I made this because I was thinking of how all you ever see is how Josh seems after the Kokiri Massacre and during the Kokiri Civil War. With that in mind, I decided to make a time when the world seemed not so cruel and evil in Josh's eyes. Also, I needed a reason for why the same Sages we see as ghosts in Windwaker and meet in Ocarina of Time are there. Sages are immortal as Kokiri, they stop aging once they become Sages.
Enjoy the work of me, or don't, if you don't wanna. I won't force you to.
I, Joshua Treehopper Kokiri, tell you now that I awoke Saria Treehopper Kokiri. I also awoke Fado Treehopper Kokiri and James Frostbeard Dwarf. I don’t mean that literally; what I mean is that I awoke them as Sages. My sister, Erin Treehopper Kokiri, and my brother, Makaran Treehopper Kokiri, awoke three Sages each, as well. It wasn’t as easy as ringing a bell, though; there were complications.
By that time, Makaran and I hated each other from the pits of our souls, just three Kokiri villages of about thirty Kokiri each were still around, the Gerudo were breaking off all contact from Hyrule, Zelda was in hiding from an assassination attempt just two years prior, and Zelda had very recently given birth to a half-Sheikah child.
I was living in my house, the inside of a Spellwood tree, which was positioned just southeast of the Great Deku Tree’s Sacred Haven. It was my duty to care for the ninth Deku Tree Sprout. The eighth Great Deku Tree had died twenty-eight years prior when Ganondorf the Gerudo King cursed a spider named Ghoma to devour Forest Magic; she drained the Great Deku Tree of all his power. The present Deku Tree Sprout was the next incarnation. Unfortunately, he had a big forest to manage and couldn’t do it all alone.
The Happy Mask Salesman, an Arori who gained immortality, brought Saria, who lived in the Berry Village, and called for Fado, who lived in the Leaf Village, to meet up at my house. Saria began to cook over my magic stove a stew of mushrooms, berries, and tea leaves. Her green fairy, Sinibi, had awoken my green fairy, Jordan, and they brought spice bottles to Saria from my spice chest.
I slept peacefully in bed and dreamed. In my dream, I recollected the lengthy ceremony we Kokiri and the Skull Kids held in honor of the Great Deku Tree’s death and rebirth. The worst part was not eating for two days; the best part was the feast held afterwards. Erin and I escorted the northern Kokiri, those who resided in Arorindu, for the lengthy ceremony. We resided in the Forest Temple and prayed to Din on the first of the two days, Nayru on the second, and on the third we prayed to Farore for the new sprout’s strength, wisdom, and guidance. Near the end of the second day, a Shadow Bolt killed the present Forest Sage. Saria, her apprentice, took over the prayers for the third day. I had a déjà vu type of moment as that happened. Early the next morning, we wearily and hungrily escorted the seed from the Forest Temple’s basement, through the Lost Woods, and back to the Sacred Haven.
I dug the hole, Saria said the final prayer to Farore, Erin set the seed in the hole, and Juniper Snowicle Kokiri, the Boss of the Snow Kokiri of Arorindu, and Mido Treesitter Kokiri, the Boss of the Berry Kokiri of Hyrule, buried the seed in rich soil. The soil that was there before the ceremony was bottled and returned to the Forest Temple to be used for the next Deku Tree Sprout.
Then, there was the feast which lasted until evening and the Snow Kokiri returned to Arorindu.
I slowly woke up, yawning and stretching.
“Oh, Josh, you’re awake,” Saria noticed cheerily.
I opened my eyes. Saria was thankfully turned away from my bed and hovering over the stove on the other side of my house. I quickly reached under my bed, pulled out my clothes, and quickly dressed. Jordan, why is Saria here?
I looked around and noticed the Happy Mask Salesman sitting on one of the four stumps surrounding my round table. His eyes were closed, he had a humongous smile on his face, he wore a dark purple vest over his soft purple long-sleeved shirt and shorts with golden bracelets and necklace, and a soft violet pair of shoes. His oversized backpack was filled with masks with a sleeping bag on top. It was set on his left. You’ll see, and so will I. Breakfast will be ready soon.
