Saria felt she might choke on the tension that had built in that grove. Hours had passed since Link had disappeared into the Great Deku Tree's mouth, and while she thought the others would have grown bored and wandered off, most of them were still here, watching and waiting for Link to return. Mido hovered next to her, seemingly wanting to talk to her but not sure how to approach her. Eventually, he spoke, "It's been a while... you wonder if maybe Link is still... you know...?"

She didn't answer him. She might have been able to shrug off his remark except that he wasn't the only one saying this. She could hear the other Kokiri whispering to each other, "What if he doesn't come back?" "Do you think the monster got him?" "What'll happen if he doesn't kill the monster?" "Will it get us next?" The fairies gathered in the trees were, if possible, worse since their whispers sounded like titters, giving the tension a gleeful malice. She wanted to shoo them all away, scream at them to get lost, go gossip about something else, but she knew that they were all just as worried as she was-for the Great Deku Tree, if not Link-otherwise, they wouldn't all still be here.

Sudden movement from the Tree made them all start. He flinched with a groan as though he had been struck. A branch the size of a tree broke off with a crack and struck the ground with a hard thud, sending the Kokiri scrambling backward out of range. Minutes later, the Great Deku Tree twitched again and his groan was more drawn out, his leaves rattling as he tried to contain the pain. Then he gave a roar that drew the Kokiri to their feet and sent them backing away, eyes wide and fearful that darted between the safety of their village and their patron. Saria, on the other hand, leaned forward, clutching the grass in her fists and biting her lip so hard it was bleeding. Mido grabbed her shoulder but she shrugged him off. Anai tugged on her hair and said, her voice thin with panic, "Let's get out of here, Saria! Come on! Let's go!"

"No." Saria got to her feet. "I'm not leaving until Link comes back safely."

"But what if he doesn't? What if the monster ate him and is coming for the rest of us? We should run. Get away before it gets out..."

"Shut up, Anai," said Saria with a harshness she had never used before. "I'm not leaving, period. Link is going to come back safely. I'll drag him out if I have to!"

"But..."

Saria was adamant. Nothing Anai said made her see reason, so she stayed with her Kokiri and prayed. Minutes passed where the only sound was the Great Deku Tree's labored breathing. The other Kokiri were still there but they had all fallen silent and still, muscles tense in case they had to make a break for it.

The sun sank low in the sky, casting a golden glow upon the leaves of the forest. Saria found herself inching forward, her fear for Link overriding her fear of the Great Deku Tree's disapproval. She was very nearly at the point where she would crawl into his mouth to go after Link. Behind her, the Kokiri took up murmuring, possibly wondering if she had lost her mind.

Anai spoke, her tone urgent, "Saria..."

Saria ignored her. She had decided. She would go after Link. She would find him and bring him back.

"Wait, Saria!"

She marched forward, heedless of anyone else. No one was going to stop her, not even the Great Deku Tree.

Anai hauled her back by her hair. "Saria, stop!"

Saria swatted at her fairy and she hissed venomously, "You can't stop me, Anai! I don't care what anyone else thinks!"

"But, Saria, look!"

Saria looked and her heart leaped.

The Kokiri had bunched into two, forming an aisle between them. Limping slowly down that aisle was a bedraggled form. He was caked in dirt and blood, bright red rivulets amidst the black earth. His hair, which had been sunny yellow once, had faded to gray and hung in clumps about his head. He was hunched over as though in age, a burden slung over his shoulder. Despite this grim transformation, Saria recognized him at once.

"Link!"

He looked up and in spite of his appearance, he grinned at her. "I did it," he announced to the general assembly. "I slayed the monster. Queen Gohma is no more." He slung his burden over his shoulder where it hit the ground with a splat. It rolled over to reveal a green iris in an orange orb. He had brought back the parasite's giant eye as proof of his deed.

The Kokiri burst into cheers. The tension that had been gradually congealing was suddenly whisked away on a breath of relief, and they surged toward Link. They lifted him into the air and paraded him in a small circle so he could wave to everyone. Saria shoved her way through the crowd until she stood beneath him. He was lowered to the ground to face her where he was stricken by her expression, which was thunderous.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?" she demanded, her hands on her hips.

Link protested, "But I was just... we were down there and... wait, why are you mad at me?"

She punched his shoulder, which in his bruised state was very painful. "You were down there all day! I thought something happened to you! What took you so long?"

A lump on LInk's shoulder spoke up, "Do go easy on the boy, will you? It wasn't an easy battle." It was Navi. She looked tired but there was a smile on her face.

Saria ducked her head in shame. "Sorry. I was just so worried about you." She clamped him in a hug and squeezed him tight. "But it's over now, right? The monster's gone?"

Link waved to the eye at his feet. "See for yourself."

Everyone laughed. Then a deep voice rumbled, "Is it thee I hear, LInk? Come and stand before me."

Everyone parted to let him through. The Great Deku Tree focused his eyes on the boy and his mouth turned up in a smile. "Didst I hear thee right? Thou hast succeeded in slaying the beast that resided within me?"

"Yes, Great Deku Tree," said Link humbly. "And we made sure to destroy her eggs, too, so no more Gohmas would come."

The Great Deku Tree chuckled with satisfaction. "Very well done. Truly thou art as the heroes of old." His face twisted and he grunted in a sudden bout of pain.

Navi got to her feet on Link's shoulder, worry etched on her face. "Great Deku Tree, are you all right?"

