Chapter 3

Morning light shone through the window, dancing upon the various trinkets of Lady Prakle's homely apartment room. Herbs and formulas lay scattered across her wooden desk after her work of saving Caelin from his injury. The two young Zora lay fast asleep with Lara nowhere in sight.

"Hehe, rise and shine young ones! A brand new day dawns and the sun is as radiant as ever!" yelled Lady Prakle as she paraded into the apartment carrying a tray of breakfast for the three of them.

"Mmmmhmmm...no...go away...leave me alone..." moaned Saeli tiredly as she laid sprawled on the couch.

"I have brought breakfast! Come on, wake up and start eating. We need to talk!" commanded Lara

Saeli got up and glanced over at Caelin's figure, wondering if he was alright. "Mhmmm...um...is Caelin alright? Did he heal well enough?" yawned Saeli.

"Yes, yes, he is fine child. Now come on, lets eat. We should let your friend...Caelin, you said...rest for awhile. The medicine is kicking in and he should be good as new in a few hours."

"Ah...okay...". Saeli waddled weakly over to the small table where the food was laid. Before her lay an assortment of food she had never seen before: yellow spheres with blankets of white surrounding them, crispy, brown ribbons of meat, and fluffy, golden patties drizzled with a brown, sticky sauce.

"Uh...what is this?" asked Saeli confusedly.

"Hehe, its pancakes and eggs! With a side of bacon of course. Have you not seen them before?".

"Um...no, I'm sorry, I haven't. I have always eaten vegetables...never...uh, whatever you called this stuff.

"No need to worry, we'll go down to the buffet later and get you a salad...Anyways...what are two Zora doing here in Hyrule? It is strange to see such a proud race like yourselves to even set foot on these lands."

"Well, we were escorting someone here to speak with the Queen. We were traveling through the mountain pass on the way here and were ambushed by some Gerudos. That's where Caelin got injured...".

"Hmm...I see...yes, the Mountains of Din have many evils lurking in every nook and cranny. May I ask who you were escorting young one?"

"Oh yes...we were escorting Ambassador Traela of the Great Seas. She was going to speak with the Queen about the invaders on out lands...I guess to ask aid."

Lady Prakle stared at Saeli with great shock and worry dripping from her face. "Child...what was the name you spoke...Traela, was it?"

"Yes, Ambassador Traela. Hehe, why do you ask?"

"Er...never mind...I'm sure its nothing...I-I need to go down to the lobby downstairs...they have the buffet there. I'll get you your salad." Lady Prakle swiftly shuffled through the door and ran down the steps, leaving Saeli and Caelin behind.

"Ahh...Saeli, good morning. May I ask where we are?" said Caelin, surprisingly pleasant after his recovery.

"C-Caelin? You're alright! I'm so glad! Your wound looks like it's healed."

Caelin's wound formed a scar on his chest, laced part of the sash that Saeli had taken from the fallen Gerudo back in the mountains. The sash stretched over his shoulder and tied into a knot in the back with the opposite side of the cloth.

"Heh, yes, it has healed quite nicely. I can't quite remember anything about when I got it...it seems like a blur to me..." replied Caelin. Saeli explained the battle to him, bring back his memory of the source of his near-fatal injury.

"Anyways, Caelin, we are in Hyrule. I found a healer, Lara Prakle, the lady who fixed ya' up, and this is her apartment. We stayed here overnight...but I have no clue where Traela is. She disappeared after the fight.".

"Huh...well, I suppose we should go back into the mountains and look for her...or maybe she made it to Hyrule."

After thinking about it for a few seconds, Saeli responded, "Yeah...probably...lets go down and ask the Innkeeper. Maybe he saw her or something."

The two friends walked out of the apartment and down into the dining area of the inn. Sweet aromas of bacon and eggs flowed through the room, out of the kitchen where the grease sizzled in the frying pans. Combined with the laughter and conversation of the throng of customers, the sound of the breakfasts being procured within the kitchen created quite a busy atmosphere, making it hard to think straight.

"Ugh...I can't see the innkeeper anywhere...not even Lady Prakle.", complained Saeli.

"Well, I know one thing...I am definitely getting out of here...way too crowded!" remarked Caelin as he slid through the crowded tables.

