The Eternal Ark

by FierceOni

Written by The Fierce Deity Posted by Me Sequel to 'The Five' - Link and company must find the 6 locks of the Eternal Ark and seal it once and for all

4. Coming Together

Chapter 3 – Coming Together

As was per usual at breakfast time in Hyrule Castle, Link made an absolute pig of himself. He emptied several plates of bacon and eggs before glugging down a pitcher of milk.
"Mind your manners, you pig!" Navi scolded him, kicking his ear. Link gave an annoyed grunt and batted her away.
"As he grows, so does his appetite," Zelda sighed. "Link, you progressively pound more food away every time you come here."
"Is it a problem?" he asked. "I'll stop if you want."
"Oh no!" she said quickly. "Eat as much as you want! Anything to keep you coming back."
"Huh?" Link asked, cracking his knuckles loudly.
"Nothing Link, just finish your breakfast, then we can go," Zelda giggled. She watched him doefully throughout the rest of breakfast, occasionally glancing over at Nyara who had occupied herself with feeding a visibly distressed Ark.
"Careful, Nyara," Impa chuckled. "You don't want him to blow up the breakfast table, do you?" Nyara grinned and patted Ark on the head.
"Ark no do that, he nice and calm. Right pet?" she asked. Ark looked at Link pleadingly.
"I'm fine, but really Miss Nyara, I can feed myself…please?" he asked. Nyara considered it for a moment.
"Okay! But make sure you eat lots! You need to get big and strong! Eat like pig there," she exclaimed, pointing at Link.
"Hey!" Link cried indignantly. "Just because you can't pick on poor Ark doesn't mean you can turn to me." Nyara's eyes narrowed.
"You stay quiet unless want to become Nyara's breakfast," she grinned.
"Stop that," Link said warily.
"Oh don't be scared Link, she's not going to eat you," Zelda laughed, patting his back. "Right Nyara?"
"Of course! It be bad to eat Link," she smiled. Her pupils, however, suddenly became very large. "Sweet…succulent…juicy…Link…"
"Yee!" Link yelped, grabbing a fork and holding it like a weapon.
"You're terrible," Impa laughed. "She's only teasing you, Link." Link didn't look to sure.
"Well I'll be blaming all of you if she gobbles me up in the middle of the night!" he declared hotly.

Once breakfast was out of the way the group was ready to leave for Gerudo valley. Link and Ark picked up with their packs while Zelda dashed off to change her clothes. Impa informed Link, Ark and Nyara that they would be riding to Gerudo Valley on horseback, as it would take significantly less time to get there.
"Then why do we need these packs?" Link asked, fumbling with one of the straps.
"Because we aren't going to be able to ride the horses everywhere. At some point we're going to have to walk, so we need something to carry our provisions in," Impa told him. "So don't bother putting that in yet, you can just hook it onto the side of your saddle." Link dropped his pack with an audible sigh of relief just as Zelda returned wearing clothes more suited to traveling. Her long dress was replaced by a simple brown skirt that went down to just below her knees with a similarly coloured brown top and thick legging to protect her from the cold. Zelda had decided to forego her headdress and simply had her hair curled so that it didn't hang down too low. She and Impa led the way to the stables where five horses awaited them.
"Ark, Nyara, do the two of you know how to ride horses?" Impa asked. Ark looked at the animals dubiously.
"I have to admit I've never ridden one before," he sighed. "Are they difficult to handle?"
"They're a breeze if you're not going too fast. Link can ride beside you in case anything happens. How about you, Nyara?" Impa called to the girl as she poked one of the horses.
"They smell bad," she frowned, wrinkling her nose. "Can I walk instead? Walking look much more comfy than sitting on big smelly horse."
"Are you sure you can jog all the way to the desert?" Zelda asked.
"She ran all the way here with Ark on her back," Link shrugged, strapping his pack onto the saddle of his horse. "She'll be fine."

