Taro grimaced as he stared at the four-legged devil, the bane of his existence... Even now, as it was rearing up on its hind legs, it seemed to laugh at him, now that he was lying in the dirt...
"Damned horse..." the rough fighter grumbled and threw a rock at the young foal.
Epona just snickered in amusement as she effortlessly dodged the thrown object. This rude human should just try and get her... she would never let herself tame by any human. She was a free spirit and would let no human get near her...
Well, except maybe for Malon. That girl could sing such beautiful songs... it made the young foal want to jump with joy.
Taro stood up from the ground. "Some day I'm gonna get you, just you wait!" he yelled and shook his fist. Epona just showed him her backside.
Grumbling, Taro walked back to the barn to take care of the other horses.
Ingo, the other farmhand in Talon's employment, leaned against the wooden fence of the horse pasture and chuckled.
"Tried taming the wild beast again, eh?" the skinny, mustached man asked.
"Shut up, Ingo..." Taro growled. "I want to see you doing better..."
That made Ingo angry. If there was something he didn't like, it was someone else pointing out that he wasn't able to do a job perfectly.
"One day, I'm gonna be the sole owner of this farm, and when this time has come, I'm gonna kick you and lazy ol' Talon out of here... Pantyhose!"
Taro grabbed the lanky man at his suspenders. "DON'T CALL ME THAT!" he snapped with fury.
Ingo knew this young man could wipe the floor with him, but he didn't show any fear, as he knew Taro's weakness. He simply smiled. "Go ahead, hit me... that won't stop me telling sweet little Malon about your little secret..."
Taro's face came several inches closer to the farmhand's visage, but Ingo didn't even flinch.
Finally, he threw the thinner man to the ground. "Get lost before I change my mind..." he growled and headed into the barn.
Ingo waited until Taro was out of sight, then he let out a sigh of relief. He didn't want to show it to anyone, but sometimes, even he was afraid that Taro might risk his little secret and 'polish Ingo's face', like he put it.
Epona had watched the banter between the two humans. Disgustedly, she threw Ingo an angry glare. While she believed Taro to be an amusing little fella, she downright HATED Ingo... This man didn't treat any of the animals with the respect they deserve... and she could feel that his dislike was not only aimed at the animals and Taro, but also at Malon and her father. The fear that he would get kicked out of the ranch was the only thing that kept him from venting his wrath on them.
Then, the little filly heard the creaking of the main building's door. Malon was coming outside. When she entered the horse pasture, Epona greeted her with an excited whinny.
"Hello there," Malon smiled at her friend. "Lively as always, Epona? I'm glad to see it."
Epona rubbed her snout against Malons face. The girl giggled. Then, the foal came close to her little belt pouch and sniffed.
"Oh, what was that? You said you're hungry, did you?" Epona whinnied and nodded. Malon giggled and took several sugar lumps out of her pouch, which she fed to the energetic little horse.
Suddenly, she heard voices:
"Are you SURE this is the way to Death Mountain?" a girl's voice asked. "Because it doesn't look like it..."
"I guess we shouldn't have tried following Ryoga..." another girl sighed. "He's a nice guy, but I know his sense of direction is absolutely horrible..."
"I... could've sworn this was the way to Kakariko..." a low, grumbling voice said. "I only followed the sounds of the Cuccos..."
"Ryoga... Kakariko isn't the only place with Cuccos, you know?" a second boy replied.
"He could have easily sent us to the Zora River," another girl said, her voice accompanied by a weird jingle.
Epona whinnied and ran away from the strange group that was approaching them. Malon looked at the assembled kids in confusion... until her gaze fell onto the two green-clothed ones.
"Hey, I met you in town, right?" she said with a smile. "Hey there, fairy-boy, fairy-girl... who are your friends?"
"Don't call me fairy-girl..." Ukyo said with a frown.
Link chuckled. "Hello, Malon."
----
"Soon Hyrule will fall into despair..." the first old hag chanted.
"Soon the kingdom will plunge into chaos..." the second old hag chanted.
"..."
"COLOGNE!"
Annoyed, the third and eldest of the three Gerudo witches turned around on her flying broomstick. "What do you want?"
