A week later, Link was sitting on the little balcony in front of his house
and quietly playing a soft melody on the ocarina. He was so focused on his
playing that he didn't notice the tiny figure buzzing behind his ear.
Niamh stayed there for a moment, enjoying the sweet song that Link was
playing. She didn't want to interrupt the engaging music, but her master
was waiting with great impatience and she didn't want to keep her waiting.
"Excuse me, Hero-of-Time," said Niamh in her tiny little high-pitched voice. Link whipped around, as if he had been startled by the sound.
"Please, Niamh, my name is Link," he replied, angry with himself for being startled by a fairy, and not noticing its presence earlier.
"Sir," said Niamh unable to bring herself to call Link by his proper name, "My master wishes to see you, as soon as possible. She awaits you in the Temple of Time."
"I'm on my way!" Link went into the house, grabbed his sword, and ran to the entrance to Hyrule Field. From there he called Epona to his side, and rode the rest of the way to the Hyrule Market.
It had been so long since Link had been to the Market. It was bustling with activity, just as it always was. People were practically piled up on top of one another in front of the Bazaar, yelling to the shopkeeper their requests. A big wooden sign in front of the shop announced a sale on arrows. A little girl chasing a small, gray dog knocked the sign down, and made Link realize that he should hurry to the Temple of Time and later he could revisit the Market.
He made his way through the crowd and walked to the Temple of Time. He passed the gossip tones in front of it, and felt a chill go up his spine as he always did when he passed in front of these mysterious rocks. It had been a long time since he'd visited this place and he stood for a moment outside the doors in awe of its ancient beauty. Saria's name pushed itself to the front of his mind and he pushed open the heavy wooden doors.
"Oh, Link! Finally, you're here!" cried Saria from the steps that lead to the chamber where Link had acquired the Master Sword. Link picked up the pace, and ignoring the sense of reverence he had for the place, ran the rest of the way. Saria enveloped him in a warm embrace.
"Saria. It's so incredible to see you. I mean, I know that I saw you last week, but sometimes, I'd think that it was a dream, or even a hallucination. But here you are, in the flesh!" said Link excitedly. Saria grinned from ear-to ear, and tried to suppress it, knowing that their time together was limited and that they had a lot to discuss.
"It's great to see you too, Link. All right, so, I'm sorry to put this on your shoulders, and you don't have to do this, but it would help me immensely. Link, would you mind trying to find who it is that's trying to kill me?" Link was stunned that she even had to ask.
"Of course I will! Just tell me what I should be looking for. I need something to go on." Saria sighed.
"That's the thing, Link, I'm not really sure which direction to point you in. I have a vague idea that whoever it is has a connection to the Zora. They're not a hostile people though, and I have no idea what they would have to do with any of this. But that's the only lead I have. The energy that the sages have concentrated on is in the Zora Fountain. We're not sure where, or if it's even a Zora, but that's where it is. We've seen it moving from their to other places, like Lake Hylia, and at one point, even Lon Lon Ranch, but it's main location seems to be the fountain. I'm not sure what we're looking for. It could be anything. The way that it moves, suggests that it can fly, or run very fast. If it is a Zora, they're using a secret waterway to get to Lon Lon Ranch that we're currently unaware of. If that's the case, we'll need to find it. A lot could be found there that could be important to our search.
"Link, I hate to put you in such danger for my sake. I will completely understand if you don't want to go through with it," said Saria quietly. Link looked at her, searching her eyes.
"Saria, you're my best friend. I would do anything for you. Hell, I would die for you. When I thought you were dead, I considered.but it doesn't matter. Why should you even have to ask me? I'll go wherever you need me to go, and I'll do whatever you need me to do, if it means I'm contributing to your safety. Don't worry about it. Besides, I've been in a sort of adventure withdrawal lately. I need to get out of Kokiri Forest and back into the bigger picture again. I've missed the thrill and the excitement!" Link said. Saria looked at Link, as if she were looking through him, and smiled.
"Thank you. You're a true friend. Now, I have very little time left. Here, I have something that you'll need for your adventure. It's a map. It's magical. The energy that we're focusing on is shown on the map. Its position will be marked in blue, and your position will always be marked in red. I am also on the map. My color is green. See, we're both here, in the Temple of Time," Saria pointed to the map. "The energy we're focusing on, is at Lake Hylia at the moment." Link studied the map intently. It showed all of Hyrule. The blue dot suddenly jerked out of Lake Hylia, and zoomed quickly southwest to the Zora Fountain.
"It moves so quickly!" said Link, astonished.
"I know. That's what's so curious. We're not sure how it does it. It could be very dangerous if it can move that fast. It could sneak up behind you at any moment.oh Link! Be careful! I.you're my best friend, and I couldn't bear it if I were the reason that something happened to you!" said Saria. Link laughed it off.
"You forget that you're talking to the Hero-of-Time!" he laughed. Saria managed a feeble smile.
"Just be careful, Link. Oh, I have to go now! I've stayed too long as it is. I'll check back in soon. I'll send Niamh when the time comes. Oh, and Link, if you ever need to talk to me, before the next time we meet, my song will call me, and we can talk, like we used to." Saria held out her arms and Link stepped into them.
"Stay safe, Saria," he whispered in her ear.
"Good-bye, Link," she said. She lifted her arms, and a beam of light shot down on top of her. A moment later, she, Niamh, and the beam of light were gone. Link glanced down at the map and noticed that the blue dot was now in Lon Lon Ranch. He decided to take the map home and watch it for a little while before chasing after whatever this thing was. He wanted to see if it moved in any sort of pattern.
