She stood at the circle of stones only barely topped by water. Her feet placed perfectly in the center, she surveyed the area around her. It had been six years since he had come and taken the Zora Sapphire. She still believed in him. She loved him after all. He had stolen her hear at such a young age. He had helped her, despite her abuse, without cringing. He had put himself in harm's way to help her. Age had matured her since then, as it had done with her feelings for him. She had become less focused on herself, but he had become an obsession with her to the point of death.
It had been six years, but that was a painfully long time. Longer still with the events that had occurred since then. They royal family her people served, the ones that heard the goddesses, they had been killed. Their child had fled the land and was presumed dead in a foreign country. Her caretaker had returned, only to take charge of a village nearby and vanish from sight. There were rumors of the patron of the forest south being slain and the sacred woods defiled by monsters. The thieves in the west were damning all in their hellish actions. So many innocents had died, including some of her people.
Then there was what had occurred last month. Her hear seared with pain at the thought. He had come. The man at the center of this nest of evil. He had come as he had five years ago. This time he asked for nothing. Anyone in his way was killed. Her father was lucky to have survive. She had been offering their guardian, Jabu Jabu, food. He had strode in, killed her body guard, and shoved her aside. From the ground she had watched him kill the larger fish. The name filled her with dread, Ganondorf.
With a shiver, she sat down near a ledge that led deeper under the surface of the water. Her legs were covered by the water. She wore a light garb to hide her body's maturation, but nothing to hinder her ability to swim. She shivered again and frowned decidedly in confusion. She shivered again and stood. Instead of cooling by having been coated in warm water, her legs regained heat. She looked at the water and bent, plunging her hand, and arm up to her shoulder, under. She became even more frigid then before. She was confused, this was the wrong season for the waters to cool, and was occurring faster then it should.
"Winter coming soon, Princess?" a male Zora asked as he walked up to her from behind.
She turned to him, "Coming, yes. Now? No."
He smiled at her. "I see, but this is a welcome change."
She returned his expression without humor. She had told none of Lord Jabu Jabu's demise. No one ever entered without her consent. She had said that the bodyguards with her had fought Ganondorf. They had been killed, but had forced the man to leave. A deceit, but it was necessary for her people's confidence.
To the others, the cooler waters would be welcome in this hot season. She would be grateful herself, but fear gripped her instead. She was afraid that Ganondorf's actions had caused this. They relied on Jabu Jabu to keep the waters that came down from the mountains warm so that it could help life in Hyrule survive. Without their guardian's help, the waters could freeze in the winter and flood Hyrule in the Spring. She looked at the Zora as he moved.
He continued to smile as he bowed and said, "Please excuse me, Princess."
She nodded and the Zora left. He returned tot eh shop in a small alcove that he owned. He provided many supplies that the Zora needed, that were now dwindling. She turned and looked back at the main hall from which all water in Hyrule flowed. Her eyes widened.
Zora were trying to swim up to the surface, but were comically being held down, as if by an invisible force. The level had risen dramatically. She didn't understand what was happening. She thought that the figure in front of her might have something to do with it. Water rippled from his feet and red eyes shaded by blonde hair stared fiercely at her.
"What are you doing here?" She demanded angrily.
His response was nothing. She stared at him and was about to speak again when he walked towards her. She stood her ground and glowered at him. Suddenly, he had vanished from her vision. She also realized she was pressed against a wall, above and well away from the water. There was a pressure against her ribs. She looked down and saw that his left arm was forcing her against the wall. His right fist was pressed flat on the wall, eyes focused on the wall he face. He was holding her above him. She yelled for help, but no one came. She thrashed and struck him, but he would not let go. After a minute of abuse, he looked up at her. His look was so pitying, that her anger was quelled.
"Calm down," his voice was muffled by the thick scarf around his mouth and most his face. It was attached tot eh white over shirt he wore. "Ganondorf is freezing everyone and everything here. I'm saving you."
She was frozen by the calm sound of his voice. She watched in horror for the next several minutes as the waters froze, trapping the Zora inside. Ice grew from the entrance to the alcove, freezing the shop keep inside. The waterfall froze over. Snowflakes began to drift from the frosty ceiling, a hundred feet above them. Through the entire process, she remained silent, quivering with unrestrained sobs.
