Chapter 24Nightingale
The lance drove deep into Mido's stomach. The boy stood frozen for a heartbeat, his bewildered gaze fixed on the spear's shaft. Then, he lifted his eyes to Link, the movement sluggish. That shocked and pleading expression would forever be etched into Link's memory.
Without a word, the phantom withdrew its spear from Mido's gut, leaving the boy to topple soundlessly to the ground.
"No! No, no, no, no!"
Mori's anguished cries seemed to echo through the Elder Tree's grove, and with terrible certainty, Link knew Mido stood no chance. There was nothing he could do.
An instant later, his mind screamed a warning, and Link saw the spear's bloodied tip hurtling towards him. He brought his shield up to block the deadly thrust. It slammed into his shield, the blow jarring his arm, almost knocking him off his feet.
"Link!" he heard Navi's voice from somewhere behind him. "We can still save Mido by using the sap from the Elder Tree's trunk, but you must hurry!"
There was no time for Link to ask Navi how she knew this. His every effort was focused on staying alive as he attempted to slay a demon far stronger than him. Sweating profusely, Link parried several blows. He leapt aside as each thrust came closer and closer to skewering him. He was completely on the defensive, without hope of finding an opening.
"How do I kill this thing?" Link asked, desperate for any help he could get.
"It's a shadow!" Navi called back.
Yeah, and? Navi was calling Mori, pleading with her to stay awake. She was distracted, Mori having landed on Mido, but Link quickly understood her meaning.
Of course, the light medallion!
Link blocked the spear once again. The phantom laughed at his efforts, pushing him back all the while.
Link's heart skipped a beat as the spectre lunged towards his left shoulder. He gasped, darting to his right as the spear nicked his tunic, striking the chainmail beneath.
Ganondorf's shadow hacked its spear towards him again and again. Never slowing, never faltering. It was relentless. Each savage blow pushed Link towards one of the Elder Tree's large roots, the wide girth of the enormous tendrils easily dwarfing him. Far too late, Link recognized the phantom's intentions. It was luring him into a corner. Knowing full well that Link was trapped, the demon's eyes widened with glee. Basking in its imminent triumph, the phantom toyed with him like a cat playing with a cornered mouse.
One mistake, and Link knew it would all be over. The phantom aimed low, forcing Link back as it tried to sweep its spear into his legs. Judging that there was still enough room behind him, Link launched himself in a backflip, and the spear scraped the ground beneath him. He landed nimbly on his feet, kicking up dirt and trying to knock it into the phantom's eyes. It didn't work.
Twisting to the side, Link ducked beneath another stroke that came within inches of slamming into his skull. He spun around, thrusting at the phantom's torso while slamming his shield into the spear to keep it off him. His thrust fell short, and the spectre knocked him flying into the tree root with a solid crunch.
Pain blossomed through Link's back, and the spear came hurtling towards him again. He dropped to the ground, the spear meeting wood with an audible thunk.
The shaft became firmly stuck in the root, and the phantom snarled in frustration. Seizing the opportunity, Link rolled to his feet, his blade thrusting towards the demon's exposed side.
The phantom's attention snapped to him, and as Link rushed forward, the monster raised its free hand. A blast of lightning crackled towards him before Link could comprehend what was happening.
It struck him, searing pain coursing through his body. The agonising spasms crippled him, and the next thing Link knew, he was on the ground.
Sluggishly, he pushed himself up, using the tree to support his weight. He focused his gaze on the phantom, just in time to see what was coming towards him, and far too late to stop it.
Freed from the tree, the phantom's spear was plunging straight towards his chest.
Pain exploded through Link's chest as the lance connected, slamming into him. He was sure several ribs cracked beneath the savage blow, and all breath left him as he slammed into the tree.
"LINK!" Navi screamed.
Link lay in a daze, unable to breathe through an unending sea of pain. The phantom laughed, stepped forward, and then stiffened as it realized he was still alive. It noticed the mail shirt beneath Link's tunic, growling in understanding.
Had the phantom actually forced all its strength into that last spear thrust, his ribs would've been splintered like twigs, regardless of the chain mail beneath.
The spectre pulled back its spear, both hands on the weapon.
Link tried to rise, tried to scramble to his feet or roll away, but the pain was too great. He saw a blur of motion out of the corner of his eye. An oddly garbed scarecrow—or at least that's what Link thought it was—had grabbed something and was lunging straight at the unsuspecting phantom.
