Hi. Sorry for taking so long to update the story. Just a lot of things going on with me right now. I'm still going to keep on writing. Just keep reviewing. Also, tell others about this story. Well, your call on that one. I don't own Zelda and never will. I own the characters I made up. Permission needed if you want to try to do something with them. Thank you.
Book One, Chapter Three: Of Children and Burdens
It had been too long since he last traveled the seemingly endless labyrinth that was Lost Woods, for now he no longer knew his way around it and Saria's song seemed to be really faint. Link stopped and looked around for a bit. It has been about three months since he last traveled this maze-like path, and he wanted to get a sense of security with the forest, but some things have changed within it. The trees were thicker and much greener, but it seemed that some of the trees have taken to bending closer to the ground, as if taking an interest in something that was much smaller than they were. Several new tunnels have been carved into the forest path, tunnels that the skull kids liked to make. This proved to be a problem for Link as he realized that Saria's song was no longer something heard with great ease. The deku scrubs were more aggressive and now attacked anything in sight (several kokiris had lost their lives due to this). The birds were restless and the bugs that they ate were now scared to move from whatever rock they lived under. For some reason, the Lost Woods had become a place to fear than to travel. Only the bravest of the kokiri now dare to ever come even close to the Lost Woods. Outside of himself and Saria, the only others who ventured in the Lost Woods were Mido and the Know-It-All brothers.
As Link listened carefully for the lovely sound of Saria's Song he started to wonder how he was going to tell Saria what he learned from Zelda. He knew how important this was. He knew that to say any wrong thing would mean to put not only Hyrule in danger, but the entire world. He knew that Saria would believe him, regardless of what he said, but he had to convince her to leave Hyrule and put her own life in danger. How could he do that? She was his best friend, and he was going to ask this of her? Ask her to leave all her other friends behind and travel with him to battles and wars? This was probably going to be the hardest thing he was ever going to do.
Why her? Why did fate choose Saria? Was it that Saria had something that no one else did? Was it because of her sage powers? Was it because she was the strongest of the kokiri? All these questions raced through Link's mind, but he did not have any answer for them. He knew of nothing that would help him or Saria. And that was why he had to tell her. It was because he had no choice. No other alternative.
He listened again for Saria's song. He heard it coming from the tunnel to his right. The song sounded much louder from this tunnel than from the other tunnels he traveled through. He was close to the Forest Temple, close to Saria. He turned towards the tunnel that seemed to echo with Saria's song and started walking in that direction. As he entered the tunnel he prayed for Saria's safety.
xxxx
Link held off the deku nut the deku scrub just shot. Link lowered his shield and saw his opponent hopping the opposite direction that he was standing. An old deku scrub trick: keep a good distance from your opponent till you regenerate your deku nut supply. This was exactly what Link was waiting for. He put his shield on his back and reached under where he put it. He felt a polished piece of fine wood. It was not thin, nor was it thick, but it was very strong and sturdy. It took on a somewhat crescent shape. On the ends of the curved piece of wood was a strong yet flexible piece of string that held the shape of the wood together. Link grabbed the magic bow and reached back with his other hand to find one of the many arrows he carried with him. He grabbed one and put the back-end of the arrow on the string of the bow. He raised his bow and pulled the arrow back, trying to get the aim exact. The deku scrub had just stopped hopping away from Link, not to start shooting at him again, but because it was out of breath. Link got the angle of the bow where he wanted it. He let go of the arrow. A whistle was heard in the air as the arrow-head cut through the wind, gliding through the air in such a way that a bird may have been jealous. The arrow stopped suddenly, coming to a dead halt as it pierced the skin of the deku scrub and went through its heart. The enemy that had combat Link gave a weak cry in the air, a cry in pure pain, just before it fell to the ground and gave its last breath. It then bust into flames, as all deku scrubs do when they die, and quickly turned into a pile of ashes.
Link put his bow back and continued forward. He had already fought several of them and this one was bent of preventing Link from continuing up the stairs to the entrance of the Forest Temple. He hated deku scrubs, but loved the objects that they left behind. He bent down to where the deku scrub's body once laid and looked around the ashes that it left behind. Sticking out of the ashes was a deku nut, a useful weapon when being confronted by several enemies at once. He put it in his item bag and started walking up the last flight of jagged stairs. He knew once he reached the top he would see Saria, sitting on her stump that was located under the collapsed stairs of the Forest Temple, playing her ocarina like always.
