Chapter 34: Zora's Domain

Link and Tetra managed to get away from the Gorons. Filled with relief at not being crushed alive, Link led Tetra south down the dusty path of Death Mountain range toward where Zora's Domain was said to be located.

He walked alongside her; his spirits lifted since the incident in Death Mountain cavern, and it seemed like the same had occurred with Tetra. She was smiling mischievously again—as usual—probably planning some prank on Link in the future. He didn't care, just getting attention from her was good enough.

"If only we had some horses," Tetra said out-loud. "We might get there faster."

"Yeah," Link agreed. It seemed like Zora's Domain was a fair ways from Death Mountain. After several hours, they had arrived in Hyrule Field. It was night, but Link noticed something in the distance.

"Is that... smoke from Hyrule Castle?!" he exclaimed. Tetra went to his side and looked, and her eyes widened considerably.

"Yes... oh goddesses, Ganondorf must have taken it over." She bit her lip. "We have to hurry, Link. The faster we can get that last pendant, the faster we can find out what happened."

"And find the King and the others," he added with a deep swallow. He looked at her, and she looked back and together they nodded.

They continued south a little further, but it was getting late, and it was time to set up Rashu's tent. Link watched as Tetra pulled it out of her pouch, and placed it on the ground.

Immediately, the crimson tent popped off the ground in a large triangular fashion. Link peered inside. There was a table and two sleeping bags. The bags were separated one from another, though, he assumed that wouldn't last long (if Tetra was planning to prank him in any case).

Tetra yawned. "I wish we could keep moving, but..."

"Yeah, we need the rest." Link stretched out his arms into the air, and sighed. "I'm sure we'll reach Zora's Domain by tomorrow. ... Didn't the Gorons mention something about a river before we left?"

"Yes," Tetra said with a tired nod. "Zora's River. It leads to Zora's Domain. C'mon, let's get some sleep." She walked into the tent and immediately slipped into one of the sleeping bags.

Link yawned, and entered the tent. He walked up to the vacant sleeping bag and then collapsed onto it; not bothering to get inside.

"You're gonna get cold, Link," he heard Tetra say.

"I'm too tired," he complained. "I'll be fine... these clothes are warm anyway," he added, closing his eyes and taking in a deep sigh.

He heard movement, and then felt Tetra's soft hands touch him. He didn't move—she was playing her prank and he was going to let her. But, instead, he felt her push his body underneath the sleeping bag's cover. A gentle voice whispered in his ear: "good night, Link."

"... good night, Tetra," he mumbled. He didn't hear her return to her sleeping as he fell asleep almost immediately.

-S-

Tetra awoke the next morning. Stretching as she sat up, she looked over to where Link was sleeping. His cap was in his hands, and he was snoring. Oh goodness... she thought, rolling her eyes at the noise.

With a growing smirk on her face, Tetra rose little by little until she was on her feet. She snuck up to Link and gently removed the cap from his hands. Then, she stuffed it in her pouch, snuck away, and slipped into her bag, pretending to be asleep.

Tetra smiled when she heard Link stir from his sleeping bag. He yawned very slowly, and she heard him scratch his head. The pirate stifled giggle when Link gasped.

"My cap...!"

She peeked over ever so slightly to see an exasperated Link glancing around in every direction for his hat. Finally, he stood up, and Tetra looked away.

"Should I...?" she heard him speak, imagining him looking at her. Then, she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Tetra...? Tetra? Are you awake?"

She decided to look at him as if annoyed. "What...? What do you want, kid? I was having a good beauty sleep," she said, feigning tiredness.

"Sorry. My cap is missing! Have you seen it?"

"Why would I care about your cap?" Tetra asked, turning her head back onto her cushioned bag. "Besides... you look cuter without it."

"Uh..." Tetra could just imagine Link blushing. "But... my grandma worked so hard on that cap... I mean, it's nice to know I look... better without it, but do you know where it is?"

"Nope."

Link was silent for a moment. "Are you playing a trick on me again, Tetra?" he asked.

Tetra kept a straight face. "Now, why would I do that, Link?"

"Because you've hidden my hero's clothes before," he said, starting to sound irritated. "... you have my cap, don't you?"

