Chapter 13: With Tears of Frost, We Part
Link stared at the arena before him, listening to the bubbling of lava, and scouring the heights of the room for any sign of Darunia. He turned to Navi, who was looking as diligently as he.
He knew that he'd have to forsake the safety of the entry ledge for that circular arena before him, sometime. Judging by how much lower down it was, however, once he jumped onto it, he wouldn't be able to leave again. Maybe if he'd been a goron, capable of climbing up scalding hot rock and wading through lava, he might have, but, as it was, he wanted to learn as much as he could from a distance before jumping onto the platform to face the (for now, hidden) boss.
He glanced at Navi, who shook her head, silently agreeing: Darunia was nowhere to be seen.
Link leapt across to the platform separating his ledge from the arena. It then began to sink into the lava, shaking as it did. Of course. Because the difference in height wasn't enough. He ran across the sinking platform, leaping off to land, rolling, on the arena platform. Only now did he see the red-hot pits of lava spattered around the circular area. Even with the heat-resistant tunic and boots, he was sure that he couldn't step into a pool of lava without getting hurt.
He cautiously made his way towards the centre of the arena, pausing as he felt the ground rumbling, and then quaking violently, beneath his feet.
He spread his stance to keep his footing, and then a figure that might've been made of burning coals emerged from one of the lava pits, and Link took it in as it flew through the sky without the aid of wings. It had two, bright blue-green eyes, a long, pointed snout, and a mane reminiscent of a horse's that looked to be made of fire. Its body tapered as a snake's, but it was definitely a dragon. Its forked tongue shot out, briefly, before it expelled a lengthy gust of flame from its mouth, before diving down back towards the arena. Link leapt out of the way without thinking about it, as the dragon plunged into a different lava pit than that which it had vacated.
Navi hesitated, fluttering next to him, before settling onto Link's shoulder.
"I don't know where it is. I'm sorry, Link," she said, sounding utterly dejected. "This must be Volvagia, the boss of the Fire Temple. I suppose you'll just have to watch for any signs that it's about to emerge, such as that rum…bling—"
She hurried over to a cloud of dust billowing around one of the lava pits, and Link ran after her. A few seconds later, Volvagia emerged, one arm, claws spread out, braced against the stones, in a strangely human pose. Exchange those burning scales for skin, and the long claws for fingers, and he might be an ordinary man resting his arm on the side of a chair or bathtub.
Link blinked at the casual disregard the dragon displayed, and firmed his resolve, marching over to the dragon, closing the short distance, and then taking out the Megaton Hammer. The dragon's eyes widened, and it stared at him, with a look that suggested he was reappraising Link. Dragons, Link recalled, were thinking, feeling creatures, as smart as any man.
Link whacked Volvagia on the head with the hammer, as the dragon withdrew its arm, sinking back down into the lava. The great head crashed to the ground, lolling on its neck, with that fiery hair spread out around it. Link slashed at the thick skin of Volvagia's neck, which, while thick, seemed to be thinner than the rest of the exposed body. Volvagia reared up, with a roar, and spun back down into the lava, in a move that reminded Link forcibly of the Great Faeries.
Volvagia had disappeared, again, whereabouts unknown. Navi hovered back over to Link, glancing over at him, as they waited, together, for Volvagia to emerge again.
Sure enough, he popped up seconds later, on the other side of the arena. Link ran over, nimbly avoiding the pits, withdrawing the Megaton Hammer only at the last moment, striking hard at the head, which had started to sink back into the lava the moment Link had drawn the hammer out.
The head crashed to the floor again, and Link drew the Master Sword to hack away at Volvagia's exposed neck.
At length, he gathered his wits enough to retreat back below, and Link was back to waiting for that cloud of dust that presaged Volvagia's appearance. This time, however, as he rushed towards the cloud of dust, another cloud of dust appeared behind him, and a moment later Volvagia appeared, behind him, already spewing flames in Link's direction.
Link rolled on the ground to put out the fire, flinching as he felt how raw and bloody his back had turned. Volvagia considered him for a second, before sinking down below, as Navi hovered near his bleeding black, fretting over his injury.
Link hoped that goron tunics repaired themselves, or that the medicine of life could somehow repair them, too, from damage sustained through injury. He pulled out the potion, keeping a wary eye peeled for the tricky dragon, as he gulped it down. He could feel the wound start to seal, as Navi hovered at his back.
It occurred to him, suddenly, that she was probably repairing the goron's tunic for him, and he felt a twinge of regret for the strain on her energy.
"Navi, why don't you stay hidden for awhile. Volvagia isn't the sort of foe you fight from a distance, with projectile weapons, anyway. Save your strength."
He gave her an encouraging smile, as she fluttered anxiously at his shoulder, before sinking down onto his collar, and crawling under his shirt.
Link kept his eyes peeled as he felt the ground began to shake. A cloud of dust appeared, spewing from one hole. It went away, to be replaced by another cloud near a second hole, which went away to be replaced by a third, out of which Volvagia shot, considered Link, who rushed the dragon, retrieving the Megaton Hammer at the last moment. He brought the hammer down as hard as he could, and as Volvagia lay there, dazed, he hacked at the neck with the Master Sword.
Of course, soon enough, Volvagia had retreated into a pit. This time, however, he burst out of another pit, before coiling around in the air, well out of Link's reach unless he chanced the bow. Volvagia kept further strategising out of his head by a constant rain of fire and flaming boulders falling from the ceiling high above, as Volvagia broke the ceiling apart. Eventually, however, as Link continued to successfully avoid his attacks, the dragon plunged back into the lava pits.
After two more false starts, Volvagia emerged in a cloud of rubble, flipping his hair so that it curled around him, as he watched Link, already retreating as Link came close. Link whacked the hammer down onto Volvagia's head, and the dragon collapsed again, head falling onto the ground, as Link put away the Hammer to draw the Master Sword, hacking at the neck with inelegant vertical slashes. He finished it with a jump attack that bit deep into the dragons neck. Volvagia shrieked, and sank back into the lava.
This continued for some time, with Volvagia often giving Link several false starts before emerging from his hole. Link was there as swiftly as his feet could take him, arm already raised in the air before he called forth the Hammer, swinging it down onto the dragon's head. Sometimes, of course, Volvagia would get in an attack or two, and sink into the ground before Link could even think of retaliation.
