"Tane?"
"Hmm?"
"If you have to whistle," Wynn growled darkly, "at least pick something with some resemblance of a tune to it!"
The red-haired adventurer grinned broadly at his partner, turning his face over his shoulder. "My, my, someone's cranky today!"
"Leave poor Wynn alone," Fami scolded, patting the glowering man on the arm as she walked beside him. "He's obviously not a morning person."
"Then what kind of person is he, hmm?"
"One on the verge of picking you up and throwing you into the river."
Tane slowed, looking at the rapidly flowing water that ran past the trail they were walking. His eyes followed the water back they way they had come, past a series of white-clad rapids, eventually ending in a short waterfall that crashed down besides the beginning of the path. "Oh."
Smiling with grim satisfaction, Wynn turned his gaze back down to the ground before him. He had been in this sour mood ever since he had woken up this morning; an event that had been less than pleasant and had involved Tane, an 'accidentally' spilt canteen of water, and Wynn 'accidentally' grabbing Tane by the collar as Fami tried to hold him back. As if that wasn't enough to make anyone less than anxious to face the coming day, his sleep had been hardly refreshing. This was quite obvious by the dark shadows around his eyes and the growls that were his response to most things Tane said to him.
The red-haired man noticed Wynn's dark mood, but beyond that gave it less than a second thought. After all, who could stay gloomy on a day like this? The sun was up, and shining brightly on the flowing water; a gentle breeze blew downstream, keeping the travelers cool; the birds chirped and sang somewhat more elegantly than Tane's own attempt at music. Plus, Tane could almost see the money that lay at the end of the trail. That was enough to get anyone up and ready to go. Well, besides Wynn, Tane noted. It had taken a canteen of cold water to accomplish that.
Fami strolled along beside Wynn, spending her time by looking at the scenery. The trail hugged the Zora River, which ran down a wooded canyon that ran from the headwaters above the Zora's Domain down to Hyrule Field. The water was swift here, the current almost too powerful to cross, but it eventually slowed down as it flowed into the field below. Fortunately, bridges spanned the river in most places that they had to cross, and stepping stones made the others possible. Fami was very glad of this fact; the water was near freezing. It was no surprise, after all, since Ganon's curse had turned Zora's Domain and the spring that fed this river into a tomb of ice, sealing most of the Zora's inside their home in a frozen slumber. Judging by the height and power of the waters, Ganon's defeat had broken the curse and had begun the accelerated melting of the domain. Tane had voiced hopes that the Domain would be close to normal by now, but Fami had her doubts. So did Wynn; he had lived not far from the cliffs overlooking this river, and he knew personally the power of Ganon's curse. The spring had moved enough to prevent it from completely freezing, but the calm water's inside the Zora city had not been able to say the same.
"So…how much farther, Tane?" Fami asked, more out of curiosity than any desire to see the hike end.
"Well, we're close. Just past this bridge and around the corner, and we'll be at the gate of the city."
Fami sighed softly. She was enjoying the walk, and wasn't anxious to go into a town. After all, besides Kokiri Village, she had never been around a large gathering of people, and Tane had smiled wide when he had told her there were many more people in the Zora town. Plus, the company wasn't that bad as it stood…well, half of it, anyways. She glanced over at Wynn, who had his attention firmly glued to the ground in front of him. She reached over, placing her hand on his arm, looking to him inquisitively. He met her gaze, his face clean of emotion. Her smile slipped, but she reinforced it, giving the arm a small squeeze. He returned the favor with a rather transparent attempt at a smile, and returned his gaze to the ground.
"Ah! We're here!"
Fami's jaw dropped as she looked up at the sight before them. "It's huge!" A massive waterfall thundered down over the end of the trail. Twin rock ledges ran along the sides of the cliffs, reaching out and crossing in front of the waterfall. The trail followed the right ledge, and ended immediately in front of the waterfall, a good height above where the water crashed into a deep pool and ran into the river.
"I've seen bigger. You should see the one at Gerudo Valley… ah, maybe not," Tane said, shivering.
