Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Zelda characters but the ones that are
of my creation are mine and I do own the rights to them.
Chapter Seven: The Mission
Lily awoke to the sweet smell of breakfast. Glancing around she took in the surrounding area that had become her new home. The soft grass underneath her provided a soft bed and the nights were cool so she only needed one blanket. She sat in a large clearing that was walled in with the thick trunks of trees. Overhead the sky was clear blue with a few small clouds that floated by. Everywhere you could find the presence of life. Plants sprouted wherever they could, trying to reach the sun.
Lily let out a small gas as a bowl of steaming soup was suddenly pushed under her nose.
"Stop gawking like you've never seen this place and eat. Today's the day you leave remember," Suba reminded her. Lily took the bowl and ate in silence. The soup reminded her of her mother's cooking which lead her to thinking about her mother and the rest of her family. Pretty soon memories would cascade through her mind like a waterfall and that would turn her into a bawling baby when she remembered their horrible deaths.
Suba looked up when he stopped hearing the soft clack of a wooden spoon against a wooden bowl. The sight was not unfamiliar to him. Lily sat staring at the ground with tears running down her face. Suba sighed and stood up. He knew that she was grieving for her family but he had to snap her out of it. She had a mission to complete.
Walking over to her, Suba put his hands on Lily's shoulders and began to shake her violently. Lily snapped out of her trance and returned to reality. Suba took her wet face in his hands and made sure that she was looking at him.
"Lily, you've got to stop this! I know how you feel, believe me, but you've got something more important to worry about. If you don't make it to the castle by the end of the week, this country could die out. The Tryul army is on the move again and if you don't warn the king they're coming, everything could be destroyed," Suba said. He watched her face as his words sunk in.
Lily's mind was in a confused state. Half coherent thoughts surfaced in her brain only to sink back into the dark recesses of her mind that she dared not go into. In the inky blackness that covered a part of her mind was the truth she did not want to face. She could tell that it was not only the truth hiding in the murkiness that protected her brain's own secrets. There was something else there. There always had been. At the moment, though, the only thing that she could think of was that her family was dead. Unfortunately there was more to it than that. Her family was not her real family. She was adopted. Another thought surfaced. Then maybe my real family is alive and I can still find a home. This bubble of an idea was quickly popped as she realized that if she didn't warn the king she wouldn't have a home to find. "Lily? Hello, anybody there?" Suba's voice broke the barrier that Lily hadn't even known she'd put up.
"I'm fine Suba," Lily finally answered.
"So, then you'll do it?"
"Of course, I'll do it but why does it have to be me? And why do I have to warn the king doesn't he have scouts?"
Suba was surprised by the logic coming out of the young woman in front of him. She hadn't said a word to him or anyone else for that matter since they had entered the Lost Woods. Now here she was protesting against the mission that had been laid out for her. Suba had expected some sort of protest from her but not one that was so logical.
Sighing he took her bowl and dumped her unfinished soup back into an iron pot that was hanging over a small fire.
"I suppose I should take you to see the queen. She might be able to explain this to you better. I just brought you here and helped you recover. They want me to explain everything, too but I don't have answers for questions like that."
"So why were you chosen to do it?" Lily asked, standing up. She brushed her new green breeches off and helped the Zora up.
"I dunno. They just did," Suba explained shrugging his shoulders. Lily could have sworn she had seen an angry expression cross his face, though. Suba picked up breakfast while Lily packed up her gear. In the week she had been recovering she had managed to find some more arrows, so her quiver was full. With her sword strapped to her back and her bow in her hand, Lily followed Suba out of the clearing.
Lily had only been through the Lost Woods once. Since she had been staying in the Sacred Forest Meadow there hadn't been a need for her to leave. In the other clearings that were connected by hollow tree stumps there was hardly even any place to walk. The area was packed to the maximum with two different species.
The Gorons and the Zoras seemed to get along pretty well even though they were completely different. They all seemed to understand the circumstances. Lily could only wonder why Suba and her were the only ones staying in the Sacred Forest Meadow. There was a lot of open space in that area of the forest.
