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Rekindling Their Bonds by ViperInferno

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Rekindling Their Bonds
By Viper Inferno
Chapter 1: Return To Hyrule


It was a rather average late afternoon in Hyrule. The sun had traveled nearly halfway across the western sky, filling Hyrule Field with its ever-so-pure light, despite the many clouds scattered across the sky. The grass gave off a rather pleasant aroma from having gotten a soaking rain the night before. It was rain that always served to rejuvenate the true beauty of Hyrule.
 
It was in these fields where Link and Epona galloped freely. It had been just over two years since Link left Saria at the bridge near the entrance to Kokiri Forest, two years since he had left on his journey to search for Navi. During those two years, Link had traveled many distant lands, taking in many sights that he could only have dreamed of. And after two years, Link finally arrived at the edge of Hyrule Field near Lake Hylia.
 
Once they had galloped some distance into Hyrule Field, Link and Epona stopped to take in the sights, sounds, and smell of their home kingdom. Satisfied with the beautiful view, Link took in a huge breath, and then let out an audible sigh. “Wow, it sure feels great to finally be back in Hyrule,” Link said to no one in particular.
 
“Yes it does. I can’t believe it’s been over two years since we were last here together,” said Navi.
 
After his long journey, Link finally found Navi. And during their long trip back to Hyrule, they shared many stories of their travels. So now that they were back in Hyrule, Link just stood there with Navi hovering by his face, still admiring Hyrule’s beauty.
 
“So now that we’re finally home, where do we go first?” Navi asked.
 
“Well, I made a promise to a friend that I would go see her when I came back to Hyrule,” Link replied. He then gave Epona a gentle kick to the side, prompting her to start walking, as he continued, “So we’ll go to Kokiri Forest and see Saria.”
 
“Well then, we’d better get going. It’s already getting late in the afternoon,” Navi said as she took off ahead of them.
 
Link gently stroked Epona’s neck, “Ready, Epona?”
 
Epona let out an excited neigh in reply.
 
“Then let’s go!” Link whooped, snapping the reins and giving Epona a firm kick to the sides. And then, they took off down Hyrule field at full speed.
 
Despite the vast expanse of Hyrule Field, traveling on horseback almost took no time at all, compared to traversing it on foot. So it took a lot less time than expected for the trio to reach the eastern edge of Hyrule Field. They arrived so quickly that the sun still had plenty of distance to travel across the western sky.
 
“Well... we made it,” said Navi, gasping for breath.
 
“Yeah... we’re home,” said Link. Then, he threw his right leg over Epona’s back and hopped down from her. In the two years they had been away from Hyrule, the young filly had grown to her full height of 15 1/2 hands. Even though Link too had grown some since then, it took him a little practice to get used to riding Epona as she grew. But, since they had been together for most of their journey, their growing together made things less difficult for them.
 
Link then turned to Epona and fed her one of her favorite carrots. “Okay, Epona. I want you to go back to Malon and Talon back at the Lon Lon Ranch, okay?” said Link.
 
Epona grunted in reply, but Link could only gaze into her sad eyes. She knew their journey was over just as much as Link did. And that meant they would only spend occasional time together since her home as at Lon Lon Ranch and his was in Kokiri Forest.
 
“Thank you, my friend. You’ve been a great companion throughout our adventure,” Link reassured, “But we’re home now, so I’ll always come by to see you. Okay?”
 
And again, Epona grunted in reply with the sadness in her eyes disappearing.
 
“Good. I’ll see you later, my friend,” Link said as he backed up and gave Epona a friendly slap to the rear, sending the young palomino galloping off toward Lon Lon Ranch.
 
As Epona disappeared over the western horizon, Link turned back to Navi. “So, are you ready?” he asked.
 
“Are you kidding? I was the one waiting for you to send Epona off,” Navi sarcastically replied.
 
“Well, at least your wit hasn’t changed any,” Link commented with a smile.
 
“So are we going to announce your return to Hyrule to all of Kokiri Forest or what?” Navi asked.
 
Link thought about that question for a moment, wondering just how he wanted to announce his return home. As he did, memories of the promise he made to Saria and the letters he had written to her flowed through his mind.  So it took little time for Link to answer Navi’s question, “Actually... I want to make my return home to be a big surprise to everyone.”
 
