Dead.
He stared, mouth open in stunned silence. He couldn't even remember how to move. Should he even be moving? Thinking? Shouldn't he say something?
He closed his mouth. His throat was dry and scratchy. If only there was water.
Browning leaves fell like snow around Link's guardian, forming an imperfect ring around the base of the tree. Another long moment passed.
Today had started out as the happiest day of his young life. That very morning, a fairy guardian had finally come to him. Their first meeting hadn't been what he'd expected—she'd rudely woken him from bed and berated him until he'd gone to see the Great Deku Tree. But all the same, he'd reveled in the knowledge that he at last had a fairy guardian to call his own. He was a true Kokiri now.
The fairy, Navi, was hovering anxiously a few feet from him, as shocked as he was.
"Great Deku Tree?" she asked tentatively to thin air.
Link swallowed hard. "I think…he's gone," he said, not wanting to believe his own words.
His guardian had summoned him this morning. Another great honour. But the mighty tree had not summoned him with good news. He had been cursed. A dark cloud was converging on the world outside the forest, one that Link alone could stop. Many of the things he'd been told had not made sense to him, but he knew they were important.
The guardian spirit had entrusted Link with a precious object, and instructed him and Navi to find someone. The Great Deku Tree had then asked Link to defeat the evil that was eating away at the guardian's power.
Though Link had bravely faced the evil inside the Great Deku Tree and proven his courage, he had failed. His guardian had died from the effects of the curse.
Navi's wings fluttered; the halo of blue light around her faded in and out. "Great Deku Tree…" she murmured, her voice filled with sadness.
Her grief mirrored Link's own, and the loss of his guardian overcame him. His limbs recovered from their shock, kicking in to overdrive with only one directive from his brain: run. He sprinted from the clearing, too afraid to look back.
He was so focused on fleeing the sight of his guardian, once alive and thriving, now dead and dried up, that he ran right into Mido.
"Link," Mido growled, clearly as displeased to see Link as he was to see Mido. "What were you doing in the Great Deku Tree's meadow?"
Still reeling, Link didn't answer right away. But he didn't need to; like all those living in the magical forest, Mido was connected to its life force.
"The Great Deku Tree," he said slowly, realization dawning on his face. "Did he…die?"
Link's expression confirmed it. Mido's face was morphed by anger. "You did this," he hissed at Link. "You killed him! It's all your fault!"
Link flinched, protesting, "I didn't kill him! I was only trying to help…"
Mido cut him off with more accusations, shoving him aside and stomping past him in the direction of the forest guardian's meadow. There was a flash of blue light, and a glowing orb blocked the Kokiri boy's path.
"Calm down, Mido," the blue fairy ordered. "Link did not kill the Great Deku Tree. This was not his fault."
Mido stared, aghast, at the fairy for a moment before rounding on Link. "I see you finally have your own fairy," he sneered.
Link glared back. Mido swatted the fairy aside. She fluttered to Link's side, shooting daggers at Mido's turned back.
Before he stormed off to see the Great Deku Tree for himself, Link's nemesis couldn't resist one last gibe. "It doesn't make you one of us. You'll never be a Kokiri. You'll never belong here."
Link stood frozen to the spot long after Mido disappeared through the trees. Navi finally prodded him into action.
"Link," she said, trying to be both motivating and sympathetic. "We need to go. The Great Deku Tree gave us a job to do."
Silently, Link turned, his gait quickly turning back into a run. He only stopped when he reached his treehouse. Panting for breath, he grabbed his belongings and shoved them into a pack. The sword and shield Saria had given him strapped securely to his back, he departed the treehouse, sparing it a final glance before he sprinted for the last place he ever thought he'd go.
On his way he passed by several of the other Kokiri children, even at this speed, he could hear their curious whispers. Some merely wondered what happened, sympathizing with him. Others outright blamed him, their accusing glances chasing his retreating back.
Navi hovered close by, her wings carrying her along after him. Link dropped his head and watched his feet eat up the ground beneath him, ignoring the others, even as one of the Know-It-All brothers tried to stop him from crossing the boundary of Kokiri forest.
"Where are you going!?" he called in vain after Link. "It's dangerous out there!"
Link didn't care. All he knew was that he had to leave. He had to leave the forest.
~oOo~
He had to get out of Castle Town. He couldn't stand this place anymore. His opinion wasn't a popular one.
