The Great Deku

Link practiced with his new sword as he continued down the path to the place where the Great Deku resided. He parried low hanging branches and defended himself from tufts of grass. He had not gotten far before he heard a shuffling ahead. He stopped his sword held ready. A boy stepped out onto the path, his green woven clothes blending with the surroundings. The boy looked to be eleven or twelve years old and had a look of great importance on his face.

"And where do you think your going?" The boy asked looking at Link with annoyance.

"Hello Mido," Link spoke with respect to leader of the Kokiri tribe. "I was summoned by the Great Deku."

Mido scoffed. "You? You don't even have a fair--" He broke off as Navi sprang from Link's head in consternation. She chattered angrily at Mido her fluttering wings emitting a reddish glow. The leader of the Kokiri opened his mouth as though he was surprised. His eyes moved from Navi to Link. Composing himself he shut his mouth and looked haughty.

"Well I am afraid I can not let you pass. The woods are dangerous from here on and you don't have proper protection. That stick there couldn't possibly protect you." Mido looked in disgust at the Kokiri sword. Navi continued to chitter angrily.

"Stick?" Link said angrily. "Stick? Don't you see what this is?" He held the sword up to Navi's ruddy light and saw the expression on Mido's face change instantly. If his jaw had dropped before it was nothing to what it did when he saw what the sword really was.

"The Kokiri blade!" She stepped toward Link suddenly. "Where did you get that." He asked suddenly full of anger.

"The Three Brothers entrusted it to me." Link said simply.

"The Know-it-all's. They think they can give you our greatest treasure?" Mido was upset but he knew better than to cross the Three Brothers. They were the voice of the Great Deku, and were not to be taken lightly. He crossed his arms looking down on Link with intense dislike. "Well how about a shield then?"

Link shuffled his feet wondering what to say to that. Mido sighed and reached around for the shield on his own back. It was wooden and not very large but Link could tell it was serviceable. "I don't know why you have the favor of the Forest Guardian but there is nothing I can do to change it. Here take mine." Link looked up at the older boy with respect and gratitude. He took the shield and placed it upon his own back.

"Off you go then." Mido stepped aside and Link nodded his thanks. As he walked off into the forest he distinctly y heard Mido say. "The Great Deku's Favor or not, he will never be one of us."

Link continued on his way with some trepidation. The forest was beginning to feel darker and the small sprites that traveled about the air in trails of gold had begun to diminish. Link had grown up with the sprites and felt quite lonely without their beautiful waving patters. That had been the first thing about the forest he missed when he had taken his trip to the city. He turned back to see their hazy lights in the distance wishing for a moment that he was no different than any other Kokiri forest child. He was just turning back toward the darkness when he heard a shuffling of leaves of to his left. He moved quickly staring off into the trees wondering if perhaps Mido had been following him. Navi took flight from his shoulder where she had been sitting and fluttered to where the noise had come from.

When the light from her wings hit the area the sound had come from, there was an enormous crash as large carnivorous plant darted toward Link. With a burst of agility Link jumped backward so that the large, drooling spikes of the plant's maw just missed him.

Link your sword! Attack with your sword!

The plant snapped and hissed at him pinning the young boy against the trunk of a tree.

Link!

In a sudden burst of motion Link jumped forward bringing the sword down upon the head of the vicious plant. The blade sunk deep into the green flesh. With a wrench he pulled it out of the plant breathing heavily. His hands shook as he wiped the blade off on the grass.

You did well for your first time. Navi sent out waves of calm.

I would rather not have to do that again. Link began to walk forward looking closely around him for more of the carnivorous plants.

I'm afraid you may have to.

Link brushed her words aside. He was getting slightly annoyed with all the prophetic phrases when he did not even know what was going on. He continued on quickly and quietly.

Two large bats and three carnivorous plants later, Link began to see sprites weaving through the air in the distance.

Did I get turned around?

No keep going. Navi flew forward leading the way. Link emerged from the trees into a beautiful clearing. There were mushrooms aglow with strange light surrounding a large tree stump. Sprites and fairies alike roamed the air in clusters of bright light. Navi rushed up to them spinning through the air happily. From the corner of his eye Link saw a face peeking into the glow of the clearing. When he turned to look at it the face was gone, however, two more appeared from the corner of his other eye. He heard their haunting music fill the clearing. Skull kids, he thought to himself. Another form seemed to appear in the corner of his eye. The form stood tall upon the large tree stump in the center. He heard its voice echo deeply in his mind as well as the wood.

"Welcome Link. I see Navi has guided you well." It was a man, if you could call it that, who had spoke to him. He was taller than a Hylian man and much thinner. His skin seemed to be like rough bark and his long hair and beard green vines. His wild eyes were a deep maroon and were filled with ancient wisdom. Link stared in awe as the Great Deku lifted his long branchlike arm and invited Navi to perch upon it. "Do you know why you are here?"

"Not really sr." Link managed to struggle out.

The Great Deku bent down with some difficulty and examined him. "You are here because it is your destiny to become great. You are here because it is time for you to discover what that destiny really is."

Link felt a shiver run down his spine. The idea of having a set destiny scared him. Why him? Who decided that he was the one with such a destiny?

"I am sure your dreams have been disturbed of late." The tall treelike man stood up and lifted his arms to the trees. Navi flew down to sit upon Link's head. "There is unrest in the world. Our souls feel it and respond. The dark dreams you have, they come from the dark energies being received by your mind." The Great Deku let his words seep in before continuing. "Let me start from the beginning.

