It was the early hours when a lone horse and rider galloped through the fortress gate, nearly throwing its guards off their feet in a whirlwind of dust.

The rider dismounted, tearing the veil from her face as she turned and shouted at a nearby guard to rouse the king.

Minutes later, Ganondorf was striding into his reception chamber, still in his bedclothes. It was a circular room, lit by torches and bare save for the king's chair. Not so much a throne but a high-backed wooden chair.

The rider bowed low, holding her closed fist to her heart in a sign of respect.

"My lord."

"Report," he grumbled, dropping into his chair. "Did Darunia give up the ruby?"

She straightened. "The forest boy," she said, mindful of the way the king's fingers curled into a fist. "Darunia has given him the stone in exchange for getting rid of the dodongoes."

Ganondorf made no outward reaction. The messenger tensed, holding her head bowed. A figure who had previously kept to the shadows stepped into the circle of torches. Though the Gerudo were gifted with their own brand of magic, having a sorcerer in their ranks was a great advantage. Alatar, as he called himself, had become a close advisor to the desert king.

At the moment the man's thin, gaunt face was twisted with rage.

"He has defeated them?" he asked incredulously. "All of them?"

She nodded. "I checked myself."

"My lord," Alatar began.

Ganondorf cut him off with a slice of his hand. "It matters not," he said. "The boy now has two stones. Soon, I'm sure, he will have discovered the third."

Alatar growled under his breath and turned to face the window. "Little brats."

"Once he has them all, he'll run right back to the princess's side," Ganondorf said to the sorcerer. "No need to worry, Alatar."

He spun around, his heavy robes, so impractical, swishing around his gangly frame. "Everything must occur according to plan. You've no idea the delicate balance required to—"

"I don't need another lecture on the future and its infinite timelines," Ganondorf interrupted. He turned to his messenger. "Have your spies continue to watch them both. Captain Aalrian," he called.

The second woman in the room stepped forward. Like most Gerudo, she had vibrant red hair and deeply tan skin. Her features were typical, but her eyes were intensely topaz, almost gold. "My lord?"

"We have little time. At first light, ready our people. It is time to begin."

Aalrian nodded in response. "We are ready, my lord."

Ganondorf stood up, dismissing his messenger and Alatar. The sorcerer, irritated at being sent off, shot Aalrian a frown. She ignored him.

"Status?" the king asked her.

"We have been preparing for years," she replied with confidence. "We are ready for the battle. The only missing pieces are the keys."

Ganondorf heaved a sigh. "Alatar worries too much," he confided to Aalrian. "He clings to his visions and thinks they are exact. But it is much easier to let others do your work for you and reap their rewards."

"You intend to let them bring the stones to you?"

"As I said, it is easier."

She nodded, though his back was turned as he gazed out the rough-hewn window in the rock. The moon hung low and large in the sky, fading with every moment before the sun's arrival.

Ganondorf dismissed Aalrian then with his instructions. After she left he returned to his bedchamber but was no more able to sleep than he had before.

The moment of victory drew close, he knew. He could feel it in his blood that his destiny was at hand. It kept his mind turning, preventing rest.

Tomorrow, he began his conquest of Hyrule. And when he was finished, history would be forever altered.

~oOo~

Link emptied out the contents of his rucksack onto the worn little table. His gear clattered out in a heap. Navi hovered over his head, silently determining if they had everything they needed for the trip to Zora's Domain.

"That's a lot of gear," Dampé commented, picking up Link's slingshot to examine it. "You're sure you have everything you need?"

"Think so," Link said, mentally ticking off items. The slingshot had been lying next to his bag of Deku seeds and nuts. After that was a bottle of Lon Lon milk, his lantern and a jar of oil to refill it, a bundle of Deku sticks, a hefty bag of Goron-made bombs from Darunia, and a bottle of red potion.

The bottle was from a young woman in town who tended cuccos. She'd given it to Link as thanks for helping her catch a few stray birds. Her grandmother, a talented potion maker, had gifted him the concoction she claimed would heal any wounds.

