Chapter Thirty-Two! Yay! Over this four day weekend, I'm going to try and update as much as possible. Because when the school week rolls around... well, let's just say updating won't be as often. Hahahahahaha but enjoy this for now! I'll try to update tomorrow, and Sunday, AND Monday :) thanks guys!

Chapter Thirty-Two: Below the Surface

ZELDA POV

Zelda's eyes shot open as the sound of thunder reached her sensitive ears. Then she heard rain pattering against the window, and the harsh whispering of the wind. Anxiously sitting up in bed, Zelda furrowed her brow and stared at the wet window. She had no idea what time it was, but it had to be late in the night. The storm outside was horrible, as she could tell; it was enough to wake her up. Then again, Zelda wasn't the deepest sleeper.

As Zelda stretched out her arms, she kicked off the blankets and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The room was empty, and beside the thunder and rain, there was complete silence. In her current condition, there was no way Zelda was going to be able to fall back asleep. The fact that she was angry with Link was gnawing at her pounding heart, and she swallowed nervously as she made her way to the door, wrapping the blanket around her slim shoulders. She needed to talk to him; she needed to tell him that she loved him.

Zelda shut the door softly behind her so that she wouldn't wake anybody up, and her bare feet moved lightly across the wood. There was an eerie emptiness in Renado's home, as if it were deserted. Zelda felt chills cover her body, and she shivered involuntarily, keeping the blanket over her. Suddenly, as she neared the stairs, she heard the crackling of the flames in a fire. Her eyes also caught a tint of red, orange light being emitted from the first floor, and she furrowed her brow curiously. But she forced herself to move past the stairs; she would check for Link on the second floor first.

"…Link?" she said softly, peeking into the first room. No; it was Luda's room, and she was sleeping. But she was shivering horribly under the covers, and there was no color in her tiny face. Zelda's heart wrenched, but she sighed and moved on. Without Link, there was no way to help Luda. The second room was empty, but the covers on the bed were in disarray. Somebody had obviously been sleeping in this room, and Zelda guessed it was Ilia.

The final room on the floor was Renado's, and Zelda expected to see it empty. But the covers were also messed up, and with a disappointed sigh, she moved back to the stairs. Thunder boomed, surprising her slightly as she made her way down the creaking stairs. Two shadowy silhouettes came into view as she neared the bottom of the stairs. They were sitting by the fireplace, speaking in hushed voices. But as soon as Zelda's bare feet made contact with the wood on the first floor, they both turned their heads. It was Ilia and Renado; exactly who Zelda had been anticipating.

"Ah," Renado stood, leaning his hands on his knees as he stood. "I see that the storm has also awoken you, Princess."

"I'm not a very deep sleeper," Zelda admitted, stepping forward with a smile. Discreetly, she was searching the room for Link. Ilia stood beside Renado, but didn't look at Zelda. She had her back to her, and just stared at the orange and red flames dancing beneath the mantel.

"Is something wrong? You seem a bit… distracted," Renado noticed, tilting his head. Zelda shook her head lightly, sitting on the ground and wrapping the blanket tighter. The warmth of the fire seeping into her body was comforting, but Link's arms were much more preferable…

"Well, it's just," Zelda began, unable to hold it in any longer as Renado sat beside her. Ilia remained standing. "I haven't seen Link anywhere."

"What?" Renado furrowed his brow, which caused Zelda to feel a bit panicky. "He's not upstairs? I thought he was with you."

Zelda shook her head; Ilia finally turned to them, a confused and curious look on her smug face.

"He's not in any of the rooms, either," Zelda continued. "Last time I talked to him was when the sun was starting to set. He ran off into Hyrule Field with Epona…" her voice trailed off as the horror of the situation sunk in. As if on cue, the rolls of thunder appeared again, even louder than usual. Instinctively, all three of them looked to the ceiling, and all of the blood drained from Zelda's face.

"You don't think…" Ilia started. "He couldn't be—"

"I need to go find him," Zelda stated, moving swiftly to her feet and moving to the door as the blanket fell from her shoulders.

"No, Princess!" Renado grabbed her hand, holding her back. Zelda paused for a split second before trying to move again. But Renado had a hard grip on her hand. "You can't go out there! It's much too dangerous."