Link walked up the stairs slowly, hoping to delay his meeting with Saria as long as he could. He didn't want to think about what he was going to say to her; that was the last thing he wanted on his mind, so he started to keep his mind busy. He looked at the steps he was walking on and noticed just how old they were. He knew that, at one time, the steps were beautifully carven and polished. What he didn't know was that each step was made of limestone that came from outside the Kokiri Forest and was, at one time, covered with a marble coating after the limestone hardened into the shapes that were desired for the steps. If Link lived about a hundred years ago and found the Sacred Forest Meadow, he would have seen the steps in their most beautiful form and that the steps once had the most beautiful rails that could be found; but the moblins appeared during that time and looted the Sacred Forest Meadow and the Forest Temple of whatever treasures they could carry with them, including the rails. They even took the marble-coating that was on the steps. And after the looting of the temple the moblins then destroyed the steps leading into it. So it was that the once beautiful steps became the jagged and bare steps that Link traveled on, a ghost from a time long passed in the kingdom of Hyrule.
He climbed up the last few remaining steps and saw Saria, but he never expected to see her in the way she was now; seeing her in this condition almost made him feel sick. Her skin, once beautiful, now looked pale and haggard. Her eyes held a lack of attention and an emptiness that showed how tired and exhausted her spirit had become, an opposite look as to how they used to look with energy and life and knowledge in them. Her green hair, which she always took great care in keeping it beautiful, had lost most of its sheen and looked like it wasn't brushed for nearly a week or more. The tunic she had on was dirty and smelled terrible, like it hadn't been changed for days. What surprised Link the most, however, was the sound of her song. He remembered how beautiful it had sounded when he first heard it, and how much she loved to play it. She would put her soul into the song and have even the Gorons dancing with an unbelievable excitement (even if it did look very wrong for them to dance), but the song he heard now had lost much of the joy and soul it once had, and Saria now looked like she was playing it just to keep what little bit of herself was left in that tired, zombie-like being that he was seeing. Had Link seen her like this when he first met her, he doubted he would of wanted anything to do with her for the rest of his life; but seeing her now, as a friend, he felt terrible and pitied her with all of his heart.
Link walked slowly up to her, completely shocked from her appearance. He now cursed himself for what he came here to say to her. She wasn't ready to hear this. She looked like she was about to collapse from exhaustion. What had made her this way? What was it that turned Saria into this mockery of herself? He knew that he shouldn't tell her anything about the dreams, and he decided not to, at least not until she got better. He needed to stay with her and help her as much as he could.
He walked on the light-green grass that covered the ground and walked on top of the temple platform that he once used for his teleportation to the temples; he didn't notice those things now. He got to about five feet from her when he stopped. Saria had stopped playing her song and for a brief moment looked like she was about to faint. Link realized what was happening to Saria. She wasn't getting enough sleep. If fact, it looked like she wasn't getting any sleep, like something was keeping her awake, and he had a good feeling he knew what it was. Saria must have been having the same kind of nightmares he and Zelda were having. He remembered how he felt when he started to get prophetic dreams as well, and had he had them for as long as Saria he may have turned into exactly what she was now. He needed to say something to her, anything, but couldn't think of anything to ask or say.
"Hi Link," Saria said, though it sounded more like a whisper. "I'm glad to see you here. Had I known you were coming I would of gotten a little more decent for you. I must look terrible."
"Saria, don't say that," Link said. "You look fine. I'm glad to see you as well. You have been spending a lot of time here. I hardly ever see you anymore."
"I know," Saria said. "But we always talk using my song, though lately I haven't been able to contact you. I thought something might have happened and that you might have been needed somewhere. I'm glad to see you weren't needed for anything. I worry about you Link. I worry a lot sometimes."
"Yes," Link said. "I know how much you worry about me. I worry about you just as much. And I'm sorry I haven't been playing your song as often as I used to. I've had lots of things on my mind recently."
"Really? Would you mind sitting with me and telling me what you have on your mind? It's been so long since we had a conversation that I think I have forgotten how to have them. Isn't that the dumbest thing you've ever heard?"
"No Saria, it isn't. To tell the truth, I think I feel the same way you feel right now. Like I don't know what to say or ask either. That's kind of funny, isn't it?"
