Fan Fiction ❯ Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time fanfiction/novelization ❯ Strange Confrontations ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2

Strange Confrontations

Lightning flashed across the ebony sky, casting a brief eerie glow over the plain. In the dead of night the darkness seemed almost tangible, like a fog, making it nearly impossible to see more than a hundred feet from where he stood. His only light source was a strange, hovering orb which cast a circle of wan light around him. He craned his neck, looking far into the sky. The huge pinnacles of a massive castle obstructed the view. The castle looked to be made of grey marble and fine-cut stone, and he gazed at the towering structure in awe. An icy droplet hit his upturned face. Rain had begun to fall, slowly at first, turning quickly into a downpour. Seemingly unconcerned about the storm, he stood in the rain silent and still, until it had penetrated all the layers of his clothing and ran down his face and arms. Suddenly, with a great shudder he lurched back to life and wrapped his arms around himself, as if realizing only now how cold and wet he had become. Taking an unsteady step forward, he began to make his way toward the castle.

A screeching sound filled the air, startling him. Looking ahead, he stopped as the drawbridge of the castle began to lower before him. It spanned over the moat and with a resonant boom, it lay quiet and open as a great, expectant maw. The portcullis beyond the drawbridge also lifted, the grating sound tearing through the night. He detected neither sound nor movement from within the castle, and he squinted in the gloom, searching for any sign of life. As if beckoned, a small grayish blot appeared in the center of the gaping hole which led into the castle. Moving oddly, the grey blot appeared to be growing larger, and after a few moments it was evident that the blot was approaching him at a rapid pace. His eyes wide with terror, it seemed he was rooted to the ground, paralyzed in his fear as he watched the strange entity drawing closer still. As it reached the portcullis, he saw it was not a malevolent spirit, but rather a white horse at full gallop. Almost too late, he dove away from the frothing horse as its hooves rang out on the stones he had been standing on. Twisting around on the puddled earth, he could barely see the two riders that were leading the horse away. Their faces were hidden from view, and he could not identify them. He picked himself up from the wet earth and watched as the two rode away into the distance.

A horse snorted behind him and he whirled around. A jet black stallion had also emerged from within the castle and was standing between him and the opened gates of the castle. It stood there, pawing the ground, and seemed to scrutinize him with one giant crimson eye. It took him a while to realize that this horse also had a rider. The rider was hidden in a cloud of dark grey smoke, and blended in with the deep coat of the horse. He looked up at where the face would be and saw instead two pinpoints of red light emerging from within the smoke. They glared at him as if to peer into his very soul.

Sounds emerged from the smoke, and he recognized them as words, but they were gibberish to him, and he could not understand what the rider was attempting to say. The rider continued speaking for a while, becoming angry when it realized that it couldn't be understood. Suddenly, the rider snarled with anger, holding up one ghostly hand. White light began to gather in the rider's palm, and he backed away frantically, sensing danger. The light hummed a deep frequency, but as it grew larger, the humming grew higher, more urgent, as if longing for release. The light suddenly exploded and shot towards him like a beacon. He threw up his arms to protect his face, and the energy slammed into him with such violence, he was thrown backwards. A light burst in his head and his eyes burned from the intensity of the brightness. He screamed as agony sang from deep within his bones and banished all thought from his brain...

Link awoke with a start. He was breathing heavily and covered in sweat. That dream again, he thought to himself as he covered his face with his hands. Always that same dream...

Link looked to be approximately twelve years old. His honey blonde hair was always a little unkempt from underneath his long, green Kokiri hat and his blue-violet eyes held the sparkle of life and a little hint of mischief. Link's appearance was much the same as that of his Kokiri brothers and sisters. The only thing that set him apart from the others was the fact that he lacked a fairy. Because of this social taboo, he was shunned by the Kokiri and few would accept him for who he was.

Link squinted, looking at the position of the sun through his window, which was cut out of the bark of his tree-house. He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"It's that early?" Link fell back onto his sheets and pulled the covers over his head. "I'll just sleep for five more minutes..."

