Chapter 36 - Resurface

To the Five he must give aid
Lest time itself become unmade
The Ruler, The Stone, The Thief, The Forest Guide, The One From Deep
With each assisted, with him they shall keep
The One of Many shall hide his face
When the Five doth stand in place
Behind the shadow doth he stand
The power of the Dark God in his hand

"Wake up, sloth!" Florella shouted into Link's ear. Link gave a startled cry and sprung off his bed and landed on the ground in a crumpled pile of sheets.
"Ugh, what was that for?" Link grunted as he untangled himself.
"It seemed to be the best idea at the time," Florella shrugged. "Besides, you need to get ready."
"For what, you slave driver," Link muttered darkly as Navi fluttered over to him.
"You need to help Ruto find her uncle. She's waiting for you downstairs."
"Why aren't you waking those two up?" he asked, indicating to Saria and Zelda.
"They're tired from walking all that way. You may be used to it, but they aren't." Link sighed heavily and dumped the sheets back on his bed. He quickly pulled on his boots, strapped his shield and sword to his back and left the room.
He hadn't really noticed it the night before, but Zoras were everywhere. He passed a few on the stairs and the dining area was full of them. He spotted Ruto by the door and she waved to him excitedly.
"Good morning Ruto, did you sleep well?"
"Like a baby. Are you all ready?" she asked. Link nodded and the two of them left the inn and entered a wide street that appeared to be the main road through the town. People, mostly Zoras, bustled busily all around them, trading, buying and selling various goods. The two of them were almost flattened by a wagon that rumbled along, piled high with baskets and pottery.
"There are disadvantages to being small," Link muttered as he dragged Ruto out of the way of a fat merchant.
"If you want to be taller, put on your Zora mask. You'd fit in with the crowd then and Ruto could ride on your shoulders," Navi suggested.
"That's actually a pretty good idea, we'll find somewhere secluded first," he said as they went to find an alley.
A few minutes and one alley later, Link, in Zora form, strode through the streets of Newfin with Ruto perched on his shoulders. Since Ruto's head was higher above the crowd, she was able to point out the best direction to take.
"My that's a strange building," Ruto observed, pointing at tall tower at the edge of the town.
"That's a lighthouse, they guide ships into port at night," Link told her.
"I know that, it's just strange that it has that big ball thing on top of it." Ruto was right. On top of the lighthouse was a strange misshapen stone sphere that looked like it served no purpose whatsoever.
"It isn't even round...it looks like a lemon," Link muttered. The two of them continued on through the crowd before Link stopped on the side of the street.
"Do you know where your uncle lives?" Link asked her.
"Sorry, no. I've only ever met him once, and that was when he visited Zora's Domain when I was very little," Ruto said apologetically.
"Do you know his name?" Link asked her thoughtfully.
"It's Seamus...why, do you have an idea?"
"I think if I ask around some of the taverns, I may bump into someone that knows him."
"What do you mean, why is it only you that gets to go inside?" Ruto pouted.
"Because you're too young, and a tavern is not the place a young princess such as yourself should be hanging around in."
"But you're around my age," she countered.
"Yes, but I'm a grubby little boy...and I just don't want you going in," he said with a slight flush creeping into his pale zoran cheeks.
"Why exactly?" Ruto queried, her curiosity piqued.
"Because I don't want some disgusting old man ogling you. You're my Ruto, not something for them to gawk at," he said quickly. Ruto giggled and patted him on the head.
"Your Ruto? You sound like we're a couple."
"Noo! It isn't like that! I just...I don't know right now. It's all very confusing. I like you a lot, Ruto...I like all you girls a lot. You're the most precious things in my life...and…precious things need to be protected from all harm, no matter what guise it takes, whether it be physical or mental."
"Were lucky Gals."

