Chapter 1
The Boy Without a Fairy
Weeks later...
A loud clattering of wood against wood floated through the Kokiri Forest as Link and Forenz traded blows. Link held a wooden sword in his small hand, his attention fixed on the burly boy in front of him. Painful welts marked Link's arms and legs from dozens of blows. Determined to win, Link did his best to ignore the pain.
"C'mon, Link," Forenz said, casually smacking aside Link's thrust. "You can do better than this."
"Stop moving so much!" Link muttered angrily. Forenz could have been whacking an annoying insect for all the concern he showed, as he once again smacked Link's sword aside.
"Now why would I do that?" Forenz asked. "You getting tired already?"
"No," Link answered.
They had been practising for nearly an hour. Despite the protest of his aching limbs, Link wasn't prepared to admit defeat. Not yet. As he blocked another swipe, he spotted three other Kokiri just beyond the small training grounds.
Oh great, he thought, realizing who they were.
Sure enough, the wind carried their jeering words.
"Get him, Forenz!"
"Yeah, get him!" another shouted.
Just ignore them, Forenz mouthed as Link gritted his teeth. Link gave a small nod, his ears burning, anger simmering in the pit of his stomach. He often had to deal with this sort of thing, but the fact that these three Kokiri had chosen to do it in front of Forenz made it seem so much worse.
Forenz belted Link's flimsy thrust aside again and threw himself into a backflip with practised ease. The boy grinned widely as he landed sturdily upon his feet.
"Show off," Link muttered.
Forenz danced backward, circling Link until he could see the other three Kokiri. "Right, the next one who jeers or insults Link can take me on. I'll give you five seconds. I may, or may not, decide to go easy on you. One..." Forenz blocked another thrust from Link. 'Two..." Link tried to jab him, but Forenz swiftly knocked the wooden blade aside. "Three..."
Knowing Forenz wasn't kidding, the trio finally skulked away from the small clearing.
"Thanks," Link said appreciatively.
It wasn't unusual for the other Kokiri to watch them spar or even join in. Except for those three boys, Link and Forenz had not been disturbed all morning. Normally, Link would have been tagging along with Brynn and his band of trackers on a hunt. He liked that; it meant a chance to go off and explore the wilds of the Lost Woods. Everybody else was making the last repairs to their homes from the storms of the previous summer or were tending to various errands.
Link stepped to the side, blocking another swing from Forenz. Forenz slid his practice sword underneath Link's own, knocking it aside and spinning around. Link saw Forenz's attack too late, and the wooden sword struck his chest.
Crack!
Link dropped his sword and crashed to the ground with a thump.
"Ouch," Forenz said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hit you that hard."
Link groaned and then twisted onto his side, too winded for words.
As Link clutched his bruised ribs, gasping for breath, the forest around them stirred in a faint breeze, offering a brief relief as it brushed against Link's sweaty brow.
"You okay?" Forenz asked him. He lowered his weapon, brow furrowed in concern.
"That wasn't fair!" Link hissed through clenched teeth.
"I didn't say I was going to go easy on you," Forenz replied mildly. "You won't learn that way."
Forenz offered Link a hand up, which he accepted, and then offered him his training sword and funnel-shaped hat.
"You wanna stop for today?" Forenz asked.
"No," Link said, the pain in his chest subsiding to a painful throb. "I'm fine."
Forenz snorted in amusement. "Alright. Let's keep going then. Just do me a favour? Don't try this on Mido. I wasn't being serious about the other three."
Mido, the appointed leader of the Kokiri, loved nothing better than to torment Link. The three Kokiri that had bothered them earlier were Mido's friends. Their favourite game was 'Link hunting' or 'half-man chasing' as Mido called it. Link thought this was amusing because he was taller than Mido. The game usually involved Mido, or his gangly cronies, chasing Link with a deku stick so they could whack him with it. Sometimes, they'd try to lure Link into a prank, but he was usually smart enough to avoid them. On several occasions, they'd resorted to throwing rocks, but Link had clambered up a tree and out of range.
He could still hear their jeering calls.
"Stop spying on us, loser!"
