This one got a little long, but that's alright :3 Hopefully you'll enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Chapter Six

Fishfolk, and Other Things of a Watery Nature

"This place is a lot nicer than Death Mountain." Navi noted as the group made their way along the riverbank. They had scared the hell out of a… man?

He had been sitting, eating his own product, when a little girl, a fairy, and her two massive terrifying monstrous bodyguards had rounded the corner and the fellow had been so frightened he had tumbled right into the river. Luckily, he was quite buoyant and seemed content to float away, still munching on beans.

"I feel a little bad about that." Dodongo hummed.

"Not me!" Gohma cheered.

The path down the river was not only easier than the route to Goron City, the hike was a lot easier than climbing the mountain. While there were still some monsters, they seemed to be confined to the water, or at least to prefer it greatly, so they caused no real trouble as the gang made their way down the river.

"Hoot hoot!"

"BIRD!" Linkle yelped, diving behind her friends as if they were bodyguards.

"Oh for the goddesses' sakes…" the owl sighed, shaking his head. "I just am here to tell you that the way's blocked by a waterfall ahead and you need the song. If you'll stop being such a baby about it, then I'll be on my way."

Linkle hissed like a feral animal as the owl shook his head again, and flew off.

"I hate that bird." She growled.

"He doesn't seem as awful as you made him sound." King tipped his head to one side. "He gave some genuine advice."

"He is stalking a ten-year-old girl." Navi retorted.

"We're all accompanying a ten-year-old girl. Also he's a bird ."

"I'm eleven actually." Linkle mumbled softly, but was ignored.

Eventually, they made the precarious way to the waterfall.

"So the Domain is through there?" Gohma hummed, squinting. "There's so much water I can't see a thing."

"I could jump it." King grinned, as he launched himself forward.

The heavy dinosaur seriously underestimated the sheer force of a waterfall, because he was instantly dragged downwards into the rapids below. Luckily his size meant that he could simply lift his head up and raise it above the water to keep breathing, and his bulk prevented him from getting swept away.

"That was delightfully stupid of you." Gohma crowed, as the soggy Dodongo slowly pulled himself out, while Linkle began to play Zelda's lullaby.

"Is it just me or is she getting worse?" Navi winced. Linkle pouted a bit, but the offkey tune was apparently close enough because the waterfall began to part.

"Huh. Magic is weird. "

"Yep."

Linkle had to admit, so far, this place was just… Better than the mountain in every way. The river hike had been pleasant, the Zora's were friendly (if a little terrified of her monstrous bodyguards at first), and the Domain itself was just… pretty .

Sparkling stone walls, clean, pure water, apparently kept fresh by some kind of natural magic in the surrounding environment, and just an air of comfort and serenity that Death Mountain lacked.

That was serenity however felt a bit forced. Some of the Zora seemed on edge.

It didn't take much asking around to find out why. The Zora Princess had gone missing without a trace and the King was despondent.

The monsters flanking Linkle couldn't help but stare; this Zora was many times larger than his subjects; tremendously large and plump, even bigger than Gohma.

"Oh, oh my poor daughter…" He sniffled, scrubbing his face. Linkle awkwardly and politely waited for him to recover some dignity, clearly not sure how to present herself in front of a literal king. Finally, he straightened, to explain. "Our dear princess, the jewel of our fair Domain… She simply vanished. We haven't found a trace of her all up and down the river, and the Domain itself." He blubbered. "I may have to start sending my troops to Lake Hylia if we are to find any sign of her…"

"Lake Hylia? That's on the other side of Hyrule field! How would she have gotten there?" Navi sounded baffled.

"There is a small waterway that leads near there." The King whimpered. "I know sometimes young Zora will slip away to frolic in the lake, but Ruto surely would not leave without telling me…"

"Huhn." Dodongo rumbled softly. "I don't know much about kids but would she though?"

"What, keep quiet? Probably. I have hundreds of kids and they never even talk to me." Gohma shrugged.

"Maybe, have you considered, perhaps… That you are a shitty mom?" King suggested. Gohma growled, jabbing at him with a talon.