Talen was in a cheerful mood as he met up with his companions in the dining area. He sat down next to Florella and began to look through the menu, whistling to himself. The group ordered breakfast and talked at length about Seavale, deciding that if Ruto's uncle didn't know anything it, they'd have to start asking some of the fishermen and sailors. There were many things on Talen's mind that morning, thoughts of Florella being the most prominent. He had to admit that he liked the childish fairy, but he knew that she couldn't be half as frivolous as she seemed. Truth be told, he was extremely flattered, though startled at first, about her intention of marrying him. She was very pretty, with her purple hair, petite features and dark eyes. As much as she bossed people around, she was very caring. She had, after all, volunteered to go with them on their dangerous journey.
"Talen? Are you listening?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry Saria...what was that?"
"I asked you how you thought about going to the next cove along from the town for a swim. You didn't seem to be taking any notice of the conversation...is there something on your mind?" the Kokiri girl asked him.
"No, nothing important. And the beach sounds like a good idea. It's a beautiful day and it seems a shame to waste it."
"Wonderful! We'll leave a message at the front desk so that they can tell Link and Ruto where we've gone once they come back," Florella squealed with delight.
"Are you coming too, Impa?" Zelda asked her guardian. The tall woman smiled.
"I'll be coming along, but I won't go in the water. I've never been too fond of swimming."
"We need to take food and drink with us...and something to sit on so we're not just on the hot sand," Fura told them. Talen rose from his seat.
"I'll go get some gear out of the packs, I know where everything is because I packed them. Won't be too long."

"Any luck?" Ruto asked as Link emerged from a shabby little tavern. Link nodded his head and looked down the street.
"He lives a few streets along that way," Link said, pointing. "The owner said he has an anchor built into the front door of his house."
"That shouldn't be too hard to find, and It'll be good to get out of the sun. I'm roasting out here," Ruto said, wiping her brow. Link looked around and noticed a small cafe. He pointed to it.
"I'll get you something to drink over there, how does that sound?"
"Absolutely brilliant," Ruto sighed, looking longingly at the door of the cafe.
A short while later, Link and Ruto were once again on their way after a short stop in at the small cafe. Link hadn't been particularly thirsty, so he had simply bought a cold, flavoured milk for Ruto. It didn't take them much longer to find Seamus' house. It seemed to be made out of all manner of ship parts, from a mast as the central support pillar (with the crow's nest still visible above the roof), to portholes as windows. The doorknocker was a big brass ring that clanked loudly on the anchor door when Link swung it. There were the sounds of someone moving inside, before the door opened inward to reveal an old Zora. He wore a captain's hat and had a scraggly looking beard. A patch covered one eye and he wore a jacket with several medals hanging off of it.
"Arr, and who might ye be?" he asked in a typical seafaring way.
"Uncle Seamus, don't you recognize me? It's your niece! Ruto!" the girl exclaimed. Seamus looked at her for a short while before scooping her up in his arms.
"Well bless me lucky stars! Ruto, ye've grown so much since I last laid eyes on ye!" he laughed. "Come in, come in!" The interior of Seamus' house looked like the cabin of a ship. Ropes, nets, craypots and buoys dangled from the ceiling. A door in the corner led off to his bedroom, where a hammock was visible.
"How have you been, uncle?" Ruto asked as he set her down.
"Arr, I've been just dandy, Ruto. Retired from the Zoran Navy a few years back an' settle meself 'ere in Newfin," Seamus told her. "But where be all ye guards? I would have thought you'd have more than this 'ere lad...and what's this 'ere fairy doin' floatin' 'round 'im?"
"Oh uncle, I'd like you to meet Link," she said, gesturing to him. She leaned in close to her uncle. "He's my fiancée."
"Is that so? 'E be an 'andsome lad. Were ye be from, Link?"
"Kokiri Forest, actually...and I'm not actually a Zora," Link admitted, pulling his mask off and reverting to his original form. Seamus took a step back.
"Zora's whiskers! What magic be this then, Ruto?" Seamus asked, his mouth agog.
"Calm down, uncle. Link's a Hylian, but he can change into a Zora. He's the reason I, and my friends, are still around."
"Ye not makin' much sense, Ruto. Tell me what's goin' on."
"Sit down uncle, this is quite a long story."

