Chapter 1: The Mask Salesman

 

The saga of Link’s adventures in Termina during the crisis there was never really well documented because of its difficulty in timing.  Due to Link going back in time over the same three days to save the land, nobody in the land of Termina really figured out Link was able to save their land, or the true nature of the beasts that threatened their land.  Not even the mask salesman who initially collected Majora’s Mask knew exactly how Link saved Termina, or the true evil that threatened that land.  That’s why on one fateful night, the mask salesman decided that he would just see for himself what exactly the big deal with Majora’s Mask was.  He decided to embark on a quest to find Majora’s Mask once again.  Setting out from his residence in Termina Field, he went to the one place where he thought he would find it, beneath the clock tower in Clock Town.

 

About a week’s time passes.  It was a beautiful summer day in Kokiri Forest, and Link and Saria were talking about Link’s adventures in Termina.  Saria wanted to know everything about what Link had done in the year he had been gone from the land of Hyrule, and Link, having only been back for about a month, was more than happy to oblige. 

 

“So I went through the lost woods,” Link said, “And eventually I was in this really densely forested area to the east.  The sun barely shown through the trees.  I’m not really sure what happened, but I got knocked out because Epona suddenly went nuts as we were walking and threw me off.

 

“Oh my!” Saria exclaimed, “Did you get up from that?”

 

Link replied, “Well yes, but I was groggy to say the least.  Worse, there was this skull kid who was playing around with my ocarina.  He must have taken it away from me when I was on the ground.  I was deeply upset by his action, and tried to take the Ocarina from him, but he evaded my grasp and jumped onto Epona.  He attempted to take my horse and I grabbed on for the ride, but we came to a sharp turn and he threw me off.  I chased him into a cave inside a tree trunk, but you wouldn’t believe what happened next.”

 

Saria listened intently, “What happened next?  I can’t wait to hear it.”

 

Just then Mido walked out of the bushes. “This is where no-fairy boy gets turned into a Deku right?”

 

Link was visibly upset by Mido’s appearance.  “Darnit Mido (Saria looks upset at the spoiler but is surprised), why did you have to ruin it, hey wait, how do you know about that?”

 

Mido chuckled. “The Deku Tree Sprout knows everything.  I talked to it every day you were gone, and he told me about what you were doing.”

 

Link was still a bit flustered.  “Well then, if you could please not tell Saria anything else, because I’m telling her the story right now.  Now where was I, oh yes, this Skull Kid turned me into a Deku Scrub using the power of this evil mask.  It was a heart shaped mask called Majora’s Mask.  It is said that the power of this mask takes over the actions of those that wear it and turns them evil.  The Skull Kid knew not what he was doing, but I was in a bad….”

 

Just as Link is in the middle of his sentence, he stops abruptly.  He starts walking toward the lost woods.

 

Saria was bewildered.  “Link, what is it?”

 

Link replied, “I see him.  The Skull Kid.”

 

“Are you sure it’s the Skull Kid from Termina?  They all look the same you know.”

 

“I’m positive it’s him.”

 

Mido snickered.  “I think you better run then buddy.  He’s gotten you once before.”

 

Link cut him off, “Well Mido, he and I are actually friends now.”  Link turned to Saria.  “I don’t know why he is here, but I have a feeling something is wrong.  I wonder why he is here in Hyrule.”

 

Skull Kid yelled to Link.  “Link, the hero of Termina.  It’s been a long time!”

 

Link replied, “Yes Skull Kid.  Tell me, what is it that brings you to Kokiri Forest?”

 

Skull Kid spoke with caution in his voice.  “It’s the moon.  Something strange is happening in the skies above Termina.  It seems that the moon of Termina is expanding again.  It’s getting bigger with every passing day, and people are getting worried that it may fall again.”

 

Link was surprised.  “But, but how?  That’s impossible, the moon got vaporized less than 5 weeks ago, how could it simply reform?”

 

Skull Kid spoke,  “I really do not know, but I suspect that it may be the work of Majora’s Mask.  Somebody must have repossessed the mask and its power, for no other force in Termina exists that is strong enough to rebuild and drop the moon again.”

 

“But, that’s not possible either,” Link shouted, “I destroyed Majora with my own fists and blades!  How could he be coming back to life?!”

 

“Link, you need to come back to Termina.” Skull Kid said.  “This is going to wreak major havoc on the land if you do not do something.”

 

“……………………………” Link was speechless.

 

Chapter 2: Preparing for the Journey

 

Link wasted no time leaving Kokiri Forest.  He crossed Hyrule Field with all speed and was at Hyrule Castle by the end of the day.  He had to talk to Princess Zelda.

 

Zelda spoke with concern in her eyes.  “Link, are you sure you have to leave Hyrule again so soon?”

 

Skull Kid interjected,  “Dearest Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, it is truly an honor to meet you.  Your majesty, there has been trouble returning to the land of Termina.  About a year ago, Link came to the land of Termina after getting ambushed, apparently by myself.  I was under the power of a great and powerful force, contained in a mask.  This mask was called Majora’s Mask, and it warped my body and mind to perform evil acts against the land of Termina.  One of the things that happened while I was under the control of the mask was that the moon above Termina started to fall from the sky toward the land.” 

 

“Let me get this straight,” Zelda said sternly, “You got possessed by a mask and attacked Link?  I somehow don’t understand how you could be befriended by Link after such an act.”

 

Link provided some light. “Zelda, he knew not what he did, and the true evil surrounding him, I destroyed with my own hands and weapons.  But as Skull Kid will tell you now, the evil may have returned to the land of Termina.  If it is indeed true that Majora’s power has returned to the land of Termina then I will have no choice but to venture there again to bury the reconstructed evil power.”

 

“Couldn’t you just leave the land of Termina to the people of Termina?” Zelda asked.  “After all, you have done a lot of adventuring in the last few years, and you must be exhausted by all the constant travel.  I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be leaving again this soon Link, its going to catch up to you eventually, and I worry about you a lot when you are away.”

 

Skull Kid replied, “Your majesty, the lands of Hyrule and Termina are interconnected.  If Termina is taken by evil then I assure you that the safety of the land of Hyrule will be greatly compromised.  Worse yet, if Termina is destroyed by the falling of the moon, then you will definitely feel the aftereffects inside your realm.  Link is the only person capable of defeating the power secreted inside Majora’s Mask, and I ask of you as a resident of Termina to allow Link to help us once again in this time of need.” 

 

“The reason I have come to see you,” Link said, “Other than to say goodbye to you again before I leave, is that there is something I must have.” 

 

Zelda saw that there was no changing Link’s mind. “If it is true you must leave Hyrule again, I am deeply saddened.  However, you are entitled to anything that you want from me.  Convey your needs, and they will be satisfied.”

 

Link said, “I need the Ocarina of Time.  I realize I just returned it to you just recently, but the instrument was the most integral item I had during the first adventure in Termina.  It allowed me to go back in time to stop the moon from falling.  Without the Ocarina of Time, I will not be able to help the land of Termina.”

 

Zelda turns around and reaches under the hem of her dress.  She pulls out the Ocarina and puts it into Link’s hand as she speaks to him.

 

“I put my power into the Ocarina for you, that it may be with you on your journeys once again.  I will be thinking about you during your absence, and I pray that it will be a short one.”

 

Link and Zelda embrace each other as Skull Kid and Impa both look on.  Then Skull Kid and Link leave the Castle.  The next day, Link and Skull Kid were riding on Epona through the lost woods into Termina.  It was a long and sweltering trip, as the weather was extremely hot and dry, with the sun trickling through the trees as if trying to sauté the trees in a hot liquid.  It was late afternoon that Link and Skull Kid reached their monument in the woods.  Their monument marked the Hyrule-Termina border, so they knew that they were drawing close.  After stopping to give Epona a drink in a stream deep in the woods, they pressed on toward the east.  Around nightfall, the ground around them started shaking, sending Epona into a tizzy.  It took Link several minutes to calm her down.

 

Skull Kid was bewildered by what had occurred. “What in the world was that?”

 

“While I do not know, I have a bad feeling about this.” Link said.

 

About 15 minutes later, the two emerged from the trees on the western outskirts of Romani Ranch.  To their absolute horror, they noticed the moon, and it was big, big and falling fast.  It was now that in Link’s mind he knew that there was indeed a very evil force revived inside the land of Termina, and that they were just in time….

 

Chapter 3: The Ocarina Fails

 

Link and Skull Kid rode into Romani Ranch, and their first order of business was to see Romani and Cremia to see if they couldn’t borrow one of their horses for what they thought would be a full-blown adventure across the land of Termina.  They reached Cremia’s residence at about 19:30, and the ground continued to rumble every so often, a sign to Link that the moon was already in its Final Day of falling.  Link knocked on the door, and Cremia answered the door and got a surprised look on her face.

 

Cremia was surprised to see Link.  “Link!  It’s a pleasure to see you again.  Please come in, what brings you to Romani Ranch?”

 

Link spoke quickly.  “I’m going to keep this quick, but you and Romani are in big danger.  I’m sure that you have seen the moon getting bigger day after day, and Skull Kid and I know that it is only a matter of time before it falls again.” 

 

Skull Kid backed Link up.  “Cremia, being once possessed by the power of Majora’s Mask, I can say with assurance that it will not be long before the moon falls again.  What we have come to ask for is your best steed for us to use on a journey to save the land of Termina once again.”

 

“You want to take one of my horses?”

 

Link said, “Yes.  We will almost certainly need another strong steed if we are to be able to have the mobility to stop the moon’s path and save this land once again.  I should be able to stop the moon’s path, but it will only be temporary enough for us to summon the spirits of Termina in time to permanently stop the threat.  We will need one of your horses to accomplish this task.”

 

Cremia agreed.  “Link, for all that you have done for this land, and for us personally less than a year ago, it will be done.”  The three walk to the horse stables. “Take this one, he’s a big strong steed by the name of Darko.  He can run as fast as any of them, and will be of much assistance to you.  Take it as a sign of our gratitude.” 

 

Link was gracious, “Thank you very much Cremia.  Skull Kid, are you going to be accomplished riding this horse?”

 

Skull Kid replied in tone, “I am pretty well with horses, and I think this one should be no different.”

 

Link got ready, “Well then, tell Romani that I say hello to her also Cremia.  Skull Kid, let’s move out toward Clock Town.”

 

Link and Skull Kid embark on the short ½ hour ride from Milk Road to Clock Town.  Termina Field is deathly silent on this night with the exception of the occasional rumble caused by the falling moon.  The two reach Clock Town around 20:45, and they immediately notice that a huge bunches of people are out in the streets watching the moon fall, as if they had never seen such phenomena before.  The result was that Clock Town, the biggest city in the Zelda universe, was bustling even more than it usually does in the heat of the midday business time.  Link and Skull Kid had a hard time getting through the main square of South Clock Town without trampling over people.  Eventually though, they did reach the main clock tower. 

 

“Now is when I play the Ocarina.”

 

Skull Kid asked Link,  “What is going to happen?”

 

Link answered, “I am going to play the Ocarina of Time here, and we are going to go back in time thanks to the magical power that the song I will play will bring upon us.  There isn’t any pain involved, but you will feel a bit woozy as we go through a sort of space-time continuum.  Now, get close to me, because we are going to travel back.”

 

Link takes out the Ocarina and plays the song of time.  Upon finishing, he replaces the Ocarina, and waits for them to travel back.  However, after over a minute, nothing happens.  Link gets an extreme look of concern on his face, thinking that maybe he didn’t play the song right.  He pulled the Ocarina out again to replay the song when a solitary figure stepped out from underneath the clock tower.  It was Kafei.

 

“That isn’t going to work.” Kafei said.

 

Link was taken aback, “Wait, who are you, and how do you know that?”

 

“Allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Kafei, and I am a resident of the city of Clock Town, my father was once the mayor here.  I am 19 years of age, and I come with news of the evil that is affecting the land of Termina.”

 

Skull Kid was stunned.  “You’re 19?  You look like a kid!”

 

Kafei answered,  “It was the power of Majora’s Mask that turned me into this state.  Perhaps you remember the time a year ago that you turned me into this using the power of that mask!  Well it happened again!  This time it was a weird man wearing that mask of legend who enacted the same magic upon me.

 

“How did this happen?” Link asked.  “And why won’t my Ocarina send us back through time like it should?”

 

Kafei started, “I ventured beneath the clock tower about a week ago, and I found this man carrying lots of masks in a large bag, and I saw Majora’s Mask lying on the ground in front of him, as if he had dropped it.  I went up to him and started talking to him, but my intention was to get Majora’s Mask away from him, because knowing its power, it was far too dangerous to be left in the hands of a traveler like him.  So I tried to get the mask, but he threw me back with some evil power, and then he put the mask on and turned me into what you see now.  This man has fled through the air up to the heavens, and has used the power of Majora’s Mask to piece the moon back together, and now it is falling onto Termina again!  As for your Ocarina, the mask salesman used some black magic from another land to stop your instrument from taking you back in time. (link’s face just drops when he hears this)”

 

Link turned to Skull Kid.  “This is a much worse situation then I could have possibly imagined.  We need to warn everybody in this city that the moon will fall on them, no, we need to warn everybody in this land that they are in huge danger!  We only have about 9 hours before the moon falls!”  Link turned to Skull Kid.  “Skull Kid will ride to the south to Woodfall to warn the Dekus, while I will ride into the mountains to tell the Gorons of the threat.  You need to round up the mayor, the Knights of Termina, anybody, warn the people in the streets, make as big a fuss as you can to get people out of this city.  They need to go the Ocean to the west, as that is the only safe place they can go to survive the effects of the moon impact.  Once Skull Kid and I are done with our business in our parts of the land, we will head to Zora Hall to tell the Zoras there that many residents of Clock Town are coming to hunker down inside Zora Hall.  It will be difficult, but if we move quickly we can save almost everybody here…”

 

Chapter 4: Night Ride Through Termina

 

Link rode Epona to the north at a frantic pace into the mountains that adorn northern Termina.  The temperature really started to cool, and Link was beginning to shiver a bit by the time he reached Mountain Village about an hour and fifteen minutes after setting out from Clock Town.  He instantly headed to the east toward Goron Village, as his destination was Goron Hall.  Upon entering Goron Hall, he was greeted with enthusiasm from the many Gorons who still remembered him from a year ago when he stopped the blizzard in the mountains.

 

Link entered the Goron Throne Room

 

Darmani was excited to see Link.  “Link, it is an absolute pleasure to meet you once again.  I cannot express enough gratitude for saving me a year ago.  I am forever indebted to you.” 

 

“The pleasure is mine Darmani,” Link said.  “Listen, I am sure you know about the moon falling, and you are all in big danger.”

 

Darmani appeared to be fairly aware of the situation as he spoke.  “We have already taken steps to save ourselves in case the moon falls.  As you saw walking in, We have stocked our hall with enough rock sirloin to last us all more than a week.  We’re experiencing a bit of trouble with accommodations for everybody, but anyway, shouldn’t your Ocarina be able to stop the moon’s falling path?”

 

Link explained, “Yes, but according to what I’ve heard in clock town, the mask salesman who has wielded Majora’s Mask has used black magic from another realm to stop the ability of the Ocarina to travel back in time.  Darmani, the moon is really going to fall this time.  The only spots on this mountain where you are safe from the immense heat and earthquakes generated by the impact of the moon are here in Goron Hall and at Snowhead Temple.  Anything that does not fit inside Goron Hall, you must move to Snowhead Temple immediately, including all people and supplies, even your precious artifacts.  This mountain is going to look very different once the moon falls.”

 

Darmani’s face was flushed.  “Bengoro!  Tell the gorons in Mountain Village that they must move quickly to Snowhead Temple, and that they only have a few hours to do it.  Billgoro!  You need to gather your group and gather up as much rock sirloin as you possibly can and bring it inside Goron Hall.  Timgoro!  You need to round up all gorons living inside Goron Village and tell them to pack inside Goron Hall immediately, so we can determine if any need to be sent to Snowhead Temple!  Everybody, let’s move.  This is not a drill, this is an emergency situation!  (turns back to Link)  I did not fully realize just how much danger we were all in.  You too are in danger, please hunker down in Goron Hall tonight with us, we cannot afford anything to happen to you.”

 

Link nodded, “Thank you for the offer, but I really must be heading to Great Bay Coast.”

 

Darmani was shocked.  “Great Bay Coast?  But that’s like 90 miles from here!  How are you going to get there in time before the moon falls?”

 

Link answered,  “There’s about 7 hours left before the moon falls.  With my loyal steed Epona, I can make it there in plenty of time.  The Zoras need to know that the people of Clock Town are coming their way.”

 

Kafei wandered through the streets of Clock Town for about 2 hours, clamoring through the streets, telling people of the moon falling onto Clock Town and that they needed to evacuate the city and head west toward Great Bay.  By about 15 minutes after he started, people were running around like crazy in the center of the city as if there was a massive riot going on.  Twice Kafei got knocked down/trampled to the point where he could hardly get up.

 

Kafei shouted as he bashed on his laundry pail.  “Everybody in the streets!  The moon is falling down upon us!  You must get out of here and evacuate to the ocean immediately!”  As he is shouting he runs into another short man, it is the mayor of Clock Town.

 

The Mayor peered straight at Kafei.  “I see that you are enciting fear into a large crowd.  That is against the laws of Clock Town young man.”

 

Kafei pleaded,  “Please, you have to listen to me.  The moon is falling on this city at a frantic pace, and its going to flatten this city and everybody who is here tonight.  You have to order an evacuation of the city as quickly as possible to get these people out of here!”