"Freak!"
"Coward!"
"Wimp."
"Not so brave now your girlfriend isn't here to protect you, are you?"
The four boys at the base of the tree guffawed. At the mention of Saria, Mido looked suddenly uncomfortable, his laughter dying on his lips.
"You promise you won't hurt him. Right, Link?" Forenz asked, his firm tone startling Link back to reality.
"Yeah, of course, I won't," Link said absent-mindedly, still distracted by the echoes of that humiliating memory. He hadn't told anyone about that, knowing that it would only make things worse between him and Mido's lackeys. After they'd quickly grown bored and left, Link had returned to the village. When Saria saw his cuts and bruises, he'd brushed off her concerned exclamations, claiming he'd "just tripped over." It wasn't all bad; he managed to get some payback afterwards, much to his satisfaction.
"Good, ready?"
Without further warning, Forenz twirled his blade towards him.
"Wait-" Link opened his mouth in protest as the wooden sword twisted towards his side.
Clack!
Link blocked the blow, his arm jarring painfully as the two swords collided with such force that Link staggered. Forenz whirled around, striking him again.
Smack!
Link was swept off his feet in one quick motion.
"Oww..." he grunted, landing painfully on his rump.
"Link," Forenz sighed with exasperation. "What did I say about daydreaming while you're sparring?"
Link scrambled upright, clenching his hand tightly around his sword, and drove forward with an angry shout. Forenz deftly slipped to the side, brushing away Link's thrust. He almost looked bored as he watched Link topple face first into the mud.
"Anger might help you, but it will also make you reckless," Forenz said mildly.
Link got to his feet and tried brushing the dirt off his tunic, smearing it a muddy brown in the process. He waited for Forenz's next remark, but the boy's attention was focused on the little sprite lazing upon a nearby tree stump.
Arden, the fairy, was Forenz's companion. He was usually left to do his own thing rather than hover around whenever Forenz and Link were training. This suited Link just fine as he hated the constant reminder that he did not have a fairy.
When Forenz's eyes didn't leave Arden, Link was sure they were sharing a private conversation about something. Fairies shared a special bond with their charge and could touch each other's minds, communicating by thoughts alone. Link wasn't sure whether he liked that or not, because he didn't know what they were saying. Forenz made a subtle glance in his direction, and suddenly Link couldn't resist the urge to ask, " What are you two talking about?"
"Arden is just wondering why Saria was so insistent I train you," Forenz said, breaking eye contact with Arden. "Saria said it wouldn't take long and she badgered me for ages. Don't you think it's a little odd?"
It was odd, Link agreed, but with the strange creatures roaming the woods of late, and the infestation of plants that wanted to kill anything that went near them, he was not inclined to argue. Some of the Kokiri could wield a slingshot, bow, boomerang, or even a club to find food. Though sparring was a favourite pastime, most of the forest children would have struggled to use a weapon in an actual fight.
"Good grief! What are you two doing!?"
An angry yell carried across the small training field. Forenz and Link grimaced and turned to face a tall, freckled boy with his hands on his hips.
Mido.
His fairy, Mori, was hovering a small distance away.
"We're practising swordplay," Forenz explained. "Care to join us? You can spar with me if you're worried-"
Most of the Kokiri would have accepted the challenge. Not Mido. The boy's eyes narrowed, his face going bright red with indignation.
"I don't think so," he replied coolly. "Who said you could do this anyway? You have work to do!"
"Saria told us to do this instead," Forenz explained calmly.
"Well, I'm in charge here," Mido snapped, "So I suggest the two of you get moving!"
Mido's sullen gaze fixed on the younger Kokiri, giving Link the distinct impression that Mido wanted nothing more than to insult him. He wouldn't do that in front of Forenz.
Coward, Link thought.
Mido stormed off down the trail back towards the village with a loud "Hmph!" Link could have sworn Forenz called the boy a snobby git.
"Same time tomorrow?" Forenz asked, sounding as though nothing had happened.
Link nodded, "Yeah, I might have to knock out Mido first before we-"
"Link, I haven't been helping you just so you can beat the crap out of him!" Forenz disapproved heatedly.
