Author's Note: Thank you to Post Rapture, DoomRater, Mihaele Rose, Ides of Diamonds, and everybody who read and/or reviewed my first fic. This is not only my second attempt at a fic, but also my first attempt at a true epic. And I'd like to give credit to any author whose characters or excerpts from their stories (I haven't used one yet) that I used. I can't stress enough how much I'd like everyone to READ AND REVIEW, because I feel this may be something special.


Chapter 14

It had been two months. It was two months since the Kokiri 12 had moved into the Forest Temple. Granted, it was a tragedy that the village that she had lived in nearly her whole life was burned down. But Saria couldn't be happier that her friends had come to live in the Forest Temple. It had ended five years of solitude, loneliness, and stormy nights in which she would cry herself to sleep. And while life wasn't the same as it was back in the village, it was a good life nonetheless.

Saria was almost worried that her day might be boring, but suddenly she felt someone tap her shoulder.

"AAAHHH!!" Saria screamed as she jumped into the bush on the side of the courtyard garden. Saria poked her head to see Somi, one of her best friends. "Somi! Why did you have to scare me like that? Can't you just call instead of just appearing out of nowhere like some Poe?"

Somi smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. But there's something I've got to tell you."

Saria grinned. "What? Did the Know-It-All brothers get stuck in the hole again?"

"No," Somi answered. "It's nothing like that."

"Hmm…the girls haven't been gossiping about me again, have they?"

"Uh, no."

"Well, what is it?"

"It's Mido. He called a meeting in the main entrance hall."

Saria didn't know what to make of that. It had been a long time since Mido had called a meeting. In fact, for Saria, it had been many years since she had been at a Kokiri meeting. And Mido had changed since the Imprisonment War. If he called a meeting, then it must be important. "Well, I guess we'll have to go." Saria began to head out, but Somi grabbed her arm.

"Wait a minute, Saria. You aren't in a hurry to get to that meeting, are you?" Somi asked. "You remember how all the meetings are, don't you?"

"All the meetings?" Saria asked. "You mean all the years that I've been gone and nothing's changed?"

"Exactly," Somi responded. "I remember one of the first meetings we had after you left…"

Somi had no idea why Mido called this meeting. All she knew was, it had been six months since Saria had left. And meetings haven't been the same without her.

"I declare that this meeting begin," Mido said.

"Good," said Miso, the boy who always cut Saria's grass. "Now can you declare this meeting over?" The Kokiri laughed, except for Mido. The chaos had begun.

"D'oh. Don't you all start with me. I call these meetings for a reason," Mido responded.

"And none of those reasons are any good," Dore, one of the Know-It-All brothers, shouted. Somi and the other Kokiri were often witness to power struggles between Dore and Mido. And somehow, someway, Mido would always retain his power.

"I'm not arguing with you people tonight. I'm past that," Mido declared proudly.

That was something Somi and the other Kokiri couldn't understand. Mido had been so confrontational before. But a few years ago, Mido…changed. He had become less cocky, less angry, and didn't throw his weight around as much anymore.

"First order of business," Mido continued. "Has anybody, I mean anybody, seen Saria anywhere? She's been gone for months."

"Nope," Dila, the eldest of the Know-It-All brothers, said. "Face it, Mido, she's gone."

"But what could have happened to her?" asked Fala, one of the twins and probably the most panicky of the Kokiri.

"Well, she said she was going to the Forest Temple," said Sofa, the youngest of the Know-It-All brothers. "Maybe one of monsters got her."

"Yeah," added Ralo, Fala's twin sister. "She could be dead for all we know."

Somi didn't want to face that possibility. And she wasn't the only one.

"Don't say that!" exclaimed Sodo, the peaceful boy who watched the bridge to the vastness. "She can't be dead. I won't believe that!" It appeared to Somi that Sodo missed Saria as much as she did.

"Enough!" Mido said. "The last thing in the world I want is for Saria to be dead. But it's been months. Unfortunately, it's a possibility that we must all consider." The room grew silent at that sobering revelation. "On another topic, we need to beef up security around here. The monsters seem to be multiplying by the day."

"Well, we can't be expected to be the only protectors of the village," Dila said. The Know-It-All brothers could always be seen training for battle everyday. But lately, they've been called into action a lot, fighting the Giant Deku Babas and the Mad Deku Scrubs that have been plaguing the village.