"The river's a dangerous place lately," Dampé was saying. "Lots of monsters hanging about, aye? Have you got the food I packed you?"

Link held up the sack of provisions and the water Dampé had given him. The grave keeper smiled, his scarred face crinkling.

"Good lad. Wouldn't do to have you collapse of hunger on top of it all. I imagine the Princess herself would come here and wring my neck," he chuckled.

Link tossed his gear and food into the rucksack and tied it to his bedroll. He had everything he needed, all that was left to do was wait. He'd spent the last few days in Kakariko with Dampé, getting prepared for the journey and learning everything he could about his destination.

He'd run into Malon and her father yesterday and Talon had graciously agreed to let Link ride with their wagon to the next village. It would cut his journey to Zora's Domain in half.

After Link and Dampé had a modest supper in Dampé's hut, the sound of hooves striking dirt heralded Talon and Malon's arrival.

While the ranch owner stowed Link's things in the wagon, he turned to his friend the gravekeeper to say goodbye. He didn't know when he'd be back again.

Dampé smiled, revealing mismatched and missing teeth. "I will miss you, little friend."

"Thanks for all your help," Link said. He returned Dampé's hug when he stooped, mindful of his crooked back. "I'll come to visit as soon as I'm able."

Dampé retrieved a large handkerchief from his pocket to dry his eyes. "Of course, lad. Be careful on your way. I know your mission is an important one."

After their farewells, Link and Malon hopped into the back of the wagon while Talon took the reins. It was a full day's journey before they stopped for the night. Talon stopped at a few small villages and farms to make his deliveries, while Link and Malon sat in the back, talking and playing games.

As the sky turned burnt orange and scarlet, Talon finally parked outside an inn in a riverside village. Malon and Link went inside to pay for their rooms while Talon tended the horses.

"So, what is in Zora's Domain?" Malon finally asked, accepting their room keys from the inn keeper.

"The next part of my mission," Link replied. Malon didn't press for more details, but she couldn't hide her curiosity.

"I've never met a Zora," she remarked. "I wonder what they're like?"

"Zelda told me they're very wise. One of the ancient races of Hyrule. She said they were great healers, and friends of the Royal family."

"Hmm," Malon said. "Papa said they are quite formal. Stuffy, he said." She giggled. "I suppose we wouldn't get along."

Link laughed with her. "Hopefully they like me enough to help me."

"Well, you're very likeable," Malon told him with a grin.

Talon returned them and ushered them upstairs. Link took the smaller room down the hall from father and daughter, stashing his things under the bed. He laid down for the night, knowing it might be his last comfortable night for a while, and wondered what the Zoras would be like.

Zora River turned out to be a wide, winding river, with sections of fast-moving rapids and others where the flow of water was almost still. He did encounter some of the monsters he'd been warned about, but they were small pests.

Up ahead, there was a rumbling sound that made his ears prick. He hurried across another bridge and rounded a bend. The thunderous rushing noise turned out to be a fantastic waterfall which drained into a deep pool.

The river found its source in Death Mountain range, branching to the west to flow through Castle Town, and to the east, where it became the Zoras' river. Link looked up to the cliffs flanking them. There was no safe way to climb up and over.

"The entrance is nearby," Navi said, flitting closer to the waterfall. "There's no way to get over…I think their domain is behind the water."

"How do we get past?" Link wondered, watching the powerful jets of water strike the pool below, pound against the rock.

"Your ocarina!" Navi exclaimed. "The song that Zelda taught you."

Fishing the instrument from his pack, Link repeated the notes of the lullaby, hoping the Zoras could hear the sound from behind the rushing water. When the music faded, the flow of water stuttered, slowed and eventually stopped. To their surprise, some magical force was holding back the river, keeping it from its descent.

In its place, hewn out of the cliffside, was a doorway. The entrance to Zora's Domain was open.