It didn't take too long for Linkle to find a clue. She had to leave her companions behind for the time being- the passage was too tiny for either of them, but she soon was back with a message in a bottle.

"She went inside something called a Jabu Jabu."

"I'm sorry, she did what?! " King Zora blurted, eyes bulging further. "Lord Jabu Jabu is our guardian deity… Why would she…? Hm…" He leaned forward a little, lost in thought. "Perhaps it had something to do with that Gerudo fellow… Ever since he came by, our Lord has been behaving strangely… As if he were ill."

"Maybe the Princess is trying to help him somehow? Or he accidentally swallowed her…"

"Hm. Child. Fairy. Um… Others."

"It's okay, you can call us monsters." Dodongo chuckled.

"Alright. Monsters. My people have a number of taboos about how we may approach Lord Jabu Jabu. Only a select few are allowed. But these taboos do not apply to outsiders…"

"Yeah yeah, you want us to save her." Gohma sighed. The King sheepishly nodded.

"Allow me to move aside." The enormous fish-man began sliding along.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

Very incredibly agonizingly slowly.

"...Forgive me, this may take a while." He mumbled, embarrassed.

"...Tell you what, we'll just um, come by later?" Navi suggested, awkwardly tugging Linkle back.

"That might be best." The King mumbled. "I need to lose weight… Blurgh…"

It took about an hour for King Zora to scoot aside- by the end of it he was exhausted, groaning as he lay on his side.

"Just go through." He groaned, unwilling to say or do anything else. Linkle scooted past him, rubbing the back of her head as she trotted through the tunnel. The area behind the domain was quite wide-open, save for the enormous… Well it wasn't quite like a fish. It looked a bit more whale-like, or perhaps some odd kind of manatee. It seemed peaceful, for the moment.

"So this thing is sort of like a deity?" Gohma trotted a bit closer to the thing's mouth, nervously eyeing the enormous teeth.

"Seems like the Zora worship him." Navi fluttered in his face. "Some of the Zora said he can communicate with the royalty."

"They also said he likes fish." Linkle fished around in her pockets-

" OI. " Gohma snapped. "None of that!"

Sorry.

"What are you yelling about?" Dodongo tipped his head, confused.

Linkle produced a bottle, containing a good-sized live fish. She dumped it out by Jabu-Jabu's mouth, stepping back a bit.

For a moment, the creature did not react, but then his eyes swiveled, fixing on the fish flopping before him.

His jaws suddenly spread wide, opening hugely, a huge rush of wind whirling as he began to inhale.

"I think that might have been a mistaaaaaaake! " Linkle managed to squeal as she was sucked in.

"Oh hell!" Gohma struggled to keep her grip, but was sucked in as well. King Dodongo flattened himself down, but simply slid in as well.

When Linkle regained consciousness, her surroundings were wet and warm and gross.

"Oh ew." She muttered, sitting up. "Gross!"

"Why do we keep going into mouths? " Navi shuddered. "After this, we are taking a VERY long bath. It smells ."

"Don't think about it too hard." Dodongo suggested, as he slowly pushed himself up. "I think we're stuck."

"Are you telling me that his stomach is a dungeon?! " Gohma whined.

"I hate this quest." Navi mumbled.

"Well we're not getting out the way we came in." Dodongo glanced at the locked teeth behind them.

"I guess we should see if the princess is here." Navi sighed, shaking her head. "If we're not being digested, maybe she won't be either."

"What's this thingy?" Linkle gestured to an odd object.

"...That's a uvula. Like the dangly thing in your throat. Do not touch it." Navi lightly nudged Linkle away. "If you touch that, Jabu-Jabu will throw up."

"...I hate this quest too." Linkle mumbled as they continued through the creature's innards.

The insides of a demigod were a warped and weird place, but they only got weirder as they went in.

"Oh!" Linkle perked. "There's a Zora girl there…!"

"Ah! And totally unhurt. Geez, guess the King was worried over nothing." Navi huffed.

"Hm?" The fishlike girl heard their approach, and twisted. At first, her face twisted into one of shock and confusion at seeing Linkle. Then to stark terror at the monsters behind her. "What the-?! S-stay back! Don't you dare approach a princess, demons!"

