The skull kid heaved the largest rock he had found over the side of the cliff and watched as it tumbled through the air and splashed into the clear water of Zora's lake. It lifted his head and looked at Zelda with what she supposed was a smile. She made a mental note to apologise to the now King of the Zoras and continued up the path that was decorated with shells. The river powered itself towards the waterfall as she heard the skull kid jump with delight at dropping another large stone. She entered the Zora's throne room and crossed the small steps that were submerged in water that only just touched the edge. King Ralis was perched on his throne with a guard on either side and was startled to see a warrior with a face that was mostly covered. All the Zoras in the throne room were suddenly alert and had pulled out all sorts of weapons that included spears, knives and large fish hooks on chains that would hook its victims' flesh and would not let go easily.
King Ralis, however, had stayed perfectly still and stared at the stranger who approached his throne and bowed, their hand in a fist over their heart. He recognised the sign of the Sheikah tribe on the figures chest and considered this strange. The Sheikah tribe had long since died out – the last had been the princess' personal trainer… and this information was only known to the heads of the tribes.
Ralis signalled for his people to lower their weapons. They lowered them, but didn't put them away – they still remembered all too well what had happened to their late queen.
"What is your business here warrior? I do not recall inviting anyone to my domain." King Ralis spoke with dignity, he was no longer a child. Zelda paused before replying, thinking about what she could say without sounding crazy.
"Forgive me your majesty but I am here on urgent business. I am on a quest to find the hero of our realm. I believe you know him as Link." Ralis looked shocked at these last words.
"Yes, I know him. But why do you hide your identity? And what do you need from the Zora tribe?"
"I do not know exactly what I need. I have a… companion who knows where to find Link but at a price. They are waiting outside but I am afraid that they will only speak in a private place. Is that possible?"
"I have heard of his disappearance so I will help you find Link as he once saved my life. But only if you reveal who you are; in a private place if it must be so. And who is this friend of yours?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, it would be better to meet them. Oh and I am sorry for their behaviour, they've been throwing rocks into the lake below the waterfall."
King Ralis sat down on the grass of Lake Hylia and invited Zelda to join him. He took a gulp of water from his water pouch and offered some to her which she gladly accepted after having to walk all the way to the lake. The would have taken a boat but it had been smashed against some rocks and was still being repaired. As Zelda gave back the water, she was startled at how young the Zora was to be a King. She wouldn't be Queen until her 18th birthday (which was in a year) and Ralis could only be about 15; but she brushed it aside, besides they were a completely different tribe.
"Come, the cave of the spirit will be a safe place to talk. There you can show me your identity and this… skull kid can tell us what he wants from my tribe." Ralis got up and made his way over to a large cave with two taller pillars on each side of the entrance. Both the cave and the pillars had yet more carvings on them, made to look like water – it was strangely hypnotising.
They entered the cave and were met with a large pool of water, at least 3 meters deep and 4 meters wide with paths all around the outside covered in lush grass. On either side, there was a ledge covered in ivy that led to another level of the cave. Ralis started running and, at the last moment, he jumped and grabbed onto the ivy and started to climb. He heaved himself over the edge and beckoned to Zelda to do the same. Just as she started running, the Skull kid leapt onto her back and linked its arms around her neck and stood on the knife sheaths behind her hip. With a smile, she followed Ralis up to the wall and over to the back of the cave. At first glance, she never would have noticed that the many vines that hung down from the ceiling were actually hiding a small, round door with more carvings decorating it. Ralis merely pushed the door to the side and walked in, with Zelda and the skull kid not far behind. As soon as they had entered, the door slammed back into position behind them without anyone needing to close it.
"As a child I would often come here if I needed somewhere to be alone. So warrior, who are you?" Ralis asked. He had made himself comfortable by sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. Zelda joined him and pulled down the mask that covered her face.
"Princess Zelda of Hyrule." Ralis didn't even look surprised by this information but merely smiled.
"I thought so! We once met when I was 11 years old, you were 15 at the time but I could never forget your eyes. I trusted you as soon as I met you because of your eyes but now they are also filled with despair, worry and fear. Perhaps that is because of the war that happened a year after our first meeting… or perhaps because of the disappearance of a friend? And what does the skull kid want?"
"Link has been gone for nearly a whole year and the skull kid is the only one who knows where he is but it needs three things first and this is my only lead. Skull kid? What do you want from the Zora tribe?" The skull kid cocked its head at Zelda and stopped bouncing around in an open chest that was at the back of the small cave. It seemed to consider her question and then closed the chest and sat down on it, its legs crossed.
"What do I want I wonder? Perhaps a Zora weapon? Or a fishing rod? Hmm… I want a Zora scale. There are deep pools in the lost woods which I wish to explore!" Zelda looked at King Ralis with a sense of dread. Zoras do lose scales from time to time which can be used to breathe under water for a short amount of time but they do not fall very often.
"I do not have any Zora scales spare. But I do have something better if the Skull kid is interested?"
"The Skull kid is very interested!" it squeaked. It was jumping up and down, peering at the young Zora with great interest.
"Before he died, my father created a tunic that would allow those who are not Zoras to swim and breathe under water like one. He made one for The Hero of legend and a smaller one for a child. Why he created a tunic for a child is unknown to me, but it may just fit the Skull kid and I know how to make another one in case someone else needs it."
"Brilliant! Where can we find one?" Zelda asked. She would be one step closer to finding Link.
"At he bottom of the lake. I just don't know where." Zelda's smile faded.
"Could you search for us? Please, I need that tunic to find Link."
"My mother said that the adult tunic was at the grave of my father so there might be something there if we have a look. But it will be a days ride from here if we don't take the river."
Zelda thought… and thought. Wherever Link was, he could be in serious danger and needed to be found quickly. The Skull kid could be using her. She didn't have any other leads.
"Skull kid, can you warp from one place to another without ever having been there? Can you take others with you?"
The skull kid nodded.
"Good, take us to the grave of the Zora king."
"Hee hee hee, you think it would be that simple? I need to know exactly what it looks like, at least the grave or we'll split in two!" it giggled again and laughed at the princess' desperateness. Zelda snapped her head to the Zora king who was startled by her sudden movement. At once, he seemed to understand what she wanted and started to draw the grave in the dirt. When he had finished, the grave looked like one that was fit for Zora royalty with the tribes' symbol on the front. The Skull kid took one look at the drawing, closed his eyes… and there was a loud crack.
