Rememberances of a bygone era. (Closed-Saria and Link)

Saria gave a small stretch as she left her home, the breeze of the Forest Morning hitting her. She was used to getting up early. The Sun had only been shining down for a couple of hours, a few other Kokiri already waking up as well. It was her routine. To outsiders, the mystical lights of the faeries that floated about would likely be a mysterious and possibly frightening sight....But for the Kokiri, it was natural. The Forest was the world.

She walked a bit to the small creek that flowed through the Village, leaning down as she pulled out a small bottle, beginning to fill it up with the contents. As she did, her own fairy floated around her. "So what's the plan for today, Saria? We gonna rag on Mido for bullying Link again?" the green ball of light asked casually...To which the girl frowned. "I wish we didn't have to do that at all...No, I was thinking we could spend it more fun today...After all..." a mischievous smile crossed her. "Neither of us are scheduled chores today. Everyone needs a day like this every once in a while."

Standing up, and pocketing the bottle, she began to make her way to the tree that sat next to her home. While most of the Kokiri lived in giant hollowed out Tree Stumps, her best friend's house was more of a tree...A dead tree...That one had to climb. It was partially because when Link had arrived, it was the only vacant place that could be made into a home...And partially because the others saw him more as an outsider. Up until a couple of years ago, he had lived with her in her own stump...But now he was old enough to take care of himself.

Making her way down the path, she smiled seeing the sign that stood in front of the tree marking whose residence it was. She then cupped her mouth as she called up to the door "Yoohoo! Are you up Sleepyhead?"

Saria swung her upper body from side to side as she waited for Link. She knew he was likely still sleeping...She hated waking him up like this, but the one time she hadn't, he had ended up sleeping almost the entire morning away...On a day where he had been in charge of laundry...She only kept doing this partially out of concern for him, and so the others wouldn't get so angry again. They already saw him as an outsider due to his lack of a fairy. He needed a true friend.

As he exited his home from above, she grinned widely, excitedly waving to him in return waiting as he climbed down. When he reached the bottom, however, she gasped as he fell over backwards. She immediately rushed over to ensure his safety, sitting down on her knees next to him. A sigh of relief escaped as he greeted her, beginning to fall back asleep. She giggled at his antics. Typical Link.

"Good morning, yourself! Seems like for some of us its still night!" she teased. "Did you not get enough rest last night?"

Gate, however, flew towards the boy, a rather angry shake as she got up in his face. "What's wrong with you, worrying Saria like that!? You could have hit your head, then where would we be!?"

Saria only gave a sigh at her fairy's rather abrasive show of care. "Its fine Gate...I was the one who called so early. I got a bit too excited for today..." she looked back to her friend, sincerity present as always. "I'm sorry Link...I was so ready to spend our free day together, I put you in danger..."

Gate scoffed at that. Now that was typical Saria...Putting the blame on herself for the lazy boy's actions.

The girl couldn't help but giggle a bit as Link jumped up from his continued slumber that Gate had been no doubt accidentally enforcing with her chiding. Who wanted to get up when a fairy was angrily yelling in their face...In fact...Now that she thought about it...Was THAT why she was always so early to rise? She had never slept in before had she? She couldn't remember any incidents...But knowing Gate, if she had then it must have been enough keep her from ever doing it again.

Seeing her brother start rebutting her claims of apology with his own, she gave a brief shake of her head. She truly believed the incident her own doing...He wouldn't have climbed down to meet her, if she had climbed first after all. This wasn't the first time the two had tried claiming blame.from each other...And she knew neither of them would back down from their belief....So she decided to go for the next best thing. Tease him about it. It really wasn't your fault...But apology accepted regardless!" she said with a wide grin.

The other Kokiri that were out were beginning to notice their current antics, though they said nothing, noting Link's stretches and claims of being awake....But she didn't care. She felt far closer to Link than any of them strangely....They truly were her brothers and sisters...But Link felt more like one than any of them. Even though they all knew there was something different about Link...He was still her brother. And she would do anything she could to help him.

