Chapter 9: The Great Deku Palace
Walking down the long, wooden corridors of the Deku Palace was Dreek, Commander of the Deku Royal Guard and Tatl who remained hidden under the long green hat that remained due to some of Link's physical characteristics. Link didn't bother to count how many times he, or they, were saluted as they continued towards the throne room but he knew it was still a lot, be it because of his high status or because of how many guards were situated throughout the entirety of the Palace.
Along the way they also passed a massive library where many scholars also waved to Dreek, being the top graduate. Many of them had patches of sap on them that seemed similar to human spots or freckles. Dreek gave them a simple wave as he continued to walk by, pleasing Link as he didn't hope to stay with these dekus for too long.
A few more minutes passed as the long corridors came to an eventual end, leading to a final two guards standing with large, heavy spears next to an even larger oak door. Nodding to show they had heard of his arrival, one slid open a panel and whispered some words to another guard on the other side before opening the door. The opening was greeted with an introduction and a grand chair in which sat the great Deku King.
His attire was made entirely of leaves and other wood-like components, but dressed up in a kingly way. A chain of leaves was woven into a sash worn over the left shoulder and a grass skirt made from long blades of grass falling half way down his legs. Dreek knew it so he didn't bother to look, but Link couldn't help but notice that the king also had a large spear resting against his chair.
"Commander Dreek! Welcome back." The King greeted. "You are a few days later than even you anticipated, but I trust that your return means you have completed your mission."
"I have, sire. I must start by saying, however, that what I have found out is not good news." Dreek began.
"Oh? Not good news?"
"Yes, sire. The moon is indeed drawing closer, but it's not falling. It's being pulled."
"Pulled?!" The King exclaimed in shock, eyes wide. "What could possibly be pulling the moon?!"
"That is the bad news, sire. According to information I managed to obtain in Clock Town it could quite possibly be the single greatest threat the entire land has faced. An ancient evil named Majora."
"Majora?" The King asked, confused by the name. "I have never heard that name before."
"Neither had I, sire, until I investigated more. I found documents of an old legend saying that this Majora almost conquered the entire world many decades ago, but was stopped by the four guardian giants of the land."
"The ones that supposedly live in each compass providence?"
"The very same." Dreek confirmed.
The King rested his head on his hand for a moment as he did what he could to process this new information and to try and piece things together. Dreek stood perfectly still, a soldier's stance, while awaiting a response from his King.
"You are quite certain that whatever is pulling the moon is this Majora you speak of?"
"There is no doubt." Dreek voiced. "Using a sketch from the documents and the aid of the astronomer I was able to see the mask of Majora, the only form it currently has, standing atop the Clock Tower beckoning the moon closer."
"A mask, you say? A mask is just a mask, even if it does house this incredible power to call the moon. How can it stand upon the Clock Tower?" The King exclaimed.
"It would seem that when someone wears the mask, the mask itself slowly works to gain total control over the wearer until the body has no self control left. By what I could tell through the astronomer's telescope, it was a skull kid who was foolish enough to don the mask and doom us all."
Dreek's last sentence caused Tatl to fume. A battle ensued between wanting to zip out and slap him, and staying put to keep their cover. Fortunately, the latter side won.
"You say this Majora was stopped before by the guardian giants. Is it not possible to call them again and protect our land once more?"
"I believe so, sire, which is another reason why I have returned. I suspect that the spirit of one of the giants may rest in the Woodfall Temple. Perhaps I could go and try to establish contact." Dreek suggested.
"The Woodfall Temple? I'm sorry Commander, but entrance to the temple is strictly prohibited to all persons until further notice." The King stated.
"Begging your pardon, sire, but why?"
"Two days ago, while you were still out on your mission, my daughter was kidnapped by an unknown assailant and abducted to the Woodfall Temple. We fear that approaching may put her in harms way so we are thinking of a plan of action that would not endanger her." The deku King explained.
"The princess has been kidnapped?" Dreek managed to say.
"I'm afraid so. Commander, you have had a long time away from home. I suggest you take up your old residence and rest for now. I will gather my advisors tomorrow where we can all meet and discuss a course of action."
"Of course sire."
Dreek bowed then turned to leave where the guards had already opened the doors for him. All remained silent, even in the soundproof vacancy of the mind Link chose not to speak to Dreek for now as they headed for the private quarters the King spoke of.