~oOo~

He had many names. Most had forgotten he existed. Some thought him a demon. Others saw him as a force of chaos, unpredictable and uncaring of both good and evil. To those in the land of Termina, he was known as the unnamed fierce deity. Their guardian, their patron god.

Lately his guardianship role was strongly focused on individuals. As the Goddess of Time had warned him, Hyrule was rapidly hurtling towards a turning point in its history. To protect the land, he had undertaken this mission for himself.

He'd spent years just watching and waiting. Soon, it would become much more.

Standing in the middle of the street, he remained unseen to the few people still out this late at night. Letting things unfold, he watched the scene unfold.

The pale-faced thief, Sakon, slipped out of his hole: a false wall behind an abandoned stall. Sakon's eyes shifted left and right, unaware that two pairs of eyes watched him.

The moment the thief's dancing feet flitted around the corner to the next street, Dark moved out of the shadows. Wearing the Stone mask, he slipped behind the false wall and into Sakon's hideout.

Ignoring the walls, Fierce slipped through them, an invisible observer as Dark began to ransack the hovel.

As Dark searched, Fierce wondered if he realized what events he would set in motion. He doubted it. Not many mortals could see the future, as he could. Fewer still could understand its puzzles.

He'd appointed himself Dark's guardian since his birth, knowing the chain of events he would become tangled up in. Dark's fate was tied to the turning point, same as the others.

Dark, his pockets full of stolen coins, slipped out of the false wall and back into the street. Sakon had returned. The mask was held lax in Dark's hand.

As Sakon strolled along, Fierce turned his head, his pale blue eyes catching on a loose stone in the road. With barely a thought, he pried it free, guiding Sakon's descending foot into its place.

The thief tripped, crying out in surprise. Dark's head shot up. He donned the mask quickly. Sakon sauntered back to his hidey-hole, blissfully ignorant. Without pause Dark slipped past his foe, sprinting back up the street.

Fierce followed behind easily, waiting until Dark reached Palardine House. Satisfied that events unfolded as they should, he let Castle Town fall away from him, piece by piece, until nothing but the night sky surrounded him.

The canvas of stars beckoned him. Their shining lights brought him both comfort and remorse. His self-imposed mission was of utmost importance, but it meant he could not return home as he wanted. Since he had become a god, the stars had been his home.

When the Goddess of Time pulled him from the burning pyre of his world, she'd changed his mortal nature. He had become the protector of her new world, and all its inhabitants.

It was his duty now to ensure those inhabitants remained on their paths. And Dark needed his guidance.

Casting a mournful look upwards, he settled on his back. He didn't sleep anymore, but he could rest, floating on air and watching the heavens. He needed the peace of a calm mind.

In a few days' time, it would all begin.

~oOo~

Link didn't receive quite the welcome he expected. As soon as he crossed through the waterfall and into the domain of the zoras, dozens of sharp spears descended to surround him.

Startled, Link looked up for his first sight of the mysterious race. They were tall, all of them, with pale, smooth skin that ended with webbed fingers and toes. They had gills, too. And fins arcing out from their hips, elbows and knees. Their skin, which ranged in colours of blue, green, pink, silver and purple, darkened along the edge of their fins and gills. Near the centre of their bodies it faded to pure white.

The zoras were speaking in their own tongue, their voices sharp. Link shook his head, unable to understand.

The closest one handed his spear to one of his companions and reached up to grab his own head. Link nearly gasped when he removed the heavy helmet he had thought was the zora's head. Under the helmet, decorated with fierce, fish-like features, the zora guard's face was stern.

"Hylian?" he asked, eyeing Link doubtfully with eyes that were entirely black.

Link glanced warily at the spear tip in his peripheral vision. "Kokiri," he corrected. "But I speak Hylian just fine."

The zora bent one knee so he could look into Link's face. Aside from a short tunic around his hips and some kind of armor over his shoulders, he wore no clothing over a slender, fit physique.

"You played the song of the Royal Family," the zora guard said in perfect Hylian, "but you do not bear the mark of their messenger."

