"Ya know what's odd that I've noticed?" Midna pandered, even though her mount could not reply with words. She leaned forward over his head while her eyes scanned the frozen Zora Domain. "First we're lead into a place that's boiling hot, and now here we are in a completely frozen spring. What's next? A dry desert followed by some snowy mountains?"

The hero paused to take a gander at the towering cliff that stood in between him and the throne room where he intended to be. He reared his head to recapture Midna's attention.

"Owe!" She yelped, "I bit my lip!" She yanked on his ear to get even with him, "Now… where was I…? Oh! Yes, climbing, yes." Her lower body bubbled up as she floated to the nearest ledge to guide her hero up the cliff.

Once they reached the very top, they followed a wide tunnel into the frozen throne room where not a soul could be found.

"Hm… for a place called Zora Domain, there sure is a distinct lack of Zoras." The two walked along the outer edge of the circular room. At the head of the room stood an empty throne that faced toward an inner circle of ice. Without the flow of running water, the place looked bleak and depressing. Out the corner of her eye, Midna caught something glimmering at her as they walked over the icy floor. Eyes turned down, she gasped and tugged on the wolf's ears, "Look! Down there!"

The wolf honed his senses and gazed downward to behold the horror of hundreds of Zoras caught in the solid frozen ice. They glowed like ornaments, suspended in time. He looked back to Midna, whose mouth was agape.

"We gotta melt them... the ice, I mean." She kicked at his sides, "C'mon, you have an idea, dontcha? Remember what I was talking about earlier? It's a good thing we just came from a hot place, otherwise I'd be fresh outta ideas myself."

The hero remembered how Death Mountain rumbled and quaked relentlessly while he was there. He thought about how the hot molten rocks nearly struck him, especially one particularly immense rock column that could have killed him five times over. Midna warped him to that same exact spot where the column still glowed red hot.

"This'll do the trick!" She used her magic to hoist the enormous rock upwards. It dematerialized along with them as they warped back to the Zora Domain. As soon as the rock rematerialized, it plummeted down into the ice, quickly shattering it as it went. The ice screamed and sizzled as it immediately liquefied in the scorching volcanic heat. All the Zoras that had been trapped in the ice reanimated. Some swam out of the water while others were forcefully shot out. They coughed and wheezed, their frozen bodies aching.

It seemed that all of the missing Zoras had been accounted for except for their leader, whose throne remained vacant. Without a second thought, the wolf started off down the tunnel to continue his quest, which now presumably would entail a search for Lanyru's light.

"Wait…" An ethereal, feminine voice called out.

The wolf turned to come face-to-face with the incandescent spirit of a Zora woman adorned with flowing red and blue skirts that pressed against her form, long bluish fins on her arms, and draping tresses of red and yellow framing a soft, pinkish face of modest repose.

He knew what kinds of things she'd say to him even before she opened her mouth. She was dead, but her spirit lived on, attached to the physical world. She would ask him to carry out some heroic deed in her stead. He would do it, and she would pay him some kind of reward. The weight of the reward would depend on the deed itself, but by now he was used to the idea that refusing to hep others would impede his ultimate goal. He was doing a right to make a right, so it would seem to those being served: oblivious indeed.

The Zora woman examined him. She looked him straight in the eyes, making sure to bore her image into his soul. "It would seem that you have released my people from their icy prison. For that, I thank thee."

The wolf knew she did not appear before him simply to thank him. He sat down and waited for her to continue. The Zora woman smiled weakly.

"Since you show promise… allow me to impart these words to you before you continue your quest." She closed her eyes and breathed in as if to gather up her memories into one cluster.

...

I was, until not too long ago, a queen. My name was Queen Rutela of the Zoras.

A great clamor could be heard from the bottom of the waterfall. The intruders turned the sky an ominous red-orange. They brought with them an icy chill, which marked the beginning of the Zoras' imminent doom.

Silver streaks could be seen darting up the river. Two guards hurried up to the throne room where their queen could be found tapping her foot. The guards appeared before her and gave a winded cry, "Your fairness! The lake has been engulfed in darkness!"