 

“And how do you suggest doing that?”

 

“You have to tell the Knights of Termina stationed in Clock Town that they need to move everybody out or they will get flattened.  They need to go to the ocean, as that is the only safe place.  Link is already on his way out to Zora Hall to tell the Zoras of your impending arrival.  Please, Zora Hall is the closest place to Clock town where you will be safe from the effects of the moon hitting Termina!  You have to believe me!”

 

The Mayor and Kafei quibbled for about 15 more minutes.  The Mayor wanted to arrest Kafei for his actions, but after a massive ground shaking at about 10 minutes after 23 hours, the Mayor officially decided Kafei was right and evacuated the city, at around 23:15 that night.  The Knights came in and started clearing out the center of the city and started pushing people to the west.  It was a crazy scene as some people started fighting the Knights, while others scampered out of the city as quickly as they could.  It was not a model evacuation to be sure, as many people hid away to prevent themselves from getting pushed out. 

 

While the mayhem erupted in Clock Town, Skull Kid was reaching the Southern Swamp.

 

Skull Kid talked with Koume.  “Koume, you have to let me take the boat tour.”

 

Koume denied him.  “Sorry, the boat tour is closed for the night.”

 

Skull Kid reemphasized his concerns.  “I don’t care about sightseeing, I just need to get to Deku Palace.  It’s important and it concerns you and Kotake’s safety.  The moon is going to fall onto Termina, and you need to get inside Woodfall mountain as soon as possible.  I must get to Deku Palace to warn the Dekus of the threat.”

 

Koume looked surprised.  “Well then, I will let you have the boat.  I am going to tell Kotake that we must go to Woodfall Mountain.  Best of luck with the Dekus, they don’t like outsiders.”

 

Skull Kid took the tour boat down to Deku Palace, where upon arrival he was immediately accosted by the Deku Guards.

 

“This is the Deku Palace, only Dekus are allowed to visit and only Deku royalty are allowed to enter the palace.”

 

Skull Kid tried to reason.  “Please, you must understand my plight.  The entire land of Termina is in danger, and this Palace will likely not survive the moon’s impact on the land.  The only safe place for you to go is Woodfall Temple, and you must get there before the moon falls.  I must tell the Deku Royal Family about this danger.”

 

“Only Dekus are allowed inside Deku Palace, you are not allowed to enter!”

 

Skull Kid was livid, “This is a matter of life and death and all you care about is whether I’m a Deku, well, EXCUSE ME!!!”  He pushed right past the guards, who immediately threw up warning signals behind Skull Kid as he rushed into the throne room.

 

Despite the trouble with the guards, reasoning with the Deku King and Princess was not difficult, especially after Skull Kid mentioned that the heat generated by the moon’s impact could unleash a firestorm big enough to destroy the valley.  This really scared the Deku Princess, who begged her father to get everybody up to Woodfall Mountain.  Since the King does anything the Princess asks for, within minutes, every Deku inside Deku Palace was evacuating the area and heading up toward Woodfall Temple via the train of deku flowers that adorned the area.  By now, it was after midnight, and the Skull Kid boarded the tour boat back to the top of the swamp, ready to head off to Zora Hall.

 

By the time Kafei and Skull Kid reached Great Bay Coast around 03:00, Link was already at Zora Hall engaged in a heated discussion with Mikau and Lulu.

 

Lulu was awestruck.  “So you are telling me that the moon is going to fall onto Termina in a few hours, and we have to get our people inside Zora Hall along with thousands of refugees from Clock Town?  That’s just not feasible, Zora Hall cannot hold more than a few thousand people, plus there are hundreds more Zoras along the bottom of the Great Sea Coast.”

 

Mikau concurred.  “Lulu, I think we need to send our warriors to warn the zoras on the sea bottom of the threat and to come back here, but again, there’s just not enough space.  What do we do Link?”

 

Link asked, “Is it possible to send out people to Great Bay Temple?”

 

Lulu answered, “Yes.  However, due to the layout of the temple, most of the people from Clock Town would not be able to get far inside it.”

 

“I think I know what to do then,” Link said.  “Right now, Mikau, Lulu, you need to summon the turtle and we need to get as many of the Zora women and children out to Great Bay Temple as quickly as possible.  We don’t have much time.  That way, we’ll have the necessary space inside Zora Hall.” 

 

“Link, how can we repay you for your endeavors?” Mikau asked. 

 

“We’ll worry about that if we survive…”

 

Chapter 5: The Moon Falls on Termina

 

Kafei and Skull Kid rendezvoused with Link on the beach of Great Bay at around 03:45, only 135 minutes before the moon was to impact the ground of Termina.  Kafei was surrounded by many Termina knights and literally thousands of people from Clock Town who were fleeing the moon’s damage path.  By 04:00, Mikau and the Zoras on the shores of Great Bay had been warned of their arrival, and the Zoras began to ferry people down inside Zora Hall, while tons more simply swam across the Great Bay ocean down into Zora Hall.  Meanwhile, Lulu was overseeing the crossing of hundreds of Zoras across the ocean to Great Bay Temple.  Unfortunately, despite the planning of the space, there were far more people than the Zoras could possibly accommodate, and the turtle could only move so fast across the gap between Zora Hall and Great Bay Temple.  Link realized that there was no way everybody could get inside Zora Hall.

 

Link asked, “Mikau, do you have any idea what we can do?  There’s not much time left and there’s no space left is there?”

 

Mikau responded,  “There’s not much time and Zora Hall is packed to the max.  The turtle has taken refuge inside Great Bay Temple, as there is less than an hour left.  There’s only one thing we can do now, and these people will simply have to dive beneath the ocean waters.  Just how much heat do you think will be generated by the impact?

 

Link responded gravely.  “Tons.  It will likely generate enough heat and pressure to blow just about anything away on the surface.”

 

Hearing this, and knowing that Zora Hall was flooded with thousands of people, some rooms packed about 30 or 40 to a bedroom usually reserved for 2, Mikau knew that the situation was grim.  He knew that the Zoras could not stay out in the water during the expected firestorm, because if they did the heat would likely heat the water to spa temperature or higher, enough to slowly boil a Zora’s internal organs.  Thus, he had no choice but to tell the remaining Clock Town refugees to simply dive beneath the ocean when the pressure/fire wave came through.  It wasn’t what they wanted to hear.

By now, it was 05:50, and the moon was pulling up debris from buildings into its orbit.  Everywhere in Termina, the people were hunkered down expecting the worst.  From the heights of Snowhead Mountain to the moss-covered goodness of Woodfall Temple, to the jam-packed watery depths of Zora Hall, the people of Termina braced themselves for what would be a very difficult hour in the history of their land.  All throughout the final minutes, Link continued to play his Ocarina, hoping somehow, someway, this disaster could be avoided.  It was of no avail, there would be no saving the land of Termina from calamity this time.  He resigned himself to this fact and took his position on the Indigo-Go stage of Zora Hall, right next to Kafei and Skull Kid.

 

Unless you were in Termina Field or Clock Town, where the rumblings of the earth were almost unbearable, the early morning and the sunrise were calm and pleasant, just like any other day.  In the outskirts of Termina, everything was deathly silent when the clock hit 06:00.  No bird chirped, no wind fluttered, and no person bustled.

 

That’s when IT happened.

 

IT was a collision of immense proportions, far greater than any the Zelda universe, nay, the Nintendo universe had ever experienced before.  IT was a cataclysmic impact between the surface of the moon and the ground of Clock Town.  Within seconds, the entire city was shattered to pieces as the moon struck the earth of Termina.  The collision emitted a piercing shriek that was absolutely deafening, even up inside the temples of Snowhead, Woodfall, and Great Bay.  Nobody had any doubts about what had happened upon hearing the sound.  Almost immediately after the sound, the ground began to shake uncontrollably near the epicenter, and as the earth interacted with the moon, a great force of pressure and heat built up at the center.  This built up quickly and without warning, exploded out in all directions, sending a raging ball of dense, pressurized fire out in all directions from the epicenter.  Anybody left in Clock Town or Termina Field was simply incinerated by the heat and pressure, which was comparable to about four nuclear bombs going off all at once.  At Romani Ranch, the firestorm blew through everything.  Over in Ikana Canyon, only the Ancient Castle of Ikana and Stone Tower were able to withstand the pressurized fire.  In the waters off of Great Bay Coast, residents of Clock Town watched the blazing firestorm approach them, and prepared to take a dive.  In Mountain Village, the shaking of the earth and the pressure of the firestorm caused Snowhead Mountain to erupt, causing pyroclastic flow to seep down the mountain amid rocks crumbling all around it from the earthquakes.  At Goron Hall and Snowhead Temple, the fire wave’s immense heat and pressure nearly blew away the south face of both structures, but the shaking caused waves from the ground to refract the firestorm wave, saving everybody inside.  At Woodfall Temple, the Dekus were saved by the strength and height of Woodfall Mountain, which withstood the firestorm extremely well although everything below on the Southern Swamp was obliterated.  In Great Bay, the wave passed with much strength, and its passing unexpectedly caused a major wave to rise up and move out along the firestorm out toward Great Bay Temple.  Many people who had dived beneath the wave were picked up by this rapid tsunami, and were carried to their deaths.  At Great Bay Temple, the wave struck with such massive force that it caused the dungeon to nearly fall over backwards, standing up only because of strong oceanic crust below the surface on which the dungeon was founded by.  Inside Zora Hall, a backwash from this wave filled in the backside of the rock building, causing the area to fill with water, and the hall nearly collapsed from the pressure caused by the wave.  Yet it was strong enough to resist the force, and everybody inside survived.

 

The impact was big, nasty, and suspenseful for all that managed to live through it.  Although the people of Termina who survived thought that the worst was now over, they had no idea of the evils that were about to plague their land…

 

Chapter 6: The Majoran Breakout

 

When the moon hit the land of Termina, it unleashed unbelievable destruction.  But despite the devastation the impact unleashed, it brought about something even more sinister, it had to been seen to be believed.  When the moon fractured apart upon impact, a great evil was brought into the land of Termina.  Anybody who has played Majora’s Mask knows that inside of the moon there is a meadow where children, wearing the masks of Odolwa, Twinmold, Goht, and Gyorg run around and play.  Well, upon the moon fracturing apart, hundreds, possibly thousands of these people came out from the inside of the moon.  But they were not the peace-loving children that you know from the game, oh no, these people were under direct control by the Mask Salesman to take out anything and anybody they saw still alive in Termina.  These children, whom henceforth I will refer to as Majorans, had direct access to the powers laid within the masks that they wore, making them extremely dangerous.  These seemingly innocent children knew not what they were about to do, for they were the pawns of the Mask Salesman’s evil scheme

 

Back inside Zora Hall, the people of Great Bay and Clock Town began to crawl outside, beginning to inspect the damage caused by the moon’s impact and subsequent earthquakes that occurred.  The beach of Great Bay shifted backward about 10 yards, and a giant fault line now existed that ran just north of Zora Hall where the earth had broken apart.  Had this fault hit Zora Hall, the whole Hall could have collapsed and killed everybody inside.  The residents of Clock Town began to climb on top of the dunes overlooking the Oceanside Spider House in order to look out on Termina Field.  They were stunned by what they saw, and it set in to them that their homes in Clock Town were completely destroyed.  Some began to weep, while others struggled to contain their frustration.  Link couldn’t stand to be around such a scene of suffering, but took solace in the fact that he was able to save so many lives.  He only wondered if the Dekus and Gorons were able to survive too.  It was just then that everybody got an unexpected taste of what was to come.

 

A band of Majorans, probably numbering about 50, came streaming into the Great Bay area with extreme speed.  They were wearing Goht masks, and didn’t even stop to recognize the people standing on the beach.  They drew their weapons, and within minutes many people were down, bleeding from where they had been attacked.  Link, Skull Kid, and the Zoras instantly went to work trying to fend off the Majoran attackers while the rest of the people on the beach ran for their lives.  Just as it appeared that the Majorans were going to withdraw, Link nailed one with the long side of his sword as it ran by.  His Goht mask flew off and he fell as if he’d been bombed.  Skull Kid picked up the kid and the mask and fled back to Zora Hall, while Link continued to fight against the Majorans until the last of them had retreated back into Termina Field.

 

The surprise attack was nasty, with about 10 people killed and many more wounded on the beaches of Great Bay Coast that morning.  Link had no idea who or what had just attacked them, but had a feeling that there would be more attacks in the near future.  Luckily, he had taken out one of the Majoran children, and perhaps an interrogation would answer some questions.

 

Chapter 7: Link Imposes His Trust

 

Link and Mikau were talking about the fallen Majoran child inside Zora Hall.

 

Link asked, “Mikau, how is the kid?  Is he coming to?”

 

Mikau responded, “He seems to be responding now.  Lulu has taken good care of him.”

 

“Bring him into the room.”

 

Mikau brought the Majoran child into the room, where Link, Kafei, and Skull Kid were waiting.  They were all very calm and collected as they did not want to intimidate the child.

 

Link approached the little kid.  “Hello there, my name is Link.  What is yours?”

 

The child paused, then responded.  “Uhh, Nester, that’s my name.”

 

Link said, “Nester, do you see the four of us around you?  We are going to ask you a few questions.  We think that you could know some things that could help us.  Don’t be afraid, because we aren’t going to hurt you or anything like that, we are nice people and just want to help all the people gathered here.  Do you understand that?”

 

The Majoran child nodded his head a bit, and Link began asking questions.  When asked about the band of children attacking the people on the beach, the kid claimed to know nothing.  Link asked many other questions, including the moon falling on the land of Termina and where he came from, and Nester was completely clueless.  Kafei and Mikau both thought he was lying, but Skull Kid wasn’t sure.  He took over the interrogation.

 

Skull Kid asked, “What is the last thing you remember before you woke up inside this very hall today?”

 

Nester responded,  “I was running around in a meadow.  It was a sunny day, and I was playing around with my other child friends, and then all of a sudden the sky started turning reddish-black.  That’s when the grass gave way beneath us and there was a massive shriek.  I don’t remember anything else after that.  Next thing I know, I am surrounded by a bunch of these fish people inside this hall.”  Nester points at Mikau as he says this.

 

Skull Kid nodded and then spoke.  “Thank you Nester, the four of us are going to need to confer a minute.”  Link, Kafei, and Mikau confered around Skull Kid.

 

“Now people, I know some of you think that this kid is lying when he says he knows nothing of the attack, but from what he just told us, I’ve deduced the following.  This kid came from inside the moon. (Link nods at this)  The last thing he says he knew is the moon crashing into Termina, meaning that he knows nothing of the attack.  Now, I don’t know if he is lying, but the answer to my next question should answer it for us.  I have a feeling that these kids are being possessed by the power of Majora’s Mask, and if that is the case, he shouldn’t know about this.” Skull Kid pulls out the Goht Mask.

 

Skull Kid asked calmly.  “Nester, do you recognize this mask?”

 

Nester responded,  “Why, no I don’t.  I don’t think I have ever seen anything like that before.”

 

“You are absolutely sure?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Skull Kid said, “That’s funny, because just an hour ago, you were wearing this mask.”

 

Nester looked confused and scared.  “What, wh, but that’s impossible.  I’ve never seen this mask much less worn it.”

 

Skull Kid spilled the beans.  “You and about 50 children just like you just came down upon this ocean wearing these masks and killed and wounded many people.  You had weapons on you, and looked like you children were trying to kill everybody on the beach.  Link here knocked this mask off of you when you tried to escape and you went unconscious.  That’s when we brought you here.  It was a terrible thing what you and the others have done.”

 

Nester begins to cry. “You’re scaring me.  I don’t know what you are talking about, but if people died because of me, ohhh….”

 

Link comforted Nester.  “Nester, its okay, we’ve determined that something is very wrong with you and all of your brethren from the moon.  They are trying to kill everybody in this land because they are under the power of an evil magical force.  That is why you came in here attacking people and didn’t remember any of it.  Your moon children friends will come back and wreak more havoc on all of us because somebody is commanding them to kill people.”

 

Skull Kid interrupted Link.  “Actually, the person controlling Majora’s Mask is out to kill everybody in Termina.”

 

“Wait, how do you know that?” asked Mikau.

 

Kafei answered.  “Actually Mikau, Skull Kid is right, the mask salesman, the one who controls Majora’s Mask will stop at nothing to kill off everybody and everything in the land of Termina.  His aim is total destruction.  He is a relentless psychopath that enjoys killing as his biggest form of entertainment.”

 

Link agreed.  “Kafei, we need to round up the Gorons and the Dekus if we are to defeat this threat from the Majoran children.  I am off to gather them now, but before I leave I have something for you.”  Link reached into a sack he had carried from the mountains.

 

“What is it?” Kafei asked.  “Oh my goodness Link, no way!”

 

Link said sternly, “This blade is the gilded sword, it is the strongest blade in all of Termina, strong enough to take out the strongest of warriors.  It was the blade I used to defeat Majora.  Take it, and use it with care.”

 

Kafei started swinging the sword.  “I’m a real fighter now!” he shouted.  “Look out mask salesman, Kafei is gonna pay you back in spades!”

 

Link continued.  “Skull Kid, take this.  This was the very sword I used in the early part of my adventures in Hyrule before I came to Termina.  It is a relic of the tribe of my homeland, the Kokiri Sword.  Take this with care, for it is an instrument deeply indebted to me.”

