67th Entry: Lanayru Great Spring

It was dusk by the time Link and Zelda arrived at the Lanayru Great Spring with Midna transporting them. Standing by a river while it rained overhead, they found an abandoned raft with a sail attached. While Zelda got onboard, Link found a giant leaf which he used to generate enough air to push the raft upstream towards Ruto Lake.

"Your confession was touching, Zelda, but I find it interesting that you didn't mention me," Midna said as she emerged from Link's shadow.

"Are you saying that I should have brought you up?" Zelda asked Midna.

Midna shook her head. "I think it's better that you didn't. There's no way your fellow Champions could have taken me seriously in this form."

"Perhaps not, but I'm sure they still could have been willing to help you locate the Fused Shadow fragments and Twilight Mirror shards," Zelda said. "Maybe I should tell them to go look for these items in their Divine Beasts."

"I would advise against that," Midna insisted. "Because as you saw with Gulley and Rosso, the Fused Shadow fragments have a corruptive effect on non-Twili beings. Same goes for the Twilight Mirror shards."

Zelda looked embarrassed. "You're right. I didn't think about that, even though I knew about this effect from reading about it in the Hyrule Historia."

"Well, reading about this stuff is different from experiencing it," Midna said. "So I wouldn't feel bad about not realizing what would happen to your friends. If anything, it's better that I told you now rather than after giving that foolish order you were about to make."

Feeling insulted, Zelda said, "Are you doubting my intelligence?"

"No, I'm just saying it would've been foolish if you had ordered the Champions to look for the remaining Fused Shadow fragments and Twilight Mirror shards," Midna said. "But you didn't, so it's all good. Is your girlfriend always this sensitive, Link?"

Hearing that, Link looked astray while Zelda's face turned pink.

"Link's not my boyfriend," Zelda claimed. "He's a childhood friend, and my appointed knight."

"Ooh, a knight, eh?" Midna smirked. "Guess that explains why he's so good at fighting and swinging that magic sword around."

The rest of the voyage was silent as they made their way upstream and into Ruto Lake, which was near Zora's Domain. Rising above the water was a bloated Zora with green skin that was as tall as a building. While several smaller Zora guards swam around her that were led by Sidon, she used her massive hands to create waves and send them flying into the air.

"It is Queen Oren," Zelda confirmed. "Though I can't see where the Malice is affecting her."

Link tapped on Zelda's shoulder and pointed to the whirlpool Oren stood in, which was purple. From this whirlpool emerged yellow eyes that bobbed up and down in the water.

"We need to get closer to her to get rid of those eyes," Zelda said. "But it will be difficult, considering what she's doing to those poor Zora."

Just then, a trumpeting roar was heard from behind the raft. This was followed by an enormous wave that forced Zelda and Link to hold onto the mast as their raft almost capsized. Fortunately, Link was able to control the raft well enough to where it drifted towards the shore. Behind them stood Vah Ruta, which emerged from the river.

"Mipha!" Zelda's eyes widened.

"Hey!" Sidon called, spotting the raft which he swam towards. "Link, Zelda, what are you guys doing here?"

Realizing she forgot to put the blue cloth over her mouth, Zelda explained, "We're trying to save your stepmother. She's been cursed, and that's why she's acting so aggressive."

"Oh, I see." Sidon then looked up at Vah Ruta. "Is that why my sister arrived here in the Divine Beast Vah Ruta?"

"I would assume so," replied Zelda. "Can you help us get closer to your stepmother? There's a whirlpool at her feet that is purple, which I think is the Malice that's currently affecting her."

Sidon looked at where Zelda was pointing, and his eyes widened. "Yeah, I see it. Though I'm not sure if I could carry both of you."

"Then take Link with you," Zelda suggested, giving Link her bow and arrows. "I'll try to talk to Mipha and see what exactly she plans to do."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Sidon agreed. "This is also a good excuse to show off my swimming skills to Link."

While Link got on Sidon's back, Zelda used her Paraglider to fly up to the head of Vah Ruta. She found Mipha at the main terminal, who looked surprised to see her.

"Are you going to use Vah Ruta to stop your stepmother?" Zelda asked Mipha.

Mipha lowered her head. "When the message came from Sidon, I knew I wanted to help him. So I thought bringing Vah Ruta would be enough, but now that I'm here…."

"You're afraid of hurting Oren," Zelda guessed.

Nodding, Mipha turned away to hide her tears. "I know Oren isn't being herself, but I know that if I don't stop her...someone could get hurt."

"There is a way of attacking Oren without hurting her," Zelda said and pointed to a button on the control panel. "Apart from being able to blow water from its internal tanks, Vah Ruta can also freeze its enemies. So we can freeze Oren in place, while Link and Sidon destroy the Malice that's in the whirlpool at her feet."

Mipha looked outside and saw a flash of red swimming circles around Oren, who tried swatting at it, while a figure clad in blue attempted firing arrows at yellow spots poking out from the purple whirlpool at Oren's feet. She pressed the button that Zelda pointed to, and Vah Ruta raised its trunk. A stream of water shot out and hit Oren, who groaned in response. Then Vah Ruta's trunks lit up which caused the water to freeze which froze Oren as well.

To be continued…