Summary:
A story of the bond of friendship between a hero and his fairy. NOT a Link x Navi fic. Link/Zelda

Author's Note:
This story is a basic walkthrough of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Most of the story is taken directly out of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Official Player's Guide. There are only a few differences between this story and the game itself (i.e. additional characters and Link with an actual personality).

I will be leaving out the stuff about dungeon maps and compasses and things of that nature because I think it's a bit pointless for the sake of this story. I will (of course) be including bosses and other creatures to the best of my memory as they appear in the game.

Okay, that's enough of that. I hope that you all enjoy the story and please feel free to review, I love hearing people's opinions (even if their harsh. Believe me, if the story is bad, I want to know!).

Disclaimer:
I do not own Legend of Zelda or any of its characters.

Eternal Bonds

Chapter One – Kokiri Forest

Every world has a legend and every legend has a hero. Legends, they say, are meant to bring hope to the hopeless and courage to the meek; but do they really exist? Are legends nothing but stories created by caring parents that are passed down to each generation until no one knows where the story started? Well, there is one legend that the people of Hyrule know to be true; they know it because they refuse to let themselves forget it. Much of Hylian lore has faded with the passing of years, but one story that still shines bright is The Legend of Zelda. This is no simple tale, but an incredible tapestry woven of many years and many wondrous adventures.

When the three goddesses – Din, Faore and Naru – skimmed their fingertips across an ancient universe in chaos, the wondrous result was the realm of Hyrule. From its majestic forest canopies to the crystal depths of its lake, the beauty of Hyrule served as evidence of the divine passion that inspired every breathtaking vista. With such a beautiful land to work with, it was no wonder that the hero who belonged here would be anything but miraculous.

This hero was Link; a small boy raised with the forest people under the ever-watchful and wise Great Deku Tree in the Kokiri Forest. But Link was different than the rest of the Kokiri; for Link had no fairy. Every Kokiri child had a fairy, when they were born a fairy sought them out and vowed to look after them for the rest of their lives. No fairy ever came to Link, and because of that, he was looked down upon by the other Kokiri. With very few friends and a low self-esteem, Link trudged through his life in the forest, always wishing that he could be something special.

Lately, Link had become even more troubled. He had been having a steady stream of nightmares over the course of a month. The nightmares disturbed him but he couldn't quite figure them out. He was standing in a field, and gray storm clouds were looming in. Then, suddenly, a large gate fell and a horse would run through, nearly knocking him over. The horse had a woman on its back. The woman was always covering a small girl as they rode. The girl always looked back at Link and somehow, Link wished that he could help her but he didn't know how. Then, another horse appeared, but this one held a man with a sinister green face and glowing yellow eyes. Just as the man would raise his hand, Link would wake up. He was never able to continue the dream to find out who that man was, but his instinct told him the man was very bad.

Link was having that same nightmare when something else woke him up. A small voice was calling to him. Who could it be? He opened his eyes and looked around. There didn't seem to be anyone there. Link yawned and closed his eyes again, hoping to catch a little more sleep before getting up, when something very hard hit the back of his head.

"Ow!" He shouted and sat up straight, rubbing the back of his head. "Who's there?" he called as his eyes cleared.

There in front of him flying in rather agitated spikes was a small, slightly pink, fairy.

"You finally woke up!" She exclaimed. Her voice was small but somehow Link had no trouble hearing it. "I'm Navi the fairy!" She said and Link could somehow see the smile. "The Great Deku Tree asked me to be your partner from now on! Nice to meet you!"

"My Partner! Really!" Link exclaimed and jumped up. "I have a fairy partner now!" He cheered.

Navi giggled and nodded. Link was still amazed at how he was able to interpret each of her movements so easily. He had never been able to do so in the past. "Navi?" He asked. "Why can I see you and hear you so easily? I've never been able to see or hear anyone else's fairy like this before."

"Because I'm you're fairy Link!" She exclaimed. "Fairies can make themselves heard to only the people they want to be heard by. I only want to be heard by you right now, so no one else can hear me." She explained.

Link nodded. "Oh…I understand."

Navi nodded again and then jumped, as though she had just remembered something. "Oh! The Great Deku Tree has summoned you! Please come with me!" She said and flew forward to the door.

"The Great Deku Tree has summoned…me?" Link swallowed the lump that was quickly forming in his throat. What would the Great Deku Tree want with him? He wasn't anything special.

Just the same, Link nodded and followed Navi to the door. The bright morning sun hit Link's face when he emerged from his small hut. He yawned and stretched his arms over his head. It was a beautiful morning. He looked out over his balcony and smiled as he saw the other Kokiri emerging to begin their daily routines.

"Yahoo!"

Link turned just as a young Kokiri girl came running down the path towards him.

