Goddess Send
Act 9
Lost In Translation
A/N: Gotta say, planning these chapters is a hell of a lot easier now that my cowriter is here. This chapter took a bit to work out, because as I said with Goron City, it's ridiculously boring in Zora's Domain. THANKFULLY there's a couple more things to work with here, though, so it was more the challenge of working everything together… which, I think we did pretty good! Let's get to it!
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A loud groan erupted from the young Kokiri child.
"Link, I swear to Din if you don't stop groaning-"
The cart slammed to a halt behind the boy as he looked back at Malon with a bloodthirsty glare, "You'll do what? Leave me behind? Kind of hard to when I'm the horse here!"
Malon pursed her lips, looking for a counter, but when she came up short she just sighed, "Alright, fine, but seriously, stop groaning. It's not that bad."
"But why am I being punished for-"
"Leaving me behind at the castle and acting like a pompous ass?"
"But we could just use horses-"
"And also take longer to get to Zora's Domain because we have to stop to feed them and let them drink from the river."
"But-"
"You also are as strong as a Goron with that bracelet, and you don't have to stop to rest nearly as often, and you honestly move faster than any of our carriage horses."
"It's terrifying that you know what I'm going to say, you know."
"You're predictable is all." Malon said with a teasing giggle as the carriage pulled up to a crashing waterfall.
"Alright then, what am I thinking now then?"
"You're thinking about stopping your griping and playing the song of the royal family to open our entry inside."
Link's glare sharpened harshly as he let go of the cart and walked onto the carved plaque of the Triforce and pulled out his ocarina. Taking a deep breath he let his anger flow out of him as the calming notes of the song danced out of his instrument, smiling while he played when he heard Malon quietly hum along with the tune.
It still intrigued him how she knew it so well. He'd have to ask her about her and the Princess' relationship eventually. Pulling the ocarina from his lips, he barely braced himself as the ground shook, feeling like it was about to collapse underneath him. When he brought his eyes back from the ground-still worried it was about to drop him into the river- his mouth opened in awe; Instead of a door opening somewhere, the waterfall itself had parted to reveal a cave entrance.
After a few moments of both children staring in awe, Link composed himself and looked to Malon, "Well, better get going then."
"Wait, how the heck are we getting this cart over there?" Malon stared at Link in confusion.
"Hey, not my problem now. You're delivering the milk, remember? Not my job-" Suddenly Link's attention snapped behind him; He could have sworn he heard something…. Something that drove the word fear down to the deepest depths of his heart.
"Well considering you're the only thing making this cart move, you still need to help!" Malon hissed sharply before noticing Link's sudden look of concern, "Link? What's wrong?"
"Nothing…" Link said before turning back to look at Malon, "As I was saying, it's not my fault you decided to use me as a mule, Mal-" Again his eyes widened and his attention snapped behind him, fear beginning to stew even hotter inside him. He knew that sound, but he prayed he was just imagining it.
"Link, what the heck has gotten you so bugged out now?"
"Nothing! Nothing's wrong, Malon. Just figure out a way over there yourself!" Link huffed, readying himself to jump over the pit in front of the cave entrance, but then froze in fear as a horrid screech echoed through the river.
BAWKAAAAAAAAW!
"Holy flaming hair on Din's head!" Link screamed as he whipped around to see his most accursed enemy tearing along the path toward him, "No, not you!"
"Link!? What's wrong, what hap-" Malon began then stopped short as the cart lurched, "What… the…. Hell….?" Below her, Link had slid under the cart and hefted it up. Be it adrenaline or the Goron's bracelet or a mix of both, the child had just lifted at least four hundred pounds of wood and milk by himself.
Before either could notice, however, the cucco fully made it's way up to the duo, and much to Link's chagrin, saw the perfect place to strike; a rather obvious target considering the child had both arms held up, square in Link's rear.
The Kokiri child yelped in pain then, cart in tow, leapt across the chasm into the cave. He ran a few more meters inside, then dropped the cart roughly and began panting, eyes still wide with paranoia.
After checking to make sure no milk boxes had ruptured or started leaking, Malon hopped off the cart and approached her comrade, "Link, as much as that worked, that was ridiculously dangerous! What the heck caused that!?"
