Note: A longer chapter this time, as promised! Here, we get introduced to some other denizens of the Lost Woods, as well as learn some hints on Link's true origins (although this game is 20+ years old).
Also, we will eventually see the powers of Hyrule's deities in future chapters.
While there are many references to Hyrule's core belief system, this story isn't for or against anything. In fact, I took reference and inspiration from both still-existing and dead religions, along with monotheistic and polytheistic systems.
My main reasoning for this is that I want the Goddess' to be actual characters. Granted, not ones that pop up a lot, but they exist and have something to say about what's going on in the world they created. They won't just do things for the characters, but they can provide some tips when needed.
Granted, they'll become more prominent in the second half of the story, but for now, they'll be brief appearances that no one recognizes.
A Distant Song
The memory, the dream, the vision that had played before her during her time of unconsciousness faded away, the world around her returning and reminding her that she was not in the best of situations.
Hanging from a cage composed of twisted, winding branches supported by an equally crooked and sickly-looking tree, Saria sat in her confinement, uncertain of how to exactly best deal with her current predicament.
"He's here."
The Kokiri froze, the voice had returned. It had made itself known when she was first taken, but when she had lost consciousness, she hadn't heard it speak to her directly until now. The voice in itself, she likened it to the Great Deku Tree, but not in the sense of comparison and similarity. Rather, it was how the gravely, harsh tone was everything opposite of her parental figure. Both sounded old and wise, yet there was a twisted sense of malice in her captor's, not to mention a hint of glee upon realizing that her friend had come for her.
"I shall finish where my partner left off."
Saria hugged her legs, lowering her head into the small space between her knees and arms. Despite this, however, she still found some strength in her words. "And how are you so certain that your efforts will be successful?" she asked. "If he killed the Gohma Queen that man brought here, then what makes you think Link won't do the same to you?"
"He will never find me," the voice retorted, trying to keep an intimidating presence, but there was a twinge of nervousness in his voice. "Not unless I will it."
"But you'll have those under you do the work for you, right?" Saria questioned. "You're scared of him finding you, huh?"
"I fear nothing!" the voice bellowed, Saria noticing the bars of her cage beginning to twist and turn even more, becoming even more misshapen and unnaturally bent than before. "Especially not a child!"
"For now," Saria replied. "And you want to make sure he's taken care of before he becomes something more."
Her prison rattled, her captor growing angrier the longer she spoke. "Have you forgotten what position you're in right now?" the cruel voice mocked. "I know he'll come for you, and when he does, my pets shall be waiting for him."
Saria gazed outward into the darkness surrounding her, pairs of shining orbs looking back at her, the small girl felt very closed in and surrounded, even more than she already was. Shrinking back in the corner of the cage, an old, horrid laugh echoed throughout the small, confined portion of the woods. But that which was no longer in control of the Great Deku Tree.
Oh no, she was in the land of someone very different.
"Your friend has that sword, but let's see how he does with claws and teeth."
Saria swallowed hard as the owners of the pairs of eyes dashed off, surely on the hunt for the one that she knew was here for her. "Link…"
"Yes…that's what she said his name was as well," the voice muttered. "Unfortunately, she escaped me," the "bars" of Saria's prison began to twist and turn again, almost closing her in entirely. "Had your dear parent not intervened, I wouldn't have to go through the efforts of bringing him back here."
"You just made your biggest mistake then," the Kokiri girl retorted. "You know he can finish you. Just like he'll finish off your friend from the desert-" she got no more out before her cage was violently shaken, the open spaces in between the bars suddenly sprouting leaves and blocking out any already sparse moonlight from coming in. She was essentially trapped in total darkness.
The voice didn't respond, having seemingly left her alone. Whether because he saw no point in talking with her any longer, or to further add to her already high tension, Saria could only speculate. For the time being, she was trapped in this place, unable to do anything but stay in her confines, a prisoner for an ancient enemy of the Great Deku Tree.
One who had just begun to make his move now that the Guardian of the Forest was gone.
And now, that fiend was setting a trap up for her friend, who already wasn't too familiar with the Lost Woods, even after all this time. Only she was the one that knew all of its secrets, for she wouldn't have dared to go where she was now, had she been given the choice. Yet she couldn't dwell on that now, she had to somehow alert Link where she was. If not to at least keep him from going around in circles, for this place was not one to become stranded in.
Especially for one such as Link.
"I wonder…" Saria muttered. "If he's..maybe figured something out yet," then, she sighed. "Doubtful. He's a bit dense."