Eventually however, Link cut so deeply into the neck that the dragon reared back, shooting out of the ground into the air, violently swaying back and forth, breathing fire at an imaginary attacker pursuing him into the sky. He breathed fire, and knocked rocks off the roof, but these were not targeted attacks that Link had to avoid. Indeed, the dragon breathed fire on himself, setting his scales alight. Apparently, they were flammable. The rubble, meanwhile, battered him in a barrage, until the fire of Volvagia's own breath had burnt away all but the skeleton of the great beast, a great empty ribcage, yellowed with age despite its burial place.
The giant bones of the dead dragon, complete with skull as tall as Link, crashed into the arena. A blue light sprang up nearby, and, with another glance at the dragon, Link stalked over to the light, stepping into it, and letting it carry him away to the Sacred Realm, to speak with Darunia.
The blue light set him gently on his feet facing in the direction of the red circle standing in the middle of the shimmering blue light. He was certain that this circle was engraved with the same symbol he had seen in the Temple of Time, the leaping flame. For a moment, it was empty. Then, Darunia rose out of a ring of blue light, face split into a wide grin.
"Hello, Brother!" he said, eyes crinkled with the force of his grin. "You did it! Together, we defeated Volvagia! We make quite the team, eh? Although you did most of the work, I like to think I softened him up for you. Well done, Link!
"And, on top of that, you rescued all of my people, trapped in those cells…I am forever in your debt. You fulfilled your promise, just as I knew you would! You've grown into such a strong man, haven't you? But, that's not why we're here, is it…."
"I was certain that you would return someday, and that you would need that tunic, which I noticed you were wearing. It helps protect against the heat of the Fire Temple, and Death Mountain Crater. It stretches or shrinks, within reason, to fit its wearer. But, these tunics are only for adults…the magic doesn't seem to work properly on children, or I would have given you one, before sending you up to speak with the Great Faerie on the summit. That seems so long ago…."
His mouth turned down in a frown, and he crossed his arms, and then straightened them again.
"And, as it turned out, I was the Sage of Fire all along! I didn't know it myself, until a blue light whisked me away to safety just as Volvagia was about to finish me off. I know now that that was Rauru, opening the door to the Sacred Realm. Even if you don't see him, he is always present. Although he is the most powerful of us Sages, being so much older, he says that he is not our leader…but he won't say who is.
"And, as the Sage of Fire, I've met your childhood friend, Saria. I'm sure we'll become very good friends, but in the meantime, I'll content myself with listening to her song. She plays it all the time, in case you contact her.
"Link…you need to hurry and return to the physical world. The Sage of Water needs your help. None of the Sages still in the physical world know their destinies, yet. You need to awaken that one quickly, before the monster of the Water Temple devours her…we're counting on you, Link!
"To help you on your quest, take this! The Fire Medallion. I've filled it with my power—and with my friendship! Take it, and I'll be able to help you on your quest!"
He raised his arms over his head, and a ball of red light formed there, so similar to what had happened seven years ago, outside of the Dodongo's Cavern…and yet, so different.
Link shook his head, raising his arms in response. The light solidified into a medallion similar to the others, red as blood, red as his tunic, but a bright, crimson colour. He knew that it had the embossed flame on it. He glanced over at Darunia, trying to convey his gratitude, how much he valued Darunia, his guidance, and his friendship, more than a token or a role destiny had laid out for them, they had a true friendship.
"Don't forget: You and I are true Brothers!" Darunia cried, as the world faded out. A moment later, the blue light was setting him down inside the now-bustling Goron City, back in Darunia's room—the room where they'd first met. The suites were locked, but Link thought he'd probably not have taken the opportunity to invade Darunia's privacy, anyway. He had a goron to apologise to—one who bore his same name.
He found the littlest goron still standing, waiting, on the ledge, looking down. He climbed the stairs, and approached.
"I'm sorry," he began, without any preamble. "Your father has a very important job he has to fulfil. He'll be back, but until then…you Gorons will have to look after yourselves. He'll come back after we've sealed Ganondorf away, stopping him for good. Can you look after things in the meantime?"
He hoped that this was a good idea. The goron was, at most, seven years old. For a human, it would be ridiculous to lay such responsibility on the shoulders of a child so young. But, Link had been raised among the kokiri, and he knew that age was no true indicator of competence.
Besides, how long could it take to awaken the rest of the Sages and defeat Ganondorf? His journey thus far had lasted…probably about half of a month. There were three temples left. If he'd already purified two temples, at an average of one a week (and that was mostly time spent traveling between Kokiri Forest and Kakariko Village), then it shouldn't take more than a month and a half more to finish off Ganondorf. Surely, a civilisation couldn't collapse in that short of a time, could it?
It could. But, what else could he do? They'd be worse off with no leader at all.
The goron child frowned, trembled, drew into himself. It was clear he didn't relish the opportunity to command. He just wanted his father back. Link's heart went out to him, but there was nothing to be done. He awkwardly knelt down to pat him on the shoulder.
"And, look…if you need help, send word. If you contact Lonlon Ranch, I'm sure that they can find me. They have plenty of horses, and…well, just do your best, alright? Make your father proud. Be strong for him. I promise he'll come back, soon."
"A-alright," said the goron, in a tremulous voice, and Link gave him a small smile, intended to be reassuring, and stood up. Navi was silent, fluttering around by the goron-Link's head before returning to sit on Link's shoulder.
The next steps to take were to return to Zora's Domain. From here, the quickest route was to find the cave-in, take the warp passage to the Lost Woods, and then dive down to the base of the pillar in the middle of the pool near where Mido had stood, and hope that it still connected to the pool outside Zora's Falls. Remembering the numerous lessons he'd learnt about how those who were not children of the forest were disapproved of by the forest, and not wanting the forest to not recognise him, he returned to the familiar kokiri clothes, which were soothing in their familiarity.
Before he did that, he pulled out the ocarina, standing in front of the silent warp tunnel, and played Saria's Song. There was a moment's concern that it couldn't connect across their different planes of reality, and then Saria's mental voice filled his ears.
"Link…this is Saria. Can you hear me? I just wanted you to know…at first, I didn't want to become the Forest Sage, especially as it meant I'd have to leave Kokiri Forest for the time being…but then, I realised that by being here, I'm helping you to save Hyrule. That's most important! Even though I'm not in the physical world, we can still talk via faerie connection. Feel free to talk to me, anytime! I like to know that you're still well!"