Wait, a scarecrow?
Link's head swam, and in his half-conscious state, he didn't realize what he was looking at. It was a Skull Kid raising the Kokiri Sword and plunging it into the phantom's back.
The phantom cursed, stepped back, and aimed a gauntleted fist at his attacker. The forest dweller darted away nimbly, still gripping the Kokiri Sword and leaping like an enraged monkey. The kid even paused long enough to poke their tongue out at the demon.
This was all the distraction Link needed. He seized Light, letting the magic flow through his veins.
Focusing on the Flow, Link drew as much magic as he could without fainting. The Light medallion glowed, suddenly searingly hot, and Link unleashed a dazzling tendril of lightning from an outstretched hand. For the briefest instant, the phantom looked surprised. Then it screamed as the lightning struck, bringing the creature to its knees, smoke rising in steady tendrils from its body. Not waiting for the demon to recover, Link shoved the Master Sword into the ground and grasped the hilt to haul himself up.
Vaspin stared between the phantom and Link, apparently unsure whether Ganondorf's lookalike or Link's spell was more terrifying. Channelling Light again and wrenching Master Sword from the ground, Link focused Light into his sword, causing the blade to glow a brilliant white. He lunged forward with all his might, thrusting his blade into the phantom's gut.
Link knew a moment's relief, daring to hope that he'd won.
But he hadn't.
Not even close.
With a roar, part agony and part fury, the phantom twisted itself around and slammed one fist into Link's head.
Link was too slow to react and didn't register what was happening until the punch connected with his skull. A sickening pain pulsed through his head, and lights danced across his vision. He could taste a coppery tang in his mouth as he rolled onto his side. He rolled over, spat blood, and saw Vaspin running towards the Elder Tree with the Kokiri Sword in hand. At first, Link thought he was fleeing, but he wasn't.
Instead, he produced a small metal object from a pouch at his waist and started hammering at the trunk. There was no time to work out what he was doing. Instead, Link turned his attention to the spectre, trying not to think about how the world seemed to sway.
Link scrambled to his feet just as the phantom ripped the Master Sword free from its torso and tossed the blade aside with a curse. The demon's gauntlet was smouldering where the sword's pommel had touched it, and black smoke hissed from the wound in its belly. The demon regarded its burned gauntlets and then cocked its head to regard Link.
It saw Link was on his feet with an arrow notched to his bow. Channeling Light again and not giving the phantom time to react, Link sent the arrow flying towards its wounded belly. The shaft struck with a bright flash, and the demon roared in fury.
That was when Link heard something else behind him—a thundering of hooves. He spun around to see the phantom's horse charging towards him. From where Link stood, the horse could easily leap the shorter end of the root. It was going to trample him.
Gripping his bow tightly, Link released his arrow. He knew he had to do it, and he knew that if he didn't, the animal's hooves would maul him. But even then, the child inside him knew it was wrong. That small and persistent voice would have made him hesitate once. It didn't now.
The arrow struck one of the horse's shoulders, causing the animal to stumble and hit the ground with a sickening crack of snapping bones.
One glance at the horse's mangled legs and the blood pooling beneath them told Link it was never getting up. The horse had been real. Part of him wanted to end the wretched steed's misery, hating what he had done, hating how the animal's lips parted in a silent scream, its eyes wide. Link tore his gaze away from the nauseating sight, knowing he had only moments to spare before the phantom regathered its wits.
"Damn you, boy, you killed my horse!" the spectre snarled. It rose to its feet, oblivious to Vaspin tapping the tree behind them.
"I don't care about your damned horse," Link snarled. "You tried to kill my friend, and you killed Mido!"
He dropped his bow and reached for the spectre's fallen spear. It glowed white as Link grabbed it and heaved the spear straight into the phantom's chest, pinning the spectre into the stone ledge behind them. The spectre screamed, white light exploding behind its eyes and within its mouth.
Link's head swam as he released the flow of magic pouring into him.
Even with the spear in its chest, the phantom laughed. "You think you've won, don't you, boy?" it chuckled. "I might have underestimated you, but my power is nothing compared to the might of my master."
It fell sideways, dark ichor spilling onto the stone behind it.
Link released his hold on the spear. Surely there was no way the phantom could survive being impaled twice? He stepped back, and Ganondorf's shadow didn't move. Satisfied it was dead, Link turned and started walking towards Vaspin.
