Link still hardly believed his eyes when he saw that South Clock Town was truly like it was three days ago. Or, at least, what felt like three days ago. People were milling about with a fearful atmosphere layered under forced optimism. Mutoh was yelling up at his apprentice while the boy in the Keaton Mask made his way back to where Link had found the Stray Fairy.
No matter how Link looked at it, he really did reverse time. It was so much more unnerving than when he time traveled before, too. Seeing the same people do the same things with the Moon moving back up higher in the sky just made him feel strange inside.
More than that, though, Link felt a bitter anger broiling in his gut. All he had wanted to do was look for Navi. He had waited two years before Zelda saw him fit to go, and he listened to her advice because he trusted her. Then when he finally managed to recover enough to go out to the Lost Woods, he got jumped by an imp, robbed, cursed, and then worst of all, he was thrust into another quest he had never wanted.
His hands balled into fists as he kept himself composed, forcing his mask to stay intact. Still, it was just so infuriating! Link recalled how Zelda promised him he wouldn't have to fight anymore, but clearly that wasn't going to be the case. He highly doubted stopping the Moon would be as simple as simply walking about Termina. No, he'd surely have to fight creatures along the way, not even taking the Skull Kid into consideration. Heck, he already had to deal with a Skulltula!
This just wasn't fair! He kept getting promised over and over that he was free of this, that he could live a peaceful life! Still, Link wasn't mad at Zelda for her constant reassurance. He knew she was only trying to help, and how would she ever be able to guess that something like this would happen? Despite that, he still felt furious. Not at Zelda, but at the situation in general.
Link glanced up to the fairy he had gotten stuck with. She hadn't flown off yet, so he assumed it meant she was going to join him. He supposed there was nothing else for her to do, was there? The boy didn't want her with him given how horrible she treated him, but she was from Termina and could act as a guide. Just like…
No. It wasn't fair to compare Navi and Tatl.
He felt an anger resonating from the fairy, and he couldn't blame her either. She, too, got forced into a situation she'd hate. Link couldn't really bring himself to feel bad for her, though. Yes, she had no idea about the Moon and how far gone the Skull Kid was, but she still dragged him into this mess. For all he knew, she helped the imp steal Majora's Mask in the first place.
Still, he didn't want to just berate her. That'd get them nowhere. "Okay." He said calmly, keeping his voice level and void of emotion. "Where should we go first? Which direction?" Link assumed one compass direction would be easier than the other three.
Tatl didn't say anything at first. She just hovered by Link's head, staring at the citizens before them and silently fuming to herself. "…South." She said after a few seconds. Her tone, even with just that one word, was blatantly bitter and hateful. Without warning, she hovered in front of Link's face. "This is your fault, you know!"
Link stared at the orb of light in front of him, his hands still clenched into fists. "What do you mean?" He asked, still forcing his tone to be free of emotion. The boy was determined to keep his true feelings locked away, but Tatl wasn't making it easy…
"If you hadn't gotten me separated from Tael and the Skull Kid, this wouldn't have happened! Or, heck, if you weren't wandering the woods like an idiot, we'd still be there having fun! But no, now the Moon is falling, and we have to go look for what I can only assume are the Giants themselves to stop this!" The fairy ranted, her light going a bit red in her rage.
Tatl truly despised the boy before her. If he hadn't shown up, things would be okay! The Skull Kid and her brother would still be with her, and the three of them would be off parading in the Lost Woods for sure! Yet she felt stuck with him. Where was she going to go? Not up to the top of the Clock Tower. Not again. Not alone. So, she felt she had no choice but to stick with the runt in green…
The boy in question was absolutely stupefied at the lengths that Tatl would go to shift the blame onto him. So, he was somehow at fault for daring to be in the Lost Woods?! A small part of Link felt like she was trying to make him angry, to make him scream at her. But he knew that wasn't true, he realized she had no idea that he hid himself from the world and why.
Link uncurled his fists, small marks left behind by his nails that went unnoticed by the fairy. "…Okay then. We'll go South." He decided to simply brush off everything she said. What was the purpose of fighting with her? It'd get them nowhere and waste time. Of course, can time even be wasted? Link was able to go back in time once, but could he do it again? Would he have to find all the Giants within three days?
Best to assume the latter, at least until further notice.
The boy walked towards the gate leading out of Clock Town, maneuvering around the crowds. Normally he would stock up on supplies, but he didn't bring any Rupees with him to the Lost Woods, so he couldn't buy anything anyway. Tatl let out a frustrated groan, probably mad at her rant being mostly ignored, but she followed him anyway.
Crossing her arms, the fairy glared down at Link as he walked. What was his deal? She screamed in his face, and he just shrugged it off! Didn't he care? Wasn't he mad? Tatl had actually wanted a fight…at least to an extent. If she was going to be stuck with him, he could at least react normally! He must have been trying to get under her skin or something. Or maybe he was some kind of a freak without emotions…
As Tatl fumed silently to herself, she noticed Link walking towards the Laundry Pool rather than the gate to the South. "Hey! What are you doing?! The gate's over there you idiot! You're going to the Laundry Pool!"
While Link was going to the gate, a thought had suddenly struck him. This was something he felt he could do to get a sort of edge for whatever trials lied ahead. "The Stray Fairy was at the laundry pool. If we get it again, maybe the Great Fairy will give me another gift." Great Fairies were powerful, but he doubted they were strong enough to resist something like resetting time. She was probably shattered once more and wouldn't know that Link had helped her once before.
Tatl hated to admit it, so she wouldn't, but she thought that was a pretty good idea. Normally a Great Fairy would only give one boon per person…but this was a unique situation where Link could help the same one twice and get something extra! He seemed like such a goody-goody that she was surprised he'd do it. "Fine. Whatever. Just do it fast, okay?!"
