Disclaimer:The Legend of Zeldais property ofNintendo and Shigeru Miyamoto, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, or any legal proceedings concerning The Legend of Zelda. This story has been written purely out of enjoyment, and is not intended to make a profit, steal ideas, or offend anybody. Any similarities between my work and anyone else's is purely coincidental.
- Y -
"Elements of Hyrule" — Chapter Four: Fate's Challenge
By The Last Princess of Hyrule
- Y -
Link waked boldly back to the place where Mido sat. "Do you think he's been waiting for us?" Link whispered to Navi as he approached the Kokiri's leader.
"I wouldn't put it past him," Navi replied sourly, settling on Link's shoulder. To the unknowing eye, the fairy appeared calm, but Link knew she was tense, waiting for the chance to attack Mido.
"So, back are you, 'Mr. No Fairy'?" Mido greeted when Link reached him.
Link groaned. Mido knew he had a fairy, but the egocentric little Kokiri continued to taunt him with the same old, inaccurate nickname.
"Will you let me pass now?" Link asked resignedly.
"If you want to see the Great Deku Tree, you need a sword and shield," Mido repeated.
Link sighed. "I have a sword and shield."
"Eh?" Mido looked at him. "What's that?"
"I have a sword and shield," Link reiterated.
Mido looked over Link closely. "Oh, good grief." He stood up. "Where did you get all that stuff?"
"I don't think I'm going to tell you." Link folded his arms.
"Really?" Mido said in a bored tone. "Well, even with all that stuff, a wimp is still a wimp."
Link glared at him.
"Since you got what I asked, I'll let you pass," Mido began. "But I, the great Mido, will never accept you as one of us!"
Mido tilted his freckled face to the sky and stalked off haughtily, the air of superiority emanating from him. Link clenched his fists, fuming with anger. He had half a mind to go after the self-centered little cretin, but answering his summon loomed over him like a despairing cloud. I wonder if all summons feel like this if you don't answer them right away, Link mused. Maybe it's one of the Great Deku Tree's special god-powers. Turning away, he hurried on into the forest.
Mido stopped and looked back when he was sure Link was gone. The leader's fairy, Laralene, was seated in her partner's bright hair, watching Link disappear into the forest.
"Do you ever think about our summon nine years ago?" she asked. Most Kokiri children were summoned once or twice in their lifetimes. Only the Speaker of the Kokiri was summoned often, but usually late at night or other times when no one was about. That way, there was little chance of his or her identity being discovered. No one knew anymore why one should not know whom the Speaker truly was, but they heeded the tradition anyway.
"Always," he replied.
"Remember what the Great Deku Tree said about the Child of Destiny? About helping him along his path?"
"Yes."
Laralene leap into the air and hovered before Mido's sullen face. "And . . . ?"
"He has all the help he needs," Mido said. "Saria, Joseph, Sonya."
"You could help."
Mido snorted. "How?"
"Well, belittling him the way you do is not exactly the best way," she commented lightly as he walked toward his house.
"You know I don't like him."
"Only because he's different."
"Because he doesn't belong here!" Mido shouted. The same moment he said it, the Kokiri realized what he had done and clapped his hands over his mouth. Laralene looked as shocked as he. Mido had never yelled at his partner.
"Oh Lara, I'm so sorry," Mido apologized profusely. "I didn't mean to take my anger out on you."
Laralene nodded in solemn comprehension. "I understand."
"But honestly, Lara," Mido said as he entered his home. "You know perfectly well how I feel about him."
"I know."Laralene sighed and alit on Mido's shoulder. "But I hate to think that the passage of Fate might be disturbed by you taunting the Child of Destiny."
Mido grinned mischievously. "Oh, we'd never want that, now would we?"
Laralene gave her partner a playful punch in the chin. "I can't have a serious conversation with you, Mido, can I?"
"Of course not," Mido snickered. "What fun would that be?"
- Y -
"Great Deku Tree! I have returned!"
Despite her small size, Navi's voice rang clearly and loudly across the clearing. She was kneeling in one of the massive leaves growing from the end of one of the tree's lowest branches. Like before, she had put out her glow and revealed her body.
