Kokiri Forest
Link and Kariah sat shivering inside the hollow tree. It had begun to rain even harder and this seemed to depress them more. They sat close together in an attempt to stay warm, but they were still cold.
"What a dreary night," Link whispered close to Kariah's ear. Kariah had sensed something change in Link and found that if she didn't intervene he may do something that they both might regret.
She pulled the Fairy Ocarina attached to her belt and began to play a song that originated in that very forest. Link listened to the bouncy, cheerful melody. He sensed that even the forest seemed to hang on every note that the ocarina yielded.
She listened as the notes echoed at the end of the song and she fell silent. Everything seemed to drop back into misery but Kariah was listening. Link pulled Kariah into his lap and she unknowingly snuggled closer. The forest spirits had distracted her.
Link was surprised that Kariah hadn't resisted. He figured she would reject him right away for moving so boldly. Kariah suddenly opened her eyes and found that she and Link were closer than before. In fact his face was very close to hers.
"Link, what are you doing?' Kariah asked calmly, however she was alarmed inside. Her voice jerked Link back into reality. He felt heat rise to his face and he rapidly pulled away from her.
"K-Kari I-I…" Link stuttered until Kariah stopped him with a finger against his lips.
"Link, I forbid you to fall for me, I am a goddess remember and I will only be in this realm for a little while before I am called back to be with my sisters. You have a long life here in Hyrule for a long time yet. I don't, after this task is done then I will have to go back," Kariah said quietly, pulling out of Link's embrace.
Link let her go, deep in his heart he knew she was right and that no matter how amazing she seemed, Link knew in the back of his mind that it would be impossible to have something with her.
"What was that song?" Link asked controlling his voice to sound lightly. Kariah let it go and replied,
"It's called Saria's Song. The Sage of Forest usually plays it, but she must have taken shelter from the rain. This forest is usually filled with the song. If you are connected to the forest and you play her song, the spirits of the forest will speak to you. They want us to continue on to the village of the Kokiri," Kariah said quietly.
"Let's get going then, I could use a warm sleep. The naps we had earlier have left me with some energy left," Link said, following Kariah out into the rain. Arden gave Kariah a questioning look and she quietly told them what they were doing.
They mounted carefully for the horses back were wet and slippery, and they trudged through the dark forest. They were well into the night and Link and Kariah had both fallen unconscious on the horses. They were so cold.
Arden sensed that if they didn't find somewhere for them to stay soon, the duo could be in serious trouble. Then a thought occurred to the horse, he could keep them warm till they reached the Kokiri Forest and get out of the Lost Woods.
He gestured to Epona to touch her nose to his tail. She snorted in disgust but she obliged and was surprised to feel warmth spread through her and Link.
At about three hours before dawn, Arden and Epona reached the Kokiri Village with their unconscious charges. Arden gave a loud whiney hoping to waken the race of the forest, the Kokiri.
Sleepy green eyes looked outside and were snapped awake at the sight of the horses in the secluded village. The owner of the green eyes pulled a cloak on over her soft green nightgown and braved the now drizzling rain.
Arden noticed the advance of a small child. The child gazed in wonder at Arden and Epona who still had her nose touching the top of Arden's sopping wet tail. Arden gazed into the hazel eyes and then unceremoniously dumped Kariah to the ground.
The action surprised the child but it was the moan that escaped Kariah's lips that brought the child to her side. The child found that Kariah was totally soaked and shivering violently. Epona followed Arden's example and shook Link from her back. He land close to Kariah.
"You want me to care for them don't you?" the child said to Arden. Arden bobbed his head in a yes gesture. The child sighed with exasperation. She wasn't going to be able to do this on her own. These two people were two grown Hylians.
"I need to get help to move them," she said. Arden didn't move and the child moved towards a house closer to the entrance of the Kokiri Village.
"Mido! Wake up, I need your help," she said, literally dragging the sleeping Kokiri from his bed.
"Oww, Saria! What is the meaning of this?" Mido asked acidly.
"Stop complaining, we have two visitors that need our help. They are out in the freezing rain. I can't move them by myself," Saria snapped. Mido grumbled and followed her outside.
"Saria! How are we supposed to move two Kokiri that are twice our size!" Mido asked incredulously.
"First of all they aren't Kokiri, Mido. They are Hylian," Saria said annoyed, as she moved to Kariah's side.
"Than we should leave them, the Deku Tree won't like this," Mido snipped.
"He is compassionate to all living creatures and that includes these two Hylians," Saria snapped. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with Mido's complaining. Well let's just say that Mido shut his mouth then and there.
