Zelda 5 The Ocarina of Time
E-mail: Arcadion@libertysurf.co.uk
Chapter 6 : The Sleepless Waterfall
Link looked around as he walked through the cut that lead to Lon Lon ranch. The first thing he saw, through the farm buildings was a huge pen, filled with beautiful horses. He began to run across, when Navi called him back. She was hovering beside a sign that read 'Proprietor.'
"We should go in here first," said Navi. Link turned and looked at the horses and trudged over.
"Oh, okay then," he sighed, pushing open the door to the building and walking inside.
Once inside, Link was overcome by half a dozen cucoos which flapped and squawked loudly as he entered. Link tried to shoo them away with his hands, and they eventually calmed down and left him to his business. Despite all of the noise, sitting in the middle of the floor sat Talon, dozing. Link approached him.
"Uh, Mr. Talon?" he asked in a polite voice. Talon let out a snore, and waved his hands about in his sleep. "Mr. Talon?" repeated Link, slightly louder. He was still ignored. Exasperated, Navi flew up to Talon, up to his ear, and spoke up very loudly for a faerie of her size.
"Excuse me!" she shrieked loudly, a little impatient. Talon let out a cry of surprise, and his eyes shot open, his arms in the air.
"Uh...what!" he cried, springing to his feet, disturbing the cucoos that surrounded him. He looked around, confused upon seeing no-one. Then he looked down and spotted Link. A broad, if slightly embarrassed, smile drew across the man's face. "Oh hiya kid! You were th'one who woke me at th'castle that time, weren't you?" he said in his kindly but gruff voice. Link nodded in agreement. "Well, what do you want son? You want some Lon Lon milk, eh? I guess I could give ye a complimentary bottle, seein' as ye saved me from 'o whole lotta grief!" said Talon, scratching his head. He began to wade through the mass of cucoos towards the shop counter, with Link following behind.
"Grief from what, Mr. Talon?" asked Link as he walked to the counter, barely seeing over the top of it. Talon ducked behind the counter, and reappeared holding a huge bottle of Lon Lon milk. He placed it on the counter.
"Get that down ya son! It'll make ye grow big an' strong, I 'kin assure ya!" said Talon confidently. Link picked up the bottle, and gently unscrewed the cap, taking a swig. It was delicious, creamy and smooth, and refreshing too. He could see why the name Lon Lon was well known everywhere in Hyrule.
"Ya wanna know me secret kid? I play me banjo to there them cows everyday, it cheers them right up it does, and they produce that lovely milk o' theirs!" said Talon with a knowing wink. Link smiled.
"It is lovely, thank you!" said Link, screwing back the cap on the bottle. He quickly stashed it in his pack and looked up at Talon.
"About that grief, my daughter Malon. You don't want to be catchin' her on one o' her blue days!" said Talon, his voice full of warning. Link smiled.
"I met her in the market square, she seemed...nice," said Link shyly. Talon grinned another one of his broad grins.
"Ah, don't tell me you want to be marryin' her!" he exclaimed with a laugh. Link looked up at Talon in surprise.
"Um, don't you think I'm a bit young?" he asked worriedly. Talon laughed out loud and slapped Link on the back.
"I'm only kiddin' ya son! No need to take it so seriously!" said Talon, his eyes crinkling at the edges. Link let out a sigh of relief.
"Oh, I wasn't sure..." he said, a little embarrassed. Talon grinned. At that moment, the two heard footsteps, emerging from upstairs.
"Uh oh, s-she's up! I'd best clean this place up or there'll be a row in the rafters!" exclaimed Talon, rushing from behind the counter and grabbing a mop from a bucket in the corner. He began to clean the floor madly, yelling at the cucoos to move 'outta' his way. It was no more than a few seconds later, when someone descended down the stairs. Link looked up, and his eyes upon Malon. Her hair was still the same fiery red as Link had last seen it, and her eyes twinkled when she saw Link.
"Ah fairy boy! I was wondering when I would see you again!" said Malon cheerfully. She cast a wary glance at her father, who was cleaning the floor as fast as he could. She decided to ignore him, and turned her attentions to Link. "So where's your faerie?" she asked casually, giving Link a bright white smile. Link glanced behind his shoulder.
"She's right here, ranch girl," announced Navi, suddenly appearing. Malon glanced at Navi.
"She's cute isn't she?" she said, looking at Link.
