THE LAIR OF THE FISH
'I already knew.'
Malon's last words played over and over again in Link's mind, pursuing him into his dreams and filling him with a sense of purpose.
As the sun rose, so did Link, his heart on fire with burning ferocity. His wavering resolve hardened to steel determination. He felt the Hero of Time stir in him once more. I will free Zelda, and I will save Malon, he silently vowed. I swear it!
Link let Kin sleep for a while longer while he packed away their campsite. She seemed so peaceful, lost in slumber. I owe her for so much, Link realized. Smiling, he turned away. Someday, he would pay her back. Somehow.
Yawning like a hungry dodongo, Kin eventually lifted herself from her blankets. She gazed around the empty campsite, bleary-eyed. "You haven't changed your mind," she said through another yawn. It wasn't a question.
"No, I haven't," Link replied, sitting next to her and handing her a breakfast of flatbread and seagull eggs. "In fact, thanks to you, for the first time in weeks I feel like I finally know who I am and what I need to do." He reached over and lay his hand on her shoulder.
Kin shifted awkwardly. "So, we're heading back to the castle?"
Link nodded. "I think we can assume we would have found the guardian by now if he were still here. Something must have happened. He's either dead or gone, and we have no more leads to follow. Maybe he could have helped us, but it doesn't matter now. I will finish this with or without the Sands of Time." He smiled. "My path remains the same, but in my heart, I no longer run from the hope that I may still one day save Malon. Thank you."
Their eyes locked for a long moment before Kin dropped her gaze. "Thank you for breakfast," she said.
Link thought he heard a hint of sadness in her voice. Did I upset her?he wondered. How?
Tactfully, he let the matter lie, and soon Kin seemed back to her usual, happy self. Together, the duo wolfed down their food and began hauling supplies down to the beach. Within an hour, they were pushing the small tender back out into the sea.
"I won't miss this island," Kin muttered as Link rowed them back to the clipper.
The swordsman grunted agreement. Suddenly, his hair stood on end.
Kin gasped. "Look," she whispered.
Link spun around to see the fog oozing out from the isle. Above them, it seemed as though the sun had dimmed. Darkness threatened.
Tendrils of mist clawed out over the waves, distending outward, then snapping back as though affixed to the island by some strange force. As they watched, a dim light flickered against the edge of the fog. A lone giggle echoed over the waves.
Almost as quickly as they could blink, the specter was gone and the fog faded into nothingness. Sunlight poured down from above, denying that anything had ever happened.
Link let out a long breath. Kin sagged back in her seat. Neither said a word as Link returned to the oars, carrying them back to the clipper as quickly as he was able.
The next few days at sea were uneventful and filled with sunbaked lethargy. Seagulls often flocked above the ship, and around them fish danced along the waves, silent companions as they sailed toward an uncertain destiny. All the while, Link struggled to imagine how he might overpower Vaati – a being who could bring down mountains and subjugate even Zelda's magic. His resolve was strong, but deep inside he wondered if this might be an enemy he could not defeat.
Something's wrong, a small voice inside of Link warned. He stiffened, searching around himself for some sign of danger. Kin lay with her back against the mizzenmast, for all it looked, sleeping, but Link knew she was wandering the music in her mind. Below him, the ship swayed as it always did. Wind flapped against the sails. Ocean swells broke against the side of the ship. He saw nothing when he scanned the horizon. He could smell no vileness on the breeze. He heard nothing.
Link leapt to his feet, sword flying to his hand. I hear nothing, he realized. "Swordsman?" Kin asked, emerging from her reverie. Link didn't answer. Since leaving Greatfish, seagulls had followed them without fail, incessantly squawking into the deep of the night. They're gone. Link searched the waves. No fish leapt to and fro. No fish.
A sudden blur. A shape beneath the waves. Ripples in the water.
"Kin, get to the center of the boat," Link said urgently.
"Why?" Kin said, panic rising in her voice.
"Just do it!" Every muscle in Link's body was tensed. "Navi!"
The fairy rushed to his call. She swept back and forth above the waves, searching. Link followed her with focused eyes. There! A shadow in the water. Navi instantly anchored her flight to the disturbance.
Link's eyes widened. "Goddesses."
Water exploded upward, obscuring the sky in a salty deluge. The ship bucked violently. Kin shrieked. As the mist cleared, the shadow of a monster seemed to appear as if out of the air.
Link watched on with horror. It looked like an octorock, but was far, far larger than any he had ever heard of. Nearly twenty meters tall, it dwarfed their ship. A dozen sickly yellow eyes circled its enormous body, and the sun shined off of its effervescent violent skin, which looked to be covered in a thick layer of mucus. All around them, squirming tentacles rustled against the water like a living tangle of vines.
Link froze. What the hell do we do now?
A flash at the corner of his vision; Navi charged the beast without fear. Link watched as she flickered to and fro. What is she doing? Suddenly, he realized. The eyes!
Before he could move, a tentacle the size of a tree trunk smashed onto the deck beside him. Wood cracked and splintered under the weight. Yelling, Link swung the Master Sword, severing the gelatinous mass.
Behind him, the monster let out a garbled shriek that set his hair on end. Without wasting any time, Link dove for his bow and quiver, barely avoiding another tentacle as it flailed outward, snapping the foremast like a twig. Ropes snapped all around him, being torn from the rigging as another tentacle tangled itself in the sails. Kin had fled to the quarterdeck, desperately diving from side to side as she was nearly crushed to death.
Growling, Link struggled to string his bow. His fingers slipped as the ship was violently tossed around. Finally, the cord snapped into place.
