Link had woken after just a couple hours of sleep, and had resumed his search, which lasted three hours before coming to where the head honcho had taken up residence. A bioelectric anemone named called Barinade, flesh tubes connected to the ceiling of this 'room', poisoning and harming Lord Jabu Jabu. It was no wonder why the fish was in such a foul mood.
A shiver of dread and trepidation had slivered down his spine upon the sight. It crackled as if lightning was encased within its body, dangerous and potent. Link had known one touch would stop his heart within seconds, so he avoided coming too close at all costs, just to be safe.
The battle proved difficult, and it resulted in countless scrapes, bruises and lumps, each progressively worse than the last as his pained body gradually tired. Much detrimental of all, his ankle, as he threw himself to the side in order to narrowly avoid the charge of a biri extended from the Barinade, twisted the wrong way—not broken, but, he acknowledged as pain shot through it upon gingerly testing his weight, definitely sprained. Forced to limp as quickly as possible, he danced out of reach.
Link managed to successfully disconnect the tubes, which left the Barinade free to wildly spin as desired. Link spat out a curse as he was force to jump lest he be trampled, landing awkwardly on his ankle. Trying a new tactic, it began to shoot bolts of lightning at him, supercharging the air in the room so that the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stood on end.
The Barinade fought valiantly, a strong opponent, but in the end, Link proved victorious. As he slashed and stabbed one last time, sizeable, bulbous boils sprung up all over its body, covering it from top to bottom within mere seconds. Once the boils reached its antenna, from which it shot lightning, it burst with a splash of green liquid that looked suspiciously like a mixture of blood and some sort of acidic sludge. As Link watched, hastily scooting back out of the way, oozing scabs covered every visible surface, making for a horrifying sight to say the least. And then—
—it exploded.
Bits of flesh and pulverized organs splattered the area. As if he weren't already disgusting enough, some of it rained down on him, covering him (and Navi) in the foulness.
"I don't think I'll ever feel clean again," Navi grumbled, grouchily shaking to flick some off her.
Link snorted sardonically, mentally agreeing. He yearned for a long bath, to soak for as long as he wished until every speck of grime vanished. Water might not even be potent enough, he admitted grimly, scowling as he picked some goo out of his hair.
"Let's go," Link told Navi. The sooner they left, the sooner he could bathe. Since he was no longer worried about Ruto (she was suspending in the typical blue light which would transport Link outside, looking extremely disgruntled but overall unscathed), getting clean topped his list of priorities at the moment.
Ruto wasted no time in chastising him. As soon as he stepped into the blue light, she crossed her legs and arms irritably. "You... you're late!" she accused. "What took you so long? You're useless!"
Link accepted that without comment or bothering to defend himself. "You aren't harmed, are you? You're okay?"
"I'm fine!" For the first time, Link noticed a red blush to her cheeks. The reason for her embarrassment became apparent when she admitted, "I was just lonely, that's all. Just a little!" Her deliberately placed emphasis on the last parting told him it had not been little at all.
Before Link could respond, the process of being transported outside in the blue dome began, and both of them fell into silence as it beamed them up.
In the next instant, they were deposited outside. The first thing he saw was Ruto, two inches away from his face. With a startled gasp, he hastily stepped backward. For a brief second, he panicked as he fell, hitting a body of water before he knew what was happening. He sucked in a surprised breath as a reflex and, as a result, surfaced sputtering and flailing with burning lungs.
Just as he oriented himself, realizing they were behind Lord Jabu Jabu and that he had fallen off a thick tree branch, Ruto smoothly dived in, somehow hardly rippling the water in the process. She smoothly emerged and floated over to him, a peculiar look in her eyes. The princess of the Zoras made treading water look graceful and elegant, a dancer in her element.
"You!" Link braced himself for the yelling that was sure to follow. However, a fond smile played on her lips, contradicting her previous discontentment. "You looked cool—cooler than I thought you would, anyway. Just a little." As before, she placed emphasis on the latter part.
