It didn't take very long for the Kokiri to realize that something was unusual with the newest member of their tribe.
The children of the forest may look just like Hylians, albeit paler due to the lack of direct sunlight, but the way they grow was far from like those outside the forest. Born, or emerged as they put it, from the very trees themselves, the Great Deku Tree provides them with nourishment until a Guardian Fairy is paired to the Kokiri. This usually only takes a few weeks, with the very latest bloomer taking three months to get one. It is then up to the Guardian Fairy to provide for their child's nourishment until they are fully grown within ten months.
The village the Kokiri lived in was relatively small, as it should be considering there were only twenty-one children living in it. Each member of the tribe had a house all to themselves, all these homes made from massive trees, with Link being the current exception due to his age. It was the Great Deku Tree who set these homes up, the Kokiri unable to perform such tasks even after they had knives to use. This along with the clothes on their backs and the furniture in their homes were the only material items the deity granted his children. Anything else such as food, once they gained their Guardian Fairies, tools, water, and anything else was theirs to take care of themselves.
The village was situated in a large clearing surrounded by the dense Lost Woods. It was exceedingly rare for any animals more harmful than a rabbit or a deer to wander into the area, their fear of the Great Deku Tree and his wrath keeping them at bay. The children had a life of peace along the lush green expanse they could wander without entering the twisting, haunting forest around them. A beautiful, clear, clean waterfall going into a river ran through the village, giving the Kokiri a place to gather water and bathe. It truly was a small slice of paradise within the normally dangerous forest. Even a Hylian, if one somehow managed to enter this area, would be safe from harm, granted they did not directly anger the guardian of the forest…
It had been three weeks since Link had been adopted into the village. While the Great Deku Tree provided him with nourishment, just as with his other children, he still spent a lot of time in the village. Though more forest spirits than true humans, the Kokiri needed social interaction and loving care, just like anyone else. That meant the other children got to spend a lot of time with Link, and at this point became aware something seemed off.
"Why isn't he growing?" The self-proclaimed leader of the Kokiri asked. Mido was standing with Fado as the two watched Saria sit by a tree, holding the new baby in her arms. He was more worried than anything. While normally a tad grouchy, Mido was on board with everyone else in caring a great deal for Link. It had been nearing a century since the last new member of the village, so everyone was still ecstatic over his arrival.
The children had all noticed that Link didn't seem to be growing at all. Or at least, not quickly enough. Every Kokiri was able to walk after roughly a month after their emergence, but Link still couldn't even crawl. He was also unable to form proper words of any kind either. "Maybe something's wrong with him…" Fado muttered, sounding worried. "What would we do?"
At the time, Mido didn't have an answer for that. Later on that day, the Kokiri's unofficial leader took the baby off of Saria's hands. The eldest Kokiri had clearly taken quite the liking to Link, more than the other children did. Once Mido got Link in his grasp, he went to go see the Great Deku Tree.
Normally, a Kokiri wouldn't approach the forest deity without being summoned, but this was an emergency! Throwing the rules aside, Mido soon found himself standing before the towering being that he and the other children called their Father. The god's wooden eyes looked down at Mido and Link as they approached, the boy's Guardian Fairy trying to get him to turn back to no avail. "I do not recall summoning thee to see me, Mido." The Great Deku Tree rumbled, his mighty voice lacking warmth.
While the Great Deku Tree loved his children dearly, he had limited patience. He expected all of them to follow his rules, one of which was not to enter his clearing without being summoned, save for emergencies. Mido cast his eyes down a bit, looking down at Link. The baby peered back up with his shining blue eyes, unaware of his new father's displeasure. The older boy looked back up at the mighty tree before him. "Father, I think something is wrong with Link."
With just those words, the deity's attitude changed in an instant. "What dost thou mean, Mido?" His powerful voice was now filled with a deep concern.
The troubled boy held Link in front of him, as if his father should be able to see his woes just at a glance. "He's still so…well, small!" Mido exclaimed. "He can't talk, can't even crawl, and it's been nearly a month! Is he sick?"
The guardian of the forest knew this was coming. The Kokiri grew so fast compared to Hylians, roughly growing with each month what took a Hylian a year to achieve until fully grown. "Link is not sick, Mido, though thy concern is moving." The warmth returned to the god's voice as Mido seemed to visibly relax. "While not sick, Link needs more time to grow than others. I ask thee to be patient and tell the others what I have said."
More time to grow? Why? Well, it was far from Mido's place to argue, even as the self-proclaimed Kokiri leader, he dared not push such limits. Still, this didn't explain why Link grew slower than everyone else. Mido would just have to ask at a later date. Nodding, the boy looked between Link and the deity before him. "Thank you, Father. I'll go and tell everyone right now."
With that, Mido turned and made his way back to the village. As he walked, he looked back down at Link. The baby currently had hold of a chubby fistful of Mido's shirt that he gnawed on with toothless gums. The Kokiri couldn't help but smile at the sight. He didn't care if Link took longer to reach full age than the others. The Great Deku Tree said he was fine, and that was enough for Mido at the moment. He knew Saria had worries too, and decided she was the first he'd tell…
The weeks turned into months, and what felt like the blink of an eye, the months formed an entire year.
When Mido told the rest of the village about Link's slower growth, everyone simply accepted that the youngest member of the tribe was simply a bit different. They didn't realize, however, just how slow things would be. It had been a week since Link's first birthday, and yet he was only now starting to learn how to walk and could only say the most basic of words. He was still so tiny as well! By this point, he should have been fully grown, but he still had the appearance and mannerisms of a month-old Kokiri. Mido went back to the forest deity to voice his concerns, only to be told once more that Link was fine, and that the Kokiri needed to simply be patient.
There was still one thing that worried the entire village.
"Why doesn't he have his fairy yet?" Ardo asked Saria. The Kokiri boy was watching as the eldest member of the tribe sat with Link on her lap, the baby babbling nonsense and gnawing on a leather strap. The green-haired girl held onto the end of the object, making sure Link didn't try to eat it.
Saria looked away from Link and into Ardo's bangs, which almost completely covered his blue eyes. She really wondered how that boy got around like that, yet he never seemed to trip over or walk into things, so she guessed it didn't really matter. "Well, he hasn't grown yet. Not enough, at least." Saria sounded calm, but she herself also worried about the child in her lap. A Kokiri not having a Guardian Fairy after three months was unheard of…
"He's so old, though, too old not to have a fairy." Ardo replied, as if reading Saria's mind. By this point, not only should Link have had a Guardian Fairy of his own, but he should have a role in the society. Whether it be a forager, a hunter, or a scavenger, every Kokiri had a part to play. The village wasn't used to raising a child for so long, especially since the Great Deku Tree really helped out during the first month or so. After the Guardian Fairy was paired with their child, it was no longer up to the other Kokiri to aid in that child's upbringing.
A few of the Kokiri actually started to distance themselves from Link a bit, but only two or three. In a village of twenty raising one child, that was nothing. Saria took over a lot of the care either way, seeming to really enjoy it. "Well, think of it this way…" The eldest said after a few moments of thought. "He may be older, but physically he hasn't aged that much. Maybe a Guardian Fairy is waiting until he develops a bit more." Saria meant her words, but still felt troubled on if she was right or not. A Kokiri needed a Guardian Fairy, it wasn't a negotiable part of their life. Who else would aid them in their lives once they fully grew? Even though they could live for centuries, the Kokiri were still children, after all. They would always need guidance.