Loitering in the shade, he pretended boredom, crossing his arms over his chest and kicking absently at loose stones in the street. Dressed in second-hand, time-worn trousers, a plain shirt and cap, he looked as inconspicuous as a commoner kid could. Occasionally, concerned passersby—doting motherly types—would inquire about his parents. With a bright smile he would falsely inform them that his mother would be on her way from the bazaar any moment now.
Nearby a scruffy little dog bounded around the crowded square, yapping in his direction to get his attention. He'd been tossing a stick for it, careful to keep his eyes on the street, however. There were people everywhere—as there always was in the heat of the summer. Encouraged by the heat, Hylian citizens of every class and occupation strolled the market district, trading, bargaining, buying. Merchants and shop owners took advantage of the surplus population to cram the streets still further with their wares, and restaurants and taverns became suddenly so full of excess alcohol, he was surprised that beer didn't flow from beneath the doors.
The sounds of general merriment and shopping made the market damned noisy as well as crowded. It contributed to his negative feelings towards the town. He hated crowds. He hated the summer season. Most of all, he hated that damned thief for being late again and standing him up.
He was about to give up when a dirty young boy scurried up to him, passing through the legs of the adults around him with the ease of a born thief. The boy didn't glance at him, just kept on running past him, but he dropped a tiny envelope at Dark's feet. Stooping to retrieve it, he broke the seal and read it secretively, tearing it up once he was finished.
Grumbling to himself, he pushed off the wall he'd been loitering against and turned out of the market district. It was a short walk to the East Wall; there were fewer people this way. Unlike those in the Upper Quarter in the northeast section of Castle Town, the people who inhabited it were neither wealthy nor noble.
The poorest area of the city was so named for the barrier wall that cut it off from the outside world. Centuries old, the wall had protected Castle Town in ancient battles; it was little more than a ruin now, weathered, tired and dirty. Much like the residents it overlooked.
The streets grew noticeably narrower, the passersby more unkempt. Nobody paid any attention to him; he wasn't out of place. He could have passed through the Upper Quarter to get to his destination, but this way was shorter, and he preferred it.
The Temple of Time was older than the city itself. It had been built before the East Wall, even. It stood somewhere on the line between East Wall and the Upper Quarter, precariously bridging the two districts. A humble building, its withered grandeur made it fade into the background. Built of slate grey stone, its architecture was simple and functional—not flashy. The gardens surrounding it were pretty, he supposed. Peaceful and well-tended; by whom, who could say?
Nowadays the temple grounds were largely deserted. The royal priests visited it strictly for marriage and coronation ceremonies. The place was an unofficial hangout for all of Castle Town's undesirables; the thieves, the vagabonds, the street orphans and the ne'er-do-gooders.
Today the only visitor besides himself was a tall, very pale man with a severe standing still problem.
"There you are!" the man said in a cheerful voice, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "You're late," he chided, his tone no less cheery.
"You didn't meet me at the agreed upon place," Dark accused.
Sakon giggled. "Soldiers have been hiding in the market district lately. Had to dodge 'em. Much quieter here, anyway. You bring 'em?"
Scoffing, Dark reached into his pockets and grabbed the bag he had stashed there. He put it in Sakon's hands. The thief shook the bag, sniffed it and took a peek inside.
"Mm. Nothing like gold," he commented, shoving the bag in his own pocket.
Dark held out a hand. "You owe me for last time as well, Sakon."
The pale thief giggled, swaying from side to side. "Do I? Are you sure?"
Resisting the urge to grind his teeth in frustration, he said, "Yes. 100 rupees from last time, combined with the 100 for today. I had to steal those jewels from the Crowe. I'm putting my life on the line here."
Sakon giggled and danced up the temple steps. Dark was right on his swinging heels.
"All right, all right," Sakon sighed, hopping back down on the grass. "For your trouble." He dropped a handful of rupees into the youth's outstretched hand. Dark counted twice, holding the jeweled currency up to the light to inspect it. Sakon let out a high-pitched laugh. "No trust among thieves, hm?"
"No trust among any of your acquaintance," Dark insulted him. The pale man pouted. "Until next time, Sakon."
The jittery thief giggled, skipping away from the temple steps and disappearing between the trees. Dark stashed the money in a hidden pocket inside his shirt, patting it reassuringly.
He decided against going back to Palardine. He briefly considered heading back to the market district and getting to work before recalling what Sakon had said about soldier patrols. Changing his mind, he retraced his steps and headed back into East Wall. A section of the barrier had crumbled away, partly from disuse and partly from residents chipping off hunks of stone to construct shelters.