"And protecting this village isn't exactly a high-paying job," Dore added.

"Yeah," Sofa finished. "We're always buying arrows from Domi. We're practically broke."

"Hey, don't blame me," Domi, the shopkeeper, said. "I'm just a business man trying to make a profit."

"More like a cheat trying to take all our rupees," Sofa responded.

"Hey, don't call Domi a cheat," Rala said. Rala was one of the more attractive of the Kokiri girls. But she only had eyes for Domi, which boggled the minds of the other Kokiri boys. "His prices are always fair."

"Compared to what?" Dore shot back.

"Yeah, Rala," added Dila "You're only saying that because you're always getting a discount."

"Of course, we can't ask girls to understand this argument," Miso said loudly.

"What do you mean by that?" Mira asked. Somi was surprised to hear her speak. Mira had always been the recluse of the village. She wasn't seen much, except by Somi who lived with her, and she was rarely heard. Suddenly, it was as if a chain reaction had been set off.

"Yeah, what's wrong with girls?"

"Girls just don't understand."

"What? That boys are stupid?"

"Hey, we're not the ones who don't understand."

"We understand perfectly. You boys are stupid."

"Are not. Girls are."

"Are not."

"Are too."

"Are not."

"Are too."

"Are not."

"Are too."

Somi was always more than willing to join in these little tiffs. But tonight, she wasn't in the mood. She decided to walk out amidst the chaos.

Saria wasn't exactly ecstatic over the memories. "I guess some things never change. But I think we have to go anyway."

Somi grabbed a giant stick. Saria guessed it would be taken to the meeting just in case. Hey, at these meetings, a stick was sometimes a necessity.

Saria was heading out, until Somi grabbed her arm again.

"Saria?" Somi asked. "Which door is it, again?"

Saria groaned. "Somi, you've been here for two months. And you still don't know which door it is? How do you even find this place, anyway?"

"I just get lucky I guess," Somi grinned.

Saria led Somi through one of the doors. If this were like any other meeting, it would be a long day for Saria.


Chapter 15

As Link dried off, he saw the grim expression on Princess Zelda. And he saw the look of compassion on Malon. But he didn't want to notice them for too long. He had to get going right away. He couldn't waste a second in getting to the Forest Temple. His best friend, Saria, was in serious danger. Especially if Meyson was already there. He changed back into his Kokiri tunic and approached Zelda.

"Zelda," Link began. "We need to get to the forest right now. Before it's too late." He handed her the Ocarina of Time.

Zelda grasped the Ocarina. "Ok, everybody come closer. We're going to the forest." Link and Malon huddled up close to Zelda as she began to play the Ocarina of Time. Link had nearly forgotten how soothing the Minuet of Forest sounded. But his momentary relaxation was halted. The song had ended, but they were all still in Lake Hylia.

"What happened?" Malon asked.

"I…I don't know," Zelda responded in confusion. "Let me try again." Again, Zelda played the Minuet of Forest. And once again it failed. Link, Malon, and Zelda were still standing in Lake Hylia.

Link was seething. "Why are we still here?! What happened?!"

Zelda started examining the Ocarina. "I don't understand it. It should've worked. It always works. Something's wrong with it…unless…" Zelda stood silent.

Link tried to get her talking again. "Unless…?"

Zelda continued. "Unless Meyson sees us coming. He may have used his evil magic to block the Ocarina's power. We won't be able to use it."

Link was about to explode. He couldn't believe this latest turn of events. "So what are you saying here, princess? We can't use the Ocarina to go save my friends? And now we're stuck here in Lake Hylia, without our horses, so we'll have to walk all the way to the Forest Temple? By the time we get there it'll be too late!"

Zelda managed to keep her composure, while Link lost his. "Calm down, Link. We'll just go back to the castle and get the horses. It should only be a few days until we get to the Forest Temple."

"Do you even have a horse, Zelda?" Malon asked.

"I'm Princess of Hyrule. Of course I do," Zelda smiled. "Now let's go."

They all huddled together again. Link had never heard this song before, but of course, Link never warped to Hyrule Castle before. In a few moments, Link saw a white light. They were being transported.



