Play Date

by TwilightPrince

(NOTE from author: This story takes place after Link is sent back to his original time at the end of Ocarina of Time.)

Chapter 1- The Return of a Hero?

Temple of Time

As the blue glow dimmed around Link, he looked and saw that he was once again his child self, and the Master Sword rested in the Pedestal of Time once again, hopefully forever. As Link was admiring how that the future Zelda sent him back to regain his lost childhood, he turned to look at Navi, his faithful fairy companion. But, she seemed a little sad.

"Link?" asked Navi.

"What's the matter, Navi?" asked Link, noticing she was a little sad at something.

"I...I have to go now." she said.

"What?! Why? Can't you stay with me?" asked Link, surprised at Navi's statement.

"Yeah...but..." said Navi, turning away from Link, "You're a Hylian, not a Kokiri. Hylians don't need a guardian fairy...so..."

"So you're just gonna up and leave?!" said Link, getting a bit angry at this, "Is that it? Just because I'm a Hylian means that we have to be separated?"

"I'm afraid so..." said Navi, who started sniffling a bit, "It's the Code of Fairies, and we aren't supposed to disobey it. Please...try to understand, Link."

"I CAN'T understand, Navi!!" yelled Link, his voice echoing throughout the Master Sword chamber, "You and I have been through too much together, and now you just want to LEAVE?!! Fine then! Go!!"

Navi turned back to look at Link, who was facing away from Navi, his arms crossed and his body shaking in anger. She didn't say another word and just flew off towards the window in the chamber. But, under her breath, she muttered, "Good-bye, Link, and...thank you..."

Link, still with an angry look on his face, turned to see Navi fly out the window. Something was different about Link, and it showed. Normally, he'd never yell at Navi, even if she got a bit annoying at times. And yet, he had done just that. Link turned away from the Pedestal of Time and started to slowly walk out of the Temple of Time, making sure to shut the Door of Time and retrieve the three Spiritual Stones from the pedestal outside. As he turned to get a last look at the temple's interior, he had a determined look on his face. Yes, indeed, something about Link had changed...but what?

Link decided to head to Hyrule Castle to see Zelda, knowing that she would be waiting for him...

Hyrule Castle Courtyard

Link had managed to once again sneak by the castle guards without even being noticed. Those guards couldn't find me if I was standing behind them! Link thought to himself as he entered the castle's courtyard. Sure enough, there was Zelda, peering through that same window as before. He started to walk towards her, but stopped and looked in the right-hand window, seeing some pictures hanging up on the wall inside. Huh...I wonder who those people are? They sure look...weird. thought Link. He was referring to the pictures of the Mario crew that could be seen hanging up on the wall through the window he was looking in. Link shrugged his shoulders and went on to Zelda.

When Link was close enough, Zelda heard him and turned around to see him, a surprised look on her face. "Huh? L-Link? Is that you?!" she said with surprise.

"Yeah, I'm back." was all Link said.

Zelda went up to Link and smiled, seeing that her best friend was still alive and well. Obviously, the future Zelda had transproted Link to a point in between when Link first met her but before Ganondorf had chased her and Impa out of the castle. This would explain why Zelda still knew him. "I'm glad to see you're alright, Link..." she said, but then her voice turned worried, "but shouldn't you be out looking for the Spiritual Stones?"

Link reached into his pocket and pulled the three stones out and showed them to Zelda. "You mean these?" he said with a smile.

Zelda gasped in amazement. "Whoa! How'd you get them so fast?" she exclaimed.

"It's a looooong story, Zelda..." said Link.

"It's okay, please tell me what happened. I got plenty of time now." she said.

"Well...okay...but try to keep an open mind, okay?" said Link, sitting down in the cool green grass.

"I will." said Zelda as she sat beside him. Thus, Link told Zelda everything he had been through, from the point where she gave Link the Ocarina of Time, how he became an adult, how he had rescued Saria, Darunia, Ruto, Impa, and Nabooru and made them realize they were Sages, and how Ganondorf kidnapped her future self and Link rescuing her from his evil clutches. He ended by telling her how she had helped him in sealing Ganondorf away in the future, and then sending him back to where he is now. He only left out the part where Navi had left him. This whole story took a few hours to tell, and Zelda paid every bit of attention to all of it.

"Wow..." said Zelda in amazement, "You sure have been through a lot..."

"I'll say..." said Link, stretching his arms out.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Zelda, "We have the three stones, and Ganondorf is still around...so now what?"