"Uh..." began Link, aware of the venomous looks Navi was giving him.
"Come on Link, let's go and look at the horses," suggested Navi, tugging at his shoulder.
"Oh, you want to see the horses. Well I can show you," said Malon cheerfully. She took Link by the hand and skipped out of the building, and outside. Then she turned a corner through the narrow causeway between the house and the stables, and took them into the actual paddock, or ranch. Link gazed in awe at the huge field, it was full of horses, all roaming and free.
"Wow," he exclaimed, stepping forward. Suddenly there was a snicker behind the trio, and Link turned and saw a scrawny man, who was almost doubled over. He wore a rather deranged grin and a frazzled moustache, and he was rubbing his hands together almost gleefully.
"What are you doing little boy?" he demanded, his voice sly and whiny. Malon stepped forward.
"Ingo, what are you doing? You're supposed to be cleaning the stables," said Malon rather crossly. Upon seeing Malon, Ingo seemed to shrink back.
"Oh, but of course...how careless of me," he said quietly, muttering under his breath. He shrank away into the shadows beside the stable, and then disappeared.
"He's a little creepy," said Link, glancing at Malon. She shrugged.
"He's okay, once you get to know him. But most of the time he just whines. I wish my dad would fire him, he's forever bad-mouthing my father," said Malon, sounding a little sad.
"Are all of these horses yours?" asked Link, wandering from the subject. Malon's attention was removed from her previous thoughts and she smiled.
"Well, yes. I mean, they belong to my father really, but I help an awful lot in looking after them," she said proudly.
"Which is your favourite?" asked Link eagerly. Malon smiled.
"Follow me," she said, jogging across the field and into the actual enclosure. They soon stopped, next to a beautiful little thing, a foal, whose coat was a beautiful deep and glossy red chestnut colour, and whom had a silver mane and tail. Link could instantly see why it was Malon's favourite. Malon leaned down and patted the foal, smiling at Link. "This is Epona," she introduced. Link stepped forward, to stroke the foal, but Epona shied away and took off a mad pace around the field. Malon let out a giggle. "Ooops, I forgot to tell you, Epona isn't trained yet. She only lets me near, so it's quite a task for my dad and Ingo to train her. Dad reckons that if trained, one day this could be the King's horse!" she said giggling again.
"Oh, let me stroke her, just once!" pleaded Link. Malon smiled.
"It's not like I can make her stay, she isn't trained. Perhaps...well, just watch this," said Malon. She turned and began to sing, her voice loud and clear, her tone soft and even.
"Take my hand,
be a friend,
I'll be there.
Watching in the night,
and in the day,
I'll take good care.
You'll never know,
who I am,
guarding by your stair.
The light of dawn,
the dark of dusk,
still is the air.
Do not fear,
the howl of night,
wander as you dare.
Take yourselves,
Be bold and brave,
Calm yourselves.
I'll be there."
Malon turned and smiled at Link, who had taken out his ocarina and joined in half way through. He smiled back, and was suddenly given a small shock as he felt a velvety snout nuzzling his shoulder.
"I think she likes you," giggled Malon.
"Yeah," agreed Link, patting Epona on the nose.
"That was a song my mother used to sing to me, no-one has ever put a tune to it for me before. You play that instrument well," complimented Malon. Link smiled shyly, still patting Epona. "I don't know what it is, but Epona really loves that song, as soon as I first sang it, she trotted up to me, just like she did there with you," said Malon. Link patted Epona on the neck.
"She sure is cute," commented Link, risking another smile at the pretty ranch girl. Malon let out another giggle.
"Link! I know this is all very fascinating, but in case you forgot, we have a job to do!" reminded Navi rather pointedly.
"Job? What kind of job do you do?" inquired Malon.
"None of your business, ranch girl," snapped Navi.
"I've been appointed by the princess of Hyrule to save the country!" stated Link proudly. Malon let out a laugh of disbelief.
"What? You and your faerie?!" she grinned.
"Yes actually. Now come on Link, you got your milk and you've seen the horses. We have to get to Zora's domain before night fall!" insisted Navi, beginning to tug at Link's sleeve. Link smiled almost apologetically to Malon, stepping away.
"She's right I suppose," he said.
"Can I come?" asked Malon eagerly, stepping forward. Navi turned and glared at the girl.
"Almost certainly not! Link doesn't need any distractions, and you'd just get in the way," said the faerie sharply.
