Zelda groaned and slowly opened her eyes. Lifting her head, she glanced around at the unfamiliar surroundings. She was kneeling in what looked like a one room building with her hands tied behind her. Shifting to get her feet beneath her, she attempted to stand but a painful jerk on her arms prevented her from getting up into little more than a crouch. Her hands and feet were bound together and connected by a single loop of rope. Experimentally, she shifted around, noting how any movement pulled the connecting rope taut, putting tension on her arms. Rhys was nowhere to be seen and it bothered her that she couldn't remember how she'd even gotten here. The last thing she remembered was standing with Rhys, waiting for Link to show himself.
The sound of a door opening and closing softly had her straining to turn around but doing that was impossible with the way they had her trussed up like a cuckoo for Sunday dinner. The soft clomp of boots on wood signalled that she was no longer alone and she found herself waiting impatiently for the person to walk into her line of sight. Seeing Lorenzo's smug grin made her cringe as she finally remembered that it hadn't actually been Link sneaking around in the bushes...
Earlier...
"You might as well come out here Link! We know you're there!" Zelda shouted angrily at the rustling bushes.
Rhys inched closer to her side, a frown marring his features. "I...don't think that's him." His eyes darted to the surrounding brush and she finally noticed that the bushes in front of them weren't the only ones making noises.
She had just enough time for doubt to enter her mind when several guards stepped out from the trees to surround them. Lorenzo and Ryan joined the guards, stepping out from the place she'd previously thought Link had been hiding in. She instantly reached for her bow, but was stopped when her arms were roughly pulled behind her back. The guard holding her pried the bow off her back and tossed it to Lorenzo.
Catching the bow, Lorenzo chuckled. "Wanting this were you?" He ran a thumb down the taut string. "A pity then, because I highly doubt you'll have any further use of it." Holding it with both hands, he brought the bow down hard against his knee and snapped it in two. She watched helplessly as the useless bow fell from his hands. Stepping closer, Lorenzo roughly gripped her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. "Now, down to business. Where is he?"
A snarl curled her lips at his question. There was no need for him to elaborate. She knew exactly which 'he' that Lorenzo was referring to. Wrenching her chin from his grasp, she did the only thing she could think of in retaliation. She chomped down hard on Lorenzo's fingers, a feeling of triumph flooding her when the coppery taste of blood filled her mouth. A cry of outrage escaped the angered man and without a second thought, he backhanded her. Her head snapped to the right, her eyes glowing in anger as she slowly turned back to look at him.
Her silence only enraged him further. Shifting his focus to her companion, Lorenzo stalked over to Rhys. The Zora must have put up more of a fight, Zelda thought idly as she noticed her companion's prostrate form. Lying flat on his stomach, a guard held Rhys' arms back while keeping a knee planted firmly into his back. Lorenzo circled around the disarmed Zora, his eyes lifting to give her a cruel smile.
"We'll take them back to camp. Perhaps they'll be more willing to give me the information I want after we...convince them that helping us is in their best interest.
Now...
Lorenzo knelt in front of her and once more gripped her chin to force her to meet his eyes. This time he was more careful. There was no way she'd get away with biting him again. "I'm impressed with how the two of you have held up. Most would have given in by now."
Zelda just glared back in response. She was uncomfortable, her arms and legs straining from the way they'd left her tied up and she could only assume they'd done the same to Rhys. The fatigue in her limbs though was something she could handle and she would never give the bastard the satisfaction of letting him know she was in pain.
"So you still won't tell me where he is?" Lorenzo studied her, his eyes searching for any sign of weakness. "All you have to do is tell me where you took Link. Obviously that bitch Sierra knew what she was talking about when she instructed you to take him to Zelda. You know where they are and I want you to tell me!"
"You address the Princess so informally." Zelda choked out, struggling to pull herself free from Lorenzo's grip on her chin. She had to focus on something, anything but Link. She refused to betray him to this asshole.