Link wasn't sure what mark he was supposed to be bearing, but he forged ahead. "Princess Zelda sent me," he explained. "I need to speak with King Zora."

He held out the written note from the princess. The guard opened one webbed hand, his almond-shaped eyes scanning it. All of the zoras seemed to have elongated heads, with a fin of some sort hanging down the back in lieu of hair. Their features almost looked Hylian, but sharper, more angular.

The guard handed back the princess's note. He stood, retrieving his spear and helmet and tucking it under his arm. As he looked down at Link his eyes changed from pure obsidian to sea blue irises and black pupils.

It made him look much friendlier, Link thought. The guard said a few orders in the Zora language, and his friends immediately raised their spears, falling into two lines flanking Link.

"Follow me," he said. "And watch your step."

The entrance tunnel was plenty wide, but at the end it opened into a cavernous room. Despite being under the river, the room was brightly lit by torches and glowing yellow orbs of magic set in cages on the walls. Walkways twisted around the room, looking into a deep blue pool at the foot of another waterfall. Zoras filled the pool, swimming gracefully. Others lounged on the rocks nearby.

As the group passed, other zoras nodded respectfully to the guards and shot Link curious glances.

"Forgive them," the head guard said. "They've never seen a Kokiri before."

Link smiled and waved at a zora child that was close to his height. The girl giggled and waved back before rushing to a female zora's side.

"This isn't the entire colony," Navi said from under Link's hat. "Most of them live aboveground in the zora villages, but this was their safe haven during the war. The king still resides here."

The group stopped outside of two huge doors, each etched with beautiful zora craftsmanship. Another tidbit from Navi told him that the zoras were known for their appreciation of art and beauty. They were also proficient healers.

"Do not speak unless spoken to," the head guard warned Link before opening the doors.

He ushered Link inside, bringing him up to a raised podium in a shallow pool. Above the pool, the biggest zora Link had seen yet was perched on a rock shelf, swinging his disproportionately tiny legs and fluttering his gills anxiously.

"Your Majesty, King Zora," the guard said. "This is Link, the Kokiri. He has been sent by Princess Zelda of Hyrule to speak with you." He bowed low and retreated.

King Zora barely spared Link a glance. "I am sorry child," he said in a wheezing voice. "I am afraid I cannot hear what you came to say. My dearest daughter Ruto, the princess of the zoras, is missing, you see." The king breathed a deep sigh, his rotund body expanding with the effort.

"We have searched everywhere, sire," the guard cut in. "I'm sorry, there's been no sign of her."

The king let out a moan of despair. "We must find her, Sidas," he said to the guard. "Perhaps I should pray to Lord Jabu-Jabu."

"Any effort helps, my lord," Sidas said.

"You are dismissed," the king said with a wave of his fins.

"Wait! But—" Link protested, only to have the guard grab his arm.

Sidas escorted him outside of the throne room without a backward glance.

"Wait a moment!" Link wrestled from his grip. "You have to let me talk to him! I need the spiritual stone! It's important!"

Sidas frowned. "How do you know of the spiritual stone?" he asked curiously, then waved a hand. "It doesn't matter, look, I have more important things to take care of. Our king is distraught, and I need to find Princess Ruto."

"Let me help," Link offered, thinking of his bargain with Darunia. "If I help find Princess Ruto, will you give me the stone?"

The zora managed a chuckle. "I couldn't give you the stone even if I wanted it. It belongs to Princess Ruto. If you find her, you can ask her for it. Not that she'll give it to you…" Sidas trailed off, then shook his head. "But look, kid, you're welcome to stay here the night…"

Link had stopped listening. Navi's voice had starting ringing in his ear and it was hard to concentrate on anything else.

"There's a fairy fountain nearby here," she trilled excitedly. "I can feel her presence, come on!"

Link was aware of the numerous fairies' fountains hidden throughout Hyrule. Saria had shown him one deep within the Lost Woods. The red healing fairies gathered in places where the pulse of magic was strong and they could be safe. He'd been warned many times by the Great Deku Tree that some humans coveted fairy magic for themselves, and so hunted and imprisoned the gentle creatures.