Saria was just leaning on the wall, waiting for this meeting to begin. But it was something about this that made her a bit uneasy. Something about this wasn't right, she could sense it. Of course as paranoid as she was that day, of course she jumped when she felt a tapping on her shoulder. When she turned around, she expected to see Somi, but it wasn't her.

"Hey, Saria," said Sodo, the peaceful boy. "A little jumpy today?"

If Saria had to describe someone's behavior as being unusual, she had to look no further than Sodo. He had been acting so weird since he moved in. Around Saria, his emotions would vary constantly. He could go from jittery, to giddy, to completely flustered. There was something about Sodo's behavior that made Saria curious. She didn't know what to make of it. Had he been traumatized? Did he have a near death experience and has he never recovered? Or had he simply gone insane from having to watch the bridge to the vastness for so long? Could it be withdrawal from not watching the bridge to the vastness? It had been a part of his routine for as long as Saria could remember, granted it wasn't by his choice but by the orders of Mido, and the sudden stop may have snapped something in the young boy's brain.

"I'm fine, Sodo," Saria answered. "You just scared me a bit."

"W-Well, t-that's good. How've you been?" Sodo asked nervously.

Saria could hardly take it. He was doing it again. He was starting to break into a nervous sweat. And he always seemed to do it around her.

"Sodo?" Saria asked the boy curiously. "Is there something wrong? You've been acting strange lately."

Sodo appeared to get flustered again. "Uh…uh…Hey look! The meeting's starting. See ya, Saria." And Sodo ran off quick. Something was bothering that boy, and Saria vowed to find out what it was, sooner or later.

But she shrugged that off for now. Mido had finally made his way to the top of elevator that went to the basement. Saria had to admit that it did give him a greater sense of presence. But that was probably just her opinion.

"Ok," Mido began. "Settle down here, everyone."

"Can't we settle down somewhere else?" Miso said. Everyone laughed. Saria could hardly believe it. Things really hadn't changed.

But surprisingly, Mido didn't respond.

"Uh, didn't you hear me, Mido?" Miso asked.

Mido ignored him. "We need to get to our first order of business."

"Can we just skip to our last order of business, so we can leave?" Dore smirked. Everyone laughed again, yet Mido was still unfazed.

"Hey, he's not getting angry. He's not throwing a fit like he always does," Dila pointed out.

"Are you ok, Mido?" Sofa asked.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Mido responded.

"You're acting different," Rala said. "You're actually showing…patience."

"Yeah. What's with that? You never show patience," Fala said.

The questions continued. But Saria noticed out of the corner of her eye that the Know-It-All brothers were huddled up. They had a plan, undoubtedly to loosen up Mido and liven up this meeting. Dore, Dila, and Sofa walked towards the elevator Mido was standing on.

"Ok, bros," Dore whispered to his brothers. "Just do everything like I said."

Dila cleared his throat. "Ahem…You, Mido. The only thing I see wrong…right now…is that you are still boss of this…uh…village."

Saria suppressed a giggle. The way Dila said that was so obviously…scripted. She saw Dore poke Sofa in the ribs with his elbow.

"Uh, oh yeah," Sofa said. "Your leadership…is, uh…incomp…uh…incomp…uh…it's really bad."

Dore shook his head. "Yeah, Mido. Why ARE you the boss, anyway?"

Mido stood with a flustered expression. "I…don't know."

Everyone gasped at that, even Saria. They couldn't believe what they just heard, especially coming from Mido. Saria couldn't believe it, either. Had Mido really changed this much?

Dore looked especially confused. "Uh…what? No 'because I say so'? No 'who else could be the boss'? No sudden change of subject? This doesn't sound like the Mido we know."

Then Saria saw something that struck her. It had scared her more than anything, and the rest of the Kokiri became panicked as well. Mido's eyes began to glow red.

"Well," he said in a deep voice. "Maybe I'm not the Mido you know."


Chapter 16

Saria and the Kokiri stood dumbfounded. The sudden shock was too much, they could hardly move. This wasn't the real Mido. Saria's fears and suspicions were confirmed when the fake Mido transformed into a tall being covered in brown skin. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before.

The thing laughed evilly. "Ok, boys," he said. "Round them all up."