Yes, normally Link may question the morals of something like this, but the way he saw it…no one was getting hurt. He was helping the Great Fairy and would get an extra gift. It was for the sake of aiding all of Termina, so what was the harm? Ignoring Tatl's sass, he lead her to the Laundry Pool.
As expected, the Stray Fairy was hovering over the water, just as it was last time. The problem, though, was it was in an awkward position for Link to get it. It was too far for him to jump, and if he was splashing around loudly swimming over, it might fly away!
Last time, of course, he was a Deku…
Feeling his chest tighten, Link reached into his bag and took the Deku Mask out. Even just touching it made him feel incredibly anxious. The Happy Mask Salesman said that he could put it on and take it off as he wanted, but the idea of becoming a Deku again really didn't sit well with the boy at all. "I'll have to try the mask…" He murmured aloud.
"You're crazy, right? You don't actually trust that creepy salesman, do you? What if you get stuck like that again?!" Not that she really cared for Link's wellbeing, but he was all but worthless as a Deku…
"I can play the Song of Healing again." Link pointed out. It worked once, so it'd surely work again. "And why would he lie to me?" The salesman said he'd be able to take it off, so surely that'd be true. He'd get nothing out of lying to Link about something like that…
Tatl sighed. "Sure. I guess. Then put it on then and get the Stray Fairy!" Tatl ordered. The two were wasting daylight here!
Link really wondered if he should just not talk at all. Seemed like everything he said got some nasty remark from his unwanted companion. Oh well. With a deep breath, the boy raised the Deku Mask and with a second of hesitation, placed it over his face.
Instantly, the piece of wood seemed to latch to his face! Link's hand fell away, but the mask stayed in place without issue. In fact, he swore he felt roots growing out of it, piercing into his face, and running through his entire body. The pain was horrible, but he found himself unable to make a sound! Like before, Link felt his body shrinking and contorting as his skin hardened and became numb, his flesh becoming wood once more.
The process only lasted maybe three seconds, but to Link it felt like a full minute of his body being forced into a much smaller and very alien shape. When it was over, he found himself standing before Tatl as a Deku once more. As before, his gear seemed to vanish, the clothes he wore being the only thing to carry over as well as the Ocarina of Time clasped to his belt. Maybe its magic properties resisted the mask's own power…?
Not important.
In any case, Link quickly ran to the water and skipped across the surface as he had done before. He snatched the Stray Fairy out of the air and landed on the walkway on the other side of the water.
The Stray Fairy struggled as it did last time, but then calmed down again. "Young one! Please hear my plea! I have been broken and shattered to pieces by the masked Skull Kid! Please, return me to my fountain!" It recited, yet again doing the same exact thing as it did before.
Link felt unnerved at hearing the same exact wording like that. He couldn't even really explain why, it was just so uncanny to see the same event play out like that to him. "I will, don't worry." The Deku replied, still able to speak properly, the Great Fairy's previous boon carrying over.
"That's good and all, but can you return to normal, still?" Tatl asked, flying over to her unwanted partner and the Stray Fairy.
Letting the Stray Fairy go, which just hovered in place, Link felt around his face. Around where his wooden face ended when it was a mask, he felt a sort of crease. It was small, but just big enough that he could latch onto it with his fingers. Breathing deeply again, he lightly pulled and hoped for the best.
Luckily, his face started to come off, as though it were still a mask. The sensation was far less painful, Link feeling his body grow back to its proper size as his flesh returned. While this happened, the roots seemed to retract back into the mask, if they even existed at all outside of Link's mind.
Once more, the process lasted only a few seconds, but felt like a full minute. Either way, Link was holding the Deku Mask in his hands, once more a Hylian. His gear had also returned, everything where it should be. He had to withhold a relieved sigh, putting the mask back in the bag. "I guess that answers that." The boy droned emotionlessly.
"Guess that creepy salesman was telling the truth…whatever…" Tatl mumbled as Link once more took the Stray Fairy in his hands. The two quickly made their way to North Clock Town and towards the cave where the Great Fairy resided. Jim was there as before, trying to pop the balloon, which Link tried to ignore. He once more found himself unnerved, seeing someone going back to what they were doing three days ago as if nothing had happened…
Inside the cave, Link released the Stray Fairy into the fountain, the other fragments of the Great Fairy appearing from the sparkling waters as the last missing piece joined them. The small entities swirled around quickly before once more the blinding light appeared. Link and Tatl were prepared for it this time and closed their eyes before it happened.
With a triumphant laughter, the Great Fairy appeared before the two as they opened their eyes again. She stretched a bit as though waking up from a deep slumber as she lied in her side in midair. "Tatl, and you whom I've never seen…you returned me to my original form! For that, I thank you deeply!"
Link just tried to focus on the entity's face, giving her a nod. "I was hoping you could help us. We have a long road ahead…" Might as well just say outright what he wanted. No time to waste, either.
"My, very forward!" The Great Fairy replied, sounding more amused than anything. "Yes, I do believe you've earned a reward. Let's see…" She stared at Link, as if studying him for something. After a few moments, she reached downward, an object fading into her hand. "Here, this will be of use to you, I'm sure."
The object in question was another mask, to Link's surprise. To his further shock, it looked like the Great Fairy's face. Exactly so, to the smallest detail. In all honesty, it was a very uncanny sight and Link was a bit disturbed, but he still took it. "Thank you, Great Fairy." He really wasn't sure what else to say, not even feeling up to asking what the mask even did. Still, he wasn't about to just turn down the boon of a Great Fairy, no matter how odd it was.
"It's the least I could do. I'd help you further, but my energy is all but drained. That accursed imp…you must be wary of him. Good luck on your endeavors. For now, I must rest!" Despite her words, she let out another loud bout of laughter as she shrank down into the glimmering water, vanishing in a flash of light.
