Chapter 1
The Kokiri

"wake up, Link."

The boy shivered in fright as he was woken up. Looking down from above him were the forest green eyes of Saria, the girl he survived the fog with so long ago.

"There you are, I thought you'd sleep in all day again." Saria smiled teasingly at him at first, but after catching a glimpse of his scared eyes, she asked what was wrong.

"I was dreaming about the Strawkid." Link pulled himself up out of bed.

"out of everyone who went out with us, how did we end up lost?" She tried to keep a light jokey tone.

"Because you're both idiots," Answered a small but stern voice at Saria's head.

Link and Saria looked at the floor. Neither of them could deny it was stupid to have gone into the woods without a fairy guardian.
Part of the fun is the chance of getting lost. Near a dozen children scattered off on their own that evening. All made it back on their own except Link and Saria, who just got really lucky.

"I've said it before, but I'll say it again…" The tiny fairy, Rose, flew around in front of her assigned child. "Don't enter the woods without me!"

Saria stared off at the floor as she felt her fairy continue to scold her.

"I won't!" She muttered, pouting her lips slightly as the pink fairy kept her small but fierce eyes on her.
Saria hated getting in trouble and does everything she can to avoid it. But even being reminded of her wrongdoings upsets her, even if years had passed since it happened.

"Anyway…" Hands on her hips, Rose flew up to the tired-looking boy still sitting on the edge of his bed. "Link… It's time for you to get up now. Everyone's already washed up today, so you'll have the river to yourself"

"Can't I leave it today? There's work to be done…" Link yawned.

"Look at yourself, you're filthy" Rose could see the dried dirt down his knees and on his palms and fingers.
Even though Rose isn't Link's fairy, she still tries to keep an eye out for him when she can. Because he and Saria are such close friends, watching over them both isn't as much of a bother as it could be.
Except when he tries to skip parts of the daily routine.

"How come we never see you take a bath, Rose?" Saria asked, suddenly curious how fairies keep themselves clean.

"I'll show you," Rose promised, with a knowing smile. "At the river!"

Hearing the impatience in Rose's voice, Link jumped out of bed.

"C'mon Saria, let him get dressed in peace" Rose drifted out of the room with her girl following behind.

Link stretched his arms and pulled on a fresh green tunic and slipped his boots on before running after them.

His room was just one of many in the Deku Tree where all the Kokiri children live.
Different to most, Deku trees grow almost as wide as they do tall. Although the bark is almost as comparable to stone as wood can be, the inner wood is quite soft and spongey, easy to carve away at and create a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers for everyone to live in.
Only bedrooms had windows inside the Deku Tree as the halls and tunnels were lit with a combination of glowing mushrooms strategically planted along the edges of the floor, and the natural light emitted from the fairies that accompany the children as they go about their day together.
Seeing the faint silhouette of Saria and the bright pink glow of Rose sitting on her head, Link ran on to try and catch up to them.

"If I'm wasting time in the river, who's going to help Saria out there?"

The fairy sitting atop Saria's head wanted nothing to do with Link's ploy to get out of bath time, but as soon as her assigned child joined in on his game, Rose tutted her answer.
"Poor Saria will have to do it all by herself I suppose. You really are a very inconsiderate boy for sleeping in…"

Saria smirked at Link's deflated expression as they reached the bottom of the spiralling tunnel, finally reaching the natural rays of sun blinding them on their way out.

"I'll try to find you as soon as I- CAAAAAN!" Link yelled in fright as a bucket of freezing water was thrown over him from above.

Even Saria got a little wet from the splashback.
"That wasn't funny!" She yelled to the dozen laughing children.

Out of everyone gathered around the entrance, Saria singled out the only one who she believed would have masterminded such a nasty prank.

"He should have been at the river with everyone else!" The ringleader, Mido, chuckled as his friends continued to sneer and laugh at the drenched boy.

Link ignored their taunts and just wrung out his tunic. By now he'd gotten used to being the target of everyone's mockery.
Ever since the day he and Saria got lost in the woods, he'd been called a liar for claiming to have seen a Strawkid and lived.
It's this 'lie' that everyone believes to be the reason for a boy of his age being without a guardian fairy of his own.

