Seventeen years old and giving up on my old life. Not entirely, I suppose I'll go back to it someday, but for now I'm staying here with the one I love.
I don't exactly remember how it started, though he thought it was when I was "being difficult" and putting up a fight for who got credit to be a hero. I told him it was long before that, way back when I went to hide in the woods during an innocent game of hide-and-go seek in fifth grade. I was ten.
So here I am now, looking back on how my life went wrong, yet still changed for the better. I'm only doing this so that I won't forget; I might even publish a fictitious book on it. The only thing that no one will know is that what really happened was real.
It all began at the end of one summer, about mid-day, the year I was going into fifth grade. I had turned ten the week before and bragging off to everyone how I was now everyone's senior and they should look up to me, and that I had gotten just what I had asked for: a cool pen that could write on anything, a ring, a jacket, a pretty ribbon, books and money. Foolish, right? So around noon the kids in my neighborhood asked me if I wanted to play hide-and-seek, an offer I couldn't turn down. So one kid counted and the rest of us ran and hid. I, of course, wanted to be the last one found, so I spent a good minute or two deciding where I should hide. The seeker was down to ten, so I quickly decided the woods would be fine. Two seconds, I remember, and I was just passing through the first of the trees. He looked up a second early, saw me and ran. I heard his feet crash on the leaves, and then all I remember was a snapping branch, splashing and everything went dark.
Rain. That's the only sound I can hear besides the clattering of hooves. I look up, I'm in a place I don't recognize, but it's beautiful. A draw bridge opens, and out comes a young girl looking scared and her guard on a horse. An armored green-skinned man with red hair is on a dark horse, I assume he is chasing after them. The girl looks back over at something, and I follow her gaze. A young boy my age, blonde, is staring at her with wide, confused eyes. The girl then throws something, and then next there's a plop! in the water. As the boy dives in I run over to the side of the river where he was just standing. I look down. He's struggling; he's not tough enough against the strong current. He's obviously about to pass out, so I jump in. As his eyes shut, I grab his arm, and he's holding on to something – what? I swim upward and pull him out onto the grass, and then… black.
"Oh, Rhyl and Navi the fairies…Listen to my words, the words of the Deku Tree…"
A light pink fairy and a light blue fairy hovered above the ground before a withering tree, possibly listening to the words coming from the tree's mouth.
"Dost thou sense it? The climate of evil descending on this realm… Malevolent forces even now are mustering to attack our land of Hyrule… For so long, the Kokiri Forest, the source of life, has stood as a barrier, deterring outsiders and maintaining the order of the world. But, before this tremendous evil power, even my power is as nothing… It seems the time has come for the girl and boy without fairies to begin their journeys… The youths whose destinies are to lead Hyrule to the path of justice and truth…" The fairies nodded. "Rhyl, Navi…go now! Find our young friends and guide them to me…" The tree's voice seemed to grow weaker. "I do not have much time left. Fly, Rhyl and Navi, Fly! The fate of the forest, nay, the fate of the world, depends on thee!"
With that, the two fairies flew away, through a winding path, through a small boy's legs, back to the small village where they parted ways, to find the girl and the boy with great destinies. The village of children was awake and full of activity. The light pink went towards the girl's house and the light blue went to the boy's house, directly across from each other.
The pink fairy, a boy, Rhyl, floated through the door and was greeted by a young girl sleeping. To wake her up, he spoke above her ear.
"Hello, Sage! Wake up! The Great Deku Tree wants to talk to you! Sage…Get up!" When she did not respond, he got a bit overexcited. "Can Hyrule's destiny really depend on such a lazy girl?" With that comment the girl woke up. "You finally woke up! I'm Rhyl the fairy! The Great Deku Tree asked me to be your partner from now on! Nice to meet you!" The young girl simply waved, not totally awake. "The Great Deku Tree has summoned you, so lets get going, right now!" She nodded, and together they walked out the door.
Where am I? I don't remember my neighborhood being a forest full of fairies and little kids and no adults. I surely don't remember owning a green tunic and brown boots, and having a green bandana on top of my long brown hair. Sure, it was beautiful here, super green trees and soft grass, and it seemed like a sanctuary, but still. Waking up from a really bad dream and going out to be shocked like that wasn't a very good combination. Instinct told me I was in a place called Kokiri Forest. Right before I was about to climb down my ladder I was greeted by a blonde boy, who looked about my age. Following him was a fairy just like mine, except his was blue. He looked cross for some reason, a scowl was sitting on his face for some reason. He called up to me and I could see his eyes – Annoyance.
