Link landed in the Great Deku Tree Meadow. The fall almost knocked his breath out of him! This wasn't too hard to do, because he had been awake since early two days before, when he finally received the Sword of Ages. He had been in the Forest Temple for almost twenty-four hours! And the last half-hour fighting Ganondorf's shadow was the worst! Though he wasn't wounded, save the shoulder he himself had torn in his fury, the battle had been hard. Indeed, it was much harder then he had admitted to Ganondorf! Claiming the life-force container from Ganondorf's shadow healed him in full, but he was truly tired. He was having trouble even thinking. Navi too, was tired. Guardian Fairies normally didn't require sleep often, gaining their rest from the rest of their host. But Link's exhaustion had them both weary. They were about to just sleep right there, when Link was tossed into the air! He landed face-first, breaking his fall with his hands and knees. He looked in front of himself to see a newly sprouted sapling four feet in diameter and almost six feet tall!
"Hello, Link! I am the Great Deku Tree Sprout!" Link looked in astonishment at the young sprout! "Because you broke the curse on the Forest Temple, I can grow and flourish! Thanks a lot!"
Link replied, "Your welcome, new guardian! I'm grateful I was able to do my duty!" The Sprout continued. "I may not mean much to you, but my people, the Kokiri, have waited seven years for me to sprout. I could not sprout while the curse of evil hung over the Forest! It took you, the Hero of Time to lift that curse, which you did! I thank you, and my people thank you!"
Link asked, "Great Deku Tree Sprout, why should you not mean much to me? Am I not also a Kokiri? Have I not kept our ways? Have I not grown my heart as your father bid me to do? Surely there is some reason you would renounce my adoption?"
"You know your parents were Hyleans?" asked the Sprout.
"How could I not know what I had been born, Guardian? With my round ears, my slow limbs, with no fairy to balance my heart, my Hylean birth was rubbed into my face every day! I had to earn, I had to learn what came to the rest of the Forest People as a birthright! Yet your father said of me, 'should his heart grow Kokirish, he will be one of us.' I did this, and your father's word was good. I had the Forest, my life-mate, and my brother and sister Kokiri, which was all I'd ever wanted. He even gave me a fairy that my heart would be in balance with itself! Yet now, my life-mate tells me that fate has torn us apart, and I'm not only forbidden the refuge of death to escape the pain, but must bond to a Hylean! Would you now take away the Forest, and my brethren? How have I failed our people, to deserve this?"
"You were only taken in as an orphan, and only because my father knew you were a child of destiny!" the Sprout said, becoming fearful as it spoke. The legend had been clear to him earlier that morning, as he waited just below the surface. He was to be rescued by the Child of Destiny, a Hylean who The Great Deku Tree had had raised by the Kokiri. But that's not what stood heart-broken in front of him now. He looked upon a Hylean who became a Kokiri! The Sprout exclaimed in fear, "What you've become must not be! My father did not adopt you forever! You cannot be one of us! You must leave here."
"That's not what your father said, sapling!" said two voices in unison, followed by the drawing of four swords!
"Hear us, O Great Near-Sighted Sapling!" proclaimed the Helfdanes. "For we were there when your father accepted Link into our people. He was indeed a child of destiny, and your father knew this, where we did not! But we, and your father knew the father of the boy! We knew that we owed this boy not only refuge, but if he could become one of us, a home for life, as one of us! The boy's father was the First Duke of Hyrule! He was also named The Hylean Deku Tree, to be passed on to his sons forever! The boy's father was murdered with Weldo, our old War Chieftain, and Sarchan the Wizard protecting the Kokiri from the monster who has cursed our homes these past seven years! His mother was badly burned escaping the Beast, and died in our very arms! It was truly a miracle that Link survived at all! If ever the Kokiri owed anyone, we already owed this boy!
"Your father, in his wisdom decided this. 'The boy shall be raised with love, as one of us. No one may know who his parents were until he is fully-grown in his body, for his safety. Until then, he will be told that his parents were killed in the wars, as they were, but no more! He will know that he was not born a Kokiri. He will not receive a guardian fairy yet, for his heart would not keep one alive! But he will be raised with love! We will teach him our ways! If his heart grows Kokirish, he will receive a guardian fairy when he turns eleven, and is by our custom an adult! Else, he will leave as a friend, free to visit, when he is fully-grown in the body. If he gains his heart and fairy, he is truly Kokiri forever! The visiting house we made for his father will suit him. If he is truly a Kokiri, he will either not take a life-mate, or will be gentle to her in his great size. The Hylean blood of his body will not hurt our people, for it will quickly dilute. So I have said, so shalt thou do!' And so we did.
"Link honoured our ways, and was raised as one of us. Miraculously, he grew a heart and soul larger and deeper than the greatest warriors of old. He lifted the fatal curse from your father on his day of adulthood, and was bonded to a battle fairy! We have been Master Warriors all our lives! We have grown our hearts greatly with valour! We both took life-mates like unto us, and they grew our hearts even larger, as we grew theirs. But between the two of us, and our life-mates together, we all couldn't sustain a battle fairy! The daughter of the wizard claimed him, and they took each other honourably as life-mates. Their son is already a great warrior, and a great boy! The boy is just more than six, else he would already be proclaimed a man!
"Banishment from the Forest is a fate worse than death to us! Only those who do the worst offences against our people can be banished! What crime has Link committed? Where has The Great Warlord deliberately hurt his people? How has our mighty hero fallen?"
The Deku Sprout answered, "He is a Hylean! I cannot banish what has never been more than a guest! Even he will tell you that he must leave here to save Hyrule and marry the Princess of the Hyleans!"
The Helfdanes looked at Link. One asked "Great War Chieftain! What say you to this?"
Link answered, "My quest is not over. Ganondorf's minions hold five other Temples scattered throughout the realm! I must free these temples and awaken the five remaining Sages. I must then defeat Ganondorf three times before the realm and our homeland are truly free!
