"One day, I would like to see the world."
Her mother smiled. The princess had always been a bright girl with a wide-eyed amazement of everything there was to learn. Still, this was a fairly grown-up statement from a girl her age.
"You would, would you? When you're a bit older, perhaps. The world is a big place for a little girl, after all. It's a big place for big girls too, but you'll be big yourself then, so it will be a bit safer."
The princess pulled a large book off of the shelf, opening the pages to see illustrations of the widely varied people in the lands around that which her parents ruled.
"I think I should become a big girl quicker, then. If I'm ever to meet all these people, I will need all the time I can get."
Her eyes passed over the illustrations as she fantasized her adventures across the world. She could see herself swimming with the Zora, climbing mountains with Gorons, gliding on makeshift wings alongside the Rito in flight, and sailing across the desert sands with the Gerudo women.
"Is our world the only one, Mother?"
The queen was surprised by this question. Truth be told, it was a question that she could not answer.
"I don't know, dear. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. What's got you thinking about other worlds all of a sudden?"
The princess was hesitant to answer, but she knew that her mother would never look down on her for being inquisitive. It was one of her best qualities, she always said, that she had a mind eager for knowledge. Had she not been royalty, she would make an excellent scholar. Or perhaps one could be both?
"I've just seen so many references to other worlds in the historical books to other worlds, so I wasn't sure if they were real or just stories that ancient people made up."
She sighed wistfully.
"Maybe there are other worlds. I'd like to see them too."
It was early in the morning when Link and Ganondorf made their leave. Zelda had sent them off with provisions for the road, and once they had left, she began to prepare for her own departure. She of course had a valiant steed of her own, a brilliant white stallion by the name of Victorious, whom she knew had it in him to carry her and whatever supplies she might need on her journey to Zora's Domain. He was fitted with a more practical variant of the royal riding gear, as in all honesty all of that regalia was mostly style over substance. Likewise, Zelda had changed her own outfit for something more practical, a pair of riding pants as opposed to the flowing skirt of the dress she had been wearing.
Her preparations complete, Zelda climbed onto Victorious' back and stroked his neck. "You all set to go, Vic?" she asked softly. Victorious responded with a snort of approval. She lightly snapped the reins and set him off on a trot. They had only barely gotten out of the stable when Zelda saw Impa standing just outside its door. "Oh, um...good morning, Impa!" Zelda nervously stammered out.
"Taking Victorious out for a morning ride?" Impa asked.
"Yes, exactly!" Zelda said with a bit too much forced enthusiasm. "We haven't been out together for a while, you see, and I figured he could use some fresh air and space to stretch his legs."
Impa's eyebrow raised in suspicion, almost instinctually. "And this 'fresh air' and 'space' can only be found somewhere that necessitates a few days' worth of supplies and a weapon to reach?"
Zelda sighed. "Nothing gets past you, I see, as usual," she said.
"So where are you actually going?"
"Zora's Domain," Zelda told her. "I'm heading there to retrieve the Amulet of Wisdom. Plus, a visit to meet the new Zora queen would be a nice bonus, don't you think?"
"I would strongly advise against this spontaneous course of action," Impa said sternly. "As the soon-to-be-crowned queen of Hyrule, the people need you safe and unharmed."
"Don't do this to me, Impa," Zelda said with an indignant sigh. "I'm a grown woman, not a little princess who needs constant protection. I can handle things just fine, and there's no better time to prove that then now."
"Yes, but as a leader, you need to make rational decisions. You can't go off on your own flights of fancy just to prove you can." Impa's harsh gaze then softened into a knowing smile. "I'm not trying to stop you. I'm just saying that it's dangerous to go alone." Zelda beamed. She knew exactly what Impa meant by that.
Soon enough, Zelda and Impa had set off from the castle. The sun shone bright in the sky overhead, mirroring Zelda's optimistic feelings at present. "I do hope this goes smoothly," Zelda said. "I'd hate for my request of the amulet to make relations with the Zora people go sour."
"You did explain the entirety of your plan to Link and Ganondorf, right?" Impa asked. "So they'll know what to do on their end?"
Zelda hesitated. "The truth is...I left out some details. I didn't want to upset them with a certain part of it."
"It's not a good idea to hide important details from your allies," Impa said.