He shoved the map under his shield where he kept all of his things, and stepped back outside, and strolled through the market before heading back to his home. Link was ready for a new adventure, and couldn't wait to get started.
"Excuse me, Hero-of-Time," said Niamh in her tiny little high-pitched voice. Link whipped around, as if he had been startled by the sound.
"Please, Niamh, my name is Link," he replied, angry with himself for being startled by a fairy, and not noticing its presence earlier.
"Sir," said Niamh unable to bring herself to call Link by his proper name, "My master wishes to see you, as soon as possible. She awaits you in the Temple of Time."
"I'm on my way!" Link went into the house, grabbed his sword, and ran to the entrance to Hyrule Field. From there he called Epona to his side, and rode the rest of the way to the Hyrule Market.
It had been so long since Link had been to the Market. It was bustling with activity, just as it always was. People were practically piled up on top of one another in front of the Bazaar, yelling to the shopkeeper their requests. A big wooden sign in front of the shop announced a sale on arrows. A little girl chasing a small, gray dog knocked the sign down, and made Link realize that he should hurry to the Temple of Time and later he could revisit the Market.
He made his way through the crowd and walked to the Temple of Time. He passed the gossip tones in front of it, and felt a chill go up his spine as he always did when he passed in front of these mysterious rocks. It had been a long time since he'd visited this place and he stood for a moment outside the doors in awe of its ancient beauty. Saria's name pushed itself to the front of his mind and he pushed open the heavy wooden doors.
"Oh, Link! Finally, you're here!" cried Saria from the steps that lead to the chamber where Link had acquired the Master Sword. Link picked up the pace, and ignoring the sense of reverence he had for the place, ran the rest of the way. Saria enveloped him in a warm embrace.
"Saria. It's so incredible to see you. I mean, I know that I saw you last week, but sometimes, I'd think that it was a dream, or even a hallucination. But here you are, in the flesh!" said Link excitedly. Saria grinned from ear-to ear, and tried to suppress it, knowing that their time together was limited and that they had a lot to discuss.
"It's great to see you too, Link. All right, so, I'm sorry to put this on your shoulders, and you don't have to do this, but it would help me immensely. Link, would you mind trying to find who it is that's trying to kill me?" Link was stunned that she even had to ask.
"Of course I will! Just tell me what I should be looking for. I need something to go on." Saria sighed.
"That's the thing, Link, I'm not really sure which direction to point you in. I have a vague idea that whoever it is has a connection to the Zora. They're not a hostile people though, and I have no idea what they would have to do with any of this. But that's the only lead I have. The energy that the sages have concentrated on is in the Zora Fountain. We're not sure where, or if it's even a Zora, but that's where it is. We've seen it moving from their to other places, like Lake Hylia, and at one point, even Lon Lon Ranch, but it's main location seems to be the fountain. I'm not sure what we're looking for. It could be anything. The way that it moves, suggests that it can fly, or run very fast. If it is a Zora, they're using a secret waterway to get to Lon Lon Ranch that we're currently unaware of. If that's the case, we'll need to find it. A lot could be found there that could be important to our search.
"Link, I hate to put you in such danger for my sake. I will completely understand if you don't want to go through with it," said Saria quietly. Link looked at her, searching her eyes.
"Saria, you're my best friend. I would do anything for you. Hell, I would die for you. When I thought you were dead, I considered.but it doesn't matter. Why should you even have to ask me? I'll go wherever you need me to go, and I'll do whatever you need me to do, if it means I'm contributing to your safety. Don't worry about it. Besides, I've been in a sort of adventure withdrawal lately. I need to get out of Kokiri Forest and back into the bigger picture again. I've missed the thrill and the excitement!" Link said. Saria looked at Link, as if she were looking through him, and smiled.
"Thank you. You're a true friend. Now, I have very little time left. Here, I have something that you'll need for your adventure. It's a map. It's magical. The energy that we're focusing on is shown on the map. Its position will be marked in blue, and your position will always be marked in red. I am also on the map. My color is green. See, we're both here, in the Temple of Time," Saria pointed to the map. "The energy we're focusing on, is at Lake Hylia at the moment." Link studied the map intently. It showed all of Hyrule. The blue dot suddenly jerked out of Lake Hylia, and zoomed quickly southwest to the Zora Fountain.
"It moves so quickly!" said Link, astonished.
"I know. That's what's so curious. We're not sure how it does it. It could be very dangerous if it can move that fast. It could sneak up behind you at any moment.oh Link! Be careful! I.you're my best friend, and I couldn't bear it if I were the reason that something happened to you!" said Saria. Link laughed it off.
"You forget that you're talking to the Hero-of-Time!" he laughed. Saria managed a feeble smile.
"Just be careful, Link. Oh, I have to go now! I've stayed too long as it is. I'll check back in soon. I'll send Niamh when the time comes. Oh, and Link, if you ever need to talk to me, before the next time we meet, my song will call me, and we can talk, like we used to." Saria held out her arms and Link stepped into them.
"Stay safe, Saria," he whispered in her ear.
"Good-bye, Link," she said. She lifted her arms, and a beam of light shot down on top of her. A moment later, she, Niamh, and the beam of light were gone. Link glanced down at the map and noticed that the blue dot was now in Lon Lon Ranch. He decided to take the map home and watch it for a little while before chasing after whatever this thing was. He wanted to see if it moved in any sort of pattern.
He shoved the map under his shield where he kept all of his things, and stepped back outside, and strolled through the market before heading back to his home. Link was ready for a new adventure, and couldn't wait to get started.