"I think you should let her go," Ilia shrugged, muttering under her breath. Zelda maturely ignored the nasty remark and turned to face Renado, who threw Ilia a disapproving glare.

"I have to! Link's in danger out there in this storm!"

"If you go, you won't be able to help him! You'll only put yourself in danger!" Renado argued realistically, and his words immediately made sense in Zelda's logical brain. Though she loved Link and only wanted his safety, she knew that going out there would do no good. She wasn't the kind of person to do irrational things, especially if it meant making things even harder for the person she loved.

Finally giving in, Zelda sighed heavily and swallowed. Renado nodded approvingly, leading her back to her place by the fire. Shaking slightly, Zelda sniffled and sat down, recovering herself with the thick, quilted blanket. Ilia was tense as she stood above her, but Zelda did her best to ignore the immature, jealous young Ordonian.

"Um," Renado stuttered, recognizing the uneasiness between the two girls. "How does a hot cup of tea sound?" he put a hand on Zelda's shaky shoulder.

"That sounds nice, thank you," Zelda nodded, rubbing her watery eyes. She couldn't bear to imagine Link and Epona out in the storm, struggling to stay safe. It made her heart pound and her stomach churn nervously.

What if something happens to them? Zelda asked herself frantically. How could I move on knowing that I didn't do anything about it?

"This is all your fault," Ilia stated blankly when Renado was out of earshot. Zelda didn't even turn her head, but a pang of anger pulsed through her body.

How dare she talk to me like that? She thought furiously. But, though Zelda hated to admit it, there was some truth in Ilia's words… and that fact made Zelda even more miserable.

"I know," she finally replied.

"If you had just left him alone when he—" Ilia continued, but then stopped. She stared down at Zelda with a perplexed expression. "Wait, what?"

"I know it's my fault. You're right," Zelda repeated.

"Wow," Ilia said, sitting beside Zelda. And though the princess didn't say anything, the hateful girl's presence made Zelda's skin crawl. "The pretentious princess of Hyrule, admitting she did something wrong."

"Maybe you should try it sometime."

"What?"

"This isn't my entire fault. You had a part in this as well," Zelda replied evenly, keeping her eyes on the beautiful fire.

"You think I did this?" Ilia raised her eyebrows, obviously disagreeing with Zelda's indubitably true statement.

Zelda didn't say anything. She had come to the conclusion that Ilia wasn't even worth it. She didn't need to put her energy and time into stupid arguments.

Apparently, much to Zelda's dismay, she wasn't done with the argument yet. "If you hadn't sent him that stupid letter, he would've stayed in Ordon, with me. You know as well as I do that his life would be so much easier if he were there, living peacefully."

Those words actually made Zelda chuckle quietly; she was embarrassed for Ilia. The poor girl was speaking without thinking, and saying the stupidest things. Frankly, Zelda felt bad for Ilia.

"You can't just be happy with what you have, can you?" she couldn't refrain from saying those words. By the look on Ilia's face, it seemed as if they appalled her. "You had the best friend anybody could ever ask for, and you ruined the relationship. You were relentless, and now you have to face the consequences."

"You can't tell me who I am," Ilia hissed.

"Is that what I was doing?" Zelda turned to face her with a sarcastically confused face. Though it was rare, Zelda could be quite mean at times. But she never, ever yelled, and it wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Princesses didn't raise their voices in anger, no matter what. "Because I thought I was telling you how you lost your best friend."

"I didn't lose him!" Ilia defended, but Zelda could see the tears gathering in her green eyes.

"That's definitely not what he thinks," Zelda replied evenly. Ilia looked as if Zelda had just punched her, and her lower lip trembled slightly. There was an awkward silence for a few moments, and Zelda's eyes moved back to the fire.

"And you think you're perfect?" Ilia accused.

"That's not at all what I implied," Zelda argued. She wished that Ilia would just shut her mouth, for the sake of her own dignity.

"I can't believe Link could fall in love with a bitch like you," Ilia spat, catching Zelda off-guard with her insult. Her jaw dropped, and she just stared at her blankly. Ilia's eyes were narrowed dangerously, the hatred flashing brightly. Frankly, Zelda just felt sorry for her. The lack of humility was embarrassing.

