Chapter 3- Forest Jayde
The sun had risen over the forest, driving out the mists that had entangled it, shortly after the forest spirit had revealed his name. Link sat upon his leafy throne contemplating the strange little shape-shifter as the sun shone down upon him, illuminating his already golden hair. It appeared as he had been in thought for quite awhile. Silence was the rule of the forest at that moment, not even the leaves whispered.
"So... Mido, what do you want with me," Link asked, breaking the strange silence that had seemed to engulf the forest since the moment Mido had revealed himself.
Mido laughed, it was still the great booming laugh of a large man even though he now looked to be a child of ten. "What makes you think I want anything more than a friendly chat, Link?" His voice, too, retained its depth and seemed comical coming from such a small body.
"It isn't every day that people run into a forest spirit. In fact, seeing your kind is so rare that you're more of a myth."
Mido grunted at the thought of being a myth and began to talk, climbing up the branches of the tree he had rode in on as he did. "You can certainly see for yourself that forest spirits are no myth. We're real. You're also right about me wanting something, but that's for later. But first I have someone else for you to meet" Mido, now sitting upon a branch, cupped his hands together and yelled. "Navi!"
Link heard a buzzing sound to his left and turned to see a faint light coming towards them through the trees. When it reached him and Mido, it stopped and Link noticed it was not a light but a tiny woman in a blue dress with gossamer wings buzzing upon her back. Her body excluded a faint pink light.
"Wow," she exclaimed in a tiny, high pitched voice while looking over Link. "You'd really thing they were related, wouldn't you?"
"I thought the same thing, Navi. He looks just like he did when he was seventeen. He's also just as brash: the boy came at me with a sword before I could blink an eye."
Navi giggled at that and then said: "Well, what do you expect. He was a warrior, and so is this one I suspect. I mean, that shield looks as if its taken quite a beating and those muscles... wow."
It was Mido's turn to laugh now. "Perhaps we should stop talking about Link as if the boy weren't here. And perhaps you should stop flying around and plant your feet on the ground."
Navi sighed lightly. "If you insist."
The light emanating from the small woman soon grew to such an intensity that Link was forced to look away. When he felt the light had receded he turned back and his jaw dropped instantly. Before him stood the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She appeared to be about his age. Her eyes were the clear, clean blue of a cloudless sky; her skin soft and fair as a dove. She wore her chestnut brown hair in a plaited braid that ran halfway down her back. A dress of blue silk with a sash around her waist robed her. Full lips turned up into a smile as the woman saw Link's slight slack jaw.
"Now this just will not do, young man," she said in a voice that was as soft and fair as her skin then reached out a delicate hand to close Link's jaw. A combination of the young woman's gentle touch and the embarrassment of having stared at her beauty so openly caused Link's face to burn crimson.
"I... I'm sorry," he stammered.
A light laugh escaped the fair young woman's - Navi's - lips and she shook her head. "Don't be, it's natural for boys of your age to gawk."
Even Link had to laugh at that. "I guess it is, isn't it?"
"Come on Jayde, we need to get going and you know it."
"Jayde," Link asked, confused by Mido's last statement.
"Navi is a nickname I was given a long time ago," Jayde explained. "The other fairies thought it was funny because I had no sense of direction. But that was ages ago, and I was much younger. Mido's the only one who still uses that wretched name." She tossed a hard glare in Mido's direction, which he ignored.
"Hey, some jokes never die."
Jayde shook her head and turned to talk to Link. "Call your horse, Link. It'll be faster for us if we ride."
Link, his head swimming within the strangeness that had befallen him since dawn, put to fingers in his mouth and blew out a single, sharp note that carried through the trees and startled birds from their roosts. Within a few seconds the sound of Bel's trampling hooves could be heard rushing through the trees only to stop when he reached his master's side, who had quickly reslung the bandoleer over his shoulder as the horse approached.
"Thanks boy," Link said, patting the horses flank. "You up for an extra rider today?"
The horse whinnied his approval so Link hopped upon the stallion's bare back and then held a hand out to Jayde. She took his hand and Link, with fluid grace, lifted her to side behind him. She laced her fingers around his waist and he felt his body warm from the simple touch.
Mido, now back to being a bundle of sticks, had scurried into the hole in his tree and started moving off, calling for Link to follow him.
"You heard the kindling, Bel. Guess we should follow."
Bel whinnied in both assessment and laughter and started to follow the moving tree that was Mido. Link and Jayde sat atop the horse's back laughing, but Mido didn't seem to find being kindling terribly funny.
