Legend of Zelda: Urban Legend
Chapter six: The forest
The pitch black cave gave way to a misty wooded area. Night was falling by the time Link, Midna, Ashei made it to what appeared to be a dock that stopped over a thick fog bank leading farther into the forest. Looking around quickly, Ashei realized that they would end up completely lost if they tried to go any further in the dark.
"So do either of you have a flashlight or torch or something?"
"Actually, I bought these at the gas station while Mid was in the bathroom. Figured we'd need 'em." Link pulled three mini-flashlights out of the kangaroo pouch of his green hoodie and handed two of them to Midna and Ashei.
"Huh. That's pretty good forward thinking, Twigboy," Ashei said.
"Yeah, not bad Link."
"Y'know, you guys don't have to sound so surprised," Link said, clearly annoyed by the apparent lack of faith the two girls had in him. They turned on the flashlights and headed into the fog bank.
When they got further into the fog bank, Ashei exclaimed, "Everyone hold hands."
"Aw, is lil' Ashei afwaid?" Midna mocked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact I am; afraid that we'll all get split up and eaten by a wild animal."
"Well, okay then, I vote for us holding hands," Midna conceded, becoming readily aware of just how dangerous Faron seemed at night. The three of them linked hands and continued their trek through the mist filled woods. After finding a number of dead ends, they came to the conclusion that they were totally lost. They even ended up back at the dock they started at more than once.
After hitting another dead end, Link finally said, "Okay, we really need to figure something out, 'cause I have a feeling these batteries aren't going to last too long."
"And what exactly should we do?" Ashei asked. "This fog is so thick there's no way for us to see where the hell we're going."
Just as Link was about say something, he heard something. Turning in the direction the sound came from, he quickly asked, "What was that?"
"What was what?" Midna asked, looking around.
Link, being Hylian, had much sharper hearing than either Midna or Ashei. He was sure he heard something, but didn't know what. "I don't know. I think something might be watching us."
Looking around, Ashei drew her sword to defend herself from whatever might be out there. Link drew his sword as well - just in case what he was hearing wasn't his imagination.
Midna noticed her companions arming themselves, and she couldn't help but notice she didn't have anything to fight whatever it was off with. "Uh, guys. I don't have a weapon. I'm ser - all I have is a flashlight! I don't…can't I have like a knife or something?"
"Let's just keep going. Midna, stay in-between me and Ashei. We'll protect you."
Midna fell in line behind Link but ahead of Ashei, just as Link told her to, but not without muttering "my big fat hero" under her breath.
They continued onward for a while, still hopelessly lost. None of them heard anything that sounded like an animal or anything stalking them; it didn't cause any of them to drop their guard, however. After passing a large tree, Link and Midna heard Ashei quickly cry out in surprise, but then silence. They turned around to see the swordswoman missing.
"Link? Where'd Ashei go?"
"Um…Bathroom break?" he answered very uneasily. He started scanning the area to try and see what could have taken her. "The thing I heard earlier might have gotten Ashei. We have to keep an eye out for whatever it was. And we definitely have to stay together." He then turned around to see that Midna was now gone as well.
"And now I'm alone." Link pointed his flashlight up into the trees to see if he could find any trace of Midna, Ashei, or whatever it was that took them. Like earlier, he heard something run past him from behind, and what could swore he could hear was a little kid laughing. He whipped around, taking a swing with his sword but only hitting air. He looked again but was hit in the back of the head and rendered unconscious.
"Link!"
Zelda shot up from her bed, panting heavily. She hadn't had an odd dream like this since she first saw Ganondorf.
But it wasn't like her last dream. That, and the strange vision she had in Officer Rusl's squad car were more like long lost memories. This last dream was…different. It was about Link (nothing new, if she had to be honest), but he was with the orange haired girl she'd seen in the diner and another girl she didn't recognize. She got out of bed, put something on over her nightgown, and made her way to the Sanctuary.
It was the middle of the night, around two or three in the morning. Zelda hadn't bothered to look at the time when she left her room. Kakariko was completely silent; the only thing that she could hear was the sound of a few crows that flew overhead. She knocked on the Sanctuary door and brought her coat closer to her body to guard against the cold wind as she waited for Renado. The shaman opened the door, surprised to see Zelda standing there, looking very cold.
"Zelda, what are you doing here? Come inside out of the cold, child." Zelda entered the Sanctuary and welcomed the warmth of the bonfire that always seemed to be lit. "What brings you here at this late hour?"
"Um, sorry for waking you so late. I just kind of, uh…well…"
"You had a dream, didn't you?" Renado finished her sentence, sure of what she was trying to say.
She nodded silently before speaking, "How did you know?"
"I had heard stories about the Princess's abilities of foresight. I wondered if you had such ability, but you hadn't said anything about it."
"I wanted to bring it up the day I got here, but I wasn't sure if you could help me," she said sheepishly, feeling rather stupid for not saying anything about her dreams.
"Tell me about these dreams, Zelda. I will help find meaning in them." Renado gestured for Zelda to sit near the bonfire, possibly to help her warm up.
She started off by telling him about the dream she had about Ganondorf invading her throne room, then the vision of her as a child riding through a destroyed Castle Town with the ninja woman.
"I would suspect that these dreams were memories of your ancestors - other bearers of the crest of Wisdom. You say the vision of the child evading the dark rider came as you were fleeing your college, yes?"
Zelda nodded in confirmation.
"Then it would seem the Triforce reacted to the situation, as it was reminded of an incident that one of your predecessors had encountered. Now this latest dream…"
"Link and the two girls he was with were going through some forest. It was dark, and they couldn't see anything. They were attacked by something, taken somewhere, but I couldn't see where it was. Then I saw Link fighting…someone or something. He was hurt, I think. That's when I woke up." Zelda went silent after giving the details of her most recent dream, wondering if the shaman could help her figure out what it meant. "Well…?"
Renado closed his eyes contemplatively. Finally, he said to the Princess, "What you described… I believe it to be a prophecy of the future. The Hero, Link, will or is currently facing some kind of danger."
Zelda's eyes widened in fear. Link was in trouble. She shot to her feet and yelled, "We have to help Link! We have to do something!"
"And what would you have me do, Zelda?" Renado asked calmly. "Your premonition did not tell us where Link and his companions are or how we can find him."
"Yeah but… I mean… we… can…" Zelda quickly deflated, as she couldn't think of a way to actually help Link.
She had suceeded, however, in being loud enough to wake Luda up. She came down the stairs to see what was happening.
"Father? Is everything alright? Oh, hi Zelda. What are you doing here?"
Zelda was able to calm herself down before answering her. "I just needed to ask your father about something. Sorry to wake you, Luda."
"Zelda and I have some things to discuss still. Go back to bed. I'll be up shortly."
