Lady obsessed: I can't say I got this idea from anyone specific as so many
people like to write it so if you think I stole it from you then I'll
apologise now. Sorry. I just thought this would be the perfect opportunity
to mess with the Ocarina of Time's plotline. So if you read it then I hope
you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda though I really, really, REALLY wish I did.
Prologue - Reality
It had all started with a magazine advertisement.
'WIN A CHANCE TO TEST THE NEW VIRTUAL REALITY VERSION OF ZELDA: ORCARINA OF TIME! IT'S LIKE ACTUALLY BEING IN THE GAME!'
All she had had to do was fill in a form, answering some questions about the game and then send it along to the address printed at the bottom. After a short wait of about three weeks, a package arrived with a letter, addressed to her.
'CONGRATULATIONS!! You are the lucky winner who will be testing our new prototype. Simply plug this into the console and away you go. We hope you enjoy your prize.'
And that's what she did. She took the package up to her room, shouting to her mum that she was going to be playing Zelda and sat herself down on the beanbag in front of the television. It wasn't difficult to set up. All she had to do was plug the virtual adapter into the back of her Nintendo and put the visor over her eyes. Then she opened a new file and signed in the name she always used: O-chan. Then she had pressed start.
The game began as normal. Navi, the little blue fairy, flew towards Link's house.
"Doesn't feel like I'm in the game yet," she muttered, as she watched the images in front of her eyes. "It just feels like I'm watching it really close. Maybe I'm not doing it right."
She lifted the visor from her eyes and picked up the instructions.
"Oh. I have to press this switch and hit restart. Okay, I got it."
Flipping the visor back down, she flicked the small switch on the side and hit the restart button. And everything turned black. She felt herself falling and was then aware of nothing at all.
Chapter 1 -Different
The field was large and empty. Nothing seemed alive in its vastness; even the grass that lay around their feet. All was limp and lifeless, emotionless and expressionless. Dead. The air was sour and thick, pressing against them like a blanket, muffling and choking them. They appeared to be the only living creatures in existence and the world did not wish them to be there.
The only other thing that seemed to thrive in this land was fear.
They were both overwhelmed with fear as they gazed up at the great enormity of the stone walls before them and at the thick dark wood of the closed drawbridge. Standing out against the barren and black sky, every so often being lit up with a sharp flash of lightning, it did not look inhabitable. Surely this was not the home of any living soul. Not that they believed any living soul could exist in this world.
Paralysed with the terror they felt, they could only stare. Could only be aware that nothing but evil could rule this land.
Fairies?
They had not noticed them before now but they were there, flying slowly about them. They circled their heads as they stood there in the bleak field. Yet the two did not appear to wonder about these two dimly glowing balls of light. They were still transfixed upon the castle, for that is what the immense walls of stone and drawbridge formed.
The sudden creaking that pieced the emptiness made both stumble back. The drawbridge was lowering. It was lowering at a pace that seemed urgent and too much for its chains. Surely they would give way. No. There is the dull thud as it hits the ground and a blur of white. A horse.
It gallops past and into the dead field, swiftly, looking like a bright light piercing the blackness. The two can see that the rider is a woman, tall and dark, and in her arms she is shielding a girl. The girl's face is filled with terror and surprise and she is looking straight at them. For a brief moment, a faint familiarity crossed both their minds but then the riders had vanished and it was gone.
They had no time to ponder as both turned back to the castle and found themselves staring up at a gargantuan black beast. At first glance, both were sure that it was a devil; its eyes blazed red, demonic, malevolent. It radiated power from all sides but it did not compare to that which radiated from its rider. Shrouded in evil, his face was unclear but his eyes were fixed on them.
They knew he had seen them and fear had once more returned yet it was more horrific and more penetrating than that they had experienced before. Both watched as he raised his hands, dark power emanating from it. The horse reared, giving a shriek that chilled them through to the bone.
Then they were aware of nothing. Nothing but what could only be true fear.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Wake up..."
Somewhere, a voice was calling. Somewhere...distant.
"Wake up..."
Again, the same voice. So soft, so gentle, so soothing. A voice that washed over you like warm water, relaxing you.
