Chapter 1 - Prelude
A powerful wind strikes the earth, kicking up a torrent of autumn leaves that scatter throughout the forest. Some of the stray leaves find their way into Saria's home through her doorway, and she follows them with her eyes as they come to rest upon the floor with her. Blinking away from the leaves, she looks upon the ceiling above her, gazing robotically at the shadows of the swaying trees reflected on the wood.
The stray sunlight piercing through the window beside her changes colors through the lens of the tree leaves, forming an animated painting upon the ceiling. Her eyes follow the movement of the display, appearing to her as a field of shadowy leaves floating on the surface of a golden pond. The sight draws her to close her eyes, leaving only the sound of the wind, roaring like an ocean wave in the sky.
The natural symphony guides her back through time, to a moment where her troubles are like the leaves in the wind, scattering behind her as she runs through the corridors of the Lost Woods. Ahead of her, a child's laughter coalesces with the breeze being carried to her sensitive ears as she rounds the corner of a grassy maze, coming face to face with a blonde boy in green, who smiles upon seeing her.
The boy runs wordlessly ahead, vanishing into a trail of leaves carried by the wind. His laughter echoes in front of her, and she smiles, pursuing it through a long tunnel with walls that tower over her. Soon, she reaches the heart of the forest, her sanctuary. Sprinting ahead, she stops to catch her breath, surveying the area for any sign of the boy.
The clearing is empty, lacking even her favorite stump and the aged temple that acts as the meadow's centerpiece. As she takes the time to notice these things, a force suddenly pushes her from behind, sending her to the green earth. Turning fast enough to catch a glimpse of the clear dusk sky, she finds herself suddenly pinned, faced with blue eyes that meet hers and a precocious smile she can't help but imitate.
The boy opens his mouth to speak, but she can't hear his words. She tries in vain to tell him as a strong gale interrupts her. Suddenly, she finds the boy is gone, and the pale yellow light of dusk replaced with a thick blue mist obscuring the sky. Soon after, she feels the weight of wooden planks comprising a bridge beneath her back. The laughter of the boy gradually fades away along with the breeze that pushes past her, leaving her to stare upwards at the sky in silence.
Realization soon dawns upon her of the surroundings she left behind for her pleasant dream, and she sighs to herself, sitting up so she can dangle her legs over the side of the bridge connected to her home. Another breeze, just as strong as the first, pushes past her suddenly, sending her now shoulder length hair whipping up behind her. Squinting her eyes in response to the gale, the Kokiri girl brings her view back down to earth, gazing in particular at an instrument lying flat in the makeshift bed of her hands.
Wrapping her fingers around the object, Saria's neutral expression falters as she is burdened with the feeling of longing that has become acquainted to her as of late. The object, an Ocarina like her own, is one more precious to her than any Rupee or rare gem. With a forlorn expression painted on her face, Saria brings the ocarina close to her chest, pinpointing the careful craftsmanship with her fingernails.
As she feels its contours, she can tell from its flawless surface that it was created from the highest quality wood, sanded to perfection and polished enough to resemble the patron gem of the Kokiri. As the howling wind around her picks up in intensity, Saria listens to the ethereal melody composed by the trees, peering at the leaves carried away by the strong gusts. The sounds and sensations around her gradually become merged with a memory in the back of her mind, one which she has tried to bury many times.
In her mind, she sees Link, standing as he did before he left the forest for the first time. This time however, he is in the Sacred Forest Meadow, beneath where the stairs leading to the Forest Temple once stood.
His expression is a painting of regret. Pain dances in the seas of his eyes as his hands grip a small bag with mysterious contents. Looking up to Saria, he forces a smile, but it only comes out as strained and bitter. Regardless, she returns the smile as best as she can under the circumstances. Looking away from her for only the briefest of moments, Link shoves his hand in the Dodongo skin bag, pulling out an instrument all too familiar to her.
