A/N: I'm pretty much caught up.

I'm on chapter 25 so five more chapters and this will be updated whenever I update A03 :)

Comments are my lifeblood.


Ganondorf grunted as Revali dropped him to the snowy ground. He glanced around the area, sunk into a ravine. Docks lined one side of the area, giving off the impression that he was on a frozen lake.

Ganondorf remembered the warning of the ice Zora, but he was still in Tabantha and not Hebra, so he assumed he didn't need to worry about what lurked beneath the ice of this lake.

Lake Kilsie was just beyond the mountains where the flight range was.

Revali landed on a nearby dock with a flourish.

"Okay, so where's the temple?" Ganondorf grunted, glancing around to see if he could spot anything from where he stood.

He couldn't see anything offhand and hoped the temple wasn't beneath the ice. If it was, they were screwed. There wasn't anyway for them to access it.

"I thought I saw an opening over there," Revali said, gesturing to the area further down. "I assume it was your temple entrance since no animals make their homes here and it looked manmade."

Ganondorf frowned before he began to search around.

The ice shifted and creaked under his weight and he hoped it was thick enough to support him.

The warm clothes may be excellent at keeping away the cold air, but he was certain it wasn't made to withstand freezing water.

A wind blew and some of the snow coating the ice on the lake slid away, revealing the dark water below.

Ganondorf glanced down at the water beneath his feet, waiting to see something move, but the water remained still.

Revali followed him from the land, searching for an opening to the temple that was possibly hidden under the snow.

After a bit of searching, Ganondorf came up blank and assumed that Revali had been wrong about the area.

Something in the atmosphere changed and the hairs on Ganondorf's neck stood on end.

He felt like he was being watched.

Taking out his swords, Ganondorf slowly glanced around without moving.

Nearby, Revali withdrew his bow.

Ganondorf didn't breathe as he remained still.

Whatever was watching him could see him but he couldn't see it.

Where…?

There was a cracking of ice and Ganondorf glanced behind him just as something burst up from underneath, sending up a shower of snow, ice, and water.

Whatever it was, it was large and white with glowing spots along its head and arms.

To Ganondorf, the body structure was similar to a Zora, but the creature was gone too fast to be certain.

As the creature crashed back through the ice and into the water beneath, Ganondorf backed up.

"What is that?" Ganondorf asked, glancing towards Revali.

The Rito held his bow and an arrow but didn't have them ready to attack anything. He didn't even look concerned.

As Ganondorf looked at him, Revali smiled, putting his arrow and bow away.

"It's an ice Zora. They lurk beneath the ice and wait for prey to walk onto it. Then they break the ice to get at their catch."

Ganondorf had thought the ice Zora had only lived in the waters of Hebra, but apparently he was wrong. There were ice Zora living beneath Lake Kilsie then. Hold on.

"Wait, you knew about the ice Zora living here?"

Revali appeared amused that Ganondorf had finally connected the dots, shaking his head as he held up his hands. "And you stupidly followed me into the trap."

Ganondorf realized he had been completely foolish. Like a gullible child, he had followed Revali without Link or Zelda to help him.

The ice Zora suddenly burst up in a shower of ice shards inches away from Ganondorf who stumbled backward to avoid it.

Revali remained safe on land, watching as the ice Zora methodically broke the ice in a circle around Ganondorf, blocking off any potential escape.

Ganondorf scowled at the Rito. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I won't allow you to destroy Hyrule, beast."

So he did know about the prophecy. That explained the dirty looks. How long had he been planning this?

The ice under Ganondorf cracked and he looked down to see it breaking between his feet.

Looking between the ice piece he was standing on and the solid ice a few feet away, Ganondorf took the chance and leaped off the splitting ice.

Something grabbed his leg in mid-air and dragged him down, ruining his trajectory.

Ganondorf landed halfway on the solid ice covering the lake, the jagged edges digging into his chest as he scrabbled to support himself.