While she had been instructed to keep quiet by the Great Deku Tree, Saria knew the truth about the blonde boy, the boy that had just recently evolved from the moniker of 'Mr. No-Fairy'. Of course, Navi wouldn't know where to find her either. She had to give him some sort of clue. True, she might've possibly been leading him into potential danger, yet, sad as it was to admit, the forest depended on her. Now that the Great Deku Tree was gone, she was the only line of defense against forces such as her captor.
And as the one who initially poisoned her parent.
But what could she do? It was then that her blue eyes fell on the dark leaves that blocked out the world around her, as dark and foreboding as it was. Reaching forward slowly, fearful that maybe her captor would catch onto her plan. Thankfully, it seemed that this wasn't the case, as she quickly picked two leaves from the branches of her cage.
"Yes," she said to herself, voice barely above a whisper. "I think I can make this work."Given the other possibilities of what could occur, all of them terrible for her friend, her attempt to help would have to work. If not for her sake, then his. "Just…please don't let me get him hurt."
She brought the leaves together and put them to her lips, blowing softly as she tried to find a note.
A Distance Away
"Hey, you hear something?" Recti questioned Mido, who had stopped for a moment.
"Hear what?" the redhead questioned the pink fairy.
"I don't think we're the only ones here," Recti answered. She then focused and tried to sense if there were any forms of life nearby. "Aha!" she then proclaimed, flying over toward a nearby bush. "Over here!" She peered over the tall leaves to see just who she had detected and found herself taken back by just who she came face to face with. "N-Navi?!"
"Recti?!" the other fairy exclaimed, just as surprised.
As if on cue, both of their charges came running, seeing that the other had come into the Lost Woods as well. "Y-You!" Mido stammered, Link in turn stunned to see the other boy. "What are you doing here? I thought we kicked you out." True, the Kokiri hadn't done so officially, but given Link's departure after the Great Deku Tree's death, that had essentially been what was accepted.
Link huffed. "I'm not here for you," he retorted, making his distaste for the other child known. "I'm here for Saria."
Funny how he could sometime speak perfectly clear and struggle to get a word out the next, Mido thought. Everything about Link just confused him. "So am I," the other Kokiri proclaimed. "So there's no point in you going any further. Go on and do whatever your quest is, I'll rescue Saria."
"You?" Link scoffed.
Mido's brows furrowed. "Yeah, me!" he barked back. "You think you're SO cool with that stupid sword of yours that I STILL think you stole!" he said, pointing an accusing finger in Link's direction. "But you probably don't even know how to use that thing! What sort of training do you even have?!"
"Well, not much to be honest," Navi admitted. "But he's progressing, if ever slowly." Link scowled at her. "Hey, I have to deliver and truthful answer. Besides, even if you have slain the monsters inside the Great Deku Tree, you haven't used that sword much yet."
Link wished to say something back, even if he would have some difficulty doing so, yet ultimately found himself unable to reply. As much as he hated it, everything Navi said was true. Still, did she have to make it seem like he was a total novice? Killing a giant spider had to count for something, right?
"So, how did you two get here anyway?" Recti asked. "I thought you were supposed to be going to the 'castle' place."
"We hitched a ride here," Navi answered the pink fairy. "But none of that's important. Right now, Saria's in danger, and we have to find her."
"I'LL find her!" Mido declared, pointing to his chest. "You'll just get in the way!"
Get in the way?! Who did he think he was, Link thought. Did he forget who was the one with the sword here?! "I'm…" he began but found his tongue beginning to work against him again.
"Yeah, Mr. No-Fairy?" Mido asked. "Oh, I guess I can't call you that anymore, huh?" he said, glancing at Navi. "Of course, you've always been a weirdo who could never talk right," Link's lips tightened with anger the longer Mido continued. "Tell me, can you just not speak well, or are you too stupid to even know what words are?"
"Hey!" Navi exclaimed. "Link may be a little dense, but he's NOT stupid!"
"Oh yeah?" Mido shot back. "You've only been with him for a few days at most! I've known this guy my entire life!" he then narrowed his eyes in the blonde boy's direction. "Even if he wears clothes like the rest of us, he sure doesn't act like a proper Kokiri," he went on, Link's rage ever increasing. "He can't grow anything right, he doesn't know NOT to carve on trees, he mixes crops up all the time,"
"Mido," Recti said, beginning to pick up on the other boy's growing fury.
"Speaking of growing things," Mido sneered. "Grow any broccoli lately? Or was it cauliflower?"
That did it. Everything went red and all Link knew or could fathom was that the boy in front of him had to be taught a lesson. Before Mido or either fairy could react, Link pounced upon the redhead, knocking both of them to the grassy floor of the forest.
