Chapter 11: The Great Fairy of Courage

"I am Rauru, the Sage of Light. Mine is the gift of truth. Where the shadows of deception gather, light shall chase them away. All who walk in right seek it; all who court with evil fear it. Beneath its gaze, courage and wisdom thrive while cowardice and ignorance wither. It is a precious gift and must be protected at all costs. This is my duty as the Sage of Light.

"You are Saria, the Sage of Forest. Yours is the gift of harmony. Where a single seed struggles to bloom, the ripened trees will guide its roots. The wise give to the forest more than they take; the foolish take it all and perish. The trees are the wellsprings of the world's vitality, and without them, all would cease to be. It is a precious gift and must be protected at all costs. This is your duty as the Sage of Forest."

The young Kokiri girl nodded. "I am Saria, the Sage of Forest…" She recited the mantra as Rauru had instructed her as part of the ceremony required to awaken her as a Sage. Her expression showed she was anxious, uncertain about her role, yet her voice rang clear and held steady. She didn't know if she had what it took but she would give it her all. Link had no doubt of that. He yearned to take her hand to reassure her and show her that she could do it, but adhering to Rauru's instruction, he didn't move from his place in the center of the circle.

Sensing his restlessness, Navi asked him, "Are you all right, Link?"

He hesitated a moment and then sighed. "Yes… I'm just… worried for her. I can't bear the thought of leaving her again."

"She is safe here," Navi reassured him. "And she has a role to fulfill – a realm to protect. For the sake of the world, she must become the Sage of Forest."

Link sighed heavily. "You're right, Navi. As usual."

The fairy winced uncomfortably at his resigned tone. When she spoke again, her voice was softer, "Sometimes it's hard, Link, what we're called to do. What we're asked to sacrifice… but remember that we are oftentimes stronger than we realize… and for everything that is lost in this war… in the end, our efforts and sacrifices yield so much more in return… even if we don't realize it…" Her words came out choked.

Link glanced down at her and noticed her eyes were squeezed shut as she tried to hold back tears. He realized what she must be thinking.

"The Great Deku Tree…" he said cautiously, "…was it worth it?"

She looked up at him, her eyes glassy. She sniffed and took a shuddering breath before she answered with conviction, "It will be."

For her, Link would make certain of that. Then he became aware of a subtle shift in the air - a slight fragrance of earth and pine. He noticed a tiny petal fluttering through the gray mist toward Saria. It was followed by a seed that used tiny hairs shaped into an umbrella to float. Then there was another seed, and then another that was shaped like a wing to spin through the air.

Soon the air was filled with all manner of plant life - leaves, seeds, petals – that swirled about the three of them in a mischievous dance, tickling their necks and noses, and then spinning away before they could be caught. Link glanced over at his friend, whose eyes were wide and her mouth open.

"I understand," she said, her voice rising with excitement. "I know what I need to do!" She turned to Rauru. "I need to go back to the temple."

Rauru bowed to her. "Do what you must. It needs you."

"Oh, yes, thank you!" She was breathless with excitement. She spun around to Link and she hesitated, not with regret but with the uncertainty of how she would explain what it was she needed to do.

He shook his head. "You don't need to explain it to me. You have your duty. And…" he swallowed with difficulty. "I have mine."

She shook her head. "Please, Link, don't talk like that. It isn't goodbye," she gave a small laugh. "It's only until our jobs are finished. And then we can go back to the way it was before. You'll see."

Rauru closed his eyes and sighed. He turned his back to them and paced to the edge of the platform. He couldn't bring himself to tell them the truth of it. The way that war changed people. The permanence of that change – like a stain that could never be scrubbed out – a stain that settled so deeply into the fibers that to take it out would be to destroy the entire fabric.

No, he would allow them their naivety; allow them to hope for just a little longer…

Saria continued, "But until then. Please take this token of my strength with you." She reached up into the air and clasped a passing seed. She brought it down and cradled it in both palms where it rapidly sprouted into a many-petal bud. One at a time, the petals fell away until its center was revealed: a wooden token that resembled the Light Medallion that Rauru had given Link before, but with three green leaves spinning around the center as its symbol. He took it from her with reverence.

"I have to go now, Link," said Saria, flashing him a tentative smile as she took a step back. "But we'll see each other again soon… right?"

He gave her a firm nod. Seeing this, her smile brightened, like the momentary flare of a candle, and then she stepped onto the dais with the symbol that represented her domain. A pillar of blue light flared around her and then gradually diminished, taking her away with it.

"And now, Link," said Rauru, his strong voice startling the young swordsman, "to your own task. But first, there is someone who wishes to meet you." He thrust his hands into the air.

