Saria's Song: Chapter 3- Songbird

 Chapter 3

Songbird

17 years ago...

Saria listened to the beating drums as their steady tempo filled the Great Deku Tree's glade. The Kokiri raised their voices in joyful cacophony as they danced, sweat glistening on painted bodies. Moving with gleeful abandon, they jumped and spun, some imitating the movement of an animal, while others stomped and clapped in time to the music. Firelight flickered on masked faces as the sound of merriment hummed through the glade. Winter's end was upon them, and as they did each year, the Kokiri welcomed the new spring with song and dance.

Fairies hovered above the heads of the crowd like buzzing fireflies as they bobbed to the rhythm of the Kokiri's song. Clapsticks and woodwind instruments joined the clamour as the music swelled, their sprightly melody rising high into the night.

As this last song came to a close, Saria stood, a signal that the next part of the ceremony was to begin. A hush rippled through the merry Kokiri as they saw their shaman standing before them. Saria was dressed in a long ceremonial skirt, and her body was covered in swirls of red and yellow ochre and chalk.

Saria stood with her back to the Great Deku Tree, whose ancient, carved face loomed at the centre of the glade. Between her and the gathered throng, the small fire crackled and burned, bathing the ceremony in its warm glow. Smaller cookfires dotted the clearing, the smell of cooked meat and woodsmoke drifting on the wind. Not a word was whispered as Saria raised her arms into the air.

"Listen well to my words, my children. At winter's end, we gather to mark the passing of another year and to give thanks to the spirits that guide us. The time has come for another child of the forest to be joined with their fairy... hear my words, the words of the Great Deku Tree..." Saria recited the words, the same words given to her by the Great Deku Tree at every blessing ceremony. As was Kokiri tradition, the Great Deku Tree spoke in Saria's mind, letting her convey his words to the gathered throng. A reverent silence fell as she turned to retrieve a small glowing creature that sat nestled in the tree's roots. She turned, stepping back to her place near the fire, a little fairy now cupped in her hands.

The hand drums continued their steady tap, tap, tap, and Saria's blood rushed with the energy of their tempo...

She waited for the Great Deku Tree's next words, and when they rang loud and clear in her mind, she repeated them aloud.

"In the beginning, before the first of the Kokiri walked these lands, the world was but a void of chaos. Then the Golden Goddesses descended upon that realm of chaos..." Three Kokiri emerged from the crowd, each wearing a mask. One was marked with swirls of red, the others blue and green. Together they danced around the fire.

"Din, the Goddess of Power, Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, and Farore, the Blessed Mother of us all." The drums grew louder, and someone tossed a branch into the fire. Embers whooshed into the air in an erratic flurry, spinning and dancing into the night. "Din, with her strong, flaming arms, cultivated the land and the red earth." Another branch landed in the fire, and more sparks rose into the starlit sky. The drums changed tempo, their beats faster, stronger. "Nayru poured her wisdom and gave the spirit of law unto the world." By now, almost a third of the gathering had joined the music. "Farore, with her rich soul, produced all forms of life... all the creatures that walk these sacred woods..." Several more masked Kokiri stepped into the firelight as the others withdrew. Their masks resembled the faces of animals. Mido's mask was a bear.

Of course it was a bear.

Show-off, Saria thought.

She held the fairy aloft, her cupped palms turned upwards to present the sprite to the crowd. "By the Goddesses' decree, it is said that all Kokiri must someday bond to a fairy. Together they will become two halves of one soul, their spirits forever bound."

Saria paused, and the drums fell silent, leaving the clearing in almost complete silence as the Kokiri waited upon Saria's every word.

"Brynn, our brother and friend, come forward and heed Great Father's words," Saria called out.

Brynn, amongst the youngest to be born from the heart of the ancient tree, stood up and stepped forward. He was a head shorter than the others, with a serious expression upon his round face. The drums began again in a gentle rhythm as the fair-haired Kokiri approached the shaman.

"By the eternal light of the Mother Goddesses, and by the spirits of this sacred grove, and by the blessing of Great Father and the Sages of old, I present to you this gift, so that you, Brynn, may be granted the wisdom of the forest, and together you both will be as one..."

Saria echoed the Great Deku Tree's words, and when she finished, the fairy spread its bright gossamer wings and stood, still supported by Saria's outstretched palms.

At those final words, as Brynn stood mere feet from Saria, the fairy took flight, spinning and circling Brynn before landing upon the boy's shoulder. Brynn grinned from ear to ear, gazing down at his new companion as Saria placed a hand to his forehead, reciting the final part of the blessing. As she did, a strange aura of green light enveloped Brynn for an instant, and then it was gone.