"I have had my life-mate stolen from me! She was taken by fate to be the Sage of the Forest forever! She also told me that I must marry the Princess of the Hyleans. It will kill me to do this, unless she becomes a Kokiri. For even I can't endure the pain, and the shame of a false marriage, and any marriage to a Hylean would be false!
"But Saria told me I must do this, when I saw her for the last time in the realm where I can never stay, and she can never leave. For her, I must marry Zelda, even if I die from doing it!
"Even if Zelda becomes Kokirish as I did, we would live here part of the time, and visit the castle to attend to governing the rest of the time. It would be a terrible burden to be away so much! But it's only a continuation of the errand the Sprout's father sent me on with his dying words."
The Helfdanes looked at the Great Deku Tree Sprout again. The other one said, "Sapling, this is not a crime. This is a tragedy of epic proportions! You would take this man; already carrying a horrible burden for the sake of our people, on your father's bidding, and abuse him further? How can you justify this?"
The Sprout answered, "He is a hero to us, but he's not Kokiri! He is a Hylean, as was his father! The fairy is not even bonded, just loaned as it was to his father." At this, Navi rumbled, as if to give off a burst of lightning! The Sprout continued "I will take Navi back! This will prove my point, and do Link no harm."
The Sprout took its largest branch, as if an arm, and lifted Navi up. A free battle fairy could be touched by anyone, with its consent. But any guardian fairy, even a battle fairy can only be touched by deliberate consent of both fairy and host, or the Great Deku Tree, unless both host and fairy are at the point of death. This protects both, for a guardian fairy may leave their host only after their host is already dead. If a guardian fairy and her live host are separated, both will die! As the Sprout pulled on Navi, a ripping noise was heard by the four warriors! Almost at the same instant, Link screamed as an incredible pain seared his body! His cap flew off as he was lifted into the air! As if one man with two swords, Mido and Darunia severed the limb from the Sprout! They rushed to where Link and Navi had fallen. Both were still alive, but barely!
Darunia said, "Uncle, Papa carries three fairy bottles, but no fairies or potions?"
Mido replied, "Those bottles held healing fairies moments ago!"
This had not gone unnoticed, for all the warriors had quietly entered the meadow after they saw Link fall, and the four enter. Six warriors joined Mido. They set Navi on Link's chest, being careful not to pull the rest of her tail from Link's head. For she had been wounded more severely than Link, and could actually be touched! They started to carry Link out of the Meadow. More were preparing to chop down the Deku Sprout, on the Helfdanes' orders! The Sprout was blubbering incoherently. Link regained consciousness, and said weakly "Stop them! The Sprout did not know what it was doing! Perhaps it's better I die here anyway." Link started to lose consciousness again.
Darunia shouted "No, Papa! You and Mama promised me I would never be an orphan! Mama can't keep her word now, you must!" Darunia hugged Link, and started to sob uncontrollably. Just then, two other warriors brought two of the three remaining clay pots. They set Link on the ground and sat him up. They sat Navi on top of his head, hoping her tail would be drawn back the rest of the way into Link's heart. They removed the lid from one of the clay pots, and set it over Navi and the top of Link's head. They took the second clay pot, removed the lid, and stuck Link's left hand into it. The healing fairies healed some of the injury. Navi started shouting loudly "Get this pot off of me!" The warriors removed the pot from Link's head. One of the Helfdanes asked "Navi, how are you?"
"I'm drawn back in, but it took all four healing fairies to do it! We need at least one more to finish healing Link, and fast!" The third clay pot was brought up and put over Link's hand. He absorbed both healing fairies, and came back around.
"Who claimed me for their father?" asked Link.
"I did, Papa! I'm right here," answered Darunia.
Link took the boy in his arms, and looked at him closely; his vision still not having cleared. He said, "You have my eyes and face. You have your mother's hair and ears. I did tell you that my quest has me living time different than you, didn't I?"
The boy answered, "Yes, Papa! I'm Darunia! You named me for your Goron Brother, who gave you that bracelet. Please don't wish to die again!" Darunia hugged Link again, and Link hugged him back.
"Never again, my son" Link exclaimed gently. He continued, "We'll both have to be that much braver, with your mama gone."
Darunia answered, "I know, Papa! But if you help me, I'll help you!"
As Link started to hold the boy tighter to his chest, he felt for the first time that Darunia was armed! He winced in worry when he touched the handle of his son's blade. Darunia said, "The times have not been kind to our people, Papa. Yet, I'm still here, and so are you."
"My Lord, what of the Sprout!" Mido interrupted. "You've spared its life, but it tried to murder you! If it's cursed, it must be felled now!"
Link answered, "Mido, it is not cursed, only stupid, and unwilling to open its eyes. It will never make that mistake again! But this mistake can not be forgiven completely!" Link stood up, and drew the Sword of Ages. He stood in front of the Sprout, and planted the Sword of Ages in the ground. He drew the Master Sword, and armed his shield. The Ducal Coronets on swords and shield blazed in the late afternoon sun! The fire in Link's sapphire blue eyes was so fierce, that it almost cast light of its own! He presented such a terrible sight to the Sprout, that it quaked in fear, shaking the ground! All in the Meadow were silent as Link spoke!
"Hear me, Deku Sprout! You were the King of the Kokiri Forest, and protector of the Kokiri. I am the Hylean Deku Tree, second only to you among the Kokiri… until now! I am the Duke of Hyrule! When the King of the Hyleans named my father thus, and none of the other Kings, not even Ganondorf objected, that made my father Duke of the entire realm, not just the land of the Hyleans. With the King of the Hyleans murdered, and his daughter in hiding, I am now Regent of the Hyleans and Sheikas until the Land of the Hyleans is made safe and the Princess returned.
"I proclaim this not as a boast, but as a warning. You have no appeal from my judgement, save fate! Hear your fate, and weep!
