A Note from the Author: So here we are again. I wrote this entire chapter all in one day; did I rush the publishing of this chapter too fast? I hope its speedy production doesn't take away from the quality; let me know if you feel it does, though, and I'll try to come back to it sometime this week.

Anyway, this is the sequel to Dragon's Duet, which in turn was the sequel to Phantom Destiny. Just as the previous two dealt with Darunia and Saria respectively, this story will take place during the Water Temple arc of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I've decided to put an extra twist on it, though, to keep things interesting. Unlike Dragon's Duet, you can also be sure to experience some psychological drama, though probably nothing can reach the beauty that was Phantom Destiny's.

Prepare yourself; this story's got a few twists that may or may not please you...

Zelda stuff (c) Nintendo
Oracle stuff (c) Nintendo, Capcom
Original stuff (c) Me

Part I ~ The Glacier

Snow blasted in my face as I crossed the ice-covered shallows of the lake. Everything around me was long dead. It was so sickening, and yet so surrealistic and unbelievable, that I found myself playing a game where I'd guess how long ago something succumbed to the cold. It was sick and wrong of me; and yet, it wasn't until I laid eyes on the frightening sight of two carcasses--a Zoran woman and her child--that I realized that this wasn't a dream, it wasn't some nightmare I had conquered; everything was horribly real. The question became a serious one now: when did they die?

My attention was too distracted by that question. Suddenly, I felt the snowy ground vanish from under me, and realized all too soon that one of my boots was raised above an icy cliff: the waterfall of Zora's Domain. It was too late for me to back away, and I felt myself sinking in a sort of slow motion that only contributed to that dream-like sensation. Before I knew it, all that kept me from falling to my doom in the jagged spikes below was a single hand grasping the slippery edge of the cliff. And it wasn't going to hold on for long. In moments, I would be dead, just like the hundreds and thousands of Zoras scattered around me.

-

My name is Link. You probably know my story pretty well, but let's see if I can refresh your memory a little more. For about a week and a half now, I've been traveling Hyrule on a quest to rid the kingdom from the evil rule of Ganondorf. I'd been in a coma for seven years, and immediately after waking the Hylian Light Sage Rauru commanded me to search out the other five sages within the Temples of Power. Early on in my sudden adulthood, I had had to wrestle the nightmarish grip of Phantom Ganon off of my sweetheart Saria in a rundown art museum, the Forest Temple. As chances would have it, she turned out to be the Forest Sage. Next I vanquished Ganondorf's evil influence from Lon Lon Ranch and won myself the heart of Malon Lon's horse, Epona. It was just in the nick of time, too, for the very next day the greatest geological catastrophe hit all of Hyrule: massive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, all tied to the unleashing of an imprisoned dragon named Volvagia. Volvagia kidnapped and began to devour the Gorons from within their own prison facility, the Fire Temple. With the help of Darunia, he and I teamed up and slayed the monster once and for all. Like magic, Hyrule pulled itself back together. And once again, the person I helped in the temple turned out to be a sage. Darunia was the Sage of Fire, a fitting title for him.

So I wondered, would I find the Sage of Water in the Water Temple? I had planned on visiting Lake Hylia next, but Darunia wasn't so sure it was the best idea. He sent me to Biggoron atop Death Mountain Summit, who was a good friend of King Zora and knew something I didn't about how the Zoras were doing in Zora Canyon these past seven years.

By the gods, it was awful. I didn't even believe him when I heard it; not until I saw it with my own eyes, anyway. Biggoron told me the most chilling tale--literally. The Zoras had refused to serve the new king of Hyrule, and so Ganondorf punished them by cursing the Water Temple. So, big deal, right? I mean, the Water Temple is all the way in Lake Hylia, so how could it have harmed Zora Canyon? Turns out, a vicious monster in the temple took control of the lake's water--which happened to have its source in the canyon. Just as Death Mountain's crater was the hottest place in Hyrule, the creature of the Water Temple had turned the canyon into the coldest place in Hyrule. For seven long years, Zora Canyon got colder, and colder... Until Zoras started to disappear from Hyrule. Nobody'd seen any Zoras for three whole years.