The ice Zora gripped Ganondorf's waist, trying to use its weight to drag him down.

The water seeped through his warm clothes, freezing his skin.

As he dug his nails into the ice for purchase, Ganondorf kicked his leg and struck something that shrieked.

The pressure clinging to him was gone and Ganondorf assumed he had kicked the Zora holding him.

Taking advantage of the freedom, Ganondorf began to drag himself out of the freezing water, but the cold frosting his bones made his body sluggish and slow to respond.

Ganondorf grit his teeth as he felt the ice shift down under his weight, beginning to break with the pressure.

"Crap..." Ganondorf mumbled, searching for another way to get out of the water.

If the ice underneath him broke, he had no way to keep himself afloat long enough to get out.

The Zora grabbed onto Ganondorf's waist once more, yanking down hard.

Ganondorf gripped the ice hard until his fingertips became bloody. He tried to kick at the Zora again, but the movement caused the ice underneath him to break.

Revali watched as the redhead was dragged beneath the water before he opened his wings.

"Take that, calamity. You'll not destroy Hyrule this time."

He took off into the air, flapping once then making his way towards Rito Village.


With no news of a temple being near the village, Mipha decided to speak with Kaneli about possible trade venues.

Due to the Zora's low tolerance to cold, they hadn't visited the village or opened trade with the people there.

Since she was already there, Mipha decided to take the first step, with Bazz right behind her.

Kaneli smiled when he saw Mipha. "Ah, good morning, princess. I never thought I'd see a Zora in our village in my lifetime."

Mipha gave a bow. "It's a pleasure to be here, chief Kaneli. I understand the Rito and Zora have no open trade between one another and as princess of the Zora, I came to request we open one."

"Oh?" Kaneli hummed, leaning back in his chair. "A trade with the Zora? What sort of imports would you bring us that we don't or can't acquire on our own?"

Bazz glanced at Mipha out of the corner of his eye to see her appearing thoughtful.

The Rito already had cane sugar, rice, arrows and bomb arrows. What else could they use in their shop for travelers or themselves?

"We could supply ice arrows. And we have a few rare fish in our waters that not even Rito can catch. We can also supply luminous stones for lights."

Kaneli listened to the offers Mipha suggested, stroking his chin as he thought about it. "Hmm….yes, ice arrows would be nice. As would the luminous stones. Accidental fires are all too common, especially during the dry season."

Mipha nodded, clasping her hands as her headtail flicked. She couldn't get too excited. Kaneli hadn't agreed to anything yet.

"And what sort of fish do you have that we cannot get?"

"Deep water fish. Luminous fish and razorback fish. We can also supply Octorok tentacles."

"Octorok tentacles?!" Kaneli gasped, leaning forward a bit before he shook his head. "They're too acidic to be of any use."

"If I may be so bold, chief. We've found a way to counteract and extract the acid of the tentacles. They're quite delicious and the acid makes for a nasty poison."

Bazz wasn't sure if Mipha should be showing their hand like that.

Yes, they had created a poison from the Octorok's tentacles, but it was under lock and key, only to be used in case of war.

Kaneli considered this for a few seconds before he nodded. "Yes, those do sound like excellent imports. The tentacles would be an unusual treat."

Mipha's headtail practically waved, appearing excited.

"What can I offer you that the Zora can't access?"

"The cane sugar and wheat would be excellent. Chillshrooms as well. And cool safflina if it's not too much trouble."

Bazz smiled as he watched Mipha's negotiating. She really was quite efficient. She would be a force to be reckoned with once she was queen.

Kaneli gave a slow nod before saying, "Then we've struck an accord. The Rito will give the Zora Tabantha wheat, cane sugar, chillshrooms, and cool safflina in exchange for luminous stones, Octorok tentacles, ice arrows, and those rare fish."

Mipha smiled and gave a quick bow. "Thank you, chief Kaneli. My father will be pleased to have trade with your people."

