The Kokiri Sword
Link returned home, Saria there but facing away.
Someone was working on Link's balcony, a girl with long blonde hair, her T shirt and headband both white, vest and skirt green. She had a pleasant face, looking more mature than other Kokiri.
"How's the repairs coming along, Fado? Need help?" Saria called.
"Everything's going good, Saria. I don't need help, Mido's saw he left behind here is actually quite good."
Link looked at the pillar, where the other Fado stood watch. "There's...two girls named Fado?"
Saria turned her head. "Hm? Oh, hi Link! Back already?"
Link's ears wilted. "Mido won't let me pass him."
Saria's mouth dropped. "What?! Mido won't let you go to see the Great Deku Tree?" Hands on her hips, she leaned sideways angrily. "Oh... That bum! I don't know why he's always so mean to everyone! What he said is true, though." Arms down, her anger shifted into motherly concern. "The forest...strange things have been happening here lately. You need to be ready for anything. You'd better find a weapon! You can buy a shield at the shop, but there is only one sword hidden somewhere in the forest."
Saria's hands went behind her back again, she gently swaying as usual.
"He needs a weapon, eh?" Fado teased. "Link, catch!"
He looked up—caught a slingshot.
Fado leaned over the railings. "Your slingshot. Not quite what I call a weapon, but better than nothing, right?"
Link pocketed it. "Right!"
A girl wearing a headband, arms apart and back, watched Link approach. She was curious and excited to see him. "Oh, a fairy finally came to you! Now you have a lot to learn! The best place to go to learn new skills is in the Forest Training Center. It's on the hill above here."
He ran uphill, a humble home over yonder. A series of fences, arranged somewhat like a irregular E and I side by side, awaited him. A signpost read,
Forest Training Center
Don't recklessly cut signs—
read them carefully!
He navigated through the fencing easily. Standing by the cliff, a boy and his fairy practiced air boxing by a large strange stone. To the other side, two more such strange stones lie together. Whenever Navi flew near the stone, she turned green. A pointy sign explained the things, but who would bother reading it?
The next sign read,
Hole of "Z"
Let's go through this small hole!
Link obeyed.
Worming through the tiny tunnel, Link soon heard and felt rumbling. He reached the end and stood, Navi fluttering out. Up ahead was a sign, explaining things he already knew, until...
Walking sideways can be a very important technique in dungeon corridors. Turn around and try doing this right now.
Link stepped away, looking down the pathway. He had entered some sort of square-shaped fissure with alcoves. Link recalled how the girl explained about using a fairy... Z! His vision realigned and, with Navi's help, walked sideways while seeing through her eyes—a giant boulder rolled towards him. Navi jingled aloud, Link freezing; the giant boulder changed direction, rolling down a corridor.
Link blinked once, twice. Whut...
Nervously waiting, Link soon saw the giant boulder roll around the corner. As if having a mind of its own, the empowered geology kept rolling around and around a square path along the fissure, never changing.
"Hunh..." Link slowly stepped forth, carefully watching where the boulder always turned.
"Be careful," Navi warned.
"Don't worry." He approached the spot where the boulder always turned—THUD! "AAHHhih!" Link sat up, shaking his head. Surprisingly, the impact didn't hurt much. The boulder turned, rolling away in its usual path.
Navi hovered low. "What did we learn?"
"I walked into it, OK?" Link stood, waiting a few seconds.
He charged into the fissure, rushing through dense grasses...then panicked and ran back, THUD! "AAAHHH!" Link was hurled facedown by the wall, the boulder rolling past him. On his hands and knees, he shook his head. Instead of rushing back, he pranced to an alcove. A Blue Rupee waited for him, so he gave it a new home in his wallet while carefully listening to the rumbling...
...
...
...
The boulder came and went. Link ran after the racing stone. He found a short corridor, leading to a stump holding a chest, a sign adjacent. The sign read,
Visit the House of the Know-It-All Brothers to get answers to all your item-related questions!
Navi's aura wobbled. "They sure like putting up signposts..."
Eyes bright, Link pushed the chest open. Heart beating, stomach fluttering, he climbed upon the chest, resting his sternum upon its edge. Leaning in, he pulled something out, triumphantly turning around with...
Navi rang aloud. "You got the Kokiri Sword! This is a hidden treasure of the Kokiri, but you can borrow it for a while. Be sure to practice with it before you really fight!"
The Kokiri Sword looked like a dagger, widening towards the tip. It had a one-piece rosewood hilt, embedded with a red jewel on one side. It came with a special baldric, its blue sheath with gold fittings worn down the back. Since it was quite a short blade, a back-scabbard was no issue.