Navi flew over to a tree and settled down on a branch. She stretched her wings painfully, resting until her breathing slowed a little. She ran her fingers through her hair, frustrated. "Oh, where is the boy? I've been flying about all morning!" Navi frowned in the direction of the glade that housed the Deku Tree.

"It may have helped if the Deku Tree had given me a little more information about him, like his appearance or such!"

Navi longed to ask for directions from the Kokiri, but there was a slight problem with that solution. At the beginning of a partnership between a fairy and a Kokiri, a link is established between the minds of the partners, so that the Kokiri has the ability to understand the words of his or her individual fairy. Although all fairies can understand Kokirish language, the Kokiri can only communicate with a fairy whose mind is linked with their own. Trying to communicate with a Kokiri without that link only results in an odd, one-sided conversation.

Navi was about to get up and resume her search, when she felt the branch tremble from under her. She glanced around anxiously, searching for the cause of the disturbance.

"Hah! If you want to save your skin, little lady, you have to have better reflexes than that!"

Navi whirled around to face her nemesis. Her mouth curled into a snarl.

"Rean, what do you want?!"

A red-orange fairy with long, spiky red hair crossed his muscular arms and leaned against the tree, a wicked smile playing on his handsome face.

"I just haven't seen you for a while, so I dropped by to say `Good morning'. You've got a problem with that?"

"Yes, in fact I do, Rean. Especially when you mean to say that you haven't tortured me in a while." Her frown deepened as Rean laughed uproariously and she waved her hand towards him in dismissal.

"Well, if you have nothing important to do, then I suggest you leave. I have no time for your foolishness. The Deku Tree has an assignment for me that takes priority over you. Rean's laughter subsided almost immediately, and his charismatic smile transformed into a dangerous frown.

"Oh? So what 'assignment' is important enough that you'd brush me off so easily?"

"It's not as if you would care, Rean. But if you must know, the Deku Tree has sent me to find a boy, although he failed to mention anything other than his name."

"Oh, really!" Rean put his hand to his chin and paced, in pretence of thinking. "So, what is the Deku Tree up to today, hmmm? Tell me, Navi, who is this person that the Deku Tree wants to see so badly? They must be an important person, indeed."

"His name is Link. But really, Rean, I can't see why you ca-" Navi stopped as Rean exploded into almost hysterical laughter and dropped to the branch, holding his midsection. Navi stood there feeling like a fool. She clenched her hand into a fist. Idiot! she screamed at herself. Her eyes prickled with unshed tears of rage and frustration. How did Rean always seem to glean information from her, even when she didn't want to tell it? She always knew what the consequences would be, but it was as if she couldn't help it.

Finally, Rean sat up and wiped the tears from his eyes. "The boy without the fairy, huh? Well, it's a suitable task for someone like you. A loser fairy, working on a loser job, to find a loser boy... Hah!"

Navi's temper flared.

"Oh, shut up, Rean!" Navi screamed, shaking with rage.

"How dare you talk about the Deku Tree like that!? You'll be sorry you did, soon enough. And as for the boy... if you only knew! Even for you, Rean, your ignorance is remarkable. Now get out of my face!" Navi whirled away and was about to fly off when a viselike grip grabbed onto her wrist. She looked over her shoulder, teeth clenched in rage.

"You know what, Navi? I pity you. So I'll tell you where he is, just so you don't waste your whole morning looking for him."

"I neither want, nor need your assistance, Rean."

Rean's trademark smile played at his lips again. "Oh, but I think you do need my help, Navi, and I think you should want it, too. Well, here's the story. He lives in the tall tree-house with the ladder attached to it. It's near the edge of the village on the side opposite the Deku Tree. Just look for a boy without a fairy tagging along at his heels, although I don't think you needed to hear that from me. Hah!"

Navi shook off Rean's grip and flew off without even a glance behind her. Rean looked after, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Now, what did you mean by all those things you said, little lady?"