"I wouldn't dare." Link said with feigned horror. "Besides, Saria says I have to be nice to him."
"Come on, Link. I know he's an annoying brat, but you have to respect him. The Great Deku Tree would want you to."
That comment sent Link's temper simmering. He had no idea what that giant tree wanted from him these days. It took considerable effort not to kick the dirt in frustration.
"Mido is mean to all of us, but he'll get over it soon," Forenz added, ignoring Link's determined efforts to stare angrily away from him. "It's been difficult these last few weeks."
That much was true, the animals and greenery that the Kokiri usually relied on for food were disappearing. If things didn't improve, the Kokiri would have to relocate to somewhere else in the woods, especially with winter coming. He didn't like that idea; this was his home.
"Mido will get over it," Forenz assured him.
"When?" Link looked at Forenz, not giving him a chance to reply. "He's done it for years and all because I don't have a fairy. I keep asking the Great Deku Tree for one, and he keeps telling me to wait."
"I'm sure he has a good reason," Forenz reasoned.
"Yeah? Like what?" Link retorted. "All he tells me is soon, and I have to listen to Mido call me-"
"Stop it, both of you!" Arden zoomed between the pair and nearly whacked Link in the eye.
His shrill voice was so loud that Link was sure his ear had just been jabbed by something sharp. He was always surprised at how loudly fairies could shout when they wanted to.
Both boys stared at the fairy for a moment and then murmured an apology. Forenz turned his attention back to Link, heaving a sigh as he did so.
"You know, some of us have had to wait a long time for a fairy to choose us. Mido waited for ages. Once a fairy and Kokiri bond, it's for life. There's no going back. So it's no small decision."
"That's what Saria said," Link mumbled, not quite meeting Forenz's eyes.
"And she's right," Forenz said, clapping him on the shoulder. "You should listen to her. C'mon, let's get going before Mido wonders what's taking us so long."
It was a quiet walk. They passed other Kokiri who greeted Forenz warmly.
Something rustled in the trees above. Link looked up, noticing a younger Kokiri clambering nimbly along a branch, not even flinching as his passage disturbed several sparrows from their nesting spot. The boy climbed onto the walkways that threaded through the canopy and the sound of someone rebuking him carried through the whispering boughs.
As Link threaded his way through the forest trail, he couldn't help but feel that it was strangely quiet save for the bamboo wind chimes rattling in the breeze and the gentle swaying of rope bridges. Link could only spot several faces peering down at him from the walkways above. He knew that many of the others were working on their homes, or checking for any damage to the rope-and-vine bridges that joined the neighbouring trees to form the bustling village, but it still seemed too quiet.
Bidding Forenz farewell, Link retreated to his home. It was built into the trunk of a small tree, rather than high above the forest floor. He clambered up the ladder leading to its balcony and nearly smacked his head on the door frame. For a ten-year-old Kokiri, he was rather tall. Brynn and Forenz often joked that Link must have eaten some kind of magic mushroom somewhere in the Lost Woods that made him grow taller. What made Link even more unusual for a forest dweller was his paler skin.
Saria said it made him special. Link wasn't sure how he felt about that. He just wanted to be treated like everyone else. Most of the Kokiri had grown accustomed to his peculiarities and treated him well, but the same could not be said for Mido or his friends.
Deciding he shouldn't idle any longer, Link gathered his utensils and hunting bow. He offered a small prayer to the spirits of the forest before leaving. Forenz said that it was supposed to bring good luck, but Link wasn't so sure. The forest spirits hadn't answered his prayers to curse Mido, nor had they given him a fairy.
~ 0 ~
Evening found Link walking wearily back to his tree house, Saria waiting at its foot. Disheartened and irritable from an afternoon of hunting and catching nothing, even after pairing up with another Kokiri, Link's spirits instantly lifted at the sight of her. She wore a green tunic like Link, but no pointy hat. Saria's jumper covered her arms, protecting her from the chilly winds howling through the village in the autumn evening. Her boots were worn from long trips into the woods. A leather satchel hung from her belt, the clay point of her beige ocarina sticking out. She never left home without that instrument.
