Chapter 17

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[Time: 7:30 A.M. (Morning)]

[Date- Month 4 'Late-spring', Day 13, 8th Era]

(Location- Hyrule, Forbidden Forest - Kokiri Village)

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Waking up to birds chirping in the early morning sunshine along with the smell of grass and the coolness of the shade, Link could tell that he was in the Kokiri Village. Stretching, he leaned up while yawning. Rubbing his eyes, he found it felt good to awaken in his old home. For a brief moment, it allowed him to pretend as if nothing else had happened, as if he'd been there the whole time, having never ventured off into Hyrule or the rest of the realm. Had it turned out that way, it would've been much easier for him to sit back and relax, or in this case, lay back and relax for a while longer. Despite all that, the fact that he HAD indeed gone on his adventuring, it was still peaceful to wake up as a kokiri for one more morning. 'Home sweet home…' He thought with another yawn.

Swinging his feet out of bed, his eyes directed themselves toward the table, where an empty bowl laid upon the top. It made him think of last night. When Saria had returned with the Kokiri Kurry, he was already passed out. She woke him up and he managed to eat several servings before returning to the dreamworld. In fact, he'd gone to sleep so fast, his bandages hadn't been changed; something he needed to deal with as soon as possible. 'It's great to be here. I wonder… If I could, would Saria let me keep this as a second home? Perhaps I could come here for a weekend or two every few weeks.' Continuing to think about random things, eventually he let the sheets covering him merely fall against the bed. Standing up, he was met with a shock as his feet landed on soft flesh rather than the usual hardness of the floor. "Whoa-...!"

"Owchie! Hee-hee… Watch out, I'm down here…" Saria's voice called out, making Link realize that it was her down there. She had apparently decided to have a sleepover without him even knowing, sleeping on one of the big pillows she brought with her. It was unknown why she didn't choose a better place than directly beneath the hero's bed. On the other hand, she was quick to apologize for being in the way, even if it was her that got hurt because of it. "I'm sorry! I… I wanted to camp out with you, just to make sure you got a decent night of rest…" She stopped to yawn, making Link yawn too as she proceeded. "I didn't get around to changing your bandages last night. I tried, but you rolled over each time I touched them. If you want, I can get to doing them now."

For a kokiri girl, she looked cute. Having just woken up, even with sleep in her eyes, she looked relaxed. It made Link smile and then laugh. He knew that she was tired, probably more so than he was seeing how it was her who went and made him dinner after returning from their trek into the woods yesterday. Taking that into account, the hero didn't necessarily want her to get up and do anything, as he felt she deserved the rest after all she'd done for him. "No, no! It's okay, you just scared me." He replied "I had no clue you were going to stay the night over here with me." Continuing to laugh it off, he stood up and moved away from the sleepy-eyed kokiri girl. "You know, there's other places you could have fallen asleep besides directly underneath me. You could have slept next to me, I wouldn't have minded." Stretching his muscles, he noticed they felt better but were still sore. Since he took a beating yesterday, this was understandable. Numerous times throughout the journey, he'd felt that way. So, it definitely wasn't a new feeling and yet it never got easier being that way.

Saria just giggled at his moaning and groaning prior to answering his question. "Well… I thought about sleeping on the bed with you. It's just, you were moving fiercely last night, tossing and turning like crazy."

"Really?" Link was surprised to hear this, seeing how he didn't remember a thing. It was also strange since he normally stayed still in his sleep too. Shrugging it off, part of him had a feeling that he was merely moving around more due to discomfort. His wounds likely disturbed him multiple times throughout the night. "That's unusual… Hmm… Oh well, as long as it wasn't any bad dreams." Temporarily, his thoughts shifted for a moment as he pondered the possibility of his sleep being interrupted by his evil counterpart. Part of him wondered if Dark Link was still with him, like the mysterious entity claimed to be.

Before long, the hero shook his head. Not one fiber of him wanted to think that the evil being was still there, but he knew it was probably true. However, instead of dwelling on it, letting the monster win through psychological warfare, he had chosen to move on, to think of other things such as Saria, the Deku Tree Sprout as well as what he had to accomplish today. Without letting his brain distract him with horrible thoughts, he said "Well, in spite of the tossing and turning, I did sleep well. I feel about ten times better than I did yesterday."

"Good…" Saria replied "You should since you snored too." Getting up, she walked over toward the table, grabbing a cup in advance of scooping some water out of the sink basin. Taking a sip, she stared at Link, making them both get the chuckles for some reason. "What?" She asked. "I'm serious! It sounded like thunder each time you snored!"

