The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
A Fan Fiction Retelling
by Adam Holloway
Chapter One: Link's Awakening
Navi, o Navi, the fairy
Canst thou sense it?
The climate of evil descending upon this realm?
The time has come for the boy without a fairy to begin his journey.
Fly Navi! Fly!
Descend upon him!
The Boy Without A Fairy awoke to a loud buzzing sound like giant insect wings. "Hmh?" he mumbled. He just knew someone had come in without his permission again.
"Hey!"
Now he sat up on the edge of the bed, confused at the sound of the tiny voice. Yes, fairies spoke, but never so directly toward one of the Kokiri Children of the Forest.
"Link! You must gather your strength! You have been summoned by the Great Deku Tree!"
The bluish white light of the fairy who spoke to him gleamed across his face, and he began to grow less oblivious as a realization passed over him.
"Do I finally have my own fairy guardian?! Is that why I've been summoned?!" The idea of it made his heart jump, for Link was the only Kokiri child without his own fairy guardian. The fairies were watchers. To have a fairy guardian was to be able to pass through the Lost Woods and worship at the Forest Temple. Link was considered a shame and a mystery all at once by many of the inhabitants of the Kokiri Forest, but none were as ashamed as Link himself.
"I am sorry, Link! I can't say much to you. Great Deku told me not to speak of it until we arrive! I'm Navi! Its nice to finally meet you, Link!"
Speaking to the Great Deku was not an exciting endeavor, but a terrifying one. It has been said among the many circles in Kokiri Village that the Great Deku Tree controls more of the Great Forest than any tribe could know. To be in the presence of him is nothing short of an ordeal. While standing some distance away, a visitor is bombarded with noise from creaking, massive branches that sway with his booming, bone-rattling speech. His face looks as if it had been carved by a magnificent celestial hand. To be summoned is not a very frequent thing, and it was almost never a summons for good news.
Navi flew outside and circled Link's tree hut. As Link walked out onto his wooden balcony, he took in the sights around him. Morning in Kokiri Village was the time of day that all the Children of the Forest were up and about. Some were doing chores and some were playing. One child was busy moving rocks into a big pile at the side of his yard.
Link's tree hut stood between a small cliff and a patch of tall grass. There were many such patches scattered throughout Kokiri Village, and it was said that it was these patches of grass that gave rise to the fairies, as they were completely untouched by Kokiri and mankind alike. The rich soil from which these fairy blossom sprout seems to have an unrelenting amount of energy, all of which is said to originate from the strength of the Great Deku Tree.
Crossing over to the hand-made wooden ladder, he noticed the mushroom growing in the corner of his balcony. That's not good, he thought. The Kokiri abhorred uncleanliness.
Navi was waiting for him when he reached the bottom of the ladder. He was surprised and
happy to see that Saria had also noticed he was awake. She waved and said "Good morning, Link!"
"Good morning, Saria." He smiled at her.
"Navi tells me that you've been summoned!"
"Yeah." He looked at the ground and kicked at a blade of grass. "It's not what I was hoping for though. What do you think it means?"
"You worry too much, Link. At least you'll be able to wield the Kokiri Sword." She gave him her best reassuring tone.
"Yeah, I guess so. I was just hoping, you know, that it was my turn."
At the mention of that, Saria looked somehow saddened. She knows, Link thought. She knows something is not right.
Navi turned to Link and said, "Link, we must keep moving. The Deku Tree awaits and we haven't even gotten your supplies yet!"
They left Saria behind and headed toward Rolling Rock Shrine. It was there that Link's supplies awaited. The Kokiri Sword and Shield were part of a great Kokiri tradition, and shared around the community whenever one was summoned by the Great Deku Tree. Not only is it a tradition, it is a necessity, Link thought to journey to the Deku Tree was not far, but perilous. Deku Babas lined the path to the Grove, with their roots sensing all movement on the surface. They are quick and ruthless plants; grown up to be the perfect eating machines, and they keep unwanted rodents and visitors from tracking too far onto sacred grounds. They have fleshy, tough heads sitting atop strong tendrils wrapped around its stem. Link had only really seen them once or twice, for he had rarely left the village for his lack of a Fairy Guardian.
Rolling Rock shrine was an aptly named, seemingly natural area of the forest where, over the course of a year, the buildup of soot and gravel from a nearby stream gathered together to create an enormous mound of densely packed bottom-material. The Kokiri gathered together this material together to eventually create a massive round ball that they let dry in the sun. The end result is a big, brown, hard-packed boulder that the Kokiri used in the great Rolling Rock tradition held annually. This was done by rolling the rock down a select path somewhere in forest. It was different every time, and the luck of the coming year was to be told by the distance traveled. It was an age old tradition, but Link seemed to think it was just another excuse to get together and feast on scrub and roasted deku nuts.