Angrily, elder Koume zipped through the room on her own broom and came to a stop in front of Shampoo's great-grandmother. "How can we finish the rituals for Lord Ganondorf's honor if you don't play your part?" the fire sorceress flared up in anger.
Cologne stared back at her unimpressed. "We still have plenty of time. Gathering all of the Spiritual Stones will take some time. Until then, we should concentrate on other, important matters."
"There ARE no such things!" Koume angrily yelled. "Guiding Ganondorf on his way to become the grandmaster of evil is the holiest of all things we ever did in our life... It's the ONLY thing we live for!"
"Certainly you don't plan on invoking his wrath, do you, elder Cologne?"
Cologne stared back at the two twins (both of whom were younger than herself). "I know that very well, you two... and you shouldn't forget that it was my idea to begin with. But I believe I'm the only one of us three that also thinks about the well-being of the rest of our tribe... How will the Gerudo rule over their new kingdom if they can't take care of their children?"
"Foolish sentimentalism," Koume bickered. "The Gerudo always have been a tribe of strong warriors... they can take care of themselves. And once the kingdom is ours, they won't have any more trouble."
"Well, as long as there is enough time left to care for my family, I prefer watching them every now and then..." the oldest elder stated. "And I would advise that you two try and remember about your children as well..."
And with these words, she steered her broom out of the temple's window and flew back to the Gerudo Fortress, where her great-granddaughter was waiting.
Kotake came flying over to her twin sister. "The nerve..." Koume muttered. "That old mummy seems to forget that raising the king of the Gerudos is the only thing we should worry about..."
"We should keep a watchful eye on her," Kotake pondered. "Who knows what kind of foolish craze might develop inside her senile old mind... It would be a shame if we had to replace her, Koume..."
----
"Elder Cologne!" The training Gerudo warriors saluted as the ancient hag came swooping down from the skies. "What an honor! Is there a reason for your visit?"
"Yes..." Cologne said and looked around. "I'm here to talk to my great-granddaughter..."
One of the guard captains let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, elder... But little Shampoo ran away this morning. She left her bedroom and sneaked past the guards..."
Cologne nearly fell off her broom. "What? AGAIN? That foolish child... How many times do I have to tell her that the world outside of our valley is much too dangerous for a child of our tribe..."
"Vice leader Nabooru went after her," the captain continued. "She believes that Shampoo might still follow her ideas of 'finding a suitable husband'."
Cologne rolled her eyes. Of course... that again! Sometimes, the ancient Gerudo witch wondered about that girl's sanity... A girl her age had much more important things to think about than finding a groom... Only when a Gerudo's body and battle skills have matured, she would be ready to head out into the world outside of the desert, so she can find a suitable husband to continue the strong line of the Gerudo tribe.
"Should we send additional warriors to get her back, elder?" another Gerudo asked.
Cologne shook her head. "No, that's fine... Nabooru is going after her, and I believe she can take care of everything. You should continue with your training."
The warriors saluted. "Yes, elder!"
----
"Ooooh yes, young Mr. Customer has been very strong fighter... Fell into cursed spring, but not before pushing own father down. Both father and son were best fighters I've ever seen..."
Shampoo grinned while listening to the tale of the Jusenkyo guide... she just had to meet that boy. From what she heard of his skills, he should be the perfect husband.
"Shampoo has to hurry and find pigtail-boy..." she said with a dreamy expression. "Shampoo has always dreamed of meeting strong male who is strong in body... not in magic, like stupid king..."
She giggled as she ran past the cursed springs, into the direction the young boy and his family have taken, according to the guide.
"Airen... you wait for Shampoo!"
----
Link chuckled as the wet nose of the young foal tickled his cheek. "Now, now..." he said. "That tickles..."
"I don't believe it," Malon gushed happily. "Epona finally warmed up to another person than just me..."
"Might have to do something with that song you taught him," Navi giggled as she sat on one of the fence's poles.
It was the next morning. Malon and her father had agreed to let them stay for the night.
It was a peaceful morning. While Ryoga was sitting among some Cuccos (the chickens were awfully friendly around him), Akane and Ukyo were taking a small stroll around the pasture.
"Sooo..." Akane said. "Umm... what's your relation to Link?"
"Well, were really close friends..." Ukyo started.
"Oh reeeaaally?" Akane snickered. "I see, I see..."