Link and Tatl stayed silent as they left the cave, the boy studying the odd mask he was given. Only once they left the Great Fairy's domain did Tatl speak up as the boy put the mask in his bag. "You're seriously going to keep that?! This was a waste of time! We should've just gone South!"
"It was from a Great Fairy, so I'm sure it will be useful." He wasn't keen on actually putting it on. A small part of him was actually embarrassed to wear it, not just in front of Tatl, but the few others milling about North Clock Town.
Tatl rolled her eyes. "You're just a worthless little brat, aren't you?! Tael told us to hurry, and you're wasting your time with this! We should be out of Clock Town by now!"
What a horrid temper she had. Link couldn't imagine having to constantly put someone down like that. Still, he tried to just let the words roll off him. It was made harder by the fact he was already angry. The bitterness he felt about having to go on another, surely very dangerous, quest still rested inside of him, and he doubted it'd go away anytime soon.
"Fine. Let's go, then." He replied flatly, not giving Tatl the satisfaction of getting a real emotion out of him. With the grumbling fairy following him, Link made his way into South Clock Town once more and approached the gate, trying to ignore Mutoh and the carpenters as he passed them by.
The guard at the gate was glancing up towards the Moon as Link approached, and when he noticed the boy, he flinched. Quickly, the man gripped his spear and blocked the boy's path. "Halt! I can't let a child go out there alone! It's dangerous!"
Link himself flinched a bit, his hand twitching. The world around him seemed to suddenly change in that split second, the child feeling like his life was on the line as the loud, armored adult suddenly lurched in front of him. He had very nearly drawn his sword in reflex of the man's actions, making Link both angry at himself and the guard for startling him so badly.
"I have a weapon, sir." Link replied, jerking his head lightly towards the hilt of his blade. "I can go out there with a sword and shield, right?" Surely that'd be okay. If it wasn't, he wasn't sure what he'd do, but he had to leave Clock Town!
"Wait…you're right…" The guard replied, a bit sheepishly as he stood up straight once more. "I apologize. You can go out if you wish. Just be careful, Termina Field has become more dangerous lately."
Link didn't even reply, biting the inside of his cheek as he quickly walked by the guard, Tatl sticking her tongue out at the man behind his back. Although he had technically seen Termina Field back when he fetched the Moon's Tear, he hadn't paid very close attention to it. This time, as he exited Clock Town, he studied it a bit more carefully, or at least the area dead ahead of him.
The first thing he noticed was a massive object, the color of which drew his gaze. Normally purple wasn't a color one saw in nature aside from certain flowers, yet Link saw something much larger than that. Far away, looming on the horizon was a purple mountain! It even had a ring of clouds around the top, just like Death Mountain did.
It was a very peculiar sight, but Link tore his eyes from it to look around more. Aside from the unusually colored mountain, the area south of Clock Town was fairly normal. It was mainly a grassy field with some trees scattered about. Unusual manmade pillars were erected on either side of the gate, going towards the South and there was even what looked like a massive hollowed-out log that served as a pointless tunnel.
Beyond that was a dense forest, but one that had a clear path going into it. Overall, it didn't seem too dangerous at a glance. On top of that, Link realized it wasn't too far of a walk to get to the forest. This didn't seem to be like Hyrule Field where it would take him multiple days just to get to one destination, which he was grateful for. With only three days, an area as large as Hyrule Field would be a nightmare!
"What's to the South, exactly? What's it like?" Link asked, slowly starting to walk forward. Tael had mentioned four areas, but not where each one was. Even though things seemed safe, he still drew his sword and readied his shield in case something jumped out at him. He hated the feeling of this, on the lookout for danger, his weapon drawn, going to somewhere unknown…
It reminded him so much of Hyrule Field when he first visited it…
"It's the Southern Swamp, where the Dekus live." Tatl replied, surprisingly void of insults. "I guess you'll fit right in, huh?"
And there was the insult, as petty as it was. Link brushed it off as usual, though. "How dangerous is it? What can I expect?" He had never seen a swamp before, not even in the picture books he went through at Hyrule Castle's library. Though he did recall Zelda speaking of them once. She didn't go into much detail, but he knew a lot of trees and a lot of water were to be expected. Nothing so drastic as a desert or a volcano that he had to worry about…
"Do you ever run out of questions?!" Tatl snapped. "You've never been to a swamp? There's Snappers and Big Octos sometimes. Wolfos are there too. You can handle all that, right?"
"I want to know what lies ahead." The boy replied. Link had only run into a Big Octo once and had no idea what a Snapper was. The talk of Wolfos made him nervous, though. The last time he fought one as a child…the…last time…
He stopped in place, eyes unfocused.
The Wolfos staggered in place, trying to approach its potential prey but its injuries making it trip and fall onto its front, further forcing the weapon further into it. It let out a whimper and stayed there on the forest floor, panting weakly and letting out pathetic whines.
The boy snapped out of his short trance. It was a memory he had seen in his nightmares dozens of times, but it had been such a long time since it forced itself upon him when he was awake. The boy, for a few brief moments, felt like he was actually there.
Link felt the exhaustion from the fight, heard the whimper so distinctly, and could see the near-dead Wolfos as if it were truly in front of him. He also felt hot all over his body and a very sudden stress grasped at his chest, but he managed to keep composed on the outside as those sensations slowly faded.
"Why did you stop? Come on, let's keep going!" Tatl demanded. The already wasted enough time with the Great Fairy! Sure, it had been less than an hour since time went back, but every minute counted!
"I was just thinking." Link replied vaguely, starting to walk again. Quickly, he changed the subject. "The four that we have to gather, those are the Giants, right?" He never actually confirmed this with Tatl, and really he knew very little about these gods.
Tatl shrugged. "Probably. I have no idea what else he could mean. Leave it to Tael to rush an explanation and leave out the details! I swear he's almost as idiotic as you!"