Tetra sat up in her sleeping bag, giving him a fake, baggy-eyed look. "No, I don't," she said. "I'm tired, let me sleep." Link frowned. And then Tetra smirked. "Tricked ya! I do have it." He looked dumbfounded for a moment, and she expected an angry reaction, but to her surprise, he laughed.

"I knew you were going to pull a prank on me!" he said, pointing at her. "I saw your smirk last night."

"Drat, I blew my cover," she said with a teasing voice. She searched her adventurer's pouch and pulled it out. "Here." She handed it to him, and winked. "Don't mind the smell, that's just some perfume."

"It... uh... smells nice," he said, placing the cap on his head.

"Good, I hope I smell sexy," she said with a grin.

Link's entire face turned beet red. "Wh-wh-what?!"

Tetra laughed. "I'm teasing you... again. I'm not interested in that," she said to him.

"Oh... right," Link said with a relieved sigh. He straightened his green cap, and smiled. "How did you... get perfume in your pouch, though?"

"I always keep a bottle on me," she said.

Tetra pushed back her sleeping bag and stood up. "Um..." Link said. He blushed again—this was actually starting to annoy her—and then he advanced.

"Wait a sec," Tetra said, pushing her hand on his chest. "I know what you're thinking, but no, I'm not giving you a good morning kiss." He looked crestfallen. "But... I'll give you a morning hug." She embraced him. "So, good morning, Link."

He hugged her back. "Good morning."

"All right, enough romantic junk," Tetra said, rolling up her sleeping bag. "We need to get to Zora's Domain quickly!" Link nodded, and rolled up his bag.

-S-

With the tent safely stowed away in Tetra's pouch, and her equipment ready, she, this time, led the way southward. Link also had his equipment ready—the sleeping Master Sword on his back, along with his shield—adventurer's pouch at his side.

It wasn't long after leaving the campsite that they came across a large river. Was this it? A sign was posted on the far side of the river, and Tetra walked to the shore and peered at it.

Zora's Domain to the east

"There we go," she said. "Our destination."

"Good, let's get that pendant," Link said. "Though somehow I get the feeling it isn't going to be easy... just like the Pendant of Power." He frowned.

"Probably not," Tetra said with a nod. "No need to waste time dwelling on that, though. Let's get moving!" She darted down the river's side, and she heard Link following behind her.

As they passed by the river, it grew noticeably cooler and cooler. Tetra could already sense something was wrong; she had heard that Zora's Domain was a warm place and already the temperature was dropping too fast.

Then, they came upon a frozen waterfall, and the river had frozen with it. The waterfall was blocking their path into Zora's Domain, and Tetra, shivering, felt its cold surface. She used her Triforce Shard to determine how thick it was.

"T-tetra?" Link stuttered, obviously freezing.

"It's thick... really thick," Tetra said, misty breath escaping her mouth. "G-goddesses... we should have frozen by now. Is R-rashu's spell protecting us from extreme temperatures—cold as well as heat?"

"I th-think so," Link said. He sneezed. "Excuse me... Tetra... how do we break through?"

She glanced over at Link and then peered back at the frozen wall before her. "I could see if a bl-blast from the Triforce of Wisdom could sh-hatter it. If not... we could try doubling up on bombs." She then sneezed. "Ugh... I'm going to be sick."

"C'mon! We-we've got to keep g-going, Tetra!" Link said, obviously trying to boost their morale. "If we d-don't get that p-pendant..."

"I know! I-I know!" Tetra mustered up all the power from her Triforce Shard that she could and then held her hand toward the frozen waterfall. Open you blasted wall! She charged up a large ball of blue energy and hurled it at the waterfall.

It worked. The wall shattered, opening the way into a cavern.

"Why do all these races live in caves?" Tetra complained. "Ugh... it's going t-to be c-colder in there than out here."

"We need...!" Link started.

"I know, I kn-know, Link," Tetra said, wiping her nose. "The Pendant of Wisdom... b-but just what happened here?" The hero walked up to her side.

"I dunno... a curse, maybe? G-Ganon's doing?" he mused.

"P-probably." Tetra hopped over the gap where the waterfall had been and onto the other side where the cave was. Link joined her shortly and the two entered Zora's Domain.

Frozen; the entire realm was frozen. Tetra and Link forgot all about their cold as they peered around in shock and awe. Zoras—humanoid fish with long snouts and ears—were trapped in ice, frozen water, and in ice cubes. Many of them looked as if their spread fins on the sides of their arms were stuck in a flailing position as if trying to escape.

