Aria: Okay, Navi and I have finally reached a common ground!
Navi: But, I'm flying and you're sitting on a cloud.
Aria: *sweat drops* Uh, not ground as in the ground. Ground as in
something we both agree on.
Navi: Ohhh! Now I get it! I think.
Aria:*sweat drops again* Um, whatever, Navi. As I was saying, we talked
over our differences for a while and finally came to an agreement.
Navi: What she means is: if I don't annoy her, she won't turn me into an
earthworm.
Aria: *in irate voice* Navi, would you like me to turn you into an
earthworm now and dissect you?
Navi: Eep!
Aria: Just do the disclaimers!
Navi: Okey-dokey! The authoress, Aria Zephyr, does not own the Legend of
Zelda games, their characters, etc. But, she does own this story, so no
copying is allowed.
Aria: *sweat drops for the third time* I know I'm sweat dropping! Sheesh!
Navi, why'd you be so formal?
Navi: I dunno.
Aria: *sweat drops for the fourth time* Stop telling them that! The
reviewers do know how to count, you know! Okay, in this chapter, the Deku
Tree tells Link, Tetra, and Makar about certain things that happened after
the Hero of Time vanished. Sorry, no more than that. I don't wanna give
away the story. And, Navi, don't say okey-dokey. It's annoying.
Navi: Okey-dokey!
Aria: *covers face with hands* Good grief! Just read chapter twelve!

Chapter 12: Exchanged Stories
When all of them had left, the Deku Tree looked at Makar and said, "Now,
Makar, you promised to tell us about why you were coming from the northwest
to Forest Haven and why you know that particular song." Tetra noticed the
mischievous look in the ancient tree's eyes and said, "You already know,
don't you?" The Deku Tree laughed and said, "Indeed I do! It is no secret
to me that the blood of the former sage of the Wind Temple runs in Makar's
veins! I knew his predecessor well, I did! Fado was such a cheerful
Kokiri!"

"How did you know the 'Wind God's Aria'?" Link asked. The Deku Tree's face
turned rather solemn and he looked at them. "Fado once played that song
for me. Right here, in this very place. I was very surprised that he was
chosen to be a sage, to say the least, but it was rather hard for us to rig
up a way for him to leave Forest Haven. We had to find a way to repeat the
same spell that had been used to let another Kokiri sage leave the shelter
of this place," he said.

"There was another sage who had been a Kokiri? Who? And, why couldn't
they leave Forest Haven?" Link asked, though rather shocked. "Her name was
Saria and she was one of the six sages who first helped to seal Ganon away.
The Kokiri were not able to leave Forest Haven, because to do so would
kill them. But, for Saria to be able to do what she was supposed to do, we
had to find a way so that she could leave the forest," the Deku Tree
explained.

"Alas, she left one day to travel to the castle itself. She had been
hearing rumors that something was going on there and she wanted to talk to
one of her friends there about it. The poor girl never returned and soon
after, it became apparent that we were all in danger once more," the Deku
Tree said sadly. "What could have happened to her?" Tetra asked. "That
should be obvious. I'll bet that Ganon found her and got rid of her," Link
said in a serious voice. "That jerk! He deserved what happened to him!"
Tetra said loudly.

"How do you know about him?" the Deku Tree asked in confusion. "Uh-oh!
Looks like we blew your cover, Tetra," Link said. "No kidding," she said.
"How.what.?" the Deku Tree stuttered.
Tetra and Link exchanged uncomfortable glances and soon, they began to tell
about how Link had gotten the Master Sword, took it to try and defeat
Ganon, ended up finding out that Tetra was related to the royal family of
Hyrule, Link going off to find the new sages of the Earth and Wind temples,
then searching for the eight shards of the Triforce of Courage, and finally
returning to Hyrule to find that Ganon had kidnapped Zelda and taken her to
his tower, then storming the tower itself, fighting all of Ganon's minion
monsters again, and finally reaching the top of the tower, where Ganon
separated the Triforce pieces from their holders and the King of Hyrule
stopped him by asking the gods to save Link and Zelda and bury Hyrule
forever under the waves.

"And, you two children went through all of that?" the Deku Tree asked in
disbelief when they had finished. They both nodded in reply and then the
Deku Tree said, "It is understandable that when you were Zelda, Tetra, that
you were able to use magic and were able to assist Link by temporarily
paralyzing Ganon with the Light Arrows."

"How is that?" Tetra asked. The Deku Tree chuckled and said, "For two
young ones who have been tied to the ancient land before they were born,
you certainly don't know much about Hyrule, do you?" "We only know about
what the King of Hyrule and what the previous sages told us and what the
old legend speaks about," Link said defensively. The Deku Tree nodded and
said, "But, you really don't know anything more than that." He sighed and
said, "I could tell you, but you must forgive me if I become a tad teary;
remembering all of those that once lived then and are now gone is a heavy
burden." "We understand," Tetra said, looking over her shoulder at Link,
who nodded in agreement." "Ah, well then, I suppose I must tell you," the
Deku Tree said.