She batted her eyelashes at him, and Link failed to understand how she expected and wanted him to respond. "…Thank you?" He unconsciously gave an infliction to the words, making it a question rather than a statement.
"Well, anyway, you saved me, so I guess I'll reward you. What do you wish? Just tell me…" she coaxingly urged, once again fluttering her eyelashes as if she had something in her eye.
Link's heart leapt. The moment had come at last. There was no backing down now…
Feeling like the world's biggest asshole, he closed his eyes, disgusted with what he was about to ask. "I want the Spiritual Stone."
Whatever she had been expecting, that—judging from her crestfallen face—was far from it. Blinking in confusion, she stared at him a moment before asking, "You mean the Spiritual Stone of Water, Zora's Sapphire, don't you?"
"…Yes." Link met her gaze. She deserved nothing less than the truth. "I'm on a mission to collect all three Stones in order to keep them safe. An evil man wants them , so that he take over Hyrule, and that's unacceptable. He's the one that did this to Lord Jabu Jabu," he explained haltingly, silently asking for Zelda's forgiveness. He suspected the privy information wasn't meant for outside ears. However, he surprisingly trusted Ruto, despite all her flaws.
Ruto frowned, not bothering to question the validity of his claim thankfully. "When my mother gave it to me, she said I should give it only to the man who will be my husband. You might call it the Zora's Engagement Ring!"
She paused a moment to scrutinize him. Her answer, when it came, was surprisingly strong and definite. "All right."
It was Link's turn to blink in bewilderment. "All right?"
"I'll give you my most precious possession: Zora's Sapphire."
When she handed it to him, the Stone still contained the warmth from her body, as if it were alive itself. It sparkled blindingly in the high sun, and Link was forced to avert his eyes as they smarted.
Her hand only hesitated on the Stone a second before she relinquished it.
"Thank you," Link told her, trying to imprint the sincerity he felt in his voice and eyes. He briefly wondered about the implications of her giving him the Stone, but the jubilance of gaining all three Stone overshadowed the nagging.
Ruto smiled, looking unexpectedly chipper. "Don't tell my father," she requested.
"I won't," he promised, pretending to cross his heart.
Together, they swam to the shore. Once there, Ruto greeted Lord Jabu Jabu cheerfully, stroking his side lovingly, and he responded with a twitch that almost resembled a smile. Link, however, held back, having a new aversion to fish and anything related. He may always have negative connotations for fish after this particular adventure.
"I'll have one of the servants prepare a room for you for the night," she told him as they walked—or, limped in Link's case; once out of the water, his ankle pained him more than ever.
"Oh, no, thank you. I really need to get back to Castle Town."
She pointedly glanced down, eyeing his limp. "Mhm. You need to rest and have a decent meal."
Link opened his mouth to, once again, protest when she spoke the magic words. "Besides, you can have a nice hot bath."
That effectively broke any reluctances he might have had. "That does sound nice," he admitted.
"Excellent!" Smirking mischievously, she told him, "No offense, but you need it. You look almost as bad as you smell."
Navi's quiet laughter reached his ears, and he muttered, "You're as bad as me, little one." Her amusement quickly died.
"Thanks," he said sardonically to Ruto.
"You're welcome!" she exclaimed, beaming.
Once inside, Ruto reunited with her father, and no matter how much she complained of him, Link noticed the love and relief on both of their faces. After many hugs and tearful reassurances, King Zora declared a feast was to be thrown in honor of the princess's homecoming, and the servant immediately rushed off to begin preparations.
Ruto showed Link to the room in which he would be staying, and ordered heated water for a bath to be brought. That completed to her satisfaction, she left him with the promise of escorting him to the feast when the time came.
Once the tub was filled with steaming water, the maid offered to wash his clothing for him while he washed. Link declined the thoughtful offer, but the maid was vehement, and he eventually reluctantly agreed, enjoying the idea of clean clothes to wear.
"Can you, er, turn around while I get in the tub?" he requested, his cheeks burning. He thought he spotted an amused smile as she obligingly turned to give him privacy, but he wasn't certain. Quickly yanking off his clothing, Link practically jumped into the water, for some reason very self-conscious with the idea of a Zora woman seeing him naked.