Saria saw three Lizalfos soldiers, one tall, one short, and one chunky, come in through the Forest Temple entrance. Saria tried to run, but she felt something come over her. She was catatonic and apparently so were the other 11 Kokiri. What was this thing and what kind of powers did it have? She wondered these things as the three Lizalfos tied up all the Kokiri.

"What do we do with them, Meyson?" the short one asked.

"Can we slice them and dice them?" the tall one asked.

"No, fools," the thing called 'Meyson' said. "We're going to throw them with their friend, Mido. Bring them all down, boys. We're going to the basement."

Saria still could not move. As the Lizalfos carried them all down, Saria could only what this 'Meyson' was and what he wanted.



Link, Malon, and Zelda all arrived in Hyrule Castle. The sun had risen and Link hadn't slept all night. But sleep was the last thing on his mind. He had to get to the Forest Temple.

"Zelda, try the Ocarina again," Link suggested.

They all huddled up as Zelda played the Minuet of Forest again. But again it failed, much to Link's dismay.

"We'll have to take the horses," Malon said. Link heard her whispering to Zelda, "We'd better go fast. It looks like Link's about to snap."

They all began to walk out of the castle and head towards the horses. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. Link could only imagine the mismatch that would happen if Meyson got to the Kokiri. And Link knew how spirited Saria was. She wouldn't just hand Meyson the Spiritual Stone of Forest. He shuddered to think of what Meyson would do to her if she resisted.

"If we leave now, how long will it take us to get there?" Link asked.

"Who knows? It may be days." Zelda answered.

Link mounted Epona. "But before we go, are there any red potions around?"

"I have a few bottles with me," Zelda answered.

"Red potions?" Malon asked. "What do you need them for?"

"Trust me. They aren't for me," Link answered. "They're for you. I'll explain it to you later."

Link began to explain the disease of the vastness and its corollary that applied to Hylians as they all left for the Forest Temple.


Chapter 17

Well, Saria could finally move. But there weren't many places to move around. Meyson had discovered the five-room doorway in the basement. He had also figured out that iron bars could close off some areas of the room by rotating the room. That's where the Kokiri were being held, behind a cell of iron bars where they also found the real Mido. Saria still didn't know what this 'Meyson' wanted. But she reckoned she was about to find out.

Meyson began to speak. "I must admit that when I was making my plans to invade the Forest Temple, I was expecting to see only one Kokiri. But I wasn't expecting to see 13 of you. But no matter, whether it's one or thirteen Kokiri, they stand no chance against my power, because you Kokiri are all weak."

"I resent that!" Dore shouted. "We are Kokiri. And we are not weak!" Everyone shouted in agreement.

"SILENCE!" Meyson shouted. "If you Kokiri are so strong, then why are you are the one's who are locked up?" The Kokiri stood silent. "I came here for a purpose, and it's not to dispute how weak the Kokiri are. I came here for important business. I want the Spiritual Stone of Forest. Where is it?"

'So that's what he wants,' Saria thought. He wants the Spiritual Stone of Forest. But why?

Meyson looked at his three reptilian cohorts. "They don't seem to talking much anymore, do they? You three, fish out the Forest Sage. She'll tell me where the stone is."

The tall one approached the cell, while the other two approached the wall, standing ready to rotate the room. "Ok you brats. Which one of you is 'Saria'?"

The Kokiri stood silent.

"You'd better tell me," he continued. "Don't make me start slicing and dicing."

"What are you, simple?" Meyson asked angrily. "The Forest Sage has green hair. How hard can it be to find the one with green hair? Just pick her out."

The other two Lizalfos rotated the room to open the cell. Saria was nearly paralyzed with fear as the tall reptile went in for her. But then she saw a sight that would warm her heart. Her 12 friends had surrounded her.

"If you want her, you've got to go through us, first," Mido said bravely.

"How annoying," Meyson growled. He pushed the tall Lizalfos to the side. "Out of the way, simpleton. Let me show you how it's done." Meyson raised his arm and the Kokiri were each pushed to different sides of the cell. It was just Meyson face-to-face with Saria. Saria wanted to run, but again she felt catatonic.

