Aves stood beside Grebe as they anxiously waited by the entrance to the Lost Woods. Ket had entered the dim recesses hours ago, and the hope that both she and Rill would return was quickly diminishing. Other Kokiri waited alongside them, having answered Grebe's call for help, but none dared to venture in.
Grebe had tried to find Mara, knowing the girl always kept a cool head in any situation, but she was no where to be found and when he had attempted to speak to the Deku Tree about the crisis, the guardian had been strangely silent, refusing to answer despite his increasingly desperate pleas. Giving up in the end, he had gathered what Kokiri he could find and headed back to Aves, finding the boy next to the outsider's horse, his eyes red-rimmed and swollen.
"Maybe we should go," said Grebe, voicing what most Kokiri already were thinking.
"What?!" Aves turned on him, outraged. "How can you think of leaving them? It's bad enough we're too scared to go after them, now you want us to abandon them?"
Grebe help his palms out, trying to calm Aves. "No, it's just- Aves be practical. It's been hours since we've seen hide or hair of either of them."
"That doesn't mean they're dead."
"Fine." Grebe sighed deeply. "We'll give them a few more hours, but you know we can't spend the rest of our lives here waiting."
Aves did not answer. He faced the entrance again, his hand against Zephyr's foreleg, the sinewy leg providing strength to remain standing. He refused to give up on hope or them.
A flash of scarlet appeared in front of him. Teio, his faery, hovered before him, intently watching the tunnel. The rest of the faeries closely followed suit, lines of tension shot through their waiting bodies. "Teio, what's going on?" Aves said, wondering what could have caused the sudden change in behavior in the faeries. Only seconds ago they all stayed way behind them, keeping as far away from the Lost Woods as possible.
Teio did not answer. Instead she floated closer to the log tunnel, hesitantly, as if she were unsure. A brilliant green flash filled the glen, and Aves cried out in fear and surprise. When it faded, the glen was filled with celebrating faeries. Grebe walked back beside him and said, "What in all the woods is going on here?"
"Teio?"
His faery flew up to him, a joyous expression on her tiny face. "The baby has been born!"
"You don't mean the one the Great Deku Tree was talking about? Where?"
"The Woods."
Horror filled Aves' heart. "But how are we going to find her?"
Teio smiled indulgently. "Silly, Rill and Ket will bring her back."
"They're alive?" Grebe broke in, his voice full of disbelief.
"Of course," Teio said simply. "And now the balance will be restored to our woods!" She ended her words with a twirl, her glittering light sending sparkles to rest in Grebe's and Aves' hair.
Aves and Grebe exchanged puzzled looks. The balance restored? How? And by whom?
Before they could ask, Teio darted away, joining in the celebration as the faeries danced around the glen, their bell-like laughter filling the woods and the Kokiri's hearts.
They stayed like that for hours, when a startled shout rose from the group and focused their attention to the Lost Woods once more. They watched in awe as a worn and grimy Rill led an equally tired Ket, a baby cradled lovingly against her and a sword clasped in her hand. The faeries flocked to her, cooing at the baby, their laughter and light concealing the newborn and Ket completely.
Rill stood off to one side, an amused and exhausted expression resting on his face. A flicker of movement caught his gaze, and he backed away, allowing Mara and Quill, who had appeared out of nowhere, to come closer to the mass of faeries. The faeries also moved out of the way, though still pressing close, and Ket saw Mara for the first time. Mara smiled up to her, a pleased gleam in her eyes. Ket grinned wanly in return, her arms trembling with exhaustion, but still able to hold her body proudly erect.
Quill coughed, turning their attention to her, and the elder Kokiri held out her arms. Ket obeyed and gently placed the baby, her Saria, in Quill's waiting embrace. A loving look filled Quill's eyes, and she smiled at the baby. "Come Mara, we must take her to the Great Deku Tree."
Mara nodded, and gave Ket one last smile before following after her. Ket watched them go, trying to figure out the day's events while her exhausted brain failed to function. She desperately needed sleep.
Aves and Grebe rushed up to them, their eyes wide and disbelieving. "You're alive!" exclaimed Grebe.
"Just barely," quipped Rill.
"But- how is that possible?" Grebe asked.
"I have no idea," Rill answered truthfully. "Had a lot of luck and a bit of skill, I guess."
Aves looked up at Ket, a brilliant smile on his relieved face. He was bursting to tell her how happy he was she and Rill were okay, when he caught sight of her wound. His face fell, and he asked, "Ket! What happened to you?"
