Chapter 3
First Goodbyes

Once the white light at the end was coming into view, Navi looked up to her carrier.
"Are you excited?"

"I think so…" Link felt a tightness in his chest with every step. "What's going to happen?"

Navi just smiled, stating that it's nothing to worry about.

As Link emerged at the end of the dark tunnel, he was treated to a nauseating view of the drop below.
Walking through the twisting walkways, he didn't realise just how high up he was actually climbing until arriving at the end.
From where Link was standing, the other trees that always towered over everyone now looked the hight of wild daisies and the children that were just starting to make their way to the river looked smaller than little green and orange ants.

"From up here, I get to pretend I'm the giant." Navi stretched her arms and twirled around just over the edge. From her perspective, it looked like she could fit several of the kids below in the palm of her hand.
How easy the fairy's role would be if the sizes were reversed.

"So, now what?" Link's voice woke Navi from her daydream.

"We're not quite done yet," She explained. "We need to get all the way to the top…"

Link looked above the tunnel he just came through. There weren't any obvious ways to get any higher.
"How?" He asked.

"I'm, not… sure…" Navi looked around. Although she had been to the top before, she'd never made the 'climb'. "Others have done it before you, it has to be possible."

"yeah…" Above the tunnel were more limbs like the one he was on.
Marking them in his head as where he needed to be, he worked backwords with his eyes trying to plan a path. The next closest limb dipped a little as it went out, with branches from both limbs coming very close together.
Each limb growing from the Deku tree was the width of a tree in their own right, so it should be safe to trust its strength. Of that, Link had to hope he was right because the drop would smash him like a grape if he fell.

"Where are you going?" Navi followed from behind as Link made his way along the limb to where the branches met. It didn't take long to figure out what he was planning. "No, don't be stupid, Link!"

Link was worried by the drop, far more so than Navi. His heart pounded as he looked at the dizzying fall below.
"water, it's just water…" He told himself as he eyed up his target ahead of him.
Taking a step back, Link charged forward and leapt off the limb, reaching as far as he could, just managing to grab on to the branches.
His grip was strong, but his legs dangled over ground hundreds of feet below him.

Navi felt sick when Link looked at her from where he hung. His face had turned pale. In her head, Navi could see it. He was about to drop to his death while she helplessly watched.
"Don't, move…" She pleaded.
Maybe there's a way. If she went and got help, maybe they could bring something. A ladder, bridge the gap and with enough people, they can pull him to safety.
He just needs to hold on.
"I'll be back, don't move!" She was just about to fly down, but Link had started swinging his legs. "I said don't move!"

Link managed to hook his ankle around a branch. From there, he was able to get just a little higher to reach with his hand to grab another one.
With his other leg, he threaded his body up and around the limb before managing to pull himself up completely.

"You crazy little… You… YOU!..." Navi fumed incoherently at him as he lay there, his arms were shaking. His heart was thumping under his ribs as he felt the shock washed over him.
"Just, catch your breath, and don't ever do that again!" Navi glared at him when his shaking hand rose to give her a thumbs up. "crazy kid…" She slumped on his chest, arms and legs crossed as she moved up and down with his deep breaths.

After a quick rest, Link picked himself up while Navi hovered by his head.
"Before you do anything stupid, try asking me first. We can come up with ideas together."

"What would you have done?" Link asked as he walked back towards the trunk.
Navi talked about her ladder idea. To which Link made a good point.
"Saria did this when she was five. She never said she needed a ladder."

Navi never heard Rose mention it either. No one said the climb was dangerous before.
"Is everyone expected to make that jump?" Navi wondered out loud as she looked back the way they came. "It's a miracle no one's died yet… At least the next part looks saf-easier…" Nothing about the situation was 'safe'.

The next limb came off like a V from the one Link was already on. It grew up and led to more branches that he could climb like any other tree so long as he kept telling himself he wasn't constantly defying death with each step.

