Chapter 14: Interview With Zora

"-Seems like you're in a world of your own." Gannon hardly stirred when he noticed the girl standing in front of him.

He answered sarcastically, "Or maybe I'm just talking to the Goddesses themselves." He paused before standing, not wanting the girl's laughter to stop. He dusted his dark tunic before telling her, "Come on, let's go! You know how important today is!"

"Hey! Not fair," she shouted as she chased after him. He slammed his hand against the side of the nearest wagon. She stuck out her tongue to his taunting, 'beat ya!' and walked around the wagon. Gannon followed, only trailing around the back. On the other side was an elderly lady with a face so familiar, Gannon could count her wrinkles with his eyes closed.

"Now Now, Saria," she comforted the fuming girl. "You will win someday."

"Grandmother!" Gannon pouted embarrassed as Saria grinned. "Aren't you supposed to be for me?"

"You win every time. You should allow others to win too."

"It's not my fault I am a fast runner."

"I suppose it's not. Now let's get you both into the wagons," the elderly lady spoke with a cheerful voice.

Gannon grinned, "Hyrule Castle, Grandmother! We're finally going to Hyrule Castle!" Saria had completely forgotten her anger at losing again and was also brimming with excitement. "Oh, Saria! Do you want to pool our money? You could get a doll or something and I could get a cool new sword!"

Saria frowned, "Men and knives! I guess we can; I would like a doll."

"Cool!" Gannon grinned wider as he climbed into the wagon, Saria following behind him. They had all packed up already. Gannon's grandmother didn't get into this wagon. It was too high for her to reach. She walked to another. Gannon turned to Saria, "What do you think Castle Town looks like?"

"There'll be a lot of people!" Saria said. "And food! There will be lots of food."

"Not the dumb stuff!" He paused for a moment before leaning closer. "Do you think there are any bars?" He was slapped. "Hey, I was joking! I'm underage anyways; it's not like I could even get in." There was another slap.

Saria huffed angrily, "I think you're going to get lost and we're all going to have to go and find you."

"I will not!"

"Will too."

"Will not!"

Gannon rustled in his sleep on the floor of the doctor's tent. When the man's chest finally heaved with deep breath, the doctor took a sigh of relief. At the sound of the doctor's exhale, the man's eyelids fluttered open.

"You're awake!" The doctor exclaimed, his hands raising into the air in praise to the Goddesses. "The Zora took you to my tent and I'd thought you'd gotten the sickness!"

"I hate this blasted village!" Gannon moved to sit up, but found he couldn't.

The doctor payed no attention to what Gannon had said. He continued, "And you were hardly breathing! Your pulse was three times per minute!"

"Would you shut up and answer me?" Gannon shouted at the man.

The doctor stared at him hesitantly before saying, "Fine, but I get to ask you my questions too."

"Why can't I move?" He asked. The doctor opened his mouth before closing it again. Gannon glared at him incredulously, "Well?"

"They said you were going to burn down the village."

"So you paralyzed me?"

"...Yes..." the doctor hung his head.

"Don't bow like that; it's insulting. I understand why you'd do such a thing, but I need you to get an antidote quickly. Don't worry; I'm not going to burn the place down..." He paused, "...anymore."

The doctor frowned, but moved over to his working table. "I still have my questions for you," He said as he grabbed roots from a hanger.

"Go ahead, but I may choose not to answer them."

The doctor nodded, "I figured as such. How are you still alive? You had hardly any pulse and your breathing was so..." the doctor fought for an answer. Gannon really couldn't have been described as breathing; at least, not in the definition of the word.

"Meditation is your answer. Farthest I have ever reached is one thousand."

"Well, you were going a higher number than that," the old man said as he added some more roots to his mortar. "Next question, why were you going to burn down the village?"

"Short temper."

"Ah. Should have guessed-"

"And... There wasn't anyone to stop me." The doctor turned to Gannon, almost about to scold him, but stopped. He wasn't talking about a village Champion. He had wanted someone to stop him. Somewhere, deep down within that monster of a man, was a conscience. "Stop looking at me and hurry up with the antidote."

"Right, sorry. Next question; did you find the cause of the illness before you lost your temper?"

