Chapter 1
Rain.
Darkness.
A castle.
The drawbridge lowered tediously as faint gallops became more
audible from within the massive walls of the castle town. In
due time, a white stallion emerged bearing two riders: one was
adorned in a very royal garb, a dress colored in immaculate pearl
and a magenta-type hue that carried the legendary mark of the
Triforce. This princess-like figure clave to a much older woman,
quite muscular and apparently skilled with riding a horse. As
the blur of white rushed past a small blonde-haired boy, the
green tunic and hat he wore reluctantly tried to chase after
it, yet they remained pinned down by the heavy rain.
Not long after a quiet boom of thunder made itself known,
did a strange-skinned man with orange slicked-back hair follow.
The only thing humorous about this massive fellow was the rapier-like
nose, yet even that was barely noticeable compared to his dark
brown and black tribal garments. Riding upon a black horse that
camouflaged perfectly with the blackness of the night, this ominous
one halted his trusted steed upon sight of the boy. In the blink
of an eye, his right arm raised to a stiff position, with the
wrinkled palm facing the boy, a bright light emerged as if from
nowhere. Surely this was aimed at the kid, but why.....?
Why.....?
Meanwhile, a wise, old voice pled for an acquaintance...
"Navi...Oh Navi, where art thou? Please, come hither..."
A fairy glowing in blue arrived in front of a wide tree, answering its call. The voice, apparently resonating from the tree, continued in its request...
"Oh, Navi the fairy...Listen to these words, the
words of the Deku Tree...Canst thou sense it? The climate of
evil that is being brought down upon this great realm...Malevolent
forces, even as I speak, muster to attack this land, the land
of Hyrule...For so long, this Kokiri Forest, the very source
of all life, has deterred all outsiders, thus maintaining this
world's peace...However, before this gargantuan evil
power, even my own strengths are as nothing...Finally, it seems
that the boy with no fairy shall begin his journey...That youth,
whose greatest destiny is to bring Hyrule to the path of justice
and truth...
"Navi, go now! Find our young friend, and lead him to
me...My time is now shortening. Fly, Navi, fly!!! The fate of
this forest, nay, the entire world, depends upon thee!"
Leaving the presence of the Great Deku Tree, Navi the fairy
hurriedly made her way through the green, lush forest to one
of the tree houses, the only one elevated above the ground. Making
her way in, she found the room to be quite tidy, and then, from
the corner of her miniscule eye, she perceived a sleeping boy,
donning the green tunic that was customary of the Kokiri tribe.
There was only one thing the spirit could do...
"Hey, Link! Get up!" Navi shouts while pounding
on the bed. "The Great Deku Tree wants to talk to you!
Link, GET UP!"
Moaning in his sleep, Link simply turned his head, trying
to ignore the obnoxious noise waking him up.
"Oh, come on!! Can Hyrule's destiny really depend
on such a lazy boy...?"
Becoming fed up with the bellyaching from the annoying voice,
Link gave in and sat up, only to find a fairy right in front
of him.
"Yeesh, it's about time! I'm Navi the
fairy! The Great Deku Tree wanted me to be your new partner from
now on! It's nice to meet you!"
At this, Link simply rolled his eyes as Navi transformed from
an annoying pipsqueak to a friendly little creature.
"Hey, I saw that....Well, anyway, the Great Deku Tree
summoned you! So, let's go, right now! We don't
have all day!"
Without a word, Link enthusiastically leaped out of bed and ran out of his humble abode. Proceeding to his balcony, he glanced down and saw an old, familiar friend of his waving.
"Yahoo! Hi, Link!!" proclaimed the girl below. Her slender body moved in perfect harmony with her waving arm, and her green hair fluttered in the cool forest breeze.
Waving back with a smile on his face, the young boy jumped
off the balcony to meet his friend Saria. The two had known each
other well as long as they could remember, and even when the
other Kokiri scorned him for having no fairy partner as they
all did, it was Saria who sympathized with him. Noting Navi,
who had timidly hid under Link's hat, she exclaimed:
"Wow! A fairy! Finally, a fairy came to you! That's
great news! I'm so happy for you! ...Hmm? What's
that? The Great Deku Tree summoned you? Wow, that's quite
an honor. You better get going, then! I'll just wait
for you here! Tell me how everything went!"
With a warm, friendly smile, Link left Saria to speak with
the Deku Tree. However, just as he approached the narrow path
to the Deku Tree's Meadow, a smug boy blocked his way.