"You tried to banish me from my home without cause! When our people complained of the injustice, you tried to murder me in the most vicious way possible! For that, you are unfit to rule, and I depose you!
"If I succeed in ridding this realm of the evil Beast, and die with you guiltless, you may rule again. If I fall in battle, and you are guiltless, you may rule when Darunia's son decides you are fit! You will still provide fairies to all Kokiri who are born, starting with the many you missed these past seven years! For I saw the children without fairies out in the village, and having grown up without one feel their longing. You may still read hearts, and help judge, should you bother to open your eyes and actually look at the hearts of my people! But you have no more power or authority in this forest!
"You will cast spells to protect the forest from outsiders, but you will do it openly to me, and those I choose. You will advise me, and those I choose, but we will decide, not you! And know this! Your reprieve is not permanent! Should you attempt in any way to ignore my words, you will be cut down, have your root dug up, and you will be burned! In my absences, I name Mido the Diligent to take my place, aided by the Helfdanes. Mido, please see to it that someone binds the wounds of the tree, that it not suffer physically for its afternoon's folly!"
Mido answered "Yes, my lord!" He left with Darunia at his side, to retrieve medicines for the Sprout. Link put his shield on his back, and sheathed his swords. "Sprout, my warriors will not be bound to the Forest, but will go wherever I send them. Others who wish to travel, and accept the risks will need Mido's permission, or mine. Children will be blocked from leaving, save with their parents, and the permission of Mido or myself."
The Sprout answered, "Yes… my lord."
Link continued "One word of advice. I spared your life for the good of my brothers and sisters. Treat them with love, and justice, and you will not feel my yoke upon you. Hurt them with arrogance, blindness, and half-baked judgement based on half-remembered legend, and my justice will be unstoppable." Link stood before the Sprout in quiet contemplation. The other warriors left the meadow as one, to tell the rest of the Kokiri what had happened.
"Can you even read hearts, Sprout?" Link asked.
"I don't know how, my lord," it answered.
"Sprout, never judge a person's heart if you can not read it! For Kokiri are truly people of heart, above all else! We can't propose marriage unless our hearts are bound to each other more firmly than any Hylean married couple. We need our guardian fairies to balance our hearts, where other races can't even sustain fairies, much less gain from them. It is our heart, not our blood that makes us Forest People. If you cannot read the heart of a Kokiri, then you can never hope to judge one fairly, or give just advice. Try this…"
Link showed the Sprout how to read the heart of a Kokiri. It was truly awe-struck! "My lord! You are a young man, but your heart seems limitless! But your life has been so hard, even for a Kokiri. Your heart has been barely enough for what fate has handed you!"
Link replied "All peoples, including the Kokiri are like the flakes of snow that sometimes fall here in winter. There are so many, yet none are alike. I sometimes wish I had an easier life. But had I not lived the life I have, my heart might not have even become Kokiri, much less grown as it has. I would never know what I had missed, and that truly would have been harsh!
"Mido approaches even now to bind your wound. When he was younger, your father gave him wise counsel, that he would carry his burden for our people. Though he is still young, he has seen much in his life, as have I. He will gladly return your father's favour unto you if you but ask. For even what little I have left you of your office will be a terrible burden. Without help, you will surely fail. Grow in peace; grow with fortune. You may someday rule again." Link left the tree, as Mido entered the Meadow with salve and pitch to bind the wound of the Sprout.
In passing, Link said "Brother War Chieftain! The Sprout didn't even know how to read one's heart, much less that it must be done! But it learns quickly. I have taught it while I read its heart. It is still immature, but its heart is true. I told it you would give it counsel. We must help the Sprout grow in love, truth, and justice. For the time will come when we are gone, leaving only the Sprout to care for our people. For the sakes of our grandchildren yet unborn, we must not fail the Sprout, lest it fail them!"
Mido answered, "As you wish, my lord and brother! But I am not a perfect man. I have grown in spirit since you last remember seeing me, but I am still tempted to arrogance and pride. I will need help if I am to succeed in this."
Link replied, "You have already found the wisdom to know your limitations, and the courage to seek the help you need. You will succeed, my brother. I will help you when I can. Others will help you when you need them.
"I should continue on my travels this very instant. But I am tired to the point of exhaustion! I will spend the night here with my son. We will both be grateful for this time, even if most of that time is spent in dreams. Where in the village do I call home?"
"My lord, in your youth it was Saria's house alone. In those precious moments the two of you had, it was where you raised your son. The village was freed of monsters only hours before you returned. It had been overrun for many months! But the houses held up well under siege and abandonment. The people set your house right first, without being asked. It is ready for your return. Darunia should be waiting for you there, but is waiting at the entrance to the Meadow. He is his mother's son, too. And you were the only one whom Saria did not rebel against at least once! Good night, my brother, and my lord!" Link walked out of the meadow, and into the village.
Link met with Darunia at the entrance to the meadow. "Son, I'm glad to see you. You should have listened to your uncle, and waited at the house."
"I know, Papa!" the boy answered. "But I was afraid that you would leave directly after you had finished speaking to the Deku Sprout! I had hoped to see you again before you left. I wanted to give you this." Darunia handed Link a fairy bottle, with a fairy inside. "I noticed you had room for one more bottle on your pack. They are more common now among our people, and you will need it."
Link answered, "I understand, Darunia! Thanks for the bottle. I will spend the night here. I will have to leave in the morning to see your mother. You go first." Darunia jumped from one jumping pad to the other, and across the east branch creek. Link followed.
As they walked past the village shop, the shopkeeper called out "My lord! We sold most of the fabric you consigned to us, but we still have some if you need it back!"
Link answered "Thank you, brother shopkeeper! I'll let you know!" Darunia jumped from stone to stone across the west branch creek. Link followed. They went quickly, Darunia almost running, to their house. Some of the ladies of the village met them at the door.
