Chapter 1

The Lost Woods

In the vast, deep forest of Hyrule, many things lie hidden from the outside world. It is a place of thick enchantment, and across the ages the forest has stood as a barrier, deterring outsiders in order to protect those that live amongst the trees. Many things wander those woods, the Deku Scrubs and the Lost Ones, and many darker creatures besides, but most famous in all legend are the kokiri.

These are the children of the forest, the fairy-friends, the Little People. They do not age as do those in the world outside, but remain for centuries in the form of young children. They are forever separate and set apart, for they are the spirit of innocence in the world. As long as they endure, as long as their forest home remains unsullied, then no victory by evil can be complete. In this small place, within the forest, the world remains incorruptible.

These children live their lives in the woods, protected and warded by the greatest guardian spirit of those woods, the Great Deku Tree. Watched by their guardian, the kokiri live as independent spirits, so long as they stay within the confines of the trees. Their life is intimately bound with the eldritch life of their woods, and each kokiri has a fairy friend, who is tied to them and is part of their very being.

Fairies are the purest form of life, the corporeal form of the magicks of the world, and do not live in the way many other peoples live. They are entirely magic beings, bound to the Great Fairies, and to their homes, and to their guardian spirits. The fairies of the forest seem dark to those who do not know them, but to the kokiri they are the closest friend and companion.

Many tales have been told about those who live under the eaves of the forest. They have fascinated many people, from explorers to storytellers in the common rooms of inns. Of the tales that echo out of those woods, there is one that is unlike all the others. There is a tale that tells of a child amongst the kokiri and yet set apart from them. This tale tells of the boy without a fairy.

* * *

Link stepped through the door of his tree house and surveyed the little village of the kokiri. He descended the ladder from the balcony of his small home, dropping lightly on to the soft grass that carpeted the forest clearing. The mossy sward was crisp with dew, fresh with the new life of spring. It could be felt in all the forest, new life breaking through, running rampant.

The young boy ran over to Saria's house, expecting her to be waiting. She had promised to show him her secret place today. All last summer, they had played in the Lost Woods, but she had entirely refused to let him see it. She had promised, though. She had promised that as soon as winter was over, she would take him there. Today was the day, spring was bursting all over the Lost Woods, and she had finally agreed to show him.

She was not in her house, though. Link frowned, but he knew she would not let him down. Saria always kept her word. She must have already left the village. He turned and began to jog across the clearing, heading up the little incline. So great was his anticipation at going with Saria to her secret place, that he didn't even mind passing Mido's house.

Mido's was the last of the little kokiri homes on that side of the small village. As he approached it, Link slowed down, cautious not to attract interest. He was hoping fervently that Mido was not there, or that if he was, Link would be able to slip past unnoticed and make it into the thicker trees.

Mido was always on hand when Link least wanted to see him, though, and sure enough he came marching out of the door when Link was still ten paces from it.

"You," he demanded. "Where do you think you're going?" Link gave no reply. Mido's malevolent, bullying grin widened. "So, Mr No Fairy. Off into the woods by yourself are we?" Link broke his gaze away from Mido's hazel eyes and tried to walk past him. The older boy moved forwards quickly and shoved Link backwards.

"Well, you can't. No one's allowed to leave the village today, the Great Deku Tree said so."

Link knew it was pointless to argue with Mido, even though he was obviously lying. "Where's Saria?" he asked. Mido opened his mouth to give a smart retort then shut it again. Link smiled. So Saria had passed this way. Mido certainly wouldn't try to stop her, and even if he did she never listened to him.

It did not take Mido long to recover his bravado, though. "Well, fine, but I'll report you to the Deku Tree, and then you'll be sorry." With that, he turned on his heel and stalked back into his house. Link smiled properly this time. It really was going to be a good day, if he could get past Mido so easily.

He ran on and quickly left the village behind. He was out of the clearing, heading steadily north. The noise of the kokiri disappeared, to be replaced by the sounds of the rest of the forest. The trees came closer together. The rich forest tapestry was beautiful in the glories of another spring and Link followed a familiar route deeper into the woods. It was an eldritch place, and the enchantment was almost tangible. It was thickest here, a final barrier to outsiders, a last warning to turn back. If anyone passed this point who was not granted the Deku Tree's protection, they would be forever lost.

Such things did not scare Link, though. The Deku Tree's power was rife in every branch and limb of the wood, and the dark creatures that inhabited the forest could not approach a kokiri, even without a fairy.