"That's about what I expected, yeah." Gohma rolled her eye, chuckling. "Relax, princess, we aren't here to eat you. Unless you annoy me."

"You're all talk." Linkle huffed, pouting at her, before turning back to Princess Ruto. "Um, sorry about them, Princess… I, ah... Found a message in a bottle that said you were here…" Linkle awkwardly glanced around. "And also we're kinda stuck!"

Ruto huffed, crossing her arms and glowering, cheeks puffed. "What, you think I need your help, Forest Girl?"

Navi scoffed. "Wow, she's so nice."

Linkle swiftly stuffed Navi into her hat before the fairy kept mouthing off to the Princess. "I mean, your father did, but you seem to be doing okay to me…"

Ruto blinked, visibly caught off guard, and preened a moment, strutting a few steps aside. "Hm, you have a good eye. Yes, I, Ruto am perfectly capable of-"

And then with a horrible sucking sound, she vanished.

They heard a shrill shriek, then a soft, squishy thud as she landed below.

Linkle leaned forward a bit, peering through the weird fleshy hole that she had tumbled into.

"Well um, if you really think you don't need a hand…?"

There was a pause, then a begrudging.

"...Fine. I could use some assistance."

It was tricky, trying to find a safe way down, but eventually, they managed it.

"Hey, why are you skipping the explanation of how we managed to get down there unhurt?"

The fourth wall whimpered slightly in pain, and Gohma reluctantly let it be for now.

Linkle landed softly next to Ruto, jumping back as a bizarre jellyfish darted past them.

"Whoa!" she yelped, instinctively swiping her sword.

Only to be filled with pain as electricity coursed through her arms. She spasmed violently, curling on the floor.

"Ha. Sucker!" Snickered the jellyfish, burbling. Gohma rapidly swatted it aside, cringing a bit as it zapped her on contact.

"Ow. Geez…!" She huffed, wincing. "Is this place always fucked?"

"No, actually." Ruto grumbled, on her knees nearby. She pushed herself up a bit, wincing slightly.

"You've… been inside this guy's stomach before?"

"Um. You know, it wasn't weird until you said it aloud, but… yes, I have." Ruto crossed her arms, grumpily. "But now there's those jellyfish, and weird… things ." She gestured to the far wall, where a pulsing pillar blocked off an entire passage. "Lord Jabu Jabu says that it makes him feel sick and slow."

Linkle slowly pushed up, recovering from getting electrocuted, while Navi pondered this information. "Well, there's probably something to fix here, just like in the Great Deku Tree or in Dodongo's Cavern…"

"That was us!" King cheerfully announced, puffing a small burst of flame to dispatch another approaching Bari. "We were the problems!"

Ruto glowered at Linkle slightly, before twisting away. "W-well, I can't leave until I get my most treasured possession. Lord Jabu-Jabu ah… swallowed it."

"So we just have to wander the innards of a giant fish until we find it, and the thing causing all these problems. That's… That's gross." Navi sighed.

"Well, you'll need me, most likely." Ruto puffed herself up. "A Zora Princess has many skills!"

"Like?" Gohma would have raised an eyebrow if she had any.

Ruto suddenly decked Gohma right in the eye, flooring her instantly. "Like shut the fuck up, that kind of skill."

"She's mean." Linkle whispered nervously to Navi.

"At least she doesn't pretend to be nice like Saria."

"You! Fairy girl!" Ruto barked, and Linkle jumped to attention in fear.

"Y-y-yes'm!" She squeaked.

Ruto stepped forward and Linkle feared another smack, but then the Zora girl stumbled, cursing.

"You… will have the honor of carrying me." She finally muttered, trying to look smug, but the cringe of pain on her face betrayed her. Linkle sighed, and then, huffed as she bent and scooped the Zora girl up.

"Oh wow." She hummed, shifting so that Ruto was neatly perched on her shoulders.

"You're very light, Princess."

Ruto flushed in shock. "I'm… average weight for my size actually. You are… stronger than you appear."