Then he heard a sound like a deep rumble coming from behind him.
Link's blood chilled. The sound was coming from the phantom. It was still alive and laughing.
He turned around just in time to see a blast of lightning leave the phantom's outstretched hand.
It wasn't aiming at him. Its target was off to the side, toward the statue beneath the Elder Tree.
Link opened his mouth to scream as the deadly tendrils of magic snaked through the air, arcing toward the tree, towards Saria.
No!
Link could only watch in sickening horror as the lightning bore down on Saria, helpless to stop it. The tendrils of crackling energy struck their target, and Saria vanished in a blinding flash of light.
It happened so fast it took Link a moment to process what had just happened, and even then, he didn't want to believe it. He couldn't believe it.
"SARIA!" Link screamed her name, his throat tearing as he did so.
The light faded. Saria's body was gone. She was gone. Where she had been moments before, there was nothing but scorched grass.
Not entirely aware of what he was doing, mind numb and ears deaf to all that was happening around him, Link grabbed the Master Sword and spun around. The phantom was still laughing, and Link's vision went red with a primeval rage far beyond anything he'd felt before.
"YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED SARIA!" His bellowing screams rent through the grove. The phantom's laughter pounded in Link's ears, clawing and tearing at his sanity until Link was sure it would break him.
Or perhaps it already had.
"My master will break you long before you ever reach him," the phantom wheezed. "Just as he broke Hyrule. Just as he broke Princess Zelda. She screamed for him to show her people mercy. She screamed and screamed as her precious nursemaid watched on—"
At that moment, some primitive instinct awoke in Link, and he snarled, every bit like a wolf rearing for its kill. All sense of fatigue left him, and all Link could feel was a rage pounding through his veins as he hacked his sword into Saria's killer again and again. He slashed wildly, cutting away the armour, revealing black ichor that splattered onto the withered grass beneath.
"DIE... DIE! DIE, DAMN IT! DIE!" Link screamed, oblivious to the slick black blood on his tunic and hands. The spectre's laughter still echoed within his skull, the mocking glee refusing to be silenced. Link grabbed the Master Sword in both hands and hacked at the creature's neck. Once... twice...
Upon the third try, he managed to decapitate the demon, and its laughter finally died away. Whether he had been imagining it or the phantom had actually been laughing even as he killed it, Link was not so sure.
He stood above the phantom's corpse, sword raised as though determined to tear the body in front of him into ribbons. His limbs trembled, and he turned.
Navi and Vaspin were staring at him in a way that returned Link to some semblance of reality. He'd seen that look before. It was the look of someone staring down at the blade of their soon-to-be killer. It was the same expression Malon wore when she first saw the scimitar-wielding Gerudo that had nearly killed Link and herself.
Pure terror.
Only it was Link they were staring at now, not some Gerudo.
They're afraid of me, Link realized. They're afraid of what I just did.
What had he just done?
He became aware that the Elder Tree had been trying to speak to him, its mind touching his. Without realizing it, Link had shut it out.
Link suddenly didn't care, and so he ignored the tree spirit.
With each short, searing breath, his chest felt like someone had driven a sword into him. He took another look at the headless creature behind him, noticing that its body appeared to be dissolving and melting into the same black blood that now stained his hands. He turned back around, unable to stand the sight any longer. The Master Sword slipped from his grasp, and he fell to his knees, staring vacantly at the face of the Elder Tree. He barely noticed a shimmering bright light shine through the windows of the only intact tower in the temple, its peak resembling the petals of a closed lotus flower. The green light shot into the air, vanishing just as quickly as it had begun. Link paid no heed to this, his mind still reeling from the shock of what had just happened.
She's dead. There's no coming back from that. She didn't even know it was me.
Saria. His companion. His friend. She'd accepted him like none of the other Kokiri had. She had raised him from an infant, taking him and caring for him without complaint, with patience and kindness. They had been more than friends; she was like a sister to him.
No. She was more than that.
Now she was gone, and she'd never know how much she meant to him. The green-haired Kokiri, whose tunic always reminded him of berries, was dead, and Link felt like a part of him had died with her.
He gazed at the ground, numb with shock. Navi called his name, her voice uncertain, but he ignored her too, not hearing what else she said.
