A/N: I did additional summaries for future chapters.

So yeah. Not even past chapter 40 and we still aren't done with arc 1. Prepare for a long haul.


The pressure that gripped him like a vice dragged Ganondorf from the depths of unconsciousness. It felt like a Hinox was squeezing him, trying to crush him.

The air surrounding him was freezing, raising goosebumps along his flesh, and he felt his breath misting with every exhale.

Vaguely, arguing broke into his hearing and hands were holding his shoulders down.

"Damn it, Baltic! You shouldn't have done that!"

"I'm sorry!" a young voice whined. "But he looked like the murals and I got excited—"

"Well, he doesn't do us any good dead now, does he? And my magic isn't working…ugh! He's resisting it."

"What should I do, Glacier?" Baltic murmured.

"Go get Iceberg. We'll need him to help adjust his body to the pressure and temperature change."

Footsteps padded off, becoming distant.

Ganondorf cracked open his eyes, ignoring the pounding headache, to see an all-white Zora with a round forehead leaning over him.

Blue spots ran down their arms, glowing slightly. Bone jewlery ringed their neck, wrists, and arms.

Glacier noticed Ganondorf looking at them and gave a rueful smile. "Apologies for Baltic. He shouldn't have done that. Everyone knows that Hylians die easily in our waters. You're really magic resistant, you know that?"

"Where…?"

"Don't try to talk. Iceberg and I will try to stabilize your body to the pressure of our kingdom. You should rest. You're going to need it."

Ganondorf stared at Glacier for a few seconds before he gave a short nod, closing his eyes.

The pressure released its claws, allowing him to sink into sleep.


"From the scattered pages here, we hold an ancient prophecy. Our sacred shamans have long since sworn of a calamitous atrocity. A hero will be born under a bloody moon and a catastrophe. And so we know, and so we know. He bears twin blades and hair the brightness of flaming fire. Our hero will appear when our situation is most dire."

The low singing brought Ganondorf out of his slumber and he grimaced, hand reaching up to rub his forehead.

The singing halted and a voice asked, "Ah, are you awake again?"

Ganondorf opened his eyes, turning his head to the voice to see the white Zora. He recognized them.

"Glacier….?"

Glacier smiled. "Glad you remember."

Sitting up, Ganondorf glanced around the room, realizing it appeared to be an infirmary. He could see cabinets containing bottles of strange colored liquid and surgical tools.

He felt a lot better even though a faint chill still clung to his skin.

Ganondorf glanced down to see he lacked a shirt and pants, covered only by a thin blanket.

He wrapped the blanket around himself tighter, embarrassed at being naked in the Zora's presence. "Where are my clothes?"

"I'm afraid that they're still drying. They should be done soon."

"Where exactly am I? Under Lake Kilsie?"

Glacier hummed, tapping their fingers together. "In a sense, yes. We're at the deepest part of the lake where few can survive."

Ganondorf noticed sconces with hunks of luminous stones used as a light source and wondered if the entire place was made of luminous stones like the Zora's Domain. They must have been really deep for no one to notice the structure.

Ganondorf ran his hand through his hair, pausing when he realized it was out of the ponytail he had put it in. It was shoulder-length.

"Aurora wished to see you once you awoke," Glacier said. "Are you feeling well enough to walk?"

Ganondorf nodded. "Yes, I believe so."

He swung his legs out of bed and stood up, wrapping the blanket even tighter to shield himself. He glanced back at the mattress curiously.

"What are your beds made of?"

"Sponges. We interlace them with snowcoat fox fur or wooly rhinoceros fur that we catch."

That was….interesting. The ice Zora had adapted their own jewlery, beds, and medicine for the enviornment they lived in it seemed.

"What about this blanket?" Ganondorf asked, glancing down at the blanket he held around him.

"Same material as our beds, but more sponge than fur. We don't need to be kept warm. I apologize if it's not warm enough for you. We don't usually have Hylian guests."

"N-no, it's fine." Ganondorf shook his head then glanced around as he followed Glacier.