"Arr, that be a fantastic tale ye told me. I'll be sure ta remember it well. But what brings ye ta se me?" Seamus asked around his pipe, which he had just lit.
"We need to find out how to get to a place called Seavale. We came to you first because you're related to me...do you know anything about it at all, uncle?" Ruto asked. Seamus scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"All I know is a rhyme passed down from me great-great-grand pappy, ta me great-grand pappy, ta me grand pappy, ta me pappy ta me. I dunno if it'll be of any 'elp, but I'll tell ye."
"Oh thank you, uncle!" Ruto crowed.
"Now, let me see if I can recall it," Seamus mumbled. He began to mumble the first few words a few times, trying to jog his memory. He suddenly clicked his fingers and jumped up.
"I got it!" he declared triumphantly. "Now make sure ye remember this, you two."
"Yes, uncle."

"When the eye is opened and the moon turns blue,
then the door to Seavale will be open to you."

There was silence for a while.
"That's it?" Link asked.
"'Fraid so, laddy," Seamus said, with a slight shake of his head. "T'ain't much, I know. But it be all that there is."
"Well thanks for all your help, Mister Seamus," Link said gratefully.
"Arr, not at all, laddy. Anythin' for me little Ruto." The Zora princess rushed up to her uncle and kissed his haggard face.
"Thank you so much, uncle," Ruto said. "But we really must be going. We need to tell the others about this so we can get to Seavale as soon as possible."
"Arr, not at all me little darlin'. Just tell ye father I said 'ello...an' don't be such a stranger."

The beach was deserted, and the only thing to grace the eye was a large stretch of golden sand and clear blue water. Florella had whipped together a couple of beach umbrellas to keep them shady, which Talen carried for the girls. Zelda had insisted that they go to the far end of the beach where there was an outcrop of rocks, telling them that it was the best spot for them. Once there, Talen jammed the umbrellas into the sand and opened them before laying out a few towels underneath. Then, without a word, he clambered over the rocks in order to let the girls change into their swimming gear. He waited for someone to come and get him, but nobody came.
"How long does it take for women to change?" Talen sighed to himself, not wanting to risk going back. Talen tried calling out, but he thought it best not to disturb them. He absently broke off small pieces of rock and threw them into the water, eventually using his power to reshape them into perfect skim-rocks and sending them bouncing out for hundreds of metres with his strength. Soon tiring of rock skimming, Talen reached into his pockets and took out his knife and a small piece of wood and continued his carving.
"What are you doing way over here?" Florella's voice asked him suddenly.
"Gah!" Talen grunted in surprise, dropping what he was doing. "Florella, you startled me."
"Sorry about that...what are you doing over here?"
"I was waiting for all of you to change, what took you so long?" he asked her. Florella blinked.
"We finished ages ago. We thought you came over here to get changed, and when you didn't come back I came to see what was up. You just left without saying anything, you see."
"Oh." There was silence between the two for a few moments. Florella's eyes roamed around before falling back to Talen.
"Well pick up your things and come back over," Florella said, breaking the silence. Talen picked up his two items and stuffed them in his pockets before scrambling back over the rocks with Florella.

"So you're not going in the water?" Florella asked Talen when he sat down on a towel as soon as they got back.
"Uh-uh."
"Pwease?"
"Sorry."
"So you're just going to sit here and carve that dumb ol' bit of wood?" Florella pouted.
"Do you mean dumb as in can't talk?" Talen asked.
"Argh! You're as bad as Link is. He's a bad influence on you, my boy. I think the best thing for you is a nice dip in the water."
"Nice try, Florella, but I'm comfortable and at just the right temperature here. I could help you into the water, though," Talen offered.
"You will? What a gentleman," Florella smiled. Talen stuck his hand into the sand and the ground under Florella started to tremble.
"Hey! What the-" Florella started as she staggered slightly. A large arm made entirely of sand burst up, carrying Florella with it. She stood awkwardly on the open palm, looking down at Talen as he concentrated on keeping the sand arm substantial. Then, a little too quickly for Florella's liking, the arm moved down the beach and stopped at the water's edge, disintegrating as it tossed her into the water.
"Sorry!" Talen shouted as Florella's head broke the surface of the water. "Sand's hard to control!"
"Well thanks a lot!" Florella shouted back. "Try practicing before you do that again!"
"Looks like you don't know your own strength, Talen," Fura chuckled.
"It's not as easy as it looks. Sand is much harder to control than rock...maybe it has something to do with the fact that there are so many tiny pieces. It's all about how you picture it in your mind...here, let me try something." Again, Talen stuck his hand into that sand to form another arm, this time picking Fura up with it. It took her all the way to the water, and even in to a certain depth with Fura protesting and cursing the whole way. It finally fell apart once becoming too waterlogged, and the Gerudo was dropped headfirst into the sea.
"Well that one went better than the last," Talen mused. He turned to the others with a hopeful look in his eye. They scattered.

