Ch. 6 All washed up

Hi. I'm back. I've been slacking off, I know! I'm so sorry, please forgive me! I actually finished this one a while ago, I just never got around to uploading it. However, the next chapter, which will be a tiny break from the plot, is just about killing my poor head. It might take awhile, so please be patient!

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN IT!!!! YARRRR! (Kurogane face!)

"Yes, the delegates from the southern isles will be here soon…"

"The average per capita…"

Crown Princess Zelda tried heroically, but to no avail, to stifle the yawn that had been trying to escape for the last five minutes. As the Crown Princess, someday Queen, she was forced to sit through hours of talks concerning the state of the kingdom, and someday, she'd even have to participate. It wasn't like she didn't care about what happened in her own kingdom, but this way of finding things out was just boring. With the contacts and friendships she had developed among the Commoners, this kind of thing was unnecessary. Blue eyes gazed dreamily out the window, as she rested her head on one hand. Golden hair flopped into her face; she blew it off. All day, she was locked up in the castle, forced to undergo torture with all the handmaidens-in-waiting, specifically things like walking with books on their heads and learning how to swoon properly and practice embroidering handkerchiefs with tiny stitches, to name a few.

A butterfly floated lazily on the breeze as the voices of her parents and their advisors droned on, and the quills of the clerks scratched incessantly as they took notes and fiddled with numbers. The Sheikah stood in the corners, stiff as stone, silent, and almost completely unnoticeable. If they hadn't been breathing, a person could mistake them for very realistic painted statues. Death Mountain loomed in the distance, mostly surrounded by Kakariko, but for a steep and rocky slope near the Ruin of Domain. The sight reminded her that the pages would be returning from summer camp today… That would be her sister, Lorelei, and her close friend, Link… I hope he comes back soon… she thought dreamily.

"Um, did you say something, Your Highness?" the advisor sitting beside her asked. Oh, no! Did I say that out loud?!

"Um, no, it's nothing!" Zelda replied, feeling the blush rise in her face.

"Milady, are you quite sure you're well? Your face is red," the advisor pointed out.

"It's just… quite stuffy in here, and dusty," Zelda stated as a result of fast thinking.

"Then perhaps it's time we took a recess," the King replied, smiling at his daughter, "The stale air's been muddling all our minds." Everyone consented to this; they had all been thinking the same thing but unwilling to voice their opinions.

Zelda skipped out to the courtyard, her pale pink dress swishing behind her. The water above the magical barrier that protected their world was icy blue. Which was most likely because the water was frozen. For the first time, even though it had been there for a while, Zelda noticed it was slightly cooler than a summer in Hyrule ought to be. She clambered onto the trellis (despite Ariune, her Sheikah guardian's, protest) and stared at the mountain. And that was when she saw the huge ice dragon fall from the sky.

Zelda tumbled from the trellis in shock, only to be caught by Ariune, who was wearing a look that said, "I told you so".

"Ari, do you know of anything that will stop an ocean from drowning us all?" Zelda asked her, trying to stay calm, but inside she was panicking. Once Link figured out how to kill that monster, it was only a matter of time before the dome flooded. If they let the monster be, they'd all freeze to death. A rock and a hard place.

"You're not thinking of…" began Ari, but Zelda interrupted her.

"No. Something less powerful than that," she replied, already thinking. She could gather all the most powerful mages in the world and have them repair the dome, but that could take days, and she didn't have that much time. She could put up a barrier on her own, but that would take an incredible amount of energy on her part; Zelda would never survive it. But then again, she could always draw power from… no way, she snapped at herself. Unless things got really out of hand, there was no way she was going to use the Triforce of Wisdom. Then it hit her.

"Ari, I need a really fast horse and I need it now," Zelda declared, using that commanding tone that all royalty knew.

"Where are we going, Milady?" Ari asked, realizing this was no time to ask her charge to be stay inside and be good.

"The Ruins."

Water

They swept through the battlefield, almost completely unnoticed by the combatants, who were much to busy not being killed to care. There were a couple very close shaves when the monster would lash out with a tail or blast ice at them, but for the most part, they made it to the safety of the Zora Cataracts with relatively minor injuries.

The Zora Cataracts were a series of small cliffs and waterfalls that, at one point, had deterred all but the most stubborn enemies of the Zora. And, because the Zora River was the main source of drinking water in Hyrule, the cataracts protected the city, as well, making it hard to reach the source of the river and poison it. It would have been almost impossible to scale, but for the disused paths and the ancient bridges supported by spells. Zelda could see the runes flowing over their stones; the magic was unraveling, but they still had their anchors, small precious stones, preferably opals, imbedded somewhere in the architecture that tied all the magic together, therefore they were still safe.