"Hmmm…Well, that makes sense…" Ardo said, scratching the back of his head. "How long until he's old enough then?"
To that, Saria had no good answer. "We'll just have to see, I suppose. It's like Father said, we'll just have to be patient." With that, the girl removed the strap of leather from Link's mouth. "Come on, Link, let's get something to eat, alright?" She said cheerfully to the child.
"Sa! Sa!" Link replied, not able to say Saria's name yet. Standing up, Saria aided Link in walking by holding onto his hands as he tottered onward.
The Kokiri had no idea just how long they would have to be patient for. Before the village knew it, another year had passed. Link had been around for a full two years and still no sign of a Guardian Fairy. At the very least, he was able to walk on his own, even run, and speak short sentences. Some of the Kokiri were hopeful this meant a fairy would come for him soon, but others, including Ardo, were starting to become wary.
At this point, nearly half the Kokiri stopped taking care of Link. Though, as he grew older, his dependence on others lessened. Hopefully he would soon be able to even live in his own house, as he had been sleeping in the homes of the other children for the time being. Mido still seemed to have faith in Link, though others assumed it was due to the supposed Kokiri leader's closeness to Saria, who would always jump to Link's defense when needed. None of those who stopped raising Link ever mistreated the child of course, but it was clear they wanted to avoid him. Fado seemed to be Link's second biggest fan behind Saria, the blonde Kokiri helping her best friend with the young boy.
"Ow! Owowow! That's my hair, Link! Don't pull!" Fado said with a wince as the boy stood on her lap. She had been reading a book to him when the little tyke got distracted by her bright and shiny blonde hair, and decided it looked fun to pull. Books were a somewhat rare commodity within the village. They simply got added to the collection when one was found among the remains of dead Hylians, which didn't happen too often. It was the job of a Guardian Fairy to teach their child to read, so at the moment Link had no concept of the words on the page.
"Fa-Fa!" Link replied, spouting out his nickname for the girl. He let out an almost mischievous giggle as he gave her hair another yank.
"Hey! Hey! Link, that hurts!" Fado whined, lightly grabbing onto Link's arm and getting him to let go. She gave him a somewhat stern look. "That hurt me, Link. Don't do that, okay?" The girl scolded gently.
Link's giggling stopped and he looked a bit sad. "Hurt?"
Fado gave him a nod, letting Link go and rubbing her head. The girl had never had to deal with a baby before Link, so a lot of things took getting used to. Saria had told her than hair-pulling was normal behavior, but by the leaves of the Great Deku Tree it was painful! "Yes, it hurt. Say you're sorry, Link."
"'m s'rry…" He mumbled, looking back at Fado with unintentional puppy dog eyes.
Fado couldn't stay mad at a face like that. Who could? Giving Link a kiss on his cheek, she offered the boy a smile. "All is forgiven. Want me to keep reading the story to you?"
That got a wide smile from Link, who nodded and sat back down. "Yah! Fa-Fa!"
Fado looked over and saw two of her friends watching the pair, whispering at each other. They were two of the Kokiri that stopped raising Link, seeming to want to give him a wide birth. Well, let them do as they wanted! It wasn't going to stop Fado! "Now, where was I…?" She rhetorically asked, trying to find her spot on the page. She still had confidence a Guardian Fairy would come soon for Link. Any day now, one would fly from the trees and straight to Link, and the two would be inseparable! Then those two gossipers would feel silly!
Another year passed, and Fado was proven wrong.
At this point, most of the community had given up hope for Link getting a Guardian Fairy. Three years and no signs of him being paired up. Physically and mentally, he was at the age where the very latest blooming Kokiri got his partner. The entire village save for Saria, Fado, and Lydo had given up on directly helping raise Link. Even Mido got more hands-off, though he still treated Link nicely if they were together. No one actually mistreated Link, but most tried to avoid being with him if possible.
"Do you think we should take him back to Father?" Fado asked. She and Saria were in the eldest Kokiri's home as Lydo played with Link outside, the two sitting around the house's table. "I know we're supposed to be patient, but I'm really getting concerned…"
Nodding, Saria frowned. "I'm concerned too, and I just don't know if we should go back to Father or not. If something was really wrong, he would summon us." She glanced at the house's exit, looking out for Link's return. "He's been asking about the Guardian Fairies; I think he'll start to wonder why only he doesn't have one."
"What did you tell him when he asked what Guardian Fairies were?"
Saria seemed confused at that. "Well, I told him the truth. I just made it simpler due to his age. It didn't feel right to lie to him…"
Fado frowned at that. "And what do we do when he asks why he doesn't have one?"
There was a tense pause in the room. "…I don't know. I really don't. If I tell him he needs to get older, he'll probably ask how much older, and I won't know what to tell him. If I tell him that I just don't know why, he might think there's something wrong with him…" Saria had spent a number of nights wide awake in bed pondering this. She couldn't think of any answer to give that wouldn't lead to more questions or make Link feel like he doesn't belong!
"Well we have to tell him something when he asks." Fado pointed out, having stayed up a few nights herself in worry. She wasn't as close to Link as Saria, but she still cared for the child deeply.
Before Saria could reply, the two girls heard sniffling and sobbing coming from just outside the house. The girls turned to see Lydo leading Link into Saria's home, the young boy's face wet with tears and his left knee bloodied. By this point, the boy wore a small tunic and shorts like the other boys did, though he had yet to get a hat of his own. "He tripped and his knee scraped against a big rock." Lydo explained, pity present in her voice. "Do you have any bandages, Saria?"
"Of course! Sit him down, please." Saria said, rushing to a cabinet and getting out a roll of bandages and a cleaning cloth. The bandages didn't help the poor Hylian they were found with, but at least now they could be put to use. Within a few minutes, the wound was properly cleaned and wrapped up, Link having stopped his sobbing by that point. "There, all better…"
After a few moments and one last big sniffle, Link looked at Saria with grateful blue eyes. "Thank you, Sa-Sa…" He still sounded a bit upset at getting hurt, and immediately gave the Kokiri girl a big hug.
Saria held the boy back, wanting to be happy that he was feeling better, but she glanced over at Fado and Lydo as they watched the scene unfold. Thoughts of what the future might hold for the boy filled her mind and made her worry. For now, she simply had to pray that a Guardian Fairy would come soon.
Over four years had passed since Link arrived in the village, and still no Guardian Fairy.
At this point in time, only Fado and Saria went out of their way to help raise Link and spend time with him. Everyone else, even Lydo, simply watched from afar. No one mistreated him, some would even converse or play with him if he approached first. Still, none of them aside from Fado and Saria would go to him first or try to spend long periods of time with him. The silver lining was Link was too young to really be aware of the attitude change. All he knew is if he went up to the other kids, they would talk or play with him. Besides, he still had Saria, the person he felt the very closest to.
