Disclaimer: Nayru doesn't own Zelda. Duh.
Link…
How I've longed to know of your existence…
Your presence left me long ago…
Are you ever going to return?
How I long to feel you again…
"Saria are you ready to leave this forest?" Miki asked Saria politely. Miki was excited that Saria was finally ready to leave this forest. Saria had been here so many long years, depressed and heartbroken. Miki didn't know what caused Saria's sudden change in heart, but she was glad for it. Saria really needed to get a breath of fresh air, away from the Sacred Forest Meadow.
"Yup. I'm actually leaving this place. I've spent over seven years here, so it's strange to be leaving. Really strange." Saria added a little nod to her words to show that she was sure.
Saria wasn't sure what to feel about leaving the Sacred Forest Meadow. She felt like she was abandoning all hopes of ever meeting her heart's desire again, Link, but she also felt like her mind was suddenly cleared to the fact that there was also other ways to get what she really wanted.
The thing I really want… Ack… What did she really want? Saria thought this was really an easy question… Link. But was there more to this tiny wish?
Saria stood up from the ground and climbed up some vines to the top of the platform before the Forest Temple. She picked up her tiny amounts of belongings, after spending most of her life so far in the Sacred Forest Meadow, depressed and unhappy.
"Miki, come on! I'm leaving now!" Saria ran towards the steps leading towards a New World. She turned her head over her shoulder and smiled at Miki.
Miki flew towards Saria to follow her. Miki flew around Saria a few times sending fairy dust through the air. Saria turned towards her dwelling for the past nine years of her life. Or what should be barely considered a life, being locked up in a forest. Saria outspread her arms as to almost take in all her surroundings. She took a huge breath of clean forest air, and suddenly spun around and started to run down the stairs towards her freedom, with Miki trailing behind.
A loud groan was echoed throughout the forest seconds after Saria had traveled down the steps. Saria looked up to see whom the awful noise belonged to and caught the worst sight she'd ever seen.
Saria shrieked as the horrible creature made the noise again and struck a huge club down at her. Saria barely rolled out of the way of the club as it hit the ground with incredible force.
"Miki…" Saria moaned "What is that thing?"
"It's a Moblin! There's not much we can do except to somehow escape it! Saria just don't get hit by the club!" Miki said in a rushed, panicked voice.
Asking for help was a mistake. The Moblin took the oportunity at Saria and Miki's conversation to strike its massive club.
Down… down… with such awesome power. It struck Saria in the back and sent her flying to the ground. Miki had gotten between the club and Saria and stopped the worst part of the blow. Miki had never really needed to use her fairy power over the years, so it was enough to save Saria's life, but not enough to be used again.
"Saria, hang on!" Miki pleaded… A miracle… A miracle… We need a miracle to survive this…
The next few moments happened incredibly fast. Miki watched in awe as a figure jumped off a ledge in the distance and swooped down to the ground and grabbed Saria in his arms. An arrow was released from the figure's bow. Miki wondered if she and Saria were already dead, and she was just looking back on a different outcome in the last seconds in her life. An angel. This figure was an angel. Even so, Miki continued to watch.
The arrow pierced the Moblin's awful figure and it groaned louder than before. With Saria still in the angel's arms, he withdrew a sword from his belt and made a powerful slice at the Moblin's limp body on the ground. Blood flowed onto the ground.
"Are you an angel?" Miki said, flying over to the figure, half-unconscious.
The figure laughed. "No," he said in a deep, soothing voice, "I'm not an angel. Anything but an angel."
"Who are you then?" Miki said, her head full of static.
"Hyrule's hero. I'm Link." Miki was overwhelmed with excitement. It was too much for the fairy's weak body as she collapsed unconscious like Saria.
"So, Miki, right, you're Saria's fairy right?" Link said in his deep, mysterious voice.
"Yes I am… I don't know if you remember me…" Link raised an eyebrow at her.
"I'm Link's fairy, Navi. You won't remember me, I became Link's fairy right before he left." Navi spoke up into the conversation.
Miki couldn't believe the massive changes in the boy she used to know as a child. He was now very tall, smooth blonde hair, strong face, strong eyes, very muscular, and he was very attractive. She remembered Link being a little awkward as a child, being short and teased. He was very different than her memories.
But mostly, Miki couldn't wait until Saria woke up to see the person she'd been waiting most of her life for. Miki was excited with anticipation.
"So did you come back to see Saria? She'll be thrilled to see you." Miki said cheerfully, not trying to give anything away in her voice, like the fact that Saria spent every moment of her life with Link on her mind.
"I just needed a little personal time, so I came around to the forest, and thought I'd stop by." Link turned his head towards the unconscious Saria who lay sleeping on the ground.
"Little Saria… how is she anyway?" Link said as he reached his hand forward to stroke Saria's cheek. Little Saria… that was going to be a problem, Miki realized as it abruptly hit her. Saria was still a child. And Link… well… Link was an adult.
"Saria's been doing… great." Miki knew this was a lie, but she didn't know what else to say. She didn't want to confess what had really been going on over the years.
Saria's tiny body began to shake a little as she struggled to open her eyes. Link leaned forward to loom over Saria.
Saria saw complete blur at first, and had no idea where she was. She began to make out a face staring at her from above her. She rubbed her eye with her hand and slowly her surroundings came into clear focus.