"Your uncle sure does talk funny," Link told Ruto as they returned to the inn.
"How do you mean?" Ruto asked. Link twisted his face and closed an eye.
"Arr, I mean e' be talkin' like a crusty ol' seadog!" Link said, imitating Seamus' accent. Ruto giggled and then tried to look serious.
"Oh stop that! He's a very nice man, and he's my uncle," she chided him.
"I never said he wasn't. It's just that I had to use all of my willpower to stop myself from laughing every time he said "Arr" at the beginning of a sentence." Ruto rolled her eyes and went into the inn ahead of Link, breathing a sigh of relief to be out of the sun. The immediately traipsed up the stairs to their rooms to tell the others about their meeting with Seamus.
"Hey, everyone! We found someth- oh, you're not even here," Link muttered upon walking into the room he shared with Talen, Zelda and Saria. Link closed the door and went to the other room, which Ruto was just exiting.
"Nobody there either?" she asked. Link shook his head.
"Maybe we should ask at the front desk? Maybe they've seen them," Link suggested. Back down the stairs the two of them went, stopping at where they had booked in. The innkeeper looked over the counter at them.
"Yes?" he asked in a slightly bored tone.
"Excuse me, but have you seen a group of about six people here? One adult female with a bunch of children about my age?" Link asked.
"Oh yes," the innkeeper said. "They left this for you." He handed them the note and then busied himself with his previous task. Link took the note and unfolded it, reading it carefully.
"What does it say?" Ruto asked.
"They've gone to the next bay along for a swim. We're supposed to join them when we get back."
"A swim! What a good idea. I haven't had one for simply ages, let's hurry," Ruto said enthusiastically.
"Must we?" Link said quietly. Ruto didn't hear him as she ran down the stairs.
"Hurry up!" she called. Link sighed and plodded after her as Navi settled on his cap.
"A swim would do you good. You do need a bath, you know," the fairy told him.
"That's gotta be one of the most used phrases around Talen and myself. Perhaps you should just refer to the two of us as "Have A" and "Bath." It would really make things much easier for you."
"Sorry, that was so funny it temporarily knocked out my ability to laugh," Navi told him flatly.
"That seems to happen all the time," Link pondered out loud.