After leaving furs to dry off with, she scooped up the pile and departed.
He was motionless for several moments, and only when he was confident in being alone did he begin washing—but first, he took care of Navi. Snatching up a wooden bowl from the nearby desk, he filled it with water and sat it on the desk, a much more appropriate tub for someone of her small size.
"Thank you, Link," Navi told him, her voice warm with gratitude and affection. She instantly flew to it, just as eager as he was.
Link sunk further down into the water warm, enjoying the wonders it did for his sore muscles. It felt heavenly. He relaxed in it until he reached the point of dozing off, and then he reached for the bar of scented soap that had been laid out for him.
Scrubbing his body more harshly than usual, he washed every speck of grime away until his skin positively shone with pink cleanliness, the smell of the ocean clinging pleasantly to him.
Eventually, he forced himself to get out and dress, albeit rather grudgingly, his clothing having been placed just inside of the door. Soon after Ruto appeared, looking pretty and wearing a silver circlet, and she led him to a grand dining hall—one thankfully on land.
Link found some of the foods served a bit odd, such as seaweed, assorted fishes and fruits. Zoras were, he discovered, a race who did not eat any meat except for fish. He thought this odd at first, but considering their main resource was the water in which they resided, it made sense. He sampled what he dared, not even glancing at some of the other dishes.
Most of the Zoras viewed him as a hero for returning their princess, and therefore, many were keen to speak with him. He spent hours chatting with countless faces, remembering few names afterwards. Their culture fascinated him, and he soaked up all the information and facts presented.
Regardless, he was thankful for sleep that night, falling deep into slumber's hold.
He woke much later than anticipated, and after eating breakfast with the Zoras, he set off, requesting the aid of one of his bottled fairies beforehand to heal his ankle. She readily agreed, and the pain vanished under her magic touch.
Ruto protested and begged him to stay a bit longer, but Link declined as gently as he could, promising to return to visit her soon—which seemed to cheer her up a bit.
Link was jittery with excitement as the made his way across Hyrule Field from Zora's Domain, finally making his way back to the castle with the Spiritual Stones. All three of them secure in his possession finally! Zelda would be so pleased. He couldn't wait to see her face when she saw them.
The spring in his step made what would be a long walk shorter than what it usually would've been. He made excellent time. and the castle came into view by midafternoon.
It took only a glance to know danger brewed.
The castle's gate was closed even though the land was bathed in bright sunshine and the gate closed only at night. The torches on either side, which, again, were only lit at night, blazed in their sconces, their fervent flames a beacon in the distance.
Heart high in his throat, Link increased his stride until he was practically running. Deep down, he knew something was horribly wrong, and he prayed with all his might to the Goddesses that Zelda was safe and not harmed.
Impa will protect her, he reasoned, panic bubbling up inside him like hot acid. Zelda has to be okay!
The gate slowly lowered when he came upon it, as if it were aware of his presence and wanted to please his desperate wishes. A white horse charged out of it as if hell followed on its heels.
It took a moment before his shocked-lagging brain to comprehend what he saw and realize the two figures on the stallion were none other than Impa and Zelda, the latter wedged securely in front of her protector.
She looked back and their eyes met; in them shone mutual relief in the knowledge that the other was safe. She threw something then, a blue blur that flew in a high arc to land in the water of the moat to his right.
Profound relief pounded through him at seeing her alive and well, even if in a state of distress. So much so, he wasn't aware of the other horse that rode up beside him until the rider spoke from atop its large, midnight body.
"Arrrrrgh! I lost her! You, over there! Little kid!"
With a start, Link became aware of the identity of the unknown rider. With his red eyes and hair and dark skin, there was no mistaking the King of Thieves, Ganondorf. A sense of danger positively emanated from him in palpable waves, only strengthened with closeness.
Last time Ganondorf had been frightening, this time he was positively terrifying.
"You must have seen the white horse gallop past just now. Which way did it go?" And when Link remained silent, refusing to betray Zelda, he demanded in a thundering voice, "Answer me!"
