Kokiri, but, you'll have to teach me what to do with the animals. I don't really have much experience with anything other than a little bit with the horses." Thinking on it, it might not be so bad to live a calm life. I quite enjoyed doing laborious tasks for some odd reason; comfort was brought to me from the peace of mind it gave. 'Growing potatoes certainly wouldn't be as dangerous as fending off a horde of pissed off Moblins chucking spears at me.'

"Good… To be honest, I really want you to stay for some reason." She said that last part slightly under her breath, yet, I didn't mind. It felt good to be with her and Talon. They were Hylians that I felt as if I belonged with. Nothing they did made me feel strange from living with Kokiri my entire life. "I think you probably just want me to help you with your chores." She blushed lightly with a giggle as I smiled. "No! I'm used to handling all of that stuff… It's natural to me now, so, I don't particularly need help. Though, I could use the company." Hearing that made me feel even further accepted as we shared a lot in common. "Thank you, Malon." Her smile disappeared back into more embarrassment as I picked up a slice of Lake Hylia orange, which had graciously been cut for me already by Talon. "For what?"

"For rescuing me… For saving me from the Wolfos and Stalchildren." She walked back over to me as I bit into a slice of the orange. My taste buds nearly went into shock from the intensity of the citrus. Now I was certainly wide awake. Such juiciness would definitely rejuvenate me. "You're welcome…I'm sorry that you couldn't find your fairy, Navi. I know how close you two were." My frown from hearing her name was an obvious sign that I still missed her severely. Each time my heart pumped without her being by my side, it felt like my eyes wanted to force out a cascade of warm and salty tears. Without her, nothing was quite the same. She was my family and utterly irreplaceable. "It… It's okay… I'll be alright… I just have to move on." She didn't look like she exactly understood what I meant by that, but, she agreed with me regardless just to carry on with the conversation. "I'm just glad that you're okay, Link… I was really worried that the curse of the Lost Woods was going to take you away to see the Goddesses. All the stuff that I went through was to save you; I even went inside of the Great Deku Tree with Mido and Fado to get the ingredients the Know-It-All Brothers needed to make the tonic that saved you."

In shock, I held my bite of orange in my mouth prior to swallowing it. "You went inside of the Great Deku Tree?" She nodded while reaching across me and the bed to open the blinds up even more, allow sunshine to flow in as much as possible. The majestic whiff of thyme once again blessed my nostrils as her bright red hair brushed passed my face. Thankfully, she didn't notice my focus on her as she just continued speaking. "I had to… Otherwise I was afraid that you wouldn't make it." My heart fluttered at the thought of her being so concerned with me until she checked my temperature one more time, using her bare hand to feel my forehead. Afterward, she walked over to the door as if she was ready to leave in order to do her chores around the ranch. "Y-You really care about me, huh?" I muttered questioningly. She forced a smile to hide her discomfort prior to giggling softly. "Of course, Link… I didn't want you to turn into that Fierce Deity thing you kept rambling on about while you were unconscious."

Immediately, once the two words 'Fierce Deity' slipped out of her mouth, I felt an unbelievably intense amount of anxiety wash over me. Time slowed down a little as I Recalled the events in Termina. After everything that happened, the most painful memories were of the moment I placed the Fierce Deity Mask on my face. Perhaps the best way for me to explain, is of ultimate power consisting of that 'greater' than the Triforce of Power. Wielders of the Triforce of Power are able to control its abilities and bestow upon themselves the strength of a God. On the other hand, the sheer potency of the might barely restrained within the Fierce Deity mask was overwhelming to the point of it being crippling. Once placed on my face, I was corrupted; warped in such a way that my mind lusted for nothing other than blood. Everything else ceased to exist as I had even a feeling of rejection toward the Golden Goddesses. The only thing I wanted to do was kill, and Majora fit the bill for giving me the perfect fight over life and death. After all, the only way that I would stop being me was if I was no longer breathing.

Without being able to think clearly, as soon as the fight had ended, I could still feel a horrible deeply rooted urge, an itching compulsion to slaughter everything and everyone. The double-handed, helix-edged sword in my grasp yearned to be soaked in red, desired to hear the screams of the afraid, and longed for the destruction of all. No sooner had I defeated Majora, did I hear that one sentence echo around inside my mind; mocking me with malicious intent and planning to use me to fulfill its aching heart's want of murder. 'I shall consume… Consume... Consume everything.' I knew deep inside that with that mask, I could simply allow it to control me, to grant me endless power beyond that of Ganondorf's. Surrendering would allow me to become a truly 'fierce deity', unstoppable and invulnerable. Unfortunately, it would come with the price of taking my consciousness and hollowing out my soul to infiltrate my body and use it as its perverted marionette. Sickly, it was around that time as well, after I had invoked thoughts of forsaking the Goddesses, which I began to desire more.