Without warning, his vision became shrouded in a bright light. He gasped, shutting his eyes to block out the intruding light. As a strange warmth washed over him, all the pain in his beaten body faded. When Link opened his eyes, his surroundings were cloaked in a strange white mist. It wasn't freezing, unlike the fog enshrouding the Lost Woods, but he still couldn't discern anything amidst the all-consuming fog.
Where am I?
Link became aware that his feet were touching something solid. He looked down but could only see the white mist, yet he was definitely standing on what felt like solid ground. He was not at the gateway to the realm of the dead. That realm took the form of a temple not unlike the Temple of Time, complete with an identical dais that bore the Triforce motif. Link looked down at his tunic to see the hole in the shirt was gone.
"Link."
He heard her voice, and for a moment, he hesitated.
It wasn't really her. She was dead. He was dreaming.
He was certain that if he turned around, she wouldn't be there, and he'd be alone. Reluctantly, he turned, coming face to face with Saria, and without meaning too, he stepped back in shock.
"Saria... I... I saw..." he stammered, his voice cracking with emotion. His eyes brimmed with tears despite his resolution to never cry again. So far, he hadn't been doing a good job of that. Then he realized something.
Wait...
She had just said his name.
"Saria, you recognize me?" he swallowed back a sob. "When I saw you in your house-"
She stepped forward, gazing into his eyes, and reached out to touch his hand. Link faltered into silence as he watched those eyes twinkling with life. Her hand was warm despite having been so cold a short time ago.
It wasn't a dream after all. She really was here, and she recognized him.
"I know. I didn't realize it was you," Saria said softly. "I'm sorry. It was so long... I thought you were dead."
"I'm sorry I didn't come back sooner," Link said hoarsely, his throat clenching painfully upon the words.
Saria pressed a finger to her lips. "You have nothing to be sorry about, Link."
"But... I saw you die. The spectre sent a blast of magic... and-" the awful scene of Saria being struck by the lightning replayed in his mind. "I failed."
Saria looked at him in surprise. "Failed? You haven't failed, Link. You cleansed the forest when you defeated the phantom. The curse is broken. I'm certain I can heal the Elder Tree, and once I do, the few Kokiri who are ready to change can, in time."
"I didn't save you," Link blurted out, not comprehending her last words. "I tried to save you and Mido, but Ganondorf's phantom killed him."
He fell to his knees, bowing his head in shame. Saria squeezed his hand and then wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace. The dam broke, and he wept.
"I'm sorry, Saria," he sobbed. "I'm really sorry."
"It's okay..." Saria soothed him. "What happened to Mido wasn't your fault. I'm sure you did everything you could. Many in the same position would not have tried to save someone who has tormented them for their entire life, but you did."
Link wasn't so sure he agreed. He hadn't considered that Mido might have been behind him. I should have realized.
"I didn't check to see if the monster was dead when I turned my back on it," Link choked back another sob. "Had I done that, I could have saved you, but I didn't. I turned my back on the monster without checking-"
"You did save me," Saria replied, her voice cracking with emotion. "The forest medallion brought me here, along with Fora. When you weakened the phantom, it could no longer maintain its hold on me or the medallion." She pressed her head against his chest and said softly, "I missed you, my little warrior."
It almost seemed absurd to be called that now, and he wasn't sure if he laughed or cried.
"I missed you too, Saria," he managed, voice choked with grief.
Saria sobbed into his tunic, leaving wet streaks down the fabric. Holding her tight, Link blinked away his own tears.
He looked up, swallowing the lump in his throat. All around them, the mist still shrouded the world in a silvery veil.
Are we even alive?
"Where are we?" Link asked. He felt Saria stiffen and then release him, pulling back so that her green eyes held his own. There was a deep sadness in her eyes, as if memories and secrets warred within her, and she wanted nothing more than to escape their torment. Link couldn't begin to comprehend what had happened over the last seven years, but he knew she was changed, and her wounds ran as deep as his own.
"We're in the Sacred Realm," she explained. "Only your mind is here. As long as you wear the Belt of Sages, I or one of the other Sages can talk to you."
I or one of the other Sages?
"Wait?" Link looked her up and down from her as it hit him.
"You're the Sage of the Forest?" he asked, wondering with growing apprehension what that meant.
Saria nodded sadly. "I want to help you, Link, and this is the best way I can." She looked downcast as she added, "But, until the time comes when we are called to seal the Desert Man away, I cannot return to Hyrule-"
"What?" Link exclaimed, interrupting by accident and stopping himself as Saria squeezed his hand tightly,
"I will be by your side, in spirit if not in person," she said softly. "No matter what happens, I will always be and always have been your friend."
