My Forest and My Friends
Link descended amid shimmering cyan lights, floating onto the path leading to the Great Deku Tree—Mido faceplanted nearby, Kokiri Sword landing somewhere.
The thud awoke the Great Deku Tree, his face slightly lighting up. "Well done, Link..."
Mido jumped to his feet and excitedly ran forth, Link too.
"Huff, huff," Mido panted, left eye closed but he quite pleased, "Great Deku Tree!"
Link looked up at the Deku Tree, smiling big. "Great Deku Tree, we defeated Gohma!"
"Good job, Link. And you too, Mido."
Link blissfully stared up at his fatherly figure, just glad that he was alive. Mido had a goofy grin as he held high the Kokiri Sword, other hand on his hip. The boys' fairies hovered side by side, quite pleased with their children.
"Thou hast verily demonstrated thy courage..." the Deku Tree spoke to Link, Mido filling up with self-satisfaction. "I knew that thou wouldst be able to carry out my wishes..."
Link happily nodded.
"Now, I have yet to tell ye, wouldst thou listen..."
Confused, Link hesitated. "Now I can go play with my friends?"
"No, Link... Thou must know my time is short..." the Deku Tree warned. "But...my life cannot be saved."
Confusion befell Mido.
Link looked up in shock, forehead sweaty. "What?!" He ran over, raising his arms and planting them against the Deku Tree. "Why? That can't be! Don't die, Great Deku Tree!"
Link's gaze lowered, arms dropping. Fist tightened with denial, teardrops appeared under his eyes. "I fought so hard! This can't be happening!" Fists against the Deku Tree's bark, Link's forehead touched the forest guardian, and he silently wept.
"Link, listen closely. While Gohma was eating me, I could read her thoughts. She, too, had been cursed."
Link's mind formed an image of Gohma, as a little bug, standing in a spotlight. Whatever queen she must have been long ago, was no more.
"A wicked man of the desert cast this dreadful curse upon me... The one in control of this horrible evil power... ...is king of the people of the black desert. He plots to capture the Triforce and rule over Hyrule."
A scene from Link's past dreams came to mind. The silhouette of a large man riding a horse amid darkness and flames...
Link stood straight, deeply hurt but also trying to think, teardrops still dripping from his right eye. "The Triforce?"
Link's imagination formed an unpleasant vision. Lightning struck, large flames flickering beneath blackness, heavy galloping echoing across the flaming void. Amid the flames, an immense man in black armor, with greaves and vambraces of polish steel, rode a black stallion. His red cape fluttered as he rode through fiery doom, eyes full of burning hate...
The Great Deku Tree's voice sounded in the vision, "This evil man ceaselessly uses his vile, sorcerous powers in his search for the Sacred Realm that is connected to Hyrule... For it is in that Sacred Realm that one will find the divine relic, the Triforce, which contains the essence of the gods..."
The fiery darkness faded, gradually replaced with dark storm clouds and gentle rain, each waterdrop glowing.
"Before time began, before spirits and life existed... Three Golden Goddesses descended upon the chaos that was Hyrule..."
A trio of golden figures, each surrounded by large swirling auras, plummeted from the cloudy skies, their forearms crossed over their chests.
The first figure had a purple aura.
"Din, the goddess of power..."
Second, blue.
"Nayru, the goddess of wisdom..."
The third had an immense green aura, trailing afar.
"Farore, the goddess of courage..."
Din whizzed off, a large fireball floating nearby where she was flew. The fireball vanished, erupting into a blue shockwave. Once the shockwave faded, a large ring of the blue flames reappeared, gradually shrinking towards its center while intensifying with light and breadth; the power erupted into whiteness...
Dust darkened the skies. Meteors fell. Lightning flashed.
"Din... With her strong flaming arms, she cultivated the land and created the red earth."
Imagery of a ruddy canyon came, arched pillars amid the pathway.
"Nayru..."
