The Legend of Zelda

Legacy of the Sages

Chapter 11: Rivers and Royalty, part 3

Vaati was in a good mood.

Earlier that morning, several carts full to the brim with barrels of Single-Malt Whiskey and Malt Goron Beer had arrived, and were being shipped off to the castle cellars; a gesture and token of goodwill to the king from Vaati himself. Vaati had told the king that the liquor was to be used as a means of celebration for the party, where the king would announce the planned arrangement for the wedding of Princess Zelda and Prince Vaati. The king enjoyed the idea immensely, and suggested that it would be carried out straightaway.

Vaati had just finished overseeing the final barrel being taken to the cellars of the castle. Now that he had the main stage of the plan set up, it was time to make the final preparations before the "party" was to take place.

He locked himself up in his room, taking great care that no one was in sight or outside, save for his bodyguards. He opened up the closet where his robes were kept, and pulled out a black bag, its features covered by a skull and crossbones. Vaati slowly opened the bag up and looked inside, confirming that the sleeping powder he had made was still there and still potent. A quick wiff confirmed that the stuff was indeed ripe, having almost caused his eyes to seal shut and never open again.

Vaati put the bag away, careful also to make sure that a single piece of paper, his ingredient list for the potion, was strapped alongside it. The ingredient list was made because half the stuff that Vaati needed required him to go to far off places to find the stuff. The ingredients helped make the most potent sleeping potion the world had ever seen; colorless, odorless, practically invisible…

…and still just as potent when put inside of alcohol, such as beer or whiskey.

Vaati smirked, laughing silently to himself as he closed the closet and left the room. He made sure that every entrance inside the room was locked, and quickly proceeded to the throne room, where he and the king would prepare the final preperations for the ceremony.

Inside the room, Naru poked her head out of her hiding place in the rafters. She waited a while to make sure that no one was there, then proceeded to crawl from rafter to rafter until she was directly above the closet door. Slinking like a cat and propelling like a spider, she used a rope to slide slowly down to the ground. She stopped just above the floor, taking care not to disturb anything inside the room that would reveal her presence.

She opened the closet door with a knife, and got what she came for; the ingredient list. One glance told her everything; the ingredients listed were meant to create a very powerful, and probably very nasty sleeping potion. She glanced through the list, then, taking out some parchment and a quill, proceeded to copy the list with lightning speed, down to the last detail. When she was finished, the Gerudo quickly placed the list back inside of the bag's stringed seal, and then proceeded up the rope. As quick as lightning, she slung the rope back up, scurried across the rafters, and went back out the window.

Like an insect, the Gerudo proceeded to climb from wall to wall, making sure that nobody saw her as she scaled the castle walls. It took her about a half an hour before she had gone about five floors above Vaati's room and slipped through an open window nearby.

Naru took a quick breather for a moment before taking off her climbing gear; a set of boots and gloves tipped with spikes to ensure that one could use the slightest crack as a hand or a foot hold. Standard Gerudo theiving gear; novice class, if she could remember. She wiped the sweat off of her brow before taking a quick peek at the parchment in her hand.

If she was correct, this was the potion that was to be used in Vaati's plan of taking over the castle. This meant that the alcohol downstairs in the cellar was none other than the stuff to be used to drown the entire castle in sleep, providing a speedy entrance for an entire tribe of brigands, ready to cut the throats of all in the castle.

This would certainly please the princess, Naru thought.

Kaepora Gaebora was tired. He had flown all day and into the night, until he finally almost crashed into a rather old structure at the mouth of the mighty Zora River. He had decided that instead of flying himself to death or crashing into a tree or another ruin somewhere in the forest that he should sleep instead. For the time being, that was exactly what he was doing.

He was having a rather pleasant dream of chasing mice across a wide open stretch of barren plain when a disturbance awoke him. With a snort, he tipped up his beak and opened his eyes. Lo and behold, a hare had managed to make its nest at the foot of a very old pine tree just ahead of where he stood, and it had managed to discover by accident that an owl the size of a horse had come to its neck of the woods.