“And what do you mean by that?” Navi wondered.
 
“Well, I don’t want everyone to know I’m home, at least not yet,” Link explained, “I want Saria to be the first to see me and know that I’m home. I promised her that I’d come home quickly after I found you. So I’ll go see Saria first.”
 
“So you’re going to sneak in?!” Navi exclaimed.
 
“Precisely,” Link replied, giving Navi a mischievous smirk.
 
And with that, Link and Navi entered the forest and quietly made their way toward Kokiri Forest. The forest was actually rather quiet for still being daytime. Few birds chirped and a single owl gave an occasional hoot as he awoke from his slumber. Much of the sun’s light was obscured by the rather dense woods that separated Kokiri Forest from Hyrule Field, giving Link and Navi the illusion of it being dusk.
 
Soon, Link and Navi arrived at a long rope bridge overlooking the Lost Woods, so they knew they were close to Kokiri Forest now. Navi then flew in close to Link’s ear and whispered, “So how are we going to sneak in, huh? I’m very sure the other Kokiri are still running around the village.”
 
“Who said anything about sneaking into the village?” Link mischievously replied as he whipped out his Longshot. He then aimed it at a nearby branch and sent the hook and chain flying into it. The Longshot then retracted, pulling Link effortlessly up to that branch. Once there, Link manipulated the Longshot and let it slowly extend, gently lowering himself to the forest floor.
 
Navi rolled her eyes at Link’s astonishing feat, “You never cease to amaze me, Link.” She then flow down to the forest floor to meet Link, “So where are we sneaking into if it’s not the village?”
 
“Where else? The Sacred Forest Meadow,” Link replied, “You know as well as I do that it’s Saria’s favorite place. It’s also become our secret meeting place in the Lost Woods whenever we just want to play together without the other Kokiri bothering us.”
 
“I understand. Sometimes best friends just want to be alone together,” said Navi, “But, are you sure you can find your way there from here?”
 
“Of course,” Link replied, “I’ve explored these woods pretty often. So let’s go.”
 
“Okay,” Navi shrugged, “I just hope we don’t stumble into the village by accident.”
 
And off they went through the lost woods. Link navigated his way through the dense woods like an expert hiker, with Navi trailing close behind. They took many twists and turns through various open areas and walked through numerous hollow trees, trying to not end up back in Kokiri Forest.
 
Soon, Link stopped as a faint melody from the woods caught his ear. He stopped abruptly and held threw his bent arm and fist up. “Listen,” he said, looking around the forest and listening to the melody whispering in the woods.
 
“It’s just the spirits of the forest, singing their songs,” said Navi.
 
“But I can’t hear the spirits like you and Saria can,” Link argued, and then shut up as he listened again for the faint melody. Soon, he caught it again. And as he listened to it, he quickly recognized the rather familiar sound, “That’s a fairy ocarina. I know that sound anywhere.”
 
“Now that you mention it,” said Navi as she too listened closely for the faint melody, “I do hear the music of an ocarina.”
 
“That means Saria is here,” said Link as he took off running deeper into the Lost Woods, “Come on. Let’s go.”
 
Link and Navi ventured deeper into the maze of the Lost Woods, trying to follow the faint song. ‘Let the music be your guide,’ Link thought to himself, ‘Kaepora Gaebora told me that when I first went to the Sacred Forest Meadow.’ After a few dead ends, and nearly taking a path that led back to Kokiri Forest, Link found a familiar sight. As he rounded another corner, he found a stone archway submerged beneath a small but rather deep pond.
 
“That’s the path to Zora’s Domain. I know where we are now,” said Link. And the duo continued their way down the path they knew would lead to the Sacred Forest Meadow. But as they ventured, the melody became clearer and easier to make out. So Link stopped and listened. “This melody, it’s not one of Saria’s usual songs,” he commented as he paused to listen to more of the song, “In fact... it sounds like a rather sad song.”
 
“It does sound sad,” Navi agreed, then slowly flew ahead of Link, “Come on. Let’s follow her song.”
 