"Excuse me! Sorry! Coming through!" Suba shouted making his way through the crowd. Finally the two were able to make it out of the Lost Woods and into Kokiri Forest. Lily gasped at the beautiful sight before her. A large clearing in the middle of the forest was inhabited by several tree houses. Smoke curled up from the top of the thick trunks that were big enough to house a family of three. Little kids scurried around in green tunics and shorts. Lily had seen some of them in the crowd of people in the Lost Woods.
Suba led the way down a grassy hill that led in to the small village inhabited by the children. As they walked through several of the Kokiri stopped to watch the two intruders pass by. They passed the tree houses and a store. Crossing a shallow stream, Lily and Suba were stopped from entering a narrow passage by a fierce little boy with brown hair. His green clothes seemed to be made of better material than his fellow Kokiri's. There also seemed to be an air of authority about him.
"Halt! No one is allowed to enter the Deku Tree's Meadow except the three Sages!" he stated officially. He jabbed his dagger at Suba threateningly. Lily rolled her eyes before she grabbed the child by his shirt collar. She held him up until his face was directly in front of hers.
"Listen munchkin! I don't have time for this so I suggest you step aside," Lily hissed. The boy gulped and his eyes became wide with fear. She dropped him none too gently on the ground and headed down the passage. Suba glanced at the boy before he followed his newfound friend.
"You didn't have to be THAT mean, you know," Suba said quietly.
"The boy obviously gives himself airs because he's the head of the village. He deserved it," Lily stated flatly. Suba was shocked at Lily's revelation and her skills of observation. It was quite obvious that she didn't miss much.
They walked along in silence until the path started to open up. The passage led out into a gigantic clearing. At the far end stood a very old tree that seemed to be dead and decaying. The leaves that should have been dense and green were scattered and yellow. The trunk was thick but very old. In front of the dead tree stood another one that had the same shape but was only half the size of the tree behind it. Its leaves were green and thick and the bark was young with color. Three people stood before the younger tree and seemed to be deep in discussion. They were a Zora, a Goron, and a Kokiri.
Lily immediately started towards them with Suba following reluctantly behind. It was obvious that he didn't want to be here though Lily didn't have a clue why. As they approached, the three turned towards them.
"Suba, what are you doing here?" the Zora asked.
"Lily has some questions about the mission that she's supposed to go on."
"Really, why didn't you answer them? As the next Sage of Water you're going to have to stop depending on me for answers," Ruto said with a stern voice.
"Well, excuse me if she had some questions that I don't have the answers to," Suba shot back.
"Don't take that tone of voice with me young man! Just because you are an adult no does not mean that you can disobey me," Ruto retorted. Suba bowed his head and grumbled to himself under his breath.
"Now then what's your question?" Ruto asked sweetly. Lily stopped looking at Suba and turned to the ruler of the Zoras.
"Actually I have a few questions. First is why do I have to go? Why can't it be a Zora or a Goron?" Lily asked.
"The reason that you should go is because you won't have anyone to talk to here. Plus you wouldn't stick out. You can hide from the enemy's eyes with our help, and from what my son here tells me, you take care of yourself in a fight. That's why it should be you," Ruto explained. Lily nodded her head and glanced at Suba. That was why he didn't want to be here. Ruto was his mother, which meant that he was the prince of the Zoras.
"That makes sense. Okay then, my second question is why I have to warn the king? Doesn't he have scouts?"
"A good question. Unfortunately, the king does not want to lose any civilian lives so he is putting all his manpower into protecting them by making sure that everyone is inside the castle walls. Then he is using whomever he can get to help guard the walls when the army arrives."
"He didn't do anything about Laver," Lily snapped bitterly.
"We knew too little too late. There was nothing we could have done," Ruto said sadly.
"Whatever. My last question is why is there no one staying in the Sacred Forest Meadow? It's so crowded every where else but there's so much more space there." The Kokiri stepped out and bowed her head in respect towards Ruto.