She started, having forgotten all about it. "Oh, it's only a cut."
"Only a cut," Aves repeated. He searched the glen and found Teio's distinct shimmer. "Teio! C'mere," he called.
She responded, the glow of joy bringing her ruby light to a fever pitch. "What do you need?"
"Can you heal Ket's cut?"
Teio flew up to her face, studying the wound while Ket waved her away dismissively, saying, "It's really nothing. I only need sleep and I'll be fine."
"I'll be the judge of that," stated Teio, refusing to budge. She touched Ket's wound and frowned. "I can stop the bleeding and close the wound, but I'm afraid you'll still have a scar, albeit a small one. Magic must have done this; I can feel the taint of it still lingering."
"Do what you like," Ket said, too weary to protest.
Teio placed her palms on her face, one on either side of the cut. She focused her energy, channeling it into the river of magic that ran under Ket's skin, wild and unchecked. She knew instinctively that the girl never had any instruction in her power; there was no trace of control to keep the power in balance. Thankfully she was not a mage of immense power, or she would have demolished a city long ago. Using the magic within Ket, she directed the power, telling it where to go to help speed the healing process and burn away the traces of the tainted magic.
A glimmer of new sorcery entered Teio's senses, and she paused, carefully feeling out this foreign magic, wondering if it was the same as the power that had caused the wound in the first place. Upon closer inspection, she realized that it was different. The strange magic was merging with Ket's, reinforcing her own and causing it to grow immeasurably.
Tracing the magic, she nearly screamed when she found the source. The power of the object flooded her own body, and she felt the magic begin to overpower her, swallowing her up in a tide of power. She jerked away from the source and backed away, thankful it had not gotten a complete hold of her or she would be dead by now.
Coming back to Ket's magic, she realized that the wound was healed already. The foreign magic must have augmented the spell, pushing the healing process faster then normal. She wondered how Ket was able to withstand the flow of power that coursed through her if she, a faery and composed entirely of magic, was unable to even touch the source.
She emerged from the complex network of magics, her breath hitching in her chest. Aves held out his palm for her and she gratefully accepted, alighting on his hand and letting her exhausted body rest. "Are you all right?" he asked in concern.
Teio mutely nodded, unable to formulate sentences just then. She looked back to Ket, and to the magic source she held in her hand. The sword shimmered in the meager light, and Teio, now attuned to its magic, could feel the strength of its presence even when she was not calling the magic. That's no ordinary sword, the faery thought. I only hope it was meant as a gift from the Goddesses and not as a curse.
Ket never remembered how she got back to the village. The entire time after Saria was born sat shrouded in a haze of exhaustion and pain. She vaguely recalled Quill and Mara taking the tiny baby away, and the touch of magic as some faery healed her, but the rest was too deep into the fog to pull back.
When she awoke, she lay in Mara's home with a pile of blankets thrown over her. Her body sweltered under all the thick covers in the summer heat, and she threw them off, relishing the feel of the cool air on her sweaty skin. Her body ached all over and movement caused her sore muscles to scream in agony. She groaned as she sat up, feeling every stiff ligament and tendon pop in protest. A loud rumble from her belly told her that her stomach was ready for food that it had been long deprived of.
She stood up, swaying as the blood rushed from her head. When her vision cleared, she began to set out for food, when she felt a breeze touch parts of her that normally remained clothed. Startled, she glanced down and discovered that her clothes had been removed. Amused at the thought of her stepping out naked and scaring all the Kokiri, she wrapped a blanket around her and searched for any stitch of clothing she could use.
A quick rummage around the house yielded nothing. Everything was fit for Mara, and thus way too small for her. Ket sighed loudly and flopped onto Mara's tiny bed. How was she going to eat? If she didn't get food soon, well, the blankets were becoming mighty appetizing.
A knock on the side of Mara's door interrupted her musings of how the best way to eat cloth would be. Rill popped his head into the room and grinned when he saw her wrapped up and scowling. "Morning sunshine," he greeted. Ket growled in return.
"I figured this would happen, so here you go." He produced a pile of garments from behind his back and tossed them to her. "Once you get dressed, there's food outside." Finished, he ducked back outside, giving her privacy to change.
Ket let the blanket fall and pulled on the clothes, pleased to find that they were fit for her. This must have been the clothing Mara had promised to make for her. She'd have to thank her when she saw her. Finding her boots stashed under the bed, she pulled them on and stepped outside, blinking in the bright noon light.
