Alright, since the prologue set the story in motion, here's the first proper chapter of Warrior, Hero, Saviour. So far the reaction to this project has been decent, so here's to further success! Here we go!
Disclaimer: I claim no ownership to The Legend of Zelda or any related material; The Legend of Zelda is the property of Nintendo and Shigeru Miyamoto.
WARRIOR, HERO, SAVIOUR
CHAPTER 2: THE BOY WITHOUT A FAIRY
Storm clouds fill the darkened sky, threatening to drown the land with torrential rain. Lightning flashes intermittently, searing the gaze of anyone foolish enough to stare at the skies for too long. A dark shape rushes by, carrying two other silhouettes with it. As the shadows disappear into the gathering darkness, the next thing that appears is a towering figure with dark armor astride a night-black steed, readying a burst of dark magic...
Link woke with a start, looking frantically in the darkness for any disturbance. The same vision had plagued him for weeks, and he could never fully ascertain the identity of any of the silhouettes present. He had lived in Kokiri Forest all his life, and never had he experienced something like this.
He calmed himself down and looked around his small room. Like most of the Kokiri, he had built his house in one of the trees, but his house was much different. His was not literally a tree-house: instead of hollowing the trunk, he had found a thinner tree than most and built a house on top of it. Building the house had taken a while, but his ingenuity and strength, both highly unusual for a child of the forest, had helped him pull it off.
Being unusual was something Link had had to get used to. He knew that he wasn't like the rest of the Kokiri; for one thing, he was much bigger than the others, and not as childishly curious as they were. As a result, he usually found himself helping with the more physically taxing work in the Forest, carrying logs, rocks and various other heavy things. The other Kokiri also didn't have to deal with these nightmares, and Link envied them for that. Why did he have to lose sleep every night, dealing with these troublesome visions, while the rest of the Forest could rest in relative peace? It made no sense to him at all.
Link sighed and lay back on his bed; the forest was still locked in sleep, and the dawn was still hours away. As he drifted off to sleep, he recalled the dark figure that had haunted his nightmares for weeks, and shivered as he finally passed out...
Morning came with a slightly muted dawn, clouds intermittently crossing in front of the sun. As the sun rose over the forest, the Kokiri began to awaken and prepare for another day. Some headed out to gather Deku sticks and nuts to be sold at the Kokiri Shop, while others simply worked on keeping the village neat by cutting the grass. All of this was overseen to a point by Mido, who always took up a vantage point at the entrance to the Deku Tree's clearing, glaring haughtily at anyone who dared to meet his gaze. The other Kokiri rarely challenged him, such was his assumed authority.
As Link awoke and looked over towards the Deku Tree's clearing, his eyes narrowed; he and Mido didn't get along very well. Mido always treated Link badly, and always reacted angrily when Link pointed out that despite being the self-styled Big Boss of the Kokiri, he rarely ever did any actual work in the village. Mido's general response was a snarl and an attempt to hit Link, but these attempts usually ended with the red-haired Kokiri on the ground. That didn't dissuade Mido from bothering him, though.
As he reached the ledge at the doorway of his house, he saw Saria running towards him. Of the Kokiri, Saria was the one who knew him best, and was his best friend—no, his only friend—in the village: the others wouldn't dare befriend him, for fear of Mido getting on their case. He climbed down a ladder to meet her, all the while thinking about what he might do today.'
"Hi, Link!" Saria said breathlessly as she reached the house, a bright smile on her face. Her fairy flitted from one side to another, a constant companion for the Kokiri girl.
"Hey, Saria," Link answered as he adjusted his hat. Unlike Saria, he had no fairy at his side, another detail that made him unusual. No-one had ever explained why, but he wished that someday a fairy would come to him; at least it would shut Mido up. "What's up?"
"Oh, not much. Mido's being Mido, of course, and the shopkeeper is having trouble getting certain supplies because the Deku Babas near the Deku Tree's grotto are more aggressive than usual."
"Why not ask Mido to get them?" Link asked bitterly. "He spends all his time near there anyway, why doesn't he do something useful for a change?"
"I don't know, Link. Some people just like to order others around. Don't let Mido get to you; he's only jealous because you're so much bigger and stronger than he is."
"I guess so. Is there anything else that needs to be done around here?"
"Well, there's a bunch of rocks near the Lost Woods. Why not go break them up? It'll be something to do, if nothing else."
"Why not?" Link answered, not thrilled at the prospect of going near the Lost Woods; he'd heard a lot of weird stories about the place. Then he considered; if he didn't do the job, it might take the whole village. "Who knows, the shop might be able to use them once they're busted."
"That's the spirit," Saria said with a smile. "Listen, I've got to go back home and get some work done myself, but we can talk later when things quiet down. Why not grab the Twins, they're always ready to break stuff."
"Okay, sounds good." Link waved to Saria as she hurried away, then sighed deeply and started the walk over to the Twins' house, hoping that they'd be willing to help him out.
Later on, Link grunted heavily as he tossed another rock aside, watching as it hit the ground and broke into pieces. The pile of rocks had taken him nearly the entire day to deal with, but the heavy work was satisfying in a way. He hadn't had one thought about the visions that had kept him awake, and was hoping the vigorous exercise would make it easier for him to fall asleep. As the Twins—identical-looking Kokiri who lived next door to Saria, near the Deku Tree's clearing—helped clear the last of the broken rocks away, Link saw Mido walking towards him. The Big Boss had his usual scowl on today, and Link sighed as he steeled himself for yet another confrontation.