The next image was of two paths, one leading up, other downward.
Nayru flew over the unliving world, immense blue aura rippling with power stretching across the skies.
"...Poured her wisdom onto the earth and gave the spirit of the law to the world."
Blueness shimmered across the world, the dusty void replaced with blue skies, white clouds, and a warm sun.
"Farore..."
The vision revealed a familiar landscape. Here, Farore ascended from atop a cliff, her green aura expanding into the breath of life. Fairies faded into being, fluttering in the forests.
"With her rich soul, produced all life forms who would uphold the law."
Link imagined the golden goddesses his way, ghostly yet godly. The simplified characters represented the deities, swirling amid the Triforce. The imagery was in the cloudy skies, where rays of sunlight shone through then upon mountainous landscapes.
Imagery reverted to the stormy skies and glowing raindrops. The trio of goddesses flew upwards. Din sped off, Farore next, Nayru last. They moved like meteors and collided, vast white light erupting, all darkness briefly illuminated. A shockwave rippled where they had vanished. Three golden triangles appeared, each connected at two points.
The triangles slowly descended, spinning in a pillar of cyan light. Three more beams of cyan light shone from around the triangles. The storm clouds faded, replaced with calm, blue skies and white clouds. The triangles spun and glowing raindrops, magic power humming as the symbol shimmered.
"The three great goddesses, their labors completed, departed for the heavens. And golden sacred triangles remained at the point where the goddesses left the world. Since then, the sacred triangles have become the basis of our world's providence. And, the resting place of the triangles has become the Sacred Realm."
The vision focused on the Triforce, gleaming in all splendor imaginable.
"The Triforce has held the power of the gods since ancient times. Whoever touches it has the power to remake the world in the image of his own heart."
Link imagined a gentle hand, palm up and open, approach the Triforce.
"If a pure heart touches it, the world will be good..." A monstrous, clawed arm appeared next in Link's mind, demonic fingers descended towards the Triforce. "If an evil heart touches it, the world will be consumed by evil."
The vision faded...
The Great Deku Tree's hull groaned, followed by internal splintering. "Thou must never allow the desert man in black armor to lay his hands on the sacred Triforce... Thou must never suffer that man, with his evil heart, to enter the Sacred Realm of legend... That evil man who cast the death curse upon me and sapped my power..."
A dull creak came from the Deku Tree's hull. "Because of that curse, my end is nigh... Though your valiant efforts to break the curse were successful, I was doomed before you started... Yes, I will pass away soon... But do not grieve for me... I have been able to tell you of these important matters... This is Hyrule's final hope..."
Link had been sitting, palms on the ground, listening attentively. Link picked himself up, brushing himself off. He looked up at the forest guardian.
"An awful danger is coming to Hyrule," warned the Deku Tree. "We cannot let the evil one touch the Triforce! If you have the courage, you can defeat his plans..."
Link's toes tightened in his boots. The fate of the world was so heavy above his shoulders. He just stood there liked a sad puppy. "Why me? I can't fight against... ...something so scary."
The Great Deku Tree slightly leaned forwards, dying trunk creaking aloud. "Yes, you can! Learn about the outside world and grow big, Link."
Link's eyes widened. !
Chin slightly lowered, he contemplated the overwhelming situation. Sunlight shone through breaks in the canopy.
The Deku Tree continued, "Listen closely, Link... Go now to Hyrule Castle. There thou will surely meet the Princess of Destiny, who has been chosen by the gods... Take this stone with you. The stone that man wanted so much, that he cast the curse on me... The Kokiri's Emerald!"
A vast green light shone, expanding into an immense flash of great yet gentle power. The silhouettes of Fado, Mido, and other Kokiri were behind Link as he raised his hands into the brightness. The excess lighting faded, a large, magical emerald with partial gold rimming hovered above Link's hands, Navi slowly flying to and fro above it.
Navi faced the sacred stone. "You got the Kokiri's Emerald! This is the spiritual stone of the forest, now entrusted to you by the Great Deku Tree."