"Hi, Link!" She called.

Link smiled. The girl had short green hair and pale green skin. Her hair was pulled back out of her face by a teal headband that matched her boots. Saria had been Link's one and only true friend for as long as he could remember. He waved to her and moved to the ladder. He climbed down quickly and turned to face her.

"Good morning, Saria." Link smiled.

Saria opened her mouth to say something but stopped. She looked at the glowing pinkish spot above Link's head and suddenly laughed. "Wow! A Fairy!" She pointed and Link beamed. "Finally, a fairy came to you, Link!" She smiled warmly and embraced him in a friendly hug. "Wow! That's great news! I'm so happy for you! Now you're a true Kokiri, Link!"

"Thanks." Link said, trying to hide his blush. Navi flew under his hat suddenly and pulled out one of his hairs. "Ow!" Link shouted and cradled his head. He was about to glare at the fairy when he remembered something. "Oh, Saria, I have to go. The Great Deku Tree has summoned me."

Saria's eyes widened. "Is that right? The Great Deku Tree has summoned you?" She giggled, "It's quite an honor to talk to the Great Deku Tree!" She jumped forward and began pushing Link forward. "I'll wait for you here. Get going! Go see the Great Deku Tree" She giggled and Link laughed.

"Alright, alright!" He cried and began to run. He waved goodbye to his friend and ran as fast as he could down the path towards the grove of the Great Deku Tree. He felt like he was floating. Everything was beginning to come together for him all in one day. Suddenly he froze and it was as though a waterfall of cold water came splashing down on him all at once. Standing just in front of the entrance into the Great Deku Tree's grove was the tallest, oldest and meanest of all the Kokiri, Mido. Mido had never liked Link, and Link was no too fond of him either. The small blond took a deep breath and let it out slowly before continuing on at a slightly slower pace.

"Hey you! 'Mr. No Fairy!'" Mido called. He loomed over Link and placed his hands on his hips with a sneer on his face. "What's your business with the Great Deku Tree? Without a fairy, you're not even a real man! How do you expect to survive out there?" He glared.

Navi flew out from under Mido's hat and glared as hard as she could. "Oh! You…You…Meanie!" She shouted and Link tried his best not to chuckle.

Mido's eyes landed on the little fairy and Link was certain that his eyes were going to pop out of his skull.

"What! You've got a fairy!" He shouted.

Link puffed out his chest and smirked. "Yup. And you better move out of my way because the Great Deku Tree has summoned me and I can't be late."

"Say what? The Great Deku Tree actually summoned you?"

Link nodded.

"Whaaaaaaat!" Mido's ears were smoking and Link was suddenly frightened that Mido would try to take out his anger on him. "Why would he summon you and not the great Mido?" He asked, striking a not-so-impressive pose. Realizing that no one was watching him but Link, he sighed and glared at the ground, tapping his foot. "This isn't funny...I don't believe it!" He glared and turned to Link. "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 shield ready?"

Link looked down at himself. Mido did have a point. He had never actually been outside of Kokiri forest, who knows what could be out there. He looked back up at Mido and raised a brow. "But you don't have anything either."

"What?" Mido seemed taken aback. It seemed that no one had ever questioned him about equipment before. "You're right, I don't have my equipment ready, but..." He shook his head rapidly and glared harshly at Link. "It doesn't matter! I, the great Mido, will never accept you as one of us!" He shouted and sat down, mumbling to himself. Link only caught bits of it but it was something about being the favorite of Saria and the Great Deku Tree.

Link turned and walked away in a much bluer mood. "What am I going to do now?" He asked himself.

"Hey Link!"

Link looked up when a redheaded Kokiri was running towards him. He smiled half heartedly and waved. "Hi, Mora." He said gloomily and plopped down in front of the Kokiri shop. She walked up and sat in front of him. "What's wrong?" She asked, peering over him with a concerned look on her face.

"Oh…Mido won't let me in to see the Great Deku Tree without a sword and shield. But I don't know where to get those things." Link said gloomily.

"What! Mido won't let you go to see the Great Deku Tree?" She gasped. She straightened up and placed a finger on her chin. Then she smiled and giggled. "You know, you can buy a shield at the shop." She pointed to the small store behind Link then leaned over to whisper in his ear, "but there's only one sword and it's hidden somewhere in the forest."

Link raised a brow as she giggled and danced away. "Hidden in the forest?" He stood up. "Hey Navi, do you think we can find the sword?"

"Of course we can, Link! Let's start looking!"