Walking back down the long wooden hallways, Link took the time to again notice how many guards there were and realised it was most likely due to the scare of their kidnapped princess. Not like it would have made much of a difference. Whatever had kidnapped her it had proven it could do it under the nose of every guard in the palace, so adding more seemed useless to Link.
Finally, after a few more minutes of walking down more oddly similar hallways Dreek stopped at a door with his military name engraved on it before turning the handle and going in. Once the door was closed, the talking began.
"Oh it feels so good to be out from under that hat. So, hey, Dreek. You ok?" Tatl asked, stretching her arms and wings.
"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Dreek replied, sitting down on a large, elegant flower in the corner of the room.
"Well, it's just your King said the princess had been kidnapped. I just thought you might be a little..."
"Upset?" Dreek finished.
"Yeah. But, you're not?" Tatl asked, sensing the calm tone of his voice.
"It's like I told the professor. It's likely that I'm stuck in this form forever, so I should accept it and let everything go."
"Well, if that's what you feel you need to do." Tatl replied.
Figuring that anything else said would recieve roughly the same answer, Tatl gave up and sat on the edge of the window, looking out into the courtyard of the Palace. Dreek simply sat back on the flower, that was the equivalent of a human bed, and looked at his room again after having been away from it for almost a week. It was quite basic with only the bare neccesities such as a bed, table and chair and a chest of draws all spread around the room.
Despite the room being basic, it was basic in an upper class way. It was the way Dreek liked it as it allowed him to get away from the rest of the world and truly be by himself where nothing could touch him. Sadly, that was no longer possible.
We only have two more days before we all get crushed. You better get us to that temple quickly. Link ordered.
"If all goes well then we should be able to go after the meeting tomorrow. Nothing can be done now so just rest." Dreek suggested.
Link silently agreed as he slipped into Dreek's unconciousness. Dreek intended to do so himself, but he couldn't stop thinking about the princess and what kind of torment she could be suffering in the temple. He wanted to be over her, to be able to forget her and move on with what little life he still had, but he just couldn't forget about her. Why? Had he perhaps let out more than he wanted to when confessing to the astronomer?
He needed to talk to someone about it, but he couldn't without explaining his being dead. He had felt Link dip into the dark corners of his mind so perhaps it would be safe to talk without him butting in. He wasn't sure, but it was worth the risk.
A while had passed since they first entered the room and Tatl had spent most of it fluttering around the Palace grounds checking it out in silence. The sun had set now and she had returned to the room, mainly because her glow would show her off to many people when she wanted to remain inconspicuous. This was who Dreek wanted to talk to and now was when he wanted to do it.
"Hey, Tatl?"
"Hm?" Tatl responded.
"Do you miss your brother?" Dreek asked.
"Do I miss Tael? Well, of course. That's why I came with you, to help rescue him."
"So, how do you deal with that?"
Slightly startled at the question, Tatl glided over to the table and sat on the edge to think about it for a moment. Dreek remained sitting on his flower bed.
"I guess...I don't." Tatl finally answered. "I think about him every day. How is he doing, what can I do to help, I keep asking myself questions like that all the time. The closest I thin I get to dealing with them is having other things to think about, such as helping you and Link."
"Oh. So you pre-occupy yourself with other matters. I see." Dreek replied.
It seemed simple enough, but Dreek had accepted there was no way back to his old self so he had nothing else to pre-occupy himself with. He would have to deal with these thoughts and endless series of questions. Maybe they would all be answered then go away once he saved her the next day...or maybe it would give him even more questions and confusing emotions. To Dreek it was all too complicated and best not to think about.
"Dreek, are you sure you're alright?" Tatl asked again.
"I'm...I don't know. I'm just going to sleep now, alright?" Dreek said, yawning.
"Yeah, you do that. I may just stay up a little longer." Tatl replied.
"Ok, goodnight then."
"Goodnight."
Dreek dove into his flower-bed and allowed the pollen to help him drift to sleep while Tatl remained on the table, thinking. She hadn't done it much recently, but listening and talking to Dreek made her want to do so.
"Oh Tael, please be alright. I don't know what I would do without you. Just please be alright." Tatl begged to the sky.
Sitting still for another half an hour, fatigue eventually caught up on Tatl as she laid back on a soft patch of soil and went to sleep.
---
Shortly after the sun rose over the horizen, the entireity of the Deku Palace had awoken and already the members of the King's council were gathering in the main consult room. Dreek awoke with the rest of the palace, but decided to stay in his room longer than he normally would to give Link and Tatl time to wake up by themselves. Link woke up shortly after Dreek did but Tatl remained asleep for a while longer. It was a friendly nudge from Dreek that awoke her to the morning of the second day.