Wynn stared at the water, his exhaustion forgotten for the moment. It only took him a moment to notice the problem with their situation. "Ah….how do we go on?"
Tane motioned vaguely towards the waterfall, leading them forward. "That way."
Wynn sighed, exasperated. "I know that. But…how…?"
By this time, the trio had reached the end of the trail. The path ended directly in front of the waterfall, halfway up. Just beyond the trail, a slab of grey stone was set into the ground. On it was engraved three triangles, one resting on the top points of the other two.
Tane boldly stepped onto the stone. "Like this!" He began whistling again, but this tone there was a definite tune to it; a slow, melodic lullaby that probably would had sounded better if it weren't for the dubious 'talent' of the person whistling it. Miraculously, as if responding to the music, the torrent slowed to a thin sheet of water, revealing an open door behind the waterfall.
"Glad I still remember that song Zaruu taught me," Tane murmured. He turned to Wynn, grinning arrogantly. "And to think you questioned my musical talents earlier! Ha! Let's see you do that, hmm?"
Wynn glared back impassively.
"As they say, music soothes the savage…waters. Remember that, eh?"
"Tane?"
"Yes, oh doubting critic of- oof!"
Wynn listened with satisfaction to the explosive splash as Tane collided with the waters below. He smiled, his first true smile of the day, down at Fami, who was watching a protesting Tane being swept downriver. "That felt really good."
******
"That was really cold, Wynn," Tane complained.
"I'd imagine. It just melted."
"I wasn't talking about the water!"
Wynn's only response was a shrug. Tane looked for pity to Fami, who hid a smile and shook her head. Sighing in frustration, Tane turned back to the waterfall. In the time it had taken him to scramble to land and trek back up the trail, the waterfall had returned to its normal flow, and was now thundering down into the pool below. Giving one last rueful glance at his remorseless partner, he puckered and again whistled the lullaby that was the key to the gates of the Zora's Domain.
Once again, the sound of the torrent lessened, and the doorway into the city appeared behind the waters. Tane stepped back, swinging his arms and judging the distance to the other side. Guessing wrong would be bad; he had no desire to go back into the frigid river.
"Uh…how are we supposed to get across?" Fami asked, concerned.
"How do you think?" Tane demanded, shaking his head at the girl.
"But…I can't jump across that!" Fami replied.
"Well, if you really wanted, and Wynn would give me a hand, I'm sure we could throw you across. Maybe."
"You can make it, Fami. It's really not that far." Wynn said, giving her a confident nod.
Fami sighed. "But-"
"If you're afraid of getting a little wet, I'm sure you could stay out here. Wouldn't bother me any," Tane suggested.
Wynn rubbed his temples as Fami began to look like she was honestly considering Tane's suggestion. "Let's get this over with before the water starts up again, please?"
Tane winced at the thought. "Ah. Right you are." Again, he took a moment to judge the jump before sprinting across the rock ledge and flinging himself forward. The other two heard a yelp as Tane passed through the water, and saw him on the other side, shaking the water out of his hair.
Wynn swept his hand forward, urging Fami on. "Go ahead."
Fami blanched at that, confirming Wynn's thoughts about her eagerness to cross. Sighing, she moved to the stone, and then jumped, splashing through to the other side. Wynn could already hear the two of them complaining as he moved to make his own leap.
A moment later, he was through. The water had been colder than he had expected; at that temperature, it had no business being anything but ice. As he hastily wiped the water off his face, the waterfall's roar increased again, sealing the trio inside. Wynn glanced back at it, wondering how they would leave the city, when he heard Tane clear his throat. "Yes?"
"I was waiting for an apology."
Wynn regarded his partner with a slight smile before clapping him on the shoulder. "Good luck." He moved on past the crestfallen man, Fami walking beside him, into the city itself.
The Zora's Domain was housed inside a massive cavern, one that could have held most of Kakariko in just the main chamber. The trio stood on a walkway carved out of the wall of the cave, which led along the wall until it split, one path leading farther down while the other gave into a flight of stairs, leading up and above the main chamber. To their left, the ground fell away, and below that was a massive subterranean lake. High up on the wall, across the cavern from the tree, was a towering waterfall, taller that the one outside the city but not nearly as powerful.
