Ice and Vice

The group rode their horses as far up Zora's River as they could go. After that, they would have to walk the rest of the way. Though Zelda had suggested simply using a warp in Lake Hylia, Ingrid had objected to the idea of showing up in Zora's Domain that way.

Their path was relatively straightforward, if a bit time consuming. There were so many hills, ledges, and brooks to pass. The resistant wildlife proved more of an annoyance than a threat. Thanks to Ingrid's specialty, there were many dead Tektites and Octoroks floating in the water. The Zora guards that had been surveying the area were dispatched in a less severe manner. Ingrid had simply slammed them into the rock walls to knock them unconscious, though one would not know the difference since their bodies were also floating in the water motionlessly. In the end, they made it to the waterfall by nightfall.

"What's the plan once we enter?" Zelda asked.

"Go to Zora Fountain," Ingrid said. "I'll take care of the rest. Just follow me." It was a simple task of Zelda playing the song of the Royal Family and they hopped through.

"Hylian intruders!" one guard called. "It's Zelda!" All of the citizens dived underwater while the entire military force of the Zora race marched toward them. Most were armed with spears. A few had metal blades attached to wristbands, since there apparently were no Warrior-type Zoras.

"Now what?" Malon asked worriedly.

"Just follow me," Ingrid said, walking forward casually.

"It's Hilda the Reaper!" one Zora called. A noticeable portion of the force fled into the water.

"Charge!" the leader ordered. As the military charged forth, Ingrid made a sweep of her hand. They were pushed into the water, as she continued to walk forward. When some of the Zoras farther back began throwing their spears, she simply stopped the spears and let them fall to the ground harmlessly. Zelda, Peach, and Malon all glanced at one another and carefully followed her. They moved up the spiraling stairs and reached the throne room. The Royal Guards were easily dispatched and the group moved through the empty room. It was easy for them to pass into Zora Fountain.

"That was the easy part," Ingrid said, stepping into the deep part of the water, where Jabu-Jabu used to be.

"There aren't anymore Zora's around here, are there?" Malon asked, looking around.

"No, they're gone," Zelda said. Once they got into the water, it became obvious that Peach was the best swimmer. She was even passing Ingrid. Meanwhile, Malon held onto Zelda, not being able to swim.

"Tell me," Ingrid said before she got to far ahead. "How is it that you are such a proficient swimmer?"

"My friend Mario throws the best parties," she smiled back at her. Eventually, they were right below the ledge to the Ice Cavern. "How do we get up there?"

"Hmm…"

"You know, Zel," Malon said, "we should go swimming more often. It's kind of fun."

"You're not actually swimming…" Zelda muttered.

"Zelda," Ingrid said. "…This is where Lord Jabu-Jabu once dwelled, correct?"

"Yes," Zelda answered. "Why?"

"Well, something that large couldn't just disappear like that after dying," Ingrid said. "I can sense his lingering soul in this area…Maybe…"

"What?" Zelda said. "I don't think reviving him would be such a good idea…As things go, he'd probably just eat us…"

"I can do more than just kill," Ingrid said, floating on her back and closing her eyes. "Lord Jabu-Jabu, I summon you from the depths. Rise from your grave in living death!" Bubbles began to appear near the center of the fountain. Suddenly, the skeletal remains of Jabu-Jabu rose to the surface. It was actually quite frightening, since there was still some rotting flesh giving off a miasma.

"This doesn't seem ethical," Zelda noted.

"Are you sure you don't want me to just bring him back to life?" Malon asked.

"That won't be necessary," Ingrid said, as the beast floated toward them. It sank beneath the surface and swam under them. It rose up, lifting them high enough to step onto the cliff of the cave.

"How did you do that?" Malon asked, as Zelda let her down.

"I command all manner of death," Ingrid answered. "Including those that are dead."

"That sounds useful, if still unethical…" Zelda said.

"I used it to fend off those ReDeads you and Peach encountered in Hyrule Castle Town," Ingrid said, stepping into the cavern.