Fortunately, the Kokiri village was rather small and it took only a short time for Navi to fly all the way to the edge. The time it would take to walk through it would be much greater, however. She glanced at the sky- it was almost noon. Where had the morning gone, she thought. She looked around, but this part of the village seemed quite bare. Tree-houses were few and far between, and Kokiri were scarce as well. Few lived this close to the edge of the village. The small number of Kokiri that were wandering around all had a fairy flying about their heads. There wasn't a single Kokiri without one...

Damn that Rean, Navi thought to herself. If he's made me fly all the way out here for nothing, I'll...

Before she could finish the thought, she spied a tree-house that was nestled within a group of smaller trees. It looked akin to what Rean described; it even had the ladder attached to it. But she could not see any movement around the house and it looked deserted inside.

Navi didn't particularly want to go into the house. She had learned her lesson after causing minor chaos flying through other Kokiri's, and fairies, houses. She shrugged her shoulders. There was no harm in checking through the window, was there? If it really was deserted...

She flew towards the tree-house and smiled as she spied a childlike drawing on the base of the tree. It looked to be a very simplified picture of a warrior about to slay a great beast of some kind. The ladder was hand-fashioned and crude, but it seemed well-made. She flew to a hole cut in the bark of the tree and peered inside, feeling like a spy.

Apart from miscellaneous tools propped against the wall and certain odds and ends lying around, the room was quite neat. But it did seem to be deserted... Just then a large lump on the bed groaned and rolled over. Navi squeaked and ducked behind the window, startled. She peered over the edge and saw a small hand peeking from under the covers. She quickly glanced around. There was not a fairy in sight.

"He's still in bed?! But it's way past noon!" Navi glided into the room and hovered just above the bed.

"Hello, in there! Wake up!" Navi yelled at the mound of blankets. Suddenly an arm shot out from within the pile and swatted at Navi. She just had time to squeak as his hand hit her and she tumbled head over heels through the air. She managed to gain control of her wings barely in time to avoid hitting the wall. Navi shook her head, ridding herself of her dizziness. "That brat! Hey, get up, lazy boy!" Navi flew down and tugged with all her strength at the blankets that were covering the sleeping body inside. She had just enough strength to expose his face to the sunlight. Dropping the blankets, she panted from the exertion and looked up. She almost screamed.

The boy was wide awake, and looking directly at her. His cold eyes held a predatory gleam in them that she didn't particularly like.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my house?" Link said, sliding out from within the blankets. His eyes narrowed at her suspiciously.

"The Great Deku Tree has told me so much about you and he wants to meet..." Navi stopped when she realized that Link could not understand her. She slowly drifted towards him, so that he wouldn't be startled by her. Navi clenched her fists. If only he would allow her to establish a mind-link with him... but she wasn't sure what his reaction would be if she touched him.

Link stood his ground as she approached and followed her with his eyes, clearly wary of her. Navi stopped about twelve feet from his face, where he could see her, and not the ball of light that shone around her. With gentle hand movements, she attempted to inform him of what she wanted to do, but Link quickly became confused. He shrugged and shook his head. He no longer felt suspicious of her presence, however, and Navi decided that it was time to show him directly what she wanted to do. She flew down and gripped one of his fingers, tugging it in the direction of the bed. Link frowned.

"What are you doing, fairy? What do you want?" Link began to walk in the direction she was tugging.

"I'll show you in a second, Link. Please just sit down here." When Link was beside the bed, Navi stopped pulling and dropped his finger. Link looked down, puzzled.

"You just got me out of bed, and now you want me to get back into it?" Navi waved up and down in the air, a fairy's version of a nod. Link shrugged again, but he sat down on his bed and waited for more instructions. Navi floated up until she was bare centimeters away from his face. Link squinted his eyes and tried to shade them with a hand, but Navi slapped it away. Link dropped the hand and closed his eyes against the bright light.