"I see that, but what brings this calamity?" The queen firmly replied, unwilling to allow weakness to show through. She paced over to a lookout point just near the entrance to the tunnel and peered down at the plethora of misshapen black beasts that slithered forward. The waters surged with frightened Zoras. If they neared too close to the beasts, they were struck down with such ferocity that many of them fell incapacitated. With the beasts came the roaring shroud of twilight that weakened limbs and blinded senses.

"We haven't the faintest idea what they are or what hell they've dredged from, but they strike aggressively and travel in packs of threes and fours. We tried fighting them one at a time, but if just one is left alive, the others will keep reanimating."

"What manner of black magic is this?" Queen Rutela's brow furrowed. "These creatures are not of this realm."

"What are they, Mother?" Her son stood at her side, his eyes shifting between the black beasts and the queen. Queen Rutela tried to give him a look of assurance, but nothing could hide her concern.

The queen turned to her guards, "We must hurry! Take all the children, elderly, and those who cannot fight through the escape route! I want no one left behind!"

"It's no use! The enemy has infiltrated the escape route! The only way out is through the mountain route." One of her guards admonished.

Her fists clenched hard. "Come now… think…" The shroud of twilight closed in as her people fell into a panic. The remaining waterways flooded with Zoras, many of which desperately fought back against the enemy force. After finally gathering her thoughts, the queen looked over at her guards, "I need a messenger! Somebody must take the mountain path to alert the people of Hyrule!"

"But… that path cuts near the snowy mountains; a Zora taking that path would be asking for death!"

"But what choice do we have? The queen is right, someone needs to go."

"But who could possibly have the resilience to withstand such an arduous task?"

"I'll go." Prince Ralis spoke up. The queen winced at him.

"Prince…!"

"Queen, allow me to go in his stead!"

"No!" Ralis shouted. The entire room fell silent.

The queen knelt down to his level and gazed into his eyes. They gleamed with intensity and his poise was straight like an immovable soldier. Her heart sank as she pressed her hands against his face.

Before she could make any form of response, there in the entrance stood a shadowy cloaked figure. He stepped forward slowly while the rest of the Zoras stared in awe. As he came near, he took on an otherworldly appearance with a tall, pointed hat attached to a strange mask with bulging eyes and a curling tongue. His entire body was covered in long, draping robes that stopped just above his ankles.

He lifted his arms, white streamers hanging from the ends of his sleeves, "I am Zant: your new king."

A moment of silence passed as the Zoras tried to process what was happening. The man looked entirely too silly to have single-handedly seized an entire kingdom, but with his minions creeping up beside him, his power seemed all the more terrifying.

"What lunatic thinks he can waltz in here and take our freedom? Attack!" The guards charged at Zant with the full force of their spears. Just before reaching him, however, Zant summoned a powerful icy current that swept the Zoras off their feet and froze them in solid ice. The others quickly backed away.

"How dare you challenge your new ruler? Any more of this, and I shall slaughter you one by one until you behave."

"Very well!" Queen Rutela stepped forward. "You shall start with me."

Her frightened guards winced at her with objective cries. Zant let out a low chuckle as Rutela readied her magic. It was no use, for as soon as she readied an attack, the black creatures already had her ensnared for Zant's sword to pierce her stomach. Prince Ralis let out a terrible shriek as his mother fell to her knees.

"Urgh… G…Go, my son…" Her head slowly turned to him. His eyes were round and mouth agape. As the queen opened her mouth, cool pink blood flowed over her lip. Zant moved like a phantom in the split second before felling her. His robe still dropped through the air as if he'd sprinted to her.

Prince Ralis's hands rose to his mouth, "Mo…ther…" At that moment, his wet eyes glistened.

The queen breathed in deep and then vomited more blood. She used as much of her remaining strength to reach out to her son and gurgled, "Go!"

Just then, Ralis noticed the black creatures move in. Instinctively, he stepped forward near the water's edge and swiftly dove down just before they were able to swipe at him. He swam deeper and deeper down into the water's depths to make his desperate escape.