Link was lying on his stomach on some cool green grass, watching his closest friend as she played her Ocarina for him. Today, the Kokiri took him to her secret spot. Of course, it really wasn't much of a secret to the village as everyone knew of it. Still, she was about the only one to go there regularly, so she still liked to think of it as her secret place. Getting there required going through a strange maze, the origins of which none of the Kokiri knew. Then they went up a long set of stairs to the base of some odd, abandoned ruins. Bleached white stones jutting out of a stone wall, these ruins were another mystery to the tribe. There was no way into these ruins, as whatever type of staircase lead to the entrance crumbled away long ago. The only other option was a tree which even the most skilled climber couldn't scale due to a lack of footholds. For the time being, it was an unsolvable mystery. This was the only type of man-made structure any of the Kokiri knew about, fascinating them all. When it was discovered there was no way in, most decided to just stay away since the itching need to get into the yawning entrance would pick away at their minds.
Saria sat upon a stump below the unusual entrance, eyes closed and beautiful notes rising from her instrument. It was unanimously agreed among the community that the green-haired girl was the best Ocarina player in the village. With nearing a millennium of practice, it was no wonder. She was able to play any sort of song on the wooden instrument, whether it be sad and slow, fast and happy, serene and akin to a lullaby, she could perform each kind of music perfectly. She even knew a few special tricks, such as mimicking the calls of certain birds within the woods.
As the Kokiri finished her song, a slow and peaceful tune, she opened her eyes to see Link moving to sit on his knees as he gave her polite applause. Giving the boy a smile, Saria placed the instrument in her lap. "I take it you like the tune?"
Link nodded enthusiastically, the tail-end of the hat he now wore flopping about. "Yeah! You always play good!" By now Link could speak in proper sentences, though not always having a good grip on grammar.
"I'm happy to hear you think that." Saria replied, genuine modesty present in her voice.
The boy gave another nod but stayed quiet. His face scrunched up in thought for a few moments. "Can I play too?"
The girl's eyebrows raised up a bit. "You want to play too?" Link had listened to her play countless times over the years, yet this was the first time he asked.
Link gave off a third nod. "Yeah! I wanna be like you!" He loved Saria a lot, unaware that the girl was becoming somewhat of a mother figure for him. All he knew was she treated him really kindly and he never got tired of spending time with her.
"Like me?" Saria asked, keeping the worry out of her voice. She noted how Link's gaze rose up to her Guardian Fairy, who floated silently above the duo. The girl knew she had to get his attention back to the Ocarina! "Well, I don't see why not!" She said, sounding more chipper than she felt. "I can craft one for you."
"Teach me to play?" Link asked, his eyes now focused back to Saria's face.
Giving Link a reassuring smile, Saria nodded. "Of course I will. I know you'll be good at it with just a bit of practice."
Excitement filled Link's eyes as he stood up. "Really?!"
Saria couldn't help but give a good-natured laugh at Link's energy. "Of course, you'll be a natural, I just know it."
"I thought I'd find you two here." A friendly voice called out. Link and Saria looked to see Fado reaching the top of the steps. "What'd I miss?"
"Fado!" Link exclaimed, as if he hadn't seen his other friend earlier that day. He went over and gave the girl a big hug.
Smiling, the blonde girl patted Link on the top of the head. "Hey there, Link. I heard you yelling from the stairs, what are you so excited about?"
Letting go of Fado, Link pointed over to Sara. "Sa-Sa is gonna let me play Ocarina!" He announced, having dropped Fado's nickname months ago, but still had issues pronouncing Saria's name.
Fado gave Saria a look of faux annoyance. "Hey! You never offered to teach me how to play!"
Saria let out a good-natured laugh. "Well you never asked! Do you want to learn too?"
"Of course!" The blonde Kokiri replied, dropping her look of fake anger. "We'll be a trio of Ocarina players, right Link?"
Once more, Link gave an enthusiastic nod. "Right!" He turned to Saria. "Another song?"
Smiling at her two friends as they approached and sat on the grass, Saria gave a nod. "Of course. Any requests…?"
Another year passed, Link was five years old and no fairy had sought him out.
Those who had stopped raising Link in the village started to become even more distant from him. A lot of the children would actively avoid Link, making excuses if he wanted to play with them. Saria and Fado still treated him the same as they always had, though Fado had started to become somewhat wary of the boy she was beginning to see as odd. Late blooming was one thing, but Link was over five times as old as a Kokiri should be when fully grown, and yet he not only had no fairy, but was still roughly halfway to full growth. The blonde girl didn't always go out of her way to see Link anymore, but would still talk or play with him when he sought her out.
Saria was just as devoted to Link as always, if not more than usual. She had been tempted to go and see the Great Deku Tree soon after Link's fifth birthday, a party where only half the village had been present for, to inquire about the boy. Yet she stopped herself, remember how the Great Deku Tree told Mido to be patient, and that nothing was wrong with Link. The eldest Kokiri did not quite have a lot of faith in those words since they had been said so long ago, but didn't wish to bother the forest guardian, so chose to accept them.
It was a few months after Link turned five that Saria realized just how the situation was unfolding in Link's head. The two were practicing playing Ocarina, the boy only recently starting to play. For a boy his age he was fine, but he had a long way to go. Once more, the two found themselves in Saria's "secret spot" with the green-haired girl sitting on her stump and Link sitting on the grass before her.
The girl instantly knew something was wrong when Link stopped practicing and stared off at the trees to his left. Looking and seeing nothing was there, Saria turned back to her friend. "Link? Is something wrong?"
The young boy didn't say anything at first, as if nervous to speak his mind. After a few moments, he gazed up at Saria's Guardian Fairy. "Will I have one too?" He asked, pointing at the fairy.
Saria felt her blood run cold. She was worried this day would come but had hoped Link's Guardian Fairy would arrive before it ever had to happen. Thankfully, the Kokiri had gone over the situation in her head dozens of times and had planned out how she would reply. "Well…Yes. You will. We all get Guardian Fairies, Link."
A pause. "When? Everyone else has one…" Link wore a forlorn, longing expression on his face. He had noticed for a while he was the only Kokiri without a fairy, but no one had talked to him about it. It took a while, but the curiosity built so much that he just had to ask.
"That's hard to say. It's different for all of us. It's more up to the Guardian Fairy. Right, Rota?" She directed the question to her own Guardian Fairy, who knew exactly what Saria wanted her to say.
Clearing her throat and floating down towards Link, Rota nodded. A useless gesture, as the natural light that fairies gave off hid their features and such small motions. "Saria's right. There's not much you can do; you just have to wait." The Guardian Fairies of the village had grown wary of Link as well. The creatures of the forest felt that there was something…off about Link. Something none of them could quite put their finger on or put into words. It wasn't his slow aging, or even lack of a fairy. There was just something about the boy's essence that raised alarm bells in their heads, they just couldn't figure out what the problem was…
"Just wait? One will really come?" Link didn't sound so sure. "What if no fairy picks me? Am I bad? Is no fairy coming because I'm bad?" In just the few moments, Link went from melancholy, looking as though he would break out into tears at any moment.
Noticing this change, Saria sat down on the grass right in front of Link, gently putting her hands on his shoulders. "Link, you are not bad, okay? You're as good as anyone else in the village. A fairy will come for you, I promise!" Saria desperately wanted to believe her own words, but with each passing day, she found it increasingly difficult to keep her faith going.
