Chapter 1



Warm spring sunshine filtered in through her window. The young girl sighed, and rolled over.

"Get up, Zelda," came a high, bell-like voice. She sat up with a jolt. A pink fairy flittered around above her bed.

"Why are you here?" Zelda asked. She was truly bewildered. No fairy ever came up to her before, and she had lived among the fairies and the Koriki children for all her life.

"To get you, silly. Get up. The Great Deku Tree wants to see you."

"Me?"

"Who else is here? Of course you, silly girl." The fairy flittered impatiently. "I'm Navi, by the way."

Zelda pulled on a green tunic over her green leggings. Everything she owned was green. It was a good thing, as it allowed her to hide in the trees.

"Did the Great Tree tell you what he wanted?"

"Of course not, Zelda," replied the fairy. "Do you know that little?" Zelda shook her head.

"I know enough." She climbed up into the branches above her tree house. In a chest, hidden safely away, was her Kokiri shield and sword. She had won the sword after defeating a business deku in the lost woods. The shield had been a gift from Saria last year, during the Summer Life festival.

"What are you after in the tree?" asked the fairy, flittering around.

"Weapons." She looked up at the little fairy. "I don't have magic to defend myself like the others."

Zelda at last tied the magical pouch she had received from Saria two years ago. It held pretty much anything.

"Alright," she announced. "I'm ready, Navi. Lead the way."

As they headed through the woods to the sacred meadow, Zelda could not help but see the looming Death Mountain in the distance. Below the mountain, there was a village, and a castle-town. She longed to go there, but leaving the forest would be certain death. She had longed to travel since she had been old enough to walk.

Zelda could not help but stare at the great tree that loomed over her. It was at least three times as big as any other tree in the forest. She could make out the tree's face.

"Hello, Great Deku Tree," Zelda squeaked.

"Greetings, young girl without a fairy. Art thou well?"

"Yes, Great Deku Tree," replied Zelda. A frown creased her face. The tree sounded as if it was in pain. "You aren't though, are you?"

The Deku Tree shook, and made a sound much like laughter.

"No, child." A great branch lifted her up. Zelda cried out in horror. Evil seeped through the wood of the Great Tree. In her mind's eye she could see the Tree slowly dying, poisoned by the evil. "I parish. A great evil has filled the land. It had begun to infect everything. Against this, I have no power. But thou dost." Zelda stared at the tree in open astonishment.

"Me? But you created me, gave me life. How can I stand up to something so powerful?"

"Thou are not one of my children, Zelda. Thou are of Hylian descent. Abandoned by thy father."

Zelda heard Navi let out her surprise. Zelda, however, was not surprised. She had always expected she was different. Everything made sense now, why she couldn't do as the Kokiri did. She wasn't a Kokiri. A new thought struck her as she stared at the Great Deku Tree. That meant that she was not trapped in the forest.

The Deku Tree withdrew its branch.

"I have a favour that only thou can accomplish. Rid me of this evil taint, Zelda. Embrace thy destiny." The Great Tree shuddered, and two dead leaves fell to the ground before Zelda. "Thou art the Chosen One."

Zelda drew her sword. It was a pathetic thing, really, but it could cut. At that moment, Zelda wished she were a Kokiri, so that she'd have all the inborn magic.

"I will do whatever is in my power to help you," she said, grim determination somehow finding its way into her voice.

"It is not me that thou must help." Another dead leave fell. A chill ran down Zelda's spine. "It is all of Hyrule."

"Then I will save my kingdom," Zelda replied solemnly. Her kingdom? Why had she said that? And why did it feel so natural?

"I knew that thou wouldst do as thou must." The huge mouth of the Deku Tree opened wide. Zelda stepped into the darkness, the little fairy Navi following her.

The inside of the tree was surprisingly light. It was hallow, and emence within the living tree. Deku babas snapped iddly at each other, not yet noticing her presence. Zelda stepped forward, and sank. She looked down. She was standing on a thin web. Below her a torch was burning brightly.

"Who lights a torch in a tree?" she wondered out loud.

"Someone who doesn't care for the tree," replied Navi. Zelda nodded. She looked up. A branch extended out over the webbing.

Zelda bounced on the webbing for a moment. It moved up and down under her weight. SHe could feel the tention in it.

"Let's find something to break this webbing," Zelda said bravely. "I bet that whatever is killing the tree is down there somewhere."



* * * * * * * * * *



Zelda watched, fascinated, as the huge spider, Gohma, exploded into nothing wih the last blow of her sword. Navi shriek, and dove for cover inside Zelda's tunic.

"It wasn't that bad," Zelda protested. She was shaking, but she wasn't going to hide now that the danger was over. She had more intelligence then that.

A blue light appeared in the middle of the spider nest. Zelda stepped into it. She suddenly found herself outside the Deku Tree. Zelda put away her new sling shot with a flourish. She felt stronger, more alert, and heathier since her battle with the giant spider queen, which amazed her greatly.

Zelda looked up at the tree. It no longer felt evil, but it was still dying. Zelda began to fret. Had it not been enough? Had she done something wrong? As if it could read her thoughts, the tree began to speak.

"I was already perishing when thou arrived. It is not thy fault. I had to test thy courage. Thou didst not run in fear, which proves to me that thou art the Chosen One. Be a hero for thy people, be a hero for my people. I give thee one last gift."

A shimmering stone appeared in the air before her.

"It. . . be . . . the Spiritual Stone. . . . of Forest. . . . Find the. . . . others. . . . The Prince. . . . . will . . . know. . . . more . . . . ." Then the Great Deku Tree let out a final, violent shudder. It was still, and moved no more. Zelda felt overwelmed staring at the tree that had once been a thing of beauty. Now it was only dead wood, souless, empty. A mark of what would happen if she failed.

"I won't fail," Zelda whispered. "I can't let myself."

Zelda stepped forward, when the world came crashing down on her. An angry rain storm carriedd on around her. There was darkness everywhere. A great draw bridge lowered, and a horse with two riders came galloping out. The littler of the two riders was the Prince of Hyrule, she had no doubt. The other was a Sheikah woman. The Prince called out her name, and then she began falling into a swirling pit of darkness and evil thoughts.

A faint twinkling sound awoke Zelda.

"Are you okay?" It was Navi.

"I'm fine." Zelda looked up at the little white fairy. "I need to get out of here. There is only pain here, Navi. Let's go to the castle."