"Link, the hunter, you're finally back," Saria said.
"The hunter and his invisible catch," Link replied, smiling.
"You must be pretty good to catch something invisible," Saria teased.
Link laughed and added more seriously, "There was nothing in any of my traps. Not even the others had much luck. I think Brynn caught a few rabbits and a squirrel or two."
"Mmm, rabbit stew," Saria said sarcastically. With the Kokiri unable to hunt much, stew was becoming a staple. "Mido is going to drive me crazy with his complaints about my cooking. I'm sure he thinks I was trying to poison him the other day."
"I liked it," Link said. Privately, he wished she had poisoned Mido. It would have served the boy right to spend a day hiding behind a tree.
"Speaking of Mido, Forenz told me you two nearly came to blows today."
"Is there a day when that doesn't happen?" Link asked, trying to remain humorous.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Saria tilted her head towards the ladder.
"No," Link admitted, almost glumly. "Not right now."
He felt too tired to talk about Mido. All he really wanted to do was go to sleep in his bed; he was starting to feel sick, his head pounding like it had been slammed into a tree trunk.
"Are you alright, Link?" Saria asked. "You've gone rather white. Shall I get you something to eat? You must be hungry."
"I'm just tired," Link said, not keen to admit he wasn't feeling well; Saria would fuss too much if he said that. "Besides, I ate with Brynn and the others. Now I just want to sleep."
He could tell Saria wasn't convinced.
"Well... if you're sure," she said. "I'll come and check on you later."
Pretending not to notice the concerned look on her face, Link climbed into his house and made a beeline for the bed. He collapsed onto it, sparing only a fleeting thought to get out of his sweaty tunic.
His eyelids drooped as he listened to the distant call of birds chirping in the trees. A fly buzzed incessantly somewhere nearby. He was tempted to get up and slap it, but his head hurt too much, and his eyelids were heavy with sleep. The drone faded as he fell into a restless slumber.
~0~
Link dreamt he was chasing something through the woods, a hunting bow at his side. The woods were dark, the branches so thick they blotted out the sun. Breathless from running, he tried to keep up with his quarry. It was just beyond his eyesight. A soft thud of hooves clomping along a thick blanket of leaves told him he was close.
Saria would be proud of him for managing to track an animal like this. Treading carefully, he approached the gnarled root of an oak and peered around its ancient trunk. He gasped.
Just ahead of him was a majestic white stag. It stood tall and proud, completely mesmerizing Link.
A white stag? Nobody was going to believe this. Excited, he inched closer.
CRACK!
A stick snapped beneath him, and Link's breath caught in his throat. The stag's head shot up, and just for a moment, its eyes met his.
In an instant, the dream changed. A bright light flashed across Link's vision, forcing him to shield his eyes as a crisp bang ripped through the night.
Rain fell in thick sheets, so heavy Link was sure the water would swallow the earth around him. Fingers of bright lightning streaked across the sky, accompanied by the ominous growling of thunder.
Where am I?
With each flash of lightning, Link could briefly make out a field of grass, rolling hills, and distant mountains, none of it familiar.
When the last rumbling chorus of thunder ended, Link heard something else that sent his heart racing with fear. Amidst the confusing roar of noise, screeching cries tore through the tempest. Guttural calls and growls, unlike anything native to the Lost Woods, cut across the distant shrieks.
Link turned, shivering from both the cold and fear. The path he was standing on ended at a drawbridge and an enormous stone gate. Was it some kind of temple, like the forbidden temple in the woods? The wall rose taller than most of the trees in the Kokiri Forest, save the Great Deku Tree (whose upper branches would have surpassed it, but not by much). The drawbridge itself was raised, barring any access to the area beyond it. As Link stared at the wall, there was a shout from the parapets. The drawbridge began to lower, its chains clinking loudly. From beyond the bridge, a red glow stretched across the sky.
Fire.
