Some Things Change, Some Stay the Same
The Legend of Zelda and all related media are property of Nintendo.
/+/+/+/+/
Kra-THOOM
"Wow," Sky goggled, "This is a bad storm."
"Been through worse," Legend piped up.
"Same," Twilight added, Wind nodding along with him.
"I've caused worse." Everyone turned to Time, who just smirked at them.
"…One of these days," Warrior said in between bites of his meal, "we're going to ferret out all of your secrets."
"Good luck," the older Hero chuckled.
Kra-KOOOM
"WAAAAH!" The Heroes jolted at the young, high-pitched scream. They rose as one; Wild, Wind and Twilight pulling up their Sheikah Slate, Telescope, and Hawkeye, respectively, to find the source of it.
Only for that source to zoom into their cave-turned-temporary-abode, slamming into Time. The Hero looked down to see some strange, small and stubby, wooden creature with a giant red-orange leaf for a face, shivering as it held onto him.
"A Korok?" Wild and Wind exclaimed in tandem. They did so again seconds later, turning to each other, "You know about Koroks?"
"What's a Korok?" the rest of the Heroes asked.
Wind answered, "Little…spirits, I guess. Created by the Great Deku Tree."
"Ah," Time nodded, a small frown on his face, "that's right…you two have met the Great Deku Tree—one of them, at any rate."
The Korok—who was previously nuzzling Time—froze at his declaration. It slowly lifted its head, staring up at Time's sharp features. The Hero arched a brow at the creature, prompting it to leap off of him with a shrill, "YAH!" It whirled around, "AAAAAAHHHH!"
"AAA-Ow!" Legend rubbed his shoulder, glaring at Hyrule, "What was that for?"
"Being a dick," the Hero said, lowering his fist.
"Gonna have to hit him a few more times, in that case," Four snarked.
The Korok stopped spinning, tilting its body, "Wait…can you all see me?" It received nine nods. "Wow…I didn't know it was possible for so many non-Koroks to see one of my kind."
"Oh?" Four crouched down as low as possible, "Koroks are hidden from the other races?"
It nodded, "Yeah. Don't really know why, though."
"Well," Four smiled sadly, "maybe people just stop believing in you after a while. Not everyone can hang onto their childhood wonder." His statement earned more than a few derisive snorts.
"I…don't think that's it," Wild said. "As far as I'm aware no one outside of myself and Princess Zelda know they exist."
The Korok turned to Wild, and then jumped in place. "Ah!" it yelped, "You're Mr. Hero!"
"Mr. Hero?" Sky smirked at Wild's blush.
"Actually," the Korok sniffed the air (an…odd act, considering its anatomy), "Are you…all Mr. Hero?"
The Heroes exchanged glances. "What," Warrior asked, "makes you say that?"
"You all smell similar. I mean," the Korok hummed, "all the different races have similar smells within themselves, family members especially, but this is…too close for that." It tilted its body up, sniffing the air once more, "It's…weird." It kept sniffing the air, eventually turning towards, and moving closer to, Time.
"Smell something interesting?" Hyrule asked.
The Korok blinked, finding itself in an impromptu staring contest with Time. It shrank a bit, pushing its nubby arms together, "Oh! Sorry. You just…you smell like the Forest. So does he," it pointed to Wind, who spluttered, "but…less so."
The other eight Heroes expected various responses from their oldest member (ranging from a stern glare to a small smirk). None of them expected him to laugh and say, "So I've been told!" He then, to their further astonishment, settled into a cross-legged sit, patting his right leg. The Korok hesitated for only a second before scrambling onto the offered seat. He said, "Tell me, little one, what are you doing so far from the Forest? Surely, you know how the Great Deku Tree worries."
The Korok wilted a bit, "I know…I was just going for a short flight in the clouds. But then they got darker, and really wet, and the air started to feel weird and—"
Kra-Kra-KOOOM
"AH!" the Korok yelped, burying itself into Time's chest.
Time gently pat its back, jerking his head at Wild, "How far away is the Forest?"
Wild blinked, "Uh…" he pulled out his Sheikah Slate, "…A day, maybe less."
