Sorrowful Night

One Last Melody

The days were long… The nights trailed on endlessly. Saria's depression grew worse and worse with each passing moment. Every ounce of joy that had once inhabited her soul had vanished, and only feelings of desolation and remorse remained. And why? She looked down at her reflection in the waters of Kokiri Lake. Why? What a question. Staring at the rippling face, seeing its glum expression, its unknown sorrow, she wondered. This wasn't her. Who was this stranger staring back at her through the water? She waved a hand in front of the reflection, and it copied her every move. This unfamiliar being, it was her. She gazed trance fixedly at her own self, the night's lights shining across the loch. The moon was at its peak, full and bright. It had power over all Hyrule at that moment, watching over the land like a guardian. Yet, Saria thought, with all that power, the moon still brought on feelings of loneliness and melancholy. Those feelings now settled into her mind. She felt much like the moon, being the sage of the forest and a powerful keeper herself, yet having a hollow feeling inside of her. And the question came up again; why did she feel that way? This wasn't what she wanted. A life without adventure, without journeys, without changes. The days were long because they involved the same activities everyday. The nights trailed on forever because her knight in shining armour never came to rescue her from this dreary life. Link was gone, grown up and facing off against evil and riding his horse through all of Hyrule… and beyond. She wanted to go with him; she wanted to make a difference. She wanted to visit Gerudo Valley, she wanted to meet Princess Zelda, she wanted to swim in the Zora waters, she wanted to trek up to the Gorons' lair, but she was bound to Kokiri Forest. Forever. Until her life's end. And when would it end? Saria stood up from her position next to Kokiri Lake, and looked down at her reflection for one last time. She sighed, and a single tear fell down her young, round cheek. It plunged into the water, causing a small ripple to form. Her mirror image disappeared for a second… How would it be on the other side? Rauru would take good care of her. The Goddesses would grant her final wishes. The place beyond this world was said to offer one's greatest dreams and desires. She slowly trudged up the path towards the Forest Lookout. She could see everything from up here, and she would normally come to sooth her mind from all of life's unmerited problems. But not this time… No, this time it was to end it all. This grief, this pain, this loneliness, would all be gone after tonight. She took a step towards the edge of the cliff, and glanced down. Before she left, she wanted to give the forest one last melody… one last gift. Saria slowly pulled out her battered fairy's ocarina, and brought it gently up to her mouth. The Hymn of Solitude is what she would call it… or what others would as a reminder of her feelings. The tunes coming from her instrument weren't like her usual, upbeat notes as in Saria's Song. They were low, long, and quiet. When she finished, she quietly placed the ocarina on the ground by her side, and sighed one last time. As she listlessly put her foot over the precipice, one word escaped her mouth "Goodbye." and she let herself fall. A gasp traveled through the silent forest, and ended abruptly with a crack. Nothing could be heard for a long moment, but then the wooing wind blowing through the trees came in, grieving at the loss of a good friend, and an excellent keeper. The forest seemed to know what had happened; if you listened hard enough, you could've noticed the slight increase and decrease of the wind's notes… The Hymn of Solitude remained as a remembrance of the one little Kokiri girl who hadn't had enough in life.