At Impa's request, no soldiers accompanied them as they rode across the great expanse of Hyrule Field. Her reasoning behind her actions was that soldiers could attract unwanted attention. Besides, she and Link could take care of any unpleasantness if it arose and Ark, with his power of electricity, could help out in a pinch. Nyara jogged alongside the horses quite happily, taking special delight in mucking through the snow on the side of the travel-worn path. Ark managed quite well on his horse, though a bit unsteady at first, he quickly got the hang of things. Zelda kept glancing at Link through narrowed eyes as if expecting something from him while, unbeknownst to her, Impa looked on with an amused look on her face.
"Link?" Zelda asked Link rather sweetly after a short period of silent riding. Link, who had been slouching quite badly in his saddle, suddenly sat bolt upright.
"Huh? What?" he asked, blinking.
"Oh Link," Zelda pouted. "Don't go to sleep, you have to keep me company."
"Company? You've got Impa, Ark, Nyara and even Navi to talk to. Just let me doze for a while, I won't fall off," Link yawned, slouching forwards again. Zelda frowned and looked at Ark, who was trying to politely decline Nyara's offer to piggyback him the rest of the way.
"They're busy," she said sullenly. "Come on Link, talk to meeee!"
"You sound like a child when you whine like that. It's very unbecoming of a woman of your virtue," Link grunted, heaving himself up again.
"Excuse me! Whining!? I'm a princess, princesses don't whine!" she huffed.
"They sure have piercing voices though," Link chuckled, cracking his knuckles. Zelda blinked.
"Oh you! You're teasing me, aren't you!?" she huffed as her face went red.
"Now, now Zelda," Impa told her charge. "He's only trying to aggravate you. Remember his weak spot and hit back with no mercy."
"Weak spot, hmm?" Zelda grinned wickedly. "Oh Liiiiink!" The boys ears tweaked up and he looked across at Zelda warily. Her singsong tone was always used when she was plotting something unpleasant.
"What? What is it?" he asked.
"You know," Zelda said thoughtfully, sidling up to his horse. "I've been thinking about…"things" lately."
"I don't really wanna know-"
"I was thinking about marriage, more specifically, who I'm going to marry. I think you might know him."
"I'll plead ignorance," Link mumbled.
"Now what I'm really looking forward to is the honeymoon. Oh I can only imagine all the bedroom shenanigans we'll get up to. I can hardly wait!" she giggled giddily.
"Fine! You win! I'll stay awake and have a civilized conversation with you," Link exclaimed. "Ark, see what I have to put up with?"
"I, uh, I'm a little busy right now," Ark stammered. Link looked over and saw Nyara trying to pull him off his horse.
"Ugh," Link groaned. "It's starting all over again."

"Hey Zelda!" Link called as he stopped his horse near a pile of rocks that half obscured a small rock alcove. "Remember this place?" Zelda trotted over and looked at the sorry little jumble with a half-smile on her face.
"It's where we had to bunk up for the night when we were on our way to Gerudo Valley. You, me, Saria and Ruto all squashed in that little cave." The group had almost reached the desert after a full day of traveling. Night was beginning to fall and the temperature was dropping rapidly. A decision was made to set up camp for the night as the warmer air from the desert had made it impossible for snow to fall. It was still quite cold, however, so a large fire was built between the two tents. Of course, it was up to Link and Ark to search for wood. Link complained briefly as more of a reflex action than anything and Ark didn't mind at all; it gave him a chance to escape from Nyara's attention. After hauling back a good deal of wood from a dead tree, the two boys sat down heavily as Impa got the fire going.
"Ark cold?" Nyara asked the boy as he sat hugging his knees on the ground. Ark looked up as Nyara stood over him.
"A little I guess. How about you? Do you need my cloak or anything, Miss Nyara?" he asked.
"Fur keep me warm, but thanks for offering. Do you mind Nyara keeping you warm?" she asked. Ark shook his head mutely and so the animal girl sat down next to him and put an arm around his shoulder.
"Aww, isn't that sweet?" Zelda cooed. Ark's face went the regulation shade of red.
"It's not like that!" he protested.
"I know, I know," Zelda laughed merrily. "You boys are so much fun to tease, right Link?" The boy looked up from where he was poking at the crackling fire with a stick.
"No," he mumbled, resuming his aimless poking. Zelda puffed her cheeks out at him and made an irritated noise.
"You make fun of me for having a messy room," she pouted.
"I'm just making observations when I do that. Carpet hasn't been sighted in your room for years," he yawned.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" she huffed.
"Link smartass. Zelda want Nyara to eat him?" Nyara suggested. Zelda shook her head.
"He'd be too sour," she muttered darkly, tossing a pebble in Link's direction. The boy grinned at her in his infuriating way before folding his arms behind his neck and lying down. Zelda glared at him for a while, but found it to be a fruitless exercise as he wasn't even looking at her. The Princess of Hyrule idly popped a stray lock of hair into her mouth and chewed on it thoughtfully.
"You'll get yours one day," she muttered with an odd twinkle in her eye.

