"I can't believe you were heading the wrong direction the entire time!"
Navi had been extremely snippy recently, scolding Link for being an idiot and growling at how long it took him to complete a puzzle. He slumped to the ground, snorting at the fairy before taking a Deku Stick and drawing in the dirt. "You have the artistic talent of a three year old. Now get up! We have to figure out where the Sacred Stone of Water is! Do you think that Saria knows?" He ignored her, still drawing in the sand. She sighed, waiting for him to finish.
The picture was of the Triforce, that much was obvious. What puzzled Navi was the little arrow with a question mark pointing to the triangle in the center of the symbol. Link gazed up at her, and she knew the exact question he was asking. She sighed, thwapping him on the head before sitting next to the picture.
"Link... there are only three pieces of the TRIforce. Seriously, even the three year old who can draw better than you knows that a TRIangle has THREE SIDES!" Pouting, he rose to his feet and kicked sand over his precious art, letting nature slowly make it vanish.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"Faa-ther, I do not want to marry him!"
The Zora king sighed, rubbing his temples. It was the third time that day that his daughter had bothered him about her marriage arrangements. No matter how much he loved her, he couldn't wait to see her off to Lake Hylia. And from the crowd gathering outside the throne room, neither could the rest of the Fountain population.
"Sweetheart, I'm doing this because I love you. The Sapphire has been in your hands for nearly a week now, and you still haven't given it to him!" The princess snorted, crossing her arms around her chest.
"That's not faaaaiiir!" He rolled his eyes again, waving his hands in dismissal.
"Go, Ruto, and don't return until you've found and proposed to the boy!" She stomped her foot in frustration.
"Well, I need someone to carry me before I can-"
"Just... go."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"Datl... do you think Link and I... will ever be together?" She was sitting on her stump again, looking far skinnier than before. Her once skin-tight dress was hanging off her body, and her cheeks had sunken in. Her eyes were drooping, as if she was going to fall asleep. The fairy sat on top of Saria's shoulder, unsure of what to do.
Her answer came very slowly as she considered her words, "Saria... I don't think that Link's a Kokiri..." The green-haired girl giggled, kicking her stick-thin legs out as if she was on a swing.
"I know that, but neither am I! At least, not on the inside!" Datl's eyes filled with pity at her obvious desperation. Was she trying to lose weight to look more like an adult? Her loss of appetite had started just a few days before, when Link had come to visit them in the exact spot. Since that day, though Saria's once bright eyes had dimmed.
"Saria... will you at least tell me why you aren't eating...? We're all very worried about you! Mido even baked you a pie, and you didn't eat it..." She shrugged.
"Link, Link, Link, when will you return to your true home? Outside is not for you... Come back to me, please, and we can live our lives together..." Saria curled up into fetal position, sobbing into her legs. Datl attempted to intervene, sweeping in front of her while making tingling noises. The Kokiri looked up, light returning to her eyes, "Is... is that Link?"
Datl's eyes flashed in pain at the lie she was about to tell. "Um, yes. It is Link... He's been trying to contact you for hours! So what are you waiting for, Saria? Play the ocarina already!" As she began to play her song, Datl sighed in relief. At least she would be distracted for a few hours.
Maybe she could even force some food down her throat.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"Wooooaaaah!" Navi was buzzing again, her form shivering as Saria contacted him. Link grabbed the fairy in his palm, carefully not to squeeze her in his desperation for the message. Her glow flashed in and out, occasionally showcasing a frazzled Navi. Finally she coughed, shaking slightly.
"W-would you like to speak to Saria, Link?" He nodded, allowing his fairy to fly free again as Saria's voice crackled through her body.
"Link, it's you! From Navi's memories I see that you're looking for the Sacred Stone of Water, right?" Link frowned. Just by her voice alone, Saria sounded tired and weak. He glared at Navi, expecting her to translate his thoughts to words. She ignored him, though, too tired from the connection to pay attention to her partner.
"Well, King Zora has the Stone, or so the legend goes, anyway. They reside in Zora's Domain; a great spring that supplies water to all of Hyrule! Isn't that fascinating? Anyway, I have to go. Datl's getting annoyed!" With a single, weak giggle, Saria's voice disappeared from Navi, leaving her sputtering.
"At least we know where to go now, right? Remind me to thank your girlfriend, then punch her for all the pain she's caused."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"Oh dear," Saria frowned, placing her finger upon her chin, "We forgot to tell them about the owl. Oh well, he should be fine."
A/N: This is the first chapter that I am personally ashamed of. It moves the plot nowhere, and honestly just has a bunch of inside jokes between me and my gamer buddies. Plus, it was written at one in the morning, which didn't really help the quality.
Princess Ruto's a spoiled brat, too. Again, this was an inside joke when we were discussing the Legend of Zelda. She'll be characterized better once we actually *get* somewhere, as this was just sort of the result of a writing binge.
And something's wrong with Saria, but I can't say it yet~
Anyway, reviews are loved! 3