Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda or anything Zelda related. In fact, the
only thing I own in this fanfiction is Tristan Nieves.
A True Friend
Chapter 4
"If the Shield Fits, Wear It"
When Tristan reached the rope bridge, he realized another hardship Link didn't face in the game: exhaustion. He was out of breath as he slumped down next to on of the many trees in this forest. Link never had to rest in a town; he went for days on end, just saving the world from the clutches of Ganondorf. That idea led to another, namely, the existence of the Evil King. What if Ganondorf found him before he was strong enough to face the King of Darkness? After all, the Master Sword was the only weapon strong enough to kill Ganondorf, or even reflect his energy blasts. All Tristan had was this staff of the Skull Kid who had attacked him. He looked the stick up and down, examining it closely for the first time. It was a normal walking stick, roughly as tall as his five foot eight inch frame. It was smoothed by something, and Tristan was guessing there was no sandpaper in this realm. Upon closer inspection, he noticed some carvings etched into the surface of the staff. Many small carvings were just patterns, there for decoration. However, one prominent carving, wrapping around the center of the walking stick, was that of the Triforce, several beams shooting out it, growing fainter and fainter as they strayed from the Triforce's power. He stared at the image for a few minutes before remembering where he was, and rose to his feet. He looked up at the rope bridge, suspended in the air several feet above him. "Oh, this isn't good," Tristan muttered to himself. The bridge was just out of his, reach even if he jumped as high as he could, and he didn't feel like wandering back into the Lost Woods to search for another entrance to the Kokiri Forest. Tristan sighed and looked up to the sky, where he could just make out the beginnings of a setting sun through the leaves. He spotted a raised platform that was within jumping distance of the bridge and weighed his options. Three minutes later, he had climbed onto the platform, and was preparing to jump. "Oh, this is gonna hurt," he whispered to himself as he jumped towards the bridge.
Link had spotted a bit of bark lying on the ground that seemed as though it would make a suitable shield. And of course, like all of the other pieces of bark just lying around on the forest floor, this one was mostly decomposed, and fell apart in his hands when he picked it up. He sighed to himself, getting a little frustrated with his unsuccessful attempts to find a shield so Mido would let him pass. Navi kept encouraging him to look harder, and ask his friends for advice, but whenever Link asked them if they had any spare tree bark they'd like to get rid off, they just looked at him funny, as though he had grown a tail or something. Finally, Link gave up. He had enough of this search, this wild goose chase, trying to meet standards that not even Mido could pass. As he turned to go back to his treehouse, he heard the familiar yell of Saria's approach. "Hey there, Link!" He couldn't even smile as his best friend came running over. Saria noticed something was wrong and, as typical Saria would do, asked him about it. "What's wrong, Link? Did the Great Deku Tree give you bad news?" Link just sighed in response, and Saria frowned at her friend's lack of conversation. "Link, something's wrong, I can tell. So just tell me what the Deku Tree said, and I'll help you out with what he meant." Link looked hard into Saria's eyes. "I would if I knew what he was going to tell me!" he snapped at her. Saria jumped at the sudden outburst. "What do you mean, if you knew what he was going to tell you? He summoned you didn't he? Why haven't you been to see him yet?" "Because Mido won't let me pass! He said that even though I have a fairy, I need a sword and shield to pass, in case the deku babas try to attack me." Saria grew rather angry with Mido in that instant. He was supposed to treat everyone fairly, but here Link was, needing to see the Great Deku Tree, and Mido wouldn't let him pass. He was such a bully. Her face then brightened. "Link, I think I can fix one of your problems! Follow me!" Saria ran off in the direction of her house and Link followed, intrigued.
With a thud, followed by a few choice words, Tristan landed on the bridge. "Note to self: Never do that again." He whispered to himself. However, Tristan knew better than to think that this was the only time he would have to jump onto uncomfortable surfaces. He looked at both ends of the bridge and listened for a noise of any kind that would bring him to the Kokiri Forest. As usual, Tristan could only make out the sounds of random laughter that seemed to come from the mouths of children. Picking out the direction the noise was coming from, Tristan prayed that he chose correctly.