After dinner was over and done with, the group sat around the warm fire engaged in idle conversation. Impa had managed to engage a reluctant Link into a game of cards, a game which he was losing horribly in. While he was bad at the actual game, he was quite good at flicking the cards at Zelda whenever she made a snide little remark about his skill. His aim was usually spot-on, the rectangular cards bouncing off her forehead after being launched like Frisbees from between his index and middle fingers. That would usually result in Zelda taking another little dig at him, which in turn would result in another card spinning through the air and into her head. Impa eventually gave up trying to play and packed the cards away, not wanting them to end up in the fire. Nyara had completely zonked out in front of the dancing fames and had flopped over Ark like a rag doll with a look of bliss on her face. Ark was beginning to nod off to, his head continually drooping only to be jerked back up again as his senses kicked back in. He yawned and absently scratched Nyara's chin, eliciting an odd purring noise from the girl.
"They seem to get along pretty well," Zelda observed to Link as she rubbed at the little red marks on her forehead.
"Hmm?" Link yawned, rolling over.
"Ark and Nyara. She's taken quite a liking to him."
"Oh, yeah. She's taken it upon herself to look after him. She thinks he needs to eat more or he'll waste away, did you notice how she tried to feed him at dinner?"
"Yes, now that you mention it she was trying to get at his plate. Isn't that odd?" Zelda giggled. Link shrugged.
"Well when you think about it, isn't it common for certain animals to look after abandoned young they come across? Certain types of Wolfos do it," Link mused.
"Yes but they look to be about the same age. Nyara isn't old enough to be at the motherly age."
"Maybe it's a little bit of instinct mixed with the desire to be friendly? He was very polite to her when we first met her; maybe she took a liking to him."
"Which is more than I can say for you when we first met," Zelda said with a level gaze. "You just stood there like you didn't know what to do."
"I was dumbfounded by your angel-like beauty," he mumbled, rolling away. Zelda blushed rosily and put her hands to her cheeks.
"Oh my! Thank you, I – you're just being an ass again aren't you?" Zelda said flatly. Impa gave a hearty laugh and clapped Zelda on the shoulder. Link's arm stuck straight up in the air and his hand balled into a fist.
"Guilty as charged."