An arrow flew to his hand. Link's eyes locked onto his fairy. Without taking a breath, three arrows flew from his bow, each finding their target without fail. As the giant octorock reared back in pain, Link loosed two more arrows. Carefully, he sighted his last shaft. Before him, the beast flailed to and fro, blinded. His last arrow disappeared from his bow with a twang.
Crippled, the giant octorock lashed out violently. "Kin!" Link screamed as the bard was flung from the ship. No time! He was suddenly covered in shadow as larger tentacle blocked out the sun. Din's ass! Link was pitched against the deck as the ship was snapped in two. Even blind, the beast was going to kill them. Tossing his bow aside, Link snatched the Master Sword as it clattered along the deck.
As what remained of the shattered clipper began to capsize, the world turned sideways. Everything was falling. The sea rushed up as the ship continued to tip.
Just as the sails began to dip toward the water, Link leapt onto the now sideward mainmast. His feet blurred as he flew up the swiftly diminishing incline. Below him, the sea buckled.
With a roar like thunder, Link leapt off the top of the mast, soaring through the air. His blade glittered like diamonds in the sun. Then, with a sickening gush of black blood, Link sunk his sword into the flailing mass of the giant octorock.
Together, Link and the blinded demon crashed into the waves. Clouds of blood darkened the ocean. All around him, Link struggled against the swarm of tentacles. Slowly, the beast went still and began to sink, dragging Link down into the murky depths. Desperately, he pulled at his sword, swinging it vainly at the vine-like appendages tangled in his legs. Seawater gushed into his lungs as he gasped for air. Suffocated, his mind began to grow dark. As unconsciousness took him, he thought he saw a flash of silver. Then, nothing.
"Hey! Wake up!" Navi's voice cut at Link's mind.
The first sensation Link felt was pain. His chest burned as he coughed up saltwater. Nausea surged through him just before he emptied the contents of his stomach onto the stone floor. For a while, he lay curled in a ball, dry heaving and gasping for air in turns.
Through his blurred vision, Link thought he could make out the shape of Kin being dragged out of the water and onto the platform next to him. Her chest stirred, but she did not move. Vainly, he struggled to make out the form of whoever had pulled them from the ocean. Silver...scales? Link thought as his vision began to sharpen. Groaning, he rolled onto his back. Navi swirled above him.
"You needs be moving slowly," the figure said in a strange, slurred accent. "Your friend will being fine."
Link coughed violently. His arms trembled as he struggled to gasp in air. Slowly, ever so slowly, the world drew back into focus. After what seemed like hours, he managed to sit forward.
He would have gasped if he had not still been sucking in air. Before him was the strangest and most beautiful creature he had ever seen. She looked like a woman, but every inch of her was covered in glistening silver scales. Her fingers and toes were curiously long, and between each digit stretched thin blue webbing. Fins ran behind her calves and down from her forearms. Instead of hair, an odd scaled tail hung from the back of her head, almost reminiscent of Link's hat, with wide fins extending out from the bottom. As she moved, her silver skin flashed through a rainbow of colors, like a coy fish as it moved in the sun. She didn't have ears, but otherwise her feminine features seemed comfortingly familiar.
Whatever she was, she was built for the sea.
"Wh—who are—are you?" Link managed to wheeze.
"I be Rulula," she answered simply. Her eyes examined him with the same wonder and curiosity in Link's eyes.
"What—what are you?" Link asked.
"I do be Zora!" Rulula exclaimed in outrage. "How can you not be knowing of Zora?"
"Sorry," Link mumbled. "Don't get inv—invited to parties that—that much." His mind flashed back to something Zelda had told him years ago: 'The Zora were a race of aquatic natives that lived in this land thousands of years ago. Their culture was beautiful.' Link looked at Rulula with renewed curiosity. So this is a Zora.
Seeming to accept his cynical explanation, the strange fish-woman returned to watching him with ferocious interest.
Suddenly, his mind flashed back to when he and Kin had drifted upon the rowboat after escaping the Biri. A flash of silver in the water.
"I've seen you before!" he exclaimed. "I saw you in the water!"
Rulula nodded, seeming almost embarrassed. "I—I do been following you."
"Why?"
She shrugged, and Link let the matter lie. For a while, he focused on regaining his breath.
"Where are we?" Link asked, hoping he didn't offend her again.
"This be just a room," she answered cheekily, gesturing to the cavern around them. "If we do be continuing though, we will be finding us in Zora's Domain."
"Zora's Domain," Link repeated slowly. He looked around himself, still confused. Besides the pool of water that Rulula had pulled them out from, there was only stone. On the other side of the room was a small corridor. Where the hell are we? he wondered. There was no sunlight, only a warm azure glow from moss that grew from the ceiling.
"You do not be understanding?" Rulula asked as if speaking to a small child.
Link tried not to growl at her. "I'm not stupid, just confused."
The Zora shrugged like they were the same thing. "Like I do been saying. This be Zora's Domain. I do carried you and the she-human down here."
Down here? "Are...are we at the bottom of the Great Sea?!"
Again, the Zora eyed him as though he were dimwitted. "Yes, that is being where we are."
Link shook his head in bewilderment.
Beside him, Kin began to cough violently as she slowly returned to consciousness. Link rushed to her side.
"Are you alright?" he asked, helping her sit up. She clutched her sodden harp in her arms like a vice; she must have grabbed it before being swept off the ship.
"I—I think so," she replied. "What happened?"
Link gestured to Rulula. "She saved us."
Kin's reaction was less dignified than Link's, but perhaps more informed.