"Cucco…. Cucco…!"
"Link? What are you talking about…?"
"Cucucucoo…!"
Glancing around, Malon took note of the fact she had indeed heard a cucco, but now there was no feathered creature in sight, "Link, there's no cucco here…"
"Cucco…!"
A malicious grin spread upon Malon's features as a cruel idea came to mind. She leaned in close to Link and breathed into his ear, "Bawkaaw!" She immediately regretted it, however, as the Kokiri child took off in a mad sprint away from her, even causing Navi to fly out from under his hat. Catching the sprite in her hands, Malon looked from the shocked fey to the cart behind her, "Ok…. First, how did he not lose his hat there… and second… How am I going to get this cart moving?"
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"Hey, you got what you deserved, pulling a trick like that." Link harrumphed as the duo ascended the stairwell leading to the King's chamber.
"Well, you really need to get over your fear of cuccos!"
"Tell that to the hole in my tunic and my aching ass, Malon." Link retorted venomously, rubbing his rear for emphasis.
"I'll stick to communicating with one ass for now, thanks." Malon said with a coy smirk.
"Very funny…. Although speaking of, where the heck did that thing go, anyways? It just disappeared… Usually Navi has to chase it off, but this time it just…. Vanished into thin air."
"Who knows? At least your 'winged demon' is gone, right?" At this Malon stopped walking, leaving Link to take a few steps up the remaining stairs leading to the King himself.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," Malon said matter of factly, "I have no business with the King, so I'm going to go explore a bit!"
"But… I thought you were going to stick around!"
"Nope! My job was to deliver milk. My job's done." Malon giggled, her smile turning rather evil as Link's face donned a look of realization, "You, on the other hand, have a big job to continue doing, 'Mr. Hero', so I suggest you quit dawdling and get to it!"
And, with that, Malon turned on her heel and ran off to find something to entertain herself, leaving a stunned Kokiri in her dust. After a few moments of silence, Navi floated out of Link's hat and looked at him, "You know Link, you really should-"
"Learn to keep my mouth shut and not give her arrows to shoot back at me, I know." Link groaned for the umpteenth time that day before turning and finishing his ascent, looking up at the King of the Zora race. For such a prestigious position, you'd think his "position" and "throne" would be a bit more… regal, but instead he simply sat in front of a large metal gate, his legs hanging over the ledge in front of the speaking platform Link stood upon.
"Um…" Link straightened his tunic and adjusted his cap before kneeling, "Hello your majesty! I am Link, an envoy of Princess Zelda!"
"My poor Ruto… my poor Ruto…!"
Link slowly glanced upward, an eyebrow raised, "Ruto…? Huh?"
"Where could she have gone…? My poor Ruto…!"
Link looked to Navi, his eyes silently screaming for an explanation, but much to his dismay the fairy shook her head, knowing nothing of the King's plight, nor who Ruto was.
Glancing back to the King, Link rose his voice higher, "Your majesty, I have been sent by the Princess of Hyrule on an important quest. If I could have but a moment of your time?"
Once more the oversized fish mumbled somberly about Ruto, although he did finally mention that Ruto was his daughter. Once more the Kokiri child looked to his fairy companion and both nodded. Didn't take a genius to realize he was stuck in mourning from the loss of his daughter.
As the two walked back down the speaking platform, Link hung his arms behind his head and stretched, "Well that was fruitless… to an extent." He sighed as his back groaned before letting his arms fall to his side, "But if Ruto's his daughter… That makes her a princess too, right?"
Navi nodded silently, garnering a glare from Link. Everyone's either smarting off to me or just flat out not talking to me today… what gives? "Let's hope she's not dead. That would pretty much kill this mission on the spot."
Before Navi could chastise Link for his negativity, a burning red lit both of their eyes as Malon sprinted up to them, giggling lightly, "So how'd it go, fairy boy?"
And there's the nickname again… Link groaned before shaking his head, "Turns out the King's daughter is missing, or dead, or something, so he's locked in parental mourning." Malon's eyes softened and her smile shifted to a downcast frown.
"Not like it matters."
Both Navi and Malon looked at Link in shock, "What the hell is wrong with you!?"