The zoras didn't seem evil, and if a fairy's fountain was close by, they must feel safe with the aquatic race, Link reasoned.

"Do you have a fairy fountain near here?" Link asked before Navi could shush him.

Sidas was surprised. "Ah, yes. Next to Lord Jabu-Jabu's shrine there is a fountain. As far as I'm aware it is empty, however. It was created before we zora came to this place."

Sidas agreed to escort Link to the fountain on the condition that he not disturb Lord Jabu-Jabu and that he leave the domain afterward, saying it wouldn't do to have a Kokiri involved in zora business.

The head guard guided Link through the domain to a tunnel that led outside to a sheltered lagoon. Floating on its belly before a stone platform was a gigantic fish, its pale blue eyes staring straight ahead.

"The fountain is on the far side, just follow the bridge," Sidas explained. "Do not wake Lord Jabu-Jabu," he added, gesturing to the huge fish. "I will retrieve you in a few minutes."

Giving the fish a wide berth, Link stepped onto a narrow wooden bridge and followed it across the water. Sidas had disappeared, so he dared a closer look at Jabu-Jabu and turned left at a fork in the bridge. Walking next to the great fish's flank, Link noticed his enormous gills looked a little deflated, and were tinged green instead of steel grey like his body.

"Link, come on!" Navi urged.

Link turned away from Jabu-Jabu and made his way to the cave Sidas had pointed out. Wading through a thick curtain of vines, he found himself in a cool, quiet room. Square in shape, it seemed to have been hewn from the rock. Magical torches flanked a shallow fountain of white stone. Oddly, there were no fairies floating over its still surface.

"I know she's here," Navi murmured. "I can feel a fairy's presence."

"I am here, little ones," a musical female voice echoed.

The walls around the fountain began to change, shimmering like sunlight on water. They transformed from grey rock to a kaleidoscope of colours, shining as they reflected unseen light. Music greeted Link's ears from an unknown source, and he instantly felt a sense of well-being.

From the center of the fountain a figure materialized, surged upwards into the air. A woman wrapped in vines and foliage stood there, her toes grazing the water's surface. Her face was incredibly beautiful, framed by a flowing mane of magenta hair. Her smile was kind, her arms open.

"Welcome, Link," she purred, her voice sweet and melodious. "I am one of the Great Fairies of Hyrule."

Navi gasped. Link could only gape.

The great fairy laughed, a sound like wind chimes. "Do not be afraid. I have called you here to help you. A great trial is ahead, and you must be ready."

"Great trial?" Link repeated. "Do you mean finding the last spiritual stone?"

The beautiful fairy answered questions he hadn't voiced. "I know all about your quest, Link. Almost nothing is hidden from us fairies. I can tell you where to find the remaining stone."

She smiled upon seeing the excitement on Link's face. "Indeed, the stone you seek is with the zora princess, Ruto, inside Lord Jabu-Jabu."

Link frowned. "Inside him? How is that?"

"Lord Jabu-Jabu has fallen ill due to Ganondorf's schemes," the fairy said, her lovely face showing her displeasure. "After you retrieve the stone you will need every advantage. A great trial is coming." She paused, leaning down to say, "When you have the final stone in hand, please come back to see me before returning to Hyrule Castle."

With that, the great fairy turned and dove into the water, her form shrinking until she was gone in a blink. The ethereal music faded away, the walls returned to rock.

Link closed his eyes tight then opened them. The fountain was still there. Navi buzzed around his head.

"Let's go, Link!"

Link turned on his heel and hurried after Navi, but as they made their way back to Jabu-Jabu's shrine, the great fairy's words echoed in his head.

The last time they had spoken, Zelda had mentioned her growing unease as well. She'd felt certain from her dreams that something more was about to happen.

Link was beginning to understand how she felt. With every step he felt a stone drop in his stomach, warning him of the coming calamity.