Ok when I said I'd given him two hours, I'd said I would give him "Two Hours!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Sitting there seething on my rock right next to Fryer and his houseboat cannon, waiting on Link to find that there's nothing in the lake, and getting odd looks from Fryer as he tried to blend into the background. Giving off a weak smile in his direction I pick myself up off the rock and head towards Lanayru Spring where I originally mistook as a cavern. I know I said I'd go in after Link and his psycho alter ego Dark, but I have no way of getting there. Absolutely no way.
"Ah miss your supposed to stay here so I can keep an eye on you," Fryer gave a nervous smile.
"Fryer what's the deal with that temple, the one under the lake," natural curiosity and the fact that I didn't read the forums back home about the history of the temple.
"Oh um Ah, they put on such airs with all their rituals and fancy temple hoo-ha…then they just disappeared…and what's with putting that temple so deep that humans can't swim there? I swear those Zoras…"
"Did he just quote the game," shaking the fuzziness out of my head I turn my head back in the direction of the temple, "Did you say Zora…" voice distant.
"The Lakebed Temple was once a place of worship for the Zora, but at some point monsters filled the cavern and it was forced to be abandoned."
A nod, "And you don't know when this 'certain' time happened, Fryer?"
Fryer turned his head slightly looking up at the sky, absent mindedly stroking his bulbous chin. "No idea young lady, ah before my time."
Lanayru's Spring, such a beautiful place like most of hyrules many landscapes. I remember that the spring was one of my favorite areas in the game. A cool breeze rushes past me as I walked into the spring, ruffling my clothes and tousling my hair it gave me goose bumps as I entered the spring.
It was damp and smelled of salt the wind from the caverns mouth rippled the water below, it was deep there was no bomb fish nor was there skullfish. Small greengills swam through giant roots poking out of the walls, twisting and turning up and down reaching further into the springs enclosed hiding spot. Several circular golden panels dotted the stone wall around the spring.
Lanayru's Spring was calm, quiet nothing but the wind whistling through the cavern's walls and the lapping of water against the pools edge. A minor annoyance though, pink fairies fluttered around the entrance from the spring. Chattering nonstop annoying and it was high pitched too. Leaning out of the overhang many of the treasure chests were open at the bottom of the spring.
"Hmm." Scratching my elven ear I pulled it downward making it hurt and burn red. The water wasn't dark on the surface so I could see the bottom, and no dangerous enemies swimming around. Peeling my boots off and rolling up my leggings to the knee, I cautiously place my now exposed foot into the water, my foot barley penetrated the surface as I felt a rough force wrap around my ankle pulling and tugging me further into the pool. Flipping around and onto my stomach, digging my dull finger nails into the dirt trying my hardest to pull away from the unyielding force. I felt the pulling become more forceful my griping slipped, eyes wide as I was dragged beneath the surface of Lanayn's Spring.
Air. Air became a factor; the force dragged Grace to the bottom pulling her foot into the soft-wet sand before letting go. Desperately swimming to the surface, fingers graze the surface; a clear white shielding covered her escape to fresh air like ice.
A trap none the less, "What are people not allowed into the spring that I didn't know of? I should have asked Fryer about Lanayru's Spring first before coming here." Air was getting pretty thin, "need…a…way…out."
Garbled choking sounds echoed from her throat, bare knuckles pounded furiously against the shield above. Her throat burned like fire as Grace held back the urge to take a gasp of air that wasn't there a deep inhale through her nostrils. Only been in Hyrule for no more than four days and already she is dying; drowning. Sinking to the bottom once again, oxygen depleting from her mind her brain going fuzzy. Trying once again Grace dug her heels deep into the soft wet sand pushing herself forward angling her shoulder into the shield-the uninjured one-hitting the shield hard but it didn't even budge. All it did was make Grace's escape all the more futile.
