Chapter Thirteen: Journey to the Temple of Time

Link's captor dismounted from his steed. Once both of his feet were on the ground, he grabbed Link and set him on the ground. "Don't even think about trying to escape," muttered the man. The Hero of Time ignored him and walked up to the lip of the precipice. His foot accidentally knocked loose a pebble, sending it cascading down the cliff face into the cool water below. His brief view was interrupted when someone shouted, "Bring forth the boats!"

Link turned around and saw several men carrying lightweight boats that were apparently made out of intertwined water reeds. The boats were laid down at the edge of the cliff on top of a smooth platform that had been set before Link had been taken down from the horse he had been riding. Shortly after, a heavy, metal crank was brought forward by eight particularly brawny men and set at the brink of the rock face. The crank had a crude, iron handle and had two coils of rope inside, which were wrapped around the iron handle in the interior of the crank. A rope emerged from each coil through the sides of the contraption. Two men proceeded to each rope to one end of a boat through a small metal ring on the bow and stern of the vessel.

Astralose stepped forward and sat down in the middle of the boat. "Come Link. Join me." Link did not protest. He traipsed up to the side of the water vessel and sat down on its hardwood bottom. One other man joined them before the boat was slid along the metal platform by four men and off the side of the cliff. Two men manned the crank, using it to gradually lower the boat down the thirty-foot cliff. A minute later, the boat was floating calmly on the surface of Zora's Fountain. "Row the boat," commanded Astralose. The man that had joined him and Link on the ride down picked up two paddles from the bottom of the boat and proceeded to row it towards the shore.

"Well Link, I'm sure you can guess where we are going," said the old man. When Link did not respond, Astralose chuckled aloud. "Ah, are we not speaking again? Well, in case you cannot guess, our destination is the Temple of Time. Or I should say the Sacred Realm. The Temple of Time is merely a rest stop for our ultimate objective. Don't hit the fish you fool!" shouted Astralose unexpectedly as his servant narrowly missed the hulking mass that was the Zora's sacred deity, Lord Jabu-Jabu.

"Sorry Boss," grumbled the man as he steered the vessel wider so they would miss Lord Jabu-Jabu's massive tail fin. He rowed the boat until it came to a rest at a shallow part of the lake that lay in front of a great wooden gate that blocked entry to the waterfall on its far side. "I hope you don't mind your feet wet Boss. We'll have to walk through the water if we want to pass through Zora's Domain."

"I realize that you fool! Have I not been here before? I've only spent nearly all of the sixty-eight years of my life in this confounded land." Astralose stepped out of the boat into the six-inch deep water that surrounded it. "Ah good, the rest of the boats are all down the cliff. We'll leave them here until we're ready to return. It was Zaboran, Vehemer, and Eleinen that agreed to wait at the top of the cliff to lift us back up, correct?"

"Yes boss. They did."

"Good," mumbled Astralose as the other boats entered into the shallow water and their riders exited them to stand by their leader's side. Link could see that one of these men was carrying a small, black sack. He recognized it as the one that Navi was imprisoned in. "Let's move men. It is time for us to progress to the Temple of Time. We have what we've been searching for for these past months and now we will achieve our goal at last." Astralose turned around and pushed Link in front of him and through the tunnel that was the entrance to Zora's Domain, the home of the water-loving Zoras.

Link rounded a corner and saw the backs of King Zora and Princess Ruto. Astralose pushed Link forward harshly so that he fell into the shallow water that lay at the King's feet. "Why, if it isn't the boy who found my daughter. What brings you back to Zora's Domain?" Link was about to speak, but the princess Ruto saw that something was wrong by the look in his eyes. "What's wrong Link?" she asked. "Is-," she started before her speech was suddenly interrupted by a strike to the back of the head by one of Astralose's goons. She fell five feet down the small waterfall that served as the King's throne and landed at Link's side.

"What is the meaning of this!" shouted the King at Link, thinking he had had something to do with the attack.

"Quiet you filthy Zora!" shouted Astralose. Three men stepped forward and rammed into the back of King Zora, sending him toppling down after his daughter. Because he had such puny arms and hands for his comparatively large body, the King was unable to ease his fall and landed harshly on his head. He was immediately knocked unconscious.

"What did you do to my father!" shouted the Zora princess.

"Quiet!" yelled one of the men as they jumped down the short waterfall and prepared to strike Ruto. Link darted in front of the Princess and hit the man squarely in the waist at a full run. The enemy was thrown backward into the small cliff that created the waterfall and joined King Zora in being unconscious.

"Grab the boy!" shrieked Astralose as Link ordered the Zora princess to run. Ruto turned around and raced down a staircase out of the throne room No sooner than she was gone, five men were upon Link. With no weapon, he was quickly restrained. "So you helped to save the girl?" said Link's newfound nemesis. "It won't matter. There's not enough time to stop us now. Come on men. Let's get to the Temple quickly. I'd rather not have to fight our way through these foolish Zoras." The men nodded and followed their leader down the staircase Princess Ruto had raced down only moments before.

Minutes later they had snuck through Zora's Domain unnoticed. They followed the windy course of the Zora River and soon found themselves in the golden yellow grasslands of Hyrule Field. It was dusk and the sun was on the verge of disappearing behind the red rocks of Gerudo Valley in the west. Link was forced through the field with many violent shoves from behind. He wanted to try and escape into Kakariko Village so he could grab the Hylian Knight that was stationed there's spear, but he knew there was no chance that he could outrun these fully grown and trained men. Also, Navi would still be with the vile brutes. He could not risk leaving her for a moment. There was no telling what Astralose and his men might do to her. Link decided that he would have to wait for a more opportune time to make his escape.

They marched over the Zora River using a bridge that lay only feet from the walls that surrounded Hyrule Castle Town. The guard that protected the entrance to Hyrule Castle Town was outside, preparing to raise the drawbridge for the night. Astralose did not give him a chance. Link felt a man's hand cover his mouth, so he could not warn the knight. Astralose approached him from behind, grabbed the guard by his helmet, and slammed his head into the side of the nearby wall repeatedly. When the man was no longer struggling, whether it was because of death or unconsciousness was hard to tell, Astralose tossed him into the Zora River below.

Astralose nodded to his men and they crossed the drawbridge. "Now we will raise it up, so no reinforcements can arrive." His men grabbed the levers that controlled the drawbridge and lifted it up. When Link was pushed into the main market of Hyrule Castle Town, he saw that it was nearly empty except for four guards and a pack of mangy dogs. The dogs ignored the men that had suddenly entered into the marketplace, but the guards did not.

"Hey! What are you all doing?" asked one knight suspiciously.

"Men. Dispense of the guards and then meet me in the Temple." His servants left and Astralose grabbed Link strongly by the arm. "Come with me my fine young lad." He led the Hero of Time across the marketplace, ignoring the cries of the knights as they were struck dead, and proceeded up a small staircase that led to a garden in front of the Temple of Time. They crossed the garden, walked up another staircase, and entered the Temple of Time, where Link hoped to finally discover the truth.