The Kokiri clapped, some cheering, some slapping him good-naturedly on the back as Brynn joined the others, his new fairy hovering above his head. With the joining complete, Saria gave one final blessing for the celebrations ahead, and when that again was met with cheers, she remained by the tree. Picking up a staff of deku wood from the ground, she sat cross-legged, settling the staff upon her lap and running her fingers along the carvings in the wood. She looked over the dancing throng, searching for a face she knew she wouldn't find.

Mido was standing amidst a gathering of his closest friends, his loud boasts carrying far. His audience listened with rapt attention as Mido described in detail how he'd nearly been skewered by an angry boar and then, in a daring display of courage and power, he had slain it with naught but a spear.

"I'm telling you!" he exclaimed to his eager crowd. "It was this close! It almost gored me, but I was too fast..."

Nobody called him on it. Nobody ever challenged Mido. Several Kokiri exchanged sceptical glances and shook their heads, but Mido was none the wiser.

Yeah, that never happened.

Mido had probably been screaming and running in the other direction.

 Kokiri didn't hunt like Hylians. Larger animals were treated with caution, either stalked from a distance with a poison-tipped dart or arrow, or left to one of the wolves that protected the woods. 

Whatever else Mido said of his daring feats, Saria didn't listen. Her eyes had begun to lose focus as she sat in a meditative pose. It was still her duty to oversee the celebrations. She would still be expected to convey the Great Deku Tree's words when the ceremony finally concluded...

"You still grieve, Saria," the Great Deku Tree said, his words for her alone. "You hide it from the others, but I can feel your pain."

Saria swallowed, holding back fresh tears, her fingers gripping her staff harder than was needed.

"He should have been here," Saria said, a lump rising in her throat. There was no way her voice would carry to the others over those drums. She looked at Mido, but he was too busy doubling over with laughter at some joke.

It didn't sound right without Doran. Her friend. None of this did.

"What happened to him was a terrible thing, Saria," the Great Deku Tree continued, his words filled with sympathy. "But the pain will fade..."

"I wish it didn't hurt so much," Saria admitted with a painful breath.

"It will fade," the Great Deku Tree assured her. A wave of emotion flowed through the bond between Saria and the tree. Sadness.

"Any word from Navi?" she asked, nearly biting her lip as she thought of Doran's fairy.

I shouldn't have yelled at her, she thought, wishing the fairy were still here. She missed the little sprite, even if she never knew when to shut up.

That almost made Saria laugh, or perhaps it was a sob. She wasn't sure. 

"She needs time to heal, as do you," Great Father said. If he noticed her unflattering thoughts about Doran's talkative companion, he made no comment.  

"I know," Saria replied, aware her eyes were growing damp. She tried to tell herself it was just from the smoke drifting from the nearby cook fire, but she knew it wasn't. "I know."

Her conversation was brought to an abrupt halt by a happy shout from amongst the Kokiri gathered in the glen.

"Hey, Saria, aren't you going to join in?" Mido called out, breaking away from the Kokiri gathered around him. The smell of sweat and cooking meat was making Saria nauseous. Still, Mido looked over his shoulder and beckoned for someone to bring Saria some food.

"You look famished," he said as someone dutifully rushed over with a plate of food, which Saria declined. "You need to eat something, Saria; you've barely had anything all day."

"I am touched by your concern, Mido," Saria said, her tone formal. "But I must refuse."

Mido was not to be dissuaded so easily.

"Did you hear me talking about my hunt today?" he asked, grinning. "You should've seen it, Saria."

"A most courageous feat," Saria replied politely. This wasn't the time to embarrass Mido for his clearly exaggerated tale. She might be feeling miserable inside, but she was not about to inflict that on anyone, certainly not her companions.

It didn't escape Saria's notice that one of those companions was glaring at him. Eira, a younger girl with pigtails, was staring sourly at him. It was little wonder why - her face was covered in painful scratches after an unfortunate encounter with a thornbush, one that had involved sliding down a hill on a shield.

And of course that was Mido's idea, Saria thought. Well, technically, Forenz had come up with the idea, but Mido had decided to implement it.

"Our songbird has been silent," Mido said, coming to stand beside her. There was something in his eyes, a sadness, that told Saria he knew what pained her. His voice was low, calm, and gentle. "Will you not play for us this night, Saria?"

Those nearest the two Kokiri struck up a chorus of agreement. "A song!"

The younger Kokiri, some of whom had only recently bonded to a fairy companion, broke into a cacophony of "Please! Just one! Just one!"

Saria swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, kneeling to pick up the ocarina nestled within her possessions. She stood up to a chorus of cheers, and for a moment, her sorrow seemed to be swept away.

"I'll have you hunting all the Deku seeds in the forest for this, Mido," Saria said without malice.

"Just to see you smile, I'd say it's worth every single one," Mido responded before joining the other Kokiri.

"And for that," Saria said under her breath so only Fora could hear, "I'll hide every single last one."

"A thousand?" Fora asked. Saria was glad she'd kept the question between them; saying it aloud might have spoiled the moment, and Saria had already spent most of the evening trying to avoid just that.