"My lord," one said. "We have your house in order, almost as good as Saria would have done. We drew you water for drinking, and to wash yourselves as needed. The bathing water will be too hot for you until after you've eaten, so don't worry about it. We haven't had time to get yeast to make proper bread. But we were able to make some biscuits, roast some potatoes and carrots, and make a seed porridge. If we made too much, don't feel obligated to eat it all! We only had legends of your father to go on for how much to fix. We've also set a bowl of nuts for you. Your bed sheets and bathing cloths were packed well. They only needed shaking. We also brought some soap."
Link answered "Thank you, sisters! Your kindness overwhelms me!" As he said this, he nodded deeply, as was the custom of a Hylean nobleman. He then bent down, and clasped the hand of the woman who spoke for them, as was custom for a Kokiri War Chieftain. Darunia answered the woman "Thank you, ma'am and all of you!" He bowed, as was the custom of a Kokiri boy to respected elders. The ladies curtseyed in return, and left father and son alone. Link, Darunia, and Navi went into the house.
Link and Darunia washed their faces and hands, being careful not to scald themselves, as the washing water was very hot. They then sat down at the table. True to their word, there was a lot of food set for them. But it had been so long since Darunia had last sat in a house, to eat off of a fired clay plate, that he didn't even complain that he didn't like carrots! And Link didn't even know when the last time was that he had sat down to food that had been cooked at all, much less freshly cooked. They had no trouble eating all the food, even though there was too much. They wiped their plates with the last of the biscuits, and then gathered the plates, bowls, and flatware to wash it.
Darunia said, "Papa, I ate so much, I'm afraid I might be sick. It was great to sit down to a hot meal in a house again!"
"I don't even know when I last sat down to cooked food!" Link agreed.
"Papa, that was the last time you were here!" Darunia answered. He quickly added "But I guess you haven't lived that yet." Darunia started to get afraid.
Link answered reassuringly, "Son, if I promised you not to leave you an orphan, I must have seen you before today. You haven't said anything wrong yet. But tell me of your times after the last time I saw you. Don't be exact with when, or how long, but tell me of you life. What you like, who your friends are, stuff like that."
Darunia was relieved. But he had something to do. "Dad, I need to void my bowels. Would you walk me to the privy?"
Link answered "Sure. I should do the same, so we don't have to use the chamber pot tonight."
They walked out of their house, to the village privies. They were set a short, but sanitary distance away from the village. They had been emptied, their contents buried in a fallow field, right before the village was overrun. After Saria and Link's house had been tended to, they were set right next. There weren't too many people using them at this hour. Darunia went first, going into an empty stall.
"Papa, this is the first time in a long time I haven't had to loan my fairy out! You and Mama loved me so much that I was born with a fairy. But the other children, though their parents loved them as much, didn't have fairies. They had to have their parents, or me help them tend to necessities at night, so they could see and not sit on something harmful. Once the village was overrun, I would stay up late at night so the adults could get their sleep. The warriors on watch were supposed to send their fairies with the children, and they did. But the children were often too scared to bother the warriors, so I helped where I could. Once I became a warrior, I always pulled the night watch. Even though I was a warrior, and the other children thought of me as an adult, they knew I was a kid, too, and weren't scared of me."
"What was your uncle doing, that a child could take up arms?" asked Link.
Darunia replied "Papa, I had to do it, to accept why you were gone so much, so I would not be angry with you for not being with me! I found a sword that had been left behind in one of the fields. When I first found it, I had to lift it with both hands! I taught myself how to wield a two-handed sword without hurting myself. When the Helfdanes saw me do this, they were mad! Uncle Mido was madder still! They all spanked me, and took the sword away. But I couldn't stay away from it! I had to learn why you carried a sword, and were always gone! Why you were always gone, when I could feel, even at that age, that you would much rather be with Mama and me! The Helfdanes relented first, saying 'We instructed his father when he was but a boy! We should teach him too, that when it is his time to carry a sword, that he may carry it well!' Uncle Mido gave in saying, 'You are your mother's son, too! Those rare times I spoke words of wisdom to your father, he would listen! Your mother only heard me when it was convenient.' This hurt more than the spankings, but I still had to know! The Helfdanes first instructed me in the area that they had set up for you, long ago. I grew in skill as I grew in size. I learned the attacks of the sword, the use of the shield, and how I could have my fairy help me with my aim. But still, I didn't understand.
"I started to understand after the village had been overrun. The other children already looked up to me. They looked up to me more, since I carried a sword openly then. We had to carry our belongings with us, and I carried the sword for that reason alone, at first. As time went by, the other warriors had me stand watch with them. It was easier on everyone than having the children soil themselves from being too afraid to bother the warriors at night. One day, last winter, there was a terrible battle! The other children were afraid, one even died of fright! I was afraid, too. But I felt I had to do something to lift their spirits. So I boasted 'My friends, you are frightened for nothing! The noises you here are only noises, and nothing more! This battle is so light, that I will fight my first battle today! You know Uncle Mido would never chance my being hurt!' I snuck away from the warriors guarding us, and went to the sound of the fighting. I hoped to wait away from the battle, then get Uncle Mido to go along with my tale to the other kids. But I went too far, and suddenly I was in the battle itself!
"The stalfos were many, and were starting to get the upper hand! I found myself facing the back of one about to strike down a warrior! I drew my sword and hit it as hard as I could! I was lucky, and killed it with the first blow! I found that Uncle Mido was the warrior that was about to die! He was stunned, and said nothing then. I turned around, and was facing another stalfos! I raised my shield as it swung at me. I fought it for what seemed like forever until I struck the final blow! No more than I had finished with that one, I faced another! But by then, the tide of battle had turned in our favor! The last stalfos was trying to get away as I killed it! We gathered the wounded to try to heal them, and gathered the dead to know who they were, and to burn them later. Uncle Mido guided me to the line of dead warriors. He said 'Nephew! See this line of dead warriors? You could have been there! How would I explain that to your father?'
