Chapter 4- Fun and Confessions
"Hey, girls..." said Link, looking up at them, "How about until my food settles, I'll tell you a story? That should pass the time better."
"Nice idea, Link!" said Saria, "You can tell us what you were doing while you were away!"
Zelda seemed a little worried at hearing this from Saria and looked down at Link. "Um, Link? Could I have a word with you, privately?" she asked.
Link was curious as to why she said that, but decided to go ahead with it. "Um...sure, Zelda." said Link.
The other two girls went off and talked with each other for a few minutes so Zelda could speak to Link. "So, what is it? Is something wrong?" asked Link.
"It's just that..." started Zelda, sounding worried, "If you tell them about your adventure, it might cause bad things in the future. Time shouldn't be trifled with rashly, you know."
"Not to worry, Zelda!" said Link, sounding reassured, "I plan on telling them it like it was a fairy tale or something of the like."
Zelda smiled when she heard that. "Smart thinking for someone so small." she joked.
"Zelda..." said Link in an annoyed voice. Zelda just giggled and called the girls back over. When Malon and Saria returned, they all sat close to the stump and listened to Link's story. Link told them of his adventure, only leaving out the more important things like how Saria became a Sage and Zelda getting kidnapped. Instead, he told it like it was a fairy tale, about how a young man was destined to save a princess from an evil king, and that he also needed to free his six other friends from the clutches of the evil king's most trusted minions. "All in all, the young hero conquered over the evil king, and with the princess helping him, used magic to seal him away forever. The hero was praised for his tremendous courage, but sadly had to go back to the land from whence he came. After that, legends were told of this hero for all of time, even though after that no one ever saw him again. Peace had returned to the land, and everyone lived happily ever after." Link finished.
"That was a wonderful story, Link!" said Saria, smiling and quietly clapping her hands.
"Yeah, that was neat! Where did you hear this story, anyways?" asked Malon.
"Just something I read during my adventures out of the forest." said Link, getting up and stretching himself out.
"Well, then..." said Zelda, standing up to her full height, "Now that Link's food has surely settled, what game should we play first?"
As Zelda said this, Link got a worried look on his face. I just hope it's something safe... he thought to himself.
"Funny you should ask..." said Malon, a grin on her face, "While you were speaking to Link earlier, me and Saria came up with something."
"Like what?" asked Link, a little edgy on asking this.
Instead of answering him, Saria scooped Link up in her left hand and brought him up slowly to her shoulder. Link was a bit surprised at this, but got over it quick as Saria gently sat Link on her shoulder. "Just wait, you'll see!" said Saria, smiling.
Link was getting a bit nervous about this, but knew he could trust Saria and his other friends. "Okay, we're going to play catch!" said Malon.
"Huh? But how? I'm too small to catch anything!" said Link, sounding surprised.
"You don't need to." said Malon, smiling a wider smile, "That's because we're going to catch you!"
"WHAT?!!" yelled Link, even more surprised than before. "Hey! I'm not a toy, you know!!"
"Aw, c'mon! Where's that tough Link I always knew?" joked Saria.
"Girls, you can't be serious..." said Link, groaning. But the looks on the girl's faces showed that they weren't kidding. Even Zelda seemed to agree. Having seen that, Link gave in. "Alright, but be gentle, okay?" he murmured.
"Okay! I'll throw him first!" said Saria. The other girls nodded and ran back a few steps away from Saria. Saria shook her head. "Go back further! I'm really gonna let him fly!" she said. The other girls did that and were soon about 20 feet away from Saria. Saria gave an OK sign signaling them it was far enough. She then looked at Link, still on her shoulder, and he was shivering all over like he was frozen stiff.
"Saria..." said Link, still shivering, "You're not really going to throw me THAT far, are you?"
"Don't be silly!" said Saria, "I can't throw that far by myself!"
Link gave a big sigh of relief. "So then, why did you make them back up that far?" he asked.
Saria gave a big smile and slowly stood up, keeping one hand below the shoulder Link was on so that if he fell, she'd catch him. Luckily for Link, he had a good sense of balance and stayed on her shoulder with only a few minor slips. Once Saria was standing, she reached into her pocket and pulled out something that looked, despite the size difference, all-too-familiar to Link. Link's eyes nearly shot out of his head when he saw his slinghot in her right hand!
"Hey! That's mine! What are you doing with it?!" asked Link in an angry manner.
"You had this in your pocket the night we shrank you, and we didn't want you using anything to escape, so I held onto it for you." explained Saria.
"But, what are you going to do with it?" asked Link, sounding confused, "You don't have any Deku Seeds to shoot from it..."