At ten years old, Link was at least four years over and above when a fairy should have been paired with him.
And yet one never came. The reason? He's a liar. Why else?

If only Rose had been with them.
For starts, they wouldn't have been lost to begin with and even if a Strawkid did appear, her word would have been taken as fact.
Link had held a small grudge against Saria for not speaking up for him at the time. As someone with a fairy already, she had nothing to lose.
But looking back, watching her get bullied wouldn't make him feel any better.

"You jerks got my wings wet!" Rose complained. Standing atop Saria's head, the fairy desperately tried to beat her wings but they were too damp and too heavy to take flight.

A round of "sorry"s was given to the pink fairy, but she was quickly ignored when she directed their apologies to Link.

As the crowd dispersed, Saria picked up the bucket that was left behind. It's not the basket she usually carries, but it'll do for foraging.
"I'll be at our usual spot."

"Okay." Link sighed as they got ready to break off and go their own ways.

The river was just a short walk out of the clearing where the Deku tree's deep roots dominated all but the grass that grew around it.
The tree's high branches provided a lot of shade for most of the clearing until reaching the start of the woods.
By day, the Kokiri forest was most tranquil and beautiful to look at. Practically musical with the songs of birds and the scampering feet of critters.
But by night or even when the fog sets in, it's referred to as the Lost woods, where even the most vibrantly coloured tree appears dead and the ground could swallow you whole with just one wrong step.

Link would soon arrive at the river. Despite most of the Kokiri already set about their daily tasks, some of the children not yet old enough to venture out on their own were still at play in the shallows.
Link watched from behind a tree as he planned his approach.
If seen in a soaking tunic, they'll know he was the victim of a prank and the peaceful bath he wanted would be ruined by their laughter too.
Plus, getting back into soaking wet clothes was going to be uncomfortable no matter what.
The best course of action is to own the situation without a care in the world or a shred of regret.

Abandoning his idea to be sneaky, Link ran out of the woods at full speed, cheering himself on as he dove off the banks into the deep centre of the river with his tunic and boots still on.

He submerged near enough to the bottom. His eyes had plenty of opportunities to be used to the waters, so his vision remained as he returned to the banks before remerging.
Wiping his wet hair from his eyes, Link looked across to the young kids, staring at him with wide eyes as he wiped his hands and knees clean of dirt before wringing out his tunic again.
"Did you see my dive?" He called to them.

Some of them asked him to do it again while others asked to be taught how to do it themselves, so much better than being laughed at and admittedly, the refreshing swim did wake him up more and help him forget his bad dream.

"I'll teach you all later after I'm done with harvest." He promised before dashing off into the deeper parts of the woods.

At his usual spot, Link found Rose hovering around a bucket left abandoned on the grass.
"Where's Sari-AH!" His head felt like there might be a bruise, but at his feet was an apple that certainly looked bruised.

"Sorry! I didn't know you were down there!"

Link looked up and saw Saria clinging to the branches above as she plucked apples meant for the bucket.

"We need twelve of these, then we're mushroom picking." She called down before tossing apple number two for Link to catch and place in the bucket.

While Saria worked above, Rose teased Link about the bad day he's having.

"Maybe you should go back to bed before something else is thrown at you?"

"Like what?" Link asked as he caught the tenth apple. "A boulder?" His thinking was it started as harmless water and escalated to a rather sore apple. The next one to hit him would likely be worse.

"That tree looks a bit shaky," Rose smirked at the tree hanging over them both.

"If that thing falls on me, I might just go to bed"

Both the boy and fairy got startled by Saria's sudden drop behind them. In her hands were the last two apples which she promptly added to the rest.
"Your turn bucket boy~" She winked at him before skipping on to where they usually find mushrooms, leaving Link to carry the bucket.

Soon into their search, Link, Saria and Rose found themselves staring at bright orange fungi that resembled flower petals growing on the side of a fallen tree.

"What are you thinking?"

"It's edible," Rose announced.