"I want one too…" Link murmured. Despite Saria's attempts to soothe him, the child burst into tears, lunging forward and clinging to his friend desperately. He just wanted to be like the others. He just wanted a fairy too!
Startled at first, Saria quickly wrapped her arms around Link and rubbed his back. "Please don't cry, Link. It will be okay, I promise…" She gently said into his ear. "A fairy will come…" The Kokiri had no idea what to do. Link, her precious Link, was in pain and she couldn't help. She just wanted things to be okay. She just wanted Link to fit in with the other children…
Six years had passed since Link's arrival, and things only got worse.
By that time, even Fado started to not hang out with Link at all unless he went to her, and even then she sometimes made excuses to avoid him. No one else but Saria and, surprisingly, Mido would play with Link at all. The boy was starting to notice the way others were treating him and seeming to not want to be with him. No one said to his face why they acted this way, and he was unable to piece together the reasons himself. All he knew was the other children just didn't seem to want to play or talk. On the more positive side of things, the boy finally got his own house at this point; a treehouse that required a ladder to reach. He had to get used to sleeping all by himself at night, but Saria helped wean him off of it by slowly making him go off on his own to sleep.
As Link grew, he got more rambunctious and had abundant energy to boot. Being a growing young boy, he wanted to roughhouse more as time went on. Saria, unfortunately, was not a fan of such types of play and wouldn't participate. After trying to wrestle around with the others with no luck, Link's attention fell to Mido who actually agreed. The supposed leader of the Kokiri still felt wary of Link, going over six years without a Guardian Fairy. Still, the newest member of the tribe had been nothing but a good kid, not to mention Saria still liked him quite a lot.
"Alright Link, show me what you got!" Mido declared, the two of them in a flat, clear part of the village. With their hats lying on the grass, the two readied themselves. "You get the first move, come on!" Of course, Mido was going to go easy on Link, the child may be six, but he was still so small…
As the fighting started, the Kokiri boy was surprised to find that Link was…surprisingly strong?! Sure, Mido was putting the kid in half-hearted holds, but the six year-old escaped from them easily. The older boy even tried putting Link in a serious hold, but with little struggling, the kid escaped! Just what was going on here?!
Somehow, Mido ended up on his stomach, Link sitting on his back. The younger child held the Kokiri's arm behind his back, unintentionally doing so in a way that really hurt! Despite his struggling, Mido found himself unable to get out of the hold. It was like trying to push off a boulder! "Geroff me!" The Kokiri grumbled, face in the grass and voice obscured.
"Huh? What?" Link asked innocently, unable to make out Mido's words. From his perspective, Link was hardly putting in that much force. He was entirely unaware he was hurting his wrestling buddy.
"I said…get…get OFF!" Mido almost roared, using all his strength at once to toss Link off of him. The two instantly stood up, and the Kokiri proceeded to shove the younger boy away from him, making him fall onto his rear. "Get away from me!" Mido practically spat, looking at Link with a gaze of fury and fear.
It wasn't Mido's actions that hurt Link quite so much, it was his angry words and the look he gave off. Link had no idea what was going on or why he was in trouble. Tears forming in his eyes, he looked up at Mido. "What? Was I b-bad?"
"Yes! Very bad!" Mido snarled, going over and grabbing his hat. "Just stay away from me!" Before Link could reply, the Kokiri stalked off, his ego bruised as much as his arm was as purple marks appeared on his pale flesh. Not only was Mido injured, but he felt humiliated! Something inside the boy felt like Link somehow got the upper hand on him in more than just that play fighting. Not only that, but that kid was dangerous! If he was this strong now, what about when he was fully grown? He would just get bigger and stronger and what would happen if he got seriously angry at someone? What would he do to them? Mido had to warn people, and right away!
That night, all the children of the village save for Link and Saria met within the Lost Woods. It was at that point where Mido went over with the other children how unusual Link was, how he had grown so old but had no fairy to speak of. The others all felt the same way to some extent, even Fado. "What should we do with him, then?" Lydo asked.
"It's easy…" Mido replied. "We let him know he isn't welcome without a fairy. If we're lucky, he'll go off elsewhere to live his life. Something must be wrong with him, something wrong with his very essence if no Guardian Fairy has shown up!" The thing Mido didn't tell everyone was how strong Link was. He couldn't let them know how he lost a fight like that, even if it was just fun and games. "Father has told us to be patient, but isn't six years enough? A fairy wouldn't take this long to decide Link is a worthy partner. I don't know what it is that's wrong with Link, but he is not one of us!"
"What if a fairy does come though?" Fado asked, feeling hesitant about the situation, even if she did somewhat agree. "Should we accept him then?"
Mido nodded. "Of course! But until that happens, he should be treated as an outcast, because that's what he is!" A ripple of agreement went through the small crowd. Really, a lot of what Mido said was what a lot of the Kokiri had been thinking themselves. They had just been too nervous to bring it up to everyone else like this. "Starting tomorrow, we won't accept a Kokiri without a fairy into our fold, understand?"
"What about Saria, though?" Ardo piped up. "She'd never agree to this, not a chance."
The supposed Kokiri leader already knew that. Saria loved that kid to bits; she'd never turn her back on him. "Well, we can't change her mind, so there's sadly not much we can do about." Mido admitted. "We can just hope that over time, she'll come to our side…"
Another buzz of agreement, and the decision was made final.
Ignorant to the secret meeting, Link awoke the next morning feeling chipper. Going to his food storage, he had a small breakfast of an apple and some berries before going down his ladder and into the village proper. As he went into the village, he immediately spotted Ardo talking with Uldo, a boy with an oddly large chin, by the village's edge. Smiling brightly, Link ran over to ask them to play. Link stopped in his tracks when the duo glanced over his way and then ran into the Lost Woods. What? What was that about?
Maybe…They just wanted to play tag?
Sadly, Link was told not to go into the Lost Woods without company. Without a Guardian Fairy, it was dangerous for any Kokiri to venture outside the village. He'd just play with them later, that's all! Cheering himself up again, Link thought of what he should do next. Saria! Maybe she could teach him some Ocarina tricks. He had been wanting to learn how to play his like a bird!
Yet when Link looked into Saria's house, he found she was gone. Darn, she must have been in her so-called secret spot right now! Okay, he could wait. Looking about the village some more, he saw Lydo and another Kokiri girl with red hair named Saldo. Smiling again, Link ran over to them while waving. "Lydo! Saldo! Hey! Heeey!" He called excitedly. As he got closer, the smile diminished as the girls looked at him with guarded facial expressions.
"Keep away, No Fairy!" Saldo snapped, giving Link a nasty glare that he had never seen on her face before. "We don't want you talking to us!"
"That's right!" Lydo added in. "Just go away and play by yourself, you freak!" The two girls walked off, leaving a stunned Link behind.