"Navi, there's no need to be so mean!" exclaimed Link, glancing at Navi, a little annoyed.
"No, she's right. Can't be distracting a hero now can we? I'd rather stay here and train Epona, Zora's domain is full of fish!" said Malon, giving Link a quick smile.
"Of course it is! It's a river!" exclaimed Navi. Link ignored the faerie, as did Malon, and gave her a wave.
"I'll see you!" he called as he jogged across the paddock.
"Yeah, maybe!" replied Malon, who waved back. As Link left the ranch, he heard Malon's sweet voice fill the air once again, and he smiled to himself.
The two reached the entrance to Zora's river in very little time, and Link spotted the Great Owl, perched on a large tree.
"Hoo Hoo! Looks like you've become bigger and stronger already Link!" commented the owl, twirling his head around like only an owl can. "Just ahead, as you know, lies Zora's domain. The Zora's have served Hyrule's Royal family for centuries by protecting this water source. Their door will open for no-one, but for someone who has a connection with the Royal Family," explained the owl. Link frowned.
"But how will they know, I mean, if their door is closed, how can they tell if I know the Royal family or not?" questioned Link. The owl spread his wings.
"Let them hear the melody of the Royal family! Hooo hoo hoooot!"
"This place is beautiful," exclaimed Link as they entered the domain. Navi nodded.
"Wait til you see the 'sleepless waterfall', then you'll know how beautiful," said the faerie. Link jogged along the river bank, until he spotted a fence, that cut off the rest of the way along the river from Link. There was a man, who looked more like a pig, sitting at the fence, eating something from a bag. Link approached him, trying to look into the bag. The man looked up, his beady little eyes sizing up the small boy.
"Do you want a bean? Only 10 rupees!" offered the man, holding out a meagre green coloured bean towards Link.
"10 rupees! No way!" exclaimed Navi.
"I don't have that kind of money to throw around," agreed Link sensibly. The guy shrugged and threw the bean into his mouth, crunching it up noisily. "Do you know how I can get to the waterfall?" asked Link. The guy stopped munching for a second, thinking.
"Ya swim!" he replied, sending a spray of crushed bean in Link's direction. Link stepped away, to avoid getting hit.
"Well, thanks, I think," murmured Link, turning to look at the river. Link had only ever been used to swimming in the still waters of the Kokiri forest, he'd never be able to master the current that ran through this river. Navi pointed to a spot of the river bank that looked a little muddier than the rest.
"Hey Link! I bet you could jump across to the other side here. The river is a little narrower, and this bit juts out here," suggested Navi. Link turned to look at the guy sat at the fence, he seemed totally oblivious to the rest of his surroundings. Link ran to the muddy patch and took a deep breath, stepping back a step or three, before running forward and leaping from the bank.
He made it across to the other side with inches to spare, and he got up and smiled at Navi.
"Nice one," complimented the faerie.
"And before night fall too," said Link with a wink.
"You aren't there yet!" warned Navi.
"But nearly," replied Link, before continuing his run along the river, until he came to a turn in the river, and a natural land bridge ran over, sloping upwards. Link followed it, jumping a small gap, and then turned again, meeting him with the view of the so called sleepless waterfall. Link stood motionless as he gazed in awe at the sheer beauty. It stood over sixty feet tall, and at least twenty feet wide, it was a vast pillar of continuously crashing water, and as the slowly fading sun cast its final rays of the day at the waterfall, the whole area sparkled, each individual drop of water formed together, a sheet of crystal clarity always falling, never ceasing. Link recalled the 'waterfall' in the Kokiri village, he almost laughed in the memory of it. It had been no more than a trickle of water over rocks, never worthy of its name. The natural beauty before him, now that was a waterfall. Link began to run towards it, following the raised track that was suspended high above the river below. When he reached the waterfall, so close that the spray of the water brushed his hair and face, he was at least twenty feet above the bottom. He turned to Navi.
"You could jump," she suggested playfully.
"Hey! You're supposed to be my guardian faerie!" reminded Link. He turned to look at the massive waterfall before him. As he marvelled at its magnificence, Navi fluttered around, and located a carving of the Triforce carved at Link's feet.
"Play the Ocarina!" she told him, fluttering around the boy's head. Link looked at his feet, and quickly took out his instrument, playing the tune Zelda had taught him. As he finished the last note, the sound of rock against rock could be heard, and Link spotted a secret entrance that had opened behind the waterfall. He turned, grinning at Navi.