"I guess all the fighting for your life you've been doing is paying off, huh kid?" Gohma chuckled dryly.

"She makes up her utter lack of any kind of swordswomanship with muscle." Navi snorted in amusement. "And brains, can't forget the lack of brains."

"I'm not that dumb." Linkle pouted as she carried Ruto along.

It was slow going; the terrain was squishy and wet and slick, and since Ruto couldn't walk on her own, Linkle had to stay back and let the boss monsters do the fighting, which was problematic because they had to be careful not to do anything that could severely injure the inside of the belly they were in. Luckily, Lord Jabu Jabu was durable, and apparently quite adept at healing his own wounds, so some minor scrapes were acceptable.

"This place is weird. " Dodongo complained, pushing the yellow… thing and watching as a passage opened. "It's like it was built ."

Ruto was guiding them best she could- apparently with the invasion of monsters and the strange electric pillars, navigating wasn't going to be easy. Still, they made their way, one "room" at a time.

"When did he swallow a treasure chest?" Linkle hummed, momentarily setting Ruto on the floor so she could push it open.

"I really must discuss his diet with him." Ruto shook her head in dismay.

"Huh." Linkle lifted the wooden boomerang carefully. "...This looks like it's from the forest..."

"You're right." Navi marveled, confused. "A fairy boomerang… It's enchanted. Er, the little gem is, I mean. Give it a toss."

Linkle wheeled back and threw it- a little too hard, and it whacked against a fleshy wall. But suddenly, despite the fact that its momentum should have died, it continued to spin, whirling right back into Linkle's hand.

"Cool!" She nodded. "This should make getting rid of those dumb electric jerks easier."

"Oh gross!" Navi whined, as a tentacle lowered from the "roof". Gohma charged it, but it simply swung up out of reach, before swiping down with a nasty-sounding electric crackle. Gohma was left twitching.

"Why me." She gasped out. There was another wet slap, and Dodongo was twitching as well as a few hundred volts were thrown through him.

Linkle might have joined them, but she was hanging back with Ruto. She looked at them flopping on the ground, then her head snapped up as the boomerang was flung at the tendril, severing it. It flew back, and Ruto caught it.

"Well, at least my arms work." She announced smugly. Since Linkle's hands were full with Ruto, she had elected to temporarily let the princess have access to the boomerang.

"Huh… So those… tentacles… were those pillar things?"

"I guess." Gohma hummed, skittering along the wall, looking along it carefully. "Yep, it's gone now."

Linkle headed through the now-unobstructed passway, blinking as she saw something blue and shiny. She yelped as Ruto pitched violently forward, sharply against her neck.

"There! That's my mother's stone! Get me up there!"

"Oh, now she can walk…" Navi grumbled, only to be swatted by an irate Zora princess.

"Get me up there now." She growled, and Linkle quickly complied, catching the boomerang as the overexcited princess dropped it, scrambling over. She lifted the blue stone, cradling it.

"Phew. The spiritual stone is safe." She crooned, relieved.

The platform shifted violently.

"Uh." She looked around. "That wasn't supposed to-"

There was a grinding sound, and the strange fleshy platform lifted sharply, pushing upwards.

There was a muffled shout, then loud sounds of a scuffle. Finally silence.

Then the platform dropped, and a battered-looking Octorok with it. This one was massive, compared to its brethren.

"Ugh." It groaned, flopping off the platform, nursing a swollen eye and a bruised ego. "That little Princess can throw a punch." It turned towards Linkle. "I'll have to get rid of you three as well, huh?" With a quick motion, the creature bulled forward.

Gohma attempted to stand her ground, only to be trampled. Dodongo opened his mouth to let out a gout of flames, only to gurgle as the Big Octo swiftly rammed a tendril into his throat, yanking hard on something.

"Gross!" Navi groaned, as King Dodongo bent to one side, retching as the Octo rapidly twisted towards Linkle, trying to use the narrow passage to box her in. Linkle swiftly ducked under Gohma and Dodongo, the bulky Octorok unable to turn quickly enough to keep up with her.