No one had ever spoken to Link like that. Sure, he had gotten into a bit of trouble at times and been scolded, though generally he was a well-behaved. This was something completely different though. No one had ever just lashed out at him like that for no reason, calling him names and not wanting him to talk to them. At first he didn't know what to think, then the words sunk in. They didn't want him around because…he had no fairy? This was never a problem before…
As Link stood there, he tried to wrap his mind around the situation. His young mind had troubles processing what was going on. He…He needed help! From who, though? Fado? Managing to hold back tears, Link went over to the blonde Kokiri's house to find it empty. Saria and Fado were gone…but what about Mido? He was the leader, he could help!
Link's luck seemed to be on his side, as when he approached Mido's house, its owner was just stepping out. "M-Mido!" He called out, still feeling upset at the harsh words directed at him, not knowing how to cope with the situation. "Mido!"
As the younger boy approached, Mido turned to him and gave him a sneer. "Get away from me! I don't want to talk to you, No Fairy!"
Again, the words stung, and Link was confused at why Mido would…wait! Link remembered how he and Mido wrestled yesterday. He still wasn't aware he had actually hurt the older boy, but apparently he had been bad. That must be why Mido was mad at him! Maybe…that was why the others were mad at him, because he had been bad! "I'm sorry I was bad…" He said with sincerity, even though he wasn't quite sure what exactly he had done wrong.
"Didn't you hear what I said?!" Mido snapped, pointing off into the distance. "I said to get lost! Get away and don't talk to me until you have a fairy! Got it?!"
Once more, Link found himself confused. He thought apologizing made things better, so why was Mido still mad? Why was everyone talking about how he had no fairy? Was that what he did wrong? Having no fairy? Was that why he was bad? He didn't want to be bad! He wanted to be friends with everyone! Right now, however, he was too sad and too scared to argue back. All Link could do was let the tears well up in his eyes as he ran back to his home. He would just wait for Saria! Maybe she still liked him? He didn't know…he was so confused! Nearly slipping as he did so, Link soon climbed the ladder and went into his small home. There he nestled into his bed, lightly sobbing and wondering what he did that was so bad. When Saria went into the treehouse looking for him hours later, he hugged her tightly and kept apologizing for being a bad boy…
Another year had gone by, and Link's situation only got worse.
Saria had learned soon after Link's initial harassment what had happened and was mortified. Sadly, the other Kokiri were fixed on their stance against the youngest member of the tribe. Nothing she tried did anything. While she was angry at the rest for treating Link so poorly, she found herself unable to cut them off. Their actions were awful without a doubt, but these were people that Saria had spent decades or centuries knowing and growing attached to. As much as the other Kokiri were out of line, Saria couldn't bring herself to completely turn her back on them for Link. Still, she would stick by Link whenever possible, even if it meant the two of them would just be alone from the rest of the village for a while, which tended to happen. Parties and celebrations would exclude Link, which meant Saria would refuse to go as well. It was only when Link was napping or wanted to play alone that the eldest Kokiri got to spend time with the others. At first, she tried to convince them to stop mistreating Link, only for her words to fall upon deaf ears. Eventually, she saw it was pointless to try and change their minds and had to simply give up.
Link, meanwhile, had to have Saria explain the situation to him and felt miserable at what she told him. No one but her wanted anything to do with him since he still had no fairy. The boy concluded that he must have been a bad boy if no fairy wanted him, but he didn't know what to do to fix that. He tried being as nice as he could to the others, only to be met with scorn and ridicule. If being nice didn't work, what would? His young mind didn't grasp that just being nicer wouldn't fix the situation until Saria sat down and explained it to him. Link would still occasionally try and reach out to the others and mend his friendship with them, only to be told to go away. Eventually, Link just avoided everyone that wasn't Saria whenever he could. It didn't stop some of the Kokiri from following him and mocking him for being an outcast and a freak.
An entire year of ridicule and scorn left Link feeling increasingly miserable. He started to believe the words that the other Kokiri said to him; that he was a freak, an outcast, someone no fairy would ever want. The only times he ever really felt happiness was when he was with Saria. When he was feeling especially sad, he could always go to her and she would make time to console him and lift his spirits, which he was grateful for. With the extra time the two were spending with each other, Saria had offered to teach Link how to read, an offer that he turned down. It was a Guardian Fairy's job to teach Kokiri such things, and Link felt he would rather just not learn if it wasn't his own fairy doing the teaching. By the time his seventh birthday hit, Link had given up hope of ever getting a fairy.
It wasn't long after Link turned seven that things got even worse.
Saria had noticed Link hadn't gone to see her, despite it being well after lunch. By that point, he was either with her or curled up in his room and miserable. Not wanting to leave Link in the latter position, she made her way to his treehouse. "Link?" She called up when she was halfway up the ladder. "Link, are you up there?" No response. "Link…?" She called again as she got to the balcony. Peering into the single room of the boy's home, she let out a small gasp.
Link was lying on his bed, shivering and moaning in pain. Saria immediately approached and knelt down next to the boy. "Ss…Fa…Mmm…" Link had his eyes closed, trying to form words and failing. It seemed as if he was asleep, murmuring in his dreams.
"Link?! Link, wake up!" Looking closer, she saw Link was horribly flushed, and placing a hand on his forehead confirmed her worries; the poor boy had a very serious fever, his skin was burning hot! Frantically wanting the boy to open his eyes, Saria shook his gently. "Link, please wake up! Link!"
After a few seconds, Link's eyes creaked open. They were unfocused and dim, the boy seeming to look right through Saria. "Nnnng…Sar…" He half-mumbled, closing his eyes again.
Panicking, Saria scrambled her brain on what to do. "Okay, Link, I'll be right back!" Saria went down the ladder and sprinted towards the clearing where she first laid eyes on Link, right in front of the Great Deku Tree. It took only a few minutes for her to arrive, the entire trip there a blur. Panting, she gazed up at the guardian of the forest. "Father! Father, there's an emergency! It's Link!"
The Great Deku Tree was surprised at Saria's intrusion. Of all of his children, she and Link were the only two to never come before him without being summoned. Both his surprise that Saria of all people would do this, and her words kept the deity's anger at bay. "Link? What is wrong? Calm thyself and tell me, my child."
Catching her breath, she stared into her Father's ancient wooden eyes with her terrified blue ones. "Link! He's…He's got some sort of fever! He can barely talk, and he's burning up…I need medicine, Father!" Nearing a thousand years old, this wasn't the first time Saria had dealt with fevers, having had a number of them herself. However, none of the Kokiri had ever had one when they were so physically young before, which made her worry far more than usual.
A rumbling hum of understanding echoed through the area, Saria practically feeling it in her bones. "I see…Go back to him, Saria. Thou will find medicinal herbs at the foot of his home. Go now and tend to him!" The deity had always been quite hands-off when raising his children. As powerful as he was, he was not omniscient, not even when it came to the Lost Woods. What the Kokiri did in their private lives was unknown to him unless he directed attention away from protecting the forest against outside forces and growing evils. He simply could not dote on a sick child himself…
"Thank you, Father!" Saria said, wasting no more time as she sprinted back to Link's home. She was so frantic she nearly tripped over a root on the way there but paid the near-accident no heed as she approached Link's home. She didn't even notice how some of the other Kokiri saw her running, giving her curious looks at the sight of her worried face.
