Chapter 3

The Great Deku Tree

Ancient trees have a majestic quality about them. Perhaps it is their longevity, or their massive size. It could be because they are able to weather nature's fury or simply because they are beautiful to behold. As Link made his way into the clearing, he was instantly struck by the wizened roots at his feet which led to the biggest and most ancient tree that he had ever seen. This tree was majestic, not because of its size or age, but because it had borne witness to the activities of a much younger world. It had seen life and death, blood and birth. The Great Deku Tree had witnessed the birth of the timid little boy before him, and he knew how that birth would change Hyrule forever.

This was not the Great Deku Tree of old, however. This tree was much older and grayer. His bark was ashy, as though it would crumble at the lightest touch, and his leaves were brown and dead-looking. The Deku Tree opened his eyes wearily and peered down at the boy. Upon seeing him, The Great Deku Tree gave a long sigh.

"Link… You have already been battling, I see. But it is in your blood, yes. The warrior is in your blood…" The Great Deku Tree sounded tired, and the wind in his voice had all but died out.

The fairy bobbing along in Link's wake gave a great shudder at this? It was plain that she was struggling to keep her voice respectful. "Warrior, great one? No disrespect, but he is something less than a warrior. He was nearly eaten by a deku baba on the way here!"

The Great Deku Tree gave a small, mirthless laugh. "We all have to start somewhere, Navi. Don't be so hard on him. I am counting on you to guide him through the trials that lie ahead. He will need you, and in that sense, your job will be the most important of all. The future of Hyrule lies with him, and he will be following your guidance."

Navi gave a small bob of appreciation. "I am flattered, Great one, but… but…" She began, and though she was nothing more than a ball of light with wings, one could almost see the look of disgust on her face as she said: "Him?! Are you certain that it is him that holds the future of Hyrule? Sire, we are discussing the fate of the world, and he is playing with pebbles!"

Sure enough, Link was preoccupied with a pile of flat stones that he was constructing into the form of a castle and appeared to be ignorant of what was going on around him. The Great Deku Tree gave another laugh.

"Do not begrudge him his peaceful nature, Navi. It is this that will sustain him in the times to come. Link, are you ready for a little adventure?"

Link looked up from his castle. "A-adventure? What kind of adventure?" He asked. Navi scoffed.

"There is a curse within me. It is making me very ill. I need you to go in and destroy it for me." The tree breathed.

"In? In where?" Link asked.

"Don't be so disrespectful! Call him 'Sire' or 'Great One!' Don't just say 'in where' to him like he's some kind of lowly oaf! He's much wiser than you'll ever be, and if he says you have to go in somewhere, then you'll have to go! Clearly he means that you have to go in…" The fairy paused. "In where?" Then she added quickly "Sire?"

"Harsh as always, Navi. I am planted above a dungeon. My many roots form its walls and my trunk its roof. It has become cursed, and so I am cursed as a result. I need you to go in and destroy the curse."

"Destroy the curse? But how, Great One? We can't possibly destroy a curse on our own!" Navi cried. "Maybe if I had an army, but all I have is… is… him!"

"Evil can always be destroyed, Navi." The Great Deku Tree chuckled breathily. "It is keeping it from coming back that is the problem. I have complete confidence in the two of you. Lead him well, Navi, and you may learn as much as he does."

Navi was about to protest, but a sudden rumbling stopped her. Link stood up and drew his sword. The Great Deku Tree's mouth was widening. Within the gap, Link could see a flickering glow as if torches had been lit somewhere inside.

"You want us to enter, Great One?" Navi asked. "What shall we… HEY!"

Without any further instruction, Link rushed forward, entering the Great Deku Tree's mouth and disappearing into the darkness. Navi bobbed in the air for a few confused moments, and then dashed after him. When she finally managed to bob her way into the dungeon's entrance, however, Navi discovered that Link had taken the torch with him, leaving her in complete darkness. A few moments later, she heard Link cry out. His sword sang as it clanged against something hard. The noise diminished as Link got farther and farther away.

"Wonderful." Navi muttered. "I hope the Great One realizes having a little boy carcass festering inside him probably won't make him feel any better."

Navi bobbed her way into the dungeon using her own glow as a source of light. It was eerily silent, and the fairy shuddered to herself as she peered around. The Great Deku Tree had neglected to mention that it was more than his roots that were affected by this curse. The wooden walls and cobwebs spelled it out for her. The Great Deku Tree had not been planted above a dungeon. He had been hollowed out, and the dungeon had been made out of his trunk. Navi inspected the walls and another shudder ran through her. It was clearly a set of enormous claws or fangs that had scraped against them. It appeared as thought the Great Deku Tree had been hollowed out by some sort of insect. There was only one type of insect that made cobwebs. Were spiders classified as insects? Were they simply called arachnids? Oh, it didn't matter! There couldn't possibly be a rolled up newspaper big enough…

Navi floated down into a giant hole in the floor that looked as if it had been covered by a web that had been burned away. Navi prayed that the boy hadn't set himself on fire in the process. Littered around this bottom layer of the Great Deku Tree's trunk were the corpses of spiders and spider monsters with skull-like shells. Navi was almost feeling impressed when she heard Link cry out once more. She followed the echoes to another hole and floated inside of it. Just as Navi reached the entrance to a large cavern, Link screamed and fell silent. Navi froze at the entrance, peering around in the dark. She could see the outline of some gigantic creature in the dark and carefully bobbed towards it. When she had assured herself that the creature was no longer moving, she gained the courage to inspect the monster. "Spider" was an understatement. Navi had only ever read of such creatures. This was a "ghoma." Navi had only ever read of it in ancient scriptures. It was a legendary monster said only to appear in times of great turmoil.