I reached under my bed again, this time drawing my Kokiri Sword which I had purified nineteen years earlier. I leapt out of bed and did a mid-air thrust. My sword stopped a few millimeters from his heart. He hadn’t even flinched. “Hero of Leaves please put that sacred sword away. It won’t harm a Kokiri.” He chuckled after calling himself a Kokiri.
“You’re no Kokiri, but what do you want, Ayan?” The chain that held the lantern which served as Jordan’s room with a miniaturized bed snapped and fell on my pillow, and then rolled onto the floor with a loud clanking sound.
“You know my name was cursed as a result of becoming part Kokiri, much like the Hero of Masks, from drinking the Sacred Forest Water,” Ayan said. “As we all know, however, something made Link’s immortality more acceptable to Farore than mine.”
“That’s because somebody gave him the water, whereas you stole it,” Saria calmly said without turning around.
“That did not matter, Saria,” Ayan declared. “There was something else, wasn’t there… Joshua?”
I fake gasped and sarcastically said, “You actually used my name; for that, I’ll tell you what you already knew. Link is a Hylian and a Kokiri, even though he’s moved on by now.”
Saria turned around and screamed, much to the pain of both Ayan and I, “Link did not move on!! I don’t believe it!!”
“He’s been gone for eighteen and a half years,” I pointed out, rubbing my ears. “He didn’t come to the Deku Tree dedication ceremony, either.”
“Fado will be here soon,” Ayan declared. “The Pathways of Destiny must be followed.”
“Weren’t those Pathways of Pain broken twenty-four years ago?” The Pathways of Destiny, or Pain as I call them, are the intended paths of “unique” individuals like Heroes, Triforce wielders, and Sages.
“’Broken’ is not the right word, Hero of Leaves.”
“Broken is the word I chose, and since I’m the Hero, it is thus the right word.”
“It is not!”
I laughed and asked, “If it isn’t, then what is?”
He set his forefinger on his chin and thought about it. “Misplaced,” was Ayan’s answer.
I rolled my eyes, “So, what do the Pathways of Misery want me to do this time?”
“The Pathways of Destiny wish you to awaken three Sages to balance the world. Makaran and Erin have already started.”
“Early bird gets the worm, but I am the vulture that eats the early birds!” I joked while spreading out my arms like wings. Jordan and I laughed; Saria, Sinibi, and Ayan looked at me listlessly.
Two Deku Nuts were flung into my home through the doorless doorway. That was followed by a gust of wind. A violin played a quick tune of six notes and Fado appeared before us in a third Deku Nut’s flash. “But even the vultures ride the skies only by the grace of the wind.”
“Now that Fado is here”-
“Who’s gonna be the third Sage?” I interrupted.
“He is in Arorindu and that”-
“When do we leave?” Fado asked.
“As soon as I’ve”-
“Why are you wasting time?” Horus inquired.
“Because you’re”-
“Why can’t he finish any of his replies?” Jordan pondered aloud.
“Because you’re”-
“Are you blaming everything on us?” I asked.
“I think he is,” Jordan replied.
“I think you’re right,” Jordan confirmed.
“How rude,” Fado accused.
Saria hit me on the head with my Kokiri Sword’s sheathe, then threw it at Fado, and then apologized, “I’m sorry; they’re always like this, though.”
He quickly informed and commanded while rummaging through his pack, “Saria is the Forest Sage, Fado is the Air Sage, and James Frostbeard Dwarf is the Ice Sage; now leave me be!!” He put on a Bunny Hood, a set of yellow bunny ears which fit on the top of one’s head, and fled fast as a cheetah. Fado and I were about to give chase when Saria grabbed us both by our proud ears and slammed us onto the ground.
“Bye, Mr. Ayan!!” Sinibi shouted. We heard a loud crash off in the distance. Even Saria couldn’t resist the urge to laugh this time.