Saria embraced him again, and their arms locked in a tight embrace for what seemed like an eternity, each cherishing the other's company, knowing it would not last.
"Why me, Saria?" Link asked weakly. "Why do I have to be the Hero of Time?"
"Because it could be no one else," she said sadly, stepping back from him. "The Goddesses chose you because they knew you could do it. The Great Deku Tree believed you could do it. I believe you can. The only one you need to convince is yourself."
"And Ganondorf," Link replied drily.
Saria gave him a weak smile. "Him too."
The smile vanished a moment later as she looked down at his feet. "There is something I wanted to tell you. I wanted to tell you ages ago, but the Great Deku Tree forbade me until you were old enough... Link, you're Hylian."
"I know," Link replied. "The Elder Tree told me."
Saria looked startled. "He did?"
"Yes."
"Oh, Link, that's not how I wanted you to find out," Saria said, her words etched with sorrow. "I wanted to tell you. I tried to help the Great Deku Tree heal your mother, but it was too late to save her... Great Father told me you cannot save them all, but I still wish it could have been enough."
Link's eyes were threatening to tear up again. He swallowed thickly. "My mother... what was she like?"
Saria paused and was silent for some time as she considered her answer. Then, her voice was the barest whisper as she said, "We only met for the briefest moment... but, she was the most beautiful woman I have ever met... well, the only adult Hylian I have ever met besides you," Saria gave a faint ghost of a laugh. "Despite her wounds, all she cared about was that you were safe. She loved you, Link, and so do I."
With those words, Link looked down, not wanting Saria to see him cry again.
"You cannot remain here forever; your place is in Hyrule," Saria said, sounding as though the words pained her.
"Wait... don't go," Link begged her, reaching out to Saria as she stepped back. She moved her hand away, looking at him sadly.
"I'm not going anywhere," she replied gently. "The forest spirits will help the other Kokiri now. You freed them. All of them. Now, you have to find the other Sages. We will see each other again soon, my little warrior..." she paused, considering her words. "I guess you're too tall for that now, aren't you?" There was something mischievous in Saria's sad smile. "Go on, Link. May the spirits guide you."
Before Link could reply, she turned and vanished into the mist.
He wasn't given long to ponder; everything went dark. A moment later, he was back in the Elder Tree's grove. The aches and pains of his various injuries returned. As a rush of smells and sounds bombarded his senses, he collapsed onto the grass.
Distantly, Link could hear a nightingale singing from within the grove. Its sweet and gentle melody broke the cursed silence that had previously pervaded the Forest Temple. Where white mist had hung like a veil over the temple, he beheld a clear blue sky.
"Link?" a small voice squeaked near his ear.
He looked up to see Navi hovering inches from his face.
"Link, are you alright? You're still there, aren't you? Say something."
"Navi," Link croaked.
As his head throbbed with the pain of an axe splitting his skull, he sat up. The first thing he saw was Vaspin standing beside him, holding the spile Link had seen him use on the Elder Tree and a bottle from Link's bag.
Vaspin's expression was weary as he held out the bottle of what looked like green tree sap.
"It's sap from the Elder Tree," Navi explained. "You gave Vaspin and me quite a scare."
Link grabbed the bottle from Vaspin; the skull kid backed away as though burned.
"It's okay. The phantom's gone," Link assured him.
He knew it wasn't the phantom that was terrifying Vaspin at the moment.
Knowing there was little he could say to comfort Vaspin now, Link removed his right gauntlet and poured some of the sweet, sticky liquid onto his fingers. There wasn't much, and he dabbed some of it onto his chapped lips before licking it up. There was more of the sap smeared on the various cuts and scrapes on his body; some of them had been covered with leaves. He looked at the stone behind him, stained with black blood- all that remained of Ganondorf's phantom.
"That was a brave thing you did back there, Vaspin. You saved my life," Link said, hoping that might relax the shivering child.
It didn't work.
"Y-you're welcome," he stuttered, still quivering like a leaf.
Sighing, Link turned his attention to the statue of the Mother Goddess beneath the Elder Tree.
"How's Mido?" Link asked, struggling upward.
Navi avoided his eyes and lowered her voice so Vaspin didn't hear. "The Elder Tree told me we needed to use his sap. By the time we..." Her gaze met his, and Link could see the anguish in her eyes.
