The Stranger of the Desert
"Liiiiiink! Wait up!" Saria shouted.
"Come on, Saria!" Link replied. "We're almost there!"
The young boy strode away to a thick stump close to the house sheltering the Know-It-All Brothers. It was one of he and his friend's favorite playgrounds near the tall grass and the sweet-smelling flowers and bushes. He stood on the remains of the fallen tree and watched the green-haired girl struggle to catch up.
"Link! You meanie!" Saria complained. "You know I'm not as fast and nimble as you are!"
Link smiled as Saria finally reached him.
"We've done this so many times, you should be used to it by now," he simply said.
"Not when you're running like a rabbit in distress!"
She sat by Link's side, breathing hard from all the jogging. Link looked at her, then up at the great blue sky, its beauty mesmerizing him. He recalled his recent dreams, nightmares in fact. Ones in which the canopy of heaven was no more.
He remembered walking on a huge field he never had set foot on. Everywhere his gaze focused, a vast stretch of land was displayed. Its emptiness made it clearly different from his home, the Kokiri Forest.
In front of him, a drawbridge opened. A white horse mounted by a strong-looking woman and a young girl his age galloped out of the town as the skies disappeared behind threatening clouds. The two strangers seemed in a hurry and Link had to jump sideways to avoid getting stomped under the steed's mighty hooves.
Without any time to process what he'd just witnessed, a man with hair the color of a burning fire and wearing only black surged out of the city gates. The dark-skinned stopped his mount mere feet away from the stunned Link. His fierce and wicked smile petrified the boy. Link's fear grew to insane levels as distorted energies converged on the stranger's palm and came closer and closer to his face.
"Hey, Link… Are you all right?" Saria asked worryingly.
Link woke up from his reverie. He did not realize he was dozing off.
''Is something on your mind?" Saria insisted. ''You look really pale."
''It's nothing," Link replied in a smaller voice than he wished. ''It's just... I've been having the same nightmare night after night for a while. I always wake up wondering why I keep dreaming it."
''You should talk to the Great Deku Tree. He might be able to give you the answers you need."
''Yeah... I guess he can."
The Great Deku Tree was the protector of the forest and its inhabitants: the Kokiris. As a wise and ancient spiritual guardian, he possessed tremendous powers and immense knowledge of the outside world. All the Kokiris sought his advice whenever they had any kind of problem. Link had thought of consulting him, yet he had refrained himself from telling him about the recurring nightmares.
The children of the forest all wore green from head to toe and were accompanied by fairies all the time; everyone except Link. That was his biggest desire, having his own fairy. He always wondered why none ever came to him and the Great Deku Tree had repeated that his time had yet to come.
"I won't cast any doubt on his wisdom," Link followed, "but sometimes, I get the feeling his reflections are not that helpful."
"Is that so?"
"I don't really know it myself. I just wish some things were different.
"If the Great Deku Tree hasn't given you any directives, then I guess it means they will change by themselves. When the time is ripe."
Link laid down on the stump, deep in thoughts. He wondered if his friend's words were true. The two beings he trusted the most had shared the same opinion. In the end, his impatience gave in.
"I hope you're right," he whispered.
"Only time will tell," she replied with a smile.
Link had hoped and waited every tiny bit of his life for a fairy to accept him as a partner. In the meanwhile, he was alone at night, alone in his restless sleep and haunting visions. He would have to keep on waiting, yet he had faith. There was no use in brooding over this.
Soon afterwards, Link and Saria chatted merrily, their conversations having switched to the latest children's favorite activities and games. A couple minutes later, Mido found out where the two were playing and decided to go and disturb their peaceful moment.
Mido was a jealous fellow Kokiri who viewed himself as the leader of the children of the forests. He envied and hated Link for having a close relationship with Saria, the girl he had fallen in love with. The grudge was mutual, Link could not stand his arrogance and despiteful behavior. Link had become his favorite victim. Mido continuously pulled mean pranks on him and tried to cast him away from his people. His efforts were not as fruitful as he had hoped though, the other Kokiris still liked Link a lot. His cheerful and resourceful character were very much appreciated.
Followed by two of his acolytes, he walked towards Link and provoked him as he always did:
''Hey, mister No Fairy! How ya doing? Still all alone."
''Mido... Don't you ever tire of making fun of me?" Link angrily replied. ''Your taunts have no effect on me."
''Oh yeah? I bet you just long to have a fairy. I mean, all Kokiris have one, right? But you don't! Can't really call ya a Kokiri then, can we?"
His grin sickened Link. He clenched his fists, struggling to control his rage.
''Link is not any different from us, Mido!" Saria shouted back. ''His fairy will come very soon! You have no right to bully him!"
''Saria, just look at him. Why would the Great Deku Tree be so lenient with him? How can you guys be all so blind? That guy can't be a real Kokiri! Perhaps he's gonna become a Skull Kid later, who knows."