Suddenly Saria snapped her head at Link and looked at him with venom in her eyes. For just a moment Link felt that the person he was talking to right now wasn't Saria, but an enemy in disguise. She never looked so angrily at him before and it made Link very worried. He felt sure she was going to jump off her stump and attack him, but the anger left her eyes just as quickly as it came and was masked by a face of sorrow and depression.
"No Link," Saria all but chocked out. "You don't know how I feel right now, and if you did feel the same way I feel now, I don't think you would be talking to me. You would be keeping only yourself in mind. But let's not say such foolish things now. Tell me what you and all your other friends have been up to. What's going on in Hyrule?"
"Nothing is going on," Link carefully said. "At least nothing worth mentioning. Everyone is doing fine. The gorons are starting to dig a new tunnel into Death Mountain. The zoras are doing whatever it is that zoras do. The gerudo are still keeping guard of their hideout, like always. The kokiri are playing games and having fun. The hylians are going about their lives. The only thing I guess is worth mentioning is that the King of Hyrule made an appearance earlier today with princess Zelda. Other then that, not much."
"The king and princess made an appearance," Saria asked. "Is there something going on that the king would have to make an appearance for?"
"Nope," Link said. "Zelda once told me that the king does that because he likes to hear the chanting and cheering of the people. She said that he likes the attention."
At this, Saria started to laugh a little. Link joined her in laughing. Suddenly it didn't seem that big a deal to talk to Saria. It felt just like old times, before he started going on his quests and fighting monsters. For just a minute, in all that laughter, Link forgot all about his true reason for coming here. He forgot the danger the world was in, he forgot Saria had to be involved in the world's fate, and he completely forgot everything. For just one brief moment he was just talking and laughing with Saria, just as he always did.
Saria looked at her ocarina. For a moment it seemed as if she was going to play it. It looked like she was going to put the ocarina to her mouth and play her song once again, the song she always put her heart into. She brought it close to her mouth, but pulled the ocarina away. Link saw all of this and his reason for coming to see her came back to him. The laughter and the fun memories were gone, replaced with the worries and troubles that no child should have to bear.
"Link," Saria said. "Why did you come all the way out here? I know we haven't seen one another for a couple of weeks, and I know we haven't been contacting one another through my song, so why did you come out here? If you wanted to talk to me, you could have just played my song. Actually, I may have preferred that. I look like a zombie or something. I don't like you seeing me the way I am now." Saria turned her head and faced Link, the same venomous look in her eyes, though not as intense as the last time. "If you did that I could of looked more decent for you. Now I got to talk to you while wearing the same cloths that I have had on for over two days and I smell terrible. Why didn't you just play your ocarina?"
Link was shocked. This was the first time Saria ever yelled at him in anger. And it was over such a minor thing (at least to him it was; he has seen and smelled far worse). But he knew why she lashed out at him. She wasn't sleeping and it was affecting her mind a little. He would of done the same if he was in her situation, at least that was what he thought and believed. He knew he was going to have to tell her soon. No doubt about it. But he needed her to calm down first.
"Saria, its alright," Link said. "It isn't that big of a problem. Your going nuts over a small thing like that. You never did that before. What's wrong? Maybe I can help."
"No Link," Saria said. "You can't help me. Not with this. I haven't been getting any sleep. Link, I've been having nightmares for the past fortnight. Whenever I go to sleep I dream of nothing but battles and death. I see you in it and I see you fighting a monster that you can't beat. I sometimes see other things in my sleep, like angels and a war, but I see you fighting and dying in them almost every time. Link, why am I dreaming this? Why is this happening to me?"
Link could hear Saria ranting and raving and screaming, but he was not paying any attention now. He nodded and muttered a few words of agreement sometimes, but for the most part he was deep in his thoughts. She was having the same kind of dreams he was having. She was having the same kind of dreams that he and Zelda were having. He knew now that he had to tell Saria, had to tell her everything. She needed to know what was happening. She needed to know that she would have to leave Hyrule, maybe forever. But now, at least, it would be a little easier for him to tell her.
"Saria," Link said, interrupting Saria. "I need you to tell me something. What is the most reoccurring nightmare you have? I think I know what it is that's going on, but I need you to tell me what it is that you are dreaming."