Talen had more or less gotten the hang of using his abilities to manipulate sand. Of course, he had to learn quickly with the girls running around trying to avoid the arms that ploughed through the sand after them. After the first few times, it turned into more of a game than actually trying to avoid Talen's creations and the girls had a tremendous amount of fun. Being chased by something that could appear from anywhere added excitement to it and the feeling of flying through the air once being caught was exhilarating. After some practice, Talen had graduated from arms to animals. The sand-beasts provided an extra level of fun to the activity as proved by Saria, who ran squealing with delight as a Wolfos loped after her. Talen flopped onto his back and yawned. It was hard work creating the sand-creatures. Getting the shape right was easy enough, all that required was a good memory. It was animating them that took all the effort. Talen had to mentally picture the creatures moving, and then he had to force that mental image into the sand; not an easy thing to do when there was a whole lot of screaming, squealing and laughing going on. Then Florella had made things even more difficult by taking to the air, forcing him to think of something that could reach up that high to snag her; a giant Deku Baba fitting the job perfectly.
"What are you doing? Don't stop now!" Saria shouted.
"Yeah, don't be a party pooper!" Fura called. Talen groaned and sat up.
"Just give me a bit of a breather, this is hard work!" Talen protested. "I'll be ready again soon."
"Well don't take too long," Zelda told him. Impa chuckled over where she was seated under the other umbrella.
"Looks like you've got your work cut out for you," she laughed.
"Ugh, Gedinia's got nothing on them. They're going to run me into the ground," he groaned. Florella suddenly swooped in above him.
"Come on lazybones! More fun for Florella!" she chanted. Talen's eyes took on an almost manic glint.
"You want fun? I'll give you fun!" he stood up as Florella backed off a little.
"What are you doing, Talen?" Zelda asked, shifting nervously.
"No, I'm not Talen anymore. Everybody get ready for...The King of the Beach!" he roared, jumping to his feet. The sand began to ripple underneath him, swirling and gathering around his body. Then, a huge mound rose up, taking Talen with it. The mound began to change shape as the girls watched. Two huge legs, two huge arms and a heavily muscled body with Talen sitting on top of a large head stood before them.
"Now this is more like it!" He took a step forward as the girls squealed and scattered. His giant arms reached hungrily for Zelda as she sprinted along the beach, laughing uncontrollably. He grabbed her by the back of her swimming costume and hoisted her high into the air, depositing her in a cage he had made on his shoulder.
"One down, three to go," Talen grinned, setting his sights on Fura. The Gerudo girl had retreated to the safety of the water, thinking that Talen would have trouble getting to her. No such luck. As she dove under and swam away from him, she suddenly found herself lying on the open palm of the sand giant.
"Oh poo," she sulked as he dropped her into the same cage as Zelda. Saria was next on the list. The little Kokiri girl ran as fast as her legs could carry her as Talen pounded after her. The sand underneath her suddenly lurched and she was thrown high into the air, enabling Talen to simply catch her and put her with her friends.
"Hello," she said simply to Zelda and Fura.
"I think our little friend is enjoying himself, don't you?" Fura chuckled.
"Well he's certainly being louder than usual," Zelda smiled. "Which is a welcome change."
"Silence!" bellowed Talen in mock severity. "The King of the Beach demands it!"
"Yes, majesty," Zelda said, rolling her eyes.
"Now, only Florella remains. She shall soon be stuck in the prison of the sand and I...can have a nap without fear of interruption," Talen yawned.
"Well you'll have to catch me first!" Florella shouted from high above him. Talen stood up and held his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun.
"Shouldn't be too much trouble," he said in an offhand way.
"I'd just like to see you try to catch me," Florella scoffed. Talen grinned and pointed his hand down at his feet. The giant reached up with one huge arm and hurled Talen straight up into the air. Florella didn't have time to move and she gave a startled squeak as Talen caught her around the waist.
"Gotcha!" he declared, dropping back down onto the sand giant. Florella squirmed and flailed her arm about helplessly.
"Let me go, you barbarian!"
"Sorry, into the cage you go," he grinned, pushing her through the bars, which he had softened to allow her in. She immediately turned around to jump back through, but Talen had already solidified them. The girls in the cage stood and looked at him through the bars.
"Well, what now?" Fura asked.
"Now?"
"Yes, you've caught all of us, so what are you going to do now?" Saria asked him. Talen scratched his head. He suddenly clicked his fingers.
"I know!" he exclaimed. The sand giant sunk back into the beach it had been formed from, but the cage still remained. Talen touched one of the bars momentarily, then stood back to admire the slight alteration he had made to the cage.
"Perfect," he grinned.
"Talen...what did you do?" Zelda asked.
"Nothing much...but Link just has to see this."
"See what?" Link's voice sounded from behind them. Talen turned around to see his friend walking towards them with Ruto next to him.
"You're here. Did you find anything out about Seavale?" Impa asked.
"We did, but I'd be more interested to know what was going on here. What the heck was that giant? I was about to attack."
"Oh...that. The girls needed to be taught a lesson, and only something that big could have caught their attention," Talen told him.
"Link! Make Talen get us out of here! Pleeeease?" Zelda begged in her most appealing tone. Link looked over at them and then doubled over in helpless peals of laughter.
"What's so damn funny?" Fura demanded. Link couldn't reply. All he could do was roll around on the ground and laughed until tears were streaming down his face and he started choking. Ruto smiled and then tried to hide it under her hand. Talen suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Impa standing behind him.
"I think you'd better let them out, Talen," she said with a small grin.
"Yes ma'am," Talen said quickly, knocking out some of the bars. The girls practically fell over each other trying to get free. Once out, they looked at the remains of the cage to see what Talen had done to make Link laugh so hard. On top of the cage, Talen had made a rectangular tablet with words written on it. Florella's eyes turned cold. She rounded on Talen and put her hands on her hips.
"Do not feed the animals?" she demanded. Link almost wet himself as he collapsed into fresh throes of laughter. Zelda, Saria and Fura glared at Link and the advanced on him.
"Heh...h-hey! What are you doing? Put me down!" he protested as the three of them picked him up and carried him off towards the water. Florella nodded her head approvingly at the scene before turning to Talen. She crooked her finger at him.
"Come here," she ordered him.
"It was worth it," he sighed with a slight smile.