 

Skull Kid was amazed.  “Link, I will use this effectively and not misuse it, I promise to the bottom of my heart.”

 

Link turned to the Majoran child.  “And you, Nester.  What we must do when your moon children friends return is simple.  If you pull their trapping masks off their faces, they will stop fighting, so for you I have this.”  Link pulled out the hookshot.  “This instrument can be used to grab the masks off of your friends from a long range.  It will be very helpful to you in the battle ahead.”

 

Nester asked.  “Link, do you think I am brave enough to fight?”

 

Link assured him, “You are brave enough, you have an immense amount of will, as I have seen it with my own two eyes.  Take care of that hookshot.”

 

“Link, what will you fight with?” Mikau asked.

 

“I have something bigger and better than either of you can possibly imagine.  I will reveal that weapon when the time comes, and when that happens, you’ll all know it.  Now, I must be off to Snowhead, and then Woodfall.  Take care in my absence everybody.”  Link plays the song of soaring, and he is off flying as the chapter comes to a close.

 

Chapter 8: Link Gets Ambushed

 

Link waited for the feathers to stop blowing around him as he stood in front of the owl statue in Mountain Village.  He didn’t even get to take one step forward before about 4 Majoran children jumped all over him.  He was pinned to the ground by the children, all wearing Odolwa masks, and had his Ocarina taken while a solitary figure approached him from the foreground.  He instantly recognized it as the mask salesman, wearing Majora’s Mask.  He was temporarily knocked out of consciousness by the punches and kicks of the children, which were relentless.

 

The mask salesman snickered.  “Well, look what we have here.  Good work children, we’ve found ourselves a problem child of the land of Termina.  Take him away.”

 

Link is led into a dungeon carved out of the mountains around Mountain Village during the earthquakes after the moon fell.  Luckily for Link, several Gorons saw Link get taken, and immediately told Darmani, who put together a rescue force. 

 

The mask salesman talked in a condescending tone.  “Now my green friend, I want you to know everything about what I plan to do with this land, as I would hate to leave you in the dark.”

 

“You’re making a big mistake!”  Link shouted.

 

“You are the one who is mistaken,” the mask salesman said, “Twelve months ago you thought you saved this land of Termina, but what you failed to realize was that this land was doomed from the time you started.  By saving the land of Termina and defeating Majora, you played right into my hand.  I was the next successor of the power of the mask, and I would have taken over this land a year ago had it not been for that awful Skull Kid.  But now that both Skull Kid and Majora have passed on, nobody is left to stop me!  The entire land of Termina is mine!”

 

Link was livid.  “If you wanted to take this land, why did you try to destroy it?!”

 

The mask salesman reached over and slapped Link hard. “Fool!  Did you not just understand?  The land of Termina is doomed, it was destined to be destroyed by the moon.  And yet, for the 2^nd time, you’ve messed with this lands destiny.  You took it upon yourself to save the people of this land from certain doom, and thus became a direct threat to my power.  Yet, I had a feeling you would attempt such a feat, so that’s why I made the deal, the deal that would stop your attempt to stop the moon from falling.”

 

“Deal?!”

 

The mask salesman laughed hysterically.  “Oh, when I watched you complete your adventure a year ago, I knew you would be a roadblock to my plan to have this land realize its destiny, being the warrior that you were.  I knew your Ocarina was the most important element to your success, as it helped you complete the same three days over again.  I needed a mechanism to stop your Ocarina powers, and boy did I ever find it the annals of a far off land.  The was an individual that had within him the power of the gods, and he granted me the power to interfere with your Ocarina’s connection to the time goddess.  Without his help, there is no way the moon would have fallen on this land.  And do you have any idea who this person was?”  

 

The Gorons standing outside the room were waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack, Link planned his escape from the ropes and woodblock that he is tied to as the mask salesman spilled the beans.

 

“The man that helped me stop your Ocarina powers was none other than the King of the Gerudos, Ganondorf, from the land of Hyrule!”  The Majoran children in the dungeon start to cheer and run around an a giddy manner as if to celebrate.

 

The mask salesman explained.  “This man has been wronged by the people of his land, and was deposed from the throne by way of a coup against him about 2 years ago.  You Link, were among the people who threw Ganondorf from power.  Because of you, your precious friend Princess Zelda, and her band of criminals you call sages, Ganondorf was doomed inside the Sacred Realm.  But that’s when I proposed to him that he help me to take over Termina in exchange for me helping him to take over Hyrule.  That’s how I got this!”  He turns his hand over to reveal the Triforce of Power.  “You see, I used the power of this relic to piece back together the moon and stop the Time Goddess.  Victory is inevitable, and as soon as the people of Termina are left to do my bidding, the evil power will spread into the land of your birth and will cover both countries forever!”

 

The mask salesman starts to laugh hysterically.  Link has seen enough, and he casts Din’s Fire on the contraption he is strapped to.  It burns up within seconds and Link grabs his sword off of the table in the center of the room.  About 10 Majoran children rush toward him but Link knocks them away with the circular swordspin.  The mask salesman is knocked out temporarily by the spin.  By then, the Gorons rush into the dungeon room and start wreaking havoc on the Majoran children, Goron punching them and taking their masks off one by one.  Link and the Gorons have laid waste to everybody inside.  Just as the mask salesman starts to come to, Link and the other Gorons beat a hasty retreat.

 

Link is furious about what he has heard from the mask salesman.  He realized that this battle was not just about Termina anymore, it also involved Hyrule, and to Link, that meant this battle was personal.

 

Chapter 9: Link Sprints to Hyrule

 

Upon escaping with the Gorons from the dungeon in Mountain Village, he and Darmani talked about some very important business regarding the upcoming battle with the mask salesman and his Majoran children.  The Gorons began to make preparations to head down to Termina Field, and would make their move out of the mountains upon Link’s call.

 

Link then played his Ocarina, newly retrieved from the Majorans, and soared to Milk Road.  He then called Epona and the two were off riding quickly through Romani Ranch (which looked like a disaster area in the wake of the moon falling) and into the trees separating Hyrule and Termina.  About an hour and a half later, he reached the Link-Skull Kid sign on the Hyrule-Termina border.  As soon as he stepped into Hyrule, he pulled out his Ocarina again, this time to play the Prelude of Light.  Link instantly found himself inside the Temple of Time.  He moved as quickly as he could through Hyrule Castle Town (which wasn’t hard as it was the middle of the night) and into the field in front of Hyrule Castle.  Link found his way to one of the backway entrances of Hyrule Castle, where he knew there would be somebody standing guard.  That somebody happened to be Impa.  Link swooped in.

 

Impa asked, “Link, what are you doing here at this time of night?”

 

Link was blunt.  “Impa, you have to let me see Zelda, right now.  It’s an emergency situation!”

 

“You may go forth behind me.  Zelda is asleep right now however, so I doubt she will like you awaking her like this.”

 

Impa leads Link through the throne room of Hyrule Castle and to the Princess’s quarters.  Impa goes in to warn Zelda of Link’s arrival, and Zelda walks out a few minutes later dazed and confused.

 

Zelda asked, “Link, what are you doing back so soon?  And at this time of night?”

 

Link got right to the point.  “Zelda, you have to listen to me.  Earlier this morning I was in the northern mountains of the land of Termina, and I learned a horrible secret.”

 

“I’m listening Link.  Don’t talk so fast, you sound nervous.”

 

“Sorry.” Link said.  “As I was saying, I was in the mountains, and I got ambushed by a bunch of children wearing masks, commanded by an evil mask salesman.  This person is the same salesman who once ran the Happy Mask Shop in Hyrule Castle Town.  He has obtained a great evil relic of the land of Termina called Majora’s Mask.  This mask has such power that it possesses the person wearing it to do the evil bidding of a guardian spirit.  He has used the power of this mask to wreak havoc on Termina.  Now if that was all he was doing, that would be bad enough, but it gets much worse.  Zelda, the whole land of Hyrule is now in danger.”

 

“I don’t see the connection.” Zelda said.  “This man is committing evil in this land of Termina, but how does this affect Hyrule?”

 

Link said,  “What I am about to reveal next is the reason I stand before you here tonight.  The mask salesman made an agreement with Ganondorf by which Ganondorf gave the Triforce of Power to the mask salesman so he could conquer Termina.”  Zelda gasps in astonishment.  “Once that happens, he will use the combined powers of the Triforce of Power and Majora’s Mask to break him out of the Sacred Realm.  If that happens, we will not only be fighting Ganondorf, but we will be fighting against the entire land of Termina as well.  It will be too much for us to overcome.  The mask salesman’s ultimate hope will be a conquered world, with him and Ganondorf combining to rule over both Hyrule and Termina.”

 

“I……..don’t believe it.” Zelda said.

 

Impa wasn’t so sure.  “Link, that is quite a plan that this lowly salesman has.  Are you sure he is capable of pulling off such a feat?”

 

Link assured her.  “Impa, this man has used the Triforce of Power to piece together a giant moon over the land of Termina and smash it into the land.  The entire landscape has been virtually destroyed as a result.  The mask salesman, upon learning that I and several others got most everybody in the land to safety before the moon impact, has embarked on a plan to either destroy or enslave everybody in the land of Termina.  He is doing this by using the power of Majora’s Mask to possess the minds of all the children living inside the moon.”

 

“The moon?”

 

Link explained, “It may sound weird, but inside the moon, there was a meadow where many children roamed around and played.  I know this because I have been there myself When the moon smashed into Termina, these children were ejected onto the land and promptly possessed by this mask salesman.  He has warped their minds, and all of them are on a quest to search for and destroy the people in Termina.  In fact, on the beaches of Great Bay, we just had a battle with these moon children [majorans] a day after the moon impact.  If these children allow this deranged man to take over Termina, Hyrulian security will be greatly jeopardized due to the mask salesman’s pact with Ganondorf.  I therefore ask that Zelda’s father, the king of Hyrule, immediately declare war and send over the armies of Hyrule to assist with defeating the threat posed by the mask salesman and his army.  If he does not do this, he will be putting the safety of this land and all who inhabit it into peril.”

 

Zelda stopped him.  “Link, you have said enough.  If this situation is nearly as grave and serious as you say it is, my father will no doubt send the Knights into battle for you and the people of Termina.”  Zelda turns to Impa, who nods back in assurance.

 

Link spoke again, “Zelda, Impa, I will see all of you again soon.  For now, I must travel to Goron City and Zora’s Domain to warn them of the threat.  I forever thank you for allowing me to reach you at such an hour.”

 

Link and Zelda embrace each other, then Link plays the Bolero of Fire to warp to Death Mountain Crater.  His meeting with Darunia goes just as well as the one he had with Zelda and Impa, probably better since Darunia was livid about the attack on the Gorons in Termina.  Despite it being well into the early morning, Link was also able to meet with King Zora and Princess Ruto in Zora’s Domain, who immediately sympathized with the Zoras when they heard of the Majoran attack at Great Bay Coast.  They immediately rounded up their warriors to head across the sea separating Zora’s Domain and Great Bay, which would happen the next day with Link in tow.  Link saw a sense of responsibility coming out of the Hyrulian people to help their brethren in Termina, and now his battle plan was really coming together.  However, unbeknownst to Link, there was trouble brewing back in Termina, and he wasn’t there to stop it.

 

Chapter 10: Kafei Plays Defense

 

Link knew that when he left for Hyrule, it was likely that the majoran children would attack again, which is why he gave his weapons away to Kafei, Skull Kid, and Nester.  He could not have been more correct, as a day after the first attack, the majoran children launched another attack against the people standing on the beaches of Great Bay.  The bad thing about this attack was the fact that the majorans pulled a two-sided attack and went after the Zoras as well, preventing them from assisting the terminan-hylian people on the beaches of Great Bay.  How they did this was place another unit of majorans, these ones wearing Gyorg masks, into the waters just north of Pirates’ Fortress.  Thanks to the power of Gyorg, these majorans were able to swim just as fast as any of the Zoras, and their weapons were every bit as deadly as the Zoras’ electroshock attack.

 

The attack, like the one the previous day, started in the early morning hours and involved the Goht majorans coming up over the sand dunes and using the downslope to attack the Terminan people directly.  This time though, the Terminans from Clock Town fought much better, and some of them were equipped with weaponry.  Kafei was among one of these people, and did he ever show some moves.  He wielded the gilded sword that day for use against the Majorans, and by the end of the battle had the Majoran attackers shying off of him for fear of getting beat.  Kafei was swiping, he was evading, he was using quick cuts and jukes to pull off the masks of the Majorans, who simply dropped their weapons.  His performance had several of his fellow townsfolk in awe, including his fiancée Anju.  Inspired by Kafei’s strong swordplay, the people of Clock Town were fairing well, holding their own against the Goht Majorans.  That’s when the Gyorg Majorans made their move.

 

They came in from the north, and caught the Zora defenders from the rear.  Instantly, several Zoras were sent to their watery graves.  Although they had been somewhat surprised by the emergence of the Gyorg majorans, they did allow themselves to panic.  Better yet, since the battle on land was going better than expected, the Zoras were able to put most of their fighters in the waters of Great Bay awaiting a counterattack.  As such, the Zoras were able to turn around and face the Gyorg-masked children quickly.  Their presence quickly frustrated the Majorans, who struggled against their boomerang fins (great mask-pulling weapon), and their electroshock attack.

 

By mid-morning, the battle was disputed on both sides, with many people wounded/injured.  The end of the battle came when Link came across the Termina Sea with Princess Ruto’s band of Hyrulian Zoras.  Link was riding on top of Ruto as she swam through the water at the front of the school of Zoras, when he noticed that there was fighting up ahead.  He stood up on top of Ruto as if she was a surfboard, and saw the Majorans in the water fighting against Mikau’s troops.  Upon receiving word of the situation, Ruto ordered the Hyrulian Zoras to form a circle around the masked children in an attempt to trap them and force them into surrender.  Just before Link and Ruto’s group arrived, the Gyorg majoran children sensed the danger, and retreated northward toward Pirates’ Fortress.  It is too bad for the Zoras that the pirate gerudos did not notice what was going on, or they could have shut off the Majoran escape route.  Instead, many Majoran children escaped out to the north, ready to fight another day. 

 

Despite that, thanks to the resolve of the people of Clock Town, the suddenly awesome fighting skills of Kafei, and the strength of the Zoras, the Majorans had been beaten back.  The people of Termina were beginning to breathe with confidence, and with Link back from Hyrule, things were really turning up.

 

Chapter 11: Majorans Invade Hyrule

 

Skull Kid did not partake in the 2^nd battle on the shores of Great Bay, because he was en route to Deku Palace to talk with the Deku King.  His mission was to get the Deku King to get his Deku troops into the final battle with the Majoran children and the Mask Salesman.  This was extremely important because if the Deku Scrubs were to get involved in the fighting, Link’s army would be able to fight the enemy in three directions, the gorons from the north, the zoras and terminan-hylians from Clock Town from the west, and the deku scrubs from the south.  Not only that, but the aerial-based Deku Scrubs would be able to attack from the air, giving them aerial superiority, and provide assistance to the ground troops of the Gorons and Zoras/Terminans.  Skull Kid did not realize it just yet, but the meeting he was about to have would have a huge impact on how the decisive battle would go.

 

Skull Kid reached Deku Palace that afternoon to find that the area had been completely destroyed and burned out by the moon impact.  Extremely anxious, he hurried to Woodfall Temple, and found the Dekus there.  The Deku Princess stood at the front of the temple.

 

The Deku Princess said, “Skull Kid, it is good to see you once again.  Us Deku are truly indebted to you and your warning us of disaster last week.  We would have all perished in the firestorm had it not been for your wisdom and foresight.”

 

The Deku Princess and Skull Kid spin around in place, the Deku equivalent of bowing/curtseying.  Skull Kid then began.  He explained his need to speak with the Deku King, and that it would involve the utilization of the Dekus in a decisive battle situation against the Mask Salesman and his force.  The Deku Princess instantly ferried Skull Kid across the first room by air and leads Skull Kid to Odolwa’s old room, which had been converted into a throne room of sorts by the Deku royal family.  Skull Kid walked up the giant deku flower where the King stood, and after exchanging some words of greeting, began to lay out his plight.  The Deku King was unsure of the whole idea of one combined force consisting of all races in Termina, and because of this wanted to balk, but the Deku Princess looked like she was going to kill him if he did.  The Deku King and Princess conferred, and Skull Kid chatted with the Deku Butler while they talked it over.  Finally, the Deku King agreed with his daughter that the Dekus were indebted to the Skull Kid for helping them survive the moon impact, and agreed to send whatever combat forces were necessary.  Skull Kid thanked the Deku King and told him that Link would appear to them personally to give the signal when the time came to move.

 

The next morning, while Link was surveying the injured and the wounded on the beaches of Great Bay, he decided to call Saria via Ocarina to see how far along the Hylian troops were in their journey from Hyrule to Termina.  But when he called Saria, she had a very distressed tone of voice.

 

Saria could hardly contain her despair.  “Link, I am so glad you called to talk to me.  Something horrible is happening here.”

 

Link asked,  “What is it Saria?”

 

Saria shouted, “There are children wearing masks flying through the air and attacking people from the sky!”

 

“Saria, what do these children look like?” Link asked as he clenched his fists.

 

“They all have whitish skin, and aren’t wearing any clothes except for the giant masks they wear on their faces.” Saria replied.