She can only watch in shock as her best friend holds out an Ocarina of his creation to her, hoping for her to take it quickly as it rattles under the influence of his shaking hand. Forcing a neutral expression, Saria slowly slides her hand over the Ocarina, removing it from Link's grip and replacing it with her own. Soothed by her supple skin, he intertwines his fingers with hers and looks directly into her irises, conveying his determination to his friend through the stars and forest sprites reflected in his own.
"I swear I will be back Saria. Keep that Ocarina. I made it for you. When I return, let's play a duet together, okay?"
His voice, gentle and sweet, echoes in her mind, all too quickly fading away as Saria remembers the warmth of the embrace he gave her before disappearing into the depths of the Forest Temple. Clenching her teeth, the pained girl can only clutch her Ocarina, the last vestige of him that she has left. The familiar sensation of moistness begins to cloud her vision as she once again longs to see his figure emerging from the Lost Woods, running to take her in his arms.
Almost unconsciously, Saria turns her head to the entrance of the mysterious woods, only to find it remains vacant as usual, partially obscured by the blue mist that blankets the village.
"I should have known..." Saria mutters bitterly, wiping away the tears still in their infancy. Regardless, her sight remains glued to the entry. "I'm such a fool."
"You alright Saria?" A voice sounds from close proximity, specifically below Saria's feet. Snapping her head to the source, she sees one of the twins looking up at her with visible concern.
"Zesha." Saria identifies with slight surprise evident in her tone.
"The others were worried about you, so they sent me to find you." Zesha reveals, pouting as a normal child would while placing her hands on her hips.
"Where are they?"
"In the Great Deku Tree's Meadow. One of the Know It All Brothers found something there and came running back in a frenzy. He told me it was something we all had to see."
"What is it?"
"I'll take you there. He was right. You really have to see it to believe it." Zesha says cryptically, her wide eyes conveying her excitement well enough to drive the point home to her friend.
Saying nothing further, Saria jumps from her perch, silently walking ahead of Zesha, who soon maintains an even pace with her. "It's not like you to not keep up with what's going on in the village. Got your head in the clouds?" Zesha asks with amusement.
Turning to her comrade with a small smile, Saria shakes her head, sighing as she directs her view back to the path. "I was just...daydreaming."
Zesha's jovial smile gradually fades, and she finds herself looking ahead. A moment of silence passes between the two of them, before Zesha places her arm on Saria's shoulder. Grateful for someone to lean on, she wordlessly does the same, the weight on her mind lifting slightly knowing she has someone to share her burdens. Together, the two Kokiri walk to the meadow, putting the circumstances behind them as they prepare to see what lies ahead.
When the two reach the meadow, they soon spot the other Kokiri gathered around the base of the Great Deku Tree in a circle, huddled closely together while sitting on their knees. Saria notices the group seems to be staring intently at something obscured from her sight. Knowing she won't be able to see whatever is the target of their intense scrutiny, Saria runs down the yellow dirt pathway with Zesha in tow, quickly gaining the attention of the nearby Kokiri, who turn their heads towards her in perfect synchrony.
"What's going on here?" Saria questions, skipping straight to the point as she does the same down the steep incline.
Mido, firmly planted in the middle of the ring of Kokiri, stands first, staring at the new arrivals with a serious expression ill fitting of his childish face. "Saria. Good, you're here."
"Zesha told me you found something amazing."
"See for yourself." Mido backs off to the side, gesturing to the now accessible entry. Not wasting a second, Saria paces ahead, her breath held tight. About halfway, she looks to Zesha behind her, who nods in affirmation.
Returning back to the path ahead, Saria continues, spotting a peculiar sight amongst the sea of grass, sticking out like a sore thumb. As the others clear the way for her, shock gradually makes its way to her face as the mystery object becomes apparent to her. Kneeling down, staining her knees with the wet grass, Saria leans closer, identifying the familiar shape of a plant beginning its life, reaching out of the ground to the heavens.
"Is this...what I think it is?" Saria turns to the others behind her. Upon seeing their nods of confirmation, she cracks a smile, and the rest can't help but do the same, even Mido, who smiles bigger than all the others. Looking to the sprout, and the joy filled expressions of the other Kokiri, Saria's worries evaporate, and her smile widens as everyone talks happily amongst themselves.