"A Zora! You're a Zora!" Kin exclaimed happily.
The fish-woman seemed pleased by her recognition. "My name do be Rulula," she said.
Link quickly explained their situation.
"Goddesses," Kin said as he finished. "So now what?"
"Will you take us to Zora's Domain?" Link asked Rulula. "We are driven by a pressing need to return to Castle Town."
"We be having no silly boats like you were been riding," she said. "And your boat do been destroyed and resting upon the sea floor, but I will be taking you to Zora's Domain, I think. Yes."
Something flickered in Link's mind. Frantically, he spun – searching the cavern.
"What is it?" Kin asked.
"The Master Sword!" Link exclaimed, panic gripping him. "Where is it?"
"Your weapon?" Rulula asked. "It do be at the bottom of the ocean."
Link spun, horror in his eyes. His mouth opened, but no words escaped.
Rulula watched him curiously. "Why do you be so troubled? You can be having a new sword, yes?"
When Link didn't respond, Kin stepped in. "He cannot," she explained. "That sword is...well, it's unique."
Link looked around, an odd look creeping into his eyes. "Navi?" he whispered.
The fairy bobbed up next to him. "The talking fish speaks true," she said, for once not bubbling with mirth.
Rulula's mouth worked soundlessly, no doubt processing just how offended she was to be called a 'talking fish.'
Link didn't reply. He sat on the ground, silent. Kin watched him, thinking she understood his loss.
"Come, we do be wasting time," Rulula said, her gaze lingering on Link's dejected form before turning away from the cavern. "I do not be allowing for wasting time. You must be meetings my husband."
Kin helped Link to stand, and together they followed Rulula through what, in hindsight, must have been several miles of damp tunnels and caves. Kin looked about herself with awe throughout the journey, especially fascinated by the luminescent lichen that clung to the walls. Link, though, plodded along hollowly, his gaze cast inward. Occasionally, Kin would try and prompt a conversation with Rulula, only to be hushed as if she were a child. Turning to Link was even less productive; he didn't even seem to hear the words she spoke, much less respond to them. Frustrated, she resigned herself to Navi's company, and together the duo marveled at the wonder around them, often pausing to more closely examine some interesting rock formation or pool, much to the aggravation of their guide.
"You do gawk like a new hatchling!" Rulula decried, repeating herself for the third time. "Do be trying to focus now, we are near to our destination."
Kin stuck her tongue out at the Zora when she turned away. In her arms, she still cradled her harp, wishing she had time to unstring the instrument and check for water damage.
Indeed, within only minutes they emerged from a small tunnel out onto a platform overlooking an enormous lake cavern nearly a dozen times larger than any they had yet seen. Kin gasped. Dozens of Zora swam to and fro, their silver scales flashing just beneath the surface. Here and there a few of the aquatic natives had emerged from the water onto one of several flat islands that broke the water's surface. From above, steady streams of sparkling seawater gushed out in a spectacular cluster of wavering waterfalls. As the watery rivulets crashed against the pool below, diamond-like droplets were flung into the air, flashing in the soft light.
Kin nearly forgot to breathe. "It's incredible," she whispered.
In front of her, Rulula smiled. "Follow me."
She led their party along a wide walkway that circled the walls of the cavern, steadily working its way down up. Near top of the grotto, it turned into another tunnel – much wider than the one they had taken earlier – that followed the largest of the cave's waterfalls back toward its source.
The warren circled in on itself, eventually reemerging at the very top of the enormous cavern, onto a wide ledge that overlooked the entire expanse. Kin hazarded only once glance over the edge; they were far too high for her liking.
The river that they had been following upstream seemed to continue from its source through another tunnel at the far end of the plateau. The tunnel, though, had been gated and locked so that no one would be able to pass through. In front of the gate, in the middle of the stream, sat a large stone throne that looked as though it floated upon the rushing water. Rapid currents surged around the cathedra before continuing their journey to the cavernous lake below.
Kin, so preoccupied by where she found herself, did not notice the figure who sat upon the throne. It was instead Link, who so far had hardly emerged from his mournful silence, who first saw Rialus, King of the Zora.
Link said nothing as Rulula led them toward the throne. The king seemed almost to be sleeping, his overlarge body barely contained within the bounds of his chair. Although clearly a Zora, the king was much larger than any of his fellow kin. His girth was wide, but even more incredible was his height. If standing, Link wagered the Zora would have stood nearly five meters high.
Finally, they reached a crook in the river that provided a ledge from where to address the king. Rulula bowed deeply, motioning that Link and Kin do the same. Kin immediately dropped into a perfect curtsy. Link bowed more slowly – grudgingly.
"I do be returned, my king," Rulula said as she rose.
The king's eyes snapped open. "Rulula! My wife, my queen, I do had begun to be worried. You were been gone too long this time."
Link carefully regarded Rulula from where he stood. Queen? Beside him, Kin had a similar look in her eyes.
"I do dislike this simple place, Rialus," she replied defiantly. "You cannot do to contain me here. As always, I must stretch my fins."
The king looked at her sadly. "Your leavings do fill me with a sadness. I ache for your beauty to return and do be beside me."
Rulula tossed her head and scoffed. "I cannot be held so tightly. You do be a fool to think so."
"My love—" the king began.
"Here be two landwalkers I did pull from the Great Sea," she interrupted fiercely, gesturing to Link and Kin. "I did think you might be capable of handling this at least."
With one last sorrowful look at Rulula, the king finally turned his gaze to Link and Kin, seeming to see them for the first time. "You do be knowing of our laws, my wife," he said – not angry, but bemused. "None but who can be swimming the seas may travel here."
