The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time: A Twist of Fate

Chapter 3: The Sacred Forest Meadow

You see, this all came as a surprise to me. I thought I had saved the Deku Tree. But killing him? I never wanted to do that. Now I'm being exiled from the forest by Mido, Saria is no where to be found, and no one will speak up to defend me.

For so long, the Kokiri Forest, the source of life, has stood as a barrier

But before this evil, even my power is as nothing...

...I am dying.

Mido's words didn't quite register at first. So I looked up at the Great Deku Tree, whose bark had faded to a pale silver-grey, and his leaves were already falling. I recoiled in horror. "Killed... no, I saved him!" I cried out, facing the Kokiri gathered in the Great Deku Tree's glade. "There was a monster in the roots! It was feeding off him, draining him." My voice cracked with every angry or disappointed look I received. My friends, all of the Kokiri I thought had my back, they turned their faces from my gaze.

"Then explain why the Tree said his last words moments before you walked out!" Mido cried, shoving me to the ground. "The Deku Baba's have been getting worse, and who knows what sort of monsters are coming out of the Lost Woods at night! You have doomed all of us, Link, you dolt!" He turned away from me then, toward the other Kokiri children. "Is there anyone who would speak for Link and stand up for him?" Silence was his only answer. His eyes were so cold when he looked back at me. "Everyone sees you for what you are, Link, a murderer and an outsider."

He was right. No one answered my silent pleas as I stumbled through the crowd. Everyone stepped back from me, and I ran for the village as fast as I could. This was impossible, I can't have killed the Great Deku Tree, he was the only constant in the forest. Even the Lost Woods didn't change around him. I was the only one of the Kokiri to know that, they were all too afraid, save for Saria. She and I were the only one to spend any time getting to know the Skull Kids, and they never set foot in the village. Mido was right, I was an outsider.

I knew what I had to do. I ran toward the bridge leading out of the forest.

"Link, what are you doing? You can't leave the Forest, you'll die!" my fairy cried, pulling on my tunic. I swatted her away and turned to her. "Look, Navi, I'm leaving. I can't stay here anymore, not with everyone thinking I murdered the Deku Tree!" with tears in my eyes, I turned and ran for the tunnel. "I'd rather be dead!"

I ran for the end of everything I had ever known. I didn't even notice that Saria was standing on the bridge leading out of the village until she spoke up. "Linkette! Wait!" she called out to me, grabbing my tunic. One look at Saria's face and I broke down sobbing into my friends shoulder. "Oh, Linkette," she said, rubbing my back. The Skull kids were watching us worriedly from down below. I was drained, tired, dirty, and I felt like everyone else had betrayed me. I cried until both my mind and body passed out from exhaustion.

I awake a few hours later to the worried faces of both Navi and Saria, the ladder of whom looked as if she'd been crying.

"Linkette, after you came back from the Great Deku Tree, you tried to leave the forest. I was so worried about you, Linkette," I looked down at the ground in shame.

"Saria, I can't stay, Mido has everyone against me," I sobbed, pulling her down as I sunk to my knees on the bridge. I could see my friends, the Skull Kids, looking up from below, their eyes filled with sorrow and a touch of fear. "I killed the Great Deku Tree, Saria. I tried to save him, and I killed him instead!"

"Linkette, you didn't kill him," she said, pulling me back to look at her. "He was dying anyways because of his curse, but he told me something that I need to tell you. I know why your dreams have been dark of late, Linkette. I know about the man with the red hair." I was shocked. I hadn't told anyone about my dreams. Mostly because dreaming of anything was unheard of by the Kokiri. They supposedly don't dream of anything. Saria continued. "He came from the desert, and is a dreadful sorcerer. He cursed the Great Deku Tree. This man ceaselessly uses his vile powers in his search for the Sacred Realm that is connected to Hyrule. He is searching for a divine relic, the Triforce, which contains the essence of the gods Din, Nayru, and Farore."

I had never heard of the Goddesses, and Saria has such a soothing voice I had no choice but to listen to what she was telling me. So I wiped my tears away and sniffed before wiping my nose on the sleeve of my tunic. "Who are they?" I asked.