"Hmm... I think nine hundred will do," Saria thought back, raising her ocarina to her lips.

Mido had never been particularly fond of foraging, though that never stopped him from showing off. Whenever Saria came along, he had a habit of snatching a foraging basket brimming with berries, claiming he'd picked them all. It had never fooled her. She simply didn't have the heart to tell him that.

Mido, the eternal show-off.

She closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of the forest, of the festivities, and then willed herself to relax. Then she began to play. As those soft, quiet notes filled the air, the glade slowly grew silent, first just one or two Kokiri, and then more as the others listened to her song.

Saria quickened her tempo, letting her body move slightly to the music, until it encompassed her. Those Kokiri with instruments of their own slowly joined in, recognising the melody, and soon the clacking of clapsticks, the enthusiastic tapping of hand drums, and a host of percussion instruments picked up the tune, joining with a harmony that only came from years of practice. Just for a heartbeat, there was nothing in the world that could distract her from her song.

Not even the sudden sharp spike of awareness from the Great Deku Tree.

That nearly caused her to falter, but she willed herself to keep playing, to see the song to its end. Now all the Kokiri were joining in.

All too soon, Saria's melody ended, and the Kokiri clapped and cheered, their voices making the weight in Saria's chest feel just that little bit lighter.

"We want another one!" someone shouted.

"Yeah, come on, Saria!"

"Just one!"

It wasn't uncommon for the younger Kokiri to forget their manners, but Saria didn't call them out on it. Instead, she explained that she would now commune with the Great Deku Tree to ask for his final blessings for a bountiful season ahead, and then returned to sitting by the tree. This settled the matter, and Saria was given the privacy she needed.

Mido, too, seemed content to leave her in peace, for which she was grateful.

"You seem distracted, Great Father," she said once she sat alone beneath the tree. Recalling that sharp spike of awareness in her mind made her stomach twist. The Great Deku Tree spoke in her mind, as always, his mind touching her own.

"A foul wind blows this night, Saria," the Great Deku Tree told her. "I sensed a company of outsiders camped beyond the forest, perhaps twenty, but there is something unusual about them. Do you recall the scent of smoke that came upon the northern wind?"

Saria nodded. It wasn't uncommon these days, and it was unnerving. "Yes. You said there was fighting beyond the forest. That's why..."

She shivered, unable to finish the thought.

Doran, one of the youngest Kokiri, had stumbled straight into a pack of monsters prowling near the forest's edge, having slipped away from his guardian fairy. By the time his rescuers reached him, it had been too late to do anything.

Saria frowned. Outsiders camping near the forest boundaries weren't uncommon, but this seemed to have the Great Deku Tree worried.

"Is something amiss?" she asked, trying to keep her face passive as she pushed her thoughts away from Doran. There was no point in alarming the others. She needn't have bothered, since they were well and truly distracted, several of them engaged in a wrestling match, a small ring forming around the combatants. The most common injury in these bouts was the loser's pride and nothing more. There were rules to the game, and so long as the Kokiri followed them, she wasn't worried. Mido, of course, went first, and before long, his first challenger had fallen outside of the ring, leaving him the victor.

All this Saria took in whilst she waited for the Great Deku Tree's reply.

"This is not the first group of Hylians that have come so near our borders, but that's not what concerns me," the Great Deku Tree answered. "They are being hunted by powerful mages, though they do not know it. Shadow Mages."

"Hunted?" Saria asked, almost voicing the word aloud, unable to stop the fear creeping unbidden into her gut. The butterflies in her stomach had nothing to do with the ceremony anymore.

"Yes," came the old tree's answer. "They are being hunted."

"Is there anything we can do?" Saria asked. Shouldn't they warn the Hylians if they were being stalked? Or would that just end up complicating things?

"For now, I shall keep an eye on them, but you must make sure nobody wanders near the border until they're gone. If they flee, they may choose to brave the woods. I can try to deter the hunters, but unless they come closer, my powers are limited."

"I understand," Saria said with a nod. "Will there be any danger to the village or the other groves?"

"Not so long as the borders remain patrolled."

That still made Saria uneasy. It hadn't been that long since they'd buried Doran. The borders weren't safe anymore. The Hylians and Sheikah did terrible things to each other. There had been a war; the Sheikah had tried to take control of the great kingdom of Hyrule, only to be brought down by some of their own, or so the Great Deku Tree had explained. The smell of fires, the distant sounds of terrible screams and destruction would sometimes drift as far as the forest. The Kokiri Groves were safe, so long as the forest children didn't wander too far, but it still left Saria with a tight knot in her stomach, especially after Doran's death.

"I will warn you, should anything be amiss," the Great Deku Tree said.

It turned out that 'amiss' would come much sooner than Saria had expected.