Blue light erupted around Link and closed in on him. When the light was gone, he found himself back in the woods, standing next to a spring.

He knew right away what it was. The spring was surrounded by a tight cluster of pines, which dripped crystalline dew from their leaves into the pool in a neverending shower. The drops that hit the water made only the softest burbling and the water itself was as smooth as glass, barely disturbed by all the drops. And hovering in its center was a tall woman garbed in a gown of leaves and flowers.

"Well met, young hero," she spoke.

"Another Great Fairy," he murmured.

She gave a small laugh. "Yes. I am the Great Fairy of Courage. The Great Deku Tree told me all about you. I am so glad to finally meet you." Looking him up and down, she took note of the cuts and bruises on his body, the torn fabric of his clothes. "I see you have suffered many tribulations and, ah!" She gasped as she spotted Navi on Link's shoulder. "Dear child, your wings! They're barely there! And a fairy without her wings is hardly a fairy at all!"

"She lost them while protecting me," Link explained, his voice rising defensively.

The Great Fairy raised her hands consolingly and she laughed, "Peace, child. I did not mean it as a rebuke. And worry not. It is nothing I cannot fix." She kissed her hand and then blew it at the two of them. Gold dust streamed from her palm and enveloped them. Link's aches and pains faded as a rush of strength flowed back into him, but he was more concerned about his fairy and so he turned to her.

"Oh!" she gasped. "Oh my! I feel…" She glanced at her wings to watch as the torn membrane re-stitched itself. Then she leaped into the air, fluttering her newly repaired wings.

"I feel wonderful! Oh, thank you, Great Fairy! Thank you!" She darted through the air, laughing with relief and joy.

"Consider it a small recompense for your courage and loyalty," said the Great Fairy. She chuckled. "Your trials have been demanding. It is time for you both to see the fruits of your labors. Follow me." She turned and began gliding into the trees, her train of flowers flowing being her, petals and seeds scattering across the ground in her wake. The Kokiri and his fairy followed behind her, Link to the side as he did not want to tread on the seeds.

Before very long, they entered a glade occupied by an enormous tree. The bark of it was gray and weathered, and its boughs were barren. The Great Fairy slowed her pace, her movement making it obvious she was now making use of her legs. "Here." She beckoned them to follow her around the tree. She had taken on an air of great respect and remorse, and Link had a suspicion he knew why. The tree they were circling…

They came around to its face. Navi gave a sob, which she quickly stifled. The Great Fairy turned to her and spoke, "There is no need to restrain yourself. He was a wonderful friend, a loving father. He has left a great void that will be very difficult to fill. So give him all your love and hold nothing back."

So Navi cried. She cried loudly, her tears streaming down her cheeks in torrents. Her shoulders shook with great force. She was crying so hard that she couldn't keep herself in the air and she came to rest on Link's shoulder again, sobbing into his neck. Link avoided looking at her, not wanting to cause her shame, though his own eyes were streaming. He fixed his gaze instead on the face of the Great Deku Tree – the wizened face that had seen many years pass, filled with a millennium of wisdom - the eyes which were crinkled from smiling so much. His mouth was still open, almost as if he was in the middle of a song.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Great Fairy bow her head. He glanced at her and discovered to his shock that she was crying, too. Tears like glittering diamonds fell to the cracked ground, moistening it and turning it into a rich brown. He could also hear her singing in a very low voice that was almost silent. The song was one of pain and regret so deep that he felt he might tear himself in half from it but there was also a note of thankfulness in it that gave him the strength to withstand the pain.

Link wasn't sure how long it was before both fairies had cried themselves out. He bore their pain patiently, knowing that nothing he could say or do would ease it for them. But at last, the Great Fairy stood, Navi lifted off of Link's shoulder, and as one they turned to each other.

"He has left a great void that will be difficult to fill," the Great Fairy repeated. "His final gift to us all. To make room for others to grow and flourish. For in this void will we find new life, new love. And it is our duty to guide that new life on its way, to show them that same love we were given. No, to give them a greater love than what he was capable of giving us. For the world is constantly changing, striving to be better than what it was before. It will be difficult, yes, but we will be all the stronger for it."

Navi sniffed. "I think I know what you mean."

The Great Fairy nodded. "Now see what your efforts have wrought for you."

She sank to her knees and swept her hand down in a caressing gesture. Link leaned in and Navi dropped to see where she was pointing.

A tiny shoot had appeared in the dark earth where the Great Fairy's tears had wet it. She cupped her hands around it and began to sing again. It sounded the same as when she had been singing for the Great Deku Tree, yet it seemed to be more joyful and welcoming. Link and Navi watched, sensing that something was about to happen.

