Chapter Three – Goodbye Old Friends; Hello New World.
Link's eyes carefully fluttered open. He was back in the grove of the Great Deku Tree and the sun was just poking up above the trees. He pushed himself to his knees and stretched his arms over his head. He couldn't believe how much energy he had. He felt fine, but he couldn't have slept that long. He turned to the Great Deku Tree and smiled warmly.
"Well done, Link..." The Great Deku Tree's voice was forced and wavered slightly.
Link's smile faded and he rose to a standing position.
"No, Link…" The Deku Tree responded when Link started to move towards him. "Thou must know my time is short…"
Link's eyes widened. "But…I killed Queen Gohma! She's dead!" Link urged.
"Thou hast verily demonstrated thy courage... I knew that thou wouldst be able to carry out my wishes... Now, I have yet more to tell ye, wouldst thou listen...?"
Link nodded slowly but remained silent.
"Now...listen carefully... A wicked man of the desert cast this dreadful curse upon me..."
Link sighed and sat down to listen.
"This evil man ceaselessly uses his vile, sorcerous powers in his search for the Sacred Realm that is connected to Hyrule... For it is in that Sacred Realm that one will find the divine relic, the Triforce, which contains the essence of the gods... Before time began, before spirits and life existed, three golden goddesses descended upon the chaos that was Hyrule…"
Link listened carefully as the Great Deku Tree explained to him about the three goddesses, Din, Nayru and Farore and how they created Hyrule, he listened while the story of the Triforce was revealed to him, and he listened as the booming voice of his provider faded slowly.
"…And, the resting place of the triangles has become the Sacred Realm."
The Deku Tree paused and Link stood again.
"Link..."
The small blond took a step forward. "Yes, Great Deku Tree?" He asked, respectfully.
The giant tree seemed to be taking labored breaths now. He inhaled and spoke, "Go now to Hyrule Castle. There, thou will surely meet the Princess of Destiny." He paused, trying to catch his breath.
"The Princess of Destiny…" Link repeated and looked into the old eyes of his caretaker. "I will Great Deku Tree. I will find her."
The Deku Tree seemed to smile and almost nod. "Take this stone with you. The stone that man wanted so much, that he cast the curse on me..."
From the top of the Deku Tree's branches, floated a small leaf. It landed just in front of Link. The small Kokiri bent down and picked it up. In the center of the leaf was a green and shining stone. He smiled at it and turned it around in his hands.
"The evil man wanted this?" He looked up at the Deku Tree. "Then I won't let him have it!" He declared and carefully laced a piece of string through it. He tied the string around his neck and tucked the jewel under his clothing.
"Thou must never allow the desert man in black armor to lay his hands on the sacred Triforce..."
Link shook his head.
"Thou must never suffer that man, with his evil heart, to enter the Sacred Realm of legend..."
Again, Link shook his head.
"That evil man who cast the death curse upon me and sapped my power…Because of that curse, my end is nigh. Though your valiant efforts to break the curse were successful, I was doomed before you started..."
Link's jaw hit his chest and he started to protest but the great tree stopped him.
"Yes, I will pass away soon..."
Link dropped his head and fell to his knees. He felt like a failure.
"But do not grieve for me..."
Link looked up. He had so many things he wanted to ask the Great Deku Tree but he couldn't get his voice to work properly. All he could manage was one word. "…Why?"
"I have been able to tell you of these important matters. This is Hyrule's final hope. The future depends upon thee, Link."
Link felt a strange feeling washing through him. He wasn't sure what it was; grief, anger, despair. All he knew was that it wasn't a good feeling. He forced himself to stand.
I must be brave. Brave for the Deku Tree. He told himself. He straightened himself as best he could and did his best to put a smile on his face.
The large tree chuckled, though it sounded more like a cough. "Thou art courageous..." The tree coughed and several leaves fell to the ground. "Navi the fairy, help Link to carry out my will."
"I will Great Deku Tree." Navi bowed low.
"I entreat ye... Navi...Good...bye..." A loud creaking echoed through the grove and Link watched in horror and sadness as the color drained from the tree trunk and the leaves fell slowly around him. The tree looked barren now, and it made the funny feeling in Link's chest grow.
He reached up to rub his nose when he realized it was wet from his tears. He shook his head, trying to pull himself together before he left.
"Let's go to Hyrule Castle, Link." Navi whispered to him.
Link turned to her and wiped his tears. He smiled as best he could and nodded. "Alright." He turned and walked slowly out of the grove.
Navi remained behind and smiled sadly towards the corpse that was once the protector of the forest. "Good-bye...Great Deku Tree..." She said softly before flying quickly after her partner.