Link! It was Link wasn't it? It was all too good to be true, but Saria didn't waste a moment. She sprung up, and wrapped both arms around Link. Link wasn't expecting the sudden weight on his body so he fell forward a little bit. Saria began to sob tears of joy.
"Link! Link… I… you… what…" Saria tried to say through tears.
"Yeah, Saria, it's me." Link said with a smile on his face, and began to return the hug.
"I've really missed you Saria." Link said comfortingly, and stroked her back. "Stop crying… stop crying, okay?" Saria began to stop crying and pulled away from Link for a second to look at him.
"You've… grown… a lot." Saria said surprised. Link laughed. "It's really you" Saria said hugging Link again.
"You haven't grown at all, Saria." Link said with a playful smile on his face.
"Of course I haven't grown, Link. Kokiri's don't grow in the forest. And if we leave to make ourselves grow over the years we've lost, the Deku Tree will die." Saria said with a sigh. She looked up at Link as if he'd forgotten something important.
"Saria… the Deku Tree's dead…" Link said grinning mischievously "There is a sprout now, but it still hasn't grown. Haven't you heard?"
Saria's expression changed to one of shock. "The Deku Tree… died?" she stuttered.
"Yeah, it died." Link rolled his eyes at her and smiled. Saria raised an eyebrow.
"So what have you been doing over the years?" Saria questioned.
"Uh… just saving Hyrule from mass evil every day, that's all. I bet you had a lot more fun, huh?" Link said starring off and smiling. Saria gaped at Link. "Well, that was what I was doing. Stop gaping!" Link grinned, and he was obviously enjoying it.
"Link, will you tell me all about what it's like out there someday?" Saria said quietly while looking up into his eyes.
"Sure, Saria, I'll even tell you all about the day the world was born." Link said. Saria giggled in response.
Link looked up at the sky, but Saria couldn't keep her eyes away from him. There was something magical there, about Link. Saria couldn't seem to think of what it was, but it was clearly there.
The beautiful, bright stars showed more clearly than ever tonight on the clear midnight sky full of wanderers and mysteries yet to be remembered. Link looked slowly away from the enchanting sky towards Saria.
"It's getting late. I think I'll be going now." Link said to Saria, the moonlight shining on his face more than ever tonight.
Saria's heart did a leap. No… not again… I'm losing him…
"N-n-no! Don't go! You can stay here for the night. It's okay, I always sleep here. And it's safe at the top of the Sacred Forest Meadow, unlike the rest of it." Saria said through rushed words, as if she didn't get them out soon enough, Link would disappear….
Link got up. "Well if you insist, little lady." Link brushed himself off.
"Hey Nav, we're staying somewhere tonight." Link called over to Navi.
"Wha-? Where?" Navi said in shock.
"Here! Saria invited us!" Link said smiling towards his fairy.
"L-link, don't you ever stay anywhere?" Saria said, a bit surprised.
"Nope. I'm a wanderer I guess you could say." Saria looked up at Link's face. This seemed a bit strange to her. It also seemed somewhat… sad… eternal maybe… no, not eternal, just sad…
Link got down on the ground and lied down to sleep. Navi flew over to his side. Saria watched him and climbed up the vines towards the platform where she usually slept. When she looked back down at Link, he was already fast asleep. Saria sighed. Did Link ever get any sleep at all? Saria began to climb back down the vines towards the grassy bottom of her dwelling.
She looked at Link for a second or so watching him doze peacefully. She wanted to know more about this mysterious, unknown hero she'd grown to love in absence.
Saria didn't know what came over her then. Maybe it was because she was half-asleep, or maybe it was just the moon taking her captors on her glorious night. Saria advanced towards the sleeping Link on the ground. She felt light, she felt brave, she felt immortal… She kneeled down next to the sleeping hero's side. She extended her hands over Link and dropped them onto him. She took her hands and began to stroke Link gently across the chest. She kept her hands moving, as to be afraid that this moment would disappear. She had to have every inch of him… What was going on? Saria slowly rested her head on Link's chest and steadily kept her hands moving. Every bit of Link… she had to have every bit. She had him now, and couldn't let him go…
She knew that they could never be lovers… She was only a child… and Link was a glorious, handsome man, full of mysteries now. But she felt like she was anything she could ever want to be right now.
Saria moved her entire body over his, but she was considerably small to him. She had her face at his face… She leaned her head forward and kissed him gently. It made her feel unspeakable things and she enjoyed the brief moment of exhilaration. She began to push herself up and off of her sleeping hero… Saria put her fingers to her lips and put them onto Link's.
Saria stood up, feeling a thousand times more than she had ever felt. She walked over to another spot of grass and sat down. Tonight she wasn't going to sleep upon her loft, she was going to sleep down on the solid earth with everything she'd ever wanted near her… Link.
Saria felt her eyelids sag, as she prepared to fall into a deep sleep, a sleep that wouldn't be disturbed tonight… Not for many nights.
I am immortal… As long as I know Link's there…
And she slept.
To be continued…
Notes from Nayru:
Hello once again! And that was the seventh chapter of Sacred Forest Meadow! Sorry it took me so long to post it, but ffnet has been down and I've been writing chapters for my other stories also. Tell me what you'd like to see next and what you like about the story so far. And also tell me if I should add an extra chapter in the end of the story, a chapter was originally going to be the third chapter, but I emitted it. Okay everyone… REVIEW!