As the Zora's burst out of the humid, crammed room, they were greeted only by the even more overcrowded city streets where people shuffled every which way, desperately clamoring to their destinations. Despite all of the hustle and bustle of Hyrule Town Square, the glorious beauty of Hyrule Castle stood majestically over the crammed buildings and people of the Town Square. All of the colorful buildings and plain, green plants that bordered the streets paled in comparison to the magnificence of the castle.

"Do you think she made it in there?" asked Caelin.

"I have no idea...we should go check though!" replied Saeli.

Both friends pushed through the crowds, slowly making their way up to the castle gates. As they pleaded the guard to open them, a violent pounding could be heard, even over the shouts of the city people. A dead silence fell over the town square as the people turned their heads towards the drawbridge which shook vigorously while the pounding continued.

The silence continued as the civilians stared nervously towards the drawbridge. Town guards readied their weapons and the bridge keepers cautiously approached the gate release to drop it. Before anyone could reach the handles to drop the bridge, a furious wave of destruction blasted through the closed draw-bridge, annihilating it as if it were nothing. The water from the surrounding moat had risen and breached the bridge in a cataclysmic blow, flooding, the square in the ever-rising water.

In plain sight from within Hyrule town square, a horrifying sight befell the eyes of all the citizens of the city. The vast Zoran army marched across the plain, headed by Overlord Zoraco, who was responsible for the crushing wave created by the moat. In motion with his hands, the water rose up once again and flowed through the doorway that led into Hyrule. Behind the sorcerer followed hundreds upon thousands of Zoran militia, clothed in the basic cerulean and beige garments of the Nayru Seas. Every one of them carried intimidating tridents held parallel to their heads.

Alabaster and charcoal black horses circled around the army bearing the Zoran calvary mounted on their pure teal saddles. Each of the Zoras on horseback wielded stunningly elegant sapphire blades with decorated, platinum hilts.

Behind the militia strode the archers who wielded study, wooden bows and leather quivers across their backs. They were clothed in overlays the bore the insignia of the Zoran Empire, a triangular jewel studded with bright, blue sapphires at each point and gold filling in the space between the shining spheres.

"Wh-what are they doing here..." said Caelin blankly. Saeli was lost for words as was everyone else in the city as they stared at the oncoming doom.

Bellowing from the top of head of the army as they plowed forward approaching the castle, Zoraco yelled, "Hyrulians! You have disregarded all of our pleas for your aid! We have done no harm to you, yet you refuse any help toward us! Now that you have disrespected he Zoran race, you will feel the wrath of the seas!". With emphasis on the last word, Zoraco's hands burst forth sending more crashing waves through the castle walls, destroying the stone barrier that protected the town square.

The civilians of Hyrule screamed in terror as their own kingdom fell down upon them. Now in high alert, the town guards backed up into the gates protecting Hyrule castle and ran back through the courtyards in hopes to find some assistance.

"WHAT? How in the world can this be...there was no meeting! Traela didn't even speak to the Queen, did she!" shrieked Saeli.

"Children, come with me! We must hurry into the castle courtyards!" whispered Lady Prakle.

"Wh-where did you come from Lara?" asked Saeli. Disregarding the question, Lady Prakle shuffled into the gates that were left open by the town guards with the two young Zora coming up from behind her.

Zoraco and his followers made it to the moat and nimbly jumped over the obstacle. Chaotically scrambling around, the people of Hyrule tried to escape the grasp of the Zora, only to be cut down by the vicious calvary and militia. A volley of arrows spread death through the whole of the town square, pinning down innocents and family members where they stood. Crimson liquid clouded the corpse-ridden waters that now flowed through the once, happy and busy city.

All was quiet in Hyrule town square after the deadly Zora assault. Overlord Zoraco waded through the water, carefully studying the water's surface. Bending down, he pulled up a scraggly, water-logged man and peered into his face.

"Ah..Dranor Swiftback. I have need of your assistance. Please, come with me." commanded Zoraco. Unconscious, but alive, Dranor Swiftback was loaded onto the back of one of the calvary's horses.

"Now, we shall make camp here! Soon, we shall raid Hyrule Castle soon. Be warned! The Hyrulian army has not been assembled. I feel that we will be challenged soon! This is when we will reveal our true potential! Keep in mind the grand aspirations of the Zoran people! We will soon rule over all of this land and drive all invaders from our seas! Not only will we drive them back but we will rule over their homes as well! Queen Zelda has made it perfectly clear. She cares not for our people! We shall return this hatred by forever establishing our dominance over Hyrule, the Gerudo, and the Goron!"