Saria looked at Link for a little bit. Not in the venomous sort of way she was looking at him a few seconds ago, but in a detailed way, as if she didn't believe what he was saying but couldn't see any sign of lying on him. After a few more seconds she took a heavy sigh and started to explain her dreams to him as calmly as she could.
"Well, I have a lot of different kinds of nightmares, but since you are asking for the most reoccurring one I'll tell you what it is. It seems to begin in the middle of a battle, as if there is a war going on. But the fight isn't between hylians or any race you have ever described to me; it's between angels and demons it looks like. I am just looking at the battle from afar and I see you and a stranger standing next to me. you both have swords out and each sword is dripping blood. You both also seem to have a similarity, and that is your attire. You both are dressed like kokiris. I am the only one that isn't dressed like a kokiri because I am wearing a suit of armor on me. I look and I noticed that the sword I seem to have in my hand is also dripping blood and that my armor has many drops of blood on it. I suddenly hear an explosion in the air and I see four women fighting one another, not with weapons or fists, but with energy. Actually, its more like three of the women are fighting one, but the one woman is winning the fight. Suddenly, she looks at us and says 'purgatory.' Then she sends an energy blast at the stranger and kills him. After that she comes down and starts fighting you. But as I'm about to join you and help you, she beats you in the fight and it looks like she was about to kill you. And, just when it looks like you are going to die, I just seem to become a ball of energy and I go to the stranger's body. I enter his body just as I hear a scream and that's when I wake up. That's the one I have most often. I have other varieties of the dream, but I don't seem to remember most of them. Link; please tell me why you needed to know that. You know something, don't you?"
"Yes," Link said. "I do know something, I know more then I wish I knew in fact. I to have been having these kinds of nightmares for about as long as you have been having them. I talked with Zelda today about it and she is claiming to be seeing the visions as well. Now that I heard what you dream, it is no question that these dreams are, in fact, prophesies. I wished that not be the case, for it means of much trouble and turmoil to come. For the whole day I have been trying to find you so that I may tell you this, but I was hoping your dreams were not filled with such darkness that my dreams have been filled with. This means that a battle is coming, when it will be I do not know, and from the looks of the dreams the battle will be fought by holy and unholy bodies.
"Saria, my best friend, I have come here to tell you that I must leave Hyrule soon and venture on a quest to stop this battle if I must, as well as find the bearer of the missing Triforce of Power. If the battles do come he may be of use, if I can get him to agree to help me that is. But that is not the only reason I come here. You seem to play some role in these battles that may occur. I must ask you to join me in these travels. Saria, my friend, I need you. The world needs you. I know how this must sound; I felt the same when I was first asked to leave Kokiri Forest. Saria, will you join me in these battles?"
Saria didn't know what to say. Of all the things she expected him to say, this was the last thing she expected to hear. These dreams were not nightmares at all. They were prophesies. These nightmares were going to come true, she felt it, and she has a part to play in all of this. She had a part to play in the world's future, something far bigger then being a sage of a temple that not many knew of. He was asking her to leave Hyrule with him and go on a quest. He was asking her to give up her life with the kokiri and go with him to lands that neither of them knew of. What was she supposed to say? Was she supposed to say yes and risk being effected by the curse of the kokiri and die once she left the forest? Was she supposed to say no and go about staying in the forest and then never leave once she became the Sage of the Forest? She didn't want to become a sage. She didn't want to have to stay bound to the Forest Temple for the rest of her life, but did she not want it so much that she would of risked dying to not become a sage? What was she supposed to do?
Then another thought entered her mind. A thought an adult might think in her situation: 'What would happen if I didn't agree to this?' She knew that, one day, she would become the Sage of the Forest Temple. She knew that would mean she would be forced to guard the temple for the rest of her life and no longer be in contact with her friends. No longer able to say 'hello' when she saw a familiar face in Kokiri Forest, and no longer able to say 'goodbye' when she had to be somewhere and needed to leave quickly. She would be alone for the rest of her life once she became the Forest Sage.