It was rather amazing how the air became immediately colder upon entering. Everyone but Ingrid was shivering already. The walls were covered in ice and snow. There were even a few snowflakes gently falling. The atmosphere was gentle, if a bit stifled.

"Be wary of your surroundings," Ingrid warned. "This is sacred ground." She smashed away icicles with her scythe. A few fell from the ceiling, but she deflected them with her telekinesis.

"How could they build something like this?" Zelda asked. "I thought Zoras were vulnerable to cold."

"That is exactly why it is a gravesite."

A Freezard rose out of the ground beside her. She sliced the top off with her scythe, but it merely blew a freezing wind. Ingrid was frozen in a block of ice.

"Oh no!" Peach cried.

"I'll take care of it," Zelda said, using a fire spell to melt the ice monster. Just as she was about to free Ingrid, her mother broke free of the ice and was shivering.

"Are you okay?" Malon asked.

"Let's move on," Ingrid said, giving off steam as she stopped shivering. They came to a small doorway that led to a larger room. There was a switchblade spinning in a circle across the ice. There were three doors scattered about the frosty room.

"That's the right way." Zelda pointed to the door that wasn't locked.

"Actually, that's the correct way." Ingrid was pointing into a small pool of water. She stopped the switchblade and disassembled it in midair, letting it fall to pieces.

"Freezing water…Are you serious?"

Ingrid walked into the water and dived down below. A moment passed and she resurfaced. "Hurry along, now."

"Well," Peach sighed. "It's not the first time I've been in freezing water." She jumped in and dived down.

"Hold onto me, okay?" Zelda said. Malon nodded and grabbed on. Once they were all underwater, they swam down an icy path and found a door sealed by iron bars. Ingrid used her telekinesis to lift them and swam through the ice door. The others followed her through and they walked out of the water in a strange room. It seemed as if they were standing on a snowy platform in the middle of a black abyss. Despite the black walls, they were full of ice sparkles and crystals. It was easy to tell that this was a special room.

"This is it," Ingrid said, wringing the excess water out of her hair. "The tomb of Queen Rita Zora." As if in response to her statement, the ghostly image of a Zora appeared. She looked very similar to Ruto, but she was somewhat thinner. She wore a white, semi-transparent silk tank top and skirt.

"Hello, Ing," she spoke. "I see you took the shortcut."

"Greetings, Rita," Ingrid said. "Allow me to introduce my daughter Zelda and her friends Malon and Peach."

"All daughters of people I know…"

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Peach curtsied, shivering along with Malon and Zelda.

"Ready to be revived?" Malon asked.

"Perhaps I should leave…" Zelda said uncomfortably.

"Do not despair, princess," Rita said. "I am well-briefed on everything that has happened to you. Though I am saddened by my daughter's end, I do not hold it against you. However, upon revival, I may use that as an excuse…"

"It didn't affect Malon," Zelda said.

"But it did affect me," Ingrid said.

"That is likely because Peach revived Malon. In doing so, she also cleansed her soul. But when Malon revived you, your soul was not purified. Peach, you must heal me if I should show any aggression."

"I understand," Peach said.

Malon focused her energy and the room was filled with every color of the rainbow. Rita became solid. She glared at Zelda with her icy blue eyes. Just as Peach began her healing spell, Rita disappeared into the snow-covered floor.

"This isn't good…" Zelda said, growing uneasy. Suddenly, a sharp icicle jutted out in front of her. They surrounded her until she was blocked in. Ingrid broke away the icicles and moved Zelda out of the way just as a large one jutted out from where she had been.

"Show yourself, Rita."

"You don't know what it's like to see your daughter die in such a wretched manner!" Rita echoed throughout the room.

"I suppose that time Saria slew her doesn't count?" Ingrid replied.

"No matter! I will kill her again!"

"What should we do?" Malon said, taking out her bow and arrow.

"Zelda, come here," Ingrid said. "This will only hurt a bit."

"What are you planning?" Zelda asked. The black mist overtook her and she fell dead.

"What are you doing!" Malon cried.

