A/N: New faces…welcome… Hardcore fans…welcome back. It's great to see you all here! I had a lot of fun writing Termina Fever, and I hope you had fun reading it; I also hope that this story is just as good! (Another story as good as Termina Fever? Blasphemy!)
By the way, I dedicate this story to the sweetened condensed epicness that is RawkHawk2.0. You've been with Termina Fever since the beginning and you totally deserve it. :)
Enjoy it or suffer the same fate as Dark Link~
o~o0o~o
War's Hold
Chapter One
"Hello, Dark Link…" A green-haired girl, Saria, stepped up to a small headstone, whose markings were barely visible, and smiled hesitantly.
Taking a deep breath, she continued. "I wish you were here," she stated, as usual. "I think Ruto misses you too, even if she won't admit it." Her eyes lit up briefly, as though remembering something. "Oh yes—speaking of Ruto, she's broken off her engagement to Mikau…and you'd never guess why."
Here, the girl grinned. "Link. They're in love…and their wedding is soon…" she paused. The joyful air disappeared rapidly. "…Why can't that be my wedding…?"
She dropped to her knees, tears leaking out of her eyes. "I miss you, Dark," she whispered.
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The time passed quickly, and soon Saria found herself standing by the fountain in Castle Town, in which it seemed that the whole of Hyrule was gathered.
"C'mon, Saria, be happy!" Ruto waltzed by in a long white dress, a glass of Fairy's Tears held in her hand. "It's my special day! Dance a bit, or get out your ocarina and play that lovely song of yours!"
Saria gave a forceful smile and shook her head. "No…no dancing for me…"
"You don't know what you're missing. It's fun." A pair of arms encircled Ruto, and she laughed in surprise.
"Link!"
The arms' owner appeared from behind the Zoran princess to stand beside her. "It's good to see you, Saria."
"Link…" Without another word, Saria stumbled into Link's embrace, feeling like she had that night, both two months and two years away. Sad, sadder than she'd ever felt, but glad to be in the presence of her friend.
Link rubbed her back in a comforting manner. "Don't think about Dark Link just now," he murmured. "I'm sure he'd want you to enjoy yourself. I would know…I, uh, kind of am him."
With that, he let her go, and, taking his bride by the hand, disappeared among the huge crowd. Saria groaned; it was nice to see her friends so happy, but she wished they'd display their affection in a less public manner.
o~o0o~o
"And by the power instilled me as the Sage of Light, I herby bestow upon you the gift of unity. May you use it to better both you and your loved one." Saria watched as her fellow Sage released the fairy cupped in his hands. It swirled around the couple to tumultuous applause; she joined in, feeling a surge of goodwill towards the newlyweds.
This ecstasy didn't last long. Saria blinked, hoping she'd imagined the sense of foreboding that had crawled down her spine; she caught Ruto's eyes, and saw fear imprinted on them.
In another moment, someone had slammed her to the ground, just in time for her to see a large projectile fly just above her face.
With that, the objects began flying about randomly and peace was lost.
The dust from the initial impact had cleared enough for Saria to see the guest run away in a panic; she could also hear screams of terror coming from all directions.
"What's happening here?"
"Wha—Deku Nuts?"
"Somebody help us!"
"Save me!"
Saria got to her feet, ready to face the onslaught. Deku Scrubs, she thought. But why would they come here?
o~o0o~o
"Ruto! Saria!" Link called through the chaos. He raised his shield just in time to block a Deku Nut aiming for his jugular, then called the Sage's names again.
A large figure tackled him to the ground; he rolled out of its hold and drew his sword. "What are you doing so far from the forest?" He asked, having figured out his assailant's identity.
He didn't expect an answer, they weren't capable of human speech, but he received one anyway. "You promised…we'd get the cure first…and we didn't."
"Wait, what?" Link stared at what he now knew was a Deku Scrub. "If you're talking about the blue potion…I didn't promise anything."
"You're lying!" The Deku Scrub hissed. "We were going to use the Zora in the sacrifice—and it would have helped, I'm sure—but you bargained for her life with the pledge that you would give us the cure first. We only got it recently, and before that, the princess, she…" He cast a vicious glance at Link. "You killed our princess! You killed Ria!"
Link furrowed his brow. "That wasn't me…are you talking about Dark Link? Because he's dead."
The Deku Tree stopped his assault for a moment, straightening up. "He's…dead? And the two who were with him?"
Link hated to deceive the Scrub, but it had to be done. "Yes…" He hung his head. "…They were attacked by a pack of Wolfos a while ago…they couldn't have survived."
The Scrub gazed around the havoc, eyes narrowing. "You lie."
Link struggled to keep his countenance. "What reason could I have for lying?"
"They're important, aren't they?" The Deku Scrub questioned. "You would want to protect them. Thus…"
The Deku Scrub turned, his leafy body rustling, and spat a Deku seed into the crowd.
o~o0o~o
Saria gave a startled cry as something hit the back of her head and blood began pouring out of the wound. The world blurred; she struggled to her feet but fell back down as a green blob hurtled towards her. "…Link…"
"Saria!" The figured breathed, picking her up and placing her across his shoulder, ran across the town, evading the Deku seeds that seemed to be targeting him. "You alright?"
Saria said nothing, only spat out a bit of blood when Link faltered at the edge of Castle Town.
Link's eyes flashed to the small bloodstain on his tunic. "I'll take you to Kakariko," he decided.
After a bit more running, he stopped at the end of the bridge leading away from Castle Town, setting down Saria as he came to a stop; she gazed at him in confusion.
"D-Dark Link," she rasped. "Did you…did we make it to Hyrule?"
"No, no, it's me, Link," Link replied, tracing his fingers over the edges of Saria's injury worriedly.
Saria gave a weak laugh. "Link? Dark, you must be more delirious than I thought. Link's got Termina Fever."
Link shook his head frantically. "No, no, Termina Fever's passed; Dark's dead."
Saria smiled slightly. "You're wrong…" She murmured before her head lolled to the side and the world faded to black.
o~o0o~o
A/N: DUN-DUN-DUN! Is Saria dead? Off to join her soul mate? You'll never know if you don't review! (And yes, you do get cookies.)