Kaepora licked his beak at the idea of a hare breakfast. Such tasty little things, hares. Their meat was tender from constant running, and their fat count was just right between summer and mid-fall, when they have just enough fat from foraging to provide ample flavor for their body tissues.

Quick as a flash, Kaepora was upon the hare. He swiftly landed atop the poor thing and caught it between his talons, delivering a quick and painless death to the little animal. Kaepora may have been an owl, but he was also intelligent enough not to eat his meals if the killing wasn't swift, and he never played with his food.

Kaepora flew back up to his perch and gobbled up the hare piece by piece, swallowing it bones and all. Although even he considered the practice vulgar, owls were as owls do, and he was no exception. Besides, everything comes out just fine in the digestive system anyway.

He was finished with his feast in a little less than ten minutes when something caught his eye. He should have noticed it dead on before, but due to his drowsiness he guessed he had not managed to see the place right away.

He was atop an old service tower at the foot of the Zora River. The mighty river was once a place where both Zoras and Hylians alike travelled to and fro for trade and for the welfare of their races, though with the establish of the Hylian kingdoms it was not hard to believe that such a route would go to waste now that all of the towns were focusing themselves around the castle, and eventually the route was forgotten by the Hylians. Only the Zoras used the river of their namesake now, and only they seemed entitled enough to keep the river decent and in shape. This was why the first king of Hyrule had declared that the Zoras, as a duty to the king, were to keep the river clean and in perfect condition so long as it flowed smoothly.

The Zoras considered the duty to be an honor, though Kaepora knew that it was a way for the king to find a means for the Zoras not to get bored. They were powerful allies to the royal family, but they were also a constantly moving race, following the flow of the water and their deity, the mighty fish-god Lord Jabu-Jabu. This duty the king gave them kept them in one place long enough to make the Zora River their permanent home, and also ensured that the Hylians could call the Zoras for aid for any reason.

The service tower that Kaepora was standing upon was a tribute to old times. Once used during the wars before Hyrule's kingdom was established, the tower stood later as a means for travellers to have a place to stay whenever wandering up or down the Zora River. However, all that remained were ruins; even in the time a hundred years ago, when the Hero of Time was taking his first steps to the world, the tower had begun to crumble, leaving nought but barely a tower base.

Kaepora was quite impressed at the distance he had covered. In not but a day and a night, he had managed to cover half the distance from Lake Hylia to Death Mountain. At the rate he was going, he would make it back in no time…

Even for an old owl, he thought, I still got it…

He was about to take off again and head on his way to Death Mountain, when he heard footsteps a short distance away. Remembering the Lizalfos down south, Kaepora quietly inched his way down the ruin of the tower, and hid behind a tree whose branch pierced through the second floor's wall. Gazing down the road, he sat quietly, hoping to glimpse the fellows approaching before they glimpesed him…

Link had slowed Epona down to a brisk trot. He wanted to make sure that Epona didn't tire herself out during the journey, and that he could also get a lay of the land without Epona riding so fast that he couldn't see a thing from the blur.

They had gotten to what Link assumed was the mouth of the Zora River. A swell of water marked the linking point between the mighty Zora river and the smaller river that Link had just travelled by, their two tremendous waters linking together to form several separate tributaries, many of which headed off into nowhere at the Hyrule field.

Link had Epona cross the ford of water, hoping that it wasn't too deep for his horse. She crossed it just fine, though Link managed to get his feet wet due to how deep the water was. Epona didn't seem to mind. The water wasn't too cold, and the current wasn't swift, plus the ford bottome was covered in smooth stones, easily gripped by horse hooves.

Link quickly checked the ration bags on Epona's saddle before they got going again. The two of them began a climb up a steep slope, a rise in the path that led up to a small waterfall at the base of the river. The slope wasn't very large, but it was hard to climb, and harder still when on the back of a horse. Link had to hop off and lead Epona by her reigns until they managed to get to the top.