Arden had been listening to the two bickering Kokiri and wasn't sure if his mistress would be safe in their hands, but he also sensed the sleeping magic in the village and that the Sage of Forest, whether they were sleeping or not wouldn't bring harm to the boy or his mistress.
Mido and Saria had managed to get Kariah inside but Link was going to be a problem. He had the Master Sword strapped to his back and it made him heavier than he really was. They had no choice but to drag Link into the house covered in mud.
"Get the male undressed and wrapped in that burlap blanket, I will do the same to the female Hylian," Saria said, slowly and almost hesitantly removing Kariah's clothes. They were soaking wet and muddy. She wrapped Kariah in the blanket and left her wet muddy head out of the blanket.
"Saria, the male has been injured. He is bandaged up but it is soaking wet, should I take the gauze off?" Mido asked sounding thoroughly humiliated. Saria's fairy flew over to the bandage and looked at it.
'He is almost healed; I don't think it will hurt him to take them off now. He was treated with the properties of a healing potion," Saria's fairy said, giving Mido tiny thumbs up. Mido quickly finished and then left Saria to tend to them.
Zelda entered the castle after spending a great deal out in the rain with Libby. She knew that these last few moments would be all she had to live. She had looked around Hyrule City again before entering the castle grounds.
Zelda slipped into her room, sopping wet and went to the closet to find some dry clothes. Ganondorf was in the middle of a rage and he hadn't noticed that she had returned and the guards, still loyal to her didn't say anything about seeing her re-enter the castle grounds.
A maid who had also noticed Zelda's return came into the room.
"Princess, why have you returned?" she whispered. Zelda turned to the maid cheerfully.
"My lady, I must stay for my father is here. After him I am Ganondorf's major threat. If I were to run away it would make his rise to King much easier," Zelda explained, still cheerfully.
"You mustn't forget your brother Zelda, he is also a threat to Ganondorf," the maid whispered. Zelda's eyes glared at the maid for a moment.
"He ran remember, he doesn't want to rule," Zelda said bitterly.
"I'm sorry milady," the maid said, " but you are still in danger here." Zelda turned to the maid, showing zero fear.
"I don't fear that man, he is nothing more than you or me," Zelda said lowly. The maid nodded in defeat and left Zelda to her own devices. Zelda sighed and took a passage from her room into a secret chamber.
She sat at the window seat and looked down into her courtyard. Libby was frolicking in the rain and Zelda allowed a smile to grace her face.
'Good old Libby, I'm glad she is happy. I just wish the Hero and the Lady, whomever they may be, will come soon. If they don't I won't make it out of this,' Zelda despaired.
'I wonder whatever happened to that boy I saved from the city. He seemed so cold. Kind of like snow in the winter, beautiful but cold. I wish I could see his face again; he was very brave even after the guards caught him. He struggled and fought against them as though his life depended on it.' Zelda gave herself a mental slap.
'Of course his life depended on escaping. But I do wonder what happened to him,' Zelda thought, slowly drifting off in the realm of sleep on the comfy pillows on the window seat.
Kariah woke to the feeling of something heavy draped over her midsection. She found that it was an arm and she nearly flipped out there and then except that she noticed a specific mark on the hand. The Triforce. Link had unknowingly rolled over in the night and was now snuggled up against the Goddess of Time.
She rolled over so that she was facing him and became aware that he wasn't wearing his tunic. It was also at that moment that she realized that she also wasn't wearing a top of any kind and that she was only wrapped in what appeared to be a burlap blanket.
Link opened his eyes a few moments later when he felt Kariah roll over. His blue eyes met her violet ones. At first he seemed really confused, but then he realized that he was still holding onto Kariah.
"Kari?" Link asked seemingly dazed. Kariah couldn't help it, her laughter bubbled out of her. He looked so humiliated that she couldn't stop the laughter.
"Oh, Link, you are to funny," Kariah said, shaking with mirth. He looked at her in confusion and slowly lifted his arm off of her. Kariah gained control of herself and carefully sat up, making sure that the blanket was covering her.
"Where are we?" Link asked gazing at the floor. He had noticed that she was wearing nothing other than a burlap blanket. Kariah looked around and found that they were in a little house.
"I think we are in the Kokiri Forest. We must have fallen unconscious and the Kokiri have cared for us. I'm going out to find our clothes and take a bath," Kariah declared, ducking out of Saria's house.
Link watched her go before mentally slapping himself.
"Get a grip Link, she is a goddess," Link muttered to himself. He got up and carefully wrapped the blanket around his waist and looked around the room. Some of the items that were strapped to him were still in the room, including the Master Sword and his treasure bag, were neatly organized in a pile. None of his clothes were in this pile though.
