Chapter Three:
The First Piece of Courage & Sheik

"The full extent of the curse has taken me. Here. Thou shalt need this to unlock the mysteries of this world."
A strange…thing was before me. It was a green emerald.
"The Kokiri Emerald." I said in a breath.
"Yes. Now, go to the king. He will know the sign. I foretold of a young girl clad in green bringing the Kokiri Emerald before him. Go now for my time has now come. Do not grieve for me…good…bye…"
Then, the Great Deku Tree died. I had a vision as he did die. I saw him dying once before. Navi was next to me. She said goodbye to him. Then we left. I was back before the now dead tree. I stared sadly at it. I fell on my knees. I was weakened by the vision.
"Come on, Lily." Selena said after a moment. "We gotta go." We began to leave. "Goodbye, Great Deku Tree."
I took off with Selena right behind me.

"Wha-what happened!" Shun prodded.
He saw my face red from crying. I hated being weak. That's what made me cry. I stared at my feet. I whispered.
"What? What did you say? Lily?"
"The Great Deku Tree…he…well…"
"You…" Shun put his hand on my head. "You tried your best." Tears just flooded right then. I was so…sad. "Tell me what happened."
I explained to him what had happened: the curse, the trek, the fight, the quest I was sent on, and the farewell. Shun listened to every word I said.
"I'm so sorry. I couldn't save him. I'm so pathetic and weak. I'm just so-"
"Shut up." I flinched. "You are not pathetic nor are you weak. You were able to defeat the curse easily. Everyone in the forest sensed the tree's weakness. We just didn't know what caused it. You were able to destroy the curse so it's okay. I think the Great Deku wanted you to destroy it because he knew you were the only one strong enough. You said that he had wanted to test your courage, right?"
"Right."
"You had the courage to face what no one else could. You sensed it from the beginning…what was within the Great Deku Tree…"
"Yeah. I did. Thank you, Shun."
I wiped my tears and smiled to him. He smiled back and hugged me. "You are one weird girl. But I like you. You're pretty cool, my little harpy."
"What?"
"Yeah. The Great Deku Tree summoned me three days ago. He told me to let a young girl with Selena to pass. He said she would try provocative methods."
"Heh. Sorry."
"It's cool. At least I got to meet someone as pretty as you." He shuffled my hair and I took off. I was leaving Kokiria Forest.
As I left, I saw Link in front of the only exit. "You've got a long road ahead of you. Here. You'll need this." He tossed me an old object. It was a wooden ocarina. "The Fairy Ocarina. It's a sign of Kokiria. I used it when I went on my journey. Don't worry. I'll take care of your friend. Here. Let me teach you a song."
He played a song and had me repeat it over and over until I got it right. "All right. You better get out of here. You gotta get going."
I nodded, thanked him, and ran. I ran as fast as I could. The bridge was before me now. I ran hard.
"So you're leaving."
A voice startled me. I whipped around. Jason stood there, leaning against the railing. He didn't look at me. I was breathless.
"I…I knew you'd have to leave. Link said he had to do something very similar before."
He looked at me. His eyes…so sad. I walked a little closer to him. He did too. We stood there. I couldn't find the words and just stared at his feet. He grabbed my chin so that I'd look at him. His blue eyes sparkled and his hair barely brushed my cheeks. I blushed a little. He hugged me tightly. My face was buried in his chest.
"I wish I could be as strong as you, Lily. You…you can do anything. I swear."
"J-Jason…I…"
"I hope you…you better come back for me."
"I will."
"You promise?"
"Uh-huh. I swear it. On the mark of the goddesses."
"Thank you." He began to cry a little. "Here."
He tied something around my wrist. When he released his hand from my wrist, a hand woven bracelet was there. It was green with the mark of Farore engraved on a single bead. I stared at it. My heart began to flutter.
"I hope that it'll keep you safe. I want you to be safe."
"I don't know how long I'll be gone. It could be years."
"I can wait." I looked at him. He kissed my forehead. "Be safe. Go and have your adventure. I know you've wanted this."
"Jason…I…"
"Be safe and come back." I looked at him. I backed away from him. I took in every detail of him. I nodded at him.
"I promise I'll come back." Then, I turned and ran out of the forest as fast as I could. I felt his eyes watch me. I didn't care. Tears rolled down my cheek as I left him. "He really does have a heart."

