Becoming Mikau

Majora's Mask fan-fic.

         Great Bay. It was a spectacular sight in the realm of Termina. I sat upon Epona, taking in my surroundings. It was yet another segment of the country I needed to explore. It was remarkably more pleasing than Woodfall and Snowhead. There was no poison water or rolling snow boulders. The water was happy, blue, vast and mysterious, stretching onward into the unknown regions of the world. Rising from the water near the beach was a dome, sizable enough for one reclusive soul, adorned with a giant hook. Far in the distance, in the corner of my line of sight, was an angry cyclone, rotating around a monolith that resembled a massive sea creature. The beach extended leftward through a round opening in a huge mass of rock, and behind me were two houses. "Where first?" I asked Tatl. "How should I know?" she answered, with her usual attitude. I scoffed, turning toward the cyclone. I had a hunch that was the temple, but the temples were never my first stop in these lands. "You know you wanna go there!” she said, nudging me in the head. "I'll see if anyone's in the dome,” I pitched. "Why not try those houses first since they're closer?" asked Tatl. "Look at that thing. It’s isolated there in the center of the water. Isolated places catch my interest. Remember the cabin in the mountains? I got a Gilded Sword," I asserted. I dismounted Epona. “The third guardian is somewhere in this terrain,” I said. “I never thought I’d be helping you save Termina when I ran into your face right after you became a Deku,” Tatl confessed. “Well, technically, I’m doing all the work,” I said, raising an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t survive one day without me!” she barked. I smirked. Tatl’s presence did help, more than she realized. She reminded me of another time. I was once that solitary Kokiri without a fairy, shivering in his bed, with no friends and no purpose. Everything was dark, and I was lost in despair. And then--

I sighed, gazing into the orange light of the First Day, trying not to get emotional again. I had to stay focused. I mentally prepared myself to dive so I could get to the dome, but a few seagulls flying over the water caught my vision. "A Zora!" Tatl informed. There was indeed something underneath the birds. "It’s either dead, asleep, or admiring the fish," I added. My instinct was to swim over and investigate. It might need my help. I never got into the previous temples without consulting the locals, anyway. I submerged myself in the clear water, approaching the motionless creature. "Hey, you alright?" I asked, treading water. All I heard was the seagulls. I was about to give it a push to see if it moved or not, and before my hand made contact, the Zora lifted its head and spoke, startling me. "Take me... to shore..." It lowered its head in the water, falling silent. "Man, this guy’s having a bad day," I said. This was my time to act. I went in front of him, took him by the arms, and began swimming backwards. It wasn't like I was wasting my time. I had the Song of Time, after all. The Zora began to walk on his own. I gave him a bit of room, respecting his attempt to be mobile. He walked like he just survived a war. He had a fish-bone guitar strapped to his back. That’s a first. "Anything else I can do?" I asked. I received no answer. He just dragged himself across the sand. “I’m looking for the Great Bay temple. Can you help me out?” I asked. The Zora stopped walking. I expected a response, but the Zora merely fell to his knees. I ran over to the fish humanoid, and he fell on his face.

I flipped him on his back. He coughed gruesomely, as his eyes were closed. "It's all right, man. Just breathe,” I told him. His breathing was staggered. I didn’t think I was gonna get much else from this guy, but he found the strength to speak. “Will… you…” I leaned in closer. "Will you hear my last song?" For a moment, I said nothing. I had never been asked that question in my life. This creature was not intent on saving himself from whatever he endured, nor directing me to the temple. I could find no more questions to ask. I raised myself to my feet and took his right hand in my own. “I would be honored.” I helped him to his feet and gave him space. He took his guitar in his hands and made a solid stance.

 

 

"Where... is your voiiice?! Where... is your sooong?! You... will see your eggs agaaain! Now... please do not cryyy! They take... what is not theiiirs! But justice... will be serrrved! Your line... will not end with youuu! A righteous heart... will riiise! Let us hear... your sooong! Thus the temple... shall be purrrged! Let us hear your song... thus the one in the mask shall fall..." 

He fell to his knees with his guitar in his hands. "Heal... my... soul..." he said. Tatl and I looked at each other. There were only so many options now. I pulled out the ocarina and pressed it to my lips. The melody permeated the ocean air, and when the notes subsided, the Zora faded into several dots of light, fluttering about and vanishing into the morning of the First Day. His guitar was left behind, and a mask of his face appeared in the sand, peering at the sky. I took his guitar and propped it in the sand. The name “Mikau” was etched into the guitar. 

          "You gonna try it on?" asked Tatl, flying in a figure-eight motion. Putting on these masks never felt too good, but Tatl was right. The swamp and the mountains were all the easier due to the remnants of these spirits. I went over to the mask, seeing the eyes of Mikau staring into my own. I took it into my hands, turned it around, and placed it upon my face. My heartbeat escalated, everything became dark, and I struggled to remain on my two legs. I vocalized a dark, tormented voice, and my body felt a surge of terrifying power as I lamented my cry and witnessed purple lightning flash all around. Then, I felt air in my lugs. Everything got lighter, my heartbeat stabilized, and I looked upon myself. I was taller. I was blue. I was Mikau.

          “Yeah," I said. My voice was that of a young lad descending a rocky mountain in a chariot. I had green fins on my arms. Like the Goron Mask and the Deku Mask, I assumed this mask granted me unique abilities. I went with the first thing I could think of. I crossed my arms and I swung them wide, causing my fins to fly away. They turned around and flew back to me, and I caught them on my arms. "I have boomerangs," I remarked, smiling. "Swim, Mikau!" suggested Tatl. I ran as fast as my Zora legs would allow me, thinking of Zelda and how grateful I was that she had endowed me with the Ocarina. The ocean rose over my head as I ran into it, and then, I was soaring, turning, gliding, ascending through the surface and diving back in. I flew without wings. I was waterborne. An effortless, elegant flight through water was underway due to what Mikau left behind, and I was free.

During my journey around the bay, I came to a rock wall, and it was covered in wooden boards. Wood on rock would only exist for the purpose of keeping something out. I needed to explore Great Bay, and in my experience, the most hidden places were the places I needed to be. I charged into the board ahead of me at a climactic speed, smashing it with my arms, and to my astonishment, there was a dimly lit tunnel before my eyes. Curiosity overtook me, and I swam through the dark hole, going upward, until the water came to an end. In my view were the mountains of Snowhead, a bright blue sky, and a mighty fortress fenced my mountainous rocks. I got on my feet and walked up the rocky slope. A deep lake sat halfway up the fortress, and wooden boats occupied by females with red hair moved in a circular course along the periphery of the water. They were masked from the nose down in purple to match their purple garbs. Tatl rose above my head and gazed about the scene. “Save a few eggs. Save another guardian,” said Tatl. “Sounds easy, right?” I asked. I looked up at the moon. I feel dread in me again. “Even if these guys manage to stop it from falling, we’re still gonna be waiting.” “Waiting for what?” Tatl asked. I removed the Zora mask, returning to my normal state, and placed the Stone Mask upon my face. “Waiting for time to run out.”