Link stared down at the ground, scuffing his boots on the stone floor. He didn't know what to say. He should have checked in on her sooner—perhaps on the road to Lonlon Ranch, but he'd been worried about his other friends…what had become of them. Now, though, the only two people left to worry about were Impa and Zelda. He'd seen nor heard neither hide nor hair of either. It was as if they'd vanished from Hyrule. It was eating away at Link, and now, he couldn't even talk to Darunia about it. Would all his childhood friends turn out to be Sages? Would Zelda?
And then, something hit him. A memory, he was sure, of the Wind Waker's time on the Great Sea. In the Land Beneath the Waves, he had passed by the Master Sword, examining the stained glass windows on the wall. He hadn't followed a predictable path, going around the circle either clockwise or counterclockwise. He'd visited the stained glass window depicting Rauru first—and it was most definitely Rauru, offering the Medallion of Light. Then he'd turned to Saria, the Sage of Forest, but that had been too painful.
He'd continued at the end—to a woman Link didn't recognise, with dark, woodsy brown skin, lips glossed and eyelids dusted with glimmering silver makeup, yellow eyes, and bright red hair, wearing a revealing outfit Link had never seen before. She held up the Spirit Medallion. Next came Impa, offering the Medallion of Shadow. Then Ruto, holding the Water Medallion (of course, it had to be Ruto, didn't it?), and finally Darunia He'd seen them all—every last one of the Sages—in that room beneath the castle under the sea. He just hadn't remembered it until now.
He grew aware of Saria talking to him, sounding a bit frantic, and wrenched himself out of those memories (and whose memories were they; the Wind Waker had no cause to grieve Saria, or Darunia, or Impa. But, the Hero of Time had been long dead. Yet, had that been he, beneath the castle, in the hidden chamber? The same man who pondered the events now? His head throbbed).
"I'm sorry, Saria," he thought to her, as much contrition bound up in his words as he could muster after his mental detour. Navi cocked her head, examining him, certain that something had happened, that she had missed something, and wanting to know what. Needing to know what. Link forcibly directed his attention only to Saria.
"Saria…I'm sorry. I put you through a lot of pain, seven years ago…and I wasn't the easiest child to raise, either, was I? Despite this, you've done your best to care for me, helping me where it was at all possible, no matter what it cost you. This time, the price was so high…and I didn't even check back with you."
Even though he knew she couldn't see it, he hung his head. He kicked at the rubble of the long-ago landslide, but refused to go through the warp passage, concerned that it might sever their connection. He leant against the wall, instead.
Saria giggled, a strangely childish sound, when he was accustomed to thinking of her as if she were an adult—responsible, and wise. It occurred to him that he was the adult, physically, and she the child, and that felt wrong, and twisted, as if existence had broken, and put itself back together wrong.
"Oh, Link. You're so sweet, worrying about me, even now, when I'm safe, and you in constant danger. Let Navi and me worry about you! And, don't think that you owe me anything, either. It was my pleasure, raising you. I suppose this is how a mother feels…how strange…."
"Don't let down your guard, Saria," he insisted. "You never know what Ganondorf's capable of. I can't stand the thought of anything happening to you."
Navi huffed, crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow, just the one, at him.
He sighed. "Just…be careful, Saria. And, I'll try to be careful, too."
Navi nodded to him, and he felt the connection break and dissipate
"Come on, Link!" Navi said, her bobbing agitated and jerky. "Let's go find the Water Temple!"
He sighed, frowned, shuffled his feet. He was not looking forward to this reunion. But, he straightened up, passing through the still-functional passage leading to the Lost Woods.
It was the matter of less than a minute to return to the clearing where Mido had waited for news of Saria. Link paused to stare at the spot where Mido and Gatrice had left together, but then he marched to the rock wall jutting out of the pool, jumping in without looking, diving to the bottom, and swimming through the passage.
He emerged at the bottom of the other pillar, hastily swimming to the surface, to be sure that it was even possible. It was. He approached the familiar plaque lying before the waterfall, pulled out the Ocarina of Time, and played "Zelda's Lullaby". In the dim light of the full moon above, he could see the passage open up.
He jumped, landing in the entrance, which was thankfully tall enough for him to stand upright, and walked into a frozen wintry landscape, with icicles dangling from the ceiling in long spikes, the floors covered in packed ice, a soft flurry of flakes filling the air even now. He rethought his decision to rest for the night here. What had happened?
"Zora's Domain," Navi whispered. "It's…it's frozen over. Those zoras…are they trapped under the ice?"
Without Link asking her to, she plummeted towards the solid sheet of ice that had been the basin of water, zipping around the room, heedless of any hidden dangers. She examined the frozen waterfall, frozen midstream (that meant the freeze had been swift, didn't it?) icicles jutting up out of the ground, peering down under the ice. When she returned, she was shivering, which either meant that the cold was impossibly frigid, or she was shivering from something other than cold.
"Oh…Goddesses Three…they're all frozen under the ice…it looks as if we came too late to stop a massacre. Did anyone survive?"
Link's heart clenched, and his body tensed up, as if freezing in sympathy. All the zoras…trapped beneath the ice? What of Ruto, the Sage of Water?
For want of a better plan, he hurried up the path to the throne room, passing by the shop, its entrance covered by a strange sheet of red ice that had even Navi stop to examine it, clearly baffled. At the top of the falls, King Zora sat to the side of the gate blocking easy passage to Zoras Fountain, frozen in a block of that same odd, red ice. Link turned to Navi, who shrugged. "This is some sort of magical ice…it would take an unnatural sort of fire to melt it, I think. Other than that…."
Link nodded, to show that he understood, and gave it a wary, wide berth as he passed around the sheet of ice the king sat on, feeling something in the area of his ribcage relax as if he had been given permission to breathe again, by the soft splash of chilly water under his feet. It was only autumn. It shouldn't be this cold.
With some of the tension gone, he lay down even in the chilly water, for lack of a better place, and slept fitfully. He needed his rest, after the Fire Temple, and perhaps didn't think things through as well as he ought. He drank some more of the Lonlon milk to recover more of his energy, and hoped for the best.
He passed through the waterway, back to Zora's Fountain.
He was reminded of Ice Ring Isle (or had Ice Ring Isle reminded him of this?) by the way a constant blizzard permeated the air, settling on his skin with cold so fierce it burnt. He ran up the steps to the pier, and frowned at the empty water source. There was no trace of Jabu-Jabu to be seen. Had he died? Fled? Been captured and imprisoned somewhere? Could he shrink, to fill less space, making him more difficult to find?
