Chapter 2 - The Test
The other denizens of Zora's Domain had already gathered around the edges of the main chamber. The sudden coldness of air bit at Lynna's skin as she pulled herself onto the small island next to the waterfall. She shivered slightly as she pulled her Zora tunic over her head and laid it out on the ground. She hesitated a moment, then took off her pendant and placed it on her tunic. I don't want to lose it during the test… she thought to herself.
"Are you ready yet, girl??" The voice of her zora teacher, Zid, echoed impatiently down from the top of the waterfall.
"Almost," Lynna said, half to herself. She smoothed a wrinkle in her beige pants as she stood up. "Are you ready for me to pass your test?" she said boldly.
"Oh-ho-ho, confident, are we? Remember how you did last time you tried to pass, girl?" His voice reflected the lack of respect that he had for Lynna, which he had held since she had come under his tutelage. The other zoras were never exactly friendly towards her, but they never taunted her to the extent that Zid did. He had never, since she had been left in the care of the zoras, taken her seriously. But that was going to change today.
Lynna rushed up to the top of the waterfall, running as fast as her legs would take her. She stared Zid in his smug face before the last echoes of his latest taunt had faded away. His blue lips curled into an unfriendly grin as he said, "Let's begin then, shall we?"
With an elaborate gesture of his fins, a dozen glittering rupees fell into the deep waters below. He picked up a small hour-glass. "Ready…set…go!" She leapt off of the waterfall and dove into the water head-first.
It was difficult for her to see underwater, but she was able to distinguish the bright red, blue, and green of the rupees from the dull blue-gray of the pool bottom. She swam quickly through the depths, grabbing the rupees as if her life depended on it. Her lungs began to burn, but she refused to waste precious time going up for air. There was only one more to retrieve. She pumped her legs, making her glide swiftly for the last rupee. Her fingers curled around it, and she kicked off the bottom to the surface.
She gasped, the cool air relieving the fire in her chest. She pulled herself up next to her tunic and spread the rupees on the ground, her head spinning. It took her a moment to hear the roaring crowd.
"Well done, kid! You're one of us now…"
Zid threw a small, glinting object down on top of Lynna's tunic. She grinned as she held the diving scale up to her face, inspecting it in the light. She slid on her tunic and picked up her pendant, undoing the knot on the string. She slid the scale onto the string, letting it and her pendant hanging side-by-side. She squeezed it tightly with her hands, a look of utter triumph on her face.