"They created Hyrule. Din, the Goddess of Power, cultivated the land and created the red earth. Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, poured her wisdom onto the earth and gave the spirit of law to the world. And the goddess Farore, Goddess of Courage, with her rich soul created life, and those who would uphold the law. When they finished, they left for the heavens. At the point where they left the world, three golden triangles were left behind. Since then, these triangles, the Triforce, have become the basis for the world's providence," she said calmly. I blinked at her and sat down on the bridge, hanging my feet off the edge like we always did.

"Why did the Great Deku Tree need me to know this?" I asked, holding myself. "What does this have to do with the man in my dreams?"

"Linkette, you can't let the man in your dreams get his hands on the Triforce! If he does, the curse he cast on the Deku Tree won't be the last!" Again, I was shocked. Saria had never been so adamant about anything before, and her words shocked me. "You have to take this to Hyrule Castle, to the princess, across the field," she added quietly, pressing a gem into my hands. "The Kokiri's Emerald: he wanted to take it. But the Deku Tree would never give it up to someone such as him. Please, Linkette, the Princess needs to know what has happened here. The future depends on you."

I felt tears sting my eyes again, thinking about what this all meant. "Saria, I-" I started, before standing again and hugging her tightly. "I don't want to leave you, Saria."

"How about we go hang out in the Lost Woods for a while?" Saria suggested with a bright smile.

So at nightfall Navi, Twilight, Saria, and I snuck out of our houses as we headed to the secret place that Saria only shows her friends. "Hay, Linkette, let's hang out today and tomorrow," I smiled and nodded happily as I spok up. "That sounds like a lot of fun lets hang out here, if that's okay with you?" Saria nodded her head eagerly in response but Navi frowned and piped up with a nervous chime. But Link..." I sighed at my fairy and replied with a childish pout.

"Come on Navi, let's just have a little fun! Please? We don't have to leave right away, so just relax for a little while." I replied quietly while giggling at my fairy's actions.

"Okay fine! But just for a few days and then we need to leave."

"But I don't want to leave! Do I really have to?" I asked, pouting up at my fairy with puppy dog eyes. Navi was not amused but Saria and Twilight burst out laughing. I smiled Impishly and looked back at my friend, knowing I had won the argument between Navi and I, while Saria laughed at my expression.

When I awoke I noticed that my throat felt sore, so I laid back down suddenly feeling hot and cold at once. I was awoken by Saria gently shaking my shoulder. I open my eyes and I looked up at my friend with fever glazed eyes. With a groan I rested my burning forehead on Saria's shoulder. "Hay, Linkette are you okay? Oh my goodness! You're burning up!" my only response was a violent cough, as my eyes slipped shut once more.

She then stood up gently and very carefully lifted me on to her shoulders causing me to wimper in pain, clinging even tighter to my friend in the process. Saria looked up at Twilight and Navi with worried blue eyes,

"How in Naru's name did Linkette get a fever in the middle of the night?" she quietly asked the two fairy's as she started the walk back to her house.

When we got to her house she gently layed me on her bed removing my forest green headband that kept my emerald Green hair in place.

I woke up a few days later feeling a lot better, because I had been sick Navi let me stay in the forest for two more days so I could hang out with Saria and my other friends. I sighed as I headed to the Sacred Forrest Meadow so I could meet up with Saria like we had planned, once I got there Saria spoke up before I had even opened my mouth. "I have something for you Linkette, it's a Fairy Ocarina, I make one for all of my friends. Here, I'll even teach you my song!" Saria exclaimed excitedly while she practically dragged me to the tree stump. We played her song for what felt like hours. And by the time we headed back to the village twilight had already fallen, the orange light reflecting off the trees making them gleam like sunstones.

I was really mopey about having to leave the forest and leaving Saria, but I had no choice in the madder. And even though the thought scared me more then anything else in the world, I took a shuttering breath to calm myself. And with one last look at my childhood home, I slowly made my way to the bridge that served as the borders between the forest and the outside world.