As was her habit, once the Kokiri had set off back to their homes, their bellies full and their spirits light, she had journeyed to the ancient temple deep within the Lost Woods. There was a spring nearby where she could wash, unbothered by the cold night, and then change back into her usual attire. Nobody followed her, for she often sought solace on her own, and the bond she shared with the animals within the woods was protection enough.

It was well into the night when she found herself in the Sacred Forest Meadow. Here, she could close her eyes and listen to the spirits of the forest. She could hear them, hear their voices and the sound of their haunting melodies, but there was one particular voice that she searched for, and once again she was disappointed.

For a time, as she sat upon that tree stump where she and Doran had once played, she could almost believe he was still there. Still next to her. She could hear his voice. His laughter. The sound chased her into her dreams, her head coming to rest on the stump as she drifted off to sleep.

In the small hours before dawn, when the night's chill hung over the forest, Fora's call snapped her awake. All was quiet in the Sacred Forest Meadow, save for the gentle pulse of magic coming from the temple, an ever-present hum that only Saria could hear. Then she became aware of the Great Deku Tree's voice in her head, beckoning her to come to his grove. His summons sounded urgent, which made her frown.

After gathering her cloak, Saria set off with Fora. It wasn't a long trek, and Saria knew the woodland trail well, so even in the dark of night, getting back was not hard. Fora lit the path a little way ahead, and all was quiet save for the occasional small night animal browsing in the foliage and the rustling of the leaves in the breeze. There was something else too... something other than that eerie creak and groan of branches shifting in the wind. Something other than the rustle of leaves as wolves padded through the underbrush, keeping their distance, but staying close enough to protect Saria should anything happen.

Hoofbeats?

Saria came to an abrupt halt, gazing around the dark forest. She couldn't see more than a few feet in front of her, but she was certain of it now. Something was coming, and it wasn't a deer. Locating a tree she could easily climb, she closed her eyes and opened her awareness to the forest. Slowly, she was able to feel the essence of the creatures around her, an energy that ran through all living things, and she could hear the thoughts of the nearby animals. She touched their minds, sensed their wariness, and there...

It was a horse, fast approaching, its path taking it towards the village outskirts. Saria could sense two distinct energies other than the horse. One was small but brighter than anything she had felt before.

She could hear hoofbeats now, drumming in a rapid rhythm. Saria quickly scampered up the trunk of her tree. Just as she reached one of the lower branches, the animal thundered past. It was slowing now, limping... wounded...

Fractured moonlight bathed the forest floor, giving Saria a glimpse of the figure atop the horse as the mare passed beneath her tree. The rider was hunched protectively over a bundle in her arms, its pitiful wail piercing the night, loud and clear. A baby.

Saria turned her awareness to the horse. She could touch the minds of wild animals easily and immediately sensed its distress. Its heart was pounding rapidly, its muscles shivering from exhaustion, and it was on the verge of collapse. Its thoughts were muddled by pain and exhaustion, but beneath them lay one desperate urge: keep moving towards the Great Deku Tree's grove.

"That rider," Fora whispered as Saria sat upon her perch. "I think she's a Hylian. She's hurt badly!"

"I saw," Saria whispered. What did this mean? A Hylian in the woods? If she had crossed the boundary, then she must have known that entering the forest was a death sentence. The wards that protected the woods would kill her. She thought of the bundle she was carrying, and the thought of that child being left alone, defenceless, decided the matter.

That meant the Great Deku Tree must have given them a way through the wards. They were important. That much was clear.

"Come on, Fora, we have to help her." Saria straightened, her mind made up.

"What... how?" Fora exclaimed, alarmed. "Saria, she's a Hylian!" There was a definite emphasis on that last word, but Saria wouldn't be swayed.

"So?" Saria shot back.

"Think about it, Saria, Hylians are dangerous!" Fora hissed, sounding afraid. "They do all kinds of horrible things to each other. They're dangerous!"

"She's hurt," Saria pointed out again. "They need our help, and besides, Great Father will protect us. You know that."

"I still don't like this," Fora protested, but her companion was already moving. Saria slid down the tree as fast as she could and jumped to the ground, her cloak nearly snagging on a branch.

Crouched now beside the tree, Saria reached out again to the animals nearby, hoping to find out what was going on. The forest hummed with life, even at night, but most of these creatures were either trying to sleep or prowling for food. Several creatures caught the Kokiri's attention.

Wolves. But they weren't the cause of this horse's panic. Saria would've known if they were. The wolves lurked nearby, keeping an eye on the intruders, but they did not approach the horse or rider. Their caution confused Saria until she realised the Great Deku Tree must have been keeping them back. Something about the rider had caught his attention, and the path to his grove appeared to be cleared of any wildlife that might harm the mother or child.

Saria followed after the horse, breaking into a run, heedless of the brambles that snatched at her boots. The mare was following a path around the village, towards the Great Deku Tree's grove, but it was slowing now. Something was wrong...

