Chapter 2: Link's Journey

In the Kokiri Tribe live the Kokiri people. Each and everyone have their own guardian fairy. The Great Deku Tree, the protector of the Kokiri Forest, had been attacked by an evil monsters one night and a fairy named Navi was sent to summon Link to the Great Deku Tree for help. Together with Mido, Link heads to the Great Deku Tree to find out what has happened.

"Great Deku Tree!" Link and Mido cried as they ran up to the wither old tree that was their protector.

In tears, Link started pounding the Deku Tree's bark for an answer.

"What's the matter, Great Deku Tree?" Link asked. "Answer me!"

"He's being real cold," Mido observed. "It's as if he's dead."

The commotion Link and Mido were making in front of the Great Deku Tree caused the entire village to awaken and see what the two were doing.

"Mido, Link?" Saria said, looking at the two from a distance.

"Heh, heh," a voice laughed from inside the Deku Tree.

Link looked for the source and found a giant eyeball. A hole suddenly formed in the bark and the Parasitic Arachnid, Queen Gohma, crawled out.

"Gya!" Mido cried in fear.

"It's her, Link! She's the one who cursed the Great Deku Tree and made him like this!"

Link and Mido backed up toward the rest of the Kokiri Tribe as Queen Gohma came near.

"Stone, give me the stone," Queen Gohma said. "Where is the stone!"

With that, she crawled back inside the Deku Tree, leaving a hole in its place. Mido and his gang cowered behind Link as he prepared to enter the Great Deku Tree and fight Queen Gohma. He took out the Fairy Slighshot he had made and ran toward the opening Queen Gohma created.

"Link!" Saria cried after him.

"I'll get her!" Link replied.

"Wait, I'll go, too!" Mido shouted after Link, fleeing from the protection of his cronies and taking out a shining blade. "I'll help the forest with the Kokiri Sword!"

With Mido by his side and the whole Kokiri Tribe behind him, Link climbed into the hole and into the Deku Tree. To their surprise, everything was covered in webbing! Mido began to shiver behind Link's back.

"Don't overdo yourself, Mido," Link sneered.

"Shut up!" Mido replied. "I'm not going to let you be the only one to show off in front of Saria!"

"What are you talking about?" Link asked.

"Hmph, I'll never let you have Saria!" Mido growled, walking forward in front of Link. "Hey! Come on out you stupid -!"

But he was interrupted by a sticky silky substance.

"Eww! What is this stuff?" Mido asked as he struggled to free himself.

Navi hushed them and flew ahead.

"There's a strange noise," she said.

"The stone," came a harsh voice. "Where is the stone?"

"She is," Link whispered as he gasped at Queen Gohma, "eating the Great Deku Tree!"

Queen Gohma looked up from her banquet and spotted Link and Mido. She approached them and looked down.

"Should I curse you two as well?" she cried.

"Waaaa!" Mido shouted and leapt behind Link again.

Queen Gohma pounced at Link and Mido with two of her giant claws. Link dodged and shot a Deku Seed at her with his Fairy Slingshot.

"Return the Great Deku Tree back to normal!" he cried.

But Queen Gohma merely winced as the seeds collided against her hard armor and fell to the floor.

"Give me the stone," she repeated. "Where is the stone?"

"Darn, it's no good!" Link said retreating. "What's this about a stone?"

"Link, stop!" Navi cried. "Mido is in the trouble!"

Link looked back to see Mido paralyzed in fear with Queen Gohma looming nearer. He shoved Mido over as the queen lowered her claw.

"It's too dangerous!" Link shouted, snapping Mido out of his sleep. "Let me do it myself!"

"Shut up, meddler!" Mido spouted angrily.

Suddenly, a small rock hit Link on the head. He looked up to see Queen Gohma about to pounce. He launched another Deku Seed at Queen Gohma, but it didn't effect Queen Gohma at all. Queen Gohma attempted to attack Link again, but Link leapt back to dodge. Queen Gohma began to approach again and Link tried to move and dodge, but couldn't move for some reason. He looked behind himself and saw that he had just jumped into a web!

"I can't move!" he shouted, struggling to get free. "Take this! Stay away!"

Link started rapid-firing Queen Gohma with Deku Seeds. Queen Gohma was getting closer. Link reached into his pouch for another bullet but it was empty!

'I have no more bullets!' Link thought as Queen Gohma got ready to finish him off. 'Great Deku Tree, I failed!'

Suddenly, Queen Gohma groaned in pain. Mido had hit her in the back with the Kokiri Sword!

"Darn it! Take me not that creep Link!" he cried.

Queen Gohma turned around and looked down at Mido hungrily. Mido started frantically throwing rocks at Queen Gohma but missed most of the shots and hit Link once.

"Look where you're throwing, geez!" Link shouted at him.

Suddenly, one of the rocks Mido was throwing hit Queen Gohma in the eye. Gohma stood there, dazed, for a moment.

"Link!" Navi cried. "Gohma's weakness is her eye! Go for her eye!"