To accept the quest, however, would mean she would not have to be isolated and alone. She would have to go on this quest, but she would also be able to leave and travel the world if she didn't die leaving the forest. No doubt they were going to go to unknown lands and discover new people and animals. She would be able to see other civilizations and see castles and grown-ups, things that she only heard of because of Link, and she would see them with her own eyes and not have to rely on Link to give an accurate description of what it was he saw. Maybe there was a huge benefit to leaving on this quest after all. She would become a hero and be known all over the world. She would be remembered for countless centuries and be a shining hope for people everywhere. She would become just what Link became: a hero, a legend. She was about to accept it, accept the quest and travel with Link, but Link started to talk again; he started to talk a little excitedly, as if he was trying to get something he had been holding off of his chest.
"I must also tell you of what will come of the quest," Link said. "Tell you the things that I found out on my own when I went on my journey to save Hyrule. I had pictured my quest to be filled with me holding off evil and saving people and being a legend in the people's minds and hearts. This I was right about, but I had not considered the other things that followed with it. The responsibility to save the world was placed on my shoulders and slowed me down often. I put my life on the line and almost lost it on so many occasions that I found I could not fear death, for I had beaten it, narrowly at times, on too many different occasions. I had to see many innocent people get hurt and even die. Saria, you do not know how hard it is to not fear death but be forced to see others, who are afraid of death, having to shake his bony hand while he whisked their souls away by the sword or arrow of an enemy that I was battling. To see the dead body of an innocent man, woman, or child that could have been saved if you were just a little quicker is far worse then dying in many ways, for you must bear the weight of that life for the rest of your own life. You let that person down and they died because you did not finish your enemy off fast enough. Sometimes it is by your own blade you take the life of an innocent, sometimes with no choice in doing so. I have not been down that road yet, but I know I may take an innocent's life eventually, and I may not enjoy it, but I have killed so many enemies now that I doubt I would let an innocent live if they had to die for the benefit of many others. Saria, I have changed during my quest to save Hyrule, but I doubt it was for the better. It is true that I did become stronger, that I did become smarter, that I did become the legend that all people dream of becoming, but at a small price. That price was the way I used to be. I gave up the carefree days of youth with the kokiri and became an adult. No, not an adult, but something that none could ever become unless they did all that I did. I became a hero. But now I can never be carefree again. And I know that you would not be a kokiri anymore if you let yourself go on this journey. I tell you this so that you may know what is to be expected. Not to mention that, if you did accept this quest, you would be forsaking your place as the future Sage of the Forest Temple. So, Saria, my best friend, will you do all this for the sake of the world? Will you aid me in my quest to find the missing Triforce bearer and save the world with me? I know that I must do this, but I think you have a choice. Saria, do what you think is best. And, I'm sorry for placing such a choice on you. Please forgive me someday."
Saria could do nothing else but look at Link. She was stunned silent and was still taking in what it was that she had just heard. What Link just told her was that most of the stuff that she thought being a hero was about was partially true, but it would mean having to become somebody you might grow to hate. With all the things she may have to bear, she was not so sure she wanted this. She knew that, if she agreed to this, she would have to leave Kokiri Forest and be bound to the quest from that point on, until either the quest was completed or she faced death and die. If she didn't accept the quest, that would mean she would become the Sage of the Forest Temple and be bound to the Forest Temple for the remainder of her life, outside of being able to go to the Chamber of the Sages. She didn't like the choices set before her, she didn't like them at all, but she knew which choice she had to make. She knew which choice she wanted to make.
"Link, I must say I'm very surprised at all of this," Saria said. "To travel with you on a quest in order to save the world and not have to be bound to this temple has been a secret wish that I have held deep, for I knew it would be the only way I could ever leave this place. Now that I have the chance to do it I wish to do so. I wish to travel with you and do what I must to keep the land protected.
"I don't want to be alone. I don't want to be a sage. I don't want to see you leave while I must be forced to stay behind, knowing that the only way to keep in contact with you is by the song I have taught you. Link, I know how dangerous this quest will be. I know how serious I must take it. I accept it. I will accept the quest that fate has forced upon me and I will see it up to either its end or my end. I shall aid you in anyway I can. I shall not be a burden. That much I will promise you."
Link felt a pain in his chest. He knew that Saria was going on this quest for the wrong reasons. He knew that, if she did go on this quest for her own reasons and for her own benefit, she would most likely die before too long. Part of him wanted to tell her that she shouldn't go on it if that was her only ambition. He wanted to say that because he really cared for her and he didn't want her to die, but he knew he couldn't. To say that would mean to jeopardize the quest and risk its failure. If he did that he would be risking the world's survival. That was something he wouldn't do.