Now Link began to feel as if the kokiri was exaggerating. "Nu-uh!" He continued to laugh and chuckle. "Now I know you're making it up! I don't snore that loud at all!"

Saria joined in on more laughter while waking herself up with a cup of cool water. Her sleepiness waned fast until she looked like she was wide awake. Finally, she nodded, letting him know that she was merely joking.

Link lightened up, relishing the moments of joy he had with her. It was obvious how much he'd missed her sense of humor, even after all this time. It also proved things were more-or-less back to normal. So, for now, the two continued waking up. There wasn't a need to jump into action and run or anything. The boy could take his sweet time in fully coming to. Doing the same as Saria did, he got a cup of water. The liquid helped him to remove the cloud of sleep as he drank every drop of it. Once his brain turned all the way on, he started thinking about what he had to do for the rest of the day. He needed to return to the ranch and resume his job. Although he didn't want to think about that at the moment, he knew a job was daily work and he'd already missed an afternoon as well as a morning's worth.

Imagining it, Link could see Talon, Ingo or Malon being upset with him since it had to be one of them that picked up his work, definitely having to do it atop their own. He didn't want to make any of them mad by staying gone too long, but he knew there were still a few things he needed to do there in the Kokiri Forest. Since the champion wasn't going to get up and leave right that very moment, he figured it was safe to assume he'd likely return to the ranch sometime around noon.

Staring over at his cracked Ocarina of Time, he knew what number one on his list was. He had to make an attempt at repairing the instrument without breaking or making it lose its magical powers. For the rest of the errands, he needed to finish speaking to everyone, the Deku Tree Sprout, Saria and anybody who wanted to talk to him. Wondering if the Deku Tree Sprout might know of a way to fix the Ocarina of Time, he decided that would be his first visit. 'If he proves to be clueless on the matter, I can always try to see what the Know-It-All Brothers know of ocarina repairs, or even Saria.' He cogitated on the matter. 'She did initially offer to try and fix it with clay, same as she's done to her little fairy ocarina for many years.'

Once he mentally settled upon a decent plan, the hero gave his body one more stretch prior to starting the day. With his treehouse already cleaned up from last night, he decided to change his clothes, gather his belongings and then move on. Since he wasn't likely going to get too dirty, he determined that now would be a good chance to change into one of the garments he purchased at the Stitch and Seam in the Marketplace of Castle Town. 'Perhaps I'd look good in one.' He told himself. 'Showing off my more hylian clothing to all the kokiri.' After stretching, he said. "Alright, I'm going to get dressed."

"Oh. Alright. I'll look away." Saria replied, turning around to look out the window for Link's privacy

With the moment to himself, Link chose one of the aforementioned garbs from within his bag, laying it out on the bed. Quickly, he took off his tunic. The old bandages were another story, taking much longer to remove as they had become crusted with coagulated blood. Once his torso was clear, he used the extra bandages Saria had brought to re-wrap his wounds, then hurried since he wasn't in the mood to be seen half naked. Taking out a light brown long-sleeve undershirt, he put that on first, followed by the matching light brown trousers. Atop the shirt, he then slid on the green tunic that came with it.

Using his mirror above the sink basin, fashion-wise he found that the tunic made the outfit pop with kokiri culture while the clothing underneath it was more reminiscent of a regular hylian's look. Smiling at himself, he started wrapping up his dressing session. Within a minute, he had put on his old belt and boots. Altogether, the look wasn't bad. He actually gave himself a few more stares in the mirror, vainfully liking what he saw.

When Saria turned around, she agreed with the boy's previous thoughts without even realizing it. "Oh, wow! That outfit makes you look so handsome!"

Link felt her stares, but rolled his eyes as she blushed lightly with a smile. "I know, I know, that's why I picked it out." He told her. "It reminds me of a mix of the two cultures; kokiri and hylian. You don't see many outfits that succeed in doing that." Adjusting his collar, he smiled back at Saria, making her giggle. "What?" He asked in response to the giggling. "It's true. I got these outfits at a place in the City of Hyrule. They cost a bit more than I was looking for, but I got a job at Lon Lon Ranch and it pays well if you learn to save up." Saving up is exactly what he was doing too. The downside was, he had to do it all on his own. Needless to say, it paid off, especially when it came to being able to pay the entire sum for his new outfits. It was evidence that he'd come a long way in being wise with his money. "They were sixty-five rupees."

Saria's eyes widened a bit as she stared at the hylian in shock, not expecting the clothes to have cost that much. Deep down, it proved to her that Link was maturing. "Really!? That high of a price!? Wow! How much do you get paid at this job of yours? You must be getting handed rupees left and right!"