An hour or so later once they had fully awoken and had something to eat, the trio slowly made ther way to the main consult room in order to discuss the matter of the princess and Dreek's entrance of the temple. Tatl, again, hid under the large green hat and Link also remained in the corner of the mind choosing just to listen instead of make comments. It was a chance to see how the Deku royalty dealt with problems compared to the Hylian royal family.
"So how long do you think this is going to take?" Tatl whispered.
"Normally a few hours, but this is urgent so maybe half an hour." Dreek whispered in response.
Neither said anything after that for fear they may be overheard by the guards and arise suspicion. Another minute of navigating the corridors and they arrived at the conferance. Verifying his identification once more that morning the doors were opened to reveal a large table with around twenty dekus of varying size all bickering with each other.
"I've told you time and time again that it's just too dangerous."
"And I've told you that we need to do something or else we doom her to death!"
"But any rash action could put her in grave danger! The risks are too great."
"So we just sit here and-"
"SILENCE!"
The sudden call of the Deku King rang through the room bringing the desired effects of the single word. All eyes diverted to him but his eyes were looking at Dreek, who had been waiting a minute for the anarchy to die down. After another minute of others following the eyesight to see Dreek, he walked around the table to find a seat next to the King in which he sat down. It was evident by the looks on their faces that some members of the council did not like Dreek quite possibly because of the title he possessed at his young age. Others liked him for his intelligence and obedience so it was obvious right from the start that any vote would be a near-split verdict.
"Now that we are all present, I would like to begin this meeting again." The King began.
"Your majesty, we have begun this meeting a number of times over the past few days and the ending has always remain inconclusive. What makes you think this meeting will be any different than the last?"
"The reason, Councillor Rebin, is because of some information Commander Dreek has recieved through the course of his mission. I am classifying this information to the council so that it may help in our final verdict." The King responded. "Commander, if you would."
"Of course your highness."
Dreek leant over the table spreading out a scroll that was a world map. Waiting a moment for the whole council to see the map and see how accurate it was, Dreek began.
"This is Clock Town. The centre of the Termina region and market hub of our land."
He paused for a moment to see the faces of the council and also to see if there were any obvious questions. They remained silent, however, and had fixed their gaze on Dreek waiting with anticipation for the information he had supposedly gathered.
"...And it's about to be destroyed."
A sudden and large amount of gasps erupted as arguing about what to do occured once more.
"Destroyed?!"
"By what?"
"By who?"
The council was again silenced by the King by raising his hand instead of shouting.
"The inevitable cause of this is, as we have feared, the falling of the moon. Actually, the calling of the moon. Yes, the moon is being pulled towards us by a force in Clock Town. That force? An ancient evil known as Majora."
"Majora?" Councillor Rebin repeated. "I believe I may have read that name somewhere in the old library. Is it not just a suit or a helmet?"
"Close. It is a mask, and when it is worn this kind of fate befalls us."
"So which fool was found wearing this mask?" Another councillor asked.
"A simple-minded Skull kid who didn't know better. It couldn't have been helped." Dreek answered.
"Now wait a minute, while this is indeed an urgent matter, how is it relevant to the safety of the Princess?"
"I'm glad you asked. Now, there is a way that we can stop Majora's plans and that is to reawaken the four giants who rest in the guardian temples in Termina. The Woodfall Temple is one of them so we have to enter it and find the spirit of this giant before the moon collides with us." Dreek explained.
"But any rash action by charging in could end in the death of the Princess. With no other heir in the royal family there could be chaos!"
"What chaos would there be when the world has already been destroyed by then? We have to enter or else doom the entire world!"
"And who do you suggest we send in? This is not a job that the entire army can solve by marching in. We need a small number."
"Begging the council's pardon, but I would request that I go." Dreek piped up.
For a moment, there was silence for some to process the request and others to hear it over the rabble of questions and statements. Now came the time when the split of opinion would show itself.
"You? Send you in there, alone? Madness!"
"And why is that, Councillor Belland? Dreek is a strong soldier and by sending in only one person we may be able to rescue the Princess and this giant with no injuries done to either one!"
"Exactly. It's not like anybody else has the skills to perform such a mission by themselves."
"Oh come now, don't delude yourself. He is just a boy and we all know why he really wants to go in."
