Caranril: (sticks tongue out) Nyaaaa! See? My readers loved me enough to give me more fireworks! Take that, pretty boy!
Legolas: I have way more fans than you do.
Caranril: (gives him a big, squishy hug) An' I'm one of 'em!
Thanks to: Arctic Wolf 18 (I find Ruto creepy too), Rikst (a new reader! Yay! (lights fireworks)), T-bone (Huzzah! More fireworks. Boy, is Legolas in for it)
The Dark Before The Dawn - Chapter 5: A Plunge Into Danger
Link was out of the royal chambers in a flash, looking over his shoulder occasionally to make sure Ruto wasn't following him. He dove off the waterfall within the Domain and plunged into the froth below, startling several Zoras out for a swim. He continued downward, his eyes open in the stinging water, seeking the passage to Lake Hylia. While he was getting wet, he might as well do it all at once.
Unafraid of drowning now that he wore the necklace, Link took his time swimming to the surface once he reached the lake. He espied several items on the ground, rupees, frisbees, and such, but a red sparkle caught his eye as it twinkled in the sunlight. Diving deeper, Link reached out and snatched the tiny thing from the muddy earth of the lake floor. He bobbed to the surface to get a clearer look.
It was a tiny red, jewel, just clear enough for him to see through. It was no bigger than his thumbnail, so it wasn't any sort of rupee. Perhaps it was someone's keepsake which they foolishly took to Lake Hylia when going for a swim. Link put the jewel in his wallet, figuring that it would fetch a price at some market.
Link made to swim for the shore when he felt a gentle tug on his boot, then a yank that pulled him underneath. Remaining calm, Link kept his eyes open and looked down. Harlen's grinning face smirked back at him before he released his hold and joined Link on the surface.
"What are you doing here, Harlen?"
"Well, see, I thought you looked pretty cool, way cooler than any other boys Ruto's brought home. I dunno." Harlen regarded him closely. "There's something about you that I just can't point out...It's like I'm supposed to be near you for the future or something."
"I see." Link began swimming towards the shore, Harlen close behind.
"I come here a lot. The other Zoras don't like to come here for some reason, and Uncle forbids me to go, but I come anyway. It's nice to be away from all the training I have to go through to become king." Harlen made a face. "Who ever said I wanted to be king? I'd just as soon Ruto take the crown and I can be a normal kid again. None of my old friends are comfortable around me anymore, and I hate that."
Link slowed his pace, listening to the young Zora's frustration. They reached the shore, Link removing his tunic, wringing it out, while he propped his boots up for quick drying. He unbuckled his belt and unsheathed his lousy sword so that it might dry and not rust solid in the incomparable scabbard. He noticed the warm sun and stretched out on the grass, realizing that he must have been in Zoras' Domain for much longer than he had intended.
He watched Harlen in the water. He breached occasionally, twisting and diving in play. Link smiled, then lay back to soak up the warmth of the sun.
He had only been lying there for a few minutes when he bolted upright as the fetid stench of rotting...fish was it? or something else?...reached his nostrils. He could see Harlen swimming much farther away now, but something about the lake was out of place. A gurgling noise sounded, then the water in the lake began swirling around in a whirlpool like someone had pulled a plug. Link leapt up, grabbing his knife as a precaution. The water continued its torrent while he simply watched, but then his ears caught a faint cry. A gurgling cry of a Zora.
"Prince Harlen!" Link spied his small white form being drawn to the vortex of water. He placed the knife in the waist of his pants, ran off the dock and dove into the water, swimming beneath the surface to resist the strongest pull. As he drew closer, he could feel the force grab him and try to bend his will to its own, but Link's was stronger.
To his dismay, Harlen had lost his weakening hold against the whirlpool and had been sucked down, spinning down farther and farther. Link cried "No!" underwater before letting the current take him. He could reach the Zora in just a few seconds...
Harlen suddenly disappeared, and the whirlpool ceased its fury. Link looked about, but was barely able to see his own feet in the very murky water. The water bubbled, and he pulled his knife out. He felt something slimy touch his feet, then it floated to the surface right in front of Link's face. With a shout, Link scrambled frantically away from the grinning skull. Saturated flesh was plump and peeling of the bone, while one eye remained in the socket, red with burst blood vessels from the pressure at the depths of the lake. The thin strands of hair floated around the head, giving the illusion that it was moving towards him.