“Do I need to go to Arorindu with you to keep Juniper sane?” Saria eventually threatened.
All four of us replied with a hasty and loud, “NO!!!!”
“Good, then are we all ready?” Saria inquired.
“If you let go of our ears, I’ll get started with my packing,” I offered.
Saria rolled her eyes and released us. I crawled like a swift cat under my bed and pulled out a brown Magic Sack and my Fairy Bow. Fado retrieved my Kokiri Sword sheathe and set it by my Kokiri Sword. Saria returned to cooking her stew with my ingredients. I tied my Kokiri Emerald around my neck and packed clothes for Fado and I. Fado packed the emergency medic pouch. “Okay, it’s ready!” Sinibi exclaimed. I set out three clay bowls and three iron spoons out while Fado played a death mourning song on his violin. Saria poured the stew, we sat down, and then we prayed to Farore for her blessing on our meal. Kokiri can be solemn, you know.
“Farore, Lady of Life, Ancient of Air, Fairy of Forest, we pray that you would bless this food to our bodies and put it to good use.”
Fado and Horus added, “And may it not taste like snot.” Jordan and I fell backwards, laughing. Saria sighed and Sinibi slapped her forehead. Like I said, we can be solemn.
“Be brave, for all of us,” Fado commanded as I got back up and picked up my spoon. Saria wasn’t known as a good cook. In fact, a Kokiri had once compared her cooking to that of meat. All Kokiri are strictly vegetarians. Saria “hired” Fado and I to get vengeance. We painted his fairy pink, the external parts of his home red and the inside blue with grey polka dots, but left the leaves alone. It didn’t come off for two months.
I quickly tasted it, but let the taste seep in before swallowing. Everyone watched me anxiously. “It doesn’t taste like snot,” I joked. Everyone else fell over in their chairs, or stumps. “The mushrooms weren’t cut right, but it doesn’t taste bad.”
Jordan sat up and tasted it for himself, “It’s pretty much how Josh described it.”
Fado and Horus quickly decided to taste it at the same time. That way, if one died, the other would, too. “At least it hasn’t killed us,” they stated in unison.
“Congratulations, Saria; you’ve cooked something people can eat,” Fado admitted, just barely containing his laughter.
Saria took my Kokiri Sword sheathe and threw it at Fado, it missed his right ear by mere millimeters, “My cooking is that bad, you two!!” On average, her “food” looked like manure, smelled like vomit, tasted like wood, crunched when chewed, and felt like thorns as it went down your throat.
“Not with this recipe,” I dared. Saria tried to backhand me, but I leaped up and hit my head on the ceiling over nine feet high. I then fell but caught myself with my right food next to my boiling stew. I balanced myself on one foot for a moment before Fado poked me on the knee. I fell over and landed on my Spellwood floor with a very loud thud. Saria and Fado did a high five.
“Two Sages topped the Hero!!” they chanted four or five times.
I got back up and, humiliated, finished my stew. Come on, Josh, let them have some fun. Even Saria is enjoying herself.
I hadn’t thought of it that way. Saria had been a dreary and sad Kokiri ever since Link stopped returning nineteen years prior. I guess you’re right. Back then, I didn’t put much belief in love. It wasn’t something I understood. Cilia changed that.
I double-checked my sack and pouch when I was done eating and added some important things. “To the Forest Temple we go,” I commanded. We followed the again heart-weary Saria through the Lost Woods in silence. At the Sacred Forest Meadow, a maze for the Forest Temple’s safety, Saria and Fado and I leaped up onto the seven foot tall cliffs that made it a maze and proceeded to the opposite side where we climbed the stairs that led up to Saria’s favorite spot, right in front of the Ancient Forest Temple of the Kokiri. Still in silence, we drew closer to the Forest Temple. “Saria, stand on the pedestal.” Saria nodded and stood on the six-sided, grey pedestal in the center of the grassy, square, walled area. Saria’s stump was in the northeast corner. The top of a broken staircase led to the porch in front of the Forest Temple and a large tree rose high on the west side of the porch. A Gossip Stone, a grey stone which rose straight up and curved in an arch at the top with an eye that seemed to pierce your mind, was in the southwest corner. The pedestal in the center held the Forest Temple insignia.