"That wasn't so hard," he said, before leaping across to the new path, getting drenched in the process. Navi smiled.
"When the king slumbers, so too, do these falls," she though silently to herself as she followed Link into the actual home of the mysterious race of the Zora people.
There was another waterfall inside the domain of the Zora, and it flowed and crashed as beautifully as the one they had just encountered. Link noticed a sign just inside the entrance, and paused to read it.
'Just Ahead
King Zora's Chamber
Show the proper respect.'
Link looked to Navi, who pointed forward.
"We'll go and see him, he's the guy who will know about the Zora Sapphire," she reasoned. Link nodded and began to jog up the path that hugged the side of the cavern. He looked down into the lake below, and saw figures swimming in the water.
"Are they the Zora?" he asked. Navi nodded.
"I guess they are," she affirmed.
"I've never seen one before," confided Link. Navi smiled.
"I don't think many people have," she agreed. They continued up the path until they found themselves in a large cavern, carved from the rock. At the back of the cavern, there was a ledge, and on it sat the strangest think Link's eyes had ever seen before.
"Wh-" he began.
"It's King Zora!" hissed Navi. He was a hard figure to describe, he was incredibly large, from his round body protruded two extremely skinny legs that Link figured wouldn't be much use in moving the great king around. His skin was a silver shade of blue, and he had the face of a fish perhaps, with an indigo eye on each side of his face. He wore a red cloak that was far too small for him, and a regal crown atop his head. He didn't seem to notice the arrival of the two, but was quietly sobbing to himself.
"Oh my dear sweet Princess Ruto...where have you gone? I'm so worried..." he murmured.
"Perhaps we caught him at the wrong time," whispered Link.
"Come on, we'd better leave him, let's go this way," suggested Navi, pointing to another exit. Link carefully stepped into the shallow water that covered the floor of the cavern and began to walk down the new corridor.
At the end, he could hear a roaring of crashing water, and Link looked down, confronted with the sight of the water fall they had seen when they had first arrived.
"Ah! A new contestant for my diving game!" exclaimed a voice. Link turned, surprised, to be faced with a slender figure, who looked extremely graceful. Their skin was a grey/silver hue, and their face was not that of a human. Link gulped a little.
"Diving game?" he questioned. The Zora nodded.
"Yes, since everyone is searching for the Princess no-one has tried it yet. I'm giving away great prizes, all it costs is twenty rupees, you'll win back your money in no time!" promised the Zora enthusiastically.
"Where is the Princess?" asked Link. The Zora laughed lightly.
"If we knew that, we wouldn't have half the city searching the river and Lake Hylia!" he exclaimed.
"I suppose there'd be a reward involved, for whoever found her," began Link.
"I wouldn't doubt it," agreed the Zora. He paused. "So are you game?" he inquired. Link looked down at the drop below him. He turned to the Zora, handing him one red rupee.
"Link!" protested Navi. The Zora placed his hand into a cloth bag, and pulled out a handful of different coloured rupees. He threw them over the ledge and smiled at Link.
"Get as many as you can in the time you have, starting...now!" Link took a deep breath then dived from the ledge, following the flow of the waterfall.
He crashed into the cool water, diving under, his eyes open. Link felt exhilarated from the jump, but he quickly grabbed two green rupees before surfacing for air. He let out a gasp, and then dived under again, scooping up some more rupees. By the time Link's time was up, he had collected every rupee, and he was richer than he had been when he had given his red rupee away.
"Catch kid! It's your prize!" called the Zora from above. A silver object hit the water beside him, and Link grinned, diving under to retrieve it. It was a scale, made from silver, seemingly. Link wiped his face, examining it.
"You can dive deeper with that!" said the Zora from above. Navi fluttered down, joining him.
"You could've broke your neck!" she exclaimed.
"I'd do it again!" said Link, his heart still pounding.
"Well, we should go to lake Hylia, help in the search for Princess Ruto. Lucky for you that I happen to know a shortcut," said Navi, fluttering across the water. Link swam after her, and she hovered, waiting. "Down there is an underwater warp passage," said the faerie, pointing to a submerged arch that was just below where Link was.
"How did you know that?" questioned Link.
"I already told you. Faerie's know everything," said Navi simply.