However, then he spoke of the reason for his sleepiness...A nightmare...Her face was instantly shadowed in concern, as she held a hand out for him to take. "Would you like to talk about it at the secret spot, Link?" she asked hopeful. Nightmares had been plaguing him for nights now...And it scared her. It was natural for one to have nightmares every once in a while....Even she was not exempt....But with Link it was a constant factor....That wasn't normal. She wanted to offer as much comfort as she could in the wake of it...Even if she couldn't truly explain the reasons for it either.

Saria faltered from her thoughts as she realized she was being selfish...Here she was thinking about how Gate could be a bit much at times, when Link didn't even have a fairy companion...She had always been a bit confused by the Great Deku Tree's decisions in this regard. He had requested the Kokiri to help raise him as one of their own...Yet, never assigned him a guardian fairy...Thus immediately alienating him from most of them...It was especially strange as Gate had told her stories in the past of a close friend who was interested in taking on a Kokiri should the Great Deku Tree grant them another sibling....

Still. This was no time to be hung up on that. That was even more reason to reach out to Link. As he took her extended hand, her smile returned as she began to run, taking him with her, towards Mido's house...Who thankfully seemed to not yet be up himself. Last thing they needed was him harassing them. Beginning to climb up the rough vines that served as the only way into the Lost Woods, she began to retort to Link's last statement. "Maybe its not...But you know me...I'm always interested in hearing them..." she gave a shrug. "I mean, if you never know...Maybe the Forest Spirits are trying to tell you something." she said slightly teasingly as she ignored the warning sign that sat in front of the large hollow tree trunk leading into the more dense, less populated forest...Though there was also a sincerity to her words. After all, while some Kokiri wrote off such things, she had never made much of a secret of her belief in them.

As the two walked through the Woods, she seemed to be following instincts, paying more attention to her friend as she led the way through the series of tree trunks. She had walked this path numerous times, even before meeting Link. She knew there was a reason for the other Kokiri and the Great Deku Tree wanted them to stay away from it...Unlike the Forest proper, monsters lurked out here. The aura about this place seemed to be stronger than their home too. As if the Great Deku Tree's presence wasn't quite as strong. But something about these Woods, and especially her spot...drew her in to keep coming back...She also knew she likely shouldn't be bringing Link with her....But the apparent dangers always seemed to stay away. So she had compromised that so long as she was with him, Link could come out here....

There were always new and interesting sights to be found out here...Even for her, who had explored these Woods for years. But the exact path to her spot had become
so common for her, that while she was still curious of the strange tunnel that was blocked by the boulders, or the small pool of water that had a similar tunnel at the bottom. They still piqued her interest, but with no way to know more about them, they became part of the natural path.

She looked to him curiously as he began to explain the dream as they passed these landmarks..."It was in the Forest?" she asked...That wasn't too surprising. It was the only world they knew. The Great Deku Tree had told plenty of tales of the world outside. But many of Link's dreams of late involved vivid imagery of lands outside....But it was what he said next that really caught her attention.

She paused in surprise for a moment...Just as they entered the ancient labyrinth that led to her special spot. The Sacred Forest Meadow. "A fairy of your own!? Link that's fantastic! Maybe its a sign one will come to you soon!" her excitement was tangible, taking Link's hands...Before her face fell in realization...He said this was a nightmare..."But...Link...You said that this wasn't a good dream...What went wrong?" she asked as she began to guide him once again through the Labyrinth...She had a sinking feeling...This couldn't be good.

Saria navigated the ancient stone walls of the Meadow's labyrinth with ease as she listened to Link as he spoke of what exactly had made the dream a nightmare...He was clearly uncomfortable talking about it...She felt terrible making in him...But she needed to know...So she could help him.

The Sacred Forest Meadow was always where Saria felt the most at peace...Even though she knew there were dangers here even more so than the rest of the Lost Woods. She had seen Wolfos lurk about here before...And rather violent Deku Scrubs heavily populated the paths....Yet...None of them ever attacked when she was near...As if they were calmed by her presence. She didn't understand why this was....But she also wasn't going to object...Maybe it was the Great Deku Tree's magic...She had asked once...But all he had said was that the magic in the Meadow was a special kind...And one day she would understand.

Finally, they were at the large stone stairs at the end of the maze.Leading to a large tunnel....That took them to her spot. An ancient building of stone. Unlike the village they called home. The stairs leading to its entrance were long destroyed. She had made her way inside a few times...Before Link had arrived. But it was right in front of it that she liked to spend most of her time...On the tree stump that sat in front.

