Link and Samba stepped forward to the gates of Zora's Domain. The gates themselves were situated between two great stone walls separating the rest of Hyrule, on either side of the river, from the aquatic people's home. It even went in the water. It was composed of black metal strips worked into intricate designs of lines and curves. Examining the gates closer could reveal water-themed shapes amid the swirls and dips. On either side of the river stood a pair of guards, zoras dressed in armor and weilding spears. The ones on the side Link and Samba were on crossed their spears as they approached. "Halt!" called the left when they were nearby, holding out the other hand. "What business do you have in Zora's Domain?"

"Specifically, what business does a monster have?" added the other, who was holding his hand out, as well.

Link and Samba, stopping when told to (well, Link did, but Samba had to be yanked by the tail to get back), answered that they were there to see King Zora and that Samba meant no harm whatsoever.

The first guard scoffed and put his hand to his hip. "Really, now...Seeing King Zora? And why would he want to see you two? And how come I doubt a monster ever means anything but harm?"

Samba narrowed his eyeridges just as the other said, "Well, you have to admit, not many lizalfos can speak Hylian," to his fellow guard.

The first looked over at him, then back at the two adventurers. "...Alright. But still, what're you here to see the king for?" he asked. At the reply, both guards jerked back a bit. "The...The Master Sword?!" repeated the first. They leaned over and looked at them closer (they were a bit taller than them).

"H-How d'you guys know about it being...?" hoarsely whispered the second. At the answer, they scoffed simultaneously. "Yeah, right, Princess Zelda?" skeptically said the second.

"Nice try. Give us proof, and then we'll see," said the first. They both stood up again and put a free hand on their hip, spears still crossed.

Link and Samba looked at one another before nodding. Link got out his ocarina and Samba his guitar. They played Zelda's Lullaby in front of the guards (in a more basic form, though, with both playing the melody instead of Samba doing chords as well). When finished, they looked up to see the two had reared back in surprise a little. 'I think that did it,' Link thought.

"No way!!" said the second. "That's the song of the Royal Family of Hyrule! How could a LIZALFOS learn that, let alone BOTH of you?!"

"And why would there be TWO people after the Master Sword?" asked the first. They shook their heads, however, and stood straight again, spears paralell once more. "Urgh...That's enough evidence you've ties to the princess, though," the first admitted. "Whatever you do, be respectful and behave in front of the king!"

The guards, in unison, struck the butts of their spears on the ground. The gate, with a sound of machinery, seperated and went inside the rock walls. When they were fully opened, the second guard added, "Oh, and welcome to Zora's Domain!" before both were quiet and let them through.

Link and Samba nodded together and went inside. They saw a giant cove in the mountain. A gargantuan natural pool and equally large waterfall met their eyes as the centerpiece--the water source for all of Hyrule. It appeared that one might, somehow, make it up to the top of the waterfall by navigating the rock shelves around the pool. Zoras, some armored and most not, walked about the rock rim or swam in the pool. Some unarmored ones were clothed, but most weren't. Samba sighed and smiled a bit. "Wow. I'm a lot more comfortable here than I thought I would," he commented. "Must be because it reminds me of home."

Link smiled a little at his teammate before looking around and thinking. 'Where IS the king?' he wondered. 'If he's up there, how do we get there? Must be a way using the stone around the pool, but...' He looked around. There were a few caves cut into the walls of the main paths the rims took, which, themselves, were either worked or merely hewn. Directly to their right was a large one, but it was blocked by a wall of boulders. 'Maybe...but those could well be houses or something, not paths...'

The two were at the southeastern side of the pool after entering the city of zoras. They went around counter-clockwise. Along the way, they met a few of the zoras out and about. "Huh? Ah, visitors! Here to see the beauty of Zora's Domain, I see!" commented one they passed by.

Link stopped and asked, "Could you tell me where the king is?"

The zora nodded. "Sure." He held an arm out, the long fin attatched giving grace to the gesture, and indicated the waterfall. "Over up there. He usually accepts free audiences with normal people, but lately he's been a little cranky. Just try and mind your manners." He looked back at Link and Samba as he advised them.

Link thanked him and they went onwards. After hopping across a gap in the rocks, they started a bit as another zora practically appeared from thin air. "Thin water" might be a better term, though, as he came splashing up out of the pool by the side, whipping his head fin...tendril...thing, as someone might their hair. He put a hand to his mouth and widened his black eyes a little when he saw the two there. "Did I scare you? My apologies!" he said. He lowered his hand again and tread water while he tilted his head. "Say, you look a little lost. Do you need help with anything?"

Samba replied, "Yeah; we need to see King Zora, but what exactly do we do to get to him?"