Luda yawned as she started back upstairs. "Alright, see you tomorrow, Zelda. Or today, I guess."
Once Luda was out of the room, Renado was about to say something but Zelda interrupted, "I'm really tired now."
Renado eyed the young princess carefully. "Zelda, I know you worry about Link. But I am afraid there is nothing we can do for him now, save pray that the Goddesses watch over and protect him."
Zelda nodded, seeing there really was nothing she could do. Renado stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder to walk her to the door. "Get some rest, child. We will continue your training tomorrow."
"Can you help me with this… psychic vision thing?"
"No, unfortunately," the shaman answered sadly. "Unlike divination, foresight is an ability that can be difficult to teach if you yourself do not possess it, and I do not. I am afraid that you may have to master this skill on your own."
"Oh," she said, becoming downcast as the reason she agreed to this training wasn't an option. "Thanks anyway. And thank you for helping me understand my dreams."
Renado nodded to her and gave a warm smile. "It is no trouble, Zelda. If you have any other premonitions, do not hesitate to tell me about them, even after our time together is over."
Zelda nodded to him and left the Sanctuary. She bundled herself up as a cold wind overcame her during her walk back to the hotel. Something stuck in her mind as she strolled through the empty streets - Renado said that she was worried about Link.
Well, yeah, with a dream like she had… Link was in trouble; of course she'd be worried about him. Although, the level of worry was somewhat odd… The very thought of Link being in danger caused her heart to ache. Why did he elicit such a strong reaction in her? They had only known each other for a week, and they hadn't even spoken to each other in the past five days. It didn't make sense that this one guy would occupy such a large portion of her attention, even if they were meant to face Professor Dragmire together, and he had a really cute smile, and was kind, and brave, and funny, and had a nice firm…
"Stop that!" she told herself.
Once back in her hotel room, Zelda took off her coat and shoes and climbed into bed. She didn't fall back asleep right away. She stayed up, looking at the ceiling. Zelda was never one to believe in something like "love at first sight"; the idea of just falling for someone after meeting them once seemed like the kind of cheesy schlock one would find in a trashy romance novel. Y'know, the kind with a pirate captain kidnapping and at some point screwing a governor's daughter or something like that. She hated books like that. They were stupid and unrealistic. People don't just fall in love and devote themselves to each other within five minutes of meeting.
But if that wasn't true, then what was happening between her and Link?
Link's head was swimming when he regained consciousness. He groaned and placed a hand on his head and tried to figure out what the hell happened. He tried to sit up on whatever it was he was lying on but was pushed into the wall by something. His eyes popped open to find…A small child holding a spear?
"You really don't want to move."
"Um, what's going on?" he asked the boy. Instead of answering, the boy just turned his spear around and pointed the tip at his jugular.
"Okay, okay! Not moving!" Link said, putting his hands up in way to say he surrendered. The boy took the spear away from his neck and backed away, but kept his weapon and his eyes trained on him. Link relaxed slightly, at least happy that this kid wasn't about to stab him in the throat, but he couldn't help but feel just a little stupid about the situation.
'Great, captured by a ten-year-old. Some Hero I am,' he thought, looking at the small, brown haired boy. He looked around and saw that they were in a hut that looked like it was made out of a hollowed out tree trunk. He was sitting on a small bed, that was actually more comfortable than you might think, and the rest of the hut was decorated with different hunting equipment and dead game.
Then he looked back at the kid, who had yet to lower his guard. He looked to be in good shape for a kid; he was definitely a hunter, although it still struck him as odd why a little kid would be out in the middle of the woods like this. The boy's hair came down over his face, obscuring his eyes, and it looked like his teeth were filed down to points. He was also wearing a slightly tattered green tunic that Link assumed was so he could blend in better with the trees. And there was a small, reddish ball of light with wings floating near him. Weird. He figured this kid was the one that had been stalking them through the woods, but there was no way a little kid could drag away Ashei and Midna—
"Ashei, Midna!" he yelled, having just remembered his two companions that were still missing.
The kid, clearly surprised by his outburst, lunged forward with his spear, just barely missing Link's heart. He bounded off the bed and reached for his back only to realize his sword was gone.
"Crap." The boy tried to stab Link again, but he grabbed the spear and attempted to take it from his grasp. The boy jumped up and kicked Link into a shelf. He rubbed the back of his head and looked up to see the boy about to stab him again. He ducked and kicked the boy in the stomach, sending him flying back. He landed and coughed a few times, a result of having the wind knocked out of him. Link got to his feet and said to him, "Look, I don't know what's going on, but I just want to find Midna and Ashei."
"Who?" the boy asked.
"The two girls I came here with. You took them too, didn't you?"
"That's none of your business!" the boy yelled as he threw his spear at Link. He side-stepped, and it embedded itself into the wall. The boy rushed Link to get his weapon back, but Link grabbed it first, swung it baseball style, and hit the boy with the butt of the spear into a wall. The boy was still conscious, but winded, giving Link the time to escape.
"Sorry about that, kid, but something tells me you needed a good spanking," he taunted as he left the wooden hut-
Only to be confronted by a large group of children also wearing green clothing and accompanied by floating balls of light. The kids were all brandishing spears, bows and arrows, and various other weapons made of stone, wood, and bone. Link backed away from the children and bumped into the boy he had knocked down only a minute ago. He grabbed his spear back and joined the other kids, grinning at him and more or less saying, "You're right fucked now."
Just as the kids started advancing on Link, a small but surprisingly authoritative voice commanded them to stand down. A little girl with bright green hair and a dress of the same color waded through the mob of little people and stopped right in front of Link to address the others.
"What did I tell you guys when you brought them in? When they wake up come get me. What happened?" the question was directed at the boy that was guarding Link when he woke up, and he looked visibly worried about making the green-haired girl angry.
"Hey, it wasn't my fault! He beat me up!" he pointed at Link accusingly.
"You pointed a spear at my throat. I'm sorry, but I tend to get a little aggressive when someone tries to give me a tracheotomy without my permission!" The green haired girl, apparently the leader of the kids, looked at the boy with a hard glare. He just shrugged his shoulders and gave her a nervous smile.
The girl shook her head and looked at Link. "Come with me. Your friends are awake, and I'd like to talk to all of you about what you're doing in this forest."
The girl held out her hand, and Link hesitantly took it. The other kids around quickly dispersed, many muttering under their breaths. The green haired girl led Link through the primitive village that appeared to be made up of only kids. Like the hut he woke up in, all the other houses were made of huge tree trunks.
Before Link could ask the girl any questions, she stopped in front of one and told him his friends were inside. When Link entered the hut and saw the two girls, he immediately threw his arms around the Goth, and Midna returned the hug in full. When he hugged Ashei, he got a scatching "What the hell are you doing?"