Only after ten horrid minutes had passed was she allowed to move. A sudden chill overwhelmed her as her feet contacted the ground. She looked at the floor; it was singed in a thin line, which flowed onto the wall in a circular shape. She looked at the man where he stood examining her. She realized that he must have used magic to save her. Numbly, she made her way up the winding pathway to the throne. Seated tot eh side was her father, completely frozen over. She made her way to Jabu Jabu's chamber. IT was snowing from the direction of the mountains. The water here was ice cold, but unfrozen. She collapsed to her knees, weight of her situation sinking in. Tears flowed from her eyes and sobs escaped from her mouth unbidden.
There was a gentle weight on her shoulder. She looked up and saw that he had knelt next to her, his left hand on her shoulder and right elbow on his thigh. His fingers were bandaged, as were his forearms and chest. She wondered if they were due to extensive injuries. He remained silent and she continued to cry. He refused to let her lean on him, but his hand keep her aright. After three minutes she looked at him, eyes still watering.
He looked at her. Even though she couldn't see anything below his eyes, their apologetic expression was enough for her. "Have you seen enough?"
She nodded. He sighed and turned his back to her, knelt on the ground as if to run. He looked over his shoulder to her. "Climb on, then."
She carefully moved onto his back, unsure if he could support her weight. Trying not to embarrass him, she wound her legs around his abdomen. For balance, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He stood carefully and seemed to throw something at the ground. There was a blinding flash of light. When she could see again, they were in front of Lake Hylia. The lake was usually quite and unaffected by storms. There was an island in the middle of the lake, connected to the shore by two bridges. There was a forest around the edges of the lake too thick to traverse through.
There was a powerful wind ripping through the air. Water lurched from the lake, drenching the shore for a hundred yards in gigantic waves. The water bent the trees, which protested in large groans. The waves and wind seemed to come from the island in the center of the lake.
He made a noise that sounded like a guttural curse. She looked confused and was about to open her mouth to speak when he lurched forwards into a sprint. As a wave came crashing down upon them, he jumped upwards above the water. He landed on the back of the wave and slid down it with his feet. As another wave came towards them, he leapt forward, only halfway down the first and repeated the process. He treated the third wave the same as well as the fourth.
Then they were on island, in the eye of the storm. He let her down on the white marble triangular platform that depicted the Triforce in black. He then collapsed on bended knee, panting heavily. She took the moment to examine him. His outfit was a variety of blues sewn into one skintight suit that only ended somewhere under his scarf and transitioned into a covering on the back of his hand. She could see how well toned his body was. The over shirt was slightly looser. His back was to her. He lifted up a hand and pulled down the scarf, spitting out a small bit of blood. She moved to get in front of him and look at his face, but he moved in a series of jumps to the top of the tree that grew on the island, perching in a branch, facing her with his scarf back in a place.
"Mysterious," she called out to him. He only furrowed his eyebrows and pulled out a lute that had been on his back. He plucked several notes, repeating five many times. The melody haunted the back of her mind. Lyrics came to her.
"Do you want me to sing that?"
He nodded, "It will quiet the monster causing this curse, which resides in the Water Temple below us." His quiet voice sliced through the air.
She looked down and then back up at him. "What will happen?" She screamed over the roaring wind.
"It will stop the storm. Just sing the song."
She looked at him and then nodded. She raised her voice up and sang the verses that came to her. When she was finished the storm quieted and the waters stopped. The waterline receded until there was only a small pool of water at the base of the island in a small hole in the ground.
He jumped down and landed next to her. She looked him in the eye.
"Why did you save me?"
"When Link returns he'll need your help to stop Ganondorf."
"He will?" She asked.
He nodded at her. "Yes. You need to meet him in the Water Temple, however."
"When will he return?"
"Soon. Do you want me to get you in there now, or later?"
"There's no reason to delay, my people are frozen along with my father. If I can help Link destroy Ganondorf for what he did, then I'll do what it takes."
"How noble," he replied vaguely. "It's dangerous, are you sure?"
"Yes. I am."
He nodded and waved over the edge of the island. "Jump into the water. I'll open the temple and lock you inside." She turned back to him after looking at the pool of water.
"What should I do?"
"Acquaint yourself with the temple. Find out as much as you can about it. Don't die."
She nodded and moved to leap off the edge. She stopped as a thought hit her and she turned back to him. "What's your name?"
"Sheik. No go. Before Ganondorf sees us."
"Very well, Sheik." She turned and jumped down.
Yes, I did not like Ruto that much, but I sat down and thought long and hard about what it must have been like for this even, and how Sheik rescued her. And I thought that it might be interesting to write.