 

Link’s heart sank. “That’s what I needed to know Saria.  These children are dangerous, I know that as long as you stay in the forest you cannot die, but do not engage these children unless you are surrounded.  Do not let any Kokiri travel out of the forest under any circumstances!  Tell Mido that their weak point is their masks, you have to pull them off.  If you do that they will stop fighting immediately.  They have been brainwashed by the powers of the masks they wear, and that is why they are attacking.  If you take the mask, they will succumb to reality.”

 

Saria was grateful for this news but was still worried. “Thank you Link.  But in all seriousness, most of the forest has been taken by these people, and our airspace has been flooded with them.  You should come home and help us defeat these people.”

 

Link’s hands were tied.  “How I wish I could,” he replied, “but where I am, there are hundreds more of these masked children like you speak of, and their source is not far away, so I must stay.  Saria, where are the King’s troops?  They must be helping you fight these people.”

 

“They passed through the forest into the Lost Woods about a day ago, just before these children arrived.  I must go now Link, good luck in defeating these mongrels.”

 

Link, upon getting off with Saria, emits a loud yell.  He now knows that the masked children were performing aerial raids on the land of Hyrule.  But that was weird to him because he had not seen any flying Majorans in all of Termina.  Link figured it would not be long until he engaged a bunch of them.  In either case, this battle was getting more dangerous, and it had to be finished quickly…

 

Chapter 12: Link Gives the Signal

 

By now, it had been almost a week since the moon fell on Termina, and the people of Clock Town were getting restless with being displaced from their homeland.  Kafei and Skull Kid were concerned about how the land would ever get pieced back together.  Link was extremely worried about the backside attack into Hyrule by Majorans who, according to Saria were able to fly.  Link, despite not having any of his sword weapons, was ready to move everybody off the beach into the mess that was Termina Field.  He expected a major attack from the Majorans to the east, but in case that happened, he had his aces in the hole.

 

Link gathered the Zoras and Terminan-hylians on the beach that morning and said that the time for an attack eastward was drawing near.  There were scattered cheers in the crowd, as most of the people were restless on the beaches and wanted very much to exact revenge on the aggressors that had completely uprooted their lives.  Here is an excerpt from Link’s speech to the people of Clock Town.

 

“You are all brave people.  You all have displayed wit, knowledge, wisdom, and willpower beyond your years.  It is why you are all standing here today, stronger than you have ever been.  These trials and tribulations that you have gone through have been horrifying to all, yet you have stood tall in such a time.  There will be many more hardships ahead though, and all of you, every man, woman, and child gathered here today will have to remain strong if we are to defeat those that have put us into this position.  The one who had controlled the moon impact, the one who is now in control of the minds and bodies of the masked children who have not once, but twice attacked us on this very beach lies to the east.  He now camps over the very remains of what was once your splendid city of Clock Town.  Even though it is now a nasty region of molten rock and lava, it is a land that surely holds much significance to all of you gathered here today, for it is your homeland.  Many of you have expressed to me just how terrible it is to be transplanted from one’s home, your home.  I know for a fact that many of you have approached me and said “Link, when are we going to go after the attackers?”  “Link, when are we going back home?”  And, “Link, when are we going to take it upon ourselves to exact revenge on this mask salesman who nearly destroyed the land of Termina?”   Well ladies and gentlemen of Termina, the time has come to take back what is rightfully yours.  With the help of the Gorons from the north, the Dekus from the south, and most importantly of all, the friendly Zoras of this very beach and ocean, we will attack these cretons hard and fast.  And with any luck at all, we will be victorious.  This afternoon we move out to the east, and in the night the Gorons and Dekus will move to their battle positions, meaning tomorrow, we fight until we have destroyed the enemy!  Now is the time for Termina!  Now is the time for all of you, to rise up again and reclaim what is yours, and defeat the evil ones!”  Cheers from all assembled erupted.

 

Upon stepping down from the sand dunes, Link turned to Kafei and told him he needed to go over the battle plan with everybody.  After this, Link played the Song of Soaring and took off for Mountain Village, then Woodfall Temple to tell the Gorons and Deku Scrubs that the time was growing near and that they needed to move into their attack positions.  Link found Gorons and Deku Scrubs ready and raring to fight just as much as their counterparts from Clock Town.  It was as if the whole land of Termina was angry, and ready to get physical.

 

Here is the excerpt from Kafei’s speech once Link had left.

 

“I have received word from Link that there has been an attack inside the land of Hyrule, lying far east across the ocean from here.  From reports, it is said that the Majoran attackers there possess the ability to fly.  It is therefore possible that we will face such creatures in this coming attack.  The Deku Scrubs from the south will engage this enemy while we move on the ground.  Two other armies will be assisting us in this attack, the Gorons from the north, and the Hyrulian troops from the Milk Road area.  They will collapse in on the enemy from both directions, and force the enemy out.  If they retreat, the gorons will proceed onto the lava crater in the middle of Termina Field, and they will take out anything that hides there.  Once that happens, the masked salesman will have nowhere to run, and we will take him out.  Zoras!  In light of the attack in Hyrule and a possible backside attack by the Gyorg-masked children, you will have to stay on the beaches as a defensive unit and to keep our supply chain going.  Even though you won’t be in on the big attack, you are just as important as anybody else here.  People of Clock Town, all we have to do is be smart and move to the east without taking major losses.  Keep your wits about you, and you’ll be unstoppable.”

 

That was the strategy, to overwhelm the other side with superior numbers and multiple attacks from different directions.  It was a bold plan to take back the land of Termina, and early that afternoon, the people on the beach began moving into the wasteland that was Termina Field.  The big showdown was on the way…

 

Chapter 13: The Battle of Termina Field

 

The people of Clock Town moved eastward from Great Bay Coast into the remains of Termina Field that afternoon and evening.  Led by Link, Kafei, and Skull Kid, they encountered a minor skirmish against several Majorans late in the evening.  It was not a big deal however, and nobody really got hurt.  It was also late in the evening that Link noticed the army of Hylian Knights to the southeast of them coming out of Milk Road.  Seeing that, Link knew that everything was in place.

 

Kafei in particular couldn’t sleep the night before the attack.  So he stood guard duty along with Anju in the dead of night.

 

Kafei spoke with concern.  “Anju, I know we have been through a lot, with the inn getting destroyed, my getting turned into a child, again.  And yet, I take solace in the fact that you have always been there for me, no matter what.  I love you for that.”

 

Anju comforted Kafei, saying, “Kafei, its really amazing how much you have grown up.  You have taken hundreds of people under your wing in this awful time and given them hope.  You are like a shining beacon to many of these people.  I think without what you did in the last battle on the beach, we wouldn’t be where we are right now, on the verge of taking back this land.  It’s so sad that you may not come out of this alive.  Oh Kafei, I’m so worried for you!  You could have something horrible happen to you again!”  Anju starts to cry a bit.

 

Now Kafei is comforting Anju.  “Anju.  I want you to know that no matter what happens to me tomorrow, I will always be yours.  But I will tell you that after everything that the power of Majora’s Mask has done to me, I don’t intend to die, oh no.  I intend, no, I WILL, exact revenge on the person who has done this to me.  And when I’m done, we will live the good life again, I promise you.”

 

“That’s the Kafei I know.”  Kafei and Anju kiss under the moonlit darkness.

 

“Well look what we have here.”

 

“Skull Kid!!!” yelled Kafei and Anju.

 

It is now 06:00, the dawn of the day on the burned out soil of Termina Field.  Link’s exact orders had been for his army to move east into the Majoran territory at 07:00, and the Dekus to emerge at 07:15.  They would fight for about 30 minutes before the Gorons came barreling in from the north at 07:45.  Lastly, the Hylian Knights would jump in from the southwest at 08:00.  It was a masterful plan, but as it turned out, the masked salesman had an unexpected surprise for Link’s army.  A few days earlier, he made a deal with the forces of the dead in Ikana Canyon under which they would take part ownership in the new Termina once the living people had been forced under submission.  Needless to say, this sounded pretty good to King Igos du Ikana, who brought his forces in from the east to help the Majorans led by the mask salesman.  Especially important in the plan were his stalfos henchmen, who were to directly attack Link at the center of his force.

 

Just before the battle began, Link pulled Nester aside.

 

“Nester, are you ready to do this?”

 

“I don’t know Link, I’m scared,” said Nester

 

“There is no reason to be scared,” said Link.  “I will be right behind you all the way, and if anything happens to you, I’ll be there to help you quickly.  Remember, use that hookshot, and it will take off the masks of your friends.  Once they are pulled off, one of our fighters will run in and pick up your child friend, so that nothing bad will happen to them.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Okay.  Thanks Link.  I’ll try my hardest,” said Nester.

 

The Battle of Termina Field began at 07:05 with a major skirmish just to the west of where Clock Town once stood (remember that where Clock Town was there is now a crater of molten rock).  The Goht and Odolwa Majorans that engaged Link didn’t have much of a chance.  Kafei went to work with his gilded sword, Skull Kid used the Kokiri Sword, while Link stayed back and used his light arrows against the masks of the Majorans.  Nester used his hookshot against the Majorans at the front lines, and other Clock Town residents used sticks, poles, stones, anything to get the masks off of the Majoran attackers.  Once their masks were knocked off, other people from behind the lines ran up and grabbed the Majoran child and the mask and got them behind the lines, which was probably the most dangerous job of all.  About 50 people perished just from doing this alone.

 

The strategy of attack was so successful, it sent the mask salesman into a tizzy early, and he had no choice but to send the Gyorg and Twinmold Majorans out before he wanted to, and he sent Igos’s Ikana troops right at Link’s Terminan-hylian army.  The result was that the Twinmold Majorans and the Deku Scrubs got into the air at just the same time.  While the Dekus and Twinmold Majorans fought for control of the skies, Igos’s army engaged Link’s at the front line just west of the lava zone.  The arrival of Igos and his Ikana soldiers took Link by surprise.  Instantly, the Stalfos army began to wreak havoc on his Terminan-hylian force, and blood started spilling.  They were no match for Igos’s well trained troops.

 

Meanwhile, back on the shores of Great Bay, the Gyorg Majorans tried once again to go around and attack Great Bay Coast from behind.  This time, the Zoras would have none of it.  The Zoras led by Mikau changed tactics, and used their boomerang fins from the ocean bottom to take the masks off the watery Majorans, causing several to drown.  The battle kept flopping back and forth between a fight and a rescue mission (since they didn’t want the unarmed Majorans to simply drown and die).  Luckily for the Zoras, the pirates from the fortress had arrived to assist with the stopping of the Majorans.  Eventually, the Majorans were pinned between the Zoras on the shore and the bottom of the ocean, and the pirates on the water surface, and although the Majorans did not surrender easily, their resistance was slowly broken down until their masks had been destroyed one by one.  There would be no backside attack on Link’s army in this battle.

 

Meanwhile, back in Termina Field, Link was beginning to get angry.  He watched for fifteen minutes Igos’s troops beat his Terminan-hylians halfway around Termina Field.  Just as the Gorons and Knights arrived to yield some relief, Link turned to the one weapon he knew he could count on in such a situation, the Fierce Diety Mask!

 

Link, now as the Fierce Diety, started to single-handedly whip Igos’s Stalfos units.  Several were on the ground within minutes, and the sun of the day instantly killed them once down.  Eventually, Igos himself had to face Link, but by then, his existence was useless.  The Gorons were forcing the Twinmold Majorans out of the airspace above the lava pit, and the Hylian Knights were wreaking havoc on the remaining Majorans in the south.  The Goron attack allowed the Deku Scrubs to gain the upper hand in the battle above the ground, since they couldn’t tread into the lava zone.  Although he had to sweat a little bit, Link’s plan was now bearing fruit, and the mask salesman’s troops were in full retreat.  They had planned on staying near the crater of lava, since nobody could touch them there.  But they were caught completely by surprise at the Gorons’ arrival, and Darmani’s troops took no prisoners.  They picked up the molten rock from the crater and started lobbing it at several of the Majorans.  The ones that were hit simply burned to death.  Others were simply Goron Pounded.  (Apparently the Gorons didn’t think the Majorans were innocent bystanders like Link and the Zoras did).   Eventually, around 10:30, Darmani spotted the mask salesman, and he was out in the open with nobody around him.  Darmani instantly rolled after him.  The mask salesman used some power to make him run fast across Termina Field, and eventually found refuge inside a hole in the ground near the site of the Astral Observatory.

 

Darmani instantly rolled back to the west and relayed this information to Link.  Link (now back in his normal form), Kafei, and Skull Kid immediately grabbed their horses and darted across Termina Field, away from the battle and to the east.  They rode for roughly two hours before they came to the hole that Darmani had spoke of.  Link told Skull Kid and Kafei to expect anything as they jumped down the hole.

 

Chapter 14: Link, Deal or No Deal?

 

Link, Kafei, and Skull Kid came down the hole in Termina Field, only to find themselves falling, falling, and falling some more, down a huge, almost bottomless chasm.  Finally, the three of them come to rest on a bunch of Deku Flowers.  Suddenly, a vast light shone on the three of them.  The mask salesman was standing on the other side of a small underground creek across from them.  Link noticed that it was a very similar cavern to the one he found heading into Termina over a year ago, and when he saw the mask salesman wearing Majora’s Mask, he got a nervous case of Déjà vu from when Skull Kid turned him into a Deku Scrub.

 

Then Link noticed something else, his hand was flickering, causing a bit of pain.  The Triforce of Courage was resonating.  But Link had no idea why that was happening as the mask salesman spoke.

 

“You three have shown your worth on the fields of battle,” the mask salesman said.  “You have proven yourselves to be worthy competitors, competitors for the power to rule the land of Termina.  I never would have guessed the power secreted inside the three of you, which is why I have no choice but to deal with you in a merciless manner.”

 

“You’re not going to do anything but surrender and give back the land of Termina!” yelled Link.

 

“Oh really?” said the mask salesman.  “Surely you did notice the relic on the back of your hand when you dropped down here.  Majorans!  Bring her in!”

 

A door opens behind the Mask Salesman, and a bunch of Majorans walk in, and Princess Zelda is carried in on some sort of contraption, like a crucifix in the shape of the Hylian bird inscription.  The Majorans take a minute to raise her up.  Zelda was wearing her standard clothes, but she was wearing an unusual sort of mask over her face, and looked to be lifeless.  Skull Kid and Kafei thought she was dead, but Link knew better, she was under some sort of dark magical spell.  Nevertheless, he knew that they were in a bad situation.

 

“As I knew from my dealings with Ganondorf,” the mask salesman started, “the Triforce of Power gives a person the ability to wield massive amounts of power, and to grant any wish that they desire.  However, I also found that there were two other pieces of the triforce, and that not surprisingly, you had possession of one of them.  But what he told me was powerful” He walks over to Zelda.  “He told me that this girl (he leans against the crucifix), was in possession of the third piece, and that you and her were responsible for sealing him away in the sacred realm.  That’s when I thought to myself, how could I stop you from spoiling my plans to become supreme ruler of Termina and help Ganondorf reclaim control of Hyrule at the same time?  And that’s when it became brutally clear to me, I had to get to her to get to you… 

 

“You kidnapped Zelda!  You heartless fiend!!” Link’s anger was reaching cataclysmic heights.

 

“By piecing together the triforce once again here today, I will now have the true power to govern all, and the realm of Hyrule and Termina will fall to my every command!”

 

Link pulls out his arrows. “You’ll never get the triforce of courage from me!”

 

“Oh I won’t will I?  Well, I think its about time to have some fun with you…”

 

Kafei steps forward just as the Mask Salesman looks to use Majora’s Mask on Link.  Skull Kid steps forward alongside Kafei.

 

Kafei was livid.  “You are NOT using that mask on Link.  I’m taking you out right now for everything that you’ve done to me!”  Kafei unsheathes the Gilded Sword.

 

“Stop right there young buddy!” the mask salesman screamed.  “If you make one more move toward me, the girl dies!”

 

“I don’t believe you.  You lie!”

 

Link shouted, “No!  Kafei, don’t get any closer!”

 

Kafei looks back at Link, then eventually puts his weapon away and steps back a bit, as does Skull Kid.  The Mask Salesman breaks into hysterical laughter as Link has a really tense look on his face.  He’d been through many battles and many trials by fire, water, shadow, etc.  But this was something he was not prepared for.

 

“Fool!” the mask salesman shouted.  “I knew that you would give up your quest in order to save the girl.  You always had that soft spot in your heart to help people whenever they needed it.  A very disgusting manner to go through life as I do say.”

 

Link tried to be as calm as possible. “Just get to the point.  Why are you doing this?  Why did you have to bring her into this, this isn’t about her, this is about you and me, you and us, the land of Termina.  Why bring Zelda into this?”

 

The mask salesman answered.  “Even you must realize that with the power of the Triforce of Hyrule and the powers created inside this mask of Majora, you have no chance of contesting my never ending power.  If you attack me, you will all perish in a flash of nothingness and bleak misery.  It is inevitable.  That’s why I am about to provide you with something better.  If you must know, I pride myself on being not just a master tactician and master opportunist, I also think of myself as a champion salesman.  So that is what I will do for you, make a sale.  Right now, I am going to lay out a deal, an offer for you to get everybody out of here safely.  After all, I know that you wouldn’t want any of your friends to get hurt.  The only way you can do this and save your beloved friend over here is to give up your quest here in Termina and give up the Triforce to me.  Only then will I release her to you, and the four of you can be on your own merry way, no harm done to any of you.  You can go back to your homes and live out your lives the way you ought to, the way you have always wanted to, and I will never bother any of you again.  If you are thinking otherwise, think about this.  My Majoran friends over here will light this torch, it will climb up this relic and so thoroughly burn your princess friend there won’t be anything left of her, and the three of you will be left to feel the wrath of Majora’s Mask.  So Link, I ask to you right now, Deal or No Deal?”

