Disclaimer:The Legend of Zeldais property ofNintendo and Shigeru Miyamoto, all rights reserved. I am in no way affiliated with these companies, or any legal proceedings concerning The Legend of Zelda. This story has been written purely out of enjoyment, and is not intended to make a profit, steal ideas, or offend anybody. Any similarities between my work and anyone else's is purely coincidental.
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The Ocarina of Time TrilogyBook Two: "Elements of Hyrule" - Chapter One: The Boy Without a Fairy
By The Last Princess of Hyrule
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"Sari-ya!" whined a boy's voice. "Wake up!"
The mop of green hair stirred angrily. "Go 'way . . ." was the annoyed reply.
The boy jumped onto her bed, exerting some of his seemingly endless supply of energy. "But Saria, it's morning and it's summer! Don't you want to play?"
"Not this early." Saria opened one eye and glared at the boy. "Go bother Joseph."
"I did," the boy admitted, stilling his motion. "He and Sonya are busy with the triplets and nobody else likes me."
He was very observant for a ten-year old boy, Saria had to admit. The boy was small for his age and lean, like any active boy. He had blonde hair the color of golden leaves in autumn, which was long and messy and hung obstructively in his ocean blue eyes.
Saria heaved a sigh and sat up. "Now Link, you know that's not true."
In the last nine years, Saria had not changed at all, while the little orphaned boy she had fostered changed greatly. Nor was her Forest Fairy, Mi, any different from the day Coquina had stumbled into the sacred Kokiri forest.
The boy gave her a piercing, pitiful look. Whenever she looked into his eyes like that, Saria couldn't bring herself to refuse whatever his wish was.
"All right." Saria smacked her pillow, startling the sleeping fairy on it into wakefulness. "All right. Just let me get dressed."
Link snickered and turned around. Neither minded that he was still in the room; they had known each other too long for that.
Saria brushed out her short, fluffy green hair. "What are Sonya and Joseph doing that they're too busy to see you?" she asked as she put in a headband.
"Kaoko and Seratt's eighth anniversary." Link fiddled with the leather belt around his waist, tightening then loosening its gilt buckle.
How could she have forgotten? Kaoko and his Light fairy, Seratt, had been partners for eight years now, to this day. For each of these yearly anniversaries, the Kokiri and fairy did something special for the other, as a wedded couple might. Sometimes, the close friends of the pair would hold a get-together, like a birthday party.
"I forgot all about that," Saria replied as she pulled on her dark green turtleneck sweater. "There're too many anniversaries to remember, especially my own."
"Yeah," answered Link glumly as he straightened his loose evergreen tunic.
Saria clapped her hand over her mouth. Oh, spirits, why did she say that? Link was the only Kokiri in the forest without a fairy partner and was always a little testy whenever someone mentioned things that had to do with one, which was often.
"I'm sorry, Link," Saria apologized as she pulled a snug grass-colored tunic over her head. The Speaker of the Kokiri wrapped wide green belt around her waist, adjusted it, and turned around.
"Saria?" Link turned as Saria put on her knee-length leather boots. "Do you think a fairy will ever come to me?"
Saria stood up and locked eyes with the sullen boy. "The longer you have to wait for your fairy, the better friends you'll be. And at this rate, you and your fairy will be a perfect match." She chuckled as she walked over to the table and pulled an apple out of a bowl. Mi fluttered over as Saria began to slice the fruit.
"Are you sure?" Link grabbed a slice and popped it into his mouth.
"Link, come on." Saria bit into her own piece of apple. "Have I ever been wrong?"
"Yes. Or did you forget the time when you had me pick the wrong mushrooms and I got sick for two weeks?" Link eyed her as he took another piece.
"It was a rhetorical question," Saria protested as she cut a slice of apple into pieces small enough for her fairy. "And that was one time."
"What about last winter when the pond was frozen and you told me it was alright to go skating, but the ice was thin and I fell through and got sick?" Link grabbed another slice.
"All right, twice."
"And then there was the time when—"
"Okay, I get the point!" interrupted Saria. "But I know I'm right this time."
"I believe you." Link reached for another bit of apple, but Saria slapped his hand away. "Hey! What was that for?"
"I wanted it." Saria stuck the last piece of the red fruit into her mouth and chewed it slowly, savoring its sweet juices. "Mmmm . . . this is so good."
"Ha ha," said Link sarcastically. "I was hungry."
"Didn't you eat breakfast?" Saria asked as Mi finished her share.
"Yeah, but that was an hour ago," Link whined.
Saria rolled her eyes. "Link: the bottomless pit; that's what I should call you."
Link gave her an innocent smile. "Can we go yet?"
"Fine." Saria pushed aside the burlap flap looked out. "What do you want to do?"
"I dunno."
"Well, we could gather fruit," Saria offered. "I haven't got much left." She left the doorway, opened up a cupboard, and frowned. "Go wait outside for me. I'll get some baskets."
Link nodded and left the house. The forest was unusually quiet, he noticed as he stepped out. The clearing where the Kokiri lived was still and silent, which was very strange for the time of year, as summer had just begun.
The golden sun warmed the soft, fertile earth and plants were growing rapidly. The ground was carpeted in bright, luscious green grass, the trees full of big emerald leaves. The little brook that ran through the meadow to the pool gushed happily; tumbling over smooth, shining stones, silver fish glistening in its wake. Nevertheless, for all the perfections of this day, only Link was out enjoying it.
