Ocarina of Time Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Tainted Waters
Dark Link looked down in surprise at the blade protruding through his heart, its bloody end digging into the wall behind him.
"You were wrong," Link said, struggling to maintain a hold on his sword. "I am the Hero of Time and I can kill you."
Dark Link laughed, even with the blade in its chest, sending a cold chill creeping through Link's veins; it bore an uncanny resemblance to Ganondorf's phantom, right before he'd lost control. Dark Link grasped the steel of the sacred blade, seeming not to care as smoke hissed and seeped between his clenched fingers. The demon looked up at Link, its face contorted into a hideous smile. Link touched Light, channeling so that it coursed through his blood and into the Master Sword. The sword gleamed a brilliant white, and Dark Link screamed, collapsing against the wall.
Link leaned in closer, meeting the monster's eyes as it sagged against the wall, its chest heaving. The demon tried to laugh, but all that came out was a throaty rasp. Its features were distorting, melting, and dissolving into a black ichor.
Blessedly, it was finally silent.
The next thing Link knew, the Master Sword's weight was too much to bear, and his legs gave out from under him. He was dimly aware of a metallic clang. A strange ethereal sensation washed over him as if he were adrift in the depths of Lake Hylia. His eyelids were heavy, and he wanted nothing more than to sleep, his body pleading for a respite Link knew he could not give. Somehow, he knew that if he embraced that lulling call and closed his eyes, it would be the last thing he ever did.
He couldn't let that happen.
He became aware of that strange tingling sensation on his hand again. The chill ebbing through his bones vanished, replaced by a warmth that flooded through his veins. Link hadn't meant to channel the power of his Triforce piece, but it came to him all the same.
"Haven't you had your fair share of fainting yet?" a voice- the strange wolf- asked in his mind. "Our work is not yet done."
Puzzled, Link tried to answer the otherworldly spirit, but it was already a dormant presence in the back of his mind.
Blessed clarity returned, sluggish at first, but it came. The voices surrounding Link became clearer, and he was able to make out what they were saying.
"Is he safe now?"
"I think we'd know if he wasn't."
"What did that thing do to him?"
"It beat him pretty bad, that's for sure."
Link opened his eyes, blinking as he adjusted to the light.
The Zora surrounding him were whispering worriedly. Some looked concerned, others wary, as though they feared to see Dark Link's crimson eyes. Two of the Zora knelt beside him, their figures blurred and fuzzy.
Link's head ached, and the world swam in and out of focus.
As one Zora attempted to staunch the flow of blood seeping onto the floor, bloody linen already piled at his feet, Ruto held Link firmly to the spot, pressing a bottle of some red potion to his lips.
"Drink," she said softly.
Knowing it was unlikely to taste nice, Link did so reluctantly. Though he wasn't surprised by the bitter taste of the vile concoction, he still coughed and spluttered as it threatened to murder his taste buds. This awoke a fresh wave of hot pain in Link's side and he groaned, barely biting back a scream.
Despite his protests, the potion did its job, and his head began to clear. Mustering his waning strength, Link tried to get to his feet. Before he could get very far, Ruto pushed him down with a firm hand.
"Now, now, Link. Keep still," she said like a parent scolding a disobedient child.
"What happened?" Link rasped, wanting nothing more than to wash the horrid taste out of his mouth.
"I was hoping you could tell us. As it is, we're not sure exactly," said Ruto."After you fought that... thing-" Ruto's eyes trailed to the puddle of black ichor and back again "-Your eyes started glowing and you almost tried to kill us."
"I'm sorry," Link said hoarsely, looking away, a sense of shame looming over him. He should have been strong enough to stop the demon from going so far. Gazing back at Ruto, he asked, "Was anyone else hurt?"
"No," Ruto answered, concern clear in her eyes. "Link, what was that thing?"
"I can explain later," Link said. "It's gone now. That's all that matters."
He hoped to the Goddesses he was right.
Ruto studied him for a moment and then accepted his explanation with little more than a nod. He nearly breathed a sigh of relief, glad he wouldn't have to explain further. He wasn't sure he'd be able to anyway - he felt too light-headed, almost as if he were still floating. The world wobbled and lurched with the slightest movement. It was hard to think, hard to remember what he was even doing in this temple.
