Legal disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda, or any of its characters, nor do I have any intention of publishing this story for profit.
The Link To His Past
by CaptainRC
Prologue
It was a most welcome sight, indeed.
After a year away, it was good to see Hyrule again.
Link gently prodded Epona into a full gallop, not willing to wait to leave the Lost Woods and enter the Kokiri Forest again. After a year of camping out on the ground or sleeping in inns at whatever village he happened upon, Link couldn't wait to sleep in his own bed again.
Link thought about how good it would feel to see his old friends again and wondered how they would feel about his return. Saria would be pleased, of course. The others would be glad to see him, too... except for Mido, of course. As usual, Mido would probably just sulk in his house as usual, grumbling about how Saria and the others always liked "the fairyless one" over him.
His wondering came to an end as Epona ran right past the Lost Woods' edge and into Kokiri territory. As Link slowed Epona to a stop, the response was immediate. All Kokiri who were outside at the time stopped whatever they were doing to look at the horse and rider that had just entered their forest. And it didn't take them long to recognize exactly who it was.
It took even less time to respond.
Fado, the girl who always loved to stand atop the large wooden pillar in the center of the village (and was again standing atop it now), was the first to see Link and shout out to the rest of the village, "Hey, everybody! Link's home!"
Before Link could even get off of Epona and say hello, they were suddenly surrounded by almost every Kokiri in the village, shouting out their hellos, asking "Where have you been?" and asking for details of any and all adventures he had while he was away. They continued until a dulcet voice cut through it all. "Take it easy, everybody! At least let Link get off his horse, first!"
Link immediately looked toward the source of that voice and saw exactly whom he had already identified with it. Saria stood just outside the group of welcoming Kokiri, looking up at Link and smiling. Link smiled back as he dismounted Epona, the Kokiri breaking up slightly so that he could get off. As Link walked over to Saria, she met him halfway and then grabbed him in a fierce hug. "Welcome home, Link," she said.
Link hugged his best friend back, feeling welcome...
... feeling secure...
... and feeling... awkward.
What was worse... it was a familiar feeling of awkwardness. It was the same feeling he had while he was the Hero of Time, when he ran into the Kokiri Forest to reach the Forest Temple to save Saria. What unsettled him the most were not the monsters that had cropped up all over the village, but what he saw when he entered the houses and saw his old friends.
He was looking down at them.
Because he had grown up, while they had stayed the same.
And now, while locked in Saria's embrace, he discovered that it was happening again. When he had left, he could look Saria straight in the eye. But now... now that he was halfway between eleven and twelve, he had to look down to meet her eyes. Not as much as he had to when he was in the body of a seventeen-year-old, but it was evident that he already surpassed the Kokiri's physical growth limit of that of a ten-year-old.
Saria noticed Link's uneasiness. "What's wrong, Link?" she asked.
Link immediately recovered at the sound of her voice. "Nothing," he said, not wanting to spoil the moment. "Nothing at all."