"Well then," Time nodded, "I suppose we've got ourselves a destination for tomorrow." The other Heroes looked at each, but none of them could come up with any objections, so they agreed. "Right," Time looked down at the Korok, "best you get some rest…I'm sorry, we never exchanged names."
"Hmm…Oh!" The Korok giggled, "Name's Mido!"
Time laughed once more at that, startling more than a few of his fellow Heroes. "Mido, huh? Well, you can call me Time."
/+/+/+/+/
Sky stared as the Korok—Mido—sat on Time's head, the two discussing the intricacies of living in trees, of all things. He mentally compared the wooden spirit to his own era's forest sprites, the Kikwi. There…weren't a lot of similarities.
"This is weird," Sky turned to Warrior, who gestured to Time and Mido, "right?"
"It's…a side of him we've not seen before," he conceded.
"Eh," Legend shrugged, "so he's got a soft spot for forest spirits. Remember what he did with that bunch of thieving things—what're they called?"
"Skull Kids," Twilight groused. "Bad enough when I thought there was only one of them."
"Hey now," Sky chuckled, "they weren't that bad." Granted, the three they'd met had tried to steal from them.
"Only because they didn't use their magic trumpets to summon killer puppets." Sky shared a glance with Legend who shrugged.
"We're here," Wild suddenly said, bringing everyone to a halt. Sky turned away from Legend, unable to stop the shiver of fear that ran down his spine as he took in the dark forest before them.
"Ugh," Four groaned, "I hate the Lost Woods," prompting scattered cries of 'hear-hear'.
"It's not so bad," Wild said.
"One wrong move and you're forced back to the entrance," Four flatly replied.
"If not lost within its depths," Time added.
Wild's gaze flitted between them, "Right, well…don't know about all your Lost Woods, but there's torches along the path to these Lost Woods. We just follow the embers as they float in the wind."
"Oh, the torches are gone, Mr. Wild Hero" Mido chirped from atop Time's head.
Wild froze, wide-eyed, "W-What?"
"The torches," Mido repeated, "We got rid of them after you ended the Calamity, Mr. Wild Hero. The Great Deku Tree also did something to stop the wind from giving away the path."
"…Why?"
Mido tilted, "Can't you warp?" Wild sagged at the question. An unfortunate consequence of their rather…chaotic travels was a disruption to their various warping magics. "Oh," Mido sagged a bit, "well…don't Hylians have good memory?" They all winced at the question. "…Guess not."
"What about you?" Wind asked. "Don't you know the way through the Lost Woods?"
"I don't go through the Lost Woods!" Mido exclaimed. "Are you crazy? I fly in-and-out of the Forest like any sane Korok!"
"Then," Legend crossed his arms, "why haven't you flown back? Why get us to escort you home? You lazy or something?"
Mido whimpered, raising its left arm. Some sort of leaf grew out of the nub, but it was limp and torn to shreds, "My Korok Leaf broke in the storm…"
Time glared at Legend, prompting the other Hero to hold up his hands (and none-too-subtly sidle behind Sky), "Okay, forget I said anything."
Time glared for another moment, before tilting his eyes up to look at Mido. The Korok sniffled a bit, before shaking its nub—vanishing the leaf—and lightly slapping its face. "Ah, it's okay. And you'll be fine!" Mido exclaimed, "You're all Heroes, Mr. Heroes!"
Tim chuckled, patting the Korok's head, "Right you are! Surely, Heroes," he fixed them all with a critical eye, "we shall not let the fear of getting lost stop us?"
They all grumbled but followed as Wild led them forward into the woods.
Sky shivered as fog curled in around them, pulling the sailcloth tighter around his shoulders. They all huddled closer together, weapons and whatever bright tools they each had out and ready. All except for Wild, who had the 'fortune' of leading them, and Time, who was calmly observing their surroundings.
"Awful quiet," the older Hero mused.
"Yeah, that's what stands out about this place," Hyrule grumbled.
"I prefer the silence," Wild said. "Better than laughter."
"Laughter?" Sky parroted.