Link took a step back, wanting to put some distance between him and this powerful man.
"So, you think you can protect them from me…. You've got guts, kid."
"I'll show you guts," Link growled, feeling angry with the man who threatened to destroy all he had worked so hard.
He unsheathed his sword and prepared his shield in anticipation of a fight, wanting nothing more than to strike down the man with the evil eyes. He had to protect Zelda.
Ganondorf gave a low chuckle, and the sound traveled up the base of Link's spine with an icy chill. "You want a piece of me? Very funny!" Another chuckle. "I like your attitude!"
He held up his hand and on his upturned palm appeared a dark swirl of purple mass. It shot from his hand and stuck Link in the chest, knocking him to ground with the wind knocked out of him. The place where it struck burned as if on fire.
"Pathetic little fool!" he sneered, lip upturned in pure disdain. "Do you realize who you are dealing with?"
"Yeah, an asshole!" Link sneered himself. Since emerging from the Forest, he had picked up some interesting language, and that was the worse one he could manage at the moment.
Either he didn't hear Link's retort or he ignored it, because Ganondorf failed to respond to the comment. "I am Ganondorf! And soon, I will rule the world!"
With that declaration, he gave a laugh that could only be called a cackle and nudged his horse. The beast reared up on its hind legs, fell forward with a thump that shook the ground, and shot forward, speeding off into the distance.
Link watched the retreating form until it disappeared, a dark blotch in the landscape.
He stood there a moment, wondering what he was supposed to do then and only one sure thing came to mind: retrieve whatever Zelda obviously wanted him to have. He was positively that would give him a clue as to what she wanted him to do.
Undoing his belt and sheath, he took off his sword, shield and all other weapons on his person. Next off came his boots and leggings. Leaving them at the edge of the moat, clad in only his tunic now, he dove into the water without hesitation. Thankfully, it wasn't cold but rather pleasant.
He spotted the speck of blue glinting from the bottom right off. It was only about a five-foot dive so it wasn't difficult to retrieve. As soon as his hand closed around the cool material, he knew what it was: Zelda had left him the royal family's treasure, the Ocarina of Time. It glowed with a mystical light….
As soon as he surfaced, he wasn't in Hyrule Field anymore but some unknown space that was only white. The thing he noticed first was a strange hymn that he had never heard filling the area, slow and soothing.
"Link…." he heard and with a start, he recognized Zelda's rich voice. "Can you hear me? It's me, Zelda…."
The scene sharpened into clarity, and he saw Zelda standing on a richly red rug in front of an altar with her back turned to him. It was a church made of pure white stone. Steps were in front of her, elegant in their beauty.
The scene was oddly distorted, as if fog clouded the room.
"Zelda!" he cried in shock and joy.
However, she seemed to ignore him. In confusion, he walked closer until he stood beside her. With her eyes closed, cradled in her hands was the Ocarina of Time, which didn't make sense since he held it in his hands….
"Link," she continued, still not looking at him nor acknowledging his presence in any way. "When you hold this Ocarina in your hand… I won't be around anymore… I wanted to wait for you, but I couldn't delay any longer…" She twisted around, eyes still closed.
Link then understood. She had somehow left this memory with the Ocarina so that he would know and understand. This Zelda came to him as merely an image.
"At least I could leave you this Ocarina and this melody," she said softly. "This song opens the Door of Time…"
This song was very, very important to Hyrule, more than a fragment of the past, tangible in no way, shape or form.
Putting the instrument to her lips, she began to play, swaying from side to side in a serene way. The song was rich and flowed over the senses flawlessly. It was meant to soothe the soul and reveal the secrets of the world, Link instinctively knew.
Link knew what to do. He copied the notes on his own Ocarina, playing purely by ear. As soon as it was completed, recognition ran through his mind, though he had never heard it: this was the Song of Time.
"Now, Link. Play this melody in front of the altar at the Temple of Time. You must protect the Triforce!"