"Brat!" It snarled, lashing tendrils downwards to try and grab at her, but Linkle's sword lashed and jabbed quickly, forcing the Octo back. Gohma stood upright, twisting her eye to get a good look, and noticed the suspiciously soft spot on the Octo's back. She lunged, latching on violently, sinking claws and mandibles into the fleshy backside.

"YEEEK!" The Octo squealed, and Linkle swiftly rammed her sword in as well, clinging for dear life as the Octo thrashed and rolled, grinding itself against the bony spikes in the room's center.

Eventually, it collapsed into a twitching heap.

"Sushi!" Gohma crowed eagerly, clicking her fangs… Fangs? Jaws? Clicking something hungrily.

"I'll just have an antacid please…" Whimpered Dodongo, as he rose slowly, nursing his sore throat.

After the frankly horrifying devouring of the Big Octo, they moved on to find Ruto.

Well, Gohma and Navi could care less about the Zora Princess, but she did have Zora's Sapphire with her, which they needed. Dodongo and Linkle were nice enough to be a bit concerned though.

And so it was that they made their way past bizarre chambers and even stranger organs.

"Why were those things perfectly shaped?" Navi griped. "They were rectangles. "

"I don't even care anymore…" Gohma despaired softly, dragging herself into the next room. "Just no more electricity please-"

The next room was buzzing loudly with the crackle of lightning.

"Hate. Hate. Hate." Gohma growled.

"What… is that?!" Dodongo gaped at the bizarre scene in front of them.

"Intruders…" The voice was thick and burbling as the creature twisted, tendrils latching it to the ceiling. It was covered in Bari, acting as shields. From between them, smaller tendrils poked out, threateningly, electrical pulses rushing through its body. "Leave this place!"

BIOELECTRIC ANEMONE

BARINADE

(AKA: Wait, that's an anemone? What the hell? WTF is this thing?)

With a flash, one of the tendrils on its… head? Twisted and pointed. Linkle squealed as a bolt of lightning coursed through her, shuddering in pain. Gohma rushed forward, only to be blocked by a barrier of Bari-

" NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR PUNS! " Gohma shrieked as she retreated from the painful jellyfish. Linkle recovered, twisting the boomerang in her grip and flinging it towards the upper tentacles. They severed with a wet squishy noise, dropping Barinade to the floor. The creature hissed, quickly recalling the Bari, beginning to rapidly move backwards, firing off another blast at a rapidly approaching Dodogo, who quickly curled up and rolled aside, barely avoiding a painful shock. He retaliated with a stream of fire, but only managed to torch the Bari, leaving Barinade itself unhurt.

Barinade darted with surprising speed for a creature of its shape, evading attacks, firing off rapid-fire shockwaves. It was relentless, barely pausing its assault, sometimes even suddenly surrounding itself with electricity and physically body-slamming whoever was closest.

"Lord Ganondorf will not tolerate failure. You must be expunged." It crackled, threateningly raising its tendrils, only to spasm as the fairy boomerang smacked into its soft midsection. Linkle charged in quickly, taking her sword in both hands and leaping forward, slamming the blade down to the hilt into Barinade's body.

There was a brilliant flash, and a low groaning burble, as Barinade spasmed, light seeping from where the blade sank. Linkle backed off, warily observing the creature, as it lay on the floor, twitching.

Then it rose slowly, straightening itself.

"Ah… that was… What… happened?" It hummed, slowly spinning, apparently observing its surroundings. "I was… drifting in the sea when… something strange overcame me."

"You got turned into a parasite by the evil sorcerer Ganondorf and used to try and slowly kill a demigod to force the Zora to give him the spiritual stone of water!" Navi chirped helpfully. Barinade twisted, tilting to one side. Perhaps a bit like tilting one's head.

"I see. Then this Ganondorf must be brought to justice!" Barinade withdrew a massive grimoire from… somewhere. "He has violated numerous legal codes. Dangerous magic use, creation of bioweapons, use of bioweapons, attempted murder, blackmail and extortion, and this is only what I am aware of!"

"Uh… Excuse me, Mx. Barinade…" Linkle timidly raised her hand. "Do you know what happened to the Zora girl that is… somewhere here?"