"Then do you know how to gather them or where they are, exactly?" Surely if Tael knew, his own sister would know as well. Link really felt lost, in more ways than one. Not only was he in some unusual place, likely another world, but he only had the vaguest idea of what he even had to do!
"How should I know?! Would you just shut up?!" Tatl practically screamed, really sick of Link's voice. He didn't even emote or change facial expressions or anything and it was really starting to creep her out. She realized this was a bit extreme, but she just couldn't stand the boy she was with, and he just kept talking and wouldn't stop!
When he was still a Deku, Tatl thought she'd only have to deal with him for three days, so she wasn't as angry. Annoyed, but she could mostly deal. Now there was no telling how long she'd be stuck with him. They still had three days, but how many sets of three days would it take to figure everything out? How many Cycles? That was part of what made her so angry and stressed, that she had no idea how long this would last…
Despite Tatl's blatant dislike of him, Link still found himself a bit surprised at her outburst. He didn't expect her to just yell at him like that for asking some important questions. Still, once more, he didn't outwardly react. It was frustrating for him because he was trying to plan things out and get some idea of what he had to do. It wasn't like Tatl didn't gain from freeing the Giants either if that's what they were really set out to do. She was affected by the Moon falling as well!
Biting the inside of his cheek again, Link kept his emotions under wraps.
"Alright. No more questions for now." The Hylian replied, not even looking to the fairy as he spoke. He'd have to ask more about the other parts of Termina eventually, but for the time being he'd just work with what he knew about the Southern Swamp. Maybe she'd even chime in later on without him having to ask.
Tatl scoffed. "For now…" She echoed with a bitter tone in her voice. "Whatever…"
The trip went on in a very tense silence. Neither the boy nor the fairy wanted to be with the other, but they simply had no choice. Link was more than fine with the silence, but Tatl had the urge to keep chewing the boy out. She decided not to, however, silently fuming to herself, and just thinking the situation over more.
About an hour passed and the two were nearing the dense forest leading towards the swamp. The trip had been very quiet, neither of the pair uttering a single word since Tatl snapped at Link to shut up. There was wildlife within the field, rabbits darting between patches of taller grass and shrubbery, as well as a myriad of insects flying between flowers and other flora. Bird flew overhead, including the somewhat obnoxious calls of Guays, which thankfully left Link and Tatl be as they walked on. The boy recalled such birds also being in Hyrule, one even swooping down and pecking at him one time as he visited Lon Lon Ranch, though thankfully it didn't do any serious harm.
Without warning, a strange creature appeared before the two. It seemed to simply materialize from the ground, no hint of its existence noticed by the two until it was fully emerged in front of them. The creature seemed to be made of a green, slimy substance. It had a mouth full of dull, rounded teeth and eyestalks like a slug topped with half-lidded eyes. Aside from that, it had no other features such as limbs or even any visible organs in its somewhat-transparent body.
Link had never seen anything quite like it, the closest being the creatures within Lord Jabu-Jabu. "Tatl, what is that thing?" He asked, slowly stepping away, shield raised.
"Don't freak out, it's just a Green Chuchu." Tatl lightly scolded, some sarcasm in her voice. She rolled her eyes at the lack of any real reaction Link showed. No fear or shock or anything. Did anything phase him? "It'll just hop at you, but I doubt even you can get beat up by this thing."
Just as Tatl said these words, the Green Chuchu did as she said and leapt at Link. He kept his shield raised and felt a bit disgusted at the wet, sloppy smacking sound that followed the creatures impact on metal. Like Tatl said, though, it didn't prove much of a reckoning force. The boy was simply too strong for it, and it fell to the ground in a heap before it reformed.
Link realized this thing really wasn't a threat at all and walked around the Green Chuchu, walking away from it at a somewhat brisk pace. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the creature hop after him in chase…but it was too slow. Eventually, as the gap between them grew, it seemed to simply melt back into the ground.
He was relieved he didn't have to kill it, though he wasn't sure how 'alive' something like that even was. Still, he'd rather avoid the violence when possible. As he wiped some of the slimy residue from his shield, he glanced to Tatl. "How did it emerge from the ground like that?" Link wanted to know for future encounters, and also he was curious. Despite his situation and his bitter anger, his natural curiosity still peeked through. It was one of the few traits of an actual, normal child that he still held onto.
"Didn't I say to stop asking me questions?" Tatl snapped back. "It's not like I know anyway." What was the point of knowing? Green Chuchus were some of the least dangerous things in Termina, after all. Even a twerp like Jim would put up a better fight…
"I said I'd only stop for a while." Link pointed out. He didn't even do so in a chiding or argumentative way; he was simply pointing out a fact.
Tatl sighed. "Whatever. It doesn't matter, those things aren't worth worrying about anyway, so just forget it."
"Fine." Link replied simply. He would just forget it, then. The Hylian pretty much knew that anything he said to Tatl would get a nasty response back at this point. Still, he figured eventually the very basic and important questions he'd ask would warrant something other than insults and dismissiveness. Apparently even asking about local dangers and things that were extremely crucial to their quest like if they were searching for the Giants or how they might be freed was just too much for Tatl…
Once more, the tense silence befell the two once more. Not much happened as they went on until they reached the log-tunnel near the start of the dense forest. Link noticed that Tatl slowed down as they went through, but she never came to a complete stop. He glanced over to her, curious as to what she was doing. The boy saw she was looking around as if trying to find something. Normally, he would ask what was going on, but he knew the second those words left his mouth, she'd get angry and throw some insults his way.
So, he kept his mouth shut.
It wasn't long after that when the two reached the edge of the forest, the only visible path laid out before them. As they got close, however, Tatl seemed distracted again. This time, she flew towards a large, barren tree and Link followed. As he got close, he noticed something on its bark, near the bottom of the tree.