Wild shivered, "Go off the path, and the fog gets thicker—so thick you can't even see your own hands if your brought them right in front of you—and laughter rings out all around you."
"W-What kind of laughter?" Wind asked hesitantly.
"Yeah," Wild nodded, "Like—"
Hee-Hee-Hee-Hee-Hee
"…Like that," Wild whirled around, eyes widening as the fog grew thicker around them.
"Joy," Four groused as he vanished from view.
Sky darted his free hand out to grab someone, anyone, but held nothing but air. Then, the wind picked up.
Hee-Hee-Hee-Hee-Hee
He tried to keep his footing, but it was a like a storm was picking up right where he stood. The wind whipped his sailcloth every which way, and he found himself flung backwards.
"Gah—watch it!"
And right on top of Warrior, right in front of the entrance.
"Sorry", Sky said, making to get up, only to fall back as Wild was thrown on top of him, Legend, Hyrule, Four and Twilight following suit. Wind, as opposed to the rest of them, looked more like he'd been shoved, managing to keep his footing. Time just walked through the fog, Mido riding atop his head, as though nothing was wrong with the world.
Wind blinked, staring down at the groaning pile of Heroes. "What happened to you guys?"
"Better question is," Four huffed as they all rose to their feet, "what happened to you? We got dogpiled, but two just traipse on by like you're on a merry stroll."
"Maybe it's because they smell," Legend snidely remarked.
"Probably," Mido chirped.
"…I was joking."
"The Lost Woods spirits probably think they're weird Koroks," the wooden sprite added thoughtfully, "because you smell like the Forest."
Wind tilted his head, "That's…nice?"
"Lost Woods spirits?" Time asked.
"Yup!" Mido nodded. "I…don't know a lot about them, no one does. But when the Great Deku Tree put the protections over the Lost Woods a few things…snuck in, I guess."
Twilight grunted, "Should we get rid of them?"
"No!" Time sharply replied. At the incredulous starts he received, he elaborated, "The Great Deku Tree does not allow for mistakes or meaningless actors within his domain. We shall not interfere with his works unless specifically asked or directly harmed. Understood?" Sky exchanged glances with his compatriots; rare was the day Time spoke so passionately about something. Still, they had no choice but to nod.
Time grunted, fixing his one-eyed stare upon Wild, "Now, let's try this again."
/+/+/+/+/
"Okay…I think we're in the clear."
"You said that the last two times."
Wild let out a nervous huff, not needing to turn to see that Warrior—who always seemed to be at the bottom of their impromptu dogpiles—was glaring at him. Still, Wild recognized this particular carved log. This marked the entrance to the Great Deku Tree's…lair, or whatever it was called, he was sure of it.
Unless he made a left when he should have made a right…
Well, they'd find out soon enough.
Wild sighed in relief when they were not caught up in dense fog once more. In fact, the sky brightened with every step they took.
It was soon after that Koroks of various shapes and sizes popped out from the shrubbery. But unlike before, when they would hide away again when he walked past, they ambled towards them. Well, towards two of them.
Wind smiled and waved at the dozens of Koroks that moved towards him. Time was much less animated, but Wild could see a softness in his eyes that he'd only ever seen around his wife.
Eventually, they made it to the main clearing, where the Great Deku Tree waited. And where the Master Sword was once laid to rest. Wild couldn't help but shiver as he caught sight of the legendary weapon's pedestal. He never told the other Heroes that he had to almost die to prove himself worthy of the Master Sword—it was just another mark against him.
He shook his head, dispelling the memory. Now wasn't the time for that. They had a Korok to return home.
The Great Deku Tree seemed to perk up as they neared, and he could swear the ancient being's lips—which were carved into a permanent frown—curl up into a smile. "Mido!" he exclaimed, "I'm glad to see you're well. I feared the worst when you didn't return during yesterday's storm."
Mido hopped off of Time's head, waddling forward and bowing. "I'm sorry, Great Deku Tree! I didn't mean to be a bother!"
The Great Deku Tree hummed, "Oh, don't fret, child. You're safe now, that's all that matters." He shifted his gaze to Wild and his extra-dimensional counterparts. "And it would appear that you've brought a rather eclectic group of guides with you."