Link looked at them both in confusion, "What? We'll find her and help her either way, so it doesn't matter either way."
The fey and the redhead looked at each other with bewildered looks. Did he just make sense with his hissy attitude still intact? Shaking her head, Malon sighed with a smile, "Maybe fairy boy is finally growing up."
"That would be the day." Navi giggled.
Link's face had turned grave, the glare he was shooting at the two would make a Dinofos run in terror, "I'm right here, you know…"
Malon simply stuck her tongue out then waved for him to follow, "I found something fun we can do by the way." She must have read Link's mind because as he breathed in to object she continued, "Might as well have a little fun here before we start a search for the Zora Princess, right?"
Can't argue with that… Link tried to fight the smile growing, but couldn't halt the curve of his lips, "Alright, lead the way."
"Oh, I'll lead alright!" Malon laughed as she took off down a hallway to the left of the King's speaking chamber, leaving Link barely keeping up with her.
Ahead a Zora stood, almost like a guard… But what was he guarding- "Holy Hyrule!" Link shouted as he skidded to a halt, watching in fear as Malon leapt off of the ledge behind the Zora, "Malon!" he peered over the edge to hear a loud splash; beneath the ledge was a large pool of water. Shooting a glance to the Zora, he couldn't help the feeling he looked like an idiot, especially with the soul eating grin the Zora was now sporting.
"It's a diving area…?"
"Diving game, actually. The girl already paid for both of you. Want to quit quivering, grow some gills, and take a dive?" The fish man laughed, nudging the child teasingly.
Link swatted the Zora's hand away and stood. He glanced to Navi, who was doing her best to keep a straight face. She definitely wasn't diving with him, and Link believed even she realized he was rightfully fearful. The fall he took in the Great Deku Tree's innards certainly didn't make him fearless when it came to high jumps; quite the opposite actually, it had cemented a terror he never knew he had. Followed by the near catastrophic dive into King Dodongo's lair, the fairy child's terror had evolved into full blown post-traumatic stress…
But…
He couldn't chicken out. He'd never hear the end of it from Malon if he did. She also had spent her hard earned rupees to pay for his dive…
Link took a deep breath, thought about how he would descend, smiled, and then ran forward, leaping into a forward somersault, spun to his right then somersaulted again… but lost his momentum. Instead of diving in head first, he slammed down onto the hard water flat on his shield. The deep breath he had taken prior burst out of his mouth like a Dodongo had stomped his lungs flat.
The last thing he heard before his mind shut down from the impact was a loud, collective "Oooh…!"
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Tossing a bottle back and forth in her hands, the fire blessed child entertained her mind with idle thoughts as she waited for her partner to awaken. More than eager to chide him for his carelessness, she couldn't help but fight the blush that continued to burn her cheeks.
Despite her best efforts, her thoughts continued to roam back to what she had to do after Link's embarrassing excuse for a dive. She couldn't help but thank the Goddesses for the two Zora that were taking a swim, because despite his size, Link's sword and shield made what should have been a light boy into a rock. It was a wonder he could swim. But neither Zora was willing to reciprocate the fairy child once they brought him to the shore.
The poor boy had lost all of his held air upon landing, and once he went underwater, his body decided then was the time to inhale again. With no other choice due to lack of help from those who supposedly helped hurt swimmers…. Malon… Had to…
She slapped a hand to her face then shook her head, her red bangs whipping her cheeks. Come on, there was nothing behind it. You saved his life! You shouldn't be embarrassed, you should be proud!
If only she could believe her thoughts, but her heart betrayed her, looking too far into the contact her and the boy's lips had made. Looking toward said boy, she noticed the sickening smirk Link's fey partner was sporting, "Got something to say, Navi?" Malon asked acidly.
Being all too used to the demonic glares that Link passed out like free candy, the fairy didn't even flinch at Malon's gaze, "It's more that I'm curious as to what you want to say when Link wakes up."
That simple comment made Malon's cheeks turn a burning shade that would make her hair jealous. Turning to her left, the ranch girl huffed, "I'll tell him what an idiot he is of course!"
"And how you had to revive him, riiight?" Navi asked, giggling as Malon's face flushed further, surprised it was even possible.