Navi, when posed these questions, gave him a bewildered shrug, as she stared blankly around the frozen Fountain, with its platforms of blocks of ice spinning around the surface. They provided a way to the tunnel he'd noticed before, seven years ago, but had been unable to reach. Was that the Water Temple? But no, Kaepora Gaebora had said something about zoras tending to the Water Temple under Lake Hylia…? What was it, then?
If there were any zoras left, perhaps they'd taken refuge in the less accessible cave. He nodded, steeling himself, and ran for the nearest platform, leaping onto it, and then flailing his arms in an attempt to stabilise himself and the platform. The Wind Waker had made this seem easy, but there was nothing easy about trying to right the platform, whilst tracking the movement of the other platforms, and trying not to slide off.
Because this wasn't difficult enough, a couple of octoroks leapt out of the water, shooting rocks at him, forcing him to draw his shield, losing his balance, but managing to fall to his knees rather than off the platform. The first shot went wide, and he was ready for the second, in a half-kneel on the ice, he aimed the rock in spat back at it, tensing as he felt the impact knock him towards the edge. Ice-cold water lapped up the sides of the platform, soaking his leggings. Well, they were kokiri-make, so they'd dry fairly quickly, but….
He couldn't help remembering the Wind Waker, near frozen solid, from the mistake of swimming through an icy lake. He had to be sure not to fall in.
He waited until the platform stopped wobbling before slowly rising to his feet. He took careful steps back to the centre of the platform, and then ran forwards, timing his jump that he land on the next platform, not bothering to recover before leaping for the next, and the next, and the next, ending with leaping onto the high cliff forming the entrance to the darkened cave.
He passed through, into a tunnel with walls and floor packed with snow, as if a crude mimicry of a Faerie Fountain. Icicles jutted from both ceiling and floor. He noticed that some of the hanging icicles looked loose. Knowing dungeons as he thought he did by now, he was sure that they'd stay firmly affixed until he happened to pass underneath, and braced himself, approaching slowly. He slashed through the slushy ice of the lower icicles, passing through into the slippery floor of the dungeon.
Navi glowed yellow, flying towards what he'd taken to be a sculpture made of ice, albeit one that glided easily across the room. It was roughly pyramidal in shape, with pointed ears, and a small mouth that spewed a disproportionately large gust of what he slowly realised was frost. He glanced at Navi. He'd never seen anything comparable before. It looked to be made of the same sort of ice as the icicles, but could it be that weak?
"It's called a freezzard!" Navi called. "It's made of the same ice as that which fills this dungeon. If you don't hurry to destroy it utterly, it will regenerate, and it can breathe ice to freeze you even when it's nothing but a hunk of ice. Use the Master Sword—it can do more damage, especially against such evil monsters."
Link smiled at her to show his appreciation, and drew the Master Sword, leaping for the freezzard, which made a low, growling noise as Link, that sent shivers up his spine. It was a dark, disturbing noise, as wind through the rocks, or a ghost's eerie wail, but truncated.
He hacked and slashed at the monster, but saw another approaching around a bend in the cave corridor. He finished off the first, and held out the Sword, focusing magic into it until it burnt blue, as he crept towards the second freezzard. He swept the sword around in a circle, in the spin attack, then sliced twice at the monster, before thrusting the sword down.
It groaned as it dissolved as had the previous one, but Link could see a third one approaching around yet another curve. He already disliked how this passage snaked, constantly turning. At least now, he could see the far door, which was barred off. He supposed that he had to defeat every freezzard to open the door. At least this door had no handle…although, maybe those trick doors were only in the Fire Temple.
With the last freezzard slain, the bas lifted and Link approached the door, on its snowy ledge, cocking his head, examining the blue paint on it, taking the moment's reprieve to wonder when the door had been installed, and by whom. Then, he ordered it to open, and stepped through into a rather odd room.
There was another sheet of red ice across the room from him, and one to his left, with a fourth door barred off to his right. But, the thing that really grabbed and held his attention was the spinning blades in the centre of the room. They moved on their own, turning and churning at a constant rate, daunting in their inexorability. A coin hung directly above the centre of the device, another in the air in front of the edge of the cliff upon which he now stood. Two more lay on the floor, beneath the area being sliced through by those blades. The last was hidden behind a row of icicles, jutting out of the floor, and another, jutting from the ceiling. The only other door he could reach at the moment was barred off.
He tilted his head, looking at Navi. Was the key what he thought?
"See those silver rupees?" asked Navi, sighing as she fluttered down to land on his shoulder, eyes studying the movement of the ceaselessly-turning blades. "If you collect all of them in this room, that should raise the bars."
He glanced at her, and then slowly nodded his head, hoping that there were no enemies.
"Is there anything I can do about that spinning blade?" he asked, brow furrowed in thought. Navi sagged.
"I don't think so, Link…it's made of ice, but under that coating of ice is steel. Even the ice coating is sharp enough to cut you, so don't touch it. Just avoid it."
His shoulders slumped, but then he straightened up, staring at the square with its concentric circles, hanging over the centre of the blades. He leapt off the cliff, grabbing the rupee on his way down, and rolled under the blade, grabbing onto a second rupee. They vanished as he touched them, as if they weren't real.
He rolled out of the area being cut through by the sickle-blades, and withdrew the hookshot, aiming at the circles overhead, determined to time it just right, to avoid the blades as he came down. He rotated the disc to extend the chain, and released, dragging himself to the circle, before plummeting straight for the centre of the whirling blades—the only part of the device where he needn't fear cutting himself.
He grabbed onto the third rupee on his way down, rolled counter-clockwise, following the path of the blades, and ran to collect the fourth coin. Now, there was only that behind the icicles to worry about. He ran around the circle of the blades until he came to the icicle wall, slashing through it in a hurry on account of the blades in the centre of the room. He passed through into the small alcove, picked up the last coin, but ignored the sound of lifting bars in favour of opening the big treasure chest before him.
This was a dungeon, as he'd expected. It did, after all, contain a dungeon map. From it, he could tell that the next room, the one to which he'd just gained access, was both complicated and the main passage, meaning that the other two doors contained important things for which he would have to backtrack. One should contain the compass. The other might have the dungeon item, or perhaps the boss key. With this decision made, he left the safety of the alcove to pick a cautious path around the room to the unbarred door.
He found himself at the base of a room with a slippery floor. Freezzards patrolled the floor, sliding gracefully across the ice, with more of them stationed on the ledges leading across the room. There were also spikes circling the floor, and walls of red ice blocking his way at certain points., and two torches with flickering blue flames, and two keese covered in those same flames.