Time surprised them all by stepping forward—the surrounding Koroks still sticking close to him—and bowing deeply. "Thank you for allowing us entry into your sacred home."
As the other Heroes all gawked at Time's reverence for the ancient tree, the guardian spirit chuckled, "This forest shall always grant refuge for those touched by destiny." Time rose from his bow, a smile on his face.
"Anyone else getting a little freaked out?" Hyrule asked.
"Don't say anything," Twilight whispered back, no less disturbed. "You know he gets all…weird, about this stuff." His statement received various nods.
"Um," they all turned to Wind, who was staring down at the Koroks gathered around him, "I'm not complaining, but…why're all these little guys so interested in me? I've met Koroks before, and they weren't so," he shook one off of his leg, "clingy."
The Great Deku Tree hummed, "Come closer, young one." Wind did so, prompting another, longer hum, "Ah…you have the Forest's blessing."
Wind frowned, "The Forest's—oh!" he reached into his pack, "You mean…this?" and pulled out a giant leaf.
"I do mean that," the Great Deku Tree replied. "How did you come to receive it?"
Wind blinked, "Uh…you gave it to me, remember?"
"Hey genius," Legend snarked, "alternate dimensions, remember?"
Before Wind could give Legend the stink-eye, the Great Deku Tree exclaimed, "Ah! Yes, I remember now."
"…Well, guess we need to readjust the timeline."
"Go to hell," Four deadpanned.
As the pair entered a rather heated argument, the Great Deku Tree said, "You received it in order to help rescue…the Wind Sage, Makar, no?"
"Yeah," Wind nodded, "but…why'd you phrase it like a question? Didn't you say you remembered giving it to me?"
"I remember that you received it, but I did not give it to you."
"…What?"
"It was a different Great Deku Tree," Time explained, a small frown on his face. "The Guardian of the Forest is not immortal, not truly. But when the time comes for him to pass, a Sprout—still connected to the immortal spirit of that old Great Deku Tree—is left behind, that shall eventually grow into a new Great Deku Tree."
"Correct," the Great Deku Tree said. He is tone grew mirthful, "But, as fascinating at my life cycle is, I imagine you'd all like a chance to rest your weary bones." The Heroes, indeed, felt weary at his declaration. "You may rest within my truck—only five of you, though, there's not too space, I'm afraid—or find carve out your own space on the Forest floor."
"Thank you," Time bowed once more, turning back to join the other Heroes.
Hyrule let out a breath, "So…draw straws? Rolls dice?"
"Please," Warrior rolled his eyes, "you all cheat."
"Not our fault you're an honest man," Hyrule teased.
/+/+/+/+/
Time let out a deep sigh as he stared up at the stars. If he closed his eyes, immersed himself in the sounds and smells of the Forest, he could pretend that he was a child once more. Staying up late with Saria, laughing at whatever childish nonsense their minds could create.
But when he opened his eyes, when he saw those strange, unfamiliar stars, the illusion shattered.
Sensing that sleep—or any semblance of rest—would continue to elude him, he rose to his feet, running a hand through his hair.
"Well, well," an ancient, fatherly voice hummed, "this is a familiar sight."
Time couldn't resist the urge to smile sheepishly, walking forward in order to be in front of the Great Deku Tree "It's…been a long time since then."
"For both of us. Though for entirely different reasons, I imagine," the guardian spirit replied thoughtfully. Time nodded, sitting down on the stone floor. "You have questions for me," he declared.
Time flushed, looking down at his boots, "I…I wouldn't want to overstep, Great Deku Tree."
The Great Deku Tree chuckled, "Ah, things are much less formal now, my child. The Koroks much more…irreverent, than the Kokiri." Time sucked in a breath, "…Please, my child, ask your questions."
Time gulped, mustering the strength to look into the Great Deku Tree's eyes. "I…What happened, to the Kokiri?"
"Oh," the Great Deku Tree seemed to sag, "that was ages ago. Some Great Deku Tree before me decided that these new forms would better serve the spirits that called the Forest homes. Those that stayed, at least."