Several ice Zora stopped to gawk at him, a few children peeking around their parent's legs to stare as well.

Ganondorf could see that the ice Zora were completely different than the Domain Zora. A lot of them were pale in color with light eye colors. There were a few large Zora with broad chests and stony glares had swirled black and white scales and jagged teeth.

He recognized guards as he passed them, their armor setting them apart from the others. The armor wasn't made of metal, but what appeared to be basalt, polished to a sheen. Their spears were crafted from luminous stones, the spearhead carved from bone.

As they walked, a few Zora trailed after them in curiosity.

Ganondorf tried to ignore the stares directed at him, unsure of why he was getting so much attention.

Perhaps it really is rare to see a live Hylian? Ganondorf wondered, glancing back at the Zora trailing him.

Glacier lead Ganondorf into a room that smelled of sulfur and spice.

Sitting in front of a low table covered in square cards of basalt was an ancient Zora with long needle teeth jutting from her mouth, an antennae hanging low in front of her face, the end flickering faintly.

Ganondorf could tell by the Zora's milky white eyes that she was blind.

That didn't hinder her as she shuffled the cards, spreading them on the table then flipping over three of them, murmuring under her breath.

"Madam Aurora?" Glacier asked but was interrupted by a hand being shot up to silence.

"Hush, child. The cards are reading our fate."

Ganondorf realized the old Zora was a seer and remained silent. It wasn't good luck to interrupt a reading.

Aurora gave a low, scratchy hum as she held the three cards she had flipped over. She set them on the table and slowly stood up, using the table for support. Then she shuffled towards Ganondorf, holding out her hands.

"Lower yourself, young man."

Ganondorf dropped to one knee, allowing the Zora to touch his face.

Her hands remained on his cheeks as she seemed to stare directly into his soul.

A probing began to prickle at the edges of his mind and it took little time to realize the seer was attempting to read his mind so Ganondorf threw up mental barriers to prevent access.

Aurora gave a low chuckle, patting Ganondorf's cheeks as she stepped back. "I was merely reading the parasite that feeds off you, Ganondorf. You needn't worry."

"He has a parasite?" Glacier asked, glancing at Ganondorf.

A few Zora stepped back like Ganondorf was contagious.

"Something he has always had," Aurora murmured. "It is no harm to us."

"Glacier said you wanted to see me?" Ganondorf asked, watching Aurora as she shuffled back to the table.

"I merely wanted to make sure you are as Baltic thought. And you are."

"You mean…?" Glacier started.

Aurora nodded. "He is the Hero of Blades."

"Whoa, wait. Hero?" Ganondorf shook his head. "You must be mistaken. I'm not a hero."

"Show him the mural of the prophecy," Aurora murmured. "Then he will understand his destiny."

Glacier nodded. "Of course, Madam Aurora."

Glancing at the Zora once more, Ganondorf followed Glacier out of the room.

Glacier lead him to a hallway off to the side where a mosaic of luminous stones, basalt, and red coral covered the wall. Along the bottom were words in a language Ganondorf could not read. The mosaic depicted what appeared to be a red-haired figure wielding two blades fighting against a giant fish-like monster.

Ganondorf looked at Glacier. "What does it say?"

"It says, from the scattered pages of a prophecy, our sages have long since sword that a hero with an ancient atrocity will soon be born while his people mourn. Our hero bears sister blades and has hair the brightness of Death Mountain's fire. He will arrive to our icy home when our situation is most dire."

As Glacier spoke, Ganondorf swore he could see the mural moving on its own.

He could see Zora carrying the red-haired figure to a structure.

"Wearing our old king's face, the hero will fight the great monster that lurks in the caves which reside in our home's deepest waters. Fangs and teeth will repeatedly clash with bone and steel."

The figure collided with the giant fish, sparks created from their battle.

"And once the beast lays dead, our home can finally heal."

Ganondorf stared at the mural before he shook his head. "I still don't see what this has to do with me."

"You fit the hero of our prophecy to a T! You have red hair and you have two swords."