Link was left to stand like a fool before the immense tree, which was easily ten times, if not more, as wide as his house and who knew how much taller. He felt quite out of place, considering he had no idea what proper etiquette one should show when addressing one's patron guardian. Link probably would have stood there for much longer if he had not heard the loud, deep voice boom across the clearing.
"Oh . . . Navi . . . thou hast returned . . ."
Link jumped and looked around wildly, wondering where the voice had come from.
"Link . . ." it came again. "Welcome . . ."
Link suddenly stopped his restless movement when he realized it was the tree addressing him. He was surprised to learn this. He had known the tree could talk, but could not see why he hadn't thought of it before.
"It is good that thou hast come," the Deku Tree continued. "Listen carefully to what I am about to tell thee . . ."
Link nodded solemnly. He was beginning to get the impression that the Deku Tree had summoned him for a reason of much more importance that he had first anticipated.
"Thy slumber these past moons must have been restless and full of nightmares. As the servants of evil gain strength, a vile climate pervades the land and causes nightmares to those sensitive to it . . . Verily, thou hast felt it . . ."
Link kept silent but inside, he was all questions. How did the Great Deku Tree know about his nightmares? What was this 'vile climate' coming over them? How was it affecting him this way? And why? Why him?
"I can see thou is greatly confused by this," the Great Deku Tree said wisely.
How . . . ? How did he know? Link thought wildly. I'm sure I didn't say anything . . .
"Link, thou hast not uttered a word of thy troubled thoughts," the tree said patiently. "I can easily sense thy strong emotions."
Link was very surprised, but he tried his best to keep his face blank. The boy did not like the idea of someone sensing his thoughts and emotions, even if that someone was his patron guardian.
"Unfortunately, at this time," the Deku Tree continued, "it is best thee dost not understand. Some questions are best left unanswered, for the time being."
Link, who was on one knee with his head down, looked up.
"The time that has come is the time to test thy courage," creaked his guardian. "I have been cursed; a death curse that eats my life-force . . ."
What? The words hit Navi, who had been silent, like a bolt. She had known there was something wrong, but had no idea that the Deku Tree was dying. If she had, she would have brought Link much sooner. "No, lord!" she blurted out without thinking.
Several of the tree's great branches groaned. "I am afraid it is so, Navi. But if thee and Link hath courage and wisdom, thou can break the curse . . ."
Navi leapt into the air and her body was shroud in her usual blue glow as she flew to Link's shoulder.
The boy could hardly believe the great patron guardian of the Kokiri was asking him for help. Link, of all people. The one picked on by the other Kokiri, the one always running to Saria in need, and now the one chosen to save the Great Deku Tree.
"Ist thou willing?" the Deku Tree asked again.
"Yes, lord," Link answered. "I am."
"Then enter, brave Link," the tree beckoned. "Fifty paces around the right of my trunk, thou shalt find a loose piece of bark. It wilt lead thee into my heart. I wish upon thee the best of luck."
With that, the clearing was filled with silence. Link looked at Navi, both awed. The fairy, however, was first to recover.
"Come on, Link," she said, flying in the direction the Great Deku Tree had indicated. "Let's go."
Link followed after, climbing lithely over a massive root emerging from the tree and plunging deep into the soft earth. As he leapt down, the boy spotted Navi hovering in the shadow of the root.
Here, the Deku Tree's bark looked gray and unhealthy. Link touched it. The decayed wood caved under his hand, falling to the ground in a rotted heap. In its midst was a good sized hollow, like a cavern tunnel, leading into the trunk of the Great Deku Tree.
Link looked uncertainly up at Navi. She looked back at him. "Well," she said with a shrug. "I guess this is it."
Link nodded, afraid to speak. The open cavern loomed before him, hauntingly out of place amongst the life of the clearing. He'd learned of this 'test of courage' and was consumed by surprise. It wasn't until this moment that he began to realize the awesome danger he might be facing.
However, there was no turning back now. Fate and the will of the Forest Spirits would decide whether he'd prevail this day or not. Filled with the fear and reluctance that were settling in, Link stepped from the only world he knew into a place he hoped he'd never see again.