"Those that stayed?" Time parroted. "I…I thought Kokiri could not leave the Forest?"
"Didn't you?"
Time flushed, looking back down at his boots, "I'm not a Kokiri, you know that."
The Great Deku Tree huffed, "Were you not raised in the Forest? Did you not carve a home from a tree? Did I not impart my wisdom upon you? Did you not, even if only for a short time, have a fairy companion who you trusted with your life?" Time gulped, face red for an entirely different reason now. "Link, my son, you are, and shall always be, a Kokiri."
Time let out a shaky breath, wiping his eyes, "I…Thank you, Great Deku Tree that…that means a lot."
"In any case," the Great Deku Tree continued, "Yes, some Kokiri would, eventually, follow your example. They were already practically indistinguishable from Hylians, so it wasn't as though they had a terribly hard time adjusting."
"And those that stayed were transformed into," he shifted his gaze, to a pair of Koroks, huddled together and snoring atop a bush, "that?"
"Not at first—at least, I don't think…" the Great Deku Tree hummed, "Do forgive me, but it was quite a few Great Deku Trees ago, the specifics are a little foggy."
"It's fine," Time said. "Though," he cleared his throat, "are these spirits…familiar to me?" At the Great Deku Tree's hum, Time blushed, "I mean…one of them is named Mido and his leaf is a very familiar shade of red."
"Mido…Mido…ah!" The Great Deku Tree grunted, "One of your old friends, no?"
"…Of a sort."
"Well…Forest Spirits do not operate like the other creatures of the world. Upon their…expiration," Time winced, willing himself not to think of his old friends in such a manner, "they're…reused, as crass as it sounds. Some become animals, or plants, or fairies, or, as of a few ages ago, Koroks. It is entirely possible, though perhaps unlikely, that Mido the Korok was once Mido the Kokiri."
Time nodded and wondered if he should ask if there were any Fados or Know-it-all-brothers or…Sarias. But he pushed the thought aside. Potentially seeing just one of his old friends—even if it was Mido—was enough for him.
Instead, he turned to other questions burning in his mind. He said, "I can't help but notice that the Forest is…smaller, than it once was."
The Great Deku Tree hummed, "It is. You know one of my oldest divine tasks, protecting the Kokiri Emerald?"
"Of…Of course," Time said, bowing his head, a familiar pit of sadness threatening to swallow him whole.
"Stem your tears, child. You were never to blame for the incidents leading up to, and following, your receiving the Emerald." Time grunted—he'd been told as much, by Navi, Malon, the Great Deku Tree himself. Still it…it never really stuck.
"Moving on," he returned his attention to the Guardian of the Forest, "without the Kokiri Emerald, in truth, there was no need to keep the other races out of the Forest—the outer layers, at least. Thus, over time, I rescinded my protection over those areas, consolidated my power over a much smaller region."
"And used less malevolent protections," Time chuckled. "I didn't so much as hear a single Wolfos."
"Well, again, the Kokiri Emerald was gone. There was no longer a need for such…grand measures."
"So…no more unaware travelers being turned into Stalfos and Skull Kids?" One of the more needlessly cruel aspects of the Forest, Time always thought. It was something he and Fado used to butt heads over.
"No…Neither a Skull Kid nor Stalfos has been born in my Forest in…ages."
"Not one?" Time asked. "So…are there no more Skull Kids?"
"No. The last one passed…ages ago."
"…I see." Time sighed, looking down at his hands. Twilight had made passing mention of a Skull Kid that had a rather unusual fixation with his era's Temple of Time—it's ruins, at any rate. His own Skull Kid was already astonishingly long-lived, so he liked to believe that the two were one and the same, and that he would persist through the ages and timeline nonsense. "So," he leaned back, staring up at unfamiliar stars, "aside from you, there's nothing left of my old life. It makes sense, I suppose, but…" he trailed off.
"Physically, no," the Great Deku Tree agreed. "Yet there is a certain…ambiance, that I think you can agree never quite goes away."