Link laughed at the kokiri girl's sense of what rupees are worth. There in the Kokiri Village, he understood that things very rarely cost that much. Most kokiri items weren't priced much higher than thirty rupees, but that was only because most things the child-like kokiri desired weren't really expensive. To them, a twenty rupee slingshot was a lot. "Not really…" He responded to the price and not how much he got paid. "Did you know that some things in the City of Hyrule cost several hundred rupees? I've even heard of houses that go for a couple THOUSAND rupees."

Saria's jaw dropped as he nodded. It was true; rupees gave everything in the realm of Hyrule a price. At times, he felt as though people were obsessed with the shiny jewels, too obsessed. For some folks it seemed as if that was all they had on their minds. Thankfully, Link knew for sure that wouldn't be the case with him. The boy learned a lot about the value of life. As a hero, it was almost impossible for him to lose himself to greed in such a way.

"No way…" Saria replied to learning how much a house in the City of Hyrule could potentially cost. "Sheesh! That's insane. I'll just stick to building my own house like all us kokiri did. There's no way I'd ever accumulate such an amount of rupees as that anyway, even if I did so all my life!" She even laughed at the thought. "Just remember what the Great Deku Tree always said; possessions aren't everything."

Shaking his head, what she had said reminded Link that he needed to get a move on with his next tasks. Now that he was dressed, he grabbed the rest of his clothing and neatly folded it into one of his bags. Taking all that essential supplies he needed, he stuffed them all into the same bag. Being wise in packing was his only option as Epona couldn't carry too much. Near the end of stowing all his gear, he grabbed the Ocarina of Time. Looking at it, he saw that the huge crack on the mouthpiece ran all the way to the voicing hole underneath. 'I still haven't tried to play it either' The hero thought 'Not since I first tried it and Dark Link appeared alongside that crazy black cloud.' The entire scenario made him nervous. He found it best to not repeat the issue until he was in front of the Deku Tree Sprout. 'I should probably wait until I have a deity who at least knows something of the ocarinas. In fact, the Great Deku Tree knew a lot about ocarinas and their songs. He taught Saria how to use hers, all by talking her through it and whistling along.'

Narrowing his eyes, he thought of alternatives as well. 'Maybe the Know-It-All Brothers know how to repair an ocarina?' Shaking his head, he figured it was a different situation. 'Then again, this isn't any ordinary ocarina. It's the Ocarina of Time; a musical woodwind instrument with divine powers.' Placing the ocarina in its own bag, Link then grabbed his sword and tethered the sheath to his belt. The last thing he had to grab was his shield. As soon as his shield was slung around his back; with a bag on each shoulder and his sword on his belt, he was ready to depart from his dearly beloved treehouse.

Carrying all of his belongings that he could carry, he exited the treehouse, coming out of the sheet covered doorway. Saria followed behind him and they both looked out amongst the village. From the deck, both of them gazed at the kokiri villagers who were coming out of their houses, most stretching or yawning from just getting up. The smell of morning dew on the grass was far more intense outside than inside. Even the cool breeze was stronger. Link's skin relaxed in the temperate atmosphere. Relishing it, he was aware of the fact that it wouldn't last much longer. Before he knew it, the temperature would be warm and everybody would be panting like dogs. For now though, it was nice. He decided it was even nice enough to try and hope for a good day, one free of stress or anxiety. Smiling at that thought, he prayed that it would come true.

Not wanting to risk it falling off his shoulder, Saria held Link's Ocarina before he descended down the ladder of the treehouse. The hero thanked her. Once he had his feet firmly planted in soil, he watched as the maternal kokiri girl came down behind him. She relinquished the ocarina immediately thereafter, seemingly understanding how important, how high in regard the hylian held the musical instrument.

"First thing's first, I have to attach all my gear to Epona." The hero spoke, aware that it was important to make sure he added the luggage in a way that wouldn't interfere with the horse's galloping. Even weight on both sides was what he'd been taught by anyone he'd encountered who owned a horse. Considering that, he figured that he could put his sword and some bags on one side, then his shield as well as some more bags on the other side. As he took into account everything he thought of, he soon came upon his beloved equine when he walked around to the back of the tree his treehouse was attached to.

Epona was happy to see Link and wanted some attention, to which he gladly obliged. Giving her love through pats, patting her head or stroking her hair back with his bare hand, the boy also started adding gear to her saddle. "Hey, girl… Hey-… Yeah, It's good to see you too. Mhmm, it sure is." Link cooed, baby talking to Epona as he put luggage on her saddle, tying it on.

The horse made Link and Saria smile as she neighed happily, glad to see her owner no matter how early or how late it was. Shaking her head with a big sneezy exhale, she then playfully grabbed his floppy green hat in her mouth, throwing it up and trying to catch it like she so often enjoyed to do.

