Hiccup sat on a log, scrawling in the dirt with a stick. Well, this has been a fun day. He reflected on all the inconceivable things that had happened since the Whispering Death chased them into the fog that morning. First there was Loki's Triangle with its terrifying fog, then the way the bracer apparated into existence. He tried to convince himself that it had always been there and that the torchlight had merely illuminated it. He shook his head. No good; he couldn't deny what he had seen. Then there was this whole world, which according to all his senses, felt as real as anything. He rubbed his stump leg, still tender from his introduction to the local wildlife.

Making new friends. There was Link, who was clearly going through something serious. Impa, the warrior with the crazy eye symbol, who was who knows where. Link had called her the last… something. There was also a missing princess and Link's enemy—the king. Cannon? With every half-remembered detail, a pit was growing in his stomach, a faint yet constant homesickness.

Hiccup looked up and smiled as Saria took a seat on the log next to him.

"These are your friends?" she asked, looking at the simple yet beautiful drawings.

"Yeah."

"This one," she said, pointing at the first drawing, "is… your mount?"

"That's Toothless. And I'm just as much his human as he's my dragon."

"A dragon?" she repeated, amusement and skepticism coloring her countenance.

"Yeah." Hiccup chuckled. "He… he's amazing." The pit in his stomach grew a little deeper. It's just a dream. You'll wake up, and everything will be back to normal, he reasoned. And yet he couldn't shake the loneliness.

Saria pointed to the next picture. "And this?"

"That's Astrid. I think you two would like each other."

Saria smiled knowingly. "She's lucky to have you."

Hiccup's cheeks flushed. "What? I never said… I mean… we're not a—" He paused to clear his throat.

"Not a what?" Saria leaned forward, her emerald eyes sparkling.

"We're just friends." She raised an eyebrow. "Really," he insisted.

"She's never given any signs?"

"Well, there was the first time she rode on Toothless. She punched me… And then she kissed me."

"And since then?"

"She still punches me… a lot, and sometimes… does the other thing."

"And you haven't done anything?" She must have read the regret written all over his face because she immediately replaced the lets-get-to-the-good-part attitude with genuine sympathy. "Oh, Hiccup. What are you waiting for?"

"Wha-what?" Hiccup stammered, scooching back. "I'm not ready. We're not ready. I don't even know what a relationship would look like. She's so strong and confident and capable—"

"Which is probably what she says about you." Hiccup gave her a quizzical look.

"Anyone who rides a dragon and considers him his friend must be strong and confident and capable." She added with an impish smile, "Or just crazy."

Hiccup shrugged. "Well, I'm definitely one of those things."

She picked up a leaf. It was fragile and cracking, the moisture having left it long ago. "If this war has taught me anything, life doesn't wait for you to be ready. We only have a short time here, and when it's gone, it's gone." The leaf drifted from her fingers and came to rest on the third picture.

Hiccup looked into her face. Where there was usually youthful optimism—naivete, he might even say—there was now a gravity to her words. She's seen things, too.

She blinked and shook her head, her bright green hair bouncing across her shoulders. "And who is this?" she asked, brushing the leaf off the third picture.

"That's my dad, Stoick the Vast. He's the chief of our tribe."

"What's he like?"

Hiccup looked up into the thick canopy. "Well, uhh, he's your… quintessential Viking." He grinned, finally having an opportunity to use that word Fishlegs had taught him. Saria tilted her head, and Hiccup continued. "Stubborn, a little slow on the uptake, but with the will and strength to wrestle a mountain. Why anyone would want to wrestle a mountain is beyond me, but that's what we Vikings do. And he can do it better than anyone." He caught himself rubbing his skinny arms and made himself stop.

Saria looked thoughtfully at Stoick's portrait. "Those of us who grew up in the Lost Woods never knew our fathers or mothers. But the Great Deku Tree—" Saria lifted her eyes to the giant tree. "—raised us, gave us a home, protected us." Hiccup glanced from the girl to the tree and back to the girl. He wanted to ask what she meant, but the way she looked up at the tree, like one standing before the sea after the funeral ship had sailed, advised him that now was not the time.

Instead, he said, "I'm so sorry. I never knew my mom either, but I couldn't imagine losing my dad, too."

"Link has had it harder than most. He was always the leader, protecting the younger kids when monsters would wander too close. Honestly, I wasn't surprised the goddesses chose him as the Hero. The whole time he trained to defeat Ganon, he never lost his confidence. It's like no matter what happened, he knew everything would work out. Seeing him now—" She looked toward the hollow at the base of the Tree. "—he's not the same."

\\\

Darkness filled the hollow of the Great Deku Tree like fog on the moors. Link stood in the midst of it, breathed it in, let it fill his heart. He closed his eyes and remembered the smells of roasting vegetables, the sounds of laughter, the cuts and bruises all mended within this place. This sanctuary.

He found the wall and traced his fingers along childish scrawlings in the bark, every one familiar, until SMACK! He rubbed his forehead where it had collided with something hard and used his other hand to remove the offending object: a lantern. He'd never done that before; he'd always been able to walk comfortably underneath the lanterns. Link snorted. He hadn't realized how much he'd grown. What else had changed since he'd been away?