"I was wrong, but I replied 'Uncle! You could be on that line. Papa could be like that somewhere else! How would you explain that to me?' At first, I thought he would spank me right there! But he wasn't angry, he was hurt! I feared this more than his anger! I hugged him and cried on his shoulder! I begged him 'Please don't be hurt, Uncle! I didn't mean it! Spank me now if you must, but please don't cry because of me!' He hugged me back, then stood me up! As long as I live, I will never forget what he said next. 'Brother Warrior! You meant no harm. You spoke in the heat of battle! And with more truth than you will ever know.' This hurt me more than anything he could have done! I saw him for the first time, not through the eyes of a child, but through the eyes of an adult! I saw his fears, his worries, his doubts. I saw the life of each Kokiri pressing down on his shoulders. I saw the death of each Kokiri press down even harder, and refuse to let up! I saw the desperation, how he hoped he could preserve our people, until you could finally free them! I saw how he worried for you, and for Mama. I saw how he hoped you would both come home when your quest was done, that you would have more children. That those children would not be licked by the dogs of war! It was then that I saw a small part of what you endured!
"We were far luckier than we could have been. We lost only ten killed, and four more maimed because we couldn't get healing fairies to them fast enough to save their severed limbs. The dead would be mourned by all, but they were either not married, or they had raised their children long ago. We would not have any new widows dying of grief! No children left orphaned! We returned to the women and children, and that's when I learned why you carried a sword! I saw the children, as safe as when I left them, but they hadn't been as scared! When they went to sleep that night, they were able to dream dreams of peace, security, and freedom. I knew, that though I would have nightmares for the rest of my life of these days, that once we won, the rest of the children would be able to sleep easy! Thinking back on the battle itself, I saw even more. I didn't know that it was Uncle Mido I had saved until after I'd saved him! But I saw that a brother warrior was in trouble, and it was up to me to save him. All your fellow warriors on the battlefield are brothers! You carry the sword for your families at home, and use it to help your family in the field!
"This lesson cost me most of my childhood. But it brought me closer to you, Papa! And to Mama, wherever she is now. For that, it is my most prized belonging, next to you!" Darunia left the stall, so Link could use it.
As he entered the stall, Link asked, "Son, how did you become so wise at such a young age?"
Darunia answered, "Papa, I only tried to follow the example you and Mama gave me. I wish I could have done better somehow!"
Link said, "Darunia, you did better than I could have hoped. But remember, you are still only a boy, even if you carry a sword! You must honour your elders, that you may grow in wisdom and become a good man!"
"I try, Papa! I try" the boy answered.
"Mister D! Mister D!" a voice shouted. Jonas, an orphan about a year younger than Darunia was trying to find the privies. But he had become lost in the dark.
Darunia said "Jonas! You should have had a Mistress walk you down here!"
Link said quietly, "Son, they're asleep now! The chamber pots at the orphanage, if there are any left, are easily spilled. He would have been made fun of, and had to clean it up if that happened."
Jonas said "Mister D! They are asleep! I was afraid I'd spill the chamber pot!"
Darunia answered resignedly, "Okay, Jonas! And your friends, too! Wait 'til my fairy gets to you, then follow her in."
Darunia sent his fairy out, and Jonas, Tomas, and Jennifer followed the fairy in.
Jonas and Tomas said, "Thanks, Mister D!" They were both anxious, so Darunia quickly had his fairy light first one stall, and then another, to get both boys seated to tend to necessities. Jennifer, who was born right after the Old Deku Tree died, didn't really need to go to the privy. But she followed along to tend to what she did need.
"Hurry up, you two! I still get scared without a light!" she exclaimed quietly.
They giggled and Tomas answered, "Jennifer, if you needed to go that badly, you'd learn to go in the dark! We were all close to soiling our shorts until we found Mister D, and you were closest of all!"
"I know, Tomas!" she answered. "But please hurry!"
"Yes, lady Duchess, ma'am! Anything you say," the boy taunted back.
Both Darunia and Jennifer were pleased. They knew that Tomas and Jonas would now wait until they were sure Jennifer was about to soil herself before they came out. They would be alone or at least Jennifer thought so. Darunia forgot the presence of his father for the moment.
"I missed you, Darie." Jennifer said silently to Darunia.
"I missed you too, Jenn! I was with Papa…" he answered.
"And if you had shown up, I would have sent you home! But I missed you," she said in reply.
They hugged, and kissed quietly. "When will the rest of us get fairies, Darie" Jennifer asked? "I heard the Mistress talk to the shopkeeper. They said the new Tree was born mad, and might never make fairies." Darunia was frightened, not knowing what to say.
He asked in his mind to Link "Papa? What do I tell her?"
Link answered, "Introduce your friend to me, and I'll tell you both."
Darunia said in his mind "Jenn. We're not alone. This is my father, Link! Papa, this is Jennifer, daughter of Rutan while he lived. She is a special friend of mine."
Link spoke to Jennifer's mind "I'm happy to meet you, Jennifer! Don't be mad at Darunia, he just didn't want to scare you, or your other friends! I don't know when the Sprout will make fairies, but it should be soon! The tree was not born mad, only confused. I had to say some harsh things to it, but it will make no difference to how quickly the Sprout is able to make fairies. It is but an infant as far as Guardian Dekus go. It will have to grow just a little before it can make fairies. But it will grow, and all the Kokiri who were born without fairies will get them as soon as the Sprout can make them.