"Oh, look at you!" Link exclaimed with a chuckle. "Somebody wants to play instead of going on non-stop adventures!" The boy laughed as Saria did too, both watching the playful filly for a moment. Whenever Epona finally dropped his hat, he took it back. As Link stroked her on the bridge of her nose, she neighed again. "Don't worry." He told the horse with confidence. "I'll play with you as soon as you get home." With the rest of his bags and gear on her saddle, he went ahead and mounted, climbing up onto the Epona's back. Holding out his hand, the hero then let Saria take it, assisting her in getting on the saddle.

"So, what's first?" The kokiri girl asked as she mounted the saddle, sitting directly behind Link. "I figured that we might go see the Know-It-All Brothers if you want to fix your Ocarina. Heck, if we get the clay, I could repair the crack myself."

Like he thought earlier, under normal circumstances, he would trust her judgment on this. Unfortunately, this wasn't a normal fairy ocarina. "No… I don't think so. I think I want to see what the Deku Tree Sprout has to say about it first. This thing is magic, you know? The Ocarina of Time? It's magical. It had the ability to do things that other ocarinas can't do. Because of that, I want to see what he has to say; after all, he's a deity and might know more than any of us."

Saria seemed to agree with Link, wrapping her arms around his waist as he whipped the reins. "That's a good idea."

As the hero got Epona to move out of the little area behind the tree that he'd kept her at for the night, they moved down the path of Kokiri Village. They passed by others, including Fifi who smiled and waved at them. 'Everyone seems happy...' Link thought. 'I'll be happy too whenever I repair the Ocarina of Time.' Even though he still had obstacles to conquer, he was glad, glad to be alive after all that he'd been through. In fact, he was elated to have saved everyone in the village. He and Saria were happy because they had stopped the evil from taking over. Knowing that, it lightened Link's feelings further. Smiling again, he continued to think. 'All will be normal, as soon as I know I can fix this thing.'

Passing houses and the brook which ran through the Kokiri Village, the two came to the path which led to the Great Deku Tree's Meadow, or what was now the Deku Tree Sprout's Meadow. Going down it, they came upon another line of Kokiri. "Wow!" Link exclaimed. "There's still people waiting to see the Deku Tree Sprout." It was an honest surprise, but what he did next made him feel a little bad. Without any further hesitation, he moved to utterly skip the line for a second time.

Most of the kokiri in line crossed their arms and stared at Link with a pouting expression. There were even a couple of kids who heckled him. "Hey!" One of them yelled "No Skipsies!"

"Sorry, sorry everyone…" Link apologized. "I'll be quick and it's very important. All I'm doing is asking the Deku Sprout if it's okay to repair my Ocarina of Time like any other ocarina. When I'm done, I'll be leaving, so I'll be out of everybody's hair."

After saying that, the kokiri's attitude changed. Now, they didn't want him to leave and a few even yelled it out. "No, don't go yet, you just got here!"

"So confusing…" Link uttered in response with a chuckle.

After passing everyone, they came upon the Deku Tree Sprout's Meadow. During the day, the early morning light allowed them to see a tremendous amount more than previously. The Deku Tree Sprout looked almost insignificant in comparison to the Great Deku Tree's remains. Although they knew so in the dark, to see it in the daylight was a stark contrast. The Deku Tree Sprout wasn't alone either, which considering the long line the two passed, they should have known that from the get-go.

This time, it appeared to be as if the Know-It-All Brothers were talking to the Deku Tree Sprout. Raising his eyebrows, Link figured his luck must have increased. By coincidence, he found all four of the people he was looking for, all in the same area. The Know-It-All Brothers all spoke at the same time, rambling on about different things at different times. The Deku Tree Sprout took it all with a smile, listening intently to what they had to say. As Link rode up on them with Epona, the boy listened in on their conversation for a minute.

"I'd suggest we widen the creek and make it more sizable for future kokiri growth." Higu said.

Migu nodded to what his younger brother said prior to responding with his own concern. "True, and we should make an attempt at creating some sort of clinic, similar to what the hylians have. We can't keep taking people into our own homes whenever they get ill, it's making us sick. Not only that, we need a place for proper storage of all the medical instruments, salves and healing ointments."

"I'd shoot for trading with the hylians more than we actually do." Tigu, the youngest brother, spoke over all of them.