Before Ilia or Zelda could say another word, Renado walked up behind them with two cups of hot tea. They hastily looked away, trying to hide the fact that they had just been arguing. Neither of them wanted Renado to have anything else on his plate.

"Here you are," Renado smiled, though it was an uneasy movement. "Two cups of hot tea,"

"Thank you very much," Zelda grinned gratefully, taking the cup in her hands while Ilia took the other. Its warmth was comforting, but as she brought the steaming beverage to her chapped lips, she thought of Link again. A sudden rush of tears appeared, and she didn't bother wiping them off of her cheeks. She couldn't be there for him when he needed her most, and it was cutting into her heart mercilessly…

And, secretly, Ilia's words had deeply hurt Zelda, too. She just couldn't let Ilia know that.

LINK POV

Link's senses slowly returned, and he groaned involuntarily as his eyelids slowly lifted. However, he felt no pain whatsoever. On the contrary, he felt comfortable, safe, and warm. But his mind flashed back to his endeavor in the storm, and he suddenly found himself immensely curious. One moment he was in the mud, struggling to stay conscious; and the next, he was comfortable in a place he was unaware of.

He felt a soft, squishy substance beneath him as he sat up, rubbing his head. The blurs in his eyesight began to let up, and a bright light was shining all around him, though there were two blue walls on either side of him. Although he was still disoriented, he recognized the place. The rush of water reached his ears, and he furrowed his brow curiously.

Where am I…? He asked. If he were a bit more awake, he would definitely be able to recognize this place. All around him he saw blue, and there was a serene atmosphere. The sound of rippling water was comforting in his ears, and he smiled to himself. As he examined his surroundings, the fog in his mind began to evaporate.

"He's awake!" a smooth, silky voice that reminded Link of liquid called out and he blinked. That's when he saw the figures emerge, and he gasped. Now he knew where he was; the problem was he didn't know how he'd gotten there.

All of the Zoras came in, and Link's blue eyes widened. He was in Zora's Domain.

The questions he was itching to ask wouldn't leave his open mouth, and he just stared at them, dumbfounded. They all had smiles on their faces, and they were clapping their slender, scaly hands together.

"Prince Ralis's rescuer is alive!" they chanted. Link smiled uneasily, standing from the small bed he had been laying on. The fact that it was a bed filled with water wasn't very surprising.

"I'm sure you're wondering what happened," one Zora stepped forward. She was tall and thin, with sparkling eyes, a sweet smile, and a gentle voice. When she stepped up, everybody else calmed down. "My name is Thalassa."

With a hurried look on her face, she turned back to the large group of Zoras. They all began whispering, but obediently left the room. Link was left alone with Thalassa, and once everybody was gone, she turned back to him.

"You're Link, correct?" she asked, moving forward. Link nodded, smiling, but was looking around distractedly. "You're the one who rescued Prince Ralis, and you saved us all,"

He shrugged, looking down modestly.

"And I'm sure you're unbelievably confused," Thalassa chuckled. Link nodded, flashing his bright white teeth. He thought he saw a tint of red rising to Thalassa's cheeks. "Walk with me," she tilted her head.

Together, they walked out, and Link found himself in the throne room of the Zora's village. It was in the shape of a circle, with a large, deep basin of water in the center. All around, blue pillars decorated the room, and they held up strange purple designs. Link recognized it with warm memories, thinking about how he and Midna had brought that gigantic rock here to break the ice, and how he'd saved Ilia and Ralis, prince of the Zoras…

"Do you swim?" Thalassa smiled playfully, and then gracefully dove into the water without as much as a splash. Her head popped back above the water, and Link couldn't help chuckling.

"I do," he replied. Swiftly, he pulled the Zora's tunic over his head, put on his flippers, and then covered is mouth with the special cloth. Thalassa laughed merrily as Link dove into the water, not as gracefully as her and covered in his suit.

"Very good," she chuckled as he bobbed to the surface. "Now I can explain everything." Then, they both dove beneath the water, swimming to the bottom of the large basin. Link couldn't remember the last time he'd done this, and he was smiling like an idiot, though Thalassa couldn't see. The water felt amazing against his skin, and the feeling of swimming so deep in the water and being able to breathe was absolutely exhilarating. Though he wasn't as graceful as any of the other Zoras in the water, he was definitely a better swimmer than most humans.

