Hallo, this is my first story, so I'm very sorry it's terrible.
"T_T)
Disclaimer:
I do not own Ocarina of Time nor any part of the Zelda franchise.
All rights go to their respective owners.
This story is a work of fiction and corresponds to the story line, but does not follow it exactly.
This chapter is rated: K
Chapter One: A New Beginning
The air was warm that mid-morning, the day the hero of time would realize his destiny. The Kokiri were either doing chores or were playing together in their tiny village south of the Great Deku Tree, their guardian and deity. All of the Kokiri looked the same: blonde hair, green tunics and hats, and impish, childish features and bodies. Kokiri are immortal creatures, spirits of the forest even, but an outsider slipped in within them.
One storm-tossed night a woman seeking refuge from the bloody war raging her home and Hyrule field fled to the forest, and within the deepest bowels of it met the Great Deku Tree. The woman was mortally wounded during her flight, but the baby she kept tucked close to her chest and wrapped tightly in linens was unharmed. The fairies that inhabited the forest as well hovered around the Great Deku Tree and watched the mother struggle for breath; her child started to whimper and cry. The Great Deku Tree watched the mother pass on peacefully into the next world, but this left her baby boy all alone. It was decided the boy would be raised a Kokiri and integrated within the immortal society of children seamlessly. The boy was called Link since he was the Kokiri's link to the outside world.
Many years passed, and the boy grew slower than usual since time bent inside the portion of the forest the Kokiri and Deku Tree resided. Link blended in with the others well enough with his golden blonde hair and curious blue eyes. Soon only the Great Deku Tree even remembered Link belonged to the Hylian race, not the Kokiri. Link wore the same humble green tunic and green hat as the other Kokiri did along with soft leather boots, but there was something that set him apart-and it internally devastated him. All Kokiri had a fairy companion, but since Link was Hylian no fairy ever came. He became the laughing stock of the mean-spirited Kokiri, Mido, who bullied the others and claimed himself to be the leader of the tiny village. This is where our story begins.
Sunlight was filtering in the window (which was simply a hollowed out portion of the large tree our hero resided in) and bathed the quaint room in a warm hue. Link was asleep in his bed, which wasn't unusual since he was notorious amongst his neighbors of being lazy. The green tunic Link wore was soft, so he slept in that, and his blonde hair was unkempt and bedraggled from tossing and turning last night He had horrible nightmares that the Great Deku Tree was in danger, but he assured himself with the notion that it was merely nightmares. A Kokiri named Saria poked her head inside the doorway of Link's one-roomed abode and giggled, tucking a lock of green hair behind her pointed ear.
"Link! It's time to wake up, silly!" She called and jolted the boy's eyes open. Link groaned, realizing it was Saria, and rolled over on his bed to face the wall. Saria huffed and stomped inside, noting how bare it was decorated. A simple picture here and there on the walls, a table holding a pot or two, and a woven rug in the center of the room. Saria strode over to Link and pinched him on the soft lobe of his ear, causing him to yelp and bat her hand away.
"Link! You can't become a recluse." Saria exhaled heavily and sat down beside him on the bed-Link curled up into a ball and hugged his bony knees. "Link…" She sighed much softer this time and tenderly stroked his bangs and tufts of hair that were sticking out. "You can't hide from them forever."
It wasn't a secret Mido had an inherent dislike for Link, for whatever reason. He liked to beat up on the mild-natured boy and call him nasty names. All the others watched with pity except for Saria, the only one brave enough to stand up against Mido and defend Link, and because of this she was his closest friend. Saria gently brushed her thumb against a purple blotch on Link's cheek and the boy winced, which made her tender heart bleed. The girl reached for the carved wooden instrument on her belt and unhooked it.
"Hey, if you get up I'll play you a song." She promised. Link glanced back over his shoulder at her with interest and grinned whenever she began to play. Saria jumped up off the bed and started to dance and twirl around the room while playing a lively tune on the instrument; Link pulled on his hat and joined her in the playful dancing. Eventually, both broke into laughter and laid down on the soft rug to watch the ceiling spin a few times. Saria looked over at Link, who had the prettiest smile-in her opinion.
"Feel better now?"
The sweet moment was broken by Saria's fairy flying into the room and buzzing around her face.
"That wasn't good of you at all to leave me, Miss Saria!" The fairy cried out in its bell-like voice. Saria quickly glanced over at Link to see his expression had dropped once more.