Wynn looked down into the lake. Most of the water was slush or covered by a thin layer of ice. The waterfall was hesitant, trickling down onto the frozen lake. He had not realized the power of Ganon's curse over this place; a few days ago, the lake, the waterfall, and all the other water in the city would have been frozen solid.
Wynn glanced around at the rest of the city. Most of it was lit by torches, with the light reflecting off the ice and water to dance across the walls in hypnotizing patterns. He blinked, turning to Tane. "Where's all the houses? Where do the Zoras live?"
"Most of them live up near the spring itself. They have another cave system, much more extensive than this one, that they call The School; most Zoras live there. They don't usually let non-Zora visitors in there…security reasons, you know."
Wynn nodded, turning back to the path before them. He froze as he noticed a huddled group of people, cloaked in blankets, marching up from the lower path toward the stairs. One of them noticed the trio and turned from the group, marching toward them. As he neared, he threw back the blanket covering his head and shifted the blankets covering his side, revealing the sword belted at his side. "State your purpose here, outlanders," the Zora demanded, glaring at the three.
Wynn frowned slightly as Tane stepped past him, considering the Zora before him. He was basically like a Hylian physically, except for a few glaring differences. His body was totally free of hair, leaving the top of his head smooth as it arced back, forming a fish-like tail that hung just below his shoulders. His skin was a pale blue, smooth and streamlined. The nose was slightly too pointy, and the eyes were completely black.
Tane stepped up to face the Zora, spreading his hands in greeting. "Name's Tane, nice to meetcha. I'm, I mean we, are here to visit an old buddy of mine, one Zaruu…?"
The dark eyes narrowed. "Oh. You're one of his…friends. I'm afraid you're out of luck, pal."
As the two talked, Wynn was distracted by a commotion out on the ice below. A group of Zora's were rushing to a hole in the ice, where another one had stuck his head and arm out and was waving frantically to the rest. "We've got another one! Hurry, he's pretty bad off!"
"Why's that? He's still around, ain't he?" Tane demanded, glowering at the thought his old acquaintance would run off at such an inopportune time.
"Not for long. I'd imagine he's still up at the throne room, but not for long. If you want to catch him, ever, better hurry."
Down on the ice, the group of Zoras was frantically pulling another out of the water. The one they were freeing was male, and looked to be around Wynn's age, but he wasn't experienced enough with the Zora race to be certain. "It's Lord Jaco! Hurry, get him warmed up!" The rescued man was shivering violently as they rushed him towards the ground and the waiting fires.
"Come on, Wynn," Tane said, pulling at his partner's arm. "We've got to catch Zaruu."
The three left the Zora behind, moving for the stairs, Tane at the lead. "I hope that fool hasn't done anything stupid. His people have been thawed out for just a few days, and already he's in trouble with the king."
Wynn and Fami jogged up the stairs after the red-headed mercenary, Wynn already feeling slight twangs of anxiety about what was to come next. Disaster seemed to follow Tane around like a tail, and he just knew something bad was waiting for them at the top of the stairs.
What they found was an argument. The throne room was small compared to what had been below. The stairs ended before a small platform, surrounded on three sides by the small stream that fed the waterfall. To their right was a path which curved up and around to the throne, which was in actuality just a ledge, nearly taller than Wynn and Fami put together. The throne overlooked the petitioner's platform that the trio stood before, and sitting on the ledge was the most massive person Wynn had ever seen. The king of the Zora's was obese to say the least, with a flattened-looking face staring over the rounded chin. The eyes of the king were farther to the sides of his face than on the rest of his race, and were also much larger and an odd shade of violet. Mustache-like fins protruded above the sides of his mouth, and scales of a darker green gave the impression of a slim beard. He wore a brilliant red robe, and his golden crown rose over the back of his head instead of circling the top.
The king was arguing with a young Zora female. Unlike the male they had met below, her head was vaguely triangular, and she had no head-tail. Her features were lovely at best, exotic at worst, but that would have been if she were in a good mood. At the moment, her emerald eyes were narrowed and her slim arms were crossed over her chest. She was draped in a thick coat, yet did not act as affected by the cold as the Zora's outside.