The Deku Tree Sprout clicked his little wooden tongue then responded to all three of them at the same time. "I hear all three of your concerns." Starting with Higu,the forest guardian said. "Widening the brook into a bigger stream is possible and only requires work. You'll have to dig it wider by shovel until you feel as though it's good enough." After that satisfied Higu, the deku sprout moved on to Migu. "As for the clinic, we don't really have enough supplies to make a whole new building, but you're correct about us needing to prevent others from getting sick… You're right… If we want to progress, we should at least set up an area where we put our ill. Just be glad you kokiri don't get ill as often as hylians or else you'd have run into this problem far sooner than now." For the last question, he answered Tigu. "However, unfortunately, I still feel as if we should hold off on trading more with the hylians. Let's just stick to our bi-weekly trading."

Once the Deku Sprout was done talking, the brothers all three turned around and stared at Link at the same time. "Oh, Link… Hey, how are you? Nice clothes." Migu said as the others nodded in agreement and then waved the boy hello.

"Thanks. I'm doing okay." Link told them. "I didn't mean to interrupt you all. Nonetheless, I'm lucky I have you all here with me in the same place… I've got a question for the four of you." The Deku Tree and the Know-It-All Brothers stared at him as he dismounted Epona. Taking a minute to find, then reach into his bag, the hero removed the Ocarina of Time and held it up in a slightly humorous way, holding it like it was sacred while mimicking an angelic voice. "Huaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa… Behold, The Ocarina of Time." As he walked closer, the Know-It-All Brothers split, letting the hylian walk between them to show it to the Deku Tree Sprout.

Giving it a good look, the brothers and tree-god were all able to see the crack the ocarina had in it by the mouthpiece.

"See? It's got a crack right here…" Link said as he pointed to the damage.

The brothers looked at the crack, then back at Link, likely wondering how this was such a big deal.

"I know, I know…" Link insisted. "It doesn't look bad, but this thing has special powers. Deku Tree Sprout, I came to ask you or the Know-It-All Brothers whether or not it was okay to repair it the same as any other ocarina? Will repairing it affect its magical properties?"

The Deku Tree Sprout was temporarily in awe at witnessing the relic. "The Ocarina of Time… You do have it…" He let slip before shaking away the surprise. "Although I never doubted you, it's still amazing to see it in person." The Deku Sprout continued as Link nodded in agreement "I don't have much experience regarding this. In fact, I don't know much about the Ocarina of Time at all. But… I would say that it's likely possible that you can repair it using the same methods you'd use to fix any other ocarina."

The Know-It-All Brothers agreed, all three shaking their heads. "Yeah, I'd say so… You can even test your theory." Migu spoke to Link. "Didn't you think to try and cover the crack with some regular dirt? Just play it like that, see if the magical properties are still there." The kokiri boy stepped forward and took the Ocarina of Time from Link, reaching down thereafter and scraping up some soil from off the ground. The soil was then placed atop the Ocarina of Time, where he patted it into the seam of the crack to firmly pack it in. Once that was done, he handed it back to Link. "Here, try this… Play one of the songs you know has powers, just don't do anything too crazy."

Retrieving the Ocarina of Time, Link determined it would be best to play a gentle song, one that anyone anywhere could enjoy. Thinking about it, he chose a good one. "Okay. I'll play the Song of Healing. Immediately after I play it, you should know it's working because your soul will feel phenomenally better than it normally does. All your worries will melt and you'll only see the beauty in life." Wiping the mouthpiece of excess dirt, the hero held it up to his mouth and played the song, using his hand to cover the soil and crack.

As Link played the instrument, he looked around at everyone, watching them stare at him in amazement, shocked that the soothing melody could have the effect upon them that it did. All of them relaxed, some even teared up. But deep down, nobody could hold themselves back from the sensation of calm coursing through them. Even Saria and the Deku Tree Sprout were affected. Saria dismounted Epona and hugged Link tightly as he continued. The Know-It-All Brothers hugged each other, and a single tear flowed from the Deku Tree Sprout's eye.

"Y-Yeah…" The Know-It-All Brothers sniffled. "I'd say it still works."

Seeing the brothers pointing behind the Deku Tree Sprout, Link bore witness to the Great Deku Tree's remains changing. The bark, which was originally a sickly dark brown from the tree being dead, now seemed to come to life, with a light brown colour returning to the tree's husk. At the top, leaves began to turn green and a few newer growths increased in length, as if it had been alive the entire time. Suddenly, before any of them could say a word, multiple splats made Link look up and realize that apples were falling from the Great Deku Tree's top. By basic observation, it would seem to be as if the final harvest the Great Deku Tree had planned on giving the kokiri had been rejuvenated by the Song of Healing.

"W-Well, would you l-look at that!" Wiping their noses, the brothers hollered back to the line of kokiri waiting. "APPLES! FREE APPLES!"