"Come on boys!" Impa called rowdily, slapping the side of their tents in the early hours of the morning. "We don't want to keep Fura waiting." Link's eyes blinked open and he poked his head out of the tent flap. "The sun isn't even up yet, let me sleep until then!" he wailed, burying his head under his covers. Then, as if to spite him, the sun popped up over the mountains to the west and shone cheerily at him.
"It's up now," Zelda laughed as she breezed out of her tent. Link muttered something under his breath and whipped the tent closed.
The tents were packed up after breakfast and the travelers resumed their trip to Gerudo Valley. The landscape became increasingly barren and the temperature steadily rose as soil became sand and trees became small, scraggy shrubs.
"Are you looking forward to seeing Fura again?" Zelda asked Link, drawing her horse closer to his. Link nodded.
"Of course I am. It's been over a year since any of us have seen her…I've missed her quite a bit," he replied.
"Yes, me too," Zelda sighed. "I wonder what she was doing all this time?"
"Who knows?" Link shrugged. "The Gerudo can be a strange lot sometimes."
"Gerudo dangerous?" Nyara asked as she glanced at Ark.
"Oh goodness no," Zelda laughed. "Not to us anyway. We're in quite good terms with them; don't worry about Ark, Nyara." Zelda's answer seemed to satisfy the girl and dropped back to where Ark trotted along. They rode for a while longer as the sun got steadily higher in the sky until they reached the narrow ravine that led to the gorge separating the Gerudo Fortress from the rest of Hyrule.
"We're really high up," Ark gulped, looking down at the rushing water.
"Try not to think about it," Impa told him. "Just look straight ahead." They crossed the rickety bridge one by one, Ark insisting that he be the last one to cross for good manners' sake. When it came Ark's turn to cross, he led his horse carefully onto the bridge and began to cross slowly. Suddenly, a humming noise pierced the air.
"Ark!" Impa shouted. "Get down!" The startled boy threw himself off his horse as an arrow whizzed through the air where he should have been. The arrow sheared partway through the rope suspending the bridge, causing it to heave suddenly. The jolt startled his horse and the animal charged over the bridge, making things worse. With a snap, the rope split, sending the bridge rolling to one side.
"Hold on!" Link urged Ark as the terrified boy tried to scramble to safety. Ark rolled to one side and made a mad grab for one of the suspending ropes and caught it with both hands. He hung over the side of the swaying bridge with his eyes wide with fright. A second arrow whizzed through the air and sliced into the rope ark was holding.
"Ark! Nyara coming!" the animal girl called, running towards him. The rope snapped and Ark fell, his hand stretching towards Nyara as she sprinted towards him.
"Miss Nyara!" he called helplessly.
"Navi!" Link barked. "Wings!" The fairy shot down the back of his tunic and Link's wings emerged from his back. He flexed them once and dove off the side of the gorge. It was, however, unnecessary as Nyara had already reached Ark. She bit into the collar of his top hard and held out her hands as their momentum forced them closer to the wall of the gorge. Her fingernails suddenly sharpened and she dug them into the side of the gorge. Their descent slowed as Nyara's claws tore through the rock until they eventually ground to a halt. Ark was silent and his breaths were quick and in rapid succession.
"Ish Ark okay?" Nyara asked through the boy's clothes. Ark opened his eyes slowly and looked down fearfully. Link suddenly appeared behind them.
"Are you two okay?" he asked.
"We not hurt," Nyara told him. "Hurry and find attackersh!" Link nodded and shot back up the gorge until he was hovering high above it. He scanned the surrounding landscape for the archer that had ambushed them.
"Can you see them?" Impa shouted from below.
"There's nothing!" Link called back. "I'll fly around and check anyway."
Nyara climbed back up the side of the gorge with Ark held tightly in her mouth. When she reached the edge, Impa and Zelda pulled Ark up and onto solid ground.
"Ark? Are you all right?" Zelda asked. Ark's hands began to shake.
"He's in shock, just give him a little bit of time to calm down," Impa said. Nyara immediately sat down and pulled him into her lap.
"Ark no worry, Nyara protected. Ark safe now, yes?" she crooned, licking his face furiously as she spoke.
"M-miss Nyara?" he mumbled in a dazed tone. He blinked and shook his head. "That was quite a fall. T-thank you for saving me."
"Ark scared of heights?" Nyara asked, stroking his hair. Ark nodded mutely and struggled to rise.
"I'm okay now, Miss Nyara," he insisted. "I'm just a little bit shaky." Link dropped to the ground nearby and Navi zipped out of his tunic and landed on his head.
"Nothing," he sighed, shaking his head. "They must have run off when they couldn't kill Ark. Either that or they thought they had accomplished their goal." Impa folded her arms across her chest and furrowed her brow.
"Well there isn't much we can do about that now. Let's get to the fortress as quickly as possible in case they decide to come back," she told them briskly.