"Please wake up..."
So relaxing...
"WAKE UP!!!"
Something small made contact. Through bleary vision, a small orb of floating pink light could be seen.
"Come on, come on!"
"Ima, don't be so mean."
There was the first voice again. Her eyes snapped open.
"You're awake," the voice said joyously.
Blinking, her gaze fell upon its owner. A girl. A girl with large green eyes that looked like deep pools of fresh water. She stared at the eyes for a few minutes and then shook her head. She slowly took in the rest of the girl, her slim build, her green hair and clothing and her soft, warm smile.
"Hello? Anyone there at all?"
She stared about for the owner of the second voice. What had the girl called her? Ima?
"Hey! What's wrong with you?!"
Her eyes locked on the ball of light she had seen earlier. Surely the voice did not belong to it! Then she saw the translucent wings that kept the light afloat.
"You're a fairy," she said quietly.
"Oh well done!" the fairy congratulated her, her tone full of sarcasm. "Saria, I think she ate something funny before going to sleep."
"Ima, shush. She's probably not fully awake yet," Saria scolded.
Saria? The name sounded somewhat familiar. Where had she heard it?
"O-chan? Are you okay?"
O-chan?
Then it hit her. She remembered. She remembered the poster, the competition, the visor, the switch; the falling, the blackness and now she had woken up here. Where was here? It couldn't be...
She turned frantically to Saria, staring. How could the girl she had so often seen on her television be sitting here beside her, talking to her as though she had known her all her life? She wasn't supposed to be real. She was supposed to be a computer generated image, brought to life on a screen. She wasn't supposed to be real!
"Where am I?!" she cried. "Where?!"
Saria looked somewhat startled at this sudden outburst but she recovered almost immediately and tried to calm her down.
"O-chan. O-chan! It's okay, it's alright. You're safe. You're in your bed, in your house in the Kokiri Village," she said soothingly.
She stared into O-chan's eyes and somehow, the girl relaxed. She felt better.
"I'm in the Kokiri Village?" she whispered to which Saria nodded. "How - How is that possible?"
Saria frowned and said:
"You grew up here, like me and Link and the rest of the Kokiris. Are you sure you're alright?"
She had grown up here?
She looked about. So, according to Saria, this was her home. Like all Kokiri houses, it was a hollowed out tree. The wood of the walls was gnarled and rough to touch yet had a uniqueness about it that added to the enchanted atmosphere of the game's world.
The bed she sat on was also part of the tree as it was carved out of the wall. The sheets and pillow were a little itchy but were warm all the same. She decided the itching kept you warm. The other furniture comprised of a dead tree stump that acted as a table, several flat stones piled around it for chairs and a large wooden chest.
She got up and moved towards the door. Pushing the flimsy tea-coloured curtain aside, she stepped out onto a balcony. Below her, the Kokiri Village stretched out. It was a lot bigger than she had first thought it would be. She turned back to look at Saria.
"This is my house?"
Saria nodded. O-chan looked out at the village again.
"This is amazing," she murmured. "Can we explore?"
Saria raised an eyebrow and laughed. Ima fluttered to her shoulder.
"I think she's really lost it, Saria. She's asking if she can go explore her own village."
"Ima!"
The fairy bobbed innocently and then flew around O-chan's head.
"Of course you can explore silly. Let's go!" And she disappeared beneath the balcony.
Saria slid down the ladder to the ground and then stared up at her.
"Come on!" she called.
O-chan tentatively put a foot on the rung and then slowly descended to the ground.
"Link makes it look so easy on the game," she grumbled, searching for another rung.
She dropped onto the ground and shook herself. It was very awkward doing these things, especially as everyone thought she had been doing them all her life. She grinned sheepishly at Saria and asked where they should go.
"We could walk around the whole village, you'll see everything that way," Saria suggested.
That seemed like a good idea, especially as she had no clue where anything was. It didn't seem to matter she had played this game several times already; in three-dimensional reality it looked completely different. Saria beamed and tugged her by the arm, pulling her in the direction of the Link's house.