Time grunted, "To be frank, Great Deku Tree, this Forest is…not the one I remember." It wasn't just the size, or the stars hanging overhead. The smells, sounds, the feel of the air—though somewhat familiar to him, they all lacked a distinct…edge that the Forest of his youth held.
"Change is an integral part of the natural order," the Great Deku Tree intoned, "and sometimes we find ourselves swept up in it." Well, if that wasn't a concept Time was intimately familiar with. "But you may find that some things have withstood the tides of time. If you'd only search for it."
The Hero sent the Great Deku Tree a dubious glance, "I can't help but recall what happened the last time you sent me to perform a task."
The Great Deku Tree grunted, "Indulge me, won't you?"
Time huffed but rose to his feet. "Very well," he bowed, but was unable to keep the smile off of his face, "It was an honor to speak with you once more."
The Great Deku Tree sniffed, "What did I say about formality?"
"Well," Time smirked, "I suppose you can take the Kokiri out of the Forest, but not the Forest out of the Kokiri."
The Great Deku Tree laughed—loudly enough that Time was worried he would wake their sleeping companions. "Ah…go forth, my child. Seek your answers."
Offering one final smile, Time turned around, heading into the Lost Woods.
/+/+/+/+/
Time ventured a fair way ahead of the hollowed-out trunk that marked the entrance to the Great Deku Tree's grove. It really was a different place. It was dark, and perhaps even creepy, sure, but he didn't feel unsafe within the cool fog. It all lacked a sinister edge that he'd forced himself to grow accustomed to as a child.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair and sitting atop a stump. He huffed, running his hands over the uneven wood, "Even the trees feel different."
Unbidden, memories burst to the front of his mind. The fog seemed to curl with the wind, and a familiar silhouette came to life beside him. Time smiled sadly as Saria—an imitation, at any rate—waved at him. He waved back, just in time for another gust of wind to scatter her away.
He hummed, turning his eye to unfamiliar stars. He closed his eyes, an enigmatic, if helpful, voice speaking from the depths of his mind: "Whenever there is a meeting, a parting is sure to follow. However, that parting need not last forever...Whether a parting be forever or merely for a short time...That is up to you."
Shaking his head at the memory, Link reached into his pack, pulling out the Ocarina of Time. He turned it over his hands, before bringing the mouthpiece to his lips, and playing a dear, now-ancient tune.
He lost himself to the music—a much more somber rendition of Saria's Song—as the air itself seemed to still.
Tring-Tring-Whish
Time froze at the familiar jingle of bells, of fairy wings flitting through the air.
"Aww…" a familiar voice whined from behind him, "why'd you stop?"
Time whirled around, sucking in a breath and almost dropping the Ocarina of Time. The pale, hazy form of Saria had returned, but she was not alone. Skull Kid—his Skull Kid—was beside her, what could only be Tatl and Tael floating beside him. There were dozens of more shapes in the fog around them, big and small. One of those shapes—a fairy, a hint of pale blue shining through her foggy form—floated forward, wiping the tears flowing down his cheek.
Which just made him cry more—even through his lost eye—prompting a "Hey!" from his oldest friend.
He pulled back, wiping his face. He didn't say anything—he didn't need to—as he brought the Ocarina of Time to his lips. From the corner of his eye, he saw Saria do the same, Skull Kid disappearing, then reappearing atop a tree branch, his flute to his beak.
The apparitions around him stilled in anticipation as he blew those first six notes.
/+/+/+/+/
The Great Deku Tree smiled as Time returned, just as the sun started to rise over the horizon. His child did not speak, but he did not need to. The shine in his eyes revealed all that needed to be known.
As did the stagger in his step.
His child came to a stop at his trunk, yawning as he rested upon it.
The ancient tree hummed as his child's gentle snores reverberated up his bark. He grunted when sunlight crashed upon his leaves, the denizens of the Forest beginning to stir.
With a soft intake of breath, the Great Deku Tree willed the fog of the Lost Woods to rise. Rise and block out the sun, wrapping them in darkness once more. He then stilled, drifting away and joining his wayward son in sleep.
/+/+/+/+/
A/N: I think I have a fixation on Time…Be sure to leave a review. Later.