But right now she was focusing on the disturbing images that Link was telling her about...The....Village was empty? Except for monsters?....But...That was....No...

She held Link's hand a slight more tightly. "Link...That's awful...I...WANT to say it was just a dream...But I already suggested maybe the Forest's Spirits were trying to tell you something...And I still believe that..." she thought for a moment. letting go of his hand, closing her eyes in thought, while Gate flew around her. The Forest's magic flowing around them.

Finally, she looked back to him, a small smile present. "The Great Deku Tree has always kept us safe with his magic and wisdom...Maybe they were telling us to warn him something was coming?" she suggested. "Whatever it is...We'll have to be ready." she gave a confident smile, picking up a nearby Deku Stick, holding it triumphantly as she stepped upon her stump, pointing to her friend as though she were knighting him like in the tales the Great Deku Tree had told them of Hyrule's heroes. "After all...The Great Deku Tree needs champions does he not? Who better than us!?"

She was still worried...Link's nightmare didn't bode well...She couldn't just write it off. But right now Link also needed some cheering up. And as much as she didn't want to admit it...She did too after this.

She watched in concern as Link's brave facade fell as she gave her thoughts...But grinned ear to ear as he gained a new resolve from her encouragement. It had worked!...And...his resolve made her feel better too. She knew perfectly well how childish her idea was. Two children singlehandedly taking down a threat that the Great Deku Tree couldn't take care of? Even though she had suggested it...There was no way...Not by themselves anyway.

Stepping off of the stump, she wrapped her arm around his shoulders as she then boasted "That's the spirit! With us working together, nothing stands a chance!" before removing herself from invading his personal bubble, blushing slightly in realization of what she had done. "Sorry...Maybe I got a bit too into the moment..." she admitted sheepishly.

Thinking for a moment, she then carefully said "We should tell the Great Deku Tree after tonight's meeting...We don't want to disturb him without being summoned...And we don't want to alarm the others either." She looked to the sky for a moment before claiming "We still have a few hours too..."...Before her smile returned.....In fact larger than before as an idea popped in her mind. "Which means we still have plenty of time! Is there anything you want to do in particular, Link?...I have one idea...But we would have to go back to the village for it..." she said this last part a bit cryptically, not wanting to say what her idea was just yet.

Even though Saria had apologized, and the boy's eyes went to her, Gate stayed quiet during all this...Yes, it was true she was quick to reprimand the boy when he did anything to make Saria feel bad....Really, anyone....But mostly Link on account of how much time the two spent together....But this had been something Saria actually had done by herself. In fact...Even though she had been charged with watching over the girl for Saria's entire life, it had actually surprised her when the Kokiri had suddenly done that....Usually her charge was a lot more self-conscious of others, unlike most of the other Kokiri...Though this was far from the first time she had done something like that with Link...In fact, no wonder he didn't see it as anything but normal...But truth be told....The talk of nightmares had disheveled her too. The Great Deku Tree had taught the fairies that dreams were often a way for the Goddesses and Forest's spirits to relay messages to those they had special plans for...The contents of the dream, however...She was lost in thought about it...She wanted to go tell their father right now about such a thing...But Saria had a point about why they should wait...

And so she stayed quiet, merely flying along subconsciously as Saria began to walk out of the Grove, urging Link to follow her. The Kokiri girl picked the stick back up from earlier as she did. She flashed a big smile to him as he asked what she had in mind. "Well...If we're going to become the Great Deku Tree's personal guard, we need to start preparing ourselves for what dangers we might face...I need some Tree Sap!" The sudden change in direction that took actually caught Gate off guard, watching as the girl began to hum her song as they went....What WAS she planning?

Leaving the Grove, it wasn't long before the two were back in the actual Kokiri Forest's proper. For what was likely the Great Deku Tree's magic trying to protect them from the Woods, it never took long for them to find their way back to the village no matter how deep they went. Climbing back down the vine wall, she could see most of the Kokiri were already hard at play. No-Chore day was always an active day in the village.