"So, you got those rocks busted, huh?" Mido asked, kicking a stray chunk away. "Well, not bad for a fairly-less loser. How does it feel to be different, huh? Does it hurt to know you'll never truly be one of us?"
"Save it, Mido," Link shot back, hoping to get away before things escalated again; then, a red mist clouded his thoughts, and he decided he'd get the argument over with. "At least I did something today; you just stood near the clearing and watched everyone else work. If you're such a great Boss, why not show everybody instead of being all talk?"
Mido's eyes narrowed as he worked out what Link had said. He walked over and pushed his face into Link's.
"What did you say to me?" he snarled, his buck teeth bared.
"I said, why not act like a Boss instead of talking about being the Boss?" Link had had enough of Mido pushing him around. He wasn't afraid of the smaller Kokiri, Big Boss or not.
"Well, how about I start now?" Mido shoved Link back, and Link nearly fell into a nearby pile of broken rock. Link got up and laughed. Nearby, Saria had arrived, and looked with horror at what was going on.
"Link, Mido, stop this right now! You can't fight like this every time you see each other!" Link vaguely heard Saria's words, but didn't care. It was time Mido was put in his place.
"You call that a push, Mido? That was pitiful! A Boss like you should be tougher than that!" Mido yelled in anger and ran at Link, who stood firm. As Mido approached, flailing his arms wildly, Link neatly sidestepped him and stuck out a leg. The Boss of the Kokiri tripped and went flying into a nearby patch of grass. Link turned to face his enemy and folded his arms, waiting for Mido's response. Mido stood up and glared at Link with hate.
"Whatever! You're still a loser with no fairy! Deal with that, wimp! You'll never be one of us! You'll never be a true Kokiri!" With these stinging words, Mido stalked towards his house, leaving Link alone with Saria, who was beside herself.
"Link, you really mustn't let Mido bother you like that! You two always fight when you're near one another, and it has to stop! You act like children!" Link sheepishly let his shoulders drop; Saria was right, he couldn't fight with Mido. Not only was Saria upset, but the Great Deku Tree would never approve of two children of the forest fighting.
"I'm sorry, Saria. I don't know why we can't stand one another, really. It just seems to me that the only way to deal with bullies like him is to beat them and scare them out of bothering people."
"Well, you should realize that violence is never the answer. Mido may act like a big bully, but he's not as big and strong as you are. You could really hurt someone, and that would never do."
"I know. I'll try to handle it better next time."
"That's good. Now, why don't we go back to my house and have some Deku-leaf tea? You must be tired after throwing all those rocks around."
"Sounds like a plan." Link said, and the two friends headed down the road from the Woods back to Saria's home.
That night, while the Kokiri Forest slept, a shadowy figure slipped through the village and headed for the Deku Tree's grotto. The figure took care not to make any sound, because any noise would alert the forest-dwellers to his presence, and he couldn't afford anyone knowing he was there. Deku Babas popped up as he passed, but one wave of his hand sent them back into the ground. Eventually, he reached the wide clearing where the Deku Tree stood, and defiantly called the spirit's name. The Deku Tree observed the newcomer, and then spoke.
"Who art thou, who cometh into my hollow? What business doth thou have here?"
"I am here to claim something that belongs to these simple-minded folk, you weak-minded fool." The stranger's voice was deep, and had a sinister tone to it.
"What something is this? I knoweth of nothing that might interest thee here."
"The jewel, tree. The Kokiri Emerald, the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, a key to the Sacred Realm. You will give it to me, or you will suffer."
"Thou art pure evil. Thou art the dark warrior-mage from the desert, the one who shall bring chaos to the land of Hyrule. This shall not be so. Thou shalt get nothing from me, man of the desert. I shall take any suffering thou chooseth to visit upon me."
"So be it. You will be cursed with the most virulent parasite I could find to deal with you. The creature will kill you, and then I will return and take what is mine. But, I am loathe to curse such an old and dignified spirit as yourself. Therefore, I will offer you mercy. I will give you one last chance to surrender the Kokiri Emerald freely."
"Thou hast my answer." the tree answered, refusing to give this evil stranger what he demanded. "I shall die before giving the Kokiri Emerald to the likes of you."
"Then you have signed your death wish, spirit!" The stranger took a small jar from his traveling cloak and hurled it at the tree's roots. The jar shattered, and a small, spider-like creature scuttled from her sanctuary and burrowed into the ground, seeking the deepest root of all to make a nest. "You should count yourself fortunate. There are other monstrous creatures that would prolong your suffering. Instead, the creature within you will nest and rapidly sap your life force. She will need to nourish her children after all, and they are insatiable. The creature herself will grow rapidly, thanks to my magic, and you will die within two days. Then, I will claim the Kokiri Emerald from your chewed-out remains, and I will rule this land! Farewell, spirit of the forest. Enjoy your last days." The vicious stranger turned on his heel and left the grotto, preparing to set the rest of his plan in motion.
The Deku Tree watched the stranger leave, feeling the creature within him already chewing through his roots, seeking sustenance, killing him. Though a hardy spirit, having survived for hundreds of years, the Deku Tree knew this was surely the end. It was time to call upon the child of destiny: the warrior who would fight the forces of evil, the hero who would protect the balance of the world, and the saviour of the vast land of Hyrule. He decided to call on the one forest denizen who could help this child along the way, a friend older than most inhabitants of the Kokiri Forest. The Deku Tree called out, his psychic sense already faltering.
"Navi...Navi, where art thou? Come hither..."
Alright, that's all for this chapter, folks! I tried not to force too many events into this one, but I figured I'd describe a normal day before diving into the real plotline. Next time we'll actually get into the actual story, so don't forget to look out for the next chapter!