The Kokiri's Emerald equipped itself into Link's spirit. He faced the Deku Tree, who looked weaker.
"I'm counting on you, Link. I believe in you."
Link softly looked up at his only father figure, accepting the situation for what it was. "I understand. Thank you, Great Deku Tree."
The life within the Deku Tree lessened, the cracks across his bark blackened. "You must...make a shield from my...remains. It will protect you from all manner of evil..."
POP KREAK
His body would not last long.
Navi flew forth, whizzing across the guardian's face. "Great Deku Tree..."
"Navi... Help Link. I'm counting on you, too.
The future depends upon thee, Link... Thou art courageous... Navi the fairy... Help Link to carry out my will...
I
entreat
ye...
Navi...
Good...
bye...
Goodbye...everyone...
...Good... ...bye..."
"Great Deku Tree!" a boy cried, all Kokiri staring nervously, waiting for the unpleasant yet inevitable outcome.
A shivering silence filled the forest, brown leaves fluttering from the Deku Tree's canopy. His bark darkened, body groaning and creaking as all his color faded into a deathly grey.
The Kokiri helplessly watched, their fairies' wings wilting. Link's unhappy face did not become unhappier, but tears rolled down his cheeks. He was not alone, for all Kokiri wept, Fado patting her eye dry. Even Mido's goons sobbed, their faces curtained by hair not hiding despair.
Navi sniffled, wiping her eyes. "Let's go to Hyrule Castle, Link! Goodbye... Great Deku Tree..."
Link went away, Navi briefly following. She stopped, turning around to take one last look at the Great Deku Tree. She felt a tiny tinge of energy spark into her. It was the very last of the Deku Tree's lifeforce, as if a heartbeat, the final pulse of his power entering her...a resolution and acknowledgement.
She flew after Link...
Mido wiped his red face, trying to hide his weeping. A mix of despair and shame swarmed within him as he stood in Link's path, extending his arm. "Hey, Link! What did you do?! The Great Deku Tree...did he...die? How could you do a thing like that?! It's all your fault!" Mido stomped away, grumbling, nearby Kokiri keeping their distance.
"Link," Fado said, "what did you do?"
Link sighed. He walked after the boss. "Mido, lend me your sword." Link opened his hand to him.
Surprised, Mido stared back for a moment.
Navi's aura flickered. "Link found the sword first."
Mido knew. He handed Link the Kokiri Sword. Link turned, sitting on the ground while carving a chunk of the Great Deku Tree into a shield. Mido and his two pals stared in bewilderment.
SCRATCH
SCRATCH
SCRATCH
SCRATCH
Mido kept staring. "Hmm?"
The shopkeeper watched carefully. "It looks better than my own shields."
Link tapped his sword against the face of the shield. "All right. It's done." Link stood, happy and proud with Kokiri Sword and handmade Kokiri Shield. "OK, Navi."
Navi jingled. "Let's go, Link."
Link headed across Kokiri Forest, hurt yet determined.
Fado and the other girls wondered what he meant, watching him walk. "What? Where are you going?! To the castle? Where is the castle?"
Link approached the exit of his home, a large hollow log embedded in the cliff.
The Kokiri boy standing guard stood aside, yet seemed ready to pounce any moment. "We Kokiri will die if we leave the forest! You're not going to try to leave the forest, are you?!"
Mido stood nearby, confused, almost offended. "Go? Where are you going? We Kokiris can't live outside the forest."
Link looked back warmly, cute face innocent. The Kokiri had followed him to the exit, as if expecting him to change his mind. "I want to see the outside world, Mido. To see how big it is and what's out there... ...with my own eyes."
Mido looked hurt, unable to find words.
Link held his sword and shield so Mido could see. "I'll be back after I deliver the Kokiri's Emerald."
