Mido couldn't help but miss the little guy, even if Saria did like him more. Seven years since the Great Deku Tree's death, and the outsider child had all but vanished. And the forest could really use his help right now. Strange creatures had been coming from the forest temple lately, and keeping the village safe was exhausting.
Mido sat cross legged on the forest floor as he kept his watch shift. Before now, the monsters from the lost woods very rarely ventured into the area of the forest that the Kokiri called home. Every so often a stray wolfos would find its way into the village, but the Kokiri children are not as defenseless as they look. One monster was not a problem - they had strength in numbers - but lately the monsters came with renewed vigor, almost with a purpose, as though they were preparing for something.
At least that was what the new Deku Tree told him. Mido didn't buy it - monsters were way too stupid for any kind of organized planning. But he agreed that it was good to have someone keep watch anyway. The rest of the Kokiri deserved some peace of mind. Still though, he thought, this would be a lot easier with Link around.
Mido began etching a picture into the dirt on the ground. Today was a particularly uneventful watch; silence enveloped the area save for the faint melody Saria played in the distance. The forest air was cool and still, just like the night he left. "Not even so much as a baba to cut down," he scoffed. Saria always said Mido was far too hard on Link. And maybe he was; Link never seemed to quite fit in with the rest of the Kokiri, and Mido supposed his teasing probably didn't help. But Link needed some toughening up, especially if he were to rise to the challenges that the Great Deku Tree placed before him.
Mido shuddered. The kid had nerves of steel, that's for sure.
"Seriously?" Mido asked in disbelief. "The Great Deku Tree is in danger and they're sending that little runt of all people?" Unbelievable! They picked the outsider over him? Mido had never felt so overlooked, so unimportant, so forgotten in his whole life. He fell back onto his bed, crestfallen, both hands covering his face. He couldn't let Saria see the shame.
Saria sat down next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Mido..." she said, her voice soft and understanding as always. "Don't take it so hard. I'm sure the Great Deku Tree has a good reason for sending Link." Saria always seemed close to Link, and Mido had to admit it made him a bit jealous. But even while she was defending Link, he found it hard to be upset at her. He could tell that she genuinely wanted the best for him - she wanted the best for all of her friends. But why did she and the Great Deku Tree have to favor Link over him?
"Uuuuugh! This is so frustrating!" he shouted, pulling on his hair. "I feel like such a failure, Saria..." he said, his tantrum turning to a calmer disappointment.
"Oh don't say that. Mido, you are not a failure," Saria responded, more sternly this time.
Mido slowly looked up to her. "Do you mean that?" he asked.
Saria smiled warmly to him. "Of course! You might be a little thick sometimes," she said, shrugging, "but you are certainly not a failure. All of the Kokiri children look up to you, even Link."
Mido turned away, unconvinced. He wanted to be upset right now, and if he kept looking at Saria's infectious smile he wouldn't be able to stay angry. Why did she have to be so happy and bubbly all of the time? It really made it hard to be angsty.
Seeing him unmoved, Saria added "I know. Why don't you go talk to the Great Deku Tree yourself? I'm sure if you ask, he'll explain his reasoning."
Mido thought for a second. He wasn't particularly interested in hearing why the Great Deku Tree prefered Link to him, but maybe there was still a reason to speak with him. He quickly sat up, a new idea fresh in his mind. "You know, Saria, you say some pretty smart stuff sometimes," he said before getting to his feet. "Thanks."
Saria grinned sheepishly and chuckled. "Don't mention it, Mido," she said. As he exited the house, she thought out loud "What is that boy getting himself into..."
Mido sprinted across the village to the Deku Tree's grotto. He weaved between buildings and the other Kokiri children, his purpose solidified. Maybe there was still time, maybe he could prove himself...
He stopped, and dropped to one knee in the Great Deku Tree's presence. The rest of the trees surrounding the area seemed to bow with him out of reverence. "Great Deku Tree!" Mido shouted. "Please, don't send for Link yet! Let me try to save you first!" The Deku Tree did not respond. "I'm begging you! Let me prove that I'm worthy!" he continued.