"Not many people remember who the Hero of Time was or who helped him were,
but those of us who lived through Hyrule's fall do. He was a young lad,
very much like Link in many aspects. But, he wasn't the only one who took
an important role in sealing Ganon away for the first time. There was a
princess of Hyrule when the Hero of Time saved it and she helped him. Her
name, like yours, was Zelda and she was an enchantress. None who are
amongst the living have ever seen her, as she spent much of her time in
Castle Town and when she was out of it, she was always in disguise. She
was still around when Ganon returned and her whereabouts vanished in the
general chaos of evacuating the kingdom itself," the Deku Tree said.

"Alas, she was still rather young when the tragedy happened and the Hero of
Time never returned from his travels to help Hyrule," the Deku Tree said
sadly. "Does anyone know where he went?" Link asked. "No, I'm afraid not.
The boy had always been secretive about where he was going when he left
Kokiri Village, probably because he didn't want anyone to worry or wish to
leave the forest," the Deku Tree replied.

"Hey! How do you know that?" Tetra asked. "Oh dear, I shouldn't have said
that," the Deku Tree said. "Well, it's a long story, but to shorten it up,
there was another Deku Tree before me that died when Ganon first threatened
the kingdom and after he passed away, I was born and I knew the Hero of
Time personally. He had been abandoned near Kokiri Village when he was
still a baby and he grew up amongst them. When Ganon started to take
power, the boy decided to leave the forest after he had learned that he was
not a Kokiri, but a Hylian. Even after Ganon was sealed away, the Hero of
Time felt a need to help others who were in distress, so he would often
leave the safety of Kokiri Village to travel to distant lands."

"One day, when he was I guess somewhere in his late twenties or early
thirties, he left the forest and never returned. Saria went to go look for
him and to find out what was happening in Castle Town, but not long after,
Ganon returned in a furious rage and started to cover the land in darkness
once more. Many hoped that the Hero of Time would come back from his
travels once word of our plight reached him, but even after many messengers
had been sent to find him, he never came. All the rest you already know;
about how Ganon was sealed away once more and how the gods did so by
covering Hyrule with water; but, many of us still wondered about what had
happened to our lost friends."

"During these incidents, Farore herself came to Forest Haven and told me
that one of the Kokiri, Fado, had been chosen to be a sage of the Wind
Temple in the northwest. Fado was thrilled with the thought that he could
help this world somehow and he quickly agreed after the goddess and I had
talked to him about it. She told him that in order for him to be a sage,
he would have to leave Forest Haven and she told him that in order for him
to do so, he would have to be given something with magical power and have a
spell placed upon him so that he would not perish. Fado understood and
after saying good-bye to everyone in Forest Haven, he left with her to meet
the other chosen sage and the goddess, Nayru."

"Fado tried to visit as often as he could, but because the temple was so
far away and the waters in between here and there are so dangerous, it was
hard for him. However, one day after he had not visited for many months, I
awoke from a dream that something had happened to him and I found his
little violin on this very lily pad. I knew that my dream may have been
more than just so, but without the ability to travel myself, I could not
make sure whether he was safe or not."

"Eventually, after being isolated from the world for so long, the Kokiri
dropped their human forms and became the Koroks that you now know. Farore
had warned us about this. Because Ganon was not fully sealed away, his
influence could still be felt in this world. Therefore, the Kokiri lost
their ability to have eternal life and childhood and became the Koroks."

"Anyway, moving on, Fado had married a Kokiri girl who had chosen to stay
in Forest Haven while her husband attended to his duties. They had only
one son, who was born a Korok due to his mother's transformation. After
pining away for Fado and worrying constantly about him, Sylvie, Fado's
wife, died leaving her son without any parents."
"As time passed without much break from monotony, Farore visited again,
this time she came with a different message. She said that there were few
forests on the other islands and because of their transformation, the
Koroks had the ability to leave Forest Haven. She also gave a new power to
my leaves. If the Koroks or any other person who could use magic used my
leaves, they could fly. She assigned each Korok an island on which they
could tend trees and cause new forests to grow. Then, as abruptly as she
came, Farore left again."

"The Koroks at once set about to planting new trees, because the goddess
had also told us that I could sprout seeds only once a year that the Koroks
could use to plant new forests, but in order to obtain them, we would have
to hold a sacred ceremony each year. And so, that is how the Koroks became
forest planters."

"This is not the end of my tale, however. Hundreds of years after the
Koroks learned to fly and plant trees, one little Korok was born who seemed
more special than the rest. He was Fado's great-grandson and he acted so
much like his ancestor that I felt obligated to give him Fado's violin.
Can you guess who that little scamp is?" the Deku Tree asked.

"Makar!" Tetra and Link said in unison. "Me?" Makar said. The Deku Tree
laughed and said, "You are most correct, my friends! Makar is Fado's great-
grandson."