"C'mon, girl! We don't have all the time in the world! While you're sleeping up there the world is being destroyed and it's up to us!" I rolled my eyes, which probably didn't help things, only encouraging him more. "Hurry up! Or do you just want everyone to die?" I jumped down my ladder and glared at him, and he ran ahead of me, expecting me to run with him. I followed, but at a slower pace. As we passed everyone I realized the kids here were all strangely about my age and resembled the kids in my neighborhood. I told myself I was just imagining things and went onward.
Guarding the path to the Deku Tree was a boy that looked exactly like the counter in the game I was playing earlier. He let by the other boy, but when I tried to follow he pulled me aside.
"You aren't even fully equipped yet! How do you think you're going to help the Great Deku Tree without both a sword and a shield ready? What? You're right, I don't have my equipment ready, but… If you want to pass through here, you should at least equip a sword and a shield! Sheesh!" As he ranted off, obviously annoyed by the fact that he wasn't summoned, my mind wandered on to what I was supposed to do. If the Deku Tree expects me to save a whole world without any experience whatsoever, I think his aging has gone to his head.
Finally the boy was done yelling and I turned around in search of a sword and shield. As I walked by a building a place called "Shop" caught my eye and I thought it would be a good idea to look in there. I walked in, and the clerk could barely see over the counter, he was so small. He had to jump to see me. Sure enough, they were selling a wooden shield. Unfortunately, no sword. The price for it, the shopkeeper said, was 40 Rupees. I looked at him weirdly and asked him again, and sure enough he said 40 Rupees. I was confused. In America, we use dollars, not some weird thing called a Rupee.I walked out to look for a sword first, and as I headed towards my house I ran through some tall grass. I found an object called a green Rupee! It looked like a gem, or in nerd terms, a "hexagonal crystal". I whooped and then ran through many more patches of grass and was able to collect about Twenty Rupees. Then I found a guy by some rocks, and he told me that through a tiny hole there would be a sword. It confused me. I walked through a walkway and found it: a hole in a wall just big enough for me to crawl through. I shuffled through and was greeted by a giant moving spherical rock, and I screamed. When it moved, I stayed where I was and then a few seconds later it came around again. This time I followed it and came across a treasure chest. In it was a small sword. I put it on the belt I just happened to be wearing and got the hell out of there.
Outside a boy taught me some basic sword tricks, which I practiced on bushes. Well, people, for future reference: when you chop plants here, money comes out! I got 10 more rupees, and then I walked into someone's house to ask for a loan. Before I could I accidentally knocked over a pot. It broke, but they didn't seem to care. Even better, more money shot out! I broke their other pots and I counted all of my money up: 33 Rupees. Only seven more! I wandered into another house to break more pots, but instead there were treasure chests. I opened them and I got two blue rupees, worth five each. I had enough money finally!
I dashed over to the shop again, bought my shield then put it on my back. I walked over to the guard kid again and finally after much hassle on my part he let me through. Down the winding path, me and Rhyl went, and I was attacked by sprouts that came out of nowhere. Sprouts! So plants could be evil here, too. What a strange place. I reached the end and I saw a huge, withering tree. Rhyl flew forth to it
"Great Deku Tree… I'm back!" Rhyl greeted. A tired voice answered.
"Oh…Rhyl…Thou hast returned…Sage…welcome…" I didn't dare ask how a tree knew my name and could talk. "Listen carefully to what I, the Deku Tree, am about to tell thee. Thy slumber these past moons must have been restless, and full of nightmares…As the servants of evil gain strength, a vile climate pervades the land and causes nightmares to those sensitive to it. Verily thou hast felt it. Sage… the time has come to test thy courage. I have been cursed… I need you to break the curse with your wisdom and courage. Dost thou have courage enough to undertake this task?"
Okay, what the hell was this tree saying? He's talking in Middle English! Like, medieval times talk! And supposedly I'm the one to save the world with my courage and wisdom? I'm only ten, what wisdom do I have? I didn't have much choice, so I simply answered "Yes" and his mouth started opening.
"Then enter, brave Sage, and thou too, Rhyl… Rhyl the fairy…Thou must aid Sage … And Sage, when Rhyl speaks, listen well to her words of wisdom…" It seemed like all the life was sucked out of him, and he was expecting me to go inside his mouth or something. No way was I going to let him swallow me, but of course I had to, because I'm "the chosen one" or something. I walked in, and saw things that never should be inside a tree.