DANCING IN TIME

Written by MarLuna

+standard disclaimer applied

Author's corner:

It was about time that I chose to play Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time! I was stuck with the feeling of wanting to play ever since I dominated the start of Skyward Sword at my friend's house. We talked over some games that I could get that would be awesome and, obviously, this one came out on top. I must say, even if I only just beat the Forest Temple, I am very impressed with what's going on so far!

Now, of course, I'm playing the game at the same that I'm writing this, so some things might be off. I'll try to make sense with them.

Also, since this is an OC add-in, it's going to be a bit... Mary-Sue at some places. I can't say exactly, since not everything is written out yet, but this is a forewarning just in case.

LEGEND OF ZELDA = NOT MINE.

LILITH = MINE.

Read on~

I was found in the Sacred Forest Meadow.

"You're awake!" My eyes fluttered open to a girl with green hair and matching clothes. She instantly stopped shaking me, a look of relief ghosting over her features as she helped me sit up. She took a spot next to me, looking me over with a look of confusion, "I never saw you before. Who are you?"

I stared blankly at her, feeling dazed and drugged as she swam in and out of my vision. Did I sleep well last night? "…your hair is green."

"Yes, it is." She giggled and held out a hand, "I'm Saria, what's your name?"

"Lilith," I gripped her hand, more for support than a shake. My head was feeling super lightheaded and my eyes were heavy as if someone was forcing them to close. "Tired... Nap…" I blinked a few times, trying to stay awake, before lowering myself back to the ground, none-too-gently smacking my forehead on a rock in the process. "Ow…" My mind was slipping. "…'night…"

And I was gone.

When I woke up again, I heard bickering.

A female voice was speaking, sounding somewhat familiar. "I told you already! You are not waking her! She's really tired and—"

"And we don't know who she is!" The sound of a high-pitch girl's voice cut in, sounding further away. "We can't just let her stay, that would be stupid!"

"What…" I mumbled through a yawn, stretching my arms as I pushed myself up, "…are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing!" The girl with the funny hair chirped, eyes brightening as she literally bounded over to me. "Are you feeling better? You were really tired when I first found you."

"I think I'm fine…" I told her, moving my arms and legs around to be sure. I felt so much better than last time, as if I had actually slept for hours rather than just five minutes. "Yeah, I feel better."

"That's good," She smiled reassuringly before turning to the person behind her with her hands on her hips. "Link and Navi wanted to wake you up, but I made sure that they wouldn't."

I blinked, "But they did. You all did. You were arguing."

She rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment, "Sorry about that, we got carried away." She moved aside for a bit, and I could finally see who she was talking about. "Lilith, this is Link! Link, meet Lilith!"

The first thing I noticed was the leaf-green hat, hiding a head full of blond hair and electric blue eyes. He was wearing clothes that matched his hat, and his body still very young, around the age of eleven or thirteen. He had a soothing air; nice, calm, and trusting. I instantly relaxed without thinking, giving a smile in greeting. He returned it with a small lift of his gloved hand.

"I'm Navi!" A bright ball of blue light shot at me and I shrieked in surprise, falling over backwards. It floated down to my chest and stayed there, the wings stilling to a lazy flap. I squinted past the glow and noticed the tiny body of a woman, completely blue as well. She stomped forward until she could stab her tiny finger on my nose, "And you had better not be working for the man of darkness!"

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, "…the man of darkness?"

She huffed and stomped her foot impatiently, "Yes! The evil man who cursed the great Deku—"

Link quickly trapped her in his hands to silence her, quickly looking away when I gave him a curious look. "Please ignore everything she just said," He looked back at me with a hint of embarrassment, the little fairy in his hand yelling muffled cries as she tried to pry open his fingers.

There was awkward silence. I looked around the meadow to keep myself distracted.

"Where are you from?" Saria piped up when I finally glanced down at the spot I was sitting; a small somewhat-circular altar with three triangles in the middle of its design.

I quickly glanced back up, trying to concentrate on my past. To my utmost horror, it was as if there was a wall stopping my earlier memories to seep through, even if I did remember everything else about myself. Why can't I remember my home? "I… don't know."

She furrowed her eyebrows, "You must've lost your memories when you arrived." She said, a look of saddened comprehension on her features as she mentioned to the area I was sitting, "We saw you fall from the sky. You must've hit your head upon impact."