The scent of tantalizing food quickly focused her mind on other things besides glaring sunshine. She all but ran to the tray of food that lay next to Rill. She plopped down and quickly dug in, stuffing food into her mouth until her cheeks bulged. "And I thought girls were supposed to be mannerly," remarked Rill, a half-disgusted, half-amused look on his face.
Ket only grunted and grabbed another handful of nuts. Food never tasted so good! While Ket's mouth was occupied, Rill filled her in on the events that had happened while she lay asleep. "The Lost Woods have seemed to return to normal. The animals have returned to normal, too, and those that left are returning. Plus the faeries are holding parties there every chance they get. I guess it was an old dance spot before... Anyway, Mara and Quill have been with the new baby and the Deku Tree, and no one's allowed in, so that's all I can tell you about that."
"Where did you put my sword?" Ket asked between a mouthful of berries.
"Ew, gross. Learn to swallow. It's in there," he said, jerking a thumb to Mara's home. "We had to wrap it up in a layer of cloth before we could carry it back, since you conveniently passed out then. It burns when you touch it," he recalled. "Does it do that to you?"
Ket shook her head. Finished with her meal, she headed back to the house and came out with the elegant sword in her hand. Even Rill, with his limited knowledge of weaponry, knew that the blade was a rare find, probably crafted by a master smith, one well versed in the old ways of forging, when they used magic as well as fire to temper steel. He still remembered the way the hilt had turned incredibly hot in his hand, burning the marks of the beveled hilt into his skin. One of the other faeries healed his burn; Sylph was still too exhausted then to work magic.
After that, the Kokiri had pilfered Grebe's tunic and used it to wrap the sword in, taking care not to touch any part of the blade. Zephyr had carried Ket back while Aves and Grebe held an end of the sword between them. It had been a long trip, but they had made it, and Rill fell asleep the instant he had reached his home and slipped into bed.
"I need a scabbard for this," said Ket, breaking through his thoughts.
"Probably. You can make one from cloth until you can find leather," offered Rill.
"Maybe." She studied the blade, enjoying the way the light glittered hypnotically off the steel's surface. "I need to see Mara," she said suddenly, rising swiftly from her spot on the grass.
"You can't," stated Rill.
"Why not?"
"I just got through telling you why not. Don't you ever listen?"
"Nope. So if I never heard why, then I can go anyway, since I don't know that I shouldn't."
Rill looked at her askance. "How do you come up with logic like this?"
"It's a gift. See you."
Rill watched her leave, wonder and irritation vying for dominance on his face. He finally sighed and fell to the grass. "I'll never understand her."
Ket entered the Great Deku Tree's meadow unchallenged. I guess they figure everyone will obey their command, she thought. She spotted the two Kokiri underneath the wide limbs of the Deku Tree, sitting on the lush grass in apparent silence. She knew better, and turned her focus inward to better hear the conversation.
Her training is coming along nicely. This voice reminded Ket of tart apples and fallen leaves. Quill, she immediately deduced.
She'll only need a week or so, and then she'll be ready. Her presence restored the balance in the Lost Woods and all of that foreign magic has disappeared. This one was filled with the taste of strawberries and sunshine. Mara. They must be talking about Saria, Ket realized.
Wonderful, children, said the Deku Tree. Ket would you care to join us? Unabashed at being caught eavesdropping, she stepped closer, taking a spot on the grass near the two Kokiri. Mara grinned widely. "It's good to see you up and about."
"It's good to be up," Ket said with a wry smile. "How's Saria?"
Mara and Quill looked at her in surprise. "How do you know her name?" asked Quill. "The Deku Tree has only told us and Saria herself."
Shrugging, Ket said, "It seemed like the right name for her when I first saw her."
Mara appeared to accept the reason, but Quill continued to study her. Trying to ignore the Kokiri's disconcerting gaze, Ket asked the Deku Tree, "Can I see her?"
In due time, replied the Tree. She is in the middle of recalling her lost knowledge and cannot be disturbed. When she is finished, then you may.
Disappointed, Ket nodded. I see you brought the sword, remarked the Deku Tree. Where did you find it?
"In the Forest Temple," she said. "It was set in a boulder in a courtyard."
Did something try to stop you?
"We were attacked, but it was just a beast looking for food. Wasn't it?"
Quill snorted. "Are you naive, girl?"
Bristling, Ket said, "What do you mean?"
"The beast was there to prevent you from obtaining the sword. Why else would it be there?"
