Inspiration: Reflection.

Shout Outs: Jwill21, CodesInCamelCase, SuccessfulFailure23, Jordan1213, AnonReviewer3.0, EvanEssence, and GodonXir.

Author Notes: You readers have been around for a long time. Thank you.

Word Count: 4,207

Chapter 2

Ordon Village: Saria

What have the years truly brought? This life and all that it composed was as complicated as it was beautiful. My husband Ralph and I were blessed with five wonderful children, four girls and one boy, and our lives have seen shifts going to and fro over the years. Never did I think in my wildest dreams would I have such a full house. I talked about it once, but I never thought it would come to fruition. Even so, I loved it. Every night was filled with laughter and love. Every night was filled with songs and cheer. Every evening had a new adventure. However, it wasn't always this way. It was not always happy times and carefree moments in my home. There were trials. There were indeed some hard times… dark times.

I should probably start at the beginning for clarity. It all began for me when I used to live in the forest as a Kokiri. I was once the Forest Sage and a protector of Hyrule, but I gave it all up to become a Hylian. Truthfully, I gave it all up for love, but it was a love that was not to be. Before the consolidation of my heart, I loved my life in the forest. I had a childlike existence with an equal innocence. It was only on one fateful day when that was all challenged by a woman coming into the forest with her young infant son. The little boy was the hero Link and the woman was his mother. She explained there was an uprising of evil happening in Hyrule and begged the Great Deku Tree to let her stay in the forest and care for her son. Though her request was granted without question, shortly after her plea, she succumbed to her wounds and died. It was the first time I ever experienced death. Before her passing I never knew what it was. The Deku Tree gave her an honorable burial and a small monument was placed in her memory. To this day, I wasn't aware that Link knew it existed. I should have told him about it. Perhaps one day I would have the opportunity to do so. Even still, the hero lived among the Kokiri under the safety of the Deku Tree.

Link was only an infant when he was taken into the care of the guardian of the forest. I remember being marveled at how small and quaint he was. He had the biggest blue eyes I ever saw with the whitest blonde hair, which darkened to golden blonde as he got older. However, I remember that as the years went on he got bigger and bigger, until eventually he was the size of all us other Kokiri. At the time, he was ten years old and my very best friend. We were inseparable, and though I wasn't his primary caretaker, I took it upon myself to look out for him. I showed Link all my favorite hiding places, as well as my favorite secret place, the Sacred Forest Meadow. I wasn't sure why at the time, but I knew that place was going to have great significance for us, almost as if it were a calling. My premonition turned out to be true years later. I also had no idea why I had such a yearning for the young Hylian in my heart when he was supposed to be like any other Kokiri to me. It turned out it was because I was in love with him, and it only deepened when Link left the confines of the forest.

The day Link left the forest, I knew… I knew he was someone special. I knew he wasn't like me or the other Kokiri. He told me he was going off to vanquish a great evil. The same evil that killed his mother no doubt. I wished him well and told him to come back to forest whenever he needed refuge. I wanted to tell him I loved him, but I didn't… I was too afraid, so I just watched him leave. Seven years after that day he returned. I was captured in the Forest Temple, hoping to be released. I thought I was going to die there being in the capture of that phantom. However, when I saw Link again that fateful day, I was stunned. He looked nothing like the boy I remembered. He was so much bigger. He was tall, and handsome, and strong. I knew then he truly no longer had a place in the forest with me and my friends. I recall thinking time was so cruel at the realization. However, I recognized that even within myself, I no longer had a place with the Kokiri. I had awakened as the Forest Sage. I was a protector of Hyrule and could no longer be with my friends. Though I was honored with such duty, over time I became unfit for such service.

I did not divulge this to anyone before, but as I lived in the Sacred Realm I noticed changes within me. I watched over my domain dutifully. However, I noticed over the years the hero's pain and loneliness. He would come back to the Sacred Forest Meadow, sit on the old stump, and play my ocarina. He would play for hours before he left again. He freed the kingdom from Ganondorf's rule and he was an honorable hero, but he seemed to be searching for something. Everywhere he went he had recognition of his deeds. He was known for his valor. He was known for his bravery. Even so, he never forgot his place of solace. He never forgot the forest. I would watch him come to the woodlands more frequently when life became more stressful for him, when he became a knight. I watched him carve my name with his in a tree and stare at it for a few minutes before leaving. I watched him bring a pretty redheaded girl to the meadow and share our hallowed place with her. She didn't understand its meaning to him, but he told her not to worry about it and kissed her under the fauna anyway. I watched him grow as a public steward. He became second in command only to the king. I watched as he made commitments and courted the princess. That... that was when I felt my heart break. I knew it wasn't just me looking after a friend anymore. I knew I was in love with him, and watching him aimlessly look for affection and acceptance broke my heart.

