This story occurs immediately after Link defeats the boss of the Forest Temple, 'The Ghost of Ganon.'
The malign spirit, summoned by Ganondorf and fashioned in his likeness, was defeated. Twitching and spasming in its death throes, the creature ignited into pale blue witchfire and was tossed into the void by its maker. Link heard cruel mocking laughter taunting him.
None of this mattered, for there was but one question on Link's mind.
Where was she?
He did not need to search for long, for upon the ghost's defeat a light grew from the floor and there materialized Saria, now released from imprisonment. She looked so small now. The proud Kokiri he grew alongside and looked up to seemed now terribly diminished. Bruised, disheveled, and ragged, the sores of manacles left too long upon her wrists. Her normally bright warm face now pale and her body frail. He rushed to her and knelt, lifting and propping her up against himself. Icicles of fear gripped his heart as he feared the worst. Had he been too late?
Saria's eyes slowly and weakly opened. They were as vibrant as ever, though now haunted with sadness such as Link had never seen upon her. A weak and feeble voice escaped her.
"Have I… am I… am I dreaming? Have I passed beyond? Who… are you?"
Link embraced her, hot tears burning his cheeks. She lived, he had not been too late.
"Saria, Saria, Saria…." he cried out, "I'm so sorry, I don't know… I should have been here!"
She looked at this weeping man. Suddenly she knew him.
"Link?" her voice nearly a whisper, "Is that… you?"
"Yes, it's me. I'm so sorry, I should never have left the forest…."
She raised a hand and softly caressed his cheek.
"By all the spirits… it's been so long…"
"I'm so, so, sorry Saria-"
"I missed you."
There was that smile he hadn't seen in so long… full of kindness… warmth.
"I… I was cursed… cursed to sleep seven years and when I awoke… the world had been… oh Saria, it's nothing but… darkness now."
"Oh Link, you always did have a habit of sleeping in." Another smile, even in her weak state she seemed to bring light into the dark arena where they lay.
"What happened, Saria?"
"Another time Link, I'm so… very tired. Do you… could you… stay a moment? Do you have the time?"
"For you? All the time in the world."
He knew not how long they sat there in silence, the only sound her soft breathing. It was he broke the quiet.
"I'll find who did this to you… I'll make them pay-"
"Oh, Link… please, none of that. It's not like you. I'm just glad you're here, my knight of the forest."
Link felt like no noble knight in this moment, full as he was of fury instead of virtue. He'd never been one for anger and yet now he felt wrath most terrible, a dark heat like the molten depths of Death Mountain. Tears began to form a silver stream down Saria's face, though surprisingly these were tears not of woe, but joy.
"I waited so long… but I knew you would come. Look at you, you grew up. So strong and tall… so…" she hesitated but quickly composed herself and continued,
"No, I don't care anymore. You're so… handsome."
Despite this quick moment of assertive bravery, she quickly blushed and sheepishly raised her hands to cover her face. Link took one of these hands, and slowly drew it away. He was shocked, stunned… all he could do was simply ask;
"How long?"
"A long while, I believe." she said, "As we grew up together I came to know you, more and far better than any other cared to. A loss and a pity for them, but truthfully; I slowly came to be glad in this, glad to have you to myself. That was when I suspected that I felt something more. When the Deku Tree told me you'd have to leave I was faced with something I never imagined having to. I'd have to face the days alone… I had come to rely on your presence, treasured it… and now fate was conspiring to wrest you from me. It was then I knew that as I came to know you, I had come to love you."
"Why?" he asked. "Why did you… did you never say any of this?"
She answered, "I couldn't be sure, didn't know what I was feeling. I did not wish to burden you with the knowledge nor risk the beautiful friendship we had. But after seven years and being sealed away in here… unsure if I would ever again glimpse the sky… I realized I shouldn't have waited. I was so afraid of losing you that I kept my silence. But time is precious, and being captive I realized that it can be so easily snatched away. So, I tell you now. Link, I love you, do… you love me-"
She was interrupted by the touch of Link's lips upon hers. They shared each other's first kiss, and Saria wondered if anything after would ever compare to it. She sighed, a sound born of exhaustion, relief, joy… ecstasy. Her body had felt frail and battered yet now she was naught but fire and light within. The kiss deepened, and she wrapped her arms around his head, running her fingers through his straw-blonde hair. It was like nothing she had ever experienced before. This was the outcome she had never dared to dream.
After what seemed a lifetime, and yet all too brief, this gentle yet passionate kiss was ended.
"I have long felt the same," Link said, but just like you I was too afraid to act. I figured 'who would go for a boy like me?' and 'what could I offer her?"