After being dumped in the water, then wrestled by the three girls, Link was able to sit down to tell everyone about his and Ruto's discovery. Talen listened as well as he could, but Florella kept sending little sparks at him whenever he stopped massaging her feet; his punishment for earlier. He didn't mind too much, as long as Florella was happy, she wasn't disagreeable.
"What do you think it means?" Zelda asked. "And the moon turning blue? Sounds a little strange to me."
"Hold on a second, it does make a certain amount of sense. At certain times, the moon gets a blue tint to it in this part of the world. But it only happens once a month," Impa told them.
"Do you know when exactly?" Saria asked. Impa did a few quick calculations in her head.
"Tonight."
"What? We have until tonight to figure out what it means?" Link demanded.
"I'm sure we'll be able to do it, what, with my razor-sharp mind and all," Florella said modestly. "I guess we all have different ideas of what razor means, then," Link said. Florella's dark eyes flashed at him, but she said nothing.
"Witty comments aside, we need to hurry up and work this out, lest we spend a month waiting for the moon to turn blue again," Zelda said. The princess turned to Ruto, who didn't look like she was paying much attention.
"Are you listening, Ruto?" Zelda asked. The Zora seemed to be very interested in something back towards the town.
"Link, remember the lighthouse? What did that thing on top of it look like?" Ruto asked him. Link shrugged.
"I dunno, a wonky lemon?"
"And what would a lemon look like if it was flat?" she asked, obviously getting at something. Talen clicked his fingers.
"An eye!" he exclaimed.
"Yes! I think something has to happen in that lighthouse by tonight. So after we've finished here, we can go up there and have a poke around."
"Why don't we just go now?" Link asked. "I mean, there's no point in wasting time, is there?"
"I've got a good idea," Impa said, standing up suddenly. "I'll go to the lighthouse and have a look first. If I find anything, I'll come and get you. How does that sound?"
"I guess it's a pretty good idea. I could do with a bit of a snooze, and the beach makes for a very relaxing location," Link said, flopping onto his back.
"What do you mean, "nap?" We're here to frolic in the waves, laugh, and talk of memories past in the sun. We're not here to snore the day away!" Fura said hotly.
"Or there's that," Link sighed, sitting up.
"It'll do you good," Navi piped up. "When was the last time you just had fun?"
"About a week ago," Link told her. "Remember? Talen and I ran off and had a great time witho-"
"I know what happened!" Navi snapped. Link grinned and tapped his finger on her head.
"Well I'll leave you children to have fun. Link, Talen, look after them while I'm gone," Impa told the two boys, before turning and leaving.

