Saria was crouching in one corner of the Sage Chamber and let out a quiet sigh.
Ryoga came walking up behind her. "Hey, what's wrong, kid?"
Saria looked up at him with a reproachful expression. "Please do not call me that. I am one of the oldest Kokiri. By your calculation of time, I'd say I am even a bit older than you."
Ryoga winced. "Sorry. But it's kinda hard to tell, ya know? I mean, all of you Kokiri look like children, after all..."
"Well, to tell the truth, most of us aren't really different from Hylian children..." Saria murmured. "Don't get me wrong, we are all friends, almost like one huge family, but... they are always so childish. I can have fun, too, but... nobody is really acting very responsible, not even Mido. And sometimes I am amazed that we haven't been eaten by forest beasts. After the Great Deku Tree died, more and more monsters appeared in our forest, and it was getting harder to make sure that nobody did anything reckless."
"Sounds like you saw yourself as their leader, huh?" Ryoga asked.
The Kokiri girl nodded. "Yes, I mean, someone had to take responsibility. Mido never did anything but to complain and make others do what he wants. The Know-it-all-brothers may be wise, but they tend not to take action when things are getting serious. I tried my best to help everyone, but... it was so hard..." She sighed again. "Sometimes, I wish I wasn't a Kokiri..."
"But you aren't, aren't you?" Ryoga pointed out while sitting down next to her. "I mean, I was born as a Goron and I'm happy with it. And you, well, you've been born as one of the forest children. And being a leader can be hard, Darunia told me so, but to know that you can keep all of your friends is worth it, or isn't it?"
"I don't know..." Saria murmured. "I guess you're right, but... that's not the only reason why I would like to be a Hylian."
"You wanna talk about it?" Ryoga asked her.
She nodded. "I knew that Link was a Hylian all along, and I knew he would have to leave the forest some day. I tried to accept it, but the more time went by, the harder was it to accept it. We were best friends, you see, and we rarely did anything without each other... but I think that over time, I developed more feelings to him." She chuckled in embarrassment. "Love isn't really a foreign concept for the Kokiri, contrary to what many people like to believe. But mostly, that love is the love you would feel for a brother or sister. My love... I think that it was something else."
Ryoga nodded, he could sympathize. He knew how it was to love somebody and the other one never really knew. If only he could tell Akane...
"But then he went and left the forest," Saria sobbed. "And just because he's supposed to be the Hero of Time? It's not fair! Seven years! Seven years I had to wait for him, and when he returned, he had become a grownup man, while I was still the same little girl... I wish... I wish there was a way to show him that I am as grownup on the inside as he is."
"That is not quite correct," a gentle voice behind them spoke up. Saria and Ryoga turned around to see Rauru standing behind them. The old man smiled at the Kokiri girl. "When Link touched the Master Sword, he and Ukyo got trapped in time for seven years. Their bodies may have matured, but their minds are still the same from back when they came into the Temple of Time. But I'm not going to say that I don't understand your yearning of becoming a Hylian."
He then nodded to himself. "Very well, I guess it can't be helped... if you want to go to the cursed spring Princess Zelda fell into, I won't stop you. It is your decision."
"A-are you certain?" Saria stammered.
"For sure?" Ryoga asked in surprise. "I mean, aren't we supposed to stay here because the Temple of Light is the only safe place that Ganondorf can't reach?"
"Yes, it is," Rauru nodded. "But do you believe that Ganondorf would want to visit Jusenkyo again, now that he believes to have absorbed its most powerful spring? And I can feel that the pain in Saria's heart is becoming harder and harder to endure. And while keeping all of us safe is the most important thing, I still won't have any of my fellow sages being tortured like that."
"So you mean it?" Saria asked hopefully. "I can really really go?"
"Yes, you can go," Rauru smiled. "But you must understand that we cannot join you. Take care that nobody sees you and come back as soon as you can."
"I will! I will! Thank you so much!" Saria said, a big smile on her face. She stood up from the ground, shook Rauru's hand gratefully and gave Ryoga a short hug. She then stood upon her own emblem of the forest and closed her eyes, preparing for the spell that should bring her close to Jusenkyo.
"Farore's Wind!" she shouted, and the green gusts of air circled around her, magically transporting her away.
Ryoga sighed. "I really hope we did the right thing..."
"Have faith in her," Rauru smiled. "There is a reason why she was the one who awoke as the Sage of the Forest. She is a canny expert of survival, and I doubt she'll let her desires blind her from any danger."
Surrounded by the winds of her goddess, Saria appeared at the edge of Jusenkyo Valley. She opened her eyes to take in her surroundings, then she smiled when she saw all of the springs around her.
"I am actually here," she said, full of excitement. "Now how do I know which spring is the right one?"
"Aaaaah! Help!" somebody near her shouted.
Saria gasped. "Oh no! Somebody's in danger!" And she ran in the direction the voice came from.
She reached a tiny cottage... or rather, the collapsed remains of a cottage. A portly man was frantically waving around a long stick to defend himself from the three ugly Dekus that were surrounding him.
"Y-you stay away from me!" he shouted.
The ugliest of the three Deku women cackled. "You really think we'd listen to a fat Hylian like you? Now give us all of your rupees, and we might let you live! Or else my beautiful daughters and I will pound you with Deku Nuts!"
When the Jusenkyo guide saw the cute, green-haired girl standing nearby, he shouted: "Run, honored customer! These Deku witches are too too dangerous!"