"Might as well get him up now. He can be rather grumpy if he sleeps in too long but of course you already know that," Saria winked.
"I do? I mean...yeah I do."
O-chan laughed nervously.
Saria chuckled merrily and then put her finger to her lips. Ima left them and circled the large tree that was where Link had made his home. She vanished inside and a few moments later there was a cry of surprise, a thump and then irritated yelling. Ima emerged laughing, followed by a very disgruntled Link.
Saria beamed up at him and waved. O-chan did likewise, hoping Link would know her too or she'd feel rather stupid.
Link blinked in the sunlight and then, after a few minutes more, looked down at them, very dazed.
"Oh. Hey Saria. Hey O-chan."
Oh good, he did know who she was. She breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed, smiling. Then she took a few moments to stare at Link. It was hard to believe that he was standing right there on the balcony before her, smiling at her. It was harder more so than believing Saria was real.
The thing she found most astounding was Link's voice. In the game, Link did not speak. There was only the occasional sound effect that accompanied the swinging of a sword or jumping from high platforms or experiencing pain. Now he had been given a voice and it suited him wonderfully.
Come to think about it, none of the characters had had proper voices and here they were, talking away. It was rather odd being in the Kokiri Village with not music in the background but people's voices.
She must have zoned out for a moment or two because it was then that she realised both Link and Saria were eyeing her worriedly.
"Is she okay?" Link enquired to Saria.
Saria bit her lip, studied O-chan for a second and then said:
"She seems fine. She's been acting a little peculiar though. She had no idea where she was when she awoke this morning and looked quite surprised when she saw Ima. It was like she had never seen a fairy before."
"I still reckon she ate something funny before going to sleep last night," Ima chimed innocently.
O-chan went red. It wasn't exactly her fault she was acting like this. After all, she hadn't expected to be actually inside the game.
"No, no, no, it wasn't anything like that," she said hastily, desperately hoping the scarlet colour had left her face. "I - I - I just had a really vivid nightmare. I was still half-asleep when I saw you and Ima. I panicked."
She smiled nervously, praying they'd believe her.
They stared at her silently for some time and then Link said:
"You had a nightmare as well?"
She nodded.
"What was it about?"
She didn't answer straight away. It had just occurred to her that her nightmare was like the one Link experiences at the beginning of the game; just before he gets Navi.
"Er...I can't remember. Hey Link, do you have a fairy yet?"
Link frowned and pouted.
"No, I don't. Why would I? I haven't had a single fairy offer to be my guardian for my entire lifetime so what makes you think they'd offer now?" he said sulkily.
"Sorry, I was only asking."
So this was before the Deku Tree is attacked, she thought. Then she grinned. Excellent, that means I can spend the whole day in the village with Link and Saria and not have to worry about fighting anything evil until tomorrow.
"Okay, let's go then!" And she walked off ahead of Saria and Link.
"Do you have a fairy then?"
She stopped abruptly and looked back.
"What?"
Link repeated his question.
"Why are you asking me?"
"Well, I thought it may be the reason you asked me. Neither of us have a fairy. If you asked me if I had one, then maybe you have finally got one."
O-chan looked about. She hadn't really thought about it but now she had she realised she didn't have a fairy of her own. She suddenly felt quite lonely and left out.
"So this is how Link must feel," she whispered to herself. Loud enough for them to hear she said, "No. I don't have a fairy of my own."
"It doesn't matter," Saria said. "Even if you two don't have fairies, we're still the best of friends. Kay?"
"...Yep."
"Will you please stop talking about us fairies as though we are objects to be bought," Ima cried. "Can we get on with exploring now?"
"Exploring?" Link looked enquiringly at Ima. "Why are we going exploring?"
"O-chan wants to."
Again, Link gave her a funny look.
"I think I agree with Ima. She ate something funny last night before going to bed."
"I didn't! I'm fine! Can we just please go?!" O-chan wailed hysterically. "Saria, tell them I'm fine."
"Link, Ima, stop being so horrid. O-chan is perfectly healthy and we're going to walk around the village. No arguments."