Seeing apples fall from the Great Deku Tree's remains brought a smile to Link's face. Although it didn't revive the ancient tree-god itself, it was nice to have what resembled a living tree instead of a rotting husk sitting in the center of the Deku Tree Sprout's Meadow. The event was sure to bring forth more morale. As for the crowd of kokiri, they gathered around the group, amazed at what Link had just done. While passing by the hylian hero, they thanked him, giving him a pat on the back prior to going forth to collect free apples which had fallen to the ground. With that, Link felt at ease. Perhaps it was the Song of Healing which had soothed him, then again, it might have also been the fact that he was able to play the Ocarina of Time and still have a magically profound effect on the realm. Either way, knowing that he could simply repair the Ocarina of Time by normal means, it was quite the boost in happiness that he was needing. Smiling as wide as he could, he held the royal blue woodwind instrument down, away from his lips. Looking all around, it was clear that the day was going to be perfect.

"That was beautiful, Link…" The Deku Tree Sprout said. "I haven't heard that song in a very long time." After that, the tear that had been rolling down his wooden body soaked into the ground.

Link pondered in that moment what could have brought the demi-god to shed such a thing. Why, Link asked himself, did the Deku Tree Sprout get so sad whenever he heard the melody play. Eventually, the boy simply figured the plant deity had pleasant memories regarding it, seeing how he smiled in spite of the tear. Whatever regard the sprout held the song in, it was a happy-sad he portrayed in remembrance.

"Thank you… I'm glad you liked it." Link chuckled "I'm also glad that I'm able to repair the Ocarina of Time. It's a godsend that it isn't broken for good. I mean, the last time I played it, that shadowy version of myself came out… Kinda the opposite of what it was supposed to do." Walking back over to Epona, he placed the Ocarina of Time into its bag for safekeeping. Wiping a tear from his own eye, he returned to the Deku Tree Sprout and the Know-It-All Brothers. "Once I get back to the ranch, I'll try and do it all myself. It should be easy… I'll just use clay and blue paint, the best matching blue that I can get." Glancing back at Saria for a moment, he unleashed the news that he knew she was dreading. "Speaking of returning to the ranch…" Instantly, she stuck her lower lip out, pouting at the thought of the green-clad hero returning to a place that's so far away from her. "I should probably get going and head back there today. Like I told Saria, I have a job there and I'm needed most of the day. I've already made two others work harder to make up for me leaving…"

The Deku Tree Sprout smiled wide. "Leaving already, huh? You better come back and visit me, you understand?" He chuckled as Link came forward to bend down and give a gentle hug, still very careful to not injure the small sprout. "I'm just kidding, I know you will. You're a smart lad, Link. I'm lucky you'll always be considered one of us."

"I'll make more visits, I promise." Link responded to the tree-god's enthusiasm, thereafter letting go of it. Next, he turned to all three of the Know-It-All Brothers, shaking their hands one at a time. They deserved it after all they'd done for him. "As for you all, I wanted to personally thank you for stitching me up after returning from my battle last night. I know I've already said it, but there's no harm in saying it again."

Having been thanked, the brothers returned the handshake prior to Tigu saying. "We couldn't have you getting ill on us, Link."

Migu agreed with his brother by joking. "Oh, totally… It was nothing! We stitched you up because you saved our hides from terrible flesh eating monsters! It's a completely fair trade!" He laughed and Link did the same. After all, it was kind of true. That was how it happened.

Youngest brother, Higu, shook Link's hand last while saying. "Come back any time. You know we get bored without you running around the place.

After that, Link was pretty much done. "You know I will, guys. I'll come back every now and then. I even thought about taking the occasional weekend to come spend it with you all."

Saria seemed the most elated by that comment, to which Link wasn't the least bit surprised. It was natural for her to want him to visit as much as possible. Then again, in spite of her being closest to the boy, The Deku Tree Sprout was who he was in fact looking forward to seeing the most the next time he visited. Were it not for him needing to get back to the ranch, he'd probably stay and share more stories. Thankfully, he was sure the growing deity understood why he needed to go back. The sprout knew Link had a job to attend to. All the hero could do was hope Saria knew that as well.

"Whenever I return, I'll definitely share more of my tales." Link insisted.

Turning back to Saria, he stared at her for a minute prior to saying. "You know I didn't want to tell you about me leaving too soon, right?" The kokiri girl nodded with a soft smile as he continued. "It's true too. I didn't want to make you freak out early on me. I still needed to fix the ocarina." He could tell she was feeling down, so he walked over to her and hugged her. "Hey, cheer up… I'll be back, I promise."

"It just sucks…" Saria suddenly said, making the hylian boy frown. "I hate it whenever you leave. It makes me feel so bad and I worry about you every second until you come back."