Konatsu's stepsisters turned around. "Look, mother!" one of them hissed. "It's that Kokiri bitch from the forest!"
"Oh, really?" their mother growled. "One of those who kicked us out of our home, eh? Well, we'll show her that a Deku's grudge holds on forever!"
"You three just had to continue your wicked ways, even when exiled from the forest," Saria frowned. "Well, I won't let you harm that innocent man anymore."
"What do you think you can do, sweetie?" the old Deku woman laughed. "You are unarmed and all by yourself. Or do you think my good-for-nothing disgrace of a stepson is going to show up and save you?"
"Okay, nobody talks about my friends that way," Saria grumbled. She clasped her hands and sent a quick prayer to her goddess: "Farore, I beg of you, help your servant and entangle these fiends!"
And when she opened her eyes and gestured at the three Deku hags, green vines came growing out of the soft soil that surrounded them.
"M-mother!" one of the sisters squeaked in surprise. "What is this?"
"I c-can't move!" whined the other one as the vines wrapped themselves around her body.
"Curse you, you Kokiri witch!" their mother barked. "You won't get away with this! I'm gonna kill you and mmmmmpphhhh! Mmmmmhhh! Mmmmhh!" She couldn't speak anymore because the vines were now covering her tube-like snout.
Saria smirked. "Never try to take on the sage of the forest." She walked up to the Jusenkyo Guide. "Are you all right, sir?"
"Y-yes, I am..." the man nervously said. "Thank you, honored customer. I don't know how you did it, but... you saved me. I am in your debt!" And he bowed in front of her.
She smiled. "It was my pleasure." She then looked at his collapsed hut with worry. "Oh, did the Dekus do that?"
The guide sighed. "No, actually... I have encounter with very, very unfriendly customer. Very unfriendly and very impatient. Oh, but let's not talk about this any more... I just have to rebuild it, is all."
"Oh dear," Saria murmured. "Maybe I can help you..." She once again invoked her forest powers and let trees, vines and branches grow out of the ground. Within several minutes, a little house had grown forth from the earth, a house made of living plants.
"There you go!" she smiled. "Is that enough?"
The guide looked at her with awe. "You... you really are the Sage of the Forest?" he mumbled. He knelt down in front of her. "Honored sage, I am your servant!"
"Oh, stop that!" Saria said in embarrassment. "And how do you know about us, anyways?"
"I am guardian of Jusenkyo, know many ancient stories," the guide explained. "A long time no sages were around, but now you have come... the others as well?" He looked into her face hopefully.
"Well, we are still short of a few members... but we are planning to find them. And you don't have to kneel, I'm just a simple girl from the forest..."
"But... but isn't there anything I can do for you?" the guide asked.
Saria smiled. "Well, there is something..." And she leaned over to him and whispered something into his ear.
The guide listened and nodded. "Well, that is unusual request... but is no problem at all. Spring you are looking for is over there." And he gestured at a big spring close to the edge of the valley.
This time, Saria gave him a bow. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" And happily, she ran over to the spring.
When she reached it, she hesitated. Taking this step was a huge step indeed, as she would live with the curse for the rest of her life... but was it really a curse? She shook her head. No, not this one - not for her! This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to become like Link.
She closed her eyes... and jumped into the spring.
As soon as she came bursting forth from the spring with a gasp, she realized that she should have thought of bringing bigger clothing along. Her Kokiri tunic was strained against the voluptuous breasts that had grown on her chest, while her pants were barely able to hold her luscious behind. Her wonderful green hair had grown halfway down her back, her legs were long and slender and her face beautiful and mature.
She carefully climbed back out of the spring and felt her body with awe. "I... I'm a Hylian..." she murmured. "I'm a grownup!" She grinned. "I'm really a grownup! Oh Link, if you only could see me right now..."
She froze when something sharp and cold was touching her neck from behind. All of her hairs were standing on end.
"All right... make no sudden move! I know who you are, so you better come along with me, or else..."
Saria sweated. Now everything was over. One of Ganondorf's henchmen had caught her, and she would be brought to him, and he would most likely kill her..."
"Turn around, slowly!" came the command.
Saria obeyed. But when she saw the young woman who was holding the knife that had been pressed against her neck, her eyes widened in surprise. That was no Gerudo, no Hylian and no monstrosity."
"You're a... Sheikah!" she murmured.
"Damn right!" Akane Tendo grumbled. "And you are one of Ganondorf's spies! We know he was searching for the sacred springs of Jusenkyo, so don't act innocent!"
"But... but I'm not..."
"No no no!" the Jusenkyo guide shouted as he came running. "Big mistake! Big mistake! She no is evil! She is sage of the forest!"
"Sage of the what? How can you be so sure she isn't on Ganondorf's side?" Akane snapped. "What else is she doing here?"
"Please believe me," Saria pleaded. "I am really one of the sages."
Akane huffed. "Yeah right, and Oktorocs can fly..."
"It's true, although there are just three sages by now... Rauru, Ryoga and me..."
Akane was surprised. "You... you know Ryoga?"
"She telling truth, she saved me from Deku burglars," the guide said.
Finally, Akane lowered her weapon. "All right, I believe you! But I want to hear the whole story."
Saria sighed with relief. "Sure, anytime!"
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(Posted Sat, 02 Feb 2008 11:43)
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