"N-not like that," Ukyo blushed fiercely. "We're really just friends... but we're as close as brother and sister, you could say... Both of us were outsiders in the Kokiri village. Also, I believe there's this other girl Link likes..."
"You mean Malon?"
Ukyo shook her head. "No, no. I mean a Kokiri girl that's also a good friend of mine. Her name is Saria, and she could be easily considered the most mature of us all."
"Mature?" Akane asked. "But I thought Kokiri didn't age...?"
"That's true, but that doesn't mean they can't age mentally and emotionally... In a sense, I consider Saria my 'big sister'. But her relationship with Link, now that's a different story..."
"I see..." the Sheikah girl nodded and sighed. "I guess I can sympathize... I also believe there's someone I like..."
Ukyo smiled reassuringly at her. "Hey, just don't give up hope, and your dreams will come true... that's what Saria always tells me."
"Thanks, Ukyo," Akane smiled. "You know, your friend Saria seems to be quite wise for a Kokiri..."
"Yo, Ukyo! Akane! We're leaving!" Link yelled from the ranch's main gate.
"I guess we should go," Ukyo smirked. "We don't want to keep the boys waiting..."
Akane giggled.
----
"So, where to now?" Link asked as they all left the ranch.
"I think we should split up," Ukyo suggested. "That way we can save some time and get both Spiritual Stones at once... we can also make sure that Ganondorf doesn't get his hands on any of them."
"Good idea," Tatl nodded. "But may I suggest that each group should consist of one Kokiri and someone else? I mean, Ukyo and Link are the princess' messengers, after all..."
"That might actually be the best," Akane agreed. "Okay... while Ryoga may not have the best sense of direction - no offense, Ryoga - he has many friends in Goron City, so perhaps he should be the one to accompany one of you two to Death Mountain..."
"Okay, then I'll go with him," Ukyo decided. "I've always wanted to see the mountains..."
Akane nodded. "Okay... my mother told me that the Zoras - the aquatic race of Hyrule - have the Spiritual Stone of Water, so I guess Link and I have to go to Zora's Domain."
"Sounds good to me," Link grinned.
"W-wait a minute..." Ryoga protested. "C-can't I go with Akane?"
"Think about it, Ryoga," Akane said. "We're going to the Zora Domain... a kingdom of water. Do you really believe that would be the best place for a Goron like you? Besides, Tatl is right... as Zelda's messengers, Ukyo and Link should be accompanied by each of us."
Link patted his new friend on the shoulder. "Don't worry..." he grinned. "I'll watch out for her."
Ryoga thought about what Nabiki had told him and hesitated. "I dunno..."
Link noticed the Goron's worries and looked at him firmly. "Hey look, I promise: Nothing will ever happen to her, I swear... or else the Deku Babas shall get me!"
Although he still was uneasy about this, Ryoga realized how serious Link was about his vow and nodded. Hopefully, the princess was right with putting that much trust into those forest children...
----
BOOM!
"Man, this is boring..." Happosai yawned as he blew up the 14th Dodongo. "I already explored the entire cave, and I found no other exit... and I STILL can't lift that cursed boulder in front of the exit. Dang, I don't wanna blow up those stupid lizards all the time..."
With teary eyes, he looked at the remains of his beautiful collection. "But did those Fire Keese have to burn my darlings all up? Now I need some new underwear... but how am I supposed to find some if I'm stuck in here? WHAAAAAAAAH! Life is so unfair..."
He sniffed. "Curse you, you stupid Dodongos... couldn't you at least have attractive females? And you're all so pathetically weak... I need a good opponent to unwind a little bit."
That's when suddenly, the ground collapsed under the feet of the ancient martial arts pervert, and he plunged down into a deep cave...
Landing next to a scorching hot pool of lava, Happosai carefully looked around the circular cave. "Now where am I?"
Without any warning, heavy footsteps coming from behind him made the ground shake.
Happosai turned around... and came face to face with the biggest, ugliest and scariest Dodongo he had seen.
Well, actually, his face was much closer to the ground than that of the massive dinosaur, but you get my point...
King Dodongo let out a deafening bellow as he stared down at the tiny human that had dared to come into his lair.
Happosai smirked. "Now, now... This should be interesting."
----
The Zora watchman gasped in surprise as he saw his queen approaching the entrance of Zora's Domain, hidden behind the waterfall.