Lorenzo's harsh bark of laughter brought her attention back to him. "That's what you took from that? My use of the Princess' given name?" A smug smile lit his face. "The King considers me his son-in-law in every aspect. Our marriage will be little more than formality seeing as how Zelda and I are on such...intimate terms." Seeing her shocked face, Lorenzo chuckled. "Does that shock you, little shadow girl? You didn't realize you were looking at the next Crown Prince of Hyrule, did you?"
Zelda had no response to his gloating. She hadn't realized that he would continue on with his little plan to force her hand and she had to admit (if only to herself) that she was scared. What would her future hold if she were to be married to such a scoundrel? Lorenzo seemed to be enjoying her silence. Releasing her chin, he ran the tip of his finger down her jaw. "I've heard of your people. The Sheikah, forced to live in the shadows, forever enslaved in servitude to the Royal family. Perhaps you would enjoy taking up the place of Zelda's current protector. I swear my first act as crown Prince will be to relieve that meddlesome woman of her position at Zelda's side."
Zelda went cold at Lorenzo's not-so-veiled threat. Exactly what did he plan to do to Impa? Her eyes searched wildly around the room as her mind reeled from the new information. Lorenzo's next words had her eyes flying back to him.
"So you can see why I am so anxious to get her back! Zelda is mine and that mercenary has kidnapped her!" Lorenzo started to pace back and forth frantically. It was a flawless display of a distraught man in search of his missing fiancée and it sickened her to see it. Was this how he was getting all the guards to follow along with him? Were they really buying this farce?
"So please!" Lorenzo dropped to his knees in front of her, a pleading look on his face. "You have to tell me where they are!"
Zelda stiffened as he grasped her shoulders in his hands. She met his pleading looking with a confused stare of her own. She had to admit, he was an amazing actor. For a minute there he almost had even her fooled. She had very little room to maneuver but she managed to pull her shoulders free from his grip. "You won't get anything from me. So stop asking!"
His carefully cultivated act fell away and left nothing but rage in its place. "You're refusal to help will be the death of you! I promise you that!"
"Threaten all you want! You need me to tell you where Link is." She glared up at him while inside she was quaking. "You won't dare compromise you're only lead until you have the information you need!"
Lorenzo paused and Zelda smiled in triumph, thinking she'd bested him at his little mind game. But her smile faltered when Lorenzo threw his head back and laughed. A sly smile overcame his features as he looked down at her. "I'm sorry, but did you say, my only lead? Whatever gave you that idea?"
"I..." Her gaze dropped to the floor, her eyes wide in fear. Had she somehow given away Link's location?
Grabbing her roughly by her braid, Lorenzo painfully yanked on Zelda's bound hair and forced her gaze up from the floor. "You were travelling with a Zora towards Lake Hylia and back at that temple I noticed that both of you were wearing this." He plucked at the collar of her blue tunic. "I know a Zora's tunic when I see one. So I sent Ryan with a few men to Lake Hylia to investigate."
"Y-you sent...to-to Lake Hylia?" She fought the growing grin that threatened to give her away.
Lorenzo grinned, mistaking Zelda's growing elation as fear. "That's right and Ryan will report to me the minute he is back." Releasing Zelda's hair, Lorenzo straightened. "So perhaps you should use this time to reconsider your rash decision to withhold information from me."
He turned and walked away, slamming the door behind him. It was just as well, Zelda thought with a growing grin. She would never go back on her resolve and he would get nothing from her. After all, Lorenzo had just made a grave mistake in sending men to Lake Hylia. A thrill shot down her spine and she bit her lip to prevent the relieved laugh that threatened to bubble up. Lorenzo would soon be regretting his decision to send people to Lake Hylia because there was no doubt in her mind now.
Link would come for them.