Although he was the one in real danger, Navi was petrified for him. For her own sanity, it would be best to just fly away and hope for the best. Ideally, he'd listen to her when she asked to go back with him.
"Stop." She out her hand out to him, blocking his path with her tiny body.

"We're not there yet."

"I know, I just want you to have a rest. Sit!"

Link carefully sat down against the trunk. He was only getting higher with each passing minute, so pretending he was only a few feet off the ground got harder and harder.
"You rest, I'll scout ahead and see what you need to do to keep going. Don't move until I get back."

"Okay." Link nodded, taking another deep breath.

"Link, promise me you won't move."

Looking up at her, his fairy. It felt strange to be glad to have someone telling him what to do, but also nice knowing Navi was looking out for him.
"I won't go anywhere without you, I promise."

With that bit of assurance, Navi flew on ahead.
She used Link's pattern of climbing to give an idea of what to look for. The taller up the tree she went, the closer the branches got.
"We might actually get through this…" She sighed in relief as she went back down to tell Link the good news. "I think it gets easier from here on. You ready?"

Link stood up and followed her lead. He only deviated from her route once or twice, thankfully because he saw a better way.
Sometimes the limbs were close enough he could skip the branches and just climb up, other times the trunk was so rigged that he could dig his fingers into the Deku bark and pull himself up the vertical climb to the last ledge.
All while Navi floated around, offering encouragement as they approached top of the Deku Tree.
With one last heave of his arms, Link lifted his knee over the ledge and picked himself up tall.

"You did it, well done!" Navi couldn't help but smile.
It was a hard climb, a dangerous one, but Link managed despite the trials and did it all without hesitation.

"What now?" He asked with his back hunched over as he caught his breath.

"Follow me…" Navi flew on ahead and started explaining the next step as she went. It didn't take long to realise she was talking to herself and Link was experiencing the single most fantastic view in the entire forest.

In a way, Link's world had always been a box as wide as the distance between the trees around him. For the first time in his life, he was grasping the vastness that the world truly was.
"What's that?" He asked, pointing out across the treetops. Navi giggled, identifying the distant object as a mountain for him.
"Who lives there?"

"I don't know." Navi hovered by, keeping out of his way but still able to see his wanderlust face as he took it all in.

"Is, that a mountain?" Link pointed at the forest itself.

Navi could see a brick-built structure just peeking above the trees a good few miles out. "That's the ruins… Have you never been?"

"The ruins…?" Before Link and Saria got lost in that terrifying fog, they had planned to try and find the ruins without a fairy showing the way and return home before dark.

Out of everyone who attempted to find the ruins, no one actually made it, but Link and Saria were the only ones to admit to the fact that they got lost.
The irony was not lost on Link that he and Saria were honest about their failures, yet he still got labelled the liar.
"Can we go sometime?"

"I'll take you today if you want, but we have things to do first!" Navi allowed Link to admire and ask about the view until he was ready to continue with the ritual of becoming a real Kokiri. "Follow me, we're almost done." Navi floated across the treetop.

Deku trees not only grow wider than most trees but also grow to have a flat, if not, hollow curve around the top of the bark to collect rainwater that trickles down the spongy wood on the inside.
The Great Deku Tree, however, had a rim of bark around the outside, which was decorated with many hundred handprints of previous children that had come this far before.

Link avoided waterlogged pools on the floor as he walked to the far side where Navi led him.
Carved into the tree bark was a face larger than Link's whole body. Eyes, nose, even a mouth, all carved out of the wood.
"What now?"

"Shh~" Navi was always taught to be respectful in this place, but she still found Link's childish naivety rather funny.

After a long and perilous climb, Link was a little fidgety being asked to sit and wait. But a moment later, both Link and Navi heard a voice speak to them.

