So… this is all drawing to a near end. All I have left for you are about seven more chapters. MAYBE more… I have no idea. But so far it's about seven.

Well… I hope you guys enjoy this entry. It's been an interesting one to write.

Character- Link

Setting- Link has returned to the past for the first time since he saw what the future holds. Slightly traumatized by the disturbing images he has seen, he decides to go visit the Kokiri to try to erase what has happened.

Change

I can't believe I'm back.

I'm back.

1

I've saved Saria in the future.

That's all I really need to do.

It's fine.

The same thing won't happen to this timeline.

It can't.

And I won't go back.

There's no way.

1

I reach the edge of the Kokiri Forest.

Last time I came here was…

Well… Around a day ago.

But it wasn't THIS here.

It was that here.

… I can't even explain this.

1

What am I going to tell them?

What am I going to tell Saria?

… Everything?

Like how I'm not even…

Not even one of them.

1

I can't do that.

Because telling it would mean that I'll have to recall it.

And I just want to forget.

I know that's not the right thing to do…

But I can't handle it anymore.

The Goddesses made a mistake.

1

I enter the tree trunk passage.

I cross the shaky bridge.

I can't help but feel a lump of dread…

What if this place doesn't change?

What if it's like it is in the future?

I try to ignore my feelings as much as possible.

I enter the forest clearing.

1

It's just like it used to be.

And it's… home.

I guess.

Do I still belong here?

1

I could just pretend, right?

They'll never guess.

… Oh.

They'll never guess until I grow up.

But… Then they'll understand and I'll still belong…

Right?

1

Why can't I just fit in somewhere?

1

I walk down the narrow path to Saria's house.

I knock on the outer wall like I'm supposed to.

Then I realize…

Kokiri don't knock.

It's just everyone else.

1

I can tell it's gonna be difficult to settle back in.

1

I pull my hand back quickly incase anyone was watching.

The thought then strikes me that I haven't seen anyone out yet.

Strange.

1

I walk into Saria's house.

She's not home.

But Mido seems to be.

He's sitting on Saria's chair, looking out her window.

1

"What are you doing in here?" I ask crossly.

1

Mido jumps out of his little trance and looks over.

His eyes grow huge at the site of me.

"Me? What are YOU doing here?"

1

"Saria's my best friend, stupid, I thought I'd come to say hello."

1

"Not in her house! In the forest? What made you think you can come back, huh?"

1

"I live here, if you've forgotten." I reply coolly.

1

"Not anymore you don't," says Mido, getting out of his seat, "Not after you killed the Great Deku Tree!"

1

I roll my eyes.

"I didn't kill it, Mido." I say, exasperated.

1

Mido's face twists and turns.

I know he knows I didn't do it.

But he's so stubborn it won't matter.

"You can't just come back! You can't! I'm the boss. And I won't let you back in!"

He pauses, then adds,

"Saria likes me better now too."

1

"I doubt that." I say hotly.

1

"At least I don't abandon her!" He screams.

1

"At least I don't need to LIE about murder to get her to like me!" I scream back.

1

"At least I don't leave the forest like some kind of freak and then come back again like I've seen a ghost!"

1

Anger bursts inside of me.

"You have NO IDEA! No idea what's out there! I've seen things that no one should ever have to see! Especially not a child!" I spit.

1

"So what? Are you scared?" He taunts.

1

"You'll never understand! You're just a chicken! You pick on people smaller than you. You coward!" I say childishly.

1

"Tree Killer!"

1

"LIAR!"

1

Before I know what I'm doing…

I run up to Mido.

I punch him as hard as I can.

He falls back onto a table.

1

Slowly he gets back up.

He's nursing a bloody nose.

"What are you doing?" He demands.

1

"I thought that was obvious." I say.

1

"You…. You just hit me!" He says incredulously.

1

"Yeah. Yeah I did."

And it felt good.

Somehow… A little anger got out.