"Q-queen Nodoka?" he stuttered. His gaze fell on the big bear and the little Zora girl standing next to Nodoka, looking sullenly at the ground.
Nodoka smiled at him. "Please, go and tell the king we'd like to have a formal meeting arranged... I'd like to make an introduction."
"Uh, right away, my lady..." The gaze of the blue-scaled merfolk fell on the winged bear. "Um, my lady... about that bear..."
The queen smiled. "Oh, don't worry, he's tame! He's the pet bear of my first-born daughter... Ranko!"
The male Zora gasped in surprise. "F-first child?" he asked in surprise. Instantly realizing that this girl was his queen's daughter and therefore also royalty, he quickly bowed in front of the girl, who didn't seem to be very impressed at all.
"I'll... I'll go and tell His Majesty right away," the guard said and elegantly jumped through the waterfall.
'Ranko' blinked. "The entrance is behind the waterfall?"
Nodoka smiled down at her daughter. "Don't worry, Ranko... you'll get used to your new form. Water is a Zora's natural element and you'll love the feeling of flowing water running over your smooth scales..."
Ranma cringed upon hearing her mother call her 'Ranko', but accepted her fate with a sigh... After all, in a sense, she WAS Ranko now...
'That doesn't include bears, does it?' Genma signed with a growf. 'And you know how wet fur stinks...'
"Just 'bear' with it, husband..." Nodoka grumbled. "There are many worse things than wet fur... like, a nice, sharp katana, for instance...?"
Genma gulped and raised another sign: 'I'll be good...'
----
The Zoras that were assembled within the throne room waited in anticipation. Agitated murmurs were audible, and the honor guard of King Zora - two male Zora warriors armed with harpoons - were flanking the entrance.
Princess Ruto stood next to the chubby form of her father, fidgeting nervously with her fins. If what the guardian had told them was true, then she had an elder sister... and she would meet this sister in several minutes.
If her father was agitated in any way, he certainly didn't show it. Relaxed like always, the king just goggled at the entrance, his big, fish-like eyes never blinking once.
And then, she shell horns heralded the arrival of the guests of honor... The queen of the Zora kingdom and her previously unbeknown daughter, Princess Ranko...
Ruto went stiff when she saw her mother entering the room, clutching the hand of a Zora girl that was slightly older than her. From what Ruto could see, this girl had a trim and fit body, and she promised to become as beautiful as her mother as soon as she would reach adulthood (the same thing that Nodoka had often told Ruto).
Actually, most of the Zora could see the similarities between the two princesses... Ranko was older and slightly bigger than Ruto, and she didn't have an extensive head like her younger half-sister, but a tiny fishtail dangling from the back of her head... but no one could deny the fact that there were many similarities the two girls shared with their mother...
Finally, Nodoka and Ranko came to a stop in front of the throne. Ranko seemed to be very uncomfortable, as she desperately tried looking down at her wet feet.
"Honorable Zoras..." Nodoka spoke. "My beloved husband and king... and Ruto, my youngest daughter... I hereby introduce to you the daughter of my first husband, and according to Zora laws, your second princess: Princess Ranko!"
The Zora applauded. Ranko shuffled around nervously as she looked around the assembled fish-people.
Then the king replied in his gurgling bass voice: "Welcome back, my beloved wife and queen. I'm very happy that you managed to find your first daughter." He looked down at the young girl. "I also welcome you, Ranko... Surely, I can imagine it will be pretty demanding for you to accept your new status as a princess... but I can assure you, you have the support from all of us. Don't see your title as a burden... but instead see it as a chance for a new beginning, a chance for you as well as for the Zora of this kingdom."
He made a dramatic gesture with his stubby little arms. "May Nayru's wisdom be with you!"
Enthusiastic cheering from every Zora commenced.
----
After the formal introduction, most of the Zoras left the throne room.
While King Zora looked down at his stepdaughter with gentle eyes, Ruto came walking down the stairs of the throne to stand in front of Ranko.
Nodoka smiled and gently pushed her older daughter forward.
Ranma was very edgy... not only was she a man pretending to be a girl, she also had entered a new, previously unknown culture... and was automatically accepted as their new princess.
