Krystal walked up the stairs leading up to the Wind Shrine. She found two monuments beyond the arched gateway at the top, the one on the right broken. She walked over to the one on the left and examined it. There were three markings near the base, one pointing up, the one next to it pointing to the left, and the last one pointing to the right. "These appear to be directions," she thought, wondering what she was supposed to do. After a few moments, she had an idea.
She pulled the Wind Waker out of her Adventure Pouch and held it up, the tip glowing like it had when the King of Red Lions had shown her how to use it. Calling on his lessons, she moved the baton in the directions inscribed on the monument, her ears picking up on what sounded like faint choral voices as she waved the baton. As she finished, she looked up, feeling the wind suddenly change direction and blow southward.
As she looked up at the monument again, she suddenly heard a male voice beside her say, "Yep! That's a MIGHTY nice breeze!" She turned to her left and she stared in surprise; a blue frog-like creature was sitting on a green cloud, hovering just above the ground. He turned to look at her for a moment, eying the baton in her hand before his cloud floated up. She watched as he floated over to her other side, turning to face him as he descended next to her. "The name's Zephos. I'm the god of winds."
Krystal shyly said, "Hello. I'm Krystal."
Zephos asked, "So, you're the new Wind Waker, are you?" Krystal nodded and he said, "Great, great. For a beginner, you've got a nice wind sense about you. I like you, girl!" He gestured to the monument, "That tune you just picked up? Well, it allows you to control the direction that the wind blows."
Krystal blinked, "Really?"
Zephos nodded and said, "Depending on how it's used, the wind can be a good thing… or a very bad thing. You want an example of it being bad, then you should see my brother." He floated over to the broken monument, "It saddens me to say that my brother, Cyclos, is miffed about his monument here being broken. Now he spends his time creating cyclones to torment people with." He floated up again and came down next to his monument, Krystal turning again to look at him. "So! If you encounter any cyclones at sea, chastise my brother for me, will you? And THAT… is my request for you!" Before she could say anything, a burst of wind suddenly blew him away, his laugh carrying across the wind as he disappeared into the distance.
Krystal made her way back to the King of Red Lions, who turned his head to look at her as she approached. "It would seem Ganon sent those monsters to this place," he said. He looked down, "But that would mean…"
Krystal tilted her head, "What does it mean?"
The King looked up at her and said, "There is no time to lose! We must depart at once for the place where the next pearl sleeps! We sail to the south!" Krystal nodded and climbed aboard. She turned him around and they started drifting away from the beach.
Before she could hoist the sail, she heard a voice say, "'Hoy! Hold it right there, small fry!" She looked around, searching for the source of the voice. She heard a splash to her left and she turned to look, only to have something wet hit her in the face. She let out a cry and staggered back as whatever hit her slid off and landed on the floor of the boat. She spun her arms around, trying to keep her balance and managed to right herself after a few moments. She looked down; the thing that had hit her was a folded-up piece of paper. She bent down and picked it up, unfolding it; all it had on it was a bunch of small squares arranged in a 7x7 grid. There were some blank squares, but there were also ones that were filled in.
She heard the voice say behind her say, "Over here, small fry!" She turned; sticking out above the surface of the water near the boat was a blue fish with tan fins and a human-like face. "Nice Sea Chart, isn't it? You need a chart like that if you're gonna be sailing the Great Sea," the fish said in a male voice.
Krystal stared at him for a few moments before looking down at the chart and then back up at him. "This… This is yours?" she finally asked.
The fish chuckled and asked, "What's the matter, small fry? Can't believe a Fishman like me could be an expert cartographer?"
Krystal blinked. "Uh…" she murmured, not sure what to say to that.
The Fishman gave her a more serious look, "What? You want a demonstration? All right, and I'll teach you what I know about this island while I'm at it! Point that Sea Chart this way and make it snappy!" He dunked his head below the water and Krystal watched his shadow swim closer to the boat. He resurfaced within arm's length with a brush sticking out of his mouth. She did as he said, turning the Sea Chart towards him, and he leapt up out of the water. The brush in his mouth danced across a specific part of the chart in a flurry of swipes and strokes before he dropped back into the water.