Lorenzo returned a few hours later, much to Zelda's dismay. Crouching in front of her, he once again yanked on her braided hair to force her to meet his eyes. She blinked in surprise at the barely restrained rage she saw in the other man's eyes. She cringed at the pain in her scalp when he yanked on her hair a second time. Her arms and legs had gone numb long ago but the sudden movement had flared up her sore muscles and it was all she could do to swallow the groan.
"WHERE IS HE!?" Confusion clouded her eyes at Lorenzo's mad scream. Lorenzo reached behind her, not bothering to wait for an answer. Yanking her bound hands, Zelda screeched in pain as he forced her arms to bend back further. The rope connecting the ties to her feet had her back bowing as she struggled to keep her arms from dislocating. "I WON'T ASK AGAIN! WHERE IS HE?!"
"I DON'T KNOW!" She cried out again as he added more pressure to her already strained arms. She glared up at him through her tears. She could only guess that Ryan had returned empty handed but that made no sense. She honestly hadn't expected Ryan to return at all...unless maybe that was why Lorenzo was angry?
"Ryan found nothing there! NOTHING!" Spittle flew from Lorenzo's mouth as he screamed at her with wild eyes. "WHY WERE YOU GOING THERE IF HE WASN'T THERE?!"
Releasing her arms, Lorenzo paced back and forth while Zelda panted to catch her breath. Her arms and legs burned from the strain and her position didn't give her all that much relief. Tears squeezed through her tightly closed eyes and her pants turned to sobs. If Link wasn't at Lake Hylia then where was he? Had he gone without her? Had he somehow convinced Ruto to leave them behind? She wanted to think that wasn't the case but she couldn't understand why Ryan hadn't found any sign of them. She looked back up at Lorenzo. He was still blindly pacing the room, mumbling incoherently to himself. The man had completely lost it and she was beginning to wonder what was going to happen to her.
Coming to a sudden halt, Lorenzo's eyes snapped in her direction. A chill went down her spine at the complete look of insanity she saw in the depth of his eyes. He came at her again and once more grabbed her hands. Yanking hard on the bindings, he grinned as she screamed. "If you won't answer then you've worn out your usefulness to me." He pulled out a dagger that she hadn't noticed was strapped to his belt.
She stared wide-eyed at the dagger, her mind scrambling for a way out. She thought about revealing who she really was but one look at Lorenzo and she dismissed the idea. He was too far gone, there was no way he'd even believe what he was seeing if she allowed the enchantment that changed her eye color to fall. She tried to pull herself further away from the raised dagger, even though it put additional pressure on her already strained arms. Her mouth opened to scream but the rattle of a door knob turning had her eyes flying to the entrance. Her hopes fell when she saw a guard poke his head in.
"S-sir?"
Gritting his teeth, Lorenzo turned around. "WHAT?"
"Uuuh..." The guard looked at something standing behind him before poking his head further into the room. "I-I'm supposed to tell you that a request for an audience has-has been...has been made?" The guard again glanced at whatever was behind him, whispering furiously if that had been right. The answer must have been in the affirmative because the guard turned back to them to await Lorenzo's reply.
"Fine, whatever." Lorenzo waved the hand holding the dagger dismissively. "Tell them I'll be there as soon as I finish up here."
"Uh, no my Lord!" The guard cried out and jumped a little bit further into the room, as if something had forcefully pushed him. "It-it can't wait. It has to be now!"
"And what in the name of the three goddesses is so bloody important that it can't wait?" Lorenzo growled as he released Zelda and turned fully towards the door.
The guard stood shaking uncontrollably as a hand pushed the door open to reveal that the guard was being held at sword point. Link glowered at Lorenzo before he knocked the guard out with the hilt of the Master sword. "Well I figured since it's me you're looking for, you wouldn't want to wait."
"You!" Lorenzo gaped at Link and took a small step back in retreat as Link stalked towards him. "How the hell are you even up?"
Link's gaze, however, was riveted on Zelda. His eyes swept over her, taking note of every bruise and her tear stained face. His face darkened to a scowl as he turned back to Lorenzo. "What the hell did you do to her?"