"Okay Saria," Link and the fairy chorused in solemn unison. Then Ima said, rather cruelly:
"Linkie here could do with a walk. Look at this -" she butted into his stomach, "- thing here! I think you're getting a little on the chubby side Mister!"
"Why you little!"
Link snatched irritably at the fairy but she danced out of reach.
"Nah nah! You'll never catch me Link!"
Link gave chase, getting angrier and angrier as Ima cried tauntingly at him to "get a move on" and "work off that puppy fat". O-chan and Saria couldn't help laughing.
"Come on," Saria said, "let's go calm them down."
O-chan nodded and the two ran off after them.
They had walked about half way around the village now. Saria and O- chan were walking between Ima and Link in case they suddenly started fighting again.
O-chan stared in wonder and awe as they ambled past several of the Kokiri going about their daily business. This was all so incredible.
It was then that they reached the small pool of water near the Village Shop. Only now it didn't look so little. Both Link and Saria hopped over the steeping stones with great ease but O-chan hesitated. The others looked back at her, asking what she was waiting for. Worried they'd suspect something, she hurriedly put a foot on the first stone, followed by the other. Okay, so far so good, she thought, jumping onto the next one.
"Hey, this isn't too bad."
She hopped confidently onto the third stone. She was nearly there. One more jump and she'd be over. She leapt up...
SPLASH!
...and slipped, falling with a tremendous splash into the water.
She resurfaced a few seconds later, coughing and choking and soaking wet. Saria and Link hopped over and pulled her out.
"Are you alright?" Saria asked worriedly. "You haven't hit your head or broken anything, have you?"
"I don't think so," she replied, pushing the wet hair that had plastered itself to her face out of her eyes.
"What happened? You can usually make that jump easily."
Again, here was the awkwardness of doing things she had never done before yet having everyone think she had been doing them all her life.
"I - I - I...erm... I just lost my footing."
They stared at her and she tried to smile reassuringly at them.
"I'm fine, really, I am."
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" an obnoxious voice sneered from somewhere behind them.
"Mido," Link growled.
O-chan turned to see the self-appointed Chief of the Kokiris standing over them, grinning smugly. He bowed to Saria and flashed her a smile.
"Good day Saria."
"Hello Mido," Saria smiled.
He grinned again and then turned his gaze on Link and O-chan. He snorted with laughter. Over his shoulder, the little green fairy tittered also.
"What happened to her?!" Mido managed to get out before another snort of laughter left his lips.
All four of them scowled at Mido.
"Don't be so mean," Saria said reproachfully. "O-chan just fell into the water. It was an accident and not something you should be laughing at!"
Mido quickly swallowed his laughter and took Saria's hand.
"You are right Saria. It was a horrid thing for me to do. I offer my most humble apologies. I hope you forgive me."
O-chan and Link exchanged looks.
"You'd think he'd apologise to me seeing as I'm the one he laughed at," she muttered to him.
"Mido is only saying that to get on good terms with Saria. He couldn't care a less about either of us because we're what he considers 'different'," Link whispered back.
The two of them glared at Mido as he let go of Saria's hand and walked off. When he thought he was out of sight, he started laughing again.
"I really don't like him," O-chan growled.
All four of them could see Mido perfectly.
O-chan sat up and went to the pool to wring out her clothing. It was then that she realised what she was wearing. Her baggy t-shirt and trousers were gone and had been replaced with some strange green attire. She wore a strange, pale green shirt and dark green shorts. Her boots were the same design as Link's. She felt on top of her head, hoping she had not been given a hat as well. No. No hat.
She then wondered if her hair would have changed colour to blonde or...green!
She peered out over the water at her reflection. She breathed a sigh of relief. No. Her hair was its usual brown and pulled back in an untidy ponytail fastened with a green ribbon. Her relief didn't last long however. What she saw next almost made her fall in the water again. She stared in horror at her reflection. It couldn't be possible. There was no way!
Her hands went to her face. The reflection mimicked her.
"No...no!"
Saria and Link hurried over, looking worried.
"O-chan! O-chan are you alright? What's wrong?"