"I did," Gannon replied. The doctor nearly dropped the mixture he was working on. "Watch it!" The old man nodded, returning to his work. "It's in the water. No! I'm immune to the illness; it doesn't matter if it is in the antidote!"

"How are you immune?"

"It doesn't matter to you."

"But if we can find a way to replicate how you are immune then-"

"No. There is not any way possible for me to share my immunity. But I promise, I give you my word that I will get a cure for the disease that is ailing this town." The old man stared at Gannon for a few moments before muttering:

"You'd better do." He tilted the cup which held Gannon's paralysis antidote to the man's lips.

Gannon swallowed it down with a face. He immediately regained feeling in his body. He jumped up, only to fall to the floor again. He cursed.

"Now now!" the man warned, "You've only just taken the antidote! You must wait a few minutes."

"It's midday already!" Gannon got to his feet once more, only slower this time.

"Oh, the youth these days," the doctor mumbled, shaking his head. He wandered back to his medicines. Gannon looked down at the sleeping Link. He sighed.

"At least you're not sneaking into places you're not wanted in anymore," he whispered. If the doctor heard, he didn't give away anything to show he had. Gannon wobbled slowly to the tent's door-flap. He peeked outside. There wasn't anyone here. He stepped out.

He needed to find a way to go down into well without going murder-happy because of Power. The only place he could think of to get any such help would be in the market. That was something he wasn't looking forward too. He cursed himself for losing his temper so quickly.

Gannon paused when he reached the sandstone ring and the crystal clear pool. "How did I end up asleep anyways?" He leaned on one elbow that dug into the sandstone. His reflection stared back at him. "The Zora's Song," the reflection mouthed with his voice. He smiled to himself at his childish antic, but it soon disappeared. "Why was I the only one affected though?" He waited on this thought for a few moments.

"No, I wasn't!" Gannon stood up fast, but held to the sandstone tightly. He was still a little weak. "The sleeping sickness isn't really a sleeping illness. The Zora make anything that is corrupted with evil magic sleep! That means... They must be the ones taking those with the illness into the water. But, why take them to the cause of the illness if they want to be rid the illness?" He paused for a minute, letting go of the sandstone. "Because they are trying to get those with the illness to build up an immunity by adding to their illness? Like with snake venom?" He asked the air. He received no answer.

There was no choice now. Gannon had to go into the market to find the Zora. He walked to it slowly, expecting to find one angry villager or another. No one came and no one saw him. The market was empty except the Zora, still singing, and a few stalls with bored merchants, most of whom were peeking to check another's wares.

The merchants moved back into their places when they saw him. Gannon ignored their glares as he stumbled to the Zora. He began to feel the effects of their song already. "Stop your spell before I fall asleep again!" He shouted, halfway there. "Don't worry; I'm not going to blow anything up this time." The Zora looked at each other hesitantly, but stopped. Gannon nodded in thanks, feeling his body start to wake up again. He took a breath when he reached them. "Why are you taking the ill of this village?" There was no answer. "Apparently the Zora have a cure down in that well?" Still, no answer. "If you don't tell me, I'm just going to have to go down there myself."

"It keeps them alive longer," one of the Zora muttered quietly. Another one nudged it, shaking its head.

"How does it? You're taking them closer to the evil magic."

"There isn't any evil magic in Lake Hylia."

Gannon flinched, "You mean that Lake Hylia is still here?" The Zora nodded. A smile inched its way to Gannon's lips. "The Water Temple, ever heard of it?" All the Zora clamped their hands over Gannon's mouth. He took a step back, pulling them off. His smile was still there. "That's what I thought. There is an evil magic in the water of Lake Hylia and it's infecting all these people."

The Zora shook his head, "No. More."

Gannon frowned, "More?"

"Lake Hylia, though no longer above the ground, still feeds to all of Hyrule. Everyone's water comes from there."

Gannon nodded, "Then I need to hurry. I need to get down there and you need to bring all the sick back up here."

The Zora shook their heads, "No. We can't! They will all die up here."

"No, they're not. It would be better that they be up here anyways; including the Zora. I'm going to destroy whatever is down there in the Water Temple, at least seal it away. It would be best that there be no one down there to get in the line of fire." The Zora looked at each other once more, then nodded. They were about to leave before Gannon stopped them, "Wait. Kind of embarrassing really, but I need something to help me breathe under water."

The Zora grinned.