A Kokiri Tale
By Red Sparrow
“...Link! Link!! HEY!!!”
Saria’s voice got louder as she burst into Link’s room. Her once frustrated expression softened a bit as she saw Link sound asleep. “Aww...” She said softly, “he’s so cute when he’s sleeping!” she blinked, “What was I doing? Oh, right!”
She trotted over to Link and tapped him, “Hey, Link...wake up. Hey, c’mon!” She was answered by a groan as Link turned over in his bed. “Link...Link...LINK!!!!!!!!” she yelled at the top of her lungs.
Link groans once more and stuffs his head under his pillow. Saria thought for a moment and smiled, “Alright, Link. If that’s how you want to play...” Saria left. A few minutes later, she returned with a bucket of ice cold pond water. She smiled, thinking about what she was going to do. “Oh, Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiink.” No response.
“Take THIS!!!” Saria poured ice cold water all over Link, drenching his bed, his clothes—everything completely in freezing water. Saria’s smiled faded as Link merely murmured something about food and continued sleeping as if nothing happened.
“...why you...” Saria grabs Link’s sheets and attempts to pull it off, but Link just happened to have it wrapped around him. “Grrr! Get UP!!!” Saria yelled in frustration as she pulled and pulled, dragging a sleeping Link off the bed and towards the exit. Saria stopped when they reached the outside. She looked down from atop of Link’s treehouse. Link...why’d you have to live so high off the ground? She thought.
Link’s eyes slowly opened, and he sat up rubbing his eyes and yawning. Saria looks at Link and raises a brow. Link looked down at his soaked clothes, his eyes widened, “Oh, no! I wetted my tunic again!!” he turned to see Saria for the first time since he woke up, “Ahhh!! What are you doing here!? It’s not what it looks like!” Link quickly backed away from Saria and right off the edge of his treehouse.
Wham!
“Link?! Link?!” Link heard Saria’s voice in the background as he slowly faded away into unconsciousness.
“So...how long am I supposed to keep this thing on?” Link asked, poking the cast on his leg. There was a bandage wrapped around his forehead. Kiri, the Kokiri doctor spoke. She tried her best to sound official, “Well, Link...I think it’ll be around 6 weeks.”
“Six weeks?!” Saria and Link said together. Link glances out the window to find a large group of Kokiri outside peeking into the house. The Kokiri sees Link. Some ducked while the others stayed and waved hi.
Link slowly waved back, he muttered quietly to himself, “Why do bad things always happen to me?”
A few hours later...
“Oh, c’mon Link,” Saria was saying, “It isn’t THAT bad.”
Link looked at Saria as if she were crazy, “What do you know? You never broke your leg before...” Saria tried her best to comfort a miserable Link, “Well...think of it as a new adventure! Plus...” she picks up his crutch, “...you get to use this!”
Link hops over and takes the crutch, trying his best to look appreciative at what Saria was doing. They were sitting inside Link’s treehouse—Link had a nice exercise climbing up with Saria’s help.
“So...” Link spoke, “Why’d you come by earlier today?”
“Oh, uhm...I had something to show you...that’s all!” Saria replied nervously with a smile.
Link said slowly, “Well...what is it?”
“Huh? Oh...well, y’see...” Saria thought for a moment, “I don’t think you’d want to...since I got you hurt.” Link shook his head, “Its ok,” Link looked down at his cast. “I guess I could call it a new adventure or something. It’ll be nice to get some exercise anyway.”
Minutes later...
“...I can’t see me doing this for six weeks...” Link said with an exhausted tone after climbing down his treehouse. Saria handed him his crutch. “Well...you could s-s-stay at my....house—for awhile...if you...uhm...want.” Saria wore an uncomfortable expression and turned red. Link smiled, “Ok, thanks!” Link noticed Saria’s weird behavior, “What’s wrong?” Link asked.
“Oh! Uhm...n-nothing! Let’s go!” Saria took Link’s free hand and helped him limp to wherever she was taking him.
“Where are we going?” Link asked. Saria looked over her shoulder at him, “Don’t worry, you’ll know pretty soon!” Link smiled, “Ok...just don’t go too fast. I’m still getting used to-” Link was interrupted as someone came up from behind him and shoved him hard. Link stumbled forward and into Saria. Saria squealed and fell down along with Link.