"That's good," Link said. "I'm glad you're going to do it, but I do not hide the pain that has entered my heart. I needed you for the quest and yet I would of rather that you say forsake to it, for now you must participate in a role far greater than any other that I have faced so far. Now that it is done, I wish that I had just run off in the night and risked its failure than have you participate in it. Do not take my words the wrong way. I care about you Saria and would wish you a safe life from now till the day that we close our eyes and not open them again, yet I ask you to accompany me to uncharted and dangerous lands. I am sorry Saria. I am sorry for my hypocritical ways; forgive me one day."
Saria shifted on her stump for a moment and then got up. She walked over to the collapsed remains of what were once the temple steps. She looked up at the steps which led to the temple entrance and shivered. For the past several months, Saria grew to not like the temple. Even though she loved to come here and play her ocarina in front of the temple, she hated the temple itself. To her it now seemed more like a prison from the outside world, or like a large, stone-like beast that had its tongue hanging out of the gapping entrance to the dark abyss that was its mouth. No longer did she come here to be surrounded by the temple's beauty. No longer did she come here to have a place to think. No longer did she come here to enjoy the fact that this whole area was a secret known only to her and Link. She only came to the Forest Temple so that she could get used to living here for the rest of her life.
She recalled how uneasy she felt the last time she entered the temple. She remembered how scared she got. It was only a month ago; she could clearly recall the image she saw before her, and she still could not let go of how scared she got. Thinking about that incident sent a cold shiver down her back, raising goosebumps all over her body. She could still see that apparition, still see that being that looked kokiri, floating in front of her and speaking in a tongue that she had never heard before. She could still remember when that being, whose body could be seen through as easily as clear water, reached out with his hand and tried to grab her. She remembered running as fast as she could. She ran all the way to the exit and nearly fell from that collapsed staircase which, at one point, served as an entrance to the temple.
Saria turned to Link with as much a stern look as could be found. She knew that Link was trying to get her to abandon the quest so that he might go by himself. She also knew that, if she let him talk long enough, he would get his wish. Even now she was uncertain about it. All that Link said to her and was still saying to her was bringing her doubt. She did not want to stay in Hyrule, yet Link was trying to tell her to do so. If she did back down, she would never have another chance to leave this place that was going to be her prison. She would never have another chance to go with Link on a journey or even leave the forest.
"Link," Saria said. "You are one of the strangest people I have ever known. You come to me, knowing that I must go on this quest, and tell me all that you know; yet, after you tell me what you needed to say, you try to take everything back and tell me to forget all that I have just learned. Link, I hate knowing that I must stay here and guard this temple for all my life. I hate knowing that I would never see the faces of any of my friends when I take my role as a sage. Now I have a way out. I have a way to take leave of my fate as a sage and all I have to do is follow you on this quest to find a missing Triforce bearer and stop a battle from happening. I have made up my mind to take this quest and leave Hyrule. I shall leave it and I will not let anything stop me from leaving, not even your words of experience. If I become someone that I would rather forsake than live as, than so be it. If I die on this quest, than I shall with as much fight in me as I can muster. If I have to kill an innocent so that the world may live, than so be that terrible action. I shall follow your lead into any battle and slay any that needs to be slain. I shall do all I can to protect this heavenly body that all walk upon. I swear it, and I shall not let any talk me out of doing what I know must be done, especially before I even take leave of the forest that I have now seen as a prison from all other places in the world."
Link knew that nothing he said would make a difference to Saria now. She had made up her mind and would not let herself be told to stay in Hyrule. He let out a sigh and looked down at his feet. The grass near the stump he was sitting on was starting to dance as the wind brushed each blade into motion. The trees started to lean in the direction the wind was blowing, making them groan out in a way that made them almost seem alive. Far away, a wolfos cried out into the night, signaling all other wolfos' in the pact that it was time for the nightly hunt before the slumber that they would take till the rising sun. The crickets started chirping and the night owls took flight to those insects that have made those sounds. All these sounds that Link heard sounded empty, as if they were wanting to cry, but couldn't. It was as if the entire forest knew that the one that was destined to protect them would be leaving soon, never to return. Link looked up at the stern, yet sickly, face of his best friend, soon to be his partner in this terrible quest.