But regardless of that, she took some steps forward and gave the younger Zora girl standing in front of her a cute smile.
"Um... hi there! I'm Ranko... wanna be friends?"
At first, Ruto had stared at the other girl with a nervous expression... but now, her mouth widened in a broad smile, as she jumped forward to embrace Ranko in a big hug.
"BIG SIS!" she shouted. "Welcome to the family..."
The king and queen looked at each other and smiled. That went pretty well.
Ranma smiled as she hugged her little sister back. True, such a close contact with a girl wasn't what she would do under normal circumstances (and the fact that Ruto was completely nude was an additional issue)... But somehow, it felt good keeping her arms around this other girl, knowing that she was a part of her family.
Ruto sighed as she looked up into her 'oneechan's' face... She had always wished for a big sister... and today, her wish had come true.
----
"So, this is Kakariko village, huh?" Ukyo asked as she looked around the peaceful huts and houses.
Ryoga nodded. "Yes, it's the last Hylian settlement before Death Mountain... Akane told me her Mom was the one who founded this village. Originally, it was meant as a resort for all the people who don't have a home. But I think the village is not quite complete yet..." He gestured towards a construction site, where a burly carpenter and his men were working on a half-finished house.
Ryoga quickly told Ukyo and Tatl about the other landmarks of the village: The windmill, the old well and the graveyard.
"The graveyard is the resting place of the villagers... but also of the royal family. Dampe, the gravedigger, is a loyal follower of Impa and the royal family."
"Sounds like an interesting place," Tatl replied. "But let's not go to the graveyard, okay? I have no intention of visiting a place with so many... dead people lying underneath my feet (shudder)."
Although Kakariko was certainly a nice place to visit, they tried not to waste too much time and walked through the village quickly.
"The faster we reach Goron City, the faster we can get that Spiritual Stone," Ukyo said. "Tell me, Ryoga: Your home town... what's it like?"
"Well, it's been some time since I've been there. But I think it's a nice place to live - at least for us Gorons." He smirked. "I guess for a forest girl like you there would be too less green... we don't have any trees or something similar up there."
"Sounds pretty sad," Ukyo had to admit. "I mean, are there no plants at all? Only the bleak rocks?"
"Hey!" Ryoga sounded a little offended. "Rocks are everything for my tribe. We couldn't survive without the special Rock Sirloin lodes within Death Mountain. Sure, we can eat other rocks... but every now and then, we need the special constituents of good ol' Death Mountain minerals." He proudly patted the hard backside of his body. "It's what keeps our skin as tough like it is."
"Sorry," Ukyo said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to insult you. I mean, it sounds pretty different from what I'm used to..."
"Yeah, I can imagine," Ryoga nodded. "But there ARE some plants growing up there. Especially our 'special crop'."
"What's that?" Tatl asked intrigued.
"Bomb Flowers," Ryoga explained. "Interesting little plants that have the properties of bombs... Pick one up and after a short while, it will explode. They're very handy if we want to dig through some rocks that are just too hard for even our solid fists."
Ukyo nodded, while her head was spinning. Life on Death Mountain sure sounded very different from what she was used to in the Kokiri Forest.
"You know, for a tough guy like you, you know pretty much," she grinned while they approached the outskirts of the village.
Ryoga grinned back. "Well, I used some of my travelling time to study about the different places and races living throughout Hyru..."
SPLASH!
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" the old woman with the ladle said from where she was sprinkling her lawn. "I didn't see you there, honey."
Ukyo shook the water out of her hair. "It's all right, don't worry about... Ryoga?"
A nervous chirp coming from the ground attracted her attention.
Puzzled, she looked down... and saw a small Cucco chick hopping up and down next to her feet. And around the neck of that Cucco, she saw... a yellow, black-spotted bandana.
"No way!" she gasped. "Ryoga?"
"Aaaawwwww..." a female voice suddenly said. "What a cuuuuuute lil' Cucco..."
A pair of slender hands picked up the confused little chick, and the village girl nuzzled him against her cheek. "Is that your little friend?" she asked Ukyo.
"Um... yeah, you could say that," Ukyo replied.
She took a closer look at the other girl. She had dark hair with pink bangs and a very sweet face. She was clothed in a blue dress and a brown vest.