"Are they... alive?" Link muttered.

"I... I don't know," Tetra said. She noticed Link's green eyes were very wide, as were her own. "Let's investigate. I heard the Zoras have a king. He must be around here somewhere."

"... probably frozen like the rest of them," Link remarked. Tetra shot him a glance, but admitted inside that he was possibly right.

Tetra and Link scoured the area, walking carefully across the icy floor. As Tetra had predicted, it was much colder inside than outside. Her sniffles returned with a vengeance and she wondered if she would catch a cold.

"Do you have anymore of that soup your grandma made, Link?" she asked, coughing.

Link nodded. He searched his pouch, and the remaining half of the soup looked cold. He frowned and coughed. "It's f-frozen like everything else."

"There's got to be some heat somewhere," Tetra said. "Whoa!" She then slipped on the floor, and she felt Link catch her. "Th-thank you."

They continued their search, and soon, they arrived in a large chamber near the top of the cavern. Tetra could only guess it was the throne room. And when they arrived, they gasped (and coughed) in shock.

A large Zora was sitting upon a throne, but he was encased in ice. There were two, unlit torches at either side of him. His regal, royal purple robes told Tetra that he could only be one person.

"The king..." she said with a soft, stunned voice. "You were... right, Link."

"Wh-what do we do?" Link said, shivering and holding his arms. "Can we start a fire somehow? I don't see any extra wood or kindling."

"I could... try my power again," Tetra said. She shook her head. "I might fall faint, though. I-I used a lot of it bl-blasting that waterfall to pieces." She wiped her nose again. "Maybe if I try lighting the torches..."

"Tetra, careful," Link warned. Tetra's right hand erupted into blue flames, and she thrust the flames into the dry torch. It worked; the torch lit up and Tetra could feel warmth encircle the area. "Whew, that's better."

"Not enough, though," Tetra said, she had stopped shivering and had noticed Link had, too. Yet, she felt extremely weak, her eyes were drooping and her body felt fatigued. But, the Zora King was not yet freed from his frozen prison; she had to do something.

She thought she heard Link cry out her name, but she was too focused (or too weak) to listen. Tetra made her way to the torch and lit it with fire.

As the heat increased in the room, Tetra felt herself fall backward and into someone's arms—probably Link's—and her body weakened. Her vision blurred and she soon she was engulfed in darkness.

-S-

"Tetra? Tetra!" Link exclaimed, catching the faint and unconscious pirate. He held her gently, biting his lip. I hope she's not dead...! he thought.

"Are you... brrr... a friend?" a watery voice said behind Link. He looked behind him to see the Zora King had thawed from his icy form, staring at the young warrior.

"Yes. My name is Link," he said. He looked at Tetra and pulled her close to keep her warm. "This is Tetra. She lit the torches, but she's... out cold now," he added with a grim face.

"How?" The Zora King looked from torch to torch. "The fire is... blue?" he asked, looking quite perplexed.

Link nodded, feeling the warmth and heat of fire and Tetra's body close to his. She must be alive, she's not freezing. "Yes, she has... um... magic. But she used all of it now and she's..."

"Unconscious," the king finished for him. "Such is the case with all magic users. Here, I have some magic potion. It should revive her senses from the lack of magic in her body." The king handed over a bottle with green liquid in it using one of his webbed hands. "Take it."

Link nodded, and took the potion. He opened Tetra's mouth, and then the bottle itself, and then dumped the contents down her throat. He heard a swallowing sound from her, and her eyes fluttered open. She coughed, and a thick, green smoke wafted from her mouth and into Link's face. It smelled worse than a healing potion.

"Ugh...!" Link winced. He opened his eyes and gazed upon Tetra; who was smiling at him. "Tetra! Thank goodness you're all right."

"You're holding me rather close, Link," she said with a devious smirk. "Were you that worried?"

Link felt himself blush, but he smiled back at her. Yes, I was."

"I'm... uh... sorry to interrupt," the king said, clearing his throat; catching Link's attention. "But... can you tell me why you're here?"

Tetra stood up on her feet. "Here, I'm fine," she muttered to Link. She turned to face the Zora King. "What is your name, your majesty?"