Krystal turned the chart back around to look at it, focusing on the spot he'd been drawing on. The square was now filled with a map of Dragon Roost Island, the layout drawn in the small space. The Fishman resurfaced and she looked at him as he said, "There's a real peculiar cave towards the backside of this here Dragon Roost Island. Yeah, real peculiar. But I doubt you'll ever get there to see it, small fry, unless you manage to sprout wings and fly, that is… 'Cause you won't be getting there otherwise! That's all I can teach you, small fry!"
Krystal blinked and gave him a small bow as she said, "Oh, well, thank you."
The Fishman gave a fishy smile as he replied, "Well, you're welcome, fry. Tell you what: since I'm feeling so generous, I'm gonna send word to all my brethren living near the islands of the Great Sea. Good bunch of fish. If you see a fish leaping out of the water near an island, sail up to it and get its attention, preferably with some bait."
Krystal tilted her head, "Some bait?"
The Fishman nodded, "Trust me, this is good advice, fry. See, not only will they share any info that might be of use to you, they can also fill in the gaps on that Sea Chart so you have a map of the islands. I HIGHLY recommend you make a habit of doing so. Searching for things out at sea, navigating the Great Sea… You're definitely going to need a well-drawn chart for that. I can't emphasize this enough, fry. You NEED a well-drawn chart or it's going to be a bigger hassle for you later on! Now don't say I never did anything for you!"
The King of Red Lions turned his head to look at the Fishman, "Are you quite done?"
The Fishman turned to him, "'Hoy! You there! You Kingly Red Lion guy! That's it! I've repaid my debt! I'm done! You take care of the rest!" He dunked his head back below the water's surface and his shadow swam away.
Krystal turned to look at the King, "You know him?"
He replied, "You might say that. We do have some history, but this isn't the time to speak of that. We must be on our way!" Krystal nodded and looked down at the Sea Chart before looking at the Tingle Pad on her brace. Remembering his words, she touched it to the device and it stored it away inside, displaying it on the screen. She then hoisted the sail, the wind blowing them to the south.
They sailed past several islands as the wind carried them. A volcano spewing lava, an island shaped like a triangle, and an oddly-shaped island, Krystal taking the time to seek out the Fishmen at each of these islands to see what they had to say and get a few more spots on the Sea Chart filled in. The mid-afternoon sun soon shone on them as they approached their destination: a pair of islands rising up rising up out of the sea, one of them entangled in thorny vines, with several smaller islands around them. "Wow…" Krystal breathed as she took in the sight of the islands.
The King of Red Lions nodded, "Yes, Krystal! You see that on the horizon?" He gestured to the island to their left, "That is the Forest Haven. That is where you must go." As they approached the island, he explained, "It may seem as though this is but a great tree rising far above the ocean's surface, but it is a sacred place. It is inside this grotto that you will find the spirit of the earth, the Great Deku Tree. You must speak with him and receive the sacred gem known as Farore's Pearl."
Krystal looked at the small islands as they approached a spot where she could get off and make her way into the island. The King was looking at the islands too, a perturbed look crossing his features as he took them in. "There were once many lush islands here home to throngs of forest fairies… These withered islands… When did this place become so barren and sad?" he wondered.
Krystal looked at him. "Do you think…?" she asked as she brought the sail in. The King looked back at her for a moment before facing forward, looking at the outcropping of land they were drifting towards. They stopped next to it and Krystal leapt out onto the grass-covered ground. She looked up at the central structure rising up towards the sky.
The King caught her attention when he spoke, "I fear that Ganon's vile hand may have already reached this most sacred of sanctuaries. Go forth with caution, Krystal." She nodded back at him and started making her way towards the structure, climbing up the nearby ledge.
With a little help from the Grappling Hook, Krystal was able to make her way around to an opening in the structure where the water going around it was coming from and it was shallow enough for her to stand without being pushed away by the current. She made her way inside and found herself in a dimly lit grove with trees scattered about. It wasn't dark enough to trigger her night vision, but it was certainly darker than it was outside, fireflies and little sprites of light being the only sources of light she could see.