Saria quickened her pace, dashing towards the animal...

The horse was barely managing a steady walk when Saria caught sight of them again, and they were almost at the Great Deku Tree's grove. The animal was limping, head low to the ground, legs almost giving out, chestnut coat lathered in sweat. The rider was speaking to the horse, her words pained and filled with a despair that tore at Saria's heart... She was just at the edge of the glade.

"Just a bit further, come on, please... No... Come on... Oh... No, no, no!"

The horse was stumbling as it reached the clearing, and before Saria knew what was happening, it was swaying, legs wobbling as it teetered to the right and left. The rider managed to swing herself from the horse's back, gasping in pain from an unseen injury, but then the horse's legs gave out. The woman stumbled clear, her foot catching on a rock, and she too went down, her baby tumbling from her grasp to land amongst a thicket of ferns. The child's cries redoubled at this abrupt end to their journey, and the woman let out a desperate cry of horror as she scrambled to her infant.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, scooping the baby into her arms. "I'm sorry... I've got you..." She was shaking as she turned her attention to the fallen mare. One hand still tightly cradling the crying child, she ran her free hand through the mare's mane, but the animal did not notice her touch.

"No." Her word was a despairing moan, punctuated by her still-crying child. She pressed her forehead against the horse's flank, her shoulders shaking.

The horse just lay there in the dirt, chest heaving with each ragged breath. Its heart was tearing itself to pieces, each beat weaker than the last. For a moment, Saria thought the woman was praying, her blonde hair spread messily about her. But she wasn't. She was crying... crying for her fallen steed. It was a sight the forest child had never expected to see. To all the forest's inhabitants, Hylians were monsters that destroyed all that was good, yet here, even though this woman had pushed her mare past breaking, her sorrow was plain...

The animal was motionless now. No more would it run swiftly upon the fields of Hyrule. Saria murmured a blessing for its spirit, a tight pain forming in her chest. It was a terrible way for such a beautiful creature to die... She glanced at the woman next, and Saria's heart broke at the sight of her weeping, her son still nestled close to her chest.

Saria knew now that what the Great Deku Tree had told her was true. Despite some of the terrible things they had done - and continued to do - the Hylians weren't all bad. The woman clearly had shared a bond with her horse, and now the poor mare was gone. Seeing the woman's distress so raw, Saria stepped forward, leaf litter crunching underfoot.

The woman straightened her shoulders, lifting her head to take in what little of her surroundings she could see in the darkness. Had she heard Saria approaching? No, she was looking out towards the clearing, beyond the last thicket of trees. To the Great Deku Tree's sacred grove.

The moon was full, and though its sombre light barely penetrated the forest, it illuminated the Great Deku Tree's vast canopy. The fires from the ceremony were mostly buried, nothing more than faint wisps of smoke rising into the sky.

A twig snapped beneath Saria's boot as she stepped forward, and the woman tried to push herself up, but instead, she fell against her horse, back pressed against the mare, her baby clutched ever so tightly to her chest. The woman's expression eased slightly when she saw that the approaching stranger wasn't one of her pursuers.

"Hello," Saria said in the gentlest tone she could muster, still opting for caution as she stepped forward. "It's okay. We don't mean any harm. What's your name?"

No flicker of understanding passed across the woman's face.

Of course, Saria realised. She doesn't speak Kokiri.

Taking another step forward, Saria tried to take in the woman's injuries, and it didn't take her long to see they were serious. She was bleeding from a wound to her side, her dress was ripped where something had torn it, and her face was deathly pale. Saria had seen that deathly pallor before. The woman was dying.

In that instant, Fora took charge, floating between the two and introducing Saria in Hylian. The woman blinked, as if surprised, and then spoke again. It seemed to be taking her a lot of effort to speak because she was concentrating hard on each word.

"Her name is Larisa," said Fora, translating. As more words were spoken, the fairy continued. "She says she is trying to find the Great Deku Tree."

"This is the Great Deku Tree's grove."

She gestured to the Great Deku Tree, and although his face was hard to make out in the moon's feeble light, Saria was aware of the forest guardian touching her mind. He had summoned a fairy, telling her not to fear the woman, but he was also worried... There was something very wrong with the woman's injuries. He could sense a foul, arcane sorcery in them, caused by a weapon steeped in dark magic. It would consume her, even if the blood loss didn't.

"I'm sorry about your mare," Saria said with a nod towards the poor creature. Beneath the sweat and dirt, she could tell that the mare had been meticulously groomed.

The woman spared a passing look at her horse, fresh tears in her eyes, and then she shook her head and spoke again, her voice gaining some strength as she went on, with Fora hurriedly translating.

"Great Father! This woman asks that you take her son," Fora said aloud, so all could hear. "She was hunted by assassins who believed her son to be a child of destiny, spoken of in prophecy. They sought to destroy him. She has heard of your great mercy and compassion, and asks that you take him into your care. It's the only hope she has. If you do not help her, her son will surely die."