"How am I supposed to know? Do I look like a seer to you?"
"You're wandering about this with your eyes closed," said Quill with a scowl. "And blind luck only lasts so long."
"What are you talking about?"
Quill opened her mouth, but the Deku Tree broke in and said, Hold your peace Quill. This is no time to start arguments.
For a moment, Ket was sure Quill was going to continue anyway, but she only looked darkly at Ket and stayed silent. What was that all about? she thought. Why do I feel like everyone but me knows what's going on?
What was the beast like? asked the Deku Tree, interrupting Ket's train of thought.
"A mutated wolfos. It had a wolfos body with bat-like wings and very nasty claws and teeth. That's about it."
"It must be a changeling," said Mara. "Someone must have used their magic to alter the wolfos' normal body to its own means. How awful."
Ket, who was not too inclined to feel all that sympathetic to the wolfos, victim of not, said, "But it's dead now."
Did you use the sword to kill it?
"Yes."
Then it shall remain dead. That is good.
Ket arched an eyebrow at that. Didn't things that had been killed stay dead, no matter how they died? What difference did it make if she used the sword or a very pointy stick, if either stopped the menace? She began to see why Quill said she was blundering in the dark; she had no idea what was going on.
When will you be leaving?
"As soon as possible. But I'd like to say good-bye to everyone beforehand, if I can."
That shall not be a problem. Leave whenever you want, you are not being forced to go.
"I know, and I'm grateful for that. And for all your hospitality."
Mara smiled and Quill muttered something like, "Right" but Ket ignored the sour Kokiri and got up to leave. "Ket wait!"
She turned around and saw that Mara had also stood up. "We have something for you, in gratitude for all you've done for us."
She lifted something from the ground beside her. In her tiny hands, she held a beautifully tooled scabbard, the dark leather gleaming dully. "We figured you'd need this."
"I- I-, I mean, I didn't do this to get rewarded, I mean-" Ket stopped, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck.
"We know," Mara said with a smile at her discomfort. "That's why we are."
"I-, thanks." She took the proffered scabbard. The tooling of the leather held pictures of dancing faeries and trees, each one teeming with a life of its own. Capping either end was golden bronze, accenting the dark color of the leather. A belt of matching leather was attached to the scabbard, and Ket could only stare at the gift, unused to gestures of gratitude. "I don't know what to say," she said.
"That much is obvious," cracked Quill. Ket shot her a dark look.
"That's all right," soothed Mara. "Your expression is enough."
Smiling shyly, Ket wrapped the belt around her waist, enjoying the way the dark leather contrasted with the greens and browns of her Kokiri clothing. Once the belt was secured, she slid the sword into its new home. It was a little awkward with the extra weight on one side, but she quickly adjusted to the new sensation. "Thank you all so much," she said, trying to express her pleasure in her gift.
"Glad you like it," Mara said. "Now wherever you are, you can look at the scabbard and remember our woods and us."
"I could never forget, with or without the scabbard."
"Before this gets too mushy, I'm leaving," Quill stated, rising from her spot before the Deku Tree. "If you need me," she said to the Deku Tree. "Just call."
I will, answered the Tree. Thank you. Quill bowed slightly and left the clearing.
"I'm leaving too," said Mara. "Coming Ket?"
"In a second. I'll catch up."
"Okay," she said, and followed Quill out.
Ket waited until both Kokiri were gone, then turned back to the Tree. She was unsure of how to phrase her question. You need only to send me what you feel, and I will understand what you wish to know, interjected the guardian into her thoughts, startling Ket. She still was unused to the idea of someone able to hear her private thoughts. It was a disturbing feeling.
Shaking off her unease, she said, "Why is this happening? Why did I get this sword, and what did Quill mean about me walking around with my eyes closed? I'm beginning to think she was right; I don't have a clue about what's going on. Not about Dalite and not about what's happening to me."
I can not answer all your questions, my child, for even I do not know all the answers.
"What can you tell me?"
Ket felt the Deku Tree sigh, both mentally and physically. His branches seemed to toss in a gentle breeze. I can tell you a little about the sword. That is it.
Ket was pleased she had gotten this much out of the Deku Tree. She had figured that the Tree would throw her questions away. She stayed silent, waiting for the Tree's forthcoming reply. She did not have to wait for long.