"Getting to King Zora, huh..." The zora looked around. "Well, as you can see, there's a great deal of rock around the place," he said. "We zoras use these as pathways. Our home is mostly underwater, through areas you'll need to breathe down there to see, but some of us inhabit caves on the surface, as you can see with the archways around. We also use these pathways as a means to reach our king." He turned back to them. "There are a few ramp pathways about, but recently, some rocks have fallen from above and blocked them almost all off. Some of them are in worse shape than others and will need the help of a few gorons. That is, of course, if King Zora stops being, sorry to say, immature towards their leader..." He shook his head. "Sorry, but you'll have to get creative if you want to see him. Good luck." He dove away and out of sight again.

Link and Samba looked around the Domain. Some of the ledges were somewhat broken, and some places bore stones sticking out one near another and going higher. Link remembered watching Samba the day before and said, "I think I've got it." Samba turned to him with a questioning glance. "You can jump pretty high, right?"

Samba raised his eyeridges and nodded. "I think I get it, too," he said. "You want me to be the leader and jump my way around?"

Link nodded, taking off Nayru's Ring of Dualty. "It's only fair," he said. "I had to shut you inside Din's Ring in Hyrule Castle Town, and now I have to be shut inside Faroe's."

Samba nodded thoughtfully, putting a claw to his chin. "True." He held his paw out and accepted the ring, putting it on. Link then hid in his, and Samba was the leader. He looked down the path ahead of him. "Let's go." He jogged off, going towards one end. He saw a grass-covered area ahead to the side of the path after another gap and jumped up to the higher area. He could clear it just fine, and he knew Link could likely reach the edge with his hands to pull himself up. He looked around.

A wall of boulders was directly in front of him. "That must be one of those ramps the zora guy mentioned," he muttered. Thinking more into it and remembering seeing others already, he realized that there were more than a few of those passages around. He looked to his right and saw that a rock stuck up from the grass near an edge that faced the side of a pathway-ledge above the first. He went from the rock to the pathway and continued, the pool now to his right. He stopped near a pretty hanging bridge, whose slats were carved with more aquatic designs, in the middle of the pathway upon seeing a few stones jutting from the wall on the left side of the chasm. (The right side was the waterfall.) He jumped from the edge of the pathway not connected to the bridge and landed on the big rock he saw a bit below. He made his way between the walls, jumping up between rocks and using them as platforms. The chasm became narrower as he went upwards. After a point, he began running out of rocks to get to with ease, and was soon apparantly stuck. He saw a large crack in the opposite wall, however, that might lead him somewhere. He jumped over, grabbed it with his claws, and went paw-over-paw along before, as luck would have it, he ended up on the edge of the third level. He hoisted himself up and looked both ways.

To his left was a long pathway with a bulged-out part near the end. A big wall of rubble was opposite the apex of the bulge's curve, and a smaller one was nearer to him. To his right was a short gap and a large hole in the wall. A pathway snaked out of it near the top and went all the way around and up above him. "That's gotta be where we're supposed to go," Samba said. He looked across the pool and squinted in the morning light. Another ledge, way on the other side and about level with him, bore a small hole in the wall filled with rocks. He spotted a few red ones there, as well, and knew he should investigate. The ledge, on the other side of the gap in the wall made by the grassy area, was connected with a broken hanging bridge.

"There're only a few slats and pieces left for me to jump across," observed the lizalfos after he got to the near end and took a look at it. "Unless I want to take an age with the ropes...which might break..." Behind him was the big hole from before. He shrugged and, gulping, leaped over. He landed on one thin slat, jumped to a chunk still in the lower rope on the left side and quickly got to the next slat before the rope twisted and sent him plumetting to the stone pathway below. He continued on, going to another slat, then another chunk in rope and another--right then left--before, with a growling sigh of relief, making it to the ledge.

He examined the rubble and the red rocks. He nodded and got out a pebble. "Hope this works," he muttered, and threw a Fire Pebble at a red rock. The rock glowed and, a second later, exploded, taking out a few more pieces of rubble with it. He didn't utterly clear it, but with a few more explosions, he blew the blockage away and cleared the path. He looked in and saw that it curved somewhat sharply to the right, going up at a steady incline. He followed it and found himself crossing a stone bridge between the walls of the grassy area. As he went, he noted the turns; the walls curved from the floor smoothly up and around, like a pipe. 'I wonder if water went through here at some point.' He came out of the big hole he had seen before. Below was the ledge he had left a minute or two ago. After seeing this, the lizalfos pumped his arm in victory. "Yassss!! I made it!" he hissed, using a word for "yes" in his native language.

Continuing on and noticing that the outside of the turn into the hole was walled by a rounding wall, as well, Samba trotted on. The gap behind the waterfall ended before the pathway, though he remembered it climbed a bit higher than that. He shrugged and went onwards, reaching the end of the forth-level path and turning a tight left hairpin and continuing up a steeper path. He noticed that, as he reached the end of it, the path merged with another one that was somewhat steep, but quick for those with the legstrength and stamina. After getting onto level ground again, he looked around and saw a broad, natural area to his right and a fine, worked pathway ahead. It went into the area the waterfall was fed from, following the stream. The other side was just a short natural path to a ledge overlooking the pool. "I think it's safe to say we're there," Samba said, taking both other rings off and throwing them.