"I doubt that Ganon knew that Fado had descendants when he murdered Fado
and Laruto," Tetra said. "It is a good thing he did not! If he had, he
would have come storming into my forest and would have ransacked it until
there was nothing left and all of the Koroks were destroyed!" the Deku Tree
said vehemently.

"That goes without even saying it," Link said. The Deku Tree looked at him
and asked, "Link, is there something that you did not tell me about?" "Uh,
no, it's just that I was thinking about how easy it would have been for
Ganon to destroy me in the beginning. He could have saved himself a lot of
trouble if he'd had that bird crush me instead of throwing me across the
sea," Link said. "Let's not talk about such morbid things. I sincerely
hope that no one here is in a hurry to leave this world," Makar said. "No
way!" Link said. "Not in this lifetime," Tetra agreed.

"Well, why don't we stop chattering for the time being? I'm sure that
you're very tired from your trip and I'm sure that Hollo would be more than
happy to give you some potions that could replenish your strength," the
Deku Tree said. "Um, okay," Link said with noticeable reluctance. "But,
we didn't get to ask him about." Tetra protested. "It'll be easier for the
Deku Tree to tell us if there aren't any Koroks in the direct area.
Anyway, I'm really thirsty!" Link whispered to her. "Okay, but we do have
to get back to the ship sometime this year, you know," Tetra said.

They both jumped off the lily pad as the Deku Tree lowered it and Link led
Tetra up a sloping hill into a small cave that smelled of herbs. "Hello,
swordsman!" Hollo said with enthusiasm. "I see that your lady-friend has
accompanied you!" He said, unmindful of the deep blush that had crested
Link's face when he said so.

"What can I help you with?" Hollo asked. "Er, could you turn these Boko
Baba seeds into a Blue Potion for us, please?" Link asked, taking out eight
Boko Baba seeds. "Of course I can! Just wait here for a moment!" Hollo
said, taking the seeds.

He leapt up the four tree stumps in the room that each led to another until
he stopped at the last one which was right in front of a large bubbling
cauldron that was emitting blue mist. He threw the seeds into the cauldron
and did a small dance while saying, "Onjalla, manjalla, CHO-WAY!" A big
puff of blue mist burst up into the air when he was finished and then he
jumped down to the ground.

"I'll need two empty bottles for these potions," he said. "Oh, here," Link
replied, handing him two shiny clean bottles. Hollo jumped up to his high
perch again and brought back the bottles, except now they were full of a
bright blue liquid. "Here you go!" Hollo said, handing them the bottles.
"Please come back soon!" he called as they exited.

"So, what is this stuff?" Tetra said, looking at the contents of the bottle
she held. "It's Blue Potion, that's all. It's good for revitalizing magic
power and strength, but." Link said, looking at his bottle grudgingly.
".Like all the potions, it doesn't have a very good taste and it makes your
breath turn blue for a little while," he finished.

"Okay, then," Tetra said, eying the Blue Potions with the same reluctance
as Link. "Let's just count to three and get this over with," Link said.
Tetra nodded and they started counting. "One; two; three; bottoms up,"
They said and then, they drank the potions in one gulp. "Blech! Remind me
to find a better solution for that problem!" Tetra said when she was
finished. "I did warn you," Link said with clear sympathy. "Well, at
least I do feel a little stronger now," Tetra said. "Then, let's talk to
the Deku Tree," Link said, walking back to the giant lily pad.

"I hope that your strengths have returned," The Deku Tree said as he raised
the lily pad. "Uhhh.yeah," Link said. "Good. Now, what was it that you
wanted to talk to me about?" the Deku Tree asked. "When we visited Dragon
Roost Island three days ago, Valoo's attendant, Medli, said that Valoo had
mentioned that a forest that is southeast of there, but northeast of here
has had some strange things happening within it. We were hoping that you
might know what forest and where it is," Tetra explained.

"Hmmm; a forest northeast of Forest Haven, but southeast of Dragon Roost
Island. Oh, gracious! Are you absolutely sure that that's the place he
mentioned?" the Deku Tree asked in an urgent voice. Tetra and Link
exchanged glances and Link said, "Yes, we're sure." "Then, that's a
terrible, horrible thing! There is a forest that lies far northeast of
Forest Haven and southeast of Dragon Roost Island! But, if odd things have
been happening there, we may all be in trouble!"

Aria: Ah! I'm ending this at a cliffhanger! Mwuhahahaha!
Navi: Why'd you laugh all creepy like that?
Aria: 'Cause I wanted to.
Navi: My employer has some odd preferences.
Aria: Navi, do I have to tell you about the earthworm dissection I did in
biology class again?
Navi: N-no, ma'am.
Aria: Okay, chapter thirteen will be up tomorrow. And, I'm pulling a
cliffhanger because I haven't in a while.. Sorry! Please read and review!