CHAPTER 9

The monsters they ran into seemed to be the only ones in the area, for Aria and her father did not encounter any more along the path. There seemed to be no explanation for their sudden decline, but they would not over-analyze the blessing given to them.

The path took them to a small clifftop that gave them a view of a sizable grotto locked within a small ring of mountains. Several waterfalls surrounded the circular concave lowland within a ring of mountains, the center of which housed a vast lake. Waterfalls surrounding the encirclement allowed water in, while the river below drained it out. At the center of the lake was an intricate, ornately-designed array of pearly-white structures that Aria took to be a city akin to what she saw of Castletown in the distance.

"There it is." she heard her father say, "Zora's Domain. If we hurry, we can be there within the hour."

The two returned to the trail, which wound down the cliff and would take them directly to the city. Aria had an eager spring in her step. The structures she had seen were a far cry from castles she'd read about-ornate and arching like waves of water, rather than the straight lancelike towers of a common brick castle.

Both descended down the side of the corona via a narrow and winding path etched into the rocky outcroppings that dotted the stone walls. Every so often, Aria would sneak a look at how close they'd gotten to the city, only to return her gaze to the back of her father. She did not want to chance a peak down-the lack of rails and narrowness of the path caused a pit to form in her stomach.

After what felt like half an hour or so, the two reached a patch of ground riddled with boulders and was level with the water. This was no pleasant beach of sand and sun like Aria had seen in some books. The water was almost pitch-dark and crashed against the boulders around them. Once or twice, as they navigated the shore, Aria almost tripped on the slick surface of the uneven rocks.

"Be more careful," her father instructed as he caught her hand and hauled her back onto the path, "You'll hit your head if you fall."

Their traversing eventually brought them to a stretch of rock, but this one had a vast, marble-like bridge extending to the city at the lake's center. Both were relieved to see an unbroken path, but they had no sooner set foot on it when two masses fell from the rocky walls above.

Both Link and Aria were taken by surprise. The Moblins had made it further down the path than they had previously thought.

Link did not have time to reach for his sword, one of the two Moblins was on him too quickly. He swiftly sidestepped as the beast lunged at him with fist or open hands to either land a blow or grab his neck, but missed each time.

Aria was not so fortunate. The Moblin had shoulder tackled her on its fall and had her pinned under its bulk. Once Aria had regained her bearings, the Moblin had opened a tusk-filled maw and lunged for her. Aria only had enough time to raise an arm to guard, then shouted in pain as the sharp teeth of the beast dug into her forearm while its three-fingered hands continued to try and grapple at her face. Aria rolled and ducked side-to-side as she swung her free fist at its face, trying to dislodge it. The beast was irritated more than hurt, though, for it shook its head in annoyance and only made the injury worse.

Link had taken his sword out as he backed away from the beast. His back hit the rocky wall, but he ducked to the side just as the beast swung. The beast's fist hit rock and it squealed in pain, clutching its fist as it staggered back, giving Link ample time to rush past it and raise his sword to strike the Moblin atop his daughter.

Before he could swing, however, something flew from the water with a "splash" and struck Aria's assailant right through the side. It shrieked in pain as it tumbled off Aria, her arm escaping its gaping maw in the process. Another "splash" and something struck the recoiling Moblin that attacked Link, square in its ribcage.

It was a spear, easily longer than Link was tall and topped with a jagged, dangerous looking point. The Moblin impaled upon it grasped at its hilt, as though trying to pull the weapon out, then toppled over as a pool of black began to flow out of its wound.

Link was right at Aria's side in an instant, taking her under the arms to help her on her feet. "Are you okay?" he asked, audible concern in his voice as he gingerly took her arm in his hand.

"I...I think so-ow!" Aria said, wincing as he pulled back her gauntlet and sleeve to inspect the bite wound.

Both turned at the sound of shifting water and, to Aria's astonishment, two creatures emerged from the dark depths. They were people, but not like any that Aria had seen before.