How much blood have I lost? he thought vaguely. Looking down at the floor beneath him, he saw that it was no small amount, but he had not the strength left to panic.
He was about to ask for water when Ruto ordered one of her guards to fill the empty potion bottle and bring it to him. He sipped it, hoping they hadn't refilled the container with lake water.
"Your Majesty, there should be more potion in the healing chambers," suggested one Zora.
"That's on the other side of the temple," Grop pointed out. He gestured at one of the serpentine monsters lying on the tiles a few feet away. "We risk running into more of those demons, if the others haven't killed them yet."
"Make sure the way ahead is clear and we will carry him there," Ruto ordered him firmly.
"My Queen," Grop bowed, there was deep concern in his voice, "At least allow us to get you to safety."
"I thank you for your concern, Grop, but I do not believe that we will find anywhere nearby that could be considered safe," Ruto said. "Besides, I am the only one left that can adequately draw on the Flow."
"This is rash, Your Majesty," Grop all but pleaded. "I beg you to reconsider."
"I will not. If we are going to retake this temple, we will need every Zora, and far too many have died today." Ruto's voice was firm and only the faintest trace of emotion cracked her resolve. "If we are to break this curse, will need everyone."
"Your Majesty?" Grop asked, sounding incredulous.
Apparently, whatever Ruto was considering, she'd made up her mind. "Return to the shrine and bring the others," Ruto ordered. "Gather whatever weapons you can. Have one of my attendants and your captains return the wounded to the forest. You two, make sure the path ahead is clear and report back."
There was a shuffling of feet as Grop issued orders and the Zora hastened to obey. As they did, Ruto turned to Link. "Now, how to get you there..."
"I can walk," Link said, his voice soft. He tried to get up, but the world lurched violently, thwarting his efforts. "Just give me a moment..."
Damn, this was humiliating.
"I think it would be best if we carried you," Ruto said. "Don't worry, we'll be gentle."
"I can manage," Link croaked. He wasn't going to let them carry him anywhere, so long as he was still conscious.
Ruto was less than convinced. "No, you can't. The potion I gave you will counter the blood loss, but it won't stop it. Besides, you've already made enough of a mess on my floor as it is."
"Well, that makes me feel so much better," Link muttered sarcastically, using the wall for support and climbing to his feet. "Can we discuss my sacrilege later?" He groaned, almost overcome by a wave of vertigo.
Great, he thought.
"You're not walking in your condition," Ruto said firmly, her tone leaving little room for argument. Not that Link was in any condition to argue. Ruto turned to the Zora gathered around her, "You two help him."
"Your Majesty! What if he turns into that thing again?" Grop asked. Link glared at him. "We should leave him, he is far too dangerous."
"We are not leaving anybody, Hylian or Zora," Ruto snapped. "I trust I have made that clear?"
"Of course." Grop complied with a bow.
"Very well. Link if you'll be so kind as to hold still-" Ruto gestured for two of her guards.
Not like I have much choice, Link thought. Ruto's guards stepped forward to assist him. They checked the bandages binding his wound. Satisfied it was fine, they each placed his arms around their shoulders, and Link reluctantly allowed them to help him.
They backtracked towards the entrance, passing the dead of both Zora and beasts. The sight of their half-eaten companion caused a great deal of cursing amongst the Zora and somebody retched loudly.
Link's head was swimming again, the noise around him a confused tangle of sound. It was difficult to focus beyond the lulling call that beckoned him to an endless sleep. He wasn't aware that he'd stumbled, but the guards tightened their grip on him.
"Do you need to rest?" Ruto asked, pausing the group when he almost stumbled again.
"I'll rest when I'm unconscious," Link said thickly.
"Hmm... you do seem to make a habit of that from what I'm told," Ruto said, to which Link shot her a flat stare. "Just making sure you're awake."
With that, they kept going, and Link was sure he could see a flicker of respect in the eyes of several guards. Knowing he had to stay awake, and desperate to keep himself from stumbling again, Link tried to focus on the murals and writings on the walls. They passed carvings of herons and water birds, reeds and water lilies. Link hadn't given them much attention before, too focused on finding Ruto and confronting Dark Link. Ruto seemed more than happy to explain every detail to him, though she paused when they came to a corner or a doorway.