Link only smirked, knowing this was the village bully and self-proclaimed
leader of the tribe. However, the kid would ensure that Link
did not gain passage. Seeing Link's impatience, the bully
finally spoke:
"Yo, Mr. No Fairy! What's your business with
the Great Deku Tree? Heh, without a fairy, you're not
even a real man! ...What? You have a fairy now? Say WHAT? The
Great Deku Tree actually summoned YOU? WHAAAAT? Now why would
he summon you and not I, the great Mido? Ugh...This isn't
funny...I can't believe this! You're not even
fully equipped yet! How do you think you have a chance of protecting
the Deku Tree if you don't have a sword and a shield?
...Huh? Well, that is true, I don't have either of those
either, but...If you wanna pass through here, you should at least
find a sword and shield. Sheesh!"
Returning to Saria, devastated, Link sought some advice...
"What? Mido won't let you go to see the Great
Deku Tree? Man...That bum! I don't know why he's
always so mean to everyone! However, what he said is true...This
forest...Strange things have been happening here lately. You
have to be ready for anything! You better go find yourself a
weapon! Now, I know you can buy a shield at the shop, but there's
only one sword hidden somewhere in this forest..."
Knowing a rumor that was passed down of a great treasure in the forest, Link could only assume that it was the sword of which Saria spoke. She mentioned that it was hidden, so Link, in his unnatural intelligence for a 10-year-old, immediately realized where to look. Proceeding to the Forest Training Center, Link found a hole to crawl in, dubbed the "Hole of Z" by the Kokiri. Squirming through it with a bit of difficulty, Link stretched in relief when he came out at the other end. Before him was a small maze: surely the sword was at the end. The tall, wild grass hindered a lot of his movement, as well as most of his eyesight, and after many fumbles, Link found a clearing, with a great treasure chest awaiting his arrival. Opening it, a great light emitted from the chest as if from nowhere, blinding the young Kokiri for a moment. When he regained sight, Link reached in and pulled his right hand out with a small cut. It was most definitely the sword. With more caution, Link reached in there with his left hand, finding the hilt with a convenient shoulder scabbard after a bit of time. The Kokiri Sword glimmered in the light of the forest, seemingly infatuated with its new owner. With pride, Link immediately took his new treasure to his advantage, cutting down the tall weeds with its sharp edge.
Taking much less time to find his way back, Link once again
crawled through the Hole of Z and returned to his fellow Kokiri
members in the open fields of the forest. Gaping in awe of the
sword in Link's hand, many realized that this wasn't
just an ordinary kid, and some even voluntarily gave him money.
That, along with spare change he came across while cutting down
bushes for people, he had gathered about 50 rupees. Knowing well
of the shop situated near a small brook, Link entered and found
a wooden shield with a "y" design on it on
sale for 40 rupees. Naturally, he paid up and took it, fitting
it on his right hand. Unsheathing the Kokiri Sword, he found
it along with the Deku Shield to go as well together as trees
and grass.
Triumphantly returning to Mido, he presented his newfound defense
system. Mido just stared in amazement at how this supposed runt
could have found such items.
"I said, if you want to...Eh? Is that a Deku Shield
you have? And what is THAT? Is that THE Kokiri Sword? GOOD GRIEF!!
Well, it doesn't matter what you have, you'll
always be a wimp, huh? I, for one, will never accept you as one
of us! I wonder how you even got to become the favorite of Saria
and the Great Deku Tree..."
Mumbling in apparent jealousy, Mido walked off, finally revealing
the path to the Great Deku Tree. Link soon found out why he needed
what he had newly acquired, for the harmful Deku Baba, though
withered, had sprung up to threaten Link. Cutting them down with
the Kokiri Sword and gathering the sticks they left behind, Link
quickly found the Deku Tree in all its width and majesty. Navi,
having completed her objective, approached the deity-like creature...
"Oh, Great Deku Tree! I'm back!"
With its usual wise tone, the tree responded...
"Oh...Navi...Thou hast returned...Link...Welcome...Listen
carefully to what I, the Deku Tree, am about to tell thee...I
can perceive that thy slumbers these past moons were restless,
full of nightmares, even...As the servants of evil gain strength,
a vile climate pervades the land and causes nightmares to those
sensitive to it...I am sure that thou hast felt it...Link...The
time has come to test thy courage...I have been cursed, and I
need thee to break this curse with your wisdom and courage. Dost
thou have courage enough to undertake this task?"
Link's nod of affirmation was more sober than he had
ever done before. The Deku Tree continued, starting to open its
trunk to reveal a vast door inside.
"Then, enter, brave Link, and thou too, Navi...Navi the fairy...Thou must aid Link...And Link, when Navi speaks, listen well to her words of wisdom..."
Having finished the conversation, Link peeked into the gaping
hole of the Deku Tree, seeing nearly nothing inside but a faint
light, apparently from a torch...Not one to take back his word,
though, Link entered cautiously the Deku Tree, with Navi the
fairy closely following...