She had to do a little more walking and climbing to reach a spot where the water was more tranquil, but when she reached it, her eyes were drawn to the tall, ancient tree in the center of the grove. Its trunk extended nearly to the opening above and its bark seemed to form the shape of a face near its base, its rounded chin hanging over the water.
As Krystal looked up at it, a red, gooey blob with yellow and red eyes suddenly appeared on the face. Krystal recognized it as a Chuchu, having seen several while she was climbing Dragon Roost. They hadn't been difficult totake down, but suddenly, there were a dozen Chuchus on the tree's face and they weren't all red; some of them were green. The face suddenly moved and it let out a moan as it began to shake around like it was trying to get the Chuchus off of it.
Krystal felt for the tree and wanted to help it. While watching how it moved its face, she brought out her Grappling Hook and began swinging it around, focusing on a red one on its chin. She managed to hit it and pull it off, pulling some Red Chu Jelly out in the process, and she took it out with her sword. She managed to pull off and defeat a green one next, but then they all turned their attention to her. They jumped off the tree and inched their way towards her while she backed up onto a big lily pad. She brought out her sword and shield and, when they tried to jump and attack her, she took them all out with a Spin Attack.
As she put her sword and shield away, she stared up at the tree's face as its mouth moved. It sounded like it was saying words, but they were words she had never heard before. Suddenly, the lily pad she was standing on was raised up out of the water, putting her at about the level of the tree's face. It then rumbled, "I must apologize. I was in error. I saw your sword skills and felt a longing for an age gone by… That longing caused the ancient tongue to pass my lips. I am the guardian spirt of this Forest Haven – the Great Deku Tree. I owe you my thanks for your aid in ridding me of those foul creatures…"
Krystal remembered her manners and gave a curt bow as she said, "Well, you're welcome, Great Deku Tree."
The tree asked, "Tell me, young one… Was it not the King of Red Lions, the boat who speaks, who led you to this place?"
Krystal nodded, "It was."
The Great Deku Tree rumbled, "So it is true… Then you have come here because you have need of the pearl of the goddess?" Krystal nodded again and the tree regarded her for a moment before saying, "I see… I knew there was a reason the monsters had begun to congregate in the regions around my wood. Now I understand it. He has returned… Ganon has returned…"
Krystal nodded, "I'm afraid so."
The Great Deku Tree replied, "In that case, we must make haste." He then called, "Koroks! Little children of the woods! This traveler is not your enemy. Let your hearts be at ease, and show yourselves!" As she stared up at him, small creatures, which she assumed were the Koroks, poked their heads up over the tree's brow, looking down at her. They looked like little trees, each one having a leaf that seemed to serve as a mask, each one having a different leaf with a different facial expression. They looked down at her for a few moments before they suddenly leapt up into the air, each one holding onto a sprout that had two leaves that spun around as they descended towards her.
As they were descending, the Great Deku Tree asked, "What do you call yourself?"
Krystal looked at him and said, "My name is Krystal."
The Great Deku Tree replied, "Well, Krystal… These are the Koroks, the spirits of the forest." She looked around as they landed in a circle around her. She counted eight of them. "Once upon a time, long ago, the Koroks had human forms, but when they came to live on the sea, they took these shapes. Now they fear people… but to me, they will ever be my cherished children."
Krystal looked up at him again as he continued, "As it happens, you have come just in time for a ceremony the Koroks hold but once every year. It is about to begin. I shall grant the pearl to you once their ceremony is complete. I apologize, but if our ceremony is not completed by the end of the day, an ill fate could befall us." Krystal nodded to show she understood and he said, "Then let us begin! Are you ready, my children?"
They all suddenly heard a new voice cry out, everyone looking up at another Korok lowering itself down on a leaf, "W-We are not, O Great Deku Tree! Something terrible has happened! It is Makar! Makar!"
The Great Deku Tree rumbled as the Korok hovered in front of him, "What is the matter, Lindar? You and Makar are always late…"
The Korok, Lindar, exclaimed, "N-No! It is not that, O Great Deku Tree! Makar… fell into the Forbidden Woods!"