"Why did you do that?" Peach said, just as surprised.

"How could you do that to your own daughter?" Rita asked, rising out of the snow in shock.

"Stealing your thunder, I suppose," Ingrid said, turning to her.

"At least my daughter is avenged…" Rita sighed, becoming teary-eyed. "Though…I didn't expect that. It's such a hollow victory."

"Peach, heal Rita now," Ingrid spoke via telekinesis as Malon aimed her weapon at her.

"Why did you do that!" Malon cried. "You're still insane, aren't you?" Peach silently healed Rita.

"Aaaah!" Rita fell to her knees and writhed with pain. She lay on the ground and smiled, "Thank you…"

"Now, one of you," Ingrid said, pointing toward Zelda. Malon frowned at her and revived Zelda. Before Zelda could say a word, Malon grasped her in a hug.

"Did you just kill me!" Zelda exclaimed, despite Malon nuzzling her.

"A diversionary tactic," Ingrid said. "Now, let's be off before we freeze to death."

"A poor choice of words," Rita sighed.

"That's no reason to just take someone's life away!" Malon yelled angrily.

"I agree," Peach said, also upset. "No one has the right to take a life."

"Tell that to your mother," Ingrid said, hopping back down into water. Peach looked as if she had been punched in the stomach.

"Oh, don't be too upset," Rita said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Ingrid is just…professional. It's not her fault if she's a bit rigid sometimes."

"Yeah, well…" Malon pouted. "Someone needs to pull the stick out…" She silenced herself when Ingrid climbed back out of the water.

"The door is no longer there," she said, eyeing her surroundings carefully.

"Let's be careful," Rita advised. "I remember something coming here several months ago… I haven't noticed it since then, but…"

"First of all," Zelda said, turning toward the solid wall of ice, "how do we get out of this room?" Ingrid stepped toward the ice wall and pressed her hand against it.

"How sturdy is this cavern?"

"You should be able to take down an entire wall without worry," Rita answered. "But that won't be necessary… I think I can get us out." She stepped toward the wall and it shattered like glass. They hopped onto the slippery floor of the next room. There was a dark, misty crevice along the perimeter of the room.

"Something isn't right…" Malon said, looking around. "I sense something here…" A block of ice rose out of the tiled, icy floor, startling them.

"Don't worry," Rita giggled. "This is just part of the puzzle in this room."

"Guess again," Ingrid said, readying her scythe as the block was raised from beneath by a short, stocky, teal-shelled creature. It did not seem nearly large enough to lift something that big, but it held the block above itself effortlessly.

"What is that?" Rita asked.

"It looks a great deal like something from your world, Peach," Zelda said cautiously.

Peach looked at the creature carefully. It stood on two yellowish-orange legs, but it was too small to be a Koopa since it did not seem to have a neck and it was almost completely under the shell. It's eyes were white and empty, unlike anything she had seen from her world. But she vaguely recognized the form of the creature. "It's a Buzzy…no, wait…it's a…"

"BUSTER BEETLE!" the small-voiced creature yelled, effortlessly tossing the block at the group. They all dived away and shielded themselves as the block dangerously burst into pieces.

"They aren't supposed to be able to do all that…" Peach said worriedly.

"He's a strong one," Rita said, causing an icicle from the ceiling to fall toward it.

"TAKE THIS!" it said, catching the icicle and flinging it at her. Ingrid emitted a jet of flame from her hand and the icicle-turned-water splashed onto Rita harmlessly. Ingrid then blasted her black mist onto the Buster Beetle. It died instantly.

"That's certainly a handy ability," Zelda sighed. There was a crash and the group was instantly surrounded by Buster Beetles who popped out of the floor, carrying the large ice blocks.

"BUSTER!" they yelled simultaneously as they threw the projectiles. A shield of ice came up over the group to block the blocks. Black mist filtered through and spread through the entire room. Once the ice shield crumbled away, the group of women were the only ones still alive.

"I'd suggest you leave," Ingrid said, closing her eyes.

"What about you?" Peach asked.