"Her?!" Lorenzo's mouth dropped open and his eyes flashed wildly. "Forget her! Where's Zelda?"
A snarl was Link's response as he flipped the Master sword's hilt in his hand. The sword turned in a lazy circle with a flash of blue steel before he charged at Lorenzo. Lorenzo scrambled back, narrowly dodging the blade as Link swung over his head. Tripping over his own feet, Lorenzo found himself sprawled out on his back with the tip of Link's sword pressed to his neck.
"I-I'll have your head for this! This-this is treason!" Pulling back his head, Lorenzo tried to keep the sharp tip from cutting him while he idly shoved the forgotten dagger a bit more behind himself and hoped Link didn't notice the subtle move.
"You really think your threats intimidate me?" Link growled back with an ugly smirk. "I'm just here to collect my friends. Now, be a good boy and stay, and maybe you'll get to leave here with your head."
Satisfied that Lorenzo wasn't going to move, Link crossed over to Zelda's side. With sword in hand he made quick work of the ropes that were keeping her tied up. Placing the Master Sword down, Link rubbed her arms and shoulders to help ease the pain from having them held stiffly behind her for so long.
"Are you ok?"
He looked at her with such concern that it made her want to cry all over again. She nodded tearfully when sudden movement caused her to look beyond Link to see that Lorenzo actually hadn't listened to Link's threat. Her mouth opened in warning but already she could tell that it wouldn't be enough time. Link's eyes widened, seeming to read the warning in her eyes. His left hand fell back down to the Master sword. Twisting around, he brought the sword up...and impaled Lorenzo before the other man had a chance to bury the dagger in Link's back.
Lorenzo's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as he stared at the sword protruding from his stomach. He fell back, the dagger clattering noisily to the floor as he gripped his stomach. Blood slowly started to pool around the fallen man. Maybe at another time Link would allow the guilt of taking another's life to enter his mind but right now, he was more concerned for the woman who'd been at the mercy of the monster who now lay a few feet away. He turned back to Zelda and asked her again if she was ok.
Zelda wordlessly shook her head, her eyes spilling over with tears as she flew into his open arms. Burying her face into his shoulder, she gripped his tunic tightly in her hands as she allowed her fear full reign now that he was there. Link's arms closed around her as he pulled her closer to him, his nose buried in her hair. He'd been so scared he wouldn't get there in time.
"Wait, we have to get to Rhys!" Pushing away from him, Zelda looked over to the open door. "He's here somewhere too..."
"Ruto's taking care of it." He answered with a smile and pulled her back into his arms. "Did you really think Ruto would let me leave her behind when we found out that Lorenzo had the two of you?"
"Ruto is here?" Again her gaze drifted to the open door.
Link laughed and hugged her tighter. "Yes and don't worry. We've taken care of everyone that was with Lorenzo and Ryan. It was a bit of challenge since we had to let Ryan's group rejoin with those Lorenzo had here but we needed to know exactly where the two of you were being held."
"And I thought maybe you left me behind to head to Termina on your own." Zelda admitted softly as she lowered her head back to Link's shoulder.
"What?" He blinked down at her in surprise. "Geez Zel, I might have been mad but I would never leave you behind."
Zelda felt her face grow hot at Link's shortening of her name but found that she liked it. She peeked up at him but it looked like he wasn't even aware that he'd done it. Instead he was watching her expectantly, as if waiting for a response from her. She blinked, her mind quickly going through their short conversation before remembering he'd said more to her than just 'geez Zel'.
"Wait a minute!" She pushed away from him but wasn't quite able to completely extract herself from his arms since she didn't think her legs would support her at the moment. "You were mad at me? You were the one too stubborn to teach me that song! This could have ALL been avoided if you hadn't been so stubborn!"
"Really? You really want to play the blame game now?" He asked incredulously, his face darkening with anger. "Because if you recall, Princess, I offered to accompany you and you refused me."