Teeth gritted, eyes shut tight, Mido stepped to Link, pushing Link's sword against him. "Just... Just take the sword!" Angry and sad, Mido's mouth went all lumpy, no amount of frowning able to hold back his teardrops. "Get out of here and don't ever come back!"
Link said nothing, lips pursed, eyes moist. No matter what, Link was truly not one of them.
He ran away.
Arms bent and apart, Mido leaned over, mouth big, yet unable to scream as he wanted, "You hear me? Don't come back you big jerk."
Link ran headfirst, running as hard as he could. The darkness of the hollow log welcomed him as if a death sentence. Soon, he emerged from the darkness. His boots thudded against a bridge going across a section of the Lost Woods between cliffs, several trees with all limbs and tops cut-off standing tall. Here, hooting, croaking, and cawing reverberated from the canopy and reverberated betwixt the cliffs.
"Oh, you're leaving..."
Link stopped, flinching. He never noticed Saria standing halfway across the bridge, testament to he not being a Kokiri as she was. With the corner of his eyes, he saw Saria's outline, her face mostly invisible.
"So you're going." Even amid fairy spirits and glowing creatures snaking through the air, Saria and her fairy seemed so spooky now.
Link paused, lips apart. "S... Saria..."
She stood solemnly, eyes shiny as she fully appeared.
"I always thought I was different from everyone. Like I'm from somewhere..."
Saria's eyes flashed. "Hm?"
Link's expression softened. "But... ...the forest is my home!"
Saria's expression also softened. "Yeah."
Link walked to his friend.
"I knew... that you would leave the forest... someday, Link...
Because you are different from me and my friends..."
Saria closed her eyes, hands overlapped on her chest. "But that's OK, because we'll be friends forever... won't we?"
She stood silently for a couple seconds. Saria slowly lowered her arms, presenting a pink object. "Please take my Ocarina... It's a gift. I want you to have this Ocarina... Please take good care of it."
Link carefully accepted the gift. He tilted it, staring at the magical thing as sparkles came out of it.
Navi hovered. "You received the Fairy Ocarina! This is a memento from Saria."
Saria's hand was against a rope supporting the bridge rails. "Play it sometimes and remember the forest... ...okay? When you play my Ocarina, I hope you will think of me and come back to the forest to visit."
Link put away the Fairy Ocarina; Saria withdrew another. She closed her eyes and playing a merry tune, jigging to her music. Link happily danced along, withdrawing his handmade slingshot. Their feet tapping against the bridge, Saria's notes echoing across the Lost Woods, Link and Saria enjoyed what time they had left.
"Hello!" Navi greeted Saria's fairy. "Care to dance with me?" Their fairies indeed danced together mid-air, sometimes twirling around their children, or flying along with the other fairy-like creatures always nearby.
Eventually, Saria played the final note, holding it down while Link regained himself, laughing. He made eye contact with Saria, who softly smiled, pocketing her instrument.
Link smiled back. "Thanks for always being my friend, Saria." He gasped—Saria hugged him tightly. He felt her heartbeat against his own, her fingers against his ribs, her cheek on his.
"I'll always be your friend, Link." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. He returned the embrace; they just held each other.
Navi made a tremolo noise, tilting into Saria's fairy, who was sniffling.
Link and Saria slowly released, their eyes shiny. Link remembered about his handmade slingshot, still in his hand. He had no need of it anymore, the Fairy Slingshot superseding it, but his own device was still precious. "You gave me your Ocarina... Allow me to return a gift of my own." He presented his handmade slingshot to her.
Saria gently accepted the gift. She raised it, eyeing the humble weapon attentively. She lowered her hands. "Thank you, Link. I will treasure this always." She placed her free hand against the bridge rope again, the silence more than enough to tell them the time had come.
An uncanny hesitation gripped Link. He stepped backwards, leaning back, as if afraid. After a few seconds, he ran off, he and Navi leaving the forest.
Saria and her fairy solemnly watched them go, Link's footfall soon silent...