They stared at her pale face and her wide eyes as she slowly backed away from the water, struck dumb with shock.
It was a few minutes before she eventually did speak.
"I'm eleven years old!"
Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda though I really, really, REALLY wish I did.
Prologue - Reality
It had all started with a magazine advertisement.
'WIN A CHANCE TO TEST THE NEW VIRTUAL REALITY VERSION OF ZELDA: ORCARINA OF TIME! IT'S LIKE ACTUALLY BEING IN THE GAME!'
All she had had to do was fill in a form, answering some questions about the game and then send it along to the address printed at the bottom. After a short wait of about three weeks, a package arrived with a letter, addressed to her.
'CONGRATULATIONS!! You are the lucky winner who will be testing our new prototype. Simply plug this into the console and away you go. We hope you enjoy your prize.'
And that's what she did. She took the package up to her room, shouting to her mum that she was going to be playing Zelda and sat herself down on the beanbag in front of the television. It wasn't difficult to set up. All she had to do was plug the virtual adapter into the back of her Nintendo and put the visor over her eyes. Then she opened a new file and signed in the name she always used: O-chan. Then she had pressed start.
The game began as normal. Navi, the little blue fairy, flew towards Link's house.
"Doesn't feel like I'm in the game yet," she muttered, as she watched the images in front of her eyes. "It just feels like I'm watching it really close. Maybe I'm not doing it right."
She lifted the visor from her eyes and picked up the instructions.
"Oh. I have to press this switch and hit restart. Okay, I got it."
Flipping the visor back down, she flicked the small switch on the side and hit the restart button. And everything turned black. She felt herself falling and was then aware of nothing at all.
Chapter 1 -Different
The field was large and empty. Nothing seemed alive in its vastness; even the grass that lay around their feet. All was limp and lifeless, emotionless and expressionless. Dead. The air was sour and thick, pressing against them like a blanket, muffling and choking them. They appeared to be the only living creatures in existence and the world did not wish them to be there.
The only other thing that seemed to thrive in this land was fear.
They were both overwhelmed with fear as they gazed up at the great enormity of the stone walls before them and at the thick dark wood of the closed drawbridge. Standing out against the barren and black sky, every so often being lit up with a sharp flash of lightning, it did not look inhabitable. Surely this was not the home of any living soul. Not that they believed any living soul could exist in this world.
Paralysed with the terror they felt, they could only stare. Could only be aware that nothing but evil could rule this land.
Fairies?
They had not noticed them before now but they were there, flying slowly about them. They circled their heads as they stood there in the bleak field. Yet the two did not appear to wonder about these two dimly glowing balls of light. They were still transfixed upon the castle, for that is what the immense walls of stone and drawbridge formed.
The sudden creaking that pieced the emptiness made both stumble back. The drawbridge was lowering. It was lowering at a pace that seemed urgent and too much for its chains. Surely they would give way. No. There is the dull thud as it hits the ground and a blur of white. A horse.
It gallops past and into the dead field, swiftly, looking like a bright light piercing the blackness. The two can see that the rider is a woman, tall and dark, and in her arms she is shielding a girl. The girl's face is filled with terror and surprise and she is looking straight at them. For a brief moment, a faint familiarity crossed both their minds but then the riders had vanished and it was gone.
They had no time to ponder as both turned back to the castle and found themselves staring up at a gargantuan black beast. At first glance, both were sure that it was a devil; its eyes blazed red, demonic, malevolent. It radiated power from all sides but it did not compare to that which radiated from its rider. Shrouded in evil, his face was unclear but his eyes were fixed on them.
They knew he had seen them and fear had once more returned yet it was more horrific and more penetrating than that they had experienced before. Both watched as he raised his hands, dark power emanating from it. The horse reared, giving a shriek that chilled them through to the bone.
Then they were aware of nothing. Nothing but what could only be true fear.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Wake up..."
Somewhere, a voice was calling. Somewhere...distant.
"Wake up..."
Again, the same voice. So soft, so gentle, so soothing. A voice that washed over you like warm water, relaxing you.
"Please wake up..."
So relaxing...
"WAKE UP!!!"