As the Great Deku Tree promised, a small gathering of medicinal herbs had sprouted near the base of Link's tree. Gathering a handful, Saria went back up to the boy's room. There Link was just as he was before; shivering and mumbling half-words to nobody. His eyes were shut, and he didn't react at all as Saria got things ready. Getting the medicine prepared, some food, and liquids were the important things right now along with a moist towel to help lower the heat a bit. As Saria got things ready, Link didn't respond to her presence at all. He barely moved and didn't even open his eyes. He simply shivered, groaned in pain, and sometimes mumbled nonsense under his breath.
The next several days were harrowing for Saria and Link. For Saria, try as she might, progress in Link's recovery were horribly slow. The first day she was barely able to get the boy to stay conscious enough to eat or drink anything, let alone take in any medicine. Even things like a cup of water or a couple of berries would make the poor child vomit not long after. He was barely even able to keep the medicine down. The lack of nutrients or medicinal help made the boy weaker as the illness ravished his body. Still, as time went on, he very slowly started to recover. For a day or two, Saria was starting to worry that Link would die as he kept regurgitating anything she fed him. Eventually, he managed to keep enough of the medicine down where recovery began.
While Link was suffering the most in this situation, it wasn't easy for Saria either. It wasn't just the worry that her dear friend may die, but she had to help him all by herself. During times where there wasn't anything to do for Link, she went out and tried to get the other Kokiri to lend a helping hand…and none of them would comply. They would make excuses or simply outright refuse to give any assistance, mortifying Saria greatly. She had no time to ponder on such things at the time, as she was too busy devoting all her energy Link. She barely slept, only taking small naps, and would refuse to leave Link's side for more than twenty minutes or so at a time. Who knew when something may happen with him where he'd desperately need her? Thankfully, she felt better emotionally as Link got physically better. The big milestone that made her feel relieved was when Link realized Saria was there at all and would try to speak with her. Still, the young boy would mostly babble, asking about fairies and just saying Saria's name over and over again.
After what felt like a week, Link was all better. Though with the irregularities to Saria's sleep schedule and her general exhaustion, it was hard for her to discern just how long the process took. Despite her lack of rest, disturbance at the other Kokiri's behavior, and still feeling stressed from all her worry, Saria smiled as Link sat up in bed, gulping down some water. "You think you'll be able to leave your home today?" She was seated right next to him, eyes burning from not having a full night's sleep for days.
Slowly, Link nodded. "…I think so." He murmured. The boy hadn't spoken much, even when his head had cleared enough where he could make conversation. Saria had insisted he save his strength, paranoid his condition would worsen again. "Thank you for taking care of me, Saria." He offered the Kokiri girl a small smile.
Saria nodded, grateful that Link was going to be alright. "Of course, Link. I couldn't leave you like that, now could I? I'd do it again in a heartbeat."
Link was able to tell that the experience wore down on Saria, who looked as if she was about to fall asleep. It was clear she had run herself ragged caring for him. "I'm sorry I got sick. You look so sleepy…"
Shaking her head, Saria reached over and grabbed onto Link's hand, giving it a squeeze. "You shouldn't be sorry for being sick, Link. It's not something you can help. I'm just glad you're better."
Link took Saria's words at face value, knowing she would never, ever lie to him. "What about the others? Did anyone visit me?"
The room grew quiet, a near-physical tension filling the air. Saria knew right away she couldn't lie to Link, as much as it would pain her to tell him the truth. If she lied, he would find out pretty quickly, and she couldn't do that to him. After taking a shuddering breath, the girl shook her head. "No, Link. No one visited you. No one helped me take care of you. I'm sorry…"
The seven year-old looked at Saria in mild disbelief, but felt he had to believe her. No one? No one visited him at all? Didn't anyone care? Saria had told him how sick he had been soon after he was able to process conversation again. Was he so bad that no one would even see him when he was that sick? An empty feeling filled Link, and he suddenly felt exhausted. "…Okay." He mumbled, lying back down. "I'm going to take another nap…"
Saria was surprised at the lack of a big reaction. She at least expected him to have a few questions for her. Still, she wouldn't push things. "…Do you want to be alone?"
Turning away from Saria, Link shook his head. "N-No." He sputtered out, tears forming in his eyes. "Please don't leave me." Not able to hold it back anymore, the boy broke into sobs, Saria doing everything she could to console him as he cried himself to sleep. It was this incident that cemented the idea in Link's mind that without a fairy, there was absolutely nothing he could do to regain the friendships he had lost.
Soon, Link was eight and had given up on getting a Guardian Fairy or having any friends in the world aside from Saria.
Not that Link minded being friends with Saria, of course! He loved her a lot, and at that point she was all he had. As time went on, however, he started to feel guilty about the relationship he and Saria shared. Link became increasingly aware that he ate up so much of Saria's time, the girl refusing to let him be by himself if the other Kokiri had a gathering of any kind. It seemed to the boy that Saria chose him above the others, and he couldn't grasp why. He was apparently so bad that no fairy wanted him, nor did the other kids. Why was Saria so different? Link was starting to see himself as an undesirable person, someone who didn't belong with others, yet Saria seemed to think differently.
Eventually, Link decided he didn't want to eat up so much of Saria's time, yet couldn't bring himself to turn down her company when it was offered. He concluded that if Saria thought he was happy; she wouldn't let him take up all of her time. To an eight year-old, it made perfect sense. It was at this point that Link constructed a mask for himself, though he had no concept of what masks were and did this subconsciously. All he felt he had to do was act like he was happy and make Saria believe it too. Then she could spend her time with other friends and not waste her energy on a bad child like him, one not suitable for a fairy.
It was easy at first. Link just had to smile and act cheerful, no matter how he felt. When Saria would ask him how he was feeling, he would only say good things, even if the stinging words from the other Kokiri made him want to cry. Sometimes it was almost physically painful to smile and nod at Saria, telling her that his day was going great and nothing was wrong. It caused the young child a great deal of stress, which he didn't know how to handle. All he could do was allow himself to drop the charade when alone, but the fact he had to pretend every day for weeks to be perfectly fine still wore on him. Really, it was no wonder the façade broke so quickly.
The morning was like any other since the mask formed. Link was gathering fruits, nuts, and berries for the storage building of the village. It was from this building that the members of the tribe were free to take as much food as they wanted, putting it in their own personal storage areas in their homes. Soon after he turned eight, the boy was assigned his role in the village, being a forager. He was actually glad he got this role rather than the position of a hunter. Killing bugs was one thing, but things like rabbits and birds…he just didn't think he could bring himself to do it. He had no problem eating meat, but actually doing the killing himself just didn't sit right with him. It helped that Saria was also a forager, as Link was unable to get around the Lost Woods like the other children were able to. If he wasn't such a freak and had a Guardian Fairy, it wouldn't be an issue…
The two children had gathered quite a number of healthy berries, and a basketful of apples to boot. As Saria gathered more food, she glanced over and saw Link smiling to himself as he worked, as if he didn't have a care in the world. It was unusual considering she overheard Ardo mocking him for not having his Guardian Fairy, telling the youngest member of the tribe how much of a freak he was. Yet here Link was, not seeming troubled. Saria would expect him to look at least a little morose. Not that she wanted him to feel bad, but it was strange to her how chipper he seemed.