So they continued on their way to the Sacred Forest Meadow, following the rather sad song as its melody filled the Lost Woods. And in no time at all, they reached the maze that would lead to where Saria could be found. After braving a few angry mad scrubs, they finally arrived at the Sacred Forest Meadow in front of the Forest Temple. Link gazed all the way across the wide-open meadow and found Saria sitting on the big stump, playing her ocarina. Her eyes were closed as she played, so she didn’t notice Link standing at the steps in the pathway to the big meadow.
 
“Saria... she looks so sad,” Navi commented, barely above a whisper. She noticed not only Saria’s sad song, but also the frown on her face as she played it.
 
“Yes, she does,” Link agreed. He stood and watched her play the song as not only she but also her fairy remained oblivious to his and Navi’s presence. After a while, an idea came to his head and brought a smile upon his face.
 
“Hey, I know what to do to cheer Saria up,” Link said as he reached into his bag and grabbed his fairy ocarina.
 
“Yeah, go up to her and let her know that you’re home,” suggested Navi.
 
“Oh I’ll let her know I’m home alright,” said Link with a smirk on his face as he took the ocarina and placed it to his lips. He then took a deep breath, and began to play the notes to “Saria’s Song”.
 
 
 
Saria sat on her stump, with her fairy perched on her shoulder, as she continued to play her slow and sad song. But suddenly, the song of another ocarina began to echo throughout the Sacred Forest Meadow. She immediately stopped playing and listened to the rather upbeat tune. And after a couple measures, she quickly recognized it as none other than her own song. And it was that tune that brought a smile upon her face. ‘Oh I love how my song sounds as it echoes through the forest,’ she thought to herself, ‘For some reason, I always feel happy when I hear that song being played.’
 
“Saria, Look!” said Spryte, Saria’s guardian fairy.
 
Saria opened her eyes and finally glanced up from her ocarina. When she did, Saria gasped and her eyes popped wide open as she discovered a familiar figure dressed in a green tunic and green pointed hat. “Link!” she shrieked. She dropped her ocarina in the grass, leaped up from the stump, and took off running toward Link at full speed.
 
Link stopped playing and glanced up to find Saria speeding toward him. And quickly, Saria ran into him and threw her arms tightly around his chest. “Oh my goddesses, Link, you’re back,” Saria said excitedly as Link wrapped his arms around her shoulders, “I can’t believe you’re really back.”
 
Link only stood there and held his best friend in a tight embrace, letting their intimate gesture speak for him.
 
“I missed you so much,” said Saria, taking in the touch of their embrace, something Saria hadn’t felt in over two years, and something she had longed to feel again.
 
“I’ve missed you too, Saria... my very best friend,” said Link.
 
As they embraced, Navi joined them and hovered around their heads. “Oh boy, getting a little cozy, aren’t we?” she teased, giggling at the best friends.
 
Saria suddenly looked up, startled by voice other than Spryte’s teasing them. With her arms still wrapped around Link’s chest, Saria glanced around and found the glowing blue aura of Navi flying around them. “Navi?! You’re here too?!” she gleefully exclaimed.
 
“Hello Saria, it’s been a long time,” Navi greeted.
 
Saria then loosened her hold on Link and looked back into his eyes, “You really found Navi?!”
 
Link nodded in response.
 
“So that means your journey is over and you’ve finally come home? Oh I’m so happy,” Saria said, tightening her embrace once again, “I’m so happy that you found her and came back home.”
 
Link gently stroked the back of her head as he held her in his arms. “Yes... I’m home now,” Link said in a low voice, “I’m finally home.”
 
“Well now, I’ll go on ahead and see the Great Deku Sprout,” said Navi, “I’ll leave you two alone to catch up and get all lovey-dovey.”
 
Link glared at Navi and let go of Saria. He then took out an empty bottle and swung the open end of it at Navi in one swift move, trapping her inside.
 
“Hey, let me out!” Navi screamed as she pounded at the inside of the bottle with her fists.
 
“Hey now, Saria and I are best friends who haven’t seen each other in over two years,” Link scolded, “We’re not getting all lovey-dovey.”
 
“Oh come on, I was only teasing you,” said Navi, and then began to pound on the bottle again, “Let me out! Let me out!”
 
“Come on Link, let her out,” suggested Saria, resting her hands and forearms on Link’s back.
 