"I know, but..." Zelda sighed. "It's about Ganondorf. No, that's not entirely true, rather it's about his namesake. In one of my dreams telling of the darkness, I saw a man that looked like an older Ganondorf. He was surveying a ravaged Hyrule with what I can only describe as sadistic delight, gloating over the destruction before he turned into a massive beast."
"Ganon."
"I was worried that Ganondorf would take this as a sign that I did not trust him, at least on a subconscious level," Zelda said. "I didn't want to cause him to become upset, not just as someone who needs an ally to save this land, but as his friend."
Impa said nothing, pulling back on the reins of her horse and putting up a hand to signal for Zelda to do the same. "I hear someone following us," she said in a whisper.
"Following us?" Zelda repeated, equally hushed. "Who is it?"
"I have a feeling..." Impa glared at the nearby trees and dismounted her horse, taking hold of the naginata she had brought. She cautiously approached the trees. Zelda dismounted Victorious, her newly forged sword in hand, and was about to follow her before Impa signaled for her to stay back.
A flash of red crossed their vision as a figure leapt out from the trees, followed by another in the same color. They looked human in general body shape, with every inch of skin covered in a red form-fitting outfit and a mask obscuring their face, and they were armed. They both gave a shout and ran straight for Zelda, sickles out and ready to strike.
They didn't get far before Impa's naginata made quick work of them.
"Yiga," Impa said, the name sounding as though it left a bitter taste in her mouth just to allow it passage through her lips. "I thought they were dealt with centuries ago. Why in the world are they active again..."
"You don't think it could have something to do with my vision, do you?" Zelda asked.
"Even if it does, that just means we have to get going in case they come to." Impa wiped the blood from the end of her naginata before mounting her horse again. "With any luck, they could just be brigands using Yiga imagery for intimidation. I doubt that to be the case, but it's still possible."
Zelda made her way to Victorious to do the same, but paused. "Don't you think we should take off their masks?" she asked. "There are people under there, and it just wouldn't sit right to leave them faceless."
"There's no guarantee they aren't simply feigning unconsciousness right now," Impa said sternly. "And I'd rather not remove those masks to see any faces I recognize."
After making a quick stop in Kakariko Village for Impa to check in on some family, they had continued on their way to Zora's Domain. As they made their way along the path, the surrounding flora seemed to gradually more resemble coral and land-based kelp than the sorts of things that grew in and around the castle town. "I wonder whether or not these plant variations are natural," Zelda thought aloud.
"I don't see why they wouldn't be," Impa said.
"Oh, I don't doubt that they're actual living things," Zelda insisted. "It's just, did these plants develop this way naturally, or did the Zora perhaps cultivate them in such a way as to resemble underwater scenery?"
Impa chuckled. "Perhaps you can ask one of them when we arrive."
Continuing on, they could both see and hear the churning waves of Hyrule's largest lake, Lake Hylia. It was here that the vast majority of Hyrule's fresh water originated, and it was here where the Zora people lived. All along the water's edge, people covered in scales and fish-like features went about their daily routine, some of them taking notice of the mammalian strangers approaching their domain. Once Zelda and Impa had arrived at the gate, two Zora wearing armor and carrying spears blocked their progress. "Halt!" one of the Zora guards ordered, their voice slightly distorted by the helmet obscuring their face. "What business do you have in Zora's Domain?"
"I am Zelda, princess and soon-to-be-crowned queen of Hyrule, and this is the Sheikah tribe leader Impa," Zelda said, her tone having a sense of authority that she rarely called upon. "We wish to have an audience with the queen of the Zora people to discuss matters that concern all parts of the greater Hyrule region."
"Well, you certainly look legitimate enough," the other Zora guard said. "Very well. You may enter, but I must warn you that the queen may not be so keen on an audience at this particular moment. We are presently dealing with a bit of a crisis, you see."
"Oh, I apologize," Zelda said. "If there's any way we might be able to help..."
"Our queen may be somewhat proud, but I'm sure she would appreciate the offer at the very least," the first guard said. "Oh, and before you enter, I would recommend leaving your horses out here. Our domain isn't exactly built with equine anatomy in mind."
The waterfall began to part, revealing an opening that led into a large and ornately decorated chamber. Zelda and Impa hitched their horses outside, then entered through the opening. The errant spray from the waterfall's new direction could not quell Zelda's amazement at the sight. Limestone pillars accented with large luminous stones held up several platforms upon which housing and places of business were built, and ample natural light filtered into the expanse through holes in the ceiling, some of which were sealed with large transparent colored stones that resembled stained glass. "It's amazing..." Zelda said in barely a gasp.