Thalassa made Link feel even more inferior when she started twirling and doing beautiful, intricate movements, her laughter ringing through the clear, blue liquid. It made Link wish he could laugh under water…

"Let's go to the very bottom." Thalassa motioned for him to follow, and he nodded obediently as they made their way to the very bottom. Link felt so free and amazing in the water, surrounded by blue.

Finally, they found themselves hovering over the ground, and Thalassa did one last somersault before facing Link.

"Not bad," she winked. "For a human."

Link smiled.

"So, back to the explanation," Thalassa sighed, her playful demeanor suddenly changing. "I'm Prince Ralis's personal…" she paused. "Secretary, I guess you could say. I run all of his errands, and ever since his mother's death, I've had my hands full. He just wants to do so much for us," her voice trailed off. Link was listening intently.

"Anyway, I was out in Hyrule Field," she continued. "Being out during a storm like that, with all the rain, was the best time for a Zora to be away from Lake Hylia. And I found you, unconscious on the ground. I recognized you from Prince Ralis's descriptions, and I couldn't just leave you there! So, I decided to bring you here, where we could care for you until you were strong enough to go back home."

Link's appreciation was indescribable, and he gave her as grateful a look as he could, nodding. She understood his intentions and smiled modestly. Then, another thought came to Link.

Why was Thalassa in Hyrule Field to begin with? He asked himself. But at the same time, he already had an idea…

He furrowed his brow, tilting his head curiously. He realized that doing this under water really wasn't the best idea, but luckily, Thalassa understood his curious expression.

"I suppose you're wondering why I was in Hyrule Field in the first place," she practically read his mind. Her face took on a somber expression, and she looked down nervously. She began fidgeting with her fingers as Link treaded patiently, awaiting her response. "Prince Ralis sent me so that I could find somebody to help us."

Link's heart sank.

No, no, no, he thought desperately, shaking his head lightly. Not the Zoras, too! That's when he realized that compared to the last time he was here, there was a small amount of Zoras. Only a few were swimming and treading in the water as they spoke to one another, curiously watching Thalassa and Link.

His eyes widened, and he put a hand to his forehead in frustration.

"A terrible plague as fallen among us. Zoras are becoming ill all around, and we've already had several deaths," Thalassa proceeded to explain, her voice quiet and resigned. Link's horror was hard to hide. "Prince Ralis sent me to Hyrule so that I could request help. It's fate that I found you."

Link sighed, and then instinctively glanced upwards, where light was shining on the surface of the water. Thalassa was looking at him hopefully, her eyes large and sparkling green. Unable to take it anymore, Link grabbed her hand and pushed off the ground, shooting toward the top, dragging her behind him. She followed uncertainly, but in a few moments, the situation was reversed; Thalassa became the one dragging Link, which wasn't surprising, considering she was born to swim.

Finally, they broke the surface, and Link lowered the cloth covering his mouth. Thalassa was staring at him, eagerly awaiting his response.

"What? What do you need to tell me?" she asked.

"The plague," he gasped, still trying to catch his breath from swimming so fervently. "It's happening all over Hyrule."

"Well, what's the cure?" Thalassa cried. Link looked away apologetically, shaking his head.

"I…I don't know," he admitted. "I'm still trying to figure it out, but—"

"Link," another familiar voice called his name. He whirled around in the water to find Prince Ralis standing on the edge of the ground, a solemn look on his face. Link blinked, and Thalassa bowed her head loyally.

"You're Highness," she said softly. He nodded, acknowledging her, but then turned back to Link.

"I think I have something that can help you," he said to Link. Accordingly, Link swam to the edge, and Prince Ralis outstretched his hand to help him out of the water. As he started taking off his Zora armor, Thalassa joined them.

"Prince…?" she asked, evidently ignorant to what he was talking about. Ralis tilted his head, moving toward his throne.

"Follow me."

So, tell me if this whole Zora thing is weird. I'm open for comments and criticism, so don't hold back! I'm ready to change anything you deem 'changeable.' Haha THANKS GUYS! LOVE YOU ALL! :DDD