In the land of Hyrule there echoes a legend.
A legend held dearly by the people that tells of two boys…
One, a dark prince of the sands.
Destined to be a mighty king, and savior of his people…
The other, a child of the forest.
fated to be a sacred guardian against evil…
Bound by friendship they swore to remain as brothers forever.
Together they cast off the chains of destiny and determined their own fate…
Yet in doing so they damned themselves.
And the beautiful land…
"Link! Wake up!"
A young man sleeping in a hammock, strung between a pair of trees groaned as the incessant ringing of his companion brought him into wakefulness. The young man opened a sky-blue eye and focused on the small, yellow fairy hovering nearby.
"Liiink! Wake up!" The fairy, not realizing that her charge was now well awake, backed
up and rammed the young man in the side.
Link, the young man, gasped at the force of the fairy's blow, and sate up to give her a baleful glare.
"Sorry…" The fairy apologized when she realized she had hit him with more force than she intended, "It's just that… Well look! Don't you recognize these trees? We're on the border of the Lost Woods! …We're home again!"
Link nodded grimly. So, their journey had finally come full circle. Link's eyes grew distant and clouded as he thought back to that day, ten years ago.
It was raining that day, as if the forest itself were in mourning. Link had made his declaration to the Great Tree, and now he stood before the whole village and the Great Tree, ready to say goodbye.
The deep voice of the Great Deku Tree seemed to come from every leaf and blade of grass within the clearing. "Link, if you leave this village, you will grow. Your body will change, you will know despair, you will know pain, and…" The great tree paused for a moment to let his words sink into the minds of the elf-children gathered near, "If Lady Farore is watching, you will know love. But, in exchange for these, your body will grow old. One day you will become ill, and you will die."
A gasp of shock and amazement rippled through the crowd. Here, among the immortal Kokiri, the ever-young children of the forest, death was as alien a concept as sadness. Not one among them could imagine an end to being.
"Link." The Great tree continued, "No one may decide this for you. Do you truly wish to leave this forest forever?"
Link stood before his father, the Great Tree, for a moment. For that one fleeting moment, all gathered near thought that maybe… Just maybe he would reconsider.
Link turned to face his fellow Kokiri, his brothers and sisters under the Great Tree. He looked to the green-eyed Saria, and all knew what his decision was.
Link gave an affirmative nod, and began wading through the crowd.
"Brother… Don't go!" Saria had cried.
Though all Kokiri were the children of the Deku Tree, and technically all were his brother and sisters; Link, and Saria were one of the few who could truly claim to be so.…Having sprung from the same seed and all.
Link just shook his head. He wished he could explain it all to his sister, his twin, but she would never understand.
"Brother… You will die!" Mido, who had been Link's best friend, save for Saria, exclaimed.
Link started to say something to comfort his sister and his best friend, but the Great Tree spoke first.
"Leave him my son. His choice is made, and his fate decided."
With tears forming in his crystalline blue eyes, Link reached into his pocket and gave Mido a medallion.
The green medallion of the Kokiri was Link's prized possession. It was the symbol of his leadership of the Kokiri, and now he had given it to Mido.
With a meaningful glance at Saria, and then at the score of Kokiri gathered before them, Link sent a clear message to his childhood friend. "Take care of them for me."
With tears in his own eyes, Mido nodded, "I swear it… Brother."