The whiteness dissipated all at once, and the next thing Link knew he stood in front of the entrance to the castle, dry and completely equipped with his weapons. He took a moment to wonder how that was possible, but in the end, he resolved not to question it; after all he had seen, who was to say it wasn't possible? Obviously it was.
He now realized his new path. Zelda always seemed to have the answers to every question he could hope to pose.
Pushing back his apprehensive stemming from concern over Zelda's safety, of Ganondorf and his cryptic declaration, and what Link intended, he turned and hurried into the castle.
Everyone and everything was in chaos. The people scurried around like chickens with their heads cut off, flocking from house to house in panic. The soldiers' infamous masks slipped to show tension and alarm. Vendors packed up their wares and left their stands. The castle, he noticed once closer, was in utter disarray. Guards swarmed the grounds, swords drawn and at the ready.
"He's dead!" he heard a passing woman say to her friend. "The king is really dead! I'm getting the hell away from here!"
Link groaned at the news. Though he didn't know the man personally, he knew the king to be a good and just sovereign. Zelda loved her father deeply, and most of all, he mourned the loss for her. She didn't deserve that.
Gritting his teeth in frustration, he made his way through the bedlam and slipped unnoticed up the stairs to the Temple of Time. Across the courtyard and into the door with the Triforce sign above it. The doors were heavy and about a dozen feet high, requiring him to use all his might to push them open.
It was even more magnificent in person. The whole place seemed to emit a sort of glow, as if the walls still knew it was the place of the Goddesses.
In front of him was a small richly red rug just like in front of the altar. In the center of the room was a raised hexagon shape, the Triforce sign in the middle of it. The floors near the walls were checkerboard, leaving the middle strip of floor white stone.
Up to the altar he went, his soft steps creating a small tapping sound as his boots made contact with the floor. Otherwise, all was quiet.
There were three hollows and an inscription there: "Ye who owns 3 Spiritual Stones/ Stand with the Ocarina of Time/ And play the Song of Time."
Glancing to Navi for comfort, Link licked his suddenly dry lips and brought the Ocarina to his mouth. As soon as the last note ended, the stones magically burst forth out of his person and floated in the air above his head, landing in their respective places on the altar—Kokiri's Emerald, Goron's Ruby, and Zora's Sapphire. The Triforce above the Door of Time lit up a bright gold.
The Door wobbled at the edges and with a scraping sound, the two halves slowly parted and opened to reveal another room.
Breathless with anticipation, Link slowly edged up the steps and into the room.
In the center of the room was a platform. And in the center of the platform was—
"Link, isn't that….?" Navi said excitedly, floating around his ear. She quickly flew to the platform to hover above the exact object that held Link's attention. "It's the legendary blade…. The Master Sword!"
His breath caught in his throat. Link had heard the legends about the mythical sword and its almighty strength. "Are you sure?" he managed to force out.
"Yes, I'm positive! It's the Master Sword! Go, Link, go!"
Her excitement urged him forward. Up the four steps and onto the first level. Circling the upper tier was six circles, each different in design. Link had no clue what they meant, but they seemed to represent something.
Up the next three steps and onto the utmost tier where the Master Sword and its pedestal stood in the middle of the Triforce.
"Pull it out, Link," Navi said lowly, intensely. Her eyes gleamed fervently. "Grab the sword."
Hands suddenly sweaty, Link stepped onto the pedestal (since his somewhat short stature prevented him from accomplishing it any other way). He apprehensively grasped the dark purple hilt firmly and with a yank, it slid smoothly from its stone casing.
It happened all at once: a blue wall of light surrounded the edges of the upper level on which Link resided, the Triforce under his feet flashed a blinding white, and the world spun dizzyingly. Right before the world went black, Link heard the very voice that made his heart drop to his feet.
Ganondorf chuckled. "Excellent work! As I thought, you held the keys to the Door of Time! You have led me to the gates of the Sacred Realm… Yes, I owe it all to you, kid!" He then laughed as if it were the funniest thing he had ever heard, a deep, rich booming sound.
Link tried to shout out, tried to move, but his grasp on the sword was unbreakable. Darkness surrounded him then, and he knew no more