The cause of the screams became clearer and even more terrifying. Beyond the drawbridge, Link beheld stone and wooden buildings clustered together. Almost all of them were burning in a blazing inferno. Flames and embers battled the rain as it tried in vain to extinguish them. Link stood trembling, his mind unable to grasp the magnitude of the destruction taking place in front of him. He turned, wanting nothing more than to be away from this dreadful place and the howling storm.
That was when he first noticed a fairy flying beside him. Her frightened face startled him, and he took a step back toward the drawbridge.
"Link, run! We have to get out of here now!" the fairy screamed, its voice unmistakably feminine. Link barely heard her between the rain and thunder. "What are you doing? Stop standing there and run!"
A thunder of hoofbeats alerted him to something behind him. He turned, quickly scanning the darkness for some sign of the beast. His first thought was a deer, but the next flash of lightning revealed a mare tearing down the main road of the burning village. The horse neighed, its eyes wide with fright as it raced towards him. In that moment, Link realized he was about to be trampled.
He found the will to move again and jumped to the side just before the animal's hooves came crashing down where he had stood moment's ago. He spun around to observe two people on the beast, one unmistakably a child and the other Link did not recognize. She was very tall and dressed in purple robes. The young girl was wearing a black robe with a hood hastily pulled over the dress beneath it. Her skin was ghostly white, and her eyes were wide with terror. Link's eyes met her frightened gaze with a jolt of recognition he couldn't place.
"Please, Link we need to flee! He's coming. Run!" Link could see tears in the fairy's eyes as she pleaded with him. "You have to run!'
Who is coming? Link tried to ask, but no words came out of his mouth.
Deciding to flee too, Link ran in the direction of where the white horse had disappeared in the gloom. He did not get far before he heard a second horse approaching.
Link ran faster. Soon the pounding of hooves drowned out the noise of the rain and thunder.
Don't look back, just run, Link told himself as the ground trembled beneath the horse's hooves. His foot struck a rock, and he cried out as he fell.
"No!" the fairy screamed. "Get up!"
The drumming of the hooves behind him stopped, Link rolled over onto his back and then scrambled upright. He was face to face with the mouth of a jet black horse. It was so close that Link could smell its breath. He stepped back and found himself staring into the eyes of the man seated on top of the black steed. His yellow eyes bore into Link's own, his gaze unflinching.
The man rose a gloved hand, revealing a strange gem on the palm of his gauntlet. A flickering ball of light burst into existence, brighter than a fairy's glow. It made a crackling sound and shot through the air, striking Link's fairy. She screamed. Spinning in the air, she fell against Link's boot with a soft thump. He stared in horror as the light faded from her smouldering and broken body. He looked up at the rider, wanting to know why the man had hurt the sprite. Upon seeing the boy's dismay, the rider laughed. He rose his hand once more, and then a flash of light seared across Link's vision.
He awoke with a scream.
It was early morning and in the dim light Link could just make out the familiar surroundings of his hut. He was damp with sweat. His heart was pounding rapidly against his chest, and he gasped for breath. He stumbled from the bed and, still shaking uncontrollably, he staggered to the shelf to retrieve a pitcher and poured some water into a bowl. He drank it, nearly dropping the bowl because he was shaking so much.
Outside, the wooden ladder creaked and groaned as someone started climbing it. Link jumped in fright.
"Link, are you alright?" he heard Saria call. "Fora told me she heard you yelling in your sleep."
"I'm all right," Link called back to her. "Just a bad dream."
Fora, Saria's fairy, always seemed to enjoy wandering around in the still crisp air of the early morning.
The door curtain shifted as Saria pushed it to one side and came in. Her eyes widened at the sight of Link slumped against the table.
"Some nightmare," she breathed. "Are you sure you're ok?"
"Fine," Link muttered, looking up at her. "I just need some fresh air."
He followed Saria out onto the balcony and sat by the ladder. They watched in silence as the eastern horizon turned a soft shade of pink. In the distance, Link could hear the sound of insects. In the canopy above, bamboo wind chimes clattered softly.
"It's so peaceful in the early morning," said Saria as she sat down beside Link.
"Yes, it is." Link agreed, listening to the soft melodies of birds stirring from their slumber.
