Chapter Seventeen
Ralis
His people had fought hard, and they had fought well, but it still had not been enough to stave off the Gerudo. They should have won easily. They had the numbers. But they had failed to account for Gerudo magic, something no one in the kingdom of Hyrule had seen for centuries, if not for millennia. He should have been better prepared. He should have moved his people away from his home. But he had been selfish. He had wanted to stay where he had lived with his parents, to honor the heritage of the proud Zora people. And he had no doubt in his mind it would cost him his life.
To the credit of the Gerudo, they had not executed him before his people, as the shadow beasts had done to his mother. No, instead he was to be brought before the Usurper to face what they called justice. He had laughed when they had spoken those words to him. "Justice from a king who stole his throne?" he had questioned, only to be struck by one of the warriors.
He was not afraid, though. He knew he faced that risk when he refused to bend the knee to the madman who sat upon the throne. He just never dreamed the day would have come so quickly, that so many of his own would fall, that their home would be frozen solid once more. His people suffered, and he could do nothing to help them. He had led them to their deaths, and they had followed him. Goddesses he wished someone would have talked some since into his head, though he doubted he would have listened.
He was silent during the trek to Hyrule Castle, not wanting to give the Gerudo the satisfaction of him saying something wrong, or saying something to boost their egos. Still, that did not make the journey any easier. Zora were not meant to be away from water for so long. They were not meant to be away from their home for so long, and the strain was taking a toll on him. He needed water, a large body of water, and his captors seemed hellbent on keeping him away from it.
He took a shaky breath as he was escorted not to the throne room to face Ganondorf, but rather to the dungeons. He figured he should have expected that. After all, he was a prisoner, no longer a diplomatic representative, no longer considered to be of any rank. Though Ganondorf would have had to have been a fool to believe Ralis still held no power. The Zora had no doubt the Gorons would rally against the Demon King, should he be executed.
He felt sick to his stomach when the stench of the dungeon hit his nose, though he tried to keep his expression neutral. He would have plenty of time to mourn his people and his own life once left alone. No, he would not break in front of his captors. That was what they wanted, he knew it, even despite his young age. "Aw, the brat still lives," he heard one of the women sneer.
Ralis glanced around, hoping the shadows would form into sensible shapes, and felt sick to his stomach when he saw the yellow flames illuminating a hollow, half-maddened face. He wanted to be wrong. He prayed to the Goddesses he was wrong, but even in his half-dead state, there was no mistaking the figure before him was Link, the same Link Ralis had thought dead. "We brought you a friend, Hero," another Gerudo smirked before pushing Ralis into the cell.
Ralis stumbled forward, but did not fall, nor did he flinch when the cell door slammed shut behind him. If anything, he was grateful they had not chained him, though there was no real need for it. The lack of a major water source had already weakened him to the point he could not fight back if he tried. He watched the guards leave the dungeon, and turned to face his friend. "I thought you were dead," he spoke softly.
"I wish I were," Link sighed and stared at the cold, stone ceiling. Ralis sighed deeply and sat on the floor, leaning his back against the stone wall.
"You don't mean that," Ralis hugged himself. His voice was small, scared. If Link were alive, they still stood a chance. They could escape. Everything would turn out fine. They would defeat Ganondorf, and everything would return to normal.
"Yes I do," the Hero spoke, his voice void of emotion, empty. A distressed noise caught in the Zora's throat as he realized the past few weeks had not been some horrific nightmare. They had been all too real, and there was far too much of a risk that he would not make it out alive.