"After that boy! None shall be able to escape!" Zant commanded. The shadow beasts dove into the water after Ralis, which the rest of the Zoras would not have. They dove in after to stop the black beasts before they could reach the prince. All the while, Zant turned to the queen, who glowered hard in his face. "Let this be a lesson to your precious followers."

Queen Rutela's expression soured as her lips contorted. She spat blood at him, after which he forcefully yanked the sword out of her. She let out a painful screech as she fell to the ground. Zant then kicked her wound hard, sending her in a violent fit of pain.

Zant turned to the water's edge and lifted up his arm. "I'll have no more of this." The icy storm he sent raged on and on as the water very quickly solidified. He did not stop it until all of the river turned to solid ice, thus freezing the Zoras with it. As she lay dying, Rutela bore witness to the terrible fate of her beloved people she hardly had the chance to save. Before her dying eyes lay destruction and endless misery.

...

"As for my son, I am relieved to know that he lives… however, I sense that danger lies ahead for him. If I still had my life, I would give it to him in a heartbeat… Alas, my options are limited, and there is not much time."

"While your tale is very gruesome indeed, what purpose is there to go into such grave detail?" Midna mused. Queen Rutela's eyes were stone cold as she looked upon them with silent reproach.

She droned, "I have my reasons…"

The words sent a cold chill down the wolf's spine. This was no ordinary request for a hero's aid resulting in reward and praise. Somehow, she knew about him and it took everything within his power to hold back the unbridled fury that rose within him. His lip would have risen to a slight snarl had Midna not reacted in his stead.

"What is this, some sort of insult?" Midna growled, her fists clenched.

"Not an insult…" Queen Rutela shook her head as her expression softened toward Midna, "...but a warning." She lowered her head humbly, "As long as your actions match your words, I shall be your aid." Her spirit faded away, leaving Midna hunched over pensively.

Her eye narrowed and her single fang barred. She grumbled, "Not as if I've asked for this fate…" The wolf looked up at her apologetically. He whined at her to express his sympathy, after which she smiled and pat his head. "Thanks. At least you haven't turned a blind eye to me just because I'm a Twili." She leaned forward and kicked his sides. "I'll put it past her for now; it's understandable for you light creatures to be wary of us, whether we are loyal to Zant or not. Onward!"

The wolf barked and bolted down the raging river.

...

"…I shall be your aid."

"Here we are." Telma's voice broke the hero's daze. He turned to her as she approached with a tall, muscular chestnut mare. Her thick legs and strong build made her perfect for the upcoming task. "Ain't she a beaut? She's sturdy enough to be a draft horse, but boy is she fast."

"She will do." He forced a warm smile.

After the wagon had been prepared and Prince Ralis was carried into it, Ilia poked her head out to the man who'd been helping with the preparations. "Thank you, Auru."

"Safe travels now." Auru said it like an order. Ilia nodded bravely and receded back behind the wagon's cover.

"I'll be gone for three days at the latest, so until then my bar is in your hands. You think you can handle that?" Telma explained.

The girl she spoke to snickered, "Yeah, yeah. Dinner at seven, and bedtime no later than ten. We'll be fine."

Telma raised an eyebrow at her, "And dontchu forget it, Ashei; I'm countin' on you—all a you."

"As for you, Telma," Auru approached from behind and placed his hand on her shoulder, "please be very careful."

"Don't you worry a bit; we're in good hands, I'm sure of it." She gave the escort a passing glance with a smile. He quickly nodded back and looked away. "Say… where's Shad? I haven't seen him all mornin'."

"Oh, he's back at the bar—ya know, makin' sure everything's in order. Besides, you know how he is with goodbyes." Ashei replied.

"Bless his heart. Well, tell 'im the only way I ain't comin' back is if the world ends right here an' now." Telma winked. "See ya, Hunny."

"Hmh… see ya." Ashei smiled and gave her a hug.