"Only because you didn't want to keep Ruto waiting another day! Which didn't actually accomplish anything since the two of you had to wait around for us to get there anyway!"
"Then you should have just let me accompany you!" He snapped back as he slammed the master sword back into its scabbard, after cleaning the blade. "We're lucky that Lorenzo didn't realize who you were and now this," He gestured at the other man's body. "Is going to complicate things further!"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I had pushed him onto your sword!" She stomped away from Link, making her way to the still open door while ignoring the pins and needles that still flowed through her limbs. "I'll be sure to explain to my Father that you hadn't meant to kill my fiancé."
"Fiancé?" Link's hand latched onto Zelda's arm, forcing her to turn around and face him again. "When the hell did that happen?"
"It's my problem, not yours." Zelda hissed, yanking her arm free.
"Like hell it is!" Gripping her arms tightly to keep her firmly in place, Link brought his face close to her own. "Why in the name of Din would you ever say something like that?"
His blue eyes were filled with pain when she yanked herself free from his grasp. Steeling herself against her own pain, she straightened her shoulders and met his gaze with her own. "Tell you what, when you're ready to start confiding in me, I will do the same!" Turning sharply on her heel, she left Link standing there dumbfounded. She heard him call her back but she ignored him and went looking for Ruto and Rhys instead.
If it was at all possible, Zelda slouched down further and attempted to glare a hole through Ruto's back. If she wasn't feeling so guilty, she would have totally given that traitor a piece of her mind. She could not believe that the Zora Princess was going along with this! When she'd gone in search of the Zoras, she had thought they would support her and act as a buffer between her and Link. What she hadn't expected however was just how badly Rhys had been beaten. Compared to him, Zelda had gotten off incredibly easy because apparently Lorenzo had been holding back when it came to interrogating her. Rhys, on the other hand, had taken the brunt of Lorenzo's sadistic torture.
Her companion had barely been able to stand on his own, needing Ruto to bear most of his weight. Zelda's injuries were incredibly minor in comparison and Link had been quick to supply a bottle of red healing potion when he caught up with them (after realizing Zelda wasn't coming back). With the red potion administered, Ruto had insisted they leave the small camp immediately before anyone woke up. Apparently Link and Ruto had only planned to incapacitate Lorenzo's little regiment. Ruto was already concerned that Rhys had been linked to the disappearance of the Princess and didn't want any further complications for her people even though Link had assured her everyone would assume he had broke them out. Neither Hylian wanted to tell Ruto that Lorenzo was actually dead and Zelda saw no need to inform her of that complication since there was nothing that could be done to fix it. They'd have to deal with the fall out later. For now their only concern was to get away.
Four tents had surrounded the small cabin that Zelda had been held in. Later she would maybe contemplate the reason as to why Lorenzo would have kept her in the comfort of a building instead of one of the tents but for now there was no time for that. Following Link's lead they'd gone directly to where Ruto and Link had left the horses just outside of the makeshift camp. She'd recognized Epona right away, but not the other and Ruto had quickly explained they'd borrowed a horse from the man who ran the fishing hole. The information hadn't been necessary and she hadn't bothered to comment on it. Instead she'd started to move towards Ruto's side with the expectation that she would ride with Ruto and Rhys would be with Link.
Ruto had stared at her like she'd grown a second head and Zelda realized—with a sinking heart—that she was to actually ride with Link. To make matters worse, Link had insisted she ride in front of him. He was concerned that she was still weak from the way Lorenzo had strained her limbs and he wouldn't take no for an answer. So now, here she was sitting within the circle of Link's arms and it was anything but comfortable. It was bloody awkward considering they were mad at each other. He sat stiffly behind her and Zelda was doing her best not to lean against him. She hated to admit it but he'd been right to worry about her being unable to keep herself upright on the horse after the way she'd been restrained. Her limbs were aching again and she was sure that if it wasn't for Link's arms around her, that she would have slid right of Epona's back hours ago. Thankfully, they were almost there.