Saria walked into her home, followed closely by Link. She stopped by her bed, which was a pile of leaves inside a basket woven from branches. She reached into the pile, and pulled out a piece of wood. It was about as big as Link's chest, and slightly curved. On the curved side was an intricate painting, while on the other, which Link guessed was the back, were two loops that were just big enough for his arms to fit through. Saria looked at it for a bit, and turned to Link. Clutching it to her chest, she told him something she had never told anyone. "Link, I know this is weird, but the Great Deku Tree gave me this when I was a little girl, and told me that a friend would need me to provide protection for him. I think this is what he was talking about." And with that, Saria presented Link with the first of many treasures he would find on his journey: The Deku Shield.
Tristan couldn't believe it. This really was the Kokiri Forest, as evident by the children running around, followed by the orbs of light that must be their fairies. Something seemed out of place in this place though, and Tristan knew exactly what it was: himself. Everything here looked as though it was made out of polygons, except him. He was still fully 3D, and definitely not pointed at the edges of his body. He sighed and kicked a rock, realizing that he'd never really fit in this strange world. Tristan sat down on the grass, just outside of the view of the eternal children, and took in his surroundings. Aside from the shapes that made up this village, it was quite beautiful. After a few moments, he noticed that if he let his eyes slip slightly out of focus, on of the nearby trees seemed to be made of real wood, rather than ink from an animators brush. Tristan then realized that this was no trick of his eyes. The tree was losing its strict form of the polygon, and gaining more of the qualities of a real tree. He ran over to the tree and inspected it. Yes, the tree was certainly becoming more lifelike, and the closer he got to the tree, the faster the change seemed to take place. Soon, the entire tree was freed from the polygons, and Tristan turned his attention to the village behind him.
Author's Note: Thank you, canihavea-soda, for reviewing each chapter. This chapter was dedicated to you.
A True Friend
Chapter 4
"If the Shield Fits, Wear It"
When Tristan reached the rope bridge, he realized another hardship Link didn't face in the game: exhaustion. He was out of breath as he slumped down next to on of the many trees in this forest. Link never had to rest in a town; he went for days on end, just saving the world from the clutches of Ganondorf. That idea led to another, namely, the existence of the Evil King. What if Ganondorf found him before he was strong enough to face the King of Darkness? After all, the Master Sword was the only weapon strong enough to kill Ganondorf, or even reflect his energy blasts. All Tristan had was this staff of the Skull Kid who had attacked him. He looked the stick up and down, examining it closely for the first time. It was a normal walking stick, roughly as tall as his five foot eight inch frame. It was smoothed by something, and Tristan was guessing there was no sandpaper in this realm. Upon closer inspection, he noticed some carvings etched into the surface of the staff. Many small carvings were just patterns, there for decoration. However, one prominent carving, wrapping around the center of the walking stick, was that of the Triforce, several beams shooting out it, growing fainter and fainter as they strayed from the Triforce's power. He stared at the image for a few minutes before remembering where he was, and rose to his feet. He looked up at the rope bridge, suspended in the air several feet above him. "Oh, this isn't good," Tristan muttered to himself. The bridge was just out of his, reach even if he jumped as high as he could, and he didn't feel like wandering back into the Lost Woods to search for another entrance to the Kokiri Forest. Tristan sighed and looked up to the sky, where he could just make out the beginnings of a setting sun through the leaves. He spotted a raised platform that was within jumping distance of the bridge and weighed his options. Three minutes later, he had climbed onto the platform, and was preparing to jump. "Oh, this is gonna hurt," he whispered to himself as he jumped towards the bridge.