"My name is Saria and I'm the Sage of Forest. This is actually another reason we chose to send you and it happened quite by accident. You see only the Sages and the Hero of Time are allowed to enter the Sacred Forest Meadow. Suba is permitted because he is the next Sage of Water. When you were brought into the Lost Woods, both you and Suba were very weary from you battle. Suba took you to the meadow without even considering the possibility that you would not be able to enter. He only realized it the next morning when he woke up. Suba came and told us immediately about you. We didn't know what to make or it but we decided that you would be the perfect person to warn the king," the little girl explained.
"Don't worry!" a giant voice behind Saria boomed. The Sage of Fire, Darunia, stepped forward. "You will be provided with everything you will need before we kick you out!" Darunia gave off a hearty laugh and slapped Lily on the back nearly knocking her to the ground.
"Thanks," she said, rubbing her back.
"You should make sure you've got everything you need before you leave," a new voice called out. Lily tried to locate the owner but there was no one behind the three Sages.
"Umm. . .I've got everything I need," Lily called out randomly. She waited for an answer and was surprised to find that the speaker was the tree.
"Are you sure?" the tree asked her. His small beady eyes and thin mouth were barely visible but they were there.
"It talks!" she cried. She backed up and nearly stumbled into Suba.
"Of course I talk. I'm the Deku Tree, protector of Kokiri Forest. Now, are you sure you've got everything?" the tree sighed with exasperation.
"Y-Yes," Lily stammered. "All I need is some clothes on my back, my bow and arrows, and my sword."
"Well in that case you can leave as soon as we give you some food and a cloak that will help you to blend in with the scenery. Remember you have to make it to the castle by the end of the week so that the king has time to prepare for the attack," Darunia said solemnly. Lily nodded her head and she and Suba left the clearing and made their way back to the Sacred Forest Meadow. On the way back both the Zora and the woman were silent as they both had several things to think on.
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Yes! Another chapter done! I suppose it's a little bit boring but if you were about to go out on a mission that was very important you would be asking some questions, too. I also thought this would be a nice way to foreshadow some events later on and to explain a few things.
Now I have one question for you readers out there. Is anyone at all reading this? All you have to do is send me one, ONE, review that says hi just so I know that there are actually people reading this. I'll still keep writing if you don't but chapters will come a lot faster if you do.
Chapter Seven: The Mission
Lily awoke to the sweet smell of breakfast. Glancing around she took in the surrounding area that had become her new home. The soft grass underneath her provided a soft bed and the nights were cool so she only needed one blanket. She sat in a large clearing that was walled in with the thick trunks of trees. Overhead the sky was clear blue with a few small clouds that floated by. Everywhere you could find the presence of life. Plants sprouted wherever they could, trying to reach the sun.
Lily let out a small gas as a bowl of steaming soup was suddenly pushed under her nose.
"Stop gawking like you've never seen this place and eat. Today's the day you leave remember," Suba reminded her. Lily took the bowl and ate in silence. The soup reminded her of her mother's cooking which lead her to thinking about her mother and the rest of her family. Pretty soon memories would cascade through her mind like a waterfall and that would turn her into a bawling baby when she remembered their horrible deaths.
Suba looked up when he stopped hearing the soft clack of a wooden spoon against a wooden bowl. The sight was not unfamiliar to him. Lily sat staring at the ground with tears running down her face. Suba sighed and stood up. He knew that she was grieving for her family but he had to snap her out of it. She had a mission to complete.
Walking over to her, Suba put his hands on Lily's shoulders and began to shake her violently. Lily snapped out of her trance and returned to reality. Suba took her wet face in his hands and made sure that she was looking at him.
"Lily, you've got to stop this! I know how you feel, believe me, but you've got something more important to worry about. If you don't make it to the castle by the end of the week, this country could die out. The Tryul army is on the move again and if you don't warn the king they're coming, everything could be destroyed," Suba said. He watched her face as his words sunk in.
Lily's mind was in a confused state. Half coherent thoughts surfaced in her brain only to sink back into the dark recesses of her mind that she dared not go into. In the inky blackness that covered a part of her mind was the truth she did not want to face. She could tell that it was not only the truth hiding in the murkiness that protected her brain's own secrets. There was something else there. There always had been. At the moment, though, the only thing that she could think of was that her family was dead. Unfortunately there was more to it than that. Her family was not her real family. She was adopted. Another thought surfaced. Then maybe my real family is alive and I can still find a home. This bubble of an idea was quickly popped as she realized that if she didn't warn the king she wouldn't have a home to find. "Lily? Hello, anybody there?" Suba's voice broke the barrier that Lily hadn't even known she'd put up.