“Oh, alright,” Link reluctantly submitted, “I was just having fun with her. I knew she was teasing.” He then popped the cork to let Navi out. Navi smiled at Link and Saria as she casually hovered free of the bottle.
 
“I’ll see you later, okay Link?” said Navi, giving Link a knowing wink before she turned around and flew off.
 
“You’re still just as mischievous as ever,” Saria commented, slowly rubbing Link’s back.
 
“Two years, and Navi still knows how to push my buttons,” Link commented as he sat down, with Saria’s arms slide up to his shoulders in the process, and smiled, “I guess that’s all part of having a guardian fairy.”
 
“Well of course,” Saria cheerfully responded, “She only teases you because she cares. Even Spryte likes to tease me sometimes.”
 
“You bet I do,” Spryte proudly agreed, giggling.
 
At that, Saria turned her head and stuck her tongue out at Spryte. Then, she turned back to Link. “Hey Link, let’s go over to our stump,” she suggested.
 
“Okay,” Link replied as they both stood up. And when they did, Saria noticed something a little different about Link, something she missed during her ecstatic dash to embrace him, as she found herself looking slightly up at him. “Wow, Link, you’ve grown,” she commented.
 
“Really? I have?” said Link.
 
“Yeah, you’ve definitely grown. You used to be shorter. In fact, I was maybe just a tiny bit taller than you. Now, you’re almost a fairy’s arm taller than me,” Saria explained.
 
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. It has been two years. It must be the Hylian in me,” said Link.
 
Saria then wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him another big hug. “Well, taller or not, you’ll always be a Kokiri to me,” she said.
 
Then, after their brief hug, Link and Saria walked back to the stump. There, they sat in the grass and leaned their backs against the stump. Saria then picked up her fairy ocarina that she had earlier dropped and put it away.
 
“It’s so great to have you back, Link,” said Saria.
 
Link took in a deep breath, taking in the aroma of the forest, and let out a big sigh. “It’s sure feels great to be back home in the forest,” said Link, “After such a long adventure through many strange lands, there’s no place in the world like home.”
 
“Yeah, I was starting to get worried about you too,” Saria added, “I haven’t gotten a letter from you in quite a long while. I don’t even know how long it’s been. The last letter I got from you, you were in a place called Holodrum.”
 
“I’m sorry, Saria. But where I went to next, I couldn’t get any letters out of there,” Link explained, “That place was fairly secluded from much of the world. Also, the postmen there haven’t even heard of Hyrule, much less knew how to get there.”
 
“I can understand that,” said Saria. Then, she scooted herself closer to Link and looked right at him. “So Link, tell me all about you great adventure,” said Saria.
 
“Well... where to start,” Link said, thinking hard on how to go about telling his story.
 
“Well, in your first letter, you mentioned a place called Termina,” Saria suggested, “Was that your first quest?”
 
“Yes,” Link replied as he began his story, “My journey in Termina began almost right after I picked up Epona. I started my journey in the Lost Woods. It was there that I ran into an unusually mischievous Skull Kid. He took both Epona and the Ocarina of Time from me. So I chased him through this strange portal and ended up in Termina. And that’s when I teamed up with the fairy named Tatl.”
 
“Ocarina of Time? What’s that?” Saria asked.
 
Link reached into his bag and took out the Ocarina of Time to show to Saria. Saria took it into her hands and admired its beauty, noting its light blue glaze, silver ring around the mouthpiece, and Triforce emblem adorning the silver ring. “It’s beautiful,” Saria commented as she handed it back to Link.
 
“Zelda gave this to me,” Link explained, “She had a feeling I was going to need the magical power of this ocarina on my quest. It turned out that she was right. When I was in Termina, the Skull Kid cursed the moon with the power of a mask called ‘Majora’s Mask’, sending it on a crash course for Clock Town three days later. The Ocarina of Time had the power to send me back in time three days. So even though my quest there only took three days in Termina time, it felt like a lot of months to me. I lost count how many times I placed the Song of Time.”
 
“You actually traveled through time with that ocarina?” Saria commented, astonished at such a feat, “That sounds pretty amazing.”
 