When they got there, Link was rather perplexed by what he saw. A tremendous ruin of what was once a mighty structure stood in the middle of the path, the only way through or around being a single iron gate. The structure looked as if it had seen some better days; parts of the once mighty building were strewn everywhere in and amongst the riverbank.

Link led Epona down the path to the gate. He came up to the thing and tried to open it a couple of times, though it was useless. The rusty thing had been locked long ago, and it didn't look like it was going to budge.

Darin had popped out of Link's pocket by now, and was examining the situation. He hovered around the hinges and the sides of the gate before heaving a rather big sigh.

"Well, I'm bummed," the fairy said, "I can't find any means to get this thing to move. How in Din's name are we going to open it up?"

"For starters, you could say please."

In a flash, Link had drawn his sword and raised his shield at the sound of the voice, though he lowered them as soon as he saw where it came from. From behind a tree branch, his feathers ruffled in the leaves, was none other than the wise old owl, Kaepora Gaebora.

Kaepora flew down to ground level so that he could have a better look at Link and his companions. Epona was sort of startled at first, but since her master wasn't uneasy when next to the giant bird, she stayed put and didn't move.

"It's good to see you again, Kaepora!" Link said to the owl.

"Long time, no see," Darin said, hovering at eye level to the big owl.

Kaepora smiled, or smiled as best a bird could with a beak. "It is good to see you as well," he said, "especially now above all else. I trust that you are on your way to find the last Spiritual Stone?"

"As a matter of fact, we are," Link said, "We were on our way the Zora River, hoping that we could find it once we got there. Do you have any idea where it might be?"

Kaepora gazed up at the sky in thought. He glanced back down at Link and said, "I can tell you that you are on the right track, though I have lost track of the stone's location in the past several dozen years. You should be able to find it under the ownership of the Zoras."

"Zoras?" Link asked.

"You don't know what a Zora is?" Darin asked the boy in green, "Honestly, you should get around more often. Zoras are a race of water creatures that guard the Zora River. They live in a place called Zora's Domain, which is supposed to be at the river's source."

"A saying amongst Zoras is 'All rivers of Hyrule flow from Zora's Domain,'" Kaepora said, "They are very proud of their job, and take most things literally. When visiting them, you should be on your best behavior. Zoras do not take kindly to bad manners. Also, you should know that they are not used to Hylians walking in on them, and so you should have a purpose before you enter Zora's Domain."

Link was confused. "What do you mean by 'purpose?'" he asked.

"You'll understand in time," Kaepora said with a wink, "Right now, I've got a long journey ahead of me. I fear that your Seven Sorcerers may be further ahead of their plans than we believe, and if that's the case, there should be a suitable resistance prepared in case they should succeed."

Kaepora leaped into the air, flying up to a high branch on the tree above them. He looked down at Link and Darin and quickly called out, "Find the last Spiritual Stone, and keep them safe! Save Hyrule, and, above all, protect the Master Sword! We shall see each other again soon!"

With that, Kaepora took off, flying through the sky with the swiftness of an eagle. With great speed the mighty owl flew through the clouds, heading north in the direction of Death Mountain.

Link waved as Kaepora flew on, sad that the owl had to go so soon. He suddenly remembered that the owl had forgotten to help them open the gate, when he turned around and spotted something where the owl had perched before. A single feather stood upon a branch, its quill pointing to a hole in the wall big enough for Link to slip into and out the other side.

"Well," Darin said, "So much for helping open the gate."

Link was rather sad that the owl couldn't do more. He had hoped that Epona would be able to travel with them the rest of the way to this so-called Zora's Domain, but now it looked like she had to stay behind again…

He looked at Epona, a look of sadness upon his face. Epona sensed her master's dissapointment, and nuzzled him to try and ease her master's sadness. Link smiled at Epona's care for him, though it still didn't ease his dissapointment in the fact that he couldn't take her along.

"I'm sorry Epona," Link said, "I can't take you with me. You'll have to go back home."