An old stairway had been gouged into the stone there, allowing the climber to emerge in a guard tower at the top. From this vantage point, he could look out across the eastern plain of Hyrule Field.
Zora's River meandered its way diagonally across the countryside, eventually flowing right beneath the wall and into Castle Town. Death Mountain's dusty brown peaks jutted into the sky in the distance. His eyes settled on the cliffs standing guard at the mighty mountain's feet. Kakariko lay somewhere inside its protection.
He sighed with a touch of longing. He had to leave this place. And soon. Patting the secret pocket, he smiled. The time for his permanent departure was fast approaching.
~oOo~
He didn't stop running. Going as fast as he was able, he knew he was close to the outside. Calling after him to wait up, Navi buzzed in his wake. It had been such a surreal day. Images flashed in his mind at impossible speeds, making him dizzy: The blue fairy relaying the Deku Tree's message; Saria, smiling as she congratulated him; Mido's jealous anger and hateful words; the monster he had faced, its claws tearing into the tree's vulnerable flesh, its large, glowing eye fixed on Link.
He shuddered just at the thought of it. Somehow, he had defeated it with the sword gifted to him by his guardian—a real sword! He still had it with him, along with his shield.
Another image invaded his mind: the Great Deku Tree, solemnly announcing his imminent demise and the truth of Link's apparent destiny.
"Thou hast demonstrated thy courage by slaying the monster that tormented me…but I have more to tell thee."
Respectfully, he had listened as the Great Deku Tree had told him of Hyrule's creation by three goddesses, and an evil man who desired the power of the gods, hidden somewhere in Hyrule. The Great Deku Tree claimed that, somehow, Link could stop the man's evil from overtaking the land.
"Thou must never allow the man from the desert to lay his hands upon the power of the gods…Because of his curse, I will die."
Guilt chewed him apart inside. He ran faster.
"Though you slew the monster and broke the curse, I was doomed long before you started…"
Link pushed himself faster, frustration and guilt fueling him. He should have been able to do something. If he'd been quicker, stronger…better, he could have saved his guardian. If he'd been a true Kokiri, this would never have happened.
The great tree spirit's final words rang in his ears as his boots pounded on the wooden bridge. Just beyond it was the outside.
"Link…go now to Hyrule Castle. It is there that thou shall find thy destiny…Thou art Hyrule's final hope. Find the princess of destiny."
He'd nearly reached the boundary of the forest. He could see sunlight spilling in through the gaps in the trees…
"You're leaving?"
The question halted him in his tracks. His momentum threw him a couple steps forward before stopped completely. Turning around, he saw Saria; he'd sprinted right past her.
Her eyes said it all; she knew he was leaving for good. He was surprised to see tears welling in her eyes when he stepped closer. She'd never been one to cry.
"I knew…someday…you would leave our home, Link." Her wide blue eyes didn't stray from his face. "I know that you're different…from me and my friends, and you feel that you don't belong here."
He kept silent, suffering through her sorrowful farewell.
Saria inhaled shakily, tears spilling out onto her cheeks. "But that's okay, that you're different. We'll always be friends, won't we?"
Link nodded mutely, afraid to speak unless the icy mixture of sadness, guilt and grief became too much.
Saria reached for his hands, placing a smooth, oblong object in them. "Take care of this for me," she requested. "When you're out there on your adventures…I hope you play my ocarina and remember me and this forest."
Link raised his gaze from the beautifully carved, wooden ocarina. He'd long admired Saria's instrument. Saria's blue eyes were filled with sadness so deep he felt the need to wrench his eyes away or be lost in her despair.
It was too much. Link stumbled backwards a step, eventually righting himself and turning away from his childhood friend. In moments, he'd run far enough that Saria disappeared, swallowed by the forest.
Soon, the trees began to thin, and light blinded him. It took several seconds before he realized what had happened. Over his shoulder, the tunnel-like entrance of the forest was black and sinister. Link looked away. Before him lay a path lit by sunlight, gently shaded by the last few trees. Taking a deep breath, Link followed the path, hoping it would lead him to his destiny.
~oOo~
Saria tightened her grip on the wooden bridge's support rope. Her best friend was gone. The trees before her had greedily pulled him in, shielding him from her view. It would never be the same. The forest had changed without him. As if to mock her, an unusually cold, biting wind blew through the forest tunnel, wrapping itself around her.
Saria shivered, eyes fixed on the place she had last seen Link. She spoke into the wind, willing it to carry her words out of the forest and into the world outside: "I hope you come back someday."