"Navi…?" he asked, and she sighed, cocking her head.
"They're ice keese. In a way, they're more dangerous than fire keese. They'll freeze you if they run into you, so pick them off before then…although, I don't know when you'll have the chance. Watch out!"
A freezzard casually breathed a gout of frost in his direction as it passed by, and Link leapt to the side, crashing to the floor as he lost his balance and fell hard. Well, at least he'd escaped the torrent.
He struggled back to his feet, slipping on the smooth ice of the floor, and then abandoned the effort and slid across the ice to the edge of the room, where there was packed snow for a floor instead, just in time to avoid being skewered by a moving spike.
He wished fervently for fire arrows as he took aim at the keese flying high above. He wanted to take them out now, before another freezzard intercepted him. He wanted to defeat them now, here, where he had room (some) to manoeuvre, and his feet still stood where they could maintain his balance. He raised the bow, fired three arrows, hit two keese, put away the bow and quiver.
He waited for the spike trap to pass by on its circuitous route before approaching the beginning of a packed snow ramp leading up to a leaping torch of blue flames. A freezzard blocked his way, and he quickly hacked it to pieces, then held the sword out to his side, charging it with magical energy, as he saw another coming at him across a narrow icy bridge.
When the monster came close enough, he edged towards it, releasing the energy in a spin attack which clove the monster in half, which was insufficient. He leapt on it, thrusting down with the sword, and it melted away with that same menacing groan. Wind through the walls, a haunted house, but nothing as bad as the redead. He turned away from the freezzard slush, to the leaping blue flames he'd passed by. Navi had foregone fluttering near the freezzard to analyse the leaping flames.
"They're some sort of magical flames," she said. "Hotter than usual, I would say, but not only that. I don't think that they can harm you when they're in this brazier, which is made of ice…it doesn't make sense, if you think about it. It's as if the fire is at once hot and cold…and I think it's what created those ice keese, if ordinary keese flew into these flames, and it turned them into ice keese. Remember how they seemed to be covered in blue flames? I wonder if all ice keese come from such a source…well, anyway, the point is: it's not melting its container, so it's probably really cold to the touch."
She flew through the flames and emerged, shuddering like mad. Link had almost to dive off the ramp to catch her as she fell, her wings no longer warm enough to flap.
"Navi! What were you thinking?" he exclaimed, voice raw with his concern for her.
She was shaking uncontrollably, and cold as death. At a loss as to what to do, he positioned her under the laces of his collar, hoping that she'd recover that way. It's the place she always seemed to retreat to when worn out, and maybe there was good reason for that. At the very least, he could hope that his body heat would help warm her up. He shivered as the chill spread through him, both through the physical contact, and through their bond.
But, he shook his head, determined to focus, and make good use of Navi's discovery. If she was this cold, then the fire, no matter how bright and warm it seemed to burn, must also be cold. Perhaps, there were other oddities about it, as well.
Reluctant to stick his hand, bow or anything else into the fire after what had happened to Navi, he pulled out his empty bottle—the one that had held Lonlon milk, and swiped the bottle gingerly through the flames, surprised when the flame broke off, hovering in a minitorch within the empty bottle. He stared, blinking, for a moment, before corking the bottle, and shaking the substance within. The bottle began to feel frigid.
Link took a moment to consider the idea that Lonlon milk might make Navi recover, but the Wind Waker had retreated back to his house to warm up rather than drinking even the miraculous medicine of life, and he knew much more about (what was it called?) hypothermia. Lonlon milk seemed to be a weaker sort of life medicine.
Instead, he carefully pressed his right hand over the space in which Navi still feebly clung, hoping that it would trap the hot air in a smaller space, helping her to warm up. Meanwhile, he crossed the bridge, to find another freezzard waiting for him before a second torch of blue flames. He leapt onto it with a jump attack, sprang to the side, at the end of the small platform, and chopped what remained into slush. It melted away, leaving the torch unguarded.
But, before Link lay a bridge leading to a wall blocked off with a wall of red ice. What had Navi said about the stuff, again? That it was unnaturally cold? But, it was red, unlike the blue flames that he knew could also freeze things.
For want of a better plan, and operating under the assumption that the blue flames must serve some purpose, he uncorked his bottle, hitting it to shake the blue flame out. It landed near the sheet of ice, and climbed up it in a wall of blue fire, melting the sheet utterly, and revealing a door. He stared. That made as much sense as it didn't.
If he built a fire from things in his inventory (such as, say, deku sticks), and lit it with the blue flames, they should thaw Navi out. There was a small area clear around the door (handleless, he noted to himself).
He pulled out two or three deku sticks, and then several more. He pulled his bottle back out, returning to the torch, and swiped the bottle through the second torch, trapping more of the fire inside. Say, he could probably free the zora king with this, too. Thoughts for another time.
He returned to his pile of wood. Even though he couldn't use the sticks anymore as torches or magically-infused weapons, they could still fulfil the most basic usage of wood available to humans: warmth. He shook out the bottle of flames, and was driven back by the heat of the fire that burst up, rising as if as a geyser, reaching for the ceiling.
Then, he paused. He hadn't thought this through very well, had he? Navi still needed to be placed near or in the fire. Faeries were less sensitive to difference of temperature. He should have laid her on top, and then lit the pile on fire.
Instead, he reached almost into the flames, realising as he did that he'd doubtless have to empty his bottle of life medicine to heal his damaged hands and arms, which did feel rather as if he'd just stuck them straight into the water of a boiling pot, or directly into a blazing fire. He laid Navi next to the fire, and withdrew his hands to stare at them, as they reddened, already trying to blister. In parts, it even seemed—
Nope. Cutting that thought off, there. Instead, he withdrew the medicine with shaking hands, somehow removing the cork, and downing the remainder of the medicine of life at once, although there was most of a bottle left. He suspected that he'd be glad of the extra bottle. He remembered seeing two walls of ice in the room with the silver rupees.
Navi's eyelids fluttered open, and she shivered, despite the fire's warmth, but gradually, colour returned to her, and she stared at Link, unblinking.
"Link…you just saved my life…thank you…." She stared at him, her voice sounding somehow hollow.
"Please, Link," she continued. "Don't worry about me. We must continue. Did you…just build a fire out of deku sticks and set fire to it with those blue flames?"
He nodded, brow furrowed to show his concern.