"What happened in this dream of yours?" Saria asked after a lengthy pause. "If you want to tell me."
Since the dream was still fresh in his mind, Link explained it to her. When he was younger, he always found some comfort in telling Saria about his dreams. That was when they had still been living in her house when he was too young to be on his own. Even once he was old enough, he did not move very far from Saria's place, and they had built his home together.
He almost felt embarrassed telling her, sure that she would say it was just a nightmare. Usually, he would have agreed, but that last dream was something else. It was not the usual frightening nightmare which scared little children and prevented them from falling asleep once more. This one had been a lot more powerful, the fear deeper and much too real. It had felt as if he had truly been standing there before that man on the black steed. For this reason, Link skipped the end of his dream where the man killed the fairy at his side.
"You don't think I'm crazy and thinking too much into it?" he asked her once he finished.
Saria was looking pensively towards the forest. She cast her eyes back towards him and shook her head. "Of course not. It's an unusual dream, though."
"Do you think it might have been... you know, foretelling something? The Great Deku Tree told me that some people can see the future in dreams." Link didn't find that thought particularly comforting. Nor was he convinced it made a lot of sense. "But it can't have been a vision," he continued, dismissing his earlier thoughts. "We can't leave the woods."
"Do you honestly believe that?" Saria asked with an air of scepticism.
"Well, you do. Don't you?" Link asked. The idea that Saria would not believe something the Great Deku Tree had taught them was surprising.
"Some say we can leave, but if we do, the magic of the groves and the Great Deku Tree won't be able to protect us."
"Why?"
"Because his magic only reaches so far."
"Has anyone tried to leave before?" Link persisted.
Saria contemplated her answer for a moment. "Well, plenty of Kokiri leave their groves from time to time, but nobody leaves the woods."
"What about from our grove, has anybody left before?" Link asked.
"Only once that I know of," Saria replied. "They never came back." She slipped into a sad silence, looking crestfallen and not meeting Link's eyes. "It's been a while since I mentioned that to anyone."
Saria smiled sadly as Fora came to rest against her shoulder. Link stopped himself from frowning when he remembered the smouldering corpse of the fairy in his dream.
It was just a dream, he told himself. Just a dream.
~ 0 ~
Three days later...
The dreams came again. Each night they came until Link dreaded the hours he spent tossing and turning in his bed. Only sleeping draught helped; a potion made from herbs found in the woods.
As he often did when something troubled him, he found solace in the Lost Woods. He never ventured far into its depths; he wasn't allowed unless someone was with him. Link had made a treehouse in his own little realm away from prying eyes. It wasn't far from the Kokiri Forest, but it was far enough that the noisy cacophony of Kokiri didn't bother him. From his vantage point, high in the canopy, he could see a vast stretch of the woods and the top of the Forest Temple. The ancient stone edifice reached above the canopy with vines creeping across its ancient stones. One of the two lotus-shaped towers had toppled long ago, and the other was badly damaged. A tree had stretched its gnarled roots over the front entrance, making it look as though the temple itself was built into the tree. There was a plaza in the centre with the tangled limbs of another tree. It was calming, sitting alone in this part of the woods, watching the birds dance amid the fluttering leaves.
There was no Mido to bother him. He was completely alone, and for once, it didn't bother him.
"Link!" came Saria's voice from the tree's base. "Are you there?"
As silent as a cat, Link leapt from branch to branch, carefully avoiding Saria's gaze. He was almost all the way down when he snatched hold of a tree branch that promptly groaned under his weight. Link yelped, scrambling desperately to find safer purchase. The branch snapped, and he plunged to the earth below. It had rained recently, and the muddy ground cushioned the worst of his fall. Still, he lay in a daze for a moment, winded and gasping for breath.
"Link!" both Saria and Fora exclaimed.
Link blinked a few times, trying to bring the world back into focus but the light hurt too much. He heard Saria rush to his side, and in a moment, she was pushing a bottle of something against his lips.
Link drank, swallowing some of the liquid down the wrong way and spluttering. The ringing in his ears stopped, and his vision became clearer as Saria helped him sit up.