NOTE: No new pictures for this chapter. I finished it at 10 was too tired by then to want to start a drawing
The sun had risen over the forest, driving out the mists that had entangled it, shortly after the forest spirit had revealed his name. Link sat upon his leafy throne contemplating the strange little shape-shifter as the sun shone down upon him, illuminating his already golden hair. It appeared as he had been in thought for quite awhile. Silence was the rule of the forest at that moment, not even the leaves whispered.
"So... Mido, what do you want with me," Link asked, breaking the strange silence that had seemed to engulf the forest since the moment Mido had revealed himself.
Mido laughed, it was still the great booming laugh of a large man even though he now looked to be a child of ten. "What makes you think I want anything more than a friendly chat, Link?" His voice, too, retained its depth and seemed comical coming from such a small body.
"It isn't every day that people run into a forest spirit. In fact, seeing your kind is so rare that you're more of a myth."
Mido grunted at the thought of being a myth and began to talk, climbing up the branches of the tree he had rode in on as he did. "You can certainly see for yourself that forest spirits are no myth. We're real. You're also right about me wanting something, but that's for later. But first I have someone else for you to meet" Mido, now sitting upon a branch, cupped his hands together and yelled. "Navi!"
Link heard a buzzing sound to his left and turned to see a faint light coming towards them through the trees. When it reached him and Mido, it stopped and Link noticed it was not a light but a tiny woman in a blue dress with gossamer wings buzzing upon her back. Her body excluded a faint pink light.
"Wow," she exclaimed in a tiny, high pitched voice while looking over Link. "You'd really thing they were related, wouldn't you?"
"I thought the same thing, Navi. He looks just like he did when he was seventeen. He's also just as brash: the boy came at me with a sword before I could blink an eye."
Navi giggled at that and then said: "Well, what do you expect. He was a warrior, and so is this one I suspect. I mean, that shield looks as if its taken quite a beating and those muscles... wow."
It was Mido's turn to laugh now. "Perhaps we should stop talking about Link as if the boy weren't here. And perhaps you should stop flying around and plant your feet on the ground."
Navi sighed lightly. "If you insist."
The light emanating from the small woman soon grew to such an intensity that Link was forced to look away. When he felt the light had receded he turned back and his jaw dropped instantly. Before him stood the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She appeared to be about his age. Her eyes were the clear, clean blue of a cloudless sky; her skin soft and fair as a dove. She wore her chestnut brown hair in a plaited braid that ran halfway down her back. A dress of blue silk with a sash around her waist robed her. Full lips turned up into a smile as the woman saw Link's slight slack jaw.
"Now this just will not do, young man," she said in a voice that was as soft and fair as her skin then reached out a delicate hand to close Link's jaw. A combination of the young woman's gentle touch and the embarrassment of having stared at her beauty so openly caused Link's face to burn crimson.
"I... I'm sorry," he stammered.
A light laugh escaped the fair young woman's - Navi's - lips and she shook her head. "Don't be, it's natural for boys of your age to gawk."
Even Link had to laugh at that. "I guess it is, isn't it?"
"Come on Jayde, we need to get going and you know it."
"Jayde," Link asked, confused by Mido's last statement.
"Navi is a nickname I was given a long time ago," Jayde explained. "The other fairies thought it was funny because I had no sense of direction. But that was ages ago, and I was much younger. Mido's the only one who still uses that wretched name." She tossed a hard glare in Mido's direction, which he ignored.
"Hey, some jokes never die."
Jayde shook her head and turned to talk to Link. "Call your horse, Link. It'll be faster for us if we ride."
Link, his head swimming within the strangeness that had befallen him since dawn, put to fingers in his mouth and blew out a single, sharp note that carried through the trees and startled birds from their roosts. Within a few seconds the sound of Bel's trampling hooves could be heard rushing through the trees only to stop when he reached his master's side, who had quickly reslung the bandoleer over his shoulder as the horse approached.
"Thanks boy," Link said, patting the horses flank. "You up for an extra rider today?"
The horse whinnied his approval so Link hopped upon the stallion's bare back and then held a hand out to Jayde. She took his hand and Link, with fluid grace, lifted her to side behind him. She laced her fingers around his waist and he felt his body warm from the simple touch.
Mido, now back to being a bundle of sticks, had scurried into the hole in his tree and started moving off, calling for Link to follow him.
"You heard the kindling, Bel. Guess we should follow."
Bel whinnied in both assessment and laughter and started to follow the moving tree that was Mido. Link and Jayde sat atop the horse's back laughing, but Mido didn't seem to find being kindling terribly funny.
NOTE: No new pictures for this chapter. I finished it at 10 was too tired by then to want to start a drawing