"Link, I-"
He held up his hand to show it was okay and stood to his feet. Saria counted the bruises and cuts lining the backs of his legs and arms while he stepped into his boots. She hadn't noticed before, but there was also a layer of dirt on the boy.
"Link, you ought to wash up." Saria tutted in a motherly fashion before she exited the room and climbed down the ladder leading up to it.
Link rolled his eyes in rebellion to Saria's overbearing mothering before he smirked and did a backflip off his wooden porch, avoiding the ladder entirely. The porch was built by him and had lots of supports under it since it was suspended at least ten feet in the air. Link adopted the home in the upper portion of the tree rather than the bottom so he could pull up the ladder and discourage unwanted guests-though it sometimes slipped his mind to do so. The village was as lively as ever with Kokiri gathered around singing merrily. Some were perched on the tall pillars in the middle of the village and others relaxing around the edge of the small creek that fed into the shallow pond. There was a shop here, but that was about it. Some stopped to whisper when they noticed Link and others turned their heads the complete other direction.
It's the boy without a fairy.
I hope Mido doesn't see me looking at him.
What does he want?
Link ignored them as he edged towards a more private region of the shallow pond. There he stripped out of his tunic and started washing himself. Link tensed up when he heard footsteps and whipped his head around towards the noise-which happened the belong to Josef, a villager.
"Link? Are you okay?" The other boy asked in concern and Link nodded his head.
"Good, because the Know-It-All brothers wanted to see you."
Link nodded his head and Josef left. He finished bathing and quickly dressed himself before hurrying off and up the hill where several wooden fences were set up like a maze and three identical brothers were waiting. No one knew their individual names-they were collectively the Know-It-All brothers and that's all they would be.
"Hey Link, c'mere!" One shouted and waved his arms. Link trudged up the hillside to where they were waiting.
"We're tired of seeing Mido use you as a punching bag," Said another, "so we're gonna teach you swordplay."
"What? You don't have a sword!" The third shouted, noting Link's empty belt. "That won't do at all!"
Link blushed a little in shame, but the three surrounded him and herded him towards the ivy covered stone wall of the hillside.
"You see that small hole Link? I bet you could fit inside."
"There's supposed to be a special sword hidden inside, but none of us can reach it."
"If you could find it we'd let you keep it."
Link didn't like the sly smiles the triplets were giving him, but he gathered his courage and got down on his hands and knees; he struggled to fit inside the hole, but barely did.
Inside Link found a maze with a low rumbling sound, which he quickly discovered was a large boulder rolling towards him; he shouted in surprise then hurried to round a corner in the maze. He eventually found the end (and outwitted the boulder) and found a treasure chest. He opened it and picked up the prize inside: a small sword fashioned for a child. Link took a few practice swings with it and nodded his head in approval. It almost seemed the sword was custom fitted and balanced for him. Link navigated back through the maze and met the brothers waiting for him outside.
"Hey! Congrats Link!" One grinned and patted him on the shoulder. Another handed him a leather sheath for the sword and nodded in approval. Link spent the rest of the day practicing handling the sword until he was confident. He hadn't seen Mido all day, so things were great.
The next morning it wasn't Saria who woke him, but rather a blue fairy buzzing around his face like an angry insect. Link gasped and nearly fell out of bed.
"Hey! You!" The cranky fairy shouted. "The Great Deku Tree has summoned you, so get moving!"
The Great Deku Tree himself?
Link hurried out of bed and got ready, rushing towards the exit that led to the Great Deku Tree.
"Wait! You need a shield with that sword!" The fairy, who had introduced herself as Navi, huffed. Link went into the nearby shop and purchased a Deku Shield with his saved rupees before he headed once more towards the exit. A horrible familiar face was waiting.
Mido had his hands on his hips and was tapping his foot impatiently as he guarded the exit.
"Well, if it isn't the loser without a fairy." Mido spat viciously."What do you want?"
Navi spoke up for Link.
"He's here to see the Great Deku Tree, so move out of the way, jerk."
"Who's the sassy fairy, loser?" Mido narrowed his eyes. "Did it feel sorry for you?"
Link frowned and grabbed his sword while he also held up his shield.
"A fight huh?" Mido huffed and cracked his knuckles. "No problem."
Link hit the other in the stomach with the flat of his sword then dashed past while Mido was immobilized.