"What are you thinking, letting him go out there? Its death for any of us that go, and you just let one of our best soldiers traipse out there to die!"
The king sighed, the sound much like a bellows exhaling. "Nerah, please. Someone has to face that thing, or at least stall it. As long is it is out there, we face the danger of Ganon's curse falling back upon us. And I wouldn't call him one of our best, especially since we don't know the details of the debate between him and young Jaco during their mission outside."
Nerah flinched slightly at the name. "In any case, it is still suicide and you know it!"
Tane looked back at Wynn, grimacing. "This is not good, is it?
Wynn glared at his partner. "Oh, no. That would be an understatement."
It was at that moment that the Zoras noticed the people before them. "Ah, we have company," the king observed, his deep voice booming over the trio.
Tane stepped up to the platform, sweeping his arm before him and bowing grandly. "Ah, beg pardon for the intrusion, Your Majesty. I have come looking for an…acquaintance…of mine, and was directed this way."
"Go on," the king urged, his face slipping into an expression of polite boredom.
"Ah, yes. I was looking for a Zora by the name of Zaruu…"
The pair on the ledge froze at the name. So did Tane, his smile becoming strained. Wynn could barely hear him mutter, "Any second now, they drop the hammer. Here it comes…"
The Zoras turned to face each other, a conversation held in the glance. A long moment later, they looked back to the three, and the female spoke. "And your relation to Zaruu is, if I may ask?"
"Ah…that is…I would call it 'former business partners.'"
"By 'business', and knowing Zaruu, I take that to mean you are a mercenary. Am I correct?" The voice was just slightly colder than the air in the room.
Tane coughed into a hand. "Well, I…yes."
Again, the Zoras shared a look. "And the people with you? Mercenaries as well?" The Zora woman's eyes swept over Fami, then moved to Wynn. Her first examination of him was just cursory; the second started at his boots and moved slowly up as a smile quirked the side of her face. Wynn coughed into his hand, hiding a slight uncomfortable blush.
"I'm just here to make sure these two stay out of trouble," Fami said, surreptitiously jabbing Tane in the back as she smiled at the Zoras.
Wynn frowned. "I would suppose you could call me that, though it's not my preferred line of work."
The king regarded the woman. "Nerah, what are you getting at?"
Nerah smiled, although a different sort than the one she had been giving Wynn a moment before. This one was decidedly colder. "Well, they are Zaruu's friends, and I feel quite certain he could use help right now…"
Wynn leaned forward, whispering into Tane's ear. "Is it too late to mention I don't even know Zaruu?"
Tane chuckled weakly. "Is it too late to make a break for it and not stop running until we're back in Hyrule Field?"
The king sighed again. "Very well, Nerah. I suppose it is a last resort, but it must be done." He squinted down at the trio, shaking his head slightly. "But I highly doubt that they will be much help to a trained Zora warrior."
Wynn gripped Tane's arm just above the elbow, squeezing just a little too hard. "I really, really wish I had just slept in yesterday. I never would have met you, and my life would be much less complicated right now. And probably longer."
"You see," the king began, "we have a problem on our hands. A rather big one, I'm afraid."
Tane's smile was painful. "Go on, Your Majesty."
"You see, for many years we have enjoyed the protection of our patron deity, Jabu-Jabu. His wisdom and insight has guided our people for ages, and his magic has kept our waters clean and safe. However, his powers were not enough to shield us from the reach of the Evil King Ganondorf; well, not in the end. He was able to keep our waters and home shielded for many years after Hyrule Castle fell to the king of the Gerudos, mainly due to the fact that Ganondorf was too busy consolidating his power to worry with our people. We encouraged that, staying out of the matter to a major extent, save for a few scouting expeditions that kept an eye on the river and beat back any monsters that tried to infect our home."
"Unfortunately, while some of our most capable soldiers were out on one such expedition, Ganondorf attacked, not the city itself or The School, but rather the headwaters, the Zora's Fountain. He left one of his foul minions here to conquer our domain, and…" the king swept an arm out indicating the ice, "you can see the results."