Rulula watched with an air of forced patience as the king studied them. Only when he turned back to her did she reply, "They have killed the Great Octo."
"What?!" Rialus sprang forward in his seat, his eyes filled with fire. "Is this being true?!"
Link's stomach turned. Events were swirling around them, and second by second they were losing control of their fate. His mind raced. Kill the Great Octo? She must mean that monstrous octorock. Link almost shivered at the stark ferocity in King Rialus' eyes. Goddesses, how could that be wrong? He couldn't help but imagine a dozen scenarios where they were punished for ruining a cultural deity or a supposed guardian. If only I knew more about them I could plead our case! As it stood now, he knew he would likely only make matters worse, so he remained silent. Next to him, it was clear that Kin was just as confused and worried.
"It do be true," Rulula confirmed. The king nearly quivered. Sitting back in his throne, he closed his eyes again – no doubt contemplating Link and Kin's fate.
Link watched on, feeling more each silent second like a man teetering on the edge of a deep chasm. This was the apprehension before the fall.
He could hear the distant crash of the waterfall below them.
He could taste salt in the dense air.
His could feel the chilled air as it brushed against his cheeks.
The fall.
"How?" King Rialus locked Link with his fiery stare. "How did you be doing it?"
Link didn't answer right away. He studied the king uncertainly. "I...I'm not sure what you mean," he finally said.
"I do mean how were you being able to kill it?" Rialus returned vehemently. "This do be something our warriors did not be able to do for many long years."
Link's eyes widened. Finally, he was beginning to understand. He almost wanted to laugh, but still the darkness of loss gripped him. "With arrow and sword," he replied simply. In this, the king's imagination might create a wilder battle than he could recount.
Rialus' shook his head in quiet incredulity.
"You do not be believing what I do say?" Rulula asked dangerously. Her eyes flashed.
The king surprised them all with a loud, throaty laugh. "Believe you! My wife, how could I not?! You did perhaps not realize, but this boy do walk with the steps of a warrior. He do not be so simple as he first appears, I think."
"Then...we haven't done something wrong?" Kin wondered aloud, confusion still clinging to her face.
Rialus laughed again. "Wrong?! Child, were you being Zora we would do have celebrations for twenty tides! You would been carved onto the dry walls of our histories!" He cleared his throat excitedly. "As it do be, this will be solving the issue of your being here. We cannot do but amend the laws for the warrior who have done killed the Great Octo!"
Kin let out a relieved sigh, followed by a giggle.
"If there do be anything we can be giving you," King Rialus continued. "Please do let us know. We are being in your debt."
Kin turned to Link, waiting for him to explain their situation.
But he said nothing. He remained silent, again lost within himself. There was no point now.
"A—a ship," Kin said hesitantly after a moment. She eyed Link worriedly. "Our boat was destroyed, and we need to get to Castle Town as quickly as—"
"Oh!" Navi interrupted suddenly, bursting out from beneath Link's hat. "Oh! He's here! He's here!"
Four pairs of eyes turned to the excited little fairy as she spun around the plateau.
"What are you talking about?" Kin asked Navi quietly, trying to shush her. She was worried that the fairy would insult the king by her tactlessness.
"You told me to tell you and I told you! I'm being helpful!" Navi continued to zip around their heads. "Crazy bard!" she added for good measure.
In his throne, King Rialus had begun to chuckle.
Slowly, realization dawned on them. Link snapped out of his melancholy. Kin's eyes opened wide.
"What, here?"
"Are you sure?"
"Where?"
"How close?"
They talked over each other excitedly. Jumbling their words in exhilarated anticipation.
Rulula watched their antics as if they had suddenly lost their minds.
The king eyed them with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. "What do be all this?" he asked.
"Jabun!" Navi called out happily. "He's here! I feel him!"
The name struck a chord of familiarity within Link, but the echoes quickly faded away.
"How do you be knowing of Lord Jabun?" Rulula asked angrily. Behind her, the king sat forward in his throne.
"I can feel him!" Navi sang, still dancing about. Link quickly jumped in to explain further.
"I think, perhaps, I should have introduced myself already," he began slowly. "My name is Link. I am the Hero of Time."
Shock painted Rulula's face. King Rialus studied him with renewed interest, but did not appear surprised.
"Princess Zelda, and through her the entire kingdom, has been taken captive by a powerful sorcerer. We were sent to find the warden of the waves, your Lord Jabun, I think, at Greatfish Isle with the promise that he could help us in our search for a means to defeat this new enemy." Link paused, gauging the two Zora. They listened with rapt attention. "But we found no sign of him."
"If he is here, please, let us speak with him!" Kin jumped in. "He may be the only being in Hyrule who can help us now."
Rialus closed his eyes, and his brow furrowed in thought.
"Jabun, platoon, balloon, spittoon," Navi chirped, oblivious to the tension around her.
"I would be letting you to see our Lord Jabun," King Rialus said, his eyes still shut in consternation. "But there do be laws barring your entry to the fountain." He met Link's gaze with sad eyes. "There do be tales that once long ago Jabun did meet with all visitors to the Zora, but no more. Now I must be upholding stricter laws, there be no choice." The king sighed. "But it do be true that your need be great. I must think on this." He motioned to his wife. "My queen, please be giving them our best dry rooms, and see that they do be treated with much kindness." Turning back to Link, he added. "I shall be having an answer for you by the next ebb tide."
Link saw no other choice but to accept. He bowed. "Thank you, King Rialus." Beside him, Kin dropped a curtsy. Then, without another word, they were led away by Rulula, back toward the lake cavern below.