 

Link noticed his arrows were missing from his throbbing hand as he considered his options…

 

Chapter 15: The Unlikely Heroes

 

Link looked like he was thinking about what he was going to do.  In reality, he had already made up his mind what he was going to do, he was simply stalling for time.  He had every intention to attack.  Link turned back briefly wondering what had happened to his arrows, and noticed somebody back in the shadows of the dark cavern, somebody who looked like a young girl.  She was holding a bow.  Link gave her a signal from his backside while looking toward the Mask Salesman.  He had no idea if she got the message, or even if the person was who he thought it was, but he was prepared to attack anyway.

 

“So let me get this straight.” Link said.  “You want me to give up the triforce of courage, and simply let you take the triforce of wisdom from Princess Zelda?  You want me to simply leave, so you can build up your power and take over Termina, suppressing every man, woman, and child to your unending pain and suffering, and then break the evil Ganondorf out of the sacred Realm so he can do the same to the people of the land of Hyrule?”

 

The mask salesman replied, “Well….Yeah, that’s pretty much everything.” 

 

“If you seriously think I am going to subject the people of this realm to something as sinister as that, then you are clearly more stupid than anybody I have ever met.” 

 

“You dare turn me down?” the mask salesman asked.

 

“On behalf of the people of Termina, I proudly proclaim your proposal to be officially dead.”

 

As soon as Link is done with his sentence, the girl in the shadows lets loose with an eye-blinding Light Arrow.  It is right on target, a bulls-eye right into the heart of the Mask Salesman.  The Majorans surrounding Zelda are blinded by the sudden light, long enough for Link to whip out a Deku Stick and start taking out the Majorans standing around the crucifix.  By the time the Mask Salesman got up, Kafei and Skull Kid were engaging the remaining Majorans in the room while Link was busy unstrapping Zelda from the crucifix.  Upon taking the mask off of her, Zelda regained consciousness fairly quickly, quick enough to start shouting as the Mask Salesman looked to use Majora’s Mask on Link, but once again the girl from the shadows made the save, jumping on the Mask Salesman’s back and shoulders and grabbing him, almost as if to apply a sort of sleeper hold on him.  The Mask Salesman pivoted around and tossed the lightweight girl to the ground.  Upon impact, she started crying from the pain of the fall, and it was then that Link first fully recognized her as Romani.  The Mask Salesman tried to use the mask on her, but just as the magic started coming out Kafei moved forward, and with one gigantic thrust, smashed the gilded sword right into the Mask Salesman’s skull.  He went down in seconds, as the blood started spurting from his head.

 

The Majorans looked around in wonderment, wondering where they were.  In fact, as soon as Kafei smashed the sword into the head of the mask salesman, the remaining Majorans all over Termina dropped their masks and ceased fighting.  The power that had reigned over them had been exorcised.  One by one, they took off their masks and realized what they had been doing.  People began cheering all over the land.  Inside the cavern Link noticed that the triforce on his hand was resonating once again, signifying that the Triforce of Power was looking for a new owner.  Skull Kid, Zelda, and Romani looked around at what had transpired, while Kafei experienced a weird sensation come all over his body as the evil power left him.  He grew and grew until his body was back to normal.  All were relieved that a brutal chapter in Termina’s history was brought to an end.

 

Link approached Majora’s Mask, and looked to take it from the Mask Salesman’s head when the Salesman’s body began to float around in midair.  Link jumped backward, knowing that the evil power was definitely not gone away.  Just as Link jumped back, a dark voice could be heard in the cavern.

 

“The puppet’s role has ended, again.”

 

The Mask Salesman’s body was lifted up through the tunnel at the back of the cavern (the one the Majorans had carried Zelda from), and upward toward the surface by way of some sort of vortex.  Eventually the vortex grew and engulfed everybody in the cavern, throwing everybody through the opening.  Before anybody had any idea what happened, they were traveling upward at a frantic pace toward the surface of Termina Field.

 

Chapter 16: Hyrule In Danger

 

When Link,  Zelda, Kafei, and the others arrived at the end of the vortex tunnel they had traveled through, they emerged inside a dark cavern.  On one side of them lied a door, on the other was a great chasm leading down into the center of the earth.  A giant ship lay seamlessly on top of this chasm. 

 

“Where…………are we?” asked Skull Kid.

 

Link has a blank look of expression on his face.  He could tell exactly where they were, and so could Zelda.  They looked toward each other in wonderment. 

 

“I…..I think we’re in the Shadow Temple.” Link said.

 

“But, why would we be here.  Why are we in Hyrule?” Zelda asked.

 

That was something that nobody could answer.  Link figured there must have been some reason for the vortex leading them deep into the depths of Hyrule’s deepest and darkest temple.  He cast Farore’s Wind and told everybody there to stay put.  In case of attack, Kafei and Skull Kid could take care of the threat.  Link figured he would find the mask down in the lair where Bongo Bongo once spent his days.  But upon falling into the chasm, there was nothing there, except the drum on which he had fought the beast.  Link recast Farore’s Wind to arrive back with the others, realizing that they had no choice but to look through the remainder of the temple for any sort of clue.

 

Leading the others through the temple and finding nothing, Link was getting frustrated.  His frustration was exacerbated by the fact that Romani was so scared by the blades, the redead mummies and the invisible objects that she was crying and making a scene.  Zelda did her best to quell her fright, but it was difficult.  Finally, they had reached the top of the temple and had found nothing.  Sharing the Hover Boots to get out of the temple and reach Kakariko Graveyard, all 5 of them, Link, Zelda, Kafei, Skull Kid, and Romani, were baffled as to why they had been led to such a place if Majora’s Mask was not.  Wasn’t the mask engulfed by the same vortex as them? 

 

The 5 of them emerged in Kakariko Village a few minutes later.  It was a dark and cloudy night as they walked through the streets.  Almost everybody in the village was asleep, and everything was eerily silent, much more so than Link ever experienced on his trip through Hyrule a few years earlier.  The silence was beginning to worry him a bit when they ran into Impa.  Impa had an extremely concerned look on her face and talked as if she was about to experience a nervous breakdown.

 

“Link!  Zelda!  It’s so great to have found you at such a time.  We are all in huge danger!  A ghastly fellow from another world is about to open the sacred realm!  He’s used the powers of the Triforce to gather the 3 spiritual stones!”

 

“But this person still needs the Ocarina, doesn’t he?” Zelda asked.

 

“Well yes….” Impa conceded.

 

Zelda turns to Link. “You do have the Ocarina don’t you?”

 

Link reaches into his tunic to where he usually keeps the Ocarina of Time.  He had been carrying it around ever since he had initially met with Zelda before going back to Termina, so there were no doubts in his mind that it was still there.  He reached back, and to his horror, realized it wasn’t there.  He fumbled around with his clothes, and eventually threw his tunic on the ground and started ripping through it like a madman.  The Ocarina of Time was missing!

 

“NO!!!  How could this happen?!!  I had it when we were back in the cavern in Termina!!” Link shouted at the top of his lungs.

 

“Oh man, we’re in big trouble now……..” Impa said.

 

Zelda asked, “How could it be missing if you had it in Term……That’s it!  The mask opened that vortex and sent us here, but while we were in the vortex it must have used the power inside to steal the Ocarina!  Impa!  Where is this ghastly fellow that you speak of?!”

 

Impa said, “I last saw this individual in Hyrule Field while on my way to Kakariko.”

 

Zelda shouted, “Impa, we cannot allow this person to lay his hands on the sword of evil’s bane!  Do you have Deku Nuts on you?”

 

Zelda and Impa pull out their Deku Nuts and with a flash, they are gone.  Link starts running toward Hyrule Field, while Kafei and Skull Kid try to keep up with him.  Both Kafei and Skull Kid don’t have the slightest idea what is going on.

 

“Link, what is all the fuss about?  Why are we running like this?”

 

“Kafei, I can’t possibly explain it all now.  Let’s just say this entire land is in big danger!”

 

“What land?” Kafei asked.

 

“This is my home, the land of Hyrule.”

 

Kafei, Link, and Skull Kid ran down the stairs leading out of Kakariko when they ran into Malon.  To Link’s great surprise and relief, three horses were waiting for them.

 

Malon spoke hurriedly, “Link, I’ve heard everything from Impa.  Please, take these horses, you need to get to Hyrule Castle Town as quick as you can!”

 

“Malon, I give you thanks from the bottom of my heart.  You may have just helped save this land from huge danger.” Link said to her.

 

Malon is visibly blushing a bit as Link, Kafei, and Skull Kid depart for the 15 mile trek from Kakariko Village to Hyrule Castle Town.  It is so dark outside because of all the clouds, and Kafei and Skull Kid are dependant on Link’s navigation, which is impeccable.  As they approach Hyrule Castle Town, the weather starts turning nasty, and by the time they reach the drawbridge leading into the town, they are engulfed in a nasty thunderstorm.  The wind and rain was beating so hard on them that it was difficult to ride.  Link knew that the weather was not a good omen.

 

Meanwhile, Zelda and Impa had arrived via teleportation inside the Temple of Time.  They stood in front of the Door of Time holding hands as a dark figure approached from the temple entrance.

 

Chapter 17: Majora and Ganondorf Reunite

 

Zelda and Impa knew that they were in for the fight of their lives.  The figure that approached them wielded several long whips and several spiked weapons closer to his body.  He looked like an absolute freak of nature, maybe 8 feet tall and at least 300-some pounds, pretty much the combined weight of both Zelda and Impa.  They would have to work with perfect teamwork if they were to win.

 

Majora spoke no words, he went right to his main weapons, smacking both the Princess and the Sage of Shadow with his whips.  Knocked down, Impa started rolling around, making it difficult for the fiend to retaliate with his main weapons.  Since Majora wasn’t very mobile, this was a good strategy.  Impa used her Deku Nuts to stun Majora as she went for punches and kicks, along with shots from Deku Sticks.  Zelda tried disappearing and then reappearing behind Majora with her Deku Nuts, and was able to connect on a few of her nasty dropkicks.  Despite taking damage from Majora’s close-range weapons, it looked like Impa and Zelda were gaining the upper hand.  Their ninja-like tactics were working against the strong yet slow Majora.  Zelda decided it was time to go for the kill.  She called on the Triforce of Wisdom to hold Majora in place while Impa attempted to stomp on him with her Iron Boots.  But as soon as Zelda started holding Majora, the power from inside Majora started consuming her.  He was simply too strong for her, and try as she might to hold on, Zelda just couldn’t do it, and in a massive explosion of energy, Impa and Zelda were both sent flying backward toward the temple’s entranceway.  Neither one of them could get up they were in so much pain, and they could only watch as Majora laid the Spiritual Stones, played the Ocarina, and pulled the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time.  Zelda and Impa both fainted.

 

Link, Kafei, and Skull Kid arrived about five minutes later, but they were too late.

 

Inside the sacred realm, Majora and Ganondorf reunited for the first time since they had made their joint pact to take over Hyrule and Termina.  Majora sure was lucky that he was the most power-hungry person in that cavern beneath Termina, otherwise he would have never gained back the Triforce of Power.  In accordance with their deal, Majora without a word surrendered the Triforce of Power back to Ganondorf, who was angry and raring to unleash some severe destruction on the land of Hyrule and those who opposed Majora back in Termina.  The seal vortex leading back into Hyrule would collapse in about three hours time.

 

Link found Impa and Zelda lying down in the Temple of Time with the Door of Time opened.  He was so mad he wanted to throw some bombs through the floor.  Link struggled to contain his anger while Kafei and Skull Kid attempted to revive Impa and Zelda, which they did fairly quick.  That’s when Link noticed something lying on the floor in front of the Door of Time.  It was a piece of parchment.

 

The parchment had a floor plan of Hyrule Castle on one side, and detailed drawings with weapons on them on the other side.  Link handed it to Zelda, and she immediately recognized it as a threat letter.  Whatever Majora was planning to do to Hyrule Castle, it could not be good.  Still in the middle of the stormy night, the 5 made their tired way to Hyrule Castle in an effort to warn the King and the Knights in the area of the incredible danger.

 

Once at Hyrule Castle, Zelda went directly to her father, who could hardly do anything to help contain her desperation.  Zelda is an absolute nervous wreck while her father, the King struggles to understand the gravity of the situation.  The conversation, from what the others in the room could understand, went something along these lines:

 

“Father, father, you must get everybody out of here!” Zelda shouted frantically.  “Something really horrible is going to happen here very soon and we need to get out now!”

 

“Zelda!” the King shouted.  “I’ve been so worried!  You’ve been gone for so long!  But what’s this about us having to leave?”

 

“Father, you have to listen to me.” Zelda spoke as calm as possible but still was shouting.  “Impa and I just fought against some dark, ghastly man inside the Temple of Time.  Our powers were not enough to stop this man, and he opened the sacred realm!  He laid his hands on the sword of evil’s bane!!  What are we going to do?!!”

 

“Calm down Zelda, screaming and hollering over it isn’t going to help a thing.  Link, the great Hero of Time, can you replicate this as true?” the King asked.

 

“Yes.” Link responded.  This person is a dangerous individual from the land of Termina.  He took the Triforce of Power from Ganondorf, and used it to crash a giant moon into the land.  When this did not destroy the land of Termina, he sought to somehow align with Ganondorf to take over both Hyrule and Termina, and to do this, he suckered us into a trap leading us into Hyrule, in which he took the Ocarina of Time and wished upon the Triforce of Power for the Spiritual Stones.  Now in a few hours, he and Ganondorf will both descend on this land with all the anger of avenging spirits.” 

 

“Not only that,” Impa said.  “But right near the Door of Time, we found this.” Impa hands a piece of parchment to King of Hyrule.  “We think it may be a plan of attack on Hyrule Castle, which is why we need to move out of here as quickly as possible.”

 

The King looks over the parchment before realizing that what Majora dropped behind in the Temple of Time was indeed a plan of attack against the Castle.  The King gave the order to evacuate the Castle.  For the next few minutes or so, Link, Zelda, and Impa ran around the Castle, waking up any and all inhabitants and telling them to leave immediately.  The Knights were placed onto immediate super-guarded watch, and left the Castle to protect the people inside Hyrule Castle Town.  By the time the King and his royal assistants finally left with Link and his people, it was close to 05:00, and Ganondorf and Majora were no doubt very close from emerging from the sacred realm.  Just as Impa, Kafei, Zelda, and the others were about to hunker down in a fortified building on the northwest side of Hyrule Castle Town, Link turned to them to speak.

 

“Guys, I have to leave.”

 

“Link, where are you going at a time like this?” Zelda asked.

 

“I’m going to get the Ocarina back.” Link confidently responded.

 

“You’ve got to be crazy!  Don’t do this!” Zelda screamed.

 

“Link, let us help you if you’re going up against them!” Kafei demanded.

 

“No Kafei.” Link said.  “I have to do this by myself.  It’s our only chance.”

 

Chapter 18: The Raising of the Citadel

 

Link walked through the barren and empty streets of Hyrule Castle Town to the Temple of Time.  It was a few minutes before 06:00 that morning, and Link was tired.  However, he possessed Kafei’s Gilded Sword along with all of his other weapons.  Nevertheless, he knew what came ahead would be tough.  His objectives were twofold, he had to take the Ocarina of Time back from Majora, and he had to reclaim the Master Sword.  The 2^nd objective was more difficult because he did not know which villain would be carrying the sword.  He would have to guess, and if he guessed wrong, he would be facing a 2-on-1 melee.

 

Link walked into the Temple of Time.  Noticing that neither Ganondorf nor Majora had come back yet, he hid behind the Spiritual Stone Pedestal just as the vortex hit the chamber of the master sword.  Within a few seconds, Majora and Ganondorf were thrust back into the Temple.  Ganondorf started talking about all the things he was going to do to his enemies now that he was out of imprisonment in the Sacred Realm, while Majora did not say a word back, simply beckoning to Ganondorf’s every speech.  After a few minutes of this, Majora and Ganondorf started walking out of the chamber.  Link knew that they would likely split up to walk around the Spiritual Stone Pedestal, so he decided to jump Majora in the hopes that he had both the Master Sword and the Ocarina of Time.

 

Ganondorf and Majora started to step down the split staircase.  With a tremendous leap, Link went airborne and slashed Majora right in the chest.  Majora went down immediately, partly from pain and partly from shock.  The Master Sword was being held by Majora, and it flew up in the air back toward the Pedestal of Time.   Ganondorf turned to see Link on top of Majora, and threw out an energy blast.  Link saw it though, and slashed it right back into Ganondorf’s noggin.  Ganondorf went down, while Majora struggled to get Link off of him.  Wrangling through Majora’s knapsack, he found the Ocarina of Time and grabbed it just as Majora recovered and used his whip to get Link off of him.  Link flew backward as Majora and Ganondorf both got back to their feet.  Link ran back toward the pedestal to grab the Master Sword, and grabbed it off the floor just as Majora whipped him in the back again, this time much harder.  Link fell hard to the ground.

 

“Get him!” Ganondorf shouted.  “We need to get him now!!  Don’t let him escape!”

 

Ganondorf thought that he and Majora had Link cornered, but Link picked up his Ocarina and played the Bolero of Fire.  Just as Majora was getting ready for a big attack on Link, the notes of the Ocarina warped him out of the Temple, up to Death Mountain Crater.  Upon seeing this, Ganondorf let out a shriek of frustration and despair, knowing that Link had jumped them, and they had lost perhaps their best chance to defeat him.