"I know…" Saria stared at it a bit longer before deciding. "I think it can get bigger. We'll come back another time." She stepped up over the log the orange mushroom was growing from before walking across it to find the roots further down.

"You check the bottom." Saria began climbing the roots of the fallen tree to see if any good pickings were near the top.

Link scoffed in disbelief that after being forced to wash himself, he was already down on his knees before he even dried off completely.

"Don't you look at me like that," Rose could see it on the boy's face. She knew exactly what he was thinking. "Look at it this way. Would you rather go in the river at night? When it's cold? Imagine trying to get to sleep when your damp and shivering."

Link could imagine that. As much as he hated to admit it, Rose had a point.
"But when I get my own fairy, I won't have to listen to you anymore." Link shot her a sly grin, which Rose reciprocated.

"If we're being strictly honest, you don't have to listen to me now," She looked up at Saria, who was trying to sneak a listen to their private talk. "But you're a good boy. And that's what Saria loves about you."

"S-Shut Up!" Saria screamed from atop the roots. "Here, Link!" She threw down a huge bushel of mushrooms she was able to collect. More than enough to start focusing on filling the bucket with as many nuts as they can carry.

Which means going to another part of the woods to find the right trees.
On their way, Saria saw a tree with two strong looking branches sticking out about shoulder height.

"Hey Link, watch this…" She ran up to the tree and gripped the branches. Pulling on them tight to see if they could hold her weight, Saria began walking up the trunk before flipping her legs over her head. Just before her arms started to twist too far, she let go of the branches, giving her feet just enough time to land before she fell.

"Can you do that?" She asked with a proud grin.

"You still have work to do," Rose pointed out. "playtime comes after."

Ignoring Rose's advice, Link approached the tree.
Saria watched with intrigue as he did something different to herself.

Instead of doing a backflip the way she had, he climbed up on top of the branches, standing on them with his back to the trunk.
Normally, he does this over water, with more of a running start. But a few times he's noticed that his feet touch the water almost when his body has righted itself completely.

"Stand back…" He warned, hyping himself up.

Rose backed away too, keeping her eyes on him as Link threw himself from the branches, kicking his legs up and curling in his knees as he flipped backwards.

Link saw a flash of light before he landed. The crashing sounds of water filled his ears.
He gasped for air before finding himself on his hands and knees, staring at the solid forest floor, miles from any deep water.

"That was stupid!" Rose scolded him. "You could have killed yourself!"

Saria held him with a passive silence. She thought he was amazing for pulling it off, even if he didn't actually land on his feet.
"Are you okay? You look pale."

Link looked at Saria.
"I thought I was drowning there…" He gasped, rubbing the fearful sweat from his face.

Rose could see the fright the boy got and decided to ease up on him a little.
"Just don't do that again…" She muttered before turning her gaze on Saria. "And don't you ever attempt it!"

"I would never, only someone as stupid as Link would try something that dangerous!" Saria teased, giving the boy a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"dangerous…" Link muttered, trembling as a shiver ran over him like cold water. "Maybe we should head back…" He had a bad feeling he couldn't shake.

"Not yet, we still need nuts." Saria grabbed one handle of the bucket, waiting for him to take the other. "C'mon!"

The two children and fairy continued their forage without further attempts at showing off to one another.
But Link still had a feeling like they should turn back. Like a premonition that something bad was about to happen.

"Hey, I just remembered. You never showed us how fairies get clean." Saria announced as she dropped a handful of gathered nuts into the bucket.

"Oh. Well, it's not a huge secret," Rose wasn't shy about showing them but their big wondering eyes were creeping her out a little. "Watch…" She flew up to the leaves of some nearby bushes, but since most of the leaves were dry, a practical demonstration wasn't possible, so she just explained that fairies use droplets of dew to clean themselves with.

"That's it?" Saria sounded disappointed.

"What were you expecting?" Rose laughed. "We can't fly if we get our wings wet, so we're hardly going to go for a swim in the river, are we?"

Link flinched for a moment. He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something bad was happening.

"Link?" Saria saw the tears in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Rose and Saria both watched him as he looked out back the way they came.