There was a pause, as she seemed to consider this. But, what more was there to say than she already had?
She sat up, pulling her knees up to her chest, and then flew up, landing comfortably on his shoulders. "What now?"
Link discussed his plan to backtrack, melting the two sheets of ice in the room with the spinning blades. As he returned via a familiar path, he swiped each bottle through the blue flames. He had decided that this important hallway would be left for later.
Link melted the ice in the western side of the room first, and then put the bottle away, heading through this door revealed, into a room beyond, shaped in a cross, with icicles barring off alcoves to the left and right (but failing to completely hide the raised area lying directly ahead). It was a natural crossroads, formed organically with the cavern.
He walked towards the blue flames he could see burning directly ahead of him, intending to refill his bottle, but paused as Navi glowed yellow, and flew off to the right, easily slipping through the gaps among the icicles' jagged teeth.
Now, he could hear the small flapping of wings. Keese, of course. They were here in a room with a blue torch, to facilitate lighting themselves on fire. If Navi hadn't noticed them, they might have ambushed him. He gave her a small smile, withdrawing the hookshot. While they were still perched, there was little sense wasting arrows, right?
He aimed at them, hitting each one on the first try, unwilling to ask and unable to tell on his own whether his success was owing to his own efforts alone, or Navi's help. Eventually, she flew back over to him (after he'd killed the three waiting keese), and then flew to the other side of the room, turning yellow again. Link followed her, thinking it made as much sense as not to defeat all of the enemies in the room before examining it further. Ice keese in particular seemed important to defeat before they became aware of his presence.
There were another two keese on the left-hand side of the room, and five of them gathered around the blue flames (of course, they'd concentrated there). Finally, however, Navi seemed confident that there were no more lurking foes, and she settled with a sigh, back on his shoulders. Well, then.
He returned to his original purpose, filling a bottle with the blue flames, and then turned to slice through the icicles barring the alcove to the left of the entrance. Lying there, upright, was a bottle similar to the one he'd just filled. He picked it up, considered what to do with it, and returned to the blue torch.
With three bottles now full of the blue fire, Link wondered if there were even that many sheets of red ice left in the dungeon. If there were, however, he was now aware of a safer place to refill the bottles of blue fire than the previous torches he had found. He doubted that there would be any others. It wouldn't make sense for a dungeon to make things too easy, after all.
In the right-hand alcove, he finally found the compass (in another of the large treasure chests, that is), and he fitted it expectantly into the dungeon map, and waited, while the symbols for hidden treasure chests faded into view in their respective rooms. But, there was only one more treasure chest marked, and there was no mark for the boss's chamber. What?
He turned to Navi in silent enquiry, and she frowned, not understanding. Much as she usually understood him well, she couldn't read minds. He had to explain.
"Navi," he said. "This is a dungeon, isn't it? I've the compass, and the dungeon map, and there's another treasure chest that I can only suppose contains the dungeon item, but what of the boss? There isn't one left for the big key, or that symbol marking the boss's lair. Something is wrong, here,"
Navi shrugged, leaning over to stare more closely at the map. "…That is strange," she admitted. "But, the first three dungeons didn't have boss keys, either."
"They had bosses, though," Link said, brow still furrowed as he pondered the oddity of their situation.
"Perhaps, there isn't one," Navi suggested. "I mean, that's really the most plausible explanation. This seems a very simplistic sort of dungeon, after all. Very straightforward. We came here looking for the zoras…maybe they already defeated the boss."
"Maybe," Link said, unconvinced. His expression did not level out, as he returned back to the room with the spinning blade. Nothing of importance was marked on the chamber lying to the east, but he spent a bottle of flames to open the way regardless.
There was a door there, a handleless door, so he opened it into the chamber lying beyond. It contained several freezzards, and several ice keese, and, as far as Link could tell, absolutely nothing of importance.
He defeated them all, regardless, as a test of his current skills, and then had no other path to follow save for that in the double-torched room where he'd nearly been impaled by a moving spike trap soon after nearly being frozen by a moving ice sculpture. Well, he'd just have to be careful about his timing.
He made it back to the wall of ice without incident, melted it, took the opportunity while he had it to refill his expended bottles, and ordered the handleless door beyond to open, which it promptly did.
Beyond was a room that he was sure he was about to enjoy even less. There were a couple of stone platforms, unnaturally, conspicuously square, a number of stalagmites scattered throughout the room, holes in each of the four corners, and two high ledges, one to the left, and one dead ahead. According to the map, the door lay straight ahead, behind the wall of red ice at the top of a ledge too high for him to jump up, which meant that the ledge to the left led to an alcove, which made sense, given the flames he could see flickering from an invisible blue torch. The floors were completely covered in ice, and judging by the blue flames covering them, those were ice keese flying up overhead.
First things first, eliminate the monsters. He took careful aim, while Navi clung to his shoulder, and then prepared to launch herself off. He heard her take a deep breath.
"Navi, you don't need to—" he began, but she gave a feeble laugh.
"Not to help you aim, perhaps. But, I do need to do this for my own sake, at least," she said, and flew over to the nearest keese.
He could see even from here that she turned, expectant, waiting for his arrow, and he cocked his head at her, wondering why it was that she had left safety after he'd asked her not to. She must be exhausted, by now.
But, all that he did was aim the bow, carefully, sighting along the first arrow, aiming at the keese, and not Navi. The arrow hit, and Navi flew off as the flames around the keese died, and new blue flames covered it, consuming it. They must not be blue flames at all, then, but Link had no better term with which to describe them, and thus he left it as it was.
With all of the keese slain, Navi flew back to his shoulder, and they stared at the puzzle ahead of them. Literally.
"Well, although the floor is slick, you should be able to gain enough traction to start the blocks heading in a certain direction. The ice will ensure that they continue heading in that direction until something stops them, I should think. Those stalagmites seem pretty durable. Isn't that the same stone that rock walls are usually made of? You've never even dented one of those with even the Master Sword before—remember how many walls you hit with the Master Sword back in the Fire Temple? If you push the blocks around, I'm sure you can find a way to lodge one against the wall near the door. At least you have a bottle of fire to open the way. See if you can't picture in your mind the path each block would take."
Link cautiously walked around the room, surveying it from every angle, calculating and recalculating the paths each block would take, if Navi were right. Since it was possible that he would need to use one of the stone blocks as a buffer itself, he might only have one chance at this. He pretended that he was one of the blocks, following the path he laid out. When he was satisfied, he turned to the relevant block, pushing it around the room, using the other stone block and the stalagmites to arrest its movement, keeping it away from the walls, until, at last, he had it in a position that he could stand on it to reach the ledge, which he could only hope had enough space for him to stand.