"Yes, I am all right, child. That monster has left me weakened, but thanks to thine efforts, I will recover." He smiled reassuringly at her. Then he turned his eyes to the gathered Kokiri behind Link and spoke, "Listen and heed me well, my children. Today is a momentous day. Thou shalt remember this day as the day that one of thy own, thy brother, Link, slayed the monster that plagued me. Rejoice and give thanks to him. Sing songs of his deeds. Dance with spirit! And shout! Shout the name of thine savior, who saved thee from the beast! Give thanks to Link the Hero!"

"Link! Link! Link!" His name was shouted. Once more he was lifted onto their shoulders and paraded into the village. Some of the Kokiri pulled out flutes and began playing upbeat music. Someone passed around a sweetened drink known as "Fairy Dew." Everyone started to dance. A girl with silver hair and bright green eyes took his arm and pulled him gently down from their shoulders. She murmured into his ear, "Well done, chosen champion of Hylia," and pressed her lips to his cheek. He felt a tingle rush through him, sending his cuts and bruises to itching. The tingle reached his ankle, which twisted on its own with a pop, making Link cry out in pain. When he recovered, he looked down at himself to discover that all his abrasions had been mended, and even his ankle was back in place and no longer in pain. He looked up to thank the girl but found that she had vanished.

Kokiri pressed in around him, their voices relentless with child-like energy. "How did you beat the monster?" "Was it big?" "Did it have claws?" "How many eyes did it have?" "How many legs did it have?"

"Guys! Guys! Give me some space!" he cried. The Kokiri backed away with some chagrin. Then with a gleam in his eyes, Link threw out his arms and told them, "She was massive! Bigger than your house, Lenell, with sharp claws that could snip you in two!" Lenell shivered and then she along with the others moved in closer to hear his story.

Navi, too, who had received that tingle that had healed Link, was pressed by the other fairies for her version of the tale. At first, she tried to dismiss them: "It was all the boy. I didn't actually do much," but as they pestered her for the details, it wasn't long before she was delivering them with her own flair.

"...he had hurt his ankle badly, I could feel. With no other recourse, I blessed him with what little strength I had and prayed it would be enough..."

Saria was perched on the roof overlooking the Kokiri. She focused on Link within the circle of the others listening to his story. Anai nudged her with her elbow. "Guess we were worried for nothing, eh? Turns out Link really is unbeatable."

"Yeah."

Anai regarded her Kokiri with some bemusement. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Saria responded.

"You don't seem fine. You're looking at Link like he's died or something."

Saria reacted with shock. "What?! No! He..." She turned to Link again, her shoulders tense. "I don't know, Anai. I know things should be fine. He beat the monster. He saved the Great Deku Tree. Everything should be back to normal..." She rubbed her thighs in anxious strokes. "So why do I feel like everything's changed?"

"Well, he's a hero now," said Anai reasonably. "He wasn't this popular before. You have competition now, that's all. Jealousy."

"Maybe..." Saria forced herself to relax. "Maybe that's what it is... I won't have him all to myself anymore, but... I shouldn't be jealous. I should be happy for him... He's one of us now. Everyone accepts him..."

"Everyone except Mido," said Anai with a snicker. "He's not gonna like Link being the center of attention."

"Well, he'll just have to get used to it," said Saria firmly, getting to her feet. "We'll all have to get used to it." She told herself this, trying to brush away the anxiety she felt. She had been afraid that things would change, and things did change-Link was now a hero-but the important things were still the same. She and Link were still friends, inseperable. So long as that didn't change, she could accept whatever happened.

The Great Deku Tree could hear the celebration from his grove and it made him smile. Such was how all should be. Were the world only as carefree and innocent as his beloved children there would be no need for sorrow and pain. His smile remained but his heart grew heavy. Alas, if only that had been the end of Link's trials. If only defeating the parasite had been all he needed to live the rest of his life celebrated as a hero. But he had seen what would come for Link and it dwarfed what he had just been through. The trials looming ahead were surely too great for a warrior to face, let alone a child of ten years!

He sighed heavily. Kaepora fluttered down beside him and hooted in his solemn voice, "Something weighs on your mind?"

"The boy... Link... I could not tell him. Any of them. I am too weak..."

"You are dying?" said the owl, looking out toward the village.

"I am. The boy did very well, but I was doomed before he started. I do not have much time left..." He groaned in pain, a shower of twisted brown leaves falling to the ground rather than fluttering. "There is much I need to tell Link, but I cannot. I cannot impose on what should be his moment of triumph. I cannot take his joy away from him. That is why I ask this of thee..."

Kaepora turned toward the Great Tree, his eyes solemn but alert. Quietly so his voice would not carry, the Great Deku Tree gave him his message, while the owl's eyes only grew more solemn with each word. When he was finished, the Great Deku Tree sighed. "Can I rely on thee to pass on this message?"

"Of course," said the owl with a bow, "though it weighs heavily on me."

"Indeed. It is a cruel burden to thrust upon one's shoulders but crueler still what it will mean for the young Link." He closed his eyes and his branches sagged with weariness. "I do hope thou wilt forgive my cowardice."

"Against one whose kindness and compassion knows no equal, how can I bear any grudge?"

"I thank thee." Again he rumbled with pain and still more leaves and branches fell at his feet. "And I pray for the young Link. I pray that his courage and wisdom will be enough to stand against the coming calamity."