They reached the pool where Link had first encountered the water demons and then walked further into the temple. It was getting harder and harder to focus on something. Anything. It even took him a moment to realize what was going on when Ruto's scouts returned to announce the way ahead was clear.
Their passage took them past a shrine dedicated to the First Sage of Water. "He fancied himself an architect, as well as a ruler, from what I'm told," Ruto explained. "His constructions were said to be elaborate, grand, and sometimes difficult to navigate for non-Zora, even dangerous."
Seven pillars of pristine marble adorned the room, forming a circle around a shallow pool. A sea serpent's long sinuous form glared up at Link from the bottom of the pool, its scales formed from hundreds of small stones in a dazzling array of colour. Zoran deities decorated the walls of the shrine in a grand tapestry, including a giant fish that Link assumed was Lord Jabu Jabu.
Jabu Jabu.
Link felt a pang of sadness for the Zora guardian's fate.
There was something peculiar about this particular depiction of Jabu-Jabu; the giant whale-like creature had wings, and beneath it, two Zora with tridents stood aside a slumbering figure. Beneath them was a tablet that Link could not decipher.
"The watcher of dreams," Ruto explained, stopping abruptly at a signal from her guards. They stood at the threshold of another corridor, and two guards stepped out of it.
"Anything?" Ruto asked.
"No," one of the guards answered with a shake of his head. "The way is clear."
They exited the shrine, moving into one of the adjoining corridors. Soon, Link found being led into a chamber adorned by small pools and lined with shelves brimming with bottles carved in the shape of corals and shellfish.
Finally, he was allowed to sit down on a bench while Ruto peeled away the soaked bandaging and emptied a pitcher of a strong-smelling concoction onto his wounds.
"This might sting a bit," she warned him rather belatedly.
This was an understatement. Link clenched his teeth to stop himself from grunting in pain, his wound now ablaze in boiling agony. One of the Zora sutured the wound on his side, which hurt almost as much as the potion, and it took a great deal of self-control to not cry out or bite his tongue.
Ruto was apologetic, "I would offer you a sleeping draught, but we have run out."
"I don't think that would be a good idea," Link replied through clenched teeth.
"Perhaps not," Ruto agreed, before smiling wryly. "I could always carry you." Several Zora exchanged quizzical glances, but at a sharp look from Ruto, they went back to their tasks.
"Here, you'll need to drink this." One of the Zora offered him an unstoppered potion. Obligingly, Link sipped, and then nearly gagged.
"Why does medicine always taste awful?" he asked no one in particular, still resisting the urge to vomit or spit in front of Ruto.
"So you won't drink more than you need," Ruto said, sounding as though this should have been obvious. She offered him one of his water skins but it did little to rid the horrid aftertaste.
Finally, the Zora finished patching him up, and Ruto offered Link back his sword.
"Feel better now?" she asked, letting him take the Master Sword.
"Yeah, thanks." Satisfied he was well enough, Link got to his feet and glanced around at the other Zora. It unsettled him that many of them were still eyeing him with varying degrees of distrust.
Were they still worried he might turn on them again? A part of Link feared that might happen, but he knew that fear was unwarranted; his doppelganger was gone and the Triforce of Courage was now protecting him.
Is it really dead? A voice in his head asked, remembering the demon's claim that it could not be killed.
I am a part of you...
Link shoved the unpleasant memory of those chilling words aside before he became lost in his thoughts. He turned his attention to more pressing concerns, such as retrieving the medallion. It was one of the reasons they had come into the Zora Temple in the first place, and he wanted nothing more than to find it and leave.
"We still have to find the medallion," he told Ruto. "Do you know where it is?"
Lutara answered for him. "Grop sent some of our soldiers to find it. It's located in a tomb, not far from here."
"We should go back to Jabun's Shrine, Your Majesty," Grop said insistently."If I assign a few guards to protect you there, you can wait for the others to return."
"What about the morpha?" Link asked. He almost bit his tongue, realizing the Zora would not appreciate the interruption.
Lutara was one of the few Zora who didn't scowl at his intrusion. "It was badly injured," she answered calmly. "We still have time before it heals itself."
We hope, Link thought, not sharing the Zora's confidence.
