Thanks once again for all the reviews; with the feedback I can (hopefully) keep up the aspects of the story that you all like.


Chapter Three
A morning spent consulting with royalty


One-and-a-half weeks later

Ashei wasn't looking forward to going back to Castle Town. Granted, Snowpeak and the surrounding mountains had been subject to unbelievably harsh weather during her stay, but she'd always felt at home in the mountains. Besides, the blizzards seemed to have stopped since the previous afternoon, and the morning sun shining unhindered across the perfectly white hills was truly a sight to behold.

She stood, staring out into the mountains, trying to make out any omens of death or evil now that the air was clear, but the landscape seemed untouched, natural… beautiful, perhaps (not one of her favourite words). She didn't move, not even when she heard footsteps trudging up behind her. Instead, she spoke loudly.

"The weather's cleared."

She waited, wondering if it would elicit a response.

"Yes," replied the Zora. "Do you think it might be a sign?"

"It means no more cold winds," said Ashei. "It also means I can go down and perhaps track the mountain beast if there's anything left of its trail. So yeah, I'm going to call it a good omen."

"I thought you might." He looked faintly ridiculous, a tall Zora soldier wearing several layers of animal pelts all over his body to shield himself from the cold, standing tall and gripping his fish-bone spear ceremoniously.

Ashei had met this Zora about a week ago, a few days after she'd arrived, in less-than-friendly circumstances. Standing beside a group of soldiers, he had told her (to put it mildly) to leave the people of the village alone and to stop using the passageway to the mountains as it would only bring them more ill luck. She, in turn, had replied (with equally colourful diction), giving a spur-of-the-moment monologue about how they'd lost all touch with reality without a monarch on the throne, that it would take more than one human visiting a mountain to doom the Zora peoples, and that if they were willing to throw away centuries of peaceful coexistence with the Hylians over something this trivial no wonder their prince didn't want to go back. The little speech had worked, and he let her pass – although the way she casually fingered the hilt of her sword while speaking may have influenced him.

The Zora soldier had since joined her on the cliff for a few minutes, once or twice a day. They usually exchanged questions and information, her telling him about who she represented and the happenings further down south, him explaining to her, in great detail, almost everything that had happened in the area since the shadow beasts had arrived. Really, the one thing they hadn't discussed was their names.

"I brought a fish," he said. "Bass. It's been cooked especially for your consumption."

"Thanks," said Ashei, "but I haven't really been eating much while I've been up here."

"Hence the bass…"

Ashei shook her head. "It might take a while to eat. I wanted to try climbing down once you left."

An audible sigh. "We consider it rude to refuse a fish that someone's caught themselves…"

"…yet another reason why I'm glad I'm not a Zora," said Ashei, smirking. "Fine, give me the stupid fish. What's the big deal, is it poisoned or something?"

She turned and looked up at the Zora soldier for the first time. He was looking at her; his fish-head mask off. He held out a tightly-wrapped seaweed parcel. She took it.

"It seems the winds have left and carried our misfortunes away with them," he said, while Ashei carefully extracted the bass. "Fish are suddenly plentiful again; they're everywhere you look. I thought that our guest might appreciate something to eat."

"'Course I do," said Ashei. "This thing's going to freeze before I can cut it."

"Here." He reached over and briskly sawed through the fish half-way with the hardened edge of a fin. "Why haven't you been eating before?"

"I don't need a lot of food," said Ashei, taking a bite out. "One of those things you learn in the mountains, yeah?"

"I see…" He didn't appear interested; he was obviously just making conversation. He fell silent for a few seconds, and then took a deep breath, and got to the point. "You might also be interested to know that I've talked to my men-"

"So you are the big fish of the army," muttered Ashei, still chewing. He didn't hear the interruption.

"…and for the most part, they also agree that clearing Hyrule Castle of its monsters would bode well for the Zora people."

Ashei spat out a bone into the snow, and swallowed. "So you'll help?"

"I can't guarantee that," said the Zora. "I may lead our modest army, but this is a very… political matter. My apologies."

"Aha," said Ashei. "So Prince Ralis hasn't returned and you don't want to hurt his feelings behind his back, yeah?"

The Zora didn't look too offended at the jibe. "I've heard rumours from downstream that he's coming back, today or tomorrow. With our current stroke of good luck, it wouldn't surprise me if that were true. You'll still be here tomorrow?"