"Hey, Hey… Don't say that. Look at me…" Once she did, Link kept trying to cheer her up. "I'm growing up. Like every mother, eventually the child moves out to go do their own thing, right?" She nodded more, sniffling and listening to what he had to say. "The Song of Healing should have cheered you up. Don't be lonely without me, be proud that you raised me right and that I can go out on my own and do things. Try to think of it that way." She sniffled, then wiped her nose, nodding with a soft smile afterward. "See? It'll be alright, don't give up on me."

"I'd never give up on you, Link." She returned. "You're my baby boy."

"Baby boys grow up." He responded. "But, they'll always need their mommy, don't forget that." With that, they hugged one another again. She would be fine, he knew it. Once he leaves, things would return to normal for her and she'd move on until they saw each other the next time. 'She always does this.' The hero thought in his head. 'She always gets sad before I leave on any sort of adventure. She should know by now that I'll be fine. After all, if I've made it this far, then I'm sure that means I'm doing good.'

"I just didn't want you to leave this early." Saria sniffled. "I feel like you just got back."

"I know, but I've got to go. It's my time again. Like I said, I've got to get back to the ranch so I can resume my duties." Ending the hug, he smiled at her, trying to use his smile to let her know that everything would be okay. After that, they separated. He had to get a move on and now was as good of a time as any.

Remounting Epona, Link said. "Don't forget to write. It'll really help keep us connected. It's amazing how fast the mail travels these days too. You'll hear a reply from me within a week, isn't that something?" She shrugged and he rolled his eyes at her orneriness. Before he left, he decided to say one more thing, something that would surely cheer her up. "Saria-… I love you very much."

Finally, she smiled. She cheered up at that moment, likely knowing that everything he said was true. "I love you too, Link." Her smile stayed and now it was clear that she was going to be alright. "I love you very much. Now get a move on before I grab you off that horse and keep you all to myself.… ." She shooed him away, confirming what she said to be true, that she was serious. "Tell Malon I said hey. She's a lovely girl."

Nodding, Link held back from getting embarrassed. Now wasn't the time or place to be shy about another girl. Thinking about it, instead he considered the chance that they could potentially be friends; Saria and Malon. Such a thing would be nice, especially seeing how important the two girls were to him. "I will… Maybe you two could write to each other as well?" She waved to him as he departed, whipping the reins on Epona. Moving forward toward the path that led back to the Kokiri Village, he stared back at the Deku Tree Sprout as well as the Know-It-All Brothers. They waved to him as well. Saria was the only one he worried about, even despite the smile she wore. As he got further, he looked away, now ready to get back to Lon Lon ranch. Nothing was going to stop him. "Bye! I love you all!"

Watching him leave, once he was out of sight, the green haired kokiri girl frowned again. Saria held it in for as long as possible, but now she felt it again as her boy and Epona left. The sadness came back with vengeance. Never was it easy to sit back and watch her baby boy leave her. This time though, things were different. She was sad for another reason as well. The night before, she had premonitions in her sleep, epiphanies of sorts regarding the young man. Her baby boy, everything she overheard him say to the Deku Tree Sprout, she could now suddenly recall. It was strange. She recalled memories from a time that hadn't come yet, that would never be. Her body, her soul; part of her wanted to react, yet she was unsure how to do that. She didn't know what she should say or what she should do.

Being the Forest Sage meant a lot to her, even if she wasn't supposed to be titled as such at this point since the current timeline didn't have any grandiose evil left to vanquish. In spite of the importance, she wondered why she was able to remember it. Retaining such information was useless. If anything, it only served to sadden her as she recalled her future self witnessing the fall of Kokiri Village. She knew that the timeline was different then. On the other hand, it still wasn't an easy thing to have in her recollection.

She remembered when a curse was placed on the entire Forbidden Forest by Ganondorf, the man who killed the Great Deku Tree. Because of the curse, their magic wasn't allowed to flourish. Without the surrounding magic, even though it had been dropped by the Great Deku Tree during his death, the Deku Tree Sprout couldn't break free from the ground. Lacking the proper leadership, the kokiri fell into disrepair. Some of them even perished. Coming to her true meaning in life, as the Forest Sage, she remembered leaving and going into the Lost Woods in an attempt to return to the Sacred Forest Meadow. There, she recalled finding the Forest Temple where she had hoped to begin breaking all the curses placed upon the woods throughout the ages. After enduring it for all those years, she'd grown tired of living with spells restricting her life. Although she had true motivation, it turned out to be futile as she was captured by a phantom version of the very same Ganondorf she'd grown to despise so utterly.