Epona lifted her head in shock at her master's words.

"You can't go where I'm heading," Link said, "You'll have to go back to Lon Lon Ranch. I'm sorry."

Epona nickered sadly. It was obvious that she wasn't happy about this.

Link smiled again. "Don't worry," he said, "I'll be back soon. In the meantime, you should at least keep Rose some company. I'm sure she'll be glad to see that you'll be home for a while."

Epona whinnied at the sound of Rose's name. It was obvious that the horse liked her. Rose had that effect on both people and animals.

Link got out a piece of paper and a stick with charcoal, and began to write a letter explaining Epona's return. He then rolled the paper up and stuck it in Epona's sadle, making sure that the paper would stay put as Epona made her way home.

"You know the way home, right girl?" Link asked.

"Oh please," Darin said, hovering over to Link's eye level, "How could you hope a horse would understand Hylian? I'm a fairy and even I can barely understand most animals without help…"

As if to prove to Darin that Epona could understand clearly, she bopped the fairy's head with the bottom of her muzzle, turned around, and bolted straight down the river, following the exact route, step for step, through the ford between the rivers and into the trees on the side of the river back home.

Link was quite amazed. Darin was shocked. The fairy hovered a little while before managing to shake himself and rub his head with the tip of a free wing.

"Ouch!" he shouted, "I hope that horse gets lockjaw. I fail to see what you see in her."

"Perhaps she understands us both a bit too well" Link said out of the corner of his mouth.

"What was that?" Darin asked.

"Nothing," Link said with a smile.

Heaving himself up, and careful not to graze his bomb bag, Link climbed up the walls in the ruins and slipped through the hole, taking care to land on his feet when he slipped out. Darin followed along, flying through and keeping a close watch on his charge as they continued the journey to Zora's Domain on foot.

The fins broke the surface once more for a short moment as their owner watched the intruders make it past the Hylian ruins.

It wasn't in too much of a good mood. It had to move the foul plant trunk out of the river ford so that it wouldn't disrupt the river currents and cause a back-flow of water on both ends, possibly leading to a flood or foul sediments later on in the day. The work was tiring, but well worth it. The trunk, hollowed out as it was, was heavier than it looked. However, it was now out of the way and on the shore, awaiting nothing as it slowly would rot under the sun.

It had managed to spot the Hylian boy and his…strange bug speak to a great owl. They were hard to hear under the waves, though the unmistakable sound of the word "Zora" reached its ears.

Zora? What would a Hylian want with its kind?

The Zora watched as the owl took off, and the Hylian conversed with the strange, four-legged creature called a "horse." The horse soon took off, heading back into the opposite direction from whence it came.

It was a good thing to. The Zora knew for a fact that a horse's droppings were potentially dangerous when in water. The potential fertilzier could cause algal blooms that would destroy entire river ecosystems if left unattended.

The Zora swam on against the current of the river, following the Hylian as he made his way to the Zora's home of Zora's Domain.

Karen pondered on the words that Saria and the Great Deku Tree had told her earlier that day. She walked slowly out of the grove where the Great Deku Tree stood and began the walk into her house in the village.

Karen had been told that a friend of Link's had come to the forest a night or two back. She was rather excited, though she learned that the news that the strange bird, this Kaepora Gaebora, brought wasn't good.

Darkness was creeping into the lands of Hyrule. A Sorcerer was spotted in the Gerudo Desert, which could mean that it was time to act and prepare for the upcoming conflict. The owl had requested that the Kokiri started training themselves up for an upcoming war, and begin preparations for a defense against whatever attack that the Seven Sorcerers were planning for the Kokiri. Although the Great Deku Tree disagreed on all out war, he did agree that they had to prepare defenses around the village, which meant that help was required from every last Kokiri in the forest.

Karen was given a specific task by the Great Deku Tree. She was to be trained by Saria in the ways of magic and special training. The Great Deku Tree wanted to ensure that Karen would be well protected, and also protect others in the same way. In order to do that, she had to learn some of the ways of magic and fight alongside Saria if the time came.