"He doesn't need to know."
"Oh, but don't you want 'Mr. Hero' to see you as his own hero?"
Before Malon could find a retort, a loud cough caught both girl's attentions. With a few choice grunts and immediate curses as pain continued to resound up his back, Link rose to a seat. Glancing around, he sighed in relief, "So unless hell is a cool water filled cave with a bat shit crazy fairy and red head, I'm still alive."
Navi, despite wanting to exact vengeance for that comment, sensed the killing intent coming from the nearby redhead and took to the air. Not a moment too soon, as the bottle that Malon had been juggling became the tool of said woman's scorn, bouncing off of the fairy boy's head with a loud clunk.
"Care to repeat that?" Malon giggled menacingly at Link's yelp, possibly enjoying his pain a bit too much.
With a groan, the lad rubbed his head with one hand and picked up the bottle with the other, "No, because you only proved my point…." Taking a glance inside of the container, Link grinned, "Where'd you find this?"
Malon stood and brushed herself off, taking her sweet time to stretch much to her partner's annoyance, then, after letting out an overly long and content sigh, she waltzed up to the boy, "After I saved you from your failure of a dive," another of what was becoming her trademark evil grin crept upon her features as Link cringed and blushed, "I decided to take another swim since you were enjoying your little nap."
Tossing the bottle up in the air a couple times before sighing, Link rolled his shoulders. Great, now his face was on fire as much as his aching back. Struggling to his feet the fairy child patted down his clothes, straightened his belt and then threw a couple soft punches and kicks to get his muscles moving, "And? That doesn't explain where this bottle came from."
Malon moved towards him and caught one of his punches, catching the boy off guard before sweeping a leg under him and tripping him, "If you'd let me finish…" the red head giggled as Link shrieked before his face met the rock floor, "There's a hole down near the bottom of the central pool. It has an enormous amount of suction and I almost got pulled into it… but for some reason as I swam away, the current shifted and out came that bottle."
Groaning once more, Link hopped to his feet then glanced through the clear glass once more, "And this paper inside?"
Malon shrugged as she came to his side, "Not a clue," she reached for the bottle only for her grab to miss as Link pulled it away and stuck his tongue out at her, eliciting a sigh from the red head, "I was waiting for you to wake up before I checked."
"Well," with a grunt Link removed the cork with a loud pop and slid the page from the container, "I'm up now, so let's take a look…"
Three pairs of eyes scrolled down the note, widening in realization as they reached the end. The trio all looked to each other and nodded, wordlessly knowing what was needed next. Hurrying back up the domain, the children and fairy ascended the steps of the Zora King's throne.
Still mumbling to himself, the oversized fish paid the trio no mind… until Link decided to catch his attention by force. Before Malon or Navi could object, Link chucked the bottle at the King, eliciting angry cries from Zora and partner alike, but much to the surprise of all, the King, upon recovering, picked up the bottle and removed the note. As his eyes widened, Link smirked; despite what they all thought, the fairy child knew what he was doing.
"This… This handwriting… this is most definitely…!"
Link stood taller on the speaking platform and with a firm voice addressed the King, "Your majesty, I am Link, an envoy of the Princess of Hyrule," Beside him Malon stared in awe. She had seen Link confident before, but this was entirely different. He was so… powerful, adult, overbearing. Those were the only words she could use to describe this unseen side of Link, "I have been sent to retrieve the sacred stones in order to stop a great evil. I understand that a message has already been delivered to you from my sworn brother Darunia?"
The Zora King eyed the boy curiously, obviously debating the legitimacy of this statement due to Link's age. However, much to Link's glee, the King nodded. No matter how he looked at it, this child was exactly as Darunia had described. Such strength from such a small lad…. Truly incredible, these Hylians… "I welcome you, Envoy of the Royal Family of Hyrule," Eliciting a look of surprise from Link, the Zora King bowed his head in respect, "My sincerest apologies for not acknowledging you earlier, as I'm still heavily in grief… However…"
Link knelt down in respect to the King, "I'm humbled, but however….?"