The evil one grinned. "And you must be the Forest Sage. My, my, aren't you the pretty one. Hair as green as the forest. Of course, if you don't tell me what I want to know, then I'll have to tear it out by the roots."

Those words chilled Saria to the bone. The evil shape-shifter then put Saria over his shoulder and began to carry her out. Saria saw her friends all get up. They were all distressed that she was getting carried. They were uncertain of what the emerald girl's future held. They were unsure of their own futures. There was no telling what Meyson could do.

Meyson looked at the three Lizalfos, who were all lined up side-by-side. "I'm going up to have a little discussion with the Forest Sage. We may be a little while. Can I trust you three morons to make sure that these 12 Kokiri stay where they are?"

"Of course you can, Meyson," the tall one said. "Because we're rowdy."

"We're ready," the short one continued.

"We're reptiles," the chunky one finished.

"We are COMBAT," they said in unison.

"Just do it," Meyson groaned. "And don't mess this up. Or I'll make suitcases out of the three of you."

Meyson got on the elevator. As Saria went up, she could see the despair on each of the 12 Kokiri. She wondered what would happen to them. But she also wondered what would happen to herself if she didn't give this fiend what he wanted.


Chapter 18

It was the last thing he wanted to happen. But it had happened. The evil thing known as 'Meyson' had taken Saria. It broke Sodo's heart to think about the pain she could be going through. He cared for Saria so much. He's had a crush on Saria for many, many years but could never muster the courage to tell her how he felt. It made him feel so much better when Link told him that Saria had felt the same way about him, a day before the Kokiri 12 had migrated into the Forest Temple. But, for some reason, Sodo still couldn't find the words to express his feelings. Instead he had come off as jittery, giddy, or sometimes even completely flustered, but he never told Saria how much he cared about her. What hurt the most was that now he may never get the opportunity. Who knows what that evil fiend was doing to her?

"Well, that worked well," Dore said cynically.

"Shut up, Dore," Fala growled. "At least we tried."

"Well, we tried and we failed miserably," Miso said.

"Yeah, and now we're stuck here," Sofa added.

"That guy sure packs a punch," Rala said. "I hit the back of my head pretty hard."

"I can get you a bandage when this is all over," Domi said. "Free of charge." Rala smiled warmly.

"What do you think he's gonna do with Saria?" Mira asked nervously.

"I don't know," Ralo said. "I suppose anything can happen."

Mido hung his head down. "She could be getting tortured for all we know."

"Yeah," Sofa added. "He said he was gonna tear her hair out by the roots."

Sodo couldn't take any more. "Don't say stuff like that. There's no way I'm letting that happen!"

Everyone looked at Sodo curiously. They were all shocked at what they just heard. Sodo may have just blown his secret.

Somi spoke first. "And…by that you mean, you have a plan…right, Sodo?"

Sodo realized what Somi was doing. She was trying to cover for him. But that probably meant she figured out his secret crush. Sodo didn't care at that moment, though. Having one person find out was better than all 12 of them finding out. Especially with people like Fala and Ralo, who could always be seen gossiping, and the Know-It-All brothers, who would undoubtedly tease him as often as possible. Sodo was glad that he had a friend like Somi at that moment. But he didn't really have a plan…or did he?

"Hmm…maybe I do."

"What is it?" Mido asked.

Sodo saw the three Lizalfos, collectively known as COMBAT, loafing outside the cell.

"Man, am I hungry," Sodo heard the chunky one say.

"Usually, I'd insert a good fat joke here," the tall one said. "But this time, I agree with you, Og."

"Yeah," the short one said. "We haven't eaten since before we left the Water Temple. But there's nothing to eat around here except bugs."

Sodo grinned. He DID have a plan. And if these three lizards were as stupid as he thought, then it would be sure to work. "Trust me. Just play along." Sodo looked at the three Lizalfos. "Hey, guys. I just couldn't help but overhear your problem."

The tall one walked over to the cell and looked at Sodo. "And what problem might that be, shrimp?"

"Please," the chunky one said. "Don't mention food. I'm starving over here."

"Yeah," Sodo said. "I noticed that you three guys are all hungry. Why I bet you haven't eaten in days."

"It's true," the short one said. "It's been days since we had a bite."

Sodo smiled. "What if I were to tell you that I know where to find some food?"