"Jabu-Jabu was sealed beneath the waters of the fountain, entombed in magical ice. Without his magic, we are very vulnerable, not to mention the effect his presence would have on the thawing of our city. Still, we are unable to free Jabu-Jabu due to one thing," the female interjected.
"Let me guess. Ganon's little minion is still around?" Tane hazarded.
Nerah shook her head slightly. "I wouldn't use the word 'little', I'm afraid."
"By the Goddesses, I was afraid she was going to say that," Tane moaned under his breath.
"The beast, the Zess, still dwells within the fountain. As long as it remains, our people will not be safe, nor will the waters that all people of Hyrule depend upon!"
"And so Zaruu has gone to kill it. Alone." Nerah stated.
Tane nodded wearily. "One moment, please. Let me confer with my friends."
He turned to Wynn, who was standing with arms crossed and scowling. "Well?"
"I hate you."
"With good reason."
"I will make you regret this. Somehow."
"I already am."
"Fine," Wynn said, loosening his sword in his sheath. "Let's save your friend." Fami nodded beside him, and Tane ran his fingers through his hair in irritation.
"I was afraid you would say that." Tane put the smile back, and turned back to the royal. "Very well, Your Highness. My partner and I have agreed to come to your aid."
"Wonderful!" the woman Zora purred. "If you'll come this way, I will lead you to him."
"The Zora people appreciate your aid, and we will not fail to reward you should you succeed," the king promised.
"If we're alive to collect," Tane mumbled under his breath.
******
Moments later, the four stood outside. They were standing on what would have been the shallows of a massive lake, on that stretched farther than any could see through the mist hovering over the water. They would have been waist-deep in the lake, had it not been mostly frozen, with some of the water passing through the wooden fence to the left of the cave exit and running down to form the waterfall. Other than that, the lake's surface was solid and smooth.
"With Ganon's demise, the Zess no longer had the power to seal all of our home in ice. However, that means its power is concentrated here, which is why the entire lake is covered." Nerah informed them.
Nearby, a shrine rose above the ice, a few stairs leading onto a flat platform with a square pillar at each of the four corners. Standing on the shrine was another Zora, this one wearing a leather tunic with a longsword belted to his side. He was waiting, staring off into the distance, hand on the hilt of the sword.
"There he is, Wynn! Come on!" Tane said, jogging towards his friend.
Fami moved to follow, but Wynn caught her arm. "No, Fami, you stay here."
"And what makes you think you can tell me what to do?"
"Please, Fami." Wynn met her gaze, emphasizing the word. "Please."
"…fine. But if you go and get yourself killed…!"
Wynn didn't respond, letting go of her and setting off after Tane. Fami watched him go, struggling with the desire to run after him.
"That man…is he your lover?"
Fami blushed at the frank question from the Zora girl. "Ah, no."
"Ah. Just a friend, then?"
"Yes…you could say that," Fami answered cautiously.
Nerah's eyebrow rose as she watched Wynn go to Tane, staring a little too intently for Fami's liking. "He seems like he would make a good…friend."
Fami glared at the other woman, who ignored her. Giving up, Fami turned back to watch as the three men talked.
Wynn caught up with Tane just as the other reached the Zora. "Zaruu!"
The Zora's greeting was decidedly less jovial. "Tane, what in the blazes are you doing out here?"
"Bailing your fishy behind out of the fire…erm, ice, just like the old days. You just don't know when you're in over your head, do you?" Tane responded, chuckling.
The Zora arched an eyebrow. "You're hardly one to talk. Just stay out of the way, Tane. I can handle this." Without another word, the Zora took off, running out onto the icy lake.
"Sure you can, pal." Tane shook his head. "Fifty rupees said he drank too much and made another fool bet with Panu over whether he could do this. Idiot."
Before Wynn could reply, a roar destroyed the calm silence of the misty lake, resounding off the walls and making the two men take a step back.
"Whatever it is, it sounds big," Tane groaned.