He climbed up onto the ledge with the wall of red ice, and shook out one of his three, now two, bottles of fire onto it, watching it melt, revealing the last handleless door. Probably. The map did show a path from the next room into a room he'd already been to, near the entrance.
He nodded to himself, ordered the door to open, and stepped through.
It was, at first sight, empty. As he walked forward, however, bars slammed down, across the door, and he sighed. Miniboss, then. That was why a boss wasn't marked.
He spun around, and blinked rapidly at the sight that greeted him: a white wolfos with glowing, certifiably red eyes. He whipped the shield off his back, first, holding it out as a defence as he drew the Master Sword, watching it intently. Navi launched herself from his shoulder, hovering near the monster's head.
He blocked a blow with the hylian shield, slashed at the monster's temporarily exposed ribcage, watched it leap backwards, giving itself space. It prowled around him in a circle, as he watched it, inevitably comparing it to the wolfoi he had met before. A similar, different coloured wolfos? Or, somehow, fundamentally different?
It swung its arms at him, and he leapt backwards, allowing it to follow the swipe with its left arm with a swipe from its right, as it pivoted, exposing its back to him. Link lunged forwards then, burying the Master Sword into its vulnerable back, and then wrenching the Master Sword out, backflipping to land a fair distance away, thankful that it was snow underfoot, and not ice. He had the sense that the monster would have more easily traversed a frozen slick floor than he.
He waited for its next attack, blocking it with the hylian shield even as he readied a blow with the Master Sword.
Had the other wolfoi been this tough? It was impossible to tell; he had no idea how much each medallion earned increased his strength. He only knew that it must, as it had the Wind Waker's. (Who had somehow been expected to fight Ganondorf assisted by only two Sages? What had the King been thinking?) He could not let these thoughts distract him, however.
He managed a sort of sideways somersault, almost on accident, trying to escape its range, as he drew the Master Sword out to the side, focusing energy into it, glancing at Navi, hoping that she was still well. He still had the concern that using magic might also be draining her.
As the monster appeared, the blade burnt with those same blue flames he saw whenever monsters died. There was a connection there, one he couldn't quite make. He frowned, shook himself, and released the energy in an arc, and he knew only from experience that the blue flames that consumed the monster weren't actually simply transferred in his attack from the Sword.
As its body vanished in the flames, a blue light appeared, circling around a square area a step above the rest of the floor. A big treasure chest slowly formed there, and he walked towards it, opening it with a soft click, and pulling out….
The iron boots. He stared at them, knowing them at once, despite only having seen them in a dream. They were definitely the same: the same thick layer of iron at the base, with soft leather of the kokiri boots on top, to distribute all the weight on the base of the feet, rather than unbalance the wearer. The same, great weight, that might have made him fall over if they'd been handed to him. As it was, he lifted them, cautiously, out, holding them up in the air to examine them better. Well, this was something like proof, although of what, he couldn't say. He turned to Navi.
"The iron boots," he said, by way of explanation. Her eyes widened, and she nodded, fluttering over to study them more closely. He set them on the ground, instead, knowing from experience that he didn't have to hold something to send it to his inventory.
The door opened, and he whirled around, ready for anything. Maybe.
He'd drawn the Master Sword without thinking, readying the hylian shield at the same moment. But, standing in the door was a familiar figure, one with straw blonde hair, and bright red eyes. She leant in the doorway, arms crossed, and turned her head to look at him. It was such a Tetraish pose that he stared, despite himself, and a fierce blush spread across his cheeks.
He was being very rude, wasn't he? Yes, he most definitely was. He looked down at his feet, but didn't move otherwise. Eyes fixed on the ground, he forced himself to walk forwards, to approach the mysterious woman in the doorway.
"We meet again, Link," she said, straightening up, and stepping out of the way of the door, which took its chance to slam down. Bars did not shoot across it. It must somehow know that the miniboss had been defeated.
"If you came to Zora's Domain seeking after the zoras, then you wasted your time. There is only one who has not been encased utterly in ice. I managed to rescue the zoran princess, Ruto, before she was trapped beneath the ice that has buried the entire Domain."
Her voice was tight, and strained, her head bowed so that her hair fell into her eyes. He suspected that she felt somehow responsible for not being able to save the others. But, it wasn't her fault, either. Link hadn't been able to save them; he hadn't even been awake.
He bowed his head, again, and took another step towards her, intending to offer reassurance. But, Sheik raised her head, stared him down, and he found himself stopping, again. Maybe he'd be able to approach her if he took slower steps?
"I rescued her from the ice, but she went right to the Water Temple. She knew that the curse that has frozen the rest of her people can be broken…for it comes from the monster, the boss of the Water Temple, lurking at its very heart, and corrupting it. It is another servant of Ganondorf, named Morpha.
"But, she will never be able to defeat the monster alone. Please, Link, go there, and assist her. Free the Domain of this curse. When Morpha is defeated, Zora's Domain will start to thaw! The zoras still live, though buried under feet of ice. There is still hope!
"Link…" she paused, looking down at the ground, away from him, and then she reached behind her, although he knew there was nothing on her back, and pulled out the familiar harp. "Please, go to the Water Temple and help her. If you have the Courage to do this, I will teach to you the "Serenade of Water". Together, we can make a song with the power to transport you instantaneously to Lake Hylia, where the Water Temple lies beneath the surface."
"Wait! When I played the 'Minuet of Forest', it took me back to the Sacred Forest Meadow, to the exact spot I stood when I played it the first time…isn't that what the songs do?"
Sheik actually laughed. She had a nice laugh, he reflected, almost absently. Very pretty…and not very masculine at all. That might be one reason that she didn't laugh often, with the primary few reasons being the current state of Hyrule, which was enough to sober anyone, he suspected. He didn't say any of this aloud, of course.
Navi landed on his shoulder, looking contemplative, swinging her legs against his shoulder as she listened to Sheik's explanation. Perhaps, the question had occurred to her, too.
"These songs take you to the heart of the element—to the nearest solid ground near the source or heart of the element. The Sacred Forest Meadow is the heart of the Forest Temple. Death Mountain Crater, the heart of fire. Lake Hylia the heart of water. The graveyard, the heart of shadow. Usually, the temples are located near these hearts. Doesn't that make sense?"