Standing taller than Link, they vaguely resembled Hylians. However, aside from strings of jewelry around their necks and hips, they were completely-naked. Their bare, smooth skin was a mix of varying shades of silver, green, and blue-like a fish, and their forearms sported a pair of long, flowing fins. Both their hands and feet bore slightly-elongated fingers and toes with short, thin webbing between each digit.

Their heads stood out the most to Aria, though. Two fins framed the sides of their faces like bangs of hair and a thick, powerful tail of sorts emerged from the back of their heads, terminating in a fishlike fluke. Below their ribs, Aria saw three large slits that had to be gills.

These had to be them, Aria thought. These had to be the Zoras. She had read that they were "people of the water", but they were more bizarre than she had ever imagined.

One Zora walked up to the impaled Moblin, then took the spear by the hilt and yanked it free of the beast with pure disdain. As his fellow retrieved his own spear, the first Zora approached the two of them.

"You're lucky we were here to save you." he said to them, "Most Hylian travelers are not so lucky, and Moblins are getting bolder by the day." As he spoke, Aria could not help but notice that each of his teeth were triangular and pointed. Ignoring her stare, the Zora eyed them up and down, then added, "What brings you to our doorstep, Hylian?"

Link stepped forward. "We wish for peaceful entry to the domain. And I'd like to request an audience with your king, if possible."

The Zora raised a brow. "Pardon me if I sound rude, but why should the king see you?"

"I have urgent matters to speak with him about. He should recognize me if he sees me." Link reasoned, "If he doesn't, then I'll leave without struggle."

The Zora seemed to contemplate his reasoning, his eyes falling on the sword sheathed on Link's person, then he leaned ever-closer to Link as though inspecting him. It could have been a trick of the light, but Aria could have sworn he saw a glint-the faintest form of recognition in his eyes.

"As you wish." The Zora conceded, then turned to Aria, who was still clutching at the bite wound on her forearm. "May I?" he asked, offering a hand while keeping the other on his spear's shaft.

Aria hesitated, then slowly extended her arm. The Zora pulled back her sleeve and gauntlet, then ran his gaze over the bleeding injury. After a brief look, he let go and said, "Minor, but I imagine it is quite discomforting. We will see to it that you receive treatment at the domain."

"Thank you." she said, letting herself smile, albeit awkwardly, "I...didn't take you for doctors."

The Zora emitted a faint snort. "We Zoras pride ourselves in medicine, girl. Have you not heard?"

"I...don't really get out much." Aria said, feeling color rising in her cheeks.

The two Zoras led them down the bridge and, after a lengthy walk, they passed through a gateway of sorts into the domain. It was more beautiful and bizarre up-close. The towering, curving structures of marble were bigger than Aria had thought and, if she squinted, she could see that dozens of their constructs went deeper into the water than Aria had previously thought-enough so for them to disappear into the gloom below.

She could not admire their structures for long, though, for the entire city was riddled with circular pools, all so deep that she could not see the bottom. Once or twice, she almost stumbled into one, a mad shift in her weight keeping her from falling in.

Around the city were other Zoras, going about their daily life. Some were similar to their two escorts, though colored differently, from bright blue to green to even a pinkish red. All too often, Aria would see a Zora go to the nearest pool in a hurry and dive into its depths with a "splash".

The small group paused towards the center of the domain, two paths going in opposite directions. The Zora that led them turned to face them.

"Girl, if you wish for your wound to be treated, you must follow me." He turned to Link. "You know where to find our king?"

"Yes." Link answered him, "I have visited your people before long ago."

"Very well." the Zora said with a nod, then turned and gestured towards Aria, "Follow us."

Aria cast a look at her father, who returned her gaze looking like he did not know what to say. His eyes held an apologetic look, but he nodded his approval, nonverbally telling her to follow them. She did as told and followed her fishlike escorts to a different part of the city. Distant footsteps told her that Link went about his business, aiming to gain an audience with the king.

She, silently, wished him luck.

A few minutes' walk in, and Link had found what he was looking for-a pool so deep that he could not see the bottom, surrounded by ornately-carved marble that resembled the shell of some oceanic snail. He had walked this very floor so many years ago, and a wave of nostalgia washed over him.