I knew what I had to do. The Water Temple could wait; but I had to see if the Zoras were okay. If they weren't... No. They had to be okay. They had King Zora and Princess Ruto to protect them. They probably went into hiding. Or maybe they went to Labyrinna, the homeland of the Zoras (or so I've heard). Either way, I had to find out.

-

It was a long way to the Zora's Domain. Considering it was supposed to be frozen over, I didn't have the luxury of using the underwater tunnel to it in the Lost Woods; I'd have to take the Zora Canyon on foot, following the Zora's River upstream until I was deep into Eastern Hyrule. It would be difficult, but it was the only way. I couldn't even take Epona this time; the canyon was too jagged for a horse. As Navi and I crossed Hyrule Field past Kakariko Valley and towards the Zora's River, I looked around for signs of any Zoras. Truth be told, I wasn't expecting to see any; but perhaps if I could find one, they'd know if the others were okay...

At last we arrived at the canyon entrance. Two great landmarks stood before us: the Star Belt Mountains on one side, Thorned Fairy Mountain on the other. In between the two mountains was a long, winding gorge dug out by the river long ago. A rickety wooden sign stood near the gorge entrance, telling passer-by that it was that way to Zora's Domain. Looking into the immediate entrance to the canyon, things didn't look all that bad; but as Navi quickly pointed out, there was snow on the mountains farther away, even though they were far shorter than Death Mountain. It looked utterly lifeless over there. I knew from past experience that I had at least four days of traveling before I'd reach Zora's Domain; before braving the impending cold, I thought it might be a good idea to stop at Lon Lon Ranch for some food to take along for the road.

The first few miles were a big wave of nostalgia for me. I passed the ruins of an old gatehouse not in use even seven years ago, where all those years ago I met the owl Kaepora Gaebora and first learned about the dangers in the canyon ahead. Not much further up the Zora's River, I found the spot where a man used to sell Magic Beans. I never bought any, but they looked interesting. I had learned early on in life not to buy stuff just because it looks cool; Mido used to scam me all the time. He used to scam everybody; well, except Saria. The bean salesman was long gone, though, so I continued upstream until I came to the first roadblock.

I was completely familiar with it; seven years ago it had me stumped for a good three hours. A big fence blocked me from progressing any farther; on the other hand, the road on the other side of the river was clear of obstacles. The bean salesman had said that the only way to cross was by using my resources. That had me confused for a while, until Navi finally became fed up with me and told me I could hang on to a Cuckoo and fly across. There weren't any Cuckoos in Zora Canyon now; not that I could see, anyway. But that didn't matter; seven years ago the river would have swept me up, but I was tall enough and strong enough now that I could press against the current and walk across the river on foot. That's exactly what I did.

I pulled my boots and socks off and rolled up my leggings, thinking I'd just push across the water and not get soggy footwear. But the moment I put my bare feet in the water I screamed in distress. "NAVI!" I cried. "THIS IS THE COLDEST WATER EVERRRR!" The water's temperature was so cold that it hurt. I stamped across the river as fast as my feet would carry me, and struggled to get my footwear back on. "I'm NOT doing that again!" I stated firmly. At least I was on the other side now... But I'd never experienced contact with anything so cold. It was un-naturally cold. And to make matters more agitating, it felt slimy as I wiped it off my feet. My feet felt almost soapy and slippery when I got my socks and boots back on.

"Got cold feet?" Navi giggled, observing my plight.

"This isn't funny, Navi!" I scolded. "There's something really weird about this river; it's almost like its...more than just water. Freezing water, that is."

"Just wait," the fairy sighed. "We haven't even reached the snow yet."

It was evening when I stopped at the pond where I played songs for a bunch of frogs. They were long gone too. With the exception of a bit of riverside plant life, in fact, there seemed to be little to no life in the canyon at all. No birds, no fish, not even any mosquitoes. We were all alone: just Navi, the freaky slime water, and I.