"My advice would be to get your father to believe that Ganondorf is planning something against him and get him into a good prison soon." said Link. "That way, Hyrule is safe before any damage is caused. I sure don't want to make the same mistake I once did..."

"Good idea. I'll do it right away!" said Zelda, but then she looked at Link with a curious look on her face, "You know...something's different about you...but I can't put my finger on it."

"You think so?" said Link, a bit surprised at Zelda's statement, "I don't feel any different."

"Eh...it's probably just me." said Zelda, smiling, "Anyways, thank you for returning the Spiritual Stones, Link. What're you going to do now?"

"I'm going home in Kokiri Forest. I'm tired..." said Link, giving off a yawn.

"I guess you would be after all you've been through." said Zelda. "Okay then, I'll see you later Link."

"You too, Princess. Take care." said Link as he got up and walked out of the courtyard.

Zelda watched as he walked out. As she was, she had a worried look on her face. Something IS different about him... she thought to herself, He seems...more mature than when I first met him. I wonder...

Hyrule Field

Link was walking back to his home in Kokiri Forest. It had been a long journey for him, travelling across time, defeating monsters, trekking those dungeons, and saving the future of Hyrule. It had all taken a toll on little Link, and it showed because he was slowly walking across Hyrule Field, breathing loudly. Soon, however, he heard a noise. It was faint at first, but as it got closer, it sounded like...footsteps. Rapid footsteps. Link, on instinct, turned around and was ready to pull out his Kokiri Sword, but when he saw who was making the footsteps, he stopped and smiled.

The footsteps belonged to Epona, and young Malon was riding her. She was heading in Link's direction, waving her hand to him. Link smiled and waved back, seeing another of his old friends and a would-be trusty steed. "Hey! Fairy-boy!" yelled Malon, still waving to him. Link liked the nickname she had given him awhile back, since it made perfect sense that he came from the forest. However, the mention of a fairy made Link remember what happened in the Temple of Time between him and Navi, but he decided to keep it to himself and ran towards the now-slowing-down Malon and Epona.

"Hi, Malon!" said Link coming up to her and Epona, "You're looking well. How's Epona doing?"

Epona neighed with cheer as she saw Link come up. Link patted Epona on the head, and smiled as Malon got off Epona. "She's doing fine! You don't look so bad yourself, tee-hee!" said Malon with a giggle.

Link looked at Malon and gave a slight blush. "Uhhh...thanks." he said. Even after that long journey, Link still had a bit of nervousness around cute girls, and Malon was no exception. "So, what are you doing out here in the field? It'll be dark soon, and those skeleton creatures come out onto the field at night." said Link, voicing some concern.

"I'm just giving Epona some excercise." said Malon, "What about you?"

"Just heading home to the forest." said Link, yawning again, "I'm bushed..."

"Awww...poor baby." said Malon with a smile, "You want a ride home? I'm sure Epona won't mind."

"Nah, it's okay." said Link, shaking his head, "I can go by myself."

"Aw, c'mon!" said Malon, "It'll be fun!"

"No thanks, Malon." said Link, a bit more stern this time.

"Pleeeeeese? Epona would love it if you played with her, like you did all the time at the ranch!" said Malon with starry eyes.

This was starting to get on Link's nerves, and he couldn't help but yell. "I SAID NO THANKS!!!!" he yelled.

Malon stopped suddenly and her smile went to a look of surprise and fear. "Wha...what's..." she stuttered, but then she became angry as well, "What's gotten into you?! You always jumped at the opportunity to play with me and Epona, even if you were busy with something! What's wrong with you?" Malon's eyes filled with tears. "Well, fine! sniff Go on then! Just don't come crying to me if you fall asleep before you get there!" With having said that, Malon ran off to the Castle Town Market. Epona snorted at Link then turned around and followed her master.

Link just stood there and watched as Malon and Epona went off towards the drawbridge to the town. He then said to himself, "I'm sorry, Malon...I have more important things to worry about anyways..." With that, Link turned around and ran towards the entrance to Kokiri Forest. It had just gotten dark when he got there, so he was glad to not have to handle the pesky skeletons that came out.

Castle Town Market

Zelda had done as Link had asked, and Ganondorf was sent to prison for questioning. Feeling content that she had done something right, she decided to take a walk in the market. The sun had already set, but there was still enough light inthe sky to see everything anyways, and her royal curfew wasn't until 8:00, so she thought she would see what everyone was up to in the market.