The woman was crying as she held her child aloft, the blankets falling away so that all that protected him from winter's cruel grasp was his blue tunic. The effort seemed to sap Larisa's remaining strength, but she was determined. Saria swallowed, trying to push down her own emotions - the growing pity she felt for this woman and her child. She came to the Hylian's side, placing a hand on her shoulder. She already knew the Great Deku Tree's answer. She already knew hers as well.

The woman looked up into her eyes, and Saria held her gaze, offering a gentle smile and then nodding in acceptance. Saria would take the boy, as Larisa had asked, and care for him as if he were her own.

"Do not fear for your son. He will be safe here, I promise," Saria said. She held her arms out to accept the still-squalling bundle. Slowly, the woman placed the child in Saria's arms, and Saria didn't need the gift of language to hear the gratitude in the woman's words. She accepted the squirming infant, holding him close and peering into his bright blue eyes.

"Hush," Saria soothed him. "I'll try and help your mum, okay? It'll be okay. You'll be okay..." She looked up at the mother, who had slumped against her horse, exhaustion plain on her face. "What is his name?"

"Link." Larisa's voice was laboured, and Fora had to fly closer to hear the name. "His name is Link."

Saria looked down at the small child, who was still crying. Knowing she could quickly calm him, Saria shut her eyes and let her awareness turn to the child's essence, his life energy. It burned with a fierce strength that took Saria by surprise. It was far stronger than the many infant Kokiri she had tended to.

Saria willed him to be calm, projecting the thought onto the boy's mind. Instantly, the boy stopped crying, his eyes drooping sleepily, and a silence filled the glade, broken only by the woman's laboured breathing.

Saria opened her eyes and turned her attention to the boy's mother. The woman had slumped against her horse. Her eyes were distant, her breathing shallow. Saria could feel her essence slowly fading. She was dying. Just like her poor mare. Still, she found the will to speak, shuddering as she went on, while Fora interpreted. "We were heading south to Ordon Province, away from the fighting. We were attacked. The shadow-worshippers... they wanted my son... my boy..."

Larisa found a surge of strength and was nearly hysterical at those last words, fresh tears streaming down her face as she recalled the night's horrors.

"It's okay, you're safe now. Help is coming..." Saria said, trying to calm the woman. Seeing that the woman was slipping closer and closer to unconsciousness, Saria felt desperation seep into her. "Fora, help me!"

Fora zipped closer. Saria knelt. After checking that Link was unharmed, Saria placed him beside his mother and cut the fabric away from her wound. As she did, Saria held back a gasp.

Blood seeped through hastily applied bandages, thick and dark. Worse still, dark lines were spreading along the woman's pallid skin, angry and black. They crawled along her neck and down her side like blackened veins.

"What is that?" Saria gasped.

"I don't know," Fora whispered. "I've never seen anything like it."

The Great Deku Tree was right. This wasn't normal magic. Saria didn't know if her own magic would work here, but she had to try. She could feel the earth magic pulsing through her. She was aware of the Great Deku Tree touching her mind, speaking to her, lending her his own strength as she placed her hand over the injury. Magic flowed from Saria and into the woman. She closed her eyes, letting herself feel the pulsing energy that was the woman. It was flickering like a dying ember, and no amount of effort made it burn any brighter. Saria tried to concentrate on the wound. She imagined the muscles knitting themselves back together, but nothing happened. There was a strange darkness in the wound, unlike any sorcery the Kokiri had ever seen. Again, Saria tried to imagine that terrible wound knitting shut, but still the blood oozed warm and dark.

For an instant, she was sure that it was Doran she was trying to heal. Her friend. Blood splattered the ground. So much blood. She could smell it.

Saria could feel her strength waning as she tried to heal the woman. She tried to focus on the wound, but it wouldn't close. Why wasn't this working? Blood pounded in her ears; her head was spinning...

"Stop, Saria!" The Great Deku Tree's words were a command, snapping her from her trance. She was drawing too much of the Elements. If she didn't stop, the effort would consume her. Realising this, Saria obeyed and felt the currents of magic slip away, fading, along with any chance of saving the woman. "A healing fairy may yet succeed where we have not, but the chances are slim. I am sorry."

Saria shut her eyes, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill. Her magic should've worked.

An unsteady hand closed around Saria's, gripping her tightly. The woman was smiling, offering her a gentle but reassuring nod.

"It's all right," the woman seemed to say. For a moment, she seemed oddly at peace, as if accepting of her fate. "It's all right."

She squeezed Saria's hand and then let go, falling back against the body of her mare.

Not quite willing to give up, Saria turned to the Great Deku Tree. "Where is that fairy?"

As if in answer, a little sprite flew swiftly into the clearing. It landed on the woman's dress and examined the grisly wound.