"Link." The girl gently called. "How are you feeling?"
"Hm?" Link looked over to Saria, still filling his basket of berries. "I'm fine!" He said cheerfully.
Saria couldn't help but notice the way Link's eyes had changed over the years. Ever since he was six, the shining eyes of the youth had slowly started to dim. He could smile all he wanted, but the eyes told another story. "You're not feeling upset at all?"
Link shook his head, still looking over at Saria. "No, I'm not upset. Should I be?"
For a moment, Saria hesitated on if she should continue. Link hadn't known she heard what Ardo said, that she had been listening in. Still, she juts wanted to help and felt his was the best method. "I heard Ardo say some…unkind things to you earlier today."
For a moment, Link's smile faltered before returning back to normal. "It's fine. I'm fine."
"Are you?" Saria asked, feeling she had to push to get any results. "If you're upset, you can tell me." She slowly walked towards him, simply wanting to help her friend.
The younger boy found himself backing away, still with a smile on his face. "I'm okay. I'm fine. I'm happy, Saria!" He kept his voice cheerful and enthusiastic, but inside he was starting to break.
Pressing forward, Saria caught up to Link, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Link, if you need to talk to me about anything, you can. I want to help you."
"I'm…I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm okay!" Link kept saying, his voice cracking with each word. All the stress from the past few weeks was building up, his mask chipping away and he felt unable to do anything about it. "I'm…f-f…I'm…" Suddenly, the boy broke out into tears, sobbing miserably as he looked down at the forest floor. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"
This was what Saria expected. Link was holding in the pain he was feeling, hiding it away behind a fake smile. "It's okay, Link…I promise it will be okay." She felt bad for making a promise she wasn't sure she could keep, but the words just spilled out. The Kokiri held her friend close patting the top of his head when he hugged her tightly. "You've been so brave, Link…Just please don't do this again. Come to me when you need help, okay?"
"I'm sorry…I'm sorry I'm bad…" Link sputtered out, misery and guilt bristling inside him. He was just wasting Saria's time again, making her worry and upset. The boy didn't feel brave, he felt terrible and like he was a nuisance. He was an awful friend; he was a bad boy…
Time passed and soon Link was nine. He tried to wear his mask of happiness a few more times, but it kept shattering away faster and faster, and he quickly gave up on it altogether.
Later on, however, Link formed a new mask. Instead of pretending to be happy, he simply did his best not to convey any emotion. Smiling and acting glad was horribly painful, but not having to force emotions that weren't there actually felt easier for him. Saria caught onto things quickly, and the mask did shatter at times, but he worked hard to keep it intact. He would occasionally allow himself to show Saria his true self in the times he did feel genuine happiness, but even those moments became increasingly rare over time.
Before this second mask was formed, several days after Link turned nine, he learned just how cruel the other children could be. They had proved their nastiness before, but it took an entirely new level during this incident.
As Link slumbered, he felt something small thump against his head. "Hey…!" A small voice called. A female voice. More thumps. "Hey! Wake up!" The voice went off again. "Hey, come on!"
Cracking his eyes open, Link saw a pink fairy floating in front of his face. "Hng…?" He mumbled, still half-asleep. "What is it…?" He sat up, rubbing his eyes as he looked down on the fairy. "Does Father want to see me…?"
"Nope!" The fairy responded. "You're Link, right?" She asked, floating higher to stay at the boy's eye level.
Confused, Link nodded. "I'm Link, yeah…" If she wasn't there to summon him…then…could it be…? "Are you...a Guardian Fairy?" He asked, eyes widening. Normally he would dare not hope, but he just couldn't help himself.
"That's right! My name is Menda, pleased to meetcha!" The fairy said cheerfully. "From this day forward, I'll be your Guardian Fairy!"
At first, Link thought this was a dream. After all, it wouldn't be the first time he had one like this. Pinching his arm, the pain was clear and precise, so it must have been real! An overwhelming joy swelled in Link's chest as he stared at Menda, not sure what to say or do. So, he cupped his hands, wanting his new companion to land on them, which she did. "My…Guardian Fairy? Really?"
"Yeah! Now and forever, we're partners!" Menda exclaimed. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get here. You're…eight, right?"
"Nine." Link automatically corrected. "Uh, well, it's okay. The waiting, I mean." He felt so excited yet so flustered! What else should he do? What else should he say? "Um…I…have to know, why now? Did I do something to make me worthy?"
There was a pause, as if Menda had to think things over. "Well…I just…wanted to wait for you to grow a bit more. Seems it took you quite a long time to reach this stage."
"Oh…That…I'm sorry…I really couldn't help it."
"Hey, no worries!" Menda said, floating up into the air. "That's all in the past now, right?"
Link gave the Guardian Fairy a smile. "R…Right! So…um…what do we do first?"
"Well, why not introduce me to everyone? I bet the others will be excited for you!" Menda said, as she floated towards the room's exit.
Of course! Finally, Link could fit in with everyone else! "Yeah! Let's go!" Link quickly got himself dressed and climbed down the ladder, nearly tripping as he descended. As soon as he reached the ground, he ran into the village proper, yelling out as he went and Menda right on his tail. "Guys! Everyone! I have a Guardian Fairy! Look, everyone! Look!"
As Link yelled out excitedly, a few children looked up from what they were doing. At first, they gave him nasty looks, then saw he was telling the truth and rushed over while some went off to tell others. Before long, the entire village was gathered around Link, muttering eagerly at the sight. Mido watched on in silence, while Fado went over and gave Link a congratulations and a hug. Saria was the last to arrive, holding Link tightly as she smiled up at Menda. "Oh, Link, I'm so happy for you!" She exclaimed, letting the boy go. "I knew you would get a Guardian Fairy one day!"
Link just stood there and smiled, not knowing what to say and just letting the happiness flow through him and watched as Menda floated above the crowd as they gazed at her with bright smiles. Finally, he could fit in with everyone else and be friends again! He could learn to read, count, and all sorts of other things! "Um…Everyone!" He called out, the children going silent. "This is Menda, my…my Guardian Fairy!" Oh, how good it felt to finally say those words!
The Kokiri greeted Menda, who waved to the group, though her light masked the gesture. "Hello, everyone!" She called out to the children. "It's nice to meet you all! As you heard, Link said I'm his Guardian Fairy! Before anything else, there's something important I need to say!"
There was confused chatter among the village, though Mido continued to stay silent. "Menda? Is something wrong?" Link asked, his smile waning slightly.
"Nothing wrong at all." Menda said. "I just needed to clarify s-something." She stuttered at the last word, as if holding in laughter. "The thing is kids…I'm actually a Healing Fairy!" She announced cheerfully.
At first, no one made a sound, everyone simply stared at Menda as she started tittering cruelly. Link stared up at the fairy, smile wiped off his face. "Wh…What? Menda…but you said…"
Menda's laughter was joined in by Mido, who Menda flew over towards. "It's true! I found Menda in the Lost Woods the other day, and thought I'd play a little trick!" He let out a particularly cruel string of laughter as he looked over at Link. "Did you really think you'd ever get a companion, No Fairy?" He asked with a sneer before continuing to laugh at the cruel joke he played.