Link backed off and gave a nervous chuckle. The three then put their full focus on the green haired girl that brought Link. "I'm glad you to see you all up and alert."
"Then maybe you can finally tell us how we ended up here?" Ashei said accusingly.
The girl looked to the side, embarrassed, a clear blush on her face. "Uh, yeah…that was the others. We have a rule that no one from the outside can stay here. Usually when someone comes to our forest, we just take them back to the entrance of Faron."
"So what happened this time?" Midna asked as she sat down on the bed along with Link.
The girl's face darkened, seemingly reflecting on something. "Strange things have been happening in the forest lately. It's been affecting us; making many of us more aggressive." She looked up at Link. "When I found out what they did, I was going to tell the others to take you back to the forest entrance like we always do. But then I saw the mark on your hand." Link looked down, noticing for the first time that his left glove was missing, and he could clearly see the Triforce mark. "You are the Great Hero, aren't you?" she asked with a hint of hope and something else in her voice.
"Uh, yeah, I am. How do you know about that?"
"Oh, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Saria, and I'm the Sage of the Forest. I actually knew the Hero of Time, one of the earliest Heroes."
The three looked at each other, confused, until Ashei asked, "How is that possible? You're, like, five."
Saria put her hands on her hips defiantly. "I'll have you know that I'm over fifteen hundred years old."
Midna cocked an eyebrow at this. "Well, you don't look a day over five hundred to me."
Saria smiled at that.
"You're the Kokiri, aren't you?" Link suddenly asked. Again, Saria smiled and nodded.
"What's a Kokiri?" Midna asked. "And how do you know what it is?"
"I used to live in the next providence over, Ordona. All the old folks used to tell us kids stories about Faron Woods. Mostly how we should never come here or else we'd turn into Skull Kids. But one other story they'd always tell us about the Kokiri." He gestured to Saria. "The Kokiri are forest spirits who look like children, and they never grow up. The older people sometimes called them fairy children, for, well, obvious reasons," he explained, pointing at the ball of light with wings.
"So that thing's a fairy?" Midna asked.
"Yeah, this is Rael. He's been my most loyal companion for centuries." Saria hugged her fairy, eliciting small, happy tinkling noises from it.
Ashei stared at the forest child and her fairy friend, then looked over at Link before saying, "Y'know, in the last week, I found out that my dad's crazy stories about the Triforce are real, magic is apparently real, and now I find out that eternally ten-year-old forest spirits and fairies are real." She stood up and started to walk out of the hut. "I'm sorry, but I think I just need some time to go over all this in my head. Those other kids won't shoot me in the face with an arrow if I just walk around for a little bit, will they?" Her question was clearly directed at Saria.
"Um, no. I told them that you were our guests. So there shouldn't be any problem, I think."
Ashei nodded to her and walked out.
"Is she going to be okay?" Saria asked.
Link and Midna looked at each other as if to ask the other the same question. Midna just shrugged, so Link told her, "I think she's just trying to figure all this out. It's been a weird couple of days for all of us."
Saria nodded, seemingly understanding Ashei wariness. "Link, I know why you came here. You want the key to the Master sword, right?"
"Right, exactly. Can you give it to us?"
Saria shook her head. "No, I can't. But the Great Deku Tree can."
"The Great Deku Tree?" Link and Midna asked in unison, equally confused about how a tree could help them.
"Yes, come with me. I'll introduce you."
Link looked at Midna, and she gives him an unsure shrug before gesturing to follow the Kokiri sage. He followed Saria out of the hut and through the Kokiri village. He took this time to observe how the children's community functioned. The Kokiri village seemed no different than his home town, Ordon. The people grew and harvested food. There was a small farm in the south of the village; there even seemed to be a craftsman Kokiri. The only real difference between the Kokiri village and Ordon was that there were no adults here except him, Midna and Ashei. Speaking of Ashei, Link managed to see her on a bluff overlooking the entire village, most likely still deep in thought.
While walking through the village, Link said, "Saria, can I ask you something?"
The forest child nodded, looking up at him.
"You said that you knew one of the other Heroes. Can you tell me what he was like?"
Saria's face turned a tint of red that caused a stark contrast with the green that made up most of her appearance. "Uh, well… Like I said, I knew him. He actually used to live in this forest. He was raised as a Kokiri, but he was really a Hylian. I always knew something was different about him. And I knew that because of it, he would leave the forest one day. And when he did…" Saria trailed off, as if continuing was the most painful thing in the world.
"It sounds like you were really close to him," Link said as he placed a hand on her back.
Link's touch sent a shiver up Saria's spine as it reminded her of the Hero of Time, and how he would comfort her when the pressures of leading the Kokiri would weigh heavy on her. "Y-yeah, we were. Very close. After the Dark Lord took over, I didn't see him again for seven years. He grew up, but obviously, I didn't. It was the one time in all the centuries I've been alive that I wished… uh… n-never mind."
"What? What'd you wish for?"
"Um, nothing important. Well anyway, when he did come back, that was when I realized I was the Forest Sage, and I helped him and the Princess defeat the Dark Lord. I still think about him every now and then. He was very kind and caring. He always tried to help everyone with whatever. He was quiet and not all that smart to be honest. He'd do a lot of really stupid things sometimes, but… I could always talk to him about pretty much anything. I really missed that after he left."
Link thought for a second before saying anything back, "Well, maybe I can be your friend."
Saria looked at the Hero re-born and could only see the boy she had known so many years ago. "I mean, I am the Hero's great, great…however many great grandson. Figure I'd be the next best thing," he said with his usual goofy, lopsided grin. The exact same grin that the Hero of Time had.
Saria's face was suddenly branded red again, and she turned away from Link to hide it. "Uh, yeah, that would be good. Thanks."
Once they came to the northernmost part of the village, Saria identified the narrow passage as the way to the Great Deku Tree. Once in the Deku Tree's glen, Link was awestruck by its size and majesty. He had never seen a tree this huge before, and on the front of the tree looked to be a face. Saria bowed before the tree, and not sure what he should be doing, Link did the same.
Then something Link never would have expected happened - the face he noticed began to move. It began working out what appeared to be its mouth and then spoke, "Saria, I see you have a new girlfriend. She is way too old for you. Someone call Chris Hansen!"
Link was in complete shock. The giant tree was talking! "Did the tree… just…Wait, how does it know who Chris Hansen is?" (Author's note: I'll try to avoid make references to real world celebrities in this story, but I just couldn't resist this one.)
"Spirit Hulu," the tree answered curtly.
"Spirit Hu…Is that a thing? That-that doesn't sound like a thing."
"I am able to connect to the internet through my roots. Have you seen Rule 34? That's some messed up stuff, man."
Link continued to stare at the Great Tree in utter confusion.