"Yeah, of course, even if it's just to get an audience with your prince." Ashei frowned, her hand halfway between fish and mouth. "Do you think the kid'll agree?"

"I can't speak for our prince," said the Zora. "You'll have to make your case to him your… do you see that?"

Ashei followed his gaze out into the hills, and spotted a green figure moving through the snow, clearly visible against the snow. She raised her eyebrows (not that anyone was looking) and nodded slightly. "Yeah, I see him. A swordsman friend of mine, I guess you could say. He's been out there for days now…"

"Is this the same warrior who drove the evil from our lakebed temple?" said the Zora.

"It may be," shrugged Ashei. "He's been around."

"And who is that beside him?"

Ashei squinted into the distance, her hand held over her eyes to block out the glare. The Zora was right; someone in a white fur coat was moving through the snow beside Link, arms waving animatedly. "No clue…" Even from this distance, the person's face looked strange. "...Maybe it's the mountain beast?" she said.

"Perhaps," said the Zora, sounding slightly disappointed. "I take it you're done with the fish, then?"

"Hell yeah," said Ashei, rewrapping the fish and dropping it. "I want to see it in broad daylight." She grabbed the other end of the rope that she'd nailed into the ground, and tossed it down the cliff face.

"I'm going back to Zora's Domain, then."

"You can have the fish, if you want. Just make sure the rope doesn't fall out, will ya?"

She grabbed the rope, swung over the edge, and started climbing down.


"…it's not much, but it's home," Shad said, shrugging, as he held the door open. "It used to belong to my dad."

"Shad, how did you fit the bed inside?" asked Auru, taking in the interior of Shad's dwelling. The question was appropriate; there was enough room between the bookshelves for one to traverse between front door, bathroom, sitting area and bed. Two people was a squeeze.

"Oh, the bed was always there," said Shad, shutting the door. "The bookshelves came afterwards."

"I see," said Auru. "And these books…" – he gestured – "are all on Hyrule's history?"

"Oh, heavens no… I wish I had that many," laughed Shad, carefully making his way to a space with four chairs strewn around a small table. "Those five shelves are for the historical," he explained, pointing. "The two shelves nearest to the bed have a few fictional works, tasteful ones of course. I keep newspapers and everything else in the closest empty space. These shelves shan't fill up for years."

Auru somehow reached the seat that Shad had pulled out for him and sat down. "And you can afford all these books and still eat well, with the earnings of a junior librarian?"

"Well, perhaps a quarter of them, yes," said Shad. "But most of the historical texts are copies I made myself. Yes, that's right, Auru. You see, I have discovered this excellent potion that helps me to write much faster! A shop in one of the back alleys…"

"Pardon the interruption," said Auru, "but I still don't completely understand why you've invited me into your libr… I mean to say, your home."

"Oh, of course, of course," said Shad apologetically, taking a seat. "Take a seat… oh, you have. Ah. Well, I'd offer you a drink or something to eat, but I don't actually have any edibles on the premise except for a few barrels of water."

"Go on," said Auru, a teasing smile on his face.

"Anyway, I was thinking about what you were saying last night about military tricks and cover of darkness and all that… and that got me thinking…" Shad gestured to the table, on which lay a five-month-old map of Castle Town, which was covered with neatly printed writing. "Tell me what you think of this."

Auru gazed at the map intently for a while, breathing quietly. Shad sat back, hands crossed, waiting. After two minutes, Auru spoke.

"It looks to me," said Auru, "as if you're still going on about the appearance of those monsters in the castle. Didn't you say before that you were researching ancient races and artefacts to see if there were any possible links to Hyrule's current problems?"

"I might have become a tad sidetracked," confessed Shad, "but surely you have to see the genius of my theory here… if, erm, I do say so myself."

Auru looked sceptical. "Looking at the map, it seems as if you think they walked across the rooftops and scaled the castle walls…"

"Exactly!" said Shad.

"Do you really think that could work?" said Auru, still unconvinced. "Granted, nobody could see anything through the rain that night, and they might have had plenty of opportunities to sneak in before hand, but… is the path you've drawn across the rooftops actually possible?"