The boy's gaze swept his home carefully, trying to pick out what was amiss, for it was never without good reason that the Kokiri stayed inside. Then, as he heard Saria walk up behind him, he saw it.
At his left, to the western bounds of the meadow, stood a black horse and rider. The man on horseback looked, to Link, like a giant Kokiri. Of course, the man was not Kokiri, for Kokiri never grew up once they reached a certain age, usually between eight and twelve years old.
Saria had taught Link about the world outside the forest, Hyrule, Link being the only Kokiri interested. Saria said, outside the forest, the people, called Hylians, all grew very big and kept aging. Link thought it sad that, when a Hylian had lived eighty years, they would not be able to play tag, as a Kokiri of that age would.
"Saria . . . it's a Hylian!" Link exclaimed in a quiet whisper.
Saria walked to his side and squinted at the visitor. "I don't think so. He's big, but . . ."
"He's Gerudo," Mi informed them.
Neither bothered to ask how she knew as the Gerudo turned his head and spotted the two Kokiri. Link gasped when his eyes met the Gerudo's, which were a brilliant orange, set off by the man's fiery red hair.
Link felt his body gripped with fear, remembering those eyes and this man. They were from a nightmare the boy had, which he'd seen so many times he knew the details by heart. It was without a doubt that this man and the one in his dream were one in the same.
The Gerudo wore dusty iron-plated armor, and it was hard to tell whether it would be brown or black when clean. Under the plates was thick, ebony colored mail, laced with a string of gold and green beads. Wrapped around his wrists and ankles were strips of white cloth, decorated with a simple red and blue design. On his broad shoulders, the armor was studded with several square topazes. Off his back hung a short white cloth, decorated like those around his wrists, its purpose to keep the sun from warming the mail and searing the Gerudo's back.
Saria gripped Link's hand tightly as the Gerudo rode up to them. "I'm looking for the Great Deku Tree." His voice was low and deep, the sound of a huge iron church bell when rung.
Saria and Link, spellbound and terrified by his size, were struck silent.
The Gerudo's eyes narrowed. "Do you know where it is?" he asked in an expectant and frustrated voice.
The tone brought Link from his trance and he nodded, pointing with a slightly trembling finger to the east, opposite the direction the Gerudo had come.
"That way? Good." Without so much as a thank you, he was off.
Link and Saria watched as the man and his horse disappeared quietly into the trees. They were still for quite some time until Saria broke the silence.
"Wow . . ." she breathed. "A Gerudo in the forest."
Link tugged at Saria's hand. "Come on, Saria. I thought we were going to gather fruit." He wanted to get as far away from the strange man as he could. Link didn't want the things he had seen in his dream to come true if they accidentally met up with the Gerudo again.
Saria shook her head to get her mind off the visitor. "Oh yeah, sorry."
She followed Link north up a shallow slope to the edge of the clearing. This part of the forest was much more dense than the rest, filled with exotic plants and creatures. The place, known as the Lost Woods, was dangerous to all races but Kokiri. The Lost Woods grew great, magical trees, created by the sovereign of the forest, the Great Deku Tree, to guard the Sacred Forest Meadow. These trees misled travelers in the forest, tricking the eyes and taking advantage of old superstitions, which drove the travelers out of the Woods in fear.
"Mi, how did you know that stranger was a Gerudo?" Saria asked her fairy. "Better yet, what is a Gerudo?"
"I can't answer either of your questions with a good reason," Mi said almost apologetically. "Call it fairy's intuition, but I just knew."
"Could your pendent have told you?"
Mi shrugged. "Maybe."
Link listened to the conversation without interest. He had no idea what Saria was talking about when she mentioned a pendent. Ressa had a pendent, but it was just a big shiny stone she wore around her neck that proved no use except to make her sister, Tessa, madly jealous. Yet Saria spoke of Mi's pendent as if it had some strange powers.
Link ignored his curious mind and concentrated on finding some ripe fruit. The trees of the Lost Woods made no move to harm the two Kokiri. Everything was peaceful and calm when Saria found a tree.
"Link!" She stopped him and pointed to a broad tree with long, glittering green leaves. "Shine Fruits!" High above them were beautiful blossoms, the petals pale lavender at the center then faded into pale pink. Scattered among the flowers were the early fruits; round, squishy-looking things that much resembled and tasted like nectarines, but were lavender in color.
Link and Saria walked up to the tree. Mi flew from Saria's shoulder and alit on a fruit. She studied it for a moment before yelling down, "It's all right! They're ripe!"
Link grabbed a low branch and began to pull himself up. "I'll pick them," he called to Saria as he climbed. "You catch."
"Okay . . ." Saria replied unsurely. She was not every good at catching things.
Several minutes later, Link stood between two thick branches, his right arm wrapped around one and plucking fruit with his left.
"Here it comes!" He held the fruit directly over Saria and dropped it. She held up her hands and the projectile landed softly in them.
Later in the day, when Link had stripped the Shine tree of the fruits, he and Saria walked home slowly, talking. They were so deep in their conversation that neither noticed someone running toward them until they heard a familiar voice calling, "Saria! Saria!"
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