Against All Tides
Prologue: A Sinking Feeling
The first time I saw the beauty of Lake Hylia, I was only six years old. Seeing the sunrays reflecting off of the surface of that pristine blue water instantly took my breath away. My parents and I were going on a picnic that day for the first time since they were finally able to get time away from their work. My father was the blacksmith of Kakariko Village where we lived and my mother was a seamstress. They were always busy with orders to fill.
"Stella, do not stray afar and stay away from the deep waters of the lake." Mother warned with a stern gaze.
"Yes mother," I replied with an enthusiastic nod, earning a chuckle from her.
"Elaine, let the poor child go and play; she will be fine." Father said after retrieving all our things from the horses.
Mother turned to face him and reasoned, "This is a big lake, Harold, and she does not know how to swim. I am only worried for her safety."
Coming over and kissing mother's forehead, he replied, "I know, darling, but let her have some fun."
"I promise to be careful, mother," I plead with her impatiently.
She smiles softly at me, "Oh alright, but only if you are careful."
Squealing with delight, I scurried off toward the lake in excitement. The wind caressed my tan face as it whipped through my golden brown hair. Reaching the lakes edge, I began to admire the colorful flowers. A splash of water drew my attention away from the flowers and to the rippling water. Cautiously I peered over the edge where the ripples danced on the surface of the water. A white figure moved under the water but it was too fast for me to see.
As my curiousity got the best of me, I leaned closer to the shimmering blue lakefor a better look. Suddenly, the ground beneath my feet gave away and I plunged into the icy cold depths of Lake Hylia. My heart began to race as I flailed my arms around in an attempt to swim. But it was no use, my body only sank deeper to the bottom and my lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen. Black spots obscurred my vision and bubbles escaped my mouth in one last cry for help.
As fear and darkness consumed me, a figure appeared before me. At first it looked human, but their skin was snow white with blue spots. Then I noticed the fins on various places of their body. They had piercing charcoal grey eyes that stared into my pleading emerald eyes before my vision went dark and I slipped into a dreamless sleep.
Later I woke up in my warm bed wrapped up in blankets with mother sitting in a chair at my bedside. Then I remembered what happened earlier that day and I began to weep. Mother instantly woke up and wrapped her loving arms around me in comfort. Father heard my crying and came into my room rushing to my side. After I stopped crying, mother went into the kitchen to fix some soup.
Father began to ask what had happened and I told him everything, even about the white figure. He tensed up immediately and looked straight into my eyes, "What you saw was a dangerous being known as a Zora and you must never go near one or the lake for that matter." In my heart I knew that wasn't true because I was sure that Zora had saved my life.
After that day, we never went to Lake Hylia again. Until I was sixteen years old when the greatest challenge of my life began to unfold.
SailorSunstar: Hey readers, I hope you enjoyed the first installment of my very first story. I know it was short but I promise future chapters will be much longer. The next chapter will be up within a week. Thank you for reading and please leave a review.