"We will immediately head to the tunnels once we reach the Lake." Ruto's directions caught Zelda's attention. "We can't afford to waste any more time and the two of you have been delayed long enough."
"You expect us to be able to swim after all of this?" Zelda sat up straight, suddenly finding a bit more energy after riding for so long. "Ruto I can barely stay in this saddle! How can you expect me to swim? And why is this the first time I am hearing about these tunnels that lead to Termina? Why hadn't the family been informed..."
"There was never any reason to speak of it." Ruto snapped with a glare directed at the bewildered Princess. "Truth be told, I am not pleased now that we have to take the two of you through them."
Zelda couldn't prevent the hurt look she gave her so called friend. Apparently it wasn't just Link who was having trouble trusting her. She caught Rhys' apologetic shrug but Ruto had turned back around. She wanted to question the Zora Princess further but knew this wasn't the moment to do so. It was just another thing that she would have to file away to confront another day.
The tunnels were anything but easy to navigate. Several times Link found himself completely turned around and lost. When Rhys had to grab his arm a second time to prevent him from accidently swimming towards the wrong passage, the Zora had explained that the passages had been designed specifically to confuse anyone who accidently stumbled into the maze. It was why Ruto had insisted that she lead with Rhys bringing up the rear. He'd also noticed that by doing this the two Zoras had made sure to pair themselves up with a Hylian just in case they were split up. Rhys had become Link's unofficial guide and he could see Ruto was sticking unusually close to Zelda.
They swam in silence. Though the tunics allowed for Link and Zelda to breathe under water it did not, however, afford them to speak. Of course Ruto and Rhys did not have this restriction but neither Zora was offering to fill the silent void. Link was still debating whether or not that was a good thing because the silence allowed him to think.
It bothered him that thought he'd leave her behind. Sure they were fighting but he had thought she'd have a little more faith in him. He was also irked to know that he had inadvertently ended her apparent engagement by killing Lorenzo. He knew he should be feeling remorse for ending the noble's life but the fact that the man hadn't been above rape to get what he wanted made it very hard. He still would like to know how the engagement even came about, but with Zelda remaining stubbornly tight-lipped on the matter. Which meant, he could only speculate. Really though, he wasn't stupid and he had an idea of what happened. With him running off with the Princess (again), the King had probably given the asshole his blessing to move forward with the betrothal because, let's face it. With Zelda off with him and without a proper chaperone, the King's advisors would either demand a marriage...or Link's head on a pike. Even the King would have to agree the latter would not solve the fact that most noble circles would see the Princess as unmarriageable now—though Link suspected the King would prefer that solution. So, the King must have agreed to let Lorenzo marry Zelda instead but Link had now ruined that option.
This lead to his other problem however, Zelda—being stubborn—would never go along with marrying him so long as they weren't seeing eye to eye. Or...even if they were seeing eye to eye for that matter, remembering that she'd shot the idea down when it was mentioned at the Forest Temple. He just couldn't imagine her allowing anyone to force her into something she didn't want but he was getting side tracked. Regardless of that, he knew he had to fix this thing between him and the Princess. He just wasn't entirely sure on how to do that. No, scratch that—again, he's not an idiot—he knows exactly what would fix it but he still wasn't sure if he should be teaching her the Ocarina's travel songs. He was still a little puzzled that she didn't already know them...after all, hadn't she been the one to teach him? Maybe if he explained that to her? Would it be enough for her to forgive him?
"You need to fix this thing between you and the Princess."
Link reeled around to Rhys. The Zora kept his eyes forward and Link began to wonder if he'd imagined hearing his friend. Keeping an eye on Rhys, he slowly turned forward again to find that Zelda and Ruto were no longer in front of them. He frowned but Rhys just continued swimming. Either the two girls had turned at a bend in the tunnel up ahead or the Zora was purposely putting some distance between them.