"That's exactly what I was wondering," said Shad. "I mean, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it, if these plans are still up to date, but just to be sure… anyway, that's the reason that I was trying to find you, Auru. I want you to get up onto the rooftops and see if you can-"

Now Auru looked incredulous. "Shad, my friend, I'm well past the age of running across rooftops out of curiosity…"

"Now, don't be worried, Auru, it's completely safe… look at this, see?" Shad gestured at another annotation he had made to the map.

"Then why haven't you tried climbing up there?" said Auru.

"Because I simply don't have physical dexterity to attempt such a journey across Castle Town," Shad said. It sounded as if he had been rehearsing that reply all morning.

Auru laughed. "My friend, as much as I appreciate your curiosity, I will not risk this tired, old body of mine for such experiments. Why did you seek out me on the streets and not Rusl?"

"I found you first," said Shad, clearly disappointed at Auru's refusal.

"Well," said Auru, "I suppose that if you so desperately want somebody to try to scale the castle walls using your map, you should consider paying someone to do so, perhaps one of the swordsmen who pass through Telma's."

"You don't think one of the others…?"

Auru shrugged, and carefully stood up. "Rusl has a son," he said. "Gone is the time when he'd do something so risky without a very good reason. As for Ashei, perhaps you'll have luck there, when she comes back. She's about your age, Shad, after all… young enough to be reckless in that way without any deep consequences."

"But if the path works, it means we know how they got in," said Shad.

"What if it was simply magic that allowed the beasts entry?" said Auru. "Anything is possible for a powerful-enough practitioner of those arts; I should know. In these dark times, why couldn't dark magic explain these unfortunate occurrences?"

With the tone of voice which indicated a mild epiphany, Shad said, "Then they wouldn't know about the path across the rooftops, would they?"

A small smile spreading across his face, Auru nodded. "A very interesting point… I suggest you discuss this with Ashei when she returns; I'll mention it to Rusl. But for now, why don't you go back to hunting down these mythological species, Shad?"

Shad nodded, smiling widely. "Oh, of course, yes… what I was thinking, ignoring my work, I'll never know… yes, I'll go and continue my research on the Oocca."

"Good," said Auru. "I'm glad we've agreed on something. Do you think you can link the problems facing Hyrule with these creatures of yours?"

"Heavens, no," said Shad. "Pardon the pun, of course. If they were real, they most certainly would have been benevolent, not malevolent. I mean, one of my father's texts in particular… but you don't care about that, do you, Auru? No, what I think is that if I can find any trace of these species, some relic they left behind, we might be able to find a… cure, if you will."

"Well, I suppose I'd better not interrupt you," said Auru. "I'll see you tomorrow night, then?"

"Yes," said Shad, "I suppose so."

Shad turned back to his reading, and after a few seconds, Auru quietly left, squeezing between the bookshelves which faintly looked as if they might collapse on him at any moment. He let himself out of the door.


Clinging onto the rope, Link reached the top of the cliff, scrambled onto firm ground, and then turned and waved. In the distance, the beast returned the wave, before turning back and almost vanishing into invisibility against the snow.

"So," said Link, a sad smile on his face, "what have you been doing up here, Ashei?"

"Not much," said Ashei. "I never managed to get further than the ice lake without losing my sense of bearing in the wind. On the other hand, I've gotten unlimited access to the Zora rumour mill. But listen to me blab on… what happened out there? It's beyond my imagination."

"It's a long story," said Link quietly.

"In one word or less," said Ashei, "is there any point in my going out there, now?"

"No, there isn't," said Link.

"Pity. The weather was just clearing up… although I bet that's related." Ashei jerked her head towards the mouth of the tunnel that led back to Zora's Domain. "Give me the short version."

Link was happy to oblige; even striding quickly, the path took about ten minutes to walk. He'd found the beast (he refused to elaborate on how), and followed him to his house, an impressive if battered mansion on the far side of one of the peaks. Then there was something about a cursed piece of mirror, which had been bringing ill luck to the yeti and his wife (yes, apparently they had the concept of marriage). "It took days," he added, "there were monsters running all around the place, and they'd gone and locked up the cursed item and forgotten where the key was."

"You destroyed it, though?" said Ashei.

Link hesitated. "Yes, I finally managed to get rid of it. Just in time, too. The poor woman had nearly lost her mind."

"Well, he seemed quite happy."