Since Ark's startled horse had kept on running, he was forced to ride behind Link on his. Nyara hovered protectively around him, her eyes flitting up to the surrounding landscape for any sign of the attackers. They came to the checkpoint as they rounded a corner in the ravine and the solitary guard noticed their approach.
"Ho!" she called. "State your business!" Impa dropped down from her horse and approached the woman. Once close enough, she held out a small round disc and said something that the children couldn't hear. The guard then nodded and motioned for them to head on through.
"Oh I can hardly wait!" Zelda giggled. "We're going to see Fura again!" The group finally reached the main fortress compound where they tied up their horses. They received a few glances from the Gerudo and a number of greetings from those that recognized them until a very familiar voice rang out.
"Hello everyone!" Nabooru shouted, emerging from the main building. "It's been a while hasn't it."
"Too long," Impa smiled, giving the Gerudo a quick embrace.
"And I see we have two new visitors," Nabooru grinned. "What are your names?" Nyara, who was standing next to Ark, held her hand out.
"Me Nyara and this is Ark, he my pet," she told Nabooru proudly. Nabooru raised an eyebrow.
"Pet huh? You're a quiet little fellow aren't you?" Nabooru chuckled. Ark blinked and remembered himself.
"Oh! I'm sorry! It's an honor to meet you, Miss Nabooru," Ark said quickly, bowing slightly. Nabooru's eyes widened slightly.
"Miss! Nobody's called me that before! You're all right kid; good manners are important, even to us thieves!" Nabooru roared, clapping him on the back with such force that he almost went sprawling.
"Oh, careful there Nabooru, Ark's probably feeling a little bit delicate right now," Zelda grimaced.
"Huh? Oh, sorry kid," she grinned sheepishly.
"It is of no moment," Ark smiled. Nabooru nodded and turned to Zelda.
"Princess, you're looking lovely as usual," Nabooru told the blonde girl. "I bet the boys are falling all over you." Zelda blushed rosily.
"Well I wouldn't go so far as to say that," she replied bashfully.
"Now," Nabooru said, looking around. "Where's the fairy kid?" She spotted Link standing next to Impa.
"C'mere kid, let me see how big you've gotten," she grinned wolfishly. Link stepped forward with a slight tinge of apprehension to his face. Nabooru pinched his arm between her thumb and forefinger.
"Ow! Hey!" Link yelped.
"Hah! You're getting leaner, kid. None of that puppy fat left on you anymore. Nicely proportioned hands, broad shoulders," Nabooru said, poking him. "Nice straight back and good long legs."
"Is this a greeting or a sales pitch?" Link muttered.
"Hah! You've still got it I see," Nabooru laughed rowdily, slamming her hand into his back. "Good to have you back, kid. Fura's been pining over you for quite some time. I tell you something, her tantrums have put holes in the walls."
"Um…just what has Fura been doing all this time?" Link asked apprehensively, regaining his balance after Nabooru's hit.
"Ahh, that's a surprise," she winked. "You'll find out at midnight tonight, that's when she comes back. You're in for a surprise or two."