The water began to clear and the rotting stench grew until it was nearly unbearable. Link looked down, and through practically crystal clear waters he could see all the way down to the bottom. And what lied on the bottom.
Many bodies, even more than had been in the castle, lay hacked to pieces on the lake floor, tangled into one gross mass of putrid flesh and bone. Evidence of a massacre, not weather or boating accident that might originally be thought. Link could see some of the slightly more whole bodies were still wearing colourful swimwear.
Link felt woozy, then nearly sick, but the sudden clouding of the waters averted his attention. Suddenly, out of the water exploded a huge monster fish, big enough to swallow Link whole and not even taste him. It was familiarly grossly fat with big bulging eyes, its tiny fins seemingly insufficient to move the large mass of flesh and scales. The fish opened its mouth wide and roared, blasting Link with a foul breath littered with old pieces of food, which Link guessed were the innocent people lying at the bottom of Lake Hylia.
Link lifted his knife, prepared to fight as well as he could against this monster. The creature saw his movements and chuckled. Link stared in disbelief, finding it hard to believe that this creature was so sentient. It opened its mouth once more, and with a hurricane force began sucking water, air, and Link into its jaws.
Link's eyes widened and tried to swim against it the current, but once again, Lord Jabbu Jabbu's lungs were stronger than he was. For now he recognized the monster; somehow, the Zoras' guardian had escaped to the lake and was now a human flesh-eating beast.
Link looked back and noticed that he was almost upon the teeth, which would surely skewer him if he didn't act...He stopped struggling and faced the teeth, and he found his break. There was one missing, and if he could just make it there in time...
Link slipped through the gap with ease, continuing to the back of the Lord's throat and into his vile gut.
Link stood up, his bare feet squishing into the hot flesh of Lord Jabbu Jabbu's stomach. He cringed, wishing he'd thought to bring his boots. Better yet, his sword. On second thought, not that sword.
Link proceeded forward, noting the differences between his presence this time compared to when he'd been ten years old. There weren't any monsters or electric jellyfish, but there was another of those tentacle things hanging from the top of the stomach. It looked to be made of shadow, possibly the same shadow stuff that had burned the Triforce symbols.
Huddled against the far wall of the stomach, on the other side of a hole that led deeper into Jabbu Jabbu, was a quietly crying Harlen. Link walked to the edge of the hole.
"Harlen, are you okay?" he asked kindly.
Harlen looked up, startled. Then his eyes widened. "Link! Behind you!"
Link's eyes widened and he rolled to the side before the tentacle smacked him right into the hole. He bounded to his feet with a quick recovery and faced the menace. It swirled and made to strike him again, and Link rolled under it and ran to the other side.
"What I wouldn't give for my bow," Link muttered to himself. "Or my boomer- Wait!" He pulled the knife from his waistband. Goron Link had said it worked like a it slice like a knife? Link lifted his arm and aimed at the tentacle, which was preparing another attack.
"Farore, guide my aim," Link prayed before releasing the knife. It cut through the air and headed for the tentacle...and missed. Link backed up, then felt the flesh behind him and realized that he had nowhere to go. He tried to roll away from the tentacle, but his panic had interfered with his timing, so it was able to snatch him up. Link struggled against its tightening grip, but the surface burned his skin. It began crushing his ribs, and his skin felt like it was on fire.
"Link!" a voice cried out.
Link blinked, gasped once more, then out of the corner of his eye saw the knife, flying? It was coming for him. Of course! Link's mind cleared and if he could breath he would have sighed in relief. The boomerang knife cut right through the tentacle's hold and landed in Link's hand. The tentacle dropped from its root and released its hold on Link. He landed on his back, writhing along with the tentacle as he tried to breath against the pain of broken ribs and burned flesh.
He shakily stood up, but fell down painfully as the floor of Jabbu Jabbu's stomach shook violently. He tried once more to stand, but finally resorted to crawling towards Harlen. He peered down the gurgling hole, then looked up at Harlen.
"Harlen! Lord Jabbu Jabbu is going to throw up! It will wash me out, but when he does, you need to jump into the flow," Link gasped.
"Are you serious?" Harlen looked disgusted.
"If you don't want to stay here..."