Drawn into the bark was a simple drawing. It took him a few moments to work out what it was. The picture was of a Skull Kid, notably one without any sot of mask, and two orbs nearby it, clearly fairies. It must have been that one specific Skull Kid. That being said, Link had no idea of any other of those imps were in Termina or just the one. No real reason no others could stumble onto the passageway between worlds, after all…
"I almost forgot about this…" Tatl mused, her voice softer and gentler than Link had ever heard it. "It felt really long ago…"
Clouds hung over Termina Field, dark and bulky as they covered the land in a heavy rain. Thunder boomed across the area, clearly not going away anytime soon. Through the nasty weather flew two fairies, one white and one purple. This nasty weather had been so sudden that they hadn't had time to find shelter of some kind. Quickly, they spotted the small tunnel that lied south of Clock Town and flew into it to dry off.
"Geez, sis, that was awful…" Tael complained, shivering violently.
"Come on, don't be such a wuss. We're fine now." Tatl gently scolded. She was the type to give tough love to her brother. While she cared for him deeply, she wouldn't hesitate to call him out on anything whiny or stupid he said. Or, at least, anything she perceived as whiny or stupid…
"I'm cold, though!" Tael replied, still whining. "At least we…" He suddenly paused as a new sound filled the small tunnel. It was the sound of someone shivering heavily and even letting out a cough.
Startled, the two fairies turned to see that they weren't alone. Nestled against the wall was a small figure, a strange entity the two had never seen before. It looked like a child, but it very clearly wasn't one. Its flesh seemed to be made of wood, with glowing orange eyes, a face wreathed in shadow, and a beak-like mouth. The poor thing seemed miserable, and was looking up at the fairies, observing them as it shivered intensely.
In a rare moment of empathy, Tatl floated down towards the childlike thing, Tael cautiously following behind. Slowly, the fairies pressed against the shivering form, who graciously held the warm fairies close to it. The three huddled together all throughout the night, eventually falling asleep together as the rain slowly faded away and then stopped.
The next morning was one of introductions. The creature, the Skull Kid, introduced himself to the fairies, who returned the fairies. The trio really had nowhere to go, and no permanent homes, so they decided to stick together.
And, for a while, they did, and everything was great.
The fairies and the Skull Kid would spend all day playing with each other, the siblings would listen to their new friend play on his flute, and they would sometimes pull pranks on people. Nothing overtly malicious, but juts something to get a chuckle from the three. For a good while, everything seemed almost perfect. The three were outcasts, but they at least had each other. And then at one point the imp drew the picture on the tree, depicting him and his new friends.
One day, though, the Skull Kid explained where he came from. He wasn't from Termina, as it turned out. Instead, he came from somewhere called the Lost Woods in a place called Hyrule. Somehow, the imp had found a pathway that lead to Termina, where he had spent some time.
Excited to see someplace new, Tatl and Tael egged the Skull Kid to show them these Lost Woods, to which he happily obliged. It was an unusual place, the fairies not feeling quite welcome. While there were other fairies within this forest, Tatl and Tael were still outsiders, not the types of fairies that truly belonged. As long as they were with the Skull Kid, however, they were safe.
The imp showed him some of the spirits within the Lost Woods, and even told them a bit about the Kokiri and their Guardian Fairies, but not much. Before too long, Tatl and Tael felt a bit safer within the Lost Woods, even if they didn't truly belong.
Things, however, quickly changed after that.
To the surprise of the trio, an adult had gone into the woods. A Hylian, yet he didn't seem troubled by the usual nature of the forest, which the Skull Kid had also explained to the siblings. The imp declared he must be special and must have something unique in that large pack of his.
Tatl and Tael went along with this, but they were surprised at the method the Skull Kid used to rob the man. Normally, the three never really hurt anyone, but for this situation, the imp took a sizable rock and slammed it into the back of the salesman's head, knocking him out. The siblings were unnerved, but just went along with it as the Skull Kid dug into the large pack, and pulled out a most unusual, heart-shaped mask…
Tatl floated there, relaying the story to Link. From the way she spoke, it seemed like she was hardly really aware of what she was doing, at least that's how the Hylian saw it. She rambled on the story like some sort of compulsion came over her. "So, that's how he got the mask…" Link murmured. He salesman seemed like he had some odd powers, so the boy was a bit curious how the imp managed to get his hands on it. Apparently a rock to the head was enough for the unusual man. Not that any of this mattered, of course.
"He told us that he had been fighting with his friends and that they had left him all alone." Tatl went on, again more seeming to not really realize she was spilling out her feelings. "I'm sure it was because he was always playing tricks, so nobody wanted to play with him. But to do what he did just because of that...And once he got his power..." She shuddered.
Link actually started to feel a bit bad. For Tatl, mainly, not the imp. Link was treated horribly by most of his community growing up, and yet he didn't go out of his way to hurt people. A bad past wasn't an excuse! Still, the fair sounded…hurt. "…We'll stop him." He wasn't sure what else to say. Honestly, Link didn't want to get too friendly with Tatl. This was just a temporary partnership, and neither of them liked each other, after all.
This finally snapped Tatl out of her small trance. "…Yeah. Whatever. Just forget it, let's keep going." Honestly, she had no idea what came over her. She saw the drawing and all those memories came flooding back. Things were so simple back then, and in such a short amount of time, her and Tael's friend became something else. Something horrible.
Deciding it was best not to pry, Link shrugged the situation off and went on past the tree. "Sure. Alright." He murmured as Tatl lingered for a moment or two, but then quickly followed.
The forest they entered wasn't as massive or as eerie as the Lost Woods. That being said, the trees off the main path were denser. In the Lost Woods, you could see a long way in any given direction, generally. Not that it helped those that got trapped in there at all. They'd only be able to see more and more forest until its natural haze cut their line of sight short.
Either way, the boy was on high alert. There were Wolfos in the area, and something called Snappers. He doubted any Big Octos would be in the forest. There was that one in Lord Jabu-Jabu, but he was certain it'd normally only be found somewhere in or near water, not the woods. He kept his ears strained, listening for the snapping of twigs or heavy footfalls on the grass.