"It would behoove the queen of Hyrule not to stand around with her mouth open like that, otherwise one might mistake Your Highness for a landlocked carp."
Zelda turned to the source of the voice. It, of course, belonged to a Zora. Her scales were green in color, and her face bore a slight scowl. Silver and sapphire jewelry adorned her form, and set on her forehead was a circlet in the shape of the Zora crest. "You must be the Zora queen," Zelda said.
"How very astute of a monarch to be stating the obvious," the Zora queen snapped. "I am Queen Oshana, and now is not really the best time for dignitary visits."
"We heard it from the gatekeepers," Impa said. "You mind telling us what's going on?"
Oshana groaned. "Of course, leave it to those two to blab," she muttered. She shook her head and added, "We are in a dire situation at the moment, yes, but it does not concern tourists, even if they are royalty."
"Well, maybe we could do something to help," Zelda offered. "We did originally come here to ask of something from you, but that would be a selfish request while your people may be suffering."
"My people?" Oshana repeated. "I should clarify, my people are not the ones suffering. Quite the contrary, on the whole we are flourishing. No, the one who is suffering is our guardian, Lord Jabu-Jabu. It seems he has fallen ill, and even our best doctors can't figure out what the cause could be."
"That doesn't sound good," Zelda said.
"I do have a theory," Oshana continued, "but as we have been busy keeping him stable I haven't had the chance to investigate. Of course, with two extra people, such a task would be made somewhat easier. So how about it? Are you willing to put your rupees where your mouth is?"
Before Impa could say anything that might even hint to the possibility of denial, Zelda exclaimed "Absolutely! We're not just going to leave you hanging knowing there's a problem that we may be able to help solve."
"Excellent." Oshana's harsh exterior seemed to soften a bit, and Zelda may have been imagining it, but she could swear she see the slightest hint of a smile. "Let's get going, then."
The large spring where Lord Jabu-Jabu rested was just as ornately decorated as the rest of Zora's Domain, if not more so. One would be forgiven for not paying attention to the aesthetic of the area, of course, as their attention would most likely be drawn to the giant fish-like beast floating near the spring's edge. Low, loud groans of pain and anguish emanated from the noble guardian, and several Zoras were stationed near him and tending to him as best they could. "This way," Oshana said, leading Zelda and Impa past Lord Jabu-Jabu and down to where the constructed platform met the natural shoreline. "You two can swim, right?"
"Swim?" In all fairness, while they both were decent swimmers, Zelda hadn't been expecting that swimming would be a necessity in this endeavor.
Impa nodded and asked, "So where are we swimming to?"
"We're heading to that cave over there," Oshana explained, pointing to a cavern on the other side of the water. "It's almost unheard of for non-Zora people to be taken there, so as you can imagine we don't feel the need to keep a boat in the spring." She dove into the water, then surfaced and turned back to check on them. "Come on, then," she insisted. "You won't need to do any diving beyond human capability."
Impa entered the water, and Zelda followed close behind. It was cold, but not bitterly so, just enough to be a noticeable contrast to the generally warm and pleasant air. They made it to the other side after not too long, and Zelda was glad to have had the foresight to wear pants rather than a dress as it likely would have made the swim very difficult. "Note for the future," Zelda said to herself, "whenever I might need to make another visit to Zora's Domain, bring appropriate swimming attire."
"Visitors to Zora's Domain should always expect to take a dip at some point," Oshana said. She let out a soft laugh at her own joke, then turned and made her way into the cavern.
As they made their way through the cave, the sunlight seeping through the opening began to taper off and the remaining light became more and more made up from the luminous stones that dotted the cave walls. It was certainly easy to figure out where all the similar stones from the domain proper came from. "So what's in this cave, exactly?" Impa asked.
"I don't know for certain," Oshana said. "Like I said, I have a theory, but it's not something I can definitely pin down. All I know is that I got the sense of Lord Jabu-Jabu's ailment have a magical origin rather than a medical one, and I caught a whiff of whatever's causing it coming from this cave. And considering we don't come to this cave ourselves all that often, I wouldn't be surprised if something sinister wormed its way in here and made itself at home in its newfound dirty little nest."
A fluttering sound could be heard from up ahead, accompanied by squeaking. The three women shielded their heads as a large camp of keese flew towards them, the shrieking from each individual mixing into a horrendous cacophony. "Keese shouldn't be active at this time of day," Zelda mused once the camp had passed. "Wonder what's got them in a tizzy like that."