"I… I have to…" He couldn't even finish his sentence before he abandoned his foraging job to run back to the village.

"Link!" Saria screamed behind him, but he didn't stop.

He ran and ran. Just like in his dream.
Only now the woods were clear enough that he could see.
Only now he had the stamina to run longer.
Only now it's not his life that needs to be spared, but someone else that needs to be saved.

As he reached the clearing at the base of the Deku Tree, he saw little Kokiri kids running too, crying for help.
Ignoring them, he ran to the river.
Not where the children bathe, but beyond that. further down the stream.

In his head, he could see clearly where he must go.
As he approached the banks, Link dove into the river and swam after him.
The stupid boy who had to show off now had to rescue the stupid boy who couldn't wait before trying to mimic the head dive he saw earlier.

Link grabbed the boy's body and struggled against the flow to pull him to shore as the banks were too high to get him out anywhere else.
He felt his arms and legs start to burn with exhaustion again. But he kicked and kicked, desperate to save this kid that tried to copy him.
When Link got near the banks, he was able to grab roots and slowly, carefully drag himself against the current and bring him to where the water was shallow enough to stand.
Dragging the boy onto the rocky shore, Link looked at the boy's pale face.
His eyes weren't open, and he wasn't breathing.

"C'mon!" Link shook the boy's shoulders, but he didn't move. "Wake up!" He ordered.

The boy was out of the water but was still drowning right in front of him.
Link, in a last desperate attempt, grabbed the boy's shoulders and turned him on his side.
With a tightly clutched fist, Link battered the boy's back.
He was afraid he was hurting the boy more, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. The same feeling that brought him back to the river was telling him to do this.
Then suddenly, after many, many punches, the boy vomited out all the water he'd taken in before screaming out in pain and terror.
But he was alive. Sore, but breathing at least.
And that was all the victory Link needed. Once he gets the boy to bed to recover, he can return to Saria and finish his work with her.

"Hey!"

Link looked across the clearing, he could see more Kokiri running towards him. Mido and his gang, as well as the younger kids that Link saw running for help.

"he's alright!" Link gasped with a tired smile. All Link could do was smile and weep happy tears.

He understood why some of the approaching kids looked shocked and worried, but the look of rage and hate on the ones leading the charge confused him.
He had no way of knowing what was coming for him.

Saria sat with Rose on her shoulder. Listening to what everyone was saying about her friend as they served bowls of soup made from some of the ingredients she and Link collected.
"I'm not hungry" Saria insisted, refusing all offerings.

When she'd had all she could take of Mido berating Link's name, she decided to put him down.
"And where were you, Mido?" She demanded, standing tall above all those sitting around the fire and eating their dinner. "I can't prove Link is telling the truth, but I trust him!" Saria could see the look on Mido's face.

"You weren't there, we all saw him beating Pirata…"

"No, You Weren't There!" Saria snapped. "I asked around. It was Your job to watch the little ones today. Instead of doing your job, you and your friends thought up a nasty prank to pull on Link. And while you were off congratulating yourselves, Pirata got hurt. Maybe if you'd been there from the start, like you were supposed to be, none of this would have happened!"
With that, Saria turned her back on everyone at the fire and walked up the low lit tunnels.

The pink glow of her fairy lay heavy above her eyes. "Well said, Saria…" Rose patted her girl's head. "Proud of you."

"I'm not…" Saria arrived at her room and climbed into bed to face the wall. "I'm years too late in sticking up for him." she whimpered as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Several rooms down, lying in bed and shivering from cold and shock, Link tried to get some sleep. But the bruises over his body hurt too much.

When twelve of his peers learned from the scared and confused little ones that one of their friends was in trouble at the river, they all came running and when they arrived, they found Link punching a naked and screaming six-year-old in the back.

Even Pirata, the boy Link rescued, was getting his head filled by everyone else on how much of a bully and coward Link must be for doing what he did.

But Link knew he saved a boy's life.

Even though he'd never be thanked, Link knew he did good.

That thought alone brought him comfort as he shut his eyes until tomorrow.