She gave a smile and wave to those who acknowledged the two, but she seemed focused as they finally found a good, tough tree with the apparently needed thick liquid. "Here we go!" she beamed, as she took the stick, placing the edge in the stuff...It appearing white on the end as she pulled it out.

Marveling at the otherwise plain stick with sap on it like it was a great treasure for a moment, she soon turned her attention back to Link. "I'm sorry for leading you on like that...I just...When I thought of this, I figured it could be a surprise..." she said a bit sheepishly, before gesturing for him to follow.

"Come on, Link! Let's get back to your house to get started on this!I think you're gonna love it!" she claimed still not explaining...Honestly, it was driving Gate nuts. She was gonna have a lot to talk with Navi about next time they met up...

She knew Link was confused...Gate too...That was always the problem with surprises wasn't it? A part of her really wanted to just outright tell them what she had planned...maybe she was over-hyping what she had planned? After all it wasn't THAT spectacular....But at this point, they were so close anyway.

Making her way down the hill to Link's house, she knelt down by the trunk of the tree, behind the sign that marked it as his house. She eagerly gestured for him to join her side. "We'll need to start preparing ourselves for the dangers we might face! A great hero needs a sword and shield..." she then began to draw with the sap-dipped stick. It was a crude representation of her friend. A stick figure, the identity mainly marked by the two lines that made up his hat. In his 'hands' were a small round marking that represented what they called shields in the forest, and another set of lines made to represent a sword.

There was only one sword in the village. A sacred treasure only to be used in the rare emergency. Otherwise they really only used sticks. But for the sake of this...And for what it represented...she felt a real blade was necessary.

In the end, it was a childish drawing that could only barely be made out to be her friend despite the precision and care she had taken in drawing it.

There was a light frown on her face at the result, not entirely satisfied. "Well...I never claimed to be the best artist..." she admitted sheepishly with a small laugh, before handing the stick over to Link. "Your turn! I bet yours will be way better than mine!" she laughed.

Gate, meanwhile was relieved this was all Saria had planned. Another game...On a not so childish matter, but still. Gate being Gate, however, had to snark a bit. "You think Link's gonna defend the village? Well...Better choice than Mido I guess!" she laughed. Saria, however, didn't seem so happy about that. "Gate, stop..."

Saria couldn't stop herself from blushing as Link exuberantly complimented her portrait of him...At least he liked it! As he began to draw, she patiently watched doing the same he had for her...Listening as he voiced his disagreement with Gate's jab at Mido. She had to smile at that. She had raised him well....Though she was still worried. Mido was still her friend...But the way he treated Link had created a bit of a rift between them...Part of her wanted to speak up about Mido's apparent 'protection' being more about just bullying Link and some of the other Kokiri into doing what he wanted...But she decided against it. Giving a quick glare to Gate, that was the only warning the fairy needed to not do that herself.

As Link finished his drawing, the two leaned over to get a better look. "Hey I think I recognize that from the Great Deku Tree's stories...Those lizards that live in the mountains...What did he call them? Dog...Doodog...." Gate pondered. "Dodongos." Saria smiled. "It looks fantastic Link..." But then...a frown came over her. "Though...I think its missing something..." she gently took the stick back...Beginning to draw a small dot above Link, drawing a couple more lines to represent wings. "There we go, Link! A Guardian Fairy of your own!"

However, as she finished it, a Kokiri girl began to call for them from the top of the hill leading to Link's house. "Hey you two! What are you doing!? Its nearly time for tonight's meeting with the Great Deku Tree!" before running off. Looking to the sky, Saria was surprised to see dusk falling upon them. "Oh my gosh...She's right...The time just flew...Come on, Link! We can tell him about your vision afterward!" she exclaimed with a confident smile, as she dropped the stick, taking Link's hand as she began to run towards their father's meadow.

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Saria looked up from the blooming flowers before her to look at the face of the young man who looked so much like her brother...In a way, he technically was....But in many others he was a complete stranger in a familiar guise. It was so hard to fully accept it. "That was when I first knew the Goddesses had something more planned for him than simply leaving the Forest when he was too old for the illusion to be kept...It took years for me to finally understand just what that dream had meant...But it was still no less a surprise when I did..." she stated, standing up giving a small stretch.