Link groaned and sat up, Saria sat up also. They were both covered in dirt. They looked up to see Mido and his two other friends standing over them, “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see ya there!” Link stood up with Saria helping to prop him up. She handed Link his crutch and shouted at Mido, “What do you think you’re doing?! Everyone can tell you did that on purpose!!!” Mido shrugged and sneered at Link. Link wore a furious expression and yelled, “Why did you push me!?”
Mido laughed, “Wow, you’re a bigger idiot than I thought! You’re saying you don’t know why I treat you so special?” Link glared. Saria yelled again, “Mido, Link didn’t do anything to you!” Link limped forward and asked angrily, “Why are you always so mean to me?”
Mido looked at Saria and pointed at Link as if he wasn’t even a person. “You want to know why? Because this FREAK is weird! He has no FAIRY!! He’s probably not even a real KOKIRI like the Great Deku Tree says! He’s a WEIRD FAIRYLESS FREAK!!”
Link turned quiet and just stood there. Mido sneered, “It’s about time someone tells him the truth!” with that, Mido and his thugs left. Saria looks at Link worriedly, “Link?” Link just stood there quietly and just stared down at the ground.
Saria took one last look at Mido walking away before turning back to Link, “Link, don’t listen to what Mido says. He’s dumb, so he doesn’t know anything.”
Saria noticed Link sobbing quietly, a few tears fell. A few Kokiri had watched the entire scene. They looked away when Saria glanced at them. Saria then took his hand and walked him towards wherever they had planned to go to. As they entered the Lost Woods, Link spoke quietly, “...Why don’t I have a fairy?” Saria looked at Link. “Well...I....I don’t know,” Saria replied with uncertainty, “I guess it’s just a matter of time...you’ll get one pretty soon. I promise.”
Link looked up at Saria and asked as he wiped the tears away, “How come you have a fairy? Everyone has a fairy except me...how can you be so sure that I’d get one? Maybe Mido’s right...I’m a freak. Maybe I’m not even a Kokiri.”
Saria stopped and looked at Link sternly, “Don’t ever talk like that! Mido is a big jerk. He picks on everyone!” Link looked back down, “But...what about my fairy? Am I even a real Kokiri?”
“Don’t say things like that! Of course you are! The Great Deku Tree said so!” Link smiled a bit, though he still felt hurt and Saria knew it. Saria let go of Link’s hand, “Well...we’re here.” She said, hoping this would get Link’s mind off of the topic.
Link looked up, seeing a symbol of the Triforce in front of him, there was a single stump in this place. Link looks up a bit higher and notices a large temple in front of him, “What is this place?" Link asked.
Saria smiled and pulled Link towards the stump, “This is my special place. I come here whenever I want to be alone and think for awhile. I call this ‘Saria’s Secret Spot’.” Link smiled. Saria smiled back sheepishly, “Well, I gotta work on the name a bit.”
Saria helps Link sit on the stump and they both look around, “This is a nice place...it’s so peaceful.” Saria nods. “Yeah, this is the entrance to the Forest Temple. I don’t know what they used to do there. I tried to climb and see inside, but I couldn’t.” She pointed to the temple entrance, it was many stories above the ground and the stairs that had once lead up to it had broken completely off.
“I think,” Link said, “maybe you and I could explore it when I get the cast off.”
Saria smiled happily, “Ok!”
Link looked around, admiring the forest around him, “Yeah...this place is nice. I think I want to spend some time here for awhile.” Saria nodded.
They looked at each other for a moment before Link spoke, “Saria?”
“Yes?”
“Why are you so nice to me?”
“What?”
“I mean...everyone else treats me different. But you...you never once made me feel nervous or different.”
“Oh, well...” Saria poked Link on the forehead, nudging his head back playfully, “That’s what friends are for, silly!”
“Oh, right!” Link laughed.
They both looked up into the sky, it was getting dark. “We should go home.” Link said. Saria stood up, helping Link up, “Alright...when we get home, I’ll make you something tasty!”
Link laughed, “’k!”
Seven years later...
An adult Link was standing at that exact spot. Looking down at the stump, it was a lot smaller than he remembered. He turned and looked up at the Forest Temple. His Master Sword and Hylian Shield shone in the foggy light. “Well, Saria...I guess we’ll finally be able to explore the temple after all these years...” Link drew his hookshot and aimed at a branch near the Temple entrance, he fired. “Don’t worry, Saria...I’m coming for you.”
THE END