The shoot twitched in response to the Great Fairy's singing, the tiny leaves fluttering as though waving hello. Then it began to stretch, rising out of the earth. Its pale green color, the color of delicacy, deepened as it grew taller and thicker, the frail membrane becoming hardier, like wood.

The Great Fairy stood and took a step back. The shoot was growing faster now, forcing Link and Navi back to give it room. Two new branches sprouted, tipped with leaves.

Then its growth slowed, its green bark creaking as it settled. Link and Navi gasped as two eyes in the bark opened and glanced at them. Then a mouth cracked open beneath a protruding branch that gave it the appearance of a nose.

Then it spoke in the high voice of a child, "Good morning! Oh, what a wonderful morning! Oh, I've waited seven years to feel the sun on my face!" He rustled his leaves as he laughed gaily. "Hello, hello, and hello again! You must be Link, right?" His eyes were so bright with happiness that Link couldn't help but smile. "Thank you for ridding the forest of those wicked monsters! I feared I would never come out of the ground! Oh, what a wonderful morning it is!"

"You mean you've been hiding under the ground for seven years?" Link asked the sprout.

"Oh, sure! I mean, I was only a seed then but each year I would stretch out some roots and grow a little bigger. But as young and fragile as I was, I didn't dare to come up for fear some of those monsters would trample me or tear out my roots! But it wasn't all bad. I've been making friends and learning everything that they know so I can be as wise and good as the Great Deku Tree was."

The Great Fairy laughed. "You're sounding wiser already. The Great Deku Tree would be proud."

"You really mean it?" The little sprout beamed with pride. "I swear I won't let you down! I'll be a good protector of the forest and the Kokiri."

"Of that, I have no doubt," said the Great Fairy, smiling. Then her expression became serious. "But we have a long way to go before the world is completely safe again." She turned to the young Kokiri. "Link, we are counting on you to purge Hyrule of its blight. And you too, Navi."

Navi bowed. "We will not let you or anyone else down." Link nodded in affirmation.

The Great Fairy nodded. She said, "It pains me to see you shoulder so heavy a burden. Allow me to ease you of a small portion of that burden." She took a step backward to distance herself from Link and thrust her arms to her side in a pose that the young man immediately recognized as a ritual for a spell.

"This is known as Farore's Respite," she told him. She pulled in her right arm. "As with all of your other talents, first you must draw in the power." Link's attention was then drawn to her skirt when the flowers and leaves parted to allow her long legs to be seen. She crossed her right leg behind her left and bent her knees, bringing her low to the ground.

"Now cast your power about you," she spoke, rising to her feet while twisting her body in a circle, her arms swinging around her before rising above her head and falling in a graceful arch.

The young Kokiri did as she instructed. He drew the power in and then cast it, feeling it disperse in a rush of wind. He saw the world become faded as though the wind had washed away the colors. With a flash of panic, he wondered if he had performed the spell wrong.

The Great Fairy behind him, whose color was all the more vibrant against the faded world, laughed. "Well done, Link. You have cast Farore's Respite. This spell has the power to slow time, which I'm sure will be helpful to you. It does consume a lot of energy, but with practice, I'm sure you'll master it in no time."

"All right, thank you, Great Fairy. But uh…" He gave a half-hearted gesture to the frozen world.

She smiled. "To dispel it, simply blow it away." She demonstrated with a puff, and the colors rushed back in. She laughed and said, "It was truly a pleasure to meet you at last, young hero. I do hope that what I've shown you has revitalized you and strengthened your resolve?" When he nodded, she laughed and said, "Wonderful! Then I shall leave it to you." She nodded at him and then turned to the Deku Sprout, who puffed out his chest as though to prove that she could count on him. She gave him a nod of acknowledgment.

"I leave it to you... all of you," she said again. She started to glide back into the forest but then halted and said, "Ah! I almost forgot. I have one last piece of advice for you, young Link." She turned to him. "You must remember that it is not meant for you to undo mistakes, for if it were so easy then what value would its lessons have?"

He wasn't meant to undo mistakes? What exactly did she mean? Did she not want him to defeat Ganondorf? "I don't understand," he told her.

"Remember it, and in time you will. Perhaps sooner than you think." She winked at him. Then she turned back to the forest and glided into the trees where she eventually disappeared.

Link considered her parting words. Then the Deku Sprout piped up, "I felt that, you know, when you froze time. It feels very strange, almost like when you're pushing your roots through the ground... oh, right, you don't have roots, do you? But that's what it felt like. You must be pretty powerful to be able to use a spell like that! You're pretty special, even for a Hylian..."

