When the light died down, everyone was no longer in the stump.

Now, they were surrounded by what looked to be an endless ocean, and were standing on a small stone platform. The appearance of the area was faded and hazy, almost like a dream.

"Where... where are we? Was that the harp we just took?"

Before them, a glowing silhouette hovered. The figure shone so brightly that none of them could look directly at it. It moved slowly, and spoke in a booming, feminine voice.

"Tread with caution... things may not be... as... they..."

Before the mysterious woman could finish her sentence, the area around them faded back to normal, though they were no longer in the stump, they stood in the square of Dekudeku Village. Link, Saria, and Mari all looked around in confusion. The boy, however, acted as if nothing had happened.

"Wait... who was that? Was that... was that the spirit you felt calling from the harp, Saria?"

"Yes, I think it was... how peculiar... she seemed to want to say something to us. 'Things may not be as they'... as they seem?"

"Well, I have no idea what we're supposed to think that means, but we have the first piece of the harp! Mandgrova should be proud of us!"

Link looked in his hands, he was still in possession of the shining green object. So this was the harp piece? It gleamed in the light of the sun through the trees, giving off an emerald hue.

"Daddy!"

"Junior!"

The little boy ran up to Mayor Briggi and gave him a big hug. The father and son embrace was enough to bring a smile to anyone's face.

"Are you okay, my son? What happened?"

"There were these awful monsters, they carried me off, but those warriors rescued me! They got rid of all of the monsters!"

"Really? In that case, commemoration is in order! For rescuing my son, and liberating our humble town from the rampant monsters, I will give you three the town treasure! Junior, please fetch it for me."

"Right away, daddy!"

The word 'treasure' brought looks of excitement to everyone's face, but their expressions quickly dropped to confusion. Junior brought a small box to the mayor, and from it, he pulled a wooden boomerang out and handed it to Saria, who was slightly dumbfounded by the item. Mari, on the other hand, was livid at their prize.

"A boomerang?! We go through all that, and all we get is a toy?!"

"Now, fairy. I'm sure you can tell I'm an honest man. Do you think I would simply give someone a toy for rescuing my son?"

"Er, no?"

"Of course not! This is no mere toy, it is a powerful piece of equipment! It's a magic boomerang! Do you mind, little girl?"

"Of course!"

Saria handed the mayor the boomerang, then he reared back and threw it. The boomerang soared brilliantly through the trees, whizzing past many, but not hitting a single one. It smacked into a tree branch, caught an apple, and returned to the mayor the apple still on board.

"Cool! I always love it when you do that, dad!"

"Hoho! I've still got it! Here you go."

He returned the boomerang and handed the apple to Saria.

"As you can see, that boomerang can carry things back to whomever threw it. As well as that, it always returns!"

"Awesome! *crunch* Heh, this apple is delicious too. The boomerang has good taste."

"Indeed it does, only the best in our forest!"

Mari finally let her gratitude show through.

"Well, I suppose this thing could be an invaluable asset. Thanks, sir."

"Oho, you're quite welcome! Thank you for saving my son, you three are welcome in our village any time. You look to be quite a team! Though, might I ask, why haven't you said anything? There's no need to be shy, boy!"

Link took a step back and stared at the mayor silently.

"Er... Link doesn't talk much. He likes to keep quiet."

"Well, I can respect that. Now, you bunch go off and do whatever it is you warriors do, take care!"

Link breathed a sigh and turned around. He wasn't too big on speaking to people he didn't know, or talking in general. He nodded to Saria in thanks for talking for him. Even she rarely heard him speak. The trio of heroes started off towards the village exit.

"Oh my! Young lady, that looks like a nasty cut. Would you like me to get that cleaned for you? Free of charge?"

Saria stiffened and covered her shoulder with her hand.

"I'm fine, thanks..."

"Are you sure dear? It would be no trouble."

"I said I'm fine!"

The sudden lash out took Link and the mayor by surprise. Why was she refusing help? Was she still hiding something? Why was she covering her wound? She had no reason not to be treated... unless... Link glanced at her shoulder. Around her hand, her tunic was stained red. Red? Not green? How was this so? The Kokiri had green blood, did they not? Red blood meant... was she Hylian? No, that didn't make sense... he had known her all his life, and had even seen her bleed before. Her blood was green, and she was a child of the forest. Yet, the red stain begged to differ.

"My goodness! Is something wrong? I meant no offense."

"No, nothing, I-..."

Saria's eyes met Link's. They exchanged looks for a but a short moment, but it may as well have been for an hour. She could read those eyes like a book. He had seen her wound. 'Well, no use in hiding anything now.'

"...I guess I could take a few bandages."

"Oh splendid! If you like, we can sew up the hole in your tunic while we're at it."

"That would be good, thanks."

"Wonderful! Right this way, please! Junior, make sure they're ready for us."

"Yes sir!"

"And while you're waiting, young man, take these and get yourself a refreshment, you deserve it!"

Mayor Briggi gave Link a handful of rupees and lead Saria off to the nearby medical center, leaving the boy and the fairy to themselves. He gave her a questioning glare.

"That girl... she's reminding me more and more of you... holding things in..."