Their rooms were rather nice, considering they had sat unused for as long as any could remember. The Zora slept beneath the water, and so the few dry bedchambers within the cavern were a surprising comfort.
"I would be wise, I do think, for you to remain here while the king does deliberate," Rulula had sad just before leaving them. "You are not imprisoned, but your presence may do upset some of our kin and put unwanted pressure on the king." With that, she had swept aside the thick mat that hung from the entrance and left.
And so they waited. The rooms were simple, but comfortable. A pair of beds had been chiseled into the walls and were covered with a layer of some soft, spongy material. A small fountain bubbled out of the floor furthest from the door, and from the ceiling were hung lamps of the same luminous moss that lit the entire cavern. Above the lamps were tied bits of odd leather that could be used to darken the room.
Link lay back on his bed. For a while, Jabun's discovery had excited him – had given him renewed hope – but in the stillness, his mind returned again to the harrowing conclusion that all was lost.
"I know it's hard," Kin said, sitting up on her bed and turning toward Link. He didn't respond. "I get it. Losing the Master Sword is a huge blow. What I don't understand is why you seem to have given up. You're still the Hero of Time. You can still defeat Vaati."
Link remained silent. She didn't understand. She couldn't understand.
Kin watched him with sad eyes. "I think that, even without your sword or your title, you would still be a hero."
Her words hung in the air. Link recoiled as if struck. Seconds passed, then minutes. Eventually, Kin pushed herself to her feet and covered the moss lamps. For a moment, she watched Link in the soft darkness. She watched the rise and fall of his chest. She saw the set of his jaw, and the curl of his hair. Then, with an urgent suddenness, she turned away and lay again in her own bed.
To all the world, Link looked to be asleep. His eyes shut, his breath slow, he lay like that for some time. "Thank you," he muttered into the stillness. Kin didn't respond, but a smile found itself on her soft lips.
It was impossible to tell how much time passed before they were awakened by the return of Rulula. Groggily, the duo rose from bed.
"Come now, the king do be ready for you," the Zora queen said, her eyes flashing. It was impossible to discern whether they were to be greeted with news good or ill.
As they walked the long passageway back to the king's throne, Link found himself peering inward – reliving the words Kin had spoken before they slept. He steeled himself. I will save Zelda with or without the Master Sword, he said silently. Because I have to. But no matter what he told himself, he couldn't shake the sense of being off-balance without the long sword upon his back.
Not much had changed in the hours they were away from the throne room. King Rialus sat heavily upon his stone chair, but now several others were in attendance as well – more than a dozen Zora stood in two arcs on either side of the throne.
"They do be our most elder kin," Rulula said under her breath, answering Link's question before it could leave his tongue. "Here to witness what the king do decide."
Yet again, Link and Kin bent their necks to Rialus.
"Ours do be the last school of Zora in the Great Sea," the king announced, speaking just as much to the assembled Zora as Link and Kin. "This be a more dangerous age than the last, and soon I do fear that Zora will vanish from the land of Hyrule. Our laws be strict and cautious, and I would not be putting our school at risk by breaking those strictures."
Link's heart sank.
"However," the king continued. "The world do continue to change. If we cannot be changing with it, we do be doomed all the more certainly." He turned to Link and Kin. "You do seek an audience with Lord Jabun, within the Zora's Fountain. Our laws do prohibit such a thing, but your need be great. Should you be failing in your quest, I do fear that our people shall feel the tremors that will shake your land to the end of our fins."
Link watched on with bated breath. Get on with it! he wanted to yell.
King Rialus fixed his stare upon Link. The silence stretched on. Finally, he spoke, "But I cannot be allowing one who is not Zora to enter the fountain."
That's it then, Link told himself, fighting against the anger and hopelessness that begun to well up inside him. Stifled muttering circled the hall. It seemed that most of the elder Zora were pleased by the king's decision. Next to him, Kin opened her mouth angrily, but Link lay a calming hand upon her arm. Inwardly though, he wanted to scream.
Suddenly, Rulula stepped forward. Link was surprised to see the fury in her eyes – a roaring fire that challenged the king with its incensed glare. She opened her mouth, then closed it, clearly fighting for control of herself. Link watched on, completely taken aback by the queen's fervent concernment with their case. He would not have wagered a green rupee to a hundredweight of Eldin Ore that she would have any interest in their success.
Finally, she drew herself up. Her eyes flashed with all the regality of a queen, and in that moment, Link could almost see Zelda standing before him.
In one motion, she reached up and ripped a silver scale from her chest. Then, turning, she placed the scale into Link's hands.
A stunned silence gripped the room. Horrified gasps arose from the Zora elders. "I do now, in accordance with our laws," she iced those words with malice, "bring this man into my nest."
An explosion of angry shouts and protests filled the air. All around the plateau, Zora elders yelled objections, their faces wrought with every emotion from disgust to indignance.
Link watched on, unsure of what had happened, but knowing that Rulula had just done something very unpopular with her kin. Looking across, he expected the king to mirror the others' rage, but Link was surprised to see him sitting comfortably in his throne, the hint of a pleased smile on his lips.
In the midst of all the turmoil, Link let his attention fall to the scale Rulula had given him. It shone silver, though an entire spectrum of colors flashed in the dim light. The exterior of the scale was as smooth as polished glass, but the underside was coarse – ridged in a way that reminded him of a fingerprint. It was heavier than he would have expected as well, but warm to the touch. He could see reddened skin through the new gap in Rulula's armor. Vaguely, he wondered how long it would take for her scale to grow back.
