Disclaimer: If I owned the Legend of Zelda, I wouldn't be writing fanfics, I'd be writing game scripts.
Author's Note: This is my first Zelda fic, taking place between OoT and MM. It's a little confusing at the start, but everything should sort itself out within the first few chapters. Thanks to my beta reader, Crab Apple Fairy, whom I all but chained to a chair to make her read. Hope you enjoy, and please review!
Saria awoke with a start. Her panicked green eyes darted back and forth, relaxing upon seeing the comforting surroundings of her home. She allowed her eyes to close as she sank her head back onto her pillow. Reaching out into the forest, Saria felt the trees, the fairies, the grass. Every part of the forest was known to her, from the smallest blade of grass to the Great Deku Tree itself, and Saria took great comfort in their soothing presence. Soon realizing she was awake for good, she sat up and gazed around. Then she hopped down and padded to the doorway, gazing out at the village.
Night lay like a blanket on the forest. The grass was thick and heavy with dew, and a symphony of nocturnal noises greeted Saria's ears. The chirping crickets mingled with the croaking bullfrogs as the calls of the night owl floated through the cool, moist air. Saria took a deep breath, allowing the ambiance of the forest to invigorate her. She then turned, grabbed her ocarina from the table, and glided into the night, her green nightgown blending with the forest.
As she entered the Lost Woods, Saria's mind wandered back to her dream. More like a horrific nightmare, she decided. It came back to her in jagged fragments: Hyrule, a deserted wasteland. A strange, beautiful princess. Her beloved forest, overrun with hideous monsters. And Link… a grown up Link! Now that she thought of it, that was the strangest part of all. Link was a Kokiri, no matter what the other children said, and incapable of growing up. Yet he had been there in her dream…Saria shook her head. It was only a silly dream, after all. And yet, it seemed so real…
Soon she cut through the tall grass and into her hidden meadow. This was her place. Saria always felt at peace here, conversing with the forest spirits. She valued the quiet companionship of the forest more than anything else. She threaded a path through the mossy statuettes, eventually making her way to the tree stump where she had sat for many, many nights before. Taking out her ocarina, Saria began to play, first a slow, somber melody, nearly a chant, then a bright, upbeat tune she liked to call Saria's Song. As she played, the forest enfolded her. She became one with the forest, feeling the life and energy that she loved so much. Her conscious being let go as she drifted through the forest, feeling the ebb and flow of the spirits as they tended their herds.
Suddenly, she felt the presence of another being in the Lost Woods. This in itself did not startle Saria; the forest was full of life, in constant motion. But that life force was headed directly for her secret meadow. No one else knew of her secret place. Saria gradually came out of her trance, finishing her song just as the being materialized out of the early morning fog.
"Link!" Saria exclaimed. "What are you doing here? How—"
Saria cut off abruptly as she noticed Link's dazed expression. He moved as if in a dream, gazing about the meadow as he slowly walked towards her. Suddenly he saw Saria, and stared at her as if startled. His eyes betrayed…fear?
"Link, what's wrong?"
Link blinked twice, then looked at his hands, then back at Saria.
"I… I had this… dream…" he said waveringly.
Saria gasped aloud. Looking in Link's eyes, she knew. He'd had the same dream she'd had. Which meant… it wasn't a dream.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Link paced anxiously around the tree stump. His entire dream had been true? He couldn't believe it.
"I can't believe it!" he exclaimed.
"It was real, Link. You saved Hyrule," Saria said tensely.
"How could I have? I've never even heard of Ganondorf, or Zelda, or this Triforce…" And yet, strangely, he had. Slowly, Link held up his right hand. Suddenly, a bright flash of light appeared, and an emblem glowed in the night air. Three golden triangles, one illuminated… it was the Triforce emblem. It was real.
"So now what?" he asked.
"Well," Saria said, "all I can figure is that we've still got our memories from seven years in the future. That would make me the Sage of the Forest… and you the Hero of Time."
"How can I be the Hero of Time? I'm only 10 years old…" Link said. Then he sighed. "I know, I know." He ran a hand through his ruffled blond hair. The Hero of Time, and he had never even picked up a sword before… or had he?
"This is really weird, Saria," Link said.
"It's worse than you think," Saria replied grimly. "If we've been transported back seven years, then all events have been reset seven years. Ganondorf is about to attack Hyrule Castle again."
Link's jaw dropped open. "Oh, Farore, we're in trouble. How can we stop him?"
Saria crossed her arms thoughtfully. "That depends. If we're the only ones who remember anything, then we can counter Ganondorf's moves before he even makes them. But if Ganondorf remembers the timeline…"
"Then we're in for a dogfight. And we're only ten years old."
"Ahem. You may be ten, but I'm quite a bit older than that, thank you very much. Besides, you're the Hero of Time. I think you can handle it."
Link stopped pacing and sat down on the stump next to Saria. "So basically, I went through all that effort in my dream… or the other reality…"
Saria looked at him and smiled sweetly. "…just to do it all over again."
Link idly thought about going back to sleep, but he didn't think it would help much.
* * * * * *
Just outside the forest, at the head of a group of Gerudo warriors, a dark man in a long cloak stood, eagerly anticipating the day's events. The Kokiri may not be children in mind, but their small bodies were not well acclimated to the stresses of battle. Stresses that they were about to be reintroduced to…
A Gerudo scout approached him and kneeled obsequiously. "My lord, the warriors are ready to attack upon your command."
The dark man scowled and kicked the scout out of contempt. She crawled away, bowing as she went, and the black man resettled himself as she departed. He grinned sadistically underneath the heavy black cloak. This was going to be a good day.
This time, there would be no one to stop him.