The King smirked, his large lips curling into a curiously smug grin, "I no longer need to grieve as you have brought me hope." The King tossed Link his bottle, keeping the note himself while retrieving a separate note from his gown, "I have indeed received Darunia's letter. It appears you are everything he has said you would be, although if not a bit more…. Polite."
So even Darunia is on my case today. Note to self, show him the flaws of giving an angry Kokiri the power of a Goron the next time I see him…
"Please, Link, Envoy of Zelda. I beseech you, if indeed my daughter is still alive, go with my faith to save her." With one last nod of his head, the Zora King began scooching to his right, revealing…. In the slowest fashion possible…. A path behind him.
By the time, however, the King had finally moved all the way, only Link remained coherent; Navi had flown under his hat for a quick nap, and Malon had… "Malon?" Link eyed his comrade sternly, though his gaze quickly softened to a childish smile as he noticed the drool hanging from her lower lip, "Can't believe she can fall asleep standing up…"
With a lofty sigh, Link looked to the King, smiled, and then pushed his ally off of the speaking platform into the shallow water below. Wasting no time, Link leapt from the platform to where the King initially rested, laughing heartily as he heard the loud roar of the redhead as she rose to her feet. By the time Link had stopped, his fear of Malon had melted into downright curiosity toward the beast that floated in front of him.
Curiousity, however, did not dull instinct nor reflex, and without even a glance to his side he caught the near flaming punch of his red headed partner as she attempted to enact revenge. Holding her fist until she calmed down, he pointed towards the oversized fish in front of him, eliciting a "whoa…" from her.
As Malon once more turned to face Link, she realized once more the stoic expression he had dawned. Just who was this? Sure, he had pushed her off the speaking platform, but he still held such an expression… Tracing his gaze to the beast in front of them once more, she realized both of them had locked eyes; it was as though Link was trying to stare the monster to death, yet he still held respect for the obvious Zora Deity.
Such a cold yet respectful stare… suddenly broken in a mere instant as Link dove to the water at his feet and splashed his face with the cool water, gasping as though he hadn't breathed in years, "Thank Din that's over!" Shaking his head as his fey companion lazily floated out of her now soaked bed, Link reveled in the feeling…
The feeling of not having to talk like such a stuck up prude, "I hope I never have to do that again for that long! Ever- ow!" Link cried out as Malon pinched his cheek and tugged.
"Ok, good. Just wanted to make sure that really was you."
Link glowered at her, venom dripping from his tongue as he hissed, "Of course it's me! Why in the hell wouldn't it be!?" before he could think his actions over, the Kokiri boy dove his hands back into the water and hurled a wave of water at his friend.
It was then that his mind realized what his body had done, but alas far too late as the fiery red head's eyes lit to a near magical luster that made her hair seem pale as snow. Diving her own hands into the water, Malon lifted a surge of water that seemed to defy reason… And along with it crashing into Link's face, several fish pelted the poor boy, one even being so unlucky to get caught between his now gritting teeth.
Before the child could even raise his head to spit out the hunk of scales, both children heard a loud groan; the Zora Deity's eyes had widened as it took sight of a meal, and slowly it's jaws opened and from deep within a powerful suction began to pull at the now terrified lad. With one last ear piercing screech, Link and his fairy partner were sucked into the maw of the titanic fish, leaving a stunned red head to herself.
Glancing up at the fish's eyes, the deity matching her gaze, Malon debated trying to follow after him. Taking a step forward, the giant's mouth slowly opened, then shut as the child took one step back. Cocking an eyebrow- which was somehow similarly matched by the deity, despite it's lacking in them- Malon once more stepped forward then back, watching as the maw opened once more than closed. Was it inviting her in?
Crossing her arms and tapping her right foot, the red head closed her eyes and thought for a few moments…. And then spun on her heel and made her way back towards the Zora's Domain, "It's like Darunia taught me. I believe he'll be alright, so he will be!"
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A/N: Ok guys, I'm so damn sorry this took so long. Seriously, this chapter went through a lot of trial and error… Error from my being lazy and not writing (much to my co-writer's anger) to us continuously finding problems when it came to continuity for our next two chapters, and we had to constantly tweak it so it wouldn't cause trouble later. Once again, I am so sorry for the wait. Hopefully the next chapter won't take AS long, but knowing me I won't promise anything.