Inside the cavern was not much darker than outside. The sun's light penetrated for a few more feet. As he walked into the tree, Link felt the air growing cold and dry, which was exactly opposite what he'd expected. Shouldn't the air have been moist with water and nutrients to help the tree grow? Link posed this question to Navi.
"Normally, you'd be right," the fairy answered. "But the Great Deku Tree is cursed. We shouldn't expect anything normal to be present."
Link didn't find the thought reassuring in the least, but he kept silent, running his hand absently along the wall. He stopped short.
Navi instantly noticed his absence. "Link?"
"Come here. I need your light."
Navi flew over. Link was facing the wall, an intent look on his face. "What is it?"
"I don't know." Link ran his hand lightly over the wall again. "It feels rough . . . like something was . . ." he strained to describe his thoughts. ". . . eating the wood . . ."
"Eating the wood?" Navi repeated in wonder. She hovered closer, her soft glow illuminating Link's hand and the wall in an eerie blue light. It did look like bite marks, coarse and rigid, running along the wall.
"What do you think it is?" Link asked, clearly expecting a good answer from her seemingly endless source of wisdom.
Navi, however, was not able to give one. "Giant termites?"
Link gave her a look.
"Well, I don't know," Navi said. "I've never seen anything like it."
"I thought fairies were blessed with infinite wisdom." His voice was sincere.
"No," she answered. "We learn things from other fairies. We do posses perfect memories."
"I guess that's good to know." Link stepped back from the wall. "Let's keep going."
Navi nodded and flew ahead. The tunnel gradually became larger, finally opening up into a very large cavern. At least, she thought it was a cavern. Her tiny glow was swallowed up by the darkness after only a short distance. A strange scratching sound reverberated off the walls, wherever they were. The noise was almost the sound a branch made when it broke from a tree.
Link looked around slowly, hearing it. "What is it?" he asked automatically.
"Good question. I have no idea-"
Link gave a sigh.
"-but it sounds like spiders."
Navi flew up toward the source of the sound, some feet above Link's head. His ocean blue eyes followed her movement. Not far up, Navi's light fell across a terrible spider-like creature which, when lying with its legs out, would have been as large as Link's shield. Oddly, the spider's torso was covered by a skull, all pale, hard, and creepy. It reminded Link of the shell on a turtle.
"I've seen these creatures before," Navi said suddenly. "Once in a while, a few will be found devouring a tree."
"What is it?" Link asked again.
"It's called Skulltula," Navi answered. "They're not exactly the nicest creatures you'd want to meet."
"I figured that," Link commented. "Can they do much harm to the Great Deku Tree?"
"I'm afraid so," the fairy admitted, floating down to Link's shoulder. "It's only a matter of time before they completely destroy the Great Deku Tree."
Link ran his hand along the rough wood.
"But I don't think it's only Skulltulas doing this," added Navi. "They couldn't have done this much damage so quickly. The Great Deku Tree wouldn't have waited long enough for them to do so before calling for help."
Link looked up at where the Skulltula was chomping away at the Deku Tree's vulnerable wood. "How do we get rid of them?"
"Throw a rock at it," Navi suggested. "I'll light it up for you." She flew off.
Link dropped to his knees and ran his hands over the ground, feeling for some kind of stone. However, all he could find were a few chips of wood. Link scooped them up. Taking careful aim at the lit Skulltula, Link tossed the chip with all his strength. It hit the white skull shell with a soft tink. The Skulltula didn't seem to notice.
"Try to throw it in one of those eye sockets," Navi offered.
Link aimed and threw again. This time, the chip struck the inside of the eye socket, emitting a sickening squelch. A split moment later, the Skulltula let out a high-pitched scream and fell to the ground. It hit on its back, the eight legs writhing in pain, wracking the air for something solid.
Link bent down to examine the Skulltula. A pool of sticky green goo was collecting beneath it. Link fought the urge to retch. He'd seen things die before, but the Skulltula looked just as out of place in the Deku Tree in death as it had in life.
"Link, let's go," Navi called from farther on in the cavern. Link hurried to catch up with her.
- Y -