Umbrae: Just a cute little one-shot about Saria and Link. I hope you like it!

Happy Holidays, everyone, no matter what you celebrate!

A True Friend

When he first showed himself at age ten, when he looked the same as all of the other Kokiri children, he was welcomed without question. It was as though he had always been there. There were no odd glances in his direction and hushed whispering as he walked passed.

No, that came later.

For a while, he was just another Kokiri child, the same as everyone else. Then, one of the fairies finally spoke up, and questioned where his partner was.

And that's when everything changed.

He might as well have proclaimed himself a creature sent from the stars. He was treated as though he carried a horrid disease, for what else could be the cause of a Kokiri child born without a fairy? Such a horrid, unspeakable fate could only befall the worst of people.

It was Mido, who had been the unanimous "leader" of the Kokiri for as long as anyone could remember, who acted first against Link. He was the first to finally stand against the boy. The first to announce that he could, of course, not be a Kokiri child. Without a fairy, he was nothing more than an imposter, and he should therefore not be allowed to remain in the forest. He didn't belong there, and they would never accept him, Mido had promised.

Of course, being the leader, he was followed. Soon, everyone had turned their backs on him.

Everyone… except Saria.

She was the only one who hadn't spoken to him. She had seen him multiple times, passed him frequently, and held his gaze longer than any of the other Kokiri children.

But she had never spoken. Instead, she had simply watched.

Until now.

"You okay?" Saria asked quietly, holding out her hand.

Staring up at her warily from his position on the ground, Link wiped dirt and blood from his cheek, sniffling lightly. He eyed her hand as though it might grow teeth and bite him should he draw too near, but after a moment, he accepted it and she helped him to his feet.

Shuffling awkwardly, Link regarded her like a pup seeing the first wolf outside of its pack, peering at her from behind thick hay-gold locks of hair. "Why are you… being so nice?" he mumbled softly.

Saria blinked in surprise at his question, and then her gaze softened. "I like you." She smiled.

"I'm… different," Link admitted, looking away in shame.

Saria just continued to smile, her eyes dancing in a way that made her seem far more than just a child. "I know," she replied, reaching out and touching his arm. "Me, too."

"You are?" Link asked, looking back at her in disbelief. "You don't look it."

"Yeah," she admitted. "Looks can be… deceiving." She smiled again. "You look like you're scared, but… you're braver than anyone else here."

Link looked down at the ground, a blush curling across his face. "No, I'm not," he muttered weakly.

"Of course you are!" Saria admonished. "You could have beaten Mido easily, but you didn't fight back!"

"I don't like fighting," Link whispered softly, almost too low for her to hear.

"It takes a lot of guts to admit that," Saria replied, gazing at him proudly. "It takes a really, really brave person to stand their ground and not fight, when they're being attacked."

"I don't have a fairy. That's why they attacked me."

Saria shook her head softly. "No. You're nice and you're different. That's why they attacked you. You'd make a better leader than Mido." Link looked at her in surprise, to find she was holding out a hand. "I think you'd make a good friend, too." She tilted her head to the side cutely, smiling. "I'm Saria," she introduced.

He reached out tentatively and shook her hand. "I'm Link."

"Hi, Link," Saria said, giggling.

Link smiled widely at her grin, at the happiness in her eyes, and at the fact that he had a friend; a true, lifelong friend.

"Hi, Saria."