"Now, relax. This may hurt a little..." She traced a slow triangle on his forehead with her hand. This triangle was invisible at first, but began to glow with a white light upon his forehead. Link's eyebrows twitched, feeling the slight tickle of her hand tracing the pattern upon his forehead, and a warmth that seemed to spread through his body. Navi placed her hand directly in the center of the triangle and Link could hear a slow pulsing sound that seemed to come from within his head.. In his mind's eye, he could see a brilliant globe of white light that pulsed with greater and greater intensity until his brain was flooded with the light. His eyebrows pulled into a slight frown as the heat that spread throughout him grew to an almost unbearable level.

And still the power intensified. Link's mind shrieked with panic as the heat seemed to burn through him from within and the light blazed ever brighter. He tried to pull away, but it was as if his body was paralyzed.

See if I ever trust a fairy again, Link thought to himself. It was the last thing he thought before his mind broke free from the blazing light and spiraled down into darkness.

Link slowly opened his eyes and squinted, the afternoon sun shining through his window and onto his face. He was sprawled out crosswise on his bed, his legs and feet dangling off the edge. That was a strange dream, Link thought as he dragged himself into a sitting position. But that wasn't a surprise- he had so many of those lately.

Saria was going to scold him for sleeping so late. Link placed a hand on his forehead and groaned. He had a throbbing headache.

"So you're finally awake, Link. I thought you were going to snooze the entire day away!"

Link gasped at the unexpected noise, then groaned, dropping his head in his hands. He slowly turned, the light and sound hurting his head. "I thought you were a figment of my imagination, fairy. Too bad."

Navi pouted and put her hands on her hips. "Don't be mean. It was harder to establish a link with someone as old as you are. That's why it was painful."

"Is that why I couldn't understand you before?"

Navi sighed. She hated explaining things.

"My name is Navi, Link. The Deku Tree has asked me to find you for him, but since you could not understand what I was trying to say, I needed to create a mind-link between us. That's how Kokiri and fairy partners communicate, although you couldn't have known that."

"Are you mocking me?" Link snarled.

Navi sniffed and held her head high, looking down at him disapprovingly." Do you always take things the wrong way? Well, I didn't come here to argue. I'm here for the Deku Tree, so you're going to come with me to see him. Navi flew up and fluttered her wings urgently.

"We've already wasted so much time. I'm going to be your partner for the time being, so let's try to get along, alright?" Link nodded in agreement.

"If it was so important for the Deku Tree to find me, then we had better leave right away," Link said, glancing out of the window.

Link walked out the door of his tree-house and onto the balcony outside. He twitched when Navi flew up from behind him.

"I'll never get used to a floating ball of light trailing me everywhere I go. Can I turn you off at night?" Navi stuck her tongue out at him. Suddenly, she rose in the air and pointed.

"Oh, look, Link! Someone's coming!"

A girl was running up the path towards his house. She saw Link looking at her and waved. Link smiled and waved in response. He was always glad to see Saria, his only friend. Instead of taking the ladder down, Link leaped off the balcony and landed cat-like on the ground below.

"Show-off," Navi muttered, floating down after him.

Saria, a pretty girl around Link's age, was quiet and polite. She had short, green hair that was held back from her face with her favorite headband. She never seemed to mind that Link was different from everyone else, although she secretly hoped that one day he would receive a fairy of his own.

"Hi Link," Saria panted, trying to catch her breath. Then she frowned at him.

"You lazybones! You slept the whole day away, almost! I was waiting for you forever!" Link laughed and pointed at Navi.

"Well, it wasn't exactly all my fault." Saria looked at Navi and her eyes widened excitedly.

"A fairy... Oh, Link! Have you finally received a fairy?" Saria clapped her hands delightedly. "I'm so happy for you!" She smiled up at Navi.

"Hello, fairy, I'm Saria. It's nice to meet you!"

"It's nice to meet you too, Saria. I'm Navi." Navi looked at where Saria's fairy was hovering. She liked Saria already, but she couldn't say the same thing for her fairy. Vera, a beautiful light-purple fairy with silky hair down to the middle of her back, made a face at Navi from behind Saria's shoulder. Navi returned the gesture.

"But, Link, why did the Deku Tree send you a fairy now?"