"Oh, Link you… you idiot." she laughed. "You only needed to offer yourself. What I wanted then, all I want now; is the brave, compassionate, and selfless man before me. What I want is your love, for I give you mine."
Link had felt the paternal love the Deku Tree gave his children and he had heard the songs that Hylian bards would sing of romance… but he never understood the meaning of love, nor attempted to. Now he understood. What he understood was that, of the burning brilliance in his heart… those minstrel's lyrics did such a feeling no justice. Link wondered if any words or song could. There were no more words that needed to be said between he and her, so Link said none. They were silent, he was silent with her… silent together. He rested back, savoring this blessed emotion, this sense of peace and completion. He could have remained in this cold dungeon for a lifetime were he within it with her. Eventually, she spoke.
"So, what now? What do we do… about all of this, about us? I'm a Sage, you're… well according to the Deku Tree you're 'the hero destined to save the world."
"The hero to save the world… growing up in the forest, I never would have imagined such a thing. My world was the clearing of the village, the great trees and their countless leaves, and the gentle rain that kept all within the woods green. It was the Old Ways you taught me, the tongue and tales unique to the Kokiri people. I'd always wondered if that was your attempt to help me fit in better. It seemed in vain, for I was, and to them always would be, nothing more than sýfalyth (1),the No-Fairy-Boy. Now, I've been so many places, lands I never imagined."
"Tell me of these places, the lands beyond the forest, Link. We've been apart for so long, and I've missed the sound of your voice. Please, tell me everything."
Link smiled, how to even begin? He had walked the length and breadth of the kingdom. It would take some time to speak of it all. He had no objection to doing so, for it would mean more time in her presence.
He told her of Hyrule Field, a meadow so vast that it seemed an eternal sea of grass.
He spoke of Death Mountain, its rocky cliffs and foreboding heights, and the great peak that kissed the sky where not even the greatest birds could reach.
He spoke of the mighty Gorons, those beings of stout frames and hearty laughter who feasted upon the stones of the earth, and of Kakariko Village at the foothills below, its red roofs ever in the shade of the great peaks that marked the far edges of the world.
The Castle Town, the bustling marketplace with its thousand hurried, busy voices, where it seemed anything one could desire was sold.
Hyrule Castle itself, the marble bricks that shone in the sun, and the great battlements that crested them, topped by vibrant pennants flying in the wind, strewn with royal guards in shining mail and solid plate, defending every hall.
Link told Saria of the Zora and their Domain, the shining scales of the fish-folk and the briny smell of their pools.
Of the colossal Jabu-Jabu with his labyrinthine innards, the foul stench within and the slimy walls, infested with monstrous jellyfish whose touch was both painful and numbing.
He went on about the many faces he'd met, from the massive and boisterous Darunia, the corpulent King of the Zora, a colorful choir of singing frogs upon the banks of the Zora River, the talking scarecrow he met upon the shores of Lake Hylia, and the family transformed into spiders, who upon Link's breaking of their curse, showered him in more riches than he'd ever seen.
"It sounds as though you've seen the whole of the world, crossed every horizon."
"Not fully, I never had cause or chance to visit the desert of the Gerudo. Though, it being the home of Ganondorf perhaps that is for the best."
It was then Link realized… these places were different or gone now, twisted by the evil magic of Ganondorf. The castle replaced by an iron fortress above a lake of fire, the town now a burnt husk, abandoned save for monstrous walking corpses. Death Mountain's calm skies replaced by a ring of mystic flame, granting it a hellish glow. Lake Hylia nearly drained, its cool, clean water stolen away to who-knows-where. The Zora's sparkling pools frozen solid, its inhabitants missing, at best. The world had been warped by malice and black sorcery… Link had said none of this but Saria saw the change in his eyes from childlike wonder of the wider world replaced by melancholy of a man whose past had faded away. For Link though, there was no fade or gradual loss that came with growing older; it was immediate and painful, a blunt knife that dug into him as he realized that the beauty of which he spoke was lost now… perhaps forever.
Saria saw her beloved's woe and attempted to change the conversation to something pleasant.
"You say you sneaked into the palace, past all those stern guards. Tell me, did you ever meet the Royal Family, the princess? They say she has the gift of a seer."
He'd neglected to speak of the women he'd met; Malon, Zelda, Ruto… he felt no romantic affection towards them, but Link did not want Saria to think that there were 'rivals'. There was no contest to be had, he'd made his choice, and his choice was Saria.