"I'm about to call you from a distance, Darunia. Answer loudly like I'm walking up. My having been here is our little secret, ok kids?" Darunia and Jenifer both answered "Yes, sir!" in their minds. Link threw his voice and said "Son, did you fall in there?" "No, Papa! Some friends of mine needed a light, so I waited for them." Link silently got up and stepped out of the stall. "I see one friend, and one fairy, yours. What friends?" Tomas and Jonas said almost in unison "It's the Duke!" "Ok" Link continued, "there's the other friends. Relax kids, I was an orphan, too! Don't be scared of me, just respectful." "Yes, my lord!" they both answered. "Mister D, can you send you fairy in here?" asked Jonas. I need to find my leaves. Tomas said "And can you send her in here next, Mister D? I'm done too!" Darunia answered "Sure. You first, Jonas." As Darunia sent his fairy into Jonas' stall, Navi went into Tomas' stall, saying "If I can help save the world, I guess I can light a privy for a young child!" "Wow!" Tomas shouted. "A battle fairy!" Navi said "Young child! Control yourself!" She rose straight up out of the stall, as if a rocket! "Navi!" Link admonished. "He couldn't hurt you if he tried, but you've hurt him!" Tomas started to cry. Navi settled back into the stall. She said, "Cry not, brave child! I meant no harm. Our Sprout is also young, and accidentally hurt me very badly today. My nerves haven't settled yet. Hold out your hands, if you'd like. Tomas was awe-struck. He held out his hands.
Navi stirred a breeze, drying Tomas' hands, then sat down on one. "You may stroke me, like I was a small bird, if you like" she said. Tomas gently stroked Navi. She continued "Your father was Thomas. He fought bravely and well. He loved you very much." Thomas had fought bravely, but was one of the first warriors lost. Tomas said, "How did you know?" "Battle Fairies can sense these things. We protect our warrior hosts, and the Old Deku Tree itself from falling in battle, as well as being bad or getting hurt like other guardian fairies. We need to be more powerful than guardian fairies, because we are needed to do more!"
Tomas asked, "Will Darunia get a battle fairy when he becomes a man?" Navi answered "No. We were made for our original hosts at their birth. And our original hosts were born for us! To support a battle fairy, a warrior must have a larger and deeper heart than an ordinary Kokiri. To bond with an ordinary Kokiri would not only kill us, but kill them as well! We would skip generations, and be passed from father to grandson, spending our time between hosts with the Great Deku Tree. But we made our warriors more powerful with each generation, and they made us stronger too. They, and we, forgot that the Kokiri are a people of peace. If we had continued as we were, the Kokiri would have killed off all the other peoples, without any reason! So the Great Deku Tree quit making battle fairies! It took back all of us he had made, whether we had been for attacking the other peoples or not, and replaced us with ordinary guardian fairies.
"I was sad to leave Warlord-Chieftain Ivanhoe, for he was a good warrior, and could have been a good man. But I saw it had to be done, and I agreed with the Tree. And, 'good' by the standards of the Old Warriors meant only that they killed everyone outright, where 'bad' Warriors would be mean to the women and children, and kill them slowly! Many of the other battle fairies starved themselves to death rather than swear allegiance to the Deku Tree alone. Others of my kind died in battles later on, defending the Forest from attack alongside of, but not bonded to warriors in later years. By the time Link became an adult, I was the last of our kind.
"I was on the brink of death myself! The Deku Tree had suffered Ganondorf's curse for five months before he finally called for help. I was not intended to be Link's guardian fairy. The tree had hoped to have at least enough energy to make Link a guardian fairy. I was to guide Link to lift the curse, drawing the least sustenance I could from him, and be done! Had I succeeded in following the Tree's command, I would have died within hours of when the tree did. But, being weak and near death, I was clumsy. I let my tail brush Link's heart, and was instantly pulled in! We bonded at that moment, and I have been his guardian ever since.
"You kids need to be going back to the orphanage. The mistress will have missed you by now. You need to get going." She rose to the top of the stall. She said, "Finish up Tomas! Jonas will want a turn to hold me before you leave." Tomas finished, got up, and left the stall with Navi right behind him.
Jonas was already waiting, in total awe at being face to face with The Great War Chieftain, who had the last battle fairy as his guardian. Navi said "Jonas, son of Beow, hold out your hands." Jonas held out his hands, and Navi dried them. She sat down on one, and let Jonas stroke her. She said, "Your father died when the village was overrun. His shield had been broken by a stalfos he had killed. Without a shield, he held off the attack of a mad scrub, returning its volleys with his sword. After all the women and children were safe in the Lost Woods, he covered the retreat of all the people, and blocked the advance of the stalfos until Mido and the Helfdanes could regroup the warriors and counterattack. They found his body surrounded by at least thirty dead stalfos, maybe more. He saved most if not all the Kokiri at the cost of his life. Your mother died of grief a day later. You and Tomas are both good children. You need to continue being brave for your parents, but truly brave.
"You cry at night, for you miss your parents still. Yet, you are ashamed the next day. You shouldn't cry for strangers, or ordinary friends, but don't be ashamed that you cry alone! Being brave, being a man does not mean that you have no heart! That would be impossible for a Kokiri, anyhow! Share your emotions freely with your families, your closest friends, your brothers and sisters. And let them share theirs with you! Kokiri are a very modest and private people. Your fellow Kokiri will give you room to cry alone, if you need do that. Don't be afraid that you cry when you are sad, though! The time to be afraid is when you don't cry. That is when you are either too numb to feel anything, or your heart is on the brink of falling in on itself, which is what kills your people when you die of grief and mourning! Be brave by living good lives and being good people, so that should your parents see you from the realm of the dead, they will be proud, and relieved that you turned out well even when fate took them away before they raised you to adulthood."
Link said "Navi, can you escort these boys back to the orphanage. Jennifer still needs to tend to necessities, and she'll only need Darunia's fairy for light." Navi answered "Sure, Link. Is the orphanage at the same place?" Link answered "I noticed it when we walked home from the meadow. Same place, probably always will be, so long as Kokiri with children die young." Navi said, "Right. Follow me, boys!" Navi and the two boys left.
