The Legend of Zelda :

Fate VS Destiny

Chapter 10: A New Guardian

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            Link stood in the middle of Hyrule Field with Epona. The mare gently rubbed the back of his tunic and he quietly stroked her long white hair. He gave her a small golden fruit to munch and together, they walked back towards the Kokiri Forest.

Navi had been waiting for them. "So, how did it go?" she asked.

"Just fine. Her Majesty must have made it to the village by now. I'm not too worried," he replied with a small shrug. "How's Saria?"

If fairies wouldn't have been so small, he could have sworn that Navi looked troubled. "Actually . . . I'm not too sure. I didn't have the time to see her yet. If you ask me, I think that she's calmed down a bit. Poor girl . . . " She shook her tiny head. "Lets go see her."

"Yeah, okay."

He gave Epona one more fruit with a small good-bye, and followed the fairy to the entrance. As they crossed the wooden bridge leading to the village, Link's thoughts turned to Saria. Why HAD she hugged Zelda (not that he had anything against it)? He had never known her to be this emotional . . . Especially to someone she had only met a few hours ago. And why  did she run away like that? It was as if she had only just realized what she was doing and ran. Was she alright?

"Hey, Link?"

"What?" he asked, tearing himself from his thoughts. "What is it, Navi?"

"Are you really going to do this quest? To get to the Oracle?"

He stared. He had never really thought about that before. Did he really want to do this? Going through numerous obstacles and trials to get all the answers to his questions? Or stay, pass out on the fun, and sit back and relax? Sit back, relax, and stay totally ignorant of the countless concerns buzzing around in his head? Nah.

"Yeah. I'm sure."

"Because it's not going to be easy, you know," she reminded him.

Link pondered that for a moment.

"I'll live," he finally replied, and Navi quietly accepted his answer.

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"Aw, come on, Saria! You did nothing wrong! Please, come down!"

"No!"

"Well, why not?!"

 "Everyone will just laugh at me!"

"To tell you the truth, I thought that was kinda sweet."

Saria stared down in surprise at Mido's serious face. He had meant it.

"Well . . . I still don't want to go. I feel so . . . embarrassed . . . I don't even know what made me do that."

The truth was that she DID know. She believed it was something called longing. Why longing? Ever heard the words 'alternate future'? Either way, she wasn't about to tell him that. He wouldn't understand. No one would understand. Not even Link. When she looked back down, she was met by the most intense and penetrating gaze she's ever seen from Mido. It almost made her jump.

"I still say you did nothing wrong," he told her.

And yet again, he had meant it.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Link rapped on the door.

No answer.

He knocked again.

"Saria?"

"Link, I don't think she's home . . . "

He pressed his ear against the wooden door and listened intently, trying to pick up any signs of life.

"Yeah, I think so, too . . . Navi, could you check?"

"No problem!"

The little fairy flew down under the door, took a peek inside, and flew back out after a while.

"She's not there."

"Hmmm . . . " Link looked down, deep in thought. Poor Saria . . . "Let's go to the Forest Meadow, then."

"Okay." She settled herself on his hat and he made his way to the Lost Woods.

Left, right, left right, center tunnel, left, right . . . This was too easy. When he reached the maze, though, he noticed that Navi was rather quiet.

"Navi?"

"Hmmm?"

"You haven't talked the whole while. Is something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, er, nothing, nothing. Just thinking . . . "

"About what?"

"It's nothing, really," she insisted. But seeing the look on his face, she said, "I was just wondering if you knew where to go to get the next jewel . . . Well? Do you?"

Link's heart sank horribly. Shoot! He had forgotten to ask Zelda where the stupid gem was!!!!!!

"Oh, um . . . I've got a pretty good idea where it is," he said.

"Oh, okay, then."

But it wasn't okay. He felt horrible. What was he going to do now?! Stupid, stupid, stupid! That dumb gem could be anywhere in Hyrule! How the heck was he going to find it?! Guess?! No way! Now, all his chances of finding the damn thing were instantly reduced to one on . . . – oh, what the heck?! – a zillion?! Perfect! Just great!

Pluck!

"Ow!" He quickly rubbed his head.

Navi had menacingly pulled out one of his blond hair.

"Navi, are you trying to make me go bald or something?! That hurt!"

She giggled. "Sorry, Link," she said. "But you've been standing there, doing nothing, for, like, five minutes staring at the wall. Let's go!"

"Alright, alright, I'm going," he mumbled.

Really. Why had he ever wanted a fairy partner in the first place, huh?