Kariah walked out of Saria's house and found their clothes washed and hanging on a strong vine to dry. There weren't any Kokiri around and that seemed odd to Kariah, but she decided against calling for them. Instead she whistled for Arden.
He came running out of a nearby forest glade still with the saddlebags cinched to his back. Kariah winced, knowing that he was going to be sore.
"Arden, I'm so sorry," Kariah said, rushing as fast as she could to his side. She quickly undid the latigo and pulled the pack from his back. He nickered in relief. Epona hear Kariah and she came out of the glade with her saddlebag still on too. Kariah also undid hers.
'Don't worry about it Milady. We are only happy that the Kokiri took care of you,' Arden said to her.
"Speaking of which, where are they?" Kariah asked, looking around the village.
'They have gone into hiding, they fear the Hylians,' Arden said gently. Kariah nodded and then wandered to a pool that she knew was nearby. She carried one of the saddlebags with her. She pulled out a bar of soap and laid out her clothes so they would be handy when she got out of the water.
With a swift movement the blanket was off and Kariah dove into the water. The sun warmed the pool and it was warm. She scrubbed from head to foot getting off all the dirt and grim from the journey. She scrubbed her hair until it shone like molten bronze and then she hopped onto the bank. She dressed quickly in her outfit.
It was a deep green skirt that went to her ankles but was very flexible. For a top she had a Gerudo type top that showed off her upper body. Kariah left Link's clothes by the pool and proceeded to direct him to it.
"Link, there is a pool in the forest a little ways where you can wash up…" Kariah said, coming in the door. All of the Kokiri were sitting on the floor looking at Link. He looked up and blushed as he saw her.
"Link? What is going on here?" Kariah asked, glancing at the Kokiri.
"Um, hi Kari," Link said, blushing as he stood up. The Kokiri had given him a loincloth that was just big enough for him. Kariah was momentarily speechless.
"What are you all doing, pestering our guests like that? We aren't supposed to be in contact with them," Saria asked walking into her house evidently annoyed.
"Mido told us to give the loincloth to the male in your house, and this for the female," a small nervous voice spoke up as he held up Kariah's "outfit". Kariah lifted an eyebrow to the scanty pieces of loincloth meant to cover her.
"Hmm, lucky for me I found our dry packs," Kariah said wryly, causing the male Kokiri and Link to blush madly.
"Do you always trust what Mido has to say?" Saria asked, clearly very annoyed at her fellow Kokiri. They looked at the ground sheepishly and Saria gave an exasperated sigh. Kariah shook her head at Link.
'Link! Go and wash up, your clothes are by the bathing pool.' Kariah said, using telepathy. Link got up and practically dashed for the door in a hasty rush.
"Please forgive him, he has some things to do, my name is Kari," Kariah introduced. Saria looked at her suspiciously.
"I'm Saria, and these are my friends," Saria said, hesitantly. She looked slightly afraid.
"We mean you no harm Saria, we have only come seeking the help of the Forest Sage," Kariah said, slightly cryptically.
"You are seeking the help of the Great Deku Tree?" Saria asked astonished. Kariah shook her head.
"No, not the Great Deku Tree, another like him…" Kariah said, interrupted by Link entering the room, and fully clothed this time. Kariah frowned at him, causing Saria to giggle.
"… This Forest Sage often dwells in the Sacred Meadow," Kariah finished still frowning at Link. He had gone over to where his things were lying on the floor. The other Kokiri had left to do their daily activities for they were no longer concerned with them.
Saria grew suspicious once more, the Sacred Meadow was only known by her and a few of her fellow Kokiri. She and she alone knew the path to get there.
"We can't go there, the paths have become guarded by monsters since the Great Deku Tree withered. None of the Kokiri know the way there," Saria said confidently.
Link gave Saria a level look before saying, "How do you know the way is filled with monsters if none of the Kokiri know the way to the Meadow?" Link asked slyly while strapping on the Master Sword.
Saria's eyes widened as she realized her mistake. Kariah gave Link a nod and he approached the girl. Link's cold eyes washed over Saria, and she felt fear, greater than ever before. This man wasn't going to let her go now that she had been found out.
"We need your help to find the Sage and while we are at it we will rid your forest of the monsters," Link said calmly, watching the Kokiri girl carefully. Saria looked back at Link and found that his eyes were still icy, but sincere.
"Why would you do that for us?" Saria asked, her voice seeming so small.
"We need your help for one, and these monsters will eventually move from the Lost Woods into your little forest home here," Link said calmly. Saria looked at Kariah with uncertainty.