"Hey, get off-"
PUNCH!
Mido was cut off by a swift punch to the face, Link wasting no time in getting to the point.
"Navi!" Recti cried out in panic. "Stop him!"
Indeed, while Link's fairy believed that some form of retaliation or retort was in order, her charge's actions were far too violent for her to stand idly by and do nothing. "Link!" Navi called out. "Stop it!"
Link paid his guide no heed as he prepared to deliver another blow, but before he could do so, a swift kick to his gut sent him flying back, allowing his target to get back up. "Ok, fine!" Mido shouted. "You want it that way? Let's go!"
Link tightened his fists, trying to ignore the pain in his abdomen from the kick.
Both boys went in on each other, exchanging fists, hands, legs, and feet, all in an effort to beat the other one down. Despite their small size, their fairies looked on his shock and horror, the struggle steadily growing more and more violent as time went on. Compa had rolled out of Link's pocket and onto the grassy floor, Navi and Recti flying down to collect the still collapsed fairy.
"Don't just flutter there!" Recti told Navi, breaking the other fairy from her shocked stupor. "Do something!"
"Well, yes, but what?" Navi questioned, feeling quite powerless to do anything. "It's not like we can just pull them apart!"
Suddenly, a fist to the face sent Link to the ground, Mido standing over him as if silently declaring victory. No, the blonde boy thought. He wouldn't win, not this time! He grabbed the handle of his sword and pulled it outward, presenting the blade to Mido. The other boy was taken back by this sudden turn of events and stepped away. To his shame, he found himself actually intimidated by the semi-mute loser. Fine then, he thought. He could play the same game!
Grabbing a thick branch nearby, Mido held it over his head and charged, ready to use it on his opponent. He managed to strike Link on the shoulder, causing him to drop his shield, but he still kept his grip on the Kokiri Sword. Mido turned and swung again, only to find the sword swing upward and split his improv weapon in half, leaving him with little more than the stump of what was once a strong, sturdy branch. Kneeling and quickly retrieving his shield, Link saw Mido make a dash for him. The blonde boy dodged the incoming tackle at just the last moment, and then swiftly kicked Mdio in the backside, sending him flying a few feet before making a landing on the ground.
"Ow…" the red-haired boy moaned in pain, lying in the grass to recover, but he suddenly became aware of a shadow looming over him, along with a sword pointed directly at his throat.
"LINK!" Navi cried out. "Wait! Don't do it!"
Neither she nor Recti had any time to go to their charges, as both boys found themselves blasted off their feet by a pair of freshly released Deku Nuts, each launched into their guts. True, the impact wasn't harsh, and it only presented them with a slight ache, but it was enough to get the two to stop fighting each other. Link and Mido looked up from the ground and saw a lone Deku Scrub had suddenly made itself known.
Deku Scrubs, while their tops were always composed of bushes or some sort of foliage, there were different varieties and fashions in which some cut what was essentially their "hair." Some Scrubs had fertile, green leaves while others preferred having the Autumn look all year round, and some even trimmed their leaves to resemble a certain style similar to those on the less wooden denizens of the Lost Woods.
Yet this Scrub appeared to have quite the peculiar "hairstyle." "What are you kids doing here?" she asked, the voice indicating it was female, although male and female Deku Scrubs looked almost identical. She wore a "dress" of green leaves and had her top foliage styled into a short style with flipped ends, giving it a "wavy" look. To top her appearance off, two large, pink flowers were rooted in either side of her head, the blossoms opening up and presenting the sweet, nectar-filled insides for any nighttime insects to dine on. "You know, the way you're going at it, you're going to wake up the whole forest!" she then spotted the sword in Link's hand. "And what's that? What are you doing using that thing on him?! That's dangerous!"
Link glanced over to the Kokiri Sword, realizing that, indeed, he had drawn it out against Mido.
"Yeah, what she said!" the red-haired boy agreed.
"Oh no, you're not innocent either," the Scrub said. "I saw what you did before you two fought. You both should be ashamed. Especially when a friend of yours is counting on you."
Indeed, giving some thought, while both boys still resented each other, they had momentarily forgotten the reason they were even out here. But then, they both noticed a detail the Scrub had said.
"You know Saria?" Mido asked, shocked. "Where is she? Is she ok? Who took her?"
Link wished to articulate all this as well, yet, frankly, it was easier to let Mido do it for him. One of the few times the red-haired jerk actually benefited him in some way.
"Yes, yes, yes, and yes," the Scrub answered. "To all four questions. Yes, I know Saria. The entire forest knows Saria."
The entire forest? "H-How?" Link questioned, wishing to show the Scrub that he wasn't entirely speechless.