"In the beginning there where three goddesses. Din, the goddess of power, created the earth filling it with her blood. Nayru, the goddess of wisdom, poured her spirit into the earth creating law and justice. Farore the goddess of courage, created the living creatures, with her own flesh, to uphold that law.

"With their work finished the goddesses departed for the heavens. Where they exited our world, they left for us three great symbols of their power, to help rule our world. Together the symbols are known as the triforce.

"The triforce is much sought after by the dark forces that surround us today. For, with the triforce, comes complete power over the world." The Great Deku stopped speaking suddenly and brought a hand to his head. Link noticed that The Forest Guardian seemed to be having trouble breathing. He waited patiently for him to continue.

"To the east lies a desert in which the Gerudo live. They are a tribe of thieves ruled by a dark and powerful man. The forces of darkness have been toying with this man, using him in their quest to find the triforce." The Great Deku stopped again for breath. He had begun to wheeze and Link realized there was something very wrong. He could not understand why he had not noticed before how week the Great Deku had seemed. He rushed forward in hopes of helping the tree man.

The Great Deku held out a hand and shook his head. He took deep wheezing breaths then continued.

"Link, it was this Thief king who poisoned my forest. These dangerous beasts were brought here in hopes to kill me and my children." The trees began to sway in a strong wind. The fairies began to dissipate and the music of the skull kids had stopped. "I am afraid that it has worked. My forest, along with my children has long kept the balance of light in the world. But I can no longer keep the darkness at bay. Please, Link, destroy the darkness that poisons my forest so that I may once more keep the forces from consuming the earth." The Forest Guardian shakily raised his arms into the air again. His fingers elongated into great leaf filled branches, and bark grew about his face. The Great Deku had become a tree. Link heard his voice echo around him once more.

"Please, you are our last hope."

The wind was gusting by now. The leaves of the surrounding trees where ripped from their branches tossed about the clearing. In the darkness Link could only listen as something drew steadily closer to the clearing. Sticky leaves plastered themselves to his face further obscuring his view. He wiped them away hurriedly and drew his sword. A great darkness was seeping into the glade. It seemed to hover over the ground approaching Link swiftly and silently. Then, in the light from Navi's fluttering wings, Link saw it.

It was a huge monster, large enough to crush him with one of its eight segmented legs. The huge abdomen, ripe with eggs, was as large as Link's, tree house. It stood above him its eight large red eyes focused upon him. Link did not give himself time to think. He dodged quickly to the side, narrowly missing a swipe with one of the monster's forelegs. He continued to doge as the monster attacked, trying to think of a way to defeat it. There was no thought of running in his mind. Suddenly he remembered the slingshot Saria had given to him when he left for Hyrule City. He snatched it out of his belt and somersaulted out of reach. As the monster raced toward him scurrying over fallen trees and boulders, Link scooped up a fistful of stones, loaded them into the cup, pulled back the thong and released his shot into the eyes of the monster.

The giant recoiled in pain. Link wasted no time. He dropped his slingshot reaching once again for his sword. With a mighty leap he plunged the sword deep between the two largest eyes. With a shudder the beast collapsed pinning Link to the earth. It writhed atop him for several moments before finally going still. As link began to crawl out from under it, the monster turned to dust and blew apart into the wind.

Link lay on the ground breathing deeply as the wind died down. Navi darted around him checking to make sure he was ok. He hardly believed that he had just defeated such a horrible monster. It was a wile before he realized he was being watched. A great many eyes shown from in the trees, wide with horror. Whispers blew about them, "Gohma." They said, "Gohma, The queen is dead."

When Link was finally able to breath he pulled himself to his feet and searched for his sword and slingshot. Not far from his sword he found his shield lying in the dirt. He looked at it in wonder. It struck him that he had not once used it. He hooked it onto his back once more and then glanced at the Great Deku Tree which still stood upon the large stump, its branches only holding on to a few hardy leaves. As he stood there staring a deep familiar voice entered his mind.

Thank you Link. You have achieved greatness today. Know, however, that you have only just begun your journey. Seek Hyrule Castle. There you will find princess Zelda. She will help you continue on with your quest.

Link nodded silently. He reached up and whipped blood from his lip where it had been cut. He bowed to the Great Deku Tree and began to walk away when Navi pulled on his hair.

Look!

A knot in the tree's wood began to unravel opening into a chasm. A bright green light emanated from it and the Great Deku's voice spoke once more in his mind, much weaker then before.

Take this stone. It was for this stone that the Dark King poisoned me. You must protect it.

A great emerald drifted from the space in the wood to rest gently in Link's outstretched hand.

Go now to Hyrule Castle. We are all counting on you.

Link looked around to see that the hostile eyes had been replaced with the faces of the skull kids and deku shrubs, all seemed to be gazing at him. Fairies began to drift back into the clearing, settling upon the great arms of the tree. One flew down and touched him upon his lip lovingly before drifting away. Link tasted it and found that the cut was gone.

Goodbye Link.

He felt the presence in his mind withdraw and knew the Deku Tree was in a deep healing sleep. He could only hope that he was not dead. He stood for some time staring up at the tree, the emerald still gently cupped in his hands.

Come, we must go.

Link only nodded, slipping the stone into a pouch at his side. He drew his sword and began to make his way back toward the village. With each step he began to understand that he could not go back to the way he was. He still had so many questions that the Great Deku had not answered. Who was he? Why did he have to destroy the Gohma queen? What made him so different from any other Kokiri?

As he continued on, watching the shadows bounce as Navi flew around him he grimly realized, nothing would ever be the same.