“Yeah. In a lot of ways, it was amazing,” Link explained, “It allowed me to take all the time I needed to save Termina without the moon crashing into it, so long as I played the Song of Time every three days. But, it was also a real pain in the neck. I met a lot of interesting people, but I was only able to get to know them for three days... then they’d forget everything when I went back in time and I’d have to meet them all over again. In fact, the only one who’s known me for more than three days was Tatl. That’s probably why I had trouble getting letters out to you after I left Kokiri Forest. Those letters must’ve disappeared before the postmen could leave Termina when I played the song of Time.”
 
“I can see how that’s no fun. I can also see why I didn’t receive a letter for three months,” Saria commented. Then, she frowned at a crucial part of his story and let out a discontented sigh, “So I guess you never really played your fairy ocarina, did you? Not when you had a beautiful work of art like the Ocarina of Time.”
 
“Actually, as great and useful as the Ocarina of Time was, I still liked to play your fairy ocarina at night whenever I just wanted to play some tunes,” Link explained, “I played a lot of songs often times when I thought about you. So yes, I played your ocarina quite a bit.”
 
“Oh Link,” Saria gasped as she threw her arms around Link,” I’m so glad you still like my present to you.”
 
“Well of course,” said Link, smiling at Saria, “It was a gift from my best friend.”
 
“So tell me more. Did you defeat the Skull Kid and his evil mask?” Saria asked.
 
“Yes I did,” Link replied, then continued his story, “I had to collect these 4 masks and play the Ocarina of Time to awaken these giants to draw out Majora’s evil spirit for me to defeat it. But, getting those masks wasn’t easy. I had to meet the right people, do the right tasks, and be at the right places, all at the right time on the right day.”
 
“Wow,” Saria softly said, astonished at what she heard, “I bet that was hard.”
 
“Yeah, that’s putting it mildly,” said Link, “After going back three days so many times, I could almost predict what was going to happen and when. I even kept it all in a journal to help me keep track of it all.”
 
Saria could only giggle at Link’s explanation. “Link, did you really keep a diary?” she teased.
 
Link glared at his giggling friend, “Hey, it’s journal, get it right.”
 
“I’m sorry, I just couldn’t resist,” Saria said, eventually settling down from her giggling, “At least you were able to save Termina. So where did you go after you left Termina?”
 
“Well, I didn’t leave immediately,” Link explained, “After we rescued the Skull Kid from the evil mask, Tatl reunited with her brother Tael. Afterward, we all went to the Festival of Time, and danced and celebrated the night away. Afterward, the Skull Kid helped me and opened the portal back to Hyrule. And from there, I continued my search for Navi.”
 
“Oh I love festivals, especially the one we hold every year,” Saria commented, “We even had a festival after you defeated Ganondorf and saved Hyrule.”
 
“Yes, the one at Clock Town was certainly a brilliant festival,” said Link, smiling.
 
“Well, ours will be in less than a couple months,” said Saria, “And at least you’ll be home for this year’s festival. It’s just not the same without you around.”
 
“Yes, I miss our festivals,” said Link, reflecting back on the times they and the other Kokiri would spend in their annual festivities. Then, Link went back to his story, “Anyway, after leaving Termina, I continued eastward through the Lost Woods, eventually reaching a pretty large open field with rolling hills. It was a pretty long horse ride, but I got to see some beautiful scenery, especially the ocean.”
 
“The ocean? Is that like a really big pond that the Great Deku Tree used to tell us stories about?” Saria wondered.
 
“Yes,” Link replied, “It makes really big waves in the wind, and there are all kinds of fish and other water animals in it. But, it tastes really salty, so you can’t drink it. You can travel on it if you’re on a ship, or at least a small boat.”
 
“Wow, you saw so many amazing things,” Saria commented, “Did you and Epona travel on the ocean in one of those boats?”
 
“We sure did. That’s how we went to the far away land called Holodrum,” Link explained, “When Epona and I arrived, we went to the nearby town called Horon Village and saw a real-live traveling dance troupe. They had a lot of flutes, drums, strings... and played some very upbeat music. It was like a little traveling festival.”
 
“Hey, maybe you and I can start a little dance troupe of our own,” suggested Saria, “We already dance and play our ocarinas.”
 
Link smiled at the thought, “Maybe, one day. Hey, we can do it at this ear’s festival.”
 
“Now that’s a plan,” said Saria, “So tell me about your adventure in Holodrum.”
 