Navi marveled at the majesty of this creature. It lay on its side, its legs curling up at odd angles. An enormous eye in the monster's back, which had clearly been punctured several times, oozed clear liquid onto the cavern floor. Foul-smelling venom leaked from the creature's curved fangs which stuck out of its stomach as though it had been stabbed with several jagged spears. Perhaps the most horrific thing about the dead ghoma was the fact that even in death it was giving birth to dozens of still-born babies which fell out of its rear end and onto the floor with sickening plops. It was then that something occurred to Navi. She began to bob away from the monster, illuminating the corners of the cavern with her glow.

"Ch-challenged one?" She called. "Link?"

Only silence responded to her calls. The boy was nowhere to be seen, and Navi floated farther away from the ghoma, searching for him. Finally, she spotted something huddled a few feet away from the dead creature.

"Link?" She asked, focusing all of her light on the small body. "Link? Are you alright?"

The boy didn't move. He lay there on his side, his eyes closed. The stench of venom emanated from him like a foul wave of mist. Navi bobbed closer to him, hovering above his face. Was he breathing? Was he dead? All at once, the boy's eyes opened, and Navi bobbed back a few inches. Link squinted as her light hit his eyes. Upon seeing her, a gentle smile formed on his lips. He held up a wooden slingshot.

"I found a new toy…" He said wearily.

Navi nearly laughed, but caught herself just in time. It was a good thing that humans couldn't see fairies' expressions. "You ran in there without me! What were you thinking?! You could have gotten yourself killed! You nearly did! Of all the…" Navi turned suddenly and stared at the creature behind her who was still spewing babies out of its backside. "Right. I'll yell at you later. Let's get out of here before one of those things come to life."

Navi bobbed along patiently as Link climbed his way out of the Great Deku Tree's trunk. As soon as they were clear, the Deku Tree closed his mouth and peered down at them wearily. Despite the fact that Link had destroyed the creature within him, the Deku Tree looked worse than ever. Link eyed him with concern.

"I… I killed…" He began.

"Yes, my boy. You did wonderfully, just as I expected. I knew you had it in you!" The Great Deku Tree wheezed.

"Well he was more lucky than anything… Great One… You look… You will be able to heal now, won't you?" Navi asked.

The Great Deku Tree laughed bitterly. "Heal? There was never any question of healing me, my dear Navi. That monster burrowed into my insides. I'm practically hollow. Do you know what that would do to a Kokiri?"

Navi bobbed nervously. "But… but…"

"Someone came to visit me here. He wanted something from me, and when I refused him, he set that creature loose within me. It didn't take very long to complete its work." The tree continued.

"Someone… That's impossible! No one knows this place exists! It's a myth to the outside world!" Navi cried.

"Myths always have some truth to them, Navi. This man… this thief came looking for something very specific. He knew it was more than a myth, and he knew where to find me. He thought that he could take the item from me when I was dead, and that if I were to give the item to one of the Kokiri, it would be a simple matter to find them, as they never leave the forest, and take it from them. Well he never counted on the fact that one of the children in this forest was not a Kokiri, that he would be able to venture far away from here, and that were he to be confronted one day, he would have the strength and courage to defend himself." The Great Deku Tree replied.

Navi turned towards Link. The boy stepped forward and peered timidly into the Great Deku Tree's staring eyes. "I… I am not a Kokiri?" He asked in little more than a whisper. When the Great Deku Tree did not answer, Link sat down heavily and placed his head in his hands.

"Your mother was a Hylian, Link. She came to me for protection while she still carried you. She came to me after hearing a legend, a myth. She came fearing for your life. She wanted a better life for you, a happy life. You are not a Kokiri, Link, and so it is against our sacred laws to tell you the details of that legend, but I believe there will be a time when you will find out on your own. It is your destiny to unravel the mysteries of this world. That is what your poor mother didn't know as she lay dying at my roots. You were not destined for a peaceful life, Link. You were destined to make life peaceful for everyone else. That is the burden of a hero, and it is why I am entrusting you with a very special item."

There was a flash of green light and something began to fall from the sky. It was a pendant of sorts made of three glowing green stones connected with a band of gold. It hovered before Link, and he reached out and took it.

"There are two other spiritual stones, one infused with the spirit of fire, the other infused with the spirit of water. You must find them both. Seek out the Hylian Princess in Hyrule Town. She will help you to find them."

Navi bobbed towards the tree. "Great One, you can't mean…" She began, but it was too late. There was a great gust of wind that scattered leaves and dust around the clearing and sent a shiver throughout the forest. When the dust settled, the Great Deku Tree stood before them as before, but lifeless, his bark grey and dull, his mouth open as it had been when he had admitted Link into his trunk. Before either Link or Navi could fully grasp what had just happened, a voice rang out.

"Murderer!"

Mido stood in the clearing, his tearful eyes full of fury.