Sorry I kind of took long to write this. I was dealing with issues from another personal project. I was kind of not willing to write anytime soon, but some time spent Zelda theorizing changed that.
1-wish-799: Yeah, you're right. It would take longer than that time. I'm glad you liked my Ocarina idea.
Chapter 10: A Difficult Struggle
As the ominous feeling I got grew in severity, I began to become very unnerved. I became afraid that if I stayed alone in the forest any longer, something bad would happen. Overcome by fear, I ran as fast my feet could take me. As I sprinted down the stairs, I noticed that the forest was slowly changing. The vibrant green was slowly starting to fade. Whatever the evil energy was, it was killing the forest. When I made it to the maze, the cold feeling I was experiencing became worse. With every step I took, my body felt like it was going to shut down. I wasn't going to let myself die though because I had to keep my promise to Link. That was enough to help me push forward. To my relief, I made it to the exit of the Sacred Forest Meadow. It didn't take long for me to get out of the Lost Woods after that since I purposely went the wrong direction.
When I arrived back to the village, I noticed that none of the others were around. There was zero activity and utter silence. When I climbed back down the vines to meet with the others, I saw Mido peek his head around the corner of his house. When he noticed me, he was quick to gesture for me to come over. I ran a few steps, and he told me to quickly get inside his house. Upon entering the doorway, I saw that the other Kokiri were huddled at the very far end of the house. Mido took hold of my hand and made me join with the others. Feeling more secure in their presence, I sat down along with them. Mido expressed relief that everyone was accounted for, and stressed the fact that no one should go outside under any circumstances.
It was pretty obvious to me by this point that Mido and everyone else were aware of the strange things happening outside. I knew at that point it wasn't just happening in the Lost Woods. I didn't have any idea how long we were going to be forced to stay inside, so I decided to ask Mido what we would do about food. Mido mentioned that he had some food saved up, but it would only last for a week at most. This was a problem. Someone would eventually have to go out and get more food. I was more than willing to be the one to do it, but Mido turned me down instantly when I brought it up.
Mido offered an alternative, stating that he would get more food when the time came. I knew he just didn't want anyone to get hurt. As was expected, Fado protested, but Mido told her that it was his responsibility to keep everyone safe and alive. He still took on the mantle of leader, even when he was afraid too. He threw his fear aside for the others. Such courage reminded me of Link, and served to make me wonder if he was alright too. I was still concerned about not being able to contact him. I decided that it was best to tell Mido that I tried to contact Link, but couldn't reach him. Mido took this as a sign that something was wrong outside of the forest as well. As much as I hated to admit it, that was most likely the case. After this, Mido joined in on sitting with us. For the rest of the day we just talked about small things in order to get rid of some of our anxiety.
We were all too afraid to sleep when night came around, so we just continued to talk amongst ourselves. After several hours, we naturally succumbed to exhaustion and drifted off to sleep. It was then, in the midst of my slumber that something extraordinary happened. In my dreams, I saw Link. He was sleeping just like me, surrounded by a sea of blue. The rising of our chests seemed to be in rhythm with each other. I could feel his heartbeat along with mine. I saw him for several hours before my vision started to fade. When I opened my eyes to the morning sun, I found that I had stretched out my arm. I was apparently trying to reach for Link subconsciously.
As I registered that I was awake, I wondered if the dream I had meant anything. I had hoped it was a sign that Link was okay. Soon, I was awake enough to force myself to get up. I noticed that Mido was sticking his head outside the entrance, apparently looking at something. After a few moments, he turned to me and filled me in on what the current situation was. Apparently as everyone slept, monsters appeared in the village and in the Lost Woods. I had thought that might happen, but I really hoped it wouldn't have. I knew things were really bad now. I went to the entrance to peek my head out and sure enough I saw some Mad Scrubs and a giant Deku Baba.
That was not the only thing I saw though. The worst possible sight appeared before me. Ganondorf appeared from the log leading out of the Lost Woods. The evil man who killed the Great Deku Tree was in our forest, and that sent a chill up my spine. Ganondorf took a few steps before he turned to me with a wicked smile. The moment he turned to me, I jumped back into the house at lightning speed. Mido hastily asked me what was wrong, and I said that the person who killed the Great Deku Tree was in the forest. Everyone went pale upon hearing this bad news. The next few moments were the scariest I had ever experienced, even more so than what happened in the Lost Woods.
We waited with bated breath, fearing that Ganondorf would soon step in Mido's house. That never came to pass though, and it was only an hour later that we calmed down. Getting over my own initial fear of having seen Ganondorf, I worried about what happened to Link. If Ganondorf was still operating even after Link got all the Spiritual Stones, I wondered what might have happened to Link. The very thought of something bad happening to him filled me with dread. I was not just plagued by those worries however. All of the other Kokiri and I were in danger. The whole situation was just a nightmare. I found myself wondering how something like this could happen.
Everything had taken a turn for the worse, and we couldn't do anything about it. We could only stay in Mido's house and hope that things got better somehow. That hope was fruitless in the end. Things never got better. The forest continued to deteriorate even more as several years passed. As the situation worsened over the course of the next seven years, I cursed myself for not being able to do anything. I remembered at one point when the spirits of the forest said I was the proper guardian of the forest. Some guardian I was, hiding in a house while everything fell apart. I was very frustrated with myself and my lack of ability. It was just like the time when Link and I were attacked. I could barely even protect him. Constantly thinking about all this served to make me very anxious, and certainly wasn't helping, so I pulled out my Ocarina to get my thoughts away from those destructive feelings. My melody served to help calm the others at least. While I was playing, I was surprised when the spirits of the forest spoke to me again.
They said that I did have the power to save the forest from Ganondorf, and that it was my destiny to get rid of the evil that plagued everything. What nonsense that was! I wasn't about to go and get myself killed, especially since I had a promise to keep. Yes, my promise to Link that I was most certainly not going to break under any circumstances. I was resolute in my decision, for a time. As the spirits continued to talk to me, I began to struggle with the desire to fulfill my supposed destiny. Any time those feelings would surface however; I would remind myself that I promised to wait for Link. That was effective, but not for long. The call for me to protect the forest grew stronger and stronger. I tried to resist it, but the obligation tugged at me relentlessly. Memories of what the Great Deku Tree told me about how I was chosen by Farore returned to me, and I felt like the goddess herself was indeed pleading for me to save the forest.
I tried my hardest, but I couldn't resist any longer. The desire to protect the forest burned inside me like a strong flame, and I soon rose up. The other Kokiri turned to me, wondering what I was doing. I whispered an apology to Link, and sprinted out of the house without saying a word to the others. As I stepped outside, I found that I began to sense the evil energy that was surrounding the forest. It seemed to be emanating from the Lost Woods, and I could hear the voices of evil spirits coming from there.
Resolute and determined, I wasn't going to step back. I made my way to the entrance, prepared to face my destiny.