The three reptiles looked intrigued. The tall one spoke. "Keep talking."

"Well," Sodo continued. "I know Saria would kill me if I told you this…"

"Better than having us do it," the chunky one said.

"I guess I can't argue with that," Sodo said. "I know where Saria's stash of crawfish are. You guys can feast on it the whole day if you want."

It didn't look like COMBAT was won over just yet. The tall one spoke again. "What's the catch, shorty?"

"Well, you would have to let us all out so we can lead you there," Sodo smiled.

"Wait a minute," the short one said suddenly. "How dumb do you think we are?"

"Yeah," the chunky one growled. "We know it doesn't take all of you to get us those fish. That looks like something only one of you need to do."

This was going exactly as Sodo planned. "Well, I guess you got me there. Ok, then. Then just let me out. I'll take you over there and then you guys can bring me back with my friends. Is it a deal?"

COMBAT discussed it amongst themselves. "It's a deal, short stack," the tall one said. "Boys, let him out." The other two rotated the room so that Sodo could come out. They then rotated the room again to re-lock the cell. "Ok, lead the way."

Sodo walked over to the large door. "They're in here. Go right on in."

The three Lizalfos walked towards the door with their swords in hand.

"Oh, you won't need those in there, guys," Sodo said referring to the swords. "I can hold them for you."

"Hey, thanks," the chunky one said. They all handed their swords to Sodo. They were so heavy for the young boy that he nearly fell over. Then they walked in the door.

This was Sodo's chance. He slammed the door and immediately pulled out a key. He locked the door from the outside.

"Hey, there's no fish in here," Sodo heard the short one say from inside. The three dopey lizards began to pound on the door.

"Hey, let us out of here," the tall one said.

"Open this door," the short one continued.

"And show us where the fish are, already," the chunky one finished.

"You dope," Sodo heard the tall one say. "There are no fish. We've been had."

"Yeah," the short one continued. "This is all your fault."

"My fault?" the chunky one shot back. "It was Kreature's fault. He let him out."

Sodo left the three lizards to argue amongst themselves and walked back to the cell holding the other 11 Kokiri, where he was immediately greeted with a round of applause.

"Great job, Sodo," Mido said. "Now can you get us out of here?"

Sodo went up to the wall and tried pushing, but it was too much for a small Kokiri to push. "I can't, it's too heavy."

The Kokiri stood murmuring quietly.

"It's ok, though," Sodo said, hoping to calm them down. "I'll go find Saria and bring her back."

Somi ran up to the bars. "Sodo, you can't. That guy's too powerful. What if he sees you?"

"I don't care," Sodo said bravely. "I've got to help Saria. I'll come back." 'Assuming I survive,' he thought.

Sodo walked into the elevator and began his search for Saria.


Chapter 19

It had been days, but Link, Malon, and Zelda were finally in the Lost Woods. Like Link suspected, Malon soon began to cough violently, but the red potions stopped it before it became too serious.

Link led the way through each of the tunnels that would lead into the Sacred Forest Meadow. But there was an eerieness to the forest that night. There was hardly a creature stirring that night.

Link could see Zelda and Malon looking around in amazement.

"Link, you really used to live here?" Malon asked.

"It's so beautiful," Zelda added. "And it's so peaceful. It's nothing like the towns in Hyrule."

Link began to marvel as well. "I really did used to live here. And I never noticed what I had. Compared to what I had a few years ago, this was paradise. I guess it's true what they say. 'You don't know what you got 'til it's gone'."

Link, Malon, and Zelda then approached another tunnel. It looked exactly like the other tunnels, but Link knew this one was different.

"This is it," Link said. "This is the tunnel that leads to the Sacred Forest Meadow. And through there, we'll be at the temple."

The three went through the tunnel, but what Link saw next made him want to tear his hair out. There was a huge gate blocking the entrance to the Sacred Forest Meadow. Link tried to break it down but he couldn't. In front of him, Link saw the faces of Malon and Zelda grow panicked. Then a large shadow appeared over Link. He turned around to see a huge Stalfos knight, standing armed and ready for a fight.

"I am the guardian Stalfos of these woods. You may only cross this gate if you defeat me in combat."



Comments? Please review below or write me at HyruleKokiri13@hotmail.com.