Not a lot of kokiri came this way. They were content to play in the village, or go to see the Deku Tree, and when they went for long walks they usually went south. The protection of the Forest stretched much further south and east, away from where people might be, away from the borders of the woods.

It was exactly the reason why Link and Saria loved that part of the woods, though. The sense of the magic that was so close lent the place an ethereal and otherworldly feel. While most kokiri found it discomforting, for Link and Saria it spoke of greater portents and a wider world than the one knew.

They never talked about it, but Saria was a lot older than Link. Age does not matter to the kokiri, because they are always children and so how long they have been children is of no importance. She had been exploring these woods for a long time, and being wise in the way of the Little People, she knew that one day great events would take place in which she would have to play her part.

Link did not sense the same things but listened to her talk with great eagerness. She told him stories of the outer world, that she said she had heard long ago when travellers still entered the wood. It had not been uncommon, once, but the Deku Tree had had to prevent more and more from entering to ensure the safety of his charges. It was now millennia since anyone from Hyrule had seen a kokiri.

As it was, Link knew many paths through the Lost Woods, as the whole of the forest under the Deku Tree's protection was known. If Saria had gone on ahead of him, though, she would be waiting where they always met. There was a small pool they often visited. Its water was not normal water, not like the little stream that ran through the village. It was a tarn of clear water that was always cool but never cold, and when they bathed in it the noises of the forest seemed to fade, and they could almost hear strange voices far away.

Sure enough, when he got there, Saria was sat with her feet in the water. Hearing his approach, she turned and smiled. Her emerald green eyes shone in the sun that was visible high above through the foliage.

"Hi Link," she said, grinning. "Are you ready to go?" Link nodded his assent, and Saria got to her feet, sliding on her green slippers. They set off, padding through the woods.

They walked for about half an hour, deeper into the woods. Link felt his anticipation building as he felt the bewitchment of the Lost Woods wrapping more closely around them, until suddenly they came to the edge of the trees. It was a clearing, much longer than it was wide. The trees were not far away on either side, but ahead they were in the far distance.

"This is the Sacred Forest Meadow," said Saria, in hushed tones. "It's probably the place of strongest magic in the whole of the Forest."

"Why?" replied Link in the same voice. "What's here?"

Saria turned to look at him and her mouth turned up in a wide smile. "Come on, I'll show you!" Then she broke cover, running across the clearing. Link wanted to hold back or stick to the tree cover, but he could not stay behind while she dashed on.

As he started to run after her, though, he saw a shape, moving towards his friend. He could not see what it was but it seemed to lunge from the tree line, straight at her. Link hurled himself forwards and fell to the floor beside Saria, trying to block the thing. Saria looked down at him, a puzzled expression on her face.

Link scrambled to his feet, turning round and round to see the mysterious assailant. There was nothing anywhere near them.

"What is it?" asked Saria. He stopped gazing around and met her eyes, frowning.

"There was something trying to attack you," he muttered, feeling stupid now. Saria frowned, too, but then her eyes widened in realisation.

"That must be the enchantment of this Meadow. I often think I see things that aren't there, but never so badly. It's meant to be for Outsiders, not for the kokiri. I wonder why you saw something. Maybe it's because you don't have a fairy."

Link felt himself colouring. The mark that distinguished him from all the other kokiri was a sore point, and now it meant he was seeing things, too. It made sense, though. The fairies were more connected to the magic of the Forest than any of its other denizens, so it was not surprising that they warded them from the thickest enchantments.

Saria smiled at him. "Don't worry. Hold my hand, and Tehl will look after both of us." Saria's fairy, Tehl, fairy fluttered above her head. Before he could say anything else, she grabbed his hand and started forwards again. As he followed, half a pace behind her, Link found himself staring at the trees, usually so comforting, wondering now what they might hide. Was it just the magic of this place? He was sure he saw things moving just beyond his line of sight, where he could not make them out.

They came quickly to the far side of the clearing, and the trees closed in more thickly than in most places. They were at the bottom of a hill, and steps had been formed from the earth to help people going up. Clearly, you could not reach this point if the forest and its inhabitants did not want you to. Nonetheless, it seemed strange to Link. They did not look like steps a kokiri would have made.

Saria started ascending, pulling him with her. They wound up the slope, then came to something that made Link's breath catch in his chest.

Walls loomed ahead of them. Not walls like Link was used to, the natural tunnel before the Great Deku Tree's Meadow, or the wooden walls of the tree houses the Kokiri lived in, but huge stone walls that had clearly been built long ago. Moss and vines had grown all over them, and the Forest had established a firm hold on the structure, but it was still unlike anything Link had ever seen before.