After Link appeared, the lizalfos walked over to examine how high up they were. "Thanks, and good job," Link complimented as he passed by the hylian. He squeaked and ran to grab his tail when he noticed a loss of balance at the edge.

Samba had looked over the edge and gotten such vertigo that he'd almost fallen down. He thanked Link for saving him and took a few breaths. "Sorry," he said. "I'm not exactly fond of heights...more used to sticking to the ground..."

Link peeped down himself, braver than Samba. He couldn't help but gulp at the pool below--the ledges more directly below than the water. He then turned to the path to the royal chamber. "Well, we're up here, so let's get going to King Zora," he said, beckoning, and ran off. Samba followed him.

The stream leading to the waterfall went straight for a bit, but soon turned at a bit of an angle instead of a smooth curve. At the vertex was the royal chamber. In a circular room were a few torches, some guards, and, in a throne at the opposite end of the chamber, a...large, we'll say, zora with a regal cape and headress. This was King Zora.

The guards at the entrance of the room didn't stop them. Link noticed this. 'I guess they're confident they can protect their king well enough,' he thought. The two went on, crossing a short bridge to reach the other side and King Zora. As they approached, King Zora watched them with pompous, but quiet, eyes. The swordsmen noticed a rectangular platform before the ruler, a place where people would kneel when in audience. Link knelt down first, then Samba on his left. "Your Highness," Link addressed.

King Zora scowled slightly as he nodded. "Yes, it is King Zora you kneel before. Very wise to kneel, indeed, too. And who are you?" he asked. His voice sounded a bit snotty. The helmets of the guards on either side and a bit behind him hid any facial expression, but their miniscule fidgets were enough to express their discomfort at their king's voice.

Link, head still bowed, answered, "Link and Samba, two swordsmen sent by Princess Zelda to retrieve the Master Sword."

King Zora snapped, "ExCUSE me?! A country bumpkin and a MONSTER?! Have you come to mock me?!" He looked at his guards. "Get these liars out of my sight," he ordered.

Samba growled at King Zora, looking up with his eyes. "Your Highness, could we at least prove we speak the truth?" he asked as lowered spears came around the two.

"...Oh, really, now? You claim proof?" asked King Zora, crossing his arms with a scoff. "If you give me anything illigit, then know that you'll be sent flying off the waterfall--back first," he warned. "You still think you've proof?"

Link and Samba glanced at each other. "If we don't give him proof, he'll never let us in again," Link whispered. "On the other hand, if he doesn't believe the Lullaby, we're in for quite a lot of pain, hitting the water as we would be..."

"We're screwed either way, though," Samba pointed out, whispering as well. "We might as well."

Link nodded and said, louder, "Yes," and grabbed Samba, who was about to rise before being permitted.

"Then rise and show me," commanded the king, motioning with his hand. The guards stepped back and let the two rise. Link and Samba nodded to each other and whipped out their instruments.

"One...two...and..." Link counted off, tapping his foot, and the two played Zelda's Lullaby the way they had practiced two mornings ago at Sound of MuZach. When they were finished, they looked up at King Zora.

The fish was a bit pale. "Th...That's...But...How..." he stuttered before sighing annoyedly and crossing his arms, bowing his head, and closing his eyes. "Good greif...What's the world come to if a monster were to be taught the song of the Royal Family..." he muttered before bringing his head up and opening his eyes to look at the two. "Well, since only those associated with the Royal Family know that aged song, I believe you are at least as such," he admitted grumpilly. "Guards, as you were."

As the guards went back to their normal posts, Link and Samba knelt again. "Thank you, Your Highness," Link said.

King Zora nodded. "Of course," he said. "Now, you said something about Zelda and the Master Sword?"

"Yes," Samba confirmed. "I know this may seem crazy, but Princess Zelda has entrusted us, the bearers of the Rings of Dualty, with the task of getting the Master Sword from the Temple of Time Ruins so that we may have a chance at defeating the evil that begins to threaten Hyrule."

"Bearers of the Rings of Dualty?" repeated the zora. When the two raised them up, he raised his eyebrows. "Unmistakable, with such exquisite and unearthly luster...Now, I see, this must be the truth...However, you must be warned that the ruins aren't exactly easy to navigate. Though, since you have those rings, it must not be too hard for you with what you undoubtedly have endured...?"

"If you mean going through a giant deathtrap of a maze and fighting a Leviathan, then, yes, you're right," Link said with a hint of wryness.

King Zora nodded. "Then get going. It's to be found within Zora's Fountain, our sacred grounds and rumored home of our deity, Lord Jabu-Jabu, so tread with respect! Now, good luck." He clapped his hands in a particular rhythm for a moment.