I dug in the sack Malon gave us and pulled out a bottle of Lon Lon Milk, a few crackers, and a wedge of Lon Lon Cheese. "Hungry, Navi?" I asked cheerfully, eager to grab a bite to eat on such a chilly evening. The wind was awfully cold for the summer, I thought. "I'll bet it's your fault," I scolded the water, as Navi landed on a tree stump.

"Link, quit talking to the water. Let's eat!" she chimed. I nodded happily and used my sword to clumsily cut the cheese into individual slices. I put a slice on a cracker and set it down next to Navi, and then made a little cheese-and-cracker sandwich for myself. Navi munched on her cracker voraciously; she hadn't had much to eat lately. Considering her size, however, it looked a lot more like she was taking little nibbles, which was, quite frankly, the cutest thing I'd ever seen. Laying down beside the tree stump, I watched her as I ate my own combination of crackers and cheese, and we ate in silence until all the crackers were gone.

Once we were done eating we both stretched and rested our heads on the ground and stump respectively. "Good night, Navi," I whispered. "See you in the morning."

"Good night, Link," she replied. "Have a good sleep."

"Good night, creepy water!" I yelled suddenly. Navi wasn't very pleased with me, but in the end we just laughed ourselves to sleep. With all the excitement we'd had lately, it was nice to just be able to laugh and play. I'd almost forgotten how it felt like. That night, I dreamed happy dreams of busy Gorons harvesting Bomb Flowers while Navi, Saria, and I, a child once again, ran through a field of flowers. We briefly passed Mido, but before he could scold us Darunia gave him a big Goron Hug--an experience which I don't wish to repeat.

The following day brought us a new setting, different than one I'd ever experienced in all my adventuring. As we started uphill, following the Zora's River as it turned into quick rapids, it lightly began to snow. We gasped and remarked in awe about it, and started trying to catch it in our tongues, but soon found the snow felt slimy to our tongues and abruptly ceased the activity. I could hear the river rapids laughing at us; Navi said it was just splashing I was hearing, but I wasn't so sure.

By the time the sun began to set, I almost considered the river a member of our troupe. For the second day in a row, I was able to play, imagine, explore, and just have fun. I felt like I was a kid again--well, I always felt like I was a kid, but you know what I mean. Navi and I sang and danced in the wintry breeze, and whenever we felt something really slimy we just attributed it to the river and carried on. The river would sometimes seem to babble along with Navi as she recounted some Kokiri folk tale, while other times it would laugh with me when Navi flew accidentally into a tree. That night we ate vegetable sandwiches.

The third day we found ourselves in the snow. Our progress slowed, and it became harder to keep walking for long periods of time. Our mood was solemn and quiet, and as I trudged through the snow Navi started listening for any signs of Ganondorf's evil. The snow was a constant frustration to me; it clung to my Kokiri Tunic (the Goron Tunic was far too cool for this sort of weather), it fell into my eyes sometimes, it packed in layers onto my boots, and it was so darn deep sometimes that my whole leg got stuck in a pile of snow once. Navi didn't have it easy either; she had to constantly dodge falling clumps of snowflakes.

That night we camped in a small cave that was sheltered from the snow. The next night we'd arrive at Zora's Domain. On the entire trip I hadn't seen one single Zora, and I was beginning to get worried. Navi was just as troubled. As she and I munched on more sandwiches, we fondly remembered the memories we had shared for the past few days, and grudgingly recalled what we might witness tomorrow. When we were done eating and we laid down to sleep, none of us said a word.

Navi's shriek startled me awake the next morning. "Link!" she cried. "Watch out!" I jumped to my feet and twirled around to face the beast she was warning me about. I nearly jumped a mile high when I saw a Giant Skulltula standing right behind where I had rested my head. There was something odd about it, though: it didn't move.

"Navi," I gasped, "I think it's frozen! For how long, I wonder?" Poking it proved my theory correct. This cave had probably been its home, until the winter cold proved too much for it. "It's a shame," I sighed. "I don't really know if I should pity it or be glad I'm alive!"

