Link rolled over in his bed. He drearily opened his eyes. The sun shown through his blinds on the doorway. He yawned, and stretched.
He got up, got out of his pajamas, and dressed quickly. Parting the curtains of his entryway, Link saw the sun shine through, bright and clear. He squinted, and brought up his hand to shield his eyes. He then looked below him. The whole of the forest lay at Link's feet seemingly. The shops were opening and drowsy Kokiri yawning. The dew dripped off the leaves of the trees in the cool spring air. The sun washed over Link, giving him a warming sensation as he looked upon Kokiri Forest.
"Beautiful," he muttered to himself.
Link jumped down the ladder, landing as gracefully as possible. He strolled down the walkway, the creeks of the forest gurgling with water, rushing over stones as if they were in a hurry to get somewhere. Link jumped across the creek on the cobblestones, something he had enjoyed since his early youth. He walked past the Know-it-all brother's house, and came to the shop. The girl was up on the bench above the doorway as usual, wanting to be taller than everyone else.
"Hi, Link!" said the girl.
"Hi," replied Link.
"It's a beautiful day," said the girl.
"Yup, it sure is," replied Link.
"What are you doing? Anything new?" she asked.
"No, not really, I'm just taking a stroll," he said, beginning to walk on.
"Alright," she said. "Goodbye!"
Link walked off, and yawned again. He passed Mido's house.
"Hey, Link!" said a voice from inside the house.
"What?" asked Link, stopping, looking towards the door for an answer.
"Get a life!!" shouted the voice back. There was laughter from inside. Link just shook his head and moved on. He walked over to the hedge, jumping over the fences for fun.
"Hey, Link!" hailed the gardener Kokiri, planting some vegetables.
"Hi! What are you planting?" inquired the elf, crouching down beside the Kokiri.
"Oh, just some more cabbage, and some lettuce," he replied.
"Don't you have enough vegetables already?" asked Link.
"You can never have too many vegetables," replied the gardener, almost in a teaching tone.
"Whatever you say," said Link, walking on. He looked at the small crawl space where he had found the Kokiri sword seven years before. He strolled on after a little, eager to get to other parts of the forest.
He came to Saria's house and she was already awake, watering her small garden, and keeping her quaint house tidy.
"Hello, Saria," came Link's voice. Saria stopped watering the plants and looked up.
'Oh, hi, Link!" she replied, smiling.
"Do you want some help with that?" he asked.
"No thank you," she replied.
"You sure?" asked Link.
"Yes," she replied.
"Alright, anything new?" he asked.
"No, not really, nothing off the top of my head, at least," she said, continuing to busy herself with her garden.
"Okay," replied Link. Suddenly, a Kokiri came screeching to a halt before them, breathing hard.
"Link, you've got to come, come on!" he said, turning and running again. Link rushed off after him. Saria dropped her pail of water, and it splashed on the ground. She was soon at Link's heels.
The Kokiri led them to a sweating messenger from Hyrule Castle, who was bent over, his hands on his knees, supporting himself. Link took him by the shoulder and stood him up straight.
"What happened?" asked Link.
"From... Zelda..." said the messenger, still breathing hard. He handed Link a letter.
Link tore it open, and let the envelope drift to the ground, he unfolded the piece of paper and read it through.
"Dear Link,
Please come quickly! My father is dying and I don't know how much longer he will last! Please come!
Zelda"
"Oh no," said Link, his expression turning grave as he read the letter. He ran towards the gate out of the forest, but then stopped.
"Where are you going?" asked Saria in a worried voice.
"Read this," said Link walking back and handing Saria the letter.
Saria scanned the fateful page, and her hand went over her mouth. Suddenly, Mido came before them.
"What's all the commotion?" he asked, sounding concerned, but still irritated. Saria handed Mido the letter without a word. Mido clearly had a look of surprise when he first read it, and had to scan through it again.
"I must go," said Link gravely, and he turned to leave.
"Wait," said Mido.
"Now's not the time, Mido," replied Link, expecting another jest.
"No, I'm dead serious," he said.
"What?" asked Link, still a bit irritated.
"Good luck," came the reply, and Mido handed him the letter.
Link was surprised for a moment, and then he managed a small smile. "Thanks."
Link tucked the letter into a pocket, and walked towards the gate, and then disappeared into the tunnel out of the forest. Saria watched him leave, trying to bite back her tears.