“What should I do now?”
“Focus on the Forest Temple, feel its energy flow through you,” I said sagely. I added jokefully, “Oh, and try not to explode.” This is the proper way to awaken a Sage, but they can be awakened if they enter into the Chamber of Sages, too.
Saria closed her eyes, the pedestal began to glow a soft green, and four girls’ voices asked in unison, “Saria, do you accept your Destiny?”
I translated, “In other words, do you accept being the Forest Sage?”
“I do,” was Saria’s solemn reply.
A massive black widow spider crawled into the sacred grounds from the south. “I’ll handle Ghoma; Fado, Saria, get inside!” I yelled as I drew my sword and was about to charge.
“We, the Poe Sisters who protect this temple, will fight.” Four Poes wearing four different colored cloaks with four torches floated out of the Forest Temple entrance. They were quadruplet Kokiri sisters in life who decided to defend their home even after death. They had tested Link the Hero of Time and drew him to the Fairy Bow so he would be ready to defeat the enemy I had fallen against at that time, Phantom Ganon.
I stood with Saria and Fado behind me, the Poe Sisters in front of me, and Ghoma in front of them.
Amy, the yellow green Poe Sister, wore a tattered yellow robe and her torch burned a bright green hue. Joelle, the red Poe Sister, wore a tattered red robe and her torch burned a scarlet red hue. Beth, the blue Poe Sister, wore a tattered blue robe and her torch burned a sky blue hue. Meg, the purple Poe Sister, wore a tattered purple robe and her torch burned a royal purple hue.
Their torches burned stronger and the quadruplets began to spin with a clockwise rotation at Ghoma. I took a cautious step backwards, the fire reflected in my fear-filled eyes. “Do not fear our fairies’ fires, Joshua,” Amy said in a sweet voice. Ghoma and the Poe Sisters then began their battle. The battle bought time for Saria’s full awakening process.
“Saria, I’ll finish the ceremony,” I declared as I turned away from the fight. “Do you accept the duty of upholding the forests’ codes?”
“I do,” she solemnly swore.
“Will you always defend your home?”
“I will,” she pledged.
“Where is your home?”
Saria opened her eyes and declared, “All the forests of the world!” A magic stream, green and powerful, shot out from the Forest Temple into Saria. Her body emitted a green glow it was so full of magic. “And it is my honor to destroy Ghoma!!” She aimed her hands out and cast, “Kokiri Magic- Forest Overgrowth!!!!” Roots imprisoned, Vines whipped, Ember Seeds burned, Blue Flowers drained, Levarn Berries froze, Razor Leaves cut, Wood spikes, and Ghoma was helpless to resist. A shadow covered Ghoma’s body and she vanished. Saria collapsed into Amy’s arms while Meg held Amy’s torch and Beth caught Sinibi. Joelle was the first to enter back into the Forest Temple.
“We will take care of our Forest Sage,” Amy declared. “Proceed, Kokiri.”
“You talk like you’re not a Kokiri anymore,” I declared. “You are; come on Fado, let’s get goin’.” He slowly nodded. We waved to the Poe Sisters as they entered and we departed. Before Amy entered, she was last, I chanted, “The Leaves have found their Forest.”
Amy flung her head back to knock her hood off her head for a bit to reveal Saria resembled her. Amy had a horizontal scar on her forehead from how a Moblin had killed her with its spear. She completed my chant, “And the Forest is where the Leaves lay to rest.” Her hood moved itself back over her face and she returned to the temple.
Fado and I departed there with nothing but each other, our fairies, my Magic Sack and its contents, my medical pouch and its contents, my Kokiri Sword and its sheathe, my Kokiri Emerald, my Fairy Bow, Fado’s violin, and Fado’s Deku Leaf.