"Mido," the Great Deku Tree started, his voice slow and booming. "Do not mistake my choosing Link for a lack of favor with you." His speech seemed labored, almost painful. "Your part in the coming events will be just as important as his." The Tree paused, and his words echoed throughout the grotto. Mido felt his heart sink. "But even still, I can sense your doubt. Very well. Enter, and show me your strength..." he said, as he opened his mouth to allow Mido entrance.
Mido got to his feet, and bowed before the Deku Tree. "Thank you. You won't regret this." And gathering his courage, he pressed forward into the Tree's entrance.
Inside the tree, there was a staircase leading to the second floor, a giant hole to the underground, and scrubs and babas littered the ground. "Man, the Great Deku Tree must be more sick than he's letting on, usually his power is enough to keep the monsters out..." he thought. "All right then, time to pull some weeds!" he said, unsheathing his dagger.
Mido had fought enough Deku Babas in his day to know what to do. Stand just outside of its range, let it snap at you, sidestep and cut the stem. "Too easy," he thought. "I'll have the Great Deku Tree better in no time!"
Dealing with the scrubs was a little harder, because he didn't have a sheild with which to repel their shots. But scrounging around, he found several deku nuts, and one by one managed to stun the scrubs as they revealed themselves to shoot, and then take them out with his dagger.
As he finished killing the last of the scrubs, he heard some noises behind him. Turning around, he saw several eggs on the ground, each bobbing and twitching as though they would hatch any second. "Huh," Mido thought. "I don't remember those being there when I came in..." No sooner had he finished his thought than the eggs hatched, revealing some giant spiders, larger than he had ever seen before, and within seconds he was surrounded.
And Mido felt an emotion he had never experienced before - fear. He had his fair share of fights, but never in a situation where the combatant might actually kill him. The stakes were higher; this was no wrestling match with the other Kokiri or a run of the mill plant extermination. These things were carnivorous, and he was their prey.
The spiders began to close in on him, their movements erratic and unpredictable. Mido's heart was beating so hard he could feel his head throbbing, his breathing fast enough to match it. Sweat dripped down his forehead. He brandished his dagger at them, hoping to scare them off, but the spiders were unaffected.
And then, Mido had a moment of clarity. He would not let the Deku Tree down. This was his chance to prove himself, this was his moment to finally do something good! He would defeat these creatures, whatever they were, and set things right with the Deku Tree, and then Saria would have to pay more attention to him.
One of the spiders finally lunged at him, but he sidestepped and countered, kicking the spider into a wall. Another dove at his face and he sliced it in half in midair. The rest of the spiders, done with toying with their food, all leaped at him, hoping to overpower him by sheer number. Mido tumbled beneath them, narrowly avoiding their attacks. He sprinted to the other side of the room to put some distance between them, and the spiders followed him closely.
Reaching into his pocket, he felt for more deku nuts. "One left," he thought. "Better make it count..." He stopped and threw the nut to the ground, the flash sparking just in front of the swarm. Reacting quickly, he then rushed to them and one by one squished them beneath his feet.
Out of breath, Mido collapsed to a sitting position, grinning with pride in himself. He did it! There might be more of those things in other rooms, but at least he knew he could handle them. He couldn't wait to tell Saria! He just need a second to catch his breath, just a moment's rest...
When he heard something scratching at the ceiling. Mido looked up, and to his horror there was another spider, orders of magnitude larger than the ones he just fought. Mido froze in shock as the spider laid several more eggs, and then detached itself from the ceiling, landing mere feet from him and shaking the ground from the force of its impact.
Mido was terrified, he had enough trouble with a few of the little ones, fighting this thing would be suicide! Too scared to get to his feet, he scooted backwards from the beast, his body trembling with fear. The spider turned its one monstrous eye to look at him, and seemed to smirk for a bit before crawling down the hole to the underground with her eggs, and spinning a thick web at the top of the hole.
A few seconds later, after the shock wore off, he regained his senses and dashed back out of the dungeon and into the Great Deku Tree's grotto.
"Great Deku Tree, I'm so sorry. I couldn't stop it, I was too scared... I'm such a coward," he said, tears welling up in his eyes. "I'm so sorry..." So he wasn't good enough to save the Great Deku Tree after all. And now that monster was in his roots, what would it do now? Mido felt so stupid, he should have just let Link go in the first place. Maybe he could have stopped it, maybe he could have done better.