Grinning, Link wore the baldric, Navi helping him strap it on properly. He unsheathed the small blade, chopping up the sign. "Hah! Hohh! Hyaa!" He then attacked the chest and stump. "HAH-HAH, HOH-HAHRR-HYAA!"
He sure could swing quickly.
"I think you should practice a bit more...professionally," Navi suggested.
Link attacked the boulder. "HYAAAHH—AHHHhih-hih!"
The boulder rolled along, victorious yet again.
Link sat up, wondering what happened. Grunting, he ran down the corridor, seeing an alcove he hadn't noticed earlier, a Blue Rupee waiting for him to snag...
Link emerged at the other side of the crawlspace, a true swordsman ready to save the world.
"Hey, let's work on some moves!" the air boxing Kokiri boy called, pulling his arm back.
Link sheathed his blade. "Yeah, sure."
"To jump sideways while Z Targeting, kick off the ground as you move left or right. To do a backflip while Z Targeting, jump while whirling yourself over your shoulders as you move backwards. To do a roll attack while Z Targeting, lower your chin and head and flip as you move forwards. While you roll, you can avoid damage. If you have your sword ready while Z Targeting, you can do a jump attack! A jump attack does double damage! You can use Z Targeting on the stone next to me, so let's practice!"
Link nodded...
After Link jumped to and fro with the boy, Navi mimicking mid-air with his fairy, they learned the moves perfectly.
"That's the spirit, Link! You are a natural acrobat!"
Link shook his teacher's hand and bowed. "Thanks!"
"That's everything we can teach you. If you want to learn more, head on over to that house over there. Oh, and before you go... Here's a little something to reward you!" He presented Link a Blue Rupee.
"Thanks so much!"
While the boy went back to air boxing with his fairy, Link headed through the fencing. He practiced cuts against the two signposts near the entrance, a Blue Rupee falling out one; surprised, Link took the crystal.
Link headed over to the nearby home. A sign read,
Visit the Know-It-All Brothers for any of your Swordfighting Questions
Link entered.
Inside was where three brothers lived, one standing tall on a rug by the doorway, arms crossed, two others lounging around. The center of their home had a large fireplace surrounded by rocks, smokeless fire keeping the place very warm. A few shelves, pots, and three lamps—two on tables and one on the floor between logs—kept things cozy. Large glass jars featured their uppermost shelves.
"If you want to know about the map and items, just ask me. But don't ask unless you want to hear a long explanation."
"Yes." Link was lectured by each of the Brothers, learning about reading icons and maps, and how to communicate with Navi better...
After lengthy lectures he didn't really need, Link exited the home and went downhill.
"So, how did it go?" the girl there asked.
Link unsheathed the Kokiri treasure, skyward sword glinting.
The girl clasped her hands, eyes sparkling. "Ooo! A fairy prince in the making!"
He sheathed his heroic blade. "Now all I need is a shield..."
"I wish you all the best luck, Link!"
Link went past a home, soon noticing a gigantic, hollow log set through the cliff. The signpost read,
Forest folk shall not leave these woods.
Blocking Link's way was a Kokiri boy, knees and elbows bent, arms back, the lad seemingly ready to pounce any moment. "You're not allowed to leave the forest! The Great Deku Tree said that if a Kokiri leaves the woods, he or she will die!"
Oops, wrong way... Link turned and went back the way he came.
Nearby a home, a boy knelt within a circle of stones, trying to lift one too heavy for him. He stopped trying, wiping his brow. "A by the stone, pick it up! A by the stone, pick it up! Mean old Mido...he made me pick up the rocks in front of his house."
"I have an idea!" Link helped the lad pick up stones, throwing them one by one at the home.
"Throw rocks at Mido's house? Hah! Good idea!"
Amid shattering rocks, a few Green Rupees appeared.
"Oh, you can keep those," the boy said. "You did most of the work anyways. Thanks for helping!"
"You're welcome, buddy!"
"Now, I'm gonna try moving this last rock..."
Meanwhile, Link read the signpost:
House of the Great Mido - Boss of the Kokiri
Navi swerved in. "Well, well, Link... What do you have in mind?"
He smirked.
Once inside Mido's house, Link kicked open a few chests, swiping two Blue Rupees and a green one. Link didn't even bother re-closing the chests, making his exit. Feeling adventurous, Link went around, climbing the short cliff and finding a Blue Rupee behind Mido's house.
Afterwards, Link made his way across the village, eventually reaching an overgrown yard. The boy here still tried removing the grass but wasn't going anywhere.
Link walked over. Oh, I can pull this grass out easily! He bent over, clutching some grass. "Ihuhh!" He straightened, surprised. Even though plants and trees are wilting, this grass is still tough...