"I think..." Kin whispered, drawing him from his thoughts. "I think Rulula just did something rather extraordinary."
Before Link could ask what she meant, King Rialus spoke, "Silence!" he said, calling the discontent Zora elders to task. "You did want for the law, and now you shall have it." Turning to Link, he nodded. "You will be coming before Jabun, but alone. In this, the girl-child may not accompany you. Instead, I do think it be only fitting for Rulula to be showing you the way."
Link did not argue. Why has he changed his mind? What did Rulula do?
"Come," Rulula said, leading Link away from the platform. Turning to Kin, she added, "You should be waiting here." The bard nodded, but glanced at the angry Zora anxiously.
Slowly, Rulula and Link walked upriver toward the throne. Link kept his eyes down as they passed the assembled Zora elders; he could nearly feel their hatred on the back of his neck. Next to him, Rulula defiantly met them glare for glare, staring each down in turn.
Rulula led Link past the throne, to where the river flowed into the chamber through the locked gate. Water quickly soaked through Link's boots when they stepped into the stream, but he paid it no mind. Rulula did not reach out to the lock, but stopped in front of it as if waiting for something. Behind them, the king clapped once. A bright light erupted from the lock, then faded away, leaving an open door. Together, they stepped through.
They walked in silence for a time, continuing upriver. The water sloshed against his legs, occasionally reaching as high as his thigh, but never higher, a mercy for which he was grateful; the stream felt as cold as ice.
As the throne room disappeared behind them, Link couldn't help but ask: "What just happened?"
Rulula didn't answer right away, and as they continued to walk, Link wondered if she had even heard him.
"I did...adopt you, I think is how you landwalkers would be explaining it," she finally said. "It do been a common enough practice in ancient times, but has not been done in over a thousand years, and never, I do think, within the royal family."
Link had to focus to close his mouth. "Adopt me?" he said. "What does that mean? I don't understand."
"It do make you my brother, and a Zora, as long as you be carrying my heartscale," she said. "There be other things – other responsibilities – as well, but none, I do think, to outweigh the need that did drive you."
A deep breath did little to calm his racing mind, but he knew she was right; he would have paid any price for the chance she had given him. "Thank you, Rulula," he said honestly. "I'm truly sorry for whatever grief this may bring."
Link took several steps before realizing that the queen no longer walked with him. Turning back, he was surprised to see her brow drawn in outrage. "You do think that I only offered you my heartscale so that you might be seeing Lord Jabun?" she said, her voice tight with indignation. "Or do you be thinking I only wanted to see the elders squirm like beached Loovar?"
Link's mouth worked, but no sound came out.
"Do I seem like I do chase Skippyjack, brother? Perhaps I did make a mistake."
"I...what?" Link floundered.
"You insult me. I do not be giving out my heartscale for something so small." The queen could spit fire, Link thought.
"I'm sorry," he quickly said, still not completely understanding. "Truly, I am honored to be brought into your nest," he continued, wracking his mind to remember the words she had used in the throne room.
That must have been the right thing to say, for Rulula's anger seemed to partially recede. "My heartscale do be long in returning. Five years will it be to grow again. I do not be giving it away for nothing."
Finally, Link understood. Awe filled him. He immediately dropped to a knee. Water rushed around him, drenching his clothes, but he barely felt it. "I am both honored and humbled to receive your heartscale. Please, accept my apology for what I said; I can give no excuse except ignorance. Truly, I swear I will repay the honor you've given me, and I will happily abide by whatever stricture might accompany such an incredible gift."
Rulula lay a hand on his shoulder, guiding him to his feet. "You will be making a good Zora after all, I do think," she said with a fiery grin. "Come, I will be telling you of our people while we be walking. There do be much to learn, and as the brother to the king and queen, you must be learning all of it."
The walk was long, and for what seemed like hours, Rulula drilled Link in the finer details of Zora society. She begun with their histories, which were surprisingly well recorded. Apparently, the Zora in the cavern below were descendants of Hylian River Zora that existed long before The Great Flood. In those times, they supposedly participated in the politics of Hyrule, but for some unknown reason, they were eventually forced to retreat into obscurity. For the millennia preceding The Great Flood, they migrated from sanctuary to sanctuary, never staying long in one place. During this time, they became increasingly hostile, with certain accounts suggesting that they devolved into something almost beastlike, attacking outsiders indiscriminately. "In many ways," Rulula had said, "The Great Flood may have inadvertently been saving us from complete self-destruction." The rising water allowed them to live without fear of intrusion, and eventually they developed back into the structured people they were today. "Although," Rulula admitted, "There do still be much fear, as you did see in the elders."
Then, Rulula began to explain the workings of the school – how Zora inherited their positions and jobs from their parents, and how those jobs changed as they progressed through their life cycles. Once they reached the age of seven, young Zora were given over to a teacher who taught them their letters and histories. At fourteen, they entered into the first stage of their work cycle, learning to either hunt or gather a specific type of food or supply determined by what their parents had done in their first stage work cycle. At twenty-eight, they entered into their second stage work cycle, which dealt with a wide variety of specialized work within the cavern – anything from underwater basket weaving to making the moss lanterns that hung from the ceiling. Usually Zora used this cycle to find a compatible mate, since the jobs almost always kept them within the cavern. At fourty-eight, Zora entered into their third stage work cycle. Often, these work cycles were simpler and less demanding, as Zora at that age were also preoccupied with raising their young. Then, at age seventy, all Zora graduated to the status of elder, which meant they had no specific job, but were expected to care for and guide the school in whatever ways they were able.
