Chapter 1

Link lay there tossing and turning. He had been dreaming of late, and they were dark dreams, full of nightmares. A voice appeared to him in his sleep. Wake up!"

Link stirred. "Come on, wake up!" Something nudged him. Suddenly he shot up and looked around. There was a glowing light, blue in color,

floating before him. "A fairy?" Link said. "Hello, I'm Navi the Fairy." it replied. "Yes, I can see that. What are you doing?"

"Well, you see, the Great Deku Tree has summoned you to meet him." "The Deku Tree? Are you sure that you're not mistaken?"

Navi looked annoyed, at least as much as a glowing light could. "He said, bring Link to see me immediately. That's what he said."

"Yeah... Ok, lets go see him."

" I will be waiting for you, please hurry!" Navi said before she flew away.

Link emerged from his house, which was built on to top of a tree. From here, you could see most of the forest village. There were many large stumps that were all hollowed out to make houses for the villagers. Mysterious lights danced in the morning air. Link climbed down the ladder of his tree house and saw a young girl was approaching him.

She was about 12, and her hair was a deep green, and cut off at the shoulder. She wore a green tunic and a brown belt, which was actually standard garb for all of the people in the forest.

"Hi Link, what are you doing today?" Saria asked. "What are you doing here?" Link asked back.

"Oh, I was hoping that we could go and practice the ocarina today, if you weren't too busy."

Of course the reason that she asked was not because anyone could actually be too busy on any given day in the forest but because that

is was not acceptable to just assume that someone has time to spend.

"Actually, I'm supposed to meet the great Deku Tree. Maybe we could plan to..."

"Meet... the Deku Tree? That's a great honor Link. Very few Kokiri ever get to see him in person. I wonder why he...?"

"I don't know. I'm just going. Do you know what he's like?"

"Well... he's a very slow speaker for one. He's very wise, and-"

"Have you seen him in person?" Link interrupted. Saria just smiled.

"You'd better get going, you wouldn't want to be late." Link stood there awhile and then slowly started to nod.

"Yeah, I'll get going." He ran off. Why had she just ignored his question? He had never known her to be the type to keep secrets. He entered another house. This house in particular belonged to Mido, the head of the village in the forest. Well, self appointed head, at least. He was, at a glance, not very attractive. His face looked as if it had been smashed. He was quiet strong physically however. Nobody really agreed with his position in the village, but on the other hand, nobody felt like getting the tar beaten out of them either, so they put up with him.

"Link! What are you doing in here!? You had better have a good reason for coming into my house uninvited!"

"I've been summoned by the Great Deku Tree. Let me have the key for the gate."

"Even if you're telling the truth, I can't let you pass."

Link started to become irritated. It was no secret the Mido had been waiting for a very long time to be summoned, being someone of his "Importance".

But he had not.

It wasn't unexpected that this would have made him angry.

"Look Mido, I don't get to choose things like this, I never asked to be summoned."

"The thing is..." Mido said, pausing while he thought, "that nobody's been there in years. It's probably over grown with nasty monsters

and all that. I can't let you go without at least a sword and shield. It's for your own safety." He said at last, looking satisfied with himself.

"You've got to be joking. There's no swords in the forest!" Said Link angrily.

"Well, that's your problem." Said Mido.

"Selfish idiot" Link muttered under his breath as he left. Something has to be done about him, Link thought as he walked. He looked around trying to think. A sword. A

sword. Was he crazy? No, wait, of course he is. He walked back to his house and climbed the ladder. He went and grabbed the shield that he had carved himself and

then went outside spent and hours inquiring people, searching, and even found a cave that he could reach by crawling, but there was nothing inside. Frustrated, he

started to walk back to his house, and decided something else.

"I should talk to Saria."

He walked to Saria's House. Saria was sitting there playing on her ocarina a song she had composed herself. Link didn't interrupt her, he just took a seat and listened.

After a few minutes, she had finished, and opened her eyes.

"Oh, hi Link, how did you meeting with the Deku Tree go?"

"Mido's holding onto the key. He claims it's dangerous and won't let me go without a sword."

"Oh, I should have known he was going to do that. Well, let me show you a little secret."

She walked to a chest in the back and dug through it, until as last she pulled out nothing other than the sword that Link needed. Link sat there shocked and in surprise.

"It's what you need isn't it?" Saria said.

"Yeah, but, why do you have it!?" Again she just smiled at him. Link accepted the sword and attached it to his belt.

"When were you given that?" Link asked her.

She actually answered this time. "Actually a while ago, she said. About 20 years."

The Kokiri, while seeming to be children, could actually be much older than they appeared. Despite this, due to the relative shelteredness of the forest many of

them never grew up mentally.

"Wow. That's a long time ago." said Link.

"You better get going." Said Saria.

"Yeah, I'll see you later." Link left.