As Zelda was walking around, she happened to notice a familiar face nearby, sitting on a bench and looking as if she was crying. A horse was next to her, nuzzling her with its nose, as if trying to calm her down. Zelda seemed worried that one of the citizens of Hyrule was in depression, so she decided that it was her duty to go and console her. She walked over to the girl and sat down next to her.

"Um...you're...Malon, daughter of the ranch owner, right?" asked Zelda, looking over at the crying girl.

As it turned out, it was Malon, and she immediately looked up to see Princess Zelda looking at her with a worried look. "Um...your highness!" she blurted out, and immediately got on her knees and bowed to her, like everyone else in Hyrule did for royalty.

"Please, don't do that!" Zelda scoffed, "I just want to be treated like everyone else. Now then, is something wrong, Malon?"

Malon got off her knees and sat back down next to Zelda, still sniffling a bit from the tears in her eyes. "Well..." she started, "It's about...Link."

"Link?! What...is something wrong with him? Is he okay?!" asked Zelda, worried that something happened to her best friend.

"Well, not really, but..." said Malon, feeling a little better due to the fact that she was talking to the most trustworthy person in Hyrule, "I met him on the field, and we said hi to each other. But when I offered to play with him, he just said no."

"He did?" asked Zelda.

"Yeah..." said Malon, "But the way he said it, it was almost like he never wanted to play ever again!"

"What?!" exclaimed Zelda, "That's...not like Link to say something like that..."

"I know!" said Malon, seeing as if Zelda agreed with her, "That's not like the Link I used to know!"

"Whoa..." said Zelda, her mind filling with more thoughts by the second, too many to count, "I'm so sorry that happened, Malon."

"Don't be..." said Malon, looking over at Zelda again, "It's not your fault."

"I know, but..." started Zelda, but then something brushed up against her. Epona nuzzled a surprised Zelda with a playful tone in its voice. Zelda giggled and stroked Epona's head. Epona softly snorted as Zelda stroked her head.

"You're so gentle." said Zelda to Epona.

"That's amazing..." said Malon, seeming surprised, "Usually Epona doesn't just come up and nuzzle a stranger."

"I guess she doesn't consider me one." said Zelda, turning back towards Malon and smiling. Zelda then had an idea. "Hey, I know! Why don't we go to the forest tommorow and play with Link then? I'm sure he was just having a bad day, that's all. You can stay with me tonight if you want to. The royal stables will be perfect for Epona here.

"You mean it?" said Malon with excitement, "Oh, thank you Princess!"

"Please, call me Zelda." said Zelda, getting up from the bench.

"Thank you so much! But, won't daddy get worried if I'm not home tonight?" said Malon, sounding worried.

"Don't worry, Malon." said Zelda, smiling, "I'll have my nursemaid, Impa, send a message to Lon Lon Ranch that you're going to be my special guest for a few days. I'm sure she'll understand."

"Thank you again!" said Malon, getting up and grabbing Epona's reigns. "You wanna ride back to the castle?"

"Sure, I'd love to." said Zelda, and with some help from Malon, hopped onto Epona. Malon led Epona to the castle gates, all the while Zelda rode on Epona's back. The girls then spent the night together, and Impa agreed to send a message to Lon Lon ranch.

But this night wasn't over just yet...

Kokiri Forest

As Link entered the Kokiri Forest, he was happy to see it just the way he remembered it. However, as happy as he was that he was back home again, he still was having some major thoughts about Navi leaving him. He noticed that all the Kokiri were already asleep, including Saria and even Mido. Probably for the best that I don't wake them up. thought Link as he quietly went over to his house. He climbed the ladder and entered, seeing that it too was still the way he had left it. He glanced over at his bed, and started to remember how that is where he first met Navi; how she had waken him up to tell him that the Great Deku Tree had summoned him and that he needed to follow her. It was the start of his most grand adventure yet, and he would never forget it as long as he lived.

As Link sat down on his bed and kicked off his boots, he remembered all the times Navi had gotten him out of a jam. If it wasn't for her, he probably would've gotten lost in all those dungeons and temples he had to explore, especially the Water Temple, which he remembered to not only be the hardest one he conquered, but also the place where he met his dark double, forcing him to outsmart himself. Navi helped greatly in that battle, as well as the one against the guardian of the Shadow Temple, Bongo Bongo. If it wasn't for her, Link would've never found its weak spot. Link continued to remember all those times, but then thought about Navi leaving him again.

