A young boy sat next to the Deku Tree, his fairy guardian finally with him. She had summoned him to the Deku tree for his first meeting with her, and they had much to discuss.
"Young Link," began the Great Deku Tree, "I've been watching you for a while and see you growing restless. You no doubt have begun to notice the differences between yourself and your peers. Your ears, your eyes, most of all your stature. You know we Kokiri remain childlike forever, protected here in the Lost Woods and Forest from those which would do us harm. We have no need for warrior protection like the Gorons, Zoras, or even Gerudo. Or so I thought." She twisted her great trunk slowly from side to side, feeling the cracking and bending of some of her roots as she did so. She finally bent to see him more clearly, the boy adopted from the Hylian mother. It was time to tell him.
"Link, you were adopted from a Hylian mother. She came here seeking refuge among us, and we Kokiri provided her that. She was injured from abuse, and did not live long amongst us. Before she died, I promised we Kokiri would take care of you as our own. We have done so, but I don't think this can last much longer. You see the mushrooms on me, I am in my phase of slow death. At least us trees get many many years of old age, unlike you Hylians who live as long as you live and tend to die suddenly and without notice. I've been aware of my condition for several decades, but it has taken a very sharp turn for the worse the past few years. What with the tremors of Death Mountain, I fear there is another eruption coming soon. I need to set my mind at ease."
Link looked up at her with a puzzled expression, silent as ever.
"This may be more for me than for you. Link, a Gerudo King visited recently. I believe you met him. He offered a gift to commemorate the beginning of a relationship with the Kokiri. I do not know if that relationship will ever fully fruit, as I am dying soon and the challenges facing that man are great. I want to entrust his gift to you, for I feel that you hold a key to all of this. I would give it to Saria, and before you leave you should speak to her. Bring this with you in case you encounter Ganondorf again. I do not know how it will serve you, but I believe you must bring it with you. I cannot say it is more than a hunch."
Link felt the weight of the emerald in his hand, the gold trimming shining in the sunny rays nurturing the forest around and Navi nodded, having discussed the coming of the moment for him to leave the forest at length the previous night. He bid his farewell to the Great Deku Tree, and gathered his belongings to meet with Saria.
"I was always fond of you," Saria said. "I know you already took all of the rupees from my house along with the other houses, as well as what we gave you. I wish you the best, you are growing into a strong young man." She thrust the ocarina into his hands before he could object. "I'm really going to miss you, you know that?! Please take this to remember me by. Use the Kokiri emerald to show that you have the blessing of the Great Deku Tree, use this ocarina to show that you have my blessing! I have met a lot of people who have come through the Kokiri forest, you know."
With that, he left with the sage advice of Kaepora Gaebora to do somersaults as much as possible while traveling throughout the lands. It made him dizzy and hurt his neck to do it, but he figured he would get better at it with practice.