They heard a loud crashing ahead; they were nearing the waterfall, which was a mass of tumbled boulders over which the water cascaded down in thin streams, sending up a shimmering cloud of mist. It was very pretty, but incredibly inconvenient, as it blocked off the only entrance that wasn't underwater.

"Should have brought a construction crew," Zelda muttered under her breath. Raising her arms, she tapped into her magic and sent out a small strand. After a bit of searching, she found what she was looking for. A stone wiggled its way loose. Shortly thereafter a large boulder crashed down, its support gone. That boulder fell onto other boulders, knocking them off balance, which crashed into others and… well, you get the picture. Anyway, Ari had to pull Zelda out of the way before she was squashed, but the path into the ruin was clear now, and with an added bonus: the rocks had created a natural walkway leading up to it. Ari led the way in; even though Zelda had found a map of the Ruin in the library, it was incredibly old, and probably out-of-date.

The first thing they noticed stepping in was the fact that it was freezing cold, and the floor was incredibly slippery. Zelda took a step ahead of Ari… right into thin air. She felt a strong hand close around her wrist and pull her up again. Her panicked scream still echoed around the many corridors. She might as well have just shouted, "We're here! Come and eat us!"; it would have done just about the same thing. A fish leapt out of the dark, glass-smooth water, then splashed back in. Footfalls echoed from many halls. There was no choice left but to run.

Zelda ran faster than she ever had in her life, a light glowing in her hand to show the way. Even so, she tripped over a crack in the stone and fell down.

"Twin Moon Leaves Fly!!" She heard shrieks and looked behind her as two razor crescents found their mark. Ari picked her up around the waist and carried her. The path was sloping steeply upwards and curving. Their magic-light was bobbing ahead, lighting the path. Suddenly, the walls vanished, they were running up stairs, and Ari made a flying leap from the platform towards a square of daylight and landed splash in shallow water that was flowing over the ledge. Other splashes resounded as some monsters tried the same maneuver and fell pitifully short of their goal, crashing headlong into the wall. Others were smarter, and ran up a curving path around the edge. Ari and Zelda sprinted towards the door and stepped out into bright sunlight.

Squinting, they didn't stop running until they were well out of the way of the door. The monsters also ran out, then shrieked in pain and fear. The light made their eyes (those that hadn't turned to stone as they stepped out the door) burn, and the rays of the sun was much to hot for their comfort. They ran back in, waiting in the safety of the darkness for the two fools to return through their lair, as there was no other passage back to the river. They would be feasting soon enough.

"If only I'd known they don't like light!" Zelda wailed, sitting on a dry stone dais with her face in her hands, "We'll never stop that dragon now!"

"M'lady, 'if only's' will not help you gain the power over water. You must continue to search," Ari replied. Zelda sniffed, rubbed her eyes, and pulled out her map. Opening it up, she stared for awhile at the strange writing on the page. It was a much older version of their language, with many runes she did not recognize. It took her a bit of time to decipher the labels, and by the time she figured out exactly where they were, it was almost dinner-time. However, Zelda was much too excited now to eat what little they had hurriedly packed.

"Ari, I think I know where that magic's hidden," Zelda said, not taking her eyes off the map.

"Where?"

"Right here." Zelda took a few steps farther into the middle of the stage. "Umm, magic? Hello? Is anybody there?" She waited for a few seconds, her excitement falling with every moment that nothing happened. Thoroughly depressed, she started to walk back to Ari, who was looking up at the sun worriedly. They only had a few hours before it set and the monsters waiting inside the ruin could charge out unharmed.

"You who have traveled far to my shrine in search of my power, what is your name?" The female voice had an echo to it, as though it were coming from far away.

Zelda turned slowly on the spot. A glowing form made of white mist with sparkling blue eyes stood on the water, slowly revealing itself to be a Zora, or, at least, a ghost of one.

"Go on, introduce yourself," Ari whispered, pushing her charge closer to the spirit.

"Umm, Zelda," the princess muttered, looking at her feet, "P-princess Zelda, I mean…"

"On what pact do you take my powers?" the spirit questioned, the mist around it shimmering in the setting sun.

"Pact?"

"I get it," Ari answered, "You're going to have to make a vow when you take the power. And if you go back on your word, the magic will leave you and you'll have to make a new one all over again. If the spirit's willing to accept you again, that is."