"Which would give him all the motivation necessary to find and save the Princess. Let the 'boy' go!"
"Enough!" The King shouted. "We can do this calmly and rationally. Now, I propose a council vote. All those in favour of sending Commander Dreek on the rescue mission?"
At first only a few hands went up but given a moment of quick thought and half of the council agreed with the idea, predictably. The other half were strongly against it because of their dislike for Dreek, feelings of irrationality or still undecided. The King had made no vote as his was always the final decision, hence the purpose of the council. He would let the council make their decision and then make his decision based on the number of votes and the ideas voiced by the council members. Seeing the number of hands up, the King sighed as he ended the conference.
"It would appear that we have an even split of ideals between the council. Perhaps it would be wise to dismiss ourselves for now and see if we can come up with a decision at a later point of time."
"That wold be wise. Council dismissed." High Councellor Seega ordered.
The councillors all left the room in an orderly fashion, talking to each other along the way. Dreek and the King remained behind so that they may talk to each other. Neither seemed to say anything for a few minutes after the councillors left as they both waited for the other to start. With Dreek having nothing to start with, the King gave in and began for him.
"Commander, are you quite sure you want to do this? Even if you get council permission it will be a highly dangerous mission, especially alone."
"I am one of the best specialist soldiers in the entire deku army. I will be fine."
The silence started again. The King knew of Dreek's feelings for his daughter, hence why he gave her a private tutor. He also knew of his daughter's order to Dreek telling him to forget her. At first he doubted Dreek could, but later proved him wrong when he became the model soldier even on escorting the Princess to various locations. Now there was the worry that Dreek was no longer a model soldier and that those feelings had resurfaced. This hadn't occured to the King yesterday and it only came to him now due to the words of a Councillor.
"Dreek. What are your reasons for wanting to do this?" The King asked.
"I...live to serve the royal family. To hear of the Princess and not want to help would be disgraceful." Dreek answered.
"And that is the only reason?"
Dreek wanted to reply, but suddenly stopped when he had to think of how we would reply to that. Dreek knew that the King knew of his old feelings. He could make the cherade of saying that he still doesn't, but the consequences it brought and the amount of improvisation could bring on a number of complications that would make his remaining time in the deku realm quite uncomfortable. The same could also be said to telling the truth, so once again he had another tough choice of what to say.
A few more minutes of silence passed and still Dreek had no answer. Fortunately for him, no answer was necessary as the King continued. Whether this was good or bad for Dreek, he never figured out.
"You know what, forget I asked you that. Why don't I call my Butler and give you a chance to relax some more."
"No! No. I'll be fine on my own." Dreek hastily replied.
"Alright, I shall leave you to yourself. Dismissed Commander."
Saluting, Dreek got up from the chair and left the Consult room to return to his room once more. The walk back felt considerably longer, or slower, than it did on the way there. He now had a lot to think about and now he had the time to do it with the prolonging of the meeting. Now was a time to decide if he wanted to imbrace his feelings for the Princess once more or dismiss them for good. This was something he could only answer himself and right now he had no answers.
Walking back, Dreek decided to change his course and head for the Palace gardens instead. Not many people were here in the morning as most of the Palace inhabitants got to work quickly and came here later on in the day when they had earned themselves some free time.
The gardens were quite a beauty of a sight for one of any race to behold. The grass was the most lucious and green grass anywhere in the whole region and the flower beds housed some of the rarest and wonderous flowers in the world. Truly this was a place to come to forget about your worries and whittle the hours away relaxing. Strolling down the grassy walkways, Dreek eventually found a small bench in one of the corners and sat down to look around, enjoying the surrounding beauty. Taking a peak from under the hat, Tatl flew out when she saw they were alone and sat down next to Dreek.
"Wow. This place sure is pretty." Tatl marvelled.
"My father helped organise it, under the guide of the Princess of course." Dreek calmly said.
"You're father? Was he the royal florist or something?" Tatl asked, curious.
"No. He is their Butler."
"Ah!" Tatl exclaimed, then realised. "Oh. So that's why you passed up the King's offer."
"Yes." Dreek answered, sighing. "I'm not ready to meet my father just yet. Not without telling him."
Both sighed together, choosing not to talk more about it but instead to look at the gardens they were sitting in. The flowers they were currently looking at were a deep violet with a gradual change to bright yelow on the rim, petals short and round spurting in all directions. They had a delectable pollen so it was no wonder that a large portion of the insects were choosing these flowers to pollinate. For a moment they both forgot everything that was occuring until a sudden wind blew tatl a little, regaining herself.