"Who said I was shooting seeds?" said Saria, giving Link a teasing grin.
"But, that's what you shoot out of a..." Link started but then froze stiff knowing exactly what Saria had in mind. Link nearly jumped off Saria's shoulder in panic. Link's face was filled with fear as he shouted to Saria, "ARE YOU NUTS?!"
Instead of replying to that outburst, Saria gently picked Link off her shoulder and placed him in the center part of the slingshot's rubber band and carefully pulled it back, with Link struggling to get free. Soon, Saria had pulled him back as far as she could, and Link was pleading to Saria to not go through with this.
"Saria! You're crazy!" said Link, still struggling, but to no avail, "Please, don't do this! What makes you think I'll go towards Zelda or Malon anyways?!"
"Just trust me, Link." said Saria, "Besides, think of it like flying!"
"But-but-but-but-!!" stuttered Link, but Saria paid no attention to him as she called out to Zelda and Malon. "Okay girls! Here he comes!"
Link froze in place and clutched onto himself as hard as he could as he heard Saria count down...
"Three..." counted Saria.
Link broke in a hot sweat...
"Two..."
Link's teeth were chattering...
"One...!"
Link's eyes shut tight...
"FIRE!!!"
THWIP!! went the slingshot.
"CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPP!!!" Link yelled as he went soaring through the air. Link screamed the whole way, as he was sent zooming towards Malon and Zelda. Soon, he felt the momentum of the slingshot give away, and knew he'd be slowing down soon. Link continued screaming and covered his eyes, waiting for the horrible impact of the ground below...
But instead, he landed on something soft. Link pried his hands away from his eyes and found out that he had landed right on Zelda's hat. The only thing is, he wasn't on her head. Zelda had used the hat as a sort of net to catch Link. Link, still shivering a bit from the experience he had just went through, slowly stood up inside Zelda's hat and looked up at Zelda's huge face with a blank look.
"Are you okay Link?" asked Zelda in a worried tone, "I hope Saria didn't overdo it..."
Link just continued to stare up at Zelda with the same blank look. Soon, however, he spoke up. "I...I...I..." he stuttered in between long breaths, but what he said next surprised Zelda even more. "I...I WANNA DO THAT AGAIN!!" he said with a joyful look on his face.
Zelda's eyes went wide when she heard that from Link. "What?! Are you serious?!" she asked, making sure he was indeed, "You didn't hit your head or anything, did you?" she added, sounding worried yet in a somewhat joking manner.
"Are you kidding?!" said Link, laughter permating his voice, "That was the ride of my life! C'mon, I want to go again!"
"Tee-hee! Okay, okay!" said Zelda, giggling.
With that, each of the girls had a few turns firing Link from the slingshot, each one using Zelda's hat to catch him in. There was one instance where Link almost didn't get caught, but even so, Link enjoyed every moment of it, and was just laughing the whole way through. The girls, especially Zelda, were all having a lot of fun shooting Link from his slingshot, and were pleased to see that he was too. They continued this for a few more rounds before they just fell on the grass laughing. Link at the time was still in Zelda's hat, rolling on his back and laughing as well.
Soon, the laughing subsided, and the girls went over to Zelda's hat lying on the ground, where Link was still laughing his butt off from having so much fun. "So, was that fun, Link?" asked Malon, smiling down at him.
"You bet!" said Link, trying to stop laughing so he could speak clearly, "That was the most fun I've had in my whole life!"
"You see, Link?" said Zelda, smiling, "You can't just work your life away. You need to have fun as well."
Having been reminded of how he had acted around the girls the other day, Link's happy tone went flat. He had a worried look on his face as he stood back up. He looked up at the girls, who were standing at thier full height. He had to admit that they looked a bit frightening to him because of the sheer size difference, but he knew he was in capable hands, since they were his lifelong friends. Soon, Link spoke up. "Girls...can we take a walk? I have something to confess..."
The three girls were a little surprised at this, but decided that a walk would be nice. "Sure, Link. I'll carry you as we walk." said Malon. She then set her hand down near Link so he could hop on. Link hopped on her open hand and Malon carefully lifted him up and set him on her shoulder. Zelda then picked her hat off the ground and brushed the grass from it before putting it back on her head.
The girls then started walking through the mazelike structure of the Sacred Forest Meadow, all the while Link was carefully sitting on Malon's shoulder. He held onto a few strands of Malon's hair just to be sure he wouldn't fall off. "So, what is this thing you want to confess?" asked Malon.
"It's about how I acted towards you girls the other day." said Link, sounding somewhat depressed. "It's the reason why I did."