Saria stepped forward. "Great Deku Tree, this isn't my girlfriend. This is Link; he holds the Triforce of Courage."
"I see," the Great Tree said. "So the Great Hero has indeed been reborn. Don't feel bad about the whole girlfriend thing. None of your predecessors were all that masculine either."
Link looked around quickly. "Is this some stupid hidden camera show or something?"
"Great Deku Tree, Link came here to find the key to the Master Sword so he may defeat the Dark Lord."
"Ah, yes. The key. I once entrusted the key to the Hero of Time during his quest to save Hyrule. Now it seems I must play this part again. But before I can bestow the blessing of Farore upon you Hero, you must first prove that you are in fact, the Hero reborn." Saria and Link waited for the Great Tree to tell them what task Link would have to perform to prove his worthiness.
"You must bring me… a 70' plasma screen T.V."
Saria facepalmed, and Link nearly lost his balance from the sheer randomness of the tree's request.
"Are you kidding?" he asked.
"Do you have any idea what it's like to be stuck in the forest with a bunch of little kid? I'm bored out of my mind!"
Saria looked only a little offended by the Great Tree's remark. "Uh, Great Deku Tree? I'm right here," she said in an annoyed voice.
"Yeah and…? Honestly, it's just nice having someone over the age of thirteen here. But seriously; plasma screen. Get it, and the key is yours."
Link looked at the clearly frustrated Saria. "Okay, seriously - someone is messing with me here, right?"
She just shook her head no, then turned back to the Great Tree. "Great Deku Tree, are you sure you wouldn't want Link to do something else… Like deal with the thing in the temple?"
"What temple?" Link asked, still confused by what'd been happening the last few minutes.
"You remember me saying something odd has been happening in the forest lately?"
Link nodded.
"I've sensed some kind of dark energy coming from the Forest Temple deep inside Lost Woods. I think whatever is affecting the Kokiri is coming from the temple." She turned back to the Great Tree. "If Link were to figure out what was happening in the Forest Temple, would that be enough to prove he's worthy of the key?"
"Are you sure you won't get me my T.V.?" the tree asked.
"How am I supposed to get a plasma screen T.V. here?"
"Fine, then do the temple thing. The Great Deku Tree has spoken!" And with that, the ancient tree fell silent.
Link and Saria walked back to Kokiri village with Link's next task still fresh in their minds.
Link asked Saria, "So the thing in the temple… is that why the Great Deku Tree was acting so… dickish?"
"Actually yeah, it is," she said. "Usually, he's much worse."
By the time they returned to Saria's hut, Ashei had come back as well. Link was happy to see that she and Midna hadn't killed each other yet.
"How'd it go?" Midna asked as soon as the two entered the house.
"Yeah, Midna said that you two went off to talk to a tree?" Ashei said, as if to confirm if what Midna told her was true.
"Yeah, we talked to him," Link said, watching Saria walk over to her bed and flop down on it, understandably exhausted by having to deal with the Great Deku Tree. She worked with him probably more than the other Kokiri since she was the tribe's leader.
"And…?"Midna asked expectantly. Even Ashei was curious about what a talking tree would have to say.
"Well, it was even weirder than what you'd expect a conversation with a giant talking tree would be. But bottom line? I have to go check out this temple in the forest. Something's going on in there, and the Deku Tree wants me to check it out." He paused for a second. "Well, actually, he wanted me to get him a plasma screen, but…"
"Wait, hold on." Midna stood up and walked over to Link. "A talking tree tells you to go into some old temple to find something and you just—did you say a plasma screen?"
Link shrugged. She shook her head to get herself back on track. "Why do you even have to do this?"
"If I don't, I can't get the key. Look, Mid - you and Ashei don't have to go in there with me. It's my mission; maybe it's best if I just go alone."
Midna placed a hand on Link's cheek as if sympathizing with him, but then swiftly slapped him instead. "Don't be stupid, Link. I came all this way. Do you honestly think I'd sit this out?"
"Same here," Ashei said, coming up behind Midna. "I gotta see how well my training's holding up."
Link smiled; knowing he had his friend behind him made him feel like he could take anything. He turned to Saria, who was also smiling at the scene before her.
"I guess we're all going. But we do need our weapons before we leave."
Saria nodded and hopped off the bed. "No problem. I kept everything we took off you in here." She motioned to a footlocker in the corner of the hut, and she then opened it, revealing Link and Ashei's swords. As they re-equipped themselves, Saria grabbed her spear and glanced at a blue shield on the wall. After a moment of consideration, she took it off the wall.
"Link."
The Hero turned around to see what the forest child had to say. Saria walked up to him.
"This is the shield that the Hero of Time used. I kept it ever since the last time he came to the village." She handed the shield over. "…You should have it."
Link took the shield and looked it over. It was ornately decorated in blues, reds, and golds, with the Triforce above some kind of bird symbol near the top. He strapped the shield on his right arm, and it felt like the most natural thing he could do.
"Thank you, Saria. I know how much this must mean to you."
Saria nodded her head sadly. She had to let go at some point. "So can you show us the way to the Forest Temple?"
"Yeah, it's no problem. Is everyone ready?"
Link looked to his two allies, who nodded that they were indeed ready.
"Alright then. Let's go." Saria led the way out of her hut, and out of the village, into Lost Woods.
The trip through Lost Woods took less time than they would have thought, thanks to Saria guiding them. Eventually, they arrived at the entrance to an old stone building.
"This is the Forest Temple. I haven't been inside since I felt the disturbance, so I'm not sure what we'll find."
"Don't worry. We can handle it. Right?" Link turned to Ashei and Midna, who both muttered half-hearted acknowledgements. Neither was feeling particularly eager to go into a cursed temple and face who knows what. Concerned for his friends, Link took point and entered the Temple first. Saria followed, then Midna, and finally Ashei.
The inside of the temple was almost completely overgrown. Most of the architecture had been retaken by the forest. The three outsiders looked at the ancient structure in amazement as they moved forward.
"No one, not even the Kokiri, knows exactly who built the Forest Temple," Saria explained. "The Great Deku Tree might know…but…Well y'know," she said to Link with a sigh.
"Yeah…"he simply said, knowing full well what the Deku Tree was like.
Midna and Ashei exchanged a confused look.
"Okay, seriously - what happened with this friggin' tree?" Midna asked.
"I'll tell you later. I'm still trying to figure it out myself, honestly," Link answered. He led the party farther into the temple as Saria instructed him on where to go. After going through a few chambers, they came to a partially destroyed room covered in overgrowth. As they came to the center of the room, a freakishly large spider appeared and attacked them.
Link got in front of the spider and used his ancestor's shield to knock it away. "Holy crap, look at the size of that thing!" he said, unsheathing his sword. "It's as big as a dog!"
