As the last note lingers before fading into silence, Saria lowers her ocarina, opening her eyes as an instinctive smile spreads across her face. After spending a rewarding but ultimately exhausting day traipsing around the forest, tending to any wounded animals she found along the way, it's nice to rest and enjoy practicing her music.
The grass rustles nearby, and Link appears at the entrance to the meadow, Navi trailing close behind him. Saria slips her ocarina into the pouch she carries it around in. Sometimes, they play music together when he visits, but she would prefer to talk today.
She's been expecting him for a while now. Shortly after Saria sat down, one of the native birds flew past, chirping out a familiar tune to alert her to her friend's presence. It's taken longer than usual for him to make his way through the woods; he must have run into trouble or gotten lost.
'It's great to see you,' she says, shuffling over on the tree root to make room for him to sit beside her. 'The twins found something odd down by the stepping stones today.'
As a rule, she isn't one for gossip. There are so many more important things to do that it's just a waste of time. But Link is away so often that she makes an exception when it comes to catching him up on the goings-on around town. Whenever he visits, she tells him about the latest happenings of Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods. In exchange, he tells her fantastical tales about his adventures.
They're so surreal that she wouldn't believe them if they came from anyone but him. Who else would be entrusted with the royal ocarina by a Hylian princess, fight lizard-creatures over pits of molten lava, and allow himself to get sucked into the belly of a giant fish in search of the final token? But she has always known that Link is different, and his words ring with truth. As impossible as it seems, it's all true.
It's bittersweet, really.
By leaving Kokiri Forest, Link has come into his own in a way that he never could have by staying. He may come back to visit on occasion, but the moment he left, he left for good. One day, he will settle somewhere for good, too, and she doubts it will be in the forest. He's beyond that now.
In contrast, Saria has always felt like she is the most Saria when she's alone in the depths of the Lost Woods. She has no interest in travelling outside of her little corner in the world, no matter how many stories he may tell her.
'Link?' she asks, realising that she isn't the only one who is lost in thought. Her friend has stopped mid-step by the entrance, his face looks exhausted, and he's staring at her as if he's never seen her before.
The next thing she knows, he's running over to her, skidding to a halt just before the tree root to pull her into a tight hug.
Saria laughs awkwardly, confused by the uncharacteristic display of emotion. 'Are you alright?'
Link pulls away from her. 'I can't tell you the details,' he says, 'but I went to the future. Years into it. Some parts of it were good, but others…'
His voice trails off, his eyebrows furrowing together. 'Others were bad,' Saria says for him.
'Most were bad,' he admits. 'But it won't be like that forever. I know how to fix it… It'll just take time.'
Link really has changed; time means nothing to the Kokiri. Whether something happens in a minute, a day, or an hour is irrelevant to them; the important thing is whether it happens.
Curiosity stabs at her — how could it not? But she doesn't ask. Whatever it is that he's seen, it clearly weighs heavily on him. That's a burden that she isn't sure she wants. 'Is there hope?'
'Yes,' he says immediately. 'Most of the bad things are reversible.'
'Is there anything that I should do or avoid doing?'
This time, he hesitates. Something resembling guilt flashes across his face as he finally replies, 'No. Just do what feels right.'
-x-
Years pass before Saria realises the significance of that day. It's only when she's awakened as a sage and sees Link standing before her, so much taller than when she last saw him, that the pieces fall into place. His face may look older now, but he has the same devastated look in his eyes, the same guilty expression on his face.
'I'm sorry,' he says. 'I'm trying to save the kingdom, yet I can't even save my best friend.'
And the same sense of gravity and responsibility, it seems.
'It isn't your fault,' she insists. The chances of him believing her now are slim, but hopefully he will see the truth in her words eventually. 'You didn't fail me; it was always meant to happen. It's my destiny.'
He shakes his head and opens his mouth to speak, but Saria continues speaking before he can. 'The forest is my life, Link. If being a sage means I can protect it, then I will have no regrets.'
Tears prickle at the corner of his eyes. 'I'm going to defeat Ganon,' Link says. 'I'm going to make sure it's worth it.'
'I know.' Saria smiles. 'I trust you.'
When he turns and runs into the portal that will take him back to the mortal realm, she may not know where he's going first, but she knows where he'll end up: seven years in the past, to the hidden depths of the Lost Woods, talking to a Kokiri girl with no idea of what her future holds for her or why her friend looks so troubled.
Saria means what she said. She believes in him; if anyone has the ability to bring peace to their realm, it's him.
And when, mere months later, she and the other sages gather to help Link defeat Ganon at what was once Hyrule Castle, she has no regrets.