The boy trying to cut grass tilted up, keeping his elbows bent. "That meanie, Mido, is making me cut the grass at Saria's house. Mido told Saria he would do it so she would like him, but I'm the one doing all the work! You and Saria are close friends, so will you help me cut the grass? I'll let you keep anything you find while cutting it."
Heroic blade readied, Link swept the excess grass away. Amid cuts, he found a few Green Rupees, which Saria had probably left to reward Mido, now instead claimed by Link.
"Thanks for your help, Link! I'm gonna try uprooting this last patch myself. For some reason, it can't ever be cut..."
Link entered Saria's House, which was easily known as it was beside his own. She wasn't home
Link ran up the spiraling walkway around Saria's house, crossing the two suspension bridges joined at a ninety degree angle halfway. At the end, Fado waited for Link, her hands behind her back as she gently swayed.
"Hee hee hee! You came all the way up here? You're a real man!" She overlooked the village from her vantage point. "Look! Isn't this view pretty? Change your viewpoint with your fairy, so you can look around the forest better."
Link was unsure what she meant. He looked around the village, though most Kokiri were out of sight, probably busy harvesting goods and materials from the forest. Link ended up staring at the Blue Rupee by Fado she had left for him...
Link snagged the money then jumped off the pillar.
"You're definitely a real man!" Fado called from above.
Link confidently returned to the shop. Now that I have a total worth of forty seven Rupees, I can easily buy that shield! He then noticed something a gap to the right. Curious, he went around the corner, finding a Blue Rupee. Since nobody complained, he kept it.
The shopkeeper hopped. "Welcome!"
Link needed a few seconds to spot the shield.
"Deku Shield, forty Rupees."
Buy.
"You got a Deku Shield!" Navi congratulated. "Crouch behind it to defend. If you hold it while Z Targeting, you can defend while moving sideways."
"Would you like to buy something else?"
"No."
"Thanks for shopping!"
"You're welcome!"
As Link turned, the girl asked him, "Do you know how to use the Deku Shield? Tee hee! Once you equip it, hold it up and change its angle. Tee hee!"
"I'll keep that in mind, Twin," Link replied, then he left.
With sword and shield, Link eagerly jumped over the pond, landing on the small pillar where he found yet another Blue Rupee as sneaky as any Kokiri. After couple more jumps, Link proudly landed before Mido.
The boss stuck his arm out. "If you want to see the Great Deku Tree, you should at least equip a sword and shield!"
Link just stood there, hand on his hip.
Mido cocked his head, putting his hands on his sides. "Eh, what's that?! Oh, you have a Deku Shield..." Hands behind his back, and leaned down for a better look. "And what's THAT?! Is that the Kokiri Sword?!" He looked away, pouting, elbows bent and hands on his hips. "GOOD GRIEF!" His foot was tapping the ground. "Well, even with all that stuff, a wimp is still a wimp, huh? I, the great Mido, will never accept you as one of us!" He leaned back, pointing at Link. "Shoot! How did you get to be the favorite of Saria and the Great Deku Tree? Huh?! Grumble...grumble..."
Fists against his sides, Mido scuttled aside then grumpily walked off, at least keeping his word. Not even his fairy did anything.
Link proceeded, running down the winding fissure—two immense plants grew from the ground at Link's flanks. Each plant arose vertically, each stalk terminating into a large mouthed bulb hungrily snapping the air, clacking away. They sometimes wobble circularly, doing little.
Navi flew forth. "Hit it when it lunges at you, and it will stand upright. Cut it quickly to get a Deku Stick!"
Link was briefly spooked by the Deku Babas, sword and shield in hands. "Hohh! Hah-hyaah!" One Deku Baba was severed, arching into the ground and shattering, the other meeting the same fate. Their stalks withered away into brittle sticks. A third Deku Baba arose, Link stepping forth. "Ihuh!" He reared, hurt from the dancing plant. He clamly swung sideways, the effortless swing felling the horrible plant.
Path cleared, Link continued forth. The fissure led to a large, open space, where the Great Deku Tree grew.
Navi flew up. "Great Deku Tree... I'm back!"
An uncanny silence stilled the air for a few seconds.
"Oh... Navi... Thous hast returned... Link... Welcome... Listen carefully to what I, the Deku Tree, am about to tell thee... Thy slumber these past moons must have been restless, and full of nightmares..." Great Deku Tree's hull creaked. "As the servants of evil gain strength, a vile climate pervades the land and causes nightmares to those sensitive to it... Verily, thou hast felt it... Link... The time has come to test thy courage... I have been cursed... I need you to break the curse with your wisdom and courage. Dost thou have courage enough to undertake this task?"
An immortal weight descended upon Link's very soul. Yet, even as his spine tingled and skin crawled, he was unflinching. "Yes."