Slowly, the grate blocking access to the other end of the stream rose. When it was up, King Zora gave them permission to rise and go. Nodding, they quickly ran off through the opened area, going along a narrow ledge near the stream.

-

They came out of the tunnel to a giant, very deep lake, which turned out to actually be a spring. Steep walls climbed up and revealed the mountain around them. Only a bird could get here otherwise. The ledge became a platform with a shallow amount of water. They splashed on and found a spot of dry land with a cave entrance across the water. Samba sighed and hid in his ring to let Link help him get somewhere, this time.

Link, groaning at the fact he'd need to get wet again, jumped into the water and swam across. After a good minute of swimming at a moderate rate (without pressing B to go faster, a trick in OoT I learned only after getting Master Quest), he reached the islet in the middle of the fountain. There was barely anything else besides the cave. The cave itself actually came right out of the ground and resembled a seashell curving into the ground. A slope led downwards. Letting Samba out again, the two went downwards.

As they went, the world became darker as a window of light rose, shrinking, behind them. "Why would they build a temple underground this far?" wondered Samba.

"Well, it's the only place we could go," Link said, shrugging in the darkness.

"Yeah, but still, I can't help but feel like we're getting ourselves more and more lost..." Samba muttered. "This slope's going pretty straight, though, I can see."

"Eh?"

"Night vision?"

"Oh, yeah."

They went down and down for a while. However, finally, after a few minutes, they began to feel an odd sensation. "What in..." Link muttered. Then, slowly, a light began to shine below them. It was dim at first, but it gradually got brighter--a boon to their eyes, since a sudden flash would blind them for at least half an hour. Excited, they began running towards it, forgetting they were on a slope. Therefore, it is no surprise that they ended up exiting the long pathway in a bundled heap of scale and skin.

"That wasn't very fun," groaned Link as he waited for the world to stop spinning.

"I knew that was a bad idea," growled Samba, shaking his head and getting up on a paw. "I'm glad I've got a helmet on, now..." The helm had protected his head from major damage, being padded inside with some thick leather.

"Hey, can you get off me, now?" Link asked.

"Unwrap your leg from my arm, first." Samba then got up on both paws and was about to get off when he found another problem.

"Your kneeling on my isn't helping!"

"Neither is your body on my tail!"

"Get off me, then!"

"How?"

Link growled. "Roll off onto your back or something!!"

"Urgh..." Samba did as he was told, Link got up, and they both stood, brushing themselves off. "Remind me never to act like a living boulder," Samba joked.

"Remind me never to make you into one," Link joked back.

"How?"

"Pushing."

The two then looked around them. To their amazement, they were now in a forest. Sunlight poured down and stone ruins spread from around them. The stones were overgrown with the forest floor and vines hung across the walls. There was a fallen tree lying against a wall directly across from the tunnel, vines overgrown on it forming a smooth, rounded ramp with the ground. An archway to the left of that led to another ruined room. Spikey vines stretched from top to floor from it, blocking them. Link leading, they went onwards.

After Link used a spin attack to detatch some vines from the floor and his boomerang to sever them above, they went through and into the next room. There, they found some new enemies--8-foot-tall walking skeletons with armor and swords! Only two of them, but still a threat.

"And these are...?" Link asked, raising his shield as one came forth.

Samba gripped his sword as he answered, "I think these are called Stalfos. They're skeletons with armor, shields and swords that they know how to use pretty well. You'll have to be quicker to the draw or get them from behind to win." He turned and blocked a sword slash from the other with his buckler.

Link had a somewhat easier time with the stalfos than Samba did, seeing as he was the better swordfighter between them. (Though, as well, Samba was busy finding out that his kicks and tail slams did surprisingly little to their heads, where he usually aimed, which may have been another factor.) He even went and destroyed the one attacking his scaly teammate after he was done with his. Samba was a little peeved, but he didn't show it. They then observed the room more closely.

It was a four-way room, with an archway like before to the north, east, and west (they had entered from the one to the south). (Directions are only given for you readers' sake; they didn't know where North was at this time.). To their left, the west, was a bunch of those vines from before, but more tough-looking. They appeared to grow from a strange, patterned groove running along the archway. The eastern arch went to the thick forest, thus nowhere, though they thought they saw a stone pathway around the foliage. The northern one was the only other one they could see, and it, too, was blocked with a stone wall behind it. They found a strange object in a niche above the keystone, though, that looked like an open monster's mouth.

"Maybe we need to do something with it?" suggested Samba. "Feed it somehow?"

"Best bet we've got," Link said.

They got closer and found, to their startled surprise, three giant spiders come down from the branches overhead to front of them. They stopped at different levels, oddly. Link was caught unawares and was too late to listen to Samba's warning cry, so he got smacked away by a sharply rotating body slam from the lowest one.