"I will make use of the vanquished," she answered. "Feel free to kill anything you happen to encounter, but try to leave its body intact."

"Okay!" Zelda said, taking Malon and Peach by their hands and running out with Rita. They ran through a short hallway and reached another large chamber. There were several pillars scattered around the room as well as Freezards sliding around the floor. The women hopped across the pillars to bypass the Freezards and hopped down to moved through the next tunnel. There was a puff of smoke and a trio of Shamans stood in their way.

"Not you again," Zelda sneered. Before she could do anything, Peach ran at the middle Shaman and slapped him repeatedly. He made a hasty teleportation out of the cavern, while the other two backed away. "Um, Peach?"

"I've fought these guys before," Peach frowned, using her Mute spell on one of them. "Take them down quickly or they'll do terrible damage."

"Diamond Saw!" the other one called out. Two frosty buzzsaws materialized and flew at them, but Rita stopped them in midair and sent them back. The Shaman burst into stardust as soon as they hit him.

"I can't win this!" the remaining Shaman said, but was frozen solid by Rita's power.

"Leave him," Zelda said, continuing to run. They reached the chamber of the first room and found a few large Spinies crawling around. They were obviously mutants since their shells were black and their spikes seemed to be made of some sort of crystal. There were even a few crawling along the ceiling.

"This is getting scary," Malon said. "They weren't here before…"

"They were just hiding," Zelda said. "Look." There were a few Buster Beetles peeking up out of the ground from underneath grounded icicle formations.

"How will we get past all of that?" Malon asked fearfully.

"Let's see," Rita said. The cavern rumbled and ice spikes jutted up all around the room. Unfortunately, the hard-shelled creatures were only disheveled by the tremors and formations. Then, she attempted to freeze them with an icy wind. The creatures were only immobile for a few seconds before moving again in a semi-frozen state. "Well, I'm fresh out of ideas."

"I don't think we'll have to worry about it," Peach said as she saw a black fog come into the room from the other side. The creatures keeled over as expected and the group passed through easily. They met Ingrid at the entrance to the cavern.

"How did you get here?" Rita asked.

"Them," Ingrid said, pointing to the small army of undead Buster Beetles inside a large hole behind her. "They'll do a good job of guarding this ground."

After they returned to Zora's Domain, Rita explained everything to her people. Though many of them were still sore about what happened to Ruto and the others, they laid down their weapons for the time being, especially since Malon revived Lord Jabu-Jabu Everyone was welcomed to stay, but they decided to return to Lon Lon Ranch since it would be awkward to stay there. Rita stayed in Zora's Domain to sort other things out.

Once they returned to Lon Lon Ranch via Farore's Wind, they immediately got ready for bed. Mother Malon had already made sleeping arrangements. Malon and Zelda returned to the secret room, while Ingrid and Peach were free to sleep pretty much wherever they wanted to. They both decided to stay in the barn, since they were still a little chilled from the Ice Cavern. Peach sat in one corner full of hay, while Ingrid sat across from her.

"So what do you think about Malon?" Peach asked without warning.

"What about her?" Ingrid replied, keeping her eyes closed.

"Don't you think she's a nice person?"

"I suppose."

"Would you have anyone better for a daughter-in-law?"

"I don't have a son, Peach."

"I'm talking about her being with Zelda."

"What about it?"

"Don't you think they make a nice couple?"

"I never knew that they were one."

"Well, they definitely seem to be. Mother Malon says so."

"What do they say?"

"Zelda says they definitely aren't," Peach said uneasily. "And Malon isn't saying anything either way."

"So you have one gossip, one mute, and one from the horse's mouth…"

"Well, I saw them myself…I was wondering what they were doing and I took a peek…"

"Of course…"

"Is it really normal for really good friends to kiss each other on the mouth?"

"Sometimes."

"So, do you think they're a couple?"

"I don't know."

"But they weren't wearing any clothing…"

"I say I don't know because I don't know. To rely on another is to be weak…To rely on someone else's unsubstantiated words is to be a gossip…and gossips are useless. I think killing my daughter was enough drama for one lifetime."