Link struggled to keep up with Rulula as she sped through so much information. Despite his best efforts, he often had to stop her and ask questions, and by the way she looked at him, each question must have been more foolish than the last.
"Okay," Link said, finally confident that he understood everything, or at least mostly everything. "So what about me? As your nestmate," he thought he used the term right, "what is expected of me?"
"You do be Zora now, but none will expect you to be following all our customs," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "But as a member of the school, you can be called upon to defend the domain. Should the king do give summons, you are honor bound to be heeding them as quickly as you are able. Furthermore, you must be abiding by all our laws, and do be held by our penalties should you break them."
Link nodded, that all seemed easier than was fair.
"Also," Rulula continued. "As Zora you do be bound to our burial customs."
He shrugged at the last. Dead was dead; what did it matter what they did with his body. "What are your burial customs?" he asked, curious.
"Your body will be wrapped in a heavy cloth, and be let drift into the deepest chasms of The Great Sea," she explained. "Where you will be taken by Nayru and your body be turned back to the water that do give life to all."
"That..." Link said slowly. "That sounds rather nice, actually."
"And lastly," Rulula said, a smirk on her face, "You must be taking a Zora mate when you come of age."
Link's chest heaved in surprise, and he lost his breath to a fit of coughing. "Wh—what?" he asked, mind racing and eyes wide.
Rulula laughed. "Well, that do be the old custom, but I do not be thinking we must be abiding by it so strictly. Instead I do think it will be enough for you to be having your mate blessed by the king."
Still coughing, Link shook his head in disbelief. Visions of dragging Malon to the bottom of the ocean to meet the king of the fish people haunted him. Goddesses, she won't like that. Or maybe she would. Link almost laughed.
His mind was still turning when they finally arrived at Zora's Fountain, so it took him several moments to realize the tunnel had opened into a larger cavern entirely covered in water. Rulula motioned him to a halt.
It was dark. No luminescent lichen covered the walls; no organic lanterns hung from the ceiling. In fact, Link couldn't even see the ceiling or the walls. The only light came from the water itself – as if there was a dim beacon shining far beneath the surface. He got the uneasy feeling that just a few steps ahead, below the water, the ground dropped off into the depths of the earth. He shivered.
Beside him, Rulula said and did nothing. Link emulated her patience, but couldn't help but wonder what they were waiting for. Is Jabun here?
After a few minutes, his eyes began to adjust, and he looked about himself curiously. The walls were beginning to come into view, and the stalactites that hung from the ceiling were slowly emerging like giant teeth closing in upon him.
Wait. No, his eyes hadn't adjusted at all; the room was becoming brighter. How? He looked down, and the sudden realization nearly made him leap backward. The light beneath the surface was moving. Jabun.
There was an explosion of water as the great fish broke the surface. Crystalline droplets rained down, pattering against the roiling seawater with the sound of hissing thunder.
Link had been prepared for another grandiose creature like Valoo, but still he couldn't help but gape at the massive fish before him.
Jabun filled the entirety of the large cavern with his bulk. Faded green skin covered almost all of his body, except for upon the small of his back where sat a space of interlocking black scales. His pale fins seemed altogether too small for his body, but Link doubted that such a huge creature ever had the need to move too quickly. A long, bowed horn protruded from his forehead, and upon the end alit an odd lantern that emitted a piercingly bright light. His mouth was wide, and almost invisible gills worked on either side of his head. Every part of him looked like a fish, but his eyes gazed out from beneath drawn brow with unmistakable intelligence.
Rulula bowed deeply. Link followed suit. Navi floated out of his hat and approached the guardian curiously.
"Watashi wa, anata ga, sugu ni tōji no hīrō watashi o hōmon suru to yosō," Jabun said, the foreign language again seeming all too familiar to Link.
"I expected that you would seek me out, Hero of Time," Rulula translated.
Link nodded. "Valoo sent me to find you. I seek the Sands of Time."
The great fish sighed. "Jikan no suna. Kiken'na tsūrudesuga, kono yōna kiken'na teki no tame ni, osoraku fittingu wa anata no mae ni tatte iru."
"The Sands of Time," Rulula said, watching Link curiously. "A dangerous tool, but perhaps fitting for such a dangerous enemy as stands before you."
"Then you know of it?" Link asked excitedly.
"Watashi wa yaru ga, sore wa anata no shudan o koete bukidearu tame, kono kotoni motodzui anata no kibō o settei shinaide kudasai."
"I do, but do not set your hopes upon this thing, for it may prove to be a weapon beyond your means."
"I have no other choice!" Link yelled. "You must tell me!"
Jabun closed his eyes and was silent. After a moment, he replied, "Jikan no suna wa, sono Chū no subete no anata no kako no seikatsu no rei uso. Sekainosōzō kara no jikan no subete no eiyū - karera no chishiki, karera no keiken, karera no nōryoku. Sore wa hakarishirenai to kyōryokuna monodearu. De kiken."
For a moment, Rulula didn't translate. Finally, she managed to get ahold of herself, though her arms trembled slightly. "The Sands of Time. Therein lie the spirits of all your past lives. Every Hero of Time since the creation of the world – their knowledge, their experiences, their abilities. It is an immense and powerful thing. And dangerous." Rulula looked at Link with newfound respect. Respect and thinly veiled fear.
He ignored her. In his mind, he struggled to fathom the power that had just been described to him. To unlock the powers of my ancestors...that would be... He shook his head, unable to comprehend such a thing. But how could that save Malon? No answers came. He put it from his mind.