The Great Deku Tree's demeanor changed at that. "WHAT?! The Forbidden Woods?!" he bellowed.
Lindar said, "I told him to be careful! But he kept flying higher and higher, and then when the wind changed direction…" He trailed off.
The Great Deku Tree sighed, "Foolish little Makar…" He looked at Krystal, "Krystal, you have heard all of this?" She nodded in reply. "The Forbidden Woods are right beside the hallowed island of our Forest Haven. Those woods… The whole region is a vile place that is home to evil beasts. And now it seems Makar has become lost there. Your presence here is no mistake, I deem. The King of Red Lions likely expect great deeds of you; it is why he brought you here. I apologize for this, but can you go and rescue young Makar?"
Lindar spoke up, "But Great Deku Tree! …She does not appear to have any wings…"
The Great Deku Tree rumbled, "Ah, yes… Thank you, my child. You are correct. It is not possible to enter the woods from the sea, is it… And I don't think my Koroks will be able to carry you and fly at the same time, Krystal… yet I think we may still be able to solve this dilemma."
Krystal tilted her head, "How?"
The Great Deku Tree replied, "I will grant you magic power, as well as a Deku Leaf so that you can fly through the sky!" His face contorted as a murmur escaped his lips, his eyes squeezing shut as he focused. He let out another murmur and then unleashed a bellow that pushed Lindar back slightly.
Krystal held her left hand up in front of her face, feeling the rush of air around her as well. As it did, a warm sensation began to fill her body, spreading from her head to her toes. As she lowered her hand, she looked at it; she could feel a tingling in her fingertips as if she had little bolts of lightning that were begging to be released. She looked herself over; nothing seemed different aside from the sensation, which begged the question, where was this Deku Leaf supposed to be?
She looked up at the Great Deku Tree as he spoke, sounding a bit sheepish, "Hmm… Forgive me, Krystal, but could you climb up to my crown and get the leaf from up there?" She looked further up and saw the leaf he was talking about, sticking straight up and surrounded by a soft green glow. She nodded even as she wondered how she was going to get up there.
The Koroks spread out around the Forest Haven as the Great Deku Tree lowered the lily pad. One of them waddled over to her while she was crouched down looking at the water and she looked up at it when it spoke, "The Forbidden Woods were once our home. They were peaceful back then. I would guess that our homes still exist in there. If you have trouble finding your way, just look for the stump-shaped houses." Krystal nodded in understanding before looking back down at the water, scooping up some in her empty bottle and holding it up to look at it. She noticed it seemed to have an unusual sparkle to it.
As she was putting the bottle away, her thoughts returned to the task of getting up to the Deku Leaf. Her eyes fell on a purple flower bud as she looked up and she walked over to it, intrigued. One of the Koroks was standing next to it and it spoke, "Do you know about this flower? It's called a Baba Bud. Baba Buds have this peculiar habit of shooting anything that jumps inside them up into the air. So, they're good for getting up to hard-to-reach places."
Krystal was intrigued by this and looked up. There were tall stems with more Baba Buds growing on top of them near the Bud on the ground. It was risky, but it might be the solution she was looking for. She jumped inside and, after a few moments of it tensing, the Baba Bud shot her straight up into the air. She landed back inside it and this time she shifted her body forward towards the nearest Bud. She was launched up and forward, landing inside the next Baba Bud.
It took her a few minutes to work her way up since she had to keep correcting the way she was facing every time she was launched by a Baba Bud, but she reached the crown and picked up the Deku Leaf. She looked it over; it was smaller than her shield and didn't look much different from an ordinary leaf. Before she could ponder further, she heard one of the Koroks call, "Warrior! Over here!" She looked down towards one of the openings leading outside atop a section of the wall that stuck out. The Korok was jumping up and down while waving its arms. "Please! You must fly from over there to here using your Deku Leaf!"