Link then walked a discrete distance away, to chaperone without eavesdropping. When he did this, Jennifer slapped Darunia! "What was that for, Jenn?" the boy asked. "That was for not introducing your father before you did! I was so embarrassed I could have soiled myself right there! Imagine, being introduced to your future fa… your friend's father, in a privy, after you had been pouring your heart out to his son with him hearing every word!" She started to cry quietly. "I'm sorry, Jenn! I was just so happy to see you, on top of Papa being home for the first time in so long, after having almost lost him before my very eyes…" Now, they were both sobbing. They hugged, then Jennifer kissed Darunia on the cheek, then the lips. "I'm sorry I slapped you Darie! But I was so mad. I have to go." They let go of each other. "So soon?" Darunia asked. "No, to the privy! I'm about to burst!" Darunia opened the stall door for her, and she went into the stall with his guardian fairy. She started to attend to necessities, but didn't close the door. "Shouldn't you close the door, Jenn?" "Yes, Darie. But we've seen each other naked before, and besides. I like the way the moonlight sparkles in your eyes and your hair!"
Darunia answered, "I love the moonlight in your hair too, Jenn. The way the red in your hair matches the red in your face when Papa turns around." She quickly closed the door without a sound. "I guess you're not the only forgetful one tonight, Darie!" "It's been a long day, Jenn! And we have a long year ahead of us, someday!" "What do you mean, Darie?" "I caught that 'future fa…' bit. I like the sound of it. But you're only nine months to the day older than me! If you had been a week older, you would have your own fairy already! I'll be an adult fourteen months before you! Or even more, if I'm called an adult early because of the war. They almost have already. If we really needed it, we might get you called an adult early, but I wouldn't count on more than three months! That leaves at least a whole year with me an adult and you still a child! That will be rough!
"Mama saw us starting to get serious right before she had to leave! She told me how Papa was my age when they first started getting serious. She told me that they were right for each other, but were still too young! She and Papa were one day short of two years different in age. They were careful, and didn't rush things. Papa was also shy with his feelings, even with Mama, so that slowed things down even more. But Mama almost disgraced herself and Papa on her thirteenth birthday!" As he said this, they could hear two Kokiri having their first coupling, it having been delayed by most of the time the village was overrun. They were still young enough where doing that was 'icky,' even between life-mates.
"Do you want to be just friends, Darie?" Jennifer asked, choking up as she did. "No, Jenn! I just want us to do things right! You're the only girl I think of as being 'like me.' Everyone else is either a child to be protected, or an adult to be protected and obeyed! With them, I'm always worried! With you, we just are! It's like being with the warriors in battle, but I can share my feelings with you! I can cry in front of you without feeling like a coward! I still feel responsible for you, but it's not a duty like everyone else! I'm not saying it right, but that's how I feel!" "I understand, and I feel kind of like that with you. I'm not ashamed of myself around you. I don't feel like an orphan. You love me, but you don't pity me! Of all our friends, you are the only one!" She finished, and opened the door. Darunia took a cloth out of his pocket, wiped her eyes, and kissed her. He dried his own and put the cloth away.
Link was not as far away as the kids thought. He didn't let them know it, but he had heard every word. He was almost ashamed that he did, but he was also glad. He thought to himself "Fruit doesn't fall too far from the tree, I guess. He's found himself a good one! But they're so young! And even knowing it may not slow them down enough! But he's like his mother in those ways more than me. And had anyone told them to take it easy, Saria would have told them to stick their busy-body noses up their asses, using those exact words! She had her father's temper, and didn't mind using it once in a while! Her father had been banished by the Great Deku Tree for offering it a one-way trip to a Hylean sawmill! And not even Navi knew how Papa finally got the Tree to let the wizard back in to the Forest, or how he got Sarchan to apologize to the Tree!
"How could she have told Darunia, their own son about that day in the meadow? Ok. She wasn't that embarrassed, she just didn't want Darunia getting in trouble, or hurting Jennifer. She and I both knew that had I been a day older, she'd have taken me right then, the public be damned! And my Hylean body would not have obeyed my Kokiri desire to be honorable with my life-mate… She would have still proposed to me, even if Mido hadn't had her all worked up. I had her doing that in the back of my mind when I was looking for her…
"So Navi was that Navi! No wonder she didn't say before. She was by herself War Chieftain of the Kokiri for twenty years. Though most of those years were quiet and peaceful, she still managed to kill five hundred Gerudo horsemen who were attacking the village, with only eighty warriors and forty other battle fairies! And she was guardian of Ivanhoe the Bloodthirsty? That was two hundred years ago, but the Hyleans still talk in their taverns of the day when he drove them from Hyrule field, and killed ten thousand Hyleans while he did it! It's a wonder the Kokiri had any friends after the era of the Old Warlords.
"Kids, your date is just about over. It's late, and I have to get to the Temple of Time in the morning. I just hope that I can get back to Saria in that time. I wonder what she meant by 'needing me.' I needed her then, too. I need her now!" He ended his thoughts as Darunia and Jennifer walked toward him. Navi also returned at just that instant.
"Link, that place was almost a madhouse! Three of the other orphans were awake when we walked up, and they were all awake seconds after that! I really do like kids, but that was almost like going to battle! 'Can I hold her? Can I hold her? I wanna hold her!' The mistress almost lost her mind when she found one of her kids gone! Had she been with anyone but the Hylean Deku Tree, there would have been death to pay! She's still a trifle miffed."
"Well, kids! It's time to go home!" Link said. They waited for Link to lead the way. He said "After you. But visit quickly while you walk. I'll calm the Mistress when we get there." They walked back to the orphanage, Darunia and Jennifer chatting in each other's minds, Link walking quietly behind them. When they approached the orphanage, Mistress Belinda was waiting for them. "Good evening, my lord! Has his lordship any complaint of the way I care for the children?"
"Certainly not, Sister Belinda!" Link replied. "Once I've brought peace to all the realm, and once the Deku Sprout has grown and made fairies for these kids, using the privy should not be such a production. But they should have asked first. I happened upon them at the privy. I'm sorry I didn't send word to you sooner." He added so only she heard "…but in my day, you slept sounder."