Navi gasped, "A what?"

The Deku Sprout gave her an odd look. "Wasn't it obvious? I mean, he's definitely not a Kokiri since Kokiri don't grow, at least, not very fast, and he's a lot bigger than when the forest last saw him, but I guess you wouldn't know that since you hadn't met him until seven years ago. Ten years before that, his mother brought him here to escape a raid on her town. It wasn't a coincidence though; Destiny brought him here... at least, that's what the Great Deku Tree thought, and so he was raised here, even though no one like that had ever been here before..."

Link was never a Kokiri. The revelation hit him like a punch to the stomach. Of course, he should have known. He had even begun to suspect it when he had returned to find none of his former friends had aged a day in the seven years that he had been gone. Yet that sickening feeling was still potent enough to leave him weak in the knees. Why couldn't the Great Deku Tree have told him before? It might have made that distance between him and the other Kokiri a little more bearable.

Or would it? He recalled Rauru's conviction that light was truth and only evil feared it. Perhaps truth was just as frightening to good people as it was to the wicked. Beneath its gaze, courage and wisdom thrive while cowardice and ignorance wither. It seemed to him that it took a great amount of courage to face the truth. Would he have been strong enough to learn of his origins seven years ago?

The Deku Sprout continued, "The Great Deku Tree wanted to make sure he was ready before he faced the Great Evil that threatens our world. And see, he was right, wasn't he?" He beamed proudly. "One Sage awakened already and only four more to go!"

Link shook his head to clear himself of the shock. Then he nodded at the Deku Sprout. "Right. Four more to go." With everything that had happened - finding his childhood home reduced to festering, discovering his lifelong friend in danger and then that she was a Sage, realizing that he had never been a Kokiri - he had nearly forgotten what his mission was.

"We should return to the Temple of Time," said Navi. "Shiek told us he would meet us there once we awakened the Sage."

"Right," said Link again. After one last shake of his head, he turned, said to his fairy, "Let's go then," and began walking toward the village.

The Deku Sprout stopped him. "Oh, hey, wait a moment, Link! Is it all right if I talk to your fairy for a while? I think there's something I've got to tell her."

The two of them exchanged glances. Then Navi nodded and said, "Very well then. I will catch up to you later, Link."

He nodded and then turned and continued toward the village. Navi turned to the Deku Sprout and waited expectantly.

"Your name's Navi, isn't it?" he said. Without waiting for her reply, he continued, "The other trees told me that you were very special to him... the Great Deku Tree, I mean. He loved sharing all the stuff he knew with you because you ate it all up. He also knew that you would be the one he would choose to guide Link when it was time for him to leave because you're so loyal and dedicated and... oh no, I didn't mean to make you cry!" The Deku Sprout looked mortified at his blunder as Navi broke into sobs again. "I'm so sorry! Really, really sorry! I just thought you would like to know how much he loved you! I know you loved him a lot, and I just thought, er..." He waved his branches helplessly as Navi futilely tried to stem the tears from her eyes, sniffling repeatedly.

"It-it's okay," she managed to say in between sniffs. "I-I am grateful... sniff! ...to you for telling me this."

"Please don't cry! I don't like to see you so sad! I want to see you smiling like you did for the Great Deku Tree. He loved your smile. He didn't like to see you sad either, and that's why he didn't tell you when that evil man cursed him."

"What?"

"In fact, the only reason the evil man was able to curse him was because the Great Deku Tree used his powerful magic to protect the Kokiri and keep them from waking up so they wouldn't be scared. The evil man wanted the Spiritual Stone so bad that he was going to burn down the forest, and the Kokiri, too! But the Great Deku Tree stopped him and chased him away. He didn't know that the evil man put a baby Gohma inside him. When he finally found out, he wanted the Great Fairy to cure him but she was afraid she would hurt him instead and so that's when he decided to ask you to get Link to help."

But by that time, it was already too late, she thought, a cold wave rolling through her as she relived the memory. We did our best, but he still died in the end. And it's all because of Ganondorf. The cold wave was replaced by a burning hate, and she clenched her fists. He will pay.

The Deku Sprout became concerned and he asked her, "Hey, Navi. Are you all right?"

She forced herself to relax her fists. She bowed and said stiffly, "Yes, I am all right. Thank you for telling me this." Then she turned and started drifting toward the village.

The Deku Sprout waved his branches in agitation and called after her, "Wait! Navi! Don't be so mad! Remember to love! Remember to be happy! NAVI!"

She didn't look back.