"That is correct," the spirit replied in her echoy voice.

"Well, okay. I vow to save Hyrule and its people. I won't just stand by as everyone drowns… or becomes victims of the dark power rising all around us," Zelda finished firmly, standing up tall. Once she had gotten over the shock of a surprise visit from a spirit, she was back to her usual regal self.

"I accept your vow. Take this ring as a reminder of our pact." For the first time, Zelda noticed she was holding something in her hand. It was a silver ring in the shape of a coiled dragon, whose eyes were tiny glittering sapphires. Zelda had seen the same design in some of the older books in the library, the ones from the days of the…

"You're a… a dragon rider!" Zelda gasped. The Zora spirit nodded slowly.

Suddenly, with a great splashing sound, water began to pour in from the hole in the dome. The Ice Dragon was dead, and the ice had melted.

"No! Ari, we've got to get down there, now!" Zelda cried, staring in horror as more and more water poured in.

"I will take you." The mist around the ghost wavered, expanded, and vanished. In place of the spirit was a very solid, living, breathing unicorn, glossy black and flecked with silver spots like stars. Its spiraled crystal horn was like a diamond and glowing with its own inner light. The only things that remained the same were the blue eyes that gazed mystically at them.

"There is not much time. You must ride."

"Ride… you?"

"Wait a minute, it's forbidden to ride a unicorn!" Ari cut in, "She'll be cursed!"

"We can argue about curses later," the unicorn replied coldly, "If we do not hasten, everyone will die." Ari looked helplessly at the unicorn, then her charge, then the unicorn again. She shrugged.

"Curses can be broken, I suppose," Ari muttered. Wordlessly, she helped Zelda climb onto the unicorn's back. The unicorn tossed her head and a bright light erupted from her horn. Water swirled around them and stretched out in front like a road.

"Be careful," Ari called as the unicorn began to gallop along the path it had created, "and whatever you do," they were getting smaller by the second, "don't use IT!" They had vanished from sight, the watery path melting behind them and falling to the ground like rain. It was growing darker. From the dark tunnel, the monsters growled restlessly, preparing for a short, easy battle. Ari made a sign with her hands that caused flames to erupt around her. Their next meal would not be so easy to kill.

"Twin Moon Leaves Fly!!"

Water

Riding the unicorn was very, very different from riding a horse. Whenever Zelda rode one of the Royal horses, she almost never rode bareback. It was always so hard to sit sidesaddle in a dress even when she did have a saddle. And when she ever happened to be in such a hurry that she didn't have time for the saddle, she at least used a bridle. Zelda closed her eyes and held tighter onto the unicorn's mane. They were way to high up, and going much, much to fast for her comfort. She only risked a peek again when she heard the sound of water crashing down. The hole in the dome was larger than she had thought.

The royal mages were working to stop the water, but they didn't have the power, even combined, to seal off that much pressure completely. Only the ancient Sages, the guardians that protected the Devine Realms from their shrines in the mortal world and had created the dome, had that kind of power. But there were no Sages left. Everyone had fled to higher ground; the people of Kakariko and Castle City were busy throwing sandbags in front of the gates, packing any gaps tightly with anything waterproof that could be spared. People that lived in small towns out in the Field had moved as high into belltowers and inns as they could climb, and water lapped at their second-story windows.

"What should I do, uhm…?" Zelda faltered as their road let them down onto the battlements of Castle City, just now realizing that she didn't even know the spirit's name.

"Celesti."

"Celesti. Okay. What do I need to do to stop the water?"

"Just focus on making the water stop. I can strengthen your magic with my presence, but the strength of your will is the only thing that will have an effect on the water."

With all her magical training, Zelda assumed she would attempt this task as though it were a complex magical working. All sorts of runes and symbols flowed through her mind; she wondered which ones to choose, and then how to word them.

"Stop that. There is no need for silly signs here. You must use your will and magic alone," declared Celesti, her eyes glinting slightly with impatience. Water pounded against the walls like an ocean. Spray slapped Zelda's face, dealing a mental blow to her concentration. She only had one chance. What if she messed it up? Everyone would die.

"Hurry."

Zelda willed the water to stop moving, pushing hard against it with tendrils of her magic. Instantly, she felt like she had been hit with a great weight, as though the entire column crashing down were falling straight onto her. It was cold, dark, and deep; she would die in this void, far from the light and warmth of the sun. She felt like she would fall, and slip away into nothingness. A warm, solid, reassuring force pressed against her leg. Without hesitation, Zelda grabbed Celesti's mane and held on tightly. She felt as though some of the weight had been lifted from her shoulders, but it was not enough. The forces of nature were the hardest to defy, and this one had gained a lot of momentum.