She replied likewise "In your day, I had fewer orphans, and the only one without a fairy saw better by moonlight than most do with fairies. I also hadn't just returned to a village occupied by monsters, my lord!"
Link answered, "I hope no harm was done. I am grateful for the care you gave me when I was young."
"Thank you, my lord! But please, if you find more of my kids wandering about, let me know. I was about to call for the constable!"
She said to Jennifer "You and your friends aren't in trouble this time. But ask next time, before you go to use the privy! I know the chamber pots are a nuisance. But we have them to use, when it's after bedtime, so we don't have to be rescued by warriors and War Chieftains! Off to bed now! Say goodnight to his lordship and the warrior. Jennifer said "Good night, my lord! Good night, Mister Darunia!" In her mind, she added "Good night, Darrie! See you tomorrow!" Link and Darunia both said "Good night, young Jennifer!" Darunia added "See you tomorrow, Jenn!"
The two warriors walked back towards their house. After a moment, Link said, "Your mother would have punched me if I did that!"
"What, Papa?"
"Not letting Jennifer know I was there."
"But I…"
"Forgot I was there!" Link finished. "I know. We've both had quite a day! It was nice to be distracted by pleasanter times. And you do need to slow down with Jennifer."
"Papa! You were listening?"
"Yes, son! I trust you, but I haven't been around as much as I'd like, and I don't know Jennifer! I know her better now, and I trust you both. But even adults make mistakes. There are some mistakes no good father would let his children make.
"Kokiri women must be two years older than Kokiri men to be called adults for a reason. A Kokiri girl starts to bleed every month at the age of ten. From then, until she has her first child, she will get pregnant the first or second time she couples. If she is over thirteen, she will probably have her child without trouble. If she is under thirteen, she will have a good chance of dying in childbirth, and the chances go up the younger she gets! If you are truly bound to your life-mate, and she dies in childbirth, you will die with her!
"Different people's hearts grow at different speeds. Some grow to where they can bond for life before they are called adult, some grow so slowly that they are adults for years before they can bond. Girls start growing earlier, but often finish growing in the heart later than boys. If a girl senses a boy bonding to her, not just desiring her, and she is not bonding with him, she will usually chase him off. She might end up bonding with him later anyway, but no harm is done. Most boys, if they sense a girl isn't bonding with them will lose interest, and remain friends before it gets that far. But sometimes, one does bond and the other doesn't. And sometimes, neither one realizes it! Once they find out, it is very painful! Your mother and I both would spare you that.
"Your mother and I were young! We were right for each other, and still are… But we were lucky! We were both orphans, with no family to watch over us! Our courtship started younger than it should have because we had no one else to call family, and no family to think about except each other! We hadn't even realized we were courting each other at first. We had others interested in courting us. I had one of Mistress Belinda's nieces chasing me. I didn't notice, but your mother did, and she didn't like it at all! Your Uncle Mido wanted your mother desperately! She did notice him! Your Uncle Mido wasn't friendly to me until after your mother and I were married, because Saria would always reject him publicly, and humiliate him!"
"So that's why he'll never go in our house! And why he would never have Mama visit alone, or after dark! But I thought you and Uncle Mido were Sworn Brothers!"
"We are, Darunia! But Uncle Mido was five when he swore his oath, and I was an infant! He thought your mother was promised to him, and was mad that she wanted me!
"But as I was saying, we were lucky! We could have just as easily have been wrong for each other! Had that happened, both of our lives would have been messed up badly! We also almost disgraced ourselves the day before I went into the Deku Tree! Had we done that, we would have both been banished from the forest, for I was still a child!"
They were back at home now. The washing water was cold now, but they didn't notice. Darunia cleaned himself first. He then put on clean clothes and got into his bed. He turned to the wall to give his father privacy. Link cleaned himself. He then put on the body cover from his bedroll. He quickly washed and rinsed his tunic, cap, body cover, and socks, and hung them on the curtain rope to dry. "It's early summer" he thought. "This stuff should dry overnight."
"I haven't missed Mama this evening, Papa. Is that bad?"
"No, son. She's been gone to you for a while. You'll still miss her, and sometimes, you will hurt so bad you'll cry, but you almost lost me today, too! You've been so relieved that I didn't die, and so excited that I was able to stay, that you haven't had time to miss her! That's not bad, that's normal. I haven't had time to miss here this evening, either."
"Do you miss her now, Papa?"
"Yes, son. It scares me how much I miss her! But yet, I am off in the morning to see her, where that day is already past for her!"
Navi said "I gave that counsel earlier not to those orphans alone! It was also for an older orphan, and the son of an orphan, who needed it even more! I've no desire to attend the pyre of an orphaned duke…or his son!"
"I'm scared, Papa! I don't want to forget Mama."
"We won't, son. We'll never forget her." They had lain down in their beds. The beds were close enough, that Darunia reached his hand out to Link. It was the sword-callused hand of a mighty warrior, who had fought bravely at the side of his brothers, with distinction. It was also the hand of a frightened six year old boy, who learned that day he had lost his mother, and almost had his father die in his arms!
Link held the little hand in his, as they drifted off to sleep. His was the sword-callused and steady hand of the Lone Warrior. He fought foes that no army could survive, which could only be felled by one blade, by only one steady hand. But his hand was also that of a father. A father who had learned his life-mate was lost, but not lost; not there, but there still—for a time. A father who just realized how much he missed the son he didn't know he had. A father who was frightened at the new responsibility he had—and had had for seven years! He could tell that he had done well, so far and with some help. But how well did he do? How did he raise this young boy whose hand he held? Had he done well enough? And how did that child come to be a warrior, really? How could he have been so remiss in his attention that his son would despair of having given up most of his childhood, at the age of six? Could he do better? Could he dare do better with the fate of the world in the balance?
Each one comforted the other, steadied the other, and reassured the other. Father and son dreamt separate dreams that night, of a woman whose love, whose life, whose being would haunt and gladden their hearts for a lifetime.