48th Entry: The Test of Farosh

That weekend, the Champions and Zelda made their way into the Faron Province towards the Spring of Courage. On the way, they encountered a flying green dragon that had a single horn on its head and produced electricity from its body.

"Excuse me," Zelda called, wearing her white dress again. "Are you related to the dragons Naydra and Dinraal?"

In response, Link nodded.

Zelda gave Link a puzzled look. "How do you know that?"

Link pointed to the green dragon, which continued to fly overhead, and at his forehead.

"The dragon talked to you in your head?"

Again, Link nodded and made a series of signs with his hands.

"What is Link saying?" Revali questioned.

"He says the dragon's name is Farosh, and she wants Link to shoot one of her scales off her body as a test to see if he's worthy of presenting it to the Spring of Courage," Zelda responded as she interpreted Link's signs. "Also, she says Naydra is recovering from being afflicted by Malice, which she learned from Dinraal."

"But how is that possible?" Mipha wondered. "Didn't Link kill Naydra?"

"Yes, but I don't think dragons truly die," Riju stated. "They may get hurt, or severely injured, but no one has ever killed a dragon before."

"Do you want us to help you get Farosh's scale?" Yunobo offered, holding up the Flamespear he still carried.

Shaking his head, Link held up the Knight's Bow he took when he left Hyrule Castle. Then he ran up a nearby cliff to get above the tropical forest they were in, and used his Paraglider to carry himself up higher. Placing his arms inside the handles, he aimed an arrow at Farosh and shot it close to her neck. She flinched slightly as something fell from her body that glimmered as it hit the swampy water below. Mipha immediately dove in and grabbed the object that fell, which was a shimmering scale that was half the size of her body. At the same time, Link landed nearby causing Mipha to flinch in surprise. Link seemed put off by this at first, but then he offered a hand to Mipha which she accepted as they made their way back to the group.

"Are you jealous, Zelda?" Revali teased.

Turning a shade of pink, Zelda folded her arms. "Why should I? Link was just helping Mipha out of the swamp."

"But you're blushing," Riju pointed out. "So does that mean you have feelings for Link?"

"I would never have feelings for someone whom I grown up with for most of my life," Zelda insisted. "He's like a brother to me."

While Riju and Revali didn't seem convinced, Yunobo added, "I see Link as a brother, sort of…"

Once Mipha and Link rejoined the Champions, they and Zelda proceeded to the Spring of Courage without saying anything further. In the ruins of an old structure lay the spring itself, where Link offered Farosh's Scale to the Goddess Statue. A light seemed to shine down from the sky as a door opened behind the statue, revealing another Shrine. So while Zelda bathed in the spring, Link watched her while the Champions decided to check out the Shrine. A few minutes later, they emerged from the Shrine carrying a spear with lighting-shaped points and a small sword with a turquoise-colored hilt in a matching scabbard.

"That's a Thunderspear," Zelda realized, pointing at the spear with the lightning-shaped points. "But I don't recognize the sword."

"Neither do we," Riju said, holding the Thunderspear. "But apparently, the Sheikah inside the Shae Katha Shrine insisted that the sword be given to 'The Princess.'"

Realizing that meant her, Zelda got out of the Spring of Courage and took the sword from Mipha, who was carrying it.

"It kind of looks like the Master Sword," Zelda observed, holding the sword up to Link. "Only…it's not as long and older in style."

Link then took the sword from Zelda's hands and tried to unsheathe it. To his surprise, the blade wouldn't come out of its scabbard.

"What's the matter, Hero?" Revali sneered. "Having problems with the sword?"

Groaning, Riju grabbed the sword from Link and tried to unsheathe it herself. Yet she too struggled to get the blade out of the scabbard, so Yunobo offered to help. But even his Goron strength couldn't unsheathe the blade, causing Revali to snatch it. He tried the same thing, but he had no luck either.

"Either this sword is enchanted, or it can't be unsheathed," Revali frowned, throwing the sword on the ground in frustration.

Surprisingly, the sword survived the impact as Zelda picked it up to see if it was damaged. Then she gripped the hilt, and attempted to pull the blade out. Instead of being stuck, the sword came right out of the scabbard as the blue jewel on the hilt seemed to glow.

"Now that is strange," Riju said, her eyes widening. "The sword wouldn't come out of its scabbard when Link, Yunobo, Revali, and I tried to pull it out. But you were able to unsheathe it with no problems, Zelda."

"It would seem so," Zelda noted, examining the sword. "You know, looking at this sword carefully, it seems…familiar somehow."

Just then, Mipha's Sheikah Slate suddenly vibrated causing her to answer it. She looked at the screen and her face became concerned.

"What is it?" Yunobo asked.

"There was a raid on Lurelin Village, which isn't too far from here," Mipha said. "While it hasn't been confirmed whether it was Bokoblins or Moblins, several children were abducted during the raid along with a teenage girl named Illia."

Hearing that, Link frowned deeply and immediately used his Paraglider to fly away.

"What's his problem?" Revali asked.

"Lurelin Village was where Link grew up with his uncle," Zelda explained. "And Illia was his childhood friend, before he moved into Hyrule Castle to live with me."

Just then, another vibration came from Mipha's Sheikah Slate and she looked shocked. "It's a message from Sidon…Ralis!"

Blinking in surprise, Zelda asked, "Who's Ralis?"

To be continued…