"Argh…" Mido groaned, the tips of his ears were tinged red with anger.
Link rushed past the Deku Baba plants that sprang up and tried to snap at him and, with Navi leading the way, made it to the grove of the Great Deku Tree. The tree seemed grey and pale-if that were possible-and the worn bark on its trunk carved out some weathered features of a face. The Great Deku Tree spoke an ancient dialect of Hylian, but Link still understood most of it. The guardian explained something evil had denned up inside it and asked Link to go smite it, which the young boy nodded his head to. The Great Deku Tree lowered its maw and allowed Link access to the inside. Link wasted no time rushing in to save the deity of the forest.
Inside the Great Deku Tree wasn't what Link expected with multiple floors and puzzles to solve. He braved each one and claimed prizes from treasure chests he found in certain rooms. It amazed him, really, that all this adventure was only a short walk away from him his entire life. He thought of Saria, who would've loved exploring with him, and he frowned slightly.
"Hey, get moving. The Great Deku Tree is counting on you." Navi urged. Link shook off his sadness and hurried to the room where the evil creature resided.
He entered and gasped aloud; a giant, ugly arachnid hung from the ceiling. The creature opened its giant, monocular eye and it turned blood red.
"Gohma!" Navi shouted and buzzed around Link in a tizzy. "Use the Deku Seeds, Link!"
Link hurried around the room firing seeds from his slingshot (which he obtained in a room prior via treasure chest) and hitting the creature in the eye. Gohma roared and fell into the center of the room in a daze; Link slashed wildly at its eye until the creature screeched in pain and fell limp at Link's feet. Link panted heavily, his pupils were dilated from all the adrenaline in his veins, and he had splatters of monster guts and blood on his skin and tunic. Link gazed down at his stained sword and shield of wood and finally realized what power they truly held.
Link exited the Great Deku Tree in time to receive its thanks and to hear what troubles plagued the world now. A monstrous man named Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo Tribe, was spreading evil throughout the land of Hyrule. He was the one who had cursed the Deku Tree, but despite Link's valiant efforts and bravery, it was too late. The Great Deku Tree gave Link a final gift before parting to the next world-the Kokiri Emerald. Link felt small tears trail down his cheeks as the Great Deku Tree released its final breath.
The walk back to the Kokiri village was sickening, since Link saw all his neighbors gathered around before he even entered.
"Something is wrong, Link." One said in confusion and worry. "I don't feel the presence of the Deku Tree anymore."
Link chewed his bottom lip and ducked his head down sadly to confirm this and gasps erupted from the Kokiri. Link sheathed his sword and swung his shield over his back as he slowly made his way through the stunned crowd.
"Link murdered the Great Deku Tree!" Mido shouted in rage. Link lifted his head and parted his lips to defend himself, but Mido beat him to it.
"You've always been a shame to us Kokiri, Link, but killing the Great Deku Tree is unforgivable! How could you?"
Link saw the pain and raw anger in Mido's eyes, and he backed away from the boy in case he decided to get physical.
"You're a traitor, Link, and you're no longer welcomed here among us! Leave and never return!" Mido shouted. Link's eyes widened; he looked past Mido and saw expressions of grim agreement on the faces of the others. Link swallowed the pain of complete rejection and hurried out the alcove that lead to Hyrule Field.
Along the wooden bridge, a kind voice stopped Link in his tracks.
"I don't think you're a traitor, Link." Saria cooed gently. Link turned around with tiny tears in his eyes and faced his friend, who stepped forward and caressed his dirty face.
"I've always known you were different, Link, but that's not a bad thing. You're meant to do great things, I know you are."
Link leaned into her hand and placed his own on top of hers, tears once more streaming down his cheeks and leaving little shiny trails.
"Come with me." He begged in his quiet, velvety voice. It was something he hardly used, but now he needed Saria more than anything.
Saria smiled sadly at him and wiped away his tears with her dainty thumbs.
"You know I can't. My place is here."
She let go of his face and unhooked the instrument from her belt, then held it out to time.
"Here, take my ocarina and never forget me Link, mighty hero."
Link carefully held the instrument then hooked it onto his belt. He gave Saria a small smile before he left out towards Hyrule Field.
"Goodbye Link." She called gently and blinked back the tears clinging to her eyelashes. She felt an overwhelming sense of loss after Link was gone.
Life wouldn't be the same without the beautiful boy around.
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