"Well, we have a bit of time before that council comes back with an answer so we should do something while we're here." Tatl voiced.
"We could go to the upper levels. Get a higher view of the forest, or swamp." Dreek suggested.
"Alright, let's go."
Standing up from the bench, Tatl tucked herself back under the hat so she would not be seen in the halls by the guards. As they entered these halls, a familiar and unwanted voice was heard within Dreek's head.
I have a better idea. Link said, seizing control of the body. Let's go to that temple now.
"If we go before a council verdict we may not be allowed to leave." Dreek said back, trying to regain control.
It would take weeks for that pathetic council to even realise that the lives of the world far outweigh that of a measly Princess.
"Are you really trying to save the world as you so claim, or just helping yourself?" Dreek asked angrily.
Oh, are both not possible to achieve at the same time? Perhaps we'll have to find out for ourselves.
"There's no point. You don't even know which way to go."
But you do, and I've already read your mind. I know exactly where to go and just what to do when we get there. Link reassured Dreek, an obvious air of power in his voice.
That was it. Link had control now and no matter how much he resisted there was nothing Dreek could do. He now had to sit back as Link marched out of the Palace and into forbidden territory, against the order of the council and the King. When they returned there would be trouble, but how much trouble was something that both of them had greatly underestimated.
Tatl remained oblivious to the entire conversation in the head below her and continued to believe that Dreek was taking her to the upper levels for a better view. This continued for a long time, even up to the point where they had left the Palace grounds and were outside in the clearing that Kotake had originally lead them to. Deciding to take a risk and see where they were, Tatl lifted the hat ever so slightly to see a vast amount of trees and swampy water.
"Uh, hey Dreek? I thought we were going to the upper levels." Tatl said.
"There's been a change of plans." Link replied, making no effort to change his voice to match Dreek's.
"A cha- Link? What are you doing? Ah!" Tatl screamed as Link grabbed her and pulled her out from under the hat.
"We're going straight to that temple." Link answered, opening his hand to free Tatl. "We have little time to waste and yet we wait for permission to enter."
"With good reason! A life is in danger and you could potentially be killing her." Tatl retorted.
"Only when stuck in this pitiable form." Link replied.
Having made sure Tatl was no longer on him, Link grabbed to the sides of his face and found the invisible edges of the mask. Gripping them, Link pulled until it was off causing a large amount of momentary pain which lead to regaining his old human form once again.
"Ahhh, it feels good to be me again. Now, do you wish to go back and make me go through the 'proper channels' or will you accompany me in trying to save this life you seem so interested in?"
Tatl made no noise or movement, only a delicate hovering as she decided on her course of action. It didn't take too long to see common sense as she fluttered down to Link's shoulder and sat down, showing she was staying by his side and ready to move. Link took the hint and set off through a hidden passage in the woods that lead to the secluded Woodfall Temple.
Standing on top of the main gate to the Palace was the deku King's Butler who had given himself the task of watching out for any signs of the Princess, or the capturer's, return. As a result he saw his son leave and go through the strange transformation from a deku to a young human boy. Instincts immideately told him to report this to the King and how Dreek was not really Dreek but an imposter in disguise. However, seeing as this was his son it was difficult to fully process that the joy of hearing his son's safe return was now false. Instead there was sorrow that his son still hadn't returned and the greatest fear that he may never return.
A while later, the Butler had found the means to move again and by allowing his body to move itself, found himself on the same bench Dreek had been sitting on earlier in the gardens. This kind of situation should be instantly reported but he needed time to think about whether he should and these gardens were normally the place for deep thought.
Dreek had been sent on missions before and every time he came back precisely when he meant to. For this mission he was a couple of days late so he had already been filled with worry. To hear that his delay was due to extra intel discovery set his heart at ease, but if this was not truly Dreek then he was now three days late and likely to never come back. He had lost a son.
There was still the possibility that it really was Dreek but under some kind of spell or having gained a new ability of some sort. After all, no one else but Dreek would now where to go in the Palace or know of the exact specifications of the mission so it had to be Dreek, which meant something had to have happened to him. The world was about to be destroyed and his son had gone missing. In both cases there was nothing that could be done to bring some kind of resolve to them, nothing that any of the dekus could do.
Above him, the skies released their cargo and filled the air with rain pouring all over the Palace. Realising his hopelessness, the Butler placed his head in his hands and began to cry.