"Maybe…" I mumbled back, feeling my head to see if I would've actually hit it. I didn't really believe her when she said I fell from the sky, not having actually felt it or lived through it. Besides, I can't even begin to imagine how high I would need to be for them to notice my fall. It sounded surreal. My fingers accidentally grazed a sensitive spot of hair, "Oww!"

"Let me see…" She got behind me and parted my hair where my hand was stalled. The second I felt her rub the same spot, I flinched. "Yup, there's definitely a bruise there. You're going to have to be careful with that."

I nodded obediently, like I would to my mom, and she returned to her previous spot next to Link. The boy let the fairy free and she flew lazily around his head, understanding that she should watch her mouth. I watched her move about, intrigued, before locking eyes with Link.

"What what she going to say?" I asked, the question whirling in my mind, "Why did the evil man curse that Deku person?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing you need to worry about." He smiled, though it looked a bit forced. "Just concentrate on finding your way back home." He turned to Saria and they exchanged nods. "We—" He mentioned to him and his fairy, "—have to go now. Goodbye."

And they left, just like that.

"Don't worry about him," Saria watched the space he used to be before smiling at me, "He just got his fairy and has been running all around town." She took a few steps and beckoned me to follow her, "Come with me, I'll take care of you."

"You can stay here with me," Saria told me over her shoulder as she searched through her drawers filled with all sorts of different materials, "I have a spare bed but I never have many people over, so you can stay as long you want."

"Thank you so much," I repeated for the fifth time, and I could tell she was getting tired of hearing it, "I really appreciate what you're doing for me."

She waved me off, "Don't mention it. You seem to be lost here, and you don't seem mean or evil. Besides," She turned around, a few materials of clothing hanging on her arm, looking me over with a smile, "There's something about you that's…. oh, what's the word… likeable? No… genuine? Hm…" She shrugged, not really minding. I blushed at the compliments, fighting the urge to tell her otherwise. "There's something familiar about you, but I can't put my finger on it. Other than the clothes, I'd say you were one of us." I tilted my head in confusion, but she dismissed it, dropping the clothes she was holding onto my lap. "Try these on, they should be around your size." She went over to the exit, "I'll wait outside for you to change. Have fun!" And she closed the door behind her.

Being officially alone for the first time since I arrived, I had time to think about all that just happened.

That girl, Saria, she was so nice. She never even met me before, yet, here she was, taking the risk to befriend me. I didn't understand her logic. I'm pretty sure if someone fell from the sky, you'd be wary about them and think they'd be after your brain (or something else totally overrated). You wouldn't risk going near them, let alone having them stay at your place. Her naivety worried me a little. Or, maybe, she had an ulterior motive. I was probably just jumping to conclusions.

The little fairy was right to be suspicious of me—"And you had better not be working for the man of darkness!" –even if I had no clue who the aforementioned man was. Well, obviously, he was the man of darkness, so he had to be evil. You know, because he was with a title of darkness. It makes sense. But I didn't know who he was physically, i.e., what he looked like. That complicated things a bit. Maybe I met him once, but didn't realize since I didn't know his title. Seeing as he's evil, it would be rare for that to happen, but you never know with people these days.

And that boy… Link? He seemed to be so pure. Though his fairy was the one lashing out at me, his look didn't once reprimand me. He seemed to be curious and energetic, but wary of something. Maybe it was me: I am pretty suspicious, since I fell out of the sky and all. Still, he seemed pretty amiable and approachable, as long as his fairy behaved and didn't scare anyone off. He would be a good ally to have.

"Hey!" The voice of Saria called from the other side of the door, "Do they fit?"

I quickly jumped to my feet as if I hadn't been daydreaming, "Uh… one second!" I quickly peeled off my clothes and jumped into the ones she gave me. It was a pair of green shorts like hers, which fit me snuggly, and a matching long sleeved shirt that reminded me of Link's tunic.

"I think the shirt may be too long…" I yelled to the door, trying to stop the sleeves from constantly swallowing my fingers. I tried rolling them, but they slid right back down.

"It's supposed to be like that," She chirped back, amusement filling her voice, "Can I come in?"

Oh. Maybe I was wearing it wrong? "Um… wait a bit," I pulled off the shirt and made sure it was facing the right way and that it wasn't inside-out before trying it on again. It was still too big on me. Darn. "Yeah, you can enter."