"Probably whatever's lurking in here," Oshana said.
They continued onward through the cavern until they came to a large chamber, luminous stones glistening along the walls. "A room like this with nothing in it..." Impa grimaced, keeping a firm grip on her naginata. "I've got a bad feeling about this."
Zelda took hold of her sword. This would be her first time using a weapon in actual combat, that is if anything of the sort were to happen, and she wasn't entirely sure she would be completely ready. Well, no better way to find out if she was ready than with some hands-on experience.
"If neither of you are going to try and find out what's up ahead, then I will," Oshana insisted, stepping forward with her spear pointed ahead of her. "Watch my back, all right?" She strode toward the center of the chamber, keeping an eye on her peripherals as she did so. Something briefly caught her eye, but before she could react lightning danced across her body and she let out a sharp yell of pain as she fell. A rippling shape flew through the air and a cackle could be heard. "Get down!" Oshana shouted, as more lightning was fired from a point in thin air, this time towards Zelda and Impa.
The warning came with just enough time for at least one of them to react properly. Impa grabbed Zelda by the arm and pulled her out of the way, the lightning hitting the wall and cracking a few luminous stones free from their embedding. "Be careful," she said, "the enemy seems to have hidden itself somehow."
"A hidden enemy?" Zelda asked, surprised. She had heard of creatures that could make themselves and other beings invisible to the naked eye, and they were certainly ones that had skill in magic. There wasn't much time to think, however; she saw the air ripple, as well as the start of a lightning strike charging. "There it is!"
Impa lunged at the space and struck. Upon contact with the enemy, a harsh screech was heard as it came into view: a humanoid figure wearing a loose-fitting robe and holding a lightning rod. "Of course it would be a Wizzrobe," she said through gritted teeth. "They always use this irritating sort of tactic."
The Wizzrobe, now wounded and fully exposed, began to panic and flail its rod about. Bolts of lightning shot across the room at random, loosing small rocks everywhere. Oshana had stood back up, still shaking from the shock, and with an angry shout threw her spear at the Wizzrobe just as Zelda ran it through with her own blade. The wounds from each woman's attack were enough to be fatal; with a final scream of anguish, the Wizzrobe dissipated into smoke, defeated. "That wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be," Zelda mused.
"It's only going to get more difficult," Oshana said, picking her spear up off the ground. "I get the feeling that one wasn't the only one." She motioned them to follow her in deeper. "There's not much more depth to this place, so if I'm right it'll be in the next area."
They made their way deeper within. The smattering of luminous stones along the wall became less frequent, and as such the cavern began to dim. As they reached the absolute depths of the cave, they found a robed humanoid figure mulling over something that its form obscured. The figure turned around-another Wizzrobe, this one's attire being more ornate than the first. "I didn't think these things ever travelled in pairs," Impa said.
Angered by the presence of three strangers, the Wizzrobe let out a shriek and took hold of its staff. It swirled its staff in the air, charging up some sort of magic attack. "Watch out!" Zelda cried. A volley of fireballs flew from the Wizzrobe's staff, which they managed to dodge just in time, immediately followed by a spray of ice that caught Zelda by the leg. She panicked, trying to pull herself free as the cackling Wizzrobe advanced toward her.
"Hey, ugly! Over here!"
The Wizzrobe turned—Oshana had gotten behind it and was running toward it, spear at the ready. Heat radiated as the Wizzrobe charged another fireball assault, and as it did so Zelda could feel the ice around her leg start to loosen from melting. More fireballs flew across the room at both Oshana and Impa, one of them grazing Oshana's arm. She winced from the pain, but smirked as her diversion had worked. Zelda has managed to get her leg free, and before the Wizzrobe could turn around she struck it with her sword. It doubled over in pain, the wound in a place that was unlikely to make it a fatal blow, and with a furious glare it vanished in a puff of smoke. "Is it gone?" Zelda asked.
"I think so," Oshana said. "The cave seems a little clearer now, somehow."
The three of them turned their attention to the object that the Wizzrobe had been mulling over. It was a cauldron of sorts, filled with a thick violet sludge. Zelda approached it and, noting the scooping implements scattered about the ground, picked one up and scooped up some of the cauldron's contents. Frowning, she gingerly put the substance near her face and gave it a cautious sniff. Immediately she threw the scooped substance away, gagging and coughing. "Yep, that's definitely some kind of poison," she said nonchalantly, trying to suppress her urge to vomit.