"Can you do anything?" Saria asked, not liking the little sprite's silence as it examined the wound, its expression grim. Even though healing fairies could hold vast amounts of magic, it was unlikely their power could surpass the Great Deku Tree's own. Perhaps it could break the curse that held the wound open...

As feared, the wild fairy shook its head. "No," it said in a tiny voice. "I'm sorry. This is an ancient sorcery, one used by Sheikan sorcerers. If it runs its course, it will turn her into a creature of shadows... we can purge it, but doing so will extinguish what little life remains."

Saria was grateful that the woman couldn't understand the horror of those words. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, drew a deep breath, and looked up at the Great Deku Tree.

"What do we do?" she asked. She had heard of Shadow Magic before, but this... this malevolent sorcery was well beyond anything Saria understood. "Why would anyone do something like this?"

"The ones responsible for this sorcery are amongst the most powerful mages our world has seen, and they are reviled, even amongst their own kind. They do not see life as precious," the Great Deku Tree explained, disgust creeping into his words. "Their power is an abomination... Saria, you must grant her the final rites... I know this troubles you, Saria, but know this: stopping this affliction is my burden to bear. Not yours."

The woman spoke again, her voice growing weak, and Saria saw that she was looking down at her son.

"Please take good care of him," Fora repeated.

"I will," Saria said, letting Fora translate the words. They left her throat feeling tight, and she had to blink back tears of her own. "I promise."

It wouldn't be the first child she had taken into her care. She had raised many of the Kokiri, after all.

"Thank you," Larisa said. Though her words were foreign to Saria's ears, they were filled with immeasurable relief. Larisa's grip on Saria's hand loosened. "Thank you..."

Saria could only watch as the woman sank against the motionless form of her horse, her tired eyes lingering upon her son. Seeing this, Saria gently scooped up the small child, letting the woman touch his rosy cheek. "Link..." Her voice was a whisper. Fora translated, her voice trembling. "I love you..." The woman caressed her child's cheek, and Saria held back a sob of her own as the boy fussed, one little hand reaching for his mother's familiar embrace. But the familiar warmth of her touch was already fading.

"My boy..." Larisa's words were lost upon the breeze, her lips barely moving. "I love you, Link... Tell him... tell him I loved him... please." Her unfocused gaze lifted towards the stars, and then her hand fell back against her chest.

"I will," Saria murmured, as Fora remained between them. "I promise."

Saria wasn't sure if Larisa heard her. Her eyes were closed, her body still. She no longer answered, nor did she stir at her child's cries. She was gone.

"Go in peace into Farore's embrace," Saria began, her voice trembling as she closed her eyes in prayer. "May Din grant you strength, and Nayru's Wisdom guide your spirit as it journeys into the realm beyond our own. Farewell."

Green light spread from the Great Deku Tree's roots and passed over Larisa's body. The black veins faded, leaving only the wound behind. Then a hush fell over the grove, broken only by the baby's cries.

Unable to hold back her own tears, Saria tried to soothe the boy, but the infant must have sensed her distress. He wanted his mother, and Saria so desperately wanted to grant him that wish, but she couldn't.

"Hush. You're safe now," she told him, her voice tight and trembling. "You're safe. I've got you... It'll be okay... I've got you..."

Saria cradled the infant as everything that had happened finally crashed over her. She hugged the child close, holding him for what seemed like hours there in the Great Deku Tree's glade. He began to quieten as exhaustion set in, one little fist wrapped about one of Saria's fingers.

"You'll be okay," Saria said again, her throat hoarse. A new thought began to set in now, and she glanced at the now still forms of mother and horse. How was she to explain this? The Kokiri might tolerate a Hylian child, but he would grow... He might frighten the older Kokiri, especially Mido. They would revile him simply for the crime of being different. For being a Hylian. Everyone knew there was something terrible going on in Hyrule, even though the forest seemed a world away.

There was blood on Link's wrappings and on his tunic, but none of it appeared to be his own. Saria made gentle shushing noises as she carefully checked him for any injuries. Aside from the bruise on his head, most likely from coming off the horse, he appeared unharmed...

"Come on, I've got to get you cleaned up."

It wouldn't be long before the other Kokiri arrived. She grabbed the blankets and swaddled the boy, and he barely stirred.

The sound of approaching footsteps caught Saria's attention. She jumped to her feet, clutching the boy to her chest. Those weren't the light, whispering footfalls of a Kokiri. They were heavier.

Someone was approaching the grove.

"Peace, Saria, she is a friend." The calm reassurance from the Great Deku Tree didn't completely relieve Saria of her fears, not when the tall woman dressed in strange armour strode into the clearing. Saria had seen that sort of clothing before, among the possessions left behind by unlucky trespassers who had ignored the forest's warnings. The woman's red eyes marked her as a Sheikah, and her grey hair was drawn back into a warrior's tail. She was taller than the other woman, dressed in simple armour with a red eye clearly marked upon her vest, but the scariest feature of all was the long, vicious sword strapped behind her. It was almost as long as Saria was tall!