"What were you thinking?" she asked, her voice seething with an anger she never reserved for him. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"
"It was not that high," Link murmured awkwardly, taken aback by how angry she was.
"Do you have any idea how much trouble I would be in with the Great Deku Tree if something happened to you?"
"What do you mean...?" Link started, confused. "I was only playing around."
Saria let out an exasperated sigh, and Fora muttered, "Boys, they're such idiots."
"You should have known better, Link," Saria said at last. The disappointment in her voice cut him deeply.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, still confused. It wasn't the first time he'd injured himself doing something silly, but Saria rarely got this angry.
She must have realized her fury was unsettling him because she took a calming breath and then smiled sadly. As she did, Link noticed the sadness in the depths of her eyes. That unsettled him even more.
"It's alright. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so mad at you," she said as she held out a small bag. "Here take it."
"What's that?" Link asked, thinking it was a satchel of herbs.
"It's a present," Saria replied, placing the bag in his hands. "It's magic."
"Magic?" Link asked, frowning at the satchel. "Looks ordinary to me."
"It can fit a large number of things in it despite its small size. Fora gave it to me as a gift when she chose me as her charge." Saria gazed at her fairy as she said this. "We decided you should have it."
"Saria, I can't. It belongs to you-" Feeling a little stunned Saria would part with a gift her fairy had given her, Link went to give it back to her, but Saria refused to take it.
"Keep it," she replied. "I want you to have it."
Link stared at the bag and then looked up at Fora. She gave him an encouraging smile, urging him to take the present.
"Thanks," he mumbled.
"Try not to lose it," Fora said. "I cannot guarantee I can get another one."
"I won't," Link replied. He was not sure how Fora had come across this but decided not to ask. He was not surprised that Fora managed to carry it; all fairies could carry things that were many times their own weight.
"Shall we go back?" Saria suggested. "I have to see the Great Deku Tree, but I will come and find you first thing in the morning."
Link decided not to push Saria into telling him what she and the Great Deku Tree were talking about. He doubted she would appreciate it.
They walked quietly back to the village, beneath the chittering birdsong that announced the day's end. Link was far too tired to talk much. He knew it was the fairy's tears, Saria had told him it made people sleepy, especially if they'd hurt themselves badly.
Had he done that?
As the evening dragged on, they reached Link's hut. Dinner smells wafted from the cook fires crackling away in the clearing nearby. The merry sound of laughter and chatter beckoned to him, but Link felt too weary to join in.
"How about I bring you something? Just this once," Saria offered to Link's surprise; she usually was the first to encourage him to eat with the rest of the Kokiri. "Fora can tell the Great Deku Tree where I've gone."
"Yeah, okay," Link said sleepily. "Thanks, Saria."
With that, Saria turned and strode towards the nearest fire, leaving Link alone. For a moment, he watched the happy throng, their day untroubled by thoughts of nightmares.
There was a dull ache building in Link's head, and he knew at once that he wasn't going to share that peaceful bliss.
Stupid nightmares.
With that, he turned and clambered up the ladder to his home.
~ 0 ~
Dawn found Link tossing and turning in his sleep, oblivious to the small, winged creature entering his home. The fairy emitted a bright azure glow and was breathing heavily from her hurried flight and the weight of the heavy sack she carried.
The fairy was Navi, and she was carrying a large object in a bag similar to Link's own. She dropped her burden on the table with a loud thud, before turning her attention to the boy groaning in his sleep.
This is the boy the Great Deku Tree wanted me to find? she wondered.
The blonde Kokiri was whimpering in his sleep, and Navi could tell he was dreaming. She cast her eyes upon a bottle of sleeping draught next to the bed. He had not taken much. Only a few mouthfuls, Navi thought. As long as he took it more than a few hours ago, he should not be too hard to wake up.
"Hey! Link, wake up!" she called. The boy slept on. Navi sighed, rolling her eyes and exclaiming as loudly as she could, "Hey! Listen!"
That did not wake Link up either.
This could take a while, Navi groaned. Silently, she cursed whoever chose last night of all times to give the boy a sleeping potion.