At the hands of evil, she was powerless. Recalling the torture she endured from the Phantom Ganon made her cringe in agony. The ghost took her inside of its favourite painting; one depicting night in a desolate forest of dead trees split by a worn path that led to a dark castle in the background. It was a strange world owned by the phantom itself. There was no wind and no ambient noise. The only light was an ominous blue glow emanating from behind the castle. While she could see the outside world through the otherside of the picture, she was unable to walk towards it. Instead, she was stuck in the painted forest being chased by Phantom Ganon riding on its shadowy steed, relentlessly shooting her with lightning bolts. Nothing she could say or do put a stop to the pain. Thankfully, thinking of the other kokiri as well as her baby boy was the only thing that kept her going through those moments of terror.

Mercifully, Link showed up before long, rescuing her from the grips of evil. Had it not been for him, she'd have been tortured forever. This brought forth more feelings, feelings of gratitude toward the hero for all that he'd done. With Phantom Ganon destroyed, the curse vanished and she was released from the prison painting. Her true powers as Forest Sage awoke deep within, allowing her to know her destiny. Although she wanted to say more to Link for rescuing her, she knew that the old days were long since gone. In her premonition, she could hardly recognize him in his seventeen year old body. Needless to say, she still knew it was her baby. Despite being three feet taller than her, she could tell it was him. Wanting to do anything possible to help her child and people, for the only time in her life, she left the sanctity of the Forbidden Forest, venturing into the Kingdom of Hyrule to join the Sacred Realm. There she came to inhabit the Temple of Light, training her powers alongside Rauru, the Sage of Light. Once her time came, she assisted by using all her ability to make a bridge to cross a moat of lava, where Link fought and killed Ganondorf. Without her help, he would never have broken past Ganondorf's defenses.

Knowing all of that brought her solace. Now she was happy her future self allowed Link to rescue the kingdom, happy her people were saved, happy she was able to help. What she wasn't so sure about was what the hero would think if she told him that she knew. Although the ending to his adventure didn't sound right to Link, Saria felt as though what Zelda did to him was a good thing. The motherly kokiri girl was glad that her son didn't have to stay living in a future that was only just beginning to take on the struggle of repairing itself from a nightmare. She worried that if he were to become aware of her secret he'd only repeatedly fret over it as he did with everything else he couldn't control. So, even though she knew of these things, she kept it to herself, choosing to not tell anyone thus far. However, seeing the Know-It-All Brothers walk away from the Deku Tree Sprout to gather apples, she decided that it might be appropriate to speak with the demi-god about things, for he would probably know exactly what to do about it.

"Hi, Deku Tree Sprout." Saria spoke to him, sniffling with a smile. "I want to start our conversation by asking what you think I should do."

With a thinly raised eyebrow, the Deku Tree Sprout turned to the green haired kokiri girl. He smiled thereafter. "Oh? Of course, go ahead."

Saria walked up to him and then sat down beside his stalk, staring up at him with a wavering smile. "It's about Link… and-… well, it's also about me." She saw him stare down at her with concern after hearing that. But, quickly said "I-… Uhh… Okay, this is going to come as a surprise. But, I remember parts of what Link said. I remember what happened seven years in the future." The Deku Sprout's face contorted as he seemed to be unsure of what to say to her. "I know, I know…" She kept talking. "It just seemed to happen overnight. I had an epiphany. But, that's not what's concerning me… I'm concerned with how Link would feel if he knew. I feel as though he'd only worry more if I told him. Tell me, what do you think? Do you think I should tell him or should I just let it go? After all, it isn't going to hurt anything if I keep it to myself. I remember it like a dream, so overtime, I have a feeling I'll forget it. It doesn't seem to be as vivid to me as it was to Link anyhow."

"Hmm…" The Deku Tree Sprout found itself in contemplation. "I can't exactly tell you what to do about that, Saria. You should know that your decision is your own… However, I can tell you that what you're going through is definitely happening to other people." The wind blew harder and his stem audibly creaked as it moved. The other kokiri enjoyed their apples, including the Know-It-All Brothers. Were it not for the thoughts weighing heavily on Saria's mind, she'd be doing the same. Instead, she continued to listen to the Deku Tree Sprout. "It seems to be a residual effect from whatever time reversal Princess Zelda herself used. Considering that, it's nothing that you've done, nothing that you did to cause it. Just take some time to yourself, think and consider your options on what you should do. Afterward, come back and talk to me about it… For now, let's just catch up. It's been a while since we've seen each other. I certainly missed you."

Saria blushed lightly with a giggle, already beginning to move on from her premonitions. "Aww, Deku Tree. I missed you too. You're as sweet as a Faron Cherry."