Reghedable:Because of the T rating to this story, I've left out some bits that could be considered "suggestive", marked by a (***), as much as I hate censorship. Drop me an email if you'd like the
original document without the censorship.
The last year of his time with the Kokiri was indeed a turbulent one. Mido avoided him whenever he could, never bothering him again; after Link took him down earlier, he was loathe to be in
the same room as him. Thankfully, he kept Link's retaliation to himself. The Kokiri began to act generally more accepting and kindly to Link as well, with Link nearing the age they appeared
as.
His early attraction to Saria had grown to a deep, kinetic love for her that he understood no better than years earlier. Completely oblivious to him, of course, Saria felt little different; they
were locked in that strange and beautiful form of phantom friendship, feeling that profound adoration yet terrified to express it for fear of rejection.
There were moments, of course, where they could see the surface of those feelings in each other, moments that Link would later curse himself for being too cowardly to take advantage of.
The first of those came two weeks into his eleventh year, in the late spring of the Kokiri Forest.
He was dozing in a tree, enjoying the soft warmth of late day against the tough reassurance of heavy bark.
Then, out of nowhere, a sharp prick to his forehead; he was too fargone to rouse himself, and simply ignored it.
Another knock on the head hit him harder, startling him awake; staring up at him was Saria, acorn in hand, her lazy fairy snoozing on her shoulder. "Well, it's about time, sleepyhead." Her
elbows and knees were stained with green, her eyes alight with new discovery. "C'mon down," she said, "I found this really neat pond in the lost woods."
Link shrugged the sleep off and climbed carefully down from the outstretched branch he was sitting on. "What do you mean, pond?" He made the final jump down onto the ground beside
Saria; he stood a small bit taller than her now, relishing her looking up to him for once.
"I mean just that. It's really deep!" With that she took off, as she was prone to doing; Link had never heard of ADD, but he was certain there had to be a name for people who did that. He
took off after her.
They slipped into the Lost Woods, beautiful, immortal and deadly; Link didn't know what would happen to him if he got lost in there, and had no compulsion to try and find out. Saria was now
walking beside him, pulling him urgently toward this pond she was so excited about.
The dizzying log maze confused Link, as always. Saria seemed to know her way like the back of her hand; she made brisk progress, twice accidentally knocking her sour-minded fairy off her
shoulder. He gave up the ghost and fluttered off into the forest to pout.
Finally they arrive at a clearing, a small yet deep body of water at it's center.
"Feel like a swim?" Saria inquired, giving Link a look of mixed playfulness and curiosity. He simply shrugged. He swam before, but not often, nor with Saria. "Sure, I guess."
She beamed at him, and began to pull her arms out of her sleeves. Kokiri are often quite private about their bodies; you would be loathe to find one without the traditional green garb on.
Saria, on the other hand, held no such compunction.
Link, of course, did not expect this; he found his eyes raking her body as she removed her clothing, stunned. (***) She gave him a slightly puzzled smile before jumping in. Link watched her
lucid body flow underwater for a moment, mystified, enjoying a most curious stirring in his loins.
Saria resurfaced, shivering slightly, goosebumps lining her shoulders and chest. She shook her head vigorously, scattering sparkling water across the pond. "Come on in! The water's nice
and cold!" She swam over to his side of the shore and splashed him.
"Hey! I'll get you for that!" He exclaimed, surprising himself with his own enthusiasm. The water was indeed cool, shocking his skin. He disrobed and jumped in after her.
For awhile, they played as children in water do; it was deep into the fragrant night before they were both too tired to continue.
Link sat on the edge of the strange pond, redressed, watching Saria. She was floating nearby, spreading her weight evenly across the water to remain aloft, her sapphire eyes on the night
sky above. Droplets of water rolled down her face, magnifying each raised pore in their silent voyage. Her hair drifted around her head in a green halo of shimmering watergrass. How the
moon's detailed crescent reflected deeply in each iris astounded Link, enraptured him. The pale moonlight seemed to highlight a few small freckles on her cheeks; it also caused the ends of
her eyelashes to sparkle with a deep, wonderful light.
She caught his eye, giving him one of her unique smiles. He looked quickly into the water, blushing.
Wait, something caught his eye; a glinting of something brighter than stone. "Hey, Saria, I think I see something down at the bottom." She turned, swimming over to him. Slipping onto shore
beside Link, she looked down into the dark crystal pond.
Surely enough, glinting in the moonlight, a globular ornament of some kind stood in the sand. In addition to the moonlight glinting off of it's glasslike surface, it seemed to give off it's own
strange radiance; a faint, deep red, barely noticeable.
"I'll get it," Saria whispered, hushed and enthralled by the object.