The sword was forged ages ago by a master smith skilled in both metal and magic. When a war burst forth in Hyrule, he made the blade in the hopes that someone would be worthy to carry the sword into battle and defeat this threat. Unfortunately no one worthy stepped forward. Those that tried discovered that if the sword did not choose them, they were unable to touch any part of the blade. Depending on the strength of your heart, the blade would either burn you or destroy you.
You see, the sword was imbued with both steel made of metals found deep from the mines of the Gorons and magic from the forger's soul. He placed spells to detect and defeat evil in every inch of the blade. He also added a complex bit of magic that has never been replicated. He set a spell that allowed the sword to see into the heart of its wielder. If the sword found the man tainted in any way, the sword would reject him and if he escaped with his life, he was considered lucky.
Many tried to take up the sword, and one by one they were all turned aside. After a number of the attempts ended in death, the ruling family decided to hide the sword so no one else would lose their life to the blade's magic .
Directed by the current Sages, the smith placed the Sword in the Temple of Time, hidden behind stone walls and magic. There the Sword acted as a second key to the Sacred Realm, ensuring that only the pure of heart would enter into the holy lands and gain the sacred Triad and wish upon the goddesses' relic. There it waited for its true wielder.
One worthy of the blade finally appeared. It was during the reign of King Levin. A Gerudo king usurped the throne, demolishing cities and killing people wantonly in his lust to gain the Triforce. The hero, one of the courageous Knights of the Triforce and destined to stop the evil embodied in the king, was led to the sword, the only weapon that would allow him to complete his tasks. With the combined power of the Sages and the sword, he defeated the king and banished him for all eternity.
Somehow the evil king was able to escape a number of times and each attempt brought forth a new Knight to hold the sword and defeat the evil tyrant. The last battle was centuries ago and I had hoped that the time of evil had truly passed.
Ket stared in disbelief and wonder at the sword resting in its sheath at her side. She looked up to the Deku Tree and said, "You mean I'm holding the legendary Master Sword? That's- that's impossible! You just said the blade was kept in the Temple of Time and I found it in the Forest Temple."
The last Knight of the Triforce moved the blade there. He knew that others would try to gain access to the Triad once he was gone and without the blade there is no hope of entering the Sacred Realm. Without the last key, the entrance to the Golden Land will stay forever sealed.
The Knight knew about me and the role I play as Guardian. He knew he could trust the Sword to stay protected in the Kokiri Woods and that one could not search for the Blade by tracing its magic since the entire Woods is permeated with it. He set the Sword to rest in the Forest Temple and trusted to the spirits of the woods to watch over the Blade and keep it safe until the next Knight in need came along.
Ket stared at the Deku Tree in amazement. She wondered how in all of Hyrule could she have come across the weapon and why. Then the last words spoken by the Deku Tree sunk in. "Wait a minute. What do you mean 'keep it safe until the next Knight comes along'? Should I go back and return the blade for him? And what is a Knight anyway? I've never heard of those before."
The Deku Tree chuckled softly. Eons ago, when the first civilizations were forming, the Hylians were granted the control of magic. With their Goddess' born gifts, they became the race charged with protecting the Triforce and the realm it dwelled in. The Knights of the Triforce were Hylians born with the ability to easily manipulate this magic and had hearts pure enough to not bend the power to corrupt ways. The first ruler of the Hylians formed the Knights to be the sole protectors of the Golden Triad. When wars began to arise, the Knights also acted as a vanguard for all the people of Hyrule, regardless of race.
But the Knights began to disappear. Their lifespan was always short due to their dangerous line of work, but for seemingly unknown reasons, they began to disappear at a faster rate and no successors were born to take their place. For not any Hylian can be a Knight. Only if they have magic and a courageous heart are they allowed to take up the mantle of a guardian of the Triforce.
With the dwindling of the Knights, magic also began to disappear, albeit at a slower rate. I believe the two are connected somehow, though I have never had any proof to prove my theories. But that is not the subject at hand.
The Master Sword was formed with the Knights in mind. The mage-smith wanted to aid the Knights in their plight against all that tried to steal the Triforce for their own purposes. The only problem with the Sword was that he made it with magic so powerful and pure, only one that resonated the same unadulterated intentions of protection and selflessness would be able to handle the Blade.
Needless to say, those characteristics are hard to find, no matter what the era, and so they thought the Sword was better used as a key to the Triforce and not as a weapon. They set it in the Temple of Time, acting as the last test before one may attempt to enter the Sacred Realm.
