I'f finally here! Oh and a note about chapter 24, you were supposed to be creeped out by the poem that was in it.

Chapter 25: Whirlpools

Link opened the door and let Faith go in first. He walked passed the chest and pulled out his ocarina.

"Wait I get to open the chest? You're not going to tease me like you did with the bow?" Faith asked standing in front of a large chest. She had a feeling in her gut that this was a big deal.

"Look, just open it. I'm not really in the mood for joking around. The room we just passed through always gets me in a bad mood. So, open it or we can leave what's in there here. But take my word for it, you want what's in there," Link put the Ocarina of Time to his lips and began to play the song of time. As he did a blue light surrounded the block in the floor opening a passage.

Faith took a deep breathe and lifted the lid of the chest. Inside the hollow wood was a longshot just like Link's. Faith pulled it out and smiled at Link.

"Come on, we're going to have to be very careful during this next path. I hope you're a strong swimmer."

Faith looked at Link. "Thank you Link," she said softly. When she began to blush she turned her gaze to her feet.

Link looked at her confused. "Thanks for what?" He had a feeling this was going to be another one of those awkward moments that he often found himself in around girls.

"For everything." She smiled at him again. Something had changed in her since she found him. She felt like she was doing at least one thing right just by being there with him.

"Um… Let's go," Link said after an awkward moment of silence. He jumped down before anyone else could say anything.

"He doesn't have very good manners sometimes does he?" Rosa asked floating by Faith's ear. Faith laughed a little.

"I think it's that he doesn't always know what to say. I guess it's just his way of saying everything's okay." Faith readied herself to jump.

"I think he's just being an ass."

"Rosa!" Faith tried to sound scolding but failed because she laughed.

"Are you coming or not?" Link yelled from the level below.

"I'm coming!" Faith yelled back. "Come on Rosa." Faith jumped down landing right next to Link. Faith found herself in a stone room filled with water. In the water were whirlpools threatening to suck a swimmer in and down if they swam too close. From where Faith was standing she could see how to avoid one of them very easily. The next one looked a little harder to avoid.

"I'll go first. I want you to stay as close as you can. If you start to feel like you're going to be pulled into one of the whirlpools put on your iron boots. If you get too close they won't help much but if you don't think you can swim past a whirlpool I want you to put them on right away. Got it?" Link looked at Faith as though he were telling her something that could save her life.

Suppressing a blush, Faith nodded to Link. When he jumped in the water she let out a deep breath before following him. She instantly knew what he meant. The current was strong and Faith wondered if even the iron boots would be able to hold her at some points. The first stretch had only one whirlpool and was easy to avoid. One merely had to jump in the water farther down. The second whirlpool didn't come until after the first curve in the river. It was close to the right wall and Faith saw Link swim along the left.

Link didn't turn to look if Faith was following. He couldn't risk it. If he turned his attention to anything else he was bound to be pulled under. After he passed the whirlpool right after the first curve he quickly moved to the right. He new the current would be strong so he didn't panic even once. Passing the third whirlpool he moved to the right wall as fast as he could. He pushed his way through the water and past the fourth whirlpool to a small platform. Hoping Faith was close behind, Link pulled himself on to the platform.

Faith was beginning to get tired as she swam past each whirlpool. She paused a moment after the third simply because she had missed how Link had done it. She moved even closer to the left wall. After passing the whirlpool she tried to swim to the platform but was pulled toward a fifth whirlpool.

Link saw Faith as she made her way toward the platform. He stuck out his hand to grab hers but she was pulled away to quickly. Faith was pulled not only from his grip but from his sight. "Faith!"

Struggling against the current Faith tried one more time to swim toward Link and the platform. She was tired though for the current was strong. 'I can't make it! What do I do!' Faith could hear an old saying in the back of her head repeating over and over. "Sink or swim." Suddenly Faith realized that was the answer. If she couldn't sink she would just have to sink using the iron boots. Faith stopped struggling against the current and focused. 'Iron boots! 'After a flash of light she felt her feet sink through the water.

Link saw the flash of light and realized how close to one of the many whirlpools Faith was. "Faith no!" he screamed. She was going to be pulled into it and be sucked into the vortex below it.

Faith felt her feet hit the solid ground and then slide. She panicked for a moment when she saw a vortex at the bottom of the whirlpool. However she didn't try to stop herself. She didn't think she could. When she stopped at the edge of the vortex because her feet landed on a small flat edge she thanked the goddesses and looked around her. Through the water she could see a target and a platform below it. She pulled out the longshot she had found in the room before and aimed it. She was pulled above the water and onto the platform. Link was on another platform and he was staring at her with a relieved look. "Okay, what now?" Faith asked after returning her boots to normal.

Link pulled out his longshot and moved over the platform Faith was standing on. "You had me worried for a moment there. This next part takes excellent timing so since there are two of us I suggest one of us does each of the two steps."

"Okay and those two steps are?"

Link pointed to an iron gate on the other side of the. "We have to lift that gate by hitting the switch and then cross before the gate falls. The easiest way to get there is using the longshot on the chest that's past the gate. Since you have better aim with a bow you should hit the switch." Link moved his hand and pointed to a yellow diamond with an eye in the center that was on the wall. That's the switch. You have to hit the eye with an arrow. But wait until I tell you to hit it."

"Sounds simple enough, but this means you're going to have to put your arm around me again doesn't it?" Faith asked suppressing a blush.

"Yes it does." Link aimed his longshot and put his arm around Faith as she pulled out her bow and a single arrow. "Okay, shoot it now."

Once Faith hit the target the gate lifted and Link shot the longshot. The two were pulled to the chest which Link automatically kicked open. He pulled out a small silver key and shoved it in his bag with the others. "This way," Link said just as the gate fell behind them. Link ran down the corridor until he reached an opening that lead to the room he had gone in alone. He pointed toward the door on the other side of the room. "That's where we have to go. Be careful. The water here is strong." He then jumped from where they were standing and into the water.

Faith followed. Once she was in the water she knew exactly what Link meant about it the current being strong. Link was already on the platform with the door when she surfaced after her jump. When the current pulled her toward the platform it instantly tried to drag her away from it. She couldn't grab the edge and pull herself up.

This time Link was ready for Faith to go by. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her out of the water.

"Thank you," Faith told Link once she was on solid ground again.

"Come one let's keep moving," Link answered nodding toward the door. So they made their way back to the center room.

Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! Sorry it took me so long.