"Let's just say, the Great Deku Tree gave her a special job to do in case anything ever happened to him," the wooden creature explained. "But, unfortunately, she's just stepped into the role given to her, and she hasn't really mastered control. Thus, those that are older and stronger will eventually strike to try and be rid of her," her eyes met the two boys. "And then, be rid of you."
"Who?" Mido questioned.
He was going to ask that too, Link thought, grumbling at the fact Mido got ahead of him.
"The Baga Tree," she said. "An ancient enemy of your dearly departed parent," the Scrub explained. "He rules over the darker regions of the Lost Woods and has several foul beasts and twisted creatures to do his will. Many Scrubs have actually fallen in league with him so they could too rule the forest instead of coexisting with the Great Deku Tree's children," she then looked upward, noticing the canopy above growing darker. "And, if he isn't stopped soon, his influence will spread even wider, even to your corner of the forest."
Both boys were rendered silent.
"Well, how can he be stopped?" Navi questioned, speaking on behalf of Recti and Compa.
"He can't be," the Scrub answered. "Not yet, anyway. It's not time."
"Time?" Recti asked. "What does time have to do with it? If this Baga Tree is moving into the Great Deku Tree's territory, then I'd say he needs to be dealt with as soon as possible!"
"As you are now, you wouldn't stand a chance," the wooden plant creature said. "He is ancient and powerful, too powerful for even someone like you," she directed her attention to Link, specifically the sword he possessed. "Find Saria and then flee back to your settlement. From there, things shall play out."
"Play out how?" Mido asked.
"In short, it means that everything will be as it should. Of course," she said, looking back at Link. "You still have a journey to go on after all this is over."
Link was shocked upon hearing this. Just how did this Deku Scrub know what he was tasked with?
"I know of what the Great Deku Tree sent you to do," the Scrub told the blonde boy. "And, I also know that you are the instructions of the land's Princess to gather the Three Spiritual Stones," she then glanced at the shield on the boy's back, knowing the sack that rested underneath. "You already have one in your possession. This both helps and hinders you."
"How can something both help and hinder you?" Mido questioned, crossing his arms. He was beginning to grow tired of this wooden stump's talking.
"Well, for one thing, that Stone is proof that you work on behalf of those who wish to protect Hyrule and the World," The green-bushed creature said. "But, also, it is something that the Baga Tree would probably want to get his roots on. I don't think I need to tell you that someone like him should not have something so precious."
Mido and Link were silent, unsure of how to respond. While true, they both expected to be some danger when Saria had vanished, yet neither had prepared themselves for news such as this.
"But," the Scrub said. "There's another benefit that comes with having that Stone," she chirped. "It's a sign that Farore is on your side."
Link raised a brow. "Farore?" it took a few moments, but memories regarding what Saria had told him before his departure came back, as well as the details of one of the three beings that supposedly made the world he stood on.
"She produced everything that sprouted out from the dirt, and thus, she is the one that ultimately rules over all things green, even me," the Scrub told the two. "True, she doesn't get too involved in people's business directly, but she can intervene and give some tips if she sees fit to."
"Then how about this lady give us some hint on where to go?" Mido asked.
"You don't need her for that," the Scrub answered. "Listen. Do you hear that?"
Hear what? Link wondered, but then, his ears caught it. A familiar melody was being played from afar. Distant and unreachable, but he still heard it.
"That song…" Mido said. "That's Saria!"
The Scrub nodded. "You're her only hope now, so are you two going to continue to fight, or are you going to put your energy to good use?"
Link and Mido gazed at each other, neither boy exactly happy about having to potentially cooperate with the other. Still, if it was for the sake of Saria, they had little other choice.
"Ok, fine," the redhead groaned. "But," he then scooped Compa up and put her in his pocket, taking up the task of carrying the still-weak fairy. "I'll be going first!" he then dashed off through a nearby tree hollow, following the distant notes that echoed from some unknown corner of the Lost Woods.
"H-Hey!" Link called out. "Wait!"
"How about you wait?!" Navi shouted, flying after her charge that just went on without her again.
The Deku Scrub gazed in the direction the two children and three fairies had gone. "Farore can also play tricks and create illusions, things that aren't there," she said to no one in particular. "But, even if it is all a mirage, hidden within is the truth," her eyes suddenly flashed green. "A truth that both of you shall see in the coming future."
Note: Sorry, another set up chapter, but we are getting into the Lost Woods. Again, this is mainly made up for this retelling, but I don't want it to drag on for too long.
Please let me know what you think, and I hope to hear from you in the future! Thank you!