It's been a year since the Great Deku Tree died, and Link left only with the promise he made to me. I've been worried, and I haven't slept, but with this...I think things are looking up. I think things will get better, and maybe sometime soon, Link will return...that's what I believe.
"Hey Saria!" Mido's voice sounds, ripping her from her thoughts. "What do you think about this? Things are finally turning out good for us, huh?" Mido questions eagerly, walking up to her excitedly.
"Yes Mido." Saria turns to him with a smile. "The future doesn't seem so uncertain anymore. The Great Deku Tree told us that should he pass, a new Deku Tree would be born, but I didn't think it would take a year, so I got worried."
"We were all worried Saria, but now everything's good, and soon I won't have to be leader anymore." Mido sighs with relief, slumping downward.
"It's funny hearing that from you, considering how much you bragged about it before!" Saria chuckles, causing Mido to blush just slightly while crossing his arms.
"Yeah well, I liked the idea better than taking on the whole thing I guess."
"Such positions always sound prettier than they really are, but you needed to learn that anyway. You always were comfortable to leave the hard stuff to the Great Deku Tree."
"I know, and I can't wait to do so again. Managing a bunch of children is tough!"
"You're a child too, you know. The 4th youngest, if I remember correctly." Saria recalls, putting her hand to her chin in thought.
"By twelve seconds! I'm older than everyone except you in terms of intelligence anyway. Hmph..."
"Hehe, whatever you say Mido."
"Well then, I suppose we ought to return to the village." Mido advises. "Nothing more we can do here."
"Indeed. It will take time for the sprout to grow. We should prepare for his arrival." Saria suggests as she walks back up the pathway with the others starting to follow behind. In the midst of making her way back up the hill, a ball of light suddenly zooms in front of her, almost running into her nose. Saria stops with a startled expression, trying to focus on the tiny feminine figure that hovers near the bridge of her nose.
"Hey Saria." The glowing pink fairy greets simply, while Saria blinks in confusion.
"Uh, hey Neri."
"I searched every inch of the Lost Woods, as you asked." Neri boasts proudly, flipping her long pink hair with a confident smile.
"I see...I did ask you to do that, didn't I..." Saria remembers, to which Neri's head droops along with her four fluttering wings.
"What's this now?" Mido questions, coming up from behind Zesha, who watches with similar interest. Freezing in place, Saria swallows, turning slowly to face Mido while trying to maintain composure. "Saria...hiding things from me...again?" Mido guesses, crossing his arms while tapping his left foot impatiently.
Saria can only bring herself to shrug in response, which serves only to sour Mido's mood further. "Caught me."
"Saria, we've been over this. I thought you said you would stop trying to investigate where Link went!"
"Well Mido, did you really think I would give up? It's been a year and I haven't heard a thing from him!" Saria shouts, her fists tightening.
"Oops. I really should keep my mouth shut." Neri whispers, backing away slowly from the scene of the confrontation.
"Of course not Saria, but we have other things to be concerned about at the moment. Worrying over him won't help you at all, and besides..." Mido pauses for a split second, contemplating his next words.
"Besides what, Mido?"
Mido sighs in exasperation, running his hand through the thick jungle of his hair. "I'll just be straight. He's not one of us Saria. He's a Hylian, and he has his own business to deal with. We can't be fretting over what he's doing when it likely has nothing to do with us."
"It doesn't matter what he is. He is still one of us, and nothing will change that!"
"Is that so? What if he never returns? What then?"
"That won't happen!"
"How can you be so sure? What if he's moved on from us? Found another place to live? A life to call his own?"
"He wouldn't..."
"It could be that he didn't tell us where he was going because he didn't want us to know for that very reason."
"He wouldn't do that!" Saria says firmly, her arms starting to shake as frustration begins to onset.
"You have to accept that might be a possibility. At least then you'll be prepared if that turns out to be case."
"I don't need to because I know he will return..."