She hesitantly opened the door and inspected the room, a frown growing when her eyes slid on me and the clothes. "Huh, you're right. The size is okay, but your sleeves are too long." She slid over, tugging the sleeves down to see how far they went past the tip of my fingers. "We'll need to fix that." She made a face, probably not liking having to fix up outfits, and started searching through her drawers again. "Maybe I can find one with short sleeves…"

"I like long sleeves though," I mumbled defensively, feeling bad that I had her do so much for me, "Though these are long, I can just roll them up!" I attempted to demonstrate.

Saria laughed and shook her head at me, "That's okay, I insist." She smiled warmly, eyes sparkling. She reminded me of the older sister I always wanted but could never have. "Do you like the outfit?"

I looked down at myself, barely able to see anything without a mirror. I glanced around the room, not noticing any kind of shiny item that could reflect my look. "Do you happen to have a mirror?"

She nodded and moved over to her bed, "Yes, I hide it when I don't use it." She bent down and reached underneath her bed, the arm vanishing in the shadows. After a few seconds of moving around, she pulled out a long rectangle mirror with her. She wiped the dust away and held it out in my direction. "Here you go!"

I nodded and made my way over, feet rapping lightly on the wooden floor. I would need to get nature-resisting boots, or my feet wouldn't like having to travel through the rough woods. I don't think that my flats would last long here. I had to be prepared for the time that I would have to leave this place and find my way back home. I took the mirror from her, a spark of dark purple appearing in my peripheral vision, and she left the house again to go speak with someone outside. I didn't notice that the clothes had a tinge of purple in it. Yet here I was, thinking that all they wore were leaves and green materials. I set up the mirror against the wall, trying to get the right angle. I did a small twirl to admire the small quaint clothes before halting abruptly to face the mirror. I noticed something very strange. Watching me back with wide eyes was a girl whom I couldn't recognize, yet there being something familiar about her.

I lifted a hand and she lifted a hand at the exact same time. I opened my mouth a few times like a gaping fish and she copied me perfectly. When I was done doing the chicken dance in front of the mirror, I finally realized that the girl mimicking me had no choice but to be myself. I blanched, a whimper escaping my lips, as I desperately clutched my hair, and then my face and my ears. I felt my breath leave me in short puffs.

I screamed.

"Are you okay?" Saria came back, finding me furiously trying to rip out my hair. "What are you doing? Stop!" She quickly yanked my hands and forced them down. I tried to fight against her, but having absolutely no upper body strength, I lost in an instant. "What's wrong?"

"Everything!" I shrieked, arms flopping uselessly in her grip. "What did you do to me? Is this some sort of prank?"

Her brow furrowed in confusion, "What?"

"Look at me!" I wrenched my hands free and pulled at my hair again. "My hair used to be so bright and brown and filled with split ends!" Split ends weren't really a good thing though. "Out of everything you guys could do, you turned my hair freaking purple!" I huffed, running my hands through my bangs. Looking closely at my roots, it didn't look as if my hair had been dyed, as if the core was truly just a dark lavender colour. I still wasn't convinced though. "And my ears! They're pointed like an elf! How did you do that?"

A frown bore onto the reflection of the girl next to me, a look of hurt in her eyes. I instantly felt bad. Was I wrong? But who else could've changed me? She's the one who found me! She admitted it herself that she saw me fall from the sky! She shook her head, "I didn't do anything."

I turned my eyes back to my hair, feeling helpless and ashamed, "Then… who did?"

She answered with another shake of her head, meaning that she too had no idea. I felt a pang in my gut. I won't have my beautiful brown hair again?

"Hey, don't feel sad," Saria patted my head of new purple hair, "Your hair is very pretty!"

"But it's not natural," God, why do I feel like crying? "Who has crazy coloured hair like this? I'll be ridiculed!"

"Look at me," I turned and watched as Saria stared at herself in the mirror, fingering the tips of her own vibrant green hair... Oh. "I also have a different colour. It doesn't mean anything. You're still you and I'm still me. Hair doesn't define you. It's just another one of those things that make you unique. Everyone still loves me for me. My hair just makes me even more special."

Her words made a smile grow on my lips. "That's so wise. What are you, a sage?"

A knowing grin lit her face, "Wouldn't that be great?"