Chapter Five: Ill Fate met by Waters Edge
It was still late at night when they arrived at the shores of Lake Hylia. There was barely a disturbance on the water and the half moon shone brilliantly on its calm canvas. The one thing Link noticed was that there were lights on at the Lakeside Laboratory.
"Someone must be awake," he thought out loud. Link walked over and knocked at the door. A cracked old voice came from within.
"Come in!" It yelled. Link cautiously opened the door and peered inside. He looked around for a moment, there didn't seem to be anyone there.
"Hello?" Link said. "Anyone here?"
"Well of course there is someone here my young lad! Of course there is!" Came the old voice again. Link still couldn't find it.
"Young man up here!" Link backed up a few steps and looked to the roof and found the source of the voice. "Up here! That's it!"
"Professor? What are you doing up there?" Link questioned.
"Nothing much my boy! Nothing much! I'm just finishing an experiment on plant growth in the moonlight. Nothing much!" The professor was very giddy. Link just looked up at him. He started to climb down from the roof. "What brings you here my boy! I haven't seen you around in awhile. Up no wait! Never mind what I just said, you were here the other day! Yes I remember now!" He did a half prance back inside his lab. "Come in! Come in!" Link thought that maybe the professor had gotten into his wine stash or something, he had never seen him this flighty before. He followed him inside.
"What brings you here so late at night?" He repeated.
"I'm just curious…" He hesitates but continues. "Are there any other ways out of Lake Hylia additional to the gates and the river from the Gerudo Valley?" Link waits the see the Professor's response.
The Professor places his hand on his chin and appears to be thinking. After a few seconds the Professor says this:
"Lake Hylia has underwater rivers that lead out into the wilderness. This is all we know because nobody had ever followed and charted them. They are fairly new though, they were created by an earthquake that happened some odd thirty, forty years ago," the Professor stopped there. Link wanted to know more, but had to be indistinct.
"Really? Did the walls split open or something?" Was the best he could come up with.
"Oh my yes! I was just a lad then, but I remember my father taking me out to see the giant openings the quake had created. The water from the lake formed a river that flowed downhill from that point. The rocks made it easy to follow the river down, but my father wouldn't let me go. A few years later my father and some men from the castle were sent to 'plug it up' and that was the end of that."
"Oh," was all Link could say.
"The underground rivers are still there though if you're looking for adventure," the Professor added. "Saw em' on one of my dives to collect silt samples. I'd be careful though if I were you, them currents are mighty strong."
Link looked at him; it seemed he knew exactly what he was thinking.
"Thank you Professor," he said and then left in a hurry.
"Kids…" The Professor chuckled to himself after Link had left.
It had started to become light outside as Link left the lab. The water was still dark though, so he decided to wait until the sun was higher so he could see more clearly underwater. Link waited impatiently.
"I suppose that Pamiea's group followed the rivers when the walls around the lake were split open. According too the Professor it should have been an easy climb down." Navi stated the obvious. "So I guess we gotta go check out the submerged rivers huh?"
"Yes Navi," Link said with an 'OK mother' type of voice.
"Very funny Mr. Wise Guy."
The sun had now risen up to a good level and the water was clear and light. Link took out his Zora's Tunic and Iron Boots. He took off his Kokiri garments and placed his new ones on. Now he was ready. The Hero of Time waded into the Lake and was soon lost from view beneath the water. He didn't remember any large openings in the lake when it was empty, but then again he never looked. With the Iron Boots equipped, he ran to the far end of the lake. As he started to walk up the other side he did notice something, a semi-large crack in the wall, large enough for him to fit through. Link took out the Lens of Truth and pointed it toward the opening. To his luck, the cavern became larger as it went in. He thought to himself; is this the way I want to go? Link pondered to himself for a minute, his resolution, into that tunnel he goes. With a deep breath he walks toward the opening…
It was still late at night when they arrived at the shores of Lake Hylia. There was barely a disturbance on the water and the half moon shone brilliantly on its calm canvas. The one thing Link noticed was that there were lights on at the Lakeside Laboratory.
"Someone must be awake," he thought out loud. Link walked over and knocked at the door. A cracked old voice came from within.
"Come in!" It yelled. Link cautiously opened the door and peered inside. He looked around for a moment, there didn't seem to be anyone there.
"Hello?" Link said. "Anyone here?"
"Well of course there is someone here my young lad! Of course there is!" Came the old voice again. Link still couldn't find it.
"Young man up here!" Link backed up a few steps and looked to the roof and found the source of the voice. "Up here! That's it!"
"Professor? What are you doing up there?" Link questioned.
"Nothing much my boy! Nothing much! I'm just finishing an experiment on plant growth in the moonlight. Nothing much!" The professor was very giddy. Link just looked up at him. He started to climb down from the roof. "What brings you here my boy! I haven't seen you around in awhile. Up no wait! Never mind what I just said, you were here the other day! Yes I remember now!" He did a half prance back inside his lab. "Come in! Come in!" Link thought that maybe the professor had gotten into his wine stash or something, he had never seen him this flighty before. He followed him inside.
"What brings you here so late at night?" He repeated.
"I'm just curious…" He hesitates but continues. "Are there any other ways out of Lake Hylia additional to the gates and the river from the Gerudo Valley?" Link waits the see the Professor's response.
The Professor places his hand on his chin and appears to be thinking. After a few seconds the Professor says this:
"Lake Hylia has underwater rivers that lead out into the wilderness. This is all we know because nobody had ever followed and charted them. They are fairly new though, they were created by an earthquake that happened some odd thirty, forty years ago," the Professor stopped there. Link wanted to know more, but had to be indistinct.
"Really? Did the walls split open or something?" Was the best he could come up with.
"Oh my yes! I was just a lad then, but I remember my father taking me out to see the giant openings the quake had created. The water from the lake formed a river that flowed downhill from that point. The rocks made it easy to follow the river down, but my father wouldn't let me go. A few years later my father and some men from the castle were sent to 'plug it up' and that was the end of that."
"Oh," was all Link could say.
"The underground rivers are still there though if you're looking for adventure," the Professor added. "Saw em' on one of my dives to collect silt samples. I'd be careful though if I were you, them currents are mighty strong."
Link looked at him; it seemed he knew exactly what he was thinking.
"Thank you Professor," he said and then left in a hurry.
"Kids…" The Professor chuckled to himself after Link had left.
It had started to become light outside as Link left the lab. The water was still dark though, so he decided to wait until the sun was higher so he could see more clearly underwater. Link waited impatiently.
"I suppose that Pamiea's group followed the rivers when the walls around the lake were split open. According too the Professor it should have been an easy climb down." Navi stated the obvious. "So I guess we gotta go check out the submerged rivers huh?"
"Yes Navi," Link said with an 'OK mother' type of voice.
"Very funny Mr. Wise Guy."
The sun had now risen up to a good level and the water was clear and light. Link took out his Zora's Tunic and Iron Boots. He took off his Kokiri garments and placed his new ones on. Now he was ready. The Hero of Time waded into the Lake and was soon lost from view beneath the water. He didn't remember any large openings in the lake when it was empty, but then again he never looked. With the Iron Boots equipped, he ran to the far end of the lake. As he started to walk up the other side he did notice something, a semi-large crack in the wall, large enough for him to fit through. Link took out the Lens of Truth and pointed it toward the opening. To his luck, the cavern became larger as it went in. He thought to himself; is this the way I want to go? Link pondered to himself for a minute, his resolution, into that tunnel he goes. With a deep breath he walks toward the opening…