Eventually, I begged to be set free from my duty. I implored the Sage of Time directly, Princess Zelda. At first, she told me it was my duty to stay within the Sacred Realm and look after my people in the forest. She told me I could not, nor should I ever want to change my fate. I understood her supposition as the protector of the realm, but she had no idea how changed I was. I was not the same Kokiri that entered the Sacred Realm. I begged her again. And her seeing my plight, she informed me the only way she could release me from my fate was if another Kokiri took my place. I knew then that my pleas were in vain. No one was going to replace me as the Forest Sage, no one… or so I thought. I went back to my station in the Sacred Realm and cried for what seemed like an eternity. Needless to say, I was not aware that my cries could be heard in the forest. With that, one day I was approached by the Sage of Time with a proposition. I was told I could relinquish my position has a sage and become a Hylian, but if and only if I stayed away from the hero after doing so. I was surprised by the ultimatum, but I did not bother to ask why, I already had a feeling. Even so, I was so desperate to be free, I agreed to the terms.

Nevertheless, I didn't realize at the time the full gravity of what I was doing, because after I touched landing here in Hyrule I soon met up with the hero. It was quite by accident. I was presented as the same age as him. I still remember the first time he saw me as a Hylian, he was dumbstruck. I will never forget his facial expression. It was a chance encounter that was not supposed to happen. Afterwards, our lives were forever intertwined and eventually we fell in love. Never in my wildest dreams did I think the hero would actually fall in love with me. Even so, that love was not to be and we were separated from each other. I try not to think of the circumstances of our separation, but it was heartbreaking to finally be with someone, only to have them taken away by force. Even so, I had to move on as did Link. As time went on, I met the man who would become my husband, Ralph.

Ralph was an extraordinary Hylian. He was a medical doctor. He was the best doctor in Hyrule in my opinion. He was the kindest man I knew with a big, giving heart. We met when I was terribly ill. An event at Hyrule Castle left me for dead and Ralph was my attendant at the time. He nursed me back to health with the aid of a physician named Seaside. Dr. Seaside was one of the doctors who knew who I really was. He actually helped with my transformation into a Hylian. He was always close by to look after me. Ralph stayed by my side the entire time, and though I couldn't speak, I heard all the stories he was telling me while I was comatosed. When I did awaken, I thought he was Link briefly. Ralph looked so much like the hero. I couldn't believe it. However, to my surprise the hero was there too. He was in disguise, but he came to see me. I was so glad, that I didn't properly control myself. So, because of my actions Ralph knew about my relationship with Link. He knew there was something deeper than just friendship between us. Even so, Ralph pursued me anyway.

I remember the first time I saw him after I was released from the medical camp. I was surprised because at this point I knew there was no viable way for me to be with Link and I just wanted to be alone. Even so, Ralph wasn't presumptuous, but he was clear he wanted to start courting me. I think I realized that after the fourth visit when he brought me flowers. I was standoffish for awhile, until I finally decided to just let him try and care about me. He was a good man with a good heart. The truth of the matter was I was still hurting from my relationship with Link. However, Ralph provided a good distraction from that hurt, until it turned into more than just a distraction. I really began to care about him, but I couldn't believe he fell in love with me. When Ralph told me, I thought he was insane. I was terrified at the implications and tried to run away after he uttered those words to me. Needless to say, he was surprised by my reaction. I finally got over my fears of being loved and decided let Ralph try. It was soon after we got engaged.