“Okay, so I saw this dance troupe, and their lead dancer was this beautiful girl with long fire-red hair,” Link explained.
 
“Beautiful, huh?” Saria jealously commented, giving Link a knowing look, “You didn’t ogle her, did you?”
 
“No, but I did dance with her when she asked me to,” Link replied.
 
“Humph, you always meet a lot of girls in your travels,” Saria complained with her armed crossed, turning her face away from Link,” Malon, Zelda, Ruto, Nabooru, and now this dancer.”
 
“Well, I do meet a lot of interesting people and make friends too,” said Link, “But none of them compare to the friendship that you and me share.”
 
Saria looked back at Link and smiled, “It’s okay, I forgive you. After all, we are the best of friends, right?”
 
“Right,” Link replied, and then continued his story, “But our dance was very short-lived. This evil man named General Onox crashed the party. He attacked the town and kidnapped the lead dancer before he left. And when I finally came to, the troupe’s cook got me out of there.”
 
“That’s sad,” Saria said with a frown, “Who would he kidnap the lead dancer of a troupe? It’s not like she was a princess.”
 
“No,” Link replied, “But strangely, when he kidnapped her, all the seasons suddenly went totally berserk. Summer became winter, spring became fall, and so on. And then, the Maku Tree summoned me and told me why.”
 
“Is he like the Great Deku Sprout?” Saria asked.
 
“Sort of. He’s the guardian tree of Holodrum,” Link explained, “But he said that the dancer was really the Oracle of Seasons posing as a dancer to hide from evil. She had the power to keep the seasons in balance. And when General Onox kidnapped her, he used her power to sink the Temple of Seasons and throw the seasons into chaos.”
 
“And so began another quest, huh?” said Saria as she scooted close to Link and leaned against him, “Well, I did get a letter from when you were in Holodrum. But I want to know, how did the hero save Holodrum and rescue the oracle?”
 
“Well, I had to find the Rod of Seasons at the Temple of Seasons and have the spirits of the 4 seasons bless it with their power,” Link explained, “Once I did that, I had to collect some essences for the Maku Tree so he could give me the power to enter General Onox’s castle to rescue the oracle. Both tasks weren’t easy as Epona and I had to travel all over Holodrum and even to the underground world of Subrosia to do so.”
 
“A whole underground world?” said Saria, astonished.
 
“Yes. That’s where the Temple of Seasons sank to. And it’s also where General Onox’s castle was,” Link explained, “Once I collected all of the essences, I went to General Onox’s castle and ended up in a big fight with him. He then turned into this huge dragon and destroyed his own castle. But I defeated him, rescued the oracle, and gave her the Rod of Seasons. And with it, she restored balance to the seasons and brought the temple back to Holodrum where it belonged.”
 
“That sounded like a pretty wild adventure,” said Saria, “Big place, seasons in chaos, evil man attacking the people, an underground world... you saw so many amazing things and went through so many trials. I just wish I could’ve been there to help you.”
 
Yeah, it was,” Link agreed, “But my next adventure was just as wild. Needless to say, I didn’t find Navi in Holodrum. So the Maku Tree suggested that I go to a place called Labrynna to continue my search for her. However, there were no ships that went to Labrynna. So I had to hire a man with a boat to take me there, but that meant I had to leave Epona behind... as much as I hated to leave my friend.”
 
“I bet that was hard for you,” Saria sadly commented as she laid her hand on Link’s shoulder and gave it a loving squeeze.
 
“Yeah, you can say that again,” said Link, “I left Epona at a horse stable near Horon Village to care for her, and it was off to Labrynna I went. Luckily, Labrynna wasn’t as far away from Holodrum as Holodrum was from Hyrule. So we arrived at Labrynna after a couple days of sailing. And there, I heard the most beautiful song that anybody’s ever heard. So I followed the song into some woods, and there I found a rather beautiful girl with long blue hair, singing her song while playing her lyre. Many animals, and even some fairies, had gathered around her to listen to her song. When I saw this, I was immediately reminded of you and how you play your songs for the spirits of the forest.”
 
“Oh Link,” Saria gasped, giving Link a big hug for flattering her.
 