Link had spotted a bit of bark lying on the ground that seemed as though it would make a suitable shield. And of course, like all of the other pieces of bark just lying around on the forest floor, this one was mostly decomposed, and fell apart in his hands when he picked it up. He sighed to himself, getting a little frustrated with his unsuccessful attempts to find a shield so Mido would let him pass. Navi kept encouraging him to look harder, and ask his friends for advice, but whenever Link asked them if they had any spare tree bark they'd like to get rid off, they just looked at him funny, as though he had grown a tail or something. Finally, Link gave up. He had enough of this search, this wild goose chase, trying to meet standards that not even Mido could pass. As he turned to go back to his treehouse, he heard the familiar yell of Saria's approach. "Hey there, Link!" He couldn't even smile as his best friend came running over. Saria noticed something was wrong and, as typical Saria would do, asked him about it. "What's wrong, Link? Did the Great Deku Tree give you bad news?" Link just sighed in response, and Saria frowned at her friend's lack of conversation. "Link, something's wrong, I can tell. So just tell me what the Deku Tree said, and I'll help you out with what he meant." Link looked hard into Saria's eyes. "I would if I knew what he was going to tell me!" he snapped at her. Saria jumped at the sudden outburst. "What do you mean, if you knew what he was going to tell you? He summoned you didn't he? Why haven't you been to see him yet?" "Because Mido won't let me pass! He said that even though I have a fairy, I need a sword and shield to pass, in case the deku babas try to attack me." Saria grew rather angry with Mido in that instant. He was supposed to treat everyone fairly, but here Link was, needing to see the Great Deku Tree, and Mido wouldn't let him pass. He was such a bully. Her face then brightened. "Link, I think I can fix one of your problems! Follow me!" Saria ran off in the direction of her house and Link followed, intrigued.
With a thud, followed by a few choice words, Tristan landed on the bridge. "Note to self: Never do that again." He whispered to himself. However, Tristan knew better than to think that this was the only time he would have to jump onto uncomfortable surfaces. He looked at both ends of the bridge and listened for a noise of any kind that would bring him to the Kokiri Forest. As usual, Tristan could only make out the sounds of random laughter that seemed to come from the mouths of children. Picking out the direction the noise was coming from, Tristan prayed that he chose correctly.
Saria walked into her home, followed closely by Link. She stopped by her bed, which was a pile of leaves inside a basket woven from branches. She reached into the pile, and pulled out a piece of wood. It was about as big as Link's chest, and slightly curved. On the curved side was an intricate painting, while on the other, which Link guessed was the back, were two loops that were just big enough for his arms to fit through. Saria looked at it for a bit, and turned to Link. Clutching it to her chest, she told him something she had never told anyone. "Link, I know this is weird, but the Great Deku Tree gave me this when I was a little girl, and told me that a friend would need me to provide protection for him. I think this is what he was talking about." And with that, Saria presented Link with the first of many treasures he would find on his journey: The Deku Shield.
Tristan couldn't believe it. This really was the Kokiri Forest, as evident by the children running around, followed by the orbs of light that must be their fairies. Something seemed out of place in this place though, and Tristan knew exactly what it was: himself. Everything here looked as though it was made out of polygons, except him. He was still fully 3D, and definitely not pointed at the edges of his body. He sighed and kicked a rock, realizing that he'd never really fit in this strange world. Tristan sat down on the grass, just outside of the view of the eternal children, and took in his surroundings. Aside from the shapes that made up this village, it was quite beautiful. After a few moments, he noticed that if he let his eyes slip slightly out of focus, on of the nearby trees seemed to be made of real wood, rather than ink from an animators brush. Tristan then realized that this was no trick of his eyes. The tree was losing its strict form of the polygon, and gaining more of the qualities of a real tree. He ran over to the tree and inspected it. Yes, the tree was certainly becoming more lifelike, and the closer he got to the tree, the faster the change seemed to take place. Soon, the entire tree was freed from the polygons, and Tristan turned his attention to the village behind him.
Author's Note: Thank you, canihavea-soda, for reviewing each chapter. This chapter was dedicated to you.