Ashei had run all the way to where Link and the mountain beast were standing, exchanging farewells. The yeti had seemed friendly enough… he was best described as a bit like a loud, fuzzy Goron who spoke broken Hylian.

"How in the name of the Goddesses did you track the beast through that blizzard, by the way?" she added. "I've seen lots of things in the mountains, but the tracks were already a day old when you first got up here… I've got it – you used a tracking hound or something, yeah?"

Link shrugged. "More or less. Are you going straight back to Castle Town or staying here?"

"Straight back," lied Ashei.

"I might stay around and see if Prince Ralis returns soon," Link replied.

"Actually, I was going to try to get an audience with their little prince," said Ashei.

"I'd best be off, then," said Link, grinning.

The tunnel widened and suddenly they had reached the Zoras' village, complete with the calming sound of many voices drowning each other out. As Zora's Domain came into view, and they snuffed out their torches and lanterns, they saw far more Zoras than usual wading in the river and chatting happily.

"I haven't seen them in such a good mood since their queen died," said Ashei.

"The village looks so… lively," said Link.

"It's not a half bad place, is it?" said Ashei, nodding.

"Excuse me, Hylian. Are you Link?" The Zora soldier posted by the tunnel, not one Ashei had seen before, looked at her companion.

"Yes, I am," he said.

"Our Prince Ralis returned just an hour ago," the Zora explained. "He said that you might be in the area. You must go to the throne room and see him."

With a sideways glance at Ashei, Link nodded. "With all respect to your prince, who I'm sure will be a great leader for the Zoras, I can hardly be expected to climb the rocks and vines on the cavern walls just to reach the throne room."

"I see," said the Zora, who clearly hadn't considered that Link wouldn't be able to swim up the waterfall. "You could access the throne room from the fields… no, in fact I shall go and tell him that you are here. The prince spoke very highly of you; perhaps he might speak with you here… although it's customary to meet royalty in… oh, what does it matter? This is a good luck day… he won't have me executed…" He glanced at Link again, and then, as if coming to his senses, strode to and dived into the pool at the foot of Zora's Waterfall.

Ashei let out a low whistle. "I'd forgotten… the prince must have remembered you from back when Telma was keeping him in her bar."

Link absent-mindedly straightened his cap. "You did say you wanted to speak with the prince, right? I'm just helping you out."

"Ralis would have spoken to me," said Ashei, thinking of the 'big-fish' Zora who led the soldiers.

"If you say so," said Link sceptically. "Oh, that must be him… that was quick."

Ashei followed his pointing hand with her eyes just in time to see a small Zora jump from the top of the waterfall, gliding down to the lower pool, and land in the basin with barely a ripple. Wading Zoras deep in conversation darted out of his way, and Ralis swam quickly towards the bank which they stood on.

"He looks much healthier now," Ashei muttered.

"You're not going to thank me for my help?" said Link.

Ashei didn't have time to utter a friendly insult before the Zora prince leaped out of the pool at a considerable speed. He hit the ground and rolled over his head, landing smoothly on his feet.

"Link!" Ralis exclaimed, embracing him. "You came! I thought you might have been in the mountains after we last spoke!"

"It's great to see you again, Ralis," said Link, returning the embrace. "I knew you had decided to come back, but this is sooner than I'd expected."

Prince Ralis shrugged. "The point is that, thanks to you, I made it home at last." For a moment, his gaze drifted past Link and into the air, and his voice sounded slightly pained. "I think all of us carry… heavy hearts, but I will do our best to see that our village's wounds heal as quickly as possible. And look-" he turned and swept his arm around – "our people are already recovering from my… our loss."

Link nodded.

"All the Zoras' spirits were very low before you came back," Ashei said.

"Is that so…? Then I have made the right decision," Prince Ralis said firmly. He turned with a start. "Oh! Forgive me, Link, I hadn't noticed your lady friend-" (Link winced) – "in all my excitement at seeing you. What's her name?"

"Ashei," said Ashei.

"Oh… Ralis, this is Ashei," said Link. "Ashei, this is Prince Ralis of the Zoras. Ashei is a friend of mine from the mountains."

"Oh, the same friend who drew the yeti?" said Ralis.

"Wait, you were showing that sketch around?" said Ashei in comprehension. "But that was just a sketch! I never gave permission…"

"Yes," said Link loudly, "that's her. She's mentioned an interest in speaking with you. I thought that maybe you could spare some time?"

