Chapter Three: Sword and Shield

Link and Saria ran out the door, nearly tripping over each other in their excitement. They stopped to talk to a few other children, The reactions were all different. A few were happy, a few were shocked, and some were just plain rude about it.

Upon Navi’s orders, Link headed for the path that led to the Deku Tree’s meadow. He and Saria started running, racing each other, and Link got there first. The only problem was, he ran into Mido. Literally.

“Oof—what the—uh-oh....” Link said.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Mr. No Fairy,” Mido said, when they reached him. He was about to say more, and he saw that Saria was with Link. “Hi, Saria,” he said.

The only people who didn’t seem to know that Mido was jealous of Link’s friendship with Saria were Saria and Link. All the Kokiri children said this was because those two were always in their own world, and they also said that if it wasn’t for Saria, Mido might have not picked on Link so much. Other kids countered this theory with the fact that Saria was the only one who could make Mido leave Link alone.

It was the topic for discussions over dinner, and some people kept trying to tell Saria or Link what was going on, but they never would listen. As many of the Kokiri said, they were truly in their own world, as the real one was sometimes too harsh and uncaring.

Saria glared at Mido and helped Link to his feet. “You’re a jerk, Mido.”

Mido frowned. “Does Mr. No Fairy want to go see the Deku Tree, is that it?” Mido asked, and he laughed.

“Yes,” said Saria hotly, “We do.”

“Let us by, Mido,” Link said.

“Saria can go. You can’t. Only kids with fairies can get by here.”

With that, Navi decided she could no longer keep her temper in check. She buzzed out from under Link’s hat angrily.

“Well, he’s got one, Mr. No Brains, so let us by, you big ugly—”

Mido’s eyes widened and he tried to snatch Navi from the air, but Link beat him to it. He knew if Mido caught Navi, he would crush her in his fist. Mido, however, had seen her, and had heard the insult. He looked very much like he wanted to hit Link, and was only restraining himself because of Saria’s presence.

But Navi was out of harm’s way, and she didn’t stop talking. “You’re a jerk, Mido, a lousy stinking no good—”

Mido took a swing at Link’s head, but Link ducked and kicked him in the shins. They kept punching at each other, until Saria managed to break them apart.

“Stop it, you two!” she shouted. “Do you want to kill each other?”

“Maybe,” they said, at the same time. They glared at each other.

“I don’t care if you’ve got a fairy,” Mido sneered. “You need a shield to get past here...and a sword, too.”

Link glanced at Saria. “Now can I hit him?”

“No, c’mon. Link, hey, wait a sec, what are—Link!”

They had started throwing punches again. Saria tried to pull them apart, but it was no good. Then Navi’s voice made Link stop.

Wait a minute! I happen to know where a sword is, and a shield too. C’mon, you’ll need them anyway, and when we get them, it’ll blow his socks off!

Her voice sounded gleeful. But…where was she talking from? Her voice seemed to be inside his head. Link stopped punching and stared at her. She had released herself from his hand, and was now hovering near Saria. She appeared to have said nothing.

Oh, you’re not too bright, are you? Now that I’m your fairy, we can talk telepathically! I’ll tell you all the rules and things later, but for now, let’s go get the sword.

Link stopped staring, but he was still slightly surprised. He wondered if she could read his thoughts. Navi shook her head, even though she knew he couldn’t see it through the light. Only what you want me to hear. Navi crossed her fingers behind her back as she thought it.

Link glared at Mido. He still wanted to throw a punch at him, but the thought of a sword was exciting. When he had been five, the shop had stopped selling wooden swords, because people had been getting hurt with them, and he had never gotten to use one.

He decided that he could do more damage to Mido with a sword anyway, and he walked away. Saria stared after him, wondering if she should go or pick up where Link left off and throw a punch.

“You are a JERK!” Saria yelled, kicking him in the shins. “A no good bullying jerk!” She picked up a rock and threw it at him. Her yelling had attracted several children, and they laughed as Saria shoved Mido to the ground and stalked off, looking for Link.

“So, where is this sword anyway?” Link asked Navi over Saria’s yelling.

Once again, he could tell the little fairy was grinning at him by the way her light brightened. “Not anywhere around here, that’s for sure. C’mon over this way…ah, here we are!” Navi had led Link to the small area next to the training ground, near the home of the Know-It-All Brothers, the oldest Kokiri next to Saria.

Link stared at the blank face of rock before him.

“Uh, Navi?”

Navi was scanning the ground, apparently searching for something.

“Navi, exactly what am I supposed to be seeing here?”

She looked back and forth, muttering under her breath.

“Navi.”

She stopped, turned around, and looked at him.

“Hmm?”

“Navi, there’s nothing there.”

“Oh yes there is.”

“No there isn’t. I don’t see anything.”

“Well, that means you just aren’t looking hard enough....”

Link looked, and all of the sudden, he did see something, he saw a small hole, just wide enough for him to crawl through. He stared first at the tiny opening, then at Navi.

“How...?”

