For days now Link was running around in the Water Temple and honestly, he was quite exasperated by now. While the Fire Temple was seriously smothering, it wasn't really a challenge. Sure he ran around, freeing Gorons all over the place and the Torch Slugs and Red Bubbles were such a pain, but all in all the whole temple was straight forward. The same with the Forest Temple. In both he found himself in battle with the boss within the first day.
But the Water Temple was an entirely different thing. It sure honored the Goddess Nayru, which favored obviously the virtue of wisdom. The whole place was one big riddle and Link realized that solving puzzles wasn't one of his stronger traits. Normally he would run ahead, slaughter every monster that crossed his path and save the day. But until now, the chests with the keys were placed strategically close to the associated doors and the other mechanisms were quite easy to figure out once you set your mind on it. He sure wasn't stupid.
His real problem were the changeable water levels. Depending on the level he could reach different chambers, but no key he found could be used on the same level. So he had to change it again. Once on another floor there could be a door the key fits into. Then he will definitely be faced with a new riddle or mechanism or monster he never saw before. While standing on ground he could dispose of most with only the Master Sword, but being underwater he was also faced with the fact that he needed unbelievably much more force to swing his sword because of the water pressure and he still wasn't fast enough to kill the Shell Blades.
Not to mention he was soaked the whole time and he thought he would definitely get a cold.
Now though, halfway through the second day he was running low on food and patience alike, so he took rest at the entrance and pondered his situation. Should he head out for something edible? The professor at the Lake Side Laboratory surely would help him to a warm meal. Or should he head back one last time into the depths of the temple in hope of acquiring the Water Medallion.
"What do you think, Navi?" he asked the fairy that was perched on top of his head, while he devoured his last apple.
"...I'm not sure." she answered after a moment. Then she took off, circling around Link. "The temple sure is confusing. I can't really say how close we got to the boss."
Link sighed and fell back to stretch his arms and legs out on the floor. "We've been here for nearly two days, I think. It can't possibly take that long to traverse the temple."
"Hm..." Navi hummed in thought. "Maybe we overlooked something. We should head back in one last time." She earned a groan from her friend for that.
"Oh, come on! You took care of most monsters, so we won't be bothered. We just take one last look then we return for the day, okay?"
The hylian sat up again, his eyes staring into hers, or where he thought her eyes were. After seconds, he hung his head and heaved a sigh.
"Okay. You win." he said while standing up and reequipping his gear. "Where do you want to start?"
"Well, we gave up in the corridor with elevators in the water falls. We needed a second key after crossing. We haven't yet found another."
"So, you mean to say, we revisit every corridor and room we've been before?"
"Have you a better idea? Your guess is as good as mine."
Link drew up the mask attached to the Zora's tunic, so he was able to breathe underwater. Then he equipped his boots with the iron soles and went off the ledge and into the water of the main chamber. The surface was currently on the second level, so he dived effortlessly into the water and sunk down to the first level. Navi swam ahead in hopes of spotting something they missed earlier. The hero followed her more slowly. They circled the pillar in the center to the right side of the temple and took the first corridor they came to.
'Here we've met Ruto again.' Link thought with a shudder. He couldn't get what her deal was. She was plain annoying and didn't even notice it. His gaze followed Navi who was drifting around the room and then up. 'Obviously the only way you can go.' He took off the soles again and stuffed them into his pouch which magically didn't get heavier regardless of what he put into it.
He resurfaced on the next floor and climbed onto the ledge. "Seems like a dead end. We can only get farther, if we raise the water further." he mused while looking around, then he turned to his companion that was examining the wall in the back of the room.
"I don't know. Why should there be a ledge when all you can do is turning back again?" she answered after a while. "Look at that patch of stone here. Don't you think it looks strange?"
Link stepped closer to where she was hovering at the center of said wall. Reaching out to sweep his hand over it he too noticed that the surface of the stone was different from the other walls in the temple. Rougher and somehow less well built. Where he touched crumbs of stone flaked off like old paint. But the walls weren't painted and if they were at some point the water would've washed it off a long time ago.
"Get back, Navi." Link told the fairy and stepped away himself.
Navi flew to her friend and hovered over his shoulder. "What do you have in mind?"
Link didn't respond at once, instead he rummaged in his adventure pouch. After a moment he extracted a bomb and flint. "Get into the water." he told her and lit the fuse. She zoomed off under the surface while he set the bomb down in front of the crumbling wall, then he jumped down into the water himself.
They waited there until the device went off with a loud boom. Rubble and splitters of stone were hitting the surface and drifting down to the lower level. When the coast was clear, the two resurfaced again and were faced with a great hole where the wall used to be. Behind a cloud of dust that was slowly setting emerged another room.
The two exchanged a look and climbed out of the water, though Navi was clinging to her friend's collar. They entered the new chamber slowly, watching out for rubble and other tripping hazards, and found at last another chest.
"Navi, do you see that?" Link asked the fairy breathlessly.
She nodded. "Yup, that was surprisingly easy." the fairy dead-panned.
Link knelt down in front of the chest while Navi settled down on his left shoulder. He threw her a last glance then he reached for the lid and lifted it off. Both leaned over to look inside... And stared a few seconds longer at the content. Exchanging a look Link reached into the chest to extract what was inside.
"What the hell is that?" Link asked. Nestled in his hand was an egg. It had roughly the size of his fist and was colored strangely. It wasn't white or brown or speckled like the ones he knew of. Instead it was a bright yellow and was circled with green stripes with pink dots in between.
Navi hopped from his shoulder down to perch on top of the egg, holding her pointer finger up in a lecturing manner and said. "That, my dear, is what the Humans refer to as an Easter egg."
The hero looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to elaborate.
"Uh, well... The humans celebrate the arriving of spring with coloring eggs and presenting them to their family and loved ones." the fairy tried to explain.
Link inspected the egg once more. "Huh, and what does it do down here?"
"I don't have the slightest idea." Navi responded. She flew to the chest to look for anything else that could lie inside, but she found nothing. "Maybe we should really return to the laboratory and take a break." the fairy said dejectedly. She dropped down unceremoniously onto the lock to sulk.
Link sighed and stood up still clutching the egg in his hand. "Well, here goes nothing. Lets head back." he turned and was about to stuff the egg into his pouch when it slipped out of his still wet hand.
Navi startled and fell backwards into the chest with a yelp while Link froze. The egg of course smashed on the ground. The fairy climbed out of the wooden box and took to hovering instead.
"Perfect. I do hope we didn't need that in the temple." Navi commented dryly.
"Nah, what use could it possibly have?" the hylian replied. He shrugged and turned to leave the room. Navi hovered a moment longer over the ruined egg, then she followed her companion. But right when she left, there was a flash in the corner of her eye. She stopped and turned back. There, between the pieces of shell was something metallic that reflected her glow. Another key.
"Link! Come back!"
The boy stopped and looked over his shoulder. "What is it?"
"Just come!" the fairy answered, frantically circling the broken egg. So Link came back and knelt down next to the pieces.
"That's a key!" he shouted and picked it up. "Finally."
"Yup! Let's get back to that waterfall and finish this temple!" The fairy bobbed up and down excitedly.
"Okay." Link chuckled and pocketed the key. Both fairy and hero turned again to leave the room, this time for good. "Navi, why do you think the key was inside the egg?"
"No idea. It isn't really time for celebrating. Who knows?" the fairy answered.
With a last look over their shoulders the jumped off the ledge and sunk down to resume their quest.