Tskk, Tskkk. He struck his flint rocks together until the wick caught flame. Instantly, light flooded into the space. Tucked among the roots intertwined in the dirt ceiling were many more extinguished lanterns and twice as many little bouquets of dried flowers. Asymmetrical tables and long benches worn smooth from serving a thousand meals were haphazardly strewn around. Was the room always this small?

He picked his way around the furniture and stooped through a small opening where several child-sized beds were nestled in an alcove, their covers drawn and dusty. He came to one bed in the corner where drawings were pinned to the wall: a blond boy and a green-haired girl, a red lion boat, a colorful majestic bird, a noble wolf, a blond young woman. He set the lantern down as he took a seat on the bed. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since he'd been here, more since he'd drawn them. His eyes wandered back to the portrait of the girl; her golden hair flew freely behind, her sapphire eyes gleamed, her smile captured forever in this moment. "Be brave," he heard her say.

Determination gripped him. I'll find you. Whatever it takes, I won't lose you again.

Link suddenly straightened. He began rifling through the drawers, peeking into corners, flapping out dusty sheets, each time a little more urgently than the last. He was just coming up from looking under the bed when he came face to face with one of the leaf creatures standing on the soft covers. Its tiny body drooped, hands held behind its back.

Looking at the ground with the roundest eyes, the little korok said, "I'm sorry I took it without asking. When I played, it made me not so sad that you were gone." From behind its back, it produced a dazzling, blue, egg-shaped object, nearly as big as he was. Link's surprise melted into a chuckle.

"I'm glad someone was getting some use from it," he said, taking the wooden instrument. He smoothed over the holes with his thumb. The korok continued to stare at the ground.

"You know—" Link said, leaning in. "—if it's not played, it loses the beauty of its sound." The korok immediately perked up.

"That's what I told them, but everyone said 'Noooo. You don't know what you're talking about.'" Link chuckled and took a seat next to the korok on the bed. At least Makar hasn't changed.

They sat in silence in the heart of the dead tree.

"Aren't you going to play it?" asked the korok.

"I don't know, Makar. When I play it, it makes me think of her."

"Which is why you should do it. She's going to want to hear you play, and you've been gone so long without practice. You want to sound good, right?" Link laughed, but there was no heart in it. He kept smoothing over the fingering holes, back and forth, back and forth.

Makar looked up at the roots snaking through the walls and ceiling. Dozens of tiny black eyes gleamed from the shadows. "Psst," he signaled harshly. One korok made a bell-like noise as if saying "Now?" Makar impatiently replied, "Yes, now!" Two koroks above produced a tiny drum and guitar and began playing. The rhythm was inviting, a short phrase pregnant with expectation. The tune had been a favorite ever since Link brought it back from his adventures on the high seas. Makar and the others looked to Link to take the lead, but his eyes were closed, brows furrowed. Makar signaled to another korok, clutching its flute as if afraid it would break. At Makar's intense behest and a few false starts later, he played. The melody was simple and sweet, a jaunty tune that could make a stone statue tap its foot. Link's eyes brimmed with tears.

Outside on the log, Hiccup hesitated mid-drawing. "Do you hear that?" He and Saria noticed many of the koroks making their way to the Great Deku Tree. They followed the group to the entrance. It was no longer dark inside but glowed warmly from a dozen lit lanterns.

Inside the tree, an enthusiastic korok entered with a piccolo along with an oboe-playing one who didn't seem too pleased to be right next to the piccolo. Makar took over the next solo on a tiny-bowed instrument. The rhythm continued, and the few hundred koroks crammed around the sleeping nook looked expectantly at Link. He looked at the portrait of the girl, turned away and wiped his eyes.

Outside, the clearing burst into an orchestra of sound. Hiccup spun around and around as he tried to take it all in. On every branch, rock, and bush, scores of koroks armed with tiny instruments joined in the enchanting tune. He ran his fingers through his hair and realized that a korok had landed on his head and was dancing and singing along. Saria flicked the tip of her silver wand, and a tiny gust of wind blew several koroks up into the air with a cheer.

As if on cue, the music scaled back to just the guitar and drums, the rhythm anxious for the solo. The shy flute player took a deep breath, but before he could play, a sweet, round, muted sound floated from the alcove. Makar and the rest looked up ecstatically. A few koroks fell from the ceiling, so eager were they to see.

Link's fingers moved in perfect rhythm. The sweetness of the ocarina was entrancing. The koroks didn't notice the tear running down the boy's cheek. Cheers like the spray of an ocean wave erupted, and the music swelled as the group of koroks poured out of the tree. Once again the clearing was filled with that magical music.

Hiccup sat back on the log, trying to capture every detail of the beautiful scene. Saria danced with koroks as they swirled around like the waves of an ocean. Fireflies twinkled in the branches like candles in the great Snoggletog tree. The music, so buoyant and optimistic, almost made Hiccup forget his homesickness, and he smiled. I wish Astrid could see this.

