The Legend of Zelda- Ocarina of Time

Song of Storms

"Navi, I'm not even Kokiri-" he began, faltering as he recalled the Deku Sprout's words.

Navi flew within an inch of his face, causing him to flinch at her sudden anger.

"I don't care if you're Kokiri or not! You're still my friend," she snapped before taking a deep breath and calming herself. "I love you, Link, and no matter what happens, I always will."

Link's cheeks burned at those words, and he was thankful the night almost hid his reddening ears. He turned his head away from her, shame gnawing away at his gut. He was wrong to be angry at her; she was trying to help. Saria would be giving him a good talking to if she were standing in Sheik's place.

Is she watching us, just like Forenz wondered? 

The thought did nothing to quell his shame. Whatever had happened to her little warrior? Link the brave, stout defender of the woods and bane to pesky woodland critters that dared invade his realm.

"I'm worried," Navi continued. "I want to help you. I don't want to see you tear yourself apart... not like you nearly did at that temple. Please let Sheik help you."

She landed on his shoulder, and Link swallowed as a lump rose in his throat. 

"You must not feel ashamed for what happened," Sheik said. "You lost control, but given what happened and that you believed your friend died before your eyes, your reaction was not surprising."

Given Navi and Vaspin's reaction to seeing him hacking the phantom's body into ribbons, Link wasn't sure he agreed with her.

"The main thing is that you do not blame yourself," Sheik continued. "Navi is right. You cannot bottle up everything that happens to you-"

"I don't just bottle everything up," Link muttered, finding it easier to stare at the ground.

Navi made an irate noise. "No," she said. "You become an emotional wreck and make decisions you would not ordinarily make if you were a little more level-headed."

"Like what?" he asked, feeling stung.

"Like charging off into the woods and almost getting lost," she replied bluntly.

He knew she was right but couldn't help feeling angry with her. How could she expect him to be level-headed after everything they'd been through? It wasn't like anyone had prepared him for what he'd face after leaving the Temple of Time. No. He'd simply been told to go and find the Sages, as if it wasn't a big task or likely to be even the slightest bit difficult.

He closed his eyes, breathing through his nose as he tried to direct his thoughts elsewhere. It was true; he'd been thrown into the deep end without being asked if he could swim.

"Do you recall that I told you my family died in the sacking of Castletown?" Sheik asked after a lengthy silence.

"I do," Link said quietly, pointedly not looking at Sheik. That had been back in Ordon not long after his attempt to drown his sorrows in a bottle of Goron Ale.

She continued on regardless, her voice low enough to ensure her words wouldn't carry far. "I was only ten. The same age you were when the Master Sword sealed you away. You wanted to know how I coped? Well, the truth is I did not cope well, not at first."

Link looked up in silent interest at this, which Sheik took as a prompt to continue. "Rin taught me something. How would your loved ones want you to live your life once they were gone? Do you think they would want you to move on and be happy or to tear yourself apart because you cannot stand the thought of living without them?"

Link didn't reply for some time; he knew the answer. Saria would want him to be happy. To move on. The Great Deku Tree would have wanted that; he had implored Link not to grieve for him after all.