The ice trembled as a massive shadow blackened the area before Zaruu. A spiderweb of cracks spread out, like glass breaking in slow motion. As the two men watched in horror, the ice finally gave way.
The Zess burst out of the water. It was a massive serpent, the head alone more than twice the length of the men. The jaws opened as the beast roared, a shrill shriek that made the watchers clap their hands to their ears. The creature's mouth stretched most of the length of its head, and was lined with wicked fangs, with two of them hanging over the creature's lower lip, easily double the length of swords. Two gills fanned from the sides of its neck, pulsing as it slowly lowered its face to regard the Zora before it. Its dark eyes were heavily lidded as it stared at Zaruu, hissing hungrily. Wynn frowned as he noticed the third eye on the creature's forhead. This unnatural eye glowed a fiery red as it stared at Zaruu.
Zaruu raised his sword as he shouted fiercely, charging at the creature. The creature hissed again, sounding almost amused, as a thick membrane nictitated over the third eye. Closing with the creature, Zaruu brought his sword around in a fearsome swing right across the belly of the serpent.
The Zora stepped back as the sword rebounded with a 'clang'. Zaruu stared incredulously at the snake's unharmed scales. He looked up in shock at the serpent, which craned his head down at him. The gills fluttered as the creature inhaled, the eyes holding Zaruu in place.
"Tactical withdrawal, Zaruu!" Tane shouted, and the Zora broke from his trance and heeded Tane's advice, scrambling for the shrine. He didn't even get close.
With a shrieking roar, the Zess exhaled, the air coming out as a blizzard-like cloud of ice. The frozen breath overtook Zaruu, and the heroes could hear his cut-off scream. When the breath dissipated, a frozen mound was the only remains of Zaruu.
"Not good. Not good at all," Wynn noted. Tane was trembling in rage, his jaw working fiercely.
"You'll pay for that, you slime-covered freak of nature!" Tane screamed, charging at the creature.
"It just keeps getting worse!" Wynn ran after his partner, unsheathing his sword.
The Zess watched them come, its stuttered hiss sounding remarkably like a chuckle. It waited until they were nearly to it before it lunged, its jaws snapping down after Tane. The man dove to the side, and the maw snapped down where he had been standing. The head whipped back, snatching at Wynn, who dodged back, out of its reach.
Roaring, the snake retreated, the head sliding back under the ice, which froze back over it. "What's the fool thing doing now?" Tane shouted, and Wynn shrugged back, then stopped.
"Behind you!"
Tane scrambled away as the ice behind him cracked and shattered. In a spray of frozen shards, the snake rose out of the water again; however, this time it was the tail that waved threateningly. Wynn's eyes widened as he looked at the tail, which was covered in barbs and spikes. With a muted shriek, the Zess slammed the tail down at Tane, who just barely evaded being skewered.
Tane's flight had carried him near to one of the sheer cliff walls that lined the lake. He winced as he heard the ice begin to crack behind him, realizing he had just done an exemplary job of trapping himself in a corner. As he heard the beast burst from the ice and shriek in triumph, he turned to face it. "Come on, then, you icicle with a tail! Come and get me!"
The Zess was quick to comply, lunging forward with jaws agape. Yelping, Tane dived the one direction no one had expected, sliding forward under the Zess' bite. The snake collided with the wall with a bone-crushing 'thump, cratering the stone, and lay there, stunned, gills weakly fluttering as its eyes rolled back into its head. Wynn took the opportunity, charging at the one target he could reach that was not covered in scales.
The serpent cried out as Wynn's blade sank deep into the flesh of its gills, whipping its head away and darting under water. Wynn looked from the blood on his sword to Tane. "That hurt it, at least."
"Or just made it mad!" Tane yelled, running to get away as the ice near Wynn began to give way.
Wynn dashed away as well, but as the ground in front of him began to crack, he realized he had been tricked. The Zess burst skyward once again, sending Wynn sprawling back. He climbed to his feet, shaking his head to clear it, only to see the Zess' head hovering before him, jaws slightly opened. The wounded gill on the right was bleeding fiercely, the black blood dripping out onto the ice in a steaming puddle. He tried to move to the side, but the head followed. He was trapped between the shrine and two cliff walls, with nowhere to run, and it wasn't going to fall for Tane's maneuver twice.