"Be not so hard on yourself, Mido. You are no coward," the Tree responded in his booming voice. "You willingly went into me to find the cause of my sickness, without being asked, even not knowing what you would find there. Bravely facing the unknown is what true courage is."
"But I couldn't stop it! Great Deku Tree, what will happen now?" Mido asked, falling to his knees and punching at the ground in despair.
"Link will have to do the rest, such is his destiny. But this destiny dictates that he must leave the forest to help all peoples. And when he does, I will need you to protect the forest in his absence. Can you do this for me, Mido?" the Tree asked.
Mido stopped. "Would you entrust the forest to me? I couldn't even save you!" he shouted, averting his eyes from the Tree.
"I can think of no one more ready to take that position. The future holds many things, and I believe you will be able to handle them when the time comes. You have shown great courage, now go forth and face the unknown," the Tree finished.
Mido slowly picked himself up, and nodded. "You have my word," he said crossing his arms in an 'X', the Kokiri symbol for a promise. The Great Deku Tree had a part for him too after all. And even if it wasn't as glamorous as Link's role, he would still fulfill it to the best of his abilities. Something had finally been asked of him and not Link, and he would prove himself a capable leader. And as he went to exit the grotto, he saw Link approaching, completely unarmed.
"He doesn't even have a sword?" Mido thought. "There's no way he'll be able to deal with that thing without a weapon." He stuck a hand out to stop Link's path.
"What is it this time, Mido?" Link asked him impatiently.
Mido shook his head. "Link, unless you come back here with something to protect yourself with, I'm afraid I can't let you through. Nothing personal."
Link scoffed. "Come on Mido, these guys are all I need down there!" Link responded, punching the air with his fists.
Mido couldn't suppress his laugh. "No, believe me. You need a sword and a sheild down there. I insist."
Link rolled his eyes. "Fiiiiiiine," he said. "But if I get in trouble with the Great Deku Tree because you made me late, I will seriously have your head."
A fairy came flying out of his hat. "So he finally found a fairy. Good for him," Mido thought.
"Link, I think I know where to find you a sword! See that hole in the wall over there..." the fairy said, as the pair of them walked off.
"Good", Mido thought. "Even if I couldn't deal with that monster, I'm sure he'll be able to. But without a weapon, he'd get himself killed before he even had a chance to fulfill his destiny." Already, he thought, he was keeping his people safe. One child at a time.
And so when they came back, a deku sheild on his back and the legendary Kokiri sword in his hand, and a triumphant grin across his face, Mido gladly allowed him passage to the Great Deku Tree. And something about Link told him everything would be all right. Whatever challenges awaited him, he would be able to overcome them, just as Mido would be ready for the challenges he was fated to see.
Mido waited there for several hours. Night fell, and the stars gave a calm lighting to the area. But the trees around him seemed to grow a shade darker, the branches bending a little farther than usual. He had nearly fallen asleep when a familiar voice brought him back to reality. "So you really are a big softie under that thick exterior, aren't you Mido?" Saria said as she sat down next to him.
Mido blushed lightly. "I am not! If the runt gets himself hurt down there it's no skin off my back. I just want to make sure I'm the first to know when the Great Deku Tree is all right, that's all," Mido responded.
"Oooohhh kaaay, mister tough-guy. I get it," Saria said giggling. "Either way, I think it's very sweet of you to stay out here all night for him." And as she smiled that infectious smile of hers, Mido felt his mood lift like leaves in the wind.
"So are you here to wait for him too?" Mido asked. He didn't bother looking away from her smile this time, it already had taken its intended effect.
"Actually, I thought you might enjoy some company," she responded.
Really? Saria thought of him? As surprising as it was, Mido decided not to ask any questions. If the sweetest, funniest, most charming Kokiri girl wanted to come keep him company then he was perfectly content to let that happen.
"I might," Mido said, smirking.
"Good," Saria said. "A lot of people see your tough-guy act and think that's all there is to you. But I'm not fooled, I see right through it." Her eyes pierced through him, as if they could see into his very being. And yet, Mido was comfortable with it, and willingly allowed her to do so. "And I want to get to know the real you."
"I'd like that," Mido responded. Maybe the Great Deku Tree was right, he thought. Maybe this is what courage was. It wasn't very often that he softened up towards anyone, and he didn't know how Saria would react. But he wasn't afraid of the unknown anymore. He felt vulnerable, but he knew she would never hurt him. "You sure have a way with people, Saria," he said, as he inched his hand closer to hers.