"Well, according to this fairy, the Deku Tree wants to see me personally. She's just the Deku Tree's messenger. Saria's mouth dropped with amazement. "The Deku Tree wants to see you personally...? Wow! Link, do you realize what an honor that is?" Saria gasped. "And you've been dawdling all morning, too!" Saria waved her hands at Link as if to shoo him away.

"Get going! Don't make the Deku Tree wait, Link! But I'll be waiting for you here when you get back... I want all the details!" She winked at him and giggled. Link smiled and started down the path that led through the village. Navi flew down by his face.

"Let's get through the village first, Link, and from there, I'll lead you to the Deku Tree."

As the pair entered the busier parts of the village, Link could feel eyes on him, obviously surprised at seeing Link with a fairy trailing behind him. He felt uncomfortable at their scrutiny.

As Link strolled through the village, he took time to look at the stores and places of interest as he passed. Navi had to frequently urge him on and she was sure that at times, he had forgotten what his destination was altogether. It wasn't a very comforting thought.

Presently Link and Navi came to the square. Located near the edge of town, it was where the Kokiri gathered for important meetings or festivals. Fountains sprayed mists of water in the air, dampening the mottled brown stone tile on the ground. It was busy at the square even without a meeting or a festival, and many Kokiri were milling about. Navi looked at the position of the sun. The sky had begun to turn pink. Navi flew down to Link.

"The Deku Tree must be getting anxious, Link. We've already taken an entire day to get this far. We have to hurry!" Link sniffed and waved a hand at Navi.

"Alright, alright. That's what you've been saying for the past three hours now, fairy. Don't worry, the Deku Tree's not going to pick up his roots and walk away... agh!"

Link stumbled and almost fell, as something rammed into his back. He spun around, immediately crouching into a predatory stance, and snarled when he saw who was responsible.

Mido stood defiant, his arms crossed. His ruddy hair stuck out from beneath his short Kokiri hat. His tanned face was covered in freckles. As the village bully, Mido was fearfully obeyed by all the other Kokiri in the village except Link. Mido hated Link for not fearing him and he gave Link trouble whenever he could.

"What do you think you're doing, Mido?! Don't get in my way!" Link yelled, fists clenched so tightly, Navi could see them turning white. She looked back at Mido, preparing to defend her partner in any way she could, when her heart leaped in her chest. Lounging on Mido's head in the folds of his hat lay Rean. He was lying on his side with his head propped up with a hand. He was staring at her, a hint of his smile on his face. He continued to watch her from beneath half-closed eyes, his fingers drumming a constant beat on his thigh. Navi felt like she was being gazed at by a hungry predator, and she longed to flee, to put distance between herself and Rean. But she couldn't let Rean know she feared him. Heart racing, she edged closer to Link and dearly hoped that he would protect her if Rean decided that he wanted his prey.

"What do you think you're doing, Link?" Mido sneered. "You were standing in my way." He looked up at Navi. "Oh, so you have a fairy now too, huh? What did you do, catch one and tame it to tag along at your heels?" Mido laughed and Navi wished she was large enough to shut his mouth for him.

"Don't be an idiot, Mido. Even you know that fairies can't be tamed. You can't even make your own behave!" Link pointed to the red-orange glow on Mido's hat. Rean snorted and laughed.

"Hah! Ain't that the truth!" Mido reached up and swatted at his fairy.

"Shut up, you! I don't need your comments," Mido growled. Rean rose in the air and made a mock bow in Navi's direction.

"Seems like my presence is no longer needed, little lady. Don't blow off too much hot air! Hah!" Rean sped away into the trees and was quickly lost from sight. Navi looked back down at Link and Mido. A crowd of Kokiri were gathering excitedly around, hoping to see a fight break out between them. Mido was puffed up with pride and moved with a swagger. Link was calm and relaxed, his face unreadable, but his eyes gave away his dangerous cunning. Navi swelled with pride. If a fight between the two broke out, her partner would surely win.