"Those are Big Skulltulas," explained Samba, looking down at his comrade. "They're probably the biggest spiders most people will see, should they see them at all. Their backs are protected by a hard shell, but their stomachs aren't. They have quite a range in their only form of attack, a rotating body slam, though."

"So I see," Link grumbled, getting up and holding his head. "I doubt they're stupid enough to show it to me, though," he said.

"Yeah," Samba said, crossing his arms. "They were, at one time, but not for the last couple hundred or so years. I was thinking one of us could circle around it somehow and get it, like you throw me in ring form and get it. Thing is, they usually hang out in places where that's impossible--in front of doors or in corridors, in this case."

"Then what CAN we do?" Link asked.

"Well, their shells aren't exactly impenetrable," Samba said. "Aim a stab at them with enough force and it'll go right through."

Link nodded. He tried with his sword, stabbing as hard as he could, but it didn't work. The giant bug swung left to right like a pendulum, smacking against the walls. He grumbled and walked away. "Let's see if there's another way," he said.

Samba frowned and followed. The big skulltulas crept up again as they left. Samba turned and noticed the mouth again. "Wait a minute," he muttered, stopping. He squinted at the stone decoration. "Hey, I know what that thing's supposed to be," he said.

Link looked over his shoulder and stopped, turning around again. "Hm?"

"That sculpture," pointed the lizalfos. "It's a small monster called a Gruncher. They're harmless, dining solely on bugs. They can even eat poisonous bugs, and apparantly like them, since they eat venomous ones like spiders whenever they can."

Link raised his eyebrows. "Wait, that's it!" he said, snapping his fingers. He put his sword and shield away and brought out his bow. "This thing's pretty good; the arrows fly straight for quite a ways and at quite a speed." He nocked an arrow in and crept forwards. Again, the oversized bugs slid down, but Link stopped after hearing them come. They stopped in front of him and he saw that, after he stepped a little around the one in front of him, they lined up in a perfect shot. "This HAS to work," he muttered, pulling back and aiming.

THWIHP-SKREEK-SKREEK-SKREEK-THUNK!

The arrow pierced the skulltula and flew off to the next, forming a shiskabob of them before giving them to the Gruncher sculpture's open mouth. When the arrow landed inside, the mouth slammed shut around the bugs and drew back, taking them with it. (They disappeared, anyway, though, since they WERE monsters.) As soon as it did, the wall, with a rumbling and shaking of dust, lowered down.

Link pumped his arm in victory and put his bow away. "Knew it!" he muttered. He trotted ahead, Samba following. They came out onto a balcony with a broken stone railing. The posts were all that remained, and they weren't exactly blunt. Ahead on the ground, Link saw four crystal switches arranged in a group. Below them in the center was a fading painted ring that was actually an arrow going clockwise, upon further examination. The eagle of Hyrule was in the center in goldleaf, the background once black as night but now faded away to show green-grey stone beneath. Nearer to them was a circle of stone floor, identical and symmetrically placed to one on the other side of the room. Directly across from the two's balcony was another balcony, this one with an intact handrail.

Link thought for a moment. "I bet I'm supposed to hit those switches with a spin attack--and only me, since there's the symbol for the hylian race down there, sorry--to raise a platform bridge..." He looked at the handrail remains and frowned. "Don't want to hurt my feet on these sharp posts, though...and there's no room for my foot between them..."

"What about your boomerang?" suggested Samba. "You told me it hits multiple things..."

Link jerked his head up and nodded, smiling. "Of course! Thanks!" He attempted it, even lapping it, starting at the spot the arrow began/ended. However, it failed--the platforms, including the large circular one the switches were on, came up a little ways, but fell back down again after the boomerang returned. "I must not have done it enough times," Link muttered, trying for as many laps as he could imagine before throwing again. This time, after going around three times, the platforms came up all the way and stayed there. Link grabbed his boomerang and put it away, smiling. "Love this thing."

As Link stepped over the wall and onto the first platform, Samba couldn't help but get the feeling that this mechanism was very similar to SOMEthing, SOMEwhere. (Free cookie to anyone who can tell what! Hint: It's Nintendo-related.) He shook his head and hopped over the wall. The duo continued on, jumping across the platforms to the balcony at the other end. They went through the archway and found a giant door in a clearing ahead of them. The ruins of some walls on either side were just high enough to thwart Samba's impressive jump. A Triforce was visible on the ground in front of the door, however. While Link examined the rest of the room for switches or something, Samba went over to the symbol.

'Isn't this also used as the crest of the Royal Family?' he wondered, looking down at the triangles between and beneath his large footpaws. Curious, he tried something different. He got out his guitar and strummed Zelda's Lullaby.

Link turned to the sound, tilting his head. "Huh? What's the point of that?" he asked, going towards his teammate after he was finished.

A rumbling suddenly came from the door. They turned and saw the stone opening away from them. Samba grinned and half-eyed smugly. "I think we've got another thing to keep in mind," he said, pointing down while still looking at Link. He stepped off of it while Link looked at it and went to the doors. Link followed and caught up a second later. Together, they went forwards and into the next room.

It was square and held nothing but a pedestal in the center of a circular dias. Six circular symbols were seen around it, each different. A high wall piece directly across from them held a nigh-untouched stained glass window. The stone was the most overgrown here, obscuring everything but the sword in the pedestal.

Link gasped and stepped forth slowly, Samba following. They went together to the sword before stopping before it. They looked down at it. The dark green hilt, wrapped with indigo cord. The winglike indigo handguard. The gems in the pommel and crosspiece (I think that's the middle of the place the handguard, hilt, and blade all meet). The blade's shape. The stylized Triforce etching. All of it was untouched; not even a mote of dust lay upon the weapon in its pedestal.

As they got nearer, the Rings of Dualty began to glow gently. They looked at them now, then at each other. They nodded. Samba stepped aside a bit and Link went in front of the sword. Then, slowly, with reverence, he clutched first his left, then right hand around the hilt. He stepped his feet about, spreading them apart to brace himself properly, and took a deep breath. After a countdown in his head, he jerked up with a grunt.

SHIING!! The sword came straight up and out of the rhombus-shaped pedestal and now hung in Link's hands, point directly down. Seconds after it came out, a light began to shine from the pedestal, where the sword was before. The rings began glowing very intensely. Then, suddenly, the light shone brightly from all the sources mentioned. The light from the pedestal, light blue, began to incorporate rays of red, medium blue, and green light as it spread out with force, causing both young men to grunt and brace themselves. It was so bright, they had to sheild their eyes a bit, Samba lucky enough to have his paws free. The light spread outwards around the dias, destroying the overgrowth as it did. When it reached the six symbols, they lit up a different color each--yellow, green, red, blue, orange, violet. When it finally reached the perimeter of the dias, it halted and became a curtain of light around the edge, shimmering with the same lights as before.

The curtain became like a pillar, shooting towards the heavens. A few seconds afterwards, the three rays--red, blue, and green--fell back down and onto Samba, the sword, and Link, respectively. Then, the rays came down entirely, twisting about into a knot that came into a ball of light with tendrils from the three targets coming from it. The ball fell and floated between the three, twining the ropes of luster together before spreading to them all. As the light filled them, Link and Samba felt a power like the kind felt before, when first wearing the Rings of Dualty. This time, they felt connected utterly--to each other and to the sword.

Finally, the light display ended when the pillar faded and the red, blue, and green lights finished absorbing into the three targets. They all stopped glowing a moment before everything else did. Link finally could move freely, taking the sword in one hand, now. Wearing a face of resolute knowing, he held the sword point-up and raised it high. The sun shone off of it, glinting across the blade.

Link and Samba got the Master Sword.

Link looked it up and down before abruptly testing it out by swinging at the air before him. Samba backed up a bit, and just in time, too; Link ended his test with a spin attack. Satisfied, Link held the Master Sword with his right hand while he reached back to switch swords. He grasped air and gasped. "Betta's sword!"

"Betta's sword?" repeated Samba, walking over to examine. "Oh! You mean your old one? It's...totally replaced," he told him, eyes wide at the sheath on Link's back. "The sheath, too. It's bigger and...well, niftier."

Link furrowed his brow and put the Master Sword inside it, doing his fancy sheathing. It fit like a glove. "It's for the Master Sword," he said. "But where...?"

Samba thought a moment, growling softly. Then, he snapped his claws. "Idea! Link, lend me Nayru's Ring," he said.

Link did as he was told, having it teleport to Samba's claw from his finger. As soon as he did, the Master Sword flashed light blue and, as motes of light, shot to Samba's sword, where it glowed and reformed. In its place was Betta's sword, and now Samba was the one without a normal sword. Link raised his eyebrows.

"I was right!" Samba exclaimed in surprise, looking at the Master Sword. "Whenever we switch who's the leader, the Master Sword will replace the sword of whoever's 'it'. THAT'S how the rings work!" He raised an eyeridge impressedly as he spoke. "Efficient. One would expect nothing less from godesses, though."

Link smiled a bit, chuckling. "Yeah. Alright, we agreed that I'm first, so may I have it back?" he asked, putting a hand on his side and slouching a bit.

Samba nodded. "First, though," he said quietly, looking down at the blade belted at his waist. His face furrowed into worry. 'Can I...Can I really...?' He cautiously tested the hilt with a clawtip, tapping it quickly, before slowly gripping it entirely. As slowly, he drew the blade out, making a long, low ring: Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiing. Once it was all the way out, he held it up in wonder, jaw agape. "I don't believe it," he whispered, looking at his reflection in the blade.

Link watched, understanding coming to him when he realized that what he was seeing was history in the making: a monster safely holding the Master Sword.

Samba slowly smiled as he flicked it around a bit. "I'm actually...I'm actually holding the Master Sword without getting burned, as anyone else would if they so much as touch its hilt!!" he nearly roared in joy. He, too, tested the sword by swinging it a bit, ending with a two-handed spinning overhead strike. He let out a short roar of excitement. "This is AMAZING!!" He chuckled and did his fancy sheathing, too. He turned to Link and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, it's just that...well...I'm a monster, and...well, you can understand, right?" Link nodded, and Samba nodded back. "Alright. Now, then," he said, and raised his right paw. In the same short show as before, the Master Sword transferred weilders. "There. Let's get out of here, now, shall we?" suggested Samba, turning to the exit of the room.

Link nodded and turned, facing the exit as well. Then, the two jogged out of the chamber of the Master Sword and back into the Temple of Time Ruins. They found the puzzles were still solved, thankfully, but the enemies returned. Link and Samba shot down the big skulltulas from behind before they came over to the middle of the room they were in. To neither's surprise, the stalfos returned. Link got out the Master Sword, saying he wanted a chance to get used to the sword, especially since it was a bit heavier and more than a bit longer than Betta's sword.

When he found he defeated a stalfos quite quickly compared to before, he looked in awe at the blade. "Hot DAMN," he commented, grinning mischievously as he realized the power he now held. "This is going to make life a LOT easier!" He held it in stance again and went for the other stalfos, who was currently fighting Samba. To his disappointment, Samba defeated it before Link got there.

"Same number of hits, just more chances," Samba said, shrugging and giving an "Oh, well" smirk to Link. Link drooped, making the lizalfos laugh.

Together, they made their way back to the tunnel and went up it. After a long, winding climb, they made it back out to Zora's Fountain. Link felt like taking a bit of a rest, since that tunnel strangely neutralized the stamina-enhancing effects of the rings, and they sat for a few moments. Afterwards, Samba hid into his ring and Link swam across the lake again. Link let Samba out again as soon as he safely could, as was becoming usual whenever either had to hide. Together, the duo trotted back to King Zora's chamber.

"I see you got it," King Zora said after the two knelt before him again. "And the lizalfos can use it?"

"To my surprise," Samba answered, smiling a bit.

King Zora sighed and shook his head. "Of all the creatures the godesses chose..." he muttered. He looked up again and said, "Well, now that you have the sword, you obviously don't have any more business here. You may leave, now." Link and Samba looked up at the same time, looks of surprise on their faces. King Zora scowled at them. "What, you expect me to help you more somehow? I don't even know how else I could! You had best get back to Zelda as soon as possible, besides, if your orders are from her in the first place."

At that moment, a young zora came running in, panting and apparantly pretty tired. He must have climbed around the whole place. "Y...Your Highness!" he panted. "Excuse my...rudeness, but...important...news from...the Royal Family..." He held out his hand, in which was clasped a violet-wrapped scroll. A Triforce was visible on it. A guard took it and brought it to King Zora, who opened it.

After perusing it, he gasped and raised his eyebrows before narrowing them and growling, "Oh, GREAT!" He whipped it back down and announced, "Princess Zelda's been KIDNAPPED!"

Link and Samba stood up and exclaimed, "WHAT?!" at the same time in shock.

King Zora groaned and put his face in his hands. "Zoraaaaaa...I can't believe it...This means that we've got to be on the alert and send some soldiers throughout the waterways of Hyrule to locate her..." He banged a fist on the arm of his throne. "DAMMIT! This is NOT helping my stress as of late!!" he yelled, head still in a hand.

Link and Samba looked at each other worriedly and suspiciously as they knelt again. "You think?" mouthed Samba. Link shrugged.

King Zora continued his small tantrum. "First I've got to deal with the paths connecting the levels of our city being blocked off, then that argument with the goron chief, Daigorno, and now THIS?!" he listed, looking up again and thrusting the hand that had held his head out to emphisize. He grumbled and shook his head again. "I think something bad IS starting to come," he moaned.

Link raised his eyebrows suddenly. "Your Highness, is there anything we can do to help?" he asked.

King Zora grumbled and looked at them. "NO! Just get out of he--" But he stopped, pointing at them and beginning to lean forwards in emphasis. He looked a bit comical, totally frozen as he thought of something for a few moments. Then, he sat back again, putting the hand he was going to point with back to his chin. "Wait, yes, there might be something that you can do," he said, a bit calmer.

"Yes?" Samba asked, raising an eyeridge as he peeked up at him.

King Zora put his fingertips together and his elbows on the arms of his chair, sinking down a little as he went on. "Daigorno and I had a bit of an altercation of words a week ago. I won't go into what transpired, but the end result is the fact I am utterly disgusted in him so much, I REFUSE to talk to him or communicate with his kind in any way. However, I know for a fact that it will take the help of the gorons' strength to remove the rubble blocking our level-connecting paths, as much as I hate to admit it. And, as our messenger boy here demonstrates--thank you, by the way; you may leave, now--it is not easy to get around on them without them being open. Sure, some are fairly steep, but they're better than nothing. We NEED them open, somehow, or at least some alternate way to travel between the levels of our home." He pointed at the swordsmen. "I need to send some warriors out to search for Zelda and you have no more business here. Therefore, you're perfect for this." He nodded and returned his hand to himself.

"I want you to go to Death Mountain, where the gorons live, and speak to their chief, Daigorno. See if he's still angry with me. If he is, then don't bother asking him to send some of his men here to help us. If not, then DO bother. You don't need to return to tell me he's still mad at me. Now, of course, when I say that, I mean if he still believes what he said the last time we spoke. Remember to tell him that specifically, or he probably will be too stupid to figure it out..." He grumbled and shook his head. "Sorry. I've been very stressed lately, as you heard. But please, go. Don't worry about Zelda--with my men on the lookout for her, you can be certain that anyone foolish enough to take her out to the water will sorely regret it!" He proudly smirked and crossed his arms, looking at his men. He made the "shoo" gesture with a hand. "Now, you may leave. Get going. Oh, and just dive from the waterfall to get down safely. Dive, don't just jump--the more you've got spread out when you hit the water, the more pain you'll feel," he warned. "I don't think Zelda would appreciate the weilder--S, this time--of the Master Sword to break their backs thanks to a bad jump into water. NOW go."

And that was that.

Link and Samba stood, bowed, and trotted out. Taking Samba in his ring as he went, Link jumped off the waterfall bravely and arced his body into a dive, doing what he remembered seeing some people (and zoras) do. A few seconds later, he splashed down into the water, going pretty deep. He then struggled to swim up again. A few more seconds later, he gasped for air at the surface and squeezed his eyes open, a zora in the water by him applauding the dive. "Well, that was fun," he wheezed, making the zora laugh as the green-clad warrior swam to shore. (He did thank the applauder, of course.)

"So, then, we're going to Death Mountain?" Samba asked afterwards while they jogged away, on the western side of the Hylia River this time (Link got directions from another zora).

Link nodded. "I don't know if there's anything related to this quest Zelda's sent us on," he said, "but there's really nothing else we can do. Remember, we agreed last night that we'd go and talk to her after getting the Master Sword to see where we should go."

This was true. While playing their instruments together, they had taken a break and discussed this for a brief moment. Samba looked into the distance a little, head turned in the direction he had an idea was the vague location of Death Mountain, helped by the tiny red-brown mountain on the horizon with a cloud ring around it. "Besides, we might find something out in Goron City," he added.

Link smiled. "You never know," he said. Another idea struck him. "Hey, Samba?"

"Yeah?" Samba turned to look at him.

Link jumped over a rock in his path. "You're FROM Death Mountain, right?" he asked.

"Yas."

"?"

"Lizalfos 'yes'."

"Ah. Anyway, d'you think you could, well, be a tour guide of sorts, if you catch my drift?" he asked.

Samba raised an eyeridge. "Death Mountain's not that difficult to figure out," he said before something stopped his sentence as soon as it ended and sprang his eyes wide open. 'WAIT! This is it! This is my chance!!'

Link tilted his head at the expression on Samba's face, own face registering worry for both boys. "Uuuuh...Samba?"

Samba shook his head before he nodded once, resolute look on his face. "I'll guide you," he said. "I know a shortcut there, actually. It's kind of rough, though..."

"I'll let you be the leader, then," Link said, shrugging. "You can jump and probably overall navigate the mountain better than I can."

Samba shrugged, too. "Yeah, but that's just the way we are," he said. "Thanks for letting me be leader for a bit there."

"Sure! Hey, I'm only the first one to be leader; we're supposed to share the sword, since we ARE working together, right?" Link reminded/checked.

Samba smiled a bit, suddenly feeling a little guilty for some reason. "Yeah," he said. He pulled ahead a bit and said, "C'mon, let's get going!" over his shoulder.

"Alright! Oh, hang on," Link said, and he made Samba the leader, AND hid in his ring. Samba raised his eyeridges at this as he looked at his paw. Link came out and pointed out, "You're faster on foot than I am; we'll get there faster this way."

Samba smiled widely and nodded. "Thank you very much," he said, and Link went inside the ring again. Samba grinned and poured on the speed, enjoying the stamina boost the rings gave him. His grin soon turned into a dutiful frown as he thought. 'Sorry, Link, I really am...' He glanced at the rings. '...but I've got to think for myself. I have to.' He looked ahead again, drawing the Master Sword and charging straight through a moblin, shouting, "EXCUSE ME!" as he went. He looked at Death Mountain again. 'Vardi...'