Oshana examined the base of the cauldron closely, her face falling as she did so. "Oh gods," she muttered. "This thing's been set up so that the poison automatically filters into the spring. You know that spring is one of Hyrule's main fresh water sources, right?"
"That monster was trying to infect anyone who uses water from this spring," Zelda said in realization. "How awful..."
"Lord Jabu-Jabu was just more sensitive to the initial dosing, I take it," Oshana mused. "That would explain why none of the Zora are noticeably ill, that is. I was wrong about the source of his illness being purely magic, but that's obviously besides the point."
"It's a good thing we've stopped it, then," Impa said.
The mechanism at the cauldron's base was relatively simple to turn off, so Oshana did so without any issue. "I'll get some more savvy people in here to properly dismantle this later," she told them. "In the meantime, I should uphold my end of the bargain. What was it you came here looking for?"
"We came to borrow the Amulet of Wisdom," Zelda said in no uncertain terms. "Would you happen to know where it is kept?"
Oshana laughed. "Of course I know where it is," she said. "It is kept in the Zora monarch's throne. Normally I wouldn't just hand it over, but in your case I believe you've earned it."
They exited the cave and, after another short swim, returned to the shore where Lord Jabu-Jabu was resting. It may have just been optimism, but Zelda thought the guardian was beginning to look better already. Once they had reentered Zora's Domain, Oshana led them to the throne. She touched her spear to the large sapphire ornament on top of the throne and it opened, revealing a small blue trinket hanging from an old leather strap. Carefully nudging her spear to hook onto the strap, she brought it down and dropped it into Zelda's outstretched hand. The amulet was engraved with the emblem of Nayru, the same symbol the Zora had took on as their own. "I still can't believe it's real," Zelda said.
"Don't let that get into the wrong hands," Oshana warned.
"Don't worry," Zelda said with a smile. "I shall keep it safe at all costs, I guarantee it."
AN: Possibly obligatory reference to one of, possibly the oldest of Zelda lines? Check, got that out of the way early. And since I had Zelda bring up a disparity between regular Ganondorf and this story's version of him, I should mention that this Ganondorf is quite a bit younger than most canon depictions. I see canon-dorf as being in his late 40s or mid 50s (in mentality and physical appearance if not necessarily actual years) when in his human form, whereas this Ganondorf is similar in age to this Link and Zelda, all three of them being in their early to mid 20s. That's part of why this Ganondorf is an ally rather than an enemy, he's got more of a youthful open-mindedness about him. Of course, that also makes him fairly cocky, as we'll see more of later...
More to the point with this chapter's main events, I love Zoras! Possibly my favorite Zelda race, unless there's a dog-themed one that I'm not familiar with, in which case that will become my new favorite. (I love dogs so muuuuch.) I figured it would be cool for the vegetation leading to Zora's Domain to resemble ocean plantlife and coral, and I don't know how much of that was based on what I've actually seen of Breath of the Wild, but I'm pretty sure that was the origin because I distinctly remember seeing coral trees in one of Yoshiller's videos! ...or am I mixing up memories of entirely different game series? That's entirely possible as well.
I'd like to thank PaintBrushJr for that super-detailed review, hoo boy, that's the kind of thing writers like! Or at least it's the kind of thing I like. I'm gonna keep your suggestions for improvement in mind, and hopefully I've managed to make progress on at least one of them here (trying to round out the characters more, in this case Zelda and Impa). Unfortunately I don't know how I would go about putting this in a hypothetical spot on the timeline, as I'm looking at this kind of like a more traditional Zelda take on either Hyrule Warriors or Breath of the Wild, where there's plenty of references to previous games (be it as little as nods to events or as big as whole characters) but an accurate placement on the timeline would be dubious at best. And Skull Kid's inclusion (as well as a character from the intro that will be properly introduced in a few more chapters) isn't any indication of appropriate timeline placement for one big reason: he's my favorite Zelda character, so to not include him would be heartbreaking for me. As for the seemingly rushed nature of the first chapter...I will admit, that's a big problem I struggle with on the regular, even in my original stuff. I was just impatient to get through the more expository events and into the planned events I'm really excited about, hehe. Hopefully I can get the pacing to stay at a more appropriate level from here on out.
—Jess aka PuppyLuver256