"What makes you so sure Saria?!"
"Because! I know...he wouldn't just leave me..."
Mido goes silent as Saria pierces him with her conviction. The other Kokiri can only mimic his silence as they look upon the pair frozen in their verbal standoff. The sounds of the forest creatures around them become more apparent as a few tense moments pass, before Mido turns his head.
"Believe what you want then." Mido responds, disappearing down the length of the tunnel without saying anything further. Sensing the atmosphere has changed to a neutral state, Neri flies out from behind Zesha's back, returning to Saria's side.
"Sorry about that, Saria." Neri apologizes while fluttering up to her ear. "I forgot you wanted to keep the investigation hush hush."
"What's done is done." Saria sighs, letting go of her frustration for the moment. Turning to Neri, she relinquishes the question burning on her mind. "More importantly, did you find anything?"
"Nothing related to Link, unfortunately." Saria's shoulders droop slightly, but she perks up upon hearing Neri continuing to speak. "However, I did find something strange..."
"What?"
You know that archway in the Lost Woods? Made of marble? Ring a bell?"
"Yes, I know of it. I believe Link said it leads to one of the places he went to on his journey. He told me to take note of it."
"Well, when I was looking, I saw it, but it was sealed off with bars made of some kind of metal."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah! The material definitely didn't originate from the forest. I think someone from outside put the bars there."
"From outside..."
"Why would someone seal it off?" Zesha interjects with the question everyone shares.
"If they sealed it off, it could only be because they want one of two things. To keep us in, or to keep something out." Zepha, Zesha's twin sister, proposes, to which Saria nods.
"The question is..." Saria pauses. "Which is it?"
"I would hope it's the first one." One of the Know It All Brothers speaks, apprehension evident in his voice.
"Agreed. The last thing we need is anymore visitors from outside." One of the other brothers adds, the most recent incident all too fresh in his mind. Saria, visibly troubled, runs ahead without bidding the others farewell, leaving the others to stare in confusion. Sparing them a quick glance, Neri can only shrug before flying after her life partner.
As dusk falls upon the forest, the normally active creatures of the woods are quiet, leaving behind an eerie silence. Taking in the absence of noise, Saria watches the slow drifting of leaves to the ground from the bridge suspended above the Lost Woods. Her eyes follow them, their slow descent in contrast to the thoughts racing in her head.
Leaning against the ropes, she anxiously kicks her leg against the wooden plank she stands on, thinking about the revelation of outside influence on the forest and what it might mean for the Kokiri. Above all that however, Link remains first and foremost on her mind. A nervous feeling wells up in her stomach as the possibility of him being unable to return pricks her like tiny needles, constantly keeping her on edge.
Clutching the Ocarina he bestowed upon her to her chest, images of her precious friend the day before he left flicker in her mind like specters vanishing in an instant. It's been a year to this day since he left for lands unknown, and every day without him makes it more difficult for Saria to just stand still
The words he spoke to her are still fresh in her mind, just as painful as they were when he first said them. She didn't understand his motivations, and she still doesn't even now. The most difficult truth for her to grasp is that he left her in the dark on purpose, despite the clear desire to tell her everything shining in the blue seas of his eyes. She knew it. She could read him despite his best attempts to hide his emotions. All she could do was question why he decided to keep her, his best friend in the world, in the dark.
Taking the ocarina away from her chest, Saria drops her arm to the side and looks to the ground, sighing to herself as she thinks about the current circumstances. "Why am I just standing here?"
"Why indeed?" A familiar voice rings out from the darkness of the massive log leading to the village, soon revealed to belong to Neri, who flutters toward Saria and comes to rest upon her shoulder. "The others are worried about you, ya know."
"I know, but I'm worried myself." Saria leans her arm on the rope, placing her hand on her cheek. "Why would someone block that entrance?"
"Who knows. Could be any number of reasons."
"None of them good, I'm sure."
"What makes you think that?"
"You heard Zepha. It could only be for two reasons. To keep us in, or to keep something out, or maybe...someone." Saria's voice drops to a dark pitch, which Neri doesn't fail to notice.