"You are right," Link said. "Yet do not be mad at me. I know it was a selfish thing to say and do, trying to make you turn back on this quest, but you are my best friend. With all that we have done together and all we have talked about, to ask you to put yourself in danger did not seem right to me. I know that you are needed in these fights; if you were not needed, you would not have seen these visions that I and Zelda have seen.
"We shall leave for Hyrule market in one week. We must be prepared for the quest. Take all your time and resources to buy and find what you will need and what you may need. We will travel light at first, but soon we may have to stock heavy. That will be when we leave the realm of Hyrule. I shall go through all that I do not carry anymore and see what weapons you can make use out of. I'll even see if I can find a sword that can be used. If not, you'll have to make due with the deku sticks till we can find one. Is that ok with you Saria?"
Saria nodded. She knew that all was said and done. She would leave Kokiri Forest and her duties as a sage. She would leave all she was used to and all her other friends. She would forsake her calm life as 'Saria the Kokiri' for 'Saria the Hero.' She knew that she would be entering battles and see much that she would not want to see. She knew her body would get stronger through all the battles and injuries she would suffer. She even knew her body would suffer many markings of the battles she would be in, as Link's body did. She knew that, in time, she would hate her choice. Right now, though, she felt like a great weight was lifted off her shoulders and all would be well. She felt like jumping in the air and letting her lungs empty with the sound of cheer and happiness as she would never have to face the horrible fate of eternal solitude. For the first time in a fortnight a small smile appeared on her tired face.
"Saria," Link said. "We should be going. We are going to have a long day tomorrow, preparing for the quest. We should get some rest before it gets too late in the night."
"Yes Link," Saria responded. "Let's go back to Kokiri Forest. I really do need to sleep, and tonight I rather it be on my own bed."
Link got up and walked side-by-side with Saria. After going into the Lost Woods, Link noticed that Saria was having a hard time keeping up. He slowed down a little so that he could talk with her.
"Saria," Link said. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine," Saria responded. "I'm just tired. Don't worry about it. I'll be fine after I get some sleep."
"Are you sure you'll get any sleep," Link asked. "You said that you haven't been getting any sleep ever since you started getting the nightmares."
"I know," Saria said. "But I don't think I'll have them tonight. I accepted the quest, so maybe they'll stop coming to me."
"Alright," Link said. "Just don't try to push yourself too hard tomorrow. If you need the extra sleep, please take it. We don't have to leave in a week. We'll leave once we get ready. Is that good?"
"Yes," Saria said, and paused for a yawn. "That will be just fine."
xxxx
By the time they returned to Kokiri Forest the moon had come out and the sky was filled with stars. The Kokiri were in their huts; some of them were sleeping. Some of them were playing some games. The Know-It-All brothers were going over the map that they had made and were trying to see if there was any way to go further in the Lost Woods without running into any deku scrubs. Mido was checking the chest that he kept behind his log-shaped chair. In it, unknown to anyone else, Mido kept another sword that was just as long as the kokiri sword, but had a much sharper edge on it; though it did little in comparison when matched with Link's sword, which was the kokiri sword, but forged with gold dust and it had a longer blade. The night was quiet in Kokiri Forest; the only sound to be heard was the sound of crickets and the flapping of an owl's wings.
Link walked with Saria into her hut. She was barely awake and looked like she would fall asleep at any moment. He wanted to be sure she made it to her bed; she almost fainted on several occasions on their walk back from the Sacred Forest Meadow, or maybe she did fall asleep on those occasions. He walked with her to her bed and helped her in it. She fell asleep before her head even touched her pillow. Link turned to leave her hut, but he heard her say something.
"Link," Saria muttered in her sleep. "We'll always be best friends, no matter what."
"I know," Link muttered under his breath, careful not to wake Saria. "We'll be best friends for as long as we live. Goodnight, and have good dreams tonight."
Link left her hut and went back to his tree house. He climbed his ladder to his porch and gave one more look at the forest, making sure nothing followed them. He saw nothing. He went in his house and removed his sword, shield, bow and quiver and put his equipment under his bed. He took off his shirt and laid down under his covers. He closed his eyes and fell into an uneasy sleep. Just before he fell into unconsciousness he had one last thought go through his mind.
Saria, whatever you may do, please don't die.
xxxx
Saria did not have any nightmares that night.