"Let us join the others. I do not intend to let them face those demons alone," Ruto decided.
"What are they?" Link asked.
"The water demons?" Ruto queried, and Link nodded in assent. "They're our cousins. Can't you see the family resemblance?"
"No, I can't say I can."
"They descended from our ancestors," Lutara explained. "They migrated from the sea long before we did and any semblance to our race was lost. Whether it was natural, or magic was involved, I am less than certain."
"We will have time to discuss this later," Ruto said. "For now, we need to focus on doing what we came here to do and getting out of here."
That was all that was said on the subject. Ruto's guard formed up around her, and at her order, they marched down the corridor with Grop in the lead.
No sooner had they entered the long chamber than a familiar gurgling cry echoed through the corridor, halting them in their tracks. Link's heart gave a sickening lurch as he surveyed the corridor and the two doors at either end. Another cry came from afar, and then another joined it, growing louder and louder.
Grop cursed.
"Secure the doors!" he shouted. The Zora snapped into action, running back the way they came and over to the doors. Link raced towards the one they were heading for, noticing the lone Zora rushing through it. He met the Zora, almost at the door, and together they shut the door with a loud clang.
"Thank you," the Zora managed between ragged breaths, turning from Link to Ruto. "My queen, there are at least twenty of those things. The moment we grabbed the medallion, they started coming from everywhere. They knew we'd taken it."
"What of the others?" Ruto asked calmly.
"Gone, Your Majesty," the Zora said. "We did as you asked."
The guard held out a hand, opening it to reveal a medallion of brilliant sapphire-blue, intricate carvings etched into its surface. Link didn't have time to look at it, as something slammed bodily into the door, then another, causing its frame to tremble. It shook again and again. Link slipped, nearly stumbling with the effort of holding the door. He wasn't going to hold them off like this. Not for long.
Ruto glanced quickly at Link and then took the precious amulet from the weary Zora who offered it to her. "Good work. We will have time to mourn later, but right now we need to leave."
"They're coming through," Link warned, shoving himself against the door as it shook again and again, the angry shrieks of the creatures beyond getting louder as they slammed into the heavy frame. Several Zora were now helping him and even with all three of them trying to prevent the creatures from coming through, but even then, they were straining from the effort.
"Stand away from the doors," Ruto ordered Link and the two guards who stood beside him. "You won't hold them off that way."
Before they could move, the demons changed tactics, proving that they weren't as mindless as Link had hoped. Instead of randomly slamming into the door one at a time, several of the creatures decided to ram it at the same time. With that, Link's meagre blockade buckled, and the water demons came spilling into the corridor, knocking Link and the Zora aside. Link regained his feet quickly, and while both his companions tried to do the same, they weren't so lucky. One demon unleashed a spray of venom that struck one of the fallen Zora in the face. Link cursed, his sword cleaving through the demon's neck. He skewered the second monster that came through the door, saw the second Zora guard fall to another demon, and quickly leapt to the Zora's defence. His sword carved through the guard's attacker but judging from the wounds across the Zora's throat, it was already too late. Another water demon fell and then Link started running back towards the Zora, knowing he was about to be overrun. Behind him, there was a hiss and an awful, pungent smell as venom splashed across the stone. The demons didn't even wait for the fight to finish before some of them began to feed.
Lutara's spear-like weapon slammed into the skull of the demon nearest Link as it leapt at him. Link spun, carving his sword through another demon that charged at him. He hacked away at the next, sidestepping as it sprayed venom in his direction. Still, they came. More and more poured through the open door, some pausing to feed, others clambering over their dead.
"Kolin, have mercy," someone cried.
"Run, all of you! Run!" Ruto ordered. "Link, fall back!"
Abandoning his defence, woefully inadequate as it was, Link joined the Zora and sprinted down the corridor towards the other end. The narrow confines of the passage slowed the demons down and made them easier to fend off. Unfortunately, the same was true for the Zora as well.
A Zora thrust a spear into one demon's throat right before a second slashed a claw through his armor, Link jumping in a second too late to hack its arm from its body.
Always too late, Link thought bitterly, cursing as yet another Zora died. He slew the attacking monstrosity and then turned to sprint after Ruto. Seeing a second of Lutara's contraptions discarded beside its fallen bearer, Link picked it up.
