Hello everyone. I only have one review so far but I'm gonna keep on writing. Well regardless, I hope you enjoy this chapter as the action will start here. I also changed the title of the chapter a little bit as I made it a little shorter. And I don't own LoZ…though I would love to.
The Great Deku Tree and the Curse Within
"Eh, what's that?" Mido stared dumbly at the shield Link presented. "Oh you have a deku shield…and what's THAT!" he nearly shouted as Link drew his new weapon, its blade gleaming as it caught the sun's rays. "Is that the Kokiri Sword? GOOD GRIEF!" Mido grabbed his head in his hands at the sight of the legendary weapon. How did he get that weapon! Only a true warrior should have been able to find it! Link who was enjoying watching Mido squirm ceased to make a sound. Instead he just stared with a wide smile as his rival squirmed in envy. Finally Mido stopped wriggling and stood straight up pointing accusingly at Link. "Well, even with all that stuff, a wimp is till a wimp. I, the Great Mido, will never accept you as one of us!" With that, he stepped reluctantly out of the way. As he walked by, Link could see that Mido was frowning; it looked like he could start to cry at any moment.
Stepping quickly past Mido, Link was finally on the way to the Great Deku Tree's garden. "I…almost feel sorry for him," Link admitted. "But this is my chance. The Great Deku Tree summoned me. Now I can prove to Mido and the rest that I am a true Kokiri!"
This brat actually isn't all that bad…thought Navi, a new adoration for the boy growing within her. Then they heard the voice of Mido back down the passage. "Shoot! How did he get to be the favorite of Saria and the Great Deku Tree huh?" This news melted away Link's thoughts to prove himself as he learned that he was Saria's favorite. Link's face turned as red as a ripe apple. He leaped into the air and let out a victorious woot as he fell to the ground on his back. Link just lied there starring up into the clear sky, his eyes entering a dream-like state as his mind gave him the impression that he was floating. Okay, he is that bad…what an idiot! Waking him from his trance abruptly, she pulled him to his feet and shoved him down the path, reminding him of his audience with the Great Deku Tree, all reverence for the boy lost.
His mind back on the Deku Tree's summoning, Link ran down the path a bit to compensate for the time he spent day dreaming. Navi sped after him as she remembered the threats near the end of the path. "Watch out!" she screamed.
Link halted his advance at Navi's behest. "What is it? Whoa!" Link fell backward as the weeds in front of him burst out of the soil. Navi grabbed the back of Link's green tunic and pulled him up to his feet again. "What are those things?" he inquired tensely as he got a better look at his attacker. From his decumbent view, it seemed as if the monster's stiff stems reached up into the heavens as if its round, purple head were praying to the goddesses. Its head, or at least that's what it seemed like to him, snapped what sounded like jaws over and over again as it circled on it's stem like a wild animal attempting to release itself from captivity.
"It's called a Deku Baba…don't let its withered look fool you, if you touch it, you'll get hurt." Navi remembered flying over them earlier when she first went to seek out Link. She had gotten a little to close to them and almost wound up a small snack for the venus flytrap-like plant. Of course, her pride kept her from disclosing this information to Link, but she secretly feared the plants.
"So what do I do?" Link asked, still in awe at the creature's appearance. He had never encountered monsters or beasts in the village so he had no idea as to how he could proceed.
"They're just giant weeds," Navi explained. "Use your imagination."
Understanding her advice, he unsheathed his sword and cut the first one down. It soared through the air due to its sudden release from the impermeable earth. Boring into the ground on impact, its stem became stiff as it was trapped once again. "Hurry," Navi urged him, "they'll grow back quickly. Cut the rest down!" Link continued to run and slash passed the patch of Deku Babas. As he cut the last one down, Navi grabbed the stem of the decapitated opponent, creating a soft pop as she tore the stem free from its grounded head.
"What's that for?" Link queried.
"These are deku sticks. They're not much in the way of weapons but they have various other uses," Navi explained as she handed Link the stem. "Now hurry, we want to get out of here before they grow back."
Nodding in agreement, Link grabbed the deku stick and fitted it between his sword and shield. They continued down the path and finally arrived at the garden of the Great Deku Tree.
"Great Deku Tree…I'm back!" Navi said as she entered the area. She flew up to the titanous plant leaving a wide eyed, bewildered Link with his mouth hanging open.
"Oh…Navi…thou hast returned," the Great Deku Tree speculated weakly. Then, addressing the boy clad in green, "Link…" Link shot up about two feet as the Great Deku Tree mentioned his name. A small amount of bile reached his throat that he swallowed back down. Uh-oh…what did I do? I wish Saria warned me about this…he's…huge! "Welcome…" The color slowly replenished in Link's face as he realized he wasn't in trouble.
"Get over here!" Navi called to the boy. Sweat now pouring down his neck and back, he took his first actual step into the garden that was easily big enough to fit the entire Kokiri village. "Don't be rude. Stand up straight, look him in the face when he's talking to you, and don't interrupt. sigh I should have went over this with you earlier."
The Great Deku Tree ignored the events that occurred in front of him and continued. "Listen carefully to what I, the Deku Tree, am about to tell thee…" Amazed at how gentle the Great Deku Tree's voice was despite his size, Link began to relax. He also noticed that he was a very old tree. The lines in his bark ran deep, giving him the look of a wrinkled old man. He even sported, what looked like a bushy mustache just above a small crevice that Link decided must have been his mouth. Even his eyes seemed glazed over as if many mornings of dew settled there and never evaporated with the day's sunlight. His bark was old and grey, not the brown color he'd seen on the other trees in the forest. The leaves that were covered by the clouds even looked pale from where he stood. He's sick, Link thought to himself. "Thy slumber these past moons must have been restless and full of nightmares…" the Deku Tree continued. "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…" How…how does he know? Link wanted so badly to ask the question aloud but his voice had failed him.
"Link, the time has come to test thy courage…" the Great Deku Tree concluded. "I have been cursed…I need you to break the curse with your wisdom and courage. Dost thou have courage enough to accept this task?" The question hung in the air. How could he, a boy who had taken a sword up only once in his life, a boy who until recently never knew monsters existed, a boy who just received a fairy partner that should have been provided at birth, a boy with no training, no wisdom to share, and no courage that he was aware of, help break a curse on easily the most powerful being in the forest.
This is the chance I've been waiting for, he thought to himself, the chance to prove myself to the other Kokiri, the chance to prove myself to Navi, the chance to prove myself to the whole forest. I had the courage to stand in my dream…I'll find the courage to do help the Deku Tree in reality. "I accept this task," Link answered confidently. "I will break the curse cast upon you."
"Then enter, brave Link, and thou too, Navi…" the Great Deku Tree said admirably. The crevice below his mustache widened a little. Then it lowered to the ground. It seemed Link was correct; the crevice was indeed his mouth, which was now opened wide, waiting for the boy and his fairy to enter. "Navi the fairy…thou must aid Link…and Link…when Navi speaks, listen well to her words of wisdom."
Turning to each other for strength, Link and Navi entered the Great Deku Tree, ready for anything that came their way.
I'm sorry this took so long. This isn't that interesting of a chapter and I apologize for that. For those of you that like action however, you'll love the next chapter, New Challenges and the Leap of Faith. Please review…having only one so far is quite depressing, especially since one of my other stories has almost half the hits of this one and 7 reviews.