"I am Ralis, king of the Zoras. at least... until recently," he added solemnly. He frowned, hanging his head. "I am ashamed I could not save my people."

"What happened here?" Link asked, feeling a bit perplexed himself. "I thought Zora's Domain was a warm place—at least that's what my teacher taught me. Why is it all frozen?"

"Ganondorf," Ralis said with a frown. "The gerudo came and froze Zora's Domain and Zora's River over. We had no warning, and he encased us in an icy prison for what seemed like would be forever." He pointed to Tetra and Link. "That is, until you two came. I am in your debt. Tell me, why did you help me?"

"We seek the Pendant of Wisdom," Tetra said to him. "We need it to restore the Master Sword to its full power in order to stop Ganon."

"Wait... so you're the ones Rashu referred to before Ganondorf attacked!" Ralis exclaimed. "Then you, my girl, must be the Bearer of Wisdom, am I not correct?" Tetra nodded. He turned to Link. "And you, boy, must be the hero Rashu spoke of. I can see the Master Sword on your back now."

Link's eyes blinked. "'Hero'?" He thought he had been called that before, but the way Ralis said it made it sound like Link was something special; something beyond that of an ordinary hero.

"Why, yes," Ralis said, swinging his feet a little. "At least, from what he told me of your deeds, you sound like one, young Link. Regardless, you are looking for the Pendant of Wisdom? I'm afraid it's no longer in my clutches. Lord Jabun hid it in the Earth Temple nearby."

"The Earth Temple?" Tetra asked.

"Where can we find it?" Link asked.

"The Earth Temple is located underground—beneath Zora's Domain," Ralis explained. "My daughter, named Ruto, went below because monsters had started gathering there, and she wanted to investigate. I don't know how long it's been since she went into the temple, but... I worry for her safety."

Link and Tetra exchanged worried glances. "So, if we go to the Earth Temple, we can find the pendant?" he asked. "And save your daughter?"

"Yes, please!" Ralis begged. "I am deeply concerned for her as I said. If it has been a long time since Ganondorf cursed Zora's Domain and Zora's River, she could be in grave danger!"

Tetra and Link exchanged glances once again. Link looked at Ralis and asked, "how do we get into the Earth Temple?"

The Zora King licked his lips. "All right, I'll show you. It's under my throne which has thawed, thanks to you, Tetra," he added with a grateful voice. He moved off his throne and touched one of the jeweled handles. With a rough shuffling sound, the throne skidded across the ice and revealed a staircase below.

Link looked down. Below, he could not see the end of the stairs, nor any floor below. Just what's down there? He swallowed, and looked at Ralis. "No light?"

"There is, but possibly when you get to the bottom of the stairs," Ralis explained. He frowned. "We used to have torches lit on the sides of the walls, but it appears they have gone out, most likely due to the cold."

"We'll find your daughter, your majesty, and the pendant then," Tetra said with a nod. "C'mon, Link. We've got a temple to explore."

"Right," Link said, not feeling one bit enthused.

"Wait!" Ralis cried out. Link and Tetra faced him. "Take these." He handed Link a pair of golden bracelets.

"What are these?" he asked, staring at the bracelets.

"A gift from the Goron Tribe. They referred to them as 'Power Bracelets,' and they give whomever wears them incredible strength."

"Why are you giving me these... Power Bracelets?" Link asked, raising a brow.

"Because the Gorons said a time would come when I had to give them away..." Ralis said. "... to a hero that would come in a time of dire need for my people. I believe you are him."

"All right," Link said with a nod. He put a bracelet on his left arm. He looked at Tetra. "Here, one for me and one for—"

"They won't work like that," Ralis said, stopping Link before he gave the other to her. "You will need to wear both in order to obtain the power they possess. I recommend you wear them, Link."

He paused, biting his lip, and then looked at Tetra. She smiled and nodded at him, as if she was saying: "I don't mind." Link nodded, and placed the other bracelet on his right wrist. "There," he said. "I guess I'm ready. Are you, Tetra?"

"Always am."

"Good luck to you two," Ralis said. "I will said here, between the torches for warmth. I pray you'll be able to remove the curse from Zora's Domain."

"We will. And thank you, your majesty," Link said. He looked at Tetra—together, they nodded and descended the staircase into the darkness below.