Link married soon after, and when we met up again for the first time, I told him the news. The hero's reaction was not what I was expecting. He just stared at me for a long time, then demanded to know why I was getting married the way I was. He even thought I was doing it to spite him. I was surprised at his reaction. I never saw him so angry, but then I realized where his pain was coming from. He couldn't look at me the rest of that visit, but he promised he would attend. Even so, I married Ralph a month later with Link being there in the audience as promised. I was grateful the hero was willing to make the sacrifice to come and see me on my special day. However, the issues with Link and I did not end with my wedding day. The first year of my marriage was difficult because I struggled to balance my friendship with Link with my loyalty to my husband. I couldn't lie, I was very much still in love with Link. That year was the hardest year of my life because I was forced to make these compromising choices.

The hero and I would visit each other in the Sacred Forest Meadow from time to time. It was usually just to have a chance to catch up with our lives, but each occasion often flirted with the idea of infidelity. We never said it outright, but the way we looked at each other and spoke to each other said it all. It initially was not overt, but in time it became a more pressing issue, until one day it culminated. I couldn't believe we let our guard down in such a way. I still felt guilty about that indiscretion to this day. I knew I was wrong, but I still had not informed my husband of my unfaithfulness. I was too scared too. It had been fifteen years, but I was still too cowardly to admit my wrongdoing. I tried to make it go away by being a better wife. I was in no way minimizing the hurt I could cause my family, but I should have known seeing the king in such a manner was going to lead to such actions.

Never again, I thought, never again.

In any such case, I hated thinking about that day because it made me realize how unworthy I was of my husband, who, despite everything, stayed by my side and loved me. I could never repay him for his loyalty. It actually made me want to be a better woman. My family was my everything now, even over my education and becoming a music teacher. Early on in my becoming a Hylian I was a very simple, uneducated girl. I knew how to sew and run a small business with the help of my friend gramps, but not much else. I learned to read from my friend gramps and he also taught me math and science, but it was a limited education. When my husband and I first got married, he didn't realize I was so simple until things that were basic to him went right over my head. His family also thought I was a bit to unlettered for their liking. A pretty, but an ignorant girl. So, I decided to start reading whatever I could get my hands on. I read all types of books and many of my husband's medical journals.

In time, I began to understand many of the conversations my husband had with his colleagues. I then made a plan to go to the Scholar's Academy. I wasn't sure if they would take a student as old as me at the time, but I was grateful to know that any age was accepted into the academy for the betterment of Hyrule. Unfortunately, my life temporarily took a turn for the worse when I was dealing with some dark forces inherent upon me, namely an entity called the Dark Maiden. She was a part of me almost my whole Hylian life. I didn't understand her true significance until much later. Her presence made it impossible for me to reach any of my personal goals. She cared not about me going to school and bettering myself. She only had one goal, to use me for her personal gain. There was a time when her presence caused a great deal of anguish and suffering for the people surrounding me. I could not recall because I was not in control. Once I was free of her, I never had to encounter such hardships again, but having her inside me was a reminder of the lack of control I once had on my body and actions. I never wanted to be that out of control again.

I was already a mother when I signed up for the academy, and though at the time I recently lost my second child, I was not going to let my depression keep my sullen. I took the entrance exams and passed with high marks, higher than I thought. I was number seventeen out of one hundred students. When I decided on my course of studies, I chose music history and singing. I wanted to become a music teacher since I loved music so much. I was actually a pretty good singer too. After my studies, I took on an apprenticeship with one of the greatest bards in Hyrule, Madame Lana. Madame Lana was a former opera singer, who also had one of the most prestigious opera houses in the country. In addition, she wrote her own music and created the philosophy of whimsical cadence, which explained musical theory of the forest. I could not have come under a better master.

After my schooling, I was a mother of two, soon to be a mother of three. I worked as a school teacher in Hyrule Castle Town to help my husband provide for our growing family, but my husband's practice was very lucrative then. I did not need to work, but my husband did not dissuade me because he knew how far I had come with my education. In fact, he bought another home in Ordon for the family. Stating if I ever wanted to get back to the countryside with the children there was a place to do so, which I did often. He constantly told me he was proud of me. However, by my fourth pregnancy, it was harder for me to work and maintain my household, so I let my position go at the school. I was sad, but I was glad my husband encouraged me to go back whenever I felt the need to. That showed to me that he cared about my overall wellbeing. By baby number five, I was an expert about running my household and that included all the children having music lessons and playing the ocarina.