Something small made contact. Through bleary vision, a small orb of floating pink light could be seen.
"Come on, come on!"
"Ima, don't be so mean."
There was the first voice again. Her eyes snapped open.
"You're awake," the voice said joyously.
Blinking, her gaze fell upon its owner. A girl. A girl with large green eyes that looked like deep pools of fresh water. She stared at the eyes for a few minutes and then shook her head. She slowly took in the rest of the girl, her slim build, her green hair and clothing and her soft, warm smile.
"Hello? Anyone there at all?"
She stared about for the owner of the second voice. What had the girl called her? Ima?
"Hey! What's wrong with you?!"
Her eyes locked on the ball of light she had seen earlier. Surely the voice did not belong to it! Then she saw the translucent wings that kept the light afloat.
"You're a fairy," she said quietly.
"Oh well done!" the fairy congratulated her, her tone full of sarcasm. "Saria, I think she ate something funny before going to sleep."
"Ima, shush. She's probably not fully awake yet," Saria scolded.
Saria? The name sounded somewhat familiar. Where had she heard it?
"O-chan? Are you okay?"
O-chan?
Then it hit her. She remembered. She remembered the poster, the competition, the visor, the switch; the falling, the blackness and now she had woken up here. Where was here? It couldn't be...
She turned frantically to Saria, staring. How could the girl she had so often seen on her television be sitting here beside her, talking to her as though she had known her all her life? She wasn't supposed to be real. She was supposed to be a computer generated image, brought to life on a screen. She wasn't supposed to be real!
"Where am I?!" she cried. "Where?!"
Saria looked somewhat startled at this sudden outburst but she recovered almost immediately and tried to calm her down.
"O-chan. O-chan! It's okay, it's alright. You're safe. You're in your bed, in your house in the Kokiri Village," she said soothingly.
She stared into O-chan's eyes and somehow, the girl relaxed. She felt better.
"I'm in the Kokiri Village?" she whispered to which Saria nodded. "How - How is that possible?"
Saria frowned and said:
"You grew up here, like me and Link and the rest of the Kokiris. Are you sure you're alright?"
She had grown up here?
She looked about. So, according to Saria, this was her home. Like all Kokiri houses, it was a hollowed out tree. The wood of the walls was gnarled and rough to touch yet had a uniqueness about it that added to the enchanted atmosphere of the game's world.
The bed she sat on was also part of the tree as it was carved out of the wall. The sheets and pillow were a little itchy but were warm all the same. She decided the itching kept you warm. The other furniture comprised of a dead tree stump that acted as a table, several flat stones piled around it for chairs and a large wooden chest.
She got up and moved towards the door. Pushing the flimsy tea-coloured curtain aside, she stepped out onto a balcony. Below her, the Kokiri Village stretched out. It was a lot bigger than she had first thought it would be. She turned back to look at Saria.
"This is my house?"
Saria nodded. O-chan looked out at the village again.
"This is amazing," she murmured. "Can we explore?"
Saria raised an eyebrow and laughed. Ima fluttered to her shoulder.
"I think she's really lost it, Saria. She's asking if she can go explore her own village."
"Ima!"
The fairy bobbed innocently and then flew around O-chan's head.
"Of course you can explore silly. Let's go!" And she disappeared beneath the balcony.
Saria slid down the ladder to the ground and then stared up at her.
"Come on!" she called.
O-chan tentatively put a foot on the rung and then slowly descended to the ground.
"Link makes it look so easy on the game," she grumbled, searching for another rung.
She dropped onto the ground and shook herself. It was very awkward doing these things, especially as everyone thought she had been doing them all her life. She grinned sheepishly at Saria and asked where they should go.
"We could walk around the whole village, you'll see everything that way," Saria suggested.
That seemed like a good idea, especially as she had no clue where anything was. It didn't seem to matter she had played this game several times already; in three-dimensional reality it looked completely different. Saria beamed and tugged her by the arm, pulling her in the direction of the Link's house.
"Might as well get him up now. He can be rather grumpy if he sleeps in too long but of course you already know that," Saria winked.
"I do? I mean...yeah I do."