''Mido, you're going too far, just stop!" Saria begged.
''I only speak the truth. I do not and will never accept him as one of us."
Link could stand it no more. His recent longing to find a good sleep, his worries about being the only one without a flying companion, Mido's everlasting complains and badmouthing blew the torch. Before he even understood what he was about to do, he jumped at Mido. Surprised by the sudden attack, the rude Kokiri did not protect himself in time and took a nasty punch on his face. He stumbled but got back on his feet rapidly. The fight that occurred put Link and Mido in the spotlight, other children coming out of their houses to find the source of all the ruckus and Saria vainly trying to calm down the two brawlers.
With everyone cheering and laughing, no one noticed the tall figure shrouded beneath a long black cape and wearing a hood entering the usually peaceful forest. The stranger walked at a fast pace, as if they were in a hurry. They oddly seemed to know where they went despite the forest being an area where outsiders should not be able to get in and out at will.
The mysterious man passed through the village without turning away from the dusty pathway, unbeknownst to the Kokiris. He went straight to the corridor of trees which led to the Deku Tree's resting place. The guardian spirit was the key to his goal. He slowed down as gentle gusts of wind disturbed the quiet of the forest trees, as if to announce his arrival. Even so, it did not take him long to reach the Deku Tree's meadow.
The Deku Tree glowed slightly as the man stepped into the ancient sage's view. As he predicted, the tall man sensed magical powers emanating from the branches and the leaves, disrupting his own. However, the Deku Tree's enchantments had lost their former power, and the black figure cast it away from himself, freeing himself from the influence of the forest which normally dulled the senses and sapped the physical strength of any intruder.
''Such evil and dreadful powers thou hast..." the Deku Tree said. ''What purpose is it that drives thee to these lands?"
The man took off his hood and revealed his darkened face with a smirk. His short, fiery hair like flames were as bright and menacing as his strong gaze. It looked as if his narrow eyes were sending sparks of lightning. His proud figure was accentuated by his confident stance.
''I am a man of the desert," the man responded. ''I come far from the west, for I seek a power I cannot obtain unless I journey through the lands of Hyrule. What I want from this forest, what I require of you, Ô Great Deku Tree, is the magical stone that will open the Door of Time."
''Thy soul is stained by the stench of evil. Thou shallst not lay your hands on the divine Triforce."
The man's eerie smile only grew wider as he listened to the great sage denying him the relic he wished to obtain.
''Deku Tree, I will not try to steal that key you guard away from you," he continued. ''It is just a matter of time before I become the ruler of Hyrule. The Triforce will be mine anyway. Cooperate now and your forest will be fine. However, if you are to stand in my way, then so be it."
The man of the sands then lifted his right arm and began channeling dark energies. Without blinking, he withstood the Deku Tree's mental barrier and threw a ball of evil powers at it, shattering its defense completely. The Deku Tree did not waver, but he understood the fight was not his to win. The stranger's abilities raised high above his own, and his malevolent determination kept him from falling under the influence of the forest.
''Thy deeds are despicable, man of the desert," the Deku Tree spat. ''Never will the keepers of the ancestral stones offer you what thou seekest."
''I believe I have everything I need to convince them. As of now, Hyrule has lost its former glory. At last the time for the dark world has come."
''The Triforce will not withstand thy corrupt intentions. Hyrule will be destroyed!''
''No... Hyrule shall be reborn!"
As the man's last word rang in the air, an echo of an ominous premonition lingering in fate's scenario. Clouds darkened the skies and filled the forest with shadows. The stranger drew his long sword, its ornamented sharp blade drawn towards the sage's face. Dark matter formed and danced around the edge, summoning a halo of evil to strike down its enemy.
''This is madness..." The Deku Tree whispered.
''This is justice," the man retorted.
The sword glowed a bright mix of obsidian and violet lights and emitted its apocalyptic sorcery. The warrior aimed the mist coil directly between the Deku Tree's eyes. It faded away as if nothing had happened. Yet the sage felt the evil curse flowing through and inside him, perverting the roots and life sources that dwelled there.
''You..." The Deku Tree began. ''What hast thou done...?"
''I don't have time to waste with a stubborn piece of wood," the man answered. ''My minions are more than enough to settle this. I'll let you keep the stone. Once your damned forest has died out, I will come back and retrieve it. For now, I shall take my departure and go seek the other spiritual stones."
He then sheathed his sword and turned away, leaving the Deku Tree in pain and losing consciousness.
Author's Notes: I've been struggling quite a bit with my BotW fic and dying to tackle the legendary Ocarina of Time. Since the game has been pretty mysterious as to how the people in Hyrule have managed to survive despite the world being enslaved in darkness, this story is my insight on the events surrounding the Kokiris and their forest.
Hope you enjoyed this prologue, more will come later!