Krystal took a deep breath and clutched the leaf tightly in her left hand. She ran to the edge of the crown and jumped, holding the leaf up. The magic within her mingled with the latent power within the Deku Leaf and it suddenly changed, taking on the appearance of a leafy parasail. She flew down to the outcropping and landed perfectly. She turned to the Korok and it said, "Yes, very good! It seems you've already gotten used to using the Deku Leaf! Remember, though, you can't use the magic in you too much all at once; you have to give it time to build up within you again. I've heard that there are potions that can restore it faster, though." It looked towards the opening, "Please, save our brother, Makar!" Krystal nodded and walked towards the opening.
Krystal stepped out into the sunlight and found she was directly across from the vine and thorn covered island that housed the Forbidden Woods. She also noticed that the afternoon sun was starting to get low, moving towards the western horizon. "The Great Deku Tree said their ceremony has to be completed by the end of the day. I'd better hurry and find Makar!" she thought.
She made her way to the tip of the outcropping she was on, where another Korok was standing. It told her she wouldn't be able to fly all the way to the entrance from where she was, so it suggested an alternate way. Krystal took the advice and, after using the Wind Waker to change the direction of the wind, used the Deku Leaf to glide to a piece of land rising up out of the water off to the side about halfway between the two islands. It then took another wind direction change and proper timing to catch an updraft to raise her high enough. She evaded some monsters hanging around the outcropping and landed on it, running through the nearby entryway afterwards.
A lone Korok with a slightly rounded body waddled nervously through the dimly lit woods, his eyes darting around rapidly. His name was Makar and he was trying to find a way out of this place. The last thing he remembered before waking up here was trying to show Lindar how high he could fly, only for a strong gust of wind to blow him uncontrollably towards the Forbidden Woods. He guessed he was somewhere in there since he didn't recognize anything he saw. All he knew was that when he woke up, he hadn't seen a way to get out of this place.
He froze when he heard the sound of something chittering followed by something big snapping somewhere in the distance. He looked around quickly, his entire body trembling as he did. Nothing leapt out at him, so after a few moments, he started waddling again as quickly as he could, going away from where he thought the sound came from.
The sound had come from a big bug-like monster with equally big pincers that snapped at Krystal a second time as she held up her shield to keep from getting bit, the fox getting pushed back by the force of the snap. She gritted her teeth and glared at it as it scurried after her, its yellow weed eye turning red and another screech escaping it as it prepared to snap at her again. She waited and when it lunged at her, she leapt over it and slashed its back with her sword. Upon landing, she spun around and slashed at its behind before it could react. It was knocked into the air and it landed on its back, the creature disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Krystal put her sword and shield away and continued walking. She looked around, her eyes running over the trees, the bushes, and the grassy ground as she walked. She had a feeling Makar was scared right now and would probably hide from her when he saw her, so she had to be careful when she found him.
The air of the Forbidden Woods was similar to the Forest Haven, but it was muted, suppressed by the dark forces that had made the woods dangerous to live in. She started seeing the stump-shaped houses she had been told about as she walked. The way they were arranged, it was clear that these woods had been a village when the Koroks lived in them. She poked her head inside each one she came across, looking to see if Makar was hiding in one of them.
She came across one home that seemed slightly bigger than the rest. She walked inside; there were some shreds of fabric on the floor and a treasure chest that had a creature that was a blue eyeball with vines attached to it on top of it in front of a stump. The eyeball closed when she approached and reopened when she was too far away to reach it. She thought for a moment and then had an idea. She ran out and returned a minute later holding a sizable stick. She took aim and threw it at the eyeball, which exploded in a puff of smoke when the stick hit it, the vines falling off the chest.
She walked over to it and lifted the lid. Peering inside, the first thing she saw was a yellow crescent-shaped object that had a red jewel in the center. She reached her hand in to grab it. As her fingers brushed against it, she felt a jolt against her fingertips and she paused, staring straight ahead. Although she was physically still in the house, her eyes and ears seemed to be elsewhere as she was seeing and hearing something different. A shadowy figure throwing the object at a monster and watching it return afterwards, the same figure crying out in a child's voice as a man in black armor blew it off their feet, and the sound of a wind instrument playing a song…
Krystal suddenly blinked several times as she pulled her hand back. The vision was gone and she was back in the Forbidden Woods. She looked back down at the object, now knowing it was called a boomerang. She reached for it carefully, but nothing happened even as she wrapped her fingers around it and pulled it out. She looked it over; it seemed to be in good shape despite however long it had been in the chest, so she decided to take it.