"I'm fine Suba," Lily finally answered.
"So, then you'll do it?"
"Of course, I'll do it but why does it have to be me? And why do I have to warn the king doesn't he have scouts?"
Suba was surprised by the logic coming out of the young woman in front of him. She hadn't said a word to him or anyone else for that matter since they had entered the Lost Woods. Now here she was protesting against the mission that had been laid out for her. Suba had expected some sort of protest from her but not one that was so logical.
Sighing he took her bowl and dumped her unfinished soup back into an iron pot that was hanging over a small fire.
"I suppose I should take you to see the queen. She might be able to explain this to you better. I just brought you here and helped you recover. They want me to explain everything, too but I don't have answers for questions like that."
"So why were you chosen to do it?" Lily asked, standing up. She brushed her new green breeches off and helped the Zora up.
"I dunno. They just did," Suba explained shrugging his shoulders. Lily could have sworn she had seen an angry expression cross his face, though. Suba picked up breakfast while Lily packed up her gear. In the week she had been recovering she had managed to find some more arrows, so her quiver was full. With her sword strapped to her back and her bow in her hand, Lily followed Suba out of the clearing.
Lily had only been through the Lost Woods once. Since she had been staying in the Sacred Forest Meadow there hadn't been a need for her to leave. In the other clearings that were connected by hollow tree stumps there was hardly even any place to walk. The area was packed to the maximum with two different species.
The Gorons and the Zoras seemed to get along pretty well even though they were completely different. They all seemed to understand the circumstances. Lily could only wonder why Suba and her were the only ones staying in the Sacred Forest Meadow. There was a lot of open space in that area of the forest.
"Excuse me! Sorry! Coming through!" Suba shouted making his way through the crowd. Finally the two were able to make it out of the Lost Woods and into Kokiri Forest. Lily gasped at the beautiful sight before her. A large clearing in the middle of the forest was inhabited by several tree houses. Smoke curled up from the top of the thick trunks that were big enough to house a family of three. Little kids scurried around in green tunics and shorts. Lily had seen some of them in the crowd of people in the Lost Woods.
Suba led the way down a grassy hill that led in to the small village inhabited by the children. As they walked through several of the Kokiri stopped to watch the two intruders pass by. They passed the tree houses and a store. Crossing a shallow stream, Lily and Suba were stopped from entering a narrow passage by a fierce little boy with brown hair. His green clothes seemed to be made of better material than his fellow Kokiri's. There also seemed to be an air of authority about him.
"Halt! No one is allowed to enter the Deku Tree's Meadow except the three Sages!" he stated officially. He jabbed his dagger at Suba threateningly. Lily rolled her eyes before she grabbed the child by his shirt collar. She held him up until his face was directly in front of hers.
"Listen munchkin! I don't have time for this so I suggest you step aside," Lily hissed. The boy gulped and his eyes became wide with fear. She dropped him none too gently on the ground and headed down the passage. Suba glanced at the boy before he followed his newfound friend.
"You didn't have to be THAT mean, you know," Suba said quietly.
"The boy obviously gives himself airs because he's the head of the village. He deserved it," Lily stated flatly. Suba was shocked at Lily's revelation and her skills of observation. It was quite obvious that she didn't miss much.
They walked along in silence until the path started to open up. The passage led out into a gigantic clearing. At the far end stood a very old tree that seemed to be dead and decaying. The leaves that should have been dense and green were scattered and yellow. The trunk was thick but very old. In front of the dead tree stood another one that had the same shape but was only half the size of the tree behind it. Its leaves were green and thick and the bark was young with color. Three people stood before the younger tree and seemed to be deep in discussion. They were a Zora, a Goron, and a Kokiri.
Lily immediately started towards them with Suba following reluctantly behind. It was obvious that he didn't want to be here though Lily didn't have a clue why. As they approached, the three turned towards them.