"You have someone in mind?"
"Maybe, Link..."
"Oh Saria, only a fool would try that, and we don't even know who set the bars up!"
"It was likely the Hylians. They're the only ones who have the resources."
"I could only see them pulling that if they wanted Link to punch their lights out." Neri remarks with amusement, which makes Saria smile just slightly. "If it is the Hylians who put those bars there, it would have to be for a different reason. You need to stop worrying about Link. He will come back, Saria."
"I really hope so, Neri. I believe in him, but I'm afraid of that belief turning out to be misguided."
"If you really do believe in him, then put those thoughts out of your mind! You mean everything to Link. He would fight an army for you." Neri boasts passionately with her fists clenched, her eyes almost sparkling with admiration. Saria can't help but blush at the thought and turn her head, taking advantage of the veil of her long hair.
"Thanks Neri. You're right. I should have more faith in Link." Saria realizes, vigor returning to her voice
"That's my girl!"
"I guess he's really doing something important, if it's been this long."
"Yeah! He's probably saving another kingdom or something. Gotta stomp those baddies who prey on the weak."
"I just hope everything's turning out alright for him, whatever he's doing." Saria closes her eyes, worry creeping up on her.
"He took on that Ganondorf creep's monsters when he summoned them. He'll be fine, Saria."
Turning to Neri, she smiles, grateful for her company and her words. Neri responds with a big toothy grin, to which Saria laughs in response, almost shaking the fairy off her shoulder. "Ah geez, watch it Saria!" Neri shouts, righting herself.
"Sorry Neri, and thank you. Sometimes I don't know what I would do without you."
"Pleasure's all mine. I'm always glad to help."
"Well, I guess we should head back. Don't want to make the others worry too much, especially Mido. He's probably beating himself up for what happened earlier."
"Knowing him, yeah."
Turning from the suspension rope, Saria proceeds to take a few steps forward, prepared to return to the village. However, Neri suddenly shifts uncomfortably on her shoulder, ruffling up her tunic just slightly. Stopping in response to this, Saria looks to her companion, who is staring at the forest's exit.
"Something wrong Neri?"
"...The Masked Girl."
Those three words, uttered simply without pause, are enough to make Saria's blood turn to ice, leaving her frozen in place as images of a girl in a tattered pearl white dress flash before her, piercing her with the gaze of an expressionless mask. Saria feels a cold sensation ride up her spine, prompting her to shiver, the vibrations of which Neri feels from her seat.
"Sorry, I know it's uncomfortable for you to remember, but..."
"What is it?" Saria hesitates, swallowing her fear.
"I saw something else...in the Lost Woods. A girl."
Saria's pupils dilate in response to this revelation, her heart starting to race uncontrollably. "It couldn't be..."
"I'm not saying it's her I saw. After all, I only saw the back of her. She ran into the Forest Temple. I remembered what you talked about when I saw her, so I got out of there immediately. The other stuff you described didn't happen though, so maybe it was something different."
"Who was it then?"
"Who knows?"
"Well, if it's not her, that's good. However, whatever you saw might also be bad..." Saria surmises darkly, her tendency to be weary of outside influences rising.
"What do you think we should do? I didn't want to tell the others, because of the uproar that would cause."
"That was the right choice. The Hylians have them on edge enough as it is."
"Well?"
"As much as I hate to say it, I think we should take a look. Find out who she might be, and if she has any connection to that Masked Girl or the ones she summoned."
"Alright then. We can't let the others know, of course."
"Right, so I'll make it look like it's just one of usual trips to the meadow."
"Okay, then it's decided." Neri concludes, situating herself as Saria resumes her trek back to the village with trepidation in her heart, ill prepared despite her responsibilities for whatever might lie ahead.
It's starting to feel like that day again. The day everything changed...is it happening again? I don't have a good feeling about this. Something is coming. I don't know what it is, but I feel darkness over the horizon. I wonder...
Do you feel it too...Link?