It also waited for its next master, ready to be taken up whenever the land was in peril. Those that could hold the Sword in their hands were considered Knights destined to act as the Goddesses' own personal blade made flesh. They led difficult, lonely lives, and no Knight was jealous of their ability to wield the Sword. They knew the chosen one was to follow a long, arduous path that none could envy.
Ket felt a twinge of pity for those long forgotten heroes. To live for nothing but others, to never live for oneself. As poetic as it sounded, Ket knew the soul that led such a life must have suffered greatly. "So there are no Knights left?" she asked the Tree, curious about these ancient warriors.
There are a few left, though their souls lie dormant. They do not realize who they are, and may never if no one awakens them to the truth. It used to be that once a Knight was born, the child would know his true path through the magic lines that connected him to his fellow Knights. But since the magic has dried from the land, their is no way for them to discover their destinies and they wander about the land, never finding their true purpose, leading aimless, nomadic lives.
A sense of familiarity washed over Ket. It was if the Deku Tree was describing her life. Ridiculous, she thought, dismissing the idea almost before she thought it. I'm not some hero. I serve tables, that's all I'm good for. Heroes are people who wield huge power and never fear. I fear everyday of my life and have always felt helpless. Heroes are greater than life.
The Deku Tree, sensing her thoughts, said, Heroes are those that act despite their fear. They are not without doubts or despair. What separates them from others is the way they push past their limits, never allowing themselves to stop and grow stagnate. That is all a hero is. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less.
"Maybe so," commented Ket. "But it's obviously harder than it sounds if very few ever do act."
Indeed, the Deku Tree said. But it is far from impossible.
A half-smile flickered over Ket's face. She was not going to win this argument with the guardian. "So what do I do with the Sword?" she asked, switching topics from heroes to more practical matters.
Keep it. It chose you, else you would not be able to wield it.
Ket frowned. "But you said the blade was for Knights of the Triforce."
That I did.
"You know, I really hate it when people, or Trees, act enigmatic. Just tell me straight out. What does this mean?"
I told you, all I can speak of is the Sword and its history. Anything else you wish to know must be learned elsewhere.
The Deku Tree was hiding something from her. Just as he could sense her thoughts, she could sense his. It was like looking for objects behind a silk screen; she could see vague shapes, but nothing definite. But what she felt told her enough. "Who, besides you, knows about what is happening?"
There is another in the Temple of Time. He awaits your return there, and plans to tell you all that you wish to know.
Ket bowed her head in thought. She was honor-bound to return the Ocarina, but this man knew all about the strange happenings that were taking over her life. If she stopped there first, would Impa feel betrayed? She wondered if she would have another opportunity to talk with the warrior before she left to find out.
"All right, I won't push you for more information," Ket said, turning to leave. "But you better be right. I don't want to have to come all the way back here to have another cryptic conversation with you if he's a no-show."
You have my word. He will be there to answer all that plagues your mind.
I hope he has a lot of free time, she thought with a touch of mirth. I've got enough questions to keep him occupied for a century. "On your word, then," she said. "Thank you, Deku Tree, for all you've done for me."
I would do nothing else. It was an honor to feel your presence, Ket. And I pray we meet again.
"As do I." She headed for the meadow's entrance, when another thought occurred to her. Looking over her shoulder, she said, "How long will Saria be? Do I have enough time to wait for her, or should I go now?"
She still needs time to regain all her lost memories. She is one of the few Kokiri able to recall her pasts, and she has had quite a few. I suggest you head to the Temple. You will meet with her again, and time is of the essence. You may not get another chance to speak with him if you do not leave now.
"I figured as much. Then I guess this is truly good-bye. At least for now."
So it seems. Farewell.
Bowing, Ket continued on her way to the Kokiri village, engraving the meadow and all of its wonders in her memory. She wanted to remember always the feel of the cool, forest wind, the glitter of the faeries resting in the Deku Tree's gnarled limbs, the everlasting twilight, and the scent of growing things. She hoped she would one day fulfill her wish and return to these magic woods at least once before she entered the spirit realm.
The Deku Tree watched her leave, studying the proud tilt of her head, the strength in her shoulders. Soon those very shoulders would take on a weight that crushed most men. Guilt ate him, burning into his soul because he was hiding the truth from her, but it was not his decision. He abided the wills of the Goddesses, even if he felt he was sending her off like a sacrificial lamb. He prayed once more to the Goddesses, asking for her safe-keeping and happiness. He knew all too well the damage wrought on the one whom the deities chose to be their living blades. He only hoped she would find allies to buffer the damage and take away the pain.