The guard who retrieved the medallion gave a shout as they stumbled into the next room and stopped short. "This way leads to the morpha. The demons are afraid of it. If we head towards it, we should be able to get away."
"Are you mad?" Grop yelled, aghast.
"I can keep it occupied," Link offered, sounding braver than he felt. "Can't be worse than a dragon, can it?"
Except you have no idea how to kill it, do you? Link thought. He'd just have to figure it out when he got there. That had worked so far, hadn't it?
Ruto frowned while she considered the suggestion, her guards forming a protective circle around her. She met Link's eyes, both of them knowing there was little alternative. "It may be our best chance," she reasoned. "If we can lure the demons into the morpha, then we can let it finish them off."
Link looked back. Another spear plunged into the side of one demon, but as it did, a spray of venom struck the spear-thrower, peeling the flesh from his face. The Zora were being slaughtered. Just like the ones he saw back by the pool. Just like the ones on the shore of Lake Hylia. The demon saw Link, snarled and lurched forward, skewering itself on the Master Sword.
Link ripped the blade free, gore splattering his tunic, and the monster fell.
The Zora kept running at Ruto's order, spears thrusting as ranks of the foul demons poured into the hallway in full pursuit. Lutara's hookshot fired and hit its victim with an awful thunk. Link tried to fire his own weapon. He felt the gears in the hookshot shift as he pressed the trigger halfway, and then he clenched it hard. The spearhead shot forward with frightening speed, cutting through the air and coming to a stop with a tinkering smash. His aim too wide, Link's hookshot had speared straight through a pot.
Maybe I should stick with a sword, he thought.
Letting the weapon retract, Link swapped it for his blade and hastily rejoined the Zora at the rear of their company. Their retreat took them into a vast room filled with wooden walkways that overlooked a deep pool of water. Ramps extended down into the still water, which was now a shade of sickly purple. Something seemed very wrong about it, but before Link could work out what that was, the demons charged into the Zoran sanctuary.
One of the Zora hurled a spear straight into the monsters. The projectile struck, impaling one of the beasts through the throat. It fell off the ramp, and when it struck the water below, the strangest thing happened. There was no splash, no rippling of the water where the demon's passage disturbed it. Instead, the demon merely sank into a liquid thicker than honey, devoured like an ant caught in tree sap.
"Ruto, I don't think that's water!" Link called out, realizing that something was wrong.
The water demons seemed to realize this as well, for they stopped attacking. A mound appeared on the surface of the gelatinous liquid, growing and growing until it resembled a long tentacle.
"It's the morpha," one of the Zora yelled.
The water demons shrieked, retreating. More of the gelatinous tentacles rose out of the water, latching onto whatever they could find, whether Zora or demon. Another limb smashed into the walkway that the water demons were scrambling to get back across.
"Move!" Ruto ordered.
As the Zora ran, the morpha's thick appendage latched onto the walkway behind them. Coiling around the wooden bridge, the monster pulled, ripping the planking free with a thunderous crack. Wood snapped, entire planks tumbling into the water. A shiver ran through the remaining platform and Link could only stare. Barely a few feet away from where he now stood, the bridge was gone. A shiver ran through the damaged structure as its remaining supports groaned. Link took a few steps away from the edge, fearing it would break at any moment.
Across the other side of the wide gap, the water demons were not so lucky. Their end of the bridge was still intact, but even as Link watched, the remaining supports gave out, sending the hapless beasts plunging into the monster below. The demons struggled like insects caught in honey, but to no avail. Link looked away, not wanting to witness their final, desperate struggle.
Instead, he looked for anything remotely like a weak point, hoping to find something or even a crystal like the one that had been embedded in Volvagia. Perhaps it relied on that to heal its wounds.
I could really use your help, Navi. Before he could look any further, the morpha turned its attention from the water demons to the Zora, one thick tentacle wrapping itself around the nearest support.
"Move, all of you!" Grop bellowed.
The Zora did not need encouragement; they were already running along the network of walkways in a mad dash toward the exit. Link made it to one of the adjacent ramps, and then the morpha turned its attention on him. Another tentacle was rising out of the water, reaching for him. It was as thick as a small tree! Link cleaved his sword into the appendage, but the blade only slid straight through, leaving the morpha unharmed.