After giving her final goodbyes, Telma rushed to the wagon and took the reins. She looked back at Ilia, who nodded readily at her, and then gave the escort her signal to move out. He trotted in front of them with sword at the ready. Telma leaned out, "By the way, Mister, I never did catch your name."

He gave her a fleeting glance and trotted on, "That's okay."

Telma cocked her eyebrows curiously. Without another word, she whipped the reins and followed him. The group headed toward the bridge where they knew King Bulblin lay in wait on his giant boar. He paced up and down the bridge just waiting to be challenged. He was Telma's main concern on the entire journey, as he was well-prepared for battle with his thick, heavy armor, especially over his shoulders to prevent sword attacks from the sides. Even so, the escort kept his sword at the ready

"Now, Hunny…" Telma leaned out again. "I don't mean to question your methods er anything, but you sure that sword's gonna do you good against those armor plates of his?"

He twirled the sword in hand, "Yes, Ma'am. This will be enough." His eyes hardened with determination once more. He leaned over the chestnut mare's snowy mane and kicked her forward. King Bulblin had just turned around and stood on the otherside of the bridge. He banged on his metal plates boastfully, yet the escort still was undaunted. He dug his heels into the mare's sides as his opponent rushed in. Telma and Ilia both watched with their hearts in their stomachs.

As the joust neared its climax, the escort braced himself for a launch. He stood up in the saddle and, just as King Bulblin began to swing his axe, the hero used the horse as leverage to leap at the monstrous beast. His sword pierced King Bulblin's chest through a bare spot in his armor. At the last second, a dark aura emanated from the blade to give it extra power. The darkness paralyzed him, and his frenzied boar sent him flying off the bridge. After kicking off of King Bulblin's shoulders, the hero managed to land back into the saddle. He then cried out from the other end of the bridge, "Onward!"

The two women were left speechless while still trying to process what had just happened. Their eyes wide and round, they exchanged bewildered looks. Ilia gasped, "Was that… even…"

"Not a chance… yet here it just happened." Telma shook her head.

"…possible…" Ilia was so dumbfounded, she could hardly form correct sentences.

There was something about him that made Telma feel uneasy. Aside from being very terse and secretive, she sensed a darkness about him she hadn't noticed until after he pulled off that impossible maneuver. His sword was far too short and dull to have pierced King Bulblin's chest so deep without a single crack. Furthermore, such an attack should have taken him years of practice, yet he couldn't have been older than twenty years of age. He most likely couldn't have pulled it off too easily unless he'd planned it, which brought her to wonder how he even knew this exact situation would occur. Also, the way he kicked off of his horse with complete disregard for its safety, as well as his own safety-which ultimately determines the rest of the group's safety—put her further on edge.

Even so, he had saved them from an imposing enemy. Perhaps she was out of place to complain, but the uneasiness did not cease to nag at her. Even as they crossed over the plains and he swatted off the birds and bulblins like mere flies, the more Telma watched him, the higher her suspicions grew. She noticed how his features seemed off as well; his hair was so dull it was almost grey, his skin was very pale, and his eyes—especially his eyes—were different from any she'd seen before. They were an unearthly violet color which, as she periodically checked, would alternate between a bluer indigo to a redder magenta every so often. His eyes alone made him seem otherworldly and, were he more approachable, she would have put it past him.

By the time they reached the village, both Telma and Ilia were relieved. Though Telma still had her qualms with the escort, she made it a point not to voice her concerns with neither him nor anybody else. They were greeted by Renado, followed shortly after with Renado's daughter and the children. They crowded around the front right side of the wagon trying to sneak a peek at who was inside, quickly after which they let out excited squeals.

"Ilia! It's Ilia!"

"She's alive!"

"Ilia, we were so worried!"

Ilia poked her head out with a dismayed expression, trying not to extinguish their happiness with her distinct confusion. "Hello… Um…"

Telma drew her lips in a line as she whispered to Renado about the sad truth. Renado nodded understandably and looked to the children, "Beth, Malo, Talo, please go back inside; there is a very sick child here who has need of some peace and quiet."