"Of course. Upon your return home, will you give your father my regards?"

"I will."

With another bow, Mipha left the chief's room with a bounce in her step.

"That went well," Bazz murmured.

"It went better than I expected! That was so nerve-wracking…"

"You did a good job for your first time," Bazz said, setting a hand on her arm.

It lingered there for several seconds before Bazz seemed to remember his place and withdrew his hand quickly as if he'd been burned.

"I'm sorry. That was rude of me."

"N-no, it was fine." Mipha smiled. "Thank you for your kind words."

Bazz gave a slight smile in return as they passed by the kitchen where Link and Sidon were crouched in front of the cooking pot.

Link was trying to make some new recipes to vary their meals during the journey and was now patiently trying to make an apple pie.

So far he had made one, but it had a horribly burnt crust, rendering it inedible. Another had fallen apart in his hands.

Sidon was helping Link with making a right ratio of goat butter, wheat, milk, and cane sugar for the crust.

The crust was either too flaky, too unstable, too bland, or too tough.

Link sighed as another crust crumbled in his hands.

"Ah, this is quite difficult," Sidon murmured, crossing his arms. "An oven would be helpful."

Link nodded.

The only oven was back at his home and he was certain it would be a while before he, Zelda, and Ganondorf returned to Castle Town. Cooking pots would just have to do.

Perhaps I should try to make something else.

The crepes sounded good.

Sidon shook his head then flashed a grin. "I believe in you, friend! We're close to making the perfect crust!"

Link smiled at the optimism before he shrugged. I suppose one more try couldn't hurt.

"That's the spirit!"

Link grabbed some more ingredients to make another crust.

Zelda appeared in the doorway. "Sorry to interrupt, boys, but have you seen Gan?"

Sidon and Link glanced at each other before shaking their heads.

"I haven't seen him since yesterday at dinner."

Try asking Mipha and Bazz.

"I did." Zelda sighed, shaking her head. "They haven't seen him either."

This wasn't like Ganondorf, disappearing without a word. It hadn't been a blood moon last night, so Zelda knew he hadn't wondered off possessed by the Malice. She was growing concerned with his absence though.

Where is he? Zelda wondered, looking back at the village.

She saw Revali coming down the stairs and approached him.

"Revali, have you seen Gan?"

"Gan?" Revali hummed, tapping his beak. "The redhead? Not since last night, I'm afraid. Is he missing?"

"I'm beginning to think so…" Zelda bit her lip, looking at the ground. "I just don't know where he would have gone without telling anyone."

Revali patted her shoulder sympathetically. "I'm sure he'll show up eventually. He probably just got distracted by something."

That did sound like Ganondorf. But he still would have shown up for breakfast.

"I know where Ganny is!" Astrid said, popping up on Zelda's shoulder.

Zelda looked at the little Korok in surprise. Astrid never left Ganondorf's side.

"Where is he?"

"He went to a lake and was attacked!" Astrid pointed at Revali. "And it was his fault!"

Revali narrowed his eyes at the Korok before he flapped a wing dismissively. "Your little friend must be confused. I was asleep all night."

"I saw what happened," Astrid said. "He told Ganny he found the temple and took him to the lake and something dragged Ganny beneath the ice and he did nothing to help him."

At this point, a small crowd had gathered to watch the scene in interest, murmuring amongst themselves. Link and Sidon watched from the kitchen. Link was scowling; Korok never lied. It was against their nature.

Kaneli parted the crowd easily, approaching Zelda and Revali slowly, leaning on a wooden cane. "What is all this about? What's going on?"

"They're claiming hero Revali killed someone," a Rito said.

Revali smiled before holding up his wings as he turned to the crowd. "Who are you going to believe, fellow Rito? Your hero or a talking hunk of wood?"

Zelda clenched her hands, barely containing her anger at the Rito's statement.