Saria came near the unarmed Midna with her spear ready as the spider came at them again. "There are bigger ones, trust me."
The spider lunged at the group once again; Link sliced at it vertically and split it in half. "Huh, not so tough."
Just as he said that, a large number of spiders flooded into the room.
"And not alone by the looks of it," Ashei said as she drew her own sword. The two started fighting off the spiders as Midna guarded Saria, keeping the forest child behind her as best she can.
Despite Link and Ashei's best efforts, more than a few spiders managed to skitter past them. They tried their best to slice, stab, and squash all the spiders they could, but there were just too many. Saria also did her best to kill as many spiders as possible, but as a group of spiders came at her and Midna, the goth's fiery orange eyes narrowed; she spread her legs slightly and jutted her hands forward, ensnaring the spiders in a barely visible wave of dark energy, immobilizing them. Midna then brought her hands together swiftly, and corresponding to that movement, the spiders violently collided into each other. The dead spiders fell to the ground in a gooey pile, and Midna relaxed slightly. She looked down at Saria to see if she was still okay. The forest child looked at Midna with a huge grateful smile but then screamed as more spiders came at them. Midna grabbed her and teleported to the other side of the room, away from immediate danger.
Saria got up and ran to the door leading to the next room, and Midna followed close behind. She called out to Link and Ashei, "Hey guys! Come on, let's get the hell out of here!"
The two swordsmen cut a swath through the mass of spiders and made it to the door. To give them some time to escape, Midna spread her arms and, in a grand forward sweeping motion, used an invisible force to push the spiders away. Once everyone made it through the door, Midna closed it and erected a barrier of dark energy over it, just to make sure nothing was getting through.
She slumped against the door and breathed a sigh of relief. Ashei and Link sheathed their swords as Ashei asked, "Since when can you move things with your mind?"
Midna straightened up and dusted herself off before crossing her arms and saying to her, "A while."
Ashei put her hands on her hips and shifted her weight to one of her legs, staring Midna down, "And when exactly were you gonna tell us about it?"
"Figured I'd bring it up when the situation called for it," the goth said with a nonchalant shrug.
"Well I'm grateful for it," Link said, trying to keep as little tension between the two women as possible. "I was actually wondering if you could do the same stuff as Zant."
Midna shrugged again and walked over to them. "Magic is pretty common place where I come from. Me and Zant have been practicing for years."
With little else to say, the group continued through the old temple. The group came to a large door with four lanterns in the center.
"Center of the dark energy is coming from that room," Saria said, pointing at the open door.
"What is it?" Link asked
"It's the center of the temple. The life force of the entire forest, and all of Hyrule, comes from here."
"And what would happen if something messes with it?" Ashei asked.
Saria thought for a moment. "I don't know." She looked up at the taller woman. "But I'm sure it won't be good."
The four of them approached the door leading to the central chamber of the temple when four ghosts came bursting out of thin air, screeching an earsplitting scream. They flew over to the four torches in the middle of the room and stole the flames. When they did, the large door in front of them closed, and the ghosts disappeared.
Left stunned as to what just happened, Midna blurts out, "Okay, what the hell just happened?"
Link scratched the back of his head. "Well, I think the ghosts just locked us out."
"What do we do now?" Ashei asked.
"Find them?" Link seemed unsure of himself as he said it. The appearance of the ghost was so random and unexpected that he wasn't sure what to do next. It was decided that the only option was to find the ghosts and figure out a way to return the flames they stole. The group looked through much of the temple, marveling at more of the impressive, though still decaying architecture.
Soon they came to an open area where the first ghost appeared. "Okay…" Ashei said, more than a little apprehensive. "What do we do now? Ask for the fire back?"
Link thought for a second and said, "Y'know what? Why not? It might work," and walked towards the ghost.
But Ashei tried to stop him. "Wait, Link. Dumbass, I was joking. Link! Oh, good gods!"
Link stood in front of the ghost that had yet to move from the spot it had been floating in since they entered the room. The ghost turned to look at Link when he cleared his throat.
"Hey there. Look, I was hoping that maybe you could do me a solid and give me that lantern you used to steal the fire from that torch. We really need to get into the room behind the big locked door. So, what do you say?" he asked, flashing the floating creature a bright grin.
The ghost looked at Link for a moment before screeching in his face. It pulled its lantern back and shot a blast of fire at the hero, which he blocked with his shield.
"Well, that didn't work!" Link yelled, backing away from the angry ghost.
"No kidding, r-tard!" Midna said as she flung a fallen piece of debris at the ghost, but the hunk of rock flew right through its incorporeal body and crashed behind it as it continued to try and burn past Link's new shield.
The hero's three female companions spread out through the room, trying to find an opening to aid Link. Ashei drew her sword, not entirely sure if it would be of any use. "Okay, if throwing a flippin' column at this thing won't do anything, what will?"
"I don't know," Midna said, focusing on Link, "but first things first, we gotta help Link." She teleported behind Link, grabbed hold of him and warped them both out of the way of the ghost's attack.
When the two were clear of the fire, Link threw the heated shield off his arm to keep from burning himself any further. He examined the burns he had already sustained; they weren't too bad all things considered. His ancestor's shield really did its job. He looked at Midna gratefully,
"Thanks Mid. My stomach feels like its inside out, but at least I'm not about to be Ordonian fried chicken."
"No problem, Link," she said before another fireball came at them. The four of them scrabbled about, trying not to get burned alive while also trying to figure out how to stop the ghost. After picking up his shield and blocking a fireball, Link noticed that the lantern was the only thing on the ghost that looked solid. He wasn't sure if it would work, but with pretty much no options left, Link rushed the ghost with sword in hand and took a swing at the lantern.
To his surprise, the ghost pulled the lantern out of the path of the sword, backing away from him.
"Guess I found your weakness," Link taunted. After taking a few more swipes, Link managed to smash the lantern and the ghost began to dissipate until a small flame was all that remained. The flame then flew out of the room, allowing the four of them to calm down. After the flame left, Link said to the others, "So, did that re-light the torch?"
Saria looked at where the flame passed through the wall and said, "I think. Maybe? At least I hope so." Rael then started making loud tinkling noises to get Saria's attention. "Are you sure Rael? It's really here?" The forest child's partner tinkled and bobbed in the air, apparently confirming what he said to her. "Then show me where it is." The small fairy led its partner around the room, searching for something seemingly important.
"Um, Saria? What are you doing?" Link asked.
"There's something in the temple I knew you might need to stop whatever is going on, and Rael said that it's in this room somewhere." Rael and Saria stopped in front of one of the few still standing walls in the room, "and it's in this wall."
The three outsiders walked up to the wall the fairy pointed out. Link used his sword to tap the wall in different places, eventually hitting a piece of wall that sounded different than the rest of it.