O-chan laughed nervously.
Saria chuckled merrily and then put her finger to her lips. Ima left them and circled the large tree that was where Link had made his home. She vanished inside and a few moments later there was a cry of surprise, a thump and then irritated yelling. Ima emerged laughing, followed by a very disgruntled Link.
Saria beamed up at him and waved. O-chan did likewise, hoping Link would know her too or she'd feel rather stupid.
Link blinked in the sunlight and then, after a few minutes more, looked down at them, very dazed.
"Oh. Hey Saria. Hey O-chan."
Oh good, he did know who she was. She breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed, smiling. Then she took a few moments to stare at Link. It was hard to believe that he was standing right there on the balcony before her, smiling at her. It was harder more so than believing Saria was real.
The thing she found most astounding was Link's voice. In the game, Link did not speak. There was only the occasional sound effect that accompanied the swinging of a sword or jumping from high platforms or experiencing pain. Now he had been given a voice and it suited him wonderfully.
Come to think about it, none of the characters had had proper voices and here they were, talking away. It was rather odd being in the Kokiri Village with not music in the background but people's voices.
She must have zoned out for a moment or two because it was then that she realised both Link and Saria were eyeing her worriedly.
"Is she okay?" Link enquired to Saria.
Saria bit her lip, studied O-chan for a second and then said:
"She seems fine. She's been acting a little peculiar though. She had no idea where she was when she awoke this morning and looked quite surprised when she saw Ima. It was like she had never seen a fairy before."
"I still reckon she ate something funny before going to sleep last night," Ima chimed innocently.
O-chan went red. It wasn't exactly her fault she was acting like this. After all, she hadn't expected to be actually inside the game.
"No, no, no, it wasn't anything like that," she said hastily, desperately hoping the scarlet colour had left her face. "I - I - I just had a really vivid nightmare. I was still half-asleep when I saw you and Ima. I panicked."
She smiled nervously, praying they'd believe her.
They stared at her silently for some time and then Link said:
"You had a nightmare as well?"
She nodded.
"What was it about?"
She didn't answer straight away. It had just occurred to her that her nightmare was like the one Link experiences at the beginning of the game; just before he gets Navi.
"Er...I can't remember. Hey Link, do you have a fairy yet?"
Link frowned and pouted.
"No, I don't. Why would I? I haven't had a single fairy offer to be my guardian for my entire lifetime so what makes you think they'd offer now?" he said sulkily.
"Sorry, I was only asking."
So this was before the Deku Tree is attacked, she thought. Then she grinned. Excellent, that means I can spend the whole day in the village with Link and Saria and not have to worry about fighting anything evil until tomorrow.
"Okay, let's go then!" And she walked off ahead of Saria and Link.
"Do you have a fairy then?"
She stopped abruptly and looked back.
"What?"
Link repeated his question.
"Why are you asking me?"
"Well, I thought it may be the reason you asked me. Neither of us have a fairy. If you asked me if I had one, then maybe you have finally got one."
O-chan looked about. She hadn't really thought about it but now she had she realised she didn't have a fairy of her own. She suddenly felt quite lonely and left out.
"So this is how Link must feel," she whispered to herself. Loud enough for them to hear she said, "No. I don't have a fairy of my own."
"It doesn't matter," Saria said. "Even if you two don't have fairies, we're still the best of friends. Kay?"
"...Yep."
"Will you please stop talking about us fairies as though we are objects to be bought," Ima cried. "Can we get on with exploring now?"
"Exploring?" Link looked enquiringly at Ima. "Why are we going exploring?"
"O-chan wants to."
Again, Link gave her a funny look.
"I think I agree with Ima. She ate something funny last night before going to bed."
"I didn't! I'm fine! Can we just please go?!" O-chan wailed hysterically. "Saria, tell them I'm fine."
"Link, Ima, stop being so horrid. O-chan is perfectly healthy and we're going to walk around the village. No arguments."
"Okay Saria," Link and the fairy chorused in solemn unison. Then Ima said, rather cruelly:
"Linkie here could do with a walk. Look at this -" she butted into his stomach, "- thing here! I think you're getting a little on the chubby side Mister!"