When he arrived a Mido's house the second time with a shield and a sword, the self appointed leader was furious.

"What!? You've not only got a sword, but it just happens to be the ancient heirloom of the Kokri people!? You just happened to stumble across it!? When I find out who's been hiding it all this time..."

"You said that if a got a sword and shield, you would let me pass through the gate. Give me the key." Said Link. Mido paced around the room in a rage.

"What is it about you! You get the summons, you get the sword, you even get Saria's Friendship! And what do I get! Nothing! You're nobody! You're not even one of us proper!"

"Not one of "Us"? What does that even mean?" Mido stopped cold. He said nothing.

"What do you mean?" Link asked again. "I'm not as "good" as anyone else here?

"No." Said Mido. "You can't understand."

His disposition was suddenly much calmer.

"You should go to the Deku Tree."

He reached in his pocket and took out a small object. He grabbed Links hand and shifted it into his palm. "Take this... Mido started, and never come back here again. I don't want to see you. Ever. Again. Leave."

Link complied, but he wondered why Mido had suddenly become so quiet from such a burning rage. Link crossed the small pool that was before the gate and inserted the key. The Gate itself was a door in the rocky wall that was carved with many images, most of which the meaning were completely lost on him except one that depicted the birth of the Deku Tree, but others like one of a person fighting a lizard, were a mystery. The workmanship on it was incredible. He twisted it and it started to turn but stopped. He jiggled it in the slot until it turned fully. The Gate opened at last and Link stepped into a long dank tunnel.

There was vegetation growing thick on the wall and it covered most of the ceiling. He walked quite a ways, listening to the chilling slithering sounds in the cavern. Suddenly something bit his leg and he screamed out in pain, he tried to turn and see his attacker and saw that it was in fact one of the plants growing on the walls that had come to life. He reached for his sword and unsheathed it. He swung it wildly in attempt to hurt it in some way, and loosen its grip on him. The sword struck the long "Neck" or rather, stem, of the plant and it let his leg go in an instant,suddenly realizing itself to be in danger. But Link quickly brought the blade of his sword down upon its head and it cleaved in two and fell dead to the ground. The vegetation in the cave seemed to writhe around him, and he started to run. It felt as if it were closing in upon him for revenge of its fallen kin. A dozen identical heads sprung from the walls each with vicious teeth attempting to bite him. He swung his sword at them while he ran, hacking many of them to the ground. At last he came to the end of the tunnel. He leaped through the exit hoping not to become ensnared by the plants, but emerged outside free. He looked before him and there was a vast chamber. There was no ceiling but the walls were high, and the light of the sun shone through. There stood in the middle an enormous tree. In fact the tree was so great it filled most of the chamber. It had the appearance of a face on it, and indeed, it began to speak to him at once.

"Ahh... Yes..." It said in a low voice. "At last ye have come, Link. Indeed, ye have not been too hasty in thine coming."

Link stood there in awe, them tried to find the words to speak. "Y-yes, Great Deku Tree, I'm sorry not to have come earlier."

"No, indeed, ye have been as hasty in your arriving as destiny has allowed. A person is never early, nor too late, but they arrive exactly when they need to."

"I'm not sure I know what you mean Great Deku Tree."

"Everything will become clear to ye in due time, young one. But now, I have a matter of great importance to tell thee. It concerns not just the well-being of the forest, but also, of Hyrule itself."

"The forest is in danger?"

"Yes, indeed, though I have been careful to conceal it. Indeed, quite a short time ago, a terrible fate befell me. You know long the forest has been hidden from watchful eyes. Indeed, the place in which it may be found has changed with the passing years. But a short time ago, an evil man found this place. He came in the shadow of the night, and used a dark power to undo the seal of the gate. He placed on me a terrible curse that under my own power, can not be undone. Only one path remained open to me, as destiny had prophesied, but it has come sooner that I could have imagined. And that was, indeed, to summon you here."

" What am I supposed to do?" Asked Link.

"Link... I am dying. For many millennia I have served as the Guardian of the Forest, and I only ask that ye enter me and purge me of this terrible curse." The Tree became louder. "It gnaws and bites and gnashes and does many horrible things. It must be slain!" " What Great Deku Tree?" The Tree was calm again. "Indeed, it is good that ye have brought a sword. Ye shall have need of it. Navi, enter with him, and accompany him." The Tree opened and a great entrance appeared. ? It was dark inside. Link entered the darkness, and Navi followed.

Mido heard the cry come from the gate, he wondered if it was right let Link go to the tree alone. If he dies, he thought, Saria would never let me have the end of it. As

much as it was and excuse to prevent Link from going, it was also true that the path to the Great Tree was infested with terrible creatures. His conscience gnawed at him.

I... I would be responsible for killing him. As much as I hate him... Can I really live with that? He didn't know what to do.