\\\

The small campfire hissed as Link poured water over the dying embers. He scrubbed a dirty pan in the stream and looked over at Hiccup who had passed out in the grass after dinner. The koroks had been nothing less than insistent that he sleep with everyone else inside the Deku Tree, but it became all too clear that a full-grown Viking, thin as he was, was too big for even the largest beds. Saria was just setting her favorite blanket on him, his long legs sticking far beyond the colorful cover.

Link still couldn't fathom that she had aged. Normally, the kokiri race didn't age past childhood, yet here she was crossing the threshold of adolescence. After his experiences the past few years, not to mention everything that had happened that day, though, he had to question his definition of "normal". He wondered where the other kokiri children had gone and if they too were growing up.

Saria noticed him watching. He smiled, then focused on filling his canteen in the stream. She walked over.

"That was really nice of you to play with them," she said. "They've missed you so much."

"Gotta keep up a smiling face for them."

"Like… this?" Link looked up, but instead of seeing his sister's face, he stared into a hideous wooden mask. He shrieked and tumbled into the water. She laughed, dropping the mask and holding her sides.

"That's still not funny!" Link protested as he clambered out of the stream.

"To me it is!"

"You're the worst," he said and smacked the water in her direction. She bounced away and retaliated with her own woodland projectile. They wrestled in the grass until Link twisted her wrist backward.

"Not fair," she whined, tapping his knee. Immediately, he let go and sat back. She rubbed her wrist and pouted. "If I had been traveling all over the country, I'd probably learn a couple of moves, too."

Link tensed; the fun in his eyes evaporated. "It's dangerous out there. You could get hurt."

"I can handle myself. I've gotten pretty good with this thing," she said, twiddling the glistening Wind Waker in her fingers.

"I'm not joking. This isn't a game."

Saria was about to tease him again, but the retort died on her lips. He was lost in his thousand-yard stare. "This wasn't your fault, Link." He sighed. Saria continued, "If you hadn't left the Woods, then Ganon would have taken over completely."

Only crickets broke the silence. Link turned his gaze to the massive tree standing like an ancient obelisk. "What happened here?" he asked.

Saria took a deep breath. "When the Deku tree… You could feel it. Something was different in the Woods." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I think the forest is dying."

Link's head whipped towards her. This time, her eyes were on the ground. The Wind Waker tumbled listlessly in her fingers. "I'm doing the best I can to keep the koroks safe, but… I don't know how much longer the forest will last."

Link's hand tightened into a fist. How could I let this happen? This was my responsibility. To protect them, to protect them all! Her small frame seemed so fragile as she sat hunched next to him. She shouldn't have to carry this. He took her hand.

"I'll fix this. I need to take Hiccup to the Sage, and find Zelda, and—"

"Once you've saved the world," she interrupted, her sadness softening into a smile, "we'll fix it. Together." She sat up, her round eyes brightening. "You may be the Hero of Legend, but you don't have to do everything on your own."

He pulled her into a hug. "You're the best, Saps."

"I know."

He squeezed her tight. His shoulder was nearly healed thanks to their hearty meal. Healing foods—like every other good thing in Hyrule—had grown scarce since the takeover, and yet the Lost Woods still managed to produce a small harvest. With the death of the Great Deku Tree, though, how long would that last?

Link held the embrace for another moment before he noticed something. His eyes narrowed. As he pulled back, eyes fixed forward, Saria turned to look as well. Link put a finger to his lips as he crept to his right. Saria twisted around, read his intention, and, with a twinkle in her eye, circled around from the other direction. Their footsteps were imperceptible as they stalked closer and closer. Finally, they had it cornered: one medium sized rock surrounded by a perfect ring of pebbles. Link bent low, placed both hands on the rock, and hoisted it into the air. Makar sprang out from underneath.

"You found me!" he shouted with glee.

Saria picked him up as he danced. "And now it's time for you to go to bed." The little korok's whine floated away as she flicked the tip of the Wind Waker towards the Great Deku Tree. "You too, Hero," she said, turning to Link. "You've got a long journey ahead of you."

\\\

Night had fallen over Hyrule. The near full moon was already high in the sky making the bulblin corpses on the bluff look even more grotesque. Other bulblins poked the bodies or scavenged what valuables were left behind. At the cliff, two giant lizards with claw for fingernails climbed up over the crumbling edge. They dragged their treasure behind them to a hooded figure.

A head taller than the rest, a thick black hood and robe obscured all but its two signature features: a long pig-like snout that disappeared into the blackness of the hood, and a pair of glowing crimson eyes. It was sniffing the air in painful wheezes, like part of its nose had been smashed in.

The two lizards roughly dropped their prize at its feet before slinking away. It was Link's shield. The crimson orbs squinted, the long snout sniffing. It gargled with sinister glee. "At last."

Removing a black paper bird from the folds of its robes, it whispered a few words and threw it into the air. The paper sparked to life, the wings flapping furiously. The hooded creature watched the bird flit away and sniffed again. Slowly, deliberately, it turned its red eyes on the path to the Lost Woods.

Spot the Reference! Did you notice my nods to
*Treasure Planet
*HTTYD2 foreshadowing :D
*LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring
*BBC Sherlock
*Critical Role

Thanks to Ari Lewis ( /), ValiantQueenLu, and Luke for beta reading!