"Here we go. Mid, think you can you can pull this part of the wall out?" She nodded and stepped forward, ensnaring the false wall in her wave of energy. With one quick yank, Midna pulled the false wall out, revealing a battered old chest. Link sheathed his sword and opened the chest to find a bow and quiver of arrows.
He pulled out the bow and examined it. It was a sturdy oak wood bow with a metal grip and it appeared to be in excellent condition.
"The Hero's bow," Saria said with awe in her voice.
"Another one of my ancestor's gear?" He said still looking over the bow.
"Yes. He used that very bow to defend this temple during his journey. When the Hero gave me the shield, he returned the bow to the temple as well. And like I said, I thought it might help you."
Link smiled at the forest child and slung the bow over his back. "Thanks Saria." She smiled back at him as he took the quiver out of the chest and tied it to his belt.
"Link, do you even know how to use a bow and arrow?" Ashei asked.
"Well…no," he said, "but how hard could it be? Pull the arrow back, point it at something and let go. Easy."
Ashei placed a hand on her forehead and muttered, "Oh goddesses, help me. He is an idiot."
"Okay Robin Hood, let's get going." Midna slapped Link on the back, and they continued to search for the remaining ghosts. Since discovering the ghosts' weakness, the next two fights were fairly easier than the first. Link had some issues with firing the bow at first, but he quickly got the hang of it. Hitting the lanterns with an arrow dead on was still a bit of a chore, but soon there was only one ghost left. They searched throughout the entire temple but couldn't find the last ghost. Link had the idea that they should go back to the room with the torches. Both Midna and Ashei thought the idea was stupid but they didn't see any other options.
When they returned to the torch room, they saw that three of the torches were lit. Link walked up to the torches and said, "Well, at least we were on the right track with the ghosts."
When he came close enough to the torches, the last ghost appeared out of nowhere. Link turned to the others and said, "See!? I told this was a good idea!" The ghost screeched as Link turned his back on it.
"Twigboy, focus!" Ashei yelled.
"Right, right!" he answered, drawing his bow. He took aim at the ghost's lantern and shot an arrow at, but the ghost suddenly split into four and the arrow whizzed right through one of the copies.
"Okay, didn't expect that."
The ghost and its copies encircled Link and two threw fireballs at him. He dodged out of the circle and fired another arrow aimed directly at one the lanterns, but again it passed right through.
'Damn, one of the copies.' Link thought.
The ghost continued to throw fire balls at Link as he tried his damnedest to survive the attack. He would occasionally attempt to shoot one of the ghosts, but he would always hit a copy or miss entirely. The four ghosts managed to surround him again and prepared to incinerate him. Just then, his Triforce mark began to glow, and he was stuck with a flash of insight. He pulled four arrows out shot them in the air. The arrows arched up then fell onto the ghosts. Three of the arrows hit vapor, but one hit the lantern dead on. Like the other three, the ghost evaporated and the remaining flame floated to its torch.
In response to the last torch being lit, the door to the center chamber opened once again. Link took a moment to catch his breath, and then he looked to his quiver and noticed that he only had one arrow left. He chuckled to himself, thanking Farore that he thought of that move before he ran out of arrows.
"Link!" That was all the warning Link had before Saria threw her arms around his waist. Link just chuckled softly and rubbed the top of the forest child's head.
"That was pretty impressive, Twigboy," Ashei said with Midna next to her, nodding in agreement. Link would never admit this out loud, but Twigboy was starting to grow on him. He grinned at them before turning to face the reopened door. Link walked through the door first, followed by his three friends closely behind.
According to Saria, the central chamber of the temple was supposed to be an open glade. She described it as the most beautiful place in all of Hyrule, with a crystal clear spring which she claimed has healing properties. Ashei, of course, didn't believe her, but felt it was a moot point. The spring itself was surrounded by flowers from all over the world, not just Hyrule. There were birds constantly flying in and out because the room didn't have a ceiling.
But when they entered the central chamber, Saria was horrified to see almost all of the plants were dead or dying. The water had turned an odd dark purple color, the air no longer smelled of summer even in the dead of winter, and the sunlight was blocked by strange dark clouds.
And in the middle of it all, standing on the edge of the spring, was a strange looking man with white hair, a dress shirt, and black slacks appearing to be performing some kind of ritual, facing away from them.
"So, you managed to get past my ghosts?" the man said with his back still to them. "I had a feeling they wouldn't do much. Especially if you are who the big man says you are."
Link looked the central chamber over, then to Saria who was in tears at this point. He then looked to the man before him with anger in his eyes.
"And who am I supposed to be exactly?"
"Just someone I'm meant to kill. That's all." The man turned around to face Link and the other. An effeminate looking, somewhat disturbing face with a sadistic smile plastered on it came into view. "And by the look of you, I doubt that will be a problem."
Link decided to ignore the insult and get right to it. "Who are you, and why are you here? What have you done to this place?"
"Oh my, aren't we full of questions? Well, I guess it would be rather rude to murder you all without a proper introduction. I am Ghirahim, a mere emissary of my master."
"And your master is?"
"Aha, aha, aha, no spoilers. Now, as for why I'm here: I'm trying to poison the Great Deku Tree." Looks of shock spread across the four young people's faces.
"Oh, the looks on your faces are just adorable."
"Why would you do this!?" Saria cried, "If the Great Deku Tree dies…"
"Then all plant life in the forest will slowly die as well," Ghirahim finished as if bored, "Ho hum, like anyone would miss this backwater patch of underbrush. But that loathsome tree refused to give me what I wanted, so I decided to just kill the thing and take what I came for. Rather simple, really."
"Not if we can stop you!" Link said as he drew his sword and shield. "And I don't care how cheesy that sounded!"
"Oh, the little hero wishes to 'foil my evil plans'? That is just so cute. I suppose you won't just die, so if I must dirty my hands then so be it." Ghirahim summoned a small rapier like blade in his hands and prepared himself to fight Link. When the others readied their weapons (except Midna who had not gone five minute without complaining that it's not fair that everyone has a weapon except her even if she can use magic) Ghirahim snapped his fingers, causing the three girls to disappear, then reappear in a balcony high on the wall near the Central Chamber's entrance.
"Tsk tsk tsk." He wagged his finger at them as they readjusted to the sudden relocation. "Such naughty little girls trying to interrupt a gentlemen's duel. But don't worry my dears - if you are in such a rush to die, I can assure you, you will be joining your precious Hero in the afterlife very soon." He faced Link once again, pointing his sword right at him.