"Really? What is it?" asked Saria.
"It's a long story, but I'll try to tell it out." said Link. "After my adventure outside the forest was over, I got seperated from Navi."
"Really?!" exclaimed Saria, "I knew something was different...Navi's not with you anymore!"
"Yeah, she isn't." said Link in a glum manner, "She must have realized that I could take care of myself from now on, so she just up and left. It's because of that, as well as much of what I went through in my adventure, that I decided that I needed to be more responsible not only for myself, but for others as well. That's why I shunned playtime and used the time instead to keep fit and wait for the next danger to impede on the forest or the rest of the world."
This was all being listened to very carefully by the girls, and Saria in particular was really interested. "But, a fairy doesn't just up and leave a Kokiri, Link! That just isn't right!" said Saria, stopping the group and getting in front of the shoulder Link was sitting on.
Link saw the look in Saria's eyes, and he knew he had something else to confess. "Saria..." started Link, swallowing hard, "There's something about me you should know...but...I'm a little scared of telling it to you."
Saria was confused at Link's statement. "What do you mean? We're best friends, Link. You can tell me anything you want." she said.
Link just stared at Saria's face for a short time before taking a deep breath and speaking again. "Saria...I'm...not a Kokiri."
Saria gasped and had a shocked look on her face. "But...then...what are you?!" she asked in a slightly panicked tone.
"I'm a Hylian, Saira." said Link, "I'll eventually grow up. How else could I have left the forest and not died? I just hope this doesn't change how you look at me..." Link looked down in disgust, forgetting that he was (to him) high up in the air on Malon's shoulder.
Saria was speechless for a short while, but soon she looked at Link again with a smile, the same kind, gentle smile she always had. "Link...don't you remember what I said to you before you left the forest for the first time?"
Link looked at Saria for a moment, but then his eyes widened when he remembered. "Um...yeah." he said, "You told me that regardless of the fact I was different from all the other Kokiri, we would still be friends forever, right?"
Saria's heart lept when she heard that. "Exactly! You remembered!" she said, her sad tone now exciting.
"How could I forget something my best friend said?" said Link, smiling.
Saria couldn't contain her excitement and snatched Link from Malon's shoulder and hugged him tightly near her chest. Link was totally taken aback by this, but despite the fact Saria had a tight grip on him, he found the hug to be rather...cozy. Link gave in and let Saria continue to hug him, feeling reassured that Saria didn't think differently of him since he told her of the fact that he was a Hylian and not a Kokiri.
"Awwww..." said Malon and Zelda, watching the whole scene.
Hearing this, Link started to feel a bit embarassed on the fact someone else was seeing this. He blushed, but no one seemed to notice. "Um...Saria? You can let me go now." said Link flatly.
Saria released the hug and placed Link back on Malon's shoulder. Link had to gasp for air a bit after being placed back on Malon's shoulder from the gigantic hug he was given, but he soon felt better as he gripped a few of Malon's hairs and the gang continued walking through the forest.
"Link..." said Saria, sounding heartfelt and warm.
"Yeah?" asked Link.
"Thanks for telling me that." replied Saria, "Now I know why you were different than the others, and now...I have no more regrets."
"Uh...sure, no problem." said Link.
Soon, though, Link heard a loud growl, but it wasn't the growl of a beast, but of Malon's stomach. "Oops...guess it's lunchtime." she said, "It has been awhile since we ate this morning."
"Good point. Guess we should find some more Likan berries, huh?" said Zelda.
"I saw a Likan tree a bit further back." said Link, "Why don't we have a picnic underneath it?"
"That's a great idea, Link!" said Malon.
With that, the three girls, with Link hitching a ride on Malon's shoulder, went back to a Likan tree that was a bit further back. When they got there, they saw the tree was large...very large even to the girls, but even more so to Link. "How are we supposed to climb up there? It's way too high!" said Malon, feeling a bit like Link staring up the large tree.
Link looked at the tree and saw there were a few low branches, but they were still too high for the girls to reach. Link thought for a moment, but then had an idea. "Hey, Saria! I've got an idea!" he said.
"Huh? What is it, Link?" asked Saria in a questionable tone.
"Think you can slingshot me up there?" said Link pointing to the lowest branch on the tree.
Saria was shocked at first, but then realized Link's plan. "I think so, but..." she started, feeling worried for Link, "How are you going to pick the berries at your size? Um, no offense..."
"None taken." said Link, "As for your question, well..." Link smiled as he held up his right wrist, showing the Goron Bracelet he got from Darunia a long while back, "You didn't quite get all my equipment off me!" he finished, smiling wide.