"I did, briefly. She told me of the prophetic dream she'd had, of the darkness that could befall the kingdom should Ganondorf seize power. It was also the first time I'd seen him… there at the castle on what he called a 'mission of goodwill.' I knew no man who would poison the Deku Tree could be so benign. Zelda told me that she too, suspected treachery and deceit from him. No one believed her… but now it seems her fears came to pass… and I wasn't there to stop them."
Saria took his face into her hands, turning his gaze towards her, and looked directly into his eyes.
"It. Is. Not. Your. Fault. The blame lies solely upon he who did these deeds. I know you did your best."
"Yet it wasn't enough. I can't help but feel as though I should have, could have done more."
She shook her head and smiled. "Oh Link, you feel so beholden to the world, responsible for everyone and their happiness. You are truly the noblest man I've ever met. Maybe that's why you're this chosen one, more than anything… because you care enough to do what is right with no regard to your own comfort or even safety. Perhaps destiny is not some ancient prophecy or the will of outside forces… perhaps destiny is simply the path forged by the person you are and the actions you take. You are 'destined' to be a hero because of who you are. I shouldn't want to keep you from that destiny, from what needs to be done for the whole of Hyrule. Shouldn't, but I do. All I want to do is ask you to run away with me, steal away into the night to the deepest parts of the forest where no man or beast could ever find us. Where we could live out our lives amid the trees and forest spirits that remain… but that's not the kind of man you are, is it?" her voice betraying a heavy heart.
"I would love nothing more… but truthfully, my beloved Süryütumno (2), this monster Ganondorf would find us eventually. Then his victory would be complete, and none would ever know peace. Every generation after would grow up in chains of his design. I cannot run, not when there may yet be a way to save this world. Not while there remains hope, however faint. I… don't know about these matters of destiny or fate, but I do know that chosen or not, someone has to at least try and banish this nightmare from the land. I want to be selfish too right now, more than anything…"
She shook her head. "but you can't… and you won't, nor will I let you. It's in your nature to want to help, to face this challenge that no one else can or will. It's one of the things I love and admire about you. You're not one to sit by while others need help. Perhaps one day, when all this passes like a bad dream, we can at last be selfish. Until then, though…" She playfully tapped him on the end of his nose, "you still have some hero-ing to do. Link, do you remember what I told you the day you left?"
"You told me you'd always be with me, no matter how far."
"Ah-ah-ah, that's not what I said." she corrected.
It then dawned on him what she meant. She wanted the words in Aonyona (3), the language of the Kokiri, those words she truly said to him upon that bridge.
"Alis wattar, encinadun malun. (4)" he said, the words she taught him in youth flowing off his tongue like an ethereal lullaby.
"Yes," she said, satisfied he had not forgotten his mother-speech, "I meant those words then and I mean them still. I am with you in spirit no matter the earthly distance. That is my vow, my promise. I know you must depart soon and I will let you leave…. on but one condition, that you fulfill the promise."
"What prom-" he attempted to ask, but stopped at her upraised hand.
"Love is a promise, Cucülynic (5). When I tell you that I love you, I confess that you are a portion of my own soul. Only with you can I be complete. It is the promise to be your staunchest ally, to provide what I can when life's trials render you weary. To mend the bruises of sling and stone, to repair the heart pierced by the barbed words of others. I promise to make you and keep you; my world. The sole lantern by which I traverse the dark and uncertain road of life. So I ask you this, when the designs of this foul sorcerer have been stopped and foiled, that you come back, you come home to the place I set aside for you in my heart. It will always be waiting for you, and so will I."
The End
Footnotes
The words and names are from a language of my own construction. Nothing official or canon about any of them.
(1). [SEE-fah-leeth] - meaning "without a fairy"
(2). Saria's full Kokiri name; pronounced [suh-REE-uh-TOOM-noh] - meaning "green heart" or "vibrant soul"
(3). [AH-oh-NEE-oh-NAH]; derivative of Aonanynsu Nonar nic Cocýry, meaning "Ancient Speech of the Kokiri"
(4). Translated "No matter the (physical) distance, I will always be with you (in spirit)."
nb. This text is now woefully out of date, as the language has evolved considerably since this was written.
(5). Link's full Kokiri name; pronounced [KOO-kuh-LEE-nik] meaning "he who possesses unparalleled bravery"
If you are taking time to read this far, seicanyn! (great thanks/much gratitude) I wanted to make an announcement and this is the most unobtrusive manner to do so that I can devise at this time.
If you enjoyed what you read and wish to see more akin to it, feel free to navigate to my profile on this site. There can be found monthly updates on a larger novel-length Link/Saria story I am currently working on. In genre it could be described as high-fantasy adventure and romance. Should that be the sort of thing that interests you then, as they say, "stay tuned."