Zelda threw her magic at the water again. The sound of a rapid multiplied several hundred times stopped, only to start up again a second later. Zelda's strength was running out. She wasn't used to this kind of thing. She wasn't strong enough alone…

Magic is always stronger when worked with other people. That was what her magic professor had told her. Right now, she was only working with a ghost, who was using most of her own power to maintain her unicorn shape. The castle mages were on mountainsides, expending their own magic to make the hole smaller. They wouldn't have enough power left to create a teleportation spell.

"Princess! Princess!" Two boys, also Zelda's age, and completely soaked, dashed up the stairs towards her. One had wild blond hair and blue eyes, and was dressed in a green tunic and leather boots. The other had long, silver hair and purple eyes, and he was wearing a blue tunic over a white shirt and pants, the uniform of a page. A pale white light shone around him in her vision, representing his magic. This one was carrying another person over his shoulder, a girl surrounded in a strong red glow Zelda recognized as…

"Nee-chan! Link, Pasco, what happened?!" They answered at the same time, speaking so fast that Zelda couldn't tell what either of them were saying.

"Really sick…"

"Melted the dragon!"

"Nearly drowned getting here…"

"She'll die if we don't find help!"

"Hey, slow down, I can't… aaaah!" a huge wave swept over the wall, soaking everyone. People down in the city screamed as freezing seawater charged through the streets. "It's getting higher!" Zelda panicked, grasping Celesti's mane tighter. She raised her hands again, concentrating on making the water stop. A weak blue light surrounded the column of water and winked out. Zelda cried out in despair. This was never going to work… it was insane! She had barely any power of her own, and poor Celesti couldn't do much either… Suddenly, Zelda felt a strong hand on her shoulder. The white aura around Pasco's body had become stronger. So he was a mage, and a strong one at that. I knew it! Zelda thought as she felt his magic flow into her. It felt like a hurricane of power melded with her own, multiplying its strength several times. After a few moments, Link grasped her hand. The princess felt a small bit of power, almost microscopic, join hers. She smiled and raised her hands for another attempt. The water stopped flowing.

And started again, even stronger. Zelda wailed. Her magic was lower than it had ever been, and her legs felt like jelly. The water spilled over the battlements, threatening to wash them all away. Pasco cried out and grabbed Lor's arm before she slipped over the edge. Celesti whinnied in protest as Zelda yanked her mane to keep from falling.

I'm sorry, Ari! I have no choice left. Quietly, Zelda raised her hand one last time. A golden power so bright she had to close her eyes swirled out of her necklace. The triforce appeared on her hand, the symbol for Wisdom burning brighter than the others. In a single movement, all the water that had spilled out of the dome flew back up into the above world and the dome was sealed shut. Zelda cut off the flow of magic with some difficulty, due to the fog that was falling on her mind. She felt numb with relief and tiredness, and soon drifted into the peaceful realm of dreamless sleep.

Water

Zelda woke slowly to a voice calling her name. She rolled over in the infirmary bed, yanking the blankets over her head. "Mm… just five more minutes…" she moaned. Although it was muffled by the blanket, the princess heard a laugh.

"But you've been out for days, Princess" Link protested jokingly. Zelda pushed back the blankets and sat up, wagging a finger in his face.

"For the last time, Link, Zel-da," the princess pronounced. She refused to continue the conversation until he called her by her name. Zelda looked back over her shoulder. On the next bed, Lor laid, eyes closed with no response to anything. Pasco was holding her hand. When he realized he was being stared at, he gave a nod of acknowledgement and said, "I read somewhere that if someone holds your hand, you'll get better faster." With a hint of a smile playing on her lips, Zelda stood up and left the room with Link.

"I think he really likes Nee-chan, that Pasco," Zelda said, leaning against the wall.

Link nodded. "Despite how he won't stop teasing her." There was a bit of silence after that point.

"So," the princess asked with a grin, "How was your summer?"

I was watching Tsubasa Chronicle, 2nd season. Waah! Please don't yell at Kendansa! I'm sorry I slacked off, okay?! It was cool. Now I am listening to Aikoi, from the soundtrack. I LOVE THE MUSIC!!

I have one final note to add…

Mekkyon!

Please don't forget to R&R!