Despite his stoic outward appearance, Link's heart was pounding fiercely. On top of the anger that still resided in him, he felt nervous at the same time. While he hid away his emotions, it didn't mean he had stopped feeling them. It wasn't just anger; he felt all the normal emotions that anyone had…or at least the negative ones. Truth be told, he was terrified of the idea of fighting a Wolfos. Even though he was older, bigger, and had a better shield, he wasn't sure he'd win. It had been two years since he had participated in any real combat, the closest thing being the sparring matches with the castle guards...
For a while, at least, things were fine. Nothing to see along the path of real interest, and nothing came out and attacked. As usual, the pair kept quiet, not really wanting to talk to each other. Despite all the silence, Link still felt on edge. His heart just kept hammering away at his ribcage, not able to fully calm himself down even though things seemed safe. If anything, though, he'd want to stay on alert. The boy felt if he relaxed too much, he could be caught unawares and slaughtered…
About thirty minutes into the walk, the two came across a clearing of sorts. The only thing of note in it was a massive, dead tree. It had no leaves at all and even its bark was brittle. Unusually, though, a large swarm of Keese were flying about the top of the tree for some reason. Link didn't really know much about the creatures, but it still seemed odd to him.
Not wanting to get too close to the swarm, Link and Navi gave the large tree a wide berth as they walked by. However, this brought them closer to the denser forest and its unknown dangers. As the two got around the Keese-infested tree, the Hylian heard heavy footfalls from behind.
Swiftly, Link turned around just as a beast swiped its claws at him. Raising his right arm, he blocked the attack, his opponent's claws scraping against the metal shield to no effect. Eyes forming a concentrated glare of sorts, the boy saw he was dealing with a Wolfos.
"Geez! I didn't even hear it coming!" Tatl exclaimed as the creature leapt back, fangs in a snarl and glowing eyes staring at its supposed prey. "Can you even handle something like this…?!"
He had no choice, really. Wolfos were fast, too fast for him to outrun. He'd have to stay and fight, as much as he despised the idea. Link heard the whimpers of a dying Wolfos in his ear, knowing full well it was just his memories haunting him.
The Hylian didn't answer Tatl, lunging forward and swiping at the Wolfos. He was worried he'd be rusty, but somehow he felt just as he had two years ago. Perhaps it was the Spirit of the Hero, and Link wasn't sure if he was grateful or furious about such a thing.
Either way, the attack didn't amount to much, the Wolfos weaving around it and closing in on Link once more. Going defensive, he scooted back with his shield raised, slamming it into the beast's snout as it lunged towards him. That got a cry of pain and anger from the beast, who started to swipe its claws at Link rapidly, the Hylian forced to block the blows.
Run. Run. Run.
Link kept repeating those words in his head, not even in a conscious effort. He wasn't thinking about himself running, of course, but the Wolfos. The boy wanted the beast to realize this wasn't worth the time or energy and just run off. But Wolfos were ferocious, and he'd have to damage it a lot more for it to want to do that, he was sure. After all, the others he fought went on until the death…
Tatl, meanwhile, hovered above all the action. She had no way of helping Link, or at least no way that wouldn't put herself in danger, so she simply watched. To her surprise, the runt could actually fight pretty well! She assumed he was maybe twelve or so, and she couldn't think of many people that age that could last even ten seconds against a Wolfos!
The Wolfos kept up the offense, wildly slashing at Link and snarling as the Hylian blocked the blows with his shield. The boy would counterattack when he was able, but for a good minute or two, he and the beast were at a standstill. Neither one got a good hit on the other, no matter what they tried.
Thankfully, Link's luck changed. In a brief window of opportunity he had, the boy swiped at the Wolfos and the very tip of his sword cut the beast across one of its eyes. It stagged back, howling in agony as one paw covered its wound. For a second, it stared at Link with its uncovered eye…and then it ran off into the trees.
Link didn't put his guard down yet. He stared off where the Wolfos ran off to, straining his ears as he heard its footfalls recede. They grew quieter…quieter…and then they cased. The boy didn't even breath, waiting for the beast to lunge out at him again…but it didn't. Apparently this Wolfos was more cowardly than the ones he fought in the past.
Finally letting himself relax, just a bit, Link exhaled. "It's gone. We can keep going."
Tatl…was actually pretty impressed. Not that she'd ever admit to that, of course! With just a dinky sword and a shield, this kid she was with managed to chase off a Wolfos! "Where…did you learn to fight like that?" She never really stopped to think of it until this point. Like the salesman, Link also was in the Lost Woods all alone save for his horse. He was armed with a sword, a shield, and had a bow with arrows before the Skull Kid messed around with them. Then he fights off a Wolfos and remains calm and composed the entire time!
Just what was with this kid…?
"That's not important." Was all Link said in response, starting to walk forward again. He didn't feel he owed Tatl any kind of explanation. Even if he wasn't still angry at her for the things she did and how she treated him, he didn't want to share stuff like that with someone he barely knew. That…and a small, childish part of him just took a bit of satisfaction from denying her what she wanted. He realized it was immature, but he couldn't help himself.
"Hey! What do you mean it's not important?! Answer me, you brat!" Tatl argued, hovering around Link's head as he walked, getting angrier as he ignored her. "Stupid runt…" She'd murmur to herself. It wasn't long after the Wolfos encounter that the two entered the swamp proper, neither of them saying anything until they arrived. The two took a look around the area, a few sensations hitting them full force.
For one thing, it was quite humid in the swamp, a feeling that had started while they were still in the woods, and only grew until it reached its peak once they got to the swamp proper. The other was a horrid smell that was in the air. It smelled like something was rotting in the area, but there was no notable source to the smell.