 

As a result of Link’s raid, Ganondorf and Majora left the Temple of Time even more angry than when they arrived out of the Sacred Realm.  Once in Hyrule Castle Town, they started knocking into buildings, blowing things up with bombs, setting them on fire, attacking any innocent living thing that moved, just absolutely wreaking havoc in the city.  The Hylian Knights that came up to oppose Ganondorf and Majora did not have much success, as many were badly injured.  By 08:00, people were panicking throughout the city, and Ganondorf and Majora figured they had had enough.  They suddenly stopped attacking, and turned toward the north toward Hyrule Castle.  The Hylian Knights figured they could bottle them up in that small area, and started moving toward the Castle behind Ganondorf and Majora.  What they would see next would absolutely shock them beyond belief.

 

Meanwhile, back inside the fortified compound, Kafei and the others conferred.

 

“Your majesty, I very much want to stop these people.” Kafei said.  “You don’t understand.”

 

“I do understand,” the King confided.  “And there is nothing you can do about it.  These fiends are too strong for somebody like you.”

 

Kafei pleaded.  “With all due respect, your majesty, this man here has a long history with the aggressor your daughter saw at the Temple of Time.  While we were back in the land of Termina, he was responsible for casting a spell on him capable of turning a human being into a mere child.  He had to live his life like this on two separate occasions, once back a year ago, and another less than a few days ago.  He feels it is his destiny to defeat this demon.”

 

The King was steadfast.  “Even so, it is not feasible that any single person not deemed the Hero of Time could defeat such a beastly and evil figure.  Surely my daughter can vouch for me on that one.  Zelda! ……………………… Zelda! …………Zelda?!!!”

 

Zelda is nowhere to be seen.

 

“Now where has my little princess gone off to?  This isn’t like her to just leave like this.”

 

One of the Knights from the outside of the building comes into the room.

 

The Knight spoke quickly.  “Your majesty, the Princess has just left the building.  We attempted to stop her, but she simply disappeared using some Sheikah teleportation technique.  Impa is with her.  We don’t know what they are up to, but we speculate that they have gone north toward the Castle with the other Knight regiment.”

 

The King was somewhat relieved by this news.  “Well, if she’s with Impa I suppose she’s okay, but why would she do that…?”

 

“We have to figure that out.” Said Skull Kid.  “Kafei, let’s get moving, if they get too close to Majora, you know what could happen…”

 

Kafei and Skull Kid move out across the city in a northerly direction, just as Ganondorf and Majora are about to pull off something unfathomable.  They have gathered in front of Hyrule Castle.  After a quick inspection of the area, they find out that everybody in Hyrule Castle has been evacuated, much to their chagrin.  Despite this, they decide to proceed with their plan. 

 

“Are you sure this is going to work, Majora?” Ganondorf asked.  “Did we plant enough bombs beneath the surface?  Are these things you call powder kegs powerful enough to collapse the surface?  Besides, how do you expect this thing to rise up from under the surface if the Castle itself will fall on top of it?”

 

Majora simply turns to Ganondorf and shakes his head forward.  Ganondorf knows that is as much of a positive answer as he will get out of Majora.

 

“Alright then.  It is now my duty to set off the whole chain reaction.  Majora, give me the fire from your mask, I want to do this right.”

 

Majora shoots out some fire from inside the mask, and Ganondorf shoots a huge energy blast of his right through the fire, creating a swirling fireball of energy that struck near the bottom of the moat at the front of the castle.  This set off a big chain of explosions that surrounded Hyrule Castle on all sides, from above looking like a bunch of dominoes falling down.  Then when the bombs reached the top of the circle, there was a huge explosion in the center underneath Hyrule Castle, and the whole thing fell right into the gigantic hole created by the bombing beneath the surface.  The townspeople and the Knights watching this were no doubt staring in stunned disbelief, but what they were about to see next was even more sinister.  Out from the giant hole in the ground emerged a giant pillar.  That pillar continued to rise out of the ground, and as it did, Ganondorf got on Majora’s shoulders and the two floated up on top of the rising structure.  Before long, it was obvious to everybody that the rising structure was not a pillar but it was indeed a tower.  Now standing next to Impa and Zelda with the Knights, Kafei and Skull Kid noticed that the building was constructed out of solid rock from Termina’s Moon.  By the time the whole thing had risen from the ground, it was obvious to everyone in Hyrule just how huge the threat of Majora and Ganondorf was.       

 

Chapter 19: The Sages Gather

 

Link arrived on Death Mountain weary and exhausted.  Most of the gorons were not yet awake during the early morning, but Darunia was.  He was surprised to see Link gracing his city, and was quick to usher him into his quarters.  Judging by how tired he was, Darunia figured it best that Link crash for a while, and Link definitely thought that to be a good idea considering all he had been through in the last 24 hours.  However, just as he was about to get settled in, Darunia’s son came roaring through Darunia’s room like he’d been chased by a redead.

 

“Dad!” Link the goron said.  “You won’t believe what’s happening!  Come quick, top of the mountain!  Something about explosions in the area around Hyrule Castle!”

 

“Oh, I had a feeling this would be happening about now…” Link wearily conceded.

 

“Link, what are you talking about?” asked Darunia.

 

“Oh, nothing, nothing but some evildoer from another land breaking Ganondorf out of the Sacred Realm and those two getting ready to pillage Hyrule.” Link said in a surprisingly sarcastic tone.

 

“You’ve got to be kidding.” Darunia said.

 

“Does it look like I’m kidding brother?” Link asked.

 

Upon hearing the word brother, there was no doubt in Darunia’s mind that Link was telling the truth.  That word was symbolic of their relationship, a kind of pact made by two warriors of the land of Hyrule that let the other know that there was no chance of anything but truth in the statement between Sworn Brothers.  Darunia and Link hurried up to the top of Death Mountain just in time to see the Castle collapse into the blast crater.  The two, along with all the other Gorons watching at the top of the mountain, were stunned to watch Hyrule Castle simply implode into the ground.  But that was nothing compared to the hysterical reaction caused by the raising of the tower that occurred shortly thereafter.  Now the gorons were really angry and wanted to know everything that was going on.  Darunia felt it necessary to talk to his people.

 

Darunia bellowed, “I have called all of you to the top of Death Mountain today because an incredible tragedy has struck this land.  An evildoer from the land of Termina by the name of Majora has used evil powers against us.  Link here, went over to Termina to attempt to stop this beast from completely destroying that land, but he escaped to Hyrule, where he persuaded Ganondorf to cede the Triforce of Power to him.  He then used his combined powers of his dark magic and of the Triforce to steal our Ruby, the Zoras’ Sapphire, and the Kokiris’ Emerald, along with the Ocarina of Time to break Ganondorf out of the Sacred Realm.”  There was lots of uproar at this point.  “Gentlemen of the Goron race, these two individuals are dangerous and will stop at nothing to run this land into the ground forever, no, not just Hyrule, but our friends in Termina as well.  I now need to ask each and every one of you, what are we going to do about this?”

 

The Gorons mull the situation over.  It seems that they have too much to think about at such a grim time.  Finally, a solitary figure gives them their answer.

 

“We punch them out!” yelled Biggoron.

 

“Biggoron!” Darunia shouted.  “I did not see you back there.  Are you suggesting that we attempt to fight these miscreatants?”

 

“Not exactly fight them,” Biggoron said. “but we have to keep them inside that tight space around that tower.  If they escape into the rest of Hyrule, there’s no telling what horrible things they could accomplish at our expense.  This is a situation we have to take with the utmost seriousness, or we could end up bait for the evil dragon Volvagia once again.  We have to hold these two at their current location, and use the powers of the sages and the hero to seal these people away in the Sacred Realm once again!”

 

“It sounds like a good plan.” Said Link.  “You all should not get too close to the tower for fear of your own safety.  There’s no telling what could be around that citadel of there’s.  If we can hold them inside that perimeter, I should be able to engage them with the help of my traveling companions.”

 

“Link, we need to gather the sages if this plan is to work.  What do you say?” asked Darunia.

 

“We must get going on that task immediately.”

 

“How is the Princess?”

 

“She is inside an underground compound in Hyrule Castle Town with her attendant Impa.” Link said.  “I fear somewhat for her and her father’s safety there, but Ganondorf does not know of her presence there.  Even if he did, the sage powers surrounding her from Impa and probably Rauru as well would stop any spontaneous capture attempt he tries.”

 

Darunia was relieved a bit.  “That is extremely good news.  We cannot allow Zelda to fall into his hands again.  As for us gorons, We will roll down the mountains within the next few hours.  I will be sure to link up with Impa and Zelda inside Hyrule Castle Town as quickly as possible.  Your quickest way out of here will be to go through the Lost Woods warp to Kokiri Forest.  Saria should be there waiting for you.  You must round up the other sages and bring them to Hyrule Castle Town promptly!”

 

“It shall be done, as long as I can stay on my feet brother.”

 

Darunia and Link give a long look, then Link departs back into the city, where he goes through the warp to the Lost Woods.  Upon reaching the Sacred Forest Meadow, he noticed that Saria was sitting in her normal spot upon the stump in front of the Forest Temple.  Saria’s face lights up as she sees Link.

 

Saria exclaimed,  “Link!  It’s so glad to see you again!”

 

Link and Saria hug one another, and Saria realizes that Link does not look happy at all, which is disquieting to her.  The two are really close to one another as Link begins to speak.

 

“Saria, I am back not because of my own will, but because of a big danger toward this land.  Your sage powers are needed and they are needed now in what will be a trying time ahead.  I don’t want to scare you or anything, but you must summon your courage for what lies ahead.  Now come, you must go with me to Hyrule Castle Town, where we must perform our duties toward this land once again.  It is fate that bounds us together to this duty.”

 

Saria is deathly silent, and there is no confusion at all on her face, she knows exactly what Link is talking about.  The two exit the Meadow without a word.  Despite the silence, both Link and Saria know exactly what the other is thinking.

 

Link and Saria hurried through the Lost Woods and dived down through the warp to Zora’s Domain.  Link was not completely sure if Ruto had returned from Termina, and literally prayed that she had on the entire trip there.  If she was there, Link figured that Princess Ruto would be in the back of Zora’s Fountain with Lord Jabu-Jabu, but was instead at the front of the domain seemingly waiting for them.  Drawing a huge sigh of relief,  Link realized suddenly that Ruto was hardly ever in the main area waters during feeding time.  Something had to be up.

 

“Link, I’ve heard.” Ruto said.

 

“You have?”

 

Ruto explained, “These royal waters of the river, news travels upon these waters like the ponies dashing over the plains of Hyrule Field.  It is true after all, that Ganondorf has returned to this land of Hyrule……We must do everything that we can to stop him and his evil minions.  As a sage of Hyrule, I am bound to that duty.  We must get to Hyrule Castle as quickly as possible, and the river is the quickest way.  Saria, you can ride on me.  Link, I’ve gotten one of our stronger male Zoras to follow behind me and carry you down the river.  You were a bit too heavy for me last time, I almost sank, just a little.”

 

“Sorry about that.” Link said.

 

“Don’t worry about it.  Let’s just get the heck out of here.”

 

Within the next few minutes, Link, Saria, and Ruto were swimming at high speeds down Zora’s River toward the south entrance of Hyrule Castle Town.  It had only been about 30 minutes since Link had left Darunia at the top of Death Mountain, so he knew his timing was impeccable.  However, he wondered about the other two sages.  Rauru he knew lived in Hyrule Castle Town, so it was likely he was already with Zelda and Impa  Yet, he still  wondered how in heck he was supposed to traverse the almost 75 miles to Gerudo Valley from Hyrule Castle Town to get Nabooru, and then get back within a day’s time.  By then, Ganondorf and Majora could be in complete control of the land of Hyrule, and be pillaging just about anywhere in the land.  He was visibly shaken by this thought as he sailed on the back of the Zora down the river.

 

About 20 minutes later, the hero and the two sages reached Hyrule Castle Town.  Much to Link’s surprise, somebody was there waiting for them at the drawbridge.  Link immediately recognized it as Nabooru.

 

Nabooru said, “Hey kid, its been quite a long time!  I thought I would see you again.”

 

“Nabooru, I wish I could exchange pleasantries,” Link said, “but now is not the time or place.”

 

“You don’t think I understand that?” Nabooru bellowed.  “I’m ready to kick some Ganondorf butt as you are.  I didn’t think that pathetic man had it in him to show his face back in this land again, but he did.  I gotta at least give him credit for persistence.” This comment draws ire from Ruto and Saria, as well as Link.  “But that makes me want to kick his butt all the more!”

 

“If you don’t mind my asking, how are you here?”  It was a HUGE stroke of luck to find you here right now.

 

Nabooru wouldn’t answer this but the truth is that she was boyfriend hunting in Hyrule Castle Town the previous day, which is something that nearly all gerudos do.  When she found out about the Evil King’s return, she was courted by Zelda and Impa to wait for Link’s arrival back into the city.  That made it official, it less than one hour after the raising of the tower, the Sages of Hyrule had been brought back together.  No matter what happens going forward, this might have been Link’s finest hour of them all…

 

Chapter 20:  The Road to the Tower

 

Darunia and the Gorons were making their way down the backside of Death Mountain when Darunia broke off from the main group to head south to link up with the other sages.  The remaining Gorons’ job was to seal off the northern passages leading out of the Hyrule Castle area so Majora and Ganondorf couldn’t escape the area.  The Gorons were armed to the max with everything from giant boulders to liquid magma.  With anarchy still ruling the day in Hyrule Castle Town, Link, Zelda, and the sages all gathered at the fountain in the center of town.  It was here that a weary Zelda spoke to all of them, and her words of wisdom were mixed in with some fiery remarks.  The way all of them stood together with their arms on each other’s shoulders, they resembled players in the huddle before a major sporting event.

 

Zelda riled up the troops.  “Welcome all.  Link, the Hero of Time.  Rauru, the sage of Light.  Saria, the Sage of Forest.  Darunia, Ruto, Nabooru, and certainly not least Impa, my loyal attendant and Sage of Shadow, it is a privilege to have all of you gathered here today.  As Sages we represent the different peoples of Hyrule as men and women of great courage, character, knowledge, and wisdom.  We have seen this land built into greatness and have seen it implode into oppression and strife before our very eyes.  As you all aware by now, this is a time of utmost seriousness.  We have another threat on our hands, perhaps the biggest that this land has ever faced.  Let there be no doubt that the fate of this land now rests in our hands.  Our hands!  We are the only ones capable of reapplying the strength of the sacred realm to defeat these evil villains.  It’s us, and us alone!  It was but only two years ago when we took Ganondorf down at the very spot where the giant tower now stands.  I know in my heart that we are very capable of doing the same deed here today, even though there now stands two against us.  It is the power of two that has caused the balance of power in Hyrule to shift against us.  The invading fiend Majora used the power of the Triforce loaned to him by the evil Ganondorf to upset the power of the gods.  Their protection of the sword of evil’s bane was interfered with, and Majora was able to lay his hands on it despite mine and Impa’s best efforts to stop him.  Majora then broke Ganondorf out of the sacred realm, and they are now on a quest for the ultimate destruction of Hyrule.  I am sure all of you have seen what has happened to Hyrule Castle!  Destroyed by a giant explosion!  In place of the only home I have ever known and the structural symbol of peace, unity, and order in this country stands a tower of death, doom, and gloom for all in this country.  Luckily for us, Link has since valiantly retrieved the sword of evil’s bane, making it possible for us to defeat these tyrants.  As I speak right now, every single Knight in this land of Hyrule has worked to seal off the exits to the tower.  The Gorons are assisting them in this task.  Ganondorf and Majora cannot travel away from the tower without getting ground down in an immense battle.  What we have to do is simple, to force the final destruction of Ganondorf and Majora.  Sages of Hyrule, we must get Link into the tower unharmed and we must follow him wherever he goes inside until we find the two tyrants.  Link, it will then be up to you to use the sword of evil’s bane to defeat them once and for all.”  Link looks into Zelda’s eyes, then nods his approval.

 

Rauru asked, “Ancient Creators of Hyrule, are we ready to take upon this task?”

 

Saria nods to Rauru, followed by Darunia, Nabooru, and Ruto.  Impa and Zelda look out of the “huddle” and toward the tower.  They look at each other and know that despite their differences, they could come together as one in the mind, body, and soul.  They may have failed in the Temple of Time, but they were not going to fall twice in a row. 

 

“It’s time to do this!” Link yelled.

 

All 8 of them, including Kafei and Skull Kid who were standing nearby, set out for the tower.  They reach the line of Knights on the northern end of Hyrule Castle Town when they notice Majora coming straight at them.  Majora was obviously expecting to flee the town toward the south to wreak more havoc elsewhere, and didn’t expect the entourage of characters surrounding Link and Zelda.  Majora attempted to use his whips against the Sages, but Link parry attacked his whip and slashed, while Darunia rolled past them and underneath his legs, where he delivered a nasty Goron Punch to the side of the knee.  Majora fell briefly, just as Impa and Zelda were getting ready to ninja attack him in the head.  Majora just barely evaded this attack, and was surprised at the resistance he was getting.  He quickly decided to run back toward the tower, where he took refuge.  The Group of 10 then moved forward once again toward the tower, looking to catch Majora shaken up a bit and keep the pressure on.