After she tucked it away inside her Adventure Pouch, she looked back inside the chest. There were two more things inside: a green tunic and a small rolled-up leaf. She picked up the tunic first. It had a lot of visible stitching holding it together, but otherwise there didn't seem to be anything unusual about it. "It's kind of like the clothes Grandma made for me, just more rustic," she thought.
She set it back down and reached for the leaf. She carefully unrolled it and she raised an eyebrow. Inside were a few yellow hairs along with what she initially thought were hairs that were orange and white, but upon closer inspection, they were more similar to her fur. She raised the leaf to her nose and sniffed the hairs. They held the scent of the forest, but there was also a hint of something different to them.
She heard a noise outside a moment later. She looked towards the entrance before rolling the leaf up again and putting it back in the chest with the tunic, closing the lid. She walked outside and saw that some thorny vines like the ones wrapped around the isle had burst out of the ground near the home. They retreated back underground after a couple of seconds. She took one last look at the holes they had left in the ground before stepping away from the house, resuming her search for Makar.
As she walked, she came across a stream of purple, nasty-looking water flowing around a crater in the ground past it. She looked down at it for a moment before remembering the water she'd scooped up from the Forest Haven. She pulled the bottle out of her pouch and held it up to look at it. The sparkle she had observed before seemed dimmer now, but it still shone in the dim light.
She heard a squeak in front of her and raised her eyes to look. On the other side of the stream, standing on the other side of the crater, was Makar. Her eyes widened and a small gasp escaped her mouth. She put the bottle away and called, "Makar!" The Korok seemed to shrink away at her voice, trembling more than he had been before. Krystal noticed this and held up her hands as she stepped across the stream, saying, "Shh… It's okay. I know you're scared, but I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to…" She was cut off as Makar let out a loud cry. She thought he was panicking, but then she realized he was looking towards the ceiling.
She looked up. One of the Korok houses was hanging from the ceiling, held up by five purple tentacles with three-pronged claws at the ends. Two of them had let go, causing the house to tilt in Krystal's direction. The other three let go a moment later, causing the house to fall towards the ground. She leapt back, avoiding the house as it hit the ground and fell towards her, its flowered roof hitting the ground mere feet from her. She glared up at the tentacles and saw they seemed to be reaching down towards her, so she pulled her boomerang out of her Adventure Pouch and took aim, throwing it at them and cutting them. The claws fell to the ground while the boomerang came back to her and she caught it. She looked at the claws for a moment before running around the house. She couldn't see Makar anywhere, but she was sure he had run off somewhere.
The Korok had indeed run off, frightened by the house crashing down. When he stopped running, he found himself at the entrance to a sizable chamber. Peering inside, he saw a giant luminescent flower in the middle of the room and he waddled in for a closer look, not noticing the purple water pouring into the room and silently running through the shallow grooves I the ground towards the flower. As he walked onto one of the petals, Krystal ran into the chamber and saw him. "Makar!" she called.
The Korok turned at the sound of her voice and, after a moment, started waving at her as she approached, squeaking softly. As she got closer, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and turned her head to look. A smaller flower with a purple head and glowing blue eyes had risen up from the center of the flower, its eyes going from her to Makar, the fronds on its head waggling agitatedly. Krystal noticed the petals of the flower starting to quiver and her eyes widened. "Makar, get away from there!" she cried, but it was too late. The tip of the petal he was on raised up suddenly and he cried out as he was sent soaring towards the center of the flower. That was the last she saw of him before the flower closed up and it extended numerous tentacles like the ones from earlier from its bud up to the ceiling, raising it and suspending it off the ground.
Vines that ended in sharp hooks sprouted from the bottom of the flower, quivering slightly as they looked ready to lash at her. They suddenly shot into the ground and she gasped lightly, the ground beneath her trembling as they burrowed through the dirt. She started running before they resurfaced, staying ahead of them as they burst through the ground and struck the ground like a series of whips, just barely missing her.