Link took the sights in, having been a bit curious as to what a swamp was like. It was certainly like what he had heard. There were still a lot of trees about, and also a lot of water. It was like a massive pond, one that had trees growing out of it. Something was wrong with this water, though. Rather than it being clear or a nice shade of blue, it was a disgustingly unnatural purple color.
The only sign of civilization was a shack up on a wooden platform in front of the two. Certainly nothing big enough to house all the Dekus that Tatl mentioned lived in the area. Link could only assume this was someone's home, and also noted there was a boat docked beneath the platform, floating in the putrid looking water.
As the two observed the area, Link started to feel extremely uneasy. There wasn't just humidity in the air, or a nasty smell…but something more. He felt like there was a force exerting itself onto him, like a heavy and oppressive tarp was shrouded over him. His legs felt heavy, and he felt like something monstrous was watching him…
He felt just like he did within the cursed Temples.
Instantly, he felt panicked, but hid that from Tatl as he gripped his sword tighter. What was going on with this swamp? Was the entire area cursed? It felt that way, and the thought of an entire region being under such a dark spell terrified him. This meant there would be monsters, some entity he'd have to destroy to free the land…if his previous quest was any indication.
"Tatl, is the swamp supposed to be like this?" Link asked, voice quiet. He had a vain hope that maybe the area just held a strange feeling, and this was somehow normal. Just a fleeting sensation of denial, and he was well aware of it…
"I've never been here, but…I don't think so. It feels so off, and I've never heard of purple water." Tatl was lightly in a disturbed awe as well. Something was very wrong with the Southern Swamp, and she could feel the oppressive sensation as well.
Nodding, Link forced himself to remain calm, or to at least look calm. Approaching the building, he saw a sign was in front of the small boardwalk leading to the ladder up. "What does this say?" He'd worry about what he'd have to do later. For the time being, he had to gather information and figure out what to do. Granted, he'd surely be internally panicking the entire time, no matter what…
"Uh, what?" Tatl asked, a bit taken aback. "What, can you not read or something?" She asked, hovering by Link's shoulder.
"No. I can't." It wasn't something he was ashamed of, and he had even rejected Zelda's offers to teach him to read and write. Link knew that once he found Navi…if he found her…she'd teach him. He'd accept no other teacher. "I can't read at all."
Tatl scoffed, chuckling in a nasty manner. "So, you're an illiterate moron? You're dumber than I thought!"
Link just tried to ignore her words and nodded at the sign. "What does this say?" He repeated. Fighting would get them nowhere, even if the anger and panic in his body made him feel like he'd burst…
Once more, the fairy was annoyed at Link's lack of a reaction to her insults. Sighing, she looked at the sign closer. "This is just a tourist center. Talks about boat rides and stuff."
Well, that seemed like a decent place to start asking a few questions. "Alright. Thank you." With those few words, Link put his gear away and climbed up the ladder, Tatl following him into the building.
The interior didn't have much to see. A clock was on one wall, a much smaller version of the one on the Clock Tower. There was some sort of booth against one wall with a square hole in it, but no one inside. Aside from that, all there was to see was a counter with a large, heavyset man with goggles on.
This man was deep in thought, murmuring to himself. It was to the point he kept thinking aloud even as Link and Tatl approached the counter. "Blimey…Where did he run off to? That spoiled child is off looking for fairies again, isn't he…? He's too old for that…!" He jerked in place as Tatl cleared her throat loudly. "Oh! Welcome!" The man said, looking at the two and then frowning a bit. "…Say, what are you two doing here all alone? Don't you know it's dangerous around here?"
"That's why we're here. What's going on around here?" Link asked, getting straight to the point. No time to beat around the bush after all. "The swamp isn't supposed to be like this, is it?"
"Well, no. Of course not!" The man replied. "You think I'd open a tourist center in a poisonous swamp? It just got like this recently out of the blue!" He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "But still, what are you doing here, kid? Where are your parents?"
Link chose to ignore that last part. "So, you don't know why the swamp is like this? Who would?"
The man seemed a bit put off by how Link spoke. He droned on without emotion, not speaking like a kid at all. And, of course, the boy's dull, dead eyes stared up at the adult, which surely added to the unnerving factor. "Can't say I do. My partner went off to investigate, so she might know. She went off to her sister." He jerked his hand up, pointing behind him with his thumb. "Her potion shop is that way, but it's petty dangerous, kid. I can't stop you, but you really shouldn't go. The water is dangerous to even touch! I'd let you use the boat, but my partner's magic is what makes it move…"
"I'll be okay. Thank you for the help." Link decided that going to this guy's partner would be a better plan. Without another word, the boy just turned around and left the building, leaving the adult to call after him about his parents. But, he was ignored, and the boy and fairy shut the door behind them.
"Can't even touch the water? How are we going to get far into this swamp?!" Tatl bemoaned, floating down the ladder as Link climbed down it. "The water looks kinda shallow, but you can't even touch it!"
Link approached the edge of the grass, careful not to get to close to the purple water. He contemplated on what to do. There were bits of land he could see up ahead, but they were blocked off by the deadly water. Another thing he noticed was there were lily pads on the water's surface, apparently hardy enough to survive somehow.
After a few moments of thought, Link braced himself, taking the Deku Mask out of the bag. Placing it on his face, he became a Deku once more, having to endure the painful transformation. Before Tatl could comment, he charged at the water and bounced along it towards one of the lily pads. After three hops, he landed on the plant, branching himself for it to start sinking.
But, apparently, he was too light.
"Giants abound! Why did you do that?! Did you know that'd work?!" Tatl exclaimed, flying over to the Deku.
"No. I was hoping it would, though." It had been a risky maneuver, but he wasn't sure what else to do.