"Okay, I'll-"
Harlen's words were lost as Jabbu Jabbu vomited. Link didn't have time to take a breath, which didn't matter anyway because his chest hurt too bad to breath deeply. The repulsive vomit hit him with a tremendous force and propelled him right out of Jabbu Jabbu' s mouth. He hit cool water and painfully swam away from the warm flow of bile. All he could do was hope Harlen had made it out...
The young Zora found Link struggling in the water and swam to his side to aid him. They looked at Lord Jabbu Jabbu, who was quivering violently.
"Harlen, swim me over to him," Link forced out. Harlen complied and took Link's arms and pulled him over to the stunned fish. Link swam above his head, took out his knife, and plunged it deep into the monster's brain. Lord Jabbu Jabbu breached the water and threw Link from his head. He bucked wildly for a few seconds before breathing his last and turning belly-up in the water.
When Harlen was sure that Jabbu Jabbu was dead, he retrieved Link's knife from the once revered fish's skull and swam to the elf, who was painfully pulling himself from the water onto a small island.
"Mr. Link!" Harlen cried. "I brought you your knife back!"
Link managed a small smile for the Zora. "Thank you, Harlen." He gently lay down, trying not to cough as he examined the burns across his abdomen.
Harlen regarded him with worry. "Mr. Link, is there anything I can do for you?"
"No, I'm sor- Oh wait there is." Link looked to his left. "You see that island not too far away?"
"Yes!"
"Okay, there is a bridge connected to it that leads to another island. On this island is a grave. Pull the grave open and drop down the hole. There you will find a fairy fountain. Get the bottle in my bag back on the shore and catch a fairy and bring it back to me."
"Yes sir!" Harlen dove off the island and swam with all haste for the shore.
Link closed his eyes and imagined his was back home for a minute. He didn't really have a home, but the Kokiri were basically his family. He recalled that he had been shunned after the Great Deku Tree had died, but it hadn't been his fault. Even though they never died, the Kokiri were all very close-minded children. Except for Saria.
Link opened his eyes. That's right, Saria had been a Sage, and now with the Forest Temple most likely sharing the same fate as the Shadow, Fire, and Water Temples, she would be back to living amongst the Kokiri. A surprise visit was a must. Then again, Zelda might be hiding in the forest, for it was a very tricky place when it wanted to be.
It took Harlen a few minutes to return with the fairy (he had had a little trouble with the grave), but Link was none the worse for wear. Link took the dripping bottle and uncorked it, setting the pink fairy loose on its business of healing his body, which was not too soon. Link sighed with relief as his aches and pains disappeared and were replaced with the warm tickle of the fairy's wings on his bare stomach. When she had finished, the fairy returned to the fountain, pleased that she had been chosen to heal the Hero of Time.
"What are you going to do now, Mr. Link?" Harlen asked anxiously.
"Please, just call me Link," Link said warmly. "Actually, I'm going to go to the desert. It's closer to Lake Hylia than the forest. I still haven't found my horse."
Harlen looked at his feet. "I was hoping you'd come back to Zora's Domain and let everyone know that you destroyed the evil lurking in the lake."
Link knelt down and put his hand on the young Zora's shoulder. "It's not my way to brag about the things I've done. Which is why you're going to do it, as well as let them know that the lake needs to be cleaned up."
Harlen met his eyes with big blue ones. "I'll tell them. And I'll tell them that you saved my life. By the way, thank you."
Link smiled and patted his head. "That's what I do, my friend." He dove into the water and swam back to shore, a wiser Harlen shrinking into a white spec that dove into the water and returned to Zoras' Domain.
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
Caranril: (sniffles) I really like Harlen in this chapter. You see him as just a kid burdened by the affairs of the state, not an irritating pest like in last chapter.
Legolas: You know, you really shouldn't grow attached to your characters, especially if you're planning on killing them.
Caranril: (glares) No, no, readers, do not worry, if you are. I am not going to kill the little Zora prince. Legolas is just referring to another story I've written, the one I plan to publish. I killed two of my most favourite characters (actually a lot more than two died...), and another ended up in the body of an enemy. Confusing? 'Course it is. You haven't read it!
Legolas: Just stop talking and finish the chapter. With the rate you're procrastinating you'll publish the book when you're fifty.
Caranril: (blushes) Oh, yeah. Huh.
Legolas: My favourite line was "What I wouldn't give for my bow..." I'm telling you this Link character knows what he's talking about. You'd better not kill him off, because blond archer elves never die.
Caranril:O.o Mm'k.
Legolas: As always, please review!