Our fourth day in the canyon was a very unpleasant one. The river finally left us, ducking under a thick sheet of ice as the snow just got thicker and thicker. I could see a giant frozen waterfall in the distance: the entrance to Zora's Domain, the capitol city of the Hylian Zoras. We had to climb rocky catwalks carved by the river eons ago, and they were icy and very slippery. If I made a single move that was uncontrolled, I'd slip and fall to my doom in the sharp stalagmites that towered out of the frozen river.

As we grew closer to Zora's Domain, we found ourselves in an almost-blinding blizzard. The visibility took a turn for the worse, and I had to shield my eyes from the soapy snow that pounded on us. Navi took shelter in my hat, no longer capable of dodging snowflakes. Through the blizzard, I could see ghostly apparitions in the distance. They looked almost like people, except they were featureless and shiny like ice. I prayed to the gods that they were statues erected while I was in my coma. I made slow progress, not willing to risk a fatal descent, and didn't reach the waterfall until the dead of night. The snow glowed in the darkness like a great phantom. I was able to keep moving only because I figured out that wherever I didn't see the "phantom" was somewhere without snow, such as a stalagmite looming below.

The waterfall was as hard as a rock, but for whatever reason the tunnel leading into the Zora's Domain was wide open. I took the time to look around in case of trouble, and then jumped across a small gap and into the tunnel.

-

For a brief sliver of a second, I felt like I was back in the Forest Temple. I don't really understand why, but I did. Perhaps it was the sudden awareness of lingering death, or maybe it was the ghost-like figures, or perhaps it was the statues everywhere, such a great work of art that they were almost real. But then reality arrived, and brought with it a sight so horrific that nothing I had experienced prior had even come close to the tragedy.

Zora's Domain was a sort of luxurious resort for the aristocratic Zoras to thrive in. It had two major parts: the Royal Domain, a cavern with a natural lake and waterfall that housed all the residential condos, and the Hot Spring Cavern, a cavern above the canyon that boasted warm, refreshing hot springs for stiff business Zoras to kick back and relax in. For Zoras, the Zora's Domain was a popular vacation spot for those who could afford it; even Zoras from Labyrinna liked to visit once in a while. The Royal Domain was also the home of the Hylian Zora Royal Family--namely, King Zora and his daughter, Princess Ruto. I had almost forgotten about them and their eccentricities, but had been looking forward to seeing them all the same.

Zoras themselves were a fish-like race that hailed ultimately from the kingdom of Labyrinna. They were a dignified people who were at one time hired by the Hylian Royal Family to protect the waterways of Hyrule. I assume they lost that job when Ganon took over. Seven years ago, I had traveled to Zora's Domain in search of the Zora Sapphire; this search eventually found me struggling to get out of the belly of a giant fish, the God of Water Jabu-Jabu. Within Jabu-Jabu I met the missing Princess Ruto, and together we defeated the parasite Ganondorf had planted in Jabu-Jabu's stomach. That was the last I had seen of the Zoras...until now.

As Navi and I stepped into the Royal Domain, our jaws dropped in horror. Everywhere we looked there were Zoras; big ones, little ones, old ones, baby ones. Some looked happy and delighted; others look scared and terrified. Some were in the water playing, others were on the shores running. Some of the women were beautiful, even though a few others weren't. But there was something they all had in common: they were all completely silent. As Navi and I stood there in awe, the only sound apart from our own breathing was the wind's howl resonating through the spacious cavern. Each and every single Zora in the domain was frozen solid in a rock-hard layer of ice. Icicles hung from the cavern's roof. All the water, even the waterfall, was an impenetrable ice.

I broke into a run, Navi trailing behind in a stupor. I checked everybody. Every single Zora, whether they were tiny babies or old ladies. They were all frozen statues, devoid of the slightest warmth of life. I wouldn't have to melt the ice to know the verdict: they were all stone dead. Zora's Domain was no longer a resort; it was a tomb.