Ralis looked at her with curiosity and nodded. "Of course," he said. "I don't really have a schedule to keep to, so I'd be glad to talk to your friend."

"In that case," said Link, "I hope you don't mind if I leave you now. I spent days out in the cold and I'm going to try to find somewhere warm to stay."

Ralis nodded. "That's fine. I wasn't meaning to detain you, I just wanted to say hi. Goodbye for now, then, and come see us anytime, Link. You will always be welcome here."

"'Til later, Ralis," said Link, and he walked alongside the river down the path that led into the open, getting splashed several times as he walked down. The Zora prince watched his retreating figure.

"Thank you…" Ralis said quietly. Ashei didn't think he'd meant her to hear. A second later, he turned his full attention to Ashei. "Well, pleased to meet you, Miss Ashei." He frowned. "Was that too formal?"

"No," said Ashei, surprised at the question.

"I have no idea how I'm supposed to act," Ralis said solemnly. "I was schooled to say all the right things, of course, but suddenly now that nobody has the authority to tell me what I'm doing wrong… I'm probably making a complete fool of myself."

"You aren't," said Ashei honestly.

"Perhaps…" said Ralis, "perhaps we should sit?" He glanced around and found a few sizeable rocks a short distance away. He motioned.

Ashei shrugged and followed.

"By the way," said Ralis, settling on a rock, "don't say anything to Link. He has more important things to worry about, and if he knew he'd waste his time helping me." He glanced at the pool and the many Zoras swimming freely in it, and smiled weakly. "Besides, I feel in my heart that I should carve my own river in life, as the saying goes."

"Yeah, of course you do," said Ashei, sitting down across from him. "You need stairs in this place, by the way."

Ralis looked faintly scandalised by the suggestion. "The waterfall area hasn't been touched by sculpting tools for centuries. We so rarely receive other races here that it isn't worth the time and the effort."

"I'm not kidding," said Ashei. "At the very least, you should add some footholds to climb up. It would save a lot of trouble."

"Maybe I will," said Ralis, his face clearly showing that he had no intention of honouring her suggestion. "You didn't come all this way to discuss architecture, did you?"

"No," said Ashei. "I wanted to talk with you about Hyrule's problems… what am I supposed to call you, anyway? Ralis, King Zora, 'your Highness' or what?"

"Please, call me Prince," said Ralis casually. "I'm far too young to be addressed so formally. What were you saying about Hyrule's problems?"

"Well, you've probably heard most of what's happened since the shadow beasts… Prince," said Ashei, "but maybe you wouldn't have heard about the castle?"

"I don't believe so," said Prince Ralis.

Ashei spent the next few minutes summarising everything that had happened in Castle Town, from the burning of Hyrule Castle when the shadow beasts had first appeared through to the more recent appearance of monsters inside. Prince Ralis looked quite disturbed by the news, and several times he opened his mouth to comment but held back.

"…they haven't reappeared yet, but there's no telling when the gates will next open," Ashei finished. She looked at him oddly. "There a problem, oh almighty Prince? You haven't said a word yet."

Ralis shook his head. "No – no… this is quite unsettling to hear, that's all. And you say that the forces in the castle are the source of all these… happenings… in Hyrule?"

"Can't prove it, but if you'd been there you would understand why everyone thinks so," said Ashei. "There's a feeling surrounding the castle… an aura, someone called it… it's like you can taste the despair the closer you are."

Ralis closed his eyes and clasped his hands together, muttering monotonously for a few seconds. Then he opened his eyes and fidgeted nervously with his hands. "I… think I understand what you are trying to say. But what good does it do us to dwell upon the troubles in this land?"

"I had the idea," said Ashei, with a hint of pride and none of modesty, "that with enough people it might be possible to reclaim the castle from whatever is controlling it. You may not be aware of it, but the Hylian military has always been a mess and is even more of one now."

"I see," said Ralis slowly. "So you wish for…"

"As the heir to the Zora throne," continued Ashei, "you have an army of several hundred soldiers at your command, yeah?"

"Yes, I do," said Ralis, "and in response to what you are about to ask: I would be glad to give my support, but I haven't really been well-schooled in matters of war… Ash-ei, wasn't it? I would have to consult with my mother's military advisor, the commander of the army, to see if it can be done…"

"Would he be about this high, with a dark patch on his left cheek?"