"Don't worry guys; I'll have this freak done in a second," Link shot over his shoulder, trying to sound more confident that he was. Ghirahim just smiled, licked his lips, and lunged at Link. He blocked the attack with his shield, then tried to take a swing at him, but Ghirahim dodged out of the way. Then he attacked again, but Link dodged this time and attempted to stab Ghirahim, only for him to knock Link's sword away with his own. Link and Ghirahim went back and forth for a while, neither landing a solid hit. After Link managed to hit Ghirahim with his shield, an amused smirk grew on his face.
"Seems as though you do have some skill, so maybe I should stop playing with you." He snapped his fingers again, and two red energy bolts flew at Link. He blocked them with his shield, but it pushed him back, leaving him open for Ghirahim to try and stab him. Link managed to knock his sword away at the last possible second and took a step away. He swung his sword down, but Ghirahim just caught the tip of the blade with his bare hand.
Ghirahim smiled wickedly as Link tried to pull his sword away, but it would barely move.
"You may have skill, but I'm afraid you lack the strength sufficient to pose a serious threat to me or my master." He pulled the sword out of Link's hand and kicked him square in the chest, sending him flying a good ten feet away.
"Link!" Midna yelled from the balcony. "Oh man, this is bad..."
"I didn't expect him to run into someone this good so early," Ashei muttered to herself, biting her knuckle.
"Please don't die, Link!" Saria yelled desperately.
"Ah, I do love an audience." Ghirahim grabbed Link's sword by the hilt and held his arms out wide, basking in the misery of the young Hero's friends.
Link felt like he had just gotten hit with a sledge hammer as he tried to sit up. He used his shield to prop himself up, glaring daggers at the sadistic swordsman, hiding the left side of his body to the best of his ability.
He pointed Link's sword at him. "But now I'm afraid our time is at an end. It is too bad you didn't give me a proper challenge. Ah well." He reared back his two swords and rushed Link. "Say good bye, Hero!"
"LINK!" the three girls cried as Ghirahim brought both swords down on Link. He used his shield to protect himself; then, before Ghirahim had a chance to do anything else, Link jabbed the last arrow he had in his quiver into Ghirahim's leg. He let out an earsplitting scream before Link smashed his shield into his gut. He loosened his grip on Link's sword, and the Hero managed to reclaim his weapon and slashed Ghirahim across the chest.
The demented minion fell to the ground, and Link assumed he was unconscious, if not dead. The balcony the girls were standing on disappeared the minute Ghirahim went down. Thankfully, Midna grabbed the other two and teleported the three of them to safety. Link ran over to them, happy they were safe.
"Hey, you guys okay?"
"Yeah, we're good, right?" Midna looked down and patted Saria on her green head. The forest child smiled widely at both of them. "That was pretty badass, Link. I didn't know you had it in you."
"Well, I knew you were going to win, Link."
"Thank you, Saria. At least one of you has any kind of faith in me," Link said, eliciting laughter from Midna and Saria.
While the three of them were talking, Ashei hung back and thought about Link's fight. 'This Ghirahim freak was one of the best swordsmen I've ever seen. And Link, a complete novice, actually won. His instincts are amazing. The way he fights… I didn't teach him most of the moves he used while fighting this maniac. And looking back on it, the way Rusl described his fight against that Zant guy… there was no way someone with as little training as him could have done what he did. Just who in the hell is this guy?'
While Ashei mused, Saria looked at the state of the Central Chamber with a saddened heart.
"All of the beauty of this place has been taken from it. We got here too late. I don't know if there is anything we can do to help." She began tearing up as she talked and nearly broke down.
Link kneeled down beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Saria. There has to be something we can do, some way to fix this."
"I don't know if there is," she said softly. The three of them looked at the spring in silence, unsure of a way to fix it.
Just then, something dawned on Saria. "Link! Your Triforce piece!"
"What about it?" Link asked.
"The Triforce of Courage has a direct connection to Farore, same as this place. Maybe the Triforce can heal the spring somehow."
Link looked unsure, and he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I don't know. I've never really done anything with the Triforce on purpose like that."
"I don't think we have too many other options, Link," Midna said in a somber tone. Link looked at Midna, then down to Saria's large blue eyes.
After looking into the forest child's begging eyes, Link walked over to edge of the spring and hesitated.
'Okay, now what do I do?' he thought. He never truly understood what the Triforce did. Only that it healed him when he was hurt and turned him into Nightwolf (Author's note: Think Hyrule's version of Batman) when he was in a fight. He didn't know how to heal the spring, but Midna was right; he had to at least try.
He kneeled in the tainted water and dipped his left hand in, and he just kinda waited for something to happen.
The Triforce began to glow, and the glow spread though the water, causing the whole spring to radiate a bright golden light. Midna and Saria looked at the spring in awe as Link unconsciously cured the Central Chamber. Ashei joined the other girls as the golden light encompassed the entire room. Soon, the light receded and when it was gone completely, the spring's water had returned to normal.
Link pulled his hand out of the water and looked at it for a minute. The Triforce had faded and become barely visible. Not gone, just not as gold as it usually is. He turned to look at his companions, who were still in shock from the light show. He just smiled.
"So Saria, everything good?"
The forest child snapped out of her shock and smiled at Link.
"Yeah, I think we are." She looked around the chamber. With the spring restored, the clouds covering the chamber had quickly dissipated, allowing the sun to shine once again. "The plants and flowers with return to life soon now that the spring is healthy again. Thank you, Link."
Link's grin grew wider as he gave a humble chuckle. He walked up to his friends, and after looking each girl in the eye, he walked past them to the exit. The others followed.
Right when they were about to leave the Central Chamber, Ghirahim suddenly started laughing. Everyone's eyes snapped right to him with fear as he slowly got to his feet, laughing the whole time.
"That… That was impressive, Hero!" he began laughing insanely again, then turned his gaze to Midna. He then disappeared and reappeared right next to Midna. Like, right on her. As in no-sense-of-personal-space close. He looked her over before speaking.
"As I thought…you're Zant's darling baby sister."
Midna backed away from him and nearly tripped over Saria. "What? You knew my brother?"
"Not intimately, no," he said as he trailed his finger across the slash mark on his chest and licked the blood. "But I did see him every once in a while. He mentioned you a couple of times. His sweet little sister."
Midna stared at the clearly insane man with a mix of fear and despair. This was the type of people Zant had associated himself with? Lunatics and murderers? She still couldn't believe her brother was with this psycho.
"Although I guess I should go easy on you. After all, there has been a death in the family," Ghirahim said with a sinister, disturbing kind of glee in his voice.
Midna's eyes widened, and her mind went blank. She slowly came to understand what he meant - that her brother, who she hadn't seen in over a year, the only person who ever gave a damn about her, was now dead.
"He's dead?" She dropped to her knees as tears started streaming from her eyes. "Zant's dead?"
"Oh, poor little sister… Had you not heard? Yes, dead as dead can be. Found shot in the head in his own jail cell."