She was off into the water before Link could stop her; he could do little but wait for her to resurface.
He watched Saria's progress into the deep water; further and further down she went, closing in on the strange orb.
He saw her fingers scrape the surface of the thing; as soon as she touched it, it disappeared.
Simply vanished.
And Saria had stopped moving.
Hot panic shot through Link's veins; he dove into the water with adrenaline-laced speed. His memory grew black, white and grey; he remembered curling his arm around Saria's waist and
blasting back up to the surface as fast as he could manage, taking note of nothing else.
He pulled her ashore.
Her eyes were closed, her lips turning a delicate shade of purple. She wasn't breathing.
Link knew nothing of the concept of CPR, but he was always gifted in quick thinking: She had taken water into her lungs, and that water had to come out. How? Well, the only way possible,
of course; it had to be forced out.
Link plugged her nose with one hand and opened her mouth with his other. He drew a massive breath of air and pressed his lips to hers. The reaction was immediate and explosive, but Link
paid no heed; he blew a steady stream of air into her lungs, terrified, praying feverishly to nothing in particular for this to work.
He parted from her, almost reluctantly, and waited.
A few seconds passed.
Nothing.
Link was on the verge of insane panic, slamming his hands to his forehead in mad impatience.
Suddenly, in a jerking fashion, Saria reared and coughed bubbling water onto the grass. She started coughing violently, eventually subsiding to rapid, laboured breaths. Link does no better;
he nearly passed out from the panic attack.
He took hold of her and pulled her into a fierce hug, pressing his chest to hers. "Don't you ever do something like that again, you hear me," he choked, barely able to control his own voice.
Saria closed her eyes, forcing her breathing to slow and calm. "It's okay, I'm fine," she whispered in his ear. "It was wierd, it's almost as if it took hold of me. Then I touched the thing. It felt
like nothing I've ever touched before, almost like a sort of skin. Then I'm here, coughing up water." She turned and gave Link a small kiss on the cheek; the dizzy, reassuring warmth of the
gesture was enough to calm him down. "You're my hero," she said, uncanny clarity in her voice.
She got dressed, and Link escorted her to her house, moving slowly and carefully. He helped her into bed, tucking her in much like she had done many years agone. He held for a moment
before leaving, glancing back at Saria. Her eyes were closed, her heavy blanket drawn up to her chin. At that moment, he saw not the boisterous, rambunctious, sweet-hearted Saria he was
used to seeing; he saw in her a fragility he didn't know existed, and it scared him. Terrified him. He made a vow to himself upon leaving her house: He would never see her like that again. He
would protect her in any way he could, no matter what.
Whatever that thing was that almost claimed Saria's life was put there for their discovery, this Link was sure of.
He made his way through the brush to the Great Deku Tree's clearing, avoiding the deku babas. When he arrived at the massive tree, he simply sat down and waited to be acknowledged; it
was customary of the Kokiri to never speak first to the Great Deku Tree, Saria had told him once.
A few moments pass, and Link saw dawn creeping across the horizon with heavy eyes.
Link. Welcome.
The Deku Tree's voice echoed in his head like a soft explosion, though no sound was made; it startled Link out of his drowsiness at once. "Great Deku Tree, Saria nearly drowned tonight.
There was a pond in the lost woods-"
Yes. I know. It was an omen, Link. Dark tidings come close, this I sense. I thank you for coming to me. But this is not the only reason you came.
His last few 'words' confused Link. He had come for no other reason, as far as he was aware.
It concerns the child Saria, Link. It burns in your heart. Ask, and I will counsel.
Ah, yes. What burned in his heart was a question, but one he was afraid to have answered. He knew he was different; the other Kokiri knew, even Saria knew. He was fairyless, for one; his
ears ended in points, unlike the ears of the Kokiri, as well. But the strongest factor dividing his mind remained: His most un-Kokirish feelings for Saria.
Link. You love the girl, Saria.
His eyes filmed, but his posture remained strong. "Yes, I do."
Do not pursue her, Link. You are correct: You are different. You will learn your difference soon, my child. I will summon you in a year, and all will be explained. But heed my
warning, dear Link. Down that path lies only despair. For both of you.
His words rang in Links head like funeral bells. The one thing he had feared. The most powerful entity they knew condemning his feelings, simply because he was different. For a moment, he
felt as if he could take an axe to that damn Tree and cut Him down for firewood.
Link. Understand. It will affect not only you, but those around you. When you learn the truth, you will understand.
But Link had already left the clearing, struggling to maintain his composure, not knowing whether to burst out screaming or crying. Bottling the rage like he always did, he climbs his ladder
and slips inside his hut, dragging himself into bed.
That night, he suffered the first of his nightmares.