Seeing the awestruck look on his face, Saria led him to a gateway, which brought them into an enclosed courtyard. Before them, there was a broken flight of stone stairs leading to a doorway. Trees dotted the courtyard. The stairs were so broken, they were impossible to climb, but Link stared with insurmountable curiosity at the black aperture they led to.

"This is the Forest Temple," said Saria, still close to a whisper. Her voice expressed reverence for the Temple. "It was built by the ancient sages, many many years ago. This is my secret place. No other kokiri ever comes here, you have to know the way, and even then you saw how thick the magic is. But Tehl showed me, ages ago, and ever since I've come here often. I've never shown it to anyone, but I've always known I would bring someone here." She turned to look at him, fixing him with her brilliant emerald eyes.

"I feel… I feel this place will be very important to us, one day." She sat down and lent against a tree near the broken stairs, closing her eyes. "If you're quiet enough, you can hear the spirits of the forest singing," she murmured, her voice barely audible.

Link sat down near her and listened. This place certainly did have some sort of mystical effect, he could feel it creeping over him. He closed his eyes and listened. He could not hear anything but he could certainly sense something unusual. It was like nothing he had ever felt before, and he suddenly understood what Saria meant about feeling that something was coming. He could almost feel a premonition of great events.

Quiet music suddenly sprang up near him. His eyes flickered open and he saw that Saria had drawn her ocarina from a pouch and was playing softly. It was a song he had heard her play many times, a song of the forest. It spoke of the fresh life springing up all through the woods: the flowers breaking through after winter, the trees putting out new leaves, the animals coming out of hibernation and revelling in the new warmth.

Closing his eyes again, he lent back against the rough stone of the staircase and slowly felt the magic of the forest creep over him. Drowsiness shrouded his mind, he could feel himself drifting away from the courtyard. In his mind's eye, he could see the deku scrubs and forest imps, the monkeys and Hyrulian wombats creeping from their winter homes to enjoy Saria's music; he could see the Sacred Forest Meadow with its thick enchantment; he could see the dance of the fairies, celebrating the new year.

Then suddenly the images in his mind changed.

He saw a huge building, bigger than the Forest Temple, some sort of castle. Rain was coming down in sheets, he was drenched. He was in some sort of courtyard, different to the one where he lay sleeping. Turning away from the castle, he could just make out a white horse disappearing into the storm. He thought he could hear a girl's voice, he could not hear what she was saying. He felt he knew her voice but he could not place it.

Link's eyes flicked open and he gazed around the courtyard. Saria was still playing. He got to his feet and looked around, confused. He was looking for that girl, she needed his help. He knew that she needed her help, he had heard her call. Saria's song faltered. She was looking at him, asking him what he was looking for.

He did not know. He felt foolish now, he had obviously dozed off, it had been a dream. It had not felt real, it felt like any other dream, except for that girl. He could not shake her call; though he had not heard her words he knew she had been asking him to do something. There was something he had to do.

He still had not answered Saria. His attention seemed to drift, following the girl's call, to the entrance to the Forest Temple. The stairs were useless, but looking around he could see that one of the trees reached up above the balcony. Its branches spread out and it would not be too difficult to climb to a point where he could drop from the branches to the threshold. Link could see that there were a couple of limbs that, if he could reach them, he could quite easily jump to the dais. It was not a hard tree to climb, not for someone who had spent all his life living in the woods.

"Have you ever been inside the Temple?" asked Link.

Saria shook her head.

Link looked solemnly to the tree, then to the open doorway. "I think we should go in," he said, simply. Saria grinned and nodded. Link went first, scrabbling up the bark of the tree and grabbing hold of the lowest branch. He hung for a second, then dragged himself up high enough to swing a leg over. Clutching to the branch like a sloth, he made sure he was secure, then lowered his hand to Saria. Gripping it
tightly, she walked herself up the trunk until she could pull herself onto the same branch.

They quickly ascended the lower branches, thick and close together, and it did not take long to reach the limb Link was aiming for. Shimmying along it, he got close to the platform, took a second to prepare himself, then leapt off the branch. He landed squarely on the dais, at the top of the broken stairs. It was strewn with moss and leaves and the stone was heavily worn away. He considered the old doorway. Vines hung down across the entrance. The frame, once ornate, was now worn to almost nothing.

Saria landed lightly behind him and together they surveyed the black hole of the entrance. They looked at each other and as their eyes met they grinned with anticipation, and walked through the door into the Forest Temple.