Link walked slowly out of the grove. The deku scrubs were gone now but it didn't make his walk any easier. Suddenly the path seemed very long and Link felt very low. Navi tried to tell him that it wasn't his fault; that the deku tree never had a chance; but Link would never forgive himself. If only he had started earlier; maybe he could have helped him.
When he got to the end, Mido was standing there waiting for him. The glare on his face was enough to tell Link that the recent death was no longer a secret.
"Hey, Link!" He said and glared. "What did you do!" He shouted and then he seemed to calm down and his eyes watered slightly. "The Great Deku Tree...did he...die?"
Link sniffed slightly and nodded.
Mido dropped his head and seemed like he may actually cry. Link walked forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. Suddenly Mido jerked away from Link and pointed a finger at him "How could you do a thing like that! It's all your fault!" He shouted.
Link squeezed his eyes shut as tightly as he could. He couldn't stand hearing that. He already heard it enough in his head. When he opened his eyes, Mido was still glareing at him, with tears running down his face. Link couldn't hold back any longer. The tears ran freely down his cheeks and his voice suddenly found power.
"Don't you think I know that?" He shouted back. "I was supposed to help him but I couldn't! It's my fault he's dead! I know! So just shut up!" He shouted and ran passed him.
Mido stood very still for a moment before turning and huffing back to his house. Link ran as fast as he could to his house. His arms didn't seem to want to give him strength so he didn't climb up the ladder to his house. Instead he ran behind it and threw himself onto the ground. The tears didn't seem to want to stop, no matter what he tried, so he simply cried. He stopped fighting it and cried. He knew he probably sounded ridicules, and he knew the whole village could hear him, but he didn't care. It felt so good to just let it out.
Navi floated around him and cooed gently into his ear; telling him that everything would be alright. Finally, Link's tears started to subside. Link remained still for another few moments before he finally got up. He took a deep breath to steady himself and let it out slowly.
"Ready to go to Hyrule Castle?" Navi asked softly.
Link stared at her and sighed. "Yes…Let's go." He stood up and brushed the dirt off his clothes before walking back through the only home he had ever known. He looked around at all his friends as he walked. They were playing happily like they always do.
I guess they don't know yet…He thought. He walked sadly through them and tried to pretend that nothing was wrong. He paused at the giant log tunnel. He had always known that this tunnel lead out of the forest, but no Kokiri had ever left before. Sitting next to the tunnel, fiddling with a small wooden dager, was Aldon. He looked up as Link approached and smiled.
"Hey Link!" He waved and stood.
Link smiled weakly and kept walking.
Aldon raised a brow and stood in front of Link. "What's wrong, Link?"
Link sighed. "I'm leaving, Aldon."
Aldon blinked. "What? Where are you going!"
"To the castle." Link replied and tried to push past him but Aldon jumped in his way again.
"To the Castle? Where's the castle?"
Link sighed and met his friend eye to eye. "Outside of the forest."
Aldon's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "We Kokiri will die if we leave the forest! You're not actually going to try to leave the forest, are you!"
Link nodded and pushed his way through. Before Aldon could stop him he ran through the tunnel. It was longer than he had expected and very dark. When Link emerged, he was in the Lost Woods. He frowned and looked around. He was on a bridge, and just on the other side was another tunnel.
"This is it…" He muttered before running forward.
"Link, you're safe!"
Link stopped when he heard the voice. He paused and then turned around. Saria was standing behind him. She had a smile on her face but it quickly faded when she realized where he was headed.
"Oh, you're leaving..." She said sadly. It wasn't a question.
Link walked slowly to her and frowned. "I have to."
Saria smiled again, but her eyes were sad. "That's okay. Because we'll be friends forever…won't we?"
Link smiled too and nodded. "Of course. Always."
Saria nodded and giggled softly but it didn't reach her eyes. "I…I want you to have this Ocarina." She said suddenly. From her pocket she pulled a small tan Ocarina with a green mouth piece.
Link placed his hand on it carefully when Saria stopped him. "Please take good care of it." She added.
Link nodded and lifted the instrument. He looked at it carefully and smiled. "Thank you, Saria."
She smiled and nodded, seeming slightly happier. "When you play my Ocarina, I hope you will think of me and come back to the forest to visit."
Link smiled and nodded. "I will. I promise." Link tucked his new Ocarina into his pack and looked at his friend.