"Sorry I just scooped up your little pet like this," she smiled. But I just loooove Cuccos... and I absolutely adore Cucco chicks." She stretched out her hand. "I'm Akari Unryu... I'm the caretaker of the village's Cuccos."
Ukyo shook Akari's hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Ukyo, and this is Tatl."
"Heya!" Tthe yellow fairy waved.
Akari waved back and was just about to say something, when suddenly, she closed her eyes and opened her mouth.
"A... a... aaaaaa... A-CHOOOOOO!"
Ryoga tweeted and fluttered his tiny wings in panic, as he was blown through half of the village.
Akari sniffed and rubbed her nose. "Yeah, and I'm allergic against feathers, too..."
----
"So..." Ranko said. "This Jabu-Jabu-thing... what's wrong with it?"
They had all settled down on the stone seats within the throne room. The water from Zora's Spring came flowing from behind them and gently splashed against their backsides, while it was flowing down along their legs.
King Zora and Ruto seemed shocked about Ranko's choice of words. "Mind your mouth now, child," the king stuttered, while Ruto looked more like she was impressed by Ranko's boldness. "Lord Jabu-Jabu isn't a 'thing'... he's the protector of the Zora and all the water that is flowing through Hyrule. As a Zora, you should know that." He shook his round head. "I wonder how that father of yours could raise you without teaching you those fundamental things..."
Nodoka coughed. "Well, Genma has always been... slack, regarding the education of our child." She threw the winged bear that was sitting on the dry platform within the room an icy glare.
'Mr. Moosh' just raised his usual sign: 'I'm just a cute winged bear...'
"Well, about Lord Jabu-Jabu..." Ruto started to explain. "You know, I'm his caretaker, and I've noticed an unusual behavior with him for several days now. He was always getting irritable whenever someone approached him. I could only calm him down by giving him his food."
"All of this started to happen after Ganondorf, the king of the Gerudo tribe, has visited our kingdom." King Zora wailed. "He ordered me to hand over our most sacred artifact to him, the Zora Sapphire... otherwise the consequences would be dire. Of course, I had to refuse - the royal family of Hyrule has assigned us with the safekeeping of this precious gem countless generations ago. Also, it has become an integrated part of our society..."
"Okay, I get it why you couldn't just hand it over," Ranko nodded. "But what I don't understand is why you came to get me, Mom. What can I do in such a situation?"
Nodoka continued to explain: "Well, after my anticipation that Ganondorf has planted a curse upon Lord Jabu-Jabu, I went to the fairy spring behind his domain and asked the Great Fairy that is living there for guidance. And she gave me some sort of prophecy as an answer:
'Soon, the child of destiny will arrive, his fate fiercely entangled with that of the Zora princess... This child will tame the beast of the water and bring back peace to the kingdom of the waves.'"
"Wait a minute..." Ranko intervened. "And you just thought I would be that child? Is that it?"
"What else should we believe?" the king asked. "As only I and your mother knew of your existence, we were pondering about the possibility that you might be the one the fairy spoke of. After all, you are the child of the Zora queen, and the half-sister of Ruto."
Ranko looked grimly at her mother. "I hate to say this, Mom... but somehow, this all sounds to me like you're using this prophecy as an excuse to see me again."
"E-excuse me...?" Nodoka stuttered. Never before had she expected her child to react like this.
"I think you're misjudging your mother, young one," the king said sternly. "As much as she is overjoyed to see you again and we are glad that we finally managed to announce you as Ruto's elder sister, we still had to consider every last possibility. Surely you understand this, right?"
"Well... yeah, I guess so..." Ranko mumbled.
Ruto seemed a bit sad that Ranko seemed to resist her place within Zora society like this, but she supportively put an arm around her older sister's shoulder. "Don't worry, Ranko! Mom told me that you're very strong, and that you could help us. I mean, it can't hurt to try, right?" She smiled. "And if this 'destined child' turns out to be someone else, well... at least you can tell yourself you did your best."
"I suppose..." the other girl sighed. "All right... let's take a look at your 'protector'... then we'll see what we can do. But I seriously wonder what someone like me can do to calm down a whacked out tuna fish like this..."
"Child!" the king scolded. "What did I tell you about disrespecting Lord Jabu-Jabu?"
Nodoka just sighed and Ruto giggled. She could really get used to her new sister...