My children were amazing beautiful creatures. I loved them all so much. My eldest daughter Elincia was fifteen and the most beautiful girl in Castle Town in my humble opinion. Her emerald green hair shined in the sun and her sky blue eyes were like sapphires. She had the loveliest most captivating facial features. She was active, brilliant, and funny. Her father wanted her to become a doctor, but Elincia expressed to me she wanted to become a singer. She had a beautiful voice and with her looks she could do quite well. However, Ralph saw her idea as a singer as something ludicrous. He did not want to see her struggle and thought she would make a better physician, especially one that specialized in potion making. To be frank, Elincia was an excellent alchemist. She was with her father quite often in the laboratory creating unguents, but she expressed to me that as much as she liked potion making, she loved the stage even more. I remember when she was four she loved to sing out when I played the ocarina or the piano. Even so, she was scheduled to take the entrance exams for the Royal Academy of Medicine next month. I expected she would place in the top ten candidates, but she did not seem too enthused by the idea. In any such case, that was my Elincia.

My second daughter, Lyn, was thirteen. She too had emerald green hair and sky blue eyes, but unlike her sister's affinity for singing, Lyn loved nature. If there was anyone who was going to be the physician of the family, it was her. She excelled in school and she had no qualms with any expectations put on her. She relished them. She loved to make her father and mother proud. She was a sweet child who adored her older sister, but she spoke her mind freely. I loved that about Lyn. I remember her coming home one afternoon saying she wanted to start a puppy shelter for all the lost animals in Hyrule. I just hugged her because it was such a generous notion. It was so in her character, like her father. I loved my little Lyn.

My third daughter Cyan, eleven, was a little blonde belle with big green eyes. She was gorgeous. She had a smile that could light up a room, but what I loved about her was that she was content with simple things. She was bright, but she didn't care too much for school. She liked singing, but she preferred cooking and tending to the house. She was a brilliant little cook for her age. Her favorite thing to make was bread. She always asked for the best kneading troughs so her bread could be the best. That, and she liked to sew. I taught her as something she and I could do together, and she just took off with it. She made dresses for herself and her sisters, which were quite nice considering her age. She loved her older sisters, but preferred the company of her younger sister and brother. I deduced it was because she felt more of a responsible for them. Cyan had this innate sense of duty within her.

My fourth daughter Ciela, nine, was also blonde with big blue eyes. She liked being around her big sisters, but she relished being spoiled by everyone. She was my crier and often pouted to get her way. There were some days she was successful, other days she wasn't. I had to tell her often that there was more to the world than a selfish heart. She would at times roll her eyes and stomp away. I had no qualms with her getting upset, but she often curled under her father when she wanted to be pampered. I knew she was going to have a great deal of growing up to do if she ever wanted to be a responsible member of this family, but she was only nine. I imagine being nine was not easy with so many people vying for attention.

My last child was my seven year old son Ralph. Naturally he was named after his father and he was my pride and joy. I loved all my children, but my little Ralph was my favorite. I adored him. His golden hair and big blue eyes made him a spitting image of his father, but that also meant he resembled the hero as a child in some ways too. My goddess, the resemblance was uncanny. He was just like his father with his kindness and considerateness, but he was brave. My little son was very brave. When he saw his older sister Ciela in trouble with a bobcat, he took a stick, threw it at the animal, then grabbed his sister's hand to run away. I was so proud of him when he told me that story. I was scared for them knowing the wild animals were on the road, but I grateful had sense to defend himself and his sister. I sensed a little heroism in him.

Indeed, my family was my rock. I lived for them now. However, beyond the woodlands and the cityscapes, I knew of the Hebra Mountains and all they entailed. I was keeping a watchful eye. I had not forgotten. I remembered that noble and her horrid plans. Though it had been fifteen years, I had not forgotten. I would never forget. Link still kept in contact with me every month to keep me updated. Even so, I had not seen the hero in person in all that time. We swore that our last time seeing each other would be our last time. The temptation was too great and the pain we caused was finally starting to heal. I would always be grateful to Link for saving me from such a dark place, but our lives were in two very different directions now. He was the king and I was a servant of Hyrule. Our worlds would never intertwine again.

Never.

Even so, I would keep on the watch. I would look out for my family, and never allow what happened to me to happen to any of them.

The next chapter will be up soon.