As she ran, she looked up at the tentacles suspending the flower. After the vines retracted back to it, she pulled out the boomerang and threw it at the tentacles after taking aim, managing to cut a couple with one throw. She kept throwing the boomerang while dodging the vines until all the tentacles were cut, at which point the flower fell to the ground and opened.
As the petals dropped, Krystal could see the purple flower still in the middle, but she couldn't see Makar anywhere. The flower laughed at her and she came to an unsettling realization: it had eaten Makar. She glared at it for a moment, but then her eyes fell on the streams of water. She pulled her bottle of water out; there wasn't much sparkle left in it, but she could still see it shimmering. She looked up at the flower and saw that it was eyeing the water with a worried look and it gave her an idea.
She pulled the stopper off the bottle as she ran towards and swung the bottle horizontally as she stopped just outside of the flower. The water hit the purple flower and it let out a cry as it stiffened up, its eyes pointing up at the ceiling. She pulled the boomerang out again and threw it at the flower, cutting it from the stem just below the head and sending it flying as the large flower began to convulse. The purple flower hopped around on the ground a few times before looking towards the ceiling and coughing Makar up before it burst in a cloud of smoke while the large flower shriveled up and died.
Makar landed on his back and laid there in a daze for several moments before lurching forward onto his feet. He turned to look at Krystal as she ran around to him, stopping a short distance away. He took a few steps towards her and asked, "My lady, are you the one who saved me?"
Krystal nodded, "I am, Makar."
He bowed as he said, "You have my thanks! When all went dark around me, I thought my time had come." He looked up at her curiously, "But what is a warrior like you doing here, my lady?"
Krystal started, "The Great Deku Tree asked me to find you when he heard what happened."
Her words triggered something in Makar and he exclaimed, "What?! The Great Deku Tree?! Oh no!" He began to hop up and down, "That's right! Today's our annual ceremony! I'm in big trouble! I… We have to get back to the Forest Haven right away!"
Krystal looked over at the wilted flower. While they were talking, the wind she had seen back at Dragon Roost Cavern after defeating the large monster was now swirling in the middle of the flower. She looked back at Makar and said, "Follow me. This should take us outside." She ran into the center of the swirling wind and Makar followed her, both of them spinning around and vanishing into thin air afterwards.
They reappeared at the entrance to the Forbidden Woods. They both immediately noticed that the sun was hanging low in the sky, orange hues coloring the normally blue expanse. "The day is almost over," Krystal breathed.
Makar, who had reappeared next to her, waddled to the edge, looking at the Forest Haven. "We have to get back to the Great Deku Tree! But the wind isn't blowing the right way, and…" He trailed off and Krystal understood his earlier experience had left him hesitant to fly again.
He looked up when the wind started blowing towards the Forest Haven, surprised. Krystal put the Wind Waker away and walked over to him, kneeling down beside him and wrapping a comforting arm around him. "I'll go first, Makar, and you can fly behind me. That way, I can help you if you start to lose control," she said softly.
"Really?" he squeaked and she nodded in reply, giving him a comforting squeeze. Makar searched her gaze for a moment before giving her a nod of his own, feeling more confident. Krystal stood up and ran to the edge, opening her Deku Leaf before she started falling. Makar took a moment longer to ready himself before his own leaves sprouted from his back and began spinning. He lifted off the ground and flew after Krystal, quickly catching up due to the wind propelling his smaller body. He bumped into her a few times as a result, but she didn't mind, her gaze focused on where they were going.
They landed on an outcropping with an opening leading into the Forest Haven that put them at eye level with the Great Deku Tree. The tree smiled at them as they entered and all the Koroks turned to look up in their direction as they stood at the edge of the grassy piece of land. "Oh, Makar! You have returned to us safely!" the Great Deku Tree said.