The mask brought me ultimate forte, and yet, I wanted more. The Triforce of Courage allowed valor as well as audacity to flow through my veins. But, the darkness inside told me that I could have greater depth in my abilities. It told me that someone so deserving as myself earned the right to be the holder of the rest of the pieces of the Triforce, even if I didn't actually need it for anything. I was worthy of it where the others weren't. Ganondorf, with his pitifully weak mind, surely couldn't justify why he should be the master of something so omnipotent; And Princess Zelda, it was because of her idiocy that Ganondorf was able to break the seal and gain entrance into the Sacred Realm. Neither deserved their respective pieces. Based upon my experiences, it was always me who was right. It was always me who saved the day and stopped people from getting killed. I was the one who was Courageous, Intelligent, and Powerful. They were nothing in comparison to me.

'A puppet that can no longer be used is mere garbage.' The mask spoke to me, yet again in Majora's voice, whenever I attempted to rationalize what was happening. All thoughts directed toward rejecting the darkness tainting my spirit resulted in further speech. The voice of Majora, even after its defeat, lingered on, informing me of my cause, my true reason that it had bestowed upon me as long as I remained subjugated to its authority. 'Envision a life spent void of timekeeping…' It whispered the command, hissing with hot breath while being cold as ice at the exact same time. 'You cannot, can you? You are fully aware of the year, the month, the day, maybe even the hour, or further down to the precise minute… Nevertheless, all around you, you find that keeping track of time is not a priority to lesser creatures of this world.'

The voice would fluctuate every now and then, just like it did later on; morphing itself into my voice or others I held dear in advance to returning to that sinister tone of hatred and revulsion. My heartbeat sped up substantially as my brain felt as though it was overloading from the pain of trying to answer the illogical questions of life. It wanted me to fail. It wanted me to give in to it no matter what the cost. 'Birds are never late… A dog does not check his watch…Cows do not fret over their passing age… No… No… Man alone is the one who calculates time, who measures it and decides how to spend it most efficiently.' Deeper, the feelings grew until they were completely and utterly out of control. 'It is because of this that man suffers in solitude, paralyzed by the fear of something no other animal in existence has… a fear that endures… a fear… of time running out.'

It wasn't until my hand swiftly removed the mask did I manage to regain my sanity. I can recall quite vividly promising myself that I would never again wear that face, not for as long as I lived. I couldn't allow myself to behold such corrupting grandeur lest I want to see everyone around me succumb to the burning flame residing inside my heart. All of the masks that I wore were off limits as I had to remain true to myself and not hide behind a false look any longer. The real me is a hero, not a murderer lusting for power. I am the Hero of Time, not Ganondorf. Letting myself become evil was not a possibility.

Feeling my face in the present, I had to make sure that I wasn't still the Fierce Deity. I had to be sure that I wasn't wearing a mask. "Mirror…" I said, aloud just before Malon almost left. "Bring me the mirror." She stopped in the doorway with a confused look. "Huh?" My heart continued to beat out of my chest during my unstable fretfulness of apprehension and unease. All I wanted was to make sure that I was still the person that I always was, that I was still Link. I didn't want to be anybody else. "Where's a mirror!?" Her eyes widened slightly as she seemed shocked I raised my voice as well as worried that something was wrong with me. "A mirror? H-Here… There's one right here on my dresser… Let me get it for you, don't get up."

Due to my panic, I didn't fully listen to her and chose to instead make my way in getting up. Not only did I want to see my own appearance, but, with all of the energy pent up in my legs, it was going to feel really good to get back on them and move around. "No! Wait! Link, don't get up!" As I leaned up, swung my feet over the edge of the bed, and then stood up, she waved her hands to get me to stop, burning beet red in the face all of the while with a loud gasp of surprise. Following a piercing gaze, as well as a single blink of eyes the size of dinner-plates, she shrieked to the top of her lungs prior to rushing out of the room faster than I had ever seen her move in my entire life. "BY THE GODDESSES!" Her voice echoed loudly as her footsteps clattered down the stairs. Making my way toward the mirror, I feared that something was indeed wrong with me. Perhaps my soul had warped itself with hatred just from losing my focus on living. If a mask did rest upon my face, I wouldn't be able to remain the same person that I am.

Thankfully, as I stared into the mirror, the familiar boyish face of myself had locked blue eyes with mine. It was a relief to see I was still Link, that I was still the same boy who's lived in the Kokiri Forest for most of his life. However, as my eyes drifted down further, I realized fully the reason for Malon's sudden burst of alarm. Birthday suit is what Saria always called it. Yet, I would just come right out and say that I'm literally butt naked, exposing every inch of skin on my body. From the visual, I could see that, other than the scratch mark on my shoulder, the bruises on my sides, and the cut on my forehead, I looked healthy. Though, I could still stand to eat as well as drink some more, as I appeared to be a bit malnourished. At least I was still Link. "This… Is going to be hard to explain to Malon."