Nabooru's chamber was still the same as the last time they had visited. Draperies hung from the walls of the cool room and coals glowed brightly in a number of braziers located on the walls and on narrow stands. Nabooru whumphed down on a large cushion in the centre of the room and sat cross-legged. After telling Nabooru about the ambush, the leader of the Gerudo posted double guards at all the entry points and sent out a number of scouting parties.
"Come one everyone, sit down and eat something and tell me what you're been doing for the past year," Nabooru encouraged them. They took her up on her offer and each seated themselves down on a plush cushion. A bowl of fruit was passed around, each person taking something to eat.
"So fairy kid, you obviously got the letter I sent you, but why didn't you bring the little green girl…Saria I think she's called?" Nabooru asked. Link almost choked.
"Saria! She's going to kill me! She would have got the letter but would have had no way of getting here! I have to go get her or something," Link exclaimed.
"No need for that," came a voice from the door. Link turned his head and saw Saria standing there with her hands on her hips.
"What the…how did you get here?" Link asked. Saria frowned.
"Nice way to say hello, Mister Sensitive," she tutted. "The nice Gerudo who delivered the letter brought me here." Zelda waved her hands madly and motioned for her to sit down with her. Saria happily obliged and the two instantly began to chatter.
"Saria, before you begin to drone, this is Nyara," Link told her, motioning to the animal girl. Saria scowled at Link and waved at Nyara, who grinned back at her.
"Hey, shouldn't the fish-girl be here too?" Nabooru asked, looking around. "And that strong kid, the one who's always carrying that little girl on his shoulders, where are they? They should have got their messages a while ago to compensate for the longer journey." A guard stepped in and handed Nabooru a piece of parchment.
"Oh dear," Nabooru frowned. "This is from Ruto; she can't make it along because of her duties. But she sends her best wishes and says that Zelda and Fura had better not cheat…whatever that means. This got something to do with you, fairy kid?" Link shook his head and sighed.
"Yeah, I thought so," Nabooru chuckled. She turned her attention to Nyara. "So…Nyara? How did you meet up with grumbles here?" Nyara stopped licking at the puff-balls on her wrists and yawned.
"I came to protect. Good thing too, Nyara just in time to save Ark," she explained. Nyara leaned forward and held her hand up to her mouth. "Just between you and me, Ark need looking after. Lets people eat his food when he need to bulk up, so Nyara has to feed him sometimes." Ark looked slightly hurt.
"Really?" Nabooru nodded thoughtfully. "Well you keep at it Nyara. He's a lucky kid."
"That's not the word I'd use," Link whispered to Ark.
"She's only doing what she thinks is right," Ark replied almost automatically.
They talked about various matters, but mostly on the topic of things they had been doing. Saria and Zelda attempted to wheedle information out of Nabooru in relation to Fura's activities over the past year, but the thief merely smiled and tapped the side of her nose.
"Oh! Hey fairy kid, just what is that thing around your neck? Looks like something Fura would wear," Nabooru chuckled. "You taken a liking to jewellery or something?"
"No," Link said. "It's, I dunno, a tool I suppose."
"Funny looking tool," Nabooru smirked. "What does it do? Hang you up on the wall?" Nabooru began to laugh, slapping her thigh with her hand. Link smacked his face with his palm and groaned.
"So funny," he sighed. The straps dangling from the Key came to life and zipped through the air towards the laughing thief. They flicked around and coiled around Nabooru's waist, eliciting a gasp of surprise from the woman, before lifting her up and holding her against the wall.
"Hmm, looks like it's better for hanging you off the wall," Link grinned. Nabooru tried wrestling with the straps but was unable to get free.
"Okay, okay! You win, kid. Let me down," she surrendered, holding her hands up. The rings whizzed back around her waist before reeling back to Link, once again coming to rest on the floor behind him. Nabooru landed on her feet and walked back to her cushion.
"That's a dandy little toy you got there, kid. Fancy letting me try it out?" she asked.
"I would if I could, but it won't come off. It won't fit over my head and there's no clip that separates it," Link explained. Nabooru quirked an eyebrow.
"Then how'd you get it on?"
"Ark can explain," Link said, turning Nabooru's attention to the grey-haired boy.
"Pardon?" Ark gulped.
"Come on kid, don't be shy. You've been as quiet as a mouse ever since you got here. Spill the beans," Nabooru grinned.