 

Standing in front of the giant tower, Kafei and Skull Kid immediately noticed that is wasn’t just moon rock, it was also constructed with the remains of the buildings that once stood in Clock Town.  This made them both mad as the tears and blood of the people of Termina lied inside these rocks.  The Sages could not help but marvel at the size of the thing, it wasn’t very long or wide past the base, but it had to be at least thirty or forty stories high.  They also noticed that there was no bridge across the immense crater to the entrance, so the sages called upon their combined powers to make a rainbow bridge across the chasm.  Without a word, Link and the other 9 crossed the bridge and entered the tower, not knowing what to expect…

 

Chapter 21: The Tower

 

The battle for control of Hyrule and Termina was coming down to a 10 on 2 showdown.  On one side stood Ganondorf and Majora, on the other stood the six sages of Hyrule, the Princess Zelda, the Hero Link, and the two 2 Terminans Kafei and Skull Kid.  Ganondorf and Majora were somewhere inside the tower, and Link’s army of sages was determined to find them.

 

The first room of the tower was completely empty, with a main support pillar in the middle of the structure, and a staircase leading up the side of the circular walls.  After a quick examination of the area, Link decided they had to go up the staircase and start climbing the tower.  Upon reaching the 2^nd floor, they came into a large hallway with 2 giant doors at the end of the passage, and the hallway was covered with wet grass and wild plant life.  One of the doors was locked with a key lock and chain, while the other was wide open.  Link told the sages and Zelda to hold outside while he, Kafei and Skull Kid went inside.  He was expecting a battle, and a battle he would receive.

 

Link, Kafei, and Skull Kid walked into the room, which was very large, large enough that the ceiling was dark and invisible to them.  Before Kafei and Skull Kid could go anywhere, a steel cage came out from the floor and trapped the two.  Link saw this and became a bit uneasy as a voice spoke to them.

 

“You have done well to come this far, Hero of Time.  Now is the time to test your mettle once again.  In order to restore hope and peace to the land of your birth, you must defeat the demons of your past adventure in the land of Termina.  To save Hyrule you must save Termina as well.  You and you alone must accomplish these tasks, which is why your friends have been caged. If you are victorious you will gain the chance to defeat Majora himself and restore peace and sanctity to Hyrule.  Do not be afraid.”  The voice faded out.

 

As the voice fades out, Link draws his sword and notices a Deku Mask and a Deku Flower on the ground in front of him.  The next thing he knows, the jungle warrior Odolwa jumps down from the ceiling in front of him.  Link determines he does not need the Deku Mask, so the battle begins with Link trying to use arrows against Odolwa, but he was quick with his shield.  Eventually, Odolwa goes on the offensive, using his nasty moths to attack Link.  Link changes strategies and starts throwing bombs at Odolwa and using them to distract the nasty moths.  Eventually, a few of the bombs explode around Odolwa’s legs, knocking him out.  Link charges in and uses the Master Sword against his exposed flesh.  It isn’t long before Odolwa is crying for mercy, and Link finishes him off with a light arrow combo into a jumping swordslash.  Odolwa falls, and Link regains his remains as well as a key.  The cage surrounding Kafei and Skull Kid sinks back into the floor.

 

Back outside in the hallway, Link uses the key to open up the next stairwell, and the sages all follow him up the stairs.  They walk up the stairs for what seems like quite a while before they finally reach the next floor.  The floor is coated with snow and ice and the room is extremely cold.  Just like the last floor, there was a key door on one side of hall and an open door on the other.  Link quickly told everybody what the voice had told him inside the first room, and they all agreed to let him go ahead alone, except for Zelda.  Out of her extreme worrying, she demanded to watch Link fight in case something happened to him.  Link was a bit annoyed, but agreed.

 

In the room, Zelda took her position inside the cage.  Link noticed a Goron Mask on the floor, and the room resembled that of bumpy running track, the same arena as he had fought Goht inside Snowhead Temple.  As he goes to pick up the Goron Mask, Goht comes running at Link from behind.  Zelda screams at Link, and Link barely avoids getting trampled.  An angry Link pulled out his arrows, looking to shoot Goht in the weak spot of his forehead.  However, Link’s arrows were not true, and most missed their mark.  Worse still, Goht was able to hit Link with his electric blast, stunning Link with thousands of volts.  Still in pain, Link changes strategy and puts on the Goron Mask to turn into Darmani.  Link starts rolling around at Goht, jabbing his spikes into his mechanical sides.  Goht counters by throwing pillars, rocks, electric blasts, and even bombs at Link.  Unfortunately for Goht, Link was unstoppable with his rolling attacks, and before long, Goht skidded out of control and ran headfirst into the inside wall of the track, causing his body to collapse.  Link took off the mask and ran back to the entrance, where Zelda was standing with the key and Goht’s remains.

 

Zelda was upset with Link.  “You see what happens when you think you are invincible?  You nearly got killed before the battle even started!  You have to be smarter out there, and realize that we are here to help you!”

 

Link nodded toward Zelda and apologized for brushing her off earlier.  When Link and Zelda emerged from the room, Link turned the key in the key door, and they were off up another giant flight of stairs.  Eventually they came to another long hallway on the next floor, and this time the floor was all covered by sand and sandy rock.  This was surprising to Link because it signified that he would be fighting Twinmold next, when he had been expecting Gyorg instead.  He decided that not only Zelda, but also Nabooru had to come into the room for this battle, since she was so knowledgeable in sand warfare.

 

All 3 of them entered the room, a gigantic chamber with blinding sand blowing around everywhere.  Zelda and Nabooru took their positions in the cage at the center of the room, and Link noticed the Giant’s Mask sitting on the cage.  Once the two women were in the cage, the two giant sand worms emerged from the sand.  Link put on the Giant’s Mask and immediately went to work on the head and tail of the first worm.  Then he pivoted and hit the 2^nd one a bit.  Link was fighting extremely well, not taking any damage as he wore down the worms, slash after slash.  Before long, the first worm was done, and blew up into pieces above the sandstorm.  But before Link could finish off the 2^nd one, he ran out of magic and had to take off the mask.  Worse yet, he was standing in the middle of the sandstorm, not having any idea where he was.  He walked around aimlessly for about a minute, once actually walking into the wall.  Link’s head hurt as he turned around, to find Twinmold (who was now huge because Link is small!) diving his head right at him.  Link jumped just in time, and just barely cleared Twinmold’s dangerous fangs, landing on his head.  Twinmold tried to shake Link off, but Link hung on to Twinmold’s hairy outsides.  After a while of this, Link got his balance enough to move forward toward Twinmolds face and dive the Master Sword into it.  It made a weird sound, signifying that the worm was done.  Link was able to jump off the worm just before it exploded, and collected the remains and the key.

 

Beyond the key door lied one more long staircase, and then another hallway, this one covered in 10 feet of water.  This presented a problem because they had to get Darunia across without drowning, not an easy task considering his huge size.  It took all of the sages and then some help from Kafei and Skull Kid to get Darunia across to the two doors at the end of the hallway.  Once there, Link figured it was only right that they all would bear witness to his final Termina fight.  In they went.

 

Once past the open door, there was a split in the hallway, with signs above the split offs.  On the left was a sign that said “Spectators”, and the other that said “Combatants.”  Link separated from everybody else here and went down the “Combatants” tunnel.  He was surprised to emerge in a battle arena.  He was even more shocked to find Ganondorf and Majora sitting with a bunch of Ganondorf’s closest followers on one side of the arena.  One the other side, all of the sages, Kafei, Zelda, and Skull Kid were all leaning over the railing separating them from the battle zone, a single rock platform surrounded by water about 20 feet deep.  The situation was very combustible, and was about to get even more heated.  On the platform ahead of him, Link noticed a Zora Mask.  As he went to pick up the mask, Majora bellowed the words, “Release the fish!”

 

The battle was on, and both sides started cheering like crazy……

 

Chapter 22: The Crowd Goes Wild

 

Link grabbed the Zora Mask, broke a green pot for some magic power, and drew his arrows, then pivoted around the platform looking for Gyorg.  He was nowhere to be found.  Link did not allow himself to be bewildered.  He expected Gyorg to jump over him or ram the platform at any moment.  The only thing was, a few minutes passed and nothing happened.  Majora had a look as if he had no idea what was going on, but Link sensed a nasty scheme.  The energy in the battle arena was ridiculous, particularly on Ganondorf’s side of the railings, where most of his followers were barely able to contain their nervousness.  Finally, Ganondorf turned to Majora and said something in secret to him.  Majora seemed to nod assurance, and Ganondorf spoke.  Link does not even face Ganondorf while he speaks, still expecting a sneak attack.

 

“It appears that our fishy friend is a little bit scared, and deservedly so.  After all, he is about to face off against the almighty Hero of Time!”  Everybody on Ganondorf’s side laughs at Ganondorf mocking Link.  “So I have this to say.  Link, you know as well as I do, if you truly want to get to me, you have to get through Gyorg first.  Therefore, I propose that Link swim into that tunnel on the left, and find where Gyorg is hiding.”

 

Link turns around and looks hard at Ganondorf.  Ganondorf realizes that he has gotten into Link’s head a bit, and talks some more.

 

“What’s the problem Link?  I mean, you are the Hero, capable of defeating anybody or saving any person or piece of land.  What’s a little fish got on you that you can’t bring it out of its hiding place?  After all, you won’t get to me if you can’t defeat Gyorg now will you?”

 

Link turns away from Ganondorf and takes a long look back at his supporters.  He gives them a look of assurance, then puts on the Zora Mask to turn into Mikau.  He swims strongly through the tunnel entrance.  It is extremely dark in the tunnel, so Link can hardly see a thing.  Using only his sense of smell, he notices that Gyorg is somewhere in the tunnel to the left of him.  He turns left and blindly uses his electroshock to help provide some light.  Only that’s what he intended it for, because it turned out he was closer to Gyorg than expected, and he nailed him in the mouth.  Link turned back to find where the out tunnel was, then shocked Gyorg again.  Link hurried out the end of the tunnel as he knew that Gyorg would definitely give chase.  And chase he did.  Link knew that Gyorg was hot on his tail as he emerged back into the arena.  With a leap out of the water, Link rolled onto the platform and took off the Zora Mask.  Now the real battle would begin.

 

Link readied one of his arrows, but he missed with his shot.  Gyorg took advantage and rammed the platform, knocking Link into the water.  Gyorg swallowed Link instantly, and attempted to grind him with his teeth before Link could escape.  The Ganondorf/Majora side of the arena went crazy as Link got swallowed, while Zelda let out a horrifying scream.  This prompted Ganondorf to start talking again, which set off a round of back and forth bickering.

 

Ganondorf said, “Oh No!  Little miss princess over there is about to watch her hero in shining armor go down for good!  It’s so terrible.”

 

“You’re such a jerk!” Zelda screamed, “You relish in human death as if its your favorite pastime, you senseless mongrel!”

 

“Oh, getting feisty now are we?” Ganondorf shouted.  “You should know that this is all your fault, you led me right to the power over this land years ago.”  Ganondorf points to Link.  “He’s trying to make up for your mistakes.  You think you are so righteous and wise, but you’re nothing.”

 

Zelda said back, “I dare you to try predicting the future, you’re so stupid you couldn’t even control your own people, not even your 2^nd in command over here.  She points to Nabooru.  “You call yourself a leader?  All you care about is your personal demand for senseless destruction!”

 

“Waaaannnnh!  Just keep going over th…”

 

“I’m not going to hear any of it.” Nabooru said.  “Ganondorf, two years ago, I surprised you like you never believed possible.  You’re so abrasive toward others, you had to know that you had it coming.  You call yourself a leader?  You’re pathetic!”

 

“And what happened to you Nabooru?”  Ganondorf asked condescendingly.  “Oh yeah, Koume and Kotake took you out and brainwashed you straight beyond your faintest sense of reality.  Don’t even think it won’t happen again as soon as the fish defeats your precious Hero.”

 

Even the usually docile Saria got in on the action.  “Link has prevailed through everything that you have ever thrown at him.  Everything!  I know him better than anyone in the world, and there is no way this guppy of a fish is going to defeat him.”

 

While the two sides were going back and forth, Link had climbed back onto the platform.  He was hurting from the swallowing, and his right arm was hurting a bit.  He readied his arrows again and this time his shot was true, nailing Gyorg between the gill and the mouth.  He went down hard, and Link put on the Zora Mask.  An electroshock attack later, Gyorg was flopping around in the water like crazy.  Link swam back onto the platform, and repeated the process.  By now, Gyorg had let out his small fishes in an attempt to make the water more dangerous, but Link’s strategy of attack continued to work well, and Gyorg was down to his last hit.  Link hit him with another arrow, and as Mikau, jumped in to deliver the final blow.  That’s when Ganondorf stood up onto his railing and sent an energy ball into the water, shocking both Link and Gyorg.  The blow was especially painful for Link, as in his Mikau form he did not take the electrocution well at all.

 

Ganondorf’s interference caused all heck to break loose, as Kafei and Skull Kid both jumped the railing onto the platform with their weapons, looking ready to combat Ganondorf.  Several of Ganondorf’s followers came down to face them, and that prompted both sides of the arena to clear.  Before you knew it, you had about 25 or 30 people fighting it out on that small platform.  Many got pushed over into the water, which created an extremely dangerous situation with Link and Gyorg still underneath the surface.

 

With all the mayhem going on above the surface, Link came to, and noticed Gyorg coming toward him to swallow him again.  Link deked in the water and zapped him with his Zora electroshock attack, and used more electroshock to finish Gyorg off.  Gyorg jumped around like crazy, eventually onto the platform where he knocked many off into the water, including Ganondorf and Majora.  Eventually, he disappeared, and Link collected the key and Gyorg’s remains.  Link pointed the key directly at Ganondorf with a fierce look in his eye.  He wanted to fight Ganondorf right there, but he jumped onto Majora’s back and flew out of the room toward the top of the tower.

 

Back in the watery hallway, Link opened the key door leading to the next floor up.  All 10 of them climbed the stairs until they reached another room similar to the first room of the tower, except that this room had no pillar in the middle.  In its place was a circular platform and a mantle with 4 holes in it.  As Link, Zelda, Ruto, and Nabooru walked forward to place the remains in the holes, a voice spoke to them.

 

“My dearest Hero of Time, you have done well to confront the evils in this tower and collect the remains of the vanquished.  Ahead is a stone mantle, if you place the 4 remains of the vanquished in the holes set in the mantle, a great ray of light will illuminate this room and take you up to the top of the tower.  There you will engage the supreme evildoers, and this time there will be no rules.  I have no doubts in you or in any members of your party to return peace and sanctity to the lands of Hyrule and Termina.”

 

The voice faded out as Link, Zelda, and the two sages placed the remains on the mantle.  As the voice had said, a great beam of light fell upon the central platform.  Kafei, Saria, Darunia, and Skull Kid all held hands as they leapt into the light, followed by everybody else.  It was time for history to be made.

 

Chapter 23: The Battle For Supremacy

 

Link and his comrades were brought up the light tunnel out of the top room of the tower.  When they emerged from the light, they were on top of the tower, and Majora and Ganondorf were on the other side.  The night was dark, cloudy, and there was thunder and lightning crashing all over the area. Ganondorf was playing his trademark organ, while Majora was standing quietly.  He looked like he was in a state of extreme concentration.  On the other side of the tower, emotions were running high, especially for two individuals who had vengeance on their mind.  One of these people was Kafei, whose newfound sword skills led him to believe now was finally his time to gain revenge on Majora for the horrible curses cast upon him.  And for Nabooru, this was a chance for her to prove that she was truly the greatest gerudo of them all, not Ganondorf.  Of all assembled, only Link and Skull Kid really knew of Majora’s true power, so Link told everybody before the battle to let them (along with Kafei) take care of Majora.  For Link, the battle would boil down to how quickly the three of them could take out Majora, and how much they could protect the sages from Majora’s whips while they went after Ganondorf.

 

Ganondorf got up from his organ and started to speak.  Link cut him off immediately.

 

“Save it Ganondorf! Link yelled.  “You’re done, the game is up.  Just surrender now before you make things even harder on yourself.”

 

“Don’t you cut me off, you overrated weakling!” Ganondorf said.  “I’m going to take you out if it’s the last thing I do!”

 

“You can’t beat me, you’ve never beaten me.  Don’t even try, you’re wasting your time.”

 

“You think you’re so courageous,” Ganondorf said.  “You think that you courage, your guts and determination can just power you through anything.  Well I’m going to tell you that desire alone cannot break through vast power.  I know it, my friend Majora over here knows it, and deep down inside, you know it too.  Why else would you have brought all your little friends up here?  Just so they could watch you take me out again?  No.  So they could cover your sorry little butt when you get beat halfway around this rooftop.  These people you bring with you, they are nothing but pawns in your apparent bloodthirsty search for the power of this land.  You want it all for yourself, and they are so blind that they’ll help you get it.  Well I don’t care!  I’m the most powerful person in this land!”

 

Link was furious at Ganondorf’s assertion of him being power-hungry.  “These people behind me are not pawns of any plot!  They are the people entrusted by the goddesses of Hyrule to protect the lands and peoples of this world from people like you.  That’s why they are called sages!”

 

“Ganondorf, you’re such a pathetic liar!” yelled Nabooru.

 

“You’re such a pathetic excuse for a leader!” Ganondorf yelled back.

 

“I was a better leader than you’ll ever be!” shouted Nabooru.

 

At Ganondorf’s urging, Majora whips Nabooru and knocks her down.