Karen was rather scared. She had heard of magic and what it could do, but she had never heard of any Kokiri being able to use magic before. The only exception to this was Saria, who happened to be the Forest Sage. Karen felt that, as a Kokiri, her childish behavior might set some piece of her magic off that would cause something terrible to mess up. If she were to get this wrong, not only she but her entire village could be at stake, or worse.

She shook the thought out of her head. Who was she kidding? Stuff like that was only caused if mistakes were made by an expert, and she would barely even be considered a novice once she started out. She decided not to worry about it and quickly returned home, where she intended on contacting Saria for further details of her future magic lessons.

She was so excited, that she did not notice a pair of very red eyes watch her from between the branches of the forest trees at the edge of the village.

Link had been walking for hours. The river seemed endless. Not only was it long, but it was also very wide and deep. There was no telling what mighty place could provide all of the water for such a river…it would have to be something like a mighty lake, or a tremendous geyeser, or maybe even a rapidly melting glacier!

Such thoughts muddled Link's mind as he did his best to keep his footing on slippery rocks and soggy grass. It was about an hour or so until nightfall, and neither he nor Darin had any luck spotting a place worthy to camp in the night. Everything was either wet, about to get wet, or was flooded over by something very wet. He was pretty happy that Epona didn't manage to come along this time. Having to deal with being wet was one thing, but having to deal with a wet horse was something completely different.

Link hadn't seen any Zoras at all during their whole trek up the river. He did manage to see some strange frogs, some different kinds of fish, and, get this, a family of chickens on the eastern bank! However, he had seen absolutely no sign of any fish-people of any kind. He was curious as to what they looked like. Would they look like Hylians with fish heads, or would they look something like merpeople, with fish tails and beautiful Hylian bodies? He wasn't sure, but he couldn't wait to find out…

Darin was complaining, as usual. It seemed that he had no interest in water, though in truth he was just tired of the continuous hovering and searching a dry spot for them to sleep in. Link offered the shadow fairy a spot on his shoulder, but Darin wouldn't hear of it.

It wasn't long before they finally managed to find a ledge on the opposite bank that seemed to be dry enough to make camp on. Link had no choice but to take to the water, wading as best as he could and grabbing logs and river plants when the water became too deep for him to walk on. The current was fast in different areas, though Link could manage it.

When they got to the other shore, Link was deathly cold. He shivered as he began to start a fire with whatever wood he could find. The flames quickly gave him a chance to dry off, though Link was forced to take off some of his wet clothes for the duration of his campout.

Link and Darin did their best to go to sleep. The sound of the river roaring beneath them gave some ambience that seemed to lull them to sleep as best as possible. Link did his best to keep warm as he huddled by the fire, and he was soon drifting off to sleep.

He didn't notice that his hand had slipped into the Stalchild bracelet while he was drowsy…

That night, Link had the most horrible nightmare…

To be continued…

Kerian: Kaepora continues his mission to rally a resistance against the Seven Sorcerers, Naru finds a peice of Vaati's plans, and Link undergoes a horrible nightmare. What fate shall become of our friends here in Hyrule?

There's not much to say about this chapter. It's starting to get kind of hard writing these out, because the closer I get to the big "halfway mark" of this story, the harder it is to come up with sequences for other characters in Hyrule. Even for the bad guys it gets hard, especially since I'm doing my best to keep certain appearances in certain sequences of the story. You notice that so far, save for his one appearance in the Gerudo Desert, the Shaman has yet to make an appearance. Same goes with the Pyromancer, the Frostmancer, and even Malgannis. There is a good reason for this, but since I am such a jerk I'll let that information hang like the cliffhanger guy that I am and have you curse my name until you find out...muahahaha! (just joking, but I'm still not going to spoil it).

I wonder what the strange bracelet that Link slipped on is going to do to him? What's the secret behind the Stalchild race? We shall soon find out, for the halls of Zora's Domain await us...me, out!

-Kerian