Link only had a moment to realize that even the Master Sword's powers would not be enough to deter this creature, and then it was snapping around him, coiling around his chest so fast that there was no time to react. Link tried to duck, tried to break free of the morpha's grip, but it was too late. Somewhere nearby, Ruto cried out in alarm. Arms pinned to his side, Link could only kick uselessly as the morpha lifted him into the air, its grip getting tighter and tighter. Ribs popped and cracked, and somewhere in his sudden rush of panic, Link realised another tentacle had torn his sword from his grip.
He heard Lutara shout his name. She tried to shoot the tentacle with her hookshot. The harpoon struck the tentacle's mass, hitting it and bursting out the other side with little effect. Link's ribs were screaming in agony - any harder and they would break. As he struggled against the creature's grip, aware that he was moments away from being crushed, Link spotted something.
There, within the mass of the morpha's tentacle, a strange red growth pulsed with energy. It was the same colour as the gem in Volvagia's neck, but this thing was round and almost seemed alive, as if it were part of the morpha.
Link had just one idea, and it was not an ideal one. Against his better judgment, he channelled Fire. A wave of nausea struck him like a blow to the stomach. Fire blossomed from his outstretched fingers, slamming into the gemstone.
Within moments, the tentacle crushing Link loosened its grip and sent him falling onto the wooden platform below. Stars danced across his vision, his momentum carrying him as he struck wood and went straight over the bridge's side. Just as it looked like he was about to fall into the morpha's surface, something tugged at his arm, and for a moment Link thought the morpha had seized him again. When he looked up, Ruto was holding his arm.
"You're not getting away from me that easily," she said with a wry smile. With some help from another Zora, she yanked him up onto the bridge. If they noticed Ruto's unqueenly decorum, they did not show it.
With a splintering crash, one of the bridges running parallel to Link's own gave way. The Zora standing on the doomed platform fell into the morpha's bulk, leaving the creature to absorb them into its gelatinous mass.
One tentacle reached for Ruto. Seeing this, Link quickly pulled her behind him. He grabbed his own hookshot, hoping to strike the pulsating gem before the creature reached him, but he wasn't able to fire the weapon in time. Instead, the beast snatched him again.
"Link!" Ruto cried out as he was lifted off the platform.
The morpha's tendril quickly coiled around his torso, giving Link no chance to struggle free. The morpha tightened its grip again, a python preparing to devour its prey, but this time Link's arms were free and he still had his hookshot. Desperate, he sought out the red pulsating gem.
Another tentacle near Link was moving towards Ruto, her guards rushing to leap between her and the monster. A flicker of movement alerted Link to another tentacle as it dipped beneath Ruto's bridge, and there within the gelatinous mass was the red gem.
Link aimed the hookshot at the crystal. It was only a few feet away from him. If he could just...
With one tight squeeze, he clenched the trigger as hard as he could. The weapon fired, slamming towards the gemstone. It struck home, and the pulsating blood-red gem was torn from the tentacle and sent slamming into the wall, shattering into tiny pieces. As it did, the morpha convulsed, and then the beast finally went limp.
Link slipped from the morpha's suffocating grip, and he fell, hitting the morpha's surface as it rapidly turned into clear water. The water demons within had already been killed, caught and suffocated within the creature's deadly embrace. The engulfed Zora were more fortunate; they were able to drag themselves onto a ramp and then clamber up to the walkways where they collapsed, utterly spent. The bodies of the demons began to disintegrate into ash, creating a murky muck on the surface of the water that resembled a soup gone horribly wrong. As the morpha died, water began to trickle out of recesses within the walls, pouring through founts that were decorated with elaborate carvings in the shape of a sea serpent's head. For a split second, Link feared it was a trap and that water would come gushing into the room, but then he noticed that none of the Zora seemed concerned and they had noticed it too. Cold and bruised from almost being crushed, he swam for a nearby ramp and clambered onto its planks. Getting up, he glanced up to see that a sizeable chunk of two of the long bridges had been demolished.
A single Zora dragged herself onto the ramp near Link. Like her exhausted brethren, she almost collapsed onto the ramp, breathing heavily.