He rounded up corners and walked along the walls of the maze, not paying much attention to where he was going. He mostly ignored the numerous Deku Scrubs giving him very colorful curses and swears. Normally, Deku Scrubs would just shoot nuts and rocks at people, no matter who they were, but Link had given them a good lesson a couple of months ago. Now, they were worse than ever! Damn these creatures! Someone should seriously ban them!

After a few minutes, he reached the stairs leading straight to the Forest Meadow, and skipped up by fours hurriedly, quite eager to see his friend. When he reached the place, he saw Saria sitting on the (only) branch of a lone tree right before the Temple. Mido was at the foot of the tree, trying to talk to her, but nothing seemed to work. He quickly turned around, but felt instantly relieved to see Link behind him. Saria, of course, had seen him too.

Mido looked at the two of them and said in a small voice, "I'll leave you two alone . . . " That said, he quietly walked out. Saria watched him go and turned her attention to Link. He had a sorrowful, almost sorry look on his face. Her heart skipped a beat. Damn. She couldn't escape. Farore, save her . . .

He smiled. "How about another hug, first?"

She couldn't keep it in any longer. Tears started to flow from her eyes like waterfalls, her heart was hammering against her chest like drums, and she was shaking violently. She quickly jumped down from her branch, ran up to him and gave him a suffocating hug. She felt him wrap his arms around her and everything suddenly felt normal again. Well, almost everything.

The hug eventually ended, although she wasn't quite sure how long it had lasted, and they looked into each other's eyes. After what felt like eternity, Link asked, "You want to talk about it?"

She tried to speak but only managed to let out a blurred squeak. She shook her head.

Link frowned slightly and gave her a searching look. His eyes were so blue . . . Farore, how she wished she could grow up . . .

At last, he said, "Well . . . do you feel any better, at least?"

Her throat was still dry, and no matter how hard she tried to utter a word, only a wet, gurgled gulp came out. Instead, she quickly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and sniffed away the pain. She nodded.

Yet another searching look. He didn't believe her.

If she didn't say something, she felt like she was going to faint. Finally, she muttered, "I . . . I'm fine, Link . . . really . . . " she assured, seeing that his expression hadn't changed.

He finally gave in, let out a defeated sigh, and shook his head. "Alright then . . . c'mon, we better go back to the village."

"Okay . . . " Making sure that her face was tear-free, the two of them descended the stairs leading to the maze.

"Link," Navi warned, "the Deku Scrubs aren't happy. They're waiting for you around the corners." She flew over the walls and took a peek. "They look mad. Worse than mad," she added.

"Oooh," Saria moaned and placed her face in her hands. Link looked down at her. Surely, she didn't want to face those annoying creatures in her current state. At least, he wouldn't let her.

"Looks like the only way to go is up," he said simply. Saria looked up and saw him pointing at an old ladder standing against the wall in front of them. She knew what he planned to do. They had done it many times before.

"Ladies first," he told her.

This seemed to cheer her up. "You mean you're not a lady?" she asked, sounding surprised.

He smiled. "Do I look like one?"

Saria was already halfway up when he had said that. She laughed. "Of course! Even a thick-headed Boko Baba would notice." With that said, she quickly climbed the rest of the way up before he could grad something (probably Navi :) )and throw it at her. He soon followed and they walked over the edges all the way back to the tunnels of the Lost Woods.

"Link?" asked Saria.

"Yes?"

"Do you still have that little bag the Guardian gave you?"

He suddenly remembered what she was talking about. "Yeah, I have it around here somewhere . . . " he said as he searched inside his pouch. "Ah, here it is," he said as he pulled out the small bag. "But what am I supposed to do with it? The Guardian never told us what is was for."

Curiosity overtook him and he opened the bag-

-only to find it filled with emerald-green powder.

"Alright now, what is that?!" he asked, astounded. "Is this some kind of a joke?!"

"Link, calm down. I'm sure there's an explanation for this. Gee, sometimes, I'm glad I don't have your temper," said Saria.

"Alright, alright, I'm calming down," he said. "But if there weren't any mistakes, then what do we do with it?"

Navi looked inside and examined the substance (without touching it). She said, "Hmmm . . . There's a mythical power flowing through this powder . . . It's the power of the Guardian, I think . . . " she finally concluded.

"So, you're saying that we have to use this on the person –or thing- we think should be the next Guardian?" Link asked.

"Yes, I think I am," agreed the fairy.

Silence hung between them. Something clicked in Saria's mind. The others must have thought about the same thing, because they had all looked up at the same time, a little glint in their eyes.

"I think we all know who that should be," she said with laughter in her eyes.

"The Great Deku Tree!" they all said together.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As soon as they entered the Kokiri Village, they all instantly noticed that the Kokiri weren't rushing in and drowning them with questions. Saria knew that Mido must have told them to stay quiet. She was grateful for it.