"Why you little!"
Link snatched irritably at the fairy but she danced out of reach.
"Nah nah! You'll never catch me Link!"
Link gave chase, getting angrier and angrier as Ima cried tauntingly at him to "get a move on" and "work off that puppy fat". O-chan and Saria couldn't help laughing.
"Come on," Saria said, "let's go calm them down."
O-chan nodded and the two ran off after them.
They had walked about half way around the village now. Saria and O- chan were walking between Ima and Link in case they suddenly started fighting again.
O-chan stared in wonder and awe as they ambled past several of the Kokiri going about their daily business. This was all so incredible.
It was then that they reached the small pool of water near the Village Shop. Only now it didn't look so little. Both Link and Saria hopped over the steeping stones with great ease but O-chan hesitated. The others looked back at her, asking what she was waiting for. Worried they'd suspect something, she hurriedly put a foot on the first stone, followed by the other. Okay, so far so good, she thought, jumping onto the next one.
"Hey, this isn't too bad."
She hopped confidently onto the third stone. She was nearly there. One more jump and she'd be over. She leapt up...
SPLASH!
...and slipped, falling with a tremendous splash into the water.
She resurfaced a few seconds later, coughing and choking and soaking wet. Saria and Link hopped over and pulled her out.
"Are you alright?" Saria asked worriedly. "You haven't hit your head or broken anything, have you?"
"I don't think so," she replied, pushing the wet hair that had plastered itself to her face out of her eyes.
"What happened? You can usually make that jump easily."
Again, here was the awkwardness of doing things she had never done before yet having everyone think she had been doing them all her life.
"I - I - I...erm... I just lost my footing."
They stared at her and she tried to smile reassuringly at them.
"I'm fine, really, I am."
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" an obnoxious voice sneered from somewhere behind them.
"Mido," Link growled.
O-chan turned to see the self-appointed Chief of the Kokiris standing over them, grinning smugly. He bowed to Saria and flashed her a smile.
"Good day Saria."
"Hello Mido," Saria smiled.
He grinned again and then turned his gaze on Link and O-chan. He snorted with laughter. Over his shoulder, the little green fairy tittered also.
"What happened to her?!" Mido managed to get out before another snort of laughter left his lips.
All four of them scowled at Mido.
"Don't be so mean," Saria said reproachfully. "O-chan just fell into the water. It was an accident and not something you should be laughing at!"
Mido quickly swallowed his laughter and took Saria's hand.
"You are right Saria. It was a horrid thing for me to do. I offer my most humble apologies. I hope you forgive me."
O-chan and Link exchanged looks.
"You'd think he'd apologise to me seeing as I'm the one he laughed at," she muttered to him.
"Mido is only saying that to get on good terms with Saria. He couldn't care a less about either of us because we're what he considers 'different'," Link whispered back.
The two of them glared at Mido as he let go of Saria's hand and walked off. When he thought he was out of sight, he started laughing again.
"I really don't like him," O-chan growled.
All four of them could see Mido perfectly.
O-chan sat up and went to the pool to wring out her clothing. It was then that she realised what she was wearing. Her baggy t-shirt and trousers were gone and had been replaced with some strange green attire. She wore a strange, pale green shirt and dark green shorts. Her boots were the same design as Link's. She felt on top of her head, hoping she had not been given a hat as well. No. No hat.
She then wondered if her hair would have changed colour to blonde or...green!
She peered out over the water at her reflection. She breathed a sigh of relief. No. Her hair was its usual brown and pulled back in an untidy ponytail fastened with a green ribbon. Her relief didn't last long however. What she saw next almost made her fall in the water again. She stared in horror at her reflection. It couldn't be possible. There was no way!
Her hands went to her face. The reflection mimicked her.
"No...no!"
Saria and Link hurried over, looking worried.
"O-chan! O-chan are you alright? What's wrong?"
They stared at her pale face and her wide eyes as she slowly backed away from the water, struck dumb with shock.
It was a few minutes before she eventually did speak.
"I'm eleven years old!"