Chapter 36: Queen Bee Waxina
After defeating Sapper, Zelda and the others saw a golden chest appear inside one of the open honeycombs. In the chest there was a golden key, which unlocked the door at the bottom of the stairs which had a gold lock on it. On the other side was a large room with a cone-shaped hive where several bees the size of dogs seemed to be resting. Then when Zelda and the others stepped closer, the bees woke up and buzzed around the air as the hive opened like the petals of a flower to reveal a colossal bee with a heart-shaped chest, shiny black eyes, and giant gossamer wings.
"That must be the Queen Bee, Waxina," Sheik said. "She's a lot bigger than I imagined."
"Either she's been eating too much honey, or something has caused her to swell tremendously," Lana suggested, summoning a wooden spear from her book.
The giant bee's antennae twitched and she looked down at the group. As she roared at them, gobs of green slime spat from her mouth that caused the ground to singe. Then she emitted a low humming noise that caused the other bees to fly out of their honeycombs and down toward Zelda and the others.
Fighting them off as best they could, Zelda noticed that the bees only swarmed around her but they never once tried to use their stingers.
"They don't want to hurt us," Zelda said before Lana could cast a fire spell on the bees. "But they're being controlled by the queen so they have no choice but to attack us."
"Then we'd better stop the queen before they sting us for real," Sheik replied and fired several needles at Waxina from his hands.
They bounced off Waxina's abdomen, but they distracted her long enough to allow Zelda to fire several Blast Arrows from her Crossbow. Impa aided her by doing the same with her strapped-on Crossbows, and then Lana summoned a bolt of lightning that struck Waxina from above. This in turn caused the worker bees to fly around frantically, and then when the queen recovered they resumed their attacks. So Lana conjured a light barrier that kept the bees from getting close allowing Zelda and Impa to continue firing arrows at Waxina while Sheik played a song on his harp that kept the light barrier strong.
Upon injuring Waxina a second time, she emerged from the honeycomb's center and hovered in the air while spitting the same burning green slime at Zelda and the others. So they were forced to move around which in turn caused them to be attacked by the worker bees which were still under Waxina's control. Then in a surprise maneuver, Sheik pulled a chain from his wrist and used to tether Waxina. Unfortunately, the Queen Bee was too strong despite her enormous weight and so Sheik found himself being dragged along while being constantly attacked by the worker bees.
To aid him, Impa shot the bees down with Sleep Arrows with one hand while using the other to keep Sheik from being dragged by Waxina. Then Zelda used the Bellow of Frost to freeze Waxina in place, causing her to fall onto the ground, and after Lana used another bolt of lightning Waxina broke free from the ice. She uttered one final roar and then dropped on her side spitting something out in the process. As everyone guessed, it was another Shadow Crystal which Lana placed inside her book with the other two. The bees continued to fly around in confusion as something emerged at the center of the honeycomb.
Climbing into it, Zelda discovered a stand made of honey holding a clarinet made of honey-colored wood and golden keys.
"The third Wind Instrument," Zelda said, taking the clarinet from its stand. Then she turned to Sheik. "What is this one called?"
"The Clarinet of the West," Sheik answered. "It was made by a Goron who had come to the Hylian University to study music. He claimed the clarinet was magical, but the scholars at the university didn't believe him. So he played it at a concert, and though witnesses claimed they saw unbelievable things the scholars dismissed the so-called magic as parlor tricks and forced him to leave. He went back to the Goron District heartbroken, but was revered by a Hylian colleague of his who inherited the clarinet after the Goron had passed away."
"Such sad tales seem to revolve around these instruments," Zelda noted, looking down at the clarinet. "And yet they're the only things that can summon the Light Spirits, who are the only things that can stop Midna from doing more harm than good to the world. What's the song I need to play, Sheik?"
"The Capriccio of the Mountain Gale," Sheik said and played a lively but intense melody.
Zelda followed Sheik's example, there was a flash of light, and a goat-like creature appeared waving a wolf's tail and carrying a glowing orb in two horns that formed a halo above its head.
"I am Ordona, the Spirit of Light that protects the Hylian District," the creature announced then it looked at Zelda. "Were you the one who summoned me?"
"Yes," Zelda nodded. "There is a great darkness that threatens to engulf Skyloft and the world, and we need you to stop it."
"Is it the Twilight Realm?" asked Ordona.
Again, Zelda nodded. "The one who is spreading it is Midna, the leader of the Twili people, with the aid of the Fused Shadow."
"Fused Shadow?" Ordona's brow furrowed. "How did Midna obtain such a thing, if she cannot leave the premises of the Twili District?"
"I gave it to her," Zelda admitted. "You see, I come from another reality that is similar to this one and I had the Fused Shadow with me. She threatened to kill a group of Hylians, and so I offered the Fused Shadow in exchange for their safety."
Ordona stared at Zelda for a long time and then it said, "Why did you have the Fused Shadow and how are you not affected by its corrosive power?"
"Because the Midna from my reality wanted the Fused Shadow to overthrow Ganon, just like the one here, and for some reason the Fused Shadow fragments had no effect on me. I can't explain it, Ordona, but it's the truth."
"Hmm," Ordona said, and then he lay down. "Have you awakened my brothers?"
"We found Eldin and Lanaryu, and now you," Zelda answered. "But we don't know where the fourth one is or the Wind Instrument to summon him."
"Then I shall tell you," Ordona replied as he started to vanish. "In a swamp to the North there is a vault under a palace of wood. Go there and you will find the Wind Instrument that you seek."
To be continued…