"I'm not one for giving up!" Shouted Grace through her mind. Her eyes blurred, she could no longer see the roof of the cave. "One more try." Not in the way of having much of a plan Grace dug her heels into the soft wet sand once again when she felt something grapple her left ankle pulling it deeper into the cool sand, that unrelenting force returned dragging her further down. A small thought crossed Grace's mind could this force possibly be a Like-Like, that thought quickly passed her by as she recalled there being no Like-Likes in the Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess video game. Digging her swollen fingers into the sand desperately trying to get her foot free; Grace didn't have time for this, actually she had no time at all as she gritted her teeth and pursed her white lips together.
The force didn't stop going after Grace once she pulled her foot out of its grasp, instead it latched itself onto her arm yanking her further into the sand. Grace's shoulder now firmly wedged deep under the sand as Grace began to lose consciousness she felt something cold against her cheek and something wrap itself around her ring finger.
Bright blue and red eyes opened, nonstop fairy chatter echoed in and out of her ears and throughout the cavern. A rise of bile rose from Grace's throat as she turned over and let nature take its course as water and sand made its way out of her mouth and onto dry rock. Tired and almost lazy Grace sat up clutching her head tightly, "This migraine…" Grace grounded loudly. "How can it be…possible that I got out of the spring? I don't remember getting out, or putting my boots back on." Examining herself she noticed that both the bandages over her eye and the one on her shoulder were removed, the injury on her shoulder was completely gone. Upon closer examination a strange snake like ring was wrapping itself around her ring finger. Silver, green and blue the snakes' scales were while the underbelly remained a beautiful gold, silver outlined each scale and the rivets of the snakes' underbelly. Running her finger over the ring she felt it clench and unclench consciously as if it had a mind of its own, like it was saying "Don't take me off."
Walking out of the spring was more of a trial than coming in. Stepping out into a fresh breeze of lake water smell almost made Grace loose it all over again. As she collapsed against a ruined pillar of probably what used to be one of the supports for the Lake Hylia Bridge. Her mind was spinning, she was out of her element, was that her second near death experience she's ever had? Forgetting all about Link and his dark partner, Grace stared out upon the Lake twisting fingers around the ring painfully causing them to turn red and burn as skin peeled off.
"It would be foolish to walk strait into the Lakebed Temple, even with this new jewelry that won't come off," Grace desperately pulled away but the snake ring didn't budge.
"I feel like…I'm being foolish to even think this but I can't help but feel like this is a magic ring. I know, perish the thought but this is basically a sword and magic game/world, so could this be like a gift from Lanayru? I know I'm gonna regret this later either that or I'll look foolish doing so. Man so many choices? God I hate my life," Grace thought back and forth contemplating everything that could possibly happen. "Pros and Cons, pros and cons…hmm."
The water was cold an involuntary shudder ran up Grace's spine as she sunk her boot into the water. Water rushed inside her boot getting her feet soaking wet, "If I was at work right now and this happened to me I would be so done. Guy's may not have a problem with getting wet but I do." Walking a few feet into the lake the water slowly rose up to her waist as her footing became less easy to maneuver. Thick gobs of moss and mud stuck to the bottom of her boots making her shudder more from the noises that it produced. Stepping onto yet another mossy pile her footing slipped forcing Grace to fall into the clear blue water.
Scared out of that sudden trip Grace forgot to take in the air she needed to make her original diving attempt. Falling face first she sank deep into the water opening her eyes Grace makes a struggled gasp for air as bubbles escape her mouth. Taking several deep gulps of air she looked around her surroundings, apparently to notice that she had sunk to the bottom of the lake. Blinking rapidly as if by a strange dream sequence she couldn't get out of her mind, standing back onto her feet she looked up to see that indeed she had sunken down near the entrance to the lakebed temple. A few zoras' were swimming around the entrance, one approached. It looked at Grace with an impassive expression before taking off to catch up with its fellow brothers.
"Why was he looking at me like that?" Grace questioned.
Walking towards the temple she turned one last glance towards the fish folk-seeing their impassive features stare right back at her-before she disappeared into the entrance of the most dangerous place (in her opinion) in the Legend of Zelda game.
Shadenkira: have to say this is the worst chapter I've think I've ever written so far - still having trouble from switching from first to third person