1

"What- just… -Who… I don't… Where have you been?" He stumbles out.

1

At these words,

Images flash in my mind.

Things I want to forget.

I see the market.

Death Mountain.

… The Kokiri Forest.

1

"I don't want to talk about it." I say meekly.

I turn and walk out of the house.

I need to find Saria.

To my surprise…

Mido doesn't call me back.

1

Anger slowly builds inside of me.

Why isn't Saria at her house?

There's only one other place she'll be.

1

I break into a run.

I sprint to the vine covered wall.

I climb it as fast as I can.

I run to the entrance to the Lost Woods.

I mindlessly dash through them.

I know my way perfectly.

1

I finally reach the maze.

I run through it with ease now those giant pig things aren't here.

I climb the steps all the way up into the clearing.

I can hear ocarina music.

… Saria.

1

I stop dead in the middle of the clearing.

I look over to Saria's stump.

I was half expecting to see it empty again.

But she's there.

1

"Saria!" I call out.

1

She looks up from her instrument.

Her face breaks into a smile.

Tears well up inside her eyes.

"Link?" She whispers.

1

I race over to her.

I hug her tightly.

She's real.

She's here.

She's not just a spirit in this time.

She's my friend.

1

"I thought you might have been gone forever." I manage to choke out.

1

She pushes me of at this.

"You thought that?" She asks, "I'm not the one who left!"

She laughs and hugs me again.

1

She feels so big against me now.

Last time I hugged her…

She felt so… frail.

1

I sigh.

1

She breaks off the hug again.

She looks me over.

Her piercing eyes see me.

"What's wrong?" She asks.

1

I look at her.

Our eyes meet.

How'm I gonna tell her?

1

"Nothing." I say.

1

She glares at me.

"Really, Link. What's wrong?"

1

I sigh.

I know she just wants to know I'm alright.

But… I just came up here to see her…

Not to let her try to lecture me about something.

Why can't she just understand?

Doesn't she see I don't want to talk about it?

Can't she tell?

1

"Nothing." I repeat more strongly than I have to.

1

Saria looks at me, disappointed.

She nods slightly.

1

This isn't going the way I want it to.

I have to leave here.

Otherwise I might just hit her too.

1

I turn to leave…

But;

1

"What happened to you, Link? You've changed." Says Saria wisely.

I turn to look at her.

She stares into my eyes.

"What did you see out there that caused this?"

1

Flashes of the future come to me more strongly.

The Kokiri Forest stays imprinted in my mind.

I shake my head to get rid of it.

It doesn't work.

1

"I don't want to talk about it." I say meekly.

1

"Like it or not, Link, something's wrong. You can either tell me what it is… or deal with it by yourself." She says sternly.

1

Just like that…

Everything smacks me in the face…

Just… Everything!

And I HATE it all!

"I'm not dealing with it anymore!" I burst out, "I can't! It's over. I'm not going back!"

1

Saria puts her hand on my shoulder.

I don't know whether I want to tear it off or keep it there.

"Link… What is it?" She prods gently.

1

My anger slowly ebbs into guilt.

"I- I… I can't explain. All I want to tell you is that something bad is going to happen here. Something bad's gonna happen to all of Hyrule. I've seen it. And… I'm not who you think I am, Saria… I'm not a Kokiri. I never was."

Somehow… Saying it all takes a load off of me.

1

Saria stands in silence for a little while.

She removes her hand from my shoulder.

She smiles at me.

"You're wrong. You might not have Kokiri blood… but you are Kokiri. You always will be. And I'm sure that whatever is going to happen to this land can be prevented, or..."

She stops at this point and looks deeply at me.

"Or corrected by someone."

1

I look at her, confused.

It's almost as if…

1

She can't possibly know…

Can she?

Something tells me…

Maybe she does.

1

"I've come to terms that you won't be back for a long time, Link." She says, "I accept that now. And having spoken to you… I can see that whatever you're doing out there… It's more important than anything we're doing in this forest. And I guarantee you that you'll regret not leaving this place again."