I cupped my hands around my mouth and broke the silence. "Ruto? King Zora!? Is anybody here!?" I screamed. The only answer to my calls was the haunting echo of my own voice. I... I couldn't believe it. This had to be a dream--a nightmare! It had to be. There was no way every Zora could be... "King Zora!? KING ZOOORAAA!!!! Where aaaaare yoooooou!?" Wait... The Royal Chambers!

I didn't care if I slipped on the ice. So what if I got a scab? I had to know if the Zora King was still alive. I ran as fast as I could up a steep tunnel and into King Zora's throne room. A massive figure sat on a throne of silver, but he did not move. "King Zora?" I panted, out of breath from the steep incline. A corpulent Zora sat with great dignity atop the throne, but he was surrounded on all sides by a strange sort of red-colored ice. "No..." I shuffled up the steps to the side leading to the top of his throne. I felt the blood-red ice. There was a faint warmth, almost gone, but it was there. "Navi, King Zora's alive! Barely, but he's alive!" I was almost crying. "How...? We've got to thaw him!"

Navi shook her head with dismay. "No, Link, we can't. That's Red Ice."

I looked at her incredulously. "So?"

"Link, Red Ice can only be melted by Blue Fire; not really hot fire, but a special kind of fire that feels cold to the touch."

"Where can we find Blue Fire?"

"There might be some in the Hot Springs. They're in that cave near the Zora's Fountain, remember?" I nodded. Zora's Fountain was the source of the Zora's River, and rested high atop the canyon and Zora's Domain. It was the sacred home of Lord Jabu-Jabu, almost like the Great Deku Tree's Meadow back home. The entrance to the lake was just behind the throne, and I wasted little time in running to it. There was a massive cavern there that was too high up for me to reach as a kid, but I might be able to reach it as an adult...

I took a step back in intimidation as we burst back out into the blizzard. "Navi," I yelled over the howling wind, "I think the fountain's seen better days!" Lord Jabu-Jabu was nowhere to be found--hopefully, the god had left before things got too bad--but in his place were large ice floes and icebergs. The lake wasn't completely iced over, but the water looked like the same eerie stuff that was forming the river. Like the domain, the fountain was scattered with frozen-but-surely-dead Zoras. They looked like they had all frozen at different points in time. Some froze before they noticed anything was wrong. Others became statues running around trying to save their friends. It was almost like reading one of the picture books Fado always made, except I was really in one of the pictures. I walked around almost in a trance, wondering if indeed this was some sick dream.

Then I saw two particular Zoras, frozen in mid-action like all the rest. One was a woman about ten years older than Malon and I. The other was a young hatchling Zora, lacking any limbs at all. I inferred that they were mother and child. The mother was clutching her child defensively, but a look of shock and disbelief covered her face. Her baby was crying, eyes full of fear for both it and its mother. On closer inspection, there was a hole in the mother's side; she had been stabbed and froze immediately afterward. What really disturbed me was the shape of the hole; I had learned from the Know-It-All Brothers that every sword leaves a different mark when it stabs something. Even from a distance, still walking, the sword marks were so familiar that I could identify them from where I was without a hint of doubt. The sword that killed her was mine.

Suddenly the ground pulled out from under me and I realized all too late that I had almost walked straight off the domain's waterfall and fell down into Zora's River's stalagmites. Gravity dragged me forward, and I just barely managed to grab the rounded edge of the waterfall with my hand. All the same, I knew that in a few seconds my fingers would slip and I'd fall to my death. Navi screamed for help, but it was no use. I knew nobody was going to save me.

A Note from the Author: Stay tuned--big plot twists coming up in the next chapter. Hope that wasn't too much of a spoiler already. Wrote most of this while listening to Tomb Raider Legend music, though everything after he entered Zora's Domain was to the tune of ZREO's re-orchestration of the Temple of Droplets, which I hope to integrate into this story somehow.

Please write reviews before you go! I really appreciate every review I get, and they're what keeps me going when the story gets rough!