 

Ganondorf was incensed.  “Only a male can govern over the Gerudo race!  That is the legend passed down over hundreds of years, the one male born every hundred years is the ruler of the Gerudo.  Are you so ignorant that you don’t understand the gerudo legend!  And you call yourself a sage?!”

 

“The gerudo legend is not absolute, especially if the male is nothing but a wicked sorcerer bent on destroying everything!”

 

“Oh, that’s just too bad.” Ganondorf said.  “Complain all you want my subject.  What do you call yourselves anyway?” Ganondorf turns to Majora while talking.  “This fat one over here, calls himself a warrior of his race.  The only thing he’s ever done is watch his people get rounded up and readied for feeding to the great dragon Volvagia, not to mention getting defeated by Volvagia himself.” Darunia gets mad at this statement.  “This one over here calls herself the Sage of Water, yet she was covered by her own element when Zora’s Domain was frozen over!  Nice way to control your element of power.”  Ruto is incensed, and starts shouting obscenities at Ganondorf.  “These two over here,” Ganondorf says as he moves toward Rauru and Saria, “are so weak and feeble that they could not possibly be expected to do anything but bow before me after I defeat the Hero of Time.  Look at the young one, the Sage of Forest.  The only thing she could possibly be good at now is pleading for mercy once Link is down.”  Expecting a reaction from Saria, Ganondorf get none as Saria stares blankly.  “And then we have…”

 

Zelda cuts Ganondorf off. “Your empty rhetoric will get you nowhere Ganondorf.  Say all you want about us and our supposed shortcomings, but the fact is that you are cornered and we are going to beat you before you beat anybody else in this land.”

 

Ganondorf does not skip a beat.  “Oh yes, that reminds me of the Princess.  That little twerp who thinks she is the second coming of Nayru.  Judging by your previous actions Zelda, you are foolish, foolish enough to try and command powers that are far beyond your wildest comprehension.  Your actions are despicable, and you ought to be treated by those actions.”

 

“You pitiful man!” Zelda yelled

 

“You pathetic little harlot!” Ganondorf yelled back.

 

As soon as Ganondorf let go of the word harlot, Zelda just snapped, and immediately rushed Ganondorf.  Impa followed right behind her.  Majora attempted to whip attack Zelda, but she was too fast.  Ganondorf also attempted to attack her, but he was too slow.  Zelda rushed right at him and speared him,  then started flailing away at his face.  Majora whipped her once, then twice, but Zelda still would not get off of Ganondorf.  Finally, Ganondorf threw her off, only to have Impa ninja attack him from behind, stunning him with a Deku Nut.  Link shot a light arrow from deep that connected, then Impa started wearing him down with punches and kicks, many of them to the lower body, further inhibiting Ganondorf’s movements.  Kafei and Skull Kid moved to confront Majora, and before long Majora was having difficulty facing both of them.  Skull Kid was very quick, stunning Majora with his deku-esque spinning attack.  Kafei and Link then hit Majora with their swords.  Eventually, Majora decided that something had to be done his side’s poor mobility.  Him and Ganondorf were getting pounded on all sides because they were so slow.  So Majora flicked one of his whips inside the other, pulled his masked head downward, and started running around like mad.  He had changed into his Incarnation form.

 

Majora’s change of form really messed up the attack plans of Link’s group.  Link and Kafei suddenly started having trouble even catching up with Majora, and Majora started trampling over random people as well.  Ruto, who is fairly clumsy on land, ran right into Majora’s legs, and got nailed in the head.  Ruto did not get up immediately, and was clutching her head when she did get up.  Impa would suffer a similar fate a few minutes later when she was behind Ganondorf going for an attack.  She got blindsided by Ganondorf and fell like she had been shot. Even worse, Majora’s change of form really opened up space for Ganondorf to get his attacks going.  He began to use his long range energy attacks against Zelda, then against Nabooru, who by then had also gotten into the battle.  The lighter and quicker Zelda continued to get inside on Ganondorf, but her soft blows did little damage.  For every point of damage Zelda hit Ganondorf with at close range, Ganondorf was able to counter with double that total by hitting Zelda with energy blasts from the outside.  Even better for Ganondorf, he still had his gerudo blades in his back pocket.  When Zelda came up to attack again, Ganondorf let loose with a big slash, just about ripping Zelda’s dress in half and giving her a big gash across the stomach.  Blood starting coming out very quickly.  Impa, who was already down with possibly a concussion from a collision with Majora, was powerless to help her.  This forced Link to come off of Majora and drag Zelda over to the other side of the roof.  He had red potion on him, and that would help her, but for all intents and purposes she was out of the battle.

 

Majora decided to try and take Zelda out, possibly even knock her off the roof.  Link and Kafei had no choice but to protect her, which was difficult because of the speed that Majora was moving at.  Link attempted to slash at Majora whenever he came close, and that kept him at bay a bit.  Saria was also standing by Link’s side by now, with her light weight, one shot from Majora’s powerful legs could send her flying off the tower.  Ganondorf seized the opportunity by sending energy blasts at Link, thinking he was distracted by playing defense.  Link was able to deflect the energy blasts back, but trying to fight Majora and Ganondorf at the same time was wearing on him.  Link needed somebody to step up in a big way if they were to get everybody through the battle alive.  Two sages answered the call in a big way and would ultimately save the battle for Link.

 

With most of the other sages either unable to fight or incapacitated, Nabooru stepped forward and drew her Gerudo blades.  Majora made the mistake of charging her with her blades drawn, and Nabooru slashed one of his legs clean off.  This made it difficult for Majora to run around in his Incarnation form, and he had to lay off of Nabooru.  Making matters worse for Majora, it had started to rain, making the terrain slick and tougher to traverse on three legs.  Meanwhile, Nabooru approached Ganondorf.  Both gerudos had their gerudo blades drawn, and a classic gerudo swordfight erupted.  Nabooru attempted to use her speed to get around Ganondorf, but Ganondorf moved his position around just enough to keep Nabooru off balance as the blades flew like thunderbolts.  Both Nabooru and Ganondorf pulled out all the stops to win, they deked, they flipped, they spun, they dropped down to the ground and jumped high to avoid blades and try to launch attacks.  While this was going on, the rain started to come down harder and harder, and the lightning continued to strike closer and closer to the tower.  One sage, the fire sage Darunia, hadn’t done much in the battle because of his poor mobility.  At this point in the battle, the Big Brother made a decision that most would consider absolutely insane.  He elected to start rolling around on the slippery rock in an attempt to take Majora down.  There were a few times where he indeed came close to rolling off the side of the tower, but he was able to keep his control, and knocked Majora down about a minute later.  Link charged quickly and hit Majora with a light arrow while Darunia goron pounded Majora.  They repeated this combination a few more times before Link finished Majora’s Incarnation with the master sword.  While Majora was forced to go back to his Majora’s Wrath form, Nabooru and Ganondorf continued to go back and forth in their Gerudo Swordfight.  Nabooru changed tactics and attempted to parry attack Ganondorf, but Ganondorf used his armor plate on his right arm to protect his head.  Eventually, the attacking balance was broken when Ganondorf hit Nabooru with a warlock punch.  Nabooru was coming down from a parry attempt, and Ganondorf quickly charged up and nailed her right in the chest.  Nabooru flew backward about 20 feet, and nearly fell off the side of the tower.  Ganondorf gave chase, and seeing Nabooru down on the ground writhing in pain, he expected to finish off Nabooru with a giant swordslash.  Nabooru was playing possum though, and she quickly moved and delivered a nasty punch to Ganondorf’s nether regions.  Ganondorf went down and hunched over himself, but only for a split second, as he was able to avoid Nabooru’s swordslash attempt from the right with a roll. 

 

Seeing Ganondorf in trouble, Majora came over to help out Ganondorf, and his interference worked well.  As Nabooru was going for a close-range attack, Majora caught her in the face with his whip.  Nabooru went down hard and Ganondorf finally did get a swordslash in on her, down on her left leg.  Just as with Zelda, blood began gushing out of the wound quickly.  Nabooru was now in excruciating pain and was pretty much unable to move her leg.  She had a look of terror on her face as Ganondorf raised his giant sword to finish her off.  Before Ganondorf could skewer her though, Darunia rolled behind Ganondorf and goron punched him in the ribs.  Ganondorf turned his attention to Darunia, while Majora looked to double team him.  Link did not let this happen though, as he let loose with a light arrow, nailing Majora in the back of the head.  Ganondorf now had to fend with Darunia alone, and the two behemoths went after each other hard with punches and close range attacks.

 

Majora turned around, and Kafei was standing right behind him.  A surprised Majora took quite a few swordslashes from an incensed Kafei.  Majora was hurt, but not out, as he cracked his whip on Kafei, knocking him down.  Majora was visibly angry, and was about to use the mask on Kafei again, but before he could, Skull Kid jumped on top of him and grabbed his face.  Majora struggled to just to see because of Skull Kid blocking his vision, and tried mightily to get him off.  While this was going on, Link drew the Megaton Hammer and pounded both of Majora’s feet.  Majora yelped in pain as he finally got Skull Kid off, just in time to take another light arrow from Link.  Link swung away on Majora with the Master Sword until he eventually started losing blood and lost his footing.  He gave Kafei the green light to finish him off.  A desperate Ganondorf turned away from Darunia and threw out some energy at Kafei in a last-ditch attempt to save Majora, but it was a bad move as Link deflected it back into his face with the master sword.  Stunned by the energy, Ganondorf took several goron punches from Darunia.

 

Kafei had Majora right where he wanted him, and the vengeance he laid upon Majora is barely describable.  He started by sticking the gilded sword into his eyes, then swung away hard at his head, finally thrusting the gilded sword into his brain.  Within seconds, Majora was defeated, and started to disintegrate.  Link turned around and looked toward Ganondorf.  Ganondorf had just nailed Darunia with a warlock punch, but the Big Brother did not even fall in its wake.  Link got Darunia to distract Ganondorf, and he snuck up behind him and slashed him in the back, cutting off his armor.  Ganondorf swung his big sword around in a circle, knocking Link backward.  Link landed on top of Saria.  Ganondorf punched Darunia again, and this time the goron fell onto his back.  Ganondorf used the opportunity to go after Link, who was still in a bit of a daze.  Ganondorf struck Link again, knocking Link to the edge of the tower, where he held on for dear life.  Ganondorf moved quickly to knock Link off.

 

Ganondorf laughed, “Well look at Hyrule’s Hero now.  Heh, heh, heh, I’ve always wanted to do this…”

 

Ganondorf takes his long sword back, but somebody grabs onto it from behind.  Ganondorf swings to try and pry it loose, but the force of his swing sends the grabber downward and him forward, over the edge of the tower.  Ganondorf emitted a mighty yell as he fell hopelessly downward. 

 

“Not bad for somebody who’s purpose in life is to beg for mercy,” Saria says as she helps Link up.

 

Link was stunned.  “Saria, that was perfect.  I couldn’t have done it without you, thanks.  I’m so glad I can always count on you in the tough situations.”

 

Darunia was more upset at the ending.  “Yeah, well what do we do now?” he said.  “We can’t seal Ganondorf now, because he fell off the tower.  We have two of our brethren seriously injured as well.  The Princess and the Sage of Spirit have been slashed, while the Sage of Water and Sage of Shadow have had their heads bashed.”

 

“I don’t think there’s really any way he could have survived that.” Saria said.  “Could he have?”

 

“I can’t imagine how he would have.” Impa said.  “But we should check the bottom of the tower anyway in case we find the body, because as long as it is here in Hyrule, it is a danger to everybody.”

 

“That we will do then.” Link said.  “But it appears our hard work is finished.”

 

Chapter 24/Fanfic Epilogue: Terminan Joy, Hyrulian Anxiety

 

Upon climbing down the tower of death, Link and the sages found no trace of Ganondorf’s body anywhere.  They looked all around the base and out from the rainbow bridge and could not find him.  Finally, after about half an hour of searching, Saria located something.

 

“Hey everybody, take a look at that!” Saria shouted.

 

“What is it?” Link asked.

 

“Down there, right under the bridge.  It’s a piece of Ganondorf’s cape.”

 

“It looks like it.” Said Princess Zelda.  “I suppose that means…”

 

Rauru cut Zelda off.  “Yes.  He fell into the pit.”

 

The Sages mulled over the situation to themselves before coming to the realization that there was nothing more they could do.  They had hoped to send Ganondorf back to the sacred realm, but he had plunged into the pit surrounding the tower instead.  It was accepted among them that there was no way he could have survived the impact of the fall, but with the Triforce of Power still on him, they could not be completely sure he was dead.  But there was nothing more that could be done other than crash the tower down on his remains.

 

A few days later after the final battle, Link and a few of the other sages loaded the tower up with bombs.  Virtually everybody in Northern Hyrule came to see the destruction of the citadel, and the King of Hyrule spoke to the people before the bombing.

 

The King spoke with a strong voice.  “People of Hyrule.  We have been through a tumultuous time.  As a people, we have relied on our inner strengths and the strengths of those around us to get us through this difficult time.  We have banded together as a nation and collected our strength inside those people who serve as our protective sages.  As you are all aware, the evil Ganondorf did indeed return to our world.  However, he was not alone, he was broken out of the sacred realm by a mysterious and dangerous fellow from the land of Termina.  Over the last day or so, these two foes were directly engaged in combat by none other than Hero of Time himself, Link, along with the great Sages of Hyrule.  To talk to all of you about this battle is somebody who saw the battle firsthand, my daughter, the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda.”

 

Princess Zelda has a huge bunch of bandages across her lower chest from where she had gotten swordswiped by Ganondorf.

 

Princess Zelda yelled out to all assembled.  “Let me tell all of you before I say anything else, I have been injured by Ganondorf himself.  He swiped me in the chest during a battle that took place on the top of the citadel tower. But do not weep for me, I will be fine.  I take solace in the fact that if not for the dutiful work of the Gorons, Zoras, and Hylian Knights among you today, we would never have gotten the opportunity to corner Ganondorf and his Terminan comrade at the tower.  We could not have done it without the contributions of each and every one of you.  Once we trapped Ganondorf, we fought our way up the tower, and when we got there, we fought against Ganondorf and his friend in a vicious encounter.  Thanks to the great swordplay of Link and his Terminan friend named Kafei, we were able to destroy Ganondorf’s comrade in battle.  Ganondorf counterattacked and had Link on the side of the tower but thanks to the infinite wisdom of the forest sage, Saria, she and Link were able to toss Ganondorf off the tower into the pit surrounding the citadel.  Now any person would likely be destroyed from such a fall and we believe that this happened to Ganondorf.  Since he owns the Triforce of Power, we cannot be sure he will not come back to life at some point as long as he remains in this realm.”  There is some visible disappointment in the crowd as Zelda says this.  “The entire area will be placed under guarded watch until we can figure out just what happened to the evil Ganondorf.  That is, after we bury it in the remains of the tower!  Zelda turns around.  “Darunia!  Light the bomb flowers!”

 

The crowd starts cheering massively as Darunia bombs the first bomb flower, setting off a magnificent domino-esque chain reaction that goes all the way from the north end of Hyrule Castle Town right up to the top of the tower.  Within the next few minutes, the tower implodes on itself and falls over into the pit surrounding it.  The resulting shockwaves from the tower falling reached earthquake levels in much of Northern Hyrule, but the people in the town square didn’t care.  There was much partying in the square of Hyrule Castle Town that day, but Zelda’s words had tempered their celebration a bit, as in the backs of the minds of the Hyrulians, they knew that Ganondorf might not truly be dead, and that his reemergence was still a possibility.  This led to an unsightly air of anxiety throughout the land of Hyrule that would last for weeks.

 

As for Link, Zelda, and the others, they were just happy that the attack was over, and that their tired bodies could finally receive the sleep they so desperately needed.  But every single one of them knew that as long as Ganondorf possessed the Triforce of Power, the unthinkable could still happen.

 

By the time the tower had been imploded, Kafei and Skull Kid were on their way back to Termina.  Kafei carried the charred and slashed remains of Majora’s Mask with him as proof of their victory, and when news of their victory over Majora hit the shores of Great Bay and washed into Termina Field, the entire land of Termina exploded into massive celebration.  The people of the former Clock Town, living in temporary sod/grass houses all throughout Termina Field, embraced the news as a sign that their normal lives might return.  Without evil in the world, they had a chance to return to normalcy and perhaps even rebuild Clock Town.  Kafei and Skull Kid were heralded as heroes for their victory over Majora.  The resulting partying that erupted all over Great Bay, Snowhead Mountain, the Southern Swamp, and especially Termina Field, was enormous in scope.  The biggest carnivals that Clock Town ever had did not hold a candle to the celebration that occurred in Termina that day and night.  People exploded bombs, threw fire-tipped sticks and arrows around, tossed chu jelly at people as if to food fight, just went absolutely crazy.  After fighting through a bunch of roudy partiers, Kafei found Anju standing alone on the site of the old Clock Town, which was no longer a lava field for it had cooled and crystallized.

 

Kafei said, “Anju, I’ve returned.”

 

Anju almost cried with emotion. “Oh Kafei, you’ve done it, you’ve done everything you said you would.”

 

Kafei said, “Yes, Majora has been defeated, and now nothing stands between us.”  Kafei held up the remains of Majora’s Mask.

 

Anju said seductively, “That’s good, because now we can do what we always wanted…”

 

Anju and Kafei collapse to the ground and start playing with each other as the light fades out.        

 

 

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