Reluctantly, the children migrated back inside the inn while Colin subtly stood off to the side with his fingers locked and his head tilted downward. Renado spotted him and called out, "Colin, if you may, please ask Link to come out here. Also, Luda, prepare a cot in the infirmary."

Luda nodded and headed inside. Colin's fingers promptly unlocked and he hurried after her. As they waited, Renado looked to their escort and his eyes widened with recognition.

"Say… Haven't I seen you before?" Renado mused. The escort paused on his horse, his face void of emotion.

"Oh? You've met him before? He was our escort…and was more than qualified, to say the least…" Telma muttered.

"Yes, I remember you! He brought our friend Link here to this village when he found him lying in the road."

"Did he tell you his name, because he wouldn't tell me." Telma whispered to Renado.

"No," he shook his head, "he's a very reserved fellow, I must say. Not much for talking, either."

"I couldn't agree more…"

Link emerged from the inn finally and approached the wagon. As Renado asked him to help bring Prince Ralis inside, Telma stepped down from the coach to examine Link. Her eyebrows raised and lips rose to a smile as she placed her hands at her sides.

"Mm, Link is it? A pleasure to meet you." Telma shook his hand. "The name's Telma."

"Uh, Telma. A pleasure to meet you as well." Link smiled. His kind eyes and comely features were like a fresh breeze compared to the escort's cold, hardened appearance. With Link, she felt much more at ease.

In the distance, Link caught a fleeting glimpse of ruddy orange, at which point he immediately thought of Epona: the horse he distinctly held within his memory. Whether it was the memory with the children, or the disorderly snippets with some Shiroko or Kana, Epona was always there. Naturally, he gravitated toward where he thought he saw her without hesitation while the others still tended to Ralis.

"Alright, now, Link you—Link? Where did he go?" Renado looked around.

"It's okay." Ilia helped lift the Zora boy's gurney. "He's not too heavy; I can help."

In the distance, Link saw what appeared to be a colorful apparition that led the unnamed escort toward the graveyard. Curious, he followed with distance in between him and the hero so not to impose.

At the far end of the graveyard, Queen Rutela's spirit paused at a specially marked boulder with an etched picture that matched the three-sapphire pendant she wore around her neck. Once the hero stood close, she receded into the wall, after which the boulder glowed bright with blue light. As soon as it started to glow, it faded away to reveal a crawl space in the wall. On the other side of the crawl space resided a cavern with water pooling from fountains dotted along the edge.

Across the pool from where the hero stood was a second ledge where a white gravestone stood. Queen Rutela floated over it, her colors reflecting off of its surface.

"So you have done the deed. I thank thee, brave hero."

The hero knelt down, much like he did before the great light spirits.

"You did well to bring my son to this village, for it is the location of my family's sacred resting place. This is where the bodies of my predecessors, and now my body, have been laid to rest. Under this gravestone is a relic that once belonged to a hero of the past, which may be used to enter our temple at the bottom of the lake. With this relic, you shall find what you seek…as well, granting you this grants you my people's holy grounds." Her eyes flickered once more, "At naught shall you abuse this privilege."

The hero nodded silently. The gravestone then shifted back to reveal a set of scaled clothing. The hero swam across the pool to retrieve it. It consisted of a scaled blue wetsuit, flippers, a crescent hat much like the one he already wears, and a mouth covering attached to a breathing apparatus. He took it within his humble grasp, thanked the queen, and then crawled out of the cavern.

On his way out of the graveyard, he came upon Link, who failed to blend in with the side of the cliff walls along the way. The hero paused, his magenta eyes burning hot as his brow furrowed. Link had no idea what to make of this, so he scratched his head and backed away slightly. Without a word, the hero quickly moved forward, bumping Link's shoulder along the way. Link watched him disappear down the path back to the village, his expression defeated as he rubbed his shoulder, and did not follow him right away for fear of confrontation.


Zoras using magic was entirely speculation on my part. I wonder if they do? Or maybe some kind of divine blessing bestowed by Lanyru?

Critiques? Dooooeeettt

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