Again, the creature inhaled, the gills flickered, the right one with less energy. The mouth opened slightly, and Wynn could see the freezing mist drifting out over the fangs. Wynn felt cold now, but he knew that was nothing next to what was coming.
The serpent's eyes shot open as it jerked, the mouth falling open but no lethal breath escaping. The head snapped skyward as it shrieked in ear-tearing agony. Wynn looked to the left, and saw Tane standing there, smiling grimly, his ax head covered in black blood. "Guess the ax hurt a little more."
Screaming all the way, the head slowly slid back underwater, the sound fading as the ice resealed over it. The two waited, but nothing happened. "Is it…did it die already?" Tane asked.
"Look out, Wynn!" Fami screamed from the cave.
Wynn and Tane fumbled, trying to regain their balance, as the ice-covered surface of the entire lake heaved and trembled. The surface just in front of the shrine rippled, thin cracks spraying out and over again. With a cry more terrible than any previous, the Zess once again resurfaced, black blood streaming from its wounded gills. Staring down at the two with immense hatred, the Zess arced back, preparing to strike.
"Or maybe the ax just made it really mad…"
With the speed of a blink, the Zess lunged. Intuitively, the pair fled at just the right moment, flinging themselves to either side as the beast thundered down where they had been standing, slamming its fangs onto the ice with such force the incisors were buried. It yanked its head back, but it couldn't move; the strike had locked it into its own ice.
The two took this opportunity, dashing for the gills. Just as they reaching it, however, they closed up, protected from any further attacks. "What's it doing?" Tane shouted, and Wynn stepped back, inspected the motionless serpent. He looked up, and saw the third eye was now uncovered, and was changing from an angry red to a chilling light blue. Wynn shivered, then more strongly, wrapping his arms around himself, as he felt waves of cold emanate from the eye. He glanced down, and watched frost grow over his sword, then ice. He leaned, nearly falling over, as the cold leached the heat from his body. He felt like the entire world had forgotten the concept of warm…
Can't give in. Have to fight it. Have to stay alive. I'm not going to die like this!
The crystal at the end of his sword flared with light. Wynn gritted his teeth as he forced his body to move, forced his legs to run, forced his arms to raise his frozen sword. He ran to the Zess' face, ran up the snout, shouting all the way. Tane had collapsed beside the snake, and he could hear a scream as the wave of cold reached the cave, but he didn't have the luxury to think now. He ran up the face to the eye, sword lifting higher, point facing down.
The third eye pulsed, and a stronger wave of cold slammed into Wynn, nearly freezing him where he stood, almost locking his muscles, but the crystal pulsed against it. Shouting as loudly as he could, he drove the point home. The blade sank into the eye, which began to splinter and crack like glass.
The Zess tore its head free from the ice, whipping it about desperately to try to shake Wynn off, but he held on to his blade with equal determination. Finally, the beast stopped, head drooping. Seizing the opportunity, Wynn twisted the sword.
The eye shattered into hundreds of crystalline pieces, and the Zess flung its head back in agony. Unfortunately, Wynn's sword's only hold on the snake was the shattered eye, so the move sent the man flying over the shrine to land with the sounds of cracking bones as his shoulder met the ice. He groaned once, and then didn't move.
The Zess pointed straight up, its final shriek dwindling as it slowly slid into the waters, which were boiling black with its steaming blood. The gills, the eyes, the tip of the snout passed beneath the rapidly melting ice, and the Zess was gone. This hole did not reseal over it, but rather began to grow as the ice melted away.
"Wynn!" Fami cried, dashing out of the cave to run to the prone man. She knelt beside him, shaking him gently to try to wake him. She winced as she noticed the unhealthy angle at which his arm was twisted.
"Move!" Nerah ordered, shoving Fami aside. She looked around, then grabbed Wynn's sword. Cupping her hand below the tip, she slid her hand down the blade, rubbing the ice that coated it off into her waiting hand. She dropped the sword, cupping both her hands around the ice and holding her hands before her mouth as she began to speak soft words in a language Fami didn't understand.