"We only wish for your help Saria," Kariah said convincingly. Link realized that Saria had to be the Sage of Forest for Kariah had told him about her last night and her song. He winked at her and pulled out the Ocarina of Time. Saria watched him curiously for a moment.
"Did you make that beautiful ocarina?" She asked mystified. Link didn't answer, he just brought the instrument to his lips and began to play a very familiar forest melody, her song.
Kariah watched with pride, he was becoming very good with the instrument. Saria listened to her song being played by the Hylian.
"How do you know the song of the forest? I haven't been able to play it for the forest since the Great Deku Tree was killed," Saria said quietly. Kariah glanced at Saria quickly.
"What do you mean about the Great Deku Tree being killed?" Kariah asked, looking at Saria.
"Another Hylian like you came in with a whole bunch of body guards and he was dressed in what looked like expensive clothes. He took our forest's treasure. The treasure that Farore gave to us so long ago," Saria said soberly.
Realization dawned on Link, it must have been the prince who was seeking Zelda's hand and he stole the emerald in order to win her affection. Link stole it back by sheer accident.
"You mean this treasure?" Link asked, pulling Farore's Emerald out of his treasure bag. Saria was so surprised that she could only gape.
"How? You're not the one who stole it, how come you have it?" Saria asked astonished.
"I too was a thief, but I stole only from the rich and that was my only means of survival. It happened quite by accident that I stole this from the Prince the day he marched through Hyrule City to meet with Princess Zelda. Kari recognized it as a treasure from the forest and so we decided to bring it back," Link said, gazing at Saria with semi-warm eyes.
Saria made up her mind then that they were people that she could trust; they were giving back the Kokiri Emerald after all.
"Thank you so much, I will definitely lead you to the Sacred Forest Meadow. Let's go now!" Saria said, totally ignoring the gem in Link's hand.
'Keep it for now Link, we can give it back later,' Kariah told him as they stepped out of the house.
Arden and Epona whickered their greetings. Kariah looked at Link for a moment and then approached Arden. Saria hung back with Link.
"Arden, we will be moving much quicker from now on, we will meet you again in Hyrule Field. Don't let the hunters find you. Go now!" Kariah said, sending the horses away.
"Why did you send them away Kari?" Link asked as she walked back to them. His eyes were puzzled and concerned.
"We are running out of time, the Princess's life is in serious jeopardy. We are going to have to move quicker than the horses," Kariah explained as Saria led the way into the Lost Woods.
"How can we move faster than the horses Kari, they are our only means of transportation," Link protested.
"There is another way, and you have it in your pocket," Kariah said mildly. Suddenly Mido popped out from behind a bush.
"Saria, where do you think you are going?" Mido demanded, ignoring the Hylians who were looking annoyed.
"If it was any of your business Mido, I would have told you," Saria said coolly, her eyes definitely not pleased.
"You are taking the Hylians into the forbidden forest," Mido said stubbornly. Link wondered why this Kokiri child was so aggressive. The others that he had met were calm and cheerful.
"First of all they travelled through it to get here in the first place, second what are you going to do about it?" Saria asked, shooting a wink at Link. Link was surprised by the action but took the hint.
"I won't let you pass Saria," Mido said boldly, Link however had a very different idea. Kariah glanced at Saria and noted the eager look in her eyes. Kariah chuckled as Link took a step forward.
"Do you always push people around like that, or is this a one time thing?" Link asked acquiring his street accent back. Kariah and Saria were silently laughing as Mido turned to face Link's tall solid figure.
Mido scowled at Link, who in turn stared back with an icy look. Mido gave an involuntary shudder as Link took a step towards him.
"I'll have you know that if you don't let us pass I will have two reasons to seek revenge on you," Link said, casually unsheathing the Master Sword, "The first reason would be the humiliating articles of clothing that you gave me and Kari to wear and the second would be that you aren't letting us pass." Mido paled as he saw the bright metal of the legendary blade.
"Fine, get along with your business your not worth my time," Mido muttered moving out of the way. Link raised an eyebrow.
"Also, if you want to make some friends in your lifetime, I suggest getting rid of that attitude," Link said with a smirk at the rebellious Kokiri. Mido scowled in reply but kept silent.
Saria walked through the hollow tree into the Lost Woods on the other side. Link sheathed his sword and followed with Kariah right behind. Upon entering the Forest they encountered an unfriendly welcome…
Lightning and rain beat against a band of warriors. They had been caught out on Hyrule Field in an attempt to reach the castle. However they were attacked by a gang of Moblins and the most important person of the group went missing…