Makar bowed his head, his hands covering his mask as he cried, "I'm sorry, Great Deku Tree… You warned us many times to be careful with the winds, but still, I did not listen…"
The Great Deku Tree chuckled and said, "Do not worry, Makar. You are safe now. Just be more careful from now on." He turned to Krystal, who was kneeling next to Makar with her hand on his back, and spoke, causing her to look up at him, "You have done well, Krystal. I must thank you for your brave deeds. As I promised, I will give you Farore's Pearl. Please accept it." She looked up as his trunk shook from side to side, a green orb emerging from the leaves at the top after several seconds and floating down to her, stopping in front of her head as she stood up. She placed her hands on the sides of it and brought it down it down to her chest, looking down at it for a moment.
She looked back up at him and bowed as she said, "Thank you, Great Deku Tree."
The tree replied, "It is my hope that this pearl shall help you discover your destiny, fair and true!" He returned his gaze to Makar, "All is well, Makar. Do not cry. Please… play your songs for me as you always do."
Makar looked up at that, remembering. "Oh, that's right! We still have time for our ceremony! I'm sorry to keep you all waiting. Let's get started!"
As he moved to retrieve his instrument, Krystal looked up at the Great Deku Tree as he spoke, "Krystal, this is a ceremony few have ever witnessed. I'm certain your quest is urgent, but please, stay and watch." Krystal nodded and put Farore's Pearl into her Adventure Pouch before climbing down the outcropping.
As she took a seat at the base of a tree off to the side, Makar reappeared from behind the Great Deku Tree with his instrument: a violin. He held the instrument in his left hand and a long bow with small berries at the end in his right hand. He waddled over near Krystal with it and looked at her for a long moment before composing himself. He drew the bow across the instrument once and, with the practiced grace of someone who intimately understood their instrument, immediately launched into his song.
Krystal was immediately caught up in the beauty of his playing, but she soon noticed the other Koroks singing and dancing together in front of the Great Deku Tree, and it quickly became a very intricate dance as well. It started with them moving around in place, but as Makar continued to play, they began to move and leap in ways she never would've guessed they would be able to do so fluidly, and it was all coordinated in such a manner that suggested many, many years of practice. She was so entranced by it that she didn't notice the leaves at the top of the Great Deku Tree sprouting seeds until the songs ended and eight of the ten Koroks leapt up to retrieve them, all of them saying their goodbyes before leaving the Forest Haven.
Makar and the other Korok who stayed behind, Hollo, waddled over to Krystal, the former still holding his instrument and bow. "I hope you enjoyed my performance, Krystal. I made sure to play extra hard just for you," he said.
"You were magnificent, Makar. I've never heard such a captivating performance before," she assured him.
Hollo hummed and remarked, "It's so different, having such an honored guest present for our ceremony."
Krystal asked, "What is the ceremony for?"
Hollo asked, "You saw those seeds the Great Deku Tree produced, yes? He can only produce them once a year, and the ceremony is required to help him produce vibrant, healthy seeds."
The Great Deku Tree spoke, "My children come back here once a year for this ceremony before setting off into the world once more to plant my seeds. These seeds become trees, which the Koroks plant in hopes that new forests will grow. It is my hope that one day, the islands across the Great Sea will one day be connected by the forests that come from my seeds, as the land was in days of old."
Hollo said, "That is why our ceremony is so important, warrior. No new forests can grow without the Great Deku Tree's seeds, and if that comes to pass, then evil days will follow. We cannot thank you enough for what you've done."
Krystal replied, "I was happy to help." She stood up after a moment and looked down at Makar and Hollo, "I'm sorry, but I have to get going."
Hollo nodded, "Of course. You must still have much to do."
Makar asked, "Will you come to our ceremony next year?"
She leaned down close to him and softly replied, "If you'll have me, I wouldn't dream of missing it."
The Great Deku Tree spoke, "You will always be welcome here, Krystal."
Makar cheered and said, "I'll be sure to come up with brand new songs for next year!"
The Great Deku Tree spoke again, "If you ever need anything, don't be afraid to stop by. I can already tell that it would mean a lot to Makar and Hollo if you could find time to visit."
Krystal stood up straight and nodded, "I will keep that in mind, Great Deku Tree." She looked down at Makar and Hollo again, giving them a bow and they bowed back respectfully.