"Would you mind if they were?" Peach asked.

"No."

"Good."

"Is there a point to your rambling?" Ingrid asked, opening her eyes.

"I just wanted to know what you think about them," Peach said, closing her eyes. "Goodnight."

As Ingrid sat there, inadvertently going over everything she had said in her head, she became frustrated with her own heightened interest. She muttered to herself, "Damn kids…"

It was the middle of the night. A shadowy figured wisped from the shade of the barn to the house. Her white hair shined in the moonlight. She quietly slipped through the door. To her surprise, Ingrid saw Talon sleeping amongst the Cuccos. She saw the door atop the stairs to her right and silently hopped up there. She slipped into the dark bedroom and saw Mother Malon sleeping. Using telekinesis, she lifted her out of the bed and opened her eyes. When she still did not awaken, Ingrid lifted the water out of a glass pitcher on the table. She passed the bubble of water over the woman's face and she awakened immediately.

"Huh! What!" she snorted. "Oh…It's you. What's the meaning of this?"

"We need to talk," Ingrid said, lowering her.

"It's awfully late…but then, it must be important if you're going through all this."

"It's actually not very important at all," Ingrid said. "But the Wanderer's daughter planted a rather potent interest within me. She would not cease to talk about it. It's about our daughters and their…unique relationship."

"Oh, so you know?" she smiled. "It's really quite sweet. They've been together for…"

"Exactly what is the nature of their relationship?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Zelda does not seem to appreciate the label you and Peach have been giving her."

"It's understandable for her to be in denial when you remember her social status…"

"Regardless of whether or not she is in denial, I think it would be best to cease molesting her about the issue."

"But it is something to be nurtured," Mother Malon reasoned. "She'll admit it to herself with proper support. And it's her family that she needs support from."

"Her family is dead," Ingrid said bluntly. "And neither of us truly count as family, no matter how much you would like to be her surrogate mother."

"I see her as a daughter-in-law," Mother Malon said. "I don't claim to be anything more."

"What makes you so sure that they have a sexual relationship?"

Mother Malon became silent and seemed to be uncomfortable. "…Maybe we should talk about this later…"

"I'd suggest that you cooperate, Malon."

"…I…can't," Mother Malon said, turning her back on her. Ingrid stepped closer and held her cheeks, forcing her to look into her eyes, which seemed to shine in the darkness.

"Remember, Malon…I am your Queen," Ingrid spoke hypnotically in both her voice and telepathy, giving her words a strange echo. "You do what I say in life and death… Only in life do you have any free will. Should I see fit, you will be mine to control in the afterlife."

"…My Queen…" Mother Malon said blankly. "…Please, no…" Ingrid released her and stepped back.

"…Very well," Ingrid sighed. "But from this point on, you are to keep your comments on their relationship to yourself."

Mother Malon shook off the hypnotic state and stuttered, "B-But…"

"I would not care even if they were to mount each other in broad daylight," Ingrid said, grabbing her chin lightly. "Not even if they were to have a wedding ceremony the next day. Not even if the Goddesses themselves were to decree their spiritual union. Until Zelda admits something, if there is something to admit, you are to leave her be. Is that clear?"

"Yes, my Queen," she replied blankly once again. Ingrid released her and stepped back. "You know I hate it when you do that…"

"If it's the only way to get through to you…" Ingrid said, sitting in the corner. "I hope you don't mind me sleeping here. The barn smells and I don't need the little Wanderer planting anymore thoughts in my mind."

"You can sleep with me if you want," she offered.

"That seems somewhat inappropriate," Ingrid stated.

"Just friends, remember?" Mother Malon smirked. "Our daughters, who are just friends, did it too."

"You really should cut down on using your own herbs."

"Oh, come on," Mother Malon said, pulling her into bed. "It's not as if we're going to do anything. You just look like you could use a good sleep."

"All right," Ingrid sighed. "Just cease the innuendos."

"Do you want to be on top or should I?"

"Damn cows…" Ingrid thought to herself.