Link contemplated the question for a moment. Yes, it did make sense to build a temple near the heart of what it represented. But, did that mean…?
"What of the Temple of Time?" he asked eagerly, leaning forwards, as if it were a secret. "And, what of the Temple of Light? Do they, too, have hearts…and melodies?"
Sheik's eyes widened, and she took a step back, she held her arms out as if warding off some threat, but then she relaxed, and stepped back.
"Yes. Someday, I shall teach you the melody of the Temple of Light—the 'Prelude of Light'. The Temple of Time is but the physical world's counterpart of the Temple of Light in the Sacred Realm. The 'Prelude of Light' will enable you to return there, at any time. But, this is not the place to discuss such things. When it is time, I shall go with you to the Temple, and we shall create the 'Prelude of Light'. But, for now, focus on the danger your friend, Ruto, faces."
Her voice was full of reproach, and Link took the hint, closing his mouth lest he correct her. She'd think he was still just a child, arguing over the proper term for someone like Ruto. "Acquaintance" would be more accurate. She was a selfish, spoilt brat…although, perhaps not so much, anymore, if she had willingly endangered herself to save her people. He frowned, bit his lip, considered this for a matter of seconds, even as he listened to Sheik's introductory speech about the power of water.
"Time flows, and changes what it touches. The world changes around us, and people move in an endless stream, like water.
"A childish mind will mature, and fill with new purpose. Love will grow out of the deep care of friendship. Water shows us what lies within our heart, allows us to reflect upon our truest selves. It is useful to all of us. When we know what we are, we are better able to be who we were always meant to be. The power of water will help you with that. The 'Serenade of Water' will take you to its heart."
She played a slow, liquid tune on the harp. There was really no better word for it: it flowed, like water. He knew the ocarina would never be able to mimic that. The Ocarina of Time was an amazing instrument, but it had its limits. Still, to begin with, he repeated her phrase back at her, staring at her, absorbing the undercurrent her notes provided, unthinkingly melding the two together as they finished the final third of the piece.
Sheik smiled, and nodded. "Very good, Link! That was beautiful! And, if you have other things to do before going to the Water Temple—and I recommend that you do find a way to breathe underwater before you go—you will want to take this underwater passage leading to a room near the entrance of this Cavern. I hope that you can hold your breath, because the alternative is taking the long route back. Link…I'll see you again."
Link almost raised his hand to shield his eyes before she threw the deku nut at the ground.
When he opened his eyes, she had gone. Expected, but disappointing.
Time to get out of here.
Fifteen minutes later, he had made the treacherous trek back across the moving ice platforms to the entrance to Zora's Fountain, face almost shining with determination as he marched back into Zora's Domain, striding up to the Zora King, wasting no time in pulling out the bottle of blue flames, and pouring it at the king's feet (because he suspected that the king would prefer it if Link didn't set his cloak afire, and would rather risk injuring his legs than vital organs.
The ice melted, leaving the king unharmed. Obeying the rules writ upon the sign still standing next to the audience platform, Link obediently stalked down the ramp leading up to Zora's Fountain, climbing the steps to stand before the King. He bowed low before Ruto's father, and was about to speak when the king spoke first.
"Ah…is that you, Link Sylvanus? You are the boy who saved my daughter, are you not? Thank you for saving me from that ice…it feels good to be able to move again. Although I didn't suffer from being frozen, and I was unaware of what happened around me, I do have the vague memory of it solidifying around me…and of it melting. I do know who freed me.
"Thank you. As thanks, please take this tunic. Ruto had it made for you, if you ever returned to Zora's Domain. It might not be quite the right size, but it should shrink to fit you better. She didn't have it made for a child, however, so don't worry. With the tunic, you should be able to breathe underwater without choking!"
There was a muffled, soft noise, as a blue tunic appeared in front of Link, complete with cap. Link wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. It was almost touching that Ruto had had this made for him, but disturbing at the same time. She must still be fixated on the idea of the engagement…how could he put her off, without removing Zora's Sapphire, and risking closing the Door of Time? He knew it was critical that it remain open, although how he knew, he wasn't sure. Perhaps, it was in that the Master of Sword had been responsible in, essentially, sending him forward seven years in time. He knew he needed access to the Pedestal of Time. He'd have to think of something…else.
Navi was chuckling at his expense, and he frowned, remembered the king, and bowed low before him.
"Thank you, your majesty," he said. "I am most grateful."
He picked up the tunic and hat, and headed for the falls, before remembering that they were frozen over. Well, he could at least unfreeze the entrance to the shop, and spend the night in Zora's Domain.
He awoke the next morning, and decided that his first priority should be replenishing his supplies. Accordingly, it made the most sense to return to the Death Mountain Crater via the Bolero of Fire, and make his way back down the trail, to Kakariko Village.
He'd probably need to buy at least a couple servings of the medicine of life, and perhaps one of the medicine of magic, although the ultimate medicine he'd heard about intrigued him. Hollo had made a blue potion that replenished both life and magical energy. He could think of few potential potions that could best that. Replenishing both made it the ultimate recovery potion, did it not? The lady at the apothecary had suggested that he investigate it the last time, but he'd preferred to stick to the more familiar medicine of life. Now, however….
Apparently, the ultimate medicine was what the Wind Waker had known as "blue potion". He smiled at it when he saw it. He foresaw an increasingly great need for this medicine, as he encountered progressively stronger enemies, against whom ordinary attacks might be less than useful.
More than that, it reminded him of the Forest Haven, which, as a place that both was, and wasn't, home, filled him with a truly strange mixture of emotions: grief, loss, happiness, hope, all for different reasons. It was all that remained of Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods, and would always be home, but there were no kokiri there, and the Wind Waker had been raised on an island far away. It was strange even to think of it.
He wondered where the Forest Temple was (would be). Would it be buried beneath the sea, or hidden within the Forbidden Woods? Was it part of the reason the Woods were forbidden? He wished that he remembered his time there. It might come in handy on his quest.
Link didn't let himself become too distracted. He spent the day in Kakariko Village, replenishing more than just his supplies of medicines, and spending even some time at the shooting gallery (he won a bigger quiver after a perfect score, which was more impressive since the adult's version of the game actually changed the pattern in which the rupees appeared), and lay down in what was almost his spot, near the entrance to Kakariko Village.
But, right after dawn, he pulled out the Ocarina of Time, and played the Serenade of Water. He could stall no longer. Ruto needed rescuing…again.