“Well... after she finished her song, I asked her about Navi. But no one there had seen her or even heard of her, so I thanked her for her beautiful song and continued my search. Later, I met this old lady who wanted to meet the girl who sang such a beautiful song. So I took her there, and when something bad happened. This evil sorceress named Veran left the old woman’s body and possessed the singer... then quickly disappeared.”
 
“And once again, you’re dragged into another dangerous quest,” Saria added, “So what happened?”
 
“Well, the old lady was some village wise-woman,” Link replied, “She said that the singer was really the Oracle of Ages, hiding her true powers by singing such beautiful songs. She had the power to keep the flow of time in balance. It was because she knew this that Veran used her to get to the oracle. So with the oracle possessed, the old woman picked up the oracle’s lyre and took me to see the Maku Tree.”
 
“Another Maku Tree?” said Saria.
 
“Yes, a girl,” Link explained, “The one in Holodrum was a man. But when we got there, the Maku Tree was gone... just simply gone. The old woman said that Veran must’ve used her powers to go back in time and kill the Maku Tree. That was when the oracle’s lyre whispered to us where to go to right these wrongs. So under the old woman’s and the lyre’s guidance, I took the Ocarina of Time and went 400 years in the past."
 
“What?! 400 years?!” Saria exclaimed.
 
“Yes, it turned out that Veran caused a lot of trouble in the past,” Link explained, “She influenced queens, changed places, erased people from history, and made Labrynna a place of despair. So I saved the Maku Tree in the past, traveled back to the present, and sought her guidance. Apparently, Veran had influenced a once great queen and had a huge tower built in Veran’s name. She told me that in order to face Veran in the past, I needed to travel between the past and the present to obtain these essences to have access to her tower. You really have no idea how much I had to change, correct, and rewrite history just to get each of those essences.
 
“I can understand,” said Saria, “Being the Hero of Time can be a pain, can it?”
 
“Yes it can,” Link replied, “Once I corrected history enough and collected the essences, I was able to enter Veran’s tower in the past. I had to draw the sorceress out since I didn’t want to harm the oracle. My fight with her was as tough as my fight with General Onox was, but I defeated her.”
 
“And you saved the oracle, right?” Saria asked, anticipating the quest’s ending.
 
“Yes, and she saw my fairy ocarina and decided to teach me the song I watched her sing,” said Link.
 
“Wow. So many adventures,” Saria commented, “But... how did you finally find Navi?”
 
“Well, that was my next and final quest,” Link replied, “It was also my shortest. It was a rescue I stumbled upon. Navi wasn’t at Labrynna, so I built a huge sailing raft and left for some of the outer islands. But on my way there a powerful storm came. My raft was struck by lightning, knocking me out cold, and I woke up on an island.”
 
“Oh no,” Saria gasped, “At least you were all right. So what’d you do on that island?”
 
“What else? Although I was stranded on that island, I thought I’d look for Navi while I was there,” Link replied, “There was only one village there, and no one there had ever seen a fairy before, much less knew anything about Navi. I know I was on that island for at least a few weeks searching for Navi, but I couldn’t find her there. So I had the people there help me to build another raft, and then I left. And a day later, I came up to another island, much smaller than the first one. During my travels, I often heard stories of pirates who sailed the ocean, and this island looked like one where these pirates might’ve lived. But when I arrived, I found the village there to be totally empty. The only thing I heard was some screaming and moaning coming from the nearby tower. So I made a trip to the tower, and when I went in, I ended up fighting hoards of Stalfos and other monsters. And guess who I found there?”
 
“Navi? You found Navi at an old pirate’s place?” Saria guessed.
 
“She was there, alright,” Link continued, “And that was also where I fought my toughest fight yet.”
 
“Who did you fight this time?” Saria curiously asked.
 
“Myself,” Link replied.
 
“Really? You fought yourself?” said Saria.
 
“Yes. He was every bit like me, like he was sort of a mirror image of me, only his skin and clothes were much darker and his eyes were red,” Link explained, “Even his voice was much deeper than mine. I can’t even begin to describe how he sounded.”
 
“So you fought an evil Link,” Saria concluded.
 
