It all started on that day seven years ago. I awoke. I was surrounded by floating orbs of light and little children. Each child wore identical outfits of green, while their heads were all covered in orange or yellow hair. Only two children defied these characteristics, one with golden hair and the other with green. The golden-haired boy didn’t have an orb accompanying him.
I remember that day so vividly. So long ago, and yet it feels to be only a few weeks. I was greeted by a deep voice that boomed throughout the forest. It rang with a tone of superiority and concern. The crowd of children thinned out as the voice spoke to me.
It commanded in a light tone, “Rise, young forest fairy. The time has come for you to regain thy consciousness. Your arrival to our home is most extraordinary.”
Several of the light orbs surrounded me and pushed me into the air. One particular orb cheered wildly as it helped the others lift me up. It was green in color and belonged to the green-haired girl.
“Welcome to the family, lady! It’s always nice to meet new fairies!” The green light bounced wildly between a pink and blue light.
For a few moments, I was unable to so much as twitch. After several attempts at getting me suspended in the air, I managed to flutter my wings a few times. Every child and light cheered. I choked out, “F-fairy? What’s that?” I felt myself light up in surprise at the sound of my thought verbalized. I felt like that had been my first time being able to speak.
A large tree in the distance shifted a large branch down directly beside me. On the edge of the branch rested an acorn less than half my size. The same deep voice chuckled, “Ye have risen, Navi. Welcome to the land of the Kokiri. Consume the nut before you and all things shall be made clear.”
The voice was comforting. My growing confusion urged me to ask questions, but I held my tongue and gulped down the acorn. I felt my wings stiffen and grew colder. I remember hearing a thud as my body hit the soft grass of the grotto. I watched helplessly as the children and balls of light left my side. The deep voice called out, sending each creature out of the grotto. Then the large tree’s bark shifted slightly, releasing a warm air that restored my ability to move.
The voice sighed, “You have been through much, Navi. But here you are safe, my child. Can you recall anything from before your awakening moments ago?” The tree’s branch shifted back up to the rest and settled.
I spun around several times, searching for the source of the mysterious voice. Upon finding none, I mumbled, “I don’t remember anything. I don’t even know where I am…” I lowered my wings slightly in disappointment.
The voice cheered, “That is expected, young one. You have suffered horribly as of late. Your memories shall return one day, but it shan’t be soon.”
“How can you be sure? What if they never…” I found myself gliding over to the base of the tree, as if I were conversing with it directly. Something in my body drew me toward it.
The voice called to me from within the tree. I remember its words so clearly. It spoke softly, “In the vast, deep forest of Hyrule, long I have served as the guardian spirit… I am known as the Deku Tree. Within that acorn you have consumed rests all the knowledge I can offer you. You arrived here in a state of lifelessness, but I have given you life from the creatures of the forest.”
I suddenly felt an intense burning in my body. I felt my muscles begin to throb as my skin heated up intensely. My wings increased in size and thickness, causing me severe unease and loss of balance. I groaned, “Where am I? Why am I here?!”
“The children of the forest, the Kokiri, live here with me. Each Kokiri has his or her own guardian fairy. However, there is one boy who does not have a fairy... Oh, Navi the fairy... Listen to my words, the words of the Deku Tree. Dost thou sense it? A climate of evil is descending upon this realm. Malevolent forces, even now, are gathering to assault this land of Hyrule.” A horrendous sense of dread began to course through my pain-stricken body. The voice became deeper and more sinister.
It continued frantically, “For so long the Kokiri Forest, the source of all life has stood as a barrier, deterring outsiders and maintaining the order of the world. But before this tremendous evil power, even my power is as nothing. It seems the time has come for the boy without a fairy to begin his journey! The youth whose destiny it is to lead Hyrule to the path of justice and truth…”
I immediately realized who the destined youth was. Without thinking, I muttered, “The golden-haired boy?”
“Correct young fairy! You must use the knowledge given you by the acorn to guide the boy to his destiny! By carrying him through his journey, you may one day learn the truth behind your arrival here. Go into the village and bring the hero of destiny here to me. This is where your journey begins, dear Navi.” The tree swung a large branch in a waving manner, and I took off out of the grotto.
A million thoughts filled my head as I flew into the large forest village. A thousand tomes of information flooded my mind and sent me into a dizzy search for the hero’s house. Information on thousands of creatures and environments sent me into a sick blur of vision. In an instant, all of the Great Deku Tree’s knowledge was transferred into me. The large chunk of missing memory sickened me, but I knew how things must play out.
First Hyrule would be saved, and then my path to my history would open up.
For seven years I guided Link through dungeons and traps, using the Deku Tree’s knowledge to assist the Hero of Time in his destined fight against evil. The final blow was dealt, and the boy was sent back to live his childhood in peace, without the threat of the King of Evil. I left the boy’s side, not wishing to anchor him to the dark destiny he had lived out.
But my past had never been revealed to me. As I left the boy’s side, a strange urge overcame me. It drew me into the Kokiri Forest, deeper than any normal being could ever imagine. My determination to find out the truth of my life carried me through the trees and brush, until I finally stumbled upon a large temple in the farthest reaches of the forest.
Within the temple shined a pedestal of six bright gems, each with a different color. In the center of the six gems rested a crest in the shape of the sun. Something inside me pulled me into it, directly above the center of the pedestal. The gems took turns pouring their energies into me, which filled me with a sense of belonging and ecstasy. The crest of the sun lit up brightly and swallowed me in a warm orange ray of energy.
…
Everything between then and now is blank. I feel a cool breeze pouring over me. I smell flowers in the distance. I hear a gentle voice speaking. My head is throbbing in pain. I have shadows of memories flooding into me every second. My body is lighter. My wings are thinner. I feel the same as the day I first awoke in the forest.
The light here is blinding me. Figures are beginning to form in front of me. I see a horse. It resembles a familiar creature, albeit of a yellow color. It has a thick pink mane. It has wings. I hear its voice calling to a small rabbit.
I fear that my memories are leaving me again. Everything's becoming blurry. The hero's face. The hero's name. The tree. The forest people. I...I'm losing it all. The evil. The princess... Nothing feels familiar. I can't see their faces or their figures. Their names escape me. I can feel their presences...but...
I feel their… Wait…do I smell apples…?