They didn't waste any time, though; the three of them ran to the Deku Tree's resting place. The Deku Sprout was delighted to see them.

"Oh, hello there! I was starting to wonder when you would come visit! Especially you, Link! Tell me. How's your quest coming along?"

He jumped. "Wait – you knew? How?!"

The Deku Sprout snorted. "I'm not entirely stupid, you know. I felt you leaving the forest, and I also knew you were traveling in search of something. AND I also happen to know about the Guardian incident."

Link let out a sigh of relief, seeing there wasn't anger in his voice. Then, he thought of something. "Then, you know I'm a Hylian, don't you?" he asked.

"Yes, I do. But I didn't until AFTER you left, since I didn't get the complete knowledge of  my Father then."

"Oh, okay."

"Excuse me, Great Deku Sprout?" asked Saria. "If you don't mind my asking . . . Does that mean you know why we're here?"

The tree smiled. "Of course! It would be an honor to be the new Guardian! I'm so happy!"

Link and Saria smiled in reply. The Deku Tree Sprout was taking his role of Great Deku Tree perfectly. Link took out the leather bag, opened it, and walked up to the baby tree.

"Alright . . . Are you ready?" he asked.

"I am ready when you are!" he replied.

Okay, here goes." He took a handful of emerald powder, feeling this natural power tingling his skin, and sprinkled it over the little tree. He smiled at the thought of trying to sprinkle the stuff on a full grown Deku Tree. He'd have a job doing it. Almost instantly, green light erupted from the substance laying on the Sprout and a flash of light blinded them all. Once the light fainted, they blinked and saw that the Deku Sprout was sparkling with green, a triumphant smile and glint in his eyes.

"What a cool feeling! Oh, wow! This is amazing! I can actually feel the power bubbling through my roots and into my body!" he said. "Thank you so much for choosing me! I promise I'll do everything I can to protect Farore's Emerald! You can count on me!"

"We know you will," said Navi, hovering up to the tree's smiling face. He blushed.

"Thank you . . . " he whispered. "Again . . . "

He then looked up a Link. "So, where are you headed next, Link?"

Link paused for a minute, then chose his words carefully, in case Navi was listening. "Well . . . " he said. "I guess I'll be looking for the next jewel . . . Din's Ruby, I think it was called."

"Finding the other gems won't be easy . . . " said the Deku Sprout thoughtfully. "There's going to be danger ahead for you. Are you sure you're up to it?"

"I am."

"Yes, you're quite determined . . . Well, in that case, you have all the luck I possess, and my best wishes. I hope you'll find the Oracle, and that you'll get the answers to your questions."

Some kind of happy bubble started to erupt from the pit of Link's stomach. "Thank you, Great Deku Sprout," he said gratefully.

And with their good-byes said, they left the meadow towards the village, where they sat down on the grass near the river.

"So, what are you going to do now?" asked Saria in a small voice.

Link shrugged. "I guess I'll leave again . . . to look for the gem."

She nodded, accepting his answer.

Meanwhile, Link pondered her question. What WAS he going to do now? He had no idea where the stupid jewel is! A voice interrupted his thoughts.

*Link.*

"Yes, Saria?"

She looked at him. "I didn't say anything Link."

"What?"

*Hello, Link? Can you hear me?*

Saria looked confused. "Link, are you okay?"

"Y – yes, I . . . I'm fine," he said.

"Are you sure? You looked as if you were in a trance, or something."

"I'm sure. Don't worry about it. I guess I just imagined it."

"Imagined what?" asked Navi.

"Nothing. Just forget about it."

The two of them stayed silent for a while, and decided to let the matter drop.

Link shook his head. What just happened? If he didn't know better, he'd say someone was trying to contact him. He was probably going mental . . . Well, if he was –

*Link, if you can hear me, then say something, by the Goddesses!*

Damn! He really WAS going mental!

"Uh, Navi? Saria?"

They looked at him again.

"Uh, I'm going to go think for a while. I'll . . . I'll be right back."

With that he ran like the devil was after him all the way to his hut. He quickly closed the drape he used as a door behind him.

The voice spoke again.

*Link, HELLO?!*

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you! All right?! Just who are you?!"

*Oh, thank Din! I thought you'd never answer! Hold on just a minute!*

And then, his world went white.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Link looked around him. He was standing in some kind of church. A beautiful one, at that. His head felt empty. All of his worries, his pains, his troubles were erased from his mind. He felt like he was in a dream. This wasn't like those visions he was having. It was something else . . .

