I forgot how much Gorons loved to party. And how loud they could get. And how, in their excitement, they forget that they can cause unintentional rockslides. Especially when some people are trying to sleep. I know Luna and I had all intentions of leaving in the morning bright and early, but I also hoped that I could wake up well-rested. In their defense, the Gorons had quite a bit to celebrate last night. Still, a little decent sleep would've been nice.

"Morning, Link," Luna came back into our room with some water in her hand and out of breath.

"Morning," I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, "Where were you?"

"I went for a run around the canyon," she sat at the edge of her bed, "It's not like I was getting any sleep, so might as well make good use of my time, right?"

"Where did you get all that energy?" I wondered, barely having any to get myself out of bed.

"I don't know," Luna stretched out, "But this isn't the first time I've done this. A morning run was a regular occurrence when I still lived at the castle. In fact, it was his idea. At first, I loathed the idea because that meant getting up early."

"You are my sister," I giggled a little.

"But," she went on, "Over the years, once I started getting used to being up early, I actually liked it. You should give it a try someday."

"I'll take my sleep when I can get it," I declined, grabbing my bag.

"To each their own, I guess."

"Are you ready to go then?" I asked, "We don't have much time left. We need to get those stones."

"Whenever you are."

We needed to sneak out of here as stealthily as humanly possible. The last time I left Goron City, Darunia was a mess. Rumor has it, he didn't come out of his chambers for three days after that. One of the other Gorons had to hum him the little tune I played for him on my ocarina just to get him to snap out of it. I'd hate to have a repeat of that.

"Link!" But to no avail. And we were just outside the gate, too.

"Darunia," I let him down gently, "We have to go. There's a kingdom in peril and a princess in a different castle."

"I understand," he nodded, "I'm only here to send you off, brother. And sister."

"Thank you, Darunia," Luna bowed, "And again, I'm sorry about what happened."

"I told you once, dear," Darunia assured, "Your apologies are unnecessary. It's not your fault that we fell to ruin."

"Wait," she thought, "Do you know who I am?"

"Yes, I do," he confirmed, "You're the girl that helped save my people and the object of my brother's affection."

"That's right," Luna blushed, "I forgot about Darius. Could you do me a favor and tell him we weren't going to ever happen?"

"I can still hope, can't I?" Darius joined us, "I wasn't going to let my girl leave without a proper sendoff."

"Not your girl," she bit her tongue, "But I'm flattered."

"Where are you off to now, brother?" Darunia wondered.

"I don't know," I shrugged, "Luna? Where should we go?"

"I'm thinking we should head for Zora's Doman," Luna figured, "That'd be the easiest stone to get right now. Who knows where the Kokiri Emerald is?"

"Right," I agreed, "Well, Darunia, thank you. I appreciate your hospitality."

"We can always count on you to save us, Link," Darunia threw his arms around me whether I wanted him to or not, "Good luck in Zora's Domain."

I was going to need all the luck I could get. Luna and I left the Gorons and headed north. Of course, Darunia's little jab before we left could go unnoticed. My history in Zora's Domain isn't exactly pretty. Nor is it one I like to talk about much. Mostly because of one very spoiled Zora in particular. She was sweet, but…she still made me nervous.

"Hey, Link," Luna wondered, "What's the matter? You look like you're about to come out of your skin."

"It's nothing," I lied, getting a bit jumpy, "It's just that it's usually pretty cold in Zora's Domain. Maybe we should stop at a shop and get something warmer than my tunic."

"Really?" she gave me a look, "You expect me to believe that you're nervous over the weather?"

"Fine," I rolled my eyes, "The current Zora queen. She has me a little nervous."

"What's so bad about her?" Luna gave me a little shove, "You've dealt with royalty before. Is she unnaturally cute or something?"

"It's nothing like that!" I got even more defensive, "I know I've dealt with royalty. I'm an unofficial member of the Hyrule Royal Guard. But the Zora queen and I go back."

"Romantic history?" she assumed.

"No," I shook my head violently, "You'll see. Hopefully, we won't see her directly."

"Who else would we see?"

"I don't know," I cringed. Today was not the day for me to show up to Zora's Domain with Luna. Especially if she's there.

Instead of the usual chill in the air, the entry to Zora's Domain was oddly tropical. I never expected to sweat so much. Zora's Domain was never hot before, was it? The sun had already started to set and yet, it was sweltering. Times like these made me want to jump in the water, but when I ran my hand through it, my hand came right back out.

"OW!"

"You ok?" Luna worried, nursing my bright red hand. I'm so glad hers were cold.

"This isn't right," I thought, "Zoras can't live in warm water, let alone hot water like this."

The further we went in, the more Zoras were scattered around the banks. And they all looked so tired and so drained. I knew what caused this…or more likely who. This was horrific. I've never seen the Zoras so down and out before. The Gorons couldn't make their hot springs work, but all they needed to do was come to Zora's Domain. Now…The throne room…

"Link!" a shrill voice broke the deafening silence. Given the circumstances, I could understand why she was so happy to see me, but I just hope she doesn't notice present company, "My hero!"

"Hi," I caught her in my arms, not having much of a choice.

"I missed…!" her eyes went over my shoulder at Luna and immediately turned red, "Who's she?"

"She's…"

SLAP!

"LINK, YOU TWO TIMER!"

"No!" I defended, "It's not like that at all!"

"I'm not going to listen to your excuses!" she went back to her chambers.

"I don't have any excuses," I tried stopping her, "Ruto, please. Listen to me."

"No!"

SLAM!

"Now, I get it," Luna nodded, "She's nuts."

"Oh, yes," I confirmed, "She's kind of in love with me, but she said she understood, but she also lied through her teeth. Like I said, though. She's really sweet when she wants to be. It's just that Ruto can be a little territorial."

"Sounds exhausting."

"It is."

"Excuse me," a younger Zora boy tapped on my shoulder, "Are you Link?"

"Yes," I turned to him, "What is it?"

"My name is Prince Raol," he introduced himself, "My mother has told me stories about you."

"Your mother?" I thought, "Ruto?"

"Yes."

"And she said I was the two timer," I joked, "What's on your mind, your highness?"

"Can you help us?" Raol cut right to the chase, "Please. My people are suffering."

"There's suffering all across Hyrule," I got down to his level, "But that's why Hyrule has me, right?"

"That's right," he smiled, "I'm glad to hear the stories are true."

"What happened?" I asked, catching a guilty look spread across Luna's face.

"A Gerudo girl came through here a few years ago," Raol began, "She was beautiful. The face of an angel, some say. I never got to see her, though. She went for a swim in our waters and once she left, that's when the water started getting hot. I don't understand how it happened and no one can find the source of the heat. You can help us, can't you, Link?"

"Of course," I promised, "We both will."

"I don't think my mother ever mentioned another girl," he wondered, "Who are you?"

"My name is Luna," she got down to greet him, "Link is my brother. I have no romantic interest in him whatsoever. Do you think your mother would understand?"

"I can try to talk her down," Raol hoped, "Until then, speak with one of the guards. They'll take you to the armory and get you both fitted for Zora armor."

"Thank you, Prince Raol," I shook his small, webbed hand, "Good luck."

"And to you, too."