"Suba, what are you doing here?" the Zora asked.
"Lily has some questions about the mission that she's supposed to go on."
"Really, why didn't you answer them? As the next Sage of Water you're going to have to stop depending on me for answers," Ruto said with a stern voice.
"Well, excuse me if she had some questions that I don't have the answers to," Suba shot back.
"Don't take that tone of voice with me young man! Just because you are an adult no does not mean that you can disobey me," Ruto retorted. Suba bowed his head and grumbled to himself under his breath.
"Now then what's your question?" Ruto asked sweetly. Lily stopped looking at Suba and turned to the ruler of the Zoras.
"Actually I have a few questions. First is why do I have to go? Why can't it be a Zora or a Goron?" Lily asked.
"The reason that you should go is because you won't have anyone to talk to here. Plus you wouldn't stick out. You can hide from the enemy's eyes with our help, and from what my son here tells me, you take care of yourself in a fight. That's why it should be you," Ruto explained. Lily nodded her head and glanced at Suba. That was why he didn't want to be here. Ruto was his mother, which meant that he was the prince of the Zoras.
"That makes sense. Okay then, my second question is why I have to warn the king? Doesn't he have scouts?"
"A good question. Unfortunately, the king does not want to lose any civilian lives so he is putting all his manpower into protecting them by making sure that everyone is inside the castle walls. Then he is using whomever he can get to help guard the walls when the army arrives."
"He didn't do anything about Laver," Lily snapped bitterly.
"We knew too little too late. There was nothing we could have done," Ruto said sadly.
"Whatever. My last question is why is there no one staying in the Sacred Forest Meadow? It's so crowded every where else but there's so much more space there." The Kokiri stepped out and bowed her head in respect towards Ruto.
"My name is Saria and I'm the Sage of Forest. This is actually another reason we chose to send you and it happened quite by accident. You see only the Sages and the Hero of Time are allowed to enter the Sacred Forest Meadow. Suba is permitted because he is the next Sage of Water. When you were brought into the Lost Woods, both you and Suba were very weary from you battle. Suba took you to the meadow without even considering the possibility that you would not be able to enter. He only realized it the next morning when he woke up. Suba came and told us immediately about you. We didn't know what to make or it but we decided that you would be the perfect person to warn the king," the little girl explained.
"Don't worry!" a giant voice behind Saria boomed. The Sage of Fire, Darunia, stepped forward. "You will be provided with everything you will need before we kick you out!" Darunia gave off a hearty laugh and slapped Lily on the back nearly knocking her to the ground.
"Thanks," she said, rubbing her back.
"You should make sure you've got everything you need before you leave," a new voice called out. Lily tried to locate the owner but there was no one behind the three Sages.
"Umm. . .I've got everything I need," Lily called out randomly. She waited for an answer and was surprised to find that the speaker was the tree.
"Are you sure?" the tree asked her. His small beady eyes and thin mouth were barely visible but they were there.
"It talks!" she cried. She backed up and nearly stumbled into Suba.
"Of course I talk. I'm the Deku Tree, protector of Kokiri Forest. Now, are you sure you've got everything?" the tree sighed with exasperation.
"Y-Yes," Lily stammered. "All I need is some clothes on my back, my bow and arrows, and my sword."
"Well in that case you can leave as soon as we give you some food and a cloak that will help you to blend in with the scenery. Remember you have to make it to the castle by the end of the week so that the king has time to prepare for the attack," Darunia said solemnly. Lily nodded her head and she and Suba left the clearing and made their way back to the Sacred Forest Meadow. On the way back both the Zora and the woman were silent as they both had several things to think on.
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
Yes! Another chapter done! I suppose it's a little bit boring but if you were about to go out on a mission that was very important you would be asking some questions, too. I also thought this would be a nice way to foreshadow some events later on and to explain a few things.
Now I have one question for you readers out there. Is anyone at all reading this? All you have to do is send me one, ONE, review that says hi just so I know that there are actually people reading this. I'll still keep writing if you don't but chapters will come a lot faster if you do.