"You could too, if you'd stop being so thick and open up to people," she said, laughing as she lightly knocked on the top of his head. Mido laughed along with her. The way the moonlight reflected on her cheeks was breathtaking, and made her laugh even more enchanting. Warmth radiated through his whole body. And, he thought, this was the second time today he felt a new emotion. Affection.
"All right, all right. I get it. Open up and emotions and friendship and stuff," he said flippantly, making melodramatic faces at each of the sentiments.
But Saria was not bothered. "Yeah. Like that," she said, turning to face him, the warmth and affection still in her eyes.
And their hands were almost close enough to touch, when they heard footsteps coming around the corner and Saria backed away with a start.
"Sounds like Link's all finished. I'll let you two talk it out," she said, getting to her feet. "But this was nice. We should talk again sometime."
Mido nodded. "Definitely," he responded.
And as Link came around the corner, Mido stopped him. There were so many things he wanted to ask! How did he deal with the spider? What was the underground like?
Why did he look so sad?
"Link, what happened in there?" Mido asked. Link looked away from him, hiding his eyes. "Is the Great Deku Tree all right?" And as Mido saw a tear drop from Link's face, he knew what happened. The Great Deku Tree was dead.
Was it his fault? Did his insistence on being the hero and trying to save the Tree before Link cause enough delay to let the spider damage the Tree's roots?
"Oh Nayru, what have I done..." Mido muttered.
Link looked up to him at last. "Mido, I tried," he said. "I defeated the monster inside of the Deku Tree, but he was doomed before I started,"
It was my fault... He was doomed because I let the monster get to his roots...
"I need to leave the forest now. The Great Deku Tree said it was very important that I meet Hyrule's Princess - the world's safety might be at stake," Link continued. "Please, while I'm gone, take good care of everyone. Especially Saria."
So that was what the Great Deku Tree meant when he said Mido would have to protect the forest. With both the Tree and Link gone, he would have to fend for the safety of the village.
And he was not afraid.
Mido looked down at his finished drawing on the forest floor. He hadn't realized he was even drawing it. It was a pair of stick figures guarding the village: himself and Link. He smiled at the memory and wondered if Link would stand by his side like that.
He heard footsteps coming from the tunnel in front of him. Was it a wolfos? Mido drew his dagger and crouched, prepared to strike. The figure that emerged was dressed in the same green tunics the Kokiri wore, but was taller and more muscular. How could that be? Kokiri never age, how could one have been an adult? Unless... but here? Seven years later?
A blue fairy emerged from his hat as he approached. It was Navi! So it had to be Link! But why now?
"It's you, isn't it?" Mido asked in disbelief as the figure stopped before him.
"Oh, hey Mido! Long time no see, huh?" he asked, his voice deeper but still just as childish as before. "Check it out! I'm all grown up now! Pretty cool right?"
So not much has changed; Link was still just as chipper and naive as ever.
"Link, a lot has changed in the seven years you've been gone... and I just want you to know that I'm sorry for everything," Mido answered, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders. All of the guilt built up over the years released from him as he opened himself to the hero.
"Hey, don't worry about it. Water under the bridge. Town looks great, you've really been keeping up with it haven't you?" Link asked.
Really? Just like that and he forgives me?
"Yeah, before the Great Deku Tree passed, he asked me to take care of everyone. He knew you'd be leaving," Mido answered. "And I want you to know that I'm glad he picked you to save the world. I trust you, Link." For so long, Mido had been the overseer of the forest, keeping the Kokiri children safe. And this time he wasn't ashamed to have Link's aid. They both had their destinies, and for this brief moment, they overlapped.
"Thanks Mido. That really means a lot to me," Link responded cheerfully. "Don't worry about a thing now, I'll go find out where all these monsters have been coming from and put a stop to it!"
Mido moved aside to allow him passage. "I'll be back soon," Link said.
"And please, keep looking after the Kokiri," he finished.
Mido nodded and crossed his arms in an 'X' to Link, who repeated the gesture to him.
And as Link disappeared deeper into the forest, Mido said, to no one in particular...
"Thank you Link, for teaching me about true courage."