This was no time to dwell on it, he told himself, and he had business to tend to. Who knew how long Aria's wound would take to heal, given Zora medical prowess?

He approached the rim of the pool, took a deep breath, and spoke in a loud and clear voice.

"King Ceto! I request your presence."

For a few tense seconds, his words faintly echoed through the air. Nothing happened and, for a brief moment, he wondered if the king was either absent or simply asleep.

That all changed when the water in front of him suddenly stirred. Taking a step back, he watched the water's surface swell as a shadow became more visible from the gloom.

Suddenly, something emerged with a loud "splash". It was not a person, but the three-pronged head of a giant trident. The fearsome-looking polearm rose high into the air, gripped by a large, webbed hand, which slammed the butt of the shaft down onto the edge of the pool with a loud "clang".

Using the trident to leverage itself, a hulking behemoth emerged from the water, creating a sizable swell that caused water to spill over the edges and soak Link's boots. His eyes followed the creature as it hauled itself out of the water.

It was a Zora, but unlike any of the others that he or Aria had seen. For starters, it was massive: at least fifteen feet tall, almost double the size of the ones that escorted them to the domain. It was also built differently-his legs seemed shorter than his arms and his whole body was bulkier and heavier-set. Moving on land seemed like something of a challenge from how he dragged his feet slightly and relied on his trident to support himself. The fins on his arms were short and curved backward, and the fins on the side of his head stuck out to the sides almost like wings.

His body was colored bluish-black and riddled with white spots, but it faded to white the closer it got to his underside. He bore silvery cuffs on his wrists, ankles, and cedar-thick neck, and strong threads bearing jewels of deep-blue draped over his thick chest. At the junction of his neck and chest was a ruff of sorts, and atop his head was an ornate, silver, jewel-riddled diadem.

His face was not like other Zoras'. Most of them had a semi-noticeable nose of sorts, but this giant's was far less pronounced, even on their standards, having slits for nostrils. His eyes were warm, however, and bore the unmistakable signs of aged wisdom.

Once he had emerged from the water, the giant Zora turned his gaze to Link and crouched to look upon him. His mouth, broad enough to fit a man's head in, opened to speak, revealing lines of triangular teeth as a result. "To whom do I owe the pleasure of granting an audience with?" Ceto's voice was deep and resonant, but also had an air of warmth to it. It was slow, but strong and well-delivered-befitting a king.

"An ally of the Royal Family of Hyrule." Link answered, his gaze not wavering from the leviathan before him.

The giant Zora, Ceto, raised a brow, perplexedly, then stooped lower to closer inspect Link, tilting his head side-to-side to get a better perspective of him. Then it hit him. A look of fast-dawning comprehension grew on his face, and then his broad, toothy mouth spread into a warm smile.

"Goddesses be praised!" he boomed, then dropped his trident and dropped to a knee, stooping further down to pull Link into a hug. As the Hylian put his arms around his neck as though he were hugging a tree, Ceto raised a massive hand to pat Link's back with surprising gentleness for a creature of his size.

"Good to see you again, King Ceto."

"And you as well, old friend." the colossal Zora said in return. Releasing Link, he stood back slightly to inspect him. "I see that the world has not been kind to you, Link."

"I know. That's why I'm here, actually." Link explained, "I need to know what Hyrule has become in my absence."

Ceto's brow furrowed and a very uneasy hum escaped his throat. "It is difficult to describe." he said, as though searching for the right words, "Much has happened, and not much good I'm afraid."

"I've hidden from Hyrule for fifteen years." Link said, trying hard to mask his desperation, "I saw how it began, and I've only recently had a taste of what's going on. I need to know what happened between then and now. I know things have gotten bad, but I need to know how bad."

Ceto lifted a finger to his chin contemplatively. "I hardly know where to begin." he said, solemnly, "For where does one begin when all feels wrong in Hyrule these days?"

"I'm not asking for everything." Link told him, "Just what you know."

Ceto seemed to recognize an old flare in Link's eyes, for he removed his thick finger and heaved a resigned sigh. "Very well," he complied, then turned to a nearby door. "Come and sit with me. This will not be easy to describe...or to hear."