"No you didn't," argued Link. Navi shrugged.
"So, who cares? Now get going. The quicker we find the Zora Princess, the quicker we get our reward."
"So, this is Lake Hylia," murmured Link. Navi nodded. They had surfaced from the old ruins, and were quite close to the shore. Link surveyed the scene with interest, taking note of two buildings, one on the shore, and another that was on a small island at the side of the lake.
"Well, put that silver scale to use Link, dive! See if we can find anything!" instructed Navi rather bossily.
"Man I'm soaked!" sighed Link, diving under the water. Navi hovered, quite contentedly above the water, taking in the last rays of the day. She quietly reflected on the quest so far, and the quest that lay ahead. She knew it wasn't going to be easy. Something told her that even when Link claimed the Zora Sapphire, this would be far from over. Link suddenly resurfaced, gasping for air. He held up a bottle, waving it in Navi's general vicinity. He crawled ashore, lying down, breathing deeply.
"You found...a bottle? Well yes, that's going to help us. I can see it right now...King Zora, we're afraid to tell you, but your daughter has turned into a bottle," huffed Navi. Link rolled over and opened the bottle, pulling out a dry piece of paper. It wasn't dry actually, it was quite soggy, and it smelt quite bad. He unrolled it carefully, so as not to rip it.
"Help me. I'm waiting for you inside Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly...Ruto, and P.S. Don't tell my father," read Link aloud. He glanced at Navi. She gave him a mock applause.
"Give me that!" she demanded, reading it over. She handed it back to Link. "We have to show this to her father," she decided.
"But it says…" protested Link.
"Come on Link, I'm sick of you already. I want this over as soon as possible," said Navi pointedly.
"Charming," sulked Link, placing the note back in the bottle, keeping it in his hand.
"Back to Zora's Domain we go!" announced Navi, diving under the water. Link frowned.
"I wanted to explore!" he protested. Too late though, the faerie had gone. Sighing Link looked around one last time, then dived into the water, and back through the warp entrance that led to Zora's Domain.
"Oh this letter! It is certainly written in my daughter's hand! She's inside Lord Jabu-Jabu! Surely not! Our guardian God would never eat my dear princess Ruto!" exclaimed King Zora as he read the letter Link had handed to him. The King seemed to think. "Although, he did seem a little strange recently, ever since that Gerudo stranger came walking round the place," murmured the Zora, a little quietly. Link glanced at Navi. Ganondorf had already been and gone. "The evidence seems clear...I assume you'll go and save my daughter, you can pass through here, to the altar of Lord Jabu-Jabu...he hasn't been fed a while mind, ever since Ruto disappeared. It was her duty to feed him anyway," mused the King. Link gulped.
"Er me?" he asked. The fish creature looked down at him, and began to shuffle aside, an unpleasant squeaking sound forming as he moved,
"Why yes. You were obviously sent by the Royal Family to help us...hmmm, they get younger all the time don't they?" Link stared at the King.
"Who do?" he asked.
"Well, you aren't a soldier, the Royals would not insult us like that...so you must be a knight of the realm," presumed the King. Link walked up to the King, towards the exit.
"Uh...yeah," he finally decided, before turning and leaving.
The altar of Lord Jabu Jabu was actually situated on top of the sleepless waterfall, where there was another lake, the obvious source of it all. A huge fish type creature sat in the middle of the lake, sullen faced and silent. It was grey in colour, with blue eyes that shone brightly. It wore a sort of ceremonial head dress, but when Link approached it, it seemed to give off no signs of actually noticing him. Link glanced at a nearby sign.
Zora's Fountain
Don't disturb Lord Jabu-Jabu!
King Zora XVI
He shrugged.
"Do you suppose he's still hungry?" he asked Navi. She shrugged. Link walked closer, and gingerly placed his hands on the creature. It didn't move, its skin was cool, smooth. He tried to prise open the animal's jaw, but with very little success. He glanced around, and walked back into the water, making a grab for a fish that swam nearby. He caught it before it could escape, then took it, hand on tail, dangling it before the strange creature.
"Link, I don't think that's an altogether good idea," began Navi warily. Link dropped the fish. It flipped about feebly for a bit. Suddenly, Jabu-jabu's jaw began to open, and he took a great breath, pulling the fish towards him. He also dragged Link and Navi towards him too, before clamping his mouth together firmly, hiding all signs that the two had ever even been there.