Oh, he definitely did something to Ganondorf. But she didn't know how to make the other Rito believe her that Revali wasn't the hero.

Then she smiled, crossing her arms as she shifted her weight to one leg. "Oh, yeah? If you're the hero chosen by the goddess, why don't you have the Master Sword?"

Revali snorted. "A sword does not make a hero."

"Actually, it does. It does a lot, Revali. You see, the Master Sword was created by Hylia specifically for her chosen hero. Only he can wield it and it's a symbol of his heroism."

Link grinned as Zelda's voice switched over to her I'm-a-queen voice. Revali never stood a chance, engaging wits with her.

"What are you getting at, princess?" Kaneli murmured, stroking his beard with one hand. "Are you implying Revali is not the hero?"

Zelda nodded. "I am. I know who the true hero of Hylia is."

A murmur rippled through the Rito as they all looked at each other.

Revali growled, eyes darting between the gossiping Rito before he stepped forward with his wings raised placidly. "Are you truly going to believe her? She may be the princess, but your words hold no proof that what you say is true."

"Actually, I do have proof." Zelda stepped aside as Link stepped forward.

Link withdrew the Master Sword and held it up for everyone to see, the blade glinting in the sunlight.

"And we also have the real Triforce on our hands," Zelda added, holding up her hand.

The Triforce flashed on both her and Link's hands.

There was a gaps and murmurs, several Rito scowling at Revali.

Revali backed up a bit, cornered in his own lie.

"What did you do, Revali?" Kaneli asked.

Revali growled quietly before he snapped, "They brought the calamity with them! The beast that will destroy Hyrule and I saved Hyrule singlehandedly!"

"Gan did nothing wrong," Zelda countered. "You can't just take matters into your own hands because of past events."

"He would have destroyed Hyrule if we let him go. So, I got rid of him before that could happen."

Kaneli closed his eyes with a slow sigh. "Your intentions may have been pure, but you still murdered an innocent man."

"That beast is not innocent!" Revali snarled, feathers fluffing up. "Time and again he's destroyed Hyrule! I saved Hyrule from that fate. Why aren't any of you grateful?!"

"Revali," Kaneli murmured, "for the crime of murder, you are exiled from the Rito, never to return."

Revali clenched his wings, then hopped onto the railing behind him, pointing at everyone. "You'll regret this. You'll see I was right."

Dropping from the railing, Revali opened his wings to catch an updraft, flapping away from the village.

Kaneli watched him leave before sighing, setting a wing on Zelda's shoulder. "I am sorry about your friend."

Zelda stared at the Triforce on her hand, still glowing faintly.

Nothing indicated Ganondorf no longer lived. She would have felt it. They had a chance to save him.

Zelda looked at Kaneli. "I need to go to Lake Kilsie right now!"

I'm coming with you, Link signed, staring at Zelda intently.

"And we'll join you," Sidon said.

"I'm sorry, but I don't want you guys to get hurt," Zelda murmured. "The water if freezing there and you guys can't handle that."

Sidon frowned while Mipha said, "She's right, Sidon. Even if we were to go with them, we wouldn't be much use. It's better if we stay here and wait for their return."

Sidon didn't appear comforted by the fact at being sidelined but Link grabbed his hand to get his attention.

Link smiled. We'll be all right. We'll get Gan and come back here and I'll make the best apple pie ever.

Sidon gave a small laugh, gripping Link's hand with both of his tightly. "Then I trust your word, my friend. Please return safely."

Two Rito knelt down on one knee to allow the Hylians to climb onto their backs. Once they were settled, the Rito took off.

Link glanced over at Zelda as the Rito flew them to Lake Kilsie. Are you sure Gan is all right?

Zelda nodded, staring ahead of her seriously. "I'm sure. Gan isn't one to go down so easily. And besides, his Triforce is still pulsing. That means he's alive."

The only issue was where he was and how they were going to get to him.