[sorry about the wait for an update! i know this is kind of a shorter chapter. i was trying to figure out how to write this part. there will be more soon!]

Link felt his knees grow weak. He could hear sighs of relief all around him. Dizziness clouded his mind and it finally sank in that he was chosen. He could hear his mother crying somewhere behind him. He could sense that all eyes were on him but he barely noticed that the mayor was pulling him up onto the stage. Link could feel nothing but panic as the mayor began to congratulate him. A council member handed him the Garb of Harvest. He studied it as Mayor Hollum continued with the final speech of the evening.

'It's nothing but a green cotton tunic,' thought Link as he ran his fingers over the fabric. 'It's fairly thick though.'

Link never fully understood what the tunic was for. Normally after the tribute was chosen he had gotten to go home with his family when the final speech was over. Now that he was the chosen one, he would soon find out.

After the mayor finished his speech, the townsfolk started heading for their homes, content that the day would finally be over. Luna and Rufus were allowed one final goodbye. Link's mother held him close and stroked his hair softly. He could tell that she was trying to calm him and her own mind at the same time. She finally let go and Rufus was able to get a hug in before it was time for the ceremony to begin.

Rufus and Luna watched as Link was taken by the council to the edge of the forest. The mayor followed closely behind keeping an eye on his surroundings. Link had never been this close to the forest before. At a young age, children were told over and over to never go into the forest. The ingrained teachings from childhood fought his brain trying to keep him from getting any closer. The woods were dark and the pitch black of the night made it more so. From inside the thicket strange sounds could be heard that sounded nothing like any animal Link had ever seen. They grew louder until they all reached the edge when abruptly the undergrowth became eerily still. Link tried to get a glimpse of something, anything that he could see but there was nothing but darkness. He decided to put the tunic on for warmth. It seemed as if it had been made just for his body.

"The green of the Garb of Harvest should protect you from the fiends inside," reported Mayor Hollum.

"P-protect me?" gasped Link as he looked down at the tunic.

"Yes," reassured Mayor Hollum, "Green is the color of safety. It is a ward from danger."

'Protect me? This is going to protect me?' thought Link as he pulled on the tunic anxiously.

"Now let me explain what happens," began Mayor Hollum, "The tribute's job is to ensure that the harvest will survive and prosper. The whole village rests on your shoulders, Link, although, we cannot guarantee your safety as soon as you pass by the first row of trees. The longer you can make your way through the dark forest alive, the better chances the village has."

"Alive?!" shouted Link as he gasped for air to try and calm his nerves, "You mean you are sending me to my death!"

A small lantern was quickly shoved into Link's hands. A council member filled it with oil and lit it. A faint glow illuminated the area around Link. He could finally see all of council members faces. The shadows disfigured their faces making it seem as if they all had terrifying scowls. The mayor stepped into the dim light, his face had his usual smirk.

"It is the will of the Gods," concluded the mayor and the council shoved Link into the woods with nothing but a lantern.