He walked over to Mido, who lay tucked against one of the Elder Tree's roots. Link did not even realize that Navi was following beside him.
Leaves had been placed over the wound on Mido's abdomen, and strips of cloth from his mangled tunic were wrapped around his stomach. It was no good. The makeshift bandage and the bundles of cloth beneath it were soaked with blood. Oddly, the blood touching the Elder Tree's root seemed to slowly soak into the wood.
"I have him," the Elder Tree said. "What strength I can lend, I have, but it will not be enough to preserve his mortal bond. Whatever you must do, do it quickly."
Link only nodded. Mido's eyes fluttered open as Link knelt down beside him. His face was sunken and pale, and he struggled to focus on Link.
The previously white tunic was stained red from the chest down, and even more of Mido's blood lay smeared across the grass. It was a wonder he had survived this long.
Mori lay on Mido, resting atop the boy's heart. The fairy's light was dim and almost impossible to discern in the daylight.
As Link stared, it was hard for him to imagine that this was the same boy who blamed him for the Great Deku Tree's death. Even before that terrible day, Link had endured Mido's cruel pranks and attempts to vilify him in front of the rest of the Kokiri. Outcast. Fairyless. Wimp. Half-man. Mido had called him that and more. Yet Link saw no sign of that boy anymore. He felt neither malice nor hatred towards his childhood nemesis. All he felt was pity and sorrow.
"Link," Mido rasped. "Saria... is she-"
"She's safe. She's just... asleep," Link said, hesitating as he added the last part.
"Tell her... I will miss her," Mido said feebly. "I... I want you to know... I'm sorry..."
"Mido-" Link tried to stop him, but the boy kept going.
"I'm sorry for how cruel I was... Even though the Elder Tree said you're Hylian... Saria said you were Kokiri... but I overheard her... her and Fora... when you first came... the Kokiri are born from the hollow of a Deku Tree's trunk... but I knew you were different..."
"Mido, stop. It's okay."
"No... it's not okay. I want you to know... Even though you're a Hylian... you will always be a Kokiri to me. I'm sorry-"
"Mido, it's alright," Link replied softly. Tears were already welling up in his eyes, and it was an effort to force them back. "I forgive you."
Mido smiled, his eyes moist. He held out a hand, holding Link's gaze. Link clasped Mido's hand in his own.
"Thanks, Deku boy." Mido rasped. "That means a lot-"
He finished in a fit of coughs. At a prompt order from Navi, Link held the boy down to keep the blood-soaked dressing in place.
"Please.. save Mori," Mido gasped between coughs.
Link looked up at the Elder Tree.
"I can bond his fairy to Forenz, but that is all I can offer. He is far too weak to undergo the change that all Kokiri must in time," the Elder Tree said in Link's mind. "You will need to retrieve the boy quickly."
Link nodded, looking back over at Navi. "Go get Sheik and bring Forenz here."
Navi flew off without another word. Mido stared vacantly into the sky, almost heedless of Link standing beside him.
"Can you play Saria's Song... for me?" Mido's voice was so weak Link barely heard the request. "Please? Just to hear it one last time..."
Link blinked. He could not have felt less like playing his ocarina, but refusing the dying boy's request would have been cruel. He quickly retrieved his ocarina from his bag and knelt back down beside Mido.
The boy hardly noticed him now, staring vacantly up at the leaves of the Elder Tree's canopy and the ribbons of golden light that threaded their way through the tree's gnarled limbs. Another songbird joined the nightingale.
Link put the mouthpiece to his lips and blew. Both birds went silent as Saria's song's soft, lively melody pealed through the air, rising through the boughs of the Elder Tree and through the grove. A single bird mimed the tune and then a second. As they did, colour returned to the Elder Tree's dull leaves. The shrivelled, blackened leaves unfurled, turning to a shade of healthy green. New shoots blossomed along the tips of the once bare branches, and the trees' limbs seemed to stand straighter than before.
Mido's eyes fluttered and closed. Each rise and fall of his chest became smaller than the last. The song became a slow, mournful lament as Link played on. Mido's chest stopped moving; his head and limbs went slack. Link stopped playing the ocarina and looked down at Mido's listless form. If it were not for the wound through his stomach, it would have looked like he was sleeping. He looked so peaceful, lying there amongst the leaves littering the grove.
"Goodbye, Mido."