The girls looked closely at Link's wrist, seeing the Goron Bracelet on it. As the girls stared at it, Link felt a bit claustrophobic at the fact that the girl's faces were surrounding him. He tried his best to shrug it off as he began to explain the bracelet. "This is a Goron's Bracelet." he started, "I needed it to pick bomb flowers up on a mountain, and I think it should give me enough strength to pick the berries, even if I am only 3 inches tall."
The girls pulled thier faces away from Link and looked back up the tree. Saria then turned to link on Malon's shoulder. "All right, Link, I'll do it." said Saria, knowing that Link can always be trusted.
Without hesitation, Saria carefully plucked Link off Malon's shoulder and got out the slingshot with her other hand. She placed Link in the middle of the rubber band strap and pulled back and aimed a little above the lowest branch. But before she let go, she looked over at Link. "Good luck." she whispered.
Link looked at her and gave her a thumbs up. Saria smiled and looked back at the branch and aimed carefully. Soon, with another THWIP, Saria let Link fly up towards the branch. Link spead his arms out like a bird to make himself maneuver just above the branch. he landed a bit roughly on the second lowest branch, but it didn't faze him that much. "Oof...that was kinda rough, but I think I'm okay." he said to himself as he brushed off the tree bark debris on him.
"Link! Are you okay?" came Zelda's voice from below.
Link peered over the edge of the branch and put his hand up to his mouth to amplify his voice. "I'm fine! Now stand below the branch so you can catch the berries!" he yelled.
The girls nodded and went below the branch Link was on. When Link saw that they were in position, he went and grabbed the nearest Likan berry and pulled with all his might. Oddly enough, thanks to the power the Goron's Bracelet gave him, he was able to pick the berry with little trouble, not to mention even lift it over his head! Link smiled and went to the edge of the branch. "Okay! Here they come!" he yelled down to the girls. With that, he flung the berry downwards towards the girls and saw them catch it without trouble. Link smiled and went on to pick more.
After about fifteen minutes of this, Link picked a total of 34 Likan berries, and the girls had caught every one of them easily. Link sat down on the branch and took a few deep breaths, seeing he did a hard, but well-done job. As he relaxed, he heard Malon's voice. "Hey, fairy-boy! How are you gonna get down?" she asked.
Link's eyes went wide upon hearing that. SHOOT! he thought to himself as he slapped his head in disgust, I completely forgot about that! But just before he was about to acknowledge Malon, her saw a vine on the branch. Perfect! he thought as he got up and headed towards the vine. As he did, he yelled back down to the girls. "I'm going to drop a vine! One of you stand under it so you can catch me, okay?"
Link's message got across to the girls, and Saria went closer to the tree. She saw a vine slowly being lowered down, so she stood underneath it, waiting for Link to say he was coming down. Soon, the vine stopped lowering down, and Saria faintly heard Link's voice. "Okay! I'm coming down!"
"Alright, Link! I'm right here if you need me!" said Saria. Soon, she saw the tiny Link climb slowly down the vine. Thankfully, he wasn't having any trouble doing it. Soon, Link reached the bottom of the vine, which just happened to dangle right in front of Saria's face. Saria brought her open hands up so Link could drop down safely. Link did so, and Saria carried him over to the other girls.
"Is he alright?" asked Malon.
"He's fine, just a little tired." responded Saria.
"You have no idea..." mumbled Link, still in Saria's hands.
"Well, maybe some food will help relax you." said Zelda, placing a Likan berry in Saria's palms next to Link.
"Wait a sec..." said Saria, seeing Link crawl over to the berry and then stopping when he heard her.
"Oh, no..." muttered Link, sounding annoyed, "Don't tell me I have to work for my lunch too..."
Saria giggled at Link's remark. "Don't be stupid, Link." said Saria, smiling, "You did enough work getting these down. I just want to sit down first so I can put you in my lap. It'll be more comfortable that way for you."
"Oh...I see. Then go ahead!" said Link, relieved that Saria wouldn't make him work again.
Saria smiled and slowly sat down in the grass, then placed Link and the berry in her lap. After that, Link and the girls began eating berries and chatting about other things going on in thier lives. They were all having a wonderful time.
This happy (not to mention cute) time was interrupted though, when another voice could be heard. "HEY! SARIA!!" came the voice, loud but distant.
The trio and thier shrunken friend turned to look to se that Mido was coming thier way. This frightened all of them, especially Link. "Oh, shoot! I can't let Mido see me like this! What are we going to do?!" he panicked.
"I don't know Link! We have to do something before he sees you...but what?" said Zelda, also frightened.