"So, Link, what are you doing way out here? You're very far away from home and I don't think you've come to see the sights. Tell me, what exactly are you doing here?" Mido sneered, crouching low to the ground. The two circled, neither willing to turn their back to the other. Link gave him a wicked smile.

"Oh, I'm going to tell you, Mido. I'm going to tell you to mind your own business. Don't mess with me." Suddenly, Mido straightened up and dropped the fighting stance. He flipped a lock of hair out of his eyes.

"Well, it really makes no difference to me whether you tell me or not. I already know the whole story, thanks to our fairies exchanging some information."

Link glanced up to where Navi was flying. She could see a glimmer of disapproval on his face before he focused again on Mido. What had she done? ...No! her mind cried out. How could she have known that Rean was the fairy of Link's adversary?

Still, I should have kept my big mouth shut, Navi scolded herself.

Link warily straightened up so that he could look Mido in the face. Mido frowned at him.

"So you're going to see the Great Deku Tree? What makes you think you're so special, Link? No one has talked with the Great Deku Tree. No one has ever seen him." Mido gave Link a smug look.

"Personally, I doubt that he even exists."

There were gasps from the crowd, as well as shouts of approval. The Kokiri had already begun to take sides. "And I think your fairy's gone crazy," Mido added. Navi felt a stab of betrayal as a concerned look crept onto Link's face. She dropped down to him.

"No, Link, I'm not crazy! I'm not!" Navi pleaded with him. Link looked up at her and smiled, a determined look on his face.

"Of course you're not crazy, Navi, and we're going to prove it when we find the Great Deku Tree." There were cheers from the crowd, as well as laughter. Mido snorted in disgust.

"Well I think you're crazy too, Link, if you think you can get through the forest like that! You think that the wild beasts are going to roll out the red carpet for you? They'll eat you in seconds flat if you don't have anything to protect yourself with. But I'm perfectly game to see you try!" Mido laughed. "You'll be food for the wolves, and I say, 'good riddance to you!'" Mido stalked off and the crowd groaned in disappointment when it was apparent that there wouldn't be a fight after all. The momentum had passed, and the Kokiri quickly dispersed, leaving Link and Navi to themselves. Link walked over to a fountain in the square and sat down on the edge. He put his head in his hands.

"Navi, I'm such a fool! What was I thinking? He's right, you know. I can't travel through the forest without a weapon." Navi fluttered in agreement.

"It's true that the forest is dangerous, Link." Navi smiled at him. "You were very brave back there, with Mido. You made me proud to be called your partner."

Link dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand.

"That wasn't bravery, Navi. It was just an act. I'm not brave at all." Navi lit on his shoulder and looked at him fondly. "You are to me."

Link smiled weakly. "Thanks, Navi, but still..." he stopped as he heard someone shouting his name. He looked around and saw Saria, and a smaller boy, Lonnie, running towards them. Link quickly got to his feet to greet them.

"Link, ...I heard everything about Mido," Saria said.

"He was right though, Saria. I am foolishly unprepared."

Lonnie suddenly spoke up in his high, childish voice.

"I think Mido's wrong about the Great Deku Tree, Link. I believe you're going to find him." Lonnie ran to the end of the square and picked up a large object. As he ran back, Link recognized the object as a shield. It was wooden and kite-shaped. It had the Kokiri's symbol on it painted in red. It was simple, but it looked strong. Lonnie ran up, panting. He held out the shield to Link.

"This was my birthday present, but I want you to borrow it. You need it more than I do now. And... and I want to help you find the Deku Tree and show Mido who's boss!"

Link cautiously reached out and took the shield. After a while, he slipped it on his arm and tested the weight. It had good balance. Link looked up to thank Lonnie, but he was nowhere to be seen. Link looked at Saria, puzzled at Lonnie's absence. She giggled.

"I guess he didn't want you to refuse, Link," Saria offered.

"Would you thank him for me, Saria? Tell him I'll bring it back as soon as I'm done." Link felt elated. He was almost ready now.