As Navi led him into the small entrance into Rolling Rock shrine, Link had to duck to get through. He never understood why some of the doorways throughout the forest were so tiny, though many of the other fairy guardians tried to explain to him the great history of the Kokiri people.
Link noticed the big chest sitting the corner of the shrine, the hardwood shield hanging on the wall behind it. The chest was sitting on a big ancient stump, and didn't seem to be locked.
"This is the first time I've opened the chest myself, Navi. Are you sure it's okay?"
"Yes, this is by The Great Deku Tree's orders, Link!"
Link reached out and flipped down the latch to the chest, pressed both palms against the center, and pushed upward. Immediately, the glare of the sunlight being reflected by the blade hit his eyes, and he had to look away. When he looked back, he reached down and grasped the hilt and admired its handiwork. Though old, the Kokiri Sword was a simple, yet beautiful blade. It was very impressive to Link, who had never held such a piece of work. It felt right in his hands, and he felt almost immediately ashamed of how proud he was to hold it. The Kokiri were raised to reject violence; and the Kokiri sword, being the only sword in the entire village, was only to be used for protection while crossing the great path to speak to the ancient Deku Tree. Despite all of this, somehow Link felt naturally comfortable holding it firmly in his left hand. And there was a pang of regret when he realized today was probably the only day he would get to hold this blade before returning it to its place in the chest.
He reached out and grasped the hardwood shield, and felt the same thing all over again. The shield boasted the ancient Deku symbol of the forest, burned in an amazing red glare.
"Link, don't forget what the sword was resting on!"
Link looked down to see what she meant. He almost forgot the hero garb. It was customary to where the green tunic and green fairy hat when going on this visit.
In no time, Link was fully suited, and thankful that the tunic slowly and magically fit to anyone who wore it. He felt comfortable, he realized.
Why does this feel so familiar?
Link walked out of Rolling Rock shrine, feeling more confident then he had ever felt in his short time with the Kokiri.
Chapter Two: The Great Deku Tree
Link stood where the path to the Great Deku Tree began, and thought that it looked darker than usual. The forest sounds around him made it almost impossible to hear anything else, but he swore he must have heard something growl in the darkness.
"No worries, Link!" said Navi. " It's just a short venture and we'll be there in no time!"
"Well-", Link began.
"JUST WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING, LINK!"
From behind Navi and Link came one of the sounds that a lot of Kokiri children dreaded most. Milo's voice.
"You can't just go to see the Deku Tree without permission! Where's your fairy guardian!? Oh right, you don't have..." He saw Navi. "Who are you?"
"My name's Navi! Nice to meetcha!"
"Chipper little bugger, eh? What's going on here?"
"Link's been summoned by the Deku Tree!"
Milo looked crestfallen. "What!? You mean someone like Link!?"
Link remembered that Milo had never been summoned before. It must have been like a punch in the gut to realize it. Milo was almost two-hundred years old. Link was only ten.
Navi could sense the disappointment very well. "I am sorry, Milo."
Milo looked so angry that he had tears at the edges of his eyes. And then he punched Link in the stomach before running off in the opposite direction.
"OoFph!!" Link dropped. Before he could say anything Milo was gone. He was winded from the blow.
"Are you okay, Link!?"
"I'm ..y.", Link said, breathless.
He got up, dusted himself off, and walked into the forest. The sun was blocked more and more the further they walked, and the smells of the forest consumed Link. He could smell the pungent mushrooms, their spore hanging heavily in the air. The leafy green smells lingered with the sweet-strong scent of the many carnivorous flowers.
Link thought back to earlier this morning, when Saria had acted strangely at his wanting a fairy of his own. She must have known I was ashamed all this time. What's going on here? Why was I summoned today, if not for a fairy guardian? Deep down Link thought that he should have known there was to be no ordaining of fairy guardians. True-born Kokiri Children of the Forest were brought into the world because of the fairy.
How did I get here?
Link was suddenly broken from his reverie by a warm, sick feeling at his shins. He looked down, and saw slimy plantlike tendrils wrapping slowly up his right leg.
"Link!! Deku Baba!!" Navi screamed.
He had been caught off guard, and the thorns were tearing into his calf. The blood was already pooling in his right leather boot. He was frozen for a moment before reflex saw his sword chopping a big messy-green chunk out of the side of the tentacle. The Deku Baba, no more than eight feet away, let out a disgusting hiss from its tough leather-like head.
Link hacked at the tentacle until his leg was free, just before it would have tightened to bring him closer within its reach. The tentacle moved for a few more seconds around his leg before shuttering and sliding off. He kicked it off of his foot, sending drops of his own blood along with it.