"But I am no hero," Ganondorf sighed. "I'm just….I'm not a hero."

"Young one," Aurora murmured, shuffling towards Ganondorf. The Zora watching him and Glacier parted to let her pass. "You may be a villain in someone else's prophecy, but within ours you are our savior."

Ganondorf looked away, closing his eyes. "You have the wrong person."

"We do not. I can sense that you are the one we have been awaiting. You are not a hero or villain by birth. You become one through your actions. Now tell me: what do you want to be?"

Ganondorf looked at Aurora who stared at him impassively. He sighed. "I don't think I can be what you want me to be, but if your home is in trouble, I'd like to help since I'm here."

Aurora seemed pleased with the answer as she nodded slowly. "Excellent. Go visit our king. I'll have Iceberg bring your friends."

"My…?" Ganondorf blinked before he gasped.

He had completely forgotten about Link and Zelda.

"Oh, crap."

"You needn't worry about them. Iceberg will give them magic to help them adjust to the temperature and pressure here."

"Thank you, wise seer." Ganondorf inclined his head.

Aurora gave a toothy smile then left.

"You should be more presentable when you are granted an audience with our king," Glacier said. "Baltic should have your clothes done by now."

"If not, I can dry them with my fire magic."

There was a gasp from a deep blue Zora nearby. "You know magic ?"

"Yes?" Ganondorf glanced at the Zora as they murmured amongst themselves. "Do you not have magic?"

"We have nothing as fanciful as fire magic," Glacier said. "We don't have fire down here at all."

"Then how do you dry things you bring here? Like the fur of the foxes and rhinoceros?"

"We use sponges to soak the excess water then create our own steam to dry the rest and soften it."

Ganondorf rubbed his chin. "I see."

That was an intriguing process. He wondered how long it normally took to get fur completely dry.

A Zora Ganondorf recognized at the one that had dragged him beneath the ice ran over to him and Glacier, holding Ganondorf's clothes.

"I got the clothes dry!" the Zora said proudly, holding the clothes out to Ganondorf. "I'm sorry for frightening you, hero. I lost myself in excitement at seeing you."

"Uh….apology accepted," Ganondorf mumbled, taking his clothes. He returned to the infirmary, Baltic following close behind him.

Glacier grabbed Baltic by the fin of his headtail, dragging him off. "Give him some privacy to change, you idiotic seaweed!"

"Ah, right, right."

Ganondorf glanced over his shoulder as the curtain acting as a door slid closed.

Once he was certain he wouldn't be interrupted, Ganondorf dropped the blanket and began to pull his clothes on.

They were a bit chilly, but at least they were dry and kept the cold air that the Zora's home seemed to hold at bay.

Ganondorf set his hair back up in a ponytail then strapped his swords to his hips, feeling less vulnerable with his weapons back.

Once he was done, Ganondorf opened the curtain.

Glacier smiled. "Ah, much better."

Baltic appeared to be admiring Ganondorf, hands clasped as their headtail wagged.

"Come, I'll take you to His Highness Arctic," Glacier waved a hand and Ganondorf followed after them.


The two Rito that flew them to Lake Kilsie dropped Link and Zelda off before returning back to the village. It didn't take long for them to find the giant hole in the lake, near the middle.

Zelda searched around for anymore clues as to where Ganondorf was while Link stared at the black water.

"If he was dragged beneath the water, how are we going to reach him? We'd die of hypothermia before we even got far enough."

Link shook his head, giving a shrug. He wasn't sure either. Their clothes were built to keep away the cold air, not the freezing water.

"What are we going to do?" Zelda began to pace as she gripped her hair. "We did all this for nothing? This can't be how everything ends. We've only done three temples!"

Link grabbed her to stop her from panicking, making a calm down gesture.

Zelda took a deep breath then slowly let it out before nodding. "You're right. Panicking won't do us any good. I must have more faith in Ganondorf."

Link smiled and gave a thumbs up.

There was a splash nearby and both Link and Zelda whirled around at the noise, Link withdrawing the Monster Sword while Zelda summoned the Light Bow, bowstring pulled back and ready with a Light Arrow.