There was a sharp rap on the door to Nabooru's chamber just as Link flicked another card at Zelda after another ill-fated game of cards. The guard stationed by the door opened it as the group craned their necks to see who it was.
"Talen!" Saria squealed, jumping up and rushing him. "You came too!" Talen caught her in a rough embrace, squeezing all the air out of her. He let Saria down and entered the room. He was wearing a pair of baggy work pants that tucked into a pair of heavy boots, giving them an almost Gerudo-ish appearance but not as loose-fitting and airy. He wore a peculiar belt that looped around at an angle and then looped around again at an opposite angle, leaving it to look like an "X" when viewed from the front or back. A sleeveless shirt covered his torso, the frayed arm-holes leaving his brown shoulders bare. His hair had grown longer and stuck out in a jumbled spiky fashion, the only thing keeping it out of his eyes being a leather headband.
"Hello everyone," he smiled. "It's good to see you all again." He and Link shook hands roughly and clapped each other on the back. Zelda skipped over and hugged him exuberantly, planting a small peck on his cheek.
"How have you been? Are things going well at Rockvale?" she asked him. Talen nodded.
"Business is booming for father and me. The palace has taken us up as the official weapons manufacturers as of a few months ago. We've moved to a bigger house with a bigger forge just next to the palace, it's great," he told her.
"That's wonderful!" she giggled.
"Come over here kid, let me get a good look at you," Nabooru called from her cushion. Talen approached her and grinned sheepishly.
"Wow!" Nabooru exclaimed, standing up. "Look at you. You're a strapping young lad, aren't you?" Nabooru was right. Talen had grown significantly over the three years since Gedinia's defeat. He stood equal height with Link, but was much burlier. His shoulders were broad like Link's, but like his arms, were more heavily muscled. Florella's ring still adorned his finger, gleaming in the light of the burning coals. Nabooru reached out and shook his hand, squeezing as hard as she could to get some sort of reaction out of him; her favorite thing to do when he visited. Talen merely smiled and crunched his hand shut, popping Nabooru's knuckles.
"Ouch! Damn you're strong," she hissed, blowing on her hand and flexing her fingers.
"Sorry," he apologized.
"Don't worry about it kid, I was asking for it…I do every time you come here. Come one then, sit down and have something to eat!"
Talen got on well with Ark, possibly due to the fact that the two of them weren't very verbose. Nyara took a liking to Talen as well, stating that he could teach Ark how to "Eat right so he gets big like you."
"I'm not that little, Miss Nyara," Ark protested. "They're only a few inches taller than I am."
"But Ark has no meat on bones," Nyara insisted, holding his arm up and squeezing its length. "Talen's bones have plenty meat, big muscles too."
"So kid, where's that girl, the one that rides around on your shoulders?" Nabooru asked, swirling a goblet of wine around lazily. "She usually sticks to you like glue, aren't you supposed to be getting married or something?" Talen coughed uncomfortably.
"I'm sure she'll be along soon enough, she wouldn't miss this for the world. I should know; Florella kept pestering me to come here and bust Fura out so that she could see her again."
"That sounds like Florella," Link groaned.
"By the way, she told me to give you a smack on the wrist for not making any progress. But I think I'll let it slide," Talen chuckled.
"She never quits," Link sighed. "Oh well, Ark should make an adequate victim for her."
"Victim? I don't understand," Ark said. Nyara's tail bristled.
"Anybody tries to get Ark, Nyara cut 'em up!" she hissed, clawing the air and barring her teeth.
"Don't have a hissy fit, Florella isn't actually going to hurt Ark," Link told her. "Physically anyway." Saria kicked him in the shin. Nyara calmed down, but proceeded to wash Ark's face protectively anyway. Ark protested meekly at first, but gave up and waited patiently for Nyara to finish.
"How long do we have until we see Fura?" Saria asked suddenly. Nabooru shrugged.
"A few hours at the most. We've been talking in here for quite some time…why?"
"We all need baths after coming all the way here. The boys can go first so that we can be sure they actually do have a bath." Nyara looked up in mid-lick.
"Ark already have bath," she insisted. Saria smiled warmly at her.
"Nyara, as good as you are at washing his face, the rest of him probably needs washing too…and I don't think Ark would want you to, well…" she left it hanging.
"Nice, Saria, real nice," Link grimaced, screwing up his face. Talen coughed uncomfortably and Ark blushed a deep crimson.
"Okay, Nyara let Ark go. But Talen look after Ark while he away, Ark need protecting."
"Don't worry Nyara, I'll make sure he survives," Talen chuckled. The three boys headed for the door, but Zelda called out to Link before he left.
"Link! Behind the ears!" she sang sweetly. Link scowled at her and gave a grudging affirmative before exiting the room. Impa waited until Link had left the room before fishing something out of her clothes.
"Cards anyone?"