Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Zelda franchise, and nor do I make profit writing fanfiction about it.

(AN): I hope that I can get a decent start on the fic before my muse inevitably peters out. As long as I'm reading Zelda fanfiction, I should be inspired to write it. So feel free to drop some reading suggestions in the review box.

Dark ichor spurted in a wild arc, painting the steel of the Kokiri Sword black and drenching the wooden insides of the Great Deku Tree. Link gave a feral smile, bringing the short sword about in a flourish that flung the deku baba's fluids from its surface.

Shoving the Kokiri Sword back into its sheath over his shoulder, Link crouched and began to dig about within the fleshy remains of its head. Navi had squealed in shock and disgust the first time he'd eviscerated one and decided to look for deku nuts, but the fairy had quickly subsided after he tersely explained what he was looking for.

Finding three of the nuts, the boy hero dropped them into a half full satchel with the rest of the deku nuts he'd collected. There was a part of him that just wanted to say 'fuck it' and rush off to find Zelda as soon as possible. To blaze through the bowels of the Great Deku Tree so he could slay the Gohma Queen and claim the Kokiri Emerald. But he'd managed to collect some patience in his lives of questing and defeating the incarnations of Demise.

Regardless of how unbearably frustrating it was, Link needed to do his job right. Which meant making sure to stop and collect any items or weapons that might be useful or necessary to survive later on in his journey. It meant he needed to put on his Hero face and help anyone that requested his aid. It meant pushing aside his frantic need to see to Zelda's safety personally in order to find a way to defeat Ganondorf.

He'd let his emotions take the reins the last time he'd lived this particular life, and Link remembered very well how Ganondorf had cut him down in a muddy field at the tender physical age of thirteen. Zelda had told him to attend to the Temple of Time and protect the Triforce, but he'd been too sick with worry to listen to her. The Gerudo King had taken control of Castle Town while he'd been wandering the countryside searching for her, and two years later Ganondorf had thrown open the Doors of Time and seized the Triforce of Power for himself. A year after that the King of Evil had hunted them down and put them both to the sword.

I failed.

Screwing on a shaky smile for Navi's sake, Link gave a weary chuckle. "Well I think I've found all I'm going to find here." Patting the Fairy Slingshot that was tucked into his belt, the green clad boy turned back to stare across the chasm he'd just crossed to destroy the deku baba and loot the chest containing a compass.

"You know." Link began conversationally as he leapt down into the shallow ravine and dashed over and up to the switch. "I don't really understand how and why the Great Deku Tree is full of machines and ladders and doorways." Forcing his aching body into a run as three pillars rose from the floor of the gully, Link leapt back across the rift to a different ledge to swiftly destroy a gold skulltula that was skittering about.

Navi shimmered through a range of colours in thought before replying in her high pitched voice. "Ages ago, during the Era of Chaos and before the way to the Sacred Realm was sealed away, war descended on Hyrule. Not even the Kokiri were safe from the conflict tearing this land apart."

The fairy guardian hushed as Link rushed in behind an unsuspecting giant skulltula and shoved the short Kokiri Blade through the man-eating predator's soft underbelly. Satisfied after the creature spasmed in agony and subsided in death, she continued her tale.

"Fearing for the Kokiri, the Great Deku Tree summoned the whole of the Green Children before him and said 'It will be many years before the bloodshed for the Golden Power ends, and therefore I say come and shelter within my flesh. I have foreseen the death of all Kokiri if the children should take up arms. Put away your thoughts of war and live peacefully beneath my roots."

Swirling around the Kokiri Sword, Navi giggled at the annoyed look that crossed Link's face. "The Kokiri agreed, and they built homes inside the Great Deku Tree. All save one. The boy Kano had lost his sister after a battle between two warring Gorons spilled into the Lost Woods. Consumed with rage, he forged a sword – the only sword the Kokiri have ever made – and left to fight. He never even made it out of the woods before a stalfos slew him."

"Well that's... morbid." Slicing away a hunk of webbing, Link peered out over the edge of the ledge he was standing on. Far below he could see the very base of the Great Deku Tree, with water faintly shining under distant light. "I suppose that the sword was recovered and it was decided that it would be kept around in case the leader of the Kokiri needed to defend the village?"

"Well yes-"

"Anyway, wish me luck!" Then Link threw himself from the edge, laughing wildly as he sunk like a stone. The soft strands of skulltula webbing caught at his hair and clothes, slowing his fall from suicidal swan dive to a more tepid descent.

"Link!"

Landing in the stream that flowed beneath the Great Deku Tree with a smack and a wince at the sting, Link briefly decided that the arse was at least better than the face before swimming to the surface with great strokes.

"You nincompoop! Are you trying to get yourself splattered?! By Farore, at least tell me before you do some ridiculous stunt like that! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Can fairies even get heart attacks?"

"That's beside the point! I'm supposed to be looking after you! How can I do that if you're just going to jump headfirst whenever some mad idea pops into your head?"

Link didn't even try to contain the grin splitting his face as he pulled himself out of the water with some of the vines growing along the walls. By the Three, he'd missed Navi. Ezlo had been reminiscent of a crotchety grandfather, and Fi had been a curious younger sister, but of all his companions Navi was closest to the worried mothers he could barely remember in the dusty moments of his many lives.

The fairy dropped her rant in favour of a shouted warning, and trusting entirely in her perception he leapt back and with a smooth blind draw of the Kokiri Sword, slew the deku baba that he been straining to bite into his flesh.

For the first time since waking up in this miserable life, Link felt remotely happy.

(AN): Another thousand words for Link. I'm starting to think this might be a decent trend for me. I get annoyed reading other works with such short chapters, but there's always the benefit of being able to write quickly, post quickly, and get feedback quickly. This came together in an hour or so after youtubing some OoT walkthrough videos.

Son of the West Wind – I forgot to mention it last chapter. One of the Gerudo King's titles, and a direct shout out to The King's Bride by tiger7210.

Green Children – Just a title for the Kokiri. Don't worry too much about me throwing things like that out. Just helps to flesh up the world lore, I guess.

I also took some time to explain the origin of the Downfall Timeline here. Quite frankly I can't wrap my head around it in terms of canon, since OoT only splits it into Child and Adult timelines. So where does the third pop up? It just exists because "The Hero was defeated in this timeline"? Really? Because if we're going that far I'm calling bullshit. In that case, there's got to be thousands upon thousands of timelines. An eternity of universes from differing results. Might explain why the Goddesses don't intervene though. They must not give much of a shit.

Anyway, for this story the Child and Adult timelines exist because of the direct intervention of the Goddesses. That's why there's only going to be three, and not an infinite number.