The next morning Ganon rose early to avoid talking to Mido for as long as he could. The hot-headed Kokiri was still sleeping soundly as he crept past him. His yellow orb had positioned itself on his forehead and every so often it would twitch before rolling over.

Outside the air was cool, and a thin layer of fog covered the ground. A soft light filtered through the canopy of the trees giving Ganon enough light to maneuver his way through the forest. He stopped by the stream and washed his face, letting the cool water wake him up. He thought about finding Timir and going for a ride when out of the corner of his eye something glowing on the edge of the water distracted him.

At first he thought it was one of the Kokiri's orbs, but when he looked directly at the source he froze. Standing on the edge of the trees, staring off somewhere into the canopy, was a man. He was dressed like the Kokiri in a green tunic, but something about him made Ganon suspect he wasn't one himself. His green hair fell to his shoulders and his eyes were a piercing green, unlike any he'd ever seen. The air about him looked brighter, as if it were glowing, but upon closer inspection he noticed that it wasn't the air, but the man himself.

Ganon started to back away slowly, but as he moved the man glanced at him. Their eyes met and Ganon felt every muscle in his body stiffen. The air felt heavy, as if it would crush him, and his vision blurred. He gasped, trying to breath, but his body wouldn't listen to him. He thought he was going to die when the sensation vanished. He looked up, gasping for air to see where the man was, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Your Highness!" a voice called. Ganon jumped, but recognized Nadia's voice. He tried to calm himself down as he turned to face her, but he was still quite shaken. "You're up early, your Majesty. Did you sleep well?"

"Uh, y-yes, I did," said Ganon forcing a smile. Nadia gave him a suspicious look. "Really! I'm just kind of tired. My host is a noisy sleeper, and it took me a while to fall asleep, but other than that I'm fine." It was partly true. For some reason he didn't want to share his recent experience with Nadia. It would only worry her, and she had enough responsibilities to deal with without hearing all of his problems.

"Alright," said Nadia, although he could still tell she thought something was amiss. "Maybe you're just coming down with something." She felt his forehead and nodded. "You feel as clammy as you look. Perhaps we should wait to meet the Great Deku Tree until tomorrow."

Ganon pushed her hand away. "No, I'll go," he said. "It's probably from the nightmare that woke me up so early. I feel fine, really."

Nadia's expression fell slightly. She looked hurt, but said, "As you wish, your Majesty." She bowed and led the way back to the Kokiri Village where the rest of the Gerudo were waiting for him.

The Kokiri had made a large breakfast for their guests consisting of leafy greens, fruits from the trees, and some kind of hard nut that was almost impossible to open. It was good, but very different to what Ganon was used to. Throughout the meal the Kokiri would talk and laugh among themselves. Everyone seemed to know each other. Some were even having conversations with the Gerudo warriors as if they had known them for years.

Towards the end of their meal Mido plopped down next to Ganon and yawned. "So here you are," he said grabbing a fruit. "I was wondering what happened to you." He took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. "So I've been thinking, if you're going to be here a while then maybe I should be the one to show you around. Plus, you still gotta show me your secrets for understanding women."

Ganon sighed. "I can't, Mido," he said hoping Mido wasn't as persistent as he seemed. "I'm supposed to meet the Great Deku Tree today, whatever that is."

Mido spat out what he was chewing and started to cough. "What?" he asked. "You get to meet with the Great Deku Tree?"

"Yeah," said Ganon, suddenly wary. "Nadia told me just this morning. What is the Great Deku Tree anyway?" Mido's eyes widened and he looked as if he was about to choke. Ganon scooted over a bit in case he started coughing again.

"How could you not know?" said Mido. "The Great Deku Tree is only the guardian spirit of the forest. He's only the one who keeps this forest alive and void of monsters. He's also the one who gives every Kokiri their fairy guide. For crying out loud! How does a guy like you who's never even heard of him get the chance to meet him? Good grief!" Mido folded his arms and began to pout.

"Is that what those glowing orbs are? Fairies?" asked Ganon glancing around at the many colored orbs that flitted about.

"Oh, man!" said Mido flinging his arms into the air. "You really are dense! What did you think they were? Accessories?"

"No," said Ganon slightly embarrassed.

"Geez! I'm going to have to teach you a lot more than I thought," said Mido resting his head in his hands.

Ganon was about to tell him that it wasn't necessary when a small green fairy landed on his shoulder. Up close he could see the wings and form of a tiny person amid the bright glow. So this was a fairy. "Excuse me, your Majesty," said the little fairy with a slight curtsy, "but the Great Deku Tree has summoned you. Please follow me." The fairy took off and Ganon stood to follow.

They wove their way through the trees until they came to the edge of a ravine at the end of the village. Standing at the entrance was a young girl with short green hair. She waved to them when she spotted them and bowed. The fairy landed on her shoulder and she grinned. "Thank you, Kozue," she said. She faced Ganon and smiled. "My name is Saria. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I apologize for having to send Kozue to get you. I've been running a little late this morning."

"It's alright," said Ganon. "I don't mind." So this was the girl Mido kept talking about. Having seen her, he had to admit that she was pretty. She smiled at him again and beckoned him forward. Together they entered the ravine and made their way down towards a large clearing. An enormous tree stood in the center, but Ganon couldn't see any sign of a person. He was about to ask Saria if they were at the wrong place when a voice that filled the whole clearing spoke.

"Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo, at last we meet."