A mythical altar stood before him. Beyond it was a door. Wait -  Was it a door? Anyway, it was  some kind of wall bearing a strange symbol. It looked like the sun. If he listened intently, he could almost hear a choir in the background. He already liked this place.

*Strange . . . I never would have thought we would end up here, of all places . . . *

He turned around and was surprised to see Zelda standing in the doorway. She was wearing the same clothes, but the brown cape was nowhere in sight.

"Zelda? What are you doing here? Where are we?" he asked.

She smiled. *I'm not quite sure myself, but I think this is the Temple of Time, sacred temple worshiping the three Great Goddesses. I've been here quite often, it's where a sacred treasure is being held.*

Temple of Time . . . Why did that ring a bell?

*And as for me,* she continued. *I tried to contact you using telepathy. I'm not quite good at it yet, so I do not know how long this will last.*

"So that was you? I thought I was hallucinating for a moment."

She gave a small laugh. *I'm sorry. Well, now you know what I am up to. What about you?*

"Oh, well, we chose the Great Deku Sprout as the next Guardian. He's quite thrilled about it, if you ask me."

She laughed. *I can imagine that,* she said. Her face suddenly turned sad. *How's Saria?*

"Oh, she's fine, don't worry about it. She's completely over it, now."

*I'm sorry . . . It's just that I can't help feel partly responsible . . . *

He stayed silent for a while.

"So . . . huh . . . are you really here?"

She frowned a bit, thinking over her answer. *No . . . At least not physically . . . I can't really explain it . . .*

"But what about you? Where are you – I mean, where WERE you?" he corrected.

*Oh, me? I'm waiting for the elder woman to make me the medicine. I got to the village just in time, by the way. She should be done in thirty minutes. That's what she told me, anyway. But there are more important things to talk about. Link, do you know where Din's Ruby is?*

He looked at the ground. "Um . . . no."

*I didn't think so. That's why I contacted you. The next gem lies in a place called Death Mountain.*

Link felt a great rush of gratitude towards Zelda and said, "Thank you, Zelda. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you."

She laughed again. *You're welcome. I should leave now. I don't think my magic can hold on much longer.*

Indeed, he could se sweat starting to roll down her forehead.

"Then don't let me keep you, Your Highness."

She nodded and said, *Alright.*

And Link knew no more.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Link blinked and found himself back in his room again. Unfortunately, he didn't have that nice feeling in him anymore, and all of his troubles, worries, and pains were back. He brought a hand to his forehead and groaned.

"Link?"

He looked over at the 'door', and saw Saria's head poking out from it. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Saria," he said.

"Then, come on. We're going to help you get the next jewel!"

"Okay, I'm coming."

He followed her out the door. Navi was waiting for them outside.

"Alright, so where's out next destination?" she asked.

"We're going to Death Mountain."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Positive."

He then took out the map he had received from the owl. The words 'Death Mountain' were written next to a volcano situated near the village called 'Kakariko' (that's where Zelda was, at the moment). No wonder they called it Death Mountain.

"Link, Death Mountain is pretty far away," Navi remarked.

"Oh, so you've noticed," he said sarcastically.

She gave a "Humph!" and kicked his head.

Saria, though, said, "Link, I think I know a shortcut."

He looked down at her for a while.

He smiled. "Lead the way."

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Author's Notes: Phew! I finally finished this chapter! Took me 12 pages to type that, you guys! I know nothing really happened, but believe me, I've got something special planned for the next chapter! I mean, VERY special! ^^ Only school is really keeping me busy, now, and I barely have time to do anything for myself, let alone write. The good news, is that I'm in a totally good mood because I got CANDY! I just loooove Halloween! You just gotta love it! Happy Halloween, everyone!

I also have a new Email! Here it is: zeldatetra@hotmail.com

I have two messages, now:

1.) I want to make sure none of you took the romance thing the wrong way. There IS going to be romance, don't worry about it! Link only has time to MEET people during his quest for the Oracle! But when things calm down, he'll be able to develop certain relationships with certain people. ^_^ THAT'S when the romance comes in! I truly apologize if I didn't make it clear in the previous chapter. Sorry! :(

2.) You should totally read Sakurelle's story. It's great! It's called Flowing Tears. Go read it! Don't bother reviewing (although I'd be happier if you did)! Go! Now! As in, if you're still reading then you're likely going to click on the nice button on the left corner of the screen with 'Review' written on it. :3

Anyway, that said, I have one last thing to say:

Stay tuned for the next chapter of: The Legend of Zelda: Fate VS Destiny (I really should think of a new title for that . . . -_-')!!!!!

Until then!

Ani1  ^_~