The woman's expression softened when she saw Saria, only to be replaced by sorrow and regret as she caught sight of the Hylian woman lying against her steed. The stranger quickly knelt beside Larisa's body, gently pressing one hand against the dead woman's chest, before murmuring a quiet prayer. Though her language was foreign to Saria's ears, the grief in that simple utterance was plain.

Still facing the dead Hylian, the Sheikah spoke again, her voice low. The words were in Kokiri, and Saria almost gasped. "The boy... is he all right?"

Red eyes turned to meet her, and Saria almost took a step back.

"I..." Saria managed, summoning her courage and unsticking her tongue. "I think so... Was she your friend?" She nodded towards the Hylian.

"She was," the Sheikah said, standing up, her eyes turning back to Larisa's body.

"I'm sorry," Saria offered, her throat tight with emotion.

"As am I," the woman replied softly.

"Saria, this is Lady Impa of Kakariko. She is amongst the oldest of her clan and a sworn sword to this boy's kin," the Great Deku Tree spoke then, his words loud and clear in Saria's mind. Judging by the fact that the woman's attention was now turned to the Great Deku Tree, she could hear him as well. She offered the Great Deku Tree a polite bow.

"I am pleased to see you well, Ancient One," Impa said, her tone formal as she bowed.

"You have brought strangers into the woods, Impa..." the Great Deku Tree said, his tone grave.

"Lady Larisa knew the risks when she entered the woods," Impa said, her tone equally grave. "She was struck by a weapon of dark and terrible magic - a knife forged through malicious sorcery, a relic from our schism. I was able to mend some of the damage, but it was not enough."

"What happened to the ones who did this?" the Great Deku Tree asked.

Impa grimaced. "They will not trouble you. But if they learn the boy survived, they will return." Impa glanced at Link. "I shall make the shadow-worshippers believe they succeeded tonight."

"These are grim tidings, for all of us," the Great Deku Tree said. "Your friend said that the servants of evil hunted this boy, believing that he is indeed the child spoken of by your Seers. You are certain he is the one?"

"I am," Impa said. There was a conviction in her voice that said she did not doubt what she claimed.

"Then..." the Great Deku Tree's tone became graver still, and Saria felt a chill creep down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold. "If he is indeed Hylia's champion, then the Demon King is indeed stirring again. He will seek out his own champion if he hasn't already..."

"Then you understand why you must protect this boy. I will return when he is older, but until then, take good care of him."

"You have my word," said the Great Deku Tree. "Saria, Eldest amongst your kin, do you understand the gravity of this task? A time of great trial is upon our realm, and when the time comes, the boy you hold will be called to protect and save this realm." The tree seemed to sigh, or perhaps it was just the wind whispering through his branches. "If he is this hero of legends, then his path will be a difficult one, but you can help him... His identity must remain a secret until Lady Impa returns. For now, you must accept him as a Kokiri. For if those who hunt him learn of his survival, he will be in great danger. Do you accept that responsibility?"

"Of course," Saria said with conviction, but when she looked down at that tiny boy, with his bright blue eyes and fine blonde hair, just like his mother's, her feelings were mixed. He was so small, so fragile. He didn't look like a warrior, certainly not like Impa. "I will take care of him, I promise."

"Thank you." Impa's expression was grim as she looked down at the Kokiri, those red, piercing eyes unnerving Saria as the woman looked towards her. She gestured to the restless bundle that squirmed in Saria's arms. "May I?"

Saria held Link out to Impa. The boy was making a half-hearted effort to cry now that he was exhausted, but he calmed when Impa touched his brow.

"Good luck, Link," she murmured. She stepped back, giving Saria a friendly nod. "I hope that it will be some time before we meet again. If you need me, ask the Great Deku Tree to send word..." At Saria's puzzled frown, she added, "He will find me... May the Goddesses watch over you."

"And to you," the Great Deku Tree said in answer.

Impa strode over to Larisa, paused to examine the woman's lifeless form, and then gently picked up the body. It seemed to require little effort on her part, as if Larisa herself were only a child. Then she stepped into the trees, disappearing into the shadows without a sound, despite her heavy burden.

Saria stood there in the glade, watching the place where the woman had disappeared, with Link still clutched tightly to her chest. She wondered at how much the world had changed, and how on earth she was going to explain this to the others. She was no stranger to raising children, but the abruptness of this boy's arrival would be enough to raise suspicion amongst the older Kokiri. And then there was the horse.

"I will see to that," the Great Deku Tree said, without elaborating. Saria didn't need him to say more.

Saria adjusted the blankets that were now wrapped around the small child. They would need to be replaced, but for now, it was all she could offer. The boy was asleep within moments, the enormity of the night's events entirely lost on his young soul...

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