A deep, hollow voice that seemed to echo within their very minds.
"At long last, I can finally welcome you, Link and Navi…"

Link looked all around for the speaker before his eyes finally fell on the face carving before him.
Navi expected his confusion and so with a smile to herself, she formally introduced Link to the father and protector of the lost woods, the Great Deku Tree.
"a talking tree?" Link gasped, partly wondering if he was still asleep in his bed. Maybe he was hit too hard the day before. But this thought was dismissed as the voice talked again.

"I understand the confusion you feel, and I am sorry it has taken so long to bring you here. But in truth, I had hoped to hold off for as long as I could, but time is running out for me."

Navi had a complacent smile on her face from the moment she sat down. She knew about the Deku tree since shortly after she was born, so the conversation in and of itself was nothing new.
However, this mention of time running out was troubling.

"Since long before the Kokiri have walked these woods, I have guarded the forest and guided spirits that dwell here. But my power to keep the forest safe has been weakening for quite some time and soon, after my death, the safety of the woods will fall on to another."

Navi couldn't believe her ears.
"You're, going to die…?"

"I wish it were that simple, Navi." The tree said. "I've been cursed, a deliberate act to weaken my influence and kill me."

Link tried to take this all in. He thought this was going to be his day to become a true Kokiri. This is not what he expected.

"I am sorry, but your day must wait. I fear neither of you are ready for the task ahead, but to delay any longer could mean the end of everything."

"Is the forest in danger?" Navi asked.

"No, the one who cursed me has ambitions that will not be satisfied with my death alone. Its arrival will bring about the end of the entire world. This much is certain."

Link was speechless for the most part. His world only just expanded with the sight of the forest from above. Now to hear of its destruction, he was at a loss.

"what can we do?" Navi muttered, wondering what this task the Deku tree mentioned could possibly be.

"Young Master Link has strength and cunning. But hasn't wandered more than six miles from where he sits now, and not many fairies share your wanderlust, Navi. It's for this reason I have chosen you two to be paired forever."

Navi sheepishly looked away. She'd always been told not to leave the forest.

"Tell me little one, what lies beyond the lost woods?"

"The kingdom of Hyrule…" She admitted. Lying to a spirit that can see into your thoughts is impossible.

"A blight known as Ganondorf threatens the world. Soon it will become greater than any army. So I must ask you both to leave the forest, make your way to the Kingdom of Hyrule and warn the Royal family that Ganondorf is coming, then maybe it can be stopped before it's too late."

Link felt unsure about it all.
For years he waited for the day where he'd be accepted as a Kokiri. And now the day is finally here, and instead of being embraced as one of them, he's being sent away from his home on a task.
At his lowest moments, the idea of leaving everyone behind had crossed his mind before, but he could never bring himself to go through with it. But now if he refuses, the larger world will suffer.

"I sense your doubt." The tree stated. "Every Kokiri who sat where you do has accepted their role without question, yet you hesitate."

Navi started at Link. She felt sorry for him because this must be hard to hear after everything he's been through.

"Your peers think poorly of you and deny the person you are. This caused you to doubt your own abilities. But when young Pirata needed saving from the river, You were there, Link."

Link blinked, bringing his stare up to the tree's face.
"You know about that?"

"I've watched you your entire life. That's why I know you are the only one I can trust. The people of Hyrule may never know your name, but if you can deliver the warning that Ganondorf will soon arrive, you'll be the hero of a kingdom."

Link smiled slightly. Deliver a warning that will save lives. To think he hoped for berry picking to be his task.
"Okay. I'll do it." As he looked up to his fairy, he found her smiling back.

"We'll do it. What kind of guardian would I be if I let you get lost out there?" Navi floated around Link before landing on his shoulder.
It'll be a long journey on foot, and they'll need each other to do what must be done.
Now that they've been paired and given their task, Navi looked up to the Deku Tree.
"Is that us?"

"Normally, I would give him a tool to aid you both in your job in the forest. But young Master Link's job isn't in the forest. I have nothing for you,"

Link's smile faded a little. Everyone else got a gift, but no one else was ever given the blessing to venture out. It is actually quite exciting.