"You still need a weapon, Link," Saria said, looking at him expectantly. Link frowned. The law forbid weapons in the village, so one would be hard to come by. A dinner knife would be out of the question. Saria sidled up to him and whispered in his ear.

"I know of a Kokiri treasure that is hidden in the forest, Link. It would help you greatly if you could find it..." Link's eyebrows shot up.

"How do you know that, Saria? Do you go into the forest?"

Saria blushed. "Sometimes. The forest talks to me. I can't explain it, but the forest tells me things, so I know." Saria looked down. "I can understand the fairies, too. Not just my own, but all of them. Navi, too." She looked up again and Link was startled to see tears in her eyes.

"Am I so different?" Saria choked. Link reached out comfortingly.

"No... Saria... don't cry. There's a reason for everything, isn't there? I was different, but now I'm beginning to see that I have a purpose because I was different. It must be the same for you. We are the same, you and I." Saria smiled at Link.

"That must be why I've always felt safe with you, somehow. I didn't know why before, but perhaps I do now." Saria wiped the tears from her eyes and once again she was the happy, excited girl that Link was used to. She looked up at the sky, shading her eyes with one hand. The red sun was setting quickly and already a quarter of it was lost from sight behind the line of treetops.

"It will be twilight soon, Link. I can lead you to the treasure in the forest, but it will be dark, and dangerous. Can you wait for the morning?" Link pondered that idea. It was true that the forest was more dangerous at night. For some reason, however, he hated the idea of waiting until dawn. A strange feeling of deep urgency had gripped him and he knew that he had little time to spare.

Link shook his head. "No, we must go now, Saria. If you're worried about the danger, just give me directions on how to get there. I'll understand."

"If you truly understood, Link, you would know that what you offer is impossible. You will not succeed without me." Saria was adamant, and Link knew it was futile to try to persuade her to let him go on alone.

"Very well, Saria. But if it gets too dangerous for you, we'll come back and wait. It's a promise." Saria smiled at him reassuringly, but strangely enough, she wasn't the least bit afraid for herself. She was afraid for Link.

Rean lay on the leaf of a huge poplar and poked at a dragonfly feeding nearby with a twig. The dragonfly hissed at him and curled its tail. Annoyed with the ill treatment, the dragonfly flew off to feed in more peaceful surroundings.

Hah! thought Rean to himself. At least dragonflies aren't nearly as uptight as wasps are. Suddenly Rean heard voices. Two childish Kokiri voices and one voice that was clearly fairy. A voice that he recognized almost immediately. Rean dulled his ruddy glow to a barely visible level and lay flat on the leaf, his head peeking out from the edge. He stilled his breath.

Link, Saria and Navi entered the little grotto that nestled in the very outskirts of the village, the borderline between the village and the forest. The tall ground vegetation made the grotto almost invisible to Kokiri looking from the village, especially at night. Navi's light lit up the surrounding vegetation, making it a midnight blue in color. By now, most of the Kokiri were settled snug in their houses. The light from the sun had nearly disappeared, and the stars had begun peeking out from the darker part of the sky. Link was glad for Navi's presence. Without her, he would be almost blind in the darkness.

"Are you ready, Link?" Saria asked.

Link had the shield he had borrowed from Lonnie strapped to his back. He hefted his makeshift spear; a long wooden pole, sharpened to a wicked point on one end. He blew out a gust of air.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess. Let's make this quick." Link looked up. "Stay as close to us as you can, Navi. We're going to need as much light as we can get." Link turned towards the forest, his shoulders squared. "Both of you stay behind me. I'll lead the way."

Saria stepped in behind Link. On her back was a pack full of medicinal supplies. Navi brought up the rear, casting a dim circle of blue-white light around the trio.

The three moved into the forest, the vegetation whispering as they brushed against it. Rean got up from the leaf and looked after them. His eyes narrowed.

"Somehow, I've got a feeling that the little lady left out some really important details. Well, I'm going to find out what's really going on!" He rose soundlessly in the air and cautiously followed the trail that the trio had cut in the forest.