I think Navi leaving me means something... thought Link as he lied down on his bed, I guess it means that I can take care of myself... Link pondered on this for a few minutes, then abruptly sat up with a determined look on his face. "That's it then!" he said out loud, not caring if someone heard him, "From now on, I'm acting more grown-up! I need to put these childish things of mine aside, and act like the grownup I was in the future!" Link felt satisfied at this and lied back down on his bed, soon falling into the deepest sleep that anyone could ever know.

Little did Link know...that this decison of his would eventually have its drawbacks...

The next morning...

The sun came up over the horizon in the Kokiri Forest, making beautiful rays of sunlight seep through the trees and waking up the flowers in the forest. The sun peeked through the window in Link's house, and right into his eyes. Link fluttered his eyes open, slightly straining from the sun in his eyes. He sat up in his bed and gave a loud yawn. Whew...haven't slept like that in awhile... he thought as he got up and slipped his boots back on. He then grabbed his sword, shield, and other equipment, and headed outside. When he got to the bottom of the ladder of his house, he turned around and bumped into someone. With both people giving off a loud "Ooomph!", both characters fell to the ground.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" yelled Link, rubbing his head.

"Link?! Is that you?!" came the other character's voice, sounding feminine, yet childish.

Link immediately looked at who he had bumped into. It was his best and dearest friend Saria. Link got a wide-eyed look on his face, and immediately went and helped her up. "Saria?" he said, sounding happy, "You okay?"

"Link!" said Saria as she looked at him with a beaming look on her face, "You're back! Oh, I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Saria." said Link, smiling back at her as he helped her up. "Um...sorry for bumping you like that!"

"It's okay, Link. No harm done." said Saria, brushing off her outfit. "So, you're back for good this time?"

"Yep." said Link, giving a proud look on his face, "I'm back for good."

"That's great, Link!" said Saria, seeming as happy and cheerful as ever, "So, when did you get back?"

"Just last night." said Link, "Didn't want to wake any of you since it was the middle of the night and all."

"You're always so considerate, Link." said Saria, smiling at him, "So, what're you going to do now?"

"I'm going to the forest to train some." said Link, walking past her towards the entrance to the Lost Woods. Saria seemed a little odd about hearing this.

"Really? Even after you just got back?" she asked.

"Yeah. I gotta keep my practice up. Don't got any time for fun and games and all that whatnot." said Link without giving it a second thought.

Saria was usually very cheerful around Link since they are great friends and all, but now, she seemed sad. "What do you mean no time for fun and games, Link?" she asked, in a somewhat sad tone of voice.

"What I mean is..." said Link, stopping and turning around to face her, "I want to be more grown-up, Saria. I need to focus on what's important now, and that is keeping myself in tip-top shape, in case any monsters or something attacks the village."

"Well, that's great and all, Link..." said Saria, secretly seeming disgusted with what Link had said, "But don't you think that playtime is just as important?"

"If it keeps me from more important things..." said Link, taking a deep breath, "Then no."

Saria gasped at Link's answer. She couldn't believe what she had just heard! "What do you mean 'no'?" she said in a louder tone of voice, "You can't just work your life away! Don't you know the old saying 'All work and no play makes a boring day.'? You can't just go out and work for the rest of your life! You need to relax, take a load off sometime! And not only that, but..."

"SARIA!" yelled Link, cutting her off. Saria quickly stopped talking and just gasped at him, not saying a word. Of all the people to yell at, Link never did yell at Saria. "Don't you get it?!" he continued, "Someone needs to be responsible for this forest! True the Great Deku Tree is dead but still gives the forest life, but what if something comes around and tries to destroy it?! What then?! A dead tree can't just get up and shoo the monsters out! I need to become more independent, more grown up, and more reponsible! In other words...THERE'S NO TIME FOR ME TO GOOF OFF!!!"

With those words echoing throughout the forest, Link turned around and stormed off for the Lost Woods entrance, leaving Saria sitting near his house, crying her eyes out. At first, Link meant to turn around and apologize, but he thought it would be better to go on and let the lesson he just said sink into Saria's head. He felt a little bad having to yell at his lifelong friend, but he had to get his point across, and there didn't seem to be any other way. He turned around and gave one last look at Saria before entering the Lost Woods, ready to begin his training day. One of many he would have until the end of his days...