Link looked around as others joined in Mido's mockery. The child felt as if his heart had been crushed, a cold and miserable feeling flowing through him. A part of him felt angry and miserable for what just happened, but a stronger part felt he deserved what just happened. Why would any fairy ever pick him? No one but Saria would ever care about him. Aside from her, he was alone in the world. Link was so wrapped up in his own misery, he didn't even notice that not all the Kokiri children found this funny aside from Saria. Fado, in particular, looked concerned though at the same time didn't speak up.
Not even uttering a word, Link ran straight towards the Lost Woods, tears welling up in his eyes.
Saria was left behind, looking at the rest of the village with a mortified expression, which quickly formed into one of fury. Saria didn't get angry often, but this was just too much! "You…You're all horrible!" She yelled, quickly making everyone stop laughing. "You should be ashamed of yourselves, every last one of you!"
"Come on, Saria, it was funny!" Mido belted out before he could stop himself. He wouldn't admit it but seeing Saria so mad unnerved him slightly.
"I have nothing to say to you!" The eldest Kokiri snapped, those being the last words she'd speak to Mido for a straight month. Without waiting for further reply, she ran after Link. It didn't take long for her to find him, the boy had stopped only a few trees into the Lost Woods, even in his haste remembering how dangerous the forest was for him. He was curled up at the base of a tree, sobbing into his knees. "Link…" The girl gently called, kneeling down next to her dearest friend. It broke her heart to see Link, her precious Link, like this. He didn't deserve this. No one did.
The boy looked over at Saria, his eyes already red and puffy. "Saria…" Was all he could whimper out before embracing his best friend and crying into her shoulder. He felt so stupid for falling for this prank. He also felt like an idiot for thinking any fairy would actually want him of all people. The child didn't feel he deserved it. After all, he was just a freak and an outcast. It was not long after this that the second mask was formed; one that showed only a stoic appearance with a flat, muted voice to go with it…
Another year, and Link was ten and he believed that he simply didn't deserve a Guardian Fairy.
Not that he showed his misery or frustrations easily. Saria had begged and pleaded for him to stop hiding his emotions away over the last year, but he refused. The mask cracked and shattered a few times, but as time went on, Link found it easier to keep it intact. He even ever barely smiled at Saria when they were alone, even when he really did feel happiness. All Link wanted to do was hide away, hoping if he kept pressing down his emotions, they would go away. That, and Saria wouldn't feel the need to dote over him anymore. If anything, she increased the attention she gave him, worried about her friend and not knowing how to help.
Saria knew at this point that nothing short of getting a Guardian Fairy would make the situation any better. The ridicule of the children actually lightened up, with a few Kokiri stopping their mockery, but even those members of the tribe still avoided Link when possible. It was some sort of improvement at least, but she didn't think Link even realized. Saria had noticed that, aside from her, he tried not to interact with any Kokiri unless he really had to. The girl had found she loved Link in a way she couldn't explain. Unknown to her, Saria loved Link as a mother loved her child, but without the concept of a non-animal mother, she failed to grasp the situation. She knew Link loved her back, but also did not know he loved her as a son loved his mother. All the two realized was they never grew tired of being near each other, and just wanted the other to be happy.
Even after all the other kids, barring Saria, put him through, Link found it impossible to hate any of them. Not even Mido. Despite everything, he simply wanted to be friends with them, that's really all he wanted. A Guardian Fairy, and his old friends back. Was that such a selfish thing to want? Link almost thought so, starting to see himself as complete and utter scum; a waste and a horrible boy that didn't deserve anything good. After all, if he deserved a fairy or the friendship of the other villagers, wouldn't he have those things? All he truly had was Saria, and as guilty as he felt for taking up so much of her time, he felt grateful to her.
"You really have grown, you know." Saria commented one day. It had been a few weeks since Link turned ten, and the two of them were sitting in Saria's so-called secret spot in the early evening. The scene was quiet and serene; two friends on the grass as they gazed up at the hazy sky above them.
"I guess I have." Link replied, speaking in the flat and emotionless tone he had done everything he could to keep up for a while now. By this point, Link was the size of the other children. From everyone else's point of view, the boy was finally fully grown. It took him ten years what took all the others ten months.
"Do you feel…any different?" Saria asked, not really sure what she was going for. It tore her heart in two to hear Link speak in that tone of voice, but she had temporarily given up trying to change his ways. He was simply too stubborn to drop his façade.
The boy shook his head. "No, I don't. Should I?" He had barely even noticed he was the same size as everyone else now. Thinking of it, he realized he and Saria were now the same exact height.
"I don't know. I was just wondering is all." She glanced over at Link, frowning a bit as she did. The girl couldn't help but remember her little Link with his bright blue eyes as he played, rambled on about imaginary situations, asked her to read him a story, sang, danced, and called her Sa-Sa. Just a few short years later, and he was almost a shell of a person. His eyes had dimmed, he barely ever smiled, he didn't play or really do much of anything anymore. He even gave up his Ocarina, throwing it into the Lost Woods in a frenzied state last year. Saria had offered to make him another, but he refused. She just wanted the old Link back, more than anything else…
Link noticed Saria looking over at him, and her frown. "Are you okay? You seem upset."
"Just…thinking." Saria replied. There was a pause. "Maybe…a Guardian Fairy will come. Now that you're grown."
The ten year-old closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before opening them up again. This was the closest thing to frustration he had shown in a while. "Do you really think that?"
While his voice remained flat, Saria couldn't help but feel he was being accusatory. She couldn't even blame him; truth be told she didn't really think that at all. The girl simply wanted a spark of hope to remain in him, that was all. "I…I mean, maybe." There was a tense pause, it seeming that Link didn't want to respond to that. "Say, Link, do you remember when you were five? That time where-"
"I don't really remember a lot." Link interrupted, looking down at his ends as he clenched and unclenched them slowly. "Only the last couple of years…everything before that is a blur."
Saria was surprised to hear such a thing. She was just a few years shy of a thousand, and even then she could remember just about her entire life. In fact, all the Kokiri could. Maybe this was just a way Link was different, like how he grew so slowly. "Oh…Well, never mind then. It's not a big deal..."
There was another bout of silence as Link simply nodded in response. After a minute, he stood up. "Can we go back? I'd like to go to bed." The boy felt so tired all the time and had been going to bed earlier and earlier over the past few months. Despite this, dark circles had started to form under his eyes.
"Oh? Right. Sure, let's go." Saria said, standing up as well. Gently, she took his hand and the two made their way to the village in silence. Neither of them spoke until they reached Link's home. "Goodnight, Link. I'll see you tomorrow." She said, giving him a quick hug.
"Goodnight, Saria." He replied quietly, going up the ladder and out of sight. With that, he kicked off his boots, took off his hat, and got settled in bed. Saria, meanwhile, let out a small and sad sigh before returning to her own home for the night. Before going to sleep, Saria prayed that a Guardian Fairy would come for Link soon. Link, meanwhile, had given up hoping long ago. He simply closed his eyes and was soon asleep.
That night, the sound of thunder and rain would fill the boy's dreams…quickly turning into a nightmare…