"You've met?" said Ralis.

"Several times," said Ashei. "He said it was quite safe to move half your army downstream to the castle area, as long as he had the 'royal approval of awesomeness' or something."

"Oh, I see," said Ralis, clearly relieved. "Well, my mother said that he was a very good commander, so I'll leave the whole matter in his hands… that's not rude of me, is it?"

"No," said Ashei automatically, though she was hardly qualified to assess royal etiquette.

"Good," said Ralis, gazing into the distance again. "When I decided I would return… I never thought about the little things. Leading the people, revitalising our community, that's my duty. But you can't expect me to just suddenly jump into my parents' way of life, can you? How I talk, how I act, how those people – my people – look at me… I'm not even a full-grown adult yet, and I'm not even supposed to act as peers with them, I'm supposed to be superior to them… maybe I just need time…"

With a groan, Ashei stood up, walked over to the Zora prince, grabbed his head with both hands (weird… slippery), and turned his head towards her, holding it uncomfortably until he met her gaze. In her peripheral vision, some Zora guards tensed their grips on their spears, but she ignored them for now. She'd helped Telma out with a fair share of drunks, and this wasn't too different.

"Cut out the sentimental, self-pitying… idiocy," said Ashei slowly and clearly, her grip tightening slightly. "You, of all people, have absolutely no right to complain about unfair expectations. You are King Zora or Prince Ralis or whatever title you're using, and you know what? You Zoras are all the same; breaking down under the slightest sign of trouble. Bandits are wandering Hyrule Field untroubled and stormclouds, real and imaginary, are gathering on the horizon, and if your dead mother was half the queen I'm told she was, then she would not be worried about what her subjects thought of her, she'd be worried about her subjects, period.

"You don't want my opinion, but here it is. Go back to the throne room, and don't stop asking questions of everyone you can find until you understand everything that's important in Hyrule right now. You'll need to be informed, because once word spreads that you're back, people are going to want to see you and you're going to show them that the Zoras have not lost their way. And, for the love of the Goddesses, if anybody tells you that you're not acting like a prince should, have them executed."

The moment Ashei stopped speaking, she became acutely aware of the silence in Zora's Domain, and realised that she must have been shouting. Zoras from every corner of the village were staring at her.

"Let go," said Ralis coldly.

Ashei let her hands drop to her side.

He glanced at his people, and said loudly, "Go on with your business! I will make my returning speech afterwards!"

Slowly and awkwardly, the sound of conversation and activity crept back into the area.

Ralis turned to Ashei and said, staring, "That was completely out of line."

"Manners were never my strong point," said Ashei, staring back at him.

"While I understand your concern for me… I think I can work this out for myself," said Ralis, a trace of warmth re-emerging in his voice.

"Of course, Prince Zora," said Ashei. "I hope I didn't…"

"I might," Ralis interrupted, "send for my military advisor now. You two can sort out the details and things. I think… I shall retire to the throne room to think for a while."

Ashei nodded, and started to say something.

"And please," said Ralis, holding up a hand to silence her, "the next time you come to my domain, woman, please bring someone a little more – restrained – along with you."

Ashei laughed mirthlessly. "I scare you?"

"You scare me," said Ralis, a smile appearing on his features. "Not as much as Link does, but at least he wouldn't try to kill me…"

She smiled as well. "I'm told I have that effect on some people… all right, then. Go get your advisor, then… what's his name, anyway?"

"He's called Makurel," said Ralis. (Ashei considered the name, and then tried hard to forget she'd ever heard it.) "Well… I suppose there's not much else to say. Tell Link that I'm doing well, and… perhaps a staircase on the western wall would be useful, as you said. I'll think about it. Until we next meet, then, Miss Ashei?"

"Yeah," said Ashei, extending a hand. "See you around."

They shook, and Ralis dived back into the pool, skimmed just beneath the surface, and then effortlessly swam up the waterfall. Ashei watched him as he went, feeling a faint sense of satisfaction, and a vague pang of hunger. She should have eaten more this morning, she thought. Maybe she could ask for a fish…


A/N: I crave (for lack of a more euphemistic synonym) reviews… just having that acknowledgement that people have read what I've written gives a strange peace of mind…