Neither one could think of anything to say, and neither one wanted to leave. Slowly, Link backed away. He felt that same funny feeling rising up in his chest again. He wished he knew what it was. Finally, the feeling rose so high that Link was afraid he may loose it again, so he turned and ran as quickly as he could out of the forest, leaving Saria behind to wave goodbye.
Link emerged from the tunnel and had to shield his eyes from the bright sun. Out in the open, the tree's weren't around to block the bright rays. He blinked a few times, trying to get used to the light, and smiled. It was his first time outside of the forest, and he couldn't help but be a little excited. He glanced behind him at the log and sighed. He would miss Saria. He shook his head and turned back forward. The Deku Tree wanted him to find the Princess of Destiny, so he would. He took a deep calming breath and set forward. The tree's slowly began to break and soon he was staring out into a giant field.
"Wow…" He whispered. It seemed to go on forever!
"Hoo Hoot! Link!"
Link jumped and looked around. He couldn't see anything but he could feel eyes on him.
"Look up here!" The voice called.
Link looked up and blinked. Sitting on the top of one of the trees was a very large owl. The owl was easily bigger than he was and it was staring right at him.
"Who's that?" Link whispered to his fairy.
"That's Kaepora Gaebora." Navi whispered back. "He is very wise."
"It appears…" He said and Link looked back at the creature. "that the time has come for you to start your adventure!"
Link raised a brow. "My adventure?" He asked.
The owl nodded and chuckled in low hoots. "You will encounter many hardships ahead…that is you're fate." he nodded sadly and then smiled again. "Don't feel discouraged, even during the toughest times!"
Link glanced sideways at Navi. He was very confused and this bird seemed very strange.
The owl seemed to notice Link's confusion and it chuckled. With its giant wing, it pointed forward. "Go straight this way and you will see Hyrule Castle." He said.
Link followed his wing and looked at the path before him.
"You will meet a princess there…" the owl continued and chuckled again. "If you are lost and don't know which way to go, look at the map!" He said and with a great flutter he tossed a scroll down to Link.
The small boy picked it up and opened it. It seemed to be a map of Hyrule! He smiled and looked up again. "Thanks!"
The owl bowed low to him and chuckled one last time. "Alright then, I'll see you around! Hoot hoot hoot ho!" He said and flew away, in a flutter of feathers.
Link watched him go and frowned. "He was strange…" He muttered and then turned to the path the owl had pointed out. "Well…he said go that way." He shrugged, tucked the map away into his pack, and walked forward.
The field was bigger than anything he had ever seen in his life. The grass was bright green and yellowish and the path was hard from travel. He found it odd that there would be a road heading into the forest when he couldn't remember ever having a visitor before. He road ahead was long and the sun was already starting to set. He sighed.
"This is going to take a long time, isn't it Navi?" He asked.
The fairy flew up a few feet above Link's head and nodded. "Yes. I can see the castle but it's going to take at least a day to get there."
Link nodded. "That's what I thought." He looked around. "Do you think it's safe to sleep out here?"
Navi nodded. "As long as we stay on the path we'll be fine."
Link nodded and sat down. "Then I think we should stop and rest. We can get started again first thing tomorrow." He reached into his pack and pulled out the last remaining nuts. He handed one to Navi and ate the rest himself. He lay on his stomach, watching the sun go down, until he fell asleep.
That night he was again plagued by his nightmare. The girl was slightly clearer this time around and he suddenly felt a compelling need to help her, but he didn't know who she was. He heard a scream and his eyes shot open. He looked around and realized that he had rolled off of the path. Standing just above him was a ragged old skeleton creature. Link shouted and jumped up, backing away from it.
"Link! It's a Stalchild!" Navi shouted. "Don't be afraid! Just attack it repeatedly!"
Link nodded and pulled his sword he slashed at the creature again and again until it finally fell. He sighed and relaxed until something hit him from behind.
"Ahh!" He shouted and started slashing at the other creature. More and more began to appear and Link was having trouble fighting them all off. "Navi, what do I do?" He called.
"Lead them to the path, Link! Fight them there!" She shouted.
Link ran forward and rolled onto the path. He turned around and waited as the creatures advanced. He slashed and chopped and attacked until they all lay in pieces. Link collapsed to the ground, panting and looking around.
"Any…any more of them?" He panted.
Navi shook her head. "No, they won't appear as long as you're on the path."
Link nodded and collapsed. He quickly fell into an exhausted sleep.
Okay, there's chapter three. I know it took a while. Sorry about that. I'll try to update quicker from now on. Anyway, I hope you're all enjoying it. I jsut wanted to thank my reviewers. You guys rock! The next chapter will be: Chapter Four - Hyrule Castle