Link was in trouble. Not any kind of dangerous trouble, but Fura trouble. She'd been stalking him about the beach like a cat stalks a mouse. Every so often she'd pounce, and a wrestle would begin. The water didn't provide much of a refuge either. Fura was quite a fast swimmer, and though Link was too, she usually wound up catching him. Then either tickling or wrestling would ensue. Not that he wasn't having fun, though. Link enjoyed mucking around at the beach a great way to pass the time. His tussles with Fura weren't entirely one-sided, as he frequently ambushed her, and more often than not found himself with the advantage. Using his wings, he was able to carry her high into the air, holding only her foot. She would plead to be let back down and he would oblige...by dropping her headfirst into the sea. The Zora mask gave him another advantage too. He would circle her like a shark, and then disappear completely. After allowing her to stew for long enough, he would grab her feet and pull her under roughly, eliciting screams and shrieks from the girl.
Talen had completely zonked out under the umbrellas after his earlier exertions. Saria and Zelda had tried to get him to play some more, but he was dead to the world. Fura soon strode over and sat down for a rest after both her and Link got worn out after their umpteenth skirmish.
"So I see you've decided to take a break," Zelda said, raising an eyebrow. Fura nodded.
"Yeah. We were getting pooped after all that running and swimming and stuff. Link's out in the water somewhere if you want him. Good luck catching up while he's wearing the Zora mask, though."
"We'll just go wait for him to slow down, coming Zelda?" Saria asked. The two girls got up and left, leaving Fura with the comatose Talen. She looked down at him and suddenly remembered something she had been meaning to do for some time.
"Talen? Wake up," she hissed at him. Talen stirred and then rolled over. Fura shook him and pleaded for him to wake up. He eventually did, yawning loudly and blinking several times before he was completely coherent.
"Huh? Oh, hello Fura...did you want something?" he asked blearily.
"Yes I did, actually. Can you help me with something?" she asked, taping her forefingers together.
"Of course, I'll do whatever I can. What is it?"
"Well...you probably know Link better than any of us, save Saria, and I want to know the best way to go about...uh...letting him know that I like him," Fura mumbled. Talen blinked.
"Well that's something I wasn't expecting. I thought he already knew," Talen mused.
"He knows that I love him, he doesn't know that I'm in love with him. There's a difference."
"Oh. Well I guess I don't really know the answer to your question," Talen murmured.
"Oh well...it was worth a try," she sighed. Talen held up his hand.
"I guess it's something you're going to have to figure out for yourself. Just talk to him and tell him how you feel. Be honest."
"What if he freaks out or something? If I tell him, he may not be friends with me anymore."
"Now I find that very hard to believe, Fura. I know he's shy, but I also know that he likes all of you very, very much...he wouldn't have gotten himself killed to protect you otherwise."
"But am I doing anything wrong? He's one of the only men I've met, I don't know the proper way to court someone!" she exclaimed. Talen shushed her.
"Listen Fura. There is no right way to court someone, and all you're doing is showing him how you really feel. You like him more than you've ever liked someone before, but he infuriates and irritates you at the same time. So think about this...would he act that way around someone he didn't feel completely comfortable with?" Talen asked her, tapping the side of his nose. Fura blinked, and then furrowed her brow in thought.
"And remember Fura, he won't do anything until he figures his own feelings out. They're new to him too, and he, as well as the rest of us, are only children." Fura smiled.
"You know something Talen? You're very smart for someone your age. Florella's very lucky." Fura got up and left, whistling to herself.
"I'll say I'm lucky!" Florella squealed, appearing above Talen. With a startled yelp, the smith rolled backwards.
"Don't do that, Florella!"
"Sorry about that. You know, what you said there was really sweet; I couldn't have done better if I'd tried. We really are a perfect match!" Florella squealed, squeezing Talen around the neck as the boy smiled awkwardly.

Impa returned as the sky began to turn orange. The children were all under the umbrellas eating and drinking the picnic they had taken with them. It would have been eaten earlier, but everyone was having so much fun the food was forgotten about.
"Impa! You're back! Did you find anything?" Zelda asked. Impa nodded and sat down.
"Several things. The lighthouse has been abandoned for years, and nobody seems to know when it was built. I couldn't get all the way inside, but it looks like there are some complex mechanisms in there. I suspect that they have something to do with the opening op Seavale."
"Is there more in there? And why couldn't you get to it?" Saria asked.
"There was a door that I couldn't open, and I suspect that we're going to need all of you there to get past it. It will be dark soon, so we need to get going. Hurry up and change back into your clothes."