As she finished, she moved her hands away, holding them above Wynn's injured arm. Slowly, she slid the hands open, pouring the melted ice, now glowing a soft blue, onto the shoulder. As Fami watched, the enchanted water seeped into Wynn's clothes. The arm twitched, moving back to a healthier position as the shattered bones mended themselves.
Wynn groaned as he stirred, turning his head to look up into the concerned faces of the two women. He blinked dully, shaking his head in a futile attempt to clear it. "Hey," was all he could manage to say at the moment, but he figured that would suffice.
"Hello there," Nerah purred.
Fami was too busy glaring at the other woman to respond to the fallen man.
Meanwhile, Tane was hustling to get off the ice and onto the safety of the shrine. The ice gave under his feet just as he caught the edge of the platform and pushed off, heaving himself onto the dry ground. He turned around, plopping down and dangling his feet off the edge of the platform as he watched the lake thaw.
The frozen mound that had been Zaruu tilted as the ice below it thinned and the edge of the expanding hole began to encompass the ground under it. Tane smiled grimly as he watched it slid abruptly into the heaving water. "At least I won't have to melt him out myself."
Tane impatiently drummed his fingers as he waited for Zaruu to resurface. He figured that if the entire race had been frozen by that oversized worm, a little gust like that wouldn't be able to take out a tough-skinned old sell-sword like his former coworker. He smiled as his suspicions were confirmed; a shadow was quickly rising up near the shrine.
His eyes widened as the shadow kept getting bigger. "Oh, no!" Tane cried, scrambling to get away. "Not again! WYNN!"
The water exploded behind him, sending a warm wave onto the hapless mercenary. Tane stumbled onto the ground, then rolled over, ready for the maw of the serpent to close over him at any moment. He paused, still waiting, before pushing himself up on his elbows.
He yelped as he saw the enormous mouth waiting just beyond the edge of the shrine, opened wide enough for him to stand inside. Had he been thinking clearly, he would have noticed the teeth were dull and rounded instead of fangs, and might have noticed that the indrawn breath was more of a yawn than a precursor to an attack, but thinking clearly wasn't very likely at this moment.
"Lord Jabu-Jabu! You have returned to us!" Nerah shouted, dashing towards the shrine.
Slowly, satisfied, the mouth slid shut. Tane blinked as he beheld the Zora's patron deity, Jabu-Jabu. The creature was a fish of immense proportions; it wasn't humanoid like the Zoras, instead looking like something someone would be cooking for dinner, only magnified exponentially. It rumbled happily as Nerah approached, the wide, ancient eyes narrowing as the broad lips curling in a vague approximation of a smile.
Tane shook his head in wonder, then looked to the side as he head a splash beside the platform. Coughing wearily, Zaruu pushed himself onto the shrine and tried to stand, but gave up, laying face down. Tane stood up and walked to him, patting his friend on the back. "You owe me one, pal."
"Tell me about it," Zaruu moaned.
Laughing to himself, Tane strolled back over to where Wynn had finally managed to find his feet, a quietly scolding Fami trying to keep him from overexerting himself. Tane flashed his partner a roguish grin as he jerked his head back to indicate the lake and the fallen Zess. "Guess that takes care of that, eh?"
Wynn weakly chuckled in response. "I hope so."
Tane started to respond, but was cut off as Nerah dashed past him. "You've done it! You've saved us! Come on, I have to take you to tell the king!"
Wynn couldn't help but follow as Nerah dragged him by the hand towards the cave. He shot his partner a helpless, apologetic glance as he disappeared into the Zora's Domain.
"But…what about…isn't she forgetting someone here?!?" Tane yelled.
Fami patted the mercenary consolingly on the arm before sprinting off, chasing after the pair. Tane slumped, jaw agape. "Such is the thankless work of a mercenary. Stupid, lousy, trout-brained girl."
Throwing one last look over his shoulder at the lake, Tane followed the three into the cavern.