The other three tried to console her, but Midna had gone numb now that she knew her brother was dead.
"If it gives you any comfort, I doubt he suffered. Lucky I wasn't sent to execute him. Oh what fun I would have had with him." Ghirahim wrapped his arms around himself to contain his own excitement.
Link looked at Ghirahim with all the hatred he had, then went barreling at him, discarding his shield and both hands on his sword. He tried to slash at Ghirahim, but he disappeared.
"So angry, Hero. You should try to watch your temper." Ghirahim's voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. "I do so hope we run into each other again, Hero. I wish to have more fun with you. And as for you, dear little sister, I would not worry about Zant. I'll send you to see him… Soon."
And just like that, Ghirahim's voice silenced. The four were extremely quietfor a long time.
Ghirahim's presence had drained all of them, even if Link was the only one fighting him. You always hear stories about mass murdering psychopaths, people who actually find joy in ending the lives of others. You never actually think you're going to meet someone like that, and when you do, and he's after you specifically, it does something to you. It's disconcerting in the most extreme way.
Link sheathed his sword and walked back to the others. Midna was still on her knees, tears silently running down her teal colored face. Saria had clung to Midna ever since Ghirahim started talking from nowhere. Link wrapped his arms around her as well. Ashei stayed away from the others and leaned against a wall, hugging herself to keep from shaking.
The trip back to Kokiri village felt like it took forever. Midna was completely silent throughout the Lost Woods. She wasn't crying anymore, but she had this blank expression on her face like someone sucked all the joy out of her. Link and Saria left her and Ashei at Saria's hut before returning to the Great Deku Tree's glen.
Saria bowed before the tree and spoke, "Great Deku Tree, we have returned and…"
"Wow! You two actually survived. Didn't expect that."
"Yeah, that's…really… y'know what, I'm not even surprised by this anymore," Link said to the great tree.
"Welcome to my world," Saria threw out. "Great Deku Tree, Link has fixed the problem in the temple. An evil man was trying to poison the temple spring, but Link cured it."
"Hmm, an evil man," the great tree mused. "A stranger came to the forest not long ago and threatened me to give him the key, but I refused him. This must have been his retribution for kicking his tranny looking ass out of my glen.I suppose I should thank you for saving the forest, Link."
"It was no big deal, really."
"I said I should, I didn't say I was going to," the great tree said, offending Link but again, not really surprising him. "Now that this crisis is over, you may leave this forest in peace."
"Um, Great Deku Tree? What about the key for the Master Sword?" Saria said.
"Oh, right. Was kinda hoping you'd just forget about that."
"Considering I drove half a day here and had to fight ghosts and a crazy gray guy, I don't think that's gonna happen," Link said, crossing his arms, "and you just mentioned it two seconds ago."
"Ugh, fine. I was going to try and sell it on EBay, but I guess you can have it."
Just then a green light appeared in the great tree's branches, and a small gem floated down and into Link's hands. It was a fist sized emerald with the symbol for Farore engraved on it.
"That is the first key to the Master Sword: the Kokiri Emerald. You will need two other gems to awaken the blessed sword."
"Thank you, Great Deku Tree," Link said while bowing. "So, think you could tell me where the other two are?"
"I could, but I won't," The great tree then went silent once again.
"Yeah, knew that was gonna happen."
Link and Saria returned to her hut, showed Ashei the Kokiri Emerald, and explained about the other two gems Link had to find.
"How's Midna doing?"
"You could just ask me," came Midna's fragile voice from Saria's bed. She still looked fairly broken, but at least she was talking.
"So…?"
She looked straight ahead and took a shaky breath. "I'm not great, but I'll deal with it. So what's our next move?"
Saria walked over to the shaken Goth and placed a hand on her knee. "Right now, nothing. You're all tired, in more ways than just physically." She looked in the girl's burning eyes, feeling so much sympathy for her. "You can leave tomorrow morning." She smiled at Midna, and she nodded back.
Midna liked the way the forest child looked at her. She had spent most of her life looking after her brother, and this small, albeit immortal, child made her feel the same sense of closeness she had felt for Zant. Saria felt it as well. In the short time they were together, Saria had come to feel a great deal of affection for Midna. When she heard the news about her brother, it hurt Saria as well. She wanted to do all she could to ease the other girl's pain, so she offered to allow Midna to sleep in her bed. She took the offer up, so Link and Ashei slept in the other Kokiri's huts. Unfortunately for Link, his roommate was the same kid who nearly stabbed him in the neck when he first came to the village.
The next morning, Link, Ashei, and Midna were escorted out of Faron Woods. When they came to the cave leading out of the woods, Link said to the small sage, "Alright, I guess this is good bye."
"Yeah." Saria nodded, tearing up slightly. "I'm going to miss you, Link. And you too, Midna." She walked up to the teal-skinned girl, who kneeled down and embraced the forest child. "And you too, Ashei."
"You really don't need to hug me," she said with a smirk.
Saria smiled at her and turned to Link; she once again saw her old friend as he was the last time she saw him. Link suddenly kneeled down and hugged Saria, then kissed her on her forehead.
After pulling away he had an off look on his face; he asked out loud, "Huh, wonder why did I that?"
"You're a pedophile?" Midna said with a shrug.
"Funny. Let's go." Link stood and took one last look at Saria and the other Kokiri that had shown them the way out.
"Later." He turned to the cave, and the three outsiders left the forest children.
"Bye, Link," Saria choked out as more tears began to fall. She tried her best to pull herself together and turned to face the other Kokiri.
"Okay, let's get back to the village," she said, her voice still slightly broken. The Kokiri all turned to make their way back through Faron, a few giving Saria empathetic looks or a pat on the back, knowing full well why their leader was crying.
The forest sage looked towards the cave that the Hero reborn entered, wishing for the second time in her very long life, that she could grow up.
First of all I want to thank my new Beta Miss LEva114 for going over this chapter for me. She did a good job with this and I'm grateful to her. And second, I cannot tell you how important it is to outline your stories at least two chapters ahead. I meant for Mido to be the Kokiri that guarded Link. Man I could have had fun with that jackass. But I already mentioned that Mido worked in Telma's dinner with Link and Midna so…Yeah.
Speaking of the Kokiri, I wanted to write them as primitive tribe, kind like Lord of the Flies. Except without the rotting pig head thing. And the Great Deku Tree thing…I don't even know with that. While I was writing it I had the idea of writing him like Lord Guro from DBZ Abridged. I just thought it was funny, I hope you do to, but I if you don't, well that just too damn bad isn't it. And man, I just can't give Midna a break can I? Wll don't worry, the next chapter is going to be focused more on Link and Zelda, so Mid won't have to go through anything to trumatic for a while.
See Y'all next time, Peace!