“That’s right. And what was worse was that he made Navi fight alongside him. It was like she was under a spell or something,” Link explained, “As long as Navi was there, I couldn’t fight him very well without her either interfering or giving him hints. So I had no choice but to knock Navi out and trap her in a bottle so I could fight Dark Link. It was really tough fighting him. He matched every sword move, every shield block, and everything else I threw at him. I had to be both faster and smarter to beat him. He thought he had me, but then I hit him in the face with a Deku Nut and blinded him. It was then that I defeated him and saved Navi.”
 
Upon finishing his story, Saria wrapped her arms around his chest and held him, “Link, you really are a hero. And I’m, so happy to be your best friend.”
 
“Yes, it was certainly a wild adventure,” said Link, “I’m just glad to finally be home after going through so much. I just can’t believe it took me over two years to find Navi.”
 
As Saria listened, one question remained on her mind, the same one that Link had before he left on his 2-year journey. “Hey Link, as amazing as your journey was, why did Navi leave you without saying goodbye in the first place?”
 
“Well, quite simply, Navi wanted to go on her own adventure after we defeated Ganondorf,” Link explained, “She chose to leave because she wanted to grow stronger and she wanted me to learn and grow without her.”
 
“So she believed that you weren’t ready to have a guardian fairy, huh?” said Saria.
 
“It’s not that,” Link explained, “I was ready, but I also needed to know how to think for myself too, without Navi’s guidance. Only then would I know what having a guardian fairy is all about. Navi is my guide, but she’s also my partner, and my friend.”
 
“I understand now,” said Saria.
 
“Right, it’s not like we’re your babysitters or anything like that,” Spryte added, “We just watch over you, keep you company, be your friend, and become a part of you. You’re still your own Kokiri who thinks for yourself.”
 
“It took me two years to understand it all,” said Link as he continued his story, “But Navi heard of my adventures in Holodrum and set out to find me. She said she had sensed my presence, but when she followed her senses, she found Dark Link and was kidnapped. She said it had to have been about a month before I saved her. That was when our big adventure was over. We sailed back to Holodrum, picked up Epona, and took the ship back to the seaside town. Then, we rode back to Hyrule.”
 
“You told such a wonderful story of your adventure,” said Saria, hugging him tightly, “I think you’ve grown a lot from your journey too.”
 
“I agree,” said Spryte, “You got to see a very big world that the rest of the Kokiri could only dream of and faced a lot of trials. The Great Deku Sprout would be proud of you.”
 
“Thank you, Saria... and Spryte,” said Link as he wrapped his arms around Saria, returning her hug, “I just wish you could’ve been there to see so many great things with me.”
 
They sat beside the stump, silently enjoying each other’s company. After such a long adventure, writing a few letters, and many restless nights, Link felt really great to finally be home and with his best friend. And Saria was still way overcome with joy, knowing that Link was okay, that he thought of her, and that he was finally home. Then, Saria noticed the reddish-orange sky as the sun had begun to set.
 
“Hey Link, it’s starting to get late,” Saria said as she let go of Link and stood up. Then, she took her fairy ocarina out, “Before we go back... that song, the one the Oracle of Ages taught you... can you teach it to me?”
 
“Yes, of course,” Link replied as he too stood up and took his own fairy ocarina, “I can teach you some other songs too.”
 
Saria giggled at Link as she sat on the stump, “What a role reversal this is. I taught you how to play the ocarina and even taught you a few songs. Now, you’re the one teaching me a bunch of songs.”
 
“Well, if it wasn’t for you, I would never have played the ocarina,” said Link, “And I wouldn’t have made it on my adventures either. Besides, I still think you’re a better ocarina player than me.”
 
“Oh, you flatter me,” said Saria, and then begged, “Come on, teach me the song.”
 
Link joined her on the stump and began to play the same beautiful song that he watched the Oracle of Ages play upon his arrival at Labrynna. And after he finished the song, Saria joined him on her fairy ocarina. For the next hour, Link taught her the songs that he had learned on his adventures in Termina, Holodrum, and Labrynna. And all through dusk, the two played their new songs together.
 
end of chapter 1

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Disclaimer: The Legend of Zelda and its characters ain't mine, but belong to Nintendo and the various creators and directors of each of the games. So, please don't sue me. I'm just a lonely man who ain't got anything but his pride. Well, y'all enjoy this fanfic and review.

Have fun Zelda fans,
Viper Inferno
(Y2V)

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