"Ruto had hoped forcing the two of you to ride here together would get the two of you talking again, but she was obviously wrong." Rhys gave him a sideways glance. "This is hurting Zelda more deeply than, I think, you even realize. I get that you have your secrets. We all do...and that's what Zelda is coming to realize now that the Zora's secret of these tunnels is out."
Link wished they weren't swimming in tunnels however many meters underwater. Rhys was only echoing what he, himself, had been thinking just moments ago and he wanted to convey that he understood and –in part—agreed. The Zora had no idea the panic that had ensued when he and Ruto and seen Ryan, with a handful of guards, show up at Lake Hylia. His own stubbornness could have cost the two of them everything had Zelda and Rhys been killed. If it hadn't been required that they remain silent to follow Lorenzo's little scouting team, he was sure Ruto would have given him an earful. In fact, he'd been a little surprised that she hadn't said anything to him on their way back to Lake Hylia. He guessed he knew the reason why now...she'd hoped that he and Zelda would mend their differences.
"Exactly how do the two of you plan to carry out what needs to be done in Termina if you guys aren't even talking?"
With a startled look, Link flushed embarrassedly. He hadn't realized Rhys was still talking to him. Another downside to not being able to hold up his end of the conversation...Rhys just assumed he was still listening. Rhys shot him an annoyed look. Ok, so maybe Rhys wasn't just assuming he was listening...or he had noticed his captive audience wasn't paying attention.
"I'm serious Link. The two of you not talking is going to make this thing in Termina even more dangerous if you can't rely on each other."
A burst of bubbles escaped his mouth as Link let out a huff. Of course he knew that, he wasn't an idiot!
"Oh don't get all huffy with me." Rhys retorted, switching to swimming alongside the Hylian on his back. "I'm not saying it's your entire fault. The Princess can be ridiculously stubborn. I've heard Ruto grumble about that all the time. I personally agree that she should have allowed you to come with us but I also think you should have just taught her whatever song it was you used to travel so quickly to Lake Hylia. So really, you're equally at fault with this one."
Link rolled his eyes and gave him a pointed look with an offhand shrug. Rhys snorted, "don't give me that look and no, 'what's done is done', is not gonna fly here. You either need to teach her the songs or explain to her why you won't. She won't forgive you any other way."
He sighed and watched the bubbles float lazily in front of him. He knew the Zora was right but it didn't make this any easier. Once they reached the surface he'd have to figure out a way to get Zelda alone to talk to her. At least it sounded like Ruto was on his side—well kind of—so he shouldn't have to worry about her pulling the big sister act and not allowing him to even so much as look at Zelda.
Rhys yanked on the back of Link's tunic. The Hylian glanced over to see the Zora signalling towards a tunnel that was cut right into the ceiling of the current one they were in. Nodding in understanding, the two changed directions, heading towards the indicated path and almost ran/swam right into Zelda and Ruto.
Hands on her hips, Ruto glared at the two of them before pivoting around and dragging Zelda along behind her. "Try to keep up will you?" She griped at them with a look of her shoulder. "I know you like to think you know the way Rhys but there is a reason why I'm not allowing you to lead."
Rhys laughed uncomfortably. "Come on Ruto, I only got lost once...and that was a long time ago." Catching the wide-eyed look that Link was giving him, he quickly added. "It was when I first relocated to Hyrule. It was the first time that I had ever used the tunnels on my own."
"You'd still be lost if I hadn't happened to be there." Ruto shot back smugly. "The poor sap was swimming in circles but still insisted he wasn't lost."
"The one and only time I get lost and she will never let me live it down." Shaking his head, Rhys shrugged with his hands up in defeat. "Alright, alright, we'll make sure we don't fall behind again."
With a satisfied nod, Ruto grabbed Zelda's arm to help her along. "We're almost there, so it won't be much further." The Princess gave a tired smile as she allowed Ruto to gently pull her in the right direction.
A/N: Thank you all for the reviews and to everyone who have added this story to their favorite/follow list!