He heard footsteps, never lifting his eyes from Mido's body as he heard people running into the grove.
"Damn it. Are we too late?"
At the sound of Rin's voice, Link looked up. Sheik was standing in front of him, looking at Mido's body. Rin stood beside her, Forenz's limp form in her arms. After the briefest hesitation, she handed Forenz to Sheik and then rushed to Mido's side. She knelt beside him, placing a finger against the boy's neck. Link already knew she would find nothing.
"Is there anything you can do?" he asked quietly.
She looked up, her face grim as she exchanged a solemn glance with Sheik. It was difficult to say whether Sheik felt anything, for her gaze remained impassive.
"I am afraid not, Link," Rin said sympathetically. "Not even a Sheikah can hope to bring back that which is lost."
The boy's fairy still lives, the Elder Tree addressed them. "I assure you, if there had been a way to save him, or if he'd agreed to bond his spirit with mine, I would have offered him that choice."
Everyone stared in the tree's direction. Even Sheik looked mildly surprised.
Sheik stepped up towards the statue of the Mother Goddess and placed Forenz in front of it. When she did, a green aura enveloped the boy's body. A similar green light surrounded Mori and then faded as soon as it began.
"It is done," The Elder Tree replied. "I'm sorry I could offer no more help than this."
As Forenz and Mori stirred, Link thanked the Elder Tree. His victory felt hollow. The phantom was gone, he'd awoken a Sage and saved Forenz, but it had come at an unbearable cost. Deep down, Link knew Mido had been Saria's best friend. Now, he was gone.
"We should bury him once Mori and Forenz wake up," Navi said quietly.
Link nodded. "We can take him to the Great Deku Tree."
"I think he would have wanted that," Navi said, her voice cracked. Only then did Link realise that tiny teardrops were falling from her eyes.
Sheik watched curiously as Link collected the emerald medallion lying forgotten on the forest floor.
He rubbed his fingers across its smooth surface and could feel Sheik's eyes upon him before he even looked up.
"May I see that?" Sheik asked.
"It sent Saria to the Sacred Realm somehow. She's the Forest Sage," Link said, holding out the amulet for Sheik to examine. "She told me to keep the medallion."
She did not look surprised at his revelation.
"You managed to save her then?" Picking it up, Sheik turned the medallion in her hand. "I am glad. If this sent her to the Sacred Realm, then it must be one of the Sage Medallions Rauru spoke of."
The lack of inflection in Sheik's voice irked Link.
"No, I didn't save her. The medallion did," he said bitterly as Sheik handed him the amulet. "The phantom nearly killed her because I made a mistake." He felt numb and weary to the bone. In his mind, he saw the spear plunging into the Kokiri beside him. "I made a mistake letting Mido get speared, too."
"You can't save them all..." Saria had told him.
Sheik just stared at him for a long moment, her expression guarded, and then she placed a hand on Link's shoulder, "We all make mistakes, Link. As the Hero of Time, you are by no means infallible. This you well know. Let your mistakes teach you and strengthen you, as all must learn to do."
"This isn't just a simple mistake," Link snapped, unaware he was yelling. Rin watched him, her lips pursed ever so slightly, but he ignored her too. "It cost Mido his life! It almost cost Saria her's too!"
"I do not seek to trivialize what happened," Sheik replied gently. "Just... think about what I said."
Link nodded, turning away from the younger Sheikah. He placed the forest medallion into the Belt of Sages. It glowed for a moment as he slid it on.
Navi flew over to Mori as the fairy finally regained consciousness. It would take some time to explain what had just happened. Sheik started wrapping Mido in a cloak, and as she tended to her solemn task, Link knelt beside Forenz. The boy finally stirred, opening his eyes.
"Is that you, Link?" Forenz asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. His voice was slurred as he shook off the drowsiness from his long slumber. "What happened to you?"
"That will take time to explain," Link told him. "How do you feel?"
"Hungry... Hungry enough to eat a horse."
"Just keep away from mine," Rin said dryly.
Forenz chuckled, but his mirth was short-lived. He looked up, his face creasing with worry as he looked around. His eyes fell on Mori and then Navi, his expression changing from confusion to fear. Link knew who he was looking for. Everyone met his gaze with varying looks of sympathy, except Sheik, who was as emotionless as ever. Nobody wanted to break the news to Forenz, Link least of all.
"Where's Arden?" Forenz demanded.