Navi flew down to examine the hole. “Yeah, I think you can squeeze through.” She looked at him. “Being a runt can come in handy, huh?” It was only a joke, but she realized a second too late she shouldn’t have said it. Pain flashed in Link’s eyes, but it was over so fast Navi wasn’t even sure it had happened.

“You can’t talk, you’re two inches high,” Link said.

Link crawled through the hole slowly, and when he got to the other end, he was encountered by a maze of tunnels. The rest of the forest seemed so far away now. It was foggy. And deathly quiet.

“Where are we?” Link asked his companion.

“Near the sword. We just have to go through this maze first. I know the way, but I learned it in circles, so it’ll look like we’re lost, but if you let me concentrate, I can do it all right.”

“Sure.”

Slowly they made their way through the maze. It did indeed seem like they were lost, but Link made no sound, and allowed Navi to think. When they finally got to the middle, Navi pointed out to him a small, wooden, chest. As he opened it, Navi flew in the chest to illuminate its contents. From the chest, Link withdrew the glittering Kokiri Sword.

Link gasped at the gleaming blade, the three emeralds embedded in the front, the golden handle. Although this sword really was nothing but a big dagger, to ten year old Link, it was huge.

Now, thought Link, now, all I need, all I have to get to get past Mido, is a shield.

“Well, you might need supplies, too.”

Link glared at Navi. “You said you couldn’t read my thoughts.”

Navi glowed brightly. A grin. “I lied?”

He glared at her again, then they left the maze to look for Saria.

“There you are,” Saria said when they reached her. “I’ve been looking for you.”

Link told her the story of where the sword was. She didn’t believe them, at first, and they had to drag her to the hole that Link crawled through.

“Saria, I have the sword, but Navi says I need some supplies, and I still have to get a shield. If I get the rupees for the shield, would you go into the Lost Woods and get some stuff for me? You know the place better than anyone around here.”

“Sure!”

Saria started off toward the woods to collect Deku Sticks, Deku Nuts, and Deku Seeds, and Link went off to find some odd jobs. By the time Link was done getting rupees, Saria had collected a few armfuls of stuff. They went in the shop and bought the shield, then headed off toward Mido, who was still blocking the way.

His reaction was more than they could have ever hoped for.

“What is that?”

“A shield.”

“Big whoop. Anyone can get a sh—sh-shield....”

Mido’s voice died in his throat for Link had just unsheathed the glimmering Kokiri Sword.

“So how about you let us by, Mido?” Saria asked sweetly.

Mido just stood there, looking at the sword.

“How did you get that?”

“None of your business,” snapped Saria’s fairy, Ellen. “C’mon, you guys, let’s go.”

So Link and Saria, grinning, pushed Mido out of the way, and headed down the path.

The journey down the path to the Great Deku Tree was a quiet one. Almost spooky. Nobody spoke until, after awhile, Navi stopped Saria, and told her this was far enough, that she and Link needed to go alone from here.

“Okay,” Saria said. “Bye, Link! And good luck!”

Looking back, perhaps years later, Saria would remember that moment as the one when her life changed forever. Changed, because after that, Link would no longer be with her, every day, to play with and care for. Link would look back on the moment too, thinking the same thing.

After awhile of walking Link said into the vast stillness, “Navi? You know, what you said, you’d been watching me my whole life?”

“Yeah?” She was worried he was going to ask her this.

“Well...why?”

Navi settled down onto Link’s shoulder. “Because,” she told him, “The Great Deku Tree told me to.”

She left it at that. It was true, after all, it just wasn’t the whole story. Navi sighed. She was worried about the Deku Tree. If he perished, the forests would be unprotected. Then what would become of the forest’s creatures? They would die, surely. What would become of her home? It would be destroyed, the first time danger got near. Then she would have no place to go. And neither would these children.

Link pondered over her answer, not aware of her brooding thoughts.

“Well, why? I mean he could have picked any kid here, couldn’t he? What was the point in picking me? You know what everybody says. The village runt, Mr. No Fairy, the kid who can’t stick up for himself.”

Navi knew then that this child was far more mature than he seemed. He had been lonely, and he was forced to grow up, at least on the inside, so he could endure it.

It seemed he had an unbreakable wall around him that only a trusted few were allowed into. The few that he thought would not hurt him. And she realized she had just been accepted into this barrier, because he had shared his worries with her. Or his thoughts, anyway, about what he thought of himself.

Obviously, he didn’t like himself at all. But, if she had anything to do with it, that was going to change.

“You’re not a runt,” Navi said quietly. “And you can stick up for yourself.” She remembered the display of swordfighting she had seen ten years ago. Link could be just as good.

“I don’t understand. Why’m I the one who’s different? What’s so special about me? I’m just....”

“Trust me, you’ll find out soon.”

“But I want to know now, not later.”

No you don’t, Navi thought to herself. And when you do find out, you’ll wish you hadn’t.

“Look, we’re here,” Navi said, more to distract him than anything else.

It worked. Link gasped. In front of him was the Deku Tree, and it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen.