Her readers! Guess what! We have a new reviewer on the scene! Give a huge warm welcome to CloudrunnerSparty! CloudrunnerSparty, I thank you for your input, and I shall work even harder to get my story straightened out! Hopefully, I've gotten a little better over the past few chapters, but have no idea. The only way I'd know was if soem OTHER PEOPLE reviewed. (cries happily) But seriously readers, over 600 hits? You guys are awesome! XD

Ahem...anyway, I've gotten a huge case of writers block, so it might be a while until the next update. Just giving everyone a heads up.

Moriko: You know, no one has complained about your updating habits...ever. You update almost every other day!

Me: Quiet...I'm trying to get a lot done before I get my first...job (dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!) Whoop de do...T-T

Moriko: You shold be happy to join society!

Me: (death glare) What...did you say?

Moriko: Nothing...carry on.

Me: Good. Now, enjoy this chapter, readers! The one after this was fun to write!

Chapter 15: Zora's Domain

The water felt incredible as Moriko swam through it. It was like she was a fish, but she didn't have fins. She was totally human. Except for, of course, the gills present on her neck. She'd found those quickly, and she'd nearly had a heart attack. Shun had calmed her down, and they'd easily made their way down into the depths of the pond. The hole was just large enough for everyone to squeeze through if they went single file, and it was smooth swimming from there.

After a bit, Shun stopped swimming, a grim look on his face.

"I have to tell you," he said, "I haven't told anyone about my friendship with Tammie and Helen, so please don't mention anything in that direction."

"Okay," Moriko said abruptly. She didn't trust talking underwater. Shun laughed and swam closer to her.

"You know, it's okay to talk. You won't drown." She looked at him seriously, and he reassured her again until she finally tried it again.

"I-it's…so weird!" she said carefully. She kept trying words until she was comfortable speaking. "I swore I wouldn't speak of them to anyone, and I intend to keep that. Your secret is safe with me."

Shun sighed and thanked her, truly meaning it. She saw it too. She knew that if anyone found out, he'd be put under house arrest, similar to her previous accommodations.

They kept swimming, but before long, they reached the end of the tunnel, taking their time in surfacing. When they did, Moriko was amazed.

Zora's domain was nothing like she'd pictured it. She thought it'd be completely underwater, but it wasn't. Waterfalls pounded the rocky walls and sprayed water everywhere. The water was clear and pristine and fish darted around them as they swam to shore. Shun launched himself onto the pathway and watched Moriko, who was visibly struggling to pull herself onto the shore. Shun helped her up and quickly led her past all the Zoras that crowded around them. They reached out to them and the fairies, trying to figure out what was going on. Whispers flew everywhere, most of them pertaining to Moriko. Half wondered what she was doing there, and the other half wanted her gone. One Zora went too far when they were about halfway up the cliff.

"Well, look what we have here!" he said, grabbing Moriko by her collar and hauling her off her feet. She stifled a shriek and kicked out at him. "We got ourselves a little trespasser. Now, what do we do with trespassers, my fellow Zoras?"

"Throw them out!" was the reply that sounded throughout the area. The Zora holding Moriko walked over the to cliff and held her over the side.

"Stop it!" Shun cried, grabbing Moriko's legs. Unfortunately, the big Zora had let Moriko's tunic slip from his hands, and Shun's actions knocked both of them off the cliff edge. Shun let out a cry as they dropped, which seemed to take for ever. Moriko pulled him close, then remembered the rock in her pocket.

Throw it at the water.

Moriko followed the voice's instructions and threw it at the water as hard as she could. There was a splash, then they hit the water. It wasn't as bad as Moriko had imagined, but it was still a little painful. She swam to the surface and pulled Shun to the shore. He was coughing up water until the group of Zoras circled them.

"What'd you do that for, human?!" some cried.

"You could've killed our prince!"

They began pushing Moriko around until she finally tripped and fell to her knees. Then the big Zora appeared, glaring daggers at her.

"Vile human! You don't belong here! Get out!" He lifted her up by her shirt collar again and hoisted her up to his eye level. "I ought to beat you to a pulp right now!"

"Put…me…down…," Moriko hissed. The big Zora smirked.

"Why should I?"

Moriko gripped his arm and smiled.

"I warned you," she said with a smile. As he looked at her with another smirk, she bit his arm. He yelped and dropped her, and that gave her the chance to slid behind he and kick him into the water. When he surfaced, she called, "You really should be nicer to people you know nothing about."

He bared his sharp, shark-like teeth at her and dove under, coming up right in front of her. She jumped back as he attempted to punch her, and he evaded her kick to his side. They circled each other until a Zoran girl jumped between them.

"Stop it! Taro, you shouldn't have provoked her! You, girl, shouldn't have egged him on! Now apologize to each other."

Moriko looked at the large Zora named Taro, then turned and looked at him square in the eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said. Taro grinned.

"Yeah? Well I don't," he said, turning on his heel and diving into the water. The Zoran girl sighed and walked up to Moriko, who was enraged at Taro.

"I'm sorry he picked on you…uh…"

"Moriko. My name's Moriko."

"Ah, thank you. My name's Takara. I'm the Zora Princess. The one on the ground is Shun, my older brother," she explained, holding out her hand. Moriko froze, severely confused.

"I don't know if I should shake your hand, bow, or both."

"I'll settle for a handshake," Takara said simply. Moriko gripped her scaled hand warmly before freezing again. "Wait a minute. So Shun, this Shun," she asked, pointing to the Zora who stood behind her, "is…ROYALTY?!"

"Yeah."

Moriko freaked. She'd been swimming with Zora royalty and hadn't even bothered to ask about him! Oh Goddesses!

Takara and Shun watched Moriko freak out, covering the grins on their faces.

"You didn't tell her, Shun?" Takara asked her brother. He shrugged.

"I wanted to get to know her without have her get to know me. Is that so wrong?"

"I dunnno. Maybe? I still think you should've told her. Look at her." Takara grinned and pointed to Moriko, who was currently going over ways she might be executed for her behavior. "Moriko? Please calm down. We won't hurt you or anything. Just come with us."

Moriko looked at them with worried eyes, then calmed herself down. If she stayed worried, she'd get wrinkles or something.

They led her up the cliffs, past the halfway point, and into a large cave build around the biggest waterfall. The air seemed calmer up there, and there were only a few Zora guards there. No civilians to throw her into the water again.

The walls were smooth and wet, and another waterfall crashed down into the center pool. Behind it sat a large, and I mean LARGE, Zora. His gut seemed a bit big for his body. His arms and legs looked as if they'd shrunk with disuse. He wore a gold crown on his head with a large blue stone on it, and he sat in a sort of dignified way. But that didn't help. He still looked like a fish, rather than a Zora.

"What human seeks an audience with the Zora King?" he called out. Moriko took a deep breath, then spoke.

"I am Moriko of the Forest."

"What is your purpose for being here, in my domain?"

"I have been sent by the Light Spirits to gather the Sacred Items of the Goddesses."

"That is for the Hero of Legend to do. Be gone from this place."

"But-"

"GO! The Harp of Ages is not for those who are doubtful of their purpose!"

Moriko flinched at his words and turned to go, when a voice rang out.

"But she already has the Rod of Seasons!" It was Taiki. He fluttered down and landed on Moriko's shoulder. The Zora King was startled by the appearance of the fairy, as well as Navi, and leaned forward.

"Fairies? Hmm…" He looked at Moriko sternly with his big fishy eyes. "Show me the Rod of Seasons!"

Moriko was startled by his tone, but took out the rod, holding up for all to see. The guards gasped, and the King became extremely flustered.

"Only the Hero of Legends can wield the Sacred Items! Are you the one who will save us?"

"I am only the carrier of the Sacred Items. I cannot wield them."

The Zora King slumped back in his chair, then cleared his throat.

"Alright! You may have the Harp of Ages on one condition!"

"And what might that be, your majesty?"

"Save the Zora children."

Moriko didn't need to think on that one.

"Of course," she answered. "I had every intention of doing that anyway. I heard about that from the people who live near Lake Hylia. I only need to know where they are, and I will go save them."

The Zora King laughed, leaning towards her. "You've got spunk, I'll give you that. But there are creatures of the great deep there, and they seek only to protect that which it theirs."

"But why would Roka go there?!" Takara cried, stepping forward.

"Who's Roka?" Navi asked. The king sighed.

"Roka is my eldest son, and the current heir to the Zora throne. His coronation was scheduled for today at midday, but it seems he's led his friends into the Shrine of Sentinel."

"Sentinel…?" Navi pondered the thought until the king spoke again.

"Yes…A long time ago, around 1000 years past, the darkness known as Kaiser appeared and began covering the land in eerie black. The only thing that protected us was the Harp of Ages. We hid behind the power of the harp for a long time, but we soon began building our own army. That is what the Shrine of the Sentinel Zora is for. Those who wish to become guards or soldiers must pass the test of the shrine. Most Zora men take the trial, but Prince Roka seems to have gotten himself sealed inside due to a prank or something."

"So, what of the other Zora children?" Moriko asked.

"It seems they went in after him, hoping to prove they are better, but they became trapped by the spell of Sentinel. I ask that you, messenger of the Goddesses, save them from the wrath of Sentinel."

Moriko bowed to the King.

"I swear I will bring them back," she said. The Zora King nodded and opened his hand towards her. Resting on his palm was a silver scale.

"This will protect you from a few of the traps hidden in the shrine. Take care."

"Of course, your majesty."

Moriko was led out of the throne room and down to a cave behind the large waterfall. Two guards accompanied her until they reached a pool of water, explaining the layout of the shrine, as well as rules.

"This is where the Shrine of Sentinel is," one of the guards explained.

"May the Goddesses be with you," the other said, bowing his head. Moriko returned the gesture and fitted the blue mesh of the tunic over her mouth and nose, then dove into the water.

The water inside the shrine was almost murky, but she could still see through it for a ways. The columns had the portraits of Zoras carved into them. The floor was tiled, but coral had begun to erode it. The walls were cracked, and the only light in the room came from crystal chandeliers hung high up.

Moriko found it hard to ignore it all, but Navi kept her eyes ahead. She'd never seen this place before, and she didn't want to be caught off guard. Taiki was mesmerized by the carvings, and he couldn't help but fly, err…swim, farther ahead.

The only thing that let Navi and Moriko know Taiki had gone ahead was a loud shriek, which was quickly followed by Taiki's mad dash back to Moriko. He hid behind her, shaking.

"It tried to EAT me!" he told her. She rolled her eyes and swam farther ahead, wondering what had tried to eat her fairy friend.

It turns out, it was a large, snaggletoothed fish. It's bloodshot eyes and serpent like body made Moriko freeze in terror. It looked down at her, tilted its slimy head, then swam down the hall to the left, disappearing from view. Moriko heaved a huge sigh of relief just as some smaller fish swam out of a hole in the wall in front of her. She did a double take, realizing the fish were actually the Zora children. They looked just like Shun and Takara, except their eyes were all different colors. Moriko swam over to them, instantly relieved.

"Hey there! You shouldn't be in here," she called. The Zoras looked at her in surprise, then growled.

"What's a human doing here?" one of the Zoras sneered.

"You got a death wish or somethin'?" another asked.

"No, I don't," Moriko replied, getting annoyed. "You need to get out of here before that fish comes back."

"Tch! As if! We scared that thing off in the first place! Why should we fear it?"

Suddenly one of the smaller Zoras tackled Moriko and began crying. Moriko was taken aback by the sudden change in emotion, but attempted to calm the Zora girl down. "What's the matter?"

"Please!" the Zora sobbed. "You have to…save the Prince!"

"Runa! Shut up!" one of the Zoras shouted, reaching for her angrily. Moriko put herself between him and the sobbing Zora. She glared at the Zora boy until he backed off, then turned back to the girl.

"Runa is your name? It's lovely. My name's Moriko. I came from the forest."

"The…forest? But how…can you breathe?"

"I have the Zora Tunic on right now, and that helps a great deal. Are you feeling better now?"

The Zora nodded, glancing at the others before turning back to Moriko.

"I'm sorry I tackled you. I'm just so scared right now. I'm terrified of that eel, and that's the thing that carried Prince Roka off!"

Moriko looked in the direction the eel had swam. It was a terrifying creature. She could see why only the strongest Zoras were allowed to enter the shrine. She looked back at the Zoras, who were chatting amongst themselves.

"I'm going to go get the prince. You five can stay here, or leave."

The Zoras looked at her with sneers.

"Why should we leave?"

"You guys are already in trouble as it is," Moriko said. She begged the Goddesses that the bluff would work. She saw the Zoras fidget for a bit, then swim reluctantly away, towards the exit. Runa looked at Moriko with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you!" she whispered before swimming after the others. Moriko felt warm and fuzzy on the inside. What a nice girl. Moriko swam in the direction the eel had gone, but quickly saw something that rattled her to the core.

The eel watched her with predator's eyes while opening and closing its jaws menacingly. Its tail twitched at the sight of Moriko, a different kind of fish in its bright yellow eyes, and it had only one thing on its mind.

Food.

Moriko swam back into the central chamber to see the Zora children swimming towards her. The fools had come back!

"Swim, people! The eel's just around the corner!"

The Zoras froze, then began swimming down the other hall, the one leading off to the right. Moriko raced after them, and Navi and Taiki took refuge in the collar of her tunic.

Unfortunately, Moriko wasn't well suited to swimming, since she'd grown up in the forest. She slowly began to lag behind, and Runa was the first to notice. She swam back to the girl and grabbed one of her arms, pulling her along. The other Zoras threw them looks of disgust, which quickly turned to looks of fear. Moriko chanced a glance behind to see the eel swimming closer and closer. Its jaws were inching open, and Moriko kicked her legs harder.

There was a door up ahead now, and the Zora children had it halfway open by the time Moriko and Runa joined them. Moriko watched the eel slither towards them and drew her sword. It drew back at the sight of the strange item, curious as to what it would do.

That pause gave the Zoras enough time to get the door open. The swam through quickly, though Runa had to half drag Moriko through it, and shut it just as the eel lunged for them. There was a sickening crack, then silence.

The Zoras, and one Moriko, sighed with relief. Then they turned on the blonde girl.

"What is your problem?!"

Moriko was taken aback by the sudden question.

"I'm here to rescue you all."

"We're in here by choice! We want to be guards for the Zora people…," one grumbled. Runa looked down at her finned feet, avoiding the angry gazes of the others. "But it seems one of us has gone chicken."

"Now, hold on a second!" Moriko shouted, placing a hand on Runa's shoulder. "You can't be in here. On the way here, the guards told me you have to be of age to come in here, or else something bad will happen. Judging by the cuts on all of you, I think you didn't know that little fact."

"Shut up, human! You're no Zora, so just go!"

Moriko ignored the other Zoras' comments and turned to Runa, who was beginning to cry again.

"It's okay. I'll get all of you out of here. I just need to find Prince Roka."

Runa sniffled and pointed towards the surface of the water. "There's a way into the room from above water, but it's crawling with monsters. We Zora are better suited to underwater fighting."

"Ah, but I am not a Zora. I'm Hylian," Moriko said. She gave Runa a reassuring hug and swam for the surface.

When she finally reached it, she felt extremely relieved to be out of the water. She felt waterlogged as she hoisted herself up onto the tiled floor a foot above the water's reach. She pulled the mask down and spat out some water that had gotten in her mouth before taking a quick survey of the room. It looked like a ballroom, except it was half submerged. She had seated herself on the second floor, where the railing should've been. She stood up after resting and took out her bow and arrow, dispatching any monsters in sight before heading towards the door to her left.

When she stepped through it, she saw how they spiraled downward, just like Death Mountain. Each room was filled with monsters, and after about twenty rooms, she came to a room similar to the one that had held the mini Dodongo. There were a few orbs that rolled around the floor, but they seemed harmless. Moriko looked for any other monsters, but froze when Navi shrieked, "Look out!"

Moriko jumped back to see a giant toad fall from the high ceiling. It was like a mass of fat with eyes and puffy lips. It had the same orbs on its back that lay on the floor, which it proceeded to scoop up and re-stick to its back.

"Eww…," Taiki said. Moriko bit back a disgusted comment and lunged at the toad's fat face. Her sword bounced right off it's blubbery skin, so she tried to shoot it with an arrow. That was deflected as well. The toad swerved around and shot its tongue at her, missing her by centimeters. It stayed there, stuck to the wall.

"Hit the tongue!" Navi shouted.

Moriko gripped her sword and, mustering her strength, slashed at the slimy thing. The toad shrieked and tried to pull away, but Moriko was faster. She ran up to the head and stuck her sword through the toad's skull, killing it instantly.

It slumped over and disappeared in an explosion, covering everything in toad slime. Moriko shrieked and began throwing clumps of the slime to the floor until she was relatively slimeless. She wanted nothing more than to take a shower at that very moment.

A chest appeared a few feet away, near the locked door. Moriko carefully made her way over to it and kicked it open. Inside was a strange device she didn't even recognize. It was silver and blue, and it had a hole in the bottom with size of someone's fist.

"It's the hookshot!" Navi shouted in surprise. Moriko gave her a funny look.

"A what?"

"A hookshot. It's a device that allows the person using it to draw himself over to targets, like the one on the ceiling."

Moriko looked up where the toad had been hanging. There was a bright yellow disk with a red dot embedded in it.

"So, if I equip this, I can attach myself to that?"

"That's what I remember. My Link had one."

Moriko nodded and aimed the hookshot at the disk. Instinct took over and she pulled a trigger, dispatching the claws and chain. They embedded themselves into the red dot and hoisted Moriko up until the chain stopped pulling. Something in the ceiling clicked and the locked door below opened. Moriko grinned, but that faded with when she realized her current predicament.

"SOMEONE GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!!" she shrieked, refusing to look down.

"Lower yourself with the chain!"

"How do I do that?" Moriko shouted. She looked at the hookshot and pushed every button she could find. Eventually she got down, having barely figured out what to do, and trudged into the next room.

She paused with she saw the pillar of blue light, but her gaze drifted from the that to the shards of light shimmering before it. The lights came together and formed a woman. She had beautiful blue hair that drifted about her shoulders like a cape. Her dress was two shades of blue, with a gold banded belt. She floated there for a minute before opening her crystal blue eyes.

"Hello there, Moriko," she said. Her voice was entrancing, almost musical in a way. "You've made it to the end of my trial easily. You've grown very strong since Din spoke to you."

"Ah…right…thank you. Where is the Harp of Ages?"

"Unfortunately, that creature you encountered before stole it from its place and destroyed that room."

"The toad or the eel?"

"The eel. Its name is Sentinel. He is the one you must see to."

"Wait…he tried to attack some Zora children. Why would he do that?"

Nayru paused for a minute, then sighed.

"I cannot reach his mind. He is being controlled by dark forces."

"I'll take care of that. But what about the Zora kids? They need to get back to the Domain."

"The way will open once Sentinel is freed. But you must hurry. The one named Roka…is near death."

Moriko felt as if her body had be zapped. The prince was dying.

"Be safe, Moriko," Nayru said as she began disappearing. "And don't forget to use your head."