Floating in the center of the broken ice was a blue Zora with black stripes. He stared at them blankly.

Zelda took a few steps towards the Zora, trying to appear intimidating. "What did you do with Ganondorf?!"

"Your friend is well and safe," the Zora rumbled, not seeming to be bothered by the duo's reaction. "I can take you to him."

Zelda and Link glanced at each other, wondering if they should trust the strange Zora.


As they walked up some stairs, Ganondorf gazed around the Zora's home.

It really was similar in structure to the Zora's Domain, but it lacked an inn and shop for obvious reasons. The pillars were a mix of luminous stones and basalt.

Two guards standing at the entrance to the throne room eyed Ganondorf with quiet grunts.

One of the guards was covered in scars and Ganondorf wondered what sort of creature could have cause such deep wounds.

"Don't mind Polar and Siberian," Glacier murmured with a grin at Ganondorf. "They're always like that."

"I suppose I would be too, guarding royalty."

Glacier gave a short laugh. "Yes, I suppose so."

Sitting upon a throne of what appeared to be red diamond was a large Zora half the size of Dorephan with swirled purple and white scales. A scar ran vertically down his left eye and the fins along his arms were sliced in half or ripped.

As Glacier kneeled in front of the king, Ganondorf did as well.

Arctic smiled and raised a hand, allowing the two to stand. "We have been awaiting your arrival, Hero of Blades. I never expected to see you in my lifetime however."
Ganondorf didn't refute the king's claim of him as a hero, frowning slightly at the sour taste in his mouth.

He wasn't what they believed him to be.

Arctic appeared to see Ganondorf's doubt and hummed, resting his chin in his hand. "I see. You don't believe yourself to be our hero."

"He has seen the murals," Glacier protested. "Even the seer has proclaimed him as the one we seek."

"Yet you still don't believe?"

"I find it hard to believe," Ganondorf mumbled. "I have always been a villain destined to be run through with a sacred blade."

"And you don't believe that in someone else's prophecy you could be the opposite?" Arctic hummed, appearing to raise an eyebrow as he tiled his head.

Ganondorf clenched his hands. "I'm not sure. However, I cannot sit by if your people are in danger. I'd like to help however I can."

Arctic gave a rumbling laugh, clapping his hands. "That sounds like a hero to me! Now, my friend, we ask that you save our home. But please listen to my story first."

Ganondorf nodded. "Of course."

"A long time ago, people visited our great home more often than they do now. We had powerful magic users that created Death Masks."

"Death Masks?"

"Yes. You see, upon death Zora royalty had a Death Mask created to preserve their features and to be remembered generations from now. In order to make our home more accessible to travelers, our magic users imbued the Death Masks with special powers that allowed the one wearing the mask to transform."

Ganondorf frowned, glancing down as he took in the information. "You mean…by wearing the mask, they could transform into a Zora?"

Arctic nodded. "Yes. It worked out wonderfully. Races who couldn't withstand our temperature range or depth could visit our home and trade their goods with us. However, one of our magicians grew greedy and turned to dark magic. They began to create Death Masks of other races. Hylian, Rito, Goron, Deku. He tried them all, even daring to make one from a god. Of course, it was against our code of ethics to use black magic for the unforeseen consequences. An old king banished the magic user to the depths of the lake. The magician vowed vengeance."

"Let me guess. That beast from the murals is the old magic user."

"Yes. The black magic has twisted him into a monster beyond recognition. We managed to seal him in a temple to prevent him from wreaking havoc on the land above and while that seal has held for a century, I fear it is weakening."

Ganondorf crossed his arms. "You want me to kill the monster."

"It is your destiny! Please." Arctic reached behind him, pulling something from a place Ganondorf couldn't see, and held it out to the redhead.

Ganondorf stared at the mask Arctic held, the face of a brown Zora with a protruding horn staring blankly back at him.

"Take the form of the ancient king Icebreaker and put an end to the beast that plagues our people."