It's been three months since then. I had obtained the Goron Ruby and the Zora Sapphire. The king said I needed them to enter the Temple of Time. I am now before the temple. The king was killed and his daughter, Zelda, had died alongside her father. Leaving the Ocarina of Time behind, I was grateful she'd taught me the Song of Time. I placed the sacred stones in place. I played the song and the Doors of Time opened. I saw something incredible. The Master Sword.
I stepped up to the sword and caressed the hilt. I yanked it up and something…strange happened. I suddenly found myself lying on the floor, dizzy. A bright light happened. Then, Ganondorf was right in front of me.
"Thank you. You've done me a great favor."
He vanished after that. My vision had failed me and I was unconscious. Before I lost my reality, I heard a shrill scream. It was Selena's scream. A scream of pain. I was also in pain. It felt like my entire body was torn away.

"Hey. Wake up." A voice. "Hey! Lily! Wake up!"
Lips on my own, giving me the breath they held within. I opened my eyes slowly. I saw that I was in the arms of a young man. He had blonde hair and red eyes. He had a strange outfit on. He smiled at me.
"Good. You're awake."
"Sheik?"
"Yup. That's me. I see you know."
"Zelda?"
"No. I'm afraid not. I'm not Zelda. Of course, she did disguise as someone named Sheik a long time ago. It was just a coincidence that I happened to be named after her guise. You okay?"
"I think so. What happened?"
"You've been asleep for a long time."
"Seven years?"
"Seven years."
"Well, at least I don't have to worry about the whole growing up bit."
"That's true. Come on. Get up."
He helped me up and showed me to the nearest mirror. I'd actually grown quite a bit. My hair was a little longer. My clothes were really tight though. Sheik tossed me some clothes, telling me to get dressed. He stepped out of the room while I dressed. It was a replication of the tunic and leggings that were traditional but it was looser than mine.
It was…easy to move in and comfortable.
"You look good." He was blushing a little. "I'll be your guide from now on."
"I've already…Where's Selena?"
"She died."
"What? How?"