1

Deep inside…

I can tell that she's not just comparing the Forest to the rest of Hyrule…

But the future to the past.

And deep inside….

I know she's right.

1

I do have to go back.

1

I give her another hug.

"Thanks Saria." I whisper to her.

1

She smiles weakly.

"Anytime."

1

I turn and trudge down the staircase.

I make my way through the maze.

I walk through the Lost Woods.

1

Navi flies out of my hat.

She perches on my shoulder.

I know what she's about to say…

1

"She's right, you know." She declares, "No matter how hard it is… I think that we should go back to the future. You're our hope. You're Saria's future hope. How many more people do you think there are that are still suffering there."

She laughs a little.

"Coming here again to stay is a pretty selfish thing to do."

1

She's right… Again.

But… I think I've known that fact since I decided that's what I was going to do.

It's not my destiny.

It's not my life… not really.

My destiny is to live my 'life' for the people of Hyrule.

And if that means suffering for them…

I must do it.

1

I'm not too sure why people think I'm courageous for fighting…

When the real courage lies in simply accepting things that are already destined.

That is true courage.

1

I smile at Navi weakly.

"You're right." I say, "I am going to have to go back."

1

I exit out into the Kokiri Village again.

I jump down onto the path.

Before the village was like a ghost town.

Now everyone's out…

But…

They all stop at the site of me.

They stare at me in disgust.

1

I guess Mido's not the only one who thinks I killed the Great Deku Tree.

1

"There he is! There's the Tree Killer!" Comes Mido's voice.

1

I look over to where the voice came from.

Mido stands at the edge of a small crowd.

He has a black eye and dry blood under his nose.

I smile at the fact that I caused that.

1

"So Twerp, where exactly have you been all this time?" He sneers.

1

"I just went to go visit Saria… She doesn't believe you Mido. She knows I didn't kill the Tree." I reply.

1

"I didn't mean just now… I mean these past few days! What's so scary out there, huh?"

1

"I told you I don't want to talk about it." I say.

I glare at him.

1

"I'm the boss… and I'm telling you to tell us!" He screams.

1

I push down the urge to hit him again.

"Well… guess what? Why don't you wait seven years and see for yourself." I spit.

1

This comment obviously makes no sense to them.

They stand in utter silence.

1

"You've gone crazy!" Says Mido.

1

"Well, maybe I have. But that doesn't change the fact that I didn't kill the Great Deku Tree!" I cry.

1

"You're pathetic," growls Mido, "You come waltzing back in here, expecting everything to be like it was before you left… I've got news for you, Loser,… Lots of things have changed."

1

As these seemingly simple words pass through his lips…

They strike something in me.

'expecting everything to be like it was'…

That's what I was doing.

And I'm so wrong.

1

I look over at Mido.

I smile.

As much as I hate to say this…

"You're absolutely right." I say sincerely, "Things have changed… and as time goes on they'll only change more. And I'm gonna change a lot more than you are, Mido."

1

Mido stares at me in a mix of disgust and disbelief.

He remains silent.

1

"Have fun running this place Mido. Maybe in a few years you'll see how right I am." I say.

I wave to the crowd of Kokiri.

"I'll see you around later!" I call.

1

I turn to leave the forest.

1

"Yeah," says Mido, "yeah, that's right! Leave! You don't belong here! We don't need you! We'll never need a loser like you!"

1

At this,

I can't help but turn around and show him a empathetic smirk.

"You have no idea." I say.

1

I leave the forest again.

I make out in the direction of the Temple of Time.

1

I change my mind way too much.

1

And there you have it folks. It took me a while to write this one. Just to let you know… it was half this length until I read through it and realized that it just sucked. So I added a few things. True, this precise moment never happened in the game… But it makes for a good story!

Next chappy will be from a regretful Din! I hope you enjoyed!