"How can I find it?" he asked, breaking the silence.
"Anata wa, sono chikara wa, tsuneni jibun no naka ni nemutte imashita tame, dekimasen. Rokku o kaijo suru ni wa, kīde wanai kī o mitsukeru hitsuyō ga arimasu," Jabun replied, his eyes watching Link's every movement and reaction.
"You cannot," Rulula translated, "for that power already lies dormant within yourself. To unlock it, you must find the key that is not."
"The key that is not," Link muttered. "Valoo mentioned that as well. What is it?"
"Tsūru - katsute sekai ga sakusei sa reta maedeatte mo, jikan de no hageshī kami ga shoyū suru masuku. Sore wa Oni."
"A tool – a mask once owned by a fierce deity in a time even before the world was made. It is the Oni."
"The Oni," Link repeated. The word resonated within his chest.
"Shikashi, watashi wa kono pasu wa nani ni mo tsunagaru koto o osorete iru. Jikan no suna wa kyōryokudeari, kiken'na anata wa ishi no utagau yochi no nai hoshōnin nashide sorera no rokku o kaijo suru hitsuyō ga arimasuga, Oni wa mahō no monodeari, yuiitsu no mahō o furū mono ga sore o riyō suru koto ga dekimasu."
"However, I fear that this path will lead to nothing. The Sands of Time are powerful, and dangerous should you unlock them without unquestionable surety of will, but the Oni is a thing of magic, and only one who wields magic can make use of it."
The world seemed to freeze. Link's heart fell into this stomach, and ice ran through his veins. "Then...I cannot...?"
Jabun watched him with sad eyes. "Soko ni anata no naka ni mahō ga aru ga, soreha teitai shi seichō shite kita - hai-yō doro ni nahhotondo ka no yō. Anata wa anata no chikara no ryūshutsu o kanjita koto ga arimasu ka? Kaze wa anata ni shitagaimasu. Hi wa anata no tasuke ni hiyaku. Watashi wa anata no senzai-ryoku o katsuyō suru koto wa dekinai koto o, shikashi, osoreru; sore wa amarini mo nagaiai nemutte iru anata no tame ni ushinawa rete iru."
Rulula shook her head. Hopelessness seeped into her words. "There is magic within you, but it has grown stagnant – almost as if turned to mud from disuse. Have you not felt the run-off of your power? The wind follows you; fire leaps to your aid. I fear, though, that you will never be able to harness your latent power; it has slept for far too long and is lost to you."
"There has to be a way!" Link yelled, fighting back the sorrow that threatened to overwhelm him. Malon was so close. So close! He could not lose the hope to save her now! "There has to be!"
"Ga aru baai, watashi wa sore o shiranai. Watashi wa hontōni mōshiwakearimasenga, wakai eiyūdesu."
"If there is, then I do not know of it. I am truly sorry, young hero." Rulula's voice seemed to carry Jabun's regret as if it were her own.
Link fell to his knees. The world spun. Blackness threatened to devour him. "No..." he whispered. Navi floated circles around his head.
"Kigi ni watashi no ani o sagashidasu. Kare wa fukai rosutouzzu-nai kakatte iru. Kare ni Oni o itaku sa reta. Osoraku kare wa kono Chū de anata o tasukeru tame ni ikutsu ka no hōhō o shitte irudearou," Jabun finally said. He spoke slowly – hesitantly.
Rulula bent down next to Link. Wrapping her hands around his arm, she gently helped him to his feet. "Seek out my brother in the trees. He resides deep within the Lost Forest. To him was entrusted the Oni. Perhaps he will know of some way to help you in this."
Link nodded, but could not speak. Despair still wrapped around his heart, but once more hope took hold. His brother within the trees. Goddesses, let him have the answer!
Still in a daze, Link turned to leave.
"Wait," Rulula whispered, halting Link's steps.
In the water, Jabun was doing...something. Link watched on detachedly as the lantern attached to the great fish's horn began to shine brighter and brighter, pulsing like a heartbeat. Suddenly, with one final surge of light, the radiance flashed, then receded. Link's eyes slowly readjusted to the darkness. He gasped. There, floating in front of him, was the Master Sword.
"Burēdo wa, kaitei kara watashi ni yoba reru. Kanojo wa, watashi wa anata o saikai koto o kiite imasuga, futatabi kanojo o ushinaubeki to keikoku shi, kanojo wa modorimasen," Jabun said as Link wrapped his hand around the familiar hilt.
"The blade called to me from the ocean floor. She asked that I reunite you, but warns that should you lose her again, she will not return," Rulula translated, wonder in her voice.
Link blinked in surprise. "She?"
Jabun laughed. "Anata no ken no seishin. Kanojo wa hōhō de, ikite iru. Kanojo o gyakutai shinaide kudasai, matawa anata wa kanojo no chūsei kokoro o ushinau koto ni naru."
"The spirit of your sword. She is alive, in a way. Do not mistreat her, or she will forsake you."
Link studied his sword. The wide blade. The inscription in the stark. The winged cross. The leather-wrapped hilt. He thought the golden gem, inset in the guard, flickered, though it could have been a trick of the light.
"I swear to carry you with honor," he told the sword quietly. In his hand, the grip seemed to warm.
"Kōun, wakai eiyū. Anata ga motomeru mono o mitsukeru koto ga dekimasu."
"Good luck, young hero. May you find what you seek."
With those words, Jabun leapt powerfully into the air, crashed into the lake, and then disappeared beneath the surface. Within moments, the water had again calmed, and all that was left of the warden of the waves was a dim glow birthed from the depths of the sea.