The lighthouse was a lonely looking building, built out of rough grey stone blocks. It didn't really fit in with the surrounding landscape, and certainly not the architecture of the town. The lighthouse was stationed on the cliff that overlooked the beach where Link and company had just spent the day, it's purpose still the same as the day it had been constructed. The interior of the lighthouse was much the same as the exterior, except gears and cogs interconnected and wound away slowly throughout the hollow tower.
"All of this machinery can't just be for turning the light at the top, can it?" Ruto asked.
"My guess is no. If you look over there you can see that some of the cogs are half out of the floor and I bet there's a whole lot more underneath this place, but nobody seems to know anything about their purpose or who built everything," Impa told them. She led them to a stone door built into an archway on the far wall and banged her fist against it a couple of times.
"This is the door I told you about. It's quite solid and there's no handle or switch. Nobody has ever been able to budge it, possibly because they were never meant to see the secrets that lie behind it." Link walked up to the door and examined it closely. It definitely did open, there were scratch marks on the door's surface to prove it.
"Talen, see what you can do. If anyone can open this thing, it's you," Link told him. Talen came forward and pressed his hands against the door. His eyes closed and his eyebrows knit in concentration.
"It's not normal stone, so I can't just command it to open. Hold on, there's something...it feels like a switch...inside the door itself," he murmured.
"Can you open it?" Saria asked.
"I think so...hang on." Talen twisted his hand slightly and a loud clicking noise came from the door. The sound of stone grating against stone filled the air as the door slid slowly upwards to reveal a set of stairs that spiralled down into the darkness. Florella clapped her hands together and jumped onto Talen's shoulders.
"Well done, Talen! I knew you could do it!" she cheered. Talen rolled his eyes and held onto her ankles to keep her steady.
"No wonder people couldn't get it open, they needed Talen's ability to get to the switch inside," Zelda breathed as she looked into the darkness. Impa took the lead along with Navi and Chat whilst Link and Talen took up the rear. The air in the stairwell was moist and salty, and the endless dripping of water could be heard from somewhere below them.
The group emerged in a vast circular room, the centre of which held a deep pool of water that Ruto suspected led to the sea. It was quite dark, and it was only when Link lit a group of torches with Din's Fire that they were able to see clearly. There were plenty of gears in the room; Impa had been right about that, and they whirred away, powered by some unknown source.
"So what are we looking for exactly?" Fura asked. "Did Seamus tell you anything?"
"What you heard was what I heard. Just look around for something...anything that looks like it might do something," Link told them. As they split off to search, Fura tried to get herself alone with Link. But to her dismay, Zelda had paired herself up with him. Fura decided to wait for a better opportunity, as she suspected that Zelda harboured some strong feelings for the boy.
"Oh well, there will be other times," she told herself, her face growing determined. "I will tell him!" Her foot struck something and she stumbled over, landing in a heap and cursing like a sailor.
"You okay?" Link called. Fura got to her feet and dusted herself off.
"Yeah, all I hurt was my pride," the called back. She prepared to boot whatever she had tripped over, but stopped herself right at the last second. She had stumbled upon a thick stone disc about the size of a dinner plate. It had three short prongs sticking out of the bottom in the shape of a triangle and it was covered in odd carvings.
"Hey! Over here!" she shouted. "I've found something!" Link was the first to arrive as Fura tried to lift it. She managed to lever it up onto its side, but was unable to pick it up completely.
"What do you think it is?" Saria asked when she got to them. Impa relieved Fura of the disc and held it in both arms.
"It looks like it fits into something. Did anyone find an indent in a wall or some place that this would fit into?" the woman asked.
"I think I might have," Talen said quietly. He pointed up to the high ceiling of the room, where a small circular depression was located above the pool of water.
"How the hell are we supposed to reach that!?" Fura exclaimed. Florella laughed.
"Shouldn't be a problem! Link could fly it up there, but I'll take this one," she told them with a wave of her hand. She clicked her fingers and the disc rose sharply from Impa's arms. It hovered it the air for a few seconds before Florella gave a negligent little toss of her head. The disc spun, then zipped out to the centre of the pool of water where it began its ascent to the roof. Just as it was about to slot in, a shape splashed out of the water and snared the disc, before disappearing again. Link drew his sword sharply and Talen formed his rock claws. The surface of the water boiled and a huge figure emerged, a very familiar figure. Link's mouth dropped open and Saria stifled a small scream. Fura drew her scimitars from her back and held them across her front as the Mermocto rose from the depths.
"I-impossible! How could that thing have survived? I thought the Zoras killed it!" Link exclaimed.
"Well it obviously survived, and just look at all those spears sticking out of it!" Ruto gasped, pointing up at the creature. The Mermocto's body looked like a pincushion, with the spears of the Zoras bristling like the quills of an angry porcupine.
"What I'd like to know is how it got all the way to the ocean from the lake and how it found us. My bet is Gedinia had something to do with it," Zelda muttered as Impa herded the non-fighters away. Link pulled out his Zora mask and prepared to put it on.
"It may look wounded, but I'm not taking any chances. Talen, Fura...get ready!"