"Ganondorf. That was that pain you felt before sleeping. When the fairy is killed, there is a great pain with the one the fairy guarded."
"I see."
"What's wrong?"
"I was just…thinking about a friend of mine. You see, I promised him that…when my quest was over…I'd come back for him."
I began to cry a little. I heard Sheik's footsteps. Suddenly, he kissed me. It was passionate and sincere. He backed away and stared me in the eye.
"Why did you-"
"I've been watching over you for the past seven years. I was afraid a lot of times that you'd died. I never gave up though. Do you remember hearing whispers in your dreams?"
"Yes."
"I was telling you something. What did I tell you?"
"About your childhood. You also told me how it was all taken away."
"Yes. I remember you whispering back to me once. "It'll be all right. Whatever happens was meant that way." Do you remember?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry. I know taking advantage of your sadness was wrong like that but I can't help it! For so long, I wanted to see you smile. I wanted to see your eyes. How they sparkle before me now. And now, you're blushing."
"Can you blame me? Where I came from, no one would wait that long. They'd give up. Why'd you choose today to try to wake me up?"
"I saw you try to wake up. I knew you'd need help. So…"
"Thank you."
I kissed him back. He had one hand on my shoulder and the other on my back. The hand on my shoulder went to my cheek as we kissed. This boy was passionate about me. He wants to help more than anything. I want to repay him. Thoughts reeled through my mind about what I could do. Finally, one thought alone came to mind.
I would give myself to him. I really liked this boy. Even if I had just met him…didn't something like this happen before? Romeo & Juliet by Shakespeare I think. Maybe. School's a blur to me.
I grabbed his arm that had his hand on my back and lowered it. He let out a satisfied moan and parted from me.
"Are you sure?" He asked.
His breath was hot and his face was a little red. I nodded and pulled him extremely close to me. Suddenly, the wall was to my back. He held me close and he pressed closer and closer still.
"But what about your friend?"
"He never loved me. Do not speak of the boy. Right now. There is only you and me."
Slowly, he drew my leggings down, as if certain that I'd change my mind. But I wouldn't because I really did want this. He undressed me first, then himself. He had a bunch of old scars on him. I kissed them and his head went back slowly. We fell onto the ground in a heap of heat. He was on top of me as he kissed my lips passionately.
I awoke to the sun on my face. Sheik was sound asleep. He had a veil of sweat on his face and his hair was tossed. He looked so peaceful. I loved how handsome he was. I knew I loved him. He was passionate and kind. He defended my ever growing body as the years went by. I remembered hearing voices at one point. Multiple hands were all over me.
"Hey, boss. Look what we found."
"What? Is she dead?"
"No. She's unconscious. You think she'll be fun?"
"Let's see."
I was starting to be disrobed when the gang's death screams came. "Miss…Are you okay? Hello? Lily?" Sheik. He woke up and stared at me. I had the strangest smile on my face.
"Hey. Are you okay? Why are you smiling like that?"
"I remembered the voices from the first time you found me."
He blushed and turned over. His back was facing me. "You shouldn't be embarrassed about it. You saved me from being taken advantage of. That's more of a reason for me to be with you. Besides, we have to stick together now. You said yourself that you'd guide me. So let's get going. Hyrule needs to be repaired."
I got up and dressed. He did too. We walked outside. It was day but the skies were blood red and dark clouds resided about the area. It was…horrifying to me.
"This is Hyrule, Lily. This is the world that has become since your sleep."
"How though?"
"Ganondorf got a hold of the Triforce of Power. Din must be ashamed of herself as she gazes upon the land."
"He got it because…I opened the Sacred Realm."
"Yes."
"I'm sorry."
"You did not know this would happen again, Lily. It's okay."
I looked to him with a distraught face. "Do I need to free the sages again?"
"No." I blinked in confusion. "The sages have been long sealed away. You must find the pieces of the Triforce of Courage. We'll have to be careful. Of course, I'll teach you some new songs so that you can get to certain areas. You'll be able to do so much more because you have the wisdom of your ancestor within you. You should be able to draw from your past life. Of course, the Link then is-"
"Wait! What? Link!"
"Yes. That is the name of your ancestor."
"I met him."
"What?"
"I met Link. He was with Saria and Navi and Sinibi. They're in the Kokiria forest with my friend."
"Interesting. I suppose it would make since. After all, he is a Kokiri. Well, not truly. He was a natural born Hylian. Saria was one of the sages. She is able to age herself for one reason or another. Perhaps she is not Kokiri either. Now then, the real question is this: Where do we go to obtain the pieces of Triforce of Courage?"
I thought it over. "I think we should go to the Water Temple. I have a feeling that another piece will be in the Fire and the other in Kokiri forest somewhere. However…" I trailed off and stared off into the distance.
"However…what?" Sheik asked.
"I get a strange feeling. Something…something dark is coming our way. I can feel it, Sheik."
"Don't worry." Sheik wrapped his arms around me. "I'll protect you."
I smiled. We made our way to the closest temple, The Water Temple. It was incredible enough just looking at the temple. I couldn't believe how intricate the design was. I was fascinated by the appearance of the temple alone. I held my arms out as I twirled.
"Oh, Sheik! This is incredible! No architecture from my world is anything like this! Wow!"
I was breathless. Suddenly, Sheik tackled me to the ground. Before I could ask why, a monster flew right over.
"Then again, there aren't any monsters in my world either! Thanks."
"No problem."
Sheik pulled out a pick axe attached to a really long chain. He threw it towards the monster. The axe dug deep into it. Sheik yanked it down. Just as he was about to attack it, I shot it with a bomb arrow. My personal favorite. What can I say? I like explosions! That and fire. Fire is cool. Sheik was surprised.
"Incredible. I'm glad you can fight. Otherwise, I would really wonder if you were the descendant of Link."
"Yeah. That'd be kinda odd if I couldn't."
Sheik laughed.
Sheik and I went through the entire temple. Finally, the evil creature that was within had been before us. It was huge. I took the claw shot I had found earlier to latch onto the eye. Sheik distracted it and I slashed the eye multiple times. Finally, it had died. The water drained and air was all around us. It was quiet. Finally, a piece of the Triforce of Courage was before us.
It floated to me. I cupped my hands. It was so strange looking. A portal opened. I put the piece in my pouch and we stepped into the portal.