"Are you alright?" Link asked, recognising Lutara.
Lutara nodded, gasping. "I will be fine."
Further conversation was abandoned as Ruto joined them, flanked by the remainder of her guard.
"Link, you did it," she exclaimed, looking thrilled. "You killed the morpha!"
Link then noticed that the water medallion, which Ruto had placed around her neck, was glowing. At the very same moment, he could feel a presence brush against his mind. Ruto swooned, grasping her head.
"Your Majesty, are you ill?" Lutara asked, reaching a hand towards Ruto.
Ruto brushed the offer of help away, still clutching her head, "I'm fine, it's just a headache."
"Perhaps you should rest," Lutara suggested.
"Yes," Ruto agreed. "But certainly not here. The stench is getting to me, I think... I think... Oh-"
Without further warning, Ruto sagged in a dead faint, caught only by a rather alarmed Lutara.
"Queen Ruto?" she gasped.
Link was pushed aside, almost into the water, as the Zora picked Ruto up and carried her out of the room. His heart raced, fear clutching him as he wondered if something was terribly wrong with the Zora queen.
No, Rauru wouldn't let anything happen to her now, Link thought. He'd summon her to the Sacred Realm if something was wrong.
Ruto still wore the medallion around her neck. As long as she did, Link was convinced that she would be okay.
Their hasty passage through the dimly lit corridors brought them back into the chamber where Link had fought his shadow. Link could still see the inky black pool of ichor where Dark Link had fallen.
Ruto stirred as they reached the door. When she realized that she was being carried, and with no small amount of annoyance, she insisted that she would retain her dignity and walk.
"I am quite alright," she said once she was on her feet, brushing off questions of concern with a wave. "There is no cause for alarm."
"I'm not so sure about that, Your Majesty," Grop said. Link didn't miss his distrustful glance and was tempted to return this with a glare of his own.
"Your concern is duly noted. Now if you please, I would like a word with Link, in private," Ruto said firmly. "If you would be so kind as to wait for me outside the door-" she gestured at the door opposite the statue of the Zora deity- "I will not be long."
Oh no.
That statement filled Link with dread. What was Ruto playing at?
"If you don't hear from me shortly, you can come in. Now go, before I get annoyed," Ruto said with no small amount of annoyance, her eyes fixed on Grop, who was about to protest.
Grop relented, and the Zora left, casting odd looks at Link as they filed out of the room.
"They won't like that," Ruto said, looking at the retreating Zora. She looked sideways at Link, noting the worried expression on his face. "Don't look at me like that. I wanted to talk to you alone, as a friend. I could not do that in front of the others, even in the Zoran Court, although they are much more forgiving than Hylian nobility. What did Sheik call it? 'Walking through a trap-laden temple, not knowing which step would be your downfall?'" she paused, expression thoughtful. "It was something like that. Never mind."
Bemused, Link straightened his face, noticing just how weary Ruto seemed. "I'm not sure I understand," he offered.
"I will not trouble you with it now but-" Ruto paused and sighed, "This may be one of the few chances I get to talk to you alone. When I collapsed back there... Something happened. It's difficult to describe, but it was a melding of some sort. Though, not as extreme as what you experienced when that thing took you. Some of the priests who communed with Jabu Jabu spoke of a similar experience, but I never conversed with him in that manner"
Ruto continued, not waiting for Link to respond.
"A man named Rauru, the Sage of Light, asked me to become the Sage of Water," Ruto explained. She paused to consider something and then went on, "I get the oddest feeling that I've met him before."
"Did you accept?" Link asked. Ruto's vision sounded identical to Saria and Darunia's. Did that mean she was the Sage of Water? Neither Sheik nor Navi were going to be impressed with that arrangement.
Ruto nodded. "I would do anything to protect my people... Well, maybe not anything, but by doing this, I can help stop Ganondorf."
"Why weren't you sent to the Sacred Realm?" Link asked. "That's what happened to the others."
"I asked Rauru if I could stay and explain to my people where I'm going before I depart. Simply disappearing before their eyes would have complicated matters." Ruto's eyes fell on the sapphire amulet adorning her neck. "So long as I wear this medallion, he can send me to the Sacred Realm if need be. Once I make sure my people know where I'm going, I will join the other Sages." She looked up, meeting Link's eyes with a tired smile. "At least I know Hyrule's lifeblood- the rivers that run through it- will return to their normal state and my people are safe, thanks to your efforts. When the time comes, the Zora will be ready to fight by your side."