Link picked up the rock that had hit him and loaded in the Fairy Slingshot. Queen Gohma had recovered from the attack and was going for Link again. Link let go of the slingshot and launched the rock into Gohma's eye.

Queen Gohma roared in pain as it began to shrunk. As the armor from Queen Gohma's giant form disappeared, Link and Mido looked down to see a tiny beetle in it's wake.

"So, this is Gohma's true form?" Link asked.

"Just a little bug, isn't it?" Mido added.

Victorious, the two boys climbed out of the Great Deku Tree to tell them what they had achieved.

"Great Deku Tree!" Link shouted as he and Mido emerged. "Great Deku Tree, we beat Gohma!"

"Well done, Link and Mido," the Deku Tree said. "With both of your powers combined, you successfully broke the spell. But it seems my life won't go back to normal, after all."

"What?" Link cried. "Why? That can't be! Don't die, Great Deku Tree! I fought with all my might! No, it can't be for nothing!"

"Link, listen well," the Deku Tree said. "As I was being eaten by Gohma, I understood her intentions. She was under a spell herself. The one using this frighteningly evil power, is a black king of the desert. His desire is to conquer Hyrule and make the Triforce his."

"The Triforce?" Link asked.

"The sacred triangles which keep the power descended from the gods of Hyrule from time immemorial," the Great Deku Tree answered. "The possess the power to create the world reflected in the heart of those who touch it. If a person with a pure heart touches it, it'll be a just world. If a person with a devilish heart touches it, it'll be a world conquered by evil. A horrible crisis is drawing near for Hyrule. The devilish person must not touch the Triforce! However, with your courage, surely you can kill his ambition."

"But, why me?" Link asked. "I can't fight such a scary guy. I just can't fight."

"YOU CAN!" the Deku Tree replied. "Find out about the outside world and grow."

Link stared blankly into the sky, deep in thought. But, he decided to agree and nodded.

"Now, go to the Kingdom of Hyrule," the Great Deku Tree continued. "There you'll surely meet the princess who was chosen by the gods. Give this stone to the princess. Take this Kokiri Emerald that that man wanted to the point that he'd curse me for it!"

A small sphere of green light suddenly floated out of the Great Deku Tree's leaves and dropped into Link's hands. As the bright light faded, Link saw that it was a small green stone with a spiral design on it.

"I believe in you," the Great Deku Tree said. "Please, Link."

"Alright," Link said confidently, putting the Kokiri Emerald away. "I understand, Great Deku Tree."

"It's best that you make a shield out of my remains," the Great Deku Tree added. "It should protect you from very evil in your path."

"Great Deku Tree," Navi said, flying up to the forest guardian.

"Navi, assist Link," the Deku Tree said to the fairy. "I ask you. Everyone, so long."

With that, the last of life inside the Great Deku Tree left him and he began to shrivel up himself.

"Great Deku Tree!" the whole of the Kokiri Tribe shouted, beginning to cry.

Link then decided to do what the Great Deku Tree said and get to work on a shield.

"Mido, please lend me that sword," Link said, turning to Mido and looking at the Kokiri Emerald.

Mido was confused and handed over the sword anyway. Link cut off a chunk of the Deku Tree's bark and started trimming it into a shield.

"Huh?" Mido asked.

"Okay, it worked!" Link said proudly, finishing up the wooden shield by scratching on the design the Kokiri Emerald had on it.

"Let's go, Navi!" Link said, standing up.

"Alright, Link!" Navi replied, flying up to him.

"Go? Go where?" Mido asked. "We Kokiri can't leave the forest!"

"I want to see the outside world, Mido," Link answered. "No matter how big or what's there, I want to see it with my own eyes."

Link held the Kokiri Sword toward Mido to return it.

"After I've passed the gem along, I'll return," Link said.

Mido shoved the sword back toward Link.

"Keep this sword!" he said, practically in tears. "And don't you come back, you hear me?"

Link ran off, daring not to turn back.

"Don't ever come back, you fool!" Mido shouted after him.

Link was almost to the exit of the forest when he was stopped by a sudden voice.

"You're leaving, aren't you?"

Link turned around to see his best friend looking sadly back at him.

"Saria," he replied. "I always known that I was different from the others. But, anyway."

"Hm?" Saria asked.

"But, this forest is my home!" Link said.

"Yeah!" Saria replied, taking out the ocarina she would always play for Link. "I'm giving you this ocarina. Play it sometimes and think of the forest, okay?"

Link reached out and grabbed the ocarina. Memories of the times he had with Saria in the forest flashed through his mind. Leaving the forest suddenly became harder but Link struggled against the weight and ran off in tears.

As Link entered Hyrule Field, an owl, Kaepora Gaebora, swooped from above and watched Link head off on his grand adventure in the kingdom of Hyrule.

"Hoo, so it seems the time for that child to depart on his journey has arrived," Kaepora said. "The world of Hyrule's future depends upon a single little boy. How will it end? In the name of the Deku Tree, I will watch over you."

And so, Link's journey began…

To Be Continued…