"Here." A voice snarled out. Linkle jumped, turning to see Ruto, arms crossed, looking a tad flustered, but mostly just angry. "You certainly took your sweet time, fairy girl. You're late!"

"Oh dear. I suppose since I was brainwashed into this I can also add "kidnapping" to this list of Ganondorf's crimes." Barinade shook himself in dismay. "My deepest apologies for being an accomplice to such heinous activities!"

"...He wasn't babbling about rules before." Ruto hummed dryly. "Is radically changing monster personalities a thing you do, fairy girl?"

"I made friends with Dodongo and Gohma, so I guess so!"

Ruto puffed a cheek childishly, arms crossed. "...Hmph! Well, let's just get out of this stomach. I'm going to need a lot of soap to get this smell off..."

Linkle sighed slightly once the gentle blue light had deposited her outside. She was never going to take fresh air for granted again. She turned and nearly yelped at Ruto being about a half-inch from her face, tumbling backwards into the water with a splash.

Ruto smirked, sitting on the large branch imperiously, pretending to examine her nails for a moment. "Graceful." She hummed, before looking down at Linkle as the girl surfaced, shaking the water out of her blonde hair. "At least that should help rinse the gross stuff off of you, right?"

Elegantly, Ruto pushed forward, landing without so much as a splash. Her leg looked a lot better now; it had been a painful but very minor injury it seemed. "You were… kind of cool in there, actually. Just a little."

Linkle flushed awkwardly, trying to tread water. She glanced over to see Gohma and Barinade struggling to drag the large bulk of Dodongo from the water, the poor dinosaur looking a little bedraggled.

"Hey! I'm talking here!"

Linkle cringed, expecting a punch or smack, but only got a light chop on the head, not enough to even really hurt.

"Well, I suppose you did help me… and you did rescue me. So I guess I owe you something ." Ruto huffed. "So, go on, what do you want?"

"Well it's less "want" and more "need"..." Navi supplied softly. Linkle nodded, paddling towards the shallows so she could stop swimming in place.

"R-right. I'm looking for the spiritual stones to open the door of time. Gotta stop the bad guy and all."

"Oh?" Ruto looked a little surprised, then began to circle for a moment, lost in thought, before a slow smirk crept across her face. "Hmm… I suppose it'll work…" She murmured to herself, glancing at Linkle. For some reason, the Zora girl blushed, then her smirk widened.

"I got a bad feeling." Linkle mumbled nervously to Navi, who began to glow a cautious yellow color, her light indicating wariness.

"Fine." Ruto suddenly jarred Linkle out of her nervous state. "Zora's Sapphire is yours… Only you have to come back… sometime. Preferably soon." She grinned, pushing the cool blue stone into Linkle's hands.

"Really?" Linkle perked. "T-thank you, your highness! Wow, that's really helpful… I feel like there's some really alarming catch."

"No catch!" Ruto chirped. "That you know of." She added just under her breath, giggling in a manner that was really unsettling.

Linkle awkwardly scooched back a bit. "R-right well… Sorry to leave so suddenly but we really need to get this stone back to the Temple of Time, so…"

"Hero girl always has to be on the move, huh?" Ruto's smirk never left, as she watched Linkle heading off. "Oh! And do not tell my father I gave that to you."

"Got it!" Linkle squeaked, joining her monster compatriots.

Navi remained behind, floating out of Ruto's reach.

"So what's the real catch?" She glowered a bit.

Ruto smirked. "Well… Zora's Sapphire is sort of like… the equivalent to the Zora Royal Family's… engagement ring."

Deep in the Sacred Grove, Saria was idly whittling a flute for one of the Skull Kids, when suddenly she snapped it in half. Her fairy jumped in shock from where she'd been resting on the Kokiri girl's shoulder.

"S-saria?! What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She hummed, picking up a new piece of wood to try again. "I just felt really angry for some reason… Hmmm…"

And a new guy joins the fray! I figured out what I wanted to do with Barinade surprisingly quickly.

Hope you enjoyed!

Goodnight Everybody!