Link wished he shared her optimism, but try as he did, he couldn't.
"It doesn't feel like there will be much of a Hyrule left when we finish," he told her sadly. The forest might be on its way to recovery, but the sight of the barren and charred village, and the lifeless lake, made him wonder if Hyrule would recover at all. Could it?
Ruto placed a hand on his shoulder, her face within inches of his own. "Hyrule has survived wars, famines, and cataclysms before and we will do so again."
"You really think so?" Link asked.
"Of course. Zelda has already summoned the other kingdoms to our aid. They are almost here now," she paused pensively, "Just like the Old Kingdom. My father would have thought the idea was absurd. All but one of the Ten Kingdoms and the races of Hyrule united? But it would seem that our dear princess has achieved just that."
"She's still alive then?" Link asked. "People keep telling me she is, but sometimes I wonder if they're just trying to spare me from the truth."
Like they think you're still a child, he thought. A child who couldn't handle that knowledge... So they insist on lying instead.
No, he told himself, I can't keep thinking like that.
"Zelda is alive," Ruto assured him, "and she cares a lot about you." She laughed, grinning ever so slightly. "I might just be jealous."
At the horrified look on Link's face, she chuckled again and then added, "That was a joke."
Link gave her a skeptical frown. "Do you know where she is?"
Ruto shook her head, becoming folorn. "Of course not. It's too dangerous for her to reveal her whereabouts. She never gives any clues in her letters."
"She has not written to me," Link said glumly, sounding childish, even to his own ears.
Ruto sighed. "She has her reasons..." she paused, considering something and then met his eyes. "Come on, we should get going before Grop breaks a fin." She laughed lightly at Link's bemused stare, glanced at the door, and then turned back to him, the merriment gone from her eyes. "Just promise me one thing, won't you?"
"What?" Link asked hesitantly, noticing how soft Ruto's voice had gone, and how serious her features had become.
"Whatever happens, don't you ever give up. Or else I'll hunt you to the deepest caverns of Hyrule if I have to."
"I won't," Link answered. "I know what's at stake."
"Good," Ruto said with a satisfied nod. "I am glad."
With that, and without another word, they left to join the other Zora.
Link was relieved to follow her away from that defiled chamber, Dark Link's blood still staining the once-blessed sanctuary. That relief, however, was short-lived. As they returned to the pool in the temple's atrium, a crowd of Zora were filing through the door, all clad in their sapphire armour. Some swore at the sight of their dead. The Zora in the lead walked up to Ruto and knelt.
"My Queen," he said, sounding nervous. "We have a problem."
What now? Link thought.
Ruto's face darkened. "What is it?"
"A small force of moblins has seized the shrine," he announced to the dismay of all. "We retreated into the ruins of the village, but they have made no attempt to pursue."
Link's heart leapt in shock.
"Navi, my fairy. Is she alright?" he asked at once.
"She is fine," the Zora answered, "She and your horse await you at the village. I do not know why the moblins didn't pursue us into the town, but it's only a matter of time before they do."
"They haven't followed," Grop answered grimly, "Because they know we have nowhere to go, except the lake."
Link's insides turned to ice as the cold realization dawned on him.
They were trapped.
Reviews
 SunPraiser31 chapter 36 . Feb 1, 2017 Hmm, all of Link's friends keep getting called to be Sages. I kinda figured Ruto would be the one, but he's not gonna have any friends left after this is he? Oh well lol. At least he doesn't have to worry about his engagement, though it seems he also has some work to do in the kissing department. And now he can leave the dreaded water temple... oh wait. No he can't. He's trapped again, naturally. Dude can never catch a break, can he? | |
   Shaveza chapter 36 . Jun 21, 2015You made Morpha terrifying. It's hard to be scared of it in game. Dark Link would've made a more dramatic in-game boss. The way you wrote your story, however, Dark Link being fought before Morpha makes perfect sense. I really love the way you connect things here. | |
 t chapter 36 . Dec 18, 2014My favorite book EVER!
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