Link nodded his affirmative and set off. To be honest, he wasn't really sure where to start looking. After all, this was the place he had grown up. He knew every inch of it and he had never seen a sword before. Suddenly, he remembered something. In the training grounds! He was never allowed to go there before, but now that he had a fairy, maybe they would let him in! He ran excitedly down the path and up the small hill near his hut to where the training grounds lay. Several Kokiri were already there, practicing their back-flips and rolls. It seemed that word spread fast about his fairy because when he walked in, all of the Kokiri waved and smiled at him. None of them sneered or told him to go home. Link smiled, he had never been treated like this before and he had to admit, it was nice. He strolled through the grounds feeling ten feet tall.

"Hey Link!"

Link turned at the sound of his name. Near the cliff wall Aldon stood pushing his ragged red hair out of his face (as usual). He grinned at Link and chuckled. "Let' work on some moves! What do ya say?"

Link smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, okay!" He said and walked over to him.

"Okay, first I'm gonna do a side jump…" Link listened and learned to everything Aldon taught him. They went over side jumping, back-flips, and even roll attacks. Link was walking pretty tall by the end of the lesson and he felt like laughing out loud.

"Link! Listen!" Navi called. Link excused himself from Aldon and took off his hat so Navi could fly out. "Link, it's lunch time. Why don't we take a break from training and eat something."

Link opened his mouth to respond but his stomach beat him too it with a loud growl. He blushed slightly and laughed. "Okay Navi. I guess I'm hungry too." He walked back to his hut and pulled out a bag of nuts he had collected the day before. He had been saving them for a special occasion and today was certainly it. He left his hut again and decided to eat his special lunch the training grounds as a celebration. As he chomped on nuts, he watched as the others slowly begin to disappear, no doubt going in search of their own food. Soon, he was left alone in the grounds. He didn't mind, he was used to being alone. Besides, he wanted a little time to revel in his new found acceptance.

As he popped another nut in his mouth, something caught his eye. There was a small hole at the edge of the grounds. He swallowed his nut and stood up. He walked over to the hole carefully and peaked inside. He could hear a faint rumbling coming from the other side but couldn't see anything from where he was. He looked around him and, when he saw no one, decided to take a chance. He got down on all fours and crawled through the hole. When he emerged at the other end, he found himself staring into a series of corridors. Several rupees were scattered around and he quickly gathered them up, stashing them in his empty nut bag. Suddenly the rumbling grew louder and when Link turned around a large boulder was coming straight for him.

Link screamed and ducked, covering his head. His whole body was shaking, just waiting to feel the heavy rock come smashing over his frail body. He waited for a few more minutes before deciding to take a peek. The boulder was gone. Link stood, a very puzzled expression on his face. He walked forward a few steps and poked his head around the corner; the boulder was just turning down another corridor to the left. A circle; the boulder was traveling in the circle. He took a few steps back and decided to wait until the boulder passed him again so he could be sure not to get squashed. When the boulder passed, he ran quickly after it.

He snatched up a few more rupees along the way, but then he stopped. Around another corner was a small chest sitting on an old tree trunk. He walked forward and looked the chest over a bit. It looked very old, with ivy growing over the lock. Very slowly, he reached forward and unlatched the chest. He pushed open the heavy lid and gazed down into the dusty abyss. Sitting on a velvet pillow inside, was a small sword. Link could barely believe his eyes. Could he have found the sword that was hidden for so long in the forest? The tang was just the size of his fist and the blade shined brightly and right in the center was a small red ruby. Link had never seen something to amazing before. Next to the sword was a blue and gold scabbard with a leather strap attached to it. He reached down carefully and lifted it into his hands. It felt so natural to him, as though it had always belonged in his hands. He nearly laughed with joy as he quickly made his way out of the boulder maze.

After he had crawled back through the hole he attached the scabbard to his back and slid the sword carefully into it. He quickly counted his rupees and smiled: Forty-one; just enough to purchase a shield. Now he was on his way. He ran back down the hill and into the store. He wasted little time with pleasantries and bought the shield, adding it to his back as well. He smiled at himself in the mirror before he ran back out to where Mido still stood, looming over the others. "Eh, what's that!" He called to Link as the small blond approached. "Oh, you have a Deku Shield..." He sneered and then he blinked, "And what's THAT! Is that the Kokiri Sword!" Link nodded and Mido shouted. "GOOD GRIEF!" He glared at Link and moved aside. "Well, even with all that stuff, a wimp is still a wimp, huh?" He added as he walked away.

Link glared at his back. How dare he insult him after he did what he requested!

"Link! Hurry, we mustn't keep the Great Deku Waiting any longer!" Navi called.

Link tore his gaze from Mido's back and nodded. Pulling his sword and shield he ran forward into what he hoped would be a much more interesting existence.

Okay, there's chapter One. So, what do you think? Is this a keeper? I'll get the next chapter out within a week (I hope) so don't worry. The next chapter is: The Great Deku Tree. Please review!