"Geez! At least think it through more, you idiot!" The fairy scolded. If something happened to this kid, she was as good as dead! As much as she hated to admit it, he was the only hope they had of stopping the Moon…
Even when he did something right, she still scolded him. "I will next time." Link said as he turned away from Tatl and kept going forward. Thankfully there was another lily pad not too far away from where he was, and another one after that. The plants were pretty abundant, so that would help him on his journey forward, Tatl following behind and once more annoyed at the lack of a serious reaction from Link.
The trip was tedious, but not too difficult.
While moving forward, the two didn't encounter any monsters or beasts. The water was surely too toxic for anything to actually live in it, so that was helpful in that regard. Though, again, the process was tedious. Link would have to scope out ahead to make sure there were lily pads for him to hop on. Other times he'd have to wait for one to drift by. Then there were times the two reached a stretch of land. Even then, they had to be slow and careful. The tall grass and reeds would sometimes hide pockets of poisonous water. Because of this, Link would stay in his slower Deku form, going by carefully as not to be taken by surprise when and suddenly find himself hopping along water.
Overall, the trip took a while. It didn't help that aside from a vague direction the tourist center man gave, the two had no real idea of where they were going. But, eventually, they came across another sturdy bank of land, Link finally taking his mask off. Before them was a large overhead sign. Of course, the boy couldn't read it, but the sign had depictions of potions, so he knew they were at the right place.
"About time! That guy didn't tell us how far away the shop was…" Tatl bemoaned, following Link. The sign was over a pathway along a thicket of dense trees. So, the shop itself wasn't quite in view yet. "It better be worth it…"
Link ignored Tatl's constant whining, the fairy having groaned and moaned a lot during the trip over. It had really gotten grating and just made his bad mood even worse. It didn't help he kept panicking internally about the familiar cursed feeling in the air. It wasn't quite the same as Ganondorf's, but the boy knew evil when he felt it.
The Hylian also felt eyes on him as they walked, having his sword and shield at the ready. Yet, he didn't see anything, but heard rustling in the trees. Whatever was watching, it apparently wasn't interested in attacking. Within a few minutes, the two came across a clearing that was quite different from the rest of the swamp.
For one thing, there was clean water! From a waterfall over a rocky cliff, clean and clear water flowed. It was assuredly from somewhere else given its nature. It formed a sort of shallow, ankle-deep moat around the main part of the clearing. On a small platform rose a tree with another platform on top connected by a ladder. On this platform was an unusual building shaped like a bottle.
As the two approached, they noticed a sign at the bottom of the ladder. "What does it say?" Link asked, once more looking to Tatl.
"Oh right, you're an illiterate moron." Tatl snarked, looking at the sign. "It says it's a potion shop…and…ugh!" She groaned. "It says if there's no smoke coming out of the chimney, it means she's not around!" And, naturally, there was no such thing coming from the building. "We're gonna have to wait!"
Well…that was annoying. Still, there was nothing to be done. Link walked over to the main tree and sat against it, shill having his shield and sword at the ready. He never felt fully at ease unless his back was against something, so nothing could sneak up behind him. Even back at the castle, he had his bed moved to the corner of the room.
"I guess we will." There was nothing else they could do, so he decided to rest his legs.
"Stupid potion shop lady…where even is she? It's not even noon!" Tatl grumbled, looking up at the sky. From her guess, it was around eleven. That trip from the tourist center took them ages!
"No point in guessing. We just have to wait." Link replied, hoping it'd shut Tatl up. The fairy kept grumbling but didn't really reply. As he sat there, he kept thinking about what might lie ahead. Some sort of monstrous being that kept the curse alive, if his past adventure was any indication. The thought terrified him…
Another thing he thought about was those back home. His friends had no idea what was going on with him. Did Hyrule experience the time travel to? Were they sent back three days? Since this was some sort of parallel world, Link had no idea what would happen each time he'd reset the three days!
But…wait! How could he forget?! Link put down his sword and shield, taking the Ocarina of Time from his belt. Quickly, he played Saria's Song, wanting to contact his oldest friend. She couldn't contact anyone outside of the Lost Woods, but at least she could know what was going on. After he played the song, the notes echoed far…
But nothing happened.
There was no connection! He didn't feel himself linked to Saria at all! Panicking internally, he played the song again…but it still didn't work. Saria being in another world must have prevented actual communication!
"Would you stop playing that song?!" Tatl demanded. It really struck a nerve with her since it was something the Skull Kid would play. Apparently someone taught it to him about a year ago. How did Link know it? Was it just a popular Hyrule song?
It was, of course, Link that had taught the song. He had searched the Lost Woods in short bursts a few times during his two year healing process. Saria would go with him, but they'd only look for a few hours. On one occasion, he came across a Skull Kid and taught the song to him on a whim. After all, he taught the song to a Skull Kid back in the other timeline, so he felt compelled. Who knew if it was the same one, though?
Either way, Link was taken aback by how angry Tatl was, but complied silently, putting the Ocarina back on his belt. With nothing else to do, he stared into space and tried to empty his mind as he and Tatl waited for the shop to open again. He was tired…hungry…thirsty…if only he had Rupees for supplies. The boy was drained, not used to trekking through swamps, that was for sure.
As Tatl mumbled angrily to herself, Link felt his eyelids grow heavy. She was awake and alert, so if he just rested his eyes for a few minutes, it'd be okay, right? After a few moments, he closed his eyes entirely, sighing softly through his nose, too quiet to be heard.
In his exhaustion, Link fell asleep.
A/N: The new material is here at last. It really felt nice to write out new interactions with Link and Tatl. She's pretty nasty, poor kid has to deal with a lot. And don't worry, Link will have plenty of time to explore Clock Town later. For now, he's a bit too focused on freeing the Giants to look around and discover all the side stuff he's going to eventually do. And I'm sure Koume and Kotake won't be an issue for him at all...
Also, I know the big tree is surrounded by Bad Bats, not Keese. It's just weird there's some separate bat-enemy aside from Keese that are basically just Keese. So, I just made them Keese.