"But," The Deku tree continued. "You will need supplies for your journey. I've sent a messenger to wait for you in the woods."

"In the woods?" Link and Navi looked over the acres of woodland. "I guess we better start looking…"

Navi followed at Link's side as he climbed down the tree's bark and navigated back to the tunnel before landing on his shoulder to traverse the darkness.
"Are you nervous?" Navi asked, whispering directly into his ear.

"A little."
Link went into his room one last time to get a few things. But his room was almost bare. His spare clothes were gone, his tools, everything important to him.
"I bet Mido did this…" He growled.

"Let's go find him!" Navi suggested, but Link decided against it.

"The Deku Tree said someone in the woods would give me supplies anyway… so it doesn't matter anymore…"

Upon leaving the Deku Tree behind, Link found himself the focus of attention.
The other Kokiri either tilting their heads in confusion or giving a distrustful stare as he walked by.

"Well?" Mido asked, sitting up in a tree with his pals.

Link's eyes met Mido's, and just for a moment, he was about to call him out and demand to know if he did steal from his room. But Mido spoke first.
"What task were you given?"

Link halted on the spot, tightening his eyes as he took a breath.
"I was told to leave," He replied before pressing on, hearing the muttered whispers behind him with every step.

"There's more to it than that," Navi told him. "Why not say you're on a mission? They'll believe you now."

"I've decided I don't care what they think anymore." Link told her.

A little deeper into the lonely and quiet woods, Link kept looking up to his fairy.
It still felt strange to look up and see that he has one.
"You're really my fairy, Navi?"

Navi blinked at his strange question but gave a gentle smile.
"I'm your fairy for as long as you're my kid~"
Link felt shy for being happy about it. But before Navi could tease him for it, they both heard faint and gentle music playing from deeper in the woods, prompting Link to suddenly speed off in a full sprint.
"h-hey!" Navi dashed after Link, having to keep up with his run.

Sitting up on the same fallen tree they collected mushrooms on yesterday, Link found Saria sitting tall on the trunk, blowing a pleasant melody into his ocarina.
Sitting on her girl's shoulder, Rose gently tugged on Saria's hair to let her know of Link's arrival without distracting her playing.
When the girl opened her eyes to see the boy standing there, she took a sad breath.

"I made it only ten steps into the woods before being called to pack you everything you'd need for a trip." Reaching behind, Saria pulled out a bag of all the things Link was missing from his room, including half the food she'd been able to gather from foraging without him.

"Thanks, Saria…"

"Why did it have to be you?" She asked, gently swinging her feet as she watched him pull the shoulder straps on.

"I don't know…" He sighed, looking at the ocarinas, the one in her hand and the one at her side.

"Were you looking for it?" She teased with a smirk as she once again offered him the instrument she made him when they were little. "I just wanted to make sure it was still in tune before you go."

Link accepted the ocarina then put the mouthpiece to his lips before playing a simple tune she taught him when he first started learning.

Hearing the familiar song, Saria picked up her own so they could play together.
Their music echoed throughout the trees. Stray fairies would descend from the trees to listen, and a few Kokiri on their own gatherings would stop and wonder where the song was coming from.

"That was nice," Saria whispered as her hands fell to her lap. "No matter how far you go, keep the song of the forest in your heart… I'll play every day, so you can always find your way back."

Link wished he could stay. Or better yet, wished she could come with him. It wouldn't be fair to ask, to make her say no.
"I'll listen out for it," He promised, placing his ocarina inside his bag.

"We'll be back before you miss us!" Navi said with a wave.

"I know you will, but I miss him already." Rose mocked.

Saria and Link shared one last hug before giving their last goodbyes.
From that spot by the fallen tree, Saria watched Link fade into the deep forest. Once he was gone, she placed her lips on her ocarina and started playing for him.