Time Trouble
Part two: The ways of destiny

By Susanne - SheikahWarrior@hotmail.com


Chapter one

A deep darkness lay over Hyrule. It was in the middle of the night, and it was completely silent outside. Not a single leave fell to the ground. No wind blew. Even the water was silent.
Everybody waited.
In Hyrule Castle, noone slept. Except one. A Hylian boy dressed in Kokiri clothes lay on a bed. He could barely breathe, and his eyes were closed. Ten shadows were gathered around his bed. The six Sages - Saria, Darunia, Ruto, Impa, Nabooru and Rauru - stood in a corner of the room. Mauru sat on the floor next to Sheraa and Loora, and they were holding eachothers hands. Zelda sat on a chair next to the bed, holding the boy's hand.
Saria, the Sage of the Forest, took out her ocarina. She lifted it to her lips and started to play a song. It was her song - and the boy's song. It came from the forest, from deep inside the Lost Woods, in their own secret place. The boy opened his eyes, and they were full of tears.
"Saria," he whispered softly, "am I going to die?"
"That depends on you, Link," Saria answered.
"Forgive me, Saria," Link whispered. "I lost your ocarina."
Then he closed his eyes again. Saria put her hands in front of her face and ran out of the room, crying.
"Is he...dead?" Darunia asked.
Zelda shook her head. "No, he's sleeping. Now...where did Saria go?"
"I saw she took out her ocarina when she ran away," Impa said. "Maybe she warped back to the Sacred Forest Meadow."
"Leaving Link behind?" Zelda asked, thinking hard. "What did Link say? Something about an ocarina?"
"He lost Saria's ocarina," Rauru said," when he picked up the Ocarina of Time."
"Don't remind me of that...thing," Zelda said. "We have to find it. I think Link's ill because the Ocarina of Time's gone."
"Or maybe," Impa said, "he's ill because Saria's ocarina's gone."

Chapter two

Saria sat on a statue in the courtyard. The guards left her alone because they knew she was Link's friend. The Kokiri girl played her ocarina, and the guards listened to her beautiful music. She played her favorite song, the one Link had named after her. The song didn't sound half as good as it used to. But it wasn't the ocarina's fault. Saria couldn't concentrate on the music. Her thoughts was with Link.
He'd lost her ocarina. Her very special gift to him. Gone - as if it didn't mean anything to him. Gone. 'He doesn't care about me,' she thought. 'He threw my ocarina away.'
If they didn't find a way to cure Link, he would die. When Saria thought about Link, dead, tears fell from her eyes, and the song became sad. Link - her oldest friend - was ill. Seriously ill. And there was nothing she could do about it.

The sun rose above the horizon. It shone on the castle courtyard where Saria slept on the ground. One of the guards had put a blanket over her so she didn't have to freeze. Still, when she woke up, she was trembling. The warm wind felt cold.
She opened her eyes and gasped in surprise. One of the legendary Fairies, the great Fairy of Magic, stood in front of her.
"Wha...what are you doing here?" Saria asked, her teeth chattering.
"Your friend is in trouble," the fairy said. "The fairy boy from the forest. His breath is getting slower. His spirit is dying. His strenght is turning into weakness."
"I don't know what to do," Saria said, with tears flowing from her eyes. "We've done everything we can!"
The fairy raised her hand. "Search the forests. Search the water. Search the fire." She raised her other hand. "Search among dead. Search among spirits. Search in darkness. Search in light. Search in shadows."
"What are we searching for?" Saria asked.
The fairy smiled. "Search a young love. Search a lost friendship. Search a boy begging for your forgiveness." Her smile faded. "Before it's too late." A bright light surrounded the fairy, and she was gone.

Saria ran all the way up to Link's room. She opened the door and almost fell in.
Noone was there.
With a scream, Saria ran out again. She made her way to princess Zelda's room. Empty. She searched the whole castle. She searched the castle courtyard. Nothing.
She ran to the market and searched in all the houses. No Link. Scared to death, she turned to a young woman standing in front of a house.
"Miss?" she asked. "Have you seen my friends? Princess Zelda, three girls from Gerudo...a Zora...anyone?"
The woman looked up and saw the Kokiri girl. "How ordinary. A girl from the forest. Speaking about the forest, I saw a young man earlier today, dressed in Kokiri clothes. Perhaps he's one of your friends?"
"Yes, he is," Saria said. "Where did he go?"
"Oh." The woman sighed. "I'm afraid he didn't go anywhere."
"What do you mean?"
"He was taken to the Temple of Time - in a coffin."

Chapter three

"Where's Saria?" Ruto wondered. "Have you seen her, Nabooru?"
The two young women were in Gerudo Fortress, searching for the Ocarina of Time.
"No, I haven't seen her since last night," Nabooru said. "I wonder where she is. Maybe she's in trouble?"
"Hmm," Ruto said. "Perhaps we should contact princess Zelda and ask her. Saria may be in the castle with her."
"That's a good idea," the Sage of Spirit said. She raised her hands, concentrated, and she was gone. One minute later, she came back, and she seemed confused. "Saria's not in the castle. Zelda's looking for her, but she hasn't found her yet."
"Where could she be?" Ruto asked.

Saria stood in front of the altar in the Temple of Time. The Spiritual Stones were gone. The door in front of her was closed and locked. There was no way she could enter the next room. Slowly, she sat down on the stone floor and took out her ocarina. She didn't know what to do. Without the Ocarina of Time, noone could open the door to the Sacred Realm.
She decided to at least try it. With trembling hands, she played the Song of Time. The door didn't open, but something else happened.
"Why is she so sad?" a voice said.
"Her friend is ill," another voice replied.
"